iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) - Before age 16, Suzie Welsh did not envision she would be working in healthcare, business, or a combination of the two.



A trip to Malawi during her teenage years, however, set her on a unique path towards medicine and entrepreneurship.



"Women's health has needed some innovation for quite some time," she told ABC News in a recent interview, going on to say she hopes "to change health outcomes for women in the United States and then globally."



Welsh is the founder of BINTO, a young Pennsylvania-based company working to transform women's healthcare with clinically-backed, over-the-counter products. She spoke with ABC News about running her own company and how she made the transition from nurse to entrepreneur.



On a volunteer trip to Malawi, Welsh contracted malaria, and through that experience realized the importance of effective and easily accessible healthcare. She pursued nursing in college, and after working nearly a decade in the industry, took an interest in the business of healthcare. It was through her interactions with patients that she discovered many women she was treating found it difficult to get access to personalized healthcare.



"I would get sort of the same questions over confusion in the marketplace when it came to women's over the counter products and then lack of access to a health professional to figure out what they even needed," she explains, reflecting on her time working as a fertility nurse after college.



It was after this experience that Welsh founded BINTO, a "digitally native lifestyle company" with the mission of helping women get the safe and effective products they need to support their unique health journeys."



The service surveys users and matches them with specific over-the-counter to address each woman's individual health needs. The supplements are then delivered to the user.



Welsh hopes BINTO will eventually become "a top service in digital health for women," setting out on a path with ambitions to grow BINTO into a global company.



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A potentially hazardous situation was averted Tuesday after a chemical spill in South Jacksonville.

The Jacksonville Fire Departments hazardous materials team assisted South Jacksonville firefighters and police in cleaning a small but undetermined amount of nitric acid, a highly flammable chemical, that leaked from a tanker truck at Loves Travel Stop at 201 Loves Drive.

When officers arrived, they identified the chemical to be nitric acid, South Jacksonville Police Chief Tim Mann said.

The Jacksonville and South Jacksonville fire departments and South Jacksonville police made the determination that with the amount of chemical on the ground, wind speed and various other conditions, that we fell 8 feet shy of evacuating Loves truck stop, Mann said.

He said the three agenices were on the scene about eight hours.

Nitric acid is highly flammable and ate away the asphalt in Loves parking lot, Mann said. One of our biggest concerns was when they had to pressurize the leaking tank to transfer the nitric acid into another tanker.

Mann said the chemical leaked from a small hole in the double-walled tank of the truck, which was owned by Laidlaw Trucking of Ontario, Canada.

The tanker driver slept at Loves Monday night, noticed the leak Tuesday morning and contacted authorities, Mann said. He said the tanker was carrying about 30,000 gallons of nitric acid, which was picked up in Louisiana, Missouri.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency was notified and monitored the situation based on information provided by the agencies on the scene.
Anti-gay bill: It's not who they ...
Liberty Institute USA will be celebrating Flag Day this year at Hurst Ranch in Jamestown.

Suzanne Cruz, President of the Liberty Institute USA, was Wednesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day.

Flag Day is one of the forgotten American Holidays, said Cruz. We are going to change that by celebrating the day with a family event on Saturday June 2nd.

According to Cruz, the celebration will be a family picnic where you bring the food and your family to the Hurst Ranch grounds from 11 AM to 4 PM. There will be train rides, music by Fiddles Etc., games for the kids, prizes and a raffle. There will even be a hot grill provided to cook meat on.

Flag Day (which is actually June 14th) is one of three Holidays identified by Liberty Institute USA as a forgotten holiday. The others include Presidents Day in February and Constitution Day in September.

The $5 tickets for the upcoming Flag Day celebration are available at Hurst Ranch, online at www.libertyinstituteusa.org and at Liberty Hall. They will also be available at the gate on the day of the event.

Liberty Institute USA is located inside of Liberty Hall in downtown Sonora at 161 South Washington, across the street from the Sonora Inn. Liberty Hall operates as a museum, book store and lecture hall that includes classes.

According to Cruz, there is no political affiliation with Liberty Institute USA.

The Institute was formed by a group of local citizens to address the intent of our Founding Fathers, said Cruz. Our liberty, financial future and health is at risk due to the growing economic debt and deteriorating morals.

The Liberty Institute is based on four principles: free markets, limited governments, individual liberty and personal responsibility, Cruz continued. We are non-partisan. Thats why we made the Hall look exactly like Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was written and the Constitution of the United States of America was debated and adopted. Liberty Hall will be open to everyone, just like Independence Hall is open to everyone.

In order to keep the Hall open and provide educational services to the community, supporters are encouraged to become members. This will help fund the facility and various programs.

Liberty Institute USA is a non-profit 501c3. The mission is to educate and inform the public about key economic ideas and principles that our nation was founded on.

For those who would like to support the Liberty Institute, Patriot Membership is $150 a year. Founder Membership is $500 a year.

For information call 209-770-5025.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Plainview police are investigating the burglary of vehicles between 10 a.m. and noon May 12 in the 1300 block of Navajo Trail.

--A 53-year-old man was arrested for warrants and procession of less than two ounces of marijuana and manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance between 7:22-8:50 p.m. May 12 in the 500 block of West 13th Street.

--A 31-year-old woman was arrested for public intoxication between 7:20-8:16 p.m. May 13 in the 100 block of West Ninth Street.

--A 50-year-old man was arrested for assault and interference with emergency request for assistance between 6-8:39 p.m. May 13 in the 1000 block of Martinez Street.

--A 23-year-old man was arrested for reckless driving, driving while license invalid, driving while intoxicated and possession of dangerous drugs between 3:50-6:49 a.m. May 11 in the 800 block of North I-27.

--A 19-year-old man was arrested for minor in consumption and forgery between 7:52-8:45 a.m. May 12 in the 800 block of Independence Street.

--A 33-year-old woman was arrested for public intoxication between 5-5:08 a.m. May 11 in the 3900 block of Sides Street.

--Plainview police are investigating a case of criminal mischief that took place between 10 p.m. May 11 and 9:24 a.m. May 12 in the 1400 block of Canyon Street.

--A 34-year-old man was arrested for assault by threat between 11-11:29 p.m. May 12 in the 1500 block of Yonkers.

--Plainview police are investigating a case of obstructing justice after driving while intoxicated with a child passenger between 11:28 p.m. May 11 and 1:23 p.m. May 12 in the 100 block of West Givens Street.

--Plainview police are investigating a case of abandoning or endangering a child between 11:20-11:31 p.m. May 12 in the 2800 block of Houston Street.

--A 40-year-old woman was arrested for warrants, forgery, fraudulent use or possession of identifying information and prohibited substances and items in a correctional or civil commitment facility between 11:47 a.m. and 2:19 p.m. May 11 in the 3500 block of Olton Road.

(Anyone with information on crime in Plainview and Hale County may contact the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 293-8477 or 293-TIPS.)
The 54-year-old pastor of Seth Ward Baptist Church, David Pollard, died Tuesday, May 15, as a result of injuries he received when his motorcycle was struck by a pickup as Pollard traveled southbound along the west service road of Interstate 27 in front of Wendys Restaurant.

According to Plainview Police Capt. Manuel Balderas Jr., officers responded to the traffic mishap in the 1400 block of North I-27 at 4:12 p.m. Pollard was operating a 2007 Harley David motorcycle that was struck by a 2006 Ford pickup, driven by Margie Copeland.

The pickup reportedly pulled out of a parking lot and the two vehicles collided.

Balderas reports that Pollard sustained severe injuries. He was transported to Covenant Health Plainview by Plainview Fire Department EMS. He was later pronounced dead by Hale County Justice of the Peace Sheron Collins who ordered an autopsy which was performed Wednesday morning.

By early Wednesday afternoon, police still had not determined contributing factors of the accident and were continuing their investigation. Local police are being assisted by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

According to a Facebook post by the Caprock Plains Baptist Area, David Pollard served as Seth Ward Baptists pastor for the past three years.

David was a marvelous man who brought his family to Plainview several years ago from Farwell, where he was the ministry assistant at FBC Farwell, the post explains. Once in Plainview, Pollard and his wife, Pamela, and their daughter Tori became members of the Seth Ward Baptist Church. Pollard was extremely active in the Childrens Ministry at Seth Ward on Wednesday night, ministering to the children of the area, before becoming its pastor.

Pollard grew up in Cedar Hill, Texas.

A Go Fund Me account has been established to assist David Pollards family. It can be found at: https://www.gofundme.com/pollard-family

Funeral arrangements are not immediately available
/

Ford Motor Co. will resume building its biggest moneymaker, the F-150 pickup, two weeks after a fire at a suppliers factory halted production of trucks at three plants.

Production of F-Series pickups will restart first at Fords Dearborn, Michigan, factory on Friday, then at plants in Kentucky and Missouri on Monday. The automaker rebuilt its supply chain for key magnesium parts used in the trucks and in sport utility vehicles including the Lincoln Navigator and Ford Explorer, according to a statement.
Chimichanga. Chimichanga. Chimichanga.

Its fun to say, which is why the gut-busting treat is a favorite of mouthy mercenary Deadpool. The masked mutant and chimichangas go together like Peaches and Herb.

The IMAX trailer for the hit 2016 movie Deadpool featured a chimichanga, as does the menu screen for the Blu-ray of that movie. Funko Pop sells a Deadpool figurine with a chimichanga truck.

With Deadpool 2 arriving in theaters this weekend, 7-11 is stocking Deadpool-branded chimichangas, and Alamo Drafthouse has added them to its menu.

RELATED: Southtown's The House Boozy Ice Cream & Brews: The boozy ice cream place that will become your new addiction

Now, San Antonio is a taco town, not a burrito burg  let alone deep-fried burritos, which is the secret identity of the chimichanga. So chimichangas arent commonly seen on Tex-Mex menus around town. Which makes sense, because theyre not Tex-Mex at all.

According to a USA Today story, the Tucson, Arizona, restaurant El Charro claims credit for accidentally creating the chimichanga when a burrito fell into a deep fryer. (On the plus side: a new menu item. On the minus: the days without an on-the-job injury sign had to be reset to 0.)

That said, San Antonio is not a complete stranger to the chimichanga. San Antonio rock radio DJ legend Joe Anthony, who also was a restauranteur, used to hawk them in between playing Triumph and Legs Diamond songs.

RELATED: San Antonio getting new BBQ spot

In a 1983 review in the Express-News, The Intrepid Ingestor (food critics had secret identities, too, in those days) cracked one open at a restaurant called the Sagebrush Cantina.

And you can find several variations on the stuffed and fried flour tortilla today in San Antonio. (The high-volume mega-Mexican restaurants on the North Side are a good place to look.)

Click through the slideshow to see five San Antonio chimichangas Deadpool wouldnt hate.

Jim Kiest is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | jkiest@express-news.net | @jimik64
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont solved one problem  removing a competitor from the field  when Susan Bysiewicz ended her own campaign to run as his lieutenant governor.

But their ticket, announced just days after Republicans nominated two white men for the same top positions, is now being attacked for being too white.

Meanwhile the head of the state NAACP is taking the Democratic Party to task for its treatment of minority candidates and expectations of black voters.

Which all plays right into the hands of Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, another Democratic gubernatorial contender, who needs urban voters to turn out at the polls to win a primary against Lamont.

While this weeks Lamont/Bysiewicz team-up was a blow to Ganims already challenged candidacy  he was convicted of corruption in 2003 when he first ran Bridgeport City Hall  the mayor has pounced on the lack of diversity.

It was Ganims heavy courting of inner-city Bridgeport residents that helped get him re-elected in 2015 despite his criminal past.

Ive been talking for months about the lack of inclusion by party leadership and the need for greater diversity in this convention process. I believe our party needs to be more inclusive and more fully embrace communities of color that have been a bedrock of the Democratic Party, said Ganim. He made his comments Wednesday while campaigning in West Haven. We need a ticket at the highest levels that reflects the rich diversity of our state.

And later his campaign Tweeted out a photo of Ganim mingling with African American senior citizens.

State Senator Gary Winfield, who is black, has also criticized Lamonts choice of Bysiewicz.

Winfield, according to the New Haven Independent, had been preparing to announce his own candidacy for lieutenant governor. He told the Independent: Weve had a female lieutenant governor and governor before. We havent never had a person of color. Im not saying it has to be a man. ... Youre going to rely on certain communities to get over the hump. Those communities want to see themselves reflected on the ticket.

Lamont and Bysiewicz during a joint appearance Tuesday in New Haven sought to address the criticism.

Bysiewicz said our backgrounds and our experiences make the best team for Connecticut. But she also pledged: Ned and I are very committed to having a diverse team running statewide in this election and appointing a diverse selection of judges, commissioners and board members.

Lamont said: Our administration will be the most-diverse administration in Connecticut history.

Winfield mocked Lamonts statement on Twitter: Whew! They are going to have the most diverse administration ever. Guess I was wrong. #ThatWasNotMyPoint #Meh #NotLettingUp.

Hearst Connecticut Media contacted Winfield through Twitter and asked if that meant he will run for lieutenant governor with Ganim. He responded: Uh... ThatIsNotWhatIWasSaying.

No popularity contest

Scot X Esdaile, president of the Connecticut NAACP, declined to comment on Lamont and Bysiewicz. But Esdaile said: Weve done a lot to deliver for the Democrats. Inner cities have come through tremendously (in elections). And to whom much is given, much is required.

He noted, for example, that Shawn Wooden, who lives in the Hartford area and is running for treasurer, is qualified, has the skill set, is tirelessly committed to our community (but) hasnt gotten one major endorsement from any of the so-called power brokers in the party.

Lamont recently received the coveted endorsement of New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, an African American whose support was also sought by Ganim. There was speculation the two candidates had eyed Harp for lieutenant governor but that she did not want to run.

Another black elected official  state Senator Marilyn Moore of Bridgeport  said Wednesday that Lamont had asked her earlier this year if she was interested in being his running mate, and she declined. A source with the Lamont campaign confirmed Moore, who is a sometime critic of Ganims, was considered.

Moore said she was not disappointed with Lamonts choice of Bysiewicz.

Im disappointed that he didnt have a prior conversation with people who he should have acknowledged before (that announcement), Moore said, like Winfield and Eva Bermudez Zimmerman of Newtown.

But Moore also saw the practicality of Lamonts alliance with Bysiewicz: He wants to win. By aligning himself and taking Susan out of the governors race it increases his opportunity. And nobody gets in a race to lose. Everybody gets in to win.

As to whether Ganims criticism of Lamont and Bysiewicz will translate to minority votes, Moore said, Joes a popular guy among people of color because he goes into the communities where they are. But being popular and people supporting you for governor, thats two different things.

Staff Writer Ken Dixon contributed to this report
GREENWICH  A team of three freshmen and four sophomores from Greenwich High School tackled the unusual topic of financial literacy and the European Union to take part in the 2018 Euro Challenge, where they placed fourth in the nation for their knowledge of the economy of Finland.

This is an incredible accomplishment for the students involved, GHS teacher-adviser Ian Tiedemann said. They had to learn and apply international macroeconomics, monetary policy, fiscal policy, and much more. It has been an honor to mentor these students throughout the process. The GHS team is made up of 10th-graders Julia Blank, Pietro De Ferrari, Matthew Meyers and Melissa Woo along with ninth-graders Autumn Kim, Sofia Pronina and Wyatt Radzin.

For the competition, the students study a country that uses the Euro, then give a presentation on its financial state with recommendations on reducing deficits, debt and unemployment while offering creative solutions to Europes economic growth.

The Greenwich High team qualified as one of 25 from across the nation to compete in the 2018 Euro Challenge semifinal and final rounds on April 26 at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York City.

The Euro Challenge, which is run by the Delegation of the European Union in Washington, D.C., showcases students financial literacy and knowledge of the European Union. The Euro Challenge is a unique opportunity for high school students from across the United States to both learn about and demonstrate their knowledge of the European Union and the 19 countries that share its single currency, the euro. organizers said.

At the final round, five teams emerged as the winners. Students from St. Albans School in Washington placed first, Mount Saint Mary Academy in New Jersey was second and Saint Joseph High School in Indiana was third, with Greenwich High coming in fourth and North Allegheny Intermediate High School in Pennsylvania placing fifth. They beat teams from 20 other high schools on the final day of competition.

The winning teams receive monetary awards provided by the Moody's Foundation, along with a trip to Washington for the top two teams.

"It was very impressive to watch todays competition to see how engaged and literate on economic and financial matters these students are," said Ambassador David OSullivan, head of the European Union felegation to the United States. "As the impressive European economic recovery continues apace, these students confidently presented creative solutions to tackle future challenges and ideas for creating jobs and growth.

Over 100 teams from 16 states participated in this year's competition.

"This is a wonderful, unique opportunity for young Americans," said O'Sullivan. "The Euro Challenge not only oers them a spotlight in which to showcase their knowledge of international economics and dive deep into policymaking, but it also helps demonstrate to them - and to all who observe the competition - how deeply connected the United States is with Europe."
Contributed / Milford Hospital

MILFORD  Three Milford Hospital nurses were selected to be recipients of the 2018 Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing. Bobbi Allen, Beth Belenchia, and Maria Lacad were honored for their professional achievements at an awards dinner and program held at Anthonys Ocean View in New Haven on May 3.

Each of the honorees was nominated by their peers. Criteria for the award is demonstrated clinical excellence and having gone above and beyond the call in their daily professional duties.
One week after tornadoes and a macroburst struck western Connecticut, some people are still without power.

Three school districts are also closed Tuesday because of lingering power and road issues. They include Brookfield, New Fairfield and Oxford.

As of 6 a.m. Eversource is reporting 1,416 customers without power. On Monday at this time, more than 6,400 customers were without electricity.

With 498, New Fairfield tops the list with the most outages.

Other numbers include:

Brookfield with 419

Danbury with 298,

73 in Southbury

26 in Oxford

24 in New Milford

19 in Newtown

11 in Bridgewater

2 in Woodbury.

Were at the stage of the restoration process where these final outages call for extensive repairs that are labor-intensive and time-consuming, said Eversource Vice President of Electric Operations in Connecticut Michael Hayhurst. For example, one damage location can require five or more crews - which can mean 18 people - working most of the day and that will bring power back to only one customer. That said, our massive team - in the field and behind the scenes - is fully committed to finishing the job and will continue working until every customer is restored.

These more complex outages not only take additional time to complete, they may require assistance from a private electrician or contractor. Lineworkers are going to each of these individual locations to assess what additional equipment or effort may be required to make repairs. In some instances, customers in the hardest-hit communities will be unable to have electric service restored due to the extent of damage to their homes or businesses.

Eversource has been using crews from Canada, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and North Carolina.

United Illuminating reports 84 outages, most in Hamden.

UIs estimated restoration time is 8:15 p.m. Tuesday.

New Fairfield will have its emergency shelter open at the high school from 8:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. Tuesday.

It posted on its Facebook page, Three meals will be available. Showers are available all day - from 8:30 a.m until 7:45 p.m. Bathrooms are available all day. Water is available. While many have power back, there are many still waiting and clean up is ongoing. We are here for you.

Brookfield First Selectman Steve Dunn said in order for the town and its residents to be eligible for any FEMA funding, the town, the state and President Trump all must all declare Connecticut a disaster zone.

The town and the state have already declared Brookfield a disaster zone and we are working on getting the president to do so. Brookfield needs your assistance as we apply for FEMA Disaster zone status and funding. In order to substantiate our claims, we are asking residential and businesses property owners to submit picture(s) of damage to any structure on your property, along with the address pictured, and a description of the extent of damage sustained. All submissions should be sent to storm2018@brookfieldct.gov.
Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2018 2:37 pm

Sunday, June 3, Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church will celebrate its 25th anniversary. How did the congregation get started? It began in the fall of 1992 with a number of Lutherans in Webster County desiring to maintain a confessional, doctrinally conservative Lutheran congregation. Initially, the group was not associated with any of the present Lutheran synods. The desire was to stay together and trust Almighty God to lead them in the direction he would have them go as they remained faithful to his word.

During these months, meetings were conducted in various homes and public buildings to study Gods word and pray for his guidance. Although concerns and apprehensions arose, the gracious hand of the Lord was taking the people in a direction yet unseen to them.

After a time, it was discovered that a Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) congregation and pastor were located in Springfield. Some of the Marshfield group attended services and became members there. Over a period of several months, the larger group desired to hear more of the WELS stand on scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.

In January of 1993, the pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Springfield conducted a series of meetings and lectures on the WELS teachings of Holy Scriptures called This We Believe. These meetings continued until the end of April, at which time a decision was made to organize as a WELS congregation under the name Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church. The term evangelical means gospel preaching and is derived from the Greek word for gospel, euangelion, which literally means good message/news.

We invite you to a 2 p.m. open house and 4 p.m. worship celebration June 3, to mark the anniversary of our founding.

Next week, we will relate a little of the first service and the hunt to find a church home in Marshfield.
BRIDGEPORT  A city man was shot in the shoulder Tuesday afternoon near the Greene Homes apartment complex, police said.

The shooting was likely caused by continued tension between violent groups in the city. Police Chief Armando Perez said it was the same people who were involved in a shooting last Thursday.

Its a never-ending conflict between Greene Homes, Trumbull Avenue and the East End, Perez said. Its just about nothing. They just dont care.

The person shot Tuesday was, one of those guys from Greene Homes, Perez said. His condition was not serious.

Though the shooting happened in Bridgeport around 4:15 p.m., the victim was taken to Norwalk Hospital by a private vehicle and arrived around 5 p.m.

They go to Norwalk or they go somewhere else because they think theyre going to be arrested in Bridgeport, Perez said.

But, Perez said, police are hoping to make an arrest soon  especially since the department has recovered a car involved in the shooting.

We have the car, we have some video, we have a witness, Perez said.

Shortly after the report of shots fired by the Greene Homes apartment complex, there was a report of shots fired on the East End. Perez said those reports were unfounded.

The department is working to crack down on the violent gangs and shootings in the city, Perez said.

Were working on some very, very good strategies, Perez said. But for every one guy we take off the street, they get another.

Tuesdays shooting remains under investigation at this time.
GREENWICH  Climate change has already reshaped the landscape across the globe  and it could have a direct impact on southern Connecticut in the not-too-distant future, a climate expert told a Greenwich audience Wednesday morning.

Park Williams, a bio-climatologist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York, discussed the interplay among carbon, heat, water, temperature, soil, sunlight, air currents, drought and vegetation at the Retired Mens Association of Greenwich. Fire and drought would be a main feature of climate-related troubles in the years to come, he said.

One of the biggest impacts of drought is fire, Williams told the gathering of more than a hundred people at the First Presbyterian Churchs community room. In the western United States, droughts are causing larger and larger fires. ... Health, safety and assets are put at risk. ... By warming temperatures, we are pushing some parts of the planet into record-breaking drought.

The climate scientist cited the growing size of the federal budget assigned to firefighting  with no end in sight  and highlighted how an area the size of Delaware was consumed by flames in 2017, an all-time record.

Williams recounted his own research in a mountainous region of northern New Mexico. Once a verdant, even lush region of ponderosa pine, he said, it had become a near desert as a result of massive fires.

People who live there have seen the landscape transformed in the last 50 years, the associate research professor said. It may be a permanent change. And there are a lot of other areas that have seen these changes.

Williams said climate scientists are studying forestry conditions in the eastern section of the U.S., and there is a growing hypothesis that these forests can burn as well.

The U.S. is resilient and has extensive economic resources that can buffer the immediate consequences of climate change, he said. Small Pacific islands, and coastal areas of places such as Bangladesh, are not as well positioned. Williams also noted that drought conditions  emptying out rural villages and adding population to urban centers  are often a recipe for destabilization and turmoil.

While the subject of global warming has proven controversial in certain quarters  with powerful decision-makers in government and industry calling it into question  Williams said he had no doubt that the science is clearly demonstrating warmer temperatures due to man-made activity.

I would argue that we can trust climate models, he said. Climate models are by no means perfect. But they are remarkable, and theyre getting better and better. Theyre far better than they were a few decades ago.

As to the political debate, he said, Hopefully, the political situation is a bump in the road. ... The voting base does care about science.

Steve Myers, an RMA member who introduced Williams, called the talk an authoritative summary for an audience of nonspecialists. Im a physicist myself, and Ive seen a lot of technical presentations, Myers said. That was one of the clearest and most impressive presentations on climate change Ive seen.
The listing price keeps dropping on the Woodlands mansion where the three-story master bedroom closet and its owner made 2014 headlines after a burglary.

Theresa and Lamar Roemer's nine-bedroom Chateau Woods estate, originally listed for $12.9 million, is now listed for $7 million.

The key to selling this home may be downplaying the closet, said Claudia Fathivand of Nan and Company Properties/Christie's International Real Estate.

CITY IN THE 'BURBS: Homes in this Woodlands neighborhood stand apart from the rest

"I'm going to try to rebrand it," Fathivand said. She said potential wealthy buyers may come from outside the Houston area and might be attracted to the home's other features, such as the luxurious pool or the fact that it is a rare three-story mansion.

"Not everybody has the amount of clothes that (Roemer) has," Fathivand said. "Not everybody needs a three-story closet. So the closet, to me, is a distraction."

Other features of the home include a catering kitchen, lap pool, wine room with sitting area, butler's pantry, a 24/7 security system and an elevator.

"This house was never meant to be a house that we would live in together. It was always meant to be a house to flip," Roemer told the Houston Chronicle in 2014. "I want to build another one and build a bigger closet."

Roemer had announced in 2016 that the mansion would go up for auction, but the auction was later postponed.

In December 2016, rapper Gucci Mane shot a music video inside the 3000-square-foot closet. At that time, the mansion was listed for $7.9 million.

The home at 47 Grand Regency Circle was built in 2005 and remodeled in 2013.

See photos of the estate above and check out the latest listing from agent Claudia Fathivand at HAR.com.
Local officials in Southeast Texas and dozens of Gulf Coast jurisdictions devastated by Harvey on Wednesday asked the state to tap its Rainy Day Fund savings account to pay for billions in disaster mitigation projects, the latest political fight over state funding.

Gov. Greg Abbott immediately responded with a letter of his own, telling officials: Stop complaining. Plenty of money is available, but you haven't applied for any of it.

Abbott told the City of Houston in a letter that of the $50 million the state lent it last September to cover emergency costs, the city has spent less than $5 million.

"There is more money available to you than you have demonstrated the ability to spend to respond to Hurricane Harvey and to mitigate future damage," Abbott said in his terse response to the officials' plea. "I strongly urge you to begin taking advantage of these funds today."

The governor's office sent similar letters to the other 55 Harvey-battered counties and cities that signed the request to Abbott.

More Information Southeast Texas officials who signed a letter sent to Gov. Greg Abbott requesting Rainy Day Funds for Harvey grants:

Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel Orange County Judge Dean Crooks Chambers County Judge Jimmy Sylvia Jasper County Judge Mark Allen Lumberton Mayor Don Surratt Vidor Mayor Robert Viator Silsbee Mayor Herbert Muckleroy Kountze Mayor Fred Williams Sour Lake Mayor Bruce Robinson Rose Hill Acres Mayor Rick Thomisee See More Collapse

Eleven Southeast Texas officials signed the letter, including the judges of Jefferson, Orange, Hardin, Jasper and Chambers counties.

At issue is $1 billion recovery funding available through the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which could be used for long-term recovery by paying for projects to mitigate future disasters such as flooding.

Under the program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay for 75 percent of the costs of those projects. The local officials, in their letter to Abbott, want the state to tap into its Economic Stabilization Fund -- known as the Rainy Day Fund -- to cover the remaining 25 percent of the costs.

"These various judges and mayors have signed off to ask the governor to, if you will, loosen the purse strings to give us money to meet that match," said Fred Jackson, assistant to Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick.

Branick, who was one of the 55 officials who signed the letter to Abbott, was unavailable for comment Wednesday because he was at an emergency management conference, Jackson said.

Vidor Mayor Robert Viator said the required local match "puts a huge strain on everybody's funds," particularly for small cities like his with small budgets.

Houston's Mayor Sylvester Turner said that without a state match, many local governments will not be able to use the grants at all, adding that many other states have provided the match money for their localities.

"By covering the local share, not only would the state directly save local taxpayer dollars, but would equitably fund projects across the impacted area," the letter to Abbott states.

"The states of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Georgia and Colorado have provided for local matches in situations utilizing HMGP," the letter continues, asking Texas to pony up state funds, as well.

In his response, Abbott said more than $4.3 billion in federal funding is available for mitigation projects. Concerning the $5 billion alone that Congress allocated for Harvey recovery, the governor said lawmakers in Washington specifically allowed them to cover the local match with that money.

"There is currently $500 million available to local jurisdictions for the purpose of flood mitigation, with $600 million more becoming available in August 2018," Abbott states in his letter.

Vidor's Viator said he signed the letter hoping for support up front from the state because the federal funds that Abbott referenced are not guaranteed.

"My standpoint is, you're wanting me to depend on the possibility of another grant being able to cover stuff and nobody can guarantee that," Viator said.

"We're all facing probably the toughest budget that any of us have ever done for this coming year," he said.

Without assurance that the local match will be covered, Vidor will likely not be able to accomplish all of its mitigation projects, which include drainage and bridge improvements, according to Viator.

He said Abbott's response was not surprising. "I would have liked to see him give it more consideration," Viator said.

Abbott has previously said that he will support use of Rainy Day Funds money to cover Harvey costs, once local officials detail those projects and specify how much money is needed.

The state fund contains around $10 billion.

Abbott aides said that requests for federal mitigation money will be expedited as soon as they are received, and funds could be available within days in some cases.

LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.com

PSuy@BeaumontEnterprise.com

mike.ward@chron.com

mike.morris@chron.com
WASHINGTON - During opening statements Wednesday in the trial of four people charged with rioting during President Donald Trump's inauguration, federal prosectors said they have video of three of the defendants committing vandalism.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff said images of the three were captured as they smashed the windows of downtown businesses, and one of them can be seen tossing lit flares. She said there's no evidence that the fourth person caused damage himself, but prosecutors allege that he was involved in planning rioting.

"This trial is not about protests or disagreements or dissent. This was not just a protest," Kerkhoff said in District Superior Court. "When you incorporate violence and destruction, it is no longer a protest. And violence and destruction are a crime."

Kerkhoff's remarks highlighted evidence that prosecutors say sets this case apart from a trial last year that ended with the acquittals of six other participants in the massive protests on Jan. 20, 2017.

In the first trial, prosecutors alleged that the defendants were part of a group - most of whom were dressed all in black and concealed their faces with masks - that cut a violent swath through the city. While the government presented no evidence of vandalism by those defendants, prosecutors argued that everyone in the group bore responsibility for the damage. They said others were aware of the destruction and essentially shielded those who caused the damage.

The defense in that case contended that their clients were peacefully exercising their right to free speech and should not be accountable for those who peeled off and turned destructive. Jurors ultimately agreed.

This time, Kerkhoff told jurors the government had strong evidence - culled largely from police body-worn cameras, security cameras and cellphone cameras - linking each defendant to vandalism or planning. But defense attorneys questioned the quality and clarity of the images, disputing that the government had correctly identified their clients.

"All they can show you are grainy videos and blurred photos to stitch together a narrative. They are desperate to pin this damage on someone. On anyone," argued Rich Gallena, who represents Michael Basillas, 32, of New York.

Seth Schrager, another defense attorney, told jurors they will have to watch "hundreds of hours" of video during the trial.

"It's going to be like watching America's Home Videos and YouTube. That's what it will be and you will see it's not evidence," said Schrager, who represents Seth Cadman, 27, of Virginia Beach.

In all, 234 people were charged in connection with the Inauguration Day riots. Twenty of those people have pleaded guilty.

The acquittals last year forced prosecutors to reexamine their remaining cases. In January, the government dismissed cases against 129 people. The four defendants on trial now are among 59 whose cases are pending.

In addition to Basillas and Cadman, the defendants are Anthony Felice, 26, of Wilmington Beach, North Carolina, and Casey Webber, 29, of Washington. Each faces various charges, including felony rioting and destruction of property.

Kerkhoff said the four dressed in black and covered their faces with masks to blend in with hundreds of protesters as they marched through the streets of downtown Washington. She said the defendants broke off from the group to smash storefronts, set fires and cause other property damage.

Kerkhoff showed images from videos which she said depicted the defendants. She showed a person she said was Basillas, saying he could be identified by his hat, glasses and gloves. The prosecutor alleged that he vandalized a BP gas station on 13th Street and broke glass at a Crowne Plaza hotel and nearby Starbucks.

Kerkhoff also showed photos of a person she said was Cadman breaking windows.

The prosecutor next showed images of a person she said was Felice breaking windows at the Starbucks and throwing lit flares. Felice is also charged with resisting arrest.

Kerkhoff did say there was no evidence that Webber was involved in the rioting. However, she said there are electronic messages that the government believes show Webber was involved in the planning of the riots.

In one of the most contentious clashes during the jury selection process before the trial began, prosecutors said they plan to play a video showing a person they say is Felice burning an American flag. Although flag burning is protected speech, prosecutors said they intended to use the video to identify Felice.

Felice's attorney, Matthew Rist, argued that the video was prejudicial and had nothing to do with the rioting charges.

Judge Kimberley Knowles, who is overseeing the trial, ruled that the video could remain as evidence. Rist then asked the judge to question those in the jury pool about whether they would be biased if they saw a video of someone allegedly burning the American flag as opposed to viewing the action as freedom of speech.

During the first day of jury selection, only one person was dismissed after saying she could not be impartial after seeing such a video.

The trial is expected to take up to three weeks.
Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2018 3:13 pm

A community car wash fundraiser was held Saturday, May 12, at Youngs Shopping Center parking lot, to benefit the Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation (OACAC) Head Start program in Marshfield.

The event, organized by the Webster County EMS, raised a total of $535 for the Head Start program, which will be used to purchase new equipment for the classrooms. According to Kevin Davis, who helped out at the event, the Webster County EMS held the fundraiser as a way to support Head Start and get out into the community.

We wanted a way to be more involved with the community, said Davis. We are trying to do more than transport people to the hospital. We want to do something to help our community and be leaders.

Some future events Webster County EMS will do include a dunk tank on the Fourth of July to raise money for a Webster County food truck. With it, they will be able to transport food to impoverished communities who do not have transportation. Davis said the Webster County EMS will try to have a fundraiser every summer and plans on working with other local organizations in public health as well, such as the Webster County Victim Assistance Program.

There is a lot of resources that the community does not know about, so we are just trying to bridge those gaps, said Davis.

The Webster County EMS has a Facebook page, where community members can find activities, posts and information about the group. It also posts a feature on Mondays called Meet a Medic Monday, which introduces EMTs and other personnel with the Webster County EMS.

For more information about the Webster County EMS, call 859-4877 or visit the Webster County EMS Facebook page.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross declined to defend the work of climate scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), noting the agency's numerous reports on global warming have been reviewed less favorably by some critics.

During a talk at the National Press Club on Monday, Ross was asked by an audience member whether he accepts "NOAA findings that humans are the primary drivers of climate change." NOAA is a division of the Commerce Department.

Ross started his response by saying, "I'm not going to get into the climate debate."

Then he dove in: "Commerce Department's NOAA has issued various reports that reflect the thinking of their scientists, and those reports in general have been reviewed, sometimes favorably, sometimes less so by other people in that field. So I think I'll just let that record speak for itself." A Commerce Department spokesperson declined to comment further.

Ross, before he took office, promised not to obstruct climate research under his purview. But by declining to endorse the research his department produced, Ross seemed to be pulling a page from the playbook of other Trump officials at departments such as the Environment Protection Agency who are aggressively trying to dismantle the Obama administration's policies.

The comment swiftly drew rebuke from a science group that accused the Commerce chief of being overly political.

"The secretary of commerce should be unequivocally supportive of the climate scientists, and the climate science happening under his watch," said Peter Frumhoff, director of science and policy and chief climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

"The only people who are making unfavorable comments," he added, "are political leaders and their allies in the Republican Party."

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, weighed in too: "The vast majority of science done at NOAA, NASA, and universities is crystal clear: if we want a prosperous future, we must address climate change and sea level rise now," he said in a statement. "The only real debate left is how best to address it. Are we going to rise to the challenge and protect our communities, spur the jobs of tomorrow and stop the damage? Or will we continue to ignore the oncoming threat? For Florida, there is too much at stake and the sooner we act, the better."

Republicans on the House Science Committee are among the harsh critics of NOAA's climate science. That panel's chairman, Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, has repeatedly accused NOAA climate scientists of falsifying data to generate "politically correct results." Smith even went so far as to subpoena President Barack Obama's NOAA head, Kathryn Sullivan.

While Ross has not been unequivocally supportive of NOAA's climate science, he hasn't been really tried to obstruct it either. During Donald Trump's presidency, climate scientists at NOAA and NASA, the other science agency primarily responsible for studying the warming of Earth's atmosphere, have carried on climate research with little apparent interference.

In December, for example, numerous NOAA scientists contributed to a sprawling report on the links between climate change and extreme weather events, such as heat waves in Alaska and droughts in Africa. That same month, NOAA's acting administrator, Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, declared findings about unprecedented warming in the Arctic "directly relate to the priorities of this administration" when it comes to national and economic security.

By contrast, leaders at the EPA and the Interior Department have sought to interfere with the publication of climate science by forbidding federal researchers from presenting on climate change at a conference and directing language about climate change be removed from a news release on a sea-level-rise study.

Yet there have been times when the Commerce Department's record at facilitating scientific discussion has raised questions. Ross allowed the 15-person Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment, which works to translate the findings of the National Climate Assessment to a broad audience, to expire in August. The Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin reported Tuesday that Trump officials faulted climate panel for having only "one member from industry," citing emails released under the Freedom of Information Act to the advocacy group Center for Biological Diversity.

Still, Ross has said he is unwilling to disrupt the dissemination of science. "If confirmed, I intend to see that the Department provides the public with as much factual and accurate data as we have available," Ross wrote in response to a letter Nelson sent last year regarding climate science. "It is public tax dollars that support the Department's scientific research, and barring some national security concern, I see no valid reason to keep peer reviewed research from the public."

One reason for the more hands-off approach is that, unlike the EPA and the Interior Department, NOAA merely studies climate change - it does not set regulations trying to address its causes or effects.

Another may just be that NOAA still lacks a permanent leader, even though Trump has been president for 16 months.

Last October, the president nominated Barry Myers, chief executive of the private forecasting firm AccuWeather, to head NOAA. But his nomination may be still gummed up after three former NOAA administrators voiced serious concerns about the businessman, who has tried to persuade Congress to curb free services from NOAA's National Weather Service that overlap with products sold by AccuWeather.
WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration is reversing a decision to award a no-bid $4.2 million grant to a policy center at Duke University headed by former FDA commissioner and current paid board member for Johnson & Johnson Mark McClellan.

The funding opportunity was posted in late April as a five-year grant for which only a single institution, the Duke-Robert J. Margolis Center for Health Policy, was eligible to apply. FDA said in a statement that it is in the process of opening the grant application to other institutions.

Several health policy experts had expressed favoritism concerns about the initial no-bid proposal, raising questions about what made the Duke center uniquely qualified to do the work, which involves convening discussions with drug companies, health care providers and patient groups to discuss key issues in the drug approval process.

They also raised concerns about McClellan's role as a paid board member for Johnson & Johnson, one of the largest drugmakers in the world, given the pharmaceutical industry's deep interest in drug approvals.

"It is not like there's one laboratory on the planet that knows how to clone these particular genes - there's a substantial number of groups out there that work on these issues. It frankly makes no sense that the only place you could go from this is the Duke center run by a drug company advocate," said Jerry Avorn, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, which has a center that conducts similar work. "The very fact that they could have thought this was a good idea, even to the point of publishing the request for proposal, is important because of what it reflects about the decision-making process within FDA and the administration."

Ellen de Graffenreid, a spokeswoman for the Duke-Margolis Center, directed inquiries about the grant to the FDA and stressed that Gregory Daniel, the deputy director of the Center, is the principal investigator on its current agreements with the agency - not McClellan.

The FDA after initially defending the no-bid proposal said in a statement that the agency had "become aware of other organizations who believe that they can submit a competitive proposal to conduct the needed research and related activities. As a result, FDA has decided to change the announcement from a sole source award to an open competitive grant."

In a statement, McClellan said, "My work and the work of the faculty and staff affiliated with the Duke-Margolis Center speaks for itself, and complies with Duke's well-established policies intended to address any issues related to conflict of interest."

McClellan served as FDA commissioner under President George W. Bush. The current commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, served as his senior adviser.

FDA has awarded sole-source grants in the past - though these are rare. In 2017, there were 548 funding awards by FDA, of which six were sole-source awards, according to an FDA spokeswoman.

Until this week, the FDA had defended such grants, saying in an email that "agency policy allows for exceptions to competitive bidding under certain circumstances, such as when the agency finds a particular institution is uniquely qualified to carry out a cooperative agreement."

FDA made a sole-source award of a similar grant in 2013 to the Brookings Institution's Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, which McClellan led from 2007 to 2013.

McClellan identified himself as director of the center in June of 2013 in testimony before Congress. McClellan took a paid position on the Johnson & Johnson board in fall of 2013. He received $285,000 last year for his work, according to company filings.

De Graffenreid said Wednesday that McClellan was no longer affiliated with the Engelberg Center when he joined the corporate board, saying in an email he had stepped down in 2012 to spearhead a major initiative. Documents posted by the Brookings Institution described the initiative as "within the Engelberg Center."

FDA justified the 2013 grant at the time on the center's "status as a neutral, nonprofit, research-focused institution" and reputation as "an 'honest broker' with the ability to identify practical solutions that reflect the best available science and input from all stakeholders," according to a notice in the Federal Register in March of 2013.

The principal investigator of that grant was also Daniel, McClellan's current deputy at the Duke-Margolis Center.

Alfred Engelberg, a patent lawyer who was a major funder of the Brookings Engelberg Center, said in an interview that he objected to McClellan's role on a corporate board.

"I personally believe Mark McClellan could not serve as a director of the Engelberg Center and Johnson & Johnson, and because I believe that I withdrew. He has a fiduciary obligation to a drug company," Engelberg said.

In 2015, McClellan left Brookings for Duke University. A. Eugene Washington, Duke University's chancellor for health affairs, is also on Johnson & Johnson's board.

Gerard Anderson, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who has worked with McClellan, said he values his insights on topics like drug pricing and policy, but doesn't consider him neutral.

"He is smart and an excellent researcher, so I want his perspective, but you need someone who does not take a perspective in this role at the FDA. In many instances Mark is an advocate, somebody with a position and not as somebody who is neutral," Anderson said.

"Sole source contracts are very challenging to award in the government," Anderson added. "You really have to have a unique skill or unique data set or a unique something that allows you to grant somebody a sole-source contract - and to give conferences and to give meetings isn't one of them."

McClellan did not disclose his relationship with Johnson & Johnson in his biography or in the white paper published from FDA-supported meetings in 2016, which discussed the use of new kinds of evidence in clinical drug trials.

"The fact that the center is headed by someone who also serves in a paid position on the board of pharmaceutical company is a clear potential conflict of interest," Sean Moulton, open government program manager at the Project on Government Oversight, wrote in an email. "There are several safeguards that could be instituted. First and foremost is disclosure of the potential conflict. It should be made clear to all participants that the potential conflict exists. At any meetings that occur it should be disclosed at the beginning, especially if the head of the center is participating in the meeting."

On several medical publications about health topics, McClellan does not disclose his board membership. Duke said he was following the university's policies.

"Dr. McClellan follows Duke policies with regard to the time, place, and nature of appropriate disclosure," de Graffenreid wrote in an email. She added that the kind of work Duke does for FDA "does not include providing advice or policy proposals to the agency."
Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim is a free man just one week after his coalition's shock election win and after more than three years in jail. Still, while it clears the way for him to return to politics, it's unlikely he will take over as premier anytime soon.

Anwar walked late morning from a hospital where he'd been receiving treatment, and was pardoned by the king for a sodomy conviction. He met with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad -- his partner in the ruling Pakatan Harapan alliance -- and Anwar's party plans a public celebration tonight. His release comes just a day before the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan begins.

There were cheers and shouts of jubilation outside the hospital as a smiling Anwar appeared, flanked by large numbers of police and security officials. Wearing a suit, he touched his heart before waving and getting into a car alongside his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is deputy prime minister and also president of their People's Justice Party, or PKR.

Speaking at a briefing later outside his house in Kuala Lumpur, Anwar said he had thanked Mahathir, his former bitter enemy, for his help getting released. He was presented with a flower garland from his ethnic Indian supporters in the colors of his party along with a basket of eggs, which one of his backers said symbolized renewal.

"When you are incarcerated you realize what is the meaning and significance of freedom," Anwar said. "There is a new dawn for Malaysia."

Anwar said he backed Mahathir as premier and would not insist on any timeframe for a handover of power. Asked about their past feuds, he said "I have forgiven him," adding "why should I harbor malice against him?"

"My position is to give him all the support necessary to allow him to ensure that the agenda for reform, the changes that need to be done, can be carried out," he said. "It's not a one man show. It's a decision to be made by a team of leaders from Pakatan Harapan, with Dr M who is the chief steward in the entire process."

Anwar added he planned to rest and carry out some speaking commitments at universities. "I think I need that time, that space."

His release is a moment to celebrate for a group which labored in opposition for decades and faced constant pressure from those in office - he's been jailed twice on sodomy convictions and also for abuse of power. And his initial comments may ease, at least for now, early tensions within the fledgling government.

Mahathir, 92, promised during the campaign to stand aside for Anwar once he was pardoned but is now pushing back the potential timeline by a matter of years. That highlights the extent to which the durability of the coalition rests on a continued rapprochement between the two former enemies.

"Anwar realizes that for Pakatan Harapan to stay united and strong, he shouldn't interfere or meddle in affairs at the moment," said Ahmad Martadha Mohamed, an associate professor at Universiti Utara Malaysia. "He has to take an outsider role, and give possible advice - becoming an elder statesperson."

Mahathir has indicated any power shift will take time.

"In the initial stages, maybe lasting one or two years, I will have to be the prime minister and I will have to run the country," he said Tuesday via video conference to participants at a Wall Street Journal event in Tokyo.

The relationship between Anwar and Mahathir has been marked by decades of bitterness and public attacks, stemming from Mahathir's decision during a prior stint in power to sack Anwar as his deputy amid a dispute on how best to respond to the Asian financial crisis.

After he was fired in 1998, Anwar was jailed in the majority Muslim nation for committing sodomy and abusing power, charges he denied. He was convicted in 2014 on a subsequent sodomy charge and jailed in 2015 when his appeal was denied. He needed the royal pardon to bypass a five-year ban on re-entering politics.

There have been signs of tension in the four-party coalition in the election aftermath, including public squabbles over the way cabinet posts are decided. Pakatan Harapan includes a party mostly representing ethnic Malays, and one representing Chinese.

"I expect some resistance," Mahathir said Tuesday of differences related to cabinet appointments. "So far we have been able to resolve. It is accepted that the final decision will be made by me."

Najib last month referred to Mahathir's coalition as a "motley collection of parties" that he said would struggle to remain united. Prior versions of the alliance - before Mahathir joined - collapsed in acrimony over ideology, and at times parties competed against each other for votes in the same districts.

Unity between Anwar, 70, and Mahathir is key to the government executing quickly on campaign promises to scrap an unpopular goods and services tax, review big-ticket infrastructure projects and cut spending.

"The reason why the public supported us is they have faith in the leadership of the opposition to resolve some of the problems," Mahathir said Tuesday.

"He is leader of one of the coalition parties," he said of Anwar. "I expect him to play the same role as the leaders of the other three parties. There will be no more special powers given, excepting as is given to ministers or deputy ministers or deputy prime ministers."

- - -

Bloomberg's Isabel Reynolds and Anisah Shukry contributed.
In five decades of exploring Mars, NASA has sent orbiters, landers and rovers to explore Earth's neighbor. But the space agency's next mission will be the first to send a tiny robotic helicopter to another planet.

The Mars Helicopter, an autonomous spacecraft with a meter-long rotor and a body the size of a chihuahua, will fly in the underbelly of the Mars 2020 rover when it launches in two years, NASA announced Friday. The project will serve mainly as a test of the technology needed to fly a rotorcraft above a world 140 million miles away.

It took four years of testing and redesign to create a helicopter capable of operating on the Red Planet. Mars's atmosphere is so thin that hovering just 10 feet above the surface is the equivalent of soaring 100,000 feet above Earth.

The altitude record for helicopters on Earth is 40,000 feet; above that, the air isn't dense enough to hold copters aloft.

"To make it fly at that low atmospheric density, we had to scrutinize everything, make it as light as possible while being as strong and as powerful as it can possibly be," Mimi Aung, the Mars Helicopter project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a news release.

The helicopter is equipped with solar cells to charge its lithium batteries and an internal heating mechanism to keep it warm through the Martian night, when temperatures can plummet to minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

It takes from about four minutes to almost as much as a half-hour for light to travel from Mars to Earth, depending on where the planets are in their orbits. That delay rules out the possibility of remotely operating the helicopter. Instead, the spacecraft must be able to receive commands from operators on Earth, then execute them on its own.

The Mars 2020 spacecraft is slated to touch down on the Martian surface in February 2021. The car-size rover is equipped with a drill for collecting rock samples, instruments for conducting chemical analyses and seeking potentially habitable environments, an experiment to test the viability of producing oxygen from the planet's carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere, and an array of sensors.

After landing, the rover will deposit its helicopter payload, then retreat to a safe distance while the rotorcraft take off.

The helicopter's first flight should be a short one: It will climb 10 feet and hover for 30 seconds before returning to the ground. If all goes according to plan, the craft will make four more flights over the course of a 30-day test campaign, each progressively longer and more complex than the first.

If the Mars Helicopter fails, the overall Mars 2020 mission will not be harmed. But the potential upsides for NASA are thrilling; a successful mission could pave the way for future rotorcraft to act as scouts and explore parts of Mars that rovers can't reach.
The state Board of Examiners for Nursing on Wednesday disciplined five nurses, including three advanced practice registered nurses for inappropriately prescribing drugs to family members.

The board reprimanded the license of Joan Landino, an APRN from Wallingford, because in 2015, she inappropriately prescribed a controlled substance to a family member without documenting a medical evaluation of the person, a consent order she agreed to said.

In 2016, the order said, she also failed to secure her prescription pad and inappropriately prescribed stimulants and benzodiazepines, a category of drugs that includes Valium, to patients. She also prescribed controlled substances to patients without documenting a justification for the prescriptions, the order states.

Landinos license will be on probation until she completes courses in prescribing practices and documentation standards, and she is restricted from prescribing any medication for herself, family members or friends except in an emergency, the order states.

In 2016, Landino entered into an agreement with the state Department of Consumer Protections Drug Control Division in which she agreed not to dispense controlled substances. Under the agreement with the nursing board, if DCP ever gives her back her registration to dispense controlled substances, her prescribing practices must be monitored for six months by a licensed physician or APRN, the consent order said.

The board also reprimanded the license of Jane Buckley, another APRN from Wallingford, because she inappropriately prescribed controlled substances to a family member in 2015 and 2016 without maintaining medical records for the relative, according to a consent order she agreed to. The board also barred her from prescribing or dispensing medication for herself, family or friends except in an emergency, the order said. Buckley was also ordered her to take courses in proper prescribing practices and medical documentation.

The board also reprimanded the license of a third APRN, John Roy of Hamden, for inappropriately prescribing controlled substances in 2015 and 2016 to two family members without maintaining appropriate medical records, a consent order he agreed to said.

Roy is barred from prescribing medication for himself, his family or friends except in an emergency under the order. His license will also be on probation until he completes courses in prescribing practices and documentation, the order said. In 2016, he reached an agreement with the Drug Control Division not to prescribe controlled substances for himself or relatives except in an emergency, the consent order cover sheet said.

While admitting no wrongdoing, all three APRNs chose not to contest the allegations against them.

The board placed the licensed practical nursing license of Presley Eze of West Hartford on probation for four years and ordered him to undergo random drug tests. Given the evidence from a hearing, the board determined that Eze is safe to practice nursing, its memorandum of decision states.

In 2016, the board had suspended Ezes license for testing positive that summer while on a previous four-year probation, records show. Eze has a long history of discipline by the board, and, in 2011, he was high on PCP when he brandished a long sword outside the Trader Joes store in West Hartford, records show. He has been arrested four times since then, records show.

The board reinstated the registered nurse license of Siobhan Doherty of the Cobalt section of East Hampton and placed it on probation for four years. A consent order she agreed to says she has a history of abusing controlled substances and alcohol.

In 2015, the Florida Board of Nursing had suspended her license there after she pleaded no contest to two counts of driving under the influence and one count of refusing to submit to testing, the consent order cover sheet said. She pleaded guilty to trespassing, the cover sheet said.

Dohertys drug and alcohol tests have been negative since July 2017, records show. During the probation, she must pass random drug and alcohol tests, take a course in professional ethics and provide employer reports to the state Department of Public Health. While not admitting to breaking any laws, Doherty chose not to contest the allegations against her, the consent order said.

In other business, the board unanimously voted to take Central Connecticut State Universitys registered nursing program off conditional status. It had been placed on conditional status in 2016 and again in 2017 because less than 80 percent of its graduates passed the national nursing licensing exam on the first try. Centrals rate is now higher than 80 percent.

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org). The web-based Connecticut Health Investigative Team of award-winning journalists reports on issues of health and safety in the state. Email C-HIT Editor Lynne DeLucia at delucia@c-hit.org or phone 203-215-6373.
Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2018 3:05 pm

The Webster County Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, in the Paulene Dyche Annex next to the museum. The annex is handicap accessible. Following a brief meeting, the program will be presented by Lisa Jameson, who will speak on the history of the Trail of Tears and why it came through Webster County. Anyone having information on stories handed down by their ancestors about the trail in Webster County is invited to come and share. The society is interested in gathering information on this pivotal time in our nations history. Jameson is a 30-year veteran with the National Park Service and will have researched her subject thoroughly.

The society is presenting a commemorative coin to all new members. Also, anyone bringing a guest to the meeting and if the guest becomes a new member, both will receive a coin. Annual membership is $5. Lifetime memberships are also available for $50. New members are welcome. Mays meeting date is one of those notorious fourth Tuesdays in which many forget its meeting night, so mark your calendars now and come and show your support.

At the April meeting, Katie Ingalsbe presented a very interesting sketch of the history of the Webster County Fair, followed by Bill Roberts, who profiled the improvements that have been made to the grounds and facilities and those planned in the future.

Whats happening at the museum? New exhibits currently on display in the museum include the four-lane Route 66 in the foyer. On the main floor is the beautiful collection of bedroom and bathroom memorabilia and the display honoring Civil War veteran James Bolin and Marshfields own Helen Jackson, the last surviving Civil War widow.

The Century Club plaques have been updated as follows: Donor plaque  the King family reunion and Warren and Freda Beck; Memorial plaque  Robert Bob Rost. Century Club plaques are available to anyone making a donation of $100 or more.

Museum volunteers were host to Webster and Shook Elementary school students last week for their annual walking trip to the museum. Students learned about the tomato canning industry in Webster County, old telephones, the Carnegie Library and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and the Unsinkable Molly Brown. Inclement weather prevented the Hubble students from coming to the museum, so volunteers went to their building.

Please look for the museum jars at Price Cutter checkout areas and place your Helping Hands ticket there. The society appreciates those who turn in used ink cartridges at the museum or FCNB Insurance to be recycled at Office Depot and give the museum phone number 417-468-7407 to have your Office Depot purchases credited to the Historical Society Rewards. Best Choice labels may also be clipped and turned in. The society receives no tax money and relies on donations, gift shop sales and these fundraisers to support the museum. Your help is greatly needed and appreciated.

Museum and research center hours are 1-4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Pennsylvania Democrats took a major step toward upending the state's all-male, Republican-dominated congressional delegation Tuesday, nominating competitive candidates, including women intent on breaking barriers two years after the state rejected Hillary Clinton.

In a state crucial to their shot at House and Senate majorities, Democrats turned out in high numbers to settle crowded primaries. They put themselves in position to gain as many as half a dozen House seats in November and are all but assured of sending at least three women to Congress.

But President Donald Trump's presence could still be felt in the state, as a close ally, Rep. Lou Barletta, won the GOP Senate primary. His victory sets up a showdown with two-term Democratic Sen. Robert Casey Jr., who has stockpiled nearly $10 million for the race. Trump had recorded an automated telephone message praising Barletta that was sent to voters just before the election.

"The media said that Donald Trump could not win in Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania put Donald Trump in the White House," Barletta told his supporters in Hazleton. "They say I can't beat Bob Casey, and I'm going to beat Bob Casey."

Democratic turnout was running far ahead of Republican turnout in Pennsylvania late Tuesday, even though the Democrats had just one competitive statewide race - the usually sleepy lieutenant governor's contest. With nearly 90 percent of precincts reporting, Democrats had cast nearly 100,000 more votes than Republicans. In Erie County, where Republicans saw one of their most dramatic surges in 2016, Democrats cast 5,000 more votes than the GOP.

The general election in Pennsylvania will serve in part as a test of Trump's appeal two years after he became the first Republican presidential nominee to win the state in 28 years - a victory he still talks about.

Trump met with Senate Republicans at the Capitol on Tuesday and spoke optimistically about the party's Senate prospects in November. The GOP holds a razor-thin 51-to-49 advantage, but leaders are increasingly bullish about adding to their majority as Trump's approval ratings have ticked up.

Pennsylvania is one of 10 states Trump won where a Democratic senator faces a reelection race this year. But strategists in both parties think Casey has the advantage.

The state has shown signs of trending Democratic since Trump's historic defeat of Clinton. In March, Democrat Conor Lamb won a special election in a Pittsburgh-area district where Trump had defeated Clinton by 20 percentage points.

A redrawn congressional map and a string of House Republican retirements have given Democrats more reasons to be optimistic about Pennsylvania. There, they are hoping to pick up a chunk of the 23 seats they need to win the House majority.

Ballots were cast Tuesday in four states where primary outcomes provided fresh signs about voters' mood less than six months before Election Day. In addition to Pennsylvania, there were nominating contests in Nebraska, Idaho and Oregon.

The president used Twitter to urge Nebraska Republicans to "make sure you get out to the polls and VOTE" for Sen. Deb Fischer, who defeated four little-known challengers. Fischer is favored to hold her seat in November. She will face Democrat Jane Raybould, who attracted widespread attention when she repeatedly refused to say in a television interview whether she would have voted for the sweeping GOP tax law.

In Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, a pickup opportunity for Democrats, former congressman Brad Ashford, D, was trying to make a comeback. But he was in a tight race with nonprofit executive Kara Eastman. The winner will face Rep. Don Bacon, R.

Nebraska Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts easily defeated his primary challenger. He is favored to win a second term in November.

In Pennsylvania, the retirement of Rep. Ryan Costello, R, the resignation of Rep. Patrick Meehan, R, and a revised map ordered by the state Supreme Court have led the GOP to effectively cede two House districts in the Philadelphia area.

Democrats Chrissy Houlahan, Mary Gay Scanlon and Madeleine Dean were nominated in districts that Democrats are favored to win in November. In another district Democrats are aggressively contesting, they nominated Susan Wild.

All told, Democrats nominated seven women for the House in Pennsylvania. Republicans nominated one.

"We're beyond thrilled at what is going on tonight," said EMILY's List President Stephanie Schriock.

Scanlon and Wild defeated male candidates backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who involved himself in several of Tuesday's contests.

Elsewhere, Democrats were trying to unseat Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R, in a swing district. Wealthy philanthropist Scott Wallace won the Democratic nomination against him.

Republican Rick Saccone, who lost to Lamb, was denied a chance for redemption in a primary for a Pittsburgh-area district that favors the GOP. He lost to state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler. Lamb opted to run in a different district near Pittsburgh that is less conservative. He will face Rep. Keith Rothfus, R, in November.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf will face Republican state Sen. Scott Wagner in the general election. Voters also decided the outcomes in contested primaries for lieutenant governor in both parties.

In the Democratic race, John Fetterman, the longtime mayor of a struggling industrial town who was backed by Sanders and who ran on universal health care and legalizing marijuana, defeated Lt. Gov. Mike Stack by an unexpectedly large margin. Stack had been dogged by reports that he and his wife mistreated state employees.

Republicans nominated businessman Jeff Bartos for lieutenant governor.

While strategists in both parties are monitoring the Senate race in Pennsylvania, most are not counting on the seat flipping Republican.

In the phone message he recorded, Trump called Casey the "hand-picked guy" of Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., using a strategy Republicans have deployed in other states to tie candidates to party leaders.

But Democrats were not as worried about those attacks resonating in Pennsylvania, compared with some other states Trump won. And Casey has built a much bigger campaign account than Barletta, giving them another reason to be confident he will prevail in November. As of late April, Barletta had about $1.3 million in his campaign account. Casey had more than $9.9 million.

In Idaho, a competitive Republican primary for governor featured three leading candidates: Rep. Raul Labrador, a founding member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus; Lt. Gov. Brad Little, who had the support of outgoing Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter; and Tommy Ahlquist, a businessman and physician who ran with the backing of 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

With most of the vote yet to be tallied, Little led the pack late Tuesday.

The leading Democratic candidates were Paulette Jordan, a former state lawmaker who would be the country's first Native American governor; and A.J. Balukoff, the party's 2014 nominee. Jordan led with nearly a fifth of the vote tallied.

"People are ready for something new," Jordan said in an interview. "I'm not about the party; I'm not about the system."

Farther west in Oregon, incumbent Democratic Gov. Kate Brown defeated a pair of primary challengers. She will face state legislator Knute Buehler, who won the Republican nomination.

Oregon is a heavily Democratic state, and Brown is favored to retain the governorship this fall.
NORWALK  Norwalk will honor its veterans with flag placements at local cemeteries on Saturday, followed by the Shea-Magrath Memorial Ceremony at Calf Pasture Beach on Sunday and a big, long-missed parade on Memorial Day.

After being canceled the last two years because of weather, the parade will go forward Monday, May 28, come rain or shine, according to officials.

Two years ago, we had horrible thunder and lightening and storms, so we canceled the parade. Last year, the same thing and they were calling for lots of flooding at (Veterans Memorial) Park, said Jim Wrinn, parade marshal and adjunct with the Norwalk Veterans Memorial Committee. So were not going to let it happen again. No matter what happens, were going to have a parade.

Mayor Harry Rilling, speaking to Common Council members earlier this Monday, offered a similar assessment.

In the past two years, weve had a situation where the parade has been canceled due to weather, Rilling said. This year, its been decided that short of an earthquake were going to have a parade. So if it rains, bring your umbrella, bring a rain coat but were going to have the parade, anyway.

Norwalks 2018 Memorial Day Parade will step off 10 a.m. on Monday, May 28, from Veterans Memorial Park and proceed along Fort Point Street, Van Zant Street and East Avenue to the Norwalk Green with the reviewing stand set up at Norwalk City Hall, 125 East Ave.

Nick Samodel, who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, will be the grand marshal.

As of Monday, 25 organizations had signed up to participate in the parade, including a pipe band from Greenwich, the Second Company Governors Horse Guard and bands from Norwalks middle and high schools. Wrinn expects a dozen floats and 3,500 spectators.

Organizations wishing to participate in the parade are asked to sign up at norwalkvets.org no later than May 22. The committee will hold an organization meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, at the American Legion, 60 County St.

If the weather is truly terrible on Memorial Day, the committee will host veterans, their families and parade goers wishing to stay dry with a ceremony at Norwalk Concert Hall, 125 East Ave.

On Saturday, May 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Norwalk-based King Industries will sponsor an annual flag-placing ceremony at local cemeteries. Volunteers are needed to place flags on the graves of more than 5,000 military veterans across eight Norwalk cemeteries.

Volunteers are asked to meet at St. Johns cemetery, 223 Richards Ave. Coffee and refreshments will be served at 9:30 a.m. For more information, visit www.kingindustries.com, or call 203-866-5551, ext. 244.

On Sunday, May 20, the Veterans Memorial Committee will host its annual Shea-Magrath Memorial Ceremony at the Shea-Magrath Memorial at Calf Pasture Beach.

U.S. Army Private 1st Class John D. Magrath, Norwalks first posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor, fell to mortar fire on April 14, 1945, after storming a German machine-gun position in Italy during World War II. U.S. Army Private 1st Class Daniel J. Shea, who also received the medal, died May 14, 1969, after retrieving five wounded comrades from a rice paddy battlefield during the Vietnam War.

This years ceremony will begin with a concert at noon followed by the ceremony at 1 p.m.

The event will include the rededication of plaques honoring Shea and Magrath and other Norwalk veterans who died while serving their country.

The plaques were returned to Calf Pasture Beach last Friday after a $11,000 restoration inspired by U.S. Navy veteran Terry Rooney, launched by the Veterans Hall of Honor/Restoration Committee and undertaken by MonuMedic Monument Preservation of Sleepy Holly, N.Y.

Were honored to have done it for Norwalk because they (its veterans) get a lot of appreciation, said Tom Mitchell, vice president of MonuMedic. It means a lot to us.

Karen Doyle Lyons, Veterans Memorial Committee secretary, thanked individuals and organizations for donating money to pay for the restoration.

We were able to raise the funds to restore them to their beauty and to the respect that the soldiers deserve, Doyle Lyons said.
NORWALK  Almost 70,000 unexpected visitors dropped in to check out South Norwalk on Sunday. They didnt come by car or bus, but by train ... sort of.

A new streaming video feed on YouTube (click here), from cameras perched outside the SoNo Switch Tower Museum, went live around 10 a.m. and in 24 hours drew so many train enthusiasts the founders of Virtual Railfan didnt know what to make of it.

Its crazy because a lot of our cameras are in scenic locations, said Mike Cyr, of Athens, Tenn. In Norwalk youre just seeing the railroad  its hard to explain the popularity.

Virtual Railfan has 30 cameras in three countries. How SoNo built up a head of steam so fast probably has a lot to do with the cameras location. Hundreds of trains pass each day, Metro-North, Amtrak and even a late-night freight train.

At any given time, an average of 300 people have been watching the stream from above the corner of South Washington and North Main streets. The Switch Tower is a three-story brick structure with an elaborate set of controls that are used to control the switches on the tracks from the Walk Bridge to Lowe Street. Its now a museum open noon to 5 p.m. on weekends May through October, run by the Western Connecticut Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.

In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, trains are few and there was little to see online but black railbed, shining silver rails, and dark overhead electrical towers made of very old iron.

Until theres a skickety-screatchety sound of overhead electrical wires. Flashes of light on rails and reflective signs. A Metro-North train moves into view, heading east toward the Walk Bridge. A while later came a sighting that might surprise many in Norwalk  diesel locomotives pulling a freight train full of rock. It disappears to the west, then is seen reversing its way up another set of tracks peeling off to Danbury.

Any time of the day, viewers can be seen commenting in a window to the right of the video.

These chat rooms create a community, Cyr said. Folks who know each other chat with each other every day.

Train enthusiasts are their own breed. Many find a love for all things trains when very young and never lose it. They have clubs, build vacations around railroad destinations, and almost have their own language when talking about railroad equipment.

My mother tells me I loved trains long before I could walk or talk, Cyr said. Hes now 39 and for a living designs 3D locomotives for the train simulator video game Trainz. Virtual Railfan is a side gig, and any money it brings in is reinvested in equipment and expanding the network to new locations, he said.

Cyr and a couple partners launched Virtual Railfan in 2009 with the first camera in Georgia. It now has 30 cameras, in 14 states, London and the Netherlands. About 30 more cameras are nearing launch, including several in Canada. Cyr said the YouTube channel launched a year ago and has been viewed by 40 million people.

Cyr said the only video feed thats comparable with Norwalks is from the train station in La Plata, Mo. Each day at 8:50 EST, about 2,000 check in to watch Amtraks Southwest Chief stop there. The stationmaster, Bob Cox, has become a minor celebrity among railfans, Cyr said. Cox and his wife, Amy, can be seen getting things ready around the station a couple of hours before the train arrives, and helping passengers for about an hour with luggage and other transportation.

Hes probably the most famous stationmaster in America, Cyr said, noting that, after someone floated the idea on Virtual Railfans chat room, the couple got about a hundred Christmas cards from around the world.

La Platas feed gets 1.2 million views a month.

I think Norwalk will be right up there with it, Cyr said.

While internet attention can be flattering, Cyr said it might also have a real-world impact.

I call it the Virtual Railfan Effect because people are showing up, Cyr said of visitors to the camera host sites. The whole idea of these is to expose railfans to other things out there. Our visitors are showing up and bringing friends, spending money. Its a huge benefit.

Thats the hope, said John Garofalo, treasurer of the SoNo Switch Tower Museum. He worked at the Norwalk tower and others on the New Haven Line in the 1970s as a summer job. I believe some have expressed an interest in coming. It would help attract visitors to South Norwalk.
"Here's where the president has a point, though. When does the mainstream media apologize to him? When did The Washington Post apologize for saying that he moved the MLK statue, when he did not?" - Steve Cortes, former Trump campaign adviser, on CNN, May 14, 2018

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A reader sent this clip to The Fact Checker, suggesting that it was worthy of a fact check. Regular readers know that we try to delve into weighty policy issues. We can't claim this is about something weighty. Yet the missing Martin Luther King Jr. statue is an issue that keeps coming up, for reasons that are hard to understand. But perhaps it's because the president listed it as item No. 4 in his "fake news awards" in early 2018.

This is also a good example of what-aboutism. Cortes, a frequent Trump surrogate on television, was trying to defend the White House for its refusal to apologize after an aide privately made a morbid joke about Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who has an aggressive form of brain cancer. So Cortes responded with a "what-about" answer: What about the mainstream media's refusal to apologize?

He needed a better example to make his case.

This all started on President Trump's first day in office, when Zeke Miller, then working for Time magazine (not The Washington Post), was a pool reporter during a media appearance in the Oval Office. A pool reporter takes notes for the rest of the White House press corps at events with controlled access. In this case, Trump signed an executive order to alert federal agencies to be prepared for repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Miller provided color about the redecorated Oval Office and noted that a bust of Winston Churchill was in the office. (As we have explained before, this was a bust that had been in the private residence since 1965, not a bust that President Barack Obama famously returned to the British Embassy.) Miller at first thought that a bust of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has been moved to make way for the Churchill bust, just as Obama had moved out a Churchill bust to make room for MLK.

Miller reported that the MLK bust had been moved and included that detail in an online article. His observation also was included in a pool report that was issued at 7:31 p.m.: "More decorating details: Apart from the return of the Churchill bust, the MLK bust was no longer on display."

Miller then thought better of including unconfirmed information in a pool report and asked a White House aide to double-check on whether the MLK bust was in the Oval Office, according to an editor's note published by Time magazine on the incident. He got his answer at 8:10 p.m., and so two minutes later emailed a correction to reporters receiving the pool reports: "The MLK bust remains in the Oval Office in addition to the Churchill bust per a WH aide. It was apparently obscured by a door and an agent earlier. My sincerest apologies." He also quickly corrected the online article.

Miller tweeted out the news as well:

"Correction: The MLK bust is still in the Oval Office. It was obscured by an agent and door.

- Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) January 21, 2017

"Tweeting again: wh aide confirms the MLK bust is still there. I looked for it in the oval 2x & didn't see it. My apologies to my colleagues

- Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) January 21, 2017"

Notice the frequent use of the word "apology." In fact, then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer accepted the apology on Twitter just five minutes after Miller issued it.

We reached out to Cortes for comment but did not get a response.

There are many ways that Cortes got this wrong. It was Time magazine, not The Post, that made the error. But more to the point, within an hour the mistake was corrected and a quick apology was issued. The apology was even accepted by the White House.

Everyone makes mistakes. But true professionals quickly admit their errors and apologize. The White House and its surrogates could learn a lesson from the way Time magazine handled the incident.

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Four Pinocchios

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Video: Most of the "Fake News" awards are about reports that were wrong -- and quickly corrected.(Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

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Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, solicited a payment of at least $1 million from the government of Qatar in late 2016, in exchange for access to and advice about the then-incoming administration, according to several people with knowledge of the episode.

The offer, which Qatar declined, came on the margins of a Dec. 12 meeting that year at Trump Tower between the Persian Gulf state's foreign minister and Michael Flynn, who became Trump's first national security adviser. Steve Bannon, who became chief White House strategist, also attended, the people said.

Cohen did not participate in the official meetings but spoke separately to a member of the Qatari delegation, Ahmed al-Rumaihi, who at the time was head of the investments division of the country's sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority.

Details emerged last week on how Cohen leveraged his relationship with Trump to receive millions of dollars from companies eager for insight and entree into the new president's inner circle. They included AT&T, the global pharmaceutical giant Novartis, a Korean defense contractor and Columbus Nova, a New York-based investment firm with ties to a Russian oligarch. All have confirmed payments to Cohen.

But news of the Qatar solicitation marks the first time Cohen is believed to have pitched his influence directly to a foreign government.

Rumaihi said in a telephone interview Wednesday that Cohen first asked for the money, and Rumaihi refused, several days before the Trump Tower meeting, when the two saw each other at the Peninsula Hotel in New York. "He just threw it out there," Rumaihi said.

Cohen spoke to him again at Trump Tower when the two men were outside the meeting between Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Thani and Flynn. Neither attended the closed-door session, and "I stood outside in the hall," Rumaihi said, as the delegation went in. But "it was clear that the deal was not going to happen," said Ruhaimi, who is no longer part of the Qatari government.

Rumaihi's account of Cohen's solicitation, and his refusal, was first reported Wednesday by The Intercept. It was confirmed by several people knowledgeable about the episode, who spoke on condition of anonymity about the sensitive diplomatic issue.

Cohen and his lawyer did not respond to requests for comment. Qatar's embassy in Washington declined to comment on the revelations.

The solicitation came during a period when Cohen was bragging to others that he could make millions from consulting on Trump and that foreign governments would be interested in having his expertise. At the time, Cohen was also angling, unsuccessfully, as it turned out, to enter the White House, telling associates that he might become counsel or chief of staff.

As Cohen collected clients, he texted associates articles that described him as Trump's "fixer" and asked them to spread them around.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which conducted raids last month on Cohen's New York residence and office, are investigating his activities. Cohen's attempts to sell access were first publicly alleged last week by Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for Stormy Daniels, an adult-film star who was paid $130,000 by Cohen before the election to keep quiet details of an alleged sexual encounter with Trump.

Trump, who said last month that he knew nothing about the Daniels payment and did not reimburse Cohen, reported an apparent reimbursement payment to his lawyer on financial disclosure documents released Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Avenatti has expanded his public allegations against Trump and those around him. Early this week, he tweeted a photograph of Cohen and Rumaihi, taken on the day of the December 2016 Trump Tower meeting.

Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Thani was one of a number of senior foreign officials who visited transition headquarters at Trump Tower between the November election and January inauguration. Requested by Qatar, the session followed a meeting between then-candidate Trump and Qatari Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2016. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton canceled a separately scheduled meeting with the ruler due to what her campaign said was a scheduling conflict.

Qatar, whose natural gas resources and small population have made it the richest per capita country in the world, is home to the Middle East headquarters of U.S. Central Command and a major U.S. air base where 10,000 American troops are stationed. It is a substantial purchaser of U.S. defense equipment and a major investor in this country. Its government was deeply interested in continuing close relations, and there was, the people knowledgeable about the meeting said, a lot to talk about at the Dec. 12 Trump Tower meeting. These people spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly about sensitive issues.

Rumaihi was one of several Qatari officials accompanying the minister. Five days earlier, he had first encountered Cohen at a breakfast fundraiser in New York, where businessmen and transition officials were chatting about the new administration and exchanging contact information. The two also met later in the week at a New York hotel restaurant, where Cohen discussed Trump's plans to solicit investment in a massive U.S. domestic infrastructure program.

Rumaihi told him that Qatar expected to invest in the program, and Cohen offered to help find projects for Qatar to sponsor, in exchange for a $1 million up-front fee.

Rumaihi, these people said, declined to pay.

The subject came up again at Trump Tower, when Rumaihi and Cohen, neither of whom attended the meeting between the foreign minister and Flynn, chatted outside.

The next day in Doha, the Qatari capital, the government announced it would invest $10 billion in the infrastructure program.

Four months later, on the eve of Trump's first presidential trip abroad to Saudi Arabia, Qatar's main rival in the Persian Gulf neighborhood, Saudi Arabia announced it would invest $20 billion in the U.S. infrastructure fund.

It was immediately following Trump's trip to Riyadh that the Saudis, along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, said they were severing relations with Qatar and instituting a blockade of its territory. Qatar's more eclectic and liberal foreign and domestic policies had long irritated its neighbors in the region, and Trump's visit had apparently convinced the Saudis that he would take their side in a dispute.

Trump tweeted his support for the Saudi-led move, saying he had heard in Riyadh about Qatar's support for terrorism. It was not until September, just before his meeting with Tamim, that Trump was convinced by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to take a more balanced view of the situation.

Since then, the president has repeatedly called, to no apparent avail, on all parties to the Gulf dispute to settle their differences and focus on uniting to fight the Islamic State and other terrorist groups.

But the diplomatic conflict among them persists, with the Saudis, Emiratis and Qataris each spending millions in this country on lobbyists, public relations groups and campaigns to denigrate each other and showcase their close relations with the United States.

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The Washington Post's Rosalind S. Helderman contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump's strategy on North Korea has played out in full public view over 16 months with dramatic, made-for-TV moments designed to focus global attention on his risky faceoff with dictator Kim Jong Un.

But as North Korean officials abruptly cast doubt this week on Trump's planned historic summit with Kim in Singapore next month, critics fear that a president determined to declare victory where his predecessors failed will allow his desire for a legacy-making deal to override the substance of the negotiations.

In the social media era, Trump's public showmanship is "creating a huge buzz where everyone wants to know what's going on and what comes next," said Jung Pak, a former CIA official who is now an Asia analyst at Brookings Institution. "It's a very dramatic way of conducting foreign policy and national security. But it creates a thin veneer of understanding. It's mostly about symbolism."

The risks involved in Trump's approach were underscored this week when a top North Korean official threatened to cancel the summit and lambasted national security adviser John Bolton over his hard-line declaration that Pyongyang must fully relinquish its nuclear weapons before the United States offers reciprocal benefits.

Trump has invested significant political capital in the summit and a no-show by Kim would be a major embarrassment. Perhaps fearful of further alienating the North Korean leader, Trump reacted with uncharacteristic restraint Wednesday, offering a vague, "We'll see what happens." Trump responded "yes" when a reporter asked if he would still insist that the North denuclearize.

Trump has vowed to walk away without a deal if the talks aren't fruitful. But foreign policy analysts have interpreted conflicting statements from Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a sign that the administration might be willing to settle for a narrower agreement, such as the elimination of ballistic missiles capable of striking the United States.

Asked about Bolton's declaration that North Korea must follow the "Libya model" from 2004 and quickly abandon its nuclear program, which Pyongyang blames for the overthrow of leader Muammar Gaddafi, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders suggested he was freelancing.

"I haven't seen that as part of any discussions," she told reporters, "so I'm not aware that that's a model that we're using."

Democrats and foreign policy analysts also have expressed alarmed over Trump's sharp rhetorical shift toward Kim. Having mocked him last year as a "madman," Trump has softened his tone and cast the authoritarian leader as an honest broker.

After Kim met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the demilitarized zone in April, Trump said the Kim had been "very open and I think very honorable based on what we're seeing." Last week, standing on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews with three Americans who had been imprisoned in North Korea for more than a year, Trump told reporters that Kim "really was excellent" to the three men in allowing them to leave.

"The president's rhetoric has reflected Kim Jong Un's actions," deputy White House press secretary Raj Shah said. "Kim Jong Un has stepped forward and made pledges to halt nuclear tests, halt ICBM tests, and now has released these three prisoners. And those are signs of good faith, and we hope to build on that."

Critics said Trump, enamored with his own handiwork, has focused too heavily on shaping the public narrative ahead of the summit and trying to set the stage for a political victory. Always mindful of how his actions are playing on television, the president boasted on the tarmac at Andrews last week that the cable networks live-broadcasting the return of the American prisoners would set all-time viewership records.

"President Trump has forged a new category of international relations that I would call 'diplotainment,' and the Singapore meeting is going to demonstrate diplotainment at its pinnacle," said Daniel Russel, who served as senior Asia director at the National Security Council under President Barack Obama. "Imagine the size the crowd is going to be in Singapore - it's going to be 'huge.' But those are very different deliverables than, say, the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

All administrations have employed elements of stagecraft to advance a president's foreign policy agenda. But few have embraced the role with as much gusto as Trump.

In November, after a surprise visit to the demilitarized zone aboard Marine One was foiled by bad weather, Trump delivered a searing speech at South Korean's National Assembly in Seoul, lambasting North Korea as "a country ruled as a cult."

In January, Trump used the denouement of his State of the Union address to introduce a surprise guest in the first lady's box: Ji Seong-ho, a North Korea defector, raised his crutches to a standing ovation in the House chambers as Trump said he represented what the Kim regime feared most - "the truth."

And in February, Vice President Mike Pence brought Fred Warmbier - the father of Otto Warmbier, a college student who died after 17 months in captivity in North Korea - with him as part of the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in a bid to upstage the North's own delegation.

Yet as Trump has shifted into summit mode, he has appeared infatuated by the prospects of a historic deal, with supporters already talking about a potential Nobel Peace Prize.

After seeing images of Kim and Moon, during their summit, taking turns stepping across the border at the 38th parallel, Trump ruminated that the demilitarized zone might be a good site for his own meeting with Kim.

"If things work out, there's a great celebration to be had, on the site," he said.

But experts noted that the Panmunjon Declaration signed by the two Korean leaders did not contain significant new breakthroughs and appeared to be a more symbolic bid by Moon to improve relations and create the optics of success for Trump.

Trump's focus is "very much getting the public involved and invested in what's going on. That's the way you shape the narrative," said Pak, the Brookings analyst. "Moon is doing something similar. By televising the summit, televising the meetings, he's creating an intimacy between the viewer and the object."

The upshot, she said, is a win for Kim - humanizing him and helping him shed a label as "the creature from Pyongyang."

Some analysts said Trump deserves credit for elevating the North Korean threat and consolidating international support for his "maximum pressure" strategy, including from China. Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, a global risk analysis firm, said Trump's relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping helped tighten economic sanctions on Pyongyang. Though it is highly unlikely the North will denuclearize, a smaller deal aimed at dismantling the North's ballistic missiles is worth pursuing, he said.

The president's willingness to be bold and stake his reputation on the summit "helps avoid disaster because it is so historic," Bremmer said. "Even if not much comes out of the meeting aside from theatrics, given everything that has transpired if the theatrics are good, and Trump knows how to put on a show, those that support Trump will think this is tremendous."

Yet Pyongyang's threat to cancel the summit was a reminder that Trump is facing an unpredictable and wily negotiating partner, one prone to similar public outbursts and bouts of showmanship.

More recently, Trump reportedly asked the Pentagon to draw up plans to reduce or eliminate the more than 30,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, a long-held goal of both Pyongyang and Beijing. The president told reporters that such a deal was not on the table for Kim, but he reiterated that he might entertain the idea in the future to save U.S. tax dollars.

Bruce Klingner, a former U.S. intelligence analyst who now works at the Heritage Foundation, said that in envisioning potential outcomes for the summit, he believes it is likely that Trump will take a page from his book, "The Art of the Deal," in which the real estate developer touted the virtues of "truthful hyperbole."

No matter what Trump agrees to with Kim, regardless of the details, Klingner said, the president will declare it "the best deal in the world."
President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that the Justice Department investigate the Democratic mayor of Oakland, California, for her role in tipping off undocumented immigrants about an impending federal enforcement raid in February.

Trump said Mayor Libby Schaaf's decision to inform residents of Oakland ahead of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement action amounted to "obstruction of justice" because many of those who were targeted fled the area before federal agents arrived.

"They all fled, or most of them fled. The whole operation took a long time to put together," he said during an immigration roundtable at the White House with administration aides and political leaders and law enforcement officials from California.

"You talk about obstruction of justice - I would recommend that you look into obstruction of justice for the mayor of Oakland, California, Jeff," Trump continued, aiming his remarks at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was seated at the table. "She advises thousand people... 'Get out of here, the law enforcement's coming.' And you worked on that long and hard and you got there and there were very few people there."

Trump also said: "Perhaps the Department of Justice can look into that, with respect to the mayor, because it's a big deal out there, and a lot of people are very angry about what happened."

Sessions has previously criticized Schaaf, stating that her warning prevented authorities from making 800 arrests. That claim was disputed by an ICE spokesperson, who said it was false and resigned in protest. In a March speech in California, Sessions directly blasted Schaaf.

"How dare you?" he said then. "How dare you needlessly endanger the lives of our law enforcement officers to promote a radical open-borders agenda?"

Schaaf, whose warning to the community came in the form of a tweet, has defended her action, saying the warning was within the law. "I was sharing information in a way that was legal and was not obstructing justice," she said a few days after the incident, "and it was an opportunity to ensure that people were aware of their rights."

Trump's move to encourage the nation's top law enforcement officer to investigate a Democratic politician was viewed by some as an attempt to weaponize the Justice Department against his political opponents, with critics calling it an abuse of power.

Trump has sought to crack down on illegal immigration, a key campaign pledge, but the number of immigrants crossing the border illegally has spiked in recent months, angering the president ahead of the midterm elections this fall. The president reportedly berated his homeland security secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, over the issue, prompting her to consider resigning, according to news reports.

His roundtable on Wednesday focused on California's status as a "sanctuary state" that allows local officials to withhold some information about undocumented immigrants from federal enforcement agencies.

Trump's comments also might be a reflection of his frustration with the ongoing Russia probe led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, which has included allegations that the president sought to obstruct justice.

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The Washington Post's Matt Zapotosky and Jenna Johnson contributed to this report.
Washington

President Donald Trump appeared to be in a good mood Tuesday when he met privately with Senate Republicans, buoyed by primary election results and talks with North Korea, and bypassing any serious discussion of high-profile trouble spots in the administration.

Senators did not ask about a White House aide's crass remark of ailing GOP Sen. John McCain. They did not bring up special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian election interference.

Instead, Trump joked and dropped one-liners during lunch, poking fun at senators of both parties in a wide-ranging 45-minute talk about the GOP tax cuts, the Iran nuclear deal and his upbeat assessment of the midterm election. He told them he so enjoyed West Virginia, where Republicans escaped an embarrassing primary setback last week, that he might move there after his time in the White House. He took a couple of questions.

But the Senate's top Republican, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, told reporters afterward that the White House official who disparaged McCain "should apologize and should apologize publicly."

Trump's Capitol Hill lunch Tuesday with Senate Republicans comes as the White House and its GOP allies are trying to coalesce around a political message ahead of the midterm elections.

But much like when Trump was headed to the GOP Senate lunch to talk policy in October 2017, the White House agenda was eclipsed by another story.

During a closed-door meeting last week, White House communications aide Kelly Sadler dismissed McCain's opposition to CIA nominee Gina Haspel by saying of the Arizona Republican: "He's dying anyway." McCain, 81, was diagnosed in July with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Sadler has apologized to the McCain family privately, but McCain's daughter has asked for a public apology. Several GOP senators have also said the administration should apologize. But the White House, which has appeared more focused on the leak of the McCain comment instead of its substance, has said it has dealt with the matter internally  but has refused to say how.

Senators did not press the issue. "That's not what we do in these meetings," Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told reporters. "No one would have ever brought up something like that."

It was familiar terrain. Last fall, Trump was feuding with Corker when he arrived for lunch having tweeted that the powerful chairman of the Foreign Relations panel couldn't get elected dog catcher. Corker has decided not to seek re-election.

Senators appear to have long given up on trying to change Trump and are increasingly relying on the president to help protect the GOP's slim 51-49 majority in the Senate this fall.

Two senators spoke up at the meeting, including Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who pulled a card from his coat pocket outlining all the GOP accomplishments and encouraged Trump to focus on them.

Another senator  Dean Heller, who faces a tough re-election in Nevada  told Trump how popular he was in Israel for moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.

Heller described pro-Trump banners hanging from streetlights and wrapping buses during his visit for the opening, and told the president, "if you had banners hanging from the light posts in America, the media would tear them down." Heller added, "He totally agreed."

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said the president told them he was "very confident" about the midterms. Trump told them he "loved West Virginia," so much so that he might move there some day. "He said that," Kennedy said.

Democrats, watching their leads in some polling narrow ahead of the midterm elections, waged a pre-emptive strike on the lunch session, targeting a long list of Trump's unfilled campaign promises.

"Some folks confuse chaos for activity," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "The truth is, the president's impulsive and erratic behavior has scuttled bipartisan legislation."

Schumer said, "The president talks a good game, but actions and accomplishments in area after area after area escape him."
WASHINGTON - A federal judge in Washington refused to toss Paul Manafort's criminal case Tuesday, saying his indictment "falls squarely" within special counsel Robert Mueller III's authority to investigate ties between the Russia government and President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

"Manafort was an obvious person of interest," U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote in part of her 37-page opinion.

The decision delivered an expected victory to prosecutors and clears a key hurdle to a September trial in Washington on at least some charges.

Manafort has a similar motion pending to dismiss criminal charges set for trial in July in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.

Manafort, 69, has pleaded not guilty in both cases and argued that Mueller exceeded his authority in charging him with felonies including conspiracy, bank and tax fraud, money laundering and failing to register as a lobbyist in his work before 2014 on behalf of Ukraine's pro-Russian president at the time, Viktor Yanukovych.

Following the release of Jackson's opinion, Jason Maloni, a spokesman for Manafort, said, "Paul Manafort maintains his innocence and looks forward to prevailing in this matter."

Manafort's attorneys have argued that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein acted improperly when he appointed Mueller in May 2017 to investigate not only collusion with Russia but any other issues that "may arise" from that investigation.

They objected to Manafort being charged for alleged conduct that occurred before the 2016 campaign, and asserted that the authorization for Mueller's probe was so broad it was a "blank check" and violates Justice Department regulations they say call for a "specific factual statement" of matters under investigation.

In her opinion, Jackson rejected those arguments.

"It bears emphasizing at this stage that Manafort is presumed to be innocent of these charges," she said. "But the indictment will not be dismissed, and the matter will proceed to trial."

Manafort, she wrote, "was, at one time, not merely 'associated with,' but the chairman of, the Presidential campaign, and his work on behalf of the Russia-backed Ukrainian political party and connections to other Russian figures are matters of public record."

Jackson called it "logical and appropriate" for investigators tasked with probing for links between the Russian government and campaign associates "to direct their attention to him."

She wrote that "given the combination of his prominence within the campaign and his ties to Ukrainian officials supported by and operating out of Russia, as well as to Russian oligarchs, Manafort was an obvious person of interest."

Rosenstein also had authority "to define the Special Counsel's charter broadly," and explicitly confirmed Mueller's authority to investigate Manafort's Ukrainian work in an August 2017 memo, she found.

Jackson said the regulations are not meant to allow investigation targets to use them to challenge criminal charges, but are intended to provide independence and accountability in sensitive investigations, giving a special counsel wide discretion while requiring department consultation and approval, which she said was done.

"This is exactly what the Department of Justice regulations contemplate . . . The management of the investigation into the allegations against Manafort has been consistent with the objectives and requirements of the set of regulations as a whole, as well as the terms of the individual regulation upon which the defendant relies," said Jackson, a 2011 Obama appointee.

Deputy Solicitor General Michael Dreeben had defended the investigation, arguing last month in the District that prosecutors would naturally want to scrutinize Manafort's long-standing ties to Russian-backed politicians, financiers and others and whether any served as "back channels to Russia."

Manafort joined the Trump campaign in March 2016 and resigned that August amid news reports about his activities in Ukraine.

Manafort's indictment includes a conspiracy count citing alleged conduct going into 2016.

Tuesday's opinion by Jackson was issued days after both sides argued a similar set of issues to dismiss charges before U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III. Ellis, who has yet to issue an order, has asked to see an unredacted copy of the memo that lays out the special counsel's lines of investigation.

In the Virginia courthouse, Ellis sharply questioned prosecutors about their motivations and whether they had exceeded their charging authority to pressure Manafort to turn against Trump or colleagues.

Ellis, a 1987 Reagan appointee, said the special counsel still may well have the authority to bring the charges, adding at one point, "I'm not saying it's illegitimate." But Ellis also suggested that if he ruled in Manafort's favor, the case could simply be returned to the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

- - -

The Washington Post's Rachel Weiner contributed to this report.
Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2018 2:49 pm

The Webster County chapter of the Missouri Retired Teachers and School Personnel Association (MRTA) met May 7 at Central Bank in Marshfield. Thirty-five members listened as Helen Lamb and Dolores Matney of Seymour shared historical information and photographs of country schools in southern Webster County. Those schools include Flint Hollow, Mountain Dale, Nation, Gentry, Trimble, Star, Diggins and several others. Persons who want to learn more about the old schools could visit the history museum in Seymour, just off the square in the rock School Marms building.

Vice-president Charlotte Biddle opened the business meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, and Harlene Bramer was chosen as Distinguished Retiree for the chapter. Brenda Cologna gave legislative information on bills that concern public schools and possible pension changes.

New public school retirees will be honored at an 11 a.m. picnic Monday, June 4, at North Park on Banning Street in Marshfield. All retired teachers and school personnel are welcome to attend.
This article was produced in collaboration with ProPublica.

In early 2014, when Travis Hogan's malformed heart was failing, his longtime doctors at Texas Children's Hospital referred him to Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, long recognized as one of the best in the country for complicated heart transplants.

Hogan, then 29 and living at his family's home in Pasadena, Texas, didn't know it, but the iconic program was undergoing a series of dramatic changes.

Two years earlier, the transplant program slipped into turmoil when several top physicians left for a competitor. In the years that followed, patients at St. Luke's waited significantly longer than the regional or national average for new hearts.

HEART FAILURE: At St. Luke's in Houston, patients suffer as a renowned heart transplant program loses its luster

In 2015, as Hogan's health declined after more than a year on the list, he was dealt two additional blows. First, hospital staff took him off the active transplant waiting list in November 2015, citing his worsening liver as cause for concern, which his mother, Georgeann Hogan, said she did not know until told by a reporter.

Then, around that same time, hospital staff explained that Dr. O.H. "Bud" Frazier, the 75-year-old surgeon who initially agreed to treat her son, was no longer operating. Frazier had been planning to implant a ventricular assist device to aid Hogan's failing heart and allow his liver to recover until he could receive a transplant, Georgeann Hogan said.

About the series This story is the result of a collaboration between the Chronicle and ProPublica, an independent nonprofit newsroom based in New York. Mike Hixenbaugh is an investigative reporter for the Chronicle. Charles Ornstein is a senior editor at ProPublica. Trouble at St. Luke's

The hospital and its legendary surgeon Denton Cooley performed some of the world's first heart transplants back in the 1960s. In recent years, though, it has had some of the worst heart transplant outcomes in the country. Click here to read the story. A medical mishap

The call from St. Luke's came on the first day of 2018. Lee Lewis was finally getting a new heart. Three months and more than a dozen surgeries later, Lewis was dead. His widow documented his slow decline on Facebook. Click here to read the story. A hidden legacy

Over decades, Bud Frazier has played a leading role in the development of mechanical heart pumps and an artificial heart. Out of public view, he's been accused of putting his quest to make medical history ahead of the needs of some patients. Click here to read the story. Help us investigate

Are you an employee, patient or a family member of a patient at the Texas Medical Center? We'd like to hear from you about your experience. Please fill out this confidential questionnaire. See More Collapse

She said nobody told her family why Frazier had stopped operating; Frazier told reporters in an interview in April that he was getting old and was ready to stop.

The change stunned Hogan's family.

They did not realize that earlier in the year, several patients died shortly after receiving transplants at St. Luke's, leading the hospital to scrutinize the heart program and adopt a more conservative approach.

It also hired a new lead surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Morgan, who arrived in early 2016. Hospital staff told the Hogans that Morgan would pick up where Frazier left off with his plans for a ventricular assist device, Georgeann Hogan said.

FULL STORY: How did a renowned heart transplant program fall to near the bottom of national patient-death statistics?

But after Travis Hogan was admitted to the hospital in February 2016, St. Luke's Heart Transplant Medical Review Board decided he "would not likely survive a combined heart and liver transplant," the hospital said in a statement. Morgan sent word via Hogan's cardiologist that he would not be operating, Hogan's family said, not even to implant the heart assist device.

"That was devastating," said Hogan's sister, Regina Tran.

In past decades, patients born with a heart defect such as Hogan's came from around the country to be treated at St. Luke's, which was known for its willingness to take the most difficult cases. But in 2016, according to publicly available data, the hospital did not add a single patient with a congenital heart defect to its transplant waiting list; meanwhile, other high-risk patients, such as Hogan, were removed from the list.

Dr. Andrew Civitello, the transplant program's top cardiologist, remembered a handful of difficult conversations with critically ill patients that year, though he did not refer specifically to Hogan: " 'We wanted and still want to transplant you,' " he said, recalling how the conversations played out, "'but given the current environment, we unfortunately can't take the risks.'"

Hogan's family scrambled to find an alternative. Another St. Luke's physician urged the family to transfer to nearby Houston Methodist hospital, his mother said.

The process took weeks as the family fought to get the insurance company to approve the transfer. At Methodist, doctors implanted a balloon pump to help Hogan's heart pump blood while he awaited a transplant.

One did not come in time. Hogan died a few weeks later, on May 26, 2016, at the age of 31.

HELP US INVESTIGATE: Are you an employee, patient or a family member of a patient at the Texas Medical Center? We'd like to hear from you about your experience

In a written statement, St. Luke's said Hogan spent 486 days on the active heart transplant list before he was made inactive and later removed, and that the median wait time for a heart transplant in its region for a patient with Hogan's blood type was 537 days. "Mr. Hogan's choice to be treated at [St. Luke's] did not adversely influence his likelihood of obtaining a heart transplant," the hospital said.

Tran acknowledges that her brother was very sick. But she sometimes wonders whether he might still be alive if he hadn't spent two years waiting for a heart at St. Luke's.

"We went there because we were told St. Luke's was the place to go for help with the most difficult heart conditions," Tran said. "But when it finally came time for my brother to receive a new heart, they turned us away."

***

Mike Hixenbaugh is an investigative reporter at the Houston Chronicle. Email him at mike.hixenbaugh@chron.com and follow him on Twitter at @Mike_Hixenbaugh.

Tell us your story Are you an employee, patient or a family member of a patient at the Texas Medical Center? We'd like to hear from you about your experience. Please fill out this confidential questionnaire. This form requires JavaScript to complete. Powered by Screendoor.





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In the wake of allegations that he acted inappropriately with former students, San Antonio writer Bryce Milligan will no longer run Wings Press, the publishing house he has operated since 1995, according to a statement released by his wife and daughter.

Effective Tuesday, Milligan handed over the job to them, the statement said. Both are co-owners of the business, it said.

The decision came after multiple writers said they were cancelling arrangements for Wings Press to publish their work because of concerns about Milligans conduct.

Wings Press continues to be dedicated to producing multicultural literature that enlightens the human spirit and enlivens the mind, Mary Guerrero Milligan and Brigid Milligan said in a statement to Wings Press authors. We thank you for your patience as we navigate this transition.

Last week, a former student of Milligans creative writing class at the North East School of the Arts, Hailey Laine Johnson, said he had groomed her when she was 14 with behavior that included verbal flattery, touching, late-night phone calls and writing songs and poems about her, she said. He resigned in March 2002 after less than two years on the job rather than face termination from an investigation triggered by Johnsons complaint, a North East Independent School District spokeswoman said.

Milligan has denied Johnsons assertion that his advances became sexual, but multiple other former students have corroborated parts of Johnsons account of his behavior toward her in the classroom.

Two other former students said Milligan had also made them his muse while they were in his class but said that the favored status didnt include touching or sexual overtures. One of them said it still made her uncomfortable, but the other defended Milligan and said she doubted Johnsons veracity.

In the days since the accusations, multiple authors and writing organizations have distanced themselves from Milligan, who has long been a fixture in San Antonios literary community. One of them, Amalia Ortiz, had announced she was searching for another publisher for a forthcoming book but on Wednesday said the change at Wings Press was encouraging.

I am glad to see Wings Press in the hands of women. I will honor any decisions they make concerning the press. They deserve patience for the situation they find themselves in, Ortiz said via email.

I'm not sure what it means for my book, she added. My heart goes out to his family and all they are dealing with.

Lauren Caruba is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | lcaruba@express-news.net | @LaurenCaruba
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday slammed Israel as he refuted the Jewish states reference to Hamas as terrorist group arguing that the Islamist movement ruling the worlds open prison defends Palestinian homeland against an occupying power.

Hamas is not a terrorist organization and Palestinians are not terrorists. It is a resistance movement that defends the Palestinian homeland against an occupying power. The world stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine against their oppressors, he wrote in a tweet, after he called Israels mass killing genocide of the Palestinian people.

62 Palestinians were killed Monday and 2 others Tuesday in the deadliest Israel bloodshed since the beginning, March 30, of Palestinian protests against Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. The mass killing took place May 14, which coincided with the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem and the 70th anniversary of Nakaba which also coincides with Israels establishment.

President Trump December 6 declared the old city capital of Israel and announced the transfer of the US mission from Tel Aviv.

Around 40,000 Palestinians of Gaza gathered near the eastern border with Israel to protest against the opening of the US embassy. Most of those killed were shot by Israeli snipers.

Israel and its ally, the US, accused Hamas of goading people into breaking Israeli fences in a move to cause mayhem into the Jewish state.

The killings drew wide spread indignation and condemnation of Israel. The Turkish leader accused Israel of being a terrorist state. From London where he is on a visit, he called the killing a genocide.

Earlier, the Turkish leader and Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu engaged in a Twitter war. Netanyahu slammed Erdogans condemnation of the bloodshed.

Erdogan is among Hamass biggest supporters and there is no doubt that he well understands terrorism and slaughter. I suggest that he not preach morality to us, Netanyahu wrote.

Netanyahu is the PM of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenseless peoples lands for 60+ yrs in violation of UN resolutions. He has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and cant cover up crimes by attacking Turkey. Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments, Erdogan responded.

Ankara has also offered to treat Palestinians wounded in the Monday protest. Over 2,000 were injured. The health authorities and the military agreed to airlift the wounded from Gaza.
A federal jury deliberated eight more hours Wednesday in the racketeering trial of the Bandidos two top former leaders without reaching a verdict, as lawyers for one of the defendants filed an emergency motion asking the judge to instruct jurors that a partial verdict would be acceptable if they cant reach a unanimous verdict on all 13 counts.

Dick DeGuerin, the lead lawyer for the Bandidos former national president, Jeffrey Fay Pike, raised the motion Wednesday morning, during the second day of deliberations, and it was discussed in open court outside the presence of jurors.

DeGuerin said he objected to Senior U.S. District Judge David Ezra telling the jurors, after closing arguments late Monday, that they might start with the first count and go in order. DeGuerin noted he should have raised the objection at the time, not two days later.

Count 1 charges Pike, 62 and his former vice president, John Xavier Portillo, 58, with engaging in the Bandidos racketeering conspiracy. It includes a list of overt acts reportedly committed by members of the biker club  including assault, extortion, robbery, drug dealing and murder.

I didnt order them to do it. I suggested it to them so they (are) not  bouncing around, the judge said, adding that bouncing around might confuse the jurors. In any event, its too late. Theyve been deliberating for a day and a half. Its grossly untimely.

The judge denied the motion.

Here is the reason: Its not because I dont think it might not be appropriate, Ezra said. We havent received any indication, or a question or any word, that theyve had any problems. We dont know where they are on their deliberations. They could have well reached a unanimous verdict or a tentative verdict. We dont know.

The judge said he may take the motion up again if jurors give any indication that they are stuck on some of the charges.

Besides racketeering conspiracy, Pike, of Conroe, and Portillo, of San Antonio, are also charged with murder and use of a firearm in the aid of racketeering murder in the 2006 shooting of purported Hells Angels member Anthony Benesh. Ex-Bandidos members testified they killed Benesh under orders from Pike.

The two ex-leaders also are charged with passing down orders for a war against the Cossacks Motorcycle Club, who had been wearing patches on their vests saying Texas.

Among the actions alleged were the claw-hammer beating of a Cossack who also was stripped of his biker vest west of Fort Worth in March 2015, the beatings of Cossacks members at a bar in Port Aransas in August 2015 and an unsuccessful attempt to find Cossacks in Crystal City, also in fall 2015, according to testimony and evidence presented at the trial.

The ex-Bandidos leaders are also accused of ordering Bandidos to go to Odessa as a show of force against the Cossacks in April 2015. Law officers said more than 200 Bandidos showed up, though police had warned Cossacks in advance to leave the area and no confrontation ensued.

Portillo is also charged with murder in the January 2002 shooting death of Robert Lara, a street gang member who had reportedly killed a Bandidos member months earlier. Portillo is also charged with being a felon in possession of a gun and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Both men face up to life in prison if convicted.

Guillermo Contreras is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | gcontreras@express-news.net | @gmaninfedland
A lifelong educator who also fostered numerous children over the years, Judith Foster Liss was adept at providing love and direction.

My mother always tried to make sure that everyone she knew and worked with and supported knew that they could do anything, her daughter Melanie Anne Liss said. Her biggest gift was to help them find their passion and encourage them along the way.

Working with gifted and talented students, Liss recognized that everybody has something that sparks them, and sometimes you have to work really hard to find that, her daughter said.

Liss died May 2 at 75.

Raised in a military family, Liss grew up in various locations stateside and overseas, graduating from high school in Columbus, Georgia.

More Information Judith Foster Liss Born: Nov. 6, 1942, Louisville, Kentucky Died: May 2, 2018, Readfield, Maine Preceded by: Husband Melvin Oliver Liss; parents James William and Josephine Pharris Foster; a brother Survived by: Daughters Melanie Anne Liss, and Julie Liss Aguilar and son-in-law John; sons Ollie Liss and daughter-in-law Katharine, Sterling Liss and Michael Liss; five grandchildren; a brother Services: Graveside service at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, 1520 Harry Wurzbach Road See More Collapse

Attending what is now Georgia College, Liss graduated with degrees in art and education in the mid-1960s.

She met her future husband, an Army officer, in Columbus. He was completing jump training at nearby Fort Benning.

She was walking downtown and he made some provocative comments to her, and she was not happy, their daughter said. Unbeknownst to Liss, her father, who was training the airborne course, had invited him home for lunch after church one Sunday.

Marrying in 1966, the couple raised their children in a variety of locations, including Germany and Italy, where they began taking in foster children, mostly young babies.

Assigned to Fort Sam Houston after a second assignment in Germany, the family began fostering again, even as Liss continued to teach and later moved into administration in the Harlandale Independent School District.

She  taught  and then started coordinating the gifted and talented program, her daughter said. Liss later rewrote the (Harlandale ISD) curriculum to help develop a more progressive program.

At home, Liss and the family raised many children from infancy until age 3 or 4. They were always heartbroken when it came time for a child leave their care.

We were never going to do it again, every time, her daughter said. But then there was a phone call in the middle of the night, and we could never say no.

Continuing to foster for more than 20 years, Liss and her husband helped hundreds of children.

They were an extraordinary couple and  family who reached out and took care of some of our most vulnerable children, said Judge Peter Sakai, who worked with the family during his time as a Bexar County associate judge.

mheidbrink@express-news.net
San Antonio police and the Bexar County District Attorneys Office flatly denied Tuesday that video of a local San Antonio businesswomans arrest on suspicion of drunken driving mysteriously vanished, after the case abruptly was dismissed, then suddenly refiled.

Catherine Amato, who owns several Subway and Ruby Tuesday restaurants and is the wife of Charlie Amato, chairman and co-founder of SWBC and a Spurs shareholder, was charged in February with driving while intoxicated. The case was dismissed two months later because of no probable cause found, but was refiled Monday by District Attorney Nicholas LaHood.

RELATED: Prominent S.A. woman's dismissed DWI gets refiled

San Antonio Police Officers Association President Mike Helle told the Express-News on Monday that video of Amatos arrest somehow mysteriously has vanished, and that someone close to the case could not view it on the web portal the Police Department uses for in-dash and body cam videos, something he called very, very, very unusual.

I was told specifically that as of last night, they were trying to view it and they could not find it, he said.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus was out of the country and unavailable, but Lt. Jesse Salame, assistant executive officer, confirmed that body and in-dash video exists of the arrest.

We are aware of Helles claim about the video being missing. I dont know where he got his information from but that is not a true statement, said Salame. We have body camera video along with the in-car dash camera video of the incident.

A spokeswoman with the D.A.s office also confirmed the videos existence.

I can acknowledge there is video, said Leslie Garza, Bexar County Criminal District Attorney media liaison.

Amato was driving her BMW on Northwest Loop 410 on Feb. 26 when she was observed swerving and nearly colliding with other vehicles, according to the police report and an affidavit. The officer wrote that Amato was swaying on her feet, had a strong odor of alcohol, and open containers of vodka were found in her car and purse. She refused blood and breath samples, and a judge signed a warrant for a forcible blood draw. The DA's Office has not released those results.

When the case was dismissed in April, Amato sought to have all of her records destroyed, and an expunction hearing was scheduled, something Bexar County Clerk Gerry Rickhoff said moved fast, like a rocket. A normal DWI case takes like a year.

Both Helle and Salame explained that when officers are done with their shifts, they upload videos from body and dash cameras to a portal that only few can access.

But Salame said SAPD retains DWI reports in their records for 3,650 days, or 10 years.

Theres no way that would have been erased or withheld under the retention period, which is set by our general manual and policy, he said.

Videos routinely are entered into evidence during trials, although parts may be objectionable, for instance, if the defendant made any statements under certain cirumstances, said Judge Ron Rangel, who presides over the 379th state District Court and also teaches judicial decision making and judicial politics at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

We would play the video and remove certain things that would violate the constitutional rights of the defendant, he said.

This is the second time Amato has been charged with driving while intoxicated.

In 2016, Amato entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors, who granted her deferred adjudication and reduced her first DWI to a lesser obstruction of a highway charge. She also declined to provide breath and blood samples in that case.

Court records indicate Amato, 63, is scheduled to be arraigned June 6 in the new DWI case, which will be heard in County Court-at-Law No. 1, presided by Judge John D. Fleming. She faces up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000 if convicted of the Class B misdemeanor.

Elizabeth Zavala is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of her stories here. | ezavala@express-news.net | @elizabeth2863
The San Antonio Zoo plans to close its Monkey House for a makeover as part of its ongoing renovation plans to increase the size of the wildlife park.

Theres no set date for the closure; zoo officials are working to find an alternate home for the golden-bellied mangabey and black-crested mangabey at another zoo before closing the facility. Sixteen other primates will be housed in different parts of the San Antonio Zoo during the renovation and expansion of their habitat.
A South Texas doctor was in federal court Tuesday, answering to charges that he was involved in a $240 million health care fraud and international money laundering scam that made him rich enough to buy a private jet, a Maserati, a Porsche and high-end real estate in the United States and Mexico.

Dr. Jorge Zamora-Quezada, 61, of Mission, pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, five counts of health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Hes accused of misdiagnosing patients, possibly putting their lives in danger, so he could bill the government for unneeded expensive treatments that fed his lavish lifestyle.

The allegations that Zamora-Quezada violated his oath to do no harm by administering unnecessary chemotherapy and other toxic medications to patients with serious diseases  including some of the most vulnerable victims imaginable  are almost beyond comprehension, said Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Departments Criminal Division.

More from the courts: Disgraced ex-San Antonio lawyer Prins gets six-year prison sentence

Zamora-Quzadas clinics, which carried various names that included the Center for Arthritis and Osteoporosis, were based in the Rio Grande Valley. He also ran the Angeles Multi-Specialty Clinic in the Medical Center of San Antonio.

The indictment, returned May 9, said that from 2000 through last week, Zamora-Quezada and unnamed co-conspirators falsely diagnosed vulnerable patients  including the young, elderly and disabled from San Antonio, the Rio Grande Valley and elsewhere  with various degenerative diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. He and his co-conspirators then administered chemotherapy and other toxic medications to the patients based on that false diagnosis, the indictments allege.

In addition to falsely diagnosing patients, the indictment continues, Zamora-Quezada and his co-conspirators conducted a battery of fraudulent, repetitive and excessive medical procedures on patients in order to increase revenue and pay for the rheumatologists lavish and opulent lifestyle.

The FBI San Antonio office took to Twitter on Monday night to try to find more of Zamora-Quezadas patients. On Tuesday, special agent Michelle Lee, spokeswoman for the FBIs San Antonio office, reiterated that the agency is looking for patients who might need help.

The FBI is concerned there were potential victims who were misdiagnosed and may be continuing treatment based on that, Lee said, adding that winter Texans and Mexican nationals who live in Texas might have gone to Zamora-Quezada.

Patients of Zamora-Quezada who believe they were affected by the alleged crimes should call the FBI victims hotline, 833-432-4873, Option 8, or email the task forces at ZamoraPatient@fbi.gov, Lee said.

The FBI is legally mandated to identify victims of federal crimes that it investigates and provide these victims with information, assistance services and resources.

A phone recording at the San Antonio clinic on Datapoint Drive tells callers that the office has been shut down and instructs patients to call a phone number for the clinic in Edinburg for their medical records. The Express-News left a message for the doctor there; the call had not been returned as of late Tuesday.

More from the courts: San Antonio police, Bexar DA's office dispute video missing from woman's DWI arrest

Cronan made the announcement this week along with Southern District of Texas U.S. Attorney Ryan J. Patrick; Special Agent in Charge C.J. Porter of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector Generals Dallas region and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs of the FBIs San Antonio field office.

The indictment alleges Zamora-Quezada and his co-conspirators obstructed investigations by causing the creation of false patient records and concealed thousands of medical records from Medicare by stashing them in an unsecured and dilapidated barn located in the Rio Grande Valley.

The indictment also alleges Zamora-Quezada and his co-conspirators flew in Zamora-Quezadas $1 million private jet or drove in his Maserati, both emblazoned with his initials ZQ, between his offices in the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio, in order to perpetuate the fraud. In addition to buying the jet and luxury cars, Zamora-Quezada and the co-conspirators are accused of buying clothing from exclusive designers, including Louis Vuitton.

The properties they are accused of acquiring include two penthouses in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; a condominium in Aspen, Colorado; a condominium in Punta Mita, Mexico; and multiple homes and commercial properties located throughout Texas. He then created the false appearance of legitimate wealth and income by renting the various commercial and residential properties that he acquired to individuals and entities. Zamora-Quezada and his co-conspirators allegedly laundered the proceeds through a casa de cambio, or money exchange house, to various accounts maintained by financial institutions in Mexico.

The indictment seeks the forfeiture of his jet, Maserati and multiple residential and commercial properties in the United States and Mexico.

The FBI investigated the case with the the Rio Grande Valley Health Care Fraud Task Force and the McAllen Complex Financial Crimes Task Force, which are comprised of investigators from Texas Department of Insurance, police departments in McAllen and Pharr and the Texas Health and Human Service Commission.

Guillermo Contreras is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | gcontreras@express-news.net | @gmaninfedland
In April, 15 men were arrested or indicted on child sex crime charges in Bexar County, according to court records.

The number is an increase from the seven arrested last month on the same charges.
A mother who police say vanished from San Antonio for more than a year after taping her child to an ice machine was booked into Bexar County Jail Tuesday, according to jail records.

Michele Roode Boyd, 43, was found in a North Carolina hospital more than a year after she was last seen shopping with her daughter at Walgreens, in the 4500 block of Rigsby Avenue, on Nov. 25, 2016, according to an arrest affidavit.
San Antonio police arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl who worked in a local flower shop.

The victim came forward to police with her claims against Roberto Daniel Castillo, 27, on Friday.

The teenager was helping a relative at the flower shop for a two-week span in March, and Castillo would frequent the shop during that time, according to the arrest affidavit.

RELATED: San Antonio mother accused of taping child to ice machine booked in Bexar County Jail

Castillo allegedly forced himself on the girl, kissing her and fondling her, according to the arrest affidavit.

Castillo continued visiting the shop and sexually assaulted her on three other occasions, according to the affidavit.

Police arrested Castillo on suspicion of sexual assault of a child Monday, according to jail records. A judge set his bail at $50,000.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the victim's age.

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here. | fsabawi@mysa.com
Bexar County has filed a lawsuit against opioid drug manufacturers and distributors that it says are responsible for causing and contributing to an addiction epidemic that has plagued San Antonio and the county, whose residents die of overdoses at the third-highest rate in the state.

The suit, filed Thursday in state district court, follows the commissioners decision in October to pursue litigation against a long list of companies, including Purdue Pharma, the maker of the synthetic opioid OxyContin.

A pair of local firms, Phipps Anderson Deacon LLP and Watts Guerra LLP, are bringing the lawsuit on the countys behalf.

Charges in the lawsuit include public nuisance, fraud, misrepresentation, various forms of negligence, unjust enrichment, civil conspiracy and violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices and Texas Controlled Substances acts.

They defrauded doctors, telling them that opioids were not addictive, that you could prescribe as much as you want and didnt have to worry about causing these long-term problems, Martin J. Phipps, the lead attorney in the suit, said at a Wednesday morning news conference. And then the other thing they did, which makes it so significant to us, is they focused on our military.

Phipps then held up a book, Exit Wounds: A Survival Guide to Pain Management for Returning Veterans and their Families, and said the book  which was distributed to members of the military  contained claims that opioids would save their lives, would help them with the pain and tell them it wasnt addictive.

More Information Drug disposal People can drop off extra or leftover medication free of charge from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 19 at Brooks City Base, 8261 Boyle Road. SAWS, the San Antonio Police Department and Solid Waste Management are sponsoring the take-back event. See More Collapse

The lawsuit claims a group of companies consciously created a climate in which opioids, despite their danger and addictiveness, are widely available. The result is the worst drug-overdose epidemic in our nations history. Those companies created the opioid epidemic by conspiring to push their dangerous products onto vulnerable Americans, leaving families and local governments to clean up the damage, the lawsuit reads.

Phipps said he expects the case to go to trial in about two years. Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Wallace Jefferson, a Republican, is helping on the case, he said.

John Parker, senior vice president of Healthcare Distribution Alliance, a national organization representing pharmaceutical distributors, called the misuse and abuse of prescription opioids a complex public health challenge that requires a collaborative and systemic response that engages all stakeholders.

Given our role, the idea that distributors are responsible for the number of opioid prescriptions written defies common sense and lacks understanding of how the pharmaceutical supply chain actually works and is regulated, the statement from Parker said. Those bringing lawsuits would be better served addressing the root causes, rather than trying to redirect blame through litigation.

The opioid epidemic has hit Bexar County particularly hard: the county reported a fatality rate in 2015 of 5.7 overdoses per 100,000 residents, higher than all but two other Texas counties. Opioid-linked deaths reached a peak in 2011 with 145 deaths, and after three down years, the death toll resurged in 2015 with 108 overdose deaths.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said in an interview that the decision to file individually and at the state level, instead of joining a broader federal suit, would allow the county to directly receive money from any settlement or damages awarded rather than see it pass through several entities.

Wolff referred to Texas lawsuit against the tobacco industry, which in 1998 resulted in a $14 billion settlement, some of which went to an endowment that funds childrens health care and cancer research. Similarly, Bexar County would put any payments resulting from its suit toward opioid-related treatment and research programs.

If we do prevail, thats exactly where the money is going, Wolff said. We dont have enough treatment programs. Were always stretching to enlarge those, all of our diversion programs, and our treatment within the (county) jail itself is extremely expensive.

In October, the commissioners stipulated through a provision introduced by Commissioner Kevin Wolff that the county itself could not spend any payments from the suit in non-opioid-related areas. The attorneys would also receive compensation through settlement or damage money, meaning their payment is contingent on a favorable result to the county.

In August, shortly before commissioners authorized the lawsuit, San Antonio and Bexar County formed a task force to combat opioid addiction, which has since received millions of dollars in federal grant money for community education and procuring the overdose-reversal drug Naloxone.

This treatment fund thats going to come from this lawsuit will help us identify and bridge the gaps in our treatment here in Bexar County, and believe me, there are many, said T.J. Mayes, Wolffs chief of staff and a key player on the task force. We want parents to know if you have excess opioids in your medicine cabinet, theres a proper way to dispose of them, and that is not to flush them down the toilet. And its not to leave them in your medicine cabinet indefinitely.

The countys announcement comes one day after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against Purdue Pharma in state district court in Travis County. The two suits are unrelated, but like Bexar Countys, Paxtons lawsuit alleges Purdue violated the states Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Purdue Phrama faces escalating litigation with several state attorneys general claiming the company violated consumer protection laws by misrepresenting the risks and benefits of opioids.

Other manufacturers named in Bexar Countys suit include Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Endo Health Solutions, Allergan, Cephalon and Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The lawsuit also targets distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen, among others.

Many of those companies face numerous lawsuits from other counties, cities and states around the U.S.

Jasper Scherer is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | jscherer@express-news.net | @jaspscherer
3 1 of 3 Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle / Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Residents in southwest Houston's District K again will have a voice on City Council this Wednesday as Martha Castex-Tatum is sworn in and takes her seat at the council horseshoe.

Castex-Tatum earned roughly 65 percent of the vote in a nine-way race May 5 to succeed the late councilman Larry Green, who died of a drug overdose in March.
The US and its Middle East rival Iran have begun wondering about their future roles in Iraq following the stunning win of Shia Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who is opposed to both powers and who promised to end their influence.

Sadrs Alliance of Revolutionaries for Reform coalition (Saairun) has emerged as leading party in May 12 elections beating surprisingly US-preferred candidate, outgoing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Tehrans protege and former Minister Nouri al-Malikis State of Law alliance.

Saairun has been declared winner in the majority of provinces. The Shia Cleric has promised to curb US and Irans influence in the country, torn apart since the 2003 US invasion.

Sadr and his militia Mahdi Army in the wake of 2003 invasion fought American troops in Sadr city and in the holy city of Najaf where dozen of US forces lost their lives.

Tuesday, US Defense Secretary, Jim Mattis, who served in Iraq, told reporters that the White House supports the Iraqi people in their choice. His office also noted that the Trump administration does not have a preferred candidate.

The Iraqi people had an election. Its a democratic process at a time when people, many people doubted that Iraq could take charge of themselves, he said.

So we will wait and see the results  the final results of the election. And we stand with the Iraqi peoples decisions.

The US still has several thousands of troops stationed in the country as part of the fight against terrorism.

At the time the Pentagon claims it respects the Saturday vote results, Iran dispatched the head of Revolutionary Guards General Qassem Soleimani in a bid to secure a future coalition government friendly to Tehran.

Shia militia al Fatah backed by Iran is tipped to hold the second place in the election.

Tehran and Sadr fell out over the Shia Cleric nationalistic views and drives to make his country foreign-influence- free.

Sadr has recently moved closer to Saudi Arabia, Irans staunch regional rival in a bid to forge consensus and win vote of millions of Iraqi Sunnis who feel left out following the fall of Saddam Hussein, the last Sunni leader of the country.
When I lived in D.C., part of my job was to coordinate tours of the U.S. Capitol. I was working for a member of the House of Representatives, who was very particular about tours given to his constituents.

Some member offices referred tour requests to the very capable tour guides from the Capitol Visitors Center. However, my boss always insisted our office give the tours ourselves. He figured, if people took the time to visit the Capitol, they deserved the red-carpet treatment. I probably couldve walked to Texas and back with all the miles I walked around Capitol Hill. I used to complain about it, but the truth is, I loved it.

The Capitol complex is huge; members of the House occupy three massive office buildings connected to the Capitol through a network of underground tunnels. While escorting people, the conversation would naturally turn to politics. I had to keep my comments neutral  I learned this lesson the hard way.

But Republican or Democrat, right or left, the most vocal cynic would always stand breathless under the great Capitol dome. Looking up at Constantino Brumidis amazing fresco, The Apotheosis of Washington, the toxic political debate of the day, happening elsewhere in the building, seemed to melt away. Lying on his back (once a tour guide, always a tour guide) for 11 months, Brumdi painted the 4,664-square-foot domed ceiling while suspended 180 feet from the floor. He left us with one short message E Pluribus Unum  From many, one.

At the risk of sounding too shmaltzy, there is a bond uniting Americans. Its probably why we are so passionate about our politics. We all want the great experiment to work. But somehow, some way, weve gotten lost. We have forgotten that thoughtful and respectful political debate is essential to make this unique system of government work. No other country was founded on the revolutionary idea that individuals from anywhere could unite as one people. As the adage says, you can become an American but you cant become French.

Governing has become a blood sport, betraying the ideals on which this country was founded. If all we do is attack each other, taking pleasure in the failure of our opponents, we will never achieve essential, thoughtful, respectful debate that should be the hallmark of our republic.

Even if somebodys ideas make your blood boil and your brain seethe with indignation, that doesnt necessarily mean they are wrong. All the name-calling, finger-pointing and shouting at the rain wont change that. We must send thoughtful, respectful and responsible men and women to Washington, thus ensuring every voice is heard. We need people who believe public service is a noble calling, a great responsibility.

There are people in power who dont respect these ideals. People who believe facts are subjective. People who believe that to disagree is to be disloyal, warranting expulsion from the body politic. Its a dangerous and frightening trend.

I live in Texas, so finding someone who disagrees with my liberal politics isnt too difficult. I pledge to listen and understand his or her point of view. I will thoughtfully and respectfully explain mine. If someone, somewhere, tries to keep them from expressing their views; Ill defend their right to do so and resist the urge to call them names.

Adam Boffa is a former staffer for Reps. Charlie Gonzalez and Joaquin Castro. He medically retired in 2014 and is now a blogger and community volunteer. He served on the City of San Antonio Disability Access Advisory Committee and the SAWS Citizens Advisory Panel. This commentary originally appeared in his blog, In Defense of Republicans.
Jason Fochtman /Houston Chronicle

Armed Forces Day, created in 1949 to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force days after the branches were unified under the Department of Defense, is Saturday. The day was designed, in part, according to the DOD, to expand public understanding of what type of job is performed and the role of the military in civilian life.

This quiz provides the opportunity for you to test your knowledge of the history and background of the U.S. military.
On Monday, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and other leading lights of the Trumpist right gathered in Israel to celebrate the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, a gesture widely seen as a slap in the face to Palestinians who envision East Jerusalem as their future capital.

The event was grotesque. It was a consummation of the cynical alliance between hawkish Jews and Zionist evangelicals who believe that the return of Jews to Israel will usher in the Apocalypse and the return of Christ, after which Jews who dont convert will burn forever.

Religions like Mormonism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism lead people to an eternity of separation from God in Hell, Robert Jeffress, a Dallas megachurch pastor, once said. He was chosen to give the opening prayer at the embassy ceremony. John Hagee, one of Americas most prominent end-times preachers, once said that Hitler was sent by God to drive the Jews to their ancestral homeland. He gave the closing benediction.

This spectacle, geared toward Donald Trumps Christian American base, coincided with a massacre about 40 miles away. Since March 30, there have been mass protests at the fence separating Gaza and Israel. Gazans, facing an escalating humanitarian crisis due in large part to an Israeli blockade, are demanding the right to return to homes in Israel that their families were forced from at Israels founding. The demonstrators have been mostly but not entirely peaceful; Gazans have thrown rocks at Israeli soldiers and tried to fly flaming kites into Israel. The Israeli military has responded with live gunfire as well as rubber bullets and tear gas. In clashes Monday, at least 58 Palestinians were killed and thousands wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The juxtaposition of images of dead and wounded Palestinians and Ivanka Trump smiling in Jerusalem like a Zionist Marie Antoinette tells us a lot about Americas relationship to Israel right now. It has never been closer, but within that closeness there are seeds of potential estrangement.

Defenders of Israels actions in Gaza will argue no country would allow a mob to charge its border. They will say that even if Hamas didnt call the protests, it has thrown its support behind them. The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas, a White House spokesman, Raj Shah, said Monday.

But even if you completely dismiss the Palestinian right of return  which I find harder to do now that Israels leadership has all but abandoned the possibility of a Palestinian state  it hardly excuses the Israeli militarys disproportionate violence.

Much of the world condemned the killings in Gaza. Yet the United States, Israels most important patron, has given it a free hand to do with the Palestinians what it will. Indeed, by moving the embassy to Jerusalem in the first place, Trump sent the implicit message that the U.S. government has given up any pretense of neutrality.

Even before Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu helped open a partisan divide on Israel in American politics, where previously there had been stultifying unanimity. Until these past few years, youd never heard the word occupation or settlements or talk about Gaza, Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the liberal pro-Israel group J Street, said of American politicians. But Ben-Ami told me that since 2015, when Netanyahu tried to undercut President Barack Obama with a controversial address to Congress opposing the Iran deal, Democrats have felt more emboldened. That changed the calculus forever, he told me.

The events of Monday may have changed it further, and things could get worse still.

Trump has empowered whats worst in Israel, and as long as he is president, it may be that Israel can kill Palestinians, demolish their homes and appropriate their land with impunity. But some day, Trump will be gone. With hope for a two-state solution nearly dead, current trends suggest that a Jewish minority will come to rule over a largely disenfranchised Muslim majority in all the land under Israels control. A rising generation of Americans may see an apartheid state with a Trump Square in its capital and wonder why its supposed to be our friend.

Michelle Goldberg writes a column for the New York Times.
Re: The reckoning was inevitable; Future unsure with or without Leonard, Mike Finger, Sports, Sunday:

So much speculation based on rumors  all from outside of San Antonio. So many sources claiming to have the inside story on purported discord and alienation, none of it based on what the Spurs, or Leonard, have said. The Spurs, of which Leonard is still a part, will speak when they are ready.

Norm Loukinen

Hopeful sign

Re: Congrats class of 2018, University of the Incarnate Word, advertisement, Saturday:

The double spread ad, on pages A10 and A11, lists the 2018 graduates of the Incarnate Word University. I started to make a count, then realized I would need a calculator to count that high!

I have always thought that the answer to the worlds social problems and crimes is more and better education. This long list of graduates is indeed an encouraging word.

Clay McGaughy

No repeat here

The citizens of San Antonio should be grateful the city has rejected hosting the 2020 RNC!

Think about the protesters that will be pouring in from every state in the union!

The cost to public safety departments would be astronomical, not to mention damage to property!

No, I am not just an idle doomsayer; I remember the 1968 DNC in Chicago!

Lloyd R. Mathews, Rockport

Behind closed doors

To all who voted for those individuals such as Mayor Ron Nirenberg who decided behind closed doors to rule out inviting the RNC to our fair city: Keep in mind what they think of you, their constituents, next time you vote. And for County Commissioner Tommy Calvert to suggest that restaurant employees would taint food, or that citizens would riot in the streets and otherwise destroy our fine reputation  that is not who we are  Just saying.

Sharon DuMenil
STAMFORD  An adopted woman charged with breaking into the Wilton home of her parents on Valentines Day this year pleaded not guilty to a first-degree burglary charge.

Appearing with her public defender Howard Ehring before Judge Richard Comerford on Tuesday morning, Jillian Katz, 31, remained silent after being brought into courtroom despite the fact there was some talk about her criminal history.

Assistant States Attorney Michelle Manning used the word voluminous to describe Katz earlier run- ins with the law.

According to her arrest affidavit by Wilton police, since 2010 Katz has been arrested 10 times on charges of burglary, larceny, criminal mischief and violating her probation and has resulting convictions for every charge except criminal mischief.

Police were alerted to a burglar alarm at Katzs parents home on River Gate Woods Drive just after 1 a.m. on Feb. 14.

When officers got to the empty home they found a broken window and jewelry scattered on the front walkway.

When the homeowners son arrived, he told them that he believed the burglar was his adopted sister, Jill Katz.

The homeowners said for the first time in a long time Katz visited them at the home three weeks earlier and they believed she stole two credit cards, which they immediately canceled, the arrest warrant states. They said Katz, a Manchester resident, knew they would be away in Florida when the break-in occurred.

Two days later police learned that Katz pawned 23 pieces of silver jewelry at Good Ole Toms in East Hartford just nine hours after police discovered the break-in.

Pictures of the items were sent to the homeowner while vacationing in Florida, who identified every possession taken to Good Ole Toms as belonging to he and his wife, the affidavit said.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
About 100 people have been kidnapped along a road in northern Nigeria in the past few days, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

According to Surajo Usman, a member of Nigerias National Union of Road Transport Workers, over 120 people were kidnapped between Friday and Tuesday, along the Birnin Gwari-Kaduna road. Usman told Reuters he escaped an abduction himself.

The northern state of Kaduna is infamous for its lawlessness. Thick forests in the region provide bandits with hideouts from security forces, according to Reuters. About 45 people were killed earlier this month after an attack on a village in the region.

Two Americans and two Canadians have been kidnapped in an ambush in the region in January.

Concerned with the incessant kidnapping and killing, the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the area cautioned its members from plying the route pending deployment of troop and other security agencies.

Despite the severity of the attacks, Kaduna states Police Commissioner, Austin Iwar, told Reuters he has not been informed about such attacks but would investigate.

Crime has spread across the West African most populous nation in recent years as the economy has stalled.

However, in March, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that even the worst critics of his All Progressives Congress, APC-led government, will agree with him that they have tried hard in the area of securing the country. Buhari also said the security of the country has improved since his administration began in 2015.
Californias sanctuary-state laws got a national airing Wednesday when local leaders met with President Trump at the White House to complain that limiting their cooperation with immigration officials is endangering public safety.

The meeting was long on outrage and assertions by more than a dozen mayors, county supervisors and district attorneys that undocumented immigrants are driving up crime in California, with Trump periodically taking swings at the states deadly and unconstitutional laws  and referring to some undocumented immigrants as animals.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthys presence was a reminder of the underlying political importance of the sanctuary issue to the White House  it could help determine whether McCarthy and his fellow Republicans will still be running the House next year.

For McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, and his fellow California Republicans, this was about rallying GOP voters back home. For Trump, this was a message to his supporters in the rest of the country that he wont forget the core of his agenda, even if the venue is a state that he lost by nearly 2-to-1 to Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Republicans hope the real impact of Trump going national with his fight against sanctuary laws will be excitement among their base voters  and not just in the courtroom, where the administration has sued to overturn the states restrictions against local authorities cooperating with federal agents enforcing immigration law.

The GOP desperately needs the injection of energy in California. Democrats have targeted several of the 14 congressional seats now held by Republicans as part of their effort to win back the House. The two main Republicans running for governor, Travis Allen and John Cox, have seized on the issue in hopes that at least one of them will survive the June 5 top-two primary. Failing to field a candidate in the November runoff could depress Republican turnout throughout the state.

Trump said opposition to the law in California has sparked a rebellion. Ten counties and three dozen cities have supported the administrations anti-sanctuary stance, nearly all of them in conservative parts of Southern California and the Central Valley.

Theres a lot of people who are really fed up with whats going on. Its not just Republicans, Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore (Riverside County), who sat next to Trump, said in an interview afterward. I have a lot of Democrats who write to me and say, What in the world are you doing (on sanctuary laws)?

Some GOP leaders hope a November ballot measure to reverse Californias 12-cent-per-gallon increase in the gas tax could bring out their voters. But Shawn Steel, an Orange County attorney who is a member of the Republican National Committee, said that while an anti-gas-tax campaign is certainly a spark to bring out GOP voters, the prairie fire is sanctuary.

Trump repeated his suggestion Wednesday that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf be investigated by the Justice Department for alleged obstruction of justice for her warning statement ahead of a federal immigration sweep in Northern California. When Trump first raised the idea in April, a Schaaf spokesman responded that sharing information about rights, responsibilities and resources is legal and appropriate.

Wednesdays meeting was full of praise for Trump  Lassen County District Attorney Stacey Montgomery told the president that he was loved in the Northern California county, which he carried in 2016 with 72 percent of the vote.

But Melendez said, The value for the rest of the country who was watching, and the Californians back home, was they see that they were not alone.

There are lot of people in California who are sympathetic to the plight of immigrants, Melendez said. But they dont want to be a sanctuary state.

Gov. Jerry Brown, whose name was frequently invoked during the White House meeting in less-than-friendly terms, said afterward that he was not impressed.

Trump is lying on immigration, lying about crime and lying about the laws of California, Brown said in a statement. Flying in a dozen Republican politicians to flatter him and praise his reckless policies changes nothing. We, the citizens of the fifth-largest economy in the world, are not impressed.

State Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, the author of the states main sanctuary law, said the politicians who attended the meeting are turning their backs on California and the people they represent. Theyve become useful props to Trump and what hes trying to do to divide us. This is purely a play for (Republicans) to get out their base.

Several of those at the meeting cited anecdotes of undocumented immigrants committing crimes in their jurisdictions as evidence of the wrongheadedness of laws that make it harder to deport such immigrants.

Were taking people out of the country  you wouldnt believe how bad these people are, Trump said. These arent people. These are animals.

For Republicans to convince swing voters on the sanctuary issue, linking it to the fear of crime will be key, said Matt Barreto, a professor of Chicano and Latino studies at UCLA and co-founder of the Latino Decisions polling firm. Advocates of sanctuary laws can point to findings such as one from the nonpartisan fact-checking site Politifact, which said, Several studies have found that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born individuals.

Barreto said, You have to convince people that they have a law-and-order problem  and right now youre not seeing a lot of voters pulling out their hair about immigrants killing people. Right now, this looks like the typical Trump playbook: You call out these racial dog-whistle political issues to get out your base. But I dont know if thats going to be enough in California.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
A perfect home at the perfect price is in short supply in San Antonio, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

The median price of a home in San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area was $222,800 last month, up from $219,600 in March 2018, and houses are on "tight supply," said Lorena Pena, the chair of the San Antonio Board of Realtor's board, in a news release.
- The presidency has said its revelation of the alleged corruption in the last administration are not frivolous

- Osinbajo's aide, Laolu Akande, spoke on several policies of the Buhari administration in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng

- He challenged the opposition PDP to defend itself instead of accusing Buhari's government of witch-hunting them

The presidency has said the allegations of corruption against the previous administration of Goodluck Jonathan, are facts and not to witch-hunt the opposition.

This was made known by the senior special assistant, media and publicity to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng.

According to Akande, all the revelation of corrupt deeds by the previous government are established facts.

Laolu Akande says the opposition should defend themselves instead of crying fowl.

READ ALSO: Nigeria's support for Sierra Leone continues, says VP Osinbajo

He denied insinuation by the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who recently described the action of the government as a witch-hunt. He challenged the opposition to defend themselves instead of crying fowl and accusing the Buhari's government of witch-hunting them.

His words: I think what the Nigerian people expect is that when you are confronted and when an allegation is made against you, you defend yourself. You explained what happened and not try to bring up an excuse. These are established facts, which is why the cases are proceeding on the basis of those facts.

For instance, we know that there was what was called strategic contracts. We know that oil was lifted, oil was sold and there is no evidence of any payment back to the government. This is a fact and we know the people who lifted the oil. We know the people who permitted the lifting of the oil. These are settled facts. There is no evidence that oil was sold or upon the royalties or taxes. So when we bring out this kind of information, we are not being frivolous.

We are just saying that in a situation where just three people can come together and take out something that is worth over $3billion, which is about a trillion naira in todays rates, is something that ought to provoke some sort of outrage, and thats why Nigerians are saying lets find out what happened.

Thats a huge sum of money out of the economy. People should just do the proper thing and account for their own deeds instead of trying to find ways to deflect and deny what is an obvious instance.

Asked why the allegations are giving more prominence few months to the general elections, Akande said the timing does not matter.

These issues have always been with us so it is not a question of whether they are coming at a particular time or not, the important is thing is that these things exist. We have an economy that went into recession partly because of the fact that the resources of this country have been mis-managed over the years. Shouldnt we be concerned about finding out why some of these atrocious deals.

We believe that one of the biggest problem of this country is corruption and so it is important for us to talk about it because there have to be consequences, we have to tame it. Like the president has said, if we dont kill corruption, corruption will kill us, he said.

READ ALSO: Osinbajo attends OGP week opening ceremony, details FG's efforts in fighting corruption

Akande spoke on what the government is doing to ensure the Nigerian economy does not slid into recession again,

He also shed more light on the N-Power programme, the school feeding programme and addressed criticisms directed at his principal, accusing the vice president of not speaking enough on the killings of Christians in Nigeria.

Watch the video of the interview on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit
- Beautiful Nigerian lady takes to social media to thank God has she turns 20

- Ogbonna Rita Prudent Chiwendu also listed some of her achievements so far as she prepares for NYSC

- The young lady got admission into the university at the age of 15 and got a good job when she turned 19

A beautiful Nigerian lady has taken to social media to thank God as she turns 20. Identified as Ogbonna Rita Prudent Chiwendu on Facebook, she also listed some of her achievements over the years.

Chiwendu on Tuesday, May 15, took to her Facebook profile to share several pictures of her alongside her life achievements at the age of 20.

Aside from being a university graduate, she disclosed that she got a good paying job in Lekki area of Lagos state, as well as she got a new apartment as her birthday gift.

Ogbonna Rita Prudent Chiwendu. Source: Ogbonna Rita Prudent Chiwendu/Facebook

READ ALSO: 2 Nigerian students allegedly fight dirty over whose dad is the richest in UK (photos)

Chiwendus post reads: God has shown me GENUINE LOVE. Love that superceeds all other loves!!! At Age 15, I was admitted into a higher institution. As young as I was, God saw me through. Good grades became my surname!!! At age 19 he made me a graduate with flyng colors as my birthday gift. At same age 19 he blessed me with a good paying job in Lekki. And now, at age 20, he has given me an apartment as my birthday gift! Mama got my back. Hardwork pays, determination rocks and focus helps. Thank you Jesus. Happy birthday to me! Am a Taurus Diva. #NYSC loading.

See post below:

PAY ATTENTION:

Nice one!

What do you think will happen if women rule the world? (Nigerian Street Interview) | Legit.ng TV - on Legit.ng TV.

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- Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, recently traveled to Sierra Leone for the presidential inauguration and was mobbed by star struck fans

- She revealed this on her social media page as she was overwhelmed by the love

Curvaceous screen queen, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, clearly underrated how much love her fans have for her. While in Sierra Leone, she revealed on her social media page that she got mobbed by fans who were all too happy to see her.

The beautiful actress was received by an entourage led by the First Lady, Fatima Jabbe-Bio, who used to be an actress. Omotola who is also a philanthropist, was praised for her works with the UN and also for her fight for Maternal health with Amnesty International in Sierra Leone

She expressed her gratitude for their acknowledgement of her works and also spoke about her love for the country, expressing her optimism that the new president would actualize the dreams of the people.

READ ALSO: Photos of Timaya's expensive cars rock the internet, Mercedes, Lexus, Range Rover are part of the list

Sharing photos from the event, she wrote: "Waoh... #sierraleone! At the Presidents inauguration. I kinda had a taste of two extreme reactions... so much love you are mobbed and so much love you are blown kisses...lol . Congrats again Rtd Brig President Julius maada Bio and First Lady Fatima jabbe Bio. With Liberian president , Mr Goerge Weah"

READ ALSO: Its your fathers mothers bride price that was a waste - Oyo state governor's son, idris Ajimobi attacks blogger for insulting his wife's dressing

Mercy Johnson and her husband were also invited by the Sierra Leone president and his First Lady for the inauguration ceremony.

She took to her social media page to share photos of herself with important dignitaries as they were welcomed into Freetown, Sierra Leon by the First Lady.

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Omoni Oboli Interview: About the Nigerian Movie Industry | Star Chat on Legit.ng TV:

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- The Nigerian Army carried out an operation against militias in Nasarawa state

- The spiritual head of the group was arrested during the operation

- The army urged Nigerians to report suspicious activities

The Nigerian Army in its effort to maintain internal security carried out an operation in Ugya village in Toto local government area of Nasarawa state.

The operation resulted in the destruction of a militia camp and the arrest of the spiritual leader of the gang.

This was contained in a statement issued by Brig Gen Texas Chukwu, the army public relations.

The spiritual leader of the militia apprehended by the army. Credit: Facebook, SK Usman

READ ALSO: Court drops charges against alleged perpetrators of Melaye's assassination attempt

He said: Troops of 177 Guards Battalion while on raid operation at Ugya village in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State destroyed some armed militia camp.

The army urged Nigerians to report suspicious activities. Credit: Facebook, SK Usman

The Spiritual Head of the militia group, one Angulu Idaku was also arrested.

"Items recovered include: Seven locally made guns, twelve cartridges, 200 rounds of 7.62MM special ammunition and 76 rounds of 7.62MM NATO special ammunition. Others are; four knives, fifteen cutlasses, 6 mobile phones, One DSTV decoder set, and 4 solar panel sets.

Items recovered from militia gang in Nasarawa. Credit: Facebook, SK Usman

The army spokesperson urged Nigerians to be vigilant and report suspicious activities to security operatives.

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Meanwhile, Taraba state communities were warned by armed militias against going to the farm. The militias reportedly told the affected communities that going for farming during this planting season will amount to wasted efforts because they (militias) will come after them (farmers).

Chief Goodman Dahida, president general of Tiv Cultural and Social Association (TCSA) Taraba state, who revealed this said most communities around Gbundu, Ayu-Guraku, Ananum and Shaakaa villages in Donga have been completely deserted as a result of attacks by armed militia.

Dahida, consequently called on Nigerian Army operatives of Operation Ayem Akpatuma currently ongoing in the state to look into the threats and not take it lightly, Vanguard reports.

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Nigerias Independent Corrupt Practices and Other-Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has withdrawn its charges against Jonah Jang, a former governor of Plateau state, explaining that it was to avoid abuse of court processes.

The Punch reports that Jang, who now represents Plateau-North district at the Senate, had been detained with a cashier, Yusuf Gyang Pam, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja, after they were arrested over alleged misuse of funds.

The report said the EFCC put up 12 counts against Jang on alleged fraud, while the ICPC had also filed similar charges against him.

READ ALSO: Presidency reportedly denies Nigerias presence at US Jerusalem embassy opening

According to the report, the assistant director in ICPC, Adesina Raheem, on Wednesday, May 16, moved an application before Justice Daniel Longji of Plateau state high court in Jos for the withdrawal of the charges.

My Lord, we got an information that EFCC has filed a criminal charge against the defendant. We had a discussion with the EFCC and it was resolved that we should withdraw our own charge to avoid abuse of court processes.

I will humbly seek the leave of the court to withdraw the charge. That is my application, Raheem prayed.

Justice Longji then reportedly struck out the charges.

The prosecution has the right to withdraw the application, the case is hereby struck out, the judge said.

Robert Clarke (SAN), counsel to Jang had earlier said: The ICPC case has not ripened for hearing by this court. I am aware that you cannot maintain a charge by ICPC on the same charge in same court.

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Let us see what happen, I have an inkling that they may withdraw the charges," he said.

In a separate report, Daily Trust confirmed that Jang was brought before the Jos high court by the EFCC amid very tight security.

According to the report, the former governor arrived the court at 9:28am in a 15-seater Toyota Hiace bus accompanied by officials of EFCC and the police over an alleged misappropriation of N6.3 billion shortly before he vacated office.

EXCLUSIVE: How Obasanjo's coalition can send Buhari packing - Kenny Martins. Legit.ng

Source: Legit.ng
- Crisis is allegedly brewing in former president Obasanjo's new party ADC ahead of Ekiti election

- The party's gubernatorial candidate, Ayodele Adesua, said that he would resist attempts by its leaders to withdraw its participation in the election

- He also vowed not to step down or handover his ticket to another candidate as being insinuated in some quarters

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo's new political party African Democratic Congress (ADC) is reportedly heading for a major crisis, as its candidate, Ayodele Adesua, in the next Ekiti gubernatorial election, vowed to resist any attempt by the national leaders of the party to withdraw the partys participation in the coming governorship election.

Premium Times reports that Adesua also vowed not to step down or handover his ticket to another candidate, as being insinuated in some quarters.

READ ALSO: There are millions of Nigerians that are not corrupt - Dogara tells Buhari

Legit.ng gathered that Obasanjo had thrown its weight behind the ADC, recommending it to members of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement and other stakeholders seeking to change the present government ahead of the 2019 general elections.

But Adesua has vowed not to hand over his mandate to anyone, warning that the former Osun governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who is also the national coordinator of the CNM, was behind the move.

Adesua returned unopposed by all 32 accredited delegates in a primary election conducted by the party in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, May 14.

In a statement on Tuesday, May 15, Adesua said Oyinlola is attempting to impose his friend, Dare Bejide, a former diplomat, as the candidate of the party.

Bejide had lost the governorship ticket of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to Akinloye Ayegbusi in the primaries held in Ado Ekiti.

Adesua rejected the report that the ADC had withdrawn from participating in the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti state scheduled for July 14.

Instead, he said, party members as well as his supporters in Ekiti were resolute and ready to partake in the election.

The partys national publicity secretary, Anayo Arinze, was quoted as saying that the party was no longer interested in participating in the Ekiti election, but would align with other political parties and focus on making the desired change in 2019 elections.

It goes beyond the power of anybody to withdraw from the Ekiti governorship race on behalf of the party candidate without being delegated by the candidate to do so, the statement highlighted.

This ridiculous development gives an insight into how selfish desperation for power of a single individual can wreck the ship of a movement such as the Coalition for Nigeria Movement which is recognised locally and internationally as the team that would salvage Nigerians from the currently sinking ship of the nation.

Consequently, we will never consider sparing any effort in ensuring that we hold tight to what belongs to us regardless of how dangerous it may appear to the success of Obasanjos CNM.

Therefore, His Excellency, Olusegun Obasanjo may need to prevail on former Governor Oyinlola before it is too late.

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Ayodele David Adesua and his team will never lay down the peoples mandate to fly the partys flag in Ekiti 2018 governorship election considering how much he has single-handedly laboured to fund the party to maturity in Ekiti state before having a good boost of fortune when Obasanjos CNM collapsed into it, the statement further highlighted.

Meanwhile Legit.ng had previously reported that the leadership of a political pressure group founded by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Coalition for Nigerian Movement (CNM) on Thursday, May 10, announced its fusion into African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The next President of Nigeria. Who will win the 2019 elections? - on Legit.ng TV

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- Gambias former president has been implicated in the murders of Ghanaian and Nigerian migrants

- The migrants, who were bound for Europe, were murdered in the Gambia in 2005

- A report by Human Rights Watch stated that contrary to the earlier claim that the migrants were killed by rogues, the migrants were murdered by Yahya Jammehs mercenaries

Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International reportedly stated on Wednesday, May 16, that a paramilitary unit controlled by ex-Gambian president Yahya Jammeh summarily executed more than 50 Ghanaian, Nigerian, and other West African migrants in July 2005.

Human Rights Watch reports that interviews with 30 former Gambian officials, including 11 officers directly involved in the incident, reveal that the migrants, who were bound for Europe but were suspected of being mercenaries intent on overthrowing Jammeh, were murdered after having been detained by Jammehs closest deputies in the army, navy, and police forces.

Legit.ng gathered that the witnesses identified the Junglers, a notorious unit that took its orders directly from Jammeh, as those who carried out the killings.

READ ALSO: Youre not the only corrupt-free Nigerian - Speaker Dogara tells Buhari

The West African migrants werent murdered by rogue elements, but by a paramilitary death squad taking orders from President Jammeh, said Reed Brody, counsel at Human Rights Watch.

Jammehs subordinates then destroyed key evidence to prevent international investigators from learning the truth.

Martin Kyere, the sole known Ghanaian survivor; the families of the disappeared; the family of Saul Ndow, another Ghanaian killed under Jammeh; and Ghanaian human rights organizations on Tuesday, May 16, 2018, called on the Ghanaian government to investigate the new evidence and potentially seek Jammehs extradition and prosecution in Ghana.

Jammehs 22-year rule was marked by widespread abuses, including forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and arbitrary detention.

He sought exile in Equatorial Guinea in January 2017 after losing the December 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow.

TRIAL International and Human Rights Watch said it interviewed insiders including some of the highest-ranking security commanders in the Gambian government at the time, as well as several officials present at the arrest, detention, and transfer of the migrants, a Jungler who witnessed the killings, and two who participated in a subsequent cover-up.

They said that the migrants, including some 44 Ghanaians and several Nigerians, were arrested in July 2005 at a beach where they had landed, then transferred to the Gambian Naval Headquarters in Banjul, the capital.

They were detained there in the presence of the inspector general of police, the director general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the chief of the defense staff, and the commander of the National Guards.

At least two of them were reportedly in telephone contact with Jammeh during the operation. The head and several members of the paramilitary Junglers were also allegedly there.

The officials reportedly divided the migrants into groups and then turned them over to the Junglers. Over one week, the Junglers allegedly summarily executed them near Banjul and along the Senegal-Gambia border near Jammehs hometown of Kanilai.

Kyere was said to have been detained in a Banjul police station, then driven into the forest.

In February 2018, he explained to Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International how he escaped, just before other migrants were killed.

We were in the back of a pickup truck, he said.

One man complained that the wires binding us were too tight and a soldier with a cutlass sliced him on the shoulder, cutting his arm, which bled profusely. It was then that I thought, Were going to die. But as the truck went deeper into the forest, I was able to get my hands free. I jumped out from the pickup and started to run into the forest. The soldiers shot toward me but I was able to hide. I then heard shots from the pickup and the cry, in Twi [Ghanaian language], God save us!

Kyere helped the Ghanaian authorities identify many of the dead and travelled around Ghana to locate their families and promote efforts to seek justice.

Despite reported measures by Ghana as well as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations (UN) to investigate the case, Human Rights Watch said no arrests have ever been made.

The Bulletin of the UN Department of Public Affairs reportedly said that an ECOWAS/UN report concluded that the Gambian government was not directly or indirectly complicit in the deaths and disappearances but rather that rogue elements in Gambias security services acting on their own were probably responsible.

However, Human Rights Watch said the new evidence makes clear that those responsible for the killings were the Junglers, who were not rogue elements, but a disciplined unit operating under Jammeh.

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Legit.ng previously reported that Gambias minister of Justice, Abubacarr Tambadou, said Yahya Jammeh, while leaving the Gambia in the heat of his electoral defeat, left with about $50 million.

The current government in the country accused Yahya Jammeh of withdrawing the money through a state telecoms company.

As a result, a court in the country ordered that all his assets remaining in the Gambia be frozen.

These include 88 accounts and 14 companies linked to him. Cattle and cars are also part of the assets.

Mass deportation: Tales of woes from Libya - On Legit.ng TV

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- The Guards Brigade headquarters, Abuja says protests by the Islamic Movement in Nigeria has not yet warranted the deployment of soldiers

- Commander, guards brigade, Brig Gen Umar Musa, assures Abuja residents that the military would be deployed should protests by the group get out of the control of the police

The Guards Brigade headquarters, Abuja has said it would deploy troops to stop the daily protests by Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) in the Federal Capital Territory should the situation gets out of control.

The Sun reports that the commander, guards brigade, Brig Gen Umar Musa speaking with journalist in Mambila barracks, said the Brigade was on standby and monitoring activities of the group.

READ ALSO: There are millions of Nigerians that are not corrupt - Dogara tells Buhari

Musa said the protests by the Islamic group had not yet warranted the deployment of soldiers as most of their activities and movement were still within the ambit of the Nigerian police.

He assured Abuja residents that the military would be deployed should their protest get out of the control of the police, the military would deploy at very short notice to curb the situation.

According to him, the activities of the Islamic Movement Of Nigeria has being on the high particularly in the Federal Capital Territory on the high over the detention of their leader who is facing some charges proffered against him in court, the commander said.

But I want to assure the public that the Nigerian army and Guards Brigade in particular have been monitoring the situation closely.

As it is now, most of the activities of the movement is within the ambit of the Nigerian police who have the constitutional role of protecting life and property of the populace.

It has not yet reached the time where the military will be involved.

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But all same we have been monitoring and we are always on standby at short notice should the situation go out of hand of the Nigerian police.

In other news, the presidency on Wednesday, May 16, said President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to receive a copy of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill recently passed into law by the National Assembly.

The harmonised version of the bill was passed by the National Assembly on March 28. There have been media reports indicating that the clean copy has been sent to Buhari for presidential assent. Expose

However, Punch reports that the senior special assistant to the president on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, in a two-paragraph statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, May 16, said Buhari is yet to receive the bill.

Source: Legit
Zimbabwes public sector staffs have rejected a salary increment of 15 percent proposed by the government. The main public sector union on Tuesday said it wants wages for the lowest paid employees to more than double.

President Emmerson Mnangagwas government on Monday increased the pay offer to civil servants from 10 to 15 percent as part of efforts to improve their welfare and working conditions, the state-run Herald newspaper reported.

According to Apex Council, the union, which represents all government workers, the governments higher offer on Monday was still below the poverty datum line (PDL) which is $591.

The lowest paid government worker earns $253 per month in the southern African nation. Apex Council wants this increased to $720.

The strike threat came after doctors spent the whole of March on strike demanding better pay and improved working conditions. Last month, nurses also briefly went on strike demanding better pay.

Mnangagwa, who came to power in November after a de facto military coup that removed long-time leader Robert Mugabe, has promised economic reforms to restore ties with international lenders.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) last month said it expects Zimbabwes economy to grow by 2.4 percent with further growth projected after the countrys elections to be held in July or August this year.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, May 16, met with the Ekiti state governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and minister of mines and steel development, Dr Kayode Fayemi.

Legit.ng gathered that Nasarawa state governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, who serves as the chairman of the primary election electoral committee raised by the national secretariat of the party was also present at the meeting.

Fayemi on Saturday, May 12, emerged winner of the APC primaries.

READ ALSO: 2019: Shehu Sani names 6 men who have integrity like President Buhari (list)

See photos below:

President Muhammadu Buhari receives APC gubernatorial candidate in Ekiti, Dr Kayode Fayemi. Photo credit: Facebook, Femi Adesina

Dr Kayode Fayemi was accompanied by Nasarawa state governor, Al-Makura Tanko who was Chairman, APC Ekiti state governorship primary election committee. Photo credit: Facebook, Femi Adesina

The former governor defeated other contestants in the poll with a total of 941 votes, out of the 2337 votes by the delegates, which put him a ahead of other aspirants.

Fayemi defeated 31 other aspirants including ex- governor, Segun Oni, who secured 481 votes, to clinch the party's ticket.

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In a previous report by Legit.ng, one of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirants in Ekiti state, Opeyemi Bamidele, urged the people of the state to accept the apology rendered by the partys governorship candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, over perceived infractions while he was in office between 2010 and 2014.

The call was made after a meeting with his canvassers in a post-primary consultation at Iyin-Ekiti during which he urged all other aspirants to fully support Fayemis candidature, Vanguard reports.

All aspirants were asked to put aside their differences in the interest of the APC and the state. Bamidele said that he was very confident of Fayemis capacity to redress what he described as the failures of the PDP administration.

The next President of Nigeria. Who will win the 2019 elections? - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
By Gaius Publius, a professional writer living on the West Coast of the United States and frequent contributor to DownWithTyranny, digby, Truthout, and Naked Capitalism. Follow him on Twitter @Gaius_Publius, Tumblr and Facebook. GP article archive here. Originally published at DownWithTyranny

Part of the Collateral Murder video that Chelsea (then Bradley) Manning gave to WikiLeaks. Its worth watching to the very end. Two staff members from Reuters news were among those murdered on the street, along with others from a van shot up while trying to collect the wounded. Visible in the van were two children, who were also wounded. Well, its their fault for bringing their kids to a battle, says one of the Americans doing the shooting. The Americans were the only ones shooting.

Ecuador may hand over WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the British, and thus, to the American government after all. Hes currently in political asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, but that may be about to change.

Ecuador hints it may hand over Julian Assange to Britain and the US  Remarks made this week by Ecuadors foreign minister suggest that her government may be preparing to renege on the political asylum it granted to the WikiLeaks editor in 2012 and hand him over to British and then American authorities. On March 28, under immense pressure from the governments in the US, Britain and other powers, Ecuador imposed a complete ban on Assange having any Internet or phone contact with the outside world, and blocked his friends and supporters from physically visiting him. For 45 days, he has not been heard from. Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa stated in a Spanish-language interview on Wednesday that her government and Britain have the intention and the interest that this be resolved. Moves were underway, she said, to reach a definite agreement on Assange.

When you think of Julian Assange, dont think just of his role in last election, though thats important to look at. Think also of WikiLeaks many CIA releases, as well as Chelsea Mannings bombshell revelation(video above, Guardian reporting here), which earned her years of torture.

And then theres this:

If Assange falls into the hands of the British state, he faces being turned over to the US. Last year, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated that putting Assange on trial for espionage was a priority. CIA director Mike Pompeo, now secretary of state, asserted that WikiLeaks was a non-state hostile intelligence service. In 2010, WikiLeaks courageously published information leaked by then Private Bradley [now Chelsea] Manning that exposed war crimes committed by American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. WikiLeaks also published, in partnership with some of the worlds major newspapers, tens of thousands of secret diplomatic cables, exposing the daily anti-democratic intrigues of US imperialism and numerous other governments.

I think if the American state acquires Assange, it may torture and kill him. It certainly wishes to. Chelsea Manning was tortured for exposing a whole lot less, and Mannings crime included revelations about torture and murder.
By William K. Black, Associate Professor of Economics and Law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One. Jointly published with New Economic Perspectives

As a savings and loan regulator, on April 9, 1987, I experienced Senator John McCain at his very worst. He, and his four Senate colleagues, collectively, the Keating Five, pressured my colleagues and me to withdraw our recommendation that our agency place Charles Keatings Lincoln Savings and Loan into conservatorship. Keating was looting Lincoln Savings and would soon defraud thousands of widows. Lincoln Savings became the most expensive failure because the combination of the Keating Five and Speaker of the House James Wright, Jr. successfully intimidated the new leadership of our regulatory agency. The cowardly new leadership team refused even to consider our conservatorship recommendation and took the unprecedented action of removing our regulatory jurisdiction over Lincoln Savings. Senator McCain and his colleagues acted badly for poor reasons and caused grave harm. Senator McCain has said that his actions on behalf of Keating caused him greater pain than his North Vietnamese torturers.

I write because of the despicable treatment of Senator McCain in his dignified struggle with what may be his end of days on this mortal plane. President Trump and the loathsome failures  his promised best people  are enraged at Senator McCain for his best actions. At the April 9, 1987 meeting, Senator McCain acted contrary to his personal moral code, which together with the harm it caused to the public he had spent much of his life defending, is what caused him such pain. Trumps troglodytes are enraged at Senator McCains actions to protect the public and live up to his personal moral code.

I will not mention the name of the staffer who made the joke about Senator McCains approaching death or her bosses who have refused to act. I will not waste my breath urging Trump to act. None of us is surprised that John Kelly has again deserted honor. I will speak no more of Trump in this letter for he and his ilk are so devoid of honor that they cannot understand the concepts that lead me to write.

For whatever comfort it may offer to Senator McCain and his family I offer this assurance. We who suffered when you made your greatest mistake never saw you as a villain. My regulatory colleagues and I had many discussions about the five Senators actions. We were appalled and desperate to counter those actions. We were never callous. If any of us had ever uttered a statement one-hundredth as callous as that made by Trumps staff about Senator McCain, the other three senior regulators would not have leaked the statement to the media. They would have immediately called the person to task and demanded that there be no repeat of such callous comments.

Each of the five Senators that we saw at their worst had a distinguished record of public service. We treasured even Senator Cranston, for example, who with Senator DeConcini was deepest in Keatings pocket, for a wondrous act. Cranston lost a civil suit for copyright violation when he was a young man because he translated into English and published extensive excerpts of a book without the authors permission. Cranstons goal was to warn the American public of the authors dangerous polemic. The author was Adolf Hitler and the book was Mein Kampf.

We, the four regulators who had the awful meeting with the Keating Five, always had a special reverence for two of the Senators  John Glenn and John McCain  for their lifetime of courage and service to the people of America. I want John McCain to know that even in the very worst moments of the Lincoln Savings catastrophe we never forgot that lifetime of service and never ceased in our private conversations to remind each other of your life of courage and honor. Yes, we were disappointed in your actions, but John Glenn and you never lost our deepest respect. We saw you as kindred spirits, for our goal was to protect the public from the Keatings of the world. We always knew that the world was a far better place because of John Glenn and John McCain. We never lost sight of the fact that the April 9, 1987 meeting was the only meeting of our lives with two authentic heroes.

Fair seas and following wind John McCain. You and your family are in my prayers. As a fellow Irish-American, if you predecease me I will gather my family, stand, and offer a toast celebrating your life and sacrifices. Thank you for all you have done for America. I pray that you may recover and render further service.
By Enrico Verga, a writer, consultant, and entrepreneur based in Milan. As a consultant, he concentrates on firms interested in opportunities in international and digital markets. His articles have appeared in Il Sole 24 Ore, Capo Horn, Longitude, Il Fatto Quotidiano, and many other publications. You can follow him on Twitter @enricoverga.

The little-known isle of Jersey  what is it like, and why should London care? Forgive me, dear reader, it will take a little time to explain, especially if you arent used to reading about tax havens, money laundering, trusts, and merchant banks.

There is an island 19 miles from the French coast, over which the United Kingdom and France battled for centuries. It is a charming place, with a breezy climate, hard working people, relaxing cafes where you can sip a bit of tea, along with luxury restaurants where you can munch on lobster fished fresh from the bay. This is Jersey, a little paradise of tranquillity as it would seem.

This peaceful island has a couple of problems.

Jerseys Reputation

The first problem is that Jersey always makes it onto the list of tax havens.

For example, it shows up on Oxfams tax haven blacklist. Similarly, when the explosive Panama Papers were leaked, it was all too easy to find in them plenty of references to Jersey. In fact, according to the Jersey Evening Post, more than 14,500 Jersey businesses, individuals, and trusts were linked to the Studio Fonseca (at the center of the scandal). When in 2017, the Paradise Papers were also leaked, once again Jersey trusts, banks, and individuals appeared prominently.

Oliver Bullough is an investigative reporter specializing in money laundering, tax avoidance, and tax havens/secrecy jurisdictions who recently wrote an in-depth analysis of Jerseys current problems for the Guardian. He told me:

The business of Jersey is actually trusts. Over the years, the jurisdiction has become fundamentally structured around supporting this particular sector of finance. It is impotant to keep in mind that the entities managed by the trusts (businesses, banks, real estate, etc.) are often not in Jersey. Most commonly they are in the UK.

Which Brings Us to the Second Set of Problems

It is in fact from the UK that in the last few months a whole series of hammer blows has rained down on Jersey. These broadsides target more generally the Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man); of these, Jersey is the most significant in terms of financial traffic and influence.

One of the first of these recent attacks came from the Labour deputy John Mann, who in response to the inclusion of Jersey and other British dependencies on the EU grey-list of unco-operative tax jurisdictions, declared it a matter of national shame that the Crown Dependencies [] give shelter to the wealth of the world financial elite. The Jersey Evening Post summarized, Treasury sub-committee chairman John Mann singled out the Crown Dependencies for criticism as he announced a new six-month tax avoidance and evasion review, which aims to investigate the role of offshore jurisdictions in exploiting holes in the tax system.

The response of Geoff Cook, the chief executive of the major lobbying arm of Jersey finance (Jersey Finance Ltd) was to declare that the finance sector [is] committed to creating a clear and safe environment for investors both now and in the future and [it] welcome[s] any necessary mechanisms and measures to ensure our continued delivery of the highest possible standards.

At the beginning of May, another blow was delivered by Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell and Labour MP Margaret Hodge, both former ministers, who according to the FT, successfully pressed the government into accepting an amendment to its sanctions bill that will require UK overseas territories including the Cayman and British Virgin islands to make available to the public details of the beneficial owners of companies registered in their jurisdictions.

The Crown Dependencies reaction was swift and intense. For the time being, they have succeeded in avoiding having their way of life devastated.

The Jersey Chief Minister himself, Senator Ian Gorst (a British native and naturalized Jersey citizen) dropped everything and hurried to London to protest that it would be unconstitutional and impossible for the UK to impose such a measure on our island without our consent. We are not represented in the UK Parliament, and it is an agreed constitutional position that the UK does not legislate for Jersey. We would expect this convention to be observed and would resist the registration of any Order in Council issued in breach of our constitutional arrangements.

The Problems Coming from Within

The extent of the external challenges facing Jersey is now clear, but there are also internal difficulties. On May 16, Jersey will hold elections.

Few people know that Jersey has no political parties. The stated reason is that parties can create disorder and in order to manage the finances of so many corporations and private citizens (through anonymous trusts), it is better for things to be calm and placid. The island has only two daily newspapers (the Jersey Evening Post, cited above and the Bailiwick Express); of these the Post tends to support the government and for years it was even owned by the Chief Minister.

Nevertheless, the upcoming elections are bubbling energetically with a ferment that can be reasonably described as populist. In Jersey, the cost of living is rising rapidly due to the influx of extremely rich residents (well, fiscal residents, at least). But not everyone is as rich as the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Many of the 100,000 residents have a middle to low income relative to the cost of living, and they have begun to become annoyed with this peculiar political regime, so entranced with the well-being of finance (by now basically the only industry on the island).

As weve said, there are no political parties, but there are now some movements attempting to change the decades-long status quo. Among these is Reform Jersey, created by the young Sam Mezec, which aims to bring a measure of fairness to a government so often afflicted by scandals and power struggles. Other associations and pressure groups include Jersey Action Group and Alternative for Jersey, who are hoping to bring balance back into the lives of the part of the Jersey population that doesnt feast on oysters and champagne every day.

The UK in Parallel with Jersey

This wind of populism is blowing in London as well. We see this in Mitchell and Hodges proposal to create a public register, notwithstanding denunciations from Jersey politicians who claim that it would destroy their way of life. In fact, London is also facing an influx of the extremely rich, and the middle class feels increasingly pushed to the margins. According to Oliver Bullough,

In London and in the United Kingdom there is a growing populist intolerance toward the rich who are coming to the city. Many of the rich come to London to maximize their wealth and they often end up using the financial services of the City to place their wealth in trusts (that might be located in Jersey or other commonwealth territories). I think Dame Hodges idea is aimed at appealing to this growing voting bloc and at demonstrating that Parliament doesnt care solely about the well-being of the rich. Along these lines, asking for a register and greater transparency for trusts located in Jersey, Guernsey, etc. so as to figure out what is in said trusts (possibly London real estate?) is a winning strategy from a democratic and political point of view.

The elections in Jersey will occur tomorrow. And it will be interesting to see if the status quo wins once again, or if the little island will have a new administration.

What happens in Jersey has the potential to change London finance as well, by creating pressure towards greater transparency and democracy.
Yves here. This post includes a very helpful timeline of trade tit for tat so far. There are also four diagrams that show trade flow impacts of various proposed tariff measures. You might want to go to the Bruegel post proper and view them there because they are interactive and I could not pull an interactive version over.

By Francesco Chiacchio, Research Assistant at Bruegel. He was a trainee at the European Central Bank, working on projects related to productivity, Global Value Chains and technology diffusion, export intensity, and credit allocation, as well as on macroeconomic projections. Originally published at Bruegel

The multilateral trading system has been challenged by unilateralist measures and subsequent threats of retaliation. We collect the main events that have shaped the current situation and show which trade flows have been and will potentially be affected by the various measures. We end by discussing possible scenarios moving forward for the EU.

Since the beginning of the year, the multilateral trading system has been challenged with a number of decisions and announcements on tariffs. The trade conflict between the United States and China may be escalating, while the European Union finds itself in a precarious position in responding to the US challenges.

So what has and what has not yet happened this year? We focus on the measures taken and announcements made by China, the EU and the US in terms of trade policy. Here is the timeline:

The result of those is the looming prospect of continuous trade restrictions and retaliation measures involving a variety of products. Apart from steel and aluminium, the US targeted over 1,300 imported Chinese products worth around $50 billion, possibly aiming at Chinas high-tech and industrial sectors.

China announced discontinuation tariff concessions for 128 products and a longer list of its own (also worth approx. $50 billion), focusing more on lower-end products, while the EU has a two-part list of products imported from the US that it could target if the US moves forward with steel and aluminium tariffs (worth approx. $7.5 billion, of which $3.2 billion from Part A, and $4.3 billion from Part B), targeting very American goods from specific regions.

Here is a table on which trade flows are mainly affected. The affected numbers are in red.

Table 1: Trade value of main products possibly affected by announced/implemented tariff schemes (billion USD)

Source: USITC, Eurostat, Comtrade.

Note: Product categories selected up to the 8-digit code where possible, otherwise the 6-digit aggregate is used. Product lists retrieved from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Chinas Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), and DG Trade. Data for 2017, except for US exports to China of products affected by Chinas proposed retaliation list (2016 data).

The four charts below depict the network of international trade flows between China, the EU, and the US for different categories of goods (steel and aluminium targeted by US tariffs, the US list of products, Chinas long list of products, and the EUs total list of products). The thickness of the bilateral linkages is proportional to trade value, and highlighted are those (potentially) affected by the announced/implemented tariff schemes.

Figure 1: Network of bilateral trade flows  Chinas list

Figure 2: Network of bilateral trade flows  Steel and aluminium



Figure 3: Network of bilateral trade flows  US list

Figure 4: Network of bilateral trade flows  EUs list

The charts show how much is being exported of each of the goods that would be affected by tariffs. Imagine for a moment that a good is perfectly substitutable.

For example, the goods exported from China to the US that would be affected by the US list amount to $46 billion. China exports $81 billion-worth of the same kind of goods to the EU. Chinese producers could compensate for a 10% reduction in Chinese exports to the US, due to the tariff, if they were able to increase their exports to the EU by only some 5%. In turn, the EU could compensate for the newly arriving supply from China by increasing its exports to the US by only 2%.

In the event of a full-fledged China-US trade war, trade diversion constitutes a risk to the EU, as the redirection of flows towards the EU may cause an impairment of the position of local industries. Furthermore, greater protectionism may also induce higher production costs and a slowdown of Global Value Chain participation (through the channel of intermediate goods), possibly affecting technology diffusion and productivity growth. However, such a crisis might also bring opportunities for EU industries if there is production and innovation capacity to cover the void left by tariff schemes. Thus, one of the key questions is to what extent the goods affected by bilateral tariffs are substitutable and can somehow be shifted around to other destinations.

In practice, the raising of bilateral tariffs will likely create substantial distortions for the global economy that would also affect the EU, bringing some opportunities but also creating costs for industries. However, a deal between the US and the EU could also have negative consequences for the EU as new trade could be created and the EU would potentially lose access, at least in relative terms. It is time for the EU to reflect on its options in global trade, and to reduce the vulnerability of its industries to the global challenge that Trump and China pose.
Clonmel Show & Agricultural Society Ltd. announces the introduction of a new national food competition to be based at Clonmel Show.

The Clonmel Show National Artisan Food Awards 2018 is aimed at truly artisanal food producers and will bring a substantial change to the level of food related competition at Clonmel Show which runs every year on the first Sunday of July.

The Clonmel Show National Artisan Food Awards 2018 will bring together for judging produce from genuine artisan producers whose business meets the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Food Marketing Terms Guidelines for the use of the term Artisan -

The Food is made in limited quantities by skilled craftspeople.

The processing method is not fully mechanized and follows a traditional method.

The food is made by a micro enterprise in a single location

The characteristic ingredient(s) used in the food are grown locally where seasonally available and practical.In addition, entries will be accepted only from food producers with an annual turnover of less than 100,000

The classes will be judged in the following categories:

Preserves

Sauces / condiments

Dairy produce

Honey

Chilled meat / fish products

Non-alcoholic bottled drinks

There will also be a more open class entitled Modern Irish Artisan Foods

Judging of these classes will be carried out before Clonmel Show by the following judging panel:

KEVIN THORNTON, a proud son of Tipperary, is a well-known Michelin starred chef, food writer and now proprietor of Kevin Thornton's Kooks

JASON MATTHIA is chef / proprietor of Chez Hans Restaurant, Cashel, Co Tipperary & recent winner of Best Chef in Tipperary in Irish Restaurant Awards

RICHARD GLEESON is chef / proprietor of Dooks Fine Foods, Fethard, Co Tipperary & recent winner of Best Newcomer in Munster in Irish Restaurant Awards

CON TRAAS, The Apple Farm, Cahir, Co Tipperary is a lecturer in University of Limerick and Tipperary Food Hero. He is currently chairperson of Tipperary Food Producers

The overall winner in each class will receive a Clonmel Show National Artisan Food Awards trophy. There will be cash prizes and Clonmel Show rosettes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each class. Gold, silver and bronze awards will also be awarded to entrants who meet particular standards to be set by our judging panel.

We are delighted to announce that DARINA ALLEN of Ballymaloe Cookery School will be at Clonmel Show on Sunday 1st July to present prizes to winners of the artisan food awards.

The Clonmel Show & Agricultural Society is a registered charity and is run by a voluntary committee of management. In 2015 we celebrated the 150thanniversary of the first agricultural show held in Clonmel. A widely acclaimed exhibition in Tipperary County Museum which ran for much of that year highlighted the long history of the exhibition of agricultural produce at Clonmel Show. The societys rule book which dates back to 1924 lists as the first of our objectives: To promote the improvement of horses, cattle, sheep, swine..agricultural produce, creameries, bee-keeping, cottage and other industries.

Further information including entry forms may be found here
The twenty-nine Allied Chiefs of Defence met in the new NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium today (16 May 2018) to review and discuss key military deliverables ahead of the forthcoming Defence Ministerial in June and the Heads of State and Government Summit in July. Discussions focused on NATOs Strategic Direction South, Deterrence and Defence, and Allied Modernisation.

Setting the scene for their deliberations, the Chiefs of Defence met with Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller and the Chairman of the European Union Military Committee, General Mikhail Kostarakos. Following discussions on the key strategic issues facing the Alliance, the Chiefs of Defence welcomed the Deputy Secretary Generals recognition of their crucial military contributions to NATO.

Turning towards the South in their second session, the Allied Chiefs of Defence met with their Enhanced Opportunities Partners (Georgia, Sweden, Finland, Australia and Jordan). The Chiefs of Defence reiterated the importance of complementarity between NATOs Training and Capacity Building Mission in Iraq and complementary with other international efforts, in particular the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and the European Union mission. They stressed the need for more coherence of the activities by the many actors in Iraq and in general across the South in order to deliver greater effect in a more efficient way. On the Hub for the South, the Chiefs of Defence reaffirmed their support and the need to continue improving our ability to anticipate crises and the threats and challenges in the region.

In the third session of the day, the Allied Chiefs of Defence provided guidance on further enhancing NATOs deterrence and defence, highlighting the requirements for enhanced readiness and rapid reinforcement. On the latter, the Chiefs of Defence acknowledged the progress made and called for further close work with the European Union to ensure NATOs freedom of movement and a single set of requirements. Noting the necessity to deter and defend across all domains, the Chiefs of Defence reviewed the Alliances maritime posture and provided additional recommendations on ways to further develop this capability.

Allliance Modernization was the focus of the last session. The Chiefs of Defence commended the NATO Military Authorities for their work on the NATO Command Structure Adaptation Detailed Implementation Plans in response to Defence Ministers February 2018 tasking. Regarding the ongoing political, military and institutional adaptation of the Alliance, the Chiefs of Defence stressed the need to preserve the principle of unfettered military advice.

Concluding the May 2018 Military Chiefs of Defence Session (MCCS), the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, General Pavel, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Scaparrotti and Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), General Mercier held a joint press conference. During his last MCCS press conference, the Chairman took the opportunity to thank the Strategic Commanders for their dedication, hard work and friendship during his tenure, and stress the continued relevance of the Alliance as it nears its seventieth anniversary: I want to take this opportunity to thank both SACEUR and SACT for their continuous support, for their leadership in their respective commands and their invaluable advice during my three years as the Chairman. It allowed me to lead the military part of this Alliance to its most significant adaptation in recent years. The Chairman concluded his remarks by stating Nearly seventy years after its creation, NATO's essential mission has not changed: to ensure that the Alliance remains an unparalleled community of freedom, peace, security, and shared values, including individual liberty, human rights, and democracy, and of course the rule of law. I am very honoured to have been part of this endeavour.
(Natural News) During flights, every breath you take inside an airliners passenger cabin fills your lungs with air taken directly from the planes jet engines. An article in Green Med Info stated that this exposes you to tricresyl phosphates (TCPs) and other deadly chemicals used to ensure the smooth operation of the engines.

This is not a design flaw, by the way. This is a deliberate design that has been used for the past six decades.

As aircraft began to fly higher and higher, engineers needed to find a way to pressurize fuselages at high altitudes. Otherwise, passengers and crew would suffer potentially dangerous conditions such as altitude sickness. (Related: Poison in the sky: The air travel industry has been putting profit over safety by ignoring aerotoxicity.)

They decided the easiest way to do so was to redirect bleed air from the compressor stage of the aircrafts engines into the fuselage. This diverted compressed air is cooled down and supposedly scrubbed by the planes environmental systems before being pumped into the fuselage.

Today, almost every aircraft in service uses this dubious method to pressurize cockpits and cabins.

The airliner equivalent of pumping car exhaust into your vehicle

The problem with this neat engineering solution is that jet engines are very dirty machinery. They burn volatile fossil fuels and their numerous moving parts require a host of chemical lubricants that prevent potentially dangerous breakdowns.

These lubricants include TCPs, which are also used as adhesives, active ingredients in pesticides, and plasticizers. Organophosphates like TCPs are also known to be neurotoxins, which target the brain and nerves.

The fumes from these and other toxic chemicals make their way inside the fuselage through the bleed air taken from the engines to pressurize the plane. The end result is that hundreds of thousands of people have been breathing deadly chemicals every day for the past 60 years, a problem referred to as aerotoxicity.

People exposed to these fumes for a short while have reported experiencing symptoms such as nausea, headaches, minor respiratory problems, and irritation of sensitive parts. Longer exposure is reported to disrupt brain, heart, and respiratory functions in various ways such memory problems, chest pain, breathing problems, and palpitations.

Airline industry is finally beginning to fix aerotoxicity concerns

There is a silver lining in the TCP-tainted clouds filling passenger cabins. The airline industry has finally decided to stop ignoring or denying the growing concerns about aerotoxicity. Instead, it has begun taking baby steps toward fixing the problem.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was introduced in 2009 and came with too many features to count. But the most important one is that its cabin air comes from outside the plane instead of bleed air from the engines.

Boeings rival Airbus took a few years to respond to this revolutionary idea of non-toxic cabin air. But the European aircraft designer finally made an announcement in 2016 that its A320 Neo line will have an option for bleed-free air filtration systems.

In July 2017, Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal presented The Cabin Safety Act. Intended to protect passengers, pilots, and flight attendants from aerotoxicity, the bill has not yet passed as of the time of this article. But it seems to be a sign that at least some legislators have grown aware of the problem.

Most tellingly, Australian airline EasyJet made it known during September 2017 that its airliners were being upgraded with air filters to keep toxic fumes out of cockpits and passenger cabins. Australian broadsheet The Australian stated that this fleet-wide retrofit was the first time a member of the airline industry tacitly acknowledged the aerotoxic syndrome.

Stay alerted about aerotoxicity and other unlikely sources of pollution at Pollution.news.

Sources include:

GreenMedInfo.com

AnstagesLicht.de [PDF]
Russias Navy will receive Poseidon (Status-6) nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicles under the current state armament program for 2018-2027, a source in Russias defense industry told TASS. They will be carried by a new nuclear-powered submarine currently under construction at the Sevmash Shipyard, the source added.

Russias Navy will receive Poseidon (Status-6) nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicles under the current state armament program for 2018-2027, a source in Russias defense industry told TASS. They will be carried by a new nuclear-powered submarine currently under construction at the Sevmash Shipyard, the source added.

The Poseidon/Status-6 (NATO: KANYON) intercontinental, nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered, undersea autonomous torpedo

"The Poseidon system has been included in the state armament program through 2027 and is expected to be put into operation with the Navy before the program expires," the source said. "The system is composed of several high-speed deep-water torpedoes with a small nuclear power plant. They will be carried by a nuclear-powered submarine being built by the Sevmash Shipyard," the source added.



The source did not specify the type of the nuclear-powered submarine but said that "it will not be a fifth-generation Husky-class submarine."



TASS does not have any official confirmation of the information.

Russian MoD video showing Rubin's Klavesin-2R-PM UUV (first) and the nuclear-armed Kanyon/Status-6 long range torpedo/drone



The Sevmash Shipyard is building two special nuclear-powered submarines at least. According to public sources, the construction of the Project 949A submarine Belgorod was suspended, and then resumed in December 2012 under Project 09852. It will carry manned and unmanned deep-water research vehicles.



Another special nuclear-powered submarine Khabarovsk was laid down in July 2014. According to unconfirmed information, the submarine is being built under Project 09851 and can carry both various deep-water vehicles and the new weapon system.



The development of the unmanned underwater vehicle with a nuclear power plant was unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his Address to the Federal Assembly in February 2018. Later, Navy Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Korolyov said that the weapon would allow the Navy to accomplish a wide range of missions in water areas near the enemys territory. The guidance system will aim the advanced system in an accurate manner.

 Copyright 2018 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Navy Recognition comment:

The Poseidon (formerly known as Status-6 / NATO designation Kanyon) is a self-propelled underwater craft to be carried by two submarines under construction - the Khabarovsk and the Belgorod. Open sources said each submarine will carry three-ten underwater craft. They resemble a big 20-meter long torpedo with a diameter of close to 1.5 meters. The range is up to 10 thousand kilometers. The craft has several compartments. It is likely a universal platform which can carry various modules depending on the mission. They can be nuclear or conventional charges, radio-electronic warfare or reconnaissance means.

Status-6 can engage in various missions ranging from destruction of important economic facilities on the coast up to the fight with aircraft-carrying forces. There are no weapons in the world at present which can counter the craft operating at major depths and at high speed
Aircraft Part Producing Factory Opens in Georgia

By Tea Mariamidze

A $98 million worth factory - Aero-Structure Technologies Cyclone has opened in Georgias capital Tbilisi, which will produce aircraft parts.The factory will make parts for such passenger planes as Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier. ATC is the first such factory in the region which will produce plane parts and export them.The official opening ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili, representatives of government, parliament, local government, diplomatic corps and business circles as well as Israeli government officials.The project has been implemented jointly by Georgias state-led partnership fund and Israeli Company Elbit Cyclone.The construction of the venue started in September 2016 and is expected to release production by the end of 2019, after it undergoes proper authorization procedures.100% of the products produced in the factory will be exported. After the full-scale operation in five years, the annual sales of the enterprise are expected to exceed $ 60 million.80 employees are currently employed in the company. After it becomes fully operational, around 300 people will be employed there.Georgia is earning its place on the map of the international air industry, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said at the opening ceremony.The PM said Israel can supply leading technologies to the country. He welcomed the large investment of Israel in Georgia."This year we celebrate 100th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Georgia, the 100th anniversary of modern Georgia. Israel also celebrates the 70th anniversary of modern Israel The joy of our two brotherly countries has been united in this beautiful project and this is a day of revival of air industry in Georgia, said Kvirikashvili.The President of the Partnership Fund Davit Saganelidze said the opening of the factory in Tbilisi means that world-famous companies trust Georgia.Our country has its own place on the world aviation market map. This is a serious signal for investors and an important factor for the development of the Georgian economy, he added.In addition, Georgia and Israel are launching a feasibility study on expanding the investment ties between the two countries and to increase awareness of Georgias investment opportunities in Israeli business society.Georgias Economy Minister Dimitri Kumsishvili and the Minister of Economy and Industry of Israel Eli Cohen signed the declaration on launching the free trade feasibility study between Georgia and Israel on May 10 in Tbilisi.
What to Know One person was killed and at least three people were injured in the explosion Tuesday in Aliso Viejo

Federal sources tell the NBC4 I-Team that the blast at a medical building was an "intentional detonation"

Homes were searched Wednesday in Long Beach and the Trabuco Canyon area

The FBI said Wednesday that investigators found components for an explosive device at the location in Aliso Viejo of a blast that killed a woman and wounded three others.

An explosive device went off inside the day spa shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday.

"We do not believe at this time that this was an accident," Undersheriff Don Barnes said at a news conference on Wednesday.

Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said the "working theory is this explosion was caused by a device," and he reiterated that investigators "do not believe this was an accident."

"There are some components we have located at the scene that are inconsistent with what one might expect to find at this business," Delacourt said.

He said those items were being shipped to the FBI's crime lab for analysis.

Despite various media reports suggesting the explosive device was somehow delivered to the building, Delacourt said, "At this time, we do not know how the device arrived at the location."

He urged anyone who might have information about the blast to call a hotline at (800) CALL-FBI, or (800) 225-5324.

The news comes as officials identified a Trabuco Canyon woman was as the woman killed in the explosion which investigators confirmed they "do not believe this was an accident." No arrests were immediately reported.

Ildiko Krajnyak, 48, a beautician who owned a day spa called Magyar Kozmetika inside the building at 11 Mareblu.

The business is on the first floor of the building. FBI agents conducted a search at Krajnyak's home on Drover Court in Trabuco Canyon overnight and were seen carrying several boxes out of the house.

Investigators also served a search warrant at a two-story home in Long Beach, Barnes said. Barnes did not provide any details of the warrants, but NBC4 reported from the scene in Long Beach that a man was questioned at the scene. He has not been named as a suspect in the bombing.

Neighbors say the man who lives at the home is a widower with three adult children. He's an investor who works part time as an actor, they say. He recently broke up with his girlfriend.

Neighbors say they've seen the homeowner building large rockets in the driveway, which he launches out in the desert. One frequent visitor to the neighborhood says her kids used to play with the man's grandchildren.

"They have a pool and they swam with his grandkids, but we didn't want the kids there anymore," said Sicily Naso, a neighborhood visitor.

The investigation put neighbors on edge.

"I just wanted to make sure my house didn't blow up and everyone was safe," said Sophie Cauvin-Tellier.

Authorities initially responded to the building at 1:10 p.m. Tuesday on a report that a car had crashed into the building, but Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Tony Bommarito and sheriff's officials said later that was not the case.

Bommarito said the blast occurred inside the building, and the woman who died was in close proximity to the explosion. Authorities did not actually enter the building until late Tuesday, trying to ensure there was no danger of additional explosions.

Outside the building, a massive contingent of sheriff's deputies and fire crews amassed, joined by federal agencies summoned to assist with the probe.

Sheriff's deputies snapped photos of vehicles that were leaving the scene throughout the afternoon. Bommarito said one of the injured people suffered from smoke inhalation. The other two victims, both women, were believed to be customers inside the day spa when the explosion occurred, Barnes said.

Authorities said they remained hospitalized and were in surgery Wednesday but were expected to survive. Children and staff at nearby Academy on the Hills preschool initially sheltered in place while the investigation continued, but children were later evacuated to a Target store parking lot so they could be reunited with their parents. No children were injured, officials said.

Video from the scene showed teachers leading the children along a sidewalk toward the Target. Other people could be seen wheeling cribs down the street as the area was evacuated.

A woman who was on her way to an appointment in the area said she arrived just after the blast occurred, and she saw fire on the roof of the building.

"Then everyone started running out of buildings everywhere with looks on their faces of just horror," the woman said. "... I saw two women come out full of blood, hair singed, just glass stuck to the hair, glass stuck to their bodies. Their skin was burned and peeled back, and they were just in shock. "...

They weren't on fire, they were helping each other across the street, walking very slowly and a lot of shock, shaking, just full of ash all over their face, eyes bloodshot, just blood all over," the woman said.

Sheriff's deputies were called to the same block of Mareblu at 11:35 p.m. Monday for a "patrol check," according to sheriff's records. Barnes said the response was a "deputy-initiated" check of the property at 15 Mareblu.

A source familiar with the case said, however, that a bomb threat was being investigated. It is unclear how the threat was conveyed, the source said.

Eric Leonard, Hetty Chang, Vikki Vargas, Patrick Healy, Angie Crouch, Jonathan Lloyd and Jason Kandel contributed to this report.
A California judge on Tuesday threw out a 2016 state law allowing the terminally ill to end their lives, ruling it was unconstitutionally approved by the Legislature.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia said lawmakers acted illegally in passing the law during a special session devoted to other topics, said lawyers for supporters and opponents. He did not address the legal issue of whether it was proper to allow people to take their own lives, and gave the state attorney general five days to appeal.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.

The Life Legal Defense Foundation, American Academy of Medical Ethics and several physicians challenged the law, which allows adults to obtain a prescription for life-ending drugs if a doctor has determined they have six months or less to live. The plaintiffs say the law lacks safeguards to protect against abuse.

California health officials reported that 111 terminally ill people took drugs to end their lives in the first six months after the law went into effect June 9, 2016, and made the option legal in the nation's most populous state. Oregon was the first to provide the option in 1997. It also is allowed in Washington, Vermont, Colorado, Hawaii and Washington D.C.

Compassion & Choices, a national organization that advocated for the law, estimated that in its first year 504 Californians requested prescriptions for medical aid in dying, but had no further update Tuesday. The next report on how many people took the drugs is due in July.

"Our supporters, they've frankly expressed shock at this outcome. They're disappointed that this end of life option could be taken away," said John Kappos, an attorney representing Compassion & Choices.

Alexandra Snyder, an attorney and executive director of Life Legal Defense Foundation, said the judge ruled that lawmakers effectively "hijacked" a special legislative session that was called to address access to medical care and used it to pass their bill.

"Access to health care has no relationship to assisted suicide," she said, saying it set a dangerous precedent that undermines the legislative process.

Opponents have argued that hastening death is morally wrong, puts terminally ill patients at risk for coerced death by loved ones and could become a way out for people who are uninsured or fearful of high medical bills.

Democratic Sen. Bill Monning of Carmel, who carried the original legislation, said the bill was properly considered in the special session and followed "every rule of transparency and openness." Lawmakers could try to pass it again if the law ultimately is rejected by the courts, he said.

So far, he said, there has been "not a single report of malfeasance or problems."

Kelly Davis' 41-year-old sister, Betsy Davis, was one of the first to use the law as she was dying of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, that slowly robbed her of her ability to use her muscles including to swallow and communicate. She held a two-day party in Ojai to celebrate the end of her life with about two-dozen friends, giving away her possessions and ordering her favorite foods.

"I keep thinking of all the people who are facing a terminal illness and they're considering the use of this law, and they're in limbo right now and this right might be taken away from them," Davis said. "It gave her back control of her life, it let her die on her own terms and if this had happened leading up to her death or when she thought she'd be able to use the law, she would have been devastated."

The state's attorney general's office said in court papers that medical professionals have the right to refuse to prescribe and dispense the drugs. Under the law, the terminally ill person must be able to self-administer the drugs.

Associated Press writer Julie Watson contributed to this story.
Attention Royal Wedding fans  The big day is finally almost here.

From the wedding dress to the cake, to who will walk the bride down the aisle  wondering where you can watch the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in all its glory?

Below are Bay Area locations that will not only provide a big screen, but signature drinks, Princess Diana engagement ring replicas, beer and wine specials, swag bags and more!

San Jose

Britannia Arms Pub  5027 Almaden Expressway

This British pub will open its doors at 3:30 a.m., 30 minutes before the big event is set to begin at 4 a.m. Saturday. Going all out for the big day, Britannia Arms will hand out British flags, wedding cake and souvenirs that include a Queen Elizabeth Royal Mug or Princess Diana engagement ring replicas. Make sure you wear your best attire as there will be a fascinator and top hat competition. More information here.

San Francisco

Fairmont Hotel San Francisco  950 Mason St.

For the entire month of May, the Fairmont Hotel has offered a one-night Prince and Princess Penthouse package that includes a three-bedroom suite, a photography session, afternoon tea for up to 14 guests, a $20,000 shopping spree, even a butler, all for $50,000. You can book here.

[BAY DSJ] Fairmont Hotel San Francisco: Prince u0026 Princess Penthouse Package

King George Hotel in San Francisco, California  334 Mason Street

San Franciscos King George Hotel will host the viewing party just a couple of hours later, at 6 a.m. Saturday. Those in attendance should go ready to have a party of their own as the hotel will offer beer and wine specials along with mimosas, scones and strawberries and cream. Like Britannia Arms, King George hotel will also host a Show Us Your Fascinator contest leading up to the Royal Wedding.

The Sir Francis Drake Hotel  450 Powell Street, Union Square

For those who want to get their beauty sleep but dont want to miss the big show, the Sir Francis Drake Hotel will be hosting a pre-recorded viewing party at 10 a.m. Saturday. Big screens will be showing the wedding in all its glory and viewers can sip on a special champagne cocktail called the Markle Sparkle along with an afternoon tea with a menu created by the hotels head chef. British games will be on deck with big prizes and swag bags made especially for the event. More information here.

[NATL] Something Borrowed, Something Blue: Royal Brides and Their Wedding Day Tiaras

SoMa StrEat Food Park  428 11th St.

Watch a repeat of the Royal Wedding from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with more than 10 food trucks and bottomless mimosas in hand. This dog-friendly event is an admission-free event but those who'd like to partake in the bottomless mimosas, sangria or rose wine, will have to pay $30. Make sure you wear your fanciest outfit and bring your corgis! More information here.
The 10 children rescued from a filthy, abusive California home were strangled, punched, shot with crossbows and subjected to waterboarding by their father and their mother did nothing to stop it, prosecutors said.

The details of alleged abuse were included in a motion to increase the bail of Ina Rogers, 31, who was charged with nine counts of felony child abuse Wednesday in Solano Superior Court. Rogers did not enter a plea, but has previously denied allegations her children were harmed.

"On a continuous basis the children were getting punched, strangled, bitten, shot with weapons such as crossbows and bb guns, hit with weapons such as sticks and bats, subjected to 'waterboarding' and having scalding water poured on them," Solano County Deputy District Attorney Veronica Juarez wrote.

Prosecutors have refused to discuss details of the allegations against Rogers and her husband Jonathan Allen, 29, who has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of torture and felony child abuse. He is in Solano County Jail on $5.2 million bail.

The motion states that when Fairfield Police arrived at the two-story house in a suburb 46 miles (74 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco on March 31, they found the children "huddled together on the living room floor" in a home littered with feces and trash.

"The children appeared to be skittish and spoke with speech impediments," she said.

Officers removed the 10 children, ages 12 years to 4 months, from the house.

Juarez alleges Rogers assisted in the abuse and "dissuaded the children" from reporting their injuries, which include broken arms. Prosecutors would not elaborate on the accusations or children's injuries.

On Wednesday, Judge William J. Pendergast set bail at $495,000 for Rogers, saying she "may not be a danger to the public at large, but these charges make clear she is a danger to the children."

It's unclear whether any California government agencies had an opportunity to intervene sooner or knew of the turmoil in the household.

Solano County court records show that Allen was charged with four felonies in 2011, including corporal injury, assault with a firearm and criminal threats in a case involving his wife, identified by her initials, I.R.

Prosecutors alleged Allen used a .22 caliber revolver in some of the crimes.

He pleaded no contest to corporal injury as part of a deal with prosecutors. He was sentenced to 180 days and three years of probation. Prosecutors dropped the other charges.

Rogers told reporters that she had one prior interaction with child welfare officials when her mother "had mentioned something" that prompted a home visit. Officials took pictures of the children and interviewed them individually, she said.

"Nothing was founded, my kids were placed back with me," she said.

Solano County's Child Welfare Services department officials did not immediately provide information on details about the visit or other interactions they may have had with members of the household.

Rogers says she home-schooled the children, but the two-story Fairfield, California, home was not registered as a private school and neither were three prior addresses where the family lived in Fairfield and Vallejo, according to the California Department of Education.

California law requires children to be enrolled in public school unless they meet specific exemptions, such as documented attendance at a private school. Parents who teach their own children are required to register with the state, but the state does not approve, monitor or inspect them.

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District had no record that the students attended any school in the district, said Tim Goree, a district spokesman.

Police responding to a missing juvenile report found a home filled with rotted food and human and animal waste, Fairfield Lt. Greg Hurlbut said. Police removed the children and arrested Rogers on suspicion of neglect. She was released after posting $10,000 bail.

Stories about the alleged abuse came out gradually in interviews with the children over the past six weeks and eight of the children told professionals about incidents dating back several years, authorities said.

Rogers was taken into custody after the hearing. Her court-appointed attorney, Barry Newman, declined comment.
The grandmother of 10 children who were removed from what some are calling a house of horrors in Fairfield, California, claims her grandkids lived in torture and accused their father of worshiping Satan.

[[482764291, C]]



"I can't believe we're going through this, my whole family, this is a nightmare," Wanda Rogers told NBC News in an interview on Monday night. Rogers daughter, Ina Rogers and her husband Jonathan Allen have both denied charges of child abuse.[[482724361, C]]



Authorities arrested the childrens father, 28-year-old Allen, on Friday and charged him with nine counts of felony torture and six counts of felony child abuse. He is currently being held on $5.2 million bail and has pleaded not guilty.

In a jailhouse interview with KCRA news station in Sacramento on Tuesday, Jonathan Allen denied all the allegations against him. Calling himself the "Indiana Jones of spirituality." Allen said that he believed his children were brainwashed by

On Tuesday, Ina Rogers was charged with nine felony counts of child abuse. New court documents show the children were punched, strangled, and shot with weapons such as crossbows and BB guns as well as waterboarded. The documents also claim that Ina Rogers not only knew about the abuse but assisted in the torture as well.[[482723921, C]]



The children were removed from their Fairfield residence after officers, responding on March 31 to a report that one of the children was missing, discovered "horrible living conditions" in the house. The officers found unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, including garbage and spoiled food on the floor, animal and human feces and a large amount of debris making areas of the house unpassable, said Lt. Greg Hurlbut with Fairfield Police.[[482626671, C]]



The missing 12-year-old was found asleep under a bush in a nearby yard, police said.

Some of the children, in interviews with police, described years of persistent abuse that sometimes resulted in puncture wounds, burns, bruising and injuries consistent with being shot with a pellet gun, police said Monday.

Officials said that, based on interviews with at least eight of the children, they believe that "significant torture took place" in the home at least as far back as 2014.[[482723371, C, 600, 427]]



Solano County Chief Deputy District Attorney Sharon Henry said she was "horrified" by the children's reports of "torture" carried out "for sadistic purposes."

"It literally breaks your heart, and you're outraged by how a parent or anyone could commit those acts," Henry said.

Sonoma County Welfare Office took custody of the children, who range in age from 4 months to 12 years. Their mother was arrested the same night but was later released after posting $10,000 bail.

NBC Bay Area is not naming the children to protect their identity.



They went through a lot  a lot of abuse, Rogers, who is currently taking care of seven of the 10 children, told NBC News late Monday night. The other three children are currently with extended family.

Ina called us to come and pick up the children because she was being arrested, the childrens grandmother said. We picked up our grandkids, when we got there she was already taken to jail.

The police took the kids into CPS and took custody. The next day they brought them to us.[[482673861, C]]



Wanda Rogers called her son-in-law an abuser and accused him of devil worship. She provided pictures of what appears to be a table with a knife and a Satanist book which she claimed is his devil room.

Jonathan worships the devil. He had a devil room, a devil room that he called a meditation room, Wanda Rogers said. He was using my grandkids for sacrifice.

Police have said that some of the abuse that took place appeared to be of a sadistic nature but have not elaborated.[[48272392, C]]



My grandkids they talk so much they tell so much, they have so much to tell, Rogers said, detailing abuse by her son-in-law which involved duct tape and even water torture.

It's unbelievable. These kids didn't even get to go to school, they don't have no friends, they didn't do nothing, they stayed locked up in their home for so long, they didn't even know what a park was, she said. They don't even know how to they take baths, they eat, the play. They do things like normal kids are supposed to do now. They didn't used to be able to do any of that stuff.

She added that her son-in-law said that the demons were making him do it. He said when the voices stop, Ill stop hitting you,

In a jailhouse interview with KCRA news station in Sacramento on Tuesday, Jonathan Allen denied all the allegations against him. Calling himself the "Indiana Jones of spirituality." Allen said that he believed his children were brainwashed by police.[[482722421, C]]



This is torture, he said. They took everything from me, Allen said. My hope is to reunite with my family.

Allen said that he was hopeful that the evidence would speak for itself. He added that the children had a normal life and childhood, apart from being home-schooled.

He added that he was not religious but "spiritual" and dabbled in Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism.



They say they were tortured and beat, but can a doctor prove it, he asked.



"I love my children with all my heart," Allen said crying. "I am not 100 percent perfect ... but I am not a torturer and I am not a monster."

NBC News contributed to this story.[[482586441, C]]
A San Diego man was one of two killed in hiking accidents in Sequoia National Park this month, the National Park Service (NPS) said.

The NPS said Anton Dokov, 29, was hiking the Watchtower section of the Lakes Trail towards Pear Lake in Lodgepole on Sunday when he slipped on ice and snow and slid over a cliff.

Rangers looked for Dokov but eventually suspended their search due to dangerous ice and snow conditions.

His body was located the next day but rangers could not remove it due to the complexity and technical aspects of the recovery, the service said. Dokovs body was retrieved on Tuesday.

The NPS cautioned that winter conditions still exist at higher elevations and said even the most experienced hikers can encounter dangerous challenges in the conditions.

Dokovs death came just eight days after Eric Juliani, 29, of New Jersey, was killed while attempting to summit Mt. Whitney on May 5.

The NPS said Juliani was reported missing after he did not return from a solo summit attempt on the Mountaineers Route. Two hikers making their decent reported finding a trail of blood leading from two ice axes to a body about 1,500 to 2,000 feet below.

Julianis body was recovered the next day.

Both bodies were turned over to the Tulare County Coroners Office.
A South Bay woman has accused Macys of discrimination and profiling after staff at a San Jose store wrongly accused her of shoplifting.

Conteh Moore, an African-American, said while she was shopping at the Westfield Oakridge mall store on May 8 when a sales associate accused her of stealing a bottle of cologne.

Moore, a San Jose resident, said the store went way too far in trying to confirm its suspicion, and then the remarks of a sales associate convinced her she had been profiled.

"They searched my purse and stripped my sweater off me," Moore said, adding they did those things without her permission.

Moore said after she was found with no cologne, the saleswoman made a comment that made her feel she was stopped and searched because shes black.

"She said people like you have been stealing from Macy's, stealing stuff," Moore said.

Macy's told NBC Bay Area its customers Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits profiling. The store also released a statement of apology:

"We apologize. The situation is currently under investigation and is being reviewed. Macy's is a company that values acceptance, respect, and integrity and does not tolerate discrimination of any type."

Moore said she was loudly accused in front of dozens of customers.

"I feel so humiliated, and up until now, I am still feeling the pain," said Moore, who added that she waited nearly two hours to talk to a manager about the incident.

Legal analyst Steven Clark said stores are allowed to look inside purses or personal bags if they have probable cause to believe a person stole something. But they cant make you take off any clothing.

Moore said she plans to pursue legal action against Macy's.
San Francisco could soon be the first city in the nation to open what are known as supervised injection sites, where addicts can shoot up indoors under the care of trained medical staff. The plan, both controversial and illegal in the U.S., aims to reduce the number of overdose deaths in the San Francisco as well as the staggering amount of used needles scattered across the city.

San Francisco could soon be the first city in the nation to open what are known as supervised injection sites, where addicts can shoot up indoors under the care of trained medical staff. The plan, both controversial and illegal in the U.S., aims to reduce the number of overdose deaths in the San Francisco as well as the staggering amount...

Taskforce Recommends "Multiple" Drug Sites in SF

We need a new solution, said Dr. Alex Kral, an infectious disease specialist with the nonprofit research institute RTI International. Even just adding one of these sites to San Francisco would save the city $3.5 million dollars a year because of the savings in reduced HIV, viral hepatitis, and overdoses.

Kral, who has been studying drug use in San Francisco for 25 years, was one of 15 people to serve on a government task force aimed at studying supervised injection sites and their potential impacts to drug users and the community. The panel, which included representatives from San Franciscos police and health departments, recommend the city open multiple safe injection service sites.

A drug user prepares his syringe while inside Vancouver's Molson Overdose Prevention Site, one of eight supervised drug facilities in the city (May 5, 2018).

San Francisco to Open Nation's First Supervised Drug Sites

San Francisco now plans to open two supervised injection sites by August, which would likely be followed by several more within the next year. The move is a response to an explosion of public drug use and the dangerous paraphernalia that is often left behind on San Franciscos streets and sidewalks.

How about finding another way to save their lives other than offering them their poison? said Bishop Ron Allen, who heads the International Faith Based Coalition, a drug prevention group in Sacramento that boasts 6,000 members nationwide and opposes supervised injection sites.

To think that an addict will walk in, with their arms on dope, or marijuana or heroin, and these injection sites will give them needles or whatever or whatever it takes, and theyre going to want to go to treatment that day is absolute foolishness.

Bishop Allen speaks from his own experience as a former drug user of seven years.

No addict that is getting high for the day wants to go to recovery, I know for a fact you want your next hit, he said.

Used Syringes Littering San Francisco

Earlier this year, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit made national headlines after exposing a dangerous mix of trash, feces, and used needles scattered across downtown San Francisco.

City workers collect more than 287,000 used needles each month, however, San Francisco distributes 400,000 new syringes, monthly, in an effort to eliminate the need for sharing used needles, thus, reducing the potential spread of disease.

San Francisco is home to 22,500 intravenous drug users, according to data provided by the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Tiffany Falstitch came to San Francisco from Kansas City 8 years ago with the dream of becoming a writer. At 26, she is now homeless, living in a tent on Ellis Street in downtown (April 19, 2018).

I Hate Being This Everyday'

I'm homeless and this is my life and it's not going to just change overnight and I'm going to wake up again tomorrow in the same tent or in the same doorway or under the same random thing that I found on the sidewalk, said Tiffany Falstich, who is addicted to heroin. I hate being this every day.

Halstitch, 26, who moved to San Francisco eight years ago, said she wants to quit drugs but doesnt know how.

I just want to go back to the person I was  before I came here, she said tearfully.

Advocates argue supervised injection sites can help save lives and reduce the number of used needles littering San Francisco.

The solutions that we currently have clearly haven't helped," Kral said. We are at a point where we need innovative solutions to this problem.

Outside the United States, more than 100 cities in at least 11 countries are operating safe injection sites, according to Kral.

It's proven to work in all those cities, he said. So why not try it here?

Two men inject themselves with drugs at the Molson Overdose Prevention Site in Vancouver, Canada (May 5, 2018).

Investigiative Unit Granted Rare Access Inside Drug Sites

To see the sites firsthand, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit traveled to Vancouver, Canada and gained access inside these rarely seen drug facilities.

Its not enabling drug users, its enabling drug users to seek care, said Darwin Fisher, who runs Insite, North Americas first supervised injection site situated on the eastside of Vancouver. People come into a hygienic space with running water, a roof over them, nursing care, and people who will support them in the event of an overdose.

Vancouver opened its first supervised injection site 15 years ago to combat the city's drug epidemic and high rate of HIV infections (May 6, 2018).

'It Looks Like a Hair Salon'

The facility, which opened in 2003, is a stark contrast to the dark and dirty alleys that are often synonymous with drug use.

I didn't expect it to be the way it looks -- it looks like a hair salon, said Alex Randolph, Vice President of the Board of Trustees for San Francisco City College. It doesn't look like a medical facility.it looks very inviting."

Randolph was one of more than 30 business and government leaders from San Francisco to tour one of Vancouvers supervised injection sites in early May. The trip, organized by the San Srancisco Chamber of Commerce, included representatives from the Mayors office, SF Travel, California Growers Association, Lyft, Uber, and several other groups and agenies curious about supervised injection sites.

I was very impressed, said Kelli Powers, Vice President of the San Francisco Hotel Council, who was also on the tour. I think they have a good model here for people that want to come in and use safely.

More than 30 business and government leaders from San Francisco traveled to Vancouver, Canada to tour the city's first supervised injection site, where addicts can shoot up on drugs under the care of medical staff (May 4, 2018)

Supervised Injection Sites  Frequently Asked Questions

Darwin Fisher, who manages North Americas first-ever supervised injection site in Vancouver, addresses a few frequently asked questions regarding the facility. To get started, click a question below.

Supervised Drug Site Reduced Amount of Used Needles on Streets

In the three months after Insite opened its doors, the amount of discarded syringes on streets and sidewalks declined by more than half within the 10 blocks surrounding the supervised injection site.

Addicts who use the facility are assigned their own station and provided sterile syringes and a place to dispose of them. When someone overdoses, trained staff step in to inject life-saving drugs. Workers also help addicts get into housing and enroll in rehab services.

Maybe not the first time, and maybe not the second or third time, but maybe on the 10th time they visit the site, the user asks about treatment, Kral said.

[[482818961 ,C]]

Drug Sites Feel Like 'Home' to Addicts

It's hard to really explain, but it's like home here, said Stephanie Peterson, a drug user who frequents Vancouvers supervised injection sites. When I first started coming here it was, obviously, for my drug use, but I've developed a very big relationship with a majority of the workers, she said. I look at them like a family so I come here to use, but I also come here when things are rough.

Peterson, 28, said the sites have given her a second chance at life  in more ways than one. She has continued to use drugs since running away from home at 13. Since then, she has more often than not been homeless. Since visiting the Molson Overdose Prevention site in Vancouver, however, she has been able to get housing and now plans to enroll in college.

Stephanie Peterson, 28, spent years living on the streets, but recently secured housing and hopes to enroll in college after finding support at Vancouver's supervised injection sites (May 5, 2018).

Theyve helped me realize how bad my drug using was," she said.

For the first time in her life, she says she is finally willing to work towards getting clean.

I'd want to see myself doing something along the lines of working with these injection rooms, she said.

Darwin Fisher runs Insite in Vancouver, Canada, where addicts can bring their own drugs and shoot up with medical supervision. As San Francisco business and political leaders look on, he describes the hazards faced by homeless drug addicts.

In San Francisco, drug centers have broad political support. NBC Bay Area surveyed all 11 members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Eight supervisors declared support for the sites, including Supervisors Sandra Lee Fewer, Catherine Stefani, Aaron Peskin, Katy Tang, London Breed, Jane Kim, Jeff Sheehy, and Hillary Ronan. Supervisor Malia Cohen declined to comment, while Supervisors Norman Yee and Ahsah Safai did not respond to the request.

I am supportive of safe injection sites with the caveat that appropriate programming and services, such as access to substance use treatment programsneeds to accompany the sites, Sheehy told the Investigative Unit.

San Francisco, however, faces considerable legal hurdles. Advocates for the centers say they fully expect the sites to be raised by federal drug agents.

State legislation has been proposed to legalize these centers, but the Drug Enforcement Administration said the sites still break federal law, meaning anyone using them or even working inside could face prosecution.

Any facilitation of illicit drug use is considered in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and, therefore, subject to legal action, said a statement provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

In San Francisco, nearly 200 people die of an overdose each year.

Tiffany Falstitch, speaking from her tent on Ellis Street in San Francisco, isnt sure how much longer she can survive on the streets and on heroin.

I've been out here for so long, she said, tearfully. It would take literally like a crumb to make me feel like you know I was worth something again, you know.

______________________________________
What to Know Cosmo DiNardo's guilty plea was made in exchange for avoiding the death penalty

DiNardo lured the men, ages 19 to 22, to his family's 90-acre farm under the guise of making marijuana deals. Each one turned into an ambush

His cousin Sean Kratz is charged in three of the deaths

Cosmo DiNardo received four consecutive life sentences Wednesday morning after pleading guilty to killing four young men and burying their bodies on his family's sprawling suburban Philadelphia farm.

In an unexpected turn, DiNardo's cousin, Sean Kratz, rejected an offer to plead guilty to third-degree murder and related offenses Wednesday. Instead, the state will now pursue first-degree murder and the death penalty.

Justice is not perfect. Justice has no time limits, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said during a press conference. Im just as whiplashed as all of you.

Weintraub added that DiNardo could now testify against his cousin.

The DA expects Kratz's trial to take place no earlier than next year. He spoke directly with Kratz in the moments before the young man officially rejected the offer in court, he said.

We had a cordial conversation, Weintraub said. He was resolute. Thats his right.

Four civil cases against the cousins, Dinardo's parents and the family's holdings remain, attorney Tom Kline, who is representing the Finocchiaro, said.

Twelve family members of the men killed -Dean Finocchiaro, Thomas Meo, Mark Sturgis and Jimi Taro Patrick - at times angry and other times tearfully grieving, read emotional victim impact statements before Judge Jeffrey Finley. Their sorrow filled the courtroom for nearly two hours.

Im going to ask him to do something, that every day he wakes up in jail, please say a pray for Jimmys mother, Sharon Patrick, Jimi Patricks grandmother, said as DiNardo sat with his head down just feet away.  Please pray for me that Ill be able to forgive you.

Others were more blunt.

Youre the perfect example of starting at the top and working their way down to the gutter, Mark Potash, Mark Sturgiss father, told DiNardo. You brought shame and embarrassment to your family name.

Thomas Meos mother, Melissa Fratanduono, called DiNardo a f------ piece of s---.

Before he was sentenced to life, DiNardo apologized to the families in a brief statement.

Im so sorry, he said. If there was anything I could do to take back the things that occurred, I would. Im so sorry.

Judge Finley was unmoved.

Your apology at least from my perspective comes across as false and insincere, he said.

He said he spent some time in the last week listening to DiNardos confession to law enforcement following the heinous slayings.

The tone of your voice stood out as having such a total and complete disregard to the value of human life, Finley said. He added that if DiNardo were to ever be released from prison, Finley believes DiNardo would kill again.

I try to think of something to say to you and to them to make sense of all this, to bring peace to them, Finley told DiNardo. Nothing I say will do that.

Police found the bodies of the missing men after a grueling, five-day search in July 2017. Three were lit on fire and placed in an oil tank converted into a pig roaster. One was buried in the ground.

DiNardo, 21, had lured the men, ages 19 to 22, to his family's 90-acre farm under the guise of making marijuana deals. Each meeting turned into an ambush and then a bloodbath.

[PHOTOS]Timeline: Murder of Four Young Men in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Future of Georgia  Cooperation with Iran?

By Levan Khutsishvili

On May 7, First Vice Prime Minister of Georgia, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Dimitri Kumsishvili visited Iran for a one-day working visit and had a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Massoud Karbassian, the Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi and the Minister of Petroleum of Iran, Bijan Namdar Zangeneh.Representatives of two countries discussed possibilities in bilateral economic relations, energy direction, and development of cooperation in regional projects.We agreed on developing the bilateral and regional economic cooperation with Iran. Cooperation in multilateral economic direction will contribute significantly to the development of the trade and economic relations between Georgia and Iran, said Kumsishvili.During the meeting it was noted that although economic relations between the two countries is becoming stronger and trade turnover is increasing, the existing data doesnt exactly shows the export potential of Iran and Georgia. According to the official statistics from 2017, trade turnover between Georgia and Iran equaled to 181 million USD, which is 38% higher compared to the previous year, while the exports amounted to 76 million USD, which is 64% higher compared to the last year. As for 2018 the trade turnover and the export amount was increased by 34% and 28%.Another main topic was cooperation in transport sphere and development of transport corridors between Georgia and Iran. The cooperation will be regional and it will also refer to the neighboring states. For example, construction of a railway crossing Azerbaijan and Iran is close to the end and once is launched, it will facilitate additional freight-flow to the South Caucasus corridor. The Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi also offered to the Georgian side to establish and develop special logistics centers in the Iranian ports of the Persian Gulf as well as the Caspian Sea. On the other hand, it was also said that the parties will promote the increase of the trade turnover between Iran and Georgia and the Black Sea region.Representatives of the two countries also spoke about tourism development. In 2017, the number of visitors from Iran increased by 118% while only in the first quarter of 2018, Georgia hosted over 91 000 visitors from Iran, which is by 64% higher number compared to the same period of the previous year.This meeting and planned closer cooperation between Iran and Georgia have an international background, when the US President Donald Trump Announced that United States leaves nuclear deal with Iran. He said that this agreement has no real power and in addition, Trump noted that strict sanctions against Tehran and their partners will be launched. Relations between Iran and USA worsen every day. On the other hand, USA is Georgias strategic partner. At the same time, Georgia is trying to have closer economic relations with Iran, speaking about the new transport corridors and new economical ties. It is not clear how US will react to Georgias potential closer cooperation with Iran.
A Massachusetts Senate committee is urging the chamber to toughen its sexual harassment policies.

The committee released a report Tuesday recommending changes including amending Senate rules to explicitly state that a violation of the Senate's anti-harassment policy by a member is considered misconduct.

Other recommendations include ensuring lobbyists are aware of the sexual harassment policy and formalizing the practice of treating interns as employees to help protect them from harassment.

The report recommends the Senate also formalize the practice of prohibiting non-disclosure agreements that can discourage the reporting of sexual harassment.

The House has already updated its sexual harassment policies.

Former Democratic Senate President Stan Rosenberg resigned this month after an ethics report concluded he failed to protect the Senate from his husband, who has been charged with sexual misconduct.
Massachusetts' attorney general is launching an investigation into the collapse of Mount Ida College, a small liberal arts college embroiled in controversy following its closing announcement last month, as its counsel admits the college won't be able to make its payroll unless its deal with the University of Massachusetts-Amherst goes through by Wednesday.

Attorney General Maura Healey announced her office will investigate Mount Ida's senior administrators and its board of trustees and whether they violated fiduciary duties as they addressed the college's financial condition and carried out the Newton-based college's educational mission.

"We are extremely disappointed in the way Mount Ida handled this closure," Healey said in a statement.

Attorneys for Mount Ida College told Healey's office the liberal arts college will have to declare bankruptcy in the event its deal with UMass Amherst fall through. The deal was scrutinized by state lawmakers in an oversight hearing last week.

The revelation came to light in a letter from the attorney general's office regarding the asset transfer to UMass and fair value of the transaction, which is required by the state's charities law.

"Your treatment of your own students is particularly upsetting and extremely unfair to them," officials from the attorney general's office wrote in a letter to Mount Ida attorneys about the transaction, which was approved.

The attorney general's Student Loan Assistance Unit has been working with hundreds of families affected by the closure.

Students at Mount Ida expressed shock to NBC10 Boston last month after the announcement.

"[Mount Ida President] Barry Brown had nothing to say to us," one student said after a closed-door meeting for students. "It was just noise. I don't think they have answers for us."

After it was announced that the college was closing, students learned that those in good academic standing can go to UMass Dartmouth, a university about an hour's drive away and does not offer the same majors in certain cases.

However, Tuesday's letter from Healey's office showed that students in these certain majors have been accepted to other schools in the University of Massachusetts system.

UMass Amherst's plans to purchase the campus has also upset students and faculty at UMass Boston, where there has been a student-led walkout and a faculty declaration of no confidence to protest a decision they argue will result in the campus taking more of a backseat as the university faces an expected $30-million budget shortfall.

"Students have been forgotten, students have been taken advantage of, and they have been let down by grown-ups," UMass Boston undergrad student president Katelyn Mitrano said.
Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama returned to Chicago to speak with the inaugural class of Obama Foundation Fellows on Wednesday.

More than 20,000 people from 191 countries applied for the two-year program that expects to raise their profile as role models for civic engagement.

The former president spoke to the Fellows at Stony Island Arts Bank in the city's Grand Crossing neighborhood, while the former First Lady also held meetings with high school students on the city's South Side.

"Learn from each other, share experiences, and support each other," Pres. Obama said.

The Fellows program was designed to bring together leaders from around the world who are "creating transformational change on many of the worlds most pressing problems," the foundation said in a statement.

Through the program, the Fellows will collaborate with one another across a variety of disciplines, developing personalized plans to "take their work to the next level," according to the foundation.

Two of this year's Fellows hail from Chicago, which the Obamas themselves call home - and where the Obama Presidential Center is slated to be built. A third participant was raised in Chicago and now lives in Los Angeles. The others are from New York, California, Haiti, India, Rwanda and Greece.

Tiana Epps-Johnson and Dominque Jordan Turner were the two Chicagoans selected to participate.

"I see talent and greatness every time I look at the city of Chicago," Jordan-Turner said. "Unfortunately, it doesn't match the narrative that you hear on the news about young people in the city."

Epps-Johnson works for the Center for Technology and Civic Life, "improving voter turnout by training elections officials to better communicate with voters," while Turner works with the organization Chicago Scholars to help "under-resourced youth to get to and through college" and "find meaningful careers."

The Fellows selected for the program had never met the Obamas, and they were thrilled to get the opportunity.

"This was a really exciting day," Epps-Johnson said. "I'm looking forward to having the chance to talk about how we develop as leaders and how we deepen our thinking about issues."

All 20 Fellows were selected in the last six weeks and arrived in the Chicago area Sunday - spending two days at Starved Rock State Park for a team-building exercise before meeting the Obamas for the first time on Wednesday for the roundtable discussion on the city's South Side.

Wednesday's event marked the first of four "multi-day gatherings" scheduled to take place over the course of the two-year, non-residential program - for which a new class will be selected each year.
An armed teen was wounded in a shootout with police at a high school in Dixon, Illinois, Wednesday morning, authorities confirmed.

According to Dixon Police Chief Steve Howell, a school resource officer "confronted an armed male subject" around 8 a.m. at Dixon High School after several shots were reported fired near the school's west gym.

The armed teen fled from the responding officer, allegedly firing shots as he ran. The school resource officer returned fire, injuring the suspect, authorities said.

The injuries are believed to be non-life threatening and the suspect was taken into custody just west of the high school He was receiving medical treatment, but his condition was not immediately released. No other injuries were reported, police said.

"A lot of things went right today when a great many of them could have gone wrong," said Dixon Mayor Liandro Arellano Jr.

The names of the suspect and officer involved in the shooting weren't immediately released, but Howell said the suspect was a 19-year-old former student at the school.

The school resource officer was being placed on administrative leave, per department policy.

Dixon High School and all Dixon public schools were placed on lockdown following the shooting. Dixon High School remained the only school on lockdown shortly after 11 a.m., though all students had been reunited with their parents, Howell said.

He noted that when police arrived at the scene, students and teachers were found barricaded in their classrooms, blocking doors with desks and bookshelves.

Police said they believed the suspect "acted alone" and there was no further threat to students or staff. They thanked the officer who shot the suspect, praising him as a hero.

"With shots ringing out through the hallways of the school, he charged towards the suspect and confronted him head on," Howell said. "Because of his heroic actions, countless lives were saved. We are forever indebted to him for his service and his bravery."



Multiple police agencies responded to the scene, authorities said. Peoria Avenue was closed in the area as an investigation continued.

Check back for more on this developing story.
Unattended luggage left at Ogilvie Transporation Center was deemed safe after a police investigation halted trains and forced some to evacuate the station Wednesday morning.

Authorities said in a press conference Wednesday that a man at the station had an exchange with an employee at the ticket counter before leaving behind a brief case and a bag. A female custodian who witnessed the exchange, called the station's control center, which then called authorities.

Metra police responded to the scene with canine units as Chicago police and other state and federal angencies were called.

Metra confirmed police were called for assistance just before 10 a.m. Footage from the scene showed people leaving the building as officials confirmed part of the station was being evacuated.

Trains were stopped from entering and exiting the station as the investigation continued and the first two floors of the building were evacuated. All other offices were told to shelter in place, officials said.

A bomb unit x-rayed the bags and cleared it for explosives before the Chicago Fire Department checked them for chemical and biological agents and gave them the "all safe, all clear."

Once deemed safe, train service resumed and passengers were allowed re-entered the building just before 12:30 p.m. Metra warned riders to expect residual delays for about an hour, but said it expected schedules would be back to normal before the afternoon rush hour.
The town of Brookfield has declared a "town disaster" after severe storms moved through the state Tuesday and said it will be a multi-day event and it could take days to restore power to everyone.

Town offices are closed Wednesday, according to the town's website, and residents are encouraged to stay home.

Schools were closed for the day Wednesday and will be closed Thursday as well, according to the Brookfield Public Schools website.

Brookfield High School is operating on an emergency generator and it is serving as an emergency shelter.

First Selectman Steve Dunn declared a town disaster on Facebook Tuesday evening and said more emergency resources were coming to aid town crews.

"Every single street has trees down. Most of our roads are impassable. We have dozens of downed power lines that have to get cleared up," Dunn said.

Dunn told NBC Connecticut the 911 system was overwhelmed with calls.

This is the worst storm damage he's seen in 35 years, he said.

Two people were hurt during the storm.

They were walking in the greenway and a tree fell on them. So I think one person had a broken arm. They were able to make it to the police station and walk up because its right down here, so we got them an ambulance and got them right to the hospital. I dont think theres any life-threating injury there though, Dunn said.



There are hundreds of trees, utility poles and power lines down across town and power is out to 84 percent of town, according to the Eversource website.

Viewer video shows multiple trees down on Route 7 south in Brookfield Tuesday. Credit: Narou Tong

Residents are asked to remain indoors while officials assessed the damage. Crews from fire departments in the area have been called in to help Brookfield emergency crews and they will help open roads, then help go door-to-door to check on residents.



Officials remind anyone using a generator to keep them outside and away from open windows. In the immediate aftermath of the storm Tuesday night, nearly 90 percent of town was without power.

Many around town were assessing the damage to their own property. Brookfield resident Heather Tamburri said she was at her boyfriend's mother's home at the time of the storm, and the powerful winds were like nothing she'd ever seen before.

"Really high winds and then you saw the branches falling down then all of a sudden the tree came down through the house came down," Tamburri said.

The women were not hurt, and Tamburri said though she was still in shock, she knows material things can always be replaced.

Brookfield schools and town hall will be closed Wednesday.
The principal of the Frank DiLoreto Magnet School in New Britain has been suspended for four days following an investigation into his response to two students bringing weapons to the elementary school in mid-April, according to district sources.

District sources told the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters that Principal Alejandro Ortiz is serving a four-day, unpaid suspension following an internal investigation by the New Britain School District Superintendent into his handling of an incident involving two fourth grade boys who brought a box cutter and a knife to school. According to district policy, bringing these kinds of weapons to school is a felony and is subject to expulsion.

Sources previously told the Troubleshooters that the boys planned to harm students and staff and there was a specific threat to one female teacher.

The disciplinary action imposed was based on the results of the internal investigation, which showed although no laws were violated, the response time in notifying families, staff, and students was not acceptable in accordance with New Britains standards, said Matthew Cannata, spokesman for the Consolidated School District of New Britain.

A source familiar with the incident told the Troubleshooters that It was not handled appropriately or in a timely manner and lives were at stake. The kids are terrified and unfocused and it is not a healthy atmosphere, sources previously told the Troubleshooters.

The Troubleshooters also obtained an undated letter from Ortiz to all fourth-grade families that said the boys were immediately suspended.

Sources familiar with the situation said the incident happened April 17 and the letter went home a week later. The same sources said the initial suspension for the boys was three days, but it was extended to an eight-day suspension for each after a meeting with teachers.

Ortiz did notify the central office the same day the incident happened and the administrative staff followed the correct reporting procedures, according to district officials.

New Britain Police said they were called April 19, officers investigated a threat and it was turned over to the youth division. Officers followed up with the families and determined everyone was safe at the time.

Police said they have finished their investigation and that both juveniles were referred to a diversionary program in the Juvenile Justice System.

NBC Connecticut reached Ortiz by phone who told us, Unfortunately, I was told not to make any comments.
What to Know Meredith Sullivan Chapman, 33, was killed by the wife of her paramour, police said

Police say the murder-suicide was the result of an affair between Mark Gerardot and Chapman

A neighbor told the police superintendent she spotted a woman spying on Chapman two days before the murder but decided not to report it

A distraught wife underwent weapons training and used a tracking device on her husband before killing his mistress and then taking her own life inside a home in Philadelphia's wealthy Main Line, according to sources close to the investigation.

The sources revealed new details on the events leading up to the suburban murder-suicide in Radnor Township on April 23, including that the husband was texted grisly photos from the crime scene.

Jennair Gerardot shot and killed Meredith Sullivan Chapman, 30, inside her home before turning the gun on herself. Chapman had been having an affair with Gerardot's husband, Mark Gerardot, prior to the shooting, police said.

Chapman was a former WHYY producer for its Delaware bureau and ran an unsuccessful bid as a Republican for a state senate seat in Delaware. She was also married to Newark City Councilman Luke Chapman, but the couple was reportedly separated.

She had recently moved to the home on Lowrys Lane in Radnor Township for a new job at nearby Villanova University.

Gerardot's life had also changed prior to her death. A recent transplant to the East Coast, her social media photos with her husband Mark showed a seemingly happy couple. But underneath the surface there were signs of trouble.

"There were money issues, self-confidence issues," Radnor Township Police Superintendent William Colarulo said. "Her life was falling apart."

Gerardot began posting messages on social media begging for help while claiming her marriage was crumbling and her husband wanted out. She was also searching for therapy.

Sources told NBC10 Gerardot began using a tracking device and computer software to find out more about her husband's affair with Chapman.



On April 21, Chapman's neighbor saw a woman with a "grim, concerned or worried" expression on her face standing near her driveway in Radnor Township, police said.

The woman was using a pair of binoculars while staring at Chapman's home on Lowrys Lane. The neighbor said the woman then got into a black SUV and drove off.

Despite thinking the episode odd, the neighbor decided not to report it to police.

Law enforcement sources believe the mysterious woman was Gerardot, who was driving a rental SUV and using binoculars to scout out the area.



Two days later, Mark Gerardot arrived at a restaurant in Newtown Square where his wife had told him to meet her for dinner. Only six miles away, Jennair Gerardot was near Chapman's home, parked in the back inside the rented SUV with gloves and earplugs.

She then broke through the front porch door and waited for Chapman to return, having just enough time to clean up the broken glass, sources say. When Chapman walked into the home, Gerardot opened fire, killing her, before taking her own life, police said.

Gerardot underwent gun training before purchasing the murder weapon, sources said. While carrying out the killing, she fired so fast that Chapman, who was still clutching her house keys, likely didn't see it coming.



Around 7 p.m. that night, Mark Gerardot began receiving text messages from his wife while he waited at the restaurant. The messages included graphic photographs from inside Chapman's home. Mark Geradot then rushed to Chapman's house where he found both his lover and his wife dead from gunshot wounds.

Mark Gerardot called 911 and was so hysterical that he gave the wrong house number. He also confessed to the dispatcher that he'd been cheating on his wife, sources said.

Investigators also found an extensive suicide note from Jennair Gerardot.

Since the murder-suicide, neither Mark Gerardot nor Chapman's ex-husband have publicly commented on the case. With the case closed, police may not ever release everything they've learned and some questions may always remain unanswered.

Chapman's family called her a "beacon of light to anyone who was fortunate enough to meet her," in a released statement.

"She loved her family fiercely, was a compassionate friend and among the most talented and innovative professionals in her field," they wrote. "Her death was sudden and tragic, but will not define who she was to the thousands of people who loved her."



SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
A clinical psychologist hired by Travis Air Force Base in California to help military veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder has been arrested and charged with raping patients.



The psychologist, identified in court documents as Heath Sommer, 41, is accused of using "exposure therapy" on patients who had been sexually assaulted while deployed. He was ordered Monday to stand trial on three felony sexual assault charges after he allegedly targeted female service members in 2014 and 2015 while working at the base's David Grant Medical Center.

"Many of these victims were war veterans diagnosed with PTSD due to various forms of trauma, sexual and non-sexual, while active duty in the U.S. Air Force. As their therapist, the defendant was in a position of power," according to the complaint. "While some victims were strong enough to stand up to the defendant and refuse his advances, others weren't. Those victims, especially the victims of sexual assault, are now even more traumatized due to the defendant's actions."

The alleged abuse spans from 2010 to 2016, according to court documents.

Travis Air Force Base Deputy Chief of Public Affairs Tonya Racasner provided the following statement to NBC Bay Area on Monday:

"There is zero-tolerance for sexual assault across the Air Force. Base administration is working with local authorities to make sure that all the victims in this case are taken care of. The suspect is a civilian contractor who worked for the Air Force."

Solano County Sheriff's Office records show Sommer was booked into Stanton Correctional Facility in Fairfield on May 3rd, with bail set at $750,000. Sheriff's Office records also show Sommer faces multiple charges, including sexual battery, rape and oral copulation.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A telephone message for his attorney, Thomas Maas, seeking comment was not immediately returned. Maas told the judge at a hearing Monday in Fairfield, California, that the sex was consensual, according to The Daily Republic newspaper. Maas said his client had not committed a crime and the actions were part of his therapy work.

Sommer was vetted by the contracting company, Aloha Health Joint Venture, and the Air Force also did a background check, Air Force officials said.

"Nothing popped up during the background check," said Tonya Racasner, a base spokeswoman.

As soon as Air Force officials learned of the allegations, they took immediate action and suspended him, she added.

"We take sexual assault very seriously," Racasner said.

In light of the case, she said the base is looking at its procedures and also reviewing the treatments given at its medical center, she said, adding that exposure therapy usually entails writing a narrative about one's experience.

"We don't really condone exposure therapy," she said.

The base also reached out to all of Sommer's patients to offer help, she said.

The case comes as sexual assault continues to be a pervasive problem in the military.

According to an annual Pentagon report released in April, the number of reported sexual assaults grew by about 10 percent, while sexual harassment cases were up by 16 percent over the previous year.

Pentagon officials say the increase in reporting reflects a broader confidence in the system and is a positive trend because sexual assault is a highly underreported crime. But it's unclear if the jump in harassment and retaliation complaints reflect a similar confidence or simply represent a growing problem.

Travis Air Force officials say they are encouraging victims to continue to come forward and hope the Sommer case does not deter them from seeking help.

"We know this is an on-going issue worldwide, and not just in the Air Force," Racasner said. "We just feel for us, it's all about educating folks, and ensuring individuals are being effectively taken care of."

Air Force officials said military investigators are working with the Fairfield police on the Sommer case.
The U.S. government suspects a former CIA employee in the leak last year of Top Secret CIA hacking tools, according to court documents.

The suspect, Joshua Adam Schulte, a 29-year-old New York resident, is currently in a Manhattan federal jail on child pornography charges, NBC News reported. But his lawyer said in court that the FBI suspects him of a massive leak of 8,000 CIA documents to WikiLeaks in March 2017.

"The FBI believed that Mr. Schulte was involved in that leak," said the lawyer, Jacob Kaplan, according to a transcript of a Jan. 8, 2018 hearing.

The government has filed no charges against Schulte in connection with the leak, however.

The loss of hacking tools to WikiLeaks was one of the most damaging breaches in modern history, experts have said, and includes hacking tools that can be used against private companies.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday hammered California for its so-called sanctuary immigration policies, in what appeared to be his latest push to embolden his base leading into the midterm elections.

As the debate over immigration heats up on Capitol Hill, Trump surrounded himself with mayors, sheriffs and other local leaders from California who oppose the state's immigration policies and who applauded his administration's hard-line efforts.

"This is your Republican resistance right here against what they're doing in California," said California Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, coopting a term used by Democrats opposed to Trump's presidency. She, like others, said the president and his policies were far more popular in the state than people realize.

"It's a crisis," Melendez said of the situation.

They were responding to legislation signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last year that bars police from asking people about their immigration status or helping federal agents with immigration enforcement. Jail officials can transfer inmates to federal immigration authorities if they have been convicted of one of about 800 crimes, mostly felonies, but not for minor offenses.

Brown insists the legislation, which took effect Jan. 1, doesn't prevent federal immigration officials from doing their jobs. But the Trump administration has sued to reverse it, calling the policies unconstitutional and dangerous. Some counties, including San Diego and Orange, have voted to support the lawsuit or passed their own anti-sanctuary resolutions.

Republicans see backlash to the law as a potentially galvanizing issue during the midterm elections, especially with Trump's anti-immigrant base. And Trump has held numerous events in recent months during which he's drawn attention to California's policies.

During Wednesday's session, Trump thanked the officials, saying they had "bravely resisted California's deadly and unconstitutional sanctuary state laws." He claimed those laws are forcing "the release of illegal immigrant criminals, drug dealers, gang members and violent predators into your communities" and providing "safe harbor to some of the most vicious and violent offenders on earth."

Trump also claimed opposition to the policies was growing, insisting, "There's a revolution going on in California." He referred to some who cross the border illegally as "animals," not people.

Brown responded on Twitter, writing that Trump "is lying on immigration, lying about crime and lying about the laws of CA."

The Democratic governor added: "Flying in a dozen Republican politicians to flatter him and praise his reckless policies changes nothing. We, the citizens of the fifth largest economy in the world, are not impressed."

The event came as top House Republicans worked to head off an attempt by party moderates to force roll calls on four immigration bills. Republican leaders privately warned GOP lawmakers Wednesday that such a drive could damage the party's prospects in the fall's congressional elections by dispiriting conservative voters, according to people at the closed-door meeting.

The House leaders fear the winning legislation would be a compromise bill backed solidly by Democrats but opposed by most Republicans, an outcome that could anger conservatives, according to Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., a leader of the effort to force the immigration votes.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., issued the warning, said a second person who was in the room and spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the private conversation.

Asked about his remarks, McCarthy said his objection to the procedure was that it would in effect "turn the floor over" to Democrats.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said the petition would be "a big mistake" that would "disunify our majority." He said the leaders were "working with the administration."

The moderates said later Wednesday that House leaders were trying to end the immigration standoff and that they could soon see a specific proposal on how to do that.

"We're willing to see what this looks like," said Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., a leader of the lawmakers trying to force the House to address the issue. Conservatives had their own session with party leaders and also suggested there had been movement, but offered no specifics.

Many of the legislators demanding action face potentially competitive re-election races in congressional districts with large numbers of Hispanic, suburban or agriculture-industry voters with pro-immigration views.

Earlier this year, competing bills aimed at protecting young immigrants and toughening border security  including one backed by Trump  collapsed in the Senate. The measures never received House votes.

The discussion also comes as the Trump administration is under fire for a new policy that is expected to increase the number of children separated from their parents when families cross the border illegally.

Trump, in his remarks, wrongly blamed Democrats for forcing his administration's hand.

"I know what you're going through right now with families is very tough," he told Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, "but those are the bad laws that the Democrats gave us. We have to break up families ... because of the Democrats. It's terrible."

But no law "the Democrats gave us" mandates the separation of children from their parents at the border. The administration is using protocols described in a 2008 law designed to combat child trafficking that gave special protections to Central American children at the border. While the bill was authored by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, it unanimously passed both houses of Congress and was signed by Republican President George W. Bush as one of his last acts in office.

Nielsen on Tuesday defended the practice, telling a Senate committee that removing children from parents facing criminal charges happens "in the United States every day."

Trump also told Nielsen that she was "doing a good job," one week after berating her during a cabinet meeting for failing to halt border crossings.

Feinstein issued a statement accusing the Trump administration of "once again attempting to divide Californians and all Americans with today's White House meeting."

"Their decision to convene this meeting is about fueling fear of immigrants and scapegoating entire communities," she said.

__

Associated Press writers Alan Fram in Washington, Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
The "Honor a Hero, Hire a Vet" event is returning to Southern California Wednesday to offer the opportunity to connect veterans with hiring employers.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., veterans, National Guard and Reservists returning from active duty are invited to network and meet their potential next employer at the free event. The job fair will be held at Compton Community College on the 1000 block of East Artesia Boulevard.

A great first impression is key to getting a second meeting with employers, so the California Employment Development Department, which is sponsoring the event, encourages job seekers to dress well.
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom once joked his job doesn't involve much governing, but that's not stopping candidates from shelling out millions of dollars to replace him.

About $10 million has been spent on the race, including nearly $5 million from an independent group funded primarily by one of the candidates' fathers.

Democrats Eleni Kounalakis, Ed Hernandez and Jeff Bleich lead the pack in raising money heading into the June 5 primary. As of mid-April, the most recent deadline to report spending, their campaigns had spent a combined $3.7 million.

Four Republicans are also vying for the job. Cole Harris won the California Republican Party's endorsement and has spent about $1.9 million, funded almost entirely by his personal wealth. One other Democrat, two candidates without party affiliation and a libertarian are also on the ballot.

Independent expenditure groups are barred from coordinating with campaigns on messaging. Kounalakis, whose father financed the independent expenditure effort to support her, said her campaign is following the laws. The California Medical Association is running the group, which is funding television ads.

"This is all transparent and, in our current system, this is how campaigns are being funded," said Kounalakis, a former U.S. ambassador to Hungary under President Barack Obama.

But one ethics expert said it reveals problems in the system.

"If it's her father, do we really believe that they didn't talk about messaging?" said Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor, although she said it doesn't appear Kounalakis has violated ethics rules.

The job has always attracted ambitious candidates even though its duties are few. Newsom announced plans to run in 2018 for governor almost immediately after winning re-election as lieutenant governor four years ago. He is the odds-on favorite to win on June 5.

The state's No. 2 executive is in charge when the governor is away and can use the post to boost his or her name recognition for future statewide campaigns -- as Newsom did. The lieutenant governor also casts tie-breaking votes in the state Senate and serves as a University of California regent, a California State University trustee and a state lands commissioner.

"It's unusual to have so many candidates spending so much money, but Gavin Newsom is kind of the example of what could happen for those who win the position," said Jaime Regalado, a political science professor emeritus at California State University, Los Angeles. "It can readily serve as a jumping off point for higher office."

The top fundraisers insist they want the job because they think the lieutenant governor can have a significant impact on higher education and land management issues in California, not because they see the job as simply a stepping stone to higher office.

"It's a sad statement that becoming the second-highest official in the fifth-largest economy in the world is considered a step down by some people," said Bleich, a former U.S. ambassador to Australia under Obama and a California State University trustee.

Bleich and his fellow Democratic front-runners mostly agree on policy issues. All three oppose oil drilling off the California coast and want to lower college costs. Each proposes using the post as a megaphone to advocate for issues outside their official duties. Bleich, for example, said he'd expand technical education in California.

He's raised $2 million, the smallest haul of the three leading Democrats.

Kounalakis would be the first woman to hold the position. She has emphasized her experience as a housing developer and says she would use the post to advocate for women's issues.

She has raised $4.5 million, the most of all the candidates, including $2.5 million of her own money.

Hernandez, a state senator and optometrist, has raised nearly $2.8 million. He's been criticized for accepting money from oil and pharmaceutical companies. Last year, he authored a drug pricing transparency bill opposed by the pharmaceutical industry, which he said proves he's not beholden to donors.

"Everything I do is what's in the best interest of my constituents and the state of California," he said. "I do not have a rich father who's going to be able to do an independent expenditure on my behalf."

The top two vote-getters in the primary, regardless of party, will advance to the general election.

Money will be critical in the race because none of the candidates are well-known, said Wesley Hussey, a political science professor at California State University, Sacramento. Some of the candidates have started airing television ads to boost their profile.

"It wouldn't surprise me if the candidate who has the most time on TV is in the first place out of the primary," Hussey said.
A former Florida state trooper who is currently a criminal defense lawyer in Miami allegedly bought two baggies of heroin for $20 from an undercover narcotics detective, according to an arrest report.

Alexander Annunziato, 38, told an undercover narcotics detective he wanted to purchase two bags of heroin worth $10 each, the report reads. Annunziato was arrested shortly after allegedly handing the detective a $20 bill for the narcotics.

The arresting officer found two baggies of heroin in Annunziato's right-front pocket, the report adds.

Annunziato was charged with purchase of a controlled substance. He was arrested on Monday near his office at the Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office in Allapattah and has been suspended without pay as an assistant public defender, the Miami Herald reports.

Annunziato was fired in February 2017 after Miami police found him "passed out" behind the wheel after apparently colliding with two unoccupied vehicles, according to the Miami Herald.


What to Know A man buying lunch at a Midtown cafe threatened to call immigration enforcement on its workers  all because he heard them speaking Spanish.

The man's rant was caught on video by a fellow customer, and has since had more than 1.5 million views online.

The woman who taped it said she was at the new sandwich shop Fresh Kitchen at Madison Avenue between 39th and 40th Tuesday

UPDATE: NYC Lawyer Facing Fallout From Racist Tirade Runs From Reporters



A Manhattan lawyer buying lunch at a Midtown cafe threatened to call immigration enforcement on its workers  all because he heard them speaking Spanish.

The man's rant was caught on video by a fellow customer, and has since had more than 1.5 million views online.

Office manager Emily Serrano said she was at the new sandwich shop Fresh Kitchen at Madison Avenue between 39th and 40th Tuesday when the incident unfolded.

She said she was speaking with her server  who speaks both Spanish and English  in Spanish, when she heard a man yelling next to her.

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"He's screaming at the guy serving him, 'Give me my f***ing sandwich, you shouldn't be speaking Spanish, I feel disrespected, go back to your country,'" Serrano said. NBC 4 cannot independently verify what happened before or after the video Serrano shot.

She said she then looked at the man and told him he was ignorant, to which he replied that he was much more intelligent than her. She said she told him he might be more "book smart" than her, but he was still being rude. It was at that point she asked for the manager and started filming. On tape, a man in a white shirt is seen ranting to the manager of the store.

"Your staff are speaking Spanish to customers when they should be speaking English...every person I listen to...this is America!" he says.

A man buying lunch at a Midtown cafe threatened to call immigration enforcement on its workers  all because he heard them speaking Spanish. The woman who took video of his tirade tells News 4 what happened. Ray Villeda reports.

Speaking about the Fresh Kitchen staff he goes on to say he guesses they're not documented. "So my next call is to ICE to have each one of them kicked out of my country. If they have the balls to come here and live off my money, I pay for their welfare, I pay for their ability to be here the least they can do is speak English," he says.

"If you intend on running a place in midtown Manhattan your staff should be should speak English."

Two black men who say they were racially profiled and ordered to leave an LA Fitness gym in Secaucus speak exclusively with News 4. The I-Team's Sarah Wallace reports.

Serrano then gets into a yelling fight with the man, where he tells her to take a break from food and and she tells him he should get hit by a car. "I just reached my breaking point," she explained.

After the video stops rolling, Serrano said the man "threw his sandwich in the area where they have the bananas."

He again threatened to call ICE and told her to, "Go back to Guatemala." Serrano is of Puerto Rican descent, born in New York. At that point she decided to call police. While on the phone to the dispatcher, the man left, she said.

This time-lapse shows a beautiful view of the sun breaking through the clouds after the storm, as seen from One World Trade Center.

A spokesperson for Fresh Kitchen said the staff were "in awe" of what happened. They said the cafe welcomes people from all cultures, and that everyone has a mind of their own. "But in public area, disturbing others or making comments like that is not right at all."

The man in the video has been identified as a New York lawyer, with offices nearby Fresh Kitchen on Madison Avenue. NBC 4 has left multiple messages with the man and the firm seeking comment on the incident.

Stunning Rainbow, Sunset After the Storm

The New York State Bar Association said it was aware of the "situation" with the possible attorney: "He is not a current member of our voluntary association. We also do not handle attorney discipline."

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What to Know Protest organizers said Tuesday was set aside for funerals, in an apparent attempt to lower expectation of another mass protest

The 59 deaths revived international criticism of Israel's use of lethal force against unarmed protesters

The Israeli military alleged that Hamas tried to carry out shooting attacks and bombings under the cover of protests

Israel faced a growing backlash Tuesday and new charges of using excessive force, a day after Israeli troops firing from across a border fence killed 59 Palestinians and wounded more than 2,700 at a mass protest in Gaza.

Turkey expelled Israel's ambassador, while Ireland and Belgium summoned Israeli envoys. Leading European countries and the U.N. human rights office called for an investigation of the bloodshed, and the U.N. Security Council held a moment of silence for the Palestinians killed Monday as it opened discussions on the Gaza situation.



Israel says it has the right to defend its border against a possible mass breach and accuses Gaza's Hamas rulers of trying to carry out attacks under the cover of the protests. A military spokesman said Tuesday that 14 of those killed a day earlier were involved in attacks.

In fresh violence, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians after protests resumed Tuesday. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the deaths occurred in separate incidents in central Gaza. The military said it had fired live rounds "selectively," in line with standard operating procedures.



Monday marked the deadliest day in Gaza since a 2014 cross-border war with Israel, and was part of a high-stakes campaign by the Islamic militant Hamas to break a decade-long border blockade.

Gaza Health Ministry, which provided the toll from Monday's violence, said a 9-month-old girl died from tear gas exposure, but medical officials later cast doubt on that claim, saying the infant had a pre-existing medical condition. It remained unclear Tuesday where and how the child died.

In jarring contrast to the Gaza bloodshed, the U.S. held a festive inauguration ceremony for a new U.S. Embassy in contested Jerusalem at the same time Monday, just several dozen miles (kilometers) away. The juxtaposition of violence on the Gaza border and festivities attended by a Trump administration delegation  captured on split screens in TV broadcasts around the world  briefly drew attention to the plight of Gaza and its 2 million people.

The relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv, condemned by Palestinians as blatantly pro-Israel, further dimmed prospects of what President Donald Trump had once touted as plans to negotiate the "deal of the century." The Palestinians seek Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as a capital.

The high casualty toll revived international criticism of Israel's open-fire policies. Rights groups have said the use of potentially lethal force against protesters who pose no immediate threat to soldiers' lives is unlawful. The military has said presumably less lethal rubber-coated steel pellets are not effective in keeping demonstrators from the fence.

Germany, Belgium and Ireland called for an investigation of the violence.

In Brussels, Prime Minister Charles Michel called the Israeli actions "unacceptable violence" and said there was a "clear lack of proportionality." Michel said the violence and killings would be moved onto the calendar of the European Union summit in Sofia on Wednesday and Thursday.

German spokesman Steffen Seibert said the violence "concerns us greatly," but also accused Hamas of cynically escalating the unrest.

Ireland's Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador to express "shock and dismay." Turkey asked Israel's ambassador to leave temporarily and the country lowered flags to half-mast to mark three days of mourning. China called on Israel to exercise restraint. On Monday, South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel until further notice.

The U.N. human rights office said Israel has repeatedly violated international norms by using deadly live fire to repel protesters from its border with Gaza, suggesting its forces should instead arrest those who reach the fence.

The U.N. Security Council met Tuesday to discuss the violence, beginning with a moment of silence at the suggestion of Poland, the current council president.

In strong criticism of Israel, the U.N.'s Mideast envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, told the council "there is no justification for the killing." He called on Israel to "recalibrate" its use of force and to use lethal force only as a last resort.

He also urged Hamas not to use protests as cover to plant bombs and "create provocations."

It was not immediately clear what might come out of the session given deep divisions between most of the world and the U.S., Israel's close ally.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said no member "would act with more restraint than Israel has" in its confrontation with Palestinians at the Gaza border.

For Hamas, which seized Gaza in 2007, Monday's border protest was the culmination of a weekslong campaign to try to break the blockade. The group has led weekly protests near the border with Israel since late March.

On Tuesday, there were no signs that Hamas had made a breakthrough in shaking off the blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt. Egypt extended the opening of its border crossing with Gaza, initially set to continue for four days, by two more days, until Thursday. Typically, the Rafah crossing is closed for most of the year.

In recent days, there had been negotiations between Egypt and Hamas, presumably on easing the blockade in exchange for ending the protests.

Hamas has said protests would continue in a weekly format, but it was not clear if it would be able to maintain momentum during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins this week.

Khaled Batsh, the head of a grassroots organizing committee, said the next mass march would be held June 5, to mark the anniversary of the 1967 Mideast war in which Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Protest organizers said Tuesday was set aside for funerals, in an apparent attempt to lower expectations of another mass protest later in the day. Thousands joined funeral processions Tuesday, though many of those killed Monday had been buried the same day, in line with Muslim tradition.

Hamas had initially said mass border protests would continue Tuesday, which marks the 70th anniversary of what Palestinians call their "nakba," or catastrophe  the uprooting of hundreds of thousands in the Mideast war over Israel's 1948 creation. In the West Bank, sirens sounded for 70 seconds Tuesday to mark the "nakba."

The border marches are seen as Hamas' last hope of ending the blockade, which has made it increasingly difficult for the group to govern. Other tactics, including three wars with Israel and attempts at reconciliation with the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, have failed.

Some 1,360 Palestinians were wounded by gunshots, 130 of whom were in serious or critical condition, the ministry said.

The large number of wounded placed a new burden on Gaza's already struggling hospitals, where key medicines and surgical supplies were lacking even before the latest bloodshed, in part because of the border closures.

Hospitals and other key installations in Gaza, such as sewage treatment and water pumping stations, heavily rely on generators because of hours-long power cuts every day. Gaza's power crisis was further aggravated last week when Palestinian vandals destroyed the fuel terminal at Israel's only cargo crossing into the territory, halting the flow of fuel and gas.

Israel has defended its actions over the past few weeks, saying Hamas is trying to carry out attacks under the cover of protests. The Israeli military said its aircraft had struck 11 "terror targets" in a Hamas military compound Monday and that tanks targeted two Hamas posts. It said Gaza activists used 10 explosive devices and firebombs against troops and that shots were fired at soldiers positioned along the border.

___

Laub reported from Amman, Jordan. Associated Press writers Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, and Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem contributed.
The Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general is opening an investigation into Administrator Scott Pruitt's use of multiple email accounts.

Inspector General Arthur Elkins said in a letter released Tuesday that his office will review the matter, the latest in a series of federal investigations of Pruitt's travel, security and spending and other issues.

The request for the email investigation came from Democratic Sens. Tom Carper of Delaware and Jeffrey Merkley of Oregon. Carper released a copy of the IG's response.

The senators asked the IG to review whether Pruitt was complying with federal law and EPA policy when using multiple email accounts and whether all accounts are searched when responding to Freedom of Information Act requests.

EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox said Tuesday that the agency does not comment on matters before the inspector general. He referred to a previous statement that EPA has three emails accounts for Pruitt, two used by staff for maintaining his calendar and public correspondence and the third for Pruitt himself.

"When we receive a FOIA request all accounts are searched before we respond to the FOIA request," he said.

A House committee and the Government Accountability Office also are conducting investigations and audits related to Pruitt's actions as EPA chief.

Last month, the Republican chairman of a Senate oversight committee, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, issued a letter asking Pruitt to disclose all his email addresses and affirm that all were being searched in response to Freedom of Information Act requests.
What to Know Darius McCollum, 52, has been arrested 30 times for stealing buses and trains in New York City since he was 15

The autistic man is obsessed with buses and trains; he befriended engineers and pilots and started hanging around the subway system as a kid

McCollum is hoping a Brooklyn judge can be convinced he's not a danger to the community and he should be released from jail with support

After more than 30 years impersonating employees and taking subways and buses for joyrides, New York Citys notorious transit thief says hes officially "retired."



In an exclusive jailhouse interview with the I-Team , 53 year-old Darius McCollum said he is hoping a Brooklyn Judge can be convinced the serial thief is not a danger to the community and should be released with support services.

I still need help, he said, and locking me up and throwing away the key is not the answer.

McCollum, who has a form of autism, has been obsessed with mass transit since he was a child. He was last arrested in 2015 for stealing an empty Greyhound bus. He has never hurt anyone or caused damage, but because he was a repeat offender, McCollum faced a possible life prison term.

In January, right before his trial, McCollum pleaded not guilty by reason of a mental disease or defect. He was ordered to Kirby Psychiatric Hospital on Wards Island. Kirby has housed some of New York Citys most infamous and violent criminal patients, including the so-called cannibal killer and the Upper East Side butcher.

The Brooklyn DAs office has repeatedly argued McCollum is dangerously mentally ill and a menace to society.

I know for a fact Im not dangerously mentally ill, said McCollum, adding: Ive never had any doctors say Im dangerous.

Two psychiatrists with the State Office of Mental Health recently examined McCollum and agreed he is not dangerously mentally ill or mentally ill under the law. The doctors recommended he be released into the community with supervision and services. The DAs office is fighting that recommendation.

Sally Butler, McCollums attorney, argued in court last month that her client had been threatened by patients and staff at Kirby. She requested McCollum be moved back to Rikers for safety reasons and Justice Ruth Shillingford granted that request.

Later this month, Justice Shillingford will hold a hearing on McCollums future. Should he be stay in a restrictive mental institution or be moved into a community environment with monitoring?

McCollum promised that if he is released with support services, he wont be stealing any more trains or buses.

Ive done too much as it is. Its time to move on. I dont feel like doing those things because it puts people in jeopardy, he said. He added, I dont have a pension but Im retired.
The World Health Organization has released a plan to help countries wipe out trans fats from the global food supply in the next five years.

The United Nations agency has in the past pushed to exterminate infectious diseases, but now it's aiming to erase a hazard linked to chronic illness.

In a statement Monday, the U.N. health agency said eliminating trans fats is critical to preventing deaths worldwide. WHO estimates that eating trans fats  commonly found in baked and processed foods  leads to the deaths of more than 500,000 people from heart disease every year.

"It's a crisis level, and it's major front in our fight now," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference in Geneva on Monday.

Officials think it can be done in five years because the work is well underway in many countries. Denmark did it 15 years ago, and since then the United States and more than 40 other higher-income countries have been working on getting the heart-clogging additives out of their food supplies.

The WHO is now pushing middle- and lower-income countries to pick up the fight, said Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the WHO's Department of Nutrition for Health and Development.

Artificial trans fats are unhealthy substances that are created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil to make it solid, like in the creation of margarine or shortening. Health experts say they can be replaced with canola oil or other products. There are also naturally occurring trans fats in some meats and dairy products.

The WHO recommends that no more than 1 percent of a person's calories come from trans fats.

"Trans fats are a harmful compound that can be removed easily without major cost and without any impact on the quality of the foods," Branca said.

Countries will likely have to use regulation or legislation to get food makers to make the switch, experts said.

At the WHO news conference Monday, a representative from a leading food industry trade group said companies are working to reduce trans fats in their products.

"We call on food producers in our sector to take prompt action and we stand ready to support effective measures to work toward the elimination of industrially produced trans fats and ensure a level playing field in this area," said Rocco Rinaldi, secretary-general of the International Food and Beverage Alliance.

Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who worked with WHO officials on the call to action, called its move unprecedented.

"The world is now setting its sights on today's leading killers  particularly heart disease, which kills more people than any other cause in almost every country," said Frieden, president of Resolve to Save Lives, a New-York-based project of an organization called Vital Strategies.

In the U.S., the first trans fatty food to hit the market was Crisco shortening, which went on sale in 1911. Trans fatty foods became increasingly popular beginning in the 1950s, partly because experts at the time thought they were healthier than cooking with butter or lard.

Food makers liked artificial trans fats because they prolonged product shelf life. They used them in doughnuts, cookies and deep-fried foods.

But studies gradually revealed that trans fats wreck cholesterol levels in the blood and drive up the risk of heart disease. Health advocates say trans fats are the most harmful fat in the food supply.

In the U.S., New York City in 2006 banned restaurants from serving food with trans fats. The same year the FDA required manufacturers to list trans fat content information on food labels.

Many manufacturers cut back, and studies showed trans fat levels in the blood of middle-aged U.S. adults fell by nearly 60 percent by the end of the decade.

In 2015, the FDA took steps to finish the job of eliminating trans fats, calling for manufacturers to stop selling trans fatty foods by June 18, 2018  a deadline that arrives next month. FDA officials have not said how much progress has been made or how they will enforce their rule against food makers that don't comply.

"The removal of trans fats from the food supply as an additive counts as one of the major public health victories of the last decade," said Laura MacCleery, policy director for the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The district attorney of New York City's borough of Manhattan says he will stop prosecuting low-level marijuana cases.

Cyrus Vance said Tuesday his office will decline to prosecute marijuana possession and smoking cases starting Aug. 1. He said there will be a few exceptions.

The move comes after The New York Times reported on the persistent racial gap in marijuana arrests.

The Times reported that blacks in the city are eight times more likely to be arrested on low-level marijuana charges as whites. The report said the difference cannot entirely be attributed to more residents in predominantly black neighborhoods calling police to complain about marijuana.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, said Tuesday that the police department will overhaul its citywide marijuana-arrest policies within the next 30 days.
What to Know A South Orange-Maplewood School Board member allegedly got into a verbal altercation with a police officer who stopped her for speeding

In a dash cam video, the alleged board member cursed, complained when she received a summons and called South Orange PD chief a skinhead"

The incident reminiscent of the traffic stop video that showed a former Port Authority official cursing at Tenafly police officers in NJ

In an incident reminiscent of the traffic stop video that showed a former Port Authority official cursing at Tenafly police officers in New Jersey, an alleged South Orange-Maplewood School Board member got into a verbal altercation in which she cursed, complained when she received a summons and called the South Orange police chief a skinhead cop after a South Orange police officer stopped her for speeding last month.

In the dash cam video of the April 27, someone identifying themselves as board member Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad was pulled over just before 8 a.m. on Walton Avenue near the border of South Orange and Maplewood, according to a published report.

The driver of the vehicle is heard telling police, My name is Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad, Im on the school board. Im a community member of this town and I am sorry if I was speeding, adding she didnt know she was speeding.

In no time during the dash cam video, can one see the driver's face.

The police officer can be heard telling the driver she was stopped for going 37 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone.

Top Tri-State News Photos

Im scared of cops, because you might hurt black people, the person who initially identified themselves as Lawson-Muhammad says in the video. Lawson-Muhammad is African-American. The officer who stopped her was Caucasian.

The driver also asks if her child can walk to school. He says they can and a child is seen exiting the car with a bookbag.

The cop later asks the driver if she would like him to call her an ambulance when she starts to cry and he says it looks like she might be having a panic attack, to which she responds no and that she found the question insulting.

That was a f---ing insult, you can hear her say on the dash cam video.

The driver also seemed to suggest that she would contact South Orange Village President Sheena Collum in response to the traffic stop. When she asks the officer if he is from Maplewood or South Orange and he mentions the latter, she says shell call Collum right now.

When the police officer asks for her drivers license and insurance card, she cannot find the license and hands over an expired insurance card. The officer can be seen heading toward his vehicle to issue her a summons.

Later, when the officer returns from his vehicle, the driver who initially identified themselves as Lawson-Muhammad appears to be crying, according to the video, and the officer asks her once more if she was okay to drive.

He tells her that she is getting a summons for speeding and another for not having a valid insurance card. He says the latter will require her to go to court to prove she had insurance on the date and time she was stopped.

Now you want me to go to court? I dont want to go to court. I have insurance, the driver says, adding that her husband, who she is talking to on her cell phone, can text the officer a picture of her insurance card.

When the officer says he cannot void a summons once it is written she says, Ill call Sheena, and your skinhead cop chief, too."

After the officer explains to her court date procedures, he is seen on video telling the driver of the car to "drive safe" and walks to his vehicle.

On Wednesday, the SOMA Black Parents Workshop, a group of community parents and residents who have a pending lawsuit against the South Orange-Maplewood School District alleging federal and state violations based on a pattern of policies and practices they say discriminated against African-American students, shared a letter on social media regarding the incident.

The letter, which was addressed to the president of the Board of Education, is in support of the officer and condemns Lawson-Muhammads alleged actions.

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More

The letter says it was clear that Lawson-Muhammad attempted to exercise her civic privilege, while the officer remains calms and proceeds to act in accordance to his duties.

The letter, signed by SOMA Black Parents Workshop Chairman Walter Fields, says that under no circumstances is this behavior, from a public servant no less, is acceptable. Ms. Lawson-Muhammad must resign her position and that she must issue a public apology to the officer.

There are real incidents of police misconduct. This was not one of them, Fields says in his letter.

South Orange Police Chief Kyle Kroll declined to comment on the incident.

The South Orange-Maplewood School District informed NBC New York they will have a comment later this afternoon. They have yet to respond.

NBC New York reached out to Lawson-Muhammad and South Orange Village president for comment, but they did not respond.

In addition, NBC New York filed an Open Public Records Act request with South Orange Wednesday to obtain a copy of the dash cam video.
Storms made an abject mess of the evening commute Tuesday, as Metro-North suspended all its lines out of Grand Central Terminal, and some of those commuter headaches are lingering into Wednesday morning.

After Metro-North suspended the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines entirely "to ensure customer safety during the course of the thunderstorms in our service area" at the height of the evening rush, the MTA briefly closed the terminal to ensure crowd safety.

Later on Tuesday evening, all three lines were running again, but with significant delays and some portions of the lines still suspended. By around 4 a.m. Wednesday, the railroad said some morning peak trains on both the Hudson and Harlem lines would be canceled. Click here for a list of canceled trains.

However, Metro-North said it's operating regular train service on Wednesday on the New Haven Line, regular service between Croton-Harmon and Grand Central on the Hudson Line and regular service between North White Plains and Grand Central on the Harlem Line.

It added that there was still limited service between Poughkeepsie and Croton Harmon on the Hudson Line as well as between Southeast and North White Plains on the Harlem Line. Service remains suspended between Wassaic and Southeast.

New York City subways, meanwhile, saw dangerously crowded stations, passageways and walkways on Tuesday, according to people complaining on social media. That overcrowding cleared significantly later in the evening.

Worst ever seen in almost 10 years in the city, @NYCTSubway pic.twitter.com/0H2aezpnM1  Fabian Buchheim (@FabianBuchheim) May 15, 2018

On Tuesday, an Uber ride from Grand Central Terminal to the Ardsley-on-Hudson Metro-North station -- a ride that usually costs as little as $58 -- was up to $237.

Check real-time updates right here from the MTA, local airports, NJ Transit, PATH and other sources.


What to Know North Korea canceled a high-level meeting with the South and threatened to scrap a historic summit next month between Trump and Kim Jong Un

A California judge threw out a 2016 state law allowing the terminally ill to end their lives, ruling it was unconstitutionally approved

Tom Wolfe who turned to his satiric wit to such novels as 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' and 'A Man in Full,' has died

Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here.

North Korea Threatens to Cancel US Summit Over Military Drills

North Korea canceled a high-level meeting with South Korea and threatened to scrap a historic summit next month between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over military exercises between Seoul and Washington that Pyongyang has long claimed are invasion rehearsals. A senior North Korean diplomat said Pyongyang will refuse to be pressured into one-sidedly abandoning its nukes. The surprise declaration, which came in a pre-dawn dispatch in North Korea's state media, appears to cool what had been an unusual flurry of outreach from a country that last year conducted a provocative series of weapons tests that had many fearing the region was on the edge of war. It's still unclear, however, whether the North intends to scuttle all diplomacy or merely wants to gain leverage ahead of the planned June 12 talks between Kim and Trump. North Korea's first vice foreign minister, Kim Kye Gwan, said Pyongyang has no interest in a summit with Washington if it's going to be a "one-sided" affair where it's pressured to give up its nukes.

Ash Cloud Over Hawaii Volcano Prompts Code-Red Warning

The Hawaiian volcano that forced evacuations by spewing lava and noxious fumes into communities prompted a red alert, as the U.S. Geological Survey noted an ash cloud rising more than two miles into the sky. The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded the aviation warning for Kilauea from orange to red, saying ash from the Halemaumau crater had been rising nearly continuously and in increased intensity. The ash cloud was observed as high as 12,000 feet above sea level and ashfall reported as far as 18 miles away. The USGS aviation code red designation means "major volcanic eruption is imminent, underway, or suspected with hazardous activity both on the ground and in the air." The upgraded warning comes a week after the molten lava destroyed at least 26 homes in the Leilani Estates area on the Big Island. Thousands are still under evacuation orders as volcanic activity continues. Shocking images of lava spilling onto roads and 20 fissures expanding in the earth emerged as reports of toxic gas forced residents from their homes.

Judge Tosses California Law Allowing Life-Ending Drugs

A California judge threw out a 2016 state law allowing the terminally ill to end their lives, ruling it was unconstitutionally approved by the Legislature. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia said lawmakers acted illegally in passing the law during a special session devoted to other topics, said lawyers for supporters and opponents. He did not address the legal issue of whether it was proper to allow people to take their own lives, and gave the state attorney general five days to appeal. Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment. The Life Legal Defense Foundation, American Academy of Medical Ethics and several physicians challenged the law, which allows adults to obtain a prescription for life-ending drugs if a doctor has determined they have six months or less to live. The plaintiffs say the law lacks safeguards to protect against abuse.

Bonfire of the Vanities Author Tom Wolfe Dies

Tom Wolfe, the white-suited wizard of "New Journalism" who exuberantly chronicled American culture from the Merry Pranksters through the space race before turning his satiric wit to such novels as "The Bonfire of the Vanities" and "A Man in Full," has died. He was 88. Wolfe's literary agent, Lynn Nesbit, told The Associated Press that he died of an infection in a New York City hospital. Further details were not immediately available. An acolyte of French novelist Emile Zola and other authors of "realistic" fiction, the stylishly-attired Wolfe was an American maverick who insisted that the only way to tell a great story was to go out and report it. Along with Gay Talese, Truman Capote and Nora Ephron, he helped demonstrate that journalism could offer the kinds of literary pleasure found in books. His hyperbolic, stylized writing work was a gleeful fusillade of exclamation points, italics and improbable words. An ingenious phrase maker, he helped brand such expressions as "radical chic" for rich liberals' fascination with revolutionaries; and the "Me" generation, defining the self-absorbed baby boomers of the 1970s.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte Confirmed in Royal Wedding Party

Britain's Prince George and Princess Charlotte are officially taking part in their uncle's wedding on Saturday. Kensington Palace announced they will be in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding party as a page boy and a bridesmaid. George, 4, and Charlotte, 3, the first two children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge William and Kate, had the same roles at their aunt Pippa Middleton's wedding last year. They welcomed a little brother, Prince Louis, last month. The list of bridesmaids and page boys announced Wednesday also includes several godchildren of Harry and Markle. The 10 children are as young as 2 and as old as 7. Kensington Palace didn't reveal what the wedding party would be wearing on Saturday.
Tom Meo crumbled the moment Cosmo DiNardos bullet struck his back.

Paralyzed and laying on the gravel driveway of DiNardos secluded farm, Meo screamed.

I cant feel my legs! I cant feel my legs!

Meos friend, Mark Sturgis, ran when the shooting started. He made it only 20 feet before DiNardo sprayed him with bullets from a silver revolver. Then, flustered by Meos screaming, DiNardo jumped onto his fathers backhoe. As he turned the earthmover toward Meo, the screams stopped.

Seconds later, the backhoe rolled over Meo. He died instantly.

On that grisly day in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, only Meo had plans to meet DiNardo. Sturgis was not expected to be there.

The murders  two of four DiNardo would commit in July 2017 with the help of his cousin, Sean Kratz  captivated the nation. A week-long search for the victims led local and federal investigators to a sprawling 90-acre farm near New Hope. It belonged to DiNardos family, who made their fortune from various trucking and concrete businesses.

DiNardo and Kratz both confessed to police. DiNardo pleaded guilty Wednesday, but Kratz pleaded not guilty to three counts of criminal homicide.

All four victims  Dean Finocchiaro, 19, of Middletown Township; Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg, Montgomery County; Meo, 21, of Plumstead Township; and Jimi Taro Patrick, 19, of Newtown Township  thought they were meeting DiNardo to buy pot.

Each drug deal turned into an ambush.

In confession tapes obtained exclusively by NBC10, DiNardo and Kratz, both 21 years old, detail the gruesome murders and the cousins attempts to cover their tracks. The motivation behind these murders seemed arbitrary, at best, throughout the nearly four hours of recorded audio.

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: Hear Cosmo DiNardos and Sean Kratzs confessions about the murders of four men on DiNardos Bucks County, Pennsylvania, farm  crimes that captivated the nation. Both men are serving life sentences.

DiNardo, who has a history of schizophrenia, was calm and unsentimental as he described shooting the men, dousing three of their bodies with gasoline and burning them in a pig roaster. By contrast, Kratzs voice cracked in the recordings when he recalled closing his eyes and shooting Finocchiaro moments before his cousin shot the dying man, again, for good measure.

Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said he will seek the death penalty and that prosecutors will use Kratz's recorded confession against him in trial.

Weintraub's office refused to release the recordings publicly saying the interviews were not part of the public record.

The murder spree started on July 5, 2017 with Jimi Taro Patrick. He and DiNardo had been classmates at Holy Ghost Preparatory High School in Bensalem. On that particular day, Patrick was in the market for marijuana. DiNardo considered himself a middle man, selling pot for a big dealer whom he identified only as Carlos.

Prior to their meeting, DiNardo told Patrick to bring $8,000 for a large amount of marijuana. He only showed up with $800, DiNardo told investigators. For that amount of money, DiNardo suggested selling him a gun instead. Patrick humored him. As Patrick goes to shoot the 12-gauge shotgun, DiNardo shot him in the back. He fell just 10 feet away from where DiNardo would later bury his body.

I go, get the backhoe, dig the hole, said a prayer, put him in the hole, DiNardo said during his confession.

He then burned Patricks money.

I didnt want the kids $800. I didnt kill him over the $800. I wasnt robbing him, he said. This was not going to go good for me. The guy would have shot me if I went to meet up with him and I didnt have the money.

Two days later, on July 7, DiNardo got ready for another drug deal. But first, DiNardo took a moment to buy nearly $300 worth of steaks and fish for his family.

With food in hand, DiNardo drove to his cousins home in Ambler and then to their grandmothers house to deliver the food. Together, DiNardo and Kratz went to meet Dean Finocchiaro and sell him a quarter-pound of weed.

DiNardo only had 2 ounces on him.

Their plan was simple. Instead of selling anything to Finocchiaro, the cousins would rob him. Maybe even kill him. It wouldnt be the first time DiNardo did that, he told Kratz.

He wanted me to rob [Finocchiaro] and then to shoot him, Kratz said in his confession tape. I wanted to go home, but [DiNardo] just made it clear that he wasnt taking me home.

Bucks County District Attorney's Office

Newtown Township Police, Middletown Township Police

The cousins were not close friends. DiNardo told investigators the two had only just started hanging out a few months prior. In his confession, DiNardo couldnt even remember which last name Kratz used.

Both men had a history of violence, however. DiNardo claimed to investigators he strangled one man to death in North Philadelphia and shot another in West Philadelphia when he was a teen. Philadelphia police said they have no evidence he committed those crimes.

In more recent years, DiNardo was banned from Arcadia University in Glenside and escorted off his high school alma maters campus. In both instances, officials reported that DiNardo made people feel uncomfortable. Arcadia University school officials told NBC10 they considered DiNardo a threat to public safety.

Kratz, meanwhile, was shot 19 times in March 2017. At the time of Finocchiaros murder, Kratz was out on bail following a pair of burglaries in Northeast Philadelphia. One neighbor told NBC10 he stole lawn equipment from a house and a dog from another. In June 2016, security cameras in Montgomery County showed Kratz breaking into a shed. He retaliated against the woman who turned him in by stealing her jewelry, according to court documents.

Despite his record, Kratz didnt consider himself a murderer. When it came time to kill Finocchiaro, he hesitated.

He wanted me to rob him in the woods and shoot him, take his money, Kratz said in his confession tape. I just couldnt do it.

DiNardo and Kratz picked up Finocchiaro in Bensalem and drove him to the DiNardo property in Solebury Township, where Patricks body lay freshly buried. Once there, the three jumped on four wheelers and followed dirt trails into the woods. There, Kratz was to shoot Finocchiaro, both told investigators.

When he didnt, DiNardo became agitated. He led Kratz and Finocchiaro into a barn under the pretense of checking out a Vespa. Kratz was nervous. He lit a cigarette. Finocchiaro fiddled on his phone.

"[DiNardo] gave me a signal  a hand gesture as a gun," Kratz said in the confession recording. "I kinda was hesitant. I pulled the gun out. I aimed it in the air, closed my eyes and fired a shot."

Finocchiaro collapsed to the ground. DiNardo took the gun away from Kratz and shot the dying Finocchiaro.

Kratz rushed out of the barn and vomited. DiNardo followed, laughing at his cousin who had never seen a dead body, Kratz said.

His head was split the hell open, DiNardo said during his confession. Half his brain was in the barn.

Snapchat

DiNardo covered Finocchiaros body with a tarp after cleaning out the dead mans pockets. A wad of cash, a phone and other belongings that could help identify Finochiarro were taken. DiNardo rolled the body onto the backhoe and then lifted it into a pig roaster located just outside the barn.

Around the same time, DiNardos father suddenly drove onto the property, Kratz said. The younger DiNardo went to meet him but the older DiNardo backed up his car and left. There was a woman sitting in the front seat who wasnt DiNardos mother, Kratz said. DiNardo was bent out of shape about this other woman. He swore to kill them both, according to Kratz's recorded confession.

Shortly after, DiNardo received a phone call from Tom Meo to arrange a drug deal that same day. It was supposed to be another set up. DiNardo and Kratz would rob Meo and then let him go. Instead, he showed up with Mark Sturgis and the deal soon turned into a bloodbath.

Several feet away, Finocchiaro's body slumped inside a metal pig roaster and Taro laid several feet underground. The bodies of Meo and Sturgis would soon join Finocchiaro in the roaster, later to be covered in gasoline and lit on fire. DiNardo used a blow torch to burn the phones and Meos car registration. He tried to give his cousin a dead mans cigarettes but Kratz refused, he said.

It was time for a break.

DiNardo drove to a nearby gas station and purchased about $30 worth of root beer, cream soda, water, iced tea and cigarettes for Kratz. He picked up Kratz at the barn after ensuring everything else appeared in order. The cousins jumped into DiNardos car and drove down Interstate 95 back to DiNardos house in Bensalem.

But first, they stopped for cheesesteaks.

I didnt eat mine, DiNardo said. I just did something so gruesome. I didnt have the appetite.

That night, Kratz stayed over DiNardos home. They each showered and put on clean clothes. They slept. Meanwhile, the bodies smoldered in the pig roaster.

Composite Image: AP/Bucks County District Attorney's Office

Early the next morning, on July 8, the cousins made further preparations to hide evidence. They hand washed DiNardos truck and then drove to Kratzs mother house in Northeast Philadelphia, where DiNardo would later hide the gun used to kill his victims. They also visited with Kratzs sister and her new baby. Kratz told investigators that during this visit, DiNardo made lewd comments to the young mom.

The cousins then drove to a barber shop owned by Kratzs uncle. DiNardo wanted a haircut and a shave. There, Kratz tossed the victims IDs into a sewer.

After the barber shop, Kratz and DiNardo drove to Franklin Mills for a professional car wash.

DiNardo received a frantic call from his mother. Kratz would later describe her in his police interview as hysterical. She drove to meet her son and nephew, and was sobbing by the time she arrived. Word had spread that Finocchiaro was missing and DiNardo was the last person to see him.

I told her I didnt know anything about it, DiNardo said. She said they always try to put everything on me.

DiNardo he was shaken by the encounter, Kratz told investigators during his confession.

Hes all, now, fired up and said that he has to go to the farm again  to get rid of the bodies, Kratz said in the confession.

Kratz asked to be taken home, but DiNardo brought him to the farm and disappeared into the woods with the backhoe. DiNardo hurried to bury the remains that had burned overnight. DiNardo also grabbed two guns, which police later determined were used in the murders. Those guns were taken to the home of Kratzs mother for hiding, but Kratz eventually removed them.

When asked why he moved that evidence, Kratz told investigators:

The same reason that I shot Dean  I was scared [DiNardo] was going to harm not only myself, but I have a one-and-a-half month-old nephew, got a little brother, a mother. He made it out like You say anything and Ill hurt you. After knowing what hes capable of, I was scared for others.

Kratz never spoke to his cousin again.

After more than an hour of questioning by Bucks County detectives, DiNardo finally broke down. His breathing quickened and sobs erupted in a moment of uncharacteristic distress.

I threw my life away for nothing. All Ive done is nothing, he cried. I ruined peoples families.
Scott Wagner, a York native who made a fortune in the sanitation business, won the Republican primary for Pennsylvania governor and will challenge incumbent Gov. Tom Wolf in November.

Fellow Republican Lou Barletta, a U.S. representative from northeast Pennsylvania who had been backed by President Trump, won his primary for U.S. Senate. He will face off against Democratic incumbent Bob Casey.

For Democratic challengers, the biggest win came in the primary for lieutenant governor, where a small-town mayor from western Pennsylvania surprised incumbent Mike Stack, a longtime Northeast Philadelphia politician.

John Fetterman, a 6-foot-8-inch-tall mountain of a man with a Harvard pedigree who took Pennsylvania politics by storm in a U.S. Senate run two years ago, upset Stack while beating out three other challengers.

He will face off against the Republican nominee, Jeff Bartos, a businessman who beat out three other candidates.

Fetterman has served as mayor of the Rust Belt borough of Braddock since 2005. He recently received the endorsement of former presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, which added momentum to his progressive platform.

Voters in southeastern Pennsylvania also picked candidates for Congress, and the state is expected to be a battleground in November as Democrats try to wrest control of the U.S. House and possibly the U.S. Senate from Republicans.

It was the most crowded field of congressional hopefuls in more than 30 years. Three of the 11 candidates on the ballot in Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District had not even been born the last time there were this many people running for office in a state mid-term election.

Check NBC10.com's Live Election Results page here for continuous updates of Pennsylvania's races.

Incumbent U.S. Reps. Dwight Evans and Brendan Boyle were the first declared victors in the Pennsylvania mid-term primary election Tuesday night. Both were heavy favorites in the 2nd and 3rd district Democratic primaries, respectively. Evans will face Bryan Leib while Boyle will face David Torres.

Incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick won the race for the GOP nomination for the U.S. House from the 1st Congressional District, beating challenger Dean Malik, who had aligned himself with Trump.

State Rep. Madeleine Dean, a Democrat who represents a portion of Montgomery County, won her primary in the 4th Congressional District.

She is one of eight women -- so far -- vying for Congressional seats from Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth currently doesn't have any women representing residents in Congress.



The 5th District is sure to send a woman to Congress: Mary Gay Scanlon beat nine other candidates to win the Democratic nomination, while Pearl Kim was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Also in Southeastern Pennsylvania, former Allentown solicitor Susan Wild won the Democratic nomination for the 7th Congressional District, narrowly beating out Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli.

In other contested races, Denny Wolff won the Democratic nomination for the 9th Congressional District, while Dan Meuser won the Republican nomination.

One race in the area remained too close to call at midnight: The two men running for the GOP nomination in the 7th District, Marty Nothstein and Dean Browning, were separated by about 300 votes.

All 203 state House seats and 25 of the 50 Senate seats are up for election this year, and Democrats have prepared intense campaigns to try overturning Republicans' strong majorities in both chambers.

The primary was a culmination of the dizzying effects to a complete overhaul of the state's congressional district map. The state Supreme Court ruled the old map was gerrymandered, threw it out, then drew their own.

The lead-up to the May 5 election left many incumbents dropping out, switching races or defending against challenges from within their own party.

Meanwhile, the #MeToo movement and disgust with President Donald Trump contributed to a historic number of women jumping into the political arena.

Twenty-three women ran in 13 of the 18 districts, according to the Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics.

Primary day saw severe storms throughout the state. Pennsylvania's acting secretary of state said they were "very challenged with severe weather."

At least 12 counties reported power outages. In Carbon County, they needed a new location for polling because of power issues.

There were also reports of local roads closed because of storm damage.

The hours at one polling site in Monroe County were extended because of a gas leak.

In Elk and Wyoming Counties, theyre still struggling to get power back on to do post-election reporting.

Looking ahead to the November election? Here's some information:

How do I vote?

Its not too late to register for the November general election. The first day to apply for absentee ballot for the general election is Sept. 17. The last day to register to vote in person in the general election is Oct. 9. Meanwhile, the last day to apply for absentee ballot for general election is Oct. 30.

To find your voting precinct, visit the Pennsylvania Department of State website and enter your address.

How do I register to vote?

Save time and money by registering online for the November general election. You dont need a stamp or gas to do so. Just log on and click here to register. If youre not sure whether or not you already registered, click here to check your status.

Why did so many people run?

Thank the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for the chaotic cluster that became the midterm elections. In February, just one month before the deadline for candidates to declare their intention to run, the states highest court threw out the old congressional map and replaced it with a new one. The remedial map dramatically changed the shape and size of congressional districts, and forced many candidates to rethink their campaigns. Some decided to run in a completely district. Other simply dropped out. And many more saw wide open seats in districts that never existed before.

To understand the whole saga, read our explainer here.

Do I need any identification to vote?

If you have voted at your polling location before, you do not need to bring ID to vote. Only voters who are voting for the first time in their election district need to show ID. Acceptable IDs for first-time voters:

Drivers license

U.S. passport

Military, student, or employee ID

Voter registration card

Firearm permit

Current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government check

Any ID issued by the commonwealth or federal government

Note: An ID without your photo must have your address on it.
Police arrested two men accused of stealing weapons from a Chester County gun shop, prompting a lockdown at nearby schools.

Police say Shane Wolf, 23, of Downingtown, Pennsylvania and Taylor OBrien, 22, of Malvern, stole an undetermined amount of weapons from Chester County Outdoors on Lancaster Avenue in East Whiteland Township around 5 a.m. Tuesday.

East Whiteland Police officers who were responding to a separate incident spotted both suspects fleeing from the store, investigators said. Police arrested OBrien near the General Warren Inn on Old Lancaster Road. As police continued to search for Wolf, nearby schools, including St. Patrick School on Channing Avenue, were placed on lockdown.

The school was notified by the police that they should be in lockdown and all students if they hadnt been to school should remain at home, Sharon Alexander, a parent of students at St. Patrick, told NBC10.

After an extended search, police were able to capture Wolf in a yard just behind St. Patrick School, officials said. Bryan Scott lives near where Wolf was taken into custody and witnessed the arrest.

It looked almost like a military truck, like a SWAT kind of truck, Scott said. There were tons of cars. I mean the police were all over the place. The state police helicopters were hovering around.

Wolf and OBrien were both taken into custody and police recovered all of the stolen weapons, investigators said.

Police say Wolf and OBrien were the only people involved in the theft. They continue to investigate how they stole the weapons.


Police are searching for two suspects accused of attacking two men outside a bar in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Kyle Leitham, 24, told NBC10 he was celebrating his brother's 21st birthday with a group of friends at the Landmark Americana Bar on W. Gay Street back on May 6 around 12:10 a.m. While outside the bar, Leitham says he and his friend accidentally bumped into two other men. The suspects then attacked them.

"The way they started swinging for no reason, it seemed like they were looking for a fight," Leitham said.

Leitham was knocked unconscious after one of the suspects punched him, causing him to fall and hit his head on the curb. He also said his friends jaw was broken and it had to be wired shut after the attack.

"It happened all of a sudden and I just didn't even see it coming," Leitham said. "I just got knocked out."

Leitham had four staples in his head which were removed Monday. He's still feeling the after effects of his injury.

"Every now and then I'll feel it. I'll get like, a headache," he said. "It's sometimes hard to keep reading on the computer screen, it like hurts your eyes."

Police released surveillance photos of the two suspects. If you have any information on their identities, please call West Chester detectives at 610-696-2700.


President Donald Trump backed two successful U.S. Senate nominees in Pennsylvania and Nebraska, which were among four states holding primaries Tuesday.

The primaries began to settle swing state Pennsylvania's chaotic congressional landscape after a court fight ended with redrawn districts just three months ago. Amid the redistricting, Republican Rick Saccone recorded his second loss in two months in two U.S. House districts.

Among the more unusual results of Tuesday's primaries was the loss by Pennsylvania's Democratic lieutenant governor, Mike Stack, who was ousted by mayor John Fetterman.

Oregon and Idaho also held primary elections.

Here's a look at some of the other interesting races:

TRUMP'S PICKS PREVAIL

Two of the president's favored candidates, Lou Barletta in Pennsylvania and Deb Fischer in Nebraska, won their U.S. Senate primaries.

Trump congratulated his picks in a pair of tweets Wednesday morning.

Congratulations to Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania. He will be a great Senator and will represent his people well - like they havent been represented in many years. Lou is a friend of mine and a special guy, he will very much help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2018

Barletta, currently a congressman, was heavily favored over state Rep. Jim Christiana to become the Republican challenger for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is seeking a third term in November.

Barletta was a Trump supporter before the 2016 presidential nomination was settled. Trump asked Barletta to run for Senate, and the president is expected to visit Pennsylvania to campaign for him. The president also recorded telephone calls last weekend backing Barletta "fully, strongly and proudly."

Fischer, the incumbent, defeated four GOP challengers and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska. Her Democratic opponent is Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould.

Last week, Trump urged GOP Senate primary voters to support Rep. Jim Renacci in the Ohio Senate and oppose former coal company executive Don Blankenship in West Virginia. Renacci won and Blankenship lost.

WOMEN RULE IN REDRAWN DISTRICTS

Pennsylvania could send at least three women Congress next year, breaking the all-male hold on the state's 18-member U.S. House delegation.

Mary Gay Scanlon won a 10-way Democratic primary and Madeleine Dean won a three-way Democratic primary on Tuesday night for two suburban Philadelphia seats that are likely to flip to Democrats following a court-ordered redrawing of the state's congressional district boundaries.

Meanwhile, Chrissy Houlahan is the uncontested Democratic nominee for another suburban Philadelphia seat where she's heavily favored in November.

Women won contested Democratic primaries in three other seats in Pennsylvania, although two of those seats are in solidly Republican districts and another is considered a toss-up in November.

INCUMBENT LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR FALLS

Mike Stack became the first holder of the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor's office to lose in a primary election.

John Fetterman, the Braddock mayor, won the five-way Democratic Party primary race for lieutenant governor Tuesday, meaning he will run on a ticket with Gov. Tom Wolf in the fall. Pennsylvania first started allowing lieutenant governors to serve a second term in the 1970s.

Fetterman had made a failed bid in 2016 for the U.S. Senate.

Stack, a former Philadelphia state senator, has had a chilly relationship with Wolf in their first term together.

Wolf last year ordered an investigation into the treatment of state employees by Stack and his wife and stripped Stack of state police protection.

SECOND LOSS IN TWO MONTHS FOR SACCONE

Pennsylvania state Rep. Rick Saccone, who lost a special election two months ago to Democrat Conor Lamb for a congressional seat, has now lost a two-way Republican primary for a different U.S. House seat.

Saccone lost Tuesday's 14th Congressional District primary election to state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler for the open seat in a heavily Republican, newly drawn district.

In March, Lamb narrowly beat Saccone in a district that President Donald Trump won in 2016 by about 20 percentage points. The president campaigned in the district twice and sent several tweets on Saccone's behalf. The White House later contended that it was Lamb who had had embraced the president's policies and vision.

POLITICAL NEWCOMER WINS IN NEBRASKA

Social worker and political newcomer Kara Eastman has won the Democratic nomination for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District.

Eastman defeated former Rep. Brad Ashford in Tuesday's primary election with a campaign that cast her as a champion of liberal ideals, including supporting a single-payer health care system.

Eastman contrasted herself against Ashford, a centrist and former Republican who focused on his legislative experience and willingness to work with conservatives.

She will now face Rep. Don Bacon, a first-term Republican who defeated Ashford in the 2016 election.

Ashford had been the first Democrat in two decades to win the district, which encompasses much of the Omaha metro area. Although Omaha's strong Democratic core is balanced out by more conservative suburbs, the district gives Democrats a fighting chance of capturing a congressional seat in a state that is otherwise overwhelmingly Republican.

OREGON CHOOSES GOP CANDIDATE AMONG 10 GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFULS

State Rep. Knute Buehler has emerged from a crowded primary to capture the Republican nomination for Oregon governor.

Buehler, who ran for secretary of state in 2012, was the most centrist of the Republican front-runners. He was among 10 GOP candidates in the primary.

However, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown remains the favorite to win in November. Brown became governor in 2015 upon the resignation of Gov. John Kitzhaber following an ethics scandal, and she won a special election in 2016.

Oregon is among eight states where Democrats control the governorship and both houses of the state legislature. Voters who identify as Democrats also outnumber their Republican counterparts by more than 9 percentage points.

IN IDAHO GOVERNOR'S RACE, A DEMOCRATIC FIRST

When former state Rep. Paulette Jordan, 38, won her primary, she became the first woman to be the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Idaho. If she wins the general election, Jordan, a member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, would not only be the first woman to serve as Idaho governor but also the first Native American woman to serve in that position in any state.

But she faces a difficult race: Idaho hasn't elected a Democratic governor since 1990, and the Republican Party now controls a supermajority on all federal, state and legislative seats.

Lt. Gov. Brad Little, 64, a rancher who has spent the past 16 years in elected office, secured the GOP nomination. He's the pick of Republican Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, who decided not to seek a fourth term.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized former President Barack Obama and the nuclear deal with Iran that was sealed in 2015.

On Tuesday, in announcing the U.S. would be pulling out of that deal, Trump said the agreement has a "decaying and rotten structure."

Below are Trump's full remarks, followed by Obama's statement, which he issued later in the day.

Trump:

My fellow Americans: Today, I want to update the world on our efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

The Iranian regime is the leading state sponsor of terror. It exports dangerous missiles, fuels conflicts across the Middle East, and supports terrorist proxies and militias such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Taliban, and al Qaeda.

Over the years, Iran and its proxies have bombed American embassies and military installations, murdered hundreds of American servicemembers, and kidnapped, imprisoned, and tortured American citizens. The Iranian regime has funded its long reign of chaos and terror by plundering the wealth of its own people.

No action taken by the regime has been more dangerous than its pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means of delivering them.

In 2015, the previous administration joined with other nations in a deal regarding Iran's nuclear program. This agreement was known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

In theory, the so-called "Iran deal" was supposed to protect the United States and our allies from the lunacy of an Iranian nuclear bomb, a weapon that will only endanger the survival of the Iranian regime. In fact, the deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and, over time, reach the brink of a nuclear breakout.

The deal lifted crippling economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for very weak limits on the regime's nuclear activity, and no limits at all on its other malign behavior, including its sinister activities in Syria, Yemen, and other places all around the world.

In other words, at the point when the United States had maximum leverage, this disastrous deal gave this regime -- and it's a regime of great terror -- many billions of dollars, some of it in actual cash -- a great embarrassment to me as a citizen and to all citizens of the United States.

A constructive deal could easily have been struck at the time, but it wasn't. At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program.

Today, we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie. Last week, Israel published intelligence documents long concealed by Iran, conclusively showing the Iranian regime and its history of pursuing nuclear weapons.

The fact is this was a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made. It didnt bring calm, it didnt bring peace, and it never will.

In the years since the deal was reached, Irans military budget has grown by almost 40 percent, while its economy is doing very badly. After the sanctions were lifted, the dictatorship used its new funds to build nuclear-capable missiles, support terrorism, and cause havoc throughout the Middle East and beyond.

The agreement was so poorly negotiated that even if Iran fully complies, the regime can still be on the verge of a nuclear breakout in just a short period of time. The deal's sunset provisions are totally unacceptable. If I allowed this deal to stand, there would soon be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Everyone would want their weapons ready by the time Iran had theirs.

Making matters worse, the deals inspection provisions lack adequate mechanisms to prevent, detect, and punish cheating, and don't even have the unqualified right to inspect many important locations, including military facilities.

Not only does the deal fail to halt Irans nuclear ambitions, but it also fails to address the regimes development of ballistic missiles that could deliver nuclear warheads.

Finally, the deal does nothing to constrain Irans destabilizing activities, including its support for terrorism. Since the agreement, Irans bloody ambitions have grown only more brazen.

In light of these glaring flaws, I announced last October that the Iran deal must either be renegotiated or terminated.

Three months later, on January 12th, I repeated these conditions. I made clear that if the deal could not be fixed, the United States would no longer be a party to the agreement.

Over the past few months, we have engaged extensively with our allies and partners around the world, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. We have also consulted with our friends from across the Middle East. We are unified in our understanding of the threat and in our conviction that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.

After these consultations, it is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement.

The Iran deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen. In just a short period of time, the worlds leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the worlds most dangerous weapons.

Therefore, I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

In a few moments, I will sign a presidential memorandum to begin reinstating U.S. nuclear sanctions on the Iranian regime. We will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction. Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States.

America will not be held hostage to nuclear blackmail. We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction. And we will not allow a regime that chants Death to America to gain access to the most deadly weapons on Earth.

Todays action sends a critical message: The United States no longer makes empty threats. When I make promises, I keep them. In fact, at this very moment, Secretary Pompeo is on his way to North Korea in preparation for my upcoming meeting with Kim Jong-un. Plans are being made. Relationships are building. Hopefully, a deal will happen and, with the help of China, South Korea, and Japan, a future of great prosperity and security can be achieved for everyone.

As we exit the Iran deal, we will be working with our allies to find a real, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear threat. This will include efforts to eliminate the threat of Irans ballistic missile program; to stop its terrorist activities worldwide; and to block its menacing activity across the Middle East. In the meantime, powerful sanctions will go into full effect. If the regime continues its nuclear aspirations, it will have bigger problems than it has ever had before.

Finally, I want to deliver a message to the long-suffering people of Iran: The people of America stand with you. It has now been almost 40 years since this dictatorship seized power and took a proud nation hostage. Most of Irans 80 million citizens have sadly never known an Iran that prospered in peace with its neighbors and commanded the admiration of the world.

But the future of Iran belongs to its people. They are the rightful heirs to a rich culture and an ancient land. And they deserve a nation that does justice to their dreams, honor to their history, and glory to God.

Irans leaders will naturally say that they refuse to negotiate a new deal; they refuse. And that's fine. I'd probably say the same thing if I was in their position. But the fact is they are going to want to make a new and lasting deal, one that benefits all of Iran and the Iranian people. When they do, I am ready, willing, and able.

Great things can happen for Iran, and great things can happen for the peace and stability that we all want in the Middle East.

There has been enough suffering, death, and destruction. Let it end now.

Thank you. God bless you. Thank you.

Obama:

There are few issues more important to the security of the United States than the potential spread of nuclear weapons, or the potential for even more destructive war in the Middle East. Thats why the United States negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the first place.

The reality is clear. The JCPOA is working  that is a view shared by our European allies, independent experts, and the current U.S. Secretary of Defense. The JCPOA is in Americas interest  it has significantly rolled back Irans nuclear program. And the JCPOA is a model for what diplomacy can accomplish  its inspections and verification regime is precisely what the United States should be working to put in place with North Korea. Indeed, at a time when we are all rooting for diplomacy with North Korea to succeed, walking away from the JCPOA risks losing a deal that accomplishes  with Iran  the very outcome that we are pursuing with the North Koreans.

That is why todays announcement is so misguided. Walking away from the JCPOA turns our back on Americas closest allies, and an agreement that our countrys leading diplomats, scientists, and intelligence professionals negotiated. In a democracy, there will always be changes in policies and priorities from one Administration to the next. But the consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding Americas credibility, and puts us at odds with the worlds major powers.

Debates in our country should be informed by facts, especially debates that have proven to be divisive. So its important to review several facts about the JCPOA.

First, the JCPOA was not just an agreement between my Administration and the Iranian government. After years of building an international coalition that could impose crippling sanctions on Iran, we reached the JCPOA together with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the European Union, Russia, China, and Iran. It is a multilateral arms control deal, unanimously endorsed by a United Nations Security Council Resolution.

Second, the JCPOA has worked in rolling back Irans nuclear program. For decades, Iran had steadily advanced its nuclear program, approaching the point where they could rapidly produce enough fissile material to build a bomb. The JCPOA put a lid on that breakout capacity. Since the JCPOA was implemented, Iran has destroyed the core of a reactor that could have produced weapons-grade plutonium; removed two-thirds of its centrifuges (over 13,000) and placed them under international monitoring; and eliminated 97 percent of its stockpile of enriched uranium  the raw materials necessary for a bomb. So by any measure, the JCPOA has imposed strict limitations on Iran's nuclear program and achieved real results.

Third, the JCPOA does not rely on trust  it is rooted in the most far-reaching inspections and verification regime ever negotiated in an arms control deal. Irans nuclear facilities are strictly monitored. International monitors also have access to Irans entire nuclear supply chain, so that we can catch them if they cheat. Without the JCPOA, this monitoring and inspections regime would go away.

Fourth, Iran is complying with the JCPOA. That was not simply the view of my Administration. The United States intelligence community has continued to find that Iran is meeting its responsibilities under the deal, and has reported as much to Congress. So have our closest allies, and the international agency responsible for verifying Iranian compliance  the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Fifth, the JCPOA does not expire. The prohibition on Iran ever obtaining a nuclear weapon is permanent. Some of the most important and intrusive inspections codified by the JCPOA are permanent. Even as some of the provisions in the JCPOA do become less strict with time, this wont happen until ten, fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five years into the deal, so there is little reason to put those restrictions at risk today.

Finally, the JCPOA was never intended to solve all of our problems with Iran. We were clear-eyed that Iran engages in destabilizing behavior  including support for terrorism, and threats toward Israel and its neighbors. But thats precisely why it was so important that we prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Every aspect of Iranian behavior that is troubling is far more dangerous if their nuclear program is unconstrained. Our ability to confront Irans destabilizing behavior  and to sustain a unity of purpose with our allies  is strengthened with the JCPOA, and weakened without it.

Because of these facts, I believe that the decision to put the JCPOA at risk without any Iranian violation of the deal is a serious mistake. Without the JCPOA, the United States could eventually be left with a losing choice between a nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East. We all know the dangers of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. It could embolden an already dangerous regime; threaten our friends with destruction; pose unacceptable dangers to Americas own security; and trigger an arms race in the worlds most dangerous region. If the constraints on Irans nuclear program under the JCPOA are lost, we could be hastening the day when we are faced with the choice between living with that threat, or going to war to prevent it.

In a dangerous world, America must be able to rely in part on strong, principled diplomacy to secure our country. We have been safer in the years since we achieved the JCPOA, thanks in part to the work of our diplomats, many members of Congress, and our allies. Going forward, I hope that Americans continue to speak out in support of the kind of strong, principled, fact-based, and unifying leadership that can best secure our country and uphold our responsibilities around the globe.
Season three of the reality show "Below Deck Mediterranean" sets its sails this evening against the beautiful backdrop of Italy as Captain Sandy Yawn and her crew voyage upon the 178 foot "Talisman Maiton" yacht.

The show features Chief Stew Hannah Ferrier and Chef Adam Glick as well as a whole new crew of deckhands as they travel across the country from Naples to Capri and Positano.

Ferrier, who has been on the show all three seasons, says the breathtaking atmosphere of Italy and the unique and genuine crew aboard the yacht this season has been one of the best experiences she has ever had.

"To me, Italy is the best of everything we've had so far," Ferrier said. "We've had the really chilled out laid back atmosphere like Greece and it's so much more beautiful than Croatia. And on top of that, you have the food and the wine so you really can't go wrong."

The Sydney, Australia native explained that being a part of a crew on a yacht is challenging. She's dealt with clashing personalities and balancing her work and personal life during her eight years as a stewardess. But Ferrier embraces her role as a leader and says in order to survive in the industry crew members must have the right attitude and an indelible work ethic.

"If you want to join yachting you need to dedicate your entire life to it. You need to be committed for at least five years. You need to do whatever it takes to get the job done and I think the most important thing is your attitude." Ferrier said.

"If you're going to come in and complain about the long work hours or the bad living environment or the chef's food you're just not going to survive. You need to be very strong at your core."

Below Deck Mediterranean season three premieres May 15th on Bravo at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Two San Diego County politicians were among more than a dozen California officials who met with President Donald Trump Wednesday for a roundtable discussion about Californias immigration policies.



The President invited San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar and Escondido Mayor Sam Abed to meet with him, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

Abed told the president he was committed to creating a PAC to fight the California Values Act or Senate Bill 54, a law passed last year designed to protect undocumented people in the state. Some say the law makes California a "sanctuary" for immigrants.

When asked by the president to report on how the proposed border wall construction was going, Gaspar smiled and answered, "It's going."

NBC 7 has reported the only current construction along the U.S.-Mexico border is replacement fence.

The Republican politicians represent local governments that recently decided to support a Department of Justice lawsuit against the state of California.

The California Values Act took effect on January 1 and prohibits local law enforcement officials throughout the state from asking about immigration status. It also bars local authorities from holding undocumented immigrants in jails until federal authorities can pick them up.

Trump administration lawyers are arguing that California can't make a law impeding immigration enforcement, and the council's vote is a show of support for that argument.

The Escondido City Council voted 4-1 in favor of supporting the lawsuit on April 5.

Gaspar voted to join the lawsuit on April 18, along with supervisors Bill Horn and Dianne Jacob. Supervisor John Cox dissented and Supervisor Ron Roberts was absent from the vote.

Both Gaspar and Jacob repeatedly said the decision was based on maintaining public safety and keeping criminals out of the region.

The trip to Washington, D.C. comes a day after the San Diego City Council voted 5-2 to join an amicus brief opposing the Trump administrations lawsuit against so-called sanctuary city laws.
What to Know Scattered thunderstorms could bring heavy rain, lightning, strong winds and hail.

The D.C. area is under a severe thunderstorm watch until 11 p.m. and a flash flood watch until 1 a.m.

Flood concerns continue through the week, with more rain expected every day into the weekend.

Severe thunderstorms in D.C. and neighboring areas brought heavy rain, lightning, strong winds, hail and flooding.

Emergency crews have responded to more than a dozen 911 calls for water rescues, the National Weather Service said.

Parts of Frederick County are under a flash flood warning until 11:45 p.m. Several streets in the county were flooded with water that reached the top of cars' tires.

As much as 1-3 inches of rain is possible in places, with Loudoun, Montgomery, Frederick and Howard counties likely to get hit hardest. It's unclear how far south the storms will drop.

Severe thunderstorm watches took effect for D.C., Falls Church, Alexandria and Fairfax and Prince George's counties, and Anne Arundel, Frederick and Carroll counties are under a flood warning.

Find a complete list of watches and warnings here.

Storm Team4 has declared Tuesday a Weather Alert Day.

Anne Arundel, Carroll, Frederick, Howard and Montgomery counties are among those under a flood warning.

Flood concerns continue through the week, with more rain expected Wednesday. Then a tropical system giving Florida a lot of rain is expected to move into the area Thursday heading into Friday.

On Monday, a series of storms downed power lines, grounded flights and sparked at least two fires.

Lightning struck two homes about two miles apart in Takoma, causing them to catch fire, Montgomery County Fire said. More than 100 firefighters responded. No one was reported injured.

A tree branch impaled the windshield of one car as it traveled down Route 7 in Vienna, Virginia, injuring the driver. In Northeast D.C., a large tree fell onto a car, crushing the hood.

Authorities throughout the D.C. area cautioned residents to avoid downed power lines.

Photos: Chaotic Scenes as Storms Pummel DC Area

More than 35,000 Northern Virginians lost power. More than 1,000 people lost power in Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

Service has been restored to many of those people, but more than 7,700 Dominion Virginia customers in Northern Virginia were still without power shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Up to two inches of rain fell, the National Weather Service said.

Schools in Spotsylvania County are closed Tuesday due to the weather. In Page County, schools were set to open two hours late.

Planes were temporarily grounded at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. At Dulles, officials told passengers to stay away from windows.

Fliers at Dulles International Airport were told to take shelter as severe storms passed through the area. News4's Shomari Stone reports.

Near Dulles airport at about 6:30 p.m., hail and heavy rain were falling, and winds were heavy, News4's David Culver reported.

Storms damaged cars, power lines and trees throughout the D.C. area Monday. News4's Jackie Bensen reports.

This persistent pattern of rain will stick with us through the weekend. There will be shower in the forecast every day.

Temperatures will reach the 90s Tuesday with high humidity. Expect highs in the lower 80s Wednesday. By Thursday, the temperature will drop to the upper 70s.
A man pleaded not guilty to allegations that he beat another man with a bat in Brockton, Massachusetts, late Tuesday night.

Twenty-eight-year-old Brockton resident Jean Brazile was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and mayhem, according to Brockton police.

Officers responded to the parking lot of the Brockton Mini Mart on Pleasant Street at about 10 p.m., where the victim had been beaten with a bat.

The man, who has not been identified, was taken to Brockton Hospital with serious injuries. His current condition is unclear.

The parking lot is where two men were shot as they sat in their car on Saturday night. One of those men was killed.

Brazile faced a judge Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Editor's note: Police initially said a metal pipe was used in the attack; however, they said was determined later that the weapon was a bat.
The News in Brief

25 Persons and Entities fined for Violating Tobacco Ban



The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that from May 1 to May 8, 12 individuals and 13 legal entities were fined for violating the law on tobacco use.



"From May 1 to May 8, there had been 46 notifications regarding the violation of the tobacco use rules throughout Georgia. Patrol police relevantly responded to each notification", the Ministry of Internal Affairs informed.



On May 17, 2017 Georgian Parliament passed amendments to the Law on Tobacco Control and on May 1st 2018 smoking in public places and buildings was officially banned.



Tobacco ban prohibits smoking in buildings with the exception of houses, psychiatric clinics, penitentiary facilities and casinos. Smoking cigars is only allowed in cigar bars where food products are not sold.



Smoking ban applies to electronic cigarettes and hookah as well.







UN Ambassadors Visit Occupation Line



Eight Permanent Representatives of United Nations (UN) from Latin America, Africa and Asia, who are paying a visit to Georgia on May 5-12, met with the Georgian leaders, and traveled to the occupation line near village Khurvaleti adjacent to Tskhinvali region.



According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, similar visits are held annually and aim at raising awareness on Georgia and developing bilateral ties with UN member states.



This is an excellent opportunity to touch base with Georgian authorities and discuss numerous issues of international agenda, both of Georgia as well as of international community, Uruguays UN Ambassador Elbio Rosselli stated.



Georgias Permanent Representative to the UN, Kakha Imnadze, who accompanied the delegation to the occupation line, underscored that through such visits the ambassadors are becoming familiar with Georgias reform achievements and its challenges.



Naturally, we cannot sidestep the problem we are facing concerning the occupied territories; and today, we are in Khurvaleti, where the ambassadors can themselves see the Russian occupation, Imnadze said.



On 10 May, UN Ambassadors met with the Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze, who informed them about Georgias foreign policy priorities, its reform agenda and the human rights and security situation in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions.



The diplomats also separately met with the President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, and the Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze.

(Prepared by Anano Margebadze)




A man accused of leading Maine authorities on a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle after stealing and then ditching a police cruiser while handcuffed faced a judge Wednesday afternoon.

Charges filed against 22-year-old Tyler Tibbetts include possession of a firearm, stealing a police cruiser and stealing a second car, according to WCSH6.

Tibbetts was arrested Friday after crashing the second stolen vehicle into trees during the chase with law enforcement officials off of Route 15 in Corinth. He was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center for treatment, and he was placed into police custody on Tuesday.

WCSH6 reports Tibbetts was squatting at a home on Garland Road in Dexter with his girlfriend and 3-year-old child. Police reportedly arrived after the homeowners called them; however, a handcuffed Tibbetts was allegedly able to move the handcuffs to the front of his body, climb through an 11-inch-by-11-inch opening in the cruiser and then drive away as officers were reportedly installing a child car seat in a second cruiser.

Penobscot County Assistant District Attorney Mary Ann Lynch told WCSH that Tibbetts tried to get someone to help him remove the handcuffs after ditching the cruiser in Garland, but added, "That didn't happen."

It's unclear if Tibbetts has an attorney or when he'll appear in court next.

WCSH reported Tibbetts was out on probation at the time of Friday's theft and chase, and has felony charges pending in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties.
A Massachusetts woman is facing charges in New Hampshire after she allegedly overdosed in her minivan with her 4-year-old son in the back seat.

Manchester police said officers and firefighters responded to an overdose inside of a parked minivan that had keys in the ignition on Wilson Street just after 10 a.m. on Tuesday, where they found a woman with a hypodermic needle on her lap and a boy passed out in the back of the vehicle.

Investigators said the mother and son were inside of the vehicle that had its windows rolled up for about an hour as temperatures reached 86 degrees outside.

First responders used two doses of Narcan on the woman, later identified as 34-year-old Dracut resident Sara Donlon, as they treated her son.

Police found small bags of heroin and cocaine on Donlon, and she was arrested while her son was taken to a local hospital to be checked out. Her child was cleared and was released to his biological father.

Donlon was released on $1,000 personal recognizance bail after being charged with operating under the influence of drugs/alcohol and endangering the welfare of a child. She's due in court on June 6. It's unclear if she has an attorney.
A Vermont woman called 911 to say her husband was pointing a gun at her while he was drinking before she was found dead, state police said.

State police said responding troopers found Thea Swartz dead on the floor in a room inside her Orleans home and her husband, Randall Swartz, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound in the same room Tuesday night following the 911 call.

Randall Swartz, 58, was first taken to North Country Hospital in Newport and was ultimately taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, for further treatment. He has not been charged in connection with his wife's death at this time.

The Vermont Chief Medical Examiner's Office will determine the exact cause and manner of Thea Swartz's death, state police said.

The investigation is ongoing.
The suspect who fired at police, prompting an hours-long standoff, has been found dead of an apparent suicide, according to police.

The standoff began around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday when police in Middleborough, Massachusetts, were fired upon while attempting to serve an arrest warrant at 469 Wareham St.

No one was hit by the gunfire, which prompted police to pull back, take cover and establish a perimeter around the house. The suspect, identified as 38-year-old John Mann of Middleborough, remained barricaded inside the house.

"One officer was shot at," Middleborough police Chief Joseph Perkins said. "There were about a half dozen officers who were at the home."

"The most important thing we can all extrapolate from this is what a dangerous job our police, our first responders, have every day," said Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz. "When they're just simply men and women going to work, and you have individuals such as this, who are wanted by the police, who are pulling firearms and discharging them at men and women trying to do their job."

Chief Perkins said the situation was eerily similar to what happened in Barnstable where Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon was killed by a suspect while serving a warrant.

We didnt want to press the issue and force and outcome that would result in anyone getting hurt, he said.

In the wake of what happened to Gannon, Perkins said as soon as officers were fired on, they backed off and set up a perimeter.

It was slow and methodical, and thats not usually how law enforcement operates, but I think looking at the circumstances, the situation was contained, we knew the subject was in the home, we wanted to keep everyone safe, he said.

State police and the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council SWAT Team responded to the scene to assist local police.

All tactics were used to get Mann out. He was found dead on the first floor of the home around 5 p.m. A rifle and two handguns were found inside the home.

"This is not the outcome we wanted. We really would have liked to have seen it come to a conclusion where no one got hurt," Chief Perkins said.

Police said the warrants they were attempting to serve were for multiple felony charges, but the specific offenses were not released Tuesday.

Residents and businesses between Interstate 495 and Locust Street along Route 28 were asked to shelter in place for the duration of the standoff. All others were told to avoid the area. The I-495 northbound ramp to Exit 3 and a portion of Route 28 were also temporarily closed.

Police said the residence in question is the only home in an otherwise commercial/industrial area.
The Internet of Things is a business phenomenon at least as much as it is a technological one, which means that every company in the world with a possible angle on IoT is doing its best to claim a piece of the large and growing pie. In the case of the big four U.S. mobile data providers, the trick is selling more than just connectivity.

To talk about the big four as a single entity, however, is slightly misleading. The bigger two  AT&T and Verizon  have a considerable lead in customer reach and technological maturity over T-Mobile and Sprint, with both of the former companies on track to deliver about $1 billion in IoT-related revenue in 2018, according to 451 Research vice president Brian Partridge.

[ Click here to download a PDF bundle of five essential articles about IoT in the enterprise. ]

Thats still a drop in the bucket relative to over $100 billion revenue companies, but not immaterial, he said. Its a huge part of their strategies to offset declines in other parts of the business.

The two bigger companies have pursued different approaches to the IoT market. Verizon has tended to snap up companies and integrate them into new or existing Verizon-branded offerings, keeping everything in-house and presenting itself as a one-stop shop for everything from location-based ad tech, asset tracking and telematics to fleet management and smart cities.

AT&T, by contrast, has targeted expansion-by-partnership  a common enough strategy elsewhere in the IoT stack  to build a lead in the connected car space and in consumer tech, Partridge said.

The smaller two providers havent moved into IoT products or services at the same scale, largely because of a lack of investment. Partridge said Sprint has managed to amass about 14 million IoT connections (defined here as regular connections to something other than a user endpoint device like a phone or tablet or laptop) with about 50 full-time employees in its IoT division.

So its a small team, and they havent been able to build big revenue-generating services above the connectivity stack, he noted.

Thats a key part of the equation for the major mobile service providers, since simply providing the connectivity to run a given IoT solution isnt the way to generate big revenues. Average per-user and per-connection income is down for most of the major carriers, and theres much more hay to be made selling more fully integrated services and generally getting more deeply involved with customer efforts to implement IoT.

AT&T and Verizon have been duking it out in terms of their IoT-friendly networks in the US, and both of them have LTE-M wireless networks deployed. Only Verizon and T-Mobile have committed to NB-IoT, however, a different technology that lives in the guard band of existing LTE frequencies. AT&Ts waiting for NB-IoT module costs to come down, according to Partridge, thinking that it doesnt make business sense to adopt the technology at current price points.

Four IoT players, three IoT players, or many more?

The playing field might not remain in its current state for long, with the main issue being the proposed $26.5 billion merger between T-Mobile and Sprint. Partridge said that would be a game-changer for carrier-based IoT in the U.S.

In the consumer business, T-Mobiles going to be in charge of that, theyve been wildly successful  but I think in IoT, Sprint will have every opportunity to take the lead, he said.

The idea, after the combination, would be to make acquisitions aimed at strengthening the new companys position on the enterprise side of service provisioning in general, and focused on IoT particularly, though there are a number of tactical options for pursuing such a strategy. The new company could get into fleet management, a la Verizon and AT&T, snap up IoT software companies and package their offerings into new branded services, move heavily into surveillance and security, or even hardware.

The playbook is fairly open in terms of that, but the goal is to get away from connectivity-only value, because thats not the place to be, according to Partridge.

Moreover, a merged Sprint/T-Mobile entity might not be the only one that AT&T and Verizon have to contend with in the near future. Cable operators like Cox and Comcast can take advantage of their own infrastructure base to offer IoT services based on technologies like LoRaWAN. (SigFox, which has been successful in building a stand-alone IoT network in Europe, is unlikely to be as successful in the U.S., according to Partridge, who says that the company would be fighting an uphill battle against rivals with established customer bases and infrastructure or both.) The cable companies also already have business sales teams.

AT&T and Verizon are a lot more worried about what the cable MSOs are going to be able to do in this business, versus what SigFox can do, he said.
DANBURY  The victims of a decades long sex trafficking ring claim one of the suspects was having sex with young men for more than 40 years while infected with HIV.

The claim was made recently in a civil lawsuit against Bruce Bemer, a Glastonbury businessman who was one of three men arrested last year in connection to the sex ring. Authorities claimed that Danbury resident Robert King would ply his victims with drugs before selling them to clients like Bemer.

The filing states that Bemer had been infected with HIV and had knowingly engaged in unprotected sex with the victims of the ring without disclosing he had the virus.

It comes after Superior Court Judge Dan Shaban granted a request in the criminal proceedings in March to have Bemer tested for HIV. The results of the test were to be disclosed to the victims.

Attorney Anthony Spinella, who is representing Bemer, argued that the request violated his clients privacy rights. He added, in response to the civil claim, that it was designed to arouse a homophobic response.

It is scandalous and completely immaterial to the allegations in the complaint, Spinella stated in his brief to the court filed late last week.

An attorney for the victims, however, claimed that exposure to HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases are compensable injuries.

The defendants attempt to inject homophobia into this case is unfounded, insulting and disingenuous, stated attorney Joel Faxon in his response.

Bemer has already agreed to set aside $25 million of his assets to satisfy any potential judgment in the case.

His criminal case, meanwhile, is proceeding to trial. Bemer rejected a deal in January that would have given him probation had he agreed to plead guilty in the case. He is charged with one count of patronizing a trafficked human.

Westport resident William Trefgzer has already pleaded guilty to the charge after accepting a deal from prosecutors that called for time served. He is expected to be sentenced on the charge next month.

Charges are also still pending against King.

dperrefort@newstimes.com
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus O.Kravchenko visits Finland

16-05-2018

On May 15-16, 2018 the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Reoubluc of Belarus, Oleg Kravchenko, visited Helsinki, Finland.

O.Kravchenko met with the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Anne Marjana Sipilainen. The sides discussed current state and progress for development of the Belarusian-Finnish and Belarus-E relations, including Eastern Partnership, as well as cooperation within international organization.

In the course of the visit Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus participated in Consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Belarus and Finland. The Finnish delegation was headed by the Director General of the Department for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Maimo Henriksson.

During the consultations, the parties discussed issues on the bilateral agenda in political, trade, economic, humanitarian, environmental and other areas. The sides noted the mutual interest in expansion of trade contacts, implementation of joint economic and investment projects, including the initiatives related to the entry into the market of Eurasian Economic Union.

At the meeting with the Chair of the International Affairs Commission of the Parliament of Finland, Matti Vanhanen, and Chair of the Group of Friendship with Belarus in the Parliament of Finland, Wille Rydman, the sides discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation with the focus on interparliamentary dimension.

During the visit, O.Kravchenko also delivered the lecture Foreign policy of Belarus and its role in the region in the Aleksanteri Institute of the University of Helsinki and answered the numerous questions.

Background Information: Aleksanteri Institute (fin. Aleksanteri-instituutti) is one of the largest and the most respected science centers of Finland, which is aimed at conducting and coordinating scientific research about Russia and the countries of Eastern Europe.

   

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Duo Zhang, PhD, a postdoctoral associate at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), has received the highly competitive National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pathway to Independence (K99) Award. The award helps facilitate the transition of postdoctoral researchers from mentored positions to independent tenure-track or faculty positions and helps launch research careers.

Zhang's research focuses on bacterial-induced pneumonia, which causes an overwhelming inflammatory response in the lung. He plans to investigate a previously unidentified RNA molecular in lung inflammation with the goal of identifying therapeutic strategies for lung injury and inflammation. The $100,000 grant will assist him in launching this independent research.

"My long-term career goal is to become an independent scientist and investigator publishing my research in top-tier journals that will provide new knowledge about lung infection and inflammation and provide novel clinical approaches not only in diagnosis but also in treatments and therapies for lung infection and inflammation that significantly alter the course of the disease," said Zhang.

Zhang received his undergraduate degree in biological sciences from Nankai University in Tianjin, China. He received his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from the Institute for Nutritional Sciences, Chinese Academy in Shanghai, China, where he developed an interest in understanding the role of microRNAs, which regulate many aspects of development and physiology.

Zhang moved to the United States in 2015 and became a postdoctoral associate in the Pulmonary Center at BUSM under Yang Jin, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine.

He previously has published his research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy in PLOS ONE and Journal of Cell Biology and was awarded a research grant from the National Science Foundation for Young Scholars of China, which helped him pursue a research career. He also has published three manuscripts on the role of microRNAs in acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

"I am very grateful for the strong support from my mentor Dr. Jin and co-mentor Dr. Mizgerd, especially as a first-time applicant for an NIH grant," Zhang said. "This award will be instrumental in assisting me in achieving my goals."
Cooking dinner one night in March, Mark Frizzell sliced his pinkie finger while peeling a butternut squash and couldn't stop the bleeding.

The 51-year-old businessman headed to the emergency room at Sutter Health's California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Sutter charged $1,555 for the 10 minutes it treated him, including $55 for a gel bandage and $487 for a tetanus shot.

"It was ridiculous," he said. "Health insurance costs are through the roof because of things like this."

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra couldn't agree more. The state's top cop is suing Sutter, accusing one of the nation's biggest health systems of systematically overcharging patients and illegally driving out competition in Northern California.

For years, economists and researchers have warned of the dangers posed by large health systems across the country that are gobbling up hospitals, surgery centers and physicians' offices  enabling them to limit competition and hike prices.

Becerra's suit amounts to a giant test case with the potential for national repercussions. If California prevails and is able to tame prices at Northern California's most powerful, dominant health system, regulators and politicians in other states are likely to follow.

"A major court ruling in California could be a deterrent to other hospital systems," said Ge Bai, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University who has researched hospital prices nationwide. "We're getting to a tipping point where the nation cannot afford these out-of-control prices."

Reflecting that sense of public desperation, Sutter faces two other major suits  from employers and consumers  which are wending their way through the courts, both alleging anticompetitive conduct and inflated pricing. Meanwhile, California lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban some contracting practices used by large health systems to corner markets.

Sutter, a nonprofit chain, is pushing back hard, denying anticompetitive behavior and accusing Becerra in court papers of a "sweeping and unprecedented effort to intrude into private contracting." Recognizing the broader implications of the suit, both the American Hospital Association and its California counterpart asked to file amicus briefs in support of Sutter.

In his 49-page complaint, Becerra cited a recent study finding that, on average, an inpatient procedure in Northern California costs 70 percent more than one in Southern California. He said there was no justification for that difference and stopped just short of dropping an expletive to make his point.

"This is a big F deal," Becerra declared at his March 30 news conference to unveil the lawsuit. In an interview last week, he said, "We dont believe its fair to allow consolidation to end up artificially driving up prices.  This anticompetitive behavior is not only bad for consumers, its bad for the state and for businesses."

To lessen Sutter's market power, the state's lawsuit seeks to force Sutter to negotiate reimbursements separately for each of its hospitals  precluding an "all or nothing" approach  and to bar Sutter employees from sharing the details of those negotiations across its facilities. Becerra said Sutter has required insurers and employers to contract with its facilities systemwide or face "excessively high out-of-network rates."

Heft In The Marketplace

Overall, Sutter has 24 hospitals, 36 surgery centers and more than 5,500 physicians in its network. The system boasts more than $12 billion in annual revenue and posted net income of $958 million last year.

The company's heft in the marketplace is one reason why Northern California is the most expensive place in the country to have a baby, according to a 2016 report. A cesarean delivery in Sacramento, where Sutter is based, cost $27,067, nearly double what it costs in Los Angeles and New York City.

For years, doctors and consumers have also accused Sutter of cutting hospital beds and critical services in rural communities to maximize revenue. "Patients are the ones getting hurt," said Dr. Greg Duncan, an orthopedic surgeon and former board member at Sutter Coast Hospital in Crescent City, Calif.

Sutter says patients across Northern California have plenty of providers to choose from and that it has held its average rate increases to health plans to less than 3 percent annually since 2012. It also says it does not require all facilities to be included in every contract  that insurers have excluded parts of its system from their networks.

As for emergency room patients like Frizzell, Sutter says its charges reflect the cost of maintaining services round-the-clock and that for some patients urgent-care centers are a less costly option.

"The California Attorney General's lawsuit gets the facts wrong," Sutter said in a statement. "Our integrated network of high-quality doctors and care centers aims to provide better, more efficient care  and has proven to help lower costs."

Regulators in other states also have sought to block deals they view as potentially harmful.

In North Carolina, for instance, the state's attorney general and treasurer both expressed concerns about a proposed merger between the University of North Carolina Health Care system and Charlotte-based Atrium Health. The two dropped their bid in March. The combined system would have had roughly $14 billion in revenue and more than 50 hospitals.

Last year, in Illinois, state and federal officials persuaded a judge to block the merger between Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University HealthSystem. The Federal Trade Commission said the new entity would have had 60 percent market share in Chicago's northern suburbs. Still, Advocate won approval for a new deal with Wisconsin's Aurora Health Care last month, creating a system with $11 billion in annual revenue.

Antitrust experts say states can deliver a meaningful counterpunch to health care monopolies, but they warn that these cases aren't easy to win and it could be too little, too late in some markets.

"How do you unscramble the egg?" said Zack Cooper, an assistant professor of economics and health policy at Yale University. "There aren't a lot of great solutions."

A Seven-Year Investigation

California authorities took their time sounding the alarm over Sutter  a fact Sutter is now using against the state in court.

The state attorney general's office, under the leadership of Democrat Kamala Harris, now a U.S. senator, started investigating Sutter seven years ago with a 2011 subpoena, court documents show. Sutter said the investigation appeared to go dormant in March 2015, just as Harris began ramping up her Senate campaign.

Becerra, a Democrat and former member of Congress, was appointed to replace Harris last year, took over the investigation and sued Sutter on March 29. His aggressive action comes as he prepares for a June 5 primary against three opponents.

Sutter faces a separate class-action suit in San Francisco state court, spearheaded by a health plan covering unionized grocery workers and representing more than 2,000 employer-funded health plans. The plaintiffs are seeking to recoup $700 million for alleged overcharges plus damages of $1.4 billion if Sutter is found liable for antitrust violations. Sutter also has been sued in federal court by five consumers who blame the health system for inflating their insurance premiums and copays. The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status.

San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Curtis E.A. Karnow granted Becerra's request to consolidate his case with the grocery workers' suit, which is slated for trial in June 2019.

The judge sanctioned Sutter in November after finding that Sutter was "grossly reckless" in intentionally destroying 192 boxes of evidence that were relevant to antitrust issues. As a result, Karnow said, he will consider issuing jury instructions that are adverse to Sutter.

In a note to employees, Sutter chief executive Sarah Krevans said she deeply regretted the situation but "mistakes do happen."

In an April 27 court filing, Sutter's lawyers criticized the state for piggybacking onto the grocery workers' case. "The government sat on its hands for seven years, exposing the public to the alleged anticompetitive conduct.  Rather than driving the agenda, the Attorney General seeks to ride coattails."

Outside court, California legislators are taking aim at "all or nothing" contracting terms used by Sutter and other hospital chains. The proposed law stalled last year amid opposition from the hospital industry. But consumer and labor groups are seeking to revive it this year.

In the meantime, Frizzell said he will probably wind up at one of Sutter's hospitals again despite his disgust over his ER bill. "Most of the hospitals here are Sutter," he said. "It's difficult to avoid them."

KHN senior correspondent Anna Gorman contributed to this report.

This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.
Imagine millions of depressed Americans getting their brain activity measured and undergoing blood tests to determine which antidepressant would work best. Imagine some of them receiving "brain training" or magnetic stimulation to make their brains more amenable to those treatments.

A national research trial initiated by UT Southwestern in 2012 is generating the first set of results this year that provides an early glimpse into how such high-tech strategies may change the field of mental health.

The first study - to be published in the June edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry - found that measuring electrical activity in the brain can help predict a patient's response to an antidepressant. In the coming months, at least four more studies evaluating the effectiveness of other predictive tests are expected to derive from the EMBARC trial, a major thrust of a national effort to establish biology-based, objective strategies to remedy mood disorders.

"When the results from these tests are combined, we hope to have up to 80 percent accuracy in predicting whether common antidepressants will work for a patient. This research is very likely to alter the mindset of how depression should be diagnosed and treated," said Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, who oversees EMBARC and is founding Director of UT Southwestern's Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, a cornerstone of the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.

Finding solutions

Dr. Trivedi organized EMBARC with several other academic centers after the world's largest depression study that he led more than a decade ago detailed shortcomings in patient care. Among other major findings, the STAR*D studies found that up to two-thirds of patients do not adequately respond to their first antidepressant.

Dr. Trivedi sought to improve this situation by spearheading the 16-week EMBARC trial at four U.S. sites in which more than 300 patients with major depressive disorder were evaluated through brain imaging and various DNA, blood, and other tests.

The project's first published study focuses on how electrical activity in the brain can indicate whether a patient is likely to benefit from an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), the most common class of antidepressant. Researchers used an electroencephalogram, or EEG, a noninvasive test that measured activity in the brain's rostral anterior cingulate cortex. Patients with higher activity were more likely to respond to the SSRI within about two months.

Dr. Trivedi said EEGs have the potential to be used in combination with brain imaging and blood tests to help patients who don't respond to SSRIs find effective treatments more quickly. He also suggested that more studies may yield useful methods to boost neural activity and make the brain more responsive to SSRIs - perhaps either through psychotherapy or magnetic stimulation on the cortex.

"Like STAR*D, I expect these studies will have a widespread effect on how we design and plan treatment approaches," Dr. Trivedi said. "My goal is to establish blood tests and brain imaging as standard strategies in the treatment of depression."

Benchmark research

Dr. Trivedi's work is becoming increasingly critical in the U.S. as the depression rate continues to soar. According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, more than 34 million adults took antidepressants in 2013-14 - more than double the number in the 1999-2000 survey.

Some depressed patients have been diagnosed with other mood disorders such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder - conditions that have also lacked biological markers and objective treatment strategies. UT Southwestern faculty have received national accolades for helping the field progress in this area. The recognitions include receiving the American Psychiatric Association's top research award for two consecutive years, largely for STAR*D and for creating a new system of classifying various forms of psychosis based on biological indicators.

Understanding mood disorders

Meanwhile, Dr. Trivedi has initiated other large research projects to further understand the underpinnings of mood disorders, among them D2K, a study that will enroll 2,000 patients with depression and bipolar disorders and follow them for 20 years. In addition, RAD is a 10-year study of 1,500 participants (ages 10-24) that will uncover factors that reduce the risk of developing mood or anxiety disorders.

Utilizing some of these enrollees, Dr. Trivedi's research team will study the results from a battery of other tests to augment EEGs and more accurately assess patients' biological signatures and determine the most effective treatment. Dr. Trivedi has had preliminary success developing a blood test but acknowledges it may only benefit patients with a specific type of inflammation.

Combining blood and brain tests, he said, will improve the chances of choosing the right treatment the first time.

"Although we continue to study brain imaging and blood biomarkers, I do recommend patients ask for these tests when seeking an antidepressant," Dr. Trivedi said. "Your performance on them, when appropriate, will tell you to try this or avoid that. The bottom line is to reduce the trial-and-error process that can be so devastating to patients."
With protein design dating back to the mid-1970s, todays scientists have access to a huge amount of information and tools that they can use to create proteins  such abundant, diverse material, in fact, that the data they need may be hard to find. Relevant information available to researchers includes resources as varied as protein sequences and databases of molecules and their individual properties.

The EU-funded EVO-COUPLINGS project is developing algorithms capable of exploiting the large amount of available data and quickly deducing the biological functionality of individual proteins. The four-year project ends in December 2018. It is funded by a grant from the EUs Marie Skodowska-Curie actions programme.

Our research lets us better understand protein structure and function, which will ultimately lead to new methods for protein design, says lead researcher Lucy Colwell of the University of Cambridge, UK. Being able to better design proteins will have a profound impact on, for example, the development of drugs, and thus could very well be a key to our ability to treat and cure many diseases.

Making sense of all the data

Proteins are large molecules consisting of at least one chain of amino acid residues. They perform a range of important functions, including replicating DNA, responding to stimuli and transporting small molecules.

Different amino acid sequences result in different proteins that serve different functions. By altering this sequence  or creating a new sequence from scratch  scientists design new proteins to serve specific functions.

In fact, for several decades, scientists have been doing exactly this, generating a wealth of information and tools in the process. The ability to access these valuable resources opens up an exciting research frontier. However, while the sheer amount of data holds huge potential, new analysis methods are required to understand the data.

According to Colwell, the goal of protein design is to find a protein sequence that will carry out a specific function. To accomplish this, if the right methods can be developed, the researcher will be able to exploit the knowledge held in databases as a shortcut to finding sequences that are likely to work.

EVO-COUPLINGS is developing powerful algorithms to solve this problem. The projects algorithms are designed to exploit the available data and quickly provide leads as to the likely function of specific sequences. Having this information, says Colwell, is important because evolution produces many different examples of the same proteins, with small differences between versions occurring in different organisms.

For example, the haemoglobin that is found in humans is slightly different from the haemoglobin found in other species, she explains. By using statistical inference to model how these small differences occur, we can extract information from the data and make accurate predictions about protein structure and function.

Predicting protein structure

The project has already demonstrated the possibility of deducing the functionality of a protein by using new algorithms, Colwell observes. This discovery, she says, provides the basis for a new generation of approaches that can be used to predict protein structures, thus significantly improving the state of the art in the field.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan say they have found a fast way to manipulate a cell's cilia, the tiny, fingerlike protrusions that "feel" and sense their microscopic environment. The experiments, performed in mouse cells, may advance scientists' efforts to not only understand how the nanosized antennae work, but also how to repair them.

A report of their findings appeared online April 30 in Nature Communications.

With few exceptions, most cells in the body have cilia or can grow them. The tiny antenna sense chemicals such as hormones and growth factors, which regulate cell health and growth. Cilia also detect mechanical and physical cues in the body, such as light, gravity, sound and the flow of blood and urine.

When cilia malfunction, a range of human diseases and conditions can occur. For example, problems with cilia in kidney cells can cause polycystic kidney disease, an incurable condition in which fluid-filled cysts interfere with kidney function and which is conventionally treated with dialysis.

Because cilia are so small -- 10,000 times smaller than a cell -- scientists have long found it challenging to squeeze their tools into such tight spaces to study them.

"When I was a postdoc, a colleague in a neighboring laboratory was studying cilia, and I hoped that by combining his knowledge of the biology of cilia with my expertise in cellular engineering, we could figure out how to manipulate cilia within their tiny spaces," says Takanari Inoue, Ph.D., professor of cell biology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an author of the new report.

After years of work, he says they figured out a way to manipulate a chemical signaling pathway within cilia that controls how molecules are shuttled up and down the length of the tiny structure.

To do it, Inoue and his colleagues in Taiwan used a tool called chemically inducible dimerization, which they say is faster than efforts to manipulate the pathway by rewriting the cilia's genetic code. The tool, essentially, is a matchmaker -- it helps to mesh two specific chemicals together at specific sites within a living cell.

For the new study, Inoue and his colleagues added a protein called FRB to cells from mice grown in the laboratory. The FRB protein is capable of glomming onto a rigid structure within cilia, called a microtubule, which acts as a railway, shuttling proteins up and down the length of cilia.

Then they added a molecule called FKBP to the cells, which is attached to an enzyme that acts as an eraser for a chemical modification in the cilia called glutamylation. The FKBP and enzyme pair floats around the cell until scientists add a chemical called rapamycin, which causes FKBP to get trapped at FRB molecules within the cilia.

Once inside the cilia, the enzyme attached to the FKBP molecule selectively erases the glutamylation modification inside the cilia. It also ignores other signaling pathways.

The scientists call their molecule matchmaking STRIP, for spatiotemporal rewriting intraciliary post-translational modifications.

As a result of rapidly removing glutamylation in cilia, the scientists found that molecules flowed up the cilia, toward the tip, more slowly -- about .3 micrometers per second -- compared with .4 micrometers per second, using a dead enzyme that doesn't affect glutamylation.

"We think our technique is faster than existing means of tracking cilia activity and enables scientists to access cilia parts faster and dive into specific chemical modifications for certain amounts of time," says Inoue.

"Our STRIP system offers a new strategy for precisely controlling microtubule modifications in living cells. With this approach, it becomes possible to understand how microtubules regulate cellular functions and may also serve as a new way to treat human diseases in the future," says Yu-Chun Lin, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan.

Other diseases affected by flawed cilia include a brain disorder called Joubert syndrome, a kidney disorder called nephronophthisis, retinitis pigmentosa and a rare disorder called situs inversus, in which the internal organs of the body are in the reverse location of their normal position.

The scientists also found that microtubules in the mouse cells that are not located inside cilia were not affected when they tinkered with glutamylation.

Inoue and his colleagues also found that the genetic output of a developmental pathway called Hedgehog (which is connected to glutamylation) is decreased in cells treated with STRIP compared with their controls.

Inoue and his colleagues say they now plan to apply STRIP to human cells and look more closely at the molecular process of glutamylation in cilia. They may also use STRIP to control other chemical modifications within cilia.
A car show in the Saudi capital is drawing in many women, who from next month will be allowed to drive in the kingdom as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's modernisation plans. The event also attracted banks ready to offer financing for women buyers. Woman drivers sat behind the wheels of virtual driving machines to understand more about driving.

"Anything related to cars these days is attracting Saudi Arabian women. I want to know more about cars and prices," said Shaimaa al-Fadl as she climbed into a car at the exhibition and adjusted the rear-view mirror.

In this file photo, a burqa-clad woman drives a car in Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Reuters)

The royal decree will end a conservative tradition seen by activists as an emblem of the Muslim kingdom's repression of women.

The decision could change the lifestyles of millions of women. About 10 million women over the age of 20 live in Saudi Arabia, a number that includes foreigners, though it may take years for women drivers to be a major presence on roads.

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"I need a car every day for work," government employee Maha Adel Rahman said. "Add to that the trips I need to make for my family. Moreover, transportation costs here are high. The decision to drive will save me a lot of money."

While the decree could save families money and encourage women to seek jobs, it could also be bad for one class of employee - the chauffeurs who traditionally ferry women around town.
Following two shootings that rocked the countrys oldest public housing complex, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is filing a bill that seeks to improve safety around HUD projects.

Rubio on Wednesday plans to file the Liberty City Rising Act, named after the Miami community where two shootings little more than a week apart in March and April wounded two and killed three, including a 4-year-old girl. The shootings at Liberty Square, a roughly 709-unit HUD project, sparked a walkout at nearby Miami Northwestern High and directed political and media attention to gun violence in low-income, minority communities after the mass shooting in Parkland.

Specifically, Rubio's bill seeks to require that public housing authorities ensure that HUD and Section 8 voucher properties in high-crime areas have dead-bolt locks on entry doors, smoke detectors in common areas and covers on security camera boxes and covered security camera wires. Security cameras must work  a problem that may have complicated the police investigation into the second of the two shootings in Miami.

The law, according to Rubio's office, also requires that housing authorities operate a crime hotline available to tenants, and that HUD give priority to high-crime areas when awarding its properties safety and security grants.

Rubio, R-Fl., is filing the bill shortly after a visit to Liberty Square, which is undergoing an ambitious redevelopment as part of Miami-Dade Countys Liberty City Rising program.

During my visit to Liberty City, I heard firsthand from a community that has been wracked with violence for far too long, Rubio said in a statement. I will work to pass the Liberty City Rising Act as a means to ensure that communities like Liberty Square are held to higher safety standards so these families can raise their children in safe and sanitary living conditions.

Rubio recently called for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to quickly approve requests for housing vouchers for eligible tenants seeking to leave Liberty Square and requested the Senate Small Business Committee to visit Liberty Square to talk about how small businesses can get involved.
Zurich, Switzerland: Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis on Wednesday announced the retirement of its top legal expert, as he apologised in a statement for payments made by the firm to Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen.

The announcement comes after Novartis was dragged into the scandal over Cohen's payment of $130,000 to US porn actress Stormy Daniels just days before the 2016 presidential election.

Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels or knowing anything about that payment but his new lawyer Rudy Giuliani has acknowledged the US president had in fact reimbursed Cohen for the payoff.

Last week, Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti wrote on Twitter that Novartis and US telecoms giant AT&T had used the services of Cohen's firm Essential Consultants -- the same company used to make the payment to Daniels.

On May 9, Novartis said it signed a one-year contract for $100,000 a month with the firm in February 2017, seeking advice on the new administration's public health policy.

On Wednesday, Novartis's general counsel Feliz R. Ehrat apologised for making the deal.

"Although the contract was legally in order, it was an error. As a co-signatory with our former CEO, I take personal responsibility to bring the public debate on this matter to an end," Ehrat said in a statement issued by the firm.

Ehrat will be replaced starting from June 1 by Shannon Thyme Klinger, who is currently Novartis's ethics, risk and compliance officer.

The shake-up follows a spate of trouble for the pharmaceutical behemoth in Greece, where the firm is accused of making illicit payouts to decision-makers and doctors between 2006 and 2015 to secure inflated prices for its products even though cheaper alternatives were available.

The case is under examination by the Greek and US authorities.
Actor and producer Uday Chopra has often been at the receiving end on Twitter. And this time it's for Karnataka Assembly elections 2018 results.

Chopra came under fire immediately after he posted a tweet citing the political affiliation of Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala.

Sharing Vajubhai Vala's Wikipedia page link in a tweet, Chopra referred to him as the "BJP-RSS Guy".

"I just googled the governor of Karnataka BJP guy and RSS hmmm I guess we all know whats gonna happen," Chopra wrote on his Twitter page.

I just googled the governor of Karnataka https://t.co/5vUFe5Tttq BJP guy and RSS hmmm I guess we all know whats gonna happen  Uday Chopra (@udaychopra) May 15, 2018

For the uninitiated, Vajubhai Vala, the former Gujarat BJP leader had once vacated his seat for Narendra Modi and later served as Finance Minister in CM Modis cabinet. As for Chopra, his tweet didn't go down too well with the Twitterati and he was massively trolled.

I just googled Uday Chopra , look what I found... pic.twitter.com/IuXwTBQqb4  Bhrustrated (@AnupamUncl) May 15, 2018

Bhai EK Rahul se India Paadeshan hain  Saibal GD (@getsaibal) May 15, 2018

Ye b bollywood ka rahul gandhi hi h  Rajat agarwal (@RajatPitti) May 15, 2018

Even i googled Dhoom series producer and director.. hmmm i guess we all know who will be the side hero in dhoom 4 https://t.co/045awoxMYP Akshay (@AkshayKatariyaa) May 15, 2018

Why bother about politics now? Focus on your film career, which is not doing exactly well at the moment!  Pankaj (@Pankajavs) May 15, 2018

only flop persons from Bollywood tweet against @BJP4India to get noticed like @prakashraaj  Neeraj Kalia (@Neerajkalia) May 15, 2018

As if Rahul Gandhi wasnt bad enough, now they have to carry Uday Chopra too. https://t.co/Ahn8PRJYRF  Arnab Ray (@greatbong) May 15, 2018

With the ongoing bashing, Chopra further tweeted saying, "Ha! So many trolls on my timeline suddenly. I agree I am no one of consequence but I am still an Indian and I care deeply about my country."

Ha! So many trolls on my timeline suddenly. I agree I am no one of consequence but I am still an Indian and I care deeply about my country  Uday Chopra (@udaychopra) May 15, 2018

"How dare I have an opinion opposed to yours," he wrote in his concluding tweet.

How dare I have an opinion opposed to yours.  Uday Chopra (@udaychopra) May 15, 2018

When the BJP formed the government at the Centre in 2014 and Modi finally ascended the high seat in Delhi, Vala was rewarded for keeping the BJP fortress intact and was made the Governor of Karnataka.
New Delhi: Iceland's budget transatlantic airline Wow Air today announced the launch of its services from Delhi to multiple destinations in North America and Europe via Reykjavik from December this year.

The airline also said that it is offering an introductory basic fare of Rs 13,499 to the Keflavik airport in Iceland's capital and from there to other destinations in North America and Europe.

The one way fair under the 'Wow basic' includes all taxes but excludes meal and check in baggage, which will be charged separately.

"While the Wow basic introductory fare will be priced at Rs 13,499 with taxes, the 'Wow premium' fares at the other end will be priced from Rs 46,599 onwards including taxes," the airline's founder and chief executive officer Skull Mogensen said. The other two fare options are 'Wow plus' and 'Wow comfy'.

Wow Air, which would be flying an Airbus A330 Neo to India and operate five days a week, currently serves 39 destinations across Europe and North America including London, Paris, New York, Toronto, Baltimore, San Francisco and Chicago.

Passengers travelling to the US will have a stop over at Reykjavik -- acting as a hub for the airline -- and then take a Wow flight to the US.

According to the airline's website, travelling to New York with a couple of hours stop-over at Reykjavik, would take about 20 hours.

"The airline will have five direct flights a week between New Delhi and Keflavik airport that will connect to multiple destinations in North America and Europe," Mogensen told reporters here, adding that in due course they will offer daily services and operate from other Indian destinations.

Iceland falls on the regular route taken by carriers who fly out of India to the US and flying via Reykjavik would be the shortest one-stop flight, the airline said.

Mogensen said he was optimistic about the success of the airline in India.

About 20,000 Indians travel to North America on a daily basis and they will have more choice of travel. Besides, 80 per cent of them travel with a stop over, he said.

In response to a question, Mogensen said the fare could go up depending upon factors, "though the high cannot be three to five times".

Further, he said the "fares can absorb the rising crude oil prices unless it breaches the USD 100 mark".

The website showed the basic fare at Rs 24,999 for a ticket on December 7 and Rs 54,499 in the premium segment, reflecting the increased demand since the announcement by the airline.
Jammu: The Border Security Force on Wednesday thwarted an infiltration bid along the International Border (IB) in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, where a high alert has been sounded ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, officials said.

"There was an (infiltration) attempt today and it was foiled," Inspector General of BSF, Jammu Frontier, Ram Awtar, told PTI.

PM Modi will be visiting the state on May 19.

A group of infiltrators tried to cross over to the Indian territory in Bobiyan area earlier today, taking advantage of the heavy foliage in the region.

A few rounds of fire were exchanged between the two sides before the infiltrators fled, Awtar said.

This is the fourth such infiltration attempt to be foiled by the BSF along the IB in the past four days.

A 28-year-old BSF jawan was killed as Pakistani troops opened fire at forward posts in Manguchak area yesterday to help infiltrators cross over.
New Delhi: Just a week after Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti proposed the idea of a unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir during Ramzan, the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday gave its approval, but the army has insisted that it is not a blanket ban.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the decision to suspend military operations against terrorists has been taken to help peace loving Muslims observe the holy month of Ramzan peacefully. "The government expects everyone to cooperate in the initiative and help Muslim brothers and sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without difficulties. It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror," the MHA said in a statement.

The MHA, however, said the security forces will not shy away from retaliating if attacked or to protect the lives of innocent people. MHA officials said that it was not a concession to militants but meant to help people observe a difficulty-free Ramzan. They said that right thinking people want peace, and youngsters want an education and good life. Hope militants will not make it difficult for people. There will be no lowering of guard during this period, a senior official said.

Mehbooba Mufti took to Twitter to thank Prime Minister Modi and Rajnath Singh for their personal intervention in the matter, which, she hoped, will create a peaceful environment for a sustained dialogue.

I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire & would like to thank @narendramodi ji & @rajnathsingh ji for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders & parties who participated in the All Party Meeting & helped build consensus towards this announcement. 1/2 Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 16, 2018

The month of Ramadan is a harbinger of peace & such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful & amicable environment for a sustained dialogue. 2/2 Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 16, 2018

Prime minister Narendra Modi is slated to visit Kashmir on May 19 and ahead of that visit, suspension of operations is being seen as a confidence gaining measure by the central government.

According to independent human rights organisations, at least 145 civilians in 2016, 51 in 2017, and 39 more since January this year were killed during different civilian protests and anti-militancy operations. The BJP had earlier said that such a ceasefire would go against the national interest and could wash away the Armys efforts in the valley, which has been witnessing large scale civilian and militants killings this year.

The decision has got mixed reactions from the ground. While Indian army said it was consulted and has been permitted to carry out intelligence based operations, MHA officials said that unless security forces are fired upon, they will not unilaterally carry out any operations.

However top officials in the defence forces pointed out that the statement issued by MHA does leave room for specific operations. Security forces reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

Sources said that the army will reduce Cordon and Destroy Operations (CADO) and Cordon and Search Operations (CASO). Pro-active operations that the forces were carrying out based on specific intelligence will also be reduced, but area dominance patrolling will continue.

Officials clarified that there is no blanket ban on operations by security forces. They said it is essential because an earlier suspension of operation in 2001 had led to Lashkar-e-Taiba attacking the Srinagar airport with a fidayeen squad.

"It was then called NICO  non-initiation of combat operations. During that period the Srinagar airport came under fidayeen attack in January 2001. Six terrorists, two civilians and two paramilitary personnel were killed in that operation," an official said.

Defence experts have expressed apprehension that any ceasefire could be used as a veil to help terrorists regroup. Defence expert, Brigadier (R) V Mahalingam, told CNN-News18, Right now forces have the upper hand in valley. The leadership of Hizbul is over. Any cessation of operation at this stage will take the momentum away from security forces and only help terrorists regroup."

As per government data, in the last four months 65 terrorists have been killed in operations launched by forces. But far from proving as a deterrent, the last four months have seen 41 local Kashmiri boys take up arms and join terror organisations.
Hyderabad: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala should convene the Assembly quickly to settle the issue of majority as any delay would give elbow room for political parties to indulge in horse-trading, retired Supreme Court Judge N Santosh Hegde said on Wednesday.

"No party has got any majority and the happenings thereafter... I am not very happy because many unconstitutional methods are being tried to cobble up majority," the former Solicitor General of India told PTI.

"So, sooner the Governor calls the House and call upon the people to prove the majority, better it is," the former Karnataka Lokayukta said.

"Calling (B S) Yeddyurappa, you have an example of ... find basis from S R Bommai case where the Supreme Court has held the vote of confidence should be held only on the floor of Legislative Assembly and not outside, and single largest party should be called upon to prove majority," he said.

But there are examples like in Goa and Manipur, where "it's been the other way round" -- the party which was supposed to have majority (not the single largest party) was called upon to prove majority," Hegde added.

"So, the Governor has lot of elbow room to manage it. But the consequences are very very sad that they (political parties) may stoop to any level to cobble up majority. And you (parties) speak about political morality and other things? It's a sad for the State, I can say that much," he said.

"The Governor should not keep this (on the issue of proving who has majority) pending so that there will not be elbow room for parties to (indulge in) horse-trading or call it by another name; it's not proper thing to happen," added Hegde, a former Advocate General of Karnataka.

With the Karnataka Assembly polls throwing up a hung verdict, the BJP with 104 seats has fallen short of the half-way mark of 112.

The Congress-JD(S) combine moved quickly even as the counting of votes was underway yesterday and requested the Governor to allow formation of a JD(S)-led government. The two parties together have a clear majority in the 224-member Assembly.

Elections were held for 222 seats on May 12 while polling for the remaining two will be held later.
Chandigarh: Doctors and staff at Mohali Phase six Civil hospital were shocked when a man approached the doctor to sell his newborn baby girl on Monday night. He was carrying the baby in a bag.

The accused, Jaspal Singh, told the doctor on duty that his wife had given birth to a boy at 2 pm on Monday and that he wanted to sell the child. When the doctor asked where was the baby, Jaspal showed a plastic carry bag which had the baby inside it.

The baby was immediately taken to the emergency room where the doctors found it was a baby girl. The baby was sick and constantly vomiting.

The police were informed and Jaspal was taken into custody. Jaspal has two sons aged 10 and 5.

Jaspal works at Reliance Fresh store at KV Mall in Mohali. He set out to sell the baby just hours after her birth.

He said he needed money for his wife's treatment and alleged that he had come to sell the baby as his wife told him to.

The baby is in a critical condition.
Srinagar: Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said she is thankful to PM Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh for taking personal interest in curbing militancy after the Centre granted her wish and declared a conditional ceasefire by security forces in the state during the holy month of Ramzan.

Speaking to CNN-News18s Mufti Islah, she said, This is a step towards giving pause to violent incidents in Kashmir. She called it a victory not just for her government but for all the people of Kashmir as well as the leaders of other parties who had supported her demand for the cessation of army action.

Mufti had made a plea for a unilateral ceasefire by security forces in Kashmir following the killing of a Chennai tourist by stone-pelting protesters in Kashmir in the aftermath of the May 7 Shopian encounter. However, the CM said that the success of the ceasefire would depend on compliance by Pakistan and militants.

I hope there is a positive response from the other side as well so there is a full-fledged cessation of hostilities and the bloodshed comes to an end. Pakistan and militants too will have to cooperate for the ceasefire to be a success so that we can end the bloodshed that has been going on for so long. Mufti said.

She added that the ball was in the court of militants now. Responding to the militant organization Lashkar-e-Taibas alleged rejection of the ceasefire, Mufti said, If the militants do not stop hostilities now, then we would know that it is because they do not want to end the violence.

The order comes after weeks of sporadic violence in Kashmir which peaked after the army encounter of five Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Shopian on May 6, one of whom was a professor of sociology in Kashmir University.

Talking about educated Kashmiri youth taking up arms and militancy in the state, Mufti said that it was a cause of concern not just for the centre but for the Kashmiri government too.

It is a concern for everyone that boys are getting killed. We do not want to lose our young to militancy. I myself am a mother and I can understand the pain of mothers who are losing their children. The ceasefire can be the starting point for more sustainable peace talks, Mufti said, even as she added that peace talks were a step-by-step process.

The CM made an appeal to Pakistan to cooperate in the ceasefire so that people in the valley could peacefully observe the holy month, starting Thursday.

However, within hours of the ceasefire being declared, reports started pouring in of violence in Shopian as militants opened fire on an army patrolling party in Jamnagri on Wednesday. The encounter is currently underway.
New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh was in Pyongyang on Wednesday for the first time in nearly two decades for talks on political and regional issues, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday, following signs of a thaw on the Korean peninsula.

India established diplomatic relations with the North 45 years ago and has a small embassy there, but in recent years it halted trade and aid as the United States stepped up global pressure to isolate Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programmes.

The diplomatic initiative comes weeks after the two Koreas held their first summit in more than a decade and as the leaders of the United States and North Korea prepare for a first meeting next month.

MoS V K Singh, who began the two-day visit to North Korea on Tuesday, reiterated New Delhi's support for peace initiatives on the peninsula, the MEA said in a statement.

Singh met the vice-president of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Yong Dae, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and Culture Minister Pak Chun Nam, among others, it said.

"The DPRK side provided an overview of some of the recent developments in the Korean Peninsula," the foreign ministry statement said, using the acronym of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

On Wednesday, however, North Korea said it might reconsider next month's meeting between US President Donald Trump and its supreme leader Kim Jong Un if Washington insists it unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons.

The North's official KCNA news agency said Pyongyang had called off high-level talks with Seoul due on Wednesday.

Analysts said New Delhi could play a bit role in peacekeeping on the peninsula because it had kept its channels of communication open with the North.

Last year, when then-U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raised the issue of India's diplomatic relations with North Korea, India said they were minimal and aimed at keeping open some channels of communication with the reclusive state.

"India is the only major country in the region that is not a party to the problem but which has good contacts with the North," said Prashant Kumar Singh, a specialist on India's ties with Pyongyang at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

The foreign ministry said the two sides had decided during Singh's visit to explore cooperation in vocational education, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and promotion of yoga.
Bhopal: Locals in Sagar town of Madhya Pradesh were left scratching their heads after a family celebrated their sons failure in class X by felicitating him flowers, distributing sweets amid loud drum beats.

However, everyone was filled with admiration once the family explained the unusual celebration.

They claimed that this failure at an early age should not crush the morale of the boy as this is not the last exam of his life. We did not want him to think about any foolish step after failing an exam, said one of the family members.

The student, who could not clear four subjects, was surprised when his father Surendra hugged him after knowing the result. His jaw dropped further when his father summoned friends and relatives, distributed sweets and took out a procession with drums beating.

Bemused locals also joined in later, hailing the positive attitude of the father.

I wanted to convey the message that mere failure in one field does not end all roads in life. My child should explore other options in life with positivity and never consider giving up, Surendra claimed.

Delighted with the response from his family and friends, the student has urged other parents to also emulate the positivity set by his family.

However, the boy said he did not want to study anymore and would make a career in his fathers transportation business.

As many as 11 kids had attempted suicide across Madhya Pradesh after the announcement of board results on Monday. Of these, six had died. Around 34% students in class X and 32% in class XII have failed exams in Madhya Pradesh this year.
Kolkata: Former Calcutta High Court Justice C S Karnan announced on Wednesday the launch of his political party and said it will contest the general elections next year with women candidates only.

His 'Anti-Corruption Dynamic Party' would contest in seats across the country including Varanasi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Justice Karnan said.

"My party will take part in the forthcoming (Lok Sabha) polls in 2019. We will decide on the number of seats but only women candidates will be nominated for contesting," Justice Karnan told reporters on the sidelines of a convention organised by several human rights organisations in Kolkata.

"We are approaching the Chief Election Commissioner for registration of my party," he said, adding that he wanted corruption to be removed from the country.

The Supreme Court had sentenced Justice Karnan to six-month jail on May 9 last year for contempt of court when he was a serving judge of the Calcutta High Court.

He was arrested by West Bengal CID from Coimbatore on June 20. He was the first high court judge to have retired as a fugitive on June 12.

Justice Karnan, who also served as a judge of the Madras High Court, said he had been requested by the general body of his party to contest from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in 2019.

"But I don't want to contest from Varanasi. That should also be contested by a woman candidate," he said.

Earlier, addressing the convention, Justice Karnan, a Dalit, said atrocities were being perpetrated regularly on minorities such as Dalits, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Parsis across the country.

"This stands out as most demeaning in the eyes of international community, even though we Indians boast of our country being the largest democracy in the world," he said.

He urged those belonging to upper castes to protect the interests of the minorities and Dalits, "since they are the weaker sections of the society".

"All the state machineries and the central government should protect the interests of minorities and Dalits, which is the paramount duty of the respective governments," he said.

He also demanded immediate release of "innocent social activists who are languishing in jails".

He made this statement when the speakers representing the organisers alleged that many social activists are jailed though charges against them were not proved.

The Convention was organised by Dr B R Ambedkar Sangh, South Asian Dalit Forum and Bandimukti Committee and others.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today rejected Karnataka's plea that the finalisation of the draft Cauvery management scheme should be put on hold as the process of formation of a new government in the state is underway.

The apex court also asked the Centre to modify a provision in the draft scheme that authorises the union government to issue directions "from time to time" on Cauvery water distribution between four southern riparian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra asked Attorney General K K Venugopal to modify the scheme and submit it for approval tomorrow.

The bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, did not accept the vehement submission of senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing Karnataka, that finalisation of the draft Cauvery scheme be put on hold till the first week of July as the process of government formation was on in the state.

"All the states concerned are making submissions to the draft scheme. I am requesting for adjournment till the first week of July as I do not have the assistance and instruction from the council of ministers of Karnataka," Divan said.

"It was the Centre which has to set up the draft scheme," the court said while rejecting the plea.

The bench fixed the matter for tomorrow to consider the modified draft scheme, which will ensure compliance of the February 16 apex court judgment relating to Cauvery water distribution among four states.

The apex court had earlier rapped the Centre over the delay in filing of the draft Cauvery management scheme. It had on May 8 summoned the Secretary of Union Water Resources Ministry to bring along with him the draft.

The apex court had in its February verdict asked the Centre to frame the Cauvery management scheme, which also included creating the Cauvery Managament Board, within six weeks for release of water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

Earlier, the court was irked when the Centre had sought time on the ground that the Union Cabinet was not able to meet to approve the draft scheme as the leaders, including the Prime Minister, were busy in the campaign for assembly polls in Karnataka, which were held on May 12.

The bench had said the scheme, once finalised, would deal with the issue of water share of the four states in different circumstances like normal and deficient water years in the Cauvery river basin. The apex court had on February 16 asked the Centre to formulate the scheme to ensure compliance of its judgement on the decades-old Cauvery dispute.

It had modified the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award of 2007 and made it clear that it will not be extending time for this on any ground.

The top court had then raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu's share, while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the issue of drinking water has to be placed on a "higher pedestal".
Washington: The US Justice Department and the FBI are investigating Cambridge Analytica, the British marketing analytics firm embroiled in the Facebook data scandal, and have questioned potential witnesses, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

CA has vehemently denied exploiting data obtained from up to 87 million Facebook users for Donald Trump's presidential campaign, claiming it deleted data obtained in breach of the social network's terms of service.

The company announced early this month it was closing and would file for bankruptcy in Britain and the United States, saying it had been "vilified" by the "numerous unfounded accusations."

US investors have sought to speak with banks that have handled the company's business, the Times said, citing an American official and others familiar with the investigation as saying the probe appears to focus on CA's finances and how it obtained and used personal data from Facebook.

One of the prosecutors involved in the inquiry is Brian Kidd, assistant chief of the Justice Department's securities and financial fraud division, with the help of at least one agent who investigates cybercrime for the FBI.

Kidd traveled to London with another Justice Department prosecutor and an FBI agent this month to interview ex-CA employee Christopher Wylie, according to the Times.

"I can confirm that I've been contacted by the FBI and the Department of Justice, and answered preliminary questions," Wylie told the newspaper. "We plan to meet again to provide substantive answers to the investigators."

The Times said it was unclear whether the probe was linked to the one led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to tip the presidential election toward the Republican.
Varanasi/ Lucknow: The police have registered an FIR over Tuesday's flyover collapse against officials of the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation Ltd, a government-run entity that has faced criticism also in the past over the standard of its work.

The corporation received flak earlier after some bridges built by it developed cracks. There has also been controversy over managing director Rajan Mittal, who was removed from the post by the previous Samajwadi party government but reinstated after the BJP came to power in the state.

The FIR was lodged at the Sigra police station in Varanasi a day after a portion of the flyover being built by the corporation fell on passing vehicles. Officials said on Tuesday that 18 people were killed when the structure collapsed. But Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who visited Varanasi on Wednesday and met the injured, put the toll at 15.

Apart from the high-level probe announced by Adityanath on Tuesday, a magisterial inquiry has also begun. Additional District Magistrate Manoj Kumar Rai will submit his report within three days. The FIR has been lodged against UP State Bridge Corporation officers, engineers and contractors for negligence. It also invokes the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. It was registered on the complaint of Roadways police outpost in-charge Dhananand Tripathi.

Another FIR was registered against corporation officials in February when police examined the construction site and found that the builders were not following safety measures such as putting up proper barricades and laying out a service lane, Senior Superintendent of Police R K Bhardwaj said.

The police had, however, not curbed traffic from passing under the flyover. Four officials including Chief Project Manager H C Tiwari were suspended on Tuesday. On Wednesday, a class 4 employee at the local hospital was suspended following allegations that he was demanding bribes to release the bodies of the victims kept at the mortuary.

The corporation, which once earned kudos bagging projects not only in other states but also in Iraq, Yemen and Nepal, has been at the receiving end recently, a senior official of the PWD department said.

In 2010, the 1,087- metre Chillgahat bridge connecting Fatehpur with Bundelkhand region, built at a cost of Rs 650 crore, showed cracks within 13 days of its inauguration, he recalled.

In 2016, a cavity developed on Lohia bridge over the Gomti in Lucknow. Another flyover near the Polytechnic Crossing also developed cracks and was closed to traffic for about a year, he said.

In both cases inquiries were ordered but no concrete action was taken, he said.

The official said the corporation's MD, Rajan Mittal, was removed from this post during the term of the Akhilesh Yadav government, following complaints. But he was reinstated when the BJP government came to power last year.

In addition, he was given the charge of another construction agency, UP Rajkiya Nirman Nigam recently.

The general secretary of the UP Engineers Association, S S Niranjan, said the probe should also examine whether regular meetings on traffic management were convened by the district administration and precautions taken for construction work in busy areas.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said today that the state government will set up a bridge safety cell to regularly inspect flyovers and bridges. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati today demanded a high-level inquiry to fix responsibility for the accident.
New Delhi: Minister of State external affairs VK Singh met the top leadership of North Korea. He reached Pyongyang on Wednesday and held talks with his counterpart. There is no confirmation yet on whether Singh will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

General VK Singh reached Pyongyang on Wednesday and held discussions with the Kim Yong Dae, Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme Peoples Assembly, Ri Yong Ho, Foreign Minister, Pak Chun Nam, Minister of Culture and Choe Hui Chol, Vice Foreign Minister of DPRK on a range of issues covering political, regional, economic, educational and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

He raised concerns, in line with New Delhi's previous statements, wherein the Minister of External Affairs has asked North Korea to address the linkages to Pakistan. India points to the alleged role of Pakistan's AQ Khan in helping North Korea develop its nuclear programme.

"MoS reiterated Indias support to the joint peace initiative of DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and Republic of Korea (ROK) leadership, encouraging both sides for their efforts towards establishment of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. MoS highlighted the threat from nuclear proliferation, in particular, Indias concerns in the context of the proliferation linkages with Indias neighbourhood. The DPRK side emphasized that as a friendly country DPRK will never allow any action that would create concerns for Indias security," said an MEA statement.

In response, North Korea, on Wednesday said that "as a friendly country, DPRK will never allow any action that would create concerns for Indias security.

The visit comes as North Korea threatened to suspend talks with the United States of America if the talks were based on benefits for just one side. North Korea further stated that the US was taking its intention of denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula as a sign of weakness. Last month, when Kim Jong-un had visited South Korea to meet President Moon Jae-in, India had welcomed the move hoping that it would pave way for lasting peace and reconciliation in the Korean peninsula and that India supports all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the peninsula.

In 2015, North Korean foreign minister Ri Su Yong had visited New Delhi to hold talks with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. India has time and again condemned North Korea's nuclear ambitions. "Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) continued pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and its proliferation links pose a grave threat to international peace and stability," a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs had said last year when North Korea had launched its International Ballistic Missile.

In April last year, India had sided with the United Nations by banning all trade with North Korea, except for food and medicine. Despite the ban on trade, Swaraj had made it clear that India would not put an end to its diplomatic ties with North Korea. During former US secretary Rex Tillersons visit to India in October last year, Swaraj said that while Indias embassy in Pyongyang is very small, it still was very much present.
Alia Bhatt is flying higher and higher with the success of her recent flick, Raazi based on the spirit of patriotism and it's unsung heroes. Alia has managed to play different kinds of character in a short span of time. She's equally involved while playing both glam and de-glam roles in films which ultimately makes her every director's favourite star!

Dairy giant, Amul never fails to surprise with its graphic posters and on Tuesday, they shared a cute and quirky poster of Alia Bhatt's recently released Raazi as a new advert. In the advert, the Amul girl can be seen dressed in similar clothes as Raazi's Sehmat along with a bread and butter knife in her hand. Cartoon's tagline read, Sab Raazi Hai, which seems to be somewhat an approval as well as an appreciation for the movie.

Alia, who seemed quite excited with this, took no time in sharing it on her Instagram account. Bollywood stars like Ranveer Singh, Bipasha Basu and her favorite designer, Manish Malhotra applauded her for the success. You'll fall in love with the cute Amul girl dressed as Sehmat!

 A post shared by Alia  (@aliaabhatt) on May 15, 2018 at 7:48am PDT

This time, the Alia Bhatt-starrer Raazi seems to have hit the right chord. Alia seems to have impressed everyone living and imaginary too! The movie, directed by Meghna Gulzar, features the actor as an Indian spy who marries a Pakistani man during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.
Older employees tend to feel more stressed than younger employees when their employers don't provide them with the support and resources they need to do their jobs well, according to a new study.

The study, published in the "Journal of Vocational Behavior", found that both younger and older workers had lower levels of overall stress when they were given more autonomy on the job, had good relationships with their bosses and felt they were respected and treated fairly at work.

But when such resources were lacking, older workers reported significantly higher stress levels a year later than their younger colleagues, the researcher said.

"With the workforce becoming more age-diverse and older at the same time, it is important to understand the differences between younger and older workers to help them cope with the demands of their work lives more effectively," said co-author Lale Yaldiz from the Portland State University in the US.

For the study, the researchers surveyed 243 municipal public works employees between the ages of 24 and 64 over the course of a year.

The findings suggest that older workers place a greater value on having autonomy and a supportive work environment than younger workers because those resources allow them to adapt to the psychological and physical changes that come with ageing.

For example, older workers tend to prioritise emotional needs and care more about having socially meaningful interactions and mentoring their colleagues than younger workers whose focus tends to be on gaining the skills they need to advance in their careers, the researcher said.

Since older workers appear to be more susceptible to stress in the face of unfairness, organisations can help workers by being transparent about how decisions are made and implemented, not discriminating, valuing employee input when making key decisions and providing channels for employees to voice concerns, the researchers added.
Rohena Gera's debut 96-minute feature, Sir  which played the other day at the Cannes Critics' Week (a sidebar which takes place along with the Cannes Film Festival, but is not part of it)  has an interesting theme. The movie talks about the great class divide in India  a county of 1.3 billion people where about 70 per cent of the wealth is in the hands of one percent!

In Sir, Tillotama Shome (with a fine performance in Anup Singh's Qissa) essays Ratna, a servant working for Ashwin (Vivek Gomber), who belongs to a rich real-estate dealing family in Mumbai. Ratna has arrived in the big city  where dreams are dreamt and where some dreams turn real  with a firm belief that her present job as a domestic help is only a stepping stone to her ambition to become a fashion designer.

While Ratna battles on to learn the basics of stitching and tailoring in her free time (while grappling with the burden of educating her younger sister), Ashwin has just turned his back on his wedding, having literally deserted his girlfriend at the altar because of an affair or fling she has had. A journalist who has come back home to help his father in his business, Ashwin has a strange relationship with Ratna. It is formal, proper and so courteous that I wondered whether there were such households in India, which treated their servants with such unbelievable reverence.

In a razor thin plot, Gera appears to be fighting to tell us something new, something different in each of her scenes. But she fails, with the result that Sir turns out to be frightfully boring with Ratna and Ashwin sharing the most mundane kind of conversation. Shall I lay the table? I will be dining out tonight. Will you have tea? And it goes on like this, but with a kind of politeness from the master (Ashwin) rarely seen in India.

Yes, one may argue that what else can the two talk about. I agree, but this is where good scripting comes in. But Sir has one which is hardly gripping, and tends to be repetitive and even boring. For most part of the movie, there is not even a trace of a dramatic curve  absolutely essential for a narrative if it has to engage its audiences.

We never see Ashwin writing, and his meeting with his mother or father appears too artificial, almost pretentious. And it is only towards the fag end of the film that Ratna and Ashwin strike a conversation, even steal a kiss, and the man realises that he is attracted towards his servant.

But how does he break the social barrier? Gera thinks up of something very simplistic. He returns to America and she gets a job in a fashion designer's boutique. And Sir makes an attempt  though rather feeble  to bridge the divide between Ratna and Ashwin.

However, I must give it to Gera for a lovely climax, and ending it on a note of hope, even joy.

Otherwise, Sir, despite a good performance by Shome, falls rather flat, Gomber's disappointing acting adding to the movie's poor showing. I would think that classics, such as My Fair Lady and Pretty Woman, while tackling social/economic walls had brilliant scripts, which kept my attention riveted. Sir tells a similar story, but in a far less exciting way.

(Author, commentator and movie critic Gautaman Bhaskaran is covering the Cannes Film Festival for the 29th year, and may be e-mailed at gautamanb@hotmail.com )
Superstar Salman Khan, who is on bail after being convicted in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, on Tuesday, said that he was "worried" about the Jodhpur court's verdict.

Salman was briefly imprisoned in Jodhpur, following his sentencing to five years of prison by a court there for killing two blackbucks 20 years ago. The Jodhpur court pronounced its verdict in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case last month, in which Salman, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam Kothari were accused. While Saif, Sonali, Tabu and Neelam were acquitted by the court, Salman was convicted Under Section 9/51 of the Wildlife Protection Act. The court delivered a sentence of five years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 to the actor, who was kept in Jodhpur Central Jail for two days, following his release on bail.

Before his release, there had been several reports doing the rounds that a lot of money was at stake for Salmans films, especially Race 3. On Tuesday, as the superstar launched the trailer of the action-thriller in Mumbai, he was asked if he felt pressure at the time of the court proceedings, considering a lot of money was riding on his movies.

However, even before the journalist could finish his question, the event's anchor interrupted him saying "no questions on the Jodhpur case and the Karnataka election will be entertained."

Only after the reporter assured that the question was related to Race 3, he was allowed to continue. To which, Salman counter-questioned the journalist, "Did you think I was going to go in forever?"

When the said journalist replied "No", Salman promptly said: "Thank you, because I was worried.

Directed by Remo D'Souza, Race 3 boasts of an elaborate cast headlined by Salman. The actor has replaced Saif Ali Khan in the film who had been the face of the franchise for the last two parts. The film also stars Jacqueline Fernandez, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Saqib Saleem and Daisy Shah.

The action-packed thriller has been produced jointly by Ramesh S Taurani and Salman and like most of the actor's blockbusters, Race 3 is scheduled to release on June 15 coinciding with the Eid festival.
Bhopal: All India Congress Committee general secretary Digvijaya Singhs state-wide political yatra, postponed indefinitely after it was slated to begin on May 15, could now be turned into a quieter district-wise meet-and-greet with party workers.

A senior party leader told News18 that Singhs yatra could commence from next week but instead of being a state-wide affair, it would be a district-wise yatra in which the former chief minister would be meeting party workers.

Singh would be in the state capital on Thursday to take part in the partys SC wing. The details of his yatra could be finalised over the next few days, said the leader.

After completion of his apolitical and spiritual Narmada Parikrama, the two-time chief minister had announced the state-wide journey to gather support for Congress and regroup party-cadre ahead of the assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh later this year.

His close aide and party veteran Rameshwar Neekhra had on April 27 announced that Singh would be undertaking his yatra from Lord Rams abode Orchha on May 15.

However, the AICC general secretary quietly backtracked from the journey. Multiple theories began floating about the reason behind the move.

Sources in Congress claim that the party high command, which distanced itself from the Narmada Parikrama, were not enthusiastic about his political journey, prompting the politician to put brakes on his yatra till the high command clears its stance.

Interestingly, Congress president Rahul Gandhi did not attend the Narmada Parikrama against the prevailing expectation in the party. His presence in the conclusion ceremony was widely anticipated.

Another theory suggested that MPCC president Kamal Nath, too, had declined to clear the yatra.

Other sources claimed that Singh was indirectly conveyed a message that this wasnt the time for such yatras as the elections were so close by. The senior leader was asked to rather focus his energies on uniting party workers. The dismissive voices were concerned that Singhs yatra could backfire given his contentious past as two-time CM of Madhya Pradesh.

The BJP had come to power by raising the pitiable condition of Bijli, Sadak and Paani (Electricity, Roads and Water) during Singhs regime.
New Delhi: We have to put up a fight come what may. BJP should not find it easy. This was Rahul Gandhi at a meeting ahead of results coming in for Karnataka.

Post polling, Congress, in anticipation of a hung Assembly, had its Chief Minister Siddaramaiah declare that he was ready to make way for a Dalit CM if the need so arises.

This was the first hint that Congress was ready to pull a smart one on the BJP.

Its a far cry from the Rahul Gandhi who had at Jaipur session of Congress called power a poisoned chalice. Rahul, till he became president, had maintained that it was more important to stay with principles than be power hungry. Todays Rahul realises that it is equally important to keep the cadre enthused with results. Also, it is pertinent to remain a critical factor in building up a front against the BJP.

Sonia and Rahul Gandhi got together to decide that these results had thrown up an opportunity to send a message to other opposition parties that Congress had the fighting spirit and that they all would have to come together to take on the BJP.

Congress-JD(S) may or may not form the government in the state, but the opposition certainly has got another ally for the Lok Sabha polls. At a meeting attended by Ahmed Patel and on the phone with Azad and Ashok Gehlot, the Gandhis said we need to give them a fight. Rahul said that BJP cannot offer CM post to JD(S), while we can. And thats how the ball was set rolling.

Sources say, Congress is prepared for the possibility of BJP forming the government in the state.

Rahul said if they form the government, we will take to the streets. It is hoping that it will help galvanise all opposition parties. In this defeat there could be the chance of a hard to find opposition unity.

Mayawati, who has played the guessing game, tied up with JD(S) and is bound to raise the Dalit card in case JD(S) and Congress are not given the chance to form government. And in this, Congress will join in too to accuse the BJP of being anti-Dalit.

Giving tips silently, but with the strength of a win, was Sonias old hand Ahmed Patel. The similarities to the aggressive nail biting race for the Rajya Sabha poll in which Patel fought tooth and nail to secure a win was what was put to use once again.

Once they decided to go ahead and put up a fight, Randeep Surjewala was called in to brief the media. The research team swung into action and one of the strongest defence they quoted was an earlier blog by Arun Jaitely where he had defended the fact why single largest party was not forming the government in Goa.

Rahul ended the meeting by saying we have to reply to the BJP in their style. And hence the new Rahul style. Dont follow rules. Make new ones. Fight back and show the fire in the belly. For Rahul the fight has just begun.
Noida: The Uttar Pradesh Police claimed to have solved the alleged murder of 22-year-old Bhim Army activist Sachin Walia, brother of Bhim Armys district president Kamal Singh Walia.

A youth named Praveen, who was a friend of Sachin, has been arrested. The police claimed that during interrogation, Praveen confessed that he accidentally discharged a country-made firearm which killed Sachin.

Praveen said that on May 9, the day of the incident, he was at his shop when he got a call from Sachin. Sachin called him to the house of one Nihal, a common friend, where a group of boys had gathered. Sachin then took out a country-made pistol and started showing it to everyone who had gathered. He passed the weapon around, said Deputy Inspector General (DIG Saharanpur Range) Sharad Sachan.

He added, When it was Praveens turn to hold the weapon in his hand, he accidentally pressed the trigger. A bullet hit Sachin in his face and he died on the spot. The boys present at the location panicked and left the weapon at Nihals house. They then rushed Sachin to the hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

Police have recovered the weapon. The incident took place on May 9, Maharana Pratap Jayanti, which was also the first anniversary of the 2017 Saharanpur riots.

In the run up to this year's Jayanti, several Rajput outfits had demanded permission to celebrate the event. Bhim Army had in turn demanded that permission be denied to Rajput outfits since it could lead to a breakdown of law and order.

As a compromise, the administration only gave permission to a gathering of 200 people. But despite heavy deployment of the RAF, PAC and civil police. The distrust of the state machinery deepens further, said Bhim Army leaders, when one takes into account the fact that one of the outfits at the forefront of the Maharana Pratap Jayanti celebrations was the Hindu Yuva Vahini - an outfit that owes allegiance to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
New Delhi: The Akhil Bhartiya Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS) has called on its supporters in western Uttar Pradesh to vote against the BJP in the upcoming by-elections in Kairana and Noorpur later this month.

Yashpal Malik, the national president of the outfit, said, The Modi government has been making false promises to Jats ever since they came to power. First, on March 17, 2015, the judiciary struck down Jat reservations because the government argued for it half-heartedly. Then, on March 26, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah held a meeting with their Jat MPs and promised that they would pass a law regarding Jat reservations."

He added, "When our brothers in Haryana were carrying out their movement, the BJP, at the behest of its MP Rajkumar Saini, shot at Jat protesters. Since then, the government has filed false cases against Jat youths. We want all Jat brothers in Kairana and Noorpur to ask local BJP workers and candidates when Jats will get reservation in central government jobs and when our brothers in Haryana will get justice. We want them to vote against the BJP in these bypolls."

The Kairana Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after the death of sitting BJP MP Hukum Singh in February. Jats and Gujjars are the two of the largest chunks of voters in Kairana. While BJP leaders are confident that Gujjar voters will stick with the BJP out of sympathy for deceased MP Hukum Singh, a Gujjar, the Jat voter could prove to be the kingmakers of Kairana.

After losses in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls, BJP leaders dont want to leave any stone unturned in Kairana. In this constituency, Mriganka will be up against the member of another prominent political family from western UP. Tabassum Hassan, mother of Samajwadi Party MLA Nahid Hassan, who had defeated Mriganka in the 2017 UP Assembly Elections from Kairana. Tabassum, who is contesting on a Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) ticket, is the joint candidate of the opposition parties.

In Noorpur, where the BJPs Lokendra Singh Chauhan won in both 2012 and 2017, the BJP is facing a tough challenge with the BSP sitting out and possibly transferring its vote to the SP. Here, too, the ruling party will apply the same strategy. The seat fell vacant in February after Chauhan died in a road accident in Sitapur.


New Delhi: BJP legislature party has elected BS Yeddyurappa as its leader. As the leader of the single largest party, BSY may formally stake claim to form the government in Karnataka. But from where will the BJP get its numbers considering it is still short by seven out of 222 seats for which elections have been held in the House of 224.

These are the three possibilities which BJP could be exploring amidst the current impasse.

Operation Lotus Redux

In 2008, the BJP was just three short of the half-way mark in the state Assembly. The party got four JD(S) and three Congress MLAs to resign from the Assembly, thereby bringing down the threshold for proving majority in the House.

In the current Assembly, the BJP has 104 MLAs. It can cross the half-way mark if the effective strength of the House comes down to 207.

That is on the day of the trust vote or before 15 sitting MLAs from the opposition Congress and JD(S) camp either quit or abstain from voting.

BSY takes the Vajpayee Route

In 1996, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was sworn in by President Shankar Dayal Sharma as the Prime Minister. The BJP did not have numbers but decided to stake a claim and form the government. Vajpayee faced the trust vote, made an emotional speech which was telecast live by the national broadcaster.

While replying to the debate on confidence motion, the former PM decided to quit and drove down to Rashtrapati Bhavan to tender his resignation. It was the BJP's first brush with power at the Centre as the leader of the non-Congress alliance; and a tactical move to expand its political footprint beyond the traditional stronghold in the north and the west.

Will BSY take the Vajpayee route and face the Assembly without numbers on his side and go down as a martyr?

If he does, the target audience this time would be core BJP vote base in Karnataka, especially the Lingayats.

Or will BJP bow out

The third option could be BJP declining to form a government if they feel the party doesn't have numbers in the newly elected Assembly.

But the BJP may be looking at developments in Karnataka with an eye on 28 Lok Sabha seats which will go to elections next year. A JD(S)-Congress pre-poll alliance would pose a formidable challenge to Modi's bid for another term at the Centre.
New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi learnt one bitter lesson in politics in 1999 when she claimed majority after the fall of the 13-month Vajpayee government. Migratory birds are coming, proclaimed Arjun Singh, her chief advisor at the time.

To her consternation, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav refused to back a Congress-led government.

So five years later, in 2004, when the she assiduously built a non-BJP alliance and had the numbers to stake claim, Sonia played the master card by rejecting the prime ministership and nominating Manmohan Singh instead.

Fifteen years later, the Karnataka cliffhanger is a throwback to the fast-paced political developments that culminated with the formation of UPA in 2004.

It all started with the Shimla Conclave of the Congress where the party decided to rescind ekla chalo (march alone) line endorsed at Panchmarhi in the 90s. That the Congress reached out to regional satraps and aggregated votes to challenge the BJP and emerge as the single-largest party was part of the tempered political line adopted at Shimla.

In Karnataka, the Congress leadership has shown flexibility to restrict options both for the BJP and the JD(S).

By offering the highest bid to the JD(S), the Congress left little scope for the BJP to better the offer. With 104 seats, the BJP could have at best offered deputy chief ministership to HD Kumaraswamy.

For the BJP, conceding the top job to Kumarawasmy would demand another sacrifice from BS Yeddyurappa, which in turn could invite a backlash from the Lingayats.

In challenging Kumaraswamy, the BJP could antagonise Vokkaliga community concentrated in the Old Mysore region, something which the central leadership of the party may want to avoid ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Beyond the complex caste considerations of the local state politics, the Congress is attempting to send a larger message to non-NDA parties ahead of the 2019 General Elections  that the Congress is willing to accommodate and work with regional satraps.

For the JD(S), an alliance with a weakened Congress works better than playing second fiddle to the BJP. At least till 2019, the Congress would not want to destabilise the government. With a bronze medal in Karnataka polls, the JD(S) has struck gold.

In the next 12 months, Deve Gowda will get enough time to settle issues within his family. He wants his grandson Prajwal Revanna to contest Lok Sabha elections from Hasan.

As for the Congress, it survives to fight another day, hoping Karnataka would emerge as the cradle of larger opposition unity in 2019.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Saturday morning hear the Congress-JD (S) combines plea challenging Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision to appoint KG Bopaiah as the pro tem Speaker to conduct the crucial floor test.

Late on Friday night, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra decided to list the matter before the three-judge bench, headed by Justice A K Sikri, which has been hearing the case. The matter will be heard by the bench, which also comprises Justices S A Bobde and Ashok Bhusha, at 10.30 am, much ahead of the trust vote slated at 4 pm.

The Congress-JD(S) plea, was submitted late at night at the Registry and the Registrar of the top court rushed to the residence of the CJI for directions on the listing of the matter.

In the application, the combine has demanded setting aside of the decision to appoint BJP MLA Bopaiah as the pro tem Speaker saying it was contrary to the tradition, as per which the post goes to the senior-most legislator.

It termed the Governor's action as a "brazen unconstitutional" act to appoint "a junior MLA as the pro tem Speaker. The application also seeks certain urgent directions to ensure that the floor test is conducted in a fair and transparent manner."

Pro tem is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" or temporary. Usually, the senior most member is selected as the pro tem Speaker for purposes, which also include election of the Speaker.

The petition also urged the top court to have video recording of the entire trust vote process and conducting of the floor test through "a division' into separate and segregated lobbies so that the persons in the different lobbies can be counted in a transparent manner."

The petition said "it is submitted that despite the settled parliamentary

convention and practice for appointment of a pro tem Speaker, a junior MLA Shri KG Bopaiah (BJP) with a dubious and controversial record of passing biased disqualification orders has been appointed as the pro tem Speaker.

"As a matter of fact, the conduct of Shri KG Bopaiah has been severely criticised and strictures have been passed against him by this Hon'ble Court. The disqualification orders passed by him were also set aside as being vitiated with mala fides and undue haste in two judgements of this Court."

Alleging "a shocking disregard to binding parliamentary convention and long standing parliamentary practice of appointing the senior most member of the House", the Congress-JD(S) combine said the Governor appointed "a relatively junior member of the House. ... This is in the face of the admitted fact that the senior most MLA is currently serving his 8th tenure but has been overlooked."

The appointment was "nothing but an attempt to seize and manipulate the floor test slated to be held on 19.05.2018 in the House, pursuant to the direction passed by this Hon'ble Court".

The combine alleged that B S Yeddyurappa "in tandem with the Government at the Centre is exercising influence through the Governor of the State to ensure that he sails through the floor test by hook or crook, in absolute disregard to Parliamentary practice and the well-established convention of appointing the senior most member as the pro tem Speaker."

The Governor's decision to appoint Bopaiah came after the top court ordered holding of floor test in the Karnataka assembly on Saturday for ascertaining the majority or otherwise of the BS Yedyurappa government and for immediate appointment of the pro tem Speaker.

In its order, the apex court has enumerated four steps that have to be followed for holding the floor test, directing the immediate appointment of the pro tem Speaker, holding the oath ceremony for all elected members tomorrow.

This exercise has to be completed before 4 PM when the floor test will be held to ascertain the majority. A bench comprising Justices AK Sikri, SA Bobde and Ashok Bhushan also ordered that adequate security arrangements shall be made and Director General of Police of Karnataka would himself supervise all arrangements so that there is no lapse on this count whatsoever.
Bengaluru: The knives are already out against the outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The Speaker in the outgoing Assembly K B Koliwad has held him directly responsible for the defeat.

Koliwad, who lost from Ranebennur by 6000 votes to an independent allegedly fielded by Siddaramaiah, said that Congress must reclaim the party from him.

Speaking to News18, he said: Siddaramaiah is responsible for the debacle. He ruined Congress in Karnataka. He fielded Shankar as an independent against me. I lost to him by a few thousand votes. That independent MLA has joined the BJP today. It is Siddaramaiahs crime. His attitude, language, etc went against the Congress.

Koliwad asked the Congress high command not to give any importance or posts to Siddaramaiah in future. He said, He does not have even a drop of Congress blood in him. He worked against it through his yes men. He created enmity between us and Vokkaligas. He created enmity between us and the Lingayats. All for his personal benefits. Finally, the party suffered.

The outgoing Speaker said that Siddaramaiah was a self-centric leader who had used the Congress to build an image for himself.

We should not have taken Siddaramaiah into the party. We finished many original Congress leaders and operated through his old JDS men and women. He promoted his people, Koliwad alleged.

Commenting on the possibility of Siddaramaiah taking over as the Congress state chief, Koliwad said that it was going to be suicidal for the Congress in 2019 the Lok Sabha elections.

He said, Siddaramaiah is a rejected face. He has spoiled our chances. He should be kept out. We must rebuild the Congress. The high command must appoint someone else as KPCC chief. D K Shivakumar is a better choice. Even if they continue with Dr. G Parameshwara that would be fine.

Independent MLA Shankar has extended his support to the BJP this morning. A Kuruba by caste Shankar was taken to BJPs CM nominee B S Yeddyurappas house by another BJP leader K S Eshwarappa.

The Congress had sent a helicopter to get Shankar to Bengaluru immediately after he won on Tuesday.
After Facebook and Google, Microsoft has now banned advertisements showing cryptocurrencies and related products from its Bing search engine. "Because cryptocurrency and related products are not regulated, we have found them to present a possible elevated risk to our users with the potential for bad actors to participate in predatory behaviours, or otherwise scam consumers," Melissa Alsoszatai-Petheo, Advertiser policy manager at Microsoft, said in a blog post on Wednesday. "To help protect our users from this risk, we have made the decision to disallow advertising for the cryptocurrency, its related products, and un-regulated binary options," she added.

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Bing Ads will implement this change globally in June, with enforcement rolling out in late June to early July. Google in March announced that it would ban advertisements for cryptocurrencies and other "speculative financial products" across its ad platforms. The ban on such advertisements would come into force from June. In January, social media giant Facebook banned all ads promoting cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and ICOs.

According to media reports, Twitter was also likely to ban cryptocurrency, token sales and Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) advertisements on its platform.

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HMD Global is all set to launch its upcoming device the new Nokia X6 in China today. The launch event of the new Nokia X6 smartphone is set to begin at 2:40 PM CST, which is 12:10 PM IST today at the Beijing Minsheng Museum of Modern Art. The launch event will be live streamed on Chinas retailer websites  Suning, Tmall and JD.com. The Nokia X6 may come with a price tag of around CNY 1499, which is around Rs 15,000 for the smartphone. As per the reports till date, the new Nokia X6 will sport an iPhone X like notch display with a 19:9 aspect ratio and will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC. By the images and posters shared online, it looks like HMD Global has gone for a glass back with the Nokia X6, similar to Nokia 8 Sirocco.

Also Read: Honor 10 First Impressions Review: An AI Camera Phone to be Reckoned With in 2018

As for the specifications of the Nokia X6, reports indicate that the Nokia X6 will carry a 5.8-inch Full-HD+ display with a 2280x1080 pixels resolution and a 19:9 aspect ratio. It is expected to be available in two different variants including one powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC and another by A MediaTek P60 soc. The base variant of the Nokia smartphone will carry a 4GB RAM with 64GB of inbuilt storage. It will run the latest Android 8.1 Oreo operating system. The display used on the Nokia X6 is in such a way that the smartphone will come with negligible bezels. At the back, the Nokia X6 will sport a dual camera setup and an LED Flash just below it. The overall design of the back of the Nokia X6 seems to be similar to the Nokia 7 Plus. As for its optics, the Nokia X6 is expected to feature a dual camera setup with Carl Zeiss optics used in its two 12-megapixel lenses.

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Right before OnePlus 6's official launch which is scheduled for May 16, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has shared a couple of images on his Weibo account which allegedly have been clicked through the upcoming OnePlus flagship's dual camera setup. This is the second time that Pete Lau is sharing the camera samples of the OnePlus 6. Back in April, the OnePlus CEO had put out similar camera samples of the OnePlus 6 on his Weibo account. This time, Lau has shared four different pictures in different lighting conditions.

Here is a look at the four images that have been clicked through the OnePlus 6 camera by Pete Lau:

Image: Pete Lau/ Weibo

Image: Pete Lau/ Weibo

Also read: One Day to OnePlus 6 Launch: Images, Price, Specifications And All You Need to Know

Image: Pete Lau/ Weibo

Image: Pete Lau/ Weibo

Judging from the images, the OnePlus 6 will come with enhanced photography capabilities and will be able to capture dynamic images across a range of lighting conditions. OnePlus 6 is set to launch globally in an event in London tomorrow. The smartphone will make its debut appearance in India on the next day, i.e. May 17.

As per the TENAA listing of the OnePlus 6, the smartphone will sport a 6.28-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 2280x1080 pixels resolution and an iPhone X like notch at the top. It will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and will carry a 6GB RAM along with 64GB of internal storage. As per earlier reports, however, another variant of the OnePlus 6 might be on the line that might feature an 8GB RAM and a 256GB storage. The device will measure 155.7x75.35x7.75mm and weigh 177 grams.

The smartphone will run the latest Android 8.1 Oreo OS and will be backed by a 3300 mAh battery. As for its optics, the OnePlus 6 will carry a dual camera setup at the back with a 20-megapixel primary sensor coupled with a 16-megapixel secondary sensor. It will also sport a 16-megapixel camera at the front for selfies.

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Dhaka: Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia was today granted bail by the country's Supreme Court in a graft case, according to a media report.

The Bangladesh's apex court has upheld the High Court's March bail order for the 72-year-old Zia, also the chief of the main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), bbdnews24 reported.

The High Court will now resolve by July 31 Zia's appeal that sought to overturn her conviction and a five-year jail term in the Zia Orphanage Trust case, it said.

The BNP chief was jailed for five years on February 8 over the embezzlement of 21 million taka (about USD 250,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust, named after her husband late Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler-turned-politician.

The High Court had on March 12 granted an interim bail to Zia.

Later, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the government challenged the High Court order, taking their appeals to the Appellate Division.
Washington: Donald Trump Jr told the Senate Judiciary Committee last year he did not recall ever discussing the Russia investigation with his father and said he didn't think there was anything wrong with meeting a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower ahead of the 2016 presidential election, according to transcripts released Wednesday of his interview with the panel.

The committee released more than 1,800 pages of transcripts of interviews with Trump's son and others who attended a June 9, 2016, meeting at which they expected to receive dirt about Trump's opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The documents reveal new details about how the meeting central to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential collusion between Trump aides and the Kremlin came to be arranged and efforts afterward to mitigate the public relations damage arising from its disclosure.

The transcripts show the dissatisfaction of Trump Jr. and other campaign aides, including brother-in-law Jared Kushner, when the meeting failed to yield the harmful Clinton information they thought they'd get as well as the increasing panic of one of the meeting participants who feared his reputation would be ruined for his role in having set it up.

In addition, the transcripts reflect an aggressive Russian outreach to Trump both before and after the June 2016 meeting, including an effort to arrange a follow-up get-together that November with members of his transition team. One year earlier, Trump was invited to the 60th birthday party of a friend in Moscow at which the opportunity to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin was dangled.

Trump Jr. deflected multiple questions during the interview, saying "No, not that I recall" when asked if he discussed the Russia probe with his father. He said he could not recall the day the Trump meeting was arranged but insisted that he had never discussed the meeting with him.

Asked if he thought it would be a problem to take a meeting described to him as part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, Trump Jr. said no.

"I didn't think that listening to someone with information relevant to the fitness and character of a presidential candidate would be an issue, no." Senate Judiciary Democrats said the transcripts are just "one piece of a much larger puzzle" and do not tell the entire story because some participants were not interviewed and Republican chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley, did not subpoena them.

Though the witnesses were not under oath, they were nonetheless required to tell Congress the truth.

In addition to Trump Jr., the committee interviewed four other people who attended the Trump Tower meeting in New York publicist Rob Goldstone, who set up the meeting with the promise of dirt on Clinton; Rinat Akhmetshin, a prominent Russian-American lobbyist; Ike Kaveladze, a business associate of a Moscow-based developer, and a translator.

The committee did not interview Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer at the center of the meeting. But the panel released her written responses to a letter that Grassley sent her last year.

The panel was also not able to interview Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, or Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, though both attended.

The committee did release one page of notes that Manafort took during the meeting.

His notes mention "Russian adoption by American families" and Bill Browder, a British citizen who has spearheaded a U.S. sanctions law known as the Magnitsky Act that targets Russian officials over human rights abuses. The relatively cryptic notes also contain a reference to "active sponsors of RNC," appear to make reference to offshore companies in Cyprus and have a single line that says "tied into Cheney." Mueller has brought several unrelated charges against Manafort, including money-laundering conspiracy, false statements and acting as an unregistered foreign agent related to Ukrainian political work.

The special counsel is investigating the Russian meddling in the election, whether Trump's campaign was involved and possible obstruction of justice. The meeting, and the administration's initial response to reports of it, have been a focus of the probe.

The White House has said the president was involved in drafting an initial statement after news of the meeting broke last year.

The statement said the meeting primarily concerned a Russian adoption program, though Trump Jr. later released the emails showing he agreed to the sit-down after he was promised information on Clinton. The emails also show he accepted the meeting despite it being described as part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's campaign.

Asked in the interview if his father was involved in drafting the statement, Trump said: "I don't know. I never spoke to my father about it." The transcripts provide a timeline of the days leading up to the meeting as well as misgivings about the appropriateness of a Russian lawyer meeting with a U.S. presidential campaign.
Jerusalem: Guatemala opened an embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, two days after the United States inaugurated its new site in the contested city in a move that infuriated Palestinians and drew international condemnation.

Israeli troops shot dead dozens of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border on Monday when the high-profile opening of the U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem by the administration of President Donald Trump raised tension to boiling point after weeks of anti-Israeli demonstrations.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the embassy's opening on Wednesday in an office complex in west Jerusalem.

"It's not a coincidence that Guatemala is opening its embassy in Jerusalem right among the first. You were always among the first. You were the second country to recognise Israel," Netanyahu said at the ceremony, referring to its founding in 1948.

Morales said his country, Israel and the United States "share friendship, courage and loyalty".

Guatemala was one of only a few nations that backed Trump's decision in December to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and is only the second country to move its embassy to the holy city. Paraguay said it will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by the end of May.

Trumps move reversed decades of U.S. policy, upsetting the Arab world and Western allies.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest obstacles to forging a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, who with broad international backing want East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, as their capital.

Israel regards all of the city, including the eastern sector it annexed after the 1967 conflict, as its capital. The Trump administration has said the citys final borders should be decided by the parties.

Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said: "The Guatemalan government has chosen to stand on the wrong side of history, to side with violations of international law and human rights, and to take a hostile step against the Palestinian people and the Arab world."

Most world powers do not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the entire city and says its final status should be set in peace negotiations.

On the day the United States inaugurated its own embassy in Jerusalem, Israeli gunfire killed 60 Palestinians during the Gaza border protests. It was the bloodiest day in the Hamas Islamist-run enclave since a 2014 war with Israel.

Palestinian leaders said by relocating the embassy the United States had created incitement and instability in the region and abrogated its role as a peace mediator.

Palestinians have been demonstrating on the Gaza frontier for the past six weeks, demanding a return to family land or homes lost to Israel when it was founded in the 1948 Middle East war.

On Wednesday, a day after expelling Israel's ambassador in response to the Gaza deaths, Turkey ordered the Israeli consul general in Istanbul to return home.

Prior to 1980, Guatemala and a dozen other countries maintained embassies in Jerusalem. Israels passage in June 1980 of a law proclaiming Jerusalem its "indivisible and eternal capital" led to a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on Guatemala and several other countries to move their embassies to Tel Aviv.
Jerusalem: Guatemala inaugurated its Israel embassy in Jerusalem today, becoming the first country to follow in the footsteps of the United States' deeply controversial move.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales were among officials attending an inauguration ceremony at the new embassy at an office park in the disputed city at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The US and Guatemalan moves break with decades of international consensus.

Netanyahu profusely praised the Central American nation for making the move and noted it came only two days after the United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem.

The Israeli premier said he would visit Guatemala on his next visit to Latin America.

The US embassy move on Monday was accompanied by mass protests and clashes along the Gaza border that saw Israeli forces kill 60 Palestinians.

Israel has faced international criticism over its use of live fire, but says its actions are necessary to defend the border and stop mass infiltrations from the Palestinian enclave, which is run by Islamist movement Hamas.
Washington: The dustup over a White House aide's crass remark about Sen. John McCain's health has once again inflamed the White House's frustration with staffers who reveal the inner workings of the West Wing to reporters outside the building. Despite active efforts to flush out administration leakers  including machines used to detect unauthorized cell phones in the West Wing  President Donald Trump and his senior aides haven't yet been able to stem the flow of damaging information.

Deputy press secretary Raj Shah was in the daily communications meeting with about two dozen other officials last week when Kelly Sadler, a previously little-known aide, remarked that it didn't matter that McCain, an 81-year-old, six-term Republican senator with brain cancer, opposed the administration's pick to lead the CIA because "he's dying anyway."

Asked about the remark on Monday, Shah reiterated that the White House's internal frustration over the episode was that it was leaked. He focused on the leak itself rather than the content of the remarks in his exchange with reporters.

"If you aren't able, in internal meetings, to speak your mind or convey thoughts or say anything that you feel without feeling like your colleagues will betray you, that creates a very difficult work environment," Shah said from the podium in the briefing room Monday. "I think anybody who works anywhere can recognize that."

But many of Shah's colleagues inside the West Wing see the leaks of information as impossible to prevent. Dozens of senior officials speak to reporters on a daily basis, including, at times, Trump himself, and White House efforts to prevent leaks have fallen flat.

Unprecedented steps

The White House banned the use of personal cell phones in the West Wing in January. It was an idea first floated by the chief of staff John Kelly when he replaced Reince Priebus last July, but one he didn't implement until months into his tenure. Officials publicly maintained that the ban was because of national security reasons, but multiple staffers said privately that they were under the impression it was carried out in hopes of limiting leaks to reporters.

Kelly was agitated when a memo he wrote outlining the new policy quickly leaked to media outlets, a source familiar with his reaction said.

Though the ban prompted widespread frustration among staffers, most abided by it, simply because there wasn't an alternative. How the phone ban is carried out was described to CNN by four White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The White House declined to comment.

Officials now either leave their personal devices in their cars, or, when they arrive for work each morning, deposit them in lockers that have been installed at West Wing entrances. Each locker has a key, which official said take a little jiggling to remove. The staffer puts their phone in the locker, locks it and hangs on to the key until the end of the day when it's time to reclaim their device.

Sources said it's common to find several staffers huddled around the lockers throughout the day, perusing their neglected messages. The lockers buzz and chirp constantly from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The ban isn't based on an honor system. Sweeps are carried out to track down personal devices that have made it past the lobby and into the building. According to sources who are familiar with the sweeps, men dressed in suits and carrying large handheld devices have been seen roaming the halls of the West Wing, moving from room to room, scouring the place for devices that aren't government-issued. If one is detected, one of the men will ask those in the room if someone forgot to put their phone away.

In the early days of the ban, staffers would forget or didn't realize that the ban included Apple watches. But if no one says they have a phone, the men begin searching the room.

The devices are largely accurate, sources say, and can even determine what type of device is in the room. When the ban was first implemented several months ago, a group of lawmakers was waiting for the President in the West Wing while a sweep was being carried out.

The device picked up a Samsung Galaxy, which was in the pocket of one of the visiting lawmakers, according to a source familiar with the situation.

In his memo outlining the policy, Kelly warned that anyone who violated the phone ban could be subject to disciplinary action, including "being indefinitely prohibited from entering the White House complex."

But several staffers later remarked that they don't actually believe anyone would be fired for violating the policy, with multiple noting this week that the ban did not prevent Sadler's comment from leaking to the press.

'Traitors and cowards'

Trump has frequently blasted leaks coming out of his White House and has long believed that there are individuals inside his administration who are actively working to undermine him. He tweeted Monday that embarrassing stories about his administration that are based on leaks are a "massive over exaggeration put out by the Fake News Media in order to make us look as bad as possible."

"With that being said, leakers are traitors and cowards, and we will find out who they are!" he wrote.

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway said on Fox News Monday evening that she spoke with Trump about the leak issue multiple times that day.

"There are all kinds of leaks," Conway said. "Some leaks exist to hurt colleagues, some leaks exist because they disagree with the policies that are being put forth. But none of them are helpful and I will tell you something else that's going on in this White House, but not as

badly as it was in the beginning, it's not so much leaking as using the media to shiv each other."

She was asked if she expects personnel changes in light of the latest disclosure.

"I do, actually. Yes, I do," Conway said.
Pekanbaru (Indonesia): Four men who attacked an Indonesian police headquarters with samurai swords were shot dead on Wednesday and one officer also died, authorities said, days after a wave of deadly suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group rocked the country.

The assault in the city of Pekanbaru on Sumatra island -- also claimed by IS -- saw a group ram their minivan into a gate at the station and then attack officers, police said.

Days earlier, two families who belonged to the same religious study group staged suicide bombings at churches and a police station in Surabaya on Java island, Indonesia's second biggest city.

The attacks have put Indonesia on edge -- and sparked a string of foreign government travel advisories -- as the world's biggest Muslim-majority country starts the holy fasting month of Ramadan from Thursday.

Four attackers were shot dead at the scene Wednesday and another suspect who fled was later arrested, police said.

One officer was killed by the speeding vehicle and two others were wounded in the incident, they added.

Police said the men belonged to a local extremist group, but not Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which authorities believe was behind the family suicide bombings. Both groups have pledged allegiance to IS, they said.

The bloody violence is putting pressure on lawmakers to pass a stalled security law that would give police more power to take pre-emptive action against terror suspects.

"I'm outraged and very saddened by these acts carried out by cowards -- they have no humanity," said Pebby Magdalena, who joined a demonstration in Jakarta in support of the bill.

Indonesia -- which is set to host the Asian Games in just three months and an IMF-World Bank meeting in Bali in October -- has long struggled with Islamist militancy.

Its worst-ever attack was the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, including locals and foreign tourists.

Security forces have arrested hundreds of militants during a sustained crackdown since the Bali bombing.

Most attacks in recent years have been limited to low-level operations against domestic security forces.

But on Sunday, a family of six -- including girls aged nine and 12 -- staged suicide bombings at three churches during morning services in Surabaya, killing 13.

All six bombers died, including the mother who was Indonesia's first known female suicide bomber. It was also the first time children had been used in such attacks.

A memorial service was held Wednesday for Vincencius Hudojo, 11, and Nathanael Hudojo, 8, two brothers who died after the blast at the Santa Maria Catholic Church on Sunday in Surabaya. Their mother was injured.

Services were also held for Martha Djumani, 54, who was killed in the bombing at a Pentecostal church, just a day after she had got engaged.

"My sister was always caring towards other people and taught her children to be compassionate," Daud Samari, Djumani's younger brother, told reporters.

On Monday members of another family blew themselves up at a police station in Surabaya, wounding 10.

The church bombing family were in the same religious study group as the Surabaya police station bombers and a third family believed to be linked to the wave of attacks, authorities said.

"They had the same teacher and they regularly met for Koran recital every week," said East Java police chief Machfud Arifin.

The coordinated church attack was a sign local extremist groups are becoming more proficient, and it stirs concerns about an uptick in radicalism as hundreds of Indonesians who flocked to fight alongside IS in the Middle East return home.

"They were better organised... (it) suggests a higher level of capacity than what we have seen in recent years," said Sidney Jones, director of Jakarta-based Institute of Policy Analysis of Conflict.

Dozens of suspects have been rounded up in raids since Sunday's attacks, while several militants, including the number two ranking leader of the Surabaya JAD chapter, had been shot and killed, police said.

The church and earlier police station attacks were likely motivated by the arrest of JAD leaders, authorities said.

They followed a deadly prison riot staged by Islamist prisoners at a high-security jail near Jakarta last week.
Beijing, China: A senior official at Iran's state-owned oil supplier met Chinese buyers this week to ask them to maintain imports after U.S. sanctions kick in, three people familiar with the matter said, but failed to secure guarantees from the world's biggest consumer of Iranian oil.

The sources told Reuters Saeed Khoshrou, director of international affairs at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), held separate meetings in Beijing on Monday with top executives at Chinese oil giant Sinopec's trading unit and state oil trader Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp to discuss oil supplies and seek assurances from the Chinese buyers.

Khoshrou was accompanying Iran's foreign minister Javad Zarif in the first stop of a tour of world powers before travelling on to Europe. Tehran is mounting a last-ditch effort to save a 2015 nuclear deal that Washington has abandoned, with plans to impose unilateral sanctions including strict curbs on Iran's oil exports.

"During the meeting, Mr. Khoshrou conveyed Mr. Zarif's message that Iran hopes China will maintain the levels of imports," said one person briefed on the meetings.

China, the world's top crude oil buyer, imported around 655,000 barrels a day on average from Iran in the first quarter of this year, according to official Chinese customs data - equivalent to more than a quarter of Iran's total exports.

Chinese executives did not make firm commitments but said as state oil companies they will fall in line with Beijing's wishes, the person said. The visit was the NIOC marketing chief's second to Beijing this year - he also met with Chinese customers about a month ago.

A second person with direct knowledge of the discussion, said Chinese firms "shared the same hope to maintain purchases", adding companies are still assessing the possible impact of the new sanctions.

The people familiar with the matter declined to be identified because they are not authorised to speak to media.

Sinopec and Zhuhai Zhenrong declined to comment. NIOC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Beijing Regrets

Buyers in Asia - including China - and Europe have said they will seek waivers from sanctions during a six-month grace period now in force.

During a visit by Zarif to Brussels on Tuesday, European powers vowed to keep the 2015 nuclear deal alive without the United States by trying to keep Iran's oil and investment flowing, but admitted they would struggle to provide the guarantees Tehran seeks.

China's foreign ministry said last week it regretted the U.S. decision and called for parties involved to stick to diplomatic approaches to stay on track for full implementation of the 2015 accord.

Between 2012 and 2015, under European Union and U.S. sanctions to curb Iran's nuclear program, Chinese companies took up nearly half of Iran's oil exports, which were slashed by more than half and cost Tehran as much as $80 billion in lost revenue.

Sinopec, Asia's top refiner, and state-oil trader Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp together account for close to 90 percent of China's total Iranian oil purchases. State oil group CNPC buys the rest.

Apart from supplies under annual contracts, CNPC and Sinopec have been lifting Iranian crude as part of their billions of dollars of investment at Iranian oil fields.

China has less of a banking issue in trading with Iran than some international peers. During previous sanctions Beijing used a domestic bank, Bank of Kunlun Co Ltd, to settle tens of billions dollars worth of oil transactions with Iran. Most of the transactions were settled in euros and Chinese renminbi.
Seoul: North Korea on Wednesday threw into question an unprecedented summit between its leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled for next month, denouncing military exercises between South Korea and the United States as a provocation and calling off high-level talks with Seoul.

A report on North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency angrily attacked the "Max Thunder" air combat drills, which it said involved U.S. stealth fighters and B-52 bombers, and appeared to mark a break in months of warming ties between North and South Korea and between Pyongyang and Washington.

Any cancellation of the June 12 summit in Singapore, the first meeting between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to Trumps efforts to score the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for a successful meeting even as many analysts have been skeptical of the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Koreas willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that now threatens the United States.

The KCNA report called the air drills a "provocation" that went against the trend of warming ties.

"This exercise, targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula," KCNA said, referring to a joint statement from an April 27 inter-Korea summit.

"The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities," KCNA said.

A Trump-Kim summit until recently had looked impossible given the insults and threats the two leaders exchanged last year over North Korea's development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.

"Kim Jong Un had said previously that he understands the need and the utility of the United States and the Republic of Korea continuing in its joint exercises," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing.

"We have not heard anything from that government or the government of South Korea to indicate that we would not continue conducting these exercises or that we would not continue planning for our meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un next month," she said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the United States would examine the North Korean statement "and continue to coordinate closely with our allies."

South Korea's National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong said in early March, after meeting Kim, that the North Korean leader understood that "routine" joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States would continue in spite of a warming of ties.

This was widely considered to be a major North Korea concession, though Pyongyang never publicly withdrew its long-standing demand for an end to the drills.

Kims latest move could be aimed at testing Trumps willingness to make concessions ahead of the summit, which is due to be preceded by a visit to Washington next week by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

A U.S. government expert on North Korea said Kim may also be trying to gauge whether Trump is willing to walk away from the meeting, which has prompted the presidents supporters to suggest he deserves to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

Any acquiescence by Trump to a North Korean demand for a halt to joint drills would likely undermine South Korean and Japanese trust in his commitment to their security. Kim has also shown a desire to win international approval for his diplomatic outreach, and any sign that he is sabotaging the talks could damage this effort.

SUSPENDED NORTH-SOUTH MEETING

KCNA said North Korea was suspending a ministerial-level North-South meeting, which had been due to be held on Wednesday to focus on plans to implement the inter-Korea summit declaration, including promises to formally end the Korean War and pursue "complete denuclearization".

"The U.S. should make efforts to create an atmosphere for mutual respect and confidence before dialogue, not resorting to a foolish farce that may reverse the good trend created with much effort," KCNA said.

The Pentagon said the May 14-25 Max Thunder exercises were routine and defensive in nature. A spokesman said the exercises would take place at Gwangju air base and would be "at a scale similar to that of the previous years".

Last year, Max Thunder involved about 1,500 U.S. and South Korean personnel flying aircraft including F-16 fighter jets, according to a U.S. Air Force website.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States would agree to lift sanctions on North Korea if it agreed to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program, a move that would create economic prosperity that would rival that of South Korea.

North Korea said on Saturday it would dismantle its nuclear bomb test site some time between May 23 and May 25 to uphold its pledge to cease tests.

Joshua Pollack, of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said Pyongyang appeared irritated by the U.S. administration's vow to maintain sanctions in spite of North Korean concessions.

"The North Koreans want a change in tone from the U.S., and at least so far, they're not hearing one," he said.

A South Korean presidential adviser warned on Tuesday that an incremental North Korean approach to denuclearization would not be acceptable to Trump or the South Korean public.

Bonnie Glaser, of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said Kim may be being influenced by Chinese President Xi Jinping after two recent meetings with the Chinese leader, who has advocated a freeze in North Korea's nuclear program in return for a freeze in U.S.-South Korean drills.

"The fact this issue is back on the table suggests Xi Jinping may have raised it with Kim, and that Kim is carrying Xis water," she said.
London: Meghan Markle once struggled for roles but the US actress has now landed the biggest part of all as she prepares to marry Prince Harry on Saturday and become the newest face in Britain's royal family.

At 36 and with a successful self-made career behind her, few doubt that the television star and humanitarian activist is ready to join the cast of the monarchy.

Markle made her name as savvy paralegal Rachel Zane in the US legal drama series "Suits", but cultivated a high profile for herself outside the show too.

She became a United Nations advocate for women's empowerment and a global ambassador for the World Vision Canada relief agency.

The Los Angeles-born star had more than two million followers on her now-closed Instagram account and ran a successful lifestyle blog, The Tig.

Markle was also revealed as the anonymous blogger behind The Working Actress, which chronicled the struggles of hustling for parts in Hollywood.

"She comes across as very poised, eloquent, thoughtful," said royal writer Andrew Morton, who has penned a biography of Markle.

"She's very focused and someone who has been very ambitious and really wants to give back. Her great phrase is 'make the change'," he told AFP.

"Meghan's a smart girl. She knows exactly what she's getting into."

- Ancestors royals and slaves -

Rachel Meghan Markle was born on August 4, 1981 to Thomas Markle, a white, Emmy Award-winning television lighting director who worked on top US shows like "Married With Children", and Doria Ragland, a black social worker and yoga instructor.

On her mother's side, her ancestors were slaves who worked on cotton plantations in Georgia. Her mother's surname is taken from a slave owner.

On her father's side, genealogists have traced her ancestry back to king Robert I of Scotland, who reigned from 1306 to 1329.

Markle's parents split when she was two and divorced five years later. She is now estranged from her older half-sister and half-brother, who has been scathing about her attitude towards the family.

"Her tiny bit of Hollywood fame has gone to her head, changing her into a jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you," half-brother Tom Markle wrote in an April 26 open letter to Harry.

She went to a private Catholic girls' school where she was remembered for her strong sense of right and wrong.

Aged 11, her letter-writing campaign got the consumer goods giant Procter and Gamble to change a washing-up commercial, referring to people rather than just women.

Determined to give herself options, Markle studied theatre and international relations at Northwestern University.

She graduated in 2003, after which she landed a six-week internship as a press officer at the US embassy in Argentina.

"She had all that it takes to be a successful diplomat," said Mark Krischik, her superior in Buenos Aires.

- 'Suits' springboard -

Returning to Los Angeles, in 2004 she fell in love with go-getting film producer Trevor Engelson, who helped her get on the acting ladder as she struggled for bit parts.

They married in Jamaica in 2011.

Soon after their engagement, Markle had landed her signature role in "Suits".

Filmed in Toronto, their relationship became a long-distance one. A series of flops followed for Engelson but the struggling actress became a star and the marriage collapsed in 2013.

Through a mutual friend, she met Queen Elizabeth II's grandson Harry in July 2016 while visiting London. Their romance quickly blossomed on a whirlwind camping trip to Botswana.

Since their engagement was announced in November, Markle has accompanied Harry, now sixth in line to the throne, on several public events ahead of their wedding.

Arthur Edwards, The Sun newspaper's royal photographer since 1977, said her style at public engagement was unusual.

"I've seen Meghan do selfies and give autographs, which the royals never do."

But Majesty Magazine editor Ingrid Seward told AFP that some readers "don't like her way of being outspoken, saying what she thinks, having views on politics and everything else".

"Everybody's intrigued by Meghan, whether they like her or not," she added.

Her acting career behind her, Markle's royal duties are likely to focus on youth, the Commonwealth and women's empowerment.

With Harry, his brother Prince William and his wife Kate, the four will have the task of renewing the monarchy's relevance to a younger generation.
Vatican City: Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned the killing of Palestinians near the Gaza-Israel border, saying the deaths would only lead to more violence, and appealed for dialogue to bring justice and peace to the Middle East.

"I express my great pain for the dead and wounded and I am close in prayer and affection to all those who are suffering," he told tens of thousands of people at his general audience in St. Peter's Square.

"I repeat that the use of violence never leads to peace. War begets war and violence begets violence."

Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians near the Gaza-Israel border on Monday during demonstrations against the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, in the bloodiest day in Gaza in years.

Francis, who visited Israel and Palestinian territories in 2014, asked both sides and the international community to redouble efforts "so that dialogue, justice and peace prevail".

Last December, when U.S. President Donald Trump announced the decision to move the embassy, Francis called for Jerusalem's "status quo" to be respected, saying new tension in the Middle East would further inflame world conflicts.

Speaking earlier in the audience to a group of Polish World War Two veterans, he said: "We never learn."
London: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding was in turmoil on Tuesday after a reported string of U-turns from her father over whether he will attend, just four days before the big occasion.

Thomas Markle had been due to walk his daughter down the aisle during the meticulously-planned ceremony at Windsor Castle's St. George's Chapel on Saturday.

He had decided against travelling from his home in Mexico to accompany his daughter due to his health -- and to spare her further embarrassment after a paparazzi scandal where he posed for staged pictures, according to celebrity news website TMZ.

Then on Tuesday, the site initially reported an about-face from Markle, who said he would try to attend after he had been contacted by his daughter via text -- before he revealed once more that his health was preventing him from attending.

"I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle," he told TMZ from hospital, where he was suffering chest pains, a week after reportedly suffering a heart attack.

The site later said Markle could not make the trip after all, thanks to a major operation scheduled for Wednesday to clear a blocked artery, repair coronary damage and put a stent in his heart to help keep the artery open.

Harry's Kensington Palace office issued a brief statement that did not mention Markle's heart drama, but said: "This is a deeply personal moment for Ms Markle in the days before her wedding.

"She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr Markle in this difficult situation."

The palace could not be reached for further comment.

- 'Positive photos' -

Thomas Markle told TMZ he had agreed to pose for a paparazzi photo shoot in a bid to rehabilitate his image, rather than for money, but that he now regretted the move.

The pictures -- in which he was being measured for a suit and admiring a photo of the future royal couple on his computer -- sold for $100,000 (83,000 euros), according to British tabloid the Daily Mirror.

TMZ said he had suffered a heart attack last week due to stress and that he was continuing to suffer from chest pains.

Markle senior said his ex-wife Doria Ragland would be a good choice to walk their daughter down the aisle in his place, according to the website.

Meanwhile, Meghan Markle's half-sister Samantha Grant, who has criticised the bride-to-be's relationship with her father's side of the family, revealed her dad was feeling "quite depressed" and had indeed suffered a heart attack.

"I don't know as of today what his plans are, but there's a very real concern," she told Britain's ITV television.

Whether he attends the wedding will be based on "whether or not it's safe" for him to go, said Grant.

She said her father had "suffered at the hands of the media" who had presented him "in the most horrible ways".

Staging the photos was intended to counter the way he had been "so unfairly presented in the media as being sort of shabby".

- 'Circus' in town -

Kensington Palace's attempts to project a sense of serenity around the wedding preparations have been clouded by Markle's relatives, who have not been invited to Saturday'snuptials following stories of bust-ups, heavy drinking and an arrest.

Meghan's half-brother Thomas Markle Junior accused her of shunning the family in an open letter last month.

In what The Daily Telegraph newspaper called "the circus" surrounding the wedding, Tom Junior's ex-wife Tracy Dooley -- also not invited to the wedding -- rolled into London with her two sons Tyler and Thomas.

"We're here! Yay!" she said, posting pictures of London landmarks, after they were spotted pushing luggage through Heathrow Airport.

The Dooleys are reportedly appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain programme as part of their royal wedding coverage.

US actress Markle, 36, grew up in Los Angeles and remains close with her parents, who divorced three decades ago.

Her 73-year-old father is an Emmy-winning Hollywood lighting director who retired to Mexico, while her mother, 61, is a yoga instructor and clinical therapist.

- 'Not so awful' -

Ragland, who has reportedly already arrived in Britain, is expected to spend Friday night with her daughter in a plush hotel before travelling with her by car to Windsor Castle.

On Tuesday, Americans already in Windsor ahead of the wedding were sympathetic to their compatriot.

"It's disappointing for her," said Jean Rice, 48, from Orlando.

"But things happen. I hope they're happy."

Karen Yaney, 64, from Chicago, said she hoped Markle's father would attend.

"Staging those photos, that didn't seem so awful. I imagine she's on the phone with him trying to persuade him to come," she added.
Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged on Wednesday it was unclear if his planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would go ahead, and said Washington would insist that North Korea give up its nuclear weapons despite Pyongyang's threat to pull out of the meeting.

North Korea threw the June 12 summit into doubt on Wednesday, saying it might not attend if Washington continues to demand that it unilaterally abandon its nuclear weapons. North Korea also called off high-level talks with South Korea scheduled for Wednesday, blaming U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

"We'll have to see," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if the summit was still on.

"No decision, we haven't been notified at all ... We haven't seen anything, we haven't heard anything," he added, while saying that he would continue to push for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Cancellation of the summit, the first meeting between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to what would be the biggest diplomatic achievement of Trump's presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for success even as many analysts have been sceptical about the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Korea's willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that it says can hit the United States.

The White House said earlier it was still hopeful the summit would take place, but Trump was prepared for a tough negotiation.

"The president is ready if the meeting takes place," White House spokeswoman Sanders told Fox News. "If it doesn't, we'll continue the maximum pressure campaign that's been ongoing."

Sanders said the North Korean comments were "not something that is out of the ordinary in these types of operations."

North Korea's first vice minister of foreign affairs, Kim Kye Gwan, on Wednesday cast doubt on whether the planned meeting between leader Kim Jong Un and Trump, which is set for Singapore, would be held.

"If the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the...summit," he said.

He specifically criticized U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, who has called for North Korea to quickly give up its nuclear arsenal in a deal that would mirror Libya's abandonment of its program for weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea clashed with Bolton when he worked under the Bush administration.

"We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," Kim, the vice minister, said.

Sanders appeared reluctant to endorse the Libya model that the outspoken and hawkish Bolton has touted, most recently on U.S. television on Sunday.

She said the model that would be followed in dealing with North Korea was "the President Trump model."

"He's going to run this the way he sees fit. We're 100 percent confident...he's the best negotiator."

A U.S. official said the North Korean statements had taken the White House off guard after North Korean leader Kims diplomatic outreach both to the United States and South Korea.

"MISERABLE FATE"

Kim Kye Gwan derided as "absurd" Bolton's suggestion that discussions with North Korea should be similar to those that led to components of Libya's nuclear program being shipped to the United States in 2004.

"(The) world knows too well that our country is neither Libya nor Iraq which have met miserable fate," Kim said in an apparent reference to the demises of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and Iraqi former president Saddam Hussein.

He said North Korea was a nuclear weapon state while Libya had been at the initial stage of nuclear development.

The North Korean statements marked a dramatic reversal in tone from recent months when Pyongyang appeared to embrace efforts to negotiate.

North Korea had announced it would publicly shut its nuclear test site next week.

Kim Kye Gwan's statement appeared to reject U.S. promises of increased trade, saying North Korea would never give up its nuclear program in exchange for trade with the United States.

"We have already stated our intention for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States," Kim said.

North Korea defends its nuclear and missile programmes as a necessary deterrent against perceived aggression by the United States, which keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

It has long said it is open to eventually giving up its nuclear arsenal if the United States withdraws its troops from South Korea and ends its nuclear umbrella security alliance with Seoul.

The Trump administration has insisted on complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantling of North Koreas nuclear weapons and the facilities needed to build the weapons as soon as possible.

North Korea announced it was pulling out of the talks with the South after denouncing U.S.-South Korean "Max Thunder" air combat drills, which it said involved U.S. stealth fighters, B-52 bombers and "nuclear assets".

American stealth F-22 fighters were spotted in South Korea in May, but the U.S. military command in South Korea said no B-52s were scheduled to take part.

A South Korean defence ministry official said the drills would go on as planned.

Some analysts and U.S. officials believe North Korea may be testing Trumps willingness to soften the U.S. demand for complete denuclearization.

Dutch U.N. Ambassador Karel van Oosterom, who chairs the U.N. Security Council North Korea sanctions committee, said he remained hopeful.

"Anyone who has had anything to do with DPRK in the past 20, 30, 40 years has seen that engaging in the political contact with DPRK is complex," he said. "The road ahead will have bumps, and I think we are hitting one of the bumps at the moment."

The doubt thrown over the summit comes a week after Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.
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Six states this week sued Purdue Pharma alleging deceptive marketing of its drugs, as litigation continues to mount against the Stamford company tied to its role in the national opioid crisis.

The accusations in the new complaints filed in Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee and Texas parallel those made in hundreds of other lawsuits filed by cities, counties and states in the past few years.

Prosecutors say they are trying to hold Purdue accountable for its promotion and distribution of painkillers such as its top-selling OxyContin and make it pay its share for the billions of dollars spent annually nationwide by public agencies to respond to the epidemic of opioid abuse.

We are in the midst of a national opioid crisis claiming 175 lives a day nationally and 15 lives a day in Florida, and I will not tolerate anyone profiting from the pain and suffering of Floridians, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement Tuesday. The complaint I filed today seeks to hold some of the nations largest opioid manufacturers and distributors responsible for their role in this crisis and seeks payment for the pain and destruction their actions have caused Florida and its citizens.

A message left Wednesday for Purdue was not immediately returned.

Meanwhile, a Cleveland-based federal judge, Dan Polster, is overseeing multidistrict litigation comprising several hundred of the complaints filed against Purdue and other opioid makers and distributors.

Settlement discussions have made good progress, according to Polster. But three cases  two of which name Purdue as a defendant  could be heard in a trial starting next March.

At the same time, several hundred other lawsuits against Purdue and other pharmaceutical firms that are not included in the multidistrict group are proceeding through the courts.

In Connecticut, a number of cases filed by cities and towns across the state  including complaints from Bridgeport, New Haven and Waterbury  have been grouped together and will be heard by Judge Thomas Moukawsher in state Superior Court in Hartford.

The state of Connecticut does not have an active lawsuit against Purdue, but state Attorney General George Jepsen belongs to a 41-state coalition of attorneys general who are investigating Purdue, five other major opioid makers and three distributors, as well as exploring settlements of potential claims against those companies.

Representatives of the coalition, which launched in 2016, are participating in the settlement discussions overseen by Polster. A potential settlement that would arise from the multidistrict litigation would still include Connecticut and other states that have not sued, according to sources familiar with the process.

Litigation against Purdue from the private sector is also increasing. Earlier this month, a group of five class-action lawsuits were filed in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and California seeking damages for practices that allegedly drove up individuals and companies health-insurance costs.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; Twitter: @paulschott
RIDGEFIELD  Voters approved a combined $144 million town and school budget Tuesday, which represents a 1.8 percent increase to next years tax rate.

The $47.4 million town budget, which includes $11 million for debt service, passed 1,524 to 401 votes and the schools $95 million budget passed 1,239 to 691, according to unofficial results from First Selectman Rudy Marconi.

Voters also approved the $1.84 million in infrastructure spending and $4.3 million in capital projects from the town and schools combined $5.2 million capital budget. The rest of the projects, all under $100,000 each, were approved at last weeks town meeting.

Marconi said he was pleased with the results, but wished more than 11 percent of the electorate had come out to vote. He said the violent thunderstorms that struck the Danbury area Tuesday evening affected turnout. He said the storm hit northwestern Connecticut the hardest and he hopes lives are spared.

I want to thank the people of Ridgefield for coming out, but its hard to be joyous or in a celebratory mood given the understanding of what so many people and families are going though tonight, he said.

The overall budget uses $1.6 million of the towns fund balance, built up from surpluses over several years, to keep the tax increase under 2 percent, Board of Finance members have said.

On the town side, spending will increase by 2.49 percent, or $931,000, and the school budget represents a 2.55 percent, or $2.4 million, increase over this year.

Board of Education members original request was reduced by $1.1 million during Board of Finance budget deliberations. The school board was able to make the reduction by negotiating with the districts health care provider, cutting some new expenses, including two new school psychologist positions.

The final 2.55 percent increase includes a $1.2 million increase in personnel contract costs, $744,000 more in special education and a $219,000 increase in energy costs.

The capital items were separated into five questions on the ballot. Three questions asked voters to approve combined amounts, including $949,000 in school projects, $886,000 for fire department and highway trucks and $508,000 for construction to several town buildings, sidewalk improvements and a storm drainage study.

The two remaining items were $1.35 million in renovations to the Venus Building and $570,000 to add 63 new parking spaces near Governor Street. The Venus Building renovations will relocate the Board of Education offices and allow for an expansion of the Ridgefield Playhouse and Chefs Warehouse.

Katrina Koerting contributed to this report
WASHINGTON  A federal judge turned down what might have been Paul Manaforts last and best chance to overturn the indictment against him, ruling Tuesday that special counsel Robert Mueller has not exceeded the authority granted by the Department of Justice.

Manafort, President Trumps former campaign manager and scion of a prominent New Britain Republican family, had argued that Mueller overstepped the boundaries of his investigation of President Trumps 2016 campaign links to Russia when he indicted Manafort for fraud and money laundering.

Manafort is facing charges for his representation of the pro-Russia political party and president of Ukraine before pro-Western forces overthrew them in 2014.

Manafort also argued the authority granted Mueller to investigate any matters that  may arise from the Russia probe was overly broad.

But federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote that Mueller is following the script set before him by the Justice Department, whose No. 2 official, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, appointed Mueller in the wake of President Trumps firing of FBI Director James Comey in May 2017.

The case did not arise in a vacuum, and the special counsel did not create his own job description, Jackson wrote, pointing out that Mueller simply took over the FBI investigation that was ongoing at the time of Comeys dismissal.

Because Manafort served as Trumps campaign manager between May and August 2016, the criminal charges against him were very much an outgrowth of Muellers Trump Russia investigation, Berman wrote.

It was logical and appropriate for investigators tasked with the investigation of any links between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign to direct their attention to (Manafort), Jackson said.

For his part, Manafort maintains his innocence and looks forward to prevailing in this matter, said his spokesman, Jason Maloni.

dan@hearstdc.com
In the Women Entrepreneur Series My Worst Moment, female founders look back on the most difficult, gut-wrenching, almost-made-them-give-up experience theyve had while building their businessand how they recovered.

Finery is a digital wardrobe-management platform that tracks your online clothing purchases and helps create and manage outfits. (Yes, its the Clueless closet come true!) Founders Whitney Casey and Brooklyn Decker launched the company to make womens lives easier, but getting the startup off the ground was anything but easy. When a well-known investor backed out of a deal, the women worried that the reputation of their operation was at stakenot to mention the peace of mind of their employees. Casey, the startups CEO, tells us what went wrong.

As a new startup, having an investor with a recognizable name is a big indicator to other investors that your concept has legs. We had great, solid, top-notch investors who had put money behind big brands in our space like Reformation and RewardStyle. But one of the original technical founders of Uber wanted to angel invest, and because he was a name and outside of the fashion-tech space, it provided even more validation. Having a thought-leader behind an idea can really create buzz and lift behind a company.

Related: 4 Things Women Entrepreneurs Need to Know Before Approaching Angel Investors and VCs

When he verbally committed to the investment and asked for wiring instructions, we were thrilled. The next morning we had a breakfast to tell our team and our other investorswe wanted to get everyone fired up and keep the momentum. But that afternoon, he flaked out. We were devastated. That entire day, he kept putting us off. We sent the wiring instructions with a closing deadline, which is standard procedure, and he never responded. Eventually we got an email saying he changed his mind.

We take some responsibility here. We didnt do our due diligence on him as an investor. How many times had he pulled out of deals? Was he trusted in the investment community? Were his motivations just about equity? What value would he bring our company? These were all questions that I didnt ask, and I should have. Turns out, he met with a lot of companies and became an advisor to a lot of themand what that means is, he takes equity without putting money in. Having great advisors that you pay with equity is often a great idea. But our need was capital, not ideas.

Related: 10 Tips for Women to Improve Their Persuasion Skills

Additionally, as CEO, I never should have told my team about the investment until the money was in the bank. But when we did tell them the deal went through, we didnt belabor it. We just picked right up from where we left off, and filled the round with another investor within our friends and family round. The best way to ameliorate the situation is to not sulk in it (though that is what I did, personally, at home, alone). We took some great advice early on: dont let your team go on the great emotional rollercoaster ride that you have to go on as a founder and CEO. Give them as stable a ride as possiblethere will be enough ups and downs naturally without you adding to the mix. As CEO, the only person you really need to learn how to manage is yourself.

Related: 15 Women Leaders on Risk, Mentorship and Following Your Dreams

We have a much different process when we consider investors now. We interview other entrepreneurs whove taken money from this person, and talk to someone theyve been on a board with. When the going gets rough, how does this person respond? We did a ton of due diligence on our lead investor, Tony Florence from New Enterprise Associates, and not a single negative comment came back. In fact, everything was beyond glowing. Taking money from an investor is a long term relationshipso do your homework.

Related:

When an Investor Bailed, Finery Founders Brooklyn Decker and Whitney Casey Had to Do Major Damage Control

Bahrain Development Bank Launches US$100 Million VC Fund

Women-Focused Jobs And Networking Platform Hopscotch Raises Seed Funding



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NEW HAVEN  Yale University officials, contending with yet another racially charged event on campus, are taking a number of steps to affirm Yales commitment to equity and inclusion, as Yale President Peter Salovey wrote after the May 8 incident involving two graduate students.

However, the black graduate student who was questioned for 17 minutes after a white fellow resident of the Hall of Graduate Studies called police believes the incident exemplified racial bias and that university officials should be acting rather than holding further meetings and sensitivity-training sessions.

One meeting has been held, which the Yale Daily News called a tense, two-hour listening session. The meeting, not open to the public, included about 30 graduate students, according to the student newspaper, as well as Yale Police Chief Ronnell Higgins; Kimberly Goff-Crews, Yale secretary and vice president for student life; Janet Lindner, vice president for human resources and administration; Lynn Cooley, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; and Eileen OConnor, vice president for communications.

On May 8, Yale police were called to the York Street building, which houses 168 graduate students in addition to academic space. A white philosophy major, Sarah Braasch, had made the call when she found Lolade Siyonbola, a black graduate student who is majoring in African studies, sleeping in a common room.

Siyonbola recorded, on Facebook Live, the 17-minute meeting with police, in which she opened her room to show that she lived there and hesitated before giving police her identification card. She told police she had been writing a paper in the common room, which is on a different floor.

Goff-Crews, in an email sent to the Yale community Wednesday, wrote that the effort to determine the identity of one student took longer than usual because of our recently implemented preferred name policy, which allows students to use a different first name on their ID cards, email addresses and other documents. Yale spokesman Thomas Conroy has said the policy was implemented largely to accommodate transgender students who want to be known according to their gender identity.

The university is resolving this issue within our directory system and is ensuring that Yale Police dispatchers are trained to quickly identify students using their preferred or legal names, Goff-Crews wrote. Also, she said, Higgins has reviewed the incident with the officers and their supervisors and Yale Police officers will receive additional training in de-escalation, problem solving, and unbiased policing, supplementing their existing training on inclusion, diversity, and, unconscious bias.

Asked whether she believed the length of time she was questioned by Yale police was because of the difference between her preferred and legal names, Siyonbola replied in an email: Absolutely not. This is America. If I was white, the police would not have been called. In the impossible case that they were called, my access to my apartment and my Yale ID wouldve been enough for them.

Siyonbola said she absolutely felt the police officers actions were racially discriminatory . She said her legal name is Ololade Siyonbola, one letter difference, and that her Yale ID gives her name as Lolade. Whatever was in the system shouldnt be a focus here. Its a convenient focal point for Yale because they dont seem to want to hold the police  or Sarah  accountable, she wrote.

Siyonbola said she believes Braasch should be expelled for calling police on her. Braash had previously called police over the presence of a visitor to the residence, a Yale Divinity School student named Reneson Jean-Louis.

Braash did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

On Wednesday, Goff-Crews wrote that she has held further meetings to hear you relate your experiences and ideas for action. She wrote that there would be two additional listening sessions this week and a special meeting of the Graduate Student Assembly.

Siyonbola called the listening sessions insulting. The administration was told that we didnt want listening sessions, we simply wanted for action to be taken. A list of demands were provided to Yale over two years ago.  Insisting that more research, more conversation is necessary is insulting to every Black Student, faculty member, staff member and every Black person who is aware of this story. By not tackling this issue head-on, Yale sends a loud message to potential Black students that their safety is not priority and their welcome at Yale will be conditional.

Cooley also wrote to graduate students Wednesday, saying, The incident that occurred at the Hall of Graduate Studies last week shines a spotlight on the topic of race and racism, though it is just one example of the larger challenge of building and maintaining a community built on mutual respect.

Salovey had written on May 10, Racism is an unqualified evil in our society. Universities are not utopias, and people of color experience racism on our campus as they do elsewhere in our country. This fact angers and disappoints me. We must neither condone nor excuse racism, prejudice, or discrimination at Yale.

Goff-Crews also had responded after the incident, saying she was deeply troubled by an event involving a student who had every right to be there.

In her email Wednesday, Goff-Crews wrote, Students have asked how the university responds to incidents of discrimination and harassment. There are a variety of responses, which are tailored to the preferences of affected students.

She referred students to a website of resources, including their deans designee, their dean, the dean of student affairs, Camille Lizarribar, or the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs.

Goff-Crews outlined a number of steps the university is taking, including a retreat planned for the Advisory Committee on Student Life to develop the next phase of equity and inclusion programming and provide for the sharing of best practices across the university and build upon cross-school collaboration and meetings with the deans designees during the summer to determine how best to increase their visibility on campus.

In her email, Cooley outlined steps to be taken within the graduate school, including: Implicit bias awareness training for all [graduate school] staff by the fall semester; dedicated training session for all incoming graduate students on implicit bias awareness; training of all doctoral student teachers in teaching an inclusive classroom either as part of Teaching @ Yale Day or in the Fundamentals of Inclusive Teaching workshop offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning; and community-building sessions in the graduate student dorms.

Cooley said a new email address, discrimination.harassment.complaint@yale.edu, had been created to communicate with the Presidents Committee on Racial and Ethnic Harassment and that her deans designee, Associate Dean Michelle Nearon, was available for students to share and seek a response to an experience of discrimination or harassment.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
HARTFORD  In the wake of yesterdays storms, which have left thousands of Connecticut residents without power, the Connecticut Department of Public Health warns residents of the dangers of carbon monoxide and asks that they take steps to prevent deadly CO poisoning.

DPH cautions residents to ensure proper use of generators to protect against CO poisoning, according to a release. Generators should be placed at least 20 feet from the house and never inside the house, enclosed porch or attached garage, officials said.

CO is an invisible, odorless gas that can be fatal. Breathing in excessive amounts of CO can cause loss of consciousness and death, health officials said. The symptoms of CO poisoning can mimic those of the flu, including headache, fatigue, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, confusion, or loss of consciousness. People who are sleeping or unconscious can die from CO poisoning before they exhibit any symptoms. DPH warns that anyone exhibiting these symptoms should leave the house immediately and call 911.

Improper use of portable generators have caused more than half of CO poisonings in Connecticut, according to DPH.

DPH offers the following safety tips to prevent CO poisoning:

* Never use portable generators or other gasoline-powered equipment (including tools) indoors or in the garage, basement, shed or other enclosed spaces. Even if the garage or shed doors are open, CO gas can still build up to dangerous levels within minutes.

* Place portable generators at least 20-25 feet from your home. There have been instances where exhaust containing CO gas has been blown back into the house and poisoned occupants when outdoor portable generators were close to the house.

* Opening windows and doors, and operating fans is NOT sufficient to prevent buildup of CO in a home.

* Use charcoal and gas grills or camping stoves outdoors only.
Herb Kolodny of Hamden and Brenda Novak of Branford were newbies at dealing with politics of the General Assembly and its legislative process.

To their surprise, their bill to require private insurers to cover high-tech prosthetic limbs, as Medicare does, passed both houses unanimously, in the midst of tense budget negotiations at the end of a short session.

Along the way, they found allies not only in the assembly chambers, but among the cluster of lobbyists in the hallways of the state Capitol.

I was in shock because we were surrounded with lobbyists, and when they told us that we got unanimous voting in the Senate and the House and were a couple of rookies here  and we got it on our first try, it began to dawn on us what wed done, Kolodny said.

The bill, SB 376, passed the House 148-0 after a roll call taken at 10:42 p.m. on May 9, the last day of the session, which is mainly devoted to budget issues. It passed the Senate 36-0 on May 4. The bill earlier was approved by the Insurance and Real Estate Committee 21-0 and the Appropriations Committee 42-4.

Kolodny, co-founder with Novak of the Connecticut Amputee Network  both have lost legs above the knee  said that if it werent for the advice and assistance of lobbyists, we would never have known how negotiations were going.

There were these professional lobbyists around us that jumped up and [would] actually run interference for us, grab a legislator and got updates, Kolodny said. The lobbyists knew where they were hiding, so we knew where to find them so they became part of our extended team. We were not alone.

He said the helpful lobbyists included those from AT&T, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association and St. Francis Hospital.

In our case, lobbyists turned out to be the good guys, Novak said.

Weve been talking about it over the last few days and we got so much feedback.  To see it passed in one session and especially in a short session thats focused on the budget, she said. They had been told that its common for a bill to take multiple years to get passed.

While the pair has gotten positive signals that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy will sign the bill, his spokesman said the bill had not been sent to the governors office yet and the language would have to be reviewed. All that I have heard is confidence on the part of legislators that the governor will sign, Kolodny said. They were asked to send an email stating their case.

The bill mandates full coverage for prostheses that have a microprocessor in the knee that can assist in balance and gait and sense if, for example, the person stumbles. Novak paid $21,000 out of pocket for her leg, which cost $65,000, including the cost of the prosthetists services.

Kolodny said his only preparation was a seven-month-long training program by Connecticut Partners in Policymaking, a program to help people with disabilities learn to advocate for themselves. It is run by UConn Healths University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

It prepared me for what I needed to do, Kolodny said. It teaches you enough to get started but you really dont know what youre doing. He said that when Novak joined him, she added a tremendous amount of marketing and public relations skills.

They credited two original co-sponsors, state Sen. George Logan, R-Ansonia, and state Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr., D-Branford, as well as state Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, with leading the effort. Kennedy lost a leg to cancer when he was 12.

Assuming Malloy signs the bill, the next step will be to educated medical providers, including hospitals, physical therapists, doctors, nurses, prosthetists  so that they know what the rules are about what medical notes are necessary to approve a prosthesis, Novak said. The law would go into effect Jan. 1.

We also want to be an educational resource for amputees, Novak said, using a network of peer advisers and peer mentors, certified by the Amputee Coalition of America. The mentors will match their gender or disability or whatever they need, she said.

Kolodny said there are more than 1,800 new amputees each year in Connecticut, half or more than half of the time thats a diabetic patient if theyre an adult. He said the bill is for them and the fact that they will have a good quality of life.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
NEW HAVEN  Communities in the Greater New Haven area worked to pick up the pieces Wednesday morning following Tuesdays strong storm, which brought trees and power lines down across the region.

The National Weather Service announced just after 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday confirmation that an EF1 tornado, with estimated peak winds of 110 mph, moved along a nine and a half mile path between Beacon Falls and Hamden on Tuesday.

A final assesment is expected to be completed Thursday.

New Haven Emergency Operations Director Rick Fontana said Wednesday that there were four streets closed in the city, down from 30 at the peak, after crews worked through the night.

Straight line winds in the community topped out at approximately 68 mph, he said. Four tree crews were out clearing debris as of 10:45 a.m.

Hamden police released a list of roads that remained closed as of Wednesday morning, including several in the area of the Mount Carmel campus of Quinnipiac University, which school officials announced would be closed for the day.

According to Hamden police Capt. Ronald Smith, trees fell on five homes in town, including two on Hill Street, and several motor vehicles had been disabled.

Whitney Avenue in Hamden reopened around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

While we continue to have serious clean-up work, road closures due to impassable trees and wires down - we remain all hands on deck and are making progress, Leng said in a Facebook statement.

The town emergency storm team was planning to meet at approximately 1 p.m. to assess the situation in town, Leng said. Approximately 111 trees had reportedly come down  a very low, very early assessment, Leng said.

Hamden public schools were closed for the day Wednesday, as the storm resulted in many downed trees, blocked roads and downed power lines in town, according to the district.

The district announced Wednesday afternoon that classes would be cancelled again Thursday.

Students were marooned at West Woods School after the storm, but were able to go home around 4 a.m. Wednesday after crews were able to clear a path from the institution, Leng said. No one was hurt. Young people were also stuck at Alice Peck School, but were able to get out earlier.

The Jonathan Dickerman house, which dates back to the 18th century, was damaged as a tree fell on it during the storm, according to the Hamden Historical Society.

The damage may be significant, but it is hoped the damage can be repaired, officials with the historical society said on Facebook.

Noah Seltzer, a Hamden resident, was hiking through Sleeping Giant State Park with a friend when the storm hit, he said Wednesday.

As the wind and rain came down, he said he could hear trees cracking all over the place. He and his friend made their way back toward the parking lot, moving in between gusts  he said it was hard to open his eyes to see, given the rain and wind.

When the storm died away, there were debris littering the path, and he and his friend had to climb over downed trees to make their way toward the lot. Once they got there, he said a line of trees looked as if they had been clear-cut.

Seltzer said he wasnt scared during the storm  his mind was just closed off as he focused on moving forward. Once he got out of the elements, the exhaustion hit.

He said he and his friend had gone back to the park to take pictures Wednesday, and people told them how lucky they were to have gotten through the incident safely.

It was a crazy experience, but I wouldnt take it back for anything, said Seltzer.

United Illuminating noted that Hamden and North Haven were among the hardest-hit communities within its service area in a Tuesday evening statement.

As of approximately 9:30 a.m., 10 percent of United Illuminating customers in Hamden  2,706 people  remained without power. About 952 were in the same boat in North Haven and 535 in New Haven.

Ed Crowder, spokesman with United Illuminating, said that approximately 5,200 of the companys customers were without power as of approximately 10 a.m. Wednesday  about half of whom live in Hamden. The peak number of outages from the storm totaled about 12,000, he said.

Due to the nature of the storm, the effects were localized  the damage in Hamden was comparable to what theyve seen in major weather events of the past, he said.

The company was in the midst of addressing 338 damaged locations in its 17 towns and cities, Crowder said. Approximately 325 personnel were out working after the storm, and 360 power lines had been reported to be down, he said.

Weve got a fairly robust response underway right now, said Crowder, saying that the company expected to make significant progress in restoring power over the course of the day.

Crowder advised people to stay away from any downed wires  even if they did not appear to be dangerous at first glance. They can be, even at a distance, he said.

More than 11,000 people were without power in both Cheshire and Guilford as of approximately 10 a.m., according to Eversource.

Kathleen Schurman, owner of Lockets Meadow Farm in Bethany, said a tornado touched down twice on her farm Tuesday and hopscotched around the neighborhood.

She said a barn worker witnessed the spiral touching down.

Schurman said the tornado twisted their tall ladder into a spiral, there are more trees down than she can count and two small buildings not insured on the property were heavily damaged. On Thursday, volunteers were helping her with cleanup and tree work.

She said the storm was terrifying, and the water and pressure made it feel like they were being hit by a tidal wave, but no animals or people were hurt.

We all got really lucky, she said.

To protect them, Schurman brought a pig, lamb, six dogs and four cats inside to stay for the night and said the first thing she did this morning was clean the kitchen floors because it smelled like a barnyard.

At Clover Nook Farm in Bethany, farmer Lars Demander was too busy to talk Wednesday morning because cleanup and repair were extensive. The farm posted on Facebook:

We got a direct hit by a tornado at the farm today. We are blessed to all be alive. Mom, Dad and I were locking down the greenhouse when it hit, the second greenhouse took off and landed on top of the greenhouse we were in. Luckily we ran to the house and not the old store/ storage barn, which is completely destroyed now on top of tractors and equipment. Hoping neighbors we did not check on and other Bethany residents are okay.

While Bethany was hit hard, Milford, Orange and Woodbridge suffered relatively little damage, said town leaders.

Milford Mayor Ben Blake on Wednesday reached out to hard-hit towns such as Hamden, Seymour and Bethany to see if the city could be of assistance.

Milford got very, very, very lucky, Blake said. There were fewer than half a dozen trees down.

He said all was back to normal Wednesday.

In Orange, some trees went down, but Public Works was able to keep us open, First Selectman Jim Zeoli said.

There are 4 or 5 streets waiting for tree crew for trees in wires, but mostly okay from what I have heard, Zeoli said.

Woodbridge First Selectwoman Beth Heller said, We are in pretty good shape, following the storm.

Although Woodbridge escaped major damage, Amity High School, located in Woodbridge, was closed, Superintendent of Schools Charles Dumais said, because, the damage in in the north end of the district (Bethany) was extensive, downing many power lines, closing major/minor streets, cutting off access to the middle school, and making student transportation difficult/slow/dangerous.

Amity High School serves students from Bethany, Orange and Woodbridge.

First Selectman Michael Freda said he was out on the roads of North Haven as of approximately 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

There were significant damage and devastation in the western part of the community, he said. For about an hour and a half, it was one of the most ferocious storms ever seen in town. Minor injuries were reported.

Trees had fallen on cars and homes  12 people had sought shelter at North Haven High School overnight, and the senior center had been opened as a charging station for those without power.

Theres significant tree damage  trees are cracked, poles are down, said Freda. It definitely looks like a tornado roared through here.

Freda said public works crews, the police department, and workers from United Illuminating had come together to clear roads and address damage infrastructure in town.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced that seven state parks, including Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden and Wharton Brook State Park in Wallingford, would be closed Wednesday.

There is extensive storm damage to a number of Connecticut State Parks and Forests throughout the most affected areas of the state, said Chris Collibee of DEEP in a release. Those Parks will remain closed until an assessment can be made of damage. We strongly urge the public to stay out of these parks and any other area with obvious tree damage until this assessment and hazard mitigation can take place.

During an afternoon news conference in Brookfield, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said due to the extensive damage caused by the storm, power wont likely be restored to some locations for days.

Malloy surveyed damage Wednesday in several towns including Brookfield, where about 85 percent of the nearly 8,400 homes and businesses were still without power.

Malloy also announced that the Connecticut Insurance Department has activated its emergency adjuster program that allows insurance companies to quickly register their out-of-state adjusters and bring them into the state to help with claims of property and auto damage.

We want to make sure that homeowners get help as quickly as possible from their insurance companies, Insurance Commissioner Katharine Wade said in a release. By activating this program, insurance companies are able to quickly get more help on the ground where its most needed.

Residents and business who have insurance questions and concerns related to property damage can contact the Connecticut Insurance Department at insurance@ct.gov.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
NEW HAVEN  For almost a quarter-century, Karyn Gilvarg directed growth in the city, combined with a passion for historic preservation.

On Tuesday, the New Haven Preservation Trust chose her for its prestigious Margaret Flint award in recognition of her role as the city plan director for more than 23 years, where she made recommendations on more than 1,500 applications for development and land use.

In a tribute read by architect Duo Dickenson, he said Gilvarg framed the citys Comprehensive Plan of Development, led staff support for the City Plan Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Historic District Commission under two mayors, guiding them through the details of federal, state and local projects.

It is safe to say that since 1994 no one has worked harder or been more successful in maintaining the quality of the built environment of New Haven, Dickinson read.

The 2018 New Haven Preservation Trust also awarded it Landmark Plaque to the Dixwell Avenue Congregational United Church of Christ, which was designed by architect John M. Johansen in 1967.

Accepting the award was its senior pastor since 2011, the Rev. Frederick J. Streets, who called up dozens of members of the church to share the honors with him in a ceremony in the atrium of City Hall.

The church, which is being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, has cleared one hurdle, having been accepted as eligible by the State Historic Preservation Office.

Founded in 1820, it is believed to be the oldest African American Congregational UCC Church in the world, according to the trust.

It was started as the African Ecclesiastical Society by a small group that included former slaves, according to Channing Harris, who wrote the tribute for the churchs award, as a place to worship when they were not welcomed in white churches.

It is also remembered for the help its members gave to the captured Africans on the ship Amistad when that case went to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1841 and they were freed.

Architect Bob Grzywacz was given the House Preservation award for his care of the 1886 Benjamin Hague house at 23 Foster St., where he has lived for 41 years.

For the first ten years, he was able to stabilize it from further deterioration and more recently replaced the three layers of asphalt shingles and the original wood shingles under them with new wood shingles.

Dickenson said in 2016 Grzywacz painted the Stick-Style Queen Anne exterior in a mix of colors that took 6 months to finish.

Queen Anne homes in New England are not uncommon. But the Queen Anne home owned by architect Bob Grzywacz literally sparkles, he said.

The Trinity Church Home Chapel at 301George St., renovated by the architect firm of Greg Wies & Gardner, was given the trusts Merit Plaque.

It is part of a renovation of a site that spans George to Crown streets close to High Street undertaken by developers Metro 303 of Milford, owned by Robert Smith.

Architect Sam Gardner designed an apartment complex that gave the 1875 Henry Austin Trinity Chapel a presence on George Street with a pocket park in front ot it.

Gardner said Smith engaged with the trust from the start rather than being forced to do so. The ideas that came from the committee that we met with were really outstanding and were captured in the project, Gardner said.

Many of the people in the crowd were there to pay tribute to Gilvarg, who emphasized the importance of preservation.

She praised the efforts of Flint and others, such as Debra Townshend, who were important counters to sweeping plans that disregarded the built fabric and social capital of the city already here for centuries.

Gilvarg was referring to the redevelopment era of former Mayor Richard C. Lee, when large swaths of New Haven were bulldozed.

She said the preservationists saved the former post office that now houses the federal court and changed the direction of urban renewal in neighborhoods such as Wooster Square and Quinnipiac River by starting an inventory of historic buildings and establishing the New Haven Historic District Commission to safeguard them into the future.

Gilvarg said preservation goes beyond saving the homes of the elite, churches and government buildings. She made a case to preserve the sprawling network of housing and streets and the few manufacturing buildings that remain  the ordinary.

As the main person responsible for the Boathouse at Canal Dock and the Farmington Canal Heritage Greenway, Gilvarg told the crowd it was important to include historic interpretations in these projects.

mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577
HAMDEN  A Chinese food delivery person was targeted in an armed robbery at approximately 10:30 p.m. Tuesday on Alstrum Street, according to police.

The victim, 24, was approached on a front porch by two people described as black males standing 5-feet, 7-inches to 5-feet, 9-inches tall, wearing dark clothing and a ski mask.
NEW HAVEN  When someone arrives at Vidone Birth Center in labor and in need of additional support, the medical staff can call one of their on-call doulas  a group of women professionally trained to provide physical, emotional and educational support to laboring mothers.

This group of birth workers has committed themselves to serving the segment of Yale New Haven Hospitals pregnant population who would not normally be able to afford doula services. It is in these gaps of access to equal care that these volunteers enter into an intersection of birth work and social activism.

The Vidone Volunteer Doulas at Vidone Birth Center at YNHH came into existence in 2016 when nurse-midwife Erin Court-Morelli recognized a gap in access and care in her patient population. Morelli believedthe presence of doulas could provide her patients with the additional support they needed for a better birth experience.

Doulas are called into Vidone for a myriad of reasons such as a laboring woman who is unaccompanied, experiencing anxiety, or a survivor of trauma. Doulas can be pivotal in addressing language or communication barriers between medical staff and patients allowing a laboring mother to better articulate her own needs as she experiences stress, discomfort and fear. Doulas work with a laboring mother to create an environment in which she feels safe and to provide the affirmation and companionship that she needs to birth confidently. Many doulas are trained to provide physical relief using measures like massage and helping the patient work through her discomfort as she delivers.

Morelli estimates that around 75 percent of the patient population who seek care at Vidone Birth Center are on Medicaid and she believes that professional doula support services should be available regardless of economic status. Morelli says that the success of doulas in improving both patient experience and birth outcomes for mother and baby is supported by medical research. In the state of Connecticut, a professional labor doula can cost anywhere between $500 and $1500, making the service inaccessible to economically vulnerable mothers.

Morelli said medical staff are responsible for the healthcare and charting of multiple patients at once. On the other hand, each doula is focused only on their client allowing them to provide support in ways the medical staff are not always able.

Of course, the midwives, nurses and midwifery students will provide labor support whenever possible, but its different from a doula.Morelli said.

The doulas commitment to the women they serve is a reflection of the model of care that Vidone Birth Center works to honor. The Vidone philosophy is a collaborative practice model with the patient in the middle and her care team surrounding her. With all members of the team having a voice and giving input into the patients care, including the patient, said Morelli.

Morelli said that most families dont know what a doula is because of what she called a gap in doula awareness. Carmen Maria Conroy agrees that this gap exists. Conroy began working as a doula in her hometown of San Francisco before coming to Yale as a post-baccalaureate biology student. She has been volunteering with the program since its inception.

Conroy spoke to the inequities in awareness. What I have found is that most of the people who know what a doula is are not necessarily the target population that has the most to gain from doula support.

Conroy referenced a 2015 study by Katy Backes Kozhimannil titled Doula Care, Birth Outcomes, and Costs Among Medicaid Beneficiaries, which she said concluded that studies show that upper-middle class, middle-aged white women are most likely to know what a doula is and seek one out, but these are also the women who have traditionally better labor outcomes, as measured by rates of adverse birth outcomes.

Conroy spoke about her role as a volunteer doula.

My philosophy as a doula is that my role is to inform, empower, and support a mother during labor, no matter what her decisions are and what her ideal labor looks like. I believe that  just as accessibility to health care is a fundamental human right  access to doula care should be a basic right for pregnant people.

Conroy believes that in the world of obstetric research and practice, babies health has taken precedence while the wellbeing of the mother is often overlooked. Part of my goal as a doula is to restore the focus of labor to the mother as the centerpiece of the labor experience, said Conroy.

Conroy said the impact of the doula is often dismissed or seen as not being based in science and referenced a 2013 study by Kenneth Gruber, Susan Cupito and Christina Dobson, titled The Impact of Doulas on Healthy Birth Outcomes. Multiple studies have validated the utility of doula care, and have shown that it measurably improves maternal satisfaction with the labor experience, reduces the need for medical interventions such as forceps, vacuum-assisted deliveries, or Cesarean sections, increases the likelihood of successful breastfeeding, and decreases time spent in active labor.

Conroy went on to say This information alone shows that doula services have a lot to offer in the way of evidence-based care, and that doulas hold potential for reducing medical costs as well and improving a mothers birth experience.

In 2012, The Status of Women and Girls, a report published in by The Institute of Womens Policy Research stated New Haven has a higher rate of single female households than the rest of the state: 23 percent compared to 13 percent statewide and that these households have the lowest median income of all household types at $22,660 and the highest poverty rates among household types at 44 percent. While there has been little additional research into this segment of the population since, Conroy says that these findings are consistent with what she sees and that her work at Vidone has been with the population that the report describes.

I have worked almost exclusively with single mothers in New Haven, and just anecdotally, that has been the number one demographic I have seen requesting doula services at Vidone, said Conroy Research has shown that single mothers face greater health risks, greater barriers to accessing care during pregnancy and in the delivery room. Conroy says that this population also lacks familial support which can negatively impact their labor experience and birth outcome.

Conroy says she grateful for the attention that maternal health issues have received. One such report was ProPublicas December 2017 article on the disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality among black woman and naming the United States as the most dangerous industrialized country to give birth in.

While economic factors do create barriers to care, the ProPublica article contends, economic status is not the single contributor of negative maternal health outcomes. The mistreatment of women of color in medical settings and the stress experienced by minorities in American must also be considered. The presence of a doula helps combat these issues and can bridge gaps in understanding and communication between a patient and their provider.

Sometimes, a doula is the only person in the room whose sole job is to care for the person giving birth, said Vanessa Hawke, doula and owner of Paper Crane Birth Services. Its important because a sense of safety and comfort is vital to the birthing process, and that is what doulas are there to facilitate.

Hawke said, In my perfect world, every parent would feel prepared, supported, and respected in terms of the way they choose to give birth. They would be encouraged to trust in their abilities during labor and in the postpartum period,

Morelli said that response from patients who have had a doula has been overwhelmingly positive. I think in my practice patients appreciate that they are respected, have access to family planning and quality prenatal care, said Morelli, The women we have served have been tremendously grateful.

Chlouie Alvarado is a freelance writer.
BRIDGEPORT - A woman got a disturbing phone call from her nephew, who told her he had been kidnapped and his abductor was demanding $800 or he would burn, the young man.

Titi, I was wondering if you were gonna send that money, cause I really want to go home, police said the young man pleaded with his aunt in a later call.

While officers ran a trace, detectives told the aunt to demand that his abductors text her a photograph of her nephew.

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I want to make sure youre still good, she told her nephew, police said.

No one was prepared for what came next.

The photograph showed the 21-year-old victim lying face-down in a bathtub, a 3-foot alligator on top of him, its open mouth facing the camera.

Titi, man, they got this alligator on me and they saying that if no money is given, they are gonna have him chewing on me, the victim said in a follow-up phone call, police said.

Bridgeport and Shelton police would later surround a Shelton hotel, capture the creature and arrest 30-year-old Isaias Garcia, a convicted felon from Garland, Texas, on kidnapping, extortion and assault charges.

It is an outrageous case, but it is clear from the evidence that this young mans life was in danger, said Bridgeport Police Lt. Christopher LaMaine. This was no joke.

On April 6, the young mans aunt and his father came to police to report the kidnapping. Police said they played the phone messages the from the victim.

RELATED: Prominent S.A. woman's dismissed DWI gets refiled

Working with the FBI, police said, detectives traced the cellphone number from which the victim called to the Residence Inn, in Shelton. Police determined that in addition to being calling the aunt, the phone had been used to call in a takeout order to a Stratford Chinese restaurant. Police said the restaurant confirmed a delivery to the hotel and gave the room number to detectives.

But police said that when they got to the hotel room that same day, the victim and his captor were gone  but Garcias girlfriend and the alligator were there. While the state Department of Environmental Protection got the gator, LaMaine said, detectives interviewed the girlfriend.

She told them Garcia had arrived at the hotel room with the victim, ordered him to lie on a sofa and then just sat there staring at the victim until the young man fell asleep, police said.

Told that Garcia was expected to return soon, detectives and Shelton police waited nearby. Police said that when Garcias car pulled into the hotel parking lot, with the victim in the passenger seat, cops converged, guns drawn.

LaMaine pulled Garcia from the drivers seat, handcuffed him and recovered a large hunting knife tucked in the front of Garcias pants, police said.

Police said the victim had two burn marks, one on his face and the other on his right forearm. He told police Garcia had burned him with a barbeque-style lighter after tying him up.

On Tuesday, Garcia, who police said was previously convicted in Texas for aggravated robbery, pleaded not guilty before Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin to first-degree kidnapping, attempted first-degree larceny by extortion, unlawful restraint, third-degree assault and threatening. He asked for a jury trial.

The judge continued the case to June 4.
In all the chaos surrounding the Republican government shutdown last week, one critical issue deserved more attention: the fact that the Republican majority in Congress failed to include the main source of funding for Community Health Centers in their recent spending bill.

More than ten percent of Connecticut residents receive their healthcare at Community Health Centers. In the past, Community Health Centers funding has been extended with bipartisan supportbut in the Continuing Resolution passed in the House and Senate, Community Health Centers was excluded.

When I spoke to Dr. Sue Lagarde, the CEO of Fair Haven Community Health in New Haven, she was terrified. At a roundtable discussion at Fair Haven, she said that she is scared that the basic human rights of our patients will be stripped to the core by this lack of funding.

That is why I brought Dr. Lagarde to Washington, to sit in the House Chamber during the State of the Union: To look Republicans and President Donald Trump in the eye and highlight the catastrophic affect this lack of funding will have on patients and families in our community.

When we passed the Affordable Care Act, we included billions of dollars in additional funding for community health centers because of the integral role health care providers play in our communities. These centers meet a need for the vulnerable, including people who have fallen on hard times, immigrants and refugees, children, rural populations, and more.

In Connecticut, this lapse in funding means that the funding to health centers in our state could be cut by 70 percentover 40 million dollars in direct loss of funds. The National Association of Community Health Centers estimates that 24 percent of health center patients could lose access to care90,000 people in our state losing primary healthcare. These are the very people that Republicans have willingly left behind in their spending bill. The President and Republicans are clearly unable to governexcept when it comes to giving huge tax cuts to the one percent and their corporate donors.

We cannot let this stand. This is a manufactured crisis, and Congress has the power to fix it. We must fund Community Health Centers on a long-term, predictable basisnot lurch from short term spending bill to short term spending bill. The American people sent us to Washington to enact public policy that improves peoples lives. I intend to keep fighting for Dr. Lagarde, community health centers across our state, and the thousands of patients whose care is on the line.

Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro represents the Third District.
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North Augusta, SC (29841)

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A shower is possible early. Partly cloudy. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable..

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A shower is possible early. Partly cloudy. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, during a Wednesday question-and-answer with reporters, said he supports plutonium pit production moving  if it actually happens  to the Savannah River Site.
While Xiaomi's worldwide growth has been worthy of accolades, the 8-year-old company's expansion in certain markets has been even more impressive. Case in point is the Indonesian market, where the company recorded a shocking 1500% year-on-year growth in shipment figures.

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At this point, talking about Xiaomi's growth is getting a tad annoying. The company finished Q4 2017 as the fifth-largest smartphone brand in the world, then kicked it up a notch in Q1 2018, ending the quarter as the fourth-largest brand ahead of OPPO.

As impressive as Xiaomi's global standing is, the company's expansion in certain markets has been far more impressive. It overtook Samsung to become the largest brand in India, and also expanded massively across Europe. Indonesia is, perhaps, the most impressive of them all.

Xiaomi shipped just 107,000 smartphone units in the country in Q1 2017, but shipped a 1.7 million units there in Q1 2018, making for an incredible 1500% year-on-year growth in that market.
Roseburg, OR (97470)

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Mostly clear this evening then becoming cloudy with periods of light rain after midnight. Low 48F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

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Thank you for reading The Cascadia Advocate, the Northwest Progressive Institutes journal of world, national, and local politics.

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Tuesday night, the high end of the art market showed life at Christies when Constantin Brancusis 1932 polished bronze portrait of the flamboyant shipping heiress Nancy Cunard sold for $71 million with fees, a new high for the artist at auction.

Another work that performed well was Kazimir Malevichs Suprematist Composition, an abstraction that pulled in $85.8 million with fees, the top result of the evening and the highest price ever paid at auction for a piece by the Russian modernist.

Three bidders had battled for the Brancusi, a 2-foot-7-inch-high abstracted head, titled La Jeune Fille Sophistiquee (Portrait de Nancy Cunard), (The Sophisticated Young Woman), and set on the artists original carved marble base. According to Christies, it went to an undisclosed bidder on the phone who had guaranteed a set price for the sculpture before the sale and who earned roughly $190,000 in financing fees as part of the transaction.
If you look at whats happening with trade in China, it hasnt been fair for many, many years. When President Trump rails against China, he says things like, Our country is being taken advantage of, or, We lost years ago by presidents and others allowing this to happen. Hes probably referring to the past four decades, when China has grown faster than any major economy in history and gone from a poor, developing country to an economic powerhouse that is challenging Americas spot at the top of the international food chain. Its emergence as a global power was so sharp and so extreme, faster than the world can handle, in some ways faster than China can handle. The U.S. and other Western nations kick-started much of Chinas rise by opening up trade. What they havent figured out is how to get this fundamentally different economic system to play by free market rules. A pivotal moment came in 2001 after 15 years of negotiations. China joined the World Trade Organization, which sets the rules for free and fair trade between member countries. All of the countries that were in the club at the time put enormous demands on China for what they needed to do. The Chinese committed to sharply lower tariffs and reduced some of the governments role in how business gets done. But they argued then, as they still do now, that China is a developing country and so should be held to less stringent free trade standards. The hope was that these first steps would lead to even more sweeping changes. Why did we assume that? The experience of communism was through the lens of the Soviet Union and its satellite states, which was ultimately not a success. And so the presumption was, Chinas going to want to become like us, more market oriented. After China joined the W.T.O. in 2001, you saw this enormous surge of Chinese exports to everywhere in the world, and to the United States in particular. They were kind of an elephant hiding behind mice with respect to other countries in global trade negotiations at the time. The U.S. and other countries complained that China was not opening its markets enough, and keeping the value of its currency artificially low to make Chinese exports more attractive. China has been making great strides using tools that are really not acceptable under the global trade system. China has continued to operate as a centrally planned economy. The government owns, influences or subsidizes major industries, giving them an artificial competitive edge. There are heavy restrictions on foreign investment, and foreign companies are pressured to share their technologies. China has become more market oriented, but dating back to probably 2007, 2008, I think it was recognized that China wasnt on the path to become more like us. And so then countries began to think about, well, what do we do instead? Some view the rise of Asia-Pacific with suspicion and fear. America doesnt. Enter the Trans-Pacific Partnership, initiated by Bush, signed by Obama. When implemented, It wont just boost trade and support jobs in our 12 countries. It will help set stronger rules for trade across the Asia-Pacific. Put less politely, It was also supposed to be a bulwark to Chinas growing economic power. The idea was that China would want to join this great trading pact, and so they would have this incentive to reform their economy. This is the one that President Trump ripped up on his third day in office. The first one is withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I had seen the erosion of popular and congressional support for trade for many years. But Id never seen anything like Donald Trump. Our founding fathers understood trade much better than our current politicians, believe me. Trade is generally accepted by economists as win-win for countries on the whole. But Trump says that China is winning and the U.S. is losing. He and people in his administration argue that past approaches to dealing with China havent worked. Its not actually that profitable to negotiate with them. We need to focus on this much bigger trade measure, and then we can really hit them with a very aggressive, forceful action. He seems intent on generating a moment of crisis. We put a $50 billion tariff on, then we put a $100 billion tariff on. And you know at a certain point, they run out of bullets. But dynamics have changed. Today, China sees its economy as strong enough to withstand almost anything the U.S. can throw at it.
Today we welcome back Jonathan Schmalzbach, who was last seen in The New York Times Crossword in 1998, and we welcome Bill Albright, who makes his New York Times Crossword debut.

Its midweek, so we have to put a bit more thought into deciphering the theme than we have over the past two days. In return, we may get a giggle out of what Mr. Albright and Mr. Schmalzbach hath wrought.

Tricky Clues

First, however, we solve. I jumped in at 15As URIAH Heep, 1Ds TAJ Mahal and 23Ds Persona non GRATA, because the fill-in-the-blanks are the way in for most puzzles. I didnt guess 58As ALA Grecque right off the bat, nor did I instantly know 48As ITS official , but 20As Emmy-winning Falco is nearly as good as a fill-in-the-blank, right? The answer is EDIE. Now do the same thing with the Actress McDonald: The puzzle is looking for her first name, which is AUDRA.

Now what? Well, we fill in as many entries as we can to establish that all important foothold and then we spread out. Use what you have to solve what is around it.
For more than a month now, the investigation of Michael D. Cohen, President Trumps longtime personal lawyer, has been a spectacle, a garish pageant of money, sex and politics unfolding both in court and in the court of public opinion.

And if anyone can be thought of as the ringmaster in this noisy legal circus, it is Mr. Cohens chief nemesis, Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for the pornographic film star Stephanie Clifford.

After all, it was Mr. Avenatti who sent Ms. Clifford  better known as Stormy Daniels  into a courtroom in Manhattan last month to sit (in her pink blazer) within sight of Mr. Cohen as part of a publicity stunt that largely seemed designed to needle and unnerve him. It was also Mr. Avenatti who set off a frenzy in the media last week by releasing a report that showed how Mr. Cohen had taken more than $1 million from a firm linked to a wealthy Russian oligarch and from several major companies, including AT&T.

As federal prosecutors in Manhattan continue to investigate whether Mr. Cohen broke the law by paying Ms. Clifford to stay silent about an affair she says she had with Mr. Trump, Mr. Avenatti has never once shut up about the case. In a guerrilla-style campaign, he has been on Twitter daily  sometimes almost hourly  talking of Mr. Cohen and has appeared so frequently on television that some have joked that he sleeps at CNN.
The West as we once knew it no longer exists, Der Spiegels editors wrote. Our relationship to the United States cannot currently be called a friendship and can hardly be referred to as a partnership. President Trump has adopted a tone that ignores 70 years of trust.

Then there are the hard facts. Europes trade with the United States is incomparably larger than its trade with Iran, and even if Britain, France and Germany  co-signers of the Iran accord, along with China, the European Union, Russia and the United States  try to maintain the Iran deal and support their companies against so-called secondary sanctions by Washington, many European banks and industries would be wary of defying Americas enormous economic clout, and especially the reach of its banking system.

Mr. Trump, who has long complained about Germanys trade surplus and Europes low military spending, is not overly sympathetic to Europes economic or security concerns, and even less so with the uberhawkish John Bolton now as his national security adviser. In a phone call to British, French and German officials last Wednesday, Mr. Bolton said there would be no sanctions exemptions for European companies.

The anger in Europe, however, is not so much about the cost of renewed sanctions as about the total, humiliating disdain for the Europeans arguments, and, by extension, for the trans-Atlantic alliance and all it has stood for since World War II. If Europeans allowed other powers, including allies, to make security decisions for them, then we are no more sovereign and we cannot be more credible to public opinion, Mr. Macron said in a statement that echoed the sentiments of many of his European neighbors.

There have been bitter differences before, notably over the war in Iraq, but to Europeans, Mr. Trumps contempt is of a higher order, an arrogant mind-set that even on matters of paramount global importance, America will do what it wants without giving a damn for the interests of its closest allies.
There is a growing realization that our data is under attack. From breaches at Equifax to Cambridge Analyticas misuse of the profile information of more than 87 million Facebook users, it seems as if none of our personal data is safe. And more and more about us is being captured, stored and processed by smart devices like thermostats, baby monitors, WiFi-connected streetlights and traffic sensors.

In the United States, people who are concerned are looking to Europe. They see Europes right to be forgotten, by which citizens can force companies to erase some of their personal data, as a step toward regaining ownership of their online selves. And on May 25, the European Union will bring into force the most sweeping regulation ever of what can be done with peoples data.

This law, the General Data Protection Regulation, will give citizens greater control over their data while requiring those who process personal data in the European Union or about its citizens to take responsibility for its protection. The G.D.P.R. will give Europeans the right to data portability (allowing people, for example, to take their data from one social network to another) and the right not to be subject to decisions based on automated data processing (prohibiting, for example, the use of an algorithm to reject applicants for jobs or loans). Advocates seem to believe that the new law could replace a corporate-controlled internet with a digital democracy.

Theres just one problem: No one understands the G.D.P.R.

The law is staggeringly complex. After three years of intense lobbying and contentious negotiation, the European Parliament published a draft, which then received some 4,000 amendment proposals, a reflection of the divergent interests at stake. Corporations, governments and academic institutions all process personal data, but they use it for different purposes.
The White House eliminated the position of cybersecurity coordinator on the National Security Council on Tuesday, doing away with a post central to developing policy to defend against increasingly sophisticated digital attacks and the use of offensive cyber weapons.

A memorandum circulated by an aide to the new national security adviser, John R. Bolton, said the post was no longer considered necessary because lower-level officials had already made cybersecurity issues a core function of the presidents national security team.

Cybersecurity experts and members of Congress said they were mystified by the move, though some suggested Mr. Bolton did not want any competitive power centers emerging inside the national security apparatus.

The decision was criticized by Mark R. Warner, a senator from Virginia and the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. I dont see how getting rid of the top cyber official in the White House does anything to make our country safer from cyber threats, he wrote on Twitter.
Mr. Mashburns testimony was described by three people familiar with it, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the session publicly. The Judiciary Committee, like other panels on Capitol Hill, is conducting its inquiry mostly in secret and has publicized little of what it has learned.

Lawyers for Mr. Mashburn and Mr. Papadopoulos declined to comment. Michael Glassner, the chief operating officer of the campaign, and Mr. Mashburn did not reply to requests for comment.

A veteran culture warrior and anti-abortion activist, Mr. Mashburn joined the Trump campaign in April 2016 as Mr. Trump was wrapping up the Republican nomination and looking to consolidate support after a bruising primary. A longtime Senate lawyer  he rose to prominence as an aide in the 1980s to Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina, the divisive conservative firebrand  Mr. Mashburn brought with him deep connections to Washingtons conservative policy networks and a long resume of the sort that had been lacking on the campaign.

For about the next six months, Mr. Mashburn served as the campaigns policy director, working closely with Rick Dearborn, another longtime Senate lawyer, to oversee the campaigns policy shop in Washington. Later, he advised the presidential transition team and followed Mr. Dearborn to the White House, where until mid-April he was the deputy cabinet secretary at the White House. Mr. Mashburn is now a senior adviser to Rick Perry, the energy secretary.

During his testimony before the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Mashburn said repeatedly that he recalled receiving a message with some detail about Russian information on Mrs. Clinton, and that other campaign officials almost certainly would have been copied on the memo, the people said. Mr. Mashburn did not name the campaign officials and did not remember precisely when he received the message.

Mr. Mashburn told the investigators that he did not take Mr. Papadopoulos, a volunteer adviser with few political connections and scant experience, seriously. He said he did not remember acting on the communication, according to the people familiar with his testimony. At one point in the interview, he recalled replying to Mr. Papadopoulos to instruct him to raise the issue with someone else, though he did direct him to a particular campaign aide. At another point, he said he might have forwarded the email to Mr. Dearborn.
A state representative, an Air Force veteran and two high-powered lawyers  all women  won Democratic House primaries on Tuesday in Pennsylvania, where a record number of women ran for House seats in a year of intense political enthusiasm among female Democrats.

It was a night of victories for at least seven Democratic women running for the House in a state that has an all-male congressional delegation of 20 and a Statehouse dominated by male politicians. Female candidates showed strength in nearly every region of Pennsylvania, from the Philadelphia suburbs to the conservative southwest.

Madeleine Dean, the state House member; Chrissy Houlahan, the veteran; and Mary Gay Scanlon, one of the lawyers, each won in Philadelphia suburban districts that they are now favored to carry in November, according to results from The Associated Press. Their primary victories raise the likelihood of women cracking the states all-male congressional delegation.

Susan Wild, the other lawyer, won a competitive primary in the Lehigh Valley but now faces a tough general election race in a district with many blue-collar voters.
LOS ANGELES  For decades, medical staff at the University of Southern California complained about inappropriate touching of students during pelvic exams by a gynecologist at the campus health center. On Tuesday, the university admitted it failed to respond to the accusations strongly or quickly enough.

The scandal comes at a difficult time for the university, which was rocked last year by reports that the former dean of the medical school had spent months partying with criminals and using drugs on campus, and was forced to resign.

In 2016, the university conducted an internal investigation, which concluded that the doctors pelvic exams may have been inappropriate and that he had repeatedly made racially and sexually offensive remarks to patients. The doctor, George Tyndall, agreed to retire under a separation agreement last summer, a year after he was suspended, U.S.C. officials said Tuesday.

But university officials did not make a report about Dr. Tyndall to the California Medical Board until earlier this year, after he wrote a letter asking the university for reinstatement. Officials now say that was a mistake. The university made the investigation public after it was contacted by The Los Angeles Times, which first reported the complaints about Dr. Tyndall on Tuesday.
We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feelings of repugnance towards him.

If the Trump administration fails to recall the lessons learned from the past when the DPRK-U.S. talks had to undergo twists and setbacks owing to the likes of Bolton and turns its ear to the advice of quasi-patriots who insist on Libya mode and the like, prospects of upcoming DPRK-U.S. summit and overall DPRK-U.S. relations will be crystal clear.

We have already stated our intention of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States.

But now, the U.S. is miscalculating the magnanimity and broad-minded initiatives of the DPRK as signs of weakness and trying to embellish and advertise as if these are the product of its sanctions and pressure.

The U.S. is trumpeting as if it would offer economic compensation and benefit in case we abandon nuke. But we have never had any expectation of U.S. support in carrying out our economic construction and will not at all make such a deal in future, too.

It is a ridiculous comedy to see that the Trump administration, claiming to take a different road from the previous administrations, still clings to the outdated policy on the DPRK - a policy pursured by previous administrations at the same time when the DPRK was at the stage of nuclear development.

If President Trump follows in the footsteps of his predecessors, he will be recorded as more tragic and unsuccessful president than his predecessors, far from his initial ambition to make unprecedented success.

If the Trump administration takes an approach to the DPRK-U.S. summit with sincerity for improved DPRK-U.S. relations, it will receive a deserved response from us. However, if the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit.
GAZA  Protest turned to mourning across Gaza on Tuesday as the territory came to a reckoning with the violence at the border fence with Israel on Monday, when Israeli soldiers killed 60 protesters and wounded many hundreds more.

Doctors struggled to treat the wounded in hospitals overflowing with young men suffering from gunshots. Funeral processions surged through the otherwise deserted streets. Tensions lingered that the crisis could escalate into military clashes between Hamas, the armed group that controls Gaza, and the Israeli military.

For now, though, Hamas appears keen to capitalize on a wave of international condemnation of Israels tactics. Late Tuesday, the Hamas leader Ismail Haniya arrived at the main protest camp near Gaza City. He was mobbed by hundreds of people who, moments earlier, had been flinging stones at Israeli soldiers and dodging tear gas canisters fired from drones.

We dont want peaceful protests, we want rockets fired, they chanted. Revenge, Revenge!

Mr. Haniya smiled and clenched his fists in the air, but was vague about the groups next step.
NAHAL OZ, Israel  Daniel Rahamim, 63, had four Palestinians from nearby Gaza at his wedding in 1983. He remembers sunbathing on Gazas beaches, and drinking tea at a friends antique shop there.

But that was long ago  before Hamas, and the wars that traumatized his children, and the security barrier that now fences off the Gaza Strip like an open-air prison.

On Monday, as gunfire echoed across the wheat, sunflower and jojoba fields stretching several hundred yards to the fence, Mr. Rahamim felt conflicting emotions. When we hear of the dead, it pains us, he said the next afternoon. I hope at least that each bullet was justified.

From the agricultural hamlets with their backs up against Gaza to the busy sidewalks of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and all the way to Israels northern borderlands, Israelis grappled in different ways with the staggering casualty reports from the Gaza protest on Monday: 60 killed, more than 1,700 hospitalized, according to Palestinian officials. It was the worst one-day total since the 2014 Gaza war. Israel said that only a small number of those shot had been armed.
Looking at a projected photo of her younger self on Tuesday, Carlota Santana laughed. Its been a long time since the company now known as Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. Her troupe is celebrating its 35th anniversary with an ambitious program at BAM Fisher this week, including guest artists and an hourlong new work dedicated to Mujeres Valientes, or valiant women. Surely, Ms. Santana counts as one of those. Keeping a company going aint easy.

Mujeres Valientes, by the noted flamenco choreographer Belen Maya, honors two women whom Ms. Santana described in her introductory speech as feminist foremothers: the 17th-century Mexican poet-philosopher Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz and the 19th-century South American revolutionary Manuela Saenz. Those are fascinating historical characters, but this is a dull dance.
But other experts said that they were not yet ready to weigh in on the attribution.

Were following the research and were very keen to hear what people are saying, said David de Witt, senior curator at the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam. Right now wed like to have a chance to join everyone else in studying the work and considering the evidence.

Christies had offered the painting as being from the school of Rembrandt and estimated its sale price at 15,000 to 20,000. Mr. Grosvenor said the work had been very dirty and covered in dark varnish, so it wasnt entirely easy to get to grips with the picture.

Mr. Six spent 18 months doing historical and technical analysis of the painting, including paint sample analysis, X-radiography and other scanning technologies. He also showed the painting to about a dozen Rembrandt experts.

Conservators at the Rijksmuseum, the Dutch national museum, also examined the painting using macro X-ray fluorescence scanning, comparing its pigments with a pair of Rembrandt pendants, Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit, which the museum purchased along with the Louvre in 2015 for $180 million.

It has many features in common with the Marten Soolmans portrait, said Petria Noble, head of paintings conservation, in a telephone interview, but it requires more research.
BOSTON  The most beautiful Italian Renaissance painting in the United States, The Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin by Fra Angelico, is on full-time view but hard to find. Since 1903, the small picture has been in the same spot in the Early Italian Room of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum here, though invisible when you enter the room. It hangs around a corner of a big, jutting-out fireplace. Unless you happened to wander over to a nearby window and glance to your left, youd miss it.

Isabella Gardner (1840-1924), who positioned every item in her house-museum just so, and forbade rearrangement, placed the painting deliberately to give it plenty of gilt-enhancing natural light. It sets up a visual ambush but also provides a moment of solitary communion. In the chapel-like space, you can be alone with the painting, at least until someone else comes upon it and stops, wonder-struck.

At present, though, the wallflower picture is out of its corner and in the spotlight, as the centerpiece of a dream of a show through Sunday called Fra Angelico: Heaven on Earth, in which the museum has united it with three related pictures from Italy and surrounded them with nine additional works. The ensemble, small though it is, illuminates an overlooked aspect of an artist we may think we know well: his skill, not just as gentle icon-maker but as a dramatist, a spinner of sharply observed narratives.
These two very different solos  one featuring appropriated photographs, the other oil paintings  have an unexpected synergy, especially regarding visual memory and associations.

The New York sculptor Al Freeman fills the gallerys smaller space with the first solo show of her uncanny Comparisons: each a collage of a famous work of art (Matisse, Bruegel and Bacon) and a photograph  usually culled from the internets underbelly  to which it bears a striking, often hilarious resemblance. A well-known photograph of Eva Hesses black sculptures seems nearly identical to the gear of a dominatrix, laid out like an eBay photograph. The nested squares of a Josef Albers painting are partnered with the locked arms of two wrestlers. Many collages feature drunken adolescents joking around (frequently unclothed) or pranking their passed-out buddies. One such young man, hanging from a clothes hanger inserted in his T-shirt, eerily echoes the flayed skin from Michelangelos Last Judgment.
The case against Adnan Syed, made famous by the podcast Serial, will get another re-examination in a four-hour documentary series on HBO, the network announced on Wednesday.

The Case Against Adnan Syed will investigate the 1999 disappearance and killing of Hae Min Lee, 18, in Baltimore County and the eventual conviction of her boyfriend, Mr. Syed, of multiple crimes, including first-degree murder and kidnapping. Amy Berg, whose documentary Deliver Us From Evil, in 2006, investigated sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, will direct.

Serial, hosted by Sarah Koenig, became a sensation in 2014 as it explored the case over 12 episodes. According to Apple, Serial was the fastest podcast in the history of its iTunes store to receive 5 million downloads. It received a Peabody Award in 2015.

Mr. Syed was sentenced to life in prison in 2000 but was granted a retrial in 2016 by the Baltimore City Circuit Court, a decision that was upheld by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals in March. He has maintained his innocence through the process.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. If youre interested in hearing from The Times regularly about great TV, sign up for our Watching newsletter and get recommendations straight to your inbox.

Hes Not Even Trying to Be Subtle

Stephen Colbert is taking President Trump to task over his support of a Chinese telecom, ZTE. As new information trickles in, Colbert has said that hes starting to get even more suspicious.

On Monday, he went after Trump for saying in a tweet that he would work with the Chinese government to help ZTE  a reversal that has puzzled policy experts. Colbert returned to the topic on Tuesday with new information: It turns out Trumps tweet arrived just three days after the Chinese government agreed to invest half a billion dollars in a project involving a Trump-branded resort.

Hes not even trying to be subtle! [Impersonating Trump] Meet me outside the parking garage in broad daylight. Ill be the one shouting, Im taking bribes over here!  STEPHEN COLBERT

Colbert joked that he couldnt see why the resort  which also includes a theme park  would want to associate itself with Trump anyway.
This is where I bought most of my books, Saraciea J. Fennell said, pointing out to East Fordham Road in the Bronx from the Starbucks where we met in April. Among the check cashing locations, pawn shops and bodegas that lined the commercial thoroughfare when she was growing up, she said, were street vendors selling an assortment of books  from urban fiction to dictionaries.

On Saturday, the Bronx Book Festival, a literary event organized by Ms. Fennell, will take place in that same neighborhood, at Fordham Plaza. The all-day event will bring writers, illustrators and industry professionals to the community, as well as a vendor to sell books on-site.

I attended my first book festival as an adult in Brooklyn, said Ms. Fennell, 29, who works as a publicist for Tor Books, an imprint of MacMillan. I thought to myself, This is amazing. Why doesnt the Bronx have something like this?
Our founding ideals and our fidelity to them at home and in our conduct in the world make us exceptional, he writes in a chapter that is otherwise about the American use of torture after 9/11. McCain, who spent five-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, recalls being disgusted when he learned that the United States was using enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding, which would fit most peoples definition of cruel, inhuman or degrading.

My captors had, on the whole, treated prisoners more humanely than the American soldiers at Abu Ghraib treated prisoners, he writes. (He recently called on the Senate to reject the nomination of Gina Haspel as director of the C.I.A.; Haspel oversaw a secret prison in Thailand where detainees were tortured.)

The Restless Wave contains a few other eruptions of unmitigated candor. McCain concedes that the Iraq War, which had his unequivocal support from the very beginning, cant be judged as anything other than a mistake.

Image McCain with his daughter Meghan McCain, in Arizona earlier this year. Credit... Meghan McCain, via Associated Press

But his faith in his countrys beneficence remains undimmed. Exceptionalism, for him, apparently has less to do with the harsh reality of what happens when the United States wields its power abroad than the presumed goodness of its intentions. The countrys behavior, he says, should match its ideals; and when it doesnt, the exceptionalism still holds  its simply a matter of getting the behavior to fall into line.

On the subject of Sarah Palin, the gun-toting populist he picked as his presidential running mate in 2008, he expresses little regret, saying he liked her right away. He praises her as uncannily self-possessed, a quick study who performed slightly better than Joe Biden in their vice presidential debate. (Perhaps realizing how that might be too generous, he adds: At worst, the contest was a draw.) The line from Palin to Trump is one he doesnt touch, let alone contemplate.

If theres a villain in this book its our implacable foe Vladimir Putin, an audacious despot who gets a steady flagellation over the course of two chapters. McCain admits to receiving the dossier compiled by the former British spy Christopher Steele, outlining Trumps possible ties to Russia, and passing it on to James Comey, then the director of the F.B.I. Anyone who doesnt like what McCain did can go to hell, though he underscores that hes agnostic about the dossiers contents.
N.H.T.S.A.s inaction clearly has produced fatal consequences, the letter read. This problem has not been solved by voluntary industry measures.

The agency previously said that it relied on carmakers to install such safety features. Some have done so, but the Times investigation found that the measures varied from model to model and often failed to meet the guidelines of the standards group, the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Documents obtained by plaintiffs lawyers and safety advocates show that N.H.T.S.A.s Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance began to test keyless-ignition vehicles in 2013 for compliance with regulations meant to guard against theft and rollaways.

The agency inquiry prompted Ford to conduct a voluntary recall of two keyless models that did not have an audible chime to warn the driver that the car was running, according to a letter sent to the agency by Ford.

Prompted by the finding, the office expanded its investigation and tested 34 keyless models from Ford and six other carmakers, finding no consistency in safety features across manufacturers.

It tested models for warnings to alert drivers that the engine was still running, with and without the presence of the key fob, which sends an electronic signal in place of a mechanical key. It found, for example, that the 2013 Lincoln MKX sounded the horn twice if the drivers door opened while the car was running and the key fob was taken from the vehicle, according to handwritten test sheets from the Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance. But the Lincoln provided no audible alerts in the same situation if the key fob was left inside.
Su Shiya, 21, a student in southern China, examined her Didi profile and found that drivers had tagged her as an intellectual beauty and a sweetheart.

These comments are open to all the Didi drivers, she said. They all know what I look like. She said she found the comments chilling, and has since replaced her image with that of an animated dog.

Didi Chuxing suspended its Hitch service after the killing, and said on Wednesday that it would revamp the service. It said it would suspend the ability of drivers to leave personalized tags and ratings of passengers on Didi Hitch, and that all profile pictures of users would be replaced with a generic image.

Also, the Didi Hitch service will be suspended between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. each day, the company said, and drivers will be required to confirm their identities via facial recognition before each trip. Ms. Li was reportedly killed by a man using his fathers Didi driver account. Days later, the police said they had found the suspects body in a river in Zhengzhou.

Drivers for all of Didi Chuxings ride-hailing services will also be required to be vetted and go through a background check, the company added, promising that all the new measures would be in place by the end of the month.
It is difficult to find the word Walmart anywhere on the site  an omission that seems anything but accidental, as the giant retailer seeks to rebrand itself for the modern era.

The Lord & Taylor online store on Walmart.com is expected to open in the coming weeks. Lord & Taylor will be responsible for shipping the clothing to customers homes. It will continue to sell the same brands in its stores and on its own website at the same prices as it does on Walmart.com.

The two companies declined to disclose financial details of their partnership, like how the revenue would be shared for each piece of Lord & Taylor clothing sold on Walmart.com.

For decades, Walmart built a retail empire as the store offering the lowest prices on staples like toothpaste, milk and cat litter.

But today, the company has higher aspirations  including making its website a destination for fashion, said Denise Incandela, head of fashion for Walmarts e-commerce operations in the United States.

Like many retailers, Walmart is looking to increase its sales beyond its brick-and-mortar stores and find ways to slow Amazons steady march toward global e-commerce domination. Last week, Walmart announced it was spending $16 billion to purchase a controlling stake in Flipkart, the leading eCommerce provider in India.
More than 850 organizations and nearly 60,000 individuals have aligned themselves with the movements goals, and 170 foundations have pledged to devote at least 5 percent of their portfolios to areas like renewable and clean technologies, energy efficiency and sustainable energy access for the developing world. Together, the organizations and individuals have assets under management totaling $6 trillion.

That doesnt mean that its easy to do, said Mindy S. Lubber, chief executive of Ceres, a nonprofit that encourages companies to invest with environmental and equitability issues in mind. Institutions dont have the freedom to tinker that individuals do: Pension funds and university endowments often invest in broad funds, so targeting individual stocks can be difficult, and the institutions also have legal obligations to maximize the financial return on their investments. They dont just categorically divest easily, Ms. Lubber said.

Still, in many ways, the market is driving investors toward renewable sources of energy as fossil fuels like coal and tar sands decline in value. And companies are taking actions to support environmental goals that go beyond investing for profit, as Apple and other companies have done by committing to using only renewable sources of energy.

Thomas P. DiNapoli, the New York State comptroller, announced this year that the state pension fund was doubling the size of its low-emissions investments to $4 billion. Weve successfully shifted significant holdings to lower-carbon companies without losing value, he said at the time.

In other words, things are happening. As Ms. Lubber put it, There is a lot going on  its good. But its not nearly enough. Weve got to keep pushing it.

What were reading this week
WASHINGTON  Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, told a Senate panel on Wednesday that one of his employees had worked without pay on her personal time to find him a place to live, a service that Democrats said amounted to a violation of federal law.

He also confirmed that he had established a legal defense fund to defray the costs of defending himself against 12 federal investigations into his spending and management decisions.

The acknowledgments came amid increasing allegations of legal and ethical misconduct by Mr. Pruitt that have led some lawmakers, including in his own party, to call for his resignation. They were part of testimony before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the environment, the third congressional hearing Mr. Pruitt has faced in less than a month.

While President Trump has said he continues to support his embattled E.P.A. chief, senior members of the White House staff have opened a renewed push to persuade their boss to fire Mr. Pruitt.
Where do you currently reside?

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. I was born in London, England. I have dual citizenship, but Ive lived in Canada for most of my life.

Where and when was your first puzzle published?

My first crossword puzzle was published in my university (University of Victoria) student newspaper, I think around 1978. It was a 13x13 cryptic crossword I co-constructed with a fellow student.

When was your first New York Times crossword published?

June 1991. I sent the 15x15 to then-crossword editor Eugene Maleska in the summer 1990. He accepted it three weeks later and told me it would be published about a year after that.

How did you get into puzzling? What is your first memory of solving?

As a child, I was always interested in how things were made  how they worked. I quite liked magic tricks, and science in general. I think it was this that got me interested in crosswords and puzzles in general. At first I was a terrible solver, but I was fascinated by the mysterious Alice in Wonderland language of cryptic crossword clues.

What made you decide to try your hand at making a crossword puzzle?

A university friend liked puzzles too, and just for fun we took a shot at creating a cryptic crossword in the university student union pub. Id bought a couple of books that went into a lot of detail about cryptics, and we both thought it would be an interesting challenge to construct one. Fortunately, I had an in with the student newspaper editor, since I had already contributed some cartoons to that paper. Several beers later, something resembling a 13x13 cryptic crossword emerged. It was published in the student newspaper. The editor wanted more, and bribed us with a small check. As far as we were concerned it was free beer money, and unsurprisingly we managed to make it a weekly feature. It certainly gave me a good excuse to spend an inordinate amount of time in the student pub. So I dont think crosswords did my grades much good. We kept this up for a couple of years. Later my friend moved on with his computer science degree, and I kept tinkering away at crosswords on and off over the years after I left university. I remember becoming really interested in American-style (all-over-interlock) crosswords in the early 1980s, especially those with wide-open, unusual grids. I was intrigued by some of the crosswords published in Games Magazine and The New York Times. One thing I liked about American crosswords was that far more people knew how to solve them than cryptic crosswords (in North America, anyway). I also liked the fact that many of these wide-open puzzles had some very creative, and rather cryptic-like clues. For example, Computer base? for TWO, and Bolt together? for ELOPE. Both were great clues by any standard. It took me a year or two of practice, but I finally managed to create a number of American-style 13x13 crosswords. I was able to get some published in a few small, local weekly papers. Since I had published cartoons a few years earlier, I had some idea how to lay out camera-ready grids. So it made selling my crosswords a bit easier to impatient editors. I did this on and off throughout the 80s. In retrospect, it was good practice, because when I sent my first 15x15 crossword off to The New York Times in 1990, it was accepted. I was astonished that my first crossword submission to The New York Times (or anywhere) had been accepted. I still remember that morning in 1990 standing at my mailbox reading Eugene Maleskas acceptance letter.

Why do you do this to yourself?

Thats a good question. And if I can come up with a good answer, Ill let you know. Seriously though, when my first submission to The New York Times had been accepted, I was bitten by the bug. I still have it. If you have a cure, please let me know.

Do you use a computer software constructing program and, if so, which one? What do you like about it?

I learned to construct crosswords by hand. All of my crosswords up until 2001 or 2002 were constructed with pencil on graph paper. In the snow, too. Tough times, those 90s. I bought Crossword Compiler around 2001. At first, I used it to help me prepare finished copy to send to editors. I tinkered around with autofill, and was quite impressed with how powerful it was, although I thought the supplied word lists were fairly dull. I experimented by manually supplementing the basic word lists with any extra phrases and words that I thought might be useful. However, I never rated the quality of the words I added. I generally used Compiler to see if it could find better grid fills than I could construct. It slowly became a good and very important tool for me. Today, there are a few quite good (rated) word lists that can be used with Compiler. So now, I use a combination of my brain and the computer. Even today, my own word lists are a disorganized mess. It might seem odd, but I think I prefer it that way (thats my excuse for laziness, FYI). Chaos certainly makes you think out of the box, especially when constructing unorthodox grids such as quad-stacked 15s. Call me old-fashioned, but the curmudgeonly part of me feels that all crossword constructors should be able to construct crosswords (to some degree) without computer assistance. However, I do think computers are essential in 2018. Even if you construct something by hand, as a professional constructor, you owe it to the solvers to give them the best possible puzzle. And, in my opinion, you can never be sure unless you are aware of other possible fills, be they from a computer, another constructor, or an editor. The bottom line has to be the solver. If it takes others to remind you of this at times, so be it. And I have been reminded of this many times.

How many hours a week, on average, do you spend on refining your tools, like your word list?

Practically zero hours.

What entry or entries would you NEVER put in a puzzle, and why? With what entry would you deliberately fail the breakfast test, and why?

For major publications, obviously the usual suspects, such as the typical four-letter words, racist, sexist slurs and disparaging innuendos. Im certainly not prudish, so I have no problem with putting SAFE SEX or IUD in a crossword. Like most constructors, I steer clear of moldy old crosswordese. Ive always hated the word ESNE. I have a B.A. in English history and Ive never found a reference to that word outside of crosswords and dictionaries, although Im sure there are some somewhere. Oh, and do not put BOMB in a crossword for an airline publication. I speak from experience!

What are you doing these days?

I have a book of shiny, brand new, easy themeless puzzles out called Easy Freestyle Crosswords. They all look like Friday-Saturday New York Times-style grids, but the clues are much easier. Theres even an easy quadstack. Plus, its the only crossword book I know of thats dedicated to a dog: Pannonica. Its got her favorite toy in one of the puzzles. What more could one want?

Thank you for spending time with us, Mr. Ashwood-Smith.

Your thoughts?
The designer-mass market collaboration has become as stale an idea as week-old banana bread: Take a buzzy name, combine with a volume expertise, remake runway looks in less expensive fabric, promote wildly for a month or so, crash a website  and move on.

But every once in a while a different approach is served up. The Japanese giant Uniqlo, best known for its heat-tech puffer coats, has teamed with Tomas Maier, the reticent creative director of Bottega Veneta and founder of his own label, for a one-time-only resort-focused collection.

Mr. Maier, while a respected fashion figure, is not exactly paparazzi fodder. He doesnt hang out with celebrities, have a social media account or even play the fashion show game with his own label  which makes him an unexpected choice for a big box brand pairing. But he has one thing Uniqlo wants: warm-weather credibility. (He spends most of the year in Florida, and his label began life as a swimsuit line.)

In turn, Uniqlo has global reach and a history of working with designers who tend to prioritize intellectual over hot. Previous collaborators include J.W. Anderson, Christophe Lemaire and Jil Sander.
Over the past 20 years, hundreds of thousands of women with breast cancer have taken the drug Herceptin, typically for a year or more. The medicine, used to treat an aggressive form of the disease, is credited with saving many lives, but it also has some tough side effects, particularly damage to the heart.

A large new study that followed thousands of women with early-stage breast cancer for a median of more than five years has found that those treated with Herceptin for only six months did just as well as those who got it for a year  and they suffered fewer side effects.

The shorter regimen also saved money. A yearlong course of the drug costs $76,700.

Dr. Bruce E. Johnson, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, said the studys findings should change treatment for women who have early-stage breast cancer treatable by Herceptin. He was not involved in the research, which was done in Britain and will be presented at a meeting of the oncology society next month.

A lot of people will likely adopt a shorter regimen based on this finding, Dr. Johnson said.

Cancer specialists say the study offers not only important news for womens health, but also highlights a type of research that pharmaceutical companies almost never do and that is also critically important for cancer drugs that can often be quite toxic.
People often write and talk about gentrification in numbers, statistics and economic terms, he said. Im more interested in the subtleties, ambiguities and the psychological effects of it. In his continuing series Eden Within Eden, Mr. Nagaoka explores this idea in powerful medium-format portraits and by focusing on the areas poetic details  a church window covered by a tarp, or a rose bush with a single flower.

From the start, I didnt want to make a project about new condos replacing older houses, he said. That part of gentrification is generally understood. Im more interested in the insidious aspects of gentrification. How it creeps in. How it lurks around the corner.

The project started as a commission for a local nongovernmental organization, but Mr. Nagaoka continued to make these photographs long after the commission ended. The people in this community told me they were robbed of their homes both physically and psychologically, he said. That really struck me.
By now, having been alone with my thoughts for the entire Cretaceous period, I am no longer mildly weird but deeply, extravagantly deranged.

 From the Twitter user Seamas It Ever Was (@shockproofbeats), 1:44 p.m., May 3, 2018.

This sentence hails from an emerging literary form: the long, funny personal anecdote shared via Twitter. Specifically, a 46-tweet thread in which Seamas OReilly, an Irish newspaper writer, relates how, thanks to a mundane service-industry scheduling mix-up, he was once called on to serve drinks to the president of Ireland while high on ketamine. At this point in the tale, he has been handed a tray of drinks and asked to wait in an unoccupied room for her arrival.

Whats striking about this sentence, though, is the prose. It appears on the social media of the 21st century but is redolent of the 20th  the kind of arch, mock-dignified syntax youd find in everything from P.G. Wodehouse to John Kennedy Toole to Flann OBrien (who wrote funny things for one of OReillys employers, The Irish Times, as Myles na gCopaleen). Theres the stately, even pace of the clauses, like a sentence diagramed by a tweedy lecturer; the stuffy hyperbole of Cretaceous period; the little fluff of emphatic plumage in extravagantly. Spotting this on Twitter is like spotting a 1951 Studebaker picking up Uber passengers.

This tone thrived in print: When your words appear on paper in elegant typefaces, it makes sense to toy with a sober authorial voice. The internet is different: flat, utilitarian, almost completely dignity-free and populated in large part by people typing incoherent nonsense. The funniest things in an environment like Twitter tend to toy with that, imitating either casual speech or post-literate weirdos who dont understand punctuation.

OReilly gets that tone, too, of course; he knows exactly where his burst of classicism appears. So at this point Im thinking, wellll, Im definitely fired, he writes later, but this will one day make a great story on an Nazi-riddled microblogging platform.
CANNES, France  Near the end of my interview with Lars von Trier, I asked if he was trolling women in his latest, The House That Jack Built. He said he didnt know what trolling meant, so I explained, even as I wondered if he was feigning ignorance and actually trolling me. It felt fitting. The Danish director  whose movie, an exercise in the cinema of cruelty and tedium, is screening out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival and has become, unsurprisingly, his newest scandal  has long relied on provocation to unsettle viewers with movies like Breaking the Waves, Dogville and Nymphomaniac.

The surprise is that Mr. von Trier is at Cannes at all, having been banned by the festival in 2011. That year, at the news conference for Melancholia  his brilliant, deeply felt movie about the end of the world or at least one woman  Mr. von Trier blurted out that he was a Nazi. Seated next to a soon-squirming Kirsten Dunst, he took a question about his German roots, the gothic and the Nazi aesthetic. Mr. von Trier started to talk and then he began to babble, finally ending this excruciating spectacle with a little laugh and the disastrous words: O.K., Im a Nazi.

After that incident, Mr. von Trier issued an apology, or his publicist did, only to later say he wasnt sorry, after all. Cannes declared him persona non grata until the festival added The House That Jack Built to this years lineup. Now he blames the moderator at that news conference. The moderator should have asked him what he meant, Mr. von Trier told me Tuesday, when we met at a villa where hes staying. If he could have explained, he said, nothing would have happened. It was hard to tell if he was serious. My problem, Mr. von Trier added, is really that Im a crowd-pleaser.
Ms. Beckman, who is also producing the play, had been trying for eight years to get the rights to A View From the Bridge but was stymied by Broadway productions like the 2009 version that landed Scarlett Johansson a Tony Award and a more recent stripped-down interpretation directed by Ivo van Hove with a mostly British cast.

But the wait was worth it, Ms. Beckman said, and the timing is perfect.

This is an incredible time to do A View From the Bridge, said Ms. Beckman between scenes. Ive wanted to do it for a long time. Now immigrants are being rounded up in Sunset Park as we speak. I can imagine how Arthur Miller would feel about it all. It would break his heart.

Moments later, Ms. Beckman was rehearsing her own scene, playing the exasperated wife of Eddie. She nervously milled about the stage, trying to find the right combination of motion and stillness as she argued with her stage husband and banged around boxes of crayons  a stand-in for boxes of Christmas decorations, which the character is supposed to be packing up in her Brooklyn tenement.

In a break in the action, Ms. Beckman told the stage manager Rachael Houser to order up a Nativity creche from the prop master. We need all the usual suspects and the manger, she shouted. Baby Jesus, all the animals, the kings.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos toured two New York City schools on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the citys public schools, with their 1.1 million students, were not among them.

Instead, Ms. DeVos visited two Orthodox Jewish schools, and offered her strongest comments to date in support of public funding for religious schools in a meeting with Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan and other Catholic dignitaries.

I know very well there are powerful interests that want to deprive families their God-given freedom, to choose private schools, she told the cardinal and the Alfred E. Smith Foundation, which supports Catholic charities, on Wednesday morning, according to her prepared remarks. I know that those sycophants of the system have kept legislators here from enacting a common-sense program that would open options to thousands of kids in need.

Ms. DeVos has yet to visit a district-run school in New York, and her choice of institutions to visit drew a terse statement from the citys Department of Education. An investment in public education is an investment in the future of our city and country, the departments press secretary, Toya Holness, said. Secretary DeVos is welcome to visit N.Y.C. public schools and see the phenomenal work were doing in the nations largest school district.
The Panhellenic Tower was the idea of Emily Eaton Hepburn. Ms. Hepburn, a member of the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma who graduated from St. Lawrence University and Barnard College, devoted herself to civic and social causes, most notably womens suffrage. After her husband died in 1922, she became president of the Panhellenic House Association in 1925. After women won the vote in 1920, Ms. Hepburn saw the sororities as continuations of the spirit of that campaign, Ms. Scutts said.

Ms. Hepburn, who also helped open the Theodore Roosevelt house-museum in 1923, was drawn to the Panhellenic Tower project to prove that women could do big business, according to her biography. In 1926, she purchased the site at 49th Street and First Avenue, hiring the architect John Mead Howells to build the skyscraper. Construction began in 1927, and by the following year, residents had started to move in.

Ms. Hepburn not only developed the building herself  adding details like a scattering of Greek letters on the buildings base, and hiring the renowned sculptor Rene Paul Chambellan to add ornamental Art Deco-style carvings  but also ensured that upon its completion, the trustees who ran it would all be women, Ms. Scutts said. By 1928, Ms. Hepburn had turned the building over to the Panhellenic House Association. It was the only hotel in New York at the time to be owned and managed by women, according to a 1929 sorority publication.

The building was celebrated for its dramatic design and ingenious solution to a housing crisis. While the 380 rooms were decorated simply, the solarium was highlighted by Robert A. M. Stern in his book New York 1930 for its dark tones and sinuous patterns on the wall and waving fronds of metallic foliage applied around the central elevator door, tall lancet windows, and French-influenced furniture.
But Mr. Bramnick, who at times has been critical of Mr. Trump, believes that the shift to the left could help increase support for the Republican Party, and he has been trying to appeal to moderate voters and the states significant number of independents under the banner of rallying the reasonable.

Is this kind of extreme politics good for Republicans? he asked. It is.

While New Jersey has become increasingly blue over the years, it has tended to be more moderate than other Democratic-leaning states with wide swaths of the state, including counties along the shore, remaining Republican strongholds.

At the same time, it is reliably progressive on social and environmental issues, with residents favoring the legalization of recreational marijuana and embracing climate change as an irrefutable fact at a higher rate than people nationwide, according to a Yale University study.

Still, even as the state veers left, there are some measures that New Jersey residents simply will not stomach, particularly if they are forced to pay even more in taxes. And without new revenue or painful cuts, Mr. Murphy will be hard pressed to realize his far-reaching goals.

The reason why Phil Murphy can make this a liberal laboratory here in New Jersey right now is because theres no strong organized opposition to him, said Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. But he could be in for a rude awakening when we get to the issue of core taxes and property taxes.

Mr. Murphy said he was willing to negotiate any part of his proposed budget, which must be signed by June 30, but he believes government is essential to the lives of his constituents. Having grown up in the 1960s, Mr. Murphy said that the era of his childhood, when the government put a lot of wind in your sails, helped cement his view that raising taxes and investing more in government was the best use of peoples money.
The aphorism You cant fight City Hall was refuted in New York as far back as the mid-17th century after William Kieft, the new director general of New Netherland, banned smoking.

Kieft, who was later lampooned by Washington Irving in his satirical history as William the Testy, considered the tobacco habit a waste of time and money and a bane to the morals of his constituents.

But the pipe, as Irving wrote, was the great organ of reflection and deliberation of the New Netherlander, and Kiefts antismoking edict sparked a popular commotion.

A vast multitude, armed with pipes and tobacco-boxes, and an immense supply of ammunition, as Irving described it, sat themselves down before the governors house, and fell to smoking with tremendous violence.
By the time Fulvia Visconti Ferragamo was a teenager, there was a well-established precedent in her family: To be a daughter of Salvatore Ferragamo was to work for Salvatore Ferragamo.

It started with her oldest sister, Fiamma, who dropped out of high school at 16 to join her fathers luxury business as a footwear designer. Then followed Giovanna, who at 15 took on the companys ready-to-wear clothing collections on top of her schoolwork.

When her turn came, at age 20, Fulvia gravitated toward accessories: the lively printed silk scarves and ties that would become part of the 91-year-old Italian fashion houses visual identity.

We all found our own way of expressing our talents; we completed each other, like all sisters do, Mrs. Visconti Ferragamo told The New York Times Style Magazine in 2014. (At Ferragamo, she was always Mrs. Fulvia.)
LONDON  Tessa Jowell, a former British culture secretary who played a key role in securing the 2012 London Olympics and used her own cancer diagnosis to campaign for better treatment, died on May 12 at her home in Warwickshire. She was 70.

Her family confirmed the death in a statement. Ms. Jowell learned last year that she had a brain tumor.

Ms. Jowell was a Labour Party stalwart who served under Prime Minister Tony Blair as the secretary of state for culture, media and sport from 2001 until 2007. After Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007 she was a minister and shadow minister until 2011.

During her government career she championed social programs to help women and children and helped oversee a restructuring of the BBC and the creation of Ofcom, a broadcasting regulator, in the early 2000s. But it was her work securing the Olympics for London that made her known to the general public.
Austin Frakt had a very interesting piece in the Upshot the other day, on U.S. health spending  and U.S. health  in international perspective. Everyone knows that U.S. spending is more or less literally off the charts compared with everyone else, while many are aware that we have also diverged, in the wrong direction, on measures like life expectancy: were falling further than further behind the rest of the advanced world.

What Frakt points out is that it was not always thus. The dismal U.S. combination of high costs and poor results only began to emerge around 1980, which poses a mystery:
But this may be the most interesting dynamic: Some Republicans were openly rooting for Eastman, believing that she represents less of a threat. The seat is currently held by a Republican, Don Bacon, whos running for re-election.

Republican operatives inserted themselves in the primary campaign, referring to Ashford as flip-flop Brad. Last night, after the results were coming in, some Republicans were clearly pulling for Eastman and exulted when she won. This is a nightmare for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Jack Pandol of the National Republican Congressional Committee, tweeted.

Of course, the Republicans may ultimately rue their glee. If Eastman and others like her can win, the Democratic Party will move to the left. As I wrote yesterday, its still not clear in which circumstances moderate candidates are actually more electable than strongly liberal (or conservative) ones. Yet 2018 is going to offer a fascinating batch of evidence.

In some competitive districts, the Democrats will have nominated proud progressives like Eastman. In others, they will have nominated moderates. Come November, it will be possible to compare the outcomes.

Night of the woman. Pennsylvanias congressional delegation currently includes zero women. After last night there could be four Dem women from metro Philly alone, writes Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report. Garance Franke-Ruta of Yahoo News noted that their victories are, in an indirect way, Hillary Clintons cracks in the glass ceiling.
In 2007, Hamas took control of Gaza in a bloody coup against its rivals in the Fatah faction. Since then, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups in the Strip have fired nearly 10,000 rockets and mortars from Gaza into Israel  all the while denouncing an economic blockade that is Israels refusal to feed the mouth that bites it. (Egypt and the Palestinian Authority also participate in the same blockade, to zero international censure.)

In 2014 Israel discovered that Hamas had built 32 tunnels under the Gaza border to kidnap or kill Israelis. The average tunnel requires 350 truckloads of construction supplies, The Wall Street Journal reported, enough to build 86 homes, seven mosques, six schools or 19 medical clinics. Estimated cost of tunnels: $90 million.

Want to understand why Gaza is so poor? See above.

Which brings us to the grotesque spectacle along Gazas border over the past several weeks, in which thousands of Palestinians have tried to breach the fence and force their way into Israel, often at the cost of their lives. What is the ostensible purpose of what Palestinians call the Great Return March?

Thats no mystery. This week, The Times published an op-ed by Ahmed Abu Artema, one of the organizers of the march. We are intent on continuing our struggle until Israel recognizes our right to return to our homes and land from which we were expelled, he writes, referring to homes and land within Israels original borders.

His objection isnt to the occupation as usually defined by Western liberals, namely Israels acquisition of territories following the 1967 Six Day War. Its to the existence of Israel itself. Sympathize with him all you like, but at least notice that his politics demand the elimination of the Jewish state.
Two recent essays make this point well; a short piece by Branko Milanovic, a former lead economist for the World Bank, and a longer one by Damir Marusic, the executive editor of The American Interest. Here is Milanovic, describing the belt of Eastern European countries stretching from the Baltic to the Aegean, most of which happily joined the European Union but have since found themselves in tensions with its core:

When one draws a line from Estonia to Greece  one notices that all currently existing countries along that axis were during the past several centuries (and in some cases, the past half-millenium) squeezed by the empires: German (or earlier by Prussia) Russian, Hapsburg, and Ottoman. All these countries fought, more or less continuously, to free themselves from the imperial pressure  their histories are practically nothing but unending struggles for national and religious emancipation.

Most of these nations, Milanovic continues, experienced the events of 1989 primarily as a national liberation, and only secondarily as a victory for liberal principles over totalitarian or authoritarian alternatives. And the nation-states that emerged from 89 tended to be ethnically homogeneous and proudly so, with their political independence and sense of shared identity inextricably linked.

So it should not be surprising that countries so recently emancipated would embrace the project of European Union liberalism only insofar as it does not seem to threaten either their long-traduced sovereignty or their just-reclaimed identity, and would be wary of a cosmopolitan vision that seems like it could dissolve what they so recently have gained.

As Marusic writes in his essay, from a liberal-cosmopolitan perspective that sees 1989 primarily as an ideological triumph for universal values, much of the politics of the past 10 years in Eastern Europe can only be seen as backsliding, with leaders like Viktor Orban a symptom of political decay.

But from the vantage point of those same countries, for whom independence itself feels hard won and precarious, it seems strange that they should be expected to surrender to a different form of empire just because it dresses its appeals in the language of universal liberalism  especially when the language has a distinctly German accent.

Now of course those same nationalists  encompassing Brexiteering Britons and populist-voting Italians as well as Poles and Hungarians  often want to have it both ways, to have their sovereignty and also have the advantages of membership in the European imperium. Orban rails against foreign influence in Hungary but still takes what Brussels offers; the Brexiteers want to keep as many of the benefits of their soon-to-be-erstwhile European Union membership as possible; the Italian populist parties are busy rewriting their joint agreement to make sure its clear they do not want to leave the euro. There are no political innocents in this story.

But there is a complexity thats lost when the situation is framed as simply about enlightenment versus authoritarianism. Political norms matter, but so does sovereignty and the substance of policy disagreement. And the problems that have pitted populists against Berlin and Brussels  a common currency that remains misbegotten even though the fiscal crunch has eased, a demographic-economic imbalance between Europe and neighboring regions that promises migration crises without end, a democratic deficit in how the European Union is governed  cannot be resolved by simply appealing to an abstract liberal project.
There are big differences in male and female orgasm, though: female orgasm is longer  over 20 seconds, on average, compared to three to 10 seconds for men. And men have more orgasms  reaching climax in 95 percent of their encounters, compared to 69 percent for women.

Another major factor, when it comes to the measure of pleasure, is the type of sex thats being had: straight men and gay men, for instance, have about the same number of orgasms. Lesbians, meanwhile, have about 20 percent more than straight women  perhaps because lesbian sex tends to go on longer (30 to 45 minutes for the average lesbian couple, compared to 15 to 30 minutes for straight ones).

As for me, I have almost 20 years of female orgasm under my belt now (since transition), and before that I had an equal number of years of having male ones. Without going into detail, I can attest that the experiences are distinct. Sometimes I think of it as the difference between Spanish and Italian. Sure, theyre similar. But jeez, che differenza!

Still, sex is less important to me than love. This was true when I was a boy of 15, and its true now as a woman of 59. Then, as now, all I wanted was to desire, and to be desired.

I might be the experiment, rather than the control, but Im not alone in that feeling. A recent poll found eight things Americans would rather have than sex, if they had to give up one for a year, among them a good nights sleep, their cellphones, their youth and, yes, bacon.

I could probably survive without bacon, for one, but in my life  as is the case for most men and women  love and sex are mysteriously wrapped together, like the pair of entwined, enchanted snakes that transformed Tiresias, or like two versions of a single image, reflected in a funhouse mirror. John Barths great short story Lost in the Funhouse plaintively asks, For whom is the funhouse fun? And suggests an answer: Perhaps for lovers.

By the final page of the story, though, having gotten himself good and lost, that storys lovesick protagonist reflects on the glittering, confusing world that now lies before him. He wishes he had never entered the funhouse, Mr. Barth writes. But he has. He wishes he were dead. But hes not. Therefore, he will construct funhouses for others and be their secret operator  though he would rather be among the lovers for whom funhouses are designed.
JERUSALEM  During my years in the international press here in Israel, long before the bloody events of this week, I came to respect Hamas for its keen ability to tell a story.

At the end of 2008 I was a desk editor, a local hire in The Associated Presss Jerusalem bureau, during the first serious round of violence in Gaza after Hamas took it over the year before. That conflict was grimly similar to the American campaign in Iraq, in which a modern military fought in crowded urban confines against fighters concealed among civilians. Hamas understood early that the civilian death toll was driving international outrage at Israel, and that this, not I.E.D.s or ambushes, was the most important weapon in its arsenal.

Early in that war, I complied with Hamas censorship in the form of a threat to one of our Gaza reporters and cut a key detail from an article: that Hamas fighters were disguised as civilians and were being counted as civilians in the death toll. The bureau chief later wrote that printing the truth after the threat to the reporter would have meant jeopardizing his life. Nonetheless, we used that same casualty toll throughout the conflict and never mentioned the manipulation.

Hamas understood that Western news outlets wanted a simple story about villains and victims and would stick to that script, whether because of ideological sympathy, coercion or ignorance. The press could be trusted to present dead human beings not as victims of the terrorist group that controls their lives, or of a tragic confluence of events, but of an unwarranted Israeli slaughter. The willingness of reporters to cooperate with that script gave Hamas the incentive to keep using it.
To the Editor:

What a stunning shame that space tourism is the best thing Jeff Bezos can think of doing with his billions! Urgent humanitarian needs here on Earth are so much more deserving of the Amazon magnates riches, as Harold Pollack rightly points out (Better Ways to Spend $131 Billion, Op-Ed, May 10).

In an era when our countrys political leadership has jettisoned its compassion for those facing hardship and discrimination at home and abroad, people who inhabit our financial stratosphere have an especially important role to play.

Bill and Melinda Gates are just one shining example, with their commitment to eradicating a host of deadly and debilitating tropical diseases and their support for voluntary family planning in the worlds poorest countries.

Andrew Carnegie set the pace in the late 1800s with his public lending libraries; Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, took up the mantle in 1936 by creating a foundation that today is a leader in the fight for affordable housing, sustainable communities and the rights of indigenous peoples.
To the Editor:

Re Abrupt Demand by North Korea Threatens Talks (front page, May 16):

Kim Jong-un and President Trump understand each other perfectly. Walking away from the Iran deal was, among other things, a public message from Mr. Trump to Mr. Kim that we can act just as aggressively and disingenuously as he can, and that he, Mr. Kim, is now negotiating with realists.

And isnt it interesting that Mr. Trump is helping his pal Xi Jinping, president of China, avoid the bankruptcy of ZTE in exchange for what? Perhaps more pressure from China on North Korea?

Mr. Kims response was that he can be just as unpredictable as Mr. Trump. This is all standard preliminaries before the big event.

GEORGE SPENCER

KINDERHOOK, N.Y.

To the Editor:

Of course North Korea is threatening to cancel the summit meeting with President Trump because the United States and South Korea are carrying out typical joint drills on the peninsula. Did we really expect anything else?
The disruptions bring pain and annoyance, but they can also create opportunities for growth. I welcome these strictures as an invitation to expand my community and capacity for generosity. This might sound like a Deepak Chopra Hallmark card, but I really do try to practice what I preach.

Try is the key word here. The hassles of everyday life dont stop during Ramadan.

A few weeks ago, I was driving to the University of William & Mary to give a speech about Ramadan for a Muslim student group and their non-Muslim friends who were fasting in solidarity to raise funds for Rohingya refugees. My right tire blew out on the highway right before the exit. I pulled over to change it, but my suburban dad skills failed and my car jack broke, leaving me upset with myself and stranded on the side of the road.

I tried to flag down a friendly car. For 35 minutes, nobody stopped. With my dead cellphone in hand, I just stood there, freezing, praying that someone would help me. Finally, a young black driver, who turned out to be a transgender student working on a doctorate, pulled over. The student waved off my profuse thanks by saying, If it happened to me I hope someone would do the same.

Well, no one did except you, I said, wiping off my numb, dirty face.

There was another reason for stopping, my savior told me: I saw a fellow person of color and around here, well, we all got to help each other.

I used the students phone to call a tow truck, and then we started chatting about life as a transgender person on campus  with me confessing my nervousness about using the correct pronouns and receiving much more credit than I deserved for my efforts.

We were interrupted when a tough-looking white dude with an earring arrived, smiling broadly, to change my tire and jump-start my car. He went above and beyond the call of duty, assuring me that Id make it to my speaking engagement and taking the time to make sure I knew the best places in town to have dinner afterward.

My small crisis had just created an opportunity to form a tiny, temporary multicultural community. I can find the Ramadan spirit not only in fasts or prayers, but in places like this: on the side of the road in Williamsburg, Va., where a black trans student and a white man from the South reached out to help a brown Muslim stranger, a fellow American, get his car running.

Id been so stressed out about my travel woes and my professional obligations that Id temporarily forgotten the real spirit of Ramadan. But the moment on the side of the road reminded me what this month was about. I dont need quotes from prophets or Quran verses to explain it. Ill simply repeat what that kindhearted student told me: We all got to help each other. And maybe thats how we make America great.
To the Editor:

Re Tom Wolfe, 1930-2018: New Journalist With Electric Style and Acid Pen (front page, May 16):

A hyperbolic New Journalism was Tom Wolfes signature style and method, as your fine obituary makes clear. But his ultimate intent was far more political.

Mr. Wolfes most consistent topic was satirizing what he saw as the hypocrisy of liberals, especially status-obsessed elites, whether the self-indulgent innocents of Ken Keseys Merry Pranksters or the Leonard Bernstein set naively hosting the violent Black Panthers.

The result was often wickedly funny and revealing, but always had a biting political undercurrent that helped set an example for more damaging and misleading caricatures of limousine liberals and welfare queens by figures like Ronald Reagan.

Thus William F. Buckley writes approvingly of Mr. Wolfe, and Norman Mailer disparagingly. Each seemed to intuit that Mr. Wolfes carefully stage-managed assaults on liberals were the precursors to much larger attacks against progressive values, attacks arguably reaching an apotheosis in the rhetoric of Donald Trump and Fox News today.
At Yale University, a dormitory resident called the campus police on a black student who fell asleep in a common room.

At a Starbucks cafe in Philadelphia, an employee called the police on two black men who were waiting for a business associate.

And at a California Airbnb, a neighbor who thought she was witnessing a burglary called the police on three black guests as they were loading their suitcases into a car.

The past few weeks have seen a rash of headlines in which people of color who were simply going about their lives were unjustly accused of wrongdoing, and the police were summoned.
Kansas City, Mo.

WHAT A house built in 1916, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a pool

HOW MUCH $799,000

SIZE 2,502 square feet

PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT $319

SETTING The home is in the Country Club District, less than a mile east of the Kansas border. It is a five-minute drive from the Plaza, a shopping center with Spanish-themed architecture, and a 10-minute walk from shops and restaurants in the popular Brookside neighborhood.

INDOORS A colonnaded front porch with a row of doors gives an antebellum Southern look to the 102-year-old stone-and-frame property. Three of these doors  including the formal front entrance  open to a living room with a high ceiling, hardwood floors and a tiled gas fireplace with an original plaster frieze over the mantel believed to depict the harvest.

Two more doors lead to a guest bedroom currently used as a study. Perpendicular to the living room is a formal dining room with a staircase ascending to the upper level. A swinging door leads to the kitchen, which has a breakfast bar, oak cabinetry, granite counters, a farmhouse sink and a wine cooler.
Ms. Dixon, whose father was an army officer and mother a schoolteacher, grew up in a small town in central Ireland before moving to Dublin for university. She worked for companies including the business software firm Citrix Systems before moving into government. She later received a postgraduate diploma in computer science.

Fittingly for her current position, Ms. Dixon guards her privacy. She will not share her age, other than saying she is in her 40s, and she has become more careful with data since taking the job. She does not use Facebook or Instagram (though she does have a LinkedIn profile).

Since taking over in 2014, Ms. Dixon has successfully lobbied for more funding and got the headquarters put back in Dublin. A move to a bigger office is in the works. She has hired lawyers, investigators and engineers. The staff will total 140 this year, up from 30 when she joined, with plans to reach 200 in the next few years, if budget increases are approved.

But if data privacy is truly a priority globally, Ms. Dixon said, more resources are needed. Her office is actually among the better funded privacy agencies globally, but is still a minnow compared with, say, Irelands financial services regulator, which has a budget about 40 times greater.

The question for governments is, how much enforcement do we want to do, how seriously do we want to take the risk to our fundamental rights and freedoms in this area? said Ms. Dixon, carrying a bound copy of the new law. We need the funding and resources commensurate with the level of importance. This office would suggest it should be far more highly resourced.
Ive got a great idea for a start-up. Want to hear the pitch?



Its called the 75 Cent Dollar Store. Were going to sell dollar bills for 75 cents  no service charges, no hidden fees, just crisp $1 bills for the price of three quarters. Itll be huge.

Youre probably thinking: Wait, wont your store go out of business? Nope. Ive got that part figured out, too. The plan is to get tons of people addicted to buying 75-cent dollars so that, in a year or two, we can jack up the price to $1.50 or $2 without losing any customers. Or maybe well get so big that the Treasury Department will start selling us dollar bills at a discount. We could also collect data about our customers and sell it to the highest bidder. Honestly, weve got plenty of options.

If youre still skeptical, I dont blame you. It used to be that in order to survive, businesses had to sell goods or services above cost. But that model is so 20th century. The new way to make it in business is to spend big, grow fast and use Kilimanjaro-size piles of investor cash to subsidize your losses, with a plan to become profitable somewhere down the road.

Over all, 76 percent of the companies that went public last year were unprofitable on a per-share basis in the year leading up to their initial offerings, according to data compiled by Jay Ritter, a professor at the University of Floridas Warrington College of Business. That was the largest number since the peak of the dot-com boom in 2000, when 81 percent of newly public companies were unprofitable. Of the 15 technology companies that have gone public so far in 2018, only three had positive earnings per share in the preceding year, according to Mr. Ritter.
Contact your Republican senator, Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, said in a speech before the vote. See who votes for net neutrality and who votes against. And let them know how you feel about the way they voted.

For Democrats, net neutrality is part of a three-legged stool  internet access, gun control and marijuana legalization  they are leaning on to entice young voters to engage in the midterm elections. Such voters broadly side with Democrats, even though they are notoriously complacent in nonpresidential election years.

So the Democratic position is very simple: Lets treat the internet like the public good that it is, Mr. Schumer said.

It is unclear if net neutrality still holds the same interest that set off nationwide protests last December when the F.C.C., led by chairman Ajit Pai, a President Trump appointee, dismantled the rules. Tech companies and consumers decried the commissions action as a major reshaping of the internet, because it would allow broadband providers to create fast lanes for websites that pay to make sure their content, like streaming video, gets priority delivery. Few changes to internet service are expected to come right away.

But it is not stopping Democrats from trying to use it to their advantage. They have been making a similar push on gun control, an issue that grabbed the attention of young people after a gunman slaughtered 17 students and staff members at Floridas Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February. And Mr. Schumer has plans to introduce a bill next month that would legalize marijuana.
The transition to autonomous, networked driving is not likely to be smooth, however, as we have seen from the recent fatal accidents involving Uber and Tesla. People are already rebelling against giving up their personal information to Facebook; they may balk at turning over the steering wheel to a computer, particularly one connected to some centralized authority.

The people developing autonomous vehicles should probably be thinking as much about how to get people to accept the technology, and how to protect individual freedom, as they are about making the technology work.

What about flying cars?

Inventors have not given up that dream. Just a few months ago, an outfit in Slovakia called AeroMobil unveiled a design for a battery-powered flying car that the company says will be able to land and take off vertically as well as drive on roads. It would fly autonomously, meaning the driver theoretically wouldnt need a pilots license. AeroMobil says the vehicle will be available in five to seven years. AeroMobil has also developed a flying car with an internal combustion engine that requires only a very short runway. It will be available in 2020, AeroMobil says. Well see!

Flying cars would be very expensive and therefore never more than a niche product. Until we invent some kind of Jetsons-like antigravity technology, flying cars will always be inherently inefficient. When youre in the air youre carrying around equipment you dont need for flying, like large road-worthy wheels, and when youre on the ground youre carting around stuff that is useless on the highway, like wings or rotors.

For my money a more plausible concept is one being developed by Airbus, the giant European aircraft manufacturer, called Pop Up. Its a passenger pod that can be carried around by a battery-powered unit that looks like a large hobby drone. The drone carries the pod across town, then drops it onto a battery-powered chassis for driving around the city. It would be a shared, on-demand service and therefore more within the reach of regular folks.

What are your favorite tech tools for doing your job?

An app called AudioNote has been life changing. It records sound while you type notes on your MacBook or iPad. Later, you can click on a word in the text and it will take you to that spot in the recording, so you can easily double-check quotes. In the old days, looking for a quote in a long recorded interview was incredibly time consuming.
Brian Fitzpatrick, the former Google manager who led the team that created Takeout, put it another way. Companies are gathering this data about you, he said. This is just an honest way to look at it.

My take: It is helpful to see that this data is collected. But it should be labeled precisely  like Pages We Know You Visited  so people can find this data more easily and decide whether to delete it.

 A subfolder labeled Android contained a detailed history of the Android apps I had opened over the past three years, including the time and date I had launched each app. For example, my log showed I opened the Instagram app in March, the Gmail app in December 2015 and the Google Play Music app in January 2016.

Google uses this information for a feature called app suggestions. The company studies which apps you use, and how often and when you open them, to recommend apps you might want to use throughout the day. For example, if you regularly open Instagram during your lunch break, Google will show a shortcut for the Instagram app at around 12:30 p.m. in a list of suggested apps.

That is a thoughtful feature, but it gave me pause. That level of logging is almost as creepy as a company monitoring all of my keystrokes. Also, retaining this app data for several years feels like an unnecessarily long time. I ultimately opted to turn app suggestions off.

 Many files in my archive were odd formats that were not easy to open or read. For example, some files included the extension .JSON. My Google Maps location history was stored in a .JSON file, and it displayed an unintelligible list of GPS coordinates and time stamps.

Google explained that Takeout was designed for people to be able to easily remove their data from Google and use it elsewhere. Files like those with the .JSON extension are common formats designed to be machine readable so that other programs and tools can make use of the data, according to Google.
LONDON  Mark Zuckerberg, Facebooks chief executive, plans to meet with members of the European Parliament as early as next week, the latest stop in a wide-ranging apology tour over the social networks use of peoples personal data.

Mr. Zuckerbergs decision to travel to Brussels comes as Facebook faces a barrage of public criticism over how the data of tens of millions of its users was harvested without their consent, as well as concerns over the companys role in elections around the world and questions over whether it has moved quickly enough to remove inflammatory content.

His visit will involve a closed-door session with leaders of the European Parliaments various blocs and the head of the bodys civil liberties committee, which is holding hearings on Facebooks practices, as well as a stop in Paris, where Mr. Zuckerberg is set to have lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss a range of issues.

Senior European officials and lawmakers were quick to question why Mr. Zuckerbergs meeting in Brussels would be private. While the Facebook chief executive had been hesitant to appear before government inquiries in the past, opting to send lawyers or senior deputies in his stead, he faced a two-day public grilling in Congress last month.
In 1987, Ms. Manville married Gary Oldman, and they split shortly after their son, Alfie, was born. Mr. Oldman went off to become an American movie star, and she raised Alfie on her own. It makes me anxious and neurotic and hell to live with, Mr. Oldman has said of his acting process. Not so for Ms. Manville. She departed from her parents traditional path, but her mothers example of how to look after a family stuck. Even when I was working, I would make sure there was something home-cooked in the fridge, she said.

Alfie is grown now, but shes still calibrated to single motherhood. The problem is that Ive always done everything, so now I cant stop doing everything, she said. I dont like being driven  I like to drive. I dont like people doing my hair. I dont like people doing my makeup. Im not good with people doing things for me. To be clear: Its not because I dont want someone to cook my dinner. Its that nobody ever really has. So I just cook it myself.

Taking care of the business of life is an artistic choice as well as a personal one. Many of the details she builds into characters Im getting for nothing, she said. Thats just what having a life brings you. I have an inherent understanding of someone whos lost a husband, or someone who isnt married, or someone whos lonely. Or someone who is not lonely at all. For Cyril, who eschews marriage and instead pair-bonds with her brother in the quiet, anal, hermetic world of the House of Woodcock, control is almost a kind of sex, she said. If she identifies with Cyril, its in this way: Ive spent a lot of time happily on my own. Im very sure of who I am.

IN MS. MANVILLES RECENT WORK, a theme has emerged  of women who contend with towering male artists and reveal their shortcomings. Theres Long Days Journey, of course, in which Marys life is constructed (and deconstructed) around her husband, the matinee idol James Tyrone, played here by Jeremy Irons.

Shes had what looks like a quite glamorous life, Ms. Manville said of Mary. I make sure I deliver with great clarity and emotion when she speaks about what her life actually has been like  following her husband around the country, waiting alone in cheap hotels as he goes out to the theater each day and comes home drunk each night.

Image Ms. Manville, seen here in Another Year, has collaborated with the filmmaker Mike Leigh more than any other actor, and from him she learned to maneuver easily in and out of character. Credit... Simon Mein/Sony Pictures Classics

James speaks of Marys love lighting a fire beneath his ambition, but he extinguished hers. She dreamed of being a concert pianist, before she married. Through morphine, she can escape to her memories, to a time, Ms. Manville said, when she was Mary, instead of just Mrs. Tyrone.
Interested in a late summer vacation to Paris, but think that peak travel season means it must be completely out of reach? In fact, the opposite is actually true: August happens to be one of the most affordable times to visit the city, with even luxury hotels offering rates and inclusions that arent usually available during the rest of the year. Airfare to the city, it turns out, is also cheaper compared with other months.

Affordable Airfare

According to Expedia, August is the least expensive month to fly to Paris from the United States, just behind November. Research from the flight comparison app Fareness shows that average airfare to Paris from the United States in August is $1,045, compared with June and July, when it is $1,245.

Travelers who want to fly business class can consider the Family Trip Duo deal from the 74-seat all business class airline La Compagnie, available until Aug. 24. Round trip airfare for from Newark Liberty International Airport to Paris Orly Airport begins at $1,500, while the accompanying fare for children ages 11 and under is $1,300. Otherwise, round trip airfare begins at $1,800 in August.

Luxury Hotels Bargains

Paris is a wallet-friendly proposition in August, said Francois Delahaye, the president of Plaza Athenee, one of the citys most upscale hotels and a native Parisian. Most locals leave town while the deep-pocketed set who come during peak season in June decamp to the beach. Youll have the city to yourself if you come in August because its quiet, yet all the sights and stores are open, he said. If youre looking to stretch your money, this is the month to visit.
They dont automatically have different earning potential because they dont face the gender pay gap, and theyre both likely to work. Before same-sex marriage was legalized, it was financially riskier for one partner to stop working because that person would have few rights to the couples joint property in the case of a breakup or death.

But in recent years , more government data has given researchers a more detailed look at how same-sex couples divide their time.

Dorian Kendal and Jared Hunt, who live in San Francisco and have been married four years, said they had divided household chores based on their personal preferences.

I hate to cook, so Dorian always does the cooking, said Mr. Hunt, 38.

Jared should not ever cook, confirmed Mr. Kendal, 43. And I hate laundry  laundry is the worst thing, and Jared gets mad at me when I do my own laundry. This is how I knew I was in love, when I found someone who got mad at me for doing something I hated most.

But when they adopted a baby, they decided Mr. Hunt would stop working and stay home for a year. His career was in transition, from ballet to interior design, and Mr. Kendal, a tech executive, earned significantly more.

Its not a masculine or a feminine thing; it is just what we do to function as a couple and have our family work, Mr. Hunt said.

One study comparing two large surveys of couples at two points in time found heterosexual couples reported increased equality in the division of chores in 2000 compared with 1975, but same-sex couples reported less. Mr. Green, one of the co-authors of the study, said the change was probably because more same-sex couples in 2000 had married and become parents.
In 2016, California voters decided to legalize the personal use and growth of marijuana. This year, the state legalized recreational cannabis sales.

Even so, hundreds of thousands of Californians permanent records remain stained with marijuana convictions, making it difficult to secure loans, housing or jobs.

What gives?

Part of the problem is time: The process of digging up old files, determining who is eligible for record clearance and filing the paperwork to dismiss some of the convictions can be a lengthy drain on resources.
A Philadelphia judge has dropped first-degree murder charges against a man who spent 11 years in prison for a shooting he did not commit.

Dontia Patterson was 17 years old when his friend Antwine Jackson was fatally shot on a city street outside a grocery store in January 2007, court documents show. Mr. Patterson, who lived nearby, called for help and asked people at the scene if they knew what had happened. But he was charged with murder and after two trials, sentenced to life in prison without parole.

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia district attorney, Lawrence S. Krasner, filed a motion that said his office would not try Mr. Patterson a third time, and that evidence had been withheld during his previous trials, one of which had ended with a hung jury. Mr. Krasner requested the charges be dropped, and on Wednesday, Judge Kathryn Streeter Lewis of the Court of Common Pleas agreed.

Im just so grateful that finally  after all these years  someone listened to me, Mr. Patterson said in a statement published by the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, whose investigation of the case helped lead the district attorneys office to re-examine it. Since I was 17 Ive been saying Im innocent, and every day since my arrest.
There is now nowhere left for you to hide, Larry. Hundreds of women say Larry Nassar sexually abused them. Its one of the worst sexual abuse scandals in the history of sports. And it went on for more than two decades. How did he get away with it? My real interest, of course, with dance and gymnastics is my role with U.S.A. Gymnastics. Nassar had celebrity-like status in the elite gymnastics and sports medicine world. U.S.A. Gymnastics gave him countless awards. He was inducted into Michigan State Universitys hall of fame and governors appointed him to state licensing boards. He even secured a patent for an ankle brace he invented. Nassars patients felt honored to be treated by the best of the best. Nassar typically carried out his abuse under the guise of a medical treatment. He hijacked a rare pelvic therapy, that involves vaginal penetration, and used it to treat all sorts of ailments. He ignored protocol, such as using a glove, asking consent or having a medical chaperone present. And when I was 14 years old, I tore my hamstring in my right leg. This was when he started performing the procedure that we are all now familiar with. The next visit was for my shoulder, which I then found out my hips were out of alignment, which then made my spine and my pelvic bone out of alignment as well. And this is when Larry decided that it was medically acceptable to violate a 16-year-old girl. When confronted by parents, coaches, and eventually investigators, Nassar said patients may have misunderstood his therapy. Medical colleagues deferred to his expertise After a 2014 investigation cleared his name, Nassar was just reminded to follow procedures. In the training camps of elite gymnastics, where coaches are notoriously hard on athletes, Nassar manipulated girls into believing he was a trusted friend, advocate and even their protector. You have to protect your athletes. You have to let them know that we care. You have to, not let them know, but let them feel it. Let them understand it. Let them breathe it. He put my picture up on his wall with Olympians. I thought I mattered to Larry. You had me so wrapped around your finger, and I still trusted you so much. Even when I was a sophomore in college, and you were the only person I called to help me make the decision to end my gymnastics career due to my injuries. Nassar won over family members by offering a free treatment, a quick diagnosis, or often the pretense of transparency. At the end of the appointment in your basement, I remember asking, Do I owe you anything? Now it seems kind of sick. You got what you wanted. He frequently molested young girls with parents in the room, using a draped towel or practiced positioning to conceal where his fingers were massaging. What kind of a person has the audacity to sexually assault a child in front of their mother? Its still unclear who knew what when, but for decades Nassars employers focused on their reputations and failed to safeguard the young women in their care. When U.S.A. Gymnastics got a complaint about Nassar in 2016, the organization paid the gymnast $1.25 million to stop her from speaking about the abuse. Complaints about Nassars treatments reached officials at Michigan State University as early as 1997, The Detroit News has reported. Thats 20 years before the prized doctor was terminated. MSU has said that no one at the University believed that Nassar committed sexual abuse prior to the newspaper reports in the summer of 2016. Nassars victims say that if the university had investigated the first complaint, scores of young girls may have escaped the doctors abuse. Larry Nassar did not arise in isolation. Rather we saw the worst sexual assault scandal in history unfold because a predator was left in power for decades. Despite warning signs, despite red flags, despite direct reports of assault.
In the hallways of a rural Oregon high school, gay and lesbian students were taunted with homophobic slurs. In the cafeteria, students pelted a transgender student with food. And when gay and lesbian students got into trouble, the schools principal assigned a specific punishment just for them: readings from the Bible.

Students detailed those allegations in recent state investigative reports into the North Bend School District, a coastal area about 100 miles north of California. In the reports, gay and lesbian high school students described years of harassment and bigotry from school employees and other students, and a deeply religious culture that silenced their complaints.

The two reports, completed in March by an investigator in the Oregon Department of Education and made public this month, found that top officials in North Bend had for at least the past two school years fostered hostile conditions for gay and lesbian students, hesitated to intervene after reports of sexual harassment and retaliated against a school counselor who had cooperated with the state investigation.

The state found substantial evidence of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students at North Bend High School. The department finds that discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation may have occurred, the investigator wrote.
The facts, had they surfaced, might have devastated the Trump campaign: Mr. Trumps future national security adviser was under investigation, as was his campaign chairman. One adviser appeared to have Russian intelligence contacts. Another was suspected of being a Russian agent himself.

In the Clinton case, Mr. Comey has said he erred on the side of transparency. But in the face of questions from Congress about the Trump campaign, the F.B.I. declined to tip its hand. And when The New York Times tried to assess the state of the investigation in October 2016, law enforcement officials cautioned against drawing any conclusions, resulting in a story that significantly played down the case.

Mr. Comey has said it is unfair to compare the Clinton case, which was winding down in the summer of 2016, with the Russia case, which was in its earliest stages. He said he did not make political considerations about who would benefit from each decision.

But underpinning both cases was one political calculation: that Mrs. Clinton would win and Mr. Trump would lose. Agents feared being seen as withholding information or going too easy on her. And they worried that any overt actions against Mr. Trumps campaign would only reinforce his claims that the election was being rigged against him.

The F.B.I. now faces those very criticisms and more. Mr. Trump says he is the victim of a politicized F.B.I. He says senior agents tried to rig the election by declining to prosecute Mrs. Clinton, then drummed up the Russia investigation to undermine his presidency. He has declared that a deeply rooted cabal  including his own appointees  is working against him.

That argument is the heart of Mr. Trumps grievances with the federal investigation. In the face of bipartisan support for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, Mr. Trump and his allies have made a priority of questioning how the investigation was conducted in late 2016 and trying to discredit it.

Its a witch hunt, Mr. Trump said last month on Fox News. And they know that, and Ive been able to message it.
Military operations get code names, too, and random selection has its downsides. When a blitz on Iraqi weapons sites was randomly given the name Operation Bolton by the British Ministry of Defense, the name divided residents of the town of Bolton. Bolton is not an aggressive town, one resident told The Independent.

The Pentagons high-profile military operations are more brand name than code name: Enduring Freedom, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn.

Perhaps the most famous coded F.B.I. operation was Abscam, the late-1970s operation in which agents posed as Arab sheikhs working for a company called Abdul Enterprises and tried to bribe lawmakers. If it is not obvious, that code name was not chosen at random.

Agents and analysts typically try to pick something clever, but being too cute can cause headaches. The investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server was labeled Midyear Exam (often shortened inside the F.B.I. to Midyear). Agents may have thought they were being tested, facing a politically charged investigation in a presidential campaign. But last year, Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, questioned the F.B.I. director at the time, James B. Comey, about whether to read anything into the name.

GRASSLEY: Was the Clinton investigation named Operation Midyear because it needed to be finished before the Democratic National Convention? If so, why the artificial deadline? If not, why was that the name? COMEY: Certainly not because it had to be finished by a particular date. There's an art and a science to how we come up with code names for cases. They assure me its done randomly. Sometimes I see ones that make me smile and so I'm not sure. But I can assure you that  it was called Midyear Exam, was the name of the case  I can assure you the name was not selected for any nefarious purpose or because of any timing on the investigation.

Are there standard naming conventions?

Not if past practice is any indication. Some agents seem to favor odd or obscure references. Take the federal gun case Tin Panda, for example. Others reach for the obvious, like the mortgage fraud investigation named Malicious Mortgage. Cyberinvestigators often nod at industry jargon (E-Con or Fastlink). Agents have chosen names that are descriptive (Disarray), misspelled (Lemon-Aid) and iterative (Cross Country XI).
Four states held primary elections on Tuesday, but one loomed the largest by far: Pennsylvania. In a state that has emerged as one of the most important battlegrounds of 2018, Democrats settled a cluster of chaotic nomination fights  and Republicans, despite being on the defensive, sent a signal of strong support for President Trump.

Democrats keep rallying around women

Democrats nominated an eclectic group of candidates, including liberals and moderates, military veterans and lawyers, political newcomers and seasoned politicians. But most of their nominees in important races have one thing in common: They are women.

[Read more about the women who won here.]

In four congressional districts ringing Philadelphia, Democrats selected female nominees: Madeleine Dean, Chrissy Houlahan, Mary Gay Scanlon and Susan Wild. At least two of them  Ms. Dean and Ms. Houlahan  are overwhelmingly likely to win the general election under Pennsylvanias new congressional map, which had its first test on Tuesday night. That would represent a breakthrough in Pennsylvania, which has sent only men to Congress since 2015.

[Read about the surge of women running for Congress this year.]

And Democratic women triumphed beyond Pennsylvania: In an Omaha-based congressional district, Kara Eastman, a liberal insurgent, won the Democratic nomination in an upset against former Representative Brad Ashford. And in the race for governor of Idaho, Paulette Jordan, a state legislator who would be the countrys first Native American governor, defeated a wealthy businessman in the Democratic primary.
They hide behind Twitter hashtags, Facebook ads and fake news stories. Theyre the work of bots and trolls, and one of the most skilled countries at deploying them is Russia. So how do these entities actually work to spread disinformation? We asked two experts. This is St. Petersburg-based activist Ludmila Savchuk. She has tracked disinformation campaigns and even gone undercover to learn how they work. And this is Ben Nimmo, a London-based analyst who focuses on information warfare. Lets define whats what. A bot is short for robot. Its an automated social media account that operates without human intervention. During the 2016 presidential election, suspected Russian operators created bots on Twitter to promote hashtags like #WarAgainstDemocrats. A troll is an actual human being, motivated by passion or a paycheck to write social media posts that push an agenda. In 2015, Savchuk worked undercover for over two months at a troll factory in Russia that has gone by many names, including Glavset and the Internet Research Agency. Troll accounts are usually anonymous or pretend to be someone else, like hipsters or car repairmen. But it can even get stranger. Trolls can also set up bots to amplify a message. Facebook is one common platform for Russian trolls and bots, which, in 2016, used fake accounts to influence U.S. elections. Heres how some experts think that played out. American officials suspect Russian intelligence agents of using phishing attacks to obtain emails damaging to the Hillary Clinton campaign. They then, allegedly, created a site called DCLeaks.com to publish them. A troll on Facebook, using the name Melvin Redick, was one of the first to hype the site, saying it contained the hidden truth about Hillary Clinton. An army of bots on Twitter then promoted the DC Leaks, and in one case, even drove a #HillaryDown hashtag into a trending topic. Facebook believes that ads on divisive issues created by Russian trolls were shown to Americans over four million times before the elections. Russian-linked trolls and bots also tried to exploit divisive issues and undermine faith in public institutions. Federal investigators and experts believed Russian trolls created Facebook groups like Blacktivist, which reposted videos of police beatings, or another, Secured Borders, which organized anti-immigrant rallies in real life. Today, Russia hopes to win the second Cold War through the force of politics as opposed to the politics of force. How can you stop them? You cant. Even Vladimir Putin seems to agree. But IDing their tactics helps contain their influence. If a suspicious account is active during the workday in St. Petersburg or posting dozens of items a day, those are red flags. Decode the anonymity. Look for alphanumeric scrambles in a users name, and try Googling its profile picture. Look at the language. If an account makes grammar mistakes typical for Russian speakers, or changes behavior during times of strained Russian-U.S. relations, then congratulations. You might have caught a bot or pro-Kremlin troll.
WASHINGTON  The Senate Judiciary Committee released on Wednesday thousands of page of transcripts and other documents related to a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between members of the Trump campaign and a Russian lawyer who promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump Jr., the presidents son, attended the meeting, as did Paul Manafort, then the campaign chairman, and Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law.

Much of what occurred that day is already publicly known, such as who attended the meeting, why it was set up and what everyone says was discussed. But the newly released documents offer the most detailed, firsthand account of what transpired before, during and after the June 9 meeting.

The following are some of the key findings from the documents, and why they are important.

Rob Goldstone offered to arrange a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
WASHINGTON  Donald Trump Jr. got straight to the point during the now-famous Trump Tower meeting in June 2016.

So I believe you have some information for us, he said, directing his attention across a large conference table to the Russian lawyer who was there, he thought, to deliver incriminating information on Hillary Clinton.

But if Mr. Trump expected a campaign-changing bombshell, he was quickly disappointed. The disparaging information about Mrs. Clinton amounted to no more than allegations of fraud in Russia by several obscure Democratic donors. The Trump campaign officials reacted with dissatisfaction, not eagerness. Both sides left disappointed.

The chasm between expectation and reality surrounding the meeting was one of the dominant themes running through more than 2,500 pages of testimony and documents released by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The committee has been conducting one of the investigations into the Trump campaigns contacts with Russians, and the documents revealed new details about the run-up and the aftermath of what is thought to be one of the key episodes of the campaigns interactions with Russia.
The United States bid farewell to rule by the English monarchy over 200 years ago, but that doesnt mean there arent still some Americans who are obsessed with the royal family. Or maybe more than some, actually: This Saturday at noon London time (7 a.m. Eastern), Prince Harry will marry the actress Meghan Markle on the grounds of Windsor Castle, and tens of millions of Americans are expected to wake up early just to soak up the pageantry.

[What time is the Royal Wedding in my time zone?]

Nearly every major American network and cable news channel will broadcast the ceremony live (cord-cutters can stream it on a variety of websites, including The New York Times). But the walk down the aisle is only part of the fun: Numerous outlets are kicking off early, tracking the guests as they arrive and giving commentary on everything from what theyre wearing to why they were invited, from a variety of perspectives.

So which is the best way to watch? It depends on what youre looking for. Heres where to tune in, depending on your taste:

If you want the British experience 

In the United States, BBC America will simulcast BBC Ones coverage from Britain, beginning at 4 a.m. (All times are Eastern.) This will be the wedding as many of the viewers in Britain will see it, with firsthand perspectives on the ceremony and the ways in which it reflects both ancient and modern aspects of British history and society. For even more context, the channel is airing a full slate of specials all week, documenting past royal marriages and coronations.

If you need to know whos who 

Sky News in Britain will be live-streaming the wedding and making use of an Amazon face-matching technology called Rekognition to help viewers figure out the names of the guests and how theyre connected to the bride and groom. The guest list has remained largely under wraps, and there has been a lot of curiosity about which celebrities Markle, with her Hollywood connections, will invite.
The Los Angeles Times said Tuesday that it was suspending Jonathan Kaiman, its Beijing bureau chief, amid accusations of sexual misconduct.

The move followed accusations against Mr. Kaiman by a fellow journalist, Felicia Sonmez, who outlined what she said was problematic behavior by Mr. Kaiman during an encounter in September. Those accusations were put into a letter addressed to the Foreign Correspondents Club of China, of which Mr. Kaiman was president until January.

In the letter, Ms. Sonmez described being repeatedly groped by Mr. Kaiman without her consent, being pushed up against a wall and eventually feeling pressured into sex after a night of drinking.

Even though parts of the evening were consensual, while on the way, Jon escalated things in a way that crossed a line, Ms. Sonmez, who is a former member of the clubs board, wrote. She said that alcohol clouded her memory of exactly how she and Mr. Kaiman ended up having sex, and whether it was coerced.
The police held Mr. Chui for a few hours before releasing him to seek treatment at a hospital. He told RTHK that he had been asked to sign a note of remorse before being freed; he said he did so because he was uneasy about his confiscated ID and the officers aggressive behavior.

We are extremely angry about the unjustified and brutal obstruction that resulted from a legal interview, Now TV said in an article about the episode.

Ms. Yuan, the rights lawyers wife, said he had also been roughly handled by the police and forced into a police car after asking officers to return Mr. Chuis ID. She said marks were left on his neck. After Mr. Xies hearing, the couple were not allowed to photocopy documents from it.

They want this hearing to occur in secret, she told RTHK.

Patrick Poon, a Hong Kong-based researcher for Amnesty International, said that the officers behavior was likely a response to unwanted media attention at the hearing. It shows that the authorities are very much aware that the hearing itself isnt a fair one, he said.

The incident came just days after another journalist for a Hong Kong television station, Chen Ho-fai, was assaulted in mainland China while covering a politically sensitive event. Mr. Chen of i-Cable was kicked and beaten by two men while reporting on the 10th anniversary of the earthquake in Sichuan Province that killed tens of thousands of people. Shoddy building standards may have contributed to the toll, making it a delicate subject for China.
JAKARTA, Indonesia  In the latest of a wave of apparent terrorist attacks in Indonesia, four sword-wielding men were shot dead on Wednesday after ramming a car into a security checkpoint at a provincial police headquarters on the island of Sumatra and attacking officers, the police said.

One police officer died in a hospital after being hit by the vehicle, while two others suffered cuts in the attack, which happened shortly after 9 a.m. in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau Province in central Sumatra, Inspector General Setyo Wasisto, a spokesman for the national police, told reporters.

When entering, their car was blocked by Riau police officers. They then got out of the car and attacked the police guards using long swords, he said.

An Indonesian news reporter who happened to be on the scene was also hurt.

A fifth person in the attackers car drove off, hitting the police officer who later died, before eventually being captured by pursuing officers.
Mr. Pompeo, by contrast, put the emphasis on the American investment that would flow into North Korea if it agreed to relinquish its nuclear arsenal. He, too, said that the North would have to agree to complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization, the technical shorthand used by the administration to describe its bargaining position with Pyongyang.

The president has shifted between a hard-line and more conciliatory tone in his statements about the North, although in recent days he has expressed excitement about a potential breakthrough with Mr. Kim. He has not yet responded to the warning Wednesday issued by the Norths first vice foreign minister, Kim Kye-gwan, which took direct aim at Mr. Bolton.

People close to the White House said the uncoordinated nature of the statements reflected the newness of the presidents national security team, but also the fact that Mr. Trump was distracted by the swirl of legal issues around him, from the Russia investigation to payments his personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, made to a pornographic film actress.

Some officials suggested that Mr. Trump needed to rein in Mr. Bolton, though they expressed few qualms about the White Houses broader strategy. Officials noted that the United States had not made any concessions to Mr. Kim, beyond agreeing to the meeting itself. Mr. Kim has agreed to stop nuclear and missile tests and to blow up an underground nuclear site in the presence of foreign journalists.

While the daylight between Mr. Bolton and Mr. Pompeo gives the North Koreans the opportunity to drive a wedge between members of the presidents national security team, officials said that was a more manageable problem than when Mr. Trump publicly undercut Mr. Pompeos predecessor as secretary of state, Rex W. Tillerson, over how to deal with North Korea.

Assessing the Norths recent statements, Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul, said North Korea had begun to fear looking weak by taking unilateral steps, like its moratorium on missile tests. He noted that the United States, rather than offering concessions of its own, has vowed to keep up its maximum pressure on the North if it fails to quickly denuclearize.
Yes, even dictators get cold feet.

Wednesdays news that North Korea was considering calling off Kim Jong-uns planned June meeting with President Trump reflected a pattern by the unpredictable regime: diplomatic outreach, followed by erratic behavior and, in many cases, an outright rejection of peace overtures.

Heres a look at some other times when the North did a sudden about-face:

Dashed hopes at six-party talks

After its withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, North Korea agreed to take part in six-party talks with the United States and regional powers, and pledged in 2005 to abandon nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs. But the following year it conducted its first nuclear test.

By 2009, after months of provocative behavior, Pyongyang said it would permanently pull out of nuclear disarmament talks and restart its nuclear program, and it expelled United Nations inspectors from the country.

Spurning outreach from Washington

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush declared North Korea, along with Iraq and Iran, part of an axis of evil, but toward the end of his term his advisers softened that approach.
KABUL, Afghanistan  Taliban insurgents abandoned their effort to take over the capital of the western Afghan province of Farah, leaving the city early Wednesday without apparent opposition, local residents said.

Even with 25 members of the security forces and five civilians killed, officials immediately hailed the insurgents departure as a victory. They said that hundreds of insurgents had been killed in the one-day assault on Farah city and that the governments response proved it could beat back any Taliban initiative to take and hold territory.

But for many Afghans, especially residents in battered Farah, the assault showed mostly that the insurgents could attack at will even against a well-entrenched government position backed up by both Afghan and American air power.

The Taliban managed to leave the city without a single shot being fired, and the night was calm, said Abdullah Khan, a resident reached by telephone. It shows the utmost incompetence of our forces. The Taliban were wandering the Farah city streets openly without fear as if they had lived there a long time, making jokes with their friends and telling citizens to stay calm and not worry.
WASHINGTON  President Trump welcomed President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan to the White House on Wednesday, calling the visit a great honor as he worked to begin what aides described as a new era of partnership with a country that is making its first fitful turns away from authoritarianism.

Senior administration officials had said Mr. Trump planned to prod Mr. Mirziyoyev on lingering issues of human rights and press freedom during their meeting, but in public on Wednesday there was no hint of criticism or question in his remarks.

Hes a highly respected man in his country, Mr. Trump said of Mr. Mirziyoyev as the two sat in the Oval Office. Weve been working very closely together on different things, including trade.

Mr. Trump has rarely brought up human rights concerns either in public or in private during his face-to-face encounters with foreign leaders  a break with past American presidents of both parties who routinely raised the issue  even when his aides have said he planned to. He and his advisers view the issue as an impediment to trade and a barrier to warmer relations between the United States and potential strategic partners.
For decades, big and small producers in the northern region of Normandy have fought over how their cheese could be labeled. The small makers  now fewer than a dozen  have to stick to strict rules to keep a protected designation of origin status, or P.D.O., bestowed by the European Union. They must use unfiltered, raw milk, more than half of it from the Normande breed of cattle, and make the cheese nearby, ladling the milk by hand into molds.

The runny, rich cheese that results from this defiantly pre-modern process, whose strong smell lingers on the fingers for hours, is labeled with the P.D.O. Camembert de Normandie.

Meanwhile, industrial makers have been allowed to label their product as Fabrique en Normandie, or Made in Normandy, as long as the cheese factory was there. They can use pasteurized milk from any breed of cow.

Raw milk can contain dangerous bacteria like listeria, salmonella, E. coli, and even the tuberculosis bacterium. Pasteurization  named, it should be noted, for a Frenchman  means heating briefly to kill off harmful germs.

Modern precautions make the risks from raw milk far lower, but they are not foolproof; just last week, there was a recall of contaminated raw milk reblochon cheese made at a factory in the Alps. But devotees of traditional cheeses say that the care that goes into making them by hand, in relatively small batches, near the source of the milk, makes contamination much less likely.

Hard cheeses made from raw milk are safe because they age longer, becoming steadily more acidic, which kills bacteria. But soft cheeses are eaten young, and Camembert can be aged for as little as three weeks.

The United States has long forbidden the sale of raw milk cheese that is less than 60 days old. As a result, many an American cheese aficionado has, alas, never tasted what purists would call true Camembert.
With friends like that, who needs enemies.

That was how Donald Tusk, one of the European Unions top officials, took President Trump to task on Wednesday, offering the latest look at how the Continents leaders are trying to come to terms with the United States shifting policy on issues like the Iran nuclear deal.

Mr. Tusk, president of the European Council, which represents the European Unions heads of government, used 280 characters on Twitter not only to rebuke Mr. Trumps head-snapping policy decisions but also to reaffirm the blocs commitment to its own agenda.

We realize that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm, Mr. Tusk wrote.
ROME  Talks between two anti-establishment parties to form a new Italian government seemed to be regaining momentum on Wednesday, even as financial markets were spooked by leaked documents that suggested the two sides shared a desire to radically change Italys relationship with the European Union.

The leaders of the Five Star Movement and the anti-immigrant League party dismissed the leaked document Tuesday night as old.

But the draft, which was on the negotiating table as of Monday morning, was apparently not old enough to avoid raising jitters. On Wednesday, investors shed Italian assets, and shares trading on the Milan stock market slipped.

Current or not, the document, obtained by Huffington Post Italy, brought into focus concerns among European leaders and financial markets about what a government run by the two parties could mean for Italy and the European Union as a whole.
LONDON  Size is a sensitive subject in the clothing business. So when one of Britains most popular and affordable clothing giants was found to charge more for plus-size clothing, it was accused of imposing a fat tax on women.

The pricing by the store, New Look, revived a debate over whether the use of more fabric for the same outfit should logically cost more.

The controversy erupted when a New Look customer, Maria Wassell, said she discovered that a pair of green-striped trousers cost 15 percent more in all sizes above 16 (the equivalent of a Size 12 in the United States), which are considered plus sizes in Britain. (Even the phrase plus size is problematic to some, who argue that the industrys labels are unrealistic.)

Ms. Wassell, 43, a retail supervisor from Kent, in southeast England, also discovered that a T-shirt and dress in standard sizes were cheaper than identical versions in the plus-size section, according to the local news media.
When the rubber hit the road, Mr. Lockard said, Mr. Atilla chose lies and deceptions, not honesty and integrity.

Image Mehmet Hakan Atilla, in a photo from social media

This is not a case about drugs, Mr. Lockard said. Its not a case about shipments of weapons. But it is, in a very real sense, a case about nuclear capability. Nuclear capability by the worlds foremost state sponsor of terrorism."

Judge Berman did not contest the gravity of the sanctions evasion plot. And he noted that Mr. Zarrab had given credible and largely unrefuted testimony at Mr. Atillas trial about how the conspirators had been able to transfer or free up millions upon millions of dollars of Iranian proceeds, primarily from the sale of Iranian oil, in violation of the sanctions.

But Judge Berman indicated that Mr. Atillas role did not warrant the longer sentence the government was seeking. The judge also noted that Halkbank had not been charged in the case.

Mr. Atilla will be credited with the time he has spent in jail since his March 2017 arrest.

One of Mr. Atillas lawyers, Victor J. Rocco, called the sentence fair but said his client would appeal the conviction. Our objective is to get him home as quick as possible, Mr. Rocco said.

At Mr. Atillas trial late last year, Mr. Zarrab testified that he had paid millions of dollars in bribes to Zafer Caglayan, then Turkeys economy minister, and Suleyman Aslan, the general manager of Halkbank, to facilitate the scheme. (Mr. Caglayan and Mr. Aslan were among the seven other defendants charged in the case, who all remain at large.) Mr. Zarrab also suggested in his testimony that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, when he was Turkeys prime minister in 2012, approved the operation.
Two Irish teachers, one of whom is from Offaly, have been freed in China, after spending more than a week in detention after a visa mix up has been sorted.

Following an investigation by authorities in China, both women have been released.

They have not been deported, and remain in Beijing today.

The Offaly Express understands that they will return to work next week.

The teacher was among 11 people, including a woman from Kildare, who were all arrested over visa issues just over a week ago.

She was teaching on a working visa in a Beijing school but ran into trouble when she took up a second job at an unlicensed private school.

Its understood she took the job in good faith although Chinese police are known for raids on schools that may hire foreign teachers through illegal means.

The two Irish ladies took up the extra tuition hours not realising that the school was not licensed.

They were jailed for just over one week before being released last night.

Kildare South TD Fiona O'Loughlin who confirmed their release confirmed that the teachers will not be deported in what may be the 'first of it's kind' as working illegally is cited as one of the biggest reasons for deportation from China.

However in this case they are not being deported and the Offaly Express understands they will both be allowed return to work.
To get the numbers, here is what BJP is doing in Karnataka

Karnataka elections: Bengaluru bites BJP hard, is it a sign of urban backlash?

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

There cannot be a straightforward answer to the question as to why the BJP fell eight seats short of the majority mark. More pertinent point to fathom about would be the fact that how BJP managed to reached 104 given that the party could manage less than 50 seats in the 2013 elections.

Barring the Old Mysuru region, the BJP did well in almost all the regions in Karnataka in 2018. Old Mysuru region was in fact never a BJP bastion and JD (S) did exceedingly well there.

Another region worth discussing would the the Bengaluru region. Bengaluru city has 28 assembly seats out of which voting was held in 26 seats. If we consider both Bengaluru urban and rural regions then there are 36 seats. BJP could win just 11 out of the total 36 seats in the region, while the Congress and the JD (S) managed to win 16 and 7 seats, respectively.

In Bengaluru city, the voting was held in 26 out of the 28 seats out of which BJP could win just eight seats in the urban areas of the Karnataka's capital.

It is an observed phenomenon in the last decade or so that BJP does well in urban regions. When urban regions vote in large numbers then, generally, BJP does well. In Bengaluru, the voter turnout was also low compared to the state average of around 72%. BJP surely must have expected more seats from Bengaluru. Even PM Modi addressed many rallies in the city.

The result of the Karnataka assembly elections 2018 was announced yesterday and the BJP emerged as the single largest party by bagging 104 seats in a 224 seat assembly (polling was held in 222 seats on May 12). The BJP ended up eight seats short of the majority mark which allowed the Congress and the JD (S) to cobble up an alliance and stake a claim to form the government. Congress-JD (S) combine has 118 seats, which is well above the halfway mark needed to form the government.

Both sides have met the Governor and staked their claims, and now the ball is in Vajubhai Vala's court.
Who was Sadanand Singh? The veteran Congress leader died at 76

Bihar court's unique condition to rape accused to get bail: Wash clothes of 2000 women

Bihar judge who asked molestation accused to wash clothes of 2000 women restrained from work

Not giving up demand for special status for Bihar: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar

Bihar: 2 school children killed, 11 injured after high voltage wire falls on school van in Baniapur

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

In a shocking incident, at least two school students were killed and 11 others were injured when a high voltage wire fell on a school van Baniapur in Bihar.

According to ANI, Three of the 11 children who were injured are in a critical condition.The students incurred injuries from electrocution.

Authorities rushed to the spot after receiving the information about the tragedy. Three of the 11 injured are in serious condition.

In February this year, 9 students of a government middle school in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district were killed and 10 others were injured when a speeding SUV ran them over while they were crossing a national highway after classes ended for the day.

The incident occurred outside children's school when they were crossing the road. The driver fled after leaving the vehicle near the spot.

On February 19, 10 people were killed and 35 others were injured on the outskirts of Patna when a private bus carrying a marriage party overturned on the Patna-Gaya state highway.
Mayawati re-elected as BSP chief; vows to never to stop or bend

Apologise for sending anti-CAA protesters to jail: Mayawati to UP government

Karnataka Elections:BSP's N Mahesh expects ministerial berth in JDS-Congress alliance

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate N Mahesh expects ministerial berth if the Janata Dal (Secular) formed an alliance with the Congress. BSP's N Mahesh created history by winning Kollegal assembly constituency.

N. Mahesh got 71792 votes against Congress' A.R. Krishnamurthy, who secured 52338 votes. BJP's G.N. Nanjunda Swamy was pushed to the third position.

BSP source told OneIndia that N Mahesh is expecting a ministerial berth if the government is formed JDS-Congress alliance. The source said, "" Former PM HD Deve Gowda is in touch with Beheji Mayawati. Ultimately, BSP supremo Mayawati will take a final call about BSP candidate's stand."

Before meeting JDS State President HD Kumaraswamy, BSP's N Mahesh will be holding a meeting with party office bearers of Karnataka. Later, Mahesh will go to Shangri La hotel to meet HD Kumaraswamy.

As per the terms of the pre-poll alliance, the BSP contested from 20 seats in Karnataka, while the JD(S) contest in the rest of the seats.
Come watch with us Kar'nataka, a political thriller minus any censor cuts

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Bengaluru, May 16: Bengaluru, the bustling capital city of Karnataka, has a rich, vibrant theatre culture. Kannada, English, Hindi, Bengali and Tamil plays are staged in some of iconic podiums in the IT hub on a regular basis. Patrons of theatre encourage such initiatives by flocking at theatre halls in sizeable numbers.

Along with Bengaluru, rest of Karnataka too loves its share of "drama" a lot. The state is also a proud custodian of some of the finest literary and cinematic works in the country. So when it comes to "drama" Karnataka is always at the forefront.

Now, when a political drama is unfolding in the southern state, voters are definitely not amused as they firmly believe that "dirty politics" is a blot on the face of democracy.

Since the last few months, the southern state has witnessed a great deal of political activities, thanks to the Karnataka Assembly elections 2018. Both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tried their best to come to power in one of the most advantaged states of the country.

During the campaign season, politicians cutting across party lines injected a lot of bigotry, hatred and factionalism to woo voters in the state. The elections results were announced on Tuesday, but the drama seems to be not ending any time soon. As the voters gave a fractured mandate (the BJP got 104 seats, the Congress 78 and the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) along with its alliance partner, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), got 38 seats), political parties are leaving no stone unturned to come to power.

In the 224-member Assembly in Karnataka, a party or an alliance needs at least 113 seats to stake claim to form the next government in the state. While the BJP has emerged as the single largest party, the Congress and the JD(S) which on Tuesday evening stitched a quick post-poll alliance has the number, 116 MLAs.

Leaders of both the BJP and the Congress-JD(S) alliance met Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala on Tuesday evening to stake their respective claim to form the next government. On Wednesday, BS Yeddyurappa, the chief ministerial candidate of the BJP, once again met the governor and staked claim to form the new government in the state.

Regarding the Congress-JD(S) alliance's claim, the governor is yet to take a call. Amid all these developments, murmurs of horse-trading, resort politics and operation kamala (a term coined by the BJP back in 2008 to win over MLAs from the opposition parties) are growing louder and louder.

Several leaders from both the Congress and the JD(S) told reporters that they have been offered a huge amount of cash by the BJP to switch sides. The BJP claims that many disgruntled Congress and JD(S) MLAs are in talks with the saffron party. The Congress also claims that several BJP leaders want to join the alliance.

Now, news is rife that MLAs of both the Congress and the JD(S) will be packed in buses and taken to resorts in the outskirts of Bengaluru to avoid poaching ahead of the floor test. Both the JD(S) and the Congress fear that their MLAs would be poached by the BJP.

As the worst of politics unfolds in Karnataka, voters are hoping that the state gets a new government soon. Voters also want the new government to be honest and stable. However, looking at the beginning of the journey of a new government, it does not augur well for Karnataka.
Congress a three Ps party, well quite literally

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

During one of his rallies in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Congress would be reduced to three Ps- Punjab, Puducherry and Parivar. It happened, in fact quite literally with the Congress being reduced to the second position.

The Congress was however quick to offer support to the JD(S). Even if the two parties manage to form the government, it is still a blow to Rahul Gandhi who was nurturing huge ambitions for 2019. It may be recalled that during the campaign, when asked if he was a prime ministerial candidate, he had remarked, " why not."

Even if the Congress forms the government, this is in by no way a victory for the party since under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, there have been six electoral defeats. Rahul Gandhi had held 38 rallies and visited every district in Karnataka during the election campaign, but the party failed to touch the 100 mark.

Under his leadership, the Congress has lost Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya and Karnataka. A win at Karnataka would have boosted his chances and also become a front runner in 2019 in case of a grand alliance. With this defeat the party would find it hard to project him as the leader of any such alliance ahead of 2019.

The Congress says that the loss in Karnataka was due to poor caste management. Some within the party say that although they have lost, there would be some amount of morale boosting if it manages to form the government in the state.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 7:26 [IST]
To get the numbers, here is what BJP is doing in Karnataka

Congress-JD(S) deal: How Priyanka prevailed over Rahul

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The Congress moved swiftly to offer its hand to the JD(S) in Karnataka to form the government. Prior to the results being declared, the Congress had accused the JD(S) of being the B-team of the BJP.

The president of the party, Rahul Gandhi was totally averse to the idea of an any alliance with the JD(S), but it was a suggestion by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra which changed the dynamics. She had suggested that the Congress supports the JD(S) and also offers the post of chief minister to H D Kumaraswamy.

In the run up to the results, the Congress had decided that if the party managed to cross the 100 mark, it would leave it up to Siddaramaiah to take a call on the next course of action. However with the party falling way short of the 100 mark, the high command decided to step in.

The Congress also rushed its senior leaders, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot to Karnataka to ensure that there was no repeat of Goa and Manipur where it failed to form the government despite being the single largest party.

After Rahul was convinced, Sonia Gandhi immediately touched base with Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy. The only demand that Gowda had was that his son be made the CM which was immediately agreed upon.

Several meetings were convened on Tuesday afternoon following which Kumaraswamy wrote to the Governor, staking a claim to form the government. The president of the Congress in Karnataka Parameshwar tried meeting with the Governor by around 4 pm on Tuesday, but was turned down. Finally the Governor met with B S Yeddyurappa first, following which Kumaraswamy was given an opportunity.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 7:14 [IST]
JDS-Congress delegation submits letter signed by 117 MLAs to Governor

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The JDS-Congress delegation submitted a letter of support signed by 117 MLAs to Governor Vajjubhai Vala on Wednesday. The delegation was led by G Parameshwara and HD Kumaraswamy has 10 MLAs each from Congress and the JDS.

HD Kumaraswamy after meeting Karnataka Governor said, "We have submitted the necessary documents which show that we have the numbers required to form the government. He (Governor of Karnataka) promised he will consider according to the Constitution."

Congress and JDS MLAs wanted to parade their strength before the Governor but only 10 MLAs from both the parties were allowed to meet the Governor.

HD Kumaraswamy, before leaving for the Raj Bhavan, was confident that the Governor would allow the alliance to form the government. "We have the required number to form the government, We will give the stable government," said Kumaraswamy.

Bengaluru: Congress MLAs to leave for Raj Bhavan from Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office. #KarnatakaElectionResults2018 pic.twitter.com/QGlO8JvOfB  ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

The Congress claimed that they have 78 MLAs with the party and denied defection of MLAs to the BJP.

According to ANI reports, If Congress-JD(S) are not invited by the Governor then the MLAs will sit on a 'dharna' outside Raj Bhawan from tomorrow. Congress MPs may also join them.

The BJP has 104 seats. The saffron party still need eight seats to prove the majority (taking 222 seats). However, the JDS and the Congress alliance will have 78 + 38 = 116 seats. That's enough to reach the majority mark. Hence, the Congress and JDs want the Governor's nod to form the government.

Kumaraswamy not allowed to enter Raj Bhavan:

Security personnel did not allow HD Kumaraswamy to enter Raj Bhavan saying he came before the appointment time. According to reports, Kumaraswamy was supposed to meet Governor Vajjubahi Vala at 5 pm. Also, it is said that only 10 JDS MLAs will be allowed to meet the Governor.

More details awaited.
Karnataka: Will Congress not allow Kumaraswamy to be CM for full 5-year term?

Is it chief minister Kumaraswamy or chief manager of Congress Ktaka ATM? BJP has an answer

All is well between Congress, JD(S)? Kumaraswamy meets Rahul as Karnataka waits for full cabinet

Full on war of words between JD (S), BJP over 'horse trading' allegations

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday (May 16) hit back at JD (S) state chief HD Kumaraswamy for alleging that the saffron party was trying to poach the lawmakers of his party and had even offered them "Rs 100 crore and ministerial posts".

Kumaraswamy earlier defended his party's surprise alliance with the Congress and accused the BJP of trying to bribe the lawmakers after election results in the state threw up a hung house.

"People of Karnataka must understand that the BJP, which is known for horse-trading, isn't going to act in their favour. Some of them (BJP) have approached leaders in our party and offered them Rs 100 crore and ministerial posts," said Kumaraswamy at a press conference in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

He also warned the BJP and said, "If you try to poach our MLAs, we will do the same and take double from you."

Taking a strong exception to Kumaraswamy's remarks, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that "poaching and horse trading" are something for which the Congress party is famous.

"They are leveling baseless charges against BJP. Poaching and horse trading is not done by BJP, Congress is famous for it. Their own MLAs are not happy with their alliance...Rs 100 crore figure is not only imaginary but it is what Congress-JDS do politics through. We are going by rules,we have submitted our claim to the Governor, are confident of forming the govt," Javadekar, who is also Karnataka BJP in-charge, told the media today.

Whenever there is a hung assembly post elections, talks of 'horse trading' and 'MLA poaching' start doing rounds. Now that the political situation is precariously poised in Karnataka, there are talks that the BJP may approach the JD (S) and Congress MLAs, and cajole them to switch sides.

Some Congress and JD (S) have openly claimed that the BJP has been trying to contact them with offers of a cabinet berth.

"I got a call from the BJP leaders. They said come to us and we will give a ministry to you. We will make you a minister. But, I'm going to stay here. HD Kumaraswamy is our Chief Minister," Congress MLA Linganagouda Patil told news agency ANI earlier today.

"I don't know what they (BJP) are offering but they are trying to call our people, but they are not responding. We are all together, no one can touch our party. Our party MLAs are loyal to the party," ANI quoted JD (S) leader Sarvana as saying.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 15:26 [IST]
How Congress lost 44 seats despite having better vote share than 2013

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

From 122 in 2013 to 78 in 2018. This was the Congress decline in Karnataka. During the campaign and going by the various exit polls, it suggested that there was no anti-incumbency factor at play.

When the results were declared, it became clear that the anti-incumbency factor did not play out. In 2013, the party polled 36.6 per cent while in 2018, it was 38. Although the Congress had a slightly better vote share than the BJP, it still fell short. This was largely because the BJP was a divided house in 2013 with B S Yeddyurappa and B Sriramulu breaking away. In 2013 the three units of the BJP had 32 per cent of the vote share.

The unity of the BJP helped it swing the vote share in its favour by around 4 per cent.

Further the BJP's votes were not scattered which helped it covert votes effectively.

Data would show that the Congress polled more than the BJP in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region and also the Old Mysore belt which together account for 99 seats. In the rest of the regions, the BJP had a higher number of votes.When compared to 2013, the Congress polled better in the Old Mysore, Hyderabad-Karnataka and Bombay-Karnataka regions.

However in the rest of the state, it lost considerably.

In the seats reserved for the SC candidates, the Congress polled better than the BJP but won lesser seats. The BJP won 16 and the Congress 12. In the ST reserved seats, the BJP had a higher vote share, but won just 6 when compared to the 8 of the Congress.

In the crucial Lingayat dominated belts which comprise 120 seats, the Congress increased its vote share to 38.1 per cent when compared to 35.9 in 2013. However this did not translate into victory suggesting that the Lingayat issue did not work at all for the Congress.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 7:54 [IST]
Lashkar off-shoot TRF kills 3 civilians in J&K, says more to come

The innocent minorities in Kashmir are bearing the brunt of Pakistans frustration

Go get them is govts message to security agencies on targeted killings in J&K

J&K: Suspected terrorists snatch rifle from a guard in Hazratbal, flee

India

pti-PTI

Srinagar, May 16: Suspected terrorists decamped with a rifle from a guard post at the main gate of the Kashmir University in the Hazratbal area of the city, police said.

"A rifle was snatched from the guard post at the Kashmir University near the Rumi Gate. The guards were deployed at the university on deputation from the Armed Police," a police official said.

He said the security forces have launched searches in the area to recover the rifle even as efforts are on to identify the culprits.

PTI
JD (S)' plan to thwart MLA poaching: Send them to a resort in Kerala

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Fearing that the BJP might try poaching their MLAs to form the government in Karnataka, the JD (S) has reportedly decided to send its MLAs to a resort in Kerala. The situation is such that even if a handful, seven to be precise, of MLAs jump over to the BJP, then the saffron party would be able form the government.

Whenever there is a hung assembly post elections, talks of 'horse trading' and 'MLA poaching' start doing rounds. Now that the political situation is precariously poised in Karnataka, there are talks that the BJP may approach the JD (S) and Congress MLAs, and cajole them to switch sides.

Some Congress and JD (S) MLAs have openly claimed that the BJP has been trying to contact them with offers of a cabinet berth.

"I got a call from the BJP leaders. They said come to us and we will give a ministry to you. We will make you a minister. But, I'm going to stay here. HD Kumaraswamy is our Chief Minister," Congress MLA Linganagouda Patil told news agency ANI earlier today.

"I don't know what they (BJP) are offering but they are trying to call our people, but they are not responding. We are all together, no one can touch our party. Our party MLAs are loyal to the party," ANI quoted JD (S) leader Sarvana as saying.

Meanwhile, HD Kumaraswamy has warned the BJP against 'MLA poaching' ploy, adding , "If you try to poach our MLAs, we will do the same and take double from you."

Interestingly, Kerala Tourism took to their Twitter to invite the MLAs to de-stress after all the election tiredness by saying, "After the rough and tumble of the #KarnatakVerdict, we invite all the MLAs to unwind at the safe and beautiful resorts of God's Own Country. #ComeOutAndPlay"

[DK Shivakumar's brother tasked with guarding of Congress MLAs]

The post came just hours after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked the JD(S) and the Congress to form the government. Karnataka election results show BJP falls short of 112 majority mark despite being the single largest party. In its attempt to form a government, Congress agreed to back a JDS-led coalition with HD Kumaraswamy as chief minister.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 13:36 [IST]
Amarinder Singh to join BJP? Former Punjab CM likely to meet Amit Shah in Delhi today

Never imagined I would reach here: PM Narendra Modi on completing 20 years in public office

Karnataka Election: BJP offering 100 crore to our MLAs and cabinet posts, alleges Kumaraswamy

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of offering Rs 100 crores and cabinet posts to some Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs.

Addressing the reporters after JDS's legislative party meeting, Kumaraswamy said that "We will not support BJP. There is no question of any alliance with the BJP.

"We want to thank people for their support. People don't want BJP in Karnataka," he adds.

"JD(S) MLAs are being offered Rs 100 crore each. Where is this black money coming from? They are supposedly the servers of poor people and they are offering money today. Where are the income tax officials?",

"BJP is misusing its power. They are distorting democratic principles. Operation Kamala is an example of this," he said.

"BJP is misusing its power. They are distorting democratic principles. Operation Kamala is an example of this", he further said.

"BJP is desperate to come to power. Me or my party, are not power hungry", says Kumaraswamy. "We (JDS and Congress) have more numbers than the halfway mark. BJP are nine seats shorter than needed," he adds.

"Forget 'Operation Kamal' being successful, there are people who are ready to leave BJP&come with us. If you try to poach one from ours, we'll do the same & take double from you. I'm also telling the Governor to not take any decision which encourages horse-trading," he said.

"BJP has also made an offer. If I side with them, the majority will be 140. But I feel responsible that I have already caused a dot in my father's political career already because of my decision to go with the BJP in 2004 and 2005," said Kumaraswamy.

He also accused the BJP of working against secular fabric of the country.

"I didn't ask for the CM post, the Congress have offered me unconditional support," the JDS leader said.

He also condemned PM Narendra Modi for saying the BJP will rule Karnataka even without the requisite numbers.

Meanwhile, BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa submitted the papers of his election as BJP Legislature Party leader to Governor Vajubhai Vala and said the Governor has promised to take "appropriate decision".

The Congress is also holding a meeting with its MLAs and has readied plans to "secure" the newly elected lawmakers at resorts.

All eyes are now on Governor Vajubhai Vala who will have to decide whether to call BJP, the single largest winner of seats, to try to form the government or go with the JD(S)-Congress combine, which together have a clear majority in the 224-member Assembly.

The Karnataka Assembly election results threw up an unexpected suspense today, as a simple majority tantalisingly eluded BJP and the Congress quickly proclaimed support to third-placed JD(S) to keep the saffron party out of power .

In a roller-coaster ride for BJP, it initially appeared that the party was set to return to power after a five-year hiatus with a resounding majority. But as all the trends became known, it appeared the party will fall a few seats short of the 112 needed to form the government.

Elections were held for 222 seats on May 12.
In the 2013 Karnataka elections, the BJP fought under the leadership of Jagadish Shettar while the Congess campaign was headed by Siddaramaiah. Congress got clear majority by winning over 120 seats and BJP failed to touch even 50 seats mark. The BJP's dismal show in 2013 was attributed to BS Yeddyurappa severing ties with the saffron party just before the elections. After parting ways, the Lingayat strongman contested the polls under a new party - KJP. After elections, BSY and BJP patched up and KJP was merged into the BJP. So this time, with BSY at helm, it needs to seen how bjp performs. All in all it looks like a neck to neck battle between the the two national parties.
Karnataka election results: Is Rahul Gandhis political career over?

India

oi-Maitreyee

Bengaluru, May 16: They say failure is the pillar of success, but in the case of Congress president Rahul Gandhi after every unsuccessful election bid one more poll disaster quickly follows. The latest in the series of Rahul's political debacle is the embarrassing defeat of the Congress in the Karnataka Assembly elections 2018, the results of which were declared on Tuesday.

The Congress, which had emphatically won the 2013 Karnataka elections with 122 seats in the 224-member Assembly, has been reduced to 78 seats this time. The entire campaign in the Karnataka elections--like in the Gujarat Assembly elections last year--was headed by Rahul.

He was the main face of the Congress in Karnataka during the election season as the Congress president was regularly visiting the southern state since last year. The people of Karnataka gave Rahul a warm welcome wherever he went, from mutts, metros to ice cream parlours. These days, he definitely exudes a new-found confidence and matured understanding of political matters, a far cry from his initial days as a "reluctant politician".

But the political growth of Rahul did not prove beneficial to the Congress. People's love and warmth to the Gandhi scion did not translate into votes in Karnataka. While every successful rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi (we are doing the usual comparison as Rahul is the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) favourite punching bag) is an indication of the saffron party's success in a forthcoming election, Rahul's public appearances have been reduced to photo ops.

As the Karnataka election results started pouring in on Tuesday, social media users were the first ones to troll Rahul (for a change not his political adversaries). From asking him to start selling "potatoes" (in case he is looking for a career change) to be credited with fulfilling the BJP's mission of Congress-mukt bharat (Congress-free India), Rahul was literally battered by social media experts.

The trolls roasted Rahul badly in an already bad day for him and the Congress and they came up with hilarious memes, highlighting everything that is wrong with his political career.

The political graph of the 47-year-old Gandhi scion, who joined politics in 2004, has been a lacklustre once since his formative days as the general secretary in charge of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC). Rahul's leadership abilities had been questioned several times amid his own confusion of being a "reluctant politician".

It is a different matter that the Lok Sabha MP had won all the elections which he had contested as an individual, but he has always failed to give victory to the Congress whenever he had led the party in any poll.

Last December, amid the Gujarat Assembly elections, Rahul was made the president of the Congress. The Congress did not win Gujarat too, but the party's tally improved from the previous polls, and Rahul was given credit for its "moral victory". The Gujarat loss was followed by Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya Assembly election debacles earlier this year.

Karnataka was one of the last few states in the Congress' kitty till yesterday. But that too it has lost miserably. Now, the Congress is trying its best to keep the BJP away from forming the next government in the southern state by joining hands with the Janata Dal (Secular) which Rahul had dubbed as the "B-team" of the saffron party during his campaigning.

The Congress, as usual, came to the rescue of Rahul after the Karnataka disaster. Speaking to reporters, Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivkumar said that Rahul did his best. "He came here, spent a lot of time. Ultimately the local leaders have to encash it, but some of us have failed it."

Shivkumar tried his best to shift the blame from Rahul to local leaders, but unfortunately it turned out to be a too weak a defence for someone who is indefensible.

On his part, Rahul thanked the people of Karnataka who voted for the party, saying it will fight for them. He also praised the party workers and leaders for their dedication and hard work in the Karnataka assembly elections.

Before social media warriors trolled Rahul, PM Modi mocked his bete noire at an election rally in Karnataka and predicted the Congress' defeat like a soothsayer.

"After May 15 (when the poll results will be declared), the Indian National Congress will be reduced to 'PPP Congress'-- P for Punjab, P for Puducherry, and P for Parivar (family)," Modi told an election rally in Gadag.

Currently, the Congress is in power in Mizoram, Punjab and Puducherry. Rest of the country has been almost painted in saffron, thanks to PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah whose hunger for victory has been growing more and more with each election win.
To get the numbers, here is what BJP is doing in Karnataka

Karnataka: Right precedent is to invite single largest party first, say experts

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

With Karnataka throwing up a hung house, the ball is now in the court of the Governor, Vajubhai Vala. He would take a considered decision while referring to several cases of the Supreme Court which has set a precedent in the event of such a scenario.

Legal experts say that the convention and the general precedent is that the party with the highest number of MLAs should be invited first to form the government in Karnataka.

While on one hand the precedent states that the single largest party be invited to form the government, on the other there is nothing in the constitutional scheme that would come in the way of the Congress=JD(S) combine forming the government in Karnataka.

The Governor is now free to take a call with the Election Commission of India declaring the results for the 222 seats to which elections had been held. Experts say that the right way to go about it is to first the single largest party the chance to form the government.

Going by the verdict in the S R Bommai case, the party would have to test its strength on the floor of the House first. In case it fails the next combination should be given a chance, the experts also say.

The Congress has been referring to the scenario in Goa and Manipur when the single largest party was not invited to form the government. The experts say that this was a mistake as the Congress despite being the largest party in these two states was not invited to form the government.

The right practise according to the experts is to first invite the single largest party. In case the party refuses then the Governor would give an opportunity to the next largest party, the experts also say.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 6:49 [IST]
Les lunettes de marque ne sont pas ce qui manque dans les commerces. Il y en a de toutes les sortes dont les lunettes de []
Kathua rape case: 'Attempts being made to impede probe',govt tells SC after witnesses allege torture

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Two days after the three key witnesses in the Kathua gangrape and murder case alleged torture by the police, the Centre has told the Supreme Court that attempts are being made to impede the probe. The state, meanwhile, sought time from the apex copurt to respond to the allegations of torture against the Jammu and Kashmir police.

On May 14, three college friends of a key accused in the sensational Kathua gangrape and murder case of an eight-year-old girl moved the Supreme Court alleging torture and sought protection from a central agency. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud had then agreed to hear the plea of these students, who hail from the Jammu region of the state, on May 16.

Lawyer Ravi Sharma, representing students Sahil Sharma, Sachin Sharma and Neeraj Sharma, sought urgent hearing on the plea alleging that they and their families were being coerced by the Crime Branch of the Jammu and Kashmir police. The Jammu-based students, who are pursuing B.Sc in Agriculture at a college in Muzzafar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, are classmates of Vishal Jangotra, a key accused in the case, the plea said.

The lawyer said the students were "coerced to make statements contrary to the facts that Vishal Jangotra was with them at Muzzafarnagar from January 7 to February 10. During that period, he along with petitioners attended examinations and practical papers." "Petitioners were subjected to the physical and mental torture from March 19 to March 31 by Respondents (state police officers)," the plea said.

The lawyer alleged that the students were constrained to move the apex court seeking security as they faced "imminent threat to their lives at the hand of the Crime Branch." Besides seeking security by a central agency, the students alleged that despite recording their statements, they were being served with police notice to re-appear for re-recording of their statements.

Earlier, the apex court had transferred the trial in the sensational Kathua gangrape and murder case of an eight-year-old girl from Jammu and Kashmir to Pathankot in Punjab, but had refrained from handing over the probe to CBI saying there was no need as the investigation has been conducted and the charge sheet filed.

The apex court, which ordered day-to-day "in-camera" trial in the case, had said there was a need to shift the trial outside the state as "fear and fair trial" were contradictory and "cannot be allowed to co-exist." The victim, belonging to a minority nomadic community, had disappeared from near her home in a village close to Kathua in the Jammu region on January 10. Her body was found in the same area a week later. The state police has filed the main charge sheet against seven persons and a separate charge sheet against a juvenile in a court in Kathua district.

OneIndia News with PTI inputs

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 12:39 [IST]
Key take-aways for the BJP in the bitter-sweet Karnataka victory

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

It was a bitter-sweet victory for the BJP in Karnataka. Although it fell short of the majority mark of 112 in the 224 member House, it managed to emerge as the single largest party in the state at 104. The JD(S)-Congress moved quickly to form the government and currently all are awaiting for a final call to be taken by the Governor, Vajubhai Vala.

The BJP has termed this victory as historic and its president, Amit Shah said that the BJP will win all elections from now.

"Our victory is not going to stop. We will win all coming election and the 2019 general election for the Lok Sabha with a margin bigger than 2014," BJP president Amit Shah told party workers.

The BJP feels that this victory would give it the necessary push ahead of three crucial elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. It would be defending its seats in all these states, elections to which will be held this year. The Karnataka win is a big boost and it also signals that the Congress is losing further ground.

One of the biggest challenges for the BJP ahead of the election was the unity of its state unit. The party managed to set aside all its differences and fought as a united front. This was visible in the manner in which the party campaigned during the elections.

At the start of the campaign, the party was plagued with strategy worries. It was however quick to identify the problems and set its house in order. Its core vote base, the Lingayats appeared shaky at the start with the Congress deciding to accord minority status.

However the BJP decided to stay mum about it and this helped the party bag the Lingayat votes in large numbers.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 7:07 [IST]
What are the farmers protesting about? We have stayed the farm laws says SC

Lakhimpur Kheri violence: SC says it is unsatisfied with action taken by UP govt

SC begins hearing Cong-JD(S) petition against Karnataka Guv invite to BJP to form govt

India

oi-Madhuri

The Supreme Court tonight began hearing at 1:45 am the petition filed by the Congress and the JD(S) challenging Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision to invite the BJP to form the government in the southern state.

The Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra has constituted a bench comprising Justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan to hear the matter in court number six.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi is appearing for the petitioners, while ASG Tushar Mehta is representing the government and Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi is arguing for BS Yeddyurappa.

The joint petition by the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) has sought a stay on the oath-taking ceremony, as communicated by the governor to the BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa.

In a midnight legal push, the Congress had approached the Supreme Court seeking an immediate intervention by the chief justice to stay the move, which it termed as an "encounter of the Constitution".

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said the party sought hearing on its petition challenging the governor's decision tonight itself. The Congress termed the governor's decision as "murder of democracy and trampling of Constitution".

Earlier in the evening, Vala invited Yeddyurappa to form the government and take oath as chief minister tomorrow. He also asked Yeddyurappa to seek a vote of confidence within 15 days of assuming office.

(with PTI inputs)
To install government in Karnataka, here is what the BJP could do

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

A hung house can be a nightmare and more often than not the party which has not got the mandate ends up ruling the state. The scenario in Karnataka is no different and the JD(S) and Congress have come together to stake a claim to form the government despite the BJP being the single largest party.

There was talk that the BJP would launch Operation Lotus in a bid to poach MLAs, but it has been frowned upon by the Central leadership which wants the fight to be within the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

The BJP is confident that it would be invited first to form the government on the precedent that it is the single largest party with 104 seats. The party needs 112 in the 222 member House in order to prove its majority. One Independent candidate has already declared his support to the party which takes the tally up to 5. The party is confident that the other Independent would jump ship, once it is invited to prove its majority.

Sources say that there is a possibility of some Lingayat MLAs of the Congress backing the BJP. Reports suggested that MLAs, Anand Singh, Rajashekar Patil, Nagendra and M Y Patil are out of reach, but the Congress has denied the same. Moreover 12 MLAs were absent from the legislature party meet which has fuelled further speculations. The Congress on the other hand has already booked rooms at a resort in Bidadi near Bengaluru and would cart its MLAs there.

Adding to the speculation was a statement by Congress MLA, M B Patil who said that the BJP is in touch with the Congress. He however stopped short of revealing anything further.

Sources say that poaching the MLAs would be difficult since the anti defection law would come in the way. There is a possibility that the BJP may convince some disgruntled MLAs and ensure that they abstain during the floor test. This is also a possibility that is being discussed for now.

The BJP is hoping that the Governor invites it first to form the government. The party is citing the S R Bommai case in which the Supreme Court had said that the largest party be invited first. The party feels that it would be in a better position if it is invited as the fence sitters would then jump ship.

The other options being explored is to get at least 4 to 5 MLAs to resign. This would bring down the strength of the House and it would be easier to prove the majority. However this appears to be a harder option as it would be hard to convince freshly elected MLAs to resign. Sources say taking the abstain route would be the most feasible one for now.

If these factors do not work, then there is a chance that Yeddyurappa would face the House without the numbers and then take the Vajpayee route like he did in 2008.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 12:48 [IST]
Varanasi flyover collapse: SP workers demands high level investigation into the matter

India

oi-Madhuri

Samajwadi Party (SP) workers on Wednesday protested at Varanasi flyover accident site in Uttar Pradesh which killed at least 18 people. SP Workers said,"We demand high level investigation into the matter."

Several people got crushed or trapped under the debris in the incident and, according to Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar, around 7 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams of over 325 personnel had to be deployed for relief operations at the site of the Varanasi under-construction flyover collapse.

Former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav also asked his party members to reach the accident site and help the people there.

Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said preliminary action had been taken against erring authorities responsible for the Varanasi flyover collapse.

After the incident, the chief minister announced compensation of Rs 500,000 for the kin of those killed in the incident, and Rs 200,000 for those who had been injured. He also met victims at the Kabir Chaura Hospital on late Tuesday night.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 19:26 [IST]
To get the numbers, here is what BJP is doing in Karnataka

Yeddyurappa gets first chance, to prove majority in 15 days

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

B S Yeddyurappa will take over as Chief Minister of Karnataka at Raj Bhavan tomorrow. He will be sworn in as by the Governor of Karnataka, Vajubhai Vala. He has been given 15 days time to prove his majority on the floor of the House.

The BJP is hopeful that it would get the support of independents and some rebels which will help them prove the majority on the floor of the House. The source said that they are confident that things would fall into place.

Karnataka Governor's letter inviting BJP's BS Yeddyurappa to form government. #KarnatakaElectionResults2018 pic.twitter.com/EafBULC7nr  ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

Meanwhile B Sriramulu said that he is confident that the government will be formed. He said that with the help of independents and rebels they would ensure that they have enough numbers on the floor of the House.

The BJP is expected to meet the Governor by evening following which the invitation would be made. The message has been conveyed to several BJP leaders about the possibility of Yeddyurappa being sworn in.

Earlier Mamata Banerjee the chief minister of West Bengal dialled Kumaraswamy and told him to approach the President of India, if he does not get an invite from the Governor.

The Congress on the other hand has said that it would approach the courts if the Governor does not invite them to form the government. The legal team of the Congress would be led by Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

Ahead of the possible swearing-in-ceremony, BJP leader K S Eshwarappa said that he was confident that the BJP government would be formed in Karnataka in the next two days.
Korean Peninsula heats up again: Japan, S Korea back US-led drills despite Norths anger

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

The ambience of fraternity in the Korean Peninsula was hit by a sudden rage of the North Koreans as they cancelled a high-level meeting with the South on Wednesday, May 16, and also threatened to scrap the summit between their leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump scheduled on June 12 as a protest against the continuation of US-led drills with South Korea in the peninsula.

But North Korea's protest did not find universal support as Japan backed the drills as well as joint exercises between Tokyo, Washington and Seoul as a necessary deterrence against Pyongyang. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also expressed his preference over continuing pressure over North Korea during the triangular summit held recently in Tokyo also featuring Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Japan's Deputy Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura said Japan was going ahead with the preparation for the Kim-Trump summit hoping they would give a momentum towards a comprehensive solution of the North Korean problem, Associated Press reported. Nishimura said Japan would continue to work together with the US and South Korea and they have a consensus on maintaining sanctions on North Korea until Pyongyang changed its policy, the report added.

South Korea's defence officials also backed the military drills with the US saying they would continue despite North Korea's angry reaction, the AP report added. South Korea's defence ministry clarified that the Max Thunder drills between Washington and Seoul were aimed at improving the skills of the pilots and not meant to be attack exercises. The aircraft-intensive drills began on Monday, May 14, and would continue till May 25.

Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea's first vice minister of the foreign ministry Kim Kye Gwan said North Korea had little interest in the summit with the US if it continued to be a "one-sided" affair whereby Pyongyang is pressured to give up the nukes. Gwan's statement came hours after Pyongyang suddenly scrapped the high-level meeting which was supposed to look into the execution of a number of pro-peace initiatives between the two Koreas.

He also slammed the US for advising North to follow the "Libyan model" of nuclear disarmament of 2003. The North Koreans were also reportedly unhappy over the US asking them to not only abandon its nukes and missiles but also biological and chemical weapons, the AP report said.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 12:58 [IST]
Trumps foolish foreign policy conduct has endangered North Korea peace process

International

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

North Korea's decision to cancel a high-level meeting with the South on Wednesday, May 16, and also threats to scrap the historic summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump is unfortunate but also a logical conclusion of Washington's hapless foreign policy conduct.

If Trump and his blind supporters sought the credit (some even the Nobel Peace Prize!) for the maverick president's role in the Korean peace initiative, it is also the White House incumbent who bears the responsibility if the much required peace process in North Korea is ruined midway despite all the hope that it generated.

North Korea irked by US-led drills in Korean Peninsula

North Korea decided to take a sudden U-turn from its diplomatic opening because of the continuation of the US-led drills with South Korea in the Korean Peninsula and also words from the American side about the transfer of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons to the US. There was also a celebratory mood in the US which made the North look a side which was forced to come to terms with Washington on the question of denuclearisation.

North Korea said in a statement that the drill was a "flagrant challenge" to the spirit of the Punmunjeom Declaration which the two Koreas made at a historic summit on April 27 and asked the US to take "careful deliberations" about the planned Kim-Trump summit.

US needed to treat North Korea with caution instead of bragging about the credit

The US is responsible for this turn of events in more than one respect. First of all, Washington should have taken the matter more cautiously after North decided to take the path of peace and not indulge in self-boasting thinking North Korea is too weak to respond.

Denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, like any other peace process, is a time-consuming affair which requires patience and caution. Trump and his administration, on the contrary, have made it evident that the US is not ready to give anybody the due respect, even if that risks destruction of a key peace deal and renew threats to the world.

The US should have kept in mind that North Korea, although is an isolated state in world affairs, has a close ally in China who, despite the dip in their relationship in the recent years, will not leave Pyongyang out in the cold since it is a handy ally for Beijing in the volatile Far East region.

Especially after North Korea has chosen to take the path of peace and non-confrontation, China will feel all the more emboldened to back its ally and send indirect counter messages to the West through Kim's mouth. The latest turn of events is a clear example of that.

It is absolutely foolish for the US to take North Korea for granted and think it is entering the peace process from a position of weakness. It is not.

After the Iran deal fiasco, nobody takes Trump seriously

Secondly, Trump's authority over the North Korean peace process has been diluted considerably after his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal on May 8. Nobody on this planet will value the US's words as much after Trump's disastrous call on Tehran, including North Korea, and it would now get even closer to China to decide on its next steps that may include an escalation of confrontation.

Trump's inconsistent and unwise foreign policy conduct whereby he pushes for one goal in one region and contradicts the same in another region has made the US a laughing stock in the international community and even a non-starter like North Korea would not spare a chance to take Washington for a ride over that.

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Story first published: Wednesday, May 16, 2018, 12:14 [IST]
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Vous etes confrontes a une infestation par la puce, la punaise de lit ? Voici plusieurs actions qui sont a mettre en uvre pour faire []
Former State Timber Corporation (STC) Chairman Anuruddha Polgampola was arrested last night by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Police said.

They said Mr. Polgampola was arrested in connection with a financial fraud of Rs. 8 million connected to the construction of the Northern Railway line.

UPDATE: (1.10 PM)  Former Parliamentarian Anuruddha Polgampola, who was arrested by the CID, has been remanded until May 18 after being produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrates Court.
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[Suggestion on video, start at 10 minutes in and go to 60 minutes.]

The most important question in human history will be answered in this generation. Will organized human life survive?

After Aug 6, 1945, and the destruction of Hiroshima with a single bomb, Noam Chomsky (NC) was horrified by the announcement, and equally so by the people's casual reaction, as they went about their business. NC went to woods to ponder the horror that we'd achieved, with the obvious conclusion that not long in the future we'd soon have the capacity to literally destroy civilization.

William Perry is now travelling and talking around the country, doubly terrified by the threat of nuclear war and the overwhelming lack of concern. Smedley Butler calls this "omnicide," as opposed to genocide, as it will take out all higher life forms on earth.

We've so far somehow survived, by skill, luck, and divine intervention--with NC putting his bet on divine intervention, or whatever you might call a miracle. We've come close to total disaster, from leaders and accidents. NC is aware of well over 100 near incidents of total destruction, via nuclear war, and he gives a small handful of examples, that you likely never heard of.

The Doomsday Clock is explained. It was set at seven minutes to midnight in 1947. On Jan. 17, 2016, after Trump's election, it was set at 2.5 minutes to midnight, then to 2 minutes not long after. The danger has moved yet further with Trump, though the clock not adjusted.

We have survived miraculously on that score.

Now we are in the Anthropocene era, where humans are rapidly destroying the environment that life on earth depends on. This carries it with it the 6th extinction of animal life, and we are well advanced in this process.

Global warming could increase many degrees this century, and will if present trends continue, as we do nothing about it. [Check what I consider to be the world's leading climatologist, Dr. Guy McPherson, who based on serious evidence, claims we will be gone by 2026. Try as I might and do to disbelieve him, whilst contemplating unthought of ways to do this, the facts are on his side, barring some miracle not yet conceived of. dg]

C02 is now at the highest level, in 2016, in 800,000 years. The situation is now without precedent. We are rapidly increasing the final destruction, leading to severe habitat demolition, literally day by day.

Sea level was 30 to 60 feet higher 3 million years ago, and we are exceeding that now in terms of greenhouse gases. [There is a time delay of over ten years for the greenhouse gasses we've already released, and no known way to remove them].

Permafrost melting will further release both C02 and methane, a gas is 50x more "effective" than CO2, though shorter lived [i.e., about 50 years rather than tens of thousands. This is a self-accelerating process].

The prospects are extremely serious. And what are we doing? The world has taken some steps, however inadequate. Of prime importance is the federal government--it is committed to using the most destructive practices toward global destruction. This should be screaming headlines every day, but take a look to find the most major news confronting us, or that ever has.

This situation is most imminent, yet we race toward it and do absolutely nothing serious about it [save crank out more humans, aimed for 10 billion by 2050]. Even Saudi Arabia, a major dictatorship, just committed $7B to wind and solar, highlighting just how isolated we are from the rest of the world.

We are uniquely insane. Every Republican candidate denied global warming, save one or two such as Jeb Bush and Governor Kasich--neither one of them willing do anything about this. The media ignored this.

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This piece introduces my 10-part series on economic sanity and alternative economic systems. Never mind that I am not an economist. Instead, please appreciate that I am not an economist.

Neither is Daniel Kahneman an economist, and he won the Nobel Prize for economics. He is a psychologist like me, but a very different psychologist in at least two respects. Firstly, his specialty is cognitive psychology, mine is organizational psychology. Secondly, I will never win a Nobel Prize.

Neither was Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher who ruminated on the matter of economics. Neither was Adam Smith, the putative father of capitalism. He was a moral philosopher. Neither, I am almost certain are any of the other thinkers profiled in this series.

And that, if I do say so myself, is the beauty of this series and of most any unorthodox treatment of the matter. Economics, any economy, and any economic system such as capitalism are not what orthodox thinkers in general and economists particularly think they are. They are first and foremost human inventions and human acrtions, and absolutely anything and everything involving humans, ipso facto is at their very core psychological in nature.

And that brings me to my "human equation" for explaining anything involving humans. If you have read certain of my writings you may be tired of reading it again, but I must mention it again without too much elaboration. The right side of the equation is the output side with two parts, human behavior first and its consequences second. The input side also has two parts, humans with all their characteristics and their situations and circumstances. An interesting twist, by the way, is that the equation is not linear. It is circular. Feedback from the right side can influence the left side. If a transaction of mine fails, for example, I am unlikely to repeat that transaction the same way again.

Getting closer to the subject at hand, human behavior, even habitual behavior, needs to be motivated. At the heart of human motivation are values, beliefs, attitudes, needs and wants, with the latter two being the most relevant for the topic of this series. Human needs and wants are the bedrock of any economy and any economic system. Money is not the bedrock. It is simply a medium. There was no money when the earliest humans started needing and wanting. Debt, as some economic thinkers think, is not the bedrock. Debt is merely an offshoot of a usually uneven transaction. And since no human, not even a member of a society's power elite is self-sufficient, satisfying one's needs and wants will in one way or another depend on what some other human beings do. So, you see, the psychology of human nature is the bedrock of economics, any economy and any economic system.

Preview

Part 2. Economic Insanity Close Up. Capitalism as it is practiced is economically insane, and it is devouring the American dream, so says the author of one of the books I have reviewed. Part 2 will summarize that review. 1

Part 3. Two Early Philosophers on Economies and their Systems. The ideas of Aristotle and Adam Smith are discussed in Part 3.

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Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall's book, Bottom-Up, offers valuable ways of seeing and powerful tools for enabling new power and connectivity to work to change the hope and promise for the future."



Jeremy Heimans, CEO & Co-founder of Purpose and coauthor of New Power
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By Dave Lindorff









Hong Kong -- Sitting in this peaceful city on the far side of world from the United States can put some things in perspective. For one thing, the local papers, both Chinese-language and the English-language South China Morning Post today featured front-page images of dead Palestinian protesters lying on the ground in Gaza. Accompanying articles focused on them latest day's slaughter of over 50 (later upped to 61) unarmed Palestinians and the deliberate maiming, often with high-velocity fragmentation bullets that reportedly shatter bones and tear huge holes in their victims, of another 1000 or more, including children. Meanwhile, the international edition of the New York Times for two days following the shootings has yet to carry such a photo, and has yet to feature a leading article about the latest IDF massacre in Gaza. Instead page one featured a piece about the risks to Israel posed by the US opening of an Israeli embassy in the supposedly international city of Jerusalem.

The slaughter of protesters in Gaza was a minor point in that article.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong readers are elsewhere seeing and reading about the true horror of what has been happening in Gaza.

The killers and maimers there are soldiers of the Israeli army, all of them sitting safely on earthen berms themselves behind three rows of security fence inside of Gazan territory that keep the protesting Gazan "inmates" at bay, way too far off to even pose a threat by throwing stones. Yet the IDF snipers still kill and maim, often, as the viral videos below shows, laughing at the results or their target practice.

This one-sided violence is not a case of self-defense, though the Israeli government ludicrously tries to claim that because Palestinians are throwing rocks or attempting to, David like, use slings to toss them further, and are flying burning kites over the border in hopes if igniting Israeli farmers' fields, they pose a serious threat. Nor is it a case of deterrence, as there's no way Gazans can push through the walls confining them and enter Israeli territory. It is purely a case of asserting authority and attempting to cow a captive population -- for Gaza is in reality the world's largest prison camp, a place where food, medicine, fuel and even water are strictly controlled and limited by the prison owner and operator, Israel. Close to two million Gazans cannot leave this ghetto except with Israeli permission or by stealth -- the former a rarity and the latter a deadly project. Recently the IDF even bombed a tunnel that was used to allow a few Gazans to slip into Egypt, and that had also allowed small amounts of scarce goods to be slipped into this hell-hole of Israeli's making.

This month, the people of Gaza have been engaged in an ongoing and deliberately unarmed protest near the wall that constrains them from leaving their prison. They have continued to do so even as IDF soldiers continue to shoot them with impunity using high-powered rifles, and also firing tear gas and rubber bullets at them.

Let's be clear: What the IDF is engaged in is exactly what Nazi troops were doing in the early days of the notorious Warsaw Ghetto...

For the rest of this article by DAVE LINDORFF in ThisCantBeHappening!, the uncompromised, collectively run, six-time Project Censored Award-winning online alternative news site, please go to: www.thiscantbehappening.net/ node/3892

(Article changed on May 16, 2018 at 06:03)

(Article changed on May 16, 2018 at 06:09)
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From CEPR

I was glad to see Paul's short post explaining some of the economics of the US government negotiating drug prices with the drug companies: the route Donald Trump rejected. I thought I would add a few more points.

First, the monopoly profits earned by the drug companies provide a powerful incentive for rent-seeking. This is the standard story that economists always complain about with trade protection, except instead of talking about a tariff that raises the price of the protected item by 10 or 25 percent above the free market price, we're talking about a government-granted monopoly that typically raises the price of a factor of 10 or even 100 compared with the free market price. These markups are equivalent to tariffs of 1,000 percent or 10,000 percent.

This not only encourages behavior like the payoff from Novartis to Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, it also gives drug companies an enormous incentive to misrepresent the safety and effectiveness of their drugs. We frequently hear stories of drug companies withholding evidence that their drugs are less effective than claimed or even harmful for some patients. Perhaps the most famous was the case where Merck allegedly withheld evidence that its arthritis drug, Vioxx, increases the risk of heart attack and strokes for people with heart disease. Needless to say, the costs from this sort behavior are enormous.

A second point is that we are not talking about a typical consumer buying decision, like buying a car or a cell phone. People buy drugs because they are in bad health and possibly facing death. As Krugman notes, there is typically a third-party payer, either an insurer or the government. Apart from the possibility that this can lead to excessive payments that Krugman discusses, there is also the perverse dynamics this creates.

The price that companies end up getting for their drugs, and if they get it all, depends on the ability of patients to lobby their insurer or the government. Naturally, the drug companies are happy to help in this effort. There is a whole set of industry-funded disease groups that are largely aimed at forcing insurers and the government to buy expensive drugs, often of questionable value, from the drug companies.

This also raises the point that it is pretty crazy that we expect people when they are sick or dying to pay for research that has already been done. In almost all cases, the cost of manufacturing and delivering drugs is cheap, we make it expensive with government-granted patent monopolies. If we asked questions about paying for possibly life-saving drugs at their actual production costs, it would almost always be a no-brainer. But when we have a cancer drug, which may not even work, that a drug company sells for several hundred thousand dollars, it becomes a tough question as to whether the government should pick up the tab or force insurers to do so.

Finally, there is an absurd view in this debate that somehow patent monopolies are the only way to finance innovation. There is no argument that we have to pay for research; no one expects highly skilled researchers to work for free. But we can and do have other mechanisms for paying for this work.

The government already spends more than $30 billion a year on biomedical research, primarily through the National Institutes of Health. This research is incredibly productive by all accounts. There is no reason, in principle, that we can't double or triple the amount we spend on directly supported research. This would allow all new drugs to be sold at generic prices, without patent monopolies or related protections. By my calculations, this would save close to $380 billion a year (around 2.0 percent of GDP or more than five times the annual budget for the food stamp program). We would also benefit from having all the research findings in the public domain so that doctors and other researchers would have access to it when making decisions for their patients or planning future research.

If this funding route sounds bizarre, think of the military. While there is plenty of waste in the military, we actually do develop very effective weapons systems through direct government funding. (This is not an endorsement of their use.) Furthermore, drug development has a big advantage over the military in that it would all be fully public as a requirement for funding. There is a real rationale for secrecy with military research, even if it is often over-played. There is no excuse for secrecy in publicly funded drug research.

It would be great if Trump's servile response to the industry on negotiations led to pressure not only for lower prices but modernizing the way in which we finance drug development. Patent monopolies might have been great for the feudal guild system, they are not a good way to finance biomedical research in the twenty-first century.
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From Counterpunch

When Google Earth was initially released in 2001, I immediately rushed to locate a village that no longer exists on a map, which now delineates a whole different reality.

Although I was born and raised in a Gaza refugee camp, and then moved to and lived in the United States, finding a village that was erased from the map decades earlier was not, at least for me, an irrational act. The village of Beit Daras was the single most important piece of earth that truly mattered to me.

But I could only find it by estimation. Beit Daras was located 32-kilometers northeast of Gaza, on an elevated ground, perched gently between a large hill and a small river that seemed to never run dry.

A once peaceful village, Beit Daras had existed for millennia. Romans, Crusaders, Mamluks and Ottomans ruled over and, even tried to subdue Beit Daras as in all of Palestine; yet they failed. True, each invader left their mark -- ancient Roman tunnels, a Crusaders' castle, a Mamluk mail building, an Ottoman khan (Caravanserai) -- but they were all eventually driven out. It wasn't until 1948 that Beit Daras, that tenacious village with a population of merely 3,000 was emptied from its population, and later destroyed.

The agony of the inhabitants of Beit Daras and their descendants lingers on after all of these years. The tragic way that Beit Daras was conquered by invading Zionist forces has left behind blood stains and emotional scars that have never healed.

Three battles were bravely fought by the Badrasawis, as the dwellers of Beit Daras are called, in defense of their village. At the end, the Zionist militias, the Haganah, with the help of British weapons and strategic assistance, routed out the humble resistance, which consisted mostly of villagers fighting with old rifles.

The "massacre of Beit Daras" that followed remains a subdued scream that pierces through the hearts of Badrasawis after all of these years. Those who survived became refugees and are mostly living in the Gaza Strip. Under siege, successive wars and endless strife, their Nakba -- the catastrophic ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1947-48 -- has never truly ended. One cannot dispel the pain if the wound never truly heals.

Born into a family of refugees in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp in Gaza, I took pride in being a Badrasawi. Our resistance has garnered us the reputation of being "stubborn" and the uncorroborated claims of having large heads. We truly are stubborn, proud and generous, for Beit Daras was erased but the collective identity it has given us remained intact, regardless of whichever exile we may find ourselves.

As I child, I learned to be proud from my grandfather: A handsome, elegant, strong peasant with unshakable faith. He managed to hide his deep sadness so well after he was expelled from his home in Palestine, along with his entire family. As he aged, he would sit for hours, between prayers, searching within his soul for the beautiful memories of his past. Occasionally, he would let out a mournful sigh, a few tears; yet he never accepted his defeat, or the idea that Beit Daras was forever gone.

"Why bother to haul the good blankets on the back of a donkey, exposing them to the dust of the journey, while we know that it's a matter of a week or so before we return to Beit Daras?" he told his bewildered wife, Zeinab as they hauled their children to navigate an endless exile.

I cannot pinpoint the moment when my grandfather discovered that his "good blankets" were gone forever, that all that remained of his village were two giant concrete pillars, and piles of cactus.

It isn't easy to construct a history that, only several decades ago, was, along with every standing building of that village, blown to smithereens with the very intent of erasing it from existence. Most historic references written of Beit Daras, whether by Israeli or Palestinian historians, were brief, and ultimately resulted in delineating the fall of Beit Daras as just one among nearly 600 Palestinian villages that were often evacuated and then completely flattened during the war years. It was another episode in a more compounded tragedy that has seen the dispossession and expulsion of nearly 800,000 Palestinians.

But for my family, it was much more than that. Beit Daras was our very dignity. Grandpa's calloused hands and leathery weathered skin attested to the decades of hard labor tending the rocky soil in the fields of Palestine. It was a popular pastime for my brothers and I to point to a scar on his body to hear a gut-busting tale of the rigors of farm-life.

Later in life, someone would give him a small hand-held radio to glean the latest news and he would, from that moment, never be seen without it. As a child, I recall him listening to the Arab Voice news on that battered radio. It once had been blue but now had faded to white with age. Its bulging batteries were duct-taped to the back. Sitting with the radio up to his ear and fighting to hear the reporter amidst the static, grandpa listened and waited for the announcer to make that long-awaiting call: "To the people of Beit Daras: your lands have been liberated, go back to your village."

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Haunted House

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This is how Mrs. Dudley, the caretaker's wife in Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, warns the new tenants that they'll be on their own in if anything goes awry at Hill House.

"So there won't be anyone around if you need help. We couldn't even hear you, in the night. No one could. No one lives any nearer than the town. No one else will come any nearer than that. In the night. In the dark..."

And that's when nightmares come for us. When we're asleep and defenseless and alone -- in the night -- in the dark, or as Stephen King wrote, "When the moon is down and the hour is none."

I know a lot about nightmares. I suppose we all do, but rarely do we talk about them. They're just dreams after all. They're not real. They're not the stuff of small talk among friends over beers at a bar or sipping lattes at a Starbucks. If you tell anyone a dream you've had that ends with, "a nd when I looked back ... its eyes were full of blood," the conversation will stop dead. Guaranteed.

No ... nightmares are what you tell your shrink or the person who was sleeping next to you before you woke them up because you were thrashing, moaning, or screaming in the night.

And when your partner asks, "What was it?" You just can't dismiss it as if it had been nothing ... just a dream ... not with your heart pounding and body slick with sweat ... it was definitely something. For as long as it lasted, it was real. As the grave-digger in King's Salem's Lot said, "I didn't see nothin' and I never want to see it again."

We describe looking objectively at people or events in "the cold harsh light of reality." The Daytime, where things neatly add up. Laws apply. There is order. But no matter how deeply we cleave to logic during the day, when we close our eyes to sleep ... Everything is True in The Dark.

Everything.

What we can easily dismiss at noon will return to haunt us at night.

Stephen King knows this:

"At night, when I go to bed I am at pains to be sure that my legs are under the blankets after the lights go out. I'm not a child anymore but ... I don't like to sleep with one leg sticking out. Because if a cool hand ever reached out from under the bed and grasped my ankle, I might scream. Yes, I might scream to wake the dead. That sort of thing doesn't happen, of course ... The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn't real. I know that, and I also know that if I'm careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle."

Morning comes and nightmares fade in the sun like old color snapshots. Details blur and recede until it becomes just another a half-remembered dream dissolving in the light. Like a deep terrible pain, fear is something we can remember having, but we don't experience it again in the remembering. We can describe what the pain or the fear was like in words, but we don't feel again the agony of it. I think it's a defense mechanism our minds use to keep us sane.

Dreams may lose their power at dawn but inevitably the sun sets. Yeah, I know a lot about nightmares. Recurring nightmares. They're like tenants in a run-down rooming house in the shi**y part of town. They each have their own room where they remain behind locked doors during the day because they all work the night shift.

To quote Stephen King again, "... there's something creepy about any repeating dream ... about knowing your subconscious is digging obsessively at some object that won't be dislodged."

If that's even remotely true, then I've been digging in the nightmare pit for decades without unearthing a single stone. It's like I've only been uncovering the outline of something unimaginably huge buried in the rock. I've had recurring nightmares for years. The robed figures lifting back their hoods revealing they have no faces -- I've had that one since I was five. The dimly lit parlor where I'm to sit quietly on an overstuffed couch reading my Topper comic book until something comes for me. It enters the room, but I cannot look up into its eyes. I stare fixedly at the base of the lamp on the end table because I know I should not look directly into its eyes. A claw-like hand reaches out and pulls the lamp's chain. Lights Out. Those dreams are the oldest tenants in my decrepit rooming house of nightmares.

I've learned two things from my dreamscapes: Everything Is True In The Dark and ... Once the screaming starts ... it's already too late. Whatever bad thing has happened ... the scream is just an exclamation point at the end of the sentence.

A million years ago back in the 70's, I briefly went to a therapist who was supposed to "help" me with my nightmares. He, along with everybody else in the "I'm OK -- You're OK" era, held the new Age-y position that "FEAR" stood for Face Everything And Recover. I dismissed that concept the moment he finished saying it. Like most of the gibberish floating around that silly decade, it had never been tested, but that didn't stop the touchy-feely crowd from embracing it fully. It sounded good, so it must be true. But I believed then, as now, that our hominid ancestors were able to pass their DNA down through the millennia because for them FEAR was the acronym for Fu*k Everything And Run.

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From Counterpunch



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President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the nuclear weapons deal that President Obama cut with Iran brings with it a number of negative ramifications.

First and foremost, this unilateral act of reckless brinkmanship increases the chance of war. That's unconscionable. By the way, Iran isn't like Afghanistan or Iraq: it's a big, modern country, half the size of Europe, with a real military and an air force that can defend itself.

Second, like many of Trump's actions, the pullout is a policy decision based on a lie: by every reliable metric, Iran was keeping up its end of the agreement.

Third, the American decision will hurt the Iranian economy. Sanctions make ordinary people suffer. And they will increase, not decrease, support for that country's religious establishment and the sectors of the government it controls. Ask the people of Cuba if sanctions and economic deprivation lead to regime change.

But there is an aspect of this "I'm taking my toys and going back to my yard" action that may have even broader implications than war and peace, yet receiving short shrift by the American media: Trump just put Iran on a higher moral plane than the United States.

Honor matters.

That's especially true in international diplomacy, the art of mitigating and resolving conflicts between nations that often don't share a common language, much less cultural or religious attitudes. When a nation as powerful as the United States, which has done more to shape the postwar international order then any other country -- there's a reason that the United Nations is in New York -- behaves dishonorably, it establishes a precedent whose repercussions will reverberate long after the crisis at hand is a distant memory.

A core principal within high-level dealmaking is that regime change does not erase treaty obligations. A revolution can overthrow a government or a shah, an ancient regime may wind up on the trash heap of history, but other nations expect each successor regime to honor deals signed by its predecessor. Border lines remain intact, embassies respected, peace deals honored. In the real world, of course, stuff happens, as when Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran during the 1979 Islamic revolution and held staffers hostage for over a year. Still, the ideal remains. And the duty to live up to that ideal falls hardest on the biggest and most powerful nations.

One important aspect in which the Islamic Republic of Iran has respected the international order has been its commitment to honor the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty even though it was ratified by a government it opposed and violently replaced, led by the deposed Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in 1970.

Since the revolution the International Atomic Energy Commission has never found Iran in violation of the NPT. Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that the country does not want to develop nuclear weapons. In 2005 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei even signed a fatwa banning the "production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons." Most reasonable people believe the Iranians do not want nuclear weapons, only nuclear power.

Yet the West, led by the United States, has often accused the Iranians of using the pretext of nuclear power development and medical research as a cover for such a proscribed program. But positive proof of Iranian noncompliance -- which admittedly would be difficult to obtain -- has never been presented publicly. In 2014, Iran agreed to the Obama Administration's "Joint Plan of Action," which increased inspections and reduced the country's stockpile of enriched uranium in exchange for gradual easing of economic sanctions.

Again, there is no reason to believe that Iran hasn't kept its end of the deal.

Now here comes Donald Trump, killing the JPA for little apparent reason other than the fact that it was put into place, not by a previous government with a completely different political orientation as was the case for the NPT ratified by the Shah and maintained under the Islamic Republic, but merely a different president, a Democrat, Barack Obama.

Trump's announcement was long on red herrings, pretzel logic and silly smears, and woefully short on evidence, much less proof, that there is any justification to gin up yet another crisis in the Middle East. Contrary to the facts, Trump even cited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's clownish presentation of obsolete 15-year-old Iranian documents as "definitive proof" that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. Netanyahu's bluster proved nothing of the sort.

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From The Nation



Israeli Soldier Points Gun at Unarmed Palestinian Demonstrator

(Image by PSP Photos) Details DMCA



The Trump administration's response to the killings of dozens of Palestinian demonstrators by Israeli soldiers was to fault the organizers of mass demonstrations by people who are living in nightmarish conditions on the Gaza Strip. While a White House spokesman claimed that "the responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas," the man Donald Trump has charged with renewing the Middle East peace process, presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner, literally faulted protesters amid reports of the mass killing and wounding of Palestinian men, women, and children who were objecting to Israeli policies. "As we have seen from the protests of the last month and even today, those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution," Kushner claimed at a ceremony marking the opening of the new United States embassy in Jerusalem.

But responsible members of Congress -- many of them with long experience observing the Middle East -- saw the circumstances more clearly, and responded in more realistic terms.

Noting the juxtaposition of the embassy opening and the killings, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) tweeted: "This is horrific. My prayers are with those killed & injured in Gaza. The U.S. should be laying the groundwork for peace -- not fueling conflict in the region with an unnecessary & counterproductive embassy move."

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) decried the "occupation and oppression of Palestinians" and wrote that Trump-administration policies "are fueling conflict, abandoning diplomatic efforts to achieve peace."

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called for urgent diplomatic action. "More than 50 killed in Gaza today and 2,000 wounded, on top of the 41 killed and more than 9,000 wounded over the past weeks. This is a staggering toll," said Sanders, who explained that: "Hamas violence does not justify Israel firing on unarmed protesters. The United States must play an aggressive role in bringing Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and the international community together to address Gaza's humanitarian crisis and stop this escalating violence."

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From Jonathan Cook Website



Blood on their hands

(Image by Meryl Ann Butler - Collage from public domain and cc images) Details DMCA



The contrasting images coming out of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories on Monday could not have been starker -- or more disturbing.

Faced with protests at the perimeter fence in Gaza, Israeli snipers killed dozens of unarmed Palestinians and wounded more than 2,000 others, including children, women, journalists and paramedics, in a hail of live fire. Amnesty, the international human rights organization, rightly called it a "horror show."

Such horror is now so routine that TV anchors could only headline the news as the worst day of bloodshed in Gaza in four years, when Israel massacred civilians in its last major military assault.

Already gasping from the chokehold of Israel's decade-long blockade of Gaza, local hospitals are now collapsing from the weight of casualties.

A few kilometres away, meanwhile, Israelis were partying.

So-called "liberal" Tel Aviv was busy "chicken dancing" with Netta, who had just won the Eurovision Song Contest and gave a free open-air performance to celebrate.

And in Jerusalem, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was glad-handing a bevy of US officials, including Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and policy adviser. They were there to beam for the cameras as the US opened its embassy in the occupied city.

The move pre-empts negotiations over the city's fate and sabotages Palestinian ambitions for East Jerusalem to become the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Netanyahu's grin said it all. As he mouthed platitudes about "Middle Eastern peace," he finally had Washington's blessing for all of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. And next year Europe will give its implicit blessing too by hosting the Eurovision Song Contest there.

But amid the euphoria, a few Israeli commentators understood that politics is about more than power -- it's about imagery too. The champagne-quaffing in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem while Gaza drowned in blood left a profoundly sour taste in the mouth.

There was more than a whiff of hypocrisy too in statements about "defending borders" from a state that has refused to declare its borders since its creation exactly 70 years ago -- as well as from a Netanyahu government currently trying to establish a Greater Israel over the Palestinian territories.

But the hypocrisy was not restricted to Israel and Washington, which parroted Mr Netanyahu's talking points.

There was an ugly equivocation from other western leaders. They spoke of "regret," "tragedy" and "concern at the loss of life," as though an act of God had struck Gaza, not an order from Israeli commanders to quell the Palestinian urge for freedom with live ammunition.

Equally dishonest was talk of the "need for restraint from both sides" and "clashes," as though the protesters had been tussling with Israeli soldiers in hand-to-hand combat rather than being coldly picked off through telescopic sights.

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From Paul Craig Roberts Website

"You build a house. They destroy it. You raise a child. They kill him."

Chris Hedges, America's Last Real Journalist, a profession now owned by propagandists hired by interest groups to tell their lies, gives us reason to think -- Are Israelis God's Chosen People or Satan's Genocidal Racist Psychopaths?

There is little doubt that Israel has the most totally evil government that has ever existed on Earth. But before you hate every Jew, notice that the film, "Killing Gaza," Hedges is describing that so exactly describes Israel's crimes against humanity was made by two Jews. Some Jews have an extremely high moral consciousness, whereas most Israelis seem to have no moral conscience whatsoever. The Trump government is aligned with the Israeli government that has no moral conscience against the Jews and the rest of humanity who do. Does anyone on earth really believe, for example, that Netanyahu has a moral conscience?

Watch the film, "Killing Gaza," and see if you can find any semblance of a moral conscience in the Israeli government. Support this film. It is very important for the moral consciousness of mankind, which is the only factor that prevents nuclear war.

The unambiguous absence of morality in the Israeli government is why Putin's invitation to the greatest immoralist of them all, Netanyahu, to be an honored guest at the Russian celebration of victory over Germany in WWII has done such damage to Putin's and Russia's reputation. Russia fought the genocidal Nazis and now honors with presidential invitations the genocidal Netanyahu whose policy is genocide for the Palestinians. And for Syria. And for Iran.

Trump is totally owned by Israel.
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Perhaps it is just hard-wired into the minds of the human species to make it a practice of overstating our case or perhaps it is something we just learn as a strategy for impressing or persuading others. Whatever the reason, we all are guilty of it from time to time and we all should be wary of it in evaluating what others say. But too often we are apt to ignore that cautionary advice.

An article I read recently claimed that by virtue of Arrow's theorem we know that all voting methods are defective. Now while I have little doubt that every possible voting method would be defective in the opinion of someone, that is not exactly what Arrow's theorem says. Arrow's theorem actually shows that ranked voting systems are defective in a particular, well-defined way. A ranked voting system (in the sense of Arrow's theorem) is one in which each voter is asked to vote by specifying a ranking of all of the candidates in order of preference. But that is a very special kind of voting system and Arrow's theorem says nothing whatever about many other voting systems.

A suspicious mind might wonder whether this overly broad conclusion is an accident or whether it is purposely drawn by ranked voting advocates so as to suggest that we simply must be satisfied with a demonstrably defective voting system. Such a person would actually prefer that rather dismal conclusion to the alternative and more natural realization that we might best turn to something other than a ranked voting system. Fortunately there are many good alternatives to ranked voting systems.

There is an understandable attraction to ranked voting that derives from a mistaken impression that by ranking the candidates a voter's opinions can fully, accurately and completely expressed. This fallacy was addressed in the earliest of these articles concerning ranked voting. The fact that the ranking may overstate the feelings of a voter (who is forced to invent preferences in ranking where none exist) seems just to be ignored; we are just so accustomed to overstatement and tend to dismiss it as being normal and harmless but it does disguise that the voter is in some instances indifferent, something that needs to be reflected in any complete and accurate measure of voter preference. But even that is not the end of the story.

Actual implementations of ranked voting generally relax its definition to only require a voter to specify a ranking of just a few of the candidates; this is no longer a ranked voting system. So even in the relaxed real-world version of ranked voting, the conclusion of Arrow's theorem possibly might not be justified. Nonetheless, Arrow's theorem does suggest that if we want a voting system without serious defects, we would best be advised to look elsewhere than to ranked voting systems. But despite this evidence from Arrow's theorem, there remains strong support for the particular form of ranked voting called Instant-Runoff Voting (IRV), so the topic needs further attention. Is the real-world version of IRV defective? An example could show it to be.

Here we have seen three instances of overstatement -- in the interpretation of Arrow's theorem as applying to all voting systems (not just ranked ones), in the actual overstatement of preferences by the voters, and finally in applying Arrow's theorem to voting systems that allow voters not to rank all of the candidates. In everyday parlance we may be accustomed to overstatement, but here we are applying a mathematical theorem where precise adherence to details in definitions and assumptions is critically important in this arena. In mathematics, it is often the case that seemingly minor changes to a definition or to assumptions can lead to very different conclusions.

The subject of this series of articles is balanced voting, and since none of the balanced systems are ranked this is the first time that it has seemed appropriate to even mention Arrow's theorem. Still, due to the great popularity of IRV, that particular ranked system has been discussed in several of the articles. One reason I wrote this article was to have an opportunity to make available a brief survey of these articles for someone who might be primarily interested in IRV.

In an early article and again in a more recent one, we addressed difficulties with the very rational behind the invention of IRV. And in yet another article we provided a concrete example to clearly illustrate a serious defect in an IRV election. These articles should make it clear that IRV falls well short of being the perfect answer to better elections.

Finally turning to a slightly different topic, I should take this opportunity to make it clear that Instant-Runoff Balanced Voting (IRBV) is a balanced voting system and not a ranked system. At first glance, IRBV may seem like a ranked voting system, but like other balanced systems, it is not actually a ranked system and so Arrow's theorem does not say anything about IRBV. However, IRBV is modeled on IRV and it shares much the same appeal as IRV though it lacks many of its deficiencies. However, as with IRV, our tradition of counting the votes in a distributed manner rather than at a single central place is very problematic if not completely impossible. More insight into the relationship between IRBV and IRV is developed in one of the later articles.
Kriptomat exchange platform rolls out an exclusive beta test for all crypto enthusiasts

https://kriptomat.io/en/open-beta/

Tallinn, EstoniaMay 15, 2018Kriptomat exchange now offers an exclusive access to users who want to test the beta version of the new platform and help in creating the most user-friendly platform in Europe.Kriptomat exchange platform allows non-tech-savvy users and crypto beginners to enter the world of cryptocurrencies easier than ever before.Users can purchase, sell and store cryptocurrencies in their local language, and use them to pay for things, which allows them to realize the full potential of the digital currency revolution. Kriptomats local support servicesavailable in every country in the European Uniongive customers the peace of mind that help is never far away.We love crypto and we believe that blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize our lives. To realize the project, we brought aboard people with a strong background in security and enterprise infrastructure, and also in the corporate and legal fields to handle the regulatory requirements, says Srdjan Mahmutovic, co-founder and CEO of Kriptomat.Kriptomat caters to anyone interested in starting or growing their crypto portfolio, and anyone who wants to get cryptocurrencies and use them in real life, regardless of their previous knowledge or experience. To achieve this, the development team has placed an emphasis on user experience and simplicity.In short, our plan is to become the largest user-friendly cryptocurrency exchange in Europe that will, at the same time, close the gap between crypto and real life, explains Srdjan further.The Kriptomat teams other primary focus is the security of their clients digital assets. Physical and cyber security have both been high priorities during the platforms development.Starting from May 15, users are able to register for the access to Kriptomats beta test. Everyone who signs up will enter the waitlist and users that end up on top positions of the waitlist will get an early access, along with some great surprises.For more information, please visitand join the community thats changing the world of crypto trading.Kriptomat is a fully compliant and regulated platform for buying, securely storing and using cryptocurrencies for any payments.Kriptomat OURoosikrantsi 210119 TallinnEstonia
Has Your Pet Ever Tried Products From Susas Lanci?

https://www.wetnoseboutique.com/

Susan Lanci Designs is a family owned and operated business that holds an expertise in designed super high quality and trendy outfits for dogs. Susan Lanci Designs focuses on the perfect fit, highest quality safety and style while designing a pet product.To ensure that the quality of the product is highly premium, Susan Lanci Designs use genuine Swarovski crystals and Ultrasuede fabric which is imported from Japan.Susan Lanci Designs has built a tremendous reputation for over 15 years for providing high quality and practical merchandise for little dogs. The Ultrasuede fabric is stronger than leather and is used by manufacturers of high-end yachts, private jets, and luxury cars. While Ultrasuede is not inexpensive but it lasts for a very long time and is easy to carry around.The reason why Susan Lanci Designs is reputed is that they have always maintained their styling and design which last for a longer time. Combining the timeless style and Ultrasuede ensures that the owner would recognize the value of the product and their pet could feel the greatest comfort.The Effectiveness of a Dog StrollerA dog stroller may look like an ordinary pet accessory but by thinking that, you are overlooking the advantages of a pet stroller.Here are some reasons to use a dog stroller:1. A stroller can be used to take your pet to a vet and it can become easier and healthier for your dog.2. A stroller is also very useful to take your dog outside when they have suffered an injury and are unable to walk.3. You can spend more quality time with your dog by taking them to more places in a stroller.4. A stroller also helps in easy evacuation of your dog during an emergency.If you are looking for products by Susan Lanci Designs for your dog or a dog stroller in Florida, visit our website. You can order any of these pet products from our online store and also browse through a wide variety of other pet merchandise we offer. You can also avail a 20% discount on your first purchase.Shower some extra love and care on your pet!Wet Nose Boutique4910 South Pheasant WayFloral City, Florida, 34436352 897-6863
Menufy Accepts Google Pay For Online Food Orders

Google Pay

https://www.menufy.com

https://pay.google.com/about/

OVERLAND PARK, KS, May 15, 2018 -- Menufy, an online food ordering provider, announced the availability of Google Pay as a new payment option. With Google Pay, customers can rapidly check out on the restaurant e-commerce platform without having to enter payment information each time. Menufy also accepts all major credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Venmo, Bitcoin, and Bitcoin Cash."In our pursuit of customer satisfaction, we've responded to a growing request to enable Google Pay" said Sharmil Desai, CEO of Menufy. "This integration continues to streamline our checkout flow while serving a vibrant user segment of the mobile ecosystem."Google Pay, formerly Pay with Google and Android Pay, is a unified digital wallet and payment processor that enables users to transact online. Customers can continue to enjoy all the same benefits and rewards of physical cards while being protected with multiple security layers that keep accounts safe. The Google Pay app has reached 100 million downloads in the Google Play store.Founded in 2009, Menufy offers mobile and online meal ordering to restaurant customers in over 800 US cities. Menufy provides digital menus on websites and in its app, from which customers can securely pay online with the most options available out of all restaurant e-commerce systems.Related LinksJeremy Kuo, MarCom Director & Co-Founder6900 College Blvd Suite 500Overland Park, KS 66211
PurelyTracking Announce HRO and Employee Timesheet Management Services

HRO and Employee Timesheet Management Services

https://www.purelytracking.com/hropricing

PurelyTracking announce new features to make HR Outsourcing and Timesheet management easier than ever. With these features, businesses and HR managers can now handle everything, from new employee onboarding and timesheet management to payroll management.No longer rely on spreadsheets, disparate timesheets or stand-alone timekeeping systems that arent fully integrated with your workforces data.HRO & Timesheet Management Challenges Faced Today1.Employee/Consultant submits weekly or monthly Timesheet via Email/Dropbox.2.Spreadsheet generated by manual data entry by HRO person.3.Another Spreadsheet by manual Invoices and Payroll generation.A single mistake in any of the above steps can lead to multiple weeks delay, duplicate work and creation of multiple spreadsheets!Introducing PurelyTracking  Changing the Way HRO & Timesheet Management Works!1.Employee/Consultant submits weekly Timesheet on PurelyTracking.com2.Automated Spreadsheet is created for Managers to approve/reject Timesheets3.Monthly QuickBooks invoice and ADP Payroll generation in seconds!4.Yes, its that simple!Mr. Anish Desai, PurelyTrackings CEO was thrilled to announce new features and said, At PurelyTracking, we pride ourselves on putting the passion into providing and transforming your employee experience with excellent HRO service supported by best-of-breed technology platform.Heres why businesses should use PurelyTracking for HRO services1.Hire Purelytracking HRO Service and focus on your customers without worrying about employees.2.Ability to generate QuickBooks Invoice and ADP Payroll in real-time within seconds!3.SaaS: Purelytracking online portal and mobile app allows Managers and Employees to access information from any location anywhere anytime.About PurelyTrackingPurelyTracking is a HRO and employee Timesheet management solution. It is a cloud-based tech solution for managing workforce management with features such as employee onboarding, timesheet and leave management as well as invoice and payroll generation. To know more about HRO services please visit15 Clydesdale Road,Scotch Plains,New Jersey, 07076Contact Name: Anish DesaiContact Number: +1 (732) 372-4532Email ID: info@purelytracking.comWebsite: PurelyTracking.com
Dance! says Montelago, as Italys largest Celtic festival celebrates its 16th year in the heart of Apennine splendour

Montelago Celtic Festival in central Italy's Apennine mountains

www.artenomade.com

www.montelagocelticfestival.it

https://www.youtube.com/user/MontelagoCelticFest

https://www.facebook.com/montelagocelticfestival

https://twitter.com/MontelagoCF

https://www.instagram.com/montelagocelticfestival/

A dance of unity is the positive message for the 16th edition of the Montelago Celtic Festival, which in 2018 features bands from Ireland, Canada, France, Spain and Italy in a diverse programme that ranges from traditional Celtic music to the avant-garde. From August 2nd-4th, the alpine plains of Colfiorito on the Umbria-Marche border of central Italy will once again heave to the energetic bonhomie of 20,000-plus enthusiasts from all over Italy and beyond. The festival kicks off on Thursday night with the European Celtic Contest  showcasing Europes best up-and-coming musicians for the promise of performing at European Celtic festivals in 2019  and finishes at daybreak on Sunday 5th.For organizers Maurizio Serafini and Luciano Monceri  who will open Friday nights main stage performances with their own characteristic flair  the festivals message stems from a sense of disenchantment with a world characterized by growing discord, anger, xenophobia, pollution, and fake news, along with the unmet commitments, antipathy, and divisiveness of the worlds national and business leaders. While Montelago has already established itself as a symbol of escape from the quotidian grind, this year there is greater focus on a conscious lightness: We need a smile. A community of understanding and sharing. So we have a simple yet strong message: we want to see more harmony, beauty, closeness, love. We want to see everyone dancing, as a free and creative expression of body and mind, united  not divided  in bare feet on the green grass of an alpine meadow without fences, energized by the passionate jigs of violins and bagpipes.In support of this spirit and intent, the festival line-up features a wide variety of styles and genres. Selections from the programme include explosive Breton band Digresk; Andalusia's Rarefolk with their singular brand of freestyle folk; veteran Canadian Celtic punk band, The Mahones; sought-after Irish traditional group, FullSet; Riserva Moac & Bukurosh Balkan Orkestra, symbolic group of Montelago's Epicentro initiative in support of the communities affected by Marche's 2016 earthquake; and local favourite Mortimer McGrave, who will enliven their performance with an entourge of circus performers.Launched in 2003, the festival takes place on the Colfiorito plains among the Apennine mountains on the border of the Italian regions of Marche and Umbria. Over the years it has developed into Italys largest Celtic festival, and has attracted the attention of Italys Ministry of Youth and the BBC thanks to its unique and diverse mix of high-quality cultural and social events, including:- Celtic wedding ceremonies for couples wishing to bind their relationship through sacred Druidic rites,- Celtic games such as tug o war and tossing the caber,- traditional Celtic craft, music and dance workshops,- 7-a-side rugby tournament sanctioned by the Italian Rugby Federation,- fantasy literature presentations in the Tolkien Tent,- a Celtic village and Celtic battle reenactments, and- a Celtic market with 70 stalls from all over Italy and Europe offering crafts, clothing, and curiosities.Services include free parking, food and beverage stands featuring local and specialized products  including an award-winning Montelago craft beer and Montelago mead  an open-air market with fresh meat and vegetables, segregated camping areas for families and for bikers, cooling-off points, free wifi, phone charging stations, shuttle buses, breathalyzer testing, and a 24-hour field hospital.Aside from events and activities, the soul of the festival is embodied in the Montelago community  Il Popolo di Montelago  which is both animated and harmonious, and its testament to this spirit of camaraderie that in 15 years theres never been a single bad incident. For us, this is where the festival succeeds  people come simply to enjoy themselves in an atmosphere of peace and togetherness, surrounded by the beauty of the Apennines. Without the Montelago community, this festival would not exist, pure and simple, and its for these people that well keep pushing forward, making sure that theyre getting the best that we can muster.The festival is organized by Arte Nomade ().Further information:info@montelagocelticfestival.itAn initiative of Arte Nomade, the Montelago Celtic Festival has for 15 years attracted lovers of Celtic music and culture on the first weekend of August to the plains of Colfiorito amid central Italy's Apennine mountains on the border of Umbria and Marche.15 Piazzale Mercurio62100 MacerataItaly
Hola! With new recruit Magdalena Derda, Tourism Unlimited strengthens the team with momentum, language skills and expertise

Magdalena Derda joins Tourism Unlimited as Sales & Marketing Manager

www.tourism-unlimited.com

www.tourism-unlimited.com

Munchen, 15. Mai 2018  Seit dem 01. Mai verstarkt Magdalena Derda als Sales & Marketing Manager das Team von Tourism Unlimited, der Munchener PR- und Reprasentanzagentur, die sich auf Touristik, Destinationsmanagement und die Tauchbranche spezialisiert hat.After a successful apprenticeship as a travel agent with a German dive tour operator and studying International Tourism Management, Magdalena worked for another two years in the diving travel industry until she moved to Ecuador. In total, the native Pole stayed for three years in the small Andean state at the Pacific coast, of which she worked for one year on the Galapagos Islands with a Destination Management Company in their sales and marketing department. She is of course fluent in Spanish.Judith Hoppe, partner at Tourism Unlimited, is delighetd about the expansion of the team: With Magdalena on board, we will not only become even more international, we are also very pleased to have found someone who understands the tour operator structures so well and hence can perfectly support our customers in all sales related challenges.For more information about Tourism Unlimited please visitTourism Unlimited is a PR and marketing agency specialised in the tourism industry, based in Munich, Germany. The agency supports destinations, hotels, tour operators, and companies from the dive industry in all aspects of marketing, communication, and sales support. Tourism Unlimited puts a strong focus on digital communication, new and social media.Judith HoppeTourism UnlimitedSchmid-Wildy-Weg 46D - 81739 MunichGermanyphone: +49-89-673 78 619mobile: +49-177-70 74 263e-mail: judith.hoppe@tourism-unlimited.comweb:
5 Ways Hotels Can Save Energy  and Money!

https://smarterbusiness.co.uk/

As you know, running a hotel or B&B is an energy-intensive undertaking. Saving energy and switching to cheaper tariffs can result in significant savings  without affecting the customer experience.Catering for the needs of guests and patrons often leads to high energy consumption, but there are many ways for hospitality businesses to reduce their energy bills with just a few infrastructure adjustments and operational changes.Did You Know? The hospitality sectors annual energy costs exceed 1.3 billion.Here are 7 simple ways for hotels and B&Bs to save energy:1. Keep your cool with efficient temperature control Control your heating using timed thermostats and radiator valves. Dont operate the heating and cooling systems simultaneously, by switching off heating when a room reaches a temperature of 21C, and avoid turning on air conditioning until the temperature exceeds 23C. Save up to 10% of your annual heating costs by servicing your boiler and other heating and cooling equipment regularly.2. Lightbulb moments for energy-saving lighting Switch to low energy light bulbs, which use up to 80% less energy and often last much longer too. Install daylight sensors. Install occupancy sensors so that lights are only on when needed.3. Dont get into hot water Avoid overheating your water - a temperature of 60C provides comfortable hot water and is hot enough to kill legionella bacteria. Insulate your hot water pipes to avoid heat loss. Use solar water heating systems for hot tubs. Consider fitting spray water taps, which use less hot water and therefore less energy.4. Get the team involved Educate and train staff on ways to improve energy efficiencies. Incentivise staff to think of ways to reduce energy consumption across the hotel. Use signage and notes to remind guests of energy-saving best practices, such as re-using towels.5. Leave it to the experts Use an energy broker to compare energy quotes and tailor an energy strategy for your hospitality business. By shopping the market and switching suppliers, you could save up to 40%! An energy broker will also be able to tailor an ongoing energy strategy suited to your specific needs. They can also give you the information you need to understand, react, and maximise efficiency by identifying discrepancies and areas of potential savings.Saving energy means saving money, and helping to save the environment  all while keeping guest happy, comfortable, and coming back!Shea Karssing is a writer for Smarter Business, one of the UKs leading independent consultancies, helping businesses secure the most comprehensive savings solutions from utilities contract management and procurement to business loans and facilities maintenance.John De Mierre HouseBridge RoadHaywards HeathWest Sussexinfo@smarterbusiness.co.uk
Ideas on That Launches New Service for Placing Text on the Bitcoin Blockchain

Summary: One of the industrys most innovative companies is now offering a service that allows users to place text on the Bitcoin Blockchain.(May 14, 2018) --- Thanks to a new, revolutionary online service developed by Ideas on That, people are now able to place ad text on the Bitcoin Blockchain.The main feature is that it gets recorded in the Bitcoin Blockchain forever, said Ideas of That Spokesman Darwin Ramon.As for which Blockchain, Ramon explained that there are many types of Bitcoins and the text will be added to the BTC Blockchain.I will place your text on the Bitcoin (BTC) Blockchain via a Bitcoin transaction, Ramon said. Once there is a confirmation from the Bitcoin transaction, I will send you a blockchain.info link to the transaction. The text will appear on the out script. Eighty characters are allowed by the protocol And perhaps the best part about it, according to Ramon, is that the text will be part of the Blockchain forever, or until Bitcoin protocol stops supporting this feature.As for how it will be added, on the part of the Blockchain called OP_Return, which functions like the memo space on a check, simple messages and characters can be placed within transactions on the Blockchain.Ramon, who holds a masters in E-Commerce from the University of Montreal and HEC, said his companys mission is to facilitate the inclusion of Bitcoins in the established economy and the launching of this new service is an innovative resource that benefits those that participate in the cryptocurrency industry.Were very excited about this new service, said Ramon, who has more than 18 years of experience in ecommerce, as well as launching and managing the highly popular service, YesToBitcoins.com, for three and a half years. YesTo Bitcoins.com was the first company to launch the payment of credit cards with Bitcoin. I invited everyone to visit our website and explore the very real option to place text on the Bitcoin Blockchain.For more information, please visit: blockchain-ad.ideason.ca.Ideas On That is the sum of two passions: the internet and entrepreneurship. I have made a career of the former and I am now putting it to the service of the latter in order to explore how both worlds shape the unexpected evolution of our lives.1388 Sherbrooke EstMontreal, QCH2L1M4
They would ask me what actors I saw in the roles. I would tell them, and theyd say Oh thats interesting. And that would be the end of it. --Elmore Leonard, in 2000, on the extent of his input for Hollywood's adaptation of his novels
Cystic Fibrosis: Disease Insights and Market Forecasts to 2024 by Pharmascroll

https://pharmascroll.com/cystic-fibrosis-disease-insights-and-market-forecasts-to-2024/

Cystic Fibrosis: Disease Insights and Market Forecasts to 2024 report delivers an in-depth understanding of the disease, historical & forecasted epidemiology of Cystic Fibrosis disease in the US, EU5 (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK), and Japan and the historical & forecasted market size, for Cystic Fibrosis, drug wise in $ sales and patient numbers at global level and in the US, EU5 (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK), Australia and Canada till 2024.Geographies covered:USGermanyFranceItalySpainUKJapanAustraliaCanadaDrugs coveredOrkambiPulmozymeKalydecoSymdeko (Tezacaftor + Ivacaftor)TobramycinVX-659 + Tezacaftor + IvacaftorVX-152 + Tezacaftor + IvacaftorVX-440 + Tezacaftor + IvacaftorQR-010ABBV-2222GLPG1837Disease Indication Overview:This section of the report gives the overview of Cystic Fibrosis disease indication in detail. The section highlights the basic definition, causes and symptoms of disease and details the types of Cystic Fibrosis disease. Further details on the profile of Cystic Fibrosis patients, Symptoms experienced by the patients, and disease progression in patients are outlined in the report. The report further highlights the multiple methods through which the patient can be diagnosed for Cystic Fibrosis disease.Epidemiology Forecasts to 2024:This section of the report provides the overview of Cystic Fibrosis diagnosed prevalent and treated patients in the US, EU5 and Japan market year wise starting from 2015 till 2024. The epidemiology numbers in the report have been derived based on numerous studies, survey reports and views of key opinion leaders.Drugs Overview and Attribute Analysis:This part of the report highlights the importance of factors influencing the physician prescription decisions in Cystic Fibrosis disease including efficacy factors, Tolerability factors, Monitoring requirements and pricing factors.The report further details the drugs prescribed or expected to be prescribed in Cystic Fibrosis disease by the physicians in terms of details about the formulation, molecule, mode of administration and mechanism of action of the drugs, their patent and trial details and the expected impact of drug in the Cystic Fibrosis market.The report further conducts a detailed drug attribute analysis of the drugs currently prescribed or expected to be prescribed in the disease on the parameters of Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability, Convenience of Monitoring and Dosing and Drugs coverage of the target patient pool.Drugs and Market Forecast to 2024:The report in its last section provides sales and patient numbers forecast for the overall Cystic Fibrosis market and drug wise forecasts from 2015 till 2024 at Global level and in the US, EU5, Australia and Canada markets. The forecasts are developed based on the detailed drug attribute analysis, conducted by Pharmascroll, as shared in the previous section. It is important to note that the Forecasts conducted by Pharmascroll are not based on simple projections, and are developed meticulously based on a complex forecasting model, owned by Pharmascroll, using multiple assumptions related to launch dates of the products in the market, price of the products, adherence and compliance rates of the products, dosages of the products etc. The forecast models are at the country level and can be developed at the regional level as well.Why Purchase the Report: Robust Market and Drug forecast available at country level Forecast in terms of both $ sales and Patient Numbers Current and Forecasted Drug treated and Diagnosed Prevalent Patient pool Detailed Drug Attribute analysis on multiple Clinical Parameters Multiple Countries coverage Current Marketed and Pipeline Drugs coverage Detailed Disease Insights coverageTo read more about the report please visitTo enquire about the report or to make a purchase for the report please write to enquiry@pharmascroll.comPharmascroll is a diligent business consulting and market research firm focused solely towards pharmaceutical markets. The company consults and researches in majorly chronic disease indications prevalent across the globe. The research conducted by Pharmascroll analysts is targeted to provide analytical and logical answers to the key business questions of the pharmaceutical and medical insights teams and to make better informed business decisions with the detailed relevant information available.Pharmascroll Research and Consulting Private LimitedHi Tech CityHyderabadIndiaZip- 500084Bhawna Guptabhawna.gupta@pharmascroll.com+919776868067
EON Mainnet Launched!

https://eontechnology.org/TestNet_EON_Peer_API_3.0.pdf

https://eontechnology.org/MSM_v.1.pdf

https://github.com/EonTechnology

www.exscudo.com

Exscudo Team is happy to announce that we have reached an important milestone by launching the EON Mainnet for our users. It is the most waited mainnet launch for the year 2018. Were thrilled to report the Mainnet has been a complete success.The following services: registration portal, blockchain explorer and monitoring page are available from now on. Currently, registration to Mainnet requires SMS verification. This big launch brings even more updates:- Renewed TestNet with the version 3 fork 1- Changed API (bot / peer / explorer)- Changed API endpoint - specified versionTo learn more about how the renewed API works, check Client Peer API documentation v3.0 using this link:. Our Team made multiple internal changes and improvements. If you are interested in the Mainnet and how it works, look through Multi-signature documentation v1.2:. You can also check out its final code at GitHub ().The launch of EON blockchain Mainnet is a huge step ahead for the industry. Thanks to EON blockchain, market participants have direct access to the capital market. Exscudos goal is to provide everyone, even unbanked people, with the opportunity to enter the market on an equal basis with institutional investors and professional traders. EON gives a number of advantages to the financial market: ecosystem simplification; fast clearing; low operating costs; low counterparty risk; transparency and verifiability; friendly software development environment. EON blockchain is a hybrid system without any bottlenecks. It is safe, resilient, flexible, scalable with speed of client-server solutions. In the nearest future we expect to announce new projects launched on the EON Blockchain, not just in the area of FinTech, but also in loyalty programs, ticket purchases and ecosystems around the registries.We are already working on EON Blockchain implementation in many countries  UK, Germany, France, Estonia, Japan, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and so on. We will continue to expand our geographic coverage and increasing the number of local partners that help our team to enter new markets.About ExscudoExscudo is the nextgen financial ecosystem that unites the traditional financial system and the cybercurrency market. The main goal of the project is to create a single gate to cybercurrency market for simple users, professional traders, investors and financial institutions. Exscudos ecosystem consists of a Stock exchange, as well as a merchant, wallets, trading terminals, cards and a protected communication channel.Exscudo OUMerirahu 58, Tallinn 13516, ESTONIAContactMarina Juszczyk, mjuszczyk@exscudo.com, Mobile number: +48603495995, Twitter: @MarinaJuszczyk
GajShield ties up with IT-SA 2018 as their Silver Partner

Mumbai, India: GajShield Infotech, one of the leading IT security providers has announced their silver partnership with ITSA 2018 ahead of the 2-day mega security expo happening from May 24th-25th at Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, India. It will be the meeting place of IT Security experts and stake holders from South  Asia region.ITSA, Indias one of a kind IT security expo and conference will showcase information security products and services from leading principals, manufacturers, vendors, suppliers and key solution partners. It would cover an extensive range of products and services showcasing all areas. The accompanying congress program will include keynote address, industry sessions, panel discussions and work-shops/certification programs.GajShield is proud to be tying up with ITSA to impart informational insights about IT security, the future trends and technologies that are shaping up this industry. The exhibition this year, for which GajShield is the silver partner, will draw expertise from the parent event ITSA, which takes place every year in Nuremberg, Germany and is one of the leading events worldwide.From various ground breaking features like Data leak prevention and Enterprise cloud, GajShield is set to display and provide insights to some of the strongest features that help protect the security of enterprises. Mr. Sonit Jain, CEO, GajShield is also invited to be an esteemed speaker at the two day mega security expo where he will be talking about future technologies like machine learning that are set to dominate the IT security industry in the years to follow.Being a part of IT-SA is indeed a great opportunity for us to showcase our futuristic security solutions on a platform for knowledge sharing, networking and to introduce our solutions that are especially designed to meet the needs of the growing Enterprises. With ITSA, we aim to enhance our brand, educate the attendees on importance of security. says Mr. Sonit Jain, Founder and Chief Executive OfficerGajShield Infotech (I) Pvt. Ltd. since its inception in 2002 focuses on providing Network Security Solutions to Corporate. Our Mission is to make the Internet a safe place to work.GajShield is a leading Security Company having the distinction of being one of the few companies worldwide and the 1st Indian Firewall Product Company to have earned ICSA Labs Firewall Certification Criteria 4.1. The ICSA Labs Certification Program provides assurance to the user community that certified Products meet industry-accepted security standards worldwide.GajShield develops markets and supports an integrated set of enterprise security management software products for heterogeneous computing environments. Large customers around the world select the Companys solution because of its reliability, performance and unique ability to seamlessly integrate with existing and future computing environments.4, Peninsula Center, Dr. S. S. Rao Road, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India - 400012
Telegenisys Inc. launches new clinical data extraction group

Telegenisys Launches Clinical Data Extraction Group

Fairfield, CA -- Telegenisys clinical data extraction group is now posting lab results data including blood reports into interpretive chronic disease response systems. Telegenisys has been cleaning, organizing and summarizing medical records for more than a decade. With this addition of precision data extraction, data entry, and verification, the company is expanding its offering to a deeper engagement in healthcare support. With externally audited HIPAA, ISO 9001, ISO 27001 compliant systems, Telegenisys is ideally suited to handle sensitive patient data with the care it deserves. Telegenisys provides this support from its data center located in Pune, India.Vice President of Operations Henry J. Cobb outlined: "Accuracy in data entry is especially important for those lab tests used for treatment or for judging the effectiveness of a treatment. We combine automated systems with two levels of human checks to ensure that outlier values are real"Senior Operations Manager Rakesh Medhekar said, "We started working on medical records by understanding and defining our client's needs. We developed ZERO DEFECTS methodology for the work and implemented a reliable solution. This adds to the variety of lab report data Telegenisys processes each day for medical care providers."Telegenisys Inc. is a Delaware corporation having its primary headquarters in California. Telegenisys has been providing service solutions to American businesses since 1994. It offers a broad spectrum of services to medical practices, genomics labs, record request companies and medical software providers. Its image group analyses satellite and drone images to develop sophisticated data models with precision and accuracy. Regardless of the application, Telegenisys delivers a highly accurate and reliable service.Mark Merani1-(800)-510-9053mmerani@telegenisys.comTelegenisys Inc.5055 Business Center Drive, Ste. 108-223Fairfield, CA 94534, USA
Global Sexual Enhancement Supplements Market Trends and Forecast 2021

https://www.researchbeam.com/global-sexual-enhancement-supplements-2017-2021-market/request-sample

https://www.researchbeam.com/global-sexual-enhancement-supplements-2017-2021-market/purchase-enquiry

https://www.researchbeam.com/global-sexual-enhancement-supplements-2017-2021-market

These supplements include creams, gels, and sprays that are available in a variety of flavors and colors in the market, and sold through online and retail outlets. Here, the internet plays a major role in driving the market growth. It not only gives buyers access to a broad range of sexual enhancement supplements, but it also helps supplements providers to increase sales opportunity by connecting sellers and buyers on a single platform.Get Sample@Previously, online penetration was very low in most of the emerging countries like China, India, and Indonesia; developed countries like the US and the UK had been seeing relatively high penetration rate. However, in the last five years, India and China have witnessed extraordinary rise in online shopping, which has resulted in enormous sales of sexual enhancement supplements.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global sexual enhancement supplements market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: Americas APAC EMEAGlobal Sexual Enhancement Supplements Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Get 15% Discount on this Report@Key vendors Ansell Doc Johnson Innovus Pharmaceuticals Reckitt BenckiserOther prominent vendors Leading Edge Health Lovehoney Pound InternationalMarket driver Increased demand for sexual enhancement supplements from women. For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge Difficulties in marketing sexual enhancement supplements. For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Incremental growth in customer acceptance. For a full, detailed list, view our reportCheck Full Report With TOC@About Us:Research Beams uniqueness lies in its highly ethical reports at economical rates because we value your relationship and growth more than money. Your growth is our aim. With the arsenal of different search reports, we help you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency.Contact Us:Global Head Quarters5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United Statesphone+1 (800) 910-6452help@researchbeam.comAbout Us:Research Beams uniqueness lies in its highly ethical reports at economical rates because we value your relationship and growth more than money. Your growth is our aim. With the arsenal of different search reports, we help you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency.Contact Us:Global Head Quarters5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United Statesphone+1 (800) 910-6452help@researchbeam.com
Global Cufflinks Market Trends ,Size, Application and Forecast 2021

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https://www.researchbeam.com/global-cufflinks-2017-2021-market/purchase-enquiry

https://www.researchbeam.com/global-cufflinks-2017-2021-market

A cufflink is a decorative and stylish fastener for cuffs, typically worn on a shirt or blouse. Cufflinks are primarily worn by men. These fasteners vary depending on the design, style, and color. The visible part of the cufflink is often monogrammed or decorated according to the consumer's preferences. With time, the cufflink developed and became a more sophisticated part of a man's wardrobe, especially for tuxedo usage and formal attire. With the availability of different types of stones, precious metals, fabrics, and design, the cufflink has become the new well-dressed man's staple.Get Sample@Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global cufflinks market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report presents a detailed picture of the current market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: Americas APAC EMEAGlobal Cufflinks Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Get 15% Discount on this Report @Key vendors Cartier Louis Vuitton Montblanc Paul Smith TiffanyOther prominent vendors Armenta Collection Burberry CHANEL CuffLinks Dolce & Gabbana Giorgio Armani GUCCI HUGO BOSS PRADA Ralph Lauren TateossianMarket driver Rise in demand for French cuff shirts. For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge Volatility in raw material prices. For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Consumers' shift to customization of cufflinks. For a full, detailed list, view our reportCheck Full Report With TOC@About Us:Research Beams uniqueness lies in its highly ethical reports at economical rates because we value your relationship and growth more than money. Your growth is our aim. With the arsenal of different search reports, we help you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency.Contact Us:Global Head Quarters5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United Statesphone+1 (800) 910-6452help@researchbeam.com
Global Cross-Cultural Training Courses Market Trends and Forecast 2021

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https://www.researchbeam.com/global-cross-cultural-training-courses-2017-2021-market/purchase-enquiry

https://www.researchbeam.com/global-cross-cultural-training-courses-2017-2021-market

Cross-cultural training is used to increase the knowledge and skills of individuals that will help them understand and adjust to new cultures. In the past two decades, globalization and technological advances have changed the dynamics of the education and corporate training market. The emergence of new types of personal computing devices integrated with the introduction of technologies such as gamification, apps, and social networks has enhanced the learning and development opportunities for employees significantly.Get Sample@Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global cross-cultural training market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the value and services market.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: APAC Europe North Americas ROWGlobal Cross-Cultural Training Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors Babel Language and Cross Cultural Training Global Integration GROVEWELL Commisceo Global London School of International CommunicationGet 15% Discount on this Report@Other prominent vendors RW3 Dwellworks Culturesmartconsulting.com Cultural Savvy Cross-Cultural Consulting & Training Creative Culture International Bridges To Japan APERIAN GLOBAL Communicaid Intercultural Communication PRISM InternationalMarket driver Increasing workforce diversity For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge Standardization of cross-cultural training For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Gamification of content For a full, detailed list, view our reportCheck Full Report With TOC@About Us:Research Beams uniqueness lies in its highly ethical reports at economical rates because we value your relationship and growth more than money. Your growth is our aim. With the arsenal of different search reports, we help you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency.Contact Us:Global Head Quarters5933 NE Win Sivers Drive,#205, Portland, OR 97220United Statesphone+1 (800) 910-6452help@researchbeam.com
2018-2022 Global Medical Aesthetic Devices Market Size, Share, Trends, Opportunities & Forecast

Global Medical Aesthetic Devices Industry

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3168766-medical-aesthetic-devices-technologies-and-global-markets

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3168766-medical-aesthetic-devices-technologies-and-global-markets

https://www.linkedin.com/company/wise-guy-research-consultants-pvt-ltd-?trk=biz-companies-cym

Global Medical Aesthetic Devices IndustryNew Study on 2018-2022 Medical Aesthetic Devices Market Global Key Player, Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Forecast added to Wise Guy Reports DatabaseAesthetic medicine comprises all medical procedures that are aimed at improving the physical appearance and satisfaction of the patient, using non-invasive to minimally invasive cosmetic procedures. The aesthetic medicine specialty is not confined to dermatologists and plastic surgeons, as doctors of all specialties seek to offer services to address their patients aesthetic needs and desires. All aesthetic medicine procedures are performed under locoregional anesthesia.The exciting field of aesthetic medicine is a new trend. Patients not only want to be in good health, they also want to enjoy life to the fullest, be fit and minimize the effects of natural aging. Indeed, patients are now requesting quick, non-invasive procedures with minor downtime and very little risk.Try Sample Report @This recent trend explains the current success of aesthetic medicine around the globe. These aesthetic procedures consist of:- Injections of neurotoxins and dermal fillers.- Chemical peels.- Cosmetic dermatology treatments.- Microdermabrasion.- Body contouring and treatment of cellulite.- Nutrition.- Hair transplant.- Hair reduction.- Fat grafting/platelet rich plasma.- Laser and IPL.- Scar management.- Venous treatment.Initially, concerning simple skin care and facial treatment, aesthetic medicine borrowed extensively from mainstream medicine. Fat grafts in orthopedics found new life as compatible long-term fillers to flesh out wrinkles in aging faces. Chemical peels removed dead skin cells, freeing up fresh ones to glow and grow. Botulinum, an R&D success, became a popular injection for removing wrinkles and creases.Today, effective aesthetic medicineas a minimally invasive practiceis based on doctors having skilled hands, whereby they leverage reliable, cutting-edge medical technology, such as laser technology, chemical peels, fillers and injectables of natural or bio-ingredients. It spans surface treatments through chemical peels and lasers to minimally invasive procedures, such as thread-lifts, botulinum type A injections, derma fillers, fat grafts and hair transplants.Aesthetic medicine bridges the gap between beauty and health. It is important because beauty is not just skin deep. Beauty includes the need to feel good in one's own skin, thereby nurturing a psychophysical balance. We cannot ignore the importance of aesthetics from a psycho-sociological point of view, especially when today's society so highly covets attractive appearances. So, consumer patients are seeking aesthetic doctors to improve their appearance, and thus their self-confidence for social and/or professional reasons.Report Scope:The report on medical aesthetics devices gives a detailed analysis of the devices used for medical aesthetics procedures. In addition, the report covers the applications and end-users for the medical aesthetics devices market.The report covers applications, such as botulinum neuromodulators, breast augmentation devices, dermal fillers, energy-emitting devices and assistive liposuction devices. The market landscape is captured through end-users such as hospitals, beauty clinics and medical spas.A detailed analysis illustrating market dynamics and market structure is incorporated in the report. Porters Five Forces analysis as well as the supply and distribution chain are discussed in detail. The report covers the current regulations and guidelines for medical device quality management and manufacturing practices in the context of their use within the medical aesthetics devices industry. Top market playersincluding details on their business operations and segment focusas well as revenue and strategy analysis are included the in the report. In addition, market share analysis of the leading market players, product launches and pipeline products are captured in the report.In terms of geography, the report analyzes the market across North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Key countries like the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe (top five countries), China, India and Japan are discussed considering the high concentration of medical aesthetics manufacturing companies and contract manufacturing organizations in these nations. This report includes market size estimates for the base year of 2016 and 2017 and the forecast for 2022.Report Includes:- 36 tables- An overview of the global markets and technologies for medical aesthetic devices- Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2016 and 2017, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2022- Discussion of the properties and characteristics of human skin, hair, and breasts- Description of medical devices, including botulinum neuromodulators, breast augmentation devices, and injectable dermal fillers- Coverage of devices for assisted liposuction using ultrasound, light, or water- Insight into the regulatory environment for medical devices and drugs in the U.S. and Europe- Comprehensive company profiles of major players in the market, including Allergan PLC, Cutera, Inc, El. En. Group, Hologic, Inc, Implatech Implant Teknolojileri and Johnson and JohnsonALLERGAN, PLCANIKA THERAPEUTICS, INC.CONTURA INTERNATIONAL A / SCRISALIX S.A.CUTERA, INC.CYNOSURE INC.EL.EN. GROUPHOLOGIC INC.IDEAL IMPLANT INC.IMPLATECH IMPLANT TEKNOLOJILERIJOHNSON & JOHNSONLUMENIS LTD.MEDYTOX INC.MERZ PHARMA GMBH & CO. KGAAPHOTOMEDEX, INC.REVANCE THERAPEUTICS INC.SIENNA BIOPHARMACEUTICALS, INC.SUNEVA MEDICAL, INC.SYNERON MEDICAL LTD.VALEANT PHARMACEUTICALS INTERNATIONAL, INC.VENUS CONCEPT LTD.Some points from table of content:Chapter 1 IntroductionStudy Goals and ObjectivesReasons for Doing This StudyScope of ReportMethodologyGeographic BreakdownAnalyst's CredentialsRelated BCC Research ReportsChapter 2 Summary and HighlightsImportance of This ReportKey Questions Answered in the ReportOverview of FindingsFor Detailed Reading Please visit WiseGuy Reports @Chapter 3 Market and Technology BackgroundIntroductionOverviewMedical Aesthetics SocietiesMedical Tourism for Medical AestheticsKey Statistics for Medical AestheticsMedical Aesthetics Devices Market SegmentsMarket DynamicsDriversRestraintChapter 4 Market Breakdown by Devices TypeIntroductionMarket Size and ForecastImplantsOverviewMarket Size and ForecastBreast ImplantsSoft Tissue ImplantsAesthetic Dental ImplantsFacial Aesthetic DevicesOverviewMarket Size and ForecastMicrodermabrasion DevicesDermal Fillers DevicesLASER and Energy Emitting DevicesOverviewMarket Size and ForecastSkin Tightening and Body Contouring DevicesOverviewMarket Size and ForecastLiposuction DevicesSkin Tightening DevicesCellulite Reduction DevicesChapter 5 Market Breakdown by End UserIntroductionMarket Size and ForecastHospitalsOverviewMarket Size and ForecastSlimming and Beauty ClinicsOverviewMarket Size and ForecastChapter 6 Market Breakdown by RegionOverviewMarket Size and ForecastNorth AmericaMarket Size and ForecastUnited StatesCanadaMexicoEuropeMarket Size and ForecastGermanyFranceUnited KingdomItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia-PacificMarket Size and ForecastJapanChinaIndiaAustraliaSouth KoreaRest of Asia-PacificRest of WorldMarket Size and ForecastBrazilMiddle EastSouth AfricaOther CountriesChapter 7 Patent ReviewAnatomy of a Patent ApplicationChapter 8 Analysis of Market OpportunitiesOverviewOpportunitiesChapter 9 Competitive LandscapeOverviewMajor Players and Market SharePorter's Five Forces AnalysisBargaining Power of SuppliersBargaining Power of BuyersThreat of New SuppliersThreat of SubstitutesCompetitive Rivalry/Degree of CompetitionMergers and AcquisitionsNew Product LaunchesAgreements, Collaborations, and PartnershipsChapter 10 Company ProfilesALLERGAN, PLCBusiness OverviewCompany FinancialsProducts and ServicesDevelopments and StrategiesANIKA THERAPEUTICS, INC.Business OverviewCompany FinancialsCONTURA INTERNATIONAL A / SBusiness OverviewProducts and ServicesCRISALIX S.A.Business OverviewCUTERA, INC.Business OverviewCompany FinancialsProducts and ServicesDevelopments and StrategiesCYNOSURE INC.Business OverviewEL.EN. GROUPBusiness OverviewCompany FinancialsProducts and ServicesHOLOGIC INC.Business OverviewCompany FinancialsProducts and ServicesDevelopments and StrategiesIDEAL IMPLANT INC.Business OverviewIMPLATECH IMPLANT TEKNOLOJILERIBusiness OverviewProducts and ServicesDevelopments and StrategiesJOHNSON & JOHNSONBusiness OverviewCompany FinancialsProducts and ServicesLUMENIS LTD.Business OverviewProducts and ServicesDevelopments and StrategiesMEDYTOX INC.Business OverviewMERZ PHARMA GMBH & CO. KGAAContinued.For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Contact Us:Norah Trent+1 646 845 9349 / +44 208 133 9349Follow on LinkedIn:
HFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons) Refrigerant 2018 Global Industry Key Players - Airgas , Arkema , Daikin Industries , The Chemours Company , Honeywell International Market Analysis And Forecast To 2023

World HFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons) Refrigerant Market

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World HFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons) Refrigerant MarketExecutive SummaryHFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons) Refrigerant market research report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends, allowing you to identify the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profitability.The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.The report includes the forecasts, Analysis and discussion of important industry trends, market size, market share estimates and profiles of the leading industry Players.Request a Sample Report @The Players mentioned in our reportAirgasArkemaDaikin IndustriesThe Chemours CompanyHoneywell InternationalThe LindeSinochem GroupSRF LimitedSRF LtdAsahi GlassGlobal HFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons) Refrigerant Market: Product Segment AnalysisR23R32R134aR152aR227eaR236faGlobal HFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons) Refrigerant Market: Application Segment AnalysisDomestic RefrigerationCommercial RefrigerationIndustrial RefrigerationTransportationStationary ACMobile ACGlobal HFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons) Refrigerant Market: Regional Segment AnalysisUSAEuropeJapanChinaIndiaSouth East AsiaTable of Content-Key Points CoveredChapter 1 About the HFCs (Hydrofluorocarbons) Refrigerant Industry1.1 Industry Definition and Types1.1.1 R231.1.2 R321.1.3 R134a1.1.1.4 R152a1.1.1.5 R227ea1.1.1.6 R236fa1.2 Main Market Activities1.3 Similar Industries1.4 Industry at a GlanceChapter 5 Company Profiles5.1 Airgas5.1.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.1.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.1.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating Profits5.2 Arkema5.2.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.2.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.2.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating Profits5.3 Daikin Industries5.3.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.3.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.3.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating Profits5.4 The Chemours Company5.4.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.4.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.4.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating Profits5.5 Honeywell International5.5.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.5.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.5.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating Profits5.6 The Linde5.6.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.6.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.6.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating Profits5.7 Sinochem Group5.7.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.7.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.7.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating Profits5.8 SRF Limited5.8.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.8.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.8.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating Profits5.9 SRF Ltd5.9.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.9.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.9.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating Profits5.10 Asahi Glass5.10.1 Company Details (Foundation Year, Employee Strength and etc)5.10.2 Product Information (Picture, Specifications and Applications)5.10.3 Revenue (M USD), Price and Operating ProfitsContinuedComplete Report Details @Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt LtdOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
IoT Connected Machines Market likely to attain New Technology 2025

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Global IoT Connected Machines Market: OverviewThe global IoT connected machines market is envisaged to be advantaged by the growing applications of intelligent broader embedded systems engaged for enabling effective communication and marketing of businesses using connected devices. IoT connected machines find a major application in real-time data tracking which could strengthen process optimization through flexibility, scalability, adaptability, traceability, and transparency. Industry players are prognosticated to cash in on the ability of IoT connected machines to promote real-time response and control over complicated automated processes.Global IoT Connected Machines Market: Key TrendsThe demand for IoT connected machines is anticipated to be propelled by the prominent factor of manufacturers increasingly focusing on their supply chain network to be equipped with close convergence for making end-to-end visibility and collaboration a reality. The market could experience a high positive impact due to the emergence of big data as connectivity between machines sees an incredible increase in demand. This is predicted to take shape on the back of real-time data communication presenting itself as the need of the hour. Furthermore, a greater emphasis is laid on secured backend and production floor operations.Request Sample Copy of the Report @However, there could be some challenges stunting the growth of players operating in the world IoT connected machines market. These could include open network security and privacy of data communication using IoT connected devices. Nonetheless, new avenues of growth are expected to open up in the near future with the rising popularity of promising networks built by IoT connected machines ecosystem. Another factor that could augment the demand in the market is the introduction of groundbreaking and innovative business models requiring IoT connected machines to improve productivity and lower costGlobal IoT Connected Machines Market: Market PotentialABB and HPE have recently announced their partnership at the global level for offering industry-based clients with powerful solutions generating actionable insights from the continually rising, expansive amounts of data produced by businesses. The goal of this strategic partnership is said to improve the flexibility and efficiency of their business operations and give them a competitive edge over their challengers. Currently, ABB claims to accommodate an installed base of 70 million connected devices.Request TOC of the Report @Global IoT Connected Machines Market: Regional OutlookAs per the analysis of the report, the international IoT connected machines market could see a classification into South America, North America, the Middle East and Africa, Europe, and Asia Pacific. According to experienced researchers, North America could secure a leading position in the market because of the growing prominence of IoT and rising application of connected devices. The growth of the regional market could be supported by the early adoption of latest technologies and aggressive digitalization practiced in several industry verticals. Commercial users in Asia Pacific, on the other hand, are foretold to surge the demand for IoT connected machines while adopting leading-edge technologies owing to strong initiatives introduced to improve IT infrastructure.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global IoT Connected Machines Market: Competitive LandscapeThe worldwide IoT connected machines market is projected to witness the presence of leading players such as Dell Inc., AT&T Inc., General Electric Company, Cisco Systems, Inc., and Robert Bosch GmbH. Market players could take to the adoption of common business strategies, viz. acquisitions, new product launches, and cutting-edge developments, to push up their growth in the market. Most of these players are involved in providing novel IoT solutions, services, and platforms to commercial clients across the globe.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Smart/Connected Street Lights Market Expected to show Tremendous rise 2025

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Global Smart/Connected Street Lights Market: OverviewWith smart city projects gaining enormous traction, urban planners are seen envisaging how best to harness the potential of Internet of Things (IoT) in various applications. The main intention is to better city infrastructure. A shining example in this direction is the deployment of smart lighting in which street lighting systems are outfitted with connected sensors, thereby enabling them to respond automatically to different environmental triggers, and be remotely controlled in response to the situation.The smart/connected street light infrastructure, comprising of connected technology, LED bulbs, motion sensors that activate lights when passersby are near, or switch off automatically with sunlight at daybreak, and generate prompts on when a light needs to be replaces, serves to make the streets safer.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The smart/connected street lights are typically connected via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, radio frequency, etc. Some of the lamps used for smart or connected street lights are HID lamps, LED lamps, and CFL lamps.Global Smart/Connected Street Lights Market: Key TrendsUSPs of smart/connected street lights is that they aid in bringing down consumption of energy and save electricity and other costs. Besides they also have a positive impact on the environment. This is because an ideal smart light has solar panels, batteries, lightings, and network devices for communications. In fact, smart lighting is considered to be highly efficient and therefore has a very positive impact on the conservation of energy.Apart from that, with technological progress it has become possible to intimate the right department about the malfunctioning of streetlight as soon as it occurs. Thus smart and connected street lighting has myriad advantages. It also holds a lot of possibilities to integrate applications to it. For example, it can be leveraged to gather information about the weather and can also act as CCTV surveillance system and GRPS system.Request TOC of the Report @Apart from that, smart/connected poles are being installed with Volte 4G technology for improving the mobile phone coverage. Renting the poles to the cell carriers create an opportunity for authorities to generate revenues.Global Smart/Connected Street Lights Market: Market PotentialStreetlights all over the world are currently being upgraded with traditional sodium lamps being swiftly supplanted with energy-efficient, reliable LED lighting. Hence, this is just the perfect time to push ahead with progressive lighting systems such as smart or connected street lights. With modern sophisticated technologies such as cloud and fog computing, the market is expected to receive further fillip.Global Smart/Connected Street Lights Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the key segments of the global market for smart or connected street lights are Latin America, North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Currently, Europe leads the market on the back of different lighting companies working towards deployment of smart lighting controls in both private and public areas. North America is expected to emerge as another attractive market in the years ahead. Since the cost of operating lighting in North America for commercial spaces is substantially high, smart lighting which is cost effective has emerged as a viable option. Besides, regulations and energy policies to limit the energy consumption in North America has also stoked the market for connected or smart street lights in the region.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Smart/Connected Street Lights Market: Competitive AnalysisSome of the key players operating in the global market for smart or connected street lights are General Electric, Telensa, Tech Mahindra, Osram, Wipro, Philips, Echelon Corporation, Tvilight, Verizon Enterprise, Sierra Wireless, and Sunview LED. In order to up sales, these companies are pitching their products to government and other associations.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global Cell Therapy Market To Surpass USD 25 Billion By 2024

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As per recent report "Global Cell Therapy Market, Price, Product & Clinical Pipeline Outlook 2024" published by KuicK Research, the global cell therapy market opportunity is expected to surpass USD 25 Billion by 2024. The ongoing research and clinical trials along with increasing tendencies of cell therapies to cure life threatening disease will drive the market growth in coming years.Report Highlights:* Market Analysis by Application in Various Therapeutic Areas* Comprehensive Insight On Clinical Pipeline: 664 Cell Therapies* Cell Therapy Market Opportunity More Than US$ 25 Billion by 2024* Marketed Cell Therapies: 21* Price and Product Insight By Region/Country* Cell Therapy Clinical Pipeline Overview* Collaborations and Acquisition in the Cell Therapy Segment* Regional Analysis of the Cell Therapy MarketFor More Information On Report and download free report sample Visit Following Weblink:For Report Sample contact: neeraj@kuickresearch.com , +91-11-47067990Table of Contents1. Prologue to Cell Therapy1.1 An Overview to Cells and Their Therapeutic Ability1.2 Unique Features of Cellular Therapeutics1.2.1 Stem Cells - Key Agents of Cellular Based Therapeutics1.2.2 Key Advantages of Cell Therapy over Other Existing Therapeutics2. Mechanism of Cell Therapy Treatment2.1 Principle of Cell Therapy2.1.1 Cell Therapy and the Immune Response2.1.2 Mechanism of Regenerative Cell Therapy2.2 Role of Surface Markers and Their Targeting2.2.1 Targeting the Signal Cascades2.2.2 Targeting the Microenvironment2.3 Allogeneic Stem Cell Therapy2.4 Autologous Stem Cell Therapy3. Stem Cells - Their Application and Contribution in the Establishment of Cell Therapy Market3.1 Origin of Stem Cells3.1.1 Embryonic Stem Cells3.1.2 Adult Stem Cells3.1.3 Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)3.2 Exploring Stem Cells Ability to Differentiate3.2.1 Totipotent Stem Cells3.2.2 Pluripotent Stem Cells3.2.3 Multipotent Stem Cells3.2.4 Unipotent Stem Cells4. Cell Therapy Market Analysis by Application in Various Therapeutic Areas4.1 Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease4.1.1 Myocardial Infarction4.1.2 Heart Failure4.2 Cell Therapy for Neurological Disorders4.2.1 Parkinsons Diseases4.2.2 Alzheimers Diseases4.2.3 Huntingtons Diseases4.3 Cell Therapy for Inflammatory Diseases4.3.1 Asthma4.3.2 Arthritis4.3 Cell Therapy for Diabetes4.3.3 Type 1 diabetes4.3.4 Type 2 diabetes4.4 Cell Therapy for Cancer4.4.1 Stem Cells and Their Therapeutic Role in Cancer4.4.2 Role of Surface Markers and Their Targeting4.4.3 Targeting the Signal Cascades4.4.4 Targeting the Microenvironment5. Product and Price Analysis of Cell Therapy Approved in US5.1 Apligraf and Dermagraft5.2 Carticel5.3 ChondroCelect5.4 Epicel5.5 Holoclar5.6 Kymriah5.7 Provenge5.8 Yescarta6. Product and Price Analysis of Cell Therapy Products Approved in Europe6.1 Spherox6.2 Strimvelis7. Product and Price Analysis of Cell Therapy Approved in South Korea7.1 Cartistem7.2 Cupistem7.3 Hearticellgram8. Product and Price Analysis of Cell Therapy Approved in Japan8.1 HeartSheet8.2 Temcell9. Current Status of the Global Cell Therapy Market9.1 Overview of the Global Cell Therapy Market9.2 Industrial Insight into the Cell Therapy Market - Key Players and Their Contribution9.3 Cell Therapy Clinical Pipeline Overview9.4 Investments in the Cell Therapy Market10. Global Cell Therapy Market Trends10.1 Cell Therapy Enhancing the Effect of Existing Therapeutic Methods10.2 Cell Therapy Market More Oriented Towards Immune Cells10.3 Involvement of Both Academia and Industries to Enhance Progress of Cell Therapy Studies10.4 Impact of Cell Therapy on the Drug Delivery Market10.4.1 Direct Delivery Methods10.4.2 Indirect Delivery Method11. Collaborations and Acquisition in the Cell Therapy Segment11.1 Collaborations11.2 Acquisition12. Regional Analysis of the Cell Therapy Market12.1 North America12.2 Europe12.3 Asia12.3.1 China12.3.2 Japan12.3.3 South Korea12.3.4 India12.4 Rest of the World12.4.1 Africa12.4.2 Middle East12.4.3 South America13. Global Cell Therapy Market Dynamics13.1 Growth Promoting Parameters of the Cell Therapy Market13.2 Commercial Challenges of the Cell Therapy Market14. Future Prospectus and Scope of the Cell Therapy Market15. Global Cell Therapy Clinical Pipeline by Company, Indication and Phase15.1 Unknown15.2 Research15.3 Preclinical15.4 Clinical15.5 Phase-015.6 Phase-I15.7 Phase-I/II15.8 Phase-II15.9 Phase-II/III15.10 Phase-III15.11 Preregistration15.12 Registered16. Marketed Cell Therapy Clinical Insight16.1 Immuncell-LC16.2 Adipocell (Anterogen)16.3 Provenge16.4 CureXcell16.5 Holoclar16.6 MACI16.7 Carticel16.8 MyoCell16.9 Laviv16.10 Prochymal16.11 Grafix16.12 Gintuit16.13 Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy - Pharmicell16.14 Cartistem16.15 CHONDRON16.16 BioCart16.17 NuCel16.18 Dendritic Cell-Activated Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells16.19 Chondrotransplant DISC16.20 Urocell16.21 CellSpray17. Competitive Landscape17.1 AlloCure17.2 Arteriocyte Medical Systems17.3 Athersys Inc.17.4 Baxter Healthcare Corporation17.5 Bone Therapeutics17.6 Celgene Corporation17.7 Cell Medica17.8 Cellerant Therapeutics17.9 FibrocellScinence17.10 Forticell Bioscience17.11 Genzyme Corporation17.12 Green Cross Cell17.13 Histogenics Corporation17.14 InnovacellBiotechnologie AG17.15 Intrexon Corporation17.16 Intercytex17.17 ISTO Technologies17.18 Macrocure17.19 Mesoblast17.20 Molmed17.21 Nuo Therapeutics Inc17.22 OmniCyte17.23 Opexa Therapeutics17.24 Organogenesis17.25 Pharmicell17.26 TCA Cellular Therapy17.27 Stem Cell Inc.17.28 Teva Pharmaceuticals17.29 Tigenix17.30 Vericel CorporationFigure 1-1: Basic Overview of Cell TherapyFigure 1-2: Historical Insight into Cell TherapyFigure 1-3: Key Goals of using Cell TherapyFigure 2-1: Mechanism of Paracrine SignalingFigure 2-2: Demonstration of the Endocrine SignalingFigure 2-3: Illustration of the Autocrine SignalingFigure 2-4: Paracrine Signaling in Heart RepairFigure 2-5: Common Sources of Cells in Cell TherapyFigure 2-6: Requirements of an Ideal Cell Donor in Cell TherapyFigure 2-7: Steps in Allogeneic Stem Cell TherapyFigure 2-8: Steps in Autologous Stem Cell TherapyFigure 3-1: Application of Cell Therapy in Various Clinical IndicationsFigure 3-2: Global - Cell Therapy Type by Donor Cell Source (%).2018Figure 3-3: Global - Stem Cell v/s Non Stem Cell Therapy Studies (%), 2018Figure 3-4: Type of Stem Cells on the Basis of OriginFigure 3-5: Global - Cell Therapy Product Source (%), 2018Figure 3-6: Type of Stem Cells and Their Ability to DifferentiateFigure 3-7: Global - Type of Immune Cells Used in Cell Therapy (%), 2018Figure 4-1: Global - Mortality Caused by Non Communicable Disease (%), 2018Figure 4-2: Cell Therapy - Clinical Trials by Indication (%), 2018Figure 4-3: Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular DiseaseFigure 4-4: Overview of Stem Cell Therapy in Cardiovascular DiseaseFigure 4-5: Cell Therapy in Neurological DisordersFigure 4-6: Cell Therapy in Treatment of Alzheimer's diseaseFigure 4-7: Cell Therapy in DiabetesFigure 5-1: Apligraf - Cost per Use (US$/Patient), 2018Figure 5-2: Carticel - Price Analysis (US$/Patient), 2018Figure 5-3: ChondroCelect - Price Analysis (US$/Patient), 2018Figure 5-4: Epicel - Price Analysis per 1% Total Body Surface Area (US$/Patient), 2018Figure 5-5: Kymriah - Therapy Price Analysis (US$/Year), 2018Figure 5-6: Provenge - Price Analysis (US$/Year), 2018Figure 5-7: Yescarta - Price Analysis (US$), 2018Figure 6-1: Spherox - Price Analysis (US$/Patient), 2018Figure 6-2: Strimvelis - Price Analysis (US$ and Euro), 2018Figure 7-1: Cartistem - Price Analysis (US$/Dose), 2018Figure 7-2: Hearticellgram - Price Analysis (US$/Patient), 2018Figure 8-1: HeartSheet - Treatment Cost Analysis (US$/ Administration), 2018Figure 8-2: Temcell - Price Analysis (US$/72 Million Cells), 2018Figure 9-1: Global - Cell Therapy Clinical Pipeline by Phase (%), 2018 till 2024Figure 9-2: Global - Cell Therapy Clinical Pipeline by Phase (Number), 2018 till 2024Figure 9-3: Global - Cell Therapy Clinical Pipeline by Discontinued Trials(%),2018 till 2024Figure 9-4: Global - Cell Therapy Clinical Pipeline by Discontinued Trials (Number), 2018 till 2024Figure 10-1: Global - Preference of Cell Type in Cell Therapy (%), 2018Figure 10-2: Cell Therapy - Funding in Industry and Academia (%), 2018Figure 12-1: Cell Therapy - Trials Conducted by Region (%), 2018Figure 12-2: Europe - Cell Therapy Clinical Trial Analysis by Region (%), 2018Figure 12-3: Asia - Cell Therapy Clinical Trial by Region (%), 2018Figure 12-4: Cell Therapy-Comparative Cost Analysis by Region (US$), 2018Figure 12-5: Rest of the World - Cell Therapy Clinical Trial by Region (%), 2018Figure 13-1: Global - Key Factors Driving the Cell Therapy MarketFigure 13-2: Global - Cell Therapy Market ChallengesFigure 14-1: Future Objectives of the Cell Therapy marketFigure 14-2: Global - Cell Therapy Market Opportunity (US$ Billion), 2018 -2024Figure 14-3: Key Developments Impacting the Future Cell Therapy MarketFigure 17-1: Arteriocyte Medical Systems Clinical PipelineFigure 17-2: Bone Therapeutics Clinical PipelineFigure 17-3: Celgene Clinical PipelineFigure 17-4: Cellerant Therapeutics Clinical PipelineFigure 17-5: Fibrocell Science Clinical PipelineFigure 17-6: Genzyme Clinical PipelineFigure 17-7: Intrexon Clinical PipelineFigure 17-8: ISTO Clinical PipelineFigure 17-9: Mesoblast Clinical PipelineFigure 17-10: Molmed Clinical PipelineFigure 17-11: Pharmicell Clinical PipelineFigure 17-12: Tigenix Clinical PipelineFigure 17-13: Vericel Corporation Clinical PipelineKuick Research is a market research and analytics company that provides targeted information for critical decisions at business, product and service levels. We are quick, predictive and known by the recommendations we have made in the past. Our result-oriented research methodology offers understanding of multiple issues in a short period of time and gives us the capability to keep you full with loads of practical ideas. By translating research answers into strategic insight and direction, we not only rate the success potential of your products and/or services, but also help you identify the opportunities for growth in new demographies and find ways to beat competition.Neeraj Chawlaneeraj@kuickresearch.comKuicK ResearchL29 - L34, First FloorBlock L,Connaught PlaceNew Delhi-110001+91-11-47067990
Artificial Intelligence Market phenomenal technology Forecast 2025

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Global Artificial Intelligence Market: OverviewGlobally, the trend of using artificial intelligence across various industries, particularly healthcare and consumer electronics is increasing because of the numerous benefits AI offer. This trend is likely to continue to grow in the upcoming years. The global market for artificial intelligence is predicted to see a tremendous growth in the years to come as the organizations are now leveraging on the advantages of phenomenal technologies like these for the efficient positioning of their services and to expand their consumer reach. Additionally, the increasing investments by enterprises to improve the quality of the services and products will push the demand for AI.As per Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global market for artificial intelligence to register a tremendous 36.1% CAGR between 2016 and 2024, that comes up to US$3061.35 bn by the end of 2024 from US$126.14 bn in 2015.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Artificial Intelligence Market: Drivers and RestraintsA large number of companies today are concentrating on many different groundbreaking technologies so as to be able to reach out to the customers easily. This happens to be one of the main reasons boosting the global market for artificial intelligence. Such technologies consist of effective marketing practices like social, mobile, analytics and cloud technologies (SMAC) that help the companies to have strong control in the digital business. The need for this market is also arising due to the extended usage of artificial intelligence in various sectors such as E-Commerce, BFSI, retail, health informatics, to name a few. The rise in IT expenditure by companies throughout the globe in the hope of developing enhanced and efficient products will also drive the global artificial intelligence market.The global market for artificial intelligence is currently facing challenges due to lack of investments. Many of the companies that offer artificial intelligence services have issues in accumulating funds in the initial levels for development and research. This dearth of investment is adversely impacting the task of creating new prototypes along with other technologies. Also, there is a lack of trained professionals in the market to solve advanced technical problems. This lack of professionals also happens to be an important reason in the growth of the global market for artificial intelligence as a whole.Request TOC of the Report @Global Artificial Intelligence Market: Regional OutlookIn the year 2015, North America contributed the most in terms of revenues and it accounted for around 38% of the entire market. The presence of a large number of technology companies is behind the growth of the market for artificial intelligence in North America. Plus, the large investments by the government have proven to be of great help in the technological growth of artificial intelligence in the region. The increased scope of usage of this technology in so many sectors, including retail, BFSI, consumer electronics, media and advertising, and automotive, equally help this market in the North America. Because of these reasons, this region is slated to keep its leadership with it throughout 2024. The Middle East and Africa is expected to register a noticeable CAGR of 38.2% throughout the assessment period, that is the highest in any area. Technological advancements, like the robotic automation, and the rise in the adoption of smart cities, gives impetus to the acceptance of artificial intelligence in the region. The current infrastructure plans like the creation of new airports is making the market in the Middle East and Africa to be full of opportunities.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Artificial Intelligence Market: Competitive LandscapeMany of the players are finding it difficult to gather funds for their research which is in early stage. Market players need funds for developing prototypes of their underlying technology and the lack of it is restricting their research. Some of the prominent players within the market include: Nuance Communications, Next IT Corporation, MicroStrategy Inc., eGain Corporation, QlikTech International AB, Microsoft Corporation, Google Inc., Brighterion Inc., IBM Corporation, and IntelliResponse Systems Inc.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Cloud Robotics Market - Adoption of Advanced technology 2025

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Global Cloud Robotics Market: OverviewThe global cloud robotics market is benefitting from the advent of cloud connected robots and expansion of their applications. This coupled with advancements in cloud technology is leading to the uptake of cloud robotics. In addition, rising trend of automation of several industry verticals such as manufacturing, agriculture, defense and logistics, and healthcare will elevate demand for cloud robotics.Global Cloud Robotics Market: Key TrendsThe demand for cloud robotics is primarily driven by the rising trend of automation across several industry verticals. The need to enhance the efficiency of industrial processes is leading to automation, which in turn is creating opportunities for deployment of cloud robotics. Cloud connected robots use electrical, mechanical, and software systems to deliver higher accuracy, precision, and speed, hence their installation is likely to increase in the future.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Further, rapid advancements in artificial technology are likely to open growth opportunities for the global cloud robotics market in the upcoming years. Besides this, expansion of cloud computing and big data analytics will stoke growth of the cloud robotics market.However, the cloud robotics market could face cutbacks due to several factors. Despite several growth opportunities, cloud robotics poses risks of security threats and data theft that could limit the markets growth to some extent. Cloud robotics deals with critical information from clients as well as their personal data, which in the event of hacking puts personal information as well security of individuals at risk.Nevertheless, the market is foreseen to be benefitted by the emergence of advanced technologies such as 5G. The deployment of cloud robotics necessitates reliable and unbroken connectivity so as to ensure that robots carry out their task efficiently regardless of the environment where they function. With the emergence of 5G technology, cloud robotics will be benefitted by a reliable platform to reach a wider audience.Request TOC of the Report @Besides this, recent developments in robotic applications will boost the expansion of cloud robotics market in the future.Global Cloud Robotics Market: Market PotentialIn an unusual move, Chinese online retailer JD.com have forayed into the autonomous driving space. With this move, the Beijing based company has joined the bandwagon with technology giants Google and Baidu that have been pumping vast sum of money for developing self-driving technology along with established car makers.The online retailer will pump in US$1.5 billion in a project in Changsha, and have signed a contract with the Changsha government along with other companies in new projects pertaining to driverless technology, artificial intelligence, and robotics and the cloud.Global Cloud Robotics Market: Geographical AnalysisThe report classifies the global cloud robotics market in terms of geography into: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and the Middle East and Africa. As per the report analysis, North America held supremacy in the market in 2015 vis-a-vis revenue; however, Asia Pacific will display the leading CAGR of 33.9% between 2016 and 2024. China and India will emerge as key domestic markets in Asia Pacific due to rising trend of adoption of advanced technology.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Cloud Robotics Market: Competitive LandscapeKuka Robotics, ABB Group, Fanuc Corporation, Cavalry Robotics, and Wolf Robotics are the handful of companies that hold command due to global presence in the cloud robotics market. This amounts to limited competition in this market. However, in the upcoming years, the entry of regional players will limit the expansion of market leaders due to customer loyalty issues.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Intellectual Property Market highly lucrative trend 2025

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Global Intellectual Property Market: OverviewAn intellectual property usually refers to the creation of one's mind for which monopoly is designated to the creator by law. A vast variety of creations in the form of invention, literary work, images, concepts, symbols, and designs that are used in commerce fall under the purview of intellectual property. Such intellectual properties are defied law as intangible rights assigned to the develop of the entity thus preventing them from theft or copying. Established as a measure of fostering a productive environment wherein such creations of high form of creative and intellect are prized and protected, patent or individualized designation of intellectual properties form the basis of development and competitive prowess of several organizations and businesses.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The report by TMR Research presents a overview of the market surrounding the various laws, their enforcement, and other activities related to the filing and execution of intellectual properties. The report discusses the key trends, challenges, growth drivers, and other aspects that affect the course of development of the market. A detailed account of the competitive landscape, market attractiveness, and demand and distribution dynamics of the global intellectual property market are also included in the report. The report leverages also makes use of analytical tools such as Porters Five Force analysis, which allows a clear understanding of the level of competitive rivalry among leading vendors in the market.Global Intellectual Property Market: Trends and OpportunitiesOwing to the various disputes and competitive rivalries that can arise during business transactions, allocation of contracts, M&A, and collaborations, businesses deem protection of their intellectual properties a key area of focus. It is common knowledge that intellectual property can comprise a key tool of distinction for business and companies operating in the same domain. Intellectual properties are also often the basis for the establishment of a distinctive image for an organization for potential clients. This is owing to the fact that intellectual property rights enable potential consumers to view companies in the light of certain qualities that can ascertain their capability of achieving something remarkable in the concerned domain.Request TOC of the Report @Renting out intellectual properties is one of the key trend that has emerged in the global intellectual property market in the recent past. This highly lucrative trend has allowed several technology firms to earn a large share of their revenues and continues to be a key part of the revenue mix of several companies that are constantly involved in the development of technologically advanced or creative entities that find applications across a vast variety of applications and products. Thus a number of companies are constantly investing in the area and continue to contribute towards the development of the global intellectual property market.While these factors could help the global intellectual property market thrive on the global level in the past few years, factors such as high cost of most technologically advanced licenses and copyrights could hinder the growth opportunities of the market to a certain extent. Nevertheless, the rising popularity of online intellectual property could benefit the market in the next few years.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Intellectual Property Market: Market PotentialIntellectual property rights in the form of patents, copyrights, and trademarks not only help enable creators to gain financial rewards but also promote the recognition of their work. Such laws commonly help and protect writers, artists, and scientific creators works from misuse, infringement, or unauthorized use with the help of a copyright. On the other hand, patents are often issued in the form of individualized rights for inventions or innovations, encouraging private investments by restricting the development and distribution of massively similar new varieties of products that use technological information used by an invention or innovative product.Global Intellectual Property Market: Leading VendorsSome of the leading companies operating in the global intellectual property market are Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, Irell & Manella LLP, WilmerHale, and Morrison & Foerter LLP.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Hybrid Cars Market adopt Newly Designed Technology 2025

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Global Hybrid cars Market: OverviewThe global hybrid cars market is envisaged to be benefited by the growing awareness about clean and eco-friendly cars amongst the common people. An alarming rise in the level of air pollution across the globe has resulted in the rise of temperature worldwide. As such, people are now more concerned and hence are adopting products that are carbon-free. Such awareness amongst people coupled with government initiatives for the increased adoption of such vehicles are the underlying causes for the exponential growth of the market for hybrid cars.Global Hybrid cars Market: Key TrendsThe demand for hybrid cars is anticipated to be propelled by the fact that most of manufacturers are increasingly focusing on extending their support for eco-friendly vehicles at the backdrop of such high level of environmental pollution. Apart from that, stringent government regulations have been put into place to contain carbon emissions. New emission standards are in favor of such hybrid vehicles that use electricity as opposed to gasoline or diesel thereby helping in the control of carbon emissions.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Lighter engines and lighter materials comprise hybrid cars and as such they are light in weight. Lightweight vehicles use less of power to function. Furthermore, resale value of the hybrid cars have increased as more and more consumers are opting for hybrid cars. Higher resale value is also motivating the buyers to go for hybrid cars. The segment of plug-in hybrid cars are expected to witness a surge in demand owing to government backing for the usage of plug-in hybrid cars. Furthermore, more and more electric charging stations have been installed to trigger the future demand for such plug-in hybrid cars.However, there could be some challenges that stunt the growth of the market players operating in the global hybrid cars market. Hybrid cars come with high cost, which is anticipated to mar its growth worldwide. Apart from high cost, electric cars are in direct competition with the hybrid cars. Electric cars are easily available, as such, it is going to restrain the market for hybrid cars.Request TOC of the Report @Global Hybrid cars Market: Market PotentialFurthermore, various governments are providing various incentives, subsidies, and tax incentives in a bid to encourage manufacturers to produce such environment-friendly vehicles for the common people. For example, as per the 2009 norms of European Union, the limit of emission level for new passenger vehicles have been set to 130g per kilometer. In 2014, Euro VI norm was introduced which set the nitrogen oxide emission level to be below 0.4 g/kWh and various other emissions should not exceed 0.01g /kWh. It is expected that other countries like Mexico, Russia, Australia, and Brazil will also follow suit and implement such stringent measure.With such government initiatives and increasing awareness amongst the common people about the adverse effects of carbon emissions on the environment, the market for hybrid cars is estimated to gain momentum and move with a positive graph of growth.Global Hybrid cars Market: Regional OutlookAs per the analysis of the report, the world hybrid cars market could see a geographical classification of the market into North America (Canada and US), Europe (France, Italy, Germany, Spain, then U.K and rest of Europe), Middle East and Africa (GCC, South Africa and rest of MEA), and Asia Pacific (ASEAN, India, Japan, China and rest of Asia Pacific). According to the experienced and qualified researchers, Asia Pacific is expected to secure a leading position in the market because of the growing prominence of hybrid cars in the region due to increasing environmental awareness. Furthermore, increasing disposable income of the people of the regions is also responsible for such a growth of the market for hybrid cars.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Hybrid cars Market: Competitive LandscapeThe worldwide hybrid cars market is expected to witness the presence of prominent players such as BMW, Nissan, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Toyota, General Motors, and the like. Market leaders could adopt some common business strategies, such as new product launches, and acquisitions to bolster their market growth.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
North America Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Converters Market Geographical viewpoint of 2025

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North America Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Converters Market: OverviewThe North America wheelchair accessible vehicle converters market is envisaged to testify industry players taking to the introduction of advanced and novel products as part of their core strategic expansion plans. The market could also see the rise of mergers and acquisitions as players look to cement their status in the industry. In terms of entry modality, ramps could secure a dominating share in the market due to their relatively low maintenance and installation expenses and ease of use. By entry mode, the market could witness the dominance of side entry vehicles expansively demanded in the region due to the improving development rate of manufacturers supported by increased consumer spending.Request Sample Copy of the Report @North America Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Converters Market: Key TrendsThe North America wheelchair accessible vehicle converters market is foreseen to cash in on growth opportunities birthing from the rising count of differently-abled people. Over the past few years, the market has been showcasing a promising growth for players to bank on. The increase in the introduction of inexpensive mobility gadgets and swelling need for accessible vehicles that are user friendly could be among the primary reasons for the growth witnessed in the market. In the near future, players could be lavished upon favorable growth prospects arising due to increasing geriatric population and escalating count of trauma cases causing disabilities.As per type of vehicle, full-size vehicle is expected to account for a lions share in the North America wheelchair accessible vehicle converters market. This could be because of the rising purchase of wheelchair accessible vehicles among families with differently-abled members.Request TOC of the Report @North America Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Converters Market: Market PotentialAn outdoor mobility vehicle solution has been planned to be launched commercially in 2018 by three founders of NeoMotion, known as Team Aseem. Enable Makeathon of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had incubated their venture in 2016. An easy and a quick external attachment for manual wheelchairs has been designed by the startup which could convert them into outdoor mobility devices capable of traveling to long distances. In order to meet the needs of users, the attachment will be made available in both motorized and manual (hand cycle) mode.North America Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Converters Market: Regional OutlookThe U.S. is anticipated to continue with its lead secured in the recent past. In 2015, the country had attained a colossal share in the North America wheelchair accessible vehicle converters market. Owing to the presence of a large number of differently-abled people in the country, the U.S. could maintain its lead in the market for the coming years. The U.S. market for wheelchair accessible vehicle converters is also foretold to gain momentum from the increase in government funding.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Several governments around the globe have been boosting the sale of wheelchair accessible vehicles with their strong funding. Furthermore, a mounting count of initiatives taken by manufacturers to increase awareness about wheelchair accessible vehicle converters could add to the growth of the market.North America Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Converters Market: Competitive LandscapePowerful players, viz. BraunAbility, Vantage Mobility International, and Mobility Ventures LLC are prophesied to take a leading position in the North America wheelchair accessible vehicle converters market. Experienced analysts predict the markets vendor landscape to hold a highly competitive and a moderately fragmented nature.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global Drug Discovery Market Research and Forecast 2018-2023

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Global Drug Discovery market, Size, Share, Market Intelligence, Company Profiles, Market Trends, Strategy, Analysis, and Forecast 2018-2023DRUG DISCOVERY SERVICES MARKET INSIGHTS:Global Drug discovery Market is an efficient way to discover new drugs and medications in the field of biotechnology and pharmacology. The process of drug discovery is carried out in four stages: target identification, target validation, high speed screening, and lead optimization. One of the major factors augmenting the growth of the market includes increasing geriatric population coupled with the rising prevalence of health disorders and chronic diseases such as genetic disorders, nervous system disorders, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. According to the genesis foundation for children in 2017, 1 in every 33 children in the US is born with an intellectual or genetic disorder. It is estimated that about 120,000 babies in the US are affected each year.The factors contributing to the growth of the market include increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as genetic disorders, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and many more. Apart from this, increased healthcare expenditure and patent expiries of other drugs is accelerating the growth of the market. Patents for brand drug expire every year, enabling the development for alternatives to enter the market, contributing significantly to the growth of the market. Moreover, technological advancements in biotechnology and genomics is a major factor, due to which the market will witness lucrative growth during the forecast period.Browse Full Reports:Geographically, the market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. North America is growing at a very significant rate followed by Europe. The reason for this is the presence of key industry players, increased healthcare expenditure, and technological development. Moreover, APAC region is anticipated to be the fastest developing regional markets during the forecast period due to increasing demand for novel drug discovery technologies owing to increasing population in the region.The companies contributing to the growth of global genetic testing market are Abbott Laboratories Roche Diagnostics, Merck & Co., Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. Majority of key players are merging or collaborating with other companies to gain a competitive edge over others and enhance their presence.Research Methodology:The market study of drug discovery market is incorporated by extensive primary and secondary research conducted by research team at OMR. Secondary research has been conducted to refine the available data to breakdown the market in various segments, derive total market size, market forecast, and growth rate. Different approaches have been worked on to derive the market value and market growth rate. The OMR team collects facts and data related to the market from different geographies to provide a better regional outlook. In the report, country level analysis is provided by analyzing various regional players, regional tax laws and policies, consumer behavior and macro-economic factors. The numbers extracted from Secondary research have been authenticated by conducting proper primary research. It includes tracking down key people from the industry and interviewing them to validate the data. This enables the analysts to derive the closest possible figures without any major deviations in the actual number. Our analysts try to contact as many executives, managers, key opinion leaders and industry experts to get first-hand information. Primary research brings authenticity to our reports. Secondary sources include:Financial reports of companies involved in the marketWhitepapers, research-papers and news blogsCompany websites and their product catalogueSupplier Websites such as Alibaba, amazon for pricing analysisThe report is intended for hospitals, diagnostic centers, and government organizations for overall market analysis and competitive analysis. The report provides in-depth analysis on pricing, market size, intended quality of the product preferred by consumers. The report will serve as a source for 360-degree analysis of the market, thoroughly integrating different models such as PEST analysis, porter five analysis delivering insights into the market for better business decisions.Market Segmentation:Global drug discovery market by technologyGlobal drug discovery market by end usersTHE REPORT COVERS:Comprehensive research methodology of Global Drug Discovery Market.This report also includes detailed and extensive market overview with Analyst insights & key market trends.Exhaustive analysis of macro and micro factors influencing the market guided by key recommendations.Analysis of regional regulations and other government policies impacting the Global Drug Discovery Market.Insights about market determinants which are stimulating the Global Drug Discovery Market.Detailed and extensive market segments with regional distribution of forecasted revenues.Extensive profiles and recent developments of market players.For Related Reports:For More Update Follow LinkedIn:At OMR we provide you in-depth analysis of the biotechnology market which includes agricultural technologies, healthcare, telemedicine, food and beverage and biopharmaceuticals. We provide extensive analysis of government regulation such as tax, export-import policies, drug policies and food safety laws and other laws by top markets. We also provide detailed analysis of each segment along with market driver, restraints and opportunities. Our numbers are confirmed through extensive primary research. OMRs Biotechnology market reports will provide you a great decision making tool.OMR provides Key company analysis which comprise of various strategies, product portfolio, pipeline analysis and in-depth analysis of R&D scenario in pharmaceutical domain. We provide detailed analysis of regional and global regulations and policies such as public funding, FDA regulations and tax exemption.CORPORATE OFFICE:Orion Market Research Pvt Ltd116, Shagun ArcadeVijay Nagar SquareIndore, Madhya Pradesh  India- 452010Email: info@omrglobal.com, support@omrglobal.comIndia: +91-780-304-0404, +91-917-982-8694Global: +1-646-755-7667
Volume Sales of Polysaccharides and Oligosaccharides Market will Remain Largest in APEJ till 2017 to 2026

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A freshly compiled business intelligent report, titled Polysaccharides and OligosaccharidesMarket Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking - Global Review 2017 to 2026 has been publicized to the vast archive of Fact.MR online repository. This _ page study delivers all the vital details and information required to know about Polysaccharides and Oligosaccharides market current as well as future prospects. The analysts of the study have gone through extensive research methodologies in order to generate data and information that reflects the latest market undercurrents and industry trends. For a deeper understanding of the market, a sub-category level analysis has been elaborated, by which readers and investors of the report will able to know that where the market stands to gain.Request For Sample Report @Increasing demand for polysaccharides and oligosaccharides in animal feed, infant formula, functional beverages and bakery and confectionery is expected to fuel the growth of the global market in the coming years. In addition, increasing health awareness among individuals across regions in the globe, shift in focus and lifestyle towards healthy and nutritious food along with growing investments in food sector and favorable government initiatives are expected to contribute to the growth of the global market. Polysaccharides and oligosaccharides are used in various applications such as functional beverages, bakery and confectionery, infant milk formula, snacks, animal feed and dairy products. Plants, algae, bacteria and fungi are few of the sources of polysaccharides ad oligosaccharides.According to Fact.MR, the global market for polysaccharides and oligosaccharides is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.2% with respect to volume, throughout the period of assessment, 2017-2026. Also, according to this fact based research report, the global polysaccharides and oligosaccharides market is estimated to reach a valuation of above US$ 18 Bn by the end of the year of assessment, growing at a moderate rate during the said period.Asia Pacific Excluding Japan to Surpass Other Regions With Respect to Growth Rate and Market Share During the Forecast PeriodAsia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region is expected to be a highly lucrative region for the growth of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides market. The consumption of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides is expected to grow in this region owing to increased demand from the food sector in various applications. The polysaccharides and oligosaccharides market in APEJ is estimated to reach a valuation a little under US$ 9 Bn by the end of the year of assessment from a value of about US$ 5 Bn in 2017. The market in this region is projected to grow at the highest pace throughout the period of forecast to register a relatively high value CAGR.Europe followed by North America are also expected to largely contribute to the growth of the global polysaccharides and oligosaccharides market. Europe is expected to be the second largest with respect to market valuation. Also the consumption of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides in this region is expected to grow at a moderate pace in the coming years.Browse Full Report with TOC @Demand for Polysaccharides and Oligosaccharides in Animal Feed to Reflect High Growth in the Coming YearsPolysaccharides and oligosaccharides are used in various applications such as in the production of beverages, infant milk formula, animal feed, bakery and confectionery, dairy products and snacks. The consumption of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides in animal feed is expected to increase at a robust rate in the coming years. The animal feed application segment is projected to grow at a relatively high value CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period. However, the beverages application segment is estimated to be the largest with a high market share and value and is expected to dominate the global market throughout the period of forecast.Competition TrackingLeading producers of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides have been profiled in this research report, that include companies like Novozyme, Takasago, Chr Hansen, Senseint, Wild Flavors, Symrise, Glanbia Ingredients, IFF, Tate & Lyle, Firemenich, McComick, ABF, DSM, Givuandan and Dupont. Details of these key players such as company overview, key financials, key personnel, expansion plans and geographical spread, product portfolio, developments and innovations and key strategies is covered in this research study.Check Discount @About Fact.MRFact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized Food & Beverages Market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFact.MR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:
Key Factors to Fuel Growth of the Plastic and Competitive Pipe Market through 2020

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Plastic and competitive pipe is used for the conveyance of potable water, wastewater, heating and cooling fluids, foodstuffs, chemicals, gases, compressed air and vacuum system applications. Use of plastic and competitive pipe offers a broad range of advantages such as moderate cost, corrosion resistance, ease of handling and installation and long service life. These advantages further helps in the growth of plastics and competitive market. PVC, HDPE, fiberglass, ABS and CPVC are types of plastic pipe. Other pipe materials include steel, copper, concrete, aluminum, ductile iron and clay. PVC contributes the largest market share in plastics pipe.The application of plastics and competitive pipes are used in building and construction industry, electrical and electronics industry, chemical and petroleum industry. The growing expenditure on building construction further increases the demand of plastics and competitive pipe. Increasing construction of residential market, increasing housing completions and growing construction of kitchen and bathroom leads to boost the demand for drain, waste, and vent pipe. To conduct proper electrical and telecommunication wiring, use of plastics pipe is growing in non-residential building. Building and construction industry contributed the largest share in global market of plastics and competitive pipe.Request Report Sample@Due to its low cost, high durability and compression the use of steel pipe is growing in oil and gas industry. Activities such as drilling and distribution of gas pipeline further increase the demand of steel pipes. Among all material, steel pipes accounted the largest share in global competitive pipe market. Various government projects regarding investment on gas pipeline distribution further boost the market of plastics and competitive pipe.In North America, plastics and competitive pipe market is growing due to various government investment over gas exploration and municipal infrastructure in wastewater pipeline distribution. The huge investment on residential and commercial building construction in developing countries of Asia Pacific further boosts the plastics and competitive pipe market.Visit For TOC@Some of the major companies operating in global plastic and competitive pipe market are McWane, Inc, Advanced Drainage Systems Incorporated, Alcoa Incorporated, American Cast Iron Pipe Company, AMSTED Industries Incorporated, Can Clay Corporation, CONTECH Engineered Solutions LLC, Cretex Companies Incorporated, Atkore International Holdings Incorporated, Pipelife Jet Stream and United States Pipe and Foundry Company LLC.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,Telephone - +1-646-568-7751USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
It appears there is still no love lost between Kenyas moral cop Ezekiel Mutua and journalist Larry Madowo.

This after the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) Chief Executive Officer launched a scathing attack against the BBC Africa business editor on social media.

Taking to Twitter, Ezekiel, who only a day ago got on the wrong side of Kenyans over a sculpture at the JKIA, aimed below the belt telling Larry to get married and settle down.

Madowo had poked fun at Ezekiel for banning the film Rafiki when he sent out a tweet with a link to his scathing opinion piece on the Washington Post which he captioned, Kenya banned Wanuri Kahius film Rafiki. She got a standing ovation at #Cannes2018 Whos laughing now?

In his Washington Post article titled Kenyas homophobia is not the only dangerous thing about the ban on Rafiki, Madowo once again called out Ezekiel Mutua and KFCB.

Mutua, who was seemingly angered by Larrys showboating, lashed out at Larry on Tuesday.

Larry Madowo is a successful journalist but he is no paragon of virtue. He has no moral authority to lecture anyone about life, family or Godliness. Get a wife Chief and settle down!

He added: There is more to life than money and the glory of a byline. Values that are rooted in godliness, family, and cultural heritage are the basis of great nations and great people. The rest is hype and hoopla #IfikieLarryMadowo.

The attack backfired on him as Kenyans on Twitter ganged up in defense of the former NTV news presenter.
Global Auction Software Market Size, Status, Application, Types, Overview & Forecast to 2025

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An up-to-date research report 2018 has been disclosed by Market Research Hub highlighting the title Global Auction Software Market Report 2018 which provides an outlook for current market value as well as the expected forecast including Rate on Investment (ROI) together with the growing CAGR near XX% during 2018-2025. The report studies the Auction Software market worldwide, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, size, growth, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions.Request Free Sample Report:This report studies the global Auction Software market, analyzes and researches the Auction Software development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likePromena e-Sourcing SolutionsEastern UnityRainWorx SoftwareILanceMerkeleon SoftwareOnline Ventures SoftwareE-Multitech Solutionauctions-experts.comBiddingOwl.comAuction FlexEnuukAuctionAnything.comOakgroundsScriptSoftAuctionAuction123Xpert Online Auction Software501 AuctionsMaestroSoftAuctionerMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoOn-premisesCloud-BasedMarket segment by Application, Auction Software can be split intoSmall and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)Large EnterprisesBrowse Full Report with TOC:Table of Content:Global Auction Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 20251 Industry Overview of Auction Software1.1 Auction Software Market Overview1.1.1 Auction Software Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Auction Software Market Size and Analysis by Regions (2013-2018)1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Auction Software Market by Type1.3.1 On-premises1.3.2 Cloud-Based1.4 Auction Software Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)1.4.2 Large Enterprises2 Global Auction Software Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Auction Software Market Size (Value) by Players (2013-2018)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Promena e-Sourcing Solutions3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Auction Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Eastern Unity3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Auction Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 RainWorx Software3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Auction Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 ILance3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Auction Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.4.5 Recent Developments.. @@ ContinuedAbout Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of software market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.com
Cervical Fusion Market by Human Pathology Types, Detail Analysis and Forecasts To 2023

Cervical Fusion Market

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Market Scenario:The neck pain occurs due to degenerative changes in spinal discs in the cervical region of the spine. Discectomy is the most common surgical procedures for problems related to the cervical vertebral column. The surgical procedure involves the removal of the vertebral disc.The cervical spinal fusion also known as arthrodesis is a surgery to connect selected bones in the cervical vertebral column of the spine below the neck. Factors such as the increasing prevalence of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid and the rising aging population are mainly driving the global cervical fusion market. The complications of the spine surgery and the high initial costs of treatments are some of the factors hampering the growth of the market across the globe. The growing health concerns and the geriatric population have steered the governments of various countries to undertake numerous initiatives thus turning the tide of opportunities for this market.Get Exclusive Sample Report @Intended Audience Cervical Fusion Suppliers Cervical Fusion Manufacturers Research and Development (R&D) Companies Medical Research Laboratories Academic Medical Institutes and UniversitiesRegional Analysis:The global cervical fusion market consists of four regions, namely, the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.The Americas dominate the global cervical fusion market owing to the fast disease progression, technological improvements in the spinal disorder treatment process, broadening insurance coverage and the expanding private healthcare sector, improving overall healthcare infrastructure, and the economic growth. Moreover, there has been a significant rise in the number of surgical procedures in the U.S. and Canada due to large pool of patient population to aid the market growth.The Middle Eastern and African region is growing at a steady pace contributing the lowest share of the global cervical fusion market.Segmentation:The global cervical fusion market is segmented on the basis of fusion type, type, surgery, and end-user.On the basis of fusion type, the global cervical fusion market is segmented into anterior interbody fusion, anterior cervical fusion, posterior fusion, and others. The interbody cervical fusion is further segmented into non-bone interbody cervical fusion, bone interbody cervical fusion, and others.On the basis of end-user, the market is segmented into orthopedic clinics, multispecialty hospitals, neurology clinics, and others.Key Players:Some of the key players in the global cervical fusion market are Medtronic, Inc. (U.S.), DePuy Spine, Inc. (U.S.), Synthes, Inc. (U.S.), Stryker Corporation (U.S.), NuVasive, Inc. (U.S.), Globus Medical Inc. (U.S.), Orthofix Holdings, Inc. (U.S.), Biomet, Inc. (U.S.), Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (U.S.), Alphatec Spine, Inc. (U.S.), Pioneer Surgical Technology Spine (U.S.), K2M, Inc. (U.S.), Integra LifeSciences Corporation (U.S.), LDR Holding Corporation (U.S.), AMEDICA Corporation (U.S.), RTI Surgical, Inc. (U.S.), Exactech, Inc. (U.S.), ArthroCare Corporation (U.S.), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Medicrea Technologies UK Ltd (UK), BAUMER (Switzerland), Medacta (U.S.), Shanghai Microport Orthopedics (China), and others.Get Your Customized Report @TABLE OF CONTENTChapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restraints4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Treatment Trends & AssessmentTOC Continued!Get Discount @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Key Factors to Fuel Growth of the Textile Printing Market through 2020

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Application of coloring pattern and design to decorate the finished fabric is referred as printing. At the time of printing the color is applied to the fabric so that the color or design is not affected at the time of washing. Textile printing is a process of applying color to fabric in definite pattern and design. Textile printing is sometime confused with dyeing. In dyeing whole fabric is uniformly colored with one color only, where as in case of textile printing more than one color is applied on the fabric to some part in defined pattern. In textile printing, wooden blocks, stencils, engraved plates or rollers are used to apply color on the fabric. Thick dyes are used at the time printing to prevent the spreading of color beyond the limit of design.Main objective of textile printing is to produce fabric with attractive design and defined pattern. On the bases of technology the global market for textile printing can be bifurcated into direct printing, discharge printing (white and color discharge) and resist painting (white and color resist). Other methods of printing include block printing, roller printing, duplex printing, screen printing, stencil printing, transfer printing, blotch printing, jet spray printing, electrostatic printing and digital printing. Digital printing is expected to witness highest growth in the forecasted period.Request Report Sample@Asia Pacific has the largest market share for textile printing, followed by Europe and North America. China and India alone holds the largest market share for textile printing globally. Europe is expected to witness marginal growth in coming future. Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness highest growth and maintain its dominance in the forecasted period. Domestic demand in India and China are the major region for increasing demand for textile printing technology in the Asia-Pacific region.Advancement in technology paired with increasing method of printing is driving the global textile printing market. Additionally, with increasing disposable income customers are able to afford designer ware with attractive design on the fabric; this is again driving the global textile printing market. Also, increased demand for digital printing on saris and dress materials is further expected to increase the textile printing technology to some extent.Visit For TOC@Some of the major companies operating in the global textile printing markets are AM Printex, JV Digital Printing, Digitex India Inc., AGS Transact Technologies, Dazian LLC, Fisher Textiles, Inc., Glen Raven, Inc., Dickson Coatings, Mehler Texnologies and China Dyeing Holdings, LtdAbout UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,Telephone - +1-646-568-7751USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Market Overview: Used and Refurbished Robots Market in Americas to grow at a CAGR of 7.22% during Forecast 2017-2021

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Robots that are reconditioned and restored to their original operating condition for deployment in the industrial applications are categorized as used and refurbished robots. The used robots are usually disassembled, inspected, and tested for replacement of any mechanical or electrical component and then reassembled back to their original state. The used and refurbished robots are equipped with vision system, GPS, and advanced sensors.The used and refurbished robots market in Americas to grow at a CAGR of 7.22% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the used and refurbished robots market in Americas for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers installations, shipments, sales and retrofit, replacement, spares, aftermarket, and services market.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- Canada- Brazil- Mexico- US- OthersClick to get Sample PDF:Technavio's report, Used and Refurbished Robots Market in Americas 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors- Alliance Robotics- Antenen Robotics- MASTER Robotics- Northline Robot World- The Robot CompanyOther prominent vendors- Autotech Robotics- EUROBOTS- Industrial Robot Supply- New Age Robotics- SCOTT TechnologyMarket driver- Reduction in company expenditure- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge- Higher maintenance requirements than new robots- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend- Growth of the robotics rental market- For a full, detailed list, view our reportView Complete TOC with Tables and Figures at:Key questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?- What are the key market trends?- What is driving this market?- What are the challenges to market growth?- Who are the key vendors in this market space?ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Global Electric Truck Market by Vehicle Type, Size, Components, by Geography and Prospects Professional Market Research Report 2013-2023

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The global electric truck market is expected to observe extensive growth in the coming years because of stringent emission norms and growing government support in the form of subsidies, grants, and tax rebates for electric vehicles. In addition, falling battery pack costs, improving charging infrastructure, and increasing electric vehicle range have fueled the global demand for electric trucksExplore Full Report Description At:On the basis of vehicle type, electric truck market is categorized into hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). On the basis of battery type, Li-ion battery is expected to be the fastest growing category during the forecast period. Falling prices of Li-ion batteries is expected to benefit their sales during the forecast period.Based on the market size, the light commercial vehicle (LCV) category is expected to dominate the industry during the forecast period, owing to the higher production and sales and lower upfront cost of LCVs as compared to heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs). In the latter half of the forecast period, electric LCVs are expected to reach cost parity with diesel LCVs, which will further benefit their market growth.During the forecast period, Asia-Pacific, led by China, is expected to be the largest electric truck market, globally. The Chinese government support for new energy vehicles as well as the government plans to end the sale of new conventional vehicles in the coming years is anticipated to fuel the demand for these trucks in the region.Download Free Report Sample At:Some of the major players in the industry are Daimler AG, BYD Co Ltd., Iveco S.p.A., E-Force One AG, Scania AB, Hino Motors Ltd., Allison Transmission Inc., Isuzu Motors Limited, Nissan Motor Company Ltd, and Dongfeng Motor Corporation.About P&S Market ResearchP&S Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide market research reports, industry reports, business intelligence and research based consulting services across a range of industries.With the help of our professional corporate relations with various companies, our market research offers the most accurate market forecasting. Our analysts and consultants interact with leading companies of the concerned domain to substantiate every single data presented in our publication. Our research assists our client in identifying new and different windows of opportunity and frame informed and customized strategies for expansion in different regions.Contact:P&S Market Research347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY  10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:
Fermented Non-Dairy Beverages Market | World Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2025

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Fermented Non-Dairy Beverages: Market OverviewFermentation is a metabolic process that converts carbohydrates into acid, gases or alcohols. In recent years demand for non-dairy based probiotic products over milk based beverages as non-dairy fermented products contain minimal or no cholesterol. Fermented non-dairy beverages include carbonated drinks, alcohol, kombucha, rejuvelac, juice from cultured vegetables, kvass, sweet potato fly, water kefir, ginger beer etc. According to recent developments, fermented non-dairy beverages will continue to be a significant component in functional food market.Request For Report Brochure @Fermented Non-Dairy Beverages: Market Trends and DriversFermented non-dairy beverage market is primarily driven by high added value and functional properties of these beverages. Increase in the number of health conscious consumers and rising demand for natural or organic food is one of the key driver for the fermented non-dairy beverages like fruit/ vegetable juice. Also non-dairy beverages like some fruit juices have good flavor as well as refreshing nature which helps these drinks to expand in the market. Rising economic prosperity and greater inclination towards social drinking is also key factor for driving fermented non-dairy beverages like alcohols. Consumers nowadays are preferring some of the fermented organic herbal tea over traditional tea which is one of the key responsible driver for the rise in market for fermented non-dairy beverages. Technological advances in characteristics of fruits and vegetables are making them ideal substrates for the culture of probiotics. Rising levels of lactose intolerance worldwide is also one of the key driver for increasing market for fermented non-dairy beverages.Fermented Non-Dairy Beverages: Market SegmentationOn the basis of raw materials or source and end product market is segmented as fruits, vegetables, cereals, tea etc. Grains mainly includes wheat, rice, millet and others. Similarly, vegetables include beets, carrots and cultures contain scoby, mushrooms and other cultures.Grains are the mainly used source for the preparation of fermented non-dairy beverages such as alcohols and other beverages like rejuvelac, mageu, boza etc. Fruits and vegetables are in high rise in fermented non-dairy beverages domain with different juices as well as probiotic drinks.On the basis of end product fermented non-dairy beverages are segmented as alcoholic beverages, fruit/ vegetable juices, herbal tea, carbonated drinks etc. Further alcoholic beverages are sub-segmented in to wine, whisky, rum and others. Similarly, fruits and vegetable juices are sub-segmented into mead, kefir, kvass, lacto-fermented orange juice etc.On the basis of distribution channel fermented non-dairy beverages are segmented as supermarkets/hypermarket, discounters retailers and online. In recent years fermented non-dairy beverages are getting importance in supermarkets and discounters where in the small retailer are facing declines in their distribution.Fermented Non-Dairy Beverages: Key PlayersThe fermented non-dairy beverage market is dominated by some players like General Mills, Inc., PepsiCo, Inc., China-Biotics Inc., Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd., Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt Ltd, Nestle S.A., PROBI AB, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and company, Chr. Hansen A/S, Lifeway foods, Groupe Danone S.A., AGM Foods Pty Ltd., Skane Dairy, Tine SA, and Biosa Inc. have their marketed fermented non-dairy products.Obtain Report Details @Fermented Non-Dairy Beverages: Market by GeographyFermented non-dairy beverage market is further segmented on the basis of regions as North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. For fermented beverages made from cereals are popular in the tropical regions and in Africa. Bulgaria and Turkey also contribute in the cereal fermented non-dairy beverages. Russia is popular for its kevass fermented rye bread beverage. Also Japan, Mexico and China etc. have fermented non-dairy beverage product which is consumed worldwide. Fermented Non-dairy beverages are highly prevalent in Europe due to high obesity and digestive disorders.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is leader in analytics, research, and advisory services for Fortune 500 companies, scores of high potential startups, and financial institutions. Our success stories have proven why we are a preeminent provider of cutting-edge syndicated and customized research services. Leverage the best of our seasoned research analysts who hold a keen interest and enviable expertise of almost 4 million hours in global, regional, and local market intelligence.Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Disposable Cups Market to register a value CAGR of 5.9% for the forecast period, 2016-2026

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Recyclability, lightweight, and other physical attributes of disposable cups will continue to make them the foremost choice of packaging food products and beverages. Disposable cups are designed to hold both, hot and cold, substances, which further propels their applicability in global food & beverage industry. However, a majority of disposable cups are made from plastic materials to reduce chances of food contamination. This raises concerns regarding impact of such plastic cups on the environment, whether in terms of rising production or from dumping waste plastic disposable cups.Request For TOC @The breakthrough for disposable cup manufacturers in tackling such stringent hurdles is the advent of biodegradable materials in production of disposable cups. Disposable cups made from bioplastics or other such materials is predicted to garner surplus demand in the years to come. Such favourable consumer preferences, coupled with rising consumption of fast foods and on-the-go beverages in the world, will also continue consolidating the growth of global disposable cups market. Future Market Insights latest report on global market for disposable cups projects that by the end of 2026, more than US$ 21.2 Bn worth of disposable cups will be sold globally.The report estimates the markets current value at a little less than US$ 12 Bn, and anticipates it to register a value CAGR of 5.9% for the forecast period, 2016-2026. According to the report, more than 500 Bn units of disposable cups were sold across the globe in 2016. The global sales of disposable cups is expected to surge steadily at 5.1% CAGR, procuring revenues from sales of over 850 Bn units towards the end of 2026.Key highlights of the report, titled Disposable Cups Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026, include:Based on moulding technologies, demand for thermoformed moulding is projected to gain traction, procuring over 70% share of global market revenuesPaper will continue to be the most sought-after material for production of disposable cups, revenues from which are projected to soar at 6.3% CAGRBy 2026-end, more than 280 Bn units of plastic disposable cups are projected to get sold across the globe; registering higher sales of disposable cups made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) materials.Throughout the forecast period, over 700 Bn units of printable disposable cups will sold globally, while non-printable disposable cups will register a relatively sluggish revenue growthOwing to their higher applicability in packaging beverages, disposable cups with 200 to 400 ml capacity will remain in great demand, accounting for nearly half of global market revenues towards the end of 2026Over two-third of revenues emanating from global sales of disposable cups will be accounted by dairy and beverage applications, with the latter procuring higher shareOn the same lines, the market is projected to witness higher contribution from food retail companies as end-users of disposable cupsRequest For Sample @The report further reveals that North America is likely to be procure a little over one-fourth share of global disposable cup revenues through 2026. During this period, the Asia-Pacific region will dominate the market by closing in on 30% revenue share. The regions dominance is being continued by active participation of China-based disposable cup manufacturers such as Hong Er Plastic Manufacture Limited, Zhejiang Hongsu Plastic Co., Ltd., UNHONG Corp., Zhejiang KaiJia Plastics Co., Ltd., and Changsha Yuhao Imports & Exports Co. Ltd. The report has also profiled leading manufacturers of disposable cups in the world, which include, Berry Plastics Corporation, Pactiv LLC, Huhtamaki OYJ, Solo Cup Company, Greiner Packaging GmbH, Genpak LLC, Dart Container Corporation, ConverPack, Eco-Products Inc., Cosmoplast Ind. Co. (LLC) and Churchill Container.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature.FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Kigelia Extract Market : Recent Analysis and Food Industry Improvements 2017  2027

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Kigelia Africana or Kigelia pinnata, which is a cucumber-shaped fruit is produced throughout Africa and derives its name from the rare 'sausage' shaped fruit. Africas native people have been using Kigelia fruit for medicinal and cosmetic purposes for many years. The Tonga women of Africa who lives near Zambezi Valley uses kigelia extract for the cosmetic purpose which in turn gives them an assurance of blemish-free complexion. It is a multipurpose medicinal plant with many qualities and considerable capacities. It got its name due to large sausage or cucumber-like fruit.Kigelia fruit was commonly used by traditional healers to treat a broad range of skin conditions such as fungal infections, eczema, psoriasis and boils. Kigelia Extract is also used as active ingredient in skin tightening and breast firming formulations. It acts as a moisturizer which provides protection to sensitive skins. Therefore it is a perfect solution for dry skin that is often exposed to the sun and helps in Rejuvenation and anti-aging of skin. The plant also has traditional uses such as anticancer, antiulcer, anti-aging, antioxidant, and anti-malarial.Request For Report Brochure @Due to the skin-enhancing properties, cosmetic companies uses kigelia extract to make varieties of skin care and personal care products. Kigelia fruit extract also was utilized in the treatment of skin cancer named Melanoma.Kigelia contains compounds such as flavonoids, coumarins, norviburtinal, iridoids, fatty acids, sterols, glycosides and napthaquinones. Scientific literature has shown antibacterial activity and kigelia extract has also been shown to contract the area of small wounds. Being used as a topical skin preparation, kigelia is also taken internally to treat conditions such as dysentery, ringworm, malaria, diabetes and pneumonia.Kigelia Africana Fruit Extract includes the following substances, among others; Flavones are polyphenols with anti-oxidative effects, steroidal saponins and their aglycones such as ruscogenin also have a tightening effect on the connective tissue and Phytosterols such as stigmasterol and -sitosterol stabilize the skin barrier analogous to the human cholesterol.Kigelia Extract Market Dynamics: Drivers and RestraintsIncreasing population, rising awareness among consumers about benefits associated with Kigelia extract, growing health consciousness and aspiration for skin and personal care products are the factors expected to fuel the growth of kigelia extract during the forecast period.Lack of awareness among consumers regarding kigelia benefits and high cost of Kigelia fruit can be restraints of global kigelia extract market.Kigelia Extract Market SegmentationKigelia extract market segmented by end use/application, product form, and process. Based on product form, kigelia extract market segmented into powdered and liquid form. Over the next few years, a Liquid form of Kigelia extract is expected to witness relatively higher share in the global Kigelia extract market and used as a conditioner, serum, gel, moisturizer, shampoo, etc. By end use/application, Kigelia extract market segmented into cosmetics industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and textile industry. Based on the process, Kigelia Extract market further segmented into fermentation, calcification, biochemical, phytochemical, micro dilution, and maceration process.Kigelia Extract Market: Regional OutlookKigelia Africana known as the Sausage tree widely distributed through the South, Central, and West Africa, where it has a long history of use. Africa is the dominant player in global Kigelia extract market followed by Eastern and Western Europe, China, UK, Latin America, North America, India and other regions. Companies in the kigelia extract market focus upon taking advantage of the opportunities in developing nations like India and China to strengthen their geographical presence and expand their revenue base. Overall, the overview of the global kigelia extract market will have significant growth in the forecast period, increasing demand for skin care products and health consciousness among consumers are forging factors.Obtain Report Details @Kigelia Extract Market PlayersSome players in the global Kigelia Extract Market are Byron Bay, bioBotanica, Greentech, Xi'an Herbeing Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Nanjing Zelang Medical Technology Co., Ltd., May Gi Joy International Company Limited, Meso Skin Care & Marketing Sdn. Bhd.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is leader in analytics, research, and advisory services for Fortune 500 companies, scores of high potential startups, and financial institutions. Our success stories have proven why we are a preeminent provider of cutting-edge syndicated and customized research services. Leverage the best of our seasoned research analysts who hold a keen interest and enviable expertise of almost 4 million hours in global, regional, and local market intelligence.Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) on Monday launched the second edition of the successful Jijenge na Ka-Quarter promotion.

The promotion will again see consumers of selected KBL spirits brands stand the chance to win a quarter acre of land each through this unique value proposition.

The first season of the national consumer promotion that ran from July to October 2017 had the highest recorded participation numbers for any KBL spirits promotion to date showing the promotions impact and resonance with the consumer.

Speaking on the launch of Jijenge Na Kaquarter 2, KBLs Managing Director, Jane Karuku said the company is excited about the forthcoming season buoyed by the positive consumer feedback in the previous campaign. She said the promotion would offer yet another opportunity for consumers to engage with their brands of choice in an impactful manner with a prize that is aligned to their needs and aspirations.

We embark on a new season of the Jijenge na Kaquarter national consumer promotion that will present yet another opportunity to connect with our consumers and celebrate their continued support over the years.

She added: The first season registered the highest participation of any spirits campaign from KBL, demonstrating inventiveness and impact. We anticipate an even higher turnout this time around that will mean increased value for our consumers. We aim to continue innovating not only in our product offering, but also in how we engage with consumers..

The brands participating in this season of the promotion include; Kenya Cane Original, Coconut and the new Kenya Cane Citrus Fusion, Chrome Vodka, Orijin Herbal Spirit, Triple Ace Vodka, Kane Extra, Popov Vodka and Jebel Special.

The promotion will again see 10 lucky consumers become land winners further showcasing KBLs continued commitment to enhancing the consumer experience signified by this promotional campaign investment.

To stand a chance of winning, consumers needed to purchase a 250ml bottle of any of the seven spirit brands; then send the unique code on the bottle via SMS to 21450.
Mushrooms Market Revenue, Size, Share, Growth, Trends | Industry Forecast 2025

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The global mushroom market has witnessed a great development in the recent owing to highly market competition. Growing number of companies and established players focusing consolidating their market presence by getting involved in activities such as distributors in new geographical regions, mergers and acquisitions, and collaborations. Some of the prominent names in the global mushroom market include names such as Okechamp S.A., Costa Group, Monterey Mushrooms Inc., Drinkwaters Mushroom Ltd., Monaghan Mushrooms,The Mushroom Company, CMP Mushrooms Greenyard NV (Lutece), Shanghai Finc Bio-Tech Inc., and Bonduelle SA. One of the key development in the competitive landscape of the global mushroom market involved Bonduelle Group acquire Ready Pac Foods. This acquisition has led to the generation of revenue over 2 billion euros over the financial year 2016-2017 for the first time in Bunduelles history. This surge in turnover is mark of resilience showed by the company despite of adverse market conditions such as drop in consumption in Europe, economic crunch in developing nations, and difficult harvests among others.Request For Report Brochure @The global mushrooms market stood at an overall valuation of US$34.1 bn in the year 2015. The market is expected to reach the valuation worth US$ 69.3 bn by the end of the mentioned forecast period of 2016-2024. This growth is expected to be achieved at a healthy CAGR of 8.2% during the aforementioned forecast period. The Asia Pacific market for mushrooms is primarily driven by China and estimated to progress with a CAGR of 8.8% during the mentioned forecast period of 2016-2024. However, North America will continue its dominance over the global mushroom market as the region for maximum demand and is estimated to reach valuation of US$23.8 bn along by the fall of 2024.Advancements in Packaging Technology to Drive Global Mushrooms MarketThere has been a tremendous rise in the consumption of refined food and that coupled with increasing awareness among customers about the health advantages of mushrooms is primarily driving the global mushroom market. In addition to this, advancements in packaging technology has considerably enhanced the shelf-life of mushrooms. This has been also a significant driver for the growth in the global mushrooms market. It is also expected that there will be a great demand for processed mushroom such as dried, canned, and frozen.Obtain Report Details @Production of mushroom-based consumables such as mushroom-based beverages and health drinks and growing acquisitions and partnerships between the prominent market players has played an important part in the developing the mushroom market globally. People around the world have been heavily relying on processed food, imported products, and there has been increasing demand for mushrooms to be used in different food items and beverages in developed economies have considerably impacted the growth of the mushroom market. Also, there are various health benefits associated with the consumption of mushrooms. This factor is also expected to stimulate the market in a positive manner.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is leader in analytics, research, and advisory services for Fortune 500 companies, scores of high potential startups, and financial institutions. Our success stories have proven why we are a preeminent provider of cutting-edge syndicated and customized research services. Leverage the best of our seasoned research analysts who hold a keen interest and enviable expertise of almost 4 million hours in global, regional, and local market intelligence.Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
The UKs True Fleet breaks the negative trend but can it maintain beyond April?

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Frankfurt am Main -- Is there a glimmer of hope for the UK Fleet market for 2018? Perhaps, as True Fleet recorded its first set of positive numbers in 13 months (lucky for some). Overall the Total Market was up by 10.4% finishing just shy of 168,000 registrations, with the biggest portion of this coming from the Private Market which jumped 26.2%. True Fleets followed with a + 6.3% while Special Channels finished in negative territory to the tune of 8.1%. It now remains to be seen whether a corner has been turned or is this just a positive blip caused by a particularly bad April 2017? At this stage only time will tell.Brand PerformanceSharing the positive numbers were the majority of OEMs inside the top 10, though the number three appears to be a theme in terms of growth. Three brands had a negative month, three other brands all achieved double-digit positive growth rates. Ford and Vauxhall (Opel) were once again back to alternating the monthly top spot with the Blue Oval brand taking the podium finish this month, no doubt returning it to Vauxhall in May. The next three challengers in the ranking were the German brands of Mercedes (3rd), VW (4th) and Audi (5th). Big brother VW leapfrogged Audi in terms of last years ranking and was the first of the three double-digit growth brands with an impressive 33.3% rise.Nissan took 6th spot followed by BMW and Hyundai but the real surprise came from the Japanese manufacturer whose growth rate was + 33.0%. SEAT in 9th had the highest growth with a + 49.6% thanks to the Leon and Arona with the Compact Car actually more than doubling last years April registrations. The French brand Peugeot took the last spot in the top 10, moving up from 11th position last year with a little help from the 5008 which has also made its own move in terms of segment, moving from MPV to SUV with the new generation model.The ever growing SUV familyWhile SUV continues to be the fastest growing segment we took a look at just how the new entries were faring in what is possibly now one of or the most competitive vehicle group. There were 96 different SUVs with at least one registration in True Fleet for April 2018 and this list will continue to grow. Notably there were 19 new SUV entries in the market that had no registrations in April 2017. This vehicle segment truly has a plethora of choice for the consumer.While somewhat difficult to compare given the different release dates, sizes and demographics of consumers we still see some solid numbers from most of these 19. The two newest SUVs longest on the market are Vauxhall Crossland X and the Range Rover Velar and while understandably the Crossland has the most registrations it was surprising to see the Velar is 2nd given the somewhat narrower pool of customers. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, the Peugeot 5008 and the SEAT Arona were all released late in 2017 but have now all managed to accumulate four-digit numbers in fleet registrations. The similar sized models of Citroen C3 Aircross, Hyundai Kona and Kia Stonic are all set to battle it out in 2018. The C3 currently leads this grouping and is ranked 37th for all fleet SUVs year-to-date but Kona and Stonic are not far behind. However, if the Kona remains at its current registration rate it will soon be moving a lot further up the SUV ranking in terms of year-to-date figures.(591 words; 3,333 characters)Publication by indication of source (DATAFORCE) and author (as listed below) onlyDATAFORCE  Focus on FleetsDataforce is the leading provider of fleet market data and automotive intelligence solutions in Europe. In addition, the company also provides detailed information on sales opportunities for the automotive industry, together with a wide portfolio of information based on primary market research and consulting services. The company is based in Frankfurt, Germany.Gabriel JuhasDataforce Verlagsgesellschaft fur Business Informationen mbHHamburger Allee 1460486 Frankfurt am MainGermanyPhone: +49 69 95930-250Fax: +49 69 95930-333Email: gabriel.juhas@dataforce.de
Stepper Motor Market Size, Share, Technology, End User, Growth Opportunities and Demand by 2023

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The global stepper motor market is expected to reach $2,172.5 million in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 3.8%. Among the various types of stepper motors, the rotary stepper motor segment accounted for about 73% share of the global stepper motor market. The advancement in stepper motor technology, in addition with increasing demand of waterproof stepper motors is expected to boost the demand of stepper motor system during the forecast period. During the recent years, the demand for miniature stepper motor has increased, owing to its growing penetration in electronic products with size constrain.Download Free Report Sample @Permanent magnet (PM) stepper motors are the preferred selection for high power applications, such as navy propulsion and industrial drive applications. The technical advancements, such as design of variable flux PM stepper motor facilitate high power applications with high accuracy and control. The demand for hybrid stepper motors is expected to grow in the medical equipment industry. Hybrid stepper motors are used in array of medical equipment, including surgical hand tools, ventilation equipment, and medical pumps.The increased accuracy of closed loop stepper motor, owing to the recent technical development, has increased the cross penetration of stepper motor system in the applications, where servo motors were dominant earlier, such as belt drive. The significant reduction in noise and heat generation under high speed operation is laying new growth opportunities for the stepper motor market at high speed, and high voltage applications in industrial automation.The growth of the stepper motor market has been effected from a weak semiconductor market in Japan, slow economic growth in Europe, along with overproduction in China. In terms of revenue, the market is expected to witness slower growth during the forecast period, compared to the current growth of the stepper motor market.Explore report @Some of the major companies operating in the global stepper motor market include Nippon Pulse Motor Co. Ltd., Schneider Electric SE., ABB Ltd., Applied Motion Products Inc., Delta Electronics Inc., SANYO DENKI CO. LTD., National Instruments Corporation, Nidec Corporation, Oriental Motor Co. Ltd., FAULHABER Group, and Lin Engineering LLC.About P&S Market ResearchP&S Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide market research reports, industry reports, business intelligence and research based consulting services across a range of industries.With the help of our professional corporate relations with various companies, our market research offers the most accurate market forecasting. Our analysts and consultants interact with leading companies of the concerned domain to substantiate every single data presented in our publication. Our research assists our client in identifying new and different windows of opportunity and frame informed and customized strategies for expansion in different regions.Contact:P&S Market Research347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:
Overview Of The Global Markets and Technologies For Medical Aesthetic Devices

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"The Latest Research Report Medical Aesthetic Devices: Technologies and Global Markets provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Aesthetic medicine comprises all medical procedures that are aimed at improving the physical appearance and satisfaction of the patient, using non-invasive to minimally invasive cosmetic procedures. The aesthetic medicine specialty is not confined to dermatologists and plastic surgeons, as doctors of all specialties seek to offer services to address their patients aesthetic needs and desires. All aesthetic medicine procedures are performed under locoregional anesthesia.The exciting field of aesthetic medicine is a new trend. Patients not only want to be in good health, they also want to enjoy life to the fullest, be fit and minimize the effects of natural aging. Indeed, patients are now requesting quick, non-invasive procedures with minor downtime and very little risk.This recent trend explains the current success of aesthetic medicine around the globe. These aesthetic procedures consist of:- Injections of neurotoxins and dermal fillers.- Chemical peels.- Cosmetic dermatology treatments.- Microdermabrasion.- Body contouring and treatment of cellulite.- Nutrition.- Hair transplant.- Hair reduction.- Fat grafting/platelet rich plasma.- Laser and IPL.- Scar management.- Venous treatment.Initially, concerning simple skin care and facial treatment, aesthetic medicine borrowed extensively from mainstream medicine. Fat grafts in orthopedics found new life as compatible long-term fillers to flesh out wrinkles in aging faces. Chemical peels removed dead skin cells, freeing up fresh ones to glow and grow. Botulinum, an R&D success, became a popular injection for removing wrinkles and creases.Get Sample Copy of this report @Today, effective aesthetic medicineas a minimally invasive practiceis based on doctors having skilled hands, whereby they leverage reliable, cutting-edge medical technology, such as laser technology, chemical peels, fillers and injectables of natural or bio-ingredients. It spans surface treatments through chemical peels and lasers to minimally invasive procedures, such as thread-lifts, botulinum type A injections, derma fillers, fat grafts and hair transplants.Aesthetic medicine bridges the gap between beauty and health. It is important because beauty is not just skin deep. Beauty includes the need to feel good in one's own skin, thereby nurturing a psychophysical balance. We cannot ignore the importance of aesthetics from a psycho-sociological point of view, especially when today's society so highly covets attractive appearances. So, consumer patients are seeking aesthetic doctors to improve their appearance, and thus their self-confidence for social and/or professional reasons.""Report Scope:The report on medical aesthetics devices gives a detailed analysis of the devices used for medical aesthetics procedures. In addition, the report covers the applications and end-users for the medical aesthetics devices market.The report covers applications, such as botulinum neuromodulators, breast augmentation devices, dermal fillers, energy-emitting devices and assistive liposuction devices. The market landscape is captured through end-users such as hospitals, beauty clinics and medical spas.A detailed analysis illustrating market dynamics and market structure is incorporated in the report. Porters Five Forces analysis as well as the supply and distribution chain are discussed in detail. The report covers the current regulations and guidelines for medical device quality management and manufacturing practices in the context of their use within the medical aesthetics devices industry. Top market playersincluding details on their business operations and segment focusas well as revenue and strategy analysis are included the in the report. In addition, market share analysis of the leading market players, product launches and pipeline products are captured in the report.In terms of geography, the report analyzes the market across North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Key countries like the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe (top five countries), China, India and Japan are discussed considering the high concentration of medical aesthetics manufacturing companies and contract manufacturing organizations in these nations. This report includes market size estimates for the base year of 2016 and 2017 and the forecast for 2022.Report Includes:- 36 tables- An overview of the global markets and technologies for medical aesthetic devices- Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2016 and 2017, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2022- Discussion of the properties and characteristics of human skin, hair, and breasts- Description of medical devices, including botulinum neuromodulators, breast augmentation devices, and injectable dermal fillers- Coverage of devices for assisted liposuction using ultrasound, light, or water- Insight into the regulatory environment for medical devices and drugs in the U.S. and Europe- Comprehensive company profiles of major players in the market, including Allergan PLC, Cutera, Inc, El. En. Group, Hologic, Inc, Implatech Implant Teknolojileri and Johnson and Johnson"Send An Enquiry Request @Table of ContentsChapter 1 IntroductionStudy Goals and ObjectivesReasons for Doing This StudyScope of ReportMethodologyGeographic BreakdownAnalyst's CredentialsRelated BCC Research ReportsChapter 2 Summary and HighlightsImportance of This ReportKey Questions Answered in the ReportOverview of FindingsChapter 3 Market and Technology BackgroundIntroductionOverviewMedical Aesthetics SocietiesMedical Tourism for Medical AestheticsKey Statistics for Medical AestheticsMedical Aesthetics Devices Market SegmentsMarket DynamicsDriversRestraintChapter 4 Market Breakdown by Devices TypeIntroductionMarket Size and ForecastImplantsOverviewMarket Size and ForecastBreast ImplantsSoft Tissue ImplantsAesthetic Dental ImplantsFacial Aesthetic DevicesOverviewMarket Size and ForecastMicrodermabrasion DevicesDermal Fillers DevicesLASER and Energy Emitting DevicesOverviewMarket Size and ForecastSkin Tightening and Body Contouring DevicesOverviewMarket Size and ForecastLiposuction DevicesSkin Tightening DevicesCellulite Reduction DevicesChapter 5 Market Breakdown by End UserIntroductionMarket Size and ForecastHospitalsOverviewMarket Size and ForecastSlimming and Beauty ClinicsOverviewMarket Size and ForecastAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Plastic Jar Packaging Market to Register Steady Growth During 2017-2027

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For many decades, plastic jars have been adopted widely for packaging of materials like food, detergents, and other consumer goods. Plastic Jars are made from compounds such as polyethylene terephthalate, HDPE, LDPE, polystyrene etc., known to have an impressive clarity, and a good ability to withstand impact. They are known to act like a barrier that can resist oil and grease, and temperature changes which may affect the product within, especially food products. Attributed to their properties which include economic price point, improved product insulation, its recyclability, resistance to UV, and minimized need for coatings to prevent dissolution with food, the preference for plastic jar has increased substantially, translating into value proposition for players operating in the plastic jar packaging market.Plastic jar Packaging Market: DynamicsGlobal consumer packaging market has transformed over the past few years, creating the need for absolute customization in terms of package design and formulations. Since, retail sector growth in developed market is staggering around 5%, and that in developing markets it has already surpassed over 8% annually, it is anticipated that it would translate in meteoric growth for the plastic jar packaging market. The global plastic jar packaging market is also growing on the backdrop of FMCG industry growth along with changing food consumption pattern. Global ready to eat food market grew at CAGR of over 6.8% over the past three years and is likely to gain momentum with growing urbanization and increasing disposable income. Despite all the positive market conditions for plastic jars packaging market, stringent policy framework and regulatory landscape are likely to impede the growth, along with developing alternate packaging options such as bag in box or bag in tubes. Concerns for the environmental effects of plastic also restrain the growth of the plastic jar packaging market. Plastic being known to take centuries to decompose, paves way for an increasing demand for new recyclable forms of plastic, which makes the market a competitive one.Request For Sample @Plastic jar Packaging Market: SegmentationAccording to the Society of Plastics Industry, a plastic Jar or any other plastic container with a code of 1 indicates that it is made out of PET. A plastic jar with a code of 2 represents HDPE, 3 represents PVC, 4 represents LDPE, 5 represents PE, 6 represents Styrofoam (or PS), a code of 7 may represent that the Plastic jar is made out of miscellaneous plastics that are not represented any of the other six codes. Therefore, the global plastic jar packaging market in the report is segmented as follows:-On the basis of material:PETHDPEPVCLDPEPEStyrofoam i.e. PSOn the basis of Plastic Jar type:Straight Sided JarsDomed based JarsSnap Top JarsTapered JarsOther Jar TypesOn the basis of Plastic Jar Size:Small Sized Plastic Jars (Less than 12 oz)Medium Sized Plastic Jars (13  30 oz)Large Sized Plastic Jars (31  110 oz)Very Large size Plastic jars(> 110 oz)On the basis of Plastic Jar Color:AmberFrostedClearAmbientOthersOn the basis of End use Industry:Food and BeveragesPersonal CareHome CarePharmaceuticalsChemicalsOther End Use IndustryAll these plastics have low cost of production, are safe as packaging materials and find use in a wide range of places like Kitchens, bathrooms, industries and the likes. With the increase in the number of well-informed consumers every month, the market for plastic jars is on an incline and plastic manufacturers have to work hard to properly classify their products in order to help the consumers and recyclers sort their products with ease.Plastic jar packaging market: Geographical and Competitive dynamicsBeing the most developed of all with a well-informed consumer population, North America is the largest market for plastic jars. It is closely followed by Europe, the Asia Pacific region and RoW. However, economic powerhouses like China and India represent markets that have shown the growing need for economical products that also promise quality. Rapid economic development of these countries, in addition to a large consumer base, plastic jars are anticipated to face sizable demand in the next decade. These, combined with the added benefits of plastic jars like inert nature and resistance to impact damage, protection from UV etc., increase the need for such products in these markets.Request For TOC @Key PlayersSome of the key players in the market for plastic jars are  Alpha Packaging, Constar International, Ontario Plastic Container producers Ltd, Gepack, Cospak, Amcor, Container Corporation of Canada, Graham Packaging Europe, Olcott Plastics and M & H Plastics.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature.FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
How to make your day in Ramadan unique

Typany Keyboard

As-salaamu alaikum! The month of Ramadan is almost upon us. It is the time for spiritual reflection and devoting ourselves to worship and pray to Allah. We have launched an exclusive Ramadan offer on themes and stickers. Here are four creative ways to observe Ramadan with family and friends using Typany Keyboard!1 Change keyboard theme to the Ramadan Exclusive Edition2 Set the keyboard theme with the photos of your family and your love3 Greet your family and friends with the wish stickers4 Greet your Muslim friends through the translation functionAt the same time, we have also launched the Ramadan Challenge to motivate you to find your peace and happiness.Check out on our Facebook page: @typanyAt the most special time in this year, we encourage you to join our 30 Days Ramadan Gratitude Challenge. Gratitude is so important in our life. It is addressed in the Quran more than once, and Allah praises the gratitude a lot.Allah promises increased favors for those who are grateful. He Says (what means): If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed My punishment is severe. [Quran 14: 7]Each day write 1 thing you are grateful for and comment below. No more complaining about our life. Lets make every day count more by being more grateful.Ramadhan Mubarak!Welcome to download the Ramadan exclusive edition themes and stickerTypany Keyboard App is powered by Sogou, well known in China for its language input method, universally employed by Chinese users.Sogou has been developing smartphone software since 2006. Its Keyboard App is one of the fastest-growing apps in the category on Android and iOS, responding to growing consumer demand for a better way to quickly express thoughts and feelings in a visual way, epitomized by the now almost-universal use of emojis. Typany's mission is to team with users to bring the smartest, most diverse, time-saving solution to millions more people worldwide.Typany Keyboard supports more than 100 languages, with lightning-fast personalized prediction technology and comprehensive customization features. The company has harnessed AI technology to provide a performance edge and improved customer experience.Contact: Yami Sun, Product Marketing ManagerAddress: Typany Keyboard, part of Sogou, 9th Floor, Sohu Internet Plaza, No.1 Park, Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100084, PRCEmail: typany_press@sogou-inc.com
Black Lung Disease Market Value Chain, Key Factor, Major Region Analysis and Forecasts Till 2023

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Market Scenario:Black lung disease or coal workers' pneumoconiosis is caused by long exposure to coal dust and is commonly diagnosed in many of the coal miners. The medical condition is characterized by a progressive building of the inhaled coal dust in the lungs, which may lead to inflammation, fibrosis, necrosis, and others. Increasing prevalence of black lung disease is one of the major drivers of market growth during the forecast period. According to the 2005-2016 report of the Health and Safety Executive, it was estimated that the average number of new cases for black lung disease was 25 (on a yearly basis).However, factors such as lack of awareness, limited availability of medicinal treatment options followed by the high cost of surgical therapeutics including lung transplantation and stem cell therapy are estimated to restrain the market growth during the forecast period. In 2016, the average cost of lung transplantation was expected to be around USD 111, 618.Get Exclusive Sample Report @Segmentation:The global black lung disease market is segmented by the type, diagnosis, treatment, and end-user.On the basis of the type, the market is segmented into simple coal workers pneumoconiosis, complicated coal workers pneumoconiosis, and others. On the basis of the diagnosis, the market is segmented into biopsy, imaging, full blood count, pulmonary/lung function tests, physical examination, and others. The imaging segment is segmented into CT, X-ray, and others. On the basis of the treatment, the market is segmented into oxygen therapy, bronchodilators, lung transplant, stem cell therapy, and others. On the basis of the end users, the market is segmented into hospitals & clinics, research organizations & academic institutes, diagnostic centers & labs, and others.Intended Audience:Pharmaceutical CompaniesBiotechnological InstitutesGovernment and Private LaboratoriesResearch and Development (R&D) CompaniesMedical Research LaboratoriesMarket Research and Consulting Service ProvidersKey players in global black lung disease:The key players for the global black lung disease market are Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH (Germany), GlaxoSmithKline plc (U.K), Novartis AG (Switzerland), Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Israel), AstraZeneca (U.K), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (The Netherlands), GENERAL ELECTRIC (U.S.), Siemens AG (Germany), TOSHIBA CORPORATION (Japan), Medtronic (U.S.), and others.Regional Analysis:The Americas dominate the global black lung disease market owing to a well-developed healthcare sector and huge patient population. Moreover, increasing healthcare expenditure and presence of the key players like GENERAL ELECTRIC and Medtronic within the regions boosts the growth of the market in the Americas. Additionally, developed economies of the region like U.S. and Canada boost.The Middle East & Africa has the least share in the global black lung disease market. Presence of poor economies, lack of a developed healthcare sector, stringent government policies, and lack of awareness of the disease, restrain the market growth, especially within the Africa region. A majority of the market of this region is held by the Middle East.Get Your Customized Report @TABLE OF CONTENT:Chapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restraints4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Technology Trends & AssessmentTOC Continued!Get Discount @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Laparoscopy Devices Market Precise Study on Factors, Market Drivers and Key Players Strategies Analyzed Till 2019

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Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has been serving as an active source to cater intelligent research report to enlighten both readers and investors. This research study titled Laparoscopy Devices MarketVisit for Free Sample Report with TOC @riatric surgeries are increasingly performed globally for weight reduction and approximately 90% of these procedures use laparoscopy devices. These surgeries form largest application segment among the global laparoscopy devices market. In 2008, the World Health Organization estimated that 1.4 billion adults (20 years and older) were overweight of which 500 million people were obese. Approximately 3.4 million adults die annually due to overweight and obesity and this alarming figure indicates the great potential for bariatric surgeries which will drive the global laparoscopy device market. The global laparoscopy devices market was valued at USD 7.5 billion in 2012 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2013 to 2019, to reach an estimated value of USD 12.3 billion by 2019.The global laparoscopy devices market comprises of equipment such as laparoscope, irrigation system, insufflation devices, trocars, sample retrieval bag, wound protector, internal closure devices, gastric band, hand-assist devices, and energy systems. The segments accounting for large shares in the market include energy systems, trocars, internal closure devices and laparoscope. Although the global market is exhibiting healthy growth rate of 7.1% CAGR over the forecast period, its growth is restrained by certain side effects of laparoscopic procedures, risk of carbon dioxide emissions, and rapidly changing technologies. Introduction of newer technologies will create need for adaptive endoscope accessories. The introduction of innovative techniques such as HD systems in diagnostic instruments, HD cameras and HDTV three chip systems the demand for advanced endoscopy devices have been triggered and this scenario will continue in future.Get Complete Report details with List of Tables and Figures @On the basis of applications, the global market for laparoscopy devices is segmented into five major segments, namely, general surgery, bariatric surgery, colorectal surgeries, urological and gynecological surgeries. General surgery accounts for the largest share in the market but the bariatric surgery is the fastest growing application segment immediately followed by colorectal surgery application. The increasing adoption of laparoscopic surgeries for colorectal cancer treatment is due to smaller incisions compared to open colectomy which results into faster recovery and less pain after surgery.In 2012, North America held the majority share in the global laparoscopy devices market followed by Europe which accounted for the second largest share. These two regions together account for more than 60% of global laparoscopy devices market and are expected to retain their position throughout the forecast period 2013 to 2019. The larger share garnered by these geographies is primarily due to the high disposable income of consumers and the presence of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic technologies in these regions. Asia-Pacific is the most promising geography in the global laparoscopy devices market closely followed by Latin America. Increasing healthcare infrastructure in these regions has led to surging medical tourism market which elucidates rising need of laparoscopy devices these regions. In Rest of the World (RoW), South Africa is the only prominent country where measurable growth in business of laparoscopy devices will be exhibited. Ethicon Endo Surgery (a subsidiary of J&J), Olympus, Covidien, Intuitive Surgical, Boston Scientific Corporation, Stryker, Smith & Nephew, Karl Storz, Aesculap, and ConMed are some of the major companies operating in the laparoscopy devices market.Send an Inquiry @About Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Memory Integrated Circuits (IC) Market Recent Industry Trends, Analysis and Forecast 2020

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An integrated circuit (IC), also known as chip or a microchip is a layout of electronic circuits built over a small plate made of semiconductor material. ICs are very compact and can have up to several hundreds of transistors and other components embedded on a semiconductor plate of very small size. ICs were made possible by various experiments showing that semiconductor devices can perform the functions of vacuum tubes. The mass production and reliability of ICs ensured the rapid adoption of standard integrated circuits in place of circuits using discrete transistors. ICs can store data of over 64 GB on a single chip of size comparable to a fingernail. There are primarily two types of ICs for memory storage viz. volatile and non-volatile memory. Volatile memories are memories such as random access memories (RAM) which can retain data stored on them as long as power supply is provided. Non-volatile memories are read-only memories (ROM) which have data stored on them irrespective of power supply.Request for sample Report:The memory ICs find applications in memory based electronic devices such as mobile phones, computers, tablets, medical devices, smart cards, digital cameras, communication equipments and other digital electronic devices. Memory ICs are predominantly used in smart-phones, media players, and USB drives. With growing adoption and enhancements in smart-phones, there is a rising demand for sophisticated memory ICs in recent years. This demand is expected to grow at a high rate owing to the ongoing development in the smartphone devices. Another application contributing to the demand of memory ICs is tablet computers. The demand for memory ICs is expected to rise with growing adoption of tablet PCs. In addition, increasing use of digital cameras and camcorders worldwide too contributes to the demand for memory ICs. Memory ICs are also used in smart cards such as driving license, e-passport and other identification cards. Installation of memory ICs makes it convenient to maintain records of the card holder leading to growing adoption of these cards. Automotive and medical sectors are the emerging application areas of the memory ICs. Memory ICs are used to maintain the records of patients in medical equipment such as electrocardiographs, diagnostic imaging apparatus, medical PCs, blood analysis devices and other electronic medical recording systems.Geographically, Asia-Pacific has shown the fastest growth in memory ICs market due to the growing population and consumption of consumer electronics in this region. Asia-Pacific accounts for over a quarter of the global memory ICs market. In addition, rising number of suppliers of semiconductor material required for manufacturing of ICs is boosting the production of memory ICs. North America follows Asia-Pacific with growing development in medical and automobile sector along with the consumer electronics.Visit For Table of Contents:In North America, Agilent Technologies, CyOptics, Enablence Technologies, Ciena, Emcore Corporation, Hewlett Packard, Finisar Corporation, Infinera Corporation, JDS Uniphase, Kaiam Corporation, Intel Corporation, Kotura Inc, Luxtera, Oclaro Inc., Neophotonics Corporation, Onechip Photonics among others are the providers of memory ICs. In Europe, Aifotec AG and Alcatel Lucent are leading manufacturers of memory chip ICs. In Asia-Pacific, Avago Technologies is among the leading manufacturers of memory ICs.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature.CONTACT:FUTURE MARKET INSIGHTS616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Kasarani Police are said to be looking for a woman who is accused of stealing from mourners during funerals in Nairobi.

According to reports, the yet to be identified woman disguises herself as a mourner before drugging unsuspecting victims and making away with their valuables.

The suspects most recent heist is said to have occurred last week Thursday when she allegedly drugged a mourning widow and stole her phone.

The incident was shared on Facebook by Kevin Otiende who said the accused used the widows stolen phone to solicit money from her friends and relatives.

The woman made her way into the residence of a friend who died earlier this week, where we were meeting for burial arrangements. We thought shes a normal mourner, coming to condole with the family. She spent one hour talking to the widow, then she drugged her and took off with her phone.

This morning(Friday, May 11) she called many people asking for money.

According to Otiende, he fell for the con and sent Sh 7500 believing it was the widow.

Otiende further shared images of the suspect who was caught on CCTV cameras walking into the widows house in a blue scarf and leaving with a pink scarf stolen from the widow.

Coincidentally, several social media users identified the woman and accused her of similar robbery incidents, some dating as far back as May 2016.

Keru Wa Njenga narrated her ordeal saying, Oh my God this lady did the same to me during my late husbands matanga in May 2016. I hope she is caught. Oh Lordthe trauma she caused me. She went to my bedroom stole clothes and from my phone she managed to steal Sh20,000.

Another Facebook user, Mary Opiyo, added: Yes, she is very notorious, she robbed people in Langata few months ago. She comes in camouflaged as mourner who gives a helping hand, doing chores and preparing tea hence gaining the trust of the mourners to a point of dispersing any suspicion. Then all phones go missing then you have no one to suspect.

Another widow, Brenda Mweu, recounted having suffered at the hands of the same woman: On April 24, when I was mourning my husband this woman came to my house and pretended to be a colleague to my late husband. She stole my phone and called people pretending it was me and asked for money

Monica Ngatia added: 
Insights on Global Alzheimers Drugs Market and Forecast Assumptions Through 2025

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Market Research Reports Search Engine has included a new exhaustive research publication titled Alzheimers Drugs Market - Global Industry Growth, Analysis, Share, Size, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025. In this research study, an in-depth analyses on various market scenarios which have a direct correlation with the growth of the Alzheimers drug market has been carried out.To Get Sample Report Click Here:These market scenarios include new trends, developments, growth propelling aspects, opportunities and challenges and based on the analyses of data pertaining to these scenarios in the past and the present, a global market forecast is chalked out in this research report. The data analyses has been carried out considering different regions across the globe. Regions of North America (US and Canada), Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, New Zealand, Australia and rest of APAC), Latin America (Mexico, Brazil and rest of Latin America) and Middle East and Africa (South Africa, GCC Countries and rest of Middle East and Africa) are thoroughly studied during the period of 2017 to 2025 to understand the global market for Alzheimers drugs.Global Alzheimers Drugs Market: DynamicsThe global market for Alzheimers drugs has been pushed to register significant growth owing to several factors such as new innovations in the development of medicines and treatment methods, increasing occurrence of Alzheimers disease, biomarker analysis, molecules analysis, rising awareness and rising sales of different drug classes to treat Alzheimers during the period of 2017-2025. The drugs available for treating Alzheimers disease improve its symptoms, however, no solid cure has been yet developed. According to the report on World Alzheimers, at every 3.2 seconds, a new case of Alzheimers disease is registered.Global Alzheimers Drugs Market: Segmental HighlightsMemantine segment by drug class dominated the global market in 2016 and this trend is expected to continue to make this segment remain dominant throughout the period of forecast. Cholinergic segment by drug class is anticipated to swell at a high CAGR during the forecast period. It has been also analyzed that combined drug class by drug class had experienced higher sales in 2016, and it is expected to grow at a significant growth rate during the period of 2017 to 2025By distribution channel, Hospital pharmacy segment dominated the global market in 2016 and is poised to reflect dominance throughout the forecast period of 2017 to 2025 owing to significant growth rate during this period. Online sales segment by distribution channel is anticipated to grow and also experience strong market share as compared to earlier years. This growth can be attributed towards the rising use of applications which are mobile based to order medicines.Browse Full Report Here:Regional SegmentationWeighted analyses portrayed in the research publication can be attributed towards a deep market segmentation covering different drug classes and distribution channels across the aforementioned geographies. As per the study, North America region dominated the global Alzheimers drugs market in the past and is poised to continue with the same trend during the period of forecast.Asia Pacific (APAC) segment is expected to reflect a high growth rate and is anticipated to register a robust CAGR of 8.6% throughout the forecast period.Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Latin America regions are comparatively small markets for Alzheimers drugs. However, in Latin America, Brazil region has shown remarkable growth and is expected to grow at a significant growth rate during the forecast periodGlobal Alzheimers Drugs Market: Competitive ScenarioThe global market for Alzheimers drugs includes several key players. A detailed key player scrutiny has been slated in this research report. Acumen on key players such as Johnson & Johnson, Merz Holding GmbH & Co KG, Ono Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited, H Lundbeck A/S, Eisai Co Ltd., Novartis AG and Allergan Plc has been collected.About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY  12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Pediatric Craniosynostosis Treatment Market 2018  2023 Projected to Grow Radiantly by Top Players Revenue and Growth Rate

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Market Scenario:Craniosynostosis is a common cranial malformation resulting from the premature fusion of cranial sutures and changing of the skulls growth pattern. Generally, craniosynostosis is classified into two broad categories, namely, syndromic and nonsyndromic. Syndromic craniosynostosis accounts for approximately 25% of reported cases, and results from more than 180 identified monogenic syndromes.Despite these drivers, there are some issues associated with the pediatric craniosynostosis treatment market. Lack of skilled physicians and endoscopists, challenges in research and development, risk of infections caused by endoscopes, high cost of treatment, and poor healthcare system in low and middle-income countries may hamper the market growth.It is estimated that the pediatric craniosynostosis treatment market is expected to grow at a CAGR 6.0% during the forecast period of 20172023.Get Exclusive Sample Report @Intended AudiencePharmaceutical CompaniesResearch and Development (R&D) CompaniesDiagnostic LaboratoriesGovernment Research InstituteAcademic Institutes and UniversitiesRegional AnalysisThe Americas dominate the pediatric craniosynostosis treatment market owing to the rising awareness about disease and high healthcare expenditure. The total health expenditure in the United States was reported to be USD 3.2 trillion, suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Whereas, hospital care accounted for a share of 32.3%, in 2015.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the pediatric craniosynostosis treatment market owing to the developing healthcare technology. Healthcare expenditure is also found to be escalating in various Asian countries. As per the statistics suggested by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the total health expenditure was USD 170.4 billion during the years 2015 to 2016 i.e. 3.6% higher than the expenditure of 2014 to 2015.The Middle East & Africa holds the lowest market share in the pediatric craniosynostosis treatment market due to lack of technical knowledge and poor medical facilities.Segmentation:The global pediatric craniosynostosis treatment market is segmented on the basis of type, diagnosis, treatment, and end-user.On the basis of type, the market is segmented into single-suture synostosis, double-suture synostosis, and complex multisuture synostosis. The single-suture synostosis is further segmented into sagittal suture synostosis, coronal suture synostosis, metopic suture synostosis, and lambdoidal suture synostosis. The double-suture synostosis is further segmented into bicoronal, bilambdoid and sagittal plus metopic.On the basis of end-user, the market is segmented into hospital, clinics, diagnostic centers, and others.Key Players:Some of the key players in the global pediatric craniosynostosis treatment market are Arthrex Inc., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Cogentix Medical, CONMED Corporation, Cook Medical, Frontier Healthcare, Fujifilm Holdings Corporation, Hoya Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG, Medtronic Plc, Minntech Corporation, Olympus Corporation, Pentax Medical, Richard Wolf GmbH, Siemens Healthcare, Smith & Nephew Plc, STERIS Corporation, Stryker Corporation, US Endoscopy Group, and others.Get Your Customized Report @Table Of Contents:Chapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restrains4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Technology Trends & AssessmentTOC Continued!Get Discount @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) Market Growth, Demand and Key Players to 2020

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Static random access memory (SRAM) is a type of semiconductor memory. It uses bistable latching circuitry for storing bits. It is static in nature i.e. the data bits are stored till the power is supplied. The SRAMs are comparatively more expensive than DRAMs, thus are mostly used in the applications where high efficiency and performance is needed. Some characteristics such as bandwidth, power efficiency make SRAMs ideal for the electronic appliances such as cell phones, digital cameras and electronics user interfaces. Some of the general uses of SRAMs are workstations, computers, routers and other peripheral equipments such as CPU (central processing unit) caches, CPU register files, router buffers and hard disk buffers, among others. Printers and LCD (liquid crystal display) screens also use SRAM to save the preview of the image printed or displayed.Emerging high performance network applications, increasing demand and applications of the embedded SRAMs, and increasing demand for faster cache memories are some of the factors responsible for the growth of SRAM market. Faster switching time, power efficiency and high endurance as compared to traditional RAM, effective replacement for the traditional memory technology and increasing application base are some of the driving factors for the SRAM market. However, its larger cell size (up to six transistors for a single bit) makes it impractical for applications requiring large memory. Further, high cost incurred in designing and low stability in harsh condition is some other challenges to the growth of SRAM market. Neural networks and flexible electronics are emerging opportunities in SRAM market. The market for cellular RAM is increasing at growing rapidly and use and application of SRAM in cellular devices is expected to boost the market in coming time. Flash memory market can be replaced by SRAMs in upcoming years and players have opportunity in this filed.Request for sample Report:Static random access memory is segmented on the basis of type of flip-flop used, transistor type, features, functions, product types, applications and geography. Binary SRAM and ternary SRAM are the two broad segments of the SRAM market on the basis of flip-flop type. On the basis of transistor type the SRAM market is segmented into bipolar junction transistor and MOSFET (metaloxide semiconductor field-effect transistor).on the basis of features the SRAM market is segmented into ZBT (zero bus turnaround) SRAM, syncBurst SRAM, DDR (double data rate) SRAM and quad data rate SRAM. SRAM market is segmented on the basis of products into, asynchronous SRAM, PSRAM (pseudo SRAM), nVSRAM (non volatile SRAM) and others. On the basis of end-use application SRAM market is segmented into communication industry, computer /IT sector, consumer electronics industry and automotive sector, among others. China, Taiwan, Singapore, India and Malaysia are some of the countries holding huge potential for SRAM market.Visit For Table of Contents:Some of the key vendors in static random access memory (SRAM) are Micron Technology, Inc., Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc., Powerchip Technology Corporation, Integrated Device Technology, Inc. Cypress Semiconductor, Everspin Technologies, Inc., Intel Corporation, Sony Corporation, Samsung Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics N.V., GSI Technology and Integrated Device Technology, Inc among others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature.CONTACT:FUTURE MARKET INSIGHTS616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Healthcare Facilities Management Market to Show Significant CAGR of 13.4% during 2017-2025

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A newly published research report, Healthcare Facilities Management Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 2017-2025 indicates that the global healthcare facilities management market is likely to grow at a striking Compound Annual Growth Rate of 13.4% during the projected period 2017  2025. IoT (Internet of Things) and cloud computing are two important platforms that are anticipated to open new doors for key players operating in the global healthcare facilities management market, who are yet to discover various untapped demands in remote areas across the globe. According to this research report, the global healthcare facilities management market is anticipated to be valued at US$ 577.92 Bn by 2025 end. The market valuation in 2016 stood at USS 187.35 Bn.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Global Healthcare Facilities Management Market Forecast, By Service TypeBy service type, the global healthcare facilities management market is segmented into soft services and hard services. The soft services segment is anticipated to grow rapidly, while the hard services segment is likely to contribute towards generating a major share of revenue for the key vendors in the global healthcare facilities management market. Some of the significant factors that are expected to fuel revenue growth of the hard services segment include increasing government support, reduced energy cost and a need to restrain operating costs.Global Healthcare Facilities Management Market: Key GeographiesIn the present situation, North America and Europe are most beneficial regions for key players operating in the global healthcare facilities management market, which is basically because of a healthy growth of healthcare infrastructure in various developed countries such as Germany, U.S, France, the U.K., and Canada. While North America is likely to hold its driving position; on the other hand, Europe is expected to lose ground against Asia Pacific, which is quickly transforming into an exceedingly lucrative market. Rising Asian economies such as China, India and Japan are acquiring adequate support from their local governments to develop healthcare infrastructure in their respective regions.Browse Full Report Here:The new trend of medical tourism is booming in Malaysias healthcare facilities management market. The regions of the Middle East and Africa and additionally South America are likewise anticipated to witness significant growth rate during the period of forecast.Global Healthcare Facilities Management Market: Competitive LandscapeSodexo, Inc., ISS World Services A/S, Aramark, Ecolab USA Inc., Jones Lang LaSalle, ABM, OCS Group, IP, Mitie Group PLC, Medxcel Facilities Management, Compass Group PLC, and Vanguard Resources are some of the prominent companies presently operating in the global healthcare facilities management market. The two significant business strategies of these companies to retain their position in the global healthcare facilities management market are improved services portfolio and product innovation.About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY  12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Global VPN Software Market Size,Status and Forecast 2025 : PureVPN, NordVPN,OpenVPN, ExpressVPN, CactusVPN,

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global VPN Software Market Size,Status and Forecast 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.This report studies the global VPN Software market, analyzes and researches the VPN Software development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likePureVPNNordVPNOpenVPNExpressVPNCiscoCactusVPNFreelaneVenturePrivaxIPVanishSymantecPlexSoftEther ProjectNetgearTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoCloud basedOn premiseMarket segment by Application, VPN Software can be split intoLarge EnterpriseSMBTable of ContentsGlobal VPN Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 20251 Industry Overview of VPN Software1.1 VPN Software Market Overview1.1.1 VPN Software Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global VPN Software Market Size and Analysis by Regions (2013-2018)1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 VPN Software Market by Type1.3.1 Cloud based1.3.2 On premise1.4 VPN Software Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Large Enterprise1.4.2 SMB2 Global VPN Software Competition Analysis by Players2.1 VPN Software Market Size (Value) by Players (2013-2018)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in FutureGet Complete TOC With Tables and Figures @3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 PureVPN3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 VPN Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 NordVPN3.2.1 Company ProfileContinue...About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.For More Information Kindly Contact:ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on @
Global Wearable Devices Market Professional Survey Report 2018 : Fitbit, Xiaomi,Apple,Garmin, Samsung, Jawbone,Misfit, Polar,Moto,

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Wearable Devices Market Professional Survey Report 2018" to its huge collection of research reports.This report studies Wearable Devices in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2013 to 2018, and forecast to 2025.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringFitbitXiaomiAppleGarminSamsungJawboneMisfitPolarMotoHuaweiBBK(XTC)LifesenseRazerTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoFitness BandSmart WatchesSmart GlassesOthersBy Application, the market can be split intoFitness and WellnessInfotainmentBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaTable of ContentsGlobal Wearable Devices Market Professional Survey Report 20181 Industry Overview of Wearable Devices1.1 Definition and Specifications of Wearable Devices1.1.1 Definition of Wearable Devices1.1.2 Specifications of Wearable Devices1.2 Classification of Wearable Devices1.2.1 Fitness Band1.2.2 Smart Watches1.2.3 Smart Glasses1.2.4 Others1.3 Applications of Wearable Devices1.3.1 Fitness and Wellness1.3.2 Infotainment1.3.3 Application 31.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Wearable Devices2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Wearable Devices2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Wearable Devices2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Wearable DevicesGet Complete TOC With Tables and Figures @3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Wearable Devices3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Wearable Devices Major Manufacturers in 20173.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Wearable Devices Major Manufacturers in 20173.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Wearable Devices Major Manufacturers in 20173.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Wearable Devices Major Manufacturers in 2017Continue...About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.For More Information Kindly Contact:ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on @
Global Skin Lightening Products Market to Grow at Over 6% CAGR through 2027

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A new research study titled, Skin Lightening Products Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 - 2016 and Opportunity Assessment 2017  2027 has been added to the comprehensive repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE). According to the report, the global skin lightening products market is likely to grow at over 6% CAGR through 2027, and rake in nearly US$ 24 Bn in revenues.To Get Sample Report Click Here:The market intelligence study offers in-depth analysis and insights on the global skin lightening products market. A comprehensive assessment on the key drivers, opportunities, restraints, and threats in the market has been included for the benefit of the readers. The market intelligence report also includes a thorough competitive landscape analysis that profiles the strategies of some of the key players in this landscape.The report also offers analysis on the basis of regional performance of the market. According to the research study, Asia Pacific will continue to be one of the leading markets for skin lightening products globally. The demand and production of skin lightening products in Asia Pacific is likely to remain concentrated in China and India. These countries have become manufacturing hubs for skin lightening products globally, and it is highly likely that demand will continue to increase at a rapid pace in these countries during the assessment period.The research study also offers in-depth segment-wise analysis and insights on the skin lightening products market. The report has segmented the market on the basis of product type, end use, and nature. According to the report, lotion and creams continue to be the leading product types in the market. The demand for lotion and cream is likely to surpass a valuation of nearly US$ 8.9 Bn by the end of the forecast period. By end use, demand for skin lightening products has been observed to be higher in women segment as compared to men.Browse Full Report Here:The research study also offers in-depth analysis on the basis of nature of skin lightening products market. By nature, demand for synthetic skin lightening creams is higher than that of organic/natural variants, however, the latter are growing at a steady clip on account of growing awareness among consumers.The research study also profiles some of the key market participants operating in the skin lightening products market. Some of the leading companies in the market include L'Oreal S.A., Kaya Limited, Himalaya Global Holdings Limited, RichFeel Hair & Beauty Pvt. Ltd., Clarins Group, Avon Products Inc., VLCC Health Care Limited, Unilever PLC, Beiersdorf AG, Procter & Gamble Company, Shiseido Company, Lotus Herbals Private Limited, Kanebo Cosmetics Inc., Eveline Cosmetics, Rozge Cosmeceutical, Bio Veda Action Research Private Limited, Civant LLCAbout MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY  12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Global Advanced Marine Power Supply Market Analysis & Development Status during the Forecast Period 2017  2025

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Over the past few years, the global advanced marine power supply market has been experiencing improved traction. This is due to the massive surge in the vessel count all over the world. Furthermore, there has been a major increase considering the aircraft carriers as well as expenditure put into military naval vessels. In order to study the market growth for advanced marine power supply, a new research report has been included to the vast repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE). The analysis is titled Advanced Marine Power Supply Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017  2025, which covers the key trends and technologies impacting growth in the advanced marine power supply market in the coming years.To Get Sample Report Click Here:This research report highlights useful factors such as drivers, opportunities and restraints, projected to influence the concerned markets growth during the period between 2017 and 2025. The initial section of the report includes market definitions and scope, together with key research objectives. Furthermore, the market overview section comprises of market dynamic review followed by market revenue projections (US$ Mn). Moreover, Porters Five Forces Analysis is present to offer a deep insight regarding the competitive intensity among prime market players.The study presents a holistic perspective concerned with the advanced marine power supply markets growth based on revenue in US$ Mn, covering different regions such as North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, South America and Middle East & Africa. According to research findings, the global advanced marine power supply market is expected to rise at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2017 to 2025. As the report proceeds, readers can access the market segmentation on the basis of power supply source, devices and application. Based on devices, the target market is segmented into battery, uninterrupted power supply (UPS), switch mode power supply (SMPS), inverters and others.Browse Full Report Here:Considering the power supply source, the market is divided into direct power supply and renewable power supply. This report discourses the prime application of advanced marine power supply, such as internal lighting, communication, navigation lighting, engine control, surveillance system, others. Each of these segments are studied on the basis of market attractiveness and market size.The final section talks about the competitive dynamics covering all major players operating in the advanced marine power supply market. Companies such as Emerson Electric Company, ABB Ltd, Exide Industries Ltd, Schneider Electric SE, EnerSys, Systems Sunlight S.A., HBL Power Systems Ltd, Eaton Corporation Plc, ENAG, Powerbox International AB etc., are part of this smart research assessment.About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY  12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Global Android Watches Market Research Report 2018 : Mobvoi,LG,Misfit,Samsung, Asus,Huawei, Garmin,Tizen,Moto,Sony, Geek,Fitbit,

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Android Watches Market Research Report 2018" to its huge collection of research reports.This report studies the global Android Watches market status and forecast, categorizes the global Android Watches market size (value & volume) by key players, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top players in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa.In 2017, the global Android Watches market size was xx million US$ and it is expected to reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of xx.x % between 2018 and 2025.The major manufacturers covered in this reportMobvoiLGMisfitSamsungAsusHuaweiGarminTizenMotoSonyGeekFitbitTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Geographically, this report studies the key regions, focuses on product sales, value, market share and growth opportunity in these regions, coveringNorth AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe regional scope of the study is as follows:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeRest of Asia-PacificEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaTurkeyRest of Middle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoWomenMenKidsOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingSquare WatchesCircle WatchesThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Android Watches sales, value, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025).Focuses on the key Android Watches manufacturers, to study the sales, value, market share and development plans in future.Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the marketTo analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the marketTo strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Android Watches are as follows:History Year: 2013-2017Base Year: 2017Estimated Year: 2018Forecast Year 2018 to 2025For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2017 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.Key StakeholdersAndroid Watches ManufacturersAndroid Watches Distributors/Traders/WholesalersAndroid Watches Subcomponent ManufacturersIndustry AssociationDownstream VendorsTable of ContentsGlobal Android Watches Market Research Report 20181 Android Watches Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Android Watches1.2 Android Watches Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Android Watches Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Android Watches Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Women1.2.4 Men1.2.5 Kids1.3 Global Android Watches Segment by Application1.3.1 Android Watches Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Square Watches1.3.3 Circle Watches1.4 Global Android Watches Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Android Watches Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 Asia-Pacific Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 South America Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 Middle East & Africa Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Android Watches (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Android Watches Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Android Watches Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)2 Global Android Watches Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Android Watches Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Android Watches Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Android Watches Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Android Watches Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Android Watches Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Android Watches Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Android Watches Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Android Watches Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Android Watches Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionGet Complete TOC With Tables and Figures @3 Global Android Watches Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)3.1 Global Android Watches Capacity and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.2 Global Android Watches Production and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.3 Global Android Watches Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.4 Global Android Watches Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.5 North America Android Watches Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.6 Europe Android Watches Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.7 Asia-Pacific Android Watches Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.8 South America Android Watches Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.9 Middle East & Africa Android Watches Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)Continue...About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.For More Information Kindly Contact:ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on @
Global Low Noise Amplifier Market to Grow at Over 11% CAGR through 2026, Asia Pacific to be the Largest Market

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The low noise amplifier market continues to be highly fragmented, in spite of growing penetration of IoT and 5G technology, according to a new study added to Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE). The report titled Low Noise Amplifier Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2018  2026 projects the global low noise amplifier market to grow at over 11% CAGR through 2026.To Get Sample Report Click Here:The research study presents a detailed analysis of how demand for low noise amplifiers will be impacted during the assessment period. According to the report, increase in smartphone ownership is one of the key factors driving the adoption of low noise amplifiers around the globe. Smartphone sales have witnessed an uptick, especially in developing countries, where a flurry of low-cost smartphones have permeated low-income groups. This, in turn has fuelled demand for low noise amplifiers in the consumer electronics industry.The report also projects that demand for low noise amplifiers will grow on account of rising defense budgets around the globe. In view of the current geopolitical situation, governments around the world are focusing on improving their security apparatus, which in turn is likely to provide an impetus to demand for low noise amplifiers.Although the report has a positive outlook on the low noise amplifiers market, the high level of fragmentation in the market is likely to provide an impetus to growth during the assessment period. The low noise amplifiers marketplace is not dominated by few companies, and the landscape continues to be hyper-competitive.According to the report, demand for low noise amplifiers that are lesser than 6 GHz in frequency is likely to witness high demand during the assessment period. The key factor for increasing demand for low noise amplifiers in less than 6 GHz frequency is the increase in number of devices that use these low noise amplifiers.Browse Full Report Here:Manufacturers use silicon, gallium arsenide, and silicon germanium to produce low noise amplifiers, and according to the report, production of silicon low noise amplifiers is the highest. Silicon is abundantly available and low noise amplifiers made from silicon are cost-effective.According to the report, Asia Pacific is likely to remain a lucrative market for low noise amplifiers globally. Many countries in Asia Pacific have emerged as manufacturing hubs, and in addition to production, demand for low noise amplifiers is also robust in the region owing to the growing consumer electronics industry.The research study also profiles some of the leading players in the market. According to the report, some of the key players in the market include Skyworks Solutions, Inc., Analog Devices, Inc., L3 Narda-MITEQ, Texas Instruments, Panasonic Corporation, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Infineon Technologies, ON Semiconductor, Qorvo, Inc., Qotana Technologies Co., Ltd, Teledyne Microwave Solutions, and Microsemi Corporation.About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY  12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Nairobi Woman representative, Esther Passaris, appeared to have opened a Pandoras box when she took to social media to celebrate her daughter, Makenna Maria Ngugi.

Taking to Twitter in the wee hours of Tuesday, Passaris sent Makenna a heartfelt birthday message as she turned 22.

In my daughters eyes, I see a mature girl ready to take on the world, one who can think deeply and dare to find solutions. I love you Kenna and I know you will bloom in your own time. Dont rush through lifes mysteries, but enjoy every stage. Happy, happy 22nd birthday, posted Passaris alongside pictures of Makenna.

As expected, members of the infamous Team Mafisi Sacco were present and bugged Passaris with unwarranted advances on her daughter. Some even asked Passaris to share her daughters location and contacts.

Never one to hold back, Passaris showcased her motherly instincts and told them off.

Nairobi Wire has established that Makenna is mostly based in Paris and London and is a budding musician.

She has recorded several songs which include Yellow Wooden Boat, Get Loud, Cool it Down, and Boyfriend Number.

She has also done collaborations with Jua Cali and Cannibal.

Check her out
Global Dialysis Water Treatment System Market Analysis by Application, End User, Industry Verticals and Regional Outlook till 2022

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Global Dialysis Water Treatment System Market Professional Survey Report to 2022 Purchase This Report by calling Healthcareintelligencemarkets.com.Dialysis Water Treatment System research report is made up of an in-depth analysis of current state of the global Market and the factors that will be responsible for the progression in the future. The Key word market report also inspects price, revenue, Shipment, gross profit, interview record, business distribution etc.This research report provides an in-depth analysis of the global Dialysis Water Treatment System Market based on enterprise size, services, solution, end-use industry, and geography. The report also provides an analysis of the factors that drive and restrain the growth of the Dialysis Water Treatment System market. It discusses the prevailing market trends, prospective growth opportunities, and major strategies increasing the popularity of the global market. It provides market estimates and forecasts for all the segments in terms of revenue.The report covers all the major trends and technologies playing a major role in the market growth over the forecast period. The competition in the global market for Dialysis Water Treatment System will likely heat up in the next couple of years on the back of entry of a substantial number of solution providers. This statistical surveying report presents an all-inclusive assessment of the worldwide market for Dialysis Water Treatment System, taking several market verticals, such as the production capacity, product pricing, the dynamics of demand and supply, sales volume, revenue, and the growth rate of this market into consideration.Download PDF Sample Copy:Company Profiled: The Key Players operating in the Dialysis Water Treatment System Market includes Fresenius Medical Care, Gambro, DWA, Lauer Membran Wassertechnik, Japan Water System, Milliin, Mar Cor Purification, Rightleder, AmeriWater, Nigale, Isopure Corp, Super Water Purlfcation Equipment, Culligan, E-ROTEK WATER SYSTEMS, Europe-Asia Fluid, Wetico, Hangzhou Tianchuang, KangDeWei Medical Equipment, Wanjie Water Treatment Equipment, Better Water, Scwoter Water Treatment Equipment, Bionics Advanced Filtration Systems, KangHui Water.The report provides competitive landscape of the Dialysis Water Treatment System market, thereby listing out all the major players according to their geographic presence, market attractiveness and recent key developments. The competitive landscape section of the report gives an overview about the market share of several key players for the year 2017. Moreover, key takeaways section provided at the end of competitive landscape section would help the operating companies to make the best move in the market.These market estimates have been analyzed by taking into account the impact of different political, social, economic, technological, and legal factors along with the current market dynamics affecting the market growth. Factors including market position, offerings and R&D focus are attributed to company's capabilities. This section also identifies and includes various recent developments carried out by the leading players.For More Information:The regional analysis of the Global Market splits the global market into key regions that include both continents as well as specific countries that are currently shining in terms of either demand, volume or overall growth. Users of the report can focus on these regions if they are looking to expand their business borders.The stages of development of Dialysis Water Treatment System market with respect to many geographic regions have also been presented thoroughly. This information which is provided helps the emerging players gain up-to-date information which can help them take perfect business decisions. In similar way, many other segments and sub segments are mentioned in this market helping in conveying impeccable data to the users.To Get Reasonable Discount:Table of ContentsGlobal Dialysis Water Treatment System Market Research Report 2017Chapter 1 Dialysis Water Treatment System Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on IndustryChapter 3 Global Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4 Global Production, Revenue (Value) by RegionChapter 5 Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6 Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 Global Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11 Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 12 Global Dialysis Water Treatment System Market ForecastAbout Healthcare Intelligence MarketsHealthCare Intelligence Markets supply market intelligence reports in the domain of personalized drugs & diagnostics after going through a rigorous research process. The healthcare and pharma industry is constantly evolving as trends are getting replaced at a rapid pace.Contact:Shreyas TannaHealthcare Intelligence MarketsKoregaon Park, Pune, 411001+91 7400242424sales@healthcareintelligencemarkets.com
Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market Research Report 2018 : Axalta,PPG,AkzoNobel, Nippon Paint,

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market Research Report 2018" to its huge collection of research reports.This report studies the global Antimicrobial Coatings market status and forecast, categorizes the global Antimicrobial Coatings market size (value & volume) by manufacturers, type, application, and region. This report focuses on the top manufacturers in North America, Europe, Japan, China and other regions (India, Southeast Asia, Central & South America, and Middle East & Africa).The global Antimicrobial Coatings market is valued at xx million US$ in 2017 and is expected to reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of xx.x % between 2018 and 2025.The major manufacturers covered in this reportAkzoNobelMicroban InternationalAxaltaPPGAK CoatingsNippon PaintBiointeractionsHydromerMankiewiczTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @AKALI TECHNOLOGYGeographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanOther Regions (India, Southeast Asia, Central & South America and Middle East & Africa)The regional scope of the study is as follows:North AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeRest of Asia-PacificEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilArgentinaRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaSaudi ArabiaTurkeyRest of Middle East & AfricaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPowder CoatingLiquid CoatingOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingFood IndustryMedical IndustryTextileOthers'The study objectives of this report are:To analyze and study the global Antimicrobial Coatings capacity, production, value, consumption, status (2013-2017) and forecast (2018-2025);Focuses on the key Antimicrobial Coatings manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future.Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the marketTo analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the marketTo strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Antimicrobial Coatings are as follows:History Year: 2013-2017Base Year: 2017Estimated Year: 2018Forecast Year 2018 to 2025For the data information by region, company, type and application, 2017 is considered as the base year. Whenever data information was unavailable for the base year, the prior year has been considered.Key StakeholdersAntimicrobial Coatings ManufacturersAntimicrobial Coatings Distributors/Traders/WholesalersAntimicrobial Coatings Subcomponent ManufacturersIndustry AssociationDownstream VendorsTable of ContentsGlobal Antimicrobial Coatings Market Research Report 20181 Antimicrobial Coatings Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Antimicrobial Coatings1.2 Antimicrobial Coatings Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Powder Coating1.2.4 Liquid Coating1.3 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Segment by Application1.3.1 Antimicrobial Coatings Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Food Industry1.3.3 Medical Industry1.3.4 Textile1.3.5 Others'1.4 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Antimicrobial Coatings (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)Get Complete TOC With Tables and Figures @2 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Antimicrobial Coatings Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Antimicrobial Coatings Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Antimicrobial Coatings Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Antimicrobial Coatings Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)3.1 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Capacity and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.2 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Production and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.3 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.4 Global Antimicrobial Coatings Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.5 North America Antimicrobial Coatings Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.6 Europe Antimicrobial Coatings Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.7 China Antimicrobial Coatings Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.8 Japan Antimicrobial Coatings Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)Continue...About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.For More Information Kindly Contact:ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on @
Global Butyl Rubber Market to Grow at 4.7% CAGR through 2025, Demand from Asia Pacific to Drive Growth

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A new research report titled Global Market Study on Butyl Rubber: Growth in the Global Construction Industry to Boost Market Revenue Growth Through 2025 has been added to the comprehensive repository of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE). The research study offers in-depth analysis and insights on the butyl rubber market. According to the study, the global butyl rubber market is likely to grow at 4.7% CAGR during the assessment period.To Get Sample Report Click Here:The readers will find the report beginning with an executive summary that covers all important sections and provides market related numbers in brief. The next section market overview provides basic knowledge of the market including market definition and market taxonomy. This section also shares details in terms of historical & forecasted market size from 2017  2025, year-on-year growth, drivers, restraints and future opportunities available in the global butyl rubber market. The succeeding sections of the report offer detailed information on the basis of key segments and regions. A detailed competition landscape gives readers insights into the leading and new entrants in this market.Development of countries in Asia Pacific has led to the rise of a booming middle class which is pushing up demand for various products where butyl rubber is used. Advancements in new product launches, and growing demand for quality products the world are the other key factors driving the growth of the market.The report also offers detailed quantitative information and analysis on the butyl rubber market. The total production, as well as the market value of the total production has been offered in detail in the report. A cost comparison between the butyl rubber market produced around the world has also been included in the report. The supply demand landscape has been analyzed, and opportunities in terms of gaps in the supply chain have been studied in detail.Browse Full Report Here:The research report also offers a detailed competitive analysis and tracking to offer readers in-depth analysis and insights. The product and business strategies of some of the leading players in the market have been discussed for the perusal of the readers. Some of the key companies in the market include JSR Corporation, Lanxess AG, PJSC Nizhnekamskneftekhim, Formosa Synthetic Rubber Corporation, ExxonMobil Corporation, PAO SIBUR Holding, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec Corporation), Panjin Heyun Industrial Group Co., Ltd Reliance Industries Limited, Zhejiang Cenway New Synthetic Material Co. Ltd., and Royal Adhesives & Sealants, LLC.About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of market intelligence reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY  12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
TheAsia.com Stuns With 50% Off All Tours To New Destination: Danang

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Bangkok, 17 May 2018  TheAsia.com, a leading e-commerce travel platform, recently added the stunning city of Danang to its growing roster of exotic destinations. In celebration, travellers can now enjoy 50% off all tours to the historic City of Bridges.Visit TheAsia.com, select your tour, travel date, and group size, and prepare to unlock the hidden wonders of one of central Vietnams most iconic locales. The companys secure and multilingual platform makes booking easy for every traveller around the world to take advantage of this impressive promotion.Nestled between Hoi An and Hue, Danang offers an incredible blend of history, scenery, and amusement. Explore the ancient ruins of My Son, swim beneath the crystalline waters of the Cham islands, take a ride on the worlds longest cable car, and indulge in the citys rich culinary tradition. Danang is truly a unique destination with something for everyone to fall in love with.TheAsia.com is thrilled to add the charming city of Danang to our ever-expanding list of travel destinations. Rich in history, culture, and natural beauty, we are confident that the City of Bridges will delight travellers, and that our carefully selected tours will open their eyes to the stunning world of central Vietnam, said Jaebum Kim, Managing Director of TheAsia.com ().For more details about the 50% off Danang tours promotion or to book your next travel experience, visittoday.TheAsia.com offers a wide range of unique and memorable tours and excursions across 17 major Asian destinations. Each experience is carefully hand-selected, taking into consideration the local cultures and desires of travellers around the world, including history, food, ecotourism, and adventure.The Asia Thai Co., Ltd246 Time Square Building, 2nd Floor,Room No. 211, Soi Sukhumvit 12-14,Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110Tel : +66(0)8-86444-233Fax : +66(0)2-255-7615Press contact:Hanna  hanna.litkovska@theasia.com
ONEPOINT Projects launches free app for its project portfolio dashboard on Android devices

www.onepoint-projects.com

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The new project portfolio dashboard app named ONEPOINT 360 provides access to multi-project overviews, anywhere and anytime.Raaba/Graz, May 16, 2018  ONEPOINT Projects, the leading provider of integrated, hybrid project and portfolio management (PPM) solutions, has launched its new project portfolio management dashboard, ONEPOINT 360, for Android devices.With the introduction of the specifically designed app for Android phones and tablets, ONEPOINT Projects provides a highly visual overview of all projects for every device, both online and offline. The free ONEPOINT 360 project portfolio dashboard app complements the app already available for iPad and iPhone.The easy-to-use dashboard app is based on the portfolio overviews in ONEPOINT Projects and offers a clear overview across all projects. It provides a holistic project overview in the form of tabular status information, effort and cost plan/actual comparisons, details and deviations with traffic lights, a multi-project schedule with dates and progress as well as ONEPOINTs unique project pipeline.The new Android app not only allows accessing ONEPOINT Projects from smartphones or tablets, but also stores the dashboard locally, so that all information is offline accessible if users are not connected to the Internet.With the new Android app, we facilitate the possibility for all project and portfolio managers to use the app on basically every mobile device available on the market. The iTunes download statistics show that our project portfolio dashboard for Apple's iPad and iPhone is already very popular among project sponsors and management," said Gerald Aquila, founder and CEO of ONEPOINT Projects. We are eager to see how it will be used on Android devices out on the field and are open for improvement requests."ONEPOINT 360 requires an Android phone or tablet running version 4.4 or newer and is available as a free download from Google Play Store. Every user running the app needs a user account on either ONEPOINT Projects 17 Enterprise Server or later, or access to ONEPOINT's Enterprise Cloud. Interested parties can experience the advantages of the companys unique approach to integrated project management firsthand by requesting a free 30-day trial viaFor more information about the new Android app or for inquiries about enterprise licensing and pricing, please contact our sales team via info@onepoint-projects.com or +43 316 267 267 0.About ONEPOINT ProjectsONEPOINT Projects is the leading provider of easy-to-use, hybrid project and portfolio management solutions for innovative small and medium-sized project organizations. Unlike traditional PPM software, ONEPOINT Projects integrates simple, traditional, agile and Jira projects into a single project portfolio and resource utilization database. ONEPOINT enables project-oriented organizations to increase project and portfolio transparency, shorten project lead times, automate best practices and optimize resource utilization. By building on open standards and technologies, providing both cloud-based/SaaS and on-premise installations and with its strategic focus on making PM systems easy to deploy, ONEPOINT redefines ROI for project management solutions.ContactONEPOINT Projects GmbHGerald AquilaDr. Auner Strasse 22/48074 Raaba/Graz, AustriaPhone: +43 316 267 267 0Fax: +43 316 267 267 99Email: info@onepoint-projects.com
Worldwide Research on Ammonium Phosphate Market Forecast to 2023 | Coromandel, Yidu Xingfa Chemical Co., Ltd. FORBES PHARMACEUTICALS, Vinipul Inorganics Private Limited, S.A. OCP

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Ammonium Phosphate Market of Overview:Ammonium phosphate is used for the production of the most concentrated fertilizers namely Meta, pyro, and orthophosphates of ammonia. The global ammonium phosphate market is mainly driven by its application as a fertilizer due to the increasing demand from major agricultural economies such as India, Brazil, Argentina, China, Indonesia, among others. Mono-ammonium phosphate is a primary choice for fertigation due to its ability to create a moderate acidic nature, which is favorable for soil fertility. Also, it finds its usage in ABC dry fire extinguishing agent. Di-ammonium is widely used as a fire extinguisher due to its property of reducing combustion temperature and increasing rate of char formation, which reduces the chances of a fire breakout. However, the extensive use of di-ammonium phosphate as fertilizer makes the soil alkaline resulting in seed germination and root development problems. Besides being used as a fertilizer and fire retardant, ammonium phosphate is extensively used for water treatment. Wastewater is usually purified using biological processes, which require nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen and ideal pH environment. The increasing demand for water treatment owing to growing industrialization is another factor driving the market growth. The considerable growth of food & beverage industries is driving the ammonium phosphate market positively due to its application in the vine and wed brewing and in sugar purification.Get sample Copy@Key Players Nutrien Ltd. Yara S.A. OCP Haifa Chemicals Ltd. Coromandel Jordan Phosphate Mines Company Limited Eurochem Group AG Prayon S.A. Yidu Xingfa Chemical Co., Ltd. Chemische Fabrik Budenheim KG Yunnan Yuntianhua International Chemical Co., Ltd Innophos, Inc. FORBES PHARMACEUTICALS Maaden - Saudi Arabian Mining Company Vinipul Inorganics Private LimitedRegional Analysis:The global ammonium phosphate market is spanned across five key regions namely Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East & Africa. Among them, Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest emerging region in the global ammonium phosphate market due to the increasing use of fertilizers in the agricultural countries such as India, China, and others. The high production and exportation of chemical fertilizers in emerging economies such as China, India, South Korea, and others are expected to propel the market growth further. In addition to this, ammonium phosphate applications such as fire extinguisher, flame retardant, and wastewater treatment are expected to surge the market growth due to the increasing demand from various industries. The growing industrialization produces thousands of liters of wastewater, which can be biologically treated using ammonium phosphate. Increasing governmental concerns to provide safe drinking water to the citizens increases the demand for wastewater treatment, which, in turn, propels the market growth. Various policies and schemes such as Zero Liquid Discharge and 12th Five Year Plan have been implemented by the Indian government to provide safe drinking water to the citizens. For instance, the government of Tamil Nadu has administered Zero Liquid Discharge mandatory to all its industries.North America is another significant region in the global ammonium phosphate market owing to the extensive use of fertilizers for crop production in the U.S. Various crops such as barley, corn, cotton, oats, peanuts, rice sorghum, soybeans, and wheat are produced using agrochemicals in this region. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) survey on pests management stated high use of fertilizers in these crops.Browse full Report @Mexico, followed by Brazil and Argentina are the major exporters of fertilizers, which is the major driver of the global ammonium phosphate market in the Latin American region.However, the European region is expected to showcase sluggish market growth due to the stringent regulations. For instance, the joint proposal of European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP) for EU Fertilizer Regulation has drafted nutrient recovery rules for struvites, biochars, ashes, and pyrolysis products, which may restrain the regional market growth.SegmentationThe global ammonium phosphate market is segmented on the basis of the type, applications, and region.On the basis of the types, the global ammonium phosphate market is segmented into mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP), di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), and ammonium polyphosphate.Based on the application, the global market is categorized into fertilizers, flame retardant, water treatment chemicals, food & beverages, and others.The global ammonium phosphate market is regionally segmented into Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.Do Enquiry and Get Discount @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Feel completely free to select a colour of your choice

New markilux service: Awnings are now available with the fabric in the customers favourite colour

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Awnings are now available with the fabric in the customers favourite colourPeople love colours. Colours have more influence on our lives than we realise, and a favourite colour can quickly cause our personal well-being barometer to rise. For this reason, we clothe ourselves in certain colour shades or decorate our residences with them. As of now, it is even possible to obtain the awning fabric for a patio in a customers desired colour shade on purchasing a markilux awning.How would it be to lie beneath a mint-green awning fabric? Or perhaps you might prefer a blackberry-coloured awning? Or maybe a lemon-yellow one? No problem  at markilux, you can have each and every awning fabric individually dyed to your specification. 1,625 colours from the RAL design swatches are available for selection. markilux, the awning specialist, offers this exclusive service under the name Colour on demand in cooperation with the company RAL from Bonn. The new fabric collection already reveals an unbelievable diversity of colours and designs. Yet this unique service - your very own personal selection of an awning fabric colour - sets a completely new standard.Lots of manual labourThe procedure is very simple. Initially, the customer selects a colour  either using their own sample, by way of which the appropriate RAL colour shade can be found, or by visiting the Colour on demand website featuring the Farbfinder (Colour finder) by markilux in order to find what they require. For experimentation purposes, a virtual colour swatch is available with all the available colours. In addition, a tool is provided which projects the colours onto an awning material and onto various views of a house. In this way, the customer can see what the colour looks like across a large area. Once the required colour reference has been found, the laboratory takes over in order to prepare the dyeing process. This involves routine manual labour: the analysis of the colour shade, the weighing and mixing of the pigments, the inspection of the dyed sample in various standardised light conditions, and the final dyeing of the awning fabric  whereby the norms adhered to by RAL always guarantee a high standard of colour fidelity. Consequently, this exclusive offer can be used to design the colours of patios and balconies exactly as a customer has envisioned it, in line with their own ideas and in almost any favourite colour.You can find further information on the Colour on demand website under:For further information, please visit: markilux.commarkilux stands for Design Made in Germany, innovative new products and excellent quality in the exterior solar protection sector. Since 1972 folding-arm awnings, conservatory awnings and vertical blinds have been produced at its manufacturing facility in Emsdetten, northern Germany. The high-quality products are distributed by professional partners in Germany and abroad. About 1,000 selected companies assure the high qualitative standards during the assembly of the awnings.conzept3An der Alten Ziegelei 34D-48157 MunsterFon: +49 (0) 251-1347740Fax: 49 (0) 251-1347738info@conzept3.de
Organic Fertilizer Market to touch US$ 10.23 Billion by 2025

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Belgium will continue to be the largest exporter of organic fertilizers, with total exports totalling 1.15 million tonnes in 2015. Netherlands and the U.S. will be the other two key exporters. In terms of imports, France continues to be the largest market globally ,Global organic fertilizer demand was pegged at 17 million tonnes in 2016. In terms of value, the market was valued at US$ 5.57 billion. Persistence Market Research projects the market to grow at 7% CAGR through 2025 and reach US$ 10.23 billion.Key Drivers : Government initiatives and subsidies promoting the use of organic fertilizers. For instance, in the EU, government is promoting organic sector via conversion subsidies and large subsidies on agricultural inputs.Rising awareness among consumers about organically produced food will continue to provide growth opportunities. From a US$ 15 billion market in 1999, the global organic food and drink market has grown to become a US$ 80 billion market in 2014.Request to Sample of Report @Organic fertilizers dont cause the same level of damage to the environment as conventional fertilizers. This is promoting their adoption among end-users.While Persistence Market Research maintains a positive outlook on the global organic fertilizer market, premium prices for organic fertilizers are a key impediment to adoption.Organic Fertilizer Market Trends : Integrated nutrient supply system (INSS) is being adopted by farm owners, as the lower nutrient content alone is insufficient to supplement the demand for nutrients in plant growth.Considering the fragmented nature of organic fertilizers market, leading players are focusing on strengthening their distribution partnerships in local markets.Manufacturers in Europe are focusing on expanding their customer base in high-growth regions, including Latin America and North America.Request for Table of Contents @Non-profit organizations are playing a key role in promoting the use of organic fertilizers.According to Persistence Market Researchs analysis, demand for animal-based organic fertilizers is higher than plant-based variants. While 6.84 million tonnes of plant-origin organic fertilizers were sold in 2016, animal-origin organic fertilizer volume was pegged at 10.15 million tonnes.Use of organic fertilizers remains highest in the farming of cereals and crops. This application segment accounted for over 70% revenue share of the market in 2016. By volume, demand from cereals and crops was estimated at 12.53 million tonnes in 2016.Historically, solid organic fertilizers have remained sought-after, and the trend is expected to remain unchanged during the forecast period 2017-2025. While solid organic fertilizers are projected to grow at 6.2% CAGR, liquid organic fertilizers growth rate is estimated to be 5.1%.global organic fertilizer marketEurope & Asia Pacific Collectively Account for over 60% Revenue ShareEurope is the largest market for organic fertilizers, followed by Asia Pacific. While Europe will continue to be the largest market for organic fertilizers, it will lose 2.3% revenue share to APAC during the forecast period. North America, the third largest market for organic fertilizers, is expected to account for 21.8% revenue share of the market by 2025-end.In its report, Persistence has profile key players in the organic fertilizers market, including Italpollina SpA, ILSA S.p.A, BioStar Renewables, Sustane Natural Fertilizer Inc., True Organic Products Inc., California Organic Fertilizers Inc., The Fertell Company, Purely Organics LLC, Pupuk Kaltim, and Qingdao Sonef Chemical Co., Ltd.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Giftbull enters UK market as leading innovative gift card platform

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A leading-edge gift card platform makes its entrance onto the British market, through its personalised gift assistant tool and occasion-based program. At Giftbull, customers are now able to buy, manage and send their gift cards, in just a matter of seconds.Giftbull, the most innovative gift card platform of the UK is going live. The newly created platform is set to provide a seamless shopping experience for all gift card enthusiasts, by focusing on a variety of instant gift cards and customised gift card recommendations.The companys on-demand digital gift card platform, was created for the sole purpose of offering customers an array of gift cards and vouchers, with a strong individual touch. From their user-friendly mobile app to the gift card assistant providing personalised reminders and recommendations, Giftbull makes its entrance on the UK market focusing on the customers personal shopping needs.Customers can benefit from up to date gift card recommendations by downloading the Giftbull app on their smartphones, browsing through a wide range of gift vouchers to fit every occasion. The objective is to ease the shoppers experience by providing them with all the information they need to make a wise and valuable purchase.Besides numerous categories and special occasion vouchers, Giftbull covers a large variety of brand gift cards all around the UK. Some of the most popular ones include Debenhams, Starbucks, Nike, iTunes and many more.To expand upon their customer reach, Giftbull also caters to employees, partners or business associates. As their ultimate corporate solution, the company has created an Employee & Merchant Benefit Programme, which allows businesses to acquire customers and increase sales, save on gift cards or form new partnerships.About Giftbull:The company provides customers with a trusted platform for real-time customer support, a user-friendly shopping experience and an array of gift card ideas for any day of the year. Further information about the programme, personalised gift assistant and other services are to be found on their site:Giftbull is a UK-based e-gift card and voucher platform that gives shoppers access to hundreds of e-gift cards and gift vouchers from popular brands worldwide.GiftbullE-commerce service in London, EnglandAddress: Level 9, The Shard, 32 London Bridge Street London, England and Wales, London SE1 9SG, United KingdomSengul Yalciner
Global Electrolyte Drinks Market Production, Price, Revenue and Gross Margin Analysis 2025

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Electrolyte Drinks Market Research Report 2018" to its huge collection of research reports.The report on the global market Electrolyte Drinks establishes links amongst the key market dynamics that ultimately decide the fate of the market. The industries that are closely aligned with the global market for Electrolyte Drinks have been elucidated in the report along with the key drivers of market demand from each industry. Furthermore, for the purpose of better understanding, the global market has been deconstructed into various elements that cumulatively constitute the market.Global Electrolyte Drinks market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingMonsterArizonaNational BeverageDr Pepper Snapple GroupLiving Essentials MarketingVital PharmaceuticalsStokely-Van Camp, IncCoca-Cola's corporateEnter your information below to receive a sample copy of this report @The researchers of the report preceded their research with a thorough understanding of the market in order to make the report all-inclusive and apt. The trends that existed in the market over the past decade have been scrutinized, based on which, the future trends have been predicted by the researchers. Moreover, the key performance indicators of the global market for Electrolyte Drinks are also an integral part of the report.On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoIsotonic Electrolyte DrinksHypotonic Electrolyte DrinksHypertonic Electrolyte DrinksOn the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingSupermarketOnline SalesDepartment StoreTable of ContentsGlobal Electrolyte Drinks Market Research Report 20181 Electrolyte Drinks Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Electrolyte Drinks1.2 Electrolyte Drinks Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Electrolyte Drinks Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Electrolyte Drinks Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Isotonic Electrolyte DrinksRead Complete Table of Content @2 Global Electrolyte Drinks Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Electrolyte Drinks Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Electrolyte Drinks Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Electrolyte Drinks Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Electrolyte Drinks Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Electrolyte Drinks Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Electrolyte Drinks Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type3 Global Electrolyte Drinks Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)3.1 Global Electrolyte Drinks Capacity and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.2 Global Electrolyte Drinks Production and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.3 Global Electrolyte Drinks Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)3.4 Global Electrolyte Drinks Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)3.5 North America Electrolyte Drinks Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)About Us:QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact Us:1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has ironically accepted a damning appraisal of his performance that has seen him emerge last among governors overseeing the three cities in the country, Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu.

According to the latest opinion poll by research firm Trends & Insights for Africa (TIFA), Anyang Nyongo scored a 56 percent rating which translates to a C+ followed closely by Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, who managed a score of 53 per cent translating to a C.

Sonko emerged a distant third with a score of 44 percent giving him a D+ in the poll that had 500 respondents.

In Nairobi, residents lamented poor business environment, road maintenance, and garbage management.

Hours after the release of the poll, Sonko said that he accepts the low grading.

Some poll that was done by Tifa, we were ranked number last. We accept that position, but dont forget that the same Tifa conducted a poll and said I will not be governor and today Im standing here as the governor of Nairobi, Sonko told journalists on Tuesday during a media briefing at City Hall on the progress made by the Nairobi Regeneration Committee.

The committee is a joint effort by the national and county government to restore Nairobis lost glory in six months. It is co-chaired by Governor Sonko and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala.

We can promise you in the next six months come December you will see a major transformation in Nairobi. You need to be patient you need to give us time and that perception that Nairobi county is not working is not true, we have worked with them and I can tell you its not easy to deliver all these challenges you have seen have been there for 30 years and cannot be resolved overnight, said Balala.
Global Millets Market Report 2017: Dominance of Pearl Millets among Product Types to Remain Unchallenged

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Recently, a novel report developed using proven research methodologies at the headquarters of Fact. MR has identified various prominent factors and trends prompting market growth of global millets market. The study is titled as Millets Market Research Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking  Global Review 2017 to 2022, which deeply analyses the global market trends, with historical data from 2016 and 2017, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) during the mentioned forecast of 2017-2022. For the benefit of the readers, the report concludes with a special focus on the detailed profiles of the major vendors in the global millets market.Get A Free Sample Copy of Report@Steady Expansion Anticipated for Global Millets Markets During 2017 to 2022A recent report published by Fact.MR projects the global millets market to reflect a steady growth over the forecast period (2017-2022). Revenues from sales of millets across the globe is forecast to increase from over US$ 10,000 Mn in 2017 to exceed US$ 13,500 Mn by 2022-end. Millets play an indispensable role in the economy and food security of several countries, especially in the regions of Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ)The global market is currently teeming with millet-based food products such as pasta or ragi biscuits, and noodles prepared from barnyard millet. Several new startups focused on production of millet-based food products are entering into the market. With the rise in awareness among consumers demand for these products is gaining traction, particularly in semi-arid regions that have minimal access to water resources. Key players in the global millet market are conducting training programs for farmers, providing them with knowledge and measures for increasing millet cultivation.Dominance of Pearl Millets among Product Types to Remain UnchallengedOn the basis of product type, dominance of pearl millets will remain unchallenged throughout the forecast period. Pearl millets adapt well to extremely hot climatic conditions, and are resistant to draught conditions. Sales of proso millets are also expected gain momentum, owing to their property of lowest water necessity. Compared to all the product variants of millets, foxtail millets will witness the fastest expansion in sales through 2022.While modern trade and specialty stores are anticipated to remain the major distribution channels for millets, their sales in online stores and traditional grocery stores are expected to witness a relatively faster expansion through 2022, Between online stores and traditional grocery stores, although the former will represent faster expansion in millet sales, the latter will account for a higher revenue share of the market through 2022.Sales of Millets for Bakery Products and Direct Consumption to Exhibit Nearly Similar CAGRs through 2022Based on application, revenues from sales of flour millets will remain the largest in the global market. Sales of millets for direct consumption and bakery products will exhibit nearly similar CAGRs through 2022. Application of millets in non-alcoholic beverages will exhibit the highest CAGR through 2022, followed by breakfast foods and fodder.Key companies included in Fact.MRs report on the global millets market are Roundstone Native Seed Company, Ernst Conservation Seeds, Brett-Young Seeds Limited, E.I. DuPont De Nemours and Company, Wise Seed Company, Inc., Bayer Crop Science AG, Cargill, Inc., and Archer Daniels Midland Company.Request a Customized Version of this Report@Table of Contents:Global Millets Market  Executive SummaryGlobal Millets Market Overview2.1. Introduction2.1.1. Global Millets Market Taxonomy2.1.2. Global Millets Market Definition2.2. Global Millets Market Size (US$ Mn) and Forecast, 2012-20222.2.1. Global Millets Market Y-o-Y Growth2.3. Global Millets Market Dynamics2.4. Supply Chain2.5. Cost Structure2.6. Pricing Analysis2.7. Raw Material Sourcing Strategy and Analysis2.8. List of Distributors2.9. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By RegionGlobal Millets Market Analysis and Forecast By Product Type3.1. Global Millets Market Size and Forecast By Product Type, 2012-20223.1.1. Pearl Millet Market Size and Forecast, 2012-20223.1.1.1. Revenue (US$ Mn) Comparison, By Region3.1.1.2. Market Share Comparison, By Region3.1.1.3. Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region3.1.2. Finger Millet Market Size and Forecast, 2012-20223.1.2.1. Revenue (US$ Mn) Comparison, By Region3.1.2.2. Market Share Comparison, By RegionContinued..Browse Full Report with TOC@About Fact.MRFact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; thats why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFact.MR11140 Rockville PikeSuite 400Rockville, MD 20852United StatesEmail: sales@factmr.comWeb:Get More Industry Insights At:
Microspheres Market 2018 Key Players are Potters Industries LLC, Trelleborg AB, Chase Corporation and more Forecast 2022

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Microspheres Market information, by Material (synthetic polymers, natural polymers), by Type (bioadhesive microspheres, magnetic microspheres, floating microspheres, radioactive microspheres, and polymeric microspheres), by Application (drug carriers, pulmonary drug delivery, tissue regeneration) - Forecast till 2022Globally the market of microspheres is expected to grow at a CAGR of about 11.9% till 2022 and the growth at this rate has started since 2016.KEY PLAYERS FOR MICROSPHERES MARKET3M (Unites States), Potters Industries LLC (United States), AkzoNobel N.V. (Netherlands), Momentive Performance Materials Inc. (United States), Chase Corporation (United States), Matsumoto Yushi Seiyaku Company (Japan), Mo-Sci Corporation (United States), Trelleborg AB (Sweden), Luminex Corporation (United States) and others.Get Sample Report @MARKET SCENARIO FOR MICROSPHERES MARKETThe global market of microspheres is growing rapidly. The growth of the market is majorly influenced by the various applications and advancements of microspheres in controlled drug delivery system. Other factors that are influencing this market are increasing advancement in drug development, increasing user of microspheres for clinical research and others.SEGMENTS FOR MICROSPHERES MARKETGlobal Microspheres market has been segmented on the basis of material which comprises synthetic polymers and natural polymers. On the basis of types the market is segmented into bioadhesive microspheres, magnetic microspheres, floating microspheres, radioactive microspheres, and polymeric microspheres. Furthermore on the basis of application the market is segmented into drug carriers, pulmonary drug delivery, tissue regeneration and others.REGIONAL ANALYSIS FOR MICROSPHERES MARKETNorth America is the largest market of global microspheres market. The North American market for microspheres is expected to grow at the CAGR of 11.3% from 2016 to 2022. Europe is the second largest market for Microspheres which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.5%. Asia Pacific region is expected to be fastest growing region of the global Microspheres market.Get Discount @MAJOR TOC FOR MICROSPHERES MARKETCHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION1.1 Definition1.2 Scope of Study1.3 Research Objective1.4 Assumptions & Limitations1.5 Market StructureCHAPTER 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2.1 Research Process2.2 Primary Research2.3 Secondary ResearchCHAPTER 3. MARKET DYNAMICS3.1 Drivers3.2 Restraints3.3 Opportunities3.4 Challenges3.5 Macroeconomic IndicatorsCHAPTER 4. MARKET FACTOR ANALYSIS4.1 Porters Five Forces Model4.1.1 Bargaining Power of Suppliers4.1.2 Bargaining Power of Customer4.1.3 Intensity Of Competitors4.1.4 Threat of New EntrantsCHAPTER 5. GLOBAL MICROSPHERES MARKET, BY MATERIAL5.1 Introduction5.1.1 Synthetic Polymers5.1.2 Natural PolymersTOC CONTINUEDAsk to Expert Inquire @About Us:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research Future, Office No. 528,Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar, Pune - 411028 Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Citric Acid Market to grow around USD 3 Billion in 2015 and is expected to cross USD 4 Billion at CAGR of 6.2% by 2022

Citric Acid industry research, Citric Acid Market Size, Citric Acid Market Share, Citric Acid Market Regional Analysis, Citric Aci

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Citric Acid Market 2018 Industry Research Report provides important statistics, analytical and comparative data to give a complete understanding of the market Size, Share, Growth, Rising Trends, Sales Revenue, Sales Volume, Price, Cost Structure and Cost Margin analysis.Market HighlightsCitric acid is the natures acidulant and present in citrus fruits, plants, microbes, and fluids. It helps in metabolic processes and is highly soluble in nature. The acid faces huge demand as an acidifying tool. The market for the acid is growing due to its wide usage in foods & beverages. It is demanded heavily from ready-to-eat foods. Moreover, the market is expanding further due to other uses of citric acid.Apart from this it also used in pharmaceutical products, personal care, cleaners & detergent and others. In pharmaceutical industry citric acid is used as stabilizing & flavoring agent and in medical products such as soluble aspirin, antacid and also in dentifrices. In the personal category, it is used in shampoos and conditioners, and detergents.Food & beverage industry is valued to have the largest market size due to its end-use in the industry such as food safety, food preservation, preparation of processed beverages & food items. The food & beverage industry has driven the market for citric acid across the globe. Europe accounts for the largest market share due to its demand from food & beverages and personal care products. Furthermore APAC has seen tremendous growth in the convenience food industry due to the urbanization and population growth.Top Key Players Analysis-The key players of global Citric Acid market report include- Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, COFCO Biochemical (AnHui) Co. Ltd., Cargill, Incorporated, Jungbunzlauer Suisse AG, ., RZBC Group Co. Ltd., Tate & Lyle PLC, Huangshi Xinghua Biochemical Co.LtdWeifang Ensign Industry Co., Ltd., Gadot Biochemical Industries Limited, and S.A. Citrique Belge N.V.Get Access to the Sample Copy of this Report-Market Research Analysis:The market is highly application based. Its dependency on the end-use industry has widened over a period of time. The need for stabilizing & flavoring agent, food safety, food preservation, preparation of processed beverages & food items has led to the growth of the acid. It is expected that the global citric acid market will advance with higher growth rate as compared to previous years. However the current challenge for the market is quantifying the usage of the acid in justified measurements.On the basis of application, food & beverages lead the market in all the major regions across the globe. The reason is attributed to the increased change in preferences from self-cooked food to processed & packaged food. Globally there is increase in number of working population which calls for quick ready-to-eat food items. This induces the demand for citric acid in food & beverage industry.On the basis of region, Europe takes the lead as the largest market, followed by North America and APAC. APAC, due to its rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles have created an increased demand for comfort food. The increased investment in food and beverage industries by the key players has further fueled the demand for such acids in foods. Furthermore the personal care products have also found a lucrative market in the lands of China and India which will stimulate the demand for these acids.Scope of the reportThis study provides an overview of the global citric acid industry, tracking three market segments across four geographic regions. The report studies key players, providing a five-year annual trend analysis that highlights market size, volume and share for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. The report also provides a forecast, focusing on the market opportunities for the next five years for each region. The scope of the study segments the global citric acid market as grade, form and application. On the basis of grade it is segmented as food grade, pharmaceutical grade and others. On the basis of form it is segmented as liquid and powder. On the basis of application it is segmented as food & beverages, cleaning & chelating agent, cosmetics & personal care, pharmaceuticals and others.Enquire Before Buying-Study Objectives of Citric Acid Market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 6 years of various segments and sub-segments of the Global Citric Acid Market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the Global Citric Acid Market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, APAC, and Rest of the World (ROW) To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by grades, forms, applications, and regions To provide strategic profiling of the key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Citric Acid MarketAdditional Information Regulatory Landscape Pricing Analysis Macroeconomic IndicatorsGet Complete Report @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Current Trend and Future Growth Bio-Based Chemicals Market | BASF SE, BioAmber Inc., Braskem, Danimer Scientific, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Myriant, Synbra Holding bv, Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Hisun Biomaterials Co., Ltd,

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Market OverviewBio-based chemicals are derivatives of biomass, produced from plants, trees, and animals. The bio-based chemicals are broadly segmented on the basis of product, which is, bioplastics and biofuels. The biofuels segment is further segmented into biodiesel, biogas, and solid biomass. The biodiesel sub-segment is likely to fuel the market growth due to a higher rate of depletion of natural resources and increasing demand for sustainable transportation. The properties such as low carbon emissions increased fuel efficiency, and material compatibility makes biodiesel an excellent choice for diesel. Furthermore, the increased use of bioplastics in the manufacturing of disposable items such as packaging, and crockery is expected to propel the market growth. Bioplastics are further classified into biodegradable plastics and non-biodegradable plastics. Some of the bioplastics manufactured are polylactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoates, bio-polyethyleneteraphtalate, polyamide, and others.Ask for sample @The various applications of bio-based chemicals are industrial chemicals, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and food product. Industrial chemicals are the leading segment of the global bio-based chemicals market owing to their use in engineered polymers, additives, composites, and others. Agriculture is the second largest segment of the bio-based chemicals on account of their extensive use as biopesticides and biofertilizers. The increasing use of agrochemicals to meet the demand for growing population and to increase crop productivity is anticipated to favor the market growth. Additionally, the product is a key ingredient for most of the pharmaceuticals and personal care ointments, which may further drive the market positively. Again, the various government policies towards sustainability program, increased use of eco-friendly products, and high volatility in crude oil prices are the major drivers of the global bio-based chemicals market.Competitive AnalysisSome of the prominent manufacturers in the global bio-based chemical are BASF SE (Germany), BioAmber Inc. (U.S.), Braskem (Brazil), Danimer Scientific (U.S.), Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Japan), Myriant Corporation (U.S.), Synbra Holding bv (Netherlands), Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Japan), Zhejiang Hisun Biomaterials Co., Ltd (China), TEIJIN LIMITED (Japan), Koninklijke DSM N.V. (Netherlands), PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited (Thailand), NatureWorks LLC (U.S.), Corbion (Netherlands), and Metabolix, Inc. (U.S.).Market SegmentationThe global bio-based chemicals market is segmented on the basis of the products, applications, and region.On the basis of the products, the global bio-based chemicals market is segmented into bioplastics and biofuels.Based on the applications, the global bio-based chemicals market is segregated into industrial chemicals, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and others.Access for More Detail@Regional AnalysisThe global bio-based chemicals market is spanned across Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.The Asia Pacific is expected to be the dominating region in the global bio-based chemicals market owing to the highest production and consumption of the product. Availability of raw materials and technological developments coupled with various governmental policies for sustainability are the major drivers of the market in this region. According to a recent survey from the DuPont Green Living Survey: India, conducted by TNS Global, the majority of Indian consumers are familiar with green products and conclude that green products are better for the environment, and feel that bio-based ingredients enhance the desirability of a product.The increasing development of value chains with bio-based feedstock, i.e., biorefineries and biochemicals production is the major driver of the European market. Furthermore, depletion of natural resources, rising prices of crude oil, and stringent government regulations favor the market growth in this region.The North American market is likely to showcase a significant growth on account of the availability of low cost and abundant feedstock, shifting focus on the use of environment-friendly products, and implementation of government policies on usage of bio-based chemicals.Brazil and Argentina are the major contributors to the bio-based chemicals market in Latin America region due to the high production and exportation of sugarcane.Ask Query @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Gluten Free Products Global Market Highlights and Major Players Analysis 2023

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The global gluten-free products market has witnessed a continued demand during the last few years and is projected to reach USD 9.14 billion at a CAGR of 9.51% by 2023 in terms of value. The gluten-free products market has witnessed a substantial innovation in terms of new product launches along with research and development and collaboration by industrial players. The overall increasing disposable income of the consumers and their evolving buying pattern over the past few years have led to a surge in the sales of gluten-free products during the forecast period.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Increasing health and wellness concern among the population is a major factor for the growing demand for gluten-free food products. The conviction that gluten-free products are generally healthier is one of the key factors responsible for the purchase among consumers. There is also a high perception among consumers that gluten-free food adds to the nutritional content and helps in weight management. The linkage of increased energy and weight loss is another factor for the growing consumption of gluten-free food products.Manufacturers focus on effective packaging design as it has a noticeable impact on consumers shopping behavior. Packaging plays a significant role in product marketing for any business that makes or sells products and acts as a selling point for many consumers by delivering a sense of quality and reflect the products brand image.Gluten-free products manufacturers focus on sustainable packaging and clean labeling as consumers prefer products free from any additives and chemical preservatives. Gluten-free products manufacturers focus on packaging to attract the consumer's eye and make the product stand out next to the competitor's product on the retail shelf.SegmentsThe gluten-free products market has been segmented on the basis of product type of bakery and snacks, dairy and frozen desserts, beverages, meat products, prepared meals, and others. On the basis of the distribution channel, the market is segmented into store-based and non-store based.Key PlayersThe leading market players in the global gluten-free products market are The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (U.S.), Boulder Brands, Inc. (U.S.), General Mills, Inc. (U.S.), The Kraft Heinz Company (U.S.), Kellogg Company (U.S.), Mondelez International, Inc. (U.S.), Hero Group AG (Switzerland), and Freedom Foods Group Ltd. (Australia)Target Audience: Food & beverages manufacturers Gluten-free products manufacturers Raw material suppliers End-users (food industry) Retailers and wholesalers E-commerce companies Traders, importers, and exportersKey Findings: Gluten-free bakery and snacks are the most attractive segment among the manufacturers, and the segment is projected to expand at a high pace during the forecast period of 2017 to 2023. The U.S. is expected to be valued at 2.06 billion by the end of 2018 and is projected to witness a substantial CAGR of 9.56% during the forecast period.Regional & Country Analysis of The Gluten-Free Products Market, Development & Demand Forecast to 2023As per the MRFR analysis, the global gluten-free products market is poised to reach USD 9.14 Billion by 2023, to grow at a CAGR of 9.51% during the forecast period.Table of Content: Key Points1 Introduction1.1 Definition1.1.1 Gluten-free products1.2 Scope of the Study1.2.1 Research Methodology1.3 Assumptions1.4 Limitations1.5 Market Structure1.5.1 Global Gluten-free products Market, By Type1.5.2 Global Gluten-free products Market, By Distribution Channel1.5.3 Global Gluten-free products Market, By Region1.6 Research Methodology1.7 Research Process1.8 Primary Research1.9 Secondary Research1.1 Forecast Model2 Executive Summary & Premium Insights2.1 Executive Summary2.2 Premium Insights2.2.1 Global Gluten-free products Market: Market Mapping & Research Methodology2.2.2 Market Overview: Global Gluten-free products Market2.2.3 Industry Trends and Market Environment: Global Gluten-free products Market3 Market Dynamics3.1 Introduction3.2 DriversContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook:Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available. We also provide COTS (Commercial off the Shelf) business sector reports as custom exploration agreeing your particular needs.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Flow Wrap Machines Market Share and Forecasts Research Report 2018

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Market Study Report adds Global FLOW WRAP MACHINES Market By Manufacturers, Countries, Type And Application, Forecast To 2023 report to its research database. The report spread across 100 pages with table and figures in it.Flow Wrap Machine market is a fully automatic machine capable of packing various shapes namely cubical, cylindrical and others. Flow Wrap Machine can run various types of heat sealable laminates / films that are printed/ unprinted.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Flow Wrap Machines in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.The analytical tools such as investment return and feasibility analyses have also been employed in this research to determine the market attractiveness. The report evaluates the products available in the market on the basis of the production volume, their pricing structure, and the revenue generated by them. Production chain and the dynamics of demand and supply has also been assessed in this report. The research report also analyzes the market hierarchy carrying out a SWOT analysis of the key players operating on the global Flow Wrap Machines market in order to provide an overall picture of the competitive landscape in the industry and assist the participants to come up with market winning strategies to gain an edge over their peers.Request a sample copy of Flow Wrap Machines Market Research Report @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Bosch, FUJI MACHINERY, Coesia Group, PFM Packaging Machinery, Omori, Wihuri Group, Cryovac, ULMA Packaging, KAWASHIMA, Anhui Zengran, CM-OPM, Pro Mach, Shanghai Boevan, Rui Packing, GEA, Sanguan, Xingfeipack, Pakona Engineers.An inherent sub-vertical of the Manufacturing and Construction industry space, Flow Wrap Machines market stands to gain remarkable proceeds over 2018-2023, as per a recently compiled report Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers:North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Table of Contents:Global Flow Wrap Machines Market OverviewGlobal Flow Wrap Machines Market Manufacturers ProfilesGlobal Flow Wrap Machines Market Competition, by ManufacturerGlobal Flow Wrap Machines Market Analysis by RegionsGlobal Flow Wrap Machines by CountriesGlobal Flow Wrap Machines Market Segment by TypeGlobal Flow Wrap Machines Market Segment by ApplicationFlow Wrap Machines Market Forecast (2018-2023)Sales Channel, Distributors, Traders and DealersResearch Findings and ConclusionAppendixMarket Segment by Type, covers HorizontalVerticalMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into Food & BeveragesPharmaceuticalsOtherEnquire For Discount on Flow Wrap Machines Market Research Report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Flow Wrap Machines market.Chapter 1, to describe Flow Wrap Machines Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Flow Wrap Machines, with sales, revenue, and price of Flow Wrap Machines, in 2016 and 2018;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2018;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Flow Wrap Machines, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 12, Flow Wrap Machines market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Flow Wrap Machines sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceMore Report At:Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Flow Wrap Machines Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Horizontal1.2.2 Vertical1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Food & Beverages1.3.2 Pharmaceuticals1.3.3 Other1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 United States Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving ForceRelated Reports: -2018 Global Wet Electrostatic Precipitators (WESP) Industry Report - History, Present and FutureThe global market size of Wet Electrostatic Precipitators (WESP) is $XX million in 2017 with XX CAGR from 2013 to 2017, and it is expected to reach $XX million by the end of 2023 with a CAGR of XX% from 2018 to 2023. There are 3 key segments covered...Centralize market research purchases across your entire organization in one place.Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Market Study Report4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email:sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Blog:Industry News: news.marketsizeforecasters.comConnect with us:Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter
Middle Office Outsourcing 2018 Global Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 9.19% and Forecast to 2022

Middle Office Outsourcing Market 2018

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WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On  Middle Office Outsourcing 2018 Global Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 9.19% and Forecast to 2022.The analysts forecast the global middle office outsourcing market to grow at a CAGR of 9.19% during the period 2018-2022.Middle office services involve different stakeholders such as brokers, custodians, and other third-parties. To automate the workflow process, clients outsource their middle office functions. Private equity and hedge fund firms are finding it difficult to diversify the asset risks to meet the regulatory compliances due to high investment involved. This, in turn, increases the need for middle office outsourcing services.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comCovered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global middle office outsourcing market for 2018-2022. To calculate the market size, the report presents a detailed picture of the market by way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography: Americas APAC EMEAThe report, Global Middle Office Outsourcing Market 2018-2022, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors Accenture BNY Mellon Citigroup Genpact JPMorgan ChaseMarket driver Need to improve business efficiency For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge Lack of quality standards in SLAs For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Advent of big data and analytics services For a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this report What will the market size be in 2022 and what will the growth rate be? What are the key market trends? What is driving this market? What are the challenges to market growth? Who are the key vendors in this market space?Report Details @Table Of Contents  Major Key PointsPART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYPART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORTPART 03: RESEARCH METHODOLOGYPART 04: MARKET LANDSCAPE Market ecosystem Market characteristics Market segmentation analysisPART 05: MARKET SIZING Market definition Market sizing 2017 Market size and forecast 2017-2022PART 06: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes Threat of rivalry Market conditionPART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPEPART 08: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY END-USER Segmentation by end-user Comparison by end-user Investment banking and management  Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Broker-dealers  Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Stock exchange  Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Others  Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Market opportunity by end-userPART 09: REGIONAL LANDSCAPE Geographical segmentation Regional comparison Americas  Market size and forecast 2017-2022 EMEA  Market size and forecast 2017-2022 APAC  Market size and forecast 2017-2022 Market opportunityPART 10: DECISION FRAMEWORKPART 11: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES Market drivers Market challengesPART 12: MARKET TRENDS Advent of big data and analytics services Integration of sourcing strategies Rise of multi-country and centralized outsourcing models Reference data management for middle office outsourcingContinued..For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.Office No.528,Amanora Chambers,Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar,Pune-411028.
Key Insights of Flexitanks Market Covering Prime Factors and Competitive Outlook till 2026

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An up-to-date research report 2018 has been disclosed by Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) highlighting the title Flexitanks Market which provides an outlook for current market value as well as the expected forecast including Rate on Investment (ROI) together with the growing CAGR near 14.3% during 2018-2025. The report studies the Flexitanks Market worldwide, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, size, growth, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions.Get Inside Scoop of Sample Report @Flexitanks are bags used to transport large quantities of liquids upto 24,000 liters, in a 20- feet container. They are manufactured in standard sizes, ranging from 10,000 liters to 24,000 liters. They are bags of polymer materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC coated fabric, etc. usually employed for transportation of non-hazardous liquids such as wine, fruit juices, edible oils, industrial liquids, sweeteners, agricultural liquids, etc. All the liquids that do not fall under the category of dangerous goods as per IMDG code can be transported using flexitanks. Currently, flexitanks are employed for transport of edible liquids such as wine, fruit juices, edible oils, sweeteners, etc. Around 30% of the wine all over the world is transported using flexitanks. Flexitanks are of three types: monolayer, bi-layer, and multilayer. Multilayer flexitanks are the most preferred type owing to their low cost and several advantages. The flexitanks market is anticipated to offer significant potential, especially in the Asia Pacific region. Asia Pacific is one of the leading exporters of liquids such as vegetable oils, aerated & non-aerated beverages, water, industrial and agricultural liquids, etc. due to which Asia Pacific accounted for a major share of the flexitanks market in 2017.Low Overall Cost of Flexitanks Compared to that of Other Bulk Packaging ProductsThe average cost of a flexitank is much higher than the per unit cost of intermediate bulk container IBCs or drums. However, in case of transport of large quantities of liquids, the overall cost of flexitanks, including operational cost, proves to be more economical than that of its counterparts. A standard 20-feet container is usually chosen to transport bulk quantities of liquids. The 20-feet container accommodates one flexitank with the capacity of 24000 liters. It requires around 18 units to 20 units of IBC tanks and 80 units of drums to transport an equivalent or lesser quantity of liquid in a 20-feet container. The quantity of cargo/liquid that can be transported decreases marginally in IBCs and drums due to the large number of units. The per unit cost of ISO tanks is high. It ranges from around US$ 15,000 to US$ 16,000. Often, ISO tanks are procured on a rental basis, wherein the per day rent of these tanks ranges between US$ 15 and US$ 20. This proves to be high for longer duration journeys. Furthermore, the user has to bear an additional return cost for getting the empty ISO tanks back to the destination. Thus, the overall cost of flexitanks proves to be 30% to 40% lesser compared to that of other bulk packaging products.Risk of Cargo Loss due to LeakageRisk of leakage of cargo in flexitanks is higher than that in other bulk packaging carriers. Flexitanks are made up of polyethylene or polypropylene. Chances of damage to the flexitank material are high due to improper or careless handling during loading/unloading. Therefore, utmost care has to be taken while loading and discharging flexitanks in and from containers. These operations can be conducted by operators that provide fitting services of flexitanks into containers. These can also be carried out by flexitank manufacturers with technical expertise and knowhow. Flexitanks are useful in transportation of bulk quantities of products. Hence, they appeal only to users transporting bulk quantities of cargo/liquid. Flexitanks are not feasible for small players transporting less quantities of liquids. An entire quantity of a liquid is stored in a flexitank. Therefore, chances of losing the entire quantity of liquid during a case of contamination is high. This can lead to significant losses.The report comprises profiles of major companies operating in the global flexitanks market. Key players in the flexitanks market are Trans Ocean Bulk Logistics Ltd., Braid Logistics UK, Trust Flexitanks, and Qingdao Global Flexitank Logistics etc. Market players have been profiled in terms of attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, and recent developments.Detailed Report with specifies Table of Content @The global Flexitanks market has been segmented as follows:Flexitanks Market, by ProductMonolayerBi-layerMultilayerFlexitanks Market, by TypeSingle UseReusableFlexitanks Market, by MaterialPolyethyleneHDPELDPELLDPEPolypropyleneOthersFlexitanks Market: by ApplicationFood Grade LiquidsNon-hazardous ChemicalsIndustrial LiquidsAgricultural LiquidsOthersFlexitanks Market: Regional AnalysisNorth AmericaS.CanadaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaEuropeGermanyK.FranceItalySpainRussia & CISRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaIndiaMalaysiaOther ASEANRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & Africa (MEA)GCCIranSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaKey TakeawaysThe flexitanks market is anticipated to expand at a significant rate due to increasing demand for edible liquids and their growing tradeFlexitanks provide several advantages over alternatives and prove to be very economical as compared to other bulk packaging productsMultilayer, single-use flexitanks are the most preferred type across the globe. They are anticipated to continue their dominance during the forecast period.Loss of cargo due to leakage is one of the major concerns during the export of liquids. These incidents primarily occur due to adoption of improper ways of installation and loading in flexitanks. Fitting operations should ideally be carried out by a person or organization having technical expertise and knowhow about flexitanks. Thus, flexitank manufacturers have the opportunity to forward integrate their operations and provide fitting services of flexitanks in containers. Some of the existing players have integrated operations with respect to flexitank manufacturing and fitting services.Polyethylene forms the major material, by weight, in the overall construction of flexitanks. In terms of application, the food grade liquids segment is anticipated to dominate the market during the forecast period.Asia Pacific is anticipated to dominate the market and expand at a significant rate during the forecast periodAbout Market Research Reports Search EngineMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559(USA & CANADA TOLL-FREE NUMBER)Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Dipropylene Glycol Market to Develop Rapidly by 2023

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Dipropylene glycol is typically a colorless, odorless liquid which possesses moderate viscosity. Dipropylene glycol has low volatility and is totally soluble in water. Dipropylene glycol is hygroscopic i.e. it attracts water from atmosphere. A distinctive feature of dipropylene glycol as compared to other types of glycols is its wider range of solvency. Particularly, the ability of dipropylene glycol to solubilize oil such as castor oil makes dipropylene glycol highly useful for a wide range of applications. The two main grades of dipropylene glycol include regular grade and a high purity grade having low odor. The typical applications of regular grade dipropylene glycol include urethanes and paints and coatings while the major applications of high purity grade of dipropylene glycol include cosmetics, fragrance and personal care. The growing demand for dipropylene glycol from all such applications is expected to drive the global dipropylene glycol market in the next few years.Read Report Overview @The regular grade dipropylene glycol is mainly used as a reactive intermediate in the production of polyurethanes, high-performance unsaturated polyester resins and plasticizers. The regular grade dipropylene glycol peculiarly has high solvency, low toxicity, low evaporation rate, low odor and high viscosity, ultimately making it a widely preferred chemical intermediate in a variety of applications. The major applications of regular grade dipropylene glycol include high-volume plasticizer, as a reactant in unsaturated polyurethane resins, addition of hydrolytic stability and flexibility, as an initiator in urethane polyols and as a polyol in certain rigid polyurethane systems, as reactive diluents in radiation cured resins and coatings, for cutting viscosity and allowing easier application. The other uses of regular grade dipropylene glycol mainly comprise hydraulic brake fluids, textile lubricants, cutting oils, printing inks, industrial soaps, coatings and solvents for chemicals used in agricultural applications such as insecticides.The high-purity grade dipropylene glycol is specifically designed for odor-sensitive applications including fragrances and cosmetics. The high-purity grade dipropylene glycol is mainly a distilled product which has purity more than 99.5% as dipropylene glycol and is a liquid which is colorless, odorless, hygroscopic and water-soluble. The high-purity grade dipropylene glycol offers exceptional co-solvency for oils, water and hydrocarbons, has low skin irritation potential and minimal odor and possesses low toxicity with consistent isomer distribution. All these properties make high-purity grade dipropylene glycol an ideal choice in applications such as skin care products including lotions, creams and sun-care products, perfumes and colognes, deodorants or antiperspirants including roll-on and stick deodorants, shower and bath products, hair care products including conditioners, shampoos, coloring and styling products and shaving products including foams, creams, gels and after-shave lotions.The developing economies in Asia Pacific region are expected to be the fastest growing market for dipropylene glycol in the next few years primarily due to growing demand for dipropylene glycol used in plasticizers and in polyurethane resins. Additionally, the demand for dipropylene glycol for textile lubricants is further anticipated to aggravate in India and China considering their extensive growth in textile chemical industry. Moreover, the considerable growth in industrialization in these countries thereby increases demand for dipropylene glycol in printing inks, automotive industry and several other end-user industries. In addition to this, the developed regions across the U.S. and European countries are progressively recovering from the sluggish economic conditions and further boosting the global demand for dipropylene glycol. Considering this outlook, the demand for dipropylene glycol application products is expected to record an outstanding growth in the next few years.Request to view Sample Report:Some of the major companies functioning in dipropylene glycol are Shell Global, LyondellBasell, The Dow Chemical Company, Huntsman Corporation, Dupont Tate & Lyle Bio Products LLC, Manali Petrochemicals Limited.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Quantum Computing Market is expected to expand exponentially at a stellar CAGR of 30.9% During 2017-2025

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Optimization and management of information, harvested within an organization or from different parts of the world entails, entails the employment of efficient computing processes to handle ever-expanding data workloads. To achieve this, enterprises or government-backed organizations are adopting quantum computing, and processing data in qubits. Through quantum computing, companies can search files across large databases instantaneously, assessing data quicker than conventional computing.Persistence Market Researchs new study on global market for quantum computing emphasizes the monumental impact of rising need for high-level computing on the markets growth. In 2017, the global quantum computing market is anticipated to be valued at US$ 2.7 Bn. Governments of developed and developing countries are investing in quantum computing to accelerate their research operations, while commercialization of quantum computing is also gaining traction. On the grounds of such drivers, more than US$ 23 Bn revenues are anticipated to be reaped through adoption of quantum computing across the globe by the end of 2025. During this decadal forecast period, the global market for quantum computing is expected to expand exponentially at a stellar CAGR of 30.9%.Request Report Sample@Global Quantum Computing Market  Forecast HighlightsThe study on global quantum computing market has analyzed the market on the basis of components  hardware and software. With development of cloud-enabled quantum computing platform, new software are expected to transform the markets expansion even further. The demand for effective quantum computing hardware is also expected to witness lucrative boost, although manufacturers will be put to test while developing hardware with flexible computing abilities.While sales of quantum computing hardware are presently dominating the market with more than 90%, their global revenue share is expected to drop to 84% by the end of 2025The significant decline in quantum computing hardware will be balanced by surging adoption of quantum computing software, revenues from which are anticipated to reflect fastest CAGR of 42.3%Top Players in Global Quantum Computing MarketAccording to the study, the competitive landscape of global quantum computing market is divided into two tiers of computing vendors. With more than 90% share, tier 1 quantum computing vendors are companies developing hardware, while the remaining 10% of the market is governed by developers of quantum computing software applications. The top five players in the global quantum computing market are profiled below:Intel Corporation,Microsoft Corporation,Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.),D-Wave Systems Inc., andIBM CorporationVisit For TOC@Companies such as 1QB Information Technologies Inc., QC Ware Corp., and QbitLogic are observed to be leading developers of quantum computing software applications. Other key players in the global quantum computing market include Rigetti Computing., Anyon Systems Inc., Cambridge Quantum Computing Ltd., IDQ, IonQ Inc., Quantum Circuits, Inc., Alibaba Quantum Computing Laboratory, Nokia Bell Labs, Hewlett Packard, Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., Toshiba Research Europe Ltd., USC Lockheed Martin Quantum Computation Center, , QuantumCTek Co., Ltd, SeeQC, SPARROWQUANTUM A/S, QxBranch, and Qubitekk, Tokyo Quantum Computing.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.
Here are links to some of the stories making headlines today.

Jerusalem and Gaza  A world apart In Gaza, at least 55 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces, including one boy who was 12 years old. In Jerusalem, Israeli leaders ceremoniously hosted an American delegation to officially open the US embassy. In Gaza, 35,000 Palestinians protested in 12 different locations, burning tires, hurling stones, and flying burning kites.

She says a pilot raped her, and now shes afraid of running into him at an airport Rowe did not respond to repeated requests for comment and CNN was unable to identify legal representation for him. Morgan filed a police report, but prosecutors dropped the case, citing insufficient evidence. This is an industrywide issue, Morgan said.

Controversial nude painting makes history A once-controversial nude by Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani has become one of the most expensive artworks ever to sell at auction.

Trump, China, ZTE and the art of the deal So while it seems illogical that someone who won power accusing China of stealing American jobs now wants to s ave US-sanctioned technology firm ZTE to rescue Chinese jobs, the move is perfectly compatible with his character.

What was Melania Trumps kidney procedure? The White House did not elaborate on the condition or the procedure. When I hear benign kidney condition, most of the time, youre thinking a cyst and a cyst is basically a fluid-filled structure that can sometimes develop on top of the kidney, or within the kidney, CNNs Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said.

Time is running out for treating gonorrhea Like a few years earlier, the doctor gave him a handful of antibiotics to take for a few days that would clear up the infection. It wasnt a big deal. In fact, as King describes it, it was simply an errand to run. But it was the calm before the storm, in more ways than one.

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Israel defends Gaza action as 55 killed Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said his military was acting in self defence during violence on the Gaza border that left dozens of Palestinians dead. Some 55 were killed and 2,700 wounded by Israeli troops, Palestinian officials said, on the deadliest day of violence since the 2014 Gaza war.

The secret executions in Europes last dictatorship When the guards come, these inmates never know if it is for the last time. On death row in Belarus, the only country in Europe that still uses the death penalty, they are never told when they will be executed. And when it happens, it is all kept as a state secret.

Parents who bring their children to die The past days deadly Islamist attacks in Indonesia have stood out because two families  parents and their very own children  were the attackers. While children have been used as suicide bombers before, it is rare that parents take their own children to die along with them.

Meghans father may not attend wedding It is unclear whether Meghan Markles father Thomas will walk her down the aisle on Saturday as planned. Mr Markle told celebrity news website TMZ, at his home in Mexico, that he had decided not to attend his daughters wedding to Prince Harry.

Why Trump and Jerusalem was not about peace Our greatest hope is for peace. Those were the words of Donald Trump in a recorded message at the Jerusalem ceremony. But the opening line in White House talking points cut straight to the top priority: President Donald J Trump keeps his promise.

Superman actress Kidder dies aged 69 Actress Margot Kidder, best known for her role as Lois Lane in Superman, has died aged 69. A funeral home in Livingston, Montana, where the actress lived, said Kidder died at her home on Sunday. She rose to fame starring alongside Christopher Reeve in the Superman films of the 1970s and 1980s.

All the cool phones I wanted from 2000s rap videos This post is part of Mashables Youre Old Week . Break through the haze of nostalgia with us and see what holds up, what disappoints, and what got better with time. It feels like ages ago, but there was a time when some phones carried a certain cachet.

Another personality quiz is coming back to haunt millions of Facebook users Welp, it looks like another quiz app may have exposed millions of Facebook users personal data. A personality quiz app created by researchers exposed personal data on more than 3 million Facebook users, according to a report published in New Scientist.

Man with the golden arm who gave blood for 60 years donates for last time James Harrison is a hero unlike youve come across before. The 81-year-old Australian has been giving blood for the last 60 years, and in the process helped save the babies of more than 2 million Australian women. Harrisons blood contains an antibody used to make a medication called Anti-D, which is given to mothers with a negative blood type.

Japanese railway company apologises for train leaving 25 seconds too early Look, you wouldnt catch us complaining if a train left just that little bit early. But in Japan, where the railway system is famous for being consistently punctual, no more or less, leaving too soon doesnt quite fly with authorities.

Childish Gambinos This Is America is No. 1 on Billboards Hot 100, as it should be Looks like Childish Gambino has another earworm on his hands. Earlier this month, the rapper, also formally known as Donald Glover, released his new single  This Is America. Since its video was uploaded to YouTube, its racked up over 111,000,000 views  an incredibly impressive feat considering its only been up for nine days.
Fluid Warmer Devices Market Accounting for US$ 97 Mn Mn in 2026

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Fluid warmer devices, also called blood warmer devices are used to treat hypothermia. These devices are used in various healthcare facilities such as hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and home care. The global fluid warmer devices market growth is largely influenced by the adoption rate of these devices across these facilities. The increasing prevalence of hypothermia is the main aspect driving the markets growth. Likelihood of hypothermia in geriatric population and infants is high. The increasing geriatric population across the globe is expected to drive the use of fluid warmer devices, which in turn is anticipated to boost the growth of the global market for these devices. Also, the demand for fluid warmer devices is high in cold regions.A comprehensive market research report titled Fluid Warmer Devices: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2016) and Forecast (2017-2026) by Persistence Market Research unveils several facets of the global market that have an impact on the global markets growth. The reader can gain directions to achieve stability in the changing market dynamics and can aim for future market expansions. According to the analysis include in this extensive research report, the global fluid warmer devices market is estimated to reach a significant valuation by the end of the year of assessment and is projected to grow at a high value CAGR of 5.5% throughout the period of assessment (2017-2026).Request to Sample of Report @Key Segmental Highlights of the Global Fluid Warmer Devices MarketThe global fluid warmer devices market is segmented on the basis of product type, application, end user and region.With respect to product type, the warming devices are extensively used for fluid or blood warming. The increasing adoption rate of warming devices can be attributed to better end results, due to which the warming devices segment is expected to be the largest with a high market value during the forecast period. Moreover, this segment is projected to grow at the fastest rate throughout the period of forecast, 2017-2026. Disposable accessories segment is the second largest contributing significantly to the growth of the global fluid warmer devices market in the coming years.In the application category, the surgery segment is expected to grow at a significant pace during the assessment period. The use of fluid warmer devices during surgery is expected to grow in the coming years. The surgery application segment is estimated to reach a high market value of over US$ 55 Mn by 2026 end, thus dominating the global market. The adoption of fluid warmer devices for new born care and home care is also expected to grow in the years to follow.By end user, the use of fluid warmer devices has been observed largely in hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. Hospitals as an end user are highly lucrative for the growth of fluid warmer devices market across the globe. The hospitals segment is expected to lead the global market and is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. In addition, the ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) segment is projected to grow at the highest pace during the forecast period.In the region category, North America and Europe, both are expected to highly contribute to the global markets growth. Of these, North America is most attractive region for fluid warmer devices, followed by Europe. On the other hand, the fluid warmer devices market in Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region is projected to grow at a relatively higher pace in the coming years, followed by Europe. APEJ is expected to present potential growth opportunities for the adoption of fluid warmer devices.Request Report Multiple Chapter @Key Players Participating in the Global Fluid Warmer Devices MarketThe research report on fluid warmer devices covers analysis on key players such as 3M Company, General Electric Company, Smiths Group Plc., Stryker Corporation, Geratherm Medical AG, Belmont Instrument Corporation, Biegler GmbH, Barkey GmbH & Co. KG, Stihler Electronic GmbH and EMIT CORPORATION.Get full report now @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Crisis, Emergency & Incident Management Platforms Market to Reach US$ 102 Bn by 2024-End

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Every year, the world suffers billions of dollars in economic losses entailing natural calamities or premeditated incidents. Governments from all parts of the world are keeping sizeable wealth as a reserve for dealing with aftermath of such emergency situations. Reimbursing millions among families who lost their members and controlling the property damage by extending redevelopment budgets sounds reasonable, but needs to be carried out effectively. In situations when every penny is worth more than a dollar, organizations are compelled towards a hard-and-fast implementation of efficient crisis, emergency & incident management platforms. Considering the rising incidence of such crisis situations, Persistence Market Research believes that by the end of 2024, around US$ 102 Bn worth of crisis, emergency & incident management platforms will be deployed across the globe.A sample of this report is available upon request @According to its report, titled Crisis, Emergency & Incident Management Platforms Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2016-2024, Persistence Market Research estimates that till 2016, the global market for crisis, emergency & incident management platforms raked in a little over US$ 68 Bn in revenues. Henceforward till the end of 2024, the market is projected to soar at a steady CAGR of 5.9%. The report reveals that factors necessitating the adoption of efficient crisis, emergency & incident management platforms include:Complex challenges occurring in security-related events, and rising threats faced by cyber security taskforce of any organizationOutbreak of genocidal or pandemic diseases in densely-populated regionsRising number of calculated attacks disguised under religious terrorismExtensive exploitation of Earths environment, which further imbalances the natural orderSevere concerns related to dumping industrial, hazardous, and non-decomposable waste that incidentally give rise to natural calamitiesIncidents when conventional disaster management regime & counter measures further implicated chaotic situations, and failed to deliver effective & steadfast supportThe report predicts that the global market or crisis, emergency & incident management platforms will be fragmented across various systems and platforms. Among which, the demand for web-based emergency management software, geospatial technology, emergency notification system, hazmat technology, seismic warning systems, and remote weather monitoring systems is expected to gain traction throughout the forecast period. These systems are also predicted to be demanding greater incorporation of communication technologies. Through 2024, satellite phone, vehicle-ready gateways, and emergency response radars will be the most dominant type of communication technologies used in working of any crisis, emergency & incident management platform.View Report Table of Contents, Figures, and TablesLikewise, the report also expects that during the stipulated forecast period, professional services such as consulting and emergency operation center (EOC) design & integration will be in great demand. By the end of 2024, crisis, emergency & incident management platforms will be actively adopted across industry verticals such as BFSI, energy & utility, government & defense, and telecommunication and IT. A regional analysis of the global crisis, emergency & incident management platform market indicates that North America will dominate by accounting for over US$ 36 Bn revenues by 2024-end. Adoption for such platforms will also be high in Asia-Pacific, and the region is expected to showcase a 6% value CAGR.Visit For TOC@Leading providers of crisis, emergency & incident management platforms in the world include Honeywell International, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Motorola Solution, Inc., Rockwell Collins, Inc., Siemens AG, Iridium Communication Inc., Guardly, Environmental System Research Institute, Inc., and Intergraph Corporation.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,Telephone - +1-646-568-7751USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Ultrasound Needles Market is Set to Experience Revolutionary Growth by 2025

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Ultrasound needles are utilized for accumulation of examples from organs, for example, the pancreas, the liver, and the lymph nodes for cytological and histological investigations. These specimens are gathered for the conclusion of pancreatic tumor, hepato-billiary sicknesses, and metastatic disease. Newly manufactured needles give unmatched ultrasound perceivability by better reflecting the ultrasound motion back to the screen. High commonness of growth in cancer and liver diseases is probably going to prompt appropriation of ultrasound needles for better diagnosis.In addition, key players are manufacturing ultrasound needle devices with greater highlights, for example, better ultrasound visibility and enhanced needle strength. The new manufactured ultrasound needle (e.g. Sono-Coat US needle by Escalon) provides an exceptional clinical added value for implementing new and existing ultrasound-guided medical procedures. Organizations are more engaged to work intimately with the medical device industry and clinicians to enhance the ultrasound visibility of medical devices. In a joint effort with worldwide tech-accomplices, organizations are building up the best quality level for precision guided medical systems to enhance patient care and improved quality of life.Report Overview @Ultrasound Needles Market: Drivers and RestraintsIn the present clinical practice, the utilization of ultrasound hardware is winding up progressively prevalent. Picture quality is persistently enhancing and new ultrasound machines are getting smaller, which empowers enhanced point of care diagnostics and treatment. Subsequently, the quantity of minimally invasive surgeries performed under ultrasound direction is developing quickly. This move from open surgery to minimally obtrusive procedures is a noteworthy in addition to for patients, who advantage from snappier recuperation, less symptoms and lower costs. As the medical devices industry gets ready for this change, it is searching for approaches to enhance the usefulness and ease of use of ultrasound-guided medical devices. Technological advancement incorporates instrumentation to reduce patient`s uneasiness, negligible invasive methodologies.This innovation relied upon to reflect positive development in the global ultrasound needles market. The global ultrasound needles market is likely to be restrained by the high expenses of diagnosis and treatment, nonattendance of awareness about rising diseases among patients, and unclear reimbursements. As per the American Cancer Society, around 53,670 in stances of pancreatic growth are evaluated to be analyzed in the U.S. by the end of 2017. As indicated by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, around 3.9 million grown-ups were determined to have liver illness in the U.S. in 2016. This high commonness of growth and liver diseases is probably going to prompt adoption of ultrasound needles for better diagnosis and treatment during the forecast period.Ultrasound Needles Market: SegmentationThe global ultrasound needles market is classified on the basis of product type and end user.By Product TypeAspiration Needles (EUS-FNA)Biopsy Needles (EUS-FNB)By End UserHospitalsDiagnostic CentersSpecialty ClinicsOthersRequest for Table of Contents @Ultrasound Needles Market: Regional OverviewIn terms of region, the global ultrasound needles market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is the leading player of Ultrasound needles market owing to increasing awareness and successful research in product innovations. Europe is the second leader in global ultrasound needles market owing to development of product and efficiency. Asia Pacific is also expected to grow due to increasing investment in health care spending and rise in research and development.Ultrasound Needles Market: Key PlayersThe key players in the market are Encapson, Olympus Corporation, Medtronic, Cook Medical, CONMED Corporation, and Boston Scientific Corporation.Get Sample Copy of this Report @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,Telephone - +1-646-568-7751USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Advanced Computed Tomography Scanners Market to Approach US$ 2,900 Mn in 2027

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Understanding various facets of the advanced computed tomography scanners market, Persistence Market Research has come up with an analytical research report titled Advanced Computed Tomography Scanners Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2016) and Forecast (2017-2027). This comprehensive research report focuses on various trends, developments, drivers, opportunities and restraints that influence the growth of the global advanced CT scanners market. The intensity of these aspects vary across various geographies. The scenario of these factors is covered in this study which gives a heads up to the reader from an investment standpoint. Along with historical data, the study covers a weighted forecast analysis for a period of 10 years, starting from 2017 till 2027.Request to Sample of Report @Global Market for Advanced CT Scanners: Segmental SnapshotThe global market for advanced CT scanners is segmented on the basis of product type, end user and region.By product type, the adoption of cone beam CT scanners is expected to soar at a high rate in the coming years, making it a fast growing segment. Low dose CT scanners segment is the largest with maximum value shareBy region, North America is the most lucrative and is expected to dominate the global market with a high market share. By the end of the year of assessment, the advanced CT scanners market in North America is projected to expand at a stellar CAGR and is estimated to reach a billion dollar milestoneBy end user, hospitals and diagnostic centers expected to largely contribute to the growth of the global market for advanced CT scannersIncreasing Strategic Collaborations Between Players to Present Lucrative Growth Opportunities in the Global MarketStrategic collaborations among key players in the advanced CT scanners market is expected to present potential growth opportunities for advanced CT scanners. Strategic alliances and collaborations can spur the development rate of the market as key players can focus on development of innovative technologies and advanced imaging systems. Collaborations are usually carried out by players that have strong product portfolio and patented technologies. This can support the international players in gaining market hold with support of local players in that respective region. For instance, Toshiba Medical Systems signed contracts with Russian imaging equipment manufacturer ZAO Roentgenprom to carry out licensing and sub-contracting production of CT scanners in the country. This initiative was a move towards enhancement of the healthcare system and infrastructure in Russia with main goal being the improvement in the countrys overall healthcare space.Moreover, increasing number of diagnostic centers is anticipated to spur the demand for advanced CT scanners. Since recent past, a number of diagnostics and imaging centers across various emerging and developed regions has increased substantially. Independent diagnostic centers offer better service and superior quality diagnosis at a pocket friendly cost. Several insurance companies have adopted efficient marketing strategies to shift the patient volume to the cost efficient independent diagnostic centers thus reducing the out of pocket costs of the patients.Request Report Multiple Chapter @Global Market for Advanced CT Scanners: Factors Influencing GrowthThere are several aspects that have contributed to the growth of the global advanced computed tomography scanners market. Aspects such as increasing ageing population, growing need for medical imaging across various regions in the globe, increasing prevalence and growth in adoption of minimally invasive diagnostic procedures, high funding for research and development to carry out product innovations in medical devices and imaging systems, ease in FDA clearance, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and dental and orthopedic disorders, growing number of hospitals and diagnostic centers and growing need for faster and more definitive result are driving the growth of the global market. However, factors such as exposure to radiation, inadequate reimbursement policies, adoption of refurbished medical devices, lack of skilled personnel and lack of healthcare infrastructure in emerging markets are the main challenges restricting the growth of the global market for advanced CT scanners.For more information @Global Market for Advanced CT Scanners: Competitive LandscapeAcquisitions, mergers, strategic collaborations and alliances are the key expansion strategies adopted by manufacturers and integrators for technology transfer and to increase consumer base in different geographies. Moreover, companies are focusing on new product launches and reducing the costs of advanced computed tomography devices in order to gain maximum market share.Some of the leading companies operating in the advanced computed tomography scanners market are Koninklijke Philips N.V., General Electric Company, Siemens AG, Carestream Health, Inc., Canon Inc., Xoran Technologies, LLC., Medtronic, Plc., iCRco, Inc., and NeuroLogica Corp.Get full report now @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Nebulizer Devices Market Accounting for US$ 3,382 Mn in 2025

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Persistence Market Research (PMR) has recently published a research report titled Nebulizer Devices Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2016) and Forecast (2017-2025). The report states that the global nebulizer devices market is expected to witness a stable growth in the coming years. Advances in healthcare and the introduction of new drugs has been anticipated to trigger the adoption of nebulizer devices until 2025 end, thus supporting the overall growth of the market.With technological advances rapidly gaining pace, key players in the market are also rolling up their sleeves in order to sustain in the intensifying market scenario and also to stay ahead of the competition. Companies are investing in research and development of new products and are focusing on mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships. For instance, in 2015, two market giants Agilent Technologies Inc. and Thermo Fisher Scientific entered into an agreement for instrument control exchange. This agreement proved to be beneficial with improved productivity and enhanced user experience for customers who were using the instruments and software of both the companies. Many other agreements and exchange partnerships have taken place between several leading firms. Some of the top companies operating in the global nebulizer devices market are Allied Healthcare Products, Inc., CareFusion Corporation, Covidien plc, GE Healthcare, Omron Healthcare, Inc., PARI GmbH, and Koninklijke Philips N.V.Request to Sample of Report @On these grounds, the global nebulizer devices market is expected to expand at 6.6% CAGR from 2017 to 2025. The market is projected to rise to a valuation of over US$ 3,382 Mn by the end of 2025 from a valuation of around US$ 2,033 Mn in 2017.Growing Incidences of Chronic Diseases to Augur Well for the MarketHigh prevalence of cystic fibrosis and COPD has been witnessed significantly across the globe. However, the exact cause for asthma and cystic fibrosis is still unknown, but some of the risk factors include hereditary conditions and environmental pollution that lead to chemical irritation. On the other hand, COPD mostly occurs due to cigarette smoking. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology stated in 2012 that over 100 million people would suffer from asthma across the world by the end of 2025.Numerous awareness programs have been initiated by healthcare providers and health organizations and societies across the globe in the form of environmental programs, medication maintenance programs, and online education programs for public and healthcare professionals across the globe to control COPD, asthma, and other respiratory diseases. In this case, healthcare organizations and providers are teaming up to prevent respiratory diseases and improve the condition of the patients by providing them with better services and facilities. AstraZeneca is collaborating with 10 other market giants to prevent and control the spread of respiratory diseases in China. The use of nebulizer devices is expected to increase in the coming years, owing to the increasing instances of chronic diseases across the globe.Request Report Multiple Chapter @Implementation of Strict Regulations and Drug Loss During Delivery to Hinder Market ProgressNebulizers are efficient and effective in drug delivery; nevertheless, the prime factor associated with these devices is the loss of the drug during delivery. Pneumatic nebulizers have been foreseen to lose some amount of the drug in the spray chamber during delivery. Ultrasonic nebulizers incorporate the use of ultrasonic waves, which escalates the chances of drug inactivation during delivery. Moreover, ultrasonic waves are harmful to the human body. This factor may negatively impact the growth of the ultrasonic nebulizer devices market. Also, governments across the globe have imposed strict regulations on the approval of nebulizer devices.So, despite several awareness programs and technological advancements paving the way for a better future for the market, will the sales of nebulizer devices garner sufficient revenue in the long run; and will the market stay unaffected by the regulations imposed is something that remains to be seen.Get full report now @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
ASEAN Hard Luxury Goods Market Estimated to Experience a Hike in Growth by 2020

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Luxury goods comprises of products such as accessories, footwear, apparel, watches and others which are quite expensive and target those consumers who belongs to premium class. The market for luxury goods consist of three types of end consumers, which includes kids lying between the age of 0-12 years, teenagers belonging to the age group of 13 to 19 years and the rest lies in adult group. Luxury goods market can also be segmented on the basis of application which includes soft luxury goods and hard luxury goods. Soft luxury goods includes designer apparel and leather goods such as hand bags and others, which is easily available for the customers in the hypermarket stores or directly operative outlet. Whereas hard luxury goods comprises of jewellery and premium watches. The hard luxury goods are offered to the consumers through premium class outlets, stores or sell out through internet.A sample of this report is available upon request @Thus the market for hard luxury product is also segmented on the basis of mode of distribution channel used for offering products to the consumers. The mode of Distribution channel is segmented into retail outlets, sell out through internet, companys brand outlet and others. Among all these distribution channel online retailing is expected to be most preferred mode for distribution in the forecasted period. This is due to consumer convenience preferences and availability of the products at lower price. Furthermore, the second most preferred mode is expected to be the companys brand retail outlets as they provide better offerings at less price.Globally, the demand of hard luxury goods are showing robust annual growth of 10% to 12%.North America and Europe is the highest contributor in the market share of hard luxury goods market. Increasing demand of accessories coupled with rising middle class disposable income has supported the growth of emerging markets in Asia-Pacific. It is expected to account for the fastest CAGR growth as compared to other regions. Among all the countries in Asia Pacific China is expected to be the most lucrative market followed by Japan. India is also expected to show a healthy growth in the forecasted period by registering a single digit CAGR growth. Whereas in ASEAN region Singapore is expected to be the most dominant market. The rising growth for hard luxury goods in Singapore is supported by the new entrants of jewellery brands and rising sales of watches. Rapid urbanization coupled with increasing disposable income in Thailand and Malaysia is predicted to boost the customer base and prominent contributor in the revenue of hard luxury good market in ASEAN region followed by Indonesia and Philippines.Expanding middle class income group coupled with the urge of consumers for premium class products are the key drivers for the market growth of hard luxury goods in ASEAN region. Moreover, wide varieties of product offerings in each segments and continuous innovation and product launch is also expected to influence the consumers of ASEAN region to fuel the market growth of hard luxury goods in the forecasted period.However, the market of hard luxury goods in ASEAN region possess some restraining factors. This includes the weak distribution channel and limited availability of the products. Furthermore, the consumers perceives these products as quite expensive and also it is considered as a premium class product and not an absolute necessity.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @The key international market players for hard luxury goods operating in ASEAN region includes Gianni Versace S.p.A., LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA, Prada S.p.A., Hermes International SCA, Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A, Prada S.p.A, Ralph Lauren Corp, Christian Dior SE, Gucci, Rolex SA, Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton Malletier, Tod's S.p.A. and others.About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Chip On Flex Market 2017 by Global Leaders: LGIT, Stemko Group, Flexceed, CWE, Danbond Technology, AKM Industrial Company, Compunetics, Stars Microelectronics Company

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Market Research Future published a research report on Global Chip On Flex Market Research Report- Forecast to 2021  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2021.Market HighlightsChip On Flex Market is expected to grow at CAGR of ~4.43% during the forecast period and expected to reach market size of US ~$1795 Million by the end of forecast period. Chip On Flex is also known as direct chip attachment. Chip On Flex possess high bending strength, which makes it useful in processes that require bending and folding. It is also used in electronic equipment which requires repeated movements such as printers. The other advantages provided by Chip On Flex technology include savings in space, mechanical flexibility, low production cost and increased reliability from heat distribution. The market is majorly driven by growing range of applications in the industrial, military, computer, telecommunication, consumer electronics, and medical electronics industries. The increasing collaboration between printed circuit board companies and funding by government bodies also ensures the prevalence of flexible printed circuit board in consumer electronics, automotive, aerospace, defense, Medical as well as other applications.Get Sample of Report @Unlike rigid boards, flex circuits are not restricted to two dimensions. Because they are as flexible as wires or ribbon cables, flex circuit design options are endless. Flex circuits can be designed to meet highly complex and unimaginable configurations while being able to operate in the most hostile environments. Flexible Circuits are third dimension and can interconnect between two or more planes during execution. With the increasing footprints of wearables in the medical device space the two dimensional circuits are getting replaced by the flexible circuit boards acts as an opportunity for the growth of flexible printed boards during the forecasted period. The ability of the flexible circuit boards is to bend and twist into different shapes that helps them to fit into place where rigid PCBs cannot. Flexible circuits are favored in applications where size and weight are important considerations, such as implantable medical devices, that includes pacemakers, defibrillators, and cochlear implants are among the implantable devices that employ flexible circuits.Key PlayersThe prominent players in the Chip On Flex market are- LGIT corporation (U.S.), Stemko Group (Korea), Flexceed (Japan), Chipbond technology corporation(Taiwan), CWE(Taiwan), Danbond Technology Co. Ltd.(China), AKM Industrial Company Ltd.(China), Compass Technology Company Limited (Hong Kong), Compunetics Inc. (U.S.) and Stars Microelectronics Company Ltd (Thailand) and among others.Segments:The Global Chip On Flex Market has been segmented on the basis of types, applications and verticals. The types of Chip On Flex are one sided Chip On Flex and others. The applications comprises of static and dynamic flexing. The various verticals of Chip On Flex market are military, medical, aerospace, electronics and others.Market Research Analysis:Market Research Future Analysis shows that the dynamic flexing used in Chip On Flex will be the highest growing. In dynamic flexing applications, the flexible circuit itself is repeatedly flexed while using the final product. Dynamic flexing is most useful in applications where a high degree of accuracy is needed. It also facilitates those processes where high volume of flexing is required. Dynamic flexing has various applications which majorly include Air bag systems, Bar code equipment, Heart monitors and pacemakers, automotive engine controls, cameras, calculators, motion systems, cell phones and printers among others.Geographically, Asia pacific is expected to dominate the market owing to presence of China which is the biggest consumption market of Chip On Flex. Taiwan also contributes to growth of Chip on Flex Market in Asia Pacific owing to its economic structure and strong bureaucratic system. Europe will experience a growth due to presence of large automobile industries in the region. With the increasing demand automobiles in the Europe region, the manufacturers have to focus on high quality Chip On Flex components and follow adequate quality assurance procedures. North America region will be followed by Europe in terms of market share.Key Finding: The Global Chip on Flex Market is expected to reach USD 1795 million by 2021. Europe accounts for the largest market share and is growing with a market share of USD 494 million during forecast period. China accounts highest production capacity in the year 2016 Global Chip on flex is segmented by type that includes single sided COF and Others. Out of which single sided COF captures 94.43% of market share.Get complete Report @Intended Audience COF manufactures Industries such as aerospace, automotive, IT, industrial, and medical, among others Government institutions Research institutions Adhesive manufacturers Conductor and insulator manufacturers like silver, copper and othersAbout Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Media Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
ASEAN Confectionery Market Poised to Expand at a Robust Pace Over 2025

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ASEAN Confectionery Market OverviewItems in confectionery market consists of candies, chocolates, toffees, lollies, bakery items;basically food items that are rich in sugar and sweet content. Mostly confectionery market items consists of food products like butter, cocoa, honey, milk, flour, fruits, honey, nuts, sugar syrup and more. They are consumed globally, mostly by all regions and countries and are expected to grow in developing countries. Confectionery market is growing in mostly all the South East Asian countries and saw a tremendous growth in the last couple of years.A sample of this report is available upon request @ASEAN Confectionery Market SegmentationThe confectionery market is segmented into three segments  Chocolates, Sugar confectionery and Gum. Chocolates constitutes the significant part of confectionery market. Cocoa and sugar are the raw materials for chocolate and latex is the raw material used for gum.Worlds largest cocoa processor Barry Callebauts production has also moved to Asia pacific and Latin America because of its low production costs and great future opportunities.Its factories are in Malaysia and Thailand. Nestle has acquired a majority stake in Chinese confectioner Hsu Fu Chi.Europe constitutes the biggest share of confectionery market, followed by Asia Pacific confectionery market. ASEAN region has become an attractive place to do business. Some big MNCs have shifted their base(plants) for the production of chocolate to Indonesia to improve efficiency and reduce costs in supply. Indonesia has the most consumption of confectionery items as compared to other South East Asian countries. Flavors GmbH (WILD), another company is opening its branch center in Singapore to serve the hub for the ASEAN region. Main markets in South East Asian countries include Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia for confectionery market.ASEAN Confectionery Market DynamicsRising disposable income, higher population, high GDP growth and consumer spending are the major key drivers of ASEAN confectionery market. The biggest constraint to ASEAN confectionery market could be rise in raw material cost and uncertain consumer behaviour. Also health issues, increasing government regulations, could also be the biggest challenge for confectionery market. Chocolate segment expected to grow the most under ASEAN confectionery market. On special occasions and celebrations, sale of confectionery items increase because people gift each other and its consumption and demand increase. Vietnam is gradually cutting down the import tax imposed on products of ASEAN, countries in accordance with the ASEAN Free Trade Area, AFTA, regulations. As a result, the Vietnamese confectionery market is vibrant compared to other nations.ASEAN Confectionery Market Distribution ChannelMostly confectionery items are sold in retail stores, hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores. Multinational flavor companies and smaller local manufacturers are active in South EastAsia confectionery market. The latter offers good distribution expertise and local connections. Innovation by producers playing a great role in experimenting with flavors, taste, size which is driving a growth of this market. Enterprises operating under Vietnamese confectionery market use modern technology of foreign countries such as Germany, Italy, Japan and Austria to make their products, and apply non-chemical preservation techniquesTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @ASEAN Confectionery Market Key PlayersKey players in this confectionery market are Ferraro, Hersheys,Lindt, Wrigleys, Perfetti Van Melle and ChupaChupa. Product innovation and consistent in quality are the reasons for their success. Dunkin Donuts has signed a franchisee agreement to develop a brand in Vietnam with Vietnam Food and Beverage Co. domestic confectionery companies have simultaneously launched many new products in confectionery market. Pioneers of the campaign included famous companies such as Kinh Do, Bibica, Kotobuki, and smaller producers like Nguyen Tran and ThanhPhat, etc. ierce competition was found between Malaysian Khongguan biscuits and Vietnamese productsAbout UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Shotcrete Accelerator Market Trend to 2023 BASF SE, Sika AG, Denka, Mapei SpA, GCP Applied Technologies, Mc-Bauchemie

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MarketStudyReport.com Published Global Shotcrete Accelerator Market 2018 Research Report - Forecast to 2023 - Market Investment Analysis, Business Operation Data, Top Companys, Opportunity, Features, Development & Trends, Region, Industry Chain, Technology, Research Methodology and Forecast up to 2023.Shotcrete Accelerator market is a chloride free, non-caustic accelerator primarily used in shotcrete applications. Shotcrete Accelerator has two main effects on shotcrete. It provides rapid setting or stiffening so the newly applied shotcrete can begin to support almost immediately. It also provides high early strength to allow loading at an early stage.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Shotcrete Accelerator in global market, especially in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, types and applications.The analytical tools such as investment return and feasibility analyses have also been employed in this research to determine the market attractiveness. The report evaluates the products available in the market on the basis of the production volume, their pricing structure, and the revenue generated by them. Production chain and the dynamics of demand and supply has also been assessed in this report. The research report also analyzes the market hierarchy carrying out a SWOT analysis of the key players operating on the global Shotcrete Accelerator market in order to provide an overall picture of the competitive landscape in the industry and assist the participants to come up with market winning strategies to gain an edge over their peers.Request a sample copy of Shotcrete Accelerator Market Research Report @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers BASF SE, Sika AG, Denka, Mapei SpA, GCP Applied Technologies, Mc-Bauchemie, Basalite Concrete Products, The Euclid Chemical Company, Chryso Group (Cinven), Fosroc, Normet, Sobute New Materials, CICO Technologies, MUHU (China), ATEK Fine Chemical, Cormix International, Kurita.An inherent sub-vertical of the Media and Technology industry space, Shotcrete Accelerator market stands to gain remarkable proceeds over 2018-2023, as per a recently compiled report Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers:North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, covers Liquid AcceleratorPowdered AcceleratorMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into Mining and TunnelingConstruction Repair WorksWater Retaining StructuresOthersEnquire For Discount on Shotcrete Accelerator Market Research Report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Shotcrete Accelerator market.Chapter 1, to describe Shotcrete Accelerator Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Shotcrete Accelerator, with sales, revenue, and price of Shotcrete Accelerator, in 2016 and 2018;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2018;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Shotcrete Accelerator, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 12, Shotcrete Accelerator market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Shotcrete Accelerator sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceMore Report At:Market Segment by Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Shotcrete Accelerator Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Liquid Accelerator1.2.2 Powdered Accelerator1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Mining and Tunneling1.3.2 Construction Repair Works1.3.3 Water Retaining Structures1.3.4 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 United States Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.2 Canada Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.2 France Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.3 UK Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.4 Russia Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.5 Italy Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.2 Japan Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.3 Korea Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.4 India Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving ForceRelated Reports: -2018 Global Operating Lease Industry Report - History, Present and FutureThe global market size of Operating Lease is $XX million in 2017 with XX CAGR from 2013 to 2017, and it is expected to reach $XX million by the end of 2023 with a CAGR of XX% from 2018 to 2023. There are 3 key segments covered in this report: geogra...Centralize market research purchases across your entire organization in one place.Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Market Study Report4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email:sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Blog:Industry News: news.marketsizeforecasters.comConnect with us:Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. is currently demonstrating its MQ-9 Guardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in Japan. The demonstration flights, which started a week ago on Iki island, intend to promote the civil and scientific applications of the RPA. For this demonstration, the Guardian features long-range maritime surface-search radar with stabilized optical and infrared video cameras which is particularly adapted for maritime surveillance missions.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. is currently demonstrating its MQ-9 Guardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in Japan. The demonstration flights, which started a week ago on Iki island, intend to promote the civil and scientific applications of the RPA. For this demonstration, the Guardian features long-range maritime surface-search radar with stabilized optical and infrared video cameras which is particularly adapted for maritime surveillance missions.

The MQ-9 Guardian RPA on Iki island, Japan, for the demonstration flights. GA-ASI picture.



The Guardian is collecting data for scientific research that will be shared across multiple government agencies, while operating from the island of Iki, in Japans Nagasaki Prefecture.

This is the first demonstration of a long endurance RPA by a private company in Japan. The aircrafts sensors include a long-range maritime surface-search radar, stabilized optical and infrared video cameras, and an active collision-avoidance system, which includes a short range air-to-air radar. This configuration is similar to that operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland security over the maritime approaches to the U.S.

For demonstration purposes, the Guardian flights will consist of approximately 10 five-hour sorties over a three week period, originating out of Iki Airport; however, this aircraft configuration is capable of more than 20 hours endurance in a single sortie. The Guardian system will demonstrate various missions, including:

Meteorological, disaster-relief and oceanic observations

Marine accidents and rescue support

Air space management and support of communications
IP Multimedia Subsystem Market 2018 Global Leaders: LM Ericsson, Oracle, Nokia, IBM, Huawei Technologies, Cisco Systems, HP, Bradford Networks, Ascom Holdings AG, Allot Communication

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Market Research Future published a research report on IP Multimedia Subsystem Market Research Report- Forecast 2022  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Market Scenario:IP Multimedia Subsystem known as IMS is a standards based architecture which delivers services on new networks such voice video and text messages over IP networks. The key element of the IMS architecture is the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) that is created to establish, manage and terminate sessions on IP networks. The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is a concept for an integrated network of telecommunications carriers to enable the use of IP (Internet Protocol) for packet communications for wired as well as wireless communication.The study indicates that the lower costs and new revenue sources are the major drivers for the IP Multimedia Subsystem Market. The IP Multimedia subsystem benefits organizations by providing lower costs, faster time to market, multi-vendor approach, standardized third-party interfaces, New, innovative multimedia services and others. These numerous benefits of IP multimedia subsystem boosts the IP multimedia subsystems market. The launch of LTE, VoLTE and demand for the global standard for network infrastructure and services have resulted as the major drivers for the IP multimedia subsystems market. Apart from it, the study indicates that the biggest challenge for any telecom service provider is to operate their network at lowest unit cost structure and open for new revenue sources and the IP multimedia subsystems helps to overcome this challenge successfully. The study indicates that the high investments required for the IP multimedia subsystems is the major restraining factor for the IP multimedia subsystems market.Get Sample of Report @The global industrial automation market is expected to grow at USD ~4 Billion by 2022, at ~18% of CAGR between 2016 and 2022.IP Multimedia Subsystem Market SegmentationThe IP Multimedia Subsystem Market has been segmented on the basis of functions, access network, applications and services. Considering the IP multimedia subsystems market segment based on functions consists of Call Session Control Function (CSCF), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Signaling Gateway (SGW) and Media Gateway Control Function (MGCF) and Media Resource Functions (MRF).Market Research Analysis:Market Research Future Analysis shows that many organizations are rigorously deploying 4G in the recent years. There has been tremendous increase in the LTE market. The trend of using various data applications, video calling and VoLTE is observed.Regional analysis for IP Multimedia Subsystem market is studied in different geographic regions as Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of world. It has been observed that Asia-Pacific region would dominate in IP Multimedia Subsystem market. Countries like Japan, China and Korea are currently dominating the IP multimedia market.Key PlayersThe prominent players in the IP Multimedia Subsystem market are LM Ericsson (Sweden), Oracle (U.S.), Nokia Corporation (Finland), Alcatel-Lucent S.A. (France), IBM Corporation (U.S.), Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (China), Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (U.S.), Cisco Systems, Inc. (U.S.), HP (U.S.), Bradford Networks, Inc. (U.S.), Ascom Holdings AG (Switzerland), Allot Communication (Israel), among others.Get complete Report @Intended Audience Technology investors Key market innovators Venture capitalists Private equity groups Telecom service providers Internet service providers IMS providers Research/Consultancy firmsAbout Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Media Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-Addiction Products Market Will Be Worth US$20.5 bn by 2023

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"The Latest Research Report Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-Addiction Products Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2023 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"The smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products market report is a veritable guide for its offerings. The report includes detailed insights into growth indices and development trends in the smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products market for the 2017-2023 forecast time frame by segmenting in terms of drug type and geography. For the study, 2016 is considered as the base year and 2015 values have been provided for historical reference. The report provides revenues estimations in US$ Mn and volume estimations in Kilo tons for the 2017-2023 forecast period.The executive summary section begins with an outline of definitions, notations, and conventions that are relevant to smoking cessation market. This is followed by detailed insights into large smoking cessation programs and rehabilitation programs that have been organized globally by welfare bodies. Details about different smoking cessation programs along with de-addiction products used are also provided herein.The section continues with a discussion on vital market indicators such as demand drivers and opportunities that are likely to come to the fore in the smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products market. Following this, the qualitative and quantitative aspects of some other growth indicators such as investments and price trends that are likely to impact the smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products market have been discussed at length. Insights into distribution and trade scenario, company market share, Porters five forces analysis, value chain analysis, and attractiveness analysis for key end users are some other highlights of this report.Get Sample Copy of this report @Global Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market: Research MethodologyThe report is a perfect example of combination of primary and secondary research methodologies. Analysts employed standard industry-best analytical tools and proven research methodologies in the making of the report. Using this approach analysts calculated revenue estimates and market share estimates of key product and application segments over the forecast period. Analysts reached out to industry experts and key opinion leaders in the primary research phase via e-mail, telephonic interviews, and face-to-face interviews. Analysts interacted with industry experts on an ongoing basis to endorse data and analysis.Secondary research sources reached out include annual reports, financial reports, company websites, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. In addition, some other secondary sources include pertinent licensed and regulatory databases, market reports, internal and external proprietary databases, news articles, trade journals, business publications, government documents, press releases, and webcasts specifically created for companies.Following an extensive primary and secondary research phase, growth trends that are expected to come to the fore through 2024 are based on the following assumptions;The study is limited to demand for smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products for key applications in key regionsMarket projections have been provided with the assumption that there would not be serious political disturbances or environmental calamities that could impact the growth of smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products marketOverall revenue estimate of smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products market has been provided aggregating the revenue contribution of key drug types in key regionsTable of Contents1. Preface2. Executive Summary2.1. Introduction2.2. Global Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market: Market Snapshot2.3. Global Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market, by Geography and AnalysisSend An Enquiry Request @3. Industry Analysis: Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market3.1. Introduction and Market Definition3.2. Market Dynamics3.2.1. Drivers3.2.1.1. Rising awareness about smoking health hazards and smoking cessation therapy3.2.1.2. Introduction of new products3.2.1.3. Reimbursement for smoking cessation therapy3.2.2. Restraints3.2.2.1. Low awareness about smoking cessation products in developing economies3.2.2.2. Legal obligations dragging growth of several smoking cessation product segments3.2.3. Opportunity3.2.3.1. Research and development3.2.3.2. Market expansion in developing economies3.3. Market Attractiveness Analysis of Global Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market, by Geography3.4. Competitive Landscape: Heat Map Analysis4. Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Segmentation  by Type4.1. Global Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Revenue, by Type, 20132023 (US$ Mn)4.2. Global Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Revenue, by Nicotine Replacement Therapies, 20132023 (US$ Mn)4.2.1. Global Nicotine Gums Market Revenue, 20132023, (US$ Mn) and Analysis4.2.2. Global Nicotine Patches Market Revenue, 20132023, (US$ Mn) and Analysis4.2.3. Global Nicotine Sprays Market Revenue, 20132023, (US$ Mn) and Analysis4.2.4. Global Nicotine Inhalers Market Revenue, 20132023, (US$ Mn) and Analysis4.2.5. Global Nicotine Lozenges Market Revenue, 20132023, (US$ Mn) and Analysis4.2.6. Global Nicotine Sub lingual Tablets Market Revenue, 20132023, (US$ Mn) and Analysis4.3. Global Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Revenue, by Drug Therapy, 20132023 (US$ Mn)4.3.1. Global Bupropione (Zyban) Market Revenue, 20132023, (US$ Mn) and Analysis4.3.2. Global Varenicline (Champix, Chantix) Market Revenue, 20132023, (US$ Mn)4.4. Global E- Cigarettes Market Revenue, 20132023, (US$ Mn)5. Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Segmentation  by Geography5.1. Global Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Revenue, by Geography, 20132023 (US$ Mn)5.2. North America5.2.1. North America Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Revenue, by Type, 20132023 (US$ Mn) and Analysis5.2.2. North America Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Revenue, by Country, 20132023 (US$ Mn) and Analysis5.3. Europe5.3.1. Europe Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Revenue, by Type, 20132023 (US$ Mn) and Analysis5.3.2. Europe Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Revenue, by Country, 20132023 (US$ Mn) and Analysis5.4. Asia Pacific5.4.1. Asia Pacific Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Revenue, by Type, 20132023 (US$ Mn) and Analysis5.4.2. Asia Pacific Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Revenue, by Country, 20132023 (US$ Mn) and Analysis5.5. Rest of the World5.5.1. Rest of the World Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Revenue, by Type, 20132023 (US$ Mn) and Analysis5.5.2. Rest of the World Smoking Cessation and Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Revenue, by Country, 20132023 (US$ Mn) and AnalysisAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Automated Border Control Market 2018 Major Key Players : HID Global, Atos Corporation, Cominfosec, Cross Match Technologies, Gunnebo Group Corporation, Accenture

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Market Highlights:Automated Border gates are computerized self-service barriers operated by border force located at immigration check points, at arrival halls, which proves its worth in the sector through smoother and faster passenger flow, reduced frustrations and provides more operational efficiency. For operation, the passports are required to possess a biometric logo on the front cover which can be readable by automated border control gates. After recognizing the ID, the person at control tower confirmed the persons identification with the support of facial recognition technology and provides immigration. These gates can be adapted at all major arriving halls of the airport, seaport which reduces the time taken by the conventional ones. With the increase in automation and IoT, it is necessary to adapt such technologies in order to be prepared for future challenges. Gunnebo Group (Sweden) mentioned in its recent study that in 2015, 700 million people travel yearly and is expected to grow by 75% in 2023. Incorporating automated border control, provides facilitates faster immigration to passengers within shorter time duration.Due to rise in security concern against terrorism and illegal works, many of the airports, seaports and borders are implementing automated border control gates and other technologies. This are controlled by a centrally located computer and is mainly operated at the time of immigration check in airports. The automated system may mostly include an automated passport scanner, a biometric facial recognition, and other technology that helps in automatic reading at control gates. The market is largely fuelled by rise in automation and IoT applications. Europe is one of the first regions to adopt automated border control to provide an efficient security check system at its airports.Request a Sample Report @Major Key PlayersHID Global (U.S.),Atos Corporation (France),Cognitec Systems (Germany),Cominfosec (Czech Republic),Cross Match Technologies Inc. (U.S.),Gemalto (the Netherlands),Gunnebo Group Corporation (Sweden),Accenture PLC (Ireland),Magnetic Autocontrol GmbH (Germany), and Modi Modular Digits GmbH (Germany) as the key players in the global automated border control market.Automated Border Control Global Market - SegmentationThe market for automated border control is segmented by solution type, by component, and by application. On the basis of solution, the segment is further classified into ABC eGate and ABC Kiosk which differ by the process they follow. In the case of eGate, it allows the users to go through scanning of biometric page and then facial recognition which provides immigration after confirming from security tower. While with Kiosk, the passport is inserted in a kiosk machine where all the necessary identification will be done inside the machine and provides a token for eGate. The growth of this market can be attributed to rising security concerns and enhanced traveler convenience during border crossing process. Nine new automated passport control eGates have been installed at Copenhagen Airport which provides immigration on facial recognition technology. Vision Box, an Australian based company, implemented automated border control technology at the busiest airports like Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Darwin and many more. As of now 83 eGates have been installed and over 10 million passengers have been successfully screened through them.Regional AnalysisOn the basis of region, Europe is leading the Automated Border Control market. The major reason behind this is most of the automation companies are based in Europe and possess strong technical base in the region. Most of the busiest airports in Europe such as Heathrow Airport (London), Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (France), and Frankfurt Airport (Germany) are already equipped with automated border control gates. The Netherlands based company Gelmato acquired 3Ms Identity Management Business made a strategic move by adapting its biometric technology. North America is expected to occupy second place in revenue generation for automated border control in the market. Further, Crossmatch Technologies Inc., which is the largest independent provider of biometric solutions, has acquired DigitalPersona. This acquisition has helped in making the advancements in technology for identification. Secunet (Germany), which is a key player in European market, has taken over bintec elmeg Security GmbH in July 2017. This acquisition has strengthened Secunet with additional expertise and expansion of its packet alarm product family.Asia Pacific region is said to be at a growing stage. Rise in security concerns, need for automation and improved traveler convenience are the drivers responsible for the growth. China Public Security Technology, which is a leading provider of high tech public security Information, successfully implemented automation at busiest airports in China such as Beijing Capital International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport and its objective is to make all the airports automated by 2025.Browse Complete Report @Intended Audience Border Security Control Immigration Department End Users Government Representatives Technical Developers Research Firms IT EnablersAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Printing Inks Market Global Size, Share & Trends 2018-2025 | Flint Group , DIC Corporation , Sakata Inx Corporation , Toyo Ink S.C. Holdings , Sun Chemicals

Printing Inks Market, Printing Inks Market Size, Printing Inks Market Research, Printing Inks Market Analysis, Printing Inks Marke

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Global Printing Inks Market 2018 Industry Research Report provides important statistics, analytical and comparative data to give a complete understanding of the market Size, Share, Growth, Rising Trends, Sales Revenue, Sales Volume, Price, Cost Structure and Cost Margin analysis.Market Scenario:The lithography printing inks process segment is anticipated to observe a higher CAGR during the forecast period. The enhanced and superior qualities of these printing inks such as image quality and low cost among others find its application in wide range of materials. Moreover, the growing demand for food & beverage and the automotive industry is also significantly adding to the growth of the segment.The global printing inks market is spanned across five key regions: Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Among these, Asia Pacific holds a major share of the market and is expected to be the fastest growing region at an exponential CAGR. The presence of the most populated countries of the world such as India and China has augmented the demand for various sectors such as food and beverage, personal care, home care, and automotive among others, which, in turn, is anticipated to fuel the demand for printing inks in the region. Moreover, the growing processed food demand mainly in Japan, India, and China owing to the growing working population and changing lifestyle is also expected to contribute to the market.Prominent Key Players-Sun ChemicalsFlint GroupDIC CorporationSiegwerk DruckfarbenToyo Ink S.C. HoldingsSakata Inx CorporationRoyal Dutch Printing Ink FactoriesSegmented Analysis-The global printing inks market is segmented into process, resin type and application. On the basis of the process, the market is segregated into gravure, flexographic, lithographic, digital, and others. The market by the resin type is bifurcated into modified rosin, hydrocarbon, modified cellulose, acrylics, polyamide, polyurethane, and others. The market by the application is further bifurcated into packaging and labels, corrugated cardboards, publication & commercial printing, and others.Get Your Sample Copy here:-Regional Analysis-The printing inks market is segmented across five regions: Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Among these, Asia Pacific holds a major share of the market and is expected to grow at an exponential CAGR. The growing population and the increasing personal disposable income in the developing nations are the major factors driving the growth of the printing inks market. Moreover, the growing inter-country trade in the region has augmented the use of printing inks in packaging and corrugated boxes which is further adding to the growth of the market. Furthermore, with the increasing working population, the demand for processed and on-the-go food products are propelling in the region which in turn is adding to the market growth owing to the use of printing inks in label and stickers in the food and beverage industry.North America is another dominant region for the market of printing inks exhibiting a growing CAGR. The presence of well-developed end-user industries coupled with the growing adoption rate are the major factors adding to this growth. Moreover, the fast-paced lifestyle has augmented the demand for on the go food and beverages which is further expected to propel the growth in this region. In addition to this, the regulations by the FDA to display product information in packaging and labels is also contributing to the growth of the market.Geographical Analysis-The report covers brief analysis of the major geographic regions namely Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.Intended AudiencePrinting inks market manufacturersTraders and Distributors of Printing inks marketProduction process industriesPotential investorsDirect Copy of this Report @Geographical AnalysisThe report covers brief analysis of the major geographic regions namely Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & AfricaAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Global Market Top Key Players  Ahlstrom , Freudenberg , Kimberly-Clark , AVINTIV , Asahi Kasei , Avgol and Forecast to 2025

Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Market

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Global Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric MarketWiseGuyRerports.com Presents Global Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Market Research Report 2018 New Document to its Studies Database. The Report Contain 125 Pages With Detailed Analysis.DescriptionGlobal Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingAhlstromFreudenbergKimberly-ClarkAVINTIVAsahi KaseiAvgolBonarTorayCHTC Jiahua NonwovenDalian Ruiguang GroupFibertexFirst QualityFitesaFoss ManufacturingGeorgia-PacificGlatfelterAction NonwovensLydallMilliken & CompanyUltra Non WovenPEGASMitsuiJapan VileneJohns ManvilleKingsafe GroupLow & BonarWonderful NonwovensRegent Nonwoven MaterialsParamountHuifeng NonwovenGet sample Report @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric in these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoSpunbond non-woven fabricSpunlace non-woven fabricNeedle punch non-woven fabricMeltblown non-woven fabricWet laid non-woven fabricNon-woven fabric (with other process)On the basis of the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate for each application, includingMedical and health industryFamily decoratesClothing industryIndustrialAgriculturalAutomotive industryCivil engineeringOther industryComplete Report Details @Table of Contents -Major Key PointsGlobal Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Market Research Report 20181 Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric1.2 Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Spunbond non-woven fabric1.2.4 Spunlace non-woven fabric1.2.5 Needle punch non-woven fabric1.2.6 Meltblown non-woven fabric1.2.7 Wet laid non-woven fabric1.2.8 Non-woven fabric (with other process)1.3 Global Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Segment by Application1.3.1 Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Medical and health industry1.3.3 Family decorates1.3.4 Clothing industry1.3.5 Industrial1.3.6 Agricultural1.3.7 Automotive industry1.3.8 Civil engineering1.3.9 Other industry1.4 Global Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025).7 Global Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Ahlstrom7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Ahlstrom Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Freudenberg7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Freudenberg Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Kimberly-Clark7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Kimberly-Clark Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 AVINTIV7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 AVINTIV Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Asahi Kasei7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Asahi Kasei Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Avgol7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Avgol Polyurethane Non-Woven fabric Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview..CONTINUEDAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, Industry research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)
Upcoming Trends in Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror Market that has potential to disrupt the industry

Upcoming Trends in Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror Market that has potential to disrupt the industry

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1153294-2018-2025-automotive-auto-dimming-rearview-mirror-report-on-global-and-united-states-market

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1153294-2018-2025-automotive-auto-dimming-rearview-mirror-report-on-global-and-united-states-market

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HTF MI published a new industry research that focuses on Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror market and delivers in-depth market analysis and future prospects of Global and United States Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror market. The study covers significant data which makes the research document a handy resource for managers, analysts, industry experts and other key people get ready-to-access and self-analyzed study along with graphs and tables to help understand market trends, drivers and market challenges. The study is segmented by Application/ end users [Passenger Vehicles, Medium Commercial Vehicles, Heavy Duty Commercial Vehicles, Light Duty Commercial Vehicles & Motorcycles], products type and various important geographies like United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa].Get Access to sample pages @The research covers the current market size of the Global and United States Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror market and its growth rates based on 5 year history data along with company profile of key players/manufacturers. The in-depth information by segments of Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror market helps monitor future profitability & to make critical decisions for growth. The information on trends and developments, focuses on markets and materials, capacities, technologies, CAPEX cycle and the changing structure of the Global and United States Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror Market.The study provides company profiling, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information of key manufacturers of Global and United States Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror Market, some of them listed here are Gentex, Samvardhana Motherson Group, Magna, Ficosa, Ichikoh, Murakami Kaimeido, Tokai Rika, SL Corporation, Honda Lock, Flabeg, Germid, Konview, VOXX Electronics, Brandmotion, Centric Signs Novato, iD Carid, RockAuto, Mirror Glass Plus, Stereo West Autotoys, General Motors, Automotive Innovators LLC, Connected Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror & Non-Connected Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror. The market is growing at a very rapid pace and with rise in technological innovation, competition and M&A activities in the industry many local and regional vendors are offering specific application products for varied end-users. The new manufacturer entrants in the market are finding it hard to compete with the international vendors based on quality, reliability, and innovations in technology.Global and United States Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror (Thousands Units) and Revenue (Million USD) Market Split by Product Type such as . Further the research study is segmented by Application such as Passenger Vehicles, Medium Commercial Vehicles, Heavy Duty Commercial Vehicles, Light Duty Commercial Vehicles & Motorcycles with historical and projected market share and compounded annual growth rate.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa and its Share (%) and CAGR for the forecasted period 2017 to 2022.Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @Following would be the Chapters to display the Global and United States Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror market.Chapter 1, to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror, Applications of Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror, Market Segment by Regions;Chapter 2, to analyze the Manufacturing Cost Structure, Raw Material and Suppliers, Manufacturing Process, Industry Chain Structure;Chapter 3, to display the Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror, Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, R&D Status and Technology Source, Raw Materials Sources Analysis;Chapter 4, to show the Overall Market Analysis, Capacity Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment);Chapter 5 and 6, to show the Regional Market Analysis that includes United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa, Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror Segment Market Analysis (by Type);Chapter 7 and 8, to analyze the Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror Segment Market Analysis (by Application) Major Manufacturers Analysis of Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror;Chapter 9, Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product Type [], Market Trend by Application [Passenger Vehicles, Medium Commercial Vehicles, Heavy Duty Commercial Vehicles, Light Duty Commercial Vehicles & Motorcycles];Chapter 10, Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis;Chapter 11, to analyze the Consumers Analysis of Global and United States Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror;Chapter 12,13, 14 and 15, to describe Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Enquire for customization in Report @What this Research Study Offers:Global and United States Automotive Auto Dimming Rearview Mirror Market share assessments for the regional and country level segmentsMarket share analysis of the top industry playersStrategic recommendations for the new entrantsMarket forecasts for a minimum of 5 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional marketsMarket Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimationsCompetitive landscaping mapping the key common trendsCompany profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developmentsSupply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsBuy this research report @Reasons for Buying this ReportThis report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsThanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact us :HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketreport.com+1 (206) 317 1218
Software Licensing Market 2018 Global Key Players: Accenture, IBM, Agilis International, HP, Dimension Data, Inishtech Technology Ventures, Flexera Software, Moduslink Global Solutions, Safenet

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Market Research Future published a research report on Software Licensing Market Research Report- Global Forecast 2023  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Software Licensing Market  OverviewThe Global Software Licensing Market is accruing with the demand of large IT enterprises like Microsoft, Accenture, and IBM. These Software Licensing s are required to comply with relevant laws and regulations, non-adherence of which can cause heavy penalties. While, there are several organizations providing the free and open licensing domain which provide the guidelines and definitions regarding software licensing. However, the implementation of software Licensing solutions helps in providing the control over piracy to a large extent. Moreover, the software Licensing management involves in keeping track of the software and its maintenance. The key growth driver is the need to reduce piracy issues.Accrediting the prominence Software Licensing is gaining in the current scenario and projecting the traction its growing market size would gain in the future, the Market Research Future, recently published a distinctive study report according to which the global Software Licensing Market is forecasted to perceive phenomenal accruals by 2023, crossing its previous growth records in terms of value registering substantial CAGR during the period 2017 to 2023. The global Software Licensing market is estimated to expected aggrandize up to USD ~14.34 Billion by 2023, registering a CAGR of ~8.6% during 2017 and 2023.Get Sample of Report @The MRFR Analysis indicates that the on-premises segment is dominated the software Licensing market in 2016, accounting for a total market share of more than 53%. However, this segment will drop during the forecast period due to its high maintenance costs. It has also been observed that the vendors who do not offer cloud-based solutions will face increased competition in the coming years as businesses, are preferring cloud over on-premises solutions.Cloud and SaaS is growing fast, and is the clear direction for the next generation network. Software Licensing is a key monetization driver for software and within the context of a term-based subscription contract will determine how much a vendor can charge and how much a customer will pay for on-premise software or SaaS delivered via the cloud.Usage-based licensing models can be implemented in SaaS and pure-play cloud environments as well as on-premises and with embedded software. Often, customers pay just for the features they need. For example, Siemens Energy Automation worked with monetization specialist Gemalto to arrive at a new licensing model after repeated requests from various customers for the ability to either turn on or turn off certain features in its software.Other new approaches are based on a pay-per-use model. For instance, if a given application is viewed as valuable by a customer, but is only used occasionally, the enterprise might agree to pay a set fee for using the app 10 times, noted Dave DeMilo, principal consultant, Gemalto Software License Professional Services. During the last decade the term cloud has become a mainstream keyword in most of IT topics. The cloud has changed the way institutions and companies are managing their needs. Customers do not buy anymore IT products like hardware or software, instead they pay for the delivery of IT services. For example, companies do not buy servers, hard disks, RAM and processors anymore, instead they pay for storage, memory and computation. In a similar way, they do not pay for software licenses but they pay for the use of software.Key Players:The prominent players in the Software Licensing system Market are Accenture Plc. (Ireland), IBM Corporation (U.S), Agilis International (U.S), HP Inc. (U.S), Dimension Data (South Africa), Inishtech Technology Ventures Ltd (Ireland), Flexera Software (U.S), Microsoft Corporation (U.S), and Moduslink Global Solutions, Inc.(U.S), Safenet Inc. (U.S) among others.Software Licensing Global Market  SegmentationThe Software Licensing Market can be segmented in to 4 key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding; Segmentation By Type: Comprises Proprietary Licensing , GNU General Public Licensing , End User Licensing Agreement, Workstation Licensing s, Concurrent use Licensing and other. Segmentation By End User: Comprises Government and Defence, BFSI, Education and Research, Hospitals, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Human Resources, Manufacturing and other. Segmentation By Deployment: Comprises Cloud-Based, On-Premise and other. Segmentation By Regions: Comprises Geographical regions - North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the World.Software Licensing Global Market  Regional AnalysisThe regional analysis of Software Licensing market is being studied for region such as Asia pacific, North America, Europe and Rest of the World. Europe is one of the leading region across the world in terms of largest market share in Software Licensing market due to the deployment of the market, that has been divided into cloud-based and on-premises. North America is the leading region for the licensing market by revenues, due to the presence of major vendors. Whereas, Asia-Pacific countries like China, Japan and South Korea is an emerging market for Software Licensing market. But this market has huge potential for growth of Software Licensing market.Industry/ Innovation/ Related NewsNovember 27, 2017  The three technology giants and the major Linux distributor Red Hat announced they would extend additional rights to help companies who've made GPLv2 open-source license compliance errors and mistakes. Experts say, The GNU Public License version 2 (GPLv2) is arguably the most important open-source license.November 23, 2017  ZoomAway Travel Inc. (CVE:ZMA) declared that it is in the development stage of issuing operating licences for its proprietary hospitality-based software to qualified individuals and businesses in selected markets. The move to license out its software will reduce overhead costs, while generating recurring revenues that provide good levels of forward earnings visibility. By licensing out the software, ZoomAway expects to generate recurring revenues which provide good forward earnings visibility, while it will also reduce the companys overhead costs.September, 2017 - Facebook (US) announced that the company would be adopting a software license agreement known as the MIT License for many of the companys open source projects. This includes Facebooks React platform, a JavaScript library for building front-end user interfaces on hardware products. The use of the MIT License moves Facebook away from a prior software license known as the BSD + Patents License that included language which put patent owners using the React platform at a serious disadvantage.Get Complete Report @Intended Audience Software Licensing Providers Government and licensing Providers Law enforcement Consultancy firms/advisory firms Technology investors Research institutes, System Integrators Research/Consultancy firmsAbout Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Media Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Electronic Goods Packaging Market Global Key Players DS Smith Plc. (U.K.), International Paper Company (U.S.), Mondi plc. (Austria), Sealed Air Corporation (U.S.), Smurfit Kappa (Republic of Ireland) and Others

Electronic Goods Packaging Market

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MarketResearchFuture.com added New Report Named Electronic Goods Packaging Market 2018: Global Industry Analysis, Market Growth and Opportunity Assessment, Segmentation By Material (Corrugated Boxes, Foamed Plastic, Paperboard, Bubble Packaging, Others), By Product Size (Small Appliances, Large Appliances), By Technology (Authentication Packaging, Track And Trace Packaging) And By Region | Outlook to 2023 to its Database.Global Electronic goods packaging market is expected to grow over the CAGR of around 5% during the period 2017 to 2023.Key PlayersDS Smith Plc. (U.K.), International Paper Company (U.S.), Mondi plc. (Austria), Sealed Air Corporation (U.S.), Smurfit Kappa (Republic of Ireland), Dunapack Packaging (Austria), Georgia-Pacific LLC (U.S.), Graham Packaging (U.S.), Pregis LLC (U.S.), Sonoco Products Company (U.S.), Stora Enso (Finland) are some of the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the global electronics goods packaging market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis.Get Report Sample@Global Electronics Goods Packaging Market - OverviewThe growth of electronics goods packaging is influenced by the growing trend for online shopping, and rapid growth in electronic sector. Furthermore the increasing disposable income and changing buying patterns have also resulted in the high demand for electronics goods packaging market.One of the key drivers contributing to the growth of the market is high demand for protective packaging. With the expansion of manufacturing base and factory infrastructure, there is seen an increasing investment by the manufacturers. This along with rapid growth in the e-commerce sector have induced the market growth. This is considered as one of the strongest drivers.According to REED Electronic Research, in 2015, China accounted for 38% of electronics equipment production in the global market. In the present scenario, consumer electronics is the highest selling category due to increase in the number of online platforms. This rapid growth in the electronic sector is driving the demand of the electronics goods packaging.The evolving technology in most of the electronics and gadgets have led to the high demand. Today, the manufacturers are faced with high level of competition in electronics due to the changing technology and the same change is met with the demand and expectation. The buying trend and preferences have also changed in last many years. The consumers have transitioned towards new age technology and the replacement and frequent new purchases have been very high lately.Most of the consumers as well as manufacturers today are concerned about the packaging and its impact on the environment due to the rising awareness of environment protection. Thus the packaging firms are also seen investing more in the material and protective packaging products, which are suited for intensive distribution in the online shopping platforms.Global Electronics Goods Packaging Market - Competitive AnalysisThe electronics companies have been introducing various products with latest technology. The product line is expanding by the day. The high demand is met with the highest level of competition across the packaging firms. The packaging firms are investing the protective packaging suitable for various retail formats, and also in the environment friendly packaging.In October 2017, DS Smith plc announced the opening of the company's first rigid packaging manufacturing plant in North America. The new plant has helped the company spread its footprint in the region along with 6 other flexible packaging plant. Also, DS Smith Plc, in 2016, announce the acquisition of Parish Manufacturing Inc., which is further expected to expand its presence.Sealed Air Corporation in 2017, announced the acquisition of Fagerdala Singapore Pte Ltd. The company acquired 100% of shares in Fagerdala which was valued at USD 100 million. The sale is expected to close in October of 2017. With the acquisition the company is expected to expand its footprint in Asia. Fagerdala has integrated operations in the Asia which will allow Sealed to expand their business in Asian market.Georgia-Pacific announced its expansion plans. The company is expected to continue to expand its corrugated packaging business. In line with this, Georgia-Pacific announced the acquisition of PAX Corrugated Products. PAX offers corrugated sheet plant and has more than 100 employees in Lebanon, Ohio.Global Electronics Goods Packaging Market - SegmentsGlobal Electronics Goods Packaging Market is segmented in to 4 Key dynamics for an easy grasp and enhanced understanding.Segmentation By Material : Comprises  Corrugated Boxes, Foamed Plastic, Paperboard, Bubble Packaging, OthersSegmentation By Product Size : Comprises  Small Appliances, Large AppliancesSegmentation By Technology : Comprises  Authentication Packaging, Track And Trace PackagingSegmentation By Regions : Comprises Geographical regions - North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the WorldGlobal Electronics Goods Packaging Market - Regional AnalysisAsia-Pacific is expected to show a very high growth rate in demand for electronics goods packaging. The reason is attributed to the rising disposable incomes and the booming ecommerce industry. The electronics goods packaging market in developing countries such as China and India are estimated to witness spiked growth rate, where China is estimated to grow faster due to its positive economic indicators along with increase in online shopping and rapid urbanization.China holds the largest market in Asia Pacific. In China, there is seen an expanding manufacturing base for electronic goods, and the same is met with high demand from all types of retail formats. Rising increase in disposable income, are the major driving actors for such packaging solutions.India on the other hand offers flourishing markets for electronics both in the physical retail outlets, and online platforms. The country has been able to invite various global sellers and online platforms due to positive business environment and high demand. Electronics is one of the top selling categories in any online platform and its positive economic growth along with various developmental policies encourage such retail outlets. This in turn induced the demand for electronic packaging in the country.Browse Full Report@Product Analysis Product matrix which gives a detailed comparison of the market for different recycled product typesAdditional Information Regulatory Landscape Pricing Analysis Macroeconomic IndicatorsGeographic Analysis Geographical analysis across 15 countriesCompany Information Profiling of 10 key market players In-depth analysis including SWOT analysis, and strategy information of related to report title Competitive landscape including emerging trends adopted by major companiesBrief TOC :1. Executive Summary2. Research Methodology3. Market Dynamics4. Global Market, By Packaging Type5. Global Market, By Technology6. Global Market, By Application7. Global Market, By End-user8. Regional Market Analysis9. Competitive Analysis10. Conclusion11. List Of Tables12. List Of FiguresAsk for your specific company profile and country level customization on reports.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Market Research FutureMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Advance Anesthesia Monitoring Devices Market Sparkling Key Players Shares, Revenue, Analysis and Forecasts to 2023

Advance Anesthesia Monitoring Devices Market

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Market Scenario:A medical monitor is a medical device used for monitoring patient; it consists of one or more sensors and processing components. Anesthesia is insensitivity to pain and is used to make patient unconscious during surgery. The advance anesthesia monitoring devices are used to check the patient's response toward anesthesia during the surgical process. Increasing number of surgeries in the globe drives the growth of the global advance anesthesia monitoring devices market. Additionally, continuous development in the field of the anesthesia monitoring devices and increasing demand for the better monitoring devices have provided a push for the development of the market.However, the higher cost and decrease in reimbursements provided by the governments for medical equipment may hinder the growth of the market over the forecast period.Get Exclusive Sample Report @Segmentation:Global advanced anesthesia monitoring devices market is segmented on the basis of type of product and end users. On the basis the type of product, it is segmented into primary anesthesia monitors, advanced anesthesia monitors, and integrated anesthesia workstations. Advanced anesthesia monitors are sub-segmented into gas monitors, stand-alone capnography monitors, depth of anesthesia, and MRI compatible anesthesia monitors. And on the basis of end users, it is segmented into hospitals, clinics, ambulatory services, and others.Regional Analysis:On the regional basis, the market is segmented into America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East & Africa. America accounts for the largest market due to the higher use of the anesthesia monitoring devices and favorable conditions for research and development. Additionally, increasing expenditure in the medical sector and increasing private hospitals driving the market in this region. Europe is the second largest market for advanced anesthesia monitoring devices followed by Asia Pacific.Increasing number of surgeries and developing economies will trigger the growth of this market in Asia Pacific region. The Middle East & Africa holds the lowest share in the global anesthesia monitoring devices market.Intended Audience:Research and Development (R&D) CompaniesGovernment and Independent Research LaboratoriesAnesthesia monitoring devices manufacturers and suppliersGovernment and Independent Regulatory AuthoritiesAcademic Medical Institutes and UniversitiesKey Players in global advance anaesthesia monitoring devices market:NIHON KOHDEN CORPORATION (China), General Electric Company (U.S.), Masimo (U.S.), INFINIUMMEDICAL (U.S.), Medtronic (U.S.), Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd (China), Sedana Medical AB (Sweden), Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA. (Germany), Smiths Medical (U.K.), OSI Systems (U.S.), Maquet Holding B.V. & Co. KG. (Germany), Teleflex Incorporated (U.S.), ResMed (U.S.), Getinge AB (Sweden), Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Limited (New Zealand), Phillips Plastics Corporation. (The Netherland), Intersurgical Ltd (U.K.).Get Your Customized Report @Table of Content:1 INTRODUCTION1.1 DEFINITION1.2 SCOPE OF STUDY1.2.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE1.2.2 ASSUMPTIONS & LIMITATIONS1.2.2.1 ASSUMPTIONS1.2.2.2 LIMITATIONS1.3 MARKET STRUCTURE:2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2.1 RESEARCH PROCESS:2.2 PRIMARY RESEARCH2.3 SECONDARY RESEARCH:3 MARKET DYNAMICS3.1 DRIVERS3.2 RESTRAINTS3.3 OPPORTUNITIES3.4 MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS4 MARKET FACTOR ANALYSIS4.1 PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL4.2 BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS4.3 BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS4.4 THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS4.5 THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES4.6 INTENSITY OF RIVALRYTOC Continued!Get Discount @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Autonomous Vehicles Market 2018 Global Leaders: General Motors, Volkswagen, Google, Baidu, Ford Motor Company, Toyota, Tesla, Audi, Jaguar

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Market Research Future published a research report on Global Autonomous Vehicles Market Research Report- Global Forecast 2027  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2027.Autonomous Vehicles Market  OverviewThe demand for autonomous vehicles has gone up immensely. This market is anticipated to surface as a huge entity in the forthcoming years. The major reason for the expansion of this market can be identified as the increase in the number of road accidents over the years. Due to the increased demand for such vehicles, Market Research Future, a company that specializes in providing market research reports published a report on Autonomous vehicles market. According to their study, the market will come across several growth opportunities during the forecast period of 2017-2027.Autonomous vehicles are basically driverless cars or cars that can drive themselves with the help of advanced technology. At present, majority of the stakeholders associated with the automobile industry are working towards developing such cars. This concept is not all new, it dates back to the 1980s, since then players have been contributing towards developing this concept.At present, the global Autonomous Vehicles Market is at its prime and in the forthcoming projection period, it will expand at a rapid pace. This market is anticipated to generate a revenue of around 65.3 billion by the end of the forecast period. And on the other hand, the CAGR looks promising as well.Get Sample of Report @Growing awareness amongst the general masses regarding the benefits of using an autonomous vehicle acts as a primary growth factor for this market. On the other hand, the market is also propelled by several advantages of using this vehicle such as lesser driving stress, fuel efficiency, efficient parking reducing the costs and reduced carbon dioxide emissions in the environment.The market may however come across certain restraints like data security concerns. Efforts are being made in this direction and soon enough a plausible solution will be discovered for this market.Segments:Global autonomous vehicles market has been segmented on the basis of sensors which comprises of ultrasonic, radar, lidar, image and other. On the basis of hardware and software the market is segmented into cameras, communication systems, and GPS systems. Furthermore, market by type comprises of semi-autonomous vehicles and fully autonomous vehicles.Regional Analysis of Autonomous Vehicles Market:Globally, North America is the largest market for Autonomous Vehicles.Europe is the second largest market for autonomous vehicle with market size of US $1.10 billion in the year 2015 but Asia-Pacific will become the second biggest market by the end of year 2027.Due to the high technological advancement, Asia-pacific region is expected to be the fastest growing region globally, registering 29.2% CAGR during the forecast period.Industry NewsApril 27, 2018  BMW recently announced that it will be opting for a solid state LiDAR for the brands self-driving vehicles, which will be in the market by the year 2021. This technology will be provided to them by an Israeli startup called Innoviz Technologies. The market has high hopes from this partnership.Key PlayersSome of the key players in this market are: Google (U.S.), General Motors (U.S.), Volkswagen (Germany), BMW (Germany), Ford Motor Company (U.S.), Baidu (China), Toyota (Japan), Tesla (U.S.), Audi (Germany), Jaguar (U.K.) among others.Get Complete Report @Intended Audience Car Manufacturers Technology Providers Car Component Manufactures Sensor Manufactures Software Developers OEMs in automotive IndustryAbout Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Boron Carbide Market Future Growth Dynamics 2025

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Global Boron Carbide Market: OverviewBoron carbide finds usage chiefly as an abrasive across a number of applications across industrial as well as commercial sectors. Owing to properties such as high shock resistance, high abrasion resistance, an amazing level of hardness, low thermal conductivity and high resistance to wear and tear, the material has vast uses in the manufacturing sector. It is also used in nuclear reactors as absorbent of neutrons and as an antioxidant in refractory industry. The demand for boron carbide has increased across a number of other industries in the recent years, driving the global boron carbide market. The market is expected to expand at a healthy pace in the next few years as well.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Boron Carbide Market: Trends and OpportunitiesOne of the key factors driving the global boron carbide market is the rising demand for boron carbide nanoparticles in hard metal industry tools and the rising demand for more effective composite materials for defense applications. The market is also benefiting from a massive rise in research activities aimed at the development of better compositions of boron carbide capable of stopping flashing and swelling phenomenon in tanks of nuclear reactors. Moreover, a number of companies are focusing on research and development activities aimed at the increased utilization of boron carbine in areas and products such as grit blasting, slurry pumping, and water jet cutters.The market is also expected to benefit from the rising use of boron carbide in a variety of biomedical instruments and the treatment of brain cancer. This trend is expected to have vast positive implications on the overall development of the market over the reports forecast period. The rising demand for new and cleaner sources of energy is expected to drive the market for nuclear energy, which will, in turn, prove to be promising for the global market for boron carbide.Request TOC of the Report @Global Boron Carbide Market: Regional DynamicsThe report covers the boron carbide market for regions such as North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. The markets in North America and Europe presently account collectively for a massive share in the overall market, thanks to factors such as steady expansion of the nuclear power sector, high investments towards research and development activities in the industrial sector, strong technological base, and the easy availability of innovative products. These regions are likely to continue to expand at a promising pace over the next few years.The market in Asia Pacific is also expected to register a healthy CAGR over the forecast period owing to thriving metal fabrication sector in the region. The burgeoning metal fabrication industry in China and the steadily expanding nuclear power industry in Japan are expected to help the regional market remain a key consumer of boron carbide in a variety of forms. The market in Latin America and Middle East and Africa, however, is likely to witness moderate growth owing to various macro-economic factors and relatively underdeveloped metal fabrication industries.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Boron Carbide Market: Competitive DynamicsThe global market for boron carbide features a competitive vendor landscape wherein companies are investing more on research and development activities with the intension of developing new application areas and gaining a stronger foothold in the market as compared to peers. Some of the leading companies in the market are ABSCO Limited, Advanced Abrasives Corporation, Bhukhanvala Industries Pvt. Ltd., 3M Company, China Mudanjiang Chenxi Boron Carbide Co., Ltd, American Elements, Dalian Zhengxing Abrasive Co., Ltd., Feldco International, Songshan Specialty Materials Incorporated, Dynamic-Ceramic Limited (CoorsTek), Electro Abrasives LLC, Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC. (Merck Group), Dunhua Zhengxing Abrasive Co., Ltd., Washington Mills North Grafton, Inc., Saint-Gobain S.A, UK Abrasives, Inc, and H.C. Starck GmbH.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Photonic Sensors Market 2018 Global Leaders Analysis: Oxsensis, Intevac, Prime Photonics, Smart Fibres, Mitsubishi Electric, Samsung Electronics, General Electric Company, Banpil Photonics, NP Photonics

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Market Research Future published a research report on Photonic Sensors Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2022  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Market Scenario:A device that senses light and converts it to electric signal is referred to photonic sensors. Photonic sensing technology integrates emission of light, detection, transmission by fiber optics, optical components. Photonic sensors are used in many applications such as Lidar, Ladar, Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF), calorimetry, scintillation detection, spectroscopy, biological fluorescence detection, and other. The photonic sensors have an ability to provide accurate results, cost effective sensing solution and others.The study indicates that innovations in the fiber optics field have boosted the photonic sensors market. Apart from it the need for enhanced safety and security solution also drive the Photonic Sensors Market. It has been observed that there has been a considerable rise in wireless sensing technologies which is responsible for the growth in the photonic sensors market. The study indicates that photonic sensors benefits by providing cheaper, lighter, smaller and faster products and components with great functionality with less energy.Get Sample of Report @The study indicates that photonic industry is focusing on development of efficient products, eco-friendly and energy saving photonic sensors would be introduced to the market. These photonic sensors would help in increasing the green footprint. The global photonic sensors market has been segmented on the basis of type, technology, end-user and region. The type and technology segment of photonic sensors market consist of Fiber optic sensors, Image sensors, Bio photonic sensors and their respective technologies.The global Photonic Sensors market is expected to grow at USD ~20 Billion by 2022, at ~15% of CAGR between 2016 and 2022.Key PlayersThe prominent players in the Photonic Sensors Market are  Oxsensis (UK), Intevac, Inc. (U.S.), Prime Photonics (U.S.), Smart Fibres (UK), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Japan), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.(South Korea), Toshiba Corporation (Japan), General Electric Company (U.S.), Banpil Photonics, Inc (U.S.), NP Photonics, Inc.(U.S.) among othersRegional Analysis:The regional analysis of Photonic Sensors market is being studied for region such as Asia pacific, Americas, Europe and Rest of the World. Rapid developments in sensors has driven the market of Photonic Sensors in North America. It has been observed that North America region is the leading in Photonic Sensors market it is followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific region. The study reveals that Asia-Pacific and Latin America region is going to grow significantly over the forecast period. Asia-Pacific countries like Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea have a fair share in the Photonic Sensors market.Segments:The global photonic sensors market has been segmented on the basis of type, technology, end-user and region.Photonic Sensors Market by Type: Fiber optic sensors Image sensors Bio photonic sensors OthersPhotonic Sensors Market by Technology: Fiber optic technology Imaging technology Bio photonic technology OthersPhotonic Sensors Market by End-user: Oil & gas Defense Transport Energy Healthcare Industrial Manufacturing Consumer electronics OthersIntended Audience Technology investors System Integrators Government Organizations Sensors manufacturers Research/Consultancy firmsStudy Objective of Photonic Sensors Market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Photonic Sensors Market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the Photonic Sensors market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW) To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by technology, by type and sub-segments. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Photonic Sensors Market.Get complete Report @Intended Audience Technology investors System Integrators Government Organizations Sensors manufacturers Research/Consultancy firmsAbout Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Market 2018 Global Leaders: NXP Semiconductors, Ascendent ID, Axcess International, ACTAtek Technology, 3M Company, Alien Technology, Checkpointt System, Avery Dennison

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Market Research Future published a research report on Global Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Market Research Report- Forecast 2023  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Market HighlightsThe study reveals that Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is trending in North America region. The Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Market is driven by the innovation and advancements RFID applications in medicine tracking, supply chain, people identification and tracking, equipment tracking, and medical report, samples and blood transfer tracking and it is cost effective as well.The study signifies that the adoption of RFID solutions has increased from larger customers such as Airbus, Boeing and the U.S. Department of Defense. Aerospace companies are increasingly leveraging RFID technology to garner benefits such as improved supply chain visibility, asset management and utilization, work-in-process (WIP) tracking, improved maintenance tracking and efficient logistics and manufacturing operations.Whereas Real Time Location Systems (RTLS), sensor networks, and Internet of things (IoT) are also act as a key driver for Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) market. Increasing trend of high adoption of RFID technology towards automation, supply chain management, real-time intelligence, asset tracking and payments, and NFCThe Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Market is growing rapidly over ~ 15.76% of CAGR and is expected to reach at USD ~$31.8 billion by the end of forecast period.Get Sample of Report @Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Market SegmentationThe Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Market has been segmented on the basis of product type, wafer size, components, frequency, end users and region. Looking through the end-user segment it has been observed that healthcare sector is showing a rapid growth of usage of the RFID technology as it is being used widely in this sector for the medicine tracking, medical reports and blood transfer tracking. Furthermore, defense and the government sector is expected to grow as real time intelligence and NFC are getting good overview in these sectorKey PlayersThe prominent players in the Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Market are: NXP Semiconductors N.V (Netherlands), Alien Technology (US), 3M Company (U.S), ACTAtek Technology (U.S), Axcess International, Inc. (U.S), : Impinj Inc. (US), Ascendent ID (U.S), ), Checkpointt System Inc. (U.S), and Avery Dennison Corporations (US), among others.Market Research Analysis:On geographic basis, Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Market is studied in different regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of world. It has been observed that the growth of the North America RFID market during the forecast period. RFID stores detailed information related to the product on which it is tagged. The prices and details of the products with RFID tags are automatically recorded when the customer approaches the counter, without the need to scan each and every product, which saves the time of the customer. Moreover, it allows cost tally in one scan, which saves the time of the user as well as the product retailer. These advantages have encouraged retail and manufacturing companies to adopt RFID for tagging their products.In the European region there has been a major focus onto the drug tracking to equipment and patient identification to monitoring blood transfer and supply chain and is expected to boost the radio frequency identification market in this region. However, Asia Pacific region has been significantly growing well in Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) market as these are the long term benefits which include cost savings, improved accuracy, and enhanced automationGet complete Report @Intended Audience Software investors Security solution vendors RFID service providers Value-added Resellers Distributers Investors and Venture Capitalist Security Management Service Provider Security Equipment Providers Security Agencies System Integrators Research/Consultancy firmsAbout Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Media Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Sodium Percarbonate Market Trends Global Industry Analysis, Top Manufacturers, Share, Growth, Statistics, Opportunities & Forecast up to 2023

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MarketStudyReport.com adds New Global Sodium Percarbonate Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2023 new report to its research database. The report spread across 107 pages with table and figures in it. The report provides information on Industry Trends, Demand, Top Manufacturers, Countries, Material and Application.Sodium Percarbonate (SPC) market is a chemical, it is a powder that releases hydrogen peroxide, with formula 2Na2CO3 3H2O2. It is a colorless, crystalline, hygroscopic and water-soluble solid. It is used in some eco-friendly cleaning products and as a laboratory source of anhydrous hydrogen peroxide.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Sodium Percarbonate in global market, especially in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, types and applications.The analytical tools such as investment return and feasibility analyses have also been employed in this research to determine the market attractiveness. The report evaluates the products available in the market on the basis of the production volume, their pricing structure, and the revenue generated by them. Production chain and the dynamics of demand and supply has also been assessed in this report. The research report also analyzes the market hierarchy carrying out a SWOT analysis of the key players operating on the global Sodium Percarbonate market in order to provide an overall picture of the competitive landscape in the industry and assist the participants to come up with market winning strategies to gain an edge over their peers.Request a sample copy of Sodium Percarbonate Market Research Report @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Solvay, Evonik, OCI, Kemira, JSC Khimprom, Ak-Kim, Hodogaya, Jinke Chem, Hongye Chem, Boholy Chem, Shangyu Jiehua, Wanma Chem, Hexing Chem.An inherent sub-vertical of the Chemicals and Advanced Materials industry space, Sodium Percarbonate market stands to gain remarkable proceeds over 2018-2023, as per a recently compiled report Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers:North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, covers COP (Sodium Percarbonate, Coated)WPC (Sodium Percarbonate, Uncoated)Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into Washing AdditivesMedical and HealthOthersEnquire For Discount on Sodium Percarbonate Market Research Report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Sodium Percarbonate market.Chapter 1, to describe Sodium Percarbonate Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Sodium Percarbonate, with sales, revenue, and price of Sodium Percarbonate, in 2016 and 2018;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2018;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Sodium Percarbonate, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2013 to 2018;Chapter 12, Sodium Percarbonate market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2018 to 2023;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Sodium Percarbonate sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceMore Report At:Market Segment by Table of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Sodium Percarbonate Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 COP (Sodium Percarbonate, Coated)1.2.2 WPC (Sodium Percarbonate, Uncoated)1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Washing Additives1.3.2 Medical and Health1.3.3 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 United States Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.2 Canada Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.2 France Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.3 UK Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.4 Russia Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.5 Italy Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.2 Japan Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.3 Korea Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.4 India Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market Status and Outlook (2013-2023)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving ForceRelated Reports: -Global (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) Optical Film Market 2018 Forecast to 2023Optical film is dielectric film or metal film which coated on the surface of optical element. Optical film is a kind of high-performance film, can change the transfer characteristics of light waves, including light refraction, reflection, scattering,...Centralize market research purchases across your entire organization in one place.Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Market Study Report4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email:sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Blog:Industry News: news.marketsizeforecasters.comConnect with us:Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter
Connected Logistics Market 2018 Global Key Leaders: AT&T, SAP SE, ORBCOMM, IBM, Cisco System, Intel Corporation, Amazon Web Services

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Market Highlights:Connected logistics benefits in improving and establishing interactions with companions involved in the logistics system by enabling hub administrators to observe inward and outward transportation. This enables more transparency and enhanced efficiency.The market of supply chain and logistics is significantly affected by connected networks or Internet of Things and these have heavily impacted the economies of various countries on the basis of trade, exports and logistics. Also, the advancement in the information technology. The IoT is able to generate a huge amount of data and information which is stored and analyzed to churn out detailed insights regarding the logistics market. Due to analytics, connected logistics, at present will change the supply chain operations. The market is driven by various factors that include real time monitoring and analysis. This also includes some of the applications of predictive maintenance.The foremost reason behind this is the growth of the cloud solutions- a service offered by the vendors across the globe. Retail and healthcare areas are anticipated to gain best advantages from connected logistics solutions. Retail is likely to grow at highest CAGR. The retail industry has employed the connected logistics resolutions to address their enterprise requirements.Request a Sample Report @Regional AnalysisOn the basis of regional analysis, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and rest of the world. Among these regions, North America is dominating the market of connected logistics and is expected to continue leading the market during forecast period. Whereas, Europe region claims the second spot in this market. However, there is expected a higher market growth rate during the forecast period in Asia Pacific. This growth is majorly due to rising population, and growing number of manufacturing base.Major Key PlayersAT&T Inc. (U.S.),SAP SE (Germany),Eurotech S.P.A (Europe),ORBCOMM (U.S.),IBM Corp. (U.S.),Cisco System Inc. (U.S.),Intel Corporation (U.S.),HCL Technology Limited (India),Freightgate Inc. (U.S.),Cloud Logistics (U.S.),Infosys Limited (India), Amazon Web Services(U.S.), Huawei Technologies (China), Accenture (Republic of Ireland), and Siemens (Germany), among others are profiled in Market Research Future analysis and are at the forefront of competition in the global connected logistics market. The global Connected Logistics market is highly competitive. Technology giants such as Siemens AG (Germany), AT&T Inc. (U.S.), SAP SE (Germany), and others provide solutions required for connected logistics such as software as well as advising, deploying, and supporting services to connected logistics platform. Siemens had plans to start its global logistics headquarter including its portfolio of airports, cargo infrastructure, and port in the emirates. The prominent vendors and new entrants are investing research and development to innovate and expand their present product portfolio.Global Connected Logistics Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 22% during the forecast period 2017-2023.Market SegmentationThe global connected logistics market is segmented by software, platform, transportation mode, and vertical. Issues such as development in-service such as performance, availability, and utilization by mobiles can be approached by asset management system software to improve freight and infrastructure supervisors. Henceforth, asset management system software is foreseen to be the highest shareholder in the connected logistics market. Solutions powered by the use of IoT and RFID technologies help industries to address the critical challenge which is assuring product transportation promptly to the consumer.Get a Complete Report @Intended Audience Technology Investors Research/Consultancy firms Technology Solution Providers Government Bodies Original Equipment Manufacturers Consulting and training service providersAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Hypotonia Market Revenue, Shares, Demand, Trend, Analysis and Forecasts To 2023

Hypotonia Market

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Market Scenario:Hypotonia is also known as floppy baby syndrome, or weakness of muscles and lack of muscle tone. There are two main types of hypotonia  Acquired hypotonia in which hypotonia develops after birth as the result of an underlying medical condition, injury or trauma; and congenital hypotonia in which hypotonia is present at birth. Hypotonia is a symptom rather than a condition. Major causes of hypotonia can either be neurological or non-neurological.According to the World Health Organization estimates, neurological disorders are responsible for 4.5%-11% of all illnesses in the world including low or high income economies. This is far higher as compared to the number of respiratory ailments, gastrointestinal disorders, or cancers, and the burden is expected to increase further over the coming years.Get Exclusive Sample Report @Segmentation:The global hypotonia market is segmented on the basis of types, diagnosis, treatment, and end user.On the basis of the type, it is segmented into acquired hypotonia and congenital hypotonia.On the basis of diagnosis it is segmented into physical examination, blood tests, muscle biopsy, assessment of cerebrospinal fluid, computerized tomography or CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, electroencephalogram, electromyography, metabolic panel tests, assessment of thyroid hormone, nerve conduction velocity, genetic testing, and others.On the basis of the end user, it is segmented into hospitals & clinics, research laboratories and others.Regional Analysis:The Americas dominate the global hypotonia market owing to well-developed technology, increasing patient population, high health care spending, and increasing government support for research & development. Furthermore, increased R&D activities and the concentration of major companies have fuelled the growth of the market in this region.Europe holds second position in the global hypotonia market owing to government support for research & development and availability of funds for research. On the other hand, the Middle East & Africa holds the least share of the market owing to less availability of funds, limited medical facilities, and deprived political conditions in Africa.Key Players:Some of key the players in the market are LivaNova PLC (U.K), EnteroMedics Inc. (U.S.), ElectroCore Medical LLC (U.S.), Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.), Cyberonics, Inc. (U.S.), NeuroMetrix, Inc.(U.S.), ImThera Medical (U.S.), and Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.(U.S.), and others.Intended Audience:Pharmaceutical and Biotechnological CompaniesResearch and Development (R&D) CompaniesAmbulatory Care CentersAcademic Institutes and UniversitiesMarket Research and Consulting Service ProvidersPotential InvestorsGet Your Customized Report @Table of Content:Chapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of The Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market Dynamics4.1 Drivers4.2 Restrains4.3 Opportunities4.4 Challenges4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4.6 Technology Trends & AssessmentTOC Continued!Get Discount @Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comAbout US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact Us:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312
Internet of Things (IoT) Testing Market 2018 Global Leaders: Cognizant, Keysight technologies, Infosys, HCL Technologies, Capgemini, Happiest Minds Technologies, AFour Technologies, SmartBear Software, Rapid7

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Market Research Future published a research report on Internet of Things (IoT) Testing Market Research Report- Forecast to 2022  Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Global Internet of Things (IoT) Testing Market - OverviewInternet of Things (IoT) is influencing business enterprises and customers in a big way. Today, almost every business and enterprise application is connected to a type of network and a smart devise, which makes them accessible from anywhere and anytime in the world. IoT allows business enterprises identify new opportunities, improve their revenues, interact with their customers efficiently, and create a differentiation in the domain they operate. IoT helps businesses take advantage of the varied combination of machine generated data with human interactions and make informed decisions.IoT is taking over the world in both concept & practice by changing the way industries work together. IoT has initiated the rapid evolution of ideas that affect day-to-day activities and will certainly accelerate the technical worlds capability to make digital ecosystems of the future a present-day reality.Get Sample of Report @The major forces driving the IoT testing market include the growing need for Internet Protocol (IP) testing of the increasing number of IoT devices and applications. Moreover, the need for shift left testing of IoT applications and the rising importance of DevOps are also some of the factors driving the market.IoT initiatives are to be marketed faster with less risk. The results have already started pouring in. Looking at the innovative onslaught of the Internet of Things one sees the advancement of technology into mobility and diversity with test integration and automation, QA teams are well-set to devise testing procedures which will secure the further expansion of IoT technology.Key PlayersThe prominent players in the Internet of Things (IoT) Testing market are Cognizant (U.S.), Keysight technologies (U.S.), Infosys (India), HCL Technologies (India), Capgemini (France), TCS (India), Happiest Minds Technologies (India), AFour Technologies (U.S.), SmartBear Software (U.S.), Rapid Value Solutions (U.S.), and Rapid7 (U.S.) among othersIndustry NewsMarch. 2017 - Cognizant acquired Brilliant Service Co. Ltd., an intelligent products and solutions company headquartered in Osaka, Japan, specializing in digital strategy, the Internet of Things (IoT). As part of the acquisition, a team of 70 professionals with extensive digital solutions experience and insights in the Japanese market will join Cognizant. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.December 2017 - Sierra Wireless, Inc. the leading provider of fully integrated device-to-cloud solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT), acquired Numerex Corp. The acquisition of Numerex accelerates sierra wireless in IoT device-to-cloud strategy by adding an established customer base, proven solutions and recurring revenue scale.Global Internet of Things (IoT) Testing Market - SegmentationThe Internet of Things (IoT) Testing Market can be segmented in to 4 key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding; Segmentation by Testing Type: Comprises upgrade testing, regulatory testing, pilot testing, compatibility testing, performance testing, network connectivity testing, usability testing among others Segmentation by Application: Comprises smart appliances, smart energy meters, wearable devices, connected cars and smart health devices among others. Segmentation by testing tools: Comprises software tools (wireshark, tcpdump), hardware tools (JTAG dongle, digital storage oscilloscope, software defined radio) among others. Segmentation by regions: Comprises Geographical regions - North America, Europe, APAC and Rest of the World.Global Internet of Things (IoT) Testing Market - Regional AnalysisIt has been observed that North America is dominating the Internet of Things (IoT) Testing market owing to many factors as, presence of developed economies such as United States, Canada, high investing capacity, and high adoption of internet of things (IoT). Apart from it, development of new technologies such as IoT, Big data and others by many organization will have positive impact on market of Internet of Things (IoT) Testing in this region.The Internet of Things (IoT) Testing market shows a steady and considerable growth in Asia-Pacific region, owing to factors such as rising internet of things penetration and larger investments by communication service providers and cloud service providers.Get complete Report @Intended Audience Technology investors Key market innovators Hardware vendors Regulatory agencies IoT testing providers IoT service providers Communication service providers Quality assurance providers IoT platform providers Third-party system integrators Application providers Research/Consultancy firmsAbout Us:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
PC System Utilities Software Market Size: Ashampoo, Norton, MAGIX, Uniblue

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global PC System Utilities Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 to its huge collection of research reports.This report focuses on the global top players, covered-Iolo TechnologiesGlarysoftPointstone SoftwareAvanquestAVGIObitSystweak SoftwareWinZip SystemAshampooNortonMAGIXUniblueAuslogicsSpotmauDownload Free exclusive Sample of this report:With market measurement tools, researchers have also mentioned the size of the global PC System Utilities Software market and the size it will achieve by the end of the forecast period. The graph of the global market has been explained by the impact of various intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the overall market. The research report also mentions key performance indicators, which is inclusive of share of competitors, market value, and CAGR. To ensure complete understanding of the ever-changing market dynamics, analysts have segment the global PC System Utilities Software market on the basis of product, application, and geography. The microscopic view of each of these segments allows the readers to gain a perspective of the finer nuances dictating the trajectory of the overall market.Table of ContentsGlobal PC System Utilities Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 20251 Industry Overview of PC System Utilities Software1.1 PC System Utilities Software Market Overview1.1.1 PC System Utilities Software Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global PC System Utilities Software Market Size and Analysis by Regions (2013-2018)1.3 PC System Utilities Software Market by End Users/Application1.3.1 Commercial1.3.2 Personal1.3.3 Others2 Global PC System Utilities Software Competition Analysis by Players2.1 PC System Utilities Software Market Size (Value) by Players (2013-2018)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Iolo Technologies3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 PC System Utilities Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.2 Glarysoft3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 PC System Utilities Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.3 Pointstone Software3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business OverviewComplete table of content is available at:List of Tables and FiguresFigure Global PC System Utilities Software Market Size (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2013-2018)Table Global PC System Utilities Software Revenue (Million USD) Comparison by Regions (2013-2018)Figure Global PC System Utilities Software Market Share by Regions (2013-2018)Figure United States PC System Utilities Software Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2013-2018)Figure Europe PC System Utilities Software Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2013-2018)Figure China PC System Utilities Software Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2013-2018)Figure Japan PC System Utilities Software Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2013-2018)Get discount copy @QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Blood Gas and Electrolyte Analyzer Market to Reach US$3,480.3 mn by 2023

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Global Blood Gas and Electrolyte Analyzer Market: Analysts EstimationsBe it incrementing percentage of geriatrics, unhealthy lifestyle, or simply genetically inherited  the prevalence of chronic diseases is getting stronger by the day. However, advancements that medical science has made in the past few decades are efficient at treating chronic conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), asthma, heart failure, kidney failure, and uncontrolled diabetes  iff diagnosed early.View Report-As the healthcare infrastructure improves across emerging economies  the market for blood gas and electrolyte analyzers is expanding. As per the findings of this business intelligence report, the demand in the global blood gas and electrolyte analyzer market will propagate at a formidable CAGR of 8.6% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2023. Revenue-wise, the stockholders connected to the value chain of the blood gas and electrolyte analyzers market stand to gain from opportunities worth US$3,480.3 million by 2023, substantially more than the markets evaluated valuation of US$2,118.4 million as of 2017.Blood gas analyzer measures partial pressure of oxygen in a patients body, while electrolyte analyzer measures concentration of vital elements such as sodium, potassium, and calcium. The devices have evolved significantly over the years and are now widely used in intensive care units (ICUs), emergency medical services, and routine diagnosis of various diseases. This report foresees the advancements in technology, advent of portable blood gas analyzers, and prevalence of chronic diseases as some of the primary factors that will sustain a strong demand in the near future. On the other hand, need for blood gas analyzers to achieve greater accuracy and requirement of regular maintenance are a few challenges obstructing the market for blood gas and electrolyte analyzers.Request A Sample-North America to Maintain Dominance, Asia Pacific to Show Greater Potential for Use of Blood Gas and Electrolyte AnalyzersNorth America is primed to dominate the market for blood gas and electrolyte analyzer both in terms of revenue and volume during the period of 2017 to 2023. By the end of 2023, the region is estimated to generate a demand worth of US$1,134.6 million. The developed country of the U.S. has been a key promoter for the use of combination analyzers over the recent past, as opposed to other devices that have a smaller analysis spectrum. North America hospitals and healthcare organizations are showing a high interest for point-of-care devices and the integration of wireless connectivity. The large scale adoption of electronic health records will benefit from the implementation of blood gas and electrolyte analyzers that can communicate faster.Meanwhile, Asia Pacific is expected to open up its doors to new blood gas and electrolyte analyzer devices soon, due to a greater awareness of modern analyzers, increasing expenditure on the healthcare industry, and a rapidly developing healthcare infrastructure. Currently, a large part of the blood gas and electrolyte analyzer consumption in Asia Pacific is through used or refurbished devices. Most healthcare institutes are finding it difficult to meet the high costs of blood gas and electrolyte analyzers, therefore staying with reusing older devices. A large part of the Asia Pacific blood gas and electrolyte analyzer consumption was made by Japan in 2017.Request For Discount-Combination Devices to Steadily Replace Older Blood Gas and Electrolyte Analyzer VariantsThe conventionally used standalone blood gas and electrolyte analyzers are rapidly nearing maturity in multiple regions and especially in the economically developed ones. The conventional tabletop analyzers are now being replaced by the improved portable and combination analyzers. The segment of combination blood gas and electrolyte analyzers is expanding at the second-highest CAGR of 10.4 between 2017 and 2023. It had already held the larger market revenue share in 2017 and will be expected to do the same till 2023, owing to a high demand for the user-friendly and convenient combination analyzers.The overall development rate of blood gas and electrolyte analyzers is high. Although it comes at the cost of shorter product life cycles, it allows for a higher rate of product improvements. This is keeping the sales of blood gas and electrolyte analyzers at a higher rate and allowing players to invest more into development of new technologies.The top manufacturers of blood gas and electrolyte analyzers include Abbott Point of Care Inc., Erba Mannheim, Alere, Inc., and Nova Biomedical.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us-90 State Street,Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Deep Learning Market 2018 : Google, HyperVerge, IBM, Intel, Microsoft

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Deep Learning Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 to its huge collection of research reports.This report studies the global Deep Learning market, analyzes and researches the Deep Learning development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeAdvanced Micro DevicesARM LtdClarifaiEntilicGoogleHyperVergeIBMIntelMicrosoftNVIDIADownload Free exclusive Sample of this report:The report also includes a detailed analysis of the prevailing competition. It therefore profiles some of the leading players in the global Deep Learning market. Their strengths and weaknesses are analyzed in detail and insights into key threats and opportunities that these companies are likely to witness are included. To provide an in-depth analysis, the report uses various industry-leading analytical tools. Furthermore, in covers information obtained from various industrial sources. In addition to this, the global Deep Learning market is segmented in terms of various parameters, which also included region. This is carried out to help companies identify the most lucrative pockets in the Deep Learning market. The report includes recommendations to enable the market players identify the best ways of capitalizing on the prevailing opportunities. For the purpose of the study is also includes valuable insights from industry veterans. The report is therefore compiled to enable stakeholders get key information on the prevailing trends in the global Deep Learning market.Table of ContentsGlobal Deep Learning Market Size, Status and Forecast 20251 Industry Overview of Deep Learning1.1 Deep Learning Market Overview1.1.1 Deep Learning Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Deep Learning Market Size and Analysis by Regions (2013-2018)1.3 Deep Learning Market by Type1.3.1 Software1.3.2 Hardware1.3.3 Service1.4 Deep Learning Market by End Users/Application2 Global Deep Learning Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Deep Learning Market Size (Value) by Players (2013-2018)2.2 Competitive Status and Trend2.2.1 Market Concentration Rate2.2.2 Product/Service Differences2.2.3 New Entrants2.2.4 The Technology Trends in Future3 Company (Top Players) Profiles3.1 Advanced Micro Devices3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Deep Learning Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 ARM Ltd3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Deep Learning Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Clarifai3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business OverviewComplete table of content is available at:List of Tables and FiguresFigure Global Deep Learning Market Size (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2013-2018)Table Global Deep Learning Revenue (Million USD) Comparison by Regions (2013-2018)Figure Global Deep Learning Market Share by Regions (2013-2018)Figure United States Deep Learning Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2013-2018)Figure EU Deep Learning Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2013-2018)Figure Japan Deep Learning Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2013-2018)Get discount copy @QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Aesthetic Services Market is Expected to Surpass US$28.1 bn by 2023

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North America Aesthetic Services Market: SnapshotThe North America market for aesthetic services has been experiencing a tremendous increase in its size and valuation. The increasing aesthetic consciousness and the growing interest of people towards self-grooming in this region are the key factors behind the growth of this market. Apart from this, the alarming rise in the obese population and, consequently, increased demand for liposuction procedure are also boosting this market substantially.View Report-Going forward, the growing awareness pertaining to skin rejuvenation, increasing per capita income, and the rising preference for minimally invasive surgical procedures are likely to drive this market substantially over the forthcoming years. However, the lack of an appropriate reimbursement scenario may obstruct the growth trajectory of this market in the near future.In 2015, the North America aesthetic services market presented an opportunity worth US$14.4 bn. Swelling at a CAGR of 7.70% between 2016 and 2024, the market is likely to attain a value of US$28.1 bn by the end of 2024.Request A Sample-Dermatology Clinics and Cosmetic Centers to Remain Key End Users of Aesthetic Services in North AmericaHospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and dermatology clinics and cosmetic centers have surfaced as the main end users of aesthetic services in North America. Among these, the demand for these services from dermatology clinics and cosmetic centers is greater than other end users. Expanding at a CAGR of 8.60% during the period from 2016 to 2024, the demand from this end-use segment is expected to continue to lead over the next few years.On a similar note, the demand from ambulatory surgery centers is also projected to increase significantly in the near future, thanks to the growing popularity of ambulatory surgery centers as a favorable setting for facial and scar treatments.Request For Discount-U.S. to Continue its Leading StreakOn the basis of geography, the North America market for aesthetic services is categorized into the U.S. and Canada. With a share of 95%, the U.S. led the overall market in 2015. Analysts project the U.S. market for aesthetic services to continue its leading streak over the forthcoming years. The increasing awareness among consumers in the U.S. pertaining to aesthetic services, coupled with the improvement in the medical and healthcare infrastructure and the growing prevalence of skin diseases, is likely to boost this domestic market in the years to come.Apart from this, the increasing demand for aesthetic treatments from the male population and the easy availability of user-friendly aesthetic devices are also expected to fuel the growth of this market in the U.S in the near future.At the forefront of the North America aesthetic services market are Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery, Dermatology solutions group, Riverchase Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery, The Plastic Surgery Clinic, The MedSpa Southwest Plastic Surgery, Cosmetic & Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Clinic, Toronto, Riverside Plastic Surgery, DCDermDocs, Marina Plastic Surgery, and Quatela Center for Plastic Surgery.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us-90 State Street,Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Organic Personal Care Market Assessment and Revenue Forecast Until the End of 2022

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Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has been serving as an active source to cater intelligent research report to enlighten both readers and investors. This research study titled Organic Personal Care Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2022Visit for Sample Report with TOC @The organic personal care market has made rapid progress in the recent past to emerge as a vital offshoot of the global cosmetics sector. The organic personal care market has originated due to the growing demand from consumers for organic products in all fields including cosmetics and is likely to remain a major part of the cosmetics sector in the coming years due to rising awareness among consumers. The organic personal care market has seen the entry of several established players in the FMCG sector as well as the entry of several new players thanks to the immense commercial scope of the market and is likely to remain a promising commercial avenue in the coming years.The global organic personal care market was valued at US$10.9 bn in 2017 and is expected to rise to US$18.7 bn by 2022 at a strong 11.3% CAGR therein.The global organic personal care market is segmented by product type into hair care products, skin care products, makeup and color cosmetics, fragrances, and others. Of these, hair care products are likely to remain the dominant revenue generator for the global organic personal care market in the coming years. The hair care products segment has benefited from their widespread demand and growing need due to rising pollution levels and is likely to retain steady dominance in the global organic personal care market in the coming years. The hair care segment of the organic personal care market was valued at US$3.3 bn in 2017 and is likely to rise to US$5.7 bn by 2022 at a robust 11.3% CAGR therein. Skin care products are also likely to claim a significant share in the global organic personal care market.Get Complete Report details with List of Tables and Figures @Geographically, North America is likely to dominate the global organic personal care market in the coming years. The North America organic personal care market was valued at US$3.4 bn in 2017 and is expected to rise to US$5.8 bn by 2022, accounting for close to a third of the global market. The organic personal care market in North America is driven primarily by the widespread presence of modern sales channels, which has made purchasing organic personal care products easier. The organic personal care market is dependent to some degree on the availability of the appropriate sales avenues, since organic products have yet to become popular to the same degree as conventional personal care products. The high disposable income of consumers in North America is also vital for the global organic personal care market, as organic personal care products usually cost more than their conventional counterparts.Europe is another key regional market for the global organic personal care market due to the growing awareness in the region about the benefits of organic cosmetic products over conventional products. European consumers have been a key part of the growth of the organic products sector in recent years and are likely to continue this role with steady demand from the organic personal care market. The Europe organic personal care market is likely to be valued at US$5.1 bn by 2022, exhibiting a 10.4% CAGR in the 2017-2022 forecast period.Send an Inquiry @Leading players in the global organic personal care market include Johnson and Johnson Consumer Inc., The Body Shop, Amway, Estee Lauder, Kao Corporation, LOccitane en Provence, Natura Cosmeticos SA, The Hain Celestial Group, Kiehls, and Loreal SA.About MRRSEMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Dry Snuff Market Outlook 2025: Reynolds American, British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco, Altria

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Dry Snuff Market Research Report 2018 to its huge collection of research reports.In 2017, the global Dry Snuff market size was xx million US$ and it is expected to reach xx million US$ by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of xx.x % between 2018 and 2025.Geographically, this report studies the key regions, focuses on product sales, value, market share and growth opportunity in these regions, coveringNorth AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaDownload Free exclusive Sample of this report:The researchers of the report preceded their research with a thorough understanding of the market in order to make the report all-inclusive and apt. The trends that existed in the market over the past decade have been scrutinized, based on which, the future trends have been predicted by the researchers. Moreover, the key performance indicators of the global market for Dry Snuff are also an integral part of the report.Table of ContentsGlobal Dry Snuff Market Research Report 20181 Dry Snuff Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Dry Snuff1.2 Dry Snuff Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Dry Snuff Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Dry Snuff Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Loose Snus1.2.4 Portion Snus1.3 Global Dry Snuff Segment by Application1.3.1 Dry Snuff Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Supermarket2 Global Dry Snuff Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Dry Snuff Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Dry Snuff Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Dry Snuff Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Dry Snuff Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Dry Snuff Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3 Global Dry Snuff Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 Global Dry Snuff Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)5 Global Dry Snuff Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Dry Snuff Production and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.2 Global Dry Snuff Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.3 Global Dry Snuff Price by Type (2013-2018)5.4 Global Dry Snuff Production Growth by Type (2013-2018)Read Complete Table of Content @List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Dry SnuffFigure Global Dry Snuff Production (K Units) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Types (Product Category) (2013-2025)Figure Global Dry Snuff Production Market Share by Types (Product Category) in 2017Figure Product Picture of Loose SnusTable Major Manufacturers of Loose SnusFigure Product Picture of Portion SnusTable Major Manufacturers of Portion SnusFigure Global Dry Snuff Consumption (K Units) by Applications (2013-2025)QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Beryllium Metal Market Sales, Size, Industry Application, Types & Forecast to 2025

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An up-to-date research report 2018 has been disclosed by Market Research Hub highlighting the title Global Beryllium Metal Sales Market Report 2018 which provides an outlook for current market value as well as the expected forecast including Rate on Investment (ROI) together with the growing CAGR near XX% during 2018-2025. The report studies the Beryllium Metal Sales market worldwide, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, size, growth, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions.Request Free Sample Report:In this report, the global Beryllium Metal market is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2025.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Beryllium Metal for these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Beryllium Metal market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Beryllium Metal sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingMaterionUlbaMBCFHBIJuhua GroupNantong YongshengShaowu HuaxinDow ChemicalTianyu GroupFugujingfuOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoOptics GradeMilitary and Aerospace GradeNuclear GradeOtherOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate for each application, includingAerospaceNuclear and EnergyImaging TechnologiesOthersBrowse Full Report with TOC:Table of Content:Global Beryllium Metal Sales Market Report 20181 Beryllium Metal Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Beryllium Metal1.2 Classification of Beryllium Metal by Product Category1.2.1 Global Beryllium Metal Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Beryllium Metal Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Optics Grade1.2.4 Military and Aerospace Grade1.2.5 Nuclear Grade1.2.6 Other1.3 Global Beryllium Metal Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Beryllium Metal Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Aerospace1.3.3 Nuclear and Energy1.3.4 Imaging Technologies1.3.5 Others1.4 Global Beryllium Metal Market by Region1.4.1 Global Beryllium Metal Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 United States Beryllium Metal Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 China Beryllium Metal Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 Europe Beryllium Metal Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Japan Beryllium Metal Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Beryllium Metal Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.7 India Beryllium Metal Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Beryllium Metal (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Beryllium Metal Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Beryllium Metal Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2025)2 Global Beryllium Metal Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Beryllium Metal Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Beryllium Metal Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Beryllium Metal Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Beryllium Metal (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Beryllium Metal Sales and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.2.2 Global Beryllium Metal Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.3 Global Beryllium Metal (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global Beryllium Metal Sales and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)2.3.2 Global Beryllium Metal Revenue and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)2.4 Global Beryllium Metal (Volume) by Application3 United States Beryllium Metal (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Beryllium Metal Sales and Value (2013-2018)3.1.1 United States Beryllium Metal Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2018)3.1.2 United States Beryllium Metal Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)3.1.3 United States Beryllium Metal Sales Price Trend (2013-2018)3.2 United States Beryllium Metal Sales Volume and Market Share by Players (2013-2018)3.3 United States Beryllium Metal Sales Volume and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)3.4 United States Beryllium Metal Sales Volume and Market Share by Application (2013-2018).. @@ ContinuedAbout Market Research HubMarket Research Hub (MRH) is a next-generation reseller of research reports and analysis. MRHs expansive collection of chemical market research reports has been carefully curated to help key personnel and decision makers across industry verticals to clearly visualize their operating environment and take strategic steps.MRH functions as an integrated platform for the following products and services: Objective and sound market forecasts, qualitative and quantitative analysis, incisive insight into defining industry trends, and market share estimates. Our reputation lies in delivering value and world-class capabilities to our clients.Contact Us90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United StatesToll Free: 800-998-4852 (US-Canada)Email: press@marketresearchhub.com
Knee Implant Market worth US$7.0 bn by 2024

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U.S. Knee Implant Market: SnapshotThe U.S. market for knee implants a matured market and projected to witness steady growth over the forthcoming years. The technological advancements in knee implants, such as the usage of 3D printing, biocompatible materials, robotic-assisted surgeries, and navigation technology are likely to drive this market in coming years. Apart from this, the increasing health care expenditure and the rising population of geriatric individuals are also anticipated to contribute to the growth of this market significantly.View Report-The U.S. knee implant market stood at US$4.3 bn in 2015 and is expected to protrude at a CAGR of 5.30% between 2016 and 2024 and reach US$7.0 bn by 2024.Hospitals to Remain Key End Users of Knee ImplantsHospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and specialized orthopedic clinics are the main end users of knee implants in the U.S. The demand for knee implants is much higher from hospitals than other end users. The hospitals segment held a share of more than 43% of the overall demand for knee implants in the country in 2015. With the presence of hospitals in a very large number, this segment is likely to remain the topmost end user of knee implants in the U.S.Ambulatory surgery centers are also expected to emerge as a lucrative end-use segment for knee implant manufacturers in the U.S. over the next few years. As these centers offer modern health care facilities and emphasize on providing same-day surgical care, including diagnostics and preventive procedures, which has begun to reflect positively on the demand for knee implants from these centers. Apart from this, the shifting preference of patients from hospitals to ambulatory service centers, owing to the after care services, cost-effective care, and minimally invasive surgeries provided by the latter, is also projected to influence the demand for knee implants from these centers in the near future.Request A Sample-Midwest Region to Lead U.S. Knee Implant MarketThe U.S. market for knee implants has its presence across the Pacific region, the Mountain region, the South Central region, the Midwest region, the South Atlantic region, and the North East region. The Midwest region has been leading this market, thanks to a number of ambulatory surgical centers present in this region. The increasing uptake of new technologies is also supporting the progress of the market for knee implants in Midwest region.The presence of a large pool of knee implant manufacturers and a widespread distribution channel are likely to maintain the growth pace of this regional market, ensuring its lead over the next few years. Indiana, followed closely by Virginia, has been generating higher revenues than other states in the U.S. The high number of hospitals and the mounting osteoarthritic burden due to the baby boomer population are the key factors propelling these domestic markets in the country.Request For Discount-Led by Johnson & Johnson, Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc., Stryker Corp., and Smith & Nephew, the U.S. market for knee implants is highly consolidated in nature. The other significant players operating in this market are B. Braun Melsungen AG, Exactech Inc., DJO Global Inc., ConforMIS, OMNIlife science, Inc., MicroPort Scientific Corp., and Arthrex.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us-90 State Street,Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Market Rising Demand For Upcoming Years

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Market Research Report 2018 to its huge collection of research reports.In this report, the global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine market is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2025.Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingAristech(US)CERATIZIT(China)CHMER(Taiwan)EchoENG(UK)EXERON(Hong Kong)GF Machining Solutions(US)Heun Funkenerosion GmbH(Germany)JOEMARS(China)KAAST Machine Tools Inc.(US)Download Free exclusive Sample of this report:The report classifies the global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine market based on various criteria. It also studies factors enabling growth in the market across these segments. For the purpose of the study, it also segments the market in terms of region. Share held by these regions in the global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine market is also calculated to enable readers have an executive-level blueprint on the global market. Information included in this market study is obtained via in-depth primary and secondary research. Furthermore, key data and statistics are obtained from trusted sources from within the industry. The report also includes expert opinions for stakeholders to have a better perspective about the investment feasibility in the global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine market.Table of ContentsGlobal Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Market Research Report 20181 Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine1.2 Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Die Sinking1.2.4 Wire1.3 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Segment by Application1.3.1 Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Production1.3.3 Experiment2 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type3 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)5 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Production and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.2 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.3 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Price by Type (2013-2018)5.4 Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Production Growth by Type (2013-2018)Read Complete Table of Content @List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Die Sinking Electrical Discharge MachineFigure Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Production (Units) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Types (Product Category) (2013-2025)Figure Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Production Market Share by Types (Product Category) in 2017Figure Product Picture of Die SinkingTable Major Manufacturers of Die SinkingFigure Product Picture of WireTable Major Manufacturers of WireFigure Global Die Sinking Electrical Discharge Machine Consumption (Units) by Applications (2013-2025)QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Deployable Military Shelter Systems Market 2018: Roder HTS Hocker, Zeppelin, MMIC, Berg

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Deployable Military Shelter Systems Market Professional Survey Report 2018 to its huge collection of research reports.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringHDT GlobalRoder HTS HockerZeppelinMMICBergSuper Structures WorldwideGichner Shelter SystemsGeneral DynamicsAARDownload Free exclusive Sample of this report:On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoSmall Shelter Systems (Length less than 6 meters)Large Shelter Systems (Length greater than 6 meters)The study strives to give an elaborate account of recent deals and agreements, collaborations and partnerships, and ventures entered by emerging and established players. The study takes closer look at major technological advances influencing the competitive dynamics. Furthermore, the analysis offered in the study tries to capture the nuances of regulatory framework.Table of ContentsGlobal Deployable Military Shelter Systems Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Deployable Military Shelter Systems1.1 Definition and Specifications of Deployable Military Shelter Systems1.1.1 Definition of Deployable Military Shelter Systems1.1.2 Specifications of Deployable Military Shelter Systems1.2 Classification of Deployable Military Shelter Systems1.2.1 Small Shelter Systems (Length less than 6 meters)1.2.2 Large Shelter Systems (Length greater than 6 meters)1.3 Applications of Deployable Military Shelter Systems1.3.1 Command Posts1.3.2 Medical Facilities Base1.3.3 Aircraft and Vehicle Maintenance1.3.4 Other2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Deployable Military Shelter Systems2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Deployable Military Shelter Systems2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Deployable Military Shelter Systems2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Deployable Military Shelter Systems3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Deployable Military Shelter Systems3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Deployable Military Shelter Systems Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Deployable Military Shelter Systems Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Deployable Military Shelter Systems Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Deployable Military Shelter Systems Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Deployable Military Shelter Systems Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Deployable Military Shelter Systems Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Deployable Military Shelter Systems Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Deployable Military Shelter Systems Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Deployable Military Shelter Systems Sales AnalysisRead Complete Table of Content @List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Deployable Military Shelter SystemsTable Product Specifications of Deployable Military Shelter SystemsTable Classification of Deployable Military Shelter SystemsFigure Global Production Market Share of Deployable Military Shelter Systems by Type in 2016Figure Small Shelter Systems (Length less than 6 meters) PictureTable Major Manufacturers of Small Shelter Systems (Length less than 6 meters)Figure Large Shelter Systems (Length greater than 6 meters) PictureQYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Conventional Lathe Market : Project in United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Conventional Lathe Market Research Report 2018 to its huge collection of research reports.In this report, the global Conventional Lathe market is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2025.Global Conventional Lathe market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players including600 Group(UK)Accuway Machinery(Taiwan)ANG International(US)Atrump Machinery(US)CAZENEUVE(France)AZ Spa(US)Baileigh Industrial(US)Benign Enterprise Co.Ltd.(UK)Download Free exclusive Sample of this report:Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Conventional Lathe in these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaTable of ContentsGlobal Conventional Lathe Market Research Report 20181 Conventional Lathe Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Conventional Lathe1.2 Conventional Lathe Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Conventional Lathe Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Conventional Lathe Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 CNC1.2.4 Conventional1.3 Global Conventional Lathe Segment by Application1.3.1 Conventional Lathe Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 For Large Parts1.3.3 For Glass Working1.3.4 For Long Workpieces2 Global Conventional Lathe Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Conventional Lathe Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global Conventional Lathe Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Conventional Lathe Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Conventional Lathe Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global Conventional Lathe Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers Conventional Lathe Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type3 Global Conventional Lathe Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 Global Conventional Lathe Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)5 Global Conventional Lathe Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Conventional Lathe Production and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.2 Global Conventional Lathe Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.3 Global Conventional Lathe Price by Type (2013-2018)5.4 Global Conventional Lathe Production Growth by Type (2013-2018)Read Complete Table of Content @List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Conventional LatheFigure Global Conventional Lathe Production (Units) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Types (Product Category) (2013-2025)Figure Global Conventional Lathe Production Market Share by Types (Product Category) in 2017Figure Product Picture of CNCTable Major Manufacturers of CNCFigure Product Picture of ConventionalTable Major Manufacturers of ConventionalFigure Global Conventional Lathe Consumption (Units) by Applications (2013-2025)QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Tissue Diagnostic Market worth US$8.02 bn by 2024

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Global Tissue Diagnostic Market: SnapshotWith the increased prevalence of cancer, the market for tissue diagnostics has a gained significant impetus across the world. The infrastructural development in the medical and healthcare industry is another important factor that has boosted the global tissue diagnostics market substantially over the past few years.View Report-Over the forthcoming years, the rising trend of the quantitative and qualitative analyses of tissue samples, discovery of target specific antibodies in the biopharmaceutical industry, and the growing awareness about tissue diagnosis in emerging economies are expected to act as the most prominent factors behind the growth of this market. Thanks to these factors, the market, which stood at US$3.57 bn in 2015, is estimated to expand at a 9.50% CAGR between 2016 and 2024 and touch a value of US$8.02 bn by the end of 2024.Tissue Diagnostic Instruments to Continue Enjoying Strong DemandThe two main products available in the global tissue diagnostic market are instruments and kits. Among the two, instruments surfaced as the key contributor to this market in 2015, holding a share of more than 77%. With the high usage of tissue diagnostic instruments in labs, hospitals, and diagnostic centers for faster and accurate analysis, their demand is anticipated to increase remarkably over the next few years, maintaining the lead of this product segment. The continual advancements in these instruments, such as reduction in equipment size and increased functionality, coupled with reasonable pricing, are projected to add to the growth of this segment in the years to come.Request A Sample-Hospitals, research laboratories, ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), and diagnostic centers are the prime end users of tissue diagnostic products and services. Hospitals, with a majority share, has acquired the position of the leading contributor to this market and is anticipated to retain this over the forthcoming years. The increasing prevalence of cancer, especially various forms of tissue sarcoma, rising healthcare expenditure in emerging as well as developed countries, and the expanding base of the geriatric population are expected to drive the demand for tissue diagnostic products and services in hospitals and other end users in the near future.North America to Report Continued DominanceThe Middle East and Africa, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific have emerged as the predominant geographical segments of the worldwide tissue diagnostic market. With a share of around 40%, North America registered dominance over these in 2015, thanks to a well-established pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry and the increase in research activities. Analysts predict that this regional market will remain on the top over the next few years on the grounds of the surging research capital, introduction of improved and technologically advanced tissue diagnostic devices, and the presence of the leading market players in a large number.Request For Discount-In the recent times, the North America market for tissue diagnostics has been closely followed by Europe and Asia Pacific and the scenario is likely to remain more or less the same over the forthcoming years. The market for tissue diagnostics in Europe, which was primarily driven by the escalating investments from various research organizations for the advanced study of cancer, is likely to benefit further from the change in healthcare reforms, increasing implementation of government regulations, growth in the pharmaceutical industry, and the technological advancements in diagnostic technology. Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is expected to gain substantially in the years to come from ongoing industrialization and the continual drug discovery.Abbott Laboratories, Becton Dickinson & Co., Genomic Health Inc., 3DHISTECH, Danaher Corp., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., GE Healthcare, Cell Signaling Technologies, Agilent Technologies, and Roche Diagnostics are some of the key players in the global tissue diagnostic market.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMRs global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.Contact us-90 State Street,Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Microbubbles/Ultrasound Contrast Agents Market Worth 1,584.5 Million USD By 2024

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The global microbubbles/ultrasound contrast agents market will grow at a CAGR of 25.2% from 2018 to 2024 to reach USD 1,584.5 million by 2024, according to the latest publication from Meticulous Research. The global microbubbles/ultrasound contrast agents market is driven by various factors such as advancement in ultrasound technologies, benefits of ultrasound over alternative technologies, increase in demand for diagnostics & image guided procedures, favorable reimbursement policies for contrast enhanced procedures in the U.S., and growing aging population and subsequent rise in the prevalence of chronic diseases. In addition, rising research activities related to microbubbles/ultrasound contrast agents and emerging economies in the Asia Pacific region provides significant opportunities for various stakeholders in this market.Download Free Sample PDF @Key market segments to watchThe global microbubbles/ultrasound contrast agents market studied in this report is majorly segmented on the basis of therapeutic area (cardiovascular diseases, renal and associated diseases, and others), application (molecular imaging, gene therapy, drug delivery, and stem cells delivery), and geography.On the basis of therapeutic area, cardiovascular diseases commanded the largest share in the global microbubbles/ultrasound contrast agents market in 2017, mainly due to rising adoption of ultrasound contrast agents in echocardiography procedures with increasing prevalence of chronic cardiovascular diseases, rising mortality associated to stroke and heart attack, and need for better diagnosis technology.On the basis of applications, molecular imaging held the largest share in the microbubbles/ultrasound contrast agents market in 2017. This was mainly attributed to rising adoption of microbubbles in various ultrasound based molecular imaging procedures for the accurate diagnosis of various diseases. In addition, increasing need for monitoring of the biomarker status of vascular endothelium, visualizing tumor vasculature, imaging inflammation and ischemia-reperfusion injury zones, and need for targeted therapies further propels the adoption of microbubbles in molecular imaging applications.Browse in-depth Report onRegional market growth trendsGeographically, this market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the World. North America commanded the largest share in the global microbubbles/ultrasound contrast agents market in 2017, followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. The major share of this region is mainly attributed to the rising aging population, increasing number of chronic diseases, well-established healthcare system with wide spread chain of suppliers & distributors, higher adoption of innovative technologies, rising technological advancements in healthcare, and higher healthcare spending in the region, especially in the U.S. However, Asia pacific region is slated to register the fastest growth during the forecast period, primarily due to rising healthcare spending, improving healthcare infrastructure, rising living standards with increasing income of middle class population, growing healthcare awareness, and growing aging population and subsequently prevalence of chronic diseases in the Asian countries.Download Free Sample PDF @About Meticulous ResearchMeticulous Research is founded in 2010 and incorporated as Meticulous Market Research Pvt. Ltd. in 2013 as a private limited company under the Companies Act, 1956. Since its incorporation, the company has become the leading provider of premium market intelligence in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa.Contact info:Viren ShrivastavaAVP- Global Sales and MarketingMeticulous ResearchEmail: viren@meticulousresearch.comDirect Lines: +1-646-781-8004 (North America)+44-203-868-8738 (Europe)+91 744-7780008 (Asia-Pacific)Office No-402, 4th Floor, Pushpak Business Hub, Wakad, Pune-411057
Freight Trucking Market Set to Witness an Uptick during 2017 to 2025

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Global Freight Trucking Market: OverviewThe Freight Trucking market report provides analysis for the period 20152025, where in the period from 2017 to 2025 is the forecast period and 2016 is the base year. The report covers all the major trends and key drivers playing a major role in Freight Trucking market growth over the forecast period. It also highlights the drivers, restraints, and opportunities expected to influence markets growth during the said period.Report overview @The study provides a holistic perspective on the Freight Trucking markets growth throughout the above mentioned forecast period in terms of revenue (in US$ Bn), and volume (in million tons), across different geographies, including Asia Pacific, South America, North America, Europe, and Middle East & Africa (MEA).Global Freight Trucking Market: Scope of the StudyThe market overview section of the report demonstrates the market dynamics and trends that influence the current nature and future status of this market. An attractiveness analysis has also been provided for every geographic region in the report, in order to give a thorough analysis of the overall competitive scenario of the Freight Trucking market.Moreover, the report provides an overview of the various strategies adopted by key players of Freight Trucking present in the market. Product definition and introduction chapter helps in understanding different types of Freight Trucking used across all the regions.Global Freight Trucking Market: Key SegmentsThe global freight trucking market has been segmented on the basis of type, size, end user, distance and cargo type. By truck type, the global freight trucking market has been segmented into lorry tank, truck trailer, refrigerated truck, flatbed truck and others. On the basis of size, the global market has been segmented into heavy trucks, medium trucks, light trucks and others.By distance, the market has been segmented into less than fifty miles, fifty one to hundred miles, hundred one to two hundred miles, and two hundred miles to five hundred miles and above five hundred miles. On the basis of cargo type, the market has been segmented into dry bulk goods, oil and diesel, postal and others.The market has been further segmented on the basis of end user such as oil and gas, industrial and manufacturing, energy and mining, chemicals, pharmaceutical and healthcare and food and beverages. Thus, the report provides in-depth cross-segment analysis of the Freight Trucking market and classifies it into various levels, thereby providing valuable insights at the macro as well as micro levels.Moreover, report also provides in depth study of Size of Freight Trucking market and types of Size. The report also highlights the competitive landscape of the Freight Trucking market, thereby positioning all the major players according to their geographic presence and recent key developments.In competitive landscape report includes in depth study of top players of Freight Trucking market. The comprehensive Freight Trucking market estimates are the result of our in-depth secondary research, primary interviews, and in-house expert panel reviews.Get a free sample request @Global Freight Trucking Market: Regional AnalysisOn the basis of country, North America market is divided into The U.S., Canada and Rest of North America. Similarly, Europe market is divided into Germany U.K., France, and Rest of Europe. Asia Pacific has been segmented into China, Japan, India and Rest of Asia Pacific. Middle East and Africa covers the G.C.C. countries, South Africa, and Rest of Middle East and Africa.Similarly, South America region includes Brazil and Rest of South America. This report provides all the essential information required to understand the Freight Trucking and its types. Furthermore, Porters Five Forces analysis explains the factors which are currently affecting the Freight Trucking market.Companies Mentioned in ReportCargo Carriers (Johannesburg, Gauteng), United Parcel Service Inc. (Georgia, United States), FedEx Corporation (Tennessee, United States), Ceva Holdings LLC, (London, United Kingdom), Tuma Transport (Johannesburg, South Africa), Swift Transportation (Harare, Zimbabwe), Interlogix Private Limited (Durban), Kuehne+Nagal Incorporated, (Bremen, Germany), Transtech Logistic (Johannesburg, South Africa), Procet Freight (South Africa),Concargo Private Limited (South Africa), Werner Enterprise (Omaha, Nebraska) among others are some of the major players operating within the global Freight Trucking market profiled in this study. Details such as financials, SWOT analysis, business strategies, recent developments, and other such strategic information pertaining to these players have been duly provided as part of company profiling.Global Freight Trucking market is segmented as follows:-Global Freight Trucking Market, By TypeLorry TankTruck TrailerRefrigerated TruckFlatbed TruckOthersGlobal Freight Trucking Market, By SizeHeavy TrucksMedium TrucksLight TrucksGlobal Freight Trucking Market, By Distance50 Miles or Less51 to 100 Miles101-200 Miles201-500 MilesAbove 501 MilesGlobal Freight Trucking Market, By Cargo TypeDry Bulk GoodsOil and DieselPostalOthersGlobal Freight Trucking Market, By End UserOil and GasIndustrial and ManufacturingDefenseEnergy and MiningChemicalsPharmaceutical and HealthcareFood and BeveragesGlobal Freight Trucking Market, By GeographyNorth AmericaThe U.S.CanadaRest of North AmericaEuropeThe U.K.GermanyFranceItalyRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaRest of Asia PacificMiddle East and Africa (MEA)GCC CountriesSouth AfricaRest of Middle East and AfricaSouth AmericaBrazilRest of South AmericaBuy Now Full Report @About UsXploreMR is one of the worlds leading resellers of high-quality market research reports. We feature in-depth reports from some of the worlds most reputed market research companies and international organizations. We serve across a broad spectrum  from Fortune 500 to small and medium businesses. Our clients trust us for our unwavering focus onquality and affordability. We believe high price should not be a bottleneck for organizations looking to gain access to quality informationContact USXploreMR111 North Market Street, Suite 300San Jose, CA 95113, United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030US-Canada : 866-552-3453Email:sales@xploremr.comWebsite:
Online Travel Market 2018  2023 Global Leaders: Expedia, Inc, The Priceline Group, TripAdvisor Inc, Alibaba Group Holding Limited

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Market Highlights:The online travel industry is basically made up of e-commerce websites trying to provide a hassle-free booking and buying experience to the customers. Increasing internet penetration and rising adoption of social media are among the primary factors influencing the growth of the online travel market. Most of the online travel market is being driven by the flight and hotel bookings. Additionally, the online travel market is highly affected by the reviews on the websites. These reviews help the consumers to decide on which websites should they buy from.The direct travel suppliers segment is expected to hold the largest market share of the market. Whereas, online travel agencies segment is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period owing to the increasing adoption of social media and rising demand for hassle-free travel booking options. Also, the growing trend of e-commerce and m-commerce is one major factors driving the growth of the online travel market.Request a Sample Report @Major Key Players: Expedia, Inc. (U.S.) The Priceline Group (U.S.) TripAdvisor Inc. (U.S.) Ctrip (China) Hostelworld Group (Republic of Ireland) Hotel Urbano (Brazil) CheapOair (U.S.) Trivago (Germany) Thomas Cook Group plc (U.k) MakeMytrip Inc. (India) Alibaba Group Holding Limited (China) eLong (China) TUI Group (Germany) Tuniu (China) AirGorilla, LLC (U.S.) Hays Travel limited (U.k) Airbnb (U.S.) Yatra.com (India)The global Online Travel Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 12% during the forecast period 2017-2023.Online Travel Market Segmentation:The global online travel market is segmented by platform, mode of booking, and service type. Based on the platform, the market is segmented into mobile and desktop. Based on the mode of booking, the market is segmented into online travel agencies and direct travel supplies. Whereas, based on the service type, the market is segmented into transportation, accommodation, vacation packages, and others.Regional Analysis:The global online travel market is studied in Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and Rest of the World. It has been observed that North America is estimated to account for the largest share of the market, whereas Asia Pacific is projected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period.The growth of market in North America is attributed to the technological advancements and increased adoption of e-commerce applications across various industry verticals.Access Report Details @Intended Audience: Technology Investors Research/Consultancy firms Technology Solution Providers Government Bodies Regulatory agencies Consumers Corporate sectorTable of Contents1 Executive Summary2 Scope of the Report2.1 Market Definition2.2 Scope of the Study2.2.1 Research Objectives2.2.2 Assumptions & Limitations2.3 Markets Structure3 Market Research Methodology3.1 Research Process3.2 Secondary Research3.3 Primary Research3.4 Forecast ModelContinuedList of TablesTable 1 Global Online Travel Market: By Region, 2017-2023Table 2 North America Online Travel Market: By Country, 2017-2023Table 3 Europe Online Travel Market: By Country, 2017-2023ContinuedList of FiguresFigure 1 Global Online Travel Market SegmentationFigure 2 Forecast MethodologyFigure 3 Five Forces Analysis of Global Online Travel MarketContinuedAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our clients to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Solutions, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.ContactMarket Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Tuberculosis Vaccine Treatment Global Key Players -Merck & Co., Inc.(US), Sanofi Pasteur SA (France), Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (India) and GlaxoSmithKline plc (UK) Market Analysis and Forecast to 2023

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Market Scenario:Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease which is caused by the bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Tuberculosis mainly affects lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body. Typical signs of tuberculosis includes chronic or persistent cough and sputum production. When TB is at an advanced stage the sputum will contain blood and other symptoms include lack of appetite, weight loss, fever, and night sweats.The vaccines trigger a potent immune response against infectious diseases; tuberculosis (TB) vaccines prevent infection with tuberculosis. Robert Koch was first to propose immunotherapy as a defense mechanism against TB. Currently, the only effective tuberculosis vaccine is BCG (Bacilli Calmette-Guerin).View Reports Sample @Increasing awareness about vaccination, growing government funding for vaccination programs and increasing prevalence of infectious diseases drive the growth of the market. Furthermore, improving healthcare infrastructure and emphasis on prevention of diseases drive the growth of this market.According to Centers for disease control and prevention, One third of the worlds population is infected with TB. In 2016, 10.4 million people around the world became sick with TB disease. There were 1.7 million TB-related deaths worldwide. A total of 9,272 TB cases (a rate of 2.9 cases per 100,000 persons) were reported in the United States in 2016.However, on the other hand, side effects occurring from the vaccinations and the government approval time for the vaccine are the major factors that may hinder the growth of the market.The global tuberculosis vaccine treatment market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period 2017-2023.Intended Audience Research and Development (R&D) Companies Government and Independent Research Laboratories Tuberculosis Vaccines Manufacturers Tuberculosis Vaccines Suppliers Government and Independent Regulatory Authorities Academic Medical Institutes and UniversitiesSegmentationGlobal tuberculosis vaccine treatment market is segmented on the basis of types of test, type of TB vaccines, and end users.On the basis of type of test, it is segmented into tuberculin skin test (TST), TB blood tests, IGRAs (interferon-gamma release assays), and others.On the basis of type of Tb vaccines, it is segmented into immunotherapeutic vaccines, booster vaccines, and others.And on the basis of end users, it is segmented into hospitals, private clinics, research institutes, and others.Check for Report Discount @Regional AnalysisOn the regional basis, the global tuberculosis vaccine treatment market is segmented into America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East & Africa.America holds the largest market share of TB vaccines due to the major market players are concentrated and its emphasis on vaccination against TB.Europe accounts for the second largest market for TB vaccines; this is due to increase in research and development activities by research institutions and pharmaceutical companies. According to UK TB statistics reports, in 2016 there were 5,664 TB cases 39% of cases were in diagnosed in London and 3.8% of people with TB were also living with HIV.Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market for Tuberculosis vaccines market over the forecast period. India and China are expected to be emerging and fastest growing countries in this regional market.According to WHO, India accounts with the highest burden of TB. In 2015, an estimated incidence of 2.84 million cases of TB in India.On the other hand, The Middle East and Africa holds least market share due to limited screening, ignorance of diseases, and poor access to treatment.Send An Enquiry @Key PlayersMerck & Co., Inc.(US), Sanofi Pasteur SA (France), Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (India), GlaxoSmithKline plc (UK), IDT Biologics GmbH, GreenSignal Bio Pharma Limited (India), Taj Pharmaceuticals Limited (India), Bavarian Nordic(US), Solvay(US), Informa plc.(US) and others.Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Combined Heat And Power CHP Systems Market to Undertake Strapping Growth During 2016 - 2026

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Cogeneration (also known as combined heat and power systems (CHP)) is a cluster of technologies primarily used for the concurrent generation of electricity and useful heat. This combined generation of heat and electricity is much more effective than separate generation of electricity and useful heat in a way that CHP systems offers improved energy efficiency, reduced managing cost, low CO2 emission and others. Growing data center capacity as business operate more processes, handle complex analytics with increasing storage requirements for customer data and employing rich media. Handling of such large data requires continuous supply of reliable power makingcogeneration systems of primary importance. Efficiency level for cogeneration systems can reach up to 80 % against separate generation of heat and electricity which provides combined efficiency of 40-50 %. CHP systems for data centers are gaining traction in the market as using such plants as source of data center power leads to energy efficient and substantial cost reduction benefits. However, another technology commercially available for powering data centers includes fuel cells. Although CHP systems are less efficient than fuel cells but requires lesser fuel to generate the same amount of power and has a win when its ability to supply chilled water is factored. Some of the major benefits offered utilizing CHP systems for data centers are limited reliance over external power supply, increased energy efficiency, low site carbon emission and others.Request Report for Table of Contents @Global CHP System market for Data Centre: MarketDynamics Regions with high electricity cost are readily adopting CHP systems primarily to save on their energy cost to provide base load power and using such systems to provide absorption cooling for the facility. Moreover, government initiatives to install CHP systems in data center facilities due to low CO2 emissions is also expected to increase its adoption rate thereby increasing the adoption of CHP system in data centers. Low economic life of data center IT equipment results in consumer reluctance towards adoption of CHP systems for data centers since these systems have equipment life of around 10-15 years in comparison to economic life of IT equipment which is only 2-3 years.Global CHP System market for Data Centre: Segmentation The global CHP system market for data center can be segmented on the basis of data center types, facility size, installation type and region. By Data center types the market can be segmented into Telecoms, ISPs (internet Service Provider), CoLos (Co-located server hosting facilities), server farms, corporate data centers, university/ national laboratory and others. Based on facility the market can be segmented into less than 200 sq.ft, 200-700 sq.ft, 700-1,200 sq.ft, 1,200-6,000 sq.ft and more than 6,000 sq.ft. Based on installation type global cogeneration systems market for data center can be segmented into newly installed systems and retrofit systems. By region global CHP system market for data centers can be segmented into seven key regions namely North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Middle East and Africa and Japan.Global CHP System market for Data Centre: Key Players Some of the major players identified across CHP system market for data center includes ENER-G, Korea Electric Power Corporation, National Grid plc, Exelon Corporation, NextEra Energy, Inc., Chubu Electric Power Company, American Electric Power Company, Inc. and others.Request A Sample Copy Of This Report at:About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India. FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Contact UsU.S. Office616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWeb:
Polyolefin Resin Market Advocating Demand Availability 2025

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Global Polyolefin Resin Market: SnapshotThe polyolefin resin market is likely to rise at a steady rate in the coming years due to their rising use as a replacement to a large number of polymers in applications varying from the automotive industry to the paints and coatings and construction sectors. Polyolefins are unreactive to most chemicals at room temperature, which makes them perfect for use in a large number of applications. Rising awareness regarding the environmental unviability of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has been a major driver for the global polyolefin resin market, as it has driven the demand for polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The booming automotive industry has become a key consumer in the global polyolefin market in recent years due to the structural advantages provided by polyolefin in automotive interiors. Automotive interiors need to be resistant to moderate physical impact as well as significant amounts of everyday chemicals, a task at which polyolefins excel. Their cost-efficient physical properties have been a prime factor driving demand from the global polyolefin market from the automotive industry. The light weight of polyolefin resins also makes them important for the automotive industry due to the growing acknowledgment of the importance of the weight of a vehicle in its emissions.Emerging countries in Asia Pacific are likely to be important to the global polyolefin resin market in the coming years due to their steady demand for cheap passenger cars. Countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea also house flourishing automotive sectors that have played pioneering roles in the global automotive industry, which is another key driver for the global polyolefin resin market. The booming consumer electronics industry in the region is also likely to present promising opportunities to the Asia Pacific polyolefin resin market.Global Polyolefin Resin Market: OverviewPolymers containing one or more olefinic groups are called polyolefin resins. These high molecular weight hydrocarbons are renowned for their ability to withstand exposure to a wide range of chemicals at the room temperature. These hydrocarbons are also known to be highly adaptable to a variety of fabrication mechanisms and usable across a number of applications. Also less expensive than a vast range of polymers, polyolefin resins find extensive usage across industries such as automotive, construction, paints and coatings, medical, and packaging.Request TOC of the Report @Of the variety of thermoplastics used in the industrial sector, polyolefins are the largest product segment. Although in the market for several decades, polyolefin resins have started gaining increased attention in the past few years owing to the trend of replacing polyvinyl chloride with polyolefins across several applications owing to the latters relatively less taxing impact on the environment and human health. Although PVC continues to be the preferred material for a plethora of applications in the industrial sector, stringent government regulations advocating the limited use of PVC could lead to vast growth opportunities for the polyolefin market.Global Polyolefin Resin Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe polyolefins market will be chiefly driven due to the increased rate of replacement of PVC with the material as well as its rubber like features, making it suitable for a variety of high-performance industrial applications. The low cost and the capability of being manufactured with the help of a number of modern technologies such as blow molding, extrusion, injection molding, and calendaring will also benefit the market in the next few years. Non-polyolefin resins manufactured from elastomers can also substitute polyolefin resins. However due to the higher production cost of non-polyolefin resins prevents the entry of substitutes in the global market.Global Polyolefin Resin Market: Geographical and Competitive DynamicsAsia Pacific is presently the leading regional market for polyolefin resins, chiefly owing to the presence of some of the worlds largest manufacturers of the compound. The region also leads the global polyolefin resins market as China is the worlds largest manufacturer of the compound and production capacities of other Asian countries such as India, Indonesia, and Malaysia are also rising. Automobile industry, the largest end user of this product, is growing rapidly in developing economies in the region such as China and India, which has further fuelled the overall consumption of polyolefin resins.Owing to the easy availability of low cost raw materials, several European and North American companies entering Asia Pacific by setting up production sites in the region. North America is also one of the leading markets for polyolefin resins, but the demand for the compound in the region is mostly fulfilled by imports from Asia Pacific. However, owing to the recent rise in production of shale gas has allowed the easy availability of cheap raw materials, which is expected to fuel the production of the polyolefin resins in the region in the next few years.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Some of the key vendors operating in the global polyolefin resins market are Dupont, China National Petroleum Corporation, LyondellBasell Industries NV, The Dow Chemical Company, and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
X-ray Security Scanner Market: Technological Advancements Expected to Boost Revenue Growth During 2017 - 2025

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X-ray security scanner market is expected to grow US$ 5.95 billion by 2025 from US$ 3.88 billion in 2017. The sales of X-ray security scanner is largely influenced by numerous factors. On the basis of product type, baggage X-ray security scanner is dominating the global X-ray security scanner market owing to enhanced security requirements at places with large mass population such as airports, shopping malls, stadiums etc. Further, government buildings, customs, and borders need improved safety equipment to evade the risk of terrorism, illegal immigrations, and transfer of contrabands.Download PDF Sample With Latest Advancements:X-ray security scanner market is growing globally with increasing development of infrastructure. Airports, being the biggest end-user of these systems, are noticing high investments in their infrastructure. Almost all the countries across the globe are investing in their airport infrastructure by either expanding the existing facilities or constructing new airports. Also, a growth has been noticed in the commercial infrastructure of emerging economies, resulting in construction of new shopping malls, hospitals, stadiums, and other commercial buildings. The deployment of X-ray security scanners in these buildings and airports, is expected to boost the market growth.Further, the market heavily depends on the changing government standards and budgets. For instance, the EU has recently passed a legislation mandating every airports in the region to update their baggage screening systems to comply with standard 3 of ECAC by 2020. However, for U.K. airports, the deadline in 2018. Also, in 2011, EU banned the use of X-ray full-body scanners across all the airports in the region, followed by the U.S. and China.The overall market size has been derived using both primary and secondary source. The research process begins with an exhaustive secondary research using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. It also provides the overview and forecast for the global X-ray security scanner market based on all the segmentation provided with respect to six major regions including, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and South America. Also, primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators in order to validate data and analysis. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry expert such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers and national sales managers, and external consultant such as valuation experts, research analysts and key opinion leaders specializing in the semiconductor & aerospace industry.The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Automotive and Defense.Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.com
BLOGGERS BUS FLAGGED OFF TO YAMUNOTRI AND GANGOTRI

From L-R: Anindya S. Basu, Amrita Das, Swati Jain, Upendra Swami, Subhadip Mukherjee, Rangan Datta and Namita Kulkarni.

What happens when the top travel bloggers of India go on a trip together? Chances are they will discover something unusual, document their journey, and will reach out to aspiring travelers to diversify the image about the place.To explore the bliss, excitement & thrill and to discover the hidden jewels around Yamunotri and Gangotri, 7 chosen travel bloggers of India, handpicked by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) started a 5 day road trip to Gangotri and Yamunotri on 16th May 2018. The Bloggers Bus was flagged off from Rishikesh at 6 a.m. and will be taking the travel bloggers to Barkot, Janki Chatti, Yamunotri, Uttarkashi, Gangotri, Bhairavghati and the nearby places.According to Sh. Satpal Maharaj, Honble Tourism Minister, this is our first edition of Bloggers Bus programme and we have purposely chosen Yamunotri and Gangotri as the foremost destinations. Soon, we will be flagging off other Bloggers Buses to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Tehri and various places of Kumaon. We are hopeful that these enthusiastic bloggers will add a new perspective to these tourists places and will give a whole new dimensionSh. Dilip Jawalkar, IAS, Secretary Tourism added that The idea behind the program is to diversify the image of the destinations which are so far known only for religious tourism. A perfect blend of natural beauty and adventure, the Chardham Yatra is an escapade from the mundane life towards a spectacular journey filled with diving blessings, fun and frolic; something which cannot be described in words until and unless one experiences it. Besides the blessings of almighty, the beauty of nature, the thrilling treks, spiritual ambience of picturesque snow-capped Himalayas, the lush green dense forests and the large valleys form the perfect ingredients, help you to unwind yourself. Through the Bloggers Bus programme, we wanted this young group of travel bloggers to encapsulate their travel experiences in their blogs and bust the myth for onceSome of the bloggers appeared to show early signs of excitement and marked the beginning of their journey by documenting the experiences on the social media.I am looking forward to this trip with great enthusiasm. When I first heard about Yamunotri and Gangotri I only thought about temples. But I got to know that this journey is much more and beyond. Im very excited to discover the beautiful trails and scenic views and Im sure that this trip will bring a lot of surprise for me and for my fellow bloggers- added Namita Kulkarni, a yoga teacher, writer and world traveler, currently based in Mysore. She loves going where she's never been, chasing misadventures and living to tell the tale. She writes about her inner and outer expeditions on her blog Radically Ever After. She is ranked as one of the top 50 Yoga blogs worldwide and one of the top 5 solo women travel blogsUttarakhand Tourism Development Board is the highest body to advise Government on all matters relating to tourism in the State.Uttarakhand Tourism Development BoardPt.Deendayal Upadhyaya Paryatan BhawanNear ONGC Helipad,Garhi Cantt.Dehradun-248001(India)Contact No- 91- 135- 2559898, 2559987E-mail UTDB : info.utdb@gmail.comFax- +91 - 135 - 2559988
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency Market Worth US$6,414.4 mn by 2025

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Global Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) Therapeutics and Diagnostics Market: SnapshotExocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) refers to the condition wherein the body is unable to produce sufficient amounts of exocrine pancreatic enzymes, thus leading to difficulties in digesting food properly. The condition occurs due to the lack of sufficient enzymes necessary for fat digestion, amylases for starch digestion, and proteases for protein digestion. EPI results due to a number of conditions such as cystic fibrosis, cytomegalovirus infection, pancreatic cancer, chronic pancreatitis, and HIV/AIDS. In the past few years, the vast rise in incidence of causative conditions have driven the global exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) therapeutics and diagnostics market.According to the report, the global EPI therapeutics and diagnostics market was valued at US$3,397.5 mn in 2016 and is projected to reach US$6,414.4 mn by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 7.2% from 2017 to 2025.Obtain Report Details @Thanks to High Sensitivity, MRI to Witness Increased AdoptionBased on diagnostics, the EPI therapeutics and diagnostics market has been segmented into blood tests, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), endoscopic ultra-sonography (EUS), and Computerized tomography (CT) scanning. CT scans are conventionally preferred and the most adopted method used for diagnosing EPI. The segment held the dominant chunk in the global market in 2016. While many healthcare professionals continue to use the modality owing to widespread availability and low cost as compared to other scans, the segment is likely to witness sluggish growth in the near future owing to the introduction of advanced and more accurate techniques.Diagnostic methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which have been known to be more sensitive when compared to CT scans, are witnessing increasingly high demand across the globe. The segment of MRI is thus emerging as the technique of choice for the analysis of chronic pancreatitis along with CT scans. Hence, the MRI segment is likely to outpace other segments in terms of CAGR during the forecast period.Request for Sample Copy of Report @North America to Present Promising Growth OpportunitiesGeographically, the report examines the EPI therapeutics and diagnostics market across regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. Of these, the market in North America held for the dominant share of the global market in 2016. The regional market is most likely to remain the dominant regional market over the forecast period as well, thanks to the increased cost per prescription for PERT products in the U.S. Factors such as the massive rise in incidence of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and other causative conditions such as diabetes and cystic fibrosis in the U.S. is expected to remain a key factor contributing to the strong position of the North America market.The report estimates that the EPI therapeutics and diagnostics market in Asia Pacific will outpace other regional markets over the forecast period owing to the increasing population of geriatrics in countries such as China, Japan, and Singapore. Moreover, rising incidence of chronic pancreatitis in India, Malaysia, and China is likely to support market growth. The EPI therapeutics and diagnostics market in Latin America is also projected to exhibit a vast rise in growth opportunities during the forecast period. Factors such as rising incidence of causative diseases, increased focus of governments on improving the healthcare infrastructure of emerging economies, and rising investments by market players are the key factors expected to fuel the market in the region.Some of the leading companies operating in the global EPI therapeutics and diagnostics market are AbbVie, Inc., Allergan plc, Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Digestive Care, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Nordmark Arzneimittel GmbH & Co. KG, Cilian AG, and AzurRx Biopharma, Inc.Enquiry for discount on this report @About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
10:19

He has been controversy's favourite child. And controversy did not leave him alone even during his ascent to the throne of Karnataka amid a murky legal battle in the country's top-most court.





From the humdrum existence as a government clerk and a hardware store owner to becoming the chief minister of Karnataka for a second time, BS Yeddyurappa has navigated the choppy waters of politics with the consummate ease of a seasoned oarsman, defying tidal waves of adversity.





A hardboiled RSS Swayamsevak, 75-year-old Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yeddyurappa, joined the Hindu right organisation when he was barely 15, and cut his political teeth in the Jana Sangh, the BJP's forerunner, in his hometown Shikaripura in Shivamogga district. He became the Jana Sangh's Shikaripura taluka chief in the early 1970s.





Currently a Lok Sabha member from Shivamogga, he was first elected to the Legislative Assembly from Shikaripura in 1983 and went on to win it five more times.





The Lingayat strongman is known to have espoused the cause of farmers, something which was repeately referred to by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his election speeches.





A Bachelor of Arts, Yeddurappa, who was jailed during Emergency, worked as a clerk in the social welfare department before taking up a similar job at a rice mill in his native Shikaripura. Later, he set up his own hardware shop in Shivamogga.





Yeddyurappa may have landed in the hot seat in 2004 itself when the BJP emerged as the single largest party, but the Congress and JD(S) of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda cobbled together an alliance, and a government was formed under Dharam Singh.





Known for his political sagacity, Yeddyurappa joined hands with H D Kumaraswamy, Deve Gowda's son, in 2006 and brought down the Dharam Singh government after the chief minister was indicted by Lokayukta in an alleged mining scam.





Under a rotational chief ministership arrangement, Kumaraswamy became the chief minister and Yeddyurappa his deputy. However, the coalition government collapsed as the JD (S) reneged on the power sharing deal after 20 months, paving the way for elections.





In the 2008 polls, the Lingayat heavyweight led the party to victory, and the first BJP government in the south was formed under him. Soon controversies swirled around Yeddyurappa over alleged abuse of office to favour his sons in allotment of land in Bengaluru.





The indictment by Lokayukta in an illegal mining scam was the last straw that broke the camel's back, and he was forced to resign on July 31, 2011. On October 15 that year, he surrendered before the Lokayukta court, after it issued a warrant against him in connection with alleged land scams, and was in jail for a week, dealing a body blow to the BJP's claim of being a party with a difference.





Sulking after having been made to quit, Yeddyurappa broke his decades-long association with the saffron party and formed the Karnataka Janata Paksha.





However, ploughing a lonely furrow, he failed to make the KJP a force to reckon with in Karnataka politics but wrecked the BJP's chances of retaining power in the 2013 polls, winning six seats and polling about 10 per cent votes.





As Yeddyurppa faced an uncertain future and the BJP looked for a leader with a formidable reputation to lend its campaign the required heft ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the two cosied up to each other.





On January 9, 2014, Yeddyurappa merged his KJP with the BJP. In the Lok Sabha elections that followed, the BJP won 19 of the state's 28 seats, a remarkable turnaround for the party which had secured a measly 19.9 per cent votes in the Assembly polls just a year ago leading to the fall of its first government.





Notwithstanding the taint of corruption, Yeddyurappa's status and clout grew in the BJP. On October 26, 2016, he got a huge relief when a special CBI court acquitted him, his two sons and son-in-law in a Rs 40 crore illegal mining case, which had cost him the chief ministership in 2011.





In January 2016, the Karnataka High Court quashed all 15 FIRs against Yeddyurappa lodged by the Lokayukta police under the Prevention of Corruption Act. In April that year, he was appointed the state BJP chief for the fourth time.





The Lingayat leader, however, continued to be dogged by controversies, with the anti-corruption bureau launching proceedings against him in an alleged illegal land denotification case. He petitioned the high court, which stayed the ACB proceedings against him. The taint of alleged corruption notwithstanding, the BJP declared him its chief ministerial candidate, ignoring the taunts by the Congress. PTI
Global Endoscopy Devices Market Drivers, Restraints, Future Trends and Opportunities Report 2018-2025

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Endoscopy devices are used to view the internal body for therapy and diagnosis of various diseases. Endoscopes are directly inserted into the body parts to visualize the internal parts. Various types of endoscopy devices used to perform an endoscopy procedure include endoscopes, visualization systems, accessories, and other endoscopy devices.Increasing preference for minimally invasive procedures, technological advancements in endoscopes, rising usage of endoscopes for diagnosis & therapy of various diseases, and growing awareness on advantages of endoscopy procedures are the major drivers that are likely to aid the growth of endoscopy devices market. Innovation in capsule endoscopes is expected to add new opportunities for this market in the coming years.FREE | Request Sample Copy is Available atThe Global Endoscopy Devices Market Analysis to 2025 is a specialized and in-depth study of the endoscopy devices industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global endoscopy devices market with detailed market segmentation by product, application, end user, and geography. The global endoscopy devices market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.The report provides a detailed overview of the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global endoscopy devices market based on product, application, and end user. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall endoscopy devices market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South & Central America. The market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers analysis and forecast of 13 counties globally along with current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.Inquire for Detail Facts and Figures atThe report analyzes factors affecting market from both demand and supply side and further evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend. The report also provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions namely; North America, Europe, APAC, MEA and South & Central America after evaluating political, economic, social and technological factors effecting the market in these regions.The report also includes the profiles of key endoscopy device manufacturing companies along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. In addition, the report focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered, financial information of last 3 years, key development in past five years. Some of the key players influencing the market Olympus, Karl Storz, Stryker, Boston Scientific, Ethicon, Fujifilm, Medtronic, Smith & Nephew, Richard Wolf GmbH, Cook, and B. Braun, among others.Access Complete Report With TOC and Company Profiles atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.comAbout Us:The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Automotive and Defense.533, 5th Floor, Amanora Chambers,Amanora Township, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Data Center Liquid Cooling Market Analysis followed by Top Vendors of Industry Like Asetek, Chilldyne, Inc., LiquidCool Solutions, Rittal GmbH & Co. KG, Emerson Electric Co

Global Data Center Liquid Cooling Market  Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024

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The Data Center Cooling is getting vital because of growing processing power of data centers that are resulting in more heat generation. Air-based cooling is facing problem to cool down data centers that has forced to search for an alternative because of this the liquid-based data center cooling has been introduced which is helpful in keeping mercury under control within the data infrastructure to avoid electronic components from getting damaged due to excessive heat generation. It has its wide application in banking, financial services, and insurance, IT and telecom, government and defense, healthcare, research and academic, retail, energy, manufacturing, and others.Increasing need for cost-effective cooling solutions and growing need for eco-friendly data center solutions may act as the major driver in the growth of data center liquid cooling market. On the other side, requirement of specialized infrastructure may hinder the market.Get a Free Sample Report @Global Data Center Liquid Cooling Market By Geography; Liquid Cooling Solution (Indirect Liquid Cooling, Direct Liquid Cooling); Service (Design & Consulting, Installation& Deployment, Support & Maintenance); Data Center Type (Large, Small & Medium Size, Enterprise); Vertical- Industry Trends and Forecast to 2024The Global Data Center Liquid Cooling Market accounted for USD 844.7 million in 2016 growing at a CAGR of 30.1% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. The upcoming market report contains data for historic year 2014, 2015, the base year of calculation is 2016 and the forecast period is 2017 to 2024.TOP Competitors of Market: Asetek, Chilldyne, Inc., LiquidCool Solutions, Rittal GmbH & Co. KG, Emerson Electric Co., Schneider Electric, IBM Corporation, Green Revolution Cooling, Midas Green Technologies, LLC, Allied Control, Green Data Center LLP, SPLITTED-DESKTOP SYSTEMS, SILVERBACK MIGRATION SOLUTIONS, INC, CoolIT Systems Inc, Condair Group, Ebullient, Inc., Coolcentric, Dynatron CorporationMajor Market Drivers: Increasing server rack density Need of heat management solutions Increasing need for cost-effective cooling solutions Growing need for eco-friendly data center solutions Increasing power and cooling demand of modern equipment High heat load inside many data centers High maintenance requirements Requirement of specialized infrastructureMarket Analysis:-The report for Global Data Center Liquid Cooling Marketinclude detailed vendor level analysis for market shares in 2016 for Global, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America specifically. Also impact and development analysis of key vendors is registered in the market and factored on the basis of Vendor Positioning Grid Analysis which measures the vendors strengths and opportunities against present market challenges, measure providers ability to identify or satisfy present market needs, map providers market vision to current and upcoming market dynamics among others. The report also measures technology life line curve and market time line to analyze and do more affective investments.Browse full report here @About Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com
Medical Image Analysis Software Market: North America & Europe Projected to be the Most Attractive Regional Market Through 2025

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Medical image analysis software is used for examining the human body to diagnose, monitor or treat medical conditions. Medical image analysis software aids in visualizing the interior of a body for clinical analysis or medical intervention. The software is designed for advanced biomedical imaging visualization, measurement and manipulation for diagnosis. Additionally, the system is uses 3-D imaging modalities based on x-ray computed tomography, radionuclide emission tomography, ultrasound tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging.The increasing demand for medical image analysis software depends on the rising prevalence of chronic diseases and increasing demand for proficient treatment procedures all over the globe. Moreover, the continuous improvement in healthcare and medical technology with computed aided diagnosis is likely to add more opportunities for the global medical image analysis software market in the forecast period.Download PDF Sample With Latest Advancements:The Global Medical Image Analysis Software Analysis to 2025 is a specialized and in-depth study of the healthcare industry with a focused global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global medical image analysis software market with detailed market segmentation by product, imaging type, application, modality, end user, and geography. The global medical image analysis software market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.The medical image analysis software market is classified by product which comprises integrated software and standalone software. The market by imaging type can be categorized into 2D imaging, 3D imaging and 4D imaging. The market by application is segmented into cardiology, orthopedics, oncology, neurology, nephrology, dental applications, gynecology and others. The medical image analysis software market is based on modality classified as tomography, ultrasound imaging, radiographic imaging and combined modalities. The tomography segment is further segmented as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography and single-photon emission tomography. The market based on the end user is segmented as hospitals, diagnostic centers and research centers.The report provides a detailed overview on the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global medical image analysis software market based on product, imaging type, application, modality and end user. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall medical image analysis software market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East & Africa (MEA) and South & Central America. The market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers analysis and forecast of 13 countries globally along with current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.North America followed by Europe, is expected to dominate the medical image analysis software market in the global arena due to the increasing geriatric population that leads to high rate of chronic diseases. Moreover, the wide range of imaging centers in this region is expected to drive the growth of the global medical image analysis software market. The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to show a significant growth rate over the next five years in the global medical image analysis software market owing to availability of advanced technologies and increasing research activities in the region.The report analyzes factors affecting market from both demand and supply side and further evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend. The report also provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions namely; North America, Europe, APAC, MEA and South & Central America after evaluating political, economic, social and technological factors effecting the market in these regions.The report also includes the profiles of key medical image analysis software manufacturing companies along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. In addition, the report focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered, financial information of last 3 years, key development in past five years. Some of the key players influencing the market are General Electric Company, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION, Carestream Health, MIM Software Inc., ScienceSoft USA Corporation, MIRADA MEDICAL LIMITED, XINAPSE SYSTEMS LTD, Esaote SpA and others.The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Automotive and Defense.Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.com
Analysis of Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Market in Global Industry 2018 : Revenue, Opportunity, Segment and Key Trends 2025

Market Research Report

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales Market Report 2018" to its huge collection of research reports.In this report, the global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions market is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2025.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Managed Wi-Fi Solutions for these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Managed Wi-Fi Solutions sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingCisco Systems (US)Fujitsu (Japan)Vodafone (UK)Verizon (US)Ruckus Wireless (US)Aruba (US)Mojo Networks (US)Purple (England)On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoNetwork SecurityNetwork Planning and DesigningNetwork ConsultingOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate for each application, includingBFSIIT and TelecommunicationsRetailGovernment and Public SectorHealthcareView Complete TOC with tables & Figures @Table of ContentsGlobal Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales Market Report 20181 Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Managed Wi-Fi Solutions1.2 Classification of Managed Wi-Fi Solutions by Product Category1.2.1 Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Network Security1.2.4 Network Planning and Designing1.2.5 Network Consulting1.2.6 Others1.3 Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 BFSI2 Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.2.2 Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.3 Global Managed Wi-Fi Solutions (Volume and Value) by RegionBrowse Report @3 United States Managed Wi-Fi Solutions (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales and Value (2013-2018)3.1.1 United States Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2018)3.1.2 United States Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)3.1.3 United States Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales Price Trend (2013-2018)3.2 United States Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales Volume and Market Share by Players (2013-2018)3.3 United States Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales Volume and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)3.4 United States Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales Volume and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)4 China Managed Wi-Fi Solutions (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales and Value (2013-2018)4.1.1 China Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2018)4.1.2 China Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)4.1.3 China Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales Price Trend (2013-2018)4.2 China Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales Volume and Market Share by Players (2013-2018)4.3 China Managed Wi-Fi Solutions Sales Volume and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.For More Information Kindly Contact:ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on Blogger at:
Oil and Gas Lubricants Market's Portfolio into Broader North American Industries with Better Investment Opportunities

Oil and Gas Lubricants Market

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http://orbisresearch.com/reports/index/north-america-oil-and-gas-lubricants-market-analysis-of-growth-trends-and-forecasts-2018-2023

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The lubricants are extensively applied across the oil & gas industry for major applications, such as reduction of friction, wear and tear control, temperature control, minimizing metal surface corrosion, and contaminants containment. The shale revolution in the North American region has led to an unparalleled growth of oil & gas production. Technological advancements in drilling and fracking technologies have unlocked vast reserves of gas and oil trapped in shale rock, and redrawn the energy landscape of the region.Request for sample PDF of North America Oil and Gas Lubricants at:The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects a further increase in oil & gas production, with the United States emerging as a net oil exporter by 2027  the first time since 1953. The growth of oil production from the unconventional reserves across the region, coupled with factors, such as growing pipeline network, is expected to increase the demand for lubricants usage in the North American oil & gas industry during 2018 - 2023.Increasing Offshore Deepwater Exploration - an Excellent Growth Opportunity for the MarketMost of North American land-based and shallow water oil fields have reached their maturity, and there is little scope for a new field discovery in these areas. However, prospects are bright for offshore deepwater oil field exploration and production. To meet the global demand for oil in future, opportunities lie in offshore deep seabed, where oil & gas operators continue to discover new reserves in the North American region. That being said, the requirement for maintaining and boosting recovery rates from these subsea wells has increased, and it is expected to grow further, resulting in increased demand for lubricants.Read more details of the report at:Governmental rules and regulation policies related to the usage of different types of lubricant technologies for subsea operations are getting stringent day-by-day, which raises the need for better technological innovations in the lubricant business to increase the efficiency of production systems, and opens the doors for regional players to increase their market share. With the increase of oil prices to a sustainable level since the start of the downturn in 2014, several offshore exploration & production projects are expected to be commissioned in the North American offshore waters, which in turn, present an excellent growth opportunity for companies involved in the lubricants business during the forecast period.Increasing Exploration & Production Activities to Aid Demand for Lubricants in the USThe exploration and production activities for unconventional resources, such as shale oil/gas and tight gas, is expected to remain high during the forecast period. The GOM production in 2016 set an annual high of 1.6 million barrels per day (b/d), surpassing the previous record established in 2009, by 44,000 b/d. Market conditions are improving significantly amid rising oil prices, coupled with the support of a new and favorable administration with pro-energy policies that understand the strategic importance of a healthy oil & gas industry, exploration and production activities are expected to further increase in the United States. The US Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas leasing program for 2017-2022 includes 11 lease sales across four planning areas, 10 targeting the Gulf of Mexico and one in the US Arctic region. At every stage, from oil exploration and production to its transportation, storage, and processing, the industry faces critical issues and operates at extreme temperatures. Moreover, the equipment and machines used in the oil & gas industry are expensive, which creates the need for regular maintenance, to ensure long life. This is expected to increase the demand for lubricants in the US oil & gas industry during the forecast period.Key Developments in the MarketDecember 2017: ExxonMobil to merge Refining and Marketing Divisions in Q1 2018, Forms ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants Company.August 2017: ENOC and Chevron explored long-term collaboration across various aspects of downstream operations, ranging from lubricants marketing to aviation refueling.June 2017: ExxonMobil became global lubricant supplier for GEs Jenbacher gas engines.Major Players: EXXONMOBIL CORPORATION, DOW CORNING CORPORATION, KLUBER LUBRICATION MUNCHEN SE & Co. KG, CHEVRON CORPORATION, BESTOLIFE CORPORATION, LUBRICATION ENGINEERS Inc., HENKEL AG & Co KGaA, SKF USA Inc., CHEMOURS Co, JET-LUBE LLC, PJSC LUKOILReasons to Purchase This ReportIdentify the drivers, restraints, and opportunity possessed by North America Oil & Gas Lubricants Market with in-depth analysis.Analyze the various perspectives of the global market dynamics with the help of Porters five forces analysis.Country wise and sector wise analysis of demand forecast for lubricants in North American oil & gas industry with in-depth analysis.Identify the most dominating type of lubricants with forecasted market estimate in the North America oil & gas lubricants market.Identify the latest developments, market shares and strategies employed by the major market players.3 months analyst support, along with the Market Estimate sheet (in excel).Customization of the ReportThis report can be customized to meet your requirements.Companies Mentioned:ExxonMobil Corporation,Dow Corning Corporation,Kluber Lubrication Munchen SE & Co. KG,Chevron Corporation,Bestolife Corporation,Lubrication Engineers, Inc.,Henkel AG & Co KGaA,SKF USA Inc.,Chemours Co,Jet-Lube, LLC,PJSC LUKOILEnquire more details of the report at:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas  75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +9164101019
Ethylene Glycol Market Key Trends Segmentation 2025

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Ethylene Glycol Market: SnapshotOne of the key factors boosting the growth of the Chinese ethylene glycol market is the increasing demand for PET bottles from the packaging industry. As food brands are seeking safer and healthier packaging alternatives, demand for PET packaging is increasing, which in turn is driving the growth prospects of the Chinese ethylene glycol market. PET containers can help retain the food aroma, flavor, and appearance. As PET bottles are easy to handle, light in weight, and can be re-sealed without any inconvenience, their demand will continue to grow, which in turn will boost the growth of the ethylene glycol market. The lead author of the report has stated that the flourishing growth of the automotive industry will also be a driving factor for the growth of the ethylene glycol market in China.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The demand for polyesters fibers for coated fabrics, seat belts, conveyor belt fabrics, in China will boost the growth of the market. This is because ethylene glycol is required for the manufacturing of polyester fibers. The Chinese ethylene glycol market is fragmented with the presence of small and large players. This is expected to create intense market competition among players. China has feedstock advantages and closer proximity to end-user markets, and this will drive the ethylene glycol in the country. The demand for ethylene glycol will rise from the downstream applications and textile industries. Fabrics made using polyester are extensively used in home furnishings, apparels, blankets, computer mouse pads, bed sheets, and upholstered furniture.China Ethylene Glycol Market: OverviewThe China ethylene glycol market is likely to experience a tremendous growth, primarily due to the burgeoning demand for polyester fibers across the globe. Polyester fibers are widely used in the textile industry in the manufacturing of carpets, upholstery, conveyer belts, and seat belts. Ethylene glycol is an organic compound primarily used in the manufacturing of polyester fibers and polyethylene terephthalate. Globally, Asia Pacific is one of the key consumer as well as manufacturer of ethylene glycol. China is one of the important growth sites of the Asia Pacific market.At present, China uses conventional processes for the production of ethylene glycol. Manufacturers are shifting their focus from conventional petrochemical route to coal. The country is expected to commercialize its coal-based manufacturing processes in the forthcoming years across all projects. Several manufacturers in the country produce ethylene glycol using syngas, a mixture of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide.Request TOC of the Report @The report is a complete, professional study for existing as well as new manufacturers in the China ethylene glycol market. It provides essential insights into the industry chain structure along with an extensive understanding of the upstream raw materials and downstream demand chain and import and export statistics. It also sheds light on the currently available production capacities and the efficiency at which they are utilized. The competitive landscape of the market has been derived using tools such as Porters five force analysis and market attractiveness analysis. It offers a detailed overview of drivers, restraints, opportunities, and trends of the China ethylene glycol market.China Ethylene Glycol Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe growing demand for PET resin from the food and beverage industry for the manufacturing of water bottles and food containers is driving the China ethylene glycol market. The rising demand for antifreeze agents is also bolstering the growth of the market. Ethylene glycol is used as antifreeze in the automotive industry. Moreover, it is extensively used in medical sterilization and as heat transfer agent and coolant in geothermal pumps and air conditioning systems. The increasing production capacity for ethylene glycol is favoring the growth of the market.On the flip side, the efficiency of the existing production setups is low and therefore, the output has not increased as significantly as production capacities have increased. Volatile prices and transportation of raw materials, particularly ethylene dioxide are primary concerns for players in the market.China Ethylene Glycol Market: Regional SegmentationEast China will be a prominent regional segment during the forecast period. Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangsu are the major revenue contributors to the growth of the region, primarily due to high ethylene glycol consumption in these provinces. Hebei province located in North China also serves as a major hub for the China market. Shijiazhuang Lanyang Chemicals Co. Ltd. and Shijiazhuang Panjiang Chemicals Ltd. are among the major producers of ethylene glycol in the province.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @China Ethylene Glycol Market: Key Manufacturers Mentioned in the ReportSome of the prominent players in the China ethylene glycol market are Jiangsu Tianyin Chemical Co. Ltd., Hebei Qilong Chemicals Co. Ltd., Royal Dutch Shell, Sinopec, China National Petroleum Corporation, and Anhui XinYuan Chemical Co. Ltd.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth research of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact:TMR Research,3739 Balboa St # 1097,San Francisco, CA 94121United StatesTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Data Center Infrastructure Market Report: By Product, Component, Application, Region-Forecast 2024

Global Market Insights, Inc.

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https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/data-center-infrastructure-market

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The data center infrastructure market is witnessing new advancements in power and cooling solutions. The implementation of technologies, such as grid computing and cloud computing in facilities, is expected to boost the data center infrastructure market growth. The use of technological solutions, such as analytics and cloud, has compelled organizations to focus on these facilities to store information. Companies are launching new and innovative solutions to expand their market presence. For instance, in January 2018, Cisco Networking, Computing, and Security Technology were selected by Ameritas, an insurance company, for upgrading its infrastructure to improve the operational efficiency and agility.Increasing number of facilities across the globe coupled with the rising demand for data storage, management, and backup is expected to fuel the demand for networking equipment in the data center infrastructure market. Networking equipment includes Ethernet switches, WAN, SD-WAN, and application delivery controllers. Growing complexity in the management of enormous data volume generated by enterprises is compelling the adoption of new infrastructure allowing security, visibility, and automation of data. Networking equipment forms a crucial part of the infrastructure. The equipment enables a strong connection between data center nodes and the equipment to ensure that they can transfer and communicate data.Data Center Infrastructure Market size is set to exceed USD 90 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Rising digitalization and the demand for online services are making it vital for the operators to store and efficiently manage the data generated, which is expected to offer an impetus to the data center infrastructure market growth.Request for a sample of this research report @Table Of Content:Chapter 1 Methodology & Scope1.1 Methodology1.1.1 Initial data exploration1.1.2 Statistical model and forecast1.1.3 Industry insights and validation1.1.4 Definition and forecast parameters1.1.4.1 Definitions1.1.4.2 Methodology and forecast parameters1.2 Data Sources1.2.1 Secondary1.2.2 PrimaryChapter 2 Executive Summary2.1 Data center infrastructure industry 3600 synopsis, 2013 - 20242.1.1 Business trends2.1.2 Regional trends2.1.3 Product trends2.1.4 Component trends2.1.5 Application trendsChapter 3 Data Center Infrastructure Industry Insights3.1 Industry segmentation3.2 Industry landscape, 2013 - 20243.3 Industry ecosystem analysis3.3.1 Distribution channel analysis3.3.2 Vendor matrix3.4 Technology & innovation landscape3.4.1 Innovation in data center technology3.4.1.1 Modular data centers3.4.1.2 Edge data centers3.4.1.3 Silicon photonics3.4.2 Green data centers3.4.2.1 Advancement in cooling technology3.4.3 Impact of artificial intelligence (AI)3.4.4 Lithium-ion battery3.4.5 Integrated data center infrastructure3.5 Regulatory landscape3.5.1 North America3.5.1.1 ANSI/TIA-942-A Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers3.5.1.2 ANSI/BICSI 002-2014 Data Center Design and Implementation Best Practices3.5.1.3 ASHRAE 90.4-20163.5.2 Europe3.5.2.1 European General Data Protection Regulation3.5.2.2 SSAE163.5.3 Asia Pacific3.5.3.1 Green Data Center Standard3.5.3.2 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) electrical safety standard 29 CFR 1910.3333.5.3.3 Multi-Tier Cloud Security (MTCS) Standard3.5.4 South America3.5.4.1 Personal Data Protection Ordinance (Aruba Law)3.5.4.2 The Colombian Law3.5.5 Middle East and Africa3.5.5.1 DIFC3.5.5.2 The Dubai Statistics Centre Law3.6 Industry impact forces3.6.1 Growth drivers3.6.1.1 Increasing usage of online services in North America3.6.1.2 Rapid infrastructure development of various end-use segments in Europe3.6.1.3 Widespread adoption of cloud computing and IoT in Asia Pacific3.6.1.4 Flourishing services industry in South America3.6.1.5 Penetration of colocation data centers in Brazil3.6.1.6 Presence of free trade zones in Colombia3.6.1.7 Business-friendly regulations in Chile3.6.1.8 Public sector growth in Peru3.6.1.9 Rising urbanization in MEA3.6.2 Industry pitfalls and challenges3.6.2.1 Underestimating the power requirements3.6.2.2 Balancing cost controls with efficiency3.6.2.3 Penetration of green data centers3.6.2.4 Slowdown in the semiconductor industry3.6.2.5 Rising cost for raw materials and skilled labor3.7 Growth potential analysis3.8 Porters analysis3.9 Competitive landscape, 20163.9.1 Strategy Dashboard3.10 PESTEL analysisChapter 4 Data Center Infrastructure Market, By Product4.1 Data center infrastructure market share, by product, 2017 & 20244.2 Cooling4.2.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20244.2.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20244.3 Power4.3.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20244.3.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20244.3.3 UPS4.3.3.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20244.3.3.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20244.4 IT racks & enclosures4.4.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20244.4.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20244.5 LV/MV distribution4.5.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20244.5.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20244.6 Networking equipment4.6.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20244.6.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20244.7 DCIM4.7.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20244.7.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 2024Chapter 5 Data Center Infrastructure Market, By Component5.1 Data center infrastructure market share, by component, 2017 & 20245.2 Hardware5.2.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20245.2.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20245.3 Software5.3.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20245.3.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20245.4 Service5.4.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20245.4.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 2024Chapter 6 Data Center Infrastructure Market, By Application6.1 Data center infrastructure market share, by application, 2017 & 20246.2 BFSI6.2.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.2.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20246.3 Colocation6.3.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.3.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20246.4 Energy6.4.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.4.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20246.5 Government6.5.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.5.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20246.6 Healthcare6.6.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.6.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20246.7 Manufacturing6.7.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.7.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20246.8 IT & telecom6.8.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.8.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 20246.9 Others6.9.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.9.2 Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013 - 2024Chapter 7 Data Center Infrastructure Market, By Region7.1 Data center infrastructure market share by region, 2017 & 20247.2 North America7.2.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.2.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.2.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.2.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.2.5 U.S.7.2.5.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.2.5.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.2.5.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.2.5.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.2.6 Canada7.2.6.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.2.6.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.2.6.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.2.6.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.2.7 Mexico7.2.7.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.2.7.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.2.7.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.2.7.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.3 Europe7.3.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.3.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.3.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.3.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.3.5 UK7.3.5.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.3.5.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.3.5.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.3.5.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.3.6 Germany7.3.6.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.3.6.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.3.6.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.3.6.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.3.7 France7.3.7.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.3.7.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.3.7.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.3.7.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.3.8 Spain7.3.8.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.3.8.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.3.8.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.3.8.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.3.9 Poland7.3.9.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.3.9.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.3.9.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.3.9.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.3.10 Benelux7.3.10.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.3.10.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.3.10.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.3.10.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.4 Asia Pacific7.4.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.4.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.4.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.4.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.4.5 China7.4.5.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.4.5.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.4.5.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.4.5.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.4.6 India7.4.6.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.4.6.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.4.6.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.4.6.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.4.7 Japan7.4.7.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.4.7.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.4.7.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.4.7.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.4.8 Singapore7.4.8.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.4.8.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.4.8.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.4.8.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.4.9 Australia7.4.9.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.4.9.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.4.9.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.4.9.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.4.10 Indonesia7.4.10.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.4.10.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.4.10.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.4.10.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.5 South America7.5.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.5.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.5.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.5.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.5.5 Brazil7.5.5.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.5.5.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.5.5.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.5.5.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.5.6 Colombia7.5.6.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.5.6.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.5.6.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.5.6.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.5.7 Venezuela7.5.7.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.5.7.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.5.7.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.5.7.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.5.8 Bolivia7.5.8.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.5.8.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.5.8.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.5.8.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.5.9 Chile7.5.9.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.5.9.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.5.9.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.5.9.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.5.10 Peru7.5.10.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.5.10.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.5.10.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.5.10.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.5.11 Argentina7.5.11.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.5.11.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.5.11.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.5.11.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.6 Middle East & Africa (MEA)7.6.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.6.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.6.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.6.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.6.5 GCC7.6.5.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.6.5.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.6.5.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.6.5.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.6.6 South Africa7.6.6.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.6.6.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.6.6.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.6.6.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20247.6.7 Morocco7.6.7.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2013-20247.6.7.2 Market estimates and forecast by product, 2013  20247.6.7.3 Market estimates and forecast by component, 2013  20247.6.7.4 Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  2024Browse key industry insights spread across 340 pages with 327 market data tables & 54 figures & charts from the report, Data Center Infrastructure Market in detail along with the table of contents:About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
Genu Recurvatum Market Key players- Globus Medical, Inc., Medtronic plc, NuVasive, Inc. and Smith & Nephew plc Market study and Forecast 2018-2023

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Market ScenarioGenu Recurvatum is a rare orthopedic complication in which the hyperextension of the knee is greater than five degrees. It is also known as back knee or knee hyperextension. It occurs more frequently in females than it does in males, and is commonly, identified in 0.5%-1.0% of patients undergoing Total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This condition causes stress in the posterior knee structures which cause permanent damage of the joint. Genu recurvatum can also cause other conditions such as knee pain or knee osteoarthritis. Genu recurvatum can be mild, moderate, or severe. This deformity can also arise from other medical conditions such as, quadriceps weakness, bone deformities, paralysis, plantar foot flexion, and high tibial ostotomies.View Reports Sample @Genu recurvatum can be congenital or acquired. Congenital genu recurvatum (CGR) is an extremely rare condition, and found to be associated with other malformations such as talipes equinovarus, hip dysplasia, and absent patella. Signs and symptoms of this medical condition includes pain in the inner-leg portion of knee also known as medial tibiofemoral joint, pain in the outer back portion of knee also known as posterolateral ligamentous structures, extension of gait pattern, and difficulty in performing endurance activities. Genu recurvatum can be of three types, i.e. external rotatory deformity (ERD), internal rotatory deformity (IRD), and non-rotatory deformity (NRD). Out of three, ERD, and NRD are more severe, as ERD leads to soft tissue damage in which lower legs angle outward. Whereas, NRD, produces stress to the posterior soft tissue structures of knee. In some developing, and under developed regions, burden of orthopedics condition is rising due to lack of awareness. According to a study published in Indian Journal of Orthopaedics (IJO) in 2016, deficient orthopedic services and education such as, poor surgeonpatient ratio, poorly trained physicians to deal with musculoskeletal emergencies, and absence of minimum standard of orthopedic care, have been observed in some part of India. However, the Indian Orthopaedic Association (IOA) along with government health planners, individual medical practitioners, and medical educationists are working to find remedial solutions to these problems.Notably, the market is expected to expand in the near future due to rise in geriatric population, high unmet needs of current treatment, and increase in research and development expenditure. Increase in aging population is the major market driver because the risk of orthopedic disorders increases exponentially with age. According to the data suggested by WHO in 2015, it is found that, worldwide, one in eight people was aged 60 years or over and by 2030, older people are projected to account for one in six people globally.Despite these drivers, there are some issues associated with genu recurvatum market. High cost of treatment & management of genu recurvatum and related disorders, and lack of infrastructure in middle and low income countries may hamper the growth of the market.It is estimated that genu recurvatum market is expected to grow at a CAGR 4.5% during the forecast period of 2017-2023.Intended Audience Hospitals Surgical equipment Companies Diagnostic clinics Research and Development (R&D) Companies Government Research Institute Academic Institutes and UniversitiesSegmentationThe Genu recurvatum market is segmented on the basis of type, diagnosis, treatment, and end-user.On the basis of type, market is segmented into external rotatory deformity (ERD), internal rotatory deformity (IRD), and non-rotatory deformity (NRD).On the basis of diagnosis, market is segmented into magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-rays, and others.On the basis of treatment, market is classified into physical therapy, orthoses, bracing, and surgery.On the basis of end-user, market is segmented into hospital, clinics, and others.Check for Report Discount @Regional AnalysisThe Americas dominate the Genu recurvatum market owing to the rising awareness among people, and increasing healthcare expenditure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that out of total annual healthcare expenditure, 86% is for people with chronic health conditions in the United States. Furthermore, increasing participation of bigger players and new marketers towards advancement in treatment approaches have also attracted a great deal of attention.Europe holds the second position in the Genu recurvatum market. It is expected that the support provided by government bodies for research & development and improvement in reimbursement policies in healthcare will drive the market in Europe region.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing Genu recurvatum market owing to the huge patient pool and developing healthcare technology.The Middle East & Africa has the lowest market for rabies treatment market due to lack of technical knowledge and poor medical facilities.Request Full Report @Key PlayersSome of key the players in the market are DePuy Synthes Companies (Part of Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.), Globus Medical, Inc., Medtronic plc, NuVasive, Inc., Smith & Nephew plc, Stryker Corporation, Zimmer Inc and others.Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India
African Trypanosomiasis Market to Make Great Impact in Near Future by 2025

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African Trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness disease, is one of the rarest infectious diseases that can affect ones sleep pattern to a great extent. It is a parasitic disease caused by protozoan parasite of genus Trypanosoma and is carried by tsetse fly. There are two types of African Trypanosomiasis depending on the parasite: East African Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and West African Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosomiasis brucei gambiense. West African Trypanosomiasis causes a fatal infection which lasts for years while East African Trypanosomiasis has a limited range and lasts for several weeks. The symptoms associated with African Trypanosoniasis vary from one stage to another. There are two stages which are as follows:First Stage (Hemolymphatic stage): The first stage is known as hemolymphatic stage due to the blood and lymphatic systems associated with this stage. During this stage, the skin infected by the tsetse fly form a trypanosomal chancre and the lymph nodes of the immune system become infected and enlarged. The various symptoms of the hemolymphatic stage are intermittent fever, headaches, skin lesions, facial edema, tachycardia and weight loss.Request Sample Report @Second stage (Neurologic or encephalitic stage): During the second stage, the brain becomes affected with few troubles in concentrating. The various symptoms of the neurologic stage are muscle weakness, behavioral changes such as irritability and mood swings, paralysis of a limb, speech disorders and sensory disorders.African Trypanosomiasis can be diagnosed by examining the blood samples, bone marrow, lymph node fluid, cerebrospinal fluid or lymph node aspirate of the affected individual. However, the card agglutination test (CATT) is a useful test for the detection of trympanosome specific antibodies in blood, serum or plasma. CATT is a field and laboratory test usually applied for mass screening to detect African Trypanosoniasis. Moreover, three surgical tests are available for the detection of the parasite, namely, micro-CATT, wb-CATT, and wb-LATEX.Based on the type of treatment, African Trypanosomiasis market can be segmented as follows:First stage treatment: The first stage disease treatment includes intravenous pentamidine for Trypanosomiasis brucei gambiense and intravenous suramin for Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense.Second stage treatment: The second stage disease treatment includes intravenous eflornithine and intravenous melarsoprol. However, combination of both eflornithine and nifurtimox is considered to be more effective in the treatment of African Trypanosomiasis.According to WHO, 25,000 new cases of both East and West African Trypanosomiasis are reported each year globally. African Trypanosomiasis is primarily found in subtropical and equatorial Africa. The major driving factors for the growth of the African Trypanosomiasis market in this region are constantly growing number of poor population in East African, prevalence of unhygienic environment, rapid pace of technological advancement in the field of African Trypanosomiasis therapeutics, increasing number of population to opt for healthy lifestyle and the overall growing diagnostic and therapeutic market. On the other hand, the huge cost of drugs involved in the treatment of African Trypanosomiasis and difficulty in availability of these medications would most likely impede the growth of this market.Request to Browse Full Table of Content, figure and Tables @Geographically, the African Trypanosomiasis market can be segmented into four major segments: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and rest of the world (RoW). Some of the top market players of the African Trypanosomiasis market are Sanofi, Genzyme Corporation, D-Pharm Ltd., aRigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and many others.ABOUT US:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance. To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.CONTACT:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market 2018| Leading Palyers, Technological Developments,Challenges, Five Forces Analysis | United Technologies Corporation, Hussmann Corporation, AB Electrolux, Frigoglass S.A.I.C

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Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market is estimated to spot a considerable growth in CAGR from 2018 to 2025. This report gives an in-depth assessment of current Commercial Refrigeration Equipment key market drivers, market size and trends and Global Commercial Refrigeration Equipment opportunities, challenges, key market segments and technological developments.Industry SegmentsThe market for commercial refrigeration equipment market is segmented on the basis of:Type: Display cases, walk-in coolers, beverages refrigeration, ice-making machineries, parts and others. Display cases and beverage refrigeration devices are the most growing type of this segment.Applications: Hospitals, bars, food service, hotels, and food and beverages preservation. Food service and hotels are the major sector for this industry.End Users: Food manufacturing industries, hyper market and super market. Supermarkets are leading the segment in a major way as compared to other end users.Market ScenarioThe Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market is driven by surging urbanization and expansion of hypermarket and supermarket in developing countries of Asia pacific and Latin America. The significant growth in the number of supermarket and hypermarket in developing market has boosted the demand of energy efficient refrigeration equipment in recent years. The market in Europe is heading towards the maturity; however the short product life cycle of the refrigeration equipment in developed regions coupled with increasing floor area of hypermarket and super market and restaurants chains, the market for commercial refrigeration equipment is expected to witness considerable growth over the coming years. Hence the market for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment is expected to grow at XX% CAGR (2016-2027)Get Sample Copy of this Report @Global Key PlayersThe key players that are involved in Global Commercial Refrigeration Equipment market are United Technologies Corporation, Hussmann Corporation, AB Electrolux, Frigoglass S.A.I.C, Dover Corporation, Daikin Industries Ltd, AHT Cooling Systems GmbH, Ali Group S.p.A, Illinois Tool Works Inc and Johnson Controls, IncRegional Analysis of Commercial Refrigeration EquipmentNorth America dominated the Global Commercial Refrigeration Equipment market with the largest market share, accounting for $XX million and is expected to grow over $XX billion by 2027. Asia-Pacific is expected to surpass North America in 2015 to become the largest market for commercial refrigeration equipment and expected to grow at CAGR of XX% from $ XX million in 2016 to $XX million by 2027. The European market for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment is expected to grow at XX% GAGR (2016-2027).Key Findings Global Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market is driven by the growth of supermarket, hypermarket, and organized food retail chains. Global Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market is expected to strengthen the product life cycle owing to the continuous improvement in minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) The European Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market is heading towards maturity and the growth is mainly expected from the emerging countries of Asia-Pacific. By 2020, Asia-Pacific is expected to account XX% of the Global Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market.Full report on Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market report spread across 127 pages, profiling 15 companies and supported with tables and figures available @Study Objectives of Commercial Refrigeration EquipmentTo provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next ten years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Commercial Refrigeration Equipment marketTo provide insights about factors affecting the market growthTo Analyze the Commercial Refrigeration Equipment market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc.To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW)To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospectiveTo provide country level analysis of the market for segment by Type, Applications, End Users and its sub-segments.To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the marketSegmentation by TypeSegmentation for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment market involves the following types such as Display Cases, Walk-in Coolers, Beverages Refrigeration, Ice-Making Machineries, Parts and othersSegmentation by ApplicationsSegmentation for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment market involves the following technology such as hospitals, bars, food service, hotels, and food and beverages preservation.Segmentation by End UsersSegmentation for Commercial Refrigeration Equipment market involves the following End Users such as food manufacturing industries, hyper market and super marketFor Inquiry Before Buying Visit us @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Where Will Electronic Design Automation Market be 2024?

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The EDA market consists of serval application sectors and consists of vendors, who are providing software tools, dedicated design services, and IP. The industry is presently dominated by many small and large vendors. Several major SIP companies are looking at the prospects to acquire other IP companies to expand their market share. The growth potential of the EDA market is anticipated to attract numerous new vendors trying to gain entry into the market. These new players are focusing on the distinct segments of IC design IP, which will help them gain a considerable market share.Global Electronic Design Automation Market to cross USD 14 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. The trend of miniaturization of semiconductors has allowed manufacturers to utilize electronic components in applications such as surgical devices and smart fitness products. Development of such devices is generating a high demand for the EDA market. The rising awareness and acceptance of smart fitness devices are encouraging electronic design companies to invest in the innovative design tools for developing enhanced products. Manufacturers are investing massively to develop several new miniaturized products to enhance the customer experience. Researchers are focusing on developing cost-effective and reliable products with the use of electronic design tools.Request for a sample of this research report @Companies in the EDA market include Solido Design Automation, Mentor Graphics, Silvaco International, National Instruments, Sigasi, Pulsonix, Keysight Technologies, JEDA Technologies, Invionics, Intercept Technology, Inc., CadSoft Computer, Cadence Design Systems, Zuken, Inc. Xilinx, Inc., and Synopsys, Inc., among others. Companies in the EDA market are looking to spread their business and presence to developing countries and are implementing strategies such as Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A). Several vendors are acquiring smaller software or technology-based companies to enhance their core business. Vendors are facing intense rivalry and to face that, they are required to invest immensely in R&D activities to withstand the electronic design automation market market growth.Table of Content:Chapter 4. EDA Market, By Product4.1. EDA market share by product, 2016 & 20244.2. Computer Aided Engineering (CAE)4.2.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20244.2.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013  20244.3. IC physical design & verification4.3.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20244.3.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013  20244.4. Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and Multi-Chip Module (MCM)4.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20244.4.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013  20244.5. Semiconductor Intellectual Property (SIP)4.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20244.5.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013  20244.6. Services4.6.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20244.6.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013  2024Chapter 5. EDA Market, By Application5.1. EDA market share by application, 2016 & 20245.2. Aerospace & defense5.2.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20245.2.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013  20245.3. Automotive5.3.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20245.3.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013  20245.4. Consumer electronics5.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20245.4.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013  20245.5. Industrial5.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20245.5.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013  20245.6. Medical5.6.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20245.6.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013  20245.7. Telecommunications5.7.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20245.7.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013  20245.8. Others5.8.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013 - 20245.8.2. Market estimates and forecast, by region, 2013  2024Chapter 6. EDA Market, By Region6.1. EDA market share by region, 2016 & 20246.2. North America6.2.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.2.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.2.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.2.4. U.S.6.2.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.2.4.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.2.4.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.2.5. Canada6.2.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.2.5.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.2.5.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.3. Europe6.3.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.3.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.3.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.3.4. UK6.3.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.3.4.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.3.4.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.3.5. Germany6.3.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.3.5.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.3.5.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.3.6. France6.3.6.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.3.6.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.3.6.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.3.7. Italy6.3.7.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.3.7.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.3.7.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.3.8. Russia6.3.8.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.3.8.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.3.8.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.4. Asia Pacific6.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.4.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.4.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.4.4. China6.4.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.4.4.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.4.4.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.4.5. India6.4.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.4.5.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.4.5.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.4.6. Japan6.4.6.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.4.6.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.4.6.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.4.7. South Korea6.4.7.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.4.7.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.4.7.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.4.8. Taiwan6.4.8.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.4.8.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.4.8.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.5. Latin America6.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.5.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.5.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.5.4. Brazil6.5.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.5.4.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.5.4.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.5.5. Mexico6.5.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.5.5.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.5.5.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.6. Middle East & Africa (MEA)6.6.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.6.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.6.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.6.4. GCC6.6.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.6.4.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.6.4.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  20246.6.5. South Africa6.6.5.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2013  20246.6.5.2. Market estimates and forecast, by product, 2013  20246.6.5.3. Market estimates and forecast, by application, 2013  2024Browse key industry insights spread across 250 pages with 120 market data tables & 89 figures & charts from the report, Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Market in detail along with the table of contents:About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
Electrochromic Storage Devices Market in Global Industry 2017-2025: Gentex Corporation, Plansee SE Corporation

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Electrochromic Storage Devices Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.Electrochromic storage devices consist of Electrochromic materials which can change their optical properties when subjected to electric potential. Electrochromic storage devices follows the principle of electroluminescence wherein certain materials emit light in response to an electric current passing through it. Smart windows are one of the most important applications of Electrochromic storage devices, it can be used to save energy and to reduce the solar radiation. Smart windows are the future for connected home that can provides both economic and environmental advantages.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Transmission and reflection are the two important modes used in devices which utilizes electrochromic color modulation. In transmission or transmittance mode, the intensity of light passing through the windows are controlled by the conducting electrode, this mode is used in smart windows. In reflection mode, the conducting electrode is replaced by a reflective surface which controls the light intensity. The reflection mode is used in rear view mirrors of cars. Electrochromic storage devices can change its transmittance under different voltage levels. Smart windows one of the important applications have three switching modes.At normal conditions, it allows both heat and light to enter through the glass. At cooling mode, it blocks heat and only allows light to pass through the smart windows, which helps to cool down the room temperature and also saves energy. At dark mode, it blocks both heat and light to pass through the glass. These switching modes enables the window to operate in various weather condition which is helpful for energy savings and comforts. For Instance, Boeing has installed Electrochromic devices in their Dreamliner aircraft with 5-level modes. Electrochromic storage devices are widely used in electrochromic windows for home and commercial use, car mirrors for reduce light reflections and in eyewear i.e. in motorcycle helmet visor.Maker An Enquiry @There are various factors which are driving the growth of Electrochromic storage devices market. The increasing growth of smart windows in aeroplanes is one of the key driver in the growth of electrochromic storage device market. There are also other factors such as use of smart windows in both home & commercial purpose and the increasing demand for energy efficient homes, these factors to further drive the electrochromic storage device markets. Scientist are also experimenting the use of solar cells with the storage devices in order to save electricity instead of allowing the lights to be reflected back from the smart windows. However, there are some major restraints such as high cost of electrochromic storage devices can lead to use of substitute product or increasing in strategic raw material cost prices can hinder the growth of electrochromic storage devices market.The Electrochromic storage device market can be segmented by material, by sector and by geography. By material can be further segmented as metal oxides, conducting polymers, in-organic oxides and others. By sector, it can be sub-segmented as commercial, transportation, residential and others.Geographically, Electrochromic storage device market is divided into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to dominate the Electrochromic storage device market due to adoption of smart windows in their airline services. Further, the adoption of smart windows in commercial and household sectors and the use of electrochromic material in rear view mirrors in automotive sectors can benefit Asia Pacific region.Browse Report @Key players in the Electrochromic storage device markets include Gentex Corporation, Plansee SE Corporation, PPG Industries, ChromoGenics, Prelonic technologies, View Inc., Hitachi chemical Co ltd., SAGE Electronics, SmartGlass International Ltd, Asahi Glass Co Ltd., Saint-Gobain S.A and so on. Gentex was first to introduce the dimming mirror which are widely being used automotive vehicles. In order to gain a competitive advantage in the transparent display market, these tech-giants are strongly involved in organic and inorganic production and expansion strategies, collaborations, partnerships, agreements, and new product development and improvements in existing products are some of the important strategies followed by them.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.For More Information Kindly Contact:ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on Blogger at:
Indoor Lighting Management Market 2018-2023 Key Players by: Crompton Greaves, General Electric, Gstar Technology, Havells Sylvania, Osram Licht, Osram Sylvania and Koninklijke Philips by Forecasts

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Market Highlights:Indoor lighting management can be defined as an essential part of home or any indoor space that enhance the total ambience of the room. In indoor lighting, light fixtures is the important part of interior design.The major drivers fueling the market of indoor lighting management market includes, high disposable income of people, changing lifestyle and availability of low cost light emitting diode for indoor space is driving the market. The study indicates, dynamic benefits of LED luminaries that includes high intensity of brightness, high energy efficiency, low radiated heat, high reliability, negligible UV rays and long life span is one of the significant factors driving market growth. According to the study, the decreasing price of LED components is boosting the indoor lighting management market growth.Get Sample Report @The indoor lighting management market can be segmented on the basis of product, type and application. By types the indoor lighting management consists of ambient lighting, task lighting and accent lighting. Accent lighting enable users by automatically adjusting to the day and night light source. It enhance users interior space by can extending the useable space of their property during the darker hours and help set the mood of the property they want, and offers users with certain choice features.The Indoor Lighting Management Market is expected to grow at approximately USD 17 Billion by 2023, at 19% of CAGR between 2017 and 2023.Key Players: Crompton Greaves (India) General Electric (U.S.) Gstar Technology Co. Ltd. (China) Havells Sylvania (U.K.) Osram Licht AG (Germany) Osram Sylvania (U.S.) Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands) Shenzhen MR LED (China) Thorn Lighting (U.K.) Ushio Lighting Technologies (Japan)Segments:Indoor lighting management market is segmented on the basis of product, range and application.Indoor Lighting Management Market by Product: Recessed Suspended Surface Mounted Wall Mounted Free Standing Downlights Projectors Multiple Lighting Systems OthersIndoor Lighting Management Market by Type: Ambient Lighting Task Lighting Accent LightingIndoor Lighting Management Market by Space Type: Residential Industrial Commercial OfficeIndoor Lighting Management Market by Application: Ceiling lights Wall lights Picture lights Table lamps Floor lamps Bathroom lights Kitchen lights Commercial lights OthersRegional Analysis:The regional analysis of indoor lighting management market is being studied for region such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and Rest of the World. North America is one of the leading player in the indoor lighting management market owing to high disposable income of people and demand for ambient lighting is boosting the market in the region. Rapid infrastructure activities across different industries has driven the market of indoor lighting management market in Asia-Pacific region. This growth is mainly attributed to the rising demand for ambient lighting paired with stringent energy efficiency regulation.Get Full Report @Intended Audience: Investors and consultants System Integrators Government Organizations Research/Consultancy firms Technology solution providers IT Solution Providers Original Equipment ManufacturersStudy Objectives of Indoor Lighting Management Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the indoor lighting management market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the indoor lighting management market based porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment on the basis of product, type, space type and application. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the indoor lighting management market.Table of Contents1 Market Introduction1.1 Introduction1.2 Scope of Study1.2.1 Research Objective1.2.2 Assumptions1.2.3 Limitations1.3 Market Structure2 Research Methodology2.1 Research Type2.2 Primary Research2.3 Secondary Research2.4 Forecast Model2.4.1 Market Data Collection, Analysis & Forecast2.4.2 Market Size Estimation3 Market Dynamics3.1 Introduction3.2 Market Drivers3.3 Market Challenges3.4 Market Opportunities3.5 Market RestraintsContinues...List of TablesTable 1 Indoor Lighting Management Market, By ProductTable 2 Indoor Lighting Management Market, By TypeTable 3 Indoor Lighting Management Market, By Space TypeTable 4 Indoor Lighting Management Market, By ApplicationTable 5 Indoor Lighting Management Market, By RegionContinues...List of FiguresFigure 1 Research TypeFigure 2 Indoor Lighting Management Market: By Product (%)Figure 3 Indoor Lighting Management Market: By Type (%)Figure 4 Indoor Lighting Management Market, By Space Type (%)Figure 5 Indoor Lighting Management Market: By Application (%)Continues...About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune  411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +91 841 198 5042Mail: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
RFID Tags and Labels Market in Global Industry: Key Players, Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2017-2027

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "RFID Tags and Labels Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2027" to its huge collection of research reports.Global RFID Tags and Labels Market: IntroductionThe global retail sector has undergone a major revolutionary change, particularly coupled with incorporation of high end technological integration into business operations. RFID tagging is one particular technological advancement that allows tracking and tracing merchandise through supply chain processes and also at retail point of sale.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @RFID technology employs electromagnetic field mechanism to identify and track the objects onto which RFID tags and labels are affixed. RFID tags and labels are primarily classified as active and passive tags, depending on their operation and functionality. Active tags have inbuilt power source that allows storage and transmission of information to the RFID reader located hundreds of meters away. Passive RFID tags and labels on the other hand use power from radio waves of nearby RFID reader. RFID tags and labels have emerged as an effective and high end alternative to barcodes as mode of identifying, tracking and tracing objects.Global RFID Tags and Labels Market: SegmentationThe global RFID tags and labels market is segmented by product type, by application and by sales channel.As per product type, the global RFID tags and labels market is segmented as follows:RFID TagsRFID LabelsRFID Paper LabelsRFID Plastic LabelsRFID Hybrid LabelsAs per application type the global RFID Tags and Labels market is segmented as follows:AutomotiveDefence & AerospaceApparelsConsumer ElectronicsCosmeticsPersonal CareFood & BeveragesBooks, Music & VideoGroceryOthers (Office Equipment, Hardware, etc.)Maker An Enquiry @As per sales channel, the global RFID Tags and Labels market is segmented as follows:InstitutionalB2BRetailGlobal RFID Tags and Labels Market: Market DynamicsThe global market for RFID tags and labels is characterized by continuous product development and innovation processes that aims to improve functionality and effectiveness of RFID tags and labels. The RFID labels market segment has emerged as the most attractive market segment in the RFID labels and tag market. The RFID labels market segment is further sub-segmented into paper labels, plastic labels and hybrid labels that are a combination of paper and plastic inlays. Product development activities of leading market players and new entrants in the market are focused toward reducing the cost of these RFID labels by modifying inherent design and material composition of RFID labels. RFID labels are made of 100% recycled paper have observed to deliver cost savings to manufacturers while also supporting the sustainability objectives of the business.In November 2017, Honeywell International Inc., announced the launch of passive RFID tags for the automotive sector. The passive RFID tags from Honeywell International Inc. are used for applications such as highway tolling, electronic vehicle registration, and vehicle access and payment. The RFID tags have the capability to be read from a distance of 10 meters even at high speeds. Honeywell International Inc. has introduced the passive RFID tags to tackle issues such as counterfeiting, spoofing or exposure of customer data to unauthorized users.Browse Report @Manufacturers of RFID tags and labels sell their products through three primary sales channel including institutional, business to business and retail. RFID tags, due to their flexibility in application have recognized usage across multiple sectors. Institutional sales channel has emerged as key sales channel as RFID tags and labels are increasingly being recognized as important mechanism to identify and track objects in Defence sectors, aerospace and government owned inventories across economic sectors.Global RFID Tags and Labels Market: Regional OutlookThe global RFID Tags and Labels market is segmented into 7 key regions including North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Middle East and Africa (MEA), Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ) and Japan.Global Magnifier labels Market: Competitive LandscapeSome of the players operating in the global RFID Tags and Labels market include Honeywell International Inc., Syndicate RFID, Vizinex RFID, Tageos SAS, Omnia Technologies, and Tag Factory.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.For More Information Kindly Contact:ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on Blogger at:
Asia Pacific Sterility Testing Market Global Key players - Avance Biosciences (U.S.), Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.), Paragon Bioservices, Inc (U.S.) and Merck KGaA (Germany) Analysis and Forecast 2018 - 2023

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Market ScenarioSterility testing plays an important role in the healthcare sector. It ensures the purity and safety of the product or a substance. This is a vital regulatory requirement for both pharmaceutical and medical device companies when bringing a product to market or assessing the post-launch safety of a product or device. It is an essential part of every sterilization validation and is an extremely difficult process that must be designed and executed for eliminating false positive results, which, are generally due to laboratory contamination from the testing environment or technician error.View Reports Sample @The major driving factor for the growth of the market are increasing manufactures of the medical devices & products, increasing prevalence of many infectious diseases, and increasing in the Research and development projects in life sciences. Increasing number of diseases has intensified the research activity which has significantly driven the market. Currently, about 27 million deaths occur each year in South and East Asia, 7 million among those are under 30 years of age, and 10 million fall in the middle-aged group. Beside this, huge population base in this region, rising outsourcing in the pharmaceutical sector to the emerging nations such as India and China, and rapid development in economy has provided a support for the growth of the market. Furthermore, growth of pharmaceutical industries, technological advances, increasing support provided by government and, the increasing R&D investments have fuelled the market growth in this region. However, a cumbersome approval process and strict regulatory rules are few factors responsible for restraining the market growth.Sterility also relies on procedural measures that effectively prevent contamination of biological materials, such as clean room technology and other Good Manufacturing Practices.The Asia Pacific sterility testing market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.2% during 2017-2023Intended Audience Product manufacturers of sterility product Sterility Testing Product Distributors Government and private research companies Research and Development (R&D) Companies Hospitals and Laboratories Medical Research Laboratories Academic Medical Institutes and UniversitiesSegmentationsAsia Pacific sterility testing market is segmented on the basis of products, types of test, application, and end users.On basis of type of product the market is segmented into instrument, reagent & services, kits and others.On the basis of type of tests, the market is segmented into membrane filtration sterility testing, direct incubation sterility testing, direct transfer and others.On Application, the market is segmented into pharmaceutical & biological manufacturing, medical devices manufacturing, and others.On the basis of end user, they are segmented into pharmaceuticals, hospital & laboratories and other.Regional AnalysisOn the regional basis Asia Pacific is segmented into Japan, India, China, the republic of Korea, Australia and the Rest of Asia Pacific.Japan holds a major shares of the market owing to increase in number of approval of new drugs and high spending on quality control.China and India has a growing market due to huge population base, increasing demand for the better quality products, rapidly changing economy, increasing healthcare expenditure, and increasing number of pharmaceutical & biotechnological companies.Reports suggest that China and Southeast Asia are poised to join the ranks of the high-growth Asian economies such as Korea and TaiwanRest of Asia Pacific holds the least share in the market.Increasing number of healthcare organizations like hospital, private research institute has led to increase in the market in India.Request Full Report @Key PlayersSome of the major player in the market are Avance Biosciences (U.S.), Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.), Paragon Bioservices, Inc (U.S.), Merck KGaA (Germany), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S.), Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (U.S.), Avista Pharma Solutions (U.S.), and DYNALABS LLC. (U.S.)Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Biosimilar Market Opened the Doors of Opportunity for Emerging Field of Medicine

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A biosimilar is a biological medicine, approved by the regulatory bodies based on a high similarity to a pre-existing approved innovative biological product, also referred as reference medicine or originator medicine. The medicine is highly similar, comparable version of an approved biologic medicine. The medicine includes active ingredients identical to the reference smallmolecule drugs which differentiates the medicine from generic medicine. Biosimilars are un-identical to the reference biologics including the proprietary details of the reference product and the inherent complexity of biologics. Thus, biosimilars prepared by various manufacturers varies from the reference product making each drug a unique therapeutic option for patients.Biosimilars are expected to be more affordable therapeutic options based on the complexity, cost of development and manufacture. However, it is not expected to generate the same level of cost savings as generics. Growing demand for biologic medicines is considered to drive the industry growth over the forecast period. Increase in the demand for biosimilar drugs owing to their cost-effectiveness and the rising incidence of chronic diseases are also projected to spur the industry growth.Request For Free Sample Of The Report @Increased application of traditional generic drugs and patent expiration of various innovator drugs is expected to be the factors leading to a shift of focus in the pharmaceutical industry towards investment in specialty drugs and high growth areas. Rising life-threatening disorders such as cancer and diabetes with increasing geriatric population has led to the utilization of expensive biopharmaceuticals. Furthermore, governments are switching to affordable alternatives owing to growing emphasis on cost effectiveness and patent expiration of key product classes. Thus, there is a tremendous opportunity for biosimilar manufacturers over the forecast period. However, the development of biosimilar drugs is riddled with complexities. The R&D of the drug, followed by manufacturing and marketing of the drug, is one of the most expensive propositions in the pharmaceutical industry. Patent expiration of biologic drugs over the few years will lead to the acceptance of biosimilar medicine in the industry. According to study, more than 40 biosimilars are under development out of which approximately 20 biosimilars are ready to be released into the market and a significant number of biosimilars are in the pipeline. This will further significantly reduce the costs for patients and health systems. However, the process is anticipated to pose multiple challenges for regulators for confirming the similarity of the biosimilar to the original biologic in terms of efficacy and safety.The pricing of biosimilar drugs, rising number and quality of tertiary care centers is expected to enhance the application of biotech products, hence driving success in the biosimilars market. The existence of broad range of therapeutic proteins and multiple biosimilar versions of monoclonal antibodies at a relatively low cost in comparison to reference products are also significant factors driving the biosimilar market.The United States Congress established an abbreviated and distinct pathway for the approval of biosimilars, for recognition of the unique and complex properties of biologics. The pathway requires additional evidence beyond the requirements for generic drug approval, including added analytical characterization and non-clinical as well as clinical data. Owing to the complexities, the development and manufacture of high-quality biosimilars requires manufacturers to have a scientific and manufacturing expertise.Europe region has been accounted for the largest share in biosimilar market in 2017 and it is expected to be the major contributor to the Biosimilar revenue globally over the forecast period. Growing biotechnology companies in the Asia Pacific region, supported by immense economic development is expected to record a robust growth in biosimilar market over the forecast period thereby making Asia Pacific the major contributor to global biosimilar market. Rising incidence of chronic disorders, patent expiry of biological products, the emergence of new market participants and the launch of new biosimilars are further expected to boost the regional market.Get more Information about this Report@Key players in the biosimilar market include Pfizer, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Sandoz International, Dr. Reddys Laboratories, Amgen, Biocon, Samsung Biologics and Celltrion.About Us-Xpodence Research is a U.S. based Market Research Company and offers the most extensive collection of progressive surveying syndicated and customized research reports of various categories for private and public industries across the globe.We offer the comprehensive market research solution for all the industries by performing the in-depth study of industry trends, verticals globally. We believe in building an eternal bond with our customers through providing them inclusive research study both customized and syndicated based on their specific requirements.The organizations in every industry such as Technology, Pharmaceuticals, Consumable Goods, Food & Beverage and others demands a market-based solutions for various significant decisions based on productivity and output globally. Our services are tailored specifically to our clients by proposing them the potential outcome, based on our in-depth analysis and insights for exploring the growth strategies through providing the best possible decision for quality production.Contact Us-Xpodence ResearchUSA Office244 , Madison AvenueNew York City, NY - 10016United StatesToll Free +1- 844-445-2861Email-sales@xpodenceresearch.com
New Study Forecast Radiofrequency Ablation Devices Market for Pain Management to Witness Sustained Growth in Coming year

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An up-to-date research report 2018 has been disclosed by Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) highlighting the title Radiofrequency Ablation Devices Market for Pain Management which provides an outlook for current market value as well as the expected forecast including Rate on Investment (ROI) together with the growing CAGR near 12.9% during 2017-2024. The report studies the Radiofrequency Ablation Devices Market worldwide, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, size, growth, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions.Click here For Free Sample Report @The second half of the past century has been a relatively peaceful duration for the humanity and populations have prospered across developed and emerging economies. As a result, geriatrics are now constituting for a prominent chunk of the worlds population. And with that  the healthcare industry is flourishing, as geriatrics are prone to several bodily disorders, especially arthritis, chronic low-back pain, and joint pain. The advent of radiofrequency ablation devices has paved a minimally invasive surgical procedure that can adequately serve pain management, and the market for the same is primed to excel in the near future.According to the findings of this business intelligence report, the demand in the global radiofrequency ablation devices market for pain management will expand at an impressive CAGR of 12.9% during the forecast period of 2017 to 2024. Revenue-wise, the vendors of pain management market will generate a demand for RF ablation devices worth of US$1,114.5 million by the end of 2024, substantially more than the markets evaluated worth of US$477.3 million as of 2017.Apart from the increasing population of geriatrics and strong prevalence of chronic pain, increased investments by multinational medical device companies to harness the concept of minimally invasive surgeries and recent approvals and launches of technological advanced devices are expected to drive the demand for radiofrequency ablation devices. On the other hand, regulatory hurdles and availability of other low-cost therapeutics for pain management are a few restraints obstructing this market from attaining greater profitability. Nevertheless, the analyst of the report foresees the emerging economies of China, India, and Brazil to open vast new opportunities in the near future.RF Ablation Devices Emerging as Key Product SegmentOn the basis of product type, the market for RF ablation devices market for pain management has been segmented into RF generators, reusable products including electrodes and probes, and disposable products, which have been further bifurcated into needles, cannulas, and single-use probes and electrodes. As of 2017, the sub-segments of disposable products generated the most prominent chunk of demand, which was worth US$204.5 million. Benefits of disposable cannulas and probes include reduction in sterilization costs. Additionally, connector cables provided for single use probes are long enough to stay out of the sterile field, thus preventing infection.Detailed Report with specifies Table of Content @On the other hand, the RF generators segment is poised to expand at an above-average CAGR of 13.1% during the period of 2017 to 2024. Technological advancement such as cooled radiofrequency technology platforms which allow creation of larger lesions without excessive heating at the electrode fuels the growth of the segment. By the end of 2024, the pain management market is expected to produce a demand for RF generators worth of US$401.1 million.The report has also evaluated the demand potential from the end users: hospitals, specialty clinics, and ambulatory surgical centers, with the former poised to provide for a demand worth of US$538.4 million by 2024, which will represent nearly half of the overall demand.North America to Overtake Europe as Most Lucrative Region by 2024North America is projected to continue to dominate the market, accounting for 38.3% share by 2024. The segment is anticipated to reach value of US$426.4 million by 2024. The U.S. dominated the market in North America due to the existence large population base, higher awareness, significant health care spending in overall national budgets, early availability of advanced technologies, and higher penetration of health care services across the country. Europe, on the other hand, is estimated to offer 33.5% of the overall demand by the end of the aforementioned forecast period.St. Jude Medical, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, and Halyard Health, Inc. have been identified as the three companies currently dominating the RF ablation devices market for pain management. The report profiles these and several other companies in its featured section on competitive landscape.Any Query, Ask Our Expert at:About Market Research Reports Search EngineMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559(USA & CANADA TOLL-FREE NUMBER)Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
United States Plastic Pallet Market by Manufacturers, States, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

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Plastic pallets are cost effective than wooden pallets as they are durable and resistant to damage. Manufacturers and distributors are preferring plastic pallets for shipments as they are 30% lighter and 42% more durable than wood. This helps in less wear and tear on equipment during transportation and as it is lighter, it reduces the cost of shipment and transportation by around 50%. The proper utilization of plastic pallets also minimizes costs with respect to floor space, load weight, labor and sanitization, and helps in cutting the shipment expenditures and saving time. Also, factors like decrease in product breakage due to pallet damage, drop in cleaning expenses, decline of repacking costs and problem-free disposable system significantly contributes to the growing applications of plastic pallets in the logistics section of various industries like, grocery, pharmaceutical and automotive.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Plastic Pallet in United States market, to split the market based on manufacturers, states, type and application.Get the sample copy of this report @Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversBramblesLOSCAMORBISRehrig PacificSchoeller AllibertCHEPCABKA North AmericaPECOPalletOneBuckhornCABKA GroupThe Corrugated Pallets CompanyCraemer HoldingEuro Pool System InternationalFaber Halbertsma GroupMarket Segment by States, coveringCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisMarket Segment by Type, coversHigh density polyethylene (HDPE)Polypropylene (PP)OthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoAutomotive and Shipping IndustryFood and Beverage IndustryLogistic and Warehouse IndustryOtherComplete report TOC @There are 17 Chapters to deeply display the United States Plastic Pallet market.Chapter 1, to describe Plastic Pallet Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by States, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Plastic Pallet, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the United States market by States, covering California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida, with sales, price, revenue and market share of Plastic Pallet, for each state, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, to analyze the key States by Type and Application, covering California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida, with sales, revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 12, Plastic Pallet market forecast, by States, type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 14, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 15, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 16 and 17, to describe Plastic Pallet Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source.View full report @MRRbiz supports your business intelligence needs with over 700,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-Canada)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Key Reasons That Are Expected to Make Spoon in Lid Packaging Market to Attract a Handsome Revenue Worth US$1558.8 mn by 2026

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The global spoon in lid packaging market features a highly competitive and fragmented vendor landscape, says Transparency Market Research on the basis of a recently published report. Such an intense competition is mainly due to the presence of numerous companies in the market. The competition is expected to get tougher with several players entering the market on a regular basis. Heavy investments to bring forth technological advancements, achieving product differentiation, and attaining expansions in products portfolios, also are a few other strategies implemented by most businesses.Brochure for Latest Advancements and Research Insights @Greiner, Fourmark Manufacturing, SP Containers, Coveris, Plasticos Regina, Polyoak, RPC Group, ITC Packaging, Fairpoint Plastic, and Parkers Packaging., are some of the key players operating in the market. Product manufacturers are also expected to strive towards concretely establishing themselves in emerging economies, as well as to facilitate extensive research and development-based activities through large investments.According to the latest studies by expert analysts, the global spook in lid packaging market is anticipated to grow from US$309.7 mn (which was the revenue valuation in clocked in 2017), to about US$1558.8 mn by 2026 (future estimates). Such a growth is mainly being supplemented by a stellar CAGR of 19.7%, predicted to occur from 2017 to 2026.High Efficiency and Comfort Provided by Packed Spoons Boosts GrowthThe global spoon in lid packaging market is mainly being driven owing to extensive use of spoons in packaged food items. This solution is being utilized in ice-cream, desserts, yogurt, and various other items, and as most of these foods are witnessing a rising demand, the global spoon in lid packaging market has been experiencing widespread growth.Most consumers prefer aids such as spoons and forks pre-packed with food items being sold, and thus causing manufacturing companies to work hard in order to meet consumer demands. This has consequently boosted the global spoon in lid packaging market to depict a large-scale expansion.Browse Market Research Report @An increasing number of brands are gradually embracing spoon in lid packaging, mainly due to its lightweight character as well as high efficiency. Spoons, forks, stirrers, and other such aids provided with packaged foods can also be transported easily. The aids are highly ergonomic too, especially in case if consumers are travelling or need a quick bite outdoors.High Use of Plastic Spoons in Packed Foods Caused Pollutions, Hampers MarketHowever, a high use of plastic for making spoons, forks, and other similar aids is largely contributing towards plastic pollution. This is notably hampering the global spoon in lid packaging markets growth, as many players are deciding to not manufacture such food products, thus following the initiative of causing less pollution. Nevertheless, a handful of players are developing spoons and other items with eco-friendly and biodegradable materials. In this context, an interesting trend is being gaining attention that might reduce the restraints too  it deals with utilizing edible cutlery, so that disposed waste is kept to a minimum.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
SABIC DEBUTS AT NPE 2018 NEW PORTFOLIO OF PP COMPOUNDS FOR SOFT FEEL IN AUTOMOTIVE INTERIOR COMPONENTS

SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, unveiled here today at NPE 2018, booth S19001, a new and growing portfolio of SABIC polypropylene (PP) compounds that deliver a soft feel combined with excellent scratch performance in unpainted, low gloss automotive interior components. The new SABIC PP compounds offer the luxurious haptics and finishes that todays consumers demand  even in lower-priced vehicles. At the same time, these injection molding materials can help automotive OEMs and tiers reduce costs by as much as 50 percent by avoiding secondary operations such as applying soft paint, fabric, foam or other surface covering.Elegance, comfort and quiet in automotive interiors are becoming increasingly important to buyers of vehicles at all price points, said Scott Fallon, global leader of SABICs Automotive business. SABIC engineered these new PP compounds to address this demand by helping manufacturers deliver an interior environment that connotes luxury while controlling costs. Our customers can benefit from the outstanding aesthetics and value this innovative material technology provides.Soft Feel and Strong PerformanceIn addition to a soft tactile feel, SABIC PP compounds provide an attractive matte surface with excellent scratch resistance, good impact performance and low shrinkage. These SABIC materials also deliver good sound damping capability to help create a quiet cabin environment. The portfolio, which is available globally, includes several grades of short glass fiber-reinforced PP to give customers a choice of stiffness level and material density. The materials are also UV stabilized to prevent fading and color shift.Possible applications where this material can be used include interior trims, seat and console side cladding, glove boxes, door panels and other similar interior components. SABIC PP compounds allow these types of parts to be efficiently manufactured using only one high-volume injection molding step.Cost Savings without CompromiseLeading Indian automaker, Tata Motors, is the first automotive manufacturer to use one of the SABIC PP compounds in vehicle interior applications. Tata Motors selected a SABIC PP compound to mold parts with a soft feel and high-end appearance in the steering column cover and speedometer cluster top for its 2017 Tiago hatchback.The company eliminated the need for expensive paint systems, saving about 30 percent, while achieving the same level of performance and aesthetics.The Tiagos steering wheel column is on display at the companys booth for the duration of NPE 2018. SABIC and brands marked with  are trademarks of SABIC or its subsidiaries or affiliates. High-resolution photos are available upon request. SABIC should be written in every instance in all uppercase.  2018 Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC). All Rights Reserved. Any brands, products or services of other companies referenced in this document are the trademarks, service marks and/or trade names of their respective holders.ABOUT SABICSABIC is a global leader in diversified chemicals headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We manufacture on a global scale in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, making distinctly different kinds of products: chemicals, commodity and high performance plastics, agri-nutrients and metals.We support our customers by identifying and developing opportunities in key end markets such as construction, medical devices, packaging, agri-nutrients, electrical and electronics, transportation and clean energy.SABIC recorded a net profit of SR 18.4 billion (US$ 4.9 billion) in 2017. Sales revenues for 2017 totaled SR 149.8 billion (US$ 39.9 billion). Total assets stood at SR 322.5 billion (US$ 86 billion) at the end of 2017. Production in 2017 stood at 71.2 million metric tons.SABIC has more than 34,000 employees worldwide and operates in more than 50 countries. Fostering innovation and a spirit of ingenuity, we have 11,534 global patent filings, and have significant research resources with innovation hubs in five key geographies  USA, Europe, Middle East, South Asia and North Asia.The Saudi Arabian government owns 70 percent of SABIC shares with the remaining 30 percent publicly traded on the Saudi stock exchange.Marketing SolutionsKevin NoelsBox 62950KapellenBelgium003233130311
Carvers Global and United States Market - Detailed Analysis of Business Opportunities, Growth & Forecast to 2025

Carvers Global and United States Market

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2018-2025 Carvers Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications is latest research study released by HTF MI evaluating the market, highlighting opportunities, risk side analysis, and leveraged with strategic and tactical decision-making support. The study provides information on market trends and development, drivers, capacities, technologies, and on the changing capital structure of the Global and United States Carvers Market.Carvers Market Overview:If you are involved in the Carvers industry or intend to be, then this study will provide you comprehensive outlook. Its vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Hospitals, Clinics & Others, and major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement.You can get free access to samples from the report here:Carvers Market: Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2023Research study is to define market sizes of various segments & countries in previous years and to forecast the values to the next 5-8 years. The report is designed to comprise each qualitative and quantitative elements of the industry facts including: market share, market size (value and volume 2012-17, and forecast to 2023) with admire to each of the areas and countries concerned inside the examination. Furthermore, the report additionally caters the detailed statistics about the vital elements which includes drivers & restraining factors which will define the future growth of the market.Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows:Historical year  2013-2017Base year  2018Forecast period**  2018 to 2023 [** unless otherwise stated]Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players.The designated segments and sub-section of the market are explained below:The Study is segmented by following Product Type:Major applications/end-users industry are as follows: Hospitals, Clinics & OthersSome of the key Manufacturers Involved in the Market are  LM-Instruments, Smile Surgical Ireland Limited, AR Instrumed Deutschland, FASA Group, Lorien Industries, Navadha Enterprises, Helmut Zepf Medizintechnik, Renfert, KerrHawe, Carl Martin, ASA Dental, Schuler-Dental, Kerr Total Care, Mestra, Vista Dental Products, Otto Leibinger, Deppeler, Kohler Medizintechnik, Lascod, Three Stars Trade, Prodont Holliger, Medical-One, DB Orthodontics Limited, Karl Schumacher, Dental Wax, Dental Composites, Amalgam & OthersFor each region, market size and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies. If opting for the Global version of Carvers Market analysis is provided for major regions as follows: North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia) South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.) Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Buy this research report @Key Answers Captured in Study areWhich geography would have better demand for product/services?What are the strategies adopted by big players in the regional market?Which country would see the steep rise in CAGR & year-on-year (Y-O-Y) growth?What is the current & expected market size in next five years?What is the market feasibility for long term investment?What opportunity the country would offer for existing and new players in the Carvers market?What is risk involved for suppliers in the geography?What factors would drive the demand for the product/service in near future?What is the impact analysis of various factors in the Global and United States Carvers market growth?What are the recent trends in the regional market and how successful they are?Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @There are 15 Chapters to display the Global and United States Carvers market.Chapter 1, About Executive Summary to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Global and United States Carvers market, Applications [Hospitals, Clinics & Others], Market Segment by Regions United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa;Chapter 2, objective of the study.Chapter 3, to display Research methodology and techniques.Chapter 4 and 5, to show the Overall Market Analysis, segmentation analysis, characteristics;Chapter 6 and 7, to show the Market size, share and forecast; Five forces analysis (bargaining Power of buyers/suppliers), Threats to new entrants and market condition;Chapter 8 and 9, to show analysis by regional segmentation[United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa ], comparison, leading countries and opportunities; Regional Marketing Type Analysis, Supply Chain AnalysisChapter 10, focus on identifying the key industry influencers, overview of decision framework accumulated through Industry experts and strategic decision makers;Chapter 11 and 12, Market Trend Analysis, Drivers, Challenges by consumer behaviour, Marketing Channels and demand & supply.Chapter 13 and 14, describe about the vendor landscape (classification and Market Positioning)Chapter 15, deals with Global and United States Carvers Market sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Enquire for customization in Report @Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia or Oceania [Australia and New Zealand].HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact US :Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.comConnect with us at
Global Respiratory Devices Market Report Examines Latest Trends and Key Drivers Supporting Growth through 2026

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An up-to-date research report 2018 has been disclosed by Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) highlighting the title Respiratory Devices Market which provides an outlook for current market value as well as the expected forecast including Rate on Investment (ROI) together with the growing CAGR near 6.6% during 2018-2026. The report studies the Respiratory Devices Market worldwide, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, size, growth, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions.Get Inside Scoop of Sample Report @Respiratory devices are medical equipment that assist patients with respiration in a critical care situation. Additionally, these devices are used to deliver medicines to treat several respiratory diseases. Furthermore, respiratory devices are used to diagnose respiratory problems. The global respiratory devices market was valued at US$ 17 Bn in 2017 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2018 to 2026 to reach US$ 31.0 Bn by 2026. Increase in incidence of COPD and sleep apnea, strategic alliances among key players, and rise in government expenditure are the major factors anticipated to propel the global respiratory devices market during the forecast period. However, high cost of respiratory devices and uncertain and ambiguous regulatory environment hamper the growth of the market.Legislative amendments for medical devices and technology services by various governments across the world are likely to boost the global respiratory devices market during the forecast period. For instance, amendments in the Health Insurance Act 1973 of Australia for diagnostic imaging provided Medicare funding for diagnostic imaging services. This has had a positive impact since March 2008 in terms of better access to diagnostic imaging for patients across different categories. Additionally, new capital sensitivity provisions are likely to provide rebates on various diagnostic imaging services in the country. The American Asthma Foundation funds highly innovative research through a national grant program that recruits investigators from non-asthma fields. This could create lucrative opportunity for organizations willing to fund research in collaboration with universities or research organizations.In terms of product type, the global respiratory devices market has been segmented into therapeutic devices and diagnostic & monitoring devices. The therapeutic devices segment has been classified into drug delivery devices, mechanical ventilators, continuous positive airway pressure, resuscitators, humidifiers, airway clearance devices, oxygen concentrators, consumables & disposables, and others. The diagnostic and monitoring device segment has been categorized into pulse oximeters, capnographs, spirometers, polysomnographs, peak flow meters, gas analyzers, and others. Based on application, the market has been divided into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, respiratory distress syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and pneumonia. The global respiratory devices market has been analyzed based on increasing cases of respiratory diseases, technology trend, expenditure on emerging technology, and presence of key players. The market size and forecast for each of these segments have been provided for the period from 2016 to 2026, along with respective CAGR for the forecast period from 2018 to 2026, considering 2017 as the base year.Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @North America captured the largest share of the global respiratory devices market in 2017, owing to increase in the number of people suffering from respiratory diseases, rise in diagnosis and treatment, and presence of key players. Asia Pacific is projected to gain market share during the forecast period. The respiratory devices market in the region is anticipated to expand at the highest CAGR from 2018 to 2026, owing to rise in prevalence of respiratory diseases, increase in geriatric population, and government support for respiratory device manufacturers.Key companies operating in the global respiratory devices market and profiled in the report include ResMed, Koninklijke Philips N.V, and Vyaire Medical, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson and Company). These players are adopting organic and in-organic growth strategies to expand product offerings, strengthen geographical reach, increase customer base, and capture higher market share. Other players operating in this market are Smiths Medical (part of Smiths Group plc), Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Limited, Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, GE Healthcare (part of General Electric Company), Getinge AB, Medtronic plc, and Chart Industries, among others.Any Query, Ask Our Expert at:About Market Research Reports Search EngineMarket Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559(USA & CANADA TOLL-FREE NUMBER)Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Cloud-based Payroll Software Market New Research Report  Know About Opportunities Faced by Top Companies

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Payroll software automates, organizes, and simplifies complex compensation planning and enables managers to improve budget allocations, increase accuracy, and align compensation decisions with organizational guidelines. Enterprises are implementing payroll software to make better compensation decisions while reducing cycle times with up-to-date, accurate, and auditable processes. Cloud-based payroll software is being installed by companies as it is economical and improves the efficiency of the compensation and review processes. The growing acceptance of cloud-based payroll software can be attributed to its advantages over the traditional payroll process. Cloud-based payroll software enables organizations to access data and services remotely through a web-browser without installing and managing application software. Cloud-based payroll software also provides flexibility in the deployment and has a short implementation time. This reduces implementation cost and improves the return on investment. One of the main benefits of cloud-based payroll software is the ability to access it from anywhere.Publisher's analysts forecast the global cloud-based payroll software market to grow at a CAGR of 12.09% during the period 2017-2021.FREE | Request Sample Copy is Available atCovered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global cloud-based payroll software market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of cloud-based payroll software subscription, maintenance and support, installation, customization, and training.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- Americas- APAC- EMEAPublisher's report, Global Cloud-based Payroll Software Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors- ADP- CoreHR- Oracle- Paychex- SAP Success Factors- Ultimate Software- WorkdayComplete Report is Available atOther prominent vendors- Aditro- Advanced- Affinity- Ascentis- BenefitMall- beqom- Ceridian HCM- CloudPay- Datacom Group- Execupay- Gusto- iAdmin- IRIS Software Group- Paycom- Payroo- Sage (UK)- SmartPayroll Australia PtyMarket driver- Reduction in TCO- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge- Concerns regarding data security- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend- Rising demand for integrated HCM solutions- For a full, detailed list, view our reportContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.533, 5th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Global Small Scale LNG Terminals Market key Insights Based on Product Type, End-use and Regional Demand Till 2022

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Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has been acting as an impressive data source when it comes to evaluating various industrial verticals. The research report titled Small Scale LNG Terminals Market offers a clear insight about Small Scale LNG Terminals Market assessed over the global platform. This analysis proves beneficial for readers & new investors who are aiming to enter for Small Scale LNG Terminals Market in the near future.Visit for Free Sample Report with TOC @This research study analyzes the market for small-scale LNG terminals in terms of annual throughput. The small-scale LNG terminals market has been segmented on the basis of terminal technology, sub-type, and geography. For conducting the research, 2013 has been taken as the base year while all forecasts have been given for the 20142022 period. Market data for all the segments has been provided at the regional as well as country-specific level for the 20132022 period. The regional segment has been further divided into 14 sub-segments comprising nine unique countries which are major players in the global small-scale LNG market. The report provides a comprehensive competitive landscape and features companies engaged in the small-scale LNG terminals business. This report includes the key market dynamics affecting the overall small-scale LNG industry as well as the construction of such terminals globally. The report also provides a detailed industry analysis of the global small-scale LNG terminals market with the help of the Porters Five Forces model. The Porters Five Forces analysis aids in understanding the five major forces that affect the industry structure and profitability of the global small-scale LNG terminals market. The forces analyzed are the bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat from new entrants, threat from substitutes, and degree of competition.The high-level analysis in the report provides detailed insights into the small-scale LNG terminals business globally. Major drivers, restraints, and opportunities of the small-scale LNG terminal market were analyzed in detail and are illustrated in the report with the help of supporting graphs and tables. There are currently numerous drivers for the small-scale LNG terminals industry. One of the most prominent drivers is the security of gas supply in small demand centers & accelerated development of smaller gas fields. Apart from this, slumping energy prices and a growing interest towards utilizing natural gas as a clean fuel are attracting higher investments in small-scale LNG terminals as compared to megaprojects. Market attractiveness analysis was carried out for the small-scale LNG terminals market on the basis of geography. Market attractiveness was estimated on the basis of common parameters that directly impact the market in different regions.The small-scale LNG terminals market was further segmented on the basis of terminal type into regasification and liquefaction terminals. For this report, only the terminals with tank sizes lesser than 200,000 cubic meters and throughputs lower than 300,000 tons per annum have been considered. Both liquefaction and regasification terminals have also been further sub-segmented on the basis of type into onshore terminals and offshore terminals. The small-scale LNG terminals market was analyzed across five geographies: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa. Regional data has been provided for each sub-segment of the small-scale LNG terminal market. Key market participants in the small-scale LNG terminal market include Skangass AS, Prometheus Energy, Linde AG, and Plum Energy. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial details, business strategy, and recent developments.Get Complete Report details with List of Tables and Figures@LNG Terminal Market: Type AnalysisLiquefaction Terminals, by typeOnshoreOffshoreRegasification Terminals, by typeOnshoreOffshoreLNG Terminal Market: Regional AnalysisNorth AmericaS.Rest of North AmericaEuropeNorwaySwedenRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaJapanIndonesiaRest of Asia PacificSouth AmericaBrazilRest of South AmericaMiddle East AfricaQatarNigeriaRest of Middle East and AfricaAbout Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Seamless Pipes Market Analysis, Growth Forecast by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application

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According to Publisher, the Global Seamless Pipes Market is accounted for $176.95 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach $270.65 billion by 2023 growing at a CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period. Growing demand for seamless pipes from the oil & gas industry and flexible pipes are some of the key factors favouring the market growth. However, strict ecological regulations and fluctuation in raw material cost are restraining the market. Future demand for seamless pipes from developing countries provides ample of opportunities for the market growth.For more information @Seamless pipe manufacturing uses hot rolled round bar billet of carbon steel or steel alloy. Seamless pipes are used where power, conflict to corrosion, and product life is critical. A seamless pipe can be high pressure, temperature, higher mechanical stress, and corrosive atmosphere. A seamless steel pipe is made up of solid round steel 'billet', which is heated and pushed or pulled over a form until the steel is shaped into a hollow tube. Ultra-high strength and corrosion-resistant properties make the seamless pipe perfect for the oil & gas industry, steam boilers, chemical and other processing industries, pipelines, installation with high and supercritical steam and pressure conditions, etc.Hot finished seamless pipes are cost-effective. These pipes have good machinability and are often preferred for projects that require high strength and close tolerance. Hot Finished Seamless (HFS) as differentiated from Cold Drawn Seamless (CDS) pipes and tubes are made by heating a solid billet or bloom and then punching or piercing it to make a hollow out of it. This hollow is subsequently passed through one or multiple stands with or without a tool inside to give it the final pipe or tube dimensions. It is possible to manufacture large diameter and thick pipes of various grades in high volume through the HFS process. With the improvement in technology, HFS pipes & tubes now come with close dimensional tolerance & good surface finish.Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a fastest CAGR due to the growing industrialization and rapid infrastructural growth. Seamless pipes are broadly used in various applications of construction sectors because of thermal resistance and chemical resistance.Some of the key players in Seamless Pipes market include Cimco Europe C.F, PAO TMK, Tenaris S.A., Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation, Vallourec SA, JFE Holdings, Inc., Sandvik AB, Zaffertec S.L., Tubos Reunidos, S.A., Umw Holdings Berhad, Salzgitter Mannesmann Stainless Tubes, Tianjin Pipe(Group) Corporation, Shalco Industries Pvt. Ltd., Evraz PLC and Jindal Saw Ltd.Materials Covered:-Copper & Alloys-Nickel & Alloys-Steel & Alloys-Other MaterialsRequest Sample CopyPipes Types Covered:-Cold Finished Seamless Pipes-Hot Finished Seamless PipesEnd Users Covered:-Infrastructure & Construction-Automotive-Oil & Gas-Engineering-Power Generation-Other End UsersProduction Process Covered:-Multi-Stand Plug Mill-Cross-Roll Piercing & Pilger Rolling-Continuous Mandrel RollingRegions Covered:-North Americao USo Canadao Mexico-Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe-Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando South Koreao Rest of Asia Pacific-South Americao Argentinao Brazilo Chileo Rest of South America-Middle East & Africao Saudi Arabiao UAEo Qataro South Africao Rest of Middle East & AfricaMake an enquiry:Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.533, 5th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Strategic Overview of the Photographic Chemicals Market

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The films and paper used for the development of photographs have to go through several chemicals for treatment known as photographic chemicals. The types of photographic chemicals include selenium dioxide, sodium sulfide, silver bromide, cadmium bromide, and acetic acid. Photographic chemicals are generally used in two chief sectors of consumer and business. The consumer market for photographic chemicals is generally driven by the growing disposable income of consumers and their improving lifestyle. Due to these factors, the demand for photographs and the chemicals used in treating them is increasing extensively. The business segment is basically driven by the rising investments in promotional activities and advertisement that requires high-quality photographs.View this report at:This industry study is an evaluation of the growth prospects and historical tract of the global photographic chemicals market. It deals with the assessment of the facets that are projected to sway the expansion of the market both negatively and positively. Further, the key trends have also been indicated in the publication. The research study further presents a wide outlook on the seller landscape of the market with reference to Porters five forces analysis. The research report deals with the R&D activities, mergers, acquisitions, and particulars on certifications and partnerships. The report reviews the approaches related to shares, publicity, and product range of the key accomplices in the global photographic chemicals market.Get sample of this report at:Global Photographic Chemicals Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global market for photographic chemicals is likely to be benefitted by the growing expenditure power of consumers and the sudden uplift in their lifestyle. The rising use of print media for promotional activities such as hoardings, and flexes are expected to bode well for the growth of the market in the near future. The treatment of films and photographic paper is dome with special chemicals and thus the underlying image is made visible, insensitive to light, and permanent. A film is at first soaked in water to absorb the gelatin layer in order to facilitate the required action for the chemicals and then it is covered with the developer. Based on the different types of methods, the photographic chemicals market is classified into black & white reversal processing, color processing, and black & white negative processing.The market is however likely to be inhibited by the rising demand for smart phones and digital camera owing to e-advertising and digitization. Availability of substitutes such as cloud computing and e-storage are further reducing the demand for physical photographs, thus restraining the markets growth. These chemicals also have harmful impact on the human health and environment. Nevertheless, these issues are on the verge of being addressed through rising research and development activities in order to explore various new applications for photographic chemicals. Manufacturers can also capitalize on these opportunities.Global Photographic Chemicals Market: Geographical AnalysisRegion-wise, North America emerged dominant in the global photographic chemicals market based on consumption. At present, Asia Pacific is the leading manufacturer of photographic chemicals and is also likely to maintain a lead until the end of the forecast period. The growth of the production of photographic chemicals in the Asia Pacific region is basically due to high demand in emerging economies such as China and India.Global Photographic Chemicals Market: Vendor LandscapeThe leading companies in the global photographic chemicals market are Sinex Systems Private Ltd., NET Corporation, Linchen Group, Huntsman Corporation, BASF, and Fujifilm Corporation among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Europe Feed Antioxidants Market: Market Size, Estimation, Dynamics, Country Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Europe Feed Antioxidants Market

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Europe Feed Antioxidants MarketBy Antioxidant Type (Natural (Rosemary Extract, Tocopherols, Gallic Acid, Oil Seeds, Corn, Rapeseeds, Others), (Synthetic antioxidants (Ethoxyquin, BHT, BHA, Vitamin E, Propyl Gallate, Others)), By Feed Type (Broilers Pre-starter Feed, Piglets Pre-starter Feed, Cattle Pre-starter Feed, Aqua Pre-starter Feed, Pet Food, Cattle Feed, Poultry Feed, Aqua Feed, Pig Feed, Feed Premixes, Raw Material), and Geography - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 2017-2023Europe Feed Antioxidants Market Report Description:Europe Feed Antioxidants market report gives comprehensive outlook on Europe Feed Antioxidants across the globe with special emphasis on key regions such as Germany, France, U.K, Italy, Spain, Russia, Poland, Rest of Europe. The report on Europe Feed Antioxidants market gives historical, current, and future market sizes (US$ Mn) on the basis of antioxidant type, feed type, and geographic regions. This report studies Europe Feed Antioxidants market dynamics in emerging markets and developed markets elaborately to identify the current trends & drivers, future opportunities and possible challenges to the key stakeholders operating in the market. In addition, Europe Feed Antioxidants market report includes new product introductions, recent drug patent expiration data, regulatory scenario, and competition analysis with vividly illustrated the competition dashboard to assess the market competition. Moreover, PBI analyzed Europe Feed Antioxidants market to better equip clients with possible investment opportunities across the emerging markets (Regional Investment Hot-Spots) and market unmet needs (Product/Disease Opportunities). Key stakeholders of the Europe Feed Antioxidants market report include suppliers, manufacturers, marketers, policy makers engaged in manufacturing and supply of Europe Feed Antioxidants.A sample of this report is available upon request @Europe Feed Antioxidants Market:The market for Europe feed antioxidants estimated to be valued at US$ XX Mn in 2017 and poised to grow 3.2% CAGR over the forecast period (2017 - 2023) to reach US$ 101.0 Mn by 2023.Significant Livestock Numbers in Europe RegionGrowing pet ownership in developing countries, increase in demand for protein rich food like meat and milk are expected to create demand for compounded feed. Rising number of livestock animals, customer shift towards nutritious food enables trigger market revenue growth for feed antioxidants market. Increase in per capita meat consumption, rapid increase in meat industry is expected to enhance the livestock production. Rising awareness of qualitative feed for the livestock anticipated to increase the market for feed antioxidants over the forecast period.Trend towards formulated antioxidants than the single ingredients and Ethoxyquin Free Antioxidant FormulationsThe livestock population such as cows, sows, and poultry in Europe region has been witnessing dramatic shift in the region, which could impact the growth of antioxidants market in the region. With the growing concerns regarding the usage of ethoxyquin in animal feed in Europe region has prompted the antioxidant manufacturers to look for the alternatives to consolidate the market position. In response to the regulatory changes, market players in Europe region coming up with alternatives to ethoxyquin by redefining the formulation technologies or by promoting the other antioxidantsEU government regulations on synthetic antioxidants is expected to pose threat to market players over the forecast periodEuropean Union established MRLs for synthetic feed additives in aquatic products. These government regulations enables shift the trend towards natural antioxidants for aquatic feed. Favourable government policies in EU to increase poultry production in European Countries, increasing demand for poultry meat is expected to stimulate the revenue growth for feed antioxidants marketTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Competition AssessmentKey players profiles in the global Europe Feed Antioxidants market include: LANXESS INDUSTRIAL TECNICA PECUARIA, S.A. Sterlitamak Petrochemical Plant Oxiris Chemicals S.A Affinity Petcare S.A Nestle Purina MIAVIT GmbH APC, Inc. Trouw Nutrition Denkavit Netherlands BV NANTA, SA Kemin Industries, Inc.Market players are focusing on mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and product diversification to increase the geographic presence in global Europe Feed Antioxidants market. Moreover, players are entering into distribution agreement with local pharmaceutical companies to overcome the market access barrier in developing regions.Need more information about this report @Key Findings of the Report: Europe Feed Antioxidants market expanding at 3.2% CAGR over 2017 to 2013 to reach market value of US$ 101.0 Mn by 2023 owing to growing animal rearing and livestock production According to the European Commission (EC) 2017/962, suspended the authorization of ethoxyquin used as feed additive for all animal species, categories. The existing authorization does not meet the condition set out by article 5 of regulation (EC) No 1831/2003. The supplementary data regarding the safety and efficacy of additive would allow reconsideration of the assessment carried out for that additive. According to Eurostat publication, in 2016, Spain, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy held the largest populations of livestock in the EU-28. The highest numbers of pigs were recorded in Spain and Germany (29.2 and 27.4 Mn head respectively), while the highest numbers of bovines was recorded in France (19.0 Mn head), sheep in the United Kingdom (23.8 million head) and goats in Greece (3.9 million head)Key Features of the Report: The report provides granular level information about the market size, regional market share, historic market (2012-2016) and forecast (2017-2023) The report covers in-detail insights about the competitors overview, company share analysis, key market developments, and their key strategies The report outlines drivers, restraints, unmet needs, and trends that are currently affecting the market The report tracks recent innovations, key developments and startups details that are actively working in the market The report provides plethora of information about market entry strategies, regulatory framework and reimbursement scenario The report analyses the impact of socio-political environment through PESTLE Analysis and competition through Porters Five Force Analysis in addition to recent technology advancements and innovations in the marketDetailed SegmentationBy Antioxidant Type Naturalo Rosemary Extracto Tocopherolso Gallic Acido Oil Seedso Corno Rapeseedso Others Synthetic antioxidantso Ethoxyquino BHTo BHAo Vitamin Eo Propyl Gallateo OthersBy Feed Type Broilers Pre-starter Feed Piglets Pre-starter Feed Cattle Pre-starter Feed Aqua Pre-starter Feed Pet Food Cattle Feed Poultry Feed Aqua Feed Pig Feed Feed Premixes Raw MaterialGeography Europeo Germanyo Franceo UKo Italyo Spaino Russiao Polando Rest of EuropeGet access to full summary @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Contact to Precision Business Insights,Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXEmail: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.comToll Free (US): +1-866-598-1553Website @
Valuable Foresights on How XYZ Market will Grow During 2017 - 2027

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Fasteners are the hardware components which are used to mechanically join two or more objects together. In the same context, aerospace fasteners are special grade hardware devices, used to connect parts of aircraft during original equipment manufacturing and aftermarket servicing. Aerospace fasteners are broadly used in commercial aircraft, military aircraft, ballistic missiles, rockets and satellites. Aerospace fasteners are made under strict regulations and standards so as to withstand high fatigue loading and drastic temperature changes. Manufacturers are focused to introduce aerospace fasteners with light weight and high strength metallurgical structure in order to provide increased life and reliability rate along with enhanced fuel efficiency of the aircraft.The number of fasteners required in a typical aircraft could reach to millions in the form of nuts, bolts, pins, rivets, washers, etc. Growing defense and space exploration activities are contributing significantly to the growth of aerospace fasteners market. Commercial civil aviation industry, owing to increase in number of passengers travelling by air route, is growing at an unprecedented annual rate, creating significant demand for commercial aircrafts. This, in turn, is expected to push market growth of global aerospace fasteners market over the forecast period of 2016-2024.Request For Report Sample@Aerospace Fasteners Market: DynamicsThe civil aviation industry is on the rise and competition among major airline companies has intensified. Unlike during the past, air traveling has no longer remained a luxury and more people are preferring air mode of transportation. Governments across the world are solidifying their air defense and strong demand for aircrafts exists both in commercial and military aircraft segments. With growing overall aircraft demand, market for aerospace fasteners is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period. Upgraded technology and invention of more sophisticated and reliable materials are further anticipated to boost up the aerospace fasteners market from supply side. Moreover, replacement of aging aircrafts with Next-Gen aircrafts is another factor fueling up aerospace fasteners market globally. Whereas, high production cost, less availability of high grade materials and unexpected failure of fasteners are some of the major challenges existing in global aerospace fasteners market.Major aerospace fastener companies are involved in business development strategies like merger & acquisition in order to spread their reach in targeted nations. Providing high quality and cost effective aerospace fasteners in stipulated time is another key strategy followed by key manufacturers to gain market position.Aerospace Fasteners Market: SegmentationThe global aerospace fasteners market is segmented on the basis of aerospace application, type of fixing, product type, materials and head type. On the basis of application, aerospace fasteners market can be segmented as commercial aerospace and military aerospace. On the basis of product type, aerospace fasteners market can be segmented as pins, bolts, studs, screw and rivets. On the basis of material, aerospace fasteners market can be segmented as aluminum, steel, super alloys and titanium. On the basis of head type aerospace fasteners can be segmented as 12 points (Double Hex), 6 lobe recess, Dee, Rectangular, Screw, and others. Based on type of fixing, the market can be segmented as permanent fixing and temporary fixing.Aerospace Fasteners Market: Region-wise OutlookThe global aerospace fasteners market is segmented into five key regions, namely North America, Latin America, Middle East & Africa, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Europe and United States with developed aerospace industry represent leading regional markets, capturing a substantial share in the global aerospace fasteners market. Developing infrastructure and generous strategies of governments in Asia-Pacific is expected to gain high market growth over the coming years.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Aerospace Fasteners Market: Key PlayersMajor players in the global aerospace fasteners market include 3V Fasteners Company Inc., Alcoa Fastening Systems, TriMas Corporation (Allfast), B&B Specialties Inc., B/E Aerospace, Stanley Engineered Fasteners (Emhart Teknologies LLC), LISI Aerospace, National Aerospace Fasteners Corporation, Precision Castparts Corp., TFI Aerospace Corporation, TPS Aviation Inc., etc.Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Suture Needles Market Key Players- 3M Health Care, Roboz Surgical Instrument, Hu-Friedy Mfg. Co., LLC and TNI medical AG Analysis and forecast 2018-2023

Suture Needles Market

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Market ScenarioSuture needle is used for the placement of the suture within the tissue by carrying the material with minimal residual trauma. An ideal suture needle should be rigid enough to avoid distortions, and flexible enough to bend before breaking. There are various types of suture needles used in a number of surgical procedures. They are made of steel, have blunt or sharp points, and can be curved or straight. Round-bodied needles pierce and spread the tissues with minimal cutting. They are used in easily penetrable tissues like the peritoneum and abdominal viscera. Blunt, and round body needles are used to dissect through friable tissues like liver and kidney.View Reports Sample @Needles need to be strong enough to pass through tough tissues, causing minimal trauma to them and reducing tissue reactions. Thus, specific requirements for different type of needles set for a particular surgical procedure, has led to an increase in their demand in the hospitals. Most of the surgeons prefer specific types of needles based on their application, for instance needles required for suturing after laparoscopic and bariatric surgery are different from those required for an ophthalmic surgery. It is important for suture needle manufacturers to analyze the demand for various types of needles and then plan their quantity to be manufactured and supplied in order to avoid wastage of resources, time and money.Notably, increasing incidence of chronic diseases is the key factor driving the Asia Pacific suture needles market. As per a study published in the BMC Public Health in 2017, prevalence of type-2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease has increased rapidly in the recent years.Various other push factors such as, increasing advancement in technology, and rising adoption rate of new technology continuously contribute to the growth of the Asia Pacific suture needles market.Despite these drivers, lack of a proper sterilization system, low healthcare expenditure, and unfavorable taxation policies may hamper the growth of the market. Additionally, many healthcare professionals have started using surgical staplers for suturing, especially in super specialty hospitals and tertiary care centers which may pose as another restraint and may reduce the demand for suture needles.The Asia Pacific market of suture needles is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 7.5% during the forecast period 2017-2023.Intended AudienceSuture Needles SuppliersSuture Needles manufacturersResearch and Development (R&D) CompaniesMedical Research LaboratoriesAcademic Medical Institutes and UniversitiesSegmentationThe suture needle is segmented on the basis of type, application, needle end type, and end-users.On the basis of type, market is segmented into round bodied needle, blunt point needle, reverse cutting needle, conventional cutting needle, spatula needle, tapercut needle and others.On the basis of needle end type, market is classified into eyed and eyeless needles.On the basis of application, market is classified into general surgeries, gynecological surgeries, others.On the basis of end-user, market is segmented into hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgical centers and others.Regional AnalysisThe Asia Pacific suture needles market consists of countries namely China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India, Australia and the Rest of Asia Pacific. Growing demand for outpatient surgeries, easy suturing using various types of needles according to intended medical specialty use and time saving technology, further tends to increase the demand of suturing needle in Asia Pacific.Japan is the largest market for suture needles. Increase in prevalence of chronic diseases that require surgical procedures and medical tourism in Asia Pacific region are favoring the growth of this market.Countries like China and Japan are focusing on exporting surgical equipments and surgical suturing material to countries worldwide. China is the second largest market followed by India. India is seen to be the fastest growing market for medical equipment manufactures. In India, the market of suture needles in increasing due to availability of low cost of raw material, better access to labor, increasing number of hospitals and healthcare centers. India is one of the top destinations for medical tourism, especially for orthopedic surgeries.There is steady growth of this market in Australia and the Republic of Korea.Request Full Report @Key PlayersSome of key the players in the Asia Pacific suture needles market are 3M Health Care, Roboz Surgical Instrument, Hu-Friedy Mfg. Co., LLC, TNI medical AG, Unimed Medical Supplies Inc., Medline Industries, Inc., Ethicon US, LLC, Sutures India Private Limited, Dolphin Sutures, Karl Hammacher, and H&H Medical Corporation.Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India
North America Feed Antioxidants Market To Be Valued at US$ 98.5 Mn by 2023

North America Feed Antioxidants Market

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The North America Feed Antioxidants Market poised to reach US$ 98.5 Mn by 2023 with CAGR of 4.8% over six years forecast period 2017-2023 owing to increased surge in the trend towards compounded feed.Precision Business Insights (PBI) in its report titled North America Feed Antioxidants Market: Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 2017-2023 assesses the market performance over six years forecast period over 2017-2023. The report analyses the market value forecast and provides the strategic insights into the market driving factors, challenges that are hindering the market revenue growth over forecast period.The North America feed antioxidants market grown at 4.11% CAGR over the historic years to reach US$ 71.4 Mn in 2016 and projected to be valued at US$ 74.4 Mn in 2017 and poised to grow 4.8% CAGR over the forecast period (2017  2023) estimated to reach US$ 98.5 Mn by 2023 owing to growing demand for safe and quality feed among farming community, increase in meat consumption, rapid increase in meat industry is expected to enhance the livestock production. Growing concerns on animal health.A sample of this report is available upon request @North America Feed Antioxidants market segmented on the basis of antioxidant type, feed type, and geographyThe growing demand for meat and aquaculture products fuels demand for feed antioxidantsThe growing consumption of chicken in U.S. largely driving the boon in meat industry and this trend has been augmented with the rising preference for sea food among Americans. Moreover, North America is home to 12 largest feed companies, which falls under worlds top 100 feed producing companies. The growing meat demand and presence global feed manufacturers in the region has created the conducive market environment for feed antioxidant suppliers in North America region.North America region is second fastest growing market for feed antioxidants across the globe with CAGR of 4.8% over 2017-2023PBIs North America Feed Antioxidants market report analyses the market in different geographies such as U.S and Canada. According to regional analysis, U.S accounted for larger revenue share through 2012-2016 and the same trend is projected to follow over 2017-2023. Canada region projected to exhibit highest growth among all regions owing to growing animal rearing and livestock production.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Product Launches, M&A, Partnerships, and collaborations are the key strategies adopted by market playersNorth America Feed Antioxidants market further reveals that the key players increasingly adopting M&A, Partnerships, and collaborations strategies to improve economies of scale by increasing manufacturing capacities and gaining significant geographic presence across the regions. For instance, in September 2017, Kemin Industries, was granted a patent for its antioxidant formulation technology which is the basis for the Paradigmox antioxidant brand. Paradigmox, which uses the novel antioxidant formulation technology, has been available to animal feed for several years. The solution provides equal efficacy to ethoxyquin in diverse feed applications.Key players profiles in the report are Kemin Industries, Inc. (U.S.), BASF SE (Germany), Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.), Cargill Inc. (U.S.), Nutreco N.V. (Netherlands), Alltech Inc. (U.S.), Novus International (U.S.), Perstorp Holding AB (Sweden), Adisseo France S.A.S. (France), Oxiris, and Dupont Nutrition And Health (Danisco) (Denmark)Need more information about this report @Detailed SegmentationBy Antioxidant Type Naturalo Rosemary Extracto Tocopherolso Gallic Acido Oil Seedso Corno Rapeseedso Others Synthetic antioxidantso Ethoxyquino BHTo BHAo Vitamin Eo Propyl Gallateo OthersBy Feed Type Broilers Pre-starter Feed Piglets Pre-starter Feed Cattle Pre-starter Feed Aqua Pre-starter Feed Pet Food Cattle Feed Poultry Feed Aqua Feed Pig Feed Feed Premixes Raw MaterialGeography North Americao USo CanadaGet access to full summary @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Contact to Precision Business Insights,Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXEmail: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.comToll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553Website @
The Cure For Cancer May Be Found In Light - Award Winning Author Bernard Fleury's 'The Mind-Body-Spirit Connection In The Medicine Of Light' Now Available

Author Bernard Fleury

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When most of us think of healing technologies, we don't often think of light. Award winning author Bernard Fleury does. Light based medicine is painless and heals without side effects that are worse than the disease being treated. What if we could get accurate diagnosis of many diseases with an MRI, CT scanner or Ultra-sound with minimal or no side effects? What if we could improve our eyesight with photo-therapy with no side effects? What if we became aware that there was a cancer cure that worked since its discovery in the summer of 1934 at the first cancer clinic using Royal Raymond Rifes technology? And why is this treatment available in Germany and Mexico but is restricted to animals in the United States?'The Mind-Body-Spirit Connection in the Medicine of Light' is the second e-Book and Audio Book in the Called into Life by the Light Series of five e-Books and Audio Books.Part One is a detailed expansion of Chapter IV: The Medicine of Light from the 2009 print book 'Called into Life by the Light', which was suppressed in April 2013.Part Two is the script of the one hour conversation Fleury had with David Tumey, Engineer and rebuilder of Rifes original instruments, on June 6, 2012. They discussed Davids part in rediscovering Royal R. Rifes Ray Tube, reconstructing Rifes 1950s instrument, and shortening the time factor in producing the correct frequency, MOR (Mortal Oscillatory Rate) which would devitalize (destroy) a particular cancer. Readers will also read of Davids continuing efforts in this area as of July 21, 2013 when he updated parts of the June 6, 2012 conversation. This effort continued through 2016, but is on hold in 2018 due to family health issues.Part Three is about Royal R. Rife, The timeline of his life, his Beam Ray Instrument, Universal Microscope, and his discovery of BX, which is the cancer causing microbe.Part Four is an update on Royal R. Rifes technology and influence in 2014 and continuing to 2018."In the United States standard medicine looks at the living body as chemical first and second as electrical, Fleury states. Modern Physics sees the living body as primarily electrical. Essentially modern medicine has ignored the electro chemical part of the body. At most it is tolerated as alternative medicine/therapies. As of 2018, the present focus on the chemical body still hurts you if you get cancer by utilizing surgery (cut), laser (burn), and chemotherapy (poison). However, Rifes technology sees the body as primarily electrical and his frequency treatment has no harmful side effects."Nearly all of Bernard's books center squarely on the theme of Light as a Someone and a Something. He believes we are all Called Into Life By The Light. Life and Light are tied together. Lifelight describes their relationship best because both our without (our physical being) and our within (our spirit) are basically light in two different forms:1. Physical energy that occupies space, has weight, can be measured, and2. Psychic or spiritual energy which is a force that causes things to happen and, thus, real energy, but it does not occupy space, have weight, nor can it be empirically measured.Fleury's book has received a number of 5-star rated reviews. Kayti Nika Raet stated, "I found The Mind-Body-Spirit in the Medicine of Light by Bernard Fleury to be well written and informative. It is written in a way that makes for easy consumption and understanding, while at the same time provides gems for all aspects of life. Fleury offers a convincing array of evidence from several sources, and the knowledge provides many tools that the reader can use to grow and thrive."Reviewer Ruffino Oserio stated, "This is one of the first medical books I have read that offers methods combining science and a holistic approach to treatment in a stunning manner. There is a spiritual as well as a philosophical aspect of this book that readers will enjoy as well. The book is well-researched and offers surprising discoveries about the energy of light, which comes primarily from the sun and is present in different life forms. This isnt just a book for people seeking to be cured of an illness, but one that proposes a path to general wellness and wholeness of mind, body, and spirit. . . Bernard Fleurys book is a gift for those who want to experience life deeply."Reviewer Samantha Dewitt (Rivera) said, "As we come to recognize even more capabilities from light, scientists are starting to develop additional treatments and ways to harness its abilities with light therapy. Once we do, its possible to truly achieve the best for ourselves. Theres definitely more to be discovered, but The Mind-Body-Spirit in the Medicine of Light is a great start.Bernard was chosen as one of 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading in the 2017 Book Awards. His honor came as a result of his appearance on The Authors Show. He was chosen from a field of hundreds of authors through a public voting process.Bernard Fleury is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below, or by email at bernlida@comcast.net. The Mind-Body-Spirit Connection in the Medicine of Light is available at online retail book outlets. More information is available at his website.Bernard Fleury is Professor Emeritus at Westfield State University and a Roman Catholic Permanent Deacon. He holds an A.A. degree in Classical Languages, a B.A. in History, a M.S. in Elementary Education with a minor in Philosophy, and an Ed.D. in Administration with a minor in Government. He taught in both the undergraduate and graduate divisions at Westfield State University for thirty years and was a Public School teacher and principal for thirteen years. He also served as Director of School Administration at Westfield State University, and as Director of Teacher Education, Academic Vice President, and President protem at International College of the Cayman Islands over a sixteen-year period. At present he is a corporator in the Westfield State University Foundation. He has also worn a third hat as an ordained Catholic Permanent Deacon for the past thirty five years.PO Box 1613Shallotte, NC 28459
Global Hydraulic Fracturing Market Insights Covering Market Dynamics and Competitive Scenario through 2022

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In order to study the various trends and patterns prevailing in the overall market Hydraulic Fracturing, Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) has included a new report titled Hydraulic Fracturing Market to its wide online database. This research assessment offers a clear insight about the influential factors that are expected to transform the global market in the near future. Readers can access the regional as well as segment-wise analysis for acquiring precise information about the global market structure.Visit for Free Sample Report with TOC @Global hydraulic fracturing market. With an increase in the number of successful discoveries of shale gas and tight gas reserves, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) techniques are adopted extensively to extract large quantities of hydrocarbons. The global hydraulic fracturing market valued at US$38.32 bn in 2014 and is expected to reach US$66.06 bn by 2022, expanding at a CAGR of 6.12% in the period from 2014 to 2022. The report is titled Hydraulic Fracturing Market, - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Trends, and Forecast 2014 - 2022.The report states that the hydraulic fracturing market which stood at 21.34 MHHP in 2013, is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.30% from 2014 to 2022, to reach 33.97 MHHP by 2022 in terms of volume. The report contains an executive summary comprising a snapshot of the hydraulic fracturing market, containing detailed information on the various segments, as well as the market dynamics such as growth drivers and restraining factors. It also analyzes the impact of these dynamics on the market during the forecast period 2014 to 2022.Hydraulic fracturing techniques are primarily implemented on unconventional reservoirs such as tight oil, tight gas, shale gas, shale oil, and coal bed methane. Over time, hydraulic fracturing has begun to gain preference in conventional gas and oil fields on abandoned wells which were deemed uneconomical in the past. With the implementation of the hydraulic fracturing technique, the production of natural gas and crude oil has become possible from matured fields. Currently, 70% of the overall production of hydrocarbons is from matured fields.The application of hydraulic fracturing techniques results in significant cost and time savings, which is one of the reasons for an increase in the adoption of this technique. The adoption of hydraulic fracturing by several countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the U.S. for both conventional and unconventional gas and oil fields has propelled the global hydraulic fracturing market. Moreover, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), large quantities of shale gas and shale oil reserves are available for extraction in North America, which will further drive the hydraulic fracturing market. These discoveries in North America have helped the region to transform from an energy importing nation to an energy exporting nation. It has also helped the region to create huge employment opportunities and increase energy security. According to the report, North America would be the largest exporter of natural gas and crude oil in the future, indicating many emergent opportunities in the fracking market in North America.The global hydraulic fracturing market is segmented on the basis of technology, application, and region. Major regions studied are Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and RoW. Out of these, North America dominates the market, owing to large shale reserves present in the region. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into conventional, shale gas, and others.The hydraulic fracturing market was further segmented on the basis of technology and application type. Technologies included in this report are plug and perf and sliding sleeves. The application segments of the hydraulic fracturing market are conventional, shale gas, and others (shale oil, tight gas, tight oil, and coal bed methane). The hydraulic fracturing market was analyzed across six geographies: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, Middle East, and Africa. Regional data has been provided for each sub-segment of the hydraulic fracturing market. Key market participants in the hydraulic fracturing market include Baker Hughes Inc., Calfrac Well Services Ltd., FTS International, Inc., Halliburton Company, Nabors Industries Ltd., RPC, Inc., Schlumberger Limited, Trican Well Services Limited, United Oilfield Services, Inc., and Weatherford International Ltd. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial details, business strategies, and recent developments.Complete Report details with List of Tables and Figures @The global hydraulic fracturing market has been segmented as follows:Hydraulic Fracturing Market: Technology AnalysisPlug and PerfSliding SleevesHydraulic Fracturing Market: Application AnalysisConventionalShale gasOthersAbout Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) is an industry-leading database of Market Research Reports. MRRSE is driven by a stellar team of research experts and advisors trained to offer objective advice. Our sophisticated search algorithm returns results based on the report title, geographical region, publisher, or other keywords.MRRSE partners exclusively with leading global publishers to provide clients single-point access to top-of-the-line market research. MRRSEs repository is updated every day to keep its clients ahead of the next new trend in market research, be it competitive intelligence, product or service trends or strategic consulting.Contact UsState Tower90, State StreetSuite 700Albany, NY - 12207United States Telephone: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.comWebsite:
Decorative Coatings Market Potential Growth, Share, Demand and Analysis of Key Players- Research Forecasts by 2022

Decorative Coatings

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Synopsis of Decorative Coatings Market:Decorative Coatings are widely used as a protectant and colorant for metal, wooden and concrete structures against bleaching, chalking and general deterioration. In the market, Decorative Coatings are available as water borne and solvent borne coatings. These coatings have major applications as enhancing the visual appeal of substrates in coating wall and ceilings, furniture, and wooden flooring of the buildings. Additionally, they are used as coatings for metal objects and plastic materials.Get Sample copy now atKey Players:Some of the prominent players operating in the Global Decorative Coatings Market are BASF SE (Germany), PPG Industries Inc. (U.S.), The Sherwin-Williams Company (U.S.), Akzo Nobel N.V. (the Netherlands), Asian Paints Limited (Switzerland), Kansai Paint Co., Ltd. (U.S.), The Valspar Corporation (U.S.), Arkema S.A. (France), Nippon Paints Co. Ltd (Japan), and Tikkurila Oyj (Finalnd) among others.Intended Audience Decorative Coatings Manufacturers Traders and Distributors of Decorative Coatings Production Process Industries Potential Investors Raw Material Suppliers Nationalized LaboratoryAs per our Analysis, some of the prominent market factors and trends identified in the Global Decorative Coatings Market include rapid rise in human development index (HDI), rising demand for dazzling colors that are in resonance with the environmental regulations and policies, and increasing expenditure on construction activities. Moreover, demand for decorative coatings is predicted to witness significant growth over the assessment period due to the surging population. Rising population and necessity to lodge the expanding population across the globe is anticipated to be an important driver for Decorative Coatings Market during the review period. Increasing renovation and colorants customization along with rising disposable income in the emerging economies is predicted to propel the growth of the market during the assessment period, 2017 to 2023. However, implementation of strict regulations by various government bodies have restricted the use of toxic organic chemicals used in the production of decorative coatings, which is expected to hamper the growth of the market.Regional Analysis:North American Decorative Coatings Market is predicted to witness a tremendous growth on account of high consumption potential, increasing production capacities, and rising economic growth rate. As of 2016, the U.S accounted for one of the largest global market share in terms of value & volume and is estimated to grow with the moderate CAGR on account of growth in Decorative Coatings application in furniture sector. In Europe, the demand for Decorative Coatings is predicted to grow in various countries such as Italy, Germany, Spain, U.K, France, and Russia on account of increasing expenditure in innovation and growing purchasing power of consumers. Moreover, presence of major Decorative Coatings manufacturers specifically in Germany is expected to give a momentum to the market growth. Latin American countries such as Argentina, Colombia, and Brazil are predicted to experience decline in the Decorative Coatings Market owing to the financial crisis where the regional debts has surpassed their incomes.Access complete report atThe Global Decorative Coatings Market consists of five regions: Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East & Africa. Among these, Asia Pacific is predicted to grow with the highest CAGR during the review period, 2017 to 2023 on account of expanding construction industry. The demand for Decorative Coatings is predicted to surge in numerous countries of the Middle East & Africa such as Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Kuwait due to high adoption rate by the construction industry. Moreover, this region is firmly in the middle of the worlds fastest growing markets and allowed Dubai in particular, to turn itself into a global hub for aviation, tourism and logistics.At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Contact:Market Research FutureEmail: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Processed Mango Product Market Is Expected To Reach US$ 2,043.1 Mn By 2026, Expanding At A CAGR Of 6.1%

Processed Mango Product Market

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Processed Mango Product Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2018 - 2026" to its huge collection of research reports.This report on the global processed mango product market provides analysis for the period 20162026, wherein 2017 is the base year and the period from 2018 to 2026 is the forecast period. Data for 2016 has been included as historical information. The report covers market dynamics including drivers, restraints, opportunities, trends, and policies and regulations which are expected to influence the processed mango product market growth during the said period. The study provides a comprehensive analysis on market growth throughout the above forecast period in terms of value estimates (US$ Mn) across different geographies.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Global Processed Mango Product Market: Trends and OpportunitiesPrimary processed mango products are produced from fresh mature mango having a particular texture, sensory parameter, and standard nutritional properties, whereas, secondary processed mango products are processed from primary processed mango by adding value to the product and blending it with other ingredients to gain texture and nutritional properties as per norms of regulatory bodies. Mango products across the world are anticipated to drive the growth of the processed mango product market during the forecast period due to growing preference for natural taste. Additionally, consumers are opting for organic mango products to avoid chemical products for health reasons. Processed mango product manufacturers are shifting toward online channels for distribution. Additionally, using ultra high-density planting technology for cultivation of mango trees can benefit mango cultivators. This technology may boost the productivity of processed mangoes to meet the demand all over the globe.Global Processed Mango Product Market: Key SegmentsThe processed mango product market has been segmented based on product type, distribution channel, and geography. Based on product type, the market has been segmented into primary processed mango product and secondary processed mango product. Primary processed mango product market is sub-segmented into dried mango, mango puree, mango pulp, mango concentrate, and IQF slices & dices. Further, secondary processed mango product market is sub-segmented into fruit bar & candies, juice, pickles, and others which includes squash, jam, jelly, and nectar. By distribution channel, the processed mango product market is classified into online and offline.Geographically, the report classifies the industry into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East & Africa (MEA), and South America. Furthermore, region wise prominent countries covered in the report include the U.S, Canada, Germany, U.K., France, China, India, Japan, Australasia, GCC, South Africa, and Brazil.Global Processed Mango Product Market: Scope of the StudyThe report also includes key developments in the processed mango product market. Porters Five Force analysis which identifies bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat from new entrants, threat from substitutes, and threat from competition is also included in the report. Value chain analysis that shows work flow in the processed mango product market and identifies raw material providers and distribution channels of this industry is also covered in the report. Segment trends and regional trends have also been added in the report. It also covers segment wise incremental opportunity analysis and country wise econometric analysis which highlights a countrys economic information, which includes population, GDP, consumer spending per capita, disposable income per capita, and purchasing power parity. Furthermore, the report also covers competition matrix of key players in the scope of study.Incremental opportunity analysis identifies and compares a segments attractiveness on the basis of CAGR and market share index across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America. The same has also been provided for each segment i.e. by product, and by distribution channel.Get Complete TOC With Tables and Figures @Global Processed Mango Product Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report also includes competition landscape which covers competition matrix, market share analysis of major players based on their 2017 revenues, and profiles of major players. Competition matrix benchmarks leading players on the basis of their capabilities and potential to grow. Factors including market position, offerings, and R&D focus are attributed to a companys capabilities. Top line growth, market share, segment growth, infrastructure facilities, and future outlook are attributed to a companys potential to grow. This section also identifies and includes various recent developments carried out by leading players in the processed mango product market.Company profiling includes company overview, major business strategies adopted, and key developments. Companies profiled in the global processed mango product market report include Agrana Group, Allanasons Private Limited, Del Monte Foods, Inc., Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., Vadilal Industries Ltd., Capricorn Food Products India Ltd., Keventer Agro Ltd., Freshtrop Fruits Limited, Superior Foods, Inc., Dohler GmbH, 7D Mangoes, Sunrise Naturals Private Limited, Valleyfresh Pty. Ltd., The Proeza Group, Varadharaja Foods Private Limited, ABC Fruits, Manbulloo Limited, Galla Foods, and Foods & Inns Limited.The global processed mango product market is segmented as below:Global Processed Mango Product Market, by Product- Primary Processed Mango Product- Dried/Dehydrated Mangoes- Puree, Pulp & Concentrate- IQF Slices & Dices- Secondary Processed Mango Product- Fruit Bar & Candies- Juice- Pickles- Others(Squash, Jam, Jellies, Nectar)Global Processed Mango Product Market, by Distribution Channel- Online- OfflineMake an Enquiry of this report @Global Processed Mango Product Market, by GeographyNorth America- S.- Canada- Rest of North AmericaEurope- Germany- UK- France- Rest of EuropeAsia Pacific (APAC)- China- India- Japan- Australasia- Rest of Asia PacificMiddle East & Africa (MEA)- GCC- South Africa- Rest of MEASouth America- Brazil- Rest of South AmericaAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMozState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
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Low Migration Inks Market Growth, Regional Outlook, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017-2024.

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Rapidly growth in Asia Pacific population has triggered huge product demand in food & beverage industry, which in turn will help attain promising gains to low migration inks market size by 2024. For instance, China, India, and Japan were the leading food & beverage producers in Asia Pacific in 2016, accounted over three quarters of the total turnover. Additionally, Asia Pacific generated a total of USD 3.23 trillion in 2016, and is anticipated to rise further at a CAGR of 11% in the coming years. These factors coupled with stringent regulations against packaging & labelling in the food & beverage industry will help generate substantial gains to low migration inks market size in the coming years.Low Migration Inks Market size is projected to grow at a high CAGR over the forecast timeframe. Strong product demand across food & beverage industry is a major factor contributing substantially to the growth of low migration inks market size over the projected timespan. This is mainly attributed to stringent regulations imposed on packaging and labelling in the food & beverage industry, as undesirable passage of chemicals/ink from printed side to the non-printed side can impose serious harm to the human health.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @High product cost and limited availability of raw materials are the major factors which are likely to hamper the overall low migration inks market size during the forecast timespan. However, rising product demand in digital printing process will help generate further opportunities for low migration inks market size over the forecast time.Based on the process, low migration inks market size has been segmented into gravure, flexography, off-set and digital. In the flexography process, evaporative inks are used. They leave minimal migratable residues behind. Gravure and flexography printing use low molecular weight components which do not have the potential to migrate which are widely used for packaging & labelling across pharmaceutical, food & beverage and various other end-user industries.Based on the end-user industry, low migration inks market size can be segmented into food & beverage, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical, end-user industries. Food & beverage industry contributed a significant share of the overall market in 2016. This is primarily due to improving health concerns mainly in Asia Pacific which has resulted in formulation of stringent regulations against packaging & labelling across food industry to avoid contamination caused by chemical/ink migration. On the other hand, product consumption in pharmaceutical industry is also increasing, as the use of low migration ink labelling improves the drug safety. For instance, U.S. FDA developed guidelines for pharmaceutical manufacturers in 1999 to produce packaging components which will not leach harmful or undesirable substance to a patient when exposed or treated. These factors will collaboratively influence the growth of low migration inks market over the entire forecast timeframe.Browse complete summary of this report @North America low migration inks market is projected to witness promising gains in the coming years. This is mainly due to the stringent regulations imposed by U.S. EPA and FDA to restrict inks beyond a defined migration limit. Additionally, strong R&D investment in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry will trigger the development of new products and devices which in turn will have positive influence on the growth of low migration inks market in the coming years. According to International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), North America made a substantial investment in pharmaceutical R&D, which was valued more than USD 115.0 billion in 2016, and this might increase in the coming years, and may influence the low migration inks market growth over the forecast period.Make an Inquiry before buying @Major market share contributors are Sun Chemical Corporation, Siegwerk Druckfarben, Hubergroup Deutschland, Flint, Inx International Ink, Toyo Ink Europe, Zeller+Gmelin, Altana, Ruco Printing Inks, Wikoff Color Corporation and KAO Collins. Most of these players are making significant investment in their R&D facilities to launch new products. For instance, Sun Chemical Corporation launched new high-performance UV flexo inks in May 2017, to meet the next generation customer requirement.About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnologyContact UsArun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, IncPhone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1 888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.com
Dry Transformer Market Sales Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type & Application Shared | Forecast 2018  2023.

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Global Dry Transformer Market Research Report, By Type (Cast Resin, And Vacuum Pressure Impregnated), By Phase Type (Single-Phase, And Three-Phase), By Voltage Range (Low, And Medium), By Application (Industrial, Commercial, And Others) - Forecast /Till 2023Key PlayersAggreko PLC (U.K.), Ashtead Group Plc (U.K.), Caterpillar Inc. (U.S.), Hertz Corporation (U.S.), Speedy Hire (U.S.), Smart Energy Solutions (UAE), Power Electrics (U.K.), United Rentals (U.S.), Cummins Inc.(U.S.), Rental Solutions and Services (UAE), APR Energy Inc. (U.S.) and Kohler (U.S.) among others are some of the prominent players profiled in MRFR Analysis and are at the forefront of competition in the global temporary power market.Intended Audience Distributer & Supplier companies End Users consultants and Investment bankers Government as well as Independent Regulatory AuthoritiesGet Sample Report @Market HighlightsGeographically, the global temporary power market has been divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. Among these regions, North America dominated the temporary power market followed by the Asia Pacific and South America. The country that accounted for the major share in the temporary power market is the US. The factor that attributed to this growth is the T&D infrastructure that is aging which causes blackouts and frequent outages of power. The getting better construction industry in the North American region is the prime factor that is contributing towards the temporary power market growth. There are many countries around the globe that do not have access to electricity which will fuel the demand of temporary power market.Browse Complete Report @Temporary Power Global Market  SegmentationThe scope of global temporary power market is segmented into three major segments which are explained below:By Fuel Type Diesel Gas OthersBy Generator Rating Less Than 80 KW 81-280 KW More Than 280 KWBy End Use Events Construction Mining OthersRegional Analysis :North America region is projected to dominate the global temporary power market owing to the aging power transmission and distribution systems, which leads to frequent power outages and power cuts. The recovery of construction activities in the region is also expected to drive the growth of the market in the region. In Asia-Pacific region, many underdeveloped regions do not have proper access to electricity, thereby driving the growth of the market in the region.Enquiry For Report @MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Fluorosurfactants Market Analysis, Applications Share, Trends & Forecast 2017-2024.

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Fluorosurfactants market share has widespread applications such as industrial cleaners, paints & coatings, adhesives, electronics, waxes & polishes, firefighting, oilfields and specialty detergents. Paints & coatings is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment of the fluorosurfactants market size due to the huge demand of the product due to its superior wetting and leveling properties compared to other surfactants. The product owing to its ability to improve the penetration of cleaners on surface, makes it an essential ingredient in specialty detergents. Additionally, the product is also used in foam formation which is very stable at high temperatures and is used in firefighting applications.Global Fluorosurfactants Market size is likely to register healthy CAGR during the forecast period. Fluorosurfactants, also known as fluorinated surfactants, belong to a category of coating additives that enhance leveling, wetting and controlling foam. It also offers lower surface tension in coating systems. The product is compatible with almost all polymers and remains active throughout dyeing and curing process.The global paints & coatings industry is projected to reach USD 150 billion by 2024, growing at a moderate CAGR of nearly 3% in the forecast period. The product is an integral ingredient in paints & coatings manufacturing, hence any trend in this industry will have a direct influence on the product as well. The growth of building and construction industry across the globe has led to increase in the demand for paints and coatings, which will be subsequently impacting the product demand. As the product is a vital part of anti-corrosion coatings that are widely used in protection of old structures & buildings and marine ships & vessels.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @The overall specialty detergents demand was roughly 30 million tons and is likely to exceed 50 million tons over the forecast period owing to the increased awareness about hygiene among consumers and rising demand for laundry products and detergents. The product is widely used in production of specialty detergents, thus the fluorosurfactants market size will witness a surge in the coming years.The product due to its toxicity and bio accumulative nature, have caught attention of environment protection bodies that have put strict rules and regulations regarding volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emission. This will be a major challenge to the product growth in coming future. Moreover, high cost of manufacturing the product is compelling companies to look out for cost competitive and eco-friendly substitutes, which will be a restraining factor for fluorosurfactants market size by 2024. However, the long chain fluorosurfactants are being increasingly replaced by their eco-friendlier counterparts (short-chain). These boost the product demand and will create new growth avenues for the global fluorosurfactants market share over the forecast timespan.Browse complete summary of this report @Based on the type of product, the global fluorosurfactants market share is segmented into cationic, nonionic, anionic and amphoteric. Anionic is likely to be the largest segment in the forecast period attributing to its superior permeability & wettability and excellent leveling properties. These properties make them highly desirable to be used in specialty detergents and paints & coatings industry as they help to achieve low surface tension compared to other prevailing products in the business. The increasing demand for paints & coatings will increase the product demand globally.Make an Inquiry before buying @In 2016, North America held a major chunk of the global fluorosurfactants market share. Asia Pacific is an upcoming fluorosurfactants market in the coming years on account of stringent VOC regulations in North America and Europe, which compels the product manufacturers to flock towards emerging economies that have cost effective production amenities and flexible policies. This shift in manufacturing facilities will boost the product demand in the Asia Pacific. Moreover, the infrastructural upliftment in Latin America and Asia Pacific, is going to raise the demand for paints & coatings in building and construction activities that will further drive the fluorosurfactants market size during the forecast period. Furthermore, product applications in the oilfields, will catch attention in Middle East countries.The major companies contributing the fluorosurfactants market share are Asahi Glass Company Limited, DIC Corporation, ChemGuard, DuPont Chemicals, OMNOVA Solutions Incorporated, Tyco International PLC, The Chemours Company, Pilot Chemical Company, 3M Company, Advanced Polymers Incorporated and Innovative Chemical Technologies.About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnologyContact UsArun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1 888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.com
Disulfurous Acid Market to generate huge revenue over 2017-2024.

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Growing opportunities in the disulfurous acid market is due to its extensive use in pharmaceutical industry. Pharma sector is booming and growing at a CAGR of over 4% across the globe. It is likely to create plentiful opportunities for disulfurous acid market over the projected timeframe.Disulfurous Acid Market size is growing and is projected at a moderate CAGR over the projected timeframe. Disulfurous acid market has wide spread applications across various end user industries including food processing, cosmetics, alcoholic beverage, reducing agent, etc. The product is extensively used as a food preservative in food processing industry. Robust demand of processed food primarily in North America and Europe is driving the food processing industry. It is primarily due to increasing work force and fast moving lifestyles of people in these regions. This will eventually lead to increasing demand of food additives across food processing industry during the forecast period. It must contribute towards protruding the overall disulfurous acid market size over the projected timeframe.Disulfurous acid market has noteworthy application in cosmetics industry due to its usage in preparing fragrance such as perfumes, deodorants, etc. With changing life styles of consumers across globe, there has been a significant change in trends and henceforth contributing towards growing cosmetics industry. It will ultimately have positive influence towards growing trends in the global disulfurous acid market by 2024. However, there are certain regulations imposed on the product usage in the industry due to its toxic and hazardous impact on human health and environment. They usually have detrimental impact resulting in eye and skin irritation if comes in human contact. Henceforth, it is used in minimal amount for applications across various end-user industries and is expected to hamper the disulfurous acid market size in coming years.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @The disulfurous acid market share is segmented based on application into food preservatives, wine additives, fragrance (perfumes & scents), reducing agent and others. The alcoholic beverage industry is mounting and is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 3% during the forecast period. The product is used as wine additive and henceforth, it shall contribute towards growing trends of the industry in the coming future. The disulfurous acid market has widespread application as a reducing agent to retard oxidation for easily oxidized drugs such as epinephrine hydrochloride and phenylephrine hydrochloride injections in pharmaceutical industry. With growing pharmaceutical industry across globe, it will lead to increasing usage of product as reducing agents and henceforth will significantly contribute towards growing disulfurous market size in the coming years.Browse complete summary of this report @The disulfurous acid market size is segmented based on various end-user industries including food processing, cosmetics, alcoholic beverage and pharmaceuticals. The food processing industry is escalating and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of over 4% in the coming years. Due to increasing working professionals primarily in North America and Europe, it has resulted in changing trends in the industry leading to growing product demand for packaged food. It has subsequently triggered demand for food additives in food processing industry in these regions. Thereby, it shall heavily contribute towards growing disulfurous acid market share during the forecast period.Make an Inquiry before buying @In North America, the U.S. contributes highly towards the growing disulfurous acid market size. It is due to prevalence of massive end-user industries including food processing, alcoholic beverage, cosmetics industry, etc., which ultimately propels the product demand. In Europe, countries including the U.K., Germany, Russia, Italy, France, and the Netherlands are primary leaders expected to propel disulfurous acid market size in the coming years. In Asia Pacific, particularly China and India has growing disulfurous acid demand and henceforth will ultimately result in growing market trends by 2024. Asia Pacific region will be primarily driven by escalating end-user industries such as cosmetics and food & beverage on account of improving consumer lifestyle dynamics.Key disulfurous acid market share contributors are Mins Group Co., Ltd., Shenyang Kaiyingsheng Chemicals Co., Ltd., Hue and En (China) Ltd., Jinan JuHeng Chemical Co. Ltd., Bombay Lubricants Oil Company nad Toronto Research Chemicals.About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnologyContact UsArun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1 888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.com
Chromium Chloride Market Present efficiencies and future challenges for 2017-2024.

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Global Chromium Chloride Market size is likely to witness significant growth, expanding at a moderate CAGR in the forecast period. The prime growth driver for global chromium chloride market size is the increasing product demand from the textile industry. This textile industry breathes on dyes and pigments, which have the product as its essential component. The rising demand for diverse types of dyes in various segments of textile industry such as home textiles, geo-textiles and apparels mostly in developing countries of the world is anticipated to have a positive influence on the dyestuff industry across the globe. This will subsequently result in rise in demand for the product in the forecast period.Moreover, the rising disposable income of consumers and steadily increasing number of online stores are driving the textile industry substantially in the recent years, which is expected to eventually propel the global chromium chloride market size in the forecast timespan.Request for an in-depth table of contents for this report @The major application of the product is manufacturing of dyestuff. It is typically used as precursor and a catalyst to dyes for wool. Other applications of the product include organic synthesis and precursor to organochromium complexes. Types of dyes manufactured with the product are triarylmethanes that consist of ortho-hydroxyl benzoic acid derivatives. The product is also used as Lewis acid in several organic reactions, for example, to catalyze the reaction of nitroso Diels-alder. In printing and dyeing industry, it is mainly used as a mordant. Thus, increasing dyes demand (for textiles) across the globe on account to improving customer lifestyle dynamics will positively impact on the chromium chloride market size by 2024.Another chief consumer of the product is pharmaceutical & medicine industry and owing to its recent continuous growth, it is likely to boost the chromium chloride market size in the coming years considerably. Mostly, countries including India, China, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Thailand are investing heavily in their pharmaceutical sector, to battle with the growing number of diseases and accompanying human resource loss. The most widespread use of the product in pharmaceutical industry is in supplements, which is used in blood sugar and insulin regulator for type 2 diabetes sufferers. The product occurs in natural state in red meat, cheese and grains. Though, its consumption is healthy, but it is always advised to have intake in small traces.Browse complete summary of this report @Based on end-users, the chromium chloride market share is segmented into pharmaceutical & medicine and textile industries. It is also used in food additives, animal feed additives, synthesis in chromium compounds and oilfield industry for the process of chromium plating. In inorganic chemicals industry, it is used in the production of chromium pigments and salts. In organic, it is used in the synthesis of various chromium containing catalysts.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market in the coming years for chromium chloride market. The demand is growing for the product basically in countries including India, Indonesia, Thailand and China. The countries in Latin America, Middle East & Africa such as South Africa, Nigeria, Jordan, Brazil, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Kuwait and Qatar are also showing significant economic growth. Whereas, North American and European countries are gradually recovering from economic slowdown, which indicates a moderate growth rate for chromium chloride market size in the coming years for these regions.Make an Inquiry before buying @The key players operating in the chromium chloride market share are Angene Chemical Limited, American Elements, GFS Chemical Inc., OXKEM, All Chemie Limited, Mil-Spec Industries Corporation, Materion Corporation, Sentury Reagents Inc. and Seidler Chemical Company Inc.The prominent chromium chloride market share contributors are primarily focusing on tapping the enormous market potential of developing countries. The companies are establishing vast production facilities to fulfil the rapidly increasing local demand for the product of these developing regions. In addition, major chromium chloride market share contributors have presence across multiple stages on the industry ecosystem in order to achieve competitive advantage in the global chromium chloride market.About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnologyContact UsArun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1 888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.com
Cargo Compartments Market Outlook, Geographical Segmentation, Industry Size & Share, Comprehensive Analysis to 2023

Cargo Compartments Market

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Latest research study from HTF MI with title Global and United States Cargo Compartments by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2023. The Research report presents a complete assessment of the market and contains Future trend, Current Growth Factors, attentive opinions, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry validated market data. The study is segmented by products type, application/end-users. The research study provides estimates for Global and United States Cargo Compartments Forecast till 2023.If you are involved in the Cargo Compartments industry or intend to be, then this study will provide you comprehensive outlook. Its vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Applications Passenger Airplanes & Freighter Airplanes, Product Types such as [] and some major players in the industry. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement.Request Sample of 2018-2025 Cargo Compartments Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications @:Key Companies/players: The Boeing Company, Airbus, PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Antonov State Company, Class A, Class B, Class C & Class E.Application: Passenger Airplanes & Freighter Airplanes, Product Type: .The research covers the current & Future market size of the Global and United States Cargo Compartments market and its growth rates based on 5 year history data. It also covers various types of segmentation such as by geography [United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa]. The market competition is constantly growing higher with the rise in technological innovation and M&A activities in the industry. Moreover, many local and regional vendors are offering specific application products for varied end-users. On the basis of attributes such as company overview, recent developments, strategies adopted by the market leaders to ensure growth, sustainability, financial overview and recent developments.Stay up-to-date with Cargo Compartments market research offered by HTF MI. Check how key trends and emerging drivers are shaping this industry growth as the study avails you with market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional breakdowns, competitive landscape, shares, trend and strategies for this market. In the Global and United States Cargo Compartments Market Analysis & Forecast 2018-2023, the revenue is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2023, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2018 and 2023. The production is estimated at XX million in 2017 and is forecasted to reach XX million by the end of 2023, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2018 and 2023.Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @Key questions answered in this report - 2018-2025 Cargo Compartments Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and ApplicationsWhat will the market size be in 2023 and what will the growth rate beWhat are the key market trendsWhat is driving Global and United States Cargo Compartments Market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in Cargo Compartments Market space?What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the Global and United States Cargo Compartments Market ?What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the Global and United States Cargo Compartments Market?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the Global and United States Cargo Compartments market? Get in-depth details about factors influencing the market shares of the Americas, APAC, and EMEA?Enquire for customization in Report @There are 15 Chapters to display the Global and United States Cargo Compartments market.Chapter 1, to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Global and United States Cargo Compartments, Applications of Cargo Compartments, Market Segment by Regions;Chapter 2, to analyze the Manufacturing Cost Structure, Raw Material and Suppliers, Manufacturing Process, Industry Chain Structure;Chapter 3, to display the Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of , Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, Export & Import, R&D Status and Technology Source, Raw Materials Sources Analysis;Chapter 4, to show the Overall Market Analysis, Capacity Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment);Chapter 5 and 6, to show the Regional Market Analysis that includes United States, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America & Middle East and Africa, Cargo Compartments Segment Market Analysis (by Type);Chapter 7 and 8, to analyze the Cargo Compartments Segment Market Analysis (by Application [Passenger Airplanes & Freighter Airplanes]) Major Manufacturers Analysis;Chapter 9, Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product Type [], Market Trend by Application [Passenger Airplanes & Freighter Airplanes];Chapter 10, Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis;Chapter 11, to analyze the Consumers Analysis of Global and United States Cargo Compartments by region, type and application ;Chapter 12, to describe Cargo Compartments Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Cargo Compartments sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Buy this research report @Reasons for Buying this ReportThis report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamicsIt provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growthIt provides a 5-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to growIt helps in understanding the key product segments and their futureIt provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitorsIt helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segmentsThanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.About Author:HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact US :Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.com
BRIC In-Vitro Diagnostics Market Overview and Regional Outlook Study 2012 - 2018

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Tests which are performed in test- tubes or in a controlled environment outside a living organism to provide diagnosis are known as In-vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests. Contemporary IVD industry commonly uses analytical instruments and reagents to perform various tests to diagnose study and monitor various kinds of diseases.Request Report Brochure @The reagents used are specialized chemicals which are capable of reacting with target substances such as tissue, blood, urine etc, found in the sample provided by the patient. Also, the analytical instruments include various equipments that bring the sample and the reagent together for the reaction to happen and automate the process.The IVD market of BRIC economies is expected to witness immense growth opportunities due to increased healthcare budgets, increased number of hospitals and technological advancement. Moreover, BRICS is viewed as one of the attractive markets for MNCs concerned with healthcare sector due to the increasing awareness among consumers and large untapped population.Enquiry for discount on this report @Therefore, heavy investments are being made to expand market shares in these areas. However, absence of strict regulations in respect to the patients safety is considered as a hurdle for the growth of IVD market, to a certain extent.The BRICS IVD market is expected to have a healthy growth rate. Various application segments studied in this report include Molecular diagnostics, Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, Hemostasis, Cytology, Cardiac markers, Hormones/marking tumors and Hematology. Clinical chemistry is expected to lead in terms of market size among all the other segments and molecular diagnostics is expected to witness highest growth rate during the forecast period. Among the BRICS nations China is forecasted to account for a larger share of the IVD market followed by Brazil, Russia and India.Some of the market players profiled in this report include Abbott diagnostics, Sysmex Corp, Mindray ltd, Oxoid ltd, Beckman Coulter Inc, Diasorin diagnostics spa, Ortho-clinical diagnostics Inc, Horiba ltd, Becton, Dickinson & co., Qiagen N.V, Siemens healthcare, Biomerieux SA, Roche diagnostics Ltd and Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc.Request for the TOC of the Report @About UsTransparency Market Research is a next-generation market intelligence provider, offering fact-based solutions to business leaders, consultants, and strategy professionals.Our reports are single-point solutions for businesses to grow, evolve, and mature. Our real-time data collection methods along with ability to track more than one million high growth niche products are aligned with your aims. The detailed and proprietary statistical models used by our analysts offer insights for making right decision in the shortest span of time. For organizations that require specific but comprehensive information we offer customized solutions through adhoc reports. These requests are delivered with the perfect combination of right sense of fact-oriented problem solving methodologies and leveraging existing data repositories.TMR believes that unison of solutions for clients-specific problems with right methodology of research is the key to help enterprises reach right decision.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Spine Surgery Devices Market Latest Report with Forecast to 2018

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Spine surgery devices market is one of the major sub segments of the orthopedic industry. It forms one of the most important segments of the orthopedics, which helps in joining and curing one or two vertebrae. It is a procedure wherein the supplementary bone tissue from the patient itself or a donor is utilized along with the patients bone growth to fuse in the vertebrae.Request Report Brochure @This process is called as osteoblastic. The spinal surgery is mostly performed on the lumbar, cervical and thoracic vertebraes. The complications in the spine region arise as a result of lack of lubricants causing friction between bones. This ultimately leads to cracking of bones.Spine surgery devices market is classified into five major classes as spine biologics, spinal decompression, vertebral compression fracture treatment products, non-fusion, and fusion. The fusion class is further divided into spinal bone stimulators and spine fusion and fixation.Owing to the recent developments and usage North America constitutes the largest market share which is succeeded by Europe. The spine surgery devices market is however experiencing a fuelled growth in the Asian region as a result of the growing population, awareness of newly developed technologies, increased per capita income of the hospitals and the people, improved medical literacy and tourism.Enquiry for discount on this report @The current scenario of economic slowdown in the European countries U.S. coupled with the pricing pressures are some of the driving factors that will fuel the spine surgery devices market in the Asian region. The high initial cost and complicated machines of the spine surgery devices are some of the major inhibitors of the market slowing the growth rate across the globe. Ageing population and the growing health concerns has led the government in various countries to take several initiatives thus providing several opportunities for this market.Some of the major key players are Alphatec Spine Inc., DePuy Spine, Medtronic Inc., Stryker Corporation, Smith & Nephew Plc, Orthovita Inc., Zimmer Spine Inc and others.Request for the TOC of the Report @About UsTransparency Market Research is a next-generation market intelligence provider, offering fact-based solutions to business leaders, consultants, and strategy professionals.Our reports are single-point solutions for businesses to grow, evolve, and mature. Our real-time data collection methods along with ability to track more than one million high growth niche products are aligned with your aims. The detailed and proprietary statistical models used by our analysts offer insights for making right decision in the shortest span of time. For organizations that require specific but comprehensive information we offer customized solutions through adhoc reports. These requests are delivered with the perfect combination of right sense of fact-oriented problem solving methodologies and leveraging existing data repositories.TMR believes that unison of solutions for clients-specific problems with right methodology of research is the key to help enterprises reach right decision.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Rehabilitation Devices Market Research Report 2018, Market Overview and Forecast up to 2025

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The Global Rehabilitation Devices Market Analysis to 2025 is a specialized and in-depth study of the rehabilitation devices industry with a focus on the global market trend. The report aims to provide an overview of global rehabilitation devices market with detailed market segmentation by types, application, end user, and geography. The global rehabilitation devices market is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the leading market players and offers key trends and opportunities in the market.FREE |Request Sample Copy of Rehabilitation Devices Market @This report focuses on the top players in global market, like1. Medline Industries, Inc.2. Invacare Corporation3. Caremax Rehabilitation Equipment Co., Ltd.4. Carex Health Brands, Inc.5. Dynatronics Corporation6. Hospital Equipment Manufacturing Company (HEMC)7. ROMA Medical8. Drive Devilbiss Healthcare9. GF Health Products, Inc.10. Ekso BionicsThe report provides a detailed overview on the industry including both qualitative and quantitative information. It provides overview and forecast of the global rehabilitation devices market based on types, application, and end user. It also provides market size and forecast till 2025 for overall rehabilitation devices market with respect to five major regions, namely; North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South & Central America. The market by each region is later sub-segmented by respective countries and segments. The report covers analysis and forecast of 13 countries globally along with current trend and opportunities prevailing in the region.Ask for Discount @Rehabilitation Devices are medical devices used for treating patients suffering from mental, physical and sensory capabilities caused due to diseases, injuries, or illness. There are various type of rehabilitation devices present in the market such as mobility equipment, body support devices, daily living aids, and exercise equipments. All these types of rehabilitation devices are being used in physiotherapy centers, hospitals & clinics, home care settings, and rehabilitation centers.Increase in disabilities incidences and government initiatives towards the enhancement of rehabilitation centers are the major drivers which are likely to boost the growth of rehabilitation devices market. Rising technological advancements and healthcare spending, and improving healthcare infrastructure are likely to add new opportunities for this market in the coming years.The report analyzes factors affecting market from both demand and supply side and further evaluates market dynamics effecting the market during the forecast period i.e., drivers, restraints, opportunities, and future trend. The report also provides exhaustive PEST analysis for all five regions namely; North America, Europe, APAC, MEA and South & Central America after evaluating political, economic, social and technological factors effecting the market in these regions.The report also includes the profiles of key rehabilitation devices manufacturing companies along with their SWOT analysis and market strategies. In addition, the report focuses on leading industry players with information such as company profiles, products and services offered, financial information of last 3 years, key development in past five years. Some of the key players influencing the market are Medline Industries, Inc., Invacare Corporation, Caremax Rehabilitation Equipment Co., Ltd., Carex Health Brands, Inc., Dynatronics Corporation, Hospital Equipment Manufacturing Company (HEMC), ROMA Medical, Drive Devilbiss Healthcare, GF Health Products, Inc., and Ekso Bionics among Others.Else place an Inquire before Purchase Global Rehabilitation Devices Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 "@(Note: If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.)The Insight Partners is a one stop industry research provider of actionable intelligence. We help our clients in getting solutions to their research requirements through our syndicated and consulting research services. We are a specialist in Technology, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Automotive and Defense.Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@theinsightpartners.com
Duty-Free Retailing Market Report for Period 2018 till 2024 The Shilla Duty Free, Dufry, Lagardre Travel Retail, Duty Free Americas, JR/Group (James Richardson), King Power International Group (Thailand) and Others.

Duty-free Retailing Market

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Global Duty-Free Retailing market report emphasizes on detailed analysis of companies and manufacturers like Dubai Duty Free, Duty Free Americas, Gebr. Heinemann, JR/Group (James Richardson), King Power International Group (Thailand), The Shilla Duty Free, Dufry, Lagardre Travel Retail, Lotte Duty Free, LVMH, Aer Rianta International (ARI), China Duty Free Group and Others.This report studies the Duty-Free Retailing market. Duty-free shops (or stores) are retail outlets that are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country. Which products can be sold duty-free vary by jurisdiction, as well as how they can be sold, and the process of calculating the duty or refunding the duty component.This market study includes data about global market statistics, market share, company performances, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2023 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2023, etc. The Global Duty-Free Retailing market report provides detailed segmentation of Global Duty-Free Retailing Market based on product type, application, end user and regional segmentation. The regional segment is further bifurcated on country level.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Duty-Free Retailing Market 2017 @Top Manufactures of Global Duty-Free Retailing market:DufryLagardre Travel RetailLotte Duty FreeLVMHAer Rianta International (ARI)China Duty Free GroupDubai Duty FreeDuty Free AmericasGebr. HeinemannJR/Group (James Richardson)King Power International Group (Thailand)The Shilla Duty FreeOthers(Note: We can profile additional players without extra charges)Global Duty-Free Retailing Market: Key Product Type:PerfumesCosmeticsAlcoholCigarettesOthersKey Application Types for Global Duty-Free Retailing Market:AirportsOnboard AircraftSeaportsTrain StationsothersKey Regions for Global Duty-Free Retailing Market:North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Others)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Others)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and Others)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Others)(Note: We can provide specific country or region specific report on request)The Global Duty-Free Retailing Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Global Duty-Free Retailing Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. The report also provides Porter analysis, PESTEL analysis and market attractiveness which helps to better understand the market scenario. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities occurred in current and past few years. The Global Duty-Free Retailing Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors. The report also covers import/export data across all major regions covered in this report. Moreover, import/export data across any particular country as per requirement.The report finally provides detailed research report conclusion, which provides summary of entire report and vital suggestions from analysts particular to Duty-Free Retailing Market which will help existing as well as new players who wish to enter this market.Enquire before Buying @ put actual website like for exampleTable of Contents:1 Market Overview1.1 Duty-Free Retailing Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Perfumes1.2.2 Cosmetics1.2.3 Alcohol1.2.4 Cigarettes1.2.5 Others1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Airports1.3.2 Onboard Aircraft1.3.3 Seaports1.3.4 Train Stations1.3.5 Others........................Continue (Global Duty-Free Retailing Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Market Reports Company:Market Reports Company delivers high quality precise research studies which include data about top manufacturers and market survey of various industries. We also work as a consulting company and publisher of market research reports. We are specialized in providing customized reports according to clients needs and requirements which ultimately help them grow in industry and beat their competition.What We Offer:Customized Reports: We provide customized research reports on your demand.Region Specific Study: We have resources all over the world so, if you are Interested in region specific study please contact us.How we work: Perfect blend of primary and secondary research to provide best result.Expertise: Team of Industry experienced research associates and experts, primary and secondary sources, 24*7 customer care service and post-sale support.Contact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website: marketreportscompany.comEmail: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Ethanolamines Market Future Demand, Segment and Analysis with forecast 2024

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The top five companies in the global ethanolamines market  The Dow Chemical Company, INEOS Group Ltd., SABIC, LyondellBasell Industries N.V., and Huntsman Corporation  together accounted for a share of close to 48% in 2015. Transparency Market Research (TMR) finds that this highly fragmented market presents an increasing number of opportunities for players. Once the battle against high initial capital investment is won, companies in the ethanolamines market can benefit from a large number of suppliers of ammonia and ethylene oxide, low threat of substitutes, and a well-educated consumer base.Request Sample Report @An increasing number of companies has been focused on R&D as well as innovation as a key strategy in the ethanolamines market, the author of the study has observed. Companies have been striving for increased market penetration by forming partnerships, collaborations, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions, thereby rendering them with more and improved resources for research and development.Considering the rising focus on reducing the environmental footprint, vendors are likely to divert resources to satisfy the sustainability criteria, the analyst states. Looking to benefit from this leading trend, Akzo Nobel invested US$10 mn in a new R&D center in Strongsville, Ohio in December 2015. The facility is aimed at producing innovative and environmental friendly products.Surging Demand for Herbicides a Leading Growth DriverEthanolamines are one of the significant components used in the production of herbicides. The growing demand for and production of glyphosate  the largest consumed variety of herbicides  has considerably fueled the global ethanolamines market, finds TMR. The increasing cultivation of genetically modified crops and the rising popularity of no-till farming has spurred the demand for glyphosate, a TMR analyst states. Produced in over 20 countries around the world and used in over 130 countries, the demand for glyphosate is set to increase over the forecast period. This in turn will boost the global ethanolamines market.Read Report Overview @The ethanolamines market has also received impetus from the surfactants market, especially in the developing regions of Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.On the flip side, the volatility in raw material prices threatens to hamper the growth of the ethanolamines market. The growing demand for gas sweetening agents, on the other hand, presents lucrative options for players in the ethanolamines market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Military Helicopter Seats Market: Industry Analysis, Opportunity Assessment and Forecast upto 2024

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The demand for military helicopter seats is increasing due to rising demand of military helicopters and it is likely to witness high growth due to several reasons such as increasing threats from terrorism and extremism among others.Based on product types, the military helicopter seats market is segmented into ejection seats, crashworthy seats and others. In 2015, the ejection seat segment anticipated to be the major market and anticipated to be the same during the forecast period of 2016  2024. The major factor boosting the demand of the market is increasing use of military helicopter in developing regions such as Asia Pacific, South America and Middle East and Africa. Some of the other factors boosting the demand are the raise in the fleet of helicopters.Obtain Report DetailsBased on the various maintenance types, the military helicopter seats market is segmented into airframe maintenance, field maintenance, engine maintenance, component maintenance and others. In 2015, the component maintenance segment expected to be the most important market and anticipated to be the same during the forecast period. Component segment includes maintenance of foams & fittings, seat actuators and among others.These are very important components of military helicopters seat and should be maintained according to the standards set by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In 2015, the field maintenance and repair market is highly influenced by the growing orders of military helicopters from developing regions. For instance, in 2015, Korean Aerospace Industries to build up next generation light civil helicopter and light-armed helicopter and South Korea awarded a contract to airbus helicopters.PDF BrochureBased on the various component types, the military helicopter seats market is segmented into foams & fittings, seat actuators and others. Among different types of components, seat actuator is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period of 2016  2024, due to rise in the designed seats from the actuators. The others segment accounted for highest share in 2015 and expected to be the same during the forecast period of 2016  2020 which includes metals, thermoplastics, plastics and fibres among others.Based on the regions, the military helicopter seats market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and Middle East and Africa. North America holds the major market share followed by Europe. In addition, Europe is the second largest market for military helicopter seats market followed by Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America. The U.S. is the key contributors to the military helicopter seats market in North America. Military helicopter seats is high in North America is due to concentrated funding for military helicopter procurement will positively affect growth in the maintenance market.Download and View Report TOC, Figures and TablesAsia Pacific is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period of 2016  2024. The demand for military helicopter seats is increasing in developing countries such as India, China and Japan among others due to border problems among countries such as China and India and India and Pakistan among others. One of the major factors fueling the market for military helicopter seats market is Brazilian Army is investing enormous amounts for advancing its military.Some of the important players in the military helicopter seats market include are ORO Manufacturing Company (Carolina), B/E Aerospace, Inc. (U.S.), Recaro Aircraft Seating GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) and Zodiac Aerospace (France),). These top players are aiming to penetrate increasing economies and are adopting various methods to drive their market share. Some of the others players are Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. (United States), Thompson Aero Seating Ltd. (U.K.) and Aircraft Seating (U.K.), Acro Aircraft Seating Ltd.( United Kingdom), HAECO Americas (United States), Stelia Aerospace (France), Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (Israel) and Martin Baker (United Kingdom) among others.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
X-ray Devices Market to Reach 700.5 ThoUSand Units by 2018

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The x-ray devices market on the basis of healthcare institution types is segmented into private not-for-profit hospitals, private for-profit hospitals, public/government hospitals, health screening centers and clinics and others (non-federal psychiatry and non-federal long term care).The private not-for-profit hospitals enjoy maximum market share in the U.S. According to the American Hospitals Association, in 2010, the private not-for-profit hospitals held approximately 58% of total hospital beds in the U.S. The general/stationary x-ray devices segment in these hospitals acquired majority of the market share at 78.6% in 2011. However, a rise in the purchase of mobile x-ray devices will be observed over the forecast period owing to the following factors:Low radiation risks associated with mobile x-ray devicesIts portable nature enabling use across various departmentsRising demand for point of care diagnostics and bedside imagingRequest Brochure Copy of the Report @X-ray devices market by volume in the U.S. is expected to grow at a sluggish rate during the forecast period on account of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, 2010. The below text provides a detailed explanation of the effect of the implementation of this act on private not-for-profit hospitals:The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) grants private not-for-profit status to hospitals that spend a minimum of 3% of their operating revenue on uninsured patients/charity. Statistics suggest that the percentage of revenue dedicated towards charity for these hospitals is low (approximately 3.5%).The implementation of the Affordable Care Act will widen the availability of insurance and therefore will limit the availability of uninsured Americans. As a result of this change, hospitals will lose their not for profit status and so, will be no longer be eligible for tax exemption.In contrast to the trends observed in the U.S. x-ray devices market by healthcare institution type, public/government hospitals in China are expected to lead the market from 2012 to 2018. The volume of x-ray devices sold to government/public hospitals in China was valued at 20,291.9 units in 2011. Improvement in the infrastructure of government/public hospitals as a result of the implementation of 12th 5-year plan will serve the market as a driver. General/stationary x-ray devices held majority of the Chinese government/public hospital market share in 2011. However, its market share is expected to decline by 2018. The drop in its market share is justified by the rapid growth in the mobile x-ray devices segment which acts as an internal substitute for general/stationary x-ray devices.Request Sample Copy of the Report @In terms of usage rate of general/stationary, mobile and c-arm x-ray devices by departments, the market is segmented into thoracic, neuro and spine, emergency response, ICU, dental, orthopedic and abdominal departments. General/stationary x-ray devices market dominates most of these departments in terms of usage rate. However, the common trend observed across all these departments in the U.S., Europe and China x-ray devices market, is the acceleration of growth rate in the mobile x-ray devices segment. High maneuverability and low radiation risks associated with mobile x-ray devices are responsible for this market trend.Request For Discount On This Report:C-arm devices are also expected to gain usage rate along the forecast period owing to the rising demand for minimally invasive procedures in thoracic and orthopedic departments. In addition, the introduction of technologically advanced c-arm devices such as the Dental Fluoroscopic Imaging Systems (DFIS) will help this market gain acceptance in the field of dentistry.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Steam Autoclave Market Is Expected to Rise to US$2.57 Bn by 2024

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Steam Autoclave Market: SnapshotThe global steam autoclave market is extremely consolidated and intensely competitive. The presence of a very small number of companies commanding a vast share in the global market has rendered the market difficult to penetrate for new companies. Despite this fact, the market presents promising growth opportunities for companies introducing technologically advanced products, a trend evident from the high consumption of products based on E-beam and gamma irradiation technologies in the past few years.The vast rise in the global demand for steam autoclaves in the past few years can be attributed to the increased prevalence of a number of infectious diseases, a huge surge in surgical procedures, and an alarming rise in the numbers of hospital-acquired infections. Rising demand for improving healthcare services across developing regional markets such as Asia Pacific, owing majorly to rising healthcare expenditures and an expanding base of geriatric population.Request Brochure Copy of the Report @Transparency Market Research suggests that the global steam autoclave market will expand at a healthy 5.7% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. The market, which had a valuation of US$1.57 bn in 2015, is expected to rise to US$2.57 bn by 2024.Developed Economies to Remain DominantNorth America emerged as the clear leader in the global steam autoclave market in 2015, accounting for a nearly 40% share in the markets overall revenue. Estimates suggest that in U.S. alone in the region, nearly 5 million endoscopies and about 46.5 million surgeries are undertaken every year. The severity of hospital-acquired infections in the country can be estimated from the fact that nearly 8.3 patients out of every 1,000 patients admitted in New York state hospitals in 2012 acquired hospital-onset Clostridium difficile infections (CDI). The numbers are rising at an alarming pace.Request Sample Copy of the Report @These factors have collectively influenced the increased adoption of effective sanitization practices and devices in healthcare settings in North America. Strict rules aimed at enhanced safety of patients at healthcare facilities is also a major factor influencing the increased adoption of steam autoclaves in Europe, the second-largest steam autoclave regional market in 2015.Emerging Economies to Present Most Promising Growth OpportunitiesThe high prevalence of infectious diseases, a vast and alarmingly rising population base of geriatric people in Asia Pacific are expected to help the steam autoclave develop on a promising scale in the region in the next few years. The rising demand for high-quality healthcare services from the increasingly affluent consumer base will stimulate the improvement of healthcare infrastructure in countries such as India, China, and parts of Latin America, further driving the market.The market for steam autoclave in Asia Pacific is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR of 7.9% CAGR from 2016 to 2024 among other key regional markets. The market in Latin America is expected to exhibit the second-largest CAGR of 6.9% over the same period.Sales of Traditional Steam Autoclaves Continue to RiseOf the two key varieties of steam autoclave systems available in the market  traditional steam autoclaves and tabletop steam autoclaves, the segment of traditional steam autoclave is presently leading the global market. The segment accounted for a share of over 91.7% in the global market in 2015 and is projected to expand at the highest CAGR over the forecasting horizon, maintaining its dominance in the near future as well.The prominence of these product types can be attributed to their extensive usage in almost all major application areas such as pharmaceutical laboratories and medical devices. Additionally, traditional steam autoclaves are also considered highly efficient for sterilizing a large number of medical devices at the same time, making them more practical in large medical setups.Request For Discount On This Report:The top three companies, which accounted for a share of over 70% in the global steam autoclave market in 2015, are STERIS, Getinge Group, and Johnson & Johnson. Other prominent vendors in the market include 3M Health Care, Matachana Group, Belimed Group, CISA Group, CISA Group, and SAKURA SI CO., LTD.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Residents watch fire consume the city after the 1906 San Francisco quake. (AP)

Thanks to Kathryn Schulz's Pulitzer Prize-winning 2015 New Yorker article, "The Really Big One," Portlanders expect to be subsumed by the earth at any time. You'll remember this quote:

"Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast."

But it turns out there might be worse places to live in the U.S. if you're worried about earthquakes -- and some of them are a surprise. That's according to The Cheat Sheet, which last month used data from the United States Geological Survey to rank 15 cities "in real danger of experiencing a devastating earthquake."

The list -- and more information -- is below.

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1. Memphis

Well, this is indeed a surprise. Says the USGS: "Memphis lies within the New Madrid seismic zone, which is the most seismically active and well-studied region in the Central and Eastern U.S."

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L.A. in a scene from the 1974 movie "Earthquake." (AP)

2. Los Angeles

You've probably heard of the San Andreas fault.

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San Francisco after the famous 1906 earthquake. (AP)

3. San Francisco

See "Los Angeles" above. The famous 1906 quake in San Francisco was estimated to be magnitude 7.9. More than 3,000 people were killed and most of the city was destroyed.

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Seattle's Pioneer Square after a 2001 quake. (AP)

4. Seattle

"If there's one city scientists are most worried about, it might be Seattle," The Cheat Sheet writes. "While the major California cities have the San Andreas fault to worry about, Seattlites have the Cascadia subduction zone to deal with, an area in which the Earth's crust is being forced below the North American land mass."

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5. Oklahoma City

Really? Yep, mainly thanks to oil-extraction work.

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Anchorage in the aftermath of the 1964 Alaska quake. (AP)

6. Anchorage

The 49th state gets a lot of earthquakes. Go to the Alaska Earthquake Center website and you'll see there have been a bunch of them just this month. A massive Alaska quake in 1964 killed more than 100 people.

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7. Tulsa

A 4.0 magnitude quake rattled the area on Sunday.

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8. Dallas

Another surprise. "[T]he risk of a major earthquake hitting the Dallas region has increased 10 times over the past few years, according to USGS data," the Cheat Sheet writes. The Metroplex had nine earthquakes at 3 or higher on the Richter scale in a little over a year in 2014-15. Still, seeing as oil/gas extraction is the likely reason for the surge, the Texas city, like the Oklahoma ones, probably should be much lower on the list.

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The Oregonian

9. Portland

You know all about the Rose City's risk. If not, check out Schulz's article.

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10. Salt Lake City

Utah's capital is due for a big one. The city sits atop the Wasatch fault.

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The Next Five

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11. Honolulu

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12. Wichita

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13. New York City

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14. Charleston

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15. Washington, D.C.

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More

Check out how the Cheat Sheet reached its conclusions.
Goose Creek, SC (29445)

Today

Mainly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
The Midland County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to let voters decide a millage renewal for Emergency Medical Services.

The request from the EMS Advisory Board is for 0.65 mill (65 cents per $1,000 of taxable value). Voters will see the millage proposal on the ballot for the Aug. 7 Primary Election.

The four-year millage would last from 2019-2022. If levied in its entirety, the millage is estimated to raise up to $2,145,400 in the first year.

The last increase in the millage came when voters approved the 0.65 mill rate in 2006, up from 0.52 mill. Since 2009, the county has levied 0.55 mill for EMS each year. One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value of a piece of property. Since the 2010 budget year, the EMS board has requested 0.55 mill. In 2009, the request was for 0.57 mill.

Even though the EMS Board has levied 0.55 mill for the last few years, that annual request might increase before the millage expires in 2022.

"We have not been assessing the full 0.65 mill. However, in the next four years, the taxable value will be decreasing (for Midland County property) and we may have to assess more," said Dick Ripke, chairman of the EMS Advisory Board. "Medicare reimbursements are dropping so that raises some costs."

Voters have been very generous with their support of EMS. Since 2002, each four-year millage has passed with more than 80 percent approval.

The ballot language will be:

"Shall the previously voted increase in the limitation on the total amount of general ad valorem taxes which may be imposed for all purposes upon real and personal property in Midland County, which last resulted in a levy of up to 0.65 mill ($0.65 per $1000.00) of taxable valuation, be renewed for a levy of up to 0.65 mill ($0.65 per $1000.00) of taxable valuation, as finally equalized in the years 2019 - 2022, both inclusive, as authorized in Article 9,  6 of the Michigan Constitution of 1963, as amended, for the purpose of continuing to provide emergency medical services, which if approved and levied in its entirety is estimated to raise $2,145,400 in the first year?"
Sally Hightower won the award for 2018 Michigan Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year earlier this year. She now is a regional finalist for the Midwest and is up against seven other U.S. tree farms for the national award. The American Tree Farm System, a national program sponsored by the American Forest Foundation, promotes the sustainable management of family forest land. Tree Farm is the oldest and largest forest conservation, certification and advocacy program in the United States. Her property will be visited this month by judges from the American Forest Foundation.

Venture to Butman Township in Gladwin County and you may come across the Twisted Oak Tree Farm. It is a prime example for stewardship in the area and owners Sally Hightower and Linda Caldwell work hard to keep the land in the best condition it can be. It's a place where you can find rare pink or yellow lady slipper flowers, catch trout on the river, or just close your eyes and enjoy the sounds of nature. The women have worked with many conservation groups to keep the property in pristine condition, starting with The American Tree Farm System in 1981. In addition, the property is under an easement with Little Forks Conservancy, enrolled in MAEAP Forest Wetlands Habitat*A*Syst program, and is used for stream temperature research by Trout Unlimited.
The Midland County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved letting voters decide an up to 0.30 mill for gypsy moth suppression.

The Gypsy Moth Technical Advisory Committee would has requested up to 0.30 mill, or 30 cents per $1,000 of taxable valuation for the years 2019-2022. In its first year, the millage would raise $1,025,522.

Voters will decide the renewal on the Aug. 7 primary ballot.

From 2000-2018, the millage has been levied just eight times and only two of those years, 2002 and 2014, has the full 0.30 mill been levied.

"The millage goes up and down depending on the gypsy moth problem," Commissioner Jim Geisler said.

In 2018, the plan is to levy 0.20 mill, which would cover 3,013 acres of county land.

"Midland County remains generally infested with gypsy moth and no change in this condition is expected in the foreseeable future," stated Gypsy Moth Program Manager Neal Swanson in a letter to the county Board of Commissioners. "

The gypsy moth produces outbreak populations periodically throughout the county and the purpose of the program is to locate any outbreaks and treat them reducing or eliminating any nuisance to our residents."

The treatment would be aerial and has been completed by outside contractors for many years.

The millage will read:

"Shall the previously voted limitation on the total amount of general ad valorem taxes which may be imposed for all purposes upon real and personal property in Midland County, be renewed for a levy of up to 0.30 Mill ($0.30 per $1,000) of taxable valuation as finally equalized for levy in the years 2019 to 2022, both inclusive, as provided in Article 9,  6, Michigan Constitution of 1963, as amended, for the purpose of continuing to monitor and control gypsy moth caused defoliation by aerial spraying of B.t. (Bacillus thuringiensis) or other natural products, which if approved and levied in its entirety is estimated to raise $1,025,522 in the first year?"
Thirty-three high school students in Saginaw, Midland and Bay counties were recognized recently for winning full scholarships paid for by Hemlock Semiconductor to attend Michigan Technological University's Engineering Scholars Summer Youth Program.

HSC announced it was the highest number of the competitive scholarships it has ever awarded for the Michigan Tech summer program to high school students in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Summer Youth Program Scholarships provide funding for high school students in ninth to 11th grades to attend a week-long program at Michigan Tech to fully immerse them in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and explore careers in engineering and related disciplines. Each scholarship covers all tuition, classroom supplies, room, board and round trip charter bus transportation from the Great Lakes Bay Region to Michigan Tech's campus in Houghton in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

"HSC and Michigan Tech have a long and robust relationship - much of our engineering talent has come from Michigan Tech," said Mark Bassett, Chairman and CEO of HSC. "We're excited to give these 33 students this experience to explore engineering and experience college life, and proud that this is a record number of scholarships provided by HSC to this excellent program."

Michigan Tech had more than 50 students from 17 different schools in the Great Lakes Bay Region apply for the Engineering Scholars Summer Youth Program. Students participating in the program will:

 Explore engineering by constructing a building strong enough to withstand an earthquake and create an artificial intelligence army.

 Get inside information from role models working in engineering fields.

 Work in teams to solve engineering problems and complete group projects.

 Experience college life by staying in a residence hall, exploring campus, and meeting others with similar interests.

 Enjoy team competitions, a variety show, and many outdoor activities in Michigan's beautiful Keweenaw Peninsula.

"We have been running Summer Youth Programs at Michigan Tech since 1972. It' a great opportunity to give students a chance to explore different fields of engineering in a hands-on way," said Amanda Jackson, Assistant Director of the Center for Pre-College Outreach at Michigan Technological University.

"We appreciate the support HSC gives these students so they can attend the program without having to worry about the cost."

The 33 students who won the scholarships attended a recognition event and informational meeting at HSC with their parents.

The Engineering Scholars Summer Youth Program runs from July 21-28.

Midland winners included: Jared Poliskey, H.H. Dow High School; Isabelle Rhee, H.H. Dow High School; Tristan Brewer, H.H. Dow High School; Corbin Fleming-Dittenber, Midland High School; Stephen Gillman, Midland High School; Carlie Servinski, Midland High School; and Samuel Yoder, Midland High School.
Meridian Early College High School will host its Decision Day in celebration of its seniors at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in the school gym.

The goal of College Decision Day is to recognize high school seniors for their postsecondary educational plans and encourage younger students and families to prepare early for postsecondary education. A product of Michigan College Access Network (MCAN), it is inspired by the NCAA's National Signing Day to reinforce that excellence in the classroom should be given as much pomp and circumstance as excellence as an athlete.
Cedarville University hosted its 122nd annual commencement on May 5. The follow local students graduated:

 Abigail Barnes of Midland, with a degree in prelaw.

 Kurtis DePree of Midland, with a degree in accounting.

 Kelsey DePree of Midland, with a degree in music education-multi-age.

Cedarville University, located between Dayton and Columbus, Ohio, is an accredited Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,963 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study.
A team of 12 senior engineering and computer science students at Saginaw Valley State University have designed a robot prototype that would be capable of mining a simulated surface of the planet Mars. They will see how their design stacks up this week against the nation's best.

NASA is hosting its ninth annual Robotics Mining Competition at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week. This is the first year SVSU students will be among the 55 U.S. colleges and universities to compete.

The SVSU Robotics Club tested their creative and problem-solving abilities over the past year. Electrical engineering students took the reins on building the mechanical and electrical system for the robot while computer science students involved worked on the navigation system for the robot.

"We wanted the project to challenge us," said Connor Peil, an electrical engineering major from Bay City. "The ability to mine on Mars is a useful resource to help in understanding that terrain. That's the first step to any sort of future colonization -- making sure you're even adaptable. That's mainly what our project overviews."

A year in the making, the robot employs the belt-mining method in which buckets attached to the belt are rotated in order to continuously dig up material. Equipped with situational-awareness sensors, the robot is capable of navigating a simulated Mars-like surface.

The students worked closely with Rajani Muraleedharan, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and advisor to the SVSU Robotics Club. She empowered students across majors to participate in the design and construction of the robot.

To qualify for the contest, Muraleedharan and the team put together a technical paper detailing their ideas for the project and how those ideas would be executed. A video demonstration of the prototype was also submitted.

"The purpose of the competition is to try to utilize universities and student minds to come up with new technology ideas," said Eric King, an electrical engineering major from Woodhaven. "In a way, NASA is outsourcing the ideas in order to find what works best."

The competition will ask teams to mine gravel which simulates the icy rocky material found on the surface of Mars. A $5,000 scholarship will be offered as the grand prize during the competition with several other prizes available.

"Ultimately, what they're looking for is design ideas," King said. "There can be a winner but they might not necessarily have the technology that transfers to what NASA would use so it's really about innovation -- you're trying to get NASA to consider a design that you came up with."

The team was assisted by several donors including StoneQuest; Joel Kiss, SVSU assistant director of campus facilities; the SVSU Foundation; the SVSU Electrical and Computer Engineer Department; Frank Hall, dean of the College of Science Engineering & Technology; Darlene Seegert, administrative secretary; as well as a number of other supporters.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Kelly Dame.

Tuesday, May 15

2:18 a.m. - Police made an arrest for marijuana possession at West Buttles and Fitzhugh streets.

Monday, May 14

1:28 a.m. - Police were sent to a loud party at Pfeiffer Court and Perrine Road.

2 a.m. - A deputy assisted a state police trooper who responded to a domestic assault in Mount Haley Township.

4:02 a.m. - Police were sent to a loud party in the 4700 block of Hampshire Court.

8:35 a.m. - A wallet and change were stolen from an unlocked vehicle overnight while it was parked in Mount Haley Township.

10:32 a.m. - A deputy was sent to a Lee Township home to check the well being of a child who was seen operating a riding mower without an adult present. The deputy found the boy, age 5, was riding the mower on the lowest gear inside a fenced in area and the mower deck was not engaged. The adult in charge, who was watching the boy, was asked to reconsider allowing the child to drive the mower.

10:55 a.m. - A deputy was sent to Greendale Township to assist an Isabella County sheriff's deputy with a traffic stop.

12:57 p.m. - A motorist was arrested at Isabella Street and Huntley Lane for driving while license suspended and on a warrant.

4:09 p.m. - Gasoline, valued at $42, was stolen from a vehicle while it was parked at a Sanford home.

4:33 p.m. - Police investigated a hit and run traffic crash at Waldo Avenue and James Savage Road.

5:53 p.m. - A deputy was sent to an illegal burn at a Lee Township home. The resident did not know burn permits were off, and immediately extinguished the fire.

7:02 p.m. - Deputies were sent to a Lee Township home for a report of a disorderly juvenile. Contact was made with mental health staff for follow up.

8:13 p.m. - A 41-year-old man was arrested in Lee Township on warrants for retail fraud, failing to appear in court on a drug charge and larceny of a vehicle.

9:31 p.m. - A deputy was sent to Ingersoll Township for an injured fawn. The fawn did not appear to be hurt, but was having a hard time getting through a fence. The deputy moved the animal to a safe location so it could be found by its mother.

9:33 p.m. - Deputies were asked to attend an Ingersoll Township board meeting. There were no problems requiring law enforcement intervention during the meeting.

9:53 p.m. - Police made arrests for a conditional bond violation at drug possession in the 600 block of Mill Street.

11:31 p.m. - Police made a warrant arrest at U.S. 10 and Ashman Street.
The lights on Midland's Tridge were blue Tuesday in honor of National Peace Officers Memorial Day. Across town, officials and residents gathered for an afternoon ceremony marking the day.

The Midland Police Honor Guard began the ceremony, conducted outside the Law Enforcement Center, by raising the U.S. flag to half staff.

Sunday marked the beginning of the 56th year of National Police Week, Midland Police Chief Clifford Block said. The week is to recognize those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, as well as those who serve today to protect the peace and the public.

The ceremony began at 4 p.m. outside the Midland Law Enforcement Center. Midland Police Chief Clifford Block and Midland County Sheriff Scott Stephenson spoke to rows of officers from both departments, as well as the Midland Fire Department.

More than 21,500 officers have died in the line of duty across the nation, with a 10-year average of one line of duty death every 50 hours, he said. There have been 54 line of duty deaths so far in 2018, Block added.

"Peace officers exemplify dedication and selflessness," Block said. "The men and women who currently serve and those who have gone before us deserve our gratitude for preserving the peace and protecting our fellow citizens."

Stephenson said the local ceremony began in 2006 when the Midland monument to fallen officers was dedicated.

"The bravery and courage you see from our law enforcement officers in our community every day should not be forgotten," he said.

Block followed a tradition he set to list the names of the seven law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty since last year's Police Officer Memorial Day, as well as the names of Midland Police officers who have died while employed.

Stephenson added the names of locals who died in the line of duty: Midland County Sheriff's Deputy Earl Martindale in 1935, Clare County Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Sherwood in 2003, and Rapid City Police Officer Ryan McCandless in 2011.

Midland County Sheriff's Office Chaplain Roger Stauffer also offered a prayer, beginning by listing some attributes law enforcement officials share, including courage, strength, and dedication.

Both Block and Stephenson thanked the community for supporting law enforcement.

"We are very fortunate to live in the community of Midland, where peace officers are appreciated for their dedication and service," Stephenson said.

The short ceremony also included the placing of a wreath and a prayer from the Rev. Wally Mayton.

"The Tridge will have blue lights on tonight in honor of today's date," Block said.

For more information about National Police Week, go to www.nleomf.org or the Officer Down Memorial Page at www.odmp.org
Motherhood is not all rainbows and butterflies. Being a mom has its struggles and challenges too and one mother and photographer from Indiana gives a raw example of what motherhood is really like.

Giedre Gomes of Cedar Lake, Indiana, used her skills with the camera to capture some of the situations that moms everywhere find themselves in with their children. In her photo series aptly titled Mother's Day, the mother of two boys shared images of the struggles of being a mother.

The Other Side Of Motherhood

In an interview with Pop Sugar, Gomes admitted that she always wanted to show the other side of motherhood. Aside from the portrait of a happy and loving mother, she wanted to show how a mom goes about her everyday life, her daily routine, in the company of her kids.

"I always have crazy ideas in my head that keep me from sleeping till I make them happen, and this one was one of them. .. I knew I wanted to show a mother butt-naked on the toilet with no privacy," Gomes said.

Gomes asked for willing models through Facebook and her first photo shows her neighbor Jamie, a mom-of-three, peeing without privacy.

The Struggles Of Motherhood

Motherhood is a lot of things. It means being your kids' entertainer, doing the never-ending laundry, never being able to sleep in, and not taking a shower in peace. For breastfeeding moms, it is a juggle to do house chores while feeding a toddler.

Shopping is never the same for those with and without kids. There is the chaos and yelling that happens when mothers bring their kids to buy books or toys. The only time moms get some "me" time at home is after they have tucked the kids to bed. They can enjoy a drink of wine, catch up on a book, or have the toilet all to themselves.

"Everyone talks about how special motherhood is and how the bond shared with a child is unlike any other. It's a magical journey that is both rewarding and satisfying, and I couldn't agree more. I absolutely love being a mom; it's the best job in the world. But motherhood is not always all rainbows and butterflies," Gomes said.

Gomes said that she also hopes her photos would shed light on the misconception about stay-at-home moms. She wanted to show that they do not sleep all day because they do not have to go out to work. Gomes said that being a stay-at-home mom is also hard work, even her husband agrees that she has a harder job than he does.
Another contender might be ready to tee off on Apples $329 iPad, and no, were not talking about Chromebook tablets again. Microsoft plans to release a $400 Surface tablet, Bloomberg reports, possibly as early as this fall. The cheapest Surface Pro model available today costs twice as much, and every other configuration sells for $1,000 and up.

The $400 tablet will shrink the Surfaces screen size from 12.3-inches down to 10-inches, Bloomberg says. Wed expect a $400 Surface tablet to offer a more modest resolution than the luscious 2,7361,824 (267 PPI) display found on the pricier Pro models. The low-cost tablet will ditch the Pros stark, hard edges for rounded corners, the report claims, as well as introduce USB-C to the Surface lineup in place of Microsofts proprietary charge port.

Microsoft is reportedly working on cheaper Surface accessories (including a keyboard and stylus) to complement the tablet, which will still include a kickstand. Both 64GB and 128GB variants will reportedly be available, as well as an LTE option.

The device will weigh 20 percent less than current Surface Pro hardware, Bloomberg says, but run for four fewer hours. While you might expect a low-cost tablet to include Qualcomm processors, especially with Microsoft pushing to make Windows on ARM a thing again, the publication hears that the $400 Surface will ship with Intel chips inside.

Thats a big difference from the first affordable Surface tablet. The ARM-powered Surface RT launched alongside the original Surface Pro, but its mobile processor limited the device to running apps from the Microsoft Store alone. Nobody wanted that, and both Surface RT and the limited Windows RT operating system died a quick death.
OnePlus has always designed its phones to be cheaper alternatives to the iPhone and other premium Android handsets, but its lower price has always brought compromises: the LCD display on the 3T, the 16:9 screen on the OnePlus 5, or the lack of optical image stabilization on the 5T. With the 6, OnePlus has all but eliminated anything that separates its handset from the Galaxy S9, the Google Pixel 2 XL, and even the iPhone X.

This time around, its not just the specs that match up with the best handsets you can buy, however. OnePlus has also given the 6 an iPhone X-style facelift, with new colors and an refined all-glass design. But the focus is on the screen, which is one of the biggest in the business and embraces the newest and most controversial trends in the phone game: the screen notch. Its not just OnePluss invest handset to date, its one of the best-looking phones around, and the whole package starts at just $529, hundreds less than the Galaxy S9 and nearly half the price of the $999 iPhone X.

Why this matters: OnePlus has cemented itself as the leading mid-range handset maker on the market, with top-of-the-line Snapdragon processors, loads of RAM, and premium materials. But the OnePlus 6 ups the ante even more, adding optical image stabilization on the main camera, portrait selfies, and gesture-based navigation as well as an all-new glass-backed design. But the notch is all anyone is going to be talking about. Love it or hate it, OnePlus is making a statement with the 6: Why spend $1,000 on an iPhone X when you can get all the same features for nearly half the price?

OnePlus 6 specs and features

Like all OnePlus phones, the 6 features a top-of-the-line processor and graphics, but like the iPhone X, its the screen that is the star of the show here. OnePlus has increased the size of the display from 6 inches on the 5T to 6.28 inches on the 6, bigger than the 6.2-inch Galaxy S9+ and just a hair smaller than the 6.3-inch Note 8. And thats with pretty much the same frame as the 5T:

OnePlus 5T dimensions: 156.1 x 75 x 7.3mm

156.1 x 75 x 7.3mm OnePlus 6 dimensions: 155.7 x 75.4 x 7.75mm

OnePlus The white version of the OnePlus 6 is accented with gold.

At 177 grams (versus 162 grams on the 5T), the OnePlus 6 is quite a bit heavier, due to its all-glass body. Elsewhere, the specs on the OnePlus 6 have been upgraded all around:

Display: 6.28-inch 19:9 AMOLED (Full HD 2280 x 1080)

6.28-inch 19:9 AMOLED (Full HD 2280 x 1080) Processor: Snapdragon 845

Snapdragon 845 Memory: 6GB/8GB

6GB/8GB Storage: 64GB/128GB/256GB

64GB/128GB/256GB Battery: 3,300mAh

3,300mAh Main camera: Dual 16MP, OIS, f/1.7 + 20 MP, f/1.7

Dual 16MP, OIS, f/1.7 + 20 MP, f/1.7 Front camera: 16MP, f/2.0

16MP, f/2.0 Colors: Mirror black, matte black, white

While the OnePlus 6 has a design reminiscent of the 5T, with visible antennas on the side and its Horizon Line aesthetic, it has switched from aluminum to glass for the rear case. Additionally, the dual camera array is now positioned vertically in the center of the case above the led flash, while the fingerprint sensor is pill-shaped rather than circular. Furthermore, the accents and edges on the white model are gold instead of black.

The front of the device looks somewhat like the LG G7, with a slim bezel at the bottom and the aforementioned notch at the top. OnePlus has thankfully kept the headphone jack and its trademark alert slider (which now simply toggles between ring, vibrate and silent) also returns on the 6, but youll find it on the right side now above the power button, with the volume rocker on its lonesome along on the left edge.

Same battery, better camera

The battery on the OnePlus 6 is the same 3,300mAh one as the 5T, and the phone features OnePluss Dash Charge technology, which provides enough power for the entire day after a half-hour of charging, which equated to roughly 60 percent of the battery on the 5T. Notable, the 6 doesnt support wireless charging despite its glass back. Also missing is IP67 or IP68 water resistance, though OnePlus says the phone can still withstand rain or an accidental drop in a puddle.

OnePlus The OnePlus 6 has a notch and facial recognition.

The camera has always been OnePluss weakest link, and its given it another upgrade on the OnePlus 6. While the megapixels and aperture are the samea main 16MP lens paired with a 20MP one, each f/1.7OnePlus has increased the main sensor by 19 percent and added optical image stabilization for what it says will deliver outstanding performance in a range of conditions, including low light. In sample images, the results were impressive, but the proof of the pudding, as they say, will be in the eating.

As far as video goes, the OnePlus 6 will record 4K video at 60fps, as well as super-slow motion mode at up to 480fps, though only in 720p. The front camera on OnePlus 6 has also been improved, with the addition of an AI-powered portrait mode with an array of effect, including circles, hearts, and stars.

OnePlus 6 price and availability

The OnePlus 6 includes a new version of its OxygenOS based on Android Oreo 8.1 and its near-stock skin earns it a place among the phones eligible to test Android P. But even if you dont dive into the beta, you can still enjoy gesture-based navigation, which replaces the navigation bar with a system similar to Googles new method. Also making a return is Face Unlock, Reading Mode, which emulates an e-ink reader, App Locker for hiding data-sensitive apps behind a password or login, and a dark theme.

OnePlus Does this look like a $529 phone to you?

OnePlus has steadily increased the price of its phones over the past several models, and the 6 follows that trend, bumping the entry-level price over $500 for the first time. For $529, you get a mirror black OnePlus 6 with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It is sold unlocked rather than through the carrier stores, so support for Verizons non-GSM network is unlikely, despite the inclusion of a new CDMA band BC1. Pricing is as follows:

8GB/128GB (Black, white): $579

$579 8GB/256GB (Matte black only): $629

The OnePlus 6 will be available in the two black varieties beginning May 22. The limited-edition silk white color will be sold in a single 8GB/128GB combination for $579 beginning June 5. Also launching today is OnePluss first Bluetooth earbuds, called Bullets Wireless, which are able to play 5 hours of continuous audio after 10 minutes of charging, for $69.
Vote for the Gaylord Herald Times Player of the Week for 9/29-10/6
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Follow Gee through some gnarly testing in San Remo - and a brush with the Italian Police! Then there's a much gentler tour of the Endura factory en route to sunny Fort William and the second round of the UK National Series.It's a big ask for Gee and Rachel this weekend, returning to the scene of last year's major injuries for the first time.The psychological elements of racing are definitely taking their toll on the siblings as they share their apprehension in the start-gate.Gee speaks openly of how disappointed he is not to have put last year's hip dislocation behind him in order to reclaim his famous Fort William pace. Charlie walks away from a finals crash but there are celebrations too with a hat-trick of victories for Rachel, Kade and Atherton Academy's Luke Williamson.@trekfactoryracingdh
Remember that social media frenzy from a few years back?

That viral dress was it black and blue or white and gold? People went bonkers over the discrepancy and the whole thing was something of a mystery. Half of the people (who actually cared about this) could swear the dress was black and blue and the rest would bet their bottom dollar the frock was white and gold.

metrouk2.files.wordpress.com

Like anything else, interest in the "dress debate" waned as people grew bored of looking at the darn thing. But if your ears are ringing, it may be due to the latest internet craze  the "Yanny/Laurel" conundrum. Thanks to a reddit user who goes by the name of "blackmagicfuckery" (classy), a posting of an audio clip is causing confusion. Some people hear "Yanny" while others are sure it's "Laurel."



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Naturally, the 2018 version of the "dress debate" is causing the collective ears of America to perk up. People are having fun weighing in on the silliness of it all, yet it is pretty interesting that different people can hear two completely different words when listening to the very same clip.

cdn.theatlantic.com

Some experts argue that, as Meghan Trainor would sing, it's "All About That Bass." Notes Vox, "What you hear depends on the amount of bass that's being produced from the device you're listening on." And as per CBS News, "Howard Nusbaum, a psychologist who studies speech science at the University of Chicago explained that differently shaped ears focus sounds differently. You might actually hear sounds differently than the person next to you."

the-hollywood-gossip-res.cloudinary.com

According to Independent, "The recording is actually two voices laid on top of each other, saying both words. Your brain is unable to hear both at once, so picks between the two  and that decides which one you hear. The difference seems to arise because the voice that says 'Laurel' is deeper than the one that says 'Yanny'. So people will be predisposed to hearing one or the other, for a variety of reasons. Younger people, for instance, are generally better at hearing higher sounds. So younger people will be more likely to hear the 'Yanny' voice."

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Yanni or Laurel? Let's call the whole thing off!

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Give it a listen and chime in with what your ears are telling you.



Melissa A. Kay is a New York-based writer, editor, and content strategist. Follow her work on Popdust as well as sites including TopDust, Chase Bank, P&G, Understood.org, The Richest, GearBrain, The Journiest, Bella, TrueSelf, AMC Daycare, and more.

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The simple truth of latter-day (cultural) event management is incontrovertible  either events are backed by colossal piles of money and can earn their heavyweight reputation from the get-go by securing the biggest names in the industry, or they are backed by not much more than well-wishing enthusiasts and have to string together pennies to try and take off the ground, more often than not only to hit a growth plateau and ultimately fade into oblivion lest an affluent benefactor sees a viable financial opportunity and saves the day.

Fortunately, Croatias INmusic festival falls into neither of those categories; while founded by rock music devotees no less than 13 years ago, it never hit a roadblock in the growth of popularity, not even throughout the European recession. Now, entering teenagehood, it is a beautiful and rare example of a music event founded by fans, for the fans, which never had too much money at its disposal but has still managed to grow into one of the worlds most formidable festivals.

Campers walk across Lake Jarun toward the festival site / Photo: Filip Busic

Taking place on the Isle of Youth, right in the heart of Zagrebs astonishing Lake Jarun, its a brilliant opportunity to relax in the nature and enjoy a few days of fresh air and pastoral imagery, while at the same time being but a spit away from the city center, and just a couple hundred miles from Croatias breathtaking coastline (you got that right  a weeklong vacation is the best way to go about this business). The strictly rock, alternative, and guitar pop oriented, three-day festival, with its limited capacity of about 30,000 people per day (neither can more people fit on the Isle of Youth, nor should there be more people; this is an ideally cut-out crowd size), and is held annually in the second half of June.

Over the past decade, INmusic implemented a peculiar business model  instead of spending the little money they had on a variety of semi-recognizable bands, they would keep the festival limited to three days, and would always spend most of their budget on one daily headlining behemoth, while filling the rest of the lineup with up-and-coming acts, many of whom would later on become household names themselves (e.g. Michael Kiwanuka). This approach yielded extraordinary results  some of the heavyweights hosted were Arctic Monkeys, the Black Keys, Florence + The Machine, Moby, N.E.R.D., and LCD Soundsystem. And the crowds just kept coming back, pulling in their friends, families and online acquaintances in the process. Last year the event saw record-breaking crowds, which congregated to witness the glory of the likes of Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon, Kasabian, and Alt-J, and in 2018 the festivals rock ethos just strengthens.

INMusic by night / Photo: Filip Busic

From June 25 until June 27, those lucky enough to snatch the $75 day passes, will bear witness to new visions from the old rock greats  among the headliners are Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Queens of the Stone Age, Interpol, David Byrne, Alice in Chains, with a sleuth of sassy supporting acts, such as the Kills, St. Vincent, Portugal. The Man, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, and more.

Among the many non-musical reasons to visit INmusic is the sheer beauty of the city of Zagreb, but also the affordability and holiday appeal of Croatias many natural marvels, especially its gorgeous coastline. INmusic has always been Europes well-kept secret, but now that its unequivocally stepping into the big leagues, you no longer have an excuse not to visit and then tell your friends all about it.
Rarely has a film been simultaneously as celebrated and beleaguered as Carl Dreyers 1928 silent masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc. The Danish filmmaker was invited by the Societe Generale des Films to create and shoot a film in France based on a female historical figure; his choices were Marie Antoinette, Catherine de Medici, or Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc was national news again, having just been canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 1920 and subsequently installed as a patron saint of France. The transcripts of Joans trial were finally published in 1921 and Dreyer used them as the primary resource for his script. Indeed, the film opens by alluding to those transcripts in a bid for historical fidelity that is reinforced by the costumes and cinematography.

Dreyer had his design architects construct one of the most expensive sets ever built for a film in the early decades of cinema. The set was meant to be a functional but slightly warped rendition of Rouen Castle. It was all of one piece, constructed of concrete, complete with a working drawbridge, a set of small houses, a cathedral, and the courtyard where the execution would take place. The expressionist touches and the full scope of the building never appear in any clear manner in the film, a fact that outraged the Societe, who were footing the 7million budget. Instead ,the film is constructed mostly from close-ups. Occasionally the camera steps back to take in the larger scene; the sweeping pan that opens the first scene and prepares us for the trial provides a notable example.

Its a clever shotparticularly in a film that employs the pan so frugally. It seems as though it were tracking the progress of a soldier as he moves across the room to set a stool down for Joan to sit upon during her interrogation. Theres a nice bit of business on the part of the soldier as he looks out toward the assembled theologians (in the foreground, mostly with their backs to us or in profile, so that when the soldier looks toward them he is also looking toward us). He seems to seek approval as he searches out the proper place for the stool, wiping it off with his sleeve. But in another sense, the shot is not really about the soldier at all. Various clergymen obscure our view of the soldier; we bear witness to the desultory movements of an assembly eager to begin a trial but clearly unsure of what to expect. The viewers eye dodges from character to character, unable to settle on any given object of consideration. In this brief sequence, the audience is met with a void. All this activity with (as yet) no object. We now come to reconsider that panning shot; its not tracking the soldier, its seeking its proper object of consideration. This invitation to indecision, however, will be short-lived. Shortly after Joan appears, mere seconds into the scene, the film will be dominated by close-ups, many of them of her face.

Few films in the history of cinema are so obsessively focused on the face as Dreyers masterpiece. Indeed, the film is imbued with a painterly quality wherein the not-quite static framing of the human visage is its main concern, its aesthetic gambit, and the source of its affective impact. Of course, Dreyer found his ideal muse in Renee Jeanne Falconetti, who plays Joan with a noble suffering, an exalted victimhood that is difficult to articulate adequately. Falconetti only appeared in two films over the course of her celebrated career (her earlier film appearance was in La Comtesse de Somerive in 1917, directed by Georges Denola and Jean Kemm). During her life, she was renowned for her stage workmostly in light comedies. When Dreyer first met her, he was unimpressed. He soon became convinced, however, that if she stripped away the makeup and the theatrical poses, then together they could expose the soul behind that facade [cited in Tom Milne, The Cinema of Carl Dreyer (NY: Barnes, 1971), 95]. She is best remembered now for her incandescent and truly immolating performance in The Passion of Joan of Arc.

Her performance was considered so heartrendingly effective that a long-standing legend holds that her suffering was real, that the demanding (perhaps sadistic) director pushed her to the edge of her rather frail mental state (Falconetti suffered from mental health issues throughout her life) in an attempt to convey Joans plight. Stories of Dreyer becoming so impassioned in his direction that his face turned bright red as he sputtered and barked orders at Falconetti pervade the literature. Yet other accounts reveal that there was far more collaboration between Falconetti and her director than subjugation of the former by the latter. Falconetti was the only cast member allowed to watch the rushes alongside Dreyer and purportedly they chose the finest segments together and Falconetti shaped her subsequent performances based on those decisions and discussions. Some witnesses claim that by the end of filming she was able to successfully satisfy the director based on her interpretation of his instructions alone, without the need for rehearsal [see Jean Drum and Dale D. Drum, My Only Great Passion: The Life and Films of Carl Th. Dreyer (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2000), 133].

Perhaps the legends of abuse arose from a desperate need on the part of viewers to explain (or explain away) the overwhelmingly palpable sense of despair that Falconetti brings to the screen. Roger Ebert, for example, described the rumor that Dreyer forced Falconetti to kneel for extended periods of time on the bruising stone floor while insisting that she remove all traces of overt pain from her faceso that her discomfiture registered as some more profound affliction, unspoken and perhaps unspeakable. Pain that intense, many viewers seem to contend, has to be real.

Falconettis performance is indeed remarkable for the manner in which she incorporates (that is, brings into her body) the suffering of the films title. The term passion derives from the Latin passio, meaning to suffer, and applies particularly to the suffering of Christ and martyrs. In other words, passion refers to a specific kind of suffering, a rather troubling kinda suffering that on the one hand is devoted to divine love and on the other hand is the result of the inscrutability of divinity itself. Joan in this film suffers on behalf of God because the authorities of the Church deny her claims of congress with the divine.

Maria Falconetti 1928  Gaumont (IMDB)

Dreyers casting choices and framing technique (again, mostly focused on faces, herethose of Joans persecutors) encourage the viewer to ascribe malevolence to the authorities interrogating Joan. These faces are largely ugly, twisted into misshapen expressions of outrage and hauteur. The theologians repeatedly attempt to ensnare her within the finer points of church doctrine. They goad her into declaring that she is now in a state of grace (such a seemingly hubristic declaration being deemed a mortal sin). She continually evades their grasp. But the theologians are themselves caught in the thorny contradictions of their calling.

Theology is a deeply paradoxical field of study in its attempt to employ reason and logic in coming to grips with what is by definition beyond reason and logic. This description applies equally to the two philosophical fields with which theology shares the most characteristics: metaphysics and ethics; indeed, we might tentatively define theology as a metaphysical system of ethics founded upon a conception of the divine. From the theologians point of view, Joan slips the traces of agreed-upon dogma and must be denounced and punished; the integrity of the Church and its authority rests upon its ability to discern divine inspiration from insanity and opportunist chicanery. In this sense, then, we might perceive Joans adamant refusal to succumb to their blandishments and threats as her fortitudinous defense of the divine in the face of human hypocrisy.

From another point of view, however, the theologians are not necessarily hypocrites (although they indeed resort to duplicitous means to extract a confession from her); they simply occupy an untenable position. If God is by definition supra-rational (beyond the reach of reason) and yet remains inscrutable, eternally hidden from view, then the only true engagement with God is through revelation and since that seems to happen most typically to individuals out of sight of witnesses, there is no adequate measure of a faith experience. In this sense, Joan is suffering not simply on behalf of God but also owing to Gods inscrutability, the divine stance beyond the realm of understanding. There is no adequation (no point of similarity from which understanding can occur) between the human and the divine. This is why the encounter with the divine is sometimes characterized as a shattering experience beyond even the sublime. The sublime is, by definition, an experience of something that cannot be adequately cognized (infinity or the awesome power of a hurricane) and yet can be withstood, can be survived. But the true encounter with the divine cannot be withstood. The Bible is full of accounts in which those who experience the divine presence are shattered in some irrevocable manner (e.g., Moses as the ostracized leader of his people or even Abraham in his willingness to murder his son). Gods favorites are also victims of an encounter they cannot possibly withstand.

The Passion of Joan of Arc can profitably be understood as a meditation on the ethical extreme of the encounter with the Other. God may be the ultimate Otherin that, by definition, the divine is the inversion of all that his human. We are mortal, God is immortal. We are limited in our power, God is unlimited. This is the way of remotion, defining God by negating all that constitutes the human. But in another sense, the encounter with God is simply the extreme example of the basis for all encounters; that is, the engagement with the Other. Any authentic encounter is the engagement of the Self with the radically Otherand foundationally, this applies to any Other. Most of our experiences arent really experiences at allthey are pre-conceived. That is, they rely upon the pre-packaged concepts we carry around with us to make sense of the world. I enter a room and see my desk and my chair and my books where I left them. Actually, I notice them but I dont really see them in the strong sense at all. They fit my expectations and I dont stop to actually encounter them. Doing so all the time would be time-consuming and tiring; the problem is we rarely stop to encounter.

The same applies to our interactions with other people. I see a stranger walking toward me and I immediately (and not always consciously) begin to categorizea man, well-dressed, walking a dog, on his Bluetooth, talking louder than necessary, etc. I make all sorts of assumptions based not on an experience in the profound sense but rather on the concepts and categories at my disposal. I didnt see that man at all, I saw his type and him as a mere embodiment of that type. I risked nothing, I changed not in the least based on my observations from the safe distance of my conceptual apparatus. The actual encounter involves risk; I leave open the possibility in my engagement with the Other that I will change. More to the point, the true encounter demands that I change in some way to accommodate the Other. The Other makes a claim upon me that (if I am true to the experience) I cant deny and cant evade. I cant simply set aside the categories I use to explain the world (or perhaps explain it away) but meeting the Other requires that I challenge those categories and put them at risk as I put my own sense of identity at risk. Engaging the Other as a person is, in this sense, not different in kind from the divine encounter. Both involve the shattering of the Self in the face of the unknown and not fully knowable.

A true encounter wants to move beyond category and this is why it so often involves the face-to-face meeting. What Dreyers focus on the face during Falconettis performance achieves is the incorporation of that divine encounter; the closeups embody the encounter within the contours of the human visage. As Emmanuel Levinas has demonstrated in numerous writings, the face refuses to succumb to the blandishments of our conceptual apparatus, our attempts to explain (away) the world we resist fully encountering: The face resists possession, resists my powers [it] speaks to me and thereby invites me to a relation [Totality and Infinity: An Essay on Exteriority, trans. by Alphonso Lingis (Pittsburgh: Duquesne UP, 1969), 197; 198].

Photo by A7A09012_295.JPG   Archives du 7e Art/Societe generale des films  Image courtesy photo12.com (IMDB)

Levinass insight seems to build upon the I-Thou relation posited by Martin Buber. For Buber, we typically engage with the world through sense perception in an I-It relationship. That is, we see the items in the world (including other people) as entities separate from ourselves (from the I) that can either be used or experienced. The I-Thou relation, according to Buber, transcends this notion of experience (in that we cannot reduce that relation and its inherent reciprocity to mere experience, to a set of data and emotional investments that we take away from the encounter). The I-It relationship involves objectification and subsumption of Otherness under the comprehensive force of the I; it always serves as a means to an end (I engage with the computer in order to write this essay; I ask the stranger for directions to the museum). The I-Thou relation erodes the sense of distinction between the Self and Other; it serves as an end in itself.

Levinas, however, raises the stakes of the I-Thou relation by denying the claim of reciprocity. The Others face does not beckon the Self into a relation of mutuality that seeks to erase the in-betweenness of the I-Itrelationship. Instead, Levinass concept of the face is inherently asymmetrical. The face of the Other makes demands and it decenters the Self. There is no mutuality involved here. The Self is always beholden to the Other in its ethical urgency. And yet, like in Buber, the engagement with the Other opens onto infinity. Because I cannot reduce the Other to a concept or some other finite structure, that Otherness draws me into a relation wherein I cannot subjugate the Other, conceptually or otherwise.

For Levinas, this puts the face in a peculiar situation. The face is far more than simply the image it presents. The face indicates the presence of the Other; that is, the irrefutable character of being with the Self at this moment (not being for the Self, useable by the Self). That co-presencing (the being-with) is an exposure of the Other, on the one hand, in that the naked openness of the face invites violence in its vulnerability and yet demands ethical forbearance in its insistence (its unspoken plea) that we act kindly toward it. The face is the source of obligation (Totality and Infinity, 201). On the other hand, the Self is also exposedexposed for what it is and what it ought to be: the Other faces me and puts me in question and obliges me (Totality and Infinity, 207). The face of the Other lays bare the Selfs inherent penchant for violence (grappling with the world by grasping it with concepts, subjugating the world to my knowledge and employment of it). The face, for Levinas, is always more than the face; it is the marker of divine presence within the human visage, the sign of the being-with that is the source of meaning and, more importantly, the source of our obligation toward the Other. In essence, this is Original Sin, the obligation that precedes our very birth. We are always already indebted to the Other; hence, for Levinas, ethics is first philosophy. Ethics precedes ontology.

Dreyer seems to have anticipated Levinass reading of the face (which, of course, has roots that stretch back to Ancient Greece and the notion that character is stamped upon the face and can be read through its contoursthe Greek word character means stamping tool). As we see close-up after close-up of Joans face, it becomes palpably more than a face. There is something discomfiting in the presence of that face, in its propensity for being-with us despite the distance of time and ontology (our realness, its status as mere image). Faces pervade the film but the theologians are generally shown at half length (meaning we usually see their upper bodies in their closeups); Joan is typically framed so we only see her face and perhaps her neck and upper shoulder. Her liquid eyes well up with tears that continually find release and flow down her cheeks; she directs her fervent stares away from her interlocutors into the abyss of the unknown, the divine presence available only to her. This face flits between dejection and transcendent illumination. Her face fills the screen; larger than life, she imposes herself upon us, demanding our attention and our sympathy.

Some commentators have dismissed this implicit demand for sympathy as the reduction of Joan to the status of victim. For instance, in an interview included as an extra on the recent Criterion Collection Blu-ray release of The Passion of Joan of Arc, Richard Einhorn, the composer of a cantata titled Voices of Light written for Joan (and used as one of the three available soundtracks for the Criterion edition), declares that his vision of Joan is founded upon her bravery, her defiance of oppression, her role as warrior. He refuses to endorse her victimization in the Dreyer film. I fear this is a gross misunderstanding of what Dreyers film accomplishes.

Joans suffering is the sign of her victory, of the unassailable ethical demand of her Otherness and her absorption within the divine presence (the proper atmosphere of all Otherness). Her suffering marks her non-compliance with the world as it is, her insistence that it be otherwise. As the film progresses, she wins over her most ardent critics. The theologians are deeply moved and many are reduced to tears when she recants her forced confession, thus assigning herself to execution. They cannot forgo her execution; the strictures under which they operate wont allow for condoning what they must perceive as heresy. And yet they are genuinely bereaved. The meditative quality of the film draws the viewer into the realization that the face is more than a faceit is a demand, it is an insistence that we must change. In a film where very little happens, our understanding of the Other is radically transformed. This is not the suffering of a victim; it is suffering as a mode of conquering the selfish assurance of the Self. What she failed to ultimately do on the battlefield, Joan accomplishes in her persecution and demise. In revealing her Otherness to the Self, she opens experience onto the divine presence that is always at the heart of any encounter with the Othernot in the sense that there must be a God but rather in the sense that the encounter with Otherness always involves the infinite, boundless source of meaning and repletion that we define as divinity. The encounter with the Other shatters our complacency, it activates the dynamic unfolding of living force that informs the ethical basis of our existence. Her suffering becomes a less oppositional and more persuasive mode of defiance than her bellicosity ever could have been.

Criterion Collection presents a new Blu-ray edition of Carl Dreyers silent masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc. They offer the film at two different rates of speed24 frames per second or 20providing rather different experiences. There are also three different scores available to accompany the film: Richard Einhorns Voices of Light, a score by Goldfrapps Will Gregory in collaboration with Portisheads Adrian Utley, and a score by pianist and composer Mia Yanashita. Extras include interviews with several of these composers, a commentary by film scholar Casper Tybjerg and an intriguing discussion by Tybjerg concerning the differing rates of speed (Tybjerg prefers the slower rate, as do I). Also included is a 1995 interview with Falconettis daughter and biographer, Helene Falconetti. The contributions by Tybjerg are well worth investigating but the other extras are rather disappointing, to be frank. I dont find either the Einhorn or the Gregory/Utley score to be engaging enough to warrant further discussion.
The James B. Edwards Bridge over the Wando River is seen in the background as the COSCO Development container ship pulls into the Wando Welch Terminal. The bridge, a key transportation artery for truckers moving cargo at the terminal, will be closed for repairs until June 11. File/John McDermott/Staff
The Wando River bridge is the link that connects Charleston region's busiest shipping terminal and largest office campuses to some of its biggest suburbs  and now it's the roadblock that separates them.

The U.S. Interstate 526 span now faces a partial closure that could drag on for weeks, throwing sand into the gears of the Lowcountry's largest economic engines and complicating the daily commutes for thousands of workers.

For now, employers are trying to bob and weave with the unfolding and unexpected traffic mess. Major employers on and around Daniel Island say they're trying to be flexible as their staffs navigate the snarl. But they haven't implemented plans to mitigate the impact  not yet, anyway.

That's true for big businesses like Blackbaud and Benefitfocus, which employ well more than 1,000 employees at their Daniel Island offices. The two technology companies say they're encouraging workers to adjust their schedules to account for the heavier traffic, and they're open to having people work from home.

"We have asked employees to be patient, allow more time if possible and travel to work as best they can," said John Mistretta, Blackbaud's executive vice president for human resources.

The same held for small firms, too. Daniel Island Development Co., where president Matt Sloan said his real estate staff looped around Mount Pleasant to avoid new commuting choke points like Clements Ferry Road. The crush of vehicles weaving through that corridor, which is notoriously slow on a normal day, brought traffic grinding to a halt.

The Port of Charleston, one of the largest drivers of traffic in the region, was also taking a wait-and-see approach. The port is opening its gates earlier and keeping them open several hours later so truckers have time to work their way in and out of its two primary shipping terminals.

In the latest notice to the industry posted on its website, the State Ports Authority warned that "this is a dynamic situation and plans may change as circumstances dictate."

In addition to the extended workweek hours, the agency is opening its gates Saturday and Sunday to accommodate drivers.

The James B. Edwards Bridge is a primary traffic artery for the Wando Welch Terminal, the SPAs largest container hub. After the westbound lanes were shut down Monday, many of the trucks hauling port cargo started taking U.S. Highway 17 and the Ravenel Bridge after exiting the terminal.

It is too early at this point to assess impacts of the issue, but in the near-term the port is focused on supporting the flow of cargo ... through expanded gate hours," SPA chief executive Jim Newsome said in a written statement. "We will continue to monitor the situation throughout the week and are striving to balance the overall impacts on traffic with the need to service our customers.

Drivers for North Charleston trucking business Bulldog Hiway Express move up to 600 containers a day to and from the port, said Phil Byrd, president and CEO. He said the industry was appreciative of the SPA's decision to keep its terminals open longer for drivers.

"I don't know what more they can do," he said.

But Byrd was worried if the westbound lanes are out of commission for an extended period.

When you restrict our ability to generate productivity, you impact drivers' earnings and customers," he said. "It just bottlenecks."

In Mount Pleasant, Mayor Will Haynie said he would call big employers in town and ask them to give workers more flexibility in their hours while the bridge is repaired. Town government will loosen its work schedules, too, he said.

"Modify your commute time and leave early  15 to 20 minutes can make a big difference," Haynie said in a statement.

Workers were likewise waiting to see what would happen to the regions reshaped traffic patterns. More people at Benefitfocus and the government consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton, for instance, decided to work from home.

Elizabeth Buske, a Booz Allen vice president who runs the companys software-development office on Clements Ferry Road, said several employees were worried that congested roads would keep them from picking up their children on time, so they signed in remotely.

Buske, who gave up on her Tuesday commute a couple of times before settling for an hour-long drive to the office, said that the closed section of bridge reminded her the heavy snowfall that brought Charleston to a standstill in January. Close to half of Booz Allen's 400 workers worked from home Tuesday, and they weren't expected to trek into the office Wednesday.

"If it's like the snow event, after a day or two, people wanted to figure out how to get back to the office because they really were tired of being in their house," Buske said.

Mike White maintains his commercial real estate office, Charleston Industrial, on Daniel island and owns two retail businesses there as well.

He said its too early to tell what the effect will be on business, but he planned to avoid heading toward Charleston if he could help it.

I have limited my activity to the airport and the North Area, he said. Im choosing not to go downtown.

He also said the coffee shop Starbucks and wine store Bin 526 that he owns might even benefit from the highway shutdown.

It might help us if people choose not to go downtown or Mount Pleasant, White said.
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Kalyn Oyer is a Charleston native who covers arts & entertainment and food & bev for The Post and Courier. She's a music festival & concert photographer and used to write about music for the Charleston City Paper, among other publications.
Food editor and chief critic

Eating all of the chicken livers just as fast as I can.
Chloe Johnson covers the coastal environment and climate change for the Post and Courier. She's always looking for a good excuse to hop on a boat.
Hannah Alani is a reporter at The Post and Courier covering race, immigration and rural life across the Palmetto State. Before graduating from Indiana University and moving to Charleston in 2017, her byline appeared in The New York Times.
Charleston-area commuters Wednesday morning were yet again forced to reckon with congestion and alternate routes after a broken cable on the James B. Edwards Bridge closed westbound lanes of Interstate 526 in addition to possible rain showers.

Traffic as of 1:45 p.m. was congested all along the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge as well as on southbound U.S. 17. Traffic was moving, on average, between 11 and 25 mph. Both north and southbound U.S. 17 are part of detour suggestions outlined by the S.C. Department of Transportation:

Southbound US 17 across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge to I-26 in Charleston.

Northbound US 17 to Highway 41 to Clements Ferry back to I-526.

State and local law enforcement agencies, including the S.C. Departent of Public Safety and the Charleston County Sheriff's Office has assigned additional troopers and deputies, respectively, to assist with traffic-detour control.

What exactly is causing the traffic headache?

South Carolina transportation officials on Monday closed westbound Interstate 526, citing a broken cable on the Wando River bridge.

DOT tweeted on Wednesday that Charleston County will fly a helicopter for a traffic flow management team. Engineers will then assess traffic patterns on and off the detour routes.

You can view select areas of DOT roads, including areas experiencing delays, here via above-street cameras.

I think my nose is running faster than I'm moving.  #chstrfc #momlife  Joyce Flower (@joyceycouture) May 16, 2018

A news conference with state transportation officials at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday is expected to yield more information regarding a timeline for repairs and how much longer the colossal traffic snafu is expected to last.

Since Monday evening, traffic has crawled through the East Cooper area and along detour routes during peak travel times.

The forecast

Motorists who were stuck in the morning rush-hour traffic were, for the most part, spared rainfall.

Throughout Wednesday afternoon and evening, however, there's an increased chance of showers and thunderstorms. The National Weather Service predicted a 60-percent chance of showers in the afternoon, turning into a 50-percent chance of thunderstorms in the evening.

Until then, expect mostly cloudy skies with a high near 83.

The Weather Service expected the heaviest rainfall to stay along and inland of Interstate 95, although it is not forecast to exceed a quarter of an inch.

Widespread flooding won't be likely, although drivers should be wary of low-lying areas that typically flood during high tides or rain.

This story will be updated.
David Slade is a senior Post and Courier reporter. His work has been honored nationally by Society of Professional Journalists, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Scripps foundation and others. Reach him at 843-937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.com
Prolonging a traffic nightmare for tens of thousands of Charleston-area residents, the Wando River bridge over westbound Interstate 526 will remain closed for four weeks as a broken cable tying the span together is repaired, officials said Wednesday.

The state Department of Transportation announced the temporary fix after national experts toured the hollow interior of the nearly 30-year-old James B. Edwards Bridge.

But more questions emerged about its long-term health after the agency confirmed it had been monitoring the cables for breakage for at least 16 years. It's not known, though, whether concerning observations had heightened those efforts.

DOT Deputy Secretary for Engineering Leland Colvin said that barring further problems, repairs should be done by June 11. More permanent work can be completed after that, as traffic once again flows over the link that's crucial for commuters between Mount Pleasant and Charleston and for trucks that feed a major Port of Charleston terminal.

The bridge opened in 1991, and Colvin said the cables had been anticipated to last for 50 years. But he acknowledged past discoveries of corrosion in other, less critical lines that link the bridge's many concrete segments.

During a briefing, he showed photographs of the 4-inch-wide concrete and steel cable found severed on Monday, sparking an emergency shutdown. The rest of the line, which is one of eight primary cables, was slack.

"Unfortunately," Colvin said before announcing the length of the closure, "we are unable to pinpoint the exact cause of the ruptured cable."

Faced with questioning about how long the state knew of impending trouble, DOT Secretary Christy Hall said she had ordered a review of agency records "for us all to see."

Another damaged cable within feet of this week's discovery required repairs in 2016, but the DOT had also sought federal funding in 2002 for special equipment to look for such problems, a spokesman confirmed Wednesday. It was not clear whether the DOT received the aid.

"We have nothing to hide on this," Hall said. "We're all in this together."

'Sitting in traffic'

Despite law enforcement officers' manual controlling of traffic lights in Mount Pleasant and on Daniel Island, commuters continued to report travel times of two hours from northern neighborhoods of the town to Charleston. Authorities said they anticipated further tweaks of the system after traffic engineers in a helicopter examined the flow of cars during Wednesday's rush hours.

S.C. Department of Public Safety Director Leroy Smith said during the briefing in North Charleston that officers and troopers were manning 13 intersections in East Cooper.

"Although traffic is heavy, it's moving," he said. "I would ask that everybody exercise a little patience. ... We're doing our best to try to work through this."

Mount Pleasant placed several tow companies in three sections of the town to quickly clear wrecks. Meghan Ruiz Morales, manager of Safari Towing, spent Wednesday morning fielding calls for fender-benders.

"It's been super busy," Ruiz Morales said as another phone rang in the background. "I mean, super busy."

Residents north of the Isle of Palms Connector were asked to head over S.C. Highway 41, then Clements Ferry Road, which leads back to an open portion of westbound I-526.

Those to the south of the connector, officials said, should take U.S. Highway 17 south to the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and Interstate 26.

Travel times on both routes Wednesday averaged between 45 and 90 minutes, when it usually takes 20 minutes.

A handful of people skipped the morning traffic and rode the Water Taxi downtown from Daniel Island. At the Charleston Maritime Center, one passenger hopped on his bicycle, and another man walked briskly to work. Melissa Williams, a wedding planner, waited for her ride.

"It sure was more relaxing than sitting in traffic," she said of the ferry.

'A lot ... left to do'

A replacement for the 1,000-foot broken cable was delivered Wednesday afternoon on two spools tied to a truck that got a police escort to the Lowcountry. Hall had expected suppliers to need a week before shipping one here, but the state managed to obtain it from another owner, she said.

Funds from the federal government were expected to pay for the repair.

State authorities have known for years that the cables were breaking down.

After the damage was found two years ago, inspections of the twin spans' crucial underpinnings were upped to once a week. That frequency alone indicated trouble for the bridge, experts said.

One of those reviews revealed the severed cable near a joint in the bridge, forcing this week's closure. The separate eastbound span was still open.

"It was certainly a life safety issue," Hall said Wednesday, "That speaks volumes to just how concerned the DOT was. It was concerning for us to close the structure immediately."

Some water intrusion and corrosion had been noticed over the years, Colvin added.

Four primary cables run along each of the interior walls of the cavernous 1-mile-long structure. They consist of steel strands covered with concrete and wrapped in a PVC sheath.

Buried in the concrete segments that make up the bridge are 84 less critical cables. At least one of these "tendons" on the westbound side was corroded, but it "just doesn't cause that level of concern" as a break in a load-bearing cable, Colvin said.

Engineers were still coming up with a complete repair plan. Experts from the Federal Highway Administration and the state transportation agency in Florida, which has seen problems in similar bridges, gave their input after a visit Wednesday.

Contractors from a building firm and HDR Inc., an infrastructure design company, were working around the clock, Colvin added.

"Theres a lot of testing left to do," he said.

Asked whether the span could open sooner or later than the June target date, he said, "Anything's possible."

"Hopefully," he said, "nothing goes wrong."
Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations.
Jamie Lovegrove is a political reporter covering the South Carolina Statehouse, congressional delegation and campaigns. He previously covered Texas politics in Washington for The Dallas Morning News and in Austin for the Texas Tribune.
Political Reporter

Caitlin Byrd is a political reporter at The Post and Courier and author of the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Before moving to Charleston in 2016, her byline appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times. To date, Byrd has won 17 awards for her work.
Columbia/Myrtle Beach Managing Editor

Andy Shain runs The Post and Courier's newsrooms based in Columbia and Myrtle Beach. He was editor of Free Times and has been a reporter and editor for newspapers in Charlotte, Columbia and Myrtle Beach.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 19:21:16

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Anglo Pacific Group PLC--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---London England (FSCWire) - Anglo Pacific Group PLC (LSE:APF). has issued a press release with the following headline:Anglo Pacific Group PLC: Vesting, Exercise and Sale of OptionsTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Anglo Pacific Group PLC, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Anglo Pacific Group PLCSource: Anglo Pacific Group PLC (LSE: APF, TSX: APY, OTC Bulletin Board: AGPIF, FWB: HGR, WKN: 871733)Date: May 16, 2018Time: 1:20 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Anglo Pacific Group PLC and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 23:03:03

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, May 16, 2018 - Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA, OTC: BVNRY) today announced the acceptance of 4 poster presentations and one podium presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting held June 1-5, 2018 in Chicago Illinois. These abstracts are now publicly available online at https://meetinglibrary.asco.org/.

"We are very proud to participate in ASCO, the pre-eminent oncology meeting of the year. We look forward to sharing our progress with the medical community. This includes our phase 3 study of PROSTVAC, which while disappointing in its result, will still provide a number of academic and clinical learnings to the treatment field of prostate cancer, including the advancements in overall survival seen by current standards of care" said Paul Chaplin, President and CEO of Bavarian Nordic.

"Importantly, the additional posters accepted at ASCO may provide insights into our future development strategies. One study demonstrates the ability of PROSTVAC to drive increased numbers of T cells into newly diagnosed prostate cancer. Another study demonstrated that PROSTVAC combined with nivolumab is safe and has adequate clinical data in advanced metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer to proceed to the planned evaluation of this combination in the neoadjuvant setting of newly diagnosed disease, in cooperation with National Cancer Institute and Bristol-Myers Squibb," Dr. Chaplin concluded.

Presentation and Poster Titles are as follows:

Effect of rilimogene galvacirepvec/rilimogene glafolivec (PROSTVAC) on intra/peritumoral immune infiltrate in patients with localized prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy. (Abstract number 5083)

Poster Session : Genitourinary (Prostate) Cancer. June 2, 2018 from 1:15PM - 4:45PM CDT

Combination of a therapeutic cancer vaccine (PROSTVAC) and immune checkpoint inhibitors in prostate cancer. (Abstract number 5084)

Poster Session : Genitourinary (Prostate) Cancer. June 2, 2018 from 1:15 PM - 4:45 PM CDT

A trial of CV301 in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy versus anti-PD-1 therapy in subjects with non-small cell lung cancer. (Abstract number TPS9108)

Poster Session : Lung Cancer-Non-Small Cell Metastatic. June 3, 2018 from 8:00AM -11:30AM CDT

A sequential cohort study of combination immunotherapy with BN-brachyury vaccine, M7824, ALT-803 and epacadostat in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) (QuEST1). (Abstract number TPS3130)

Poster Session : Developmental Therapeutics - Immunotherapy. June 4, 2018 from 8:00AM-11:30AM CDT

Results of PROSPECT: A randomized phase 3 trial of PROSTVAC-V/F (PRO) in men with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer. (Abstract number 5006)

Oral Abstract Session: Genitourinary (Prostate) Cancer. June 4, 2018 from 3:00 PM-6:00 PM CDT



About Bavarian Nordic

Bavarian Nordic is a fully integrated biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative and safe therapies against cancer and infectious diseases. Using our live virus vaccine platform technology, MVA-BN, we have created a diverse portfolio of proprietary and partnered product candidates intended to improve the health and quality of life for children and adults. We supply our IMVAMUNE non-replicating smallpox vaccine to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile and other government stockpiles. The vaccine is approved in the European Union (under the trade name IMVANEX) and in Canada. Registration studies are currently underway in the U.S. In addition to our long-standing collaboration with the U.S. government on the development of IMVAMUNE and other medical countermeasures, our infectious disease pipeline comprises a proprietary RSV program as well as vaccine candidates for Ebola, HPV, HBV and HIV, which are developed through a strategic partnership with Janssen. Additionally, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, we have developed a portfolio of active cancer immunotherapies, designed to alter the disease course by eliciting a robust and broad anti-cancer immune response while maintaining a favorable risk-benefit profile. Through multiple industry collaborations, we seek to explore the potential synergies of combining our immunotherapies with other immune-modulating agents, e.g. checkpoint inhibitors.

For more information visit www.bavarian-nordic.com or follow us on Twitter @bavariannordic.

Contacts

Rolf Sass Srensen

Vice President Investor Relations (EU)

Tel: +45 61 77 47 43

Seth Lewis

Vice President Investor Relations (US)

Tel: +1 978 341 5271

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The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Bavarian Nordic A/S via Globenewswire


PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 09:47:01

(Paris) - Next June 27th and 28th, 2018, CF&B Communication is organizing the 14th edition of the Paris European 'MidCap Event' Spring, where selected Midcaps travelling to European financial capitals will make a stop in Paris to meet the attending institutional investors.

For two days, the top managers of listed companies from Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy Poland and Spain, will present fund managers with their activity and perspectives in pre-organized one-to-one meetings.

80 listed companies, as well as about 150 institutional investors are expected to attend this event.

Four European stock exchanges will partner the event and support companies of small and medium capitalization from their markets: BOLSA DE MADRID, BUDAPEST STOCK EXCHANGE, DEUTSCHE BORSE CASH MARKET and WARSAW STOCK EXCHANGE

INTERMONTE (Milan) is the main Partner Broker in this edition.

Registration is free for investors.

The next events organized by CF&B Communication in 2018 include: the Paris Large & MidCap Event on October 8th and 9th, the Madrid European 'Midcap Event' on November 14th and the Geneva European 'Midcap Event' on December 4th and 5th.

For further information and queries, please contact Caroline BADER - c.bader@cfbcom.fr

This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: CF&B Communication via Globenewswire


PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 05:40:16

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for West African Resources Ltd--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Scarborough , Australia (FSCWire) - West African Resources Ltd (TSX Venture:WAF). has issued a press release with the following headline:Completion of a $35 Million Share PlacementTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on West African Resources Ltd, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/West African Resources LtdSource: West African Resources Ltd (TSX Venture: WAF, OTC Bulletin Board: WFRSF, WKN: A1CZBT, ISIN: AU000WAF6)Date: May 15, 2018Time: 11:40 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of West African Resources Ltd and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 08:06:01

Taking place in Paris, France on 14-15th May 2018, attendees discussed latest trends and analysis in digital identity and authentication

Digital Identity Summit EMEA 2018 Speakers Highlight Digital Transformation Risks and Rewards

ThreatMetrix

Lizzie Clitheroe

Tel: +1 408 200 5755

Email: lclitheroe@threatmetrix.com

or

Finn Partners

Jonathan Mathias / Khizar Mohammad

Tel: 0203 217 7060

Email: threatmetrixUK@finnpartners.com

ThreatMetrix, A LexisNexis Risk Solutions Company, today highlighted key moments from the Digital Identity Summit 2018 EMEA, of which ThreatMetrix is founding sponsor. Held at Les Salons Hoche in Paris on 14th and 15th May, the event brought together digital, risk and fraud professionals from around 30 countries to explore the critical role of establishing trusted identities online to power todays digital economy. The event is part of the global Digital Identity Summit series, now in its eighth year, with the global gathering taking place later [..]

The keynote speakers included Michael Woodford, the former Olympus president who uncovered fraud and corruption at the company, and Catherine Vidal of Banque Casino, who looked at how to successfully lead industry transformation within the digital era.

The speaking programme was rounded out by thought leaders from the across the EMEA region representing key brands such as Royal Bank of Scotland, Gumtree, PwC, Visa, Yandex.Money, paysafecard.com, Lloyds Banking Group and Aite Group, as well as the highly respected independent advisor in the payments space, Neira Jones.

Themes covered by the conference included digital identity, identity theft, digital transformation, the evolving regulatory landscape in Europe and the ways in which technology can help organisations balance the rewards and customer benefits with the inherent risks involved with handling sensitive data.

At Gumtree, we put customer trust and safety front and centre. Insight into the digital identity of our users is integral for providing secure access to our services in order to provide an excellent online experience, said Fergus Campbell, Head of PR at Gumtree. The Digital Identity Summit is a key forum to share and learn about the best ways to do this, at a time when high-risk activity online is reaching new peaks.

The event comes as cybercrime attacks reach a new high in Europe  a 30% year-on-year increase for the first quarter of 2018 compared with 2017, as revealed by the latest ThreatMetrix analysis.

While the digital economy thrives, the threat of cybercrime grows in lockstep, representing a constant obstacle to business growth and transformation, said Pascal Podvin, SVP of Operations at ThreatMetrix and the Digital Identity Summit master of ceremonies. Identity is central to how businesses can seize the opportunities that the digital age presents, by offering secure and fast access to a wealth of online services. The Summit provides an opportunity for attendees to share the latest thinking and technological developments that will help organisations better anticipate fraud in new, more accurate and unobtrusive ways.

The Summit also featured the 2018 Digital Identity Excellence Awards, in honour of those who are pushing the boundaries of whats possible with digital identity. The winners of the EMEA 2018 Awards were:

Royal Bank of Scotland, winner of the Leader award

winner of the Leader award Banque Casino, winner of the Action award

winner of the Action award Crif, winner of the Partner award

winner of the Partner award Gumtree , winner of the Showcase award

, winner of the Showcase award Sky , winner of the Mobile award

, winner of the Mobile award Lloyds, winner of the Originality award

The global community will be gathering for the next edition of the Digital Identity Summit in Los Angeles from September 12-14, 2018.

To find out more about the event visit www.digitalidentitysummit.com

For Gumtrees report on trust and safety in the online marketplace, download the Psychology of Scamming.

About ThreatMetrix

ThreatMetrix, A LexisNexis Risk Solutions Company, empowers the global economy to grow profitably and securely without compromise. With deep insight into 1.4 billion anonymized digital identities, ThreatMetrix ID delivers the intelligence behind 110 million daily authentication and trust decisions to differentiate legitimate customers from fraudsters in real time.

About LexisNexis Risk Solutions

LexisNexis Risk Solutions harnesses the power of data and advanced analytics to provide insights that help businesses and governmental entities reduce risk and improve decisions to benefit people around the globe. We provide data and technology solutions for a wide range of industries including insurance, financial services, healthcare and government. Headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia, we have offices throughout the world and are part of RELX Group (LSE: REL/NYSE: RELX), a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. RELX is a FTSE 100 company and is based in London. For more information, please visit www.risk.lexisnexis.com, and www.relx.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180515006
PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 15:03:01

ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is here to stay, as evidenced by a recent Gartner survey that shows 77 percent of users use personal devices to do their work. This is compounded by the fact that the modern workforce is also physically more mobile than ever, as Duo Security revealed after analyzing one billion user logins to customer work applications - nearly 43 percent came from outside of the corporate office and network. The traditional security perimeter and relying on corporate-managed devices alone no longer meet the business needs of a modern organization.

This creates a dilemma: how can employers grant the flexibility their workforce demands while also ensuring data remains secure and accessible to only those devices that are trusted? Today Duo Security, the leading provider of zero-trust security, announces new capabilities in its flagship Duo Beyond offering that delivers mobile endpoint security and visibility with a modern, agentless alternative to traditional mobile device management (MDM) solutions.

For more than a decade, security practitioners have turned to MDM solutions to secure mobile and personal devices. MDM solutions, however, introduce several challenges. For one, users are skeptical about installing MDM on their personal devices as they are intrusive and gather personal information. Without MDM, administrators fear that they have no visibility into what devices are accessing their critical data and work applications. This vicious cycle stalls BYOD security programs, while increasing the risk for organizations.

For cloud-based human resource software provider Zenefits, and really any company looking to increase business agility, BYOD is just part of doing business.

"Using Duo Beyond, we can set strong mobile access policies to only grant access when devices meet specific security requirements, regardless of where our users are or what kind of device they're using," explained Dan Regan, Cloud Security Engineer, Zenefits. "We replaced the traditional MDM model with Duo's solution because it not only helps ensure we meet regulatory and compliance requirements, such as HIPAA and SOC 2 to protect customer data, but it also makes user acceptance and adoption a non-issue. We don't want security to be a barrier for our teams."

After Duo Beyond is deployed, administrators can use Duo's Unified Endpoint Visibility to view and monitor all devices that access corporate applications on a single dashboard, allowing for more easy tracking and enforcement of security policies when users login to access applications. At the same time, users have the flexibility to use any device they like as long as it meets corporate security policies.

Sentara Healthcare, one of the largest not-for-profit healthcare organizations in the nation with more than 300 sites of care and over 28,000 employees across the system, provides healthcare services to millions of patients. Safeguarding protected health information (PHI) and meeting compliance requirements is a must.

"The only way we knew to get insights into mobiles devices was to push an MDM tool onto users' devices, but due to cost and complexity, we didn't want to pursue this idea," explained Chad Spiers, Director of Information Security, Sentara Healthcare. "With Duo's platform, we were able to instantly get visibility into all devices accessing our network and quickly deploy access policies to shore in these devices. Duo helped us increase our security and was easy to deploy - period."

For more information, please visit https://duo.com

About Duo Security

Duo Security helps defend organizations against data breaches by making security easy and effective. Duo Beyond, the company's category defining zero-trust security platform, enables organizations to provide trusted access to all of their critical applications, for any user, from anywhere, and with any device. The company is a trusted partner to more than 10,000 customers globally, including Dresser-Rand, Etsy, Facebook, K-Swiss, Random House, Yelp, Zillow, Paramount Pictures, and more. Founded in Michigan, Duo has offices in Ann Arbor and Detroit, as well as growing hubs in Austin, Texas; San Mateo, California; and London, UK. Visit duo.com to find out more.

Media Contacts

Duo Security

Press@duo.com
PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 02:56:16

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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Endurance Gold Corporation--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Endurance Gold Corporation (TSX Venture:EDG). has issued a press release with the following headline:Endurance Announces Intention to Sell 2 Million Inventus SharesTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Endurance Gold Corporation, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Endurance Gold CorporationSource: Endurance Gold Corporation (TSX Venture: EDG, OTC Bulletin Board: ENDGF, ISIN: CA29267M1086)Date: May 15, 2018Time: 8:54 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Endurance Gold Corporation and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 08:18:02

Equinor ASA (OSE: EQNR, NYSE: STO), the new name of Statoil ASA, was approved by the annual general meeting yesterday, 15 May 2018, and the new name has now been registered in the Norwegian register of business enterprises (Foretaksregisteret). The company's shares will from 16 May 2018 (inclusive) be quoted on Oslo Brs with the new name and the new ticker EQNR.

Implementation date for the new ticker EQNR for the company's American Depository Receipts (ADRs) on New York Stock Exchange is expected to be 17 May 2018 at the earliest.

ISIN number is unchanged. See also stock market announcement dated 15 May 2018 regarding the protocol from the company's annual general meeting on 15 May 2018.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Equinor ASA via Globenewswire


Global soups market was valued at US $ XX Mn in 2017 and expected to grow at XX% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over 2018 to 2024

Global soups market

PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 15:52:33

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# 621 Words

Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXLead-Market8665981553

Global soups market was valued at US $ XX Mn in 2017 and expected to grow at XX% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over 2018 to 2024Market Outline: Soups MarketSoups is the combination of various ingredients such as vegetables and meat along with other liquids such as stock, juice etc. The soups are usually characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids until all the flavors are extracted from it, which forms a broth. There are majorly two types of soups, which include clear soups and thick soups. There are various thickening agents used in the preparation of the thick soups, which include starch, puree from vegetables, etc. Cream soups are usually thickened using butter, eggs, etc.Market Dynamics: Soups MarketThe change in lifestyle owing to rapid urbanization is the key factor anticipated to drive the growth of the soups market. The change in food habits and adoption towards the ready-to-use food are attributed for the growth of the soups market. The rising awareness among the people regarding the health benefits associated with the consumption of the soups is another factor adding fuel for the growth of the soups market. The availability of the product in various flavors is attracting the consumers, which is likely to boost the growth of the soups market. The continuous introduction of new products by the manufacturers is driving the growth of the market. The increase in health concerns are restricting people from the use of soups owing to the presence of preservatives which affect the health of the individual, is likely to hamper the growth of the soups market.Free sample of this report is available upon request @Market Scope: Soups MarketSoups market is segmented based on the product type, technology, disease indication, and distribution channelBased on the product type, the market is segmented into the following: Instant Chilled Preserved Frozen DehydratedBased on the packaging, the market is segmented into the following: Canned Pouches OthersBased on the type, the market is segmented into the following: Clear Soups Thick SoupsBased on the distribution channel, the market is segmented into the following: Super Markets/ Hyper Markets Convenience Stores OthersFree TOC of this report is available upon request @Regional Analysis: Soups MarketGeographically, global soups market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Europe soups market is the dominant market when compared with that of the other regional markets. Owing to the presence of high customer-base, the Europe region to keep the top spot in the soups market. The countries such as UK, France, and Spain contribute the largest share in this region. The Asia Pacific soups market hold the second position following the European region in the soups market. Entry of market players in to the emerging economies are enhancing the growth of the soups market in this region. The North America soups market is expected to show the least growth in the forecasted period due to the change in lifestyle of the people along with a change in food habits.Need more information about this report @Competition Assessment: Soups MarketSome of the players in the global soups market include: ConAgra Foods (U.S) Nestle (Switzerland) General Mills (U.S) Associated British Foods (UK) House Foods Group (Japan) Kraft Heinz (U.S) Nissin Foods (Japan) Baxters Food Group (UK)Notable Market Developments: Soups Market In December 2016, Campbell Soups Company has launched Well Yes! a new ready-to-serve soups line that features clean, simple and nutritious ingredients.Get access to full summary @
Global Transcatheter (percutaneous) Mitral Valve Market - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Global Transcatheter (percutaneous) Mitral Valve Market

PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 08:41:06

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# 707 Words

Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXLead-Market8665981553

Global Transcatheter (percutaneous) Mitral Valve Market - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024Global Transcatheter (percutaneous) Mitral Valve Market: By Product Type (Transfemoral implantation, Transapical implantation), By Distribution Channel (Hospitals, Cardiac care centers, Others), and Geography - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024Global transcatheter (percutaneous) mitral valve market was valued at US $ XX Mn and expected to grow at XX% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the 2018 to 2024.Market Outline: Transcatheter (percutaneous) Mitral Valve MarketTranscatheter (percutaneous) mitral valve is used to treat mitral regurgitation (MR). Mitral valve disease is the second most common valvular heart disease in adults. MR is classified as either primary (degenerative) or secondary (functional). Primary MR from degenerative valve disease is due to a primary disruption of the mitral valve apparatus from either prolapsed or flail leaflets. Secondary MR on the other hand is due to remodeling of the left ventricle resulting inappropriate coaptation of the mitral leaflets. Trans catheter heart valve implantation procedure helps in replacing the heart valve with prosthetic valve for treatment of severe aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation. This increases survival rate of patients and helps in reducing severe degenerative aortic stenosis.Market Dynamics: Transcatheter (percutaneous) Mitral Valve MarketIncrease in the prevalence of cardiac disorders and increasing aging population are expected to drive the market. The increasing demand for less invasive procedure for high risk patients, severe aortic stenosis disorder and growing prevalence of mitral regurgitation are expected to drive the growth of Transcatheter (percutaneous) mitral valve market. Furthermore, conditions like speedy recovery, shorter span of time required for the patient to stay in the hospital are favoring the implantation of the transcatheter (percutaneous) mitral valve implantation. However, the high costs of the transcatheter heart valves, risk involved in the procedure such as improper positioning of the implant and device related issues such as product recalls by the manufacturers are expected to hamper the growth of transcatheter (percutaneous) mitral valve market.Free sample of this report is available upon request @Market Scope: Transcatheter (percutaneous) Mitral Valve MarketTranscatheter (percutaneous) mitral valve market is segmented based on the product type, and distribution channelBased on the product type, the market is segmented into the following: Transfemoral implantation Transapical implantationBased on the distribution channel, the market is segmented into the following: Hospitals Cardiac care centers OthersFree TOC of this report is available upon request @Regional Analysis: Transcatheter (percutaneous) Mitral Valve MarketGeographically, global transcatheter (percutaneous) mitral valve market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America transcatheter (percutaneous) mitral valve market is growing at unprecedented rate due to increase in the prevalence of cardiac disorders and increasing incidences of mitral valve disorders. The increasing geriatric population, high number of cases of congenital heart defects which is driving the growth of the transcatheter (percutaneous) mitral valve market in this region. The improving technological advancements and rising government funds are expected to drive the market in Europe. Furthermore, in emerging countries of Asia, increasing focus on investigational product and awareness about the treatment procedures among the patient pool is driving the transcatheter (percutaneous) mitral valve market in this region.Need more information about this report @Competition Assessment: Transcatheter (percutaneous) Mitral Valve MarketSome of the players in the global transcatheter (percutaneous) mitral valve market include: Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S) Abbott Laboratories (U.S) Edwards Lifesciences Corporation Micro Interventional Devices (U.S) Neochord Inc. (U.S) Medtronic, Inc. (U.S) St. Jude Medical, Inc. (U.S) JenaValve Technology (U.S) Livanova Plc, (U.K) Colibri Heart Valve, Llc. (U.S) Neovasc (Canada) Biotronik SE & Co. KG (Germany)Notable Market Developments: Transcatheter (percutaneous) Mitral Valve Market In Feburary 2018, Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, the global leader in patient-focused innovations for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring, has announced that it has received CE Mark for its self-expanding CENTERA valve for severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis patients at high risk of open-heart surgery.Get access to full summary @
PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-15 23:53:02

SHELTON, CT. (May 15, 2018) - Hubbell Incorporated (NYSE: HUBB) today announced that David G. Nord, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, will appear at the Electrical Products Group 2018 Conference. The event will be webcast and is scheduled to begin at 10:45AM ET on Tuesday, May 22, 2018.

The live audio of the event will be available and can be accessed by visiting Hubbell's Investor Relations section. You can also access this information by going to www.hubbell.com and selecting "Investors" from the options at the bottom of the page and then "Events/Presentations" from the drop-down menu. The audio will be archived 24 hours after the event and can be accessed by going to www.hubbell.com and selecting "Investors" from the options at the bottom of the page and then "Events/Presentations" from the drop-down menu, then selecting "Past Events".

Hubbell Incorporated is an international manufacturer of quality electrical and electronic products for a broad range of non-residential and residential construction, industrial and utility applications. With 2017 revenues of $3.7 billion, Hubbell Incorporated operates manufacturing facilities in the United States and around the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Shelton, CT.

######

Contact: Steve Beers

Hubbell Incorporated

40 Waterview Drive

P.O Box 1000

Shelton, CT 06484

(475) 882-4000





This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Hubbell Inc. via Globenewswire


PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 20:10:02

Molex Presents Heilind Asia Pacific with 2017 Molex APS Regional Distributor of the Year Award for 3rd Consecutive Year

Heilind Asia Pacific

Sarah Luo, 852-26119634

Sarah.luo@heilind.com

Heilind Asia Pacific, part of Heilind Electronics Inc. has been awarded the 2017 Molex APS Regional Distributor of the Year Award from Molex, a globally recognized provider of electronic solutions in a wide range of industries; this is the 3rd consecutive year that Heilind Asia Pacific wins the award.

Molex announced on 21 March, 2018 that it has awarded the 2017 Molex APS Regional Distributor of the Year Award to Heilind Asia Pacific. The award recognizes Heilind Asia Pacific as a leader in the distribution of electronics for industrial and commercial enterprises. Heilind Asia Pacific grew faster in Asia than any other distributor and has outperformed the market in the past 5 years. The company always try to provide professional services and comprehensive technical supports to its customers, aim high with its suppliers in order to achieve business growth together.

Mr. David Ho, VP of Molex APS Sales & Marketing and Mr. Fred Bell, VP of Molex Global Distribution presented the 2017 Molex APS Regional Distributor of the Year Award to Heilind Asia, and expressed their congratulations on behalf of Molex. The award represented the commitment that demonstrated by Heilind Asia and the contribution that it made to significant revenue growth for both companies.

Responding to the award, Martin Kent, President of Heilind Asia Pacific and Europe, said: We have worked very hard to be a favourable and desirable distributor of Molex. Thanks Molex for the great support, we value our partnership and look forward to continued expansion of our business relationship.

Heilind is authorized to distribute inventory for more than 100 world-leading manufacturers and support both original equipment and contract manufacturers in all market segments of the electronics industry, stocking products from the industrys leading manufacturers in 25 component categories, with a particular focus on interconnect and electromechanical products.

About Heilind Electronics:

Founded in 1974, Heilind Electronics, Inc. (http://www.heilind.com) is one of the world's leading distributors of connectors, relays, switches, thermal management & circuit protection products, terminal blocks, wire & cable, wiring accessories and insulation & identification products. Heilind has over 40 facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mainland China.

Heilind Asia Pacific (http://www.heilindasia.com) commenced operations in Dec 2012, and now has 19 locations throughout Asia. Its industry leading service offering to customers in Asia Pacific is the result of a commitment to the belief of Distribution As It Should Be.

About Molex:

Molex is the world's leading supplier of electronic connection devices and is committed to designing and developing innovative solutions for various important products related to daily life. The company has the largest number of product portfolios in the world, with more than 100,000 products, including everything from electrical appliances and fiber optic solutions to switches and application tools. Molex serves customers in a variety of industries, including telecommunications, data communications, computer/peripheral equipment, automotive, building wiring, industrial, consumer, medical, and military markets. The company has the highest level of research investment in the industry. The company continues to introduce innovative products and solutions in areas such as high-speed signal integrity, miniaturization, high-power transmission, optical signal transmission, and sealed connection to harsh environments. For more information, visit WWW.MOLEX.COM.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180514006
PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 15:02:02

Nomura Research Institute Recognized for Work in AI Solution Development During FTF News Technology Innovation Awards 2018

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Nomura Research Institute America, Inc.

Sayaka Takeda, +1 212-636-0539

sayaka.takeda@nria.com

Nomura Research Institute (NRI, TOKYO:4307), a leading provider of consulting services and system solutions, were recognized during the 2018 FTF News Technology Innovation Awards, being awarded Best Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) Initiative.

AI solution development and implementation was a major focus for NRI in 2017. The company announced several major partnerships in 2017 showcasing successful proof of concept studies, including a partnership with Nomura Asset Management analyzing the accuracy of AI analysis in portfolio investment decision making. An additional PoC was conducted with Mizuho Bank for AI implementation in derivative contract procedures.

Along with studies, NRI also completed a successful AI integration with Mizuho securities, implementing NRIs AI-enabled voice recognition systems to supplement Mizuhos investor/customer communication monitoring and analysis system. Firms track these communications for customer service improvements as well as for compliance needs.

AI was a major initiative for NRI during 2017, as it was for much of the financial services industry across the world. Were excited to be recognized for our work in pushing the development and implementation of thoughtful, AI-based solutions in the industry, said Shigeki Hayashi, Senior Corporate Managing Director of NRI. As our industry moves forward, we will continue to see new opportunities for AI solutions coupled with even greater potential, and NRI plans to continue to build AI solutions that meet that potential for our clients.

The FTF News Technology Innovation Awards recognize the professionals, vendors, service providers, industry bodies and regulators that have demonstrated exceptional achievement in financial services operations technology during the previous year.

About NRI

NRI (Nomura Research Institute, Ltd.), founded in 1965, delivers innovative solutions to your problems by providing insight-driven research, consulting and managed services. Leveraging our expertise, NRI caters to a wide range of operational needs of the international financial services community to establish new industry standard service. NRI empowers clients with a team of 13,000 skilled professionals in more than 50 offices globally.

For more information, visit https://www.nri.com/fit

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005
Global Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market: Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market

PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 06:46:59

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# 753 Words

Kemp House,152160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXMarketing Lead+1-866-598-1553

Global Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market: By Product Type (Tablets, Lozenges, Capsules), By Drug Release Mechanism (Sustained Release, Extended Release, Instant Release, Chewable Tablets, Effervescent Tablets, Enteric Release), By Disease Indication (Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Others), By Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacies, Retail Pharmacies, Drug Stores, Online Pharmacies), and Geography  Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 20132017 and Forecast 20182023Global oral solid dosage pharmaceutical formulation market was valued at US $ XX Mn and expected to grow at XX% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the 2018 to 2024.Market Outline: Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation MarketOral solid dosage pharmaceutical formulation are most widely used dosage forms. They are easy to manufacture and transport due to its increased chemical and physical stability. The Oral solid dosage formulations are cost effective when compared with the other kind of dosage forms. These can be formulated in various flavors in order to mask the unpleasant taste of the formulation and increase the patient compliance. The technological advancements are enabling the manufacturers to formulate new drugs such as sustained release dosage forms which minimize the frequent administration of the drug.Market Dynamics: Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation MarketMarket players are majorly focused on oral solid dosage forms due to convenience and safe way of administration. Increased sedentary and fast paced lifestyle is leading to adopt lifestyle related diseases such as obesity, diabetes. The manufacturers are targeting the population in developing countries in order to enhance the market. A significant boost is observed in the Asia Pacific region owing to increased population. Moreover, the generic manufacturers are playing a major role in the growth of the oral solid dosage pharmaceutical formulation market by introducing generic drugs in the local market. However, the high regulatory requirement is expected to hamper the market.Free sample of this report is available upon request @Market Scope: Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation MarketOral solid dosage pharmaceutical formulation market is segmented based on the type, drug release mechanism, and distribution channelBased on the type, the market is segmented into the following: Tablets Lozenges Capsuleso Hard Gelatin Capsuleso Soft Gelatin CapsulesBased on the Drug Release Mechanism, the market is segmented into the following: Sustained Release Extended Release Instant Release Chewable Tablets Effervescent Tablets Enteric ReleaseBased on the distribution channel, the market is segmented into the following: Hospital Pharmacies Retail Pharmacies Drug Stores Online PharmaciesFree TOC of this report is available upon request @Regional Analysis: Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation MarketGeographically, global oral solid dosage pharmaceutical formulation market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America dominates the oral solid dosage pharmaceutical formulation market and expected to grow at significant CAGR over the forecasted period. North America being more lucrative showing the higher expectancy of market growth. Asia Pacific oral solid dosage pharmaceutical formulation market is expected to show higher growth rate. The emerging countries such as India and China are showing a significant growth due to the entry of local market players which formulate the generic drugs.Need more information about this report @Competition Assessment: Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation MarketSome of the players in the global oral solid dosage pharmaceutical formulation market include: AstraZeneca Plc. (UK) Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (U.S) Novartis AG (Switzerland) Pfizer Inc. (U.S) AbbVie Inc. (U.S) Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Germany) Johnson & Johnson (U.S) Merck & Co. Inc. (U.S) Gilead Sciences (U.S)Notable Market Developments: Oral Solid Dosage Pharmaceutical Formulation Market In Feburary 2018, Colorcon, Inc., has introduced the Opadry EZ, Easy Swallow Film Coating System, a new product aimed at addressing the difficulty faced by many patients in swallowing oral solid dosage forms.Get access to full summary @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Contact to Precision Business Insights,Kemp House,152160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXEmail: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US):+18665981553Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com
Global Protein Expression Systems Market: Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024

Protein Expression Systems Market

PR-Inside.com: 2018-05-16 06:43:14

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Global Protein Expression Systems Market: Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024Global Protein Expression Systems Market: By Product (Yeast Cell Expression Systems, Insect Cell Expression Systems, Prokaryotic Expression Systems, Mammalian Cell Expression Systems, Algal-based Expression Systems, Cell-free Expression Systems), By Applications (Therapeutic Applications, Industrial Application, Research Applications), By Products (Competent Cells, Instruments, Services, Reagents, Expression Vectors), By End-Users (Drug discovery contract research organization, Academics, Pharmaceutical companies), and Geography - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013 to 2017 and Forecast 2018 to 2024Global protein expression systems market was valued at US $ XX Mn and expected to grow at XX% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the 2018 to 2024.Market Outline: Protein Expression Systems MarketProtein expression refers to the way in which proteins are synthesized, modified and regulated in living organisms. The development of genetic engineering and cloning has opened various possibilities of expression and isolation of heterologous proteins. The technological advancements have enabled large scale protein expression and isolation of recombinant proteins. High amount of protein is required for large scale applications such as enzyme, antibody or vaccine production. So, in such a case the system in which the protein is expressed should be easy to culture and maintained to grow rapidly. Furthermore mammalian proteins also undergo various post-translational modifications. These requirements led to the discovery of protein expression systems.Free sample of this report is available upon request @Market Dynamics: Protein Expression Systems MarketMajor driving factors for growth of the market include, an increase in R&D activities by many biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals companies to manufacture advanced biologics such as vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and therapeutic proteins. The expanding biologics market and increasing demand from proteomics market are anticipated to fuel the protein expression systems market. However, stringent government regulations related with protein therapeutics and production of biologics could hamper the growth of the protein expression systems market. The high investment in the R&D activities in the fields of biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry are expected to constrain the growth of protein expression systems market.Free TOC of this report is available upon request @Market Scope: Protein Expression Systems MarketProtein expression systems market is segmented based on the protein expression, applications, products, and end-users.Based on the protein expression, the market is segmented into the following: Yeast Cell Expression Systemso Kluyveromyces lactis (K. lactis) Systemso Saccharomyces Systemso Pichia Systemso Other Systems Insect Cell Expression Systemso Baculovirus Systemso Other Systems Prokaryotic Expression Systemso Escherichia coli (E. coli) Systemso Other Systems Mammalian Cell Expression Systemso Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) Systemso Other Systems Algal-based Expression Systems Cell-free Expression SystemsNeed more information about this report @Competition Assessment: Protein Expression Systems MarketSome of the players in the global protein expression systems market include: Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.) GenScript Biotech Corporation (China) Lucigen Corporation (U.S.) Synthetic Genomics Inc. (U.S.) Promega Corporation (U.S.) Merck KGaA (Germany) Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (U.S.) Becton, Dickinson & Company (U.S.) Agilent Technologies, Inc. (U.S.) QIAGEN N.V. (Netherlands) Takara Bio Inc. (Japan) Lonza Group Ltd. (Switzerland) LifeSensors Inc. (U.S.) Accelagen Inc. (U.S.) Geneva Biotech (Switzerland) Viva Biotech (China)Get access to full summary @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Contact to Precision Business Insights,Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXEmail: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com Toll Free (US):+1-866-598-1553Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com
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FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Xebec Adsorption Inc--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Montreal, Quebec (FSCWire) - Xebec Adsorption Inc (TSX Venture:XBC). has issued a press release with the following headline:Xebec Receives Minimum Purchase Commitment for CDN$ 51 MillionTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Xebec Adsorption Inc, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Xebec Adsorption IncSource: Xebec Adsorption Inc (TSX Venture: XBC, WKN: A0RPQ3, ISIN: CA9838911027, OTC Bulletin Board: XEBEF)Date: May 16, 2018Time: 8:30 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Xebec Adsorption Inc and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
North Korea is threatening to pull out of a historic summit with the United States and South Korea unless its current terms are reviewed from their current one-sided affair, reports say Wednesday.

The North said it was being pressured to unilaterally give up its nuclear weapon without commensurate concessions from the U.S., according to a statement by its First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye, South Korean media reported.

The announcement came hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called off a high-level meeting with South Korea.

President Donald Trump recently announced that the three-way talks would hold in Singapore.

But Mr Kim Kye said a recent statement by thee U.S. National Security Adviser, John Bolton, which suggested that the North should follow the Libyan model of nuclear disarmament and provide a complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement was problematic.

We will appropriately respond to the Trump administration if it approaches the North Korea-US summit meeting with a truthful intent to improve relations, Mr Kim Kye said. But we are no longer interested in a negotiation that will be all about driving us into a corner and making a one-sided demand for us to give up our nukes and this would force us to reconsider whether we would accept the North Korea-US summit meeting.

Mr Trump did not respond to requests from reporters on Tuesday about the development. He walked past reporters at the White House lawn without responding to chants for his immediate reaction.

The development is said to have caught Mr Trump and other U.S. officials off-guard, according to CNN.

Some commentators said the suggestion of Libya, which was compelled to dismantle its nuclear arsenal in 2003 before economic sanctions were later relaxed, could hinder progress in negotiations with the North.
Guatemala opened an embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, two days after the U.S. made the same move.

Guatemalan president, Jimmy Morales, and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, attended the embassy opening in an office complex in west Jerusalem.

Guatemala also followed the U.S. in May 1948 to be the second country to recognise Israel as capital of Jerusalem.

This is the beginning of something extraordinary, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the dedication of the new embassy on the third floor of a high-rise office building in the Malha Technological Park in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu said the move goes hand in hand with opening two days ago of the U.S. embassy in the capital.

The friendship between the U.S., Israel and Guatemala was underlined by President Morales, who arrived to take part in the ceremony.

70 years ago the U.S. and Guatemala voted in favour of partition, he said. Three friends that share friendship and loyalty.

Netanyahu noted in his remarks that there is a Guatemala Street not far from the new embassy.

I think we need more Guatemala Streets in Israel, he said. And wed also like to see Israel Streets in Guatemala.

Netanyahu said his next trip to Latin America will pass through Guatemala. He said he plans to visit the region by the end of the year.

Some 150 people crammed into the foyer of the embassy, including U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, Sheldon Adelson, Jerusalem mayor, Nir Barkat and numerous Guatemalan ministers and members of the legislature, attended the event. (Reuters/NAN)
The Governor of Yobe State, Ibrahim Gaidam, on Tuesday, approved the full implementation of the salary structure for all nurses, pharmacist and related medical personnel under the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS).

The new salary structure now places the salaries of medical workers in Yobe at par with that of the federal government.

This approval for improved pay for all Yobe medical workers other than doctors, comes at a time the week- long strike by Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has crippled most healthcare services across the country.

The JOHESU is asking for salary adjustments, promotion arrears and improved work environment for its members, among other demands from the government.

According to a statement released to PREMIUM TIMES by the Yobe State governors spokesman, Abdullahi Bego, the new salary structure (CONHESS) replaces the existing Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) which the union insisted did not adequately address their welfare needs.

The new salary structure now adds a total of N74. 3 million to the wage bill that the state government pays its workers every month.

His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has given approval for 100 per cent implementation of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals in the states health sector, the statement reads.

Prior to the approval, the CONHESS implementation rate was 70 per cent. The governor has also approved 100 per cent implementation of the revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) for medical officers.

A submission on the salaries of administrative staff of the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital (YSUTH) was also approved by His Excellency, the governor.

The total monetary implication of the approvals  which is the differential on the existing salaries being enjoyed by the three groups of beneficiaries  is N74, 335, 339.2 per month, it added.
The 2018 budget has provided for corps members to be covered by health insurance.

This will be implemented from the one percent of consolidated revenue fund to be dedicated to health, as stipulated by the National Health Act.

The chairman of Senate Committee on Health, Lanre Tejuoso (APC, Ogun Central), disclosed this at plenary on Wednesday while contributing to a motion sponsored by Andrew Uchendu (APC, Rivers).

Mr Uchendu had lamented the insensitivity of officials of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) towards corps members who fall sick during the three weeks orientation.

He made reference to Hilda Amadi who died last month at the NYSC camp in Yipkata, Kwara State.

Miss Amadi, who was a graduate of Oil and Gas Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State where she hailed from, was said to have slumped and died on April 26.

Her death came days after she suffered a bone fracture during a morning drill on April 23.

Mr Uchendu expressed disappointment at the fact that no attention was paid to her by the NYSC officials.

They refused to let her friend, Jennifer Dike, take her home as they insisted that her parents must come from Port Harcourt to pick her up.

Even when the doctors resolved to take her to Illorin for serious attention, that decision was not implemented, he said.

He said her friend, Jennifer, saw an ambulance speeding out of the camp and was surprised that when she got back to the camp clinic to see another patient was on the bed.

On the same day, corps members were assembled and informed of the death of Hilda. Neither the camp commandant nor the Kwara State NYSC coordinator deemed it necessary to visit late Hilda at the camp clinic.

The corpse was taken home to Port Harcourt after four days by a Mr Morris, the ambulance driver alone without any official from the camp accompanying him. That is not the way to treat someone who was on National service, he said.

In his remark, Mr Tejuoso stated that the one per cent of the Consolidate Revenue Fund (CRF) will ensure that youth corpers are covered by health insurance.

I want to refer to the budget that we are passing today; that the issue of youth corpers in Nigeria is well highlighted.

The introduction of the one per cent of the consolidated revenue fund that is going to be introduced in this new budget will ensure that all the youth corpers are covered by the health insurance.

At events like this, you dont need to rely on the doctors in camp. Any youth corper will be entitled to go to any hospital in the location in the local government that is covered by health insurance.

So this kind of incident wont repeat itself. The solution is included in this new budget that all the 300,000 youth corpers, every year, will be covered by the health insurance, he said.

The Senate, thereafter, observed a minute silence for Ms Amadi and commended her friend, Jennifer Dike, for being there for her till her death.

It also condemned the insensitivity of the camp commandant and the state coordinator towards the deceased.

Other resolutions made by the Senate are, mandate the Committees on Women Affairs and Youth Development to investigate the circumstances that led to the death of Hilda and

Advise the national headquarters of NYSC to ensure that only fully qualified medical practitioners are deployed to work in NYSC camps all over the country to prevent future occurrences.
The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to provide malnurished children in Nigeria with Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).

RUTF is an energy dense, micronutrient enhanced paste, used in therapeutic feeding.

The primary ingredients of RUTF include peanuts, oil, sugar, milk powder, vitamin and mineral supplements which provide all the nutrients required for recovery from malnutrition.

According to a press statement on Wednesday by the Federal Ministry of Health, the agreement is for counterpart contribution for the procurement and distribution of the commodity across the country.

There is an estimated 2.5 million Nigerian children under the age of five who have severe acute malnutrition.

Records from the ministry indicate that about about 20 percent of these children would die if nothing is done about their cases. About 90 percent of the cases are in North-west and North-east Nigeria, the records further revealed.

Malnutrition is a major health challenge in Nigeria especially in about 12 northern states where 50 percent of children under age five are malnourished or stunted.

Malnutrition also accounts for more than 50 percent of under five deaths in Nigeria.

In a statement on Wednesday, Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said the Ministry had initiated the Community-based Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) in Gombe and Kebbi States as a pilot scheme.

Mr. Adewole said the programme had reached 10 other states: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.

He added that the programme is designed to cover the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.

According to Mr Adewole, more than one million cases of acute malnutrition in children had been treated with over 850,000 cured.

The minister said the CMAM Programme in Nigeria has largely been donor driven.

He said government was committed to scale up the treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) across the country and especially in northern Nigeria.

Consequently, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) provided in the 2017 capital appropriation the sum of N1.2 Billion as contribution /Co-funding for UNICEF for the procurement of (RUTF), adding that the sum of N600 Million has been released so far.

The minister also commended the Childrens Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and UNICEF for their financial and technical support to the CMAM programme.

In his remarks, the UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria, Mohammed Fall, said SAM services have been mainstreamed into five percent (1,200) of health facilities in Nigeria.

He said it is operational in 15 percent of health facilities in the 12 northern states where the situation is most dire.

Mr Fall said Nigeria has the potential to do more by increasing its investments in nutrition and help to secure the health and well-being of mothers and children.

This, he said, would lead to better economic growth for the country.
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Popular Yoruba movie star, Aisha Abimbola, popularly known as Omoge Campus, has died.

She reportedly died in a Canadian hospital on Wednesday. The cause of death was still speculative as at press time.

Her colleague, Bisola Badmus, broke the news of her death on her Instagram page.

Other colleagues of the deceased like Ronke Odusanya, Biodun Okeowo, and Odunlade Adekola, have also expressed shock over the loss of their colleague.

According to Goldmyne TV, it was reported that the deceased allegedly died of breast cancer in Canada. The late actress was rounding off her HND programme at the Lagos State Polythenic when Wale Adenuga Productions came to shoot in her school.

The director, Antar Laniyan  who eventually became her mentor  was waiting for a cast member when Abimbola walked up to him to ask for a role in the movie.

Laniyan offered her the role of the absent actress, kicking off Abimbolas acting career.

However, the movie Omoge Campus  a film by Bola Igida  shot her into limelight in 2001.

Apart from her acting career, the deceased also ran a catering business. Her death comes almost a year after Moji Olaiyas death. The talented actress died on May 17, 2017, in Canada. She died few months after welcoming her second daughter.

Abimbola featured in indigenous and non-indigenous productions such as No Pain, No Gain, Awerijaye, So Wrong So Right, Omoge Campus, Kamson and Neighbours among others.

She made her debut as a producer with the 2016 movie Tomi Teje, which she premiered in Atlanta, with a music performance by King Rokan.

The movie was based on a true life story which she heard about during her Youth Service year in 2002. A mum of two, she was formerly married to a colleague, Victor Ibrahim.
The Senate president, Bukola Saraki, has alleged a plot by the Inspector General, Ibrahim Idris, to frame and implicate him.

Mr Saraki said this on Wednesday, telling senators he wanted to call their attention to the matter.

He alleged that the police chief had transferred some criminal suspects undergoing interrogation in Kwara to make statements to implicate him.

Mr Idris has been having a running battle with the Senate under Mr Saraki, repeatedly refusing to honour summons by the senate and accusing its members of criminal behavior.

Last night, my state governor revealed to me an information at his disposal that a group of suspects who have been arrested in our state for cultism, whose investigation has been completed and were about to be under prosecution under the state law on the advice of DPP and the ministry of justice, all of a sudden being ordered to be transferred to Abuja this morning, Mr Saraki said.

The information reaching him from the commissioner of police (is) that they have been directed by IGP to bring them to Abuja. With the information that he has, they would find how to alter their statement already made in Ilorin and try and implicate the state government and particularly myself. I felt that as we speak now, these suspects are already here in Abuja.

These acts I dont know whether to call it desperation or intimidation. All actions to undermine our democracy (are) a recipe for anarchy because we are doing our work by asking officials to obey the law, due process and subject themselves to constituted authority. I think it is important (we bring) this dangerous development to your attention, country and the international authority of the impunity we are undergoing in this country and the danger to our democracy.

Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom state, raising a point of order, moved that the issue be debated and a resolution taken.

Mr Saraki stepped down from presiding to allow his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, to preside as advised by Ibn NaAllah.

The lawmakers are commenting on the issue as at the time of filing this report.

More to come

READ FULL STATEMENT BY THE SENATE PRESIDENT BELOW.

STATEMENT BY SENATE PRESIDENT BUKOLA SARAKI INTIMATING SENATORS OF PLOT AGAINST HIM BY IGP

1. My Distinguished colleagues, there is an issue which I need to bring to your attention very urgently.

2. Last night, my State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatai Ahmed revealed to me an information at his disposal that a group of suspects who had been in police cells for several weeks for cultism and whose investigation had been concluded with prosecution about to commence under the State law based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the Ministry of Justice were ordered to be transferred to Abuja this morning.

3. According to the information available to the Governor, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Idris Ibrahim directed the Commissioner of Police in Kwara State to immediately transfer the men to the Force Headquarters. The plan, as the Governor was made to understand is that, under duress, the suspects would be made to alter the statements they already made in Ilorin. They will then be made to implicate the Kwara State Government, and in particular, myself, in their new statement.

4. This plot is part of the strategy by the IGP Idris to settle scores over the declaration by this honourable Chamber that he is not qualified and competent to hold any public office, within and outside the country and that he is an enemy of Nigerian democracy based on his usual disrespectful conduct towards lawful authorities.

5. In my own view, this plot is an act of desperation, blackmail, intimidation, abuse of office and crude tactics aimed at turning our country into a Police State where top officials cannot be made to obey the law, follow due process and subject themselves to constituted authorities.

6. I want to bring this dangerous development to the attention of all of you my colleagues, the entire country and the international community so that you can be aware of the level of impunity in our country and the danger it constitute to our democracy.

Thank you, all

Sen. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, CON.

May 16, 2018.
The Sokoto State police command has confirmed the killing of three policemen and kidnapping of an expatriate, Abul Nasir, a Syrian national working with Triacta Construction Company in the state.

The commands Public Relations Officer, Cordelia Nwawe, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that the incident occurred at about 7. 20 a.m. at the companys quarry site at Lambar Mazaru village in Bodinga Local Government Area.

Ms Nwawe said the three policemen guarding the premises were confirmed dead in the hospital, while the expatriate was taken to unknown place.

She said the police had commenced investigation into the issue with a view to releasing the abducted Syrian national and arresting the culprits.

When NAN correspondent visited the scene of the incident, some of the companys security men guarding the quarry said four hoodlums, who drove in a car with tinted glasses, attacked the place.

They said the gunmen opened fire on the policemen immediately they arrived the quarry.

They said the kidnapped expatriate was the manager of the site.

(NAN)
The deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives congress (APC) and member of the new Peoples Democratic Party bloc, Timi Frank, has said that the group cannot be intimidated and would not be taken for granted.

The so-called new PDP, or nPDP, comprises former members of the main opposition PDP who defected and teamed up with the APC ahead of the 2015 elections, and helped the party win the polls.

Now, the group claims it has been sidelined by the APC. Last week, it issued an ultimatum for the ruling party to act. The ultimatum expired Tuesday.

Mr Frank, speaking to journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, said the APC was yet to initiate talks with the aggrieved nPDP as the blocs ultimatum expired.

Following the ultimatum given in a letter to the chairman of APC party, John Oyegun, lamenting the lack of appreciation of their efforts, another faction of nPDP led by former governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu, distanced itself from claims of marginalisation.

Mr Frank condemned Mr Adamus move and those who distanced themselves from the claims and demands of the group, while urging Nigerians not to take Mr Adamu and his group serious as they were never genuine members of the nPDP bloc.

Today makes it seven days from the day our group brought this letter to the party. But as it stands, we have not gotten any response yet from them. As we have said, whatever we must have said in that letter, it is not an empty threat. If they fail to ignore us, so be it. But at the appropriate time, we are going to respond to Nigerians based on what weve said.

It is not just a mere threat, it is not just a mere ultimatum but I will tell you clearly that we are meeting our leaders, we are going to come up with a clear positions to brief Nigerians on our next step if finally they dont attend to us.

I want to make it very clear that we have no faction in our group. I saw in some of the papers I read today that there is crack in the new PDP.

There is no crack as far as we are concerned. We only have one group. We have only one leader and he remains Kawu Baraje, and I can tell you that clearly without fear or favour, and I want to make it known to all of you that Baraje is not alone in that letter.

He has the mandate of over 95 percent of some of us who joined the new PDP into the APC that make new victories successful in 2015, he said.

On the claim of marginalisation which the Adamu-led group denied, he said members of nPDP never got any key appointment except that of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and Women Affairs Minister, Jumai Alhassan.

Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi

People were elected in their various states, they were elected by their people to represent them in the Senate and in the House of Representatives. They never got there based on the fact that the new PDP should be able to benefit because they contributed in bringing the change and the government of today, therefore, lets reward them with these positions. So, this is not true.

It is very clear within our group today. The only two beneficiaries we can remember in our group are Ameachi, the Minister of Transportation, and Hajiya Alhassan, the Minister for Women Affairs. So, I want to make it very clear again that we are not going to be intimidated by any group or anybody, he said.

When asked if they would allow new party leadership at the next convention before any action, he said it would be late.

There is a legitimate leadership of APC right now and it has powers and opportunity to address the grievances and resolve issues with our group, Mr Frank said.

Mr Frank said the next line of action by the group is that the leaders would take further measures which would be made public if APC fails to respond to their demands.

Recalling what led to their departure from PDP, Mr Frank said the same situation is about to repeat itself and the PDP did not heed the groups caution until it was too late.

However, the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, has said President Muhammadu Buhari will win the 2019 election without the nPDP although he spoke of the need to address their grievances.

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai

What are we talking about? Who are these new PDP people that are threatening? This is Kwara, Kano, Sokoto, Adamawa, Rivers but I dont think Amaechi is part of them.

Buhari, then under ANPP won in all these four states. Go back to 2007, Buhari won in these four states. Even when Shekarau was running as a presidential candidate in 2011, Buhari defeated him in Kano. And, I have no doubt in my mind that even if the people threatening to leave, it will have absolutely no impact on the presidential election, the president will win Sokoto, Kwara and Adamawa easily.

Kano is already in the bag, I mean if you saw the crowd that welcomed the president without the former governor Kwankwaso, Kano has always been the presidents base.

To me that is not the issue, the issue is that they have written, they have expressed grievances, some of the grievances are legitimate and should be looked into, he said.
The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday, approved the evacuation of some seized contraband items to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Borno State.

Perishable items intercepted and seized by officers of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Lagos, form the bulk of the items to be sent to the camp, the agency said at a press conference in Lagos.

Mohammed Uba, the Area Controller of the Unit, said the items had been forfeited to the government after being condemned by the court.

For avoidance of doubt, after Court processes and Condemnation, the Presidential Committee on IDPS chaired by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) has approved the evacuation of the following items to Borno State Government for distribution to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) through the Nigerian Army Corps of Supply and Transport (NASCT), Mr Uba said.

25,318 bags of Rice 50kg (42 Traillers), 3,366 jerrycans of 25 liters, 175 gallons of vegetable oil(5 litres), 1,564 bales and 122 sacks of second hand clothing, 196 sacks and 938 pairs of used shoes. Hence the reason you see trucks lined up by the Government warehouse, he said.

Mr Uba said his men had made more seizures believed to have contravened the law of Customs. He said the seizures would be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The detained/seized items include: 30 vehicles including seven Toyota Hilux (2018 models), three Toyota Prado jeeps (2017), one Range Rover, one Ford Edge (2015), 5,516 bags of foreign parboiled rice (nine trailers), 1,078 cartons of frozen poultry products, 216 jerrycans of vegetable oil, 173 bales of used clothing, 683 pieces of used tyres, eight sacks of indian hemp weighing 134 kg among others.

Also, two containers with no: MSKU130295/2 and MRKU877714/0 had been seized for false declaration with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N25 million.

Nigeria Customs approve transfer of seized items to IDP camps Nigeria Customs approve transfer of seized items to IDP camps

A total of 14 suspects were arrested in connection to these 125 seizures, Mr Uba said.
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic (ASUP), Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa branch, has advocated capital punishment for corrupt persons in the country.

The union said this would boost President Muhammadu Buharis anti-corruption war and fast track national development.

Yusuf Hussaini, the branch chairman, made the appeal on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Nasarawa, Nasarawa State.

Mr Hussaini also called for collective efforts among patriotic Nigerians to curb corruption which is affecting the socio-economic development of the country negatively.

He underscored the need for the federal government to adopt strict measures, especially capital punishment, in punishing corrupt Nigerians to serve as deterrent to others.

In the area of corruption, President Buhari had tried; Nigerians need to support the President in his anti-corruption war in the interest of peace and national development.

If we dont kill corruption, corruption will kill us; there is the need for collective efforts among Nigerians to kick out corruption due to its negative consequences to the society.

Government can tackle corruption by applying capital punishment in dealing with corrupt Nigerians to serve as deterrent to others.

Corruption, among other social evils, has affected the socio-economic development of the country negatively and there is the need for all hands to be on deck to fight the menace in the country, he said.

Mr Hussaini advised Nigerians to do away with sentiments, corruption, injustice and abuse of office, among other social ills, for the overall development of the country.

The ASUP chairman also called on public office holders to ensure accountability, transparency and good governance while discharging their duties for the country to achieve speedy development.

He restated his commitment to continue to initiate good policies and programmes that have direct bearing on the lives of the people of the state and Nigerians at large. (NAN)
Unidentified gunmen killed the manager of a plant owned by Nigerias Dangote Industries Limited in Ethiopia on Wednesday after he was attacked in the restive Oromiya region while returning to the capital from the factory, officials said.

Oromiya, which surrounds the capital Addis Ababa, was plagued by violence for over two years, largely fueled by a sense of political and economic marginalisation among its young population.

Hundreds died in the violence that was triggered in 2015 by demonstrations over land rights, before they broadened into rallies over freedoms that spread to other regions.

The companys director died following an attack by unknown gunmen that took place while returning from the factory alongside two company employees, a government statement said.

Security forces are currently pursuing the assailants, it added.

The statement called on residents in the area to help gather details.

Representatives of the company in Nigeria were not immediately available for comment.

It was not immediately clear whether it was the companys country representative or the plant manager who died in the attack.

During the unrest, some vehicles belonging to the firm were torched by protesters.

Company heads have been in discussions with the regions authourities to boost employment opportunities.

The plant  Ethiopias largest cement producer  was inaugurated in May 2015.

The country remains under a state of emergency imposed in February, a day after prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned.

Former army officer Abiy Ahmed has since replaced him.

Since taking over amid the unrest that threatened the ruling coalitions tight grip, Mr. Ahmed has vowed a new political beginning including more democratic rights.

Thousands have been released since January, including journalists and dissidents who have been jailed for a variety of charges including terrorism.

(Reuters/NAN)
A court in Kogi state has granted a N10 million bail to Dino Melaye.

Mr Melaye, who represents Kogi west at the senate, was given bail by Justice Nasiru Ajanah.

The senator was arraigned for alleged gun-running.

He faces separate charges in Abuja, bordering on giving false information, offences he denied committing.

For the Abuja case, Justice Olasumbo Goodluck of FCT High Court, Maitama, on Wednesday adjourned until May 17 for Mr Melayes lawyer to explain why his client was not in court.

The judge, after listening to the submissions of his counsel, Ricky Tarfa, and the prosecuting counsel, Magaji Labaran, adjourned the matter.

The prosecuting counsel, Mr Labaran, had informed the court that the case was fixed for trial, but the defendant whom the court granted bail was not in court.

Responding, Mr Melayes lawyer, Mr Tarfa, told the court that he expected Mr Labaran to furnish the court with the true position.

The defendant has been charged in two other courts. He was immediately taken to Lokoja after he was granted bail in this court.

The magistrate court at Lokoja refused him bail, and ordered that he should be remanded in police custody.

He approached the high court and that court adjourned until May 16 (today) to rule on his bail application, he submitted.

He told the court that it was not a fair representation of issues if the prosecution behave as if he was not aware.

Mr Labaran, responding, told the court that Mr Melaye was granted bail which he perfected the condition, and said what he may have done is not the business of the court.

In the circumstance, we pray the court to issue an order for the surety to come and show cause.

Otherwise, we will be compelled to ask that the defendants bail be revoked, he submitted.

The judge had on March 1, 2018 admitted Mr Melaye to bail in the sum of N100 million, a surety in like sum, who must not be below grade level 14 in the Federal Civil Service.

In addition, the surety must show evidence of where he resides in the Federal Capital Territory.

(NAN)
A Jos Federal High Court II on Wednesday granted bail to a miner, Abdullahi Adamu, alias Dan-China, 16 Chinese nationals and 9 other Nigerians who are being tried by the federal government for alleged illegal mining.

Justice Musa Kurya, the presiding judge, who granted all the accused bail in the sum of N100 million, directed that they should also produce two sureties in the position of a director in the state civil service.

Mr Kurya also ordered, as pre-conditions, that the sureties must drop their international passports with the court registrar, as well as all the accused persons, pending the determination of the case filed by the Attorney General (AG) of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the award of the bail was sequel to an application made by Dan-China and 25 other accused persons through their counsel, Paul Erokoro, Joseph Danboyi and Gyang Zi, during the last sitting on Mach 28.

The federal government had on August 14, 2017 arrested Dan-China and 25 others and charged them before Justice Kurya, on a four-count charge of illegal mining at Zurak in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau.

The government alleged that the accused persons had sometimes between 2015 and 2017, made some illegal mining activities and disposing of the minerals, thereby committing offences punishable under the Miscellaneous Offences Act of Nigeria, 2004.

The offences are also punishable under the Nigeria Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.

When the matter was mentioned before the judge on March 28, Mr Erokoro had argued his application for bail for the accused persons, citing Section 36 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that every citizen is entitled to bail.

But the prosecuting counsel, Ali Alilu, had objected to the bail application, particularly for Dan-China advancing security reasons for his objection and that some of the accused had jumped bail before.

The counsel to both sides had argued strongly over the bail application till when it was evening, such that ruling on the application was not possible for the judge, who, as an interim measure, granted them (accused) an interim bail on that day, (March 28).

He had adjourned the case till Wednesday, May, 16, for ruling on the bail application.

When the case came up on Wednesday, Mr Kurya said that the argument put up by the prosecuting counsel on the issue of security reasons for Dan-China and fear of jumping of bail for the other accused could not hold water and so failed.

Since they came before me, I have nothing in my record to show that the 2nd and 26th accused have jumped bail nor any proof to show that the 1st accused is a security threat.

The 1st accused is the Managing Director (MD) of the 25 other accused persons and they need him to prepare for their defence in this matter; besides the fundamental human rights of individuals takes prominence.

I hereby hold that the bail application succeeds; I therefore grant all the accused bail in the sum of N100 million, to produce two sureties in the rank of a director in the state civil service.

They (sureties) must produce two of their passports photographs, as well as deposit their international passports with the registrar of the court, pending the determination of this case, as pre-conditions for the bail,  he ordered.

Mr Kurya, however, adjourned the case to June 28, for definite hearing.

NAN reports that the security operatives, who had on March 28 re-arrested Dan-China after the court granted them interim bail, did not even bring him to court for Wednesdays ruling on the bail application.

(NAN)
A senator, Emmanuel Bwacha, has told his colleagues how police security detail was withdrawn after he criticised the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

Mr Bwacha narrated his ordeal while contributing to an allegation raised by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, that Mr Idris was plotting to frame him.

He said the police officers abandoned him on a trip despite having duly requested their company.

I came into this chamber this morning to raise a different matter. When I heard from the President of the senate of this dangerous plot, I was humbled. Virtually every one of us stands the danger of this sort. What we should do is to also behave as if we are in the understanding that the president doesnt know. Let us also go to him that our democracy is collapsing under your watch, he said.

On Thursday, I was travelling from Abuja to Jos with policemen; I requested legitimately through a route that is notorious for kidnapping and killings. While getting to Jos, the commander of the mobile called them and said, withdraw from him and go to the nearest police station. Leave him alone. I stopped and asked, what is the matter? My simple crime is that I told the media that it is wrong for the IG not to appear before us.

In response to questions from his colleagues on how he escaped, Mr Bwacha said he managed to guard himself and drove himself back to Abuja thereafter.

They told me that they needed to withdraw, that they had the instruction to leave me alone. I stopped there because I was afraid, I decided that let them leave so that they wont know where I would lodge. So, I left them. They went to the nearest police station, abandoned me there. The next day, I managed to drive back to Abuja in fear.

The senate constituted a nine-man committee to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari to look into the allegation by Mr Saraki.
As African countries push for improved human rights across the continent, the contribution of media and civil society advocates has been adjudged critical to the attainment of the all-important goal.

At a conference held between May 10-11 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, experts and policymakers put together an extensive consultation to facilitate a continental platform to engage the representatives of African civil society organisations (CSOs).

The CSOs have been working on human and peoples rights to review the draft 10-Year Action Plan of the Human and Peoples Rights Decade, according to a statement from the AU public affairs unit.

The summit was also aimed at ensuring that the draft action plan covers all the necessary issues for effective promotion and protection of Human and Peoples Rights as captured in the Agenda 2063 of the African Union.

Nwanne Vwede-Obahor, Regional Reprsentaive of the United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Eastern Africa Regional Office, said at the opening event that civil society and the media should ensure a process that would protect human and peoples rights across Africa.

Mbari Calixte Aristide, Head of Democracy, Governance, Human Rights and Elections (DGHRE) Division at AU, represented Commissioner for Political Affairs, Minata Samate Cessouma, at the event and spoke extensively about how the action plan would be the guiding framework for collective action by all the departments and organisations concerned.

An Africa in which there is entrenched understanding and informed practice of the culture of human and peoples rights, in particular the rights of women, and their promotion, protection and popularisation, he said.

Mr Mbari said that the Department of Political Affairs recognises the need to consult with media experts and CSOs that are skilled and equipped in media management, civic engagement pertaining to promoting the rule of law, human rights, democracy and good governance at national level.

He further stated that the 10-Year Action Plan is expected to further enhance the implementation of the African Human Rights Instruments and strengthen the function of the its Mechanisms, while inculcating a culture of human rights on the continent.

Ganou Oumarou, Director-General of Regional Integration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso, said at the event that the consultation was timely as it was in compliance with decision of the Assembly of the African Union taken during the Kigali Summit held in 2016.

Mr Oumarou expressed the commitment of the Government of Burkina Faso regarding its relevant national institutions to accompany and fulfil its duties in promoting human rights, especially the women rights.

He commended the participants for their commitment and urged them a fruitful deliberation that would culminate in the issuance of Ouagadougou declaration after the two-day meeting.
A paramilitary unit controlled by then-Gambian president Yahya Jammeh summarily executed more than 50 Ghanaian, Nigerian, and other West African migrants in July 2005, Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International said today.

Interviews with 30 former Gambian officials, including 11 officers directly involved in the incident, reveal that the migrants, who were bound for Europe but were suspected of being mercenaries intent on overthrowing Mr Jammeh, were murdered after having been detained by Mr Jammehs closest deputies in the army, navy, and police forces. The witnesses identified the Junglers, a notorious unit that took its orders directly from Mr Jammeh, as those who carried out the killings.

The West African migrants werent murdered by rogue elements, but by a paramilitary death squad taking orders from President Jammeh, said Reed Brody, counsel at Human Rights Watch. Jammehs subordinates then destroyed key evidence to prevent international investigators from learning the truth.

Martin Kyere, the sole known Ghanaian survivor; the families of the disappeared; the family of Saul Ndow, another Ghanaian killed under Mr Jammeh; and Ghanaian human rights organizations on May 16, 2018, called on the Ghanaian government to investigate the new evidence and potentially seek Mr Jammehs extradition and prosecution in Ghana.

Mr Jammehs 22-year rule was marked by widespread abuses, including forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and arbitrary detention. He sought exile in Equatorial Guinea in January 2017 after losing the December 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow.

The insiders interviewed by TRIAL International and Human Rights Watch include some of the highest-ranking security commanders in the Gambian government at the time, as well as several officials present at the arrest, detention, and transfer of the migrants, a Jungler who witnessed the killings, and two who participated in a subsequent cover-up. Another Jungler who witnessed the killings was interviewed on the radio.

They said that the migrants  including some 44 Ghanaians and several Nigerians  were arrested in July 2005 at a beach where they had landed, then transferred to the Gambian Naval Headquarters in Banjul, the capital. They were detained there in the presence of the inspector general of police, the director general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the chief of the defense staff, and the commander of the National Guards. At least two of them were in telephone contact with Mr Jammeh during the operation. The head and several members of the paramilitary Junglers were also there.

The officials divided the migrants into groups and then turned them over to the Junglers. Over one week, the Junglers summarily executed them near Banjul and along the Senegal-Gambia border near Mr Jammehs hometown of Kanilai.

Mr Kyere was detained in a Banjul police station, then driven into the forest. In February 2018, he explained to Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International how he escaped, just before other migrants were apparently killed.

We were in the back of a pickup truck, he said. One man complained that the wires binding us were too tight and a soldier with a cutlass sliced him on the shoulder, cutting his arm, which bled profusely. It was then that I thought, Were going to die. But as the truck went deeper into the forest, I was able to get my hands free. I jumped out from the pickup and started to run into the forest. The soldiers shot toward me but I was able to hide. I then heard shots from the pickup and the cry, in Twi [Ghanaian language], God save us!

Mr Kyere helped the Ghanaian authorities identify many of the dead and travelled around Ghana to locate their families and promote efforts to seek justice.

Despite measures in ensuing years by Ghana as well as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations (UN) to investigate the case, no arrests have ever been made.

The Bulletin of the UN Department of Public Affairs said that an ECOWAS/UN report, never made public, concluded that the Gambian government was not directly or indirectly complicit in the deaths and disappearances but rather that rogue elements in Gambias security services acting on their own were probably responsible.

ECOWAS headquarters Abuja [Photo credit: THISDAYLIVE]

The new evidence makes clear, however, that those responsible for the killings were the Junglers, who were not rogue elements, but a disciplined unit operating under Mr Jammeh.

In October 2017, Gambian and international rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, and TRIAL International, launched the Campaign to Bring Yahya Jammeh and his Accomplices to Justice (#Jammeh2Justice), which calls for prosecuting Mr Jammeh and others who bear the greatest responsibility for his governments crimes under international fair trial standards.

President Barrow of The Gambia has suggested that he would seek Mr Jammehs extradition from Equatorial Guinea if his prosecution was recommended by the countrys Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, which is expected to begin work in the next few months with an initial two-year mandate. The government and international activists and academics have said that the political, institutional and security conditions do not yet exist in The Gambia for a fair trial of Yahya Jammeh which would contribute to Gambias stability.

President Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea said in January that he would analyze [any extradition request] with [his] lawyers. A week later, however, he said we have to protect him [Jammeh], we have to respect him as a former African head of state, because that is what is going to ensure that the other heads of state of Africa who have to leave power do not fear for subsequent harassment.

Ghanaian groups noted that the UN Convention against Torture, which Equatorial Guinea has ratified, requires a country in whose territory a torture suspect is found to refer the case for investigation or extradite that person.

Our investigation has enabled us to get closer to the truth about this horrible massacre, said Benedict De Moerloose, head of Criminal Law and Investigations for TRIAL International. The time has now come to deliver justice for the victims and their families.

The July 2005 killings

On July 22, 2005, Gambian police forces arrested approximately 50-56 foreigners in Barra, a town facing Banjul on the opposite shore of the River Gambia. It is difficult to determine the numbers with certainty but it appears the group included about 44 Ghanaians, as many as 10 Nigerians, two or three Ivoirians, two Senegalese, and one Togolese. The detained men and women, as well as one additional Gambian who was later arrested, were believed to have been killed in the ensuing week and buried near Banjul and Kanilai. The disfigured bodies of eight of the migrants were found in Brufut, on the outskirts of Banjul, on July 23, the day after their capture. No other bodies have been recovered.

Between March 2017 and May 2018, Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International interviewed 30 former Gambian security officials both inside and outside of Gambia, including 11 officers directly involved in the incident, as well as Kyere, the survivor, another Ghanaian who left the group shortly before the original arrest, the families of 15 of the Ghanaian victims, and two of the Ghanaian investigators. The organizations also translated a long radio interview with a former Jungler, Bai Lowe.

The migrants  including two women  had set off from a beach in Saly Mbour in Senegal in a hired motorized canoe hoping to meet up with a boat that would take them to Europe. They were unable to make contact with the boat, however, and landed in Barra, where they were arrested on July 22  Revolution Day celebrating Jammehs 1994 coup. They lined us up, pointing guns at us, and marched us to the Barra police, Kyere said.

Several officials interviewed said that Gambian intelligence had previously received information regarding a planned coup by mercenaries and may have mistaken the migrants for these mercenaries.

Jammeh and his ministers, the chiefs of Gambias security forces, and civilian dignitaries were attending a festival at the July 22 Square in Banjul. Several witnesses said that inspector general of police, Ousman Sonko  who is currently detained in Switzerland on charges of crimes against humanity  was at the ceremony and received a phone call that foreigners had been apprehended. Officers who were there said that Jammeh was informed and he got up and left with his security detail for his nearby compound.

Witnesses said that Sonko asked the Navy to transfer the group by boat from Barra to the Naval Headquarters in Banjul. The naval boat Fatima I had to make two trips. Kyere, who was on the second crossing, observed when they were reunited at headquarters that most of those on the first trip had been beaten and stripped of their possessions. One commander said that at least two of the high-ranking officials at the headquarters, Sonko and the National Intelligence Agency director, Daba Marenah, called Jammeh from the Naval Headquarters.

The head and several members of the Junglers, an unofficial paramilitary unit of about 12 to 25 soldiers drawn from the State Guard, were also at the Naval Headquarters. The Junglers took their name from the fact that some members had received jungle survivor training. They were also known as the Patrol Team because their original duties included patrolling the Gambia-Senegal border around the presidential residence in Kanilai. The State Guards from which the Junglers were drawn played a key role in protecting Jammeh, and they received frequent and intense training, from Iran, Libya and Taiwan, among others. From their creation in 2003-2004 until Jammehs fall in 2017, the Junglers were implicated in serious human rights violations, including torture, sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and killings.

Throughout the Junglers existence, Jammeh was in regular communication, often daily, with its leader, who at the time of the migrant killings was Tumbul Tamba. One former Jungler said Tamba received direct operational orders from Jammeh and would then convene the Junglers to brief them on the operation and to communicate Jammehs orders. The big man said to finish them, was how Tamba would convey orders to kill, said the former Jungler. Tamba reported after every mission to the president.

On July 23, the migrants were divided into groups and taken by buses to several locations around Banjul, including the Junglers unofficial headquarters, and several police stations and army barracks. Kyere said he was held at the Bundung Police Station. The police also arrested Lamin Tunkara, a Gambian who was working with the captain of the vessel which was to transport the migrants to Europe. Tunkara was later taken in the same pickup truck from which Kyere escaped into the forest. His family has never seen Tunkara again.

Gambia on Map used to illustrate the story

A first group of migrants was taken on July 23 from the Kanifing police station in two vehicles to Brufut, on the outskirts of Banjul. A former Jungler said that eight migrants were then executed by seven Junglers, assisted by several regular soldiers, with machetes, axes, knives, and sticks and left in the bushes near Ghanatown in Brufut. The migrants were handcuffed while they were slaughtered. A former police commissioner who arrived on the scene confirmed that the bodies had been badly beaten. One had had his head smashed with something heavyanother had his face broken completely [a third] had blood coming out of his ears, nose, eyes. Two former Junglers said that the migrants were killed this way following a Jammeh directive issued after the 2004 murder of a journalist, Deyda Hydara, not to use guns in killings in Gambia. The discovery of eight dead bodies with cuts and trauma wounds was reported in the Gambian press.

Based on numerous accounts, two of the Ghanaian migrants in that first group escaped during this time and sought refuge in Ghanatown, but were turned over by local leaders to the police. They have not been heard from since.

The other migrants, probably about 45, were held for a longer period in several other places of detention around Banjul, apparently while further investigations were carried out. About a week later, various Junglers rounded them up and took them to the town of Kuloro, then took them in several pickup trucks and other vehicles toward Kanilai.

Just across Gambias southern border in the Casamance region of Senegal, in an operation overseen by Tamba, the Junglers head, two Junglers covered the heads of migrants in plastic and shot them. Since it was outside the Gambia, the Junglers could use their guns. These bodies were dumped in nearby wells, including one in an abandoned village in Senegal, and another near Jammehs compound in Kanilai. One of the Junglers involved told Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International that the wells were covered with stones. The area across the border had been used by the Junglers as a killing and dumping ground in at least two other cases.

Bai Lowe, one of the former Junglers, said in a radio interview:

Tumbul [head of the Junglers] said let the guys [the two Junglers] say, We are going to kill you in the interest of our nation. He said once the guys say that, then the boys are not responsible but The Gambia as a nation will be responsibleThere are these old wells in the bush [in Senegal] belong to Fulas [a pastoralist ethnic group] where they fetch water for their cows. Two guys will just bring you to the well, execute you and throw you in the well. That is where I saw them use a pistol to killThey will just put a plastic bag over your head, shoot you and throw you in the wellThey killed up to 40 people.

One of the migrants escaped at this point and was recaptured at Kankurang near Kanilai. According to Bai Lowe, the escapee was cut to death with a cutlass by another Jungler and his dismembered body was put in a plastic sack.

After these killings, Jammeh gave two bulls to the Naval Headquarters. A former inspector general of police who later investigated the case surmised to Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International that this was to thank the Navy for its good work.

Kyere said that he was loaded into the back of a white double-cabin pickup truck, along with seven other migrants. The truck went first on a highway, then on a dirt road and into a forest, where Kyere jumped from the truck. He spent days wandering in the forest before he came to a village in Senegal where he was given some food. From there, he went to the town of Bounkiling and reported the incident to the Senegalese gendarmerie.

He was treated at the local hospital and given money and travel papers so he could go to Dakar. There, he helped the Ghanaian embassy identify the people he had travelled with and who were believed to have been killed. Back in Ghana, he located many of the victims families and, together with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), campaigned for full accountability, organizing marches and demonstrations that kept the issue alive.

International Investigations and the Destruction of Evidence

The 2005 killings quickly became a source of tension between Ghana and Gambia, particularly after Gambian authorities refused to cooperate with several attempts by Ghana to investigate the matter. During an August 2005 visit to Gambia by a delegation led by the then-foreign minister  and now president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Gambian foreign minister suggested that the eight migrants whose bodies were found may have been victims of ritual murder. According to the Ghanaians, Jammeh categorically denied any Gambian Government involvement.

The Gambian government agreed that a Ghanaian investigative team could visit the country, which it did in March 2006, but, according to an excerpt of the unpublished Ghanaian report printed in a Ghanaian newspaper, [t]he Ghana teams attempt to meet with high-level Gambian officials whose functions were related to the subject matter of the teams visit became entangled in layers of bureaucracyand it became evidently clear the Gambians were not going to be faithful to their commitment to jointly investigate the subject matter. By the time a joint ECOWAS/United Nations team was formed in 2008 to investigate the killings, the Gambian government had allegedly already taken steps to destroy evidence related to the case.

Three different sources stated that Essa Badjie, who was appointed inspector general of police in July 2008, destroyed the diary log of the Barra police station and made a new log and backdated it. Later, after Badjie was imprisoned following a falling out with Jammeh, he told a friend that Jammeh personally instructed him to forge the records.

Shortly before the ECOWAS/UN mission arrived in Gambia, Badjie and the crime management coordinator met several of the high-ranking officials who had been involved in the case in 2005 at Police Headquarters and warned them against saying anything that would incriminate the government.

Badjie explained that The Gambia belongs to all of us, we should not see The Gambia defamed or destroyed by anyone, we shall do our best for the country, one former senior military officer said. [Badjie] told me an investigation team was coming to investigate the Ghanaians. He wanted [us] not to say anything that would jeopardize the countrys integrity.

Another former senior military officer said: The message was remove incriminating evidence. They asked for the log book of the boat. The two seized and destroyed the relevant sections of the naval log books.

In 2009, Gambia and Ghana signed a Memorandum of Understanding acknowledging that the Gambian government was not complicit in the killings but would make contributions to the families as a humanitarian gesture. Jammeh said that the findings vindicated his government. At the time, Ghanas foreign minister, Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, expressed skepticism about the findings, but accepted the report to bring closure to the families and restore relations between the two countries. Gambia paid US$500,000 in compensation to Ghana, which gave 10,000 Ghana cedis (roughly US$6,800 at 2009 rates) to each of the approximately 27 victims families. Six bodies were returned to Ghana. Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International have not been able to ascertain whether the transferred bodies were, in fact, those of the murdered Ghanaians.

In the Memorandum of Understanding following the report, [b]oth Ghana and Gambia pledged to pursue through all available means the arrests and prosecution of all those involved in the deaths and disappearances of the Ghanaians and other ECOWAS nationals, especially those identified as culprits in the report. No arrests have ever been made in connection with the case, however.
A male suicide bomber on Tuesday killed five members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, while six others were injured in Madarari area in Konduga council of Borno.

Ibrahim Abdulkadir, Zonal Information Officer of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Borno, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He told NAN in Maiduguri that the incident occurred around 1:30 p.m.

He said that the bomber detonated his Improvised Explosive Device (IED), at a military check point killing the victims.

Bello Danbatta, the spokesperson of the Civilian JTF, said he lost four of his men including the leader of the task force in Konduga.

Mr Danbatta described the loss as shocking and said that many of his members had lost their lives fighting Boko Haram.

We evacuated the injured victims to the state specialist hospital for treatment he said.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army on Tuesday said it neutralised six Boko Haram members during its clearance operations at Gashigar, Borno.

Texas Chukwu, the Director Army Public Relations, who disclosed this in a statement, said some of the terrorists were wounded, while weapons were recovered during the encounter.

According to him, troops also successfully cleared Gambori, Dumbawa, Damsu, Awardi, Kanaram, Laridi, Malumdi and Yaramdi villages at the fringe of Sambisa forest.

(NAN)
Vice President Yemi Osibajo has denied claims that the killings in Benue were the outcome of a planned agenda to eliminate the people.

Mr Osinbajo, who is Benue on a two-day working visit, made the denial on Tuesday during a stakeholders meeting at the Benue Peoples Government House, Makurdi.

He said the federal government was determined to prove such insinuations false by rebuilding all damaged communities in the country.

He said the anger and disappointment expressed by the people at the meeting was right and justified but assured that government was committed to providing security for their protection.

He said there were several intervention that had been initiated to make life bearable to them.

The vice president assured that the government would dig deep into the root cause of the crises to find lasting solutions to it.

He also dismissed the religious colorations attached to the killings, saying  persecutions have always been with Christians and it is the duty of Christians to stop it.

The gospel of Jesus can not be killed by anybody; it is not fragile or written on a piece of paper, he explained.

He said the recent recruitments into the various arms of the security agencies was aimed at providing effective security protection to the people, especially communities under frequent attacks.

The vice president also condoled with the Catholic Church for the attack on its priests and worshippers at Saint Ignatius Parish Mbalom where 18 people including two catholic priests were killed by suspected armed herdsmen.

Earlier in an address, Governor Samuel Ortom, called on the federal government to fish out the killers of the two priests and their parishioners that were murdered in cold blood by gunmen.

He also called for more humanitarian aide to the state to handle the displaced people who were living in inappropriate sanitary conditions.

Also speaking at the meeting, Lawrence Onoja called for the establishment of Middle Belt Reconstruction Commission to tackle the most of the challenges the state faced especially in agriculture.

He also called on the federal government to arrest killer- herdsmen and provide protection to farmers to enable them return to their farms.

The Catholic Bishop of Gboko Diocese, Williams Avenya, regretted the attacks on innocent citizens and called on the government to encourage the ranching of livestock as a panacea to the blood bath in the Benue valley.

Also in a remark, the Speaker, Benue House of Assembly, Terkimbi Ikyange, called on the government to encourage the adoption of the Anti- Open Grazing Law by all states to end the acrimonious relationship with herders in the country.

A former Vice Chancellor, ABU Zaria, Daniel Saror, appealed to the federal government to chase out the herders who he claimed had taken over their farmlands and occupying their houses.

For Magdalyne Dura, a lecturer, the N10 billion earmarked to rebuild damaged communities was inadequate, considering the volume of damage done by the herders.

Other speakers who also supported the adoption of the anti-open grazing law include former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mike Aondoakaa, Atom Kpera, Tony Ijohor and Jerry Agada.

(NAN)
The Plateau State High Court has remanded a former governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, in Jos prison.

The court made the decision after it denied an application by Mr Jangs counsel, Robert Clarke, for his bail following his arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday.

Mr Jang, who is currently the senator representing Plateau North district, is facing a 12-count charge of diverting N6.3 billion alongside a former cashier in the office of the Secretary to the State Government, Yusuf Pam.

They were alleged to have committed the offence while Mr Jang was governor of the state.

After pleading not guilty to the charges; their counsel, Mr Clarke, applied for their bail.

But prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, opposed the application, saying the accused, particularly Mr Jang, has tough credentials as a three-time governor, former Nigerian military general and serving senator, and may therefore intimidate prosecution witnesses if given bail.

He said granting them bail will not be in the best interest of justice.

The trial judge, Daniel Longji, thereafter ruled that the accused persons be remanded at the Jos Prisons till the next sitting of the court on Thursday May 24.

Earlier on Wednesday, the court struck out charges filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against Mr Jang.

This was after counsel to ICPC, Adeshina Raheem, told the court that the commission was withdrawing its case to avoid duplication of charges against the former governor.

Mr Jang has been in the custody of the EFCC since Monday last week.
The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, on Wednesday called on the federal government to urgently address issues of restructuring, environmental degradation and underdevelopment of the Niger Delta region to ensure sustainable peace and stability.

Mr Dickson, who was represented by his Deputy, John Jonah, made the call at the 50th anniversary and wreath laying ceremony of Isaac Adaka Boro in Yenagoa.

A statement by the governors spokesman, Francis Agbo, noted that the issues which necessitated Boros 12 day revolution in the country, are still looming large in the Niger Delta region and agitating the minds of the people, fifty years after the departure of Mr Boro.

Mr Dickson, who described Bayelsa and the Niger Delta as the goose that lays the golden egg sustaining the countrys economy, wondered why the federal government and multinational oil companies have continued to subject the people to untold hardship.

The governor also urged leaders and the people of the Niger Delta to emulate the lifestyle of Boro, which represents selflessness, justice and equity.

Commenting on the deplorable state of the ecosystem, arising from the activities of oil companies and pipeline vandals, he urged youths to shun practices that would further degrade the environment.

In their separate remarks, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Konbowei Benson, and the Chief Whip, Tonye Isenah, eulogised the qualities of the late freedom fighter, noting that his agitations had brought governance closer to the Ijaw people.

The Chairman of the state Traditional Rulers Council, represented by the Ibedaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, Bubaraye Dakolo, described the 50 years anniversary as a time for self-appraisal and charged Ijaw people to strive harder to carve an enviable identity for themselves.

In their goodwill messages, the Secretary General of the Ijaw Youth Council, Alfred Kemepado, and daughter of the late hero, Esther Boro, urged the youth to uphold the ideals of Boro and eschew activities that would de-market the region.

L-right: Chairman Bayelsa State House of Assembly Committee on Security, Col.Benard Kenebai retd, Chairman, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, Mr.Wisdom Fafi, Deputy Governor of the State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah retd, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Konbowei Benson, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Felix Tuodolo, lighting the 2018 Isaac Adaka Boro Day anniversary candles at the Ijaw Heroes Park, Yenagoa. Photo by Reginald Dei Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah retd, (2nd right) cutting the tape to formally open the historic photo exhibition on Isaac Adaka Boro, as part of activities to mark the 2018 edition of the Isaac Adaka Boro Day celebrations in Yenagoa, while the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Konbowei Benson (right), Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Austin Dressman (2nd left) and Esther Boro (left) look on. Photo by Reginald Dei.

Speaking, the Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Austin Dressman, stressed the need to keep up the struggle, in achieving a restructured Nigeria, justice and economic inclusion.

Highpoint of the event was the laying of wreaths at the tomb of Isaac Adaka Boro at the Ijaw Heroes Memorial Park.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ekiti State is heading for a major crisis, as its candidate, Ayodele Adesua, has vowed to resist any attempt by the national leaders of the party to withdraw the partys participation in the coming governorship election.

Mr Adesua has also vowed not to step down or handover his ticket to another candidate, as being insinuated in some quarters.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had thrown its weight behind the ADC, recommending it to members of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement and other stakeholders seeking to change the present government ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Mr Obasanjo, however, formally withdrew from the CNM when it merged into the ADC.

But Mr Adesua has vowed not to hand over his mandate to anyone, warning that the former Osun governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who is also the national coordinator of the CNM, was behind the move.

Mr Adesua returned unopposed by all 32 accredited delegates in a primary election conducted by the party in Ado Ekiti on Sunday.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Adesua said Mr Oyinlola is attempting to impose his friend, Dare Bejide, a former diplomat, as the candidate of the party.

Mr Bejide had lost the governorship ticket of the Social Democratic Party to Akinloye Ayegbusi in the primaries held in Ado Ekiti.

Mr Adesua rejected the report that the ADC had withdrawn from participating in the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti State scheduled for July 14.

Instead, he said, party members as well as his supporters in Ekiti were resolute and ready to partake in the election.

The partys national publicity secretary, Anayo Arinze, was quoted as saying that the party was no longer interested in participating in the Ekiti election, but would align with other political parties and focus on making the desired change in 2019 elections.

It goes beyond the power of anybody to withdraw from the Ekiti governorship race on behalf of the party candidate without being delegated by the candidate to do so, the statement highlighted.

This ridiculous development gives an insight into how selfish desperation for power of a single individual can wreck the ship of a movement such as the Coalition for Nigeria Movement which is recognised locally and internationally as the team that would salvage Nigerians from the currently sinking ship of the nation.

Consequently, we will never consider sparing any effort in ensuring that we hold tight to what belongs to us regardless of how dangerous it may appear to the success of Obasanjos CNM.

Therefore, His Excellency, Dr. Olusegun Obasanjo may need to prevail on former Governor Oyinlola before it is too late.

Ayodele David Adesua and his team will never lay down the peoples mandate to fly the partys flag in Ekiti 2018 governorship election considering how much he has single-handedly laboured to fund the party to maturity in Ekiti State before having a good boost of fortune when Obasanjos CNM collapsed into it, the statement further highlighted.
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.

Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.

Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.





to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.





Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.





View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.

Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.

Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.




Machinery and electronic products still lead in trade volume with turnover of US$15.89 billion, accounting for 52.8 percent of the total. Light industrial goods achieved a transaction volume of US$8 billion, which was 26.6 percent of the gross turnover and 7.6 percent increase over last spring. Textile and garment transactions reached US$1.42 billion. The brand exhibition sector also performed well, with US$10.07 billion worth of transactions logged, which accounted for 33.5 percent of the gross turnover.

"The Canton Fair has always adhered to high quality development and we've upgraded the fair experience with innovative technologies as well as making it green and pro-environment, the exhibitors have showcased positive progress in new product development, brand building and diversification of market development," said Xu Bing, Canton Fair spokesman and Deputy Director of China Foreign Trade Centre.

The most influential international exhibition in China, the 123rd Canton Fair was attended by 203,346 buyers from 214 countries and regions, a 5.3 percent year-on-year increase and the highest in five years. The number of buyers from countries included in China's Belt and Road Initiative reached 90,576, which marked 3.86 percent year-on-year increase.

The 123rd Canton Fair also welcomed 1,076 global chain purchasing companies, 109 of which are ranked among the top 250 worldwide, including Walmart, Carrefour, Schwartz, Amazon and Aldi.

"The Canton Fair is a leading platform to connect global manufacturers and buyers. By optimizing the exhibition layout and structure, we are able to provide precise marketing and matching services to promote imports and exports," said Xu.

About Canton Fair

The China Import and Export Fair ("Canton Fair"), is held biannually in Guangzhou every spring and fall. Established in 1957, the fair is now a comprehensive exhibition with the longest history, highest level, largest scale and largest number of products as well as the broadest distribution of buyer origins and the highest business turnover in China.

SOURCE Canton Fair
BATON ROUGE, La., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirty-five Licensed Mental Health Professionals (LMHPs) across the state have been awarded an invitation to participate in the 2018-2019 Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) Learning Collaborative.

CPP is a trauma-informed, evidence-based and relationship-based therapeutic treatment for children ages 0-6 who have early trauma history and/or are experiencing emotional, behavioral, attachment and/or mental health problems. Upon completion of the training, these clinicians will be eligible for inclusion on the national roster of trained CPP providers and will receive 19.5 continuing education credits (CEUs) from the National Association of Social Workers-Louisiana.

"There is a shortage of clinicians trained to provide CPP services in Louisiana, and we appreciate these providers for their commitment to closing that gap. This training represents a prestigious opportunity for these clinicians to advance professionally, and we look forward to partnering with them to bring evidence-based CPP services to the children of our state," said Richard Dalton, MD, Behavioral Health Medical Director for Louisiana Healthcare Connections.

LMHPs who have been accepted into the program include:

From Baton Rouge, La.: Shawn Joseph, Peak Behavioral Health; Yolanda Lowery, Adolescent and Family Counseling Services; Brittany Santora, Red Stick Pediatrics.

From Chalmette, La.: Rebecca Callaway, Adam D'Arensbourg, Michelle Hebert, and Charles Strong, The Guidance Center.

From DeRidder, La.: Sarakay Reid, Beauregard Behavioral Health Clinic.

From Gretna, La.: Kimberly Andres, The First Step Youth and Family Services; Elaine Lane, Elaine J. Lane, LPC; Yelitza Gray, Family Affairs Counseling Agency.

From Houma, La.: Anastasia Arceneaux, South Central Louisiana Human Service Authority.

From Metairie, La.: Shonell Dillon, Dillon Counseling Services.

From Monroe, La.: Carolyn Bruce, River City Professional Counseling Services; Alisa Turner, Transitions Counseling & Development Center.

From Morgan City, La.: Jamie Huffman and Brandie Levy, St. Mary Behavioral Health Center.

From New Orleans, La.: Angela Breidenstine, Tulane Dept. of Child and Adolescent Psychology; Anice Butler, Community Care Solutions; Elizabeth LeCorgne, Children's Bureau of New Orleans; Dionne Parker-George, Inspiring Hope; Natasha Pena, Enhanced Destiny Services; Renee Woods, Community Therapeutic Services.

From Plaquemine, La.: Dymphna Landry, The Village Life Center.

From Raceland, La.: Emily Callais, Lafourche Behavioral Health Center; Leighanna Fulton, Wrap Around Services of Raceland; Henry Mitchell, South Central Louisiana Human Services Authority.

From Shreveport, La.: Kristal Chambers, Assured Behavioral Concepts; Ashley Enders Clinger, Clinger Family Counseling Services; E. Mary Cone, Superior Counseling Services; Marzett Harris, Family Services Unlimited; Reneka Hayes, Metropolitan Circles; Lisa Malham, Seedlinks Behavior Management.

From Thibodaux, La.: Dawn Chadwick, Strategic Interventions; Megan Jackson Warren, Magnolia Family Services, LLC.

About Louisiana Healthcare Connections

Established to deliver quality healthcare through local, regional and community-based partners, Louisiana Healthcare Connections is a Healthy Louisiana Plan headquartered in Baton Rouge, La. Louisiana Healthcare Connections exists to improve the health of its members through focused, compassionate and coordinated care. Because Louisiana Healthcare Connections believes healthy is a way of life, its members benefit from programs and services designed for their personal well-being. For more information, visit www.LouisianaHealthConnect.com.

SOURCE Louisiana Healthcare Connections

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PALO ALTO, Calif., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- 4me Inc., a SaaS start-up dedicated to improving the success of selective outsourcing, has entered into a technology alliance with Service-Flow to provide its customers greater flexibility when it comes to collaborating with their external service providers through service management application integration.

4me was founded by a team of service management experts to help organizations stay in control of the services they outsource to their various service providers. Service Integration and Management (SIAM) is a core capability of the 4me service and the secure collaboration both with internal and external providers is the compelling reason why customers like Daikin and Canon Europe have successfully deployed the solution.

Many 4me customers already run integrations with solutions from other service management vendors using the standard APIs of 4me. However, the new 4me compatibility with Service-Flow's OneiO SaaS integration hub maximizes vendor coverage in the 4me service, instantly giving leverage into any other ITSM tools including ServiceNow, BMC, Ivanti and CA and into providers such as Fujitsu, CGI, Atos, Capgemini and Dell via OneiO's pre-integrated supplier network and ecosystem. In conjunction with OneiO, 4me uniquely delivers full SLA tracking and full visibility of provider performance which other vendor solutions would fail to capture.

"The dramatic increase in the number of business applications that IT department is responsible for is making it impractical for enterprises to retain the expertise needed to support all these services," said Cor Winkler Prins, CEO and co-founder of 4me. "This is driving organizations to selectively outsource more and more services to specialized service providers. The 4me service allows the internal and external providers to collaborate seamlessly and realize true end-to-end management of services. Regardless of the number of outsourced providers within a supply chain, the real-time performance tracking features of 4me make it possible to manage all providers and effectively implement SIAM."

The service provided by 4me supports complex SLAs models with an out-of-the-box simplicity that makes it easier for organizations to selectively contract managed service providers. "Our alliance with Service-Flow technically extends the 4me service, it will advance our integration capabilities and substantiate our position as the leading SIAM solution. Commercially this also aids our channel development plans. The ease of integration with any service management application makes 4me an even more differentiated proposition and gives our partners a competitive edge, especially when they add SIAM to their solutions portfolio," concluded Cor Winkler Prins.

"We are excited to work with the 4me team. Our companies and solutions have grown from similar real-life industry experience and both are disrupting the status quo. Our position on the market is to 'enable' our partners and customers to focus on their core businesses and we are happy to be able to support 4me's global strategy," says Juha Berghall, CEO & co-founder of Service-Flow.

The availability of OneiO is immediate and will be offered through existing Partners and 4me's direct sales teams. Its formal launch will take place today at the 4me Connect 2018 event in Rotterdam.

About 4me

4me, Inc. is the provider of 4me, a SaaS service management solution that allows large enterprises to collaborate seamlessly with their managed service providers while gaining real-time insight into the level of service they receive.

Founded in 2010, 4me is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

For more information visit: www.4me.com.

About Service-Flow Corp.

Service-Flow Corp. is a software service provider specialized in developing and producing OneiO SaaS integration hub.

Founded in 2011, Service-Flow is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. Certified Service-Flow partners are supporting our clients to implement and utilize OneiO based integration solutions worldwide.

For more information visit www.oneio.cloud.

Related Images

4me-and-service-flow-announce.jpg

4me and Service-Flow Announce Alliance

SOURCE 4me Inc.

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AARP Illinois issued the following statement Wednesday calling for an up-or-down vote soon in the Illinois Senate on HB 4900, which could push Illinois to the forefront of national efforts to rein in surprise price gouging that can lead to massive increases in the cost of specific prescription drugs.

"On April 19, the Illinois House of Representatives gave bipartisan approval, 65-38, to landmark legislation that would put the interests of financially stressed families ahead of pharmaceutical companies and lobbyists," said Ryan Gruenenfelder, AARP Illinois' Director of Advocacy and Outreach.

"While generic drug prices can provide good value overall, that's no help to you if the particular drug you need suddenly costs 500 percent more. There's no room in many older Illinoisans' budgets for this kind of price gouging. And yet they must have these prescription medicines to avoid sometimes catastrophic health consequences."

"Illinois has the opportunity to become a national leader on an issue that is important to older Illinois voters. We're asking Senate President John Cullerton to allow this legislation to come to the Senate floor for an up-and-down vote. AARP's 1.6 million members are watching closely, and they'll remember where our elected officials stand."

AARP Illinois has 1.6 million members statewide. AARP has reached out to nearly 300,000 Illinois "E-activists" urging them to contact legislators urging passage of HB 4900.

Gruenenfelder shared a personal story of how his life was saved when, as a child, he suffered an allergic reaction that hospital emergency-room staff were able to counteract. Afterward, his parents kept Epi-Pens close at hand to treat a recurrence of this dangerous allergic reaction.

Between 2010 and 2015, according to a Government Accounting Office (GAO) study, the price of Epi-Pens jumped 508 percent. The price for Albuterol sulfate, which treats asthma, jumped more than 4,000 percent and the lifesaving Naloxone Auto-Injector, used to treat opioid overdoses, rose 508 percent in the GAO study.

Generic drugs play a vital role in maintaining the health of older Americans. Some 88 percent of medications prescribed are now generics.

The proposed legislation prohibits price gouging in the sale of a generic drug and sets thresholds for generic drug price increases  30 percent for the first year, 50 percent for the second year and 75 percent over three years.

Under the bill, drug companies seeking to raise prices above the threshold would have to justify the increases to the state Attorney General, if the Attorney General has reason to believe that a manufacturer or wholesale drug distributor of an essential off-patent or generic drug has violated the act.

State health officials would monitor the costs of generic prescription drugs covered under the state employees' health plan, Medicaid or the state Medical Assistance Program. If the state health officials see spikes in prices above the law's threshold, they may notify the attorney general of any increase in the price of a generic drug that amounts to price gouging. Drug companies would have 45 days to show the Attorney General that the price increases are justified.

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to families with a focus on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

SOURCE AARP Illinois

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ANAHEIM, Calif., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Custom label manufacturer Adcraft Labels announced today they have won multiple awards at the 2018 Print Excellence competition. The Printing Industries Association, Inc. of Southern California created this event 14 years ago to recognize companies who demonstrate outstanding innovation, creativity, and quality in the printing process.

Adcraft Labels wins two Best of Category awards in the 2018 "Print Excellence" competition held by the Printing Industries Association, Inc. of Southern California. Adcraft earned the "Labels & Wraps-Rolled Products or Pressure-Sensitive" award for the 1849 Wine Company "Triumph" wine label and the "Flexographic Printing" award for the Ink-Eeze "Tattoo Vitamins" label.

"This is the third year in a row we've entered the competition and won," said Ken Collins, Vice President Sales Marketing for Adcraft Labels. "The first year we won, we were excited to be recognized. The second year, we learned this wasn't a one-time thing. Then this year, when we won again, we realized this is just our way of doing business. Our highly qualified staff help brand owners create and manufacture award-winning labels and flexible packaging."

At the 2018 competition, Adcraft Labels garnered two Best of Category, two Award of Excellence, and three Certificate of Merit awards. This brings their total to 42 awards earned at the Print Excellence event over the last three years.

The Best of Category award acknowledges exemplary work in developing high-quality flexographic printing. Adcraft Labels earned their two Best of Category awards for the 1849 Wine Company Triumph wine label, and the Ink-Eeze Tattoo Vitamins label.

These awards are a testament to Adcraft's core belief that Quality is not controlled, it is achieved. Their recent Frost & Sullivan's Manufacturing Leadership Council and Flexographic Technical Association awards reinforce this attitude.

"We make sure our team has the best training and the best equipment to produce the high-quality labels and packaging that our clients require," said Keith Mottram, President, and CEO of Adcraft Labels. "That's why we've invested in hybrid technology to create labels and packaging that increase shelf appeal and product differentiation for brand owners."

JetFlex Technology, the award-winning hybrid manufacturing process available exclusively at Adcraft Labels, allows clients to create labels never before imagined. Brand owners can now design a label that combines traditional embossing and foil techniques with true Pantone colors and digital CMYK inks. In addition, the technology allows for variable text and images along with texture and tactile effects done as variable print. All of this executed with ink densities as opaque as screen-printing. And, all of these capabilities are available in one pass, on one press and result in award-winning labels with eye-catching shelf presentation for brand owners.

SOURCE Adcraft Labels

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MANHATTAN, N.Y., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthcare2U's No-Claims Healthcare is now available in Manhattan. Brokers and employers interested in cost-containment healthcare strategies now have an innovative alternative to health insurance. Known as the eighth most expensive state for healthcare spending per capita as of 2014, New York spends 20 percent more than the national average on insurance. Healthcare2U's entrance into New York's most acclaimed community provides residents access to inventive Direct Primary Care that challenges New York's costly status-quo.

"Manhattan residents are demanding cost-effective healthcare that doesn't involve insurance as a middle man," said Andy Bonner, CEO of Healthcare2U. "They deserve simplified, high-quality healthcare coverage and Healthcare2U can deliver just that at a monthly price that is less expensive than a monthly subscription to The Wall Street Journal. With Healthcare2U's membership-based model, members receive unlimited access to primary care they deserve, at a reasonable price."

Rather than dealing with the price tag and administration of traditional health insurance, Healthcare2U reduces costs through their Direct Primary Care claims-avoidant membership. This membership provides employees access to unlimited same-day/next-day doctor appointments for acute issues for a $10 visit fee, and access to telemedicine practitioners 24/7/365 for no additional charge. In addition to acute primary care, Healthcare2U offers chronic disease management for 13 of the most prevalent disease states such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma at the same $10 visit fee. Healthcare2U physicians also practice generic-first protocols to reduce pharmaceutical spend for employers and their employees.

"In addition to providing healthcare at an economical price, Healthcare2U establishes a trusting physician-patient connection," affirms Dr. John Rodriguez, Healthcare2U's Chief Medical Officer. "We pride ourselves in delivering a personalized experience where patients are the priority and are thoroughly cared for, physically and financially."

Healthcare2U's No-Claims Healthcare understands the inequitable demands traditional health insurance requires and provides opportunities to conserve finances while receiving health coverage that exceeds expectations.

About Healthcare2U

Healthcare2U, headquartered in Austin, Texas, is a leader in delivering direct primary care, wellness and chronic disease management to employers of all sizes. Through a network of more than 230 partner clinics across the nation, Healthcare2U is breaking down barriers to convenient access to quality medical care. The company is focused on promoting healthy living while preventing disease. Healthcare2U is redefining how healthcare is delivered to improve the overall consumer medical experience while holding the line on employer costs. For a complete list of clinics, see: https://healthc2u.com/locations/. For more information, visit www.healthc2u.com.

SOURCE Healthcare2U

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HOUSTON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of National Military Appreciation Month, Always Best Care of the Woodlands, one of the leading senior care franchise systems in the United States, has joined forces with Operation Support Our Troops America (OSOTA), to host an online care package drive in support of American soldiers overseas. Now through Memorial Day, May 28, local residents can give back to members of the military serving abroad by visiting www.yougivegoods.com/abc-supports-the-military and selecting from a variety of goods to purchase for donation.

"We are thrilled to partner with an organization like Operation Support Our Troops America and encourage families to take part in the online care package drive and help a great cause," said Richard and Kelly Britton, Always Best Care of the Woodlands franchisees. "Every donation, big or small, helps support the well-being of American soldiers who put their lives at risk to protect us and our great country."

All contributions made to Always Best Care's online care package drive will be sent to U.S. troops overseas at the end of the month. The drive is made possible through YouGiveGoods, an innovative company that connects tangible giving to community needs through a free, easy-to-use online service.

"We are so appreciative of Always Best Care doing a collection drive for us through YouGiveGoods," said Jamie Nelson, Executive Director of Operation Support Our Troops America. "As we continue to have troops deployed in harm's way, the care packages we send show that America has not forgotten them. And the thank you notes and photos we receive each week let us know how much it means to the troops. We thank the local community for their support of this drive and our mission."

Always Best Care is one of the nation's leading providers of non-medical in-home care, assisted living placement services and home health care. The company delivers its services through an international network of more than 200 independently owned and operated franchise territories throughout the United States and Canada.

For more information about the charitable initiative, or to learn more about services available through Always Best Care of the Woodlands, please call (832) 585-1941 or visit [email protected].

About Always Best Care

Founded in 1996, Always Best Care Senior Services is based on the belief that having the right people for the right level of care means peace of mind for the client and family. Always Best Care assists seniors with a wide range of illnesses and personal needs, and currently provides more than 4 million hours of care every year. Franchise opportunities are available to individuals interested in leveraging the company's clear strategy and proven track record for delivering affordable, dependable service to seniors in their local areas.

About Operation Support Our Troops America

The mission of OSOT America is to support the morale and well-being of American forces by providing comfort, resources and education to all involved both while deployed and upon the soldier's return. As a volunteer-based non-profit organization, OSOT-America provides the opportunity for community members to express their appreciation and also offer support for our troops. Engaged in the longest war of our country's history, and with our servicemen and women completing multiple tours of duty, OSOT-America is committed to showing them that "We Have NOT Forgotten." Volunteer opportunities are available. Visit www.osotamerica.org for more information. OSOT-America humbly began at the dining room table of president and founder, Deborah Rickert who wanted to support the troops with needed supplies while serving their country and has grown into a non-profit charity with a four star rating from Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org), top ratings from Great Non-Profits (www.greatnonprofits.org), and has received a Platinum Award from Guidestar (www.guidestar.org).

CONTACT:

Kelly Britton

Always Best Care of the Woodlands

(832) 585-1941

[email protected]

SOURCE Always Best Care

Related Links

https://www.alwaysbestcare.com


Ameren Illinois customers can purchase a qualified ENERGY STAR smart thermostat and apply online to receive a $100 discount in the mail. An instant smart thermostat rebate and an online marketplace will be available in the next few weeks to make the process even easier for customers to save. Rebates are being provided to customers through energy efficiency program funding approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission under the landmark Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA).

The initiative also seeks to get smart thermostats into the residences of income-eligible customers. Those qualified can now have one of the devices installed for free as part of the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program.

"When the Future Energy Jobs Act was passed, we made a bold commitment to ensure that benefits of energy efficiency would be available to all of our customers, especially those with limited financial means," said Mark. "With today's announcement, we're living up to that promise. Putting 300,000 smart thermostats in customer homes and businesses is an ambitious goal, but we're confident that with the collaboration of our partners we can make that vision a reality."

Easy to install and operate, use of a smart thermostat can save between 10 and 15 percent on heating and cooling costs. The devices enable customers to adjust settings on the go via smartphone apps. Additionally, many smart thermostats models can sense when the homeowner and/or residents are away from home and automatically modify the temperature, further reducing energy usage.

"Smart thermostats will empower Ameren Illinois residential and business customers to better manage their energy usage, and give them more control over their monthly bill," said ICC Chairman Brien J. Sheahan. "On behalf of Governor Bruce Rauner and the ICC, we applaud Ameren Illinois for continuing the state's more than 100-year tradition of leadership on energy issues by embracing new innovation and technology, like smart thermostats, that help our state reach its energy efficiency goals."

"Smart thermostats will help consumers to stop cooling and heating empty homes," said Rob Kelter, Senior Attorney for the Environmental Law & Policy Center. "With this initiative, Ameren Illinois is stepping up to help its customers save money and reduce pollution at the same time."

The initiative is bolstered by the active involvement from leading smart thermostat brands, including Nest and ecobee. Since 2011, Nest thermostats around the world have helped customers save more than 22 billion kilowatt-hours of energy and their work with Ameren is in service of this mission to bring energy efficiency to more homes across the U.S.

ecobee introduced the world's first smart wi-fi thermostat to help homeowners save money, conserve energy and live more comfortably. "We applaud the commitment that Ameren Illinois is making here today and are thrilled to offer the Ameren Illinois customers a better way to save on their energy bill and reduce their carbon footprint," said Stuart Lombard, president and CEO of ecobee.

Ameren Illinois' energy efficiency program is recognized as one of the best in the country  rated #12 by ACEEE, an independent energy efficiency organization. Over the past nine years, Ameren Illinois has helped its customers reduce their energy usage by nearly 12 million megawatt-hours, saving them approximately $781 million. This improved energy efficiency has enabled Ameren Illinois customers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 8.3 million metric tons  the equivalent of taking nearly 1.8 million cars off the road for a year.

To learn more about the program or apply for smart thermostat rebates, please visit www.AmerenIllinoisSavings.com. Income-eligible customers can also find the home energy audit application on that website or simply call 866.838.6918.

About Ameren Illinois

Ameren Illinois delivers energy to 1.2 million electric and 816,000 natural gas customers in central and southern Illinois. The company is devoting $114 million per year to help customers reduce energy and save money on their energy bills, and expanding access to energy efficiency programs and services for moderate-to-low income customers. For more information, visit AmerenIllinois.com, find us on Twitter @AmerenIllinois or Facebook.

Digital Media Kit: http://ameren.mediaroom.com/smart-thermostat

SOURCE Ameren Illinois

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http://www.ameren.com


ROHNERT PARK, Calif., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- For complicated problems, people may turn to research to become as informed as possible. But sometimes that can lead to additional stress as they cycle between thoughts about what could go wrong and doubt whether they are actually doing the best thing for their situation. Student loan repayment is especially susceptible to that kind of mental anguish. Borrowers might be paying too much, unsure of how to deal with that. Or they might not be aware or fully understand federal repayment plans. Ameritech Financial is a private company that assists federal student loan borrowers with federal repayment plan applications. The company encourages borrowers to seek professional help if they are struggling with repayment or even just stress.

"There's nothing wrong with asking for help, and it can even jumpstart success with something like student loan repayment," said Tom Knickerbocker, Executive Vice President of Ameritech Financial. "That help isn't necessarily in the form of money either, though many borrowers might welcome that. Instead, some of the most valuable help is advice on how to approach a situation."

Federal student loan repayment and forgiveness programs can be confusing for borrowers. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program has a track record of confusing requirements and misleading guidance from loan servicers. It seems that most borrowers hoping to participate in the program have a false start and find out many payments into the required 10 years that something wasn't quite right.

One borrower found out only two years into the program that she had to restart and after that moment she questioned every move. It wasn't until after she spoke to a finance professional that she was able to let go of some of the stress. That planner also helped with more than just her student loans, assisting her to create a plan for her whole financial situation.

Ameritech Financial provides help to borrowers who might not know about or understand federal income-driven repayment plans, which calculate payments relative to income and family size. The company explains the plans in the context of each borrower's finances, and can even help those working in public service to align with PSLF requirements. Finally, Ameritech Financial helps borrowers who wish to enroll in such programs complete the application documents, similar to how tax professionals help prepare taxes.

"Student loan borrowers shouldn't be alone in repayment if they don't understand their options, especially considering how easy it was to take out the loans in the first place," said Knickerbocker. "At Ameritech Financial, we hope our clients don't feel alone in the process."

About Ameritech Financial

Ameritech Financial is a private company located in Rohnert Park, California. Ameritech Financial has already helped thousands of consumers with financial analysis and student loan document preparation to apply for federal student loan repayment programs offered through the Department of Education.

Each Ameritech Financial telephone representative has received the Certified Student Loan Professional certification through the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators (IAPDA).

Ameritech Financial prides itself on its exceptional Customer Service.

Ameritech Financial Newsroom

Contact

To learn more about Ameritech Financial, please contact:

Ameritech Financial

5789 State Farm Drive #265

Rohnert Park, CA 94928

1-800-792-8621

[email protected]

Related Images

getting-help-with-student-loan.jpg

Getting Help with Student Loan Repayment

Credit: Kirisa99/Bigstock

image2.png

Related Links

Ameritech Financial home page

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRza8MbLvuM

SOURCE Ameritech Financial
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly two weeks after its initial eruption, Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is still active, causing more local evacuations and health warnings. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the volcano, leading travel insurance comparison site, Squaremouth, advises why travelers with upcoming trips to the destination should not buy a new policy.

New Policies Will Not Cover the Eruption

Since erupting on May 3rd, Mount Kilauea has spewed lava and toxic gas, with the potential for an explosive eruption.

While the volcano is located in a remote residential location, travelers with upcoming trips to the popular destination may still feel uneasy about going. Unfortunately, travel insurance policies purchased after the initial eruption, on May 3rd, will not provide any coverage, cancellation or otherwise, related to this event.

Disaster Declaration, Health Warning Do Not Trigger Travel Insurance

Travelers who already have a policy for their trip to Hawaii may also find their coverage is limited based on the volcano's current status.

Since the eruption began, local residents have been ordered to evacuate, the U.S. government has declared a state of disaster, and local officials have issued a health warning due to dangerous levels of toxic gas - still, at this time, none of these events are enough to trigger cancellation coverage under a travel insurance policy.

Coverage if Conditions Worsen

While coverage is limited today, if conditions worsen, travelers with a policy in place may be covered to cancel their trip and be refunded in full.

The events most likely to occur that would trigger coverage: the traveler's accommodations become uninhabitable, or there is a mandatory evacuation at their destination city. Continued lava flow, spewing rock, and toxic gas emissions may cause either of these in the coming days or weeks.

Other covered reasons to cancel:

Your flights are significantly delayed or canceled

Your primary residence is at risk

Squaremouth's Mount Kilauea Eruption travel insurance information center explains coverage for this event. This resource is regularly updated by Squaremouth's travel insurance experts as the situation unfolds.

ABOUT SQUAREMOUTH

Squaremouth compares travel insurance policies from every major travel insurance provider in the United States. Using Squaremouth's comparison engine and third-party customer reviews, travelers can research and compare travel insurance policies side-by-side. More information can be found at www.squaremouth.com

Available Topic Expert:

Steven Benna

[email protected]

(727) 619-7262

SOURCE Squaremouth

Related Links

http://www.squaremouth.com


With a small saliva sample, SiLL-Ha provides an objective measurement of key components of saliva that have been used to show an increased risk to develop caries--tooth decay--and periodontal disease. Using dual reflectance method, SiLL-Ha measures the reactivity on a test strip and provides information that cannot be seen such as presence of bacteria, acidity and inflammatory markers which may indicate an increased risk for caries and gum inflammation.

"ARKRAY is excited to offer this new technology to dental professionals and their patients in the United States," said ARKRAY USA President Jonathan Chapman. "We believe that providing this tool will help dental professionals have meaningful conversations with their patients concerning the importance of oral health."

The compact, lightweight design of SiLL-Ha makes it well-suited for use in busy dental offices. An intuitive touch-screen display is simple and easy to use. Test results are available in less than five minutes and can be printed to discuss with patients or saved to a digital format.

ARKRAY will be demonstrating the SiLL-Ha Oral Wellness System at the California Dental Association annual meeting in Anaheim, California, May 17th through May 19th, in booth number 2347.

About ARKRAY USA, Inc.

ARKRAY USA, Inc. is a division of ARKRAY, a global leader in healthcare technology with headquarters in Kyoto, Japan. For more than half a century, ARKRAY has pioneered products to ensure that people with medical conditions can lead a better and more fulfilling life. ARKRAY currently does business in more than 80 countries worldwide and is the market leader in diabetes management in the long-term care market in the U.S. The Company has a long history of developing cutting edge technology such as the first portable glucose analyzer available in the United States; the first HbA1C analyzer; and the first hand-held blood glucose meter. For more information, visit www.arkrayusa.com.

SOURCE ARKRAY USA, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.arkrayusa.com


NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Global technology solutions company Asurion announced today that it has been awarded a 2018 Confirmit ACE (Achievement in Customer Excellence) Award in the Voice of the Customer category. Asurion received the honors for enhancements to its digital service channels based on direct customer feedback, which improved the customer experience and Net Promoter Score.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Asurion was honored with a Confirmit ACE award for achievement in customer excellence.

Confirmit's ACE Awards program honors companies' commitments and distinct contributions to achieving universal customer excellence. Receiving a Confirmit ACE Award demonstrates Asurion's dedication to listening to the Voice of the Customer to identify ways to enhance the customer experience.

"At Asurion, we thrive on constantly innovating to provide best-in-class customer experience," said Abbie Taylor, Asurion vice president of Customer Experience. "Our recent digital enhancements are part of our continuous innovation, and incorporating direct customer input is invaluable to the process. We're proud that our customer-first culture is being recognized by Confirmit for a fifth consecutive year."

"We are delighted to honor Asurion with a 2018 Confirmit ACE Award as they have proven time and again their prowess in the Customer Experience field," said Ken streng, President and CEO of Confirmit. "Their exemplary customer program demonstrates an innovative approach to understanding their audience, as well as a profound commitment to improving their business based on what they have heard from their clientele."

About Confirmit ACE Awards

The ACE (Achievement in Customer Excellence) Awards program was established in 2005 to recognize outstanding achievement in customer excellence. Receiving a Confirmit ACE Award is a distinct honor that demonstrates both rigorous application of customer experience processes and outstanding performance as measured by those processes. All Confirmit customers are eligible for Confirmit ACE Awards for their company, business units, or segments of a business. To be eligible for a 2018 Confirmit ACE Award, organizations must have conducted one or more Voice of the Customer surveys between January 1 and December 31, 2017. Qualifying performance is determined by a combination of customer satisfaction mean scores and top-box rating percentages maintained during at least a 6-month period during the eligibility period. For more information on awards criteria, visit www.confirmit.com/ace-awards.

About Confirmit

Confirmit is the world's leading SaaS vendor for multi-channel Customer Experience, Employee Engagement, and Market Research solutions. The company has offices in Oslo (headquarters), Grimstad, London, Moscow, New York, San Francisco, Sydney, Vancouver, and Yaroslavl. Confirmit's software is also distributed through partner resellers in Madrid, Milan, Salvador, and Tokyo.

Confirmit powers Global 5000 companies and Market Research agencies worldwide with a wide range of software products for feedback / data collection, panel management, data processing, analysis, and reporting. Customers include Aurora, British Airways, British Standards Institution, Cross-Tab, Dow Chemical, GfK, GlaxoSmithKline, GMO Research, KeepFactor, Morehead Associates, Nielsen, Research Now, RS Components, QRS, SSI, Sony Mobile Communications, and Swisscom. Visit www.confirmit.com for more information.

About Asurion

Asurion helps more than 300 million people around the world unlock their technology's untapped potential. We create innovative technology solutions that help keep consumers connected, from comprehensive protection to smart tech help that redefines expertise. Partnering with leading wireless carriers, retailers and pay-tv providers, Asurion's 17,000 employees deliver a seamless, award-winning customer experience, anticipating their needs and providing tailored services reachable within one touch.

SOURCE Asurion

Related Links

http://www.asurion.com


TORONTO, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Beleave Inc. (CSE: BE;OTCQX: BLEVF) ("Beleave" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary Beleave Kannabis Corp. has received its approval and provider number to service those who have qualified for cannabis coverage through Medavie Blue Cross including the Canadian veteran community. With over 1,000,000 card holders Medavie Blue Cross is one of Canada's leading Blue Cross plans and although each card holder's benefits may differ, cannabis coverage is available to patients approved by Blue Cross.

Medavie Blue Cross administers to various government sponsored health programs on behalf of the provincial and federal governments which include Veterans Affairs Canada, an important segment of Beleave's patient acquisition strategy.

"We aim to help provide ease of access to those with Blue Cross coverage allowing patients to cut a multitude of steps typically needed to make a claim," commented Beleave CEO Andrew Wnek. "Our team is ready to accept new patients and are confident in our ability to provide the highest quality service to all patients including our country's respected servicemen and women."

The Company's Medi Green Clinic network plans to host multiple location information sessions for veterans on an ongoing basis. These initiatives will be rolled out by the Company's growing Veteran Affairs and Community outreach division. To stay informed please join the company mailing list at www.beleave.com.

About Medavie Blue Cross

Medavie is a non-profit Canadian Medical care insurance company headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick. The Company was named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers by Maclean's magazine and is the only non-profit medical insurance organization in Canada to receive this honour.

About Beleave

Beleave Inc. is a biotech company and Beleave's wholly-owned subsidiary Beleave Kannabis Corp. (formerly First Access Medical Inc.) is a licensed producer pursuant to the ACMPR. Beleave's purpose-built facility is located in Hamilton, Ontario.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law ("forward-looking statements"). The use of any of the words "plan", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur are intended to identify forward-looking information. These statements are only predictions. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking information addresses future events and conditions, by its very nature it involves inherent risks and uncertainties. This information speak only as of the date of this news 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.

SOURCE Beleave Inc.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- After a 20-year investigation, the believed identity of D.B. Cooper will be revealed in a press conference May 17th. D.B. Cooper is the infamous skyjacker who boarded a Boeing 727 in Portland that was heading to Sea-Tac in Seattle, Washington, on Thanksgiving Eve, 1971. He demanded a $200,000 ransom before jumping out of the plane at 10,000 feet. Evidence, including almost-daily discussions over a 14-year period and 3+ hours of audio recordings featuring the skyjacker, was compiled by Cooper's best friend. It was then analyzed by a Certified Fraud Examiner and forensic linguist. The audio recordings, created in 2008, include Cooper discussing skyjacking details that were not known to the public prior to the FBI's information release in 2015.

Book Cover

A press conference regarding this announcement and an exhibition of its supporting evidence will be held Thursday, May 17, 2018, at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Additional evidence includes:

Correct flight path and landing zone identified

Witness testimony from an individual who spoke with Cooper within an hour of his jump

Documentation concerning how the $200,000 ransom was spent

ransom was spent Confessions from Cooper to two individuals at two different times

An article of clothing Cooper wore during the jump

D.B. Cooper Identity Announcement Press Conference

Date: Thursday, May 17, 2018 Location: Amway Grand Plaza Hotel - Pantlind Ballroom

187 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Announcement Time: 1:00PM ET / 12:00PM CT Media Q/A: Immediately following announcement Parking: Onsite parking is available for media, including street parking for tower vans

The investigation was spearheaded by Principia Media, a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based publishing company, after being approached with overwhelming evidence. The company has since worked with Cooper's best friend Carl Laurin, the person who captured the audio recordings and other physical evidence, to craft a memoir, D.B. Cooper & Me: A Criminal, A Spy, My Best Friend, telling the story of his friendship with the real D.B. Cooper. The skyjacking was only the beginning for Cooper, as he later went on to become a high-level covert intelligence operative.

Carl Laurin will be in Grand Rapids and participating in a D.B. Cooper & Me: A Criminal, A Spy, My Best Friend book signing on Thursday, May 17, at 5:30PM at Schuler Books, 2660 28th Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512. The event will begin with a reading of excerpts and a guest Q&A at 5:30PM, with the physical book signing at 6:30PM.

For more information regarding this announcement and press conference details, please contact Julie Hurley, [email protected] ; 616-460-5070.



About Principia Media:

Principia Media is an independent publishing and documentary film company based in Grand Rapids, MI. With a focus on storytelling, they balance professional production and marketing skills with intimate client relationships. Their capabilities include publishing fiction and nonfiction and investigative storytelling through feature-length documentaries.

SOURCE Principia Media
WALPOLE, N.H., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A new 110,000-square-foot building component manufacturing facility in Keene, New Hampshire, is supporting a new Bensonwood brand: Tektoniks.

Tedd Benson, founder and CEO of Bensonwood and Unity Homes, discusses the Bensonwood vision and the reason for the launch of Tektoniks, prefabricated building components.

Tektoniks' technology platform offers efficient production of high performance and high-quality wood-based panels and structures through the new facility and existing facilities in Walpole, NH. Once manufactured, the components are transported and rapidly assembled on-site. This method, according to the company, saves enormous amounts of time, and also improves quality and consistency. Bensonwood has been successfully using off-site manufacturing and on-site construction for all their timberframe and high performance building projects for decades.

"Tektoniks allows the building industry  architects, builders, construction managers and even competitors  to use our high performance building systems, timber fabrication and millwork products directly," said Tedd Benson, Bensonwood's CEO. "This brand allows us to connect more broadly to the industry with proven systems, and world-class manufacturing capability."

With the addition of the new building systems factory, Bensonwood has one of the most complete building component capabilities in the U.S. The manufacturing lines simultaneously produce wall, floor and roof panels with automated equipment. Timber fabrication utilizes a Hundegger Robot Drive that offers precision, 6 axis capability. Architectural millwork optimizes production through the use of a Routech CNC router.

According to Benson, Tektoniks production provides the following benefits to builders and architects:

Scales building efficiencies by removing time and costs from development and construction, radically transforming the traditional build cycle.

Reduces the environmental impact of construction through less waste by volume optimization and more opportunity for recycling.

Offers a direct line from design to execution, reducing the possibility for error.

Enables close integration between factory and construction site; precise manufacturing results in increased productivity and quality control, keeping costs down.

The goal of Tektoniks, said Benson, is to bring production capacity outside of Bensonwood and Unity Homes, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bensonwood. "We want others to take advantage of the efficiency and quality inherent in off-site fabrication. Tektoniks takes Bensonwood's 45 years of experience in off-site fabrication and applies them to an industry that is "in dire need of change".

Learn more: www.tektoniks.com and www.bensonwood.com

High Resolution Photography Available

CONTACT: Sarah Kossayda, Bensonwood, T: 603.756.3600 Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Bensonwood

Related Links

https://bensonwood.com


Four peer reviewed BerGenBio abstracts on clinical data with bemcentinib accepted for presentation at ASCO

BerGenBio to host KOL reception to showcase bemcentinib studies and potential as a cornerstone of cancer therapy

BERGEN, Norway, 16, May 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BerGenBio ASA (OSE: BGBIO) announces that the company and its collaborators will present new interim clinical and biomarker data from its extensive Phase II clinical development programme with bemcentinib, a selective, oral AXL inhibitor, at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL (1-5 June 2018). Abstracts are now available online at https://am.asco.org/ and details of the presentations are below. The posters presented at ASCO will be made available on www.bergenbio.com in the Investors / Presentations section following the sessions.

Presentations at ASCO

Monday 4 June, 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM Central Daylight Time (Hall A)

Phase II open-label, multi-centre study of bemcentinib (BGB324), a first-in-class selective AXL inhibitor, in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced NSCLC.

James Lorens , PhD et al

, PhD Session: Developmental Therapeutics  Immunotherapy

Poster Board: #292, Abstract 3078

Identification of predictive and pharmacodynamic biomarkers associated with the first-in-class selective AXL inhibitor bemcentinib across multiple Phase II clinical trials.

Robert J Holt, PhD et al

Session: Developmental Therapeutics  Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

Poster Board: #385, Abstract 2559

Analysis of anti-leukemic activity, predictive biomarker candidates, immune activation and pharmakodynamics in R/R AML and MDS in response to treatment with bemcentinib (BGB324), a first-in class selective AXL inhibitor, in a Phase II open-label, multi-centre study.

Bjrn T. Gjertsen, MD, PhD et al

Session: Hematologic Malignancies  Leukemia, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, and Allotransplant

Poster Board: #80, Abstract 7020

To be discussed at the Poster Discussion Session on Monday 4 June, 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM , at E450

Monday 4 June, 1:15 PM - 4:45 PM CDT (Hall A)

A randomized Phase Ib/II study of the selective small molecule AXL inhibitor bemcentinib (BGB324) in combination with either dabrafenib/trametinib or pembrolizumab in patients with metastatic melanoma.

Oddbjrn Straume, MD, PhD et al

Session: Melanoma/Skin Cancers

Poster Board: #375, Abstract 9548

BerGenBio reception

Coinciding with ASCO, BerGenBio will host a reception for collaborators, investors, analysts, media and other interested parties on 2 June at The School of the Art Institute Ballroom in Chicago. At this event, short presentations will be given by clinical investigators participating in the bemcentinib clinical trials and by KOL experts in AXL kinase function. For further details and to receive an invitation, please click here or email: [email protected].

The presentations will be made available on BerGenBio's website in the Investors / Presentations section following the event.

About BerGenBio ASA

BerGenBio ASA is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a pipeline of first-in-class AXL kinase inhibitors as a potential cornerstone of combination cancer therapy. The Company is a world leader in understanding the essential role of AXL kinase in mediating aggressive disease, including immune evasive, drug resistant, metastatic solid and haematological cancers.

BerGenBio's lead product, bemcentinib (BGB324), is a selective, potent and orally bio- available small molecule AXL inhibitor in four Company sponsored Phase II clinical trials in major cancer indications, with read-outs anticipated during 2018. It is the only selective AXL inhibitor in clinical development.

The Company sponsored clinical trials are:

Bemcentinib with TARCEVA (erlotinib) in advanced EGFR mutation driven non- small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Bemcentinib with KEYTRUDA in advanced adenocarcinoma of the lung, and

Bemcentinib with KEYTRUDA in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Bemcentinib as a single agent and combination therapy in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) / myeloid dysplastic syndrome (MDS)

The clinical trials combining bemcentinib with KEYTRUDA in adenocarcinoma of the lung and TNBC are conducted in collaboration with Merck & Co., Inc. (Kenilworth, NJ, USA), through a subsidiary.

In addition, a number of investigator-sponsored trials are underway, including a trial to investigate bemcentinib with either MEKINIST (trametinib) plus TAFINLAR (dabrafenib) or KEYTRUDA in advanced melanoma, as well as a trial combining bemcentinib with docetaxel in advanced NSCLC.

BerGenBio is simultaneously developing a companion diagnostic test to identify patient subpopulations most likely to benefit from treatment with bemcentinib. This will facilitate more efficient registration trials and support a precision medicine based commercialisation strategy.

The Company is also developing a diversified pre-clinical pipeline of drug candidates, including BGB149, an anti-AXL monoclonal antibody.

For further information, please visit: www.bergenbio.com

KEYTRUDA is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA, TARCEVA is a registered trademark of OSI Pharmaceuticals, LLC., marketed by Roche-Genentech. TAFLINAR is a registered trademark of Novartis International AG and MEKINIST is a registered trademark of GSK plc.

Forward looking statements

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, which as such are not historical facts, but are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. These assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this announcement by such forward-looking statements

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Public/15728/2522706/8f3f5d6d6a1e375b_org.png BerGenBio ASCO 2018

Contacts

Richard Godfrey

CEO, BerGenBio ASA

+47-917-86-304

Rune Skeie, CFO, BerGenBio ASA

[email protected]

+47-917-86-513

Media Relations in Norway

Jan Petter Stiff, Crux Advisers

[email protected]

+47-995-13-891

International Media Relations

David Dible, Mark Swallow, Marine Perrier, Citigate Dewe Rogerson

[email protected]

+44-207-638-9571

SOURCE BerGenBio ASA
Founded in 1865 in Lucca, Tuscany, Bertolli was the first olive oil to be exported to the US and to many other countries where Italians migrated in the century and a half since. They were able to cling to this admired product as a reminder of their homeland and pass on its advantages and benefits to their newfound neighbors.

Thailand's celebrity Chef, Nan Hongwiwat said, "Visiting Lucca in Italy with eight international food influencers was incredible. Plus, to see where Bertolli's true Tuscan roots were born, more than 150-years ago, was an honor. Learning about the creation of the new 'Lucca Bottle', tribute is firstly paid to its origins in Lucca. The oval shape of the bottle represents the city's oval public square -- the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro. Second, to commemorate the past and the present, the brand wanted an authentic, somehow retro but modern look which I believe they have captured.

The new look 'Lucca bottles' are currently available in select stores nationally and the bottle will reach full distribution in the coming months.

Looking for your favorite Bertolli brand; Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This quality blend of extra virgin olive oil, with a naturally full-bodied fruity flavor. Use straight from the bottle on salads, pasta, marinades, soups and sauces, or to make a delectable dip.

A superior oil made from the first pressing of olive with no additional refining, heat or processing.

About Bertolli

Founded in the small Tuscan town of Lucca, Italy, the Bertolli name has been at the heart of Italian cooking and eating for 150 years with the world's favorite olive oil (made by Deoleo). At the heart of the Bertolli brand is a commitment to quality, dedication to leveraging the natural goodness of ingredients and a tradition of providing outstanding and flavorful food.

For more information, please visit www.bertolli.com

SOURCE Bertolli

Related Links

http://www.bertolli.com


CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BitSight, the Standard in Security Ratings, today announced plans to relocate its headquarters to 111 Huntington Avenue, which is part of the Prudential Center complex located in Boston's Back Bay. The new location provides BitSight with the ideal environment to keep pace with its tremendous business, customer and employee growth. Plans for the move are expected to take place toward the end of this year.

"The Metro Boston region is widely recognized as a hub for driving technology innovation and producing top technology talent," said Tom Turner, President and CEO of BitSight. "We're excited to move deeper into the Boston tech community, contribute to its innovative spirit and provide our employees with an exceptional work experience. The location of the property and the area's surrounding amenities will not only help us retain and attract top local talent, but will encourage collaboration between employees, customers and partners, furthering our leadership position."

BitSight pioneered the security ratings market in 2011, as the first company to offer a security ratings product. Organizations worldwide use BitSight's proven Security Ratings technology on a daily basis to make integral risk and business decisions. With over 1,000 customers and the largest ecosystem of users and information, BitSight is the most widely used Security Ratings Service.

The new headquarters will elevate BitSight's presence in Boston. BitSight will occupy a two-floor, 48,000 square-foot space in Back Bay's Prudential Center complex at 111 Huntington Avenue owned by Boston Properties, doubling the company's current office space in Cambridge, which was expanded earlier this year.

"We're thrilled to welcome BitSight to 111 Huntington at Prudential Center," stated Bryan Koop, Executive Vice President, Boston Region, for Boston Properties. "In moving to the heart of the Back Bay's growing tech community, BitSight's employees, customers and partners will have easy access to transportation, unique restaurants, a dynamic environment and the best of Boston's cultural offerings."

BitSight was represented by Ron Friedman and Eric Smith of CBRE/New England throughout the transaction; Robert Caulfield and Sherry Niazmand of Visnick & Caulfield are leading the architecture and interior design efforts for the new space; Boston Properties is the landlord for 111 Huntington Avenue; Nicole Riley of Goodwin served as external counsel for the company.

"We greatly appreciate the work of our partners at Boston Properties, Visnick and Caulfield and CBRE/New England for assisting us in finding an outstanding location for our continued growth and success," said Brian Cohen, CFO of BitSight.

About BitSight

Founded in 2011, BitSight transforms how organizations manage information security risk. The BitSight Security Ratings Platform applies sophisticated algorithms, producing daily security ratings that range from 250 to 900, to help manage third party risk, underwrite cyber insurance policies, benchmark performance, conduct M&A due diligence and assess aggregate risk. Organizations worldwide, including seven of the top 10 cyber insurers, 20% of Fortune 500 companies, and 3 of the top 5 investment banks use BitSight's proven Security Ratings technology on a daily basis to make integral risk and business decisions. With over 1,000 customers and the largest ecosystem of users and information, BitSight is the most widely used Security Ratings Service. For more information, please visit www.bitsighttech.com, read our blog or follow@BitSight on Twitter.

SOURCE BitSight Technologies

Related Links

http://www.bitsighttech.com


SINGAPORE, May 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 15th, Blockchain private bank BitUN released its latest App version with the new function of cryptocurrency financing. There is no doubt that BitUN provides a cryptocurrency market, especially for long-time holders of digital assets, with a new idea of investment.

Cupid II (supporting BTC) and Cupid III (supporting ETH) are the new financial products of BitUN. The raising aim is 50 BTC and 300 ETH from May 16th to 19th, and the locking duration is 30 days.

BitUN will promote more valued products like profit-increasing coupons to enhance the income of finance products and provide more finance objects to invite more crypto-investors.

BitUN Finance is a space under Higgs Quant team that quantifies hedging strategies through cross-market arbitrage, single-market making, and inter-market making, and achieves stable value-increasing at low risk. Higgs Quant is an industry-leading cryptocurrency assets management company, co-founded by a number of senior cryptocurrency investors, currently managing more than 10,000 BTC (approximately $100 million) of proprietary funds, and its Quantitative Strategy team contributes to mainstream cryptocurrency transactions. The market has more than 1.6% of trading volume.

Download BitUN https://www.bitun.io/download for more details

Website: https://bitun.io

Telegram: https://t.me/BitUNEN

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Official_bitun

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bitunglobal

SOURCE BitUN

Related Links

https://bitun.io


PETALUMA, Calif., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Every business owner wants to run a successful business. However, many small businesses fail. For those that do not fail, how do they measure their success? Is success for a business a reachable goal or is it something to continually strive for but never truly reach? Brandon Frere, CEO of Frere Enterprises and other companies, suggests that success can be a guiding light if it is defined in a meaningful way for businesses and individuals.

Credit: Olivier Le Moal/Bigstock

"If success is something you can get, what do you do once you have it?" asks Frere. "I prefer to think of it as something that you work toward, that keeps you going even when others might call you successful."

Measuring success can be easy for individual goals. Crossing off a to-do list item after completing it can be considered a small measure of success. Landing a job can be considered a success. Whether or not individuals find the success they are looking for depends on the goal, and that's no different for businesses.

Beyond the basic requirement that businesses have the revenue to continue operating, their success might depend on their goals and mission. Businesses that prioritize customer satisfaction may measure success based on reviews or ratings or simply on how many positive customer interactions take place in a given period of time. Businesses that aim to maximize profit may measure success with dollar signs and digits. CEOs who focus on their employee satisfaction and engagement may measure success on employee reviews, feedback and retention.

"There are many ways to measure success, but it ultimately comes down to goals," said Brandon Frere. "No matter how you measure it, stay true to your company mission and you should have a clear roadmap toward success."

About Frere Enterprises

Brandon Frere is an entrepreneur and businessman who lives in Sonoma County, California. He has designed and created multiple companies to meet the ever-demanding needs of businesses and consumers alike. His company website, www.FrereEnterprises.com, is used as a means to communicate many of the lessons, fundamentals and information he has learned throughout his extensive business and personal endeavors, most recently in advocating on behalf of student loan borrowers nationwide.

As experienced during his own student loan repayment, Mr. Frere found out how difficult it can be to work with federally contracted student loan servicers and the repayment programs designed to help borrowers. Through those efforts, he gained an insider's look into the repayment process and the motivations behind the inflating student loan debt bubble. His knowledge of the confusing landscape of student loan repayment became a vital theme in his future endeavors, and he now uses those experiences to help guide others through the daunting process of applying for available federal repayment and loan forgiveness programs.

FrereEnterprises.com

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Measuring Success of Small Business

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SOURCE Frere Enterprises

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In the new study comparing two doses of CBD to a placebo, the researchers reported a 41.9 percent reduction in "drop seizures"  a type of seizure that results in severe loss of muscle control and balance  in patients taking a 20 mg/kg/d CBD regimen, a 37.2 percent reduction in those on a 10 mg/kg/d CBD regimen, and a 17.2 percent reduction in a group given a placebo.

The phase III trial was led by principal investigator and study first co-author Orrin Devinsky, MD, a professor of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine and director of NYU Langone's Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, and was published online May 17 in The New England Journal of Medicine.

"This new study adds rigorous evidence of cannabidiol's effectiveness in reducing seizure burden in a severe form of epilepsy and, importantly, is the first study of its kind to offer more information on proper dosing," says Dr. Devinsky. "These are real medications with real side effects, and as providers we need to know all we can about a potential treatment in order to provide safe and effective care to our patients."

The study included an investigational liquid, oral formulation of CBD called Epidiolex. The product is manufactured by GW Pharmaceuticals, which operates in the U.S. as Greenwich Biosciences; GW Pharmaceuticals funded the clinical trial.

Safety of Two CBD Doses Studied

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is a rare and severe form of epilepsy characterized by frequent drop seizures and severe cognitive impairment. Six medications are approved to treat seizures in patients with the syndrome, but disabling seizures occur in most patients despite these treatments.

Researchers enrolled 225 patients (age 2 to 55) with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome across 30 international sites in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of two doses of CBD: Seventy-six patients received 20 mg/kg/d CBD, 73 received 10 mg/kg/d CBD, and 76 were given a placebo. All medications were divided into two doses per day for 14 weeks. The number of seizures were monitored beginning four weeks prior to the study for baseline assessment, then tracked throughout the 14-week study period and afterwards for a four-week safety check.

Side effects occurred in 94 per of patients in the 20 mg CBD group, 84 percent in the 10 mg CBD group, and 72 percent of those taking placebo. Side effects were generally reported as mild or moderate in severity and those that occurred in more than 10 percent of patients included: sleepiness, decreased appetite, diarrhea, upper respiratory infection, fever, vomiting, nasopharyngitis, and status epilepticus. Fourteen patients taking CBD experienced dose-related, elevated liver enzymes that were reversible. Seven participants from the CBD group withdrew from the trial due to side effects compared to one participant in the placebo group.

"This landmark study provides data and evidence that Epidiolex can be an effective and safe treatment for seizures seen in patients with Lennox Gastaut Syndrome, a very difficult to control epilepsy syndrome," adds study co-first author, Anup Patel, MD, chief of Neurology at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

A study led by Dr. Devinsky published in last May's New England Journal of Medicine showed a 39 percent drop in seizure frequency in patients with a different rare form of epilepsy, Dravet syndrome. Those findings represented the first large-scale, randomized clinical trial for the compound. Open label CBD studies led by Dr. Devinsky also have shown positive results for treatment-resistant epilepsies.

In April, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel unanimously voted to recommend approval of a new drug application for Epidiolex cannabidiol oral solution, following a meeting where researchers, including Dr. Devinsky, presented their findings. The FDA will decide whether to approve the medication in late June.

"While the news gives hope for a new treatment option to the epilepsy community, more research remains imperative to better determine the effects of CBD and other similar cannabis-derived compounds on other forms of the disease and in more dosing regimens," says Dr. Devinsky.

In addition to Dr. Devinsky, the co-authors in this study are Anup D. Patel, MD; J. Helen Cross, MB, ChB, PhD; Vicente Villanueva, MD, PhD; Elaine C. Wirrell, MD; Michael Privitera, MD; Sam M. Greenwood, PhD; Claire Roberts, PhD; Daniel Checketts, MSc; Kevan E. VanLandingham, MD, PhD; and Sameer M. Zuberi, MB, ChB, MD, for the GWPCARE3 Study Group.

Dr. Devinsky received research funding from GW Pharmaceuticals, but no salary support outside of a one-time consulting fee for participating in the FDA advisory panel. He holds equity interests in Pairnomix, Receptor Life Sciences Rx, Tilray, Rettco and Tevard.

Media Inquiries:

Ryan Jaslow

Phone: 212-404-3511

[email protected]

About NYU Langone Health:

NYU Langone Health is a world-class, patient-centered, integrated academic medical center, known for its excellence in clinical care, research, and education. Included in the 200+ locations throughout the New York area are five inpatient locations: Tisch Hospital, its flagship acute-care facility; Rusk Rehabilitation, ranked as one of the top 10 rehabilitation programs in the country; NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, a dedicated inpatient orthopedic hospital with all musculoskeletal specialties ranked top 10 in the country; Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone, a comprehensive pediatric hospital supporting a full array of children's health services; and NYU Langone HospitalBrooklyn, a full-service teaching hospital and level 1 trauma center located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Also part of NYU Langone Health is the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institutedesignated cancer center, and NYU School of Medicine, which since 1841 has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history. For more information, go to nyulangone.org, and interact with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

SOURCE NYU Langone Health

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HAIKOU, China, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- China's island province of Hainan has rolled out measures to attract talent to meet its goals of becoming a pilot free trade zone and eventually a free trade port, according to the official website of the People's Government of Hainan Province (www.hainan.gov.cn).

Hainan aims to woo 200,000 talented people in various fields by 2020 and one million by 2025, according to an action plan approved by the provincial committee of the Communist Party of China on Sunday.

The development of Hainan requires a large number of high caliber professionals, while the island still lags behind in this respect, said Liu Cigui, Party chief of Hainan.

Restrictions on access to Hainan hukou, or household registration, will be eased for the talent coming from outside the island, according to the plan.

For example, those who have at least a junior college degree and an intermediate-level job title will be allowed to gain hukou at places where they work or live. Some among them, including postgraduates, bachelors from prestigious domestic universities or foreign universities, and entrepreneurs, can gain hukou anywhere they want in Hainan.

That means they will enjoy same home purchase policies with locals in Hainan, which boasts great natural environment.

For some of the most outstanding talent, the province will help them in housing, schooling of children and jobs for spouses.

China in April announced its plan to build the whole island of Hainan into a pilot free trade zone and support Hainan to gradually and steadily push ahead with the building of a free trade port.

SOURCE www.hainan.gov.cn

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DALLAS, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloudvisory, the only complete Hybrid Multicloud Security Governance Platform, today announced it has been named a Cool Vendor in the May 2018 report, Cool Vendors in Cloud Security, by Gartner, Inc. The report, authored by analysts Jay Heiser, Neil MacDonald, Lawrence Orans, and Steve Riley, identified five cloud security vendors offering "interesting and useful new products intended to solve the unique challenges of cloud security."

Gartner is widely viewed as the world's leading research and advisory company for the cybersecurity market. Our inclusion in this prestigious list highlights the unique value proposition Cloudvisory is delivering to customers in the areas of cloud security posture management and microsegmentation.

"It's such an honor to be recognized as a 2018 Cool Vendor by Gartner," said Lisun Kung, founder of Cloudvisory. "As companies continue to adopt cloud computing, it is more critical than ever before to have the right tooling in place to identify risk, guarantee compliance, and deliver security policy orchestration in a single platform."

Cloudvisory's Security Platform sets and enforces security policies using the built-in native capabilities of each cloud platform provider without requiring agents or third-party security appliances. This non-intrusive approach allows Cloudvisory to provide complete infrastructure security visibility, compliance assurance and consistent security policy orchestration across cloud and on-premises environments.

Compliance and security teams can see a demo of the Cloudvisory Security Platform at Booth C-9 in the OpenStack Summit 2018, May 21-24th at the Convention Center in Vancouver. For more information on Cloudvisory, please visit www.cloudvisory.com

Disclaimer:

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Cloudvisory

The Cloudvisory Security Platform delivers centralized security management and is a complete cloud governance security platform for Audit, Compliance, Microsegmentation and Enforcement within Public, Private and Hybrid Cloud infrastructures. Cloudvisory leverages cloud-native controls and works across AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, OpenStack, VMWare and even traditional virtualized and bare metal environments.

Cloudvisory is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Contact

Ricky Yamashita

912-713-7180

[email protected]

www.cloudvisory.com

SOURCE Cloudvisory

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SUGAR LAND, Texas, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. Coast Guard recently approved the suitability of a waterway for tankers at Pembina Pipeline Corporation's proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Coos Bay, Oregon. The move could move put the project, which was previously denied its application by the U.S. Federal Energy Commission (FERC), one step closer to being constructed. Based on the review, the captain of the Port Sector Columbia River recommended to FERC that the Coos Bay waterway was suitable for the marine traffic associated with the project.

For details, view the entire article by subscribing to Industrial Info's Premium Industry News, or browse other breaking industrial news stories at www.industrialinfo.com.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the www.industrialinfo.com "Contact Us" page.

Brian Ford

(713) 980-9393

SOURCE Industrial Info Resources, Inc.

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GREENWICH, Conn., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Brynwood Partners VII L.P.'s and Brynwood Partners VIII L.P.'s (collectively, " Brynwood ") wholly-owned portfolio company, Cold Spring Brewing Company (" Cold Spring "), announced today that it had acquired 100% of the stock of Carolina Beverage Group, LLC from SunTx Capital Partners and other selling shareholders. Terms and conditions of the transaction were not disclosed.

The combined company is being named Carolina Beverage Group (" Carolina Beverage ") and will be headquartered in the Charlotte, NC area. By combining Cold Spring and Carolina Beverage Group, LLC, Brynwood has created one of the largest independently-owned contract manufacturers in the beverage sector for numerous well-known national and international brands. The company's blue-chip customers include brand owners of well-known energy drinks, sparkling waters, teas, cocktails, flavored malt beverages, craft beers and other ready-to-drink beverages. The company also produces private label beverages for leading retailers throughout the U.S.

Carolina Beverage manufacturers its high-quality products out of its three strategically located state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities located in Cold Spring, MN; Mooresville, NC and Fort Worth, TX. With over 650,000 sq. ft. of flexible manufacturing space and 1.7 million sq. ft. of warehouse availability, the company offers a broad range of value-added production services in a variety of packaging options, including plastic and aluminum cans and glass bottles.

"We are very pleased to announce the acquisition of Carolina Beverage Group, LLC by Cold Spring," said Henk Hartong III, Chairman and CEO of Brynwood Partners. "We are excited about the opportunity to create a company with a significant manufacturing footprint in the value-added beverage space that will strengthen our ability to service both national branded and retail customers with innovative products in flexible packaging solutions." Mr. Hartong continued, "Value added manufacturing is an important sector and an area that Brynwood continues to make significant investments in."

"On behalf of Brynwood Partners, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to SunTx and the other selling shareholders," said Ian MacTaggart, President and COO of Brynwood Partners. "While Brynwood VII already had an investment in Cold Spring, this marks Brynwood VIII's first investment since the fund closed in January 2018 with $649 million of committed capital. We look forward to supporting Carolina Beverage's loyal employees and growing its operations both organically and through potential strategic add-on acquisitions."

Brynwood Partners did not retain an investment banking advisor but was represented by Holland & Knight LLP on legal matters. Carolina Beverage Group, LLC retained Cascadia Capital LLC as its investment banking advisor and was represented by Haynes and Boone, LLP on legal matters.

About Brynwood Partners:

Founded in 1984 and based in Greenwich, CT, Brynwood Partners is an operationally-focused private equity firm that makes control investments in North American-based lower middle market companies. The firm targets non-core brands or companies operating exclusively in the consumer sector.

Brynwood Partners currently manages more than $1.1 billion of private equity capital for its limited partners, which include U.S. and international pension funds, fund-of-funds, endowments, high net worth family investment offices and financial institutions. For more information on Brynwood Partners, please visit www.brynwoodpartners.com.

SOURCE Brynwood Partners

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COLUMBIA, S.C., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Men's Health is pleased to announce they now offer GAINSWave! This breakthrough noninvasive medical therapy uses low-intensity shockwave therapy to enhance sexual performance and to treat Erectile Dysfunction (ED) symptoms.

As men age, the vessels in their penis weaken, contract and fill with micro-plaque, which can lead to Erectile Dysfunction. As these tiny vessels become clogged, the penis decreases in sensitivity, making it harder for men to achieve and maintain an erection. Thankfully, the GAINSWave protocols can enhance a man's performance by using high-frequency acoustic waves to repair existing blood vessels and improve blood flow.

Thanks to the numerous clinical studies on Low-Intensity Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (Li-ESWT), we can see that this therapy improves not only Erectile Dysfunction symptoms but also sexual performance. "GAINSWave is an ideal solution for men looking to improve spontaneous erections without the use of Viagra or Cialis," says Ronnie Hargrave, MD. Patients receiving GAINSWave therapy have reported improved erection quality, enhanced sexual performance and decreased refractory times between orgasms, which is why this a great alternative to ED medications.

This drug and surgery-free procedure only takes about 20 minutes and can enhance a man's sex life while addressing the root cause of Erectile Dysfunction. Columbia Men's Health is now treating men with the GAINSWave Therapy in their offices located at 4531 Hardscrabble Road Columbia, SC 29229.

Columbia Men's Health is an established provider of physical medicine and medical treatment for men's sexual health issues in Columbia, SC. We provide safe and comfortable procedures for men to optimize sexual performance and reverse the effects of Erectile Dysfunction. Good communication and a positive doctor-patient relationship are very important to us. Our physicians' give you time to fully discuss your concerns and any medical issues that may be at the root of your sexual health matter. Our services are completely confidential and you will be treated with the respect you deserve!



Dr. Ronald Hargrave, MD is a Family, Emergency, and Physical Medicine provider with over 20 years of practice in medicine. A graduate of UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and a U.S. Army Retired Medical Provider, Dr. Hargrave has logged countless hours successfully evaluating and treating men with health issues. Dr. Hargrave has honed his focus on men's sexual health issues because he knows every male patient deserves to have their sexual health looked at in relationship to their overall health and well-being. Dr. Hargrave and Columbia Men's Health look forward to assisting you in attaining optimal health and wellness!



For More Information Contact:

Alexandra Schapiro

Marketing Account Manager

[email protected]

305-918-1886

SOURCE GAINSWave

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NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitfair, a platform that is introducing derivative trading to the cryptocurrency market, appeared at the Consensus 2018 conference. Organized by CoinDesk to publicize the latest developments in blockchain technology, Consensus helped bring new attention and support to Bitfair's innovative investment options.

Until now, cryptocurrency trading has largely been limited to exchanging digital coins themselves. While this led to large profits for many investors, it also carried many risks, and it made it hard for cryptocurrency experts to profit off certain types of information. To solve this problem, Bitfair has created a platform where investors could trade cryptocurrency derivatives. This allows them to diversify their investments, reduce risks, and leverage key information about the cryptocurrency market.

Bitfair has the potential to enhance cryptocurrency trading by leaps and bounds, but only if large numbers of investors and cryptocurrency experts take advantage of it. At Consensus 2018, Bitfair co-founders Thomas and Greg van der Spuy were excited to share their project and goals with the crypto-community. They connected with thousands of business executives, elected officials, investors, and other participants from across the globe, which helped them establish a strong foundation for future growth.

Consensus Considered

Held every year for the last four years, Consensus is a summit for blockchain and cryptocurrency technology. The event was organized by CoinDesk, a leading provider of information on digital currencies all over the world. It brought together everyone with a stake in blockchain and related technologies, including investors, entrepreneurs, academics, banks, and elected officials.

Consensus 2017 was a rousing success. It attracted 2,700 attendees from over 70 countries, more than 35 percent of whom were executives. It also gained the support of more than 80 media partners and a similar number of sponsors, and attracted more than 125 speakers. Participants came principally from North America, but there was considerable support from Asia, Europe, South America, Africa, and Australia.

This year's Consensus, held from May 14th to the 16th, expanded upon the previous one's success. Organizers estimate that more than 4,000 people participated this year, along with institutions like Kraken, InterBit, SAP, AlphaPoint, and the OAX Foundation. With so many participants from such a wide range of countries, the summit was able to spread blockchain technology far and wide.

Building Up Bitfair

Even for an industry as innovative as cryptocurrencies, Bitfair stands out. The platform is making it possible to trade cryptocurrency derivatives. This adds a new level of complexity and flexibility to blockchain investing, allowing investors to diversify their investments more effectively. It also makes it possible to profit off both upward and downward price movements in cryptocurrencies, so that if an investor knows that a cryptocurrency won't succeed, they can put this knowledge to use.

To learn more about how Bitfair is planning to revolutionize derivative trading the crypto space, please visit our website, check out our whitepaper, or join our Telegram channel. You can also follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on our latest and greatest developments.

SOURCE Bitfair

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WILMINGTON, Del., and ST. LOUIS, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Corteva Agriscience Agriculture Division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP) and Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced today the completion of a licensing agreement for next-generation technology for insect control in corn for the U.S. and Canada that will expand options for farmers fighting corn rootworm, dubbed the "billion dollar bug" for the damage it causes. Corteva Agriscience will receive a license to stack Monsanto's Corn Rootworm III and MON89034 traits with Corteva Agrisciences's insect control traits. This agreement enables the development of the next generation of insect control technology for above and below ground insect pests, and will be offered with the Enlist herbicide tolerant trait for corn. Financial details of the agreement are not being disclosed.

"This collaboration demonstrates the commitment Corteva Agriscience has to bringing greater choice to growers, helping them increase their productivity and profitability," said Tony Klemm, Global Corn Portfolio Leader, Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont. "The combination of Corn Rootworm III with Corteva Agriscience molecular stack for insect control and the Enlist corn trait will give our customers the ability to protect yield while extending the durability of industry-leading insect trait technology."

"Monsanto's broad licensing approach continues to put valuable, cost-effective tools into the hands of farmers when they need them most," said Calvin Treat, Monsanto's Global Soy and Corn Technology Lead. "We view this agreement as an endorsement for the novel mode of action that Monsanto's Corn Rootworm III trait brings to farmers, as it builds on the current products planted today by adding a new RNAi mode of action that enhances effectiveness against one of the industry's most destructive insect pests. Corn Rootworm III offers increased control and additional durability against the corn rootworm by providing three distinct methods of protection. Through the use of RNAi we're able to target and control rootworms with a novel mode of action that's different than the Bt class of proteins that is used in other insect-control products."

This new next generation product combines Corteva Agriscience molecular stack for insect control and Enlist with Monsanto's Corn Rootworm III and MON89034 (Bt) to create a broad-spectrum insect control product with multiple modes of action for above- and below-ground pests. Pending applicable regulatory reviews, it will be offered with the Enlist tolerant trait for corn, which provides tolerance to new 2,4-D choline, and FOP herbicides in addition to the base glyphosate tolerance. This brings additional benefits to farmers, offering more weed control options and greater flexibility.

About Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont

Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), is intended to become an independent, publicly traded company when the previously announced spinoff is complete by June 2019. The division combines the strengths of DuPont Pioneer, DuPont Crop Protection and Dow AgroSciences. Corteva Agriscience provides growers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry  including some of the most recognized brands in agriculture: Pioneer, Encirca, the newly launched Brevant Seeds, as well as award-winning Crop Protection products  while bringing new products to market through our solid pipeline of active chemistry and technologies. More information can be found at www.corteva.com.

Follow Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

About DowDuPont

DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP) is a holding company comprised of The Dow Chemical Company and DuPont with the intent to form strong, independent, publicly traded companies in agriculture, materials science and specialty products sectors that will lead their respective industries through productive, science-based innovation to meet the needs of customers and help solve global challenges. For more information, please visit us at www.dow-dupont.com.

Follow Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

About Monsanto

Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help nourish our growing world. We produce seeds for fruits, vegetables and key crops  such as corn, soybeans, and cotton  that help farmers have better harvests while using water and other important resources more efficiently. We work to find sustainable solutions for soil health, help farmers use data to improve farming practices and conserve natural resources, and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and others to help tackle some of the world's biggest challenges. To learn more about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated employees, please visit monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter at twitter.com/MonsantoCo.

All products, unless otherwise noted, denoted with ,  or  are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Cautionary Statement About Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance and financial condition, and often contain words such as "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "seek," "see," "will," "would," "target," similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words.

On December 11, 2015, The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") and E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company ("DuPont") announced entry into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, as amended on March 31, 2017, (the "Merger Agreement") under which the companies would combine in an all-stock merger of equals transaction (the "Merger Transaction"). Effective August 31, 2017, the Merger Transaction was completed and each of Dow and DuPont became subsidiaries of DowDuPont Inc. ("DowDuPont"). For more information, please see each of DowDuPont's, Dow's and DuPont's latest annual, quarterly and current reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, as the case may be, and the joint proxy statement/prospectus included in the registration statement on Form S-4 filed by DowDuPont with the SEC on March 1, 2016 (File No. 333-209869), as last amended on June 7, 2016, and declared effective by the SEC on June 9, 2016 (the "Registration Statement") in connection with the Merger Transaction.

Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain, including the intended separation of DowDuPont's agriculture, materials science and specialty products businesses in one or more tax efficient transactions on anticipated terms (the "Intended Business Separations"). Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events which may not be realized. Forward-looking statements also involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control. Some of the important factors that could cause DowDuPont's, Dow's or DuPont's actual results to differ materially from those projected in any such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) successful integration of the respective agriculture, materials science and specialty products businesses of Dow and DuPont, including anticipated tax treatment, unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, productivity actions, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, losses, future prospects, business and management strategies for the management, expansion and growth of the combined operations; (ii) impact of the divestitures required as a condition to consummation of the Merger Transaction as well as other conditional commitments; (iii) achievement of the anticipated synergies by DowDuPont's agriculture, materials science and specialty products businesses; (iv) risks associated with the Intended Business Separations, including those that may result from the comprehensive portfolio review undertaken by the DowDuPont board, changes and timing, including a number of conditions which could delay, prevent or otherwise adversely affect the proposed transactions, including possible issues or delays in obtaining required regulatory approvals or clearances related to the Intended Business Separations, disruptions in the financial markets or other potential barriers; (v) the risk that disruptions from the Intended Business Separations will harm DowDuPont's business (either directly or as conducted by and through Dow or DuPont), including current plans and operations; (vi) the ability to retain and hire key personnel; (vii) potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships resulting from the completion of the merger or the Intended Business Separations; (viii) uncertainty as to the long-term value of DowDuPont common stock; (ix) continued availability of capital and financing and rating agency actions; (x) legislative, regulatory and economic developments; (xi) potential business uncertainty, including changes to existing business relationships, during the pendency of the Intended Business Separations that could affect the company's financial performance and (xii) unpredictability and severity of catastrophic events, including, but not limited to, acts of terrorism or outbreak of war or hostilities, as well as management's response to any of the aforementioned factors. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the merger and the Intended Business Separations, are more fully discussed in (1) the Registration Statement and (2) the current, quarterly and annual reports filed with the SEC by DowDuPont and to the extent incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, by Dow and DuPont. While the list of factors presented here is, and the list of factors presented in the Registration Statement are, considered representative, no such list should be considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Consequences of material differences in results as compared with those anticipated in the forward-looking statements could include, among other things, business disruption, operational problems, financial loss, legal liability to third parties and similar risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on DowDuPont's, Dow's or DuPont's consolidated financial condition, results of operations, credit rating or liquidity. None of DowDuPont, Dow or DuPont assumes any obligation to publicly provide revisions or updates to any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by securities and other applicable laws.

SOURCE DowDuPont

Related Links

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WILMINGTON, Del., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- James C. Collins, Jr., chief operating officer of Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), will present at the BMO Capital Markets Farm to Market Conference in New York, NY at 10:10 a.m. (EDT), on Thursday, May 17.

Collins will provide information on the Agriculture Division's financial performance and ongoing progress toward its growth commitments  together with an updated look at the key strategic drivers and industry-leading pipeline which are enabling solid progress across the combined organization.

DowDuPont invites investors to join a live webcast of the presentation through its website. A replay of this presentation will also be available on the DowDuPont website following the webcast.

About Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont

Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), is intended to become an independent, publicly traded company when the previously announced spinoff is complete by June 2019. The division combines the strengths of DuPont Pioneer, DuPont Crop Protection and Dow AgroSciences. Corteva Agriscience provides growers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry  including some of the most recognized brands in agriculture: Pioneer, Encirca, the newly launched Brevant Seeds, as well as award-winning Crop Protection products  while bringing new products to market through our solid pipeline of active chemistry and technologies. More information can be found at www.corteva.com.

Follow Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

About DowDuPont

DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP) is a holding company comprised of The Dow Chemical Company and DuPont with the intent to form strong, independent, publicly traded companies in agriculture, materials science and specialty products sectors that will lead their respective industries through productive, science-based innovation to meet the needs of customers and help solve global challenges. For more information, please visit us at www.dow-dupont.com.

All products, unless otherwise noted, denoted with ,  or  are trademarks or registered trademarks of DowDuPont.

SOURCE DowDuPont

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From 13 to 15 November 2018, Cosmopack Asia, to be held at AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) , will present avant-garde products and solutions, focusing on raw materials and ingredients, machinery and automation, primary and secondary packaging, contract manufacturing and private labels. From 14 to 16 November 2018 , Cosmoprof Asia , to be held at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center (HKCEC) , will host companies and professionals specialising in finished products in various sectors -- perfumery and cosmetics, beauty salon and spa, hair, nail and accessories, naturals and organics.

The 2017 edition of Cosmoprof Asia saw a total of 2,877 exhibitors coming from 54 countries and regions, 25 international pavilions and the attendance of 83,793 professionals, with over 60,000 of them from overseas. These figures testify to the continuous growth of the fair, which reached an exhibition space of 108,600 sqm in 2017.

The data above shows why Cosmoprof Asia is the ideal stage for companies, distributors, buyers, retailers and multinational brands to discover the latest products and trends of the beauty market not only in the Asia-Pacific region, which is the second largest cosmetic market after Europe, but in the entire Asian continent as well.

There will also be special initiatives dedicated to exhibitors and professionals to facilitate networking and promote the products of exhibiting companies.

CREAM FACTORY & EXPERIENCE

After the success of previous editions, Cosmoprof Asia proposes an integrated project between the two exhibition venues to provide visitors with a unique experience of the production process of a luxury cosmetic product, from design to innovative technologies used. Thanks to the collaboration with international design agency centdegres and selected companies exhibiting at Cosmopack Asia, an exclusive prestige serum with dual effect -- moisturising and concealing skin imperfections, will be "produced" in the "factory" area of AWE. From 14 to 16 November at HKCEC, visitors will be able to experience an innovative shopping experience, thanks to the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies, in a "concept store of the future". The initiative will demonstrate how the influence of IoP - Internet of Product solutions is growing at an international level, bringing the relationship between product and customer to a whole new level.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES

CosmoTalks is a series of presentation and roundtable discussion participated by international leaders, market experts and key figures in the cosmetic industry focusing on the latest issues in the beauty industry: from market and regulatory analysis in Asia-Pacific countries to the most fashionable trends in Asia, with the aim of understanding needs of local consumers and how the beauty industry will evolve as a consequence of digital transformation, new technologies and social evolution.

CosmoForum, an area in Hall 3G, HKCEC, will host the Spa Conference and Natural & Organic Symposium, in addition to thematic seminars by trade organisations and experts.

Meanwhile, shows and live demos are scheduled for Cosmoprof Onstage, to be held at Hall 5C of HKCEC, giving visitors a preview of new make-up techniques, nail trends, as well as the most innovative beauty treatments and product designs.

ON HAIR EVENT

ON HAIR, a highlight in Cosmoprof Asia dedicated to the hair sector, will feature live demonstrations and shows at Cosmoprof Onstage, Hall 5C, HKCEC. The event is made possible through the collaboration with AHMA -- Asia Hair Masters Association, Hong Kong, which will host the Hong Kong Hair and Styling Arts Festival 2018 on 14 and 15 November comprising hair contest, awards ceremony and industrial summit. This much-anticipated event is expected to see the participation of 200 contestants and close to 1,000 audience at the award ceremony and hair show.

INDUSTRY RECOGNISED AWARDS

Cosmoprof Awards Asia and Cosmopack Awards Asia, curated in partnership with Beautystreams, recognise the best company in each venue for their ourstanding product, based on criteria like brand awareness, formulation, packaging , design and technologies. Two specialised juries comprising journalists, influencers, designers, researchers, brands, retailers and professionals in the beauty sector, will select the best products and solutions from exhibiting companies.

INTERNATIONAL BUYER PROGRAMME - 12th EDITION

Apart from the exciting programmes mentioned above, the organiser strives to continuously bring in quality buyers from potential markets via the International Buyer Programme. Running on its 12th consecutive year, this programme is a special initiative to promote b2b meetings between companies and international buyers. Buyers and distributors from specific international markets will be invited for business meetings with exhibitors at both fairgrounds, providing a unique opportunity to evaluate and develop projects in key markets yet to be explored.

For further information, visit www.cosmoprof-asia.com.

Online visiting pre-registration now opens: www.cosmoprof-asia.com/en-us/VISITING/Pre-registration

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Cosmoprof Asia, the premier international beauty exhibition in Asia-Pacific, is organised by Cosmoprof Asia Ltd, a joint-venture between BolognaFiere Group and UBM Asia Ltd.

ABOUT BOLOGNAFIERE GROUP

www.bolognafiere.it

BolognaFiere Group is the world's leading trade show organiser in cosmetics, fashion, architecture, building, art and culture. The Group has more than 80 international exhibitions within its portfolio, notably Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, the most important meeting point in the world for beauty professionals, established in 1967 and held in Bologna, Italy. In 2017 Cosmoprof Bologna celebrated its 50th anniversary. For the 2018 edition, opening days are different according to the specific area of the exhibition, in order to facilitate the organization of business trips to Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna. From Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 March doors are open for all specialists in retail, Perfumery and Cosmetics, Green and Natural, and for the country pavilions linked to these sectors, in conjunction with Cosmopack; the halls dedicated to beauty professionals - Hair, Nail, Beauty Salon & Spa - with their country pavilions will open as usual from Friday 16 to Monday 19 March. The international platform offered by Cosmoprof, with trade shows in Hong Kong (established in 1996) and Las Vegas (established in 2003), provides a truly global marketplace for the beauty industry where brands may grow.

ABOUT UBM ASIA LTD

www.ubm.com/asia

Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is the largest events organiser in Asia, India and SE Asia. We are also the leading commercial organiser in China. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global presence in 25 major cities with 31 offices and over 1,600 employee.

With a track record spanning over 30 years, UBM Asia operates in 11 market sectors with over 290 events, 28 targeted trade publications, 18 round-the-clock online products for over 2,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world. We provide a one-stop diversified global service for high-value business matching, quality market news and online trading networks.

MEDIA CONTACT:

ASIA: UBM Asia Ltd

Ms Amy Ng

P: +852.2516.1659

[email protected]

Ms Janice Poon

P: +852.2516.2117

[email protected]

WORLDWIDE: BolognaFiere Cosmoprof Spa

Mr Paolo Landi

P: +39.02.45.47.08.320

[email protected]

Ms Arianna Rizzi

P: +39.02.45.47.08.253

[email protected]

FOLLOW US

www.cosmoprof-asia.com l Facebook l Twitter l LinkedIn l Youtube l Instagram l Weibo l Blog

SOURCE Cosmoprof Asia

Related Links

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SAN DIEGO, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB) today announced its Cubic Global Defense (CGD) business division and 4C Strategies have formed a new strategic partnership to cooperate globally in the development and delivery of next-generation training and readiness capabilities to shared customers.

"We're pleased to continue our partnership with 4C Strategies as this new agreement builds on previous successful collaborations between the two companies, particularly in Australia," said Dave Buss, president of Cubic Global Defense. "Our partnership will ultimately deliver improved value for our current customers and customers of future opportunities."

"This is an important step for us in building our partner network where Cubic has successfully expanded the reach of our readiness solutions in Australia," said Magnus Bergqvist, chief executive officer of 4C Strategies. "We are thrilled to expand our Australian success and now partner with Cubic on a global scale as we see a growing demand for our joint offerings."

Under the agreement, Cubic and 4C Strategies will explore opportunities to further integrate the companies' complementary products, services and solutions. The partnership will provide open and scalable training solutions with a focus on customer outcomes rather than a "one-size-fits-all" proprietary approach.

The companies anticipate improved aggregation between quantitative data generated within training simulation applications, such as Cubic's CATS Metrix, and the qualitative assessments made by observers and stored in 4C Strategies' EXONAUT Software Suite, will enable significant advances in performance-based training. Combining this data provides enormous potential for data analytics, improved learning outcomes and greater readiness management.

Cubic's CATS Metrix is an exercise control (EXCON) software used by operators and instructors to plan, conduct, control, monitor, record, debrief and evaluate live force-on-force training. 4C Strategies is a leading provider of readiness solutions that schedule, plan, deliver and evaluate military training, experimentation and operations through the EXONAUT Software Suite, which is in use today by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and more than 10 partner nations.

About Cubic Corporation

Cubic is a market-leading, technology provider of integrated solutions that increase situational understanding for transportation, C4ISR and training customers worldwide to decrease urban congestion and improve the militaries' effectiveness and operational readiness. Cubic Transportation Systems is a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services to create intelligent travel solutions for transportation authorities and operators. Cubic Mission Solutions provides networked Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities for defense, intelligence, security and commercial missions. Cubic Global Defense is a leading provider of live, virtual, constructive and game-based training solutions for the U.S. and allied forces. For more information about Cubic, please visit the company's website at www.cubic.com or on Twitter @CubicCorp.

SOURCE Cubic Corporation

Related Links

http://www.cubic.com


Five years after its launch, DaDa is now fully prepared to take a step towards another milestone. At the same time, DaDa has embraced its corporate social responsibility by investing in social welfare, particularly in healthcare for women and children. Together with United Foundation for China's Health (UFCH), DaDa jointly launched the "to be with you" welfare program, aimed at improving the status of women and children's well-being through the concept of "companionship", which will benefit tens of thousands of mothers and children along with multiple families. It's the first documented case in China in which a welfare program is jointly launched by a leading online education platform and a well-known international healthcare brand.

ZHI Hui, DaDa's founder and CEO, and Roberta Lipson, founder, and chairman of United Family Healthcare, and ZHAO Xi, Chairman of United Foundation for China's Health (UFCH) along with their senior management teams attended the event. More than 200 journalists were present. ZHANG Quanling, the famous former CCTV anchor who has also chosen DaDa for her children, hosted the event, and shared her feelings about education and social welfare.

"Companionship " forms the core of the future of education

Based on the newly integrated brand core value "companionship", DaDa has modified its logo accordingly. According to Ms ZHI, the English version of the logo has been simplified down to only "DaDa", which is normally a baby's first words, symbolizing the baby's initial awareness, and its genuine curiosity of the world. The logo also skillfully combines the two letters "D" and "a" into a complete word, which implies mutual tolerance, understanding, and trust, and reflects the attributes of DaDa's unique one-on-one teaching model which assigns a teacher exclusively to one student.

Acknowledging companionship as the most important educational concept comes from long-term contact with the parents of tens of thousands of students DaDa has served in the past five years, as well as from educational research results based on large-scale research. It shows that during the early ages, a sense of security plays an important role in developing self-cognition and self-esteem. However, in today's China, at a time when the pace of life is accelerating, and social relations are gradually diminishing, companionship is becoming increasingly scarce and precious. The emphasis on companionship reflects what DaDa believes in, and what the company is aiming for. In fact, sticking to exclusive learning model has been one key principle that DaDa insists on. From the beginning, this learning model has shown a significant advantage by enabling a stable relationship between teachers and students, which has resulted in a positive impact on learning. The effectiveness of DaDa's learning model has also been proved by the year-on-year increase in student numbers.

Branding experts stated that the brand upgrade event shows that the concept of "companionship" has become DaDa's main strategy. This shows not only the unification of the goals within DaDa, but also an important commitment to consumers and the market.

AI empowers English learning, continuously improving user experience and teaching quality

At the conference, DaDa showed the public two of its advanced technologies for the online classroom: immersive live interactive classroom, and facial expression recognition system based on artificial intelligence (AI) technology and big data.

According to experts, immersive live interactive classroom technology allows students to see teachers in real time, with the virtual scene precisely matching the classroom environment, making the training session more lively. By applying this technology to the online classroom, it not only enhances the interest of students, but also virtually improves students' practical English skills. And by capturing students' facial expressions in real time, the facial expression recognition system plays an important role in collecting feedback from students during the lesson to assist the teachers while providing a credible indicator for parents to evaluate the effectiveness of their children's lessons.

"From branding, and technology to products, this is an all-round upgrade. Integrating companionship into education is our ultimate goal", Ms ZHI said. "These years have witnessed DaDa's continuously increasing number of users. We are grateful for the trust and support. Investing in technology to improve user experience and teaching quality shows our commitment to our users", she added.

Cross-field charitable program officially initiated to help mothers and the children in poor areas

What also deserves special mention from the event is that DaDa and United Family Healthcare announced the launch of a charity program, "To be with you". By putting "mother" as the starting point of the program, and expanding towards children living in impoverished areas, offering comprehensive support with medical treatment and education will enable the less privileged to live their lives with dignity. At present China's public welfare efforts are generally half-hearted, and usually out of touch with reality. For example, many charity projects provide simple physical gifts to meet the basic needs of underprivileged children, without providing a lasting solution. In reality, the "occasional" charitable action on an impulse can be a form of harm to recipients. Therefore, it is also hoped that DaDa's philanthropic actions, based on the value of long-term companionship, can serve as an example to the public.

According to reports, the "To be with you" social welfare program covers three basic projects: basic skills training for emergency recovery, two forms of cancer screening for mothers in impoverished areas, and surgical relief for orphans and handicapped children. With the support of United Family Healthcare's medical vehicles, this charity program will spread across the country, delivering medical care to orphans and disabled children in urban communities. It will provide free routine medical and physical examinations as well as medical training and basic medical care knowledge to nursing staff, such as BLS (Basic Lifesaving Techniques) and oral health protection, etc. It will also offer women in remote areas such as Yunnan and Ningxia cancer screening, dental examination, and surgical assistance to orphans and disabled children in remote and impoverished areas. To complement this, DaDa will provide children with online learning and language training support. It is estimated that more than a thousand families and tens of thousands of people stand to benefit from this program.

Through cooperation with the United Foundation for China's Health (UFCH), DaDa's goal is to disseminate quality education and medical resources to a wider demographic. Additionally, the "medical + education" approach will help certain groups of people achieve healthy, sustainable physical and mental development. All this will make the effects of the charity initiative more rewarding and long-lasting for the recipients.

"This is the first cross-field attempt by UFCH and the education sector. Both education and medical care have extremely strong social attributes. Collaborating together, we can not only provide assistance to the people in need, but also hope to become a positive demonstration to the domain of public welfare" said Roberta Lipson, founder of UFCH and CEO/founder of United Family Healthcare.

When talking about this collaboration, Ms ZHI was very excited. "The idea of getting involved in social welfare started very early at DaDa. We took a long time to select this initiative as we hope that what we do can bring a real and long-term impact to the public, and satisfy parents' and students' fundamental needs. For us, combining education with social welfare is just the beginning", she said.

About DaDa

DaDa is a professional organization specializing in K12 online English education. After years of development, DaDa has formed key advantages, including research, a network of foreign teachers in Europe and the United States, a fixed one-on-one teaching model, a graded curriculum, diversified course categories, and fully functional coverage of mobile terminals. Its "100% Transparent Classroom" system allows parents to monitor their children's learning using mobile devices anytime, anywhere, and achieve efficient, convenient and personalized home-school collaboration.

DaDa is committed to building an "international school without walls", and always adheres to the teaching-oriented principle, through the establishment of Brain Spark. By collaborating with the Highlights Press, McGraw-Hill Education, and FLTRP, they can import qualified teaching content such as PLE, Reach, Highlights, and a number of authoritative tutorials (including electronic versions), and training and evaluating systems. DaDa maintains parity with schools from domestic 1st tier cities as well as private schools from Hong Kong in terms of teaching resources.

In 2015, DaDa obtained round A financing from Dragon Capital, Pegasus Fund, and Qingsong Fund. In 2016, DaDa gained hundreds of millions of yuan in round B funding from Yonghua Capital. In December of the same year, it also raised a few hundred million yuan in round B+ financing led primarily by Oriental Fortune Capital. Among them, Yonghua Capital ranked third place in terms of the most IPO exits of domestic VC/PE institutions in the first half of 2017, and the total amount of funds managed by the Oriental Fortune Capital exceeded RMB 20 billion. In January 2018, DaDa gained 100 million U.S. dollars in round C financing, jointly invested by the world-famous hedge fund, "The Tiger Fund", and the domestic education giant, the TAL Education Group, becoming one of the industry's invisible unicorns.

About United Foundation for China's Health (UFCH)

UFCH has provided medical assistance in various regions of China since 2001, focusing on maternal and child health, disease relief, and capacity enhancement. UFCH takes its corporate social responsibility on behalf of United Family Healthcare (UFH). UFH is the largest donor to the foundation and contributes 1% of its annual income to help orphans, disabled children, and the disadvantaged within China. UFCH provides medical assistance and surgical treatment to improve their living quality, and help them back on the normal track.

The medical vehicle is a mobile clinic of the UFCH. Since beginning operations in November 2015, these medical vehicles have been deeply involved in the community providing the "last mile" medical services to orphans, the disabled, the disadvantaged and the poor. Currently, the vehicles have traveled more than 10,000 kilometers. With the support of the foundation, in 2017 the medical vehicle project received a total of 2,149 outpatients, 136 in-patients, and conducted 62 surgical operations.

In January 2018, the Department of Chinese Civil Affairs officially approved the registration of the UFCH as a privately funded charitable organization. The core value "Cure to carry hope" is the ultimate goal which UFCH has always pursued.

SOURCE DaDa
It's been quite a year. And I make no predictions about the one to come. I do know that it will -- at least where we are -- start ou...
NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Doctor.com, the leading customer experience platform purpose-built for the healthcare industry, released survey findings that provide a new framework for the patient journey. Doctor.com surveyed more than 1,700 U.S. adults to discover how modern day patients make healthcare choices, and what factors influence their satisfaction and loyalty.

The survey reveals that consumers rely heavily on the web and other digital tools not only when they search for a provider, but at every stage in the patient journey:

Search: 80% of respondents have used the internet to make a healthcare-related search in the past year.

80% of respondents have used the internet to make a healthcare-related search in the past year. Comparison: 67% of respondents over 60+ (or 63% of all respondents) will choose one provider over another because of a strong online presence (i.e. availability of relevant, accurate and compelling information).

67% of respondents over 60+ (or 63% of all respondents) will choose one provider over another because of a strong online presence (i.e. availability of relevant, accurate and compelling information). Trust: Nearly 60% of respondents have chosen one provider over another based on a positive online reputation.

Nearly 60% of respondents have chosen one provider over another based on a positive online reputation. Scheduling: 45% of patients prefer to use digital methods to request an appointment (i.e. online scheduling via a website, app, or email).

45% of patients prefer to use digital methods to request an appointment (i.e. online scheduling via a website, app, or email). Loyalty: Assuming they're receiving quality care, 82% of respondents ranked customer service as the most important factor influencing their loyalty to a provider.

And, the preference for digital spans generations. More than three-quarters of respondents aged 60 and up have used the internet to make a healthcare-related search in the past year, and 90 percent of patients in this age demographic will choose a new provider after seeing negative online ratings.

"The fact that 81% of patients will read reviews about a provider, even after they've been referred, indicates that we've entered a truly consumerist era of healthcare. Patients depend on online sources of information more so than ever, and are using all of the digital tools available to inform themselves and make healthcare decisions," said Andrei Zimiles, CEO of Doctor.com. "While it is paramount for healthcare organizations to provide quality care, they must also focus on building a strong online presence and a seamless customer journey. It's what today's patients expect."

To see more surprising insights from the survey, download the full report.

About Doctor.com:

Doctor.com is the only complete platform built to help healthcare organizations deliver a better customer experience at every step of the patient journey. The company's industry-leading technology seamlessly integrates provider data warehousing, web-wide listings management, reputation insights, universal online scheduling, and patient communications. All of these services are enhanced by Doctor.com's 50+ integrations with the most prominent healthcare directories, search engines, social media platforms, and EHR/PM systems. As a result, thousands of healthcare organizations, including more than 200 of the country's leading hospitals and health systems and over 20,000 private practices, have been empowered by the platform to enhance their digital presence and credibility, increase patient trust, and grow their business.

To view additional press releases, visit https://www.doctor.com/press.

Press Contact

Erin Kang

[email protected]

SOURCE Doctor.com

Related Links

http://www.doctor.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC) announced today that through a competitive bidding process, it will sell five small hydroelectric plants in the Western Carolinas region to Northbrook Energy. The transaction will save customers money over time, while ensuring a continued source of clean energy.

The facilities, which have a combined 18.7-megawatt generation capacity, are Bryson, Franklin and Mission hydro stations in the Nantahala area, and Tuxedo and Gaston Shoals hydro stations in the Green/Broad River Basin.

DEC will purchase all of the energy generated by these facilities for five years through power purchase agreements with Northbrook Energy.

"This sale will deliver long-term benefits for our customers and shareholders," said Randy Herrin, Duke Energy Vice President, Carolinas Regulated Renewables. "Over the past few years, the cost to operate these facilities has risen significantly. Through this transaction, the plants will continue to serve our customers with clean renewable energy, but at a lower cost."

"Northbrook is pleased with the opportunity to supplement its renewable hydroelectric portfolio in the Carolinas and leverage its local operating efficiencies," said Chuck Ahlrichs, President of Northbrook Energy. "Nearly 22 years after our first purchase of hydropower assets from Duke Energy, we are excited to build on our success in the region by expanding employment opportunities and proffering hydropower's baseload capabilities in support of the region's demonstrated desire to deploy intermittent renewables such as wind and solar."

Northbrook Energy is a privately-held, independent power producer that has been in the hydroelectric business for more than 30 years. The company operates hydro assets in 12 states, including the Carolinas. Northbrook partnered with New Energy Capital Partners, LLC to finance the acquisition of these hydroelectric plants.

Based on the upkeep investments needed over time, DEC determined it was in the best interest of customers to sell the facilities. Financial terms of the transaction, which will result in net savings for customers over time, are not being disclosed presently. DEC will seek approval from state regulators to establish a regulatory asset for the retail portion of the difference between sales proceeds and net book value.

The completion of the transaction is subject to approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to transfer the hydroelectric licenses to Northbrook Energy, as well as other state regulatory approvals.

Northbrook Energy will be required to comply with all FERC license requirements as well as existing agreements entered into by DEC, which Northbrook will assume.

Closing is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2019.

Duke Energy Carolinas

Duke Energy Carolinas owns nuclear, coal, natural gas, renewables and hydroelectric generation. That diverse fuel mix provides approximately 19,600 megawatts of owned electric capacity to about 2.5 million customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Duke Energy Carolinas is a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK).

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing its energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding its natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves.

The company's Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit serves approximately 7.6 million retail electric customers in six states  North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to approximately 1.6 million customers in five states  North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Commercial Renewables unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across the U.S.

A Fortune 125 company, Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2018 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' 2018 "America's Best Employers" list.

More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Northbrook Energy

Northbrook Energy is a privately held independent power producer that has been acquiring and operating renewable, hydroelectric facilities throughout the U.S for over 30 years. The company has invested alongside its partners, transacting with public and private companies including independent power producers, investor-owned utilities, manufacturers, counties and municipalities. Through Northbrook's fully-owned operations, maintenance and asset management company, Northbrook Power Management LLC, the company provides turn-key O&M services to private equity and pension funds, infrastructure companies, utilities, municipalities and insurers.

Additional information about Northbrook is available at nbenergy.com and northbrookpower.com.

Duke Energy Media contact: Catherine Butler

24-Hour Media Line: 800.559.3853

Northbrook Energy Media Contact: Chris Sinclair

480.551.1228

Duke Energy Analyst Contact: Mike Callahan

704.382.0459

SOURCE Duke Energy
LAKEWOOD, Colo., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- You don't always need to travel outside of your hometown to find a sense of adventure! On holiday weekends this summer, Einstein Bros. Bagels is rewarding those who stay local with a special staycation offer. Guests who visit participating Einstein Bros. Bagels stores this Memorial Day weekend (May 26-28) and present proof of local residence will receive a buy-one, get-one offer on the company's new Flavors Across America menu.

For a limited time, Einstein Bros. Bagels' consumers can fill up on six, new lunch and breakfast items inspired by regional favorites from the Midwest, South and Southwest regions of the U.S., including:

Cheesy Mac Breakfast  Mac & Cheese Bagel featuring Thick-Cut Bacon, Cage-Free Eggs and Cheddar Cheese (Midwest)

 Mac & Cheese Bagel featuring Thick-Cut Bacon, Cage-Free Eggs and Cheddar Cheese Cheesy Mac Lunch  Mac & Cheese Bagel featuring Ham, Swiss Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and Mayo (Midwest)

 Mac & Cheese Bagel featuring Ham, Swiss Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and Mayo Crispy Chicken & Tater Breakfast  Cheesy Hash Brown Bagel featuring Crispy Chicken Breast, Cage-Free Eggs, Cheddar Cheese and Country Pepper Shmear (South)

 Cheesy Hash Brown Bagel featuring Crispy Chicken Breast, Cage-Free Eggs, Cheddar Cheese and Country Pepper Shmear Crispy Chicken & Tater Lunch  Cheesy Hash Brown Bagel featuring Crispy Chicken Breast, Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and Mayo (South)

 Cheesy Hash Brown Bagel featuring Crispy Chicken Breast, Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and Mayo Green Chile Egg White  Green Chile Bagel featuring Turkey Sausage, Egg Whites, Pepper Jack Cheese, Tomatillo Salsa and reduced fat Plain Shmear (Southwest)

 Green Chile Bagel featuring Turkey Sausage, Egg Whites, Pepper Jack Cheese, Tomatillo Salsa and reduced fat Plain Shmear Green Chile Club  Green Chile Bagel featuring Turkey , Thick-Cut Bacon, Pepper Jack Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and Mayo (Southwest)

"Summer brings a spirit of freedom and adventure that transforms the routine," said Kerry Coyne, Einstein Bros. Bagels SVP of Marketing, Product, and Innovation. "We designed our Flavors Across America menu to delight our guests with a culinary road trip they can enjoy without leaving their hometown. This Memorial Day weekend, we are making it even better with a buy-one, get-one deal for staycationers across the country."

Locals who miss out on the initial Memorial Day weekend offer can start planning their trip to Einstein Bros. Bagels for Fourth of July (July 2-6) and Labor Day weekend (Sept. 1-3) when the offer returns. Additionally, consumers can receive a coupon for a free Flavors across America sandwich by sharing a photo of their favorite Einstein Bros. Bagels menu item on Instagram with #StaycationPromo or uploading it at www.einsteinbros.com/flavors.

The free Flavors Across America sandwich with purchase offer is only available at participating Einstein Bros. Bagels corporate-owned and franchise-owned locations. Offer is not redeemable at licensed stores located in airports, colleges, hotels or hospitals. For more information about Einstein Bros. Bagels or to find a location nearest you, visit www.EinsteinBros.com.

* To redeem the buy-one, get-one offer on Einstein Bros. Bagels' new Flavors Across America sandwiches, Guests must present a proof point of local residence (i.e. driver's license, library card, piece of mail, etc.)

About Einstein Bros. Bagels

Einstein Bros. Bagels is part of the Coffee & Bagel Brands family, a leading quick-casual company known for its breakfast brands including Caribou Coffee, Bruegger's Bagels, Noah's New York Bagels and Manhattan Bagel. Einstein Bros. Bagels is a neighborhood bagelry that's always cooking up new ways to bagel. Known for its fresh-baked bagels available in a variety of flavors and signature double-whipped shmears, Einstein Bros. Bagels also serves gourmet bagel sandwiches, coffee, espresso, sweets and snacks. Einstein Bros. Bagels is proud to be the largest bagel retailer in America with more than 700 locations in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Connect with Einstein Bros. Bagels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or join the Shmear Society at www.EinsteinBros.com to receive news and special offers.

SOURCE Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.EinsteinBros.com


CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EIP Pharma, a therapeutics company focused on CNS diseases, today announced the successful completion of a $20.5 million Series B financing. The Series B financing was led by Access Industries. This new round follows a Series A financing in 2017 funded by EIP senior leadership and other healthcare industry executives.

Proceeds from the financing will be used to further advance development of neflamapimod, an oral small molecule inhibitor of the intra-cellular enzyme p38 MAP kinase alpha (p38 alpha) being studied in Alzheimer's disease. In times of stress and disease p38 alpha is expressed in neurons, and irregular p38 alpha activity within the neuron can contribute to synaptic dysfunction. Synaptic dysfunction has emerged as the major driver in the development of memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease.

Neflamapimod is the first investigational drug to demonstrate the potential to reverse synaptic dysfunction and in turn improve episodic memory function in early Alzheimer's disease. A Phase 2b double-blind, placebo-controlled study called REVERSE-SD is currently enrolling 150 patients. The primary endpoint of REVERSE-SD is improvement in episodic memory, as assessed by the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test. Secondary endpoints include Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum-of-Boxes, Wechsler Memory Scale, and spinal fluid biomarkers of disease progression. Results from REVERSE-SD are expected to be available in the second half of 2019.

"We are grateful for the support from Access Industries as they share our commitment to advancing neflamapimod given the encouraging Phase 2a results and the significant unmet medical need that remains in Alzheimer's disease treatments," said John Alam, M.D., CEO of EIP Pharma. "This new funding is earmarked to support our Phase 2b study, further exploration of other areas where neflamapimod may have therapeutic potential and expansion of our team."

A previous Phase 2a study with neflamapimod published earlier this year in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology showed a statistically significant improvement in episodic memory function, as assessed by immediate recall and delayed recall using the Wechsler Memory Scale.

Neflamapimod (previously VX-745) was discovered by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. and licensed by EIP Pharma in 2014. Prior to licensing, Vertex Pharmaceuticals had completed extensive testing, including long-term non-clinical toxicity studies and Phase 1 and initial Phase 2a clinical studies in non-CNS diseases.

About Access Industries

Access Industries is a privately held, U.S.-based industrial group with global strategic investments. Founded in 1986 by Len Blavatnik, an American entrepreneur and philanthropist, Access invests to maximize long-term value by developing regional and global leaders. Its industrial focus spans four key sectors: natural resources and chemicals; media and telecommunications; real estate and hospitality; and venture capital. For more information, please visit www.accessindustries.com.

About EIP Pharma

EIP Pharma is a private, clinical-stage therapeutics company focused on CNS disorders headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. EIP Pharma was launched in 2014 by R&D executives from the pharmaceutical and biotech industry who believed that emerging science supported exploring neflamapimod in Alzheimer's disease. For more information about the company, please visit www.eippharma.com.

SOURCE EIP Pharma LLC

Related Links

http://www.eippharma.com


"With more than 20 years' experience in operational finance, strategy and M&A, David brings a wealth of knowledge from the defense and aerospace industry," said Bielat. "This is a time of strong growth and business momentum at Endeavor, and the right moment to add another seasoned financial leader to our team. We welcome David and look forward to his many contributions as we move forward."

Since late 2017, Endeavor has won a major US Army robotics 'program of record' worth up to $158 million, been named a finalist for another Army contract worth upwards of $400 million, and received multiple orders from the US military, foreign governments and other customers to deliver robots for myriad missions. The company also is building out its Chelmsford facility by 10,000 sq. ft. to add manufacturing space it needs for increased demand.

Before joining Endeavor, Adams served as CFO at Tribalco LLC and as CFO of QinetiQ North America's Services & Solutions Group, where he supported M&A activity that led to a successful sale of that business. Previously, Adams was VP of finance at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), and VP of finance and treasurer at TechnologyNet. He began his career with Price Waterhouse. Adams is a CPA and earned a bachelor's degree from Clark University and an MBA from State University of New York-Buffalo.

About Endeavor Robotics

Based in Chelmsford, Mass., Endeavor Robotics is the world's largest provider of tactical unmanned ground vehicles, delivering more than 6,500 robots to customers in over 40 countries. We design and build the most trusted, rugged, easiest-to-operate robots used to safeguard life and property around the world, whatever the mission. Every day, our products operate in areas of conflict, assist law enforcement agencies, and respond to natural disasters to help save lives. Endeavor Robotics is 100% U.S.-based. Visit us at EndeavorRobotics.com, or view jobs and more on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Joe Ailinger, Jr.

+1-978-769-9339

[email protected]

SOURCE Endeavor Robotics

Related Links

http://www.endeavorrobotics.com


HOUSTON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ENGIE Resources announced today that the Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services (OCM BOCES), acting as administrative participant for the New York School and Municipality Energy Consortium (NYSMEC), awarded the company a three-year agreement to supply electricity to 170 school districts and municipalities throughout upstate New York.

The news illustrates the company's broad background in retail electricity supply for the education sector. With the addition of OCM BOCES, ENGIE now serves more than 5,200 school sites in thirteen states including K-12, colleges, and universities.

Jay Bell, Vice President of Sales for ENGIE Resources, said ENGIE takes great pride in working with schools. "Earning OCM BOCES's business demonstrates our commitment to this region and to an important customer base. It's more than just an energy contract," said Bell. "Many schools face rising community expectations and challenges, but are budget constrained at the same time. That makes them very astute at procurement and helps keep us focused on offering the best possible solution."

About OCM BOCES

OCM BOCES is committed to providing high-quality educational programs and services to its 23 component school districts and other services for municipalities including NYSMEC throughout Central New York. OCM BOCES employs more than 1,100 administrative, teaching, and non-instructional professionals who serve a K-12 student base of more than 60,000 students. For more information, visit www.ocmboces.org.

About ENGIE Resources

ENGIE Resources LLC is a subsidiary of ENGIE North America and part of the international energy group ENGIE. As the fourth-largest electricity supplier to non-residential consumers in the United States, we deliver a combination of products and services, highly rated customer service, and financial strength that provides unique and compelling value to our customers. Now offering solar and other renewable energy options, demand response, and on-bill financing, we assure our customers that they can count on us to create effective, customized plans for them. Our in-house energy experts work with customers to understand their operations, tailoring products and services specific to their business and budget. For more about ENGIE Resources, visit www.engieresources.com or call 1-866-999-8374. Follow ENGIE Resources on LinkedIn, Twitter , and Facebook.

ENGIE Resources & Think Energy are part of ENGIE North America, which manages a range of energy businesses in the U.S. and Canada, including electricity generation and cogeneration, retail energy sales, and services to help customers run their facilities more efficiently and optimize their energy use and expense. For more information on ENGIE North America, visit www.engie-na.com or Twitter.

SOURCE ENGIE Resources

Related Links

http://www.engieresources.com


LONDON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Openlink, a leading provider of trading, treasury and risk management solutions, announced that the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany, has selected Openlink's solution as its risk and treasury management system.

As one of the world's largest supranational public financial institutions, the ECB serves Europe by maintaining price stability across 19 European Union countries that have adopted the Euro. The risk and treasury management system is a mission-critical initiative for the ECB. Openlink's solution will support all market operations linked to ECB's management of euro-denominated investment portfolio, decentralized management of the ECB's foreign reserves, and various monetary policy-driven asset purchase programs.

"We are proud to collaborate with the ECB as it further enhances its risk and treasury operations for the Eurosystem," said Bernard Delahaye, chief revenue officer of Openlink in EMEA. "Openlink is deeply committed to helping the ECB and other central banks evolve in step with regulatory changes, the need for advanced reporting and data analytics, and other market shifts."

Public financial institutions face heightened compliance and reporting requirements and must establish new ways of working to handle enormous volumes of data and an extensive universe of instruments. This includes straight-through processing (STP) and more frequent due diligence, stress testing, and credit and market risk checks.

Openlink has won the Central Banking Award for "Risk Management Services Provider of the Year" for two consecutive years.

About Openlink

Openlink (www.openlink.com), an ION Investment Group company, provides award-winning solutions for trading, treasury and risk management to serve energy companies, commodity-intensive corporations, and financial services institutionson-premises and via the Openlink Cloud.

SOURCE Openlink Financial LLC

Related Links

http://www.olf.com


CYPRESS, Calif., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Exemplis Corporation, the California-based parent company of SitOnIt Seating and IDEON is proud to announce its recent acquisition of Symmetry Office, a Florida-based provider of training, multi-purpose and height-adjustable tables and workspace accessories. The acquisition expands Exemplis' product offerings beyond seating into adjacent categories and enables the company to meet its customers' evolving needs with new, innovative business solutions.

"Tables and chairs are a natural fit and we've been looking at doing something in this category for quite some time," says Paul DeVries, CEO and founder of Exemplis. "In any acquisition, cultural fit is vital to success and Symmetry's leadership and entire team embody our entrepreneurial spirit. Their team-based culture, complementary product portfolio and customer-first mindset make them a perfect fit for us. We're excited to be working together."

Both Symmetry Office and the SitOnIt Seating and IDEON brands will continue to operate independently for the balance of 2018. All products will still be ordered from, fulfilled by, and serviced by their respective sales teams, factories, and customer service teams.

ABOUT EXEMPLIS

Exemplis, the parent company of seating brands SitOnIt Seating and IDEON has been leading the build-to-order furniture industry since its founding in 1996 in California. The company is one of the largest manufacturers of office seating products in the world and provides task, multi-purpose, and lounge seating solutions in an unlimited array of customizable designs, all with the fastest shipping time in the industry.

SOURCE Exemplis

Related Links

http://www.exemplis.com


COSTA MESA, Calif., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Experian announced it has been recognized as the most often used vendor for identity verification in a survey of network security decision makers published in Forrester's March, 2018 "Top Trends Shaping Identity Verification (IDV) in 2018" report.

"We live in a digital world where it's common to use multiple online identities," said Donna DePasquale, Experian's Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and interim Global Head of Fraud & Identity. "With the lack of face-to-face interaction online, the ability to recognize legitimate customers is even more important. Fortunately, we have the data and technology to help businesses better identify their customers, make more informed fraud decisions and balance the customer experience."

The report, which discusses the importance of easy-to-use identity verification tools, reveals the top trends shaping identity verification in 2018. Two of the trends mentioned in the report include: poor identity verification continues to have serious consequences beyond transactions, and behavioral biometrics shows its strength with identity verification.

Both of these trends are supported by findings from Experian's Global Fraud and Identity Report, which was released earlier this year. The research shows businesses need to better identify their customers to help combat online fraud. In fact, 84 percent of businesses surveyed say the need for fraud risk mitigation could be reduced if they were certain about customers' identity. In addition, 75 percent of businesses expressed interest in more advanced security measures and authentication that have no impact on the digital customer experience.

The Forrester report states that its interviewees indicate that no single source of information is sufficient to establish a 360-degree view of any given customer. The Forrester report also suggests that companies inventory and then revise their existing [identity verification] portfolio to ensure all their bases are covered. The report states "After it failed to detect money laundering early enough, a North American bank expanded its existing [identity verification] services based on credit header data to include Experian's identity verification services based on device ID reputation  resulting in a 15% higher identity theft detection rate."

A complimentary copy of the March 2018 Forrester report by analyst Andras Cser and Merritt Maxim is now available.

The Forrester Data Global Business Technographics Security Survey, 2017 was fielded between May and June of 2017. This online survey included 3,752 respondents in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, New Zealand, the UK, and the US from companies with two or more employees. Of 1,097 network security decision makers (20+ employees) responding to the question, 25% use Experian for identity verification, more than any other vendor.

Experian offers identity verification capabilities specifically designed to deliver comprehensive online fraud management that can be deployed quickly so companies can better identify the fraudsters and stop fraud attacks before they happen. All of fraud and identity services are available through the Experian CrossCore platform, the industry's first open platform for fraud and identity services.

Learn more about Experian's Fraud and Identity business.

About Experian

Experian is the world's leading global information services company. During life's big moments  from buying a home or a car, to sending a child to college, to growing a business by connecting with new customers  we empower consumers and our clients to manage their data with confidence. We help individuals to take financial control and access financial services, businesses to make smarter decisions and thrive, lenders to lend more responsibly, and organizations to prevent identity fraud and crime.

We have more than 16,000 people operating across 37 countries and every day we're investing in new technologies, talented people and innovation to help all our clients maximize every opportunity. We are listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and are a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

Learn more at www.experianplc.com or visit our global content hub at our global news blog for the latest news and insights from the Group.

Experian and the Experian marks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts:



Kristie Galvani Scott Anderson

Rubenstein Public Relations Experian Public Relations

1 212 805 3005 1 714 830 3185

[email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Experian

Related Links

http://www.experian.com


With over 25 years of experience in the beauty space, Bill George comes to Freeman Beauty with expertise managing a large portfolio of top ten mass-market beauty brands. Known for driving organic growth across six continents as well as leading corporate acquisitions and integration, Mr. George is widely recognized to possess a firm handle on major market trends along with the ability to inject excitement in brands by delivering high-quality innovations, supply chain ingenuity and consumer engagement. A key to his success is strong teamwork and partnerships, earning numerous industry awards for Supplier of the Year and "Best Of" categories.

"I am honored and privileged to join Freeman Beauty," says Bill George. "I have admired the company's position in the market for quite some time and love where the brand stands today. I look to build on the company's rich heritage and continue to find the best partners to succeed in these high growth segments."

In his new role, Mr. George will work closely with Yellow Wood Partners, helping fuel their growth plans for Freeman Beauty brands, while leveraging their insights to further expand the business.

Dana Schmaltz, Partner at Yellow Wood expressed, "The Yellow Wood team is excited to have the opportunity to work with Bill George as the new CEO of Freeman Beauty. We have known Bill for a number of years and watched him build many successful brands. Adding Bill's skillset to the great franchise we have at Freeman as the #1 Face Mask brand in the US will continue to accelerate our growth in this category, as well as other categories that we may enter through acquisitions and line extensions. We look forward to building another successful consumer platform business around Bill."

Concurrently, Jon Achenbaum, announced his retirement from Freeman Beauty. Achenbaum, who joined the company in 2015, led Freeman Beauty through a period of significant growth and oversaw the sale of the business to Yellow Wood partners in August 2017. Yellow Wood is proud of the accomplishments the business achieved under Jon's leadership and wish him well in his future endeavors.

About Freeman Beauty:

As leaders in the beauty category for over 40 years, Freeman Beauty, America's #1 Facial Mask Brand, focuses on on-trend, nature inspired, fun, pampering, high-performing products at an accessible price. Prioritizing specialty beauty, Freeman Beauty offers a wide variety of easy to use, solution-based products across multiple categories. The Company offers a wide range of facial masks, dry shampoo, specialty bath & body, and foot care products that provide a spa-like experience in the comfort of your own home. The brand portfolio includes category leading Freeman Feeling Beautiful facial masks, Freeman Beauty Infusion serum-infused facial masks, Freeman Feeling Legendary facial masks for men, Freeman Bare Foot pampering foot care products, Psssst! dry shampoo, and c.Booth bath & body care products.

About Yellow Wood:

Yellow Wood Partners is a Boston-based private investment firm that invests exclusively in the consumer industry in the middle market. The firm seeks to acquire branded consumer products across a variety of channels including mass, drug, food, specialty, club and e-commerce. Yellow Wood's success in driving growth and operational efficiencies is based on the team's combination of investment expertise and complementary marketing, sales, finance, operations, and international skills which creates strong partnerships with the management teams of portfolio companies. For more information, please visit www.yellowwoodpartners.com.

SOURCE Freeman Beauty
Ill admit that if you look closely enough  OK, maybe you dont even have to look all that closely  youll see dust bunnies. And sand tracked in on the porch. Oh, yeah, and fingerprints on the windows.

So, in other words, my house is not quite spotless.
LAS VEGAS, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Fusion Bank, a leading cash and treasury management solution for licensed cannabis operators, announced today that Director of Account Services Lisa Jander will be a keynote speaker at the upcoming MICBD conference in Bay City, Michigan.

The Michigan Cannabis Business Development Programs (MICBD) are a conference and seminar series that strive to educate Michigan's cannabis community - notably entrepreneurs and business professionals - on the laws, regulations, and latest developments that are of special interest and relevance to their enterprises.

MICBD gives attendees access to attorneys, lawmakers, financial professionals, and experts and their deep reservoirs of knowledge, especially within the context of the state of Michigan and its counties and municipalities. MICBD is also a platform for Michigan's cannabis community and entrepreneurs to network with each other and build connections.

During the periodically held conferences, crucial information relating to every aspect of the new medical marijuana laws in Michigan, banking regulations, opportunities for ancillary industries, and more will be covered. The upcoming MICBD, which will be hosted by the Hilton DoubleTree Hotel in Bay City MI on May 20th 2018, is set to be no different. And amongst the upcoming event's presenters is Director of Account Services for Fusion Bank, Ms. Lisa Jander.

Fusion Bank is a cash and treasury management solution for licensed cannabis operators and other members of the cannabis community. Based and licensed in The Bahamas under the Sovereign Friendly Society and compliant with the FinCEN guidelines drawn out by U.S. policymakers in 2014, Fusion Bank is legally able to provide licensed U.S. cannabis operators with the banking services they need to get legacy cash out of their business premises - a magnate for crime and theft - and safely banked. Members can then make use of Fusion Bank's sophisticated online banking portal to manage these funds and perform wire transfers, make bill payments, receive funds, and more, as with a traditional bank account.

"We're not just a bank, we're a compliance bank," says Ms. Jander. "Unlike any other financial institution in the United States, we are keenly focused on compliance and spare no expense in ensuring that we meet city, state, and federal requirements. This is why we can safely offer the cannabis community access to legal banking services, without risk of intervention."

As the Director of Account Services for Fusion Bank, Ms. Jander interfaces with bank members to move them through the onboarding process. Lisa Jander has been a part of Fusion Bank from its inception and is the liaison between the compliance team and upper management, while also monitoring the features and functions of the banking platform.

During the upcoming MICBD, Ms. Jander will be speaking about the closed-loop systems that have Michigan's cannabis operators caught up in persistent banking headaches, the cash conundrum, and how Fusion Bank effectively solves all of these problems. She'll also be explaining the bank's online platform and its various features and capabilities.

With only a few days to go before MICBD, the Michigan cannabis community is urged to register today to secure their seats.

Event date: Sunday 20th May 2018

Time: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Venue: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bay City - Riverfront

Tickets: $134.02 standard admission (buy tickets here)

About Fusion Bank

Fusion Bank is an innovative cash and treasury management solution that operates in compliance with the required government and central bank regulations. This members-only financial institution is licensed under the Bahamas-based Sovereign Friendly Society and provides safe, legal, and ethical financial, cash, and treasury management services to licensed cannabis operators, ancillary service providers, and qualified cannabis friendly members around the globe, including cultivators, grower industry supporters, patients, healthcare providers, lobbyists, and more.

Contact: For information, please email [email protected] , call +1-866-347-3321 or visit Fusion Bank to Register for a Bank Account.

SOURCE Fusion Bank
DALLAS, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Generational Equity, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held businesses, is pleased to announce the sale of its client, Clover M Enterprises, LLC dba Riechers Truck Bodies & Equipment Co., to Coin Acceptors, Inc. The acquisition closed April 20, 2018.

Riechers Truck Bodies, based in Washington, Missouri, has been manufacturing the highest quality truck bodies since 1934. In addition to mass production, the business can design and customize truck beds to meet customer specifications such as stake, platform, chipper, farm and other types of beds. It also manufacturers trailers and carries a full line of truck body accessories.

Coin Acceptors is a 60-year-old company that provides the unattended point-of-sale industry with currency services and refrigerated vending equipment. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, the family-owned company was seeking to diversify its wealth by investing in manufacturing businesses with metal fabricating capabilities and other processes with which it is familiar.

Generational Equity Senior Managing Director Michael Goss successfully closed the deal, and Senior Managing Director Roger Dean established the initial relationship with Riechers.

"This transaction represents a very solid fit for both Coin Acceptors, and the owners of Riechers - Gil, Wayne, and Roland Mohesky," said Goss. "The Mohesky family was looking to exit their investment and move closer to full retirement, and Gil will continue to partner with Coin Acceptors and its team to ensure a smooth and successful transition."

About Generational Equity

Generational Equity, DealForce, and Generational Capital Markets, member FINRA/SIPC, are part of the Generational Group, which is headquartered in Dallas and is one of the leading M&A advisory firms in North America. With over 250 professionals located throughout North America, the companies help business owners release the wealth of their business by providing merger, acquisition and strategic growth advisory services. Their four-step approach features exit planning education, business valuation, value enhancement strategies, and M&A transactional services.

The M&A Advisor named the company the 2016 and 2017 Investment Banking Firm of the Year. For more, visit the https://www.genequityco.com/ or the Generational Equity press room.

For more information:

Carl Doerksen

972-232-1125

[email protected]

SOURCE Generational Equity

Related Links

http://www.genequityco.com


NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, will address the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Global Forum in Jerusalem. The four-day conference, June 10-13, is the premier Jewish global advocacy organization's signature annual event.

"As Americans, Jews, and friends of Israel, Georgia is a very significant country," said AJC CEO David Harris, who last visited Tbilisi in February. "We are delighted Prime Minister Kvirikashvili will travel to Jerusalem especially to address our Global Forum."

Nearly 1,700 participants, including hundreds of young Jews, from across the United States and many other countries are expected to attend the Global Forum, the first time in AJC's 112-year history that the conference convenes outside the United States. The AJC gathering will be one of the largest for an American Jewish organization in Jerusalem.

"Georgia is a post-Soviet country in the Caucasus region that describes its relationship with Israel as a 'strategic partnership' and has embraced democracy and a pro-Western orientation," said Harris. "It has a venerable Jewish community that, amazingly, dates its origin there back 2,600 years and feels fully at home and embraced by Georgian society. We are honored to be hosting the Prime Minister, a friend and dynamic leader, at the AJC Global Forum."

AJC engages regularly with Georgian diplomats across the U.S., Europe, and Israel, and the global Jewish advocacy organization meets with top Georgian officials each year on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

The nonpartisan AJC, founded in 1906, maintains headquarters in New York City, 22 regional offices across the United States, 11 posts worldwide, including Jerusalem, and 35 international association agreements.

https://www.ajc.org/news/georgia-prime-minister-kvirikashvili-to-address-ajc-global-forum-in-jerusalem

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


SOMERVILLE, N.J., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Pedroso Ventures Inc., the tech startup in Somerville, New Jersey, that had its ribbon-cutting in September 2017 has changed its corporate name to Giftapart Inc., and now announces a giveaway for 11 people to win up to $1,000 shopping credits.

Developing an internet e-commerce software platform that its CEO and founder Filipe Pedroso says will "change the world," the project has been under heavy secrecy since its commencement. Pedroso says the public launch date is anticipated for late summer 2018 using the company's current name and brand of Giftapart.

To celebrate the birth of its business name, Giftapart has launched a website and several social media sites. "We're excited to announce a giveaway to one lucky winner of $1,000 shopping credit and 10 others who will receive $100 credit to Giftapart on launch date, just for following us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter."

Giftapart can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media services under its business name. "People can easily find us on any of these social media platforms by searching Giftapart. We're the only company named Giftapart. Our name is as unique as the innovative and revolutionary e-commerce methods we're creating and launching this summer."

The company has been developing a completely new internet shopping experience. "We have filed provisional patents incorporating about a dozen revolutionary new ways of engaging in e-commerce. We believe that some of our methods will change the world's culture forever, and how everyone does a certain type of shopping."

Pedroso states that Giftapart will provide customers will all types of products. "We intend on providing most items, if not all, consumers want and need as soon as possible," said Pedroso. "The company is in process of establishing business relationships with top retailers that sell and ship goods within the United States. We will only sell products that are sold by established, ethical retailers. Consumers can be assured that they will only get authentic products from the brands they trust and the stores they know.

"The retailers that have had the opportunity to see what we're doing are very excited and really love the unique retailer toolbox we provide them," commented Pedroso. "The way that retailers can connect with their loyal customers is uniquely special and efficient at Giftapart. Retailers are loving that. And interested, loyal consumers will equally appreciate that level of connection with their favorite retailers.

"We wanted to reward our initial Giftapart fans so we created this giveaway," said Pedroso. According to the giveaway rules, anyone can participate by following Giftapart on its social media sites and being in current follower status on the launch date. "We'll select the 11 winners on launch day and reach out to them the same day. We want them to start using and shopping on Giftapart right away!"

Although the rules of the giveaway limit entry to adults, Pedroso says they'll do whatever they can to accommodate everyone. "We understand that some minors may not know or read the rules fully, therefore still follow our pages with the impression that they've qualified. If possible, we'll make an effort to get their parental consent to still award them their giveaway. Our company's philosophy is to always do the right thing, even if it means taking the extra mile. We'll always take care of our customers first."

In fact, since almost the start of the project, Pedroso has had the words "CUSTOMER #1" on the whiteboard in the company's conference room. Kevyn Jaremko, director of front-end software development, has been with the company since its first line of code and said, "I guess as developers we were thinking about ways to make the platform more profitable, but Filipe [Pedroso] would remind us and always say, 'We're focused on creating an awesome platform for the customers' use and satisfaction.' He would always say 'the customer is number one,' so after saying it a couple times, he wrote it in all caps on the whiteboard. It's still there, he never erased it."

"Oh yeah, Filipe [Pedroso] is obsessed with the customer," added Deepak Kumar, also with the company since the onset and leads the back-end software development. Kumar further stated, "There's no doubt that Filipe [Pedroso] has kept his focus. He has demanded that we leave no detail undone. Every detail of the project is revolved around what the customer will enjoy, need and want. But you know what, I guess that's what it takes. We're all so excited to get the platform in people's hands so they can start enjoying all the great features. This project was not built for ease of development. It was built for ease of use."

Priya Balakrishnan, front-end coder at the company, said, "The goal is to give the users a fun and exciting shopping experience and to that effect, we are working towards a design that is aesthetically pleasing while being simple and seamless to use. We want to bring the fun of retail shopping to the online experience."

Giftapart is developing its platform to be released in desktop and mobile form. "Creating a truly all-encompassing platform has been the goal, and that, of course, would include allowing people to use it in all form factors. So whether you want to use Giftapart on your desktop, notebook, tablet, Android or iPhone, we got you covered. You're going to love shopping and doing so much more on Giftapart," said Pedroso.

Heading the mobile development team is Robert Dudas Jr. and he says, "We have been able to pack a tremendous amount of functionality into a simple-to-use user interface on the mobile phone. Filipe [Pedroso] has insisted that the user experience be similar across all platforms, and we have been able to maintain enough uniformity that once you know how to use the desktop version, going to the mobile app will be a breeze and vice versa. I'm very pleased with the successes we've had."

For reference, mentioned in the press release:

Company webpage: http://giftapart.com

Giveaway rules: http://giftapart.com/giveaway

Company social media platforms:

https://facebook.com/giftapart

https://instagram.com/giftapart

https://twitter.com/giftapart

https://linkedin.com/company/giftapart

For additional information contact:

Liana V. Pedroso

Chief Administrative Officer

Director, Corporate Communications & Public Relations

Giftapart Inc.

892 US 22, 2nd Floor

Somerville, NJ 08876

(551) 202-8008 Ext. 4077

[email protected]

Related Files

PRESS RELEASE 2018-05-16.docx

PRESS RELEASE 2018-05-16.pdf

Related Links

Giftapart homepage

Giftapart Facebook page

SOURCE Giftapart Inc.

Related Links

http://giftapart.com


SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Glassbeam, Inc., the premier machine data analytics company, announced today that Scripps Health, the nationally-ranked integrated healthcare system based in San Diego, will deploy Glassbeam's proactive and predictive analytics solutions to increase the uptime and service management as well as improve utilization tracking for an entire fleet of diagnostic equipment such as MRI machines and CT scanners. The deployment is a result of a new agreement whereby Radiographic Equipment Services (RES) becomes a strategic reseller of Glassbeam solutions in Southern California.

"The healthcare industry is ripe for disruption, with significant opportunities to bring the benefits of predictive analytics, AI and machine learning to both improve patient care and enhance the financial performance of healthcare delivery organizations," said Cary Lucian, Senior Vice President at RES. "By expanding our solution portfolio to include Glassbeam's proactive and predictive analytics, we can combine Glassbeam's software expertise with RES's domain knowledge to improve operations at healthcare systems such as Scripps Health in San Diego."

RES will deploy the Glassbeam solution at Scripps Health in San Diego as part of its ongoing service management contract for imaging systems such as MRI and CT scanners. Founded in 1924, Scripps Health is a nonprofit integrated health system based in San Diego, California. Scripps treats a half-million patients annually through the dedication of 2,600 affiliated physicians and 13,750 employees among its five acute-care hospital campuses, hospice and home health care services and an ambulatory care network of physician offices and 25 outpatient centers and clinics. Scripps is a nationally ranked healthcare system in eight adult specialties according to U.S. News & World Report's Annual Best Hospitals List1, and Fortune Magazine has named Scripps as one the 100 Best Companies to Work For on its 21st annual list.2

"Scripps is among the innovative healthcare delivery organizations that is turning to advanced analytics, machine learning and AI to better manage its capital assets. Better management can save millions of dollars in downtime each year while enabling more patients to benefit from the information these systems provide," said John Ferraro, Vice President Sales, Glassbeam. "We are eager to collaborate with RES to bring these benefits to Scripps, as well as apply our extensive expertise from working with healthcare equipment providers and other healthcare delivery organizations."

About Glassbeam

Glassbeam is the premier machine data analytics company bringing structure and meaning to complex data generated from any connected machine in the Industrial IoT industry with a strong focus on medical and data center equipment. Funded by several ultra-high net worth investors, Glassbeam's next generation cloud-based platform is designed to transform, analyze, and build Artificial Intelligence applications from multi-structured logs, delivering powerful solutions on customer support and product intelligence for companies such as IBM, Dell EMC, PTC, Novant Health, UCSF Health, and Dimension Data. For more information visit http://www.glassbeam.com or follow us on Twitter @Glassbeam.

About RES

Radiographic Equipment Services (RES) is a San Diego-based regional provider of clinical engineering services with a focus on high-end imaging modalities. The company provides comprehensive asset management solutions, as well as diagnostic imaging service and equipment sales in Southern California. RES employs a team of specialized, highly trained engineers who support a broad range of medical imaging modalities including: MRI, CT, PET/CT, Cardiac Cath, Interventional Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Mammography, Ultrasound and other Diagnostic Radiology. For more information visit http://www.resxray.com

1 https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/ca/scripps-la-jolla-hospitals-and-clinics-6931130

2 https://www.scripps.org/about-us/who-we-are/awards-and-recognition

Media Contact

David Sawatzke

Head of Marketing

408-740-4600

[email protected]

SOURCE Glassbeam, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.glassbeam.com


LONDON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Global big data in healthcare market to reach $68.75 billion by 2025



Health data has been growing at unprecedented rates, driven by fall in storage costs, emergence of cloud storage, growing regulatory mandates and the increasing government initiatives to promote adoption of healthcare information systems.The increasing adoption of wearable devices, at-home testing services and mhealth applications that are empowering patients to proactively manage their health are further contributing to the pool of personal data.



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The availability of large volumes of health information has paved way for massive advances in clinical research, development of precision medicine and clinical decision support tools, quicker drug discovery and more detailed view of population health, which has opened new arrays for managing chronic diseases.



The global big data in healthcare market amounted to $11.45 billion in 2016 and is expected to witness a double-digit growth throughout the forecast period of 2017-2025.



The research study is a compilation of various segmentations including the market breakdown by components and services, by application, and by region.This report provides a detailed market analysis and forecast of hardware, software and services, and prescriptive, descriptive and predictive analytics services.



Additionally, it also includes analysis of applications of big data for clinical analytics, financial analytics, and operational analytics.



The market has been analyzed based on various micro and macro trends influencing it. While highlighting the key driving and restraining forces for this dynamic market, the report also provides a comprehensive section on competitive landscape, industry attractiveness, market share analysis, and competitive benchmarking within the global big data in the healthcare market.



The following key questions have been addressed in the report:

 How has the big data in healthcare market evolved in the past and how is it anticipated to evolve during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025?

 What are the major market factors propelling the growth of the market?

 What are the various challenges that the industry is facing which need to be addressed?

 Who are the key players across components, services, applications and regions for big data in healthcare?

 What are the key developmental strategies adopted by the key players to stand out in this market?

 What were the market shares of the different data analytics services providers in 2017?

 How will the market for each component and application of big data in healthcare market grow during the forecast period? What will be the revenue generated by each segment by the end of 2025?

 Which applications are an investment priority in different regions and why? What will be the revenue generated through each application through the forecast period?



The report also includes an exhaustive analysis of the market for each geographical region, namely North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and RoW. Each geographical region analysis details the individual push and pull forces, and market for components and services and analytics applications, in addition to the key players from that region.



The report also examines the role of the leading market players involved in the industry.The company profiles section highlights significant information about the key companies, such as their product portfolio, financial positions, and the SWOT analysis of these players.



Some of the key players in the big data in healthcare market are McKesson Corporation, Allscripts, Epic Systems, Cerner Corporation, SAP, SAS, and Tableau, among others.



Executive Summary

Amid rising healthcare costs, increasing rates of chronic diseases, aging population and declining reimbursement costs, hospitals and other healthcare organizations are under considerable pressure to prioritize investments focusing on improving outcomes and resource management.The increasing supply of health-related data from various sources has the potential to transform the healthcare delivery system, reduce costs, improve patient outcomes and provide value-based care.



The volume of healthcare data accounted for over 700 exabytes in 2017 from 153 million in 2013 and is projected to grow to 2,314 exabytes by 2020. Falling storage costs, emergence of cloud-based services and subscription models, government initiatives and regulatory mandates to encourage adoption of healthcare information systems and increasing adoption of mHealth, eHealth and wearable technologies among consumers are expected to drive the growth of the market.



Organizations are employing analytical tools and artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques on this growing pool of data to derive data-driven insights to reduce healthcare costs, enhance revenue streams, develop personalized medicine, and manage proactive patient care. Among, components and services, analytics services contributed the dominant share of $5.80 billion in 2017 and are expected to be the fastest growing segment throughout the forecast period. Financial analytics is the most prominent application of big data and contributed a market share of $2.38 billion 2016, due to early application of analytics for improving financial outcomes by analysing performance across revenue cycle management, insurance claims handling and fraud detection. However, clinical analytics is the priority investment for most of the organizations and is thus expected to witness the highest CAGR of 23.77% from 2017 to 2025, to reach the value of $11.35 billion by 2025. The access to large volumes of medical data has paved way for massive advances in clinical research, development of precision medicine and clinical decision support tools, speedier drug discovery and opened new arrays for managing chronic diseases.



While North America has been the leading market for big data in healthcare due to early adoption of the technology in the region, APAC is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate in the forecast period as development of big data infrastructure, and applications has become a priority field of investment for governments of the emerging economies of India and China.However, challenges must be overcome to improve connectivity and linkage between existing databases is to realize the complete potential of data-driven health care systems.



National and international platforms need to be established that can consolidate patient data over time and across different clinics.



Encouraging adoption of healthcare information systems, promoting usage of interoperable shared electronic health records (EHRs) and appropriate security measures to protect sensitive information, adoption of standard clinical terminologies, and building a more collaborative research environment will play a key role in improving the use of data analytics tools among the healthcare organizations. Substantial commitment and collaboration is demanded from all the stakeholders, along with a strong governance framework to ensure effective use of big data.



Countries Covered

 U.S.

 Canada

 Europe

 U.K

 France

 Spain

 Italy

 Germany

 Asia Pacific

 Others

 China

 Japan

 India

 Australia

 Rest of the World



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About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

In line with "Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030", Global Health Exhibition will provide a business platform for 10,000 attendees to make inroads into the Kingdom's healthcare market

In line with "Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030" to transform the Kingdom healthcare sector and develop strategic partnership programmes with local and multinationals institutions, firms and experts. Under the patronage of the Ministry of Health, Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, the organisers of Arab Health, in collaboration with XS Conferences and Exhibitions, has announced the launch of Global Health Exhibition - Saudi Arabia's premier healthcare platform for the global market to meet and network with the Saudi healthcare sector pioneers and officials.

Taking place from 10-12 September 2018 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, more than 10,000 industry professionals from across the globe are expected to explore +500 Saudi-based and international exhibiting companies showcasing the latest advances in health services, pharmaceuticals, training and education, and medical device technologies.

According to Peter Hall, President, Informa Middle East: "Diminishing market access barriers for foreign investment, coupled with huge investment in healthcare infrastructure, has positioned Saudi Arabia as a top-tier market for medical device manufacturers, services providers, and dealers and distributers from across the globe. Through the launch of Global Health Exhibition, companies now have an opportunity to promote their products and services to a whole new audience of buyers and make significant inroads into the Saudi market."

As the largest and fastest growing healthcare market in the region, healthcare spend in the Kingdom is estimated to reach $40 by 2020. Currently, 87 of the 150 major healthcare infrastructure projects in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) due for completion in 2021 are in Saudi Arabia.

Commenting on the launch of Global Health Exhibition, Meshal Al Rubiaan Ministry of Health spokesman said: "The objectives set out by the 'National Transformation Program 2020', part of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, has enabled the Ministry to cultivate a favourable atmosphere to attract private healthcare providers and investors from abroad. We will continue to work closely with our strategic partners to support important economic trade platforms such as Global Health Exhibition that promote and facilitate the achievement of that vision." Exhibition will also attract world-class leaders and experts in the healthcare industry to support our objective to share knowledge and experience.

Over the three-day event, the exhibition will also offer multi-disciplinary congress that aims to build world-class healthcare practices and standards for the Kingdom. The conference programme will have specific focuses on Healthcare Transformation, Healthcare Investment & Finance, Technology & Innovation, Public Health and eHealth.

"The Global Health Exhibition congress is a key component of the event as it aims to delve deeper into worldwide advancements and best practices in healthcare industry with an emphasis on the Vision 2030 to identify the immense opportunities represented for healthcare advancements in Saudi Arabia. From emerging health disruptive and innovative trend, to the impactful change at the public health and policy level, the congress will explore ways to transform and adopt current healthcare landscape for better utilise existing system's capacity and capabilities in the hospitals and healthcare centres, and enhance the quality of preventive and therapeutic healthcare services," commented Adel Abdel Shakor, CEO of XS Conferences and Exhibitions.

For more information about Global Health Exhibition, please visit: http://www.globalhealthsaudi.com

Notes to Editor

About Global Health Exhibition:

Global Health Exhibition takes place from 10-12 September 2018 at at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Brought to you by Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, the world's leading publishing and exhibitions company, in collaboration with XS Conferences and Exhibitions. The exhibition brings together more than 10,000 healthcare professionals with +500 of the world's leading healthcare suppliers, manufacturers and service providers, all under one roof, to find the latest industry innovations, network and do business. In line with Informa's motto of "Exhibition with Education", the Global Health Exhibition will address the latest challenges and best practices in healthcare in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through four conference tracks including healthcare investment, healthcare management, health system transformation and public health.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Global Health Exhibition
LONDON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Mobile Medical Apps Market Anticipated to Reach $11.22 Billion by 2025



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5345184



The global mobile medical apps market comprises of software applications that can be executed on a mobile platform, or a web-based software connected to a mobile platform. The intended use of medical apps is wide ranging starting from the apps helping patients, or users to self-manage their disease or conditions without providing any diagnosis or treatment related recommendations, to the apps which claim to diagnose, cure, mitigate or prevent the onset of a disease or medical condition. Mobile medical apps are often used as an accessory to a regulated medical device, and they transform a mobile platform into a medical device.



With the rapid proliferation of mobile computing devices and smartphones in conjunction with growing consumer demand for mobile apps, there has been a plethora of medical apps in different online app distribution platforms such as, Google Play Store and Apple's app store. As of 2017, there was an estimated 1,59,000 medical apps in different app stores.



Mobile medical apps can significantly expose a patient or user to health risks if it ceases or fails to perform as intended. Hence, to provide guidance for the regulation of these apps, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first time issued a guidance document in the year 2015, which is particularly for the developers of mobile medical apps.



The agency has already approved more than 100 medical apps in the last decade out of which around 40 medical apps were approved in the year 2015 and 2016. The FDA only intends to regulate mobile apps that pose greater risk to the patients in an event where an app fails to function as intended, and aims to exercise enforcement discretion for the mobile apps that pose minimal risks to the patients.



Despite these regulatory guidelines, there are hundreds of medically themed apps in Apple's App Store and Google Play Store that claim to assess, diagnose, and take control of the personal health of the patient. The usage of these apps could prove hazardous for a patient or user as these apps are not well backed by clinical evidences, and can even mislead a patient by showing false positive results.



Agencies such as FDA is considerably taking steps to withdraw these apps from the app distribution platforms, and making provisions so that these kinds of apps are not marketed as replacement for legitimate medical equipment.



On the other hand, there are only a handful of medical apps that physicians or other healthcare professionals find useful in a clinical setting. These apps are cantered upon enabling doctors seeking drug related information or drug interaction (aka reference apps), and helping physicians during their clinical decision-making process. Some of the widely known and most downloaded medical apps in a clinical setting are Epocrates, PEPID, UptoDate, Medscape, and Doximity.



The market report is well designed to provide an all-inclusive field of vision for the market in terms of various factors influencing it such as, recent trends, technological advancements, and regulatory environment of the market. The scope of this report is cantered upon conducting a detailed study of the solutions allied with the global mobile medical apps market.



The market has been segmented into 'Category', 'Type', 'Application', and 'Region'. The report presents the reader with an opportunity to unlock comprehensive insights with respect to the market, and helps in forming well informed strategic decisions. The research uncovers some of the substantial parameters that must be taken into consideration before entering into the market.



This research report aims at answering various aspects of the global mobile medical apps market with the help of the key factors driving the market, threats that can possibly inhibit the overall growth of the market, and the current investment opportunities that are going to shape the future trajectory of the market expansion. The study considers the growth-share matrix model for a comprehensive study of the global mobile medical apps market, and assesses the factors governing the same.



The answers to the following key questions can be derived from this report:

 What are the major market drivers, challenges and opportunities in the global mobile medical apps market?

 What was the market value of the leading segments and sub-segments of the global mobile medical apps market in 2016?

 How will each segment of the global mobile medical apps market grow during the forecast period and what will be the revenue generated by each of the segments by the end of 2025?

 What are the influencing factors that may affect the market share of the key players?

 How will the industry evolve during the forecast period 2017- 2025?

 What are the key developments and strategies that are being implemented by the key players to sustain in this market?

 What are the key application areas of the mobile medical apps market? What are the major benefits of medical apps achieved by each category?

 Which medical apps are used frequently by both the patients and the healthcare providers?

 What are the best rated mobile medical apps in different app categories?

 Who are the key players in the mobile medical apps market and what are their contributions?

 What is the total number of apps available for downloading in different medical app categories?

 What is the scope for expansion by the key players of the mobile medical apps market in East and South-East Asia?



The key players who have significant contributions to the global mobile medical apps market are Abbott Laboratories, AliveCor, Inc., Azumio Inc., Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Athena Health, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Cohero Health, Inc., DarioHealth Corp., Fitbit Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Health Arx Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Johnson and Johnson, Medtronic Public Limited Company, MetaOptima, NuvoAir AB, SkinVision B.V., Wolters Kluwer N.V., and WebMD Health Corp., among others.



Executive Summary

With the emergence of high speed networks, greater accessibility, security and affordability of smartphones, consumers can now effectively manage their busy schedules, and keep a track on their health as well, with a simple click of a button, or the swipe of a screen.



The autonomy that smartphones have provided to the consumers has also fueled their willingness to participate in various health related aspects such as, choosing a healthcare product or accessing a medical record or communicating with their doctor using multiple platforms. Mobile applications are playing a significant role in helping the consumers achieve their health-related objectives such as, weight loss goals, nutrition monitoring, disease detection, and, providing easy access to their personal health records.



Currently, there are more than 100,000 mobile apps in the mhealth section of the various online distribution platforms. The number is doubling every two years with nearly 200 apps being added each day. Most of the apps are currently being distributed by Apple, and Android through its platforms called "Play Store" and "App Store" respectively.



Most of the apps available revolves around general health and wellness of the user such as fitness, nutrition, and reference apps. However, the number of apps focusing on chronic disease management are continuously growing, and currently account for 40% of all the available apps. These apps can monitor, analyze, and store various health related information with respect to several medical conditions such as, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory disease, skin diseases, pulse rate, diabetes, and many others.



Health apps are mobile applications that provide health related services for smartphones, and catalyzes tracking of health information from multiple sources such as, compatible apps or fitness accessories. Over 55% of the health apps downloaded make use of some medical device (connected devices) or consumer wearables such as, Fitbit, and this trend is driven by the demand for fitness and wellness management solutions.



The need to diagnose various health parameters, and vital signs with high level of accuracy presents the manufacturers with an opportunity to innovate connected devices enabling portability, affordability, and accessibility, and thus, become an armor for dealing with new health challenges in the process. Although, there are a wide range of apps for a user to choose from, only a few apps generate the maximum number of downloads. This is evident from the fact that there are fewer than 50 apps that generate more than 10 million downloads while more than 85% of all the apps in the app stores have less than 5,000 installations.



The reason for high number of downloads of only a few apps in various categories is based on the value that these apps deliver to a patient's life. These apps are often accompanied by high patient ratings, frequent updates, connectivity to medical devices or sensors, and extensive clinical evidence. With the ever-rising number of chronic disease, these apps could provide an aid to the health systems in saving tremendous amount of medical costs. This can be exemplified in the case of the U.S., where the utilization of health apps for various segments such as, diabetes prevention, diabetes, asthma, cardiac conditions as well as, pulmonary diseases can save approximately $7 billion, annually.



The purpose of this study is to gain a holistic view of the mobile medical apps market in terms of various factors influencing it such as, recent trends, and technological advancements. The scope of this report is centered upon conducting a detailed study of different app categories allied with the mobile medical apps market, which include care management apps, medical monitoring apps, health and wellness apps, and medication management apps, among others.



The study also focuses on various architectures of mobile platforms such as non-medical device apps, connected medical device apps, and in-built devices medical apps. However, the research study does not incorporate mobile apps intended to be used for billing, administrative or financial purposes within a healthcare organization, and only considers mobile apps meant to be used by either patients or healthcare providers to track, monitor, diagnose, assess, mitigate or cure a disease or medical condition.



The global mobile apps market is segmented into four different parts namely, category, type, application, and region. The global market value was estimated using these four different approaches, and was validated with one another. These segments are further segmented into several sub- segments to ease the market estimation and to gain a holistic view of the market.



The global mobile medical apps market was estimated at $1.40 billion, in 2016, and is anticipated to reach $11.22 billion by the end of 2025. With the rapid proliferation of mobile computing devices and smartphones in conjunction with growing consumer demand for mobile apps, there has been a plethora of medical apps in different online app distribution platforms such as, Google Play Store and Apple's app store, and hence the entire market is expected to rise with a double-digit compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the forecast period.



As of 2017, there was an estimated 259,000 medical apps in different app stores, and the number is expected to grow tremendously during the forecast period to approximately 635,000 apps. In terms of app category, health and fitness is the leading segment accounting for approximately 63% of the overall medical app market in 2016, and the segment is expected to be comprising of approximately 3,69,570 apps by the end of 2025. Furthermore, fitness, medical reference, wellness, nutrition, and chronic disease management are the most widely used mobile medical apps in terms of application.



In 2016, there were approximately, 67,564 fitness apps, 27,518 wellness apps, 23,002 nutrition apps, followed by 13,483 apps related to chronic disease management. Fitness apps are expected to continue to occupy the lion's share during the forecast period in terms of revenue generated. Furthermore, application areas such as diagnostics, and remote monitoring apps registered the highest growth rate of 36.7% and 34.9% in 2016, as compared to the year 2015.



This significant growth from the remote monitoring segments is primarily driven by the increasing demand from healthcare organisations to monitor patients remotely to reduce the gap between demand, and supply of healthcare services in remote locations, while the extensive demand for diagnostic apps is expected to be facilitated by the rising number of chronic diseases, thus, resulting into a higher growth rate.



The global mobile medical apps market is segmented by the geographical regions into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). Presently, Europe is the leading contributor to the global mobile medical apps market. The contribution of Europe to the mobile medical apps market was valued to be approximately 31.4% in 2016, and it is expected to register a double digit CAGR of 29.7% during the forecast period. This high growth rate can be attributed to the rapidly increasing smartphone penetration, and rising number of the government initiatives aimed at assessing the efficacy of medical apps for the benefit of public health.



However, Asia Pacific and Latin America are expected to grow at a higher CAGR than Europe i.e. 22.1% and 23.1% during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025. This impressive growth rate expected in these region is primarily due to a large consumer base utilizing smartphones, and technological advancements in the mobile ecosystem. The mobile medical apps market is dominated by companies from various geographical locations. For example: Athena Health, the provider of Epocrates, is based in the U.S., on the other hand, its competitor Wolters Kluwer, the provider of UpToDate is based out of the Netherlands (Europe).



The key players who have significant contributions to the mobile medical apps market are Abbott Laboratories, AliveCor, Inc., Azumio Inc., Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Athena Health, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Cohero Health, Inc., DarioHealth Corp., Fitbit Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Health Arx Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Johnson and Johnson, Medtronic Public Limited Company, MetaOptima, NuvoAir AB, SkinVision B.V., Wolters Kluwer N.V., and WebMD Health Corp., among others.



Countries Covered

 North America

 U.S.

 Canada

 Europe

 U.K.

 Germany

 France

 Italy

 Spain

 Netherlands

 Belgium

 Poland

 Rest of Europe

 Asia Pacific

 India

 China

 Japan

 South Korea

 Australia

 Singapore



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About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

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The HealthNet source code will be available prior to the summit for developers to compete during the Connectathon  a Hackathon inspired event during the inaugural summit. Patientory, Inc.; a global population health management software that gives users access to their health data and distributed application, will be the first company to integrate with the blockchain via their proprietary app.

"The healthcare industry is embarking on an exciting journey as it looks to technology, and more specifically, blockchain, to solve many data challenges for physicians and patients alike," said Mohsen Shafaei, Managing Director of the Patientory Stiftung. "We believe the HealthNet network will serve as a catalyst to bring more companies onboard, and have chosen our inaugural North American summit to launch the network surrounded by peers and industry visionaries."

The summit, which brings together more than 300 industry decision-makers and key healthcare executives, will explore technology-specific applications and use cases while addressing some of the most achievable possibilities of integrating blockchain within healthcare. The first-of-its-kind summit will open a dialogue about the future of the healthcare industry through a mixture of practical panels, lectures and discussions specifically designed to help understand the technology, learn from those already benefitting from blockchain systems and overcome obstacles associated with integration.

Newly announced speakers at the summit include: Ted Tanner, CTO and Co-founder of PokitDok; Suhail Chughtai, MD, Medical City Online UK; Glenn Austin, CFO of Dash; Benn R. Konsynski, PhD, George S. Craft Distinguished University Professor Information Systems & Operations Management at Emory Goizueta Business School; Karen Hsu, Head of Growth at BlockCypher; and many more. A complete summit agenda with detailed programming and speaker discussion topics is available online here: https://ptoy.org/inaugural2018/#agenda.

The launch of the HealthNet testnet network and Patientory, Inc. app will be celebrated at a VIP reception following the Blockchain in Healthcare Summit. The invite-only reception, which takes place on the rooftop at Atlanta Tech Village, includes top sponsors, partners and major industry vendors.

Tickets to the summit are available by visiting www.ptoy.org/inaugural2018. Ticket prices range from $25 to $250. Sponsorship packages are also available www.ptoy.org/inaugural2018/#sponsorship.

For media passes, images or to coordinate interviews, contact:

Nicole Kasak, [email protected] or Tyler Sminkey, [email protected].

About Patientory Stiftung

The Patientory Stiftung, a global nonprofit healthcare blockchain member organization connects healthcare industry adopters of the PTOY blockchain. The PTOY blockchain securely stores and manages health information in real time, and such storage and management is facilitated by a blockchain based token (called "PTOY"). The Patientory Stiftung facilitates the development of standards that are essential to the implementation and adoption of the PTOY platform and token in securely protecting and managing healthcare information. Such standards are necessary for interoperability and auditability and for transparency purposes. These activities will help ensure the safety, reliability and usability of the use of the PTOY platform by its members and the general public, a prerequisite to the wide acceptance of the PTOY platform as a viable means of transacting business by the public and the acceptance of the industry as a whole. To learn more, visit www.ptoy.org.

SOURCE Patientory Stiftung

Related Links

http://www.ptoy.org


FELDKIRCHEN-WESTERHAM, Germany, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

W.L. Gore's Fabrics Division is excited to announce that it is participating in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's "Make Fashion Circular" initiative. Gore Fabrics is joining forces with some 20 global brands in a commitment to develop new pathways for the textile industry informed by the principles of a circular economy.

Launched in May 2017 at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, the initiative brings together leaders from across the fashion industry, including brands, but also cities, philanthropists, NGOs and innovators. With the aim to stimulate collaboration and innovation, participants are committed to work together to build a sustainable system for a new textile economy based on three key strategies:

Business models that keep clothes in use Materials that are renewable and safe to wear Solutions that turn used clothes into new clothes

The long-term vision of the "Make Fashion Circular" initiative aligns well with Gore Fabrics' aspiration to deliver the best possible combination of high performance and low environmental footprint, allowing for durably performing products and longer usage of apparel and footwear.

Bernhard Kiehl, Gore Fabrics Sustainability Leader:

"We at Gore Fabrics have always taken our responsibility for the environment seriously. Therefore, we are really excited to join the "Make Fashion Circular" initiative and are very much looking forward to contributing through our expertise, in particular by sharing our science based insights about product durability. We know from our Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies that the useful lifetime of functional apparel is a key factor for reducing its environmental footprint. That is why making durably performing products has always been at the heart of what we do. Certainly, we are also eager to learn from and get inspired by what others do to create a circular economy for textiles."

In addition, joining "Make Fashion Circular" opens a new page in Gore Fabrics' commitment to actively contribute to leading multi-stakeholder platforms working to overcome key sustainability issues in the textile industry. Amongst others, Gore has been a founding member to the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and the Sustainability Working Groups of the US Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and the European Outdoor Group (EOG).

Please see more information on the "Make Fashion Circular" initiative under tiny.cc/circularfashion and @circularfibres #makefashioncircular

- Picture available: (http://www.apimages.com) -

About Gores Fabrics Division



Gore Fabrics Division revolutionized the outerwear industry with waterproof, breathable GORE-TEX fabric 40 years ago and remains a leading innovator of performance apparel. Gore fabrics products provide comfort and protection in challenging environments and in everyday life, enabling wearers to safely and confidently achieve and experience more. From hiking in downpours to military operations and fighting fires, Gore's deep understanding of consumer and industry needs drives development of products with meaningful performance advantages. http://www.goretex.com

About Gore

W. L. Gore & Associates is a global materials science company dedicated to transforming industries and improving lives. Founded in 1958, Gore has built a reputation for solving complex technical challenges in the most demanding environments - from revolutionizing the outerwear industry with GORE-TEX fabric to creating medical devices that improve and save lives to enabling new levels of performance in the aerospace, pharmaceutical and mobile electronics markets, among other industries. The company is also known for its strong, team-oriented culture and continued recognition from the Great Place to Work Institute. Headquartered in Newark, Del., Gore employs approximately 9,500 Associates and generates annual revenues that exceed $3 billion. http://www.gore.com

Media Contact

Dr. Anja Herberg

W. L. Gore & Associates GmbH

Herman-Oberth-Strasse 24

85639 Putzbrunn, Germany

Phone: +49-89-4612 2774

Mobile: +49-172-135 9374

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE W.L. Gore & Associates GmbH
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OAKLAND, Calif., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Among people with intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation who are not taking anti-blood-clotting medications, those whose hearts were in abnormal rhythms longer were three times more likely to have strokes or other types of blood clots than those who had abnormal heart rhythms for less time, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study.

Continuous heart monitoring may help physicians identify patients at higher risk and tailor treatments, according to the study published today in JAMA Cardiology.

"In our study, in people with the greatest burden of intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation those with the greatest burden defined as more than 11 percent of the time  were the most likely to experience subsequent strokes or arterial blood clots, even after we controlled for all other important risk factors," said lead author Alan S. Go, MD, director of the Comprehensive Clinical Research Unit within the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.

Both types of atrial fibrillation  intermittently recurring and that which occurs 100 percent of the time  can produce irregular and fast heartbeats, or arrhythmias. They affect millions of adults in the United States, and are linked to a higher risk of ischemic strokes and other types of blood clots. Currently, patients with any amount of atrial fibrillation are treated the same as those with chronic atrial fibrillation when it comes to stroke prevention, but whether these groups have an equal risk of strokes and blood clots has been controversial, explained Dr. Go.

The Kaiser Permanente Real-World Heart Monitoring Strategy Evaluation, Treatment Patterns, and Health Metrics in Atrial Fibrillation (known as KP-RHYTHM) study used a non-invasive, continuous electrocardiographic device to gather data on the amount of time people spent in the arrhythmias. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the monitoring device is a lightweight patch that adheres to the upper left chest, recording and storing beat-to-beat information for up to two weeks.

The study analyzed heart rhythm data for 1,965 adult members of Kaiser Permanente living in California with confirmed intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation and is among the largest to employ continuous, non-invasive heart monitoring. Participants wore the monitoring device continuously for up to 14 days between October 2011 and October 2016 and were not taking anti-blood clotting medications during that time.

Study participants were followed through November 2016 to identify those hospitalized for ischemic stroke or arterial blood clots (thromboembolism) while not taking anti-blood-clotting (anti-coagulation) medications such as warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants.

"This study has the potential to have a major impact on heart care," said senior author Matthew D. Solomon, MD, PhD, a cardiologist at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, and adjunct researcher at the Division of Research. "Using new continuous heart-monitoring technology, physicians can identify patients with intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation at greater risk and engage in better-informed shared decision-making around stroke prevention strategies."

This study was supported by a research grant from iRhythm Technologies, Inc.

In addition to Drs. Go and Solomon, co-authors were: Kristi Reynolds, PhD, MPH, and Teresa N. Harrison, SM, Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California; Jingrong Yang, MA, and Sue Hee Sung, MPH, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California; Nigel Gupta, MD, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center; Judy Lenane, RN, MHA, iRhythm Technologies; and Taylor I. Liu, MD, PhD, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center.

About the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research

The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research conducts, publishes and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and society at large. It seeks to understand the determinants of illness and well-being, and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Currently, DOR's 550-plus staff is working on more than 350 epidemiological and health services research projects. For more information, visit divisionofresearch.kaiserpermanente.org or follow us @KPDOR.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 12 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to share.kaiserpermanente.org.

For more information, contact:

Janet Byron, [email protected], 510-891-3115

Heather Platisha, [email protected], 415-262-5992

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente

Related Links

http://www.kaiserpermanente.org


HOUSTON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE: GPI), ("Group 1" or the "Company"), an international, Fortune 500 automotive retailer, today announced that its board of directors increased the Company's common stock share repurchase authorization by $100.0 million to $125.7 million. To date, during the second quarter of 2018, the Company has repurchased 222,098 shares at an average price per common share of $66.26, for a total of $14.7 million. Purchases may be made from time to time, based on market conditions, legal requirements and other corporate considerations, in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. The Company expects that any repurchase of shares will be funded by cash from operations. Repurchased shares will be held in treasury.

Group 1's board of directors also declared a cash dividend of $0.26 per share for the first quarter of 2018. The dividend will be payable on June 15, 2018, to stockholders of record on June 1, 2018.

ABOUT GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE, INC.

Group 1 owns and operates 181 automotive dealerships, 239 franchises, and 48 collision centers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil that offer 32 brands of automobiles. Through its dealerships, the Company sells new and used cars and light trucks; arranges related vehicle financing; sells service contracts; provides automotive maintenance and repair services; and sells vehicle parts.

Investors please visit www.group1corp.com, www.group1auto.com, www.group1collision.com, www.facebook.com/group1auto, and www.twitter.com/group1auto, where Group 1 discloses additional information about the Company, its business, and its results of operations.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are statements related to future, not past, events and are based on our current expectations and assumptions regarding our business, the economy and other future conditions. In this context, the forward-looking statements often include statements regarding our goals, plans, projections and guidance regarding our financial position, results of operations, market position, pending and potential future acquisitions and business strategy, and often contain words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "should," "foresee," "may" or "will" and similar expressions. While management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we anticipate. Any such forward-looking statements are not assurances of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, (a) general economic and business conditions, (b) the level of manufacturer incentives, (c) the future regulatory environment, (d) our ability to obtain an inventory of desirable new and used vehicles, (e) our relationship with our automobile manufacturers and the willingness of manufacturers to approve future acquisitions, (f) our cost of financing and the availability of credit for consumers, (g) our ability to complete acquisitions and dispositions and the risks associated therewith, (h) foreign exchange controls and currency fluctuations, and (i) our ability to retain key personnel. For additional information regarding known material factors that could cause our actual results to differ from our projected results, please see our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor contacts:

Sheila Roth

Manager, Investor Relations

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

713-647-5741 | [email protected]

Media contacts:

Pete DeLongchamps

V.P. Manufacturer Relations, Financial Services and Public Affairs

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

713-647-5770 | [email protected]

or

Clint Woods

Pierpont Communications, Inc.

713-627-2223 | [email protected]

SOURCE Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.group1auto.com


Rep. Jeffries was presented with the President's Award by Gary G. Terrinoni, TBHC President and CEO, who thanked the Congressman for his friendship to the hospital. As TBHC navigates a landscape that is dominated by big healthcare systems that are often removed from the small communities they serve, Mr. Terrinoni noted that TBHC recently earned the highest patient safety grade in Brooklyn and the second highest in all of New York City, from the Leapfrog Group. Mr. Terrinoni said the achievement proved that a hospital can be "a safety net hospital and still focus on the right things."

Upon receiving the award, Rep Jeffries said that he would show the award to his mother since he was born at TBHC. "I'll tell her thank you for taking me to Brooklyn Hospital and look what has occurred!" he said.

Other community leaders honored at the event, which took place at the Brooklyn Law School, included: Officer Christopher Kinney and Detective Andrene Seargeant, both from the 88th Precinct, for the Good Neighbor Award; National Grid for the Corporate Service Award; Amanda DeGeneste Archer, Founder of the Sonny Archer Law Enforcement Foundation, for the Community Service Award; Andrew Hoan, departing CEO, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, for the Good Citizen Award; and Drew Gabriel, Governor Andrew Cuomo's Brooklyn regional representative, for the President's Award.

The annual event brings elected officials and community and corporate leaders together with hospital leaders to forge bonds that allow all parties to continue Keeping Brooklyn Healthy.

ABOUT THE BROOKLYN HOSPITAL CENTER

Since 1845, The Brooklyn Hospital Center has provided outstanding health services, education and research to its Brooklyn community. TBHC's focus is ensuring optimal patient care through staff expertise and the use of advanced technology, and innovative medical and surgical treatments. Located in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn, TBHC is a clinical affiliate of The Mount Sinai Hospital and an academic affiliate of The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. As Brooklyn's first hospital, TBHC is proud to be a part of an incredibly diverse borough and is committed to Keeping Brooklyn Healthy. For more information, visit www.tbh.org or call 718.250.8000.

Contact: Kim C. Flodin | (917) 846-0229 | [email protected]

SOURCE The Brooklyn Hospital Center

Related Links

http://www.tbh.org


LOS ANGELES, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, one of the world's leading roaster and retailers of specialty coffee and tea, announced today that it is treating its guests like royal-TEA with an all-day tea special to celebrate the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. On Saturday, May 19, customers can purchase any regular size hot or iced tea for only $1 at all participating The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations.

Tea is the quintessential British beverage and the perfect way to celebrate the royal couple. There are options for everyone from traditional English Breakfast tea to more adventurous herbal infusions such as Ginseng Peppermint.

"We are committed to bringing our customers the most extraordinary collection of premium, whole leaf teas," said David DeCandia, tea master, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. "Whether you want to toast the royal couple or just enjoy a cup of tea, we invite guests to join us."

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf sells 25 different single origin and tea blends, including: green, black, oolong, herbal and fruit infusions, decaffeinated, and flavored teas. The special is valid open to close on May 19 and excludes cold brew tea and tea lattes.

For more information, please visit www.coffeebean.com.

About The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is a leading global roaster and retailer of specialty coffees and teas, and is widely credited for driving high quality and innovation to the coffee and tea industry. The company sources the finest ingredients and flavors from around the world and hand blends coffee and tea for the freshest flavors. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf started the frozen coffee drink craze with the invention of The Original Ice Blended drink and is also the first and only coffee and tea retailer to offer cold brew tea. The company currently has more than 1,200 retail locations across the globe and can also be found in grocery aisles as well as specialty locations including airports and hotels. For more information, visit www.coffeebean.com.

SOURCE The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Related Links

http://www.coffeebean.com


SAN FRANCISCO, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Global Hexagonal Boron Nitride Powder Market is expected to grow at a significant CAGR in the upcoming years as the scope, Product Types, and its applications are increasing across the globe. Hexagonal boron nitride powder (h-BN) is the chemical compound better known as White graphite. Hexagonal boron nitride is a synthetic material. It is transparent and colorless in nature. Hexagonal boron nitride powder can be merged with plastics, alloys, resins, ceramics rubbers, and the other materials.

The powder of Hexagonal boron nitride is non-toxic and inactive to most of the melted metals and chemical reagents. There is a huge demand from industry for Hexagonal boron nitride powder (h-BN); which is expected to increase the demand for HBN powder in the years to come. Hexagonal Boron Nitride Powder Market is segmented, By Product Type into Custom Grade, Premium Grade, Standard Grade. Hexagonal Boron Nitride Powder Market is segmented, By Applications into Coatings & mold release, Electrical insulation, Lubrication-industrial, Composites, Personal care, Paints, Lubricants-food, Thermal spray, Others (dental cements, pencil leads and synthesizing of cubic-BN).

The "Coatings and mold" segment accounted for the largest share of the overall market and expected to continue in the upcoming years. The Hexagonal Boron Nitride Powder is used for coatings, die-casting and mold issues as it shows exceptional thermal stability which permits effectual processes at high temperatures.

Access 108 page research report with TOC on "Hexagonal Boron Nitride Powder Market" available with Radiant Insights, Inc. @ https://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-hexagonal-boron-nitride-powder-2016

Hexagonal Boron Nitride Powder Market is segmented, By Geographical Region into Asia Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand), Japan, Middle East and Africa (GCC countries, S. Africa, Rest Of MEA), North America (U.S., Canada), Latin America (Brazil, Rest of Latin America), Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, England, Spain, Rest of Western Europe), and Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia, Rest of Eastern Europe).

The Asia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the market and expected being so in the next few years. China is, at present, the major market for Hexagonal Boron Nitride Powder and projected to continue with the winning streak in the upcoming years. India is the fastest-growing market for H-BN powder and growth in demand for the coatings and electrical insulation applications and mold release and the fast-growing hub for personal care applications and food-lubricants.

Hexagonal Boron Nitride Powder Market Key Players include Denka, QingZhouMaTeKeChang Materials, Henze, Baoding Pengda, DANGDONG RIJIN, Showa Denko Group, Boron Compounds, Xinfukang, QingzhouFangyuan, YingKouLiaobin, DCEI, Zibo Jonye Ceramic Technologies, Eno High-Tech Material,LiaoningPengdaTechnology,Saint-Gobain, Momentive, 3M company, and QingZhouLongjitetao H.C. Starck.

This report studies Hexagonal Boron Nitride Powder in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering

 Momentive Performance Materials Inc.

 Saint-Gobain

 3M Company

 Denka Company Ltd

 Kennametal

 Showa Denko K.K.

 H.C. Stark GmbH

 Mizushima Ferroalloy Co., Ltd.

 ZYP Coatings Inc.

 Henze BNP AG

Market Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue, market share and growth rate of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Powder in these regions, from 2011 to 2021 (forecast), like

 North America

 Europe

 China

 Japan

 Southeast Asia

 India

Split by product type, with production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided into

 Type I

 Type II

 Type III

Split by application, this report focuses on consumption, market share and growth rate of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Powder in each application, can be divided into

 Application 1

 Application 2

 Application 3

Browse reports of similar category available with Radiant Insights, Inc.:



About Radiant Insights, Inc.:

At Radiant Insights, we work with the aim to reach the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Our representatives strive to understand diverse client requirements and cater to the same with the most innovative and functional solutions.

Contact:

Michelle Thoras.

Corporate Sales Specialist

Radiant Insights, Inc.

Phone: +1-415-349-0054

Toll Free: 1-888-928-9744

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.radiantinsights.com





SOURCE Radiant Insights, Inc.
CHICAGO, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ICEE, America's favorite frozen beverage, is hoping to leave a hot and sour taste on your tongue. The company, which is known for its unique flavors, is partnering with Warheads to add a sour and spicy twist to its lineup. ICEE will highlight its new line of Warhead beverages at this month's National Restaurant Association Convention in Chicago. The convention runs from May 19th  22nd at the McCormick Center.

ICEE will challenge visitors to its booth (#9402  South Hall) to try four of its newest flavors: ICEE Warheads Watermelon, Warheads Hotheads Lava Lime, Warheads Hotheads Piping Hot Pineapple, and Warheads Hotheads Molten Mango.

ICEE Warheads Watermelon has been called one of the world's most sour experiences. The sour and tart flavor of the top selling Warheads candy is now a frozen drink! Warheads Hotheads Lava Lime is sour, then sweet, then comes the heat. It's a sour and spicy flavor with a kick of lime! Warheads Hotheads Piping Hot Pineapple and Warheads Hotheads Molten Mango also bring the heat with the taste of tropical pineapple or sour mango!

For an added twist, add Warheads candy mix-ins to your drink to create your own ICEE dessert!

For those who prefer ICEE's iconic flavors, there will be more than 16 classic flavors available for sampling at the booth as well as Twisted Lemonade from the Twisted Chill by ICEE line. Customers looking for something extra can add flavor shots that include Blue Raspberry, Strawberry, Lemon-Lime, Mango and many more.

For customers who are looking for a twist on their morning coffee, ICEE has taken iced coffee to the next level by introducing the world's first frozen nitro coffee machine. The Nitro Frozen Coffee beverage is infused with nitrogen to create a silky smooth, creamy texture without using dairy products. Customers can still add special flavor shots such as Mocha, Vanilla, Hazelnut and Irish Cream. You can also add fun toppings to make your beverage into a Twisted Chill Nitro Coffee Frozen Frappe with chocolate, whipped cream, sprinkles and more!

If you would like to take the Warhead Challenge or schedule an interview, please contact Natalie Peterson with The ICEE Company at 847-313-5790.

Press Kit: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rh1qcwfn8427xqq/AADyrD4PRz0ZgY41UCs9pT7Ga?dl=0

SOURCE ICEE
NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, May 19, the EEEEEATSCON festival will return to the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. The one-day event will feature live music performances, engaging panel discussions, and a highly-curated group of local Los Angeles restaurants, along with imports from across the country like Russ & Daughters from New York and Liholiho Yacht Club from San Francisco. Last year, a sold-out crowd of thousands attended EEEEEATSCON, and over 500,000,000 social media impressions were generated over the course of a single day.

On Saturday, May 19th, the EEEEEATSCON festival will return to the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. The one-day event will feature live music performances, engaging panel discussions, and a highly-curated group of local and national restaurants.

WHAT: The Infatuation's EEEEEATSCON LA 2018

WHERE: The Barker Hangar, 3021 Airport Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90405

WHEN: Saturday, May 19

**Early access for press begins at 11:30 a.m. Gates open to the public at Noon.

For media planning purposes for EEEEEATSCON LA 2018, please contact Matthew Frankel, (917) 617-7914, [email protected] to address any questions regarding logistics, front gate access, restaurants, scheduled events, or parking.

FURTHER BACKGROUND ON THE EVENT:

https://www.theinfatuation.com/EEEEEATSCON

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-infatuation-announces-full-slate-of-restaurants-music-and-speakers-for-eeeeeatscon-la-2018-300622865.html

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eeeeeatscon-returns-to-santa-monica-300597547.html

# # #

Related Links

EEEEEATSCON LA 2018 FOR SATURDAY, MAY 19th

SOURCE The Infatuation - EEEEEATSCON LA 2018

Related Links

https://www.theinfatuation.com/EEEEEATSCON


NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Information Builders, a leader in business intelligence (BI), analytics, and data management solutions, today announced strong Q1 2018 performance. Building on momentum generated in Q4 2017 from a new strategic direction centered on the combined strengths and scalability of its data management and analytics platforms, and driven by the appointment of Chief Operating Officer Frank J. Vella, the company achieved significant growth and increased its customer base worldwide. Information Builders also further expanded its senior leadership team with two new appointments and earned industry recognition for its ongoing innovation and exceptional customer service.

Tweet this: [email protected] reports strong Q1'18 financial performance, customer momentum and new exec. appointments http://ow.ly/WB7H30jZtlg #BI #data #analytics

Financial Performance

For Q1 2018, Information Builders reported software sales were up 74 percent year over year, as more organizations worldwide turned to the company's award-winning solutions to achieve actionable analytics at scale, backed by trusted data. The company boosted sales across North America, EMEA, and Asia, attracting net new business and expanding some of the industry's largest BI and analytics deployments around the globe.

Customer Wins

Information Builders increased the number of new customers signed in Q1 by 73 percent year over year, expanding its footprint in multiple industries. Some of the organizations that the company welcomed to its global client roster include City of Burlington, Community Care of North Carolina, Noventis, Unipro Food Service, and WL Plastics Corporation.

Customer Retention

With comprehensive education, professional services, and technical support programs to transform the customer experience across every touchpoint, Information Builders achieved a 94 percent customer retention rate in 2017. The company, a recognized leader in the industry for high-touch service and commitment to customer success, is doubling down on its charter to strengthen customer retention and increase recurring revenue through high satisfaction and focus on business outcomes.

Industry Accolades

Information Builders was honored as a Silver Winner in the Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service category of Customer Service Department of the Year and named 2018 Best Enterprise Software Company by G2 Crowd. The company also earned two Technology Innovation Awards from Dresner Advisory Services  Excellence in Internet of Things (IoT) Intelligence and Advanced and Predictive Analytics.

Additionally, three Information Builders' customers received tributes for their data and analytics implementations. Michigan State Police, St. Luke's University Health Network, and United Way Worldwide were honored with Digital Edge 50 Awards at IDG's AGENDA18 in March.

Executive Appointments

The company continued to augment its leadership team with new appointments in Q1. Brian Doheny has joined the company as vice president of Global Business Development. Previously, he served as vice president of Sales, U.S. East, at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Earlier in his career, Doheny served as vice president of the Americas at LANDesk and Altiris as well as senior vice president of Worldwide Sales, User Workspace, at Dell.

In addition, Information Builders has promoted Brian Joynt to senior vice president, International. In this role, Brian will be based in the EMEA region and have responsibility for EMEA and Canadian operations. Joynt has held numerous positions throughout his 25-year tenure at Information Builders most recently serving as vice president and general manager, Canada.

Frank J. Vella, chief operations officer, Information Builders, said:

"We generated significant momentum in Q1 and made operational changes, which strengthened our market presence and strategically positioned the company for future growth. Our performance is a testament to our ongoing innovation, unwavering commitment to providing the industry's highest level of service, and the business value our customers are deriving from our data and analytics solutions each day. The Q1 achievements are a great springboard for this quarter and our upcoming Summit User Conference in May."

Visit our website to learn more about Information Builders' solutions and how the company helps other organizations propel forward.

About Information Builders

Information Builders provides the industry's most scalable software solutions for data management and analytics. We help organizations operationalize and monetize their data through insights that drive action. Our integrated platform for business intelligence (BI), analytics, data integration, and data quality, combined with our proven expertise, delivers value faster, with less risk. We believe data and analytics are the drivers of digital transformation, and we're on a mission to help our customers capitalize on new opportunities in the connected world. Information Builders is headquartered in New York, NY, with global offices, and remains one of the largest privately held companies in the industry.

Visit us at informationbuilders.com, follow us on Twitter at @infobldrs, like us on Facebook, and visit our LinkedIn page.

Press Contacts

Kathleen Moran

Information Builders

(917) 339-6313

[email protected]

Katie Schira

LEWIS

(706) 550-2325

[email protected]

SOURCE Information Builders

Related Links

http://www.informationbuilders.com


MINNEAPOLIS, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In 2017 Netflix released 13 Reasons Why to a global audience and extensive concern on the part of experts. A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found a significant increase in internet searches on suicide following the release of season 1. As a result and in preparation for the release of season 2 on May 18, 2018, an international coalition of leading experts in education, mental health and suicide prevention have released concerns and recommendations to youth, parents, educators and clinicians/professionals.

"We want to make sure the public is aware and prepared for the release of season 2 so that they can be informed and available to youth who want to talk about the issues in the series, as well as for those youth who struggle with the content," said Dr. Dan Reidenberg, Executive Director of SAVE who led the coalition. "While we hope that the series will encourage important conversations and more positive, healthy behaviors, we also are concerned that the series could have negative outcomes for some youth."

The coalition of nonprofits, educational and research institutions, membership organizations, advocacy groups and professionals issued the statement urging adults to make an effort to watch the series with youth and to talk with them about the issues raised in the show. The full statement can be found at www.13reasonswhytoolkit.org.

Research demonstrates that depictions of violence and self-harm can increase the likelihood of copycat behaviors. Adolescents are a vulnerable group and are highly impressionable, frequently copying others' behaviors or reacting in response to things they have seen. Such copycat and harmful behaviors displayed on television and/or in film can lead to harmful outcomes. "Season 1 included detailed portrayal of suicide, violence and it represented adults and professionals in a non-caring manner," according to Dr. Murad Khan, President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention. "By creating a toolkit for young people, adults and professionals, we can demonstrate constructive and positive coping skills and encourage recovery and hope."

In order to help reduce the risk of suicide contagion, the coalition implores media covering this story to be cautious and follow international messaging recommendations when reporting on the topic of suicide:

In all media reports, it is important to include factual information on suicide rates, warning signs of youth suicide (www.youthsuicidewarningsigns.org), as well as information on helplines and support services for adolescents and concerned parents.

When reporting on mass shootings, media are encouraged to follow recommendations found at:

An overview of helplines and support services for people in distress in different countries, can be accessed via: https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres

International Coalition Partners

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

American Association of Suicidology

American Psychiatric Association

Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention

British Psychological Society

Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention

International Association for Suicide Prevention

International Academy for Suicide Research

Medical University of Vienna, Center for Public Health, Dept of Social and Preventive Medicine

Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand

National Association of School Psychologists

National Council for Behavioral Health

National Suicide Research Foundation, Ireland

Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Australia

Samaritans/Befriender's Worldwide

Stanford Psychiatry's Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing

School of Public Health, University College Cork, Ireland

Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide

Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory, University of Glasgow, Scotland

Suicide Awareness Voices of Education

The Jason Foundation

The Jed Foundation (JED)

The Lancet Psychiatry

The Trevor Project

Coalition Lead and contact in USA: Dr. Dan Reidenberg

612-741-1354, [email protected]

Contact for International Association: Prof. Ella Arneson

+ 353 (0) 21 420 5541, [email protected]

SOURCE SAVE - Suicide Awareness Voices of Education

Related Links

http://www.save.org


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Alliant Energy's Iowa utility, Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), has declared dividends for its preferred stock shareowners of record on May 31, 2018. The dividends, which are payable on June 15, 2018, are as follows:

$0.31875 per share on the 5.1% Series D Cumulative Preferred Stock

Alliant Energy Corporation (NYSE: LNT), headquartered in Madison, Wis., provides regulated electric and natural gas service to 960,000 electric and 410,000 natural gas customers across Iowa and Wisconsin. Alliant Energy's mission is to deliver the energy solutions and exceptional service customers and communities count on  safely, efficiently and responsibly. Interstate Power and Light Company and Wisconsin Power and Light Company are Alliant Energy's two public utility subsidiaries. Alliant Energy Corporation is a component of the S&P 500. For more information, visit alliantenergy.com.

SOURCE Alliant Energy Corporation

Related Links

http://www.alliantenergy.com


PORTLAND, Ore., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Janrain, the company that pioneered the Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) category, today announced that its general counsel and vice president of privacy Lewis Barr will speak at the KuppingerCole European Identity & Cloud Conference in Munich next week.

Mr. Barr's panel, "How to Interact with Your Customer without Compromising Privacy," will also include executives from PATECCO, Axiomatics AB, iWelcome and Gigya. The panel, which will take place on May 17 at 2:30 and be moderated by KuppingerCole fellow analyst Dr. Barbara Mandl, will address how organizations can revise their identity and access management strategies to achieve compliance with GDPR while creating stronger customer relationships.

Mr. Barr manages Janrain's legal compliance and privacy functions as the company continues its international expansion. The company continues to set the pace for the rest of the industry through its steady release of important industry-first innovations and milestones while surpassing 3,400 clients and managing over 1.5 billion identities.

The KuppingerCole European Identity & Cloud Conference, held from May 15 to 18, offers a mixture of best-practice discussions, visionary presentations and networking opportunities with a future-oriented community. More than 800 thought leaders, leading vendors, analysts and end users are expected to attend this year's event to hear about emerging trends in digital identity and security strategies from the show's world-class speakers.

About Janrain

Founded in 2002, Janrain pioneered Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) and is widely recognized by industry analysts as a global CIAM leader. The Janrain Identity Cloud provides identity management, security and activation solutions that enable seamless and safe customer experiences across their digitally connected world, while providing enterprise organizations with deep customer insights. Janrain's identity capabilities include social and traditional login and registration, single sign-on, customer profile data storage and management, customer segments, customer insights and engagement solutions. The company reaches over 1.5 billion digital identities with over 3,400 commercial deployments, including Pfizer, Samsung, Whole Foods, Philips, McDonald's and Dr Pepper. Janrain is based in Portland, Oregon, with offices in London, Paris and Silicon Valley. For more information, please visit www.janrain.com and follow @janrain.

Media Contact:

Chris Blake

MSR Communications

Phone: 1-415-989-9000

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Janrain

Related Links

http://www.janrain.com


(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/692315/John_Smithies.jpg )

Sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), this award is given by United States Department of State, Office of Overseas Schools that recognizes two principals from international schools across the globe and one principal from each of the U.S. states. Founded in 1921, NAESP is a US-based professional organization serving school principals and other education leaders throughout the United States, Canada, and overseas; it represents principals who serve 33 million children in grades pre-kindergarten through 8, across the world.

At ASB, they are deeply humbled and proud to know that one of their principals is receiving this richly deserved honor. John's selection involved a great deal of input, in the form of nominating letters, from current and past colleagues, teachers and community members. In addition, a rigorous self-evaluation was completed by John, which included a thorough examination of the innovative ideas, support systems, and leadership philosophy he has employed at ASB.

Global transformations in school systems and communities have greatly expanded the leadership role of principals, as they face the many challenges in leading for the 21st century. For the past five years, John has had the vision to create an elementary school that is developmentally responsive to young learners while inspiring and challenging them. John works tirelessly to ensure that all children at ASB feel welcome and included. To meet this goal, John supports teachers through professional learning opportunities both on and off campus and incorporates several innovative ideas to achieve the best results for students, teachers, and the ASB community.

John always uses ASB's mission to focus the school's community on what 'matters'. His reaffirmation of the mission makes it clear to all that ASB lives its mission to inspire students and empower them with the courage to pursue their dreams. He actualizes this mission, ensuring that his elementary school remains relevant - over time and with the future in mind - as he focuses on efforts to individualize ASB's entire educational experience for students, parents, and staff.

John will be flown with two guests, to Washington D.C., for the award ceremony on Thursday, October 11th, and Friday, October 12th. During these days in Washington, he will attend a reception at the U.S. Department of State's Harry S. Truman building, several social activities that may include a White House stop, and a culminating gala dinner-dance at which he will be presented a plaque and honored by high-ranking dignitaries from the U.S. Department of Education.

ASB prioritizes collaboration and innovation in a methodical, creative, and research-driven way. From the school's intentional design and ingenious spaces, to the dynamic and personalized programs offered, to the culture of professional learning, the school self-propels in new and necessary directions as an intelligent change-agent.

A private, co-educational day school for Pre-K to Grade 12, ASB operates in association with the Consulate of the United States. The School is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the International Baccalaureate Organization. ASB serves approximately 750 students representing more than 50 nationalities and over 30 languages, with 'Inquiry' at the core of its educational program. More than 95% of ASB graduates attend a four-year college or university ranked among the best.

The American School of Bombay is the school of choice for the vast majority of expatriates on overseas assignment in Mumbai, the city that is home to one of the fastest growing economies in the world.



Contacts:

Arun Subbian

Executive Editor

Email : [email protected]



SOURCE The American School of Bombay (ASB)
LEWISTON, Maine, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Judith W. Andrucki is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Professional Member in the field of Family Law and Litigation in recognition of her role as an Attorney at Andrucki & King Law Offices. Devoted to the practice of family law, Andrucki & King Law Offices has dedicated its firm solely assisting clients in the area of both Family Law and Litigation. A firm believer that every family law case is exclusive and requires careful skill and attention to detail, the law firm believes in providing, "in-depth and high quality service to individuals involved in domestic disputes." Lending a compassionate approach in handling their clients legal matters, the firm specializes in Adoption, Alternate Dispute Resolution, Appeals, Child Protection, Child Support, Custody, and more. Dedicated to quality customer service and ensuring that their client's legal matters are handled with integrity and proficiency, the firm prides themselves on keeping their clientele well informed.



Having gathered over thirty eight years of experience in the field of Law, Judith W. Andrucki is commended for her outstanding contributions to the legal field. A prominent figure within the industry, Andrucki has attained experience within the areas of Family Law and Litigation. Co-author of Maine's Alimony Statute published in 1990, Andrucki currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Maine Music Society.



In acknowledgment of her professional achievements, Andrucki was the recipient of the AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell, one of the highest recognitions in the legal industry.



In an effort to further enhance her professional career, Andrucki is an esteemed member of several organizations including the Family Law Section of the Maine Bar Association and has presented at numerous Continuing Legal Education programs. Having served on the Judicial Evaluation Committee of the Maine Bar Association and on the Friends of Pettingill Park, Andrucki presently serves as a Trustee of the University of Maine System and Maine Public Broadcasting.



Early in her career, Andrucki attained her Medical Doctor degree from George Washington University, School of Medicine, in Washington DC. Thereafter, Andrucki obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maine, School of Law in 1979. Later, she went on to receive her PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.



Andrucki dedicates this recognition to her husband, Martin E. Andrucki.

For more information, please visit http://andruckilaw.com/

Contact: Katherine Green , 516-825-5634 [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who
"We are delighted to have a man of Bialik's integrity, entrepreneurial talent, and tremendous passion for the state and people of Israel, support our company in this very special and unique position," said Kathy Ireland. "In only 70 years, Israel has become a world leader in technology, medical research, fashion, health and wellness, and so much more. Israel holds a special place in my heart, as it is also a country and people I deeply love. With Bialik's appointment, kiWW will continue our firm commitment to expand our business and philanthropic endeavors in Israel," adds Kathy. Ms. Ireland, is a strong advocate and an outspoken supporter of the state of Israel, with long-time personal and business ties to the country, often meeting with Israeli leaders in support of education and entrepreneurism in the country.

Bialik Benjamin is an American success story. Raised in Israel, he is an American citizen for over 35 years. Mr. Benjamin is an innovative entrepreneur who revolutionized the healthcare industry in California and Ohio. After selling his businesses to major medical conglomerates, he joins kathy ireland Worldwide as Vice President of Business Development, where he serves as a consultant to the international community, and in the newly created position of Ambassador for Israeli Affairs. Mr. Benjamin's responsibilities will also include the management of current client relations as well as the acquisition of new clients. Mr. Benjamin will report to Mr. Stephen Roseberry, President of kathy ireland Worldwide and Level Brands subsidiaries EE1 and I'M1. Mr. Roseberry is also President of kathy ireland Health & Wellness.

"I have followed and admired Kathy's commitment to the state and people of Israel, for many years," says Mr. Benjamin. "Kathy's honors from the Anti-Defamation League, her visits to Tel HaShomer, Yad Vashem, as well as her support of AIPAC, JDF and WIZO are all examples of Kathy's love for, and powerful connection to, all things Israel. Kathy has also filmed documentaries for the Israeli people. It is a tremendous honor for me to take on the role of expanding and further deepening Kathy's strong and unbreakable bond with Israel. Israel is at the forefront of global entrepreneurialism, and we are actively engaged in significant conversations with companies in Israel to connect more Israeli entrepreneurs to opportunities in America, and the rest of the world," adds Mr. Benjamin.

Bialik Benjamin resides in Southern California.

ABOUT kathy ireland Worldwide (kiWW)

kiWW is listed as one of the most powerful brands in the world by License Global Magazine. Kathy Ireland is named one of the 19 most influential women in licensing by License Global magazine and according to Fairchild Publications, Kathy Ireland is one of the 50 most influential people in fashion. Furniture Today names Kathy one of the most influential leaders in the furniture industry. Kathy graces the cover of Forbes Magazine twice (2012, 2016). kiWW is responsible for billions of dollars in retail sales. kiWW is the recipient of multiple awards including several Good Housekeeping Seals. Kathy and kiWW support many non-profits including: YWCA Greater Los Angeles for which she is an Ambassador, Dream Foundation, Providence Educational Foundation, 911 for Kids/AEF, and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Kathy is named an Ambassador for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

SOURCE kathy ireland Worldwide
HOOXI campaign, backed by Korean government and endorsed by Korean superstars, ventures into blockchain

Anticipated HOOXI app to be launched late this year; a solution to reward individuals participating in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction

First to incentivise individuals contributing to GHG reduction using blockchain technology

Public token sale to happen from 26th June to 31st July.

SINGAPORE, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The upcoming token behind HOOXI, Korea's largest Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction campaign, W Green Pay (WGP), is taking a different tack at encouraging individuals to reduce GHG. While environmental conservation campaigns have been around for a long time, HOOXI is the first campaign backed by the Korean government to reward individuals for reducing GHG, and HOOXI is moving to venture into adopting the blockchain technology to help tokenize the reward system and facilitate the on-going token distribution to individuals.

W-Foundation, an international non-profit organisation established in 2012 and a designated donation organisation under the Ministry of Strategy and Finance of Korea, is the philanthropic foundation behind the HOOXI campaign. Environmental conservation no longer remains as just the governments' and corporations' responsibilities. Simple ways such as taking the public transport or purchasing identified eco-products are just a few of the many ways individuals can collect WGP tokens through the anticipated HOOXI mobile application.

"By first involving individuals in Korea where people are social media savvy and familiar with the campaign, we will be able to actively work on the features of HOOXI application and keep finding ways to better incentivise people to reduce greenhouse gases," explains Youree Lee, CEO of W-Foundation. "We believe that the effort in making this a better world will go beyond governmental and corporate organisations once this has been rolled out globally."

The HOOXI application will allow individuals to set up an account easily and document their contributions to reducing greenhouse gases. It is estimated that by 2020, 70 percent of the global population would be smartphone users1. With smartphones becoming more accessible to individuals and the increase of social media usage, the HOOXI application will be the first project for a government-backed campaign to directly reward these participants. With these actions being logged and approved on the application, people will be completing their choice of greenhouse-gases-reducing missions awarded with mission points. The mission points collected can then be exchanged for WGP tokens.

WGP can be used on online retail stores partnering W-Foundation, such as Lotte Homeshopping. The utility of the tokens extends beyond online shopping - WGP tokens will be introduced to a credit card payback system with major commercial banks in Korea. Credit card users will be able to earn WGP tokens by using the selected credit card at WGP-partnered businesses. For the first time, individuals will be directly incentivised and instantly rewarded to make this a better world by reducing greenhouse gases through daily activities.

The private sale for WGP tokens is ongoing until 25th May. The public will be able to purchase WGP tokens from 26th June to 31st July through their official website (www.wpay.sg).

1 "Number of smartphone users worldwide from 2014 to 2020." Statista. Retrieved May 15 2018.

About W Green Pay

W Green Pay is issued to reward general public's contribution to reducing GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions under Korea's KETS (Korea's Emissions Trading Scheme) market. W Green Pay will be the reward method of HOOXI App to its users' GHG reduction efforts.

About W-Foundation

W-Foundation is an international non-profit organisation that promotes environmental sustainability. W-Foundation supports the Korean government goal to reduce GHG emission. W-Foundation runs several projects on nature conservation and relief work for climate refugees. W-Foundation cooperates with worldwide governments, organisations, and communities in areas of research, field investigation, immediate relief, and education.

SOURCE W Green Pay

Related Links

http://www.wpay.sg


LONDON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kovai Limited released their new product ServiceBus360 Private Hosting to the market earlier last month. ServiceBus360 Private Hosting is aimed at organizations whose IT policies restrict the use of SaaS products. For example, the US healthcare industry is bound by strict data security protection rules. Large enterprise customers in the US healthcare segment had challenges adopting to SaaS model of ServiceBus360. Hence, ServiceBus360 team is introducing the new Private Hosting model with options to manage and monitor Azure services like Service Bus, Logic Apps and Functions logically grouped under ServiceBus360 Composite Applications.

Given the span of the integration scenario across boundaries covering various distributed Azure Services, organizations face challenges when it comes to getting end-to-end visibility of their integration scenario. ServiceBus360 helps businesses to overcome this challenge. Businesses can simply associate their complex integration scenario to the Composite Applications hosted and executed in your Infrastructure without any concern about data and configuration security.

"ServiceBus360 is aimed to solve problems every Azure Integration expert customer faces," Saravana Kumar, (founder, CEO) said. "The capabilities of ServiceBus360 were heavily influenced by real-world challenges that the Azure Integration experts face today with operations and monitoring capabilities of distributed Azure Services with strict data protection policies. ServiceBus360 is the result of our belief, we can provide a world-class tool to address all these challenges."

Take the Product Tour to know more about ServiceBus360. You can get started with a 30-day free trial of the product.

About Kovai Limited

Kovai Limited is a software development (ISV) company founded in 2011 with headquarters in London and development offices at Coimbatore and Gurgaon, India. Our enterprise products BizTalk360, ServiceBus360 and Atomic Scope are used by more than 550+ organizations across the globe using Microsoft BizTalk Server and Azure technologies such as Service Bus, Logic Apps etc., to operate, manage and monitor their business environments and hybrid integration solutions with ease. Our main aim is to help organizations focus on solving their core business problems while we take care of building the right toolset for them to manage and monitor their business environments.

Media contact:

Gowri Ramkumar

ServiceBus360

+44 (1689) 666-575

http://www.servicebus360.com

SOURCE Kovai Limited
ATLANTA, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When it comes to energy management and efficiency, the City of Seattle and Washington State lead the nation. Each year thousands of energy managers, VPs of operations and facility management professionals come to the annual West Coast Energy Management Congress (EMC) conference and trade show to network with their peers, share best practices, and learn about the latest industry developments. Hosted by Puget Sound Energy, EMC is in its 36th year - making it one of the longest-running events for business, industrial and institutional energy users in the Pacific Northwest. The local policies and programs in place are advancing an industry in which energy managers and engineers prosper. The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) is committed to supporting this advancement by presenting EMC in Seattle, June 20-21, at the Washington State Convention Center.

"Our members recognize and attend events like EMC because they bring together the top experts in all areas of energy management, power, buildings, and clean technologies," stated Bill Kent, Executive Director of AEE. "These are the individuals that are discussing and defining the paths to improved energy efficiency, facility optimization, and sustainability."

The EMC conference program showcases over 40 educational sessions with topics covering energy management, power distribution and generation, buildings and facilities, energy services, commissioning, renewable energy and sustainable development, which helps facility managers and building owners identify creative ways to reduce their energy consumption. Featured speakers opening the program this year include:

Creating a Better Energy Future , from Andy Wappler , Vice President of Customer Operations & Communications, Puget Sound Energy

from , Vice President of Customer Operations & Communications, Puget Sound Energy How to Realize Better Buildings , from Maria Tikoff Vargas , Director, Better Buildings Challenge, U.S. Department of Energy

from , Director, Better Buildings Challenge, U.S. Department of Energy Improving Environmental Performance While Growing the Business, from Les Weige , Director, Environment, Health & Safety, Boeing

"It's also additional opportunities at the event that interests our members, such as networking receptions and AEE chapter events," continued Bill Kent. Special events at EMC include a Council on Women in Energy and Environmental Leadership (CWEEL) breakfast with featured speaker Susan Wickwire, Executive Director from Seattle 2030 District, discussing how government can assist companies to achieve their environmental goals. Local Pacific Northwest and Columbia River AEE chapters gather for their annual luncheon, where featured speaker Jessica Finn Coven, Director, City of Seattle's Office of Sustainability & Environment, will present the steps Seattle's is taking to achieve its goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.

As a complement to the conference program, the EMC expo will display technologies helping commercial, industrial, and institutional customers save on their energy costs, upgrading their facilities with innovative solutions, and implementing new or retrofit construction projects which will help drive the new clean energy economy. In addition, free technical workshops in the expo hall ranging from the evolution of lighting, energy savings retrofits, demand response best practices to HVAC optimization will also be available for expo and conference visitors.

"The expo allows end users to interact face to face with over 200 vendors, many of them local to the Seattle and the Pacific Northwest energy marketplace. They get to explore the latest products, technology, and services in a dynamic, interactive environment," said Bill Kent "These are what make EMC a shared community for all involved, and as Seattle is at the forefront of sustainable energy developments, it will be an ideal location for anyone looking to grow, invest and connect."

For full event details or to register for the conference or complimentary expo, visit www.energyevent.com

About AEE: The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), a professional association, is augmented by its strong membership base of over 18,000 professionals in 100 countries and its widely recognized energy certification program in the fields of energy engineering and energy management, renewable and alternative energy, power generation, energy services, sustainability, and all related areas. AEE's network of 98 local chapters located throughout the U.S. and abroad meet regularly to discuss issues of regional importance.

For more about AEE, visit www.aeecenter.org. Follow the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) on LinkedIn, Twitter: @AEE, and Facebook

SOURCE Association of Energy Engineers

Related Links

http://www.aeecenter.org


INDIANAPOLIS, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced that new results from a number of studies across the company's oncology product and pipeline portfolio will be presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, June 1-5, 2018. Data from 30 oral presentations, poster presentations and e-publications underscore Lilly Oncology's focus on making a meaningful difference in the lives of people living with cancer through clinical development and collaboration.

Highlights include the late-breaking oral presentation of the Phase 3 REACH-2 trial results for ramucirumab as a single agent in the second-line treatment of people with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), also known as liver cancer. Key abemaciclib data include findings from the MONARCH 2 study evaluating abemaciclib plus fulvestrant in pre- and peri-menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer, as well as data from the MONARCH 2 and 3 studies investigating the impact of the addition of abemaciclib to fulvestrant or a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (NSAI) on the start of subsequent chemotherapy. Additionally, data will be presented from Lilly's ongoing immuno-oncology clinical collaborations with Merck (known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada). These include additional results from the KEYNOTE-021 (Cohort G) and KEYNOTE-189 trials evaluating pemetrexed plus platinum chemotherapy in combination with pembrolizumab in the first-line treatment of metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as results from the study of ramucirumab and pembrolizumab in multiple tumor types and the study of abemaciclib and pembrolizumab in HR+, HER- metastatic breast cancer.

"The data presented at ASCO demonstrate Lilly's steadfast commitment to advancing medicines in areas where patients experience the greatest need," said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president, global development and medical affairs, Lilly Oncology. "We look forward to the first presentation of the REACH-2 trial results. Advanced liver cancer is an aggressive disease, and ramucirumab has now demonstrated a survival benefit in a group of patients associated with particularly poor prognosis in two randomized clinical studies. We are also sharing several other study findings aimed to leverage our understanding of biomarkers and new therapeutic applications to benefit patients with hard-to-treat cancers."

Ramucirumab REACH-2 Data at ASCO

REACH-2 is the first positive Phase 3 HCC trial in a biomarker-selected patient population, and confirms the results of the first REACH study in patients who had a high alpha-fetoprotein (AFP-High). The REACH-2 study evaluated the benefit of ramucirumab treatment in HCC patients who were intolerant to, or had disease progression while on or following treatment with, sorafenib and AFP-High, defined as an AFP of 400 ng/mL. Approximately half of all advanced HCC patients are AFP-High and these patients are among those with the poorest prognosis relative to the general HCC patient population. While there have been some recent advances in treating HCC, there remains a very high unmet need for patients in this treatment setting.

Select studies, along with the dates, times and locations of their data sessions, are highlighted below.

Ramucirumab

Abstract #4003: REACH-2: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study of ramucirumab versus placebo as second-line treatment in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and elevated baseline alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) following first-line sorafenib. (Andrew X. Zhu)

Oral Abstract Session; Gastrointestinal (Noncolorectal) Cancer

Monday, June 4 ; 4:00  4:12 p.m. CDT ; Arie Crown Theater

Abstract #4036: Randomized, double-blind, Phase 2 study of S-1 plus oxaliplatin (SOX) with or without ramucirumab (RAM) as first-line therapy followed by paclitaxel plus RAM as second-line therapy in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (AGC). (Kei Muro)

Poster Session: Poster Board #225; Gastrointestinal (Noncolorectal) Cancer

Sunday, June 3 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Abstract #4044: Effect of post-discontinuation therapy (PDT) on survival in metastatic gastric-gastroesophageal junction (G-GEJ) adenocarcinoma patients from the RAINFALL trial: an exploratory analysis. (Kohei Shitara)

Poster Session: Poster Board #233; Gastrointestinal (Noncolorectal) Cancer

Sunday, June 3 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Abstract #4526: Ramucirumab (RAM) exposure-response (ER) relationship in RANGE, a randomized Phase 3 trial of docetaxel (DOC) with or without RAM in advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC) patients (pts) who progressed on or after platinum therapy. (Ronald De Wit)

Poster Session: Poster Board #352; Genitourinary (Nonprostate) Cancer

Saturday, June 2 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Abstract #4542: A subgroup analysis of the East Asia population in RANGE: a randomized Phase 3 study of docetaxel (DOC) with or without ramucirumab (RAM) in platinum-refractory advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). (Nobuaki Matsubara)

Poster Session: Poster Board #368; Genitourinary (Nonprostate) Cancer

Saturday, June 2 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Abstract #9053: Efficacy and safety results of ramucirumab in combination with osimertinib in advanced T790M-positive EGFR-mutant NSCLC. (David Planchard)

Poster Session: Poster Board #376; Lung CancerNon-Small Cell Metastatic

Sunday, June 3 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Abemaciclib

Abstract #1002: Abemaciclib for pre/perimenopausal women with HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer. (Patrick Neven)

Oral Abstract Session: Breast CancerMetastatic

Sunday, June 3 ; 8:00  11:00 a.m. CDT ; Presentation Time 8:24  8:36 a.m. CDT ; Hall D2

Abstract #1048: Impact of abemaciclib on the time to subsequent chemotherapy and the time to second disease progression across the MONARCH 2 and 3 studies. (Sara M. Tolaney)

Poster Session: Poster Board #129; Breast CancerMetastatic

Saturday, June 2 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Abstract #1049: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in MONARCH 2: Abemaciclib plus fulvestrant in women with HR+, HER2- advanced breast cancer (ABC) who progressed on endocrine therapy. (Peter A. Kaufman)

Poster Session: Poster Board #130; Breast CancerMetastatic

Saturday, June 2 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Abstract #1053: The association of early toxicity and outcomes for patients treated with abemaciclib. (Hope S. Rugo)

Poster Session: Poster Board #134; Breast CancerMetastatic

Saturday, June 2 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Olaratumab

Abstract #10541: Phase 1 study of olaratumab as monotherapy and in combination with doxorubicin, vincristine/irinotecan, or high-dose ifosfamide in pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory solid tumors: Part A results. (Steven G. DuBois)

Poster Session: Poster Board #214; Pediatric Oncology

Saturday, June 2 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Abstract #11542: Phase 1b/2 study of olaratumab plus gemcitabine and docetaxel for the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) (ANNOUNCE 2): Phase 1b results. (Victor Manuel Villalobos)

Poster Session: Poster Board #287; Sarcoma

Saturday, June 2 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Abstract #11548: Characteristics and clinical outcomes of French patients diagnosed with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (aSTS) in real-life setting: Data from the European sarcoma biological and clinical data banking (ESBCB). (Jean-Yves Blay)

Poster Session: Poster Board #293; Sarcoma

Saturday, June 2 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Prexasertib

Abstract #2579: A Phase 1b dose-escalation study of prexasertib, a checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) inhibitor, in combination with cisplatin in patients with advanced cancer. (Manish R. Patel)

Poster Session: Poster Board #405; Developmental TherapeuticsClinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

Monday, June 4 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Data from Immuno-Oncology Collaborations

Abstract #9021: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the KEYNOTE-189 study of pembrolizumab (pembro) or placebo (pbo) + pemetrexed (pem) + platinum (plt) for metastatic NSCLC. (Marina Chiara Garassino)

Poster Discussion Session: Poster Board #344; Lung CancerNon-Small Cell Metastatic

Sunday, June 3 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

; 8:00  ; Hall A Poster Discussion Session on Sunday, June 3 ; 11:30 a.m.  12:45 p.m. CDT , at Arie Crown Theater

Abstract #9026: 24-month overall survival from KEYNOTE-021 cohort G: Pemetrexed-carboplatin plus pembrolizumab as first-line therapy for advanced nonsquamous NSCLC. (Ryan D. Gentzler)

Poster Session: Poster Board #349; Lung CancerNon-Small Cell Metastatic

Sunday, June 3 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Abstract #3059: Activity of ramucirumab (R) with pembrolizumab (P) by PD-L1 expression in advanced solid tumors: Phase 1a/b study in later lines of therapy. (Roy S. Herbst)

Poster Session: Poster Board #273; Developmental TherapeuticsImmunotherapy

Monday, June 4 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Abstract #1059: Updated efficacy, safety, & PD-L1 status of patients with HR+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer administered abemaciclib plus pembrolizumab. (Sara M. Tolaney)

Poster Session: Poster Board #140; Breast CancerMetastatic

Saturday, June 2 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Data from Other Collaborations

Abstract #3537: Subgroup analysis by prior anti-VEGF or anti-EGFR target therapy in FRESCO, a randomized, double-blind, Phase 3 trial comparing fruquintinib versus placebo plus best supportive care in Chinese patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). (Ruihua Xu)

Poster Session: Poster Board #30; Gastrointestinal (Colorectal) Cancer

Sunday, June 3 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

Abstract #3544: Quality-adjusted time without symptoms or toxicity (Q-TWiST) of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated with fruquintinib in the randomized Phase 3 FRESCO trial. (Yu-Xian Bai)

Poster Session: Poster Board #37; Gastrointestinal (Colorectal) Cancer

Sunday, June 3 ; 8:00  11:30 a.m. CDT ; Hall A

About Lilly Oncology

For more than 50 years, Lilly has been dedicated to delivering life-changing medicines and support to people living with cancer and those who care for them. Lilly is determined to build on this heritage and continue making life better for all those affected by cancer around the world. To learn more about Lilly's commitment to people with cancer, please visit www.LillyOncology.com.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels. P-LLY

 Lilly USA, LLC 2018. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Lilly Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) regarding Lilly's oncology portfolio and pipeline, including ramucirumab, abemaciclib, olaratumab, prexasertib, pemetrexed and fruquintinib. This press release reflects Lilly's current beliefs. However, as with any pharmaceutical product, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of development and commercialization. Among other risks, there can be no guarantee that these treatment options will receive regulatory approval, or, if approved, that it will achieve intended benefits or become a commercially successful product. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Lilly's most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release.

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company

Related Links

https://www.lilly.com


VIENNA, Ohio, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Selecting a unit load platform - pallet - on which US growers and manufactures will export goods is now easier as U.S. - based pallet supplier Litco International, Inc. introduces the Exporter. The Exporter is an engineered molded wood pallet providing a high performance, sustainable and affordable unit-load solution for one-way and export shipping.

Nail-free and with curved corners, the Exporter pallets are approved for export as-is per ISPM 15a

During the proprietary manufacturing method, heat exceeding 350 degrees Fahrenheit eradicates insect pests and contaminants. Because the Exporter is considered 'processed wood,' approved for export as-is per IPPC-ISPM 15, shippers avoid additional costs to heat-treat wood pallets and the need for a license stamp to demonstrate compliance.

Containing 86% less moisture than new, traditional hardwood pallets, the Exporter has a higher resistance to mold, moisture sensing insects and bacteria in high-humidity, low air flow environments such as overseas shipping containers and tropical destinations.

Extensive testing documents improved product protection as compared to conventional wooden, corrugated paper or plastic pallets during one-way and export shipping. Additional product protection is due to a stiffer, more rigid top deck with 52% greater resistance to lead-edge damage by fork trucks. Compromised pallet deck boards increase the risk of package and/or product damage.

Nail-free and with curved corners, the Exporter pallets provide safety for both people and products.

Priced as low as $7.00 each, (48" x 40" pallet, ex works, truckload quantity) Litco's Exporter pallets are available in 10 different sizes and up to 5 different weight-bearing options.

According to Executive Vice President, Gary Sharon: "In branding our engineered molded wood pallets as the Exporter, we are emphasizing the scientifically proven, true strengths of this highly engineered, certified sustainable solution. It is affordably priced and an overall better value lowering costs and the environmental impact of supply chains."

For a free sample Exporter pallet, contact a product specialist at: 1-800-236-1903 or visit Litco's website: https://www.litco.com/export-grade-pallets/

About Litco International, Inc:

Since 1962 Litco has specialized in innovative distribution and transport packaging solutions, including engineered molded wood pallets and core plugs made from plant-based, renewable materials. All Litco products are designed to Carry your products safely and securely on through the most demanding supply chains. Engineered wood products ship nationwide from Dover, Ohio and Sardis, Mississippi.

For more information, contact:

Gary Sharon

[email protected]

+1 330-539-5433

SOURCE Litco International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.litco.com


BENTONVILLE, Ark. and NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Walmart.com and Lord & Taylor today announced that the companies will begin to roll out the new Lord & Taylor flagship store on Walmart.com in the coming weeks. The flagship, which will debut with more than 125 brands, including Tommy Bahama, Vince Camuto, Miss Selfridge, La La Anthony, Lucky Brand, H Halston and Effy, will be part of Walmart.com's broader fashion destination.

Link to Video and Assets

"As part of the Walmart.com redesign, and our commitment to establish Walmart.com as a destination for fashion, we recently relaunched our new fashion shopping experience. The new experience is aligned with how customers shop the category, with editorial elements that inspire customers to browse and buy, and has already generated positive customer response," said Denise Incandela, Head of Fashion, Walmart U.S. eCommerce. "The next step is the launch of the Lord & Taylor flagship store, which introduces exciting new premium brands to our customers."

The Lord & Taylor flagship store features thousands of trend-right styles, including women's, men's, and kids' clothing, shoes, handbags, accessories, and jewelry, that will be updated regularly. Customers can shop by category, shop by brand, or draw inspiration from editorial stories. Orders over $35 will be eligible for free two-day shipping.

"This innovative flagship on Walmart.com is an entirely new model for us and demonstrates the evolution of Lord & Taylor and our commitment to advancing our digital presence," said RJ Cilley, SVP of Digital, Lord & Taylor. "We are excited for the opportunity to serve exponentially more customers with our premium fashion offerings, including our famous dress selection and many stylish brands."

The Lord & Taylor flagship store complements Walmart.com's everyday fashion assortment of millions of affordable, on-trend items. Walmart.com's new fashion experience will consist of two shops: Everyday Brands and Premium Brands. To distinguish Walmart.com's premium shop, a "Premium Brands from Lord & Taylor" header will run across each premium brand page. In addition to the categories offered by Lord & Taylor, Walmart.com's broader fashion experience will also feature watches, luggage and travel, seasonal shops and premium beauty. Customers can shop fashion on Walmart.com by visiting Walmart.com/fashion.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, nearly 270 million customers and members visit our more than 11,700 stores under 65 banners in 28 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2018 revenue of $500.3 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.

About Lord & Taylor

Founded in 1826, Lord & Taylor is one of America's first department stores. It has built its reputation on offering premium fashion apparel and accessories, exciting store environments, and seamless service, all at an incredible value. Lord & Taylor operates 48 full-line locations primarily in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic U.S., lordandtaylor.com, and a flagship store on Walmart.com. It is part of the Hudson's Bay Company brand portfolio.

Contacts:

Walmart Media Relations

Phone: 1-800-331-0085

Lord & Taylor

Alissa Heumann

Phone: 646-629-8214

[email protected]

SOURCE Lord & Taylor

Related Links

http://www.lordandtaylor.com


VANCOUVER, British Columbia & CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Forest2Market and Madison's announce a partnership formed to bring Madison's Weekly Lumber Report, a North American lumber price reporting service, to SilvaStat360, Forest2Market's online business intelligence platform.

Madison's Lumber Reporter is moving to Forest2Market's SilvaStat360.

The Madison's/Forest2Market partnership combines Madison's lumber price data and market insights with Forest2Market's SilvaStat360 cloud-based interactive delivery platform. Madison's Lumber Reporter subscribers will have fingertip access to historic and current lumber price data that is updated weekly and available on a 24/7/365 basis.

"This is a tremendous step forward for Madison's," said Keta Kosman, Editor of the Reporter. "To meet the challenges they are facing in 2018, operators in the North American lumber industry need more than data; they need less noise and more robust analytics. By moving the Lumber Reporter to SilvaStat360, we have been able to add significant value, both in terms of additional data and usability."

"Weekly price data is essential for making operational decisions," said Kosman. "This information help buyers and sellers make decisions about today's transactions. But mill owners, managers and investors need to make longer-term, strategic decisions. By including historical trend data, Madison's Lumber Reporter makes this kind of decision-making possible. The base product will include two years of history, and an additional eight years of data  a length of time that is ideal for forecasting  will also be available."

Other features of the new product include:

All prices are available on a single screen.

Commentary is matched to product.

The Price Sheet can be filtered, searched and sorted.

Filters can be saved for quick and easy drill-downs to the exact products needed to make decisions.

Twelve weeks of commentary are archived by topic.

Tables and graphs are printable.

Data is downloadable to .xls or .csv.

Pete Stewart, president and CEO of Forest2Market, said, "Since its inception, Forest2Market's mission has been to increase the efficiency of the forest products industry through the application of unique datasets and industry expertise. By providing Madison's with a user-friendly interactive platform that allows subscribers the ability to find the exact data they need when they need it, we are fulfilling that mission. We are excited to bring another partner to our platform, which is quickly becoming a one-stop source of information for sawmill operators, with both log and lumber pricing and a sawmill benchmark."

With an expected launch in July 2018, Madison's and Forest2Market will be demonstrating a beta version of the product and accepting new subscriptions soon.

Please contact Keta Kosman or Pete Coutu to arrange an online demonstration of the product.

Keta Kosman

Madison's

+1 604 319 2266

[email protected]

Pete Coutu

Forest2Market

+1 980 233 4027

[email protected]

About Madison's: Madison's, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is the premier source for North American softwood lumber news, prices, industry insight and industry contacts since 1952. The Weekly Lumber Reporter publishes current lumber and panel pricing information 50 weeks out of the year and will soon offer historical pricing as well. (www.madisonsreport.com).

About Forest2Market: Forest2Market, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was founded in January 2000 to empower participants in the global forest, wood products, paper products, biochemical and bioenergy industries to make exponentially better decisions by providing unique datasets and analytics and in-depth supply chain and market expertise (www.forest2market.com).

Media Contact:

Suz-Anne Kinney

Phone: +1 704 233 4021

Email: [email protected]

Related Video

https://vimeo.com/234326992

SOURCE Forest2Market

Related Links

http://www.forest2market.com


For over 45 years, Blahnik's inventiveness and superb artisanship has crossed boundaries between fashion and art, inspiring elegance and perfection. The underlying theme of the exhibition  that shoes are art  aligns perfectly with Blahnik's own approach to creating footwear. Using architectural and sculptural lines within his work, Blahnik exquisitely captures the imagination, transforming an everyday accessory into masterpieces of contemporary design.

Blahnik, along with the exhibition's guest curator Dr. Cristina Carrillo de Albornoz, have hand-selected over 200 shoes and 80 original drawings to display that seamlessly reflect his personal journey, inspirations and achievements, collected over four decades. Visitors will discover how architecture, art, botany, literature, cinema and how countries from around the world have played a pivotal role in his designs. Highlights include: Iconic footwear from the early 1970s to today, exclusive footage of the artist at work, rare examples of Blahnik's celebrated drawings and sketches and the exquisite collection of Marie Antoinette shoes, created for Sofia Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette.

To complement the exhibition, the museum is also presenting Exclusively Manolo, a series of rich programming celebrating the exhibition, including exclusive tours, workshops and a film series. Visitors may also purchase an accompanying fully illustrated catalogue published by Skira/Rizzoli, written by Albornoz, based on extensive conversations with Blahnik. For more information on the exhibition and programs, please visit www.batashoemuseum.ca.

SOURCE Bata Shoe Museum

Related Links

www.batashoemuseum.ca


KELOWNA, BC, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Marapharm Ventures Inc. (CSE: MDM) (OTCQX: MRPHF) (FSE: 2M0) '("Marapharm" or the "Company") is delighted to keep its shareholder's updated with U.S. cannabis reform. A U.S. House Committee has approved the first marijuana reform bill ever to be given a vote, until now, making this an historical event.

While legalization supporters have previously scored victories in the form of amendments attached to larger legislation, none of their standalone bills have ever advanced before.

Tim Walz and Chairman Phil Roe, M.D. introduced H.R. 5520, the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018, to authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to advance scientific and medical research into the safety and efficacy of medicinal cannabis usage by veterans with diagnoses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain. Upon introduction, the legislation was cosponsored by 28 Democrats and 7 Republicans.

https://democrats-veterans.house.gov/news/press-releases/veterans-and-research-groups-endorse-bipartisan-va-medicinal-cannabis-research

In a new poll by The American Legion, one in five veterans self-reported using marijuana to alleviate a medical or physical condition. 100% of respondents aged 18-30 support legalized medical cannabis.

http://norml.org/images/_pdf/American_Legion_Poll_Nov_2_2017.pdf

Trending Election News

The U.S. midterm elections in Illinois, include eight Democrats vying for state attorney general. All of the candidates threw their support behind the full legalization of marijuana for recreational use, vowing to stymie any efforts by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to crack down on medical cannabis sales already being rung in across the state.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/evanston/news/ct-evr-attorney-general-candidate-forum-tl-0118-20180117-story.html

In California, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a long-time opponent of legalizing recreational marijuana, now says the federal government should not interfere in California's legal marijuana market. The California Democrat said she was open to considering federal protection for state-legalized marijuana.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics government/congress/article210212224.html

Michigan Republicans consider legalizing cannabis prior to midterm elections. With enough signatures collected to get recreational marijuana on the ballot in the November mid-term election, it's looking like Michigan is set to join the ranks of legal states. As that reality begins to sink in for Republicans in the state's legislature, Michigan lawmakers are considering jumping the gun on the ballot initiative and legalizing before voters get a chance to.

https://herb.co/marijuana/news/michigan-republicans-cannabis-initiative-midterms

"Trump pollster: Candidates should embrace medical marijuana," by Robillard: "House and Senate candidates in competitive contests should embrace medical marijuana in their election bids this year, according to a new survey from the lead campaign pollster for now-President Donald Trump. A new nationwide poll from Tony Fabrizio, David Lee and Travis Tunis of Fabrizio, Lee and Associates found 77 percent of likely 2018 voters had a favorable opinion of medical marijuana, including 74 percent in key Senate states and 76 percent in competitive House districts. That total includes 68 percent of Republicans, 81 percent of independents and 84 percent of Democrats. Just 15 percent of likely voters have an unfavorable opinion of medical marijuana." https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-score/2018/03/19/the-biggest-republican-mega-donor-youve-never-heard-of-142121

Announced May 14, 2018, New York marijuana legalization effort is about to get a big boost. New York's Democratic Party is set to announce its full backing of marijuana legalizationnews that broke on the same day that Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) told reporters an official state study on the impacts of cannabis legalization that he ordered in January will be released "within days." https://www.marijuanamoment.net/new-york-marijuana-legalization-effort-about-to-get-a-big-boost/

"The Company has always remained confident that the legalization of cannabis for either medical or adult use is not just a proposed concept but rather a powerful movement of the people, fueled by the freedom of speech that social media invites. It is and will be a force that will have to be acknowledged." Linda Sampson, CEO.

ABOUT MARAPHARM VENTURES INC.

www.marapharm.com

Marapharm is a publicly traded company investing in the medical and recreational cannabis space, since 2014. Marapharm has rapidly expanded to include having cultivation, production and dispensary locations in the key North American states of Washington, Nevada, and California, and are seeking expansion opportunities worldwide.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: facebook.com/marapharm Twitter: twitter.com/marapharm Web Program: marapharm.tv

STOCK EXCHANGES:

Marapharm trades in Canada, ticker symbol MDM on the CSE, in the United States, ticker symbol MRPHF on the OTCQX, and in Europe, ticker symbol 2M0 on the FSE. Marapharm also trades on other recognized platforms in Europe including Stuttgart, Tradegate, L & S, Quotnx, Dusseldorf, Munich, and Berlin.

Neither the CSE, the FSE nor the OTCQX has approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the CSE, the FSE nor the OTCQX accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

MARIJUANA INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT:

Canadian listings (CSE) will remain in good standing as long as they provide the disclosure that is rightly required by regulators and complying with applicable licensing requirements and the regulatory framework enacted by the applicable state in which they operate.

Marapharm owns marijuana licenses in California and Nevada. Marijuana is legal in each state however marijuana remains illegal under US federal law and the approach to enforcement of US federal law against marijuana is subject to change. Shareholders and investors need to be aware that adverse enforcement actions could affect their investments and that Marapharm's ability to access private and public capital could be affected and or could not be available to support continuing operations. Marapharm's business is conducted in a manner consistent with state law and is in compliance with licensing requirements.

Copies of licenses are posted on Marapharm's website. Marapharm has internal compliance procedures in place and has compliance focused attorneys engaged in jurisdictions to monitor changes in laws for compliance with US federal and state law on an ongoing basis. These law firms inform any necessary changes to our policies and procedures for compliance in Canada and the US.

FORWARD - LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", 'may", "will", "project", "should", 'believe", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward- looking statements. These statements involve 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 statements are based on reasonable assumption but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and the forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon.

SOURCE Marapharm Ventures Inc.

Related Links

www.marapharm.com


BOSTON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- MassRobotics has renewed partnerships with global robotics and technology companies, and added new annual partners. These corporate partners provide strategic guidance and help fund MassRobotics programming; partner investment is fueling the organization's growth as it plans to expand its co-working space in Boston.

MassRobotics is an independent, nonprofit organization with a mission to create and grow the next generation of robotics and smart connected device companies in Massachusetts. It provides entrepreneurs and innovators the facilities and resources they need to develop, prototype, test, challenge and nurture early ideas. Fady Saad, MassRobotics' co-founder and director of partnerships recently announced the following signed partnership agreements:

iRobot signed an exclusive five-year partnership in the consumer home robot cleaning segment. iRobot's product line, including the Roomba robot vacuum and Braava family of mopping robots, feature advanced concepts in cleaning, mapping and navigation.

signed an exclusive five-year partnership in the consumer home robot cleaning segment. iRobot's product line, including the Roomba robot vacuum and Braava family of mopping robots, feature advanced concepts in cleaning, mapping and navigation. Panasonic renewed its annual partnership after a successful 2017 engagement, which included a Technology Day event organized by MassRobotics and a high-level board visit early in 2018.

renewed its annual partnership after a successful 2017 engagement, which included a Technology Day event organized by MassRobotics and a high-level board visit early in 2018. Amazon Robotics , a founding partner of MassRobotics, is now an Annual Partner.

, a founding partner of MassRobotics, is now an Annual Partner. Harmonic Drive renewed its annual partnership, and will take a seat on MassRobotics' upcoming advisory board, and will have naming rights in the new facility.

renewed its annual partnership, and will take a seat on MassRobotics' upcoming advisory board, and will have naming rights in the new facility. Faurecia , the largest international automotive parts manufacturer in the world, is a new Annual Partner. Faurecia designs and manufactures automobile seats, exhaust systems and interior systems; one in four automobiles globally is equipped by Faurecia.

, the largest international automotive parts manufacturer in the world, is a new Annual Partner. Faurecia designs and manufactures automobile seats, exhaust systems and interior systems; one in four automobiles globally is equipped by Faurecia. New Annual Partner, SMC, is a leader in pneumatic technology, providing industry with technology and products to support automation based on the guiding principle of "contributing to automation labor savings in industry."

"Boston is a hub for some of the best and brightest minds in the robotics space. It is exciting to work alongside an organization like MassRobotics that inspires innovation and celebrates the robotics community," said Tye Brady, chief technologist, Amazon Robotics. "We are excited to see the benefits this sponsorship brings to the community and we look forward to working with the next generation of innovators."

Recent commitments from Annual Partners total $550,000 and bring the total funding from corporate partners to nearly $1.8M. As a result of both private and public investment, MassRobotics now features:

30 resident startups in its space

50+ events organized in the last year

Two graduate startups: Square Robot, with 15 people and an investment from Philips

Ventures; and American Robotics, now at 10 people and $3M+ in seed funding

Ventures; and American Robotics, now at 10 people and $3M+ in seed funding 30 strategic and corporate partners

"We are honored to continue our partnership with MassRobotics. We believe in their mission to cultivate and strengthen the robotics community in Massachusetts. MassRobotics is instrumental in connecting startups with the tools and network for success, further strengthening Massachusetts' leadership in robotics," said Douglas Olson, CEO at Harmonic Drive. "Since day one of our partnership we have seen the positive impact MassRobotics has on the region's robotics cluster through its impressive network of government, businesses and start-up robotics connections that are second to none."

With the support of its sponsors and with the aid of the $2.5M MassWorks grant from the state of Massachusetts, MassRobotics is more than doubling its size. The new, larger facility that is now being designed will be able to support close to 70 startups in the robotics space, with many of the private labs already spoken for.

"A decade ago there were only a handful of robotics companies in Massachusetts, and now there are well over one hundred," said Anders Bialek, vice president of corporate development at iRobot. "iRobot is committed to fostering an already strong ecosystem of robotics companies in Massachusetts and supporting the next wave of entrepreneurs in the space as they pursue a path to success. MassRobotics plays a very important role in facilitating and growing relationships within the region's robotics ecosystem, and iRobot is proud to be a part of it."

About MassRobotics

MassRobotics is the result of the collective work of a group of engineers, rocket scientists and entrepreneurs with a shared vision to create a strong, vibrant robotics and IoT ecosystem in Massachusetts. MassRobotics' mission is to help create and scale the next generation of successful robotics and connected devices companies by providing entrepreneurs and innovative robotics/automation startups with the workspace and resources they need to develop, prototype, test and commercialize their products and solutions. See www.massrobotics.org for details.

SOURCE MassRobotics

Related Links

http://www.massrobotics.org


DENVER, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Matrix Analytics, a Denver-based healthcare technology firm that provides complex patient management software solutions to hospitals, today announced the company's rebrand to Eon. The rebrand marks the expansion of Eon's offerings beyond LungDirect to a suite of software solutions that will help improve the treatment of complex conditions of any kind. LungDirect, which will be rebranded to EonDirect, is the first and only cloud-based software application for lung cancer screening and incidental nodule management that integrates seamlessly with hospital electronic medical records (EMRs).

Eon provides solutions that use proprietary artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize diagnoses and treatment efficiency for any condition that requires complex patient management. The company's flagship product, EonDirect, streamlines data to ensure healthcare providers receive the right data at the right time to provide the most effective care for their patients. The company's first expansions will include management of patients with pancreatic, thyroid, liver and renal diseases.

"Eon more accurately reflects the iconic impact we know our scalable and adaptable technology can have on improving patient care," said Christine Spraker, co-CEO of Eon. "As more hospitals come onboard with our technology and additional disease functionality is quickly added, we will truly revolutionize the way healthcare data is curated and delivered, ultimately saving more lives."

Matrix Analytics was founded in 2015 by interventional pulmonologist Akrum ("Aki") Alzubaidi to address the prevalence of delayed or missed lung cancer diagnoses due to antiquated, inefficient hospital software systems. Leveraging his programming background, Alzubaidi developed LungDirect to better detect and diagnose pulmonary nodules, or spots on the lungs. The technology improved early stage lung cancer detection at the hospital where Alzubaidi practiced from 23% to nearly 50%.

"LungDirect was my solution to care coordination challenges I experienced first-hand as a physician, but these problems are not unique to lung cancer," said Aki Alzubaidi, co-CEO of Eon. "Now that we have proven how effective our technology is in early detection of lung cancer, streamlining workflow, and lowering costs for hospitals, it is easily scalable to any disease area."

Since its founding, the company has largely grown through personal investment by its leaders, but Eon has also raised nearly $2 million in investments, with commitments for an additional $2 million by the end of the month. Eon's current advisors include Mark Cuban, entrepreneur, Dallas Mavericks owner and "Shark Tank" host; George Conrades, IBM executive veteran, CEO of Akamai, board member for Harley Davidson and Oracle; Kevin Hutchinson, entrepreneur, developer of Surescripts, MedicaLogic and Medscape, and CEO of MyTaskit; Dr. Joseph Cicenia, pulmonologist at Cleveland Clinic; and Zach and Chancy Love, private investors.

"I'm excited to be part of the innovative team at Eon as they save lives and deliver the best screening and management solutions for patients with complex conditions," said Eon investor and "Shark Tank" star, Mark Cuban.

"EonDirect has added tremendous value to our hospital and is a great investment. In addition to being affordable, their technology has significantly reduced the amount of time our staff spends on administrative tasks and improved how we screen and treat our lung cancer patients," said Scott Skibo, MD, pulmonologist at Haywood Regional Medical Center. "It is refreshing to work with a company that delivers on its promise and provides truly great customer service."

Hospitals that currently use EonDirect include Cleveland Clinic, eight HCA hospitals, Haywood Regional Medical Center (a Duke LifePoint hospital), and Georgetown Regional, among many others. EonDirect is also being used in the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute's (PCORI) "The Watch the Spot Trial" and is a Certified Software Partner of the American College of Radiology's Lung Cancer Screening Registry.

About Eon

Eon is a Denver-based healthcare technology company dedicated to defying disease by revolutionizing the way healthcare data is gathered, curated, and shared among healthcare professionals to ensure the right data reaches the right people at the right time, every time. Eon is currently used in 31 hospitals to manage more than 12,000 patients with commitments to grow to 100 hospitals and 100,000 patients by the end of the year. For more information visit www.EonHealth.com.

Media Contact:

Thy-Ann Nguyen

[email protected]

703-479-3642

SOURCE Eon

Related Links

http://www.eonhealth.com


"Lorie is a proven groundbreaker who led successful merchandising and retail efforts at Jordan's Furniture. She has a keen understanding of what it takes for a product to sell  from identifying consumer needs to educating associates to communicating product benefits," said Steve Stagner, executive chairman, president and CEO of Mattress Firm. "We're excited to have Lorie join the Mattress Firm team and support our vision of being consumers' preferred choice for better sleep."

Silva previously held the role of Director of Bedding Operations for Jordan's Furniture, where she was responsible for the entire operation of bedding, including sourcing, sales, training and retail experience with strong ties to customer service, operations and logistics.

An industry veteran with nearly 27 years of experience, Silva's background is in the business of sleep; she started as a sales associate (Sleep Technician), took on increasing responsibility and helped transform the bedding category at Jordan's Furniture.

"I'm thrilled to join the Mattress Firm merchandising team and help drive Mattress Firm's growth in the sleep category," said Silva. "The success of merchandising at Mattress Firm will continue to help set the company apart and ultimately drive customers into stores for products that improve their lives. I'm excited to join an industry leader that continues to innovate."

About Mattress Firm

Founded in 1986, Mattress Firm has grown today to be America's largest mattress specialty retailer, with more than 3,000 neighborhood stores and a passion for helping people find the right bed at the right price. Mattress Firm helps customers' budgets stretch further with a broad selection of mattresses and bedding accessories from leading manufacturers and brand names, including Serta, Simmons, Dream Bed, tulo and Sleepy's. Mattress Firm is also committed to serving its communities through Mattress Firm Foster Kids, a program it sponsors in partnership with the Ticket to Dream Foundation. As part of these charitable efforts, Mattress Firm hosts six collection drives each year, in communities nationwide, to ensure that foster children have the resources needed to succeed. Mattress Firm became part of the Steinhoff International Holdings family of brands in 2016.

SOURCE Mattress Firm

Related Links

http://www.mattressfirm.com


IRVINE, Calif. and MELBOURNE, Australia, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Mavenlink, the leading global provider of cloud-based software for the modern services organization, announced today it's expanding its geographic presence with the opening of its first Asia-Pacific office in Melbourne, Australia.

The new Melbourne office will serve Mavenlink's fast-growing base of clients in Asia-Pacific, and act as the central sales and services hub for the region. The company expects to double growth in the region over the next 12 months. Mavenlink works with thousands of professional, technology, marketing, and consulting services organizations, including global brands like Honeywell, Vizient and Genpact.

"This is an exciting time for our company, and for the services industry," said Ray Grainger, Mavenlink Founder and CEO. "We have been fortunate to have had increasing interest in our solution in Australia and across Asia over the past couple years. We're excited to launch our Asia-Pacific headquarters in a bustling city like Melbourne as we look to provide more services organizations in the region with the digital infrastructure they need to succeed in today's Service Level Economy."

Mavenlink HQ Launch Supported by Victorian Government

The company's Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in Melbourne is supported by the Victorian Government, which has provided business assistance to Mavenlink. Deputy Secretary of Invest Victoria, Matt Carrick, will join Mavenlink executives, including Mavenlink CEO and Founder, along with Mavenlink clients and industry leaders at an event in the Invest Victoria Centre to celebrate the partnership and Mavenlink's expansion to the region.

"We're delighted that Mavenlink are expanding operations and have chosen to establish their Asia-Pacific headquarters within Melbourne's growing digital sector," said Acting Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy Luke Donnellan. "Global tech companies like Mavenlink strengthen Victoria's reputation as a leading innovation hub, and help our businesses grow and create local jobs."

"We are excited and proud to launch our Asia-Pacific headquarters in Melbourne, which is an expanding and vibrant hub of technology and innovation. It's an honor to have the support of the Victorian Government behind us," said Joe Thymian, Mavenlink General Manager for the Asia-Pacific region. "This expansion will enable us to better support our rapidly growing Asia-Pacific client-base, and accelerate growth in the region."

Announcement Follows Significant Momentum

Prior to this announcement, Mavenlink recently received several distinctions related to corporate innovation, growth and strong financial performance. The company was named to Deloitte's Technology Fast 500, a ranking of the fastest growing technology companies in North America. Mavenlink grew 1,446 percent during the period measured. The company was also recently recognized as the only Leader in both G2 Crowd's Best Project Management Software grid, and Best Professional Services Automation Software (PSA) grid for Spring 2018. Other recent distinctions include Glassdoor's Best Place to Work, Gartner's Cool Vendor designation, and Red Herring's Top 100 Global Companies.

Mavenlink has experienced significant global expansion over the past year. Last June Mavenlink launched its European headquarters in London, as well as announced significant growth and expansion of all U.S. locations: Irvine, San Francisco, Boston and Salt Lake City.

For more information about Mavenlink, visit www.mavenlink.com.

About Mavenlink

Mavenlink is a modern software platform for professional and marketing services organizations. It is the only solution that helps services firms establish an operational system of record that facilitates their business lifecycle, including key capabilities like resource management, project management, collaboration, project accounting, and BI. Services organizations in more than 100 countries are improving operational execution, increasing agility, and driving improved financial performance with Mavenlink. Mavenlink was recently named one of fastest growing companies in North America by Deloitte, is the only solution to be listed as a Leader in both G2 Crowd's Best Professional Services Automation and Best Project Management Software grids, and was recently named A Cool Vendor by Gartner, the world's leading technology research and advisory firm. Learn more at www.mavenlink.com.

SOURCE Mavenlink

Related Links

http://www.mavenlink.com


HARRISBURG, Pa., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Families and friends visiting Pennsylvania's popular outdoor spots over the Memorial Day holiday weekend can enjoy a day of free fishing, thanks to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).

The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend - May 27  marks the first of two free fishing days in the Commonwealth. The second is Independence Day  Wednesday, July 4.

Fish-for-Free Days allow anyone  residents and non-residents  to legally fish in Pennsylvania without a fishing license. From 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on both days, no fishing license is needed to fish in Pennsylvania's waterways. All other fishing regulations apply.

"Fish-for-Free days offer an easy, convenient way to introduce friends and family to the sport of fishing, or to reconnect with the sport if you haven't fished in a while," said Steve Kralik, director of the Bureau of Outreach, Education and Marketing. "Many families already spend the day at lakes and parks throughout the state. Now they can try fishing at no cost."

"It is one of the approaches we use as part of our efforts to recruit, retain and reactivate anglers," he added. "We also offer Family Fishing Festivals, Introduction to Fly Fishing classes designed specifically for women, and mentored youth events in the summer. The programs collectively are used to create multiple opportunities to recruit new participants, retain current anglers and reactivate those anglers who have not fished recently."

To make the fishing experience more convenient on the Fish-for-Free days, people can borrow equipment from dozens of fishing tackle loaner sites across the state. Many of the sites are right at state parks, which are always a popular place for visitors on the Memorial Day weekend. Loaner sites are also available at county parks and some public libraries.

Click here for the list of loaner sites.

More information is available on the PFBC website, which includes interactive maps, regional fishing reports, and tips on fishing fundamentals. Fishing licenses can be purchased online at GoneFishingPa.com.

Regional Media Contacts  Please contact a regional outreach coordinator for more information and to set up on-the-water interviews with Waterways Conservation Officers.



Northwest Region (Counties  Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Warren)

Chad Foster

(814) 336-2426

[email protected]

Southwest Region (Counties  Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington, Westmoreland)

Mandy Smith

(814) 443-9841

[email protected]

Northcentral Region (Counties  Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Tioga, Union)

Dee Fisher

(717) 705-7919

[email protected]

Southcentral Region (Counties  Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, York)

Adam Spangler

(717) 486-7352

[email protected]

Northeast Region (Counties  Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming)

Walt Dietz

(570) 477-2206

[email protected]

Southeast Region (Counties  Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill)

Andy Desko

(215) 968-3631

[email protected]

Harrisburg contact : Eric Levis, Press Secretary

(717) 705-7806 or [email protected]

SOURCE Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission

Related Links

http://www.fishandboat.com


The two-year collaboration will employ MilliporeSigma's CRISPR genome-editing technology in research studies by Dr. Jeffrey Gordon of Washington University School of Medicine. The research aims to determine the differences between gut bacterial communities in healthy and malnourished children, and to identify what features of healthy intestinal bacteria are critical for supporting healthy growth. From there, nutritional approaches to restore a normal microbiome can be developed and optimized, as nutritional interventions to date have failed to solve the problem.

"Development of the gut microbiome is disrupted in severely malnourished children, leaving them with immature communities compared with healthy children," said Udit Batra, CEO, MilliporeSigma. "Our collaboration with the leading expert in the study of the human microbiome, Dr. Jeffrey Gordon, will focus on how to repair and reconstitute a normal microbiome in malnourished children. Using our foundational genome-editing technology, we will continue to form collaborations with the global scientific community to explore how to develop exciting new treatments for many diseases."

CRISPR-based genomic scissors have unveiled new possibilities in medicine and biotechnology. Similar to a word processing program that finds, deletes and replaces words or letters, these CRISPR RNA-protein complexes search for certain DNA sequences in a cell, cut them and allow the cell to paste in new DNA information. MilliporeSigma, together with Dr. Gordon's group, will use its CRISPR genome scissors in this collaboration to modify the sequence of DNA in microbes cultured from human gut microbiome samples. The results will help the researchers obtain essential, new information about the microbes' functions and nutritional needs.

"Our shared goal is to apply gene-editing technology to further understand the mechanisms by which beneficial human gut microbes promote healthy growth in children," said Jeffrey Gordon, MD, director of the Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology at Washington University. "By marrying this technology with our preclinical models, we can decipher how gut microbes become established in the developing gut, what nutrients are necessary to sustain those microbes and how gut microbial communities influence muscle and bone growth, maturation of our immune systems and metabolic health.

"Development of a healthy gut community is linked to the healthy growth of infants and children. Results obtained from this collaboration should aid our ongoing efforts to devise new, safe and culturally acceptable ways to repair the developing gut communities in malnourished children or children at risk of malnutrition. This knowledge will facilitate development of new types of microbiota-directed foods, composed of naturally occurring ingredients, that increase the representation and beneficial functions of naturally occurring bacterial strains in the immature gut communities of these children," Dr. Gordon added.

With a 13-year history in the genome-editing field, MilliporeSigma was the first company to offer custom biomolecules for genome editing globally (TargeTron RNA-guided group II introns and CompoZr zinc finger nucleases), driving adoption of these techniques by researchers all over the world. MilliporeSigma was also the first company to manufacture arrayed CRISPR libraries covering the entire human genome, accelerating cures for diseases by allowing scientists to explore more questions about root causes.

As a company that has been highly involved in genome-editing innovation, MilliporeSigma recognizes that genome editing has resulted in major positive advancements in biological research and medicine. At the same time, the growing potential of gene-editing technologies has opened scientific, legal and societal concerns. As both a user and supplier of gene-editing technology, MilliporeSigma supports research with genome editing under careful consideration of ethical and legal standards. MilliporeSigma's parent company, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has established a Bioethics Advisory Panel to provide guidance for research in which its businesses are involved, including research on or using genome editing, and has defined a clear operational position taking into account scientific and societal issues while not blocking any promising therapeutic approaches for use in research and applications.

Follow MilliporeSigma on Twitter @MilliporeSigma, on Facebook @MilliporeSigma and on LinkedIn.

All Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany news releases are distributed by email at the same time they become available on the EMD Group website. In case you are a resident of the U.S. or Canada please go to www.emdgroup.com/subscribe to register again for your online subscription of this service as our newly introduced geo-targeting requires new links in the email. You may later change your selection or discontinue this service.

About the Life Science Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has 20,000 employees and 60 manufacturing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products enabling scientific discovery. Udit Batra is the global chief executive officer of MilliporeSigma.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany completed its $17 billion acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich in November 2015, creating a leader in the $125 billion global life science industry.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in healthcare, life science and performance materials. The company has five businesses  Biopharmaceuticals, Consumer Health, Allergopharma, Life Science and Performance Materials  and generated sales of 15.3 billion in 2017. Almost 53,000 employees work in 66 countries to improve the quality of life for patients, to foster the success of customers and to help meet global challenges.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company  since 1668, the company has stood for innovation, business success and responsible entrepreneurship. Holding an approximately 70 percent interest, the founding family remains the majority owner of the company to this day. The company holds the global rights to the name and the trademark "Merck" internationally except for the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.

SOURCE MilliporeSigma
CHICAGO, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Motista (www.motista.com), a Predictive Emotional Connection Intelligence solution provider, is proud to announce its expansion of its team with the opening of a new office centrally located to downtown Chicago. Headquartered in San Francisco, other office locations include Dallas, New York, and Washington, DC.

"The new Chicago office illustrates Motista's continued pledge to invest in its market expansion," said Michael Mathias, president of Motista. "It further supports our emphasis on attracting and retaining exceptional talent as we focus on building a connected culture to best serve our clients."

Located in the historic Adlake building at 320 W. Ohio, the gateway to Chicago's lively River North neighborhood, Motista's office puts them at the pulse of the city, and is easily accessible via several commuter lines. The building offers flexible expansion options as Motista continues its hiring and development.

Building out the Chicago office comes at a time of unprecedented growth for Motista, with over a 50 percent increase in employees in the last six months. It's fueled by the drive of the founders and management team to increase the reach of Motista's groundbreaking predictive intelligence that connects emotion to profitability, giving brands a true view of their most valuable customers.

About Motista

Motista provides predictive intelligence enabling business leaders to accelerate customer and financial growth by activating the Emotional Connection to their brand. By tying big data to emotions and behaviors, Motista delivers pragmatic solutions that generate up to 100% gains in customer value for Fortune 1000 business leaders in multiple verticals, including retail, financial services, automotive, healthcare, and travel & leisure. The power of Predictive Emotional Connection Intelligence gives brands the most predictive, defined motivators that activate conversion and reach actual people. Learn more at www.motista.com, [email protected] or call 650-204-7976.

SOURCE Motista

Related Links

http://www.motista.com


WASHINGTON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones (NAFTZ) President Erik Autor today called for establishment of an effective, ongoing product-exclusion-request procedure and other measures in testimony before a hearing convened by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) regarding proposed 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese imports under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act.

While agreeing that China's intellectual property rights violations, forced technology transfers, and state interventions warrant appropriate action, Autor warned that many internationally competitive companies and industries represented by NAFTZ rely on China and other countries to supply inputs necessary for their U.S. production and include China as a key export market. "Accordingly," said Autor, "we share the serious concerns of many U.S. business organizations about the adverse consequences Sec. 301 tariffs pose for U.S. manufacturing, exporting, and consuming industries, including creating strong incentives to manufacture abroad as U.S. production costs increase and imported goods become more competitive in the U.S. market."

Autor warned that the proposed Sec. 301 tariffs threaten to undercut important FTZ program goals, including: 1) sustaining U.S.-based manufacturing and jobs by equalizing duties on U.S.-made and foreign-made products; and 2) eliminating situations where U.S. manufacturers pay significantly more than foreign exporters in U.S. duties because duties on inputs are higher than on the final product.

To mitigate these problems, Autor stated, NAFTZ believes it is essential for the Sec. 301 process and other trade remedies actions to establish an effective, ongoing product-exclusion-request procedure, enabling companies to secure exclusions from duties for certain imported materials, including finished products manufactured in U.S. zones.

Mr. Autor also pointed out that another critical issue for FTZ manufacturers in trade remedies proceedings is that finished goods approved by the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board for zone production must not be incorrectly considered foreign origin for U.S. Customs entry purposes, and must be explicitly exempted from additional tariffs in Presidential Proclamations. NAFTZ's written comments submitted on May 11 provide an example that illustrates the potential problem and includes recommended Proclamation language to ensure goods finished in a U.S. zone are not inadvertently subject to additional duties.

Turning his attention to the problematic subject of "privileged foreign status" (PF) classification required by the proposed Sec. 301 action, Mr. Autor pointed out that the administration's proposed action "would require FTZ manufacturers to admit any subject articles into a U.S. zone under 'privileged foreign status' and pay the additional duty when the finished product incorporating those articles is entered into U.S. commerce." In laying out the PF process for FTZs, said Autor, it is essential for the final Sec. 301 proclamation to avoid including language similar to that used in the March 22 Presidential Proclamations on steel and aluminum. Those proclamations stated that any steel or aluminum article admitted into a U.S. foreign-trade zone under PF status prior to the effective date of the duties would be subject upon entry for consumption to any ad valorem rates of duty imposed by those proclamations.

Under U.S. Customs regulations, foreign-status merchandise categorized as having "privileged foreign status" maintains the status it enjoyed upon its admission to a Foreign-Trade Zone. When the merchandise is subsequently shipped from the zone to the U.S. market and entered for consumption by CBP, it is evaluated based on its time-of-admission condition, even though it may have undergone a transformation in the zone.

"NAFTZ is unaware of any past Proclamations containing such language imposing additional duties upon filing a customs entry on merchandise in an FTZ that was under PF status prior to the effective date of such duties," said Erik Autor. "This condition penalizes FTZ users for manufacturing in the United States and contravenes language in the Foreign-Trade Zones Act and Customs regulations regarding the election of PF status on merchandise in zones."

Mr. Autor also referred to other technical issues regarding treatment of foreign-trade zone merchandise in the pending Sec. 301 and other trade remedies actions, including additional recommendations for Presidential Proclamation language to provide better and clearer guidance to FTZ manufacturers. Those recommendations are fully detailed in NAFTZ's May 11 submission of comments which can be downloaded here. Mr. Autor's full May 16 testimony can be downloaded here.

The NAFTZ also recently joined with The National Retail Federation and more than 100 other associations in submitting comments to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer outlining how the administration's proposed tariffs would harm the U.S. economy. The groups urged the administration instead to develop a comprehensive strategy to effectively address China's unfair trade practices. See nrf.com here.

NAFTZ is the voice of the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones program, created by Congress in 1934 to help U.S.-based companies be more globally competitive; maintain U.S.-based activity and jobs; attract investment to American communities; and boost exports through special duty benefits and customs procedures. FTZs account for a significant portion of total U.S. trade  5.2 percent ($76 billion) of U.S. goods exports and 10.2 percent ($225.3 billion) of U.S. goods imports in 2016. Over 420,000 American workers are employed at FTZs in all fifty states and Puerto Rico.

For More Information Contact:

Jarmila Zapata, NAFTZ

202-331-1950, ext 224 [email protected]

Brian Hannigan , Smith Dawson & Andrews

202-835-0740, ext 221 [email protected]

SOURCE National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones
Steve holds an Engineering degree from McGill University and an MBA from the University of California Berkeley - Haas School of Business. Steve is a UC Berkeley Fisher Center Policy Advisory Board member, a member of the Bay Area Council board of directors and one of Urban Land Institute's (ULI) National Mixed Use Development Councils.

Steve's first action as part of his new role is announcing that James Patillo has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Grosvenor Americas. He will be responsible for all of Grosvenor's development activity in the US and Canada as Chief Development Officer. Joining the Company in 2006 and working both in Calgary and Vancouver, James has excelled in the role of Managing Director of Development, overseeing Grosvenor's North American development pipeline valued at $C3.9b.

Peter Vernon, Executive Director of Grosvenor Group said:

'Grosvenor has been active in North America since 1953. It represents a significant part of our business which under Andrew's leadership has gone from strength to strength. Steve O'Connell appointment is yet a further example of the strength of Grosvenor Americas' management team and our ability to nurture talent. He is ideally suited to the role on the basis of his track record and ambitious vision for the business' future.'

Steve O'Connell said: 'I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead Grosvenor's strategic growth plan in North America. We operate an established and successful business that is deeply rooted in our local markets, while also benefitting from the experience of our international companies. Andrew has led us through a period of sustained growth over the past 10 years; our development, property portfolio and co-investment teams are all actively engaged in high quality projects in each of our North American markets. Looking forward, our teams are well positioned for growth as we actively seek opportunities which allow us to make a positive contribution to the communities in which we operate.'

Andrew Bibby added: 'As CEO I sought to drive a more active and entrepreneurial approach to Grosvenor Americas that encouraged innovation, talent development and the creation of new revenue opportunities, relying less on passive valuation increases. Today, our development pipeline is healthy at $3.9b and our assets under management are $5.0b; I'm pleased to be retiring on this positive note.'

Notes to editors

About Grosvenor Americas:

Grosvenor Americas is an active developer, investor and co-investor across Canada and the USA. Our strategy is to invest in vibrant urban locations where we can add value and address some of the challenges that face our markets, including housing supply. Our active development pipeline includes 875 California Street in San Francisco and The Pacific in downtown Vancouver, as well as the second phase of Grosvenor Ambleside in West Vancouver. Our Structured Development Finance programme invests in projects that address affordability issues by providing capital to early stage developers and our Investment programme adds value to residential, retail and commercial assets in high-quality places.

As at 31 December 2017, Grosvenor Americas had assets under management of C$5.0bn.

www.grosvenor.com

Follow us on:

Twitter: @GrosvenorAmer

Instagram: @grosvenor.americas

SOURCE Grosvenor Group

Related Links

http://www.grosvenor.com


CHICAGO, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Envestnet introduced today the Envestnet Insurance Exchange, a program that integrates insurance solutions into the wealth management process on the Envestnet Platform to further streamline and enhance advisors' ability to deliver the lifecycle of advice. The offering was announced today during the Envestnet Advisor Summit, which is currently underway at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

The Envestnet Insurance Exchange will seamlessly connect select insurance carriers and established account processing vendors with Envestnet enterprise clients, allowing advisors to deliver cohesive and consistent holistic advice by incorporating insurance solutions into the wealth management process. The exchange will service large financial institutions including bank wealth management, independent advisors, broker-dealers and Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs), among others. It will offer fixed, fixed-indexed, variable, contingent-deferred, and private placement annuities with leading insurance carriers.

"We're launching the Envestnet Insurance Exchange in response to the growing demand for integrated advice and the growing need for retirement income solutions," said Bill Crager, President of Envestnet. "Our mission at Envestnet is to help advisors not only streamline their wealth management practice but to also help them guide their clients towards their financial goals. The Insurance Exchange does both of these things."

Insurance solutions offer several advantages to goals-based investing including: tax deferral, death benefits, guaranteed income, principle protection and estate planning.

Through the Envestnet Insurance Exchange, advisors' will benefit from:

A curated selection of next-generation, fiduciary-focused insurance products

Insurance solutions tailored to the investor's needs

Fee-based and commission-based insurance offerings

Simplified fee structure with increased transparency and liquidity

A guided selection process helping to ensure the product fits the benefit needs

An integrated solution to streamline workflows with carriers on one platform

The Envestnet Insurance Exchange will be available through various tools and features within the advisor portal of the Envestnet Platform later this year. Financial advisors will need an insurance license to introduce insurance products. For those advisors who are not licensed, Envestnet will be offering a service called Guidance Desk that will allow unlicensed RIAs access to the consulting and fiduciary services that would enable them to use the Insurance Exchange. This service is still in development.

About Envestnet

Envestnet, Inc. (NYSE: ENV) is a leading provider of intelligent systems for wealth management and financial wellness. Envestnet's unified technology enhances advisor productivity and strengthens the wealth management process. Envestnet empowers enterprises and advisors to more fully understand their clients and deliver better outcomes.

Envestnet enables financial advisors to better manage client outcomes and strengthen their practices. Institutional-quality research and advanced portfolio solutions are provided through Envestnet | PMC, our Portfolio Management Consultants group. Envestnet | Yodlee is a leading data aggregation and data analytics platform powering dynamic, cloud-based innovation for digital financial services. Envestnet | Tamarac provides leading rebalancing, reporting and practice management software for advisors. Envestnet | Retirement Solutions provides an integrated platform that combines leading practice management technology, research, data aggregation and fiduciary managed account solutions.

More than 87,000 advisors and 3,000 companies including: 16 of the 20 largest U.S. banks, 43 of the 50 largest wealth management and brokerage firms, over 500 of the largest Registered Investment Advisers, and hundreds of Internet services companies, leverage Envestnet technology and services. Envestnet solutions enhance knowledge of the client, accelerate client on-boarding, improve client digital experiences and help drive better outcomes for enterprises, advisors and their clients.

For more information on Envestnet, please visit www.envestnet.com and follow @ENVintel.

SOURCE Envestnet

Related Links

http://www.envestnet.com


NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Soon after the world watched Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in initiate talks during a historic peace summit, critics began questioning the sincerity of the North Korean leader's commitment to denuclearize. Recent headlines have only intensified those doubts. This negotiation took place on a global stage, but the question it highlights is a common one: to what extent can you trust that your partner is being honest in a negotiation? And while being dishonest in the course of a negotiation has traditionally been associated with greed or other personality traits, new research from Columbia Business School reveals that the best predictor of a deceptive negotiator is how he or she views the values of the person across from them.

In "From belief to deceit: How expectancies about others' ethics shape deception in negotiations," published this month in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Columbia Business School's Malia Mason, Elizabeth Wiley and Daniel Ames consider how a person's behavior in the course of a negotiation is influenced by their expectations and misperceptions of others' morals, even more so than their own personal beliefs.

"Negotiators often use deception in pursuit of personal gains, but our research unveils another motivation," said Malia Mason, Associate Professor of Management at Columbia Business School. "We find that negotiators tend to be pessimistic about other peoples' ethical standards. This view about how other people are likely to act often leads negotiators to deceive, regardless of their own moral view."

The 'Paranoid Cynics'

In a four-part study, the researchers move beyond the traditional portrait of the deceptive negotiator as simply a calculating schemer, and test to what extent the negotiator's choice to deceive is shaped by the expectation that his or her deal-making partner might embrace deceptive tactics. Their study finds evidence of widespread pessimism  with negotiators consistently overestimating the prevalence of people who embrace deceptive tactics. This phenomenon extends beyond Americans, with similar findings for Chinese students and Turkish adults.

"We call these negotiators the 'paranoid cynics' because they are drawn into deception not so much because of their own appetites but because of their read  or potential misread  of what others are like," said Daniel Ames, Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Professor of Business at Columbia Business School.

The results suggest that, while cynicism varies from one person to the next, some highly cynical people might be more inclined to lie because they sense that everyone else is doing it.

These findings have important implications for anyone at the negotiating table because they illustrate how even people who consider lying morally wrong play a role in perpetuating the duplicitous behavior they expect from others.

"Our work shows how the changing social context of trust can flow into negotiations  and can sometimes become self-fulfilling," said Ames.

Tips to Defeat Deceit at the Negotiating Table

Deal-makers may be able to combat deception by focusing more energy on getting their counterparts to trust them and less time on assessing the trustworthiness of others. The researchers suggest looking for opportunities to be transparent and share some information with counterparts. By doing so, there is a chance they reciprocate, and you could work your way to greater mutual trust.

In addition to building rapport and developing trust, negotiators may also be able to mitigate deceptive behavior by signaling that it is counter-normative. According to the researchers, people are far less likely to behave deceptively when they think such behavior is uncommon.

"Our findings leave us optimistic that dishonesty can be reduced by addressing the pessimistic beliefs people have about others' willingness to embrace deceptive tactics," said Mason.

To learn more about the cutting-edge research being conducted at Columbia Business School, please visit www.gsb.columbia.edu.

About Columbia Business School

Columbia Business School is the only world-class, Ivy League business school that delivers a learning experience where academic excellence meets with real-time exposure to the pulse of global business. Led by Dean Glenn Hubbard, the School's transformative curriculum bridges academic theory with unparalleled exposure to real world business practice, equipping students with an entrepreneurial mindset that allows them to recognize, capture, and create opportunity in any business environment. The thought leadership of the School's faculty and staff, combined with the accomplishments of its distinguished alumni and position in the center of global business, means that the School's efforts have an immediate, measurable impact on the forces shaping business every day. To learn more about Columbia Business School's position at the very center of business, please visit www.gsb.columbia.edu.

SOURCE Columbia Business School

Related Links

http://www.gsb.columbia.edu


NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In a sweeping report on the economic benefits of capital investment in New York City's cultural and tourism sectors, the New York Building Congress revealed recommendations for expanding New York City's integral role as America's premier tourist destination. Among the recommendations are a proposal to make New York the country's convention city of choice with the addition of a second, complimentary exposition space and significant capital investment in transportation infrastructure that will link visitors to cultural attractions in the outer boroughs.

The study surveyed hundreds of tourism and cultural development projects either underway or in the immediate pipeline across all five boroughs, comprising more than $16 billion worth of development and accounting for an additional $22 billion in current and anticipated economic output. The figures detail the vast extent to which the cultural and tourism industry underpin the growth and overall health of the city's economy.

Included in the broad scope of the survey are museums and performing arts centers, arenas and stadiums, signature parks and green spaces, mega retail destinations, convention and exhibition spaces, hotel and lodging development, and major transportation infrastructure.

Carlo A. Scissura, President and CEO of the Building Congress, said: "This report presents clear evidence that investments in our culture and tourism sectors translate directly into jobs for New Yorkers and sustained economic output. But we need to make it easier for visitors to get around, especially to the tremendous assets we have in the outer boroughs. The good news is we have a working blueprint for growing New York City as a major cultural hub and top destination for leisure and business travelers. To get there, we need ongoing collaboration between, and continued capital commitments from, the City, State and private sector to maintain the momentum we've worked so hard to build."

He added: "Without significant investment along the lines of the initiatives outlined in this report, the City risks falling behind as a premier tourism destination."

Kei Hayashi, partner at BJH Advisors, a data and analytics firm that directed research for the explained: "The culture and tourism sectors are foundational components of the city's macro economy. While that may be an assumption taken for granted, this report goes into great detail to define the diverse economic impacts of these critical industries, and how much the city of New York depends on them for jobs and growth."

The report's recommendations include:

Make New York America's Convention City

Pursue a second convention/exhibition center outside Manhattan  A larger expo space with a focus on exhibits and trade shows with large local attendance, enabling the Javits Center to host more conventions and conferences with national and international attendee bases. Work with the hotel industry and other private sector partners to build more meeting space in strategic locations in all five boroughs.

Expand New York City's Cultural Infrastructure

Create a Cultural Institutions Development Task Force to help plan a five-borough planning and investment strategy with the goal of building an interwoven, systematically-funded citywide cultural network. The Task Force would explore planning tools, capital funding and transportation improvements that will encourage visitors to explore new destinations and effectively expand options for users of the city's cultural assets.

The Brooklyn Cultural District should be a model for creating new destinations for visitors around New York City. The City should explore opportunities to replicate the model in each of the outer boroughs. Consider additional zoning bonuses for arts and performing spaces as is done in Clinton and along 125th Street in Harlem and provide placemaking capital investments. Expand CreateNYC to give it a stronger focus on capital funding, specifically through investment in City-owned destination parks, museums and other cultural attractions.

Invest in Transportation  Linking Visitors to Tourist Destinations

Ensure the reliability of New York City's mass transit system, key to welcoming and transporting the city's 63 million annual tourists. Complete the transformation of LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark airports so they are able to accommodate the vastly increasing numbers of travelers arriving in New York . A new station on the #7 subway line, an extension of the #1 subway line into Governors Island and Red Hook , and the BQX streetcar should be built to create access to important emerging cultural districts. Improve access to cultural attractions in the boroughs outside Manhattan . Options include the creation of additional NYC Ferry routes serving Coney Island and points in Staten Island beyond St. George, including Snug Harbor and the South Shore; better access and signage for pedestrians from the Brooklyn Bridge into Downtown Brooklyn ; and better shuttle transportation to cultural attractions in Queens that are not conveniently accessible.

Highlights of key findings:

The survey identified 168 recent and current projects with combined construction costs of over $9.4 billion slated for completion before 2020, and an additional 155 projects with almost $7.1 billion in total construction costs that are in the planning pipeline.



slated for completion before 2020, and in total construction costs that are in the planning pipeline. The construction of recently completed or under construction tourism and culture projects will add an estimated $12.9 billion in total economic output , over $5.9 billion in total wages , and over 62,000 total worker years to the New York City economy. Additionally, the construction of planned projects is expected to catalyze $9.7 billion in total economic output, $4.5 billion in total earnings , and 47,000 total worker years in New York City .



over and over to the economy. Additionally, the construction of planned projects is expected to catalyze and in . The $25.5 billion in current/recent capital investment in transportation is estimated to generate $35 billion in total economic output, $16.1 billion in total earnings, and over 170,000 total worker years in the New York City economy (including direct, indirect, and induced multiplier effects). In total, planned transportation projects are estimated to require $32.3 billion in construction spending. This direct spending is estimated to catalyze a total of $44.3 billion in economic output, $20.3 billion in earnings, and over 215,000 worker years (including direct, indirect, and induced multiplier effects).

The report was a collaboration between the New York Building Congress and its partner organization, the New York Building Foundation.

Milo E. Riverso, Chairman, New York Building Congress, said: "The tourism and culture sectors have created remarkable momentum for New York City's economy, contributing nearly $13 billion to the current development pipeline. But we cannot stop there  we urge city and state leaders to ensure funding stability for the additional $9.7 billion in critical infrastructure projects identified within the report. Taken together, we can add more than 100,000 worker years with these projects, translating into thousands of jobs for New Yorkers from all walks of life."

Jonathan D. Resnick, Chairman, New York Building Foundation, said: "I congratulate the New York Building Congress for producing this monumental report. Over the last 40 years, we have brought forth a New York City renaissance, in large part by contributions from the tourism and cultural sector. Now, it's up to us and future generations to sustain it, and the recommendations in this report will go a long way towards ensuring our industry and New York City continue to prosper."

Dodge Data & Analytics also contributed data to the report.

SOURCE New York Building Congress

Related Links

https://www.buildingcongress.com


MILWAUKEE, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion throughout all aspects of its business. To support this, the company is hosting the National Hispanic Corporate Council (NHCC) 2018 Annual Member Summit, held in Milwaukee on May 16-17.

The NHCC brings together leading companies to build a collaborative community that shares resources, knowledge, best practices and innovative solutions to grow talent, customers and suppliers. The summit, Advancing Hispanic Talent & Driving Consumer Growth: Trends Impacting a $2 Trillion Market, will feature workplace and marketplace sessions centered on how companies that strongly champion diversity and inclusion initiatives better compete in the U.S. Hispanic talent and consumer markets.

"Our commitment to diversity and inclusion has been essential to build a strong core of Hispanic employees and leadership within our company, at headquarters as well as our offices throughout the U.S." said Chris Meece, director of Hispanic market strategy at Northwestern Mutual. "Hosting this year's annual summit provides us a great opportunity to bring community and corporate leaders together to share insights that will help us all positively impact this important market."

Ray Manista, Executive Vice President - Chief Legal Officer & Secretary for Northwestern Mutual will deliver welcome remarks. Several other Northwestern Mutual executives and financial advisors will share best practices during a variety of sessions throughout the event, including The Hispanic Marketing Opportunity: A Look at Northwestern Mutual Hispanic Market Strategy and Transforming Employee Resource Group into Business Resource Group: Aligning the Group with the Business' Goals.

Northwestern Mutual continues to demonstrate its commitment to empowering Hispanics through the support of organizations and national diversity program sponsorships, including National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and the annual Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) Convention. Equal Opportunity Magazine also named the company one of the Top 50 employers in the country for providing a positive working environment for minority groups.

The company also recently conducted a survey among Hispanic small business owners to better understand their top motivations and financial priorities. The survey results revealed that, while 85 percent of business owners feel confident in the management of their businesses' finances, 37 percent feel their confidence would improve if they established a long-term financial plan. As part of its commitment to the Hispanic community, the company seeks to provide these business owners with the financial knowledge and strategies they need to be successful as they pursue their goals today and tomorrow.

About Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual has been helping families and businesses achieve financial security for more than 160 years. Through a distinctive, whole-picture planning approach, we empower our clients to make the most of every single day and plan for important moments in their future. We combine the expertise of our financial professionals with a personalized digital experience to help our clients navigate their financial lives every day. With $265.0 billion in assets, $28.1 billion in revenues, and more than $1.8 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.5 million people who rely on us for life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, brokerage and advisory services, trust services, and discretionary portfolio management solutions. The company manages more than $125 billion of client assets through its wealth management and investment services. Northwestern Mutual ranks 97 on the 2017 FORTUNE 500 and is recognized by FORTUNE as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2018.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a comprehensive approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, life insurance with long-term care benefits, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (NMWMC) (fiduciary and fee-based financial planning services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance).

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual

Related Links

http://www.northwesternmutual.com


REHOVOT, Israel, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Pi-Cardia Ltd., announced today that it recently started its First-in-Human study with its Leaflex Performer catheter system. The Leaflex Performer is a trans-femoral catheter that uses two unique mechanical structures for scoring valve calcification at multiple locations, restoring leaflets flexibility and improving valve hemodynamics. The Leaflex catheter is aimed to be a cost-effective standalone treatment or a preparatory step for improving the outcome of valve implantation in heavily calcified aortic valves, bicuspid aortic valves and calcified mitral valves. Initial trial results demonstrate safety, feasibility and a hemodynamic improvement, which is significantly superior to that previously achieved with balloon valvuloplasty.

The design of the Leaflex Performer was based on the company's extensive research on calcium growth patterns in thousands of human aortic valves. Pi-Cardia's Leaflex technology and mechanism of action are fundamentally different from those of balloon-based (BAV) devices, in that instead of simply dilating the valve, which might lend itself to the short-term recoil seen in patients treated with BAV, the Leaflex scores the leaflets to create multiple targeted fractures at optimal locations of valve calcification thereby restoring leaflet mobility. This unique scoring method, while preserving the native valve integrity, may facilitate valve replacement therapies, as well as pave the way for providing durable treatment without implanting a new valve.

Pi-Cardia aims to expand the treatment options in the rapidly growing multi-billion dollar market currently dominated by surgical or trans-catheter aortic valve replacement (SAVR/TAVR). "As much as TAVR improves and becomes a routine procedure in lower surgical risk patients, it is still an implant with unknown durability, so in young patients taking a more conservative approach of using Leaflex to defer TAVR may make a lot of sense. TAVR is also an expensive procedure, which restricts its use to specific centers and specific cases," says Erez Golan, Pi-Cardia's Founder and CEO. "In today's budget sensitive environment, waiting lists for TAVR are common even in the most developed countries, let alone in emerging markets, where TAVR may not be a viable option for most patients."

"In a typical case of an eighty-five-year-old patient with a tri-leaflet aortic valve, we will simply have more options to offer, and there are also some common anatomies such as bicuspid aortic valves, where TAVR delivers suboptimal results," says Prof. Krzysztof Bartus who, together with Prof. Boguslaw Kapelak, performed the first-in-human cases with the Leaflex catheter at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and Transplantation, Jagiellonian University, John Paul II Hospital in Krakow, Poland. "We believe that if a simpler, lower-cost alternative existed, which could offer patients a reasonable period of time without symptoms, such a technique could have an important role alongside TAVR."

Pi-Cardia will present the Leaflex catheter system and initial clinical results at the EuroPCR meeting in Paris, in May 21-25, 2018, the official annual meeting of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI).

About Pi-Cardia Ltd.

Pi-Cardia is a global leader in the development of unique non-implant based solutions for treating valve calcification. Pi-Cardia's lead product, the Leaflex catheter system, is easily delivered and positioned on the valve, to then mechanically score the calcification at multiple locations, restoring leaflets flexibility and improving valve hemodynamics. The Leaflex catheter is aimed to be a cost-effective standalone treatment or a preparatory step for improving the outcome of valve implantation in heavily calcified aortic valves, bicuspid valves and calcified mitral valves.

Contact:

Erez Golan

CEO

[email protected]

+972-8484800



Eyal Kolka

Executive Director

[email protected]



SOURCE Pi-Cardia Ltd.
Plex Mobile will be available for download through the Apple Store, Google Play and Windows Marketplace in July 2018.

Pioneering Mobile Solutions for Manufacturing

The Plex Manufacturing Cloud pioneered manufacturing shop floor and worker connectivity, including support for a wide range of hand scanners and ruggedized commercial endpoint devices. Plex also leads the industry, working closely with customers to support wearable devices on the shop floor. The new Plex Mobile app extends those capabilities, with native applications designed for today's phones and tablets to support a broad range of workforce roles while increasing the value to cost ratio of mobile endpoints.

Designed for Manufacturing

Plex Mobile is designed for an industrial environment, with simple, role-based menus and functionality made to support specific operators and responsibilities. Plex Mobile's applications support the complete, end-to-end requirements of specific roles, jobs, and tasks within a manufacturing operation. This approach improves workforce efficiency and the accuracy of data capture, while eliminating gaps in the manufacturing process for improved traceability. Initial app functionality includes

Shipping and Receiving, including customer shipping, finalize by container, finalize by shipper, and interplant shipping and receiving;

Inventory Management, including cycle count; manage container, location, master unity and move; and search part location;

Human Capital Management, including workflow management, employee contact and support; and

Production Management, including load and unload work center and record production.

The app uses native mobile device capabilities, including camera and audio, to streamline and automate data capture, such as barcode scanning. Plex Mobile also takes advantage of next generation wearables and sensors to create a seamless, hands-free environment for users. The new apps leverage Plex's role-based security, with data access and functionality tailored to each user's responsibilities.

Plex plans to deliver monthly updates to Plex Mobile following the initial release, expanding the breadth of application functionality and connectivity.

Comments on the News

"With Plex Mobile, we went out onto the shop floor in direct collaboration with the workers getting things done, leveraging that experience to inform every element of the app, from functional priorities to process flow and icon design," said Hollie Tanner, senior user experience designer, Plex Systems. "We purpose-built the new applications and functionality to be the only solution an operator needs from the start to the end of their shift."

"Connected people are the cornerstone of connected manufacturing, enabling people with the information they need and the ability to act on it from the shop floor across the global enterprise," said Richard Murray, chief product officer, Plex Systems. "The power, connectivity and affordability of new generation commodity mobile devices makes them an ideal platform for extending the Plex Manufacturing Cloud to new users, in new places, with new applications."

About Plex Systems

Plex is the Manufacturing Cloud, delivering industry-leading ERP and manufacturing automation to nearly 600 companies across process and discrete industries. Plex pioneered Cloud solutions for the shop floor, connecting suppliers, machines, people, systems and customers with capabilities that are easy to configure, deliver continuous innovation and reduce IT costs. With insight that starts on the production line, Plex helps companies see and understand every aspect of their business ecosystems, enabling them to lead in an ever-changing market. Learn more at www.plex.com.

SOURCE Plex Systems

Related Links

https://www.plex.com


SALT LAKE CITY and SEATTLE, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualtrics, the enterprise technology leader in employee and customer experience, today announced a strategic partnership with IBM to transform the employee experience.

In keeping with IBM's strategy of focusing on its Watson Talent brand, IBM and Qualtrics are partnering to transition clients using IBM Kenexa Employee Voice, Survey Advantage, and Survey Enterprise solutions to the Qualtrics Experience Management (XM) Platform. The XM Platform transforms employees into ambassadors, customers into fanatics, brands into religions, and products into obsessions for more than 8,500 of the world's leading brands.

Through the partnership, IBM Kenexa World Norms benchmarks will be running on the Qualtrics XM Platform. The World Norms benchmarks are an industry standard knowledge data set that consolidates 900 survey projects with over 20 million respondents across 217 countries in more than 120 languages.

"The combination of IBM's talent management portfolio, data sets, and IBM Watson with Qualtrics' leading XM Platform will offer clients a winning combination unlike anything ever seen in the employee experience marketplace," said John Torrey, chief corporate development officer at Qualtrics. "This partnership will accelerate the innovation curve in employee experience as both organizations apply their technology and expertise to help tackle major issues of today's experience economy."

"We are excited to enter into a partnership with Qualtrics to continue to accelerate the pace of innovation for IBM Kenexa clients' talent management programs," said Bob Schultz, general manager of IBM Watson Talent and Collaboration Solutions. "With this new relationship, our customers will experience the Qualtrics XM Platform coupled with IBM Watson to help their teams improve the overarching employee experience at their companies."

To learn more about the partnership, please visit: https://www.qualtrics.com/partnerships/ibm-kenexa/

About Qualtrics

Qualtrics is a single system of record for all experience data, also called X-data, allowing organizations to manage the four core experiences of businesscustomer, product, employee and brand experienceson one platform. Over 8,500 enterprises worldwide, including more than 80 percent of the Fortune 100 and 99 of the top 100 U.S. business schools, rely on Qualtrics. To learn more, and for a free account, please visit www.qualtrics.com.

Contact

Mike Maughan, Qualtrics

385.203.4564

[email protected]

SOURCE Qualtrics

Related Links

https://www.qualtrics.com


NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rabobank and MIT have announced that EatWell and Context Insights earned the top prizes at the third annual Rabobank-MIT Food & Agribusiness Innovation Prize, a premier business-plan competition for early-stage ideas/businesses developed by undergraduate, MBA and other graduate students.

The competition, which invites teams to pitch innovative business plans focused on new and sustainable products or technologies in food and agribusiness, is sponsored by Rabobank in partnership with the Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab (J-WAFS) and the MIT Food and Agriculture Club. The competition is open to many leading universities, with applicants this year from Yale, NYU, Harvard, University of Chicago, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell and MIT.

The top prize of $15,000 went to EatWell, which makes healthy eating more accessible to low-income urban families, reducing cost and inconvenience barriers with a 30-minute, one-pot meal kit. Context Insights, which earned the second-place prize of $10,000, provides commodity price forecasts for developing countries by crowdsourcing insights from farmers and traders through text messages, with an aim to increase market liquidity by drawing on an untapped data source.

"We are inspired by the groundbreaking ideas and tangible business plans these students have developed to address some of the most important issues worldwide related to food and agriculture," said David Bassett, Rabobank Head of Wholesale Banking North America. "This competition, along with our innovation-focused programs such as the FoodBytes! start-up pitch competition and Terra food and ag tech accelerator, is part of our continuous effort to foster innovation and sustainability within food and agribusiness and address the sector's most pressing challenges in commercially viable ways."

The winners are also invited by Rabobank as guests to travel to and participate in F&A Next, a two-day international food and agribusiness innovation event at Wageningen University Campus in the Netherlands in late May.

Five other strong teams competed in the final pitch event on May 2 at MIT. Teams applied for the competition in late 2017 and the seven finalists were selected in January and paired with mentors.

"Our goal is to give these student-run companies a head start so they can fulfill on the great promise that they have," said Tejal Mody, Managing Director at Rabobank.

For more information on the Rabobank  MIT Food & Agribusiness Innovation Prize visit MIT News and the MIT Food + Agriculture Club.

About Rabobank

Rabobank Group is a global financial services leader providing wholesale and retail banking, leasing, and real estate services in more than 40 countries worldwide. Founded over a century ago, Rabobank today is one of the world's largest banks with over $750 billion in assets. In the Americas, Rabobank is a premier bank to the food, agribusiness and beverage industry, providing sector expertise, strategic counsel and tailored financial solutions to clients across the entire food value chain. Additional information is available on our website or on our social media platforms, including Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Rabobank

Related Links

http://www.rabobank.com


DENVER, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- America's number one ranked real estate agent, Ben Caballero of Addison, Texas, just became the number one real estate agent in the world, according to Guinness World Records. At the REAL Trends "Gathering of Eagles" conference in Denver today, Caballero was recognized as the first real estate agent ever to be recognized by Guinness World Records (GWR) for home sales, for having sold 3,556 verified homes in a single year.

America's number one ranked real estate agent, Ben Caballero of Addison, Texas, just became the number one real estate agent in the world, according to Guinness World Records.

"Being named a Guinness World Record holder is truly the highlight of my professional career," said Ben Caballero, who continues year-after-year to exceed his own record-setting home sales performance. "It's incredible that, until now, no real estate agent has ever been recognized for setting a world record for home sales. I am honored" he said.

The record  listed on the Guinness website  reads:

"Most annual home sales transactions through MLS by an individual sell side real estate agent

The most annual home sales transactions through MLS by an individual sell side real estate agent in a single year is 3,556 and was achieved by Ben Caballero (USA) in Dallas, Texas, in 2016. The research was conducted by REAL Trends, based on annual home sale transactions from the year ending 2016. MLS stands for multiple listing services." A sell-side real estate agent is defined as the listing agent.

Record-breaking firsts

In 2016, the most recent year all transaction data was available from REAL Trends, Caballero sold 3,556 homes, which was seven times more homes than his closest competitor (467 homes). His home sales that year totaled a new individual real estate agent sales record of $1.444 billion, breaking Caballero's previous record of $1.022 billion; set in 2015 for 2,491 sales when he became the world's first "Billion Dollar Real Estate Agent."

"For years, our rankings have recognized the accomplishments of thousands of real estate professionals, but no one came close to achieving what Ben has," said Steve Murray, president of REAL Trends. "Recognition of Ben's achievements by Guinness World Records is truly amazing," he added.

REAL Trends ranks the top sales professionals in the United States by transaction sides and sales volume.

Caballero has appeared at the top of both REAL Trends "The Thousand" lists for both Individuals by Transaction Sides and Individuals by Sales Volume for since 2013. This ranking is published midyear, annually in The Wall Street Journal and requires independent third-party verification.

How Caballero does it

Caballero does not cater to Wall Street titans of Manhattan or housewives of Beverly Hills. He is the broker/owner of HomesUSA.com, based in Addison, Texas, and specializes in new homes sales (even non-Texans) for 65 builders in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.

Caballero invented the HomesUSA.com platform, an innovative online technology for builders that allows him to achieve these remarkable numbers.

"Ben is a customer service specialist," said Chris Hartley, VP of Sales and Marketing with Dunhill Homes, a leading homebuilder based in Dallas. "His unique contributions to our Realtor sales and marketing efforts are a tremendous asset to the company. Dunhill Homes is honored to be a part of this historic Guinness World Record!"

HomesUSA.com's cloud-based MLS listing management and marketing platform deliver many direct and indirect benefits to builders by streamlining and speeding up many important activities for homebuilders. Builders can quickly provide accurate data, dramatically increasing their credibility in the marketplace.

Billions in sales

From 2010 to 2016, Caballero's total home sales volume totaled $7.2 billion. To put his 2016 new home sales numbers in perspective, Caballero sold an average of more than 68 homes per week; nearly 10 homes/ day, every day of the week -or more than one-and-a-half sales every business hour.

Caballero was a builder for 18 years and became a real estate agent at the age of 21. He developed his online platform in 2007. Builders interested in learning about Caballero's services can contact HomesUSA.com directly at (800) 856-2132 x300 or email [email protected].

About Guinness World Records

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS (GWR) is the global authority on record-breaking achievement. First published in 1955, the iconic annual Guinness World Records books have sold over 138 million copies in over 20 languages and in more than 100 countries. Additionally, the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition, first published in 2007, has sold more than 5 million copies to date. Guinness World Records' worldwide television programs reach over 750 million viewers annually and more than one million people subscribe to the GWR YouTube channel, which enjoys more than 300 million views per year. The GWR website receives 21 million visitors annually, and over 12 million fans on Facebook.

About Ben Caballero and HomesUSA.com

Ben Caballero is the world's most productive real estate agent, ranked No. 1 in America for the since 2013, according to REAL Trends as published in the Wall Street Journal. He is the first and only agent in U.S. history ever to exceed the $1 billion mark for residential sales transaction volume in a single year, accomplished in both 2015 and 2016. An award-winning innovator, Caballero is the founder and CEO of HomesUSA.com, Inc., working with more than 65 home builders in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. Learn more at HomesUSA.com |Twitter: @BenCaballero - @HomesUSA | Facebook: /HomesUSAdotcom.

Note: You may contact Ben Caballero directly on his cell at (214) 616-9222 or by email at [email protected].

Newsroom for the media is at https://www.homesusa.com/newsroom.

Images of Ben Caballero holding his Guinness World Record Certificate are here:

Ben Caballero Guinness World Record Holder  high res, horizontal (2400 x 1800) 300 dpi 3MB

Ben Caballero Guinness World Record Holder  high res, vertical (1800 x 2400) 300 dpi 3MB

Ben Caballero Guinness World Record Holder  web image, horizontal (640 x 480) 96 dpi 76 K

Ben Caballero Guinness World Record Holder  web image, vertical (480 x 640) 96 dpi 83K

Media Contact:

Kevin Hawkins

206-866-1220

[email protected]

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real-estate-agent-ben-caballero.jpg

Real Estate Agent Ben Caballero Named Guinness World Record Holder

America's number one ranked real estate agent, Ben Caballero of Addison, Texas, just became the number one real estate agent in the world, according to Guinness World Records.

ben-caballeros-guinness-world.jpg

Ben Caballero's Guinness World Record Official Listing

Caballero sold 3,556 homes in 2016, which was seven times more homes than his closest competitor (467 homes). His home sales that year totaled a new individual real estate agent sales record of $1.444 billion, breaking his previous record of $1.022 billion; set in 2015 for 2,491 sales when he became the world's first Billion Dollar agent.

guinness-world-record-holder-logo.jpg

Guinness World Record Holder - logo

homesusa-com-logo.jpg

HomesUSA.com - logo

Related Links

Ben Caballero

HomesUSA.com

SOURCE HomesUSA.com

Related Links

https://www.homesusa.com


"People discover a love of the outdoors in a variety of ways, and it's in nature that we form deeper connections and discover new things about ourselves," said Sally Johnson, senior manager, events marketing at REI. "Just as some are transformed by climbing giant peaks every weekend, others connect with the outdoors by taking a walk in the park, doing yoga or a 5K run, or simply experiencing art or listening to music outside. Outessafest was created to delight the senses and include unexpected moments to engage with nature."

Start the day off with yoga; drop-in sessions for all levels will be hosted throughout the day for participants to find their centers in a beautiful outdoor space. Follow yoga with rock climbing, where festivalgoers will bring themselves to new heights, whether they're experienced climbers or new to the sport. In Maryland, take a tour of Jug Bay by paddling the peaceful water or, in North Carolina, work up a sweat by running a 5K. Other highlights include inspirational speakers and panelists who will share how an outdoor lifestyle helps them to be their best selves, as well as outdoor classes such as hacks for the outdoor life and camp cooking to inspire and support discovery into the outdoors. Spend the afternoon and evening listening to a dynamic line up of female-led music performances. Limited camping will also be available on-site in North Carolina for those who want to spend even more time outside.

Classes will be led by female REI Outdoor School instructors, in addition to brand partners. As the largest provider of outdoor experiences in the country, REI Outdoor School had over 375,000 participants in 2017.

REI Outessafest partners include some of the best outdoor and lifestyle brands and products. These organizations share an interest to inspire more women to have an active outdoor life. Top partners include Black Diamond, Garmin, Hydro Flask, Leatherman, Lorissa's Kitchen, Maui Jim, Merrell, OluKai, Osprey, RXBAR, Salomon, Sea to Summit, Smartwool and Subaru of America.

Outessafest is the year's culmination of the 2018 Outessa series  retreats, festivals and a virtual join-in designed to grow and strengthen the community of women in the outdoors. With the addition of Outessafest, the transformative Outessa experiences are now more accessible to people who live in East Coast urban environments. The Outessa series is part of REI's Force of Nature effort, announced in 2017, focused on creating more access to the outdoors for women. Force of Nature aims to level the playing field to ensure women are just as motivated and equipped as men to embrace life outside.

Complete details on musical talent lineup, speakers and programming will be available on www.Outessa.com on June 19. Tickets will also go on sale June 19 for $100 per festival. Children 12 and under will be admitted free of charge.

About REI Co-op

REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation's largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of more than 16 million members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 152 stores in 36 states. If you can't visit a store, you can shop at REI.com, REI Outlet or the free REI shopping app. REI isn't just about gear. You can take the trip of a lifetime with REI Adventures, a global leader in active adventure travel that runs more than 170 custom-designed itineraries worldwide. The REI Outdoor School is run by professionally-trained, expert-instructors who teach beginner- to advanced-level courses about a wide range of activities. To build on the infrastructure that makes life outside possible, REI invests millions annually in hundreds of local and national nonprofits that create access toand stewardthe outdoor places that inspire us all.

SOURCE REI

Related Links

http://www.rei.com


ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Renaissance Venture Capital Fund (Renaissance), Michigan's ground-breaking venture capital fund-of-funds, today announced the closing of its third fund, with $81 million of new capital. The innovative network fund is the largest of its kind in the United States, now with a total of $205 million raised since its inception in 2008.

Renaissance Fund III leverages the same broad, diverse mix of corporate and institutional partners that defined Renaissance's previous funds. Renaissance Funds I and II, which closed at $45 million and $79 million, respectively, laid the foundation for today's closing, and its rapidly expanding network of corporate partners, VC funds and startups is validation of its success.

The first-of-its-kind investment model created by Renaissance was designed to profitably attract much needed capital to Michigan. Renaissance invests in top tier venture capital funds around the country, and brings them, as well as their capital, into Michigan's startup ecosystem. Renaissance further connects those funds and their startups with major companies looking for innovation, creating a "win-win-win" result for startups, major corporations and Michigan's economy.

"Through our Renaissance Funds, we've created a unique vision for how financial capital could grow a new economy in Michigan, and how our expanding network can increase connectivity in that new economy," said Chris Rizik, CEO and fund manager at Renaissance. Renaissance's strong financial returns have substantially beaten national benchmarks for performance, while it has also been a national leader on impact on its community.

For every $1 Renaissance has deployed during its past nine years, it has helped attract $17, or a total of $1.3 BILLION of investment, back into the state of Michigan. By deploying capital into more than 30 top tier venture capital funds around the U.S., Renaissance's strategy has resulted in the emergence of 39 Michigan startup companies, with a growing workforce of 1,300 employees and average salaries exceeding $75,000.

"Our economy needs innovation and creative ideas to thrive, and those ideas need capital in order to emerge and find success," said Gerry Anderson, CEO of DTE Energy. "DTE has invested in Renaissance because its network of capital goes beyond financial investment, with innovative programs that connect Michigan startups with a national network to help them scale quickly and efficiently."

The financial and regional success of Renaissance led to interest around the nation in its new model of investment. Guided by counsel from the Renaissance team, similar funds have emerged in Houston and Cincinnati, with more planned for the future, creating a national network of funds.

Renaissance's success has been in partnership with a diverse group of corporate investors such as DTE Energy, AAA Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Meijer, Barton Malow, Burns & Wilcox, and La-Z-Boy, among others, as well as several university, foundation and pension fund investors.

"Startups often possess the right model and offerings to capitalize on emerging trends, but lack the access to capital. Meanwhile, many corporations have capital but are looking for new ways to innovate in their industry," said Ryan Maibach, the CEO of Barton Malow. "Renaissance brings together the best from both worlds, in order to bring to market innovations that help its corporate partners and that create new growth opportunities for the region."

About the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund:

The Renaissance Venture Capital Fund (Renaissance) is a fund of funds that supports the growth of venture capital in Michigan while serving as a bridge between Michigan's emerging innovation company community and its strong industrial and commercial base. Formed by Business Leaders for Michigan, the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund boasts as its members many of Michigan's most important organizations. It has become a national model for strategic, financially successful regional investing. Through its investment in top tier venture firms that are active in Michigan, the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund is helping to drive forward both innovation and growth of emerging companies in the region. And it is again proving that Michigan, with its unique combination of scientific, engineering and business talent, is a great place in which to invest. More at renvcf.com.

SOURCE Renaissance Venture Capital Fund

Related Links

http://www.renvcf.com


BASEL, Switzerland and NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Roivant Sciences today announced the expansion of its senior leadership team through the appointment of Dr. Salomon Azoulay as Chief Medical Officer and Adele Gulfo as Chief of Commercial Development.

"I would like to extend a warm welcome to Sam and Adele," said Vivek Ramaswamy, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Roivant Sciences. "As the scale and scope of our pipeline continue to grow and we approach commercialization for several therapies across the Vants, Sam and Adele will work to ensure that our medicines reach patients as quickly as possible."

Dr. Azoulay joins Roivant from Pfizer, where he most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Pfizer Essential Health. In that role he oversaw clinical development and medical affairs for a portfolio that included over 600 branded products as well as biosimilars and sterile injectables. He has over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and has held senior leadership roles at Pfizer since 2001, including Head of Development in Japan and Senior Vice President for Medical and Development in Emerging Markets.

Dr. Azoulay joined Pfizer through the company's acquisition of Parke-Davis, a division of Warner-Lambert, where he was international Head of Cardiovascular Research. Before joining Parke Davis, Sam served as head of the cardiovascular division at Houde Labs, Hoechst Roussel, as well as head of the cardiovascular division and head of the development operations group at Pierre Fabre Labs in Paris, France. Dr. Azoulay received his medical degree with a specialization in cardiology from the University of Paris. He also holds a DESS in Business Administration and Management from the Sorbonne.

Ms. Gulfo previously served as President and General Manager of Pfizer's $12B+ US primary care business unit, comprised of over 5,000 employees across multiple therapeutic areas. She also ran Pfizer's Commercial Operations, and as US Country Chair led the Managed Care organization across all biopharmaceutical businesses, including Specialty, Oncology, and Vaccines. Ms. Gulfo was Pfizer's President of Latin America, where she led a team of over 4,000 colleagues across 24 countries. Most recently, she was Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, and Head of Global Commercial Development at Mylan. Prior to joining Pfizer, she spent 9 years at AstraZeneca where she held senior leadership roles in Business Development, Strategy and Healthcare Innovation, and ran the company's Cardiovascular business unit where she oversaw the successful launch of CRESTOR.

Before joining AstraZeneca, Ms. Gulfo planned and executed the launch and commercial strategy for LIPITOR, the world's most successful branded medicine which achieved market leadership within two years of launch. Trained as a scientist, she has been awarded six U.S. patents for novel medication packaging adherence tools and an allergy treatment. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Seton Hall University and an MBA with highest honors from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She studied post-graduate Molecular Biology and began her career at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

About Roivant

Roivant Sciences is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on reducing the time and cost of the drug development process to improve the lives of patients and their families. Roivant partners with innovative biopharmaceutical companies and academic institutions to ensure that important medicines are rapidly delivered to patients.

The Roivant family of companies includes Myovant (women's health and prostate cancer), Axovant (neurology), Urovant (urology), Enzyvant (rare diseases), Dermavant (dermatology), Genevant (RNA therapeutics), Metavant (cardiometabolic diseases), Datavant (healthcare data), and Arbutus (hepatitis B). Today there are 24 investigational drugs in 11 therapeutic areas being tested in over 50 clinical trials and over 300 nonclinical studies across the Roivant family of companies.

For more information, please visit www.roivant.com.

All trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Contact: Paul Davis, [email protected]

SOURCE Roivant Sciences

Related Links

http://www.roivant.com


Friday, May 25

National Washington Cathedral "Blessing of the Bikes"  Massachusetts & Wisconsin Avenues, Washington, D.C. - 5 p.m.

& Wisconsin Avenues, -

Candlelight vigil at the Vietnam Wall led by the Flame of Freedom which will lead the Gold Star mothers to honor and remember those who gave their lives in service to their country, and those who are still missing or held prisoner - 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 26

Harley-Davidson of Washington - 9407 Livingston Road, Fort Washington, MD - free barbeque 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

- 9407 Livingston Road, - free barbeque

U.S. Navy Memorial wreath presentation - 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest Washington, DC (On the Plaza) - 11 a.m.

(On the Plaza) -

Rolling Thunder Hospitality Room - Hyatt Regency, Crystal City  8:00 p.m.

Sunday, May 27

Rolling Thunder  , Inc. Demonstration - leaves Pentagon North Parking Lot at noon

, Inc. Demonstration - leaves Pentagon North Parking Lot at noon

Program of speakers and Musical Tribute to Veterans at the stage in front of the Reflecting Pool facing the Lincoln Memorial from 1:30 - 5 p.m.

The Rolling Thunder, Inc. Flame of Freedom will also be transported via motorcycle escorted by Chapter 5 from Naples, FL with ceremonies in Kingsland, GA and Richmond, VA arriving in Washington, D.C. May 24, 2018. The Flame will be used at the Candlelight Vigil to lead Gold Star mothers as they walk along the Vietnam Wall during the May 25th candlelight remembrance. For more information: rtflameoffreedom.com

Rolling Thunder, Inc. continues to seek answers on the POW/MIA issue, encourage members of Congress to get several pieces of legislation passed into law (visit the "Government Affairs" page of our website); our military was promised healthcare when they retired and are now being told they have to pay for it. Prescription drug costs continue to rise with many Veteran's now going without the medication they need. There are still over 457,695 VA claims pending with 183,190 claims over 125 days. The backlog of VA claims is a major contributing factor to the increased homelessness and nearly 22 suicides a day of our Veterans.

Rolling Thunder Charities, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization with 96% of all funds going to Veterans and our Troops in need of help. We will pay their rent, mortgage, utilities, food and clothing.

Veterans from the Gulf War, Iraq War and Afghanistan War suffer and are dying from toxins from burn pit exposure. Nothing is being done to compensate them for their illnesses.

From the 1950s through the 1980s, people living or working at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were potentially exposed to drinking water contaminated with industrial solvents, benzene, and other chemicals. To date, not enough has been done to help or compensate these Veterans suffering from various illnesses due to the contaminated water.

Information for Media

Program details will be available in the Rolling Thunder, Inc. press room at rollingthunder1.com and are updated as needed. Members of Rolling Thunder, Inc.'s National Media Committee will be available at event locations throughout the weekend to assist working press with interviews, photographs, and any other needs. For more information or to schedule interviews in advance, please contact Nancy Regg, National Media Committee Chairperson, at 908*310*3268 (cell) or [email protected].

Rolling Thunder, Inc., a 501(c)(4) non-profit Veterans organization incorporated in 1995, by National Director Sgt. Artie Muller, to seek accountability for all POW/MIA's from past wars and to promote the needs of Veterans. National membership is comprised of Veterans from all wars and peacetime with 40-45% of members being non-veterans. There are currently over 95 chartered Rolling Thunder, Inc. chapters throughout the United States. Although many members ride motorcycles, a person does not have to own or ride a motorcycle to be a member.

SOURCE Rolling Thunder, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.rollingthunder1.com


LONDON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Synthetic graphite electrode prices rose nine-fold through the first three quarters of 2017, increasing from US$1,748/t in January 2017 to a high of US$16,309/t in September. Despite some fall back during the winter months, prices remained above US$15,600/t through February and March 2018. Spot prices were reported at up to US$35,000/t through late 2017, although most material is typically sold on a contract basis.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/656466/Roskill_Logo.jpg )



Producers of crude steel, stainless steel and ferroalloys have all introduced electrode surcharges to pass on some of the rising costs to their customers. Outokumpu reported in its interim report for Q1 2018 that high graphite electrode costs were still having a negative impact on steelmaking profits in Europe. Consumers have been reluctant to pay the rapidly rising costs and drew down on graphite electrode stockpiles for as long as they could. The tight supply/demand situation for graphite electrodes is expected to persist for much longer than many market observers expect.

Price rises are the result of a perfect storm of conditions in China. Firstly, environmental plant closures in the raw material coal needle coke industry hampered the production of graphite electrodes. At the same time, consumption of graphite electrodes in electric arc furnaces (EAFs) began to rise as the Chinese government took steps to halt production of poor quality induction furnace steel. Scrap steel was banned from sale to such furnaces in early 2017, becoming available for use in EAFs. Meanwhile, needle coke is being increasingly diverted into the battery market.

Batteries underpin growth in natural graphite

Synthetic graphite accounts for more than 60% of the world's graphite consumption, with natural graphite accounting for the remainder. Both synthetic and natural graphite compete for use in lithium-ion battery anodes, along with an increasing amount of needle coke and other existing carbon materials. Natural graphite often provides a low cost option, despite the extensive processing needed to transform mined product into the high carbon, low impurity, technical grades required for lithium-ion batteries. Natural flake graphite has to first be purified with high temperatures and strong acids and sphericalised into the intermediate product spherical graphite for use as an anode material - a process which is currently carried out only in China.

Demand for graphite in battery applications is forecast to grow by 5-8%py over the decade between 2017 and 2027, depending on the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage - the largest end-use applications for lithium-ion batteries. Roskill forecasts that global sales of EVs and hybrid vehicles will increase rapidly in the coming years and could account for 69% of all motor vehicle sales by 2027.

Rising flake graphite prices spur new development outside of China

The growing demand for spherical graphite has injected life into natural graphite supply chain development in the rest-of-world (ROW). Projects that had been quiet for a number of years during a time of price stagnation have begun to raise capital and progress projects supported by rising flake graphite prices through late 2017 and early 2018. By February 2018, flake graphite prices had increased by up to 50% since September 2017, and around 20 projects outside of China have now been developed to feasibility study or beyond. The focus for developers is now to produce the highest ratio of fine to medium-size flake, most-suited for spherical graphite.

Developers can supply their larger flake sizes to refractories, which remain the largest market for flake graphite by tonnage, but one which is growing slowly thanks to China's weak crude steel growth rate. Extra-large 'jumbo' flake sizes are increasingly sought after for use in the smaller, but rapidly growing, market of expandable/expanded graphite, used in flexible graphite products and fire-retardant materials.

ROW still far from developing a spherical graphite supply chain

Syrah Resources jump-started the ROW graphite supply chain when it brought its Balama flake graphite project online in November 2017. The project has the potential to become the largest in the world with plans to increase capacity to 350ktpy in the future (around 60% of current global flake production). Near-term targets are still substantial at 160-180ktpy of production in 2018 and 250-300ktpy in 2019, although it is still too early to tell if the 2018 target will be achieved following minor setbacks to processing ramp-up early in the year.

The focus for new natural graphite development remains in Africa, where almost 1Mtpy of additional concentrate capacity has the potential to come online by 2027 with projects in Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and Tanzania. Other projects are also planned in Austria, Canada, India, Russia and the USA.

A major theme in recent years has been the attempt to establish a spherical graphite supply chain outside of China. Barriers to entry are high, including the need to develop alternative processing methods with a lower environmental impact than those used in China. Syrah Resources' plans for a spherical graphite production plant in Louisiana, USA were disrupted in early 2018 when the governing authority of the proposed port location determined the plant not to be a suitable fit for the site. Syrah has a binding sales agreement with Jixi BTR Graphite Industrial (a subsidiary of China's BTR - the largest producer of anode materials in the world) to supply 30kt of graphite during the first year of production, which will be processed into spherical graphite in China.

For now, China remains the centre of the graphite industry

China continues to dominate graphite production and demand. Almost all stages of the lithium-ion battery manufacturing chain are focussed on China and China is by far the largest and most rapidly growing market for lithium-ion batteries.

In the electrode industry, China is on the brink of a rapid shift to EAF steel production. Just 6% of China's steel is currently produced in EAF, way below the global average of 25%. As high quality steel products reach the end of their lives in China and other Asian countries, the increasing availability of scrap steel will combine with China's plans to reduce its environmental footprint and drive a shift to EAF. It is likely that China will be able to meet its own steel demand with domestic scrap within a few years.

In 2017, the closure of induction furnaces resulted in large amounts of scrap steel flooding the market, although much of this is believed to be low quality. Chinese exports of scrap steel increased from around 1,000t in 2016 to 2.2Mt in 2017. The Chinese government is unlikely to allow high exports to continue, however, and exports of steel scrap are now being discouraged with a 40% duty.

Roskill's Natural and Synthetic Graphite: Global Industry, Markets and Outlook to 2027 report will be published in May 2018 and details natural and synthetic production, consumption and market trends.

For more information contact Richard Pell, Sales Manager:

[email protected]com

Tel: +44-208-417-0087



Web: https://roskill.com/market-report/natural-synthetic-graphite/

SOURCE Roskill Information Services
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, May 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Saudi Arabia's Makkah Province is fast becoming one of the most attractive investment destinations in the Kingdom with major project rollouts under way. The latest plan features eight major projects worth over SAR 1 billion (US$ 283 million)[1], which were launched during the recent Makkah Economic Forum in Jeddah.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/692517/Makkah_Region_Economic_Forum_Logo.jpg )

The projects are designed to encourage local and international business investments in the region's development projects in line with Saudi Vision 2030, a comprehensive roadmap to a brighter future based on the aspirations of the people of the country.

Prominent among these is a historical sites development project involving an investment of SAR 425 million (US$ 113 million) to renovate four historical sites of great significance to the cities of Makkah and Madinah - Jabal Al-Noor, Jabal Thor, Jabal Al-Romat and Arwah Ibn Al-Zubair Palace. The project includes development of museums, gift shops, transportation services, restaurants, restrooms, tourism offices and shopping centres.

Another major project is the development of a specialised mall costing more than SAR 175 million (US$ 46.6 million) to promote products made in Makkah and Madinah.

An investment opportunity worth SAR 130 million (US$ 34.6 million) at the Makkah Gate Development Project involves building and operating the project as well as the parking area and commercial buildings.

A Food Factory for Pilgrims Project requires SAR 90 million (US$ 24 million) in investment to build and operate the factory, which will provide high-quality food to pilgrims at affordable prices. Besides, a waste management factory involving SAR 80 million (about US$ 21.3 million) will be set up to handle waste generated from sacrificial meat and utilise it to create fertilizers.

The Downtown Terminal Project, which costs SAR 85 million (US$ 22.6 million), involves the construction of service buildings, facilities, storage depots and a shopping centre. The project is set to help reduce the pressure on local and international terminals and improve visitor experience.

The Qarn Al-Manazel Development Project, involving an investment of SAR 50 million (US$ 13.3 million), aims to renovate the areas near Qarn Al-Manazil Miqat, where shopping areas and washing facilities will be built. Another project, worth SAR 26 million (US$ 7 million), will provide high quality support services to the physically-challenged and the elderly during the Hajj and Umrah seasons.

[1] Converted @ 1 US$ = 3.75 SAR

SOURCE Makkah Economic Forum
WESTPORT, Conn., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, SeriousFun Children's Network and the Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) at Texas Children's Hospital announced their renewed joint commitment to providing life-changing camp experiences, and medical and psychosocial support, to children living with or vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in Africa. On May 21, BIPAI will be honored at the annual SeriousFun Children's Network gala in New York City, recognizing the significant and far-reaching impact of their work, and celebrating this new five-year commitment.

SeriousFun Children's Network has had a presence in Africa since 2001, initially providing camp experiences to children in Botswana, Namibia, Malawi and South Africa. In 2004, BIPAI sent 60 children to the camp that was operating in Botswana, and in 2018, SeriousFun and BIPAI partnered in five African countries (Uganda, Swaziland, Malawi, Tanzania and Botswana) to offer camp programs to vulnerable children in these areas.

"We are incredibly grateful to our partners at BIPAI and excited about this significant commitment to providing these transformative camp experiences to youth in Africa," said Blake Maher, CEO of SeriousFun Children's Network. "Together we are able to provide the support that not only helps these children manage their illness but offers new hope for their futures."

"In partnership with SeriousFun Children's Network, we launched Camp Hope-Botswana in 2004 with the aim of replicating the incredible impact that both BIPAI and SeriousFun were having with our respective programs in the U.S., and elsewhere around the world," said Michael B. Mizwa, chief operating officer and senior vice president, BIPAI. "We're so proud that today our camp programs serve hundreds of youth with HIV who are now thriving in large part because of the support they receive through this partnership. We look forward to working together for the next five years to continue to serve as many youth as possible and change lives."

The agreement signed between the two organizations emphasizes their continued collaboration to enhance their residential camps, outreach activities and capacity building programs, especially as they relate to education around HIV/AIDS, cancer and other conditions. The camps provide children, adolescents and their families with critical education, encourage positive attitudes toward treatment, and foster adherence to medication so they can remain healthy after their experience at camp.

About SeriousFun Children's Network

SeriousFun Children's Network is a global community of 30 camps and programs serving children with serious illnesses and their families, always free of charge. With the first camp founded by Paul Newman in 1988, SeriousFun camps and programs have now delivered more than one million life-changing camp experiences to children and family members from more than 50 countries. Each member camp is an independent, not-for-profit organization dependent upon private funding to serve all children at no cost to their families. To learn more about SeriousFun, visit www.seriousfunnetwork.org.

About the Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI)

Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) at Texas Children's Hospital is the largest university-based care and treatment program for HIV-infected and -affected children in the world. BIPAI strives to provide the highest level of quality care and treatment, education and training for health professionals, and operational research to improve patient care. Beginning in Romania, BIPAI has expanded its network of Centers of Excellence (COEs), which provide comprehensive outpatient care for children and their families, to include COEs in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Uganda, and Tanzania. There are over 300,000 children and families currently in care around the world. Over the past 20 years, BIPAI has also evolved its mission to treat other conditions that affect children and their families, including tuberculosis, malaria, malnutrition, hepatitis, cancer, sickle cell disease, and maternal mortality. It now serves communities in 15 countries across South America, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. To learn more about BIPAI, visit bipai.org.

Media Contact:

Emily Walsh/Nina Kiersted

Sunshine Sachs

212-691-2800

[email protected]

SOURCE SeriousFun Children's Network
SAN FRANCISCO, May 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SharesPost, a leading provider of private growth company liquidity solutions and research, today announced that is has completed the necessary steps for its Alternative Trading System (ATS) to facilitate secondary trading of digital security tokens. This is expected to allow companies to conduct ICOs and investors to trade digital securities on the SharesPost Marketplace in compliance with U.S. securities laws.

SharesPost CEO Greg Brogger said, This is a landmark moment for SharesPost. SharesPost Financial Corp. is one of the first online marketplaces that can support trading of security tokens in compliance with existing securities laws. We are excited to soon be enabling the more than 50,000 accredited investors registered on the SharesPost platform, who have been investing in leading private technology companies for years, to now also participate in the emerging tokenized securities asset class.

SharesPost has been a pioneer in the private capital markets for nearly a decade. As private companies elected to remain private longer, SharesPost created an online securities marketplace to provide them with liquidity. Now, SharesPost is leveraging its proven unregistered securities trading technology and expertise to bring new opportunities to its clients. In addition to secondary trading, the platform will also soon enable investors to custody digital assets in a SharesPost's Private Brokerage Account, as well as receive investment research and transaction data on leading token issuers.

The progression from the traditional private placement approach to financing startups to innovative, blockchain driven platforms is happening faster than financial and regulatory communities could have anticipated, said John Wu, CEO of SharesPost Digital Securities. Our clients let us know they wanted to invest in many of the new technologies and disruptive business models funded by ICOs and to be able to trade their coins and tokens. We are pleased to have taken a major step forward in making that a reality.

For more information on SharesPost visit https://sharespost.com.

About SharesPost

SharesPosts mission is to create liquidity for the private growth asset class. In 2009, SharesPost launched the first online secondary market for private technology company shares. Since then, SharesPost has connected thousands of buyers and sellers in more than $4 billion worth of transactions in the shares of more than 200 leading technology companies.

The SharesPost platform now also enables clients to access a variety of private market investment and liquidity solutions including (i) research and data on leading private technology companies, (ii) the SharesPost Private Growth Index, (iii) the SharesPost100 Fund, a registered mutual fund providing all investors with easy access to the asset class, and (iv) SharesPost Lending, which enables private company shareholders to borrow against their shares. In 2017, SharesPost managed its first Initial Coin Offering and in 2018 announced plans to integrate trading of digital securities into the SharesPost platform.

SharesPost Financial Corporation is a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, SEC registered Alternative Trading System. SP Investments Management, LLC is a Registered Investment Advisor. For more information, visit https://sharespost.com.

Media Contact

Aubrey Strobel

[email protected]

(917)-900-6034

SOURCE SharesPost

Related Links

http://sharespost.com


INDIANAPOLIS, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors, LLC, announces the addition of Christy Rogers as Operations and Compliance Coordinator for the firm.

Recognizing the critical role that compliance plays in the firm's operations and in building client relationships, Sheaff Brock created the new position to provide supervision and support for the Client Services and New Accounts departments.

An experienced operations manager prior to joining Sheaff Brock, Rogers was responsible for development and implementation of internal client workflows and procedures for a boutique wealth management firm. There, she maintained processes to support consistent client service in all aspects of business while also overseeing SEC filings for compliance and records maintenance. Prior experience in wealth management services involved creating long-term client relationships and organizing outreach events for enhanced relationship-building.

As the new Operations and Compliance Coordinator at Sheaff Brock, Rogers works with Compliance to facilitate processes currently in place for annual audits and the implementation of new procedures as audit requirements change. Rogers oversees the Management Agreement Repapering project and assists Sheaff Brock's trading department in placing trades for several of the investment advisory's managed portfolios.

Ron Brock, Managing Director of Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors, acknowledged the key support role Rogers will play for the firm. "Christy Rogers rounds out our Compliance efforts by ensuring that critical compliance processes are integrated throughout every facet of internal procedures and client relations work."

An Indianapolis native, Rogers is based in the Sheaff Brock corporate office in Indianapolis, Indiana.

About Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors, LLC:

Sheaff Brock is an SEC-registered, fee-only independent investment firm focusing on innovative investment strategies that strive to enhance the portfolios of both growth- and income-oriented investors. The firm manages $1.04 billion in assets nationwide as of 12/31/2017. Sheaff Brock principal David Gilreath is a contributor of investment news to ABCNews.com. Please visit sheaffbrock.com for more information.

SOURCE Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors, LLC

Related Links

http://www.sheaffbrock.com


To celebrate National Painting Week, Sherwin-Williams employees have demonstrated their commitment to communities by donating nearly 90,000 hours of their time to refresh more than 1,000 community spaces since 2012. This year, Sherwin-Williams is partnering with the local affiliates of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Canada , Ronald McDonald House Charities and Rebuilding Together , in addition to other deserving community organizations. Professional painting contractors and builders from across North America will also participate with teams from their local Sherwin-Williams stores.

"A fresh coat of paint and a new color palette can completely transform a space," said Ellen Moreau, senior vice president of marketing communications at Sherwin-Williams. "We're proud of our thousands of store employees and National Painting Week partners who are committed to giving back, so that we can continue to support the communities where we live and do business."

To help showcase the transformative nature of paint, and to help all DIYers embrace their personal color style, Sherwin-Williams is teaming up with TV personality and home remodeling enthusiast, Joelle "JoJo" Fletcher. In addition to participating in a National Painting Week community painting project in her hometown, Fletcher has created four trend-forward color palettes to help DIYers more confidently select colors.

"Painting is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to transform any space," Fletcher said. "I'm excited to partner with Sherwin-Williams to help bring more color to deserving nonprofit organizations."

For DIYers looking to transform their home, Fletcher created the following four personalized Sherwin-Williams palettes:

"I love creating color palettes and helping homeowners make confident color selections," said Fletcher. "Whatever the project, I've always found it helpful to start with a favorite color, and then accent with neutrals."

Four DIY bloggers are also joining this year's National Painting Week activities: Mr. Kate, Wit & Delight, Thistlewood Farms and Vintage Revivals are transforming places in their communities with a fresh coat of paint. More information on these projects, as well as the hundreds of others taking place during National Painting Week, is available at swpaintingweek.com.

For additional color selection options and expert advice on choosing the right paint for the right job, consumers are encouraged to visit one of Sherwin-Williams 4,200 neighborhood stores. The National Painting Week sale runs from May 25-June 4 and includes 30 percent off Sherwin-Williams brand paints and stains and an additional 20 percent off custom-order wallpaper in U.S. stores.

About Sherwin-Williams National Painting Week

Sherwin-Williams National Painting Week is an annual celebration dedicated to the transformative power of paint and color in our homes and in our communities. Every year thousands of Sherwin-Williams associates volunteer to refresh hundreds of local spaces, including community centers, historic landmarks and more. We aim to inspire DIYers and pros to embrace paint as a powerful solution for transformation.

Ask Sherwin-Williams

For more than 150 years, Sherwin-Williams has been an industry leader in the development of technologically advanced paint and coatings. As the nation's largest specialty retailer of paint and painting supplies, Sherwin-Williams is dedicated to supporting both do-it-yourselfers and painting professionals with exceptional and exclusive products, resources to make confident color selections and expert, personalized service at its more than 4,200 neighborhood stores across North America. For more information, visit sherwin-williams.com. Join Sherwin-Williams on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Contact:

[email protected]

Kirsten de St. Aubin

(612) 375-8539

[email protected]

SOURCE Sherwin-Williams

Related Links

http://www.sherwin-williams.com


Tyshaye, unaware of the surprise about to be revealed, was summoned to the Commencement stage by Rider's Provost Dr. DonnaJean Fredeen. As Tyshaye timidly walked to the stage, the audience gave her a round of applause.

Dr. Fredeen began, "You will all have to indulge me as I provide a little history lesson. Did you know that Rider was founded in Trenton in 1865 to help educate veterans returning home from the Civil War? In fact, most of Rider's inaugural graduating class was comprised of Civil War veterans. And our present day Lawrenceville campus was originally acquired in the 1950s to meet the enrollment demands of World War II veterans. Today, as a proud Yellow Ribbon University, Rider is committed to serving the educational needs of active duty service members, veterans and their beneficiaries.

Tyshaye is very familiar with the many selfless sacrifices military families endure while their loved ones proudly serve our country. Tyshaye's father Emmanuel served in the United States Army for 26 years, including a tour of duty in Iraq. Mr. Smith is here today to celebrate his daughter's graduation and we're very grateful for his service.

Tyshaye's sister Shamera is currently serving our country as a Specialist in the U.S. Army with the 408th HRC based in Bayside, New York. Shamera has been deployed in Iraq for over 10 months, a long time to be away from home, friends and family.

I am sure Shamera's deployment has weighed heavily on you, Tyshaye, as you pursued your senior year without your sister by your side. We would like to say thanks for all of the sacrifices you and your family have made in service to our country. To show our appreciation and in honor of your graduation, we thought we'd make sure your sister could celebrate this day with you. Shamera."

As Shamera walked out from behind the stage, the audience erupted in cheers, applause, and plenty of happy tears. Aside from a few members of Tyshaye and Shamera's immediate family, many members of their extended family at Commencement were surprised too.

Dr. Fredeen then invited Rider's President Dr. Gregory G. Dell'Omo, to join her at the podium. She said, "Shamera, on behalf of the Rider University family, we would like to present you with a challenge coin from Rider's veterans' program, and tell you just how very happy we are that you could be with us today." President Dell'Omo passed the coin to Shamera in a handshake, and presented her with flowers.

Finally, Dr. Fredeen asked that all members of the military in attendance  both active and veteran  to stand and be recognized.

As Shamera and Tyshaye walked off stage still wiping their own tears, Tyshaye summed up her surprise very simply, saying, "Wow, you guys got me good!."

About Rider University

Rider University, founded in 1865, is a comprehensive, private, coeducational university located in Lawrenceville and Princeton, New Jersey. With approximately 5,000 students studying at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the areas of business, education, liberal arts and sciences, music and the fine and performing arts, Rider's academic experience offers a personal approach that is celebrated for educating talented students for citizenship, life and career success. For more information visit www.rider.edu.

SOURCE Rider University

Related Links

http://www.rider.edu


The Sogou Smart Recording Translator supports the recording, transcription, translation and interpretation of both real-time and recorded conversations. The device enables users to record information in classes, meetings, and other similar occasions, and simultaneously translates spoken content into the target language via Sogou's translation software. The Sogou Smart Recording Translator is the second product in Sogou's family of translation hardware devices, and follows the successful launch of the Sogou Travel Translator in March.

Xiaochuan Wang, Chief Executive Officer of Sogou, said, "We are excited to launch the Sogou Smart Recording Translator that offers higher-quality voice recordings compared with traditional models thanks to a dual microphone array that suppresses background noise and improves voice recognition, even at 6 meters from the speaker. The Sogou Smart Recording Translator is another example of how AI is enabling us to transform hardware devices into service-oriented products. Designed to overcome a wide range of challenges that students, journalists and business people face every day, the Smart Recording Translator can automatically transcribe conversations that users can easily edit and share at one click of a button as well as serve as a personal interpreter and translator for everyone."

Mr. Wang added, "It is part of the next generation of portable translation devices and we are pleased to see strong early demand for this product. We will continue to focus on developing and leveraging our language-centric AI capabilities to bring more consumer-friendly and practical applications to consumers."

The Sogou Smart Recording Translator offers a range of functions, including:

Bluetooth connection to smart phones with 10-meter remote control function;

Real-time interpretation between Chinese and English at a rate of 400 words per minute;

Translates dialogue to and from 18 different languages, including Chinese, English, German, Arabic and Russian;

Recordings automatically uploaded to smart phone for easy management, playback and sharing of recordings;

Transcription of Chinese recordings at a rate of 400 words per minute;

Capacity to save up to 40 hours of voice recordings and support 4 hours of recording without recharging;

Built-in dual microphone array effectively filters out and suppresses background noise, while improving voice recognition;

Voice recognition accuracy rate of 97%;

Highly portable, ergonomically designed, lightweight device weighs 30 grams and measures 12cm in length.

Sogou's leadership in natural language processing and machine translation has been widely recognized on the global stage. Sogou's machine translation technology debuted at the World Internet Conference in 2016  the first time that simultaneous machine translation technology had been used in a commercial event. Sogou was ranked first in the highly regarded 2017 WMT Chinese-to-English machine translation competition and similarly received first place in the 2016-2017 13th NTCIR Chinese short text conversation competition that evaluates the ability of a machine to generate human-like responses to text queries. Sogou's industry-leading machine translation technology has been effectively integrated into its search, Chinese input method and browser services, as well as its translation hardware devices.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Sogou's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current plans, estimates, and projections, and therefore you should not place undue reliance on them. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Information regarding risks affecting Sogou's business and prospects is included in Sogou's Registration Statement on Form F-1 (Registration Number 333-220928) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 6, 2017.

About Sogou

Sogou Inc. (NYSE: SOGO) is an innovator in search and a leader in China's internet industry. With a mission to make it easy to communicate and get information, Sogou has grown to become the second largest search engine by mobile queries and the fourth largest internet company by MAU in China. Sogou has a wide range of innovative products and services, including the Sogou Input Method, which is the largest Chinese language input software for both mobile and PC. Sogou is also at the forefront of AI development and has made significant breakthroughs in voice and image technologies, machine translation, and Q&A, which have been successfully integrated into our products and services.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Rachael Layfield

Brunswick Group

Tel: +86 10 5960-8600

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Sogou Inc.
MIT Messenger is enhancing not only the security but also the convenience. It is based on the high technology among the global messenger in security and convenience messenger area. When calling for free with wifi or etc., it makes a high-quality and enough time call with just a small amount of data. The data used when calling between the users for 7 minutes is only 1mb.

It is possible to make phone calls, video calls, send message/sounds, send data and etc. and it is also possible to make a call with those who is not MIT Messenger user. If the call is disconnected due to the lack of wifi signal, it is directly changed to the 3G or operated through satellite network that increases convenience of users.

'MIT messenger, known as 'Mission Impossible Talk', is drawing attention with the launching announcement. With more than 100 telecommunication partners around the world, it enables the users to make voice calls anywhere anytime. Besides, the video calls is in HD quality. In particular, MIT Messenger also has a wallet function for cryptocurrency's users special service.

In the global market, experts are showing high interest in the MIT messenger service, equipped with more user-friendly services in the growing demand for secure messenger services from existing telegrams and we-chat due to problems such as personal information leakage and privacy violations.

In the second half of the year, it is expected to create a new business prototype to merge MIT Messenger with Bingo Music Coin(BMC) linked with services and contents transaction of Bingo Music, a global music platform launched by Stargram Global, that combines a mobile messenger platform with various contents.

On April 23, MIT signed a strategic partnership agreement with Audio Codes, an Israel telecommunications security company, and UB Blocks Mobile, a mobile convergence company, to enhance the capabilities of MIT Messenger. They developed roaming messenger service extension pack with Audio Codes and initiated developing MIT Messenger's mobile translation extension pack, which is an IN-messenger platform solution based on block chain and UB Blocks Mobile.

Stargram Global CEO, Kim Min Soo said, "We expect a wide variety of users, ranging from politicians, military personnel, public workers and entertainers. After the launch, we will expand various additional functions such as stealth."

To celebrate the release of MIT Messenger, Stargram Global is also processing an event to present various kinds of cryptocurrency such as BitCoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bingo Music Coin, etc.

Contact information:

Eunmi So

82 10 9217 1866

[email protected]

SOURCE Stargram Global
SAN DIEGO, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SunPower by Stellar Solar, San Diego's oldest SunPower dealer and one of two Master Dealers in San Diego County, is celebrating 20 years in business in 2018. To help celebrate the significant achievement, they produced a documentary-style video that features partners Kent Harle, Michael Powers and Brian Grems reflecting on the history of the company. In the video they describe their early success, periods of incredible growth, and the challenges faced and overcome that have allowed them to not only survive but grow SunPower by Stellar Solar into a top-tier residential and commercial solar installer in San Diego County. The video was produced to let each of the founding partners share stories that contributed to that growth, along with some of the challenges. Click here to view the video.

SunPower by Stellar Solar SunPower by Stellar Solar founding partners from left Brian Grems, Michael Powers and Kent Harle in 2009

Kent Harle, co-founder and CEO of SunPower by Stellar Solar has experienced the highs and lows first hand over 20 years. "It's been a wild ride, that's for sure, as the only constant in the solar industry is change, but that can be said for most industries; it's just the nature of business and the experienced ones adapt and thrive. Hundreds of solar companies have come and gone over the past 20 years in San Diego so I am very grateful that we have such a solid team in place that consistently earns us referral business to keep us afloat during the slow periods. That excellence has also led to the accolades like consistently winning Best Solar Company in the San Diego Union Tribune Readers Poll. I should also mention that our solid reputation has extended into the commercial space as well and that has definitely contributed to our growth. Our commercial solar success with businesses, schools, non-profits and faith-based organizations has played a huge part in our growth. And besides the business success, it's very rewarding to see the reaction of both home and business owners on a daily basis who are thrilled to be reducing or eliminating their electric bills."

SunPower by Stellar Solar provides quick, no-cost, no-pressure solar quotes to home and business owners plus schools, nonprofits and faith-based organizations. Click here to learn more.

About SunPower by Stellar Solar

SunPower by Stellar Solar is a leading California residential and commercial PV solar design and installation company, based in San Diego since 1998 with over 7,000+ installations across Southern California including notable commercial installations on The Salk Institute, US Foods, Cedars Sinai Hospital and more. Readers of the Union Tribune have voted them best solar panel company again in 2017, an award they win consistently. Their 5 Star Reviews on Yelp, A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and high customer ratings on Angie's list are further testament to their standing as the leading solar provider to homes, businesses and faith based organizations in San Diego County. Learn more at www.stellarsolar.net

Media Contact:

David Boylan

858.395.6905

[email protected]

SOURCE SunPower by Stellar Solar

Related Links

http://www.stellarsolar.net/


DALLAS, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SunTx Capital Partners, a Dallas, TX based private equity firm that invests in middle market manufacturing, distribution and service companies, today announced the sale of Carolina Beverage Group to Brynwood Partners. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1997, Carolina Beverage Group has transformed over the years from a brewer of high-end craft beers to a premier manufacturer of iconic national and international beverage brands. With an emphasis on high-quality contract beverage manufacturing in specialty-sized cans and packaging, Carolina's customers include well-known world-class energy drink, tea, sparkling water, distilled beverage, wine, malt beverage and other functional and ready-to-drink beverage brands.

SunTx acquired a majority interest in Carolina Beverage Group and worked closely with the management team to execute a series of transformational growth and operational initiatives, including a multimillion dollar investment to create a state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution facility in Fort Worth, TX. With strategic locations in both the Southeast and Southwest, Carolina Beverage Group now offers its broad range of beverage manufacturing capabilities, state-of-the-art laboratory and quality systems, flexible manufacturing processes and efficient warehouse management systems to two of the highest growth regions in the country.

Mark Matteson, Chairman of Carolina Beverage Group and a Partner of SunTx Capital Partners, said, "We could not be prouder of all that has been achieved at Carolina Beverage Group during our ownership. Working collaboratively with the Company's management team, SunTx advised on and supported numerous investments and transformative initiatives. Carolina Beverage Group is now a sought after, best-in-class contract filler for a host of international beverage brands, and is well positioned to continue its growth trajectory."

Andy Kerner, President and CEO, said, "SunTx has been a valuable partner and resource provider during their stewardship. Their strategic vision for Carolina Beverage Group was spot on and their commitment to achieving our mutual goals never wavered. It's amazing to see what Carolina Beverage Group has become over its 20+ year historyfrom a brewer of craft beers to a world-class manufacturer of global beverage brands. Importantly, we applaud all of our team members and thank them for their dedication and focus on producing high quality products for our customers. The Company looks forward to its next stage of growth, in partnership with Cold Spring Brewing Company and Brynwood Partners."

Ned N. Fleming, III, Founder and Managing Partner of SunTx Capital Partners, said, "Today is a great day for Carolina Beverage Group, SunTx, and our investorsrepresenting the embodiment of what it means to build a business. We made a majority ownership investment in a North Carolina-based beverage business that had a good portfolio and strong customer relationships. We knew that the functional beverage industry was poised for accelerated growth and believed that Carolina Beverage Group could become a leading platform in the space. By working in partnership with management and employees, we built a best-in-class business that produced excellent returns for all stakeholders. SunTx looks forward to continuing to build businesses, with integrity and passion."

Cascadia Capital LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to Carolina Beverage and SunTx Capital Partners. Haynes and Boone, LLP provided external legal counsel.

ABOUT CAROLINA BEVERAGE GROUP

Carolina Beverage Group, LLC is a world-class co-packing specialty-sized can producer for numerous national international beverage brands. Our customers include the who's who in the beverage world, including makers of well-known malt beverages, distilled spirits, energy drinks, tea's, functional and other ready-to-drink beverages. Our facilities offer elite quality programs supported by state-of-the-art laboratories, high speed production, flexible manufacturing and the very best in warehouse management systems  with a capacity to produce over 60 million cases annually. More information about Carolina Beverage can be found at www.carolinabeveragegroup.com.

ABOUT SUNTX CAPITAL PARTNERS

SunTx Capital Partners, LP, is a Dallas, TX-based private equity firm that invests in middle market manufacturing, distribution and service companies. SunTx specializes in supporting talented management teams in industries where SunTx can apply its operational experience and financial expertise to build leading middle-market companies with operations typically in the Sun Belt region of the United States. The capital committed by SunTx comes from the principals of SunTx as well as from institutional investors, including leading university endowments and corporate and public pension funds. More information about SunTx can be found at www.suntx.com.

Media Contact:

Daniel Yunger / Cathryn Vaulman

Kekst

(212) 521-4800

[email protected]

SOURCE SunTx Capital Partners

Related Links

http://www.suntx.com


IRVINE, Calif., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunwest Bank is pleased to welcome Shailesh Bhaid as chief information officer. In this position, he will oversee and drive the bank's application support and IT infrastructure teams. Shailesh will also work to develop the bank's multiple new technology initiatives, many of which focus on greater workflow automation.

Shailesh Bhaid

"Shailesh has an impressive breadth of experience in both leading teams of IT professionals, and in understanding how to create technology initiatives that improve the operational efficiency of a business," said Carson Lappetito, Sunwest's president. "We are happy to have him on our team and are confident that he'll help align our IT roadmap with our overall business vision."

Bhaid earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Bombay University and his certificate in software engineering from Mumbai's RCCL Institute of Technology. He received his MBA from the Ageno School of Business in San Francisco and is currently completing his Master of Science in software management at Carnegie Mellon University in Silicon Valley.

Shailesh has an extensive work background, with positions at Bank of the West, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Cisco Systems, GT Nexus, PMI Mortgage, eFueler.com and Unisys Corporation. As the senior manager of web-channel development at Wells Fargo, he was tasked with the complete overhaul of the online banking platform. As a VP of enterprise business process reengineering at Bank of the West, his initiatives led to a 34% improvement in efficiency.

"As someone who's developed IT solutions at companies ranging from small start-ups all the way to large national banks, I'm happy to put my skills to work at Sunwest," said Shailesh Bhaid. "Sunwest already has a talented IT staff in place and a great corporate culture. I'm glad to work for an organization that puts their customers front-and-center and who cares so much about their employees as well. Leading the digital transformation of Sunwest is something I look forward to."

Sunwest Bank, founded in 1969, is a privately held commercial bank with over $1.1 Billion in assets and headquartered in Irvine, CA, with operations in California, Arizona, Idaho and Utah. We are an entrepreneurial business bank with a long tradition of providing excellent service to entrepreneurs, privately held corporations, family offices, small-medium size business and real estate developers throughout the Western United States. Sunwest Bank is a Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. More information about Sunwest Bank and its full line of products and services is available at SunwestBank.com.

* $1.175 Billion in assets as of 12/31/17 -  2018 Sunwest Bank

Media Contact:

Cameron Eggleston

[email protected]

(714) 881-3012

SOURCE Sunwest Bank

Related Links

http://www.sunwestbank.com


PUNE, India, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Synthetic Gypsum Market by Type (FGD gypsum, Citrogypsum, Fluorogypsum, Phoshogypsum), Application (Cement, Drywall, Soil amendment, Dental), and Region (Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2023" published by MarketsandMarkets, the market size is projected to grow from USD 1.42 Billion in 2018 to USD 1.80 Billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 4.82%.

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Browse 79 market data Tables and 28 Figures spread through 119 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Synthetic Gypsum Market"



https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/synthetic-gypsum-market-55459398.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

The market is projected to witness significant growth over the next few years with the increasing demand for new constructions due to rapid urbanization and industrialization with large-scale investment in the commercial and infrastructural sectors. The rising demand for synthetic gypsum in emerging economies and the increasing inclination toward sustainable construction methods are increasing the reliance on modern construction materials, thus creating growth opportunities for the Synthetic Gypsum Market.

Drywall segment to gain maximum traction during the forecast period

The drywall segment is estimated to dominate the market in 2018 and is projected to be the fastest-growing application in the next five years. As a result of rapid urbanization and industrialization, this market is mostly driven by the surge in demand for new constructions across the world. The increasing public and private investments in construction applications of emerging economies in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and South America drive the growth of this market.

Get PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=55459398

The FGD gypsum segment, by type, is estimated to account for a large market share in 2018

FGD synthetic gypsum finds application in several sectors, which drives its demand. This segment dominates the Synthetic Gypsum Market and is projected to grow at a higher rate during the forecast period. FGD gypsum is used in the agriculture sector as a fertilizer to improve crop yield; it is added as a sulfur or calcium fertilizer in the soil. In the construction sector, it is used as a filler material in cement and plasters to enhance strengthening and reduce the setting time of concrete. It also finds application in the building & construction industry to make decorative panels and PoP structures. Hence, the FGD synthetic gypsum type accounted for a relatively larger share in Synthetic Gypsum Market among all other types.

The Asia Pacific region accounted for the largest share of the Synthetic Gypsum Market in 2018

Asia Pacific contributes a major share in the global Synthetic Gypsum Market. Due to the increasing industrialization as well as the large population in China, Japan, and India, these countries are experiencing high demand for building & construction. The rapid urbanization in these countries demands faster and cheaper construction of buildings and facilities without compromising on quality. Additionally, the increasing government investments in infrastructural constructions provide the potential for growth of the Synthetic Gypsum Market in these countries.

The major players in the Synthetic Gypsum Market include USG Corporation (US), Lafarge Holcim (Switzerland), FEECO international (US), Delta Gypsum (US), National Gypsum (US), Synthetic Materials LLC (US), Constantia Building Products (US), and KNAUF GIPS (Germany). Other players include American Gypsum (US), PABCO Gypsum (US), British Gypsum (Europe), Georgia-Pacific (US), and Gyptec Iberica (Portugal).

Know more about Synthetic Gypsum Market Research Report:

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About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledgestore" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

Contact:

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MarketsandMarkets INC.

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Suite 430

Northbrook, IL 60062

USA: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]

Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
SAN FRANCISCO, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Talkdesk, the enterprise contact center platform and fastest growing Contact Center as a Service provider, today announced its participation as a Gold Sponsor at Salesforce World Tour London. Talkdesk, which has grown revenue year-over-year in Europe and doubled the number of European customers in the past year, continues to expand its global footprint to meet increasing enterprise customer demand for dynamic, cloud-based contact center solutions.

At Salesforce World Tour London on May 18, Talkdesk experts are available to answer questions at their expo hall booth and in the Talkdesk Lounge located in the center of Content Hall. Both are open throughout the day to all 10,000 attendees.

"We are excited to interact with our growing roster of European customers and engage 10,000 attendees with Talkdesk's innovative contact center technologies," said Tiago Paiva, CEO of Talkdesk. "As demands on customer experience teams intensify, companies are turning away from legacy systems towards the flexibility of cloud-based solutions. Global customers choose Talkdesk to improve customer experience and satisfaction, which have a direct impact on growth and profitability in today's customer experience economy."

Talkdesk's Gold Sponsorship at Salesforce World Tour London builds upon significant momentum in the European contact center solutions market. In less than 18 months, Talkdesk increased its European footprint by adding major enterprise brands including Aedas Homes, Bambora, DEKRA, Edenred, and Glintt. Their development center in Portugal, which employs over 200 people, and data centers in Ireland and Frankfurt, solidifies Talkdesk's commitment to the European market.

Additional Information

Learn about the Talkdesk Enterprise Contact Center Platform

Follow @Talkdesk on Twitter

Connect with Talkdesk on LinkedIn

About Talkdesk

Talkdesk Enterprise Contact Center Platform empowers companies to continuously improve customer experience. With enterprise class performance and consumer-like ease of use, Talkdesk easily adapts to the evolving needs of sales and support teams and their end-customers, resulting in increased customer satisfaction, productivity and cost savings. Over 1,400 innovative enterprises around the world with thousands of seats, including IBM, Acxiom and Zumiez rely on Talkdesk to power their customer interactions. Learn more and request a demo at www.talkdesk.com.

SOURCE Talkdesk

Related Links

http://www.talkdesk.com


NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TARA Biosystems Inc., a company offering physiologically human-relevant "heart-on-a-chip" tissue models for drug discovery and development applications, announced the appointment of Donna See as chief business officer. In this newly created role, Donna will drive the company's commercial operations, building upon TARA's strong and growing base of revenue-generating partnerships with leading biopharmaceutical companies. She will also develop strategy and opportunities that leverage TARA's ongoing investment in the production and analysis of large high-fidelity human-relevant datasets.

TARA Biosystems offers bioanalytical testing services on its human stem cell-derived cardiac tissue platform. The company's Biowire II platform enables the maturation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived cardiomyocytes into cardiac tissues that achieve an adult-like phenotype. These physiologically relevant in vitro models facilitate early cardiac risk assessment of drug discovery candidates and accelerate discovery efforts for novel heart medicines via disease modeling and phenotypic screening capabilities.

"We are thrilled to welcome Donna to TARA. As we enter our next phase of rapid company growth, Donna's proven leadership abilities, make-it-happen energy, and shared vision will be critical to TARA's growth and commercial partnering efforts," said Dr. Misti Ushio, CEO of TARA. "Her extensive network and two decades of experience developing, investing and operating early-stage ventures will be immediately leveraged as TARA executes, scales and grows."

"TARA has developed a first-in-class capability with its Biowire II platform, creating 'heart-on-a-chip' technology that is uniquely positioned to become the industry standard for high-fidelity human in vitro cardiac tissue biology. There is tremendous potential in the development and application of these data for in silico drug discovery," said Ms. See. "I am very much looking forward to working with the TARA team and our biopharma partners to fully realize this potential."

Donna brings demonstrated executive leadership experience in translational science, business development and operations with an emphasis on early-stage life sciences companies. Donna most recently served as chief business officer of Allied-Bristol Life Sciences, a $110 million therapeutic development fund between Allied Minds and Bristol-Myers Squibb, where she was instrumental in all aspects of sourcing, diligence, deal negotiation and project management across multiple therapeutic areas, including heart failure, oncology, immune disorders and fibrosis.

About TARA Biosystems

TARA Biosystems Inc. provides predictive, in vitro human cardiac tissue models for use in drug discovery and risk assessment. TARA Biosystems offers a high-fidelity solution that is based on human iPSC-derived cardiac tissue matured to physiologically relevant adult-like levels and provides direct measures of cardiac functionality, including contractile force. The TARA platform allows pharma to access human cardiac information on therapeutics candidates earlier in the drug development cycle.

Media Contact:

Misti Ushio

[email protected]

(917) 686-7096

SOURCE TARA Biosystems Inc.
PHOENIX, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Teknowlogi, pioneer of the Logistics Expert System (LES) and creator of Tai, the industry's only cloud-based solution built on artificial intelligence (AI), will share its latest technology innovations that allow companies to easily upgrade existing logistics software into super intelligent solutions at the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference being held this week in Phoenix.

Teknowlogi representatives will be in Booth 706 throughout the conference, demonstrating how the LES advanced technology platform represents the next evolution of Transportation Management Systems (TMS)and more. With its built-in intelligence, the LES gives supply chain executives newfound visibility and data access to achieve real-time decision making. The LES is powered by Tai and is able to assess, analyze, provide recommendations and execute change for numerous logistical and business situations that affect all players within the shipping industry. Tai is the industry's first solution that incorporates business process management and consulting intelligence into a platform's workflow.

"The logistics industry's time has come to implement the sophistication necessary to identify problems and patterns, analyze better alternatives and react on-the-fly to changing conditions," said Spencer Askew, founder and CEO of Teknowlogi. "While the supply chain industry really doesn't need another acronym, we strongly believe that the Logistics Expert System, or LES, is transforming the way that companies are able to leverage software intelligence to manage their supply chain and related business processes in today's on-demand world. We want all supply chain executives to ask themselves, 'Is our logistics software intelligent?'"

Askew will present the session, "LES: The 'New Normal' in Supply Chain Platform Intelligence," at 8:15 a.m. on May 17 at the conference. Additionally, Teknowlogi will be exhibiting in Booth #706.

About the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference

Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference 2018 is the world's most important gathering of supply chain leaders. Disruptions large and small confront today's supply chains on a daily basis. At this year's conference, chief supply chain officers and their leadership teams focus on how to recognize the impacts of disruptions and create transformational strategies that empower the organization to exceed performance expectations.

About Teknowlogi

Based in Atlanta, Teknowlogi is the pioneer of the Logistics Expert System (LES) and the only technology company to offer a cloud-based solution that combines transportation management systems, mobile intelligence, integration intelligence, consulting intelligence, business intelligence and artificial intelligence in one platform. Addressing unmet needs in the market, its affordable Tai solution can analyze millions of data variables in real time to allow companies to enhance and change business processes within the complicated and multi-party global shipping and logistics industry. The Tai Mobile Intelligence app is another industry first, allowing any segment within the logistics network to address all shipment lifecycle "hot points" anytime, anywhere. Shippers, from 3PLs and freight forwarders to asset carriers, and even other logistics software companiesregardless of sizecan benefit from having an intelligent LES platform that's easy to implement, use and upgrade. For more information on how to advance your logistics into the future, visit www.teknowlogi.com, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @Teknowlogi, and like us on Facebook.

CONTACT:

Kathy Berardi

Carabiner Communications

678.644.4122

[email protected]

SOURCE Teknowlogi

Related Links

http://www.teknowlogi.com


LONDON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Global E-cigarette and T-Vapor Market to Grow at a Double-Digit CAGR from 2017 to 2025



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5355209



High prevalence of tobacco related mortality and growing health concerns have compelled governments across the globe to take measures to curb tobacco use by implementing prohibitive taxation, indoor smoking bans, and awareness campaigns about health risks, among others. Innovative products such as, e-cigarettes and t-vapor products are being developed, to explore alternate smoking cessation methods, that substitute the nicotine intake of smokers but eliminate or reduce the harm caused by tobacco cigarettes.



The e-cigarette and t-vapor market amounted to $11.44 billion in 2016 and is expected to witness a double-digit growth throughout the forecast period of 2017-2025.



The research study is a compilation of various segmentations including the market breakdown by product segment, by components, by distribution channel, and by region. This report provides a detailed market analysis and forecast of various product segments, namely disposable e-cigarettes, rechargeable cig-a-likes, closed tank systems, open tank systems, and t-vapor. Additionally, it also includes sub-segmentation of each product type by components such as, e-liquid, battery, atomizers, and tobacco sticks.



The market has been analyzed based on various micro and macro trends influencing it. While highlighting the key driving and restraining forces for this dynamic market, the report also provides a comprehensive section on competitive landscape, industry attractiveness, market share analysis, competitive benchmarking, and the position of the competitors within the global e-cigarette and t-vapor market.



The following key questions have been addressed in the report:

 How has the e-cigarette and t-vapor market evolved in the past and how is it anticipated to evolve during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025?

 What are the major market factors propelling the growth of the market?

 What are the various challenges that are faced by the industry that need to be addressed?

 Who are the key players across product segments and regions in the e-cigarette and t-vapor market?

 What are the key developmental strategies adopted by the key players to stand out in this market?

 What were the market shares of the different e-cigarette types and their components across countries in 2016 and 2017?

 How will the market and aftermarket for each product type of the global e-cigarette and t-vaporizer market grow during the forecast period? What will be the revenue generated by each segment by the end of 2025?

 Which distribution channels are used by players to market their products across regions and why? What will be the revenue generated through each channel through the forecast period?



The report also includes an exhaustive analysis of the market for each geographical region, namely North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and RoW. Each geographical region analysis details the individual push and pull forces, and market and aftermarket for each product type, in addition to the key players from that region.



The report also examines the role of the leading market players involved in the industry. The company profiles section highlights significant information about the key companies such as their product portfolio, financial positions, and the SWOT analysis of these players. Some of the key players in the e-cigarette and t-vapor market are Japan Tobacco Inc., Altria Inc., Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco, Njoy, Apollo Ecigs, JUUL, Innokin, PAX Labs, and Flavortech.



Executive Summary

Smoking rates and the consumption volume of cigarettes have been declining on the global scale. In 2016, 5.5 billion cigarettes were consumed, a volume decline of 1.5% from the previous year and declined further by another 3-4% in 2017. Despite the decline in the cigarette market, tobacco related mortality remains the leading preventable cause of death across the globe. Consequently, health organizations and governments are on a look out for efficient smoking cessation products to reduce tobacco use. E-cigarettes and tobacco vapor products imitate the look and feel of the cigarettes but are assumed to release less harmful chemicals than tobacco cigarettes and are being touted as safe alternatives to tobacco cigarettes and thus as the future of the tobacco industry.



Increasing prices of cigarettes, rising health awareness, and product innovation and technological advancements of e-cigarettes are propelling the growth of the market. The ease of access to distribution channel, especially online websites and e-commerce sites, which provide market players with the scope to expand both locally and globally, continues to be one of the key drivers for the market. However, in the current scenario retail channels such as, convenience stores, vape shops, and tobacco users generate over 60% of the revenue, and remain the primary form of distribution. However, the growth of the market is dependent on the legal and regulatory framework, and taxation policies, which have been tightening across the globe.



Open tank systems have become the predominant product type in the market due to their advanced technology, and features of customization and interoperability. However, closed tank systems which combine the pros of rechargeable e-cigarettes and open tank systems with their long battery life, more vapor formation, and large tanks are expected to be the fastest growing e-cigarette product segment.



The market for t-vapor products, the adoption rates of which have increased multifold in 2017 in countries such as Japan, South Korea and Russia, are expected to triple in size by 2021. Over 70% of the revenue of t-vapor products comes from device sales, while rest is contributed by the sales of tobacco capsules and sticks.



While North America and Europe have been the leading markets for e-cigarettes due to early adoption of vape products in the regions, APAC is anticipated to dominate the market in t-vapor products. In Japan, which was the first country where t-vapor products were launched countrywide, approximately 30% smokers have already switched to t-vapor.



Of the world's 1 billion smokers, 700 million reside in APAC, and the region is currently grappling high smoking related morbidity and mortality, of the 5.5 million people who die from smoking-related illnesses each year, half are in Asia, thus making the tobacco pandemic a major concern to all stakeholders in public health sector. Moreover, most countries still have lax regulations and low taxation rate for tobacco products, thus providing players with an opportunity to introduce smoking alternatives in the market.



There lies opportunity for introduction of t-vapor products in the European region, which has the highest smoking rate, globally. Moreover, since only a handful of players have launched closed tank systems and tobacco vaporizers, there lies immense untapped potential for the growth of these products in the market across the globe. Furthermore, while e-cigarettes are cost effective, the price of t-vapor products are on the exorbitant side, providing opportunity to smaller players to launch more economical products to consumers.



Countries Covered

 North America

 U.S.

 Canada

 U.K.

 Europe

 Germany

 France

 Poland

 Italy

 Rest of Europe

 APAC

 China

 India

 Japan

 Rest of APAC

 Rest of the World



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"La Lancha's location above Lago Peten Itza is perhaps its most magnificent quality," says Francis Ford Coppola. "We were determined to amplify that experience for guests arriving via boat with the addition of a jungle elevator that provides views as breathtaking as they are unforgettable."

Set deep in the Guatemalan rainforest high above the shores of Lago Peten Itza, La Lancha offers guests rustic ambience with a glimpse into the region's exotic wildlife. All ten air-conditioned guestrooms are tucked into the property's jungle surroundings with large covered decks and views of either the lake or the rainforest and its famous howler monkeys. Purchased by Francis and Eleanor Coppola in 2003, the resort's charming, remote waterfront location offers swimming, hiking, canoeing, zip-lining and horseback riding, an ideal destination to enjoy both a languid respite and exploration of nearby ancient Mayan civilizations such as Tikal and Yaxha & Topoxte. Located just 90 minutes from the Belize border, La Lancha is not far from The Family Coppola's two other Central American resorts  Blancaneaux Lodge and Turtle Inn. Make a reservation today by calling toll-free (855) 866-8181, visiting The Family Coppola Hideaways website or emailing [email protected].

Media Contact:

Anna Bailer

42West

(646) 467-9054

[email protected]

SOURCE The Family Coppola Hideaways
LONDON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The internet has revolutionised the way we live, think and communicate. Whilst this new globalised culture has brought humans together in a way we once would have never imagined possible, it's had well documented down sides too.

Innovative non-profit organization The Humanized Internet (THI) strives to protect vulnerable people in this digital age, leading to a prestigious award from Business Worldwide Magazine (BWM).

The organization has been named Tech Non-Profit Organization of the Year (Global) in BWM's 2018 Brand of the Year Awards. The awards recognise and reward organizations which have performed exceptionally over the previous twelve months and proven themselves to be dynamic forces within their industries. The judging panel look for world class brands that inspire, push boundaries, respond to challenges and are seen among their respective sectors as employers of choice.

THI was chosen as the overall winner its category due to its revolutionary approach to online technologies. The Swiss-based not-for-profit has at its heart the notion of digital sovereignty, particularly for people who don't have it. Countless headlines have highlighted cyber-attacks, personal data breaches, online bullying and privacy violations, so THI strives to develop ethics and governance to protect citizens across the world. The organization uses new technologies such as Blockchain to create an online environment which is secure, safe and promotes respect.

The organization's President and co-founder, Monique Morrow, said, "The mission of THI is to provide secure, permanent and global digital identity to the world's population. We believe identity is a fundamental democratic right of all people and offers a foundational element for maintaining safe conditions for those in need."

In congratulating THI, the BWM judging panel said they were impressed with the company's innovative approach and clear commitment to keeping vulnerable people safe online.

An article on THI can also be found on BWM website: https://www.bwmonline.com/2018/05/09/the-ethical-internet-and-global-citizenship/

About Business Worldwide Magazine

Business Worldwide Magazine is the leading source of business and dealmaker intelligence throughout the world. Our quarterly magazine and online news portal enables an established audience of corporate dealmakers to track the latest news, stories and developments affecting the international markets, corporate finance, business strategy and changes in legislation. This readership includes of CEO/CFO - Banks, Corporate Lawyers and Venture Capital/Private Equity Companies to name a few.

http://www.bwmonline.com

Contact

David Jones

Awards Department

E: [email protected]



W: www.bwmonline.com

SOURCE Business Worldwide Magazine
HOUSTON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas' mightiest pantheon of real estate financing companiesZeus CrowdFunding, Zeus Hard Money and Zeus Mortgage Bankmade the switch to monotheism. The three successful businesses are now united under a single brand: ZeusLending.com.

Zeus Founder and Chief Acceleration Officer Steven Kaufman says he consolidated all three financing businesses into a single organization to better serve the community of real estate buyers and investors who rely upon fast, no-hassle loans to conduct timely transactions.

Zeus Lending

"We realized incorporating all three into one, the overarching brand helps to streamline our business and reassure our customers that they will receive the same fast, reliable service from us no matter what kind of loan suits their needs best," Mr. Kaufman said.

The Fastest Real Estate Lender in America now has a name that better describes the breadth of its products. ZeusLending.com will continue to offer the same fast hard money loans, real estate crowdfunding opportunities, and traditional mortgages as before. Consolidating the company allows ZeusLending.com to focus on its greatest strength: solving customers' financing challenges with whichever kind of loan best meets their needs.

"ZeusLending.com will continue to be the best, fastest financing option for our customers," Mr. Kaufman said. "This new name simply allows us to offer them all the choices without wasting time thinking about product brands."

For more information about ZeusLending.com, please visit the company's new website at ZeusLending.com.

About ZeusLending.com

ZeusLending.com is the Fastest Real Estate Lender in America, dedicated to offering real estate borrowers a flexible financing option to suit every need. Founded by Chief Acceleration Officer and Finance Enthusiast Steven Kaufman, the company specializes in hard money loans, real estate crowdfunding opportunities, traditional and non-traditional mortgages and custom-tailored financing options that address a variety of unique transactions involving property acquisition, refinancing, discounted home buying, renovation projects, transitional properties, non-traditional borrowers, fix-and-flip projects, fix-and-hold projects, transactional financing, gap financing, and transactions requiring time-sensitive funding. For more information, please visit ZeusLending.com.

Contact

Kathy Bilyea, (713) 403-3866

ZeusLending.com

[email protected]

SOURCE ZeusLending.com

Related Links

https://zeuslending.com


REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Replicon, the Time IntelligenceTM company, is changing the way the payroll industry thinks about time--putting its unique Time Intelligence Platform on display at American Payroll Association's 36th Annual Congress this week in National Harbor, Maryland. The old ways of tracking time and attendance are outdated and ineffective; Replicon has introduced a new approach to better connect time to outcomes produced, optimizing operational efficiency and driving business growth. As part of this forward-thinking approach, Replicon will showcase its Global Time and Gross Pay Automation solution at the show, designed to help more global companies leverage time as their most strategic asset.

"Companies have made great strides in tracking financial and human resources in recent years, leveraging sophisticated data analytics to create teams out of complementary skill sets, and modern accounting practices to optimize tax and labor structures around the world. Yet their approach to time and attendance remains archaic and obsolete," said Raj Narayanaswamy, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Replicon. "Time Intelligence is more than a new solution; it completely changes the lens through which companies view time, connecting it more directly to business outcomes for unmatched productivity and profitability."

As part of its Time Intelligence Platform, Replicon's Global Time and Gross Pay Automation solution offers payroll and compliance professionals complete control of the source to gross process, streamlining payroll runs and improving visibility, accuracy, and control over workforce costs. Business can take care of additional complexities like job costing, work breakdown structures, complex pay rates, and more, simplifying the process of managing source to gross pay. With a prebuilt compliance library for more than 60 countries across the globe, Replicon is placed in a unique position to serve global businesses. Over-the-air updates, real-time monitoring of rules, and compliance dashboards make the compliance capabilities truly world-class. The added flexibility of the platform enables enterprises to handle requirements around collective bargaining and enterprise agreements.

At APA's 36th Annual Congress, Narayanaswamy will be taking part in a panel discussion workshop with Jon Clements of Deloitte, Hope Williams of the American Payroll Association, and Laurent Botella of Workday. This workshop will provide a high-level overview about the changing nature of time and attendance and how organizations need to think beyond punching in and out to manage time as a strategic asset. The session will take place Thursday, May 17th at 2:15pm.

Replicon is the platinum sponsor at the event and will be showcasing the latest AI-powered time and attendance capabilities on its Time Intelligence Platform. Replicon's customized, interactive demo will take place on Thursday, May 17th from 12:00pm-12:45pm in the Exhibitor Demo Suite. Replicon is also hosting the "License to Party" from 7:30pm-11:30pm. For more information, Replicon will be available in Booth #401 to talk about Time Intelligence.

About Replicon

Replicon, the Time Intelligence company, has over 20 years of industry leadership and is pioneering a new approach to time management. Time Intelligence elevates time as a strategic asset within an organization, to improve operational productivity, performance, and profitability. Replicon's Time Intelligence Platform offers solutions for global time and gross pay compliance, enterprise time management for ERP, business operations software for professional services, and an SDK for continued development - expanding the company's award-winning portfolio of cloud-based products, including complete solution sets for client billing, project costing, and time and attendance. Replicon supports thousands of customers across 70 countries, with over 400 employees around the globe including the United States, Canada, India, Australia, and the United Kingdom. To learn more, visit www.replicon.com.

Media Contact: Dan Capawana

Resound Marketing for Replicon

[email protected]

(609) 279-0050 x109

SOURCE Replicon

Related Links

http://replicon.com


WASHINGTON and OTTAWA, Ontario, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders (the Council) has announced recommendations for the fourth pillar of the Council's bilateral initiative, titled, "Increasing Women's Access to Capital." Investissement Quebec Board Chair Monique F. Leroux and Schnitzer Steel Industries President and CEO Tamara L. Lundgren are leading this effort, which lays out concrete recommendations for capital providers, the U.S. and Canadian governments, and female entrepreneurs to improve women entrepreneurs' access to capital.

"Matching capital with women entrepreneurs is not an intractable problem. The capital is there, it is the access that is missing," say Tamara Lundgren and Monique Leroux. "Our report sets forth common sense recommendations to improve access, which, coupled with commitment from stakeholders that already exists, will have a real impact on the ability of women to fund and grow their businesses."

The report stresses that there is a broad recognition that capital providers have not penetrated the female entrepreneurial market as well as they have the male entrepreneurial market. The report includes research that identifies barriers hindering female access to capital, as well as several innovative and pragmatic solutions for capital providers, women entrepreneurs and governments to implement, including:

For Capital Providers

Create and implement training protocols highlighting the potential of women-owned businesses and how best to interact with them

Increase the number of women in key roles, including senior leaders, client-facing, and those that influence the investment decision

Adopt clear, strong and relevant diversity policies

For Women Entrepreneurs

Determine whether scale is a realistic objective within current business plans

Re-evaluate risk tolerance for leverage

Consider benefits of partnerships, joint ventures or other forms of collaboration to achieve scale

For Governments

Canadian tax incentives to stimulate women entrepreneurship

Private leaders investing alongside governments

Preferred access to government tender processes

To read the full report: https://advancingwomeninbusiness.com/pillar-four

About the Council

The Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders comprises ten of the top female business executives in the United States and Canada. Their mandate is to develop recommendations that can reduce barriers that limit women's participation in business, support and develop women's professional advancement, and assist women in starting and scaling their businesses. Their mission is to increase the number of women business leaders and entrepreneurs, thereby contributing to the growth and competitiveness of both the U.S. and Canadian economies. The Council is an independent and autonomous group that makes recommendations to governments, when applicable. It is cochaired by Linda Hasenfratz, CEO of Linamar Corp., and Julie Sweet, CEO - North America Accenture.

www.advancingwomeninbusiness.com

Monique F. Leroux is Chair of the Board of Investissement Quebec. She is also Vice-Chairman and Strategic Advisor at Fiera Capital. In addition to being Former President and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group from 2008 to 2016, she also was President of the International Cooperative Alliance from 2015 to 2017. Ms. Leroux also serves as an independent board member for global companies such as Bell (BCE), Couche-Tard (ATD), Michelin (ML-France) and S&P Global. In April 2018, she co-chaired the B7 Summit and was also inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame this year.

Tamara Lundgren has been President and CEO of Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. since 2008. Prior to joining SSI, she was an investment banker and lawyer with 25 years of experience in the US and Europe. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and a member of the President's Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiation. She also currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Ryder System, Inc. and Parsons Corporation and is a member of the Business Roundtable, the Committee of 200 (the international organization of senior women business executives) and the President's Advisory Council of Wellesley College. Ms. Lundgren is a former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the US Chamber of Commerce, completing her term in 2015. She graduated from Wellesley College and received her law degree from the Northwestern University School of Law.

SOURCE The Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders

Related Links

http://www.advancingwomeninbusiness.com


"TrustArc offers deep expertise in helping organizations build and implement their privacy programs," said Mahmood Sher-Jan, CEO of RADAR, Inc. "RADAR complements TrustArc as the only proven solution used by Fortune enterprises to simplify compliance with complex breach notification requirements under U.S. and international regulations. No one vendor can do it all; together, this partnership gives our clients a unified data privacy and incident response solution to ensure they can manage compliance with global privacy and breach notifications laws."

"RADAR's incident response management solution is an ideal pairing with TrustArc's industry-leading privacy management platform. Together, we are delivering a superior solution to customers who operate under increasingly stringent global compliance requirements," said Chris Babel, CEO of TrustArc. "TrustArc has been at the forefront of the data privacy management market for two decades and with strategic partners like RADAR, we continue to ensure that our customers have access to the innovative technology both developed by TrustArc and our growing network of partners."

For more information on this partnership, visit www.trustarc.com/RADAR and www.radarfirst.com/partners.

About TrustArc

TrustArc is the leader in data privacy compliance and risk management solutions through its unmatched combination of innovative technology, expert consulting and TRUSTe certification solutions that together address all phases of privacy program management. The TrustArc Privacy Platform is the foundation for all of its solutions, delivering a flexible, scalable and secure way to manage privacy and comply with the global privacy regulations, including the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Refined over seven years of operating experience across a wide range of industries and client use cases, the TrustArc Privacy Platform is fortified by its in-depth services that leverage deep privacy expertise and proven methodologies that it has continuously enhanced over two decades and thousands of client projects. Headquartered in San Francisco, and backed by a global team, TrustArc helps over 1,000 clients worldwide demonstrate compliance, minimize risk and build trust. For more information, visit the TrustArc website, blog and LinkedIn.

About RADAR, Inc.

In today's world of increasingly complex and changing privacy regulations, cyber attacks, and data breaches, leading organizations trust RADAR, a patented SaaS-based incident response management platform that simplifies and streamlines compliance with U.S. and international data breach laws, including the EU GDPR. The RADAR Breach Guidance Engine automates the multi-factor incident risk assessment. It leads users through an intuitive workflow that profiles and scores data privacy and security incidents and generates incident-specific notification guidelines to help ensure compliance with data breach laws as well as contractual notice obligations. Fortune 100 companies and other organizations from heavily regulated industries in finance, healthcare, insurance, and beyond rely on RADAR for an efficient and consistent process for incident response. Learn more at www.radarfirst.com.

SOURCE TrustArc

Related Links

http://www.trustarc.com


IRVINE, Calif., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ubiquity, Inc. ("Ubiquity" or the "Company"), is a vertically integrated, technology-focused media company. Ubiquity's portfolio covers virtual, augmented, mixed and immersive reality as well as the Internet-of-Things.

Ubiquity Inc.

Since the departure by Chris Carmichael in late July, Ubiquity continues to push forward to re-structure the company. Chris Carmichael, who had originally been succeeded by Nick Mitsakos, returned to CEO in June of 2017 in an effort to assist the company in its financial filings. Carmichael resigned as Chairman and CEO in late July 2017 due to illness.

As previously reported, Robert Fernander stepped into the role as Chairman in August of 2017 and Brenden Garrison who had been running the company since Carmichael's absence, was named President and CEO in December 2017.

Robert ("Bob") is a seasoned business executive experienced in connecting new technologies to high growth markets who originally joined the Company's board of directors in April of 2017. "We expect Carmichael's vision and positive influence on the company to continue as we connect these emerging technologies to the consumer," stated Mr. Fernander. He continued to say, "I am looking forward to continuing Ubiquity's restructuring plan that Carmichael started to establish a clear strategy for revenue and growth."

Garrison who has played a major role in the Company's management since joining the company in 2006 and was officially named Chief Financial Officer in 2013 said, "I believe that the company will succeed in its restructuring efforts, as we take the groundwork laid by Carmichael in VR, AR, and Mixed Reality along with the innovative Sprocket to market," Garrison said.

About Ubiquity

Irvine, California, Ubiquity is a vertically integrated, technology-focused media company.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not descriptions of historical facts are forward-looking statements that are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology including "anticipates," "believes," "can," "continue," "could," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "should," "will," "would" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Contact:

(949) 489-7600

SOURCE Ubiquity Inc.
HONG KONG, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Union Bridge Holdings Limited (OTCQB: UGHL) ("Union Bridge" or the "Company"), through its subsidiary Phoenix Creation Global Limited ("Phoenix"), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with Beijing Yi Du Bai Shan Management Limited ("Yi Du") regarding development and operation of senior healthcare facilities in Beijing, China.

Yi Du, which was established in 2016, manages 11 home care centers in Beijing that provide care and services to seniors living at home and one senior skilled nursing facility that provides around 40 beds for the elderly in Beijing, with five other home care centers under construction. Yi Du plans to construct and manage 20 and 50 additional home care centers in Beijing in 2018 and 2019 respectively, subject to obtaining necessary government approvals. Subject to satisfactory due diligence and negotiation and execution of definitive agreements, Phoenix intends to acquire 85% of the shares of Yi Du.

Mr. Joseph Ho, Chief Executive Officer of Union Bridge, said, "Through the acquisition of a controlling interest in Yi Du, with its home care centers in Beijing, where the regulations are more mature and clearer than other cities in China, we would have an experienced team of professionals in the home care industry, which would help us to further expand that business in China in the future."

The Company also announced that it would not be further pursuing a transaction with Beijing Yi Yue Chong-En Elderly Care Investment Management Limited with respect to senior day care satellite centers under the previously announced MOU signed with them in February 2018.

Forward Looking Statements

This Press Release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, expectations, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements which are other than statements of historical facts. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "would," "expect," "plan," "project," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," or "think." Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include:

Our due diligence review of Yi Du and the various facilities may not be acceptable to us.

and the various facilities may not be acceptable to us. We may not be able to successfully negotiate definitive agreements for the acquisition.

We may not be able to obtain necessary financing for the acquisition on economic terms.

Yi Du may not be able to obtain all necessary government permits for future facilities.

may not be able to obtain all necessary government permits for future facilities. Yi Du may not be able to successfully operate the existing facilities or manage the development, construction and operation of future facilities.

Investors should carefully consider these risks and review the risk factor disclosure and other information, including the Company's financial statements and the notes thereto, set forth in the reports and other documents the Company files with the SEC available at www.sec.gov.

The Company assumes no duty to update or revise its forward-looking statements based on changes in plans or expectations or otherwise.

CONTACT: Jim Chim, +852-2468-3039, [email protected]

SOURCE Union Bridge Holdings Limited
WASHINGTON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S. 2372  the VA Mission Act  opening the door to the privatization of the country's largest health care system.

In response to the vote, and the future of the VA, American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox Sr. issued the following statement:

Members of the American Federation of Government Employees from Winston-Salem, N.C., protest proposals that would harm veterans' care.

"The VA Mission Act is a horrendous piece of legislation that will set the only health care system tailored to veterans on a path of total privatization. It's a broken promise to our nation's veterans and imperils the future of their health care.

"We elected our members of Congress to protect veterans, but S. 2372 is an abdication of that responsibility. Instead of deciding how to improve VA hospitals and medical centers, Congress is passing the buck. Now, an unaccountable, private, corporate-style commission will have the power to decide which facilities to close, which to repair, and which to build.

"We already know that 92 percent of veterans want to see the VA invested in, 80 percent don't want vouchers, and only 13 percent of private providers are even capable of treating veterans. The VA Mission Act blows past those facts to push veterans out in to the unaccountable private, for-profit system and it's clear why  money.

"For years, special interest groups have tried to dismantle the VA so they could make a buck off the backs of veterans, and now they're closer than ever. It's a disgrace, and we must stop them from pushing veterans out of the health care system they want and need to stand in longer lines at underqualified private providers.

"We as a country made a solemn promise to the men and women who signed up to serve our country. And despite what Congress seems to think, it was not to force veterans into for-profit, walk-in clinics. It was to provide a comprehensive health care system created for their unique needs.

"The VA needs help, there is no doubt about that. To date, there are: more than 49,000 unfilled positions nationwide, a fraudulent Choice program that is robbing taxpayers of millions of dollars, and a serious leadership void at the second largest agency in the country. But instead of focusing on any of these priorities  which will result in veterans receiving their care faster and without creditors hounding them  Congress has put forth a plan that takes a monumental step toward privatization.

"After President Trump fired then-Secretary David Shulkin, Dr. Shulkin wrote about warring factions within the administration attempting to privatize the VA. Now we can see pro-privatizers are winning that war with the VA Mission Act one step closer to becoming law.

"We are calling on our members and concerned citizens of the community to call their members of Congress and tell them to vote 'NO' on S. 2372, and hope those in Congress who support veterans will step up before it's too late."

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 700,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia, including 250,000 at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

For the latest AFGE news and information, visit the AFGE Media Center. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.



SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees

Related Links

http://www.afge.org


HANGZHOU, China, May 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Venus Medtech announced that it has entered into a definitive investment agreement with DCP Capital. The investment will be used by Venus Medtech to accelerate the upgrading and internationalization of existing valve products, support the company to rapidly enter into the clinical research stage for its new mitral/tricuspid valve disease treatment technology, and lay a solid foundation for the company to comprehensively enter the international heart valve market.

Together with a growing economy and an aging population, the incidence of senile calcific aortic valve disease is on the rise and will soon become the main cause of valvular disease in China. At present, surgical procedures for aortic valve replacement (SAVR) are widely used but the risk of surgical trauma is high and the postoperative recovery is slow. Most of the older patients are unable to tolerate such surgery. After 16 years of rapid development, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) technology has gradually become the mainstream treatment for aortic valve disease in the world. According to current indications, there are at least 500,000 patients in China who have TAVR indications and the majority of them are not admitted to hospital for treatment. In addition to aortic valve disease, mitral and tricuspid valve diseases are also common valvular heart diseases. It is estimated that patients with severe Mitral Regurgitation (MR) and Tricuspid Regurgitation (TR) number over 10 million in China but the rate of surgical treatment is less than 2%. The therapeutic market in this area is particularly promising.

Venus Medtech has been cultivating the research, development and commercialization of medical devices for heart valve disease for many years. The company has more than 300 patents of valve technology worldwide and has formed a complete and strict protection of intellectual property rights. The company's first generation TAVR product, VenusA-Valve percutaneous interventional aortic valve system, is the first interventional prosthetic valve product approved by China Food and Drug Administration in April 2017, which created a new era of interventional cardiology in China and became an example of high-end innovative medical devices created in China.

Venus Medtech has a deep and comprehensive position in the field of heart valve disease treatment. VenusP-Valve, a transcatheter pulmonary valve product, is the first self-expanding pulmonary valve in the world and it has completed 178 implantations in 27 centers in nearly 20 countries and regions. The company's China registration research has also been completed and the EU registration research will be completed soon. It is expected that China and Europe will approve its listing in 2019. In addition, Venus Medtech will use this new investment to accelerate the development of mitral and tricuspid valve replacement devices. It is expected that it will enter the clinical trial stage in 2019 and it will accumulate a lasting development momentum for the growth of the heart valve business after 5 years.

Eric Zi, Co-founder and CEO of Venus Medtech said: "We are extremely excited to have DCP as our long-term value-added partner. This cooperation will benefit from the DCP team's 25 years of successful investment experience in China led by Mr. David Liu. In particular, we hope to leverage DCP's significant investment / acquisition experience, and its portfolio management capabilities to accelerate Venus Medtech's expansion."

"DCP is delighted to have the opportunity to invest into Venus Medtech," said David Liu, Executive Chairman of DCP. "We are extremely impressed with the company's outstanding management team, strong technological capabilities and deep industry knowledge. We look forward to fully utilizing our network and expertise to help Venus Medtech to grow into the next phase of development."

"Venus Medtech is led by a management team with global vision and strong sense of social responsibility and we are honored to partner with such a company to help it grow to a global medical device player," added Wayne Wang, Managing Director of DCP.

The proceeds will be invested in Venus Medtech's R&D, production, and sales network expansion to fuel the company's rapid development.

Haoyue Capital was the exclusive financial advisor in this transaction.

About Venus Medtech:

Venus Medtech is a leading heart valve developer in China. The firm, located in Hangzhou National Hi-tech Development Zone, focuses on the research and development of internationally advanced artificial cardiovascular valve systems with commercial applications and has succeeded in developing such products both in China and around the world.

Venus Medtech is fully dedicated to research and development and has twice been the first to pioneer the production of models for new valve systems: the pre-loading transcatheter valve system and the self-expanding transcatheter pulmonary valve system (VenusP-Valve). Since 2013, Venus Medtech has received investments from Qiming Venture Partners, Sequoia China and Goldman Sachs.

For additional information visit http://en.venusmedtech.com

About DCP:

DCP Capital ("DCP") is a leading Greater China focused private equity firm. The DCP team previously led KKR and Morgan Stanley's private equity business in China, with an outstanding long-term track record across multiple cycles. Over the past 25 years, the DCP team has led a number of successful transactions and nurtured numerous industry leaders, such as Ping An Insurance (Group) Company Of China, China Mengniu Dairy Co, Qingdao Haier Co, China International Capital Corp, China Modern Dairy Holdings, United Envirotech, China Cord Blood Corp, Fujian Sunner Development Co, Far East Horizon, Hengan Group, Belle International Holdings, Fujian Nanping Nanfu Battery Co, COFCO Meat Holdings, Yongle Appliance, Asia Dairy, Uxin Group, Tarena International Inc. Combining its global investment perspective and extensive local network, the DCP team has accumulated deep industry knowledge and strong operational capabilities. As a long-term value investor, DCP is committed to building long-term, win-win partnerships with portfolio companies and help support value creation initiatives.

SOURCE Venus Medtech (Hangzhou) Inc.
The funds raised will be used by SLG to support commercialization of its offering as well as to grow its technology, sales and marketing teams.

"SLG is driving innovation in employee benefits that hasn't been seen since the emergence of the 401K decades ago. With 70 percent of the emerging workforce saddled with student loans, it is incumbent on employers to empower the current and future workforce generations to succeed in the market, unencumbered by the high cost and burden of debt," said Michael Nugent, Managing Director, Vestigo Ventures. "SLG fits within Vestigo's mission to finance fintech companies focused on worksite management. We are especially impressed with the management team and its actionable go-to-market strategy to bring SLG's products and services to major companies nationwide."

In 2017 there were 44 million Americans with $1.4 trillion in student loan debt and that number is expected to rise to 75 million employees and $3 trillion by 2027. SLG enables HR teams to recruit and retain the best talent by offering a student loan repayment benefit. Today major companies like New York Life, Ralph Lauren and Mastercard offer SLG to differentiate themselves in a competitive marketplace.

"In an environment made up of the most educated workforce to-date with the current high employment rate, organizations are becoming keenly aware of the difficulty retaining their best people," said Matt Beecher, CEO of Student Loan Genius. "This new funding validates Student Loan Genius' mission and efforts to enable companies to retain their top talent in an increasingly competitive workforce through unique benefits, like student loan payments, that meet their employee's needs."

About Vestigo

Vestigo Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts that invests in financial technology (fintech) companies. The Firm was founded by David Blundin, founder and chairman of Cogo Labs, Mark Casady, former CEO and chairman of LPL Financial, and Managing Directors Ian Sheridan and Mike Nugent. Vestigo has identified four areas of concentration: market structure, operations solutions, worksite management and personal wealth. Learn more at www.vestigoventures.com.

About Student Loan Genius

Student Loan Genius is an employee benefits platform that gives employers a cutting-edge in attracting and retaining top talent by offering financial management tools, unbiased advice and employer contributions. Companies of all sizes, including New York Life, Ralph Lauren, Mastercard, and Pinterest offer SLG benefits to differentiate themselves in a competitive marketplace. SLG is on a mission to help companies keep their best people. For more information, visit www.studentloangenius.com or follow us at @MySLGenius.

SOURCE Vesitgo Ventures

Related Links

http://www.vestigoventures.com


Key figures:

Approximately 300 exhibitors from 13 countries and regions including Australia , Finland , Germany , Hong Kong region, India , Japan , Korea, Mainland China, Poland , Sri Lanka , Taiwan region, Thailand and Turkey ;

, , , region, , , Korea, Mainland China, , , region, and ; The top 10 sources of buyers (excluding mainland China ) were:

1. Hong Kong region 6. Myanmar 2. India 7. the United States 3. Taiwan region 8. Korea 4. Malaysia 9. Indonesia 5. Russian Federation 10. Singapore and Mauritius

Mainland Chinese visitors totalled 10,663 from 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of mainland China . The top 5 sources of local visitors were Guangdong first, followed by Zhejiang , Shandong , Fujian , and Shanghai , which ranked fifth.

The large number of local visitors not only speaks well of UBM Asia's efforts to bring in sophisticated jewellery traders, including high-end jewellery retailers, and private collectors from China but also of the resilience of China's jewellery market.

"Despite what we hear about millennials' preference for luxury handbags and travel in lieu of jewellery, the 31-percent increase in our visitor numbers shows there remains a large group of people in this Instagram era who are eager to embrace a luxury lifestyle where exquisite jewellery plays a role. The Shenzhen Jewellery Fair provides these buyers with an unmatched opportunity to buy quality jewellery from esteemed international jewellers," said Teddy Tan, Event Manager - China Jewellery Fairs.

Other Asian markets - Hong Kong and India - followed mainland China as the second and third sources of the most number of visitors, respectively. The United States had the highest representation from North and South America, whilst EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) was led by the Russian Federation.

The fair's approximately 300 local and overseas exhibitors from 13 countries and regions were also very satisfied with the turnout. Many noted an increase in on-the-spot transactions and walk-up traffic from people who wanted to learn more about their business. Exhibitors also expressed appreciation for the significant investments the fair organizer made to create a visually appealing and engaging customer experience.

One of these innovations was the Brand Village, where leading companies had the opportunity to showcase their image and latest collections to a large number of current and potential customers. Brand Village integrated new branding and product series, innovative materials and technologies, trendy and leading concepts, and inspiring business models. Chow Tai Fook T Mark, Swarovski Professional, Shanghai Laomiao Jewelry Co Ltd, Cmoy Jade, King Kai Fook Jewellery and Shenzhen Kaiente Jewellery Co Ltd were amongst the leading brands participating this year.

The participation of homegrown talents in the newly minted Designer Pavilion was also warmly welcomed. The debut of the Designer Pavilion at this edition reflected the fair's "Jewellery Resources China 2018" theme and also paid tribute to Shenzhen's vibrant jewellery design and manufacturing heritage.

The Designer Pavilion's launch was made possible with the cooperation of the Shenzhen Jewellery Designers Association. "Great works from individual designers in the pavilion gave buyers a glimpse into what made Shenzhen the jewellery hub that it is today," added Mr. Tan.

Another major development that turned heads at the fair was the unmanned jewellery convenience store, which enabled consumers to try and buy pieces of jewellery in an unmanned space. The innovation gave buyers an alternative and novel way to enjoy jewellery shopping. All a buyer needed to do was scan a QR code to open the door to the unmanned booth, and once inside, she could inspect or try on the jewellery, select the desired product and scan the QR code again to pay. The door opened after payment was made.

What's more, the China Jewellery Market Summit 2018 featured networking opportunities and seminars that provided crucial insights into future industry advances, emerging trends and regulations. Most importantly, they helped create new business opportunities for participants.

With the Shenzhen Jewellery Fair exhibitors now back to their offices to personally follow up on sales leads from the event or provide customers with support, Mr. Tan is already planning the next edition of the Fair. For a dynamic organization such as UBM Asia, Shenzhen Jewellery Fair 2019 will likely debut new features yet again that enhance the trade show experience and deliver real added value.

Mr. Tan also highlighted the perfect fit between Shenzhen - the city and the host - and fair organizer UBM Asia: "With more than 4,000 jewellery companies calling Shenzhen their home base, the city is the ideal host for the China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair. It has the talent, know-how and infrastructure to serve the members of the global jewellery industry, whilst UBM Asia has a powerful database of serious buyers, a team of experts and professionals and a solid industry reputation," said Mr. Tan.

He concluded, "UBM Asia fairs offer what very few trade shows can - expertise in closing the gap between jewellery, gemstone and diamond manufacturers and distributing channels. This means low prices for buyers, and opportunities for high profit margins for our participants."

Shenzhen Jewellery Fair's 2019 edition will be held in April 2019 at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center.

UBM Global Jewellery Events Calendar 2018

Exhibitions Dates Venue Mainland China China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair  Shanghai 7 - 10 December 2018 Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair  Shenzhen April 2019 Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center Hong Kong region



June Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair 21 - 24 June 2018 Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair  September Edition 12 - 15 September 2018 AsiaWorld-Expo - Hong Kong September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair 12 - 16 September 2018 14 - 18 September 2018 AsiaWorld-Expo - Hong Kong Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair  March Edition 27 February - 2 March 2019 AsiaWorld-Expo - Hong Kong Taiwan region Taiwan Jewellery & Gem Fair 2 - 5 November 2018 Taipei World Trade Center Japan Japan Jewellery Fair 28 - 30 August 2018 Tokyo Big Sight Exhibition Center India Hyderabad Jewellery, Pearl & Gem Fair 22 - 24 June 2018 HICC, Novotel - Hyderabad Delhi Jewellery & Gem Fair 29 September - 1 October 2018 Pragati Maidan - Delhi Gem & Jewellery India International Exhibition 8 - 10 March 2019 Chennai Trade Centre Kolkata Jewellery & Gem Fair 6 - 8 April 2019 Milan Mela Complex - Kolkata Singapore Singapore Jewellery & Gem Fair 26 - 29 October 2018 Marina Bay Sands Middle East Jewellery Arabia Bahrain 20 - 24 November 2018 The Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre Turkey Istanbul Jewelry Show II 11 - 14 October 2018 CNR Expo Center - Istanbul Istanbul Jewelry Show I 21 - 24 March 2019 CNR Expo Center - Istanbul Russian Federation JUNWEX New Russian Style 23 - 27 May 2018 All-Russian Exhibition Centre - Moscow JUNWEX Moscow, JUNWEX Watch 26 - 30 September 2018 All-Russian Exhibition Centre - Moscow JUNWEX St. Petersburg 30 January - 3 February 2019 EXPOFORUM - St. Petersburg

For exhibiting details, please contact: Sales Department, Jewellery Fairs, UBM China (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. Tel: (86) 20 8666 0158 Fax: (86) 20 8667 7120 E-mail: [email protected] For visiting details, please contact: Visitor Promotion Department, Jewellery Fairs, UBM China (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. Tel: (86) 20 8667 2808 Fax: (86) 20 8667 7120 E-mail: [email protected] www.JewelleryNet.com



Notes to Editors:

About UBM Asia's jewellery fairs (www.JewelleryNet.com)

UBM Asia, organiser of the most professional international jewellery fairs globally, offers opportunities to the world's jewellery trade. UBM Asia's jewellery fairs attract over 100,000 trade buyers and over 10,000 exhibitors from around the world. The September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, with over 3,690 exhibitors and around 59,000 visitors, is the world's number one fine jewellery event. The June Fair is Asia's biggest mid-year international jewellery fair. UBM Asia also organises jewellery fairs in Shenzhen and Shanghai in mainland China; Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata in India; Japan; Turkey; Singapore; Taiwan region; Bahrain in the Middle East and in Moscow and St Petersburg in the Russian Federation.

About UBM Asia (http://www.ubm.com/)



Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is the largest events organiser in Asia, India and SE Asia. We are also the leading commercial organiser in China. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global presence in 25 major cities with 31 offices and over 1,600 employee.

With a track record spanning over 30 years, UBM Asia operates in 11 market sectors with over 290 events, 28 targeted trade publications, 18 round-the-clock online products for over 2,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world. We provide a one-stop diversified global service for high-value business matching, quality market news and online trading networks.

Appendix

16th China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair  Shenzhen



A. Breakdown of Visitors





Number of visitors from mainland China 10,663 94.2% Number of visitors from overseas, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao regions 656 5.8% Total number of registered visitors 11,319 100%

B. Breakdown of Total Visits (including revisits)





Number of visits from mainland China 11,498 93.5% Number of visits from overseas, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao regions 801 6.5% Total number of visits 12,299 100%

C. Visitors came from 78 countries and regions

1 Afghanistan 27 Yemen (Rep of) 53 Switzerland 2 Australia 28 Algeria 54 Turkey 3 Bangladesh 29 Angola 55 UK 4 British Indian Ocean Territory 30 Benin 56 Ukraine 5 India 31 Central African Republic 57 Uzbekistan (Rep of) 6 Indonesia 32 Chad 58 Anguilla 7 Japan 33 Ethiopia 59 Antigua and Barbuda 8 Korea 34 Guinea (Rep of) 60 Argentina 9 Malaysia 35 Kenya 61 Brazil 10 Mongolia 36 Liberia 62 Cayman Islands 11 Myanmar 37 Zambia 63 Chile 12 Nepal 38 Albania 64 Colombia 13 Pakistan 39 Andorra 65 Costa Rica 14 Singapore 40 Belgium 66 Ecuador 15 Sri Lanka 41 Bosnia and Herzegovina 67 Mexico 16 Mainland China 42 France 68 Paraguay 17 Thailand 43 Germany 69 Uruguay 18 Vietnam 44 Hungary 70 Venezuela 19 Bahrain 45 Italy 71 Canada 20 Egypt 46 Kazakhstan 72 USA 21 Palestine 47 Netherlands 73 Mauritius 22 Iran 48 Poland 74 Tuvalu 23 Israel 49 Portugal 75 Wake Island 24 Lebanon 50 Russian Federation 76 Hong Kong region 25 Qatar (State of) 51 Slovak Republic (Slovakia) 77 Taiwan region 26 United Arab Emirates 52 Spain 78 Macao region

D. Mainland China's visitors came from 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities





1 INNER MONGOLIA 12 TIANJIN 23 GUIZHOU 2 SHANXI 13 ZHEJIANG 24 YUNNAN 3 HEBEI 14 JIANGXI 25 SHANXI 4 BEIJING 15 FUJIAN 26 GANSU 5 LIAONING 16 HUNAN 27 NINGXIA 6 JILIN 17 HUBEI 28 QINGHAI 7 HEILONGJIANG 18 HENAN 29 XINJIANG 8 SHANGHAI 19 GUANGDONG 30 TIBET 9 JIANGSU 20 GUANGXI 31 CHONGQING 10 ANHUI 21 HAINAN



11 SHANDONG 22 SICHUAN





E. Breakdown of Exhibitors (by country and region)







Country and region Number of Exhibitor(s) 1 Australia 2 2 Finland 1 3 Germany 1 4 Hong Kong region 24 5 India 1 6 Japan 5 7 Korea 9 8 Mainland China 213 9 Poland 3 10 Sri Lanka 5 11 Taiwan region 1 12 Thailand 3 13 Turkey 1 Grand Total 269

SOURCE UBM China (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd

Related Links

http://www.ubm.com


Algerias 81-year old ailing president has made a rare public appearance on a wheelchair looking wearier unable to speak or move at a time his advocates start an early campaign to prepare the public opinion for his fifth term.

Bouteflika who visited the construction site of Algiers Great Mosque prayed on his wheelchair in a television footage.

The project, which he launched, is running behind schedule with estimates of construction firms that the project will be ready in 2020 at best.

The giant mosque that is being built to stand as a hallmark of Bouteflikas legacy has come to represent all that is wrong with financial governance in Algeria.

The monument is becoming a symbol of misallocated funds at a time Algeria adopts austerity measures to curb the impact of the slump in oil prices, the countrys main source of revenue.

Besides financial challenges, a set of technical issues are also casting doubt on the resilience of the Algerian mosques minaret to earthquakes.

These concerns are fed by Algerias location sitting astride two major plates regularly hit by earthquakes, especially along the Mediterranean coast.

The fund-consuming mosque raises the issue of graft in Algerias infrastructure projects. Algerias East-West highway project worth $13 billion is one of the most expensive in the world due to several graft scandals involving local officials and foreign firms.

The highway mushroomed into a major scandal as it ran into repeated delays because of corruption investigations.

In another graft scandal involving foreign suppliers, a group of former top officials from the Algerian state oil company Sonatrach were indicted on corruption charges.
BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Webroot, the Smarter Cybersecurity company, revealed results from its new global report, "Data Privacy and Regulation: The Worldwide Race to Comply." In light of new data privacy legislations, the report looks at how businesses in the U.S., U.K., and Australia are adjusting to new data security measures in order to meet compliance requirements.

Specifically, the report measures organizations' readiness to comply with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which will take effect May 25, 2018, and Australia's Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) which came into effect on February 22, 2018. The results reveal that almost all (95 percent) of IT decision makers (ITDMs) surveyed agree that there will be fewer data breaches as a direct result of stronger data protection policies.

Explore the Results: Webroot.com/GDPR

Key Global Findings and Analysis:

Organizations stick close to home when it comes to gathering and using personal information . Almost all (99 percent) of U.K. ITDMs compile data from within the European Union, similarly to those in Australia (99 percent) and the U.S. (100 percent) who pull personal information from customers within their own countries.

. Almost all (99 percent) of U.K. ITDMs compile data from within the European Union, similarly to those in (99 percent) and the U.S. (100 percent) who pull personal information from customers within their own countries. ITDMs in the U.S. reveal they are behind in both GDPR and NDB compliance, with a total of only 12 percent saying they are currently compliant, whereas nearly all (99 percent) of U.K. businesses claim to be GDPR compliant and a majority (89 percent) of Australian businesses claim to be NDB compliant.

with a total of only 12 percent saying they are currently compliant, whereas nearly all (99 percent) of U.K. businesses claim to be GDPR compliant and a majority (89 percent) of Australian businesses claim to be NDB compliant. Confidence levels are high across the board. The majority (96 percent) of ITDMs feel confident that their fellow employees are equipped to comply with GDPR or NDB. Surprisingly, 78 percent of U.S. ITDMs indicate they are very confident, compared to the U.K. at 15 percent and Australia at 19 percent.

The majority (96 percent) of ITDMs feel confident that their fellow employees are equipped to comply with GDPR or NDB. Surprisingly, 78 percent of U.S. ITDMs indicate they are very confident, compared to the U.K. at 15 percent and at 19 percent. UK ITDMs are less confident than those in the U.S. and Australia about their ability to provide all information on EU citizens within one month of request. U.S. ITDMs (83 percent) say they are very confident, significantly more than their U.K. (18 percent) and Australian (50 percent) counterparts. However, a total of 95 percent have some level of confidence in their ability to meet this request.

U.S. ITDMs (83 percent) say they are very confident, significantly more than their U.K. (18 percent) and Australian (50 percent) counterparts. However, a total of 95 percent have some level of confidence in their ability to meet this request. All ITDMs report that their organization will be training their employees on GDPR and NDB regulations, however only half (53 percent) of companies worldwide have already completed training for GDPR, and less than one fifth (19 percent) have completed training for NDB.

Key Quote:

Megan Shields, Data Protection Officer, Webroot

"While it doesn't come as much of a surprise that each respective country is focused on its own citizens' data, organizations have to remember that in a global marketplace, their business impacts citizens beyond their own borders. We're focused on offering our managed service partners solutions such as user training and endpoint protection to comply with the global regulations aimed at keeping data safe."

Advice for Businesses:

Know your data. You must know what personal data your organization has, where it's stored, and in what systems. Regularly schedule audits and allocate resources for this work.

You must know what personal data your organization has, where it's stored, and in what systems. Regularly schedule audits and allocate resources for this work. Delete. Make sure any data you do not need is deleted securely. There are legal requirements for maintaining certain types of data, but when data retention is not required, disposing of it helps reduce risk.

Make sure any data you do not need is deleted securely. There are legal requirements for maintaining certain types of data, but when data retention is not required, disposing of it helps reduce risk. Communicate. With any process change, effective communication is essential. Proper internal communications with employees and external communications with suppliers will help make them aware of changes and give them time to amend their own processes.

With any process change, effective communication is essential. Proper internal communications with employees and external communications with suppliers will help make them aware of changes and give them time to amend their own processes. Assess. When auditing personal data processes in relation GDPR and NDB, consider if a privacy impact assessment is required.

When auditing personal data processes in relation GDPR and NDB, consider if a privacy impact assessment is required. Comply. If there is a security breach within your organization, follow the rules outlined by GDPR and NDB. Under these regulations, it's essential to be transparent and inform affected individuals within the specified timeline.

Additional Resources:

Report Methodology:

Commissioned by Webroot and issued in conjunction with Wakefield Research, the survey was conducted among 600 IT decision makers at mid-sized businesses with 100 to 499 employees in three countries: U.S., U.K., and Australia, between March 15 and March 26, 2018.

About Webroot

Webroot was the first to harness the cloud and artificial intelligence to protect businesses and individuals against cyber threats. We provide the number one security solution for managed service providers and small businesses, who rely on Webroot for endpoint protection, network protection, and security awareness training. Webroot BrightCloud Threat Intelligence Services are used by market leading companies like Cisco, F5 Networks, Citrix, Aruba, Palo Alto Networks, A10 Networks, and more. Leveraging the power of machine learning to protect millions of businesses and individuals, Webroot secures the connected world. Headquartered in Colorado, Webroot operates globally across North America, Europe, and Asia. Discover Smarter Cybersecurity solutions at webroot.com.

Social Media: Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook

2018 Webroot Inc. All rights reserved. Webroot, SecureAnywhere, Webroot SecureAnywhere, Webroot BrightCloud, BrightCloud, and Smarter Cybersecurity are trademarks or registered trademarks of Webroot Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

SOURCE Webroot

Related Links

http://www.webroot.com


WASHINGTON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Monday, May 7, WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease hosted its 18th annual Wenger Awards. Each year, the Wenger Awards honor those who have made extraordinary contributions to women's cardiovascular health. Honorees Rep. Debbie Dingell, (D-MI), Dr. Roxana Mehran, Chandra Wilson, and Dr. Clyde Yancy were honored Monday evening at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. and actor Lamman Rucker served as the Master of Ceremonies.

The Wenger Awards are named for Nanette Kass Wenger, MD, a pioneer in women's cardiovascular medicine and research. This year's theme was "Fighting for Every Heart," as heart disease does not discriminate against age, race, or socioeconomic status. We are all in the fight together, and this year's honorees continue to fight tirelessly to highlight the need for more research, advocacy, and education for women with heart disease.

"We are thrilled with the turnout of this year's Wenger Awards," said WomenHeart CEO Mary McGowan. "The energy and inspiration radiating in the Mellon Auditorium breathed a new energy into all of us advocates for women's heart health. I was overcome by the uplifting speeches, powerful stories, and renewed sense of our missionproviding support to the millions of women nationwide with or at risk for heart disease."

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, though only about half of all women are aware of this fact. With 1 in 4 women dying every year from heart disease, it is crucial to raise awareness and understand the differences in heart disease between men and women.

The Awards honored the following people for their extraordinary contributions to women's heart health:

Excellence in Media Award Chandra Wilson  The actress, director, and philanthropist best known for her portrayal of Dr. Miranda Bailey on ABC's Grey's Anatomy received this award for her commitment to improving the lives of women with heart disease through her work in television. With millions of viewers watching, Wilson served as an empowering female figure advocating persistently for her own heart health. "It is my privilege to portray Dr. Miranda Bailey and her journey with heart health. Any opportunity that I get to raise women's awareness regarding advocating for their own health, is time and energy well spent." Chandra Wilson





The actress, director, and philanthropist best known for her portrayal of Dr. on ABC's received this award for her commitment to improving the lives of women with heart disease through her work in television. With millions of viewers watching, Wilson served as an empowering female figure advocating persistently for her own heart health. "It is my privilege to portray Dr. and her journey with heart health. Any opportunity that I get to raise women's awareness regarding advocating for their own health, is time and energy well spent." Chandra Wilson Excellence in Public Service AwardThe Honorable Debbie Dingell (D-MI) The Congresswoman received this award for her tireless work advocating for access to care, patient protections, and essential health benefits for women with heart disease. "For too long, diseases in women have been treated differently than in men. WomenHeart has done critical work to ensure that every woman has equal access to the healthcare, education, treatment and prevention that can save her life. Dr. Wenger is a true champion and trailblazer for women's heart health, bringing critical awareness and resources to educate women of their risk of heart disease. Her work is saving women's lives, and it's an honor to be recognized with an award in her name." Congresswoman Debbie Dingell .





The Congresswoman received this award for her tireless work advocating for access to care, patient protections, and essential health benefits for women with heart disease. "For too long, diseases in women have been treated differently than in men. WomenHeart has done critical work to ensure that every woman has equal access to the healthcare, education, treatment and prevention that can save her life. Dr. Wenger is a true champion and trailblazer for women's heart health, bringing critical awareness and resources to educate women of their risk of heart disease. Her work is saving women's lives, and it's an honor to be recognized with an award in her name." Congresswoman . Excellence in Medical Leadership AwardDr. Roxana Mehran The academician, clinician, researcher, and internationally renowned influencer in the field of interventional cardiovascular disease received this award for her work co-founding the Women in Innovations initiative, which focuses on mentoring the next generation of female interventional cardiologists to reduce gender disparity in cardiovascular care. "Dr. Nanette Wenger is a role model of mine and to so many in the field of cardiology. I am humbled to be considered along with the others who have received this award over the years, and know there is ever more we can do together to advance the treatment of women with cardiovascular disease." Dr. Roxana Mehran .





The academician, clinician, researcher, and internationally renowned influencer in the field of interventional cardiovascular disease received this award for her work co-founding the Women in Innovations initiative, which focuses on mentoring the next generation of female interventional cardiologists to reduce gender disparity in cardiovascular care. "Dr. is a role model of mine and to so many in the field of cardiology. I am humbled to be considered along with the others who have received this award over the years, and know there is ever more we can do together to advance the treatment of women with cardiovascular disease." Dr. . Excellence in Medical Research AwardDr. Clyde YancyChief of Cardiology at Northwestern University , Feinberg School of Medicine, and Associate Director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital received this award for his commitment to identifying differences in cardiac treatment by sex/race/ethnicity and working to improve diagnosis and treatment in African Americans with heart disease. "The conviction of WomenHeart to endorse the efforts of all of the honorees generates a sense of deep gratitude and offers a catalyst for more research, education, and advocacy. But to do so with the namesake of Dr. Wenger and the grace, dignity, and courage that she portrays defines a career moment." Dr. Clyde Yancy

For more information about the Wenger awards, please visit http://bit.ly/Wenger2018.

WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is the nation's only patient centered organization serving the nearly 48 million American women living with or at risk for heart diseasethe leading cause of death in women. Donate or visit us online at www.womenheart.org

SOURCE WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease

Related Links

http://www.womenheart.org


BEIJING, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The House-Sharing Association, the world's first exchange and research committee in the industry, was established on May 15 in Beijing by Xiaozhu.com, Airbnb China and the State Information Center of China National Development and Reform Commission. The association officially released "House-Sharing Industry Advocacy" and initiated the development of house-sharing industry standards.

The association calls on house-sharing companies to work with Chinese government for legal regulation; take trust and safety as core industry value, ensure users' personal and property safety, enhance privacy and personal information protection, innovate and advance smart check-in and safety management system; create fair and benign competition atmosphere, proactively resist improper competition behaviors, firmly reject unsustainable malignant competition behaviors like money-burning and subsidies; and gradually promote standardization and normalization of service process, quality control and dispute processing, actively work with government agencies to clarify right-responsibility relationship among vendors, landlords and tenants. The Advocacy calls on the government to explore regulation and services like reporting and registration in line with the characteristics of house-sharing industry on the basis of encouraging innovation, inclusiveness and discretion.

The association also initiated the development of China's first house-sharing industry standards. Referring to the practice of Xiaozhu.com and Airbnb in data security, trading rules, credit system and risk control, the team will work with relevant experts to produce a standard document regulating house-sharing companies. The standard is expected to be released by the end of 2018.

Xu Changming, deputy director of the State Information Center, said he hopes the association to play a role in driving Chinese government's regulation of house-sharing industry and become a platform for all stake holders in the industry to exchange thoughts and ideas.

Chen Chi, CEO of Xiaozhu.com, called for companies to take bigger responsibility to drive the sharing of industry data and blacklists. He also mentioned that Xiaozhu.com has put into use of the latest smart door lock system with built-in face recognition and various other smart technologies to work with the police system and further enhance users' personal and property safety.

SOURCE Xiaozhu.com
BEIJING, China, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi Biologics (2269.HK), a leading global open-access biologics technology platform company, offering end-to-end solutions for biologics discovery, development and manufacturing, today announced that it is to build an integrated biologics development, clinical and commercial manufacturing center in the city of Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province in northern China.

The new state-of-the-art biologics center will include process development labs, clinical manufacturing facility (MFG9) with 5,000 L bioreactor capacity and commercial manufacturing facility (MFG8) with 48,000 L bioreactor capacity which will be built to meet cGMP standards of the United States, the European Union, and China. Besides serving global clients, the new integrated center will also support Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) system in China and address urgent needs of Chinese partners. Initial phase of the center will be operational in 2020.

"We are very pleased to establish the largest biologics center in northern China, which will enable local companies to more effectively develop and manufacture biologics and in the meantime provide a robust supply chain network for our global clients. This expansion will allow us great access to local talents, markets and government support," said Dr. Chris Chen, Chief Executive Officer of WuXi Biologics. "With this investment and current 161 biologics programs that WuXi Biologics will manufacture, we will quickly and cost effectively expand our manufacturing capacity to meet our partners' needs and become one of the global CMO leaders."

About WuXi Biologics

WuXi Biologics, a Hong Kong-listed company, is the only open-access biologics technology platform in the world offering end-to-end solutions to empower organizations to discover, develop and manufacture biologics from concept to commercial manufacturing. Our company history and achievements demonstrate our commitment to providing a truly ONE-stop service offering and value proposition to our global clients. For more information on WuXi Biologics, please visit www.wuxibiologics.com.

SOURCE WuXi Biologics

Related Links

http://www.wuxibiologics.com


HAMBURG, Germany, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Effective immediately, Bauer Media Group will simplify the reporting structure of its Publishing Business and introduce global responsibilities for Radio, New Business and Online Comparison Platforms (OCP). The Publishing Business in continental Europe will report to Jorg Hausendorf. He will also supervise a newly created global production and printing function. Veit Dengler will assume responsibility for Radio and OCP in addition to his current accountabilities for the Publishing Businesses in UK, USA and Australia/New Zeeland as well as New Business. Witold Wozniak will leave the company after an outstanding career with Bauer.

The organizational adjustment will improve the efficiency of management processes by more integration and better collaboration in particular in the Publishing area, foster the development of new businesses and enable a stronger management focus on the company's relatively new areas Radio and OCP.

Witold Wozniak, who has served Bauer Media Group since 1999, will leave the company due to different opinions on the development of the Group and the appropriate level of integration. Publisher Yvonne Bauer commented: "Witold Wozniak has not only established and grown the business in Poland and Eastern Europe but has also successfully developed the Radio and OCP Business. Bauer Media Group is grateful for his contributions and achievements. We wish him all the best."

Bauer Media Group is one of the world's most successful media corporations. Over 600 magazines, more than 400 digital products and over 100 radio and TV stations are enjoyed by millions of people across the globe. The corporate portfolio also includes print shops, postal, sales and marketing services. Bauer Media Group's global positioning underscores its passion for people and brands. We see ourselves as the home of popular media, as illustrated by our strapline "We think popular." - a claim which inspires and motivates our global workforce of some 11,500 employees in 17 countries.

Press contact:

Bauer Media Group

Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG

Andrea Fratini

Director of Corporate Communications

T: +49-40-30-19-10-80

[email protected]

http://www.bauermedia.com

http://twitter.com/bauermediagroup

SOURCE Bauer Media Group
GUEST OBSERVATION

Australia has national environment laws  the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act). Yet given the staggering rates of land clearing taking place, resulting in the extinction and endangerment of plants and animals in Australia, these laws are clearly not working.

About 395,000 hectares of regrowth and old growth vegetation were cleared during 2015-16 in Queensland. Australia is set to clear up to 3 million hectares of native forest by 2030, and more than 1,800 plant and animal species are currently listed as threatened nationally.

When the EPBC Act was first implemented in 1999, the idea was for it to provide reinforced federal environmental protection to areas of national environmental significance. But in reality, many projects that come within the ambit of the Act are not rigorously evaluated for their environmental impact.

Why isnt the EPBC Act working?

Land clearing was listed in the 2001 and 2006 State of the Environment Reports as one of the greatest threats to biodiversity.

Deforestation and excessive land clearing fundamentally impacts existing biodiversity, damages fragile ecosystems, destroys wildlife habitat, and increases greenhouse gas emissions. In Queensland, where much of the land clearing is taking place, the state law (Vegetation Management Act) is not strong enough to diminish incentives for land clearing. Yet the national environmental laws have not provided greater protection.

There are several reasons for this. While land clearing is indirectly regulated by the EPBC Act due to the significant impact it can have on the environment, land clearing is not directly addressed by the EPBC Act.

As it stands, land clearing will only attract EPBC Act application where it can be established that it impacts a directly protected entity such as a World Heritage area, Ramsar wetland, threatened species, ecological community, or migratory species. If this connection cannot be established, no environmental assessment under the EPBC Act will occur.

Even where projects do attract the application of the EPBC Act, its capacity to advance best practice environmental impact assessment is highly questionable. One of the biggest problems is that the process of assessment is insufficiently robust.

This problem is evident in other environmental issues too. Where a bilateral state and federal assessment is approved, as was the case with the Adani coalmine, the federal department often relies on state counterparts to undertake a thorough environmental assessment. Many of the proposals evaluated by state departments are assessed with reference to the least onerous environmental impact assessment available.

This documentation is generally prepared by the project proponent. Unsurprisingly, as a consequence, many of the projects that are evaluated under the EPBC Act are approved, subject to the imposition of environmental conditions. This means the environmental conditions need to be carefully monitored if environmental protection is to be optimised.

This creates a new set of problems. Where a breach is alleged, it must be proved and appropriate sanctions enforced. In reality, this rarely happens, and the sanctions that are imposed can be woefully inadequate. For example, Adani was fined A$12,000 for breaching an environmental condition relating to the release of coalwater in Abbott Point coal terminal, which flowed into the fragile Caley Valley Wetlands.

The substantive problem with the EPBC Act is that its implementation is subject to departmental discretion and therefore the vagaries of government administration. This is particularly problematic given the political nature of many of these decision-making processes.

Lack of rigorous scrutiny

In circumstances where, for example, there is a need to challenge the approval of a resource title in light of its environmental consequences, the EPBC Act relies heavily on environmental groups or other third parties to scrutinise the federal decision-making process.

For example, the Australian Conservation Foundation took strong action in challenging the issuance of the mining licence for Adanis proposed Carmichael coal mine. It argued the endangered species and climate change impacts were insufficiently taken into account by the then Environment Minister Greg Hunt in exercising discretion under the EPBC Act.

The case was dismissed because the Federal Court found that this decision was authorised by the discretions included within the EPBC Act. The minister was therefore within his power to decide not to take account of the climate change impacts of such a vast new coalmine. This is concerning given the profound impact that climate change can have upon fragile ecologies in areas of national environmental significance.

These findings indicate a lack of preparedness by the federal minister to accept a causal connection between climate change and domestic coal production, and to focus on narrow jurisdictional boundaries and strict domestic obligations. It also strongly highlights the deficiencies of our national environment act because the existing triggers do not address some of the most important environmental concerns of the modern world.

New environment laws urgently needed

Climate change is almost universally accepted as one the most serious environmental threats. Yet the EPBC Act does not include a climate change trigger (or a land clearing trigger, as discussed above).

This means these key threats to Australias environment will not be protected by EPBC Act. They may attract the EPBC Act indirectly, but only if it can be established that they raise a different trigger that is listed under the Act. This calls into question the capacity of our national environment laws to truly protect areas of national environmental significance.

In order to reverse unacceptable rates of land clearing, preserve ecosystems and habitats and diminish greenhouse gas emissions, a new framework for our national environment act is urgently needed.

Samantha Hepburn, Director of the Centre for Energy and Natural Resources Law, Deakin Law School, Deakin University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Dont know much about the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that claimed the lives of an estimated 100 million worldwide? Look no further than Kenneth C. Daviss More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War, published this month by Henry Holt. Aimed at readers 1014 and illustrated with patriotic period posters and archival photos, the book chronicles the parallel stories of the pandemic and WWI, a devastating concurrence that Davis labels twin catastrophes. The book joins the authors Hidden History series for young readers, which launched in 2008 with Americas Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation and had its roots in his bestselling Dont Know Much About books for adults. PW asked Davis about the genesis of his writing career and move into childrens books, and what sparked his most recent foray into hidden history.

Looking back at your own timeline, what was your initial impetus for writing Dont Know Much About History?

I wanted to make history more fun for people who thought history was all dates, battles, and speeches. I had always approached history as real stories about real peoplewhich to me is fascinating. In Dont Know Much About History, I opted to use this as a focus, and to provide a lot of information in a digestible, conversational way to prove to people that history isnt necessarily the version that they gotand maybe hatedin high school.

Obviously the success of that 1990 book spawned a robust series spanning a wide array of subjects. What then precipitated your shift to writing for kids?

It was, in part, wanting to stretch my wings a bit as a writerI knew I was ready to do something else. I have always loved narrative nonfiction as a reader, and in my research for the Dont Know Much About books Id come across so many stories that school books had left outuntold tales we should know about but had never heard. What we learned in school was a whitewashed version, and I realized that the real story is much more interesting than the hokey stories we tell children about cherry trees and the like.

In spring 2011, when the 150th anniversary of the Civil War was approaching, I was asked, as the author of Dont Know Much About the Civil War, if Id be interested in Skyping with upper middle-grade and high-school classrooms to talk about the war. So I did, and I realized I was getting tremendous satisfaction talking to this age groupthe kids were so interesting and curious and aware. So I rather accidentally discovered I wanted to write for kids!

Another inspiration, I think, is that over the years, Ive discovered that many teachers use the Dont Know Much About books in their classroom curricula or for supplemental reading. And Ive also heard teachers say that theyd become history teachers because of my books. It is a great honor to hear that.

What ignited your interest in writing about the Spanish flu and World War I?

It was due to a completely chance encounterlike so many things in the universe. Through my research for earlier books, I was aware of the Spanish flu pandemic, and one day I was at the Holt office, waiting for the elevator with Sally Doherty, my then-editor, who was sneezing and coughing. Somehow the words, Spanish flu came up, and I mentioned that the pandemics 100th anniversary was coming up, and a book idea was born.

Did the information you discovered while researching the book bring any surprises?

As soon as I began doing the most fundamental research on the pandemic, I learned that I was uncovering a story that was much bigger than I realized. Almost immediately, I became aware of the powerful connection between the flu and the war. That and the fact it all happened exactly 100 years ago made this a compelling storyand a perfect example of how history was hidden, not for nefarious reasons, but because of a strange set of circumstances.

Such as?

One thing that springs to mind is that, for an event that affected the country in such an extraordinary way, there is almost no mention of the deadliest pandemic in modern history in history books, novels, plays, and films of the time. There were a few exceptionsKatherine Anne Porter, who actually nearly died of the Spanish flu, mentioned it in her book, Pale Horse, Pale Rider: Three Short Novels, and Thomas Wolfe wrote of it in Look Homeward, Angel.

In More Deadly Than War, you use contemporary analogies to connect readers to historical happenings, likening German propaganda to fake news, and a sneezes emission of virus-carrying droplets to a video game with space invaders. Why do you think this is this effective?

As a writer of history, it is most crucial to get the facts right, which is why this and my other books require extensive research and very careful copyediting and fact checking. But to me, its also crucial to connect the past to the presentthat is one of the most important jobs a writer of history has.

Given the books many horrific scenariosvivid stories of death from disease and wartime combatwhat hopeful messages will young readers take from your book?

First of all, the pandemic revealed an extraordinary ability and willingness on the parts of many people to come together and help in the worst of situations, despite the enormous risks involved. And the concurrence of the pandemic and the war brought many women into the workplace in an unprecedented way. Women volunteered to go to the front lines in Europe to work as nurses, often with the Red Cross or the Salvation Army, and stepped in to fill jobs that men had held but lost, due to the war or the flu. It was a major moment in womens history, and I dont think that it was an accident that the suffrage movement followed so closely behind.

Whats next on your writing docket?

There is lots of hidden history still to be told, and Im looking to continue to write in this vein. I get extreme satisfaction in writing for and talking to young readers. And it is especially nice to hear parents say that they are reading and talking about my books together with their kids. I believe that is a key way that history can have a real impact on children.

More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War by Kenneth C. Davis. Holt, $19.99 May ISBN 978-1-250-14512-3
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This article is part of an ongoing series profiling participants in the New York Rights Fair, running May 30 through June 1 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York in conjunction with BookExpo. In all, 70 speakers are set to participate in 21 panel discussions along four content tracksthe Global Landscape, Page to Screen, the Pillars of Rights and TALKING PICTURES: The Visual Book Now.

Downloadable audio sales jumped nearly 30% in 2017, and on the first day of the inaugural New York Rights Fair, audiobooks will receive their fair share of attention. Curated by the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR), the 3:45pm panel The Audiobook Heard 'Round the World: How Publishing's Hottest Format Has Taken the Globe By Storm, And What it Means for the Future will bring together Helena Gustafsson from Storytel and Nathan Maharaj from Kobo to discuss the audiobook business and how it is becoming an international sensation.

First founded in 2005, and becoming Storytel in 2007, the Swedish digital service is steadily becoming the European alternative to Audible. As a monthly subscription app, Storytel is reminiscent of Spotify, streaming thousands of books as mp3s, with 11 languages available and the ability to listen offline. With over 12 years of audiobook publishing experience, panelist Helena Gustafsson, Storytels head of global publishing, oversees audio production, development of original content, and is always on the lookout for expanding Storytel globally. At this years Bologna Book Fair she said, We plan on launching in five more countries this year, starting with Turkey.

Canadas Kobo, offering millions of titles in eBook and audio since 2009, has succeeded with its open platform and extensive content. Panelist Nathan Maharaj, Kobos senior director of merchandising, stated on the Kobo blog that he is the kind of reader seeking out technology to solve problems of shelf space, as evidenced by his consumption of nonfiction audiobooks while running. With his passion for the mixture of storytelling and technology, Nathan has plenty to tell about audios future.

Moderator Jennifer Weltz, president of Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, will lead the discussion, touching on such topics as subscription models, how the rise of smartphones have changed the audio business, and which territories provide the most potential for further growth.

You can register for tickets to New York Rights Fair here.
The inroads of Moroccos economic diplomacy in Africa are inspiring leaders in South Africa, which aspires to follow suit through the launch of an African policy to strengthen economic ties with the continent.

The move was announced by South Africas Foreign Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, in an attempt to break away with the unfruitful political rhetoric that has characterized Pretorias relations with the continent.

South Africa is trying to position itself as the gateway to the African continent and needs a strong economy to do so, economists say, noting that the current crisis hinders South Africa from boosting its influence on the continent.

Morocco could offer the example to Pretoria as the North African Kingdom has engaged in a south-south cooperation approach based on shared growth.

The projects launched by Moroccos phosphates giant, OCP, in Ethiopia and Nigeria are a perfect example of how Morocco puts its expertise to address one of Africas pressing challenges: food security.

The trans-Atlantic gas pipeline that will channel Nigerian gas through west Africa up to the Mediterranean also promises to fulfill energy security of many West African states.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue University researchers have developed detection technology that allows a typical smartphone to analyze produce for foodborne pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, which has been linked to a deadly outbreak in romaine lettuce.

The technology involves both hardware  a smartphone cradle  and software in the form of an application that is downloaded on the phone. The combination allows the smartphone to be used as an on-site luminometer, an instrument used to measure light.

The lettuce or other produce is rinsed with an enrichment liquid containing a modified phage, a virus for bacteria. The phage then infects harmful foodborne bacteria so that when a substrate is added, they emit light, which is detected by the smartphones camera through the downloaded app and a green dot appears on the screen.

The cradle on the phone maximizes the photon collection by using diffusive reflection material to help capture a maximum amount of light, which may not be visible by the naked eye.

This technology could be used on a farm or in a food processing factory to provide on-the-spot detection, said Euiwon Bae, a senior research scientist in the Purdue School of Mechanical Engineering, who developed the technology along with Bruce Applegate, a professor in the Purdue Department of Food Science. This rapid detection is critical for getting safe produce to consumers.

The smartphone technology, coupled with the phage, helps reduce the typical amount of time it takes to test food samples for possible foodborne illnesses. The current process involves gathering a physical sample and then shipping it to a lab and waiting several days for the results.

The Food and Drug Administration estimates there are about 48 million cases of foodborne illness annually in the U.S.  the equivalent of sickening one in six Americans each year. These illnesses result in an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths annually. Foodborne illnesses have been in the spotlight recently because of the deadly E. coli O157:H7 outbreak tied to romaine lettuce.

The special phage used with the smartphone technology was developed by Applegate and is being commercialized by Phicrobe, a Purdue University-affiliated startup founded by Applegate. The phage technology can be used to detect not only E. coli O157:H7, a harmful and potentially deadly strain, but also other foodborne pathogens that cause Listeria and Salmonella infection outbreaks. The phage technology also has applications for detecting contaminants in water.

Its sort of like reprogramming a computer, Applegate said. We take the technology and manipulate it to detect various harmful pathogens that are present.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture provided some funding for the technology research, and part of the research was conducted by the Purdue Center for Food Safety Engineering. A patent application has been filed by the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization, and the technology is available for licensing.

About Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university's academic activities. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2016 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Innovation from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at innovation@prf.org. The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University.

Purdue Research Foundation contact: Chris Adam, 765-588-3341, cladam@prf.org



Sources: Euiwon Bae, ebae@purdue.edu

Bruce Applegate, applegab@purdue.edu
If realised, says the Netflix Forecasts report, this would make 2018s total the largest growth year ever and lower growth is forecast after.Digital TV Research predicts that the top five countries will supply 53% of Netflixs subs by 2023, down from 69% in 2017. Although the number of international subs overtook US ones in 2017, the analyst predicts that the US will still contribute 44% of subscribers by 2023  and will add 16 million subs between 2017 and 2023.North America and Western Europe will together supply 62% of Netflixs total subscriber base by 2023, added the survey. This compares with 76% in 2017. Asia Pacific is set for fast growth by taking 14% of the 2023 total. These 28 million subs would represent quadruple the 2017 figure. The Netflix Forecasts report also calculates that the subs surge would see streaming subscription revenues for Netflix climb by 155% from $11.3 billion in 2017 to $28.8 billion in 2023. The top five countries are expected to generate revenues of $16 billion in 2023, or 56% of Netflixs global subscription revenues. The US will contribute $11.2 billion, with four other countries above $1 billion.
Could the United States blockade China's oil during a time of war? The idea is appealing, as it might enable the United States to force a negotiated settlement to the conflict without having to content with China's formidable anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) system. But would it work? A new study in the Naval War College Review expresses some skepticism.
Since 2005, Hamas and other Gaza militants have fired over 12,000 rockets at Israel. They caused at least ten deaths, over 1,100 injuries, and over $50 million in property damage. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) responded with three military operations against Gaza. Their stated goal was to protect Israeli civilians from the rockets.

However, critics have argued the collateral destruction and civilian casualties in Gaza were out of proportion to Israels own losses. Some questioned the operations legal and ethical justifications. The United Nations, International Criminal Court, and Amnesty International all opened investigations. The controversy also complicated the countrys international relations.

HOW PRODUCTIVE WERE ISRAELI OPERATIONS RELATIVE TO THEIR GOALS? WERE THEY EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT AT PROTECTING ISRAELIS FROM ROCKETS?

All those issues are important, but they overlook a key underlying question. How productive were the operations relative to their goals? Leaving aside their many secondary effects, were they effective and efficient at protecting Israelis from rockets?

Rocket data summary from "The Effectiveness of Rocket Attacks and Defenses in Israel" (via the author)

I have explored this issue in a study of Israeli rocket countermeasures covering Operations Cast Lead in 2008-2009, Pillar of Defense in 2012, and Protective Edge in 2014. The research estimated the operations effects, benefits, and costs. With limited data available, the estimates are rough but nonetheless informative.

VARYING DIRECT IMPACT

All three operations began with airstrikes; Cast Lead and Protective Edge followed these with ground offensives. While the airstrikes destroyed rockets and likely disrupted some rocket launches, my analysis shows they did not significantly reduce the daily rates of fire during any operation. The Gaza militants maintained their average fire rates, presumably by protecting or replacing their launch crews.

The daily fire rates during airstrike periods were also twice as consistent during Protective Edge relative to the earlier operations. The militants apparently had improved their ability to sustain operations under fire, perhaps thanks to their tunnel network.

ROCKET FIRE RATES DID DECREASE SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER GROUND FORCES ADVANCED DURING CAST LEAD AND PROTECTIVE EDGE. BUT THESE OPERATIONS WITH GROUND ASSAULTS INCURRED MUCH GREATER EXPENSES PLUS MILITARY CASUALTIES.

Rocket fire rates did decrease significantly after ground forces advanced during Cast Lead and Protective Edge. Controlling the ground in Gaza helped the IDF control the air over Israel.

DECLINING CIVILIAN BENEFITS

By destroying rockets preemptively, the IDF prevented them from harming Israeli civilians. For example, Cast Leads twenty-three-day air-land offensive claimed 1,200 destroyed rockets. If those had launched, they could have potentially increased civilian casualties by some 194 percent. That implies the rocket destructions prevented roughly six deaths and 274 injuries, or 280 casualties in total.

Pillar of Defense destroyed 980 rockets but only kept civilian losses from being 72 percent higher, avoiding four deaths and 173 injuries. The smaller impact follows from the operation lasting just eight days and lacking ground assaults. Israels civil defense expansions and Iron Dome interceptor deployments also contributed to the reduced casualty prevention.

Protective Edges impact was surprisingly modest, given its forty-two days of fighting and its intensive ground assaults. It prevented rocket casualties from being 101 percent higher, thereby avoiding just two deaths and eighty-four injuries. The number of rocket destructions exceeded 3,000, more than the previous two operations combined. However, the value of those destructions dropped due to Israels other countermeasures. Increasingly influential Iron Dome interceptors meant that just eight percent of rockets evaded interception and hit valuable targets. Improving civil defenses meant fewer such hits caught victims unsheltered.

HIGH MILITARY COSTS

Pillar of Defense was the least expensive operation, thanks to its brief duration and air-only nature. Dividing the IDFs marginal cost by the number of rockets destroyed indicates an average cost of $290K per rocket eliminated. Alternatively, dividing by the total number of avoided dead and wounded implies a price of $1.6 million per civilian casualty prevented.

Operations with ground assaults incurred greater expenses plus military casualties. Cast Lead averaged $870K per destroyed rocket. Its price per civilian casualty prevented was $3 million plus 0.2 IDF casualties.

Protective Edges cost per destroyed rocket was $560K, midway between the other two. Unfortunately, the operation incurred far more military casualties than the civilian ones it prevented. Its price per civilian casualty avoided soared to $19 million plus 4.7 military casualties.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

The rough pricing above simplistically assumes rocket loss prevention was the operations only goal. Factoring other missions into this analysis would reduce the expense attributable to anti-rocket efforts. For example, if tunnel destruction unrelated to rockets generated at least eighty percent of the IDF casualties during Protective Edge, then the civilian casualties prevented begin outnumbering the military ones suffered. However, the price estimates also ignore the IDFs capital and fixed expenses. Including those would increase the prorated estimates.

The calculations similarly ignore any deterrence benefits because they seemed minimal during the 2005-2014 period. In what the IDF informally called mowing the grass, one operation followed another every few years, with hundreds of rockets fired in between. Since 2014, Hamas has seemed deterred from firing rockets, though not from building them. The potential benefits of any limited deterrence would need to be set against the ongoing costs of the IDF deterrent force.

This discussion also ignores Israels indirect economic losses because of rocket fire. For example, during Protective Edge the countrys economy lost about $1 billion, or $24 million per combat day.

PROPORTIONALITY VERSUS PRODUCTIVITY

These results suggest that the military operations have become less effective and less efficient at preventing civilian casualties. The IDF seems good at destroying rockets; however, such preemptive strikes matter less because Israels civil defenses and interceptors have gotten better. Airstrikes by themselves reduce the rocket stockpiles but not the fire rates. Ground assaults do suppress rocket fire but also boost costs.

How Israels Iron Dome Actually Works (via Bloomberg)
In early May, the State Department announced a doubling to $10 million of U.S. assistance to Ukraine for the strengthening of its cyber defenses. The increased funding is an important signal that the U.S. stands with Kyiv as it faces a sustained and evolving cyber threat from Russia, yet addressing the ceaseless barrage of cyber attacks from Moscow will take more than the added funding.

Currently, Ukraine serves as the proving grounds for Russian offensive cyber capabilities. Moscows efforts have ranged from conducting information operations during its annexation of Crimea in 2014, to destructive cyber attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure in 2016, to the spreading of NotPetya malware in 2017. As a result, Russia has advanced its cyber capabilities while stretching the U.S. and NATOs ability to respond. It is clear that if the U.S. fails to address the Russian cyber threat abroad, Russian cyber activities in the United States may progress from network intrusions and information operations to more destructive cyber attacks.

The U.S. could help Kyivs efforts to counter the Russian cyber threat by supporting and encouraging Ukraines membership in NATOs Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) based in Tallinn, Estonia. The Centre, best known for its annual live-fire cyber exercise Locked Shields, is open to non-member partners of NATO. Ukraine is currently a NATO partner country and its participation in the Centre would follow the precedent set by Austria, Finland, and Sweden. NATO previously established a Cyber Defence Trust Fund for Ukraine to help Kyiv develop technical capabilities to counter cyber threats. While the trust fund demonstrates a clear commitment to improving Ukraines security, history has demonstrated that Ukraine needs more assistance to be able to defend against an active cyber threat.

Joining the CCDCOE would greatly improve Ukraines ability to train and respond to modern malware threats. In addition to the benefits of collaborating and learning from other CCDCOE members, Ukraine would also have the opportunity to participate in Locked Shields and other Centre sponsored trainings and conferences. Participating in CCDCOE exercises would provide Ukraine the opportunity to test its current cybersecurity strategy and response plan, identify areas where that strategy has failed, and work with CCDCOE partners on best practices for strengthening its cyber defenses, all in a simulated environment.

The U.S. should pursue increasing bilateral and multilateral support to ensure Ukraine can contain and roll back Moscows continuing cyber offensive. Russias use of Ukraine as a proving ground also enables the Kremlin to test American red lines and the international communitys readiness to respond to escalating cyber attacks. If the lesson that Moscow learns is that it can undertake increasingly actions with impunity, then cyber escalations in Ukraine likely will not stop there.

Trevor Logan is a cyber research associate at FDDs Cyber-Enabled Economic Warfare Project, and Boris Zilberman is deputy director of congressional relations and a Russia analyst at FDD. Follow them on Twitter @TrevorLoganFDD and @rolltidebmz.

Follow the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on Twitter @FDD. FDD is a Washington-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

This article appeared originally at Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).
The prevailing view among progressives today is that America hasn't made much progress on racism.
Have you read Richard Fernandez's interesting article on President Trump's decision to withdraw America from the Obama nuclear deal? It is worthy of close reading. Fernandez considers it likely that Trump's repudiation of the Obama deal
Good morning, its Wednesday, May 16, 2018. As a girl growing up in Missouri, Harry and Bess Trumans only child sang as a soloist at Trinity Episcopal Church in Independence. Impressed, although perhaps not unbiased, the choir director there encouraged the young lady, Margaret Truman, to get formal voice lessons. She followed this advice both before and after attending George Washington University in the nations capital, where her father had a political career. On this date in 1947 she made her professional debut, singing with the Detroit Symphony. Some 15 million Americans heard the First Daughters debut on the ABC radio broadcast.

Two-and-a-half years later, she packed Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., for a concert attended by her parents as well as a young music lover named Paul Hume. What happened next was pretty much the opposite of love at first sight. (Love at first listen?) Its a story Ive told in these pages before, but one worth repeating.

In a moment, well go back in time to that recital. First, Id first point you to RealClearPolitics front page, which presents our poll averages, videos, breaking news stories, and aggregated opinion columns spanning the political spectrum. We also offer original material from our own reporters and contributors, including the following:

* * *

Has the Republican Party Really Moved to the Right? Hyrum Lewis spotlights flaws in the rightward-shift narrative.

Is There an American Center Anymore? Steve Hantler bemoans a new tax passed by the Seattle City Council, but is heartened by opposition to it from two businesses tied to the American left.

Trump Should Reverse Obama's EB-5 Visa Regulations. In RealClearPolicy, Demetrios Karoutsos urges the administration to expand the program rather than go forward with Obama-era rules that would restrict it.

The Feds Are Blocking Local Solutions to Homelessness. Also in RCPolicy, Paul Webster argues for giving state and local governments more leeway to address the problem.

Wyoming Is at the Forefront of Carbon Recovery Technology. In RealClearEnergy, Wyoming Gov. Matthew Mead touts a new environmental initiative in his state.

Bayou Bridge Pipeline Has the Facts on Its Side. Also in RCE, Tom Magness writes that a report by the Army Corps of Engineers should lay to rest environmental objections to the project.

When Tom Wolfe Skewered Radical Chic. RealClearInvestigations revisits a nonfiction classic of the journalist and author, who died Monday at 88.

Pivot to Asia Needs a Nuclear Edge. In RealClearDefense, Adam Cabot asserts that the Obama administrations inability to block Chinas expansion can be remedied through deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the region.

A Republic in Crisis: Burdens of Empire and Slavery. In RealClearHistory, Brandon Christensen explores the issue of slavery, the British role in Texas' road to statehood and American shame surrounding the Mexican-American War.

The All-Female, All-Veteran Climbing Team Heading to Denali. Rebecca Gibian has the story in RealClearLife.

* * *

As a boy, Paul Hume studied piano and organ and, like Margaret Truman, took voice lessons. His greatest gift, however, may have been his ear. He was also gentle soul, a detail which bears mentioning. During World War II, the war that ended with Margaret Trumans father as U.S. commander-in-chief, Hume was a conscientious objector -- although he did play piano and sing in USO shows.

At the University of Chicago, he majored in English while also studying music history and music theory. He was fluent in French and German and said he was comfortable singing in Italian. He gave recitals at Washington National Cathedral, where he was also the baritone soloist in the church choir. He was the longtime director of the Georgetown University Glee Club, taught music classes at Georgetown and Yale, hosted a popular classic musical radio program, and was the longtime music critic for The Washington Post. Hume was also a published author whose books included a study of Catholic Church music and biographies of important musical figures, including Irish tenor John McCormack and Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi.

My point in all this is that before, during, and after 1950, Paul Hume was obviously more accomplished in the field of classical music than Margaret Truman.

Not that these credentials cut any ice with Miss Trumans father. On December 5, 1950, Harry Truman attended his daughters concert at Constitution Hall. The First Father liked what he heard as Margaret tackled a program that included Schumann, Schubert, and Mozart. The same could not be said about Paul Hume.

Miss Truman is a unique American phenomenon with a pleasant voice of little size and fair quality, Hume wrote. She is extremely attractive on stage. Yet Miss Truman cannot sing very well. She is flat a good deal of the time -- more so last night than at any time we have heard her in past years.

President Truman read these words in his morning newspaper. They did not go down well with his White House coffee. In tomorrow's note, Ill describe what happened next.

Carl M. Cannon

Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics

@CarlCannon (Twitter)

ccannon@realclearpolitics.com
ABU DHABI -- Arab leaders love the idea that President Trump is ready to give Iran a punch in the nose. But is this White House truly serious about challenging Iranian power in the Middle East? The evidence is mixed, at best.

I heard passionate enthusiasm for Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal from prominent Arabs gathered here last weekend for a conference sponsored by the Beirut Institute. They know that scuttling the nuclear deal could be dangerous, and that the region is already a powder keg. But many Arab leaders don't seem to care.

To put it bluntly, they like the idea that Trump is willing to stick it to Tehran. Though they expect an Iranian counterpunch, they're not as worried about it as you might expect. Several prominent Arabs predicted that Tehran will eventually bend to pressure, if there's a united front.

Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and hardly a shoot-from-the-hip hothead, argued that maybe the Iranians will react like North Korea's Kim Jong Un, "who seems to have accepted Trump's 'bigger button.'" Facing Trump's demand for concessions on the duration of the nuclear agreement, Iranian missile programs and regional meddling, "Iran might change its mind," he told the conference.

But Arab leaders should consider the possibility that Trump has it backward: The right strategy would be reversing Iran's power grab in the Middle East while preserving the nuclear deal as an element of regional stability. Trump's instincts, in contrast, seem to be the opposite, as Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told me recently; that is, Trump wants to get out of both the nuclear agreement and the region.

A serious strategy to roll back Iran would begin with Syria. The U.S. would maintain the strong military position it has established east of the Euphrates, and enhance its garrison at Tanf and other points in southern Syria. Trump's public comments suggest, however, that he wants to pull these troops out, the sooner the better. This would all but assure continued Iranian power in Syria.

Iraq is another key pressure point. The victory of militant Iraqi nationalist Moqtada al-Sadr in Saturday's elections should worry Tehran as much as Washington. Sadr has quietly developed good relations with Saudi Arabia, and his movement may offer the best chance of maintaining an Arab Iraq, as opposed to a Persian-dominated one. But again, that's assuming that Washington is serious about backing the Saudis in checking Iran's regional ambitions.

Getting both Iran and Saudi Arabia out of Yemen would help, too. That would require a mix of subtle pressure and diplomacy from a Trump administration that has shown little skill at either so far in the Middle East. But it's a worthy goal for Mike Pompeo, the new secretary of state.

Rolling back an aggressive rival seems impossible, until someone dares to try it. Think back to the Reagan presidency, when policymakers considered the once-unthinkable possibility that America and its allies could dislodge the Soviets from the Third World and, eventually, from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union itself. After a decade of challenge, Soviet power was gone.

To be sure, past attempts to contain an expansionist, revolutionary Iran haven't had much success. Saddam Hussein's invasion of Iran in 1980 produced an eight-year quagmire. Saudi Arabia's invasion of Yemen in 2015 has also been a bloody slog, and has brought Iranian missile attacks on Saudi territory. The proxy war in Syria has been catastrophic.

The Arabs want the U.S. (or Israel) to do the fighting this time. That's a bad idea for America, for many reasons, but the biggest is that there's no U.S. political support for a war against Iran.

So what's the pathway to containing Iranian meddling? It probably passes through Moscow. Russian interests in the region are complicated. Moscow may be fighting alongside Iran in Syria, but it also has growing economic and diplomatic links with Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

"Iran is a tactical ally. Russia needs a constellation of partners," Russian foreign-policy analyst Andrei Bystritsky told the conference here. And unlike the Iranians, who want to stay in Syria, "The question for us is how to leave," argued Russian former Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Fedorov.

Trump has embarked on an Iran mission that lacks a clearly defined objective. Here's a suggestion that draws on the lessons of the Reagan years: The right combination is combating regional meddling, plus maintaining arms control. Thinking rollback isn't crazy, but it requires a sustained effort, not a grandstand play.

(c) 2018, Washington Post Writers Group
Lake City, FL -- A traffic stop by a Columbia County Deputy Sheriff has resulted in a large amount of illegal drugs being taken off the streets.

On Tuesday, May 15th, a Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a car traveling on I-75 near mile marker 429 for speeding and driving too fast for conditions, while taking part in the Domestic Highway Enforcement Program.



The Columbia County Sheriffs Office participates in the Domestic Highway Enforcement (DHE) monthly. The DHE program is designed to disrupt criminal activity along major U.S. Highways. The interdiction officers participating in this program are trained in criminal drug interdiction, detecting fraud, and domestic terrorism.

As the Deputy issued the driver a citation for the infractions, a narcotic detection canine team conducted a walk-around of the car. The K9 alerted on the vehicle, and the driver was detained.

A subsequent search of the car produced approximately 16.8 pounds of methamphetamine and 2293 grams of heroin, both with a combined street value of approximately $360,000.

The County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force was notified and assumed the investigation. The driver, James Moss, 34, of LaGrange, Georgia was arrested and booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility on possession of drug equipment ($5000 bond), drug trafficking ($250,000 bond), and heroin trafficking ($250,000 bond).

Its always best to stop the drugs before they get into a community, Sheriff Mark Hunter said. This is the latest in a long list of such accomplishments by your Deputies and the Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force.

The Drug Task force is comprised of law enforcement personnel from Columbia County Sheriffs Office, Lake City Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The story goes that the May 1 establishment of diplomatic relations between the Dominican Republic and China was long in the making, but delayed because the D.R. put up too many conditions. As a result, Panama ended up beating it to the finish line, becoming in June 2017 the first country in the region in several years to add an embassy to the already large Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) contingent of missions in Beijing.

The irony, of course, is that despite not setting any conditions, Panama, after breaking with Taiwan, has already benefitted considerably from its new ties with the People's Republic of China (PRC).

In 11 months, Panama has made more progress with China than Costa Rica made in 11 years of bilateral relations, or Colombia made in 38 years of diplomatic relations, said on Twitter the London School of Economics and Political Science's Alvaro Mendez, co-author of the recent book The China-Latin America Axis.

What's clear is that in this short period Panama has gained much. There is a lesson there, for those who want to see it.
Argentina has been called the comeback kid of the global economy. Over the past two years its business-friendly President, Mauricio Macri, has been praised as the man to put the country on the right track to a brighter financial future. But last week, its currency was at an all-time low and its treasury minister travelled to Washington to strike a deal with the International Monetary Fund. Where did it all go wrong?
Poland's EU affairs minister accused the European Commission of a "massive power grab" over the executive's plans to link some funds to respect for the rule of law - highlighting the concerns of those countries that feel targeted by the proposal.

EU affairs ministers on Monday (14 May) had their first chance to discuss the commission's proposalfor the next seven-year EU budget, which for the first time involves the idea of tying the disbursement of EU funds to member states' record on upholding the rule of law.

The debate revealed deep divisions, just as the EU gears up for an uncertain period with the US becoming an unpredictable partner, and China developing into a more assertive global player.

Poland, which is under scrutiny by the commission for breaking EU rules on the independence of the judiciary, and Hungary which has had its own run-in with the EU executive, both feel particularly targeted by the commission's proposal.
The disturbing parallels between Donald Trumps policy toward Iran and the run-up to the disastrous U.S. offensive war against Iraq keep piling up. There is a drumbeat of belligerent rhetoric, with no limit to what the targeted country gets accused of doing. There is a highly selective, tendentious public use of intelligence, including presentations either to the United Nations or from an ambassador to the United Nations. There are even some of the same peopleincluding John Boltonwho still says the Iraq War was a good thing, who has made no secret of welcoming a war with Iran, and who today is Trumps National Security Advisor.

Mark Landler's reporting in The New York Times about the run-up to Trumps reneging on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the agreement that restricts Irans nuclear program, points to a less obvious but no less important parallel. Bolton did not convene any National Security Council meeting to discuss the likely consequences of violating the JCPOA and whether doing so would be a good idea. This recalls one of the most extraordinary aspects of the Bush administrations invasion of Iraq: there was no policy process leading to the decision to launch that war. There was no options paper, no debate in the Situation Room and no other opportunity for members of the administration to discuss whether starting that war was a good idea. The question simply wasnt on any meetings agenda.

Of course, chaos in Donald Trumps White House and the impulsive and personal nature of much of his decision-making are hardly news. But the effort to wreck the JCPOA has not been a passing impulse. Trump has long ranted about the accord, and there was ample opportunity to have a sober in-house discussion of the subject if he had wanted one. As with the Iraq War, the creation and timing of a crisis were all the White Houses own doing.

Much commentary about the Trump administrations policies has focused on whos in and whos out in senior positions. The unusually high personnel turbulence in this administration has naturally made that a major topic. But process can matter as much as personalities. Consider the situation of Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who is being looked to more than ever as the remaining adult in the room and who, despite his own emotional hang-ups regarding Iran, reportedly favored adhering to the JCPOA. Mattiss problem was not just that he may have been outnumbered on that issue among those who somehow got the presidents ear. The problem was that there was no forum in which he and others in the administration could formally and explicitly raise and discuss all the reasons that trashing the JCPOA would be a mistake.

Most major foreign policy decisions in most administrations do have a full policy process, which entails debate and discussion at several levels and examines the pros and cons of all relevant policy options. Cumbersome though it may be at times, such a process is the best way to confront myths and misadventure with facts and insight. Not all bad policy impulses get stopped, but there is much more chance of stopping them with a thorough policy process than without one.

The facts and insight often are readily available within the executive branch. Consider some of the insights relevant to the Iraq War that were available within the Bush administration. There was, for example, Army chief of staff Gen. Eric Shinseki, who before the war estimated that several hundred thousand troops would be needed for success in Iraq, a number far higher than what promoters of the war were advertising. There was economic policy advisor Lawrence Lindsay, who estimated the cost of the coming war would be $100200 billionwhich turned out to be a gross underestimate, but again was higher than what the war promoters wanted people to believe. And there was the U.S. intelligence community, which, as was revealed only later, foresaw before the war most of the costly and bloody mess in Iraq that would ensue once Saddam Hussein was toppled. Shinseki and Lindsay were purged, and the intelligence community was ignored. If there instead had been a policy process in which they and others could have weighed in on the question of whether to launch the invasion, the neocon mythology about a wonderful war would have had a harder time withstanding scrutiny.

The danger that Bolton represents goes beyond his warmongering views and extends to his control of policy processes, and with it his ability to curtail or prevent such processes. If government is working properly, one of the most important functions of the National Security Advisor is to ensure that major foreign policy issues are thoroughly considered before they reach the president for decision, and that the president is provided in an orderly way with all relevant options and insights. Not performing this function regarding Iraq was probably the biggest failure of Condoleezza Rice when she was in the job, before she went on to have a better performance as secretary of state. The nation appears to be in for more misadventures in foreign relations not only because of the impulsiveness and chaotic thinking of the man at the top but also because the policy-making machinery that would otherwise check such tendencies is not being allowed to operate.
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KENT  Actress Christine Baranski will join Diane Meier in an afternoon conversation about Baranskis life, times and remarkable career on Sunday, June 4 at 4 p.m. at Meiers home in Kent. Tickets for this intimate gathering, with a reception, are $125 and benefit the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council. There is limited seating.

Diane Meier, wife of Frank Delaney, explained, Frank began this series for the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council few years ago, and everyone agreed, his conversation with Sam Waterston that year was warm and wonderful, and helped to raise both awareness and funds for the Arts Council. Christine is a great sport, a great neighbor - dedicated to the health and beauty of this county, and a truly great actress. She has had the most remarkable career on the stage, and now it continues on every possible size of screen.

Frank Delaney, beloved best-selling author and broadcaster, left a lasting positive mark on our industry and on our region through his wit, insight and support, said Amy Wynn, executive director of the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council. I appreciated his intellectual prodding during conversations, which I always found helpful. After such a great experience with Frank and Sam Waterston in 2016, we are so grateful that Diane is willing to continue this tradition in the spirit of Frank with this annual Legacy Series of intimate conversations with artists of note.

The funds raised from this event will help keep programs and services of the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council in place and accessible to the cultural community and the culture-loving public. Such programs and services include the monthly printed events calendar, the CultureMAX Awards, the Open Your Eyes Studio Tours, the one-to-one consultations the Council provides to artists and cultural businesses, the weekly CultureBEAT eblasts, the interactive website, networking and round table sessions and more.

Award-winning Baranski is known for her roles on TV series like Cybill and The Big Bang Theory along with films like Mamma Mia! and Into the Woods, among many others. A graduate of Juilliard, she earned success on Broadway early on. She won her first Tony Award in the Broadway play The Real Thing, in which she played a woman having an affair with a character played by Jeremy Irons, who also won a Tony Award. Five years later, she appeared in the film Reversal of Fortune (1990), in which she again played a woman having an affair with a character played by Jeremy Irons, who this time won an Oscar for his performance.

In her acceptance speech for her second Tony Award for the Broadway play Rumors, she announced that her win made her the 100th person to ever receive an award for working on or appearing in a Neil Simon production in film, television or theater.

Baranskis other Broadway credits include her debut in Hide and Seek (1980), Hurlyburly (1984), The House of Blue Leaves (1986) and Boeing Boeing (2008). Her film roles include 9 Weeks (1986), Legal Eagles (1986), Reversal of Fortune (1990), Addams Family Values (1993), Jeffrey (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Bulworth (1998), Cruel Intentions (1999), Bowfinger (1999), Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Chicago (2002), Mamma Mia!  (2008), Into the Woods (2014), Trolls (2016), and A Bad Moms Christmas (2017).

Baranski is a 15-time Emmy Award nominee, winning in 1995 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Maryanne Thorpe in the sitcom Cybill (1995-98). Baranski has received further critical acclaim for her performance as Diane Lockhart in the legal drama series The Good Wife (2009-2016) and its subsequent spinoff series The Good Fight (2017-present). She is also known for her recurring role as Dr. Beverly Hofstadter in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2009-present).

For information and tickets call 860-618-0075 or email info@artsnwct.org or go directly to https://delaney6-3.eventbrite.com
Photo: GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images Ivanka Trump as  Zionist Marie Antoinette .

Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. Today, Trump faith adviser Robert Jeffress, Trumps no-apologies policy, and Tom Wolfes legacy.

The opening ceremony for the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem included a prayer led by Robert Jeffress, the Dallas pastor and Trump faith adviser who has spoken out against Islam and Mormonism, and infamously said that you cant be saved by being a Jew. Did Trump use Jeffresss invitation, and the rest of the ceremony, to send a message?

Yes, Trump was sending a message with the horror show he orchestrated in Jerusalem. But the message had nothing to do with his administrations purported goal of seeking peace in the Middle East  a cause that has been set back indefinitely by his provocative relocation of the American embassy. Trumps message, per usual, was for his own selfish political aims. It was targeted at his base, whose most loyal members are right-wing Evangelicals. And so the ceremony included not only a prayer from Jeffress, whose disdain for Jews is matched only by his loathing of Mormons and Muslims, but a benediction from John Hagee, an Evangelical crackpot notorious for telling NPRs Fresh Air that God created Katrina to punish New Orleans for hosting a homosexual parade.

For this segment of Trumps base, bigotry (including against Roman Catholics, in Hagees case) is a Godly virtue and anti-Semitism is not inconsistent with Zionism. Israel is the presumed site of the Second Coming, after which everyone who refuses to give themselves up to Christ will be subjected to another Holocaust. Some of this base is grateful for the previous Holocaust as well, which is why Hagee has said that Hitler was part of Gods plan for the Jews and for Israel. This is the theological brand of anti-Semitism whose secular expression could be found in Charlottesville where white-supremacist thugs among what Trump called very fine people on both sides could be found chanting Jews will not replace us.

Trump and Jeffress Photo: Olivier Douliery/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Of course Jeffress and Hagee were only a small part of the hideous spectacle in Jerusalem. Some 40 miles away Palestinian demonstrators were being mowed down en masse, an image juxtaposed on split screen by the sight of Ivanka Trump smiling, as Michelle Goldberg has written, like a Zionist Marie Antoinette. The most prominent Jews in attendance besides her and her husband were Sheldon Adelson, Steven Mnuchin, and Bibi Netanyahu, who (along with his wife) is under criminal investigation in tandem with that of his ally in the White House. This Jersualem ceremony will live on not as a positive step in Israeli history but as a shabby rogues gallery panorama of mobsterism at the top of both the American and Israeli governments.

The only thing missing from the picture was a sanctimonious Jared Kushner evocation of his grandparents survival of the Holocaust. You may recall he wrote at length (in the New York Observer, which he then owned) about that piece of his family history during the 2016 campaign when his father-in-law was accused of anti-Semitism after sending out a Crooked Hillary tweet decorated with a six-pointed star on top of a pile of $100 bills. (He subsequently deleted it.) Many American Jewish families are the descendants of Holocaust survivors. They dont merchandize that legacy to justify the alt-right, and they dont embrace anti-Semites praying for the mass conversion and/or mass extinction of Jews.

Nearly a week after White House aide Kelly Sadler joked behind closed doors that John McCains opinion on political affairs doesnt matter because hes dying anyway, both Sadler and the White House have yet to apologize in public. Is their no-apologies principle worth the crisis it has created?

There is something preposterous about the whole premise of this doomed chase for a Kelly Sadler apology. If Trump himself never apologized for his own slur of McCain during the campaign, what does it matter if this crass underling apologizes now or not? The most interesting aspect of this incident is that even as McCain is dying few Republicans in Congress are asking for a Sadler apology  let alone a Trump apology  and none have the balls to do so to the presidents face. (They have no such problem excoriating the comic riffs of Michelle Wolf.) Do any of these jokers have an inkling of how posterity will view this weeks videos of them skulking away from reporters in the Capitols corridors or making mealy-mouth statements while staring down at the floor? Their cowardice will be remembered just as surely as McCains wartime heroism.

The writer Tom Wolfe died on Tuesday, leaving behind a world of letters in which, in large part thanks to him, longform journalism has grown to rival the novel for prestige and attention. What do you think were his biggest contributions to the field?

It is really hard to overestimate the revolution Wolfe brought to journalism. By marrying a glorious literary style and hard-driving narrative to meticulous, indefatigable reporting, he rehabilitated the very notion of print journalism in the 1960s when it was deadly gray and, like much of American culture, having difficulty fending off the behemoth of television. Its impossible to imagine many of our best nonfiction writers, from Hunter S. Thompson to Michael Lewis, without his having paved the way.

There had been strong narrative journalism before Wolfes so-called New Journalism  some of it in the William Shawnera The New Yorker, the subject of a merciless Wolfe takedown when New York was still an insert in the New York Herald Tribune. Later he would eventually publish an even bigger bombshell, Radical Chic. But Wolfes range, ambitions, and moxie left them in the dust: He wanted to understand and capture nearly every strata of American society, from stock-car racers in the South, where he grew up, to the swells in Leonard Bernsteins apartment in his adopted adult home of Manhattan. And so he did.

For me, Wolfes career as a novelist is something of a sideshow to his great work as a journalist. He strenuously argued  with John Updike and Norman Mailer, among others  that American fiction had grown too inward and proposed that it be infused with the kind of broad societal reportage that informed the epic canvases of Dickens and Balzac. Nothing wrong with that: There is room for both categories of fiction (and many more). But the problem with Wolfes was not the ambition but the execution. The first and by far the best of his novels, Bonfire of the Vanities, is rightly prized for its wise and often hilarious reportage  an excoriating portrait of late-1980s New York City on the brink. But unlike as in, say, Dickens, most of the characters are less memorable than the seething backdrop; the people in Wolfes fiction, unlike in his journalism, tend to evaporate from memory even as the big setpieces around them remain indelible.

Go read or reread the anthologies of Wolfes astonishing magazine pieces, including the earliest from Esquire, as well as The Right Stuff, his book-length masterpiece about the early history of Americas space program. Though many writers learned from him and more than a few have imitated him, he is an American original and remains one of a kind.
Early Trump supporter Michael Williams struggles to stand out in a Georgia GOP gubernatorial field thats gone heavily MAGA. Photo: Michael Williams for Governor

When Georgia state senator Michael Williams became the first elected official in his state to endorse Donald Trump for president, and then Trump won, he probably figured he had a lane to higher office all by himself. And indeed, hes running for governor this year. But hes having a tough time standing out as a Trumpian wild man.

If there are any two things Republican voters identify with Trump, it would probably be his pledge to clean up the swamp created by career pols in Washington, and his angry opposition to undocumented immigrants he blamed for a largely imaginary crime wave. So here are the ads being run by two of Williamss rivals who are, at this point, battling for a runoff spot opposite Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle in next weeks Georgia gubernatorial primary. This is from conservative outsider Hunter Hill:

And this is from Secretary of State Brian Kemp:

And for good measure, Kemp offers to round up criminal illegals and take em home myself in his big pickup truck.

Im guessing the pickup-truck line gave poor Michael Williams an idea for how to one-up his suddenly Trumpian opponents. Nobodys going to top Williamss deportation bus for anti-immigrant zaniness:

From the mania infecting Georgia Republicans about criminal illegals and sanctuary cities, you probably wouldnt know that this is a tightly GOP-controlled state thats already passed two laws that force cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Yes, there are two (out of 159) counties and one tiny city that limit cooperation with ICE. But its hardly an epidemic, and there have been no reports of released immigrants committing violent crimes.

Its sometimes hard to remember that the last Republican president before Trump was a staunch conservative who nonetheless supported comprehensive immigration reform  or amnesty, as it is now known in much of the GOP  and for that matter, didnt attack experience in government as prima facie evidence of corruption or godless liberalism. This is very much Donald Trumps party now, and in the rush to sing hymns to his politics and his policies, early supporters like Michael Williams are in danger of getting trampled underfoot.

But Williams did get a break: YouTube took down his Deportation Bus video on grounds that it violates the platforms hate speech rules. And this gave the Trumpiest of the Trump fans in the gubernatorial race a fresh opportunity to appeal to his partys conservative base, as The Hill reports:
Representatives from the Hong Kong Journalists' Association present an open letter on journalists' safety to Beijing's Central Liaison Office in Hong Kong, May 16, 2018.

Journalists in Hong Kong have hit out at the ruling Chinese Communist Party's representative in the former British colony after a television news journalist was detained by police in Beijing as he tried to cover a disciplinary hearing for a prominent human rights lawyer.

"We demand [that] the Beijing authorities ... immediately release the cameraman and stop any uncivilized acts and suppression against the reporting work of journalists," the Hong Kong Journalists' Association said in a statement immediately following the detention of Chui Chun-ming, a cameraman for Now TV.

Chui was hauled away at about 9 a.m. on Wednesday in front of the headquarters of the Beijing branch of the China Lawyers' Association, which says it will revoke the license of rights lawyer Xie Yanyi, who once wrote to President Xi Jinping calling for democratic reforms.

He was released four hours later after the State Councils Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office mediated at the request of the Hong Kong government, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper reported.

News industry bodies also penned an open letter to Beijing's envoy to Hong Kong, Wang Zhimin, condemning the amount of force used to apprehend Chui.

"We strongly condemn the violent arrest of a Now TV News journalist who was reporting on a human rights problem in Beijing and demand mainland authorities to refrain from further suppression against the work of journalists," the letter, signed by seven news industry associations, said.

It said Chui should never have been detained, as he holds a valid press credential issued by the Chinese government, which he produced when requested to do so by a police officer.

"When he asked to have the identification back, more than five men, including uniformed public security officers, pushed him onto the ground," the letter said. "They handcuffed and took him into a police vehicle ... He suffered bruises on different parts of his body."

It said police had offered no explanation to Chui for his detention or his release.

"We express strong indignation and lodge strong protest against the Beijing authorities," the letter said, calling on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to stand up for Hong Kong journalists with the central government in Beijing.

"We urge the mainland authorities to protect the personal safety and the lawful right of reporting of Hong Kong journalists," the letter said.

Not enough to express concern

HKJA chairman Chris Yeung said the attack on Chui came days after a journalist from Hong Kong's i-Cable News was punched by two village officials while reporting on the 10th anniversary of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake at the weekend.

"The incident happened when our chief executive was visiting Sichuan, and she expressed concern about it at the time to the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office," Yeung said. "Now everyone has seen how the Now TV cameraman was subjected to an unacceptable level of violence."

"It's not enough just to express concern; the government has a duty to safeguard Hong Kong journalists in the course of legal reporting activities in mainland China," he said.

Ma Fung-kwok, who represents Hong Kong's media and cultural industries in Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo), said that normal reporting activities shouldn't be met with violence.

"Any journalist covering events in mainland China with official approval, that's to say, normal reporting activities, should be sure that they are safe ... and shouldn't be subjected to violent treatment," Ma told RFA.

"The law enforcement agencies should explain publicly why they are treating journalists in this manner," he said.

Hong Kong's second-in-command Matthew Cheung said the government takes threats to the personal safety of Hong Kong journalists very seriously.

"The Hong Kong government was in immediate touch with the central government liaison office very shortly after this incident to ask for an explanation and for updates on this incident," Cheung told reporters shortly before Chui was released.

"We have just received information that the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office knew of the incident and is liaising with the relevant departments."

Meanwhile, Civic Party lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki told government broadcaster RTHK that Hong Kong journalists may have to stop covering news on the mainland in light of violent attacks against them.

"This is the second time within four days that a reporter coming from Hong Kong has been assaulted by the authorities on the mainland and this is a very serious incident," the station quoted Kwok as saying.

Reported by Lam Kwok-lap for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Shi Shan for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
A prominent human rights lawyer who penned an open letter to the leaders of the ruling Chinese Communist Party calling for an amnesty for political prisoners and democratic reforms has been detained following scuffles at a hearing that could strip him of his license to practice.



Xie Yanyi, who was among hundreds of lawyers and associated rights activists detained during a nationwide police operation targeting the legal profession since July 2015, attended a hearing of the Beijing municipal branch of the China Lawyers' Association on Wednesday.



Xie stands accused of "disciplinary violations" by the government-backed regulatory body, which has stripped a number of prominent rights lawyers of their livelihood in recent months.



"The hearing went fairly smoothly, in the sense that it allowed everyone to speak, but I don't think it should ever have been convened in the first place, because there was no substantive evidence," Xie's lawyer Wen Donghai told RFA.



"Neither was any evidence produced to substantiate the alleged material facts of the case," Wen said. "There is a growing tendency nowadays to start investigating lawyers at the drop of a hat."



Wen said such politically charged investigations were out of keeping with the role of the China Lawyers' Association's role as a professional body.



"They should be working to protect lawyers' right to practice, not punishing them," he said.



Xie has previously said that he wrote to President Xi Jinping and other members of the all-powerful Politburo standing committee because he believes a democratic future is the only viable one for China.



Earlier this month, Wen was also informed by the justice department of the Hunan provincial government that he will be stripped of his license.



Wen said he had requested a hearing similar to Xie's but doesn't expect to overturn the decision, as he has previously represented members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, which has been designated an "evil cult" by Beijing.



"It's a waste of time, basically; they are going through the motions, and they have no regard for the law," he said. "They just do whatever they want, and there's nothing we can do to stop them; it's pretty much a fait accompli."



Hearing scuffle



Xie's hearing drew dozens of supporters to the headquarters of the Beijing Lawyers' Association, although nobody was allowed to audit proceedings.



Supporter Li Yanjun said no reason was given.



"I asked them why [we couldn't go in], but they couldn't give me a reason," Li told RFA. "One of their department heads was standing in the doorway stopping people from going in, as well."



He said police had also detained Xie Yanyi following an altercation after police tried to snatch journalists' press cards away from them, during which a reporter from Hong Kong's Now TV was beaten up and detained.



"Xie Yanyi snatched the press cards right back [from police], and that's why he was detained," Li said. "We were waiting for him to come out after the hearing was over ... but then they said he had been taken away."



Xie's wife Yuan Shanshan was also detained at the hearing, and taken to the Hepingli police station, according to her lawyer Sui Muqing.



"The police produced a piece of paper and said she was being called in for questioning," Sui told RFA. "But when Yuan Shanshan went over their to read it, they wouldn't let her."



"There was a slight scuffle, and then Yuan Shanshan was taken away."



The New York City Bar Association has said the July 2015 crackdown amounts to nothing less than a "war on law."



Detained lawyers have reported being humiliated, subjected to lengthy interrogation sessions and physical torture, including sleep deprivation, beatings, electric shocks, and forced medication, as well as months of solitary confinement, the group said in July.



Reported by Yang Fan for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wong Lok-to for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The next CIA director. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Senator John McCains plea to fellow senators not to support Gina Haspel for CIA director will likely wind up having no impact other than highlighting the Trump administrations resistance to apologizing.

McCain, who is home battling brain cancer, said that as someone who survived torture in Vietnam, he feels, Haspels role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge tortures immorality is disqualifying.

Haspel, who once ran a CIA black site in Thailand, told the Senate Intelligence Committee last Wednesday that if confirmed, she would not reinstate the agencys post-9/11 torture program, which ran from 2002 to 2008. She would not disavow the program in exchanges with senators.

However, on Tuesday Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, released a letter in which Haspel said, With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken.

A short time later, Warner announced that he would vote to confirm her. I acknowledge that this has been a difficult decision, he said, adding, I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the president if ordered to do something illegal or immoral  like a return to torture.

Senators Heidi Heitkamp and Bill Nelson then announced their support for Haspel, joining fellow Democrats Joe Machin and Joe Donnelly, who said they would back her last week. The support from the five Democrats, most of whom are facing tough reelection battles in the fall, means that Haspel will almost certainly be confirmed.

McCain and Rand Paul are the only Republican senators who have said they will not vote for Haspel. McCain will not be present for the vote, which is expected next week, but it appeared he was trying to give more members of his party cover to join him and Paul. Senator Jeff Flake, McCains colleague from Arizona, suggested he was influenced by his plea, but he remains officially undecided.

Senator Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats and sits on the Intelligence Committee, told the Boston Globe that he thinks things might have been different if McCain had been present.

Its one thing to vote [when] John McCain is in Sedona, its another thing to look him in the eye and tell him youre not going to vote with him, said King, who plans to vote against Haspel. Theres no one in the Senate who has even remotely the credibility he does on an issue of this kind.

Meanwhile, a controversy that grew out of McCains statement remains unresolved. A handful of Republicans have called for a public apology from the White House after Kelly Sadler, a special assistant to the president, quipped during a meeting that McCains opinion doesnt matter because hes dying anyway.

But during a rare meeting between Trump and Republican senators, on Tuesday none of them raised the issue. Instead, they let Trump deliver something like one of his campaign rallies, rambling on for an hour with barely any interruption. Flake said he wanted to ask about an apology but didnt get the opportunity.

There was no time. There were two questions. He spoke for a long time. All of us had our hands up ready to ask questions but ran out of time, Flake said.

But Senator Bob Corker said confronting Trump about an aide mocking their dying colleague would have been highly inappropriate. Thats not what we do in these meetings, okay? he told reporters. No one would have ever brought up something like that.
North Korea on Wednesday threatened to scuttle a planned summit between its leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump over Washingtons push for its unilateral denuclearization, but the White House said it wont back down on its demands and expects tough negotiations with Pyongyang.



In a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday, North Koreas first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan said that if the U.S. corners us and unilaterally demands we give up nuclear weapons we will no longer have an interest in talks and will have to reconsider whether we will accept the upcoming DPRK-US summit, using an acronym for the official name of the country.



I cannot suppress anger over this US move and it is doubtful whether the U.S. really wants to improve ties with the DPRK through dialogue and negotiation, the statement said.



Last month, during a historic summit with his counterpart in South Korea, Moon Jae-in, Kim Jong Un pledged to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons, but experts say his definition of denuclearization likely differs from U.S. expectations.



In his statement on Wednesday, Kim Kye Gwan stressed that the North had already expressed our willingness for a denuclearized Korean peninsula and repeatedly declared that the U.S. must end its hostile DPRK policy and nuclear threats as preconditions.



The vice foreign minister also lashed out at U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has previously referred to a Libyan model for denuclearizing the North. Late Libyan leader Moamer Khadafi was killed in a popular uprising, backed by a NATO bombing campaign, after ending his countrys nuclear weapons program.



Kim Kye Gwan called Boltons words a highly sinister attempt to enforce the fate of Libya  upon the DPRK.



The warning came shortly after North Korea canceled a high-level talks with South Korea in protest of annually held U.S.-South Korean military exercises, which the North maintains are part of plans for an invasion to topple the Kim regime.



On Wednesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said North Koreas threats to pull out of the Kim-Trump summit, set for June 12 in Singapore, were something we fully expected.



The president is very used to and ready for tough negotiations, and if they want to meet, we'll be ready, she told reporters in Washington.



If they dont, thats OK too, and we'll continue with our campaign of maximum pressure.



North Korea has regularly sought to raise tensions ahead of negotiations with the U.S. and South Korea as part of a bid to increase its position in talks.



Vice president of the Seoul-based Asian Institute for Policy Studies Choi Kang told RFAs Korean Service that the latest warning is likely another attempt by the North to extract more concessions at the upcoming summit.



The U.S. recently offered a big reward [to North Korea] in return for denuclearization, but generally the U.S. remains strong in its stance, Choi said, referring to Washingtons pledge to bring investment to the North, which has struggled economically in the face of international sanctions over its weapons program.



There might be a negative outcome for North Korea if they just go for the U.S.-North summit [without trying to get anything else first] so I think Pyongyang is briefly trying to put the brakes on [the current situation] ahead of the summit.



China talks



Han Bum Cho, senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, suggested that the North feels more confident after recent meetings between Kim and Xi Jinpingthe president of Pyongyangs main ally, China.



As the North-China relationship has improved recently, Kim Jong Un seems to be more relaxed, he said.



There is a strong possibility that he may express dissatisfaction [with Washington] before the U.S.-North summit.



Shin Sang Jin, of Kwangwoon University in Seoul, also noted that a summit between Kim and Xi earlier this month in Dalian may have emboldened the Norths leader.



At the meeting, the North and China strengthened their cooperative relationship, and there is a possibility that they discussed ways to reduce U.S. leverage on the Korean peninsula.



The threat to call off Junes summit follows weeks of moves by the North that were widely viewed as signs of thawing tensions.



Last week, the North released three American prisoners that had been accused of committing espionage or hostile acts against the state during a visit to Pyongyang by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for a previously unannounced meeting with Kim Jong Un and other North Korean officials.



Pyongyang has also announced that it will destroy its nuclear testing site next week.



During a meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev at the White House on Wednesday, Trump told reporters that members of his administration havent been notified at all about North Koreas intentions for the planned summit, and that we will see what happens, whatever it is.



The U.S. will continue to insist on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, whether or not the talks occur, he added.



Reported by RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Detained Myanmar journalist Wa Lone (C) is escorted by police to a court in Yangon for his ongoing trial, May 16, 2018.

Prosecutors in the case against two Reuters news agency journalists on trial in Myanmar for possessing state secrets produced a new police witness on Wednesday, who denied the testimony of another police officer that authorities had set up the reporters in a sting operation.

Police Lance Corporal Naing Lin testified in court that he met the two reporters, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, on the night of their arrest on Dec. 12, but denied handing over classified documents to incriminate them.

The two were taken into custody on the outskirts of Yangon shortly after they had dinner with two police officers who gave them documents related to a brutal military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state. They were formally charged on Jan. 10 and face up to 14 years in prison if found guilty.

Naing Lins testimony contradicted that of Captain Moe Yan Naing, another witness for the prosecution, who testified in court on April 20 that Police Brigadier General Tin Ko Ko had ordered Police Sergeant Naing Lin and another officer to set up the reporters.

At that hearing, Moe Yan Naing said Tin Ko Ko, who was in charge of the internal investigation, told Naing Lin to set up a meeting with Wa Lone and give him documents from Police Security Battalion 8, which was stationed in Rakhine state between April and November 2017.

At the time of their arrest, the two reporters were working on a story about the murders of 10 Rohingya Muslim civilians from Inn Din village in Rakhine state.

Moe Yan Naing said he himself met Wa Lone once on Nov. 23 at a teahouse to discuss police operations in Rakhine, but he was not among the officers when the two reporters were arrested. He also said he had never met with Kyaw Soe Oo.

Moe Yan Naing was arrested in December after being identified as one of two policemen involved in the case along with Khin Maung Lin who also was detained on Dec. 12 on charges of violating the British colonial-era Official Secrets Act and the Police Disciplinary Act.

The whistleblower was sentenced to a year in Yangons Insein Prison under the Police Discipline Law for handing classified information to the reporters, and authorities ordered his wife and three children to move out of a police housing complex.

During Wednesdays hearing, Naing Lin said he himself had been investigated as well and had spent nine days in police custody, but did not know what had become of Khin Maung Lin.

He said he didnt know where Sergeant Khin Maung Lin is, Than Zaw Aung, a lawyer for the reporters, told the media.

The Police Information Team testified today in court that Khin Maung Lin had been fired from the police force, he said.

His testimony is wrong

After the session, when reporters questioned Naing Lin about Moe Yan Naings testimony, he only responded that he himself had testified truthfully at court.

I am disappointed to hear what Naing Lin said at court, Wa Lone told reporters. His testimony is wrong. He said we had met him and asked him about Inn Din case. Only this is correct. Kyaw Soe Oo and I met him along with another policeman whom we didnt know, but he said at court that he met us alone.

Than Zaw Aung told the media that Naing Lin said in court that he could not refuse an order from Tin Ko Ko because the police brigadier general was his superior.

What we know is that Naing Lin and other official from the special branch took Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo to the restaurant, through Naing Lin said that only he took them, the attorney said.

The military-controlled Ministry of Home Affairs, which oversees the countrys police, has denied accusations that police set up the reporters, Police Chief Major General Aung Win Oo said at a press conference in the capital Naypyidaw on Tuesday.

He also said that Tin Ko Ko has not been charged or has had action taken against him because he did not order the entrapment of the Reuters reporters.

Reported by Aung Theinkha for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Authorities in a Tibetan-populated county in southwest Chinas Sichuan province have banned monks educated in monasteries in India from giving teachings in their area, fearing they may spread separatist sentiment, Tibetan sources said.



The move, enacted recently in Lithang county in the Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, targets senior religious teachers called Geshes believed to have been in contact with exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.



At least two have already been expelled from the Lithang monastery, a Tibetan living in India told RFAs Tibetan Service, citing sources in Lithang.



The two Geshes, Lobsang Dondrub and Lobsang Choepak, were both educated at Sera monastery in India and graduated with Lharampa degrees, the most senior rank for Geshes, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



Several other Geshes who returned to Tibet after being educated at Sera are facing a similar situation, and Chinese authorities are not even allowing them to join the monastery at Lithang, he said.



Chinese authorities imposed an almost total communications clampdown on Lithang in March following religious teachings given by the Dalai Lama in India earlier in the year, RFAs source said.



Tibetan pilgrims who went to Bodhgaya for the Dalai Lamas teachings were later summoned by the Chinese authorities to undergo political reeducation, and in some places the returning pilgrims were beaten by police, he said.



Others were detained for as long as 15 days. The Chinese were very repressive in dealing with them, he said.



New level of repression



Also speaking to RFA, a Tibetan living in Nepal said that Lithangs new ban on teaching by India-trained monks points to a heightened level of repression in the county.



Usually it is a little more lenient in Lithang in terms of possessing photos of the Dalai Lama or expressing devotion to him, but now the situation has changed, and it has become very restrictive, the source said, also citing contacts in the region.



Now, some local officials have become very hawkish in restricting religious activities, he said.



The Dalai Lama, who escaped into exile in India almost ten years after Chinese troops marched into Tibet in 1950, is reviled by Chinese leaders as a dangerous separatist who seeks to split the formerly self-governing region from Beijings rule.



In what he calls a Middle Way approach, though, the Dalai Lama says that he seeks only a meaningful autonomy for Tibet as a part of China, with protections for the regions language, religion, and culture.



Reported by Dawa Dolma and Kalden Lodoe for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Afghan government forces have pushed back the Taliban from the capital of Farah Province in western Afghanistan, close to the Iranian border, officials say.

"Subdued" fighting was continuing in Farah city's outskirts, and Afghan forces were being supported with U.S. airpower and advisers, a NATO spokesman said on May 16.

The attack, the first major assault targeting a provincial capital since the militants announced their annual spring offensive, began early on May 15 when several security checkpoints in the provincial capital were overrun.

The militants also captured one urban district and parts of another.

Afghan and NATO warplanes bombed the attackers' positions, while special police forces and commandos were deployed in Farah, according to officials.

The Taliban, which announced the start of its annual spring offensive last month, claimed responsibility for the assault.

Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish said 11 soldiers were killed in the fighting. Radmanish and NATO had previously said that "dozens" of militants died in the fighting.

Farah provincial Governor Abdul Basir Salangi and Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish gave far higher tolls. Danish said 300 Taliban had been killed, although Salangi said the wounded had also been included in the 300 toll.

Nasir Mehri, a spokesman for Salangi, said at least five civilians had been killed.

Farah Province has been a key battleground for the Taliban for months. It borders Helmand Province, where the militants control several districts.

The Western-backed government in Kabul has been struggling to fend off the Taliban and other militant groups since the withdrawal of most NATO troops in 2014.

But the top U.S. military commander in Europe said on May 16 that he expects 2018 to be "a second year where the Afghan forces are successful in leading that fight and decreasing the ability of Taliban to operate throughout their fighting season."

NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Curtis Scaparrotti was speaking at a news conference following a meeting of NATO's Military Committee in Brussels.

With reporting by RFE/RLs Radio Free Afghanistan and AFP
YEREVAN -- Dozens of protesters have burst into City Hall in Yerevan, demanding the resignation of the Armenian capital's mayor over the stripping of trees from a formerly lush park outside the building.

The demonstrators who stormed the building on May 16 after days of protests are also accusing Mayor Taron Markarian of corruption and the misuse of state funds.

Tree Protesters Storm Yerevan City Hall (natural sound)

They assailed him as an alleged ally of longtime former President Serzh Sarkisian, who stepped down as prime minister on April 23 after weeks of peaceful street protests by Armenians who accused him of clinging to power.

A catalyst for the protests at City Hall was a Facebook post juxtaposing a photograph of the long, narrow park full of trees with one showing it stripped of most of the greenery.

Demonstrators demanded Markarian meet with them and explain why trees were being cut down.

A representative of the mayor told them that the park was being "modernized" and that only dry or dead trees were being cut down.

But several protesters brought branches or twigs with green leaves, which they say were cut in the park, and demanded an explanation from Markarian.

Protesters were still inside the building hours after they burst in, many chanting in an area near the entrance, and there was a crowd outside.

First Deputy Mayor Kamo Areian told protesters that the mayor was eager to meet with them in "a calm atmosphere" to discuss the situation in the park.

Areian indicated that Marakarian had no plans to step down, saying that the "issue of the mayor's resignation is not on the agenda."

The development came eight days after Nikol Pashinian, who led the street protests that unexpectedly brought down Sarkisian after 10 years in power, was voted in as prime minister of the South Caucasus country on May 8.

Opponents of Sarkisian, who had been president for 10 years and moved to the newly powerful post of prime minister in mid-April, see him as part of a long-entrenched ruling elite that is unresponsive to the interests of many Armenians.
Thousands of Bosnians have taken to the streets to demand that authorities determine the truth behind the deaths of two young men -- a Muslim and a Serb -- in a protest that spanned Bosnia's entrenched ethnic divisions.

The protesters who marched in Sarajevo on May 15 also echoed calls by demonstrators in the former Soviet bloc for an end to the government corruption and negligence that they contend was behind the young men's deaths.

Holding banners reading "Who is protecting the killers?" and "We want the truth," the protesters accused authorities of covering up the killings of David Dragicevic and Dzenan Memic.

Memic, 22, of Sarajevo, died in February 2016 from what prosecutors initially described as intentional homicide, but later said was the result of a vehicle accident.

Two men have been charged with driving the van that hit Memic. His father claims his son was slain deliberately and authorities protected the real killers.

Dragicevic, 21, from Banja Luka in Bosnia's Serbian entity, was found dead in March. Police said he drowned, but Dragicevic's father insists his son was beaten and then killed.

The father has led weeks of protests in Banja Luka that have challenged the government in the Serb-dominated part of the country.

Authorities in Sarajevo and in Banja Luka have denied the allegations leveled by the grieving men and the crowds that have come out to support them.

Bosnia-Herzegovina was divided into two separately governed regions -- Serbian and Muslim-Croat -- under a peace agreement that ended the 1992-95 war between the country's Serbs, Muslim Bosniaks, and Croats. Its central government is ruled jointly.

Critics say the system has entrenched in power ethnic-based political parties, which have grown corrupt. Moreover, tensions among the former war foes persist more than two decades after the conflict that killed 100,000 people.

The protest in Sarajevo on May 15 appeared to break the pattern of tensions by bringing together people from Sarajevo and protesters from Banja Luka to call for investigations and justice in the men's deaths.

The men's fathers said they believe both cases were covered up by police acting in cahoots with the killers, providing what they say is evidence of the corruption that has plagued Bosnia's regions since the 1990s war.

Dragicevic's father, Davor Dragicevic, told the crowd he would continue organizing demonstrations until his son's killers are punished. Dragicevic has led daily protests in Banja Luka for more than 50 days.

"My child was killed by a system created after the war. I will never forgive them for David, Dzenan, and all the other children," Dragicevic said. "I demand the names of accomplices, killers, and all those who hid evidence."

Memic's father, Muriz Memic, expressed similar resolve, saying, "I know what happened and they can't convince me to the contrary." The police "are either incompetent or corrupt. There is no other explanation," he said.

Many of the protesters held placards reading "Justice for Dave" and "Justice for Dzenan."

The demonstrators also voiced discontent with low living standards, widespread corruption, and the country's ethnic divisions.

With reporting by AP and Reuters
Bosnia-Herzegovina is struggling to cope with an influx of thousands of migrants mostly from the Middle East trying to reach Western Europe that authorities and aid groups warn could develop into a crisis.

Bosnia's governing council met on May 15 to consider measures to deal with the thousands of migrants who have turned to the small Balkan country in recent months, trying to avoid more heavily guarded routes and borders in the Balkans.

About 4,000 people from Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Algeria, and Afghanistan have entered Bosnia so far this year compared with 755 in 2017, migrant aid groups say.

Most are seeking to cross the border into EU-member Croatia, and then move on toward Western Europe, but about 1,500 have remained in the country after being blocked from entering the European Union.

The government of Bosnia does not have the facilities to accommodate so many migrants, as its asylum center in Sarajevo has only 200 beds, with 80 to 150 people arriving each day, Security Minister Dragan Mektic said on May 14.

The International Organization for Migration expects arrivals in Bosnia to continue to average 350 to 400 a week, although local activists say the number this year has been higher than that.

Dozens of people have been camping outside in a park in central Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital, where they have set up a small tent settlement. Local residents have been bringing food and clothes to help.

Bosnia's Council of Ministers on May 15 met to consider measures to provide more housing, food, and medical care for the migrants. Officials have warned that the influx could strain Bosnia's already weak economy.

"Where can we get the money, where?" Mektic said on state TV, calling for help from the European Union and other Balkan countries in controlling the influx. "The route is growing and we could face a crisis."

Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, expressed concern in a letter to Bosnian authorities on May 15 over the "lack of systematic response" to the situation.

"I am concerned to learn that many refugees and migrants, including families with children, sleep rough on the streets and have irregular access to food," Mijatovic wrote. "This situation cannot continue in this way."

"The longer we wait to put accommodation and everything with it in place, the risk is we are creating...a mini-humanitarian crisis," said Peter Van Der Auweraert, western Balkans coordinator at the International Organization for Migration.

"It has to be done not in two months time but...next week," he said.

More than a million migrants entered Europe through the Balkans in 2015 before many countries in the region closed their borders. EU member Hungary set up barbed-wire fences on its southern border with Serbia to stop the influx of migrants.

In this year's wave, migrants have been arriving first in Greece after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey, then moving on toward Albania and Montenegro and eventually to Bosnia, where they hope to cross the border into Croatia or Slovenia.

Previously, migrants used a route through Greece to Macedonia and Serbia, and then on to Croatia or Hungary.

Included in the recent influx into Bosnia are people who were stranded in Serbia after the borders of neighboring EU member states were closed in 2016. The migrants stuck in Serbia are now increasingly attempting to cross into the EU through Bosnia.

Many Iranian migrants are also crossing into Bosnia from Serbia, after having taken advantage of a visa-free regime introduced last year between Serbia and Iran.

In the northwestern Bosnian town of Bihac, some 200 to 250 people, including families with children, have been staying in an abandoned former students home.

Local authorities and aid groups have provided food, basic medical aid, water, and containers with showers, Van Der Auweraert said.

"It is a big challenge to accommodate people in a building that is obviously abandoned, but compared to Sarajevo where people are sleeping in the streets, it is obviously a better solution," he said.

During lunch time, a windowless concrete hall is used to host dozens of migrants for a warm meal.

Among them recently was a man who idenitified himself as Ibrahim from Syria, who said he had tried to cross into Croatia with fellow migrants but police there beat them, broke their mobile phones, and took their money.

"We are human, not animals," Ibrahim said.

"I was sent back from Croatia six times," said Omar from Iraq, who declined to give his last name. He said he arrived in Bosnia with his younger brother after spending two years in Greece.

"I must get to Germany because all my family is there," Omar, 19, said.

With reporting by AP and Reuters
It barely made the news in Serbia when Sasa Cvjetan was released from custody in late April, having served just over two-thirds of his 20-year prison sentence.

Cvjetan had been a member of a notorious Serbian paramilitary unit known as the Scorpions, linked to atrocities committed during the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s. The specific crime for which Cvjetan was convicted was the 1999 murder of 14 Albanian civilians in Podujevo, Kosovo.

The decision to grant Cvjetan early release has been severely criticized by the Belgrade Humanitarian Law Center, an institution that frequently appeals to Serbia's collective conscience. Its lawyers have worked to prevent the wartime past from being swept under the carpet or war criminals from being treated with kid gloves. They have argued that the decision to release Cvjetan on parole downplays the severity of the crime against civilians and denigrates the victims.

On March 28, 1999, a Scorpions unit including Cvjetan shot dead 14 Albanians in the backyard of a family home -- seven children, aged from 2 to 15, and seven women. Five children survived the massacre with severe wounds.

The crime in Podujevo had an inconvenient witness. A Serbian military policeman happened to pass the scene of the massacre and realized that there were survivors among the dead bodies. Thanks to him, the children were transported to a nearby hospital that was still under Serbian control.

When NATO troops arrived, the children were evacuated to Manchester, England, where they spent a long time recovering from their wounds.

One of the survivors, Saranda Bogujevci, had been hit by no fewer than 16 bullets. But Saranda did more than survive. Almost immediately, she dedicated herself with extraordinary energy and zeal to tracking down the killers and bringing them to justice. She was only 19 when she traveled to Toronto to appear as a witness at the trial of Dejan Demirovic, one of the other members of Cvjetans unit, who had emigrated to Canada in 2001. He was extradited on a Serbian warrant but was freed after agreeing to testify against his accomplices.

Saranda and two more of the surviving children traveled to Belgrade for the trial of a member of the Scorpions unit in 2003. They made history as the first children to appear as witnesses in a war crimes trial.

They again testified as witnesses in a separate trial of four other Scorpions sentenced in 2008.

Those surviving childrens next trip to Belgrade, in 2013, had a different purpose. They came to open an art installation based on the Bogujevci familys life, funded by the Open Society and the Swiss Embassy in Serbia. The exhibit was titled Bogujevci: Visual History, Honoring All Families Victims Of War and was the creation of Fatos, Jehona, and Saranda Bogujevci. It was hosted by the Podroom gallery of the Belgrade Cultural Center.

"From the moment we conceived the project, we felt that it would be important to tell our story in Belgrade, in the hope that what happened would not be forgotten," Saranda Bogujevci told RFE/RLs Belgrade bureau at the opening. "[We wanted to show that] we were a family like any other. My mother had dreams for all of us."

There was little display of public enthusiasm in Belgrade for a documented history of the Bogujevci familys tragedy at the time. A headline in the Vecernje Novosti newspaper went so far as to assert "Albanian Propaganda In The Heart Of Knez Mihailova!" -- a reference to Belgrades main street.

But many politicians showed up to see the exhibition and to meet three survivors of the Podujevo massacre. And other visitors included then-Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, who has since become foreign minister. Dacic told reporters at the time that all victims of the Kosovo conflict deserved to be remembered: It would be bad to speak here about their, or our, war crimes. Victims are victims.

Dacic's attendance at the Bogujevci exhibition and the sentiments he expressed seem far from the current, deeply frayed relations between Belgrade and Pristina. Last week, a karate team from Kosovo was denied entry to Serbia, costing it an opportunity to participate in a European competition hosted by the city of Novi Sad. Also last week, members of the Kosovar parliament previously invited to a conference in Belgrade were abruptly disinvited.

In the context of ongoing antagonism between Serbia and its former province, the Podujevo childrens exhibit was surely historic.

Visitors to the exhibition included Spasoje Vulevic, the commander of Serbia's antiterrorist police unit who arguably saved lives after coming across those five wounded children by ensuring that they made it to the hospital. (In 2008, he also testified about the massacre.)

Cvjetan spent a total of 16 years and four months in custody but was not due to be released until 2021. His prison term was reduced for good behavior, and he was released on parole in April.

The Humanitarian Law Center has argued that courts should not make such decisions without considering the specifics of the crime, including remorse (or lack thereof), as well as the victims' suffering and the consequences still faced by the survivors. Cvjetan has never publicly expressed any remorse over the Podujevo massacre; on the contrary, he has referred to the case against him as "politically motivated."

Saranda Bogujevci currently lives in Pristina and is a member of the Kosovar parliament as a deputy of the Self Determination (Vetevendosje) party. Having helped bring her familys killers to justice, she now faces the challenge of protecting the rule of law in her own country, whose postwar recovery has been undermined by corruption at home, among other problems.

But relations with its larger neighbor to the north might well be determined by the extent to which Serbia -- including its politicians and the public -- is prepared to face up to the actions of their government and military forces in Kosovo during the 1999 war.

If Sasa Cvjetan's conviction for the massacre of the Bogujevci family was a positive sign in this respect, his early release on parole arguably reveals the limits of accountability for war crimes in Serbia. For Saranda Bogujevci, it means that the fight for justice on all fronts continues.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL
You like me (slightly more than you did in December)! You really like me (slightly more than you did in December)! Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

In recent weeks, the American public has learned that Donald Trumps personal lawyer is under federal investigation; that said lawyer accepted million-dollar-plus payments from major corporations looking to buy access to the White House, and funneled such legal bribes through the same slush fund that he used to deliver a hush payment to a porn star who claims to be the presidents ex-lover; that Trumps EPA administrator has misspent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars (and that the president believes hes doing a great job, anyway); that the president repeatedly lied to the public about that porn-star hush payment; and that Trump had pulled the United States out of a functional nuclear agreement with Iran, over the objections of Americas core allies  and a large plurality of the American public.

And the presidents approval rating went up.

In fact, since the start of this year, the percentage of Americans looking on their nations leader favorably has risen steadily. This week, that figure hit sights unseen since James Comeys last days at the FBI.

Trump's approval rating, 42.4 percent, is his highest in more than a year in our tracking. (Since 5/4/17, which was before he fired Comey.) https://t.co/j7XEedEnAf  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) May 14, 2018

This has caused liberals no small amount of consternation. But in a new analysis of voters attitudes toward Trump  derived from more than a million interviews with voters in all 50 states  SurveyMonkey offers the most satisfying explanation of the presidents improving fortunes to date, while also putting Trumps rebound in edifying perspective. Heres a quick rundown of the pollsters findings:

How Trump has really been performing: Trumps approval numbers are more remarkable for their stability than their modest gains in recent months. The president enjoyed a honeymoon period in which his favorability rating sat in the mid-40s (SurveyMonkeys poll is a couple points more favorable to Trump than the average one, but its trend line is consistent with those of virtually every pollster). But that brief period ended after Trump fired Comey  and Republicans passed a heinously unpopular health-care bill out of the House.

Over the ensuing months, as Trump tried and failed to shepherd health-care legislation through Congress, his standing diminished among Republican and independent voters, losing about five percentage points of support from each of those groups. Theres been almost no variation in Democratic attitudes toward Trump  a little over 90 percent of Democrats did not approve of the president on day one, or on any day after.

By December, Trumps approval rating bottomed out at 40 percent. Then, shortly after he signed his tax cuts into law, his support from Republicans and independents began to steadily rebound. As of this month, the president has regained about three percentage points of support from both those groups since his nadir, in late 2017.

Photo: Survey Monkey

Why Trumps approval has gone up, even as his scandals have piled up: The vast majority of the American public long ago concluded that Donald Trump is a liar who does not share their values or care about people like them. But at the start of his presidency, 79 percent of conservative Republicans believed that he could get things done  by December 2017, that had fallen to just 60 percent. Once the tax cuts passed, however, conservatives confidence in Trumps git er done abilities spiked back up into the mid-70s.

Which is to say: While the actual substance of Trumps tax law is deeply unpopular, even among Republican voters (who oppose deficit-financed tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations), this mattered less to strong GOP partisans than the frustration of seeing their team repeatedly lose high-profile legislative battles. And the sense that Trump was not merely a lecherous liar  but an ineffective one  weakened his position among some Republicans and independents. Once the president proved he could, in fact, get things done, however, his image with such voters recovered:

Photo: Survey Monkey

The other wind in Trumps sails has been the expanding economy. Between early summer 2017 and this month, the publics approval of the presidents economic management increased by five percentage points, from 44 to 49 percent.

The only people in the U.S. who believe that Trump is honest and pure of heart are too deeply beholden to his cult of personality to change their minds in the wake of any scandal. And for a majority of the public, such scandals only fortify their preexisting disapproval of the president. But there is a small subset of the electorate that sees Trump as a scoundrel, but doesnt mind, so long as the economy is growing, and Congress appears to be doing things.

Why Trumps support is softer than meets the eye: Far more Americans strongly disapprove of the president than strongly approve of him. Only 55 percent of Republican voters  and a mere 10 percent of independents  are willing to give their president a ringing endorsement. By contrast, 78 percent of Democrats despise their commander-in-chief.

Photo: Survey Monkey

One reason for Trumps relatively soft Republican support: Younger GOP voters  especially, younger female GOP voters  arent too crazy about the guy. While the president enjoys the strong approval of 64 percent of Republican men over 45, he gets such affection from just 37 percent of GOP women below that age.

Photo: Survey Monkey

What all this adds up to: Trump came into office a historically unpopular president, and became even more widely disliked by the end of his first year in office. Since then, he has regained some support, but remains less popular than he was on Inauguration Day (when he was very, very unpopular). Much of the support he does have is soft, with a good portion coming from voters who believe he is dishonest and does not share their values. Should economic conditions worsen, it would not be surprising for his approval rating to drop significantly.

But if current trends persist, Trump is unlikely to see his approval rating fall back to where it was in December. His weakness at that point derived from his dearth of legislative accomplishments. The tax cut abolished that liability. And because the House map is skewed so profoundly in the GOPs favor, its quite possible that Trumps present level of public support could prove robust enough to allow Republicans to retain the House, which would merely require them to keep the margin of their popular-vote loss under about seven percentage points.
European Union leaders at a summit in Sofia are expected to discuss measures that the bloc might take to shield European companies from renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran.

EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini said on May 15 that European commissioners will first discuss whether the EU's 1990s-era sanctions-blocking measures can be used to protect European business interests in Iran before leaders at the summit take up the matter.

"We are working on finding a practical solution," she told a news conference in Brussels. "We are talking about solutions to keep the deal alive" now that the United States has walked away from Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.

"I cannot talk about legal or economic guarantees but I can talk about serious, determined, immediate work from the European side," Mogherini said.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was not optimistic about the chances of avoiding U.S. sanctions on Iran that could be used to penalize European companies that continue to do business with Tehran.

The U.S. Treasury has put European businesses on notice that they have 90 days to wrap up most business with Iran before the renewed U.S. sanctions take effect, and U.S. leaders have been warning European companies to heed the sanctions.

"We have to be realistic about the electrified rail, the live wire of American extraterritoriality and how [it] can serve as a deterrent to business," Johnson told reporters in Brussels.

EU President Donald Tusk said in a letter to EU leaders on May 15 that the summit would "reflect on recent global developments, in particular following President [Donald] Trump's announcement on Iran and trade."

"I would like our debate to reconfirm without any doubt that as long as Iran respects the provisions of the deal, the EU will also respect it," Tusk said.

Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
The parents of Khamzat Azimov, who was fatally shot by Paris police after he allegedly stabbed five people on May 13, have been released after more than two days in custody, French officials said.

A judicial official said late on May 15 that the parents of Azimov, 20, a naturalized French citizen who was born in Russia's Chechnya region, were let go "in the absence of elements incriminating them at this stage."

Officials did not provide the names of Azimov's parents.

Azimov was accused of killing one person and wounding four others in an attack on May 12 claimed by the Islamic State extremist group.

The suspect's friend, identified only as Abdul Hakim A., who officials said is also 20 years old and originally from Chechnya, was being held for more questioning, they said.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP
Canceling a nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran would be wrong, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said, adding that the U.S. withdrawal from the deal was among several pieces of "troubling news" that had occurred recently.

President Donald Trump announced last week that the United States would abandon the landmark 2015 accord despite the European powers' sustained efforts to convince Washington to continue to adhere to the deal.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreed by Iran and six world powers -- the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China -- obliged Tehran to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Merkel told the German parliament on May 16 that while the pact was "anything but ideal...it's not right to cancel this agreement in this situation now."

But she said that despite the disagreements between Washington and its European allies over the deal, "transatlantic relations are and remain of paramount importance."

At meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Brussels on May 15, the European signatories vowed to keep the JCPOA alive despite the U.S. withdrawal.

Zarif said on May 16 that while the meetings sent a strong political message, that must now be turned into action.

"If the JCPOA is supposed to continue, it was a good start and it has sent an important political message, but this is not the end of the work," Zarif said on his flight back to Tehran, according to state news agency IRNA.

EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini said on May 15 that experts had already started working on measures to get around U.S. sanctions.

The work, Mogherini said, was focusing on nine key areas including Iran's capacity to continue selling oil and gas as well as ways to protect European firms doing business in the country.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rohani said on May 16 that Tehran will not flag under U.S. pressure.

"They think they can make the Iranian nation surrender by putting pressure on Iran, through sanctions and even threats of war.... The Iranian nation will resist the U.S. plots," Iranian news agencies quoted Rohani as saying.

Rohani was speaking a day after Washington announced fresh sanctions on the governor of the Central Bank of Iran, accusing him of providing support for terrorist activities.

The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Valiollah Seif and another senior central bank official, Ali Tarzali.

The two were named "specially designated global terrorists" for allegedly helping funnel millions of dollars on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Quds Force to support Lebanon's Hizballah militia, the OFAC said on May 15.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and dpa
Kremlin opponents could face criminal prosecution under new Russian legislation proposing possible prison sentences for Russians who adhere to or promote international sanctions targeting Moscow, one of the bills authors said on May 16.

The remarks by lawmaker Andrei Isayev came a day after the State Duma, Russias lower house of parliament, unanimously gave initial approval to the draft legislation, which is seen as a response to U.S.-imposed sanctions on Russian officials, tycoons, and companies.

Isayev specifically identified Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, as a potential target for authorities under the legislation.

He cited Kara-Murzas vigorous lobbying for U.S. and European sanctions imposed on Russian officials over Moscow's human rights record.

"I am warning him as a State Duma deputy: If the bill is passed and becomes law, such activities will be considered a crime," Isayev, a member of the ruling United Russia party, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.

Isayev added that "other individuals" who lobby foreign governments to impose sanctions against Russia could also be prosecuted under the legislation, which would criminalize "premeditated actions that enable the imposition of" foreign sanctions, if authorities can prove "intent."

The bill provides for prison sentences of up to four years for those found guilty of "actions taken with the goal of executing" international sanctions imposed on Russia, and up to three years for the premeditated "enabling" of foreign sanctions.

A prominent Russian industry lobby group on May 16 called the bill "categorically unacceptable," saying it could lead to "baseless" prosecutions and harm Russias business climate and economy.

In order to become law, the bill would have to be passed in two more readings in the State Duma and in the upper house of parliament before being signed by Putin.

Kara-Murza has fallen gravely ill twice in Moscow over the past three years in what he alleges were deliberate poisonings due to his activism.

He met with U.S. lawmakers to encourage the passage of the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law that punishes Russians deemed by Washington to be complicit in human rights abuses, and has lobbied for similar punitive measures by other Western countries.

Kara-Murza was also a driving force in the renaming of a plaza near the Russian Embassy in Washington in honor of a fellow Kremlin critic, Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

Nemtsov, who was shot dead near the Kremlin in February 2015, had also met with U.S. lawmakers to urge passage of the Magnitsky Act.

Responding to Isayevs remarks, Kara-Murza said his work is "aimed at establishing accountabilityfor those who violate the rights of Russian citizens and steal money from Russian taxpayers."



"Im proud of my modest contribution to the adoption of 'Magnitsky acts in several European and North American countries. I intend to continue this work," he told RFE/RL in written comments on May 16.



"I do not intend to change my plans, including travel, depending on the actions of the current regime," added Kara-Murza, whose family lives outside Washington and who splits his time between Russia and the United States.

Both Kara-Murza and Mikhail Kasyanov, Putins former prime minister who became an opposition politician, have met with officials in Washington to call for U.S. sanctions targeting Russian state-media figures.

The United States, the EU, and other states have hit Russia with sanctions in response to its 2014 seizure of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula and backing of armed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

More recently, Washington slapped punitive measures on Moscow last month for what it called Russias "malign activity around the globe."

The Western sanctions have enraged Moscow, which has denounced them as "illegal" and "unacceptable."
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump has held talks with Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoev in the White House, as the Central Asian leader looks to raise the profile of a country long isolated by the repressive rule of his predecessor.

The May 16 meeting marked the first time since 2002 that an Uzbek president has made an official visit to the United States.

Mirziyoev's visit comes as he takes steps to implement reforms at home and improve ties with the outside world following more than a quarter-century of iron-fisted rule under Islam Karimov, who died in 2016.

Before the start of the talks in the Oval Office, Trump described his Uzbek counterpart as "a highly respected man in his country and throughout."

He told journalists that the two countries have been "working very closely together" on trade and the military, citing Uzbekistan's "purchase of equipment and military equipment from the United States."

However, he made no public comments on the issue of human rights or democracy in Uzbekistan.

'Historic' Meeting

Mirziyoev called his meeting with Trump "historic," and hailed a "new era of a strategic partnership" between the two countries.

"We have been able to sign contracts and agreements with the leading U.S. countries worth $5 billion," he said, without providing details.

The Uzbek leader also congratulated Trump for what he called his "historic" tax reform and the creation of new jobs.

"This is the result of your personal work for the benefit of the American people," Mirziyoev added, before Trump replied, "I agree 100 percent."

Mirziyoev, 60, has sought to open up Central Asia's most populous country and move away from his Karimov's oppressive policies, making changes as part of a bid to attract foreign investment and improve Uzbekistan's stagnant economy.

For Trump, the talks are a chance to shore up relations with a strategically located country that is courted by China and Russia and was once a key staging area for U.S. operations in neighboring Afghanistan.

"I would say that we are cautiously optimistic, optimistically cautious," a senior White House official said on condition of anonymity ahead of the meeting, calling it a "window of opportunity."

"You dont always get these opportunities in this part of the world, so we believe it's important to try and work with this government and encourage the kind of steps that we've seen," the official said.

The United States wants to "provide that encouragement and influence early so we can see more momentum with his reform program," the official added.

"And if we were overly cautious, and didnt move out in trying to encourage this, that might lose this window of opportunity and we might see backsliding back into the days of Karimov," the official said.

'An Opportunity'

The visit is "an opportunity to encourage and validate those reforms" already adopted by Mirziyoev, Lisa Curtis, who oversees Central and South Asian affairs at the White House National Security Council, said two days before the talks.

Prime minister for 13 years under Karimov, Mirziyoev became interim president after his death was announced in September 2016. He was then elected president in a tightly controlled vote in December.

Uzbekistan has made great strides since Mirziyoev came to power, Lisa Curtis, who oversees Central and South Asian affairs at the White House National Security Council, said on May 14.

Curtis and the senior White House official signaled that U.S. officials will press the Uzbek president to go further to remedy longstanding problems involving the repression of human rights, forced labor, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press.

It's critical that basic human rights and freedoms are guaranteed, the official said.

The United States wants to "encourage even more change, more openness, and then Uzbekistan serves as an example for the rest of the Central Asia region, which...is a growing, developing, important region," the official said.

In recent months, Mirziyoev has taken steps to reform the long-feared security services in the former Soviet republic, and several activists and journalists have been freed after years in prison.

Uzbek authorities on May 12 released human rights activist Fahriddin Tillaev, who had been imprisoned for more than four years in a case that watchdogs called politically motivated.

Tillaev's release was widely seen as a gesture toward the U.S. administration ahead of Mirziyoev's meeting with Trump, in parallel with a marketing blitz undertaken by the Uzbek government in Washington in recent months to attract more foreign investment.

Sizable Delegation

Mirziyoev is accompanied by a sizable delegation of officials and business leaders, who reportedly intend to sign around $4 billion of contracts and business deals with U.S. companies during the visit.

Global human rights groups are calling on Mirzyoev to take his reforms further --- and urging Trump to press him for more change.

Human Rights Watch said in a report published on March 28 that journalists and other critics of the government remain under pressure from legal restrictions, politically motivated prosecutions, and fear-induced self-censorship

Ahead of Mirziyoev's visit, Amnesty International said Trump should push the Uzbek leader to "continue and deepen" human rights reforms.

The British-based rights group said the Uzbek leader's White House visit "will be a critical opportunity for [Trump] to encourage Uzbekistan to implement human rights reforms that are long overdue and much needed."

Amnesty International and 11 other human rights organizations later issued a joint statement urging members of the U.S. Congress to call on the Uzbek government during Mirziyoyevs White House visit to immediately release everyone imprisoned on politically motivated charges.

They cited politically motivated imprisonment, torture, internet censorship, and a lack of competitive electoral processes in Uzbekistan as egregious rights abuses that remain to be addressed.

At this hopeful time for Uzbekistan, the government should ensure that the modest steps already taken in the right direction lead to enduring and effective human rights protection for all of Uzbekistans citizens, said Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch.

In parallel with signs of a timid thaw in repression, Mirziyoev's administration has also moved to purge many prominent law enforcement and other government officials.

Experts Urge Caution

That has led some Central Asian experts to caution that his reforms may be aimed in part at enriching Mirziyoevs political backers and consolidating his power.

Beyond raising human rights and economic reform, Curtis said the White House will discuss China's and Russias actions in the Central Asian region during the Uzbek leader's visit.

She said the White House will also ask Mirziyoev to help more with efforts to broker a peace settlement in neighboring Afghanistan, saying that Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries should take on more of that burden.

Mirziyoev's White House visit is the first since Karimov made the trip in March 2002, months after his government agreed to let the United States to use an air base in Uzbekistan for operations in Afghanistan.

Tashkent's relations with the United States and other Western countries soured badly after Uzbek security forces opened fire on protesters in the eastern city of Andijon in 2005, killing hundreds or people.

Asked about the possibility of U.S. military forces returning to Uzbekistan, the senior White House official said that military-to-military cooperation would be renewed, but that we are not seeking to have U.S. forces in Uzbekistan at this time.



Asked about the role of Russia and China in Central Asia, the official also said that the United States should not been seen as a competitor with Russia or China for influence in the region.

At the same time, the official said, the United States is seeking to "enhance our partners' standing as a strong sovereign independent state" and "supporting the territorial integrity of our Central Asian partners."


Russian President Vladimir Putin has touted new weapons that he says are ready for deployment, stating that they will significantly increase Russia's military capabilities and "ensure a strategic balance for decades."

Putin was speaking at a meeting with Russian defense officials in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on May 15.

As relations between the West and Russia have plummeted to post-Cold War lows, Putin has maintained that he does not want an arms race, but at the same time he has warned that his country is developing a new generation of weapons that he has described as "invincible" and unmatched by foreign rivals.

Putin said that 14 missile regiments will receive new Yars intercontinental-ballistic-missile complexes to replace their old Topol complexes this year, while Russia's air forces will receive modernized bombers armed with long-range cruise missiles.

"Strategic nuclear forces have key significance for defense and security," Putin said.

The army will receive a range of new armored vehicles, including the new Armata main battle tanks, he said, while the navy will commission more warships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles that the military tested during the war in Syria.

Among new weapons systems that may soon be ready for deployment is the S-500 surface-to-air antiballistic-missile system, which Putin said the defense sector should soon finish developing and prepare for manufacturing.

The new S-500 missile system is designed to be precise and powerful enough to hit targets at the highest altitudes, including near space.

The construction of new Borei-class nuclear submarines, which will be armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles, must also stay on schedule, Putin said.

Despite a weak economy and depleted government finances, the Kremlin has made military modernization a top priority as its relations with the West have soured over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the war in Syria, and many other disputes.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS
It's been the third rail of Russian politics for years, if not decades, but now an increasingly fragile economy appears to have forced the Kremlin to finally reckon with the country's pension crisis.

Russia's pension system -- strained by a low retirement age, low life expectancy, and a shrinking population -- could soon see its biggest reforms since the Soviet collapse. It's a move that is politically dangerous even for someone as popular as President Vladimir Putin, but which experts warn is essential to staving off a major fiscal crisis.

Since Putin's election to a fourth term in March, a growing number of government officials have publicly hinted that reforms are coming to the social-welfare system, which currently allows for the lowest retirement age of any developed country: 55 for women and 60 for men.

Just two weeks before he was renominated to be prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev himself suggested that the issue was being discussed.

A decision "will be made based on different factors," he said in a televised interview on April 28. "It will be done carefully and in such a way that will not disrupt the pension system or, on the other hand, create negative feelings among people."

The Russian state cannot support the existing welfare system.... The government will have to deal with it sooner rather than later."

It is highly unlikely that Medvedev would publicly address such a controversial move without Putin's blessing. That discussion is under way so soon after the four-term president's reelection is telling both of his own future and the fate of the country's retirement ages.

"I think it signals that it will indeed be his last term," says Sarah Sokhey, a Russia expert at the University of Colorado Boulder and author of a sweeping study of pension systems in postcommunist countries like Russia, "because they've been talking about it for at least 18 years."

"If you're going to do something really unpopular, you do it right after the election," she says.

Russia's pension problem is symptomatic of the country's bigger demographic problem, according to experts.

In the 15 years following the Soviet collapse, the population dropped by roughly 5 million people, a decline that is nearly unparalleled among developed countries. Since then, the population has stabilized at just over 140 million and even ticked upward slightly in recent years. The overall trend remains downward, however.

That means a smaller workforce, which means less money coming into the pension system. It also reflects the aging population, where there are more retired people receiving state pensions than there are younger people whose salaries help replenish the pension coffers.

Demographic forecasters say that by 2036, the number of retirees in Russia will be twice as high as the number of people in the workforce.

Already, the system is under stress. According to the newspaper Kommersant, the Russian Pension Fund -- the formal name of the system -- can currently only pay 60 percent of its obligations to current pensioners. The shortfall is increasingly covered from the regular government budget.

If you're going to do something really unpopular, you do it right after the election."

"The Russian state cannot support the existing welfare system. That's the reality," says Andrei Korobkov, director of Russian studies at Middle Tennessee State University. "The government will have to deal with it sooner rather than later."

That someone as popular as Putin has been loath to tackle pension reform is a reflection of how politically dangerous the issue is.

In 2005, during the last overhaul of the country's social-welfare system, the government replaced some government-subsidized benefits, such as free medicine and public transportation, with cash stipends.

The change sent thousands, possibly millions, into the streets, prompting retirees and others to block highways, protest outside administration buildings, and hurl invective at officials across the country.

"Nobody has dared to do anything" about pensions "because this is one of the last social-protection mechanisms from the communist era," Korobkov says. "People really see it as an entitlement from the state."

Part of that is linked to the country's low life expectancy. For Russian men, it was as low as 59 until recent years, though it has improved. Still, as Korobkov notes, if you're a Russian man and you're only going to be able to enjoy a year or two of a state pension before dying, it's natural you'd be opposed to any increase in the retirement age -- all the more since pensions are relatively low in Russia.

A more recent example of how emotional the subject of pensions is came in 2016 when Medvedev visited the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was seized from Ukraine two years earlier. He was confronted by an angry crowd of older people demanding to know when their pensions would increase.

"There just isn't any money now. When we find money, we'll make the adjustment," he told the group, to jeers:



During his May 7 inauguration speech, Putin focused largely on domestic issues -- in contrast to his more bellicose address to the nation during the campaign -- and he repeatedly spoke of the need for economic and technological breakthroughs.

In a decree setting targets for the next six years, he indicated that the priorities are increasing pensions, cutting the poverty rate, and boosting life expectancy, which continues to be among the lowest of developed countries.

There was no mention of pension reform. However, a strong indication that reforms are finally happening would be the reemergence of former Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin, who reportedly could be poised to return to the government.

Known for his conservative budgeting and heralded for the creation of rainy-day slush funds to cushion fiscal problems, Kudrin has long championed an increase in the retirement age.

Among the proposals that have been floated in the Russian press, the two main ideas both call for a gradual raising of the retirement ages. They differ in the speed of the increase and whether it will be 65 for both men and women or 63 for women and 65 for men.

"If we don't raise taxes or the retirement age, then we will have a hard time improving the quality of health care and social services and pension levels," Economy Minister Maksim Oreshkin said in an interview on state TV in March.

Complicating matters is how Putin moves to improve living standards: It costs money to improve health care so people live longer. But the longer people live, the more that will have to be paid out for pensions over time.

According to the United Nations, Russians currently can expect to live to an average of 72 years: 67 for men and 77 for women.

How quickly these changes go into effect is also tied to Putin's overall popularity and how the Kremlin sees his legitimacy -- not just as president but as a "vozhd," a Russian term that has been attached to historic leaders like Stalin and Lenin.

"They may be able to successfully do this while Putin feels he's riding on the wave of legitimacy and popularity. They may be able to get away with it without protests," Sokhey says. "The Kremlin knows what the risk is and they're taking a very calculated risk."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree restructuring the government.

The decree was issued after Putin met with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on May 15.

According to the document posted on the Kremlin's website, the Ministry of Education and Science will be split into the Ministry of General Education, which will supervise the system of general secondary schools and vocational schools, and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, which will coordinate activities of universities and research institutions.

The supervision of the Federal Agency for Youth Issues and the Agency for Education Control, which used to be the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Science, will be transferred under the direct control of the government.

The move is seen as a way to establish stricter control over the Russian youth as a growing number of teenagers and young adults have been attending antigovernment rallies across Russia in recent years.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology will be renamed the Ministry of Digital Development, and supervision of the Russian trade representations operations abroad will be transferred from the Ministry of Economic Development to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The finance minister will also be a deputy prime minister, bringing the total number of deputy prime ministers to 10.

According to the Kremlin's site, Putin on May 18 will sign the decree on the new cabinet appointees proposed by Medvedev.
Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who opposed Moscow's takeover of Crimea and is now in prison in Russia, has started a hunger strike to demand the release of all Ukrainian nationals held in Russian penitentiaries.

In a handwritten letter that he gave to his lawyer, Dmitry Dinze, Sentsov said he started the hunger strike on May 14.

"The only condition for ending it is the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners held on Russian territory," Sentsov wrote in the short letter. "Together to the end. Glory to Ukraine!"

Sentsov, a native of Crimea who opposed Russia's seizure of the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014, is serving a 20-year prison term after being convicted on terrorism charges that he and human rights groups contend are politically motivated.

Sentsov was arrested in May 2014 on suspicion of planning fire-bombings of pro-Russian organizations in Crimea. A Russian court convicted him on multiple terrorism charges in August 2014.

Sentsov has denied all charges against him, saying that a "trial by occupiers cannot be fair by definition."

The prominent Russian human rights group Memorial has recognized Sentsov as a political prisoner, and international rights organizations have called for his release.

Volodymyr Balukh, pro-Kyiv activist imprisoned by Russian authorities in Crimea in another politically charged case, has been on a hunger strike for nearly two months.
A U.S. judge has sentenced a Turkish banking executive to 32 months in prison after his conviction for evading sanctions on Iran in a case has strained relations between Washington and Ankara.

Mehmet Hakan Atilla, a banker at Turkey's state-controlled Halkbank, was sentenced on May 16 by District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan.

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of about 20 years for Atilla.

One of Atilla's lawyers, Victor Rocco, called the 32-month sentence "fair," but said the banker would appeal his conviction.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said Atilla's sentencing was not legitimate or credible due to what it said was false evidence and statements fabricated by supporters of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016.

In a court filing, Atilla's lawyers urged leniency, saying the case did not involve "economic crimes" or a "crime of American disloyalty" by their client and that "no victims" suffered a financial loss.

Atilla was convicted on January 3 of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions laws after a four-week trial in which the defendant testified in his defense.

U.S. prosecutors accused Atilla, 47, of working with a Turkish-Iranian gold trader from 2010 to 2015 to help Iran evade sanctions by disguising the oil sales as fraudulent gold trades and food-aid transactions.

The case has strained relations between Washington and Ankara, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans spokesman in April calling it a grave injustice.

The Turkish government did not immediately comment on the sentencing.

Nine defendants have been charged in the case, but most of the others reside in Turkey and remain at large.

Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa
Photo: Dominick Reuter/AFP/Getty Images

Last night, the Daily Mail reported a development in the Michael Cohen saga of seismic scale. In a December 2016 meeting in Trump Tower, the British tabloid reports, Cohen asked Ahmed Al-Rumaihi, who runs a $100 billion Qatari investment fund, to send him millions which, the story claims, would go through him to Trump family members.

We have already learned of multiple cases of Cohen using his access to Trump to jack up multiple corporations for outrageous sums. The Daily Mail report deepens the trouble in two crucial ways. First, it extends Cohens scheme from domestic corporations (or, in one case, domestic corporations controlled by foreign entities) to direct overseas fundraising. Second, and more ominously, it alleges that Cohen funneled the money to Trumps family. It was bad enough that Trumps lawyer was enriching himself by cashing in on access. Now the story suggests he was enriching them, transforming the Cohen bribery story into a Trump bribery story.

The storys publication did not reverberate with the explosive force proportional to the scale of the allegation. The reason is that the Daily Mail lacks the familiarity and credibility of major American legacy media firms. Its occasional bombshell scoops reside in a never-never land between rumor and accepted fact.

And yet there is plenty of contextual evidence to support the charge. One is that, after Stormy Danielss lawyer Michael Avenatti published Trump Tower surveillance video of Al-Rumaihi, he suspiciously denied attending the meeting, only for his firm to admit it later. Another reason is that, multiple reports have linked both Qatar as a source of players in the broader web of shady Trump financial dealings with Russia, and Cohen as a key conduit. So it would fit the pattern for Cohen to be soliciting a bribe from Qatar on behalf of the Trump family. And yet another reason is Trumps notorious resentment of other people making money off of him. If Cohen used Trumps election to solicit bribes, it seems highly likely Trump would demand a taste.

And then there is another reason to credit this allegation: Direct bribery of Trump is still happening, in plain sight.

Trump has defied all modern precedent by retaining control of his family company while serving as president, allowing interests domestic or foreign to curry favor by enriching him personally. One such case occurred this week. In short order, China invested half a billion dollars into an Indonesian infrastructure project that will benefit a Trump property, and Trump then immediately turned around and gave China a curiously favorable trade concession.

What makes the case so suspicious is that, while Trump has repeatedly mocked China and threatened to pick fights with it, the issue at hand involves China engaging in unambiguously bad behavior. ZTE, the Chinese telecommunications firms, admitted to violating U.S. sanctions on both North Korea and Iran. (Ratcheting up sanctions pressure on Iran is now a centerpiece of American foreign policy in the Middle East, thanks to Trumps decision to back out of the nuclear inspections agreement.) The U.S. Department of Commerce found ZTE also failed to accept the terms of punishment.

But rather than express nationalist indignation, Trump instead proclaimed his bizarre sympathy that the penalties would hurt Chinese workers (Too many jobs in China lost), in what has to be the first time Trump has ever evinced any concern about the well-being of the Chinese labor force. His capitulation left China trade hawks apoplectic. Its outrageous, American Enterprise Institute scholar Derek Scissors, a critic of Chinese trade practices, told The Wall Street Journal. We are giving up on punishing ZTE for the Chinese restoring the trade status quo.

It is obviously possible that this sequence of events might be the product of pure incompetence. But immediate progression from Chinese payment that benefitted Trump to oddly worded Trump tweet to oddly designed concession to China suggests bribery as a more likely explanation.

Whats clearly true is that the usual restraints against such behavior are altogether absent. There is an old phrase that used to be bandied around the media constantly: the appearance of a conflict of interest. Officials were held to this standard, which required them to avoid even looking like they might be tempted to allow their personal interest to influence their decisions. And of course, petty corruption often won out even in the face of this putatively strict public ethic. But it had to travel through a wicket of rules guarding against outright corruption.

The Trump family, by contrast, is operating in a rules-free environment. The appearance of a conflict of interest is not even in question. There are proven conflicts everywhere, and the only question is straight-out quid pro quo bribery. The only authority empowered to uncover the alleged bribes is Robert Mueller.

While federal officials below the level of president are subject to rigid disclosure and divestment rules, the president has refused to disclose his personal financial information at all. In normal times, Congress would immediately hold hearings to get to the bottom of the ZTE deal, which would generate screaming headlines. In this case, everybody has so fully internalized the reality that congressional Republicans will not conduct any oversight over this administration that a serious congressional probe is unimaginable.

Is Trump collecting bribes? Did Cohen collect bribes for Trump in December 2016? What on Earth would stop them?
The United States and its Persian Gulf allies say they have slapped new sanctions on the leadership of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hizballah militia, targeting its top two officials.

The U.S. Treasury Department said on May 16 that Hizballah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his deputy, Naim Qassem, were among 13 individuals and entities hit with the sanctions.

The Treasury said the actions targeted the "primary decision-making body" of Hizballah -- an organization that plays an influential role in Lebanese politics but is also an armed militia involved in the Syrian conflict.

"By targeting Hizballah's Shura Council, our nations collectively rejected the false distinction between a so-called 'political wing' and Hizballahs global terrorist plotting," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

The sanctions were imposed by Washington and U.S. allies within the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center (TFTC), consisting of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Some of those targeted in the latest move had previously been hit with U.S. sanctions.

The U.S. Congress has also placed sanctions on the militia, describing it as Tehran's "terrorist proxy."

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
KYIV -- The head of a major Russian state news agency's branch in Ukraine has been transferred to the southern region of Kherson for prosecution following his arrest in Kyiv on suspicion of treason.

The Kherson city court will hold a custody hearing on May 17 for RIA Novosti-Ukraine director Kirill Vyshinsky, said Tetyana Tykhonchyk, a spokeswoman for the Kyiv-controlled Prosecutor-General's Office of Crimea, which operates in Kherson.

Vyshinsky was detained on May 15 by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and his apartment and the news outlet's office were searched, actions that drew angry criticism from Russia and an expression of concern from media watchdogs..

Shortly after Vyshinsky's detention, the SBU accused RIA Novosti-Ukraine of participating in a "hybrid information war" waged by Russia against Ukraine. SBU deputy chief Viktor Kononenko later told journalists that Vyshinsky, who has dual Russian-Ukrainian citizenship, received financial support from Russia via other media companies registered in Ukraine in order to disguise links between RIA Novosti-Ukraine and Russian state media giant Rossia Segodnya.

The journalist's arrest has added to already severe tension between Moscow and Kyiv, whose ties have been badly damaged since Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and supported separatists in eastern Ukraine, helping start a war that has killed more than 10,300 people.

Ukraine's pro-Western government is wary of Russian media outlets, accusing Moscow of distributing disinformation aimed at sowing tension and destabilizing the country. Kyiv has banned more than a dozen Russian television channels since 2014, accusing them of spreading propaganda.

A spokeswoman of the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office, Larysa Sarhan, wrote on Facebook on May 15 that "investigators have obtained evidence proving that the RIA Novosti-Ukraine website carried information calling for violations of Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and...security."

Vyshinsky was sent to Kherson, which borders Crimea, because of what Ukrainian authorities say was his involvement in Russia's takeover of the Black Sea peninsula in March 2014, which came after huge pro-European protests known as the Euromaidan pushed Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanuovych from power in Kyiv.

Kononenko said that Vyshinsky was in Crimea at the time, and that he and journalists under his supervision issued reports "justifying" Moscow's move to seize the Ukrainian territory. He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Vyshinsky a medal for his role in the takeover.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on May 16 that "Russia categorically rejects such treatment of its citizens, especially if they work for media outlets and if their freedom is limited and severe accusations are brought for reasons of their professional activity." He suggested Russia would respond soon, but did not say how.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on My 15 it was "far from the first time" that the Ukrainian authorities had "restricted the activities" of Russian journalists in Ukraine.

The OSCE representative on freedom of the media, Harlem Desir, voiced "serious concern" and called on Ukrainian authorities to "refrain from imposing unnecessary limitations on the work of foreign journalists."

In New York, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged the authorities to "disclose the charges and evidence they have against Vyshinsky or release him without delay."

"The criminalization of alternative news and views has no place in a democratic Ukraine," CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said in a statement.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States shares Ukraine's concern about Russian propaganda, but said that Ukraine must ensure it abides by the law, including international human rights law.

With reporting by RIA Novosti, UNIAN, TASS, AFP, AP, Interfax, and Ukrayinska Pravda
Ukraine says one of its soldiers has been killed and two wounded in clashes in the country's east.

The Defense Ministry said on May 16 that Russia-backed separatists violated a cease-fire 45 times during the previous 24 hours, firing mortars.

Meanwhile, the separatists claimed that Ukrainian government forces violated the cease-fire more than 30 times.

Since April 2014, more than 10,300 people have been killed in fighting between Kyiv's forces and the separatists who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Cease-fire deals announced as part of the Minsk accords -- September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed to resolve the conflict -- have failed to hold.

A new cease-fire agreement was reached in late 2017 and was meant to begin on December 23, but both sides have accused each other of repeated violations since then.

With reporting by Interfax and TASS
A U.S. judge has refused to dismiss Special Counsel Robert Mueller's case against President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, on the grounds that it has nothing to do with alleged Russia meddling in the 2016 election.

In a pointed rejection of Manafort's claims late on May 15, Judge Amy Berman Jackson of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sided with Mueller, ruling that his case against Manafort is not overly broad or improper despite not being directly connected to the election.

Manafort was charged in connection with his lobbying work for a pro-Russian former Ukrainian president years before serving briefly as the head of Trumps campaign in mid-2016.

The charges against him include conspiring to launder money, conspiring to defraud the United States, and failing to register as a lobbyist for a foreign government. He faces a second set of charges in Virginia that include bank fraud and filing false tax returns.

Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, none of which are directly related to work he performed for Trump's campaign.

Jackson was not moved by Manafort's argument that the case should be dismissed on the grounds that his Ukraine dealings predated the 2016 election by at least two years.

Jackson said it was "logical and appropriate" for investigators to probe Manafort's dealings with former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted by street protests in 2014 and now lives in exile in Russia.

"His work on behalf of the Russia-backed Ukrainian political party and connections to other Russian figures are matters of public record," Jackson wrote.

"The special counsel would have been remiss to ignore such an obvious potential link between the Trump campaign and the Russian government," Jackson wrote.

Her ruling also pointed to an August 2017 memo by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that detailed the scope of Mueller's investigation. That memo explicitly gave Mueller authority to probe all of Manafort's Ukraine-related work predating the 2016 campaign.

The ruling marks a setback for Manafort, who last month was buoyed when another U.S. judge in Virginia who is hearing the tax charges against him questioned prosecutors about whether their case went beyond the mandate of Mueller's Russia investigation.

That judge, T.S. Ellis, said he believed prosecutors were using the charges against Manafort to try to get him to turn against Trump. Ellis has not yet ruled on Manafort's motion to dismiss the charges against him in the tax case.

After Jackson's ruling against Manafort, his spokesman Jason Maloni said Manafort "maintains his innocence and looks forward to prevailing in this matter."

With reporting by AP and Reuters
The White House has said it is "still hopeful" that a planned summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump will go ahead, despite Pyongyang's threat to cancel the historic event.

"We're still hopeful that the meeting will take place and we'll continue down that path," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in an interview with Fox News on May 16. "At the same time...we've been prepared that these might be tough negotiations."

"The president is ready if the meeting takes place. And if it doesn't, we will continue the maximum pressure campaign that has been ongoing," Sanders said.

"We haven't been notified at all" about North Korea's threat to cancel the planned summit, Trump later said as he welcomed the Uzbek president to the White House.

"We haven't seen anything. We haven't heard anything. We will see what happens," he added.

Pyongyang suspended high-level talks with the South scheduled for May 16 over joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, and also cast doubt on whether the summit could go ahead as planned on June 12 in Singapore.

"The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit," North Korea's official KCNA news agency said.

KCNA also described the U.S.-South Korean drills as a "provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula."

North Korean first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan said hours later, "we are no longer interested in a negotiation that will be all about...making a one-sided demand for us to give up our nukes."

Some 100 warplanes, including B-52 bombers and F-15K fighters began the two-week Max Thunder drills on May 11.

The United States and South Korea say such exercises are for defensive purposes only.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
It happened after the windscreen shattered in mid-air when the aircraft had just reached an altitude of 32,000 feet. Suddenly the windscreen just cracked and made a loud bang. The next thing I know my co-pilot had been sucked halfway out of the window, Captain Liu Chuanjian remembered. Everything in the cockpit was floating in the air. Most of the equipment malfunctioned and I couldnt hear the radio. The plane was shaking so hard I could not read the gauges, he added. The temperature of the cockpit have dropped to minus 40 degree Celsius. One other member of cabin crew was injured in the descent, but none of the 119 passengers were hurt.



A Sichuan Airlines flight

Cockpit windscreens (sometimes referred to as windshields) are typically comprised of several layers, designed to deal with air pressure of up to 500 knots and to avoid shattering when striking a bird. Usually total windscreen failures like the one in China this week are extremely rare. Chinas aviation regulators said Tuesday that the investigation into the peeling off of a planes windshield, which caused a co-pilot to be nearly sucked halfway in mid-air, will focus on the design and manufacturing process of the window. Airbus already has sent a group of technicians to aid in the investigation.
One was killed and other four wounded in the attack, two of them seriously. The assaillant was shot dead by the police. Later, the Islamic State claimed responsibility, describing the attacker as a soldier of the Islamic State and his action in response to calls to target coalition countries, referring to the American-led coalition that is battling the Islamic State. He already had shouted Allahu akbar, Arabic for God is Great, during the assault.



The Opera in Paris

Attackers name has not yet been released. All my thoughts go to the victims and the wounded of the knife attack perpetrated tonight in Paris, as well as to their relatives. I salute on behalf of all the French the courage of the policemen who have neutralized the terrorist, the President Macron wrote on Twitter. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe also praised the quick reaction of the police to Saturdays attack. Frances interior minister, Gerard Collomb, identified the person killed as a 29-year-old man. The anti-terrorism section of the prosecutors office is handling the investigation. France has faced numerous terrorist attacks since January 2015. The country remains on high alert. Frances military has been active in the coalition since 2014.
British telecom Vodafone

British telecom major Vodafone said today that Nick Read will be the next CEO of the company, succeeding Vittorio Colao. Read, currently, the group's CFO will take over from October 1. "Effective 1 October 2018, Vittorio Colao will be succeeded by Group Chief Financial Officer Nick Read," Vodafone said in a statement. "At the date of the Group's Annual General Meeting on 27 July 2018, Deputy CFO Margherita Della Valle will succeed Nick Read as Group Chief Financial Officer and will join the Board, and Nick Read will become Group Chief Executive-Designate," it said. Colao was appointed Group Chief Executive in July 2008. Vodafone said that over the last ten years, he has overseen a strategic reshaping of the group, existing minority shareholdings to focus on controlled and co-controlled assets while growing mobile customer numbers from 269 million to 536 million (plus 19.7 million broadband customers) over 25 countries, including significant businesses in India, Egypt, Turkey and across Africa, Vodafone said. Read was appointed the group's CFO and joined the Vodafone Group Plc Board in April 2014. He was previously the Group's Chief Executive for Africa, Middle East, and the Asia Pacific region and served as a board member of a number of Vodafone's emerging markets subsidiaries including Vodacom Group and Vodafone India.

Nick Read will be the next CEO of Vodafone

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Read joined Vodafone in 2001 as Vodafone UK Finance Director before being appointed Vodafone UK Chief Commercial Officer then Vodafone UK Chief Executive. Prior to joining Vodafone, Nick Read held senior global finance positions with United Business Media Plc and Federal Express Worldwide. He is a Fellow Chartered Management Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant with a BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance. Valle was appointed Deputy Group Chief Financial Officer in 2015. She was previously Group Chief Financial Controller, Chief Financial Officer for the Europe region, and Chief Financial Officer for Vodafone Italy. "On behalf of the Board, I would like to express our gratitude to Vittorio for an outstanding tenure. I would also add that the appointment of Nick and Margherita serves as a testament to the strength and depth of the Vodafone senior leadership team that Vittorio has assembled and led over the last decade," Vodafone Group Chairman Gerard Kleisterlee said.
Thousands of teachers descended on the North Carolina state capitol in Raleigh to demand more money for education. Photo: Gerry Broome/AP/REX/Shutterstock

The protests that erupted earlier in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Colorado have now spread to a state where demonstrations against conservative governance are common: the very purple state of North Carolina. Thousands of teachers marched on the state capitol (which with a capacity of 3,000 people had to turn some of them away) to demand greater education funding and fewer tax cuts from the GOP-controlled legislature.

Teacher pay was among the items on their wish list (North Carolina is 37th in average teacher pay, and some districts are experiencing teacher shortages), and at the moment Republicans are supporting a pay raise that is significantly lower than the one being proposed by Democratic governor Roy Cooper. But the real focus of the protests is on the conservative legislatures fiscal priorities, in which public education is often an after-thought despite its dominant position in the state budget. One protest leader explained the problem to NBC News, alluding to the states history as a regional leader in education:

We have not had a textbook adoption in 15 years, said Mark Jewell, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, a professional group for the states teachers. We have school districts deciding whether or not to pay the light bill or buy toilet paper. We have classrooms  that are 35 students and higher in some instances. This is not normal. This is not the North Carolina way.

North Carolina is a right-to-work state that bans public employee strikes and does not provide for collective bargaining for teachers. So teachers seeking better pay and more funding have no choice but to pressure legislators and threaten consequences at the polls if they refuse to listen. Moreover, theyve had to take personal leave days to march on the capitol. Participation in the protests expose some political and cultural divisions in the state, as The Wall Street Journal observes:

The districts that canceled class, affecting nearly one million students, are concentrated in the states urban and suburban counties, while most of the states 100 counties are rural and their school districts will be open.

That divergence isnt a coincidence, and reflects the growing divide in the state between the liberal cities that drive the states economy and the conservative small towns and rural areas that control state politics.

The split is unsurprisingly reflected in partisan positions on the protests:

The state Democratic Party made a promise to invest in schools the first plank in its new policy platform. Many urban Democratic legislators have said they intend to go RedforEd, donning red T-shirts and marching alongside teachers.

In contrast, the state Republican Party said the protest is wrongheaded and unnecessarily inconveniencing parents and students. The state GOP is renting an indoor bounce-house park Wednesday and inviting children to play for free on the unexpected day off.

Everyone agrees the protests are meant to kick off a drive to affect legislative elections in November.

Terry Stoops, a former public-school teacher who researches education for Raleighs libertarian-leaning John Locke Foundation, said the North Carolina rally is different from those in other states because it is unlikely to change public policy.

People will harden their positions, Mr. Stoops said. The real motive here is to replace the Republican majority in the General Assembly.

With the school year coming to a close soon in much of the country, the current remarkable wave of teacher protests will reach at least a temporary lull as well. But protest leaders agreed that the ballot box was the next step for teachers, who are undertaking a six-month strategy to influence public opinion in the lead-in to the general election. They will certainly have allies in other states.
H D Kumaraswamy

He was thrown out of the JD(S) in 2005 for anti-party activities following his sharp differences with its leadership over H D Kumaraswamy's growing clout in the party. Twelve years down the line, Siddaramaiah, the 69- year-old leader from the backward Kuruba community, today offered Karnataka's chief ministership to his political foe Kumaraswamy whose party finished a poor third with barely 37 seats in its kitty. Siddaramaiah suffered a humiliating defeat in Chamundeshwari where he lost to G T Deve Gowda of the JD(S) by over 36,000 votes but managed to win Badami by a slender margin of 1696 votes against BJP's B Sreeramulu, a sitting saffron party MP and close aide of the controversial Reddy brothers. Despite being considered an "outsider" by a section of the Karnataka Congress for his socialist roots, Siddaramaiah became the first chief minister since Devraj Urs (1972-77) to complete a full five-year term in office. Born into a poor farming family in Siddaramanahundi village in 1948, Siddaramaiah, the second of five siblings, did not have formal education initially and joined the school in the 5th grade. Overcoming adversity, he did his BSc and obtained a degree in law. He practiced law and even taught it for a while in Mysuru. Siddaramaiah, who goes by the single name, joined politics under the influence of Nanjunda Swamy, a farmer leader who campaigned against agricultural patenting by multinational corporations. He made his debut in the Assembly in 1983 from Chamundeshwari constituency on a Lok Dal ticket. He later joined the Janata Dal.

G T Deve Gowda

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Admired for his canny political sense and his rustic, down to earth characteristics, Siddaramaiah climbed up the ladder in the Janata Dal and served as a minister in the party's governments. He also served as deputy chief minister twice. A 7-term legislator, Siddaramaiah followed his mentor H D Deve Gowda after the Janata Dal split and the former prime minister formed the JD(S). Siddaramaiah later floated his own party-- All India Progressive Janata Dal--following his expulsion from the JD (S). He had irreconcilable differences with Deve Gowda over the growing influence of his son H D Kumaraswamy in the party. The expulsion came when Siddaramaiah started actively participating in the AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) movement. Castes and communities constituting the AHINDA were considered the bedrock of the Congress's support base in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah later merged his party with the Congress. In the 2006 Assembly elections, Siddaramaiah contested from Chamundeshwari on Congress ticket and won by a wafer thin margin of 257 votes against the JD(S) candidate. However, he had exacted a sweet revenge. He was appointed the chairman of the publicity committee of the Congress in the 2008 Assembly polls, which the BJP won. He was then appointed the Leader of the Opposition, a reflection of his growing clout in the Congress. The BJP's stint in power was marred by intra-party feuds and allegations of corruption. When the BJP lost the 2013 polls, Siddaramaiah was appointed the chief minister.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

Known for taking bold decisions, Siddaramaiah decided to celebrate 'Tipu Jayanti', a move denounced by the BJP as "appeasement politics". His government also took the controversial decision of recommending religious minority status for the influential Lingayat community in the run up to the polls. He launched a plethora of populist schemes like the Annabhagya for free distribution of rice, Ksheeradhare under which subsidy was given for milk, Vidyasiri that made available hostel facilities for students, and many others. The Siddaramaiah government also substantially raised the budgetary allocations for Dalits. These populist measures were expected to effectively insulate Siddaramaiah against allegations of corruption as Modi mounted an aggressive assault, calling him a "Seedha rupaiah government" and "10 per cent commission government". Apparently, the charges did stick.
Set for launch in India sometime later this year, just ahead of the festive season, 2018 Maurit Suzuki Ertiga is currently undergoing tests. Spyshots have surfaced online drawing attention to various exterior and interior features while engine specifications have also been detailed.

Already launched in Indonesia, the new Maruti MPV will be bigger than the older Ertiga. Based on a lighter platform, engine performance has gone up, and so has fuel efficiency. Expect price to also go up marginally.

2018 Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is among two other new cars being planned for launch which include the Ciaz facelift and new generation WagonR. The new Ertiga will be based on the Heartect platform and will sport increased dimensions even as wheelbase continues to measure 2,740mm. Headroom and legroom in all three rows has been increased considerably. Boot space is also increased.

The new Ertiga MPV gets a new front grille and sleek headlamps, revamped bumper design and strong crease lines. Interiors sport a completely redesigned dashboard, flat bottom steering wheel, rear split seats and a host of safety features among which are rear parking sensors, push button start/stop, rain sensing wipers, dual front airbags and ABS with EBD.

Where engine specifications are concerned, the 1.5 liter petrol engine powering the Indonesia spec model will be making its way to India. The 1.3 liter diesel engine, seen on its earlier counterpart, will be swapped with an indigenously developed 1.5 liter diesel engine also seen powering the 2018 Maruti Ciaz.

Along with the new engine lineup, Maruti Suzuki could also introduce a 6 speed manual transmission as well, as confirmed in the latest spy shots.
Telangana High Court has issued a ruling wherein life tax for registering a new vehicle should be levied on invoice price as against ex-showroom price as was being done till date.

This new ruling has come into effect after a petition was filed by Adv. Kishore Rai who recently purchased a Volvo XC60 at a discount of INR 3 lakhs on ex-showroom price. The showroom price was INR 55,90,000 while invoice cost was at INR 52,90,000. Rai claimed that INR 51,000 was paid in excess towards life tax which he claimed was illegally collected from him and should be refunded.

The court claimed that the state was not authorized to collect life tax on the ex-showroom price which is not the actual cost of the vehicle and has issued an order for refund within the next 3 weeks.

RTA officials in Telangana were collecting difference in life tax, which is the difference between ex-showroom price and invoice price of the vehicle from buyers. This was collected at the time of permanent registration.

Company dealerships had approached the authorities to seek clearance on the same. Amit Bhagwat, a tax consultant at Pricewaterhouse Cooper has stated that the actual sale price between seller and buyer should be the correct basis for tax. The transaction value should be the benchmark whether discounted or not.

This new order has given rise to many doubts in the minds of dealers who now feel that many car buyers will be approaching them for refund of extra tax collected from them. Following the order coming into effect in Telangana, the Chennai High Court has also issued a similar order in the case of sale of a Renault Duster. More states are expected to follow this norm, which will result in savings for car owners across India.
Honda Car India has postponed the launch of its new-gen City sedan due to corona virus

Just like multiple events, both personal and professional, the ongoing corona virus outbreak has delayed many introductions, launches and shows in the automotive industry as well. Just before the nationwide lockdown, Honda Car India postponed the official next-gen City Media Drive. If the media drive would have taken place as per schedule, we would have reviewed the car by now. As that didnt happen, some details of the fifth-generation Honda City have been under wraps.

We have now received the list of features in the top-of-the-line City ZX trim. On the safety front, the 2020 Honda City packs six airbags, ESP (Electronic Stability Program), TCS (Traction Control System) and HAS (Hill Start Assist). Additionally, Honda Car India has included four new features: TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System), three-point seat belt for the second-row middle passenger, reverse parking camera and a segment-first Lane-watch camera (blind-spot assist).

We have tried the Lane-watch camera feature in the CR-V and Civic (diesel variants of either Honda model were discontinued) and we must say it is very useful in Indian driving conditions. It comprises of a camera in the left ORVM that sends across real-time feed to the infotainment system. This helps the driver to be aware of vehicles trying to under-cut or carelessly overtake from the left side of the car.

In the entertainment department, the new Honda City gets an 8.0-inch touchscreen. While Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility are the new normal, Honda has gone a step ahead by introducing Alexa Remote compatibility. The City will be the first car in India to have this feature. Multiple telematics controls are also available via the next-generation Honda Connect.

While there is a growing trend to move towards fully-digital instrument clusters, the fifth-gen Honda City gets analogue meters. However, there is a 7.0-inch full-colour MID unit to show additional information. Still, the most interesting piece on the dashboard will be a G-Meter which is usually found only in high-end performance vehicles.

Honda has already announced that it will be moving away from touchscreen inputs for climate control. The new City gets good-old rotary knobs instead (current gen-City has a touchscreen unit). Honda additionally offers padded dashboard materials to improve the premium feel of the sedan. Features such as leather seats and sunroof will be borrowed from the outgoing model.

The brochure states that the 2020 Honda City is the longest and widest car in its segment. Once launched, the sedan will be offered with just a BS6 petrol motor while a BS6 diesel powertrain would be introduced later. Prices are expected to start at around Rs 10 lakh and hit Rs 15 lakh ex-showroom.

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Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

The rise of Donald Trump has galvanized what could be called a democracy movement in the United States. Drawing on the findings of political scientists who have studied democratic governments, and how they can collapse into authoritarianism, the democracy movement has sought to build cross-partisan coalitions to prevent Trump from perverting or suborning government institutions into instruments of unaccountable power. The democracy movement has drawn the predictable scorn of right-wing outlets, which have cheered on his grossest violations.

At the same time it has also come under criticism from a somewhat more surprising source: left-wing intellectuals, who have treated the democracy movement and its underlying analysis with withering contempt. Essays by the radical legal scholar Aziz Rana in n+1 and Jedediah Purdy in Dissent have gained wide circulation, and building upon each other, they have articulated a left-wing critique of the democracy movement.

It is important not to exaggerate their current influence. Right-wing critics of the democracy movement have control of an entire major political party, while the left-wing critics have minimal influence on the Democratic Party. At the voter level, the ranks of Democrats are divided between conservatives, moderates, and liberals. At the intellectual level, things look very different: Liberals compose the right flank, and leftists or socialists the more progressive wing. In a short period of time, Marxist and other radical ideas have gained a great deal of currency among the progressive intelligentsia, and their critique of the democracy movement shows how the very meaning of democracy is bitterly contested within the left.

The reason Trump concerns democracy scholars is that he violates norms, or threatens to. A norm is simply a common practice, as distinct from a formal law or regulation. Before last year, FBI directors served ten-year terms which they served out unless they committed what both parties considered gross negligence. President Obama legally could have fired Republican FBI director James Comey (who was investigating Obamas chosen successor) and replaced him with a handpicked Democrat, but it would have been unthinkable. Likewise, Obama could have threatened policies that would have harmed the business interests of the owners of media that criticized him, but presidents didnt do that, for the same reason.

While the left-wing critics of the democracy movement have no sympathy for Trump, they do not share this analysis of the threat he poses. To begin with, these critics see the threat posed by Trump as his policy agenda, not any damage to the American system of government. Liberals see the Constitution as a flawed document that contained high ideals that have, in fits and starts over two centuries, come closer into alignment with reality. Leftists regard it as a bitter joke barely worthy of defense. Rana dismisses defenses of Constitution and country, and the belief that the founding principles contain a basic commitment to universal equality as homilies [politicians] had to repeat to be taken seriously by party gatekeepers and thus rise to prominence. In truth, Rana asserts, American capitalism is inherently oppressive.

Having dismissed American democracy as a myth, left-wing critics seem to have missed some of the finer points of its continued functioning. The underlying assumption of those who defend norms, writes Purdy, is that, at some very deep level, Americans have always agreed on the key issues, above all liberty and equality, and have just had to work out the kinks through the generations. That impossibly naive assumption is not what defenders of norms believe. Liberals do not presume agreement, or anything close to it  they presume merely that political conflict can be contained. As long as a party that wins an election cant use its power to lock itself into power permanently, then the losing party can abide defeat peacefully.

Second, working from the premise that the system is inherently sick, the left-wing critics naturally reject the idea that it is being threatened by Trump in any important way. (How can a sick system be threatened?) Rather, they see Trump as the symptom of a deeper crisis of capitalism. The democracy movement is attempting to preserve a system that is being swept away.

Establishment politicians response has been a call for the return to normalcy  argues Rana. [T]he difference today is that the old-time religion can no longer be revived. Purdy also likens liberal democracy to a failed religion: like the Emperor Julian, who tried to restore Roman paganism during the fourth century, and found that the life had gone out of it. Whatever had made it vital was gone, leaving behind empty forms and phrases. The energy in 2016 was entirely elsewhere.

How do we know the old system cannot be defended and saved? The evidence for this part of their theory is quite thin, and they see little need to support it, probably because they are referring back to a belief that has been repeated enough times by socialist intellectuals that they take it as an obvious truth. Sanders won 43 percent of the primary vote, and 29 percent of the delegates, but emerged with an air of triumph so pervasive that his campaign manager published a celebratory tract titled, How Bernie Won. On the socialist left, which forms the die-hard core of his support, the 2016 success of both Trump and Bernie Sanders is seen as conclusive proof that America has rejected liberal capitalism once and for all. Sanders appears repeatedly in both essays, which are about him almost as much as they are about Trump, treating him as a virtual co-winner of the election. The perennial carnage of American capitalism, intensified by forty years of growing inequality, argues Purdy, prepared the ground for Bernie Sanderss socialism, while the nativism and racism that had slunk just outside respectable politics returned full-throated.

If you actually study the beliefs of the voters, there is no evidence that the Sanders vote represents a large constituency for socialism, or even pushing the Democratic Party to the left at all. Sanders voters were, in fact, slightly to the right of Clinton voters on the governments role in the economy. Sanders deftly capitalized on the scandals surrounding his opponent (Clinton Foundation finances, secret speeches to Goldman Sachs, and of course the famous emails) to sweep up the same earnest, good-government constituency that flocked to Democratic candidates like Eugene McCarthy, Jimmy Carter, Gary Hart, Jerry Brown, Paul Tsongas, and Howard Dean. Yet left-wing intellectuals have persuaded themselves that Sanders reveals the moment of revolution to be at hand. This conviction has all the markings of a dialectical bubble waiting to be popped in 2020 or 2021.

Yet if you take their giddy expectation of incipient revolution seriously, then their sour disposition toward the democracy movement makes perfect sense. The episodes that seem to democracy scholars like harbingers of extreme danger  a president delegitimizing the news media and seeking to turn law enforcement into a political weapon  have been met on the socialist left with more equanimity. Why rouse yourself to defend a doomed and rotten system when a much brighter future beckons?
[MEXICO CITY] An international team of scientists identified a hundred genes that influence adaptation to the latitude, altitude, growing season and flowering time of nearly 4,500 native maize varieties in Mexico and in almost all Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Creole  or native  varieties of maize are derived from improvements made over thousands of years by local farmers, and contain genes that help them adapt to different environments.

We are now using this analysis to find other genes that are of vital importance to breeders, such as those resistant to extreme heat, frost or drought  environmental conditions associated with climate change and that could affect maize production. Sarah Hearne, CIMMYT

Latin American breeders will be able to use these results to identify native varieties that could contribute to improved adaptation, Edward Buckler, a Cornell University researcher and co-author of the study published in Nature Genetics (February 6), told SciDev.Net.

The information on the genetic markers described in the study will be available online, said Sarah Hearne, a researcher at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and co-author of the study. Meanwhile, any breeder can contact us to request information, she said.

We are now using this analysis to find other genes that are of vital importance to breeders, such as those resistant to extreme heat, frost or drought  environmental conditions associated with climate change and that could affect maize production, Hearne said.

Studying native maize varieties is extremely difficult because of their genetic variation. Although domesticated, they are wilder than commercial varieties.

For this study, the researchers cultivated hybrid creole varieties in various environments in Latin America and identified regions of the genome that control growth rates. They looked into where the varieties came from and what genetic features contributed to their growth in that environment.

In comments to SciDev.Net, James Holland, a researcher at North Carolina State University, Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra, a researcher at the University of California Davis, and Rodomiro Ortiz, a researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences  who did not participate in the study  commended the magnitude of the study and the original method developed by the researchers to access the rich set of genetic information about native maize varieties.

Hearne added that the research team has initiated a pre-breeding programme with a small group of breeders in Mexico. As part of that programme, CIMMYT delivers to breeders materials from its germplasm bank of Creole maize; it also provides molecular information the breeders can use to generate new varieties.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net's Latin America and Carribean edition.
[NAIROBI] The post-2020 climate actions of African countries need to be integrated into national and regional development plans for ease of implementation, a conference has heard.

The climate actions known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are key to the Paris Agreement, with each country required to prepare and communicate plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and aiding adaptation to climate change.

According to experts who attended the Africa Carbon Forum in Kenya last month (9-13 April), the NDCs are being prepared hurriedly by African countries and are not well structured within sustainable development blueprints of the continent, thus making it difficult for countries to create legal framework for their governance and funding.

NDCs should target key sectors such as agriculture that contribute to the continents economic growth and food security and should be in the development plans such as AUs Agenda 2063, said Richard Munang, Africa regional climate change programme coordinator of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

NDCs should target key sectors such as agriculture that contribute to the continents economic growth and food security. Richard Munang, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The forum which was held concurrently with the Africa Climate Week and hosted by Kenyas National Environment Management Authority brought together experts from academic institutions, civil society, research institutions, government and the private sector.

It was co-organised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the African Development Bank, the World Bank, Climate Challenges Market Solutions and UNEP.

Al-Hamdou Dorsouma, manager, Climate Change and Green Growth Division, Africa Development Bank, said that there is a need for countries to develop the NDCs by themselves.

Many of the NDCs in Africa are developed by external experts, thus leaving out Africas priority of climate change adaptation, Dorsouma explained.

In an interview with SciDev.Net, Dorsouma said there is a need to create and support a regional hub that pools resources and experts together to help Africa develop NCDs based on their needs before the year 2020.

Some NCDs are not well developed because there are no standards, he said, adding that there is a need for setting standards that reflect the reality of Africa.

He urged African nations to change the narrative that climate change is a threat to that of being an investment opportunity.

For example, he said that increased use of renewable energy could reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We need to make climate change a business for the private sector to inject money by developing innovations and solutions to help adapt to it, Dorsouma added.

Josefa Sacko, the African Unions commissioner of rural development and agriculture, told participants that Africas biggest challenge to the drawing and implementation of NDCs is insufficient funding.

African countries, she said, needs to raise their level of ambition in the implementation of NDCs, as well as increase dialogue with developed counterparts for financial support.

Such South-North dialogue, she explained, could also help African countries build the necessary capacity for the implementing NDCs.

She lauded Uganda for being the first African country to have an NDC partnership plan, Kenya for supporting the development of the National Climate Change Action Plan 2018-2022, Mali for building an investment plan and Morocco for creating a climate change competence centre.



This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
A Ph.D. candidate, Ryota Kondo, and Professor Michiteru Kitazaki at Toyohashi University of Technology, in cooperation with Professor Masahiko Inami at the University of Tokyo, Associate Professor Maki Sugimoto, and Associate Professor Kouta Minamizawa at Keio University have found that the visual-motor synchronicity of only the hands and feet can induce a sense of illusory ownership over an invisible body interpolated between virtual hands and feet. It can provide the illusory ownership over the invisible body at a distance, or enable the operation of one's own transparentized body in a virtual environment.

Illusory body ownership can be induced by visual-tactile synchronicity such as the rubber hand illusion (passive method) and by visual-motor synchronicity such as the full-body illusion (active method). These methods enable us to communicate in cyberspace as well as in real environments. Virtual reality technology enables us to experience the illusory ownership of bodies of different shapes, sizes, genders, ages, etc. The illusory ownership of an invisible body in a first-person perspective has been realized with the passive method, and it reduces social anxiety to an audience (Guterstam, Abdulkarim & Ehrsson, Sci. Rep. 2015).

However, it is not clear whether the ownership of an invisible and dynamic body can be obtained at a distance.

Currently, researchers at Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, in collaboration with the researchers at the University of Tokyo and Keio University, have developed a new method to induce a sense of illusory ownership over an invisible body by focusing on the body action.

They presented only the gloves and socks two meters in front of and away from the participants using a head-mounted display. Twenty naive volunteers answered a questionnaire after a five-minute observation with free body actions. The motion of the gloves and socks were synchronized or asynchronized with the participant's action. The illusory body ownership was rated higher when the virtual gloves and socks moved synchronously with their own movements than the asynchronous condition. They felt as if their own had become increasingly transparent when the motion was synchronized as compared to when the motion was asynchronized.

The experiments showed that the illusory ownership of the invisible body was not significantly different from the visible whole body, and that the proprioceptive self-location drifted toward the invisible body that was at a distance in front of the participants.

Ryota Kondo, a graduate student of the Program of Leading Graduate School at Toyohashi University of Technology said, "I want to create experiences of illusory ownership of various bodies. A person may have a negative feeling with his/her body, and he/she may want to have a different body from his/her current body. Virtual reality technology offers us the opportunities to have the different bodies that we desire." Professor Michiteru Kitazaki, a perceptual psychologist and the leader of the research at Toyohashi University of Technology explained, "Human behaviors and mind would change when they have the illusory ownership of different bodies. Thus, we must investigate how our communication would differ in the future society if our body ownership and appearance could be significantly modified during the course of our daily lives."

These findings suggest that we can own a distant invisible body only from our hands and feet. It is useful to show complex body skills to another person and in turn he/she can imitate them for learning because the invisible/transparentized body scarcely occludes the scene, and the body ownership may facilitate skill learning.

Human communication is affected by body gestures and appearance. This study proposes the idea that our communication would change and might become body-appearance free in the future if we could have different bodies daily in cyberspace.
Revealing all the steps required to activate an enzyme called a protein kinase may identify new ways to target cancer, according to new University of Arizona-led research.

Not only must the kinase have all needed parts in place, the enzyme must move in the correct manner and at the correct speed to function properly in a cell, the researchers found.

First author Senthil Kumar Ganesan, a UA research assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, said kinases are switches that turn certain cellular processes on or off. If a cell's kinases stopped working, the cell would die.

The UA-led team is the first group to figure out the full pathway for activating a protein kinase, said senior author Wolfgang Peti, who holds the Homer C. and Emily Davis Weed Endowed Chair in Chemistry at the University of Arizona.

"Kinases are one of the major cancer drug targets," said Peti, who is also a member of the UA BIO5 Institute and the UA Cancer Center. "If you know how a kinase works, you can definitely better design your drugs against it."

Developing a drug that takes advantage of this new research finding is likely to take at least 10 years, he said.

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Cancer drugs already in use that target kinases are dasatinib and imatinib for chronic myeloid leukemia and afatinib for non-small cell lung carcinoma, Ganesan said.

To watch a kinase called mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38 in action, the researchers used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

All necessary molecules had to bind to p38 for the enzyme to become active. Only then could the enzyme move correctly to do its job in the cell, the researchers found.

"We figured out how it moves to do its job and what is the contribution of speed of movement to its job," Peti said.

The finding suggests a new avenue for developing anti-cancer drugs could be creating drugs that interfere with p38's movement, he said.

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"We are excited because this kinase belongs to a family of kinases that are called MAP kinases -- key signaling kinases that regulate a plethora of pathways (within cells)," he said.

Peti said the new finding might apply to other kinases. He said the many kinase enzymes in the body are very similar and likely have similar paths to activation.

Ganesan, Peti and their co-authors published the paper, "Dynamic activation and regulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase p38," in the May 1 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Their co-authors are Michael W. Clarkson and Rebecca Page of the University of Arizona; Micha B. A. Kunze, Daniele Granata and Kresten Lindorff-Larsen of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark; and A. Joshua Wand of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

The National Institutes of Health grant NIH-R01GM100910 funded the research. The data were collected at the UA Molecular Structures Core and Brown University Structural Biology Core facilities.

An oft-used analogy for how enzymes work is that of a lock and a key. A particular molecule, the key, fits into a site in the enzyme, the lock. Once the key is in the lock, the enzyme can start working.

The key-in-the-lock is necessary for an enzyme to work, but activating an enzyme isn't always so simple. Some scientists have suggested that dynamics -- the way and speed at which an enzyme moves -- is important for activating kinase enzymes.

Peti is interested in how molecules such as kinases govern processes with cells, so he wanted to investigate the role that dynamics play. Learning more about how molecules function inside cells can help develop targeted drugs to combat cancer and other diseases.

Figuring out the role that dynamics plays in the activation of p38 was more difficult and took longer than he expected.

The tool scientists use to watch an enzyme in action, NMR spectroscopy, is harder with a large molecule like p38. In addition, the team had to develop new computer software to analyze the results, Peti said.

The researchers watched the enzyme over a series of steps as various key molecules bound to p38. Some enzymes become activated as key molecules bind -- but not this one.

"If you think it's a five- or six-step process to go from zero to 100, we thought that at steps zero, one, two or three, we would get indications or guidelines," Peti said.

That didn't happen. He said the researchers thought about giving up.

"Nothing was working, and it looked as if our hypothesis was completely wrong," he said.

"What we got is nothing happening from zero to one, there's nothing happening from one to two, there's nothing happening from two to three, there's nothing happening from three to four," Peti said. "When you go from four to five: Boom! Suddenly it was there."

Once all those steps had been completed, although the shape of p38 didn't change, its dynamics did, he said -- and that final change in dynamics was required for the enzyme to work.

The team's next step, Peti said, is seeing whether the motion of kinases plays a role in diabetes.
Almost 70 years later, the man remembers the August day in Playa Rincon, when he clung to the top of an almond tree to survive a tsunami where the waters rushed about 700 meters inland after a magnitude 8.1 earthquake.

His recollections and other astonishing eyewitness accounts of the tsunami that struck the Dominican Republic in 1946 are being used to reconstruct the tsunami's heights and inundation distances, said Georgia Tech researcher Hermann Fritz at the 2018 SSA Annual Meeting.

Fritz and his colleagues carried out the eyewitness surveys in 2014 and 2016, hoping to learn more about one of the strongest earthquakes ever reported in the Caribbean. The 1946 tsunami was detected by tide gauges as far away as Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The 1946 quake suggests that earthquakes along the region's Hispaniola and Puerto Rico trench subduction zones "pose a significant tsunami hazard not just for the islands themselves, but these events are also relevant for the seaboard of the eastern United States," Fritz said.

The 2010 magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Haiti prompted Fritz and others to look more closely at the Dominican Republic's tsunami potential. Although the Haitian quake produced only a one-two meter tsunami at the Haiti-Dominican Republic border, "there was a complete lack of tsunami preparedness and awareness," Fritz said.

The eyewitness survey was inspired by a Dominican meteorologist at the Oficina Nacional de Meteorologia, who told Fritz that his grandfather recalled "palm trees bouncing from one side to the other side" during the 1946 earthquake and tsunami.

The eyewitness surveys covered about 300 kilometers of observations along the Dominican Republic's north coast, allowing the researchers to make 29 runup and tsunami height measurements at 21 locations. Locations between Cabrera and El Limon took the brunt of the waves, with tsunami heights over five meters. The tsunami flooded inland at distances of 600 meters or more at places like Las Terrenas and Playa Rincon.

Although much of the coast has been changed by erosion, the researchers were able to find eyewitnesses who could remember where the water reached during the midday event. In the town of Matanzas, for instance, the survey team spoke with a woman named Patria, who was a teenager when the tsunami came ashore.

"We went to the beach with her where there was a palm tree that had survived the tsunami, and she was able to show us using the tree how high the tsunami was at that location," Fritz explained.

The team's reconstruction of a two-meter tsunami height and other information from their survey has even changed official accounts of the earthquake at Matanzas, Fritz said. The tsunami was thought to have washed away most of the town and killed hundreds of residents. But with the new information uncovered by the survey team, the town has changed a local plaque commemorating the event to note "sin victimas ["no deaths"] from the tsunami.

"I was surprised by interviewing these people, how lucid some of these accounts were," Fritz said. "It almost brought the tsunami event back to life."

The 2018 Annual Meeting, held May 14-17 in Miami, Florida, is a joint conference between the Seismological Society of America and the Latin American and Caribbean Seismological Commission (LACSC).
A new method for projecting how the temperature will respond to human impacts supports the outlook for substantial global warming throughout this century -- but also indicates that, in many regions, warming patterns are likely to vary significantly from those estimated by widely used computer models.

The new method, outlined by McGill University researchers in Geophysical Research Letters, is based on historical temperature increase in response to rising greenhouse gas concentrations and other climate influences. This approach could be used to complement the complex global climate models, filling a need for more reliable climate projections at the regional scale, the researchers say.

"By establishing a historical relationship, the new method effectively models the collective atmospheric response to the huge numbers of interacting forces and structures, ranging from clouds to weather systems to ocean currents," says Shaun Lovejoy, a McGill physics professor and senior author of the study.

"Our approach vindicates the conclusion of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are needed in order to avoid catastrophic warming," he adds. "But it also brings some important nuances, and underscores a need to develop historical methods for regional climate projections in order to evaluate climate-change impacts and inform policy."

In particular, the new approach suggests that for over 39% of the globe, the computer models either overestimate or underestimate significantly the pace of warming, according to Lovejoy and his co-author, PhD student Raphael Hebert (now at the Alfred-Wegener-Institut, in Potsdam.

"Global climate models are important research tools, but their regional projections are not yet reliable enough to be taken at face value," Hebert and Lovejoy asserted. "Historical methods for regional climate projections should be developed in parallel to traditional global climate models. An exciting possibility for further improvements will be the development of hybrid methods that combine the strengths of both the historical and traditional approaches."
A pioneering research program aiming to optimise steroid use in pregnancy, and minimise potential side effects of excess steroid exposure to both mother and baby, is set to benefit the millions of families worldwide who will have babies born too soon.

The long-standing collaborative Western Australian-based program, involving researchers from the Women and Infants Research Foundation, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, USA, and Tohoku University Hospital, Japan, has sought to investigate the importance of duration and magnitude of steroids exposure to mature the lungs of preterm infants.

Findings published this week in the medical journal, The American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, have shown that in preterm lambs, high peak drug exposures do not contribute to the effectiveness of antennal steroids. Rather, the duration of low-concentration steroid exposure is key for preterm lung maturation.

Chief Investigator at the University of Western Australia, Associate Professor Matt Kemp, said the findings represent a major breakthrough in the field of obstetrics.

"The use of steroid therapy in pregnancy to rapidly mature the fetal lung, making breathing easier and safer for preterm babies, has been responsible for saving the lives of countless thousands of preterm babies.

"However, steroid use in pregnancy has never been optimised, meaning that since the 1970s a 50kg woman early in pregnancy is given the same dose of steroids as a 100kg woman close to term.

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"Our study has shown, for the first time ever, that it may be possible to achieve maturation of the preterm lung equivalent to that given by current treatments using approximately 70 per cent less drug.

"Given the strong link between excess fetal steroid exposure and growth restriction, and the global use of this drug, these results have the potential to greatly impact the field of antenatal medicine."

Assoc Prof Kemp said that as equally exciting as the research outcomes, was the international collaborative element of the study with the consortium boasting scientists and doctors in Perth, Cincinnati (USA) and Sendai (Japan).

Chief Scientific Director of the Women and Infants Research Foundation, Professor John Newnham said the findings represent a clear pathway to optimising health outcomes in cases where preterm birth is inevitable.

"The lungs of extreme premature babies are often too structurally and functionally under-developed for the baby to breathe easily, and those born at the earliest gestational ages may suffer from severe and life-long problems such as cerebral palsy, developmental delay or blindness," he said.

"Because steroids are powerful drugs that target many organs, some researchers have become concerned about potential side-effects of excess steroid exposure on both mother and the unborn baby.

"This work to determine the lowest possible dose of antenatal steroids to mature the fetal lung underscores the need to develop a far-reaching optimised steroid dosing regimen that can improve both the efficacy and safety of antenatal steroid treatment," Prof Newnham said.

This work has been supported by GlaxoSmithKline-Save the Children, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Chanel 7 Telethon Trust and the Women and Infant Research Foundation,
President Donald Trump as seen on a television news show in the West Wing. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Two days after Vladimir Putin won reelection on March 18, Donald Trump called the Russian to congratulate him on the victory. Within hours, someone with access to Trumps briefing papers leaked word that staff had provided him with explicit advice not to do so, in all caps, DO NOT CONGRATULATE.

Its understandable that his advisers would have wanted him to bite his tongue. Why staffers might leak that advice is a different question: The congratulations had been extended, so the leak couldnt influence a pending policy outcome. The damage was done in terms of lending democratic legitimacy to an autocratic leader. If intended to air organizational disarray, well, even the most-dyed-in-the-wool Trump supporters get it isnt smooth sailing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Its hard to see the utility even if the staffer leaked out of sheer horror or concern; Trumps track record suggests that exposing him through leaks is perhaps more likely to trigger paranoia and obstinacy than persuade him to change tack. Indeed, Trump congratulated Putin even after he was lambasted last year when staff leaked that he shared highly classified intelligence with Russia that had allegedly been obtained from Israel.

Another possibility is that staffers were trying to protect their professional reputation by revealing the congratulations were not their doing. But, really, whats the value of that kind of leak? It asserts superior wisdom to the president while simultaneously admitting utter powerlessness: I am on the right side of this argument, but even so I couldnt make a difference. Theres no convincing Trump. Its a fairly desperate play, a kind of Hail Mary, reflecting just how troubled the White House environment that produced it is.

And yet this kind of leak has become so common that we are increasingly numb to how unusual, even befuddling, a phenomenon we are witnessing. The privacy of presidential communications with foreign leaders had been treated as sacrosanct in past administrations, but under Trump there has been an unprecedented surge in leaks, and his exchanges with foreign heads of state have also fallen victim. Sure, specific events and staff changes have resulted in peaks and valleys in the intensity of leaking over Trumps year-plus as president, but the pattern has been in place since the very beginning.

It all makes for an important case study. How have Trumps disgust for process, his declared disdain for the swamp, especially those in its career ranks, and his upending of decades of bipartisan foreign-policy consensus on issues such as the transatlantic alliance and democracy promotion impacted the larger national-security communitys calculus on leaking? Over the past year, I interviewed a dozen current and former officials from across the national-security apparatus  none of whom are or were Trump appointees, but some of whom continued working during and after the transition  to find out.

Many of them are horrified by the president, which wasnt a huge surprise. But much of what they told me was nevertheless eye-opening. For starters, they considered leaking commonplace  part of the toolbox, under any administration, for furthering particular policy agendas and trying to win departmental turf wars. Several said supervisors had encouraged them to engage with journalists to frame the narrative and shape debate, even if that meant sharing nonpublic information.

They also rejected the notion of a clear line between good leaks and bad leaks. A lot depends on ones own biases, which shape perspective on the agenda of a given administration. As one former State Department official put it, People elect leaders, but its not always clear to what extent they elect policies. The dynamic seems especially pronounced under this president: As a nonpolitical employee, the democratic legitimacy of the elected team goes a long way, he acknowledged. But Trump is upending so much foreign policy that had previously been orthodoxy across party lines for good reason that it has unsettled things.

But most of the leaks the public hears about, these officials said, do not come from career officials. Significantly, they believed that the vast majority of leaks were coming from the administrations political inner circle, particularly what one former senior official with the White House National Security Council (NSC) termed vanity leaking  i.e., the parlor-gossip games of who was on the up or outs within the West Wing (including those accounts of Javankas attempts to persuade the president to honor the Paris climate accords, which seemed at first blush to be policy-driven).

Vanity leaks from inside the White House are one thing; when it comes to more serious and substantive leaks, those interviewed insisted, the bigger story is not just about Trumps competence and his teams experience or lack thereof  actually, training inexperienced appointees is frequently part of the gig. For many, they said, the surge is attributable to the broader rejection of diplomatic decorum, rupture with foreign-policy orthodoxies, and outsize respect for pundits and staffers, like Stephen Miller and John Bolton, who have performed especially well in the media. Above all, there is the sense that Trump is at war with the national-security community and its mission.

Most officials considered leaking commonplace  part of the toolbox.

To the extent that the deep state is responsible for these more substantive leaks, interviewees pointed to that sense of being under siege  what they called Trumps institutional malice  as the primary cause. In other words, the deep state is leaking defensively to justify its own existence. And to protect itself. Left largely untouched by most, however, was any speculation of the motives for such malice, as though even asking the question could confirm these individuals deepest fears, namely, that the president has somehow been compromised by a foreign power.

We have an administration that is full of amateurs, and there is a system in place in D.C. for how disagreements are escalated and whistles are blown, explained a current official with Homeland Security and foreign-policy experience. The persistent civil-service and Washington system has to have a steam release at some point in response.

For his part, he told me, simply raising public awareness of disarray or a bad policy would not justify leaking national-security information  he would have to be confident his action could bring about a course correction on an issue he considered critical. Bottom line, though, I can envision myself leaking under this administration.

A few years ago, under Barack Obama and Susan Rice, I had the privilege of working in the NSC. In other words, I used to have a lot of access to leak-worthy material. Every workday, Id make sure the alarm on my government-issued BlackBerry was set early enough to check whether I had received an email heads-up from the NSC intelligence team. I didnt receive them as frequently as other colleagues, but the mere prospect of one would put me on edge. They were the confirmation that an issue under my policy purview would be briefed to President Obama later that same morning during the presidents daily briefing, the famous PDB, which meant I had to make a mad dash to the White House campus to review the classified material to be briefed, prepare points on the material for Rice and her top deputies, and coordinate with relevant NSC colleagues, all within a couple of hours of the moment my alarm went off. Even by White House standards, it was always a jarring way to kick off the day.

Across the national-security apparatus, there are literally millions of people who work with classified material like I did. Whether presidential appointees, foreign-service or civil-service officers, military, or contractors, they could come across material during their careers that is politically explosive or at least newsworthy if made public. But I myself never remotely considered leaking.

Of course, I did see the occasional leaks coming out of the Obama White House in the newspapers and was serving in government for the one-two of Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden, so I obviously knew leaks happened. Nevertheless, I felt pretty insulated from the practice throughout my time at the Pentagon, NSC, and State Department. It seemed to largely involve leaders of the national-security apparatus, communication officials, and peripheral dissenters, and I was none of those things.

What I was, though, was someone who actually believed in the president I was serving and what he represented. Its not that I agreed with every policy decision after I made the transition from working on the 2008 campaign to the administration. And its also not that I always won the policy debates in which I participated. But I agreed with the broad direction of what we were doing in the world, and I valued the unique opportunity to have my voice heard by the most senior levels of my government.

So whats changed? One explanation is that our president lacks the capacity to govern, failing even the most basic leadership stress test. Trump is uninterested in the adverse consequences that result from hasty and uninformed foreign-policy decision-making. Actually, its worse than that. Dissenting voices are purged, cronyism is rewarded, and nonmilitary government workers feel under attack.

Another factor is that Trumps penchant for management by way of Lord of the Fliesstyle competition essentially incentivizes leaking. (A recent case in point: After a document compiled by Trumps legal team  summarizing questions special counsel Robert Mueller & Co. have indicated they want to ask the president  was made public, some speculated the leak was an attempt by staff or allies to warn against interviewing with the special counsel.)

Under Obama, the best way to get your agenda attention was to prepare comprehensive briefing material. You know, actually do the job. Under President Trump, many feel like were in the Upside Down dimension of Stranger Things. Even as a West Wing regular, the best way to grab the presidents attention might very well be to leak on Fox. He never reads staff memos anyway.

We all remember the phone transcripts that were leaked from the first month in office  they made the president look nuts, said a former official involved with the Obama-Trump transition effort. I suppose the public good there was exposing how unprofessional he is, but this wasnt exactly the Pentagon Papers. The question is inherently personal: What are your ethical tripwires? What do you consider sufficiently grave to take real professional risks?

One way to think about leaks is by classification level, which go in ascending order of sensitivity from unclassified to confidential to secret to top secret. The level does reflect an internal government risk assessment, and the legalities of leaking classified information are far more serious than anything unclassified. But it isnt the way most of the officials talked about leaks. In our conversations, a more nuanced taxonomy of justification emerged.

Petty Leaks

First, there are vanity leaks, designed primarily to curry favor, win personal rivalries, or protect ones reputation. The former senior NSC official called it petty stuff, but the information disclosed usually isnt classified or terribly important to our national security. Sometimes this practice can get quite duplicitous. You see it with the people that go out on TV to defend the crazy stuff coming out of Trumps mouth and then leak about their personal outrage over it, said former deputy assistant secretary of Defense Frank Mora. It is an act of utter hypocrisy.

Leaks Over Strategy

There are also disclosures motivated over legitimate policy concerns  which typically occur when someone opposes a policy and uses the press to try to kill it, or favors a policy and uses the press to promote it. The officials I spoke with expressed more sympathy for these leaks, though most said the leaks substance is what really determines whether a policy leak is justified  i.e., was it classified or not, did it reveal sources or methods, was it about an illegal action or war crime, and what societal good resulted?

Many of them spoke from experience. I participated in Deputies Committee meetings on Afghanistan when Obama was still deciding how to proceed with the war, former USAID acting deputy administrator Mark Feierstein told me. Theres an assumption in the Situation Room that what you say there stays there, so it would drive me crazy when Id see leaks on our deliberations that I was sure were coming from the Department of Defense in an effort to box in the president.

Leaks Over Principle

Even if they led to a legitimate debate among the American people, the officials with whom I spoke were even more skeptical of so-called high-minded leaks like those of Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden. They put peoples lives in danger, one former foreign-service officer affirmed emphatically. In the Middle East, certain societal leaders, civil-society organizations, and human-rights advocates would not talk to us any longer for fear they would be exposed. In some cases, there were real concerns for these individuals safety. Sources and methods are untouchable always. He continues: The indiscriminate nature of the Manning disclosures is what kills it for me. If she had been more targeted to civilian killings in Iraq, perhaps she could have made a case for being put in the whistle-blower space. But Snowden? A whistle-blower? Give me a break. Hes in Russia!

The Leaks That Arent Leaks

Then there are the authorized leaks  made to win an argument with a rival agency, pesky under secretary, or, perhaps most interestingly, foreign interlocutor. For example, a classic negotiating tactic is to leak an element of the terms under discussion to lock the other side into what it had privately conceded: a trial balloon, so to speak. The leak is intended to limit the ability of the other side to maneuver by making its position public. Similarly, the exposure that results from a leak can sniff out whether a commitment made privately was serious, as well as gauge domestic response to the revelation.

The 2015 Iran nuclear deal illustrates these dynamics well and underscores again how politics and ideology shape our perceptions of leaks. Both the Trump and Obama administrations deployed this type of trial-balloon leak with respect to the agreement. The only difference is that they did so to advance opposing policy objectives: Obamas team presumably leaked to help secure an agreement; Trumps, to navigate its intent to decertify the deal. At the end of the day, the former State Department official said, what Trump is really saying is: Just leak what I want you to leak, and dont leak what I dont want you to leak.

Justified Leaks

For all interviewed, criminal behavior was the gold-standard justification for a leak, especially when it undermines American democracy or is done at the behest of a foreign power. Indeed, Watergate and Deep Throat are held up even more universally as a good leak than one that could theoretically prevent a war. Deep Throat was clearly on the mind of many as they discussed concerns over Russias role in the 2016 presidential election. I could certainly imagine a situation where I would leak to get someone like a Paul Manafort locked up, said the current official. If you had real evidence that the current administration was under political influence of foreign players and there was political interference to suppress that information, you have cause to pursue other recourse.

The Pentagon Papers is a close historical runner-up to Watergate, with the former NSC official calling that leak a profoundly principled objection. But not everyone thought it was so clear-cut. The Pentagon Papers is about the government lying to its people about an important thing, but theres no real criminality. And come on, we cant use government lies as the criteria, said a former Pentagon official. The government has lied quite a lot in our history, so I dont think that justifies it. For a smaller number of interviewees, human-rights abuses and policies that go against certain core values or interests of the country were also legitimate reasons.

The Trump Leak

My conversations inevitably converged on a type of leak particularly idiosyncratic to this administration: one to embarrass or expose the president, whether that exposure is intended to emphasize his incompetence, distance oneself from certain policies, or put a spotlight on suspicious behavior with regard to Russia and/or the Mueller investigation.

The Putin congratulatory call is a recent example, but the leak to make the president look foolish has been a constant companion to Trump. Just recall his January 2017 calls with the Mexican president and the Australian prime minister  in which he referred to Mexicos pretty tough hombres and lambasted the Australian over a refugee agreement struck under Obama, before abruptly hanging up.

Leaks to make the president look foolish have been a constant companion to Trump.

Its hard to see a policy prerogative, said the former senior NSC official. These calls were only released months later, so that suggests it was mostly about embarrassment, about trying to underscore what a shit show the NSC was. I suppose you could construct a rationale that they were an effort to box in a president who seemingly cant handle the basics of international diplomacy, but he was skeptical of any strategic justification behind these leaks  which likely came from a senior White House official or Cabinet member, given how few individuals we estimated would have access to a presidents call transcript (15 to 20, if that).

About whether such a leak is justified  in this environment, with this president  even current officials were torn. I wish it were legitimate to leak just to embarrass him, one told me. I would personally give that person a high-five if we were at the bar. The thing is, though, the transcripts themselves are embarrassing, but its even more embarrassing that they leak in the first place. From a national-security perspective, I just wouldnt want to see this as a general practice, he said, for fear that foreign leaders would stop believing they could speak in confidence with the president.

So how do you do the job without compromising your moral integrity? As we weaved through the logic of leaking, it was clear everyone was wrestling to adapt their playbook. They had just never seriously imagined we would elect an executive who might be compromised by a foreign adversary and, to quote James Comey, is so morally unfit for the job.

One former appointee argued that any leak that hurts this president thats nonclassified and exposes his unfitness is fair game. Others disagreed vehemently. If I dont trust or believe in the president, then I need to resign. Period. If I feel a need to leak to protect the nation, to essentially try to put a fence around the president, thats unethical and its wrong. Again, assuming were not talking about criminality, leaking is about weakening the president, and if your justification is that hes a maniac, well, what if your guy wins next and you love him but others think hes the maniac? Its a slippery slope.

I never leaked to sabotage a policy, never became a policy entrepreneur, but if Im in the White House and the administration is maybe going to cut 50 percent of the United Nations budget or totally roll back LGBTQ provisions, would I leak? Maybe, said the former State Department official. Id like to believe that Id leak to save lives even if it was against my institutions desire, but I dont know if I would. The best I can do is serve my boss, because the election results are the closest thing we have to the American peoples desires manifested. His angst was widely shared among the career bureaucrats I spoke with, a strong counterpoint (even if anecdotal) to the claims of Trumps supporters that the surge in leaks is the result of an entrenched bureaucracy engaged in an undemocratic attempt to neutralize Trumps reform agenda.

I understand that you might want to undermine their credibility to render them ineffective, but you have to weigh the longer-term institutional costs versus the short-term benefit of undermining this administration, said a former political appointee from the State Department. I would resign before I would leak, but I believe it is ethical in those times when Americas compass loses its North Star, the appointee said, citing the McCarthy-era witch hunts, the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, and Bush 43era torture practices as past examples of when leaking would have been justified. When I ask if the present day was one of those times, he said, Yes.

*A version of this article appears in the May 14, 2018, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!
Inuit polar bear subsistence hunters from two East Greenland regions, Tasiilaq and Ittoqqortoormiit, report changes to their hunting patterns as well as polar bear distribution and behavior due to decreasing sea ice and the introduction of hunting quotas in 2006. The hunters have observed large climate changes in their hunting areas -- including warmer weather, less sea ice and disappearing glaciers -- which the majority say have affected the polar bear hunt. More hunters are now using boats than dog sledges due to loss of sea ice. The hunters also note that more polar bears are coming into their communities looking for food, and that the bears are eating more seal parts than previously. Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, the study is the first in nearly 20 years to document traditional knowledge on polar bear catches and ecology in East Greenland -- providing a valuable baseline for monitoring future changes as well as the polar bear population.

Inuit hunters have a strong understanding of the Arctic environment and can share information passed down from older generations as well as from their personal experiences. This is very valuable to management and conservation efforts.

Although traditional ecological knowledge about polar bears has been collected extensively in West Greenland, no comprehensive interview studies on polar bears have been carried out in East Greenland for close to two decades. Thus, current perspectives of polar bear hunters in this area are not well documented.

"Our research was motivated by the importance of obtaining local perspectives from subsistence hunters in East Greenland about the subpopulation of polar bears," says author Kristin L. Laidre, principal scientist at the Polar Science Center, University of Washington, USA. "There had not been an interview study for several decades so a new interview survey was important to conduct, especially before starting an assessment of the subpopulation."

In interviews conducted by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, researchers gathered Inuit perspectives on polar bear subsistence quotas and hunting strategies from 25 full-time polar bear hunters in Tasiilaq and Ittoqqortoormiit. The aim was to gain an understanding of how climate change is affecting the polar bear subsistence hunt, and to document observed changes in polar bear distribution, abundance and biology over the last two decades.

All interviewed hunters reported that they had observed changes to sea ice conditions. They noted, for example, that there is less ice, that the sea ice does not form or that it forms later than before, and that it is now more dangerous. Fifteen Tasiilaq hunters also said that the glaciers are disappearing very quickly. All Tasiilaq hunters noted changes in the weather, marked by worsened weather, warmer temperatures, more storms and more wind. Similarly, 89% of Ittoqqortoomiit hunters reported changing weather with warmer temperatures and more humidity.

Seventy-three percent of Tasiilaq hunters and 88% of Ittoqqortoormiit hunters said that climate changes had affected the polar bear hunt. Furthermore, 100% of interviewed Tasiilaq hunters and 80% of Ittoqqortoomiit hunters reported that they hunt more with boats than with dog sledges compared to 10-15 years ago, due to decreasing sea-ice mass and larger extents of open water. One hunter said that he had gotten rid of his sledge, since he had no use for it anymore.

Neither Ittoqqortoormiit nor Tasiilaq hunters reported major changes in the bears' body condition, which is consistent with previous reports from indigenous people in other areas. However, Tasiilaq hunters noted that polar bears are consuming more seal parts than before, such as bones and skin.

In addition, 81% of Tasiilaq hunters and 78% of Ittoqqortoormiit hunters noted that more polar bears are coming into towns and settlements compared to 10-15 years ago. Moreover, hunters from both regions noted that more bears were caught near settlements than previously. While some hunters explained this as a result of the hunting quotas increasing the abundance of polar bears, others mentioned decreasing sea ice as a possible reason. Two hunters suggested that polar bears are coming closer to the towns because they have less to eat and are searching for food.

The researchers report that 40% of Tasiilaq respondents had caught between 10-19 polar bears in their lifetime, while 67% of Ittoqqortoormiit respondents had lifetime catches of more than 20 bears. The general consensus in Tasiilaq is that the quotas are necessary, whereas hunters in Ittoqqortoomiit do not view the quotas as necessary. Hunters in both areas would like to see a small portion of the quota used for trophy hunting, which is currently illegal in Greenland.

The researchers point out that understanding the impact of management decisions and the decreasing sea ice is essential for polar bear conservation and management, as well as for the human communities that rely on hunting polar bears. Thus, this research provides an important baseline for monitoring future changes and for managing the polar bear population.

"This information can be used to directly guide scientific lines of inquiry, improve management decisions, and overall ensure that traditional ecological knowledge is considered in the conservation and management of polar bears," concludes Laidre.
Penicillin-based antibiotics contain a five-membered hydrocarbon cycle, additionally incorporating a sulfur and a nitrogen atom. Nadine Zumbragel, doctoral student at the Chair of Organic Chemistry I at Bielefeld University, has succeeded in selectively synthesizing this important substructure with different residues on this cycle using a biotechnological method. The targeted design of such structures now enables the preparation of substance libraries of such so-called heterocycles, which can in future be used by the pharmaceutical industry to find new active substances. Besides the Bielefeld chemists, two scientists from the Ruhr-University Bochum were also involved in the studies. The researchers present their findings today (16 May 2018) in the journal Nature Communications with Zumbragel as first author and Professor Dr. Harald Groger, head of the Chair of Organic Chemistry I, as corresponding author.

Recently, in Chemical & Engineering News, antibiotics were described as one of the nine ways chemistry has changed the world. Of particular importance are penicillins, which in turn contain a five-membered hydrocarbon cycle with a sulfur and a nitrogen atom additionally incorporated therein. The selective production of this important substructure, flexibly equipped with different substituents on the cycle, in turn represents a substance library for finding new drug structures. In principle, access to these cyclic structures is conceivable from easily accessible substrates, the so-called 3-thiazolines. The cyclic structure is already pre-formed and "only" one double bond has to be converted into a single bond by means of a reduction.

Although these 3-thiazolines have been known for decades and were first reported in the 1950s, this conversion proved to be synthetically difficult. This is remarkable since a large number of chemical methods are generally available for the reaction type of reduction and have already been successfully used for numerous synthesis purposes. There are several reasons why such "classical chemical" processes proved ineffective in the production of this compound class of five-membered cycles with incorporated sulfur and nitrogen atoms: for instance, strongly reducing processes lead to undesired ring-opening and in other reduction processes with metal catalysts, the sulfur contained in the cycle acts like a catalyst poison. The required selectivity also proved to be an insurmountable hurdle: during reduction, chiral compounds can form, which behave like image and mirror image. For active substances it is important that only one of these forms, so-called enantiomers, is present. Previous methods were able to preserve the ring in the best case, but resulted in only extremely low selectivities.

In her doctoral thesis funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the "Biotechnology 2020+, Next Generation of Biotechnological Processes" funding programme, Nadine Zumbragel has now succeeded for the first time in reducing 3-thiazolines without side reactions to the desired target compounds in a highly selective manner, forming only one enantiomer. For this purpose, she used representatives of the enzyme class of the so-called imine reductases as biocatalysts. Zumbragel explains: "The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly demanding highly enantioselective synthesis methods. One possibility is the use of enzymes as suitable catalysts, which are reaction accelerating molecules in chemical processes."

The researchers also succeeded in extending the reduction method to other sulphur-containing heterocycles, thus developing a platform technology. The applicability of this reduction method has also already been demonstrated by the scientists on an enlarged laboratory scale. "This successful combination of biotechnology and heterocyclic chemistry is a further proof for the potential of enzymes as natural catalysts for use in preparing chemicals," says Groger, who has been conducting research on biocatalytic processes for the synthesis of industrial chemicals with his research group at Bielefeld University since 2011. In cooperation with Professor Dr. Stefan Huber from the Ruhr-University Bochum, who carried out quantum mechanical calculations, it was also possible to rationally reproduce the experimental observations with the aid of computer chemistry. Dr. Christian Merten, likewise from the Ruhr-University Bochum, also combined quantum mechanical calculations with VCD (Vibrational Circular Dichroism) measurements, which enabled the determination of the stereochemical properties of the target compound.
Psychotic disorders often are severe and involve extreme symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations in which people lose their sense of reality. Researchers at the University of Missouri recently found evidence that boosting how well people at risk for psychosis learn from positive and negative feedback could potentially keep psychosis at bay. The team also found that brain scans using functional magnetic resonance imaging, coupled with behavioral measures, could provide markers for the diagnosis of psychosis risk. Researchers hope findings will help mental health professionals to understand how to better treat their patients with psychoses and prevent the onset of psychosis.

"Around the time Nobel Prize winner John Nash first developed psychosis he turned down an endowed chair at the University of Chicago because he said he believed he was going to become the emperor of Antarctica -- despite the population of Antarctica being zero," said John G. Kerns, professor of psychological sciences in the MU College of Arts and Science. "How a genius like John Nash could develop a delusion has long baffled clinicians and scientists. We wanted to examine whether dysfunction in a brain region called the striatum and a disruption in feedback-based learning were related to risk for psychosis."

Feedback-based learning helps learners raise their awareness of strengths and weaknesses and identify actions to be taken to improve. It is heavily dependent on varying levels of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that sends signals to other nerve cells, specifically located in a specialized part of the brain called the striatum. Dopamine in the striatum provides an important teaching signal that increases or decreases the chance that certain thoughts and actions occur again in the future.

In research conducted at the Mizzou Brain Imaging Center and using a feedback-based learning task, Kerns and his team found that people at risk for psychosis are impaired when they need to rely on feedback to learn. Using fMRI brain scans, the team found that people at risk for psychosis failed to activate the striatum when they received feedback.

"Current research suggests that people like John Nash develop delusions in part because they have problems learning from feedback, like a car driving without a brake," Kerns said. "Our research is also consistent with other research that people with psychosis have an increased level of dopamine in the striatum. However, for the first time we have linked psychosis risk to both a behavioral impairment, poor feedback learning, as well as striatum dysfunction."

It is also hoped that this research will be useful in detecting risk for psychosis, Kerns said. Measuring dopamine in the striatum is both invasive and expensive and cannot be done in routine clinical assessment. However, Kerns found that non-invasive measures can be used in every day clinical practice to effectively detect striatal dysfunction. Ultimately, Kerns believes this research will help professionals both detect risk and prevent psychosis, which could mean decreased suffering for many people and their families.
An international team of astronomers used ALMA to observe a distant galaxy called MACS1149-JD1. They detected a very faint glow emitted by ionised oxygen in the galaxy. As this infrared light travelled across space, the expansion of the Universe stretched it to wavelengths more than ten times longer by the time it reached Earth and was detected by ALMA. The team inferred that the signal was emitted 13.3 billion years ago (or 500 million years after the Big Bang), making it the most distant oxygen ever detected by any telescope [1]. The presence of oxygen is a clear sign that there must have been even earlier generations of stars in this galaxy.

"I was thrilled to see the signal of the distant oxygen in the ALMA data," says Takuya Hashimoto, the lead author of the new paper and a researcher at both Osaka Sangyo University and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan . "This detection pushes back the frontiers of the observable Universe."

In addition to the glow from oxygen picked up by ALMA, a weaker signal of hydrogen emission was also detected by ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). The distance to the galaxy determined from this observation is consistent with the distance from the oxygen observation. This makes MACS1149-JD1 the most distant galaxy with a precise distance measurement and the most distant galaxy ever observed with ALMA or the VLT.

"This galaxy is seen at a time when the Universe was only 500 million years old and yet it already has a population of mature stars," explains Nicolas Laporte, a researcher at University College London (UCL) in the UK and second author of the new paper. "We are therefore able to use this galaxy to probe into an earlier, completely uncharted period of cosmic history."

For a period after the Big Bang there was no oxygen in the Universe; it was created by the fusion processes of the first stars and then released when these stars died. The detection of oxygen in MACS1149-JD1 indicates that these earlier generations of stars had been already formed and expelled oxygen by just 500 million years after the beginning of the Universe.

But when did this earlier star formation occur? To find out, the team reconstructed the earlier history of MACS1149-JD1 using infrared data taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope. They found that the observed brightness of the galaxy is well-explained by a model where the onset of star formation corresponds to only 250 million years after the Universe began [2].

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The maturity of the stars seen in MACS1149-JD1 raises the question of when the very first galaxies emerged from total darkness, an epoch astronomers romantically term "cosmic dawn." By establishing the age of MACS1149-JD1, the team has effectively demonstrated that galaxies existed earlier than those we can currently directly detect.

Richard Ellis, senior astronomer at UCL and co-author of the paper, concludes: "Determining when cosmic dawn occurred is akin to the Holy Grail of cosmology and galaxy formation. With these new observations of MACS1149-JD1 we are getting closer to directly witnessing the birth of starlight! Since we are all made of processed stellar material, this is really finding our own origins."

Notes

[1] ALMA has set the record for detecting the most distant oxygen several times. In 2016, Akio Inoue at Osaka Sangyo University and his colleagues used ALMA to find a signal of oxygen emitted 13.1 billion years ago. Several months later, Nicolas Laporte of University College London used ALMA to detect oxygen 13.2 billion years ago. Now, the two teams combined their efforts and achieved this new record, which corresponds to a redshift of 9.1.

[2] This corresponds to a redshift of about 15.

More information

These results are published in a paper entitled: "The onset of star formation 250 million years after the Big Bang," by T. Hashimoto et al., to appear in the journal Nature on 17 May 2018.

The research team members are: Takuya Hashimoto (Osaka Sangyo University/National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Japan), Nicolas Laporte (University College London, United Kingdom), Ken Mawatari (Osaka Sangyo University, Japan), Richard S. Ellis (University College London, United Kingdom), Akio. K. Inoue (Osaka Sangyo University, Japan), Erik Zackrisson (Uppsala University, Sweden), Guido Roberts-Borsani (University College London, United Kingdom), Wei Zheng (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States), Yoichi Tamura (Nagoya University, Japan), Franz E. Bauer (Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile), Thomas Fletcher (University College London, United Kingdom), Yuichi Harikane (The University of Tokyo, Japan), Bunyo Hatsukade (The University of Tokyo, Japan), Natsuki H. Hayatsu (The University of Tokyo, Japan; ESO, Garching, Germany), Yuichi Matsuda (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan/SOKENDAI, Japan), Hiroshi Matsuo (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan/SOKENDAI, Japan, Sapporo, Japan), Takashi Okamoto (Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan), Masami Ouchi (The University of Tokyo, Japan), Roser Pello (Universite de Toulouse, France), Claes-Erik Rydberg (Universitat Heidelberg, Germany), Ikkoh Shimizu (Osaka University, Japan), Yoshiaki Taniguchi (The Open University of Japan, Chiba, Japan), Hideki Umehata (The University of Tokyo, Japan) and Naoki Yoshida (The University of Tokyo, Japan).
In a thinly veiled warning to critics, President Yoweri Museveni used a notable inaugural presidential media roundtable discussion last week to announce that government has acquired the technology to catch Voltaire Okwalinga alias TVO, the notorious but anonymous Ugandan social media critique of his ruling NRM.

You know we are now ready. We have the technology, we shall go for Okwalinga. If he is in Uganda we shall get him and if he is out, we also know what to do with him, the president said, wearing his trademark derisive smile.

President Museveni addressing media owners and editors last week at State House

The president also warned that going forward, social media will be closely watched.

We shall control it; we shall know who is spreading the bad message and we shall get him, he said while meeting media owners and managers at State House Entebbe last week.

The meeting was held under the theme, The role of the media in nation-building: Aligning the media with governments agenda 2040.



Okwalinga who remains anonymous has been leaking a series of government secrets through his Facebook account TVO. Once, Robert Shaka, an IT savvy person, was arrested on suspicion of being Okwalinga.

But the case did not proceed for lack of evidence. The president also said his government will ensure that social media is not used by people to spread hate campaigns similar to those which were propagated by Radio Television Libre de Milles Collines in Rwanda.

Radio Milles Collines was largely blamed for inciting genocide against the Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994.

Although the theme of the dialogue was on how to align the media with government agenda 2040, President Museveni spent a great deal of time explaining how for 300 years Africa was insulated from colonialism by the treacherous terrain and presence of mosquitoes.

Mr Museveni said when quinine was discovered from Latin America, the Europeans were able to enter and colonise Africans.

And this was facilitated by the spread of religion and divisions among African leaders. He said, however, that the meeting was not intended to urge media houses to influence and improve the public perception of his government.

This meeting is about patriotism and pan-Africanism, he said, adding that the media had not shown concern for pan-Africanism in its reporting. He said if Africa is not united and careful, it might find itself wiped out like the Red Indians who have been relegated to tourism sites in North and Latin America.

One day the entire Africa may be completely occupied by Chinese. Chinese would now be the new Africans.

Andrew Mwenda of the Independent (C) with The Observer's Business Development Director Pius Katunzi (R) and editor Robert Mukasa

The president appeared startled when he was informed that there are 279 FM stations in the country and some of them are owned by politicians.

How do they survive? he asked. Should politicians own radios? Should partisan radios be licensed, Mutabazi tell us [referring to the executive director, Uganda Communications Commission] ? he probed.

Later it was agreed that that question could not be resolved at the meeting and it was referred to the adhoc committee on media relations with government which is yet to be formed. This committee is supposed to report back in 30 days.

I never started an NRM newspaper, TV or radio, not because I cannot afford but it is because it is not right. The Gospel of St. Matthew 23:23 says: They left undone what they ought to have done and did what they ought not to have done and there is no truth in them, he explained.

However, later the president urged the media to be part of the social transformation of the society and work for the development of Uganda.

Otherwise, you will be like a parasite (enkwa). If your interests are inimical to the interests of the organism, then you are a parasite (enkwa).
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that investment adviser William Jordan of Orange County, California, has settled charges for perpetrating a multi-million dollar fraud on his clients.

The SEC's complaint alleges that, from 2011 until 2016, as he raised more than $71 million from approximately 100 advisory clients, Jordan lied to investors about how their funds would be invested, about their investments' performance, and about his own disciplinary history. Jordan is alleged to have overstated the value of the assets in several of his 16 private investment funds, and then to have used those inflated values and unrealized "profits" on other investments to overpay management fees and bonuses to himself and his entities. The complaint further alleges that the 16 funds were never audited, despite Jordan's promises to investors. The open funds, along with other Jordan-affiliated entities, sought bankruptcy protection in May 2017 and are under the control of an independent Chief Restructuring Officer.

The SEC's complaint charges Jordan with violations of the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws: Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Sections 206(1) and (2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Jordan settled the action by consenting to the entry of a permanent injunction without admitting or denying the allegations of the complaint. The appropriate amount of disgorgement, prejudgment interest and civil penalties will be determined by the federal district court in Orange County, California.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Janet Rich Weissman and supervised by Ansu N. Banerjee, and the litigation as to the appropriate monetary relief will be led by Amy J. Longo, all from the SEC's Los Angeles Regional Office. The SEC acknowledges the assistance and cooperation of the California Department of Business Oversight.
A diplomatic row is simmering between Uganda and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Arab country has reportedly demanded an apology from Kampala for criticisms leveled against it by MPs recently.



They are threatening sanctions against us; they may deny us entry visas into UAE which may adversely affect the economy, Nakifuma MP Robert Kafeero Ssekitooleko told The Observer on Monday.

President Museveni meeting with UAE vice president Sheikh Mohammed during his visit last year

Kafeero, who is known to have considerable working knowledge of what government business occupies minds inside State House from time to time, said the UAE wants Uganda to say sorry.

The UAE first summoned Ugandas ambassador Nimisha Madhvani who is said to have been the source of the April 18 comments by MPs about the UAE government which they accused of overseeing slavery and trafficking of Ugandans.



The MPs led by Butambala representative Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi voiced their concerns during a meeting of parliaments committee on Defence and Internal Affairs that was interfacing with Internal Affairs minister Gen Abubakar Jeje Odongo.



Basing on findings of their recent trip to Abu Dhabi, one of the seven emirates that make up UAE, Kivumbi told Odongo that the MPs visited a slave market and learned with shock how Ugandan girls were being sold like commodities.



Owing to the harsh conditions, Kivumbi said, at least 16 girls had committed suicide over the last seven months.



Kivumbis statements were received in bad faith by Abu Dhabi where Ugandas ambassador was summoned by the authorities. She was later hurriedly recalled by her bosses at the ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kampala.



She received her marching orders on May 10 when the acting Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Isaac Ssebulime wrote to tell her to immediately report back to Kampala for consultations.



Madhvani was asked to hand over to Sam Omara, the embassys charge daffaires.



MUSEVENI FURIOUS



The developments have distressed President Museveni who was expecting to host his UAE counterpart Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.



Late in 2014, Museveni visited Abu Dhabi and held talks with Al Nahyan for bilateral cooperation in oil sector exploration, the development of the crude oil pipeline and capacity building for Ugandans engaged in the exploration of the oil industry.



The Abu Dhabi ruler was expected to reciprocate the visit but has since cancelled plans to visit Uganda, according to knowledgeable sources.



But senior presidential press secretary Don Innocent Wanyama in a WhatsApp message said he was not aware of any such planned visit.



The Observer, however, understands that Museveni last week met Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga at State House Entebbe and asked her to see how parliament can retract the statements which upset the UAE.



Trade between Uganda and the United Arab Emirates has been growing with each passing year. Many Ugandans are now flying regularly to Dubai to purchase goods and merchandise which are available at competitive prices.



As of last year, Ugandas exports to UAE were valued at $468.8 million (Shs 1.7 trillion). Following her meeting with Museveni, Kadaga on May 11 summoned Muwanga Kivumbi over the phone to her office to persuade him to retract his statements.



Kivumbi reportedly declined to meet Kadaga. Interviewed, Kivumbi said he was discouraged by the long queue of people waiting to meet her.



But I cant retract my statements; the truth is, our girls are mistreated in UAE, we need to be working on how to make the conditions better, Kivumbi said.

sadabkk@observer.ug
Lars Jan never knew much about his father. He was a hard man to get answers out of. The birth dates on all his documents were different. He wouldnt talk about brothers or sisters. He was a Polish immigrant, but hed never say where, exactly, he was from. Jan doesnt even remember him having a friend.

He was a mysterious figure in my life, Jan says over the phone from Los Angeles, where hes based. He was a void in my life.

By the time the man, Henryk Ryniewicz, died in 2009, he and Jan, who is now 40, had been estranged for nearly a year and a half. But it was this relationship  however strained  that inspired Jans multimedia piece The Institute of Memory (TIMe). The work is scheduled to be performed twice this weekend as part of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts spring Transform Fest.

(TIMe) is based largely on troves of documents Jan gathered, after much research, from disparate sources. The process began organically, over the course of several trips to Poland.

Late at night, a couple drinks in, hed always find himself circling back to his father and talking to artists there about the man he hardly knew. The stories Jan remembered, the artists told him, werent so unusual. Another broken Polish man born of a broken time  he lived through World War II and the Cold War  took most of what he knew to the grave, Jan says.

They did, however, point Jan to something called the Institute of National Remembrance, a sort of clearinghouse for the information the government had collected on the public during early attempts at espionage. And there, Jan found 200 pages of information they had kept on his father.

Much of what he found was transcripts of wiretapped conversations  mostly innocuous conversation with women, talking about preparing sausages in the background. Another set was of communiques between Soviet agents who thought his father worked for the CIA and were hoping to flip him.

Jan got a third set of documents from his fathers physicians. It was a cache of hundreds of pages from more than 90 doctors that described the breakdown of his mind and body over his life.

The themes Jan gets at in (TIMe), however, arent just to do with his father, though certainly part of it is a little bit of a ghost story, he says.

The records he received from doctors described a man who was clinically paranoid, mentally unwell and, later in life, diagnosed with schizophrenia. Its also apparent to Jan that his father was very possibly a CIA operative. (His U.S. citizenship was authorized by an act of Congress and sponsored, Jan says, by one of Sen. Joseph McCarthys right-hand men.)

This is all to say that while Jan explores his fathers life, he also explores the mans paranoia, and how he might have inherited some of that. Somewhere along the way, I realized it wasnt his paranoia that I was questioning, but my own  and is paranoia the right word?

Jan also considers what it means that people routinely package their lives online today, ready for state snooping. Jan wonders if something is lost between the analog ephemera hes scraped together of his fathers and the sort of archives, almost assuredly digital, that hell leave for his own daughter.

All of these themes are tied together in Jans multimedia approach to storytelling and performance art. A large feature of the show is a kinetic light sculpture he made that follows the floor plan of his fathers apartment as he remembers it. The sculpture responds to commands tapped out on a typewriter  the sort his father used to type letters to him on  as another nod at moving the analog to the digital.

The piece is largely abstract and full of abstractions, Jan admits. A necessity.

I know so little that it had to become abstract and nonnarrative, he says, in order to attempt to aspire to the texture of the state he might have been in.

Ryan Kost is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkost@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @RyanKost

The Institute of Memory (TIMe): 7:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, May 19-20. $22.50 Saturday, $17.50 Sunday. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum, 701 Mission St., S.F. www.ybca.org
Upcoming political events in the Bay Area.

WEDNESDAY

Ehud Barak protest: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators plan to protest former Israeli prime ministers appearance on a book promotion tour. 6 p.m., 3200 California St., San Francisco.

THURSDAY

Election forum: Hoover Institution fellow Bill Whalen, San Jose State political science Professor Terry Christensen and Politico reporter Carla Marinucci discuss election candidates and issues and take audience questions. Sponsored by Nextdoor.com. 3-4 p.m., 875 Stevenson St., seventh floor, San Francisco. More information and RSVP here. Event will also be live-streamed here.

Voter information: The League of Women Voters of North and Central San Mateo holds a voter information session. The first part of the program will provide an overview of where, when, and how to vote in the county, which is implementing a new system giving residents more ways and more days to vote. The second part is a nonpartisan analysis of the five initiatives on the state ballot and Regional Measure 3, which would raise bridge tolls to pay for transportation projects. 6:30 p.m., Half Moon Bay Library, Ted Adcock Community Center. 535 Kelly Ave. More information is here.

FRIDAY

Palestinian forum: Event marking 70th anniversary of the Nakba, the expulsion and exodus of Palestinians from what became the state of Israel. Speakers are Zeiad Abbas Shamrouch, a Palestinian from the West Bank, and Richard Becker of the ANSWER Coalition, author of Palestine, Israel and the U.S. Empire. Sponsored by ANSWER. $5-$10 donation. 7 p.m., 2969 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here.

SUNDAY

Venezuela rally: Rally to support Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as the country holds elections. Sponsored by groups including ANSWER Coalition. 2 p.m., 24th and Mission streets, San Francisco. More information is here.

MONDAY

S.F. Politics 101: United Democratic Club hosts a primer on local politics. Free. 6:30-8:30 p.m., 55 Fillmore St., San Francisco. Registration and more information are here.

Politics roundtable: Commonwealth Club hosts a politics roundtable and social hour. Speakers are Carson Bruno, assistant dean at Pepperdine University School of Public Policy and Dan Schnur, professor at USC Annenberg School of Communications and the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. $8-$20. 6:30-7:35 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

MAY 24

SF measures: San Francisco Progressive Democrats of America presents a free forum with advocates for Proposition C, which would raise taxes on commercial landlords for child care and education, and Proposition D, which would raise such levies for housing and homelessness programs. Mayoral candidate Amy Farah Weiss will also discuss a to-do list for San Franciscos next mayor. Also, PDA San Franciscos Shirley Golub talks about progressive reforms in Barcelona. 7-9 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Center chapel, 1187 Franklin St., San Francisco. More information is here.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

JUNE 1

Confronting transphobia: A conversation on how to end transphobia, hosted by the Freedom Socialist Party. $2-$5 donation. 6:30 p.m., New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk St., San Francisco. More information is here.

JUNE 7

Medea Benjamin on Iran: Code Pink and Global Exchange co-founder on Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Benefit for KPFA-FM. $12 in advance, $15 at the door. 7:30 p.m., Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St., Berkeley. More information is here.

JUNE 9

World Naked Bike Ride: Event focuses on the need to promote renewable energy and move away from big oil. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., starts at Ferry Building Plaza in San Francisco. More information is here.

To list an event, email tbyrne@sfchronicle.com
Call them the luckless 44. With a catch-22.

Of the 160 mobile homes that were packed into the residential park known as Journeys End, 116 were destroyed when the Tubbs Fire swept into Santa Rosa in October. It razed most of the complex, including the water, electrical and sewage systems  everything except 44 homes left standing after the flames passed through.

But the fact that those 44 little houses got lucky in the fire is no luck at all for now, because the owners of the mobile units are stuck. Their insurance will not pay out for homes that remain standing. And because the park has been red-tagged, they cant live there.

So not only do they have no permanent home, they have no money for making a fresh start. And these residents are all low-income or retired seniors.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

Burbank Housing, the nonprofit group turning the 13.5-acre spread into affordable and market-rate condos, is proposing to convert abandoned horse stables at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds into a propped-up version of Journeys End for those 44 people until the redevelopment is complete. But that wont give any quick relief.

The nonprofit will need to negotiate a lease with the fairgrounds board, then get approval from the Santa Rosa City Council. So far, a majority of the council has voiced support, a Burbank official said. Yet not everyone is excited about the prospect.

While we are grateful for all efforts to provide replacement housing, all these possibilities will take at least a couple years and are still very much just possibilities, said Theresa Udall, 83, whose home is among those standing at Journeys End. My home is in perfect condition. I visit it several times a week, and it breaks my heart that I can't move back into it.

Todd Trumbull

Demolition, grading and utility hook-ups would take at least 18 months to complete before the mobile home park could open at the fairgrounds  and some cannot wait that long.

Of the 44 residents who own the standing homes, three have died since the Tubbs Fire destroyed their tight-knit community. Two residents are living in trailers, three moved out of the county, four are in hotels, five are in low-income Burbank Housing and 12 are living with family. Only 15 have found stable rentals.

There are varying ranges of excitement about it, said Burbank Housing President Larry Florin. There are quite honestly some residents that would just like to move. They want to see the full proposal before they commit.

For seven months, city officials have struggled to figure out what to do with these most vulnerable of fire victims. The seniors dont own the land their homes sit on and lack autonomy to rebuild like those in the nearby Coffey Park subdivision. They dont have money to rent homes in nearby areas, like most of those burned out of the upscale Fountaingrove neighborhood.

So they are dependent on a city already overwhelmed by the disaster to find housing for them in a time when it is neither plentiful nor affordable.

I wish I could tell them we have a solution for them, said Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey. At this point, we dont. We havent given up. We are still trying. But nothing is going to be fast enough to satisfy them. There are so many layers of complexity.

The park cannot support temporary mobile homes, officials from Burbank Housing confirmed last month. The well water is contaminated, and updated plumbing codes dont permit an above-ground distribution system. Much of the 60-year-old parks infrastructure, like that system, is outdated.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

The longer-term outlook is grim. Residents have been promised priority slots in new housing units after Journeys End is redeveloped, but that will take years. Monthly rent will also cost more than the $500 a month most were paying for their spot on the pavement to park their mobile homes  which was well below Santa Rosas median rent of about $1,600 for a one-bedroom unit.

We know that this is difficult news and that each of you are anxious to understand what options you have moving forward, owner Ramsey Shuayto wrote in a letter in early April. Unfortunately, we do not have those answers yet.

If Burbank gains approval for a mobile home park on the fairgrounds, it will solve only part of the equation. Just five of the 44 standing homes could be moved to the new site. The rest are too old. State law prohibits them from being towed on roadways because of safety concerns. The Tzu Chi Foundation, a Santa Rosa nonprofit, would help raise money to replace the other 39 homes.

Despite what they see as city and county leaders best intentions, many of the residents feel as though they have slipped through the cracks. And some of those leaders agree.

We have failed our seniors in terms of housing and support, said Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane. I am so frustrated that we cannot help these people. They are in limbo land, and they shouldnt be living there. Its a hazard to their health and well-being.

For 29 years, Dottie Hughes lived at Journeys End with her husband, Albert. He died from cancer the month that the Tubbs Fire ravaged the park.

Over the past seven months, Hughes, 82, has lived at the Sandman Hotel on the other side of Mendocino Avenue, just across from Journeys End. A cluster of other former residents lives down the hall. Theyve formed a miniature community.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

Hughes does her dishes in the bathtub and cooks dinner in a toaster oven. Theres a laundromat in the building, but she says its expensive. FEMA used to pay for the room; now Burbank does. Hughes Social Security check brings in less than $1,000 monthly.

Its just been a nightmare, she said. Im crying most of the time. I dont know where Im going or what Im doing. We arent being told anything for sure at all. Im hearing we could be at the fairgrounds now, and Im not happy about it. Its where the horses were kept. I just think the city could do better for us seniors.

This spring, the seniors protested outside the locked gate at Journeys End. Some held signs reading Senior lives matter. Through the fence, they could see flowerbeds choked by weeds. Trash bags sit on the curb for trucks that havent come in months.

Ronit Rubinoff, executive director of Legal Aid of Sonoma County, a nonprofit that provides counseling to low-income families, said she understands the frustrations. The process is slow because of all of the unknowns, she said. No one has dealt with a disaster like this before.

The limbo is created by the fact that there had to be a lot of groundwork done to determine what was happening with the park first, Rubinoff said. Its a challenging position because we were all waiting for information. We had to wait for the park owner to decide. We couldnt force that decision to occur any sooner.

Journeys End is private property, meaning the city could not step in unless the owners agreed. Relocating to the fairgrounds could be a good compromise, Rubinoff said. But not everybody will be happy; thats rarely the case.

People are differently situated, she said. Some have homes that are movable, some dont. Some people have nothing standing. There are different options for different folks  thats what we are trying to sew together.

Even if the park were to move to the fairgrounds, Theresa Udall probably wouldnt relocate. For three months, she lived in a Burbank unit in Larkfield-Wikiup, a few miles north of Journeys End. It was considered affordable but still cost two-thirds of her monthly income. She has also lived in three hotels and at a friends home.

Now Udall lives in a granny unit behind her daughters Bennett Valley Road rental. The daughter also lost her home in the Bennett Ridge neighborhood. In the morning, Udall wakes up to sunshine in the window and views of the surrounding hillsides. Finally, she feels like she is starting to heal. She helps care for her autistic grandson, who loves dinosaurs and Star Wars. Life is slower and quieter.

Being a senior, a lot of the people in the park will be dead by the time they have built anything, she said. I feel like we are the poor relatives who come last in line with the city. We hear a lot about Fountaingrove and their problems, and Coffey Park and their problems. We have been thrown out like rags.

But she enjoys her days in the hills, she says. Journeys End is just a memory now.

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn
Angered at the deaths of dozens of Palestinians opposing the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, hundreds of protesters marched across downtown San Francisco at rush hour Tuesday.

The protest started with a noisy rally outside the building that houses the Israeli consulate near Montgomery and Sacramento streets, then turned into a march to Market Street, then to the Federal Building at Seventh and Mission streets for a final round of speeches.

Outside the consulate, about 200 protesters gathered, many waving signs declaring Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine and Stop the US-Israeli war against Palestine. Chants over megaphones echoed off the Financial District high-rises.

A minor skirmish took place after about two dozen Israel supporters, waving Israeli and American flags, showed up across the street. Police tried to keep them separated, but a young man, chanting Free, Free Palestine pushed his way through the crowd. He was immediately surrounded and escorted away by police.

But aside from that incident and a few coarse words lobbed by angry commuters, the event was peaceful.

Protest organizers from the Arab Resource and Organizing Center said they had planned the protests for months. May 15 is known to Palestinians as the Nakba, or the catastrophe, and is an annual remembrance of the day in 1948 they were forced from their homes by the then-newly formed Israeli state.

But Mondays move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and the dozens of people Palestinian officials have reported killed by Israeli soldiers after resulting protests, added more urgency and anger to the protest.

Weve been planning this for months because of the 70th anniversary, said Lara Kiswani, from the center. But given recent developments, we are here to condemn that.

Kiswani scoffed at President Trumps daughter and son-in-law celebrating the embassys move and accused the Israelis of plotting the mass killings of the Palestinian protesters.

Palestinians have been met with execution-style snipers shooting them in the legs, backs and heads as they are just standing, unarmed, she said.

Sharif Zakout, also with the Arab Center, said the move of the embassy just happened to coincide with the Nakba, adding insult to injury that the U.S. would continue to support the occupation.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Across Montgomery Street, Faith Meltzer of El Cerrito stood with a group of Israel supporters. They organized informally and somewhat quickly, she said, spreading the word via social media.

This was a spontaneous grassroots assembly to stand up to the demonization of the people of Israel, she said. Im here to stand up for Israels right to exist.

As Financial District workers began to pour out of buildings, protesters flowed into the street, marching down Montgomery Street to Market Street. With the aid of a mobile amplification system, they boomed out an array of chants: Free, free Palestine, End the occupation and While youre shopping, bombs are dropping.

After drawing the attention of shoppers and commuters stuck waiting for them to pass, they headed to the Federal Building. There, a final few speakers urged them to continue the effort on Wednesday with a protest against former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, in town to promote a book.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
San Franciscos Board of Supervisors rejected two of Mayor Mark Farrells nominations to the Police Commission Tuesday, leaving the Police Departments policy-setting body without enough sitting members to hold a meeting.

The 6-5 vote rejecting the reappointment of Joe Marshall and Sonia Melara comes at a crucial juncture, one in which the commission is hammering out the Police Departments policies surrounding the use of Tasers and implementing the 272 reform recommendations handed down by the U.S. Department of Justice after a series of police shootings.

Supervisors Sandra Lee Fewer, Malia Cohen, Norman Yee, Aaron Peskin, Hillary Ronen and Jane Kim voted against Marshall and Melara, both of whom were appointed by former Mayor Ed Lee and approved by the boards Rules Committee.

With all due respect to Ms. Melara and Mr. Marshall, and with respect to the Rules Committee, I strongly feel that approval of mayoral appointments only three weeks before voters cast their votes for the next mayor of San Francisco is premature, Fewer said.

Without a quorum, the commission cannot oversee police disciplinary hearings or discipline officers in cases of police misconduct. The commission, which now has just three sitting members, would also be prohibited from leading the search for a replacement for Police Chief Bill Scott, who is reportedly a finalist in Los Angeles search for its next chief.

Marshall and Melara were seen by some as being too close to the San Francisco Police Officers Association, the police union. Neither signed onto a ballot argument opposing Proposition H, a measure on the June ballot that would give the union authority to set policy over the use of Tasers, neutering the commissions authority. Farrell is a longtime union ally.

Im embarrassed for the Board of Supervisors, Farrell said. These nominees included Joe Marshall, an African American leader and longtime anti-violence pioneer in San Francisco, and Sonia Melara, a Latino woman and an advocate of police reform. Both are incredibly well-regarded in the community, and politicizing their appointments is outrageous.

There are also two vacant seats on the commission that the Board of Supervisors must fill. Chelsea Boilard, a legislative aide to Fewer, said the board intends to fill those seats by June, giving the commission enough members for a quorum.

Julius Turman, who was found dead on Sunday, stepped down from the commission on May 4, saying he was burnt out. Bill Hing did not seek reappointment when his term ended on April 30.

In other business:

The board unanimously passed legislation ushering in campaign finance reforms aimed at providing more transparency in political contributions.

The ordinance, which was sponsored by Peskin, will help voters follow the business entities that donate more than $10,000 in a single election cycle by requiring them to disclose their principal officers, who can conceal themselves behind obscurely named ventures.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Among other provisions, the measure requires the disclosure of any political payments over $5,000 to ballot measures and independent expenditure committees made at the request of an elected official.

The board also unanimously approved a measure by Ronen establishing a policy for defining and establishing cultural districts.

The districts reflect unique heritages because of their concentration of cultural and historic assets and businesses, according to the legislation. Theyre also defined by specific geographical boundaries, areas where communities that have been marginalized sought refuge to establish themselves in the city, Ronen said.

San Francisco has five cultural districts, and two more are being considered.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa
Gen Elly Tumwine

In a little-noticed media interview, a senior minister, ruling party historical and top army general very recently denounced Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, essentially accusing her and others in government of looting public monies.

Security minister Gen Elly Tumwine rather sensationally told CBS radio last Friday that parliament is also in cahoots with unnamed persons who are now plotting to steal Nommo gallery under the guise of fighting impunity.

The bush war veterans unusually bare-knuckled reaction came as he scoffed at recent directives by Kadaga for him to pay Shs 1.6 billion in rent arrears, and to immediately vacate the premises.

That parliamentary recommendation is impossible because Nommo gallery is not for government, I repeat; Nommo gallery is for visual artists. President Milton Obote donated one of the houses that were part of State House at Nakasero and from then Nommo gallery is for artists, not government, Tumwine said.

Last week, Kadaga said the country can no longer be held at ransom by veterans of the 1981-86 bush war through which this government shot its way to power.

I think its a serious indictment of this House that we have been budgeting for Nommo gallery when it has been appropriated by one individual. If we dont stop this impunity, one day someone will come and take over parliament and say this is my house, I fought in the bush war, Kadaga said.

But on Friday, Tumwine told CBS that neither the speaker nor parliament is properly informed about the matter.

The speaker doesnt know what she is talking about; I will fight for the truth even if it means dying for it. Im not like Kadaga who just wants to talk. Im not leaving that gallery. If they built it, let them come and evict me. Parliament is not doing their work properly; they are part of a group that wants to steal the gallery; this I know though I have kept quiet, Tumwine said.

He said the report of parliaments committee on Gender, Labour and Social Development on which parliament based its resolution in 2013 to make a similar recommendation, never had his input and he has never been invited to explain himself.

When we came out of the bush, I brought back artists and what I did was to clear the compound and I brought in a director. Government has never put in a single shilling in renovating that place. They dont know what is taking place there; so, how do you then write to us that bring rent? How can we pay rent for our own house? Those people in government want to steal our gallery; thats what I can see, the minister said, not without some irony.

Tumwine reserved the harshest criticism for Kadaga.

What has the speaker done in five years? When you talk about corruption they dont want it, they sit in the chair and they say what they dont know. I have never stolen any single money from government. I liberated my country and the fruits of this is to use things in the right way, not to steal government money like they are doing. Im not scared of them at all, Tumwine said.

Parliament responds

Chris Obore, the director of communication and public affairs at parliament on Monday said Kadaga heads an institution that does oversight on government.

The speaker is a veteran lawyer who understands the position of law. Instead of disrespecting the speaker and parliament, to which he belongs; its advisable that Gen Tumwine seeks audience with the speaker to make his case. Gen Tumwine as a veteran leader has a duty to be a role model for others. Such role-modelling includes building our governance systems by respecting institutions. I trust that he will seek audience with the speaker rather than engage in media exchanges, Obore said.

Nommo gallery sits in the leafy and posh city outskirt of Nakasero along Victoria avenue. It came into being in 1964 under the 1959 Act of Parliament as a component of the Uganda National Cultural Centre to feature exhibitions of works of art.

According to the parliamentary committee on Gender, Labour and Social Development chaired by Alex Ndeezi [PWDs], Creations Limited, a company owned by Tumwine, has been occupying the gallery since 1998 without paying rent yet every year government budgets for its maintenance.

bakerbatte@observer.ug
The Central Subway contractor that installed 3.2 miles of supposedly substandard track on the new line claims it acted in full compliance with its contract, despite being told by the city four years ago that it was using the wrong steel and needed to switch it out, city records show.

Contractor Tutor Perini and its rail subcontractor, Con-Quest Contractors, claim that under the contract the high-strength rail is not required for any of the ... track work that is in dispute.

In order to change something in the contract you have to go through a formal process and that didnt happen, says San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spokesman Paul Rose.

Aside from the millions of dollars in potential costs to replace the track, the issue has threatened to delay the opening of the $1.6 billion Central Subway  now scheduled to open in December 2019  for at least an extra month.

On Monday, Maria Ayerdi, the former Transbay Joint Powers Authority boss now working for Tutor Perini on the subway project, sent San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskins office a letter looking for help in resolving the dispute.

The letter included a statement from locally operated Con-Quest pleading its case and saying the cost of having to replace 201 tons of installed rail will have an enormous impact on our company and that if the city succeeds in forcing our company out of business more than 60 employees will lose their jobs.

The dispute also raises disturbing questions about city oversight of the subway, which stretches from South of Market to Chinatown.

Con-Quest said its use of the standard strength rail was basically acknowledged by the city when it submitted its bills on Jan. 27, 2015  though city officials say thats bunk, and that its position never wavered on the requirement to use high-strength steel.

In fact, in a Nov. 11, 2014, review of the track contract prepared by SFMTA, the contractor was flat out told that the proposed rail does not conform to the current ... dimensions and properties required in the deal with the city, transportation agency documents show.

That same day, Con-Quest project manager Andy Baksheeff issued a report that appeared to acknowledge the problem and said the rails would pass muster once delivered.

The contractor reportedly raised doubts about the need for high-strength steel in one correspondence with the SFMTA in 2015, but city officials immediately pushed back, and they say they never heard another mention of the matter until an independent auditor flagged the problem two months ago.

The March 26 report from the auditor states flatly that the rails were standard strength and not the required high strength.

As for why the contractor apparently went ahead and installed the wrong steel even after being told repeatedly that it didnt comply with the contract?

At this point, we are not making any comments, but we have been having correspondences and exchanges with the city and Tutor that speak to all this, said Con-Quest project manager Baksheeff when reached by phone this week.

The final turn: Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom holds a 4-1 lead with Bay Area voters in the upcoming gubernatorial primary, according to a new 2018 Bay Area Council Poll, with 36 percent of those surveyed undecided.

Aric Crabb / Associated Press

The online poll of 1,000 voters in the nine Bay Area counties found Democrat Newsom commanding 31 percent of the vote. His closest rivals in the deep-blue region, believe it or not, are the two Republicans in the race  state Assemblyman Travis Allen and businessman John Cox  who each came in with 7 percent support.

Meanwhile, former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin came in at 5 percent, nearly neck-and-neck with two fellow Democrats, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Treasurer John Chiang, who both scored 4 percent. Last-minute Democratic entry Amanda Renteria got 2 percent.

The numbers pretty much jibe with recent statewide polls showing Newsom well ahead and the two Republicans battling for the second spot.

Among likely June voters, Newsoms support in the Bay Area Council Poll increases to 39 percent, with Allen and Cox each capturing 9 percent, Chiang 5 percent, and Eastin and Villaraigosa 4 percent. Renteria got less than 1 percent.

The poll was conducted between March 20 and April 3 by Oakland-based EMC Research.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The poll quizzed voters on economic growth, housing, transportation, drought and education  with an added question on the governors race.

Women and younger voters were the most undecided, with 43 percent of the women surveyed saying they dont know who they will be voting for, compared to 28 percent of the men.

Young women, in particular, are unsure about who they will support, with half of Bay Area women 18 to 49 still undecided.

Silicon Valley voters registered the lowest level of support for Newsom, with 22 percent there supporting the former San Francisco mayor, compared to 39 percent support for him in San Francisco and 40 percent in the North Bay, where he now lives.

The only other candidate to break double-digit support in any of the nine Bay Area counties was Allen, who is from Huntington Beach. He clocked in with 12 percent support among Contra Costa County voters.

Under Californias open primary rules, the two candidates with the most votes face off in the November general election regardless of their party affiliation.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@ sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
The Fairfield man accused of torturing his children had a history of domestic violence and a knack for isolating his family from relatives and neighbors, court records and interviews show.

Jonathan Allen, 29, was known to his neighbors as an enigmatic loner, but police records paint a picture of a man who has routinely threatened the lives of his wife and children. He was arrested Friday and booked into Solano County Jail on seven counts of torture and nine counts of child abuse or endangerment.

Allen and his wife, Ina Rogers, are accused of forcing their 10 children to live in squalor while subjecting them to sadistic abuse and torture over the past several years, authorities said.

Records obtained by The Chronicle show that Allens alleged pattern of abuse dates to late 2011.

On Nov. 9, 2011, Ina Rogers called police and said she had spent the night away from home. Allen was apparently angry and threatened to rip her head off when she got home, according to police. He reportedly threatened to kill her five children, including two from a previous relationship.

Rogers told police that their relationship had been plagued by domestic violence for the past three years, and while talking with an officer she removed her sunglasses to reveal a black eye. She also had a fading bruise on her calf and told police both came from an incident on Oct. 31.

That day Allen reportedly took her to work and started beating her in the face and kicking her. Then he took a .22 caliber gun, forced it into her mouth and threatened to shoot, police said, and placing it against her head and forcing her to beg for her life. She told police he had been to jail for previous domestic violence incidents with previous girlfriends.

Allen was charged with corporal injury to a spouse, cohabitant or childs parent, assault with a firearm, and two counts of criminal threats. All felony allegations were against a victim identified as I.R. in court records, and Allen was later ordered to have no uninvited contact with Rogers.

The charges stem from two incidents in Vallejo that occurred on Oct. 31, 2011, and Nov. 9 of that year. Solano County prosecutors accused Allen of using a .22 caliber revolver to assault and threaten the victim during the Halloween incident.

The alleged crime, court records state, was so unequivocal, unconditional, immediate and specific as to convey to I.R. a gravity of purpose and an immediate prospect of execution.

Allen pleaded no contest to the charge of corporal injury, and prosecutors agreed to dismiss the remaining charges. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years of probation, which ended in January 2015.

His mother, Peggy Allen, told The Chronicle that she was blindsided by the recent torture allegations. She described her son as an introvert who kept his extended family at bay.

If we knew that my grandchildren were abused, we would say something, Peggy Allen said. Im trying to find the facts, just like you are.

Peggy Allen said its been four years since she last saw her 10 grandchildren, who were removed from their home on Fieldstone Court in Fairfield on March 31. Their mother, Rogers, called Fairfield Police that evening to report that her 12-year-old son was missing.

The boy was found later that night, sleeping under a bush in a nearby yard, and when police brought him back to the home they reportedly found floors piled with trash, spoiled food, and human and animal feces. Rogers was arrested and booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of child neglect. She was released April 9 after posting $10,000 bail, according to court records.

On Tuesday, the Solano County District Attorney amended the criminal complaint against Rogers, adding nine counts of felony child abuse. She is due back in court Wednesday morning.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The children were taken to live with relatives the day investigators discovered the squalid living conditions. In follow-up interviews with investigators, the children described extreme abuse that left them with puncture wounds, burns and injuries consistent with being shot with a pellet gun or BB gun, authorities said.

I love my son and my grandchildren very much, and were going to get through this, Peggy Allen said, adding that her son is a very private person.

The story of torture and abuse has drawn national attention to the parents, who had apparently lived as shut-ins, largely isolating themselves from their neighbors.

Records show two calls to police from the Fieldstone Court home last fall.

On Oct. 12, Rogers reported her Chevrolet SUV missing, which turned out to be unfounded, police said. On Nov. 16, someone called from the home to report a suspicious person.

Despite the repeated interactions with law enforcement, other residents of the quiet cul-de-sac said they knew little about the family and had no idea so many children were living in the rundown home.

Rachel Swan and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com, mcassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan, @meganrcassidy
David, a 76-year-old Vietnam veteran, found himself in San Francisco County Jail in mid-January after a fight with his abusive partner. He had no idea how to get a lawyer, how to get his HIV medication or when hed even get out.

I had never been to jail and the experience is not too pleasant, said David, who asked that his last name be withheld due to privacy concerns. I think I was the oldest one in there, and orange is not my color.

But thanks to the Pretrial Release Unit, an 8-month-old program through the San Francisco Public Defenders Office, David was in contact with an attorney, received his meds and had an investigator working his case within hours of being booked.

As his defense attorney looked into his case, the facts of what happened between David and his former partner became apparent  and, in a twist, prosecutors dropped all the charges and later filed embezzlement and elder abuse charges against the other man.

The Public Defenders Office is now asking the Board of Supervisors for $440,500 to fund its Pretrial Release Unit for the next fiscal year, and officials are pointing to the programs results in cases like Davids as the city struggles to reduce its jail population.

From the time the unit began seeing defendants, on Oct. 2, 2017, to the end of February, the program saved approximately 4,689 jail bed days  an average of 940 jail bed days a month, which would translate to 11,253 a year, according to a new study of the unit by UC Berkeleys Goldman School of Public Policy.

Researchers found that defendants visited by one of the units two attorneys and an investigator were released at arraignment 28 percent of the time on average before trial. People who didnt have representation got released just 14 percent of the time, according to the study.

The unit also increased equity in the justice system and helped some defendants keep their jobs and maintain stable housing by getting released sooner, researchers said.

I feel that the fact that were now providing public defenders in the jails when a person is booked is probably the single most innovative and important thing weve been able to do since Ive been here, Public Defender Jeff Adachi said. To be able to meet and represent our clients and start investigating their cases is the way our system should work.

The program, though, has drawn scrutiny from some domestic violence and victims rights advocates, who are concerned about the units investigators contacting victims.

They do attempt to contact victims, said Beverly Upton, executive director of San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium. Its always concerning, but I think over time the best thing weve come up with as a community is to make sure victims have their own advocates.

Upton acknowledged that some cases can be complicated, and a situation like Davids underscores how victims can be arrested before police know what really happened.

Adachi defended his units investigations, saying that contacting a complaining witness is important in any case in order to untangle what happened.

The presumption of innocence doesnt go away simply because its a case of a more sensitive nature, he said.

The new research on the Pretrial Release Unit comes as San Francisco works to reduce the number of occupied jail bed days by more than 83,000 a year. The Board of Supervisors in 2015 rejected a proposal to build a new jail and replace the seismically unsound facilities at the Hall of Justice.

The unit is one of several new approaches and policies causing sweeping changes across San Franciscos criminal justice system and increasing the number of people being released from jail before trial.

In the first three months of 2018, the San Francisco Sheriffs Department released 791 inmates facing felony charges before their trials  a 56 percent increase over the same period from the prior year, according to jail statistics.

Many of those defendants were released as a result of a landmark January appeals court ruling in the case of Kenneth Humphrey, which forced judges to consider a defendants ability to pay when setting the bail amount. The decision prompted the release of hundreds of defendants on jail alternatives like ankle monitoring.

The UC Berkeley study looked only at cases through the end of February, so it didnt capture the full impact of the Humphrey decision on the Pretrial Release Unit. It remains unclear how many jailed defendants contacted by the public defender are now eligible for release under the new bail laws.

And while the public defenders new intitiative has had a measurable impact on the jail population, a more significant factor in reducing jail bed days has been the citys Pretrial Diversion Project  similar in name to the Public Defenders unit but vastly different in function.

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The city-funded nonprofit, which has contracted with the Sheriffs Department for 42 years, assesses whether defendants pose a public safety risk upon booking and determines if they should be cut loose before arraignment.

For the past two years, the program has used a public safety assessment tool developed by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, and case managers submit the results of an algorithm to a judge, who then decides whether to release a defendant, regardless of whether theyve seen an attorney. Eligible defendants are released from jail 61 percent of the time before arraignment, according to the Pretrial Diversion Project. Before the Arnold tool was used, defendants were released pre-arraignment just 24 percent of the time, according to Nancy Rubin, the projects top official.

The Pretrial Diversion Project is responsible for saving around 30,000 jail bed days per month, Rubin said, which is more than 30 times the number claimed by the Public Defenders Office.

The program must also supervise defendants once they go free, leaving workers inundated with new cases as releases increase. Rubin said shes asking the city for $1.78 million in new funding for the next fiscal year to hire 15 new employees to handle the extra caseloads.

Right now, the unit out of the Public Defenders Office visits about 25 percent of everyone booked in the jail, according to the city Controllers Office, and Adachi wants to eventually expand the program.

Despite the notable increases in people released from jail before trial via the Pretrial Release Unit, the Pretrial Diversion Project and the Humphrey decision, the average daily jail population hasnt changed much.

Jail bookings increased by nearly 5 percent  from 3,886 to 4,061  in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same period last year, records show. The average daily jail population during that same period dropped only 3 percent.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
A collegial gang of former KRON co-workers  Pam Moore, Emerald Yeh, Linda Yee, Susan Blake, Sandy Lee and Sue Kwon  got together and created Saturdays rollicking exKRONvicts reunion at the E&O Trading Company. The event was sold out, with nearly 175 alums attending. There is a reason for this, said Yee, welcoming guests with a few remarks. Were buying back KRON.

I was there because when this newspaper was owned by the same family as the TV station, several newspaper staffers had gigs on Bay-TV, the short-lived cable station that was under KRONs umbrella. It was fun not only being on TV but also seeing it behind the scenes, and it was the basis for several long-lasting friendships. But I recognized more people in the crowd from years of watching TV  Fred LaCosse, Terry Lowry, Suzanne Shaw, Karl Sonkin, Jan Wahl, Jim Paymar  than I did from my gig at the station.

On the way out, each guest was handed a copy of the 1987 book, Shannon: Whats It All Mean, 101 Commentaries by Wayne Shannon, with a foreword by Warren Hinckle. Those had been brought to the party by weatherman Mike Pechner. In the days when KRON was still the Bay Areas NBC affiliate, Shannon, some will remember, was a kind of Andy Rooney-like commentator whose newscast segments featured him sharing his wisdom.

Or not; Shannon was a matter of taste. Among the blurbs on the back of the book was one from the Examiners Bill Mandel: Channel 4 used to have several people who made my skin crawl. Now theyre down to just one. Bill Mann of the Oakland Tribune wrote that viewers were mistrustful of the anchorwomans chuckles at Wayne Shannons dreadful material.

Im just getting into the book, having stopped for a spell to study Hinckles introduction. Wayne Shannon is the genuine item. ... He is not, as Whistler said of mauve, pink trying to be purple.

The speeches were short, the hugs aplenty, and everyone seemed to be basking in the reliving of triumphs and mishaps  remember the anchor who had to be told that she should keep up with the news in addition to reading it?  and assuring each other that they looked younger now than they did when they were in KRON harness.

So even though my KRON cupcake fell face down on the carpet when I inadvertently carried its presentation box upside down, I loved the party, too. And never mind the pastry mishap; the book is icing on the cake.

Susie Buells fundraiser for London Breed last week featured Chelsea Handler. At one point, reports Mark Buell, the comedian and talk show host said shed love to have a house in San Francisco but housing is so expensive, she cant afford anything.

Breed said her roommate had just moved out and invited Handler to move in. This item is presented as an Only in San Francisco, a city where a mayoral candidate has a roommate.

Bumper sticker Margery Eriksson saw in the Berkeley hills: McKinley/Roosevelt 00. And having watched news clips of Donald Trump on Fox & Friends, Laura Jacoby has realized hes both evil and demented, a condition that Im naming Malzheimers.

Eileen Alexander, an avid birdwatcher, attended the Audubon Societys annual Mothers Day picnic in West Marin, where she was appalled to find an avian on the menu. Those who wouldnt eat chicken were served quiche.

 M.T.T., Carey Perloff and Tony Taccone have all announced theyll be leaving their longtime posts. And now, another ultra-recognizable face (and uniform) on the San Francisco scene: Tom Sweeney, doorman at the Sir Francis Drake for some 42 years, has announced plans to retire in 2020.

Gary Kell forwards a letter from his sister, who lives in Salt Lake City and was looking forward to a Hawaii vacation with her husband: First, well be spending five days at our hotel on the Big Island, where we understand we can toast marshmallows for smores in record time right off our lanai. We canceled our rental car, deciding to just go with the flow. We managed to find tropic gas masks to match our luau shirts. ... Our fishing trip now features fissures. ... 

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, 415-777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik

Public Eavesdropping

I consider myself a natural-born athlete.
A judge ordered a halt Tuesday to Californias right-to-die law for terminally ill patients, ruling that it was illegally taken up and passed during a special legislative session devoted to health care funding. Unless a higher court intervenes, the law, in effect since June 2016, will become unenforceable next week.

The law allows a dying adult patient to take lethal medication that a doctor has prescribed. Before that, two doctors must have determined that the patient would die within six months and was mentally competent to choose death.

State health officials reported that between June 2016 and the end of that year, 173 Californians were prescribed life-ending drugs by their doctors and 111 of them took the drugs. Similar laws are in effect in six other states and the District of Columbia.

A group of doctors represented by the Life Legal Defense Foundation challenged the California law, arguing that it lacked safeguards and could be exploited by greedy relatives. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia refused to block the measure from taking effect in 2016, citing its requirements for medical evaluation, but refused to dismiss the suit and expressed concern over how the law had been adopted.

On Tuesday, Ottolia agreed with opponents that the Legislature had lacked authority to consider and enact the bill during a special session that Gov. Jerry Brown called in 2015 to address emergency needs in the states health care system  specifically, funding shortages for Medi-Cal, disability care and in-home nursing care.

The judge had not yet issued a written ruling by deadline. But in comments during last years hearing quoted by opponents, Ottolia said the right-to-die law did not appear to be related to improving the health of Californians, Browns stated overall purpose for the session. Lawyers for both sides said Ottolia expressed similar views at Tuesdays hearing.

Bills considered in a special session require the same majority vote as in normal legislative sessions, but are generally reviewed more quickly and take effect sooner than standard legislation. However, the right-to-die bill, which Brown signed in October 2015, was drafted to take effect in June 2016.

A special-session measure does not receive the same degree of scrutiny and debate, Stephen Larson, a lawyer for opponents of the law, said Tuesday.

He noted that state lawmakers had defeated four right-to-die measures during regular sessions after state voters rejected an assisted-dying law in 1992. Opposition to the law has been led by some religious groups and advocates for the disabled.

The legislation gained new support in California from the plight of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old schoolteacher from Alamo who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2014. Facing a painful death, she moved to Oregon, where the nations first such law was passed two decades ago, and legally obtained a doctors prescription for the drug she used to end her life.

I made a promise to my wife Brittany that I would continue her fight to authorize medical aid in dying, her widower, Dan Diaz, said Tuesday in a statement released by Compassion & Choices, the nonprofit group that sponsored the California law. He said he would try to persuade Brown, the state attorney generals office and the courts to keep the law in effect.

There was no immediate comment from California Attorney General Xavier Becerras office, which has defended the law in court. But Assemblywoman Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, the author of the state law, said she has learned that Becerras office, with Browns support, would ask the Fourth District Court of Appeal for a stay of the ruling and a prompt review of the laws validity.

If this isnt Californians health care, I dont know what is, said Eggman, a former social worker at hospices, who disputes Ottolias conclusion that her bill should not have been considered during the special session. The judge is not the governor, she added, noting that Brown had decided the measure was related to health care when he signed it into law.

Asked for a comment, Browns office said Ottolias current assessment of the right-to-die laws relationship to public health was different from his analysis in 2016, when he let the law remain in effect.

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In his earlier ruling, Ottolia said: Even though improving the health of Californians might seem far removed from assisted suicide, it is sufficiently related to health care and the efficiency and efficacy of the health care system for the court to consider the act to be within the scope of the authorization for the (special) session.

Compassion & Choices also released a statement from Matt Fairchild, whom it described as a 48-year-old retired Army staff sergeant from Burbank who has been diagnosed with terminal melanoma that has spread to his bones, lungs and brain.

I pray the attorney general successfully appeals this decision, so hundreds of terminally ill Californians like me dont have to suffer needlessly at lifes end, he said.

Larson, the lawyer for the Life Legal Defense Foundation, applauded the courage demonstrated by the judge in finding the law unconstitutional. If the ruling stands, he said, lawmakers could reconsider the issue at a regular session and set tougher standards for doctors to diagnose terminal illnesses and determine that a patient is mentally competent.

We are hopeful that the state accepts this decision and that the matter is referred back to the Legislature for further consideration, Larson said.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @BobEgelko
American Airlines has an important announcement for would-be travelers: No more snakes are allowed on its planes.

No more goats, either. Frogs, ferrets, rodents, peacocks and rams are also banned. The airline wants 48-hour notice and a form signed by a mental health professional for all other emotional support animals.

Thank goodness.

The number of traveling support animals has soared in recent years, and so has the number of problems. Travelers have been bitten and attacked; the animals have defecated in the aisles. In January, Delta Airlines started demanding advance documentation for animals aboard, citing an 84 percent increase in reported incidents since 2016.

I understand that we live in an anxious, uncertain world, but thats no excuse for bringing your pet everywhere. For one thing, untrained animals in public spaces can create problems for actual service animals. For another thing, not everyone loves your pet  and everyone deserves to travel in peace.

Caille Millner, editorial writer
San Francisco sheriffs deputies found drugs in a bag of clothing being given to an in-custody burglary defendant on trial Monday at the Hall of Justice, officials said.

The San Francisco Sheriffs Department confirmed it found an undisclosed amount of drugs after inspecting the unnamed inmates clothing.

Two sources with knowledge of the matter said the defendant is 36-year-old Adrian Smith, whos on trial on two counts of felony second-degree commercial burglary.

No arrests have been made in the incident, which is under investigation, said Nancy Crowley, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Sheriffs Department.

Now Playing: Complete 2017 numbers for violent offenses and property crime in San Francisco. Video: Ted Andersen, SFGATE

In-custody defendants are allowed to wear civilian clothing as part of their constitutional right to a fair trial.

A family may bring the clothing to court and its then given to the defendant by his or her attorney. Deputies search the clothing before giving it to the defendant.

San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Landon Davis is representing Smith. Efforts to reach Davis were unsuccessful. A spokeswoman for the office did not have information about the incident.

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While uncommon, finding drugs in the clothing being given to defendants happens from time to time, the Sheriffs Department said.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
The Trump administration has exported its politics of provocation to the last place that needs it, the Middle East. The all too predictable immediate result has been carnage. The long-term consequences are likely to be worse.

Like President Trumps unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement last week, his relocation of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Monday stoked tensions and emboldened hard-liners on all sides. They include those who urged protesters to storm a border fence in Hamas-ruled Gaza, about 40 miles from the willfully oblivious celebration of the new embassy. Israeli soldiers responded with tear gas and gunfire, leaving at least 60 dead and 2,000 wounded.

The disputed status of Jerusalem, in light of its religious and political importance to Jews and Palestinians alike, has long been regarded as one of a few key controversies to be resolved by peace talks. Trumps recognition of the holy city as Israels capital would be a monumental concession to one side if anything had been gained or even asked in return. As effected, it was just a gift Trump bestowed on his evangelical political base, and by extension himself, at the expense of lives, American standing and prospects for peace.

Whether Trump takes the need for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations seriously might be guessed from his decision to entrust the job to his callow son-in-law, Jared Kushner, along with a laughable litany of other assignments for which he has no obvious qualifications. Back in March, the New York Times reported that a peace plan being devised by Kushner and David Friedman, a Trump bankruptcy lawyer turned ambassador to Israel, was nearly finished. Now the same can be said about the formerly U.S.-mediated peace process itself.

Trump at one time suggested that further talks were needed before he would declare Jerusalem Israels capital, a recognition long withheld by presidents from both parties, but the temptation to score easy political points while distracting from less favorable events ultimately proved too great. He announced the move in December, five days after the revelation that his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had pleaded guilty to lying to federal authorities.

That none of this springs from Trumps deeply felt devotion to the Jewish homeland was evident from the embassy openings honored guests. The ceremony began and ended with prayers by evangelical pastors who see Israel as a means of ushering in the apocalypse along with Jews eternal damnation. One, Robert Jeffress, has said that religions like Mormonism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism ... lead people away from the true God and to an eternity of separation from God in hell. The other, John Hagee, has discerned divine providence in Hitler and the Holocaust because God said my top priority for the Jewish people is to get them to come back to the land of Israel.

Kushner and others defending the president argued that recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital simply acknowledges the truth. But the truth is that ignoring the much more complicated reality of the city and Israel  as well as the need for two states, a Jewish and a Palestinian one  will only ensure that the conflict endures.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
Regarding Lobbyist becomes PG&Es nemesis (May 14): I was happy to see the paper cover such a complicated issue in an even-handed way. More than anything else, the valid arguments presented by both sides underlined one sobering fact: Theres no escaping paying for climate change. Whether it is homeowners who have to pay for damages out of pocket, or utility companies who need to be held liable, and in turn pass those costs on to ratepayers, we can no longer pretend that we can avoid paying the price for emitting greenhouse gases that warm the planet. California has already started to take positive steps to help curb carbon-dioxide emissions, but its becoming increasingly clear that the states actions alone are not enough.

We need our leaders in Washington to step up and start to work toward passing legislation that helps both grow the economy and cleans up our environment before all Americans start feeling the pain in their pocketbooks.

Jonathan Maltz, San Francisco

Angered with Israel

I write with sadness and anger as a Jewish American who watches the Israeli government, which falsely claims to speak for all Jews, kill unarmed Palestinian protesters in Gaza. The majority of Palestinians in Gaza are refugees who were forced from their homes when Israel was established. All they want is to be able to live in freedom and to return to the land their families were pushed out of. I would want the same for my family. Meanwhile, my government, the U.S. government, has moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, which is counter to international law and is a clear attempt by Israel and the U.S. to consolidate Israeli annexation of land.

I say to both governments: not in my name! Instead, the human rights and land rights of Palestinians must be acknowledged if there is to be a just and peaceful resolution.

Ellen Brotsky, Berkeley

Wrongheaded approach

Regarding The $5M Google Tax (Business, May 6): A plan emerging in Mountain View to tax jobs is a simplistic and wrongheaded approach that badly misses the target of the Bay Areas housing and transportation problems. While it might feel good for some to take a whack at big job creators, such taxes will only undermine our regions long-term economic health and competitiveness. It creates a piecemeal system of anti-jobs taxation that pushes problems to other cities and discourages the kind of investment, innovation and entrepreneurialism that have given us record low unemployment. Meanwhile, it will do almost nothing to solve the problems of housing and traffic that extend far beyond any one citys immediate borders.

And it will put us at an extreme disadvantage in weathering future, inevitable economic downturns. More constructive in solving our regions big problems than punishing our job creators is addressing the systemic obstacles and resistance to new housing that existed long before companies like Google and Facebook rose to prominence. And breaking down the parochial barriers to creating and funding a truly connected transportation system that can provide the mobility our region needs.

Jim Wunderman, CEO of the Bay Area Council, Pleasant Hill

Solars added value

Thank you for Sunny side of new housing (Editorial, May 15) concerning Californias new solar mandate. It is true that new housing in our energy efficient state would help to reduce national carbon emissions  as would a carbon price that returned all fees collected to individual households. Such a system would incentivize the construction of efficient housing and solar installations without onerous regulations and do so while providing individuals with the economic support necessary to transition to a clean energy economy.

Andrew Beahrs, Berkeley

Trump memorabilia

Regarding Purchase a piece of rock n roll heaven (Daily Briefing, Business, May 15): When I saw the business news item, which mentions that the guitars and other memorabilia of rock icons like Prince, Bob Dylan and George Harrison are being sold at auction, I thought: What if things like the pen used by President Trump to sign tax cut legislation that benefits the rich, prototypes for the border wall Trump promised Mexico would pay for, and the keyboard on which Trump types toxic tweets were put up for sale? The title of this prospective news item might be Purchase a piece of political hell.

Ferdi Bagdalian, Daly City
The executive director of the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U) James Saaka has come under the spotlight before the Land Probe Commission over the Shs 402 million he received from the Land Fund.

Saaka received the money in 2015 as partial payment of the Shs 928 million for plot 1, block 141 in Buterere-Bugangayizi in Kibaale district measuring about 640 acres.

James Saaka the executive director of NITA-U He appeared before the Commission chaired by Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, which has been investigating the processes in the Land Fund since last week. The Land Fund is a multi-purpose resource envelope meant to serve targeted beneficiaries, including tenants seeking to buy or own land.



Its also meant to finance the purchase of land by government for redistribution to bonafide occupants or resettlement of the landless people among others. Saaka is among a group of individuals, majority being government officials, who have benefited from the Land Fund.



Asked by the Commission's lead counsel, Ebert Byenkya whether he owned the property in question, Saaka said the land belonged to his late father, Edward Batimbo Ssebuko who passed it to his children including him, the late Benedict Kitanwa, Annet Natuma, Peter Ssebuko and the late Ronald Mark. He appeared before the Commission chaired by Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, which has been investigating the processes in the Land Fund since last week. The Land Fund is a multi-purpose resource envelope meant to serve targeted beneficiaries, including tenants seeking to buy or own land.Its also meant to finance the purchase of land by government for redistribution to bonafide occupants or resettlement of the landless people among others. Saaka is among a group of individuals, majority being government officials, who have benefited from the Land Fund.Asked by the Commission's lead counsel, Ebert Byenkya whether he owned the property in question, Saaka said the land belonged to his late father, Edward Batimbo Ssebuko who passed it to his children including him, the late Benedict Kitanwa, Annet Natuma, Peter Ssebuko and the late Ronald Mark.

Byenkya asked Saaka to explain how his father acquired the land. Saaka said his father acquired the land in 1963 to which Byenkya wondered whether theirs was one of the traditional families in Bunyoro kingdom.

"When I look at Bugangayizi, I see it as one of the lost counties that were returned to Bunyoro [kingdom] in a referendum. Isnt that so?So typically Im expecting to see a traditional family that was granted mailo [land] in 1900 and maybe after the return of the lost counties. So, I would expect to see a title that reflects that history. But when I look at your title, it seems to start with your father" said Byenkya.



"My lord, I wouldn't know how my father acquired this property, I was one-year-old in 1963", said Saaka.



Saaka explained that the family decided to sell the land to government after they failed to gain access to it. Byenkya wondered why there is no evidence of generic reference to people living on the land in question.

"Im curious from 1979 to date coz I have been looking at some of the documents and people are referred to as squatters, people are referred to as tenants, but I dont see any names and this seems to be typical even when you look at valuations.

People are generically referred to. I never see a list of people or homesteads for example counted and identified. I never see any form of identification of who these people are. So am wondering whether you yourself knew them?" Byenkya asked Saaka.

"I think the environment in that area, being an absent landlord it was difficult to bring them together and say identify yourself other than trying to engage them. I knew them [tenants] by face, when I went there I knew some of them, others you would only see cows." Saaka said.

However, Byenkya said the fact that Saaka knew some of them by face, indicates that he was after all not an absent landlord as he claims. He asked him then why he did not take the next step of registering his tenants.

"It would suggest to me that youre not an absent landlord. If you could go there, you could talk to them, you knew their faces. Why would you not be able to take the next step and record who these people were?" asked Byenkya.

"As I was in that process, thats when the late Wilson Mulondo advised me and said; 'I think theres a Land Fund which could compensate you for that land since you have difficult in utilising it and I took his advice." answered Saaka.



According to the report of the chief government valuer, 70 per cent of Saaka's land valued at Shs 448 million is encumbered while the remaining 30 per cent valued at Shs 480 is unencumbered.



The report further indicates that the 30% of the land which was free of occupants has 3 hills and a river making it unusable, a claim Saaka confirmed.

Saaka said that he could not answer for the valuer since he does not know the method that was used. Commissioner Mary Oduka Ochan asked Saaka why he had to sell part of the land that could not be used to government.



"Am talking of you, Mr Saaka, morally speaking, as an upright Ugandan who knows that this land is really not good for anything, you cant do anything much, why did you think you should sell it to government?" asked Ochan.

"To begin with, it doesnt really qualify for the Land Fund because it was unencumbered. But even if it did, if its not usable and you couldnt use it or anybody else couldnt use it, why do you sell it to government to pay much higher than they were paying for land which would have been more useful had those occupants not been there?", she further asked.

"Is that morally fair, I would expect that you would be a person of integrity. When you talk of government money, that is taxpayers' money and this is money which the minister of Lands plus the people of the Land Commission have all come here and said they wish there was more money put into the Land Fund. But were seeing as if the Land Fund actually has adequate money. The money has been going to wrong places, it has been going to things for which the Land Fund was never established like for example this. Youre saying youre still owed money but I dont think youre owed much money, really!"



Saaka said that if he knew from the start that part of his land didn't qualify for compensation from the Land Fund, he would have rejected the valuation. He was then asked if he would accept to be given back his land title and compensation only be given for the land that was encumbered. Saaka said that was not what his agreement with government was saying.



Justice Catherine Bamugemereire also queried why the unusable land was valued highly. She said that the chief government valuer will be summoned to explain the irregularity. Bamugemereire wondered what Uganda Land Commission could be doing with this kind of land that cannot be used.



The Commission's mandate is to probe efficiency of the laws, policies and processes of land registration, acquisition, administration and management. It is also tasked with scrutinizing the work of relevant bodies in the reservation of wetlands, forests, road reserves, and national parks, among other gazetted spaces.



The probe is mandated to investigate and inquire into the role of the Uganda Land Commission (ULC) in administering public land and the Land Fund.



The commissioners are Frederick Ruhindi, Mary Oduka Ochan, Robert Ssebunnya, Joyce Gunde Habaasa, Dr. Rose Nakayi and George Bagonza.
Its one thing to read about environmental justice. Its another thing to see it play out before our very eyes. Case in point: the unfolding saga of the Hunters Point Shipyard cleanup, which could be one of the worst environmental injustices in California history.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors began hearings this week to address this injustice, but discussion derailed almost immediately. As the board presses on, we remind the supervisors that the people of Bayview-Hunters Point deserve nothing less than:

1) Full criminal and civil accountability for the pollution control company executives who oversaw the botched cleanup.

2) Retesting of all parcels  including Parcel A, where 300 new homes are already built and occupied and 150 others are under construction  to assure residents they are not exposed to harmful radiation.

3) Clawing back pollution controller Tetra Techs profits and completely removing the company from this project and the Treasure Island cleanup project.

4) Reconstituting the citizens advisory board to oversee the shipyard cleanup.

5) Developing a robust environmental justice policy for San Francisco to ensure that communities of color are never targeted like this again.

First, lets go over how we got here. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. The concept first emerged in the 1980s but has gained traction in California over the past decade.

In 2005, then-San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris started a (now-defunct) environmental justice unit that focused on hazardous-waste disposal and workplace safety. Other jurisdictions followed suit, and in 2012, the state attorney generals office issued a memo stating that industrial projects should take account of the disproportionate impacts the project may have on low-income, minority communities.

Throughout the state, weve seen citizens mobilize to derail fracking projects near tribal lands, stop oil companies from trucking their noxious products through Latino neighborhoods along the Central Coast, and to shut down refineries in African American communities in Los Angeles.

These projects shared common traits:

An out-of-town corporation with few ties to the community targeted a low-income, minority community perceived as voiceless in the political process.

The corporation took steps to further silence dissidents and residents by eliminating avenues for public oversight and community participation.

Critical information about the proposed projects was deliberately withheld or falsified to hide the true public health risks and environmental cost to the community.

These concerns are now playing out right in our backyard with the Hunters Point Shipyard cleanup, a project the San Francisco Human Rights Commission red-flagged as early as 2003.

But the injustice at the Hunters Point shipyard began generations ago. Because of racial segregation and evictions from other parts of San Francisco, many African Americans made Bayview-Hunters Point their home in the years following World War II. The area still boasts the citys largest African American population, and sadly, the highest percentage of people living below the federal poverty line.

The community has also been a location for industrial activity. From 1946 to 1969, the U.S. Navy used the Hunters Point shipyard to decontaminate ships and military equipment exposed to atomic bomb testing and to study the effects of radiation on animals and materials. The byproducts of these activities seeped into the soil, causing the EPA to declare the shipyard a Superfund site, that is, as land contaminated by wastes that pose a risk to human health or the environment and eligible for federal funding to clean it up.

Since 1994, the Navy has been preparing the site for a large mixed-use residential and commercial development with parks and open space. The project will bring 12,000 much-needed homes to San Francisco and reinvigorate an economically challenged neighborhood.

But things have not gone according to plan.

We now know that the workers for the engineering firm hired to oversee the cleanup, Tetra Tech, falsified data to hide the true toxicity of soil samples from the shipyard. A 2017 analysis by the Navy found that nearly half of the soil samples produced by Tetra Tech were deliberately falsified or manipulated. An EPA report revealed further fraud, calling into question 97 percent of the cleanup data. Tetra Tech pins the blame on rogue employees.

Two Tetra Tech employees already have pleaded guilty to fraud and been sentenced to federal prison. A $27 billion lawsuit was filed against the company recently for blatant, conscious, callous disregard of Bayview-Hunters Point residents lives, born and unborn, for the next five generations. So far, Tetra Tech has taken home more than $350 million for the cleanup.

It hardly seems a coincidence that this fraud took place in San Franciscos poorest neighborhood. Or that it occurred in the years after the Navy abolished the federally required community oversight board that had raised early concerns about the cleanup. Can you imagine regulators eliminating a citizens advisory group for a major project in, say, the Marina or North Beach because the group raised concerns about environmental contamination and public health? We cant either.

Nelson Mandela captured the essence of environmental justice when he said the true test of a nation is not how we treat the powerful, but how we treat the least among us. So far, were failing that test.

Leif Dautch is president of the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Commission. Theo Ellington, a Bayview native and Parcel A resident, is a member of the Human Rights Commission. The views expressed here are their own.
The lieutenant governors position is so disrespected in California that its current occupant famously said California should get rid of the position if it wasnt made more effective.

That isnt happening. In fact, just the opposite is unfolding. The job mocked as Lite Gov in Sacramento has become downright politically sexy.

Two former ambassadors are running for the seat, as are a veteran state senator, a former Richmond mayor, a San Jose State University professor and a wealthy Los Angeles businessman  who has spent $2 million of his own money on the race and won the state Republican Party endorsement, even though he hasnt attended a single candidates forum.

The lure of being one really long step from leading the worlds fifth-largest economy has inspired the June 5 primary candidates to collectively raise more than $10 million, and counting  far more than the $7.6 million that candidates raised for the entire election cycle the last time the seat was open in 2010, according to the nonpartisan National Institute on Money in State Politics.

That was the year Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom was elected to the first of his two terms. Two years later, he told The Chronicle that his job as currently structured should be dissolved and that the governor and lieutenant governor should run the state as a team. Newsom, who now wants to be governor, has been quiet about that idea lately.

His would-be successors are spending all that money on an office that has an annual budget of $1.5 million, a staff of seven and little cachet. Other than checking in daily on the governors health, the lieutenant governor serves on the University of California Board of Regents, the California State University Board of Trustees, the State Lands Commission and the state Commission for Economic Development. He or she can also break ties in the state Senate as its president.

The top two finishers in the primary will advance to the November general election.

Millions of dollars are flowing into the race from outside groups, the largest of which is led by the California Medical Association. It is primarily funded by more than $4 million from Angelo Tsakopoulos, a Sacramento housing developer who is the father of Democratic candidate and former U.S. ambassador to Hungary Eleni Kounalakis.

Russell Yip / The Chronicle

With all these checks being cut, it isnt surprising that money  specifically, who is funding whom  has become a focus of the race, particularly since the top three Democrats and one independent candidate agree broadly on most policy questions.

Most dads might think about buying their daughter a pony. In this case, a dad wants to buy his daughter an executive seat, said Gayle McLaughlin, the former Green Party mayor of Richmond who is running as a nonpartisan candidate and is not accepting corporate contributions.

Brant Ward/The Chronicle

McLaughlin is focusing on removing the influence of corporations in politics, saying, As long as corporations have control of elected officials, nothing will change.

She advocates tuition-free public universities and would pay for it by instituting a tax on millionaire residents and creating an oil severance tax on petroleum extracted in California.

Kounalakis shot back that it really bothers me that Gayle would make this analogy, referring to the pony line. Im a 52-year-old woman. Another woman should not try to paint their competitors as little girls. Its not right.

The San Francisco resident pointed out that her father immigrated to the U.S. as a young man from Greece to work as a farmworker. He built a development empire and became a politically influential donor in California long before his daughter ran for office.

Hes so proud of me, said Kounalakis, who also has donated $2.5 million of her own money to her campaign. He wants me to win so I can help other families to walk the pathway of the American dream the same way.

Kounalakis promised never to vote to raise tuition for University of California or California State University students. She also said she would turn the State Lands Commission into a weapon for opponents of President Trump, particularly when it comes to the administrations proposals to loosen restrictions on coastal oil drilling. This isnt a sleepy little commission anymore with Donald Trump in the White House, Kounalakis said.

Democratic candidate Jeff Bleich, a Piedmont attorney whom President Barack Obama appointed to be ambassador to Australia, said Kounalakis campaign is making it hard for Democrats to have the moral authority to fight the influence of this kind of money in politics. We have to elect candidates who arent funded this way.

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

Bleich proposes giving state university students a debt-free education in exchange for performing public service in California after they graduate.

Other candidates pointed out that Bleich has received more than $300,000 of his $2 million in campaign cash from other attorneys. Rival candidate state Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina (Los Angeles County), said, What does that mean he will do for attorneys should he get elected?

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

Bleich countered that Hernandez has been one of the Legislatures largest recipients of money from pharmaceutical companies since 2011. At the very least, Bleich said, people would wonder about the motivations for his positions.

I dont have the luxury of self-funding my own campaign, responded Hernandez, a practicing optometrist who has raised $2.8 million. He noted that he was a co-author of a law last year that requires drug companies to disclose how they price their products.

If elected, Hernandez said, I would engage in health care like no lieutenant governor ever has  focusing particularly on the 3 million Californians who lack coverage.

One of the few Republican in the race is Cole Harris,who parachuted in just before the March filing deadline. The Los Angeles import-export businessman hasnt shown up at a candidates forum or filed a statement for the state voters guide, but he is spending about $250,000 a week on TV ads, saying, Ive got to build name ID here.

Handout/Courtesy Cole Harris

You tell me how Im supposed to do this. I didnt have the luxury of announcing two years ago, Harris said. He added that he could put in another $10 (million) if I wanted to.

Harris said he would focus on economic development and tap into the private sector for advice. Not to drag on anybody here, but the best and the brightest dont usually go into government, he said.

Lydia Ortega, a Republican and professor of economics at San Jose State University, touts that she is not a politician. She wants to lower taxes and improve the states university system.

Steve Yeater / Associated Press

Ortega is the only candidate whom no one is targeting for her spending. Thats because she had $25,059 cash on hand as of April 21  about as much as the California Medical Association-led outside group spent this month on billboards supporting Kounalakis.
The near-future America in HBOs Fahrenheit 451 is illuminated by fire and emoji.

Sunlight seems to be a distant memory, and so is the resistance. The masses cheer  and send happy faces floating up video screens on the sides of skyscrapers  as the last few citizens who cherish independent thought are rounded up and their books are torched by flamethrowers.

The adaptation uses the framework of Ray Bradburys 1953 book about government suppression of free thought; his novel was influenced by Nazi book burnings and censorship in the McCarthy era. Writer-director Ramin Bahrani adds modern touches to the tight 100-minute drama, including operating systems that spy for the government, social media mob mentality, and anti-intellectualism as a government institution.

But each change seems to pull the narrative further from Bradburys cautionary satire, and toward a more blunt and clumsy criticism of the #FakeNews era. Fahrenheit 451 rarely feels imminent, even as it aims for a modern truth.

Thankfully, the movie is always watchable. Its leaner than Francois Truffauts 1966 film version with Julie Christie, and even less faithful to the source material. And yet pains are taken to honor the spirit of both the novel and Truffauts adaptation, even as plot accommodations are made for 21st century technology. The casting of Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther) and Michael Shannon (Shape of Water)  two actors who have risen to new heights in the past six months  adds to the movie-of-the-moment feel.

Jordan is Guy Montag, a rising star fireman who acts as judge, jury and human torch, finding citizens who are hiding forbidden literature, and making them examples on the Nine, a new government-run internet that seems to operate on old Facebook code. Hes mentored by Captain Beatty (Shannon), a ruthlessly violent local leader on the rise.

The discovery of a massive paper library, and an act of martyrdom by a book-protecting eel, sparks sympathetic memories. Montag is further challenged by a resistance informant (Sofia Boutella) dealing with her own internal struggle.

Jordan uses his established talent for portraying men of intelligence struggling with more rage-filled instincts, which were conquered in Creed and caused his characters rise and fall in Black Panther. An early scene in a classroom, with sponge-like students gleefully soaking in misinformation, is particularly stirring. As children recite government lies in a classroom (Why do we burn? For happiness!), Montag seems awakened a little more by each word.

While Jordan plays with subtleties, Shannon gets another satisfying super-villain turn. The limitless possibilities of cruelty are visible in his eyes, as he speaks untruths with unshakable confidence, delivering each line as if its a dramatic reading of one of President Trumps tweets.

Thousands of words? Beatty shouts at an old man watching a video about investigative journalism, which is outlawed in the movies world. In your pathetic time, were people happy? There were so many millions of opinions that our country slid into the second civil war!

After a while, though, the new ideas dry out, and even Shannons terrifying rants (Do you know whats inside these books? Insanity!) border on camp. As the narrative strays further from Bradburys book, with a romance and a possible digital cure-all from the resistance called OMNIS, the movie begins to fall apart. The ideas and eerie discussions that proliferated early in Fahrenheit 451 are minimized, and most of the second half of the movie is spent checking boxes in a standard race against time, with everything at stake, and no doubt where the story is leading.

Its a surprise coming from Bahrani, whose feature films Chop Shop and 99 Homes were anything but procedural. The filmmaker has no problem writing electric dialogue in the new Fahrenheit, and the visuals are filled with understated detail, with the firemen living in plush homes turned cold by weak fluorescent lighting, and the ghettos of the book-loving eels warmed as if by candlelight.

And yet Bahrani never grasps a convincing dystopian future. The broader look of the world is an afterthought, seemingly cribbed from other projects. Views of the city at night, with huge billboards and spewing plumes of fire, could be a Blade Runner test reel.

Production designer Mark Digby (Ex Machina, Slumdog Millionaire) and his crew have much better luck in the movies close-ups. A Blockbuster Video tape with a Be Kind, Please Rewind sticker passes the screen for a moment, now a valuable piece of contraband. Theres a temptation to press pause every time a written page appears on the screen, to see the book title and which passage was chosen.

Fahrenheit 451 has its highs and lows. But you will walk away wanting to read a physical book, and maybe embrace it for a few moments beforehand.

Peter Hartlaub is The San Francisco Chronicles pop culture critic. Email: phartlaub@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @PeterHartlaub

Fahrenheit 451: Sci-fi drama. Starring Michael B. Jordan, Michael Shannon and Sofia Boutella. Directed by Ramin Bahrani. Premieres 9 p.m. Saturday, May 19, on HBO.
A distinctive peak near Lake Tahoe may not keep its controversial name much longer.

Alpine County supervisors have recommended that Jeff Davis Peak be renamed "Da-ek Dow Go-et," a name proposed by the Hung-A-Lel-Ti Woodfords Washoe tribe. "Da-ek Dow Go-et" means "saddle between points."

The proposed name change was made to the U.S. Board on Geographical Names, which has final say in the matter.

Jeff Davis Peak is a volcanic plug that rises from a treeless ridge in the Mokelumne Wilderness. Its shape is reminiscent of the the sandstone towers of Monument Valley in Arizona.

Rock climbers sometimes test their skills on its slopes, but the crag's remote location keeps many away.

Supposedly settlers of nearby Summit City, a mining boom town that has long since disappeared, were Confederate sympathizers who named the peak after Jefferson Davis, the slave-owning leader of the South.

MORE: The ugly pasts of famous men whose names grace SF landmarks

A national backlash against Confederate monuments erected during the Jim Crow era has been building since the Charleston church shooting in 2015. The eruption of violence at a white supremacy march last year in Charlottesville, Va., added fuel to the fire.

Anthony Oertel, a San Rafael insurance salesman and history buff, was the first to suggest a name change for Jeff Davis Peak. He recommended "Fred Bee Peak," after Frederick Bee, a leading 19th-century Northern California businessman and pioneer who strung the first telegraph wires over the Sierra Nevada.

However, Alpine County supervisors declined to endorse his nomination of Bee, instead soliciting the Hung-A-Lel-Ti Woodfords Washoe Community Council's input. According to a letter sent by council chairman Irvin Jim Jr., a tribal elder named Dinah Pete provided the name "Da-ek Dow Go-et."

The U.S. Board on Geographical Names could still reject the name change if it deems it unjustified or discovers objections. But the support of the county commissioners for a name proposed by a local Native American tribe makes it more likely to be approved.

Alpine County also recommended the board change the name of another geographical landmark in the area  Squaw Ridge, near the Kirkwood Ski Resort. The supervisors endorsed the name "Hung-A-Lel-Ti Ridge," honoring the Washoe tribal band of the same name.

MORE: Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows gondola connection by 2019?

The word "squaw" is often considered an ethnic and sexual slur, although it may have derived from a non-derogatory Algonquin word meaning the totality of being female.

The most famous "squaw" landmark to be renamed was Squaw Peak, a popular hiking spot within the Phoenix city limits. It was changed to Piestewa Peak, honoring Lori Piestewa, a Hopi/Hispanic soldier from Arizona killed in Iraq in 2003.

Oertel has also petitioned the Board on Geographical Names to change the name of another Jeff Davis Peak  a 12,771-foot mountain in eastern Nevada's Great Basin National Park. His proposal to name it after Robert Smalls, an escaped South Carolina slave who captured a Rebel transport ship, was turned down.
The mother of 10 who, along with her husband, is accused of abusing her children in their suburban Fairfield home said she wanted to give her kids a homeschool education to save them from bad teachers and bullies in public schools.

But the state Department of Education has no record that Ina Rogers, 30, ever registered her three most recent home addresses as a private school, or that she filed the annual state-required affidavits saying how many students she enrolled to be homeschooled.

Nor is there any record that her children ever attended public schools in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, which encompasses the neighborhood of Rogers home.

The case has raised questions about whether state officials should do more to monitor homeschools to ensure that children dont disappear.

It breaks our hearts to see kids in this situation, and not to have known they were there, said Tim Goree, executive director of administrative services and community engagement for the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District.

Rogers faces nine counts of felony child abuse and endangerment and a misdemeanor charge. Her husband, Jonathan Allen, 29, was charged Friday with seven counts of felony torture and nine counts of child abuse and endangerment.

Authorities called the abuse sadistic, and prosecutors detailed squalid living conditions in the Fairfield home that included floors covered in garbage, spoiled food and animal and human feces.

A new court filing released Wednesday provides a grim glimpse into the childrens lives. Police found them on March 31, after one of Rogers children went missing briefly. The other nine children  ages 6 months to 11 years old  were huddled on the living room floor, and appeared frightened and skittish, the filing requesting higher bail said.

In interviews, the children described being punched, bitten, shot with crossbows, hit with sticks and bats, strangled and waterboarded, the filing said. They had been scarred from the violent encounters, burned by scalding water and left with broken arms.

The investigation also found that Rogers knew about these incidents, failed to protect the children and sometimes participated in the abuse herself, according to the bail motion.

The details that emerged this week marked Californias second high-profile instance this year of a family cloistering children at home and allegedly subjecting them to extreme cruelty.

In January, a couple in Riverside County was accused of starving their 13 children and shackling some of them to beds in a foul-smelling house that became a prison. David and Louise Turpin said they homeschooled their children, and some news reports described desks and other classroom furniture in the familys living room.

In March, a Washington woman drove her wife and adopted children off of a cliff in Mendocino County. Jennifer Hart and her spouse, Sarah Hart, had removed their children from Minnesota public schools in 2011, shortly after Sarah was convicted of abusing a daughter who was 6 at the time.

Collectively, these cases illustrate the quandary that homeschooling presents for officials and law enforcement agencies that are supposed to look out for children. California law makes school compulsory, but there are exemptions for kids whose parents establish a private school in their home, as well as for children who enroll in an online private school, do independent study or have a full-time tutor.

There are no screening processes to judge the quality of these educational facilities, and the state has no conclusive data on how many of them exist, or how they function.

Court records show that both Rogers and Allen had many interactions with law enforcement  the county filed child support claims on behalf of Rogers, and Allen had a 2011 domestic violence conviction  but it appears that no one ever stepped in to put the children in school.

If the students are never registered with the school district, then we wouldnt know to check on them, Goree said.

California Department of Education spokesman Scott Roark said the agency wants a higher standard of accountability and would gladly work with legislators to change the law.

But a bill authored by Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside, seeking to strengthen state oversight of private schools and homeschools, stalled in committee in April. More than 1,000 people showed up to oppose it at a hearing in Sacramento.

Supporters of homeschool education say the practice is unfairly blamed for a small number of horrific cases, and that the state has no right to intervene.

This isnt a Big Brother state, said Debbie Schwarzer, a Los Altos attorney who co-chairs the legal and legislative team of the nonprofit HomeSchool Association of California.

Schwarzer was critical of Medinas bill and another by Assemblywoman Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, arguing that legislators should not be empowered to push the states brand of education on individual families. Eggman pulled her bill before its first committee hearing.

Parents should have the freedom to make the best choice for their children, said Schwarzer, who homeschooled both of her children.

Homeschooling allows curriculum to be more flexible and tailored than a conventional public school, Schwarzer said, adding that she eschewed tests and grades.

But the opportunity for abuse and the lack of oversight is a concern that shouldnt be overlooked, said Rachel Coleman, co-founder of the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, an organization based in Canton, Mass.

Coleman, who was homeschooled, said she fears that a method of education that worked for her and others is too easily exploited by sadistic parents who want to keep their children out of sight.

The problem isnt the parents who are trying to provide their children with a quality education, Coleman said. The problem is that the current system is open to abuse, because there are no guardrails to prevent these tragedies that keep popping up.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
The Bay Area has its own way of doing things. And in some instances, this includes saying things in a very particular way.

Many local proper nouns, including Gough Street, Arguello and San Rafael, have certain pronunciations that Bay Area newbies commonly stumble over. Others, such as Guerneville, have unique ways longtime natives say them just for fun. And then there are the ones like "Junipero Serra" or "Valencia" that are hotly debated among locals.
Angered at the deaths of dozens of Palestinians opposing the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, hundreds of protesters marched across downtown San Francisco at rush hour Tuesday.

The protest started with a noisy rally outside the building that houses the Israeli consulate near Montgomery and Sacramento streets, then turned into a march to Market Street, then to the Federal Building at Seventh and Mission streets for a final round of speeches.

Outside the consulate, about 200 protesters gathered, many waving signs declaring Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine and Stop the US-Israeli war against Palestine. Chants over megaphones echoed off the Financial District high-rises.

A minor skirmish took place after about two dozen Israel supporters, waving Israeli and American flags, showed up across the street. Police tried to keep them separated, but a young man, chanting Free, Free Palestine pushed his way through the crowd. He was immediately surrounded and escorted away by police.

But aside from that incident and a few coarse words lobbed by angry commuters, the event was peaceful.

Protest organizers from the Arab Resource and Organizing Center said they had planned the protests for months. May 15 is known to Palestinians as the Nakba, or the catastrophe, and is an annual remembrance of the day in 1948 they were forced from their homes by the then-newly formed Israeli state.

But Mondays move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and the dozens of people Palestinian officials have reported killed by Israeli soldiers after resulting protests, added more urgency and anger to the protest.

Weve been planning this for months because of the 70th anniversary, said Lara Kiswani, from the center. But given recent developments, we are here to condemn that.

Kiswani scoffed at President Trumps daughter and son-in-law celebrating the embassys move and accused the Israelis of plotting the mass killings of the Palestinian protesters.

Palestinians have been met with execution-style snipers shooting them in the legs, backs and heads as they are just standing, unarmed, she said.

Sharif Zakout, also with the Arab Center, said the move of the embassy just happened to coincide with the Nakba, adding insult to injury that the U.S. would continue to support the occupation.

Across Montgomery Street, Faith Meltzer of El Cerrito stood with a group of Israel supporters. They organized informally and somewhat quickly, she said, spreading the word via social media.

This was a spontaneous grassroots assembly to stand up to the demonization of the people of Israel, she said. Im here to stand up for Israels right to exist.

As Financial District workers began to pour out of buildings, protesters flowed into the street, marching down Montgomery Street to Market Street. With the aid of a mobile amplification system, they boomed out an array of chants: Free, free Palestine, End the occupation and While youre shopping, bombs are dropping.

After drawing the attention of shoppers and commuters stuck waiting for them to pass, they headed to the Federal Building. There, a final few speakers urged them to continue the effort on Wednesday with a protest against former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, in town to promote a book.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
The Oakland City Council next month will reconsider a controversial proposal to give city funds to several private job-training organizations.

The proposed ordinance, authored by City Councilwoman Desley Brooks, would take a percentage of various public funds and give the money to several groups that provide vocational training to Oakland residents.

Last week, City Attorney Barbara Parker said using some of the funding sources the Brooks proposal identified  such as specific bond measures  would violate state and federal laws, the terms of the voter approved bond measures, and the express terms of the bond documents. Others, like parking revenue, could be fair game.

But Brooks on Tuesday deleted language that specified three potential sources of the funds  the gas tax and two voter-approved bond measures. She said doing so would take care of any legal issues.

There is a crisis in our community, Brooks said in a letter to her colleagues on the council. Our residents are being pushed out of our city. They are being locked out of the construction boom that is taking place.

She criticized Parkers legal memo as long on opinion and short on law. City lawyers said there were still problems with the proposal, even with the new tweaks, prompting Brooks to accuse them of gamesmanship.

Under the revised proposal, the organizations would receive 5 percent of capital improvement project costs, 5 percent of parking revenue and 5 percent of development services  a fund into which developers pay for city services such as building plan checks. City contractors would also be charged 30 cents per hour worked and would be subject to late fees if they do not send checks on time.

The groups identified in the proposal to receive the funds are the Cypress Mandela Training Program, which has operated at a deficit in recent years; Men of Valor, which is run by leaders of religious organizations; and the Laborers Community Training Foundation, which is in San Ramon and connected to a politically active union.

Other centers that provide accessible, high-quality training and employment services to local residents and employers could also qualify for the funds.

Ed Gerber, chairman of the citizen Budget Advisory Committee, said even with the deleted language, dedicating funds to flow directly to independent organizations without any oversight remained problematic. If the city wants to fund nonprofits, he said, it should use a more standard competitive bidding process in which multiple groups could apply and guarantee deliverables.

The council voted 4-3 to bring the item back June 5 with additional analysis, including how much money exists to give to the groups. Council members Brooks, Rebecca Kaplan, Noel Gallo and Lynette Gibson McElhaney voted yes; Dan Kalb, Abel Guillen and Annie Campbell Washington were opposed; Larry Reid was absent.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
For Amgen, the release of its next would-be blockbuster medicine may be a chance to avoid pitfalls of the past.

After sales of heart drug Repatha finally increased in last months quarterly earnings, investors are focusing on Amgens first-in-class migraine therapy as the stock seeks to recover from a rough few months for mature biotech companies.

The Food an Drug Administration is expected to let Amgen and its partner Novartis know by Thursday about the widely expected approval for Aimovig. The main concerns are how the migraine drug will be priced and how many patients it can attract before new competitors reach the market.

The focus will be on an agreeable price with managed care companies that allows access to patients, said Michael Yee, an analyst with Jefferies. Yee expects Amgen to list Aimovig in the mid- to high-thousand-dollar range, with the price falling closer to $5,000 after rebates.

Pricing remains key after the biotech struggled to win over insurers with its $14,000-a-year Repatha injection. Rising list prices in the industry have prompted pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts to pressure drugmakers to bring down the cost of the coming class of migraine preventives, known as CGRP inhibitors, Reuteers reported last month. Analysts expect Aimovig to generate almost $1 billion in sales by 2023 as Amgen looks to diversify to help replace revenue from its aging line.

In a review of CGRP inhibitors last month, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, a Boston nonprofit that evaluates the cost-effectiveness of new drugs, used a placeholder price of $8,500 per year for Aimovig.

You can point to that recent evaluation that gave an upper-mid-single thousands price, which I think would be appropriate and support uptake, William Blair analyst Matt Phipps said.

The big thing with this class of drugs is that it is attacking a much more patient-symptomatic disease, and has pent-up patient demand that is notable, Phipps said. Nobody is knocking on their doctors door for a (drug) like Repatha, because they dont feel better immediately while Aimovig may offer them quick relief.

Another difference: Amgen will be first to market with an expected lead time of about six months. Rival treatments from Eli Lilly, Teva Pharmaceutical, and Alder Biopharmaceuticals are expected to be approved at the end of this year or early next year.

While the FDA decision expected this week will serve as an important next step for some investors and analysts, Yee at Jefferies notes that another approval brings more potential for complications the introduction of billion-dollar drugs now that the industry is particular sensitive to drug pricing.

Bailey Lipschultz is a Bloomberg writer. Email: blipschultz@bloomberg.net
Twitter is taking another step to reduce the amount of harmful content on its site, expanding the effort beyond users who explicitly break the social networks rules.

The company says a small number of Twitter accounts have a negative effect on other users experience, by spreading spam messages, commenting in abusive or disruptive ways, or trying to game search results, promoting irrelevant content. Twitter plans to start reducing their visibility in comment threads and search results.

Twitters algorithm will base the decision on how the accounts are set up and interacting on the site. Posts may get lower visibility if the account is frequently blocked or muted, if it hasnt confirmed an associated email address, if its connected to other problematic accounts, or if it frequently mentions strangers in tweets.

CEO Jack Dorsey has said the company is working more diligently to make sure that Twitter is a healthier environment for users. In the past few years, hes admitted that the company hasnt done enough to combat abuse and harassment. Dorsey said he likes the change to the ranking system because its a solution that can be implemented globally without having to hire thousands more people.

Trade

ZTE is focus

of dispute

Senate Democrats have urged President Trump to reconsider his plans for helping Chinese telecommunications company ZTE get back into business.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other leading Democrats sent a letter Tuesday saying Trumps action casts grave doubt on his campaign promise to put America first, saying Americas national security must not be used as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations.

Trump tweeted his support for ZTE this week, ordering the Commerce Department to help get the Shenzhen company back in business because too many jobs in China lost. The department imposed imposed trade restrictions amid allegations that ZTE violated U.S. sanctions.

The Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Mac Thornberry, said Tuesday that he doesnt see a growing movement in the House to remove language in the defense bill that would ban government agencies from using ZTE technology.

Autos

Ex-Tesla exec

joins startup

A used-car leasing startup co-founded by a former Tesla finance executive has hired a longtime close associate of Elon Musk to help take its app nationwide.

Diarmuid OConnell, who spent 11 years at Tesla before leaving in September, will become chief strategy officer at Fair in Santa Monica. Its founders are Georg Bauer, another former Tesla executive, and Scott Painter, who started TrueCar.

Fairs app mixes car-sharing with conventional leasing and skips the traditional financing process, allowing people to shop for used vehicles with their phones and drive them as long as they want.

Taxes

Seattle OKs

employer levy

The Seattle City Council voted 9-0 to impose a tax on large employers to raise almost $50 million in funding for affordable housing and homeless services.

Companies bringing in more than $20 million in annual revenue would be required to pay $275 per employee every year. Amazon.com has more than 40,000 workers at its Seattle headquarters, so the tax, which kicks in next year, could cost the e-commerce giant more than $10 million annually. The unanimous council vote protects the ordinance from a mayoral veto.

Chronicle News Services
In an early February 2015 issue of The Observer, an endeavor was made to show that black people bequeathed civilization to humankind.

Here, my intention is to indicate that Africans have always been at the center of sophisticated ideas that have revolutionized our intellectual outlooks as civilized human beings. My sources are Martin Bernal, and Charles Finch (The African Background to Medical Sciences) and Ivan Van Sertima (Golden Age of the Moor).

When Martin Bernal wrote his world-famous book Black Athena: the Afro Asiatic Roots of Classical Civilization, in his own words, the political purpose of Black Athena is to lessen the European culture of arrogance.

The purpose of writing this article is to humbly contribute towards the campaign against racial prejudice and send some message to Africans to rebuild their self-confidence and esteem.

From historically verifiable sources, an irrefutable case can be made to effect that as universities were being established in Europe, so were similar institutions founded in Africa.

However, it is pertinent to show that Africans were acquainted with epoch-making ideas long before Greek civilization, Newtonian physics, and Albert Einstein. Black people were equal to the task of addressing abstract, complex laws of mathematics and physics.

Isaac Newton is regarded as the founder of mechanics, in modern times. In his book Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, he stated that he was convinced ancient Egyptians were acquainted with atomicity gravitation and heliocentricity.

Heliocentricity, as readers will recall, is the notion that it is the earth which moves round the sun, and not the other way around. Although it is now taken for granted, before Newton and Nicholaus Copernicus in Europe, the matter was very sensitive and controversial.

Ancient Egyptians were acquainted with the nature of the solar system thousands of years before Johannes Kepler (1571-1630). A study of the sizes of the pyramids at Giza near Cairo shows that the largest three among which is the Great Pyramid named after Khufu (Cheops in Greek) are in a descending order with Khafres pyramid and Menkeures, following.

They are in the same proportion in size as Earth, Venus and Mars. The comparison indicates that the black Egyptians had developed knowledge and capability to calculate the sizes of planets.

Further scrutiny of the pyramids indicates that the measurements of the base of the Great Pyramid are a comparison with the distance traced by Venus in its orbit round the sun.

The great pyramid was constructed about 3000 BC; thus, the Egyptians beat Copernicus by at least 4000 years since Copernicus and Galileo lived 1473-1543AD and 1564-1763AD respectively.

In Western/Eurocentric epistemology, discovery of gravitation is associated with Isaac Newton. His acknowledgement that ancient Egyptians were conversant with the theory of gravitation was well founded. It can be discerned from the Egyptian knowledge of the Great Year, in addition to the ordinary year the earth takes to orbit the sun.

Egyptians knew earth tilts from its axis by 23.5 degrees, and the tilt causes it to wobble in its rotation round the sun and moves incredibly slowly, and eventually returns to its original position after approximately 25,868 years. This is the Great Year. When 25,868 years are divided by 12, we get 2,155 years which constitute one age, approximately.

This is the age after which great cataclysmic events were believed to occur. In February 2015, we pointed out that ancient Egyptians believed heavenly bodies influence events on earth. Many people still believe that every 2,000 years, drastic changes occur on earth.

This explains the panic that engulfed many places of worship at the end of December 2000 AD. It is evident Africans discovered gravitation before Isaac Newton.

Since the ancient black Egyptians believed in astrology, they divided the observable sky into 12 arcs above the earth. By observing the position of the heavenly bodies in one of the divisions, they believed they could predict events on earth.

This is the basis of the zodiac we see in the newspapers daily. Astrologers claim that by observing the position of stars and other heavenly bodies against ones date of birth, the subjects fortunes can be predicted.

But, of course, in planning our activities here on earth, we can use the 365-day year satisfactorily, without invoking astral phenomena. Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon believed in astrology.

Greek classical scientists, philosophers and writers such as Plutarch (45-120 AD) and Hipparchus (190-120 BC) referred to the notion of the Great Year.

They accessed information in the Great Library at Alexandria, founded by Aristotle with collections mainly from Egypt after Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) occupied Egypt and made it part of the Greek Empire.

Napoleon was accompanied to Egypt by Count Volney who in objective scholarship reminded Europeans that by then Africans were slaves of white people, but European civilization was built on knowledge acquired from Africans.

Next, I hope to show that atomicity was known to Africans before the era of Greek classical civilization and a black man worked with Albert Einstein (1879-1955) as his equal or deputy. The African American is Lloyd Quarterman (1918-1982) honored by US government for his efforts in designing the atomic bomb with Einstein.

The author is Retired Judge.
WASHINGTON  Two Federal Reserve nominees on Tuesday slammed Wells Fargo & Co. for its consumer abuses and indicated that they would have to see significant improvements before voting to lift a limit on the San Francisco banks growth.

Just based upon the news accounts, which of course is all I have to go on, the activities of Wells Fargo in this domain are egregious and unacceptable, and I was as shocked as anyone to read about it in the newspaper, said economist Richard Clarida, the nominee to be vice chairman of the Fed, at a Senate Banking Committee hearing.

If I am confirmed and this matter came before me, as it looks like it would, I would certainly individually want to be absolutely convinced that appropriate steps had been taken and could be verified, he said in response to questioning from Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.

The other of President Trumps Fed nominees at the confirmation hearing, Kansas banking regulator Michelle Bowman, said she concurred.

The actions of Wells Fargo were absolutely inappropriate, and I would certainly want to make sure that any concerns are addressed by the bank prior to any discussion, she said.

Tester had asked them for assurances that they would not support releasing Wells Fargo from the growth restrictions until they significantly change the way they do business.

In February, the Fed board voted unanimously to order Wells Fargo to cap its growth at the $1.95 trillion in assets reached at the end of last year and to improve its corporate governance in response to the creation of millions of unauthorized customer accounts and other abuses.

The order required Wells Fargos board of directors to submit written plans to improve its oversight and risk management, which they did last month. An independent review by an outside firm must be completed by Sept. 30 to determine how Wells Fargo is implementing the plans.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said last week in a letter to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., that Wells Fargo would have to receive a formal vote from the Fed board before the growth restriction was lifted.

At a March hearing, Warren had objected when Powell said the decision would be made by Fed staff in consultation with the board. Warren pressed Powell to hold a vote so Congress and the public could hold the Fed accountable when it decides whether to lift the stiff penalty it placed on the San Francisco banking giant.

Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan told investors last week that he expects the cap to continue into 2019.

Requiring a Fed vote would make it harder for Wells Fargo to get the cap lifted, cutting into the banks profit.

Clarida is a respected economics professor at Columbia University as well as global strategic adviser at bond giant Pimco. He has Washington experience, having served as assistant Treasury secretary for economic policy in 2002-03 and senior staff economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisors in 1986-87.

On Tuesday, former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and three economic policymakers wrote a letter to committee leaders endorsing Clarida.

But at Tuesdays hearing, Warren was critical of what she said was Claridas lack of experience on regulation. She pushed him to commit that he wouldnt vote to reduce the amount of capital held by the largest banks amid a deregulatory push by the Trump administration.

Clarida declined, but said he would try to make sure any reduction in regulations didnt erode the gains in financial stability caused in part by tougher rules under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act.

Bowman has been the Kansas State Bank Commissioner since 2017. She was an executive at Farmers & Drovers Bank, which her great-great-grandfather helped charter. She also has worked as a congressional staffer in Washington, as well as at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

She is nominated for the seat on the Fed board reserved for someone with community banking experience.

Jim Puzzanghera is a Los Angeles Times writer.
ALBANY, N.Y.  How much is that maltipoo in the window? It could end up costing twice what it says on the price tag if the buyer is enticed into signing a pet leasing contract.

Thats what nearly happened to 24-year-old Natalie Sullivan of Brooklyn. She and her roommate, she said, fell in love with a designer Frenchton puppy at a pet store but couldnt afford the $1,350 price tag.

So the salesman talked us into this predatory payment plan, Sullivan said.

It wasnt until they got home with their adorable French bulldog-Boston terrier mix that they read the contract more closely. Little Jane wouldnt actually be theirs for two years, after theyd forked over monthly payments totaling nearly $3,000 plus a balloon payment of $275. If they failed to pay, it appeared, the lease company could repossess their bat-eared baby as if she were a car.

Its a heinous thing, said Libby Post, executive director of the New York State Animal Protection Federation, which is lobbying for a ban on pet leasing. This kind of predatory lending should not involve a living, breathing being.

Pet leasing has been drawing scrutiny from lawmakers and animal welfare groups since media reports last year highlighted consumer complaints against Renos Wags Lending, which pioneered the practice. Nevada and California have now outlawed pet leasing, and New York lawmakers are proposing legislation prohibiting lease contracts where dogs or cats are used as collateral.

Like consumer loans, pet leases are offered to people who want to buy a purebred puppy or a so-called designer dog  such as the popular maltipoo, a maltese-poodle cross  but cant afford prices that often exceed $1,000 at a pet store. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says leasing options are popular with pet dealers because they are under pressure to sell puppies while they are still puppies, when they are at their cutest and most attractive to buyers.

The concept of leasing a dog is new in our culture, Wags Lending says on its website. We have carefully crafted a lease purchase agreement so that consumers can enjoy the pet that they have always wanted, when they wanted. The company, which says it has handled 66,000 pet leases, says it doesnt charge interest, like that on a loan. Rather, it charges a monthly lease fee comprising rent plus depreciation compensating the business for the decrease in the products fair market value while the customer is using the product.

The Better Business Bureau in Fresno looked at the cost calculator on one pet leasing companys website and found that if you bought a dog for $2,000, you could have a monthly payment as high as $293 for 24 months, bringing the dogs final cost to more than $7,000. And if you stop making payments, the company has the right to take your animal back and ding your credit score.

A woman who answered the phone at Wags Lending said we have no comment, then referred the call to a supervisor who did not call back. Wags Lendings parent company, Bristlecone Holdings, filed for bankruptcy last year, but Titones office said its not the only company offering pet lease contracts.

Sullivan, who works in television casting, said as soon as she understood the costs of her lease, she tapped into her savings and paid off the puppys purchase price  plus the $275 payoff fee.

Thankfully, we got a nice, healthy, well-rounded dog, Sullivan said. But I wouldnt buy from a pet store again.

Mary Esch is an Associated Press writer.
A Lyft driver accused of raping a woman at his home after giving her a ride is now facing three felony charges of sexual assault, Fremont police said Wednesday.

Detectives said 24-year-old Jaswanthreddy Baireddy of Fremont took advantage of an intoxicated customer last month by driving her back to his residence instead of her own and assaulting her while she was unconscious.

Lyft said it deactivated Baireddy from the companys services immediately after it was made aware of the allegations.

These allegations are deeply disturbing, Kate Margolis, a company spokeswoman, told The Chronicle in an email. The safety of the Lyft community is our No. 1 priority, and we have absolutely zero tolerance for this behavior on the platform.

Lyft has been in contact with the passenger and authorities to support the investigation, Margolis said.

Baireddy was arrested May 1, and three days later the Alameda County district attorneys office charged him with forced oral copulation where victim is unconscious, forced digital penetration where victim is prevented from resisting due to intoxicating substance, and rape by means where victim is unconscious.

Police said on April 8, a 29-year-old woman hailed a Lyft to take her from Oakland to a friends address in Berkeley. The friend was not there, and Baireddy reportedly told the rider that he was off duty and would give her a ride to her residence.

Baireddy then drove past her exit on the freeway and expressed a desire to go home, according to police. He reportedly told the woman to rest while he got her food and stopped at a fast-food restaurant before driving her to his residence on the 38000 block of Camden Street in Fremont.

The woman said Baireddy offered her marijuana and directed her upstairs before suggesting she lie down because he was too tired to drive. Baireddy then sexually assaulted her before driving her home, authorities said.

Police said Baireddy made incriminating statements during his interview with detectives.

He made comments to suggest that he was never with her, but during the interview process acknowledged that he was not being truthful, Fremont detective Calvin Tang said.

Sexual assault allegations against ride-hailing drivers have made national headlines, Tang said, but Baireddys case is the first hes seen locally.

Baireddy is currently being held without bail. His next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

While there is no publicly available data on how many sexual-assault allegations are made against ride-hailing drivers, a recent CNN investigation found that at least 103 Uber drivers have been accused of sexual assault or abuse of their passengers in the past four years.

Baireddys criminal charges were announced a day after Lyft announced an about-face in the way it handles civil sexual misconduct complaints made by passengers and drivers.

On Tuesday, Lyft said the company would no longer require sexual assault and harassment complaints to be heard in private arbitration, meaning accusers can now share their claims in open courtrooms if they choose.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
A five-vehicle crash Tuesday night in Fremont left three people dead, one person arrested and shut down Interstate 880 into Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The collisions occurred at around 9:30 p.m. on northbound 880 just south of Stevenson Boulevard, according to Sgt. Rob Nacke, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

Three people  a woman, an adult teenager and a child  sustained fatal injuries after being ejected from an Escalade, CHP said. Five more people, including four children, were reportedly injured in the crash.

It looks like some of the people were not wearing their seatbelts, Nacke said.

One of the drivers  21-year-old Dang Nguyen Hai Tran, of San Jose  was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of marijuana.

All I can confirm is marijuana was a factor in the collision, Nacke said.

The roadway ended up being closed off Tuesday night and remained that way into Wednesday morning. Lanes were reopened around 7:30 a.m.

CHP originally reported that eight vehicles were involved in the crash, but that number has since been revised.

The agencys Hayward division and the Golden Gate divisions Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team are handling the investigation into the crash.

Josh Koehn is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: josh.koehn@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Josh_Koehn
Agrarian economies never collect enough taxes to fund their budgets. Government budgets are funded  to the exclusion of foreign aid and exploits in the extractive industry  by productive enterprises from which governments make profits.

The logic of taxation is after productivity (or as is in the Islamic tradition, after an individuals expendituresince individual welfare comes ahead of collective responsibility). To this end, governments can then tax people for whom it has created opportunities for income.

Imposing taxes on paupers, risks not only hostility  as the taxed fight back either through evasion or open violence  but is also deterrent to creativity/investment. Even the colonialists understood this better: They taxed people after creating them avenues of income.

They thus introduced and forced the colonised to grow coffee and cotton from which they could then be taxed. I mean not to justify colonialism, whose evils have been thoroughly documented, but we need to appreciate the colonialist logic to taxation.

Why tax people who are eking an existence writing blogs or riding motorcycle taxis! If this is not a political gamble to bankrupt and keep the governed in servitude, it is outright idiocy.

We will always return to the1980s  specifically the time of structural adjustment programmes (SAPs)  as a defining moment in our history.

African agrarian economies were destroyed when they were left to the mercy of the markets. This is when government moved away, not only from investing and owning enterprises, but also supporting local farmers in the countryside.

The argument then was that the market will sort itself  demand will inspire more production. On paper, this was superb, but in practice, it was a disaster. A couple of years down the road, African economies were shattered.

The argument that public enterprises were failing because the public servants did not have enough motivation to work well as they would have done if they were private enterprises (following Peter Ekehs analytical amnesia about his two publics) was simply ridiculous.

The absolute silliness of this reasoning became even more visible when World Bank and IMF actually had to forge accounts to show that public enterprises were struggling. Plenty of scholarship has showed that Uganda suffered a double tragedy with SAPs:

The moment of these reforms came at a time when the men in office had just arrived from the bush. Poorly educated, and hungry, many saw in SAPs an opportunity to reward themselves for their fight to power. Like carnivores starved for months, they went on rampage bankrupting the country and also leaving it incapable of any productive business.

We are living in a moment of the failure of privatisation, which was exacerbated by the actors of the time. Government has no other source of income except taxes and grants.

Taxes are thus viewed as a remedy for budget deficits. But this is rough-and-ready economics. Government should be a manufacturer, service provider and trader.

Imagine all the profits that private telecommunication companies  as Uganda Telecom Ltd limps on  make and expatriate to South Africa and India?! Imagine all the money that UMEME is stealing and expatriating to England and South Africa!

Imagine Uganda Airlines up and running. Can you imagine there was a time, after the mismanagement of Uganda Coffee Marketing Board, and disposal of almost all its properties (residential houses, warehouses, land and equipment) in Kampala, Mombasa and London, Uganda placed its major cash cow  coffee export  in the hands of a private Germany-born investor?

This fellow made a lot of money from several dubious deals, before government woke up to cancel the contract. This is list of missed opportunities is long.

Surely then, Ugandas so-called economists  in Uganda Revenue Authority, Bank of Uganda, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Uganda Investment Authority  have to get their act together, and appreciate that (a) this is an agrarian economy, which can never produce enough taxes and (b) the present logic of taxation actually stifles productivity.

I am not arguing for nationalisation, but rather a state-led economy. Just the way we are excited about oil exploits  hoping we havent given all our rights to a private investor  as government with most resources (HR, borrowing, supervision, etcetera), we ought to be excited about starting big business, and making direct profits.

The argument that public institutions or businesses often struggle because workers do not perform at the same level as they do under private administrations is not only weak but also ahistorical.

The author is a PhD fellow, Makerere Institute of Social Research.
Its no fun picking up trash, unless youre trying to save the world.

That was the order of business Wednesday at Ocean Beach as scores of elementary school students got on their hands and knees, seeking to do right by one of the worlds great sandboxes.

Cigarette butt, said Michael Lipsitz, 9, a third- grader from Willow Creek School in Sausalito, holding up what he found and inspecting it as if it were the Koh-i-Noor diamond. If a bird ate this, it wouldnt be good.

And, Michael added, if a bird tried to smoke the cigarette butt, that wouldnt be good, either.

ALSO Solar to be required on most new homes in California starting in 2020

It was the 25th annual Adopt-a-Beach cleanup day, organized by the Marine Science Institute, and as in past years, the San Francisco beach adopted was the one that grown-ups also like to adopt for picnicking, barbecuing, beer swilling and other things that involve refuse that doesnt always find its way into trash bins.

The kids werent looking for big pieces of trash, like whole bottles, but little pieces of trash: bottle caps, bits of plastic, filter tips, shards and wrappers. Theyd been told that, to a hungry bird or fish, the small pieces can be more dangerous than the big ones.

Fifi Salem, 9, found a bottle cap that said Stella Artois on it. She said she didnt know what that might be, but a bottle cap is a bottle cap. Into her bag it went.

Max Nimmo found 121 bits of trash in the first half-hour. Under the terms of the deal with the grown-ups in charge, for each 50 pieces he collected, he earned one Starburst candy. That meant, he said, that he had 29 more bits of trash to go for his next Starburst.

Got another one, said Max, picking up trash piece No. 122, a fragment of a soda bottle.

Michael found a fake mustache. His friend Alayah Palomares, 9, digging a few feet away, also found a fake mustache. There must have been a costume party or something not long ago at that very spot. Grown-ups are hard to figure out.

Weird, Alayah said.

After an hour or so, the kids were still hard at it. This was not, they decided, like picking up trash on the schoolyard after goofing off. At such times, you dont get to wear plastic gloves, you dont get Starbursts, you dont feel all that great about doing it.

Most days, said Gaia McArdle, 10, picking up trash is what the teacher makes you do instead of asks you to do.

Usually, its punishment, she said. Not today. Picking up trash today is fun.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF
The effort put in by Uganda to stop the UN from relocating her Entebbe service center to Nairobi could make you think the countrys future depended entirely on it.

Our ageing revolutionary leader and chairman of the movement, Gen Yoweri Museveni, wrote to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, complaining against the planned relocation  pleading to keep the centre.

On Wednesday last week, parliament, through a motion moved by Lwemiyaga MP Theodore Ssekikubo, joined the campaign to save the Entebbe UN base. Speaker Rebecca Kadaga literally shut down all MPs who faulted Uganda for the UN proposal to close the base.

Uncharacteristic of a presiding officer, she also kept volunteering points to bolster the Ssekikubo motion. MPs, one by one, stood to condemn the UN secretary general and the international community for being ungrateful to a country that has contributed troops to keep peace in Somalia, and is hosting 1.3 million refugees.

I didnt believe in what many of the MPs were saying, but the environment had been so much fouled for any dissenting views. I told Bukedea woman MP Anita Among, one of the sponsors of the motion, that I didnt support them. She whispered to the speaker not to grant me opportunity to talk.

When Kadaga eventually allowed me to address parliament that had become hostile to alternative views, I informed jeering MPs that I was opposed to the motion.

The motion was just symbolic as it urged government to intensify diplomatic efforts so Uganda could retain the base. That is all it contained.

My view, which I would like to share with those that dont sit in parliament, is that we must make Uganda competitive lest we lose opportunities. And how do we make Uganda competitive? That is the million-dollar question.

In the last couple of years, Uganda has lost British Airways and Etihad airlines business. These two airlines were paying taxes, and their staff were sleeping in hotels in Entebbe. They eventually terminated their flights to Uganda.

I dont know why Mr Museveni didnt see value in keeping British Airways and Etihad flights. These two are important for different reasons. Historically, London is very important to Uganda. They were our rulers for a very long time, and that is why we are members of the Commonwealth.

London has also historically been one of our main funders. But also strategically, they are a key global actor with huge influence.

In fact, that is partly the reason Rwanda invested in a Boeing 737-800 in 2016 to begin direct flights to Londons Gatwick airport. Easing communication with London is important for many reasons.

Etihad, on the other hand, is the official airline of Abu Dhabi, the richest place on earth. While our reserve as a country remains just about $4 billion, Abu Dhabi has a sovereign fund of over $900 billion. And of recent, Abu Dhabi has opened her doors to many migrant workers including thousands of Ugandans.

Mr Museveni himself has visited Abu Dhabi and is pleading with them to invest in Uganda. One will wonder as to how we should have kept the two airlines. Government alone spends Shs 113 billion on travel abroad every year, and a bulk of this money is for buying air tickets.

Government can divide this money among key airlines equitably. Difficult to do in a liberalized economy, but possible. I, therefore, didnt understand why MPs were so obsessed with the UN base meant to facilitate mainly conflict-prone areas and just kept quiet about the closure of these two important airlines.

Someone tells me Uganda has paid for four aircraft and that Uganda Airlines is about to be revived. It is a good move which I hope will not be messed up again.

My view to the jeering MPs was that instead of crying for the $30 million UN base money and about 400 jobs, we must, as of necessity, reconstruct our economy.

Jinja Municipality MP, Paul Mwiru, spoke about investment in agriculture but was shut down as this was no time to speak about broader issues.

Two Kenyan giant stores have closed shop and left the country because of lack of business. The economy that used to grow at six per cent now averages about four per cent, while our population is also growing at three per cent.

In effect, we are registering just about one per cent growth which explains the alarming rates of unemployment.

Our young people are restless and the revolutionary leader keeps throwing money at them instead of opportunities. The threat by the UN to leave Entebbe should have given us an opportunity to debate broader issues, but instead we ended up joining the mourning.

Last Friday, the local media reported that after all, the UN service center will remain. To be honest, many people in my constituency didnt even know it existed until its eminent closure dominated our airwaves.

It is good to retain it, but the country must think beyond a small base.

The author is Kira municipality MP and opposition chief whip in parliament.
The national conversation has shifted as of late towards the country's monuments and landmarks: Who deserves to be memorialized? Which moments in our history should be honored, and how?

San Francisco is host to controversial monuments of its own, some cast in stone and others tucked into the names of its streets and neighborhoods.

See the above gallery to learn the wild stories behind some of San Francisco's most famous landmarks.

But not every famous landmark in the city was dedicated to men whose value systems might be frowned upon by contemporary sensibilities.

Take Lotta's Fountain on Kearny Street, one of SF's oldest monuments, where there's an annual gathering to mark the anniversary of the 1906 earthquake. Charlotte Mignon (Lotta) Crabtree was a Gold Rush-era entertainer, known for dancing on barrels as her fans showered her with golden items. Crabtree returned their affections by gifting the city a striking fountain 142 years ago, designed in the likeness of a lighthouse prop from a now-forgotten play called "Zip."

Some legends are more recent, like that man-made island of mud in the middle of the bay. As a child, crossing the Bay Bridge from the East Bay into San Francisco, a sense of wonder always overtook me as the car sped past Treasure Island. What lay on that curiously named slab of land beside the bridge? My childish imagination spent the remainder of the car ride answering such a question.

This was partly the builders' intention, says Anne Schnoebelen, vice president of the Treasure Island Museum Association.

Schnoebelen says the island was named after the Robert Louis Stevenson novel, a rollicking tale of pirates and hidden riches, "because of the belief that the mud at the bottom of the bay would contain gold washed down [from] Northern California's watersheds during and in the aftermath of the Gold Rush."

While most accounts claim that no gold was found, one claims a smidgeon of the substance was dredged up.

What's in a name? Well, stories  both true and embellished.

Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
PASADENA  A federal appeals court seemed concerned Tuesday about the likely harm that would result if the Trump administrations plan to end protections for so-called Dreamers goes forward, but wrestled with technical legal questions about the judges ability to intervene.

During a hearing, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals acknowledged that the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, would have significant effects on 700,000 immigrants and their families.

The panel of three Democratic appointees is reviewing an appeal by the Trump administration of a preliminary injunction issued by a San Francisco federal judge in January that required the federal government to continue processing renewal applications of immigrants previously approved for the program.

Judge John Owens, an Obama appointee, asked whether the court could uphold the injunction on grounds that were not reached by the district judge.

Although challengers argued that the repeal of DACA amounted to unconstitutional discrimination, they asked for and received a ruling based on the argument that the recision was arbitrary and capricious.

A lawyer for the Trump administration said the 9th Circuit could not reach out to answer the constitutional question because there was no evidence presented on it in the lower court.

A lawyer for the challengers said the court could uphold the injunction on equal protection grounds.

Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw, a Clinton appointee, noted that the Supreme Court had not barred legal challenges of an agencys action that disproportionally affects one protected group over another.

Immigrants from Mexico were the largest beneficiary of DACA.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hashim Mooppan argued that the administration had the legal right to end the program and its discretion could not be challenged on selective enforcement grounds.

Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney for several DACA beneficiaries, disagreed. He told the court that President Trump had been using DACA as a bargaining chip for a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

That is not going to happen with Norwegians, Rosenbaum said. That is not going to happen with Western Europeans.

Owens noted that the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in the so-called Muslim ban travel case would probably give the 9th Circuit lots of guidance in how to resolve the DACA dispute.

Mooppan said that the Supreme Court was not likely to rule on the travel ban until late June and the administration, in the meantime, was being forced to give work permits to 700,000 illegal aliens.

Maura Dolan is a Los Angeles Times writer.
DETROIT  As turmoil spreads through the Middle East, American Jews and Muslims have been forming alliances to build trust and seek solidarity in more ambitious ways than in the past, a sharp contrast to the violence engulfing their homelands this week.

Muslims and Jews have dispatched members into mosques and synagogues to learn about each others faiths, made a joint trip to tour civil rights sites in the South and formed partnerships involving CEOs of major corporations. Leaders of the groups said the challenging world events have provided impetus for the outreach efforts, including violence in Gaza, the Trump administrations moving of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the travel ban from mostly Muslim countries and deepening concern about hate crimes.

If theres ever a time to talk, its now, said the executive director for the Los Angeles group NewGround, Aziza Hasan.

NewGround has provided leadership training programs for several hundred professionals from the two communities. One recent event was a backyard supper in Los Angeles at which guests discussed their religions approach to death  what rituals are involved, how the grieving process unfolds. Participants were moved by similarities in the traditions of their two faiths.

Some people were on the verge of tears as they dug into it, said Hasan.

Perhaps most high-powered of the outreach initiatives is the Muslim Jewish Advisory Council, which started out two years ago working to expand hate-crime legislation. Now, the council  an unprecedented interfaith team of business, political and religious leaders  is launching an initiative sending Jewish members into mosques and Muslims into synagogues to speak and listen in ways that break down walls between them.

Farooq Kathwari, the council co-chair and CEO of Ethan Allen Interiors, said the violence along Gazas border with Israel  where dozens of Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops gunfire on Monday  poses a test for the outreach project.

We have to double our efforts to stay together, said Kathwari. I hope and pray that this crisis does turn into an opportunity for peace.

Another ambitious national group is the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, which brings together Jewish and Muslim women interested in learning about one another. Founded in 2010, it now has more than 2,700 members in roughly 150 chapters spanning 27 states. Seeking new insights into combatting bigotry, several dozen of the women traveled to Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee in April, visiting sites commemorating the Civil Rights movement.

We want to learn how to speak out against hate, said co-founder Sheryl Olitzky, who is Jewish.

Jeff Karoub and David Crary are Associated Press writers.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.  Recovering addict Judith Anderson figures if she hadnt entered a program that caught and treated the hepatitis C she contracted after years of intravenous drug use, she wouldnt be alive to convince others to get checked out.

The 74-year-old resident of Sallisaw, Okla.  about 160 miles east of Oklahoma City  said the potentially fatal liver disease sapped her of energy and any desire to go anywhere or do anything.

It was like living with a death sentence, she said of the infection that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in 2016 killed more people than HIV and tuberculosis combined.

But things changed for Anderson, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, because she took advantage of the tribes aggressive program to test for and treat hepatitis C. Federal officials say it could serve as a national model in the fight against the infection.

The Cherokees, the second-largest tribe in the U.S. after the Navajo Nation, started the program three years ago looking to screen 80,000 of its 350,000 citizens, mainly targeting those 20 to 65 because of their statistically higher chances of having the disease. More than half of the target group has been screened, with more than 1,300 citizens testing positive, and a 90 percent cure rate among those who have started treatment, the tribe says.

CDC official John Ward, whose agency is providing technical assistance to the tribe, said the Cherokees are the first community to set such an ambitious goal to eliminate the disease.

Its a trailblazing project for the entire country, Ward said.

The Cherokees, who operate the largest tribal health care system in the U.S., are shouldering the cost of the program. The Tahlequah-based tribe is also capitalizing on medical advances that have seen the cost of the antiviral drugs used to treat the disease plummet from around $90,000 per patient just a few years ago to between $15,000 and $20,000.

Hepatitis C is spread through infected blood, and hundreds tested positive for the disease in the Cherokee program after injecting drugs with unclean needles. Tribal health officials blame the nations opioid crisis for the increase in those cases.

The Cherokee Nation is suing several major drug distributors for what it claims is the companies failure to prevent the flow of illegally prescribed opioids to its citizens.

Justin Juozapavicius is an Associated Press writer.
WASHINGTON  Gina Haspel, President Trumps nominee to head the CIA, won the backing of the Senate intelligence committee on Wednesday, paving the way for her expected confirmation to lead the spy agency.

The panel voted 10-5 to advise the full Senate to confirm Haspel, whose nomination has renewed debate over the harsh interrogation program the CIA conducted on terror suspects after 9/11. Haspel, who supervised a CIA detention site in Thailand in 2002, has told Congress that the agency shouldnt have used those harsh tactics and has vowed not to restart them.

The committee released the result of the vote, conducted in closed session, without giving further details. However, all eight Republicans and two of the seven Democrats on the panel earlier expressed support for Haspel. The remaining five Democrats had announced their opposition.

The confirmation vote by the full Senate could occur before the end of the week.

Gina Haspel is the most qualified person the president could choose to lead the CIA and the most prepared nominee in the 70-year history of the agency, said Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C. She has acted morally, ethically, and legally, over a distinguished 30-year career and is the right person to lead the agency into an uncertain and challenging future.

She also had the support of the committees top-ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia.

As director of the CIA, Gina Haspel will be the first operations officer in more than five decades to lead the agency, Warner said.

Most importantly, I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the president if ordered to do something illegal or immoral  like a return to torture, he said.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who has staunchly opposed Haspel, called her nomination one of the most self-serving abuses of power in recent history because Haspel, as acting CIA director, was in a decision-making role in determining what parts of her undercover career were declassified. He likened that to a stacking of the deck and said he would continue to seek the declassification of details about her past activities at the agency.

Warner said he would continue to seek the declassification of a Justice Department report about the destruction of more than 90 videotapes showing the harsh interrogation of one terror suspect. No charges were filed as a result of that report. Haspel drafted a cable that ordered the tapes destroyed, but the cable was sent by her boss, Jose Rodriguez, who has repeatedly taken responsibility for the order.

Deb Riechmann is an Associated Press writer.
WASHINGTON  Six months after the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Trump campaign officials and a self-described Kremlin informant, an intermediary contacted Donald Trumps office asking for a follow-up, according to documents released Wednesday by a Senate committee.

The intermediary, Rob Goldstone, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he proposed a second meeting between Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and members of Trumps team in November 2016. He said he contacted Trumps longtime executive assistant at the behest of Aras Agalarov, a Russia-based billionaire who knows Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The follow-up overture is one of the kernels of new information contained in more than 2,000 pages of testimony and exhibits released by the committee, which has been conducting one of the investigations into the Trump campaigns contacts with Russians.

The initial meeting was organized on the premise that Veselnitskaya would deliver incriminating information on Hillary Clinton to support Trumps campaign.

The second session never took place. But the invitation shows the determination of Russians with close Kremlin connections to convince the Trump team that the Magnitsky Act, which imposed sanctions on a host of Russian officials for human rights abuses, was a mistake. The 2012 law, which froze the bank accounts of some Russian officials and barred them from entering the United States, infuriated Putin.

In a late November 2016 email to Trumps assistant, Goldstone attached a three-page document marked confidential that called for the launch of a congressional investigation into the circumstances of passing the Magnitsky Act. He wrote that Agalarov hoped the document would be delivered to the appropriate team. Veselnitskaya also attacked the law in the June meeting

The bulk of records released are transcripts of the committees interviews with that meetings participants, including the presidents son, Donald Trump Jr.; his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner; and members of the Russian contingent led by Veselnitskaya.

Nonetheless, the records reveal some new details about the players involved and what happened after the meeting was reported by The New York Times last summer. The transcripts highlight how lawyers for the Trump Organization tried to manage the fallout by coordinating the statement of Goldstone and others.

Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged that his father may have helped draft the statement that he put out to the press after the meeting became public.

But on a number of other questions, he drew a blank, including whether his father uses a blocked phone number. Phone records show that Donald Trump Jr. called a blocked number before and after calls with Agalarov arranging the meeting and again on the night of the meeting.

I dont, Trump said when asked if he remembered who was on the other end of the calls. I dont know, he said, when asked whether his father used a blocked number.

Sharon LaFraniere and Nicholas Fandos are New York Times writers.
1 Manafort trial: Special counsel Robert Mueller was working within his authority when he brought charges against President Trumps former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, a federal judge in Washington ruled Tuesday. The decision was a setback for Manafort in his defense against charges of money-laundering conspiracy, false statements and acting as an unregistered foreign agent related to his Ukrainian political work. Manafort had argued that Mueller had exceeded his authority because the case was unrelated to Russian election interference. But U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson disagreed, citing Manaforts years of work in Ukraine, his prominent role on the Trump campaign and his publicized connections to Russian figures.

2 Hiring freeze ends: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has lifted the unpopular hiring freeze that had been in place at the State Department for more than a year. Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson enacted the freeze as part of his unsuccessful attempt to restructure and slim down the State Department. That created significant obstacles to filling key positions and employing spouses of U.S. diplomats and contributed to low morale within the department. Pompeo says hes authorizing the department to hire both in the United States and overseas within the agencys current funding levels. He says in a letter to State Department workers that the U.S. needs our men and woman on the ground executing American diplomacy with great vigor and energy.
3 1 of 3 Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press 2017 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Alex Wong / Getty Images Show More Show Less 3 of 3





WASHINGTON  The Senate intelligence committee said Wednesday that it agrees with the U.S. intelligence agencies assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election to hurt the candidacy of Democrat Hillary Clinton and help President Trump.

The conclusion is at odds with Republican members of the House intelligence committee, who said that while they agreed that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to hamper Clintons campaign, that didnt mean he wanted to help Trump. The House committee said the intelligence agencies failed to use proper analytic tradecraft when they assessed Putins intentions.
The battle for Karnataka has become fiercer, uglier and more mysterious with both the parties claiming to have full majority and confidence to form the government. On one hand, the JD(S) and the Congress have handed over signatures of at least 117 MLAs to governor Vajubhai Vala, BJP's CM candidate BS Yeddyurappa seems overconfident after meeting the governor, and has claimed to take oath as the Karnataka chief minister on Thursday. The Congress party, which has alleged massive horse-trading attempts by the BJP, says the saffron party leaders are offering Rs 100 crore to each for their candidate to support the BJP. The party is also believed to have taken all of its MLAs to a plush resort in Bengaluru with a fear that some of them might shift their loyalty. As the political circus in the southern state plays out, we bring you all the latest updates of the Karnataka Assembly election result.

Catch all the live updates here:

10.26pm: By giving 15 days time (to prove majority) Governor is encouraging horse-trading by BJP leaders, this is unconstitutional. We will discuss the future plan: HD Kumarasway JD(S) on Karnataka Governor's invite to BJP to form government.

By giving 15 days time (to prove majority) Governor is encouraging horse-trading by BJP leaders, this is unconstitutional. We will discuss the future plan: HD Kumarasway, JD(S) on Karnataka Governor's invite to BJP to form government #KarnatakaElectionResults2018 pic.twitter.com/QjpPQdc34x - ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

10.22pm: Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi to approach the Supreme Court tonight against the governor's invite to the BJP to form the government in Karnataka.

9.37pm: BJP Karnataka in-charge P Muralidhar Rao says the governor has invited BS Yeddyurappa to form the government in the state of Karnataka."Just now, the governor office has sent a letter to BJP CM candidate BS Yeddyurappa to form the government."

9.20pm: Karnataka BJP deletes the tweet announcing BS Yeddyurappa's swearing-in as Chief Minister of Karnataka, tomorrow.

Karnataka BJP deletes the tweet announcing BS Yeddyurappa's swearing-in as Chief Minister of Karnataka, tomorrow. #KarnatakaElectionResults2018 pic.twitter.com/KtoaJFXA5C - ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

8.45pm: Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala says if the Karnataka governor has invited the BJP to form the government, it is shocking. "Will tentamount to murdering democracy, trampling Constitution and disregarding all precedents. Majority will can't be subjugated at the whims of BJP and Modi Govt."

8.40pm: Governor holds an exalted constitutional office, he shouldn't walk on a perilous path which is illegal,he's bound by SC judgement,bound to invite leader of alliance which is presented to him as an alliance that commands maturity of members in legislative assembly: P Chidambaram

Governor holds an exalted constitutional office, he shouldn't walk on a perilous path which is illegal,he's bound by SC judgement,bound to invite leader of alliance which is presented to him as an alliance that commands maturity of members in legislative assembly: P Chidambaram pic.twitter.com/wQucJStzWW - ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

8.39pm: Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal says the governor seems to have given the BJP a chance to poach MLAs, and that the governor should work on principles. Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he also said the BJP's "Man Ki Baat" has now become "Dhan Ki Baat".

8.33pm: Congress leader Ashok Gehlot says all the Congress MLAs would stay together as they have been compelled to do so due to the BJP's horse-trading attempts.

7.40pm: "He thinks he is the boss of the party, the party has suffered because of his arrogant behaviour. He is not a true Congressman. Many people have this view of him but don't express it," KB Koliwad, outgoing Karnataka Assembly speaker and Congress leader on Siddaramaiah.

He thinks he is the boss of the party, the party has suffered because of his arrogant behaviour. He is not a true Congressman. Many people have this view of him but don't express it: K. B. Koliwad,Outgoing Karnataka Assembly Speaker and Congress leader on Siddaramaiah pic.twitter.com/MLGVY7t7Lv - ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

7.30pm: The BJP is likely to form the government tomorrow; Yeddyurappa may get invite to form the government tonight, reports India Today.

7.10pm: In the next couple of hours, the governor is expected to invite the BJP to form the government, reports India Today.

6.57pm: BJP CM candidate BS Yeddyurappa says he will take oath tomorrow; JD(S) give a list of 117 MLAs to the governor.



6.56pm: The Congress party has said it will move the Supreme Court if the governor invites the BJP to form the government.



6.30pm: ANI reports: BJP MPs Shobha Karandlaje, GM Siddeshwara and PC Mohan write to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh stating: "We have every reason to believe that Karnataka govt is misusing its power and tapping our mobile phones. This is clear violation of our fundamental right to privacy."

6.05pm: Governor has assured that he will take action as per the Constitution. We have full faith in him that he will not do injustice. We have our numbers, not not even a single member has moved out. We will not allow any such thing to happen, says DK Shivakumar, reported ANI.

04:15 pm: Congress party is expected to move Supreme Court if BJP is invited to form the government.

04:10 pm: Congress has said its MLAs will sit on a dharna outside the Raj Bhavan if they are not invited to form the government

04:00 pm: "DK Shivkumar is everyone. Everyone is Siddaramaiah. We are part of the Congress, we are together," he said. He said that the people of Karnataka who have voted for the Congress would "beat" the leaders up if they change their loyalties," Karnataka minister DK Shivkumar told India Today

03:30 pm: Signatures of JD (S) and Congress MLAs are being taken in support of JD (S) leader HD Kumaraswamy. The document will then be submitted to the governor later in the day.

02:00 pm: If needed, Congress may complain to the president and parade the MLAs before him.

01:48 pm: Congress might approach the Supreme Court in case the governor calls BJP first.

01:44 pm: Congress-JD (S) might parade all MLAs before the governor.

01:30 pm: Reports suggest that the Congress is mulling three options in view of the race to form government in Karnataka.

12:20 pm: In a shocking statement, Kumaraswamy said, "Few of JD(S) MLAs were being offered Rs 100 crore and a berth in the cabinet if they joined BJP. I question, where is this money coming from? What is the Income Tax department doing?" Kumaraswamy then posed a question to the President of India and the prime minister. "I appeal to the president and PM Modi whether they are promoting horse trading?"

11:55 am: Congress-JD(S) chief ministerial candidate HD Kumaraswamy thanked the Congress for its support and attacked BJP for its tactics to stop them from forming the government.

11:30 am: Addressing the media outside Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru, BJP's chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa said, "I have given the letter to the governor and he will call me, that is what I am hoping. He told me that he will take an appropriate decision."
The draft national telecom policy has stirred up debate on the overambitious targets of the government outlined in the policy document. The draft talks about a number of objectives with specific timelines. For instance, there is mention of providing wired broadband access to 50 per cent households in the next four years. The current broadband penetration stands at about 30 per cent, and a major chunk of it includes mobile broadband.

Among other "exaggerated" targets, attracting investment of $100 billion over the next four years, has caught everyone's attention. Over the past two years, some telcos have been forced to shut shop or quit the country. Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular are not in the best of health either. While the existing telcos will continue to invest to stay competitive - Reliance Jio and Airtel reportedly have plans to invest Rs 74,000 crore this year - the heightened stress level in the sector could limit their ability to invest aggressively.



Manu Kaushik
Oozing lava and fiery eruptions have reshaped a small community on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Residents of Leilani Estates, a census-designated place of population 1,560 in the District of Puna, have long lived in the shadow of the Kilauea volcano.

Kilauea first erupted May 3, and its blazing emissions have transformed parts of the tranquil Hawaiian neighborhood into mounds of ash and hardened magma.

READ ALSO: Kilauea emits 'code-red levels' of sulfur dioxide gas

Images taken before the volcanic eruption show idyllic, tree-lined streets and simple one-story homes. The after images tell a different story. Hot lava bubbles up from fissures in the roadways, and crackling fires turn green lawns black.

See before-and-after photos in the above gallery.

Kilauea's emissions have destroyed more than 40 structures, including two dozen homes, and forced thousands to evacuate for fear of a possible explosive eruption.

Officials said it's impossible to predict how long the eruptions will continue.

Asta Miklius, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory, told The Associated Press there is ample magma in the volcano's system.

AWE AND FEAR: Lava in Hawaii sloshes, oozes, crackles, roars

"How long it will last will depend on whether the summit magma reservoir gets involved," she said.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige mobilized the Hawaii National Guard to assist with evacuations and security. Ige also signed an emergency proclamation providing state money for response efforts. There are about 770 structures in the subdivision where lava is flowing.

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Amy Graff, an SFGATE staff writer, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Sonoma County survivalist who has long been known for strange and violent behavior, and who already stands accused of gunning down his brother, has been charged with murdering a young engaged couple in August 2004 as they lay in sleeping bags on a beach in Jenner.

Shaun Michael Gallon, the lead suspect in the Jenner case for the past year, faces two counts of murder in the gunshot killings of Lindsay Cutshall, 22, of Fresno, Ohio, and her 26-year-old fiance, Jason Allen of Zeeland, Mich.

Gallon, 39, is eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted, but Sonoma County prosecutors have not said whether they will seek execution. Prosecutors also charged Gallon with attempted murder in a separate package bomb case in Monte Rio in 2004.

Sonoma County Chief Deputy District Attorney Spencer Brady said Gallon was never ruled out as a suspect in the cold-case murders.

After he was in custody for the death of his brother, the Sheriffs Department developed new evidence that linked him to the 2004 murders of Jason and Lindsay, Brady said. He added that prosecutors wouldnt elaborate on the new evidence entailed until Gallons preliminary hearing.

The Sonoma County public defenders office, which is representing Gallon, could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

The charges, filed last week, are a major step in a long-running cold case. Sonoma County sheriffs investigators spent more than a dozen years pursuing the beach gunman, searching for suspects across the country while looking at gun records and eyeing serial killers.

Gallon was long considered a person of interest in the slayings, but the break in the case did not come until March 24, 2017, when Gallon allegedly killed his younger brother in Forestville, shooting him several times.

Investigators said Gallon, after being arrested, told police enough to tie him to the killings of Cutshall and Allen. But prosecutors held off on filing charges as detectives continued to dig into the case.

The allegations say Gallon, who was 25 at the time, shot the pair with a .45-caliber Marlin rifle at close range as they slept on secluded Fish Head Beach near the mouth of the Russian River.

The couple had been working that summer at a Christian youth camp along the American River in El Dorado County and had gone on a three-day sightseeing trip up the coast that would have taken them through Forestville.

Investigators said Cutshall and Allen didnt know Gallon, though its unclear whether they might have had an interaction with him before their deaths.

A motive has been elusive in the beach killings, as in the shooting of Gallons brother.

On that day, the mother of the two men called for help, saying 36-year-old Shamus Gallon had been shot with a rifle at the home where the family lived on the 9800 block of River Road. The family had moved to the home from Guerneville after the brothers father killed himself in 2013.

The mother reported that Shaun Gallon had left the house with the rifle and driven away in his minivan, officials said. He was swiftly apprehended and charged with murder.

It wasnt Gallons first brush with the law. He was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon for shooting an arrow at a man in Guerneville, just west of Forestville, on Jan. 27, 2009.

Gallon, described by investigators in that case as a survivalist, served a three-year sentence  spending some of his time at San Quentin State Prison  after wounding James McNeil of Monte Rio, who was sitting in a parked convertible on Mill Street when an arrow came through the soft top of the car and grazed his head.

Gallon had convictions in his 20s for resisting arrest, weapons possession, theft, drunken driving and hunting abalone without proper paperwork, records show.

The new attempted-murder charges stem from a package bomb that exploded on June 10, 2004, when 27-year-old Parvoneh Leval picked up a box left on her boyfriend John Robles car. Leval was treated for severe cuts and bruises on her hand and arm.

Cutshall and Allen were killed sometime after nightfall on Aug. 14, 2004, and before sunrise Aug. 16, officials said. Their bodies were found in their sleeping bags Aug. 18. Both were shot in the head. Cutshall and Allen were killed just weeks before they were to return to the Midwest to get married.

Detectives on the case pursued a number of possible motives in the killings  from sexual assault to murder-suicide, all of which were ruled out.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
Avenfield reference trial against Nawaz Sharif-family entered final phase

ISLAMABAD: The Avenfield reference trial against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and members of his family has entered its final phase as the accountability court of Islamabad on Tuesday decided to issue questionnaires to the accused on Wednesday (today).



The court has decided to initiate the process under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in which the accused is given an opportunity to defend himself/herself before issuance of the final verdict.



Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir will formulate questionnaires for Mr Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law retired Captain Mohammad Safdar as an advanced intimation to their statements under Section 342 of the CrPC.



Head of the prosecution Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had requested the court that because all the prosecution witnesses in the Avenfield properties reference had testified before the court and had also been cross-examined, therefore it was necessary to proceed under Section 342 of the CrPC.



The counsel for the Sharif family, however, insisted that the court should initiate the process after recording of testimony of all the prosecution witnesses in the other two references, about Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment.



He pointed out that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Dec 4, 2017 had dismissed an application of Mr Sharif for joint trial and joint framing of charges in the three references. In the application, the counsel for Mr Sharif had expressed his apprehension that separate recording of statements in the three corruption references and cross-examination would expose their defence.



About this apprehension the IHC bench had said the petitioner could file an application with the trial court seeking joint cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses who were common in the three references.



Meanwhile, prosecution witness Wajid Zia, who was head of the Supreme Court-appointed joint investigation team (JIT), concluded his statement in the Al Azizia/Hill Metal Establishment (HME) reference.



Mr Zia testified that the total earnings of the Hill Metal Establishment (HME) from 2010 to 2015 were $9.9 million out of which Hussain Nawaz gifted $8.9m to Nawaz Sharif that is 88 per cent of profit of the HME. This showed that Mr Sharif was the significant beneficial owner of HME which was ostensibly owned by Hussain Nawaz but who was practically reduced to the status of Mr Sharifs Benamidar.



The witness told the court that the JIT asked Mr Hussain to provide financial statements and other documents like articles of memorandum of association and details of loans of HME to justify that he was able to gift huge sums of money to his father, but he did not. This led the JIT to conclude that HME was not in a position to gift huge sums of money which was why Mr Hussain was concealing the financial statements and other documents. Mr Zia said there was no correlation between the profit/loss and the amount being sent by Mr Hussain to his father in 2010. In 2010 HME made a profit of about $588,000 whereas Mr Hussain in the same year sent $1.5m to his father.



Mr Zia said that in 2015 HME suffered a loss of $1.5m whereas Mr Hussain in the same year gifted $2.1m to his father.
President Trump backed two successful U.S. Senate nominees, in Pennsylvania and Nebraska, which were among four states holding primaries Tuesday.

The primaries began to settle swing-state Pennsylvanias chaotic congressional landscape after a court fight ended with redrawn districts just three months ago.

Heres a look at some of the races:

Trumps picks prevail: Two of the presidents favored candidates, Lou Barletta in Pennsylvania and Deb Fischer in Nebraska, won their U.S. Senate primaries.

Barletta, a congressman, was heavily favored over state Rep. Jim Christiana to become the Republican challenger for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is seeking a third term in November. Fischer, the incumbent, defeated four GOP challengers and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska. Her Democratic opponent is Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould.

Barletta was a Trump supporter before the 2016 presidential nomination was settled. The loyalty won him Trumps early support in the Senate race, as well as recorded telephone calls last weekend featuring the president backing Barletta fully, strongly and proudly.

Gains for women: Pennsylvania could send at least three women to Congress next year, breaking the all-male hold on the states 18-member U.S. House delegation.

Mary Gay Scanlon won a 10-way Democratic primary and Madeleine Dean won a three-way Democratic primary on Tuesday night for two suburban Philadelphia seats that are likely to flip to Democrats following a court-ordered redrawing of the states congressional district boundaries.

Meanwhile, Chrissy Houlahan is the uncontested Democratic nominee for another suburban Philadelphia seat where shes heavily favored in November.

Incumbent falls: Mike Stack became the first holder of the Pennsylvania lieutenant governors office to lose in a primary election.

John Fetterman, the mayor of Braddock, won the five-way Democratic Party primary race for lieutenant governor, meaning he will run on a ticket with Gov. Tom Wolf in the fall.

Stack, a former Philadelphia state senator, has had a chilly relationship with Wolf in their first term together.

Centrist emerges in Oregon: State Rep. Knute Buehler has emerged from a crowded primary to capture the Republican nomination for Oregon governor.

Buehler, who ran for secretary of state in 2012, was the most centrist of the Republican front-runners. He was among 10 GOP candidates in the primary.

However, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown remains the favorite to win in November.

Ashley Thomas and Marc Levy are Associated Press writers.
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The www.prepaway.com/comptia-certification-exams.html is purposely designed to assist you have more understanding as far as the world of Information Technology is concerned. It is a done deal if you are thinking of adding value to your IT profession. Better still, it is equally good for those who are working in allied fields. Also, the CompTIA IT Fundamentals certificate is a stepping stone to the advanced certifications, including CompTIA A+, CompTIA Security+, and CompTIA Network+. Therefore, with the FC0-U51 exam, you will have the credential on the introduction to the basic knowledge of IT and skills that can assists the professionals to take decision whether a profession in IT is right for you or you need to develop a wider knowledge on IT.



The course objectives of the CompTIA IT Fundamentals FC0-U51 exam consist of comprehensive modules in the following areas, including:



 Hardware

 Software

 Security

 Networking

 Basic IT Literacy



CompTIA IT Fundamentals Exam: Target Audience



The CompTIA FC0-U51 exam is intended for the individuals dreaming to work in the IT industry, most especially those with a support or technician role. It is also available for all learners off all academic backgrounds. You do not need any prior experience before sitting for this exam. The IT Fundamentals credential is awarded to a successful candidate who will pass the FC0-U51 examination. This course will be highly beneficial to the following set of people:



 Students considering a profession in IT industry

 Field service technician

 Desktop support technician

 Helpdesk technician

 First line support engineer

 IT support technician

 Hardware installation coordinator

 Professionals working in the industries that needed a broad knowledge of IT

 Marketing, operation staff and sales in the organizations based on Information Technology



CompTIA IT Fundamentals Exam: Structure



The duration of the FC0-U51 exam is an hour. The certification test consists of 75 multiple-choice questions and an individual must score 650 marks before he/she can get certified. In this exam, you will be tested on the foundational IT concepts topics, such as:



 Identifying and explaining PC components

 Installing software

 Establishing network connectivity

 Preventing security risks



The IT Fundamentals exam is programmed in various languages, including English, Portuguese, Japanese, Spanish, Korean, German, traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese. Note that you do not need to have any prior experience before taken part in this certification examination. For those who are considering a career in IT and other field related to computer, there are no particular prerequisites needed to successfully enroll for this certification program. It has been assumed by CompTIA that you do not have much knowledge about the way computer and its software work or how it is being used. Although, those that have little experience on how to use keyboard and mouse will be helpful but it is not imperative.



CompTIA is very proud to provide you with high standard study materials that comprise over two decades of experience in assisting the learners to prepare for IT FC0-U51 exam successfully. The CompTIA study guide material was purposely designed to assist you in getting the adequate knowledge and skills to assemble and use a PC at home safely. Also, it is designed to keep your PC in good working manner, offer intimate support for computers and a simple PC networks to your friends in a small business and at the same time prepare for the CompTIA A+ certification exam.



If you have thoroughly read the certification study guide material very well, you should be able to do the following:



 Set up a digital computer running Windows and use fundamental software applications.

 Have the knowledge of the functions and different types of the devices used in a PC system.

 Make use of fundamental principles of PC maintenance and support.

 Configure PCs and mobile devices to link home networks and to the Internet.

 Know the security problems that are affecting the use of PCs and networks.



CompTIA IT Fundamentals Exam: Topics to Learn



1. IT Concepts & Terminology: It covers the notional systems, illustration of the basics of computing, and the details of the data value and troubleshooting.







2. Infrastructure: You should have the knowledge of how to assemble and install the common peripheral devices to a PC or a laptop or better still; get a basic wireless network.





3. Applications and Software:





4. Software Development: It covers the programming language sections; interpret logic and knowledge of the reason behind the programming concepts.





5. Database Fundamentals: It shows the ability to describe the database concepts in details, structures, purpose, and knowledge of the methods used to the port.





6. Security: It covers the understanding of availability, integrity, and confidentiality concerns of getting best practice methods.





Why Is CompTIA IT Fundamentals (FC0-U51) Exam Unique?





 It establishes the framework of an IT education for the students who are in the middle school and those in high school.

Conclusion


SAN FRANCISCO  Many San Francisco renters I met while reporting an article on affordable housing lotteries had responded to the regions housing crisis by putting up with great discomfort: They crammed in with family; they split apartments with strangers. Some even lived out of their cars.

Why, lots of readers wanted to know, didnt they simply move away instead?

Many have. High-cost California has long been losing domestic population to migration, particularly its poorer residents (who head to cheaper places like Arizona, Nevada and Texas).

And in the countrys most expensive metropolitan areas, according to an analysis this year by Issi Romem, BuildZooms chief economist, the people moving in have significantly higher incomes than those moving out. Thats consistent with the notion that those who cant afford expensive places are leaving them, changing the makeup of these regions over time.

But for the poorest renters  making less than 30 percent of a regions median income  there is a shortage of affordable housing virtually everywhere in America. Moving, itself expensive, isnt guaranteed to solve their problem. A cheaper housing market may indicate that a region has fewer jobs. And low-skilled jobs in a city like San Francisco pay some of the highest wages in the country; the minimum wage here is twice what it is in much of America, a real benefit that weighs against the high housing costs.

For many, however, the calculation about whether to leave is not primarily about economics.

Before readers raised the issue, I posed the same question to Mya Mack, whom I first met at the public lottery last fall for Natalie Gubb Commons, a new 95-unit affordable housing development in San Francisco that drew 6,580 applicants.

She had been looking for housing since the summer, when she left an affordable apartment for a relationship that didnt work out. She and her 7-year-old daughter, Jaiya, then moved in with her mother, a niece and two nephews  back into the now-crowded house where she was raised.

Mack, who works as a phlebotomist, applied to every housing opportunity she could find. She checked the citys online affordable housing site on her phone as reflexively as she looked at Facebook. She questioned construction workers when she saw what looked like new apartments rising around town. But when I asked if she had ever considered moving somewhere much cheaper, that solution was off the table.

It would be foolish for me to do that, because I would be struggling, she said. Not financially. But I would be struggling with my daughter. Whos going to baby-sit? And Im a single mom.

She envisioned the situation from Jaiyas perspective. My daughter would hate it, she said.

Mack grew up the youngest in a close-knit family of five sisters in the Ingleside neighborhood on the southern edge of San Francisco. Family members still live near one another and see each other almost daily. Jaiya goes to school with her cousins. Mack takes her to the same park where she played as a child.

People who struggle financially often have valuable social networks  family to help with child care, acquaintances who know of jobs. The prospect of dropping into, say, Oklahoma or Georgia would mean doing without the good income and the social support. Those intangible connections that keep people in places with bad economies also keep people in booming regions where the rent is too high.

For Mack, her mothers home was overcrowded but happy. She did not have a bedroom door to close for privacy, but she had enough that she and her daughter could afford to keep waiting for their own home.

A lot of people dont have family they can call and say, Excuse me, can I live there for a year?' Mack said. I count my blessings all the time because I do have somewhere to go.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

The San Francisco Police Department could see major changes in the coming years, as Mayor Mark Farrell today announced a two-year budget proposal with more than $34 million going toward public safety investments.

According to the plan, the $34.2 million in funding would go toward hiring of an additional 250 sworn police personnel over the next four years, supporting ongoing police reforms and the purchase of new equipment and vehicles.

"This budget proposal will provide our Police Department with the resources it needs to succeed while we work with our communities to ensure a collaborative, cooperative approach to public safety," Farrell said in a statement.

As part of the hiring plan, 130 new officers are already set to enter the police academy in the next fiscal year. The extra officers will provide increased opportunities for promotions within the department, including 20 sergeant and two lieutenant positions that will be added to the command roster.

The funding will also go toward shifting highly trained civilians into positions typically held by sworn officers, allowing for the department to redeploy the sworn members.

With more officers available, the department hopes to increase citywide foot patrols, add investigation teams to stations to allow for staffing everyday, including weekends, and expand the department's burglary and serial crime units.

The new hires will also help support the Healthy Streets Operation Center, a response program made up of different city agencies responding to homelessness, behavioral health issues and drug use incidents on the city's streets, according to the mayor's office.

"This commitment from Mayor Farrell will enable and empower the hardworking men and women of the San Francisco Police Department to better address the evolving public safety needs of our city," Police Chief William Scott said in a statement.

"By providing for the additional deployment of 250 sworn members, funding for the much-needed equipment and other crime reduction efforts, we can continue to meet the challenges facing San Francisco and advance our mission of providing safety with respect for all in our city," Scott said.

In addition to the hiring plan, $7.5 million of the budget will go toward the purchase of 130 new police vehicles, $1.7 will go toward police reform efforts and community engagement initiatives. Also, $3 million will go toward obtaining new Tasers.

In March, the city's Police Commission voted to approve a policy for the use of Tasers, which could be implemented by the end of the year.

The police reform efforts are part of set of 272 recommendations provided by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2016, involving use-of-force.

"For decades, the SFPD has been understaffed, leaving them without the ability to combat crime and the related social issues due to the lack of personnel and the need for the current officers to respond to calls for service," Police Commission President Thomas Mazzucco said in a statement.

"Strategic and fair policing require highly trained officers with the necessary equipment to address the issues impacting our city and making our streets safe for our residents and visitors," he said.
SANTA ROSA (BCN)

The Sonoma County District Attorney's Office has charged a Forestville man with the murders of a Midwest couple on a secluded beach near Jenner in 2004.

Shaun Gallon, 39, was charged Friday with killing Lindsay Cutshall, 22, of Ohio, and Jason Allen, 26, of Michigan, around Aug. 18, 2004. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office had announced his arrest in the case on May 5, 2017.

The Sonoma Coast beach murder charges are included in a first amended complaint that also charges Gallon with the shooting murder of his brother Shamus Michael Gallon, 36, in Forestville on March 24, 2017, and the attempted murder bombing of John Robles and/or Paroneh Level in Guerneville on June 10, 2004.

The complaint states an assault rifle was used in all three slayings. Detectives talked to Gallon after his arrest for his brother's murder, and he told them information only Cutshall's and Allen's killer would know, according to the sheriff's office.

Cutshall and Allen were in California working at a Christian youth whitewater rafting camp in El Dorado County in August 2004. They went on a three-day sightseeing trip in Northern California that included a visit to Fish Head Beach near Jenner. Their bodies were found in their sleeping bags on Aug. 18.

In the earlier case from 2004, Robles and Level were in a relationship, and it's believed the bomb was intended for Robles. The device exploded when Level moved the package containing the device after it was left on top of a vehicle, prosecutors said. Level suffered hand, arm and facial injuries.

Shamus Gallon was shot and died in the family's home in the 9800 block of River Road. The brothers' mother reported the shooting to the sheriff's office and informed them Shaun Gallon was driving a Ford Aerostar minivan. Gallon was taken into custody at a convenience market.

The three murders and the attempted murder were consolidated in one complaint because they are the same class of crimes and the evidence in the murder cases are "cross-admissible," Chief Deputy District Attorney Spencer Brady said this morning.

"It was not our goal to have separate trials," Brady said.

Gallon appeared in court Monday but did not enter a plea. His next Sonoma County Superior Court date is June 19 for plea and setting of a preliminary hearing on the charges.
A panel of U.S. appeals court judges appeared to give a cool reception Tuesday to a government lawyer who urged them to overturn a preliminary injunction by a federal judge in San Francisco that protected undocumented young immigrants from deportation.

Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General Hashim Mooppan sought to persuade the three judges of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that courts don't have the power to review last year's decision by the administration of President Donald Trump to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA.

Mooppan contended that closing the program was within the discretion of the executive branch, outside the purview of the courts.

"Rescinding DACA was a discretionary enforcement decision," he told the court.

But Judges Kim Wardlaw and Jacqueline Nguyen questioned him closely about why the court shouldn't be able to review the action, while the third judge, John Owens, indicated he was concerned about whether the action violated the constitutional guarantee of equal treatment.

Nguyen also asked how much the court should take into account that DACA recipients have been relying on the program for more than five years.

"You've got thousands of people who have built their lives around the benefits conferred by this program," she said.

The panel took the case under submission after hearing an hour and 15 minutes of arguments in its Pasadena courtroom. It will issue a written ruling at a later date.

DACA, established by President Barack Obama in 2012, has enabled nearly 700,000 undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children to apply for renewable two-year work permits and postponements of deportation.

The government is appealing a preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District William Alsup of San Francisco in January. It requires the government to continue granting renewals for existing DACA recipients but does not require acceptance of new applications.

Alsup ruled in five lawsuits filed in federal court in San Francisco and San Jose to challenge the cancellation of DACA. They were filed by the University of California; the state of California and three other states; the city of San Jose; six individuals; and Santa Clara County together with the Service Employees International Union.

At least five other lawsuits were filed in other courts around the country after the Trump administration announced in September it would phase out DACA beginning in March.

Alsup's preliminary injunction is the first to go before a federal appeals court.

Another federal trial judge in Brooklyn, New York, issued a similar nationwide preliminary injunction in February in a lawsuit filed by 16 states led by New York.

Arguments in that case are expected to be heard by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this summer.

Conflicting rulings by the various courts would increase the likelihood that the Supreme Court will eventually decide the dispute.

In the meantime, if one injunction is upheld at the circuit level, it will remain in force nationwide even if the other one is not affirmed, according to lawyers for the University of California.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

A federal judge in San Francisco today struck down an attempt by the city of Oakland to ban the shipment of up to 5 million metric tons of coal per year through a planned terminal at the former Oakland Army Base.

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria said the City Council lacked legally sufficient substantial evidence when it concluded in 2016 that large coal shipments would endanger residents' health and safety.

A finding of danger to residents was the only way the city could modify a 2013 contract it reached with Oakland Bulk & Oversized Terminal LLC, or OBOT, to build a bulk goods terminal on the former base.

The contract allowed Oakland to apply new regulations to the project if "substantial evidence" showed a "substantial danger" to public health and safety.

Although the 2013 contract didn't specify the type of goods shipped, by 2014 it became widely known that the developers planned to transport coal from states such as Wyoming and Utah on trains as long as 104 cars to Oakland for transfer to ships for export to Asia, according to Chhabria's ruling. The amount could be up to 5 million metric tons, he said.

In the summer of 2016, the City Council passed a law banning the shipment, handling and storage of coal in the city and also passed a resolution applying that law retroactively to the planned terminal. It found that the dangers, especially to residents of West Oakland, included increased air pollution and risk of combustion of the coal.

OBOT then sued the city in federal court for trying to break the contract, arguing there was no substantial evidence of danger.

Chhabria held a three-day nonjury trial in January and issued his verdict today, striking down the resolution and saying the evidence the council relied on was weak and flawed.

"In fact, the record is riddled with inaccuracies, major evidentiary gaps, erroneous assumptions, and faulty analyses, to the point that no reliable conclusion about health or safety dangers could be drawn from it," Chhabria wrote.

"Perhaps a more thorough investigation could result in a lawful determination that coal operations may be restricted at the facility, but in this case, the record was inadequate," the judge said.

Among other problems, Chhabria said, the city's science consultants failed to account for the possible beneficial effects of train car covers or chemical sprays to hold in the coal dust, or for the ability of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to regulate air pollution.

In a statement, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said, "This is a fight for the health of our community. This is a fight for environmental justice and equity. Oakland's most vulnerable communities have unfairly suffered the burden of pollutants and foul air for too long. We will continue to fight this battle on all fronts."

The decision could be appealed. Alex Katz, chief of staff to City Attorney Barbara Parker, said, "We are reviewing the ruling and will discuss our options with the City Council.

"The court's ruling is disappointing," Katz said. "The city takes its responsibility to protect the health and safety of residents very seriously, particularly children whose health will be directly impacted by storage, handling and shipping of coal and coke through our neighborhoods."

In a statement, Ted Franklin, an organizer with the No Coal in Oakland campaign said, "We disagree with the judge's decision, but this is only a temporary setback. We are part of a broad movement that opposes construction of a coal terminal in Oakland and we will fight as long as it takes."

The Sierra Club and San Francisco Baykeeper, which were allowed by Chhabria to join the case on the side of Oakland, expressed dismay in a joint statement.

Sierra Club attorney Jessica Loarie said, "The city acted in response to serious concerns about air quality from West Oakland residents, which is an area that is already struggling with severe air pollution.

"We are deeply disappointed to see this sensible, legal ban on handling and storing coal overturned," she said.

A lawyer for OBOT was not immediately available for comment.
SANTA CLARA (BCN)

A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge announced Tuesday that he believes Santa Clara's at-large voting system violates the California Voting Rights Act and has impaired the Asian-American population from getting elected.

Santa Clara registered voters Ladonna Yumori Kaku, Michael Kaku, Wesley Kazuo Mukoyama, Umar Kumal and Herminio Hernando filed a complaint against the city in October after attorney Robert Rubin notified the jurisdiction four times that his clients believed the system caused vote dilution.

The basis of Rubin's argument was rooted in the fact that not a single Asian-American had been elected in Santa Clara since 1951. He said the city had denied the community of its constitutional rights.

The plaintiffs proved by a "preponderance of the evidence" that the at-large method had failed the demographic as a result of dilution, Judge Thomas Kuhnle wrote in his formal proposed decision.

Kuhnle said he went through statistical data provided by Rubin's expert J. Morgan Kousser and found proof of racially polarized voting in five of the Santa Clara City Council elections from 2002 to 2016.

He also found it indisputable that no Asians have been elected to the City Council, despite at least one member of the community running for the last 10 elections.

Kuhnle said he also took historical discrimination of the Asian community into account while making his decision, noting that they had suffered because of it in areas such as education, employment and health, which "hinder their ability to participate effectively in the political process."

The city's attorneys have 15 days to submit an objection to the ruling, Kuhnle said.

Threats of similar lawsuits have prompted other cities in the Bay Area and elsewhere in California to change from the at-large election system to district elections.

Santa Clara city representatives said during liability phase hearings in the trial in April that the city has been working for the last 18 months on a proposal to split the at-large system into two districts.

The proposed system would direct each district to elect three councilmembers at-large for the six-person City Council. The measure, known as Measure A, is on the city's June 5 ballot.

Rubin and the residents he represents do not agree with that proposal, saying they believe it still constitutes an at-large system that would violate the Voting Rights Act.

"It's only trying to retain the power they have," Mukoyama, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said on the day the liability phase of the trial ended. "I continue to feel like this is an apartheid answer."

Mukoyama suggested six districts, one for each council seat.
BERKELEY (BCN)

A federal judge has ruled in favor of the city of Berkeley in its lengthy and complicated effort to stop the U.S. Postal Service from selling the historic main post office building in the city's downtown to someone who would use it for commercial purposes.

The saga began in 2012, when the Postal Service said it wanted to sell the building at 2000 Allston Way-which was built in 1914 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places-as part of a plan to sell hundreds of post offices across the country because it faced financial problems.

The city filed suit to stop the Postal Service from selling the building but a judge dismissed the suit.

In 2014 the city countered by creating what it called the Civic Center District Overlay, which restricts the use of nine buildings clustered around Civic Center Park, including the post office, Old City Hall, the Veteran's Memorial Building, the YMCA and other buildings, to civic or nonprofit uses.

The Postal Service fought back by filing a lawsuit against the city, claiming that the city had singled it out, thereby violating the supremacy clause of the Constitution, and that the creation of the overlay made the post office building impossible to sell by significantly reducing its value.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge William Alsup rejected the Postal Service's arguments, ruling that it "had established no entitlement to relief on its claims."

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, who authored the overlay ordinance, said in a statement, "Historic preservation is a quintessential local matter. This decision confirms that local governments have wide latitude to protect vital historic resources without interference from the federal government."

According to city of Berkeley officials, Alsup disposed of the claim that the overlay prevented the sale of the post office based on the fact that the building "continues to retain considerable value in the real estate market" despite the overlay.

Berkeley City Attorney Farimah Brown said, "The city is not unsympathetic to the Postal Service's budget challenges. But the Constitution does not preclude the city from exercising its traditional police powers to guard its historic resources."
NOVATO (BCN)

Novato police are investigating reports of gunfire in the San Marin area this morning.

Police received four calls about gunshots around 11:25 a.m. Officers heard what sounded like gunshots in the distance but could not determine the location,.

Officers remained in the area to try to triangulate the location as other officers searched the area and went to schools as a precaution. There was no threat to schools or a need to shelter in place, police said.

A California Highway Patrol helicopter searched open spaces but the source of the gunfire was not located.

Anyone with information about the gunfire is asked to call Novato police at (415) 897-4361.
A man accused of felony fiscal elder abuse and filing false documents in a case involving an 80-year-old victim he was supposed to help find placement in a board and care facility was found guilty Tuesday afternoon, according to San Mateo County prosecutors.

Muath Zghoul, 35, was arrested after the 80-year-old victim was admitted to a hospital on April 7, 2016.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors at its meeting Tuesday declined to reappoint two Police Commission members nominated by Mayor Mark Farrell in advance of next month's mayoral election.

The 6-5 vote leaves the commission with only four current members, meaning it doesn't have a quorum to meet for the time being.

The blow to the commission comes as the city is in the middle of the June 5 mayoral election campaign and use-of-force policy reforms are taking place at its Police Department.

"I will not be able to support Sonia Melara or Joseph Marshall to be reappointed to the Police Commission," Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer said at the meeting. "With all due respect, I strongly feel approval of mayoral appointments, only three weeks before voters cast their vote for the next mayor of San Francisco, is premature."

Following the death of Mayor Ed Lee in December, Farrell was chosen by the board to serve as mayor until the June 5 election, in which he is not running. Board president London Breed, Supervisor Jane Kim, former state Sen. Mark Leno and former supervisor Angela Alioto are among the candidates seeking the seat.

"I believe it's imperative we pause and allow the new mayor who will be sworn in July to weigh in on these critical decisions. The Police Commission is one of the most powerful commissions in the city of San Francisco and we need to make sure decisions for appointment are made with careful thought and intention," Fewer said.

"In light of the unanimous decision to approve major police reforms and in light of the possible departure of our chief of police, this is simply not the time to approve these appointments," Fewer said, referring to speculation that police Chief Bill Scott is vying for the position of chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.

In a statement, Farrell said, "I am extremely disappointed that the Board of Supervisors decided to politicize the appointment process of the Police Commission at such a crucial time in our city."

"Without these appointments, the Police Commission lacks quorum and cannot meet. Citizen oversight of the Police Department is not occurring. We will not have a full commission until September, due to the politicization of these nominees," he said.

"In rejecting Commissioners Melara and Marshall, the Board has halted the critical work of overseeing implementation of police reforms. This includes institutionalizing our new-use-of force policies, training for Tasers, partnerships with the California Department of Justice and officer discipline cases," Farrell said.

The reforms taking place at the Police Department are part of a set of 272 recommendations made by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2016 involving use-of-force.

Earlier this year, former Commissioner Bill Ong Hing chose not to seek reappointment, as did former Commission President Julius Turman, who passed away Sunday.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

The group Palestine Action Network is organizing a demonstration in San Francisco's Presidio Heights neighborhood this evening outside an event featuring former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who they are accusing of war crimes and human rights violations.

The rally is scheduled for 6 p.m. outside the Jewish Community Center at 3200 California St.

Barak is in San Francisco as part of a tour promoting his memoir "My Country, My Life: Fighting for Israel, Searching for Peace."

Barak was prime minister from 1999 to 2001, but he served as a soldier and a politician prior to that. Organizers of today's protest say he was instrumental in the effort to fragment the Palestinian people.

This evening's protest follows a Tuesday demonstration in the city in response to the recent killing of dozens of unarmed Palestinians by Israeli soldiers in Gaza as well as the Trump administration's decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
At least three people were killed and one person arrested after a multiple-vehicle traffic collision on northbound Interstate Highway 880 in Fremont on Tuesday night, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The three victims who have died in the five-vehicle collision - first reported around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday - have been initially identified as a female adult, a young adult in their teens and a juvenile, according to CHP Officer Manuel Leal. Their names haven't been released. Five others were taken to a local hospital, Leal said, including an infant who is in critical condition.

Leal said a man who was driving a white Toyota Camry was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of marijuana. His identity also hasn't been released. The driver of the Camry was reported to have been driving recklessly and at a high rate of speed prior to the collision, Leal said.

All lanes of the northbound Interstate Highway 880 freeway are still closed as of 4:30 a.m. today from Auto Mall Parkway to Stevenson Boulevard, Leal said. There is no estimated time of reopening and Leal expects the closure to be an extended one. The southbound lanes are unaffected by the collision.

A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday struck down an attempt by the city of Oakland to ban the shipment of up to 5 million metric tons of coal per year through a planned terminal at the former Oakland Army Base.

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria said the City Council lacked legally sufficient substantial evidence when it concluded in 2016 that large coal shipments would endanger residents' health and safety.

A finding of danger to residents was the only way the city could modify a 2013 contract it reached with Oakland Bulk & Oversized Terminal LLC, or OBOT, to build a bulk goods terminal on the former base.

The contract allowed Oakland to apply new regulations to the project if "substantial evidence" showed a "substantial danger" to public health and safety.

Although the 2013 contract didn't specify the type of goods shipped, by 2014 it became widely known that the developers planned to transport coal from states such as Wyoming and Utah on trains as long as 104 cars to Oakland for transfer to ships for export to Asia, according to Chhabria's ruling. The amount could be up to 5 million metric tons, he said.

In the summer of 2016, the City Council passed a law banning the shipment, handling and storage of coal in the city and also passed a resolution applying that law retroactively to the planned terminal. It found that the dangers, especially to residents of West Oakland, included increased air pollution and risk of combustion of the coal.

OBOT then sued the city in federal court for trying to break the contract, arguing there was no substantial evidence of danger.

Chhabria held a three-day nonjury trial in January and issued his verdict Tuesday, striking down the resolution and saying the evidence the council relied on was weak and flawed.

"In fact, the record is riddled with inaccuracies, major evidentiary gaps, erroneous assumptions, and faulty analyses, to the point that no reliable conclusion about health or safety dangers could be drawn from it," Chhabria wrote.

"Perhaps a more thorough investigation could result in a lawful determination that coal operations may be restricted at the facility, but in this case, the record was inadequate," the judge said.

Among other problems, Chhabria said, the city's science consultants failed to account for the possible beneficial effects of train car covers or chemical sprays to hold in the coal dust, or for the ability of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to regulate air pollution.

In a statement, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said, "This is a fight for the health of our community. This is a fight for environmental justice and equity. Oakland's most vulnerable communities have unfairly suffered the burden of pollutants and foul air for too long. We will continue to fight this battle on all fronts."

The decision could be appealed. Alex Katz, chief of staff to City Attorney Barbara Parker, said, "We are reviewing the ruling and will discuss our options with the City Council.

"The court's ruling is disappointing," Katz said. "The city takes its responsibility to protect the health and safety of residents very seriously, particularly children whose health will be directly impacted by storage, handling and shipping of coal and coke through our neighborhoods."

In a statement, Ted Franklin, an organizer with the No Coal in Oakland campaign said, "We disagree with the judge's decision, but this is only a temporary setback. We are part of a broad movement that opposes construction of a coal terminal in Oakland and we will fight as long as it takes."

The Sierra Club and San Francisco Baykeeper, which were allowed by Chhabria to join the case on the side of Oakland, expressed dismay in a joint statement.

Sierra Club attorney Jessica Loarie said, "The city acted in response to serious concerns about air quality from West Oakland residents, which is an area that is already struggling with severe air pollution.

"We are deeply disappointed to see this sensible, legal ban on handling and storing coal overturned," she said.

A lawyer for OBOT was not immediately available for comment.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon has partnered with Code for America to help automatically clear eligible marijuana-related convictions, a move he hopes will increase public safety by reducing barriers to employment and housing.

"Lack of access to employment and housing are two primary drivers of recidivism, so until we clear these records it's government that is effectively holding these people back and impeding public safety," Gascon said Tuesday in a statement.

His office has been working to dismiss misdemeanor marijuana convictions since January, and as of Monday they've prepared 962 motions. So far, 528 motions have been filed with San Francisco Superior Court and 428 have been granted.

Dismissing felony convictions, however, is a much more time intensive process since individual records need to be analyzed in order to determine eligibility.

The stated purpose of the partnership with Code for America is to develop software that allows the district attorney's office, or other government agencies, to automatically determine eligibility, fill out the required forms and generate a complete motion to dismiss in PDF format so it can be filed with the appropriate court.

They hope to apply it to nearly 5,000 felony marijuana convictions, dating back more than 40 years. This should save time and resources for the district attorney's office, and will proceed with no action required on the part of the people affected.

Code for America hopes to expand the pilot program to as many as five other counties in California, clearing 250,000 convictions by the end of next year.

Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor and local firefighters, police and prosecutors all echoed the same sentiment Tuesday at Santa Clara City Hall: Dominic Caserta did the right thing by stepping down as a councilmember and withdrawing from campaigning for a county supervisor seat.

While Gillmor said that Caserta's alleged sexual harassment and improper behavior left "a terrible stain on our city," it means that the Santa Clara City Council can move on.

Caserta, a 12-year city councilman and candidate for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 4 seat, issued a statement Tuesday morning saying he would no longer be an elected official capable of serving his constituents.

Caserta opened the letter with his political and professional track record, speaking about his efforts as a councilmember and a Santa Clara High School teacher and denied all accusations of harassment.

"I would never do anything to harm the health and wellness of my family, my students, my school district or our city," he said in his statement.

Gillmor announced Monday that nine police reports had been filed against Caserta since the city sent out a request to the community asking possible victims to come forth and report him.

Gillmor spoke in her statement about her personal connection to the claims since she has children the same age as Caserta's accusers.

"I feel sorry for what you may have experienced," Gillmor said. "But I also commend you for your courage. It's not easy for anyone, especially young adults and minors, to stand up to people in positions of power."

Santa Clara Unified School District assistant superintendent Andrew Lucia said Monday that Caserta was still employed by the school district.

Gillmor said the process to replace Caserta on the City Council will be discussed at its meeting on Tuesday.

The mayor also said that while Caserta will not be censured because he resigned, a censure policy was going to be discussed at Tuesday night's meeting in the case that similar allegations surface with another councilmember.

"We've never needed this in the past, but it looks like we might need it for the future," Gillmor said.

Members of the San Jose Police Officers' Association, San Jose Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 230 and the Santa Clara County Government Attorneys Association also spoke out Tuesday to condemn Caserta's alleged actions and encourage former San Jose councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio to follow in Caserta's footsteps and withdraw his candidacy for Supervisor Ken Yeager's seat.

Oliverio faced sexual harassment allegations in 2014 after former staffer Denelle Fedor filed a lawsuit against him. Police association president Paul Kelly described the allegations as "containing a litany of verbal abuse and plain creepy conversations."

Caserta's former campaign manager Ian Crueldad originally reported his alleged inappropriate actions in relation to a female campaign volunteer. Crueldad spoke again in front of the media Tuesday, saying he was pleased to see the show of support he received when he reported the misconduct.

"I cannot sit idly by and let women get treated this way," Crueldad said. "The more of us that say something, the better our community will be."

The law enforcement officials said men should be aware and report any acts of sexual harassment or abuse "whenever and wherever it's observed" and should be held accountable if they do not do so.

"No excuses, no cover up," Kelly said. "We as a society must do better. Men must do better."

Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, and Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, Tuesday emphasized the importance of two pieces of legislation that aim to tackle a backlog of untested rape kits in California.

A rape kit, or sexual assault kit, is a voluntary exam for victims directly after an attack occurs. The process can take up to six hours and collects DNA evidence from the victim's clothing and body.

Senate Bill 1449 will mandate that new rape kits are submitted to law enforcement within 20 days and tested no later than 120 days after they're received, and Assembly Bill 3118 will require an audit to determine how many rape kits are untested in California. Both were introduced on Feb. 16.

Leyva said SB 1449 makes one critical amendment to existing law -- that law enforcement "shall" follow listed time frames for testing kits, rather than "should" follow. It also includes a budget request of $2 million to fund the testing, according to Leyva.

Authorities do not know exactly how many rape kits are untested, but advocacy group End the Backlog has analyzed law enforcement records to find more than 13,000 untested kits in California.

Law enforcement officials might neglect to test rape kits when they believe it is unnecessary, Chiu said. This could include a case where the perpetrator turns themselves in to the police.

Chiu said, however, that rape kits are an importance part of evidence gathering and could connect a perpetrator to multiple crimes.

Natasha Alexenko, a survivor of sexual assault and founder of the Natasha Project, said she was unaware her rape kit went untested for nearly 15 years.

Her perpetrator committed a string of crimes across the nation during that time period and she said she blamed herself for "every other victim this monster created."

She said the perpetrator was finally arrested after law enforcement officials tested her rape kit.

"I want to be one of the last people that gets up here behind a podium and tells you that ... even though their body was a crime scene, their rape kit sat and collected dust," Alexenko said.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley is sponsoring the legislative package. As a college student, she assisted women at a rape crisis center in Contra Costa County.

She said the rape kit of one victim, untested for several years, was later connected to the Golden State Killer. Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, was arrested in Sacramento on April 24 due to DNA evidence.

"If that doesn't convince them, nothing will," Leyva said, answering a question about DeAngelo's arrest. "I think it just shows that DNA catches bad guys."

O'Malley added that Alameda County law enforcement were able to purge a backlog of 1,900 untested rape kits collected over 15 years after they audited their inventory. Some perpetrators are now being prosecuted for their crimes, she said.

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has also pushed for funding to test rape kits this year.

"It's about time," O'Malley said about the push for legislation to ensure justice for sexual assault survivors. "Enough is enough."

The San Francisco Police Department could see major changes in the coming years, as Mayor Mark Farrell Tuesday announced a two-year budget proposal with more than $34 million going toward public safety investments.

According to the plan, the $34.2 million in funding would go toward hiring of an additional 250 sworn police personnel over the next four years, supporting ongoing police reforms and the purchase of new equipment and vehicles.

"This budget proposal will provide our Police Department with the resources it needs to succeed while we work with our communities to ensure a collaborative, cooperative approach to public safety," Farrell said in a statement.

As part of the hiring plan, 130 new officers are already set to enter the police academy in the next fiscal year. The extra officers will provide increased opportunities for promotions within the department, including 20 sergeant and two lieutenant positions that will be added to the command roster.

The funding will also go toward shifting highly trained civilians into positions typically held by sworn officers, allowing for the department to redeploy the sworn members.

With more officers available, the department hopes to increase citywide foot patrols, add investigation teams to stations to allow for staffing everyday, including weekends, and expand the department's burglary and serial crime units.

The new hires will also help support the Healthy Streets Operation Center, a response program made up of different city agencies responding to homelessness, behavioral health issues and drug use incidents on the city's streets, according to the mayor's office.

"This commitment from Mayor Farrell will enable and empower the hardworking men and women of the San Francisco Police Department to better address the evolving public safety needs of our city," Police Chief William Scott said in a statement.

"By providing for the additional deployment of 250 sworn members, funding for the much-needed equipment and other crime reduction efforts, we can continue to meet the challenges facing San Francisco and advance our mission of providing safety with respect for all in our city," Scott said.

In addition to the hiring plan, $7.5 million of the budget will go toward the purchase of 130 new police vehicles, $1.7 will go toward police reform efforts and community engagement initiatives. Also, $3 million will go toward obtaining new Tasers.

In March, the city's Police Commission voted to approve a policy for the use of Tasers, which could be implemented by the end of the year.

The police reform efforts are part of set of 272 recommendations provided by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2016, involving use-of-force.

"For decades, the SFPD has been understaffed, leaving them without the ability to combat crime and the related social issues due to the lack of personnel and the need for the current officers to respond to calls for service," Police Commission President Thomas Mazzucco said in a statement.

"Strategic and fair policing require highly trained officers with the necessary equipment to address the issues impacting our city and making our streets safe for our residents and visitors," he said.

The Sutter Health system experienced systemwide connectivity issues Tuesday, affecting patient services at all of its 24 locations, some of which are in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The outage began at about 10:30 p.m. on Monday night, according to Sutter Health spokesman Dean Fryer. Emergency rooms are still operating normally but some surgeries and appointments have been rescheduled, according to Fryer.

"It's been a challenge across our entire Sutter Health System," he said. "Quite frankly, this is a situation we drill for."

Doctors and nurses are currently entering patient information manually in "downtime procedures," slowing down services throughout the hospital system. Because of this, patients in urgent need will receive priority.

Fryer said some life-sustaining technology is also affected, but life-saving and personal care systems do not rely on the internet to operate.

The hospital's internal information services team is working to fix the outage. Phone, security systems, email and other communication methods are either completely down or partially affected, Fryer said.

Patients are being told to arrive for their scheduled appointments unless someone has contacted them to specify otherwise.

Fryer did not know the specific issue that caused the malfunction, but said it had to do with a "fire suppression system." He was not able to provide further information, but said support teams are working diligently. Support teams were hoping to resolve the issue Tuesday.

A federal judge has ruled in favor of the city of Berkeley in its lengthy and complicated effort to stop the U.S. Postal Service from selling the historic main post office building in the city's downtown to someone who would use it for commercial purposes.

The saga began in 2012, when the Postal Service said it wanted to sell the building at 2000 Allston Way-which was built in 1914 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places-as part of a plan to sell hundreds of post offices across the country because it faced financial problems.

The city filed suit to stop the Postal Service from selling the building but a judge dismissed the suit.

In 2014 the city countered by creating what it called the Civic Center District Overlay, which restricts the use of nine buildings clustered around Civic Center Park, including the post office, Old City Hall, the Veteran's Memorial Building, the YMCA and other buildings, to civic or nonprofit uses.

The Postal Service fought back by filing a lawsuit against the city, claiming that the city had singled it out, thereby violating the supremacy clause of the Constitution, and that the creation of the overlay made the post office building impossible to sell by significantly reducing its value.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge William Alsup rejected the Postal Service's arguments, ruling that it "had established no entitlement to relief on its claims."

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, who authored the overlay ordinance, said in a statement, "Historic preservation is a quintessential local matter. This decision confirms that local governments have wide latitude to protect vital historic resources without interference from the federal government."

According to city of Berkeley officials, Alsup disposed of the claim that the overlay prevented the sale of the post office based on the fact that the building "continues to retain considerable value in the real estate market" despite the overlay.

Berkeley City Attorney Farimah Brown said, "The city is not unsympathetic to the Postal Service's budget challenges. But the Constitution does not preclude the city from exercising its traditional police powers to guard its historic resources."
Turkey ordered Israeli ambassador to leave

Turkey and Israel on Tuesday ordered envoys to leave in tit-for-tat moves and exchanged bitter accusations as a row over the Israeli armys killing of dozens of Palestinians threatened a 2016 reconciliation deal.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit back at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Twitter by calling Israel an apartheid state as Ankara ordered the Israeli ambassador to leave.



Eitan Naeh was summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry and told to return to his country for a period of time, said a foreign ministry official who asked not to be named.



Israel responded by ordering the Turkish consul in Jerusalem to leave for an unspecified period of time, its foreign ministry said.



Naeh had only been in his post since December 2016 after a reconciliation deal earlier that year ended a dispute over the May 2010 deadly storming of a Turkish ship by Israeli commandos that saw relations downgraded for more than half a decade.



That deal was strongly backed by the United States, which was keen to see Israel make up with one of its very few key Muslim partners.



Turkey had already called back its ambassador to Tel Aviv  as well as its envoy to Washington  for consultations over the killing of 60 Palestinians by Israeli forces along the Gaza border on Monday.



Ankara has reacted with fury to the killings, which came on the same day as the US formally moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.



Erdogan, currently on a visit to Britain, had on Monday stepped up his rhetoric, accusing Israel of state terror and genocide over the killings.



Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back at Erdogan, with a tweeted jibe in Hebrew that as a leading supporter of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas theres no doubt hes an expert on terror and slaughter.



Responding on Twitter in English, Erdogan said: Netanyahu is the PM of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenceless peoples lands for 60+ yrs in violation of UN resolutions.



He has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and cant cover up crimes by attacking Turkey, he added.



In a later tweet titled Reminder to Netanyahu, Erdogan denied that Hamas is a terror group, saying it is a resistance movement that defends the Palestinian homeland against an occupying power.



After talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May, Erdogan warned that history will not forgive Israel or the US for moving the American embassy to Jerusalem in defiance of outrage in the Islamic world.



America says I am strong and so I am right. No, you are not right, Erdogan said.



While Turkey under Erdogan has never completely severed ties with Israel, the Turkish strongman has also never shied away from the strongest criticism.



He famously walked out of a January 2009 debate in Davos with then Israeli president Shimon Peres, complaining he was not given enough time to respond and repeatedly saying one minute.



Turkey began observing three days of national mourning on Tuesday declared by Erdogan for the Palestinian dead, with flags flying at half-mast and cultural events cancelled.



Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has urged Islamic countries to review their ties with Israel and said Ankara was calling an extraordinary summit of the worlds main pan-Islamic body, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in Istanbul on Friday.



Erdogan said in London that the meeting will give a very strong message to the world on the cause of the Palestinians.



Who might come is unclear, but in a possible bid to rally support for the summit, Erdogan spoke by telephone to Jordans King Abdullah and Malaysias 92-year-old new leader Mahathir Mohamad.



Erdogan regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause and last year hosted an OIC summit in Istanbul to denounce US President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital.



Yildirim said after Fridays summit a giant rally would be held at the vast Yenikapi meeting area in Istanbul under the slogan of Stop the Oppression to express solidarity with the Palestinians.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
courtesy Margaret Jenkins Dance Company

Next year, San Franciscos Margaret Jenkins Dance Company will celebrate its 45th anniversary season. But in preparation for the milestone, Artistic Director Margaret Jenkins joins forces with a group of longtime artistic collaborators to present Towards 45.

The show, which the company is calling an R&D presentation, explores ideas and concepts that the group is considering for the big anniversary season next year. Towards 45 mixes music, text, visual design and dance in a mobile performance that moves between studio spaces over the course of the evening.
3 1 of 3 John Hefti Show More Show Less 2 of 3 John Hefti Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Oakland Ballets annual black-tie spring gala raises money to support the companys wide breadth of community and artistic programming, like the Discover Dance initiative that provides education programs in East Bay schools.

The soiree on Saturday, May 19, is hosted in the historic chateau of Oaklands Bellevue Club on the shore of Lake Merritt. Cocktails, hors doeuvres and a three-course meal accompany an intimate performance to showcase highlights from the companys spring season, Scene and Heard.
The Kasoa District police have apprehended 35 women suspected to be engaging in prostitution at Kasoa and its environs in the Central Region.



The suspects, between the ages of 20 and 45 years, were arrested at two drinking spots (names withheld) in a swoop organised last Thursday.



When contacted, the outgoing Kasoa District Police Commander, Superintendent Stephen Kofi Ahiatafu, said the swoop was conducted to rid the area of criminal activities.



Intelligence gathered by the police has indicated that the suspected prostitutes were often used by armed robbers in their operations.



On Thursday at about 11:00 pm the personnel raided the two spots and apprehended the suspects, who are mainly from Benin, Nigeria, Liberia, Mali and some Ghanaians.



Superintendent Ahiatafu said they would be screened and the foreigners handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service to check their statuses and those who have overstayed or in the country illegally would be deported.



Meanwhile, he has cautioned women to refrain from prostitution because it is a criminal offence in Ghana.

Source: Daily Guide









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SOFIA, Bulgaria  European Union Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday derided the actions of the United States under President Trump as capricious, noting: Someone could even think with friends like that, who needs enemies?

As trans-Atlantic problems mount, Tusk is leading an EU summit to address the outstanding issues with the Trump administration, which center on the U.S. withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal and the threat to impose punitive trade sanctions on the 28-nation EU.

Listing the traditional problems facing Europe, ranging from the expanding power of China to the belligerence of Russia, Tusk said: We are witnessing today a new phenomenon, the capricious assertiveness of the American administration.

In unusually harsh terms, Tusk said Europe could no longer count on automatic help from Washington as Western allies in an increasingly troubled world.

Frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful to President Trump because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realize that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm, Tusk said, hours before the 28 leaders were to sit down for their summit dinner in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Europe exemplifies the use of multilateral international negotiations, to settle everything from global trade rules to the threat of Iran developing nuclear weapons.

Under Trump, the U.S. has walked out of the global Paris climate deal, is threatening to impose punitive tariffs based on national security on an ally like the EU, and has stirred Middle East politics by pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal and moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Raf Casert and Lorne Cook are Associated Press writers.
JERUSALEM  Israel celebrated the opening of Guatemalas new embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday as the Palestinians, infuriated by the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to the contested city, recalled their ambassadors to four European countries that had supported the move.

Israel has been buoyed by the new Jerusalem missions, which have infuriated the Palestinians. The opening of the U.S. Embassy on Monday was met with mass protests on the Gaza border, where Israeli troops killed nearly 60 Palestinians, triggering a wave of international condemnation.

The Palestinians, who seek East Jerusalem as capital of their hoped-for state, vehemently oppose the U.S. Embassys relocation from Tel Aviv, seeing it as a one-sided move that invalidates the U.S. as a Mideast peace broker.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said ambassadors to Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria were being called home for consultations after those countries sent envoys to a celebratory event held by Israels Foreign Ministry ahead of the U.S Embassy opening.

The European Union objected to the embassy move, but the four European countries broke with EU policy to attend the celebration.

We highly value our relations with all EU member states. Those relations are based on the commitment to international law, U.N. resolutions and human rights. Therefore we consider the participation in this event a contradiction to such values, said Amal Jadou, a Palestinian Foreign Ministry official.

Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. Israel considers Jerusalem its undivided capital, but nearly all countries have opted to maintain embassies in Tel Aviv because of the holy citys contested status.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales dedicated the embassy just two days after a high-powered American delegation marked the transfer of the U.S. Embassy.

Netanyahu said it was fitting, noting that Guatemala also followed the U.S. to be the second country to recognize Israel 70 years ago.

You were always among the first, he said at the ceremony.

At Wednesdays ceremony, Morales said his country was bringing a message of love, peace and fraternity to Israel. The Guatemalan Congress recently passed a law marking May 14 as Israel-Guatemala Friendship Day.

Aron Heller is an Associated Press writer.
1 Taliban attack: The Taliban launched attacks from multiple directions on a city in western Afghanistan early Tuesday, killing and wounding at least six security forces, officials said. Fared Bakhtawer, head of the Farah provincial council, said the insurgents overran several security checkpoints in the provincial capital of the same name. He said casualties were high among security forces, but couldnt provide a precise number. Afghan forces have struggled to combat the Taliban in recent years, as the insurgents have seized several districts across the country. The U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014, but they still provide support.

2 Last rebel enclave: Syrian government forces are in full control of the last rebel enclave in Syrias largest province after overpowering terrorism following the evacuation of thousands of armed men and civilians, an army officer told state-run TV Tuesday. The rebels have agreed to surrender the northern countryside of Homs province to the government under an agreement reached in early May. According to the deal, thousands of rebels and civilians who refuse to live under government control were to be evacuated to other rebel-held areas in the countrys north. Activists say more than 27,000 civilians and gunmen have left the northern countryside of Homs in the past days, the latest in a string of capitulation deals by the rebels around the country.
1 Islamic State attacks: Indonesian police on Wednesday shot dead four sword-wielding men who attacked a police headquarters in Sumatra, killing one officer, the latest in a spate of militant attacks across the Muslim-majority country. National police spokesman Setyo Wasisto said the men attacked officers after driving a minivan into Riau provinces police headquarters. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Suicide bombings Sunday and Monday in Surabaya, Indonesias second-largest city, killed 26 people, including 13 attackers. Two families carried out the attacks, using children as young as 7. The Islamic State also claimed responsibility for the Surabaya attacks.

2 Crimea bridge: A long-anticipated bridge linking Russias Taman Peninsula with Crimea has opened for regular traffic. Car traffic across the 11.8-mile bridge began Wednesday. A parallel railway bridge is set to be finished by the end of 2019. Russian President Vladimir Putin inaugurated the bridge this week across the Kerch Strait to the Crimean Peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The $3.6-billion project is intended to facilitate links with Crimea, which previously depended on a ferry crossing often interrupted by gales. Ukraine has blocked shipment of supplies via its territory.
WASHINGTON  The White House brushed aside threats by North Korea on Wednesday to cancel an upcoming summit meeting between President Trump and the Norths leader, Kim Jong Un, saying it was still hopeful the meeting will happen  but that Trump would be fine if it did not.

When Trump was asked Wednesday about the prospects for the summit to go off as planned, he was noncommittal, telling reporters in the Oval Office, Well have to see. Trump said he would still insist on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in the talks.

In its warning Wednesday, North Korea said Kim could withdraw from the meeting over Washingtons demand that it unilaterally abandon its nuclear arsenal.

U.S. officials acknowledged that the North appeared to be seeking to exploit a gap in the administrations messages about North Korea  between the hard-line views of national security adviser John Bolton and the more conciliatory tone of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

In a recent television interview, Bolton said North Korea should receive no benefits, including the lifting of sanctions, until it had surrendered its entire nuclear infrastructure.

Pompeo, by contrast, put the emphasis on the U.S. investment that would flow into North Korea if it agreed to relinquish its nuclear arsenal. He, too, said that the North would have to agree to complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization, the technical shorthand used by the administration to describe its bargaining position with Pyongyang.

The president has shifted between a hard-line and more conciliatory tone in his statements about the North. He has not yet responded to the warning Wednesday issued by the Norths first vice foreign minister, Kim Kye Gwan, which took direct aim at Bolton.

Few analysts said North Korea would ultimately go so far as to cancel the Singapore meeting. Rather, the threat to withdraw was an attempt to raise the price that Washington would have to pay to get any significant concessions on the Norths nuclear program, analysts said.

North Koreas abrupt change in tone began Wednesday, when it indefinitely postponed high-level talks with South

Mark Landler, Choe Sang-Hun and Jane Perlez are New York Times writers.
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LULA y su Pueblo



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Homenaje al genial Quino



Fueron ellos



Una imagen que resume



Tan bajo ha caido que se deja tocar el trasero?



Porky y el Nene (archiconocido narcotraficante)



Ladrones al poder



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Crazy



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Bolivia



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Eso es todo amigos!



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No More Trump



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La Marioneta se desinfla



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Serie Capitalismo



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Asi es!



Comerciantes o delincuentes



No pasaran!



Asi es la vida



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01/01/1959



La avaricia no tiene limites



AYUDA HUMANITARIA?



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Asi son las cosas



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El Chulo de Madrid



Cuando la policia se roba la democracia



Una imagen dice mas que mil palabras



La purita verdad



Asi gobierna la maldita burguesia



Mi pobre clase media



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Comparte La Colmena via twitter Twittear

Programa de la MUD



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Por que Trump no ataco Corea del Norte?



Hace 15 anos Por que la OEA no se pronuncio?



Una verguenza nacional



La luz que nos guia



La Union Europea Premio Nobel de la Paz?



Feudalismo ayer y hoy



Obama, el mentiroso



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Los ricos protestan, los pobres celebran



MARICORI Y OBAMA



Cuantas muertes este ano?



USA TODAY



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USA HOY (1)



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Cronologia de un agresor



Guarimbear en USA



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Primero Amargado



Dios los cria y ellos se juntan



USA hoy (III)



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USA hoy



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LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!


Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to speak with leaders of the European parliament next week about the data protection scandal that has engulfed his company - but might avoid a public testimony like the one he endured in the US.

The EU and British parliaments have been calling for Zuckerberg to submit to an on-air grilling since it emerged earlier this year that British political consultants Cambridge Analytica had been allowed to misuse the data of millions of Facebook users.

Mark Zuckerberg will face European politicians next week. Credit:Bloomberg

While Zuckerberg testified last month to the US Congress, he had long been noncommittal on his appearance in Europe, sending his chief technical officer to speak to the British parliament and delaying confirmation of any visit to Brussels.

On Wednesday, EU Parliament President Antonio Tajani confirmed that Zuckerberg "will be in Brussels as soon as possible, hopefully already next week" and would meet with parliamentary leaders and an expert on civil liberties and justice.
Myers third-quarter sales report card should read: Bad, but could have been worse. Though probably not much worse.

Sales are still falling, which is disaster for any retailer. But on a comparable store basis the decline was 3.1 per cent, with the market expecting a slightly larger fall.

Where to next? With sales down less than expected and a new CEO in the wings, Myer may have got a little reprieve. Credit:James Alcock

Wednesdays announcement marks the sixth consecutive quarterly decline for the department store owner. In the previous quarter to the end of January - the one that covers the all important Christmas period - sales fell by 3.6 per cent.

Executive chairman Garry Hounsell has made it abundantly clear that he was prepared to pump hard on discounting as a major lever to reverse the sales decline.
An indigenous group has launched a carbon fund that will support social and cultural causes, calling it a "boutique restaurant" alternative to the governments cheaper "McDonalds" offsets.

The Reducing Carbon Building Communities fund (RCBC), backed by the Aboriginal Carbon Fund, has been established to build connections between groups looking to become carbon neutral or offset their carbon output while also providing broader social benefits.

Companies buy carbon credits to act as offsets to reduce their comparative carbon emissions levels.

Aboriginal Carbon Fund general manager Rowan Foley said the creation of the private carbon credit trading fund gave the market an option other than standard offsets. It would allow companies buying Australian carbon credit units to make an impact beyond simply cutting their carbon emission levels.

"Its as though the government is McDonald's, theyve got a lot of burgers for cheap, whereas were like a boutique restaurant where it may cost more but youre getting better quality," Mr Foley said.
Brisbane's startup sector has "rocketed ahead" over the past few years to become a leader in Australia's entrepreneur tech scene, StartupAus chief executive Alex McCauley says.

The city had lagged in previous years, Mr McCauley said, but was making waves with its high number of small businesses and entrepreneurs.

StartupAus chief executive Alex McCauley launches the PolicyHack 2018 event. Credit:StartupAus

Mr McCauley was speaking from the PolicyHack 2018 event on Wednesday at The Tivoli, which brought together entrepreneurs, startup experts, and all levels of government to workshop the future of Australia's startup legislation.

Experts had travelled from as far as Katherine in the Northern Territory and Launceston, Tasmania, to contribute their experiences in regional and rural startups as well as city-based developments.
We need trucks for sawdust shipment, in mountain roads, the average distance is 70 km (35 km one way)

Send us your offer with type of transport and the price for your service
Siobhan Joffe says the Australian dream of owning a house is so far out of reach that she softens the blow by spending her money on eating out and travel.

A new survey has found Australian millennials like her are pessimistic about the future with only about 35 per cent believing they will be happier than their parents.

"Ideally, the security of owning a house would be awesome but it's becoming more and more unrealistic at this point," the 22-year-old advertising student who works as a barista said.

"A lot of young people just expect that it's not going to be on the cards for them so you use your money on things like food, going out, travel and enjoying your life instead."
The year is 2049. The location: Canberra.

A car flies over a giant solar city - dotted with Telstra Tower replicas - at Lake George, through the metropolis of Civic and past Parliament House to Woden.

The Canberra of the future: a scene from 'Scalpel Runner'. Credit:Michael Li and Shiva Prakash

It could be a scene from Blade Runner, except this three-minute clip is called Scalpel Runner, and it's the handiwork of the ANU's Michael Li and Shiva Prakash.

The faux Blade Runner video was the clever intro to this year's ANU Med Revue, a theatre show staged annually by ANU medical students to raise money for Companion House.
When Canberra student Grace Bramwell found out her eye sight was rapidly deteriorating, she felt isolated and unsupported.

She was diagnosed with keratoconus in February and told surgery was the only option available to prevent further vision deterioration.

21-year-old Grace Bramwell has keratoconus, a genetic degenerative disease of the cornea causing thinning and vision impairment. Photo: Sitthixay Ditthavong<

It came at significant expense, with the surgery costing her $5000 and yearly adjustments of a special contact lens costing about $800.

The procedure, called cornea collagen cross linking, was added to the medical benefits scheme on May 1, a move she welcomed.
Canberra couple Adam West and Vinu Gamage are offering the perfect winter job. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos

An ACT tea company has been inundated with applications after it advertised for a professional tea drinker, as revealed in The Canberra Times.

Adam West said since the story was published last week, the company had received more than 200 applications in its search for an "astute candidate'' to join the business, Serendibitea.

"The story went everywhere and we're even getting applications from New Zealand,'' he said.

The company is still searching for the right person, with an announcement due soon.
Although far too modest to admit it, Emeritus Professor Michael Alexander Kirkwood Halliday, who has died at Manly aged 93, extended the work of Charles Darwin and Karl Marx by drawing the study of language and meaning further into the natural and social sciences.

Halliday (often known as MAK) was born in Leeds in Yorkshire on April 13, 1925. It was almost inevitable he would engage with language. Wilfred Halliday, his father, was an English teacher and a poet of the Yorkshire dialect. Winifred Kirkwood, his mother, taught French.

MAK Halliday

When war broke out, the British government resolved to deploy military forces in Asia and established a national services foreign language training course. Halliday volunteered for the course in 1942 and was posted to the Chinese Intelligence Unit in Calcutta where, among other things, he debriefed those who had fled Japanese-occupied China.

After the war, Halliday obtained a grant from the University of London to study Chinese as an external student at Peking University, where he also taught English. It was at Peking University he began to collect the strands of thought he would later weave into his theories of functional linguistics and grammar.
A manhunt involving police helicopters is under way in the southern Sydney suburb of Oatley after a domestic violence incident on Wednesday morning.

Police were called to an address at Boorara Avenue and Mimosa Street after reports of the incident.

PolAir is assisting with the search. Credit:Marina Neil

After arriving at the scene, police were told a 37-year-old man had left the home in a black Holden Commodore.

Officers found the vehicle at Algernon Street, and continued their search for the man with assistance from PolAir and the dog unit.
A chief flying instructor and pilot - both with years of experience - are fighting for their lives in a Sydney hospital after their plane crash-landed and burst into flames at Orange airport in central western NSW.

Catherine Fitzsimons, the owner of Bathurst's WardAir flight school, and pilot Ben Wheeler, both suffered critical burns and fractures in the crash which occurred about 7pm on Tuesday.

Catherine Fitzsimons, the owner of Bathurst's WardAir flight school, was critically injured in the plane crash. Credit:WardAir.com.au

The pair was allegedly practising night-flight manoeuvres when the four-seater single-engine Cirrus SR-22 aircraft crashed near the airport's runway.

The plane, which reportedly belonged to Mr Wheeler, was engulfed in flames with five emergency crews rushing to help the woman and man, both in their 40s.
Two main questions arise here. The first, which can only be answered once the new rules have been operating for a time, is one of fairness  whether they affect both sides of politics and all parties equally. Unions are not the same as businesses or business lobby groups. They are an essentially political grouping of many individuals into one organisation to increase their bargaining power, where the focus of business is not on bargaining, but on the management of capital in pursuit of profit.

Separate unions or business groups will not be able to gang up to get around the cap by combining their $500,000 caps into multi-million dollar campaigns. The result  if the legislation is, as it should be, even-handed in its wording and implementation  should rule out campaigns like the one run by unions against the Howard governments Work Choices policy, or by the mining industry against the Rudd governments proposal for a mineral resources rent tax. Both those campaigns were devastatingly effective, although views will differ on whether they were justified or benefited the nation.

As we have reported, these are likely to cut the maximum that third parties  trade unions or business groups  can spend during a campaign to $500,000. It was $1.2 million.

But that difference does not mean rules which treat them equally must be unfair. This legislation can reasonably equate the two, because both are run by a management group which, in unions, tends to mute the dissenting voices of individual members. The effect is to blur any difference in the way unions and businesses operate when it comes to politics. What matters is that voters know who is paying, and how much they are paying, to influence parties and to change voters minds.

The second question is whether this change is enough to keep politics from being dominated by the secret, undue influence which wealthy special interests can exert through the weight of money. Here the governments separate, but related, decision to boost the funding of ICAC is particularly welcome.

t should not have cut the commissions funding last year; it is right to restore it now. And the federal government should establish a similar body in Canberra. Yet outright corruption of the kind which ICAC exposes is only the most obvious way our politics can be subverted. More insidious is the increasing manipulation of voters through social media.

The Trump campaigns use of the consultancy Cambridge Analytica to sway voters in key areas shows how politics is being transformed by the internet. Advertising campaigns of the traditional kind are no longer the only  nor even the most important  form of communication. It remains to be seen how well the new rules cover this fundamental change.

Above all, the objective must be transparency. The public must be able to know who is trying to influence its opinions and to what extent. The new rules allow a 14-day gap between when a party receives a significant donation and when it must report it. Why? In the internet age, why shouldnt a donation be reported the day it is made? Election day may fall inside those 14 days. If it did, the information would be available too late.
Emergency response times were not affected by a breakdown in the triple-0 computer system during violent storms this week, police say.

While the emergency call system was out of action for three hours on Tuesday morning, 35 "low priority" jobs were faxed from triple-0 call centres in Tuggerah, on the NSW Central Coast, and Lithgow, west of Sydney, to the Sydney radio centre.

Urgent calls received during this time were phoned through to the radio centre, after both the computer system and an internet-based backup system collapsed because of an electrical fault during the storms.

A police spokesman said a Sydney radio centre supervisor allocated the faxed jobs immediately to a radio operator.

"There are two backup systems for the Computerised Incident Dispatch System (CIDs) to ensure that police response times are not compromised," he said.
Samantha Kelly's body was found in a shallow grave in bush land..

The ex-lover of a woman allegedly murdered in Bendigo has told a Melbourne court that in the days before her death, the pair talked about reuniting.

Christine Lyons and housemate Ronald Lyons, who are not related, are standing trial for Samantha Kelly's murder in Kangaroo Flat in January 2016, allegedly because Ms Lyons was infertile and wanted to take custody of Ms Kelly's children.

Ms Kelly was struck to the head with a hammer six or seven times by Ms Lyons' then-partner Peter Arthur on January 22 or 23.

The Crown alleges that Mr Lyons and Ms Lyons were part of an "agreement" with Arthur that the mother-of-four should go "on a permanent holiday".
About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profile
A police image of the man wanted over the Middle Park sex assault.

In case you missed it earlier, police are looking for this man over the violent sexual assault of a woman in Middle Park last year.

The 31-year-old woman was running along the foreshore about 11pm on February 5, 2017, when she was grabbed and forced face-down into the sand.

A woman and three men came to the victim's aid and the attacker fled. Detectives also want to speak with the people who helped the woman. Call Crime Stoppers on (1800) 333 000.
Victorian ambulances were painted with anti-violence messages and the government promised tough new laws following a decision to quash the jail sentences of two women who attacked and badly injured a veteran paramedic.

Community outrage met a decision by County Court judge Barbara Cotterell to quash the jail sentences of the two women on Tuesday, with the paramedic injured by the pair saying he felt that his uniform was now a target on his back.

Amanda Warren, 33, and Caris Underwood, 20, had previously been jailed by a magistrate for eight months and four months over the attack on paramedic Paul Judd.

While Premier Daniel Andrews reportedly told union officials on Wednesday that the government would explore "all options" for a possible appeal, it is understood the Director of Public Prosecutions has limited avenues.
It cant be easy running a school these days. Parents invest so much hope and expectation in their childrens education, and some invest a lot of money, too.

At the same time we seem to lack faith in the education system  we feel that things arent quite right, and that they certainly arent what they once were. Many dont like the way schools have changed.

Trinity Grammar year 12 students protested the sacking of their vice principal by wearing "smart casual" clothes to school instead of their uniforms. Credit:Joe Armao

And while in the past the school gate may have been the main forum for parents to air their unhappiness, these days even slight grumbles can be quickly amplified by social and other media.

Dr Michael Davies knows the difficulty better than most. On Tuesday morning Dr Davies announced that he would step down as headmaster of Trinity Grammar School in Kew at the end of the current term.
New public housing will be built on five former Mr Fluffy blocks, as the Barr government continues to decommission and demolish ageing public housing flats across Canberra.

The Public Housing Renewal taskforce only has 18 properties left to procure of the 1288 homes it had to replace by June 2019.

The ACT government bought five Mr Fluffy blocks for $2.3 million last year in the suburbs of Latham, Giralang, Fraser, Flynn and Rivett, after the owners exercised their rights of first refusal.

Plans for new public housing on a Mr Fluffy block in Flynn. Credit:yoursay.act.gov.au

Plans for housing on four of those blocks have now been published, with development applications to be lodged next financial year.
Australian exporters fear a massive lost opportunity from a diplomatic freeze with China in the wake of damaging claims over foreign interference, urging politicians to recognise the cost to jobs from the downturn in relations.

Beef producers are frustrated at a surprise halt in a landmark deal to open up $500 million in new shipments, while winemakers suspect their products are being delayed at the border because of the diplomatic tensions.

At stake is a $155 billion relationship as Trade Minister Steve Ciobo heads to Shanghai for meetings this week to break a drought of visits by senior cabinet ministers.

Steve Ciobo is the first Australian minister to break China's unofficial freeze on government representatives. Credit:Bloomberg

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop insisted on Wednesday that the relationship with China was strong and growing while also rejecting a call for her resignation by a former Australian ambassador to China, Geoff Raby.
Former high-profile Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella has been awarded $175,000 in compensation for the damage to her reputation caused by a defamatory article in a small-town newspaper.

The Benalla Ensign article, which was published in April 2016, claimed she physically pushed her political rival, Independent MP Cathy McGowan, at an event at a Benalla nursing home in Victoria's north-east, an allegation she denied.

Sophie Mirabella outside court on Wednesday. Credit:Simon Schluter

In handing down his verdict at the County Court in Melbourne yesterday, Judge Michael Macnamara said the Ensign acted with recklessness in publishing the story without seeking a response from Mrs Mirabella.

The defence claimed during the trial that the push was substantially true because Mrs Mirabella was said to push Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt, not Ms McGowan.
NSW Police and the state government have announced a statewide firearms amnesty, giving people three months to give up or register their illegal firearms without penalty.

Metropolitan Field Operations Deputy Commissioner Jeff Loy said police decided to hold another amnesty after the success of the national campaign last year.

In 2017, we had nearly 8000 firearms surrendered for destruction  including 951 handguns and 5558 shotguns  with about 15,000 handed in for registration and 2100 handed in for sale, he said.
The Liberal party will go to a ballot of local members to decide who will represent them in the Darling Range byelection after former eastern metropolitan MP Alyssa Hayden threw in her hat against Serpentine-Jarrahdale councillor Rob Coales.

WAtoday understands Ms Hayden and Mr Coales were the only nominations received for the seat, which the Liberal party is hoping to take off the government after the resignation of former Labor MP Barry Urban.

Former MP Alyssa Hayden has put her hand up for the Liberals in Darling Range.

Ms Hayden was elected to WA's upper house in 2008, but lost her seat at the last election on the back of a massive swing against the Barnett Government in Perth's eastern suburbs.

Liberal members will meet on Saturday morning to choose a candidate, but it is understood party powerbrokers are supporting Ms Hayden.
Two senators are questioning several companies about their use of a visa program for highly skilled workers.

Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said they are focusing on nine companies, several of them foreign-based, that used nearly 20,000 of the 75,000 H-1B visas that were available last year.

H-1B visas are for high-skilled workers and are heavily used in the high-tech industry.

"I continue to hear how people want to increase the number of H-1B visas that are available to companies," Grassley said in a news release. "Considering the high amount of fraud and abuse in the visa program, we need to take a good, hard look at the employers who are using H-1B visas and how they are using them."

Grassley and Durbin, both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee's immigration subcommittee, sent letters to the nine companies asking several questions about their visa use, wages and layoffs.
Beijing: It was highly predictable that an outbreak of hostilities between foreign minister Julie Bishop and former ambassador Geoff Raby would receive prominent coverage a day later in China's tabloid Global Times newspaper.

With a circulation of more than a million copies, Global Times devoted page three, and an editorial, to Raby's call for Bishop to be sacked as foreign minister in order to thaw the Australia-China relationship. It also covered Bishop's "strong response" to the "harsh accusation".

Raby, the former ambassador to China, was "profoundly ignorant", Bishop said.

Raby had slammed Bishop for not visiting China in two years and angering Beijing with "the most strident public comments on the South China Sea".
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Indonesia has again exploded in a paroxysm of terrorist violence, but with a new twist: family suicide bombers. This may be the first time in the world that parents took their children on a family outing to blow themselves up.

One family of six  including children aged nine to 16  were responsible for the attacks on three churches in Surabaya on Sunday.

Illustration: Matt Davidson

Members of a second family also died on Sunday when the bomb they were making exploded prematurely in Sidoarjo, just outside Surabaya. Two children, aged 17 and 15, died; two others, aged 11 and 10, survived.

A third family of five was involved in a suicide attack on a police station in Surabaya on Monday. They used two motorcycles, and four family members were killed in the attack. An eight-year-old child survived.
Morton wrote that Meghans fractured family background caused Meghan a great deal of heartache as she grew up, but also gave her drive and ambition. Though she has kept in touch with some of her relatives, she has had little contact with most of them for many years. Loading Says Morton: Meghans been very self-supporting. Shes not seen her father very often, she sees her mother occasionally, though she speaks to her a lot on the telephone. She doesnt have a relationship with her half-brother or half-sister. Nevertheless, a bunch of relatives will be in Windsor on the day of the wedding.

Meghans sister-in-law, Tracy Dooley was spotted at Heathrow this week with sons Tyler and Thomas (and Tylers girlfriend). Dooley, who has not seen Meghan for 20 years, and her sons are reportedly to be "special correspondents" for Good Morning Britains wedding day special. Samantha Markle is reportedly also going to be in Windsor as a guest of a TV program. Meghan may not be impressed. According to Morton, former friends [say] once shes done with you shes done with you, and she moves on. Lets face it her parents split up when she was a toddler, just two, and they went their separate ways. The history of divorce is quite pronounced in her family.

But Meghans family history has come back to haunt her in the lead-up to her wedding. Heres a guide to whos who, as outlined in Mortons biography, A Hollywood Princess. Mum - Doria Ragland, 61 Meghan Markle, right, watches the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games with her mother Ragland in Toronto, Canada, last year. Credit:Canadian Press Doria is a yoga instructor and social worker. Meghan has described her as the biggest influence on her life. Doria and Meghans father Tom Markle met on the set of ABC drama General Hospital, where she was training as a make-up artist and he was the shows lighting director. They married in 1979. They lived in a predominantly white neighbourhood and Doria was often mistaken for a family nanny.

The couple split when Meghan was two years old and divorced five years later. Meghan lived mostly with Doria. Doria encouraged 13-year-old Meghan to work at the Hippie Kitchen charity in downtown Los Angeles, and by the age of 16, Meghan was a regular, sparking her lifelong interest in humanitarian and charity work. Meghan has described her mother as free-spirited. Harry asked Doria for permission to marry Meghan, and she joined the couple at the Invictus Games in Toronto last September. Doria has a half-brother, Joseph, and a half-sister, Saundra. Dad  Thomas Markle, 73

Thomas Markle, pictured here with baby Meghan Markle, may or may not attend his daughter's wedding. Credit:Meghan Markle's Instagram Thomas married his university girlfriend, Roslyn, in 1964 and they had two children, Yvonne and Tom jnr. The couple divorced in 1975. He then married Meghans mother Doria. After their split, Thomas shared custody of the young Meghan and paid for private schooling, partly thanks to winning $US750,000 ($1 million) in a state lottery. In the 1990s he lost most of his money in a failed jewellery business and declared bankruptcy, though he still paid for Meghan to go to a private all-girls Catholic school. During that time she lived with him on weekdays. Morton wrote that Thomas was always around helping with school drama productions and advising on acting technique. He has a storage unit in Los Angeles full of pictures of the young Meghan.

However, after school they began to have trouble getting along, Morton wrote. They have not been close since  though when she got her first screen role he sent her a loving note of congratulations that she kept in a box beside her bed. When reporters tracked the shy, reclusive man to his Mexican hideaway after the engagement was announced, he gave few comments. His son Tom said he would be proud but terrified to walk Meghan down the aisle. Half-sister - Samantha, formerly Yvonne Markle, 53 Meghan Markle's half-sister Samantha appeared on Good Morning Britain to defend her family. Thomas daughter Yvonne is 17 years older than Meghan and they have not seen each other for more than five years.

Now known as Samantha, she is wheelchair-bound having contracted multiple sclerosis in 2008, and has emerged as a regular commentator on Meghans relationship with Harry. She described her half-sister as narcissistic and selfish and a shallow social climber who had shunned her family after finding fame. She announced she would write a book titled The Diary of Princess Pushys Sister. Samantha later wondered publicly how Meghan could spend so much on an engagement dress when her father was in dire need of financial help. Loading

More recently she has given more favourable comments about the wedding and claimed her earlier comments were misquoted. Samanthas 19-year-old daughter Noelle, who is not on speaking terms with her mother, has said Samatha had a longstanding jealousy of Meghan. Meghan is said to be close to Samanthas other daughter Ashleigh, 31. If nothing else these scattered comments gave a sense of the dysfunction at the heart of Meghans family, Morton wrote. Half brother - Tom Markle jnr, 51

Meghan Markle's half-brother Thomas Markle jnr. Credit:Inside Edition/Screengrab He works as a window fitter in Oregon and was married for 11 years to Tracy Dooley, with whom he has two sons now aged 25 and 26. He was arrested in January 2017 for the unlawful use of a weapon and menacing, though the charges were dropped. He had allegedly pointed a gun at his girlfriend. He later apologised and said he was seeking help. In May he wrote an open letter to Harry for In Touch magazine saying Harry's marriage to Meghan would be the biggest mistake in royal wedding history. Meghan Markle is obviously not the right woman for you. He called her a jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage and complained she had neglected her father and invited strangers instead of family to the wedding.

I guess were all distant family to Meg, he wrote. He is not invited to the wedding. Other relatives None of Meghans grandparents are still alive. Meghan has two uncles on her fathers side and an uncle and aunt on her mothers. None are believed to be invited to the wedding.
Medics treat a Palestinian child suffering from teargas inhalation during a protest near Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip, on Monday. Credit:AP The eight-month-old baby with the green eyes looked strange on the banner next to the two old politicians and the Fatah symbol, a pair of fists clenched around assault rifles. Leila was too young to know what Palestine is, and yet apparently old enough to have died in its service. An Israeli military spokesman disputed that Leila's death was caused by Israeli tear gas, saying "we have several accounts that question the validity of this statement". They did not give more details. All across Gaza, mourning tents went up on street corners as families gathered to give voice to both their grief and their pride after losing a loved one in the protests against Israel and Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. Dr Mahmoud Rantisi, a 60-year-old professor, smiled and waved his hand dismissively when asked about the death of his son Ahmed, who was shot in the chest on Monday as he tried to tear down the Israeli border fence.

A Palestinian woman holds her child suffering from teargas inhalation during a protest near Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip. Credit:AP "I am not sad, I'm very happy. We consider this event to be like a wedding for us. We even serve juice instead of coffee because it's like a wedding," he said. "We think our son didn't just die. He moved on to another life. It's mentioned in the Koran." The Rantisis are a prominent Hamas family in Gaza and hundreds of men lined up to shake the professor's hand outside the mourning tent for his son. Female relatives mourned in a separate building, several walking past the tent with eyes red from crying. The Israeli military estimated that around 4000 people turned out along the Gaza border on Tuesday, compared to around 40,000 people who showed up on Monday during the American embassy opening ceremony. Young men burned tyres and hurled rocks towards Israeli forces. Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli sniper fire, Palestinian officials said. At the Malakah protest site an Israeli drone flew lazily over the several hundred protesters before dropping a salvo of tear gas canisters. It hovered for a moment as Palestinians fled and then turned back towards the border.

A Palestinian woman reacts in a first aid tent during a protest near Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip. Credit:AP Doa'a al-Harazin, a 24-year-old woman, watched the drone angrily as it disappeared into the distance. Although she had no children of her own, she said that if she did she would encourage them to go to the border to protest despite the danger. While the violence on the ground had mostly subsided, the diplomatic storm gathered speed. Ultra orthodox Jews stand by supporters of Donald Trump outside the new American embassy in Jerusalem on Monday. Credit:AP

Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador in Ankara at protest. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, accused Israel of "genocide" and denounced Benjamin Netanyahu as "the prime minister of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenceless people's land 60 plus years in violation of UN resolutions." Israel responded by expelling the Turkish consul general from Jerusalem. "Erdogan is among Hamas's biggest supporters and there is no doubt that he well understands terrorism and slaughter," Mr Netanyahu said. "I suggest that he not preach morality to us." Theresa May, the UK Prime Minister, called the deaths in Gaza "tragic and extremely concerning" and called for an investigation into the bloodshed. Alistair Burt, the junior foreign office minister, said the US needed "to give a greater sense of understanding of some of the underlying issue". A man wearing a yarmulke, left, confronts one of about two dozen demonstrators protesting the US embassy move on Monday. Credit:AP

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, suggested Trump's unilateral approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in defiance of European allies, risked plunging the region into further chaos. "We are committed to the security of Israel but Israel's security cannot justify this level of violence," Le Drian said. "The situation in the Middle East is explosive, violence is doing the talking, war could loom." The US meanwhile continued to stand firmly behind Israel, placing the blame for the violence on Hamas. At Shifa hospital, the main medical facility in Gaza City, exhausted staff said they could not sustain another day of violence like on Monday. "I hope that things will stay quiet, if they don't it will be a disaster for us," said Dr Aymal al-Sahbani, the head of the emergency department. The doctor said he had less than half the necessary drugs and only 30 per cent of needed medical supplies like bandages. An acute worry was a shortage of external fixation devices, a metal frame used on broken bones and torn tissues after major injuries. The vast majority of the wounded had been shot in the leg, Dr al-Sahbani said, and without enough external fixation devices his surgeons might be forced to amputate. At least two dozen amputations have taken place since the protests began on March 30, according to Palestinian officials.

Ahmed Halles, a 19-year-old worker at a Coca Cola factory, was among those who had been able to get a stabiliser. He was shot in the left leg on Monday as he tried to bring stones towards the border fence for other young men with slingshots to fire towards the Israeli positions. "I was trying to break the siege of Gaza," he said, referring to the 11-year blockade Israel has imposed on the strip. I will go back as soon as I can walk.". It is not clear if there will be more protests for the teenager to walk back to. The demonstrations which began on March 30 were always intended to come to a crescendo this week. The Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins this week, bringing it with it long, hot days of fasting. Israeli officials are cautiously optimistic that the demonstrations have now peaked. "Today is the last day. I'm sad because I want the protests to keep going so we can take our rights," said Saed al-Samouni, a 19-year-old student. Asked if he was relieved to have survived weeks without being wounded or killed, the young man shrugged. "There's no future for anyone in Gaza," he said.
Kabul, Afghanistan: The Taliban claimed to have captured the capital of the western Afghan province of Farah on Tuesday, after an insurgent attack that began in the dead of night and forced the province governor to flee the city.

Farah, one of the largest cities in the western region, is the first to be overrun by the Taliban in two years.

An Afghan policeman stands guard in Kandahar southern of Kabul, Afghanistan. Credit:AP

Government officials and their US military backers vowed that the authorities would quickly oust the insurgents. Local officials said Governor Basir Salangi remained in the province at a military base a few kilometres outside the city.

Only the governor's compound remained in government hands after a long day of fighting, which continued into the next night, according to numerous residents and some local officials, as well as Taliban insurgents.
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit:Kremlin/AP "This committee knows what Russia's up to with its nuclear weapons," Rogers said. "It's both sobering and horrifying." While it is possible that the US build-up is part of a negotiating strategy, offering Trump something he can trade away before it gets started, the White House has made clear, in both statements and strategy, that it envisions the reduction of nuclear weapons as a one-way street. It is hardly the first time the United States has seen no inconsistency in expanding its own nuclear capabilities while trying to persuade lesser powers to give up theirs. In fact, the imbalance is built into the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, which went into effect in 1970. It prohibits all states that did not already have the bomb from building nuclear weapons. (Israel, Pakistan and India never joined, and North Korea dropped out.)

Iranian protesters burn a representation of the US flag in Tehran after Trump announced the US was pulling out of the Iran nuclear accord last week. Credit:AP But it also requires the acknowledged nuclear powers  the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France  to work toward "the cessation of the nuclear arms race and to nuclear disarmament," and ultimately to complete their own disarmament. For the two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, both the United States and Russia could argue that they were making progress on that promise. The number of nuclear weapons deployed by the two countries fell, and fell again, under a series of arms control agreements, and as of earlier this year, both are now limited to 1550 deployed weapons. Thousands more are in storage. Then president Barack Obama argued the US could not urge other countries to give up nuclear programs while expanding its own. But many of his own aides later said they wished he had done far more to reduce the American' arsenal, arguing that it could safely drop below the number the Russians deployed. Barrels of nuclear waste sit in a shed at the Savannah River Site in 2009. Credit:New York Times

Now Trump is heading in the other direction. The US has dramatically stepped up the effort to overhaul the existing arsenal and prepare for the day when it might once again be enlarged. Unless the New START Treaty is renewed for five years, any limits on the US and Russian arsenals will expire in February 2021, just days after Trump would enter his second term. In the meantime, the US government is doing all it can to make clear it is preparing for an era of nuclear build-up. At the centre of the Savannah River announcement is the US production of something the nuclear industry calls "pits". That is a term for a small atomic bomb that, when detonated inside a warhead, acts as an extraordinarily hot match to ignite a much larger mass of thermonuclear fuel. The resulting blast can easily be 1000 times as powerful as the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. One of the most closely held secrets of the nuclear age is how to make pits very small yet highly reliable. Most are about the size of a grapefruit. The small size makes thermonuclear warheads compact and lightweight enough to fit atop long-range missiles  it is one of the technologies that North Korea has been seeking, and may have already figured out. The Pentagon announcement last week sought to make lemonade out of two large federal lemons.

Drums of treated radioactive waste ready for transport to a permanent storage site at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the US. Credit:File The pits have been made, until now, at the Los Alamos weapons laboratory in New Mexico, where America's first nuclear weapons were built. But the lab has suffered a humiliating string of operating and safety failures, which in 2015 led the Obama administration to announce plans to end the current management contract there. Among the breakdowns was the management's failure to come up with a credible plan for producing up to 80 pits a year. At the same time, cost estimates for the Savannah River project to turn tons of excess weapons-grade plutonium into fuel for commercial power reactors had soared to $US17 billion ($22 billion). Now that project is scrapped, and the two-pronged plan announced last week will also take the production pressure off Los Alamos  a move that seeks to maintain its profile as a scientific research centre rather than as a munitions factory. Workers in protective gear handle radioactive waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Credit:File

Los Alamos is to make 30 pits per year and the South Carolina plant 50. That setup, the Energy and Defence departments said, wouldimprove "the resiliency, flexibility and redundancy of our nuclear security enterprise by not relying on a single production site." But it also signals a return to production of new weapons, even as Trump is withdrawing from the 2015 deal with Iran in part because of "sunset provisions" that he says will eventually allow Tehran to do the same. The federal rationale for making up to 80 pits a year is hidden in layers of secrecy but turns on stated fears that the plutonium fuel at the heart of US weapons will deteriorate with age, eventually rendering them useless. Whether that fear is justified is a matter of debate. In 2006, a federal nuclear panel found that the plutonium pits aged far better than expected, with most able to work reliably for a century or more. That judgment led critics to contend that the federal government was seeking a new generation of nuclear pits for reasons not of national security but of saber-rattling. "No new pits are needed for any warhead," Greg Mello, executive director of the Los Alamos Study Group, a private organisation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that monitors the nation's nuclear complex and opposes expansion, said recently. "There are thousands of pits stockpiled for possible reuse."
Washington: The US government has identified a suspect in the leak last year of a large portion of the CIA's computer hacking arsenal, the cyber-tools the agency had used to conduct espionage operations overseas, according to interviews and public documents.

But despite months of investigation, prosecutors have been unable to bring charges against the man, who is a former CIA employee being held in a Manhattan jail on unrelated charges.

Hacking techniques used by the CIA to spy on adversaries were leaked to Wikileaks in 2017. Credit:AP

Joshua Adam Schulte, who worked for a CIA group that designs computer code to spy on foreign adversaries, is believed to have provided the agency's top-secret information to WikiLeaks, federal prosecutors acknowledged in a hearing in January. The anti-secrecy group published the code under the label "Vault 7" in March 2017.

It was one of the most significant leaks in the CIA's history, exposing secret cyberweapons and spying techniques that might be used against the United States, according to current and former intelligence officials.
There are a couple of ways to read this shift in tone. Either Kim is now nervous about the whole detente process, given the clear US goals, and wants to shut it down entirely, in which case the summit may not happen at all, says O'Hanlon. Or, more likely, he is beginning the bargaining process in earnest, since the Trump administration was misinterpreting what he really meant and really was offering with all his talk of peace and denuclearisation. "It's not going to be that easy, or unilateral on his part, and most of us didn't think it would be," he says. Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are due to meet in Singapore on June 12 but the meeting is now in doubt. Credit:AP If it is the latter, Trump may be particularly susceptible to Pyongyang's posturing. Trump's reliance on "chemistry" with world leaders and penchant for interpreting other countries' moves - be it the "nice" release of three Americans held in North Korea or a red-carpet welcome in China (the biggest ever!) - in personal terms are counterproductive when dealing with a methodical, aggressive regime. Instead of winning favour, Trump's childish rhetoric merely confirms adversaries' belief that they can manipulate him with a few superficial moves. Nicholas Eberstadt warned in the Washington Post in early March: "A good North Korean negotiating team seizes immediate control of the agenda. Typically it will suddenly stop talks, or unexpectedly demand resumption, to throw the other side off its game. If Team North does not take control of the agenda, talks get shut down until Team North says it is time to start talking again."

In short, if they did not see Pyongyang's latest manoeuvre coming, Trump and his team are more gullible than we imagined. Pyongyang also cleverly targeted national security adviser John Bolton, whose touting of the "Libya model" (in which its leader was deposed and then killed in rebel custody) was needlessly provocative. Loading The Associated Press explains: "Though North Korea has been for the most part silent about its intentions for the meeting, the announcements underscore two of its biggest concerns - the future of the nearly 30,000 US troops in South Korea and claims coming out of Washington lately that sanctions and Trump's 'maximum pressure' policy are what drove Kim to the negotiating table. "But defanging Bolton, the most militant of Trump's advisers, is now also apparently a major priority.

"'We do not hide our feeling of repugnance toward him,' North Korea said of Bolton in a statement attributed by state-run media to senior Foreign Ministry official Kim Kye Gwan. Most US presidents would see North Korea's threats as a test and would therefore neither budge from the US negotiating stance nor allow our foe to dictate who advises the President. Whether Trump will crumble (as he did in offering China an olive branch on ZTE) remains to be seen. This should nevertheless serve as a warning for US officials, and Trump specifically, to cut the happy talk and maintain a high degree of scepticism about Pyongyang's intentions. Loading Trump's insistence that "no one" has gotten as far as he has in negotiations with North Korea is misguided in several respects. First, we've actually had full-blown agreements with North Korea - which North Korea did not abide by. We've had many rounds of negotiations with North Korea over the years and even release of imprisoned Americans. Trump, on the other hand, has gotten nothing concrete from North Korea on its denuclearisation; he has not gotten anything of lasting value. Second, the promise of a summit is already buying Kim some international stature and credibility while raising questions as to whether our South Korean partners have been engaged in some wishful thinking regarding the prospects for denuclearisation.
The decision delivered an expected victory to prosecutors and clears a key hurdle to a September trial in Washington on at least some charges.

"Manafort was an obvious person of interest," US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote in part of her 37-page opinion.

Washington: A federal judge in Washington refused to toss Paul Manafort's criminal case on Tuesday, saying his indictment "falls squarely" within special counsel Robert Mueller's authority to investigate ties between the Russian government and President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

Manafort has a similar motion pending to dismiss criminal charges set for trial in July in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.

Manafort, 69, has pleaded not guilty in both cases and argued that Mueller exceeded his authority in charging him with felonies including conspiracy, bank and tax fraud, money laundering and failing to register as a lobbyist in his work before 2014 on behalf of Ukraine's pro-Russian president at the time, Viktor Yanukovych.

Following the release of Jackson's opinion, Jason Maloni, a spokesman for Manafort, said, "Paul Manafort maintains his innocence and looks forward to prevailing in this matter."

Manafort's attorneys have argued that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein acted improperly when he appointed Mueller in May 2017 to investigate not only collusion with Russia but any other issues that "may arise" from that investigation.

They objected to Manafort being charged for alleged conduct that occurred before the 2016 campaign, and asserted that the authorisation for Mueller's probe was so broad it was a "blank check" and violates Justice Department regulations they say call for a "specific factual statement" of matters under investigation.
Sky expands wholesale connectivity offering by partnering with SSE Enterprise Telecoms

Posted by Publisher Telecommunication

LONDON, UK  16 May 2018  SSE Enterprise Telecoms  one of the UK\-\-s leading connectivity providers, and part of SSE plc  today announced a connectivity partnership with Sky Business, to deliver new high-capacity Ethernet connectivity solutions to businesses across the UK. The agreement sees an expanded reach in footprint for SSE Enterprise Telecoms, enabling them to access 96 per cent of the UK\-\-s business postcodes.

The partnership comes after a strong period of investment and growth for SSE Enterprise Telecoms  with Ethernet orders up 186 per cent since 2015  and will result in SSE Enterprise Telecoms and Sky working together to deliver high-capacity, cost effective Ethernet to businesses up and down the country. The move by SSE Enterprise Telecoms to partner with Sky comes in response to market shifts which have encouraged the connectivity provider to seek more creative ways of providing reach and reliability to its customer base.

The partnership combines Sky\-\-s nationwide telecoms and data network with SSE Enterprise Telecoms\-\- expansive network to reach in excess of 3,000 exchanges. Sky provides SSE Enterprise Telecoms with backhaul and last-mile services enabling their 200+ service provider customers to benefit from more choice and a wider reaching capability. The solution offers a highly resilient network, which includes automatic re-routing of traffic to avoid disruption.

With recent reports citing that private interconnection bandwidth is likely to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45 per cent to hit 5,000TBps by 2020, (far outpacing that of public internet) both businesses anticipate that UK enterprises will increasingly look to secure competitive deals to support this demand. The partnership connects Sky with SSE Enterprise Telecoms\-\- strong channel partner network, providing breadth of coverage across the UK business market while promising high-speed resilient Ethernet connectivity.

The service will also utilise SSE Enterprise Telecoms\-\- dedicated support team. This is a significant value-add for UK businesses, as both SSE Enterprise Telecoms and Sky are known for their industry-leading customer service and rapid delivery timescales.

In fact, SSE Enterprise Telecoms recently celebrated a maintained NPS score of 50+.

David Rey, Managing Director of Sky Business said: \We\-\-re excited to be partnering with SSE Enterprise Telecoms who, like Sky, take customer experience very seriously. We wanted a partner who could deliver service excellence whilst leveraging the network Sky has proudly built. By joining forces, we are helping UK businesses to realise their potential as the need for bandwidth grows\.

Colin Sempill, Managing Director, SSE Enterprise Telecoms explains: \Over the next few years UK businesses will demand better core network bandwidth, and our partnership with Sky directly addresses that need. For us it\-\-s all about giving the wholesale market clarity of choice, where it can sometimes be confusing, and the quality is not always there. With this deal we\-\-re providing one place for businesses to source a truly market-competitive price for high-capacity bandwidth services to support their growth needs.\
Georgetown, SC (29440)

Today

Mostly cloudy. Low 63F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. Low 63F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Plans call for a new development in Georgetown to include more than 120 apartments in a complex across from the Post Office off Charlotte Street.
Stars in a galaxy 13.28 billion light-years away formed just 250 million years after the Big Bang.

In a galaxy far, far away  a galaxy called MACS1149-JD1  stars formed earlier in the universe's history than scientists can directly detect, according to new observations. Additionally, the same research revealed that MACS1149-JD1 is the most distant known source of oxygen and the most distant galaxy with a precise distance measurement, study co-author Nicolas Laporte, a researcher at University College London (UCL), told Space.com.

MACS1149-JD1 was first discovered in 2012 as one of the farthest objects from Earth whose light scientists can observe. Now, the research team, led by groups at UCL and Osaka Sangyo University in Japan, has taken a precise measurement of the galaxy's redshift  when the wavelength of light is stretched, the light looks "shifted" to the red end of the spectrum. A redshift measurement can tell us how far away the object emitting light (the galaxy, in this case) is, and, based on how fast the universe is expanding, when the light was emitted. [From the Big Bang to Now in 10 Easy Steps]

The first zoom shows an observation of galaxy MACS1149-JD1 from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope; the second zoom shows a Hubble image of the galaxy with contours that indicate ionized oxygen that was detected by ALMA. (Image credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, Hashimoto et al.)

In identifying oxygen, the age of the stars in this galaxy was made apparent. Oxygen is created in stars and released into the gas clouds in the galaxy when those stars die  so confirming the presence of oxygen in MACS1149-JD1 showed how an older generation of stars had already existed and died within the system. Although the researchers weren't shocked to find oxygen, they were surprised at how early in the universe's history this oxygen formed, so they had to investigate further and compute the age of the stars, Laporte said. [How the Huge ALMA Radio Telescope Works (Infographic)]

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, the team measured the properties of an emission line of doubly ionized oxygen in MACS1149-JD1's spectrum, which revealed that the galaxy's redshift is about 9.11. Larger redshift measurements correspond with fainter, more distant galaxies, and so this measurement led the researchers to conclude that they were viewing the galaxy at about 550 million years old, according to a UCL statement about the new work.

By studying infrared data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope, the research team observed the brightness of the galaxy. This observation suggested that there was substantial star formation in this galaxy just 250 million years after the Big Bang, according to the statement. The redshift measurement taken by ALMA allowed the team to rule out other explanations for this observation, like the possibility that the observed brightness arose from strong recombination lines  or features of the spectrum associated with radiation produced by hot stars, solidifying the team's conclusion.

The team confirmed the distance of the galaxy through these observations from ALMA and the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT).

In future studies, researchers could use even more sensitive measurements to view the first stars and galaxies in the universe, Laporte said.

"If you want to go back, back in time, [you could] push back the observation of galaxies and stars up to very high redshift, 20, 50," he said. By finding the point in the universe's history where stars and galaxies first formed  an epoch known as cosmic dawn  scientists would answer one of the biggest mysteries in modern astronomy. Did the first galaxies emerge from a completely dark universe? What were these first stars and galaxies like? This research could be a step forward in answering these monumental questions, Laporte said.

This new observation, while a groundbreaking measurement of a distant system, is "just one data point in one galaxy," Rychard Bouwens, a researcher who is not involved in the study and who discussed this recent work in a News & Views piece in Nature, told Space.com. But, while MACS1149-JD1 is just "a glimpse," as Bouwens said, toward cosmic dawn, Bouwens also discussed how the eagle-eyed James Webb Space Telescope will take this work even further. "With the planned James Webb Space Telescope," he said, we "will be able to observe many of these systems and be able to make the observations more directly."

So, while this new work takes us far back into the universe's history, advancing telescope technology like the highly anticipated launch in the next few years of the Webb telescope will be able to get even closer to cosmic dawn, as Bouwens discussed.

This work is detailed today (May 16) in the journal Nature.

Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her @chelsea_gohd. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Tom Wolfe, author of the 1979 book "The Right Stuff," seen in 1972 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Apollo 17 Saturn V rocket is visible on the launch pad behind him.

Tom Wolfe, whose 1979 book "The Right Stuff" chronicled the high-flying adventures of the first U.S. astronauts, has died at the age of 88.

A celebrated journalist and best-selling author, Wolfe had been hospitalized for an infection when he died on Monday (May 14), according to the New York Times, citing his long-time literary agent.

"I'm saddened to hear of the passing of legendary author Tom Wolfe," wrote Jim Bridenstine, NASA's administrator, on Twitter Tuesday. "'The Right Stuff' was an inspiration to me and millions of others. He will be missed."

Wolfe, whose other titles include the essay collection "The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby" and the 1987 satirical novel "The Bonfire of the Vanities," gave rise to "New Journalism," a style of non-fiction that placed truth before fact and embraced a subjective perspective.

Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" cover art. (Image credit: Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Wolfe's particular flair of using colorful prose and eccentric punctuation helped him in capturing the sweeping scope of his chosen subject  such as the early days of the Space Race between the United States and former Soviet Union, as he did in "The Right Stuff."

"This book grew out of some ordinary curiosity. What is it, I wondered, that makes a man willing to sit up on top of an enormous Roman candle such as a Redstone, Atlas, Titan or Saturn rocket, and wait for someone to light the fuse?" he wrote in his foreword for the 1983 edition of "The Right Stuff."

Wolfe first went about answering that question in a four-part series written for Rolling Stone magazine in 1973. He originally intended "The Right Stuff" to cover the full length of the Space Race through to the end of the Apollo moon landings, but after writing about the Mercury astronauts, he felt that he had achieved his purpose.

"I have enjoyed corresponding with many pilots, and with many widows of pilots," he said. "Not all have written to pat me on the back, but almost all seemed grateful someone had tried  and it had to be an outsider  to put into words certain matters that the very code of the pilot rules off limit in conversation."

"These...matters...add up to one of the most extraordinary and most secret dramas of the twentieth century," he said.

For the most part, the Mercury 7 astronauts felt that Wolfe had represented their stories well.

Scott Kelly displays the cover of Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" on his iPad aboard the International Space Station in 2016. (Image credit: NASA)

"Wolfe's book was accurate in many respects," said John Glenn, who in 2016 became of the last of NASA's original Mercury 7 astronauts to die.

Glenn and the other astronauts were quick, though, to draw a distinction between what Wolfe had written and how the book was adapted for the silver screen. Wolfe, himself, did not approve of some of the creative liberties director Philip Kaufman took for the 1983 film.

"I do not think the movie accurately reflected the book, or the people involved in the Mercury program, including me," Glenn said in 1996. "Certainly there was not the kind of in-fighting or envy that was portrayed in the movie."

Among the readers that Wolfe reached with his book (and the movie it inspired) were future NASA astronauts who on Tuesday took to Twitter to share their appreciation.

"Reading that book and seeing the movie based on the book re-kindled my dream of becoming an astronaut," said Mike Massimino, who twice launched on the space shuttle to service the Hubble Space Telescope. "Thank you Tom for the inspiration that changed my life."

"Reading 'The Right Stuff' as a kid inspired me to become an astronaut," said Terry Virts, who logged nearly 200 days on the International Space Station.

Scott Kelly, who at 340 days holds the U.S. record for the single longest mission, similarly credited Wolfe for inspiring him to join the NASA corps.

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"He changed my life, and I am grateful I was able to thank him for the wildly unrealistic dream he gave me as an 18 year old boy," Kelly said.

While aboard the space station in 2016, Kelly wrote a letter to Wolfe, describing "The Right Stuff" as "the spark that set me on the course that has led me here."

Copies of "The Right Stuff" in print and eBook formats are part of the library available to the crew living on the orbiting outpost.

Winner of the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1980, Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" continues to be read and adapted for new audiences. An audiobook narrated by actor Dennis Quaid (who portrayed astronaut Gordo Cooper in the film) was released by Audible in February and as of a year ago, National Geographic was developing a dramatic television series based on the book.

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2018 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
A NASA artist visualized what Earth would look like if it entered the "snowball state" predicted by new research from the University of Washington.

Earth-like planets with severe tilts and orbits could enter abrupt "snowball states," in which entire oceans freeze and surface life cannot survive, according to new research.

Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have found a new reason why, just because a planet is located in a "habitable zone"  meaning it's close enough to its host star to sustain liquid water  it isn't necessarily habitable. The team found that the axial tilt and orbital dynamics of planets in the habitable zone around "G dwarf" stars like our own sun can lead to "snowball states," which are essentially extreme ice ages.

This new research looked at how a planet's obliquity, or the angle at which a planet's rotation axis tilts, and its orbital eccentricity, a parameter that determines the amount that an orbit deviates from a perfect circle, could affect that planet's potential to be habitable. [How Habitable Zones Around Stars Work (Infographic)]

Previous research suggested that planets in a habitable zone with a sun-like star that had a severe axial tilt or tilting orbit would be warmer, according to the statement. The team's research found that the opposite holds true, which was quite a shock, they said."We found that planets in the habitable zone could abruptly enter 'snowball' states if the eccentricity or the semi-major axis variations  changes in the distance between a planet and star over an orbit  were large or if the planet's obliquity increased beyond 35 degrees," Russell Deitrick, lead author of the new work and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bern who completed this research at UW, said in a statement.

Luckily, Earth's axial tilt varies ever so slightly, leaving Earth "a relatively calm planet, climate-wise," co-author Rory Barnes, an astronomer at UW, said in the statement. But, as it pertains to exoplanets, Deitrick "has essentially shown that ice ages on exoplanets can be much more severe than on Earth, that orbital dynamics can be a major driver of habitability and that the habitable zone is insufficient to characterize a planet's habitability," Barnes said.

A planet's position in the habitable zone is typically a major factor in considering whether it may be habitable. However, this new research shows that even if a planet seems Earth-like and is orbiting at the right distance from its star, if "its orbit and obliquity oscillate like crazy, another planet might be better for follow-up with telescopes of the future," Deitrick said.

With this research in mind, orbital dynamics should be considered an important part of determining a planet's habitability, Deitrick added.

The work will be published in The Astronomical Journal, according to the statement.

Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her @chelsea_gohd. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Two NASA astronauts took a 6.5-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station today (May 16), breezing through all of their planned work and optional "get-ahead" tasks right on time.

Clad in their extravehicular mobility units (EMUs), aka spacesuits, Expedition 55 flight engineers Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold emerged through the Quest airlock at 8:39 a.m. EDT (1239 GMT) before spending their day working in the vacuum of space to install some new hardware.

Their primary objective was to relocate a failed pump on the station's cooling system, which uses a liquid-ammonia cooling loop to keep the station's enormous solar panels and batteries from overheating. They also installed some new communications equipment to ready the station for commercial crew vehicles like Boeing's CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon, both of which could begin uncrewed test flights to the space station as early as August. [Space Station Photos: Expedition 55 Crew in Orbit]

NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold works to replace a camera assembly at the International Space Station during a spacewalk with NASA astronaut Drew Feustel on May 16, 2018. (Image credit: NASA TV)

As designated extravehicular crewmember 1 (EV1), Feustel wore the suit with red stripes, while Arnold wore a plain white suit. This helps ground controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston tell the difference between the two spacewalkers as they watch live video transmissions from the station's external cameras.

The first order of business was to swap out the failed Pump Flow Control Subassembly (PFCS) unit, which NASA has nicknamed "Leaky." After it started leaking ammonia in 2013, the problematic pump was replaced with a spare and was stowed nearby on the P6 Truss segment. Today, the spacewalkers moved Leaky to an external stowage platform (ESP-1) to make room for a more reliable spare unit, dubbed "Frosty." If future spacewalkers ever need to replace the PFCS in the event of another leak, Frosty will be in a "strategically advantageous" position at the P6 Truss.

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After Leaky and Frosty traded places, the spacewalkers installed a new high-definition camera assembly on the Destiny Laboratory and replaced a communications receiver on one of the space-to-ground antennas at the Z1 Truss segment. For their "get-ahead" tasks, the astronauts installed some new handles outside the station and stored a thermal cover near a particle detector experiment known as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer.

Upon returning to the Quest airlock to open the hatch, Feustel knocked on the door and said, "Anyone home? Trick or treat!" Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai and NASA astronaut Scott Tingle were waiting to greet the spacewalkers at the door, but they didn't appear to have any candy around for these off-season trick-or-treaters.

The spacewalk officially ended when Feustel and Arnold switched their spacesuits off of battery power at 2:10 p.m. EDT (1810 GMT). It lasted 6 hours and 31 minutes, just 1 minute longer than NASA had planned.

NASA astronauts Ricky Arnold (left) and Drew Feustel (right) try on their spacesuits on May 8, 2018, one week ahead of their spacewalk at the International Space Station. Norishige Kanai, an astronaut with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, assisted them during the fitting and helped them out again when they were suiting up before heading out into the vacuum of space on May 16, 2018. (Image credit: NASA)

This was the 210th spacewalk in support of construction and maintenance of the International Space Station. It was Feustel's eighth spacewalk, and he has now accrued 54 hours and 59 minutes of spacewalking time. It was the fourth spacewalk of Arnold's career, bringing his accumulated spacewalking time to 25 hours and 15 minutes.

Feustel and Arnold have now completed two spacewalks together; their first excursion was on March 29. The duo will head out for a third consecutive spacewalk together on June 14, when they'll continue prep work for commercial crew vehicles.

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.




NCIS: New Orleans - The Assassination of Dwayne Pride - Review: "Coordinated Attack"

4.22 - "The Assassination of Dwayne Pride"

Directed by Edward Ornelas

Written by Talicia Raggs

Reviewed by Kelly Anne Blount



"The Assassination of Dwayne Pride" opens at Prides bar. Theres a band playing and patrons are drinking and dancing the night away. Loretta and Pride are having a great time shooting the breeze at the bar, completely relaxed.



Sebastian runs into bar to show Pride and Loretta an article that states that Pride has used excessive force during multiple cases. Within seconds, people at the bar have their phones out and are staring at Pride with disbelief.



Back at HQ, LaSalle, Gregorio, and Sebastian are watching Oliver Crane report on the Pride story he broke. LaSalle doesnt think anyone is going to believe the story. Sebastian isnt so sure.



Pride tells the team that Crane has details from dozens of cases that hes handled over the years and half of it is classified information. Someone within the system is leaking information. That puts a lot of witnesses at risk.



Pride wants to go talk to Crane. LaSalle tells him to stay put. He and Gregorio will go talk to Crane. It will look bad if Pride goes. Luckily, he listens. He and Sebastian are going to stay at HQ and call witnesses to warn them that their information has been leaked.



Oliver Crane is not pleased to see LaSalle and Gregorio. He wont reveal his source/s. He says, Dwyane Pride is dangerous and he needs to be exposed. The people at Cranes office begin taping Gregorio and LaSalle. She knocks a file off his desk before leaving, but not because she lost her cool. She memorized the classified case number from the FBI file and gives it to Patton.



Patton has an ID on the person who last accessed the file. Turns out, Petty Officer First Class Amanda Bowers out of Belle Chasse has access to all of their files. Patton wonders, Why does she want to leak classified information? Ah, interesting! Pride arrested Amandas brother several years ago. Is that why shes sharing case details with Crane?





The whole crew head over to Amandas house, but its too late to talk to her. She has been murdered. Her computer, wallet, and jewelry are all missing. Pride thinks the killer tried to make it look like a robbery gone wrong.LaSalle tells them that Amanda had a boyfriend named Max that drives a silver Acura. He stayed over most nights, but they were very secretive about their relationship. The landlord saw his car there this morning.Oliver Crane is standing outside of Amandas house with his camera on. LaSalle and Gregorio manage to keep the two of them apart.When they get back to HQ, Pride gets a call Deputy Director Sanchez. Hes angry. Pride tells him LaSalle can take the lead and that hes a team player. Sanchez ends the call by saying, Dont let me down.Outside of HQ, protestors have lined the streets. Pride wants to go talk to them. I think that sounds like a pretty bad idea Meanwhile, Patton has a phone number for Amanda Bowers super elusive boyfriend, Max. It sounds like he might be a professional hit man.Pride heads outside. The people are shouting and waving signs. Pride wants them to calm down, but before he can say anything else, someone chucks a brick at him with, Die Pride. LaSalle and Gregorio bring him back inside.Rita Devereaux shows up and tells the team that theres a coordinated attack. The target? Dwyane Pride.Rita tells Pride that hes in trouble. She says that someone in Washington is after him. Theres a DOJ report that he is using excessive force. Rita admits that someone wants to shut Pride and the NCIS  New Orleans office down. Theres also a cover up with Amanda. Pride wonders why someone doesnt just try to take him out, instead of taking his team down with him. Rita explains that assassinating a federal agent would raise too many eyebrows.Patton has news. The reason the protest started outside of Prides office was due to a new story that Crane dropped on his website. It turns out that bots helped spread the news about the story and encouraged people to go down to HQ and protest. Patton is going to track the people behind the bots down, but he cant make any promises. Its going to be tough.Captain Estes surprises Pride with a phone call. He has an ID on the brick thrower. He lives in Clearwater. Not good. Pride tells Estes that he wants to ride with him. He says he wants to talk to the guy who threw the brick. This does not sound like a good idea.Over at the morgue, Loretta tells LaSalle that shes getting a lot of pushback from her bosses. Shes not giving up though. Sebastian has some minor good news. The killer, who wiped the scene clean, left one small clue. The killer left beard balm behind in the sink. So, we now know the killer has a beard.Pride and Estes pull up to Clearwater, where he is not a popular figure. They knock on Marcus Greens door. He comes outside to talk to them. He admits that he was paid one thousand dollars to head protest at HQ and throw the brick at Pride. Before they can arrest Marcus, a fight breaks out with the people of Clearwater. Pride and Estes get roughed up before they can take cover in Estes car, which is also roughed up. Luckily, backup arrives and they get out before things go too far.Back at HQ, Estes tells Pride that something isnt adding up. First, there was an attempted assassination of the now Mayor Taylor and then last month, a terrible car accident sidelined the State Attorney General. Someone is taking out major players in the state of Lousiana and it looks like Pride is there next target.Rita returns with news. Patton was able to infiltrate the hackers server. Hes learning as much as he can as they speak. She also says the money the hackers used traces back to shell company, Primalytica, which is based in the Cayman Islands.Rita and Pride are about to have a romantic moment, but Rita sees his bruised face. Pride tells her that hes not going to blame anyone else for his situation.Estes comes outside with news. They have a composite sketch of Max, Amanda Bowers boyfriend. Pride wants to talk to Crane. LaSalle doesnt want him to go. Scratch that, everyone on the team doesnt want him to go, except Rita. Pride tells them, Im going to give him the one thing hes wanted this whole time, me.Pride and Rita show up at Cranes office. Rita announces that shes Prides lawyer. Pride convinces Crane to send his workers away. Pride tells him, Youre being played, Crane, and, Im being set up. Rita gives Crane a sketch of Max, who they believe killed Amanda Bowers. Rita says, Who do you think is next?Pride gets Crane to talk by promising him the story of a lifetime, the setup hes facing from the DOJ. Crane gives the team the video of Max passing Crane the classified information. Even better, Maxs car has been found three blocks from the train station.The rest of the team convinces Pride to stay while they head down to the train station. Patton finds Max using a facial recognition program. He shaved his beard and is wearing a leather jacket. With Sebastians help, LaSalle spots Max in line, but before he can approach him, Max takes off.LaSalle and Estes catch up to Max, but he gets away as a train passes through the station. Gregorio and Sebastian are on the other side of the tracks and are looking for Max. Gregorio takes off her hand brace, but before he can draw her gun, Max attacks her. He gets away for a few seconds before Sebastian kicks him right in the gut, taking him down for good.Back at HQ, the team learns that Max is a former intelligence officer out of Virginia. They connect him to the Primalytica bank accounts, but they dont have anything they can pin on him for Amanda Bowers murder.Before Pride can begin interrogating Max, AUSA Karen Izzo stops by HQ. She tells Pride that shes bringing him in to talk. Yikes! Karen tells Pride that hes, under investigation for excessive use of force and power. Oh no! Wheres Rita, his lawyer?Pride tries to talk to Karen. Shes being really tough. Pride asks her if someone at the DOJ puts her up to this, to which she doesnt respond.Back at HQ, LaSalle and Gregorio interrogate Max. Gregorio says, We have the cards. You have one play, that is to talk, and tell us everything you know. Max replies, I have the only card that matters.Sebastian interrupts and says, We have an issue. They follow him outside and come face to face with three lawyers who claim they are here to pick up their client. LaSalle informs them that they have him on camera leaking classified documents to Crane. One of the lawyers tells them that the government wont be pressing charges at this time and that they are free to collect Max. LaSalle and Gregorio cant believe it. Sebastian tells them he called to confirm and that they can indeed leave with Max. Hmmm I wonder if theyre going to kill him? Interesting! They are the same law firm that represents Oliver Crane! LaSalle points out that that isnt a coincidence.Karen is going hard on Pride. She tells him, Someone has to pay. Oh my gosh! She tells him that a, grand jury is being convened immediately. She tells him hes free to go now, but hell be indicted soon. She instructs him to turn in his badge and gun. She adds that he is not to speak with anyone at NCIS.Pride asks, Why are you doing this, Karen? Before responding, she turns off her recording device and says, Its not me, Dwayne or my boss, or even his boss. You see what Im saying? Get yourself a lawyer. A good one. Fast.Rita is waiting for Pride outside of the federal building. He tells her that the grand jury is meeting in the morning and hell be charged. Rita wants to help, but Pride tells her he needs someone in DC, who has my back. He tells her, Its the only way, and then kisses her.The episode ends with Pride saying, Whoevers after me, isnt taking me down without a fight.
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The fourth episode of Season 5 of The 100 finally brought both main subplots together into a single episode, but much like last week, things are developing at breakneck pace with little chance to build tension and simmer. "Pandora's Box" was expertly directed by Dean White, with Charmaine DeGrate writing.



A substantial amount of storytelling was crammed into this hour, and I enjoyed it for the most part. Second Dawn, which was is my least preferred subplot, saw the bulk of the action unfold, and its content was on the whole better than the effort two weeks ago. Initially, Kane was in the ring along with three other opponents accused of a crime and sentenced to die, though living was possible should there be a winner. From what was stated later on, Kane was presumed guilty of stealing pills for Abby, though he didn't actually do this. He successfully won his battle, but Octavia denied his freedom, forcing him to fight again another day.



When we invite death into this hall, we honor it.

Jeez, and they call me the cockroach.

It's clearly been a tumultuous few years for the 1200 inhabitants of the bunker over the past 6 years 7 months. What I did enjoy a lot about the storytelling throughout this subplot was the hints that answers were to come. Later on in the hour, when Bellamy reunited with Octavia outside the bunker, he rightly asked for an explanation for what had gone on during that time, but while Octavia didn't answer directly, a "dark year" was hinted at, along with the fact that people change. Answers about what happened in space over that time also look promising thanks to the reunion between Clarke and Bellamy.Reunions were certainly the main theme in this episode, and they weren't in short supply at all. I'd taken a guess that next week's episode would see some action on this front, but the showrunners beat me to it. I'm not sure it was for the best in terms of a longer term storytelling perspective, but I really enjoyed every reunion that was featured. Let's run through them.Clarke and Bellamy is the obvious starting point here. This was more subdued than I expected, but it fit the characters beautifully. It formed the building blocks for the other two reunions between Octavia and Bellamy, and Clarke and her mother Abby. In the former's case, you could see Octavia finally relax and let her guard down slightly when she embraced her brother. For Abby, Clarke was the last person she could have imagined walking through the door. Abby was grieving at the presumed loss of Kane at the time and while her and Kane are still very much hot property, it seems like Clarke's presence is the best news she's had in a long time.The ground felt a bit empty thanks to the absence of Echo, Emori, and especially Monty, with all three being sidelined in this hour as normal transmission resumes. Bellamy was involved with everything - including things that Monty should have taken over, especially keeping in touch with Raven. That's a disappointing omission in my book.I was really pleased that Raven and Murphy got the amount of screen time they did. Those two characters experienced more growth than anyone else in this episode. Murphy is building a sense of empathy and humility, and it was fascinating listening to him explain his decision to stay on the Ark. Raven couldn't bring herself to shoulder the responsibility of killing the remaining 283 cryosleep prisoners, but when push came to shove, neither could Murphy.The power struggle between Colonel Diyoza and Bellamy was also pretty good value for the most part, if not a tad predictable in places. An oversight by Raven meant that the prisoner drop ship was still able to access the hangar doors on board Eligius 4, so they were opened from the ground in order to flush Raven and Monty out. That forced Raven and Monty to play their one and only card, which was to wake the prisoners, forcing Diyoza to close the hangar doors to prevent killing their own men. With an obvious transport and firepower advantage, the prisoners are back in control, and they wasted no time taking the valley for themselves. Wonkru have a manpower advantage for the time being, but charging into battle will not be worthwhile. They need to play smarter than that.For an antagonist, I'll again reiterate my fondness for Diyoza. We learned a bit more about her in this hour too thanks to Raven. Diyoza is a highly decorated former Navy SEAL who became the most wanted criminal in the world thanks to her penchant for terror attacks. On the ground, her decision-making has been correct and decisive, though the people she has under her command are often where that effectiveness ends. As a sidenote, we now know there were a total of 4 Eligius missions to mine asteroids. The first mission found mineral deposits on an asteroid, the second mission was to mine it but failed due to a lack of manpower. Information on the third mission is encrypted and unreadable, but the fourth mission used prison labor to account for the manpower shortages experienced on mission two.It seems to me that Eligius may have fallen victim to its own success because prison labor is a surprising way to go about adding manpower for subsequent missions. It's likely we'll learn more about the third mission at a later date, but it's great to see the backstory for this new introduction to the series being developed early because that's doing a lot to keep my interest in this aspect.The final moments of this episode indicate we might see more of the same in terms of what's happened in the past, going forward. Octavia virtually declared war the moment one of the prisoners fired a shot at her - she was only spared thanks to the sacrifice of one of her followers. Wonkru are stranded in what was Polis, and the prisoners have taken the valley. We likely have a good old-fashioned turf war on our hands, but the current state of affairs will have to change significantly for things to swing back in favor of Wonkru. Diyoza's interest in obtaining Abby for assistance in curing a condition which is hinted at in next week's episode promo will likely be the catalyst to force the prisoners to be more reasonable. The leadership situation in Wonkru will also be interesting, but something tells me that won't see a lot of development.Some final odds and ends from me include my delight at Bellamy rightly questioning the purpose of the fighting ring that Bellamy laid eyes on the moment he landed in the bunker, the episode's primary cliffhanger in what happens next for Raven and Murphy now that the other prisoners are awake being heavily understated, and the mystery of how Abby became hooked on pills, and that she continued taking them despite promising to Kane that she wouldn't.In all, a substantial amount happened in this episode of. I haven't mentioned it since the first paragraph of my review but I still don't feel any real tension or angst yet for any storyline. Things are happening too quickly at times, new developments aren't being given time to settle, and though the reunions and many other things were well executed and good to watch, the tension is low overall. Part of it may be that the prisoners seem more temporary than the Grounders and the various clans were. My heart rate may have elevated slightly as Kane's date with destiny came and went, but that outcome was predictable. That being said, there's still lots I liked, and I'm enjoying the journey this season is taking us on. The reunions and Raven and Murphy's stints were my favorites in this hour.Thanks as always for reading! I hope you've enjoyed my review - please do share your thoughts on this episode in the comments below. See you right back here next week.
STAMFORD  Mayor David Martin this week took the unusual step of wading into a Zoning Board conflict, sending a strongly-worded letter to board members urging them to vote down a controversial plan to put a drive-through chicken joint in a congested Bulls Head intersection.

In the letter, Martin echoed city traffic officials who earlier wrote that a Chick-fil-A between Long Ridge and High Ridge roads would exacerbate congestion at the crossing that sees thousands of cars each day.

We must make tough decisions that may not always be popular, but necessary for our city to continue, Martin wrote. (City) engineers concern isnt about a general increase in traffic, it is about a potentially unmanageable increase in traffic at an already extremely congested location.

Earlier this month, some half dozen Chick-fil-A representatives  some flown in from Atlanta  told Zoning Board members that the restaurant and attached two-lane drive-through wouldnt impact traffic because it would be busiest when the roads are quiet.

The assembly of lawyers, consultants and corporate denizens also told the board of the franchises good works, philanthropy and southern cooking and hospitality. Talks included the brands approach to lemonade and biscuits as well as the use of neighborhoody building materials, including brick.

Two attorneys who advocated at the meeting for the southern chain could not be reached for comment.

Between board member questions and public comment, it was apparent that drive-through traffic at the location was the citys primary concern.

In the letter  dated Monday and offered to the Advocate by the mayors special assistant Libby Carlson on Wednesday  Martin wrote that Bulls Head traffic is already at or near capacity and the city and state have worked to improve the congested bottleneck, which this plan could hamper.

Even with the best management, a (drive-through) would substantially increase the potential for additional congestion at Bulls Head, the mayors letter said.

Even before the Martins input, the chicken chain faced an arduous approval process. The Planning Board voted the plan down, and city staffers in the Land Use and Transportation bureaus advised against it. Chick-fil-A needs a unanimous or 4-1 approval vote from the five-member board to garner Zoning Board approval.

The public-comment period on the plan was extended at the last hearing. The next one is tentatively slated for June 4.

barry.lytton@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2263; @bglytton
Editors note: Builders Series features no-holds-barred in-depth interviews with female leaders in different industries to give you insight into what successful women have done to push through feeling stuck, frustrated and uncreative in order to build incredible brands and businesses.

Tina Brown may be most recently known as the founder and leader of the Women in the World Summit, which brings together inspirational leaders and activists, but she has been building for much longer than that. She has built an award-winning career as a journalist, editor and author. She is also the CEO of Tina Brown Live Media.

Since its launch in 2010, the Summit has been a must-attend experience for me. Curated by Brown, the Summit offers inspiration and solutions to building a better life for women and girls. Theres nothing more invigorating than sitting in a room full of lady bosses and hearing from women who are living their passion every day.

Prior to launching Tina Brown Live Media, which holds smaller salon-style events around the globe, and running the Women in the World Summit, Brown launched and edited the news site The Daily Beast. She has also been the editor-in-chief of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Talk and Newsweek.

Related: 7 Ways Women Leaders Can Win at Negotiating

It was a pleasure to sit down with her to discuss how she built her media career and brand and what she is planning next.

Griffith: What have you built and what inspired you to build it?

Brown: Three magazines and a live journalism company. Women in the World was inspired by a desire to hear from voices who don't have a platform as big as they deserve.

Were you born a builder or did you have to learn to be one?

I am a born builder and often get bored when the job is done, and I feel I am becoming a steward.

Who was the first woman you looked up to and why did you want to be like her?

My mother. I wanted her confidence, magnetism and ability to make everyone in the room laugh with her stories.

Whats the greatest risk youve taken?

Leaving Vanity Fair when it was super successful to edit The New Yorker when it needed a revival. Another risk was leaving The Daily Beast to launch Women in the World in my late 50s.

When have you broken down, personally or professionally? How did you break through?

It was tough for me when Talk magazine closed after 9/11. I felt many talented people had followed me to the promised land and then I couldn't bring it home. I broke through by returning to my roots as a writer with The Diana Chronicles, which became a #1 New York Times bestseller.

What makes you doubt yourself, and how do you manage it?

Doubt is my way of life. Courage is overcoming it.

How do you know when to leave someone or something?

When the light goes out of my eyes when I talk about them or it, when I feel my vitality sapping at the prospect of seeing them or doing something.

When was your bravest moment? How do you practice being brave?

Bravest editorial moment was putting pregnant Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair when everyone in the circulation department said it would both cause outrage and bomb.

Knowing what you know now, was it worth it?

In spades!

What can you see yourself building next?

Expanding Women in the World into a multi-platform force in books, news and documentary.

What do you value most in others?

Tenacity.

What do you value most in yourself?

Creativity.

What holds you back?

Self-doubt.

One thing youre afraid of?

Asking for money.

What is your biggest vice?

Spending it!

One thing youd change about yourself?

Lack of patience.

What keeps you sane?

Family weekends.

Something you wish you would have kept doing?

Writing more consistently.

Related: 15 Women Leaders on Risk, Mentorship and Following Your Dreams

Something you wish you would have stopped sooner?

Sugar in my tea.

What keeps you going and building?

What a friend just called my "deranged vitality." I have always lived life to the overcrowded fullest.

Related:

Refinery29's Amy Emmerich Discusses the Tough Women Who Inspired Her, Surviving Gunfire on the Job and Finding Strength in Vulnerability

Media Pro Tina Brown Shares Her Bravest Moment, Greatest Risk and Overcoming Self-Doubt

Brit Morin of Brit + Co Talks About Why She Launched Her Company, How to Overcome the Highs and Lows and Ignoring Negativity



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
B REWIN Dolphin chief executive David Nicol is on the hunt for a new finance director, but was tight-lipped about the reasons for the departure today of Andrew Westenberger.

He is leaving after five years by mutual agreement said Nicol. We wish him the best of the future. The search is underway.

Westenberger might think he was doing well. Profit for the year to March was up 20% to 39 million, as the stockbroker-turned-wealth manager fended off lower investment returns and somewhat volatile markets.

Funds under management slipped over the year to 39.7 billion, but grew in April to stand at 41 billion. The sector has a fight on its hands with the index-tracking sector which is growing apace.

Nicol says Brewin offers some passive funds, but his wealthy clients are looking for more conviction, more active value.
T he Citys tallest tower isnt even finished yet, but it already looks down on its illustrious near neighbours like the nearby Gherkin and Tower 42.

Shooting up close to the heart of Londons insurance industry, 22 Bishopsgate, is a voracious beast of a building with 1500 tonnes of steel a week being piled into the skyscraper, which could eventually play host to 12,000 workers in the capital. Theres enough wiring and cables to stretch around the world twice over.

Financially, however, its also a huge undertaking. The 278-metre tower is rising from the ashes of one of the City property worlds biggest recent embarrassments. The previous developers of the site  Khalid Affaras Arab Investments, Saudi Arabian fund Sedco and Kuwaiti fund Wafra  bought it at the top of the market in 2007 with bold plans for a statement helter-skelter style tower known as the Pinnacle. But when the money ran out in 2012 the Square Mile was left with a seven-storey concrete core nicknamed the stump. It was a crushing embarrassment, says one City property veteran. We hadnt had a Spanish hotel in the Square Mile for decades.

Enter veteran developer Sir Stuart Lipton. His Lipton Rogers partnership worked up a new 1.3 million sq ft scheme for the site and three years ago it was bought by an Axa Real Estate-led consortium, which includes Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek, and two Canadian investors.

But whereas most developers need to secure a pre-let to a tenant to get things moving, 22 Bishopsgate  or TwentyTwo in the slightly modish marketing spiel  is purely speculative.

With construction costs alone of around 600 million, on top of the reported 300 million paid for the site, its effectively a near 1 billion bet on the City property market: the biggest since Land Securities and British Land pulled the trigger on the Walkie Talkie and the Cheesegrater two years after the financial meltdown.

TwentyTwo wants to be something a bit different: the developers style it as a vertical village, with restaurants, art galleries and public space  even a climbing wall on the 42nd floor for those who dont suffer from vertigo.

Its backers want it to be the most advanced building around: theres optional facial recognition technology for people coming in, and would-be workers will even be able to control the blinds built into the windows with their iPhones. Its aiming to be user-friendly too: tenants can also sign up for leases bringing their dogs in.

Nonetheless, with Brexit coming down the track it looks like a brave call. But Sir Stuart and Harry Badham, head of AXAs UK development arm, never really thought of stopping the scheme in its tracks in the wake of the referendum result; with some sang-froid, Badham stuck with his plans for a fishing trip the day after the vote, although I spent most of it on the phone.

Now hes fishing for tenants, and though there are names in the frame  insurer Aspen has been linked with the building since last summer while rivals Beazley and Hiscox are also in talks - property sources mutter they still havent got a deal over the line.

Sir Stuart sitting in TwentyTwos somewhat embryonic marketing suite (a big screen, some ceiling lights, and not much else) meets that against a din of hammering: Theres no shortage of tenants but this is a big piece of kit. There are a lot of toys on the building, like the facial recognition. All of these things take time and all the tenants and their agents want to go through this stuff with a microscope. Take our word for it, there is action here.

Part of the reason for that is that they think theyve timed the market. Timing is everything in property development; get it wrong and you end up with an expensive stump. But TwentyTwo is due for completion at the end of 2019, just in time to coincide with a space space in the City in 2020 and 2021.

With the recent crop of towers now virtually full up and other schemes like the Singapore-backed Trellis unlikely to see the light of day for a decade (if at all), bigger tenants may not have that many options.

Ben Raywood, City expert at property agent Savills, says: In 2017 7.4 million sq ft was transacted in the City  26% up on the long term average. We thought last year was going to be quiet and it turned out anything but. But if you look at the development pipeline beyond 2019 there are not a lot of opportunities if you are an occupier on the lookout for 200,000 sq ft of space. If they sit on their hands they could find themselves in a very awkward situation.

Sir Stuart and Badham hope those dynamics will play into their hands, but would-be tenants are still demanding the leeway to shuffle up and down their space requirements depending on the outcome of an uncertain Brexit process. In every discussion were having at the moment is a flexibility clause, says Badham. A tenant after three floors could end up taking two, or four.

For all the marketing spiel over TwentyTwo, developers of rival buildings snipe in private at the architecture, labelling it bland, and citing rumours that the City of London Corporation later regretted granting planning permission.

But Sir Stuart says the strategy was to make TwentyTwo a quiet building compared with the statement designs of its neighbours, and stresses that in a City market occupiers want big, efficient floorplates. The more complex architecture of schemes like the nearby Scalpel  which has struggled to find tenants  can also pose a commercial challenge.

The conventional design of TwentyTwo also explains the one thing it hasnt got so far: a nickname. Sir Stuart is determined to keep it that way. The reason why it hasnt got one is that tenants essentially dont want to be jokers. If I went to Canary Wharf, there are no nicknames. This [building] is a big chap, so what we didnt want is for it to be vulgar and ostentatious.

Even if it lacks architectural flair, burying the legacy of the stump will be prize enough for TwentyTwos backers.

Dogs licence

Would-be tenants who cant bear to be parted from their four-legged friends will be relieved to hear that TwentyTwos backers will positively welcome dogs in Londons newest skyscraper, citing the resultant boost to office morale, behaviour and community. But occupiers wont be allowed to leave their pets in the office overnight.
S hock news. After years seeming deaf to the complaints of ill-treatment by its millions of customers, BT is finally trying to get a grip.

The declaration that it is canning its unpopular Indian call centres is a clever, eye-catching move signalling the times are changing.

Will it work? Well wait and see.

In the meantime, there are plenty of other headline-grabbers in its strategy update today aimed at finally getting the business into the 21st century.

Much is about getting more people to put their mobile, broadband and TV contracts with BT.

So, Amazon is to run on the BT TV platform for the first time.

Tech is coming which allows your home network to switch seamlessly between broadband and mobile when the signal on one dips.

Theres even a trick in there where parents will be able to give children extra data for their mobile like pocket money when they do the dishes. (Personally, Id prefer a wheeze to get the kids off their devices occasionally, but maybe thats just me.)

Like much at BT these days, its being driven by the team chief executive Gavin Patterson brought in from EE when he bought the business in 2016.

Primarily Marc Allera, an heir apparent if ever there was one.

During their review of the business, they could have opted to kill the damaged BT brand altogether and stick with EE. But customer research has found that although EE is more popular with millennials, the BT brand still resonates in older households.

I wonder how long that will last, just as I wonder how long people will keep buying TV through BT, Virgin or Sky. BT today trumpets getting Amazon on its platform, but how relevant will that be in a few years?

Surely its only a matter of time before the mass market realises you can stream your Netflix, Amazon and UK broadcast channels via the Amazon Firestick. New disrupters will make such build-your-own TV platforms ever easier.

BTs moves may look bold, but tech history is not kind to incumbent behemoths.

Bank must take a pause for thought

Poor Ben Broadbent. The Bank of England deputy governor was asked to explain the economic term climacteric  a word used to describe the 1880s productivity collapse.

Unfortunately for him, it derives from the concept of menopause, as he explained.

Cue a Twitter storm raging that hes some kind of sexist monster.

Inevitably, in the absurd age we live in, he was forced to make a grovelling apology.

Why? If climacteric is the term the pointy-heads use, its hardly his fault.

You may dismiss the whole farce as a bad joke. But it could be more serious than that.

The Bank has become less aloof under Mark Carney.

Its officials nowadays tour the country to explain what economics is, and how their policies work. Thats got to be good.
H ere the Evening Standard business team highlights all the major tech news today.

Top story sees Facebook confirm that Mark Zuckerberg 'has no plans' to meet with the Government despite 3million Facebook users being exposed in a new data leak.

British lawmakers had asked Facebook to fully answer 39 extra questions after the tech giant had not addressed all of its concerns during a parliamentary hearing.

It comes after a popular personality app failed to provide adequate protection to the 'anonymous' data of participants, the latest of a string of security breaches.

The quiz, called myPersonality, collected highly sensitive data - including psychometric test results that reveal how neurotic or extrovert an individual may be.

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg promised an audit of apps that may have accessed 'large amounts of data' on the site.

The investigation is ongoing but the site has confirmed hundreds of apps have so far been suspended, pending further analysis of their behaviour.

The audit will identify apps that had access to large amounts of information prior to a 2014 Facebook policy change and then investigate those whose behaviour raises concerns, Facebook said.

Facebook aside, top five cryptocurrency EOS has now crashed 40% since peaking last month at $21.

Traders said the crash in the price of the crypto built by blockchain developer Block.one was due to heavy bouts of profit taking from investors after a boom in April from $7, but added that concerns over a raid in South Korea last week on the countrys biggest crypto exchange, Upbit.

More than 10% of all EOS coin trading goes through Upbit, according to analysts.

EOS today fell a further 2% to $12.60.

EOS had surged in anticipation of June 1 when its year-long initial coin offering goes live and its blockchain is launched.

Read our crypto columnist Jay Nemesiss view on EOS here. He reckons its still a raging buy.

Wes Nolte, another trader and Evening Standard columnist, who is an EOS investor, said: Im sceptical anyone can predict the future for any one crypto. The way to trade it is make sure you can afford to lose what youre investing, buy into the big ones, plus maybe one or two of the smaller players, and hope you get a winner.
S himon Peres famously remarked of the Middle East peace process: There is a light at the end of the tunnel; theres just no tunnel.

What the great statesman meant was that any settlement of the long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people would self-evidently be founded upon a long sequence of confidence-building measures, culminating in a two-state solution. The problem was not the objective. The costly conundrum was how to get there.

Rarely has the prospect of the tunnel seemed so remote, or the light of which Peres spoke been so dim. At least 60 people were killed on Monday  eight of them under 16  after Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border.

Meanwhile, with a crass symmetry entirely typical of President Trump, his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner were gleefully celebrating the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem. Even as the number of casualties soared less than 50 miles away, Israels Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared: Its a great day for peace.

Matthew d'Ancona

Israelis have grown used to the speed and form of the condemnation that followed. Jeremy Corbyn, who demanded incontrovertible evidence that Russia had been involved in the Salisbury poisoning and insisted upon international inspections before he would condemn the Assad regimes use of sarin gas in Douma last month, exercised no such caution in his response to Mondays bloodshed.

The killing of dozens of unarmed protesters and wounding of many more by Israeli forces in Gaza, he tweeted, is an outrage that demands not just international condemnation but action. At least we now know that the Labour leader is not invariably tentative. When the circumstances suit him, he moves fast.

In this instance, a more thoughtful response would have been appropriate. The loss of life on Monday was indeed terrible  but it was not the consequence of arbitrary brutality by Israel.

Karen Pierce, Britains ambassador to the UN, struck a better-informed note on Tuesday when she told the security council that there was an urgent need to establish the circumstances surrounding the violence.

The march upon the Gaza border was not a blamelessly peaceful rally to mark the 70th anniversary of the so-called nakba, or catastrophe, in which 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes during the foundation of Israel. As so often, the protest was carefully manipulated by Hamas to force Israel into counter-measures that could be  and have been  condemned by the international community as disproportionate.

There is comparatively little interest in the petrol bombs that have been thrown over the border, or the forcible breach of the fence by Hamas guerrillas, or the daily threat of terrorist acts against Israeli civilians. Just as in 2006, the rest of the world declined to take much account of the missiles fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Israel  concentrating instead upon its allegedly unreasonable response  so there is a lazy refusal to examine the broader context of Mondays horrors.

As recently as April 30, Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, attributed the Holocaust to Jewish social behaviour. Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, hoping that this might conceivably pave the way to a two-state solution, Hamas has done all it can to thwart that objective, embezzling foreign aid intended to construct hospitals and schools in order to build scores of tunnels from Gaza into Israel, obstructing badly-needed consignments of essentials into the strip, and militarising its inhabitants.

"Israeli forces fired the shots on Monday, but it is Hamas that put the protesters in harms way"

Israeli forces fired the shots on Monday, but it is Hamas that put the protesters in harms way. What Abbas and his Iranian sponsors understand  unlike so many Western observers  is the collective psyche of Israel. They grasp that the Jewish state was founded in 1948 by a people that had heard the awful silence of extinction and were determined never again to face that abyss.

When threatened, Israelis respond with an eye to this terrible history  and who can blame them? Hamas knows this and never misses an opportunity to provoke its enemy into action which it (correctly) assumes will be condemned by the international community as heavy-handed.

This reflexive condemnation is all the more reliable in an era that is losing sight of the past and of the forces that shaped a nation such as Israel. The faddish categories of the oppressor and the oppressed are all too easily applied in this case  even though this application obscures a much more complex configuration of circumstances, historic and contemporary.

That complexity has been compounded by Trumps ill-timed decision to move the US Embassy. There is a case for the recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. But it is a huge diplomatic step and one that should have been jealously guarded as a potential bargaining-chip in prospective peace talks.

The familiar principle that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed applies with especial force to the Middle East. It is clear that Trump imagines he has, once again, displayed the rippling muscles of a presidency that intends always to act from a position of visible strength. In fact, he has badly weakened Americas credibility in the region and wrecked its hitherto-presumptive role as the honest broker of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
W ITH the very sad news of Tessa Jowells death, the Government is paying a wonderful tribute by doubling its commitment to brain tumour research to 40 million. Cancer Research UK is also investing an extra 25 million over the next five years, in addition to the 13 million we already spend each year.

Over the last few decades, there has been little improvement in survival from brain cancers; just 14 per cent of people survive for 10 or more years. Tessas campaign over recent months raised the profile of the disease and the urgent need for better treatments to help make this appalling statistic a figure of the past. One of her many legacies will be a much-needed increased focus on brain cancer research, something Cancer Research UK will be honoured to take forward.

The new investment will help researchers unlock insights into the biology of brain tumours, which in turn will improve the prospects of earlier diagnosis and accelerate the development of more effective drugs and other forms of treatment.

We are looking forward to working alongside the Government to ensure Tessas legacy. We will also name Cancer Research UKs brain tumour conference in her memory, as a tribute to her infinite compassion and hopes for other patients.

Sir Harpal Kumar

CEO, Cancer Research UK

EDITOR'S REPLY

Dear Sir Harpal

I WAS privileged to attend one of Baroness Jowells last public engagements  her visit last month to Maggies Barts, a fabulous cancer support centre for patients at St Bartholomews hospital. It was immediately apparent how comfortable she was in the company of fellow patients, and how much support they were able to give each other as they chatted over tea.

Her speech in the House of Lords, in which she called for access to pioneering therapies and encouraged researchers to work together, is as great a legacy as her role in the 2012 Olympics and Sure Start centres. The new Government funding for research into brain tumours is welcome but it comes after decades of underinvestment. It is also vital that the spend on cancer, both for research and treatment, increases  and that patients, such as those with leukaemia, are not denied approved drugs such as Ibrutinib, as my colleague on The Times, Sean ONeill, highlighted last weekend.

Ross Lydall, Health Editor

The NHS needs its foreign doctors

Current immigration rules restricting recruitment of foreign doctors are adding to the crisis that some NHS trusts are facing. The British International Doctors Association (Bida) is worried that applying such a cap without recognising the needs of the NHS will put severely stretched services such as A&E into firefighting mode. This could jeopardise patient safety.

At a time when there is a significant recruitment crisis of doctors in the NHS we are concerned that the Prime Minister has chosen the wrong time to cap visas. We urge Theresa May to intervene since these doctors could have helped to alleviate medical staffing pressure.

Chandra Kanneganti and Ashish Dhawan

British International Doctors Association

Our charade with the EU must end

When it comes to our future customs relationship with Europe [Hunt: We should conduct Brexit debates in private, May 14], Theresa May has done with her MPs what nobody would choose to do with their own children. That is, to give them two options  neither of which will come to pass  and ask them to argue over which is best, only to later have to disappoint them all.

The European Union has made it clear that the ideas proposed so far by the UK are not on the table. It is time for this charade to end and for the Government to come up with serious options. We cannot leave the European Union and ask to be able to diverge from its rules and expect it not to put up a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and the North.

Chris Key

Arsene Wengers dignified departure

The send-off for Arsene Wenger has been perfect. The club has conducted itself in a classy way with fantastic communications and online content, and Wenger has remained dignified, which has given fans the chance to remember his many achievements. The banners, chants and love will live long in the memory of the members of the Arsenal Supporters Trust, which may have felt it was time for a change but always respected the man, known to many as the boss.

As for what happens now, opinions vary. Many want someone with experience; others are keen to support whoever is in charge. After many changes the role of manager may be different to what we have seen over the past 22 years but one thing is for sure: its interesting times for the Arsenal.

Akhil Vyas

Arsenal Supporters Trust

The Proms have a wonderful variety

In TOM Services very interesting article on the Proms [Dont just call the Proms classical: they tick so many more boxes, May 11] he questions the term classical music. In simplified terms it was always used to describe music that was not pop or jazz  or serious music, to put it another way.

I agree that in recent years the Proms have ventured into other genres of music  which, in my view, is not a bad thing.

As for something thats classical but also contemporary, again it was also accepted that contemporary music refers to pieces written during the past 50 years.
If a year is a long time in fashion, its an even longer time in cinema.

Or so this years Cannes Film Festival would suggest, with a protest held by 82 women gifting the event with the most cinematic of freeze-frame moments. Staged just six months after allegations surrounding Harvey Weinstein shocked the world, the headlines from this years showcase are about the power of women and their pursuit of equality.

This in mind, the one-way conversation I might normally have in this column about who wore which gown by which designer seems as limiting as it is discourteous. But if youll excuse my insolence Id like to do so, because in watching Cannes from afar, its clear that something extraordinary is happening. The ball gown is no longer a prerequisite. At least it has been knocked down a peg or two, with more and more attendees choosing to shun tradition in favour of clothes that confirm and reflect a modern new age for the festival.

Take a glance at the relaxed trouser suits and the statement sweaters, worn (gasp!) with a pair of flat pumps instead of towering stilettos, and its clear to see: there is change afoot on the French Riviera.

It is from those choosing to buck the tried and tested trends of Cannes that a best-dressed list which is unlike any other in the festivals history emerges. Among the leading figures are Lea Seydoux  an actress who represents a vibrant new generation of female film-makers  who favoured cocktail style sweaters and thigh-skimming Louis Vuitton shirt dresses instead of conforming to classic Cannes tradition.

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Lea Seydoux at the Cold War premiere / AFP/Getty Images

She is joined by Kristen Stewart, who packed an array of Chanel trouser suits to accompany her on her trip to the French Coast, and by Carey Mulligan, who marched to her own tune in a scarlet tuxedo.

Carey Mulligan poses for portrait photographs for the film 'Wildlife' / Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

Saturday nights protest serves as the most glorious example of Cannes prevalent new image, with women from across the length and breadth of the film industry choosing to take to the red carpet in everything from shift dresses and trouser suits to their favourite pair of jeans. The result was a spectacle which unearthed these women at their most powerful and a key change for the festival which counts gowns and honking great diamonds as crucial to its DNA as the Palme DOr.

Of course Cannes is Cannes and accordingly there were gowns aplenty on the Le Croisette this year, with puffy and princessy giving way to moody shades and strong silhouettes.

Kristen Stewart in a Chanel suit and Cate Blanchett in an Armani gown / Getty Images

When jury president Cate Blanchett made her impassioned speech on Saturday she did so in a streamlined creation by Giorgio Armani. It was a fitting complement for a woman who would have looked statuesque had she decided on a bin bag to wear to the occasion.

Julianne Moore wearing a Givenchy gown / AFP/Getty Images

Stepping out in show stopping Givenchy, Julianne Moore made a similar impact. Cut with pin-sharp precision and laden with feathers, here was a dress that made no apologies for Moores pre-eminence. It was empowering  and completely fabulous.

In 2018, a year in which battles for flexible working and equal pay are as pertinent as they have ever been, the descent of princess dressing on Canness red carpet makes for refreshing viewing. After all, while a couture gown laden with 20kg of diamonds might be one womans fairy tale, for many  for most  its not a practical choice.

Cannes Film Festival 2018 - the best dresses 1 /111 Cannes Film Festival 2018 - the best dresses Alessandra Ambrosio Brazilian model Alessandra Ambrosio arrives for the amfAR 25th Annual Cinema Against AIDS gala AFP/Getty Images Winnie Harlow arrives for the screening of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival EPA Bella Hadid poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the 'BlacKkKlansman' at the 71st international film festival, Cannes Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Kendall Jenner poses on the red carpet at the screening of "Girls Of The Sun (Les Filles Du Soleil)" during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival AFP/Getty Images Petra Nemcova attends the screening of "Burning" during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival Getty Images Winnie Harlow Winnie Harlow poses for photographers upon arrival at the amfAR Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger arrives on May 17, 2018 for the amfAR 25th Annual Cinema Against AIDS gala AFP/Getty Images Sara Sampaio Model Sara Sampaio poses for photographers upon arrival at the amfAR, Cinema Against AIDS, benefit Arthur Mola/Invision/AP Michelle Rodriguez Michelle Rodriguez poses for photographers upon arrival at the amfAR, Cinema Against AIDS, Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Nathalie Emmanuel Nathalie Emmanuel at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2018 event Reuters Adriana Lima attends the screening of "Burning" during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival Getty Images Kristen Stewart Kristen Stewart attends the screening of "Knife + Heart Getty Images Ellie Goulding Singer Ellie Goulding poses for photographers upon arrival at the amfAR Invision/AP Ruby Rose Ruby Rose arrives for the 71st Cannes Film Festival amfAR Gala 2018 E-Press / Splash News Kristen Stewart Kristen Stewart arrives on May 17, 2018 for the amfAR 25th Annual Cinema Against AIDS gala AFP/Getty Images Alessandra Ambrosio arrives for the screening of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival EPA Mila Jovovich attends the screening of "Burning" during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival Getty Images Nicole Scherzinger poses for photographers upon arrival at the Written In The Stars party at the 71st international film festival, Cannes Arthur Mola/Invision/AP Izabel Goulart attends the screening of "Burning" during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival Getty Images Toni Garrn attends the screening of "Burning" during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival Getty Images Sara Sampaio arrives for the screening of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival EPA Emilia Clarke arrives for the screening of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival AFP/Getty Images Winnie Harlow arrives to attend the de Grisogono Party on the sidelines of the 71st Cannes Film Festival AFP/Getty Images Lais Ribeiro arrives for the screening of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival Getty Images for Disney Cheryl Cole attends the screening of "Ash Is The Purest White (Jiang Hu Er Nv)" Getty Images Michelle Rodriguez arrives for the screening of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival Getty Images Kristen Stewart poses as she arrives for the premiere of the film "BlacKkKlansman" EPA Cate Blanchett poses as she arrives for the screening of the film "BlacKkKlansman" Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Naomi Campbell at the premiere of the film "BlacKkKlansman" Getty Images for Kering Nicole Scherzinger attends the premiere of the film "BlacKkKlansman" EPA Natasha Poly walks the red carpet for the premiere of the 'BlacKkKlansman' at the 71st international film festival, Cannes REUTERS Winnie Harlow poses as she arrives for the premiere of the film "BlacKkKlansman" AFP/Getty Images Bella Hadid poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the 'BlacKkKlansman' at the 71st international film festival, Cannes Getty Images Petra Nemcova walks the red carpet for the premiere of the 'BlacKkKlansman' at the 71st international film festival, Cannes Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Michelle Rodriguez poses for photographers as she arrives for the screening of the film "BlacKkKlansman" AFP/Getty Images Bella Hadid attends Fashion For Relief during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Hangar 16 Airport of Cannes Mandelieu EPA Naomi Campbell Fashion For Relief Cannes 2018 Splash News Helen Mirren attends the screening of 'Girls Of The Sun (Les Filles Du Soleil)' during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals Getty Images Winnie Harlow poses for photographers upon arrival at the Fashion For Relief 2018 Arthur Mola/Invision/AP Kendall Jenner Fashion For Relief Cannes 2018 Dave Benett Bella Hadid Fashion For Relief Cannes 2018 Splash News Bella Hadid attends Fashion for Relief Cannes 2018 during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival Dave Benett Isabeli Fontana arrives on May 13, 2018 for the screening of the film "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival AFP/Getty Images Kimberley Garner attends the Fashion For Relief Cannes 2018 event on the sidelines of the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival AFP/Getty Images Izabel Goulart arrives for the screening of the film "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival AFP/Getty Images British-Thai actress Araya Hargate arrives for the screening of the film "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival AFP/Getty Images Elsa Hosk arrives for the screening of the film "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival AFP/Getty Images Diane Kruger arrives for the screening of the film "Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain)" at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival AFP/Getty Images US musician Casey Spooner during the Fashion For Relief Cannes 2018 event on the sidelines of the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival at Cannes Mandelieu Aeroport AFP/Getty Images Daria Strokous walks the runway at Fashion For Relief show during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival EPA Carla Bruni attends Fashion for Relief Cannes 2018 during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Aeroport Cannes Mandelieu Dave Benett Neelam Gill attends Fashion for Relief Cannes 2018 during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Aeroport Cannes Mandelieu Dave Benett Marion Cotillard during a photocall for the film "Gueule d'Ange (Angel Face)" at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival AFP/Getty Images Irina Shayk Arrives for the premiere of 'Sorry Angel' Reuters Marion Cotillard attends the screening of "3 Faces (Se Rokh)" during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals Getty Images Cheryl Cole Cheryl is a vision in white Getty Images Kendall Jenner Kendall Jenner arrives for the Secret Chopard Party AFP/Getty Images Joan Smalls Joan Smalls attends Chopard Secret Night EPA Lupita Nyong'o Lupita Nyong'o arrives at the Chopard party Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP Bella Hadid Strikes a pose for photographers at the screening of 'Ash Is Purest White' Reuters Stella Maxwell Stella Maxwell attends Chopard Secret Night Getty Images for Chopard Marion Cotillard Marion Cotillard attends Chopard Secret Night EPA Bella Hadid At the screening of 'Ash Is Purest White' Reuters Eva Herzigova arrives for the screening of 'Ash Is Purest White' EPA Victoria Silvstedt At the screening of the film "Ash Is Purest White Invision/AP Fan Bingbing arrives for the screening of 'Ash Is Purest White' Reuters Deepika Padukone Indian actress Deepika Padukone poses as she arrives AFP/Getty Images Araya Hargate At the screening of the film "Ash Is Purest White EPA Irina Shayk At premiere of 'Sorry Angel' EPA Lea Seydoux Walks down the red carpet for the screening of 'Cold War' Reuters Araya Hargate Poses as she arrives for the premiere of 'Sorry Angel' AFP/Getty Images Bella Hadid at the Magnum photocall Getty Images Stella Maxwell Poses as she arrives for the premiers of 'Sorry Angel' EPA Amber Heard Arrives for the premiere of 'Sorry Angel' EPA Lupita Nyong'o Poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Sorry Angel' Invision/AP Cate Blanchett Arrives for the screening of 'Cold War' during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival EPA Hofit Golan Poses as she arrives for the premiers of 'Sorry Angel' EPA Petra Nemcova Arrives for the premiere of 'Sorry Angel' Reuters Thalia Storm Arrives for the premiere of 'Sorry Angel' EPA Frederique Bel Poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Sorry Angel' EPA Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere At the premiere of 'Sorry Angel' EPA French model Thylane Blondeau Attends the premiere of 'Sorry Angel' AFP/Getty Images Fan Bingbing, Marion Cotillard, Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz and Lupita Nyong'o At the 355 photocall Getty Images Jessica Chastain At the 355 photocall Getty Images Kristen Stewart Attending the Vanity Fair dinner Getty Images Chloe Sevigny Attending the Vanity Fair dinner Getty Images Penelope Cruz Attending the Vanity Fair dinner Getty Images Carey Mulligan Attending the Kering Talks Women Getty Images Julianne Moore Attending the Chopard Gentleman's Evening Getty Images Irina Shayk Irina Shayk attends the screening of "Yomeddine" at Cannes Getty Images Leomie Anderson At the "Yomeddine" screening Getty Images Julianne Moore At the Everybody Knows screening EPA Barbara Lennie and Sara Salamo At the Everybody Knows screening AFP/Getty Images Georgia May Jagger At the Everybody Knows screening EPA Fan Bingbing At the Everybody Knows screening EPA Penelope Cruz At the Everybody Knows screening AFP/Getty Images Julianne Moore At the Everybody Knows screening AFP/Getty Images Romee Strijd At the Opening Ceremony of the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival Invision/AP Cate Blanchett At the Opening Ceremony of the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival EPA Chloe Sevigny At the Everybody Knows screening EPA Milla Jovovich Milla Jovovich poses for photographers upon arrival at the amfAR Arthur Mola/Invision/AP Elena Lenina At the Everybody Knows screening EPA Kristen Stewart At the Opening Ceremony of the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival Getty Images Lea Seydoux At the Opening Ceremony of the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival EPA Tallia Storm At the Everybody Knows screening EPA Eniko Mihalik Hungarian model Eniko Mihalik arrives for the amfAR 25th Annual Cinema Against AIDS gala AFP/Getty Images Vanessa Paradis Vanessa Paradis arrives at the 71st Cannes Film Festival for photocall for the film "Knife + Heart" Reuters Toni Garrn Toni Garrn arrives at the 71st Cannes Film Festival Reuters Elsa Hosk Elsa Hosk arrives for amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2018 event Reuters Heidi Klum Heidi Klum arrives on May 17, 2018 at the amfAR 25th Annual Cinema Against AIDS gala AFP/Getty Images Thandie Newton Thandie Newton poses during the photocall for 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' at the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes EPA
S elfridges may be an emporium of the finer things in life, but it is better known for showcasing high-end handbags than it is fine art.

The famous department store has, however, welcomed its very own version of Trafalgar Squares Fourth Plinth.

The Art Block will host six month long commissions inside the store, and is open from today.

The project has been created in partnership with Yorkshire Sculpture Park, whose Senior Curator Helen Pheby will be responsible for choosing the artists and artwork on show.

The Art Block will consist of a marble and steel monolith designed by renowned architect David Chipperfield, who has also been working with Selfridges on the design of their new Accessories Hall.

The first commission to take to the Block will be by up-and-coming London-based artist Holly Hendry, who will be showing an artwork called Phyllis, which will pay tribute to a digging machine of the same name that had to be left underground after excavating a four mile tunnel for London Crossrail.

The four metre sculpture will be made partly from the rubble created in the construction of the new hall, as well as silicone, marble, ash and lipstick pigment.

For more information, visit selfridges.com
A uthor, diarist, pioneer of literary theory and now bronze statue - Virginia Woolf is finally getting the statue of her own she deserves.

If all goes to plan, the famous modernist could soon become a permanent fixture on Richmond's stunning riverside when a statue is built in her honour.

Early mock ups put together by acclaimed sculptor Laury Dizengremel reveal a full-size Woolf resting on a bench in a conversational pose. The hope is that residents, tourists, Londoners and notable Woolfians will sit, converse and take a selfie (obvs) with the once controversial 20th century thinker.

For those that don't know, Woolf once lived in the borough and took up residence with husband Leonard at Hogarth House, the couple's former home and site of their publishing press the Hogarth Press.

It was here many of Woolf's works were published including short story collection Monday or Tuesday, along with Freud's theories of psychoanalysis, TS Eliot's essays and the works of Katherine Mansfield and E..M. Forster.

Richmond Council recently ran a public consultation on the project, and over 80% said they were thoroughly in support of the idea.

Artists perspective: It's hoped Laury Dizengremel's statue will sit riverside in the London Borough of Richmond / Richmond Council

If given the final nod of approval, the bronze artwork will be unveiled next year in line with the centenary of the Hogarth Press.
R eady to pop open the bubbly this Saturday? You, and the rest of the nation.

Ahead of Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys nuptials this weekend, Lidl has revealed that sales of sparkling wine have jumped up by 35% so, naturally, they've launched their own version.

It's actually thought the royal couple will toast tying the knot with a sparkling English wine instead of champers so no doubt that figure is only going to soar.

The German supermarket unveiled its new collection of sparkling wine as part of their latest Wine Tour, and the best news is that it's seriously affordable.

The Broadwoods Folly English Sparkling Wine, which is made in Surrey Hills, is priced at a competitive 14.99, while the Forget Me Not Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc comes in at 9.99. The Cremant de Bordeaux Brut is 7.99, the Amorany Cava Gran Cuvee is 7.99 and the refreshing Velada Moscatel is just 5.99.

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The perfect option for those who want to drink something bubbly without breaking the bank, right?

Unfortunately, you wont be able to purchase a bottle ahead of the weekend but the collection will be available at Lidl stores nationwide from May 24.
I lived in Turin for three years on a square called Piazza Madama Cristina. It has a huge outdoor market that starts every morning at 7am, six days a week. The stalls are filled with the most incredible produce  from farmhouse cheeses from the nearby Alps to local seasonal vegetables. Its a chefs dream.

Every morning when I woke up I would sip my espresso on the balcony and watch the food circus begin in the piazza. I learnt so much about Italian cooking during my time there, one thing being how to cook the most perfect risotto.

First is the rice: carnaroli is the best for cooking risotto and, thankfully, most supermarkets stock it now. If you do come accros a brand called Acquerello, stock up as this is the best risotto rice in the world. The rice is aged for a year, which makes the starch more stable and it also absorbs more liquid than any other risotto rice

Daniel Hambury/@stellapicsltd

The first important step when cooking a risotto is to allow the rice to toast gently for a couple of minutes as this adds a delicious nutty flavour. Next is the ladling of the stock bit by bit. This will allow the rice to absorb the liquid, giving your risotto a beautiful silkiness. Or, as Georgio Locatelli describes it in his book Made in Italy (my bible when I lived there), a risotto should flow like a river.

On the piazza where I lived there was the most fabulous pizzeria and its margherita was sensational. One morning I woke up having been to the pizzeria the evening before and I thought why not a margherita in a risotto? Ten years on and its still my favourite summer risotto with its sweet tomatoes, fragrant basil and gooey buffalo mozzarella. Talking about basil, I have just bought a Greek basil plant in the supermarket  little delicate leaves and so sweet. Get one if you can and it should last you the summer.

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Margherita risotto

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serve with: Poggio Castagno Chianti Classico

Ingredients (serves 4)

50g butter

2 shallots, very finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

300g carnaroli rice

1 can of tinned cherry tomatoes

100ml dry white wine

500ml hot vegetable or chicken stock

2 fresh buffalo mozzarella,

torn into bite-sized pieces

10 large basil leaves, torn

150g grated Parmesan cheese

sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

Method

1. Add the butter to a casserole dish over a medium heat. Once its melted, add the finely chopped shallots and garlic, cover and simmer until translucent, about 2 minutes.

2. Stir in the risotto rice and toast for about two minutes. Then pour in the white wine and let the rice absorb all of it. Stir in the tinned tomatoes, let the liquid come up to a bubble, then reduce to a simmer for a couple of minutes.

3. Add a third of the hot stock, and once the rice has absorbed most of it, add more stock.

4. After 10 minutes stir in the pieces of buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil leaves and continue to cook for a further three minutes.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
T he hour is almost upon us. The wedding gallops into view amid an inevitable frenzy of 11th-hour scandal: we still, obviously, dont know what the dress will look like. In Windsor, broom cupboards are going for 5,000 a night.

Close up, this hysteria can be wearying. Disengage and focus: you need a crib sheet to the wedding rather than an exhaustive guide to every twist and turn. And while the pubs will be open an hour later on both Friday and Saturday, the best parties will take place at home, in front of the telly, on Saturday.

So grab a pitcher of gin, doff your fake crown and settle in for a session: this is everything you need to know  including how to throw your own royal wedding viewing party.

Take your seats

The ceremony starts at midday and lasts an hour, though each broadcaster has planned several preceding hours of coverage to amp you up  guests will be arriving between 9.30am and 11am, and members of the royal family will start arriving from 11.20am.

Once theyve said their I dos Heghan/Marry will be careering through Windsor on a whistlestop carriage tour. TV coverage will wind down at around 3pm  at which point you are invited to take a nap face first in a cake, or open another bottle and gear up for the FA Cup final at 5.15pm.

The BBC, Sky and ITV will all be kicking off their coverage at around 9am, and competing for the attention of tens of millions of viewers worldwide. About 27 million Brits and 23 million Americans watched Kate and Wills process up the aisle; Harry and Meghan will almost certainly match their audience.

The BBC  which has waived the licence fee for the wedding so it can be screened at communal events  is dispatching Huw Edwards, Kirsty Young and Dermot OLeary to Windsor. Young and OLeary will be hovering around the moat speaking to the fevered crowd while Edwards will be high in the sky on the roof of the Windsor Guard Room. Gogglebox sweetheart Scarlett Moffat will also be on the ground.

Meanwhile, Sky will have Kay Burley whizzing around Windsor and a panel of experts in the studio including Markles former agent, Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne, and wedding planner Peregrine Armstong-Jones  the mastermind who created the Beckhams gold-plated mega-wedding. ITV has Philip Schofield and royal wedding veteran Julie Etchingham: she covered Kate and Willss nuptials in 2011. They will be joined by surprise guests, some of whom, we are assured know Prince Harry and Meghan.

AP

Arguably, the run-up will be the dizziest, most entertaining hours of the day: animated, scatter-gun speculation, esoteric trivia, blue-sky non sequiturs. If your selected broadcaster is playing it too straight, switch.

You need the high camp of Eurovision  catty observations, gossipy asides  but periodically you will also want commentary that engages with robust, academic questions, such as the enduring complexities of the class system and the future of the special relationship. Do not be shy to tweet if you are not getting it all in abundance. This is your special day.

Invitation only

Your own viewing party guest list is more important than the TV line-up: the latter are being beamed into your living room; the former are literally in your living room, tipping prosecco over the rug and yodelling in your ear when they spot a Spice Girl in a fascinator.

Obviously, arch republicans are out: this is not a day for caustic contrarians sneering as Meghan wafts through Windsor Castles Galilee Porch. Good-natured heckling will make your party go off with a bang; acid commentary will make life feel futile.

Getty Images/EyeEm Premium

On the other hand, serious royalists will inevitably object to you drinking throughout the whole thing  even if you do dedicate the 9am G&T to Queen and country  and shush you sharply if you snort with laughter or sob.

They will cry, but it will be the merest of glistens in the eye  like a repressed general remembering the Empire  rather than your drunk honking when Harry melts at the sight of his bride. Blacklist them, as well as anyone who will live blog the ceremony on Twitter  these people are rarely as funny as they think they are.

Essentially, you want a bunch of wrong uns out for a good time and using the wedding as an excuse for a right royal carnival.

Trivial pursuits

Assemble an arsenal of far-fetched facts and deploy with nonchalance. For example, do say the invites were designed by Barnard Westwood, using American ink on English card  symbolism alert.

When the reading starts observe that its Lady Jane Fellowes at the ledger  Princess Dianas elder sister. As others speculate about the after-party, suggest its at Oceana Windsor before revealing that its at Frogmore House, a Grade I-listed building owned by the Crown Estate.

Other facts: the bridal party will be staying at Cliveden  the grand hotel famous for its association with the Profumo affair  while Harry will be at Cowarth Park with William.

Royal Wedding: Souvenirs and memorabilia - In pictures 1 /17 Royal Wedding: Souvenirs and memorabilia - In pictures Alex Lentati Alex Lentati Alex Lentati Alex Lentati Alex Lentati Alex Lentati Alex Lentati Alex Lentati Alex Lentati Alex Lentati Alex Lentati Alex Lentati Alex Lentati

Pick a theme

Get in the spirit of things by enforcing a theme at your viewing party.

Royal wedding is multidimensional: you could, for example, dress as guests, with sculptural fascinators and stiff hairdos. As the ultimate power play, dress as the bride.

Or channel the royals in imitation ermine and (plastic) jewel-studded crowns  a sceptre would also be useful for corralling any latent cynics.

Interpret it conceptually and demand guests dress in red, white and blue, like a Union Jack  these are also the colours of the USAs Stars and Stripes and your group would thereby embody this great union of nations. You could also dress up as Prince George.

Food-wise, a Great British spread feels patriotic  cucumber sandwiches, Pimms, slabs of sponge  but also suggests the twee dystopia of living inside the big tent on Great British Bake Off, being smothered with a Keep Calm and Carry On poster. Furthermore, the sugar crescendo will cause an almighty crash. Serve bacon sandwiches.

Make a mark(le)

Theres memorabilia aplenty. Obviously you need the flag featuring both faces and the semi-grotesque Meghan and Harry masks  any good fancy dress shop will do both.

Getty Images

You need a hodge-podge assortment of crockery  the best is John Lewiss by illustrator Milly Green. Top marks if you bid successfully for the plate on eBay commemorating the wedding of Markle to the real Royal Highness, Ed Sheeran of Wales (Google it). If you plan on having a really big day, jeweller Isady is doing a replica royal ring.

And theres just about still time to join British Airwayss stunt: on Saturday, the airlines flight from Heathrow to Toronto will be staffed by a cabin crew of Meghans and Harrys.

Where to watch the Royal Wedding 2018 - In pictures 1 /5 Where to watch the Royal Wedding 2018 - In pictures Where to watch the Royal Wedding 2018 - In pictures Bluebird Chelsea Where to watch the Royal Wedding 2018 - In pictures Pomona's Where to watch the Royal Wedding 2018 - In pictures Bokan ABACApress/Didier Delmas Where to watch the Royal Wedding 2018 - In pictures London Wine Week Addie Chinn/London Wine Week Where to watch the Royal Wedding 2018 - In pictures Swingers West End Luke Dyson

Bridal bingo

There are certain moments that you must see. Miss the moment Meghan turns up the aisle  father or no father?  and you might as well not have bothered.

Plus, these must-see moments make a knock-out  literally  drinking game. The whole day is about ritual and ceremony  get with the programme.

Duly, drink when you see Meghan giggle, and at your first sighting of a newly hunky Harry (rumoured to be shredding for the wedding). Do a shot when the Beckhams arrive, or indeed whenever any unexpected celebrity (Ed Sheeran, that man off Suits, Millie Mackintosh) takes their pew.

Drink whenever you spy the Queen; Wills looking relieved it isnt him this time; and whenever you spy the Archbishop of Canterbury  extra shot if he is wielding divine paraphernalia.

Take a swig every time you spot Prince George and Princess Charlotte, rumoured to be pageboy and bridesmaid  after the royal couple they are the people you are most excited to see. If Prince Louis comes  unlikely  finish your drink.

One of your chosen broadcasters commentators will inevitably coin a catchphrase  something they think is solemn and captures the reverence of the occasion but does not actually mean what they think it does: drink. When the newlyweds climb into the carriage, strongarm a blue WKD.
O ur one-to-one conversation took place during a royal tour of New Zealand as his 10-year career as Captain Harry Wales was drawing to a close. A few weeks earlier, in February 2015, I had broken the story that Harry had decided to end his active military career after serving two tours on the frontline in Afghanistan with distinction.

What are you going to do next? I asked the prince, who was then 30. Youll probably know before me, he joked, in a nod to my story. But he soon became reflective. He wanted, he said, to use his celebrity for the good of others.

It was clear that he didnt really want to leave military service, a career he loved, and would miss the camaraderie  but he felt the time had come. Only one of his peers who had joined at the same time as him, he said, was still in the military, and he really didnt want to fly a desk.

It was time to spread his wings. We spoke about his plans to focus on his charity work and desire to spend a significant period abroad on field projects in Africa, which he later did.

Prince Harry attends the golf event Invictus Games 2017 at Saint George's Golf Club, Toronto, Canada / Mark Large/Daily Mail

But mostly he was driven to give back to those military men and women who had been seriously injured in the field or had suffered mental trauma. Within a couple of years, Harry was rightly being lauded for his humanitarian work, especially in creating and developing his Invictus Games  which have been likened to an Olympics for injured military personnel.

It has been his major achievement. With the Invictus Games, he has given hope, pride, a sense of being part of a team and belief back to so many of his brothers and sisters in arms profoundly impacted by their time in the military.

No one leaves a battlefield unchanged and not all scars can be seen, Harry said. In a world where so many have reasons to feel cynical and apathetic, I wanted to find a way for veterans to be a beacon of light, and show us all that we have a role to play. He went on: We all win when we respect our friends, neighbours and communities. Thats why we created Invictus.

After years of being dubbed the rebel prince, with unwanted headlines about cavorting nude in Las Vegas or wearing a Nazi uniform at a fancy dress party, he had turned a corner.

He has grown in stature as a royal having been given a special role as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador by the Queen. Harry is now much more focused and driven and is determined to make his Queen, country and family proud.

PA

In Meghan he has not only found the woman of his dreams, but a kindred spirit. Her African-American heritage had drawn her to helping the sick and poor children of Africa long before she met Harry. His work with Sentebale, the charity he established in memory of his mother Diana to support children affected by HIV in Lesotho and

Botswana, has been another of his great achievements.

Clearly, it is a cause Meghan will support him with. After all, Botswana is special to them. It is where they fell in love under the stars on a camping holiday early in their romance. It is also the hotly tipped destination for the newlyweds honeymoon.

Meghan, like Harry, is driven to help others, to speak out for those whose voices might otherwise not be heard.

Harry was born into privilege and, by the time they met, Meghan was also wealthy, having made a success of her acting career with a starring role as Rachel Zane in Suits. But both wanted to give something back. Before wiping her charity slate clean on entering her new royal world, Meghan was a UN womens advocate and publicly supported Emma Watsons He For She campaign. She was also an ambassador for Canadas World Vision Clean Water campaign and as part of that role, she travelled to Rwanda.

Commenting on how she managed to combine her acting career with her humanitarian commitments, she said: While my life shifts from refugee camps to red carpets, I choose them both because these worlds can, in fact, co-exist. And for me, they must.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle / AFP/Getty Images

The Queen is keen to use their combined skills to connect with the next generation of the Commonwealth. One of their first tours will be to Australia, then on to Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand in October.

In this monarchy in transition despite now being sixth in line to the throne as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges young family expands  Harry and Meghan will play a key role on the world stage.
T his is an image of a man wanted in connection with the stabbing of a 16-year-old boy in east London.

The CCTV picture was released by police investigating the attack on the teenager in the St Leonards Street area of Bow on Sunday April 1.

The teenage boy was found suffering stab wounds in the street and taken to hospital. He has since been discharged.

So far, six teenage boys, aged 15 and 16, have been charged with GBH in connection with this incident.

The police appeal came as a man in his 20s is fighting for life in hospital after being stabbed in Ruislip.

The victim was found with knife injuries in Victoria Road at 9pm yesterday. He was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.
A n irate Londoner left a note threatening to "smash" up an ambulance which was parked as paramedics rushed to the aid of someone suffering a cardiac arrest.

The ambulance crew had been called to Westferry Road in the Isle of Dogs, Tower Hamlets, at around 10.30pm on Tuesday to tend to the stricken patient.

Members of the crew rushed the patient to hospital and then returned to collect the emergency vehicle that had to be left outside the property.

But when they arrived at around 2.30am they discovered a note with writing scrawled in capital letters reading: Warning this is private parking space. Next time it will be smashed.

A man then approached the crew of paramedics and began acting aggressively. Police were called and arrested the 38-year-old man on suspicion of a public order offence.

Tower Hamlets police shared a picture of the note writing: This was left on @Ldn_Ambulance after they were dealing with a cardiac arrest patient! Needless to say one is in custody now.

London Ambulance Service (LAS) responded saying: Thank you @MPSTowerHam for your support, as ever. #999Heroes

When attending an emergency call paramedics have a legal exemption to park where they have to in order to reach patients as quickly as possible.

When responding to seriously ill and injured patients we prioritise getting to the scene quickly and safely, Natasha Wills, Assistant Director of Operations at London Ambulance Service said.

We try to cause minimal disruption when parking at the scene but unfortunately this isnt always possible.

The ambulance was treating a patient who had suffered a cardiac arrest (file photo) / Getty Images

It is never acceptable for our crews to be verbally or physically abused or assaulted while treating patients and we will always push for the highest possible sentence.

A Met police statement said: Police were called at 3am on Wednesday, 16 May to reports of a disturbance outside a residential address on Westferry Road.

Officers attended the scene. An on-duty paramedic was parked outside the address whilst responding to a call when a male approached the vehicle and began acting aggressively.

A 38-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of a public order offence. He was taken to an east London Police Station where he remains.
A pervert who faked being a doctor to sexually assault a heavily pregnant woman has been jailed for more than six years.

Gregory Boyle, 58, was sentenced to six years and four months in prison on Wednesday for the attack at Princess Royal University Hospital in south-east London, Scotland Yard said.

Police said the victim's partner, while doing building work at Boyle's home, told him about a heart condition his wife suffered from.

Boyle claimed to be a cardiologist and offered to give a second opinion.

When the victim, a woman in her 20s, was admitted to hospital, he was taken up on the offer.

Officers said a nurse at the hospital in Farnborough walked in and challenged the man, who had performed a sensitive examination, before calling the General Medical Council to learn he was not a doctor.

Boyle was arrested at the scene in September 2016 before admitting assault by penetration and sexual assault in a case at Croydon Crown Court, a force spokesman said.
P lans to put the Manchester Arena suicide bombers brother on trial have been launched as the application process for his extradition continues.

Counter-terror police have said a trial is being prepared as a team of about 100 investigators are working on the live murder probe, it was revealed today.

Both brothers travelled to Libya in April 2017, before Salman Abedi, 22, returned alone before carrying out the attack on May 22.

The bombing left 22 dead and hundreds injured.

Hashem Abedi, 21, is understood to be currently held by a militia group in Libya.

Salman Abedi on the night he carried out the Manchester Arena terror attack / PA

The head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson of Greater Manchester Police, would not be drawn on the progress of the extradition application made more than six months ago to Libya where Hashem Abedi is currently in custody.

Mr Jackson told reporters that it was "really difficult" to provide any further detail of the extradition process.

He said: "Firstly we must respect the Libyan legal process and we are very grateful to them for considering our request.

"Secondly, it is vital that the court process is respected in this country and especially the right to a fair trial.

"It is because of this that we cannot comment on any specific detail of the case.

"When we can say more, we will of course do so.

"In the meantime we will continue to gather evidence, searching for as much detail about what happened and evidence of anyone responsible whilst supporting the families, many of whom are going through unimaginable pain."

A warrant for Hashem Abedis arrest in relation to questioning over allegations of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion was issued before the extradition request was handed to Libya on November 1 last year.

Part of the ongoing inquiry was an extensive search of 11,000 tonnes of rubbish at a landfill site in Bury which finished last week.

The search failed to uncover any trace of a large blue suitcase which the bomber was seen on CCTV pulling in Manchester city centre on May 22.

The case was not believed to have been used in the explosion.

Mr Jackson said they had now established that more than 800 people suffered physical and psychological injuries from the bombing.

Daughters of Manchester bombing victim on Lorraine

He said: "Over the past year the investigation team has worked hard to support those affected and we are consistently moved by the grace and dignity they show in trying to repair their lives.

"Of course for many the loss is too great for them to ever make a full recovery from this terrible event."

He said the dedicated team of 100 officers continue to piece together evidence as they interview witnesses, painstakingly watch thousands of hours of CCTV and analyse forensic material in an investigation which has cost, so far, about 4 million.

More than 2,000 witness statements have been taken along with the seizure of more than 13,000 exhibits and the examination of 16 terabytes of data.

Police have previously said they do not think Salman Abedi was part of a wider network but believe others were involved in the planning of the attack and named Hashem as a suspect.

Salman Abedi's bomb has been described as "substantial" in size, and he had put it inside a tin with the shrapnel, nuts and bolts, placed around it.

He detonated the device at the end of an Ariana Grande concert with 353 people, including 175 children, around him in the foyer of the venue.

The Abedi family, originally from Libya, fled during the Gaddafi dictatorship with his father returning to fight with opposition forces when the uprising began in 2011.

An extradition agreement between the UK and Libya had been agreed in 2009.

But since the overthrow of Gaddafi the country has been split into warring factions with the United Nations-backed, internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) struggling to assert control over swathes of the country in the hands of dozens of different militias including Isis-affiliated groups.
A young man was clinging to life in hospital after being stabbed repeatedly in a knife attack in a busy west London street.

Police and paramedics were scrambled to the scene in Victoria Road, South Ruislip, shortly after 9pm on Tuesday.

The victim, believed to be in his 20s, was rushed to hospital where he remained in a critical condition.

The road was sealed off into the night while officers continued to investigate the horrific stabbing.

No arrests have been made.

A Met Police spokeswoman said: Officers, the London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance are in attendance.
T he family of a 23-year-old man who was stabbed to death at a rail station for no reason have told of their heartbreak as his killer began a life sentence.

Police found Samir Draganovics body slumped and covered in blood by the tracks at Knockholt station near Orpington. They initially thought he had been struck by a train. It was only when officers watched CCTV footage that they realised he had been the victim of a horrific knife attack.

Jamie Simmons, 37, followed him onto the platform, chased him and stabbed him repeatedly. The killer was seen on camera minutes later calmly walking away. Today, as Simmons was jailed for the random, brutal murder, Samirs family told of their devastation.

The mental heath of his father, who fled to Britain in 1993 after facing abuse and starvation in a Bosnian War concentration camp, has deteriorated, and he can no longer recognise his children. His mother made herself believe that one day her son would come home.

Police release CCTV of man after he stabbed to death Samir Draganovic

Samir, who grew up in Croydon, drew up quotes for clients at prestigious interior design firm Stone Interiors, based in Greenwich, and had ambitions to branch out on his own.

His sister Bella told the Standard: Seeing the last moments of my brothers life like that was so heartbreaking.

Jamie Simmons has begun a life sentence after stabbing Samir Draganovic to death

I cant imagine how scared he must have felt. Seeing [Simmons] walk away so calmly was awful. Its horrific we live among people like that. Since Samir has been taken from us, I dont sleep most nights. I lay in bed questioning over and over if he was in pain during his last moments  how lonely he must have felt surrounded by all that darkness.

She added: My father has become even more ill. His mental health was destroyed during the war in Bosnia when he was held and abused in a concentration camp, but this has made him so ill that since then he often doesnt recognise me or my brother.

My mother has been like a rock but recently she said she convinced herself that once the trial is finished, Samir will come back home and everything will be okay.

Samir was on his way home on bonfire night last year after spending a weekend with friends in Plymouth and had texted his housemate to say he would be arriving in 20 minutes. His body was spotted by a train driver the following day.
T housands of Londons lowest-paid hospital workers are set to miss out on the national NHS pay rise, the Standard has learned.

About 1,600 porters, cleaners, catering staff and security guards at Barts Health are ineligible for the rise, according to the Department of Health.

Unions say the injustice will be repeated across London as many NHS trusts sub-contract non-clinical services rather than employ staff directly.

Announcing the proposed 4.2 billion national pay deal in March, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was worth 6.5 to 29 per cent over three years, with the biggest rises for the lowest-paid. Mr Hunt said: Rarely has a pay rise been so well deserved for NHS staff.

Barts Health workers were transferred by the trust to private operator Serco in September 2016, with their pay linked to the London Living Wage rather than NHS Agenda for Change rates.

Unions representing the Barts Health staff, who work at five east London hospitals, said Serco refused to pay more than 10.20 an hour. NHS staff in London will receive at least 10.83 an hour, rising to 11.17 an hour in inner London, if the national deal is agreed.

Ruth Hydon, Unite regional officer, said: Its an injustice health workers employed by Serco are being offered less than other NHS workers at the same hospitals.

A delegation of Serco-employed workers lobbied the Barts Health board to ensure pay equality. Ian Peters, chairman of Barts Health, told them: Its clearly on the boards agenda and my agenda. We will talk to Serco.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: Any pay rise for these staff is a matter for their own employers.
H ordes of passengers were left stranded on the tarmac at London City Airport following a fire alarm on Wednesday evening.

Flights in and out of the airport were suspended while fire crews investigated the cause of the alarm.

Pictures showed a large group of passengers stood on the runway while others waited on planes. Meanwhile, passengers arriving at the airport were forced to wait out the front.

Airport officials said the evacuation was deemed to have been sparked a false alarm following an investigation.

One person wrote on Twitter: Stuck on the tarmac due to a fire alarm at London City Airport. No info provided whatsoever.

Another passenger called Sam Newman wrote: So Im supposed to be on my way to Aarhus for a workshop, only London City Airport has a fire alert. Been evacuated from our gate and are now standing on the tarmac.

Flight operations began to resume at around 7.30pm.

London City Airport tweeted: Thank you for the patience of passengers following the fire alarm activation.
T heresa May today announced that the Government will pay 400 million to cover the cost of removing dangerous cladding from 158 high-rise buildings.

The cash will go to councils and housing associations facing big bills for making tower blocks safe after the Grenfell disaster.

Mrs May said the fire, in which 71 died, was an unimaginable tragedy and we cannot let it happen again.

Fire services have carried out inspections at 1,250 high-rise buildings.

The cash will go to councils and housing associations facing big bills for making tower blocks safe after the Grenfell disaster / PA

They identified 158 where cladding should be stripped off. Work is under way at 104 blocks. Councils had warned they would have to cut back essential maintenance and other safety work unless the Government met the cladding bill.

Mrs May told MPs: Our thoughts as we approach the anniversary of the appalling tragedy that was the Grenfell tower fire are with the victims and survivors and all those affected.

She said 210 households were in need of a new home and 201 had accepted either temporary or permanent accommodation.

On the issue of the safety of buildings, the fire and rescue services have visited over 1,250 high rise buildings. Immediate action has been taken to ensure the safety of every resident.

"Councils and housing associations must remove dangerous cladding quickly but paying for these works must not undermine their ability to do important maintenance and repair work.

"I have worked closely with the Chancellor and Housing Secretary and today can confirm the Government will fully fund the removal and replacement of dangerous cladding by councils and housing associations, estimated at 400 million.

Mrs Mays pledge comes a day before the first of a series of major reports into what caused the fire last June.

Dame Judith Hackitts report into building safety tomorrow is expected to recommend tighter rules to prevent dangerously combustible materials being used in cladding.

More than 200 tower blocks failed safety tests after the Grenfell tragedy. Cladding was taken down from buildings across London and in Manchester, Liverpool, Portsmouth and Sunderland. Five blocks in Camden were evacuated for emergency work.

Tests after the Grenfell tragedy showed panels fitted to the block as part of a 9 million refurbishment would combust if heated to very high temperatures. This allowed a small fire caused by a faulty fridge-freezer to spread rapidly.
T heresa May is set to publish a Brexit blueprint to outline her priorities for Britains future relationship with the EU before a critical summit in Brussels next month.

The white paper was described as the most significant publication on the EU since the referendum by Brexit Secretary David Davis as he announced the plans on Tuesday.

The paper will include detailed, ambitious and precise explanations" of the Government's positions, Mr Davis added.

It comes after Prime Minister Mrs Mays Brexit "war cabinet" met again on Tuesday without reaching an agreement on two possible options for customs arrangements.

The EU is piling pressure on Britain to present its preferred option at the upcoming meeting of the European Council in June.

Michel Barnier: No spirit of revenge in Brexit negotiations

Downing Street insists it will not put a timetable on the process.

Mr Davis said the document would set out "what would change and what would feel different" after Brexit.

He said it was an opportunity for the Government to show the thought behind its approach to the change to a domestic and EU audience.

He said: "This will be our most significant publication on the EU since the referendum.

David Miliband: Committing to hardest Brexit is 'holding negotiators to ransom'

"It will communicate our ambition for the UK's future relationship with the EU, in the context of our vision for the UK's future role in the world."

Mr Davis reportedly told Mrs May that the customs partnership model she favours would be illegal under international law.

The Times said he wrote to Mrs May setting out his fears and had the backing of other Brexit-supporting Cabinet ministers.

It said the attorney general's office was now looking into the legality of both proposals ahead of a final decision by the Cabinet.

Theresa May heads to Bulgaria following PMQs on Wednesday to attend the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia, where she will attend a working dinner with the other 27 EU leaders.

Key Brexit Players - In pictures 1 /6 Key Brexit Players - In pictures David Davis Reuters Michel Barnier AP Tim Barrow AFP/Getty Images Oliver Robbins Sabine Weyand Didier Seeuws AFP/Getty Images

She will then fly to Macedonia for bilateral talks with prime minister Zoran Zaev.

Conservative MPs were invited into Downing Street on Monday for a briefing from the PM and chief of staff Gavin Barwell on the "customs partnership", believed to be Mrs May's preferred option, under which the UK would collect tariffs on the EU's behalf, and the "max fac" scheme, which involves the use of technology to minimise friction at the Irish border.

But EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier is reported to have told a Brussels meeting that it was not worth fighting about the two UK proposals, as neither of them is "realistic".

Labour said on Tuesday it was launching a new parliamentary bid to force the Government to release details of its proposals for post-Brexit customs arrangements on the Irish border.

Jeremy Corbyn's party has tabled a motion in the Commons for debate on Wednesday designed to break the "deadlock".

It would require the Government to release to Parliament all papers prepared for the sub-committee on the two customs models, including any economic analysis.

It is the latest in a string of Labour motions using an arcane parliamentary procedure to make the vote binding on the Government by issuing a "humble address" to the Queen asking her to require ministers to comply.

Shadow Brexit minister Paul Blomfield said it was "deeply disturbing that, after yet another meeting, the Cabinet still cannot agree on the most fundamental Brexit issues".

He added: "Ministers have finally agreed to publish a white paper on the Government's negotiating position, but they still don't know what it will say.

"Labour called for a white paper before Article 50 was triggered.

"However, ministers have wasted months arguing amongst themselves rather than negotiating in the national interest.

"Today's failure highlights the deep division at the heart of Government on the most basic of issues.
T housands of scientists, doctors, engineers and other skilled workers from outside the EU are being denied UK work visas, it emerged today.

The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) got the data from the Home Office under freedom of information rules, sparking fresh criticism of the Governments immigration policy.

It showed that more than 6,000 requests for Tier 2 visas  for skilled workers from outside the EU  were rejected in the four months to March.

They included 1,518 for doctor roles, 1,226 for IT and technology, 392 for engineering, 361 for other health professionals and 197 for teaching.

The impact of the Tier 2 cap of 20,700 a year is also hitting other sectors of the economy with the monthly quotas far short of what businesses need.

Among the Certificate of Sponsorship visa refusals were 405 for accountant posts, 351 for management consultants and business analysts, 139 for finance and investment analysts and advisers, 105 for business and financial project management, 529 for programmers and software development, 270 for IT business analysts, architects and system designers, and 340 for sales accounts and business development managers.

CaSE executive director Dr Sarah Main said: Businesses and public services are being blocked at the last hurdle from recruiting the people they need.

The Standard revealed earlier this month that Theresa May had overruled Cabinet ministers pleading for the rules to be relaxed. CaSE stressed that of all eligible applications for Tier 2 (General) Certificates of Sponsorship, 36 per cent were refused in December, in January 47 per cent, February 48 per cent and March 59 per cent.

There are fears the refusal rate will get even worse this summer forcing up the minimum salary requirement for non-EU skilled workers to above 60,000.

The Commons science and technology committee responded by announcing it will draw up its own proposals for immigration and visa rules for scientists, and criticised the Government for failing to come up with post-Brexit plans.

Committee chairman Norman Lamb said: Todays revelation that more than 1,600 IT specialists and engineers offered jobs in the UK were denied visas between December and March sends the message the UK is not interested in welcoming science talent.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: The Government fully recognises the contribution international professionals make to the UK. However, it is important that our immigration system works in the national interest.
P rincess Charlotte and Prince George are to take centre stage at Saturday's Royal wedding.

Kensington Palace announced that Charlotte would be among the bridesmaids and George will be a page boy.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children are to be in the thick of the celebrations after the birth of their new baby brother Louis on April 23.

Charlotte, three, and four-year-old George are already skilled in the role, having performed the duty for the Duchess of Cambridge's sister, Pippa Matthews, last year.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte's most adorable outfits 1 /27 Prince George and Princess Charlotte's most adorable outfits Prince George and Princess Charlotte Getty April 23, 2018 Prince William, Duke of Cambridge arrives with Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the Lindo Wing Getty Images Classic T-Bar pre-walker baby shoes Shop The Look Pepa & Co January, 2018 Princess Charlotte started her first day of nursery school wearing a striking 120 burgundy coat by Amaia. HRH The Duchess of Cambridge Razorbil Coat by Amaia Shop The Look Amaia July, 2017 Prince George showed off his cheeky side in this image commemorating his fourth birthday. The Prince wore a smart striped shirt for the occasion. Getty Images Pereprine Shirt by Amaia, 44 Shop The Look Amaia April, 2017 To mark the princesses second birthday, Kate Middleton took this beautiful snap of the toddler wearing a yellow knit cardi and ditsy floral top. HRH The Duchess of Cambridge Girls Peter Pan Top by JoJo Maman Bebe, 12 Shop The Look JoJo Maman Bebe May, 2017 For her duty as flower girl at Pippa Middletons wedding, the young princess looked adorable in a short puffed sleeved dress. Getty Flower Girl White Dress With Pink Sash by Pepa & Co, 280 Shop The Look Pepa & Co July, 2016 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released a series of images of Prince George to celebrate his third birthday. Matt Porteous via PA Blue And White Striped Top by Sunuva, 28 Shop The Look Sunuva April, 2016 All our hearts melted at this image of Prince George meeting the Obamas in his cute little dressing gown. Getty Images My 1st Years Baby Personalised Prince Gingham Robe by John Lewis, 27 Shop The Look John Lewis March, 2016 The Cambridge family enjoyed a family skiing holiday, with youngest Princess Charlotte looking super cute all wrapped up in a onesie. Getty John Lewis Baby Wadded Snowsuit by John Lewis, 30 Shop The Look John Lewis July, 2015 For the Christening of Princess Charlotte her brother wore a super-cute embroidered romper. Getty Images Smocked Set by Rachel Riley, 89 Shop The Look Rachel Riley June, 2015 For the first official portrait of him and his sister George donned a very smart blue and ivory outfit. HRH The Duchess of Cambridge Boys Blue & Ivory Outfit by Rachel Riley, 69 Shop The Look Children Salon May, 2015 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left the Lindo Wing with newborn Princess Charlotte wrapped in an elegant soft wool shawl. PA Archive/PA Images Elegant Soft Wool Baby Shawl by GH Hurt, 69.95 Shop The Look GH Hurt April, 2014 Prince George also went on a play date whilst in New Zealand, wearing yet another sailboat inspired outfit. Getty Images Sailboat Smocked Dungarees by Rachel Riley, 79 Shop The Look Rachel Riley April, 2014 Prince George went on his debut royal tour to Australia and donned this adorable boat adorned romper. Getty Images Prince George Romper by Annafie, 63 Shop The Look Annafie

The palace announced that Ms Markle would have six bridesmaids and four pageboys.

The bridesmaids include Harry's goddaughters, Zalie Warren, two, and three-year-old Florence van Cutsem, Ms Markle's goddaughters, sisters Remi and Rylan Litt, aged six and seven respectively, and four-year-old Ivy Mulroney.

The other pageboys are Harry's godson, Jasper Dyer, aged six, and seven-year-old twin brothers Brian and John Mulroney.

Royal wedding countdown: The plan so far for Harry and Meghan

The Duke of Cambridge will be the princes best man, missing the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester United so he can be at his brothers side.
A London heart consultant has said it could be asking a lot to get Meghan Markles dad, Thomas, to attend his daughters wedding after undergoing potentially high risk heart surgery days ago.

Dr Niket Patel, a consultant cardiologist in London said Mr Markle may need a longer recovery time due to the fact that he suffered an apparent heart attack last week.

It may be ill-advised for him to fly, he said.

It's asking a lot to get someone to fly at the end of the week if he is having surgery today. We don't know how he is going to recover.

"At the end of the day these type of operations can be quite high risk as it is an invasive procedure."

73 year old Thomas Markle was due to fly from his home in Mexico to walk his daughter down the aisle during Saturdays ceremony.

However, after suffering an apparent heart attack last week it is claimed he will undergo surgery in the US on Wednesday morning and will no longer be attending the wedding.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle 1 /78 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex: Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend The Endeavour Fund Awards at Mansion House Samir Hussein/WireImage Oprah Winfrey interviews Duke and Duchess of Sussex PA Media Misan Harriman Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kiss on the steps of St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle after their wedding in St George's Chapel PA Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose with their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Sussex holding their son Archie during a meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mrs Tutu at their legacy foundation in cape Town, on day three of their tour of Africa PA Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle announce their engagement in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace Jeremy Selwyn Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend a Wheelchair Tennis match during the Invictus Games 2017 Reuters Prince Harry and Meghan Markle embrace following the polo at Coworth Park on 7 May 2017 Rex Features Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle announce their engagement in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace EPA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during a walkabout on the esplanade at Edinburgh Castle PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle meet Pony Major Mark Wilkinson and regimental mascot Cruachan IV during a walkabout on the esplanade at Edinburgh Castle Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend a Wheelchair Tennis match during the Invictus Games 2017 at Nathan Philips Square on 25 September 2017 in Toronto, Canada Reuters Prince Harry with girlfriend Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in Toronto PA Prince Harry with girlfriend Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in Toronto Getty Images Prince Harry arrives with girlfriend actress Meghan Markle at the wheelchair tennis event during the Invictus Games in Toronto Reuters Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend a Wheelchair Tennis match during the Invictus Games 2017 at Nathan Philips Square on 25 September 2017 in Toronto, Canada Getty Images Prince Harry with girlfriend Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in Toronto Getty Images Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in Toronto Karwai Tang/WireImage Prince Harry arrives with girlfriend actress Meghan Markle at the wheelchair tennis event during the Invictus Games in Toronto, Ontario Reuters Meghan Markle attends the Opening Ceremony of the 2017 Invictus Games at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada PA Meghan Markle on the cover of Vanity Fair Peter Lindbergh exclusively for Vanity Fair Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend a Wheelchair Tennis match during the Invictus Games 2017 Getty Images Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle announce their engagement in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace Jeremy Selwyn Larking around: Harry and Meghan pull faces in footage not shown in the BBC engagement interview BBC Meghan Markle visits Nottingham for her first official public engagement with fiancee Prince Harry Jeremy Selwyn Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive at the Nottingham Contemporary in Nottingham, to attend a Terrence Higgins Trust World AIDS Day charity fair on their first official engagement together PA Meghan Markle arrives at the Terrance Higgins Trust World AIDS Day charity fair at Nottingham Contemporary Getty Images The royal brothers and their partners on Christmas Day. AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle listen to a broadcast through headphones during a visit to youth-orientated radio station, Reprezent FM, in Brixton PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive in Brixton EPA Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle visit Reprezent 107.3FM in Brixton Getty Images Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle visit Reprezent 107.3FM in Brixton Getty Images Loved up: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visit Cardiff Castle EPA Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle attend a street dance class during their visit to Star Hub in during their visit to Star Hub on January 18, 2018 in Cardiff, Wales. Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will visit the people of Edinburgh Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive to attend the annual Endeavour Fund Awards PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive to attend the annual Endeavour Fund Awards Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend a reception for young people at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh AFP/Getty Images rince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle meet a Shetland Pony as they arrive at Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Frank Augstein/AP Meghan Markle during a walkabout on the esplanade at Edinburgh Castle PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle speak with patrons at the Social Bite in Edinburgh AP Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on a walkabout during a visit to Millennium Point in Birmingham PA Meghan Markle arrives for a visit in Birmingham on International Women's Day PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on a walkabout during a visit to Millennium Point in Birmingham Splash News Prince Harry and Meghan Markle meet members of the public on a walkabout during a visit to Millennium Point in Birmingham PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle meet members of the public on a walkabout during a visit to Millennium Point in Birmingham PA The Reverend Canon David Stanton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave after attending a Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend a Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbet AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend a reception with delegates from the Commonwealth Youth Forum at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ride in an Ascot Landau along the Long Walk after their wedding PA Meghan Markle walks down the aisle in St George's Chapel PA Harry and Meghan leaving Windsor Castle for the glamorous evening reception PA Harry and Meghan leaving Windsor Castle for the glamorous evening reception PA Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex head back down the Mall to Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour on June 9, 2018 Getty Images Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex talk to members of OneWave, an awareness group for mental health and wellbeing at South Bondi Beach on October 19, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. Getty Images Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex are seen during the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in Sydney, Australia, 27 October 2018 EPA Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits the Hubb Community Kitchen to see how funds raised by the 'Together: Our Community' Cookbook are making a difference at Al Manaar, North Kensington on November 21, 2018 in London Getty Images Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Britain's Prince Harry unveil a plaque to officially open Number 7, a 'Feeding Birkenhead' citizens supermarket and community cafe, at Pyramids Shopping Centre, as part of a visit to Birkenhead, northwest England, Monday Jan. 14, 2019 AP Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visits the National theatre in central London on January 30, 2019 AFP/Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive for a visit to the Bristol Old Vic theatre, which is undergoing a multimillion-pound restoration PA Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (L) and Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, reacts as they visit Bristol Old Vic theatre in Bristol, south-west England on February 1, 2019 AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (R) and Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (C) help volunteers in the kitchen as they pack food parcels to go in the charity outreach van during a visit to One25 charity in Bristol, south west England on February 1, 2019 AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend the annual Endeavour Fund Awards at Drapers Hall in London on February 7, 2019 AFP/Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Sussex try some food during a cooking school demonstration at Villa des Ambassadors in Rabat on the third day of their tour of Morocco PA Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duke & Duchess of Sussex, pet a horse at the Moroccan Royal Federation of Equestrian Sports in Rabat on February 25, 2019 AFP/Getty Images Meghan Markle wearing a short Reiss dress on International Women's Day AFP/Getty Images Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend a Commonwealth Day Youth Event at Canada House, where they meet young people who demonstrate a Canadian spring tradition of making maple taffy (maple syrup cooled on snow to make sweets) on March 11, 2019 in London Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Sussex leave following a Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, London PA Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess Of Sussex attend a Commonwealth Day Youth Event at Canada House on March 11, 2019 in London WireImage Members of Britain's Royal family leave after attending the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey AP The Duchess of Cambridge (left) talks with the Duchess of Sussex (right) as they attend the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey, Richard Pohle/The Times/PA Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex hold their baby son in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle, Berkshire on 8 May 2019 REUTERS Archbishop Desmond Tutu kisses the forehead of baby Archie as his mother smiles on warmly Reuters The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive for a visit to the Auwal Mosque, the oldest mosque in South Africa, on day two of their tour of Africa. PA Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend a roundtable discussion on gender equality with The Queens Commonwealth Trust (QCT) and One Young World at Windsor Castle Jeremy Selwyn Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex at The Fields of Remembrance in Westminster Abbey Jeremy Selwyn pixel8000

He reportedly told celebrity website TMZ: "They (doctors) will go in and clear blockage, repair damage and put a stent where it is needed."

Although Mr Patel said it could be possible for Mr Markle to fly so soon after his surgery is completed he said it may not be advisable.

Things are very much up in the air with these things and he has probably been advised not to fly as it is not possible to rule out that he might need to go back into hospital if there were complications in his recovery, he said.

Thomas Markle with Meghan as a child

Ms Markle and Harry said they are both deeply concerned for Mr Markle's welfare and are likely to put that priority above the tradition of a father walking his daughter down the aisle.

The former lighting director's attendance at the ceremony at Windsor Castle has been speculated on widely following allegations he posed for staged paparazzi photos.

The day after The Mail On Sunday reported that the pictures, which appeared in a number of British newspapers, were mocked up, Ms Markle's father dropped out of the wedding, according to TMZ, telling the site he did not want to "embarrass the royal family or his daughter".

But on Monday he missed a call from his daughter and she later told him she loved him in a text message and was concerned about his health.

Who could walk Meghan Markle down the aisle?

Despite her parents divorcing when she was six Ms Markle has remained close to her father.

The depth of Harry and Ms Markle's feelings for Mr Markle were revealed in a Kensington Palace statement released on Monday night: "This is a deeply personal moment for Ms Markle in the days before her wedding.
T esco is to leave shopping trolleys at its biggest stores unlocked when the new 1 coin launches.

The supermarket giant said work was being carried out to change the locks on its trolleys, which will not currently accept the new 12-sided coins.

Other supermarkets including Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's have said their trolleys accept both the old coins and the new ones, which launch on Tuesday.

Of the 3,500 UK Tesco branches, fewer than 200 have trolleys which require a coin or keyring token to use them.

Harder to fake: The new 1 coin to be in circulation in 2017

A Tesco spokesman told the BBC: "We're replacing the locks on our trolleys to accept old and new pound coins as well as existing trolley tokens."

The spokesman told the BBC that staff would ensure trolleys were returned to their parks.

The old round pound coin is set to be phased out completely by October 15.
P rince Charles today met social media superstars to try to engage them to stop knife crime in London.

During the visit Charles joined a discussion with youth charities about violent crime and how social media and YouTube can help.

Hosted by Princes Trust Ambassadors Mr. A.J. King and Neev Spencer, the discussion panel was made up of young people who have been supported by His Royal Highness youth charities as well as YouTube creators Humza Arshad and Luke Cutforth.

The conversation focused on how YouTube and social media can be a force for change and highlighted the positive impact of YouTubes Creators for Change Programme, which supports creators who are tackling social issues and promoting awareness, tolerance and empathy on their YouTube channels.

Ronan Harris, Google UK Managing Director, says: We were delighted to host The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall at Google London today.
M eghan Markles mother Doria Ragland flew into Britain today to be at her daughters side ahead of the royal wedding.

The yoga instructor and social worker was driven to Los Angeles International airport this morning for a flight to London to be reunited with Prince Harrys bride.

Her calming presence will be welcomed by Kensington Palace after days of embarrassing turmoil caused by Meghans father Thomas Markle after he was caught colluding with paparazzi to stage photos.

After a rollercoaster few days, it now appears that Mr Markle will not attend the wedding in Windsor after all because he was due to under go heart surgery today.

Ms Ragland was driven to Los Angeles International airport this morning for a flight to London / TheMegaAgency.com

It is the third U-turn over his involvement and came just hours after Meghan seemed to have convinced him to walk her down the aisle.

The 73-year-old, who lives in Mexico, told TMZ that doctors will go in and clear blockage, repair damage, and put a stent where it is needed during this afternoons operation,

Support: Jessica Mulroney flies into Heathrow today with husband Ben and their children, bridesmaid Ivy, aged four, and seven-year-old twins Brian and John, who will be pageboys / Constant Media

The retired lighting director suffered a heart attack a week ago, which he believes was triggered by an open letter his son, Thomas Jr, wrote trying to convince Harry not to marry Meghan.

Ms Ragland, 61, was seen carrying a Burberry bag as she was picked up outside her California home by a black SUV to whisk her to a VIP private suite at LAX.

Thomas Markle, pictured here with a young Meghan, suffered a heart attack a week ago (Splash News ) / Splash News

Doria will stay with Meghan, 36, at the Clivedon House Hotel in Taplow, where rooms cost up to 1,500, on the night before he wedding and ride in the car to the service with her daughter.

She is now the 4/6 bookies favourite to walk her down the aisle instead of her father.

Another option is for The Prince of Wales, who gets on very well with the Suits star, to step into the breach if needed.

On way: Doria Ragland leaves her Los Angeles home today  with Burberry baggage  for the flight to London (Backgrid ) / Backgrid

In more positive news for Meghan - who weds Prince Harry at St Georges Chapel at noon on Saturday - one of her closest friends Canadian fashion stylist Jessica Mulroney, and her husband Ben and their three children, jetted in to support her ahead of the wedding.

Ben is the eldest son of former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney and his wife Mila.

Today it was announced that their children Ivy, aged 4, and twin seven year old boys Brian and John will be among the 10 bridesmaids and page boys selected for the ceremony alongside Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Prince Harry will marry Meghan Markle this Saturday in Windsor / PA

Kensington Palace have confirmed that Meghan will not have a maid of honour but only children in these official roles in the ceremony.

But as Team Meghan rallied to her side, her half-sister Samantha Grant - dubbed a vulture by ITVs Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan for trashing her estranged sisters wedding - again criticised her.

She told Sunrise, Australias top rated breakfast show, that Meghan should have rolled out the red carpet for her father.

Ms Grant also claimed late last night that her father was prepping for the heart operation - but bizarrely still hoped to get to the wedding.

He told Sunrise hosts David Koch and Samantha Armytage, Well dont believe the tabloids but were really not sure at this point.

Samantha Grant defends father amid rumors he's pulled out of royal wedding

Everything about him being under an incredible amount of stress is true and you know he sent me a message that he was undergoing heart surgery.

Hes been under a tremendous amount of stress amidst health challenges and I hope I think were all hoping that he pulls through this now and can still go to the wedding.

She went on, He sent me a message that he was prepping for surgery about an hour ago so its a little more imminent than tomorrow.

I cant speak for him  it depends on the extent and the complications of the surgery I dont know what that entails yet so I am leaving that up to his doctors so my concern is he pulls through safely and whatever happens after that well see.

She also slammed her brother Thomas Markle Junior in the same interview claiming he should never have written the open letter in which he said Harry should call off the wedding.

Earlier Thomas Markle, 73, told TMZ his heart was seriously damaged after a recent heart attack but he still wants to attend the wedding.

I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle, TMZ reported him as saying, adding that he had received a text from Meghan saying she loved him and was worried about his health.
M ore than two million photos are expected to be taken at Windsor this weekend as spectators eagerly attempt to capture snapshots as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot.

The average wedding guest will take 20 pictures each on the big day and the wedding will be one of the best documented events on social media ever, experts said.

Hundreds of members of the British public are expected to flock to the Berkshire town to celebrate the royal wedding on Saturday.

A study carried out by Nikon found that 26 per cent of guests will choose where they sit to view the wedding based on the best vantage point for a photo.

One in ten Brits admitted the only reason they plan to travel to Windsor is to post about their experience online.

The most coveted shot is expected to be of the moment Prince Harry kisses his bride followed by the first glimpse of Ms Markle in her wedding dress.

According to research the average wedding guest will take 20 pictures each on the big day / PA

Jeremy Gilbert, Group Marketing Manager at Nikon UK, comments: It seems the whole world has caught royal fever and is waiting in anticipation for a first glimpse of the big event.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle engagement announcement 1 /27 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle engagement announcement Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace Eddie Mulholland-WPA Pool/Getty Images Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle photo call today on the announcement of their engagement in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace Jeremy Selwyn Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace Getty Images Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace Jeremy Selwyn Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace AP Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace PA Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace EPA Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace AP Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace Getty Images Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace Reuters Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace Sky News Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace Jeremy Selwyn Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace PA Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace Jeremy Selwyn Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace EPA Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace Jeremy Selwyn Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace Jeremy Selwyn Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace EPA Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace Getty Images Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace EPA Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace AP Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, after the announcement of their engagement PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leave following a photocall after announcing their engagement in the Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace EPA Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace Jeremy Selwyn Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walk away after posing for the media in the grounds of Kensington Palace AP

Good photography can be captured at all ages and with the right camera and lens in hand you can capture your own hero shot of the historic occasion.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, after the announcement of their engagement / PA

Research also revealed that those attending the royal wedding planned to take more photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markles nuptials then they would at the wedding of their family members.

Windsor gears up for Royal Wedding

When asked about the last wedding they attended, Brits took an average of 12 photos compared to the 19 photos they estimate they would take if they were lucky enough to be among Harry and Meghans guests.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set for a warm and sunny wedding day / AP

The couple have invited 2,640 members of the public to Windsor Castle to watch them arrive.

Research also revealed that those attending the Royal wedding planned to take more photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markles nuptials then they would at the wedding of their own family members / PA
K im Jong-Un may pull out of North Koreas highly anticipated summit with Donald Trump if the US unilaterally insists it gives up nuclear weapons.

The rogue regimes first vice foreign minister said the states leader has no interest in attending the talks if it is going to be a one-sided affair.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Kim Kye Gwan also criticised the US Presidents security advisors comments on advice to the Libyan model of nuclear disarmament.

On the planned North Korea-US summit, he said: "We will appropriately respond to the Trump administration if it approaches the meeting with a truthful intent to improve relations.

Donald Trump: The US leader had planned to meet Kim next month / REUTERS

"But we are no longer interested in a negotiation that will be all about driving us into a corner and making a one-sided demand for us to give up our nukes and this would force us to reconsider whether we would accept the North Korea-US summit meeting."

His remarks came just hours after the North abruptly cancelled a high-level meeting with South Korea and hinted that it may also step back from talks with Mr Trump.
R ussia intervened in the 2016 US election in order to help Donald Trump become president, the Senate Intelligence Panel has concluded.

The panels leaders released a statement on Wednesday to say they agreed with intelligence agencies previous assessment on Russian meddling.

The Russian effort was extensive, sophisticated, and ordered by President Putin himself for the purpose of helping Donald Trump and hurting Hillary Clinton, said Senator Mark Warner.

It came after the committee released more than 1,800 pages of transcripts of interviews with Mr Trump's son and others who attended a meeting at Trump Tower ahead of the election.

The Russian lawyer involved in the meeting, Natalia Veselnitskaya, has denied working on behalf of the Kremlin.

Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya attended the meeting but denies working on behalf of Putin / AP

The transcripts revealed Donald Trump Jr said he did not think there was anything wrong with meeting the Russian delegation  who had promised dirt on Hillary Clinton.

They also show Mr Trump Jr deflected multiple questions during his interview, saying he could not recall whether he discussed the Russia probe with his father and whether he spoke with him on the day the meeting was arranged.

Asked if he thought it would be a problem to attend a meeting billed to him as part of a Russian government effort to discredit his fathers political rival, Mr Trump Jr said no.

"I didn't think that listening to someone with information relevant to the fitness and character of a presidential candidate would be an issue, no."

Donald Trump Jr said he did not think there was anything wrong with the meeting / AP

The meeting is under scrutiny in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, and at least one of the participants has provided testimony to a grand jury in Washington.

In addition to Mr Trump Jr, the committee interviewed four other people who attended the Trump Tower meeting in New York - publicist Rob Goldstone, who set up the meeting with the promise of dirt on Mrs Clinton; Rinat Akhmetshin, a prominent Russian-American lobbyist; Ike Kaveladze, a business associate of a Moscow-based developer, and a translator.

The panel was also not able to interview Jared Kushner, Mr Trump's son-in-law, or Paul Manafort, Mr Trump's former campaign manager, even though both attended.
T he internet has been thrown into a collective meltdown over an audio clip which is dividing the opinions of listeners.

The clip - which has gone viral online - leaves some people convinced they have heard the word Yanny, while others are adamant that it says Laurel.

The original recording was shared by Reddit user RolandCamry who asked people what they could hear in the clip - and there began the furious debate of Laurel vs Yanny.

The debate is reminiscent of one which raged over the colour of a blue and black/white and gold dress in 2015.

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Twitter has been awash with baffled listeners who hear one or the other and the argument has split people down the middle.

Colleagues, friends and even spouses hear different sounds. And it's making people panic.

And there are, of course, those who say they can here both words.

Some have argued the discrepancy could be dependent on the volume or type of speakers or headphones that people are using to listen to the sound.

So they have suggested that by adjusting the bass or pitch levels could change how the word sounds.

One Reddit user wrote: If you turn the volume very low, there will be practically no bass and you will hear Yanny.

"Turn the volume up and play it on some speakers that have actual bass response (AKA not your phone) and you will hear Laurel.

Others have said that it is an ambiguous sound and, because the words Yanny and Laurel are said with similar intonation, it could be simply to do with the mechanics of your ear an which one you are predisposed to hear.

Trump responds to Yanny or Laurel debate

University of Sydneys Professor David Alais told the Guardian: They can be seen in two ways, and often the mind flips back and forth between the two interpretations. This happens because the brain cant decide on a definitive interpretation, Alais says.

If there is little ambiguity, the brain locks on to a single perceptual interpretation. Here, the Yanny/Laurel sound is meant to be ambiguous because each sound has a similar timing and energy content  so in principle its confusable.

Either way, it's putting the internet to good use.
W hether you are heading to a festival, going on an adventure around the world or commuting to and from work, a backpack is a key summer accessory.

If youre looking to move away from animal-derived materials, were here to make that decision a little bit easier. This season, its all about vegan backpacks so that you can invest in a cruelty-free product  without having to sacrifice in style.

Just because you are steering clear of wool, silk and leather products that does not mean that you should have to settle for a plain and flimsy backpack. Our selection of the best vegan bags combines fashionable pieces that are sustainable, eco-friendly yet durable and versatile to accompany you on your everyday adventures.

Heres our favourite.

Herschel Retreat Backpack

Specialising in modern and practical accessories since its founding in 2009, Herschels Retreat backpack is a newly interpreted version of a mountaineering classic. Made using high-grade durable polyester, this backpack features all the necessary contemporary details such as a padded and fleece lined laptop sleeve, magnetic strap closure and our personal favourite - an internal media pocket with a headphone port.

The straps are generous and suitable for long haul trips and the drawstring cinch allows for extra space when and where you need it. It might not have set out to be a vegan backpack but it goes to show you don't need leather - real or faux - to make a great backpack.

80 | Selfridges | Buy it now

Stella McCartney Falabella backpack

Stella McCartney is no stranger to vegan and vegetarian fashion - her eponymous label is an entirely vegetarian brand and the Falabella range is an international fan favourite. This backpack is made using velvet and faux leather - hand crafted in Italy in a specialist factory. With a thick chain detail, this backpack is a winning example of high fashion done to high standards.

655 | Matches Fashion | Buy it now

3D Roll Top Backpack

Adidas collaboration with Stella McCartney features several vegan products in a range of patterns and style. We love this imitation leather backpack from the sportswear label for its sleek, geometric pattern. From training, to commuting, this versatile bag with its hook and loop roll top closure is a knockout everyday bag. Given the names behind it, the price is fair - especially considering the top-notch quality and original design.

54.95 | Adidas | Buy it now

Matt & Nat Mumbai Clay Backpack

Matt & Nat are well established in the upper echelons of vegan wear and are committed to being a 100% vegan brand - they also have one of the largest and most creative collections around. Inspired by the textures and hues of nature, this vegan backpack is composed of PVC and nylon. As well as being cruelty-free, the lining is composed out of 100% recycled plastic bottles. If you haven't seen the full Matt & Nat range you're in for a real (vegan) treat.

95 | Matt & Natt | Buy it now

Stockholm All Black

Whether you are exploring a new city or just heading off to brunch, the Stockholm backpack is a pared down pack for those who prefer a more understated look. This vegan bag is constructed using a water-repellent canvas and high-grade vegan leather. The boxy interior is fitted with a 13 inch laptop compartment and four separate internal pockets - universally good looking and commuter friendly - we can see ourselves happily wearing this backpack year around.

59.25 | Kapten & Son | Buy it now

Mi-Pac Fold Top Canvas Backpack

Offered in an adorable rose pink, this canvas bag is so sweetly summer we might just use it to inspire us through the next winter. Made of 100% cotton, the soft hue adds a feminine touch without being restricted to teenagers only. Easy to clean and customise - just add your own patches or pins for a personalised look.

14.99 | Mi Pac | Buy it now

Arket Packable Rucksack

This ultra lightweight vegan backpack is constructed from water-repellant nylon and a recycled polyester lining. Designed to be folded into a small pocket, you can easily slip this backpack in a suitcase or handbag and unfold when needed. Available in a range of colours including blue, black, burgundy and orange, it's an excellent option for day trips.

Tip - use it for grocery shopping - the compactible construction means you can pop it in your regular bag then unfold and fill when you need it and is more comfortable than using a tote.

29 | Arket | Buy it now

Off-White Canvas Backpack

When it was announced this spring that Off-Whites founder Virgil Abloh would be taking over the helm at Louis Vuittons menswear we knew we were in for a something special. If this uniquely different backpack is anything to go by, we can expect big things from the Ghanaian-American designer. The bag features the label's signature sportswear style with the brands logo.

405 | My Theresa | Buy it now

Verdict:
A driana Lima swapped the runway for the red carpet as she wowed crowds wearing a daring cut out dress for the premiere of Burning at Cannes.

The supermodel turned heads as she arrived for the screening in a strapless designer gown with a cut out panel.

The Brazilian, 36, was joined by fellow models for the showing of the South Korean film at the festival in the French Riviera on Wednesday.

La Toya Jackson was also among stars who took to the red carpet for the event at the extravaganza.

Adriana Lima at the screening of 'Burning' / EPA

Jackson, older sister of late King of Pop Michael, posed for cameras in a black leather dress ahead of the event.

The supermodel posed for the cameras on the red carpet ahead of the screening (AFP/Getty Images) / Getty Images

Cinched at the waist and slit at the front, the dress featured gold embellishment.

Jackson, 61, wore her hair in waves over her shoulders and chunky gold jewellery, with sparkly heels to finish her look.

Adriana wore a cream cut out dress the the premiere at the Cannes Film Festival / REUTERS

The premiere of the mystery drama, which was directed by Lee Chang-dong, proved to be a glamorous affair.

Models including Petra Nemcova and Toni Garrn also took to the carpet.

La Toya Jackson arrives for the screening of Burning / EPA

Actress Milla Jovovich also attended, turning heads in a dress with a deep plunge.
M ark Wright has revealed that he is still so in love with wife Michelle Keegan as he opened up about their long-distance marriage, adding that the couple aim to see each other at least once every three weeks.

The couple married in 2015, and have been living apart recently as Wright pursues a career in Los Angeles and Keegan travels around the world for her acting work, while living in the UK.

Speaking about their relationship on Lorraine, Wright said: Yeah were back and forward all the time. We kind of make sure its every three weeks maximum.

"People say that long distance relationships don't work. But why can't they? Just because on paper they don't work. As long as you see each other enough - why can't it work? It actually keeps things fresh.

Married: Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright tied the knot in 2015 / Ian West/PA

While we're both young and conquering our dreams. I'm out there trying to make something happen, she's around the world acting. We're still so in love and happy so it's perfect.

The former The Only Way Is Essex star will be covering the Royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle this Saturday for US channel Extra.

Michelle Keegan - In pictures 1 /23 Michelle Keegan - In pictures Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images Brassic Sky UK Our Girl BBC Ordinary Lies BBC Coronation Street Getty Images Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright Getty Images Tina and Bboby Our Girl BBC Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan arriving at the National Television Awards 2017 Ian West/PA Michelle Keegan attends the ITV Gala in 2016 Dave Benett Michelle Keegan arrives for the Revlon Choose Love Masquerade Ball in 2016 Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images Michelle Keegan attends the launch of Michelle Keegan's new collection in collaboration with Lipsy at Nobu Berkeley in 2016 Michelle Keegan arriving at the National Television Awards 2016 Ian West/PA Michelle Keegan's Wedding Day in 2015 Michelle Keegan attends the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Of The Year awards in 2015 Dave Benett Michelle Keegan attends the House of Fraser British Academy Television Awards in 2015 Michelle Keegan Michelle Keegan for Lipsy Michelle Keegan for Lipsy Michelle Keegan attends the British Heart Foundations Roll Out The Red Ball at Park Lane Hotel in 2015 Michelle Keegan attends the National Television Awards in 2014 Coronation Street

Wright also spoke about how sorry he felt for Ms Markle and her dad reportedly not attending the wedding .

He said: "I feel so sorry for Meghan and her dad - and now hes unable to attend the wedding.

"That was probably one of the most important things for Michelle, what song she was gonna dance to with her dad on the day. She cried and he cried.
C hannel 4's gender identity season hasnt got off to particularly flying start.

While Genderquake, the first programme in the series which premiered last week, was hailed as a pioneering and eye-opening reality TV experiment, its spin-off Genderquake: The Debate, aired to... well, a kind reading would be controversy . A less kind would be near universal panning.

In the live show, panellists including Germaine Greer and Caitlyn Jenner were heckled by a studio audience so viciously that more than 200 people have complained to Ofcom.

So its a relief that this weeks offering is rather more thought-provoking, primarily because, despite the broad title of the show, the focus is narrow, exploring the thorny, emotive issues surrounding identity through the perspective of a single trans woman  the model and activist Munroe Bergdorf (10pm).

What Makes A Woman? - Channel 4 - Munroe Bergdorf

Bergdorf herself is not an uncontentious figure. Last year she was fired by LOreal after writing on Facebook that all white people are racist (or discussing white privilege as she puts it in the show). In February she was appointed to Labours LGBTQ+ advisory panel but quit days later after offensive tweets she had posted surfaced online.

But in many ways these missteps make Bergdorf an excellent presenter. She is uncompromising and outspoken, and her on-camera style has a refreshing honesty; theres very little pretence and she allows herself to be vulnerable with the viewer as she unflinchingly recounts the realities of her life as a trans woman  the self-harming, the desperate suicidal teen years, the dysphoria and then finally, a glimmer of hope as she seeks acceptance.

The film is told in four parts. In the first Bergdorf travels to Belgium, where she undergoes a painful, radical procedure to feminise her face. As an introduction its an extraordinary  and gruesome  insight into the trauma of sex reassignment surgery. I wonder if anyone could watch the flecks flying through the air as her face is peeled away from her skull and still think that many are choosing to identify as trans to be part of a trend.

Controversial: model and activist Munroe Bergdorf / Channel 4

A highlight of the show is the juxtaposition between the following two chapters. In one, Bergdorf is walking in an inclusive fashion show in New York, in the other attending a feminist talk in Bristol about the proposed changes to the gender act. The Americans are eclectic and freakish, a bunch of fabulous oddballs and outsiders, a rainbow party where anything goes and anybody is welcome. Their overriding message is a heady one: freedom of expression reigns, and acceptance of self and other is key.

On our side of the pond, though, things are rather more drab. Here the argument is shrill and angry, and definitions rigid. There is fear, and there is hatred.

Arguably, this is an unfairly biased framing of the current, necessary debate  narrating the show through Bergdorfs eyes alone inevitably means theres only one pitch to the argument, and women in opposition to her are presented as malicious harpies stuck in the dark ages. But perhaps its too much to ask that one show adequately explores every element of this vast topic. Of course, there is far, far more ground to be covered here, but an hour spent in the company of Bergdorf is an interesting way to start.

@LucyH_J

Pick of the day

Patrick Melrose - Sky Atlantic, all episodes available now

The reviews are in, and pretty much everybody is agreed that Benedict Cumberbatch did a fantastic job in the first episode of this five-part adaptation of the semi-autobiographical series of novels by Edward St Aubyn.

Writer David Nicholls took the bold step of rearranging the order of the stories, putting the second book first. This had the advantage of placing Cumberbatch centre-stage, as the drug addict visiting New York to collect his fathers ashes.

Patrick Melrose trailer - Sky Atlantic

That doesnt sound very joyous, but Cumberbatch dominates the episode so completely that it feels at times like a one-man show.

The tone is set in the opening scene where he receives the phone call bringing news of his fathers death while fumbling with a syringe.On his face there is the faintest hint of a smile as a melancholy tune by Cat Stevens unspools on the soundtrack.

Screen time

The Last Man on the Moon - BBC Four, 9pm

When Mark Craigs documentary was released in 2016 the review in the science magazine Wired suggested it was a remarkable story made dull. Possibly thats a result of the temperamental requirements of being an astronaut. Level-headedness is a prerequisite; showmanship isnt.

The film tells the story of Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan, who died last year, the last of 12 astronauts to walk on the Moon. His testimony about his experiences is quietly compelling, even if it is augmented by a bombastic soundtrack. Cernans view of his lifes journey was that it was a matter of fate and resilience. Being an astronaut also required selfishness, and he apologises to his daughter for not being fully present during her childhood.

The humour is exceptionally dark: Think happy thoughts, Melrose instructs himself. Youre here to collect your fathers corpse.

Royal Wives at War - London Live, 8pm

No matter that Her Majesty hasnt spent the past few weeks bingeing on Suits so she can have a right natter with Meghan Markle because theyre still bound to have a better relationship than the Queen Mother did with Wallis Simpson.

Their frosty stand-off is recounted in this mix of reconstructions and archive footage.

Spooks - London Live, 10pm

The closure of so many municipal pools is soon to be reversed, which is excellent news for those who are unable to afford private gym memberships; a drawback with the increasing access to public swimming spots is that most of London will be flooded.

Thats the disaster which the spies  who do well to avoid eye-bags and stress lines  face in this blockbuster series finale, because environmental terrorists are holding the Thames Barrier to ransom in exchange for the publication of an obscure government document.

A dossier called Aftermath is what the terrorists want  a document the government denies exists. But (the big fibbers) it does, and it contains plans for a future resource war

Chat: Chef David talking to presenter Liam Charles / Channel 4

Catch up

Bake Off: The Professionals - All 4

This baking contest may be a spin-off from the cuddly Great British cake-fondling show, but it feels at times like a non-stick version of Stanley Kubricks Full Metal Jacket. The bakers are less fabulous than you might expect from professionals, but the judges, Benoit Blin and Cherish Finden, below, are fierce to the point of indecipherability, expressing their views in a Babel of half-baked accents.

Westworld - Sky On Demand/Now TV

This column bows to no robot in its admiration for the actor Peter Mullan, who has demonstrated his poetic way with a Scottish curse in a number of fine productions. But in episode four of the current series of the dystopic fantasy he gets to do a solo dance to Roxy Musics Do the Strand (on coloured vinyl, too) before staring menacingly into the mirror. Once seen, never forgotten.
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Minister of National Defence Mihai Fifor visited the Salamina Fleet Command on Tuesday, where he was presented the training facilities of the Hellenic Naval Forces, such as the Crew School, the training submarine simulator, the equipment and technical equipment of the Hellenic marines.

According to a press release issued by the Romanian Defence Ministry (MApN) on Tuesday for AGERPRES, during the discussions with Salamina Naval Base's commanders, the Minister of National Defense highlighted the interest of the Romanian side to strengthen the cooperation between the naval forces of the two states and presented the major endowment programs Romania has in view in the naval field.

Minister Fifor visited the Skaramagas Shipyard, an occasion for the Greek side to present the installations and the technological process of building various types of ships, including submarines.During the discussions with the representatives of the shipyard, the co-operation opportunities which open in this context were highlighted, the quoted source added.
The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) prosecutors are conducting on Wednesday morning 238 home searches in 28 counties and Bucharest, targeting a number of 227 suspects.

According to a DIICOT release, the searches aim at destructuring several criminal groups.

The quoted source also mentions that within the operation called D DAY, under the coordination of the Central Structure of the DIICOT, prosecutors within the directorate have started an extensive action of fighting the organised crime phenomenon, which is conducted simultaneously on the territory of Botosani, Suceava, Iasi, Neamt, Vaslui, Galati, Braila, Vrancea, Covasna, Brasov, Buzau, Prahova, Dambovita, Constanta, Ialomita, Calarasi, Ilfov, Teleorman, Dolj, Gorj, Caras, Hunedoara, Timisoara. Bihor, Satu Mare, Salaj, Cluj, Bistrita Nasaud counties and the city of Bucharest.The actions conducted by the DIICOT prosecutors, which started Wednesday nationwide are the result of investigative operations carried out in 20 criminal cases investigated by 14 territorial structures of the DIICOT and the Central Structure, which aim at destructuring several criminal groups involved in the majority of organised crime forms that fall into the directorate's authority, namely risk and high-risk drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, tax evasion, smuggling, as well as violence offenses, blackmailing, illegal deprivation of liberty and attempted murder, the release mentions.This action is conducted together with judiciary police officers within the fighting organised crime structures, county police inspectorates and fighters of intervention structures and special actions of the Romanian Police.The specialist support was ensured by the Special Operations Directorate within the Romanian Police and the action was conducted with the support of the General Inspectorate of Border Police (IGPF) and the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA).
The "Mircea cel Bartan" Naval Academy is organising between 18-19 May in Constanta the 4th edition of the International Scientific Conference - SEA-CONF 2018, that will be attended by 115 representatives of the academia, university, military and civil researchers from 11 countries, a release sent to AGERPRES informs.

According to the quoted source, the objective of the conference is to facilitate the exchange of ideas, the presentation of research results and technical achievements in the naval area, as well as the analysis of future development strategies.

"The 115 attendees representing 21 universities of Romania and another 18 representatives from Algeria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, United Arab Emirates, Greece, Poland, Portugal, United States of America, Turkey and Ukraine will present over 160 scientific works within the following sections: Electrical engineering, Automation and computer science, Fundamental sciences, Military sciences, Social sciences and Foreign languages, Mechanical engineering, Transport and management," reads the "Mircea cel Batran" Naval Academy release.
Prime minister Viorica Dancila on Tuesday has welcomed the Armenian Ambassador in Bucharest, Sergey Minasyan, upon the latter's visit of presentation at the debut of his diplomatic mandate in Romania, a release by the Romanian gov't sent to AGERPRES informs.

The Premier recalled the "strong grounds" of the Romanian-Armenian bilateral relations and expressed belief that the said relationship will continue to evolve in the next period, evoking the symbolic value of the coincidence of the two historical centennials celebrated this year by both Romania and Armenia.

"The Romanian Prime minister stressed the importance of conferring a new impetus to the economic co-operation, through the Romanian-Armenian inter-governmental joint Committee for commercial, economic and technical-scientific co-operation, included," the release says.Viorica Dancila has also reiterated the support for the development of the EU-Armenia relations, highlighting the opportunities created by the inking of the Consolidated and Comprehensive Partnership's Agreement between the EU and Armenia, on 24 November 2017 on the sidelines of the Brussels' Eastern Partnership's summit.In his turn, the Armenian Ambassador mentioned, among his mandate's priorities, that he intends to boost bilateral contacts, including by organising in Yerevan, in October, the top meeting of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, as well as to stimulate bilateral economic relations."Ambassador Sergey Minasyan voiced his satisfaction with Romania's policy in the protection of the national minorities' rights, in particular as regards the Armenian minority's situation in Romania," the release concludes.
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila stated on Wednesday that President Klaus Iohannis didn't request her resignation at the meeting on Tuesday held at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, with the head of the Executive responding thus to a question of Speaker of the Deputies' Chamber Liviu Dragnea after the meeting on economic topics that was attended by the two dignitaries at the Parliament Palace.

"No, Mr President didn't request my resignation, but it seemed inappropriate even the resignation request coming from Mr President and I told Mr President this thing. No, it was a discussion in terms of the president's standpoint and the prime minister's standpoint, a prime minister who has a governing programme in which we also have included a chapter regarding the foreign policy, that Romania's Parliament voted and which the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Government should put into practice," Dancila stated.

Liviu Dragnea intervened with the question "Did he request your resignation at that meeting?" after a journalist asked Viorica Dancila about the discussion the she had with President Klaus Iohannis, taking into account that the head of state requested her resignation twice over the past ten days.
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said on Wednesday that during a meeting with President Klaus Iohannis a day before, she also discussed a consultation platform to look into the possibility of relocating Romania's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and that the Presidential Administration was invited to join the platform.

"The government has launched a consultation platform; we will conduct consultations and we will see the results. There was no reason for me to set up these consultations with the President; I told the President that we wanted to consult with all the institutions so that we may see the economic and political advantages of such a move. We will consult with the ministries, and once we have concluded these consultations, we will make them public," Dancila said at the Parliament House.

Asked if the Presidency is among the institutions consulted, Dancila answered in the affirmative."We have requested the presence of the Presidential Administration from the very first consultations," Dancila said.She added that during the meeting on Tuesday with Iohannis, they also talked about foreign policy and an increase in Romania's role externally."We have already released a press statement; mention was made about foreign policy, about an increase in Romania's external role. We also discussed the document edited by France - we released a press statement - and foreign policy co-operation," said Dancila.
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila told President Klaus Iohannis that as the head of the Executive, her main objective is to uphold Romania's interests and identify the best ways to consolidate our country's role and profile internationally, a press release of the Executive sent to AGERPRES on Tuesday informs.

The premier and the president had consultations "on topics of foreign policy, developments in the Middle East, including the issue of the relocation of Romania's Embassy in the State of Israel."

"On this occasion, Romania's premier stated that as the head of the Government, who has the main responsibility to implement the governing programme, including with regard to foreign policy, her main objective is to uphold Romania's interests and identify the best ways to consolidate our country's role and profile internationally. She highlighted that launching a process of analysis and assessment regarding the possibility to relocate Romania's Embassy in the State of Israel is meant to back the above-mentioned objectives, at a time when the United States, Romania's main strategic partner and ally has made that decision and several states are analysing this proposal," reads the release."The Prime Minister brought to mind that Romania's recent demarche at the EU level aimed to reconfirm the common commitment for a peaceful solution to ratify the existence of the two states - Israel and Palestine - and to avoid any one-sided measures, which might have the potential to compromise the peace process. The elements proposed by Romania were thus in line with the language and conclusions adopted by the European Council on 14 December 2017 and in complete agreement with the official stance upheld nationally, by Romania's president, included," the Gov't shows."In order to handle as efficiently as possible all these challenges, the adoption of a moderate and balanced position on behalf of all the actors involved is needed, and at national level, my presence today, at Cotroceni Presidential palace, is proof that this commitment and the desire for continuity in foreign policy are truly supported," the premier stated at the end of the meeting with the president, according to the same release.
The historic industrial culture of Caras-Severin is certainly a magnet for Polish companies, which are more and more interested in expanding, , the Polish Republic Ambassador in Bucharest, Marcin Wilczek stated on Wednesday.

"In Romania there are about a thousand Polish companies, with an invested capital of over a billion euro and more and more Polish companies come to the embassy and ask us if there are places that we could recommend for investments. We often have economic missions, Polish voivoidships, which are looking for partners in Romania. I am convinced that my visit in Caras Severin will help me give out some more competent and better informed pieces of advice to the potential Polish investors or local administration," the Polish Ambassador said on Wednesday, in Resita, on his first official visit to Caras Severin.

He was welcomed at the Administrative Palace, where he had a meeting with the County Council of Caras Severin, Silviu Hurduzeu, the sub-prefect of Caras-Severin county, Catalin Hogea, deputy mayor of Resita municipality, Adrian Dacica, and Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture Chairman Petru Buzzi."The meeting from the County Council was beneficial, the discussions revolving around the industrial past, the mining history of the county, as well as the investment potential in Caras-Severin county. Of course, we have also talked about the tourist potential, starting with Baile Herculane [spa, ed.n] tourist resort, to other regions of the county. Discussions also were about attracting European funds, Poland being one of the countries of the European Union with the best absorption rate," County Council Chairman Silviu Hurduzeu, said."I am absolutely impressed with the region's industrial history, which, in fact, is not just the past. I found out about the development plans of the Councy Council of Caras-Severin and Resita city hall and I am convinced that these are the foundation for the county's further development. I had the opportunity, during our talks, to present the Polish experience and the similar issues that we have been and still are facing. I am glad that both Poland and Romania, so close allies within the European Union and NATO, will have the opportunity to collaborate in such fields," the Polish ambassador pointed out.
In a message to the official opening on Wednesday of the Black Sea Defence and Aerospace - BSDA 2018 exhibition and conference, Romania's President Klaus Iohannis underlined that he supports and encourages the association of foreign manufacturers with Romanian defence companies.

"Romania is open to foreign manufacturers, and at the same time it attaches importance to the development of the national defence industry and the Romanian aeronautical industry. Let us not forget that Romania is one of the pioneers of world aeronautics. I support and encourage the association of foreign manufacturers with Romanian defence companies in order to carry out projects in the spirit promoted by PESCO - Permanent Structured Co-operation," Iohannis said in his message delivered by Constantin Ionescu, state adviser at the National Security Department, director of the Integrated Intelligence Office with the Presidential Administration.

The head of state said he is pleased that BSDA has become "a landmark in the calendar of events". "It is significant its organisation in Romania, given the strategic objectives of the country," said Iohannis.According to Iohannis, Romania is a stable and predictable regional security provider."Amidst an international environment marked by unpredictability and the complexity of risks and threats, Romania remains committed to strengthening its strategic partnership with the United States, as well as its profile within NATO and the European Union. Romania thus asserts itself as a stable and predictable regional security provider. The timing of this exhibition is all the more timely as there is a high general interest in acquisitions for the Romanian land, air and naval armed forces and their modernisation. The increase in the number of exhibitors as well as of official visitors and professionals in this year's edition, compared with previous editions, are the best proof of the significance and success of this move," said Iohannis.He added that he recently visited the Aerostar Aerospace Company in Bacau."It is one of the leading companies in Romania in the field of production and maintenance in the military and civil aviation area. I am really impressed by the way the company has evolved in recent years, by the fact that it has become a leader not only in Romanian, but also in the region, and in several areas as well. Aerostar represents a competitive advantage for the revival of the Romanian industry and I believe that these assets must be further supported at official levels," said Iohannis.According to the President, Romania has a "solid basis" in terms of cybersecurity."It is no coincidence that NATO has taken the decision that Romania should be involved in ensuring Ukraine's cybersecurity. Indeed, the Information Technology and Communication sector has witnessed spectacular growth in recent years and contributed significantly to Romania's Gross Domestic Product," Iohannis explained.The opening ceremony of the BSDA 2018 was attended by numerous Romanian and foreign officials, including Defence Minister Mihai Fifor and US ambassador to Romania Hans Klemm.BSDA 2018 takes place May 16-18, bringing together more than 270 exhibitors from more than 25 countries at Romaero in Bucharest.
Romania's net coal production in the first quarter of 2018 totals 1.14 million tonnes of oil equivalent (toe), down 5.7 percent (69,500 toe) from the similar period of last year, according to data centralised by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).

In the mentioned period, Romania imported 105,500 toe of net coal, up 19,300 toe (22.4 percent) from January-March 2017.

According to the Energy Strategy project posted on the ministry's website, Romania has total reserves of 12.6 billion tonnes of lignite geographically concentrated in the mining basin of Oltenia. Reserves in operation totals 986 million tonnes.The pit coal reserves, concentrated in the carboniferous basin of Jiu Valley, amount to 2.2 billion tonnes, of which 592 million tonnes are in blocks that are being exploited.
The Romanian Navy will take part in the 7th edition of the international exhibition of aerospace, defence, national security and private security BLACK SEA DEFENCE & AEROSPACE 2018 (BSDA 2018).

According to a press statement released by the Romanian Navy Staff (SMFN), there are six organisations under the authority of SMFN that will be showcasing in the exhibition to be hosted by the Romaero exhibition centre of Bucharest: the Diving Centre, the Marine Hydrographic Directorate, the Mircea cel Batran Navy Academy, the Viceamiral Constantin Balescu Navy Training School and Amiral Ioan Murgescu Navy Petty Officers School, all of which will display their defence equipment, armaments and specific maritime defence offerings at three distinct stands at the venue of the exhibition, with the Diving Centre to present a boat in an outdoor static exhibition.

At BSDA 2018, military divers are displaying equipment, diving equipment and hardware used for various underwater works, as well as training programmes organised by the Diving Centre, with representatives of the three Navy military education school to make their educational offerings known.According to the schedule, the official opening is on Wednesday, when there is also a news conference and presentation sessions devoted to the three action media - land, air and naval, while on Thursday a "WeAreNATO" conference will follow and on Friday there will be presentations on cyber defence topics.The first two days are dedicated to officials, business visitors and business people, and on the last day, the exhibition is open to the general public.For the entire edition, military demonstrations will be held and hardware will be exhibited owned by the Romanian Armed Forces, the US Armed Forces and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.The event brings together over 270 exhibitors from 25 countries, prestigious companies from the country and abroad, to showcase the latest developments in military equipment and capabilities, as well as the latest trends and technical solutions obtained in the scientific research in the field of security and defence.
Secretary of State with Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE) George Ciamba on Tuesday welcomed ambassador Marcel Pesko, Director of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) Conflict Prevention Center, to reconfirm Romania's decision to remain an active OSCE member.

According to a MAE press statement, the two officials exchanged views on the current security situation in the OSCE area, with emphasis on issues covered by the OSCE political and military dimension, including the crisis in and around Ukraine and the regulation of prolonged conflicts.

"Secretary of State George Ciamba reiterated Romania's determination to remain involved as an active member of the OSCE and reaffirmed Romania's commitment to supporting efforts aimed at strengthening the role of the OSCE to the benefit of all participating states," MAE points out, adding that Ciamba mentioned to the point capital city Bucharest hosting a seminar on the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security throughout Friday.During the talks, Ciamba highlighted the important role the OSCE has taken up in the resolution of the crisis in Ukraine and expressed Romania's full support for the process, including through active participation with qualified staff and financial resources inside the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM).He also welcomed the progress made with the settlement of the conflict in the Transnistria region of the Republic of Moldova. He also reconfirmed Romania's support for the "5 + 2" negotiations as a unique framework guaranteeing the transparency and legitimacy of a sustainable solution based on full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova.Ambassador Pesko thanked Romania for active involvement in the OSCE and stressed the need for close co-operation to improve security in the OSCE area.
Ambassador of the US to Romania Hans Klemm delivered a message on Wednesday at the opening of the BLACK SEA DEFENCE & AEROSPACE 2018 (BSDA 2018), mentioning that is is the only international exhibition certified by the US Department of Commerce, an aspect which shows the quality of the attendees and participating companies.

The Ambassador, who participated in the official opening of the 7th edition of the international exhibition of aerospace, defence, national security and private security - BSDA 2018, taking place at Romexpo Complex in Bucharest, stated that it is the only international exhibition in Romania which is certified by the Department of Commerce of the US, thus acknowledging the quality of the attendees and present companies, but also the enthusiasm brought by the participants to this exhibition and conference.

Furthermore, the US ambassador also mentioned that more than 50 US companies are attending the BSDA 2018.He asked those present to use this opportunity to learn about the products, services and capabilities that the US companies are offering.Numerous Romanian and foreign officials participated in the opening ceremony of the BSDA 2018, including National Defence Minister Mihai Fifor and State Counselor of the Presidential Administration Constantin Ionescu.After the official opening of the BSDA 2018, US Ambassador Klemm and Defence Minister Fifor toured the exhibition stands and talked with representatives of the participating companies. Furthermore, the two officials witnessed demonstration flights and counter-terrorism drills that were conducted on the plateau of the Romexpo Complex.The BSDA 2018, which takes place between 16-18 May, brings together over 270 exhibitors from 25 countries, prestigious companies from the country and abroad, to showcase the latest developments in military equipment and capabilities, as well as the latest trends and technical solutions obtained in the scientific research in the field of security and defence, according to the National Defence Ministry (MApN) release.
The US has just pulled out of the Iran deal. The INF Treaty is next. The campaign to render defunct yet another major arms-control agreement is already gaining momentum. On May 10, the House Armed Services Committee endorsed a measure authorizing President Donald Trump to decide the fate of the INF Treaty with Russia. This addition to a draft defense bill states that the agreement is no longer binding. The bill includes funds for developing a ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM), which, if tested, will violate the treaty terms.

The US has accused Russia of noncompliance but has never publicly provided any evidence to back up its claim. The alleged violations are used to justify the hawks newest favorite thing  lowyield nuclear munitions installed on SLBMs and sea-based long-range cruise missiles. And this isnt just an empty wish or fantasy but an actual recommendation from the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review. Actually, the idea to abandon the treaty is not new; thats something thats been floated for some time, pushing that landmark agreement toward the brink of oblivion.

The plan for a nuclear-tipped cruise missile is another example of how the US is chipping away at the arms-control regime  the Presidential Nuclear Initiatives (PNI). These initiatives are not agreements, but rather commitments that have done much to deter the potential threat of sea-based tactical nuclear weapons, including intermediate-range cruise missiles. The initiatives have been more efficient and more important than any of the agreements that have been approved or ratified by parliaments. Once they have been unraveled, the genie will be out of the bottle, triggering an unprecedented arms race.

It wont exactly make the US safer if Russia puts nuclear warheads on its technologically advanced Kalibr naval missiles. So why provoke it? The PNIs have been a success story, a good example of what can be achieved if both sides want it. But no, Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, strongly agrees that the Pentagon should procure the above-mentioned weapons, including the sea-based cruise missile.

A low-yield warhead on an SLBM may not be strategic but since there is no way to know, any launch would probably trigger a response from the entire Russian nuclear arsenal, sending them hurtling toward US shores. Such a warhead would be a very destabilizing weapon, especially given the overall superiority of US and NATO conventional forces. There is no reasonable explanation why the US would need non-strategic munitions installed on strategic delivery vehicles, when it has air-based tactical nuclear weapons already in its Air Force inventory? It has mothers and fathers of all bombs, bunker busters, and other conventional weapons that are able to work wonders, so why should it use a nuclear weapon, low-yield or high-yield, when the same missions can be carried out without any nukes at all?

Another angle worth mentioning here is that the desire for low-yield weapons reflects the US readiness to use nukes against non-nuclear adversaries. Just imagine how irresistibly tempting it might be to strike Irans key infrastructure sites with low-yield munitions! And what if N. Korea becomes a problem again?

According to Gen. Robert Brown, commander of the US Army Pacific, the American military needs ground-based missiles with a range of over 500 km, the range prohibited by the bilateral agreement. I know theres the INF Treaty  but we need to push beyond that, he says. The INF Treaty today unfairly puts the United States at a disadvantage and places our forces at risk because China is not a signatory," claims Admiral Phil Davidson, the incoming commander of Pacific Command. Deploying conventionally-armed ground-launched intermediate-range missiles may be key to reasserting US military superiority in East Asia, emphasizes Eric Sayers, a CSIS expert.

The Army is working on long-range artillery rockets that can exceed the 500 km range. This weapon could be easily stationed in Europe. There would be no way to know whether or not it is nuclear or the extent of its operational range. If a projectile does not fall into the category of intermediate missiles, it is not covered by any treaty, but the effect is the same as if a medium-range missile were fired.

Actually, the INF Treaty is being violated right now in broad daylight. There is no need to declassify any hush-hush information to prove it. The Aegis Ashore Mk-41 launchers, which have already been installed in Romania and are soon to be deployed in Poland (2020), are also being used by the Navy to fire intermediate-range weapons as well as air-to-surface interceptors. This is an undeniable fact. The discussions that have been held under the auspices of the INF Treatys Special Verification Commission have not led anywhere.

If the INF Treaty is no longer binding, Russia would be free to deploy intermediate-range missiles to compensate for the Wests superiority in other weapons. The Iskander-M launchers can be used for firing intermediate-range missiles. This will include targets in Europe, although the US will be out of their range. This could lead to another rift among the allies at a time when that relationship is at a nadir because of trade wars and the rift over the Iran deal.

Finally, the unraveling of the INF Treaty will greatly complicate if not eliminate, any prospects, for the New START. And without the latter, there will be no agreement to curb the arms race at all. Arms control will be dead. Well be back to where we were in the late 1950s-early 60s. And if a spark should kindle a fire, well all find ourselves back in the Stone Age.
The Trump Administration in Washington is ramping up confrontation and preparing for war all over the globe, from the South China Sea to the Baltic via the Persian Gulf. The countries of the US-NATO military alliance have vastly increased their military spending and are boosting deployment of their forces in Europe in accordance with the policy of Enhanced Forward Presence  the positioning of strike aircraft, missile-armed ships and armoured formations as close as possible to Russias border.

In March 2018 NATOs Deputy Secretary General, former US Under Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller, spoke to the media at Warsaws military airport and was effusive about the forward movement of US-NATO troops. She wanted to say what an honour it was to visit the battlegroup that is deployed here in Poland today I have had the opportunity over the past few months to visit all four of the battlegroups, and I can see that that promise made among all Allies in Warsaw in 2016 has resulted in certified, effective battlegroups that are training every single day of the week, to provide for the deterrence and defence of this Alliance. So I was very proud to be here.

It is hugely expensive to move and maintain military forces in foreign countries and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) records that in 2016 NATOs collective military expenditure rose to $881 billion while European NATO members spent $254 billion in 2016  over 3 times more than Russia.

Russias $69.2 billion defence outlay in 2016 was one twelfth of US-NATOs spending on armaments and preparations for war.

In January 2018 the US Department of Defence published its National Defence Strategy which conveyed the message that the central challenge to US prosperity and security is re-emergence of long-term strategic competition from Russia and China who are revisionist powers and a growing threat requiring a vast surge in US military expenditure. The Pentagon's Mission involves restoring Americas competitive military advantage to deter Russia and China from challenging the United States, its allies or seeking to overturn the international order that has served so well since the end of World War II.

That is the US-enforced international order that involved its disastrous war in Vietnam, the invasion of Iraq that propelled the Middle East to its current state of chaos, and a continuing, sixteen-year catastrophe in Afghanistan, all of which military forays by the global gendarme caused massive destruction and the deaths of uncountable numbers of innocent citizens.

And now the US has some 1.3 million people in the army, navy, air force and Marine Corps, with about 200,000 stationed in over 800 overseas military bases, in order to continue enforcement of international order.

The Nuclear Posture Review that was published on February 2, 2018, just after the defence strategy paper (January 19) also makes it clear who the Pentagon considers to be its enemies, mentioning China 47 times, Iran 39 times and Russia 127 times, which makes nonsense of the claim by the State Department that we do not want to consider Russia an adversary . . . This not a Russia-centric NPR.

Trumps America First policy has alienated longtime US allies and increased distrust by the many countries being confronted militarily. The irony about this drum-thumping slogan is the US claim that It is increasingly clear that China and Russia want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model, gaining veto authority over other nations economic, diplomatic, and security decisions, because this is precisely what America First is about : military domination and total ascendancy over the economies of the entire world.

A further irony became apparent just two months after notification of the Nuclear Posture and the equally confrontational National Defence Strategy, when SIPRI published its statistics concerning international military expenditure. There was extensive cover of most of its findings in the Western media, but strangely enough little mention was made of the fact that at $66.3 billion, Russias military spending in 2017 was 20 per cent lower than in 2016.

SIPRI reported that in the year in which Russia reduced its defence expenditure by twenty per cent, military spending in both Central and Western Europe increased by 12 and 1.7 per cent, respectively . . . total military spending by all 29 NATO members was $900 billion in 2017, accounting for 52 per cent of world spending.

SIPRI further noted that The United States continues to have the highest military expenditure in the world. In 2017 the USA spent more on its military than the next seven highest-spending countries combined.

The Western medias reporting of President Putins speech to Russias Federal Assembly on March 1 was intriguing. It concentrated almost entirely on Russias weapons developments, with the New York Times, for example, reporting that the President used the speech to reassure Russians that the military buildup was taking place. The 1500 words of that report were almost entirely devoted to his description of Russian weapons designed to deter US-NATO adventurism, and a mere 65 covered the social improvement programmes he described.

In outlining his priorities the President declared that the main, key development factor is the well-being of the people and the prosperity of Russian families. Let me remind you that in 2000, 42 million people lived below the poverty line, which amounted to nearly 30 percent  29 percent of the population. In 2012, this indicator fell to 10 percent. Poverty has increased slightly against the backdrop of the economic crisis. Today, 20 million Russian nationals live in poverty. Of course, this is much fewer than the 42 million people in 2000, but it is still way too many.

Of course Russia wants to improve the lives of its citizens, and intends to do this, no matter the military buildup round its borders. But it isnt going to stand back and do nothing while the US-NATO military bloc expands and accelerates towards conflict. Certainly there has been a massive reduction in Russias defence budget, while the US and the rest of NATO are vastly increasing military expenditure, but it remains necessary for Russia to maintain its defence capabilities to counter the provocations of the US-NATOs Enhanced Forward Presence menacing its borders.

As noted by the US independent platform Veterans Today, President Putin stated that American submarines are on permanent alert off the Norwegian coast; they are equipped with missiles that can reach Moscow in 17 minutes. But we dismantled all of our bases in Cuba a long time ago, even the non-strategic ones. And you would call us aggressive?

Yes, they do, in spite of all the aggression being displayed by US-NATO military deployments and manoeuvres in eastern Europe.

For example, Exercise Siil 2018 was held in Estonia from 2-13 May 2018, involving over 15,000 troops from 10 NATO countries  the UK, US, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland  and the five supposedly neutral countries of Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Sweden and Ukraine.

There could not be a plainer signal that the Pentagon and its sub-branch in Brussels are escalating to conflict.
TICKERS: CYP; CYDVF; C1Z1

Source: Streetwise Reports (5/15/18)

One of the largest deposits of lithium in North America appears to be extraction friendly.



Cypress Development Corp. (CYP:TSX.V; CYDVF:OTCQB; C1Z1:Frankfurt) recently released the maiden resource estimate for a lithium deposit at its 100%-owned Clayton Valley Lithium Project. It is unique due to its large size, which is 6.54 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE). The Indicated resource is 597 million tons with a grade of about 0.09% lithium, or 2.857 million tons LCE. The inferred resource is 779 million tons at 0.089% lithium, or 3.683 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent. It is one of the largest lithium deposits in North America.

Dr. Bill Willoughby, who joined Cypress as a consultant to commercialize and optimize the new lithium discovery and then became CEO, stated, "This is a major milestone for Cypress. To have advanced from drilling the first hole on Dean just over a year ago to the resources we have now is truly remarkable. It's exciting not only to see validation to the size of deposit, which is something we've anticipated, but also all the other factors line up that affect how a project can become a mine. I'm looking forward now to the PEA next, which I anticipate based on the results today, we will work to complete as quickly as possible."



The metallurgy at the discovery site appears to be favorable to extraction, whereas some other claystone deposits have not been. "Preliminary test work conducted at SGS Canada Inc (Lakefield) and Continental Metallurgical Services, LLC has shown the material exhibits high lithium extractions with short leach times. Lithium extractions greater than 80% can be achieved in 4 to 8 hours using conventional dilute sulfuric acid leaching. Currently, Hazen Research Inc is conducting additional leach tests and preliminary results confirm high lithium extractions for new mineral zones," the company noted.

"Cypress Development killed it with its maiden NI 43-101 compliant lithium resource estimate yesterday." - Peter Epstein, Epstein Research



"The presence of acid leachable lithium presents a significant cost savings by avoiding calcine and regrind of material during processing. Preliminary results also show the consumption of sulfuric acid and other reagents are relatively low," Cypress Development stated.

The deposit might have a theoretical 200 to 300-year old mine life, according to company representatives. At the moment, the company has not found the bottom of the deposit.

The asset is located in Nevada and is not far from the Tesla Gigafactory. Much of the world's lithium production is located outside the U.S., so having such a large discovery occur in Nevada is especially noteworthy.

The deposit itself is a milestone but the company is also looking forward to more drilling success in the next 6-12 months. The completion of a preliminary economic assessment is expected by September.

Industry observers hailed Cypress' maiden resource element. Peter Epstein of Epstein research wrote on May 2, Cypress Development "killed it with its maiden NI 43-101 compliant lithium resource estimate yesterday! The whisper number was 4 to 6 million Inferred tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Equiv. (LCE), (which would have been a tremendous result), but Global Resource Engineering Ltd. determined there's an estimated 6.54 million metric tonnes LCE."

"Management has delivered a blockbuster maiden resource, >6 million tonnes of LCE (combined Indicated & Inferred). Therefore, Cypress need never worry again about resource size; it already has huge scale," Epstein concluded.

The Critical Investor noted on May 9 the speed at which Cypress Development is working: "Cypress Development is proceeding at breathtaking pace, going from its first drill hole at the Dean claystone lithium project in Nevada, U.S., to the very recent announcement of a maiden resource estimate on both Dean and Glory projects in just over a year."

"As the resource of Dean/Glory is quite large, the potential for a project with very impressive economics could be realistic," The Critical Investor stated.

The company has approximately 60 million shares outstanding, of which 20% are closely held.

In December 2017, the U.S. government designated lithium as a "critical mineral" of strategic importance. One driver of lithium consumption is its use in batteries for electric vehicles. Many countries around the world are interested in acquiring EVs or making their own because they dont produce toxic tailpipe emissions and run on electricity, not directly on fossil fuels. Batteries of all kinds utilize about half of all the world's mined lithium.

Want to read more Energy Report articles like this? Sign up for our free e-newsletter, and you'll learn when new articles have been published. To see a list of recent articles and interviews with industry analysts and commentators, visit our Streetwise Interviews page.

Disclosure:

1) Jake Richardson compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise reports as an independent contractor. He or members of his household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. He or members of his household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None.

2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Cypress Development Corp. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees.

3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article, until one week after the publication of the interview or article.

Disclosures from Epstein Research, Cypress Development, May 2, 2018

At the time this interview was posted, Peter Epstein owned shares and/or stock options in Cypress Development Corp. and the Company was an advertiser on [ER]. Readers understand and agree that they must conduct their own due diligence above and beyond reading this article. While the author believes he's diligent in screening out companies that, for any reasons whatsoever, are unattractive investment opportunities, he cannot guarantee that his efforts will (or have been) successful. [ER] is not responsible for any perceived, or actual, errors including, but not limited to, commentary, opinions, views, assumptions, reported facts & financial calculations, or for the completeness of this article or future content. [ER] is not expected or required to subsequently follow or cover events & news, or write about any particular company or topic. [ER] is not an expert in any company, industry sector or investment topic.

Disclaimer: from The Critical Investor, Cypress Development, May 9, 2018

The author is not a registered investment advisor, and has a long position in this stock. Cypress Development is a sponsoring company. All facts are to be checked by the reader. For more information go to Cypress Development Corp. and read the company's profile and official documents on Sedar, also for important risk disclosures. This article is provided for information purposes only, and is not intended to be investment advice of any kind, and all readers are encouraged to do their own due diligence, and talk to their own licensed investment advisors prior to making any investment decisions.
TICKERS: C, GSV

Source: Thibaut Lepouttre for Streetwise Reports (5/16/18)

Thibaut Lepouttre of Caesars Report profiles an explorer with a substantial gold asset portfolio and some well-known backers.



Contact Gold Corp. (C:TSX.V) was able to acquire a substantial Nevada gold asset portfolio from Waterton in 2017, and used this purchase to go public right before the summer. Not "just another" gold exploration company, as the IPO was backed by, for instance Goldcorp Inc. (G:TSX; GG:NYSE), which invested C$7.5M at a price of C$1 per share.

It looks like Goldcorp didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to secure a pole position in this Nevada-focused exploration company, whose flagship asset already contains a historic resource estimate of 1.4 million ounces of gold at an average grade of 1.5 g/t.

Pony Creek: Contact's flagship property

Pony Creek, is located just 20 miles south of Newmont Mining's Emigrant gold mine in the Pinon range in Elko County, Nevada. And Contact Gold is in good company as its Pony Creek claims are actually bordering the land package of Gold Standard Ventures Corp. (GSV:TSX.V; GSV:NYSE), which contains the Dark Star gold discovery. This discovery actually heated up this part of Nevada.

As you can see on the previous map, there appears to be a structural mineralized north-south trend in with five established gold deposits (Emigrant, Rain, Dark Star, Pinion, North Bullion). It also looks like the Bowl Zone (which hosts the 1.4Moz historical estimate) is located on the same trend.

This Bowl zone was actually discovered by Newmont Mining in the 1980s, and was subsequently owned by Vista Gold and Allied Nevada. Allied Nevada entered bankruptcy proceedings, and Waterton scooped up the exploration assets. After looking at several offers from other companies to acquire and explore the claims, Waterton accepted an offer from Contact Gold, which offered a combination of cash, stock and preferred stock.

Contact Gold has issued 18.55M shares, 11.111M preferred shares and made a C$7M cash payment, giving Waterton an initial 37% stake in Contact Gold, allowing it to participate in the exploration upside at Pony Creek.

As the properties were pretty much drill ready, Contact immediately started a 10,000 meter drill program in the summer of last year, as well as some more basic exploration activities to define and generate more (new) drill targets.

A large part of last year's drill program was focusing on the Bowl zone of the Pony Creek project, where the historical resource is located as Contact Gold wanted to verify the historical data on this zone. On top of that, an RC drill rig was used to expand the mineralized zones before being redirected to the Pony Creek North zone, which is located halfway the Bowl zone and Gold Standard Ventures' Jasperoid Wash.

Pony Creek North was originally discovered in the 1980s but it looks like Barrick Gold/Homestake were drilling too far up north and while their main interval of 43 meters at 0.47 g/t gold definitely yielded an interesting result, it never followed up on that hole.

This old intercept caught Contact's interest and the company completed 2,500 meters of drilling before the end of the exploration season. 11 holes were drilled, and assay results of 44 meters at 0.34 g/t gold, 15 meters at 0.33 g/t gold and 14 meters at 0.32-0.33 g/t gold are decent results for a first drill program.

OK, 0.3-0.35 g/t isn't anything to get really excited about (yet), but remember this was a so-called "first pass" drill program. These were the first 11 holes drilled on the property in almost 30 years and a lot more work needs to be done to determine the high priority targets. The company did a good job by defining a mineralized corridor of 1000 by 200 meters has now been identified, and Contact will very likely include a few more Pony Creek North holes in its 2018 exploration plan.

On top of that, the majority of the gold intercepts at Pony Creek North are very shallow. That's important, as this means the strip ratio could be very low and the required tonnage could remain low as well, as PCN could be seen as a satellite deposit to the main Bowl zone.

At the Bowl zone, a total of 8,000 meters of drilling was completed. As mentioned before, the 2017 drill program wasn't meant to result in an updated resource estimate, but was meant to form a basis for this year's drill program. Virtually every hole drilled at Pony Creek as part of the 2017 exploration program has encountered anomalous gold values. Some holes contained low-grade material while other holes returned very respectable gold grades for oxidized material. But again, the 2017 drill program was just designed to be some sort of "pathfinder" exploration program to design the 2018 drill program as efficient as possible.

On top of the 10,400 meters of drilling, Contact also collected 3,500 soil samples, completed several geophysical surveys (including a 33 kilometer CSAMT survey) and ran an extensive mapping program, resulting in the discovery of a new mineralized target; the 'West Target.' This target is pretty close to the Bowl Zone, and as you can see in the next image, the soil sampling program seems to indicate there's a huge surface anomaly of approximately 2,000 by 3-400 meters. A similar target was defined further to the north where the Moleen target is a 1.5-kilometer-long soil anomaly target literally bordering the GSV claims (and although it's still early days, it appears to be an extension of Gold Standard Ventures' Jasperoid Wash anomaly).

And finally, Contact Gold also increased its land position by approximately 40% during 2017 to ensure it has the majority of the gold-bearing trend pretty much locked up.

2018

All four zones of the southern part of the Pony Creek target (Moleen, West, North and Bowl) will be drilled this year, and the main focus will be on expanding the gold zones at Bowl and North (which really is where the low hanging fruit is). We would expect this to result in Contact being in a position to release a maiden NI43-101 compliant resource estimate. Just confirming the historical resource estimate would be an excellent first step.

Additionally, Contact Gold will also drill 6-8 holes at the North Star target, which is located immediately north of Gold Standard Ventures' Dark Star deposit which contains just short of 1 million ounces of gold in oxidized mineralization. The CSAMT survey conducted on the North Star target as part of the 2017 exploration program seems to indicate a similar "signature" as the Dark Star deposit.

Trading 70% lower than the IPO price, despite strong shareholders

The share price appears to have been moving down due to some low-volume, but relentless selling ever since the company started trading.

A part of this could be explained by the owners of the original shell selling their stock (Contact Gold used a shell to go public), but it's important to realize 50% of Contact's stock (the shares owned by the insiders and Waterton) are locked up until the summer of next year. Adding Goldcorp's 15% stake to the mix, 65% of the stock has been placed in strong hands.

There has been some insider buying as well, as according to SEDI filings CFO Wenger and CEO Lennox-King and Chairman Dorward have been active on the market, buying more stock. This won't move the needle, but it's an encouraging sign.

Fortunately, the Contact Gold management (headed by veterans, as you can see on the next image) was smart enough to come out of the gate fully cashed up and the company is fully funded for its 2018 exploration program.

So approximately 37% of the current amount of outstanding shares have a cost basis of C$1/share, whilst an additional 50% are locked up until next year. It's clear that whoever is still selling now, is very likely doing so at a loss.

This year's 16,000-meter drill program should allow Contact Gold to gain enough insight in its property to be in a position to publish a resource estimate on its Pony Creek gold project in Nevada. This should put the company on the map as Gold Standard Ventures, whose Dark Star property actually borders Contact Gold's Pony Creek project, is trading at a multiple of Contact's valuation. While this doesn't mean Contact Gold should trade at the same valuation as Gold Standard, the current enterprise value of C$9M (based on a share price of C$0.31) doesn't appear to do the company any justice.

Thibaut Lepouttre is the editor of the Caesars Report, a newsletter and mining portal based in Belgium that covers several junior mining companies with a special focus on precious metals and base metals. Lepouttre has a Bachelor of Law degree and two economics masters degrees that have forged his analytical approach to the mining sector. Considered a number cruncher, Lepouttre focuses on the valuations of companies and is consistently on the lookout for the next undervalued mining company.

Want to read more Gold Report articles like this? Sign up for our free e-newsletter, and you'll learn when new articles have been published. To see a list of recent articles and interviews with industry analysts and commentators, visit our Streetwise Interviews page.

1) Thibaut Lepouttre: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: a long position in Contact Gold. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. My company currently has a financial relationship with Contact Gold. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector.2) The following companies mentioned in this article are sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Gold Standard Ventures. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article.4) This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer . This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article, until one week after the publication of the interview or article.

Charts and images provided by the author.
The governments of Pakistan and Turkey have agreed to raise the issue of Palestinians massacre at the hands of Israeli forces at all international forums, including the United Nation.

The move came after Israeli troops killed at least 60 Palestinians during clashes and protests along the Gaza border against the US embassy opening in Jerusalem on Monday  the conflicts bloodiest day in years.

On Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim made a phone call to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and invited him to attend an Extraordinary Session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) scheduled to be held in Turkey on 18 May.

In this meeting, Islamabad and Ankara will urge all Islamic countries to strongly condemn the killings of Palestinians by Israeli forces and decide some strategy to find a peaceful way to resolve conflict between Israel and Palestine.

According to the government diplomatic sources, Pakistan and Turkey will make diplomatic contact with all key countries on the issue of Israels recent aggression in occupied territory and to raise the matter on the international level.

The two countries with the help of the international community will try to increase pressure on Israel and the United States by using the OIC platform to avoid such brutality against Palestinians.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam, and son-in-law will record their statement in the Avenfield properties reference on Friday.

The orders were given by the accountability court as it resumed hearing the corruption cases against the former premier and his family today.

Accountability Court-I Judge Mohammad Bashir observed that the accused will be given a questionnaire today with regards to their recording of statements on Friday.

At the last hearing on Wednesday (yesterday), National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi had pleaded the court to record the statement of Nawaz and his family in the Avenfield case.

After Nawaz's counsel Khawaja Haris and Abbasi completed their arguments on the request, the court reserved its verdict on the plea.

It ruled later that it would prepare a questionnaire today to be presented to the accused as a prelude to recording their statement.

Wajid Zia's cross-examination

Moreover, during today's hearing, Nawaz's counsel began the cross-examining of the prosecutions star witness, Wajid Zia, in the Al Azizia reference.

Zia, an additional director at the Federal Investigation Agency, headed the Panama case joint investigation team (JIT) which probed the Sharif familys assets last year.

Nawaz and his daughter Maryam were present in the accountability court today.

The hearing of the Al Azizia reference was then adjourned until Monday, when the cross-examination will continue.

At the last hearing, Zia had completed recording his statement in the accountability court.

Zia has previously testified against the Sharif family in Avenfield reference, over which Harris cross-examined him for 10 days.

The Al Azizia Steel Mills reference is among three filed against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family by the NAB last year on the Supreme Court's directives.

The corruption cases

The corruption references, filed against the Sharifs, pertain to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment, offshore companies including Flagship Investment Ltd, and Avenfield properties of London.

NAB had earlier filed interim references in all three cases and later added supplementary references to them with new evidence and witnesses.

Nawaz and sons Hussain and Hasan are accused in all three references whereas his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Safdar are accused in the Avenfield reference only.

The court originally had a deadline of six months which ended in mid-March but was extended for two months after the judge requested the apex court.

Later, on May 9, the trial court's second plea for a deadline extension was approved by the Supreme Court which gave a month to both sides to finish the corruption cases.
Advocate General Islamabad Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri on Wednesday challenged the anti-terrorism courts (ATC) acquittal of Imran Khan in the torture case of a senior police officer during the 2014 sit-in.

The petition maintains that Imran is among the prime accused in the torture case of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Asmatullah Junejo during the police operation to push back protesters during the 2014 sit-in organised by Imran and Dr Tahirul Qadri.

Jahangiri filed the petition on behalf of the State of Pakistan in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The petition states that the impugned judgment was passed without keeping all evidence in consideration. The petition also alleges that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chiefs involvement in the incident is obvious, yet the court did not consider that while passing the judgment.

The petition further maintains that since Imran was also named in the FIR of the incident, his acquittal is questioned. It alleged that the judge didnt take the gravity of the offence and its importance in consideration while handing down the verdict.

On May 4, an ATC acquitted Imran in the SSP Asmatullah Junejo attack case, filed after the 2014 sit-in.

ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand read out the verdict in the case. You are discharged from the case, said the judge. Thank you, replied Imran and walked out of the courtroom.

The court had deferred the judgment on April 25 in the acquittal plea submitted by Imran and ordered him to appear in person.

Political leaders and over a hundred workers and supporters of PTI and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) were booked in the cases. The workers, who were arrested, were later released on bail.

On September 1, 2014, hundreds of men, allegedly protesters from the PTI and PAT camps, ransacked the PTV office, parliament premises and brutally beat up Junejo, less than 24 hours into his first day as SSP operations. Imran, PAT chief Tahirul Qadri and several others were booked for their alleged involvement in the attacks.

On August 31, 2014, in an attempt to topple the PML-N government, the PTI and the PAT workers had marched on the parliament and the PM House while clashing with policemen along the way.
The holy month of Ramazan begins in Pakistan after initial testimonies of the sighting of the moon was declared by the Ruet E Hilal Committee.

Chairman Ruet-e-Hilal committee Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman made announcement regarding the sighting of the moon, marking the beginning of the holy month.

First fast of Ramazan shall be observed in Pakistan on Thursday, May 17, 2018.Preparations to offer Namaz-e-Tarawee after the Isha prayer in mosques around the country have been made.

Usually, Gulf states are the first to see the Ramadan moon before others and begin the Holy month but the whole world is going to enter the Holy month of Ramadan together this year.

Ramdan Mubarak To All Muslim Ummah From SUCH TV.
The United Nations Security Council has held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation along the border between the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied territories, a day after Israeli troops unleashed a brutal crackdown on Palestinian protesters, killing dozens of people and wounding over 2,700 others.

The meeting began with a moment of silence for dozens of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces on Monday, the bloodiest day there since a 2014 Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave.

Joanna Wronecka, Poland's ambassador, called for the gesture of remembrance in her role as current council president.

Kuwait had called for the session after Monday's killings.

From US friends to foes, most ambassadors announced their opposition to the US embassy move. But the main focus of the debate was the violence at the Gaza border.

Almost all ambassadors said Israel bears a responsibility to keep its response proportionate, and not use live ammunition on civilians.

Olof Skoog, Swedens representative said that lethal force should be exercised with restraint.

Francois Delattre, the French ambassador, said the violence threatens to engulf the Mideast region. The situation in the Middle East is close to a perfect storm,

Karen Pierce, the British ambassador, voiced support for a probe into Mondays killing, then stated Londons position to the US embassy opening in Jerusalem al-Quds.

Our position on the status of Jerusalem and moving the American embassy is well known, she said. The status of Jerusalem [al-Quds] should be determined in a negotiated settlement between Israel and Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states.

Sasha Llorenty, Bolivias envoy said, The unilateral decision by the United States to move its embassy to Jerusalem does nothing but inflame spirits.

The United States, which supports the occupying power, has become an obstacle to peace. It has become part of the problem, not part of the solution.

The envoys from China, Sweden and the Netherlands also went out of their way to reiterate their governments position that Jerusalem [al-Quds]s status should be left to negotiations, and their intention to keep their embassies in Tel Aviv.

Speaking at the beginning of the session, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, defended the Israeli use of force against peaceful Palestinian protesters, saying that the Tel Aviv regime had reacted with restraint in its military response to protesters at the Gaza border. She also dismissed suggestions that the violence was caused by the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem al-Quds.

"No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has," Haley told the Council. "In fact the records of several countries here today suggest they would be much less restrained," she said.

The United States has already blocked the adoption of a UN Security Council statement that called for an independent and transparent investigation into Israels killing of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border.

The statement, drafted by Kuwait ahead of a meeting on Tuesday, expressed outrage and sorrow" at the deaths of at least 58 people during demonstrations over the opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem al-Quds.

It also demanded that all countries comply with a decades-old Security Council resolution calling on them not to station diplomatic missions in the occupied holy city.

The UN Middle East peace envoy Nikolay Mladenov said Tuesday there was "no justification" for the violence in Gaza as he briefed the 15-member council.

Mladenov called Monday a "day of tragedy" and urged the international community to put their efforts toward "preventing an explosion that can drag the whole region into deadly confrontation."

Several Muslims and Western countries have denounced the violence against Palestinians.

Belgium on Tuesday demanded a UN inquiry into the violence in Gaza and summoned Israel's ambassador to the foreign ministry after she described all the Palestinian victims as "terrorists."

Belgium's Foreign Ministry said it summoned ambassador Simona Frankel over her remarks while Prime Minister Charles Michel said, "We call for an international inquiry led by the United Nations."

Germany says it supports calls for an independent investigation into the killing of dozens of Palestinians by Israeli forces during protests in Gaza.

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin on Tuesday that the violence "concerns us greatly and it's terrible that so many people lost their lives, including minors."

Turkey has asked Israel's ambassador to temporarily leave Turkey.

Anadolu, Turkeys official news agency news agency said Tuesday that the Turkish foreign ministry notified Eitan Na'eh, the Israeli ambassador that "it would be appropriate for him to return to his country for some time."

The ministry summoned the ambassador to protest Israel's use of deadly force on Palestinians and the U.S. decision to relocate its embassy there to Jerusalem al-Quds.

Turkey has also called home its ambassadors to Washington and Tel Aviv for consultations.

Israeli gunfire killed 59 Palestinians and wounded over 2,700 in the Monday clashes, the highest toll in a single day since a series of protests demanding the right to return to ancestral homes began on March 30.

The embassy inauguration also coincides with the climax of a six-week demonstration on the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), May 15, when Israel was created.

The occupied territories have witnessed new tensions ever since US President Donald Trump on December 6, 2017 announced US recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israels capital and said Washington would move US embassy to the city.

The dramatic decision triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories as well as Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim countries.
Breaking the Silence was a breakthrough by the University to start to address the issues surrounding sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape. We have now been able to break that silence. However, action still needs to be taken to demonstrate that the university is not just trying to present itself as well-versed on such a pressing issue without actually making significant changes to improve prevention, response to, and investigation of sexual misconduct. A necessary first step is improving the disciplinary procedure. By changing the standard of proof to balance of probabilities all student disciplinary measures would be affected, however the most significant changes would be for cases concerning sexual harassment.

In the promotion video for Breaking the Silence, the Vice-Chancellor said that the University has to be a social leader. Yet being the only UK university that still requires disciplinary measures to be proven beyond reasonable doubt, it feels like it is lagging far behind other institutions. It is now not only failing to lead but failing to follow. If it is to allow zero tolerance of sexual misconduct, which it has promised to do repeatedly, it is vital that the university create a disciplinary procedure that can ensure that justice will be brought in a fair and reasonable manner. By reforming the disciplinary procedure and introducing the other measures highlighted in the Open Letter, the right signals will finally be sent to survivors, and perpetrators of these crimes, that the University is seriously committed to directly tackling these issues. This could lead not only to increased confidence in survivors to report misconduct that takes place, but also the confidence to take further action against those responsible.

A continuing rape culture is shockingly apparent even today, and university campuses are not immune to the problem. In the past week The Tab Warwick has reported on a group chat where 11 men repeatedly made threats and joked about rape. This comes weeks after another group chat from the University of Exeter was exposed showing vile racist and sexist comments. Both of these incidents demonstrate how overtly misogynistic language are still present in the university environment, and how universities must be able to eliminate these issues. Cambridge is no different. In Cambridge in a 2014 student survey 77% of respondents said that they had experienced some kind of sexual harassment whilst at university. Between October 2017 and March 2018, 160 anonymous reports were received. However only six complaints were made to the informal procedure called the Procedure for Handling Student Cases of Harassment over the latter period. During 2016-2017 only four complaints were made to the formal disciplinary procedure. This mirrors the national level of reporting cases of sexual misconduct which lies at 15%. This is fuelled by the culture of victim blaming, a failure to trust the effectiveness of the systems in place to bring justice, the deeply retraumatising process of being cross-examined and having your credibility questioned, and the difficulty of finding sufficient evidence to prove that consent was not given. And perpetrators know this. When questioning whether to report the crime, the longer it takes to deliberate, any tangible evidence that did exist can disappear. Instead we need a procedure where people feel comfortable coming forward quickly and having trust in a system that can deliver justice.

By requiring cases to be proven beyond reasonable doubt, the University is implying that there is unlikely to be consequences for perpetrators in disciplinary cases pertaining to sexual misconduct, unless the survivor goes to the police. This is due to colleges and the universitys lack of ability to access the same investigative methods as the police that could be offered to a victim, despite them acting with the same burden of proof as a criminal court. This places unnecessary burden on someone who has experienced a traumatic event to go to the police if they want to impose penalties on a perpetrator even with the knowledge that the police routinely fail to rigorously investigate cases of sexual violence. To those afraid of reducing the burden of proof to balance of probabilities in the fear that it could lead to a miscarriage of justice, it is important to note that according to the charity Rape Crisis the level of false accusations in cases of sexual misconduct lies at a similar level to most other crimes: 3%. Due to the retraumatising and sometimes humiliating process of reporting sexual misconduct it will still remain unlikely that the system will be abused, even if the standard of proof was changed from beyond reasonable doubt to balance of probabilities. In addition, as Angus Satow pointed out on the Victoria Derbyshire show, by using the balance of probabilities this does not mean the university will start convicting people at whim as within the disciplinary procedure there still has to be sizeable evidence that sexual misconduct has taken place.

At the Senate Discussion held on the 1st May, several academic staff took time to stand and deliver their reasoning for the change to balance of probabilities. Although giving praise to the establishment of a specialist Sexual Assault and Harassment Advisor at the University Counselling Service, they acknowledged that this was not enough. When students come to them time and time again for support and advice, they feel a sense of guilt in directing them to a procedure which they know is unlikely to offer them adequate justice. Students also stood, detailing their reasons why they believed the standard of proof should be, or not be, changed. The overwhelming majority were in favour of the change. This discussion accompanied an open letter signed by over 800 students detailing for change with 800 ribbons tied to the gates of the Senate House to show support for survivors of harassment, sexual assault, and rape. This week the Office of Student Conduct, Complaints and Appeals (OSCCA) released a series of proposed changes that would help to reform the Disciplinary Procedure. They however felt that the view of the student body was unclear. Therefore, now is the time to flood the consultation on the disciplinary procedure by emailing the OSCCA with testimonials and arguments of why the standard of proof must be changed. The process of change cannot end at the Senate House Discussion.

To set up a system within the University to adequately address sexual misconduct may be challenging to get right and to enforce the correct punishments if necessary, however, it will never approach the hardship of the trauma that victims of sexual misconduct have to face for the rest of their lives. This is a welfare issue that the university must address. However, it must not stop at the possible change of the disciplinary procedure. Increased welfare support must be provided to those suffering from the repercussions of such crimes, and colleges can also do more to ensure adequate welfare support is provided to their students. Without the access to a trained counsellor in college I would most likely not still be at the University I worked so hard to be a part of due to the devastating effects of PTSD resulting from a violent sexual assault. I felt I could tell no one about it for months and I didnt trust the legal system of the country I was in at the time to bring the perpetrator to justice. I wont be the first person to feel that, nor the last. But the University of Cambridge has an opportunity to reduce the number of students feeling the same way and suffering the same hardship by creating a disciplinary procedure that is clearer and more accessible to students, alongside an expanded support system. It needs to jump at the opportunity.
Three students from the Zero Carbon Society have gone on hunger strike outside the Old Schools building this afternoon.

After a sustained effort to persuade the University to divest has been met with no reward, students are refusing to eat until the University commits itself to divestment. The students are demanding full divestment by the year 2022 and no punishment for students engaging in direct action.

When the subject of punishing the students involved in direct action was raised at the second open meeting between students and Vice Chancellor Stephen Toope yesterday evening, it was laughed off by the body of students present. Toope himself did not rule out the possibilty of punishing those who carried out the graffiti earlier this week.

The hunger strikers have released a statement, while the Zero Carbon Society say they are "deeply proud" of their actions. Included in the statement is an outline of the strikers perception of the University's current situation with climate change and a description of the avenues for change they have pursued so far. Of themselves, the strikers said, "The coming days will be a difficult experience for us, but whatever action students take now is insignificant in comparison to the suffering of the millions of people in the global south who are already affected by climate change, and the global disaster and broken world we will all see in our lifetimes and that our children will inherit. We must do all in our power to prevent this disaster and create the just and sustainable world we need."

The University has said that "We are aware of an ongoing protest outside Senate House yard. We are monitoring the situation and the wellbeing of the students involved."

This week has also seen just north of 30 students graffiti the walls of the Old Schools building with the words Cambridge divest from fossil fuels. Efforts are still in progress to have their words removed. Activists have offered to help remove the graffiti once the University commits to divestment.

Earlier this year students also occupied the Old Schools buidling for five days, making headlines across the country. A protest was also launched at the Boat Race in London, where students set off flares and threw a banner over the side of Hammersmith Bridge which read "Oxbridge Divest".

The news comes after last night's meeting between students and Vice Chancellor Stephen Toope, in which Toope refused to comment on his personal attitude to divestment. He reinforced that "[he] cannot answer the question today whether we have any investments specifically in fossil fuel companies." Transparency has been high on the agenda of Toope as well as student activists in the recent past. Toope said only that there is "a lot of work being done", explaining that he was unwilling to speak on behalf of the Council, with whom the preliminary decision about divestment rests. He added that a "complex evaluation" was required.

Toope did bow to students' demands slightly however when he conceded that he too is committed in trying "to recapture a narrative about social values in higher education that is not simply about economic growth.

Zero Carbon Society's representative on the university working group, Alice Guillaume, left her post earlier this year following a leaked report suggesting that the University would turn down divestment again, opting instead for a 'partial' divestment plan.
The 85-year-old Italian coffee company illycafe has built the best-looking pod coffee machine to date. The Y5 Espresso and Coffee Maker is elegant, wrought from quality materials, and illy says its the first of its kind to directly incorporate Amazons Dash Replenishment System, so you need never worry about running out of coffee.

If we bestowed awards based solely on industrial design, the Y5 would take top prize. But theres more to a coffee machine than appearances, and most everything else about this one is disappointing.

Daniel Masaoka The illy Y5 is attractively svelte and consumes minimal counter space.

Lets start with the good: Its absolutely beautiful. This is the coffee maker I would place in the kitchen if I was staging a home for sale. The minimalist design includes just two touch-sensitive buttonsone for espresso and one for coffeebacklit by LED icons behind glass. The handle and cup platforms are fabricated from stainless steel, with plastic used only for the sides and the water reservoir. It looks expensive and feels well built, weighing in at 8.25 pounds despite its diminutive dimensions of size at 5.7 x 11.2 x 9.6 inchesroughly the equivalent of a few hefty cookbooks side by side.

Daniel Masaoka Two touch-sensitive buttons backlit by LED icons sit below the glass top.

The best products blend industrial design with intuitive usability, and this is where illy falters: While the machine is in standby mode, before the water has been heated, the espresso icon blinks continuously. Thats typically an indicator that the machine needs your attention, but thats not the case here. To make coffee, you must first touch the espresso button to heat the water. Youll hear a beep but theres nothing obvious about whats happening. Furthermore, the water is only being heated at this pointyoull need to return to the machine to actually start a brew. Good luck having guests brew a cup without a detailed how-to.

There are only two ways to control serving sizeand ultimately, brew strengthwithout pairing the machine to your smartphone. First, you can stay put during the brew and stop it manually. Second, you can change the default brew size by pressing and holding the cup icon until the desired level is met. A quick press will save that serving size as the default. A houseful of coffee drinkers with different preferences should look elsewhere. The machine cant steam milk for lattes or cappuccino, either, but thats to be expected at this price. If its a must-have feature, take a look at illys Y5 Milk, Espresso & Coffee Machine (TechHive has not reviewed it).

Dan Masoaka / IDG What constitutes a normal cup of coffee?

Pairing the machine to my smartphone via Bluetooth was a seamless experience. I downloaded the My illy Machine app and with a few clicks in close proximity to the Y5 I was connected. This gave me control over temperature and cup size with five levels for each. The middle levels for both settings are labeled normal, but no other temperature or serving-size values are indicated. By my measurements, the normal serving size is 12 ounces and the lowest setting is eight ounces, so the increments appear to be two ounces each.

You can use the app to brew on demand, or you can schedule a reminder to brew. The scheduler doesn't actually create a schedule inside the machine, however, it's literally just a reminder for you. At this price, the Y5 should support Wi-Fi, so you could program it to operate on a real schedule or even start a brew without needing to get out of bed. Pairing with a smart speaker like an Amazon Echo or Google Home would be even betteryoud be able to use voice commands to brew a cup. And if coffee is part of your everyday routine, frequently refilling the 28-ounce reservoir will become a pain point once the novelty wears off (this will be less of an issue if youre consuming just one espresso each day).

Daniel Masaoka For larger servings, the coffee starts to run clear after just a few ounces.

Illys machine brews average espresso: Its rich with a nice crema, but its a little over bitter. As for coffee, I found the normal setting (12 ounces) to be undrinkably weak, and while an eight-ounce pour was of the proper strength, the taste just wasnt there. That can probably be attributed to the fact that each pod consists of a 7.2-gram mixture of instant and ground coffee. For comparison, I use 20 grams of fresh grounds when making pour-over coffee.

And unlike other pod-based coffee systems Ive seen, Keurig being the most well known, illys pods (or capsules, as illy calls them) are not entirely sealedtheyre perforated on the bottom, which exposes the grounds inside to air. For this reason, illy recommends that each entire package of capsules (18 coffees for $16.50 on Amazon, or 21 espressos for $18.49 on Amazon) be consumed within two weeks of opening.

The illy Y5 is a wonderfully sleek smart appliance, and my usability complaints could probably be remedied in software. If illys system produced higher-quality coffee, Id tolerate its shortcomings even if they werent, but I suspect that would require a reformulation of illys capsules. As it stands, I can only recommend this machine for those whom the flavor of the coffee is the least important feature.
Online retailers like Amazon and eBay might be attracting new customers in droves, but brick and mortar retailers aren't going down without a fight.

Back in December, we reported that Target plans to bring same-day delivery to half of its store locations by the end of 2018. The retailer planned to facilitate these plans through their acquisition of Shipt and the launch of their Restock grocery delivery program.

If you haven't heard of the program before, Restock offers customers next-day product or grocery delivery for a $4.99 delivery fee. While the service didn't quite represent the same-day delivery program Target hopes to achieve sometime this year, it was certainly a step in the right direction.

Fans of Restock will likely be pleased to hear that Target has announced the next stage in their grocery delivery plans.

Specifically, Restock has now officially launched nationwide across all Target locations, and the company has cut the delivery fee from $4.99 to a mere $2.99. If you use a Target REDcard, the fee will be waived entirely.

There are a few restrictions to bear in mind with the program, though.

First of all, Restock's product selection seems to be limited at the moment. Ice cream, for example, was suspiciously missing from my local Target's Restock product line-up. Additionally, you'll need to place your order before 7 pm on a weekday (Monday through Friday) to take advantage of the program's $2.99-per-box next-day shipping.

If you want to try Restock out for yourself, visit the official website to sign up for a free account.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has spent almost six years at Ecuadors London embassy. According to a report by The Guardian and Focus Ecuador, the countrys intelligence program has spent at least $5 million protecting him since he was granted political asylum in 2012.

Details of Operation Guest, which later became Operation Hotel, show that Assange has cost Ecuadorian intelligence agency Senain an average of $66,000 per month. That amount covered the cost of CCTV cameras that were installed in the embassy after his arrival, along with the hiring of an international security team who secretly filmed and recorded all activity, including Assanges daily routines and his interactions with visitors and staff.

Multi-million dollar payments were also made to internet surveillance companies for spying software. One of these was Italy-based cybersecurity company Hacking Team.

The expense was reportedly signed off by then-president Rafael Correa and later by Ecuadorian foreign minister Ricardo Patino. But its claimed that the relationship between Assange and his host have deteriorated rapidly in recent times. Internal documents show he compromised the communications system within the embassy and had his own satellite internet access, allowing him to intercept staff communications.

WikiLeaks has denied the hacking allegations, calling them libelous.

No, @Guardian, @JulianAssange did not "hack into" embassy

satellites. That's an anonymous libel aligned with the current UK-US government onslaught against Mr. Assange's asylum--while he can't respond. You've gone too far this time. We're suing. https://t.co/DDnkSoczut pic.twitter.com/qWB0wkatN2  WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) May 15, 2018

Assange first took refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was accused of carrying out multiple sexual assaults. The investigations were dropped as the statute of limitations expired in one case and Assange couldn't be reached to move forward with another. He might still be arrested if he leaves the embassy for jumping bail, and the US could press charges against him for exposing classified documents through WikiLeaks.

Assange remains at the embassy and was granted Ecuadorian citizenship in January 2018. But the country may be running out of patience; his internet access was removed in March, and the Guardian writes that he has not been allowed visitors for the past month.
The agreements offered a follow-up to a meeting held between representatives of both nations on Sept. 20 to boost bilateral cooperation. | Read More
Apple is seeking about $US1 billion ($1.25 billion) from Samsung Electronics in another go-round stemming from a long-running smartphone patent-infringement dispute.

Jurors at the retrial before US District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, learned at the outset that the South Korean company infringed three of Apple's design patents and two utility patents. Their sole job, Apple lawyer Bill Lee said, is to determine what damages Apple can collect.

The long-running court battle between Apple and Samsung over patent infringements has entered another round.

The basic question for the jury is: Should Samsung have to pay damages on the whole device or just the components that were infringed? Samsung says the latter -- and is urging the jury to limit damages to $US28 million ($35 million).

"Lawsuits can take a long time," Lee told jurors on Tuesday. He asked them to "step back in time" to 2006 to consider flip phones, sliders, and what other mobile phones looked like before Apple's iPhone.
Sepultura frontman Derrick Green. Credit:Reuters MUSIC

SEPULTURA 

170 Russell, May 15 As the rest Melbourne saw off the last vestiges of warmth on Tuesday night, the boundary-blurring Sepultura injected heat into old bones with an energetic mid-week gig. With Derrick Green on vocals for the past two decades, the Brazilian thrash metal band has retained its guttural force, despite carrying no members from its original line-up. The founding Cavalera brothers, Max and Igor, are long departed from the ship they set sail on way back in 1984. But the band's songs - particularly from the period before Green joined - are so powerful it was relatively easy to overcome any misgivings and enjoy the show as they trawled through songs old and new in support of their latest release, Machine Messiah.

After a couple of looseners, the power kicked in with Kairos before they launched into the classic Territory - a favourite from arguably their best album, the critically acclaimed Chaos A.D. from 1993. As a frontman, Green's style is more hardcore than metal. He prowls the stage with his powerful frame, a menacing grin on his face. And there were plenty of middle-aged fans nodding their balding heads to Andreas Kisser's guitar riffs. The band rammed through three of the best tracks from 1998's Against, following the title track with Choke and Boycott. Sworn Oath and Machine Messiah, off the new album, were the only flat spots of the night. It's never nice to admit, but the reality is Sepultura's old stuff is better than their new stuff. Sworn Oath carries a hymn-like quality which may become more popular with familiarity, while Machine Messiah only served as a breather before the epic Refuse/Resist and then Arise. Both these tracks pummelled the crowd with their ferocity. For the encore, featuring Ratamahatta and Roots Bloody Roots, Green joined in on percussion as a booming counterpoint to Eloy Casagrande's frenetic and relentless drumming.
A black and savage murder ballad that thoroughly deserves all the accolades it has received.

Much of Cerinis work investigates the darker corners of contemporary masculinity, especially male violence. Whether hes writing monologues for young men in jail or performing solo dance theatre that wrestles with the male subconscious, Cerini draws effortlessly lyrical, morally urgent drama where great, gendered brutality is never far away.

Angus Cerinis The Bleeding Tree snared a swag of Helpmann Awards, including for best play, on the strength of its Sydney season. Now it premieres in the playwrights home town and Melbourne audiences get a chance to watch a black and savage murder ballad that thoroughly deserves all the accolades it has received.

If he has tended to focus on men from the inside out, in The Bleeding Tree women do all the talking  for the simple reason that the man is dead. The bastard was bludgeoned by his daughters (Sophie Ross and Brenna Harding), then shot in the neck by his battered wife (Paula Arundell) after years of abuse.

These three women emerge from the darkness like a group hallucination, and together weave a choric re-enactment of the murder and its aftermath.

Part of the drama is psychological suspense. After a graphic account of the killing and the domestic violence that prompted it, were drawn into the question of whether theyll get away with the crime. How do they plan to dispose of the body? Will they be discovered and, if so, how will the neighbours  who knew about the domestic violence and did nothing  react?

Thats a story presented smartly, but more impressive is the deeper, mythic quality director Lee Lewis taps in a production that rips into invective with a kind of shocked exultation, lending marginalised voices an echo of the Furies.

Arundell gives a tour de force. She has the flexibility and range (as do the other actors) to channel male voices; the dead husband lives again through her  and hes terrifying.
You don't need to spend too much time flicking through the cartoon channels to work out that despite the rich colour and the many Mel Blanc-inspired voices, there is a distinctively grown-up flavour to the modern animated genre.

What is more, changes in the craft and technology used to produce animated programs has transformed not just the look of animation but the speed with which it can respond to real-life events.

Ben 10 screens on Foxtel's Cartoon Network. Credit:Cartoon Network

Cartoons, particularly those pitched specifically at a young audience, rarely comment on the headlines but they are now empowered with greater pop culture currency.

"It's changed significantly," says producer Daniel Chong, who produces We Bare Bears for the Cartoon Network. Chong began his career story-boarding on paper at Disney but "when you're boarding on computer, you're essentially almost animating a whole scene, you see all the movements."
Untold Australia: Outback Rabbis

Wednesday, May 23

8.35pm, SBS The self-contained Untold Stories series, back for a third season, is what SBS does best: observational films about diverse communities around Australia that many of us never hear about, told with warmth and, often, humour. Ultra-Orthodox Chassidic Rabbis hit the Aussie bush on a road trip like no other in Untold Australia. Credit:Helga Leunig Outback Rabbis is a brilliant example  it follows two Chassidic rabbis, Rabbi Ari Rubin from Cairns and Rabbi Yossi Rodal from Melbourne, who feel it's their duty to find every Jew in Australia with the aim, purely, of ministering and spreading love. With their families along for the (long) rides, the two set off on Jew-seeking missions in their specially decorated motorhomes: Ari, initially on his own and later joined by his wife Mushkie and their toddler, travels throughout Far North Queensland, an area known more for rodeos than religion, while Yossi and his wife Malki and their two kids make the drive from Melbourne to Alice Springs  an area that is, Yossi says, "uncharted" in terms of counting Jewish people.

Members of Chabad, an ultra-Orthodox sect of Chassidic Jews, are part of an organisation called CHABAD RARA (Remote and Regional Australia), whose mission is to reconnect Jews with Judaism, no matter how far-flung. "It's like  the Jews were once hunted down with hate, but now it's time for them to be hunted down with love," says a chipper Ari as he sets off. The tone of director Danny Ben-Moshe's film (which features some beautiful vistas of the outback and Far North Queensland) is equally upbeat; as Ari or Yossi pull into a new town, a green highway sign flashes up on screen, declaring, for example, "Alice Springs. Population: hot. Jews: 4", and there are plenty of ancient Israelite/desert analogies. While Ari and Mushkie live in Cairns  where home acts as a hub, and even synagogue, for the city's small local Jewish community  they still travel regularly through the outback, stopping in tiny, dusty towns to ask bemused locals in blue singlets or bored checkout operators if they know any Jews. The answer is, usually, no. In his traditional Chassidic robe, Ari attracts attention wherever he goes  particularly when he stops in the main street of Innisfail (Jew count 3, according to his pre-visit Google search) to say a prayer. Often, he says, he's mistaken for a Muslim or attracts people who think Jews hate Muslims. "We get a lot of that in Queensland," he says evenly after being cornered by one such man. Ari is this doco's star  his noble quest is so endearing that at times he feels like a character in a gentle mockumentary; he's not proselytising, and his unwavering optimism is inspiring.
The series, which has been more than a decade in the making, tries to get to the truth about one of the most bizarre crimes in recent American history, the so-called Pizza Bomber Case.

Netflix is always on the lookout for the next Making a Murderer, and this absorbing four-part crime documentary might itself have had the potential to make killers of a very different kind  the documentarians themselves. Perhaps the most startling thing about the whole enthralling enterprise is the way that the work of filmmakers Barbara Schroeder (Talhotblond) and Trey Borzillieri might have lined up their incarcerated subjects for a potential new death-penalty case.

In August 2003, a 46-year-old pizza delivery man named Brian Wells robbed a bank in Erie, Pennsylvania, with a bomb attached to a metal collar locked around his neck. After leaving the bank he was surrounded by police and died when the bomb suddenly exploded (an event replayed here in shocking, barely edited video footage). Police, FBI agents and Borzillieri soon found themselves investigating a strange, mean clique of middle-aged hoarders, manipulators and lowlives who had hatched the elaborate plan and who also appeared connected to the murder of another man whose body was found in a freezer.

It's fascinating to watch as those involved in the investigation recount how they pieced things together, and Borzillieri's years' worth of his own telephone and video recordings of the plot's erratic, hostile ringleader, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, certainly accentuate things. The big question, though, is whether Wells was a willing participant in the bank robbery. If he was a co-conspirator  as the authorities decided that he was  there's no death-penalty murder case. But if Schroeder and Borzillieri can present proof that he was innocent there might be. Executive produced by Mark and Jay Duplass, who generated tons of buzz with another fascinating Netflix documentary series, Wild Wild Country, it's sure to attract plenty of eyeballs. Brad Newsome

Alan Partridge on Open Books with Martin Bryce

Stan

With the charmless, self-regarding, mean-spirited broadcaster Alan Partridge about to return to the BBC once more, it's fun to check back in on Stan's collection of his earlier exploits. This 2012 special has Partridge (Steve Coogan) in delightfully ungenerous form appearing on a book show talking about his autobiography I, Partridge: We Need to Talk about Alan. BN
British TV doctor Chris Van Tulleken looks into a bunch of common over-the-counter pharmacy products and finds many of them only just worth bothering with  which pretty much puts them in the same category as this special. There's some interesting counterintuitive stuff about the kinds of foods most likely to cause indigestion, a revealing segment on the modest effectiveness of "hot" and "cold" muscle-soreness creams, and confirmation that a drink of honey and lemon really is about as effective as commercial cough syrups in suppressing a cough. Van Tulleken is careful to give Big Pharma right of reply by reading a bit of its boilerplate every time he identifies another dud. Sadly, he's even more careful to stay away from the piles of ineffective "alternative medicines" that cram the shelves of every pharmacy. Brad Newsome

MOVIE

Gorky Park (1983)

9Gem, 9.55pm

Martin Cruz Smith has written eight novels featuring Arkady Renko, beginning with Gorky Park, where Renko is a chief investigator in Moscow's Soviet Militsiya. The son of a Stalinist general, Renko seems too independently minded to survive the internecine politics that so dangerously prevail. The plot begins with the discovery of three corpses in snow-covered Gorky Park, before exploring the dark side of the capitalist impulse in a socialist dictatorship. Renko (played in the film by William Hurt) knows this is a murder case he shouldn't accept or try too hard to solve. But Renko is a principled man who despises all forms of deceit. Scripted by Dennis Potter, the film is well directed by Michael Apted, famous for the Seven Up sequels and one of the best modern Bonds, The World is Not Enough. The only misstep is having most of the impressive cast employ regional British accents. However, the Finnish locations make for a thoroughly convincing Moscow. Scott Murray
Most Millennials have embraced the traditional dream of buying a house with three or more bedrooms in a good or up-and-coming area.

But as a single Sydneysider, Rebecca Tannous, 30, knew that was impractical.

Rebecca Tannous with her friend's dog in Rushcutters Bay Park.

Tannous bought a studio in Rushcutters Bay for $481,000 two months ago and is transforming it into a one-bedroom apartment. She plans to finish renovating and move in within three months.

I sacrificed space for location  I can walk to work, youre not going to find a better location, Tannous says. Buying a three-bedroom house in this area would be at least $2 million upwards so thats a bit unrealistic for a single person.
ACT Treasurer Andrew Barr should be forced to reconsider his decision to refuse an ex-gratia payment for a young dog attack victim, a court has heard.

Lawyers for Jack Hartigan launched action in the ACT Supreme Court arguing Mr Barr had breached the rules of natural justice as he did not disclose the criteria for his refusal.

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However, the ACT argued the decision did not breach Jack's legal rights.

In 2010, six-year-old Jack was mauled by two American Pit Bull Terriers while at a Griffith government housing property during a playdate with a school friend.
Luzia Borges and Anna Jancevski stayed as governments came and went at the workplace they've known for 30 years.

The long-serving cleaners are two of many preparing the rooms of Parliament House for its politicians each day.

They speak to prime ministers and have met several US presidents. Ms Borges is such a fixture, the Dalai Lama recognises her on visits.

A change of cleaning companies at Parliament House has left the pair, and their co-workers, fearing their jobs could go, their sick leave will be cut or their shifts will change.
However, Jobs Minister Michaelia Cash said the withdrawal of charges was "absolutely not" an embarrassment for the trade union royal commission, and was a matter for Victoria police. "At the end of the day, royal commissions provide evidence. The government responds to that evidence by way of implementing policy," Senator Cash said, citing the Turnbull government's restoration of the building and construction watchdog and Registered Organisations Commission. However, sources connected to the prosecution were joined by union insiders questioning the conduct of Boral and its legal advisers, including the failure to provide material to the committal in a timely manner. Loading The decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions and police to withdraw the charges, announced on Wednesday morning, was partly based on the performance of two witnesses from construction company Boral during sustained cross-examination in a committal hearing that has been running for several days. Police had alleged that Boral managers Paul Dalton and Peter Head were blackmailed by Mr Setka and Mr Reardon during a meeting at a cafe in April 2013, which was arranged by Boral.

The meeting came after the concrete firm had become the subject of a secondary boycott linked to the unions fight with developer Grocon. During the committal hearing, Mr Dalton faced intense questioning by defence barristers over his decision to destroy his original handwritten record of the meeting. Mr Dalton produced a scanned copy of his notes but faced intense scrutiny in court about why he had failed to retain the original version. A prosecution source described Mr Dalton's evidence as a '"train wreck." Mr Head was grilled about whether he knew if Boral had called the meeting with the CFMEU in an attempt to strike a deal to end the union's targeting of Borals concrete trucks. Outside court on Wednesday, the two union leaders were joined by their high-profile lawyer and Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon.

Mr Gordon said the 2013 meeting had been distorted by Boral and its legal team, who, he said, deserved to face possible legal action themselves. "Its been exposed that neither of Borals men took the coffee shop conversation as any kind of threat at the time, did not view it as any kind of threat for over a year and after a year their recollection got changed, Mr Gordon said. Shaun Reardon Credit:Justin McManus It got changed only after various lawyers got involved, lawyers for Boral, lawyers for the ACCC, lawyers for Dyson Heydons royal commission  all of these lawyers were given their riding instructions by men who were on a mission for the extreme right of our politics. Boral declined to comment.

Mr Gordon paid tribute to Victorias Director of Public Prosecutions for bringing to a final end this farcical prosecution. Police sought advice from prominent QC Paul Holdenson before sending the brief of evidence to the DPP in 2015. The Office of Public Prosecutions did not seek costs from the two former accused. It is understood that authorities believed that aspects of the involvement of Borals law firm Freehills in the case weakened the prosecution. Freehills played a key role in assisting the company deal with the union royal commission, including in helping to redraft witness statements that prompted the later decision to begin a criminal investigation into blackmail. A union protest at the Melbourne Magistrates court during the committal hearing last week. Credit:Joe Armao

Police subsequently sought fresh statements from the Boral witnesses and are understood to have been surprised at the role of Freehills in drafting the earlier royal commission statements of the Boral witnesses. A Freehills source insisted that it had not significantly altered the parts of the witness statements that were aired in the criminal prosecution. The withdrawal of the charges will mean that Borals fiery chief executive Michael Kane will not get a chance to testify in the case. Another witness for the prosecution, former CFMEU official Danny Berardi will also not get a chance to testify. The CFMEU and the wider union movement are certain to seize on the withdrawal of the charges to ramp up their long-held claim that the royal commission and associated police investigations were vindictive. It is also possible that Mr Setka and Mr Reardon may seek to launch a wrongful prosecution action against authorities, or pursue civil action against Boral. Outside court, Mr Setka said it had been tough on him and his family, including his children, to have been publicly accused of blackmail and to have the threat of jail hanging over his head.

John Setka Credit:Justin McManus But you know what, probably not as tough as those families whose loved ones never came home that night." The CFMEU would have much more to say about the conspiracy in coming days, he said. The royal commission into the union movement was called by the Abbott government, with its findings later pushed by the Turnbull government. In his interim report in December 2014, Commissioner Dyson Heydon said that Mr Setka and Mr Reardon should be considered for the criminal charge of blackmail. In the final report, released in 2015, the CFMEU was a key focus, and Commissioner Dyson Heydon said the union acted in "wilful defiance of the law". The CFMEU's association, with the Australian Labor Party has been used to attack Opposition leader Bill Shorten and other ALP leaders.
An elaborate crop of 2750 cannabis plants was grown at a NSW farm without the owner's knowledge after the farm manager was given "a show of food and wine" including dozens of oysters, a Sydney court has heard.

Police raided Karoopa farm at Crowther, near Young in south-west NSW, on February 12 2014 and seized the plants after a months-long investigation.

Officers used surveillance to discover the plantation in a remote section of the 9000-hectare property, next to a creek in a valley about three kilometres from the homestead. A tent had been set up to allow those tending the crop to stay overnight.

Marcello Nello Casella, his employee Andre Turner and Francesco Polimeni are accused of being in a joint criminal enterprise to grow a commercial quantity of cannabis at the property from March 2013 to February 2014.

Mr Casella, a Griffith businessman, allegedly provided backing and finance to the venture, which was spearheaded by his friend Luigi Fato. It is alleged he provided equipment and advice which was used to cultivate the plants, delivered some equipment, and got Mr Turner to deliver irrigation supplies, a tractor and other vehicles.
A chef at an Indian restaurant says there is no doubt he killed an allegedly drunk diner but says he did it to save his own life.

Nepalese man Hari Prasad Dhakal, 51, is accused of murdering Pakistani-born IT worker Abdullah Siddiqi at the Ballarat Curry House on October 25, 2016.

The Ballarat Curry House.

The 38-year-old was found dead in the restaurant after an alleged altercation between him and Mr Dhakal about 8pm.

Mr Siddiqi was allegedly stabbed 17 times, including four wounds to the head and nine to the neck, a Supreme Court jury was told in Ballarat on Wednesday.
She was a very smart and innocent girl. She loved English, she didnt like maths. She was quiet, but talkative around people she knew. She was beautiful. We love her so much. Aivy Nguyen's grieving family light candles. Credit:Eddie Jim An uncle said Aivy was a good girl who looked after her family. We are just in shock that this could happen, he said. We cant believe she is gone. Witness account of tragedy

A witness told The Age he saw the tragedy unfold. "I saw the [driver] going to make the turn and was thinking 'Is he gonna stop and give way?'... That poor girl. I helped with others the best I could," he said. The driver of the black Makita-branded truck, who was travelling south on Dampier Grove and turning left onto Maroondah Highway, did not stop after the crash. A 39-year-old NSW man contacted police shortly after the incident and was questioned by detectives. He was released on Wednesday afternoon pending further inquiries. The scene of the hit-run in Ringwood. Credit:Channel Seven

Police found the truck outside the Holmesglen TAFE campus in Malvern East, where it was examined by forensics officers. In a statement, Makita said the driver was assisting police and the company would co-operate in any way it could. "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the young girl who lost her life," the statement said. A driver of a second truck stopped to help the teenager, as well as neighbours, before she was taken to the Royal Children's Hospital in a critical condition with suspected head, face and chest injuries. She died in hospital from her injuries.

CCTV footage from one of the small businesses on the corner of the intersection is reportedly being examined by police. 'I am praying to God it isn't her' Ringwood resident Louis Datoi drives past the intersection every morning before work and said he would usually see a schoolgirl standing at the traffic lights of the busy intersection waiting to cross the road about 7am. "I am praying to God it isnt her," he said. Louis Datoi placed flowers and a note at the scene. Credit:Eddie Jim

He said his wife and young son had been hit by cars, but not seriously injured, while crossing the same stretch of road. "I just wish somebody would do something about this road its very dangerous," he said. "Its one of our neighbours; somebodys child is not going home today." Mr Datoi placed a bunch of white roses and a card at the scene on Wednesday afternoon. "You were young and your life tragically taken," the card read. "Our thoughts and love to your family. We dont know you, but you have touched us."

'A notorious black spot' Chrizzel Pontanes at the Intersection of Dampier Grove and Maroondah Highway. Credit:Joe Armao Hairdresser Chrizzel Pontanes from R&B Haircraft, which faces the intersection where the crash happened, said it was a well-known black spot. "It's notorious for crashes: T-bones, cars crashing, rollovers, car on bike," she said. "No one knows who to give way to, and pedestrians cross over Maroondah Highway while turning lanes at Heatherdale Road and Dampier Grove both go at the same time so no one knows who to give way to."

Father-of-two Alhad Harne, whose 12-year-old daughter attends a nearby school and crosses the intersection several times a day, said the death of the teenager had shaken him. "It's a very notorious intersection, particularly for pedestrians. The worst thing I always observe is that cars, when pedestrians come, they don't stop," he said. "In many incidents I have to have my hands up to make the car stop, then they stop. They see the pedestrian crossing and still they want to go fast." The intersection after the accident. Credit:Channel Seven

He said change was needed. "They should change it as soon as possible to avoid all this confusion and people should wait for pedestrians, give them the way first."

Mr Harne picked his daughter up from the train station on Wednesday afternoon rather than letting her walk home. I cross that road everyday by myself and now Im just scared to cross it, said 12-year-old Niharika Harne. The nearby Heatherdale train station in Mitcham, on the Lilydale and Belgrave lines, is used by hundreds of locals each day as they get to work and school.
Aivy Nguyen's mother, younger sister and other family members visited the scene of the tragedy on Wednesday night. Credit:Eddie Jim A family united in grief On Wednesday night, Aivy's grief-stricken mother sobbed and clutched family members at the intersection where her daughter was hit as she crossed Whitehorse Road on her way to school about 7am Wednesday. Her mother cried and held the teen's younger sister, Aileen, as they arrived at the scene with about a dozen family members, including aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.

They lit candles and placed them at the base of a traffic light. Some family members were so distraught they kneeled down to pray at the scene. Another family member placed a small plate with three cookies on it next to the traffic light. 'A beautiful young student' Aivy's secondary school paid tribute on Thursday to a 'beautiful young student' who only started at the school last year.

Mount Alexander College principal Wayne Haworth said their thoughts were with the teen's family. "We're deeply saddened by the news of the tragic loss of a beautiful young student," Mr Haworth said. "Aivy came to Mount Alexander College midway through last year. Despite the fact that she's only been here for a relatively short time, her personality and her friendliness meant she made really strong connections. "She made an impact at the school, she was a great student and she had a passion for learning. "We will be doing everything we can to support those who need it during this difficult time.

"Teachers, wellbeing staff and counsellors are available at the school to talk with students that need additional support." 'We love her so much' Aivy's cousin Kimberley Nguyen said the schoolgirl was kind and gentle and had always looked after her younger sister. They were joined at the hip, she said. She was a very smart and innocent girl. She loved English, she didnt like maths. She was quiet, but talkative around people she knew.

"She was beautiful. We love her so much. Aivy Nguyen's grieving family light candles. Credit:Eddie Jim One of Aivy's uncles said the teen was a good girl who looked after her family. We are just in shock that this could happen, he said. We cant believe she is gone. Witness account of tragedy

A witness told The Age he saw the tragedy unfold. "I saw the [driver] going to make the turn and was thinking 'Is he gonna stop and give way?'... That poor girl. I helped with others the best I could," he said. The driver of the black Makita-branded truck, who was travelling south on Dampier Grove and turning left onto Maroondah Highway, did not stop after the crash. A 39-year-old NSW man contacted police shortly after the incident and was questioned by detectives. He was released on Wednesday afternoon pending further inquiries. The scene of the hit-run in Ringwood. Credit:Channel Seven

Police found the truck outside the Holmesglen TAFE campus in Malvern East, where it was examined by forensics officers. In a statement, Makita said the driver was assisting police and the company would co-operate in any way it could. "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the young girl who lost her life," the statement said. A driver of a second truck stopped to help the teenager, as well as neighbours, before she was taken to the Royal Children's Hospital in a critical condition with suspected head, face and chest injuries. She died in hospital from her injuries.

CCTV footage from one of the small businesses on the corner of the intersection is reportedly being examined by police. 'I am praying to God it isn't her' Ringwood resident Louis Datoi drives past the intersection every morning before work and said he would usually see a schoolgirl standing at the traffic lights of the busy intersection waiting to cross the road about 7am. "I am praying to God it isnt her," he said. Louis Datoi placed flowers and a note at the scene. Credit:Eddie Jim

He said his wife and young son had been hit by cars, but not seriously injured, while crossing the same stretch of road. "I just wish somebody would do something about this road its very dangerous," he said. "Its one of our neighbours; somebodys child is not going home today." Mr Datoi placed a bunch of white roses and a card at the scene on Wednesday afternoon. "You were young and your life tragically taken," the card read. "Our thoughts and love to your family. We dont know you, but you have touched us."

'A notorious black spot' Chrizzel Pontanes at the Intersection of Dampier Grove and Maroondah Highway. Credit:Joe Armao Hairdresser Chrizzel Pontanes from R&B Haircraft, which faces the intersection where the crash happened, said it was a well-known black spot. "It's notorious for crashes: T-bones, cars crashing, rollovers, car on bike," she said. "No one knows who to give way to, and pedestrians cross over Maroondah Highway while turning lanes at Heatherdale Road and Dampier Grove both go at the same time so no one knows who to give way to."

Father-of-two Alhad Harne, whose 12-year-old daughter attends a nearby school and crosses the intersection several times a day, said the death of the teenager had shaken him. "It's a very notorious intersection, particularly for pedestrians. The worst thing I always observe is that cars, when pedestrians come, they don't stop," he said. "In many incidents I have to have my hands up to make the car stop, then they stop. They see the pedestrian crossing and still they want to go fast." The intersection after the accident. Credit:Channel Seven

He said change was needed. "They should change it as soon as possible to avoid all this confusion and people should wait for pedestrians, give them the way first."

Mr Harne picked his daughter up from the train station on Wednesday afternoon rather than letting her walk home. I cross that road everyday by myself and now Im just scared to cross it, said 12-year-old Niharika Harne. The nearby Heatherdale train station in Mitcham, on the Lilydale and Belgrave lines, is used by hundreds of locals each day as they get to work and school.
The ACT will bring its deadline for reaching zero net greenhouse gas emissions forward by five years, and set interim targets to ensure it stays on track to meet its climate commitments.

Canberra must now reduce its net emissions to zero by 2045, 15 years earlier than the original carbon neutrality date.

Climate change minister Shane Rattenbury: the ACT will bring its zero net emissions deadline forward after recommendations from the Climate Council. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

That deadline was brought forward by a decade in 2016 by then climate change minister Simon Corbell, when he announced the ACT's move to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2020.

It's that shift that will enable the ACT to meet its first interim target of a 40 per cent emissions reduction on 1990 levels by 2020, climate change minister Shane Rattenbury said.
Landlords should receive tax cuts if they give rent discounts to Canberrans through community housing providers, a not-for-profit has told the Barr government.

YWCA Canberra has also called on the ACT to introduce a Gender Equality Act and stop giving serial sexual harrassers government contract work, in its latest report card on gender equality in Canberra.

A homeless person sleeps rough outside the ACT Legislative Assembly on Monday. Credit:Karleen Minney

The report card builds on an earlier review which found the ACT government was yet to deliver real outcomes for women since its election in 2016.

YWCA Canberra's executive director Frances Crimmins said a pre-budget commitment of an extra $690,000 for the Office of Women over the next four years was welcome, but the ACT could do more to lead the way on achieving gender parity, particularly on housing.
Just as Alexander Downer, the former Australian Foreign Minister, has concluded his term as High Commissioner to London his daughter Georgina Downer is set to be the Liberal Party candidate for the by-election in his former seat of Mayo. If she defeats the Centre Alliance incumbent member Rebekha Sharkie, another Downer will return to Canberra soon.

If she does, remarkably, she will be the fourth generation of Downers in Australian federal politics. Her grandfather was also a federal government minister and later High Commissioner to London and her great-grandfather was a senator at the time of Federation and Premier of South Australia.

Alexander Downer's daughter Georgina will contest the seat of Mayo. Credit:Facebook

This remarkable occurrence is a most striking example of the persistent role of political families in democracies not only in Australian but in world politics. Dictatorships like North Korea are another matter. Furthermore, this is happening at a time when there is considerable publicity, stimulated by the resignation on family grounds of Tim Hammond, the MP for Perth, about how tough political life is on families.

In Australia only the three generations of the Anthonys (Hubert, Doug and Larry) in the National Party can match this extended run, but the phenomenon is widespread. Only recently Australia boasted three state premiers, Mike Baird in New South Wales, Campbell Newman in Queensland and Will Hodgman in Tasmania whose fathers (and mother also in Newmans case) were federal or state ministers of significant standing.
Constitutional experts have warned the dual citizenship debacle is not over and more cases will come before the High Court unless the nation's governing document is changed.

But they are divided on the viability of an expensive and potentially unsuccessful referendum in the short term - as are MPs on both sides of a Parliament that has now lost 15 members to the section 44 crisis.

A powerful parliamentary committee will hand down its report on the issue on Thursday, and will urge a referendum to replace section 44 with new rules decided by the Parliament and the people.

Malcolm Turnbull says the rules are clear and a referendum to change them would be difficult. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

However, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has poured cold water on the idea, arguing there is little public appetite for a referendum on MPs' eligibility and that everyone now knows the rules.
The Ukrainian ambassador claims the removal of the seaside town of Mornington from Dunkley would short change a local Ukrainian-born cheesemaker.

The Australian Electoral Commission's suggested changes would turn the Liberal-held seat into a notionally Labor one.

Labor is accusing Liberal MP Chris Crewther of inviting foreign interference into Australia's electoral system after Fairfax Media reported the Ukrainian ambassador lodged a formal complaint against proposed changes to the boundary of the federal electorate of Dunkley in Victoria.

In his submission, Mr Kulinich argues the Ukrainian owner of Blue Bay Cheese would be disadvantaged if the proposed changes went ahead because he would have to deal with two MPs.

Mr Crewther does not have any Ukrainian heritage but chairs Parliament's Australia-Ukraine friendship group because of what he says is a large Ukrainian community in his electorate.

Analysis of census data compiled by profile.ID.com.au says just 140 people of Ukrainian birth live in Frankston and only 24 live in Mornington.

The owner of Blue Bay Cheese, Andre Kogut, declined to say if he has ever donated money to the Liberal Party but records show he donated cheese vouchers to Mr Crewther's predecessor, former minister MP Bruce Bilson.

Labor's shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus has demanded an explanation about the intervention.
The recount to replace Katy Gallagher as senator for the ACT will take place on Friday, after the High Court, sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns, called for the vote on Wednesday.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) announced the date for the special count following the High Court's ruling last week that Katy Gallagher was ineligible to be a senator due to her British citizenship at the time she was elected in 2016.

David Smith, who will replace Katy Gallagher in the Senate. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

The date was set by Justice James Edelman at a hearing in the High Court on Wednesday morning.

The AEC said that in the new count preferences for Ms Gallagher will be disregarded and instead count towards the next preferred candidate.
The scandal-plagued RSL in NSW will be subjected to new laws to make the veterans group more democratic and transparent but will for the first time controversially allow office-holders to be paid salaries.

The Veterans Affairs Minister, David Elliott, has won cabinet backing for changes to the laws governing the century-old organisation following a royal commission-style inquiry that blasted the sheer ineptitude and cronyism allowing a cover-up of expense abuse.

Eighteen months since Fairfax Media first reported on the financial scandals in the league, Mr Elliott said reforms would bring a massive democratisation and better financial scrutiny of the organisation, which has nearly $2 billion in assets including 200 properties.

Weve got a massive sales job to do to get confidence back from the community. But I think that in the 12 months we have moved at lightning speed to clean up the organisation, Mr Elliott said.
Ms Tydds report did not name Mr Catley as the executive who directed the deletion. But the witness statements to the commission assert that it was Mr Catley who gave the direction. Despite her finding about the direction, Ms Tydd determined there were no grounds to refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions or the Attorney-General. Her analysis of the GIPA Act found it was possible for a public servant to direct another official to prevent disclosure of information without committing an offence. From the Information Commission's preliminary report into the deletion of records at Transport for NSW. According to Ms Tydds analysis, if the official who destroys the information is unaware the information is subject to a freedom-of-information request, the person who directed them to delete that information did not commit an offence.

And because other staff at Transport for NSW later ensured the deleted document was retrieved, the commissioner found the government agency had not failed in its duty. According to evidence given during the investigation, Mr Catley raised concerns at a meeting in July 2016 about emails that detailed a cost blowout in the $425 million Next Generation Infrastructure Services project. An application for information about the IT project sought under the GIPA Act was also discussed at the meeting. Loading That same month, Mr Catley allegedly directed a more junior staff member to delete an email about the exit from Transport for NSW of a manager who had a senior role overseeing the IT project, according to witness statements given to the Information Commission. At the time, Mr Catley had responsibility for technology at Transport for NSW as its chief information officer, a role he had held since 2012.

Early this year, a confidential report by a consulting firm commissioned by Transport for NSW revealed a concerning picture of the state of IT at the states transport agencies. The Information Commission was also told during its investigation that the full extent of cost blowouts were withheld from steering committees, and attempts made to avoid a project gaining a red rating even if it should have one. A red rating means a project has overshot its budget, which triggers regular audits and greater oversight by the Transport Ministers office. After six years at the head of technology, Mr Catley left Transport for NSW in February, assuming the role as the first assistant secretary of the Home Affairs information and communication technology division. In his new position, he directly reports to the deputy secretary of Intelligence and Capability at the super ministry. Mr Catley denied he had directed staff at Transport for NSW to delete government information.

I am saying that I didnt do the things that the allegation makes out. I have never asked a staff member to delete an email, he said. That is not something I would do. Mr Catley said he had not seen the Information Commissions final report, and did not understand how it could find that he directed the deletion of a record. He said emails could not be deleted at Transport for NSW because all emails that were sent or received were stored permanently in the agencys enterprise vault. It is technologically impossible to delete emails within Transport, he said. Mr Catley said he disclosed to Home Affairs that an investigation by NSWs Information Commission was under way when he was in discussions for a new role at the super ministry. In the preliminary report, the NSW Information Commissioner concluded that Mr Reardon, the former transport secretary, was ultimately able to uphold his responsibilities under the GIPA Act, notwithstanding the actions of an executive officer and the vulnerabilities that are apparent and able to be exploited.

Transport for NSW said in a statement that the Information Commissioner found the agency fulfilled its obligations in relation to all of the access applications reviewed. The commissioner found no evidence that information within scope of the applications was deleted. No information was released in relation to the identified GIPA applications, it said. The agency said it was unable to comment on individual staff. It added it had governance systems in place that ensure senior leaders and steering committee members are aware of the detail around all major projects. The Information Commissioner said in a statement that a final report on the investigation had been handed to Transport Minister Andrew Constance and Transport for NSW.
More than 1300 square kilometres of coastal waters and coastline in western Victoria has been opened up to gas exploration by the Andrews government, including potential drilling from onshore.

Industry has been invited to bid for the right to explore for gas along a vast stretch of ocean between the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park and the South Australian border.

The Andrews government has opened up more than 1300 square kilometres of coastal waters to offshore gas exploration. Credit:Reuters

The offer includes the right to drill for gas from onshore, even though the Andrews government has banned onshore gas exploration or drilling until mid-2020.

Briefing notes to industry seen by The Age state that "drilling from onshore to access offshore fields is permissible, subject to regulatory approvals".
Metro Trains poor track maintenance led to the derailment of a train carrying more than 100 passengers, an investigation by the transport safety watchdog has found.

A passenger train on the South Morang line came off the rails near Rushall station on February 6, 2016, as the train reached the tightest bend on the network  the notorious Rushall curve.

The derailed train. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Passengers were escorted off the train by police and paramedics, with one person taken to hospital for treatment of their injuries.

In a report released on Wednesday, the Australian Transport Safety Bureaus found the train came off the rails because the track was not adequately greased, creating friction between the wheel and the tight curve of the rail.
A spacecraft wouldn't know evidence of a Galilean lunar geyser if that geyser hit it in the face. Luckily, the scientists on the ground did.

Researchers using 21-year-old data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft have found evidence of a plume of material coming from the surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa. The discovery offers a new line of evidence for an ocean beneath its frozen crust and a promising path forward in the search for extraterrestrial life.

New data from the Galileo spacecraft's 1997 flyby of Jupiter's moon Europa strengthen the case that Europa has an ocean trapped beneath an icy surface that spews material into space. Credit:NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute

The results show that old data from long-gone spacecraft "hold a lot of secrets we haven't yet uncovered", said Lori Glaze, acting director of NASA's Planetary Science Division.

If humans are to look for life on other worlds, one of the first places scientists say they want to probe is cold, distant Europa.
Former Australian ambassador to the UK, Alexander Downer, broke with diplomatic protocol to take part in a highly-secretive interview with the FBI about Russian election meddling, according to new reports.

In a long piece detailing the early stages of the probe into suspected Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, the New York Times revealed that Downer was interviewed by two FBI agents in London just hours after the probe opened in August, 2016.

After deliberations between Canberra and Washington that the Times described as "tense", Australian officials broke with diplomatic protocol to allow the ambassador to be interviewed.

Given that the FBI's nascent investigation was happening as the presidential campaign reached its pointy end, the Downer interview was considered so sensitive and possibly damaging to the Trump campaign that only five officials knew about it.
Washington: The Senate Intelligence Committee has determined that the US intelligence community was correct in assessing that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the aim of helping then-candidate Donald Trump, contradicting findings House Republicans reached last month.

"We see no reason to dispute the [intelligence community's] conclusions," the committee's chairman, Senator Richard Burr, a Republican, said on Wednesday in a joint statement with its vice chair, Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, who added: "Our staff concluded that the ... conclusions were accurate and on point. The Russian effort was extensive, sophisticated, and ordered by President Putin himself for the purpose of helping Donald Trump and hurting Hillary Clinton."

This marks the second of four interim findings the intelligence committee has said it will publicise before tackling the more consequential question of whether Trump and his associates colluded with Russia to influence the election's outcome, allegations the president has denied and sought to discredit. The committee, which earlier this month released related findings on election security, is expected to publish a comprehensive final report this fall.

Wednesday's announcement comes amid growing Republican scrutiny of the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, whose team also is examining whether Trump's campaign coordinated with the Kremlin and if the president obstructed justice in a bid to limit the probe's scope.
Coopertire.com Earns Best Manufacturing Website Award







FINDLAY, Ohio-- The Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) has selected the Cooper Tires website, www.coopertire.com, as the winner of its Best Manufacturing Website award. The website earned top honors in its category based on seven criteria including creativity, innovation, impact, design, copywriting, use of the medium and memorability.

The 2018 IAC awards, the only industry-based advertising award competition dedicated exclusively to online advertising, highlight the top online advertising in 96 industries and nine online formats. Awards are given to those entries the judges rate as best within each industry category.

It was important when redesigning the Cooper consumer website that we create a user experience that simplifies the tire selection process and helps consumers through their purchase journey. By conducting extensive user and market research, we enhanced our sites digital tools, improved navigation and eliminated jargon to make the purchase decision less stressful, said Jessica Egerton, Coopers Director of Brand Development. It is exciting to be able to offer this tool to consumers, and its a great honor to be recognized by the prestigious IAC for the effort.

The new Cooper website, launched in 2017, includes an interactive tire selector guide called Help Me Choose that aids consumers in finding the right tire by asking three simple questions - vehicle type, expected mileage and typical weather conditions experienced. The site offers intuitive filtering through the use of check boxes related to key criteria utilized in the tire purchase decision. Those browsing the site can also view all Cooper tires and individually select which to compare for greater detail. Other features include live chat with a Cooper consumer relations specialist and educational content related to tire buying.

IAC award winners are highlighted on the competitions website at www.iacaward.org/iac/winners.asp.

About Cooper Tire & Rubber Company

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is the parent company of a global family of companies that specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing and sale of passenger car, light truck, medium truck, motorcycle and racing tires. Coopers headquarters is in Findlay, Ohio, with manufacturing, sales, distribution, technical and design operations within its family of companies located in more than one dozen countries around the world.
GEYSERVILLE, Calif., May 16, 2018 -- The Family Coppola Hideaways is thrilled to unveil its brand new funicular at La Lancha, the lakeside retreat in Guatemala. Ascending from the shores of Lago Peten Itza through the jungle canopy to the hotel's lobby and restaurant, the "jungle elevator" provides a unique welcome experience for guests. As they are transported up the mountainside, they will be met with breathtaking views of Lago Peten Itza and the lush surrounding vegetation of the Guatemalan countryside. Available to any guest arriving by boat, the funicular can accommodate four people at a time.

"La Lancha's location above Lago Peten Itza is perhaps its most magnificent quality," says Francis Ford Coppola. "We were determined to amplify that experience for guests arriving via boat with the addition of a jungle elevator that provides views as breathtaking as they are unforgettable."

Set deep in the Guatemalan rainforest high above the shores of Lago Peten Itza, La Lancha offers guests rustic ambience with a glimpse into the region's exotic wildlife. All ten air-conditioned guestrooms are tucked into the property's jungle surroundings with large covered decks and views of either the lake or the rainforest and its famous howler monkeys. Purchased by Francis and Eleanor Coppola in 2003, the resort's charming, remote waterfront location offers swimming, hiking, canoeing, zip-lining and horseback riding, an ideal destination to enjoy both a languid respite and exploration of nearby ancient Mayan civilizations such as Tikal and Yaxha & Topoxte. Located just 90 minutes from the Belize border, La Lancha is not far from The Family Coppola's two other Central American resorts  Blancaneaux Lodge and Turtle Inn. Make a reservation today by calling toll-free (855) 866-8181, visiting The Family Coppola Hideaways website or emailing info@thefamilycoppolahideaways.com.

Media Contact:

Anna Bailer

42West

(646) 467-9054

Coppolahideaways@42West.net

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-family-coppola-hideaways-builds-brand-new-funicular-at-lakeside-retreat-in-guatemala-300649658.html

SOURCE The Family Coppola Hideaways
Meghan Markle. Photo: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images

After two days of will he or wont he, Meghan Markles father Thomas Markle Sr. told TMZ on Tuesday evening that he actually wont be going to her royal wedding to Prince Harry after all.

This drama has been impossible to keep straight. First, Kensington Palace announced that Thomas would be walking Meghan down the aisle. Then, just a few days ago, we learned that Thomas staged those amazing wedding prep pictures for the paparazzi. And then, her dad said he wont attend the royal wedding  because he doesnt want to embarrass Meghan and, oh yeah, also he had a freaking heart attack.

And then  yes, another then!  earlier on Tuesday, Thomas told TMZ that he might actually attend the wedding after all. Thennnnnnnnnn, on Tuesday evening, Thomas said he cant attend  because he needs to have heart surgery.

According to TMZ, Meghan had sent Thomas texts saying she loved him and hoped hed change his mind about not attending. That is apparently what sparked Thomass change of mind about skipping the nuptials to begin with. But now, he said his doctors have advised against traveling from Mexico to Great Britain. Per TMZ:

Thomas tells TMZ, he will go into surgery at 7:30 AM Wednesday. He tells us, They [doctors] will go in and clear blockage, repair damage and put a stent where it is needed.

By the way, Thomas also told TMZ that he believes the open letter his son Thomas Markle Jr.  Meghans half-brother  wrote encouraging Prince Harry to not marry Meghan is what triggered his heart attack in the first place. I cant keep up!!!! But I do wish Thomas all the best with his surgery and recovery, and I hope Meghan is doing okay.
Larry Nassar. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

While Larry Nassar is spending the rest of his life in prison for sexual abuse, hundreds of his victims have sued Michigan State University  where he practiced for years  accusing the school of failing to fully investigate complaints lodged against him. (In 2014, he was cleared in a Title IX investigation.) On Tuesday, the school announced that theyve reached a $500 million settlement with 332 women and girls.

Per the Detroit Free Press, $425 million of that will be paid out to the survivors directly and $75 million will be set aside for any claimants who come forward in the future. MSU also says there will be no confidentiality or nondisclosure agreements required.

In January, Michigan attorney general Bill Schuette also promised that his office would fully investigate Michigan State in relation to the Nassar scandal.
Photo: Matt Green/Getty Images

New York City launched a new initiative on Wednesday to help women succeed professionally: women.nyc, an online portal with useful resources (like tax prep) and information about all protections offered to them by the city (including the law prohibiting employers from asking about salary histories). The website is designed not only to be a tool to keep women up-to-date on important information; its aim is also to encourage the sort of innovation that only occurs when women take the sort of risks that can change their entire career trajectories.

The Cut chatted with three New York City women to find out about the power moves that helped launch their careers.

Jordan Salcito: Founder of RAMONA and Bellus Wines and director of wine special projects, Momofuku

There was a restaurant group that was going to make me a partner and we were going to open a restaurant together. But then I did some digging in the fine print of the contract, and there was some language that was very unfriendly  actually, it was discriminatory against women, particularly any woman who might at some point potentially start a family. So I backed out of that. I decided I would leave the restaurant industry entirely. A couple of weeks later, I reconnected with David Chang at a wine event at California and was offered the beverage director position at Momofuku. Having the courage to walk away from the other restaurant group  which was something that seemed like the best option at the time  paved the way for better opportunities. I later built Ramona on my maternity leave, and thats when it became a company.

I did some digging in the fine print of the contract, and there was some language that was very unfriendly  actually, it was discriminatory.

Alicia Glen: New York City deputy mayor for housing and economic development

Years ago, I left my job as a lawyer to work for city government. I gave up a lot of money to do it and I took a real risk  because I went to work for Rudy Giuliani. People like me, who come from lefty, Democratic, Upper West Side politics, dont do that. I saw it as a chance to try to do the right thing, even in an administration where I didnt necessarily share their values. In some ways, that has been the theme of all my power moves. When I later left city government to go to Goldman Sachs, that was an incredibly gutsy thing to do, because when you really care about making cities better, how could you go work for this evil empire? It was the same theory: I used resources and the influences of that platform to make New York City better. Then the third power move was the same thing. Who in their right mind gives up a multimillion-dollar job to work for a mayor  Bill de Blasio  that I had only met twice? I had a great, great platform at Goldman Sachs. When I had the chance to make my power move and come to City Hall and do this work at scale, that, to me, was the ultimate power move.

Celeste Beatty: Founder and corporate brewing officer of Harlem Brewing Company

I always loved to cook, and I like flavoring stuff a lot, so Im pretty good at making soups and sauces. I also love infusing it with wine and beer and spirits. After cooking with beer for several years, a friend of mine suggested I start brewing my own beer, and I fell in love with it. For many years I was working on a very small scale in terms of where we could sell our beer. The big power move was moving to a larger distributor. At first when we spoke to Manhattan Beer Distributing, we were a very small brand that only people in Harlem knew. But I decided that I felt we were established enough to sign a contract with Manhattan Beer, which really put us on the map. It took a lot of guts to do that because I didnt have everything that all the other brewers have  we didnt have the fancy glassware or even a beer coaster. We went in there with all of our passion and all of our commitment, and we signed a contract.
Photo: Sam Tarling/Corbis via Getty Images

My sister and I headed out at 6 a.m. on a sunny day that promised bright Lebanese summer heat. We sipped our coffee silently for much of the ride, looking out a car window at the highway snaking up the coast of Lebanon, the mountains rising up quickly to our right, the rocks at our left dropping sharply to the sea. Neither of us wore makeup that morning.

We were driving from Beirut to Tripolis Beddawi camp, one of the oldest and most densely populated refugee camps in Lebanon. Both of us were dreading the experience  we had been through displacement as children, when we fled Lebanon as refugees to Canada in the mid-80s. But we knew that for the generations of Palestinians, along with newly arrived Syrians, life at Beddawi was much different.

The camp was established by UNRWA in 1955, as the first flow of refugees came fleeing Israeli expansion in Palestine. Though only one square kilometer, it is a functional city of almost 20,000 people. Houses, roads, makeshift electricity and infrastructure have all sprouted up and evolved over the years with little help from the municipalities outside the walls. Entire generations have been raised in the enclosure, without rights to citizenship or work in their country of refuge.

We parked the car next to a broken-down rusty Ferris wheel, probably installed by an international NGO for refugee children during some earlier epoch. Our first stop was the a job-training school run by ANERA, American Near East Refugee Aid. Beauty and makeup class is one of our most popular courses in the program, said Maggie Forster, ANERAs vice-president of philanthropy.

Photo: Celine Senaan, The Slow Factory

We were greeted by the programs teachers, organizers, and star students, all of whom had perfectly drawn eyebrows, kohl around the eyes, and heavy foundation. Around 95 percent of refugee girls are out of school, Forster explained. A lot of the girls who have taken the beauty and makeup course are now working as beauticians or opening their own shops, which allows them the flexibility of working out of their homes.

Part of a larger education facility for boys and girls aged up until their late teens, the fashion and beauty programs space includes a cut-and-sew atelier, a makeup table, all their cosmetics and lipsticks. In the camps busy streets, we met Samara Khalife, a 24-year-old Beddawi resident who had recently graduated from ANERAs training program and opened her own beauty parlor. She invited me to sit down on the chair to get her signature eyeliner. People come from all over Tripoli to get their makeup and hair done by me, said Khalife.

I was raised to believe that self-care is an intrinsic part of Arabic culture. For most women, knowing how to groom yourself and celebrate your femininity  to an extent that even makes me uncomfortable, at times  is a core part of being from the Middle East. Both of my Lebanese grandmothers are still alive, and they tell me about self-care every chance they get.

Photo: Celine Senaan, The Slow Factory

Taking good care of myself and being beautiful, they say, is part of my duty as a woman. I enjoy the celebration of self-care and self-love, but the duty part can make me uncomfortable. I find in all cultures, women have a fine line to walk between loving themselves and performing for the male gaze. But when I show up with my hair undone and without makeup, they take offense, as if Ive given up on myself. Sometimes I feel like I have.

When I show up with my hair undone and without makeup, they take offense, as if Ive given up on myself. Sometimes I feel like I have.

Their beauty routines have always been simple and natural: they wash their face in the morning with Aleppo soap, followed by almond oil as a base for everything. To keep their skin smooth and hairless they make sukar  sugar wax  at home as a depilatory concoction. The first time I was allowed to remove any kind of hair from my body, my grandmother did it with sukar, and I screamed in pain. The first time I was finally allowed to pluck my eyebrows, my mother did them perfectly. She kept them thick and explained, This is how they need to stay, understood?

Everything my Lebanese relatives, and especially my grandmothers generation, use for beauty products returns to nature as food, not as poison. They do facial and body peels with a pumice stone, or a pinch of baking soda mixed with water. They color their hair with henna, a plant dye, and apply homemade rosewater to their faces in the morning, to soothe redness. Boil artichokes and drink the water to lose weight, my Grandma Souad suggested after I had given birth to my first daughter. This is what my grandmothers have taught me, to the exasperation of my mother, who loves anything she can find in a Sephora.

After the civil war, the Lebanese notion of beauty became distorted  at times, it was the only mechanism available to feel in control of ones self. Both extremes are now present in modern Beirut: the beauty standards of the Kardashians on one side (Lebanon has a very high rate of plastic surgery), and a rebellion against postcolonial aesthetics on the other, in which women embrace their body hair and natural hair. Still, whether were going to the grocery store or a party, we dress up, and we wear makeup. Beauty is something we can control, love, and celebrate. It is, at some of the worst times, all we have left.

For my second trip to Beddawi, I went armed with a camera and a notebook. I wanted to record stories, to connect with the girls there and talk more about beauty, a subject that made them glow with pride and dignity. The Palestinian refugees I met in Lebanon talked about beauty and self-love as acts of resistance.

Photo: Celine Senaan, The Slow Factory

One young teen I befriended, Amal (which means hope in Arabic) told me, There is makeup for every occasion of the day. Maybe you are sad and just going to the store  I suggest a little mascara to change your mood. Or if you are getting ready for a party or to celebrate a wedding, eyeliner heavy on the eyes is important to make you feel elegant. This was makeup as a coping mechanism.

In the media, refugees are portrayed deprived of their dignity, without any beauty left in them, said Skylar Lawrence, ANERAs director of donor development. This is far from how we have experienced working with them, she said. In the refugee camps I visited, beauty was not considered superficial, especially when used in the act of reclaiming ones dignity and self-worth. In the face of adversity, looking and feeling good had become a human right  the right to celebrate ones self.
53 Terrorists IDed Among 62 People Killed on Gaza Border

A Hamas terrorist group official said on Wednesday that 50 of the groups members were among the 62 people killed during border clashes with Israeli forces on Monday, according to Times of Israel.

Counting the 3 Islamic Jihad terrorists identified on Tuesday, the total number of terrorists among the killed is now 53.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. Department of State for more than two decades.

Israeli authorities previously independently identified 24 members of terrorist groups among the people who died during the violent assault on Israels border coinciding with the opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem on Monday. The majority of those identified belonged to the Hamas terrorist group, while others belonged to the Islamic Jihad terrorist group, according to Israel National News.

Palestinian authorities released martyrdom photos of 10 members of the Hamas terrorist groups internal security apparatus, according to BILD reporter Bjorn Stritzel. Islamic terror group Saraya al-Quds identified three of its members among the killed, according to its website.

Hamas called on Palestinians to cross the border en masse to coincide with the opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem on Monday. The terrorists mixed in with civilians and fired shots and hurled pipe bombs at Israeli soldiers guarding the border, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

IDF released footage of a Hamas terrorist explaining how the group manipulated Palestinians in Gaza to rush the border with Israel.

Hamas is the one that sends us Facebook and text messages telling us to go and in the mosques, they call and send flyers to tell to go to the fence, the unidentified Hamas member said. They control the Gaza strip and everything that happens there goes through them.

They tell women to go forward. You are a woman, go forward, the army does not shoot women. They tell young children to go forward, the army does not shoot young children, the terrorist added. They tell the child to go forward and he does. They trick him.

The clashes continued on Tuesday with crowds of people flocking to the border. Some burned tires, hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails, floated incendiary kites, and attempted to destroy border fencing.

Israel sent 53 tons of medical supplies into Gaza this week, according to the IDF. Hamas sent all the trucks back.

This is what happened yesterday during the violent riots near the security fence along the Gaza border pic.twitter.com/ygTDntFE1T  Israel Defense Forces (@IDFSpokesperson) May 15, 2018

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley blamed Hamas for the border protests and the resulting deaths.

Lets remember that the Hamas terrorist organization has been inciting violence for years, long before the United States decided to move our embassy, Haley told United Nations officials, according to Politico. This is what is endangering the people of Gaza. Make no mistake, Hamas is pleased with the results from yesterday.

The White House also blamed Hamas in remarks on Monday and called the terrorist groups actions a gruesome and unfortunate propaganda attempt.

The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas, Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said. Hamas is intentionally and cynically provoking this response.

The opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem is a poignant event for Hamas, which has hoped for years to reclaim East Jerusalem and make it the capital of the Palestinian state.

When Trump announced the move of the embassy in December last yearin accordance with the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act passed in 1995he said that specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final negotiations.

After Trump announced that the U.S. would move its embassy to Jerusalem at least ten other countries said they intended to follow suit.

Recommended Video: President Trump Says Change Must Come From Within For Peace In Middle East
A picture taken on May 15 from the southern Israeli kibbutz of Nahal Oz across the border with the Gaza strip shows tear gas fumes rising amidst Palestinian protesters during clashes along the border. (JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

53 Terrorists Identified Among 62 People Killed on Gaza Border Monday

A Hamas terrorist group official said on Wednesday that 50 of the groups members were among the 62 people killed during border clashes with Israeli forces on Monday, according to Times of Israel.

Counting the three Islamic Jihad terrorists identified on Tuesday, the total number of terrorists among the killed is now 53.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. Department of State for more than two decades.

Israeli authorities previously independently identified 24 members of terrorist groups among the people who died during the violent assault on Israels border, which coincided with the opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem on Monday. The majority of those identified belonged to the Hamas terrorist group, while others belonged to the Islamic Jihad terrorist group, according to Israel National News.

Palestinian authorities released martyrdom photos of 10 members of the Hamas terrorist groups internal security apparatus, according to BILD reporter Bjorn Stritzel. Islamic terror group Saraya al-Quds identified three of its members among the killed, according to its website.

Hamas called on Palestinians to cross the border en masse to coincide with the opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem on Monday. The terrorists mixed in with civilians and fired shots and hurled pipe bombs at Israeli soldiers guarding the border, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

IDF released footage of a Hamas terrorist explaining how the group manipulated Palestinians in Gaza to rush the border with Israel.

Hamas is the one that sends us Facebook and text messages telling us to go, and in the mosques they call and send flyers to tell to go to the fence, the unidentified Hamas member said. They control the Gaza strip and everything that happens there goes through them.

Lets remember that the Hamas terrorist organization has been inciting violence for years, long before the United States decided to move our embassy. This is what is endangering the people of Gaza.  Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the U.N.

They tell women to go forward. You are a woman, go forward, the army does not shoot women. They tell young children to go forward, the army does not shoot young children, the terrorist added. They tell the child to go forward and he does. They trick him.

The clashes continued on Tuesday with crowds of people flocking to the border. Some burned tires, hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails, floated incendiary kites, and attempted to destroy border fencing.

Israel sent 53 tons of medical supplies into Gaza this week, according to the IDF. Hamas sent all the trucks back.

This is what happened yesterday during the violent riots near the security fence along the Gaza border pic.twitter.com/ygTDntFE1T  IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) May 15, 2018

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley blamed Hamas for the border protests and the resulting deaths.

Lets remember that the Hamas terrorist organization has been inciting violence for years, long before the United States decided to move our embassy, Haley told United Nations officials, according to Politico. This is what is endangering the people of Gaza. Make no mistake, Hamas is pleased with the results from yesterday.

The White House also blamed Hamas in remarks on Monday and called the terrorist groups actions a gruesome and unfortunate propaganda attempt.

The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas, Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said. Hamas is intentionally and cynically provoking this response.

The opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem is a major defeat for Hamas, which has campaigned for years to claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a proposed Palestinian state.

When Trump announced the move of the embassy in December last yearin accordance with the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act passed in 1995he said that specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final negotiations.

After Trump announced that the United States would move its embassy to Jerusalem at least ten other countries said they intended to follow suit.

Recommended Video: President Trump Says Change Must Come From Within For Peace In Middle East
A Burst of Colour and an Oasis of Calm in Londons Leicester Square

LONDONA colourful sight unfolded in Londons Leicester Square on May 13, as Falun Dafa practitioners celebrated a meditation practice handed down from ancient China.

Wearing yellow costumes that glimmered in the sunshine, practitioners performed the slow-moving exercises of the practice in the bustling central London square.

The event was held to mark Falun Dafa Day, celebrated internationally on May 13.

Falun Dafa, or Falun Gong, is an ancient Chinese spiritual discipline whose adherents follow moral principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

It is practised by millions across the world, but Falun Dafas founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, first publicly taught it on May 13, 1992. May 13 is also Mr. Lis birthday.

The event in London included a Chinese dragon that swooped joyfully to the beat of a drum, led by dancers clad in blue and red.

Curious onlookers stopped by, mesmerised by the dragons movement and colour.

Some walked to a table to have their name written in Chinese calligraphy, while others read about the crackdown of the peaceful practice by the Chinese regime.

Among those gathered at Leicester Square were practitioners from China, now grateful for the freedom of belief they enjoy in the UK.

The Epoch Times asked several practitioners what practising Falun Dafa means to them.

Loretta Duchamps

I feel very glad to have known about the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance (zhen, shan, ren in Chinese). When you encounter many difficult situations or some conflicts you try to look inside yourself, and try to hold on to these principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, to better handle them. I think its more a process, it takes some years, its not something that you can do at one time. Sometimes it goes not that well, but its actually a process of becoming a better person, called cultivation.

I think its really important for todays people, these principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Its really difficult to follow these principles, but its very good if we can do that to become a better person. Its a really great practice and Im really happy to be a practitioner of Falun Dafa.

Stefanos Matrakoukas

There are many things that can stress you out in this world. So having the ability to find the answers within yourself is really important. Falun Dafa teaches you how to look inward, its one of the basic concepts of Falun Dafa. How to look within yourself to find the answers that most people try to find through something outside of themselves, like shopping or food or drama in relationships, for example.

I was going through life and trying to understand the world and how to improve myself in terms of my body, my physical strength, the money I was earning, how to live a good life. But I realised that in order to live a good life you need to have an inner calmness, to be able to really understand things from the point of view of compassion.

Yaoyao

I take things more lightly now. I used to get really frustrated when I didnt get the things I want, I thought those things belonged to me. Im starting to think about things in a different way. I think that everything happens has its own reason, and sometimes even the things that I think should belong to me, doesnt mean they are meant to be mine. So Im still trying to do my best in everything.

I just go with the flow I guess. Im not competitive, I try my best to treat everyone in accordance with the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. I feel that I have changed fundamentally. It makes me feel much happier. Especially now Im here and I have the freedom to practise wherever I want. I have the freedom of belief now so I feel really happy, just amazing.

(Yaoyao is not her full name)

Racheli Senanayake

Its just brought me so much peace in myself. More obviously in the beginning, for the mind cultivation. I was studying at the time, Im not particularly academic, but I immediately saw improvements in my studies. I suddenly understood content that I didnt understand before. I just understood the bigger picture of what I was learning, and of life in general.

I just became a much more confident person. My fears, my social anxieties went away, I wasnt afraid to put my hand up in class, and ask questions and clarify things, and I just basically had a new love for life. I could access life again.

Recommended Video:

Why is Falun Gong persecuted?
Caught on Camera: Burglars Try to Disguise Themselves

Three suspects were caught on CCTV peering into a home.

When the trio realized they were being filmed by a security camera from within the property in Nottinghamshire, UK, they attempt to disguise their faces in a bizarre way.

Nottinghamshire Police believe the three men are connected to a spate of car key burglaries in the area.

In the footage, the men are captured looking through the window. As one of them realizes they are being filmed on camera, they then attempt to disguise their faces by hiding their noses.

The suspects were filmed examining the property at about 2 p.m. on April 30. Nothing was taken from the property.

Detective Inspector Steve Wragg of Nottinghamshire police said, Were appealing to the public to help us identify those involved in a large number of car key burglaries and associated burglaries.

Weve identified 12 burglaries in Nottinghamshire which were connecting and which have been captured under the heading of Operation Ignite.

Nottinghamshire Police have recently created two new dedicated burglary teams that focus on tackling burglary in the city and county.

He advised the public to stay vigilant.

Make sure your front and back doors and windows are locked even when youre in and never leave your car keys on show through a window when not using them. Do not leave them in locks, on the window ledges or kitchen/hall tables and never on a hook behind the door or in reach of a letterbox or cat flap, he said.

He added that if you have to park your vehicle on the street or in your driveway, make sure it is parked in a well-lit area and nothing of value is left in it.

Police have recorded the dates and locations of 12 burglaries which they believe are connected, as follows:

23 March  Newark

28 March  Sherwood

11 April  Mapperley and Southwell

30 April  Ollerton, Claypole, North Muskham, Caunton

2 May  Blyth

3 May  Worksop

7 May  Saundby

10 May  Beckingham

Watch Next: Knife Crime in London is On The Rise
Chinese Regime Tries to Solve Debt Problem By Issuing More Debt

Just days after Chinese media reported that an unprecedented number of corporations have defaulted on bonds they owed, the Chinese regime has announced that local governments can issue bonds to repay debts that will mature in 2018highlighting the enormity of Chinas debt problem.

The policy was announced on May 15 by the Ministry of Finance, essentially allowing local authorities to keep covering their debt with more debts.

The Chinese regime allowed this practice back in 2014 as well. In 2015, central authorities issued local government bonds to replace non-bond debt stock that the local authorities owedas a way to reduce their interest burden.

According to data from Chinas State Council, from 2015 to 2017, debt replacement has lowered the burden by 1.2 trillion yuan (about $188 billion).

Meanwhile, many of Chinas big firmssome of which are publicly listedhave already defaulted on bonds this year, including the state-owned Sichuan Coal Industry Group and Dalian Machine Tool Group; Dandong Port Group, which manages the eponymous port located on the border to North Korea; China City Construction Holding Group, a construction engineering firm; and China Security and Fire Co., a firm specializing in security systems, according to a report by the state-owned newspaper China Securities Journal.

Since the beginning of this year to May 7, 19 firms have defaulted on corporate bonds, according to data from the Chinese finance database Wind. The total value of the bonds was 14.35 billion yuan (about $2.25 billion), an increase of 20 percent from the same period last year. The number of defaulting firms also increased, 19 percent, from the same period last year.

According to the China Securities Journal a total of 5 trillion yuan (about $784 billion) in corporate credit bonds will mature this year  the highest so far.

But due to financial deleveraging and the Chinese regimes recent tightening of the real estate market and other sectors, debt repayment could come with risks. The Journal warned that the risk could grow beyond an individual company defaulting and into a large-scale, system-wide financial crisis.

Chinese commentator Wen Xiaogang told The Epoch Times that since much of local governments revenues come from real estate (all land in China is owned by the authorities, which then doles out leases on the land to developers and homeowners); their revenues could shrink amid regulations, forcing them to borrow more.

The Shanghai edition of the Journal, Shanghai Securities News, reported on May 10 that short-term loans were also in trouble. According to data from Wind, 116 short-term bondsrepayable within a yearhave been cancelled or postponed since the beginning of the year. The value totaled 63.94 billion yuan (about $10 billion). Surprisingly, most of those debtors possessed AA or AA+ ratings.

Late last year the International Monetary Fund (IMF)s assessment of Chinas financial stability found that the countrys total debtincluding central and local government, corporate, and householdamounted to 2.55 times its GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

The IMF report warned against the Chinese regimes continued financial support of bankrupt zombie firms, such as the state-owned firms mentioned above, which have defaulted on their bonds before.

According to estimates by American-based Chinese economist Dr. Cheng Xiaonong, out of Chinas 31 provinces and directly governed municipalities, 25 are in debt, surviving by relying on funds from central authorities.

Liu Yi contributed to this report.
This undated mobile phone picture shows former soldiers participating in a protest outside the provincial government building in Changsha, central China's Hunan province. Marginalised and misunderstood, Chinese Vietnam veterans -- who fought in a little-celebrated war with its southern neighbor -- risk beatings and prison in a new battle with the CCP officials. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinese Veterans Hold Protests Across Country, Calling for Adequate Welfare, Medical Treatment

In recent weeks, veterans across China have protested to demand proper welfare benefits and other government assistance.

Veterans of the Vietnam War in Leizhou City, Guangdong Province, held a demonstration on May 9 around 10 a.m. A source told The Epoch Times that more than 100 veterans dressed in military uniforms and paraded with banners. When local authorities learned about the demonstration, the Leizhou secretary of the complaints officean organ of the Chinese authorities for hearing ordinary citizens grievancesaccompanied by police officers and other security agents, rushed to the scene to disperse the veterans, who were dispersed at about 11:00 a.m.

The Leizhou City government did not arrange jobs for them [upon returning from service], as stipulated in policies. They did not give out subsidies, either, the source told The Epoch Times They are requesting the government to arrange work for them and give them the subsidies and welfare benefits they deserve.

On May 8, a group of veterans who work for Chinas Big Four state-owned banksIndustrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and Agricultural Bank of Chinaappealed outside of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs (MVA) building, a newly established organ of the Chinese regime. The MVA was formed on March 19 and formally began operations on April 16. Some veterans were stopped and turned away when they tried to submit petitions to the central authorities.

More than 300 people participated in petitioning, the source told The Epoch Times. When the banks were restructured, they were laid off. Some only had a one-time severance package of 50,000 to 60,000 yuan ($7,894 to $ 9,473). They also did not receive retirement pensions.

Theyve been laid off for more than a decade without any income. Many cannot afford medical treatment. When they become sick, they can only wait to die at home. Some simply chose to commit suicide, the source said.

The source also said the MVA did not solve the veterans complaints, but instead sent them to Jiujingzhuang in Beijing, a notorious black jail for detaining petitioners.

Another veterans protest happened in Fengtai District, Beijing on May 8. They gathered at the main gate of the Chinese navy compound.

The veterans requested a meeting with head Navy officials, but an official who claimed to be a leader of maritime affairs told the veterans that Navy officials were not available to see them, according to video recordings of the protest that have surfaced online.

Zhu Xinxin, a senior media commentator in China, said that the Chinese Communist regime is reserved in its suppression of veterans because harsh government actions could have a negative impact on current soldiers. Many of these veterans battle companions, relatives, and friends are still in the army, so the Chinese regime fears that a suppression could have a bad effect on them.

Epoch Times staff member Luo Ya contributed to this report.

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President Donald Trump and Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar give remarks on lowering drug prices in the Rose Garden of the White House on May 11. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Drug Pricing Reform Seeks to Lower Prices for Americans

The Trump administration aims to encourage competition in generic drug market

President Donald Trump laid out his vision for lower drug prices on May 11, announcing a major action plan to put American patients first. The president has made it a high priority for his administration to ensure that generic drugs are sold at a reasonable price in the United States.

We will have a tougher negotiation, more competition, and much lower prices at the pharmacy counter, and itll start to take effect very soon, Trump said.

The United States has the highest prescription drug spending in the world, due to higher list prices and greater use of expensive drugs. The nation spent $1,162 per person on prescription drugs in 2015, compared to $497 in the UK, $668 in France, and $803 in Japan, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

One of the main objectives of Trumps blueprint is to increase competition in the generic drug market. Generic drugs are copies of brand-name drugs that are marketed after the brand-name patents expire.

According to an economic report by the presidents Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) published in late February, many artificially high prices result from government policies that prevent healthy price competition.

Drug prices, for example, are sometimes artificially high due to government regulations that raise prices, stated the CEA report. Hence the blueprint aims to reduce drug prices by encouraging more robust price competition.

List prices for drugs have skyrocketed in the last few decades, and government programs and private consumers do not always have the means to negotiate more reasonable prices.

According to the plan, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will give Medicare Part D plans better tools to negotiate discounts on behalf of seniors. Medicare Part D provides affordable drug coverage for people who are 65 or older.

Many Americans, especially seniors, incur high out-of-pocket costs, since these are usually calculated based on drugs high list prices. HHS also plans to develop solutions to lower patients out-of-pocket spending.

Another action plan laid out in the blueprint is to create new incentives for drug manufacturers to lower their list prices. And to improve price transparency, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) might require drug price disclosures in commercials.

If we want to have a real market for drugs, why not have them disclose their prices in the ads, too? HHS Secretary Alex Azar said at the White House following Trumps remarks on lowering drug prices.

HHS will also focus on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), companies that act as intermediaries between insurers, manufacturers, and pharmacies. As middlemen, PBMs use rebates to negotiate discounts in the pharmacy channel.

Our plan will end the dishonest double-dealing that allows the middleman to pocket rebates and discounts that should be passed on to consumers and patients, Trump said.

Azar, who is also a former president of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, described the blueprint as the most comprehensive attack on prescription drug affordability in history, by any president.

This doesnt get solved tomorrow. Its going to take years of restructuring the system. But these are big, they are bold steps, he said.

Record Year for Generic Drug Approvals

The administration has also made it a high priority to ensure that generic drugs are approved on a faster timeline.

In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration approved more than 1,000 new generic drugsa record number achieved in a single year. Generic drug approvals helped American consumers save $8.8 billion last year, according to Azar.

Trump also demanded fairness not just at home, but also abroad.

When foreign governments extort unreasonably low prices from U.S. drugmakers, Americans have to pay more to subsidize the enormous cost of research and development, said Trump.

Most foreign governmentsespecially those in socialist countriescap drug prices and force drug manufacturers to comply with their rules in return for market access. Through this leverage, foreign governments can push for lower drug prices, which then erode the profits of pharmaceutical companies.

While the United States accounts for only 34 percent of OECD member countries combined GDP, Americans pay more than 70 percent of patented biopharmaceutical profits, according to CEA estimates.

Its time to end the global freeloading once and for all, Trump said. He directed trade representative Robert Lighthizer to make fixing this injustice a top priority in ongoing trade negotiations.

More than half of the public (52 percent) say passing laws to bring down prescription drug prices should be a top priority for Trump and Congress, according to recent polling by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Pharmaceutical companies rank among the top organizations that the public think has too much influence in Washington, according to the same poll.

Trump accused lobbyists of protecting the status quo and keeping prices artificially high.

The drug lobby is making an absolute fortune at the expense of American consumers, Trump said. No industry spends more money on lobbying than the pharmaceutical health products industry.

Pharmaceutical companies spent roughly $280 million on lobbyists last year. Thats more than the money spent by tobacco, oil, and defense companies combined, according to the White House.
A group of policemen stand guard at a police office in Surabaya, Indonesia on May 15, 2018. (REUTERS/Beawiharta)

Four Men Shot Dead After Attack on Police Station in Indonesia

JAKARTA  Indonesian police shot dead four men on Wednesday after they used samurai swords to attack officers at Riau police headquarters in Pekanbaru, Sumatra, a police spokesman said.

The men had driven their car into the police yard before getting out to stage the attack, Setyo Wasisto, national police spokesman, told a briefing.

Two officers were wounded in the attack, while another was killed after one of the perpetrators tried to escape and crashed into the officer, he said.

The one who escaped has been captured and secured at Pekanbaru police station, Wasisto said.

The spokesman said that a journalist who had been at the police station was also hurt after being hit by the car.

Earlier, an internal police report said that one of the dead men had a suspected bomb strapped to his body. Wasisto did not comment on this.

TV footage showed one man lying on the ground with a long sword next to his body and an armoured car stationed outside the police station.

A police spokesman in Riau said they had not identified the perpetrators yet or determined their motive.

But the attack comes after a series of suicide bombings by Islamic terrorists targeting churches and a police building in Indonesias second-biggest of city of Surabaya over the past few days.

The suicide bombings, involving families with young children, and an explosion at an apartment where terrorists were suspected to have been constructing bombs have left around 30 people dead, including 13 suspected perpetrators, police said.

The attacks are the worst in the worlds biggest Muslim-majority country since the bombing of tourist-packed restaurants in Bali in 2005.

Police suspect they were carried out by a cell of the ISIS-inspired group Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), an umbrella organisation on a US State Department terrorist list that is reckoned to have drawn hundreds of Indonesian sympathisers of ISIS.

In a message carried on its Amaq news agency, ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Surabaya.

After some major successes tackling Islamic terrorism since 2001, Indonesia has seen a resurgence in recent years, including in January 2016 when four suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a shopping area in the capital, Jakarta.

By Fransiska Nangoy

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Germany Charges 4 Over Child-Abuse Website With 111,000 Members

Prosecutors in Germany on Tuesday, May 15, brought charges against four people accused of running an illegal child pornography website from the undergrounds of the internet.

The website, which had international connections, had about 111,000 members in total, according to prosecutors.

The platform, called Elysium, was created near the end of 2016 where it was only accessible through the black market of the cyber world, a place often referred to as the darknet or deepweb.

In June 2017, German authorities arrested a man suspected of operating the website, which was launched at the end of 2016.

The suspects, all aged between 40 and 62, could face up to 15 years in prison if they are found guilty of sexual child abuse. An investigation into the platforms members is still ongoing.

The website had a platform with the title Babies & Toddlers where members exchanged photos and video recordings of sexual abuse of children aged up to four years old, Frankfurt prosecutors said in a statement obtained by Reuters.

One of the suspects was revealed to be a 62-year-old man from the Bavarian town of Landsberg am Lech. He was charged with sexual abuse of two children, aged 4 and 6. The children were made accessible by their father, an Austrian citizen, who had contacted the suspect through the website.

The father was also prosecuted in a separate child abuse case.

Sickening Statistics

The charges in Germany come on the heels of a new study by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) that revealed shocking statistics on children being groomed, coerced and blackmailed into live-streaming their own sexual abuse.

The 24-page study was done over a three-month period and looked at 2,082 images and videos from live-streamed child sexual abuse. IWF found that 98% of the media were of children aged 13 and under who recorded themselves over webcams, tablets, and mobile phones.

Out of those children, 28% were aged 10 or younger. The youngest victim was just 3 years old.

Other statistics from the report revealed that 18% of the abuse was listed as Category A, which is what the IWF classifies as the rape and sexual torture of children.

The imagery had been redistributed to third-party websites where 73% of the content appeared on dedicated child pornography forums. This indicated that the images had been shared with the intention of advertising paid downloads of videos, the report notes.

The case comes after U.S. law enforcement agencies seized Backpage.comthe largest child sex-trafficking website in Americaas part of an enforcement action by the FBI in April. Nearly three-quarters of the cases submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children relate to ads posted on Backpage.com.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) helped to draft legislation passed by the Senate on March 21 that makes it easier for state prosecutors and victims of sex trafficking to sue social media networks, advertisers, and others that fail to keep exploitative materials off their platforms.

President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on April 11. The legislation, featured prominently in the popular Netflix documentary I am Jane Doe, amends the Communications Decency Act, which has shielded website operators from state criminal charges or civil liability if they facilitate sex ads or prostitution.

Human trafficking is a modern form of the oldest and most barbaric type of exploitation, Trump said. It has no place in our world.

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A student at Hangzhou Number 11 High School gets his face scanned before retrieving books from the classroom library, in Hangzhou City in eastern China. (Screenshot via Sina)

High School in China Installs Facial Recognition Cameras to Monitor Students Attentiveness

A high school in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province located on the eastern coast of China, has employed facial recognition technology to monitor students attentiveness in class.

At Hangzhou Number 11 High School, three cameras at the front of the classroom scan students faces every 30 seconds, analyzing their facial expressions to detect their mood, according to a May 16 report in the state-run newspaper The Paper.

The different moodssurprised, sad, antipathy, angry, happy, afraid, neutralare recorded and averaged during each class.

A display screen, only visible to the teacher, shows the data in real-time. A certain value is determined as a student not paying enough attention.

A video shot by Zhejiang Daily Press revealed that the systemcoined the smart classroom behavior management system by the schoolalso analyzes students actions, categorized into: reading, listening, writing, standing up, raising hands, and leaning on the desk.

An electronic screen also displays a list of student names deemed not paying attention.

The school began using the technology at the end of March, vice principal Zhang Guanchao told The Paper. Zhang added that students felt like they were being monitored when the system was first put in place, but have since gotten used to it. Teachers have used the data to change their teaching methods, Zhang said.

Since the school has introduced these cameras, it is like there are a pair of mystery eyes constantly watching me, and I dont dare let my mind wander. -student at Hangzhou Number 11 High School

An unnamed student was quoted in an article published by the Sina News portal: Since the school has introduced these cameras, it is like there are a pair of mystery eyes constantly watching me, and I dont dare let my mind wander.

Chinese netizens, however, raised concerns about such heavy surveillance of young students. On Sina Weibo, a social media platform similar to Twitter, one user from Beijing said: this is more frightening than being in prison.

Many users felt the school was violating these students basic rights with such monitoring. They are not studying machines. Any human being will have moments when their mind wanders, said a user from Fujian Province with the moniker Laren.

China has heavily embraced facial recognition technology, used to serve meals to students at school cafeterias, pay for items at stores, as a virtual boarding pass for airline flights, and even to prevent toilet paper theft at public restrooms.

In particular, the Chinese regime has championed a nationwide system of security cameras, called Skynet, that use facial recognition and other artificial intelligence features to gather personal information on passerby in real time. More than 20 million cameras have already been installed, with plans to cover the entire country by 2020.

The regime touts the system as an effective tool for detecting criminals, but observers are concerned that the surveillance technology is turning China into a Big Brother Orwellian state.

Already, the technology has been employed to spot and detain a Chinese dissident, who was approached by plainclothes police upon exiting a Guangzhou City railway station after his name appeared on a wanted list.

The Chinese regimes nervousness about ethnic unrest in the predominantly Uyghur region of Xinjiang has led it to develop predictive security software that crunches data from CCTV cameras, ID card checks, and other personal records, which then flags individuals as potential suspects.

Frank Fang contributed to this report.
ICE agents arrest an illegal immigrant during an operation targeting sanctuary cities, in California, in Sept. 2017. (ICE)

Immigration Enforcement Ramps Up, But Sanctuaries Obstruct

WASHINGTONOne of the Trump administrations main immigration goals is to end the practice of catch-and-release.

The same goal existed 12 years ago, in 2006, under former president George W. Bush, said Gary Mead, the former head of ICEs enforcement and removal operations.

At the time, one of our major objectives was to end the practice of catch-and-release, both in the interior and on the border, Mead said during an event at Migration Policy Institute on May 8.

The practise of catch-and-release occurs when detention space is full. As more illegal immigrants enter the country and are apprehended by Border Patrol, they are handed to ICE, which is then forced to release the individual into the country with a court date in the future.

Mead said ICE had around 18,000 detainees in 2006 when he started, but it had increased to more than 34,000 by the time he left the agency in 2013.

But, he said, during the later years of the Obama administration, immigration enforcement was eroded.

Many things that had been put in place years before [were] abandoned or greatly diminished., he said.

Obamas immigration priorities continued to narrow towards the end of his presidency and by 2014, ICE agents were essentially instructed that large swathes of illegal immigrants were untouchable.

According to a new Migration Policy Institute (MPI) report released on May 8, 87 percent of the countrys illegal population were effectively protected from deportation under Obamas relaxed priorities. Accordingly, arrests and deportations fell significantly.

President Donald Trumps first priority has been to claw back enforcement levels to meet the standard set by the law.

Theres simply a clarity of focus right now about what the job of an individual ICE officer is on the street, Mead said.

He said that clarity existed in 2006, but was dramatically changed toward the end of the Obama administration. He said its a monumental understatement to say ICE is pleased with the change under the Trump administration.

Mead said immigration law is very clear, but was muddied during the Obama era.

If someone is in this country illegally, they are subject to deportation. And there are very few ways that someone here illegally will be allowed to gain legal status. That is the law, period, end of story, he said. Their removal is not dependent upon committing some other crime or their personal situation.

Even if an illegal immigrant has been working in the United States for 10 years and has a family, it drives me crazy because it doesnt matterthe law does not allow for those considerations, he said.

Although the Trump administration has set enforcement priorities, it has been clear that no illegal alien is exempt from the law. ICE still prioritizes criminals, fugitives, and recent entrants.

Fugitives are those who have been through the immigration court system and a judge has ordered them removed from the country. ICE has started re-arresting the more than 500,000 fugitives in the United States, who can be deported within days.

Sanctuary Jurisdictions

The MPI report revealed several significant findings.

The first is that although Trump is trying to enforce immigration law, the nations 300 co-called sanctuary jurisdictions are hindering himmaking it difficult for him to reach deportation levels achieved in the peak years of fiscal 2010 to 2011.

Deportations from the interior during Trumps first year jumped significantly (37 percent) compared to the previous year, but it was still less than half of fiscal year 2011 (more than 220,000).

Sanctuary jurisdictions impact ICE operations mainly through the Secure Communities program, which was launched in 2008 and rolled out nationwide in 2013.

It is a nationwide fingerprinting database that local law enforcement can access when they book people into jail. The database matches fingerprints against FBI and Department of Homeland Security databases.

If an inmates fingerprints flagged them as an illegal alien, ICE was alerted and agents would place a detainer on that inmate. A detainer is a request to local law enforcement to alert ICE when the inmate was to be released, or to hold them for up to 48 hours beyond the time of release to enable a handover. That person was then placed into deportation proceedings.

Around 73 percent of all deportations in 2016 were triggered through the Secure Communities program.

Many sanctuary jurisdictions disrupt that process by banning local law enforcement from communicating and cooperating with ICE, except with illegal immigrants who have committed serious, often violent, crimes. In many areas, ICE agents, who used to freely operate within jails, have now been kicked out by sanctuary policies. Forced to locate and detain illegal aliens out in the community, ICE is expending more resources to achieve the same goal.

Politicians in sanctuary jurisdictions also argue that immigration enforcement is a federal matter, therefore local law enforcement doesnt have the authority to enforce immigration law.

And theyre right, said Mead. But I would argue that by picking and choosing (which almost all the jurisdictions do), which aliens theyre going to refer to ICE, they are in fact enforcing immigration law. Theyre determining who should be removed. As compared to, if you refer everyone to ICE, its ICEs decision, ICEs problem, as to who gets removed, not the local law enforcement.

ICE has responded by increasing its operations in sanctuary jurisdictions. In September last year, the agency announced that a four-day operation in sanctuary jurisdictions around the country netted 498 individuals from 42 countries for federal immigration violations.

Of the 498, 317 had criminal convictions, 68 were immigration fugitives, 104 were previously deported criminal aliens, and 18 were gang members or affiliates, according to ICE.

Sanctuary jurisdictions that do not honor detainers or allow us access to jails and prisons are shielding criminal aliens from immigration enforcement and creating a magnet for illegal immigration, said ICE Deputy Director Tom Homan. As a result, ICE is forced to dedicate more resources to conduct at-large arrests in these communities.

Politicians who support sanctuary policies often purport that they are essential to making illegal immigrants feel safe to report crime.

Higher Anxiety Levels

Ironically, the MPI report revealed that the level of anxiety in illegal immigrants in sanctuary jurisdictions is higher than those in non-sanctuary areas.

This is mostly due to ICE being forced to work out in the community because agents cannot pick up criminals in the jails anymore. ICEs operations are targeted, but if agents encounter other illegal immigrants while out on an arrest, then that individual will be taken into custody, too.

Mead said he isnt aware of any convincing evidence that immigration enforcement makes communities less safe, particularly the use of detainers.

Victims and witnesses of crime have nothing to fear from ICE. [Theyre] not arrested by local police and theyre not fingerprinted, he said. If you are not fingerprinted or put into a local jail, you will not be encountered by ICE.

He said the idea that illegal immigrants cant report crime without fear of deportation just doesnt have any basis in reality.

If you or one of your loved ones or one of your neighbors is the victim of a crime, small or big, that was committed by someone who had been arrested by local law enforcement and wasnt referred to ICEit doesnt make you feel any better, Mead said. Because while there may have been some other drunk driver out there, or there may have been some other purse snatcher out there, it definitely wouldnt have been the person that ICE had removed.

Swiss Cheese

The third major finding of the report is the disparity in immigration enforcement around the country.

We now have a phenomenon of swiss cheese of immigration enforcement around the country, said Muzaffar Chishti, report author and director of MPIs office at NYU School of Law.

As we found in our study, the fate of an unauthorized or otherwise removable immigrant depends on where hes apprehended, not what he has done.

Muzaffar said if an illegal alien is apprehended for a traffic violation in Georgia, Texas, or Tennessee, it can result in an arrest and deportation. But, in California, Chicago, or New York City, an alien could be arrested for a variety of crimes and still not be taken into ICE custody.

Such unevenness in enforcement landscape threatens federal preeminence in immigration enforcement policy, he said.
Holding up cardboard signs and dressed in white T-shirts, a dozen victims of a financial scam stand outside of the Changsha branch of China Telecom demanding to get their money back. (Ms. Li)

Major Chinese Telecom Firm Scammed Customers with iPhone Scheme, According to Victims

A major Chinese telecoms company is suspected of scamming customers in Changsha City, a metropolis located in central Chinas Hunan Province. Meanwhile, local media and authorities have turned a blind eye to their misfortunes.

According to 212 victims, since 2012, a manager surnamed Hu working at the Changsha branch of China Telecom has been promoting an investment package whereby customers could put down deposits in advance into the companys bank account, and in return, receive the latest model of the Apple iPhone along with their deposits back, in a few months time.

However, victims said their money has been pilfered.

We had never thought that this was a scam. We thought it was 100 percent part of the telecom companys operations, said Ms. Li in a phone interview with The Epoch Times. Li said she put down 14 million yuan (about $2.2 million) in deposits, but she only received about 6 million yuan (about $941,690) back.

China Telecom, Chinas largest state-run telecommunications firm, is a provider of wireline and mobile network services. According to the companys website, it has about 250 million mobile subscribers, as of the end of 2017.

Over the years, because newer models of the iPhone were more expensive, the required amount of advanced deposits increased, according to Li. The manager told investors that they could get multiple iPhones if they placed a higher deposit.

Since the second half of last year, Li said she hadnt received her advanced deposits back in time. She then visited the China Telecom office in Changsha, but she was told that the company never offered such an investment package, while Hu had gone missing.

Earlier this year, Li explained that she had successfully filed a lawsuit against the Changsha branch of China Telecom at a local court. However, the case was dismissed on April 25, even though Hu was arrested a day earlier.

On the afternoon of May 3, Li said she and several other victims held up banners and staged a protest outside the company office, but company security guards forcibly took their banners away. Li recalled seeing about several police officers nearby, but they did not intervene.

According to Li, the company has failed to return a total of nearly 50 million yuan (about $7.8 million) in deposits to its 212 so-called investors.

Local media talked to some of the victims, according to Li, but the scam never surfaced on the news.

It is unclear whether Hu pocketed the deposits, or if executives at the Changsha branch played a role behind the scam.

However, the case is one of many examples of big firms and major financial institutes in China that increasingly offer risky investment options.

In June 2016, state-run newspaper Beijing Morning Post reported a scam at an unnamed bank. A woman surnamed Zhang could not get her money back after investing 3 million yuan (about $470,970) on a one-year mutual fund. The fund, as it turned out, was not on the banks portfolio. A manager surnamed Wang, who had sold Zhang the mutual fund, had worked secretly for an investment company in Shenyang City in northeastern China.

The investment company later came under police investigation for illegally collecting funds. Several of its executives were on the run.

After several bank employees, including Wang, were fired, Zhang filed a lawsuit in Tianjin City against the bank to seek legal redress. The court dismissed the lawsuit, with the rationale that the bank was not responsible for Zhangs losses.
Apple to Become the Worlds 1st Trillion Dollar Company

NEW YORK$1,000,000,000,000. 12 zeros. Apple is on pace to become the 1st trillion-dollar company after its market value was estimated at $908 billion.

The increase in value also comes only a week after Warren Buffett announced his company Berkshire Hathaway had purchased an additional 75 millions shares of Apple stock in the 1st quarter, making it the companys largest holding, according to Quartz. The stock was trading at $175 at the time of the purchase and now stands at $188.15 as of 05/14/18, an 8% increase. Whoever made the call on that just cashed in big time.

But this news should not come as a surprise to those who have been following Apple. New innovations such are iPhoneX and iPhone 8 are big reasons for Apples success, with 52.2 million units sold in the 1st quarter, accounting for $38 billion in revenue. Consumers are pleased with advances in technology which allow for face recognition and a high definition camera that allows for stellar photographs and films. Other new innovations include the Airpods (wireless headphones), a new and improved iPad and wireless charging, which allows for multiple Apple products to be charged simultaneously on a wireless device.

On Sunday 05/06/18, Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted that the company was celebrating the 20th anniversary of the unveiling of the iMac when Co-founder Steve Jobs famously displayed the blue transparent computer to the world for the 1st time.

20 years ago today, Steve introduced the world to iMac. It set Apple on a new course and forever changed the way people look at computers. pic.twitter.com/GbKno7YBHl  Tim Cook (@tim_cook) May 6, 2018

Yet, few could have imagined at that time that Apple would be in the state that it is today. When Jobs was asked to become the CEO of the company once again in 1997, after having been ousted year earlier, Apple was on the brink of bankruptcy. In a CNBC interview when Jobs returned to the company, he was asked about Apples financial situation at the time. He said, If you do the right things on the top line, the bottom line will follow. The top line being, of course, the people that are hired and the culture created by the company. The people and culture would go on to revolutionize the computer industry as well as the music industry. With subsequent products like the iPod and iPad, MacBook and MacBook Air, Apple continued to inspire a generation with their Think Different culture. As their brand and loyal customers, the bottom line also grew. The top line seems to be doing pretty well, because in the bottom line, the proof is in the pudding.

But, if Apples past is any indication, dont think that they will be in any hurry to achieve the trillion-dollar feat first. Current CEO Tim Cook once said at a Utah Tech Conference, It doesnt bother us that we are second, third, fourth or fifth if we still have the best. Apple was not the 1st company to create a desktop or laptop computer, neither were they the 1st to create a mobile phone, but their products continue to grab the attention of consumers because of their simplicity and high quality standard.

Looking back at those words that Jobs said now, the top line seems to be doing pretty well, because in the bottom line the proof is in the pudding.
L: Oleg Deripaska in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 23, 2013. (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images); R: FBI Director Robert Mueller at the U.S. Department of Justice on Aug. 1, 2013. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Mueller Oversaw FBI Operation Courting Russian Oligarch Connected to Paul Manafort: Report

Special counsel Robert Mueller has had his share of problems recently, but now one appears to have reached the level of a conflict of interest, according to a May 14 investigative report by The Hills John Solomon.

Mueller was appointed on May 17, 2017, to investigate the Russian governments efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including any links or coordination between the Russian government and the campaign of then-candidate Donald Trump.

Mueller has indicted 19 people and three companies, but none of the charges involved TrumpRussia collusion.

As Solomon uncovered, however, Mueller is linked to the same Russian oligarch as one of the indictees.

In the entire 28-count indictment against Manafort, theres not a single mention of Deripaska.

In 2009, while director of the FBI, Mueller was kept apprised of an operation to court Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, an associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Solomon wrote.

FBI agents secretly met Deripaska in hotels in Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Hungary, and Washington, convincing him to fund a mission to recover CIA operative and former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who was captured in Iran in 2007.

One of the agents involved was Andrew McCabe, the recently fired FBI deputy director involved in starting the TrumpRussia probe that was later taken over by Mueller.

Solomons report relies on anonymous sources, though he had the Levinson mission itself and a number of other details confirmed by Deripaska, his lawyer, the Levinson family, and Robyn Gritz, a retired FBI agent who supervised the Levinson case in 2009.

Gritz said he kept Director Mueller and Deputy Director [John] Pistole informed of the various efforts and operations of the Levinson mission.

Because of economic sanctions imposed on Iran and other laws, the FBI couldnt openly spend taxpayer money on the mission.

Deripaskas aluminum industry empire, on the other hand, already did business in Iran.

The billionaire eventually agreed to orchestrate the mission but insisted the operation neither involve nor harm Russia.

His lawyer said he spent $25 million on a private search-and-rescue team that worked with Iranian contacts while monitored by the FBI.

Deripaska eventually managed to arrange the release of Levinson, but the deal was scuttled by the State Department.

We were told at one point that the terms of Levinsons release had been agreed to by Iran and the U.S. and included a statement by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pointing a finger away from Iran. At the last minute, Secretary Clinton decided not to make the agreed-on statement, said David McGee, a former federal prosecutor who represents Levinsons family.

Levinson hasnt been found since.

Even though the mission fell through, Deripaska was rewarded. While hes been persona non grata in the United States since at least 2007 (for alleged organized crime connections and other crimes), FBI agents arranged special access to the United States for him, first on a rare law enforcement parole visa, then on a diplomatic passport, even though he doesnt work for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Solomon wrote.

Its not clear if Deripaska has earned any other favors from the FBI, but the bureau sought him out again in 2016, just two months before the election, according to his lawyer.

Three agents visited Deripaska at his hotel room when he was in New York as part of Russias United Nations delegation. At least one of the agents had worked with Deripaska on the Levinson mission, Solomon wrote, but its not clear whether it was McCabe.

During the hourlong visit, the agents proposed that Trumps campaign was secretly working with Russia to hijack the U.S. election.

Deripaska laughed but realized, despite the joviality, that they were serious, the lawyer said. So he told them in his informed opinion the idea they were proposing was false. You are trying to create something out of nothing, he told them.

The FBI then contacted Deripaska some more in 2017, Solomon wrote.

Deripaskas name came under the media spotlight last year when the Associated Press reported the oligarch paid millions to Paul Manafort to promote Russian interests in the United States and Europe between 2005 and 2009.

Manafort has spent decades campaigning and lobbying for various political interests around the world. In 2016, he offered to volunteer for the Trump campaign and started in March 2016. He became the campaign manager in June 2016 and left in August 2016, after media dug up his work for Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych between 2005 and 2014.

On Oct. 30, Mueller filed charges against Manafort, saying he hid from authorities the millions received for his work with Yanukovych, dodging taxes in the process. He also allegedly lied to banks about his income to get better loans.

Yet, in the entire 28-count indictment, theres not a single mention of Deripaska.

When the Manafort case reached trial, federal Judge T.S. Ellis, III threatened to throw it out, because the charges had nothing to do with Russia, agreeing with Manaforts defense team, who argued that the charges against their client are outside of Muellers investigative scope.

Deripaska now presents a conflict of interest for Mueller, because the FBI, under Muellers leadership, received financial help from the Putin associate, who is at least a witness in the current investigation, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz told Solomon.

The real question becomes whether it was proper to leave [Deripaska] out of the Manafort indictment, and whether that omission was to avoid the kind of transparency that is really required by the law, Dershowitz said.

Whatever clout Deripaska carried with the FBI couldnt shield him from sanctions imposed by the Trump administration in April, a move that slashed the stock price of his aluminum company, Rusal, by almost 60 percent.

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Netflixs Next Act: Feeding the Service With Its Own Movies

LOS ANGELESAs Hollywood studios unleash their summer blockbusters into theaters, Netflix is trying to give film buffs a reason to stay home.

The streaming service is on track to release at least 86 Netflix original films in 2018, the company told Reuters. That exceeds the scheduled output of the top four traditional studios combined, as well as Netflixs previous record of 61 films last year.

The aggressive strategy is aimed in part at addressing complaints that the services movie library is stale, an issue likely to be exacerbated by Walt Disney Cos decision to stop supplying Netflix with new films for its U.S. customers in 2019. Buying movies from other studios also has become more expensive as streaming competition has intensified.

Having more of its own films is paying off, Netflix said. The company told Reuters that the 33 Netflix films released so far this year have been watched more than 300 million times by more than 80 million account holders worldwide. Thats an average audience of more than 9 million viewers per film.

Executives said the large number of movies is a response to the wide range of tastes they are trying to satisfy, and that data they collect on subscriber viewing habits provides insight that helps them choose movies.

Fifty-five percent of Netflixs 125 million customers live outside the United States, and the company is counting on foreign markets to drive future growth.

Its art and science, said Ian Bricke, who oversees Netflixs independent film licensing and production. Our global audience is more and more diverse. We are constantly learning and trying to get smarter.

Spending Spree

The company would not say how much it is spending on its film push, but it has budgeted $8 billion for programming in 2018, a figure that includes original TV series and films as well as content licensed from others.

The heavy spending will lead to negative free cash flow of up to $4 billion this year, the company has said. Investors have so far endorsed the strategy as Netflix subscriber rolls keep booming, sending shares soaring 70 percent this year to $326.13.

The Netflix film slate features everything from low-budget family fare to higher-brow independent dramas such as last years Mudbound, which earned four Oscar nominations, and an expensive mobster tale due out next year starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.

About one-third of Netflix viewership is for movies, company executives have said, while the rest is for television offerings, including the companys highly acclaimed original series such as House of Cards and Stranger Things.

The critical reception for Netflix original films has been mixed, and some prominent directors balk at the idea of making movies that will be seen mainly on the small screen.

My entire life has been spent trying to give audiences something in a large, large forum, Steven Spielberg told Reuters. I love the whole feeling of social interaction outside. You leave your house, you park your car, you go somewhere. Those are the kinds of audiences I like to talk to.

Unlike traditional studios, which have increasingly focused resources on expensive action spectacles and sequels, Netflix is producing and acquiring movies across genres, from teen dramas and romantic comedies to horror flicks and sci-fi adventures.

At least 17 of this years Netflix films will be in languages other than English, including French, Arabic, Hungarian, Japanese and Russian. Eight or more will be in Spanish.

The company has promised more big-budget films like 2017s Will Smith action flick Bright, with former Universal Pictures executive Scott Stuber leading that effort.

The Big-Screen Option

Some Netflix films also go to a limited number of theaters. In 2017, Netflix released 33 movies in theaters in 40 cities around the world, Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos told Reuters, and some played for as long as seven weeks. Bright opened in 12 locations while action adventure film Okja, from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, was shown in about 50.

Theater screenings help allay concerns of some filmmakers and actors. But the company insists its movies be available to streaming subscribers the same day they debut in theaters, prompting most large theater chains to reject Netflix films.

Some in Hollywood worry their films will get lost in the sheer volume of new Netflix movies.

I dont yet have clarity on how they are going to make a splash with 80-plus films, said one agent who asked to remain anonymous because of ongoing business with Netflix. It has led me, in setting up films at Netflix, to question whether thats the right move.

Netflix argues that its trove of viewership data allows it to market films directly to customers most likely to appreciate them, and to pull together a large audience from around the world.

Some big stars and directors have embraced the Netflix model. The companys most ambitious movie gamble to date is The Irishman, the coming De Niro and Pacino film directed by Martin Scorsese. The movie cost at least $125 million to make, a price tag that others rejected.

De Niro said he was thrilled that Netflix opened its checkbook for the movie, which includes costly special effects to make the actors appear as younger versions of themselves in parts of the film.

They could afford it and do it properly, De Niro told Reuters. The main thing is to make the movie the way it should be made.

By Lisa Richwine

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Actress Allison Mack (R) departs the United States Eastern District Court after a bail hearing in relation to the sex trafficking charges filed against her in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, on May 4, 2018. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

NXIVM Leaders Face Accusations of Human Smuggling and Alien Harboring

The evidence collected in the case against NXIVM secret society leader Keith Raniere and his partner, Smallville actress Allison Mack, includes claims of human smuggling and alien harboring, according to a May 11 court filing.

Mack and Raniere are already facing charges of sex trafficking and forced labor. The new claims were revealed in a motion to protect sensitive information regarding Ranieres victims. The evidence includes materials that identify alleged victims of human smuggling, alien harboring, physical or mental abuse towards an intimate partner, stalking, sexual abuse or sex trafficking, the court order states.

The prosecutors go on to warn that the evidence in the case includes highly sensitive material and personal information that could be so damaging to the victims that it must be redacted before the documents in the case are shared with anyone.

The court papers state that the evidence includes medical information, discussion of mental and physical conditions, photographs and videos of victims, letters and videos that alleged victims provided as collateral, sexual history and sexual conversations.

The claims of human smuggling and alien harboring were not included in the original indictment filed in New Yorks Eastern District. The new language suggests that new charges may be filed in the case. Prosecutors said at a court hearing earlier this month that they may file new charges against Raniere, Mack, and other defendants.

Mack is currently out on $5 million bail. Raniere is being held without bail. Both face 15 years to life in prison if convicted.

NXIVM is a secret society that has operated in upstate New York and elsewhere for over a decade. Members of the society recruited slaves to perform labor and sex acts on their behalf, the indictment alleges. The slaves were, in turn, encouraged to recruit slaves of their own.

Secrecy was at the core of NXIVMs operations. According to the indictment, every member was asked to provide incriminating, damaging, and embarrassing information about themselves in order to join. Once they joined, the members were asked for more and more information as collateral.

Publicly, the society billed itself as a self-help group. Members routinely reached out to high-profile figures to try to recruit them. India Oxenberg, the daughter of Dynasty actress Catherine Oxenberg, was among those lured into the scheme.

He doesnt have a moral compass, Catherine Oxenberg told the New York Post about Raniere. He needs to be held accountable for every single woman and child that hes ever harmed, abused, exploited, and my daughter is one of those.

Clare Bronfman, an heiress to the fortune of Seagrams liquor, is also a member, her father revealed to Forbes in 2003. She financed Raniere with millions of dollars over the years, including paying for his $65,000 private jet flights, according to prosecutors.

Raniere identified all of the NXIVM members as slaves and had many branded with his initials, prosecutors said.

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Residents look at an Army vehicle which was damaged during battle between Afghan security forces and Taliban in Farah province, Afghanistan May 16, 2018. (Reuters/Stringer)

Taliban Battle Into West Afghan City in New Crisis for Government

HERAT, AfghanistanTaliban fighters with heavy weapons and night-vision equipment fought their way close to the center of the western city of Farah on Tuesday, as Afghan forces with U.S. air support battled to force them back, officials and residents said.

Residents of the city, capital of Farah province on the border with Iran, have warned for months the city was vulnerable and the attack threatened a repeat of the Talibans capture of the northern city of Kunduz in 2015.

Local people said Taliban forces began their attack at around 2.00 a.m. local time from several directions and a senior official said the situation was serious early in the day as the insurgents overran several areas and the provincial governor left the city.

However, as special forces units, backed by both Afghan and U.S. air strikes rushed to counter the assault, the situation stabilized later in the day.

Mohammad Radmanish, a spokesman for the defense ministry in Kabul, said the insurgents had been pushed out of the city and reinforcements, including special forces units from neighboring provinces, had been ordered to Farah.

The NATO-led Resolute Support mission in Kabul said U.S. A-10 attack aircraft were also supporting Afghan forces and there had been at least one drone strike, while Afghan air force A-29s and Mi-17 helicopters had conducted multiple attacks.

Farah city remains under government control, and the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, supported by U.S. Forces-Afghanistan airpower, are on the offensive against the Taliban, spokesman Lt. Col. Martin ODonnell said.

However the speed of the attack, which saw large parts of the city including police headquarters and the governors compound under siege at different times, caused shock among residents.

The Taliban are moving very fast, if the government does not take serious and speedy action, the province is going to collapse to Taliban, said Hamidullah, a resident of the city reached by telephone in the morning.

The attack adds to the problems facing President Ashraf Ghanis government, which has come under increasing public pressure over worsening security ahead of parliamentary elections due in October.

There were no detailed casualty assessments but a Resolute Support spokesman said dozens of Taliban fighters had been killed and there had also been an unspecified number of casualties on the government side.

In one incident, at least 18 soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber in the Askarabad area of the city, Farid Bakhtawar, head of a provincial council said. However, Radmanish said only two soldiers were killed in the blast.

New U.S. Strategy

Farah province, a remote and sparsely populated area, has seen months of heavy fighting, with hundreds of police and soldiers killed and severe losses inflicted even on elite special forces units. Residents have warned repeatedly that the provincial capital was under threat.

Farah is in dire need of air support, Dadullah Qane, a provincial council member, said by telephone as the fighting went on in the morning. The Taliban are well equipped with heavy arms and night vision equipment.

Tuesdays assault adds to the growing number of crisis points around Afghanistan since the Taliban began their annual spring offensive last month, including a series of deadly suicide attacks in the capital, Kabul.

District centers have been lost or threatened in the northern provinces of Baghlan and Badakhshan and there has been heavy fighting in Faryab in the northwest and Ghazni and Zabul, south of Kabul.

Although the insurgents have been unable to take and hold any provincial center, they are active across Afghanistan and the government has firm control over no more than 56 percent of the country, according to U.S. estimates.

The United States has boosted its assistance to the government under a new strategy announced by President Donald Trump last year, sending thousands of additional troops and advisers and stepping up air strikes to support Afghan forces.

Farah, which also borders the opium-rich Taliban heartland of Helmand province, has key smuggling routes into Iran. Hundreds of fighters have moved there as U.S. and Afghan forces have stepped up operations in Helmand.

As the fighting raged on Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi warned civilians to remain in their houses.

Mujahideen have nothing to do with civilians, only military positions are the target, he said in a statement, referring to Taliban fighters.

Residents said shops, schools and government offices were closed and the Taliban had set up posts around the city and were checking identity cards and preventing people from fleeing.

By Storay Karimi and Mohammad Stanekzai

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A U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention center for illegal immigrants sits next to the U.S.-Mexico border in Donna, Texas, on March 15, 2017. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Trump Admin Looking to Add Detention Space for Illegal Immigrants

More space needed as Justice Department prosecutes all illegal border crossers

WASHINGTONThe Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is considering military installations as potential sites for housing minor children who cross the border illegally and/or alone.

A Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed on May 16 that the HHS will visit four of its sites in Texas and Arkansas within the next two weeks to assess them as possible child shelters.

The spokesperson declined to say how many bed spaces would be available, or whether the sites had been used in the past to house illegal border crossers.

A spokesman for the Administration for Children and Families at HHS said the department currently uses a network of about 100 shelters in 14 states.

Additional properties with existing infrastructure are routinely being identified and evaluated by federal agencies as potential locations for temporary sheltering, the spokesman said in an email.

The lack of parental protection, and the hazardous journey they take, make unaccompanied alien children vulnerable to human trafficking, exploitation, and abuse, he said. In some cases, many violent gangs, including MS-13, are exploiting loopholes in U.S. laws to bring gang members into the United States or recruit unaccompanied alien children once placed with a sponsor.

The site visits coincide with the Justice Departments announcement on May 7 that it will now prosecute all illegal border crossers.

Adults who are prosecuted must be housed separately from their children until the case is complete.

The Department of Homeland Security will refer adults to the Justice Department for prosecution, whereas, under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, minor children must be handed over to HHSs Office of Refugee and Resettlement for temporary custody.

In the past, family units (consisting of one adult and at least one child) would be transferred from Border Patrol to ICE, which is obligated to release them into the United States after 20 days under the Flores Settlement Agreement. This practice is known as catch-and-release. A court date would be set for possibly years into the future and the asylum-seeker often would not appear.

Family units are the largest group of asylum-seekers crossing the southwest border illegally. In April, of the more than 38,000 illegal aliens apprehended by Border Patrol along the southwest border, almost 10,000 were family units and another 4,300 were unaccompanied minors.

More than 90 percent of family units and unaccompanied minors come from the Central American countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Most apply for asylum, but after years of living in the United States and going through the immigration court system, only about 20 percent are approved.

The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security want to adjudicate cases at the border so that those who do not qualify for asylum or other relief can be easily deported. The Department of Justice has sent more prosecutors and immigration judges to the border.

Tom Homan, deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the policy to separate families has always existed under two conditions.

One, when we cant establish that its the parent and [therefore] that child is being trafficked. Children have been abused by alien smuggler organizationswe have numerous cases about thatso we need to ensure that person claiming to be a parent is a parent, he said on May 7 at the San Diego border.

Weve got intelligence that alien smuggling organizations are making children available to single adults so that they can come and claim to be a family unit and not be detained.

Homan said the same children have been discovered to have crossed the border several times with adults claiming to be the parent.

The second issue when we separate is when someone is prosecuted. Every law enforcement agency in this country separates parents from children when they are arrested for a crime, he said.

However, Homan said, under the new policy to prosecute all illegal border crossers, more prosecutions, and therefore more separations, will occur.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross delivers keynote remarks during the Newsmakers Luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington on May 14. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Chinas Tariff Retaliation Will Not Be Life Threatening, Says Commerce Chief

Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington on May 14, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross reviewed the Trump administrations approach to trade, giving an update on negotiations with China.

Ross said the strong personal relationship between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would facilitate a trade deal between the United States and China.

It is difficult to handicap the outcome, but my hope is that the strong personal relationship between President Trump and President Xi will facilitate an agreement, just as it seems to be doing relative to North Korea, Ross said.

Ross attended a two-day meeting in Beijing earlier this month, along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, trade representative Robert Lighthizer, Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow, and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro.

Before landing in China, we sent them an extremely detailed list of our needs, and they responded with a similarly detailed but quite different list of proposals, Ross said. The gap is wide.

To follow up on the trade discussions, Chinas Vice Premier Liu He will be in Washington until May 20.

In March, Trump proposed imposing $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese products, as part of a measure to crack down on decadeslong unfair trade practices by Beijing that have cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars a year.

The administration outlined more than a thousand imported goods that might face 25 percent tariffs. Whether the United States will impose the proposed tariffs or not depends on the outcome of these negotiations.

Ross is confident that the United States has the upper hand and that the impact of retaliation by China will be negligible for the U.S. economy.

I hope that we can make a fair deal. But if that does not happen, a trade tit-for-tat will not be economically life threatening to the United States, he said.

If China retaliates with a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion of U.S. exports, it will have less than a three-tenths of 1 percent impact on the $18 trillion U.S. economy, according to Ross.

In addition, Chinas retaliatory moves would negatively impact its own economy.

China buys no products from us if they have cheaper alternatives. Therefore, the tariffs they impose will come at a cost to them, Ross said.

Ross also criticized China for imposing discriminatory and non-tariff barriers on U.S. goods, mocking Chinese officials for raising the issue of mad cow disease during the negotiations.

I have pointed out to them that the both president and I eat quite a lot of American beef and that, other than the fact that we are in public office, there are no signs of mental instability as a result, he said.

Not Fair Trade

Trump administration has been frustrated by the World Trade Organization (WTO), calling its rules outdated.

The United States is constrained by two sides of a WTO pincer, according to Ross. One is the most-favored nation clause (MFN) and the other is the so-called bound rate.

The MFN rule requires applying the same tariff to every nation, based on the principle of nondiscrimination. The bound tariff is the maximum MFN tariff level for a given good. Each country makes a specific commitment on bound tariffs when they join the WTO.

The U.S. tariff rates were at low levels when the nation first joined the WTO in 1995, while its trading partners entered the organization with high tariffs.

Today, the U.S. tariffs are among the lowest in the world and are the product of bipartisan policies that have advocated for progressively freer trade since World War II.

According to Ross, the United States is stuck because the low tariff rates and the WTO-imposed bound rate prevent the country from matching other countries high tariffs. Ross said trade, and tariffs, should be reciprocal.

An American car going to China pays a 25 percent import duty while a Chinese car coming the other way pays just 2.5 percent.

This is not fair trade, said Ross. Efforts over the last decade and a half to negotiate broad changes to these tariff rates have failed, in large part because of Chinas unwillingness to make concessions commensurate with its significant role in the global economy.

China joined the WTO with beneficial terms, according to Trump.

In 2000, President Bill Clinton permanently granted most favored nation status to China, which became a member of the WTO a year later.

Chinas economic growth has accelerated dramatically following its admission to the organization. Chinese manufacturing output surpassed U.S. output beginning in 20092010, and the gap has widened since then, resulting in millions of lost U.S. manufacturing jobs.

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Much of the U.S. skipped spring this year. For many states, the weather went from snow to 90 degrees and sunny in about a week. A week ago, a warm fire sounded nice; now you have customers lined up around the corner for ice cream.

If youre looking to cash in on the summer heat, maybe you should consider an ice-cream franchise.

Here are the top seven entries from the Entrepreneur Franchise 500.

McDonalds

McDonald's is the No. 1 entry on the Franchise 500, so of course it tops the ice-cream franchise list, too. While the Wendys Twitter account might roast the Golden Arches for seemingly always having a broken ice-cream machine, McDonalds does indeed sell cones, sundaes and shakes.

CEO: Steve Easterbrook

Steve Easterbrook Business headquarters: Oak Brook, Ill.

Oak Brook, Ill. Franchising since: 1955

1955 Initial investment: $1,008,000 to $2,214,080

$1,008,000 to $2,214,080 Initial franchise fee: $45,000

$45,000 New units in 2017: 507 units (1.4 percent)

507 units (1.4 percent) Training: 6 to 24 months on the job, 75 hours in the classroom

6 to 24 months on the job, 75 hours in the classroom Marketing support: Co-op advertising, ad templates, national media, regional advertising, social media, loyalty program/app

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Sonic

Sonic is well-known for its ice cream -- and slush options (which aren't ice cream, but were going to count them anyway). The No. 6 business on the Franchise 500 is also a great franchise for the summer due to its drive-in model, where you can sit and eat in the comfort of your car instead of inside a restaurant. Its just a better experience when the weather is nice.

CEO: Cliff Hudson

Cliff Hudson Business headquarters: Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City Franchising since: 1959

1959 Initial investment: $1,073,000 to $2,361,500

$1,073,000 to $2,361,500 Initial franchise fee: $45,000

$45,000 New units in 2017: 31 units (0.9 percent)

31 units (0.9 percent) Training: 400 hours on the job, 24 hours in the classroom

400 hours on the job, 24 hours in the classroom Marketing support: Co-op advertising, ad templates, national media, regional advertising, social media, SEO, website development, email marketing, loyalty program/app

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Culvers

Culvers is ranked 13th on the Franchise 500, and the fast-food joint prides itself on making fresh frozen custard throughout the day, so its always rich and creamy. The company offers a flavor of the day, as well as cones, shakes, malts and dishes.

CEO: Joseph Kross

Joseph Kross Business headquarters: Prairie du Sac, Wis.

Prairie du Sac, Wis. Franchising since: 1988

1988 Initial investment: $1,815,000 to $4,273,000

$1,815,000 to $4,273,000 Initial franchise fee: $55,000

$55,000 New units in 2017: 57 units (9.9 percent)

57 units (9.9 percent) Training: 550 hours on the job, 172 hours in the classroom

550 hours on the job, 172 hours in the classroom Marketing support: Co-op advertising, ad templates, national media, regional advertising, social media, SEO, website development, email marketing

Smoothie King

Does a smoothie count as ice cream? Sure, why not. Smoothie King is ranked No. 35 on the Franchise 500, and even though its offerings actually dont have ice cream in them, some of them do include frozen yogurt or sorbet, so were going to count it. Besides, is there a better time to down a smoothie than when youre walking around on a nice summer day?

CEO: Wan Kim

Wan Kim Business headquarters: Metairie, La.

Metairie, La. Franchising since: 1988

1988 Initial investment: $225,650 to $778,150

$225,650 to $778,150 Initial franchise fee: $30,000

$30,000 1-year growth in new units: 95 units (11.8 percent)

95 units (11.8 percent) Training: 20 hours on the job, 56 hours in the classroom

20 hours on the job, 56 hours in the classroom Marketing support: Co-op advertising, ad templates, national media, regional advertising, social media, SEO, website development, email marketing, loyalty program/app

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Baskin-Robbins

All right, now here is a proper ice-cream franchise. Baskin-Robbins is ranked No. 41 on the Franchise 500, and its entire identity has been shaped by its 31 original flavors of ice cream, including banana nut fudge, cherry macaroon and Rocky Road.

CEO: Nigel Travis

Nigel Travis Business headquarters: Canton, Mass.

Canton, Mass. Franchising since: 1948

1948 Initial investment: $93,550 to $401,800

$93,550 to $401,800 Initial franchise fee: $25,000

$25,000 1-year growth in new units: 164 units (2.1 percent)

164 units (2.1 percent) Training: 2.5 weeks on the job, 2.5 weeks in the classroom

2.5 weeks on the job, 2.5 weeks in the classroom Marketing support: Co-op advertising, ad templates, national media, regional advertising, social media, SEO, website development, email marketing, loyalty program/app

Freddys Frozen Custard and Steakburgers

Freddys is ranked 44th on the Franchise 500 and offers sundaes, concretes (super-thick milkshakes you eat with a spoon) and cones with all sorts of fun toppings like gummy worms and Oreos. According to the company website, Freddys is also offering shakes and malts for a limited time only.

CEO: Randy Simon

Randy Simon Business headquarters: Wichita, Kans.

Wichita, Kans. Franchising since: 2004

2004 Initial investment: $592,810 to $1,999,117

$592,810 to $1,999,117 Initial franchise fee: $25,000

$25,000 1-year growth in new units: 33 units (14.1 percent)

33 units (14.1 percent) Training: 140 to 150 hours on-site, 10 to 20 hours in the classroom

140 to 150 hours on-site, 10 to 20 hours in the classroom Marketing support: Ad templates, social media, SEO, website development, email marketing

Dairy Queen

If you have the word dairy in your name, youve got to offer good ice cream. Dairy Queen, which is ranked No. 67 on the Franchise 500, does that with its famous blizzards, but it also has sundaes, cones and more.

CEO: Troy Bader

Troy Bader Business headquarters: Minneapolis, Minn.

Minneapolis, Minn. Franchising since: 1944

1944 Initial investment: $1,083,525 to $1,850,425

$1,083,525 to $1,850,425 Initial franchise fee: $35,000

$35,000 1-year growth in new units: 44 units (0.7 percent)

44 units (0.7 percent) Training: 376 hours on the job, 32 hours in the classroom

376 hours on the job, 32 hours in the classroom Marketing support: Ad templates, national media, regional advertising, social media, email marketing, loyalty program/app

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Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
To paraphrase Donna Summer, you work hard for your money. After all, it's what you need to pay your bills, eat and have fun. Despite this, little more than 20 percent of employees in the United States feel they are paid fairly, according to PayScale's 2018 Compensation Best Practices Report.

Related: The Do's and Don'ts of Asking for a Raise

Chances are, you've felt this way from time to time. But that pay raise you really deserve typically isn't going to just fall in your lap. You have to do your part to earn it, and more often than not, you'll also have to communicate to your employer why you deserve it.

In some cases, simply presenting your case can be enough to get your boss to recognize your value and give you the pay raise you deserve. If he continues to brush aside your concerns, however, it's probably time to start looking for a better job.

Do you think you might deserve to be paid more? It's well worth considering -- after all, this is your money we're talking about. Here are seven signs that you desperately deserve a pay raise, whether your boss wants to give it to you or not.

1. You nailed the performance review.

While a lot of people dread their annual performance review, this is also a good time to gauge how your boss views your overall performance. However, these meetings can be much more than simply a time to get tips for improvement or receive verbal praise. This also provides an opportunity to show how you've increased your skills or contributed to the company's growth.

Performance reviews are often a time when your boss will give you new responsibilities or a new project. Be mindful of how this will change your work. More often than not, it could provide the perfect segue into discussing why you need a raise.

Related: 8 Ways to Negotiate Your Way to a Higher Salary

2. You consistently exceed goals.

Dependability is frequently cited as one of the most important attributes any employee can have. In fact, a survey from CareerBuilder listed dependability as one of the top soft skills employers value, with 73 percent of those surveyed selecting it as a key hiring factor.

From sales quotas to tight deadlines on major products, being someone who consistently follows through on requests and exceeds expectations is one of the best ways to deliver value to your employer.

This is a great thing to bring up in performance reviews, and is definitely a top reason why you would deserve a raise. Demonstrating your dependability time after time will make your employer far more willing to do whatever is necessary to keep you onboard.

3. Customers are happy.

While not everyone has a client-facing role, there's no denying that customer satisfaction is often a direct reflection of your own quality work. If your efforts are resulting in highly satisfied customers (and as a result, increasing company revenue), you're certainly justified in asking for a raise.

Related: How to Ask for a Raise -- and Get It

4. You've increased your own skills.

Whether you've earned extra certifications or completed additional coursework by taking night classes at a local college, going the extra mile to improve your own knowledge and skills should typically qualify you for a raise. Your new abilities will allow you to contribute even more to your company -- don't be afraid to communicate that.

John Rampton, founder and CEO of Due, used this mindset in hiring and retaining high-quality freelancers as he grew his business. "Over time, as their skills, knowledge and expertise increased, I compensated them for that," he explains. "I now have several earning nearly double what their employee friends are making ... and it's totally worth it on my side."

5. You just helped your company to a "big win."

Whether you made a big sale or helped finalize a successful product prototype, helping your company to a "big win" is a clear demonstration of how you bring value to the team. After all your hard work on behalf of your company, this is often the perfect time to ask for a pay raise.

If you haven't been much of a contributor to your company's successes, you're not likely to qualify for that raise. Because of this, digital marketing expert Jonha Revesencio recommends that "instead of thinking of ways to get out of the company, try various ways to increase your value within the organization by providing more impact than you used to."

Related: Can You Convince Your Boss to Pay You a Bigger Salary?

6. You're getting enticing offers from other recruiters.

Even if you're not actively looking for a new job, it isn't unusual to get messages from industry recruiters trying to lure you away to a different company. Unsurprisingly, those recruiting pitches are going to sound a lot more enticing if they offer a higher salary and better benefits than what you currently receive. Websites like Salary.com and Paysa can also provide insight into industry averages for your position.

While applying for new positions can be somewhat intimidating, it can make a big difference for your short-term and long-term financial well-being. Don't be afraid to look into these other opportunities, but before you go, try asking for a raise before accepting a new job offer. This additional leverage will create a compelling argument for getting a raise without leaving your current job.

7. You've seen your company making other investments.

As companies grow and experience success, it isn't unusual to see them start investing in new tech tools or making upgrades to make the office look nicer. While such improvements can certainly be helpful, the fact remains that people are by far the most important investment any business can make.

As the Harvard Business Review reports, "Higher levels of productivity allow society to reinvest in human capital (most obviously, though not exclusively, via higher wages), and smart investments result in higher labor productivity."

If your company appears to be hitting a financial high point, this is a good time to remind your boss of the value of investing in the resources (or people) that ultimately make the biggest difference.

Related: How to Get Paid More Today

Working hard and getting paid

Regardless of what industry you work in, there's no reason why you should continue to be underpaid. By highlighting the ways you bring value to your company and contribute to its growth, you are much more likely to convince your boss that you deserve a raise.

By evaluating your own performance, you can also find ways to keep improving or gain the motivation you need to start looking for a higher-paying job. Either way, by taking action now so you get paid what you deserve, you'll be that much closer to achieving your financial goals.

Related:

If You're Doing These 7 Things, You Desperately Deserve a Pay Raise

The Do's and Don'ts of Asking for a Raise

8 Ways to Negotiate Your Way to a Higher Salary



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
The royal wedding is less than three weeks away, and megafans are already getting fired up about exclusive souvenirs of the big day.

Candy maker PEZ is releasing one exclusive dispenser set in the likeness of Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle next week. The one-of-a-kind dispensers will be auctioned to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
BUDAPEST, Hungary - The list was spread across two pages, white type on a black background.

There, plain for all to see in a prominent pro-government magazine, were the names of 200 academics, journalists, human rights advocates and others.

They were the "mercenaries" of Hungarian American financier George Soros, the accompanying article explained. And this was an enemies list.

At once it was a relic from a darker time in Hungary's history and a modern-day symbol of just how far the country has veered toward a rebirth of autocracy under Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The prime minister has spared little effort in vilifying Soros. Orban has made the Jewish philanthropist the heart of numerous government smear campaigns, countless xenophobic speeches and several pieces of punitive legislation. Before Hungary voted last month, he vowed "revenge" against Soros and his allies for their role in a supposed plot to flood the country with Muslim refugees.

On Tuesday, Soros announced that he is moving the headquarters of his Open Society Foundations from Budapest to Berlin because of an "increasingly repressive" environment in Hungary.

Publication of the list, just days after Orban won a sweeping electoral victory, seemed to be confirmation that the prime minister intended to make good on his pledge. The magazine's owner, after all, is a close Orban ally and would have been unlikely to publish it without encouragement from top levels of the government.

The list was met with a tide of condemnation, including from Michael Ignatieff, president of the Budapest-based Central European University, who called it "a flagrant attempt at intimidation."

But if that was the goal, evidence soon grew from Ignatieff's own faculty at the Soros-funded university that it hadn't entirely succeeded.

Miklos Koren, a mild-mannered CEU economist, was outraged when he saw the list. First, because it existed. Then, because he wasn't on it.

Not that he had done much to deserve inclusion. He said he generally avoids politics. But others on the list didn't seem to merit their spots, either. Some were even dead.

"The only common theme among the 200 names was that at some point, they had all received money from an organization that was Soros-funded," Koren said. "I could imagine this kind of document in the dark corners of the Internet. But it was shocking to see it in print."

So Koren took to the Internet and launched a petition to have his name included among the enemies. He encouraged anyone else who wanted to be added to sign as well.

Weeks later, nearly 8,000 people have added their names.

Many have left comments:

"My husband is on the list. They excluded me. I demand equal credit."

"Liberal democracy should be defended."

"Wherever there's a list, I want to be on it."

Some signatories pointed out that Orban himself qualifies as a Soros "mercenary," having received a scholarship from the billionaire to study at Oxford as a young man.

The reaction, Koren said, "was heartwarming."

It was also revealing about the state of modern Hungary, where Orban exercises near-total control and bullying tactics are common. But there's also free expression, with opponents speaking out on television, in newspapers and on the streets. On May 8, the day the new parliament was sworn into office, thousands of opponents rallied against Orban just outside.

"It's not Turkey. It's not Russia," said Gabor Klaniczay. "It's a new form of autocracy."

Klaniczay, a medieval studies professor at CEU, was on the list. But he's used to it. He was on enemies' lists during communist times as well.

Back then, he said, it was because he would occasionally sign petitions circulated among dissidents who sought changes to the regime.

This time, there appears to have been a more prosaic reason: He was included in a Wikipedia entry of notable CEU faculty from past and present, which had been copied name for name. Hence the names of the dead.

"It was very lazy," he said.

Other organizations had their entire staff lists copied and included, right down to the administrative assistants.

At the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights group, most of the staff members rolled their eyes at the list, said co-chair Marta Pardavi. They've grown accustomed to being targeted.

But that wasn't true of everyone. An administrative assistant reported that her parents were getting abuse from their neighbors, who wondered why they had a Soros mercenary in the family.

"It's an extreme example of harassment, and it does impact people," Pardavi said.

It also comes in the context of a very real crackdown on civil society, with the government using legislation to make it very uncomfortable - if not impossible - for many independent organizations to operate.

And even if the government has not gone nearly as far as its counterparts in Turkey or Russia in suppressing dissent, some fear that's where it's headed.

"Let us not underestimate such petty and shameful projects like this list," wrote one signatory to Koren's petition. "Who knows where hate speech ends and political terror starts?"

The magazine that published the list - Figyelo, which means Observer in Hungarian - has dismissed such talk as "hysteria." It has said that anyone who wants to be removed from the list should simply email the magazine and ask.

It's not clear if anyone has done so. But Koren recently emailed the magazine with the names of thousands of people who want to be added.

"Could you please print these names in a 20-page special edition?" Koren said he asked.

There has been no reply.

---

Gergo Saling and Andras Petho, editors of the Hungarian investigative news website Direkt36, contributed to this report. Both were on the list.
EDWARDSVILLE  Madison County Board Member Brad Maxwell was confirmed Thursday as the U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Illinois.

Maxwell was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a voice vote.

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth made a joint statement after the Senate's unanimous vote in favor of Maxwell's appointment.

"Through many years of service to Illinois, Bradley Maxwell has demonstrated strong qualifications to serve as United States Marshal," they said. "We expect him to serve with professionalism, responsibility, and a clear focus on the mission of the Marshals Service. We look forward to working with him in his new role."

"I'm excited," Maxwell said Friday morning. "I'm just ecstatic. It was way ahead of schedule, so kind of caught me a little off guard."

He had expected a confirmation vote on May 24, so the decision has left him "scrambling" to deal with County Board and work-related issues before taking the new position.

In addition to resigning from his current job as St. Louis Manager and Chief of Uniform Security for Boeing, he has submitted his resignation from the Madison County Board.

He said a replacement could be named as soon as Wednesday.

"It's been an honor to serve the people of Madison County in District 11," he said. "I have wonderful folks and I hope I met their expectations."

He chairs the County Board's Planning & Development Committee, and sits on the County Board's Executive and Information Technology committees.

Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler confirmed that the administration has received Maxwell's resignation. The agenda for Wednesday's meeting has the appointment of a new board member listed, but no name is attached to it.

Maxwell did not file to run for his seat in the November elections.

Dalton Gray won the Republican primary for the seat. Fredrick Faust ran as a write-in in the Democratic primary.

Maxwell has been with Boeing since 2011, after serving 20 years in the U.S. Air Force.

Maxwell began his military career as a quality assurance evaluator/electro-mechanical minuteman team chief at Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.

In 2003 he became a special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations after graduating from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. As a special agent, and later as superintendent/director of operations for OSI at Scott Air Force Base, he was deployed twice to Iraq, where he conducted insurgent and fugitive apprehensions and prisoner transports.

Before retiring from the Air Force he returned to Scott AFB as the deputy chief of counterintelligence from 2010 to 2011. He has associate degrees in criminal justice and electronic systems technology from the Community College of the Air Force and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Park University.
GLEN CARBON  Glen Carbon trustees chose to go with asphalt overlay instead of concrete for a street resurfacing project in the village.

At the last regular meeting of the Village Board, trustees approved a bid with Christ Bros. for $525,341.40 for the road project in Heritage Estates Subdivision.

Public Works Coordinator Danny Lawrence informed the board that bids had gone out and cost comparisons between asphalt and concrete were considered.

"At the time that these bids went out, I requested a bid for both concrete reconstruction or asphalt overlay," Lawrence said. "The bid numbers came in and at that time the concrete alternative was attractive but as we looked at the project it became apparent that asphalt was the way to go."

Village Administrator Jamie Bowden said due to staging and increased engineering and construction management costs, it was more cost efficient to go with asphalt.

"The difference between concrete and asphalt was about $250,000," Bowden said. "The Public Services Committee felt that difference was a bit too much so it recommends to go with the more affordable option," Bowden said.

Lawrence said the work will be done on Michelle Drive, Nicole Court and the associated cul-de-sacs in the neighborhood.

In other business, trustees approved the purchase of Motor Fuel Tax street maintenance commodities.

Lawrence said the prices and amounts reflect the needs of the village for the next eight months.

Beelman Logistics will be paid $6,384 for aggregate and $1,550.25 for sand. Concrete Supply of Illinois will be paid $32,155 for class SI concrete/flowable fill.
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LONDONBank of England Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent was forced to apologize after describing the U.K. economy as menopausal, putting the central bank in a new communications controversy.

The remarks in an interview with the Daily Telegraph sparked complaints about sexism and ageism. The timing was particularly unfortunate for the BOE, coming two days after Governor Mark Carney hosted a conference on diversity in central banking. They follow a slew of criticism over the banks messaging on monetary policy, which dominated Carneys interest-rate press conference last week.

Claire Perry, a Conservative lawmaker, said on Twitter that she cant be the only 50+ woman objecting to Ben Broadbents pejorative description of the U.K. economy as menopausal. Ive never been more productive! How about andropausal instead? Then you get declining potency and bonus grumpiness thrown in!

Prime Minister Theresa May also waded into the controversy, with her spokesperson saying that its not a term she would use.

Im sorry for my poor choice of language in an interview with the Telegraph yesterday and regret the offence caused, Broadbent said in a statement issued Wednesday. I was explaining the meaning of the word climacteric, a term used by economic historians to describe a period of low productivity growth during the nineteenth century. Economic productivity is something which affects every one of us, of all ages and genders.

The snafu may cloud Broadbents future at the centuries-old central bank. In a recent Bloomberg survey of economists, he was seen as the second-favorite, behind FCA chief Andrew Bailey, to succeed Carney at the top of bank next year.

Broadbent, 53, was educated at Cambridge and Harvard, and has spells at the U.K. Treasury and Goldman Sachs under his belt. The longest-serving MPC member, his current term expires in June 2019.

In the interview, he ran into trouble when trying to describe how the U.K. may be between productive phases, something that last happened in the late Victorian era. He said that the phrase climacteric means menopausal but it applies to both genders.

As an aside, he said, I once got an economist to explain the origins of the word climacteric. As soon as he started talking to all these middle-aged men about how it means youre past your peak and youre no longer so potent, they all said: We understand.

That wasnt enough to save him from the headline splash that the U.K. economy is menopausal because its past its productive potential.

Andrew Sentance, an economist at PwC and a former BOE policy-maker, said on Twitter that Broadbents comment was not the best turn of phrase. Kate Barker, one of the few women to have served on the banks Monetary Policy Committee, said: As reported, I found them pretty offensive.

Its not the first time a BOE official has landed himself in hot water during a newspaper interview. In 2016, Chief Economist Andy Haldane sparked controversy when he suggested in an interview with the Sunday Times that buying a home was a better investment than a pension.

Last week, Carney was yet again on the defensive about banks communication. Questions on the value of his forward guidance policy dominated more than half of his press conference. When asked why the bank had let expectations for an interest-rate increase get to near certainty before dashing them, Carney said that households and businesses understood the bank well.

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WASHINGTONMary Buchzeiger describes herself as a proud Republican who was drawn to U.S. President Donald Trumps business-friendly philosophy. But the presidents plan to impose sweeping tariffs on $50 billion (U.S.) of products from China now threatens to cripple an automotive supply business in Michigan that her father began and that she has spent years building.

Im angry, Im frustrated, and honestly, Im scared, Buchzeiger said Tuesday morning, as she joined dozens of other vulnerable entrepreneurs, as well as supporters of the Trump administrations trade agenda, at a public hearing about the tariffs. Scared that my president is about to make a terrible mistake.

Over the next three days, business owners, trade groups and other industry representatives will testify before U.S. trade officials about the administrations plan to impose tariffs on more than 1,300 Chinese imports, including flat-screen TVs, steel and medical devices, and as it threatens levies on an additional $100 billion of Chinese goods. For business owners such as Buchzeiger, the hearings are a last-ditch attempt to shift the White House from punitive trade measures that are putting U.S. companies at risk, as the two countries engage in tit-for-tat tariffs that could hurt businesses dependent on access to China.

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The hearings come at a moment of brinkmanship and negotiation, with the worlds two largest economies repeatedly veering toward a trade war only to reverse course and edge instead toward diplomatic discussions.

The economic relationship now hinges on trade talks happening this week between top Trump administration officials and Liu He, a Chinese vice premier who arrived in Washington on Tuesday. Chinese negotiators and global businesses remain uncertain about whether the United States will move ahead with its plan to impose hefty tariffs and investment restrictions on China in an effort to pressure economic reforms  or whether Trump will seek to avoid a damaging trade war by cutting a quick deal.

Trump appeared to soften his stance on China in a series of tweets this week, as he emphasized his friendship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and said the United States would consider easing penalties on ZTE, a Chinese telecom firm. In a tweet Tuesday, Trump said trade negotiations are continuing with China and to stay tuned!

I think the time is right for China to make changes they should have been making for the past 15 to 20 years, Larry Kudlow, the presidents top economic adviser, said at an event in Washington on Tuesday morning.

The uncertainty over the administrations approach has left global businesses that compete or co-operate with China at turns hopeful and despairing. Looming tariffs on a wide variety of goods from China are just one source of unpredictability for American companies: The administration is also in the midst of finalizing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and trying to rework the North American Free Trade Agreement, which has been mired in disagreements among Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The array of companies testifying in a hushed hearing room in Washington on Tuesday included television-makers, auto parts suppliers, steel companies and retailers. Some commended the planned 25 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports and others blasted them, but all agreed on the potential for the Trump administrations actions to irrevocably alter the course of their businesses.

Those testifying Tuesday morning included executives from the solar cell and module manufacturer SolarWorld Americas, the wind-turbine maker American Superconductor Corp. and U.S. Steel Corp., all companies that say they have had intellectual property stolen by Chinese actors and have assisted in the Trump administrations investigation into unfair Chinese trade practices. In March, the U.S. trade representative determined that the Chinese had violated American intellectual property, a finding that gave Trump the authority to impose tariffs and other restrictions.

Many business owners pleaded with the administration to be even tougher on China and help protect their businesses against foreign competition. Cory Watkins, the president of Schumacher Electric, which manufactures car battery chargers and jump starters primarily in North America, asked the administration to include more of the companys finished products in the tariff list.

Watkins said the company had learned in the last few weeks that one of its biggest customers had signed a contract with a Chinese manufacturer that Schumacher Electric has sued for stealing its intellectual property. Without the tariff protections, Watkins said, we still run the risk of the very problem were facing today, which is Chinese companies taking our intellectual property, copying it and selling it to our own customers.

Companies caught in the tariffs crossfire, like the electronics retailer Best Buy and the TV streaming device maker Roku, protested that they would face higher prices to import products from China and that those costs would ultimately be passed on to U.S. consumers. Michelle Erickson-Jones, a Montana farmer and a member of the trade lobbying group Farmers for Free Trade, complained that trade tensions were already costing American farmers, who were facing cancelled orders of soybeans and wine and seeing perishable shipments held up in Chinese ports.

Representatives from Chinese business groups argued that the proposed tariffs were arbitrary, were inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules and put millions of American jobs tied to trade with China at risk. Should the U.S. implement the proposed action, it will lead to nothing but confrontation between the two countries, said Jian Tan, a representative of the China Chamber of International Commerce.

The Trump administration has said it devised its tariff list to remove goods that were vital to American consumers. But in the process, many economists say, the administration ended up targeting the imported parts and machinery that businesses depend on to run U.S.-based operations.

Buchzeigers company, Lucerne International, used to source more products from within the United States. But when the financial crisis hit, her American suppliers started to fold, and the company had to look abroad. The company supplies 28 parts for the Jeep Wrangler, which Lucerne sources from seven manufacturing facilities in China, she said.

With tariffs looming, Buchzeiger, who expanded the company from six employees in 2008 to nearly 50 today, has frozen hiring and set aside plans to find new engineers. She estimates the tariffs would cost her company $7.5 million of its nearly $40 million in annual sales and put her out of business in less than three months.

I would be shipping money with the parts to my customers every day, she said. And I ship hundreds of thousands of parts a week.

Buchzeiger fully supports the idea of bringing manufacturing back to the United States, and has a long-term plan to set up a manufacturing plant in Flint, Michigan, where she was born. But it takes millions of dollars of investment to open up a plant, and it takes time, she said. I cant react in less than three weeks to some arbitrary tariffs that are slapped on our products. And being able to move production of 7.8 million parts overnight, thats not possible.

Instead, she said, putting tariffs on Chinese products would simply force her to look for suppliers in other low-cost countries, including Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The only thing its going to do is move business out of Michigan to another country, she said.

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LONDONBonus gaps between men and women at U.K. companies are on average twice as big as salary differences, highlighting how the rewards increase disparity in the workplace, according to an analysis of government data.

More than 80 per cent of companies that recently reported their gender pay gaps under new U.K. laws have a bonus gap in favour of men, according to a report published Wednesday by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. At about 55 per cent, or roughly 5,500 companies, the bonus gap was more than 30 per cent, the review found.

Under new legislation, U.K. companies with 250 employees or more must report the average and median differences in hourly and bonus pay between male and female employees. It has been illegal since 1975 in Britain for companies to pay men and women differently for doing the same jobs, but the gender-pay reporting draws attention to the imbalance in roles: Men monopolize the top jobs, while women dominate the lower-paid positions.

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A number of large British companies, including EasyJet Plc, Balfour Beatty Plc and law firm Slaughter & May, were grilled on the issue by a panel of U.K. lawmakers Tuesday. Legislators heavily criticized Slaughter & Mays human-resources director, Louise Meikle, for the firms refusal to disclose its partner-pay numbers. While companies dont have to include partners under the legislation, many have said this is a mistake because it removes the top tier from the data and have released them voluntarily.

Rachel Reeves, chairperson of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, told Meikle that if she were graduating from a top university now and considering which law firm to work for, she wouldnt choose Slaughter & May based on what she heard in the session.

About 40 per cent of the roughly 10,000 companies that have reported their pay-gap data had an average hourly wage gap higher than the 17.4 per cent national average, according to PwCs report. For about 1,000 firms, the hourly gap was more than 30 per cent.

Financial-services firms reported some of the widest pay gaps, while food and health organizations have tended to show narrower discrepancies. Some sectors numbers can be deceptive because they are disproportionately male, according to PwC. The transportation industry, for example, has reported relatively small pay gaps, probably because of a lack of female employees for comparison.

As many as a fifth of the companies that have reported have also been wrongly categorized by the government, according to Jon Terry, PwCs U.K. diversity and inclusion consulting leader, who worked on the report. Examples include a burger company that has been categorized as a bank, Terry said.

The reporting has led to wake-up calls for some companies as theyve been forced to acknowledge the lack of diversity among their top ranks. EasyJet U.K. Director Sophie Dekkers told lawmakers only about 6 per cent of pilots in the industry are female. The airline itself has 13 per cent female pilots and is aiming to hit 20 per cent by 2020.

Not everyone thinks the pay-gap reporting is a good thing.

Michael Spencer, the billionaire founder of electronic markets operator NEX Group Plc, told Bloomberg News that British business was wasting time with the gender pay-gap reporting, which was thoroughly misleading, when it should be focused on limiting the fallout from Brexit.
Amid the hustle and savagery of Torontos real estate market theres a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house in the Upper Beach waiting to become a home, and it wont be money that determines the successful offer on a sought-after street.

The buyers of the sunny semi at 67 Glen Davis Cres., near Kingston Rd. and Woodbine Ave., will be a deserving young family who will benefit from the neighbourhood and preserve and enrich the community, says the real estate listing.

That takes priority over the $875,000 asking price, said Kim Sirrine, the daughter of the late owner, Robert Rafos, who died in March at age 82.

This is about putting a nice young family in there. Were not interested in a bidding war or anything like that, she said from her home in Marquette, Mich.

Prospective buyers are being asked to write a profile or send a letter explaining why the home is a good fit so the family can decide who gets the house.

Rafos wanted to find a family to buy the home where he and his wife spent the last 25 years. He went as far as asking neighbours if they knew anyone who might be interested, said Sirrine. In his final days, his three daughters, who all reside in the U.S., assured him they would carry out his wish.

He wants the children that are raised there to experience the benefits of growing up in a tight-knit neighbourhood, where people look out for one another, where people care, wrote his daughters.

The community was the asset to him, not the property, they said.

Their fathers wishes have been included on the propertys feature sheet. Although Sirrine and her sisters never lived in Toronto  they grew up in Ohio  they understood their parents street was special with an annual block party and tight-knit neighbours.

Glen Davis is a place where you know and socialize with your neighbours; its where you raise children, its where you make a family, they said.

Rafos was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and had a PhD in chemistry. He worked in various roles in the U.S., Africa and Asia, using his last years to volunteer for international causes, said Sirrine. But when it came time to finally retire and settle down, her parents settled in Toronto, becoming dual U.S.-Canadian citizens. He had four grandchildren and two great grandchildren, she said.

He was a generous man with his time, his ideas and his money. He went out of his way to find opportunities to facilitate or help with positive changes in the lives of others, she said.

The Rafos home went on the market last week. It needs a coat of paint and is being sold as is, said realtor Michael Hamnett, who is listing the property with Cailey Heaps Estrin of Royal LePage.

Last year, an Oakville home sold for $150,000 less than the highest offer when the sellers were moved by a letter from a couple who wanted to downsize and devote more time to their family and missionary work.

Hamnett said he understands some people might have difficulty believing that the motives behind the Glen Davis Cres. house are genuine. But, he said, It is a very real story.

This is absolutely something we are lucky enough to be part of it, said Hamnett.

The asking price is relatively modest because part of Rafoss wish was to make the home affordable, said the realtor.

Rafoss family wont consider any offers until next Tuesday. But the house has already had 26 showings and about 60 people turned out to a weekend open house. The family has 24 hours to review the offers.
CALGARYAlbertas privacy commissioner is powerless to investigate how political parties are collecting and using voters personal information, but theres little incentive for parties to change the status quo, observers say.

Albertas Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) governs how companies are able to collect and use personal data, but exempts political parties  limiting the commissioners ability to investigate complaints of personal data misuse.

The provincial PIPA law can only be applied to political parties under exceptional circumstances related to commercial activity, such as selling, bartering or leasing of donor, fundraising or membership lists.

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We know that political parties often collect vast amounts of personal information on citizens for a variety of purposes, said Scott Sibbald, spokesperson for the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta. (But) we have no power under the laws to investigate their concerns.

Sibbald said the privacy commissioner has received numerous complaints about political parties handling of voter information but none have met the threshold required to trigger an investigation. Albertas PIPA was enacted in 2004 and last reviewed in 2016 by an all-party committee. Political party exemption wasnt flagged as an issue, according to details provided by the province.

Political scientist Colin Bennett has spent years researching privacy protection policies in Canada and abroad and studied how political parties accumulate voter data from social media sites, such as Facebook.

Bennetts research underlines that voters willingness to share intimate details online has allowed provincial and federal parties to amass troves of data that is then used to customize campaign messaging to party faithful and potential supporters.

Essentially, individuals have no rights over their personal information that political parties capture, Bennett said.

The commissioners office said the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, involving the misuse of Facebook data, shows the need for serious thought and consideration by legislators on whether political parties should be included in privacy laws.

But while those conversations arent yet happening in Alberta, federal policymakers are making moves on their own rules.

The Elections Modernization Act, Bill C-76, was introduced federally in April. The proposed legislation requires political parties to create and publish policies detailing what information they collect from potential voters, how they will keep that information safe and how data will be used. Federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien said political parties should fall under privacy law in a recent Star opinion piece.

Commissioners have all kind of signalled that this is a problem area, said Fenwick McKelvey, assistant professor at the University of Concordia. Theyre all kind of beckoning what I think is common sense in the privacy community.

British Columbia is unique among provinces in that its privacy commissioner has the authority to investigate and audit private companies and political parties suspected of skirting the law. The B.C. commissioner can review or investigate a complaint that an organization is collecting, using or disclosing information. They can also initiate audits and investigations when they think a private company or political party doesnt follow the law.

Bennett said provincial political parties dont want to fall under privacy laws because it can limit campaigning abilities.

In a competitive electoral environment  and lord knows Albertas competitive  theyre not going to want to constrain their ability to campaign, he said.

Theres no real ominous reason political parties have been exempt from privacy laws in other jurisdictions, Bennett said because, typically, privacy laws are designed to target governments as well as the commercial sector, and often organizations like political parties fall in a grey area.

I would hope (privacy commissioner) Jill Clayton would be very forceful in advocating that Alberta political parties be covered under the Alberta legislation, he said. Theres no reason why Alberta should be any different from B.C.

Liberal MLA David Swann said Albertas hes heard complaints from people concerned about how they ended up on a particular party list, and upset when they cant easily opt out.

Political parties have a vested interest in gathering and keeping and controlling as much information as possible, Swann said. We have to put some limits on that. If you lose the trust of the public, the political process loses and I think our democracy loses.

The United Conservative Party did not respond to the Stars interview request. Alberta Party MLA Greg Clark declined to comment.

A spokesperson for the minister of service Alberta said the NDP government remains committed to protecting citizens right to privacy.

We have recently reviewed our privacy laws, and we are closely watching the Cambridge Analytica case and the Canadian governments investigation into Facebook, Tina Fiaz said in an email. Our goal is always to make sure the privacy rights of Albertans are protected.

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CALGARYInside the movie theatre, Maya Al-Ghouls children were immersed in the fictional chaos and devastation of Avengers: Infinity War, the latest instalment of Marvels make-believe universe. But outside, Al-Ghoul was trying to comprehend some all too real-world chaos and devastation.

Amid the darkness of the cinema, a phone call from a friend in the Palestinian territory had disturbed Al-Ghoul. She went outside to answer because answering phone calls from her homeland is usually an unsettling experience.

You get a call from Palestine and youre just hoping its Hi, how are you? Al-Ghoul said.

But this wasnt one of those calls.

The deadliest violence in Gaza since 2014 was sparked Monday as Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinians protesting along the border fence, killing at least 60 and injuring as many as 2,700 during protests that coincided with the ceremonial opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

Read more:

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Ontario doctor shot while aiding Palestinians in Gaza

Israel faces international backlash after troops kill 59 Palestinians at Gaza border

Al-Ghoul still has a lot of family in Gaza. After being told of the chaos, the Calgary mother quickly made the rounds of calls to make sure they were still alive.

I cried a lot and its not just because Im sad about what happened, but because Im so angry, she said. My anger stems from knowing that its not the first time thats happened and our politicians are silent about it. Theyre not doing anything or saying anything to stop it.

That feeling of frustration is shared by many in the Palestinian community in Alberta. During a press conference in Calgary on Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his concerns over the killings, saying the thoughts of the world are with the victims in Gaza. But he stopped short of condemning Israels role in the bloodshed.

We are calling for a stop to the violence, a de-escalation of the violence in the region right now, said Trudeau.

We know that the only way for that is through direct negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis to get to a two-state solution thats mutually agreed on. That is what Canada and the international community are pushing for.

But that response is still not strong enough for many Palestinians here.

I feel really angry and frustrated and, to be quite frank, I am quite disgusted with Canadas complicity in all of this, said Saba Amro, who runs the Justice for Palestinians group in Calgary.

The group strives to support Palestinian ex-pats and educate politicians and the public on issues facing their homeland while pushing for change. At a Tuesday evening vigil at Calgary City Hall they again called for an immediate end to the violence in Gaza.

Amro said she would like to see the Canadian government follow through on economic sanctions on Israel, or at the very least acknowledge the human rights violations that Israel has committed.

For her part, Al-Ghoul also wants to see Canada publicly condemn Israel.

Al-Ghoul was born in Kuwait and moved to Canada in 1990. Growing up, her grandmother would tell her stories about Canada Camp, the refugee camp in the Gaza Strip where Canadian members of the UN peacekeeping mission watched over displaced Palestinians.

Ive lived all over the world  England, the U.S., Kuwait  but I chose to live in Canada because here, I feel safe and I feel like I can be who I am, said Al-Ghoul.

Canada is my home and I would like to know that my leaders still believe in what I thought they believed when I came here at 19. I remember at the borders, as a migrant, the gentleman at the border said to me said welcome home and it made me feel so peaceful and that I belonged.

While Tuesday was a more solemn day across Gaza as the region buried its dead, Al-Ghoul said that its important that the Palestinian community here in Canada is active and vocal about the devastation back home.

She has over 20 family members living in Gaza  the majority are children. She worries about them everyday.

When you have family in Gaza youre always on alert that something might happen, said Al-Ghoul. My cousin said to me in 2014 When I put my kids to sleep. I tell them that we may not wake up the next morning. How can you teach a child to sleep like that?

Aseel Qazzaz moved to Canada from Palestine in 2012. Her parents still live in the West Bank and she has family dispersed around Gaza. The last few days have been chaos for her, said the U of C graduate.

Its terrifying because I have family in Gaza, Im trying to connect with them and make sure everything is OK with them. We cant sleep, we cant do anything because of how terrified we are.

She said life for her family back home has been extremely difficult. With Gaza under siege for years, her family cant even think about leaving.

My family cannot leave, they cant move to the West Bank, they cant leave the country ... its like they are in prison and they cant escape, said Qazzaz. They just have to accept it and I think its devastating that theyve had to accept that.

Qazzaz said shes been busy writing many letters to members of Parliament and to Trudeau.

I mentioned that Canada has been one of the leading countries in accepting refugees and taking a stand when it comes to other refugees around the world. So I would like to see them do the same thing with Palestine.

As tensions remain high, Amro reiterated that its time for the community to rally in solidarity.

Its really important to take a look at what will happen individually, she said. If we hold out for Canada as a country to be doing their part, then we will be waiting a long time.

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EDMONTONA national advocacy group is backing MLA Derek Fildebrandts call to grant full pardons to Canadians convicted of simple marijuana possession.

Fildebrandt, an independent MLA, raised the issue in Albertas legislature Monday, asking the government to pressure Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to grant pardons as the issue falls under federal jurisdiction.

That would be awesome if they could do that, if they could exert a little bit of pressure on the prime minister to get that ball rolling, said Carolyn Tinglin, president of the National Association of Cannabis Professionals.

Tinglin said Black Canadians and other marginalized communities have been disproportionately convicted of cannabis crimes and are still suffering the social and financial consequences.

The bottom line is, we are discrediting and further marginalizing individuals when were sitting in an environment where cannabis is legal and yet they are still affected, she said.

Tinglin said Albertas retail regulations are more equitable than in other provinces, as the Alberta government has stated that a minor marijuana possession charge will not automatically disqualify someone from owning a cannabis shop.

Still, she said cannabis charges can be a major barrier for many who are interested in various roles within the industry but face criminal background checks.

Were really excluding a number of people who could potentially help the industry to flourish, and really contribute in a positive way to the industry, and really be reflective of the mosaic that we know to be Canada, Tinglin said.

I think it would be a shame not to push for that and to not try to correct some of the damage that has already been done.

Trudeau said in January that he will reflect on the possibility of pardons once Canada has a legalized and controlled regime in place, but not before that time.

Tinglins group is pushing for a commitment to be made sooner.

She said the federal government did not bring in anyone from a diversity perspective to help craft the pot laws, or anyone from the legal community who specialized in cannabis convictions, but she believes there is still time to do so.

Thats the ultimate goal, that it becomes part of the fabric of legalization, Tinglin said.

We dont think that it should be separate from it, because its a big deal. Its affected a lot of people. Its kind of the eyesore on legalization.

Fildebrandt compared the scenario to Drumheller-Stettler MLA Rick Strankman being pardoned after he was convicted of illegally taking 756 bushels of wheat south of the border in 2002 in protest of the Canadian Wheat Boards monopoly.

Former prime minister Stephen Harper pardoned Strankman 10 years later, after the federal governments Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act came into effect, which allowed producers to opt out of the Canadian Wheat Board and sell the product on the open market.

I dont think of this as a particularly left-right ideological issue, Fildebrandt told StarMetro.

I believe this is a natural part of the process when we move laws forward. Even if some people dont agree with legalization, we should agree on the principle that if its no longer a criminal act, you shouldnt have a criminal record following you around for it.

Fildebrandt left the UCP to sit as an independent following an expense scandal last summer, and party leader Jason Kenney barred him from rejoining in February after he pleaded guilty to illegally shooting a deer on private land.

Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley, in response to Fildebrandts query in the legislature, said the issue would be of interest to many people in Alberta but it is a decision for the federal government to make.

A spokesperson for Ganley said Tuesday she had no further comment.

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You may be used to keeping a loaf of bread around for easy impromptu dinners. Or maybe a pack of tortillas. But how about rice paper? Or wonton wrappers?

Both are staples in Asian cooking. Rice paper is just what it sounds like  thin, stiff sheets made primarily from rice, though tapioca starch can be mixed in, too. The most common size is around an 8-inch circle.

Wonton wrappers are also very thin, but the primary ingredient in the dough is wheat. What youre most likely to find in your grocery stores produce section is 3-and-a-half-inch squares.

Theyre two very versatile items and can be used in some unexpected ways, too. Here are some ideas for working with them.

They have a long shelf life

Rice paper lasts indefinitely, says cookbook author Andrea Nguyen, who just won a James Beard Award for The Pho Cookbook. When Im gone, theyll still be here. So, yes, stock up on rice paper, because these rounds, which feel almost like plastic when dry, will survive just fine in your pantry. Unopened packs of wonton wrappers can last in your refrigerator for a while; use open ones within about a week. You can also freeze wonton wrappers, wrapped well in plastic and popped in a zip-top bag, for several months. Nguyen suggests freezing them in shorter stacks so you can pull out just what you need.

Keep them damp but not too wet

Rice paper should be softened briefly in warm water by gliding them a few times through warm water  bathtub temperature, Nguyen advises. (A shallow dish such as a pie plate is handy for this.) Dont be like me and drop them in the water and leave them there. They will get flimsy and oversaturated, and theyll lose the tacky properties that will help your finished roll stay together. Seriously, just a few seconds. Work with soaking and then rolling one paper at a time.

Be even more judicious with wonton wrappers. Just use your finger or a pastry brush to moisten the edges of the wrapper before you seal it by folding or sticking two together. Dont go overboard, because, as Nguyen points out, you can always add more water, but you cant take it away.

Understand how to do the basics

Have you rolled a burrito, or watched the staff at Chipotle do so? Then you can use rice paper. Nguyen recommends placing a line of filling off-centre and then bringing the side close to the filling up and over it. Roll it once, fold in the sides and then roll until all the rice paper has been tucked in to form a cylinder. Whether you are folding wonton wrappers into, well, wontons, other dumplings or ravioli, make sure you seal by working from the centre to the outside, removing air along the way. And dont be afraid to pick up your creation and work with it in your hands, Nguyen says. She says its easier to pinch and seal that way, but people can be timid about overhandling. Its just a piece of dough, she says. Its resilient. Its strong.

Then get creative

Rice paper rolls  often called summer rolls, though Nguyen isnt a fan of the moniker that she says has no basis in Vietnamese translation  are a wonderful one-dish meal. Sure you can go traditional with rice noodles and matchstick vegetables. Or you can put whatever you want inside, especially leftovers. Just make sure the ingredients are thin for easy rolling. You can also wrap the papers around fish to cook a neat little package. Wonton wrappers are great stand-ins for Italian pasta in small lasagnas or ravioli. You can press them into muffin tins and bake them into crisp little cups for holding a variety of fillings, or they can be baked with fillings for almost mini-tarts. Use a cookie cutter to stamp out rounds to make pot stickers. Slice them into short noodles for a stir-fry.

Look to them for make-ahead potential

Fillings for rice paper rolls can be made several days in advance; ditto for dipping sauces. Finished rolls can survive about 3 to 4 hours at room temperature, Nguyen says, separated so they dont stick together and covered so they dont dry out. Wonton fillings and sauces can also last several days in the refrigerator. Finished wontons can survive on the counter about the same length of time as rice paper rolls, resting on parchment dusted with flour or starch and not touching each other. They can also be held in the refrigerator for a few hours. If you want to freeze them, let them freeze first on a baking sheet before placing them in a hard-sided container, since the edges are delicate and can break in the inevitable rummaging that happens in a freezer.

Turn them into a fun group activity

Nguyen suggests letting guests make their own rolls. She and her husband even compete for who can roll the most beautiful one. Wonton or dumpling parties are convivial as well. Rice papers and wontons as icebreakers? Who knew. Anything you do with them, theyre great group activities, Nguyen says.
Theres bright light flooding in through windows, illuminating big shared tables and comfy sofas where people are working away on their laptops, some wearing headphones, others speaking softly to one another as they work.

But this is no ordinary co-working space populated by the ranks of gig-economy workers and startup entrepreneurs. Its XAM Study Lounge, a pop-up study lounge on Yonge St. thats the brainchild of Vanessa Vakharia, who founded the math tutoring business, The Math Guru, more than five years ago. XAM Study Lounge is just a few doors north of Vakharias main business and will be open until the end of the school year  the close of exam season, after which its named.

For a $10 drop-in fee, students  mostly in high school but some younger  can stay as long as they like under the supervision of lounge staff, who provide homework encouragement, emotional support and unlimited tea lattes. Shelves are stocked with colourful pens, pencils, note pads and Post-it Notes.

What do you think?

In addition to the thrift pink velvet sofas, tables, desks and plants that make up the zen-boho decor, there are whiteboards and a bookcase of textbooks on hand, plus gum, water, ear buds, candles and adult colouring books for chilling out when the exam pressure mounts. Some students have their tutoring sessions at this location, too.

Vakharia says she realized the need for this kind of space based on how students responded to being at The Math Guru, which is also comfortably decorated in a style unlike the usual sterile education environment or conference-room-like math tutoring businesses.

Ive been working with these kids for so long and noticing such a tremendous increase in anxiety, not just test anxiety, but generalized anxiety and depression  a real disconnection and disenchantment with education, she says.

Its so nice to be able to help these kids one-on-one when it comes to math, but Ive been finding that kids need so much more. Theyll come in for a math session but theyll say, Can I just hang out here? Can I stay and do my homework? 

Conor Alexander, 17, is one of those kids. The Grade 12 student has been getting tutored for calculus at The Math Guru and is going into McGill University in the fall.

I just like the atmosphere. Its a lot different than a library because it isnt silent. Theres a buzz going on, and for me personally  and I think for a lot of other people  it really motivates students to study.

Other key things for Conor include the bottomless Davids Tea lattes  My favourites are birthday cake and the maple one, he says  and having tutors on hand for support. My calculus tutor is sometimes here so I can ask her a quick question or have her look something over on occasion.

Grade 10 student Mika Halinski, 16, who is working at a corner table wearing headphones, discovered the XAM Study Lounge through Instagram, and now visits about three times per week.

I find it hard sometimes to focus just on my own, so with Vanessa its a good environment to study. Ive already studied for two tests here and Ive gotten higher grades than I ever had. I will spend all weekend here because its just so great.

Her parents drive her there from their home in Riverdale. They think its a huge bargain  just $10 for a whole day of me staying so focused and staying on task.

You can tell they really care about the students  Its about helping kids do the best that they can.

Emma Cardinale, 15, who is finishing up Grade 9, says the vibe of the lounge helps counter school stress. I really like the atmosphere, its really cute and it makes you feel calm in here. When you come here its really easy to work. You can come with a friend or work one-on-one with a tutor and Im really productive when Im here, I find.

Shes there with her friend, Alexa Daniel, 14, also in Grade 9, and the two of them are sitting cross-legged with their laptops on one of the sofas.

Alexa says she was getting tutored at home for three years before hearing about The Math Guru from a schoolmate and making the switch. My tutor (at The Math Guru), she really helps me a lot. I feel like she takes it in chunks. My tutor teaches it in a way that I understand. When I was at home Id just sit in a chair with my (former) tutor and sometimes it wasnt as comfortable. Its nice to kind of chillax in here.

Alexa and Emmas presence at the lounge together speaks to another challenge for kids this age: Teens dont really have anywhere to meet up outside of their homes. You can only take up so much table space at a coffee shop when you dont have the cash (or caffeine and sugar tolerance) to buy frappuccinos all day. My 14-year-old and his friends recently spent an hour at Pizza Pizza sharing one can of pop.

I tend to go to a Starbucks or something, but sometimes theres not enough space and sometimes its way too loud, says Alexa. Here I can concentrate, listen to music and get comfortable.

Vakharia says shes been overwhelmed by the positive response to the study lounge and hopes the idea of more teen-friendly study spaces takes off.

Alternative studying methods are totally awesome. We can help our kids love learning. School does not have to suck.
An Ontario doctor was in Gaza testing 3D-printed tourniquets when he was shot by Israeli snipers firing into a crowd of Palestinian protesters on Monday.

Tarek Loubani, an emergency physician from London, Ont., is recovering after a bullet pierced his right knee and lightly wounded his left leg. At least 58 Palestinians were killed and more than 2,700 wounded in the bloodiest day the region has seen in recent years.

Loubani has served as a field doctor in Tanzania, Iraq and southern Lebanon. The tourniquet, a medical device used to staunch heavy bleeding, is the latest in a series of medical devices he has helped design to alleviate medical supply shortages in conflict zones. Loubani said his teams 3D-printed tourniquet could be manufactured in Gaza at a cost of about $7 (U.S.) to reduce deaths due to blood loss. He has previously created 3D-printed stethoscopes.

Read more:

Israel faces international backlash after troops kill 59 Palestinians at Gaza border

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In messages, Loubani told the Star he wanted to return to emergency work and wanted to keep the focus on the armed suppression of protesters in Gaza.

Im very, very sore, he wrote the Star. Im just trying to recuperate.

In a blog post, Loubani wrote that he had been wearing the head-to-toe green clothing that identified him a medical responder. The constant barrage of gunfire on crowds protesting against the Gaza blockade and the inauguration of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem forced first responder services  clearly identified by their fluorescent jackets  to stand well away from the protest area on Monday, he wrote.

There was no fire or smoke near us, Loubani wrote. We were standing still, and I was facing in a southerly direction talking to a colleague. The snipers were situated east of us  There was no active shooting from the Israelis immediately before or after. There were no protesters in our immediate vicinity.

Loubani writes that he heard a loud bang and fell to the ground. X-rays performed later in the hospital showed no bone injury.

A paramedic friend, Musa Abuhassanin, came to Loubanis aid in the minutes after he was shot.

An hour later, Abuhassanin was shot and killed while assisting another victim under fire.

We are very concerned that Canadian doctor and humanitarian worker Tarek Loubani was shot yesterday in Gaza, Adam Austen, a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, wrote to the Star, adding that MP Omar Alghabra as well as consular officials had been in touch with Loubanis family on Tuesday.

Canada is very deeply saddened and deplores the violence that has occurred in the Gaza Strip, Austen wrote. It is appalling and inexcusable that civilians, members of the media, first responders and children have been among the victims.

Amnesty International said the Israeli military appeared to be killing demonstrators who posed no threat.

Loubani goes frequently to work in hospitals, so hes seen terrible things, said Dimitri Lascaris, a friend. Its abundantly clear from evidence, Israeli forces must have known they posed no threats. Israeli forces must have known who they were shooting.

In a statement responding to news of Loubanis injury, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East condemned the shooting.

We demand that our government condemn the shooting of Loubani, if not the killing of the 55 other Palestinians, said Thomas Woodley, the groups president. While the shooting of Palestinian civilians is unlawful, the shooting of medical personnel is even more egregious.

In 2013, Loubani and Toronto filmmaker John Greyson spent 53 days in an Egyptian jail after being arrested and beaten during an anti-government protest. The two men were on their way to Gaza. Egyptian police detained them after Loubani treated a wounded protester.

With files from The Canadian Press

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HALIFAX  Advocates are calling on the provincial and federal governments to provide a basic personal income  something they say could be a major step toward eradicating poverty.

Basic Income Guarantee Nova Scotia (BIG-NS) made its case at Province House Wednesday, hosted by NDP MLA Lisa Roberts. The group asked government to study the feasibility of paying a guaranteed basic income to anyone living below the poverty line.

One member of BIG-NS said that even though basic income programs can be costly, they could be paid for with existing government funds by simply reallocating the budget.

The money is there, said Pierre Stevens, who is a BIG-NS member and retired Dalhousie University math professor.

BIG-NS chair Elizabeth Kay-Raining Bird told reporters a feasibility study for a provincial guaranteed basic income could cost about $50,000. She deferred to Stevens to say more about how the actual program could be realized.

If the provincial and federal government would work together, said Stevens, they could create a basic income at the poverty level that wouldnt cost them anything from the budgets as they have them right now. So it is extremely feasible, its just a question: do they want to do it? Or do they want to keep people in poverty?

The Parliamentary Budget Officer recently estimated the annual cost of a federal guaranteed basic income at close to $80 billion.

In an interview after the news conference, Stevens said he worries people have the wrong impression of those cost estimates. Funds could be reallocated from social assistance, he said, which would become redundant under a guaranteed basic income program.

In addition, he said, It would be a huge economic stimulus, because people would have more freedom to participate in the local economy.

Kay-Raining Bird, who is also a professor of communication sciences and disorders at Dalhousie University, said the need to alleviate poverty is immense.

Poverty puts people at high risk for toxic stress causing mental and physical health problems, food insecurity, unsafe housing, under- or unemployment, and lower education achievements, she said.

When asked about how much a basic income should provide to Nova Scotians, Kay-Raining Bird said it could vary by region.

It would depend upon what the costs in a particular community are. Some figures would be $20,000 a year or $22,000 a year, she said.

The bottom line is BIG-NS wants to eradicate poverty, she said. One goal of the feasibility study is to determine just how much money that would take.

What we need to look at is what is the level of, what is the definition of poverty and how can we bring people up so that their basic needs are met, she said.

Last year, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that her province would pilot a basic income project in Hamilton, Brantford, Brant County, Lindsay and Thunder Bay. For an individual, the province would pay up to $16,989 per year, and up to $24,027 for a couple, less 50 per cent of any other income.

BIG-NS member and anti-poverty activist Wayne MacNaughton spoke at the news conference about his experience living on social assistance  a program that he calls broken beyond repair.

If youre on income assistance in Nova Scotia, theres absolutely never enough money to go around. Youre never gonna be able to get everything that you need, never mind what you want, he said.

MacNaughton said hed like to be able to buy healthy food and participate more in his community, but cant because of financial limitations.

Jennifer Brady, an assistant professor of human nutrition at Mount Saint Vincent University, said poverty is costing people their health. A disease like Type 2 diabetes, she said, is largely attributable to poverty.

Brady said food bank usage in Nova Scotia has risen 40 per cent since 2008  what she called a shocking and tragic statistic.

For those living in poverty, Brady said poor health is not the result of bad choices.

Its the outcome of living with the material deprivation of poverty as well as the chronic stress of constantly wondering where your next meal is coming from or how you are going to pay the bills, she said.

Premier Stephen McNeil said his government has been working to alleviate poverty through tax cuts, improved income supports and access to affordable housing.

He said he wouldnt dismiss the request for a feasibility study, but he wasnt prepared to agree to it either.

We will look at what that (basic income) looks like for Nova Scotia over time, but whether it becomes public policy or not, that will become a matter of further public debate, he said.

BIG-NS collected nearly 1,000 signatures on a petition supporting the feasibility study. Labi Kousoulis, minister of labour and advanced education, delivered the petition to his colleagues at the House of Assembly last month.

 with files from The Canadian Press

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OTTAWAThe Texas-based oil firm threatening to kill its planned expansion of an Alberta-B.C. pipeline reacted coolly to Ottawas offer Wednesday to compensate the company for any financial losses due to political opposition of the B.C. government.

But Steve Kean, chairman and CEO of Kinder Morgan, owner of the controversial project, did not rule out the possibility of reaching an agreement by the companys May 31 deadline.

While discussions are ongoing, we are not yet in alignment and will not negotiate in public, Kean said. He said the company is still determined to secure clarity for its construction plans along with adequate protection for its shareholders.

For his part, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he too wasnt negotiating in public. But after spending an hour on the phone with Kean the night before, Morneau called a news conference just hours before Kinder Morgan Canadas annual general meeting of sharegholders, and laid out Ottawas promise to provide Kinder Morgan indemnity or insurance against financial losses he said may be caused by court challenges launched by B.C. Premier John Horgans government.

We are willing to indemnify the Trans Mountain expansion against unnecessary delays that are politically motivated, Morneau said.

He would not reveal how much Ottawa is prepared to fork out, saying he didnt want to go into details of discussions. The Liberal government says it wont cover delays due to Indigenous or environmentalists court challenges, with Morneau saying those lawsuits are based on arguments made in good faith.

But Morneau raised the stakes for Kinder Morgan, saying if it bails on the project, federal financial assurances would be available to any company that steps in to take over what Morneau insisted is a commercially viable pipeline expansion. Nor did he rule out the possibility that Ottawa could take a financial stake in the project to ensure it becomes a reality. We havent come to any conclusions yet, he said.

We think plenty of investors would be interested in taking on this project, Morneau said.

Officials told the Star the federal government doesnt have any hard offers but has clear indications of other investors interest in taking over the project even without the offer of indemnification. With it, said one official, all of a sudden thats an attractive packaging around that.

However observers like Dennis McConaghy, a former executive with TransCanada Pipelines and now a visiting fellow at the public policy and energy studies schools at the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario, said if the goal is get construction underway to complete the twinning of the Edmonton-Burnaby pipeline by 2020 as scheduled, it makes no sense for another investor or the federal or Alberta governments to take over. The urgency here is to get home with Kinder, said McConaghy.

Of course theyre still doing the dance, McConaghy said, adding he was encouraged by the language each side used Wednesday.

McConaghy said Morneaus offer of a completion risk guarantee to cover costs that were unforeseen by the company was reasonable, but I dont think it is reasonable for the federal government to indemnify Kinder for what theyve already spent or...for the profits that they are going to lose if they dont do this project.

Morneaus statements reverberated across the country, ratcheting up regional tensions exposed by the energy fight.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley put the squeeze on B.C.s Premier John Horgan, a fellow NDPer, saying her government was ready and prepared to turn off the taps on energy shipments to B.C.

The Alberta legislature was expected to pass Bill 12 on Wednesday, giving it new powers to curb transfers of energy resources to its western neighbour. Notley said only her government was ready to move on short notice as needed.

It all re-ignited Indigenous and environmentalists vows to oppose the project in court and on the ground in B.C., with one key litigant, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, pointing out that any investor will face stiff opposition in the federal courts to expanding the pipeline.

Morneau insisted the government would act in a fiscally responsible way to ensure completion of a project it deems to be in the national interest, and he vented anger at what he called Horgans deliberate attempts to frustrate the project.

Premier Horgans stated intentions are to do whatever it takes to stop the project which is unconstitutional, Morneau said.

Horgan fired back, saying the Toronto-based finance minister was engaging in rhetoric and hyperbole.

Im doing what I said I would do. Im defending the interest of British Columbia, he told CBC News.

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Most Canadians agree Kinder Morgan brought pipeline conflict onto itself: Angus Reid poll

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OTTAWAJustin Trudeau added his voice Wednesday to the calls for an independent investigation into the shootings by Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border that killed 59 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more during Mondays mass protests.

The prime minister said he was appalled by the shooting of a Canadian doctor who was trying to help wounded protesters in Gaza on Monday.

In a statement, Trudeau described the reported use of excessive force and live ammunition as inexcusable.

Read more:

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We are appalled that Dr. Tarek Loubani, a Canadian citizen, is among the wounded  along with so many unarmed people, including civilians, members of the media, first responders, and children, he said.

We are engaging with Israeli officials to get to the bottom of these events.

Loubani, an emergency physician at Ontarios London Health Sciences Centre and at Shifa Hospital in Gaza, says he was shot in both legs Monday even though his team wore high-visibility jackets that identified them as medical staff.

The Israeli embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Trudeau called for a thorough examination of the possible use of both excessive force and the incitement to violence.

It is imperative we establish the facts of what is happening in Gaza, he said.

Germany, Belgium and Ireland and several UN Security Council members have also called for an investigation into Mondays carnage. But the council has taken no action because the United States, a permanent member, says Israel acted with restraint.

Mondays violence erupted as the Trump administration followed through on its campaign promise to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

Canada and its other major allies do not support the embassy move. The government says the future of the Jerusalem needs to be part of a broader negotiated settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians  a process going nowhere at the moment.

Monday was Gazas deadliest day in four years, as the violence escalated while the U.S. formally opened its controversial new embassy in Jerusalem several dozen kilometres away.

Israel and the U.S. blame the militant group Hamas for endangering civilians in Gaza by inciting them to protest  a view echoed in Canada by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, which requested an urgent meeting with Trudeau to convey its concern about his response to the violence, as well as the Opposition Conservatives.

We are deeply disappointed the governments statement ignores Hamas direct responsibility for recent violence on the Israel-Gaza border, the centres CEO, Shimon Koffler Fogel, said in a written statement.

This contradicts the governments long-stated position that, as a close ally and fellow liberal democracy, Israel can count on Canadas support when its security is threatened.

Koffler Fogel said Hamas uses civilians as human shields and has left Israel no choice but to use force to protect the tens of thousands of Israelis who live close to Gaza.

In condemning the Israeli forces, Justin Trudeau ignores the role that the terrorist organization Hamas has played in inciting these clashes, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said in a statement Wednesday evening.

In responding to these events with nothing but criticism of Israel, Justin Trudeau has failed Canadians on the international stage once again.

Another Canadian Jewish group, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, released a statement expressing disappointment with what it called Trudeaus strong and unbalanced comments.

While we despair about loss of life, Canada should steadfastly condemn Hamas for inciting violence and for attempting to enter a sovereign nation to carry out terrorism, the groups president, Avi Benlolo, was quoted as saying.

Its disappointing that our prime minister did not condemn Hamas in his statement.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland in a Monday Twitter message said: It is inexcusable that civilians, journalists + children have been victims. All parties to the conflict have a responsibility to ensure civilians are protected.

Since March 30, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed and 2,500 injured in protests at the border fence.

The Canadian spokesperson for the United Nations Childrens Fund in Gaza told The Canadian Press on Wednesday that it has confirmed that six Palestinian boys and one Palestinian girl among those killed in Mondays shootings.

They are among the 13 children who have been killed and the 1,000 injured since March 30, Genevieve Boutin, UNICEFs special representative said in a telephone interview from East Jerusalem.

Boutin said there is no legal justification for anyone to shoot at children under any circumstance.

According to international law, a child is a child, first of all, no matter what brought them there, Boutin said.

At this point, the United Nations has been clear  many journalists have observed this  theyre largely unarmed and theyre quite far away from the soldiers. So for us, theyre all child deaths that should have been avoided.

Asked whether an investigation was warranted, Boutin replied: We all work for the secretary general, so we would echo his call for an independent investigation.

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NEW YORKPrime Minister Justin Trudeaus first order of business after descending on Donald Trumps hometown Wednesday was to enlist thousands of newly minted American university graduates in the fight against a rising tide of intolerance and nationalism around the world.

Officials had billed Trudeaus three-day trip to New York and Boston as focused on trade and the economic relationship between Canada and the U.S., with looming NAFTA deadlines as a backdrop.

But inside the towering stone, gilt-lettered facade of Yankee Stadium, Trudeau kicked off his latest U.S. visit with an earnest commencement speech to more than 10,000 enthusiastic, cheering New York University grads, urging them to break out of their comfort zones.

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Respect people who dont look or think like you do, Trudeau said. Engage those with whom you may not agree. And take up a leadership role against the aggressive nationalism and identity politics that are making the world a far more complex place to live.

The leadership we need most today, and in the years to come, is leadership that brings people together, he said, clad in a graduation gown of his own after receiving an honorary degree  the first world leader to get one from NYU while in office.

That brings diversity to a common cause. This is the antithesis of the polarization, the aggressive nationalism, the identity politics that have grown so common of late.

Trudeau did not mention the U.S. president or any other leaders by name in a speech that appeared to be targeting the kind of populist politics Trump represents, and was received warmly by the audience who roared loudly every time Trudeau appeared on the screen.

Huddled under a sea of colourful umbrellas against a relentless rain, the audience saved its biggest cheers for any time Trudeau made mention of Canadas refugee program, his governments emphasis on human rights and the legitimacy of climate change.

Seeking out people with different viewpoints and respecting those who hold different political opinions does not mean those perspectives all have merit, he noted.

He mentioned advocates of female genital mutilation in the same breath as deniers of climate change  people who hold viewpoints that will never be valid, no matter how long they have been expressing those views or how loudly they do so.

He urged graduates to do more than just tolerate other points of view, but to respect and hear what others say in service of a better understanding the world, rather than simply striving to win an argument.

Think about it: Saying I tolerate you actually means something like, OK, I grudgingly admit that you have a right to exist, but just dont get up in my face about it. Or date my sister.

Theres not a religion in the world that asks you to tolerate thy neighbour.

Later Wednesday, Trudeau was scheduled to meet with several executives from major American companies, including the heads of PepsiCo., and Honeywell. On Thursday, hes scheduled to speak to the Economic Club of New York before decamping for Boston.

Trudeau spoke by phone with Trump earlier this week about the North American Free Trade Agreement, a conversation in which he told the president that a deal is possible, but only if some U.S. demands are withdrawn.

For more than a year, Trudeau has gone to great lengths to speak out against things Trump stands for without directly criticizing him, perhaps most notably when he tweeted about Canada welcoming refugees even as Trump was cracking down on immigration from Muslim-majority nations.

Thus far, Trump has appeared to show both respect and warmth for his Canadian counterpart, referring to him at times as smart and as a friend.

It will be against that backdrop next month that Trudeau hosts Trump in Canada for the first time at the G7 summit in Quebec, where the U.S. president joins six other leaders whose world views support multilateralism, immigration and environmental protection.

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Charity the cow can finally rest in peace.

The most perfect cow that ever was died a quiet death in 1988. The world famous show cow was lovingly buried at the only home she likely knew, the idyllic Hanover Hill Farm in Port Perry, her grave marked by a large rock, flowers and a plaque that reads: The legend that compels our imaginations to carry it on.

But Charity the statue, installed last summer in a small parkette on Charity Cres. in Markham, would not be blessed with a similarly dignified end.

After a year of turmoil and controversy, the statue was carefully and unceremoniously taken down from its pedestal Wednesday morning  to be returned to the developer who donated it, Helen Roman-Barber.

A large crane hoisted Charity off its eight-metre high stilts as residents and city staff looked on. Contractors carefully attached Charity to a crane and brought it down to safer ground. The statue was placed on the back of a trailer, secured with ropes, cushioned with blankets, and driven to her next home  believed to be the artists studio in Barrie.

Local Markham Councillor Alan Ho arrived to see the tail end of the spectacle, saying he was happy to see the closure of this issue.

In a statement, the City of Markham said it was paying for part of the cost of removing Charity, which is less than $25,000. The donor is responsible for other costs. We are not aware of Charitys final location.

A spokesman for the developer did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Mounted into the Markham sky last July, the larger than life stainless-steel statue would have enshrined the bovine in the memories of people forever.

But the award-winning cow  who was the Supreme Champion of the Holsteins at the World Dairy Expo in 1982, 1984, 1985 and 1987 and a nine-time all-Canadian or all-American show cow  never managed to win over her new audience.

Residents were upset to see the memorial of the Holstein on stilts grazing in the sky so close to their homes. They said the city had kept them in the dark about plans to install Charity: Perpetuation of Perfection  and so the residents of the community of Cathedraltown protested her perpetual presence.

The rest of the GTA, however, was smitten by the art piece. Charity the statue brought out the public art critics, the historians (who believed the cow memorialized the farm that once stood on the site), and the lovers of bad cow puns.

And despite the harsh glare of public scrutiny and the dilly-dallying of an indecisive council, she persisted.

But at the end, she simply couldnt beat the forces of mother nature.

Last month, an intense wind storm, literally brought (parts of) the cow down. Residents found leaves from the wreath around Charitys neck on the ground, sparking concerns that another harsh storm could result in the sharp leaves injuring their children.

It left Markham councillors, worried about the public hazard on their watch, with no option but to immediately ground Charity.

But that wasnt quite the end of the bovine debacle.

Roman-Barbers company, Romandale Farms Ltd., filed a multimillion lawsuit and asked the courts for an injunction to stop Markham from initiating, performing, or completing any removal or relocation of the statue until the matter was settled.

And after a day of taxpayer-paid lawyers in court, the judge told the developer that the residents of Markham have stated ... that they do not want the gift that Romandale wishes to bestow on them. A true philanthropist respects the wishes of those he or she wishes to benefit.

The request for an injunction was denied. The lawsuit is ongoing for now, said Councillor Ho on Wednesday.

Residents were relieved it was over.

Im glad our neighbourhood that we love will return to the way it was, said outspoken resident Danny Da Silva.

But public art aficionados around the city were sad to see the cow statue simply shuffled away. Many had offered to take her, such as restaurateur Zane Caplansky and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Ho says Charity may come back to Markham still, to a destination agreed upon by all parties  and this time, of course, the residents.

Roman-Barber had imagined the statue less as a tribute to the cow than to her father, Stephen Roman. He had owned a part share in Charity, which he had purchased for a record $1.45 million. Charitys offspring eventually lived at Romandale Farm, which was owned by Roman, and predates the Cathedraltown development.

Charity isnt the only Holstein to be honoured in Cathedraltown. Seven other cows owned by Romans have streets named after them in the subdivision. And a mosaic of a haloed cow adorns the dome of the Cathedral of Transfiguration, a cathedral around which the subdivision was built. Its unclear if the holy cow is meant to represent Charity.

In any case, there was something special about Charity. She truly was a golden calf: loved in life  evident by the many shows she won, and the love and fondness with which her keeper, farmer Ken Trevena, took care of her until her dying days.

In an magazine article about her from 1986, she was described with fondness by Peter Heffering, who owned the other half-share in her: Shes a very nice individual to work with, he said. A good cow should look like a tank. And she looks like a tank. I consider her to be the perfect cow.

Her memorial may be gone, but thanks to a yearlong cow controversy that few could have imagined  her memory will endure.
After years of renting downtown, Casey Lewis and three friends are moving to one of Torontos wealthiest neighbourhoods. Their new shared home has five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a two-car garage and more than one fireplace  its also much cheaper.

The four 20-something roommates took the unusual step of moving into a 3,000-square-foot brick home in Forest Hill on Tuesday, paying far less than what it would cost to rent four one-bedroom apartments downtown.

Everyone Ive spoken with is a little bit surprised about the area were living in, said Lewis. You look at all of the houses around us, and its all  most likely, at least  single families with BMWs and Audis in the driveways and multimillion dollar houses.

Their move may not be part of a wave of newcomers to the neighbourhood, but its an example of the creative lengths Torontonians are going to in the search for affordable housing, experts and politicians told the Star.

That it is more affordable for young people to live in a large Forest Hill home than an apartment demonstrates that Torontos rental market is out of control, Ward 22 Councillor Josh Matlow, chair of Torontos tenant issues committee, said in an email.

Youve got to hand it to them  theyve come up with a creative way to find the type of housing that they want, said Jennifer Keesmaat, Torontos former chief planner.

And I think that is a reflection of the fact that things are not staying the same, but our approach to housing is fundamentally changing.

The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment downtown is $1,995 a month, according to the Toronto Real Estate Board. Lewis and his friends will be paying an average of $1,050 each to rent the three-storey home north of St. Clair Ave. W. near Bathurst St.

With all four roommates working north of Bloor St., it didnt make sense to pay the premium if youre not getting the benefit of walking to work, roommate Jesse Helfand said.

Helfand is a data analyst on Canada Gooses e-commerce team, and Lewis is the co-founder of an app startup called Feedback. Roommate Andrew Polychronopoulos is a music producer at Hotbox Digital Studios, and Sam Clarke works in wealth management at Scotiabank.

The four are only a minute away from the subway and streetcar, Lewis said.

We can get all of those things that wed be able to get living downtown, while also being able to be live in an actual, physical house that is a lot more comfortable and luxurious, he said.

That young professionals would look to live together in a neighbourhood full of single-family homes points to how critical it is to be building affordable rentals in a variety of configurations in our city, Keesmaat said.

The idea that a certain design of a house is only designed for a mom and dad and two kids is, of course, problematic because its not what most of our families look like, and its not the way most of us necessarily live.

Residential home rentals in Forest Hill are few and far between, said Ward 21 Councillor Joe Mihevc, whose ward  St Pauls  contains the roommates new home.

I dont know too many of those homes that are being rented out, Mihevc said. If they are being rented out, theyre being rented out to single families while someone else is on sabbatical, that kind of thing.

A four-bedroom, four-bathroom house down the street from the Forest Hill house was recently listed as a rental unit. For $6,950 a month, the home boasts a master suite, newly renovated kitchen, a library and recreation room.

According to the Canadian Rental Housing Index, there are over 524,000 rental households in Toronto, paying an average of $1,242 a month for rent and utilities (compared to the Ontario average of $1,109).

There is stock in the downtown core. Its just unaffordable for the average, working young guy, said Margie Carlson, deputy executive director of the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association.

Carlson said Torontonians tend to look at more suburban areas of the city as if its always going to be families, when in fact its not always going to be families because of how unaffordable the rental housing is here in the city.

Landlords get creative, people get creative, thats what they do, she said. I dont fault these young guys for being creative and solving their housing problem, but it does mean a bit of a shift.

Lewis most recently lived in the Annex. Before that he lived with two roommates in a condo at Bay and College, where he paid a little bit more and certainly got nowhere near as much space as he has at the Forest Hill house.

For me, the allure of being downtown ... having all-glass walls or whatever, and views of the skyline and being walking distance to cool stuff downtown, that sort of wore off, Lewis said.

Moving to Forest Hill was also a chance to live together.

The four of us were all friends from high school and before  it was an opportunity to get to live with our friends while we still can, Helfand said.

But Lewis wants to assure his new neighbours that there will be no wild parties.

Were all working professionals, he said. I dont want it to come off like were just gonna be trashing the place and running amok in the neighbourhood.
A woman is in custody for impaired driving after a collision with a parked school bus in Etobicoke killed the passenger in the vehicle she was driving.

Toronto paramedics arrived to the scene of Thirteenth St. and Lake Shore Blvd. W. at 10:40 p.m. Tuesday night and located a vehicle that had crashed into an empty, parked school bus. In the passenger seat, police found a 25-year-old male with no vital signs, according to Toronto police spokesperson Katrina Arrogante. He was rushed to a trauma centre in life-threatening condition, and died overnight.

The vehicle was travelling eastbound on Lake Shore Blvd. W. and attempted a left turn before colliding with the side of the bus. Toronto police said the vehicle rolled over. The driver of the vehicle, a 23-year-old woman, had non-life-threatening injuries and was taken into custody for impaired driving.

Police are expecting more charges will be laid.
THUNDER BAY, ONT.Ontario provincial police say a woman wanted following an Amber Alert is facing several charges.

Police issued an Amber Alert on Monday after a boy was allegedly taken from a community in the Thunder Bay, Ont., area that morning.

The eight-year-old was found safe roughly three hours later at a Tim Hortons in Thunder Bay, but police said they were still looking for a woman.

OPP say a 47-year-old Thunder Bay woman was arrested and is charged with abduction in contravention of a court order, break and enter, and assault.

Police say she has been released and is scheduled to appear in Thunder Bay court on June 1.

OPP say no further information can be released due to a publication ban.

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As 20 cities eagerly await signals from Amazon Inc., fresh analysis by a real estate and tourism consultant has both good and bad news for Torontos hopes of landing the tech giants second headquarters.

Resonance, with offices in Vancouver and New York, used its data on cities and Amazons request for proposal to rank which of the 20 shortlisted cities best meet the electronic retailing giants criteria for a new hub with up to 50,000 employees and billions of dollars of potential investments.

Amazons priorities, outlined in a bidding process reminiscent of those for Olympics hosting rights, include proffered economic incentives and the depth of tech talent. But the firm also values less traditional factors including cultural diversity and recreational opportunities for those workers.

Resonance was not surprised that its analysis pegged New York City as best hitting most of Amazons marks. The company was surprised that Toronto, the only shortlisted Canadian city, nabbed the number two spot in the study, ahead of Chicago, Northern Virginia and Los Angeles.

While Toronto is seen as Canadas powerhouse, says Chris Fair, Resonances Calgary-raised president, in the North American context I think most Canadians, and certainly Americans, would put Toronto somewhere down the list behind cities like Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas and L.A.

Thats why it surprised us to see Toronto come out at number two because we dont usually think about Toronto as being second only to New York.

He credits Torontos edge on experiential quality-of-life factors including nightlife, parks, safety, culture and pro sports.

The bad news for Toronto is that, when Fair factored in other considerations, including the city not offering tax breaks and Amazon planning a major expansion of its other Canadian office, in Vancouver, Toronto fell off the leader board. New York also fell down the list because of its scarcity of suitable real estate.

Resonance is predicting Chicago, Northern Virginia, and L.A. as the most likely sites for Amazons HQ2, giving Boston an outside shot.

Still, Fair says, Torontos surprisingly good showing bodes well for the city as it works to lure other big international employers.

When the (Amazon search) dust settles I think well see more and more companies following this kind of process, or at least making choices and decisions based on similar criteria that are not focused on just economics but on the quality of the places, he says.

Amazon announced the shortlist in January and has reportedly finished visiting the 20 cities, including Toronto in March. Toronto Global, the agency co-ordinating the regional bid, said Amazon officials asked about our tech sector and the benefits that come from our publicly funded health care and education systems.

Toronto Global said Wednesday it has heard nothing more and is awaiting direction on next steps. Seattle-based Amazon has said the new site will be known by the end of 2018.

Officials in Arlington, Texas, which made a pitch as part of Dallass bid, say Amazon has eliminated the suburb despite a pledge of $921 million U.S. in performance-based incentives. Arlingtons mayor told CNN that Amazon wants a more advanced urban setting.

While Toronto Mayor John Tory is enthusiastic about the prospect of a huge Amazon hub here, others worry the prize would bring pain in the form of skyrocketing home prices, a siphoning of talent from the rest of the tech sector, and demands on government for special treatment.

The final concern came into focus earlier this month when Amazon warned Seattle city council it would halt expansion plans if the city moved ahead with a tax on large employers to raise $75 million (U.S.) to pay for badly needed affordable housing and services for homeless residents.

Seattle council scaled back the tax but still got a scolding from a disappointed Amazon vice-president who said the company remains very apprehensive about the future created by the councils hostile approach and rhetoric toward larger businesses, which forces us to question our growth here.

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Doug Ford is pumping up his promise to cut gasoline taxes by giving motorists a break of 10 cents a litre if elected premier June 7.

The PC leader said Wednesday hell top up his earlier pledge to axe the Kathleen Wynne governments 4.3 cent a litre carbon tax  its part of his plan to scrap her cap-and-trade program designed to fight climate change  with a 5.7-cent reduction in the provincial fuel tax.

These are real savings that will leave money in your pocket, Ford said at a Husky gas station in Oakville where a litre of regular is priced just under $1.36 as gas prices have soared recently in the GTA.

The gas tax pledge would mean $1.2 billion in lost revenue for the provincial treasury under Ford, who has vowed to cut $6 billion in government spending and trim income taxes by $2.3 billion.

Appearing in a riding represented by Wynne labour minister Kevin Flynn, Ford was not specific when asked how a Progressive Conservative government would pay for the gas-tax promise.

We are going to wipe out the deficit the first year, maybe the second . We will balance the budget in our term, he said.

We cant afford not to do this, added Ford, who said the carbon tax and rising gas prices are hammering the finances of people who need cars to get to work and to shuttle their kids to school and sports.

Carbon taxes, like all taxes, punish low-income families the hardest.

A campaign official, speaking on background, later said a PC government would not feel the pinch from $1.9 billion in lost cap-and-trade revenues, including the gas tax, because green programs funded with that money will be cancelled.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, who has promised to bring stability to gas prices by regulating how often stations can raise prices, said Ford has still not explained what government programs he would cut in his search for $6 billion in promised efficiencies.

He talks a good game about things hes going to give families, but what hes not being honest about is the things hes going to take away, she told reporters in Scarborough.

On the campaign trail Wednesday, Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford said he will balance the budget and give relief to taxpayers. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says her partys first priority will be helping families. (The Canadian Press)

Hell give with one hand; hell take away with the other.

The Liberals said Fords pledge to cancel cap-and-trade, which puts limits on how much companies can pollute the air with climate-changing emissions, suggests he has no plan to fight climate change.

This is the worst of all worlds, said Cambridge Liberal candidate Kathryn McGarry, who served as Wynnes minister of natural resources. She predicted gas companies would raise prices to make up for Fords axed tax.

People wont get the savings he promises. But theyll, for sure, feel the cuts.

Ford, who is leading in public opinion polls  Horwaths New Democrats are in second place  continued his attempts to make voters wary of voting NDP.

He called the Bob Rae government from 1990-95, which raised taxes to battle a lingering recession, an absolute disaster.

Read more:

Doug Ford promises to cut gas prices by 10 cents a litre

Anybody-but-Ford movement is percolating as June 7 election nears: poll

More raises at privatized Hydro One turn former Crown utility into bigger lightning rod in election

With files from Kristin Rushowy

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Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Fords very, very shortsighted approach to helping business will cost Ontario jobs, warns Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne.

Wynne toured the massive MHI Canada aerospace factory in Mississauga  where wings and fuselages for Bombardier Challenger and Global Express jets are made  to promote government subsidies to private industry.

It wouldnt have happened if government hadnt partnered with you, she told workers Wednesday.

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Wynne and Horwath blast Ford for stoking Trump-style rhetoric

The subsidiary of Japans Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which received $4.9 million from the province, is investing $36.2 million here over five years to create 90 new jobs and maintain an existing 636 positions.

Ford has derided such public supports as corporate welfare and vowed to scrap most of them if he wins the June 7 election.

But MHI Canada CEO Michael McCarthy said the investment from Queens Park was essential to expanding the Mississauga facility.

The Global Express wing was transferred from Japan in 2013 and now last year we transferred the Global Express inner fuselage, said McCarthy.

This is an on-load of work that came from Asian countries in Canada because they had confidence in Canada  in our technology, our skills, access to talent, proximity to the customer was a factor. But this was the confidence they had, he said.

In the aerospace industry, this is probably the largest on-load of  highly skilled manufacturing jobs in Canada in recent history.

McCarthy said in Ontario, we have strong relationships with academia, with industry, and with government.

And this is what they wanted to see, he said of Mitsubishis corporate parents across the Pacific.

This would have stayed in Japan if it hadnt have happened.

Wynne, who trails Ford and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath in most public-opinion polls after almost 15 years of the Liberals being in power, emphasized that Ontario has the lowest unemployment rate and highest growth rate of any province.

Ontario is one of the strongest economies in the world. A strong, modern economy, she said, noting there were 15,000 manufacturing jobs created here last year  more than in California, Texas, New York or Michigan.

The truth is that Ontario is growing. The truth is that our economy is expanding. We cant afford what Doug Ford is supporting.

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WASHINGTONThe United States designated the head of Irans central bank as a terrorist on Tuesday and barred anyone around the world from doing business with him, escalating financial pressure on Iran in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trumps withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

Valiollah Seif, the governor of the Iranian central bank, was named a specially designated global terrorist along with another senior official, Ali Tarzali, who works in the central banks international division. The Treasury Department accused the men of secretly funneling millions of dollars through an Iraqi bank to help Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant network that the U.S. considers a terrorist group.

The moves come as Trumps administration, after deeming the 2015 nuclear deal insufficiently tough on Iran, seeks to construct a global coalition to place enough pressure on Tehran that it comes back to the negotiating table to strike a better deal. The sanctions targeting Irans central bank executives are some of the first actions by Trumps administration since pulling out of the deal to start ramping up that economic pressure.

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European businesses most affected by U.S. sanctions on Iran

The United States will not permit Irans increasingly brazen abuse of the international financial system, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. The global community must remain vigilant against Irans deceptive efforts to provide financial support to its terrorist proxies.

The exact ramifications of the sanctions for Irans economy were not immediately clear. The U.S. said that the sanctions did not extend to Irans central bank itself. Still, the U.S. said it was imposing so-called secondary sanctions on the Iranian bank officials, which could significantly increase Irans isolation from the global financial system.

Typically, when the U.S. punished individuals with sanctions, it prohibits Americans or U.S. companies from doing business with them. Secondary sanctions also apply to non-Americans and non-U.S. companies. That means that anyone, in any country, who does business with Seif or Tarzali could themselves be punished with sanctions, cutting them off from the U.S. financial system.

There was no immediate comment Tuesday night from Iranian officials. Iranian media initially reported the decision based on reports in the foreign media.

The U.S. actions send an ominous warning to European capitals, still reeling from Trumps withdrawal from the deal the U.S., Iran and world powers struck in 2015.

The European members of the deal  France, the U.K. and Germany  are trying to keep it alive without the U.S. Yet its unclear that will be workable, because Trump has vowed to punish European companies that continue doing business with Iran despite re-imposed U.S. sanctions. On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was meeting in Brussels with the top French, British and German diplomats as the Europeans seek to keep Iran from bailing on the deal.

Seif, as the central banks governor, has helped guide Irans economy through the web of sanctions in place on that country. In the aftermath of the 2015 deal, in which nuclear sanctions on Iran were lifted, Seif was a prominent voice complaining that Iran was still being kept out of the global financial system and not receiving the economic benefits it was promised in exchange for curtailing its nuclear program.

The Treasury said that Seif undermined the central banks credibility by routing millions of dollars from the Quds Force, the expeditionary unit of Irans hard-line Revolutionary Guards, to al-Bilad Islamic Bank, which is based in Iraq. Those funds were then used to enrich and support the violent and radical agenda of Hezbollah, Treasury said.

Al-Bilad Islamic Bank and its CEO and chair, Aras Habib, were also hit with U.S. sanctions, as was Muhammad Qasir, who the Treasury said is a Hezbollah official who has been a critical conduit for transferring funds to Hezbollah from the Revolutionary Guards.

Lebanons Hezbollah, the powerful Shiite guerrilla force that is also a prominent political player in Lebanon, has long helped carry out Irans foreign policy objectives in the Arabic-speaking world. Most recently, the U.S. has been concerned about the role that Hezbollah fighters are playing in Syria to help prop up President Bashar Assad. Hezbollah fought a war with Israel in 2006, and Israeli officials have been deeply concerned about the prospect of another confrontation.

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JERUSALEMIsrael celebrated the opening of Guatemalas new embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday as the Palestinians, infuriated by the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to the contested city, recalled their ambassadors to four European countries that had supported the move.

Israel has been buoyed by the new Jerusalem missions, which have infuriated the Palestinians. The opening of the U.S. Embassy on Monday was met with mass protests on the Gaza border, where Israeli troops killed nearly 60 Palestinians, triggering a wave of international condemnation.

The Palestinians, who seek East Jerusalem as capital of their hoped-for state, vehemently oppose the U.S. Embassys relocation from Tel Aviv, seeing it as a one-sided move that invalidates the U.S. as a Mideast peace broker.

Read more:

Trumps decision to open Jerusalem embassy complicates promise to seek peace

Israeli soldiers shoot and kill at least 55 Palestinians during mass protests in Gaza

Israel kicks off U.S. Embassy celebration, boosts border force

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said ambassadors to Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria were being called home for consultations after those countries sent envoys to a celebratory event held by Israels Foreign Ministry ahead of the U.S Embassy opening.

The European Union objected to the embassy move, but the four European countries broke with EU policy to attend the celebration.

We highly value our relations with all EU member states. Those relations are based on the commitment to international law, UN resolutions and human rights. Therefore we consider the participation in this event a contradiction to such values, said Amal Jadou, a Palestinian Foreign Ministry official.

U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital late last year, upending decades of U.S. policy in a move that was welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but prompted the Palestinians to cut ties with the administration.

Israel captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. Israel considers Jerusalem its undivided capital, but nearly all countries have opted to maintain embassies in Tel Aviv because of the holy citys contested status.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales dedicated the embassy just two days after a high-powered American delegation marked the transfer of the U.S. Embassy.

Netanyahu said it was fitting, noting that Guatemala also followed the U.S. to be the second country to recognize Israel 70 years ago.

You were always among the first, he said at the ceremony. We remember our friends and Guatemala is our friend, then and now.

The embassy move added fuel to weekly Palestinian protests in Gaza demanding the right of refugees to return to Israel and the lifting of a decade-old blockade.

The Israeli military has come under heavy international criticism for firing on unarmed protesters, and faces accusations of using disproportionate force.

Gaza protesters have hurled flaming tires, firebombs and stones toward Israeli troops, and tried to attack the border fence. Israel says Hamas militants have also tried to carry out bombing and shooting attacks under the cover of the protests.

Since the Hamas-led protests began on March 30, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,500 wounded by live fire, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Palestinian officials say the vast majority of the casualties have been unarmed protesters. One Israeli soldier has been wounded.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel did everything it could to prevent civilian casualties but that Gazas Hamas rulers were to blame for using them as human shields.

The Hamas leadership is a group of cannibals who treat their children as armament, he said during a visit to a military base in southern Israel. They have rocket armament, personal armament and another kind of armament  their children and women.

On Tuesday, Israels military allowed eight trucks full of humanitarian aid and medical supplies to enter the Gaza Strip.

But the organizers of the Hamas-led border marches rejected two of the trucks, which had come from Israel, despite widespread shortages of key supplies. They said the Palestinians would not accept medicine from the murderers of our people.

The heavy death toll Monday, along with hundreds of wounded, made it by far the bloodiest day of cross-border violence since a devastating 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. It also triggered a diplomatic backlash against Israel.

The UN Security Council held a special session that began with a moment of silence for the Palestinians who were killed. In Geneva, the UN human rights office said Israel has repeatedly violated international norms by using deadly live fire to repel protesters.

Turkey expelled Israels ambassador and consul general, and several European countries summoned Israeli ambassadors to their foreign ministries for questioning and called for an international investigation.

At the same time, Israel has found other nations following the U.S. lead and rallying to its defence. Besides Guatemala, Paraguay says it will also relocate its embassy to Jerusalem. Romania, the Czech Republic and Honduras have said they are considering doing the same.

At Wednesdays ceremony, Morales said his country was bringing a message of love, peace and fraternity to Israel. The Guatemalan Congress recently passed a law marking May 14 as Israel-Guatemala Friendship Day.

Marking the move, the Jerusalem municipality illuminated the walls of the Old City late Tuesday with flags of Guatemala, Israel and the United States, and a message thanking Morales.

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WASHINGTON  No North American Free Trade Agreement deal will be reached by the Thursday deadline imposed by a top U.S. legislator, a Canadian government source and Mexicos economy secretary said on Wednesday.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan says a NAFTA deal would have to be made by Thursday in order for this Congress, which is controlled by trade-friendly Republicans, to hold a vote by the end of the year.

The Canadian source said there will be no deal of any kind by Thursday, even a partial agreement in principle.

Mexican economy secretary Ildefonso Guajardo also said there will not be a deal by Thursday. Jerry Dias, president of the Unifor union that represents Canadian auto workers, said theres a better chance of me beating Usain Bolt in a sprint than this thing being done tomorrow.

The apparent inability to make an immediate deal does not mean the negotiations have failed for good: talks can continue indefinitely, and Guajardo said he would not rule out a deal by June. But it is possible that there will soon be a prolonged delay because of the Mexican presidential election in July and the U.S. congressional midterm elections in November.

The Canadian government does not appear to be in any rush for a deal. Though the Bank of Canada has said that trade uncertainty is already reducing investment in Canada, government officials and trade experts have argued that a bad deal would cause more long-term harm than a prolonged holdout for a better deal.

All along we have said that it is important to reach a deal quickly. Its important to provide that stability and predictability to industry and workers in all three countries. We recognize that need. However, we are not going to be rushed into a deal that were not happy with just based on that, said the Canadian source, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the state of the negotiations.

Adam Austen, press secretary for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, said the process of congressional ratification is internal to the U.S., not a matter for Canada. Austen said the three countries have made good progress during this springs intensive phase of talks, particularly on auto rules of origin.

We still want to see something happen and we're going to continue in those conversations  they're ongoing now  and we're pushing forward and hopeful that we can get something done soon, Sarah Sanders, press secretary for U.S. President Donald Trump, told Fox News.

The absence of a rapid deal means Canadas steel and aluminum industry will continue to face a tariff threat. Trump has exempted Canada from his tariffs only until June 1, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Tuesday that Trumps decision on whether to extend the exemption will be based on the state of NAFTA talks.

Any prolonged break could increase the possibility of a Trump tantrum that could transform the negotiations or produce a U.S. withdrawal from the existing NAFTA the president calls a horrible disaster. Trump lashed out at Mexico on Wednesday, saying they do nothing for us, and he has periodically continued to threaten to trigger the NAFTA withdrawal process.

Im hopeful that theres a pause. My concern is that theres frustration in some quarters that there is not a deal and that the pause turns into a withdrawal letter, said Robert Fisher, a U.S. negotiator in the original NAFTA talks and now managing director of Washington trade consulting firm Hills and Co.

The apparent failure to hit Ryans deadline does not come as a surprise to trade experts, who have long thought an immediate agreement was unlikely given how far apart the three countries have been on key proposals from the Trump administration.

Recent negotiations between Freeland and her counterparts have been almost exclusively focused on the complicated trade rules governing auto manufacturing. Those talks have stalled, it appears, over differences between the U.S. and Mexico.

Even if the auto issues were to be resolved, negotiators would then have to address a variety of other matters on which there are big disagreements. Among them: government procurement, U.S. access to Canadas dairy market, the system for resolving trade disputes, and the U.S. proposal for a sunset clause that would automatically terminate NAFTA in five years absent a new endorsement from all three countries.

The top officials for the three countries have agreed to leave these other issues untouched while they attempt to figure out the auto file, the Canadian source said.

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Russian President Vladimir Putins handlers had thought of nearly everything for the christening of a $4-billion (U.S.) bridge linking Russia to Crimea.

Dressed in blue jeans and ditching his tie, Putin jumped into the drivers seat of an orange dump truck Tuesday and drove across the bridge with cameras recording every move.

One camera in the cab of the truck captured his small talk with a construction worker who was along for the ride and broadcast it across state media.

Read more:

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UN committee passes resolution on Crimea, condemning Russian occupation

Tough talk between Russia, Ukraine heats up Crimea stalemate

The imagery was deliberate: Putin was sealing his disputed 2014 annexation of Crimea with a project strongly condemned as illegal by the West.

He inaugurated the bridge, 19 kilometres of concrete and steel over the Black Seas Kerch Strait, by leading the first-ever convoy from Russia into Crimea  an industrial and cultural show of force.

But there was one hitch: Putin was actually beaten across the bridge.

Not by saboteurs or protesters or a stage-stealing, fate-sealing politician  but by the orange-and-white cat that roamed the bridge the day before.

Mostik, the adopted mascot of construction workers in the project, boasted to his nearly 35,000 Instagram followers Monday that he had already traversed the bridge, a full day before Putins first crossing.

First to run the 19 kilometres (12 miles). Everything is ready! Tomorrow I will ceremonially open the bridge with the builders and the president! the cats caption read. And starting May 16 you can come yourselves, whos coming? ;)

Its not clear whether Mostiks handlers co-ordinated with officials at Putins carefully managed public event.

At the bridge, Putin signed autographs, shook hands with workers and offered remarks, as, in another odd moment, a saxophone-heavy rendition of the Rocky theme song blared from the speakers. The plot of Rocky IV involves an embarrassing defeat of the Soviet Unions premier boxer, Ivan Drago, in the midst of the Cold War.

The bridge, an ambitious project criticized by the State Department and described as another violation of Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity by Russia by the European Union, is the newest lucrative operation for Putins closest allies.

Arkady Rotenberg, a Russian business mogul and Putins former judo partner, led the project. And the orange dump truck driven by the president was a Kamaz truck  manufactured by a state-owned company headed by Sergey Chemezov, Putins KGB colleague in East Germany in the 1980s.

Both Rotenberg and Chemezov are under U.S. sanctions.

The bridge is a permanent fixture looming over tensions with Ukraine. Putin annexed Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula in the Black Sea, in 2014 after claiming that ethnic Russians in the region were threatened by Ukraines pro-Western revolution.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement that the bridge was the manifestation of Russias unlawful seizure and its occupation of Crimea and will adversely affect commerce.

The West and much of the world considers the annexation illegitimate, though many Russians view it as Putins crowning achievement. In 1954, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred control of Crimea from Russia to Ukraine, and regaining the region has been a nationalist rallying cry for decades.

The bridge project began a year after the annexation and was built without consent from Kyiv. Mostik, the cat, has played a key role in spinning the bridge as a feel-good Russian enterprise.

State-owned Sputnik News described Mostik as an honorary foreman adopted as a stray in 2015 and said he has since become friendly with some of the thousands of construction workers there.

His social media presence spans across Facebook, Instagram and the Russian social media network VKontakte, where photos of the cat, wearing a tiny hard hat, litter the channels.

Mostiks public relations campaign, however, has not spun many in Ukraine.

I am confident that the aggressor will not succeed and will bear responsibility in full, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Facebook, referring to Russia. The invaders will need the bridge when they have to urgently leave our Crimea.

The bridge is symbolic in other ways, too.

As the Posts Anton Troianovski wrote, it also underscores the enrichment of Putin allies at the cost of decaying bridges, roads and railroads throughout Russia that have not been recipients of his personal patronage.

The World Bank ranks the quality of Russias trade and transport infrastructure at 94th in the world, just behind Tunisia and ahead of Colombia.

The bridge can support up to 40,000 passenger cars a day, becoming the quickest way to reach Crimea, a popular vacation and tourist destination for Russians.

Previously, the only way to reach the peninsula was by plane or ferry. The railroad section of the bridge is expected to be finished by the end of 2019.

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BRUSSELSFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to speak with leaders of the European parliament next week about the data protection scandal that has engulfed his company  but might avoid a public testimony like the one he endured in the United States.

The EU and British parliaments have been calling for Zuckerberg to submit to an on-air grilling since it emerged earlier this year that a company, political consultants Cambridge Analytica, had been allowed to misuse the data of millions of Facebook users.

While Zuckerberg testified last month to the U.S. Congress, he had long been noncommittal on his appearance in Europe, sending his chief technical officer to speak to the British parliament and delaying confirmation of any visit to Brussels.

On Wednesday, EU Parliament President Antonio Tajani confirmed that Zuckerberg will be in Brussels as soon as possible, hopefully already next week and would meet with parliamentary leaders and an expert on civil liberties and justice.

That suggests he will avoid an uncomfortable public appearance and instead meet only with the legislatures top brass behind closed doors.

Facebook came away largely unscathed from Zuckerbergs testimony to the U.S. Congress in April. Shares in the company even rose after his appearance. And several of the U.S. lawmakers often appeared to fail to grasp the technical details of Facebooks operations and data privacy.

He might get tougher questions in Brussels, where an assertive new European data protection law comes into effect on May 25. The law will give Facebooks millions of European users more control over what companies can do with what they post, search and click.

Yet the question of whether Zuckerberg should explain himself publicly remains a point of contention.

The president of the ALDE liberal group, Guy Verhofstadt already said he would not attend the meeting if it was behind closed doors. It must be a public hearing  why not a Facebook Live, he asked in a Tweet.

Tajani said that simply showing up to explain himself was already a good move. It is a step in the right direction towards restoring confidence, he said. Our citizens deserve a full and detailed explanation.

On Monday, Zuckerberg will also attend a meeting organized by French President Emmanuel Macron aimed at pressuring tech giants to use their global influence for public good.

Zuckerbergs EU visit will be his first since a whistleblower alleged that Cambridge Analytica improperly harvested information from more than 50 million Facebook accounts to help Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election. Cambridge says none of the Facebook data was used in the Trump campaign, and Facebook is investigating.

Damian Collins, the head of the U.K. parliaments media committee, has said he hopes Zuckerberg would take advantage of his trip to Europe next week to visit London and testify there as well.

Zuckerberg has so far declined to appear, to the British lawmakers annoyance. Collins warned Zuckerberg last month that if he does not come voluntarily, he could be issued a formal summons, which would force him to appear before the parliament when he next enters the U.K.

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My many conversations with Ontarians lead me to believe that we view engagement with people beyond our borders as both opportunity and obligation. We are a part of a larger world and mutually vulnerable to change and unpredictability.

At home and abroad, I have witnessed an optimism about taking an active role in addressing humanitys shared challenge, perhaps even with humility being an antidote to the growing temptation to turn inward.

As we seek to contribute to a global agenda of sustainability with its vision of social cohesion, inclusive economic prosperity and environmental stewardship, we would be wise to take some direction from Indigenous peoples. All too often we fail to acknowledge the ancient and enduring contributions of First Peoples of Turtle Island, the name by which many Indigenous groups refer to North America.

An opportunity to offer new perspectives to the global community and celebrate the Indigenous people in Canada has arisen in an unexpected place: Italy.

UNCEDED: Voices of the Land is Canadas entry in the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, the worlds foremost exhibition of contemporary building design. This immersive and breathtaking installation gives insight into what a world informed by Indigenous sensibilities could look like: one that reveres the environment and reconciles diverse voices.

Selected by the Canada Council for the Arts through a nation-wide, juried competition, it will be one of 65 national entries to be showcased in Venice and is one of its most innovative.

From May 26 to Nov. 25 this year, hundreds of thousands of visitors will view the brilliant creations of these Canadian Indigenous architects, whose masterful works will, to quote Canada Council director and CEO Simon Brault, force us to question the neutrality of our built environments and the land where they rest.

Architects shape our world with their visions, creativity and technical skill, but above all through their empathy for the physical and social environments they inhabit. They understand intuitively that place matters and beauty enriches the soul. Those who developed UNCEDED chose a thematic metaphor about resilience that expresses a hope for the future that arises from Indigenous teachings of spirituality and respect for the oneness of people and all life-givers.

Taking inspiration from the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions calls to action, UNCEDED seeks to foster a new global understanding of the enduring laws, customs, and traditions of First Peoples. Project organizers describe it as bringing together the past, present and future of Indigenous experience as seen through the eyes and minds of Indigenous architects on Turtle Island.

UNCEDEDs uniquely Indigenous team is led by Douglas J. Cardinal, philosopher, human rights activist, Officer of the Order of Canada, and world master of contemporary architecture. His flowing, curvilinear building designs include the iconic Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., and the Smithsonians National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.

Co-curators Gerald McMaster, member of the Siksika First Nation, artist, author, and professor at OCAD University in Toronto, and David Fortin, a Metis architect and academic based in Sudbury, join 17 architectural visionaries who give added meaning to their work through dance and multimedia storytelling.

It is my distinct privilege to support this vision of hope. UNCEDED has the potential to provide significant insights through stories of the strength of Indigenous cultures, the long journey of healing and reconciliation and ultimately of peaceful coexistence.

As Canada takes its place with pride on the world stage in Venice, we will do so in celebration and recognition of a more inclusive understanding of our cultural heritage.
Many of us had not heard of the Canada Summer Jobs program until the government decided to reform it.

Its designed to fund short-term contracts for secondary and post-secondary students and for years went largely unnoticed, until the revelation that groups opposed to abortion  some of them vehemently so  were receiving generous financial support.

A womans right to choose, of course, is one of the fundamentals of Canadas health care, legal and moral framework. So to correct matters, a clause was added asking applicants to attest that their core mandate respected Charter of Rights values.

Hardly draconian stuff. And remember, some of the groups involved compare abortion to the Holocaust, distribute flyers containing graphic and bloody images to peoples homes, even when children might see them, and refer to abortion as murder. Their language is violent, extreme and directly contrary to Canadian virtues.

Even so, there are now several legal challenges to the government, with those opposed to the amendment claiming that its an attack on religious freedom and human rights. The actual results of the new policy, however, paint a radically different picture.

Official documents show that of the 2,728 faith-based organizations that applied for summer jobs funding this year, 58 per cent were willing to sign the attestation. Of the 115 Anglican groups that applied, only 10 refused so sign, and only two of the 199 United Church-affiliated organizations refused. Even more startling, none of the 89 Jewish or 130 Muslim groups withheld their support. Which leaves evangelical groups and, of course, Roman Catholics.

Opposition to abortion has become an absolute of conservative Catholic opinion even though, it should be noted, Canadian Catholics in general do not share this view and progressive Catholics have a far more nuanced approach.

Also, there is far more ambiguity in the Catholic response to the program than we have been led to believe. Contrary to what many critics of the policy have claimed, of the 365 Catholic organizations applying for funding, the overwhelming majority signed on, with less than a third (32 per cent) refusing to do so. When we break down those figures, a clear pattern emerges.

In all of Quebec, only nine Catholic groups refused to sign and a massive 108 agreed to the attestation. In Ontario, 63 groups refused to sign, with 32 agreeing to do so, and the vast majority of dissenters, 52, in Toronto.

Why so many refusals from one denomination, and in one area? The only distinguishing and exclusive feature is that Cardinal Thomas Collins, one of the most outspoken critics of the governments action, is the Archbishop of Toronto and represents 83 per cent of all of the Catholic organizations that refused to sign. He recently told a Vatican press official that, No government has the right to have an ideology test on anyone. That just isnt fair.

Truth cries out to be heard! If this genuinely were an ideology test, it wouldnt have been signed by so many Roman Catholic and religious groups. Its hard to escape the conclusion that this may have as much to do with the imposition of authority as with an independent religious response. When the attitude of the Catholic groups not under Cardinal Collins is juxtaposed with those within his influence, the contrast is quite extraordinary.

We also need to ask whether the reason these groups refused to sign the agreement is principle, or whether some might have wanted to direct the summer program money into the very anti-abortion activities that provoked the government in the first place. If the latter, this would be extremely duplicitous behaviour.

One last point, and it involves hypocrisy. One of the rallying cries of opponents of the attestation has been that the government is indulging in discrimination. Yet how many of the organizations refusing to sign the clause would hire LGBTQ2 students or those in same-sex relationships or, for that matter, straight people living together outside of marriage? Judging by their records, statements, and religious ideas, very few indeed.

Nobody is going to claim that the new policy has been altogether smooth, in design or implementation. But there is logic and law to its reasoning, and its opponents are, to say the least, being extremely selective with the facts.
Over a decade of chronicling human rights violations around the world, Ive taken thousands of photographs. But there is one that is especially dear to me.

In July 2012, on the eve of Libyas first democratic national election, I was working with Human Rights Watch researching barriers to womens political participation.

I happened upon a slight, elderly Libyan woman wearing a traditional white hijab, holding lonely vigil in the square outside the Benghazi courthouse. Haja had spent many evenings supporting the revolution the previous year. She was a local icon because of her steadfast participation in the protests that eventually led to the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi.

Hajas kind eyes, gentleness and uncompromising conviction reminded me of my own hijab-wearing grandmother, who had passed away a few months earlier. I admired the fact that she was a woman defiantly standing in the midst of a throng of men in a conservative society, refusing to be silenced.

A few years later, in the summer of 2015, I was in South Sudan documenting the civil war. It was there, in the worlds newest country, that I met another inspirational woman, Nyacour, outside a small, muddy shelter at a camp for displaced persons.

She was one of dozens of women who had escaped marauding government forces and allied militias committing horrific human rights abuses. When Nyacour invited me inside her shelter, I did a triple take: underneath a mosquito net, in a makeshift crib, were her tiny newborn triplets.

I stood frozen in my gumboots, feeling both sadness and exhilaration. How amazing to witness life flourish here. At the same time, these babies transported me back to my own infant twin girls a continent away. When I told Nyacour of my twins, she responded with the most generous smile. We shared a moment forged in the bond of parenthood.

The interviews that I conducted over the years have scarred me, but I am also fortunate to have met incredible women whose resilience and strength continue to inspire me. I learned that hope can exist alongside profound despair.

I have also learned that although misogyny is ingrained into the fabric of every culture, gender inequalities worsen during times of conflict as women face increasing levels of violence, including rape, trafficking, abduction and early marriage.

Women are often the last to flee their homes and towns. During crises, families are more likely to pull their girls out from school, and those girls are less likely to return than boys. Despite this, women still manage to be the glue that holds communities and families together. Yes, they are survivors, but they are also resisters, activists and community leaders.

When it comes to human rights advocacy, how the story is told and who gets to tell the story is just as important as the story itself. As a human rights advocate, I collect information that I use to produce a compelling story to push policy-makers to act. I hope that this information will help end abuses, hold perpetrators accountable and lead to remedies for victims.

In todays digital age, advocates must rely increasingly on multimedia to help make their case.

Images have far more impact than words alone. They present enormous advocacy opportunities but also a range of ethical challenges. Researchers should obtain peoples informed consent before any interview or photograph, which can be tricky in situations when someone has rarely (or never) encountered a camera.

I try to teach my law students that the most important trait of a successful human rights advocate is humility. Our role is never to give voice to the voiceless. Survivors of atrocities and other oppressed people already have a voice. The problem is that those in power refuse to listen. Our role is to provide a platform.

Haja, Nyacour and I come from different cultures, generations, genders, religions and distant corners of the world. But we share the same hope that our children and grandchildren will be able to grow up in a better world.

On some days, this dream feels more possible, even if only for a moment: after Libyas first democratic election, or after the miraculous arrival of triplets in the midst of chaos. When these extraordinary women are captured on film they invite us to imagine that world, too.
Justin Trudeau is famously fond of proclaiming himself a feminist. It is particularly galling, then, that his government persists in violating one of the most fundamental principles in feminist ethics  consent  in its dealings with Indigenous nations.

Projects like the Muskrat Falls dam, the Site C dam, and the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion are being shoved through against the ongoing resistance of peoples who inhabited these lands long before European colonizers presumed to assert their sovereignty over them.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) states that governments must receive the free and informed consent of Indigenous communities prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands and territories and other resources. Having refused to endorse the declaration for a full decade after its promulgation, Canada now claims to be committed to complete implementation.

Read more:

Ottawa prepared to compensate Kinder Morgan for delays to project, Morneau says

Landslide near Labradors Muskrat Falls hydro project adds to residents anxiety

B.C. First Nations chief surprised Ottawa would roll over on Site C

However, the federal governments recently released statement of principles for implementing UNDRIP contains a subtle, but revealing, semantic sleight of hand. Instead of pledging to engage with Indigenous nations in order to obtain their free, prior, and informed consent (the wording of the UN Declaration), the Canadian government principles speak of consulting and co-operating with the aim of securing Indigenous consent [emphases added]: while the first requires consent as an outcome of consultations before progressing with a project, the second apparently does not.

While campaigning to become prime minister, Trudeau said on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network that no [would] mean no when Indigenous communities reject development initiatives on their territories. But in power, the Trudeau government has repeatedly shown its willingness to proceed with its plans even in the face of vociferous Indigenous objection.

At Muskrat Falls in Labrador, for instance, construction of Nalcor Energys mega-dam on unceded Innu and Inuit territory has almost been completed, despite sustained Indigenous (as well as allied non-Indigenous) opposition. The dam threatens to produce mass flooding, and to poison the waters Indigenous communities depend on for food with neurotoxic methylmercury, according to a study from Harvard University. But instead of arresting the potential environmental catastrophe, Canada has arrested the Indigenous land and water protectors, including elders, who are non-violently resisting it.

In 2016, the Liberal government issued permits for the Site C hydroelectric dam in northeastern British Columbia  even though the governments own environmental assessment found that it would result in severe, permanent, and irreversible harm to a unique ecosystem on which the Dunne-za and Cree peoples depend to exercise their constitutionally protected Treaty rights, in the words of Amnesty International.

The federal Liberals have also thrown themselves staunchly behind Kinder Morgans expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline, the approval process for which was so flawed that Trudeau promised during the 2015 election campaign to completely redo it  but didnt. Instead, as a recent investigation by the National Observer revealed, public servants were instructed in 2016 to give cabinet a legally sound basis for saying yes to the Trans Mountain Project  even while consultations with Indigenous communities affected by the project were ostensibly ongoing.

The existing Trans Mountain pipeline has already leaked at least 82 times since 1961, and a report from Simon Fraser University determined that the likelihood of an oil spill from the expanded version would be 99 per cent  imperilling delicate environments for highly dubious economic benefit, according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

The Secwepemc, whose territories comprise one-half of the pipelines route, have issued a declaration stating that they have never provided and will never provide our collective free, prior, and informed consent to the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline Project, and seven First Nations are challenging the project in court.

Trudeau blusters about building a nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples, while trampling on Indigenous sovereignty.

He boasts about being a feminist, while supporting industrial developments that disproportionately harm Indigenous women and girls; a 2016 study by the Womens Earth Alliance and Native Youth Sexual Health Network documented the spikes in sexual violence, murders, disappearances, reproductive illnesses, and exposure to toxins caused by corporate development projects in Indigenous communities across the continent.

Its long past time we called #TimesUp on Canadas abusive relationship with Indigenous peoples.

Azeezah Kanji is a legal analyst.

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Theres lots thats fleeting in the daily torrent of news. Some stories are skipped entirely. Some are merely scanned. But some touch the heart and linger long after the readings done.

The Stars Paul Hunter produced once such tale last weekend, the story of a former OPP officer who, as a result of the poisoned water in Walkerton, Ont., almost two decades ago, suffered a long, lonely decline, becoming a prisoner in his bed and body until his physician-assisted death on May 1.

Robbie Schnurr, who died at 71, had also been a fire marshal investigator, an athlete, a martial artist, a bon vivant who chased the ladies in his prime with the same zeal he pursued biker gangs.

Among other things, the story of his dying offers a timely caution about what can occur when government regulation is considered nothing but red tape and when cutting costs is done recklessly.

His death provides a searing illustration of why it is so important that leaders campaigning for the June 7 Ontario election  especially PC Leader Doug Ford, with his program of unspecified budget cuts  make clear to voters where those cuts will come and what the consequences might be.

Walkerton is a town on the Saugeen River in central Ontario that had no particular claim to fame or infamy, until 18 years ago.

In mid-May 2000, its drinking water system became contaminated with E. coli bacteria. Seven people died. More than 2,300 became ill  including Robbie Schnurr.

A judicial inquiry led by Mr. Justice Dennis OConnor later concluded that budget cuts by the PC government of then-premier Mike Harris led to the discontinuation of government laboratory testing services for municipalities in 1996.

In implementing this decision, the government should have enacted a regulation mandating that testing laboratories immediately and directly notify both the MOE (ministry of environment) and the Medical Officer of Health of adverse results, he said.

Had the government done this, the boil water advisory would have been issued by May 19 at the latest, thereby preventing hundreds of illnesses.

The report said government cuts made it less likely the ministry would have identified both the need for continuous monitors at the poisoned well and the improper operating practices at the Walkerton Public Utilities Commission.

Those steps, OConnor said, would have prevented the outbreak or reduced its scope.

The Environment Ministrys budget had already been reduced under Ontarios NDP government from 1992 to 1995, OConnor found. After the Harris government, there was substantial further reduction.

By 1998-99, the environment budget had been reduced by more than $200 million  resulting, among other things, in its staff being cut more than 30 per cent, or by more than 750 employees.

The cuts, OConnor said, were not based on an assessment of what was required to carry out the MOEs statutory responsibilities.

Worse still, before its decision to slash the ministrys funding, the government received numerous warnings that the impacts could result in increased risks to the environment and human health.

There are lessons in that report and in the slow, agonizing death of Robbie Schnurr.

Expertise is not the province of some pampered downtown Toronto elite. It is knowledge and training necessary to ensure the safety of ordinary Ontarians.

Spending cuts, done heedlessly, can take a deadly toll.

When critics ask Doug Ford how he intends to reconcile the widening gap between the cost of his promises and the unspecified nature of his proposed spending cuts, it is not the mere playing of politics.

Its in memory of Robbie Schnurr and those like him, people betrayed by governments bulldozing so-called efficiencies.
Just 2 1/2 years ago women were celebrating Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus first gender-parity cabinet. And things have been looking up on the provincial scene as well.

Women made up a record-breaking 46 per cent of Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynnes last cabinet.

And now, for the first time ever, two parties  the NDP and Green Party  are fielding more women than men in the June 7 election.

The NDP leads the way with women comprising 56 per cent of their candidates. The Greens come in at 52 per cent; the Liberals at 45 per cent; and the Progressive Conservatives at 32 per cent.

Thats up substantially for all parties from the 2014 election.

Running in a riding, of course, is a long way from actually winning the seat. So we wont know if these positive optics translate into real power for more women until after the ballots are counted.

As Nancy Peckford, the executive director of Equal Voice  which promotes the election of women  cautions, women are often given the nod to run in ridings that are unwinnable.

The real test remains the number of women who get elected as MPPs. Canadian women have made impressive strides in many fields but in the powerful forums of politics and business, they still remain badly under-represented.

Women held about 35 per cent of the seats in the last Ontario legislature. But with all the parties trending in the right direction, Equal Voice is hopeful that this election could see Ontario become the first provincial legislature to break the 40 per cent mark for women.

That would be a win for everyone.

Correction - May 16, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said women made up 56 per cent of Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynnes last cabinet. In fact, women made up 47 per cent of the cabinet.

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Fearless to the end, May 12

What a beautiful, heart-warming story and photo. Robbie Schnurr, a man who has been suffering from an autoimmune disorder for many years, made the decision that he was merely existing  with unbearable physical and emotional pain  and therefore desired to end that kind of a life by physician-assisted death.

How anyone could read this story and still be opposed to assisted death is beyond my intellect and imagination. I am a very spiritually-oriented man  in fact, a Baptist pastor for many years  but I do not believe that a loving, merciful God would have a problem with this mans decision to bring his painful and hopeless earthly existence to an end. That is why I do not.

While having to feed my beloved wife daily in long-term care  suffering indescribable emotional pain from Alzheimers  I pray that it will soon be the law in Canada to make an advance directive for physician-assisted death.

After witnessing on a daily basis the heart-wrenching sights and sounds of patients with Alzheimers, I want to have the choice to request assisted death, which I am sure I will choose.
Doug Ford is steaming ahead. His critics have accused him of being anti-immigrant, anti-medicare and singularly unqualified to become Ontarios premier.

But if the public opinion polls are right, none of this has stuck. CBCs Poll Tracker calculates that if current trends hold until election day, June 7, Fords Progressive Conservatives will handily win a majority of seats in the Ontario Legislature.

Was Ford, at best, an indifferent Toronto councillor? Perhaps. But outside the city of Toronto, few seem to care.

The latest Ipsos poll estimates that 49 per cent of respondents in the 905 region just outside of Toronto back Ford.

On Monday, Ford denounced what he called corporate welfare just before visiting a plant that had received federal government aid. For any other politician, this might have represented an embarrassing contradiction. For Ford, it was a non-event.

As a campaign spokesperson later told The Canadian Press, the PC leader doesnt oppose all corporate welfare. He just opposes some of it.

At a leaders debate in Parry Sound last week, Ford said the province should be taking care of our own first before encouraging new immigrants to settle in Northern Ontario. Critics said this showed Ford to be anti-immigrant. But there was little evidence that many new immigrants took offence.

Similarly, Ford has not been wounded by potentially embarrassing candidates.

For instance, London West PC candidate Andrew Lawton, a former AM radio host, has in the past made dismissive comments about gays, women and the disabled.

Yet Ford continues to back his hand-picked candidate  and appears to have incurred no political cost in doing so.

Usually, political leaders are reluctant to do anything that might suggest they are critical of medicare. Ford has had no such qualms. Physician Merrilee Fullerton, the PC candidate in Kanata-Carleton outside Ottawa, is a well-known proponent of two-tier health care  which she calls a hybrid system.

When this was brought up by local Liberals, Fords campaign simply responded that the PC leader is 100 per cent committed to Ontarios public health care system.

Fullerton, whose website profile says she supports a hybrid health system as a long-term solution to Canadas health care challenges issued an identical response. And that, it seems, was that. Medicare controversy over.

On it goes. Fords proposed middle-class tax cut disproportionally benefits higher income earners, according to economists with the leftish Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. But so what? The voters  including those who are low-income  dont seem to care.

All of this drives Ford opponents nuts. They rail at the PC leader. They ask how Ontarians can opt for such a choice. They view those who would vote for him as delusional.

And, as a result, there are the inevitable calls for some kind of anti-Ford coalition between Kathleen Wynnes Liberals and Andrea Horwaths New Democrats. In the event that no party wins a majority of seats, could the two so-called progressive parties strike a deal to keep Ford from power?

The answer to that question is almost certainly no. The NDP would be committing political suicide if it made a formal power-sharing arrangement with the desperately unpopular Wynne Liberals.

And so anti-Ford voters are left with this option: The only way to prevent Ford from becoming premier is to ensure that someone else gets the job instead.

In 2014, enough NDP supporters voted for Wynnes Liberals to keep Tim Hudaks Tories from power. But Wynne was a fresh face then and relatively popular. That is no longer the case.

This time, the anti-Tory vote seems to be coalescing around Horwaths NDP. Can it coalesce enough to keep Ford out of the premiers chair? That is another question.

Thomas Walkom appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Follow him on Twitter: @tomwalkom appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Follow him on Twitter:

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Doug Ford is trying to rewrite the rules of Canadian democracy by dictating who gets to govern as premier. In advance.

No surprise there. Stephen Harper tried the same trick as prime minister to fend off a coalition challenge in 2008, and got away with it  browbeating the governor general, bullying his rivals, and bamboozling the people about the supposed illegitimacy of parliamentary alliances that dare to thwart Tories.

Is history about to repeat itself in Ontario? It shouldnt, because this province has its own distinct and dignified track record of democratic power-sharing in one form or another.

Remember minority government? Fords Progressive Conservatives are trying furiously to forget.

The people of Ontario want change, not some backroom deal by the NDP to keep the Liberals in power, Ford declared in a Trump-like tweet this week.

Bad enough that Ford wants us to erase our own political history to advance his own partisan future. Whats worse is that his Liberal and NDP rivals are dancing to his tune for their own self-serving reasons.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath promptly took the bait, badmouthing the idea on cue: I have no interest in a coalition government with the Liberals ... I am unequivocally saying I have no interest in partnering up with that party.

Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne played along, refusing to say who were going to work with or not work with.

Ford says Boo! And they both jump high.

All three leaders are being too clever by half, in equal measure. That doesnt mean the rest of us  the press and the people  have to play along with their cynical game of electoral put-downs, one-upmanship and one-upwomanship that keeps us all in the dark.

No one yet knows the election outcome, let alone all those pollsters who publish precise percentages. But we as voters still deserve to know the possibilities and parameters of minority government without the politicians trying to shut down the conversation in mid-campaign.

Dont underestimate Fords campaign team. Led by Harper veterans, they know how to set the agenda  whether in the recent PC leadership race or the current general election campaign.

Make no mistake, minority government is the sleeper issue in this campaign. But whats unnerving is how foolishly Fords error-prone opponents sleepwalk into his traps.

With the wind in her NDP sails, Horwath dreams of soaring into the premiers office on the wings of a majority all her own  Orange Crush reprise, Bob Rae redux. Ignoring the headwinds, Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne fantasizes about clinging to her corner office at Queens Park.

High on his own hubris, Ford grasps at a mandate from the people even before the votes are counted. Yet he knows full well Ford Nations limitations, for the more Ontarians get reacquainted with him the less they seem to like him.

Based on his public musings (and private polling), Ford is fearful of falling short. And worried, with good reason, about whether any other party would prop him up.

Would Horwaths New Democrats, whose 2018 platform is diametrically opposed to everything Ford stands for, keep him in power? What about Wynnes Liberals, whose pre-election budget is no less left-of-centre? If Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner wins a seat, hed be the last one to empower Fords Tories to end the fight against global warming.

What then? If Ford lost a vote of confidence in the legislature, he might demand fresh elections to break the deadlock  a redo.

Or the other party leaders could do the right thing  the democratic thing  and find a path forward to responsible government that respects our legislative legacy. That could mean ad hoc support for common legislative goals, a formal alliance, or a full-fledged coalition that shares cabinet seats.

On the campaign trail Wednesday, Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford said he will balance the budget and give relief to taxpayers. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says her partys first priority will be helping families. (The Canadian Press)

Either way, its not for Ford to say who governs in a minority scenario. Even as the self-proclaimed incarnation of Ford Nation, he has no innate power to declare himself the winner with a mandate from heaven or the grassroots.

In our legislature, its a simple majority of MPPs that decides the outcome. Under our constitutional form of government, its Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell who plays referee in a deadlock.

If Ford thinks the vice-regal role is elitist, he can tell it to the crown. And rewrite our constitutional rights if he dares.

This election is an unusually unpredictable three-way fight, yet all three leaders have entered into an unspoken conspiracy to never speak about its aftermath  that is, the seat count. They all want personalized blank cheques to behave as they please post-election, voters be damned.

Wishing away a minority isnt just unrealistic, its undemocratic. A minority alliance isnt illegitimate, its a parliamentary perennial, exemplified by the 1985-87 Liberal-NDP alliance (when their platforms were far less congruent than they are today).

Yes, its too early to predict a minority outcome. But its also far too early for Horwath and Wynne to do Fords bidding by going along with his anti-democratic narrative that insults the intelligence of voters.

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A month after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped in to resolve the impasse between British Columbia and Alberta over the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline his government has little to show for its efforts.

Trudeaus offer to compensate Kinder Morgan  the parent company of the pipeline  for any financial losses resulting from the opposition of the B.C .government to the project has yet to be taken.

With less than two weeks to go to a company-set deadline of May 31 to decide whether to fish or cut bait on the expansion, Kinder Morgan remains coy as to its intentions.

On Wednesday a meeting of its shareholders lasted little more than 15 minutes and featured no public discussion of the issue. In a statement, the company indicated that negotiations were ongoing.

At a Parliament Hill press conference held mere hours before the shareholders Calgary meeting and presumably designed to put pressure on Kinder Morgans board, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said if it decided to take a pass on the federal offer and walk away from the pipeline expansion he would look for another taker.

The minister seemed convinced one of Kinder Morgans competitors would be willing to overlook the deteriorating political environment that caused the company to suspend all non-essential work on the expansion earlier this year, and pick up where its original architects left off.

For notwithstanding Ottawas willingness to backstop whatever extra costs (to a yet unspecified level) could be incurred as a result of politically motivated delays, the clouds hovering over the project remain intact.

Federal pressure on B.C.s government to drop its opposition to the pipeline has yielded no positive results for the pipeline proponents. NDP Premier John Horgans government has now referred the issue of whether the province has the power to regulate the amount of diluted bitumen oil that transits through its territory to B.C.s top court. It will take months before an answer is forthcoming.

In separate litigation launched by seven Indigenous groups the Federal Court of Appeal has yet to pronounce on whether Ottawa lived up to its duty to consult the First Nations prior to giving the project the green light.

The demonstrations that have attended some of the pipeline work sites show no sign of abating. If anything, over the past month the anti-Trans Mountain movement has been picking up steam at home and abroad.

In a tweet published last week former U.S. vice-president and climate change champion Al Gore called the pipeline expansion destructive and wrote it should be stopped. Meanwhile in Quebec a large coalition of environmental and Indigenous groups have joined the fray.

Closer to the Trans Mountain battleground, Burnaby South NDP MP Kennedy Stewart  a vocal critic of the project  is launching a Vancouver mayoral run. Earlier this week he pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal contempt for having violated a court order to stay away from Kinder Morgans Burnaby facility. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May who was also arrested at the same demonstration faces a similar charge.

With only a few weeks to go before the summer adjournment of Parliament, promised federal legislation to affirm Ottawas constitutional authority to see the project through has yet to materialize.

Given their majority in the House of Commons and the support of the Conservative opposition for the pipeline project, the Liberals would have no problem rushing a bill through the House. But the same may not be true of the Senate where Indigenous advocates such as former Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission chairman Murray Sinclair vehemently oppose the expansion.

In any event, such legislation would hardly prevent the ongoing court challenges from running their course. If anything, it could open the federal government to more provincial litigation. The Quebec government, for one, has signaled its support for B.C. in its bid to have the courts affirm that the constitutional authority of the federal government to pursue infrastructure projects that it deems in the national interest provincial does not nullify the provincial right to legislate to protect the environment.

For Trudeau the most positive news on the pipeline front this past month has come in the shape of polls that found public support for the Trans Mountain expansion to be growing. But those same polls suggest that does not automatically translate into support for spending taxpayers money on keeping the pipeline project alive.

Chantal Hebert is a columnist based in Ottawa covering politics. Follow her on Twitter: @ChantalHbert

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Let me state right at the top that I think Prince Harry is a fine chap, that Meghan Markle seems like a lovely woman, that I wish the royal couple all the best on their wedding day, and that I believe Queen Elizabeth has reigned with grace.

Prince Harry greatly impressed me as I watched him close-up several times last September in Toronto during the Invictus Games, the truly fabulous annual event he founded in 2014 for wounded, injured and sick armed forces personnel.

By most accounts, Meghan will be a great member of the British royal family.

And Elizabeth has served with honour during her 66 years on the throne.

Still, I wont be getting up at 4 a.m. on Saturday to watch the royal wedding live from Windsor Castle in England.

Nor will I be celebrating Victoria Day this weekend here in Canada, a day where we are asked to honour a queen who ruled over the British Empire in the days when this country was widely viewed in London as just another colonial outpost.

Indeed, there are plenty of reasons for all Canadians to boycott the royal wedding and this weekends Victoria Day events.

While monarchists in our midst will likely be appalled by my suggestion, polls in Britain and Canada show Im far from being alone in not caring a whit about the wedding.

In Britain, more than half of those surveyed say they are totally indifferent; in Canada, 66 per cent of us arent interested in the wedding at all, according to an online poll of adults aged under 65. The survey by Ipsos MORI was part of a poll of more than 20,000 people carried out in 28 countries. Also, tens of thousands of upset Britons have signed petitions against taxpayers having to foot any wedding bills.

First among the reasons to boycott the wedding is its cost. It will be one of the worlds top 10 most expensive weddings ever, a self-indulgent bash with a wedding cake costing $87,000 and a wedding dress topping $500,000. What sort of message of greed and extravagance does that send, especially to people trying to make ends meet?

Second, such lavish weddings, as only the British can do with their over-the-top pageantry, promote an outdated fairy-tale-princess narrative in which the handsome prince sweeps a beautiful commoner off her feet and turns her into a royal lady. Is that an image todays young women should aspire to?

Third, it celebrates an anachronistic monarchy thats an affront to todays Canada. While there is almost zero chance Prince Harry will ever become king  hes already sixth in line to succeed his grandmother and falling back fast  he represents a British monarchy whose leader is, sadly, still Canadas legal head of state. Even today, the Queens image is on our stamps and coins, people still sing God Save the Queen and new citizens must swear true allegiance to the Queen.

For the same reason, we should boycott Victoria Day, a national holiday on which we are supposed to show our devotion and respect for a foreign monarch who ruled our country for decades yet never even bothered to visit. The British dont honour any foreigner, let alone a Canadian, with a special day, so why should we?

Fourth, it perpetuates a clear sentiment among the royals that they can do whatever they wish without regard for any backlash, from lavish weddings to the recent rigging of a decision by Commonwealth leaders to pick Prince Charles  as opposed to any qualified person from the entire Commonwealth  to succeed the Queen as their new head.

Fifth, its a bore, filled with tiny tidbits of gossip dredged up by besotted television hosts about whos wearing what and whos sitting where.

I know I wont be able to hide from the wedding. The media coverage will be massive, theatres are showing it on big screens and neighbourhoods are having breakfast parties.

I hope they have fun, but Ill be sleeping in on Saturday.

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VANCOUVERKhalil Mansour stood outside federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Rayboulds Vancouver constituency office Tuesday, recalling his father and mother hand-knitting fishing nets in Syria, where he grew up with his displaced family.

The Palestinian Vancouverite spoke to a crowd of several dozen people in the wake of the worst escalation of violence at the Israeli-Gaza border in years as the United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem.

Amidst the demonstrators, Mansour decried what he called Canadas complicity in human rights abuses by the Israeli government. Although protests outside Wilson-Rayboulds office have been ongoing for weeks, Tuesdays rally built steam as similar demonstrations arose across Canada.

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Before he was born, Mansour said, his Palestinian family was forced at gunpoint from their home in Tiberias, then part of the British Mandate for Palestine, now part of Israel. They were eventually moved to a UN refugee camp in Syria, where he was born and grew up.

Growing up in the camp, Mansour would ask his father why he continued to make nets so far from his fishing hometown of Tiberias.

These fishing nets, youre going to use (them) when you return back to our homes, Mansours father had told him. So you dont have to worry how to make the net, we are preparing.

The United Nations estimates some 725,000 Arabs were displaced at the time of the creation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948.

As Mansour railed Tuesday against Canadian foreign policy in the Middle East, his audience of protesters responded, Shame. He said Canadas support has aided and enabled Israels expulsion of Palestinians from their homes.

We are people who have been stolen from, Mansour said.

Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinians protesting along the border fence on Monday and the death toll had risen to at least 60 over night Tuesday, according to the New York Times, with thousands reported injured.

The killings have been condemned by Egypt, and both Turkey and South Africa have recalled ambassadors.

We are calling for a stop to the violence, a de-escalation of the violence in the region right now, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Calgary on Tuesday.

We know that the only way for that is through direct negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis to get to a two-state solution thats mutually agreed on. That is what Canada and the international community are pushing for.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland tweeted Monday she was deeply concerned by violence in Gaza Strip.

Her tweet drew ire for omitting the fact that all casualties have been Palestinian so far: All parties to the conflict have a responsibility to ensure civilians are protected, she wrote.

Freeland declined an interview, but a spokesperson from her office emailed a statement.

It is appalling and inexcusable that civilians, members of the media, first responders, and children have been among the victims, the statement read.

The Embassy of Israel in Canada declined an interview but sent a statement referencing comments from ambassador Nimrod Barkan that blamed Hamas.

Hamas, a declared terrorist organization by many countries, including Canada, is trying to hijack the future of the Palestinian people for its own nefarious ambitions and is responsible for the recent clashes at the border, Barkans statement read.

Hanna Kawas, chairperson of the Canada Palestine Association who attended Tuesdays protest in Vancouver, said Canadas backing of Israel stems from its endorsement of the 1947 partition of the Palestinian territories by the UN. That, he argued, makes Canada culpable for the deaths of Palestinians.

Canada carries complicity for our bloodbath and our dispossession, and for the refugees that now amount to seven million people living in exile, Kawas told the crowd.

Rabbi David Mivasair, a spokesperson for Independent Jewish Voices Canada, said the Palestinian people have lived with so little support for so long that protests like the one in Gaza are their only option.

Those people there are absolutely desperate, Mivasair said, adding he believes the protests in Gaza are grassroots and not being directed by Hamas.

What youre seeing in Gaza is tens of thousands of people willing to die, he said. They have tried everything  None of its getting them justice, equality.

Mansour said despite the lack of action from the Canadian government on behalf of his people, he and his family would not give up hope.

He said he continues to carry deeds and titles to his fathers home in Tiberias and will pass them on to his son if he is unable to return to his familys former land himself.

The people of Palestine, he said, will be free.

With files from Mary Getaneh The Star Calgary

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LANGLEY, B.C.As the mighty Fraser River continues to rise, fears of flooding in the valley east of Vancouver are also increasing, prompting authorities to issue evacuation alerts and orders in several low-lying areas.

The river, which flows 1,375 kilometres from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Georgia, reached 5.5 metres early Tuesday at Mission, B.C., where one of several gauges used to monitor the water level is located.

In response, the Township of Langley issued an evacuation alert for 260 properties in Glen Valley, West Langley and Fort Langley, while the City of Chilliwack, further east, ordered the residents of three properties to evacuate.

At the same time, thousands of people in south central B.C. remain under evacuation orders and alerts, including people in the Grand Forks region, who are bracing for a second flood surge after experiencing extreme flooding last week.

Meanwhile, the residents of the Grants Landing house boat community were facing a different set of challenges presented by the Frasers swift current.

Logs, branches and other dangerous debris have been barreling down the Fraser River for the past few days, carried by surging freshet waters as the past winters snow pack continues to melt.

On Tuesday morning, Jim Scarff steered hard against the Fraser River current, his little tugboat nearly capsizing, as it strained to free a giant log jammed against one of the houseboats.

The log that weve been trying for three days to pull out is probably 60 feet long. Its waterlogged. The rivers running so fast that its almost impossible, said Susan Grant, whose father is a co-owner of the marina, which hugs the banks of the Fraser River and is home to about 65 people.

As the spring runoff swells the river, the debris coming downstream towards Grant's Landing has been getting worse. On Monday night another log  nearly an entire tree  slammed into Darlene Korotva and Bill Hackwells house.

The logs are more than just a nuisance.

They get caught underneath, Grant said. If they come up underneath they could put a hole in the house and then your house sinks.

With more warm weather expected experts are warning that the Fraser could get up to a metre higher than it is now.

That would put it close to 2012 levels, when evacuation orders were issued for some areas along the riverbanks, including Grants Landing.

If it goes higher, we could even lose our ramp coming down from the parking lot, Korotva said, adding she expects the road out to be flooded at some point.

Currently, officials are predicting the river could reach six metres by Friday and peak around 6.6 metres by the early or middle part of next week, according to an update released Tuesday by the District of Mission.

In the Fraser Valley, the dike system is the first line of flood defence for low-lying areas, said Steve Litke, a senior manager with the Fraser Basin Council.

The council is working with various governments and agencies on a Lower Mainland Flood Strategy and one of their first initiatives was an assessment of the areas dike system. That assessment found the majority of dikes in the region dont meet existing standards, which were raised in 2007, Litke said.

And some areas are worse off than others, including the rural area east of Mission, B.C. where many of the dikes are substandard, meaning they couldnt withstand a once-in 200-year flood.

If the river reaches 6.5 metres at the Mission gauge, as it is expected to by the middle of next week, several areas, including Nicomen Island, are also likely to be placed under evacuation alert, officials with the Fraser Valley Regional District said Tuesday afternoon. Evacuation orders would follow if the river level climbed above 7.2 metres at the Mission gauge.

If the Fraser River reaches the level of the 1948 flood, which registered at 7.4 metres on the Mission gauge, the entire North Nicomen community could be submerged, said Tareq Islam, the regional districts director of engineering and community services.

That doesnt seem likely at this point, but it all depends on Mother Nature, he said.

The warm weather, which is causing the snowpack to melt rapidly, is expected to continue and in 1948 that was followed by heavy rains, said Al Stobbart, a board director, with the Fraser Valley Regional District, representing electoral area G, which includes Nicomen Island.

If flooding occurs, the first concern will be for the residents, Stobbart said, but there are also thousands of cattle in the area, which is home to a large dairy industry.

In 1948 they used the Deroche school yard for holding all the cattle but there was only 800 at that time, he said.

Most farmers have some plans to move cattle quickly if they need to and both the province and the regional district are there are to help, he said, noting livestock trucks can be brought in quickly to move livestock to higher ground if needed.

The district has also secured a $10.5 million grant to shore up the dike system on Nicomen Island. That will in some cases mean new pump systems that help drain water that gathers on the wrong side of the dikes as the whole water table rises during the spring melt.

It would cost $100 million to raise every dike in the area, Islam said, so the $10.5 million will be used to address the more vulnerable areas.

Securing the full funding needed to address the weaknesses in the dike system is an issue across the Fraser Valley, Litke said. As part of the regional flood strategy, they are looking at other flood mitigation options, but in areas where dike improvements are deemed the best option, more resources will be needed.

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VANCOUVERAlan Dutton is still $4,000 in debt from when he was taken to court by Kinder Morgan for speaking out against the Burnaby Mountain project in 2014.

Its a small chunk compared to the thousands the retired professor has paid off in legal fees so far, for defending himself in court against allegations that he defamed Kinder Morgan through posts on Facebook and comments to the press as a spokesperson for Burnaby Residents Opposing Kinder Morgan Expansion.

Simply because of my vocal opposition to the project and my writing, I was sued for $5.6 million, Dutton said. It cost me tens of thousands to defend myself in court.

Dutton was one of five people sued by Kinder Morgan for defamation, and he was the only one who continued to fight them in court over what he believed was a lawsuit intended to silence opposition to the project.

Now, legislation has been introduced to prevent people like Dutton from racking up legal bills for expressing dissenting opinions on matters of public interest. On Tuesday, the province introduced the Protection of Public Participation Act, which is meant to protect against costly and unfair lawsuits that can silence critics. These lawsuits are commonly known as strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPP suits, and a case is usually identified as a SLAPP when it involves a powerful group that uses legal action to have silencing effect on dissenting opinions.

Dutton, as well as free speech organizations, are expressing relief that the legislation is being introduced.

I am so happy, along with all the other people who have been charged, that constitutional charter rights for freedom to protest is going to be protected in B.C., said Dutton.

While the Burnaby case is thought to be one of B.C.s most high profile SLAPPs, there have been many others. Josh Paterson, executive director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA), said that due to the silencing nature of these types of litigation, it is impossible to know the full impact of SLAPP suits on free expression.

A lot of this happens underneath the nose of public and media, Paterson said. He said that a lot of these cases start with people receiving threatening letters from lawyers, and while they dont always end up in court, it has an overall silencing effect.

Ive spoken to many people who are afraid to get involved, to write letters to the editor, to speak up at city council, he said. Thats just unacceptable in a democracy.

It is the first time in 17 years that anti-SLAPP legislation is being considered by the provincial government. The BCCLA, along with other groups and advocates of free expression, have been calling for this since 2001, when similar legislation was enacted by the NDP, but was repealed just five months later by the incoming BC Liberal government.

B.C. Attorney General David Eby said the proposed legislation will allow for greater freedom of expression in the province because defendants can bring up the possibility of a SLAPP at the start of trial.

You can go through a multi-year court action and win, but thats not available to many people because its expensive, Eby said. This gives people who are sued some chance to go to court to say you are trying to promote public interest.

Read more:

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Under the proposed act, defendants will not have to prove that the intent of the legal case against them was to silence them  just that it had a silencing effect.

For many people theres not a smoking gun, theres nothing on paper that says were suing this person to shut them up ... but that is the effect of the legal threat, Eby said.

But the bill wont protect against all forms of protest, only things you may say or write, Eby said.

If passed, the act would make B.C. only the third province to have anti-SLAPP laws, after Ontario and Quebec.

Dutton is hoping that the federal government will eventually introduce national legislation against SLAPPs.

National protection is so important  seven provinces dont have any protections, he said. And when freedom of expression is denied people have fewer options.

Cherise Seucharan is a Vancouver-based reporter covering health and safety/youth. Follow her on Twitter: cseucharan

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VANCOUVERAfsaneh Rafighi was attending school in Germany when she received the news she was admitted to Newfoundlands Memorial University for a masters program in computer science.

The Iranian national made the decision to pick up her life and move to Canada. There, she thought, shed have a better chance at being quickly accepted into society, building her career and settling down to life with her husband, Mojtaba Prodel.

I got my visa for Canada and I just quit my program and I came to Canada because of the expectations that I had at that point: that you can start your family easier here, you can come here as a couple and then you can build your home, she said.

Rafighi was right about kick-starting her career in this country. After graduating from Memorial, she and Prodel settled in Vancouver, where shes been working as a computer scientist since January 2016. Acceptance as a permanent resident in Canada has been harder to come by.

Rafighi and Prodel applied for permanent residency in March 2017 under the Express Entry program. The standard processing time for that application is six months, but the couple are still waiting. While they do, Prodel, who was admitted to the British Columbia Institute of Technology, has to pay international student fees.

Data collected by the Canadian Iranian Congress shows the processing times for permanent residency applications for hundreds of highly skilled Iranian nationals was up to double the length of time taken to approve permanent residency applications for people from other countries.

Jenny Kwan, the NDP immigration critic and Vancouver East MP, said the delay for Iranian nationals was wrong, and called on the federal government to process all the outstanding applications for Iranian nationals within 30 days, as well as identify the reasons for the delays.

Beatrice Fenelon, a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, said in an email that the department is committed to a fair and non-discriminatory application of immigration procedures while protecting the safety and security of Canadians.

Fenelon said standard processing times are based on 80 per cent of applications, and that the remaining 20 per cent could be delayed due to outstanding information and how long it takes to be verified.

Kwan called the length of time Iranian nationals wait for their applications to be decided  up to 30 months depending on the type of application  unreasonable, since applicants may have to put international travel on hold and apply for a limited selection of jobs until the applications are processed.

I think it calls into question Canadas own immigration system if this is allowed to continue, she told a press conference on Tuesday, accompanied by seven Iranian nationals awaiting permanent residency applications, and a Canadian employer.

Eric Wasmund, global managing director of Eriez Flotation Division, called Canadas openness to hiring skilled people from around the world a major competitive advantage.

We all understand that there has to be some vetting of applicants he said. But when that period of time becomes unreasonable, it becomes a de facto blockade.

Vancouvers labour market is currently tight, with the unemployment rate below 5 per cent. Employers, especially in technology and engineering fields, report difficulty finding and retaining talent.

That leaves longtime employees of Canadian companies such as Mahdi Mehr, who works for Wasmund, feeling especially left behind.

Mehr came to Vancouver in 2013, where he has studied at Simon Fraser University and started an environmental tech company, before beginning work at Eriez.

While he was looking for work, he had to limit his search to companies that didnt require employees to have permanent residency. And when he bought a condo, he had to pay a foreign buyers tax.

We can bring a lot of opportunity to Canada, Mehr said. All of us that are here  we have the same issue.

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VANCOUVERB.C. could sue Alberta in that provinces own courts if a bill passed in Edmonton on Wednesday afternoon becomes law.

The nearly unanimous vote by Alberta MLAs of both major parties gave Premier Rachel Notley the authority to shut off the oil flow west, the latest salvo in an ongoing legal war over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

A letter from B.C. Attorney General David Eby on Wednesday to his Albertan counterpart alleged the legislation is beyond the powers of the Alberta Legislature and would be a clear violation of Canadas constitution.

This attempt to restrict the flow of refined fuels, crude oil and natural gas across the Alberta-B.C. border is intended to punish the residents of B.C., reads the letter, addressed to Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley and verified as authentic. Eby warned that unless she asks a court to weigh in on the legislation, B.C. will launch its own lawsuit in an Alberta courtroom to do it for them.

In the absence of such a commitment, Eby wrote, I intend to instruct counsel to bring an action challenging its constitutional validity in the courts of Alberta.

No B.C. lawsuit against Alberta has yet been filed, but in an interview Eby said he would not wait for the oil taps to be shut before acting.

Once it receives royal assent, Alberta should expect well challenge their law, he said. We wont wait for Alberta to use this law with an unconstitutional axe hanging over our heads.

Well take them to court if theyre not willing to send this to court themselves  to resolve this issue.

Political scientist Richard Johnston said while Alberta might simply be calling a bluff on B.C.s claims its own environmental review of the pipeline is constitutional, it strikes him as an odd way for Edmonton to go about it.

It seems its logically inconsistent that Alberta is saying B.C. does not have the right to do what its doing, while Albertas position is just as hypocritical as B.C.s is, Johnston said. I would be really surprised if Alberta actually used these powers  I assume the oil patch is not massively pleased with this, they do have sales they want to make.

Basically, Notley is trying to buy herself cover because of the heat Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party is bringing  Notley is doing what she can to prove shes tough enough to deal with B.C.

Horgans legal threat comes a day ahead of B.C. business organization leaders flying to Edmonton to express their support for Kinder Morgans federally and provincially approved project, which would nearly triple the flow of diluted bitumen to the coast.

B.C. Liberal Opposition Leader Andrew Wilkinson lambasted the NDP government, calling its battle with Alberta reckless and harmful to taxpayers, and risked shattering investors confidence in B.C.

Horgan risks the economic future of B.C. to hold on to power, he said in a statement. B.C. taxpayers are going to be the ones paying for the ineptitude of John Horgan and the NDP government.

Read more:

B.C. politics experts debate if pipeline feud really a constitutional crisis

The other end of the Trans Mountain pipeline: As B.C. protests, an Alberta hamlet hopes

A lot of strategic stupidity. Experts not surprised by pipeline pull back

B.C. still waiting on last months request for its Court of Appeal to rule on whether regulating the Kinder Morgan pipeline on environmental grounds is constitutionally allowed.

Earlier in the day Wednesday, the federal government announced it will provide indemnity to investors for losses incurred by delays on the Trans Mountain project  a move praised by Notley.

Albertans have the right to choose how our energy is shipped, so that Alberta gets the best return possible, Notley said Wednesday. Bill 12 gives us that power.

B.C.s own promise to prevent Kinder Morgan from increasing its current oil flow is considered legally murky by many experts. Alberta has argued the move was unconstitutional and that it is simply defending its interests.

In earlier interviews, most constitutional scholars agreed it is against the constitution to stymie any interprovincial pipeline or to shut off an export to another province as punishment. But a province is allowed to regulate for its environment within its boundaries.

Ultimately, according to UBC law professor Joel Bakan, only the Supreme Court of Canada can decide  and he believes B.C. could come out on top.

Either way, at some point the issue will be determined by the Supreme Court of Canada, he said in an earlier interview. Obviously, Horgans got good legal staff and is taking a position he feels he can defend ultimately in court if he has to.

I think hes on strong ground.

With files from StarMetro Edmonton

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Two conflict of interest complaints filed against Hector Bremner by party members who oppose him were behind the Non-Partisan Associations decision to reject their own city councillor as a mayoral candidate, according to an open letter Bremners campaign manager published today.

Mike Wilson, Bremners campaign manager, said the NPA board stated they believed Bremner is inherently conflicted because of his work as a public relations executive.

Justin Fung and Raza Mirza, the two NPA members who filed the conflict of interest complaints, support Glen Chernen for mayor. Chernen is an accountability activist who has unsuccessfully sued the City of Vancouver and Mayor Gregor Robertson over city land deals, a conflict of interest allegation against Robertson and an allegation Robertson should have been disqualified from running in the 2014 election.

Chernen, park board commissioner John Coupar and entrepreneur Ken Sim are the three candidates who will be proceeding in the NPA mayoral nomination process.

On May 7, after learning the NPA board had nixed his bid to run for an NPA mayoral nomination, Bremner accused an unnamed candidate of stacking the board against him.

NPA president Gregory Baker has challenged Bremner to make public a May 13 letter to Bremner outlining the reasons why he was rejected. But in his letter today, Mike Wilson, Bremners campaign manager, declined to make that letter public, saying he had no interest in publishing misinformation.

Fung and Mirza are members of a housing activist group, Housing Action for Local Taxpayers, which advocates for measures to stem real estate demand, especially for foreign buyers. They have each submitted a conflict of interest complaint against Bremner.

Mirza has complained that because Bremners employer, the PACE Group, counts several large real estate developers as clients, Bremner should not have taken part in several city council discussions around land use planning.

Fung has complained that Bremner should have recused himself from a vote to refer a council decision on liquor bylaws to public hearing, because Bremner had lobbied on behalf of the BC Wine Industry and the Overwaitea Food Group to other municipal governments several years before he was elected to Vancouver city council.

All of Chernens supporters claims are without merit and have been timed to coincide with this very process, Wilson wrote.

Bremner and several of his supporters who plan to run for council believe Vancouvers housing problems can be addressed by adding more housing supply, and loosening zoning in single-family neighbourhoods to allow for denser development.

The real motive for these complaints is a public policy difference, Wilson wrote.

According to Wilson, one of the reasons Baker gave for the boards rejection of Bremner was that the candidate waffled on a question related to the central campaign and centralized campaign branding.

Wilson went on to say: We do believe  that all candidates should be able to stand behind their policies, and not just be carted out to say what they are told behind closed doors by people who are not running for office themselves.

The Non-Partisan Association could not immediately be reached for comment. Through a spokesperson, Bremner declined to comment for this story.

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NICOMEN ISLANDFarmers along the banks of the lower Fraser River were preparing for possible flooding Wednesday as water levels on the iconic river continued to rise.

On Barnston Island, located between Pitt Meadows and Surrey B.C., farmers moved livestock to safer ground after Metro Vancouver officials issued an evacuation alert for the island that morning. Further east, on Nicomen Island just outside of Mission, dairy farmer Sydney Stoker was hopeful he wouldnt have to do the same.

Its a stronger possibility than I would like, he said.

The Mission gauge, one of several locations where the Fraser River levels are monitored, was at 5.7 metres on Wednesday morning and officials expect it could reach six metres by Friday and 6.6 metres by the middle of next week.

Floodwaters continue to rise elsewhere in the province as well, including in Grand Forks in south-central B.C., where extreme flooding has forced thousands from their homes. On Thursday morning, federal Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale confirmed the Canadian Armed Forces tropps are deploying to affected areas to provide assistance.

The province has committed to match donations to the Red Cross up to $20 million to help those affected by the flooding.

On Wednesday, Premier John Horgan and MLAs from all three parties toured areas already affected or at risk of flooding in the Fraser Valley.

We stand together united to make sure that we leave no stone unturned, no sandbag unfilled and whatever resources are needed we all commit to make sure that theyre there for the people in the region, Horgan told reporters.

While there is a higher degree of confidence that the region will not experience the same level of flooding seen at other periods in the last 70 years, risk remains as higher-than-normal temperatures could continue to force a rapid melt of the snowpack. Any rain could pose a further challenge.

On Nicomen Island, 72 of Stokers 177-acres are outside the dike system and hes already seeing some flooding. With the Fraser River about to crest the bank he and his oldest son Matthew were scrambling to harvest as much grass feed as they could for their dairy cows Wednesday afternoon.

This is the first time Ive ever cut grass at 21 days, Stoker said, standing on the banks of the river, eyes to his field. Normally, hed wait until 28 days, but even waiting until Thursday it could be too late.

Hes already lost some of the crop from water seeping up through the ground. If the whole crop went under it would mean $20,000 to $30,000 in losses.

Stoker bought this farm in 1991. It flooded in 1997, in 1999, in 2007 and then again in 2012.

While the water levels were about eight inches from flooding the barn in 2007, he evacuated his cows just in case. Hes hopeful he wont have to do it again, but it depends on the weather. If the temperatures stay a bit cooler that will help, but heavy rains could force his hand.

Stoker has roughly 160 cows in a barn outside dike protection and evacuating them carries its own set of risks, including injury.

The biggest challenge is trying to do it in such a way that the animals dont get too excited, he said.

While most herds are well vaccinated, theres always the risk of exposing his animals to disease if theyre mixed with another herd. It can also mean a drop in milk production.

In 2007 Stoker was able to move his herd to a property in Matsqui where another farmer had room. If he has to evacuate them this year, hell start by moving them to his land inside the dike.

But the dikes are substandard. The Fraser Valley Regional District has a $10.5 million grant to upgrade some of them on Nicomen Island but it would cost $100 million to get them all up to par.

If one of those dikes breached it would put their property inside the dike at risk too and leave them little time to get the cows out.

Lets put it this way, there would be a lot of cows making a trip across Deroche, Stoker said.

At this point, Stoker is doing what he can to prepare for whats to come and is hopeful this years freshet along the lower Fraser wont be as bad as whats happening elsewhere.

In south-central B.C., which has experienced the worst of the flooding so far, emergency response workers in Grand Forks are worn out and need help, said Roly Russell, the chair of the Kootenay Boundary Regional District.

Its awful whats going on here, Russell said. Were bearing with it, but people are exhausted.

In total Russell estimates that roughly 100 homes have so far been lost for good to the flooding, with 3,000 people still under evacuation.

The request (for military support) has gone up the chain of command. Hopefully someone on the other side of the country hears what we need, Russell said.

Read more:

As Fraser River rages, floods arent the only concern

Photos: B.C. towns battling floods, as new surge predicted

'It's up to the window sills': St. John residents in at-risk areas urged to evacuate as historic flooding predicted

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Editors note: This story contains details of a disturbing subject matter and may not be suitable for some readers.

EDWARDSVILLE  An expert testified Tuesday that the video-recorded interview of a 3-year-old alleged victim of a rape was not reliable because of repeated questions posed to the child before the interview.

In my opinion, the interview was rendered unreliable because of the questioning she was subjected to beforehand, Kamala London, of the University of Toledo, testified.

London is a professor and researcher in the field of forensic developmental psychology and testified in the sexual assault trial of Michael S. Burgund, 35, formerly of Alton and currently of Bethalto. She said continual questions by the victims grandmother, Mary Buttry, created an atmosphere of suspicion.

Burgund is charged with six counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. He is accused of acts of sexual penetration on household members, children ages 1 and 3, in April 2011. The jury last week viewed a video in which the older child told of the defendant having performed acts of sexual penetration on herself and her younger sister. The older child also testified last week and identified Burgund as her attacker.

London also cast doubt on the concept that the victim was communicating accurately when she pointed to her private parts and said Dada. The professor said the utterance was more likely babble.

London said she reviewed transcripts and a video of the alleged victims interview but did not talk directly to any person associated with the case. On cross-examination, she said her expertise is based on laboratory experiments, rather than work in the field.

On cross-examination London acknowledged that her report did not take in to consideration that the defendant had confessed in great detail. His statement was certainly a piece of the puzzle, London testified.

She said she did not consider the testimony of the family doctor, Dr. Laura Hill, who said she reported the two alleged victims had been molested, based on repeated examinations before Burgund was arrested and charged in April 2011.

London also said she was paid a total of $6,000 for about 20 hours of work on the case.

The jury also heard testimony from the defendants mother, Donna Burgund, who said she was concerned about the fact that the defendants wife, Melissa Buttry, had become pregnant before they got married.

Donna Burgund testified she insisted the couple get married as soon as possible to avoid hurting the feelings of others, who did not agree with marriage out of wedlock. She said that Melissa Buttry became unfriendly after she insisted on an early wedding.

She also testified that, after her sons arrest, she took it upon herself to do extensive research on the case and put out a call for anyone who knew anything bad about Melissa Buttry to come forward. She also admitted she paid the expenses of some of the witnesses who came to testify on behalf of the defense.

Further, Donna Burgund said that her son is living with her, and she is paying his expenses. She has posted $100,000 cash bond to free her son from the Madison County Jail.

She testified she had not seen all of the video of her sons confession, nor had she seen the medical reports from Dr. Hill.

The defense has more witnesses to call, including an expert from California, who will be examined via video. The trial will last beyond Wednesday before Circuit Judge Kyle Napp.

Reach reporter Sanford Schmidt at 618-208-6449.
BETHALTO  The Bethalto Jaycees are gearing up for their big annual event, the Jaycee Country Fair.

The event, which will run from Thursday to Sunday in the villages Central Park, will feature carnival rides, nightly musical talent and an array of vendors and food stands.

It raises money to help the community out, Tab Roberson, a Jaycee Senator who organized the event, said. Thats basically what we do it for.

Roberson, who pointed out that the 40-year tradition is designed to appeal to the whole community, said that there is something for everyone.

From the kid who is big enough to ride a ride, to age 90, he said. Weve got all kinds of stuff up there for everybody.

The event, in the past, has drawn between 5,000 and 8,000 people.

One of the biggest draws, Roberson said, is the musical talent that appears on stage every night.

We have a live band every night, he said. Thursday is called Hobo Jungle, Friday night is Brittney and the Bombers, Saturday night is Blackwater Revival, and Sunday is Flipside.

The bands are all local talent, coming from within a 50 miles radius, Roberson said, and were booked months ahead of time  as soon as the organizers knew what dates the carnival rides would be available.

The fair, which will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., has several times set aside when children can purchase wrist bands, allowing them to enjoy an unlimited number or rides for several hours, rather than having to purchase individuals tickets. The times when wrist bands can be used are Thursday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

You pay one price, and for four hours you ride, Roberson said. Its way cheaper that way.

For anyone who has never experienced the fair before, Roberson said that with the range of attractions, it is time to give it a try.

Weve got a little bit of everything, he said. Just come on and check it out. If you come at night time, you get to listen to a band.
For the Telegraph

EDWARDSVILLE  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Police Chief Kevin Schmoll will be honored for his minority hiring practices at the Edwardsville NAACP annual banquet at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 3 in the Morris University Centers Meridian Ballroom.

Schmoll has implemented the Universitys commitment to a diverse work force and an inclusive community by adding four officers of color to the department during the past two years. Schmoll started a mentoring program where he advises African American and other SIUE criminal justice students to guide them through the hiring and testing process to become a law enforcement officer.
ALTON  U.S. Marshals Service deputies returned to the greater Alton area Tuesday, arresting three men on outstanding warrants and taking nine people into custody for probable cause in ongoing investigations.

At one undisclosed location, the deputies, with assistance from local police, took seven people into custody for probable cause and confiscated some illegal narcotics.

The warrant sweep and other arrests were in Alton, East Alton and Bethalto.

Tom Woods, a U.S. Marshals deputy from the Southern District of Illinois office based in East St. Louis, identified the following three men who the federal authorities arrested on warrants:

 William Kavanaugh, 33, arrested in the 700 block of East Sixth Street, Alton; warrant was for burglary out of Madison County.

 Preston S. Floyd, 30, arrested in the 500 block of Sixth Street, Bethalto; warrant was for failure to register as a sexual offender from Madison County. The Illinois State Police Sex Offender website lists Floyd as a sexual predator, whose victim was 13 years old at time of the offense, and that he formerly lived in the 900 block of Main Street in Alton.

 Steven L. Copenhaver, 27, arrested at a business where he is employed in the 600 block of Landmarks Boulevard, Alton; warrant for burglary out of Madison County.

Last Friday, U.S. Marshals Service was in Alton to execute a federal arrest warrant on Anthony L. Shanklin, 26, at a house in the 700 block of East Sixth Street in Alton. The warrant was for felon in possession of a firearm.

He also was wanted on warrants for state charges of manufacturing/delivery of 30-500 grams of cannabis; felon in possession/use of a firearm; and armed habitual criminal.

Reach Linda N. Weller at 618-208-6450 or on Twitter @Linda_Weller
Academy Award-winning actor Gary Oldman is all set to write, direct and feature in his passion project currently titled Flying Horse.

The 60-year-old actor is returning to filmmaking over 20 years after he made his directorial debut with Nil By Mouth, Deadline reported.

Oldman will play famous photographer Eadweard Muybridge, a pioneer of motion pictures who had a troubled past. Muybridge murdered his wife's lover and is later acquitted by a jury for justifiable homicide.

Doug Urbanski and Tucker Tooley are attached as producers.

"We long to make good movies, and that means good stories-and there are few stories as good as these events.

"Launching the first feature from our newly formed production company, Flying Studios, with Tucker makes the entire thing very special for us. We could not wish for a more supportive or collaborative partner," Oldman and Urbanski said in a joint statement.

Fellow producer Tooley added, "This project has been a passion of Gary's for some time, and I am thrilled to reunite with him to bring this compelling story to the big screen."

The announcement comes after Oldman's Best Actor Oscar win for Darkest Hour this year.

His Nil By Mouth premiered at Cannes 1997 and received 11 BAFTA nods, leading to Best British Film and Best Screenplay wins.
Two bodies have been recovered so far from a boat that sank in the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district on Tuesday even as a rescue operation is under way, police said on Wednesday.

As the boat got stuck in the sand of the riverbed at least 40 feet below the surface, and with all its doors and windows closed, extricating the bodies trapped inside is proving cumbersome, a senior official involved in the rescue operation said.

Besides personnel of the Indian Navy, personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Fire Services, revenue and police departments were carrying out the search and rescue operation as over 30 passengers travelling in the boat were said to be missing.

However, there was no clarity on the exact number of people missing, with conflicting claims made by government authorities.

At least 13 persons swam to safety on Tuesday after the boat capsized because of strong winds, West Godavari Superintendent of Police Ravi Prakash said.

"As per the information we gathered from the witnesses, more than 30 persons are still missing," he told TV channels.

The boat, with about 40 passengers, was on its way to Rajamahendravaram from Devipatnam when tragedy struck near Manturu village, a release said, quoting officials as having told Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Of them, 20 passengers got off at Manturu village while the boat continued its onward journey to Rajamahendravaram with the remaining passengers, the release issued by the Information and Public Relations Department commissioner said.

The passengers belonged to Kondamodalu, Kachluru and Talluru villages.

Helicopters from Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, carrying expert divers, reached Devipatnam on Wednesday morning and began an aerial survey to trace the boat.

They finally located the boat after more than five hours of search but pulling it out proved to be a daunting task, officials involved in the rescue operation said.

Divers then got into the act to extricate the bodies of the passengers by breaking open the glass windows.

They could initially retrieve only two bodies, who were identified as villagers of Kondamodalu.
An AIIMS campus in Devipur block in Deoghar district of Jharkhand, a Central university for Andhra Pradesh, a National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation at Bhopal and an integrated multi-model industrial hub in Nangal Chaudhary village of Haryana were among the decisions approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday.

The CCEA also approved a new policy on biofuels, revised the budget for the implementation of the network for spectrum for the armed forces by Rs 11,330 crore and approved the initial corpus of Rs 5,000 crore as a 'micro-irrigation fund' to be extended to the states through NABARD.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shanker Prasad said the greenfield AIIMS campus will have a 750-bed hospital, a trauma centre and a medical college that will take in 100 students every year and a nursing college that will admit 60 students. The 237 acres for this institution will be given by the state government. The new AIIMS will be completed in 45 months, Prasad said.

The Central University of Andhra Pradesh will be built by the human resources development ministry through the UGC. An initial allocation of Rs 902.07 crore has been made by the cabinet.

The Nangal Chaudhary project is part of the "freight villages" required for the 1,504km of the Delhi-Mumbai Integrated Corridor, a prized infrastructure project. While the Haryana government will arrange the land, the Centre has allocated Rs 1,029.49 crore for the first phase of the hub in Nangal Chaudhary village.

The new biofuels policy expands the scope of raw materials for ethanol and encourages setting up of supply chain mechanisms for biodiesel production from non-edible oilseeds. According to the law minister, the policy is expected to held save forex to the tune of Rs 4,000 crore in the current year, and provide a cleaner environment. This policy, Prasad said, recognised the government's intent to reduce import of fuel by 10 per cent by 2022.

The cabinet also approved the signing of a milestone agreement between India and Brunei Darussalam for exchange of information and assistance in collection, with respect to taxes."This will lead to automatic exchange of information, which will be treated as confidential. Both the countries will pass the necessary laws," said Prasad, adding that the government had got into similar agreements with Mauritius and Cyprus earlier.
The Centre on Wednesday accepted Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's request for suspension of operations in Kashmir during Ramzan.

The home ministry said in a statement that the Centre asked security forces not to launch operations in Jammu & Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan. It noted that this decision was taken to help people observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment.

Security forces reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if necessary to protect the lives of innocent people. Government expects everyone to cooperate with this initiative and help the Muslim brothers and sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties, the statement further said.

It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror,'' the home ministry noted.

The appeal for ceasefire in the month of Ramzan was made by Mufti after an all-party meeting was convened to discuss the situation in Kashmir. After the meeting, the chief minister claimed that all parties agreed to appeal to the government of India for a ceasefire on the occasions of Eid and Amarnath Yatra on the lines Atal Bihari Vajpayee's unilateral ceasefire in 2002 so that people get some relief.

She pointed out that the encounters and search operation are causing a lot of inconveniences to people.

''As Ramzan and Yatra are coming, we must try to take steps that will help restore the confidence of people of the state,'' she said, adding, ''An atmosphere needs be to created in which Eid as well as the Yatra pass peacefully.''

However, BJP's J&K spokesman Sunil Sethi in a press conference that a unilateral ceasefire is not in the national interest under the present circumstances.

''Militants are holed up and they are cornered. In this situation, talking about unilateral ceasefire (is not feasible),'' Sethi said. ''On this issue, BJP doesn't share the opinion that unilateral ceasefire should be declared.

Mufti had also failed to win the support of opposition the National Conference and the Congress on the question of a ceasefire in Kashmir.

She had also suggested that members of all political parties should meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and request him for ceasefire in Kashmir.

The request for ceasefire in Kashmir received support from Concerned Citizens Group, inclduing former Union minister Yashwant Sinha and former chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah. The group said it strongly endorses the joint demand of the political parties of Jammu and Kashmir for a ceasefire during the sacred month of Ramzan.

"The security forces must observe the ceasefire strictly and should fire only when fired upon," it said.

The group said the government of India must, in the meanwhile, initiate a purposeful dialogue with all stakeholders in a time-bound manner.

The suspension of operations reprieve came as a huge relief to Mufti and her party, the PDP, which is in the eye of a storm over continued civilian and militant killings.

The PDP, which won the public support in the late 90s for endorsing the demand for an end to abuse by security forces, is finding increasingly in the dock for presiding over continued civilian deaths in the state.

The acceptance of Mufti's request for suspension of operations will help the party to shift the blame of ending the cycle of killings on militants.
The Congress- Janata Dal (Secular) alliance on Wednesday submitted relevant documents to Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, stating that they have numbers to form government in the state.

The chief ministerial candidate of the alliance, H.D. Kumaraswamy told reporters, "We have submitted the necessary documents which show that we have the numbers required to form the government. He (governor of Karnataka) promised he will consider according to the Constitution."

Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar said none of the elected MLAs backed out, and the alliance continues to hold majority.

"Governor has assured that he will take action as per the Constitution. We have full faith in him that he will not do injustice. We have our numbers, not even a single member has moved out. We will not allow any such thing to happen," Shivakumar told reporters.

Earlier in the day, signatures of JD(S) and Congress MLAs were taken in support of Kumaraswamy, which was to be submitted before the governor.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committeee (KPCC) president G. Parameshwara and Kumaraswamy had been waiting since noon to get an appointment with Governor Vala, as told by senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Meanwhile, the BJP, which emerged as the single largest party in the assembly elections, submitted a letter to the governor in the morning, claiming to form the government.

As the results of the poll in the state have left Karnataka with a hung assembly, the final decision will be taken by the governor.

Results of the Karnataka assembly polls, announced on Tuesday evening, showed that the BJP won 104 seats, emerging as the single largest party, while the Congress and JD(S) bagged 78 and 37 seats, respectively.

Soon after, the Congress announced that it would support the JD (S), taking their total seat share to 117, thus resulting in a fractured mandate.
The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite...
BlueRock sells 7.1 ct diamond for $64.8k BlueRock Diamonds, which owns and operates the Kareevlei Diamond Mine in South Africa, has sold a 7.1 carat stone for $64,826 in the September tender.

Six suspected illegal miners killed in South Africas North West Six suspected illegal miners known as zama zamas were killed and 35 arrested after an attack on security guards at an unnamed mine in North West.

Mountain Province Diamonds announced change in executive leadership Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. announced that the company and Stuart Brown, its president and chief executive officer, have reached a mutual decision that Brown will depart the company, effective immediately.

Opsydia advances new technology of diamond identification Opsydia announced they can now place permanent identifiers in melee diamonds without affecting their surface polish. Its an important advancement for volume manufactures to secure their supply chain and protect it from undisclosed synthetics.
Union Minister for Oil and Petroleum Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda will attend a party meeting here in Karnataka on Wednesday as Bharatiya Janata Party's observers.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at 11 am on Wednesday to discuss the state assembly election results announced a day before.

The BJP which managed to gain a hold on 104 seats has emerged as the single largest party but has failed to cross the half-way mark of 112 in the 224-member assembly.

On the other hand, Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), with 78 and 38 seats respectively, are staking claim to form a government in the state.

On Tuesday, outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah even said JD (S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, son of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, will be the next chief minister.

Further, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa said he is going to meet the state's governor to request him to allow his party to form the government.

All eyes are now set on Karnataka's Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala. As per the constitutional provision, the single-largest party is invited to form the government in the case of a fractured mandate.
Even as all eyes stayed glued to the twists and turns in the counting of votes and political parleys in Karnataka on Tuesday evening, a tweet by Kerala Tourism seemingly stole the limelight. The since-deleted tweet, which invited all Karnataka MLAs to unwind at the safe and beautiful resorts of Kerala, appeared to be tongue-in-cheek at first glance.

However, it may not just have been merely a marketing strategy to sell Kerala's beaches and hills in Karnataka, a state which made 'resort' politics a staple in India's history. Kerala Tourism is a government-run organisation and Kerala currently happens to have a Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by the CPI(M), and with the JD(S) as a small partner.

The high possibility of resort politics in Karnataka remains even as the JD(S) officially denies it, with media reports on Wednesday claiming the party may send its MLAs to Kochi to prevent them from being 'poached' by the BJP. Both the Congress and JD(S) have accused the BJP of approaching their MLAs.

The need for a 'friendly' government to host MLAs matters particularly as police security may be necessary and the Congress seemingly has few options to offer on that front, with just three far-flung states in its control. Ironically, a resort in Bengaluru hosted Congress MLAs from Gujarat in the run-up to a bitterly fought Rajya Sabha election in 2017.

The CPI(M) in its recent party congress in Hyderabad had agreed toafter much dispute among leadersto work toward a 'political understanding' with the Congress to defeat the BJP. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, on Tuesday published a series of tweets arguing why the JD(S)-Congress deserved to form the government in Karnataka given their combined numbers.

On paper the JD(S)-Congress in Karnataka have a majority. Noone else does. They should be allowed to prove it on the floor of the House. See the reasoned decision of President KR Narayanan in 1998 that favoured the BJP then. Surely, the BJP would agree to the same principle now? pic.twitter.com/ut6cTU3XhQ  Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) May 15, 2018

The CPI(M), not surprisingly, is tight-lipped about the possibility of hosting (read protecting) Congress-JD(S) MLAs as the Congress remains its main rival in Kerala.

But the tweets by Kerala Tourism and Yechury may just be a sign of things to come. The word 'safe' in the Kerala Tourism tweet may have deeper political symbolism than most would think!
Responding to Union government's announcement of suspension of operations during the holy month of Ramzan, the Army said their concerns have been addressed by the government. Military can retaliate in case of an attack on themselves. Only cordon and search operations will cease, but the Army can still go ahead with combat operations if specific intelligence inputs are available, according to Army sources.

Army sources claim that at present, the intensity of operations is keeping the terrorists on the run, and nearly 65 of them killed in the first four months.

However, the announcement of the suspension of operations comes with a rider. Security forces will reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of people, according to the ministry of home affairs.

Without officially calling it a 'ceasefire ', in a carefully worded statement, the MHA said, It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror .

The obvious hint is at those sections in the valley who are sympathetic towards the militants and have been indulging in stone pelting during the operations carried out by the Indian Army and the Central forces in the valley in the last few months.

The Central government has attempted to isolate these forces by saying the decision (not to conduct operations during Ramzan) has been taken to help peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment.

Senior MHA officials said Home Minister Rajnath Singh had conveyed this to the J&K government.

The holy month of Ramzan begins on Wednesday while the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, lasting for nearly 50 days, commences June 28.

The Central government's announcement of suspension of operations comes days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis proposed visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. The visit is aimed at reviewing the development projects in the state being undertaken under the prime ministers development package. However, with the recent operations by security forces and the stone pelting incidents, the Central government had come under fire. It also gave an opportunity for the state government to blame the Centre for the unrest and alienation of youth.

The Mehbooba Mufti government, last week, claimed that an all-party meeting, convened by her government, demanded a unilateral ceasefire be announced by the Centre immediately. Muftis announcement stirred a political slugfest between the PDP and the BJP in the state with the latter accusing the CM of politicising the matter. The Central government also expressed its disagreement, with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman backing the Army and the operations against terrorists in the valley.

However, it appears that the BJP government at the Centre has been able to do a balancing act with its announcement to halt operations during Ramzan, at the same time conveying to the security forces that the right to retaliate remains with them.

Army sources maintained that during last ceasefire announced during Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2000, terrorist attacks continued unabated. During that six months of ceasefire, named as Non-Initiation of Combat Operations(NICO), terrorists had attacked the Srinagar airport, stormed the then chief minister Farooq Abdullahs public rally, and conducted suicide attack on Army Cantonment in Srinagar besides stepping up levels of violence. The NICO came into effect on November 19, 2000 and lasted till May 31, 2001. More than 180 security personnel were killed while 240 militants were gunned down during the four months of NICO. However, 260 civilians died and over 500 others were injured in the same period of NICO.

Security forces claimed that all major stake holders of the state are not on the same page as tanzeems (terror outfits) have not come forward to join the truce. Currently, the three main tanzeemsHizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammedare active in the Kashmir valley. Security forces maintained that presently, all the three tanzeems are headless with their top commanders neutralised in combat operations by security forces in the recent past.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising alarm about political violence in West Bengal has made it clear that the BJPs next big target would be West Bengal.

Modi, while addressing BJP workers in Delhi after party's good show in Karnataka elections, reminded people of two tragic incidents. One was the killing of people in a fly-over crash in his constituency Varanasi on Tuesday and the other was the killing of people in political violence in West Bengal during Panchyat elections.

The prime minister has asked all the political parties, civic society and even judiciary to look into the dangerous political environment of West Bengal which decades back had showed path to the rest of India.

Is this the Bengal that we knew for decades? he asked.

At least 23 people have lost their lives so far in violence related to panchayat elections. After Modis outburst, West Bengal BJP made it clear that the party would be ready to sacrifice lives to bring back the glory of Bengal.

Our head hanged in shame when the prime minister uttered such words. Only the BJP could bring out the state out of such a crisis. Nobody else would be able to do that, said BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, pointing to the complete fall of law and order situation in the state.

But why is Bengal prone to such political violences? While more than 50,000 booths in Karnataka went to poll without any violence reported, a local level election in Bengal witnessed a huge bloodbath. Re-polling will be held in almost 600 booths on Wednesday and chances are high that the violence would rock the state again. More than 3000 people, injured in the violence, have been hospitalised across the state.

In Bengal, where the panchyat systems started functioning, it has been decentralised much more, thanks to the left front government. In most of the states, only zilla parishads are being elected politically and local sarpanch or panchyats are full with elected representatives who are apolitical. In West Bengal, however, after zilla parishad, it goes down to panchyat samity and gram panchyat which have politically elected representatives. What is much more interesting is that there is considerable amount of financial power vested upon the gram panchyats which have only 15 to 21 people maximum.

Many of them have not got proper training in administration.

Said an IAS officer in Bengal, Each of the panchyat has the power of granting projects worth Rs 3 to Rs 5 crore. The money is deposited into the panchyats account and they can sign in the cheques as well.

Earlier Block Development Officers had power to control the spending seeing the progress of the project, the officer said.

But now, even administrative officials, who are evaluated by their superiors, cannot have any say on this. The power has been taken away slowly but steadily in the name of decentralisation, said the officer, who is now posted outside West Bengal.

Lack of jobs in rural Bengal has made posts like panhyat pradhan most lucrative in Bengal. There are around 46,000 panchyats each of which elect a body of around 20 members. The ruling groups have all the power to spend crores of rupees per year.

That has led to clash over dominance as ruling party would like to have their own men in order to check the growing dissatisfaction in its ranks. Also, rampant poverty and unemployment in rural backyards made government adapt such a rule in which considerable number of people earn money in the name of self governance resulting in massive misuse of government resources.

On the top of it, there is an administration which lacks impartiality. The annual confidential report (ACR) of the senior administrative officers is done by the chief minister instead of chief secretary. In most of the states, some powers are vested on the governor which is the appointing authorities of civil servants like IAS and IPS. So, the administrative cadres in Bengal are most likely be prone to work under pressure and very loyal to their bosses, whether left government or Mamata Banerjee government.

The situation has gone to such a pass that the state could not get an election commission which could act independently. The responsibility of panchyat election lies as much with government of West Bengal as on state election commission.

The line between executives and governments have been blurred and they are reciprocal to each other in terms of extending their helping hands while doing good or even bad.

Modis plea to judiciary to look into the situation in Bengal is much more meaningful and thoughtful. But he would have to initiate the process, and cannot rely on the government of West Bengal, which has even refused to acknowledge the deaths in violence.

Will he be able to do that? Only time will prove.
Administrative negligence on the part of the district administration and anomalous functioning of the UP State Bridge Corporation, which is tasked with bridge-building projects, played a role in the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha seat of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday. The accident left 18 people dead and many more injured.

After the collapse, it came to light that security measures were grossly neglected in the construction of the flyover. The State Bridge Corporation had started constructing it in 2015, under the regime of former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and it was to have been completed in March 2019.

Many times the agency and district administration cautioned that because of movement of heavy traffic in the area, either traffic should be diverted or appropriate security measures taken; but these proposals were not heeded.

According to experts associated with such projects, wherever such type of constructions takes place, the entire area is sealed, or barricaded up to four to five feet on the left and right sides of the road and red flags or red lights placed to warn travellers, but no such arrangements were in place in Varanasi.

According to the project officer K.R. Sudan, UP State Bridge Corporation, the cause of the collapse is yet to be ascertained. Many times, departments concerned, like traffic and police, were asked to divert traffic but nothing happened, and the construction work was quite challenging as the area is narrow.

The incident puts a big question mark on the working of the UP State Bridge Corporation, the premier agency to construct bridges in the state.

Departmental sources say that earlier also bridges built by the corporation had developed defects. In 2010, a bridge constructed in the Bundelkhand region, which was about a kilometre long, had developed deep cracks soon after its inauguration.

In 2016, another bridge built by the corporation in Lucknow developed a deep cavity. An inquiry was later ordered into the incident but the matter was dumped.

According to UP Engineers Association general secretary, Surjit Singh, the Varanasi accident happened as corporation officials and district administration security agencies did not follow safety norms.
The US on Wednesday said that it is going ahead with preparations for a meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month after an angry Pyongyang threatened to cancel the historic summit, alleging that America was trying to push it "into a corner" on nuclear disarmament.

North Korea has threatened to abandon planned talks between Kim and Trump in June if Washington insists on pushing it "into a corner" on nuclear disarmament.

A statement published by the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said North Korea would never accept economic assistance from the US in exchange for unilaterally abandoning its nuclear programme.

In the meeting on June 12 in Singapore, the two countries were expected to discuss ways to implement their leaders' recent agreements to reduce military tensions along their heavily fortified border and improve their overall ties.

The statement that comes after a brief hiatus in the war of words between Trump and Kim is likely to mar efforts towards building a denuclearised Korean Peninsula.

Reacting to the reports, the White House said it would independently look at what Pyongyang has said.

The State Department said it was going ahead with preparations for the summit as planned earlier.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the US is aware of the media reports from North Korea.

"The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies," Sanders said.

The State Department said it is continuing with the preparations for the summit and there has been no word from North Korea on the ongoing exercises.

State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said Kim had previously indicated he understood the need and purpose of the US continuing its long-planned joint exercises with South Korea.

"We have not heard anything from that government or the Government of South Korea to indicate that we would not continue conducting these exercises or that we would not continue planning for our meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un next month," she told reporters.

According to Col Rob Manning, the Pentagon Spokesperson, Republic of South Korea and US military forces are currently engaged in the recurring, annual South Korea-US drills, to include exercises Foal Eagle 2018 and Max Thunder 2018.

"These exercises are part of the ROK-US Alliance's routine, annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness," he said.

"The purpose of the training is to enhance the ROK-US Alliance's ability to defend the ROK and enhance inter-operability and readiness. While we will not discuss specifics, the defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed," Manning said.

The State Department refuted the allegations that these exercises are provocative in nature.

"They're certainly not provocative. These are things that we do all around the world with many of our partners and allies. These are things that have occurred for decades and decades," Nauert said.

At the same time, she ruled out the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reaching out to the North Koreans.

"I don't think he's picking up the phone and begging anybody to do anything at this point. We are operating under the idea and the notion that the president's meeting is going forward with Chairman Kim next month," Nauert said in response to a question.

North Korea's official news agency KCNA, Pyongyang cited the ongoing military exercise between the US and South Korea as a reason behind the threat to cancel the Trump-Kim summit.

"The joint exercise is a reflection of the invariable stand of the US and South Korea to persist in the 'maximum pressure and sanctions' against DPRK (North Korea)," it said.

DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which is more commonly known as North Korea.

Meanwhile, North Korea also cancelled its planned high-level inter-Korean talks with South Korea due to the South Korea-US military exercises.

"We cannot but take a step of suspending the North-South high-level talks scheduled on May 16 under the prevailing seriously awful situation," the KCNA said.

North Korea held the South Korean authorities "wholly accountable" for the scuttled North-South talks and unease in the North-South relations.

"The US will have to think twice about the fate of the DPRK-US summit now on high agenda before a provocative military racket against the DPRK in league with the south Korean authorities," the statement said.
Hong Kong, May 16, 2018  Reuters, the worlds largest international multimedia news provider, has announced that it will open a new bureau in Shenzhen, China, later this month.

The new bureau reflects Reuters ongoing commitment to reporting on China thoroughly and its moves to bolster business and companies coverage in China and globally. The establishment of the Shenzhen bureau recognises the pivotal role of the Pearl River Delta region, and China more broadly, in the global technology industry.



The Shenzhen bureau will be headed by Reuters new South China Correspondent, Sue-Lin Wong. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Sue-Lin joined Reuters in 2014 and has been based in Beijing since late 2015, covering economics and general news.



This opening of the new Shenzhen bureau is a mark of Reuters commitment to deepen our coverage of companies in Asia, especially in China, where the government is pushing a strategy of developing as a technology superpower in emerging fields, ranging from artificial intelligence to next-generation semiconductors, said Kevin Krolicki, Regional Editor Asia at Reuters.



He added, We also look forward to providing Reuters readers with a more deeply reported view of South China, as part of our commitment to providing comprehensive, objective reporting on China.





Reuters



Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest international multimedia news provider reaching more than one billion people every day. Reuters provides trusted business, financial, national and international news to professionals via Thomson Reuters desktops, the world's media organizations and directly to consumers at Reuters.com and via Reuters TV. Follow news about Reuters at @ReutersPR.

CONTACT

Mansi Walia

PR & Marketing Manager, Asia

Reuters

mansi.walia@thomsonreuters.com

+852 28436551
Schumer is backing legislation cleverly titled the Repeated Objectionable Bothering of Consumers on Phones Act - ROBOCOP - that would require phone carriers to offer free call-blocking technology to consumers.

It also would direct the Federal Communications Commission to require carrier verification that the caller ID information is accurate.

The aim of the FCC requirement is to prevent what is known as "spoofing" - using a familiar area code or phone-number prefix to entice consumers into answering robocalls.

In a conference call with upstate reporters, Schumer acknowledged that the 2003 do-not-call list is no longer effective. The list, the result of congressional legislation the same year, allowed consumers to insulate themselves against unwanted calls.
3 1 of 3 Will Waldron/Times Union Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Will Waldron/Times Union Show More Show Less 3 of 3





The owners of a New York pet store chain with a Guilderland location stand accused of illegally selling puppies without necessary exams and medication and destroying and falsifying records to avoid being caught.

Acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood filed a lawsuit against Bell Pet Company, LLC and its owners, Theodore and Sheila Bell, who operate a pet store chain called The Pet Zone. The lawsuit claims that the chain sold puppies to people without first having the dogs examined by veterinarians, failed to tell owners when the puppy they bought received necessary pre-sale medical treatment and didn't provide timely reimbursement for veterinarian expenses owners took on after buying a sick dog from the stores.
Albany

The State University of New York expects to save $250,000 a year by purchasing the Citizens Bank building in downtown Albany. Purchase price is $1.35 million.

SUNY Central Administration currently rents space in the building for $455,000 a year. The SUNY Board of Trustees voted to acquire the building, which includes a Citizens Bank branch and a Starbucks shop, at its meeting May 3.

The State University Plaza building at the foot of State Street, formerly the Delaware & Hudson Railway headquarters, is filled to capacity with 650 employees.

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The Citizens Bank building, at State and North Pearl Streets two blocks up the hill from the plaza, is currently owned by Ten Eyck Development Corp., a subsidiary of the state Urban Development Corporation. The four-story building is part of a development that also includes the Hilton Albany hotel, a multi-level parking garage, and a state office building, and occupies the site of the former Ten Eyck Hotel.

The purchase was first reported by Albany Business Review.
Cannes, France

When Wim Wenders first met Pope Francis before shooting the documentary "Pope Francis: A Man of his Word," the pontiff warmly greeted the German filmmaker before warning Wenders that he is no movie buff.

"He said: 'I've heard a lot about you but you must know I don't know much about cinema and I haven't seen a single one of your films. Actually, I don't know almost any movies,'" says Wenders.

Later, once the film was nearly completed, Wenders inquired if Pope Francis wanted to see it. The response came that while the Pope was satisfied with the experience, he wouldn't see the movie: "It's just not my thing."

And yet, in "A Man of His Word" Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff to participate in such a movie. The film premiered Sunday at the Cannes Film Festival, though the Pope, who's meeting this week in Rome with Chilean bishops to discuss Chile's sex abuse crisis, was not in Cannes  robbing the festival of the sight of the pontiff on the red carpet.

Focus Features will release the film  an unprecedented big-screen close-up for the Pope  nationwide Friday, bringing the world's most recognized religious figure into cinemas alongside the likes of "Deadpool 2" and "Show Dogs."

Wenders, the Oscar-winning 72-year-old filmmaker of "Wings of Desire," "Paris, Texas" and "Buena Vista Social Club," says he received "carte blanche" from the Vatican, and final cut. He conducted four lengthy interviews spread out over four years, all inside Vatican walls, and was granted extensive access to the Vatican's video library.

The film, shot with Errol Morris' "Interrotron" camera apparatus that allows a subject to speak directly into the camera, is essentially an intimate audience with Pope Francis as he ruminates on global challenges facing the world today.

In between footage of Pope Francis visiting everywhere from a joint session of U.S. Congress to a Philadelphia prison, from an African children's hospital to a Greek migrant camp, the spiritual leader discusses faith in the modern world, poverty, pollution, female equality, church sex scandals, the suffering of migrants and economic inequality.

Pope Francis arrived for their first interview, Wenders says, unaccompanied and without a cellphone.

"My first question was: How come for many people today, God is no longer a reality?" Wenders said in an interview at Cannes.

Wenders lets the audience see the world through the eyes of the Pope, whom he calls "a man who lives what he preaches."

"You don't really realize that whenever he travels, he's also seeing prisons, hospitals, he's seeing camps, he's seeing slums. He goes to all these places it hurts to go," said Wenders. "And nobody else on this planet does that. I don't know of any other person who meets both heads of state and goes to see the prisoners. I don't know that person."

The project was the brainchild of Monsignor Dario Vigano, who, until he resigned from the position earlier this year in a scandal over falsifying a letter from the retired Pope Benedict XVI, was the Vatican's head of communications. Vigano is a renown cinephile who, unlike Pope Francis, was very familiar with Wenders' films and had met the director at the Venice Film Festival.

In 2013, Vigano approached Wenders with the idea of making a film. He left it to Wenders to create the concept.

More Information At a glance "Pope Francis: A Man Of His Word" Director: Wim Wenders Opens: Friday See More Collapse

He made it quite clear from the beginning he just wanted to instigate this," said Wenders. "He said, 'No one's going to think you can make a movie with the Pope, but I want to plant the idea.'"

The Argentine-born, 81-year-old Pope Francis, the first pope from the Americas, has in his five years on the papal throne been a globally beloved figure hailed by many for his humility and for transforming the Church. But he also stirred disquiet from the Vatican's more conservative elements  and Wenders was conscious of the possibility that turning Pope Francis into a movie star might be objectionable to some.

Wenders, who was raised Catholic and later converted to Protestantism, identifies himself as a Christian and a believer who attends different kinds of churches and admires theologians of various faiths.
THE GOLDBERGS: "LET'S VAL KILMER THIS CAR"

ABC, 8 p.m.

Season Finale! When Lainey (AJ Michalka) moves back to town, Barry (Troy Gentile) asks her to prom. When she says no, he plans a senior prank involving Principal Ball's (Stephen Tobolowsky) car to get out of going. Erica (Hayley Orrantia) tells Murray (Jeff Garlin) her final decision about college and it doesn't make him happy.

RIVERDALE: "CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: BRAVE NEW WORLD"

The CW, 8 p.m.

Season Finale! It's elevation day in Riverdale and with Fred (Luke Perry) trailing in the polls, Archie (K.J. Apa) steps in to lend a hand in his dad's mayoral campaign.

THE BLACKLIST: "SUTTON ROSS (NO. 17)"

NBC, 8 p.m.

Season Finale! Liz (Megan Boone) and Red (James Spader) face off in a climactic race to find a Blacklister (guest star Julian Sands) in possession of the duffel bag of bones, forcing the truth about the bones to finally come to light. Filmmaker John Waters (Hairspray) guest-stars as himself.

ALEX, INC.: "THE RUBE GOLDBERG CONTRAPTION"

ABC, 8:30 p.m.

Season Finale! A company offers Alex (Zach Braff) money to expand, but he worries the business is ruining his relationship with Rooni (Tiya Sircar) and their kids, and makes an important decision about the future. With the future looking bright for the company, Deirdre (Hillary Anne Matthews) and Eddie (Michael Imperioli) bring on a famous podcast producer.

MODERN FAMILY: "CLASH OF SWORDS"

ABC, 9 p.m.

Season Finale! Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) sneaks out to "Hero-Con" with fanboy Phil (Ty Burrell), each dressed as their favorite characters from the show "Clash of Swords," but Phil ruins their fun when he commits the ultimate fan faux pas. In a clash of another kind, Gloria's (Sofia Vergara) dinosaur party for Joe (Jeremy Maguire) is ruined when her nemesis, Dr. Donna Duncan (Jane Krakowski), throws a flashier party next door.

SEAL TEAM: "THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS"

CBS, 9 p.m.

Season Finale! After Jason (David Boreanaz) lies about the severity of his concussion to get cleared for combat, he and the SEALs plan a final mission to avenge Echo Team's deaths once and for all before they return home from deployment.

NOVA WONDERS: "CAN WE BUILD A BRAIN?"

PBS, 9 p.m.

Decode the latest advances in artificial intelligence. AI can interpret emotions, play games, even act as personal companions. How does it actually work  and is it truly intelligent? And are we handing over too much power to machines?

THE EXPANSE: "IMMOLATION"

Syfy, 9 p.m.

The final battle between Earth and Mars threatens the very future of humanity. A new monster is unleashed on Prospero Station, while Anna (Elizabeth Mitchell) receives the smoking gun she needs.

AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE: "THE SPRING GALA"

ABC, 9:30 p.m.

Season Finale! When the spring gala starts to fall apart at the last minute, Katie (Katy Mixon) figures out a new way to make it a success. Greg (Diedrich Bader) attempts to be a "fun dad" and adopts a dog while Katie is otherwise occupied.

DESIGNATED SURVIVOR: "RUN"

ABC, 10 p.m.

Season Finale! As President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) continues to deal with the turmoil surrounding the hacker and congressional investigation, a natural disaster threatens the lives of two White House staffers.

CODE BLACK: "THE SAME AS AIR"

CBS, 10 p.m.

Elliot (Noah Gray-Cabey) doubts his ability as a doctor when he's sued for his role in the death of a SWAT officer in the new episode.

INSIDE THE ROYAL WEDDING: HARRY AND MEGHAN

NBC, 10 p.m.

Today co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb host this one-hour special which presents an unprecedented glimpse into the couple's lives through interviews with close friends of the couple who will share stories of how Meghan and Harry met and fell in love. The special will also reveal wedding details and share the secrets of what it takes to stage an event of this scale.

SCIJINKS

Science Channel, 10 p.m.

New Series! Call this one The Big Prank Theory! Johnny Galecki hosts this new hoot that uses scientific and technical tactics to pull off practical jokes on unsuspecting folks. Sheldon would be so proud.

KRYPTON: "HOPE"

Syfy, 10 p.m.

Seg (Cameron Cuffe) must decide if he is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in service of the greater good for Kandor.

COLONY: "SIERRA MAESTRA"

USA Network, 10 p.m.

Will (Josh Holloway) assesses the Resistance Camp's safety; Katie (Sarah Wayne Callies) tries to get more involved; and Broussard (Tory Kittles) and Amy (Peyton List) encounter survivors outside the walls.

Brought to you by the publishers of TV Guide.  TV Guide 2018
"I'm not letting anyone in this family forget about Israel," said Rivi Bahir, an Israeli woman living in Guilderland, as she sat at her kitchen table peering over an impressive spread of Israeli food she made that day. Living in America for the past seven years (she moved here with her three children, now aged 9 to 19, when her husband accepted a job with GlobalFoundries) has given Bahir a renewed sense of appreciation for the food of her homeland, using it as the primary tool to keep memories of Israel alive.

It's hard to pinpoint a place in the world filled with more strife and tumult in this moment that Israel. The recent 70th anniversary of Israel's nationhood (May 14) paired with the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem led to protests by Palestinians in Gaza, causing the Israeli military to respond resulting in dozens of deaths earlier this week. Along with increased tensions between Iran and Israel, the Jewish state formed in 1948 has been in constant tension lately.

Yet that upheaval has not slowed the rising popularity of Israeli cuisine around the world. Chefs like Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli-born Italian-German Jew in London, and Michael Solomonov, a Philadelphia-based Israeli chef called "the father of modern Israeli cuisine" by Eater writer Bill Addison, have been critical players in bringing global attention to Israeli food. Both have won multiple James Beard Foundation awards for their restaurants and best-selling cookbooks and have taken Israeli food from its colloquial roots and placed in on a fine-dining level.

Bahir has also released a book on Israeli cooking called "Flavors from Rivi's Kitchen." The book is presented in partnership with Mifgash, a Jewish community high school program through Temple Israel of Albany that engages students in Jewish learning. The program, at which Bahir teaches Hebrew and cooks with students to help them understand the language and Jewish culture, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Bahir worked in graphic design in Israel (she designed the book) and uses the vibrant colors of her native land to paint an edible landscape of the people, politics and religion there.

"Make it red! Make it colorful!" Bahir said as she ladles out heaping portions of cadmium-red fish and chickpea ragu that is tinged with paprika, meatballs served in a rich amber sauce with peas and potatoes over turmeric-enhanced rice and a brothy chicken soup deep yellow in color and flavored with cardamom and fresh dill. For her, the food she makes and serves is a way to maintain identity in a new land.

To call this food simply "Israeli" is a misnomer: it is a blanket collective description, much like "Middle Eastern" or "Mediterranean." Bahir said that each dish she makes it reflective of the expansive cultural dynamics of Israel. Some sources claim that there are as many as 150 different nationalities in Israel, many of them Jews from other countries. That amalgam has created a rich menu of recipes and preparations that utilize the herbs, spices, proteins and produce of Israel to differentiate each dish from the original version. Bahir's father grew up in Romania during World War II. Her mother's family was originally from Yemen and moved to Israel to live in a kibbutz community. Those varied legacies are reflected in what Bahir cooks, using Hungarian paprika and soups and stews in the Yemeni tradition.

"When you put it all together, it is Israeli food," she said. In a way, the food culture in Israel is reflective of America's own culinary journey. "It's a smorgasbord of different cuisines. It's an immigrant population," said Rabbi Matthew Cutler of Congregation Gates of Heaven in Schenectady. Much like the American table, the Israel table offers edible remembrances of the cultures that came together to form the nation. But Cutler says one point deeply differentiates the two countries: "American cuisine is a melting pot. People gave up nationalism to become American. In Israel, they preserve it."

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"I want to bring Israel to the table, but not only with spices and vegetables. It's hard to bring the atmosphere," Bahir said. Cooking the food at home versus eating at an Israeli-inspired restaurant brings the smells and sights together with the tastes, especially when eating for religious reasons. ("Judaism is a gastronomic religion. We're either giving food or taking it away," said Cutler.) Bahir described her cooking as more Israel than Jewish in its ingredients, but it becomes Jewish when the religious significance in brought it. For the Shabbat meal, Bahir incorporates the traditions of her North African and European heritage to "eat from everything," she said, using a wide variety of meat, fish, produce, spices and other seasonings to convey the symbols of the Jewish faith through cooking.

"I really miss the Friday of Shabbat eve. It's a little quiet. I sit on the porch, open the newspaper, just enjoy that." That "quiet between," as she called it, is part of the atmosphere that is essential to Israeli cuisine. "Everything here, the atmosphere, you have to do it for yourself. Then, I understand and know where I am," she said. "Food is more than a material thing. I create atmosphere."

Though Bahir uses her food to remember home, find peace amid the chaos in her native land and educate her children and students about Israel, she has not forsaken American food traditions. "I'm here, I love America. It's a beautiful country. We love Thanksgiving. Yom Kippur [the Jewish holiday typically in October] is a time to regret and forgive. Thanksgiving is a time to say thank you. It's a nice combination." When she cooks, she goes by feel more than exactness, adding more warm spices to a dish than typically called for because for her cooking is an intimate and intentional way to mimic where cultures collide.

Deanna Fox is a food and agriculture journalist. @DeannaNFox, www.foxonfood.com
"RBG" takes the familiar figure of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg  the second woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court and currently the court's oldest member  and shows us lots of things we didn't know about her. Given the partisan divide, the documentary probably will be of interest only to people who already admire Justice Ginsburg, but it's a good story that will inspire many and should appeal to anyone with an open mind.

Directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West make a persuasive case that Ginsburg was, essentially, the Thurgood Marshall of the women's movement. In the 1970s, she argued six cases before the Supreme Court and won five, all of them dealing directly or tangentially with the issue of women's equality under the law.

In this way, she was to women's rights what Marshall was to civil rights, both as a lawyer and as a member of the Supreme Court.

The need for these guarantees under the law was plain to Ginsburg: After graduating at the top of her class at Columbia Law School, she had trouble getting a job. During a stint in academia, she found herself getting paid less than her male colleagues. Such injustices and others helped form the focus of her life's work.

The movie details her personal life, including her long and devoted marriage to her husband, Martin, a prominent tax attorney who died in 2010. Martin is a very appealing figure in this documentary, as rambunctious as his wife was quiet. Genial, funny and outgoing, he took enormous pride and delight in his wife's success, and to an extent, he was responsible for it. When President Bill Clinton was looking for someone to appoint to a vacant seat in 1993, it was Martin, through his connections, who got Ruth Bader Ginsburg's name before the president.

RBG did the rest, nailing her interview. In recent years, it's not the usual thing for a president to nominate a 60-year-old for the Supreme Court. Usually, presidents look for someone younger  more likely to last 30 productive years. But as Bill Clinton says in an on-camera interview, he knew minutes into their conversation that Ginsburg would be his choice.

Ginsburg herself is determined to last. Several scenes show her working out with a trainer.

Her goal is to live long enough for a Democratic president to appoint her successor.

In recent years, Ginsburg has become something of a pop culture cult figure, with a kind of adulation that is only part tongue in cheek. Ginsburg has been given a hip-hop-like moniker  "Notorious RBG" being a play on "Notorious B.I.G."

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The notion of Ginsburg, who has been quiet and reserved all her life, being compared to a big, blustering rap star, is incongruous and deliberately droll.

Yet underlying the joke is the acknowledgment that Ginsburg has been playing a very long game her whole life. She has been thinking strategically and incrementally, and no one in America  big and loud and flashy or otherwise  could have done more.

Mick LaSalle is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.
Claiming he's intent on giving restaurant servers a raise, Gov. Andrew Cuomo would actually be cutting the pay of many and forcing restaurants to close.

That's the industry's seemingly unanimous opinion of the governor's proposal to require that tipped employees  more than 80 percent of whom work in restaurants as servers, as bartenders and in similar positions  be paid the state's full minimum wage. Although Cuomo and labor advocacy groups characterize this as a win for workers' rights and a way to ensure fair pay, I have talked to no one in the restaurant industry, in any position, who believes the proposed change would be anything but hugely damaging. When it was tried in Maine, servers saw their pay drop by a reported 20 percent and mobilized so effectively that the change was repealed.

Currently, state law allows tipped employees to be paid less than the minimum wage as long as tips bring their hourly pay up to the equivalent of the regular minimum. A bill passed by the state Legislature and signed by Cuomo in 2016 pegs tipped workers' minimum wage at two-thirds of the rate of non-tipped employees: Upstate, the regular minimum wage is $10.40 per hour, while the tipped minimum is $7.50. (They're slightly higher for Long Island and New York City, and all go up at the end of the year.)

But although the 2016 law included language that prohibits changing the tipped wage formula for food service employees for five years, Cuomo in January directed the state Labor Department to hold hearings around New York to explore whether the tipped minimum should be abolished. The fifth of these seven hearings will be held Friday at the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

The Troy location of Slidin' Dirty, normally open for lunch, will be closed until 5:18 p.m. Friday to allow its staff to participate in a rally opposing the change, management said.

"At the end of day, this is a question of basic fairness," Cuomo said in December, previewing his proposal. "In New York, we believe in a fair day's pay for a fair day's work and that all workers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. There should be no exception to that fairness and decency."

Should the state force businesses that employ tipped workers to pay them the full minimum wage  in apparent contravention of a law passed just two years ago  the result would be devastating. Make no mistake: People would lose their jobs, others would leave the industry, and some restaurants would be forced to close.

"The mom-and-pop places like us are really going to get hit hard," says Beth Alexander, who with her chef-husband, Jasper, owns the venerable Hattie's Restaurant in Saratoga Springs and its fast-casual offspring, Hattie's Chicken Shack in Wilton.

The 2016 law boosted the tipped hourly minimum wage from $5 to $7.50. That's a 50 percent raise the Alexanders say cost their businesses an extra $100,000 a year. If they're forced to meet the full minimum wage  which next year will go to $11.10 upstate, representing an additional raise of 39 percent  their outlay will be an additional $125,000 or so as a result of tipped employees' base pay jumping by 122 percent in three years.

"There wasn't $100,000 of fluff in our budget the first time around," Jasper says. "We certainly can't just absorb $125,000 more in payroll costs."

They have few options, none desirable. To cover the increase that they estimate, they would have to raise prices; a dinner of their signature fried chicken could go up by $4. Customers groused a few years ago when they raised it by a dollar, to $18.95. Were it to suddenly jump by 20 to 25 percent, Beth says, "We'd absolutely hear overwhelming complaints and lose business. People will go to Popeye's instead."

If Cuomo's wage proposal becomes law, the Alexanders are also looking at potentially cutting back on service staff, which might mean customers would order from tablets and have food brought to them.

"That's not the kind of dining experience our customers expect or want," says Beth. "Our servers are also ambassadors for Saratoga, recommending a place to hear jazz afterward or get a drink. That personal touch would get lost."

The nationwide call for abolishing subminimum wages for tipped workers is led by an advocacy group called Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, which produces persuasive publications trumpeting statistics showing that in states like Oregon and California, which have a single minimum wage for all, the restaurant industry is healthier, tipped workers make more money and servers experience less sexual harassment. (Some servers feel they have to put up with unwanted verbal or physical advances or risk losing tips.)

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Opponents of the change to a subminimum wage for restaurant servers counter with the example of Maine, which abolished a lower minimum wage for tipped workers in 2016 but reinstituted it a year later. The New York Restaurant Association, in material arguing against Cuomo's proposal, says that Maine's tipped workers saw their take-home pay drop by 20 percent after the minimum-wage law was changed.

"Minimum wage" is almost comically misleading when it comes to discussion of restaurant servers' pay. They're among the most highly compensated employees in the hospitality industry, averaging  at even mid-priced dining spots  the equivalent of $20 to $40 per hour when tips are factored in. The Alexanders say their servers make the equivalent of $25 per hour year-round, and during the track season the most industrious servers can pull in $50 per hour or more on the best nights. In Albany, at Yono's restaurant and its sibling, dp: An American Brasserie, servers' pay averages the equivalent of from $25 to $40 per hour, says co-owner Dominick Purnomo, and expert servers at the area's priciest restaurants have on occasion topped six figures annually.

Josh Banks, who has been a server at Yono's for almost six years, opposes the elimination of a subminimum wage for tipped workers. Banks, who says he averages at least $23 to $25 per hour, fears that such a change would result in higher prices, fewer customers, smaller tips and less flexibility, because his employer would be disinclined to give him extra hours at the higher minimum wage.

More Information By the numbers Jason Pierce, co-owner of Savoy Taproom in Albany, wrote a post on Facebook examining the ramifications of abolishing a lower minimum wage for restaurant servers. His examples are used with permission. A hypothetical Savoy server works 35 hours a week and averages $100 per hour in food and drink sales. Total: $3,500 Average profit for the restaurant, using industry standard of 6 percent: $210 That leaves $3,290. Of that, according to Pierce, $890 goes to pay kitchen staff, and $987 pays server, bartender, host/hostess and other front-of house staff. The remaining $1,413 is for rent, utilities, insurance and a variety of other fixed and variable costs. If required to pay full minimum wage, the restaurant would owe the server an additional $125 weekly, plus another $50 per week to account for the wage increases to bartender and busser, a portion of whose time is devoted the servers' tables. That leaves a profit of $35, or 1 percent. Writes Pierce, "Guess what, folks? That's not enough to keep the doors open." -Steve Barnes Contact Steve at 518-454-5489 or sbarnes@timesunion.com, or visit his blog at http://blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping. See More Collapse

Speaking of ROC and other change proponents, Banks says, "They give the impression that we're living in poverty and we need this help, but that's not the case. ... I've looked at the numbers, and I feel it would definitely affect my income negatively."

His opinion is reflective of the views of dozens of servers I've discussed this issue with in recent months.

Purnomo attributes Cuomo's motives to governmental avarice, not concern for workers. He gives an example of a $10 burger, on which the government gets 80 cents in sales tax. Were the subminimum wage to be abolished, Purnomo says, he would have to charge at least $12 for the burger (96 cents to the government), and he'd be paying more than double the payroll tax he was two and a half years ago  on wages of $11.10 an hour versus $5.

"This proposal has nothing to do with helping the restaurant workers in the Empire State," Purnomo says via email. "It's purely about unabashed greed in the Capitol and unapologetically reaching further into the already stressed pockets of hard-working people so that Gov. Cuomo can continue to frivolously spend the hard-earned dollars of New Yorkers."

sbarnes@timesunion.com  518-454-5489  blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping  @Tablehopping  facebook.com/SteveBarnesFoodCritic
ALBANY - Remember the life lost.

Thats what Donald Dontay Ivys family wants people to take away from the death of the unarmed black man at the hands of Albany police.

He was a human being. He was a father and he was a family relative to many who cared about him, said Albany Common Councilman Derek Johnson, a cousin of Ivys.

The $625,000 bond approved Wednesday by council members to fund the settlement of Ivys wrongful death suit filed on behalf of Ivy's son, Isaiah, and Susan Bartlett, the teenager's mother and executor of Ivy's estate, only continues the pain the extended family feels over Ivys death, Johnson said.

The legal action alleged negligence, excessive force and racial profiling by the three officers who confronted Ivy.

Ivy, an unarmed mentally ill black man, died in 2015 during a confrontation with Albany police after he was Tasered, chased and tackled while walking down an Arbor Hill street. A grand jury declined to file charges against police. Prosecutors at the time said there were few witnesses to the exchange beside the officers.

Johnson expressed frustration that the focus remains on Ivys mental illness and heart issues, rather than reflecting on the life of his cousin and those hes left behind.

He was a stellar athlete at Albany High, he said. He went into the armed services and completed his degree at Virginia State University.

Family members have remained relatively quiet follow Ivys death in 2015, while area residents and activists latched on to Ivys sudden death, demanding justice amid national protests over deaths of unarmed black man by police.

Ivy was unarmed and had committed no crime when the officers confronted him. They approached Ivy as he walked home from a store with the sleeves of his coat pulled over his hands, apparently to keep warm.

Ivy, who had a heart condition, drew the suspicion of two officers who were part of an aggressive anti-gun violence detail.

Only Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehans chief of staff Brian Shea spoke during public comment at the special meeting the council held to vote on the bond, which passed 11-1, with councilmembers Jahmel Robinson and Owusu Anane abstaining and Derek Johnson opposed. Councilman Alfredo Balarin was absent.

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Prior to the vote, councilmembers and Shea stressed that the vote doesnt seek members' approval of the settlement itself, but only to borrow the funds.

You cant vote on the mechanism without supporting the methodology, Robinson said in qualifying his abstention. I feel that justice still hasnt been served in this case.

Councilwoman Dorcey Applyrs said she knows some people will see supporting the bond as supporting the settlement, but hoped the it could provide some slight comfort.

It does not give justice, she added.

Ivys family felt the overall approach from many city officials was insensitive, but had it been a family member of their own, things would be different.

If it had been $16 or a $116 million, it still wouldnt have been enough because you cant replace a human life with a monetary value, Johnson said, adding hed argue the same for anyone in a similar position. One day youre going to die, and I would hope that no one would have to experience what Dontay had to experience.
BETHLEHEM  When Bethlehem Senior Services Coordinator Liz Mosier got married in 1988, naturally she dreamed of a wedding dress like Princess Diana's with its endless yards of ivory taffeta and 25 foot long satin train. Her mother, a gifted seamstress, whipped up a version for Mosier that was budget-friendly. It didn't have a bustle or an army of little barons and viscounts to help carry the train. But Mosier managed to tuck it around her arm and walk elegantly toward her groom.

Now Mosier is loaning her fit-for-a-princess dress to decorate Bethlehem's Senior Prom for residents older than 60. Like all proms, it has a theme: The Royal Wedding. And more than 100 Bethlehem seniors are attending the Friday, May 18, party in the Town Hall auditorium  a day before the nuptials of England's Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle. Unlike most proms, this one starts at 2 p.m.
School budgets across the Capital Region met with overwhelming approval Tuesday in an election day that, again, drew few voters.

Budgets for city districts like Albany, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, and Troy were among the many that voters approved, according to unofficial results.

Voters were also asked to weigh in on building projects, bus purchases, library budgets and board seats.

In Albany, four people vied for three seats on the school board.

Incumbents Ellen Roach and Tabetha Wilson and newcomer Damarise Alexander-Mann, who all ran on an informal slate defeated Kenny Bruce, who was on the board until last year when he stepped down after fellow members concluded he had breached confidentiality during a superintendent search. The $249.4 million budget carries a 1.33 percent increase in the tax levy needed. It was approved, 2,329 to 909.

The Albany Public Library budget was also approved by city voters, 2,385 to 846.

Write-in votes will have to be tallied to determine who fills the third vacant slot in Shenendehowa. Only incumbents Christina Rajotte and Robert Pressly submitted petitions with the required signatures. There were 983 write-in votes cast.

Saratoga Springs voters approved a $15.6 million proposal for outdoor improvements and renovations to the eight schools as well as Gavin Park, East Side Recreation Park and West Side Recreation Park along with a $125.98 million budget.

The Voorheesville school district's $24.7 million budget was approved alongside a $7.7 million capital project proposition. The spending will allow the district to replace boilers in all the buildings and renovate two earth science labs and a technology lab.

In Guilderland, approval of the school district's $101 million budget will bring a mental health clinic inside the school and an American sign language class as a new elective. It will also restore advanced placement classes in English and computer science. Elected to the board were:Seema Rivera (1,423 votes), Christine Hayes (1,394), Sean Maguire (1,378) and Benjamin Goes (1219)

Results were not available from Hoosic Valley, Hoosick Falls or Lansingburgh.

More for you School board results

In other districts:

In Bethlehem, the budget totals $98.78 million, up about 1.7 percent. The tax levy increase will be 2.4 percent and is below the district's tax cap. The budget also seeks to buy 15 replacement school buses at a cost not to exceed $1,190,000.

In Berne-Knox-Westerlo, the more than $23 million spending plan represents a 2.64 percent increase in spending over the 2017-18 budget, and carries a 1 percent tax levy increase.

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In Brunswick (Brittonkill): The $24.56 million budget is a 4.2 percent spending increase. The tax levy will rise by 2.82 percent, which is under the 5.66 percent state cap for this district.

In Troy, the $111.89 million budget maintains all academic programs and includes no staff layoffs, according to the district. This represents a 1.54 percent tax levy increase.

North Colonie: A $111.1 million budget would increase spending by 3.6 percent and result in a tax increase of about 1.9 percent.

South Colonie: The district proposes a $102.2 million budget, up about 2.75 percent in spending and carrying a 2.95 percent tax levy increase. A bus proposition and board election are also on the ballot.

East Greenbush: The budget proposal of $94.26 million is an increase of 2.29 percent and maintains all programs and services.

Niskayuna: Voters approved a budget of $84.2 million, up 1.03 percent. It would result in a 2.64 percent tax levy increase.

Schenectady: A $194.4 million budget is up in spending by about 4.4 percent and would add $1.5 million worth of programs and services for students. It lowers the tax levy by $500,000.

Scotia-Glenville: The $55.98 million budget for the 2018-19 school year closes a $1.3 million budget gap and adds a high school mental health program. The proposal raises the tax levy by 3.36 percent, slightly less than the state-provided tax levy cap of 3.46 percent.

Despite the budgets influencing communities' school property tax bills  often the largest single tax bill a family gets each year  about 560,000 New Yorkers voted on their local school budgets last year. This is a 43 percent drop since 2010, according to a study by the New York State Association of School Business Officials.
State Police are investigating a serious tractor trailer crash that happened Monday afternoon near Newburgh.

Just before 4 p.m., a tandem tractor trailer carrying recycled aluminum cans was headed south on the Thruway near mile marker 63.3 when it slowed as it entered a construction zone. As it entered the zone, a second tractor-trailer crashed in to it at a high rate of speed, State Police said. The crash forced the rear tandem trailer on the first vehicle in the air, coming down on top of the second vehicle.

The driver of the first trailer, Charles L. Irish, 55, of Greenwich, was treated on the scene and released. The driver of the second trailer, Daniel Brodeur, 44, of La Patrie, Quebec, was trapped in the cab of his trailer. He was extricated and airlifted to Westchester Medical Center with serious injuries.

I-87 was closed for 12 hours after the crash. State Police were assisted by Cronomer Valley Fire Department, Newburgh Ambulance, Life Net and the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Intro

Greetings! I am a political scientist , specializing in International Relations , my research and teaching focus on ethnic conflict and civil-military relations . I watch way too much TV, and I like movies as well so I tend to write about both and find IR stuff in pop culture. I rant alot about American politics and sometimes about Canadian politics. I like to take ideas I once learned a long time ago and apply them to whatever strikes my fancy.


SCHENECTADY  Five months into his tenure as City Council president, Ed Kosiur cited as one of his early successes his brainchild, "Coffee with the Council," where residents on second Sunday of each month can discuss city business with local leaders and city officials.

"I'm enjoying the role of council president. We're doing some things a little differently with respects to reaching out and being a little bit more accessible to the public," he said. "I would give myself at least a B minus. I not going to say A. I'm certainly not perfect, and I'm still learning as I go along."

But a small vocal group of constituents, angry over newly adopted guidelines on public comments during meetings, contends the rules infringe on their freedom of speech, and they are pushing to have him removed from the leadership role.

The Woodlawn Democrat has also been criticized for screaming at a female staffer over proposed funding cuts to a pet project.

On Tuesday Kosuir countered that the revisions to the city charter are not intended to curb the public's rights to comments but instead to ensure the public is respectful of elected officials and audience members and avoid personal attacks.

Marva Isaacs, president of the Hamilton Hill Neighborhood Association, described Kosiur as a bully and dictator.

He said it was disheartening that Isaacs and others were bad mouthing him when he's tried to unify the community. He also touted his close relationship with the mayor, something he's quick to point out that his predecessor, Leesa Perazzo, didn't have when she was council president.

Kosiur and Perazzo have clashed on a variety of issues, including the city budget and adding language about bullying in the Schenectady's workplace violence-prevention policy.

Earlier this year, an outside firm found that Kosiur violated that policy after raising his voice at a city employee over funding for a project he is involved with.

Despite that finding, Kosiur maintains that he raised his voice and didn't yell at or disrespect the female staffer in the development office who no longer works for Schenectady.

"I apologized twice because I knew my voice was loud, and that's what I learned from it, not to be as intimidating with a loud voice because I didn't realize it when it was happening unfortunately," he said.

Perazzo conceded that Kosiur does get along better with McCarthy than she did, but that's in part because she "recognizes the fact that council is the checks and balances for the mayor."

"I am happy to work with the mayor to move the city in a positive forward direction, but the function of the mayor and function of the council are two different functions, and the council doesn't serve at the pleasure of the mayor. I think that is a very important thing for the council president to embrace," she said.

Perazzo said she didn't see any problems with old rules on comments from the public and the changes should have also included prohibition on the council president interrupting speakers with the admonition to wrap up as it gets closer to the end of the allotted time.

She said that although she tries to maintain her professionalism, it becomes difficult when Kosiur and his allies who constitute a majority on the seven-member board effectively take control of issues she brings up for deeper discussion.

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"I'm not fond of the fact that the majority sometimes does not take my voice into consideration because they've already decided where they're going to go with something. I also don't like the fact that some of the items that I've brought to the table for discussion have ended up in somebody else's committee that I'm not even on," she said. "Although I think Mr. Kosiur works really hard and has the city's best interest at heart, I think he could be more fair, more inclusive and more professional."

Councilman Vince Riggi, the only non-Democrat on the council, said Kosiur has met with him privately a few times to discuss important issues, including the changes related to the public comments.

"I would be the first one to stand up and holler if I thought people were being restricted at the privilege of the floor since I spent about 18 plus years on that side of the rail before I was elected to the City Council," he said harkening backs to his activist days. "He has been more inclusive with me that past council presidents."

Beyond that, Riggi said, Kosiur has asked him to do the prayer during the gatherings.

Mayor Gary McCarthy, when asked about Kosiur's performance, criticized "chronic complainers who just complain about things that in the grand scheme of things are not major issues."

He declined to elaborate but emphasized that Kosiur is doing a good job. "Ed has the support of the working majority, and you have to have that to be council president," the mayor said, adding Perezzo didn't have that support from the base.

Kosiur said he plans to attend municipal meetings in Albany and other places to see if they are doing anything that can be replicated in Schenectady to enhance the meetings. He said he routinely reaches out to his colleagues to find out how they feel about an issue.

"We all have the respect for each other, but at the same time we all have disagreements, and I think that's what makes good politics," said Kosiur.
ALBANY  The second round of legislative interviews to select a candidate to finish the term of embattled ex-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman took a decidedly different turn Wednesday, with several unconventional applicants explaining how they would maximize the interim role.

Acting Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood, an experienced prosecutor, has appeared to be a shoo-in for fulfilling the remaining term of the state's chief legal officer. But a bipartisan legislative screening panel headed by the Assembly's Democratic Majority was committed to hear the pitches of all 11 potential candidates.

"We are trying to make the process as fair and open as possible," said Assemblyman Joe Lentol, a Democrat from Brooklyn charged with leading the 12-member vetting committee.

Lawmakers interviewed five largely unknown attorneys with colorful resumes Wednesday including Michael D. Diederich Jr., Nicole Gueron, Thomas E. Humbach, Jennifer P. Stergion and Alex Zapesochny  exploring how their experiences in the military, entrepreneurship, technology sector and family litigation could inform the role of attorney general.

Diederich said his time in the U.S. Army Reserves gave him his sense of patriotism and duty to serve, while also lending him cynicism about war and leadership gone wrong.

Humbach, the only Republican candidate seeking the interim position, discussed his work as county attorney for Rockland County, where he worked to reduce its multi-million dollar deficit and enforce housing regulations.

"I saw that Rockland County was in a way that was not serving its citizens. It had a deficit of $130 million, the government was very unpopular," he said.

Stergion, an attorney and professor, said her priority during the short term as attorney general would be to aggressively recruit women and minorities to the office, noting that she had worked as a recruiter in college.

Zapesochny described how his experience as counsel for major tech companies would enable him to transform how the attorney general interacts and engages with New Yorkers, including socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.

"I would see this office with fresh eyes, the eyes of an innovator and social entrepreneur," he said.

Gueron, who previously worked in the office of then-Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo and as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said her experience in law enforcement and as a business owner, running her own law firm, provides her with unique perspective.

"I know how it feels to run a business and make payroll," she said. "Predictable legal norms and law enforcement are essential to a successful business climate in New York. ... Law enforcement and the private sector should not be adversaries, they should be allies."

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On Tuesday, lawmakers quizzed Underwood and two of their colleagues in the Legislature, Democratic Assemblymen Thomas J. Abinanti and Daniel J. O'Donnell, about what they hoped to bring to the office. They also spoke to three contenders with extensive experience in public service -- former Congresswoman, district attorney and New York City Comptroller Elizabeth Holtzman, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer-adviser Lloyd Constantine and state Supreme Court Justice Doris Ling-Cohan.

Initially, there were 13 contenders, but former Cuomo adviser Leecia Roberta Eve and Mina Quinto Malik, the former executive director of New York City's Civilian Complaint Review Board, announced at the last minute that they would not be seeking the appointment.

All of the candidates interviewed on Tuesday deferred to Underwoood, saying she would be the ideal candidate for the job the rest of the year. Wednesday's interviewees were decidedly less reverent of her qualifications.

"I don't think its good for you to have Barbara Underwood in the role of attorney general. She is so skilled at advocating for the state," Diederich said. "I think it dilutes her ability to advocate...by putting her in the attorney general position."

"Merely appointing a caretaker [like Underwood] would be a missed opportunity," added Zapesochny.

The 12-member interview committee is made up of four Senate Republicans, two Senate Democrats, four Assembly Democrats and two Assembly Republicans. Committee members present a number of candidates to the legislature for a vote.

Schneiderman resigned abruptly last week amid allegations that he physically and mentally abused at least four women.
Troy

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded The Sage Colleges to a rating of a Caa1, making it the firm's lowest rated private college in the nation.

A combination of the college's dependence on an $8.5 million renewable line of credit from M&T Bank and a fall in its enrollment led to the low rating, a Moody's spokesman said. The rating, which previously was B3, has also come with a negative outlook.

"The downgrade to Caa1 is driven by the continued weakening of the college's financial viability due to material enrollment declines affecting the largest sources (85 percent) of its revenues -- student charges," the report reads.

But a Sage spokeswoman said Wednesday that applications for the incoming freshman class were up sharply and that it expects a sizable increase in enrollees.

The Sage Colleges includes Russell Sage College in Troy, Sage College of Albany, and the Sage Graduate Schools.

Sage spokeswoman Heidi Weber said the institution does not see the ratings, first reported in the Albany Business Review, as a setback. She called the it a "delayed reflection of the financial difficulties" that the college faced in 2017.

"We continue to take positive steps to streamline and contain our costs, while enhancing our revenue," Weber said. "New admissions strategies are generating record applications for fall. These changes have yielded an increase of applications from 2,500 to 4,200 (from this time last year to now). We currently have just over 500 deposits for fall 2018. This is up substantially from this time last year (266 deposits). Our fall outlook looks very strong and we anticipate our incoming class to be around 550."

The Moody's report measured enrollment as dropping 7 percent in 2017.

"As a result, operating results continue to weaken, with an over 10 percent operating deficit in fiscal 2017," the report read. "The college has been unable to cover debt service from operating cash flow in three of the past five years."

Of 21 ratings, Caa1 is Moody's fifth lowest. The only other colleges rated this low were Dowling College in Long Island and Birmingham Southern, in Birmingham Ala., the spokesman said. Dowling ended up closing.

Moody's rates about 500 private and public colleges. The lowest-rated public university is the University of Puerto Rico.

Moody's also notes that recovery in the event of default on its bonds would be "uncertain as they would be dependent upon sale of campus property with no current market value provided, and subject to liens provide(d) to a bank counterparty for additional debt."

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The report said that 90 percent of Sage's enrollees are from New York state. Moody's expects enrollment to decline as the college market is saturated in the Northeast. There are fewer high school graduates and many New York students are taking advantage of the Excelsior Scholarship, a program by which students can attend SUNY and CUNY schools tuition-free.

Weber doesn't deny the difficulties.

"Other colleges in the Capital Region are in similar situations," she said. "The Northeast is a highly competitive environment. Sage's challenges reflect those of the market, but recent tactical and strategic changes are better positioning Sage for growth."

Despite Weber's optimism, the negative outlook stands.

"The negative outlook reflects our expectations that the college's operations will remain materially challenged for the foreseeable future," the report concluded.
Rural New Yorkers are dying from preventable overdoses. Money poured into treatment and law enforcement has had little impact. In the face of an overdose crisis that is killing more New Yorkers than HIV/AIDS at its peak, elected officials throughout New York must take prompt, bold action to save the lives of their constituents. As such, I applaud New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in joining Ithaca's Mayor Svante Myrick in calling for lifesaving overdose prevention programs.

Decades of research across three continents demonstrate that these facilities save lives, reduce public syringe disposal and public drug use, facilitate entry to treatment, and do not increase crime.

As executive director of an upstate nonprofit that operates three syringe exchange programs, I know that we cannot limit overdose prevention programs to New York City. It took a decade from the state authorizing syringe exchanges in 1992 until the opening of Ithaca's syringe exchange in 2002. That delay allowed many people to become infected with HIV unnecessarily and has cost us dearly in both dollars and avoidable human suffering.

Furthermore, dedicated investment in urban parts of the state has contributed to the lack of health infrastructure available to handle the current overdose crisis. That delay from almost 20 years ago continues to kill people today. In Tompkins County, the fatal overdose rate has increased by 1,000 percent over the past decade; 2017 was the deadliest year on record. In fact, the overdose rates in western and central New York and the Southern Tier all surpass that in New York City. Since 2006, rural New York counties have experienced a 295 percent increase in opioid overdose deaths. Suburban counties experienced a 303 percent increase in the opioid overdose death rate, and a 1,158 percent increase in heroin-related deaths.

In 2014, Myrick convened a Municipal Drug Policy Committee to develop a comprehensive city-wide strategy. The committee consisted of diverse stakeholders, including treatment and harm-reduction providers, police, people who use drugs and those who are in recovery, and business owners, all working toward the shared goal of saving lives and reducing harms associated with drug use and the failed war on drugs. This group produced The Ithaca Plan, a report outlining more than 20 evidence-based recommendations, including safer consumption spaces.

Recently, Bloomberg Philanthropies selected Ithaca as one of 35 "Champion Cities" from a field of 350 applicants in its Mayors Challenge. The contest recognized municipal policy proposals for innovation, high impact potential, and scalability to other jurisdictions.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

However, until Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Health Commissioner Howard Zucker take action to support prevention programs, essential elements of the Ithaca Plan as well as de Blasio's call to action will remain proposals only. This means the people I serve will keep dying.

Nearly 100 safer consumption spaces exist around the world. Decades of research demonstrate that they reduce overdose deaths, HIV and viral hepatitis infections, and public disorder, while increasing access to drug treatment and other health care.

Any serious plan to reverse the overdose crisis must include overdose prevention programs and must site them in both urban and suburban/rural areas. Start with Ithaca. Give us the green light to save the lives of the people we serve. The New Yorkers at risk of dying from preventable overdoses today do not have time for proposals left unimplemented.

New York stands at a historic crossroads: Do we take action to prevent these deaths or allow them to continue? I trust Cuomo and Zucker will join us to end overdoses statewide. We can't wait another decade this time. Human life is precious, upstate and downstate alike.
[May 15, 2018] GraphPath Launches the GraphOS Protocol and GraphOS Consortium to put Knowledge Graphs on the Blockchain

MIAMI, May 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- GraphPath (www.graphpath.ai), creators of the Knowledge Graph-as-a-service (KGaaS) solution that allows organizations to evolve from Big Data to Big Knowledge, today unveiled GraphOS (www.graphos.io), the world's first decentralized operating system for Knowledge Graphs on the blockchain. GraphOS will facilitate the creation, collaboration and sharing of Knowledge Assets among network participants and seamlessly integrate Knowledge Graphs in a safe, secure and transparent manner. The GraphOS network will be powered by the GraphOS Protocol, which will provide a mechanism for defining and exchanging Knowledge Assets. Knowledge Assets can include any component and specifications of a Knowledge Graph system, such as data, code, ownership and governance details, asset description (i.e. data, code, ontology, algorithms, etc.), and licensing details, among others. "As we thought about scaling GraphPath's business from a few dozen to hundreds, or even thousands of customers, we identified an opportunity to complement our existing strategy with a Multisided Platform (MSP) approach," explained Demian Bellumio, CEO of GrapPath. "We envision an MSP is which a network of Knowledge Graphs can safely and securely be interconnected via blockchain technology, and where a wide array of participants, such as Knowledge Graph owners, data providers, knowledge experts, and data scientists can efficiently transact with each other. We call this ecosystem, a Graph Operating System, or GraphOS, as it will manage all the resources necessary to run the network." GraphOS Consortium, which will be spearheaded by Mr. Bellumio and Andrew McLaughlin, a leading technologist that has worked with ICANN, Google, the US Government and Tumblr. Through the GraphOS Consortium, a group of executives from blockchain and a number of other industries will be collaborating in the development of a technological and economic framework for GraphOS.



GraphOS Consortium Industry Members Artificial Intelligence

Antoine Blondeau, Co-Founder and Chairman at Sentient

Chris Boos, Founder and CEO at Arago

Brian Brackeen, Founder and CEO at Kairos

Advertising

Sergio Barrientos, Chief Strategy Officer at M8 Arts

Kevin Abosch, Visual Artist, Hacker and Entrepreneur Blockchain

Carlos Domingo, Founder at SPiCE VC and Securitize

Jose Saez Lopez, Founder at ElevenYellow

Pablo Ruiz, VP Engineering at Polymath

Pablo Yabo, CTO at CoinFabrik

Shayne Coplan, Founder at TokenUnion Fintech

Jorge Ruiz, Founder and CEO at above & beyond Government / Civic

Andrew McLaughlin, Co-Founder and Partner at Higher Ground Labs

Michael Sarasti, Chief Innovation Officer at City of Miami IoT

Babak Razi, Chairman of the Board at Ingenu Education

Esteban Sosnik, General Partner at Reach Capital

Benoit Wirz, Investment Partner at Brighteye VC Real Estate

Amol Sarva, Co-Founder and CEO at Knotel Telecommunications

Leandro Rzezak, Founder and CEO at Intraway

Javier Villamizar, Managing Director at Greensill Capital About GraphPath GraphPath (www.graphpath.ai) allows organizations to evolve from Big Data to Big Knowledge through the creation and management of large-scale enterprise knowledge graphs. The GraphPath solution allows companies to semantically organize all of their raw data into a single ontology that facilitates searching and analyzing their knowledge, as well as, deploying automated machine learning workflows, all in a collaborative and visually-engaging manner. GraphPath Executive Contact

Martin Enriquez

COO

menriquez@graphpath.ai View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/graphpath-launches-the-graphos-protocol-and-graphos-consortium-to-put-knowledge-graphs-on-the-blockchain-300648820.html SOURCE GraphPath

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[May 15, 2018] Hatton National Bank Goes Live With MoneyWare Custody in a Quest to Become a One-stop Shop for its Customers

MUMBAI, India and COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Miles Software, a Fintech specialist in the Wealth, Asset, Portfolio management and Custody business, today announced the Go live of MoneyWare Custody at Hatton National bank, the premier private sector commercial bank in Sri Lanka. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/691640/Miles_Software_Logo.jpg )

Hatton National bank (HNB) recently launched its custody operations in the country to strengthen its product depth and service offering. Being one of the first local private commercial banks to enter the Custody and Trustee space gives the bank the platform to be in a position to cater to specially cross border clients entering the Sri Lanka capital market. Mr. Tyrone Hannan, Head -Custody and Trustee Business, adds, "The setting up of the Custody and Trustee business strengthens our offerings and is a testamen to HNB's commitment to providing world class banking solutions to its customers. We were looking at a solution that is robust, scalable, flexible and future-ready architecture to handle both custody management and fund accounting services. Within relatively short period of time, the Miles team put in their 100% effort to achieve the swift Go live."



Mr. Ruwan-bakmedeniya, CIO, further adds, "The changing business dynamics and the complex custody business framework requires us to meet global standards. It is imperative to have a technology platform that manages the complete life cycle of the global custody business. MoneyWare Custody positions us to do so with the flexibility and sophistication while supporting our need for business innovation." "We are excited to welcome HNB to our growing roster of custody clients. It is our utmost privilege to work with the premier bank HNB in Sri Lanka. HNB is now well positioned to be a serious player in the capital market by positioning itself as the local player in the custody and trustee services space," said Milan Ganatra, CEO Miles Software.

Hatton National Bank: A premier private sector commercial bank operating in Sri Lanka with 251 branches spread across the island. The bank has been internationally recognized by the Asian Banker Magazine as the 'Best Retail Bank in Sri Lanka' on nine occasions from 2007 to 2016. Miles Software: A Global Fintech player in the Wealth, Portfolio and the Asset management space. MoneyWare, our flagship product is ranked #1 Private banking solution (IBS Sales League Tables 2016 and 2017, IBS Intelligence, UK). Media Contact:

Nithya K. Mahesh

+91-8879239476

Nithya.mahesh@milessoft.com



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[May 15, 2018] Datavail Joins Oracle Cloud Excellence Implementer Program to Drive Customer Success

BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Datavail, a Platinum and Cloud Standard member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), today announced it has joined the Oracle Cloud Excellence Implementer (CEI) program and has achieved CEI status for Oracle Financial Consolidation and Close Cloud in North America. Oracle launched the CEI partner program at Oracle OpenWorld 2017 to accelerate customers' digital transformation in the cloud. The program recognizes and rewards partners that continually demonstrate expertise, a successful track record, and superior customer satisfaction in delivering high quality Oracle Software as a Service (SaaS) implementations to customers.

"At Datavail we are committed to expanding our relationship with Oracle and enhancing our capabilities around the broad spectrum of Oracle's solutions. This achievement is an exciting step in our path to help customers adopt Oracle's cloud technologies," said Mark Perlstein, CEO of Datavail.

The CEI program was developed to provide customers with a clear, objective, and informative view of partner qualifications for implementing Oracle SaaS solutions. Through the OPN Solutions Catalog, customers are now able to identify and engage with partner firms that best align to their specific project needs. Access to this information helps customers minimize implementation risk, quickly adopt new cloud functionality, and realize the maximum potential of the Oracle Cloud.

"We are committed to helping our partners drive customer succes across the Oracle Cloud portfolio," said Camillo Speroni, vice president of Worldwide Strategic Alliances, Oracle. "We remain committed to providing partners with the training and resources needed to drive customer advocacy, and make the journey to cloud as smooth and successful as possible for customers."





For more information about the CEI program, visit www.oracle.com/partners/goto/cei.



For more information about Datavail, visit www.datavail.com. About Datavail

Datavail provides a broad range of services in support of databases, analytics, and applications and specializes in Oracle, Oracle E-Business Suite, OBIEE and OBIA, Hyperion, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, MongoDB, DB2 and SharePoint. Datavail is a leading provider of data integration and database administration services in North America, offering 247 managed database, applications and BI/DW services, design, architecture, and staffing. With more than 900 employees on payroll and core operations in four countries, Datavail offers deep technical expertise in a flexible, agile engagement model that focuses on customer success. Founded in 2007, Datavail is based in Broomfield, Colorado and supports enterprise clients located worldwide. For more information, visit www.datavail.com. About Oracle PartnerNetwork

Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) is Oracle's partner program that provides partners with a differentiated advantage to develop, sell and implement Oracle solutions. OPN offers resources to train and support specialized knowledge of Oracle's products and solutions and has evolved to recognize Oracle's growing product portfolio, partner base and business opportunity. Key to the latest enhancements to OPN is the ability for partners to be recognized and rewarded for their investment in Oracle Cloud. Partners engaging with Oracle will be able to differentiate their Oracle Cloud expertise and success with customers through the OPN Cloud program  an innovative program that complements existing OPN program levels with tiers of recognition and progressive benefits for partners working with Oracle Cloud. To find out more visit: http://www.oracle.com/partners. Trademarks

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. This release was issued through WebWire(R). For more information visit http://www.webwire.com. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/datavail-joins-oracle-cloud-excellence-implementer-program-to-drive-customer-success-300649152.html SOURCE Datavail

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[May 16, 2018] Brick-and-Mortar Retail is Going on the Blockchain to Give Data Back to Shoppers

SINGAPORE, May 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Carry, a new protocol that brings cryptocurrency payments and blockchain-enhanced loyalty points to brick-and-mortar retailers is teaming up with Spoqa, one of South Korea's largest loyalty points companies. The key partnership will make Carry's ability to go to market unmatched in the industry. Carry's service will be rolled out simultaneously in more than 10,000 kiosks installed at shops, restaurants and cafes across South Korea and Japan, two of the world's hottest cryptocurrency markets in terms of volume trading. Spoqa operates the kiosks for more than 15 million registered users. Activating Carry on the existing hardware will only require a software update, making it possible to start international operations literally overnight. The Spoqa co-founders are starting Carry as a new, separate company. Their team has seven years experience growing Spoqa from zero to 15 million customers, with rewards enabled for over $1 billion USD in transactions in Korea and Japan, and $10 million in funding. "It makes sense for Carry to be its own entity," said Grant Sohn, co-founder of both Spoqa and Carry. "This way, we can seek out partnerships with other loyalty programs like Spoqa in other countries. In fact, we are reserving a large portion of our token supply precisely for recruiting new member companies." The Carry Protocol has already drawn support from cryptocurrency heavy hitters like Hashed, and is gaining a lot of interest from established companies looking to leverage Carry's use of the blockchain. This could help take both Carry and Spoqa beyond their base in Asia to the rest of the world. Establishing Shopper Data Rights "One of the most exciting features of Carry is how it gives shoppers direct ownership of the transaction data they create when making a purchase at brick-and-mortar retail locations," said Richard Choi, co-founder of both Spoqa and Carry. Shoppers have the option of selling some or all of this data directly to marketers. All shared data is anonymized, as it is associated with one or more cryptocurrency wallet addresses, rather than a person's real name. To incentivize opt-in data sharing, the system will introduce the CRE token (pronounced "carry"), which shoppers can use as currency to pay for goods and services at participating retail locations. Merchants of Carry-enabled shops can use it to create custom branded token "loyalty points" based on smart contracts. Shoppers will receive CRE from third-party advertisers as reimbursement for their data. In return, advertisers can access a consolidated database of anonymized offline shopper data  a goldmine considered to be the holy grail for marketers. "Traditional brick-and-mortar retail represents more than 90% of all retail spending. It's a $25 trillion industry," said Sohn. "It generates a massive amount of valuable transaction data that is mostly being improperly distributed, with little transparency or control for the consumers who create it. We aim to change that." The Technology Behind The Token All of the conveniences the Carry Protocol brings to shoppers are accessible via a free smartphone app. Users of the app can search for Carry-enabled merchants in their local area. The app also functions as a cryptocurrency wallet. Shoppers can make cryptocurency payments at the checkout counter by just scanning a QR code. They can even pay with cash and still scan the code to save their transaction data. And as soon as the payment is processed, store-branded tokens will appear in their Carry wallet from the store, for use in future purchases.



Sharing data and receiving targeted advertising with the app is made easy with two on/off toggle buttons. Want to share data? Click, done; a CRE payment will arrive almost immediately. The user may also choose to send only certain specified data such as date, time and amount spent. And a similarly togglable "advertising mode" allows shoppers to choose when and where they are being advertised to. Turn it on, and users will receive targeted advertising based on their location and shopping habits shown through the data they've shared. Users might expect to receive digital coupons and invitations to sale events, for example. More information about the Carry Protocol and CRE, including a detailed White Paper explaining the underlying technologies and the potential uses, is available at https://carryprotocol.io.

About Carry Carry is headquartered in Singapore and operates primarily out of South Korea. Its key partner company, Spoqa, is South Korea's largest offline retail rewards platform. Carry is a protocol that combines a blockchain-enhanced loyalty point system with easy cryptocurrency payments for brick-and-mortar retail and empowers all stakeholders by turning transaction data into a commodity the consumers' control. Consumers can receive the proprietary CRE token (pronounced "carry") for optionally selling their anonymized transaction data to advertising agencies, and can use it as currency in Carry-enabled stores. The Carry Protocol is made available to offline retail shops via kiosks already installed for Spoqa's existing loyalty point system, of which over 10,000 are already installed across South Korea and Japan. Consumers can use Carry's features via a smartphone app. Website: carryprotocol.io Press kit: bit.ly/carryprotocol Medium: medium.com/@carryprotocol Telegram: t.me/carryprotocol Facebook: facebook.com/carryprotocol.io Twitter: twitter.com/carryprotocol Press Contact: Polina Kriuchkova / PR & Marketing Manager: polina@carryprotocol.io Disclaimer. Certain information set forth in this press release may contain "forward-looking information", including "future oriented financial information" and "financial outlook", under applicable securities laws (collectively referred to herein as forward-looking statements). Except for statements of historical fact, information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements and includes, but is not limited to, the (i) projected financial performance of the Company; (ii) completion of, and the use of proceeds from, the sale of the tokens being offered hereunder; (iii) the expected development of the Company's business, projects and joint ventures; (iv) execution of the Company's vision and growth strategy, including with respect to future M&A activity and global growth; (v) sources and availability of third-party financing for the Company's projects; (vi) completion of the Company's projects that are currently underway, in development or otherwise under consideration; (vii) renewal of the Company's current customer, supplier and other material agreements; and (viii) future liquidity, working capital, and capital requirements. Forward-looking statements are provided to allow potential investors the opportunity to understand management's beliefs and opinions in respect of the future so that they may use such beliefs and opinions as one factor in evaluating an investment. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Related Images join-the-offline-data-revolution.png

Join the Offline Data Revolution

Carry makes personal data fair for consumers, marketers and merchants its-time-for-a-change.png

It's Time For a Change

Carry delivers real incentives that enable consumers, merchants and advertisers alike. brought-to-you-by-spoqa.jpg

Brought to You By Spoqa

South Korea's largest brick-and-mortar rewards platform grant-sohn-carry-co-ceo.jpg

Grant Sohn, Carry Co-CEO

The Carry team is specialized in the open-source development and offline execution. Related Links Carry Protocol Website Telegram Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTDhITtAoVc View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brick-and-mortar-retail-is-going-on-the-blockchain-to-give-data-back-to-shoppers-300649261.html SOURCE Carry Protocol

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[May 16, 2018] INNATE PHARMA : First quarter 2018 report

first quarter 2018 report Cash, cash equivalents and financial assets of the Company amounted to 153.8 million [*]

Significant momentum across the portfolio, with good progress on the joint monalizumab program with AstraZeneca/MedImmune and wholly-owned IPH5401: Preliminary data presented at AACR suggest promising anti-tumor activity of the combination of monalizumab and cetuximab AstraZeneca/MedImmune expands colorectal patient cohort to evaluate monalizumab in combination with Imfinzi (durvalumab) and standard of care Clinical collaboration with AstraZeneca/MedImmune accelerates development of IPH5401 First data on the combination of monalizumab and durvalumab in colorectal cancer patients to be presented at ASCO annual meeting

World renowned immunologist, Professor Eric Vivier, joined Innate Pharma as Chief Scientific Officer Marseille, France, May 16, 2018, 7:00 AM CEST Innate Pharma SA (the "Company" - Euronext Paris: FR0010331421 - IPH) today announced its revenues and cash position for the first three months of 2018. Mondher Mahjoubi, Chief Executive Officer of Innate Pharma, commented: "During the first quarter we have continued to advance our broad and innovative portfolio of differentiated, first-in-class immunotherapies, with significant clinical momentum across our key antibody, monalizumab, and have also entered into an important clinical collaboration on our proprietary IPH5401 program with our partner, AstraZeneca/MedImmune. We also welcomed Professor Eric Vivier to Innate Pharma as Chief Scientific Officer. Eric has brought world-renowned expertise in immunology, which is already helping us to step up innovation in our R&D operations. With a robust financial position and strong partnerships, we have several near-to-medium term read-outs in 2018, and are confident of demonstrating continued progress in meeting the needs of patients and delivering investor value." FINANCIAL RESULTS: Cash, cash equivalents and financial assets of the Company amounted to 153.8 million* as of March 31, 2018. At the same date, financial liabilities amounted to 5.6 million. Revenues for the first three months of 2018 amounted to 8.7 million (7.8 million for the same period in 2017). New accounting rules required a change from IAS 18 in 2017 to IFRS 15 in 2018 (under IAS 18 revenues in the first three months of 2018 would have been 11.3 million). This revenue results from the co-development and commercialization agreement with AstraZeneca, corresponding to the recognition over the period of the initial payment received in June 2015. PIPELINE UPDATE: Monalizumab: Innate Pharma and its partner AstraZeneca/MedImmune have reported significant progress on the monalizumab program. In March, partner MedImmune expanded patient cohorts in the ongoing Phase I dose escalation and expansion trial to evaluate monalizumab in combination with durvalumab and standard of care in 1st- and 2nd-line treatment of colorectal cancer patients. First data on the combination of monalizumab and durvalumab in colorectal cancer patients will be presented at the Amerian Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, June 1-5, 2018 (abstract #3540).



Post period, preliminary data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting (poster ID: CT158) suggested promising anti-tumor activity resulting from the combination of monalizumab and cetuximab in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN). Updated data from the ongoing Phase I/II trial will be presented at upcoming medical conferences. IPH4102: A Phase I trial with IPH4102 in patients with Sezary syndrome (SS), an advanced form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, is ongoing. Accrual of patients with SS for a cohort expansion part of the ongoing trial has been completed and data will be presented at a medical conference.

IPH5401: In January, the Company entered into a clinical trial collaboration with MedImmune that will accelerate development activities for IPH5401 in combination with PD-1/L1 blockers. IPH5401, which targets the tumor microenvironment, will enter the clinic in selected solid tumors in 2018. Innate will sponsor the Phase I dose escalation and expansion study with development costs equally shared by both parties. Preclinical projects: The Company presented four posters at AACR 2018 in April, which underpinned the ongoing clinical program for monalizumab and highlighted the next wave of immunotherapies in cancer. New preclinical data further supported the development of monalizumab in combination with other cancer therapies, showcased a differentiated approach to addressing the immunosuppressive adenosine pathway by developing both anti-CD39 and anti-CD73 neutralizing antibodies and highlighted a new first-in-class anti-Siglec-9 antibody as a potential new checkpoint inhibitor. About Innate Pharma: Innate Pharma S.A. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to improving cancer treatment and clinical outcomes for patients through first-in-class therapeutic antibodies that harness the body's own immune system. Innate Pharma specializes in immuno-oncology, a new therapeutic field that is changing cancer treatment by mobilizing the power of the body's immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells. The Company's broad pipeline includes four first-in-class clinical stage antibodies as well as preclinical candidates and technologies that have the potential to address a broad range of cancer indications with high unmet medical needs. Innate Pharma has pioneered the discovery and development of checkpoint inhibitors, with a unique expertise and understanding of Natural Killer cell biology. This innovative approach has resulted in major alliances with leaders in the biopharmaceutical industry including AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk A/S and Sanofi. Innate Pharma is building the foundations to become a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company. Based in Marseille, France, Innate Pharma has more than 180 employees and is listed on Euronext Paris. Learn more about Innate Pharma at www.innate-pharma.com Information about Innate Pharma shares: ISIN code

Ticker code

LEI FR0010331421

IPH

9695002Y8420ZB8HJE29 Disclaimer: This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Although the company believes its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. For a discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause the company's actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors ("Facteurs de Risque") section of the Document de Reference prospectus filed with the AMF, which is available on the AMF website (http://www.amf-france.org) or on Innate Pharma's website. This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe to shares in Innate Pharma in any country. For additional information, please contact: Investors







Innate Pharma



Dr Markus Metzger / Jerome Marino

Investor relations



Tel.: +33 (0)4 30 30 30 30



investors@innate-pharma.com



International Media







Consilium Strategic Communications



Mary-Jane Elliott / Jessica Hodgson



Tel.: +44 (0)20 3709 5700



InnatePharma@consilium-comms.com French Media







ATCG Press



Marie Puvieux



Mob: +33 (0)6 10 54 36 72



presse@atcg-partners.com









[*] Including short term investments (16.3m) and non-current financial instruments (55.2m).

Attachment PR in English.pdf

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[May 16, 2018] Aircall Secures $29 Million to Reinvent the Business Phone

NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Aircall has raised $29 million in Series B funding, led by Draper Esprit, with participation from Balderton Capital, NextWorld Capital, eFounders, Newfund and other existing investors, bringing total funding to $40.5 million to-date. Aircall will use the new funds to accelerate the buildout of its cloud-based phone system, including seamless integrations into all the software tools used by modern businesses. Aircall will also dedicate portions of the funds to acquire top talent to supplement its growing teams in both the U.S. and Europe. "Most business tools have been redefined in recent years to enable collaboration and flexibility across a company. However, for too many teams, the phone remains disconnected from the rest of their everyday tools," said Ben Tompkins, Managing Partner at Draper Esprit. "The Aircall team is uniquely positioned to change this, which is why we're so excited to make this investment." Since its inception in 2014, thousands of businesses have turned to Aircall to improe their communications. Aircall replaces outdated systems with a collaborative and efficient platform that provides relevant customer data and agent-facing tools at the onset of every call.



Aircall aims to empower businesses to connect with their customers, partners, and employees in entirely new ways. Most recently, the company launched Aircall Now to enable voice calling within business messenger platforms, improving millions of monthly conversations. "Teams are increasingly looking for efficiency and productivity gains made possible by integrating your phone into the SaaS tools your business is already using," said Olivier Pailhes, CEO of Aircall. "We look forward to delivering more value to our customers through product enhancements and a broader integration ecosystem."

Aircall has enjoyed rapid expansion through strategic partnerships and strong customer adoption. The platform has quickly grown from handling thousands of calls to millions of calls daily and is expanding to business teams worldwide. "Since our first investment in 2015, it's been clear that Aircall is addressing a major need for the modern business. They have the potential to be a transformative business and we can't wait to see the next chapter in their growth," said Bernard Liautaud, Managing Partner at Balderton Capital. For more information on Aircall visit, Aircall.io. About Aircall

Aircall empowers teams with a phone system specifically built for modern business. With zero hardware to manage, dozens of integration options to explore, and the ability to add local numbers in more than 40 countries, Aircall is a powerful communication tool that can be fully set up in minutes. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aircall-secures-29-million-to-reinvent-the-business-phone-300649102.html SOURCE Aircall

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[May 16, 2018] 'S&P for Crypto' Startup BITA Launches the First Series of Digital Asset Indexes and Benchmarks

FRANKFURT, Germany, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BITA has officially announced the launch of the BITA Index series, the first line of fully independent indexes and benchmarks tracking both cryptocurrencies and digital tokens. The initial index offering encompasses the BITA50 (B50) index, a market benchmark covering x% of the total market capitalization, as well as a 40 (BITA40), 30, 20 and 10 token variations, specifically designed to underlie passive investment products and ensure a proper balance between diversification and liquidity. The indexes include a series of rules-based qualitative and quantitative filters to avoid regulatory and compliance pitfalls. The goal of BITA (www.bitadata.com), according to its founders, is to establish itself as the global leader of digital asset based indexes and data. The founding team has put special focus in ensuring the quality and integrity of all the underlying data, following methodologies and processes widely used in the professional capital markets. The objective is to tackle some of the concerns voiced by institutional investors interested in allocating capital to the new asset class. Victor Gomez, Managing Director of BITA, said: "Digital Assets (Cryptocurrencies and Tokens) will become an asset class present in the asset allocation mix of most institutional portfolios. We are very excited to contribute to the evolution of the industry and build the first series f indexes and data products that comply with the transparency, regulation and quality standards that the world's top institutions require."



According to a recent report, Blockchain Capital Markets, from Celent, "Financial institutions need to develop a diverse disciplinary approach to this new asset class because it will impact capital allocation, liquidity generation, and portfolio construction." "Regulated digital asset exchanges and security tokens will represent an important inflection point as digital assets continue to attract institutional capital. Institutional-grade indexes and data products, like those offered by BITA, will also play an important part," says Celent analyst John Dwyer.

The company claims to not be afraid about competition from larger firms, and is aggressively looking to build an ecosystem around its offering. "We want the industry to stop benchmarking against Bitcoin. Therefore we want to encourage media participants, crypto enthusiasts, analysts, researchers, startups and students to contact us in order to receive our index data as well as proprietary crypto prices for free. We want to help the ecosystem to develop," said Christoph Bruck, Managing Director of BITA. The company claims to have already secured institutional clients for the launch of passive investment products targeting professional investors, and is already working on a sector and smart beta offering. Summary BITA has launched a series of digital asset indexes that comply with the quality, transparency and regulation standards of institutional investors.

BITA is focused on developing indexes, benchmarks and data for institutional investors targeting the digital asset market.

BITA is incentivizing media, academic and research groups to participate in its ecosystem, by giving them access to its index and crypto data for free. About BITA Founded by a team with more than 20 years of experience in multi- and alternative asset indexation, BITA is the first professional index and data provider in the digital asset space. Through state of the art technology, BITA is building the institutional-grade data infrastructure required to enable institutional investments in digital assets. Press contact: Victor Gomez

Managing Director

E: vg@bitadata.com

M: +49 17631370579 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sp-for-crypto-startup-bita-launches-the-first-series-of-digital-asset-indexes-and-benchmarks-300649170.html SOURCE BITA

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[May 16, 2018] Fire Safety Drills at Orchids The International School

BANGALORE, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- 360 Degree Approach towards Fire Safety at both theory and practical Level The increasing number of fire in educational properties has alarmed Orchids The International School to take that extra step towards educating and preparing students for a Fire Emergency both theoretically and practically. This school is one of the renowned schools in Bangalore, which has taken an extra conscious step towards educating not only the students but the entire teaching and non-teaching staff. Prevention begins with education, at Orchids The International School; the Fire Safety Drills are conducted at regular intervals. Unlike any other schools, all the students of K1 and K2 are also involved in the Fire Safety Drills and training them what to do when they see any smoke coming out. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/692249/Fire_safety_drills_orchids_school.jpg )

A Fire Drill is a method of practicing how the building would be evacuated in the event of a fire. At Orchids, they carry out 2 drills every year that is followed by regular inspection of Fire Extinguisher and other tools used for Fire Safety. They have their own school fire safety calendar and guidelines, which have to be followed strictly by each and every branch. To manage a classroom is a difficult task, but can become extremely difficult during chaotic situations like fire and other disaster drills. Although school fire drill can seem like more hassle than they are worth, they are very important to practice sessions. Tese drills teach students how to react and behave when a fire emergency occurs.



Some of the key factors that the school keeps in mind while conducting fire safety classes: Conduct expected and unexpected yearly school fire drills in which everyone participates

Campus Incharge inspects the fire equipment weekly once

Regular inspection of stairways, doors, and windows to ensure that is unblocked and working properly

Train students on how to respond to fire alarm during a school fire drill

Aware of the exact locations of the fire protection system, fire alarm pull stations and sprinklers.

Every room has the map showing the Emergency Exits

Pair students with specific needs to adult or classmate for extra assistance

Predetermined location where students know to meet after exit from the building

Have a roster to ensure the students are accounted for Capt. Ramesh Raju, Disaster Management Training Officer, Bangalore, said, "We have conducted the Fire Safety Drills all across the branches and have got a very positive response from students as well as the administration. This has helped us to upgrade our securities-related management and system regularly to meet maximum satisfaction at every level."

Kavita Chatterjee, The Principal, Orchids The International School, Mumbai, said, "We are very conscious about the safety of students and staff and dedicated for the same. The Fire Drill conducted at our school includes on-campus and off-campus precaution guideline that is set at par with industry standards to meet accurate efficiency during Emergency of fire." Umesh Kumar, student, Bangalore said, "The fire safety drills that are conducted at our premises, I am very fond of that and love the way our instructors teach the different levels such as evacuation, relocation, shelter-in-place, lock-down, lock-out in detailed yet in fun way." About Us Founded in the year 2002, 'Orchids The International School' , is distinguished by its unique approach towards learning and its commitment to provide quality education. They are following both traditional and contemporary practices to measure student's performance at par with quality education standards. The highly competent and experienced faculty is dedicatedly working to strengthen the curriculum and learning programs. This will bring out the best in every student and empower each one to excel. Quick Facts Founded in 2002

Working on 5 pillars- Academics Excellence, Safe Campus, Personal Attentions, Holistic Development, Best-in-class Infrastructure

19 International Schools

Presence across 4 Cities - Mumbai , Pune , Bengaluru and Hyderabad

, , Bengaluru and 2,000+ Teachers

17,000+ Students Media Contact:

Prudhvi Raj

prudhvi.raaj@orchids.edu.in

+91-9513987393

Orchids The International School





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[May 16, 2018] Dialpad Acquires TalkIQ to Bring Voice-Driven Artificial Intelligence to Business Communications

SAN FRANCISCO, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dialpad, the pure-cloud business communications provider, today announced it has acquired TalkIQ, a leader in real-time speech recognition and artificial intelligence. By combining TalkIQ's real-time speech recognition and natural language processing technologies with Dialpad's leading communications solutions, Dialpad will deliver VoiceAI to help business teams capture and learn from conversations as they happen. One trillion words are spoken every day on phone calls between U.S. businesses and their customers, and 92 percent of business and customer interactions still happen over the phone. By applying voice intelligence to all external and internal communications, Dialpad is enabling organizations to sell more effectively, conduct more efficient meetings, personalize the customer experience, and make smarter business decisions  automatically, in real-time, without installing new software. "AI-driven voice analytics represents a massive untapped opportunity in communications and we're bringing it to life with TalkIQ's unmatched technology and engineering talent," said Craig Walker, Dialpad CEO. "With UberConference, we built a better virtual meeting; with Dialpad, we made a better business phone system. Now, with VoiceAI, we've built a smarter phone call. Real-time speech recognition and natural language processing open a range of new possibilities. We'll use this powerful combination to innovate features across our product suite to save time, unlock insights and help people have better conversations." By leveraging Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Natural Language Processing (NLP) and AI, VoiceAI enables teams to take a scientific approach to understanding and acting on conversations. It will power new features across all Dialpad products including Dialpad, Dialpad Call Center and UberConference. Dialpad VoiceAI was designed with security and privacy in mind, with administrator and user-level system controls easily accessible through the user interface, which allows users complete control over when and how they use VoiceAI features.



Initial capabilities include: Real-time Call Transcription: Receive accurate, automatic transcriptions of any conversation in Dialpad, Dialpad Call Center or conference calls using UberConference  without latency.

Receive accurate, automatic transcriptions of any conversation in Dialpad, Dialpad Call Center or conference calls using UberConference  without latency. Smart Notes: Accelerate productivity by automatically taking meeting notes on any conversation. Action items, follow-ups and important moments are automatically captured and provided in a shareable summary at the end of each call to help everyone become more efficient.

Accelerate productivity by automatically taking meeting notes on any conversation. Action items, follow-ups and important moments are automatically captured and provided in a shareable summary at the end of each call to help everyone become more efficient. Real-time Sentiment Analysis (Dialpad Call Center): Identify positive and negative intent signals in client conversations and calculate customer satisfaction scores for 100 percent of calls. Assess account health, understand competition and glean customer insights on specific products, features and campaigns on a continual, per-call basis.

Identify positive and negative intent signals in client conversations and calculate customer satisfaction scores for 100 percent of calls. Assess account health, understand competition and glean customer insights on specific products, features and campaigns on a continual, per-call basis. Real-time Coaching: Enable sales and support teams to increase efficiency and decrease ramp time by providing real-time recommendations to representatives as conversations happen. VoiceAI delivers real-time feedback and recommended responses to customer questions, removing "I don't know" moments and helping sales and support representatives to respond to questions about pricing, new features and the competition. VoiceAI drives consistency across inbound and outbound communications while simultaneously equipping teams to be top performers. Founded in 2014, as part of Atomic Labs, TalkIQ's original mission was to help sales teams uncover patterns and insights from customer calls. Today, TalkIQ CEO Dan O'Connell joins Dialpad as General Manager of VoiceAI and as a member of the company's board of directors. Rory O'Driscoll of Scale Venture Partners, TalkIQ's lead investor, also today joins Dialpad as a Board Observer.

"Voice interactions represent the world's last offline dataset," said Dan O'Connell, General Manager of VoiceAI at Dialpad. "By melding TalkIQ's speech recognition and natural language processing technology with Dialpad's leading messaging, conferencing and telephony platform, VoiceAI is the first technology to seamlessly capture and understand conversations with no latency; all within a user's individual control. Since everything we do is native to the Dialpad experience, we don't need customers to install new software or change behavior. Pick up the phone and we'll do our magic. I couldn't be more excited about the opportunities and roadmap ahead." A beta version of Dialpad VoiceAI with Real-time Transcription, Real-time Sentiment Analysis and Smart Notes is available today as a free trial for existing Dialpad customers with paid subscription plans taking effect on July 1. For more information, please visit: https://www.dialpad.com/ent/voice-ai. About Dialpad

Dialpad is the future of business communications. Built on the Google Cloud Platform for unmatched security, reliability and scale, Dialpad's product suite covers the full range of modern business communications needs with Dialpad, UberConference, Call Center and VoiceAI. Today more than 50,000 of the world's most innovative businesses use Dialpad and its seamless integrations with Google G Suite and Microsoft Office 365 to be more productive. Customers include: WeWork, Uber, Motorola Solutions, Domo and Xero. Investors include Amasia, Andreessen Horowitz, Felicis Ventures, GV, Salesforce Ventures, Scale Venture Partners, Section 32, Softbank, Work-Bench. Visit dialpad.com for more. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dialpad-acquires-talkiq-to-bring-voice-driven-artificial-intelligence-to-business-communications-300649190.html SOURCE Dialpad

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[May 16, 2018] Kids' Chance of New Hampshire Formed

Workers' compensation professionals have created Kids' Chance of New Hampshire, a 501c3 organization that provides scholarships for the children of workers who are seriously injured or killed on the job. Sebastian Grasso, CEO of Windham Group, a leading workers' compensation case management company, helped establish the state organization before he and other board members voted Stacey Foote, Director of Claims Shared Services at MEMIC Indemnity as the inaugural board president. "A major work-related injury creates an incredible financial hardship on an employee's family, putting the children's opportunities for higher education at risk," Grasso said. "When I realized New Hampshire didn't have a Kids' Chance, I knew we needed to start one." Each state organization operates independently, and the New Hampshire Kids' Chance will provide scholarships for children of workers who are injured in that state. Information on an eligible child is entered onto Kids' Chance of America's website, and the state organization starts the scholarship process when the child turns 15 or 16.



"We are thrilled with the New Hampshire group's energy and know they will provide a lot of scholarship activity in this segment of the country," said Vicki Burkhart, executive director of Kids' Chance of America. In addition to Foote and Grasso, the state organization's board members are Dan Landers of AIM, Marian Mitchell of The Lawson Group, and Donna Daneke of Summit Packaging Systems, Inc.

Kids' Chance of America supports state organizations, provides a forum for state organizations to discuss best practices, share resources, and collaborate on projects at a national level. Currently, there are 39 state organizations and another seven states are preparing to incorporate. Collectively, Kids' Chance organizations have awarded 6,000 scholarships across the country, totaling over $18 million. For more information, please see www.kidschance.org. About Windham Group Manchester, New Hampshire-based Windham Group provides medical case management services and return-to-work solutions for the workers' compensation and disability insurance industries. Windham Group also provides experts in vocational case management, utilization review, pharmacy review, and medical cost projections. For more information, see www.windhamgroup.com or call 800-898-0386. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005023/en/

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[May 16, 2018] Time and Attendance is Obsolete: Today's Smart Companies Embrace Time Intelligence

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Replicon, the Time IntelligenceTM company, is changing the way the payroll industry thinks about time--putting its unique Time Intelligence Platform on display at American Payroll Association's 36th Annual Congress this week in National Harbor, Maryland. The old ways of tracking time and attendance are outdated and ineffective; Replicon has introduced a new approach to better connect time to outcomes produced, optimizing operational efficiency and driving business growth. As part of this forward-thinking approach, Replicon will showcase its Global Time and Gross Pay Automation solution at the show, designed to help more global companies leverage time as their most strategic asset. "Companies have made great strides in tracking financial and human resources in recent years, leveraging sophisticated data analytics to create teams out of complementary skill sets, and modern accounting practices to optimize tax and labor structures around the world. Yet their approach to time and attendance remains archaic and obsolete," said Raj Narayanaswamy, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Replicon. "Time Intelligence is more than a new solution; it completely changes the lens through which companies view time, connecting it more directly to business outcomes for unmatched productivity and profitability." As part of its Time Intelligence Platform, Replicon's Global ime and Gross Pay Automation solution offers payroll and compliance professionals complete control of the source to gross process, streamlining payroll runs and improving visibility, accuracy, and control over workforce costs. Business can take care of additional complexities like job costing, work breakdown structures, complex pay rates, and more, simplifying the process of managing source to gross pay. With a prebuilt compliance library for more than 60 countries across the globe, Replicon is placed in a unique position to serve global businesses. Over-the-air updates, real-time monitoring of rules, and compliance dashboards make the compliance capabilities truly world-class. The added flexibility of the platform enables enterprises to handle requirements around collective bargaining and enterprise agreements.



At APA's 36th Annual Congress, Narayanaswamy will be taking part in a panel discussion workshop with Jon Clements of Deloitte, Hope Williams of the American Payroll Association, and Laurent Botella of Workday. This workshop will provide a high-level overview about the changing nature of time and attendance and how organizations need to think beyond punching in and out to manage time as a strategic asset. The session will take place Thursday, May 17th at 2:15pm. Replicon is the platinum sponsor at the event and will be showcasing the latest AI-powered time and attendance capabilities on its Time Intelligence Platform. Replicon's customized, interactive demo will take place on Thursday, May 17th from 12:00pm-12:45pm in the Exhibitor Demo Suite. Replicon is also hosting the "License to Party" from 7:30pm-11:30pm. For more information, Replicon will be available in Booth #401 to talk about Time Intelligence.

About Replicon

Replicon, the Time Intelligence company, has over 20 years of industry leadership and is pioneering a new approach to time management. Time Intelligence elevates time as a strategic asset within an organization, to improve operational productivity, performance, and profitability. Replicon's Time Intelligence Platform offers solutions for global time and gross pay compliance, enterprise time management for ERP, business operations software for professional services, and an SDK for continued development - expanding the company's award-winning portfolio of cloud-based products, including complete solution sets for client billing, project costing, and time and attendance. Replicon supports thousands of customers across 70 countries, with over 400 employees around the globe including the United States, Canada, India, Australia, and the United Kingdom. To learn more, visit www.replicon.com. Media Contact: Dan Capawana

Resound Marketing for Replicon

dan@resoundmarketing.com

(609) 279-0050 x109 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/time-and-attendance-is-obsolete-todays-smart-companies-embrace-time-intelligence-300649253.html SOURCE Replicon

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Art, no matter how high it rises, cannot forget the land which birthed it. - Martiros Saryan.

That quote, by a prominent Armenian painter, begins The Color of Armenian Land, a scarcely seen short documentary by Mikhail Vartanov which, at least in part, documents the making of The Color of Pomegranates, Sergei Parajanovs historic film of tableau and symbolism.

While many cinephiles work overtime to separate great art from any repulsive behaviors of its artist, Saryan, by way of Vartanov, and now by way of the Criterion Collection (The Color of Armenian Land is foremost among the numerous bonus features on their Blu-ray release, currently being reviewed), remind us that art, its artists, and the lands from which they hail, are all of a piece. Furthermore, most film buffs can and should point to the numerous times that the universal language of cinema has availed a bond to another time, place, race or way of life.

And then theres The Color of Pomegranates.

Upon its recent Blu-ray releases by the Criterion Collection and Second Sight before that, the refrain of respectful perplexion in response to 1969s Armenian celluloid hallucination that is The Color of Pomegranates has been uniform and consistent. The consensus, thus far, seems to be an If you say so...! kowtowing to the films unique collage of the personal and the historic, its torrid history and subsequent lofty reputation, and the fact that some beauty is simply, well, unknowable. And this is simply one of those times.

But, can these adventurous viewers be blamed for arriving to this place? A reaction as such is not handwringing if its infused with true curiousity. In light of having finally experienced Pomegranates for the first time, this exhausted critic finds himself with little more response than that to serve up. Its not that we cant or wont understand most of the film; its that we dont get to. Not without taking an academic deep dive into Armenian history, culture and superstition, Christian symbolism, the life of national figure poet Sayat-Nova (King of Songs, 1712-1795), and the sometimes troubled, sometimes mischievous life and times of the films maker, Sergei Parajanov. Without all of that in tow, sitting through this film amounts to looking at a most ornate, impenetrable motion slide show; one with a deduced narrative built upon a soil of old-world metaphor set to atonal sitar music.

Ostensibly about the life of aforementioned Sayat-Nova, Parajanov procured state funding for a biographical film on the occasion of the nationally treasured poets recent 250th birthday. When the resulting project proved too artistically oblique, the state ended up forbidding all direct references to the poet, and his work. This meant that the films title had to change from Sayat Nova to The Color of Pomegranates, and all of his poetry had to be replaced with original sound-alike verses, much like how Selma had to concoct new speeches for Martin Luther King, Jr., since Ava DuVernay was locked out from using the real things.

This, among other reasons, resulted in at least two different cuts of Pomegranates. Not to be confused with the censored Soviet cut which made the rounds for years, it known as The Yutkevich Cut, Criterion presents The Parajanov Cut, now rediscovered and restored by The Film Foundation.

Inspired by Tarkovskys Ivans Childhood (1962) and Kalatozovs The Cranes are Flying (1957), Parajanov made Pomegranates as the follow-up to his career-shifting 1965 feature, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. Prior to that personally informed historic piece, Parajanov was just another maker of innocuous state sanctioned genre films, an output the filmmaker dismissed as silly once he gained auteur notoriety. There was no looking back, even as his then-illegal homosexual personal life sometimes landed him on the wrong side of law enforcement. For someone so immersed in high art filmmaking in between stints in jail, Parajanov seems to have been a surprisingly affable roll-with-the-punches kind of guy. In clips, we see his demeanor to be sardonic; his finished work to be unapologetic.

Parajanov utilizes several different actors in the central role of The Poet (i.e., Sayat-Nova). Melkon Alekyan makes an impression playing the future poet in his childhood, but its Sofiko Chiaureli who owns the role. In a bold move thats frequently called out as such on the discs extras, Chiaureli plays not only The Poet as a Young Man, but also the unrequited love of his life, identified by the experts as Princess Ana, Sayat-Novas bosss daughter. Due to the obviously low budget of the film, The Poet and The Princess can never share the frame. Chiaureli, though, packs all five of her credited roles in the project with androgynous mystery.

The Poet, banished for his love, ends up a monk in a monastery, where he is eventually killed by an invading armys ruthless siege. All of this and more is signaled in the continuing tableaus that comprise the film. Do not expect all of it, if any of it, to be readily apparent.

There is an almost inevitable futility in any attempt by mere mortals to approach a true understanding of The Color of Pomegranates. That, however, hasnt prevented Criterion from doing much to assist. The new Blu-ray disc is a fine one, serving up numerous bonus features which do everything they can in the pursuit of enlightening the surely baffled legions of cinephiles only now able to take on this celebrated Armenian work.

None of this is to dissuade anyone whos so inclined from checking out, or even purchasing a copy of The Color of Pomegranates. Its a valued and admired relic of World Cinema with, perhaps, more tortured and tenuous stories surrounding it than within it. Should one be so adventurous to take on this film, one would do well to keep in mind that the sometimes reported "rapturous otherworldliness" of Parajanovs visuals probably pops a great deal more on the big screen. At home, as ornately compelling as the various shots of blankly staring robed characters holding antlers, shells, sitars, and whatever else can be, they can also be more easily dismissed as performance art footage; something more at home in a gallery installation.

Still though, Pomegranates nevertheless emerges as the type of connecting agent for broader humanity in that "universal language of cinema" kind of way, albeit one of the most elusive examples to ever crack a Sight & Sound Top 100 list. (Last ranked by global critics in 2012 in an epic six-way tie for 84th place, along with Casablanca, Fanny and Alexander, A Brighter Summer Day, The Wild Bunch, and Greed). Criterion is increasingly well represented on the S&S list, now holding half of the 84th-placed films.

The printed essay by Ian Christie runs many panels in its folded insert, and the video extras on the disc- some new, some old - run between 16 minutes to upwards of an hour. Thats not counting the feature length audio commentary by a very game Tony Rayns, whos honest enough to call himself out as foolhardy enough to accept such a task. That admission aside, Rayns is obviously very well prepared, and in turn, does a great job.

Just as pomegranates arent likely to replace popcorn anytime soon when it comes to moviegoing comfort food, no one will emerge from this disc a newly minted expert on The Poet, Parajanov, Armenia, etcetera. But, if this critic can eek out this review of The Color of Pomegranates having only digested Criterions bonus content in short succession after viewing the movie for the first time, then anyone can come away increasingly enlightened, even as we all come away confused.
[May 16, 2018] ExecThread Makes Two Key Hires as the Premium Job-Sharing Network Hits a Milestone with 25K Members

ExecThread, Inc., a premium job-sharing network for executives and the largest aggregator of unpublished executive-level job opportunities, has announced two new leadership hires at the same time as it hits the 25,000 member mark. The announcement was made today by Joe Meyer, Founder and CEO of ExecThread. Doug Stone has been named Head of Data. He was most recently on the Maps Team at Apple (News - Alert) where he designed and implemented algorithms to support and oversee the data management function for Apple's public transit feature. Prior to Apple, Stone was the Director of Data Management & Analytics at HopStop, of which Meyer was also CEO. Stone's deep experience in data operations, and in normalizing and optimizing large streams of structured and unstructured data, will enable ExecThread to further leverage its proprietary candidate intent and qualifications data to dynamically match ExecThread members to the executive-level job requirements of hiring companies in real-time. Stone is a graduate of Cornell University with a BA in Economics. Armand Saramount has been named Head of Growth Marketing. Prior to joining ExecThread, he worked in leadership positions at high-growth startups, most recently at Saige at which he was Head of Growth; and Hirewire where he led all growth and retention initiatives. He has also held field marketing positions focused on user growth at Lyft and Yik Yak. With Saramount's experience in community-building and scaling the user bases of startups, ExecThread is taking next steps to accelerate the growth of its vetted membership base. Saramount attended Georgia State Univesity at which he pursued a degree in Business & Entrepreneurship.



"We're very fortunate to have Doug Stone and Armand Saramount join our leadership team," said Meyer. "I'm thrilled Doug will be working with me again after his successful stint at Apple. His expertise in optimizing and analyzing data will make our real-time candidate matching platform that much more intelligent and dynamic; and having Armand's strategic input and growth marketing capabilities will enable us to tactfully scale our membership while still keeping the quality of the ExecThread network very high." ExecThread recently unveiled a new talent-matching service to vastly improve the executive hiring process, for both candidates and employers. The new hiring platform enables hiring managers, talent acquisition professionals and human resource leaders to rapidly identify top-tier executive talent. In addition to connecting employers with top-tier talent in a highly targeted manner, the matching platform brings high quality candidates to the interview stage in less than 72 hours. ExecThread's proprietary matching engine connects ExecThread members in real-time to career-advancing opportunities that match their specific skills and interests.

About ExecThread, Inc. Founded in 2015 by Joe Meyer (former CEO of HopStop [acquired by Apple] and former executive at AOL (News - Alert) and GM at eBay), and headquartered in New York City, ExecThread, Inc. is a venture capital backed start-up and premium network of highly qualified and carefully vetted executives and aspiring executives who discreetly share career opportunities with each other. ExecThread takes a community-driven approach to enabling its members to access the hidden executive job market. By leveraging artificial intelligence and its unique peer-to-peer sharing model, ExecThread provides a more efficient way for professionals to discover career-advancing job opportunities previously unavailable and inaccessible to them, and enables them to take more control over the executive-level job discovery process. ExecThread also connects talent acquisition and HR professionals in real-time with carefully vetted, high quality executive-level candidates, thereby reducing the time-to-hire. To sign up for ExecThread, click here. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005347/en/

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[May 16, 2018] Hudson Group Introduces New Moshi Retail Store at Los Angeles International Airport Terminal 4

Hudson Group (NYSE:HUD), the leading travel retailer in North America, in partnership with Moshi, today announced Moshi's second brick and mortar retail space at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Located in Terminal 4, the new store features a comprehensive selection of the company's design-centric accessories and devices for smart travelers on-the-go. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005383/en/ The retail concept adds to Hudson Group's latest openings at LAX, including the original Moshi concept, Hudson LAXpress and Soundstage by Hudson, which were part of Delta Air Lines' $1.9bn modernization project in Terminal 3. "We're thrilled to partner with Hudson Group to open this second location at LAX, giving more travelers the chance to discover our products," said Dan Capelle, executive director at Moshi. "Our bags continue to be popular with shoppers looking for something modern yet lightweight, while our tech products let people stay connected and charged up on the go. The new location in Terminal 4 also lets business travelers pick up last minute gear they might need for an upcoming meeting or conference." The store will include Moshi's Red Dot award-winning portable batteries (IonBank 3K and IonBank 5K) and Bluetooth headphones (Avanti Air), as well as a full assortment of the company's cables and adapters. "LAX is excited to welcome Moshi into our retail line-up and provide our T4 guests with an exciting assortment of stylish and useful technology products that will enhance their travel experience," said Dave Jones (News - Alert) , director of airline property and concession services, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). "As part of our overall LAX modernization efforts, we are looking at how we can be on the cutting edge of retail and concessions, and bringing the second ever brick-and-motor Moshi store to LAX is a part of our vision for a fun and fresh shopping options." "LAX has been a long-time partner of Hudson Group, and we are pleased to transform the look, feel and overall retail experience for our L.A. customers with the addition of our new stores as part of the LAX modernization efforts," said Joe DiDomizio,president and chief executive officer of Hudson Group. "Our new distinct brands, combined with Hudson Group's 'Traveler's Best Friend' service, are the perfect addition to LAX's retail portfolio."



Additional information on the new concepts at LAX is below: Moshi: A premium accessories and electronics brand established in 2005, Moshi creates extraordinary products that enhance the mobile lifestyle. With a vibe and shopping experience that is both inviting and unique, Moshi is a must-stop for LAX T4 and T3 passengers, selling audio accessories, bags and backpacks, cables and adapters, cases, computing, portable power, and screen protection. Our design treatment will demonstrate the integration of travel convenience and electronics, to create a dynamic, seamless lifestyle shopping venue that will truly enhance the customer experience.

A premium accessories and electronics brand established in 2005, Moshi creates extraordinary products that enhance the mobile lifestyle. With a vibe and shopping experience that is both inviting and unique, Moshi is a must-stop for LAX T4 and T3 passengers, selling audio accessories, bags and backpacks, cables and adapters, cases, computing, portable power, and screen protection. Our design treatment will demonstrate the integration of travel convenience and electronics, to create a dynamic, seamless lifestyle shopping venue that will truly enhance the customer experience. Hudson LAXpress and Soundstage by Hudson: Based on Hudson Group's successful Hudson concept, Hudson LAXpress and Soundstage by Hudson are travel essentials and convenience stores located in T3 that serve traveler needs, wants, and desires. Hudson LAXpress visually references the complex network of freeways and dynamic fast lane culture of Los Angeles. The sense of movement and light grab passenger attention as they progress through the terminal, pulling them in to this high-energy travel convenience shop. Soundstage by Hudson is a compact, yet comprehensive travel convenience shop that pays homage to L.A. as the world's Creative Capital, referencing its role in film and television. About Hudson Group

Hudson Group, one of the largest travel retailers in North America, is committed to enhancing the travel experience for over 300,000 travelers every day in the continental United States and Canada. Anchored by our iconic Hudson, Hudson News and Hudson Bookseller brands, Hudson Group operates over 1,000 duty-paid and duty-free stores in 88 locations, including airports, commuter terminals, hotels and some of the most visited landmarks and tourist destinations in the world. Our wide range of store concepts include travel essentials and convenience stores, bookstores, duty-free shops, branded specialty stores, electronics stores, and quick-service food and beverage outlets. About Moshi With roots in material sciences and engineering, Moshi's in-house design team has been creating premium accessories and peripherals since 2005. Moshi has over 100 utility and design patents covering 450 different types of products. A hardware development partner with Apple, Microsoft, and the first electronics company to be certified for the Made for Google (News - Alert) program, Moshi products are available at over 20,000 points of sale in 90 countries around the world. About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) LAX is the fifth busiest airport in the world, second in the United States, and was named Skytrax' 2017 Top 10 Most Improved Airports. LAX served more than 80.9 million passengers in 2016. LAX offers 742 daily nonstop flights to 101 cities in the U.S. and 1,280 weekly nonstop flights to 77 cities in 42 countries on 64 commercial air carriers. LAX ranks 14th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.2 million tons of air cargo valued at over $101.4 billion. LAX handled 697,138 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2016. An economic study based on 2014 operations reported LAX generated 620,610 jobs in Southern California with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX's ongoing capital-improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion, $966 million in state and local taxes, and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports - along with Van Nuys general aviation - that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City's general fund. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005383/en/

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[May 16, 2018] Transition App Now Features Additional Information for Military Spouses and Those with Disabilities

MCLEAN, Va., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Military.com announced today their popular app, Transition by Military, now has additional information specific to spouses and military members with disabilities. The app, which is supported by Citi Community Development, has over 27,000 downloads and was released in August of 2016. Transition provides a linear timeline of tasks and action items paired with information and resources for finances, education, transition documentation, health and benefits, and employment. A recent survey of military families revealed that 60% of respondents did not have enough in their savings to cover three months of living expenses. The app can be used as far out as 18 months before separation and takes the user through four months post-separation to enable families to better prepare for the variety of professional and financial decisions made when transitioning out of service. The National Military Family Association is an advisor to the app expansion, sharing expertise to identify and incorporate elements that would be helpful to spouses. In the updated app, users that choose "spouse" during registration, will have access to the full checklist that their military member sees as well as articles and resources on health benefits, moving information, employment support and information on VA benefits many spouses don't know about. Roughly 250,000 military members leave the service each year and traditionally, about half of those are married meaning an estimated 125,000 military spouses are also transitioning to civilian life each year. "Military spouses are the backbone of the military family and are critical to the success of the active duty service member," National Military Family Association Executive Director Joyce Wessel Raezer explained. "Giving spouses the tools to be part of transition planning means more military families will thrive after they leave the service. We are thrilled to partner with Military.com to make more resources available to spouses through the new enhancements to the Transition by Military app." The enhanced app also features information for those military members leaving the service with a disability. According to the 2016 Military One Source Demographics report, over 21,000 service members leave the military with a medical or disability-related condition. The content in the app allows the member to choose the "disability" option on registration so they will receive information about how to navigate the VA system, what health benefits they may be entitled to, and also includesspecific information for wounded warriors and women veterans that otherwise the user may not have been aware of.



Citi, the app's sponsor, has provided longstanding support for military members, veterans and their families through Citi Salutes, a company-wide initiative led by Citi Community Development and dedicated employees. "Military spouses and service members with disabilities have unique and wide-ranging needs. By supporting the expansion of the Transition App, we aim to provide a diverse and responsive set of resources that can enable more individuals and families to become economically resilient." said Ruth Christopherson, Senior Vice President of Citi Community Development and Citi Salutes. Ruth is a retired Colonel, South Dakota National Guard.

Citi's support for the app expansion is the most recent of the company's efforts focused on strengthening financial resiliency for people with disabilities. Earlier this year, Citi Community Development, the City of New York, and National Disability Institute (NDI) announced the launch of Empowered Cities, a national initiative enabling municipalities to expand financial empowerment and economic inclusion for people living with disabilities and their families. Other changes to the app include a streamlined login and profile creation process, enhanced user experience and auto-populated fields with user information in the job search and Military Skills Translator functions. The Transition App is available for free on Google Play and in the Apple App store and while it's designed to take the member through the process from eighteen months out, the app is designed to guide the service member or their spouse at any point in the separation process and provides information they may have missed. About Military.com

Military.com is the nation's largest military and veteran online news and membership organization serving active duty personnel, reservists, guard members, retirees, veterans, family members, defense workers and those considering military careers. A leader in veteran employment and solutions for companies looking to hire veterans, Military.com offers employment tools, transition assistance, and employer resources as well as military discounts, and information on all of the benefits earned in service. Military.com is a business unit of Monster. More information is available at www.military.com. About Citi

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citisalutes.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi About Monster

Monster is a global leader in connecting people and jobs. Every day, Monster makes meaningful human connections that advance lives and strengthen businesses by helping individuals find better jobs and employers find the best talent. For more than 20 years, Monster has worked to transform the recruiting industry. Today, the company leverages advanced technology using intelligent digital, social and mobile solutions, including the flagship website Monster.com, Monster's innovative app, and a vast array of products and services. Monster is a digital venture owned by Randstad North America, a subsidiary of Randstad Holding, a $26 billion (US) global provider of HR services. Military.com on Facebook

Military.com on Twitter

Military.com Press Center View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/transition-app-now-features-additional-information-for-military-spouses-and-those-with-disabilities-300649473.html SOURCE Military.com

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[May 16, 2018] Endeavor Robotics Names David Adams as Chief Financial Officer

BOSTON, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Endeavor Robotics, the world's leading provider of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), announced that David Adams has joined the company as chief financial officer, effective immediately. Adams will oversee all financial activity at Endeavor, including strategic financial planning and analysis. He'll report to CEO Sean Bielat and be based at company headquarters in Chelmsford, Mass. "With more than 20 years' experience in operational finance, strategy and M&A, David brings a wealth of knowledge from the defense and aerospace industry," said Bielat. "This is a time of strong growth and business momentum at Endeavor, and the right moment to add another seasoned financial leader to our team. We welcome David and look forward to his many contributions as we move forward." Since late 2017, Endeavor has won a major US Army robotics 'program of record' worth up to $158 million, been named a finalist for another Army contract worth upwards of $400 million, and received multiple orders from the US militay, foreign governments and other customers to deliver robots for myriad missions. The company also is building out its Chelmsford facility by 10,000 sq. ft. to add manufacturing space it needs for increased demand.



Before joining Endeavor, Adams served as CFO at Tribalco LLC and as CFO of QinetiQ North America's Services & Solutions Group, where he supported M&A activity that led to a successful sale of that business. Previously, Adams was VP of finance at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), and VP of finance and treasurer at TechnologyNet. He began his career with Price Waterhouse. Adams is a CPA and earned a bachelor's degree from Clark University and an MBA from State University of New York-Buffalo. About Endeavor Robotics

Based in Chelmsford, Mass., Endeavor Robotics is the world's largest provider of tactical unmanned ground vehicles, delivering more than 6,500 robots to customers in over 40 countries. We design and build the most trusted, rugged, easiest-to-operate robots used to safeguard life and property around the world, whatever the mission. Every day, our products operate in areas of conflict, assist law enforcement agencies, and respond to natural disasters to help save lives. Endeavor Robotics is 100% U.S.-based. Visit us at EndeavorRobotics.com, or view jobs and more on LinkedIn. Media Contact:

Joe Ailinger, Jr.

+1-978-769-9339

jailinger@EndeavorRobotics.com View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/endeavor-robotics-names-david-adams-as-chief-financial-officer-300649460.html SOURCE Endeavor Robotics

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[May 16, 2018] Club OS Appoints Two New Executives

PHILADELPHIA, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Club OS (www.Club-OS.com), the leading health and wellness industry CRM, is pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Stipher to the role of Vice President of Strategic Relationships. Mr. Stipher will be leading the key accounts team in efforts to expand the company's mission of growing customers' businesses using the Club OS platform. He will have direct input on the product roadmap guided by his expertise in health club operations. Additionally, he will be working closely with strategic partners to ensure that mutual customers are provided enhanced experiences and incredible service. "I am extremely excited about this opportunity and use my almost two decades of experience in the fitness industry to help drive the growth of tools Club OS provides, along with listening to clients to continue to meet their ever-changing needs," said Mr. Stipher. "I have been able to develop great relationships with amazing vendors in the industry, and I am looking forward to continuing those in my new role." Mr. Stipher founded Lead Dolphin (now a Club OS platform), formerly a competing produc in the CRM space. He worked tirelessly to help health clubs gain insight and connectivity with their prospects and members, increasing their profitability. Prior to Lead Dolphin, he was the principal in multiple tech projects and fitness centers. Having Mr. Stipher's vast knowledge of health club needs and processes will strengthen all relationships Club OS has forged.



Club OS is also appointing David Webb to the role of Vice President, Internal Operations. Mr. Webb will lead the customer-facing data and analytics effort while also optimizing internal operations through the use of key performance indicators and management dashboards. Mr. Webb will work with the customer success, customer experience, and implementation teams to implement best-in-breed operational processes. Mr. Webb was formerly a management consultant at both Accenture and Deloitte Consulting. He also worked as an operations executive at HCA Healthcare in the CRM department. Before the acquisition by Club OS, Mr. Webb led internal operations and business strategy for Lead Dolphin. In this role, he oversaw the migration to Amazon Web Services (AWS), developed improved customer reports, and implemented process improvements in the support and customer success departments.

"Club OS is hyper-focused on delivering next-generation reporting tools to power customers in the areas of sales, marketing, and relationship management," said Mr. Webb. "Throughout my career, I have built technology, organizations, and processes focused on achieving continuous improvement by leveraging business intelligence, and I look forward to applying my experiences in this role." Media Contact:

Calley Mitchamore

195174@email4pr.com

(512) 609-0047 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/club-os-appoints-two-new-executives-300649343.html SOURCE Club OS

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[May 16, 2018] Rohde & Schwarz Collaborates with PoLTE to Accelerate Growth of Cellular-Connected IoT Device Ecosystem

COLUMBIA, Md., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Rohde & Schwarz is collaborating with PoLTE Corporation, a leader in cellular-based location solutions, to accelerate the robustness and accuracy of cellular location technologies. Rohde & Schwarz and PoLTE are enhancing the cellular IoT ecosystem and expanding the opportunity for new IoT use cases. Location-based services will enable a wide range of use cases, including industrial IoT, healthcare IoT, Internet of Life Saving Things IoT, manufacturing IoT, agriculture IoT, energy IoT, automotive IoT and countless others. The R&S TS-LBS test solution uses the R&S CMW500 network emulator to simulate LTE Release 8-14 3GPP IoT technologies, including NB-IoT (Cat-NB1), eNB-IoT (Cat-NB2), eMTC (Cat-M1), LTE Cat 1 and LTE Cat 4 in combination with terrestrial location technologies, such as OTDOA and eCID. PoLTE will help pilot advanced testing using the R&S CMW500 by simulating difficult mobile environments so that they can deliver the most comprehensive and robust location solution for the cellular IoT marketplace. "Working with strong ecosystem partners like Rohde & Schwarz, PoLTE can deliver increasingly more refined location intelligence even in the most demanding environments and testing scenarios," said Ed Chao, CEO, PoLTE Corporation. "Our advanced algorithms and cloud-based architecture allow IoT devices to hand-off computations to the cloud, leveraging limitless computational capabilities inherent in the cloud, thereby shrinking device size, loering cost per unit and reducing battery demands, which will become increasingly more important in IoT devices used in the Industrial IoT and asset tracking space."



Press contacts:

North America: Keith Cobler, Phone: +1 214 663 6394, E-mail: 195254@email4pr.com Contacts for readers: Customer Support North America: Phone: +1 888 837 8772, E-mail: customer.support@rsa.rohde-schwarz.com

About PoLTE Corporation Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, PoLTE is a software company that enables location for everything, everywhere. Leveraging LTE, the most globally ubiquitous signal available, PoLTE's cloud-based platform can locate Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile devices in real-time and seamlessly as they move between indoor and outdoor environments. With a robust global portfolio of patented geolocation technologies, PoLTE redefines location. Rohde & Schwarz The Rohde & Schwarz technology group develops, produces and markets innovative test and measurement, information and communications technology products for professional users. Rohde & Schwarz focuses on test and measurement, broadcast and media, cybersecurity, secure communications and monitoring and network testing, areas that address many different industry and government-sector market segments. Founded more than 80 years ago, the independent company has an extensive sales and service network in more than 70 countries. On June 30, 2017, Rohde & Schwarz had approximately 10,500 employees. The group achieved a net revenue of approximately EUR 1.9 billion in the 2016/2017 fiscal year (July to June). The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and also has regional hubs in Asia and the USA. R&S  is a registered trademark of Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG. All press releases, including photos for downloading, are available on the Internet at http://www.press.rohde-schwarz.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rohde--schwarz-collaborates-with-polte-to-accelerate-growth-of-cellular-connected-iot-device-ecosystem-300649476.html SOURCE Rohde & Schwarz

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[May 16, 2018] Accruent Announces Reseller Agreement with ANiMA

Accruent, the world's leading provider of physical resource management solutions, has announced today the signing of a reseller agreement with ANiMA, a Greece-based provider of hardware and software for clients in oil & gas, mining, engineering & consulting and utilities industries. Under the agreement, ANiMA will be an authorized reseller of Meridian products and services for the Greek market. Accruent recently acquired BlueCielo and its Meridian asset lifecycle information management software which uses engineering data to manage concurrent plant modifications of all scales, and maintain as-built master data for operations and maintenance. "Accruent sees great potential in the Greek market for our software and ANiMA has helped us see there's more to gain," said Hans de Groot, VP, Global Channel, Accruent. "By expanding our resources in Greece, we can promote our product actively in this market and further expand our global reach." For more than 25 years, ANiMA has provided hardware and software in CA (News - Alert) , document management, 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies.



"ANiMA has a long history as a value-added reseller and we have consistently encountered opportunities for Accruent solutions within our customer base," said Costas Andronikidis, General Manager, ANiMA. "It's a logical next step for us to become an authorized reseller and continue to expand opportunities for our two companies." ANiMA has participated in training for Accruent's asset lifecycle information management software and will become certified as an Accruent implementation partner.

About Accruent accruent.com, @accruentllc Accruent is a global software company that helps organizations achieve superior performance by transforming how they manage their physical resources. Its innovative, industry-leading cloud-based software and services enable organizations to optimize all stages of real estate, facilities and asset management, from capital planning through to IoT-based monitoring and control. With a proven track record across two decades, Accruent has created the only integrated SaaS (News - Alert) -based framework and reporting platform for full lifecycle physical resource management. More than 7,000 global customers depend on Accruent solutions to drive out hidden costs, extend asset lifecycles, protect their brands, ensure compliance and deliver on the missions of their organization. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Accruent serves a wide range of industries in 149 countries around the world. About ANiMA ANiMA has over 25 years of continuous and successful presence in the IT sector, and is dedicated to providing high-quality, innovative solutions and services. Throughout the years, we have expanded our expertise over a wide range of specialization areas in CAD, Document Management, Asset Lifecycle Information Management, 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing technologies, to cover the needs of various diverse industries such as Oil & Gas, Mining & Basic Metals, Engineering & Consulting, and Utilities. www.anima.gr View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005059/en/

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[May 16, 2018] NATS takes equity stake in Aireon to help accelerate technology revolution in global aviation surveillance

MCLEAN, Va., May 16, 2018 /CNW/ -- The UK air traffic management service provider, NATS, has announced it has invested in Aireon, the company pioneering a space-based air traffic surveillance service set to revolutionise the aviation industry. Through a network of 66 low earth orbiting Iridium NEXT satellites, AireonSM will monitor the location of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipped aircraft flying anywhere in the world, transforming the way air traffic control services are provided. The service will offer global air traffic surveillance of aircraft. This means that oceans and remote regions like the poles, deserts and mountainous areas will have real-time aircraft surveillance for the first time. The forecasted safety and airspace capacity benefits, together with the savings in fuel and carbon emissions, are being hailed as the greatest revolution in air traffic management since the introduction of radar 70 years ago. News of the $69 million USD investment, worth around 10% equity, was announced at a press conference in Washington DC, near Aireon's headquarters, at which NATS also confirmed it is currently consulting with its customers about introducing the satellite technology for use over the North Atlantic starting with operational trials from 2019 to deliver the capacity and safety benefits that the airspace requires to keep pace with demand. Martin Rolfe, NATS Chief Executive Officer, said: "This is a transformational technology that will deliver the world's first truly global air traffic control infrastructure, making flying even safer and more efficient. "Investing in Aireon is the best way for us to shape the future of the service in a way that benefits our customers in the UK and elsewhere, and to demonstrate NATS' commitment to playing a leading role in the development of the next generation of global air traffic technology. "We're currently consulting with our airline customers about how to best deploy this technology. The North Atlantic is the busiest area of oceanic airspace in the world and the gateway to Europe, but its routes have now reached their limit of capacity with existing technology, so we are delighted to now have a way to safely fulfil the ever growing demand from our customers. What is additionally exciting is that this same technology will also deliver fuel savings and CO 2 reductions that will directly benefit airlines and their customers." Don Thoma, Aireon Chief Executive Officer, added: "We are ecstatic to welcome NATS to the Aireon investor family. NATS was among the first air navigation service providers to see the benefits of space-based ADS-B, and now it only makes sense that they would become a more formal part of Aireon. The enhancements Aireon's space-based ADS-B service will allow in the North Atlantic are a game changer for the aviation industry and will connect North America and Europe unlike ever before." Marc Courtois, Chair of the Board of Directors fr both Aireon and NAV CANADA stated: "Adding NATS to our ownership group further confirms what the industry has largely already realised, that Aireon is on track to fundamentally improve flight safety worldwide. The technology is real, the system is already performing beyond expectations, there are just a few more launches to go, and we are eager to start seeing the improved benefits to the aviation industry and the flying public."



Baroness Sugg, the UK's Aviation Minister said: "We welcome the agreement between NATS and Aireon which will see UK skills and expertise play a leading role in developing the next generation of global air traffic management technology. Our world class aviation industry has a proud and accomplished history, from the invention of the jet engine to pioneering air traffic control. This agreement will help ensure that we remain at the forefront of this vibrant sector. In addition, it will further enhance safety by enabling the monitoring of aircraft anywhere in the world, as well as improving the sustainability of our aviation sector. These are all central to the Government as we develop our Aviation Strategy."

In order to ensure a safe operation today without the technology to automatically monitor flights in real time, aircraft over the Atlantic follow very prescriptive speed and separation restrictions along a rigid track structure that both limits the capacity of the airspace and forces the airlines to fly trajectories that burn more fuel and generate more CO 2 . Air traffic controllers can only track a flight's progress by receiving around five position reports from the pilot every hour. Fulfilling future traffic demand and delivering service improvements whilst maintaining a safe operation isn't possible using today's technology without operational constraints being applied to our customers. The analysis jointly undertaken by NATS and NAV CANADA, endorsed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), projects an approximate 76% reduction in safety risk from using the Aireon service. This would allow NATS to meet ICAO's safety targets while also meeting the growth needs of the North Atlantic as well as giving customers more flexibility in how they fly across the ocean. Last year, NATS Controllers handled 500,000 flights through North Atlantic airspace -that's 80% of all transatlantic traffic - and by 2030 industry estimates expect that to grow to almost 800,000 flights. Being able to control this volume of flights as well as offer airlines the routes they want at a speed that suits them would generate a net saving of more than $300 in fuel and 2 tonnes of CO 2 per flight, according to analysis by NATS and ICAO. That equates to more than a million tonnes of CO 2 saved every year. Monitoring aircraft in real-time will also support the reduction of separation distances from around 40 nautical miles (nm) to just 15nm, in turn making the airspace more flexible and with predictable fuel and environmental benefits. The investment in Aireon has been made by NATS (Services) Limited (NSL). It also comes one year after NSL became joint shareholders in the Canadian digital tower company, Searidge Technologies alongside NAV CANADA. About NATS NATS is a leading air traffic management and solutions company, established in the UK in 1962 and now operating in countries around the world. NATS handled 2.6 million flights in 2017, covering the UK and eastern North Atlantic from its centres at Swanwick, Hampshire and Prestwick, Ayrshire. NATS also provides air traffic services at 13 UK airports; at Gibraltar Airport and, in a joint venture with Ferrovial, at a number of airport towers in Spain. Building on its reputation for operational excellence and innovation, NATS offers aerodrome, data, engineering, capacity, efficiency and environmental performance solutions to customers worldwide, including airports, airlines air traffic service providers and Governments. For more information visit the NATS website at www.nats.aero About Aireon LLC Aireon is deploying a space-based air traffic surveillance system for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipped aircraft throughout the globe. Aireon will harness next-generation aviation surveillance technologies that are currently ground-based and, for the first time ever, extend their reach globally to significantly improve efficiency, enhance safety, reduce emissions and provide cost savings benefits to all stakeholders. Real-time ADS-B surveillance will cover oceanic, polar and remote regions, as well as augment existing ground-based systems that are limited to terrestrial airspace. In partnership with leading Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) from around the world, like NAV CANADA, Enav, NATS, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), and Naviair, as well as Iridium Communications, Aireon will have an operational, global, space-based air traffic surveillance system by 2018. For more information, please visit www.aireon.com Jessie Hillenbrand

Aireon

+1 (703) 287-7452

Jessie.Hillenbrand@Aireon.com View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nats-takes-equity-stake-in-aireon-to-help-accelerate-technology-revolution-in-global-aviation-surveillance-300649521.html SOURCE Aireon

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[May 16, 2018] CORENA Manufacturer Now Supports S1000D 4.2 and ATA S1000DBR Component Maintenance Publications

Flatirons Solutions is proud to announce that the latest release of its CORENA Manufacturer solution now provides comprehensive support for the emerging standard for component-level technical documentation for the civil aerospace industry, S1000D issue 4.2 and ATA S1000DBR Component Maintenance Publications (CMPs). CORENA Manufacturer is a software solution used by aviation and defense Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to provide technical information for the maintenance and operation of their complex products. Content produced by aerospace OEMs must be compliant with industry standards like S1000D to ensure portability among program partners, including airframe, engine, and component manufacturers. S1000D content is also beneficial for end-customers, providing content that is more flexible and interactive than previous industry standards. Unlike competing OEM-independent solutions which provide partial or no S1000D issue 4.2 and ATA S1000DBR CMP support, CORENA Manufacturer delivers comprehensive functionality. The software provides end-to-end content authoring, business rule exchange (BREX) support, output styling, and distribution via the CORENA Pinpoint Interactive Electronic Technical Publication (IETP) or third-party IETPs. For OEMs who don't require a software solution, Flatirons also provides managed S1000D authoring services that are informed by our presence in some of the world'slargest OEMs and airlines.



For OEMs, the broad functional coverage provided by CORENA Manufacturer means compliance with diverse civilian and defense programs, including the Airbus A350TM and Boeing (News - Alert) 777XTM. By allowing OEMs to support multiple S1000D issues or even legacy specifications from a single system, CORENA Manufacturer lowers the cost of program participation and provides an improved product experience for customers. "CORENA Manufacturer continues to grow to meet the evolving needs of our industry," noted Solution Business Owner Toralf Johannessen. He further stated that "the solution is the most advanced offer available for OEMs looking to make technical content a source of competitive differentiation."

Flatirons Solutions has a long history of engagement with the S1000D community, including chairing or participating in ATA standards committees that have shaped the development of the CMP. For more details on the CORENA Manufacturer solution, visit the Flatirons website at https://www.flatironssolutions.com/solutions/corena-manufacturer/. About Flatirons Solutions Flatirons Solutions (www.flatironssolutions.com) provides solutions for aviation and defense content lifecycle management. For more than 20 years, it has helped airlines, MROs, manufacturers, and military forces maintain and operate complex assets more effectively. Its software and service solutions help organizations to deliver the right information, at the right time, to the right people - Turning Content into Knowledge. Flatirons operates from offices in Asia, Europe, and the United States with its headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. A350 is a registered trademark of Airbus and 777 is a registered trademark of Boeing. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005337/en/

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[May 16, 2018] DaDa "companionship", driven by technology and social welfare, gives DaDa a brand upgrade

BEIJING, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On 16 May, 2018, one of China's leading K12 online education platforms, DaDaABC, held the "Unique" brand upgrade event in Beijing, emphasizing companionship as DaDa's core brand value, and introduced a new brand logo, which is now simply DaDa, from DaDaABC. During the event, DaDa demonstrated its latest technology, including immersive interactive live classrooms, and in-house developed online facial expression recognition technology. Five years after its launch, DaDa is now fully prepared to take a step towards another milestone. At the same time, DaDa has embraced its corporate social responsibility by investing in social welfare, particularly in healthcare for women and children. Together with United Foundation for China's Health (UFCH), DaDa jointly launched the "to be with you" welfare program, aimed at improving the status of women and children's well-being through the concept of "companionship", which will benefit tens of thousands of mothers and children along with multiple families. It's the first documented case in China in which a welfare program is jointly launched by a leading online education platform and a well-known international healthcare brand. ZHI Hui, DaDa's founder and CEO, and Roberta Lipson, founder, and chairman of United Family Healthcare, and ZHAO Xi, Chairman of United Foundation for China's Health (UFCH) along with their senior management teams attended the event. More than 200 journalists were present. ZHANG Quanling, the famous former CCTV anchor who has also chosen DaDa for her children, hosted the event, and shared her feelings about education and social welfare. "Companionship " forms the core of the future of education Based on the newly integrated brand core value "companionship", DaDa has modified its logo accordingly. According to Ms ZHI, the English version of the logo has been simplified down to only "DaDa", which is normally a baby's first words, symbolizing the baby's initial awareness, and its genuine curiosity of the world. The logo also skillfully combines the two letters "D" and "a" into a complete word, which implies mutual tolerance, understanding, and trust, and reflects the attributes of DaDa's unique one-on-one teaching model which assigns a teacher exclusively to one student. Acknowledging companionship as the most important educational concept comes from long-term contact with the parents of tens of thousands of students DaDa has served in the past five years, as well as from educational research results based on large-scale research. It shows that during the early ages, a sense of security plays an important role in developing self-cognition and self-esteem. However, in today's China, at a time when the pace of life is accelerating, and social relations are gradually diminishing, companionship is becoming increasingly scarce and precious. The emphasis on companionship reflects what DaDa believes in, and what the company is aiming for. In fact, sticking to exclusive learning model has been one key principle that DaDa insists on. From the beginning, this learning model has shown a significant advantage by enabling a stable relationship between teachers and students, which has resulted in a positive impact on learning. The effectiveness of DaDa's learning model has also been proved by the year-on-year increase in student numbers. Branding experts stated that the brand upgrade event shows that the concept of "companionship" has become DaDa's main strategy. This shows not only the unification of the goals within DaDa, but also an important commitment to consumers and the market. AI empowers English learning, continuously improving user experience and teaching quality At the conference, DaDa showed the public two of it advanced technologies for the online classroom: immersive live interactive classroom, and facial expression recognition system based on artificial intelligence (AI) technology and big data.



According to experts, immersive live interactive classroom technology allows students to see teachers in real time, with the virtual scene precisely matching the classroom environment, making the training session more lively. By applying this technology to the online classroom, it not only enhances the interest of students, but also virtually improves students' practical English skills. And by capturing students' facial expressions in real time, the facial expression recognition system plays an important role in collecting feedback from students during the lesson to assist the teachers while providing a credible indicator for parents to evaluate the effectiveness of their children's lessons. "From branding, and technology to products, this is an all-round upgrade. Integrating companionship into education is our ultimate goal", Ms ZHI said. "These years have witnessed DaDa's continuously increasing number of users. We are grateful for the trust and support. Investing in technology to improve user experience and teaching quality shows our commitment to our users", she added.

Cross-field charitable program officially initiated to help mothers and the children in poor areas What also deserves special mention from the event is that DaDa and United Family Healthcare announced the launch of a charity program, "To be with you". By putting "mother" as the starting point of the program, and expanding towards children living in impoverished areas, offering comprehensive support with medical treatment and education will enable the less privileged to live their lives with dignity. At present China's public welfare efforts are generally half-hearted, and usually out of touch with reality. For example, many charity projects provide simple physical gifts to meet the basic needs of underprivileged children, without providing a lasting solution. In reality, the "occasional" charitable action on an impulse can be a form of harm to recipients. Therefore, it is also hoped that DaDa's philanthropic actions, based on the value of long-term companionship, can serve as an example to the public. According to reports, the "To be with you" social welfare program covers three basic projects: basic skills training for emergency recovery, two forms of cancer screening for mothers in impoverished areas, and surgical relief for orphans and handicapped children. With the support of United Family Healthcare's medical vehicles, this charity program will spread across the country, delivering medical care to orphans and disabled children in urban communities. It will provide free routine medical and physical examinations as well as medical training and basic medical care knowledge to nursing staff, such as BLS (Basic Lifesaving Techniques) and oral health protection, etc. It will also offer women in remote areas such as Yunnan and Ningxia cancer screening, dental examination, and surgical assistance to orphans and disabled children in remote and impoverished areas. To complement this, DaDa will provide children with online learning and language training support. It is estimated that more than a thousand families and tens of thousands of people stand to benefit from this program. Through cooperation with the United Foundation for China's Health (UFCH), DaDa's goal is to disseminate quality education and medical resources to a wider demographic. Additionally, the "medical + education" approach will help certain groups of people achieve healthy, sustainable physical and mental development. All this will make the effects of the charity initiative more rewarding and long-lasting for the recipients. "This is the first cross-field attempt by UFCH and the education sector. Both education and medical care have extremely strong social attributes. Collaborating together, we can not only provide assistance to the people in need, but also hope to become a positive demonstration to the domain of public welfare" said Roberta Lipson, founder of UFCH and CEO/founder of United Family Healthcare. When talking about this collaboration, Ms ZHI was very excited. "The idea of getting involved in social welfare started very early at DaDa. We took a long time to select this initiative as we hope that what we do can bring a real and long-term impact to the public, and satisfy parents' and students' fundamental needs. For us, combining education with social welfare is just the beginning", she said. About DaDa DaDa is a professional organization specializing in K12 online English education. After years of development, DaDa has formed key advantages, including research, a network of foreign teachers in Europe and the United States, a fixed one-on-one teaching model, a graded curriculum, diversified course categories, and fully functional coverage of mobile terminals. Its "100% Transparent Classroom" system allows parents to monitor their children's learning using mobile devices anytime, anywhere, and achieve efficient, convenient and personalized home-school collaboration. DaDa is committed to building an "international school without walls", and always adheres to the teaching-oriented principle, through the establishment of Brain Spark. By collaborating with the Highlights Press, McGraw-Hill Education, and FLTRP, they can import qualified teaching content such as PLE, Reach, Highlights, and a number of authoritative tutorials (including electronic versions), and training and evaluating systems. DaDa maintains parity with schools from domestic 1st tier cities as well as private schools from Hong Kong in terms of teaching resources. In 2015, DaDa obtained round A financing from Dragon Capital, Pegasus Fund, and Qingsong Fund. In 2016, DaDa gained hundreds of millions of yuan in round B funding from Yonghua Capital. In December of the same year, it also raised a few hundred million yuan in round B+ financing led primarily by Oriental Fortune Capital. Among them, Yonghua Capital ranked third place in terms of the most IPO exits of domestic VC/PE institutions in the first half of 2017, and the total amount of funds managed by the Oriental Fortune Capital exceeded RMB 20 billion. In January 2018, DaDa gained 100 million U.S. dollars in round C financing, jointly invested by the world-famous hedge fund, "The Tiger Fund", and the domestic education giant, the TAL Education Group, becoming one of the industry's invisible unicorns. About United Foundation for China's Health (UFCH) UFCH has provided medical assistance in various regions of China since 2001, focusing on maternal and child health, disease relief, and capacity enhancement. UFCH takes its corporate social responsibility on behalf of United Family Healthcare (UFH). UFH is the largest donor to the foundation and contributes 1% of its annual income to help orphans, disabled children, and the disadvantaged within China. UFCH provides medical assistance and surgical treatment to improve their living quality, and help them back on the normal track. The medical vehicle is a mobile clinic of the UFCH. Since beginning operations in November 2015, these medical vehicles have been deeply involved in the community providing the "last mile" medical services to orphans, the disabled, the disadvantaged and the poor. Currently, the vehicles have traveled more than 10,000 kilometers. With the support of the foundation, in 2017 the medical vehicle project received a total of 2,149 outpatients, 136 in-patients, and conducted 62 surgical operations. In January 2018, the Department of Chinese Civil Affairs officially approved the registration of the UFCH as a privately funded charitable organization. The core value "Cure to carry hope" is the ultimate goal which UFCH has always pursued. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dada-companionship-driven-by-technology-and-social-welfare-gives-dada-a-brand-upgrade-300649569.html SOURCE DaDa

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Appearing on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time, Robert M. Young's The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez will be released by the Criterion Collection in August 2018. Inspired by a true story, the film stars Edward James Olmos and is "a thrilling chase film and a nuanced procedural," per the press notes.

From Cuba comes Memories of Underdevelopment by Tomas Gutierrez Alea, which "provides a biting indictment of its protagonist's disengagement and an extraordinary glimpse of life in postrevolutionary Cuba." The critically-acclaimed film will appear in a new 4K restoration.

I regret to say I have not seen either of those films, which I hope to remedy in August. On the other hand, I have seen the other three titles set for release by Criterion. Smithereens was a thrilling film to watch in 1982, all dirty and grungy and lo-fi, shot in 16mm and revolving around Wren (Susan Berman), a punk who scared me. Seeing Richard Hell on the big screen was a shock and I got easily hooked by the soundtrack, tracking down the Feelies and listening to them on vinyl endlessly. A new 2K digital restoration is on its way.

Back in 2011, I called Terence Malick's The Tree of Life a "towering achievement," among other things. (I also wrote about how it got made here.) So word that Criterion will include a new version of the film that includes "nearly fifty minutes of additional footage" is rather staggering to hear.

For lovers of classic films from the 1940s, Ernst Lubitsch's Heaven Can Wait should press plenty of buttons. It has also received a 4k digital restoration.

Visit the newly refurbished Criterion site to learn more and order, if you wish.


[May 16, 2018] BitCanuck Offers Canada-Only Exchange as the Face of Canadian Cryptocurrency Investors Changes

As cryptocurrencies continue to gain traction around the world, the launch of BitCanuck gives an opportunity for Canadians to buy from a local exchange. As institutional investors and Baby Boomers join the ranks of investors, the "wild west" days of crypto-currency are waning, creating an opportunity for Canadian entrepreneurs and investors alike. After going live in March of 2018, Calgary-based BitCanuck has captured thousands of users across the country, with almost no marketing effort. BitCanuck requires more information from their users than a bank for security purposes and now support over 13 digital currencies including Bitcoin and Ethereum. The platform is due to be updated to include both official languages in the fall of 2018 to support the burgeoning market in Quebec. "Although cryptocurrency is global by nature, regulators are moving towards national standards," said Adrian Sischin, life-long entrepreneur and BitCanuck Founder. "Canadians want to buy from a stable exchange where they can chat to local people over the phone." Sischin, who is also a master-icensee for RE/MAX speaks to investors on a daily basis. While many stereotype investors as young, urban professionals, Sischin says that is not always the case. Cryptocurrencies can create a significant return within months, which is a novel experience to investors used to single-digit returns. He is incredibly optimistic about BitCanuck as the face of investors is as diverse as Canada itself, including Canadians from rural areas, with the biggest investment amounts coming from Baby Boomers. Although they have the means, these folks may not have the technical capacity of the younger crowd.



"I had a woman from Rural Alberta drive her truck over to her nephew, since she did not have the technical ability to take a selfie," said Sischin. "I talked her through it, and she felt more comfortable. The fact that we are Canadian, provide outstanding customer service and chat to people over the phone makes a real difference." In just two months of operation, BitCanuck has attracted users in every province. They plan to help educate their users using online courses and events. Through based in Canada, the company has access to a network of hand-picked experts from across Europe. This helps users get the "best of both worlds".

About BitCanuck Launched in 2018, BitCanuck is a Canadian cryptocurrency platform, supporting users across the country. The solution supports 13 currencies and will be made available in both official languages. The company was founded by Adrian Sischin, RE/MAX Master-license holder and the Chairman of the Board of GoRanker, a global network of internet entrepreneurs. BitCanuck believes the evolution of blockchain technology and a decentralized financial landscape will transform the Canadian market. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005264/en/

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[May 16, 2018] New 1st Global Study Finds Tax Knowledge Most Important Factor in Choosing a Financial Advisor

Today, 1st Global, an independent wealth management partner to exceptional CPA firms, announced the results of a new study "Investors CPAs and Tax-Focused Financial Advice" which revealed 66 percent of affluent and emerging affluent consumers view tax knowledge to be the most important factor when choosing a financial advisor. Also, nearly half of respondents (47 percent) associated the CPA designation with financial advice, with 40 percent associating CFA's with financial advice. Further, even though most (53 percent) survey respondents currently work with a CPA or accountant, tax-aware advice remains a key concern. According to the survey, tax-optimized investing (58 percent), estate tax planning (45 percent) and tax burden reduction (45 percent) rated the top three specialties these investors seek when choosing a financial advisor. "It's clear tax-oriented specialties are top of mind for many affluent and emerging affluent on the heels of tax reform," said David Knoch, President of 1st Global. "These results indicate that there is a significant opportunity for CPA firms that combine wealth management or other services with tax advice to step in and educate their clients that all their needs can be met under one roof." Additional findings include: Trust is more important to investors than skills or knowledge. Ninety percent define a trusted advisor as someone that has their best interest in mind. Only 10 percent named skills or knowledge as important.

Despite growing access to digital interactions and information, face-to-face discussions continue to be important. Fifty-seven percent ranked face-to-face interactions as very or extremely important.

The majority of respondents would discuss investments and long-term financial aspirations with their CPA or accountant. Seventy-four percent stated they were somewhat or extremely comfortable doing so.

Younger generations are seeking financial advice from professionals. More than 60 percent of respondents in Generation X and Generation Y have a CPA and a financial advisor. Further, younger respondents with a CPA were six percent more satisfied with their financial advisor.



The study was facilitated by PopResearch in March/April 2018. The total sample size was 300 respondents U.S. consumers between the age of 31-50 with $100,000 of investable assets and an annual household income of more than $250,000. The full whitepaper can be viewed at http://go.1stglobal.com/CPAadvice1.

About 1st Global 1st Global was founded in 1992 by CPAs who believe that accounting, tax and estate planning firms are uniquely qualified to provide comprehensive wealth management services to their clients. 1st Global is a research and consulting partner that provides CPA, tax and estate planning firms with education, technology, business-building framework and client solutions that make these firms leaders in their professions through dedicated professional client relationships built around wealth management. Around 400 firms have chosen to affiliate with 1st Global, making it one of the largest financial services partners for the tax, accounting and legal professions. Securities are offered through 1st Global Capital Corp. which is a member of FINRA and SIPC and is headquartered at 12750 Merit Dr., Ste. 1200 in Dallas, Texas, 214-294-5000. Investment advisory services are offered through 1st Global Advisors, Inc. Additional information about 1st Global is available at www.1stGlobal.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005045/en/

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[May 16, 2018] Church Pension Group Releases Podcast on Clergy Deployment Trends in the Episcopal Church

The Church Pension Group (CPG), a financial services organization that serves the Episcopal Church, today released a podcast highlighting its research on Clergy Deployment Trends: Adapting to a New Reality that explores the changing nature of ministry and clergy deployment in the Episcopal Church. The podcast features Dr. Matthew Price, Senior Vice President of Research & Data at CPG, and Anne Hurst, Senior Research Analyst of Research & Data at CPG. Individuals can listen and download the podcast at www.cpg.org/research. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516006095/en/



The Church Pension Group released a podcast on Clergy Deployment Trends: Adapting to a New Reality, which explores the changing nature of ministry and clergy deployment in the Episcopal Church. It features Dr. Matthew Price, Senior Vice President of Research & Data at CPG, and Anne Hurst, Senior Research Analyst of Research & Data at CPG. (Photo: Business Wire)

"This podcast presents an informative look at our research on clergy deployment trends and offers us a new way of communicating our research for an increasingly busy Church," said Dr. Price. The podcast also features commentary from clergy members who discuss the evolving nature of ministry, as well as commentary from Teresa Ghilarducci, a labor economist and nationally-recognized expert in retirement security. Methodology The research included more than 4,000 online survey responses from priests and deacons in good standing who were under 72 years of age. Quantitative findings were supplemented by a series of focus groups that took place in North Carolina, Los Angeles, and Chicago. About The Church Pension Fund The Church Pension Fund (CPF) is a financial services organization that serves the Episcopal Church. CPF and its affiliated companies, collectively the Church Pension Group (CPG), provide retirement, health, life insurance, and related benefits for its clergy and lay employees. CPG also serves the Episcopal Church by providing property and casualty insurance as well as book and music publishing, including the official worship materials of the Episcopal Church. For more information visit cpg.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516006095/en/

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[May 16, 2018] Exchange Bank Announces Debbie Meekins as New Board Member

Exchange Bank (OTC: EXSR) is pleased to announce Debbie Meekins as the newest member of Exchange Bank's Board of Directors, effective June 1, 2018. Ms. Meekins brings a wealth of banking expertise and respected leadership experience in both the finance world and with non-profit organizations, having formerly served as CEO of Sonoma National Bank, Executive Vice President and Retail Banking Director of Sterling Savings Bank, and President and CEO of Poppy Bank. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516006243/en/ Debbie Meekins, member Exchange Bank Board of Directors (effective June 1, 2018). (Photo: Business Wire) "Debbie complements our very strong board and fully shares our values. She has unquestionable integrity, professionalism, naturally positive leadership skills and compasion for the community," said Bill Schrader, Chairman of the Board.



Ms. Meekins has a long history of community service in Sonoma County. She has chaired the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Rose Parade. She has been recognized as one of the top "25 Women to Watch" in banking by U.S. Banker Magazine and the "Best Business Community Leader in Sonoma County" in a North Bay Biz reader's poll. She created a forum for Women in Business in Sonoma County which provided education to assist women and minority-owned businesses which spanned 10 years. Ms. Meekins currently serves on the Board of Western Bankers Association, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Redwood Empire Food Bank.

About Exchange Bank Headquartered in Sonoma County and founded in 1890, Exchange Bank is a premier community bank with assets of $2.6 billion. Exchange Bank provides a wide range of personal, commercial and trust and investment services with 18 branches in Sonoma County and a commercial and SBA lending office in Roseville and Marin, California. The Bank's legacy of financial leadership and community support is grounded in its core values of Commitment, Respect, Integrity and Teamwork. Exchange Bank is a 12-time winner of the North Bay Business Journal's Best Places to Work survey, a recipient of the 2018 North Bay Community Philanthropy Award and the 2017 Healthiest Companies in the North Bay Award. NorthBay biz magazine named Exchange Bank the 2018 Best Consumer Bank and Gold Medal Winner for Best Business Bank. The North Bay Bohemian's "Best of 2018" Readers Poll named Exchange Bank the Best Business Bank and Best Consumer Bank. Exchange Bank can also be found in the North Bay Business Journal's listing of leading SBA 7(a) Lenders, Wealth Management Advisors and Wine Industry Lenders. www.exchangebank.com. Member FDIC - Equal Housing Lender - Equal Opportunity Employer View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516006243/en/

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[May 16, 2018] Oncolytics Biotech Announces Publication of REOLYSIN Abstract for the ASCO 2018 Annual Meeting

CALGARY, Alberta and SAN DIEGO, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSX:ONC) (OTCQX:ONCYF), currently developing REOLYSIN (pelareorep), an intravenously delivered immuno-oncolytic virus turning cold tumors hot, today announced publication of an abstract on pelareorep for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2018 Annual Meeting. The meeting will take place from June 1 - 5, 2018 at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL.

The abstract, authored by Wilkinson et al., "Pelareorep to promote the expression of a IFN-gamma-related gene signature that predicts response to checkpoint blockade therapy", outlines results of a study assessing whether pelareorep promotes a predictive inflamed tumor phenotype that correlates with a response to immunotherapy in breast cancer (BC), colorectal cancer (CRC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The results suggest that all cell lines are susceptible to pelareoreps induced cytopathic effect. In particular, BC and HCC cells lines had a significantly inflamed phenotype and also upregulated key chemokines known to promote response to immunotherapy. These results clearly demonstrate that viral priming in both BC and HCC tumors can activate interferon gamma-related gene expression which both upregulates checkpoint ligands on tumor cells and promotes activation and infiltration of lymphocytes into the tumor, said Dr. Matt Coffey, President and CEO of Oncolytics Biotech. They also support the hypothesis that the virus is engaging a dramatic immune response against the tumor in our recent mBC trial but also suggests that the virus may very well act as a backbone for checkpoint blockage by promoting an inflamed phenotype in the tumor microenvironment. The complete Abstract can be found online at https://am.asco.org/. Full details from the poster presentation will be announced when it is being presented on Monday, June 4 from 8:00  11:30 in Hall , poster board #303.



About REOLYSIN/Pelareorep

REOLYSIN, also known as pelareorep, is a non-pathogenic, proprietary isolate of the unmodified reovirus: a first-in-class intravenously delivered immuno-oncolytic virus for the treatment of solid tumors and hematological malignancies. The compound induces selective tumor lysis and promotes an inflamed tumor phenotype through innate and adaptive immune responses to treat a variety of cancers. About Oncolytics Biotech Inc.

Oncolytics is a biotechnology company developing REOLYSIN, also known as pelareorep, an intravenously delivered immuno-oncolytic virus. The compound induces selective tumor lysis and promotes an inflamed tumor phenotype -- turning "cold" tumors "hot" -- through innate and adaptive immune responses to treat a variety of cancers. Oncolytics' clinical development program emphasizes three pillars: chemotherapy combinations to trigger selective tumor lysis and immuno-therapy and immune modulator (IMiD) combinations to produce innate and adaptive immune responses. Oncolytics is currently planning its first registration study in metastatic breast cancer, as well as studies in combination with checkpoint inhibitors and targeted and IMiD therapies in solid and hematological malignancies. For further information, please visit: www.oncolyticsbiotech.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and forward-looking information under applicable Canadian securities laws (such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are collectively referred to herein as forward-looking statements). Forward-looking statements, including the Company's belief as to the potential and mode of action of REOLYSIN, also known as pelareorep, as a cancer therapeutic; and other statements related to anticipated developments in the Company's business and technologies involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the availability of funds and resources to pursue research and development projects, the efficacy of pelareorep as a cancer treatment, the success and timely completion of clinical studies and trials, the Company's ability to successfully commercialize pelareorep, uncertainties related to the research and development of pharmaceuticals, uncertainties related to the regulatory process and general changes to the economic environment. Investors should consult the Company's quarterly and annual filings with the Canadian and U.S. securities commissions for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. Company Contact

Michael Moore

Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications

858-886-7813

mmoore@oncolytics.ca



Investor Relations

Robert Uhl

Westwicke Partners

858-356-5932

robert.uhl@westwicke.com Media Contact

Jason Spark

Canale Communications

619-849-6005

jason@canalecomm.com



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[May 16, 2018] Bavarian Nordic Announces Acceptance of Abstracts and Oral Presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, May 16, 2018 - Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA, OTC: BVNRY) today announced the acceptance of 4 poster presentations and one podium presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting held June 1-5, 2018 in Chicago Illinois. These abstracts are now publicly available online at https://meetinglibrary.asco.org/. "We are very proud to participate in ASCO, the pre-eminent oncology meeting of the year. We look forward to sharing our progress with the medical community. This includes our phase 3 study of PROSTVAC, which while disappointing in its result, will still provide a number of academic and clinical learnings to the treatment field of prostate cancer, including the advancements in overall survival seen by current standards of care" said Paul Chaplin, President and CEO of Bavarian Nordic. "Importantly, the additional posters accepted at ASCO may provide insights into our future development strategies. One study demonstrates the ability of PROSTVAC to drive increased numbers of T cells into newly diagnosed prostate cancer. Another study demonstrated that PROSTVAC combined with nivolumab is safe and has adequate clinical data in advanced metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer to proceed to the planned evaluation of this combination in the neoadjuvant setting of newly diagnosed disease, in cooperation with National Cancer Institute and Bristol-Myers Squibb," Dr. Chaplin concluded. Presentation and Poster Titles are as follows: Effect of rilimogene galvacirepvec/rilimogene glafolivec (PROSTVAC) on intra/peritumoral immune infiltrate in patients with localized prostate cancer unergoing radical prostatectomy. (Abstract number 5083)





Poster Session : Genitourinary (Prostate) Cancer. June 2, 2018 from 1:15PM - 4:45PM CDT

: Genitourinary (Prostate) Cancer. June 2, 2018 from 1:15PM - 4:45PM CDT Combination of a therapeutic cancer vaccine (PROSTVAC) and immune checkpoint inhibitors in prostate cancer. (Abstract number 5084)

Poster Session : Genitourinary (Prostate) Cancer. June 2, 2018 from 1:15 PM - 4:45 PM CDT

: Genitourinary (Prostate) Cancer. June 2, 2018 from 1:15 PM - 4:45 PM CDT A trial of CV301 in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy versus anti-PD-1 therapy in subjects with non-small cell lung cancer. (Abstract number TPS9108)

Poster Session : Lung Cancer-Non-Small Cell Metastatic. June 3, 2018 from 8:00AM -11:30AM CDT

: Lung Cancer-Non-Small Cell Metastatic. June 3, 2018 from 8:00AM -11:30AM CDT A sequential cohort study of combination immunotherapy with BN-brachyury vaccine, M7824, ALT-803 and epacadostat in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) (QuEST1). (Abstract number TPS3130)

Poster Session : Developmental Therapeutics - Immunotherapy. June 4, 2018 from 8:00AM-11:30AM CDT

: Developmental Therapeutics - Immunotherapy. June 4, 2018 from 8:00AM-11:30AM CDT Results of PROSPECT: A randomized phase 3 trial of PROSTVAC-V/F (PRO) in men with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer. (Abstract number 5006)

Oral Abstract Session: Genitourinary (Prostate) Cancer. June 4, 2018 from 3:00 PM-6:00 PM CDT

About Bavarian Nordic

Bavarian Nordic is a fully integrated biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative and safe therapies against cancer and infectious diseases. Using our live virus vaccine platform technology, MVA-BN, we have created a diverse portfolio of proprietary and partnered product candidates intended to improve the health and quality of life for children and adults. We supply our IMVAMUNE non-replicating smallpox vaccine to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile and other government stockpiles. The vaccine is approved in the European Union (under the trade name IMVANEX) and in Canada. Registration studies are currently underway in the U.S. In addition to our long-standing collaboration with the U.S. government on the development of IMVAMUNE and other medical countermeasures, our infectious disease pipeline comprises a proprietary RSV program as well as vaccine candidates for Ebola, HPV, HBV and HIV, which are developed through a strategic partnership with Janssen. Additionally, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, we have developed a portfolio of active cancer immunotherapies, designed to alter the disease course by eliciting a robust and broad anti-cancer immune response while maintaining a favorable risk-benefit profile. Through multiple industry collaborations, we seek to explore the potential synergies of combining our immunotherapies with other immune-modulating agents, e.g. checkpoint inhibitors. For more information visit www.bavarian-nordic.com or follow us on Twitter @bavariannordic.

Contacts

Rolf Sass Srensen

Vice President Investor Relations (EU)

Tel: +45 61 77 47 43 Seth Lewis

Vice President Investor Relations (US)

Tel: +1 978 341 5271 Press Release Attachment 2018-05-16-en.pdf

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It hasnt even been a week since Opel announced it would skip the Paris Motor Show , and here we are telling you that Volkswagen has withdrawn its interest in the show as well. That brings the number of manufacturers skipping this years show in Paris to nine. Volkswagen joins Ford , Volvo , Nissan , Infiniti , Mitsubishi , Opel , Mazda , and Subaru . Its a surprising blow to the show considering Volkswagen is the top-selling car brand in Europe, but the brand believes it has justification.

Its The Same Story Weve Heard Before

Skoda, Seat, Audi, and Porsche all have plans to occupy their own booths at the show

Volkswagen says its constantly analyzing the relevance of participating in international car shows. Apparently, Volkswagen either has nothing new to offer or would rather save the money for something else  probably another dumb special edition or something. Its important to remember, though, that this decision is only relevant to the Volkswagen brand, not the dirt VAG as a whole. Skoda, Seat, Audi, and Porsche all have plans to occupy their own booths at the show.

So Who Will Be at the Paris Motor Show?

Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Mercedes, Toyota, Lexus , Jaguar, Smart , Suzuki, and Land Rover have all confirmed their spots, but the Fiat-Chrysler group is still in the decision-making process

While there are nine major brands skipping the show, there are still a bunch going. Maybe they have big debuts, or maybe they dont mind spending the extra money for that kind of public viewing time  after all, in 2016 there were some 1.07 million visitors. Regardless of the reason, Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Mercedes, Toyota, Lexus, Jaguar, Smart, Suzuki, and Land Rover have all confirmed their spots, but the Fiat-Chrysler group is still in the decision-making process.

The Show Will Go On

The Paris Motor Show has even tried is hardest to prevent automakers from skipping the show.

This is becoming a weird trend these days, and its hard to say why. Most car companies seem to be making money hand over fist, especially with the SUV segment booming as it is, but thats really only relevant in the States. Some Automakers have focused more on private debuts that are streamed via the internet but those shows, while effective, have left a bit of a nasty taste in the mouth of a lot of journalists. Plus, the public doesnt get to lay eyes on the vehicle in the metal. In theory, that could lead them to dealerships to take a look at new vehicles, where theyll undoubtedly be pressured into buying, but it just doesnt feature that personal feel you get from auto show debuts.

The Paris Motor Show has even tried is hardest to prevent automakers from skipping the show. Its reduced the number of days itll be open to the public by five, bringing the total viewing days down to 11. That would have saved a fortune across the board as thats less time automakers have to pay for space rental, hotel bills, and employees that are present at the event.

Final Thoughts

I find it sad that automakers are continually choosing to skip auto shows. They are spending more money on online marketing and live streaming, and it puts consumers in a tough place as we dont get any one-on-one time without venturing to a dealer. As a journalist, I take pride in attending these auto shows, and I know plenty of folks who make it a point to visit, sometimes more than once, on public days. As automakers have announced skipping the Detroit Auto Show in 2019, dealers are already clamoring and complaining because auto shows still work  people leave the show and head to dealers. Just ask Audi dealers in Detroit how they feel about their brand skipping the NAIAS. I dont think the auto show is dead by any means, but automakers better get their heads out of their asses before they ruin one of the coolest things to do throughout the year.

References

Read more Volkswagen news.

Read more Paris Auto Show news.

Source: Autoactu.com
As African Ministers of Finance gathered in Addis Ababa to seek an integrated approach to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, the African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson Amb. Kwesi Quartey lauded the progress on the implementation process of the historic decision.

The ratification process has begun in earnest, with two countries, Kenya and Ghana, having already deposited their Instruments of Ratification. Rwanda and Niger have also signed the agreement. Africas ability to trade with itself, as well as with the rest of the world, will be an absolute game changer, he stated.

At the same time he underlined the need for Africa to scale up their production capacity inorder to realize the full potential for intra-African trade.

For Africa to trade, Africa first has to produce. And not just primary commodities. We must begin to apply science and technology to production. Statistical evidence has demonstrated that intra-African trade has tended to be mainly in processed foods, that is, goods and commodities to which value has been added.

Statement by AUC Deputy Chairperson Amb. Kwesi Quartey

I am both honoured and delighted to be part of this engagement at developing an integrated approach to addressing our continents challenges.

The recent signing of the Continental Free Trade Area Agreement was a truly historic development. We have learnt that the ratification process has begun in earnest, with two countries, that is, Kenya and Ghana, having already deposited their Instruments of Ratification. Africas ability to trade with itself, as well as with the rest of the world, will be an absolute game changer. The potential for intra-African trade to drive value creation and development is both palpable and real. But in order to trade, Africa first has to produce. And not just primary commodities. We must begin to apply science and technology to production. Statistical evidence has demonstrated that intra-African trade has tended to be mainly in processed foods, that is, goods and commodities to which value has been added.

Africas ability to trade and do business with itself is what will drive the African Continental Free Trade Area. The potential of Africas integration and intra-Africa trade are enormous if we are able to take advantage of the economies of scale, creation of job opportunities and generation of income, mobility of investment capital and exploring our consumer market of nearly one billion people. Whilst the benefits are clear and widely acknowledged, there is also the underlying need is to review the strategies to drive Intra-Africa trade and integration agenda and whose successes, would reinforce Africas place in the global economy and strengthen our bargaining power in international negotiations.

As the rest of the world becomes increasingly fractured, we must advance our integration agenda and advance from 55 fragmented markets into a larger market with the prospects of a combined GDP of over three trillion dollars annually. If you look at the forecast from the intra-Africa trade simulations, CFTA will increase the consumer spending to about $1.4 trillion in 2020 and similarly increase intra-African trade by as much as $35 billion per year, or 52 percent above the baseline by 2022.

There are a number of points I would like to make today.

First, we must begin to interrogate why with a potential to run into trillions of dollars, intra-African trade stands so low. The answer lies in our history. It goes to the origin of the African State  the Berlin Conference of 1884/85. But that is a story for another day.

Perhaps the most illustrative of examples of this underperformance lies in the trade liberalization, the lack of implementation of policies, the poor infrastructure, the restrictive movement of persons, insecurity and governance challenges and the literacy and skills crisis in the continent.

We must scale up infrastructure investment to improve connections between and within African countries. Though over the years we have seen great progress in infrastructure development of trans-border roads, rails, ports modernization and power sharing pools, more must be done to complete these projects and reap the full benefits. Railway lines must not only be from the gold mine to the harbour.

At the same time, there is need to make trade more conducive through the elimination of trade non-tariff barriers such as the restrictive travel policies and visa regimes. Just try getting a visa to Ethiopia, our diplomatic capital! The latest visa openness index report shows slight improvement by states to open up their borders but more commitment must go into it to a point where you do not need a visa to travel to 45 percent of our countries. We must encourage managed migration and mobility.

We must also seek to harmonize our trade policies. We must address the issues of the prohibitive transaction fees and seek to harmonize the rules of origin which greatly informs the imposed duties, and in accordance to the source of imports. This will greatly encourage competitiveness in trade. I am glad to note in this regard that the dialogue has been enhanced in the harmonization of the rules of origin as our states implement the decision on financing of the Union by imposing the 0.2% levy on eligible imported goods. That therefore, is a good start.

The second point I would like to raise is on the manufacturing and processing capacity as a key aspect in the African intra-trade vision. The situation now is that most of our primary natural resources are exported as raw materials and imported as processed goods. With a bulging youth population, our demography presents us vulnerabilities if not well harnessed. We are denying them job opportunities and meaningful engagement if we do not enable prospects of value addition and value chains, provision of markets and the ability to utilize science and technology for innovation. The key is education, all-inclusive education. Every child in school.

With urbanization, there are opportunities in markets for surplus production. We must enhance the linkages for the rural communities to the urban markets and vice versa, link the rural community with technology, infrastructure and resources to expand their production and trade. Africa has the potential to feed itself but we have to stop being net importers of food, which continues to hamper the growth of our farmers and SMEs. We must create conducive environment for the growth of the cross-border trade which is mostly undertaken by women. We must allow them to expand and eventually we will find that we are able to integrate informal trade, (which counts for over 50% of GDP remains mainly untaxed) into the formal economy, and swiftly alleviate poverty.

Cross-border trade must not only be looked at from the perspective of goods. We must also consider services especially in the SMEs and which would thrive with states coming together to harmonize standards to a generally accepted level of qualification for professionals. Many of graduate doctors are jobless yet many of our people are dying due to lack of caregivers. Imagine the prospects of allowing skills migration across the continent. Therefore, we must begin to look at intra-African trade in its holistic nature.

My third observation would be on capacity building in a two-pronged approach. We need capacity development to be able to participate in the knowledge economy, and be ready for the digital economy. We cannot afford to be illiterate or innumerate.

The African Union theme of the year is Winning the Fight against Corruption: a Sustainable Path to Africas Transformation. This was adopted by our African leaders in appreciation of how much Africa was losing to corrupt activities. Africa is losing over 148 billion dollars annually, which is about 25% of Africas GDP growth, through corruption. Similarly, we are losing huge sums of money in billions of dollars, through illicit financial flows. We are yet to factor the bribe the woman pays to do business across the border or the money that goes to clear the container at the port to beat the unnecessary red tape. It is therefore important for nations to address the governance, democracy and impunity deficits by empowering our institutions to perform better. The answer is an economy undergirded by transparency and the rule of law. In short, we must govern better within our countries, and to govern better together as a continent  in the words of my illustrious compatriot, Kofi Annan.

We must focus like a laser on human capacity development. The level of social exclusion by way of lack of education and skills continues to make our youth despair. It is in that desperation that forces our youth to take perilous journeys through the desert and risk drowning in the Mediterranean Sea in search of a non-existent Eldorado in Europe. Let us make deliberate efforts to educate and develop the skills and talents of our youth and children. Without a numerate and literate youth, we shall continue to bear the brunt of our demographic vulnerabilities. With education and training, our youth will develop human capital, that is, value which creates more value.

Boosting intra-African trade is inevitable to deliver development on the African continent. To realize the goals we have set, we must seek to improve our domestic resource mobilization. I am pleased to report that 22 of our member states are at various stages of actualizing the decision on financing the Union, while 12 states are collecting the funds levied from imposing the 0.2% levy on eligible imported goods. We encourage more states to implement the decision for the Union to be self-reliant and to ensure predictable funding of AU activities and projects. Imposing the levy will fund 75% of the program budget for the realization of our flagship projects such as the single air transport, the development of our infrastructure, energy projects, food security, education and skills improvement for our people. 25% of the funds will go into peace support operations which is critical as we seek a peaceful and secure Africa.

To conclude, Distinguished Guests, let me reiterate the need for maximizing on the prospects of a multilateral trading structure. Africa must demonstrate its own commitment if the rest of the world is to own our story of Africa rising, and support our long-term socio-economic successes.

The thesis  Africa Must Unite, conceived and argued by Kwame Nkrumah  remains unassailable.

Thank you for your kind attention.
The ECA Conference of Ministers was praised for discussing real issues affecting the continent. At the heart of the debates was the AfCFTA. Its success would depend on a concerted and common approach to advance trade facilitation. Ministers also recognised the central role of private sector to help push forward the AfCFTA project.

Finance ministers and policy makers from across the continent have reaffirmed their commitment to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) at the close of a high-level meeting widely praised for discussing real issues affecting the continent.

The event, hosted by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, called for governments to ensure they make the policies and investments necessary to capture the economic benefits of the proposed trading bloc.

A ministerial statement from the 51st session of the Council of Ministers recognised the potential of the AfCFTA to advance industrialisation, economic diversification and development to foster prosperity for all on the continent.

It also, however, recognised the challenges including concerns over the impact upon the tax base arising from a single continental market for goods and services, reporting: The short-term impact is likely to be minimal and will be outweighed in the medium and long term by the positive impacts of revenue from other sources of taxes. These new sources would arise from economic growth and diversification from trading in a bloc of 1.2bn consumers.

The summary also acknowledged the need for the bloc to advance trade facilitation measures. These include simplified trade regimes for informal cross-border traders and upgrading trans-boundary infrastructure to assist firms keen to penetrate the new markets opened up by the agreement.

The private sector was recognised as playing the central role in achieving this project to create a more empowered, inclusive and transformed continent. It would also be essential for businesses to partner with governments to develop innovative financing solutions to tackle health, education, infrastructure and environmental challenges that could hold back Africa from effectively operating and benefitting from the bold economic plan.

The statement came after four days of dialogue and robust exchange on the theme African Continental Free Trade Area: Creating fiscal space for jobs and economic diversification that addressed key issues for the continent including agricultures role in economic growth; financing infrastructure; tackling illicit financial flows; and an integrated strategy for the Sahel.

The theme of the meeting was considered highly relevant by the participants who commended the organisers for focusing on real African issues. Robert Nantchouang, Senior Knowledge Management Expert from the African Capacity Building Foundation, said the meeting successfully highlighted pressing issues related to the economic integration agenda.

He remarked: It was a timely and opportune moment for African countries to gather around a common issue that was embraced by all participants. Nobody was left behind in this discussion.

Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the ECA, reaffirmed the commitment of her organisation to support governments moving towards economic integration through its convening, thought process and operational functions. The meeting recognised the preeminent role of human and institutional capacity building that would enable the AfCFTA to meet many of the continents development needs. She commented: Africa is waiting. Our challenges are huge but we are on the way to solving them through the AfCFTA.

The meeting forms part of wider consultations on the historic deal that was signed by 44 presidents and government leaders in Kigali, Rwanda in March 2018. Countries will now be required to ratify and implement the legal instruments of the agreement that would create a trade bloc with a combined gross domestic product of more than $3 trillion together with an additional 300,000 direct and 2 million indirect jobs according to the African Union.
South Africa can achieve more inclusive and sustainable development with coordinated reforms across a broad range of areas that maximize development impact and address constraints to reduction in poverty and inequality, according to the World Bank Groups new Systematic Country Diagnostic for South Africa, released on 14 May 2018.

Prepared in close consultation with government and other key stakeholders, this Diagnostic, An Incomplete Transition: Overcoming the Legacy of Exclusion in South Africa, looks at the interplay between history, social, economic, financial, fiscal and environmental issues, and their impact on poverty and inequality. It acknowledges the progress made since 1994 and suggests a selected range of policy options to eliminate poverty and boost shared prosperity.

The Government of South Africa has done much to address its most pressing development challenges, the triple challenge of high unemployment, poverty and inequality, but much still remains to be done, said Paul Noumba Um, World Bank Country Director for South Africa. As the World Bank we stand ready to support South Africa in its efforts to tackle the triple challenge.

The SCD places special emphasis to the need for large-scale job creation. The diagnostic says that while South Africa underwent a successful and peaceful political transition in 1994, too many South African remain excluded from participating in the economy, rendering the transition incomplete. The persistent legacy of exclusion makes it difficult to build the post-apartheid social contract, the diagnostic says, resulting in contestation over resources and undermining investment and economic growth as well as financial, fiscal, and external sustainability. In addition, climate change poses shocks that further undermine the countrys its sustainability, according to the SCD.

With this Diagnostic, the World Bank Group has identified five binding constraints to addressing the legacy of exclusion which persist despite South Africas progress in granting political and civil rights to its citizens and in increasing access to basic services and social assistance, said Paul Noumba Um.

The five binding constraints and policy recommendations are:

Insufficient skills: This Diagnostic finds that due to continued historical disadvantage entrenched in the education system, insufficient skills, are among the most binding constraints to fighting unemployment, poverty and inequality. Identified policy interventions focus on children and young adults as the most critical. It recommends focusing on children and young adults as the most critical. Policy options expected to have the most impact include strengthening nutrition and early years development, training school teachers, expanding affordable university access to poor students, reforming the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system, and active labor market policies.

Skewed distribution of land and productive assets and weak property rights , is the second binding constraint. The SCD suggests reforms that can strengthen the asset base of the poor, while also increasing property security for investors and strengthening capacity for land reform.

Low competition and low integration in global and regional value chains. The Diagnostic proposes implementing sustainable mechanisms to embed competition principles in policy formulation. Reform of transport-related state-owned enterprises, including greater private sector participation; attracting foreign direct investment, linking small-medium enterprises (SMEs) with lead firms to connect them with international value chains, are among suggested policies.

Limited or expensive connectivity and under-serviced historically disadvantaged settlements: Policy options include fostering strategic densification of cities and diversifications of land use, as well as expanding basic services in underserviced settlements. Other interventions are better integrated transport planning and land use, as well as strengthening regulatory framework in support of competition in the minibus taxi sector.

Climate shocks: Disruptions to the economy and jobs as South Africa transitions to a low-carbon economy will need to be mitigated carefully, the Diagnostic suggests. Climate change also puts further pressure on the countrys scarce water resources which require long-term planning and strategic adaptation.

It would be easy to assume that addressing South Africas biggest constraints is the responsibility of government alone. That would be a mistake. We hope all stakeholders can embrace the contribution business can make in tackling these issues. The private sector has a huge role to play in creating jobs, growth, and a more equal economy, said Saleem Karimjee, International Finance Corporation Country Manager for Southern Africa.
Services & Manufacturing Linkages: Exploring the Potential of Distribution Services

This Ethiopia Economic Update focuses on the connection between services and manufacturing, to help advance the governments export development agenda. Although the importance of services for development is widely recognized, the role of services, tradable and non-tradable, in growth and structural transformation is generally less understood.

Services not only offer promising opportunities for export diversification, but also are key inputs in the production of most goods, for export and domestic consumption. Services imports are equally important, as they can improve the availability and quality of services through increased competition, better technologies, and access to foreign capital. This, in turn, can have a strong impact on the domestic business environment and lead to productivity increases through broader access to essential services inputs.

A dynamic services sector is a necessary condition for manufacturing and agroprocessing to thrive. Access to quality services as inputs to production is important for manufacturing performance. Lack of quality services as inputs can impede the emergence of a competitive manufacturing sector, which matters for the quality and value addition of goods. Manufacturing and agroprocessing cannot be competitive without accessing good quality and varied inputs from the services sectors. At this stage, however, Ethiopia seems to lack adequate access to necessary services inputs, such as finance, electricity, and water, as evidenced by several studies.

The objective of this Economic Update is to invigorate and deepen the discussion about the role of services as tradable activities, and as intermediate inputs in Ethiopia. The analysis is conducted in the context of the debate on growth and structural transformation in Ethiopia. World Bank (2015) shows that Ethiopia did not follow the conventional path of economic development through export-oriented industrialization, with workers moving from agriculture to high-productivity manufacturing.

The analysis contrasted this premature deindustrialization, characterized by a shift of labor from agriculture to services, with the potential of services becoming the new growth escalator for Ethiopia. The report concluded that rather than following one approach or another, Ethiopia would need to move forward across all sectors, focusing on agricultural productivity improvements, manufacturing growth to support the strategy of industrialization, and development of services.

At the governments request, emphasis will be placed on distribution services, with individual case studies on the role of distribution services as inputs in the dairy, teff, sesame, and textiles value chains complementing the analysis.

Setting the Stage: Services in Ethiopias Economy

Services are a large and dynamic sector, but manufacturing remains a relatively small and stagnant part of Ethiopias economy. As shown in World Bank (2015), Ethiopias Great Run, the services sector was one of the driving forces behind the countrys growth acceleration. Recent data confirm that services continue to contribute considerably to economic growth and structural change. Services remain not only the largest sector in economic output, accounting for 41 percent of GDP in 2016, they also accounted for about 50 percent of economic growth over the past decade.

Over the past years, Ethiopias output more than tripled in real terms, taking over agriculture as the sector contributing the most to GDP.18 Since 2005, the sectoral drivers of growth have shifted further toward services, and more recently, industry. However, as noted in World Bank (2015), the recent rise of industry is due to a construction boom rather than being driven by a rise in the manufacturing sector, which has been largely stagnant at about 4 percent of GDP.

Although the structure of output shifted from agriculture toward services, the corresponding employment shift was modest. Despite the shift of output from agriculture to services, agriculture continued to dominate employment, although its employment share declined from 80.2 to 77.3 percent between 2005 and 2013. Although workers moved mainly into services (1.8 percentage points), Ethiopias services sector still absorbs only a small share of the population. In high-income countries, where services tend to explain the largest share of GDP, compared with agriculture and manufacturing, services employ 74 percent of the workforce on average (40 percent in upper-middle-income countries and 33 percent in lower-middle-income countries).

By contrast, in Ethiopia, in 2005 the services sector employed only 14.7 percent of the workforce even if it accounted for about 40 percent of value added,and in 2013 it was estimated to employ about 20 percent of the workforce. This share lies significantly below the average for countries at similar levels of development with a similar share of services in GDP, and is lower than all comparators.

Fast labor productivity growth in services may explain the gap between the composition of employment and output changes. Labor productivity in most services grew much faster than in agriculture and manufacturing, pointing once again to the dynamism of services. Labor productivity levels are the highest in sectors such as distribution (commerce), finance, utilities, mining, and transport, and lowest in agriculture and manufacturing. For instance, labor productivity in distribution was twice as high as in manufacturing and construction.

Distribution (or commerce), other services, and the public sector are the most important services subsectors for services output and employment in Ethiopia. These three sectors account jointly for 85 percent of sector value added and 92 percent of services jobs. Specifically, each sector accounts for roughly a half, a quarter, and a fifth, respectively, of value added and jobs in the services sector.

The remaining services sectors are transport (10 percent of services output and 6 percent of services jobs) and finance (5 percent of services output and 2 percent of services jobs). Output shares have hardly changed over time, although the employment shares have increased in other services and public services and declined in commerce.

A striking feature of the Ethiopian services sector is its significant role as an exporting branch of the economy. Not only did services exports account for more than 50 percent of Ethiopias total exports between 2005 and 2015, but the share of services exports in the sectors output (fluctuating between 17 and 26 percent over the past decade) was comparable to the export-to- output ratio of Ethiopias traditional export products.

For example, Taffesse and Ferede (2004) reveal that in 2000 the other services sectors exports-to-output ratio was marginally higher than that of the traditional agricultural exportables sector, which includes tea, flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Furthermore, despite relatively underdeveloped infrastructure, Ethiopias services trade has registered dynamic growth rates over the past 10 years. Recent data reveal a compound annual growth rate for services exports of 16 percent over 2011-13.

Services exports and imports are higher than expected from an average country at Ethiopias level of development. A cross-country regression based on the International Monetary Fund Balance of Payments Statistics shows a positive picture, indicating that Ethiopias services exports were slightly higher than expected for an average country at its level of development.

It is important to point out that although exports of services are critical to the efficient functioning of an economy, services imports are equally important. Imported services, especially from developed countries, often enhance the total factor productivity of domestic firms. Ethiopia seems to be taking advantage of cheaper and higher quality services from abroad. Ethiopias services imports are again higher than what would be expected for a country at its level of development.

Ethiopias exports and imports are concentrated heavily in traditional services activities; the countrys modern services exports remain among the lowest of its comparators). Modern services include communication, banking, insurance, business, and remote access services; transcription of medical records; call centers; and education.

These services differ from traditional services, such as transport or travel, which demand face-to-face interaction. In addition to being important inputs into production, modern services exhibit higher productivity and generate high-skilled and better-paid jobs. However, many modern services sectors have relatively low employment intensity and require higher educational levels.

Ethiopias exports and imports of traditional services as a share of GDP reached 7 percent in 2010-12, significantly overperforming comparator countries (except Tanzania and Kenya) and other countries at a similar level of development. Instead, Ethiopia significantly underperforms in modern services exports and imports, which measured close to 2 percent of GDP in 2010-12.

The expansion of Ethiopias services exports was mainly driven by transport and travel. Jointly, they accounted for 90 percent of total services exports in 2012, up from 75 percent in 2002. This is attributed to Ethiopian Airlines, which is Ethiopias largest export earner (three times as big as coffee) and accounts for 60 percent of Ethiopias services sector.

Ethiopias services export structure is very similar to that of Zambia or Kenya, with high shares of transport and travel. It contrasts with that of Korea, a substantially more developed economy, where, even if transport is one of the largest subsectors, modern services such as insurance play an important role. Modern services exports have been growing slower and inconsistently for some sectors, including financial and other business services. China and Korea, as well as Tanzania and Uganda, have been successful in exporting other business services.

Although important, the contributions of services to GDP and gross trade data ignore the links that services have with other sectors of the economy. Indicators such as forward and backward linkages, gross exports, direct value-added exports, and total value-added exports can be used to assess the role of services in the domestic economy and in relation to international trade.

Linkages exist primarily with traditional rather than modern services, with distribution services, such as wholesale and retail activities, seemingly the most important services inputs for manufacturing production in Ethiopia. The structure of services-manufacturing linkages in Ethiopias domestic economy is very similar to that observed in its exports. The following key findings emerge from the linkages analysis:

The most important services inputs for manufacturing production in 2011 were distribution and trade, transport, and business and information and communications technology (ICT). These three sectors combined accounted for more than 90 percent of all intermediate services inputs for manufacturing production; 60 percent is from distribution and trade services alone.

Although, in general, manufacturing in Ethiopia uses few modern services as inputs, business and ICT services are an exception. Business and ICT services represent about 20 percent of total services inputs in manufacturing in Ethiopia. Exporting firms appear to be far ahead of non-exporting firms in adopting modern business processes.

The linkages between financial services and manufacturing are particularly weak. Access to finance has been flagged as a serious constraint in Ethiopia. In 2011, financial services represented only about 3 percent of total services inputs in manufacturing. The percentage of investment that is financed through firms own funds, or the ratio of collateral to the total loan, is very high in Ethiopia, suggesting difficulties in access to finance. This is not an issue of demand, but one of supply; the Government of Ethiopia operates a rationing scheme whereby credit is allocated to the highest need (public investment, export priority sector, critical imports, and others). The negative real interest rate leads to excess demand and quantity rationing, such that many firms are completely excluded from access to finance.

Distribution services are the most important input for 11 of 14 manufacturing sectors. Key findings based on a disaggregated analysis by manufacturing sector reveal that distribution services continue to be the most important services input for nearly all of Ethiopias manufacturing activities except paper and publishing and beverages and tobacco). When considering all inputs (not just services), distribution services are the most important input for 11 of 14 manufacturing sectors, and in nine manufacturing sectors distribution services contribute more value added than the manufacturing sector directly contributes.
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First came the puffy coat. Then the scarf. Although it was 77 degrees on a cloudless spring day, my tour guide was suiting up for winter. Or maybe just a walk through the wine cellars. No matter the time of year or the presence of rain, sleet, or soul-warming sun, its always a perfect 53 degrees in the limestone caves of one of the premier Luxembourg wine producers. Yes, Luxembourg. Sandwiched between the wine powerhouses of Germany and France, one of Europes smallest countries makes great wine, too.

One of the best things about travel is discovering something entirely new. So when I started planning my trip to Luxembourg, I was fascinated to learn about something Id never heard of beforeLuxembourg wine. From Texas to Macedonia, weve loved sampling wines that arent on the radar for many people, so I jumped at the opportunity to try some of the best Luxembourg produces on a day of wine tasting in the Moselle region, even if it meant a chilly walk through the cellars carved into the hill.

Just a few yards from the caves I was visiting, the Moselle River winds its way along 26 miles of Luxembourgs border with Germany. That morning, as I drove through the Moselle valley just a half-hour from Luxembourg City, it seemed that nearly every inch of the slopes was covered in vines. From road to river, beside houses and surrounding hilltop chapels, the infinite rows of Riesling and Pinot Gris left no doubt about how vital wine production is to the area.

One of smallest wine-growing regions in Europe, Luxembourg is perhaps rivaled in size only by the dramatic mountainside wineries of even smaller Andorra. Fortunately, the limited size of the Moselle region in Luxembourg has no bearing on the high quality of the wines produced here. In fact, just a few hundred feet away on the opposite side of the river is Germany. The German portion of the Mosel River valley (slightly different spelling in German), which runs for 155 miles, is one of the worlds foremost regions for producing white wines.

Although Luxembourgs part of the Moselle is small, the wines are excellent. After all, theyre not new at thiswine growing in the Moselle valley dates back to Roman times.

A crash course in Luxembourg wine

Luxembourgs Route du Vin, or Wine Road, begins in Wasserbillig at the north end and follows the Moselle River as it flows along the countrys border. The Route passes through the wine regions capital of Grevenmacher and continues through the sloping vineyards of Wormeldange to Remich and Schengen at the southern end. Along the way are acre after acre of grapes3200 acres, to be specific.

The valleys fertile soilrich in clay, limestone, and gypsumand the microclimate lend themselves to growing eight white varietals along with one red. Even in this small area, Luxembourg still produces over 16 million bottles of wine each year. Almost all of it is consumed within Luxembourg and neighboring Germany and France, which is why its not more well-known in Europe and beyond.

Luxembourg is known primarily for dry and sparkling white wines. In the cool limestone caves of Caves St. Martin, a larger winery that is a must-see when you visit Luxembourg, I got an overview of the regions nine grapes. Some I know and love, and others I had never encountered before.

Elbling  A grape that dates back to Roman times, Elbling is the oldest of the Luxembourg grapes and used to dominate the hillsides of the Moselle valley. Elbling wines tend to be light, low in sugar, and high in acid.

Rivaner  Rivaner is the most-consumed Luxembourg wine. It is fruity and uncomplicated. My guide at Caves St. Martin described it as a wine to have with friends at happy hour or on a picnic.

Auxerrois  Another varietal that was brand new to me, Auxerrois blanc has soft, fruity notes and may take on honey flavors as it ages. Its complex and favored by connoisseurs and experts in food pairings.

Riesling  The king of Luxembourg wines, Riesling is rich and has intense minerality thanks to the limestone soil in which the grapes grow. Luxembourg Riesling wine tends to be less sweet than Rieslings produced in Germany.

Gewurztraminer  With a balance of sweetness and acidity, Gewurztraminer has notes of light fruits and honey. Along with Riesling, its my personal favorite.

Pinot gris  Like Auxerrois, Pinot gris tends to produce a bigger, aromatic white wine designed for sophisticated food pairings. Whens the last time you heard someone suggest pairing a white wine with steak?

Pinot blanc  A pale, refreshing white wine, Pinot blanc often has flavors of light fruits such as apples and pears. This is a wine made for sipping along the Moselle in the summer.

Chardonnay  With notes of exotic fruits and often a hint of vanilla thanks to barrel-aging, Chardonnay is a versatile wine.

Pinot noir  The character of Pinot noir can vary greatly from a light, fruity red to an even lighter rose. Some wineries even make white versions of Pinot noir, which means removing the skins early in the wine-making process.

While the grapes often stand alone as table wines, theyre also frequently combined in different ways into the sparkling wine Cremant de Luxembourg. Cremant is produced in the traditional Champagne method, which, in some wineries like Caves St. Martin, still means turning thousands of upside-down bottles by hand daily to funnel undesirable yeast out of the precious bubbly wine. Cremant is everywhere in Luxembourg from an aperitif at happy hour to sipping alongside an oyster platter. A typical bottle costs just 8-10, so its no wonder this sparkling product is so popular.

Wine tasting in the Moselle

Although they often grow the same types of grapes, each vineyard on the Route du Vin has a unique setting and produces wine with distinctive characteristics.

At Caves St. Martin in Remich, the limestone caves end in a (no-coats-necessary) tasting room filled with more than a dozen types of wines. I tried more traditional wines like Elbling and Rivaner along with the variety of Cremant sparkling wines that this century-old vintner is known for. At the restaurant just outside, you can indulge in bottles from the caves served with local specialties like friture de la Moselle (deep fried fish) while watching boats head down the river.

Just north in Wormeldange-Haut, its all about the views. And Riesling. The unique soil conditions make for some of the best Rieslings in Luxembourg, and from that elevation, the riverside looks like a postcard.

In this beautiful spot high above the river, Pundel winery combines the old and the new. Its sleek hillside building opened in 2014 and is the perfect place to gaze out over the valley. Though the building is new, the Pundel family has honed their wine-making prowess over 11 generations and produces wine from the oldest Riesling vines in Luxembourg, dating from 1900. Dont miss their Cremant, either.

The town of Grevenmacher hosts Luxembourgs largest wine festival and is home to the countrys largest private wine producer, Bernard-Massard. Though no scarves were needed this time, I toured the climate-controlled cellars and saw the equipment the winery used in the early days after its founding in 1921.

With a huge bottling line and a seemingly endless amount of wine in various stages of production and aging, Bernard-Massard is an ideal place to get an in-depth education on what makes Luxembourg wine so special. Despite producing over four million bottles annually, winery employees still pick every grape by hand. Of course, the best part of becoming an expert for the day is finishing your education with a glass on the terrace overlooking the Moselle.

Visiting the Moselle Valley wineries

Getting there: Caves St. Martin is easily accessible via Bus 175 from the central station in Luxembourg City. Other wineries are more easily reached by carRoute 10 will take you along the Route du Vin past dozens of wineries. There are also a variety of hikes to take you to wineries and other lovely spots in Luxembourg.

Visiting wineries: Larger wineries often have regular hours while visiting a smaller producer (especially during September harvest) may require a lot of advanced planning. If your schedule allows, emailing 1-2 weeks in advance will ensure that you can have an organized tour and tasting. If thats not possible, call before you go to make sure theres someone to receive you. You can find a list of the Moselle wineries here, many with hours of operation and contact information.

I was the guest of Visit Luxembourg. All opinions of the sparkling and fruity are my own.
The year was 1981, Centenary Hall, St Marys College, Port of Spain.

On a Sunday in May a Chinese youth and his Afro-Trinidadian counterpart were on the halls stage behind their DJ set-up, the centre of attention for the pupils and other kids attending the annual Mayfair.
An Aranjuez taxi-driver is being treated for multiple stab wounds after a robbery attempt yesterday morning. Due to the swift work of residents of the area, as well as responding police, a suspect was held and is in police custody.
When generations ahead of us evolve many years hence, and scientists in their labs or students in their classrooms look back at us, at the problems we faced and how we addressed them, I fear they wont be charitable in their evaluations of their ancestors of Trinidad and Tobago.
So, I've been researching this and found that in most cases, you can bring back one liter of spirits (below 140 proof I believe) back duty free. I also found out that since Jamaica is part of of the Caribbean Basin Imitative, supposedly I can bring back 2 liters duty free as long as one is locally produced. Since there are 2 of us, does that mean that we can bring back 4 liters? When going through customs, do I have to show receipts when declaring?

I also remember reading somewhere that it is best to buy the alcohol right before the last leg of your trip so you can carry it on instead of checking it.

My plan was to buy it while in Jamaica and keep it in my checked bags. Each bottle wrapped in a towel, then double bagged in 2 gallon zip bags. Then towels and other clothing packed around those to further protect them. We are packing light so this should work

Are my interpretations of the rules correct? Also, does anyone know what the duty is for a bottle of rum?
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Hi,

I'm planning a trip to Vietnam for Oct/Nov. I've been before but not since 2011. However, my main unknown is Bac Ha and further north east of there to Ha Giang and the Dong Van area. I've seen many posts about public bus transport from Loa Cai to Ha Giang (Michael has posted several times) but as I intend to stay in Bac Ha I'd like to avoid backtracking to LC. I've seen somewhere that a bus or buses from Bac Ha to Ha Giang is possible. Has anyone personal knowledge of this?

I'd also like to know if the permit to visit Dong Van and around is still required and if so how much and how to get it.

Even though I won't have a rigid itinerary I like to have some idea of what's possible and what isn't.

All help will be appreciated.

Ciaran
Hi all,

Just wanted to ask a question regarding the train lines in Tokyo. I will be going in a week and this will be my first time ever in Japan. Now I made the mistake of getting an apartment outside of central Tokyo without realising just how many different train lines from different companies there are. I looked and saw that my closest station is Hasunuma Station which is apart of Tokyu Corporation and not JR or JR metro.

Question is because I will have to to a lot of crossovers in order to get to Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara etc is there some sort of super pass I can get for like a week or do I have to keep buying separate tickets each time i change lines.

Sorry for the long question.
Hi everyone

We have just made a quick decision to visit Japan for two weeks in two weeks, thanks to some sale fares. So excited, it will be our first visit [not to Asia], and it seems there is much research to do in a short time.

If I may start with a couple of questions that have popped up so far, and I am sure there will be more lol.

Firstly regarding cash and cards. I just want to confirm that we should rely on cash [between what we bring along and ATMS] more than we are used to, as we were surprised today to see credit cards are not always widely accepted. This is very much different to how we are used to travelling, for example we recently spent two months in Africa, where absolutely everything went on credit, and we only needed cash for a few tips! This means we dont usually work out beforehand how much to take

So we are currently looking at what proportion of spending should be cash, I know this has been discussed before, but a bit new to us. We have an idea how much spending money we need, but want to order in some cash straight away, we were thinking about half our total spending? We dont like fancy restaurants, enjoy eating and shopping with the locals, but might have the odd splurge.

Secondly as transport will be the main cost, can we order passes from home and be all paid up on arrival?

Also we have not decided where we staying yet, so thinking maybe the first four and last four days in Tokyo, with approx seven day train trip to Osaka, Hiroshima etc in the middle. Are Shinduku or Shibuya good places to stay in relation to transport, shopping, eating, we have no idea!

Lastly I am a keen photographer and working out what bits of gear to take. As I am currently considering a new camera lens for future trips, I wondered if anyone could tell me if I should look into buying one while in Japan. I shoot Canon, mostly wildlife, but have been looking at Sigma and Tamron lenses, and have no idea if these would be more reasonable to buy while over there than here in Aus.

All thoughts appreciated, thank you so much.

Edited: 3 years ago
Do you want to know why there is so much of hype over Tanzania Movies? Well, the movies produced by Swahiliwood have really got some good story lines. If you are a movie freak then this article will suggest you some good movies, which you will love watching. The good thing is that these movies are also available online and they are completely free to watch.

Source: Media for Development International

Tanzania movies

In the year 2001 Tanzanian movie industry came into existence, it is better known as Swahiliwood. This movie industry started producing short and low budget movies, they generally used a cam corder to shoot movies back then. These movies were known as the bongo films. Take a look at some of these Tanzania movies which have created a great impact on the minds of people.

READ ALSO:Photos of all dressed up Tanzania's socialites and video vixens following Magufuli's ban on skimpy dressing

Darwins Nightmare

Source: Stuk

It is a documentary film and was released in the year 2004. The movie is about adverse effects of fishing in the Nile perch, which are faced by the natives of Tanzania.

Director: Hubert Sauper

Writer: Hubert Sauper

Starring: Elizabeth Eliza Maganga Nsese, Raphael Tukiko Wagara, Dimond Remtulia.

Bongoland

Released in the year 2003 and was directed by Josiah Kibira and one of he best Bongo movies Tanzania. The movie is about an illegal immigrant from Tanzania who is living in the United States.

Director: Josiah Kibira

Producer: Cully Gallagher, Onesmo Kibira

Written by: Josiah Kibira

Starring: Mukama Morandi, Laura Wangsness

Tanzania movies Swahili movies- Mapenzi ya Mungu

Source: arenazones

This movie was released in the year 2014 and is one of the best Swahili movies Tanzania. It was also screened at Zanzibar International Film Festival, followed by Zuku Bongo Movies Awards nomination.

Director: Alex Wasponga

Producer: Elizabeth Michael

Story: Elizabeth Michael

Starring: Elizabeth Michael, Linah Sanga, Flora Mtegoha

Going Bongo

This comedy movie was released in the year 2015 and is based on a true incident about a French Doctor who came for work in Africa. It is one of the top funny Tanzania bongo movies.

Directed by: Dean Matthew Ronalds

Produced by: Nick Marwa

Starring: Emest Napoleon.

READ ALSO: Tanzanian Vera Sidika is bigger and better

Ni Noma

Source: 8020 Fashions Blog

It is one of the Tanzania latest movies, which was released in the year 2016. The movie is about a woman named Angela who is very beautiful and young. She used to deceive men by her beauty and lived a lavish lifestyle. Later she seduces her boss in order to get a job, for which she was hired irrespective of not possessing the skills required.

Directed by: Karabani

Produced by: Elizabeth Michael

Story by: Johnson Lukaza

Starring: Elizabeth Michael, Kulwa Kikumba, Isarito Mwakalikamo

Tanzania movies full- Maangamizi

Source: Amazon

A story about a American woman who is a doctor and visits Tanzania to be a part of a hospital which deals with the people who are mentally challenged. She came across a schizophrenic patient, whose name was Samahe who can communicate with people in another reality.

Directed by: Ron Mulvihill, Martin Mhando,

Writer: Queenae Taylor Mulvihill

Starring: Barbarao, Samahani Kejeri and Amandina Lihamba

Tanzania Transit

Source: live.airing-tvseries

It is one falling under the list of Tanzania bongo movies 2018. The story is about a train crossing Tanzania which is a small part of East Africa. The movie focuses on three main characters and their strength to survive in a difficult journey.

Director: Jeroen Van Velzen

Writers: Jeroen Van Velzen, Esther Eenstroom

Producer: Digna Sinke

Tanzania movies online

Hatari- A Classic Tanzania Movie

This movie is considered to be one of the best movies in Tanzania and was produced by an American. This movie portrays all the beautiful sceneries, along with the wonders which Tanzania has got. Howard Hawks directed this movie starring Duke, John Wayne.

READ ALSO: Top 10 famous Swahili proverbs and meanings

Tanzania Christian Movies- Augua

This movie is about three good friends named Amani, Uledi, and George. Their bond was such that they never hesitated to share thoughts with each other. Uledi was not much of a believer when it came to religious issues and way of life; this is where he was different from his friends. His two friends Amani and George married in accordance to their culture whereas Uledi did not abide by all the rules and his life gets destroyed.

Fungu la kukosa

This movie is a mixture of grit, suspense, and drama. This movie features a girl named Rita and her son who was abandoned by her husband named Kabwe. Rita wanted to dump her baby when a man named Dimoso who was a drunkard took them to his home. Rita later fell in love with Dimoso after which the baby falls sick and was hospitalized. Lost in thoughts about the money Dimoso gets hit by a vehicle. Mirate who was the driver agrees to pay the hospital bills for both of them. Domiso and Mirate developed feelings for each other, and Rita too got feelings for her friend Raita who gave her a job. The movie takes a new turn when Ritas husband wanted her back, but she rejects. At Ritas wedding, kabwe put spell on Rita so that she goes mad. Its a movie with never-ending drama.

Source: Breaking News
- Residents near the Masinga facility have been urged to vacate to safer grounds

- Masinga Dam could collapse in a weeks time by Friday 18

- CS Keter revealed the dam had recorded high water levels

- Solai Dam in Nakuru recently broke its walls and swept almost 50 people to death

The country has been been put on high alert on the possibility of another dam breaking it walls, just days after the Solai Dam tragedy which claimed close to 50 lives.

The government urged residents living along the areas near Masinga and Kiambere Dams to move to safer grounds.

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Energy Cabinet Secretary Keter Charles Keter cautioned Masinga Dam could break its walls in a weeks time, and asked nearby resident to vacate to higher areas.

READ ALSO: Nairobi police launch manhunt for 2 house helps who vanished after KSh 400,000 was stolen from employer's house

Energy, Devolution and Waters CSs Chareles Keter, Eugene Wamalwa and Benjamin Chelugui respectively. The government urged resident to move to safer areas. Photo: K24

According to Keter, water levels at the the facility were currently at 1055.53 meters compared to the dam's full capacity of 1056.50 meters, with little time left before it overflows.

He divulged it was the first time all the Seven Forks dams were recording high water inflows since 2015 including Masinga, Kamburu, Gitaru, Kindaruma and Kiambere.

In the event the water levels continue to rise, communities which live on the banks of River Tana, downstream of Kiambere Dam, are urged to take the necessary precaution, those who live in Garissa, Hola, Bura and Garsen should move to safer grounds, Keter said.

READ ALSO: Kutana na kijana aliyemaliza chuo kikuu bila kugusa msichana hata mmoja

Energy CS Keter cautioned that Masinga dam could break its walls in a weeks time.

Once Kiambere Dam overflows, it is expected that it would take four days for the water to get to Garissa Town and soon after, the lower Tana Delta.

KenGen will continue to monitor river flows and dam levels in line with the prudent water management at the dams, he said accompanied by Devolution and Water CSs Eugene Wamalwa and Benjamin Chelugui.

The warning comes even as Kenyans are still recovering from the ghastly incident in Nakuru county where almost 50 people lost their lives while 2,500 others were left homeless.

READ ALSO: Puzzle of KSh 5.3 million daylight bank robberies in a day

As earlier reported by TUKO.co.ke, the owner of Solai Dam issued an official statement to condole with the victims saying heavy rainfall in Dundori forest resulted in the tragedy after debris damaged the dam's walls.

Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on National Security has called calling for the immediate arrest of the facility owner, Patel Mansukh.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Alcohol Blow Arrests in Nairobi - on Tuko

Source: Tuko
- Mbugua warned Raila to be careful with his association with Jubilee leaders as they plan to use and dump him

- The EALA MP also said his life was in danger

- Mbugua says Jacob Jumas killers were planning to eliminate him

- He alleged Interior PS Karanja Kibicho was being used to frustrate DP Ruto

Embattled East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Simon Mbugua has sensationally claimed Deputy President William Ruto is an unhappy person following sustained efforts by powerful power brokers at State House to block his presidential bid.

In a shocking turn of events, the close ally of President Uhuru Kenyatta claimed the Head of State was behind the scheme to stop the DP from ascending to the most powerful office in the country.

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We have structures in Jubilee. We want to be to shown the way forward. They should tell us if we shall support Kibichos candidate or Ruto for president, Mbugua charged.

READ ALSO: Barua ya mapenzi ya mwanafunzi wa shule ya upili kwa mwalimu wake yasisimua wengi

EALA MP Simon Mbugua who said Raila was being used and he will be dumped after the referendum. Photo: The Star

READ ALSO: Fake companies involved in fresh NYS scam unmasked, over 10 bank accounts frozen

An angry Mbugua said the schemers were trying all means to force Nairobi governor Mike Sonko to join the group he said is called Kaputin, named after Russia leader Vladimir Putin.

He said Kaputin is seeking to introduce a plot like the one in Russia where a president became Prime Minister and later took back his presidency.

There is talk of changing the law so as to allow Uhuru to come back as prime minister after he completes his second term as president.

READ ALSO: Govt offers fully furnished homes, holiday air fares and utilities for Cuban doctors

Mbugua further sent a chilling warning to National Super Alliance (NASA) leader Raila Odinga that he was being used by Uhuru to pass the imminent referendum to change the law them he would be dumped.

I want to tell Raila. Raila, dont be deceived. You are being boxed, once you pass the referendum, youll be dropped, he warned.

President Uhuru Kenyatta shakes hands with Raila Odinga at Harambee House. Photo: Raila Odinga/Facebook.

In a video seen by TUKO.co.ke, Mbugua singled out Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho and Nancy Gitau as among those working round the clock to frustrate Ruto.

READ ALSO: Row erupts in GEMA after group meets Raila in Nairobi

He said those who killed outspoken Jubilee critic Jacob Juma were on another hunting spree for a target to kill and that he was the next on line saying he was forced to change cars as he feared for his life.

Mbugua was recently arrested and charged in court with robbery after former Nairobi NCBDA boss was attacked by goons.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Alcohol Blow Arrests in Nairobi - on Tuko TV

Source: Tuko Newspaper
- The government maintains Miguna is a threat to national security

- Foreign Affairs CS told the 'general' he should not think he is more Kenyan than others

- Monica Juma warned Miguna risked being deported once again if he will not cooperate

- Miguna was flown back to Canada after he refused to hand over his travel document

- He had vowed to return to Kenya on May 16

The government has once again warned self-styled National Resistance Movement (NRM) Kenya general, Miguna Miguna, will not be allowed into the country if he will not produce his travel documents.

This was made clear by the Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary (CS) Monica Juma on Tuesday, May 15, amid speculations on the general's anticipated return.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: Barua ya mapenzi ya mwanafunzi wa shule ya upili kwa mwalimu wake yasisimua wengi

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary (CS) Monica Juma (left) warned Miguna Miguna (right) risk being deported back to Canada if he will not produce apply for a Kenyan passport afresh. Photo: TUKO.

READ ALSO: I have my air ticket back to Kenya - Miguna Miguna

"I want to state categorically that the government will not deny Miguna Miguna entry to Kenya but he has to follow the due process that are required by the laws of Kenya and international laws," Juma said in a Twitter post seen by TUKO.co.ke on Wednesday, May 16.

The CS warned Miguna also risked being re-deported back to Canada if he would not apply for a Kenyan passport afresh as had been indicated by the Immigration Department.

READ ALSO: Miguna is back in the country from Canada

Juma said Miguna should not think he was more Kenyan than the rest and that any special treatment would be given to him.

The CS emphasised the barrister had renounced his citizenship and that he remained a threat to national security especially because of his conduct.

"Deportation of Miguna Miguna peremptory because he thinks his citizenship was overriding other citizens with his filthy and haughty behavior. He is a threat to the security of this great nation, therefore he has to follow the right procedure to get his citizenship after denouncing it," she said.

READ ALSO: Miguna Miguna leaves Dubai for Canada

And as one would expect, Miguna quickly reacted to the Twitter statements by Juma and he did not have any kind word for her.

"Mrs Kagwanja, your language and attitude here is primitive. Your illegitimate regime's illegal destruction of my house and passport, detention, torture and forceful removal in disobedience of 13 court orders demonstrates barbarism. Post proof that I renounced my citizenship," he said.

READ ALSO: Miguna begins process to fight his return to Kenya after deportation

Miguna was expected to jet back into the country on Wednesday, May 16.

The controversial lawyer was flown back to Canada on March 28, 2018, after days of drama and chaos at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) following his first return from deportation.

READ ALSO: Miguna Miguna dramatically resists second deportation

With the government insisting he must reapply for a Kenyan passport, it would be interesting to see if he will cooperate with the immigration officials.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Miguna Miguna's return: Chaos at Jomo Kenyatta Int. Airport (JKIA) - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko
- An elaborate syndicate targeting bank customers withdrawing huge amounts of money has emerged

- Police are investigating how KSh 5.3 million was stolen from bank customers in a day

- The suspects are operating in a team of five armed robbers

A gang targeting customers leaving banks is on the prowl in Nairobi, with a total of KSh 5.3 million stolen from customers on Tuesday, May 15, alone in two separate incidents.

At around 3pm, a gang of five men armed with pistols and knives and driving in an unmarked car robbed two accountants of KSh 5 million they had just withdrawn from a bank.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

Barely four hours later, another gang of five robbed a businessman of KSh 300,000 which he had just withdrawn from Barclays Bank on Mama Ngina street.

READ ALSO: Barua ya mapenzi ya mwanafunzi wa shule ya upili kwa mwalimu wake yasisimua wengi

A businessman was robbed of his KSh 300,000 after he had withdrawn the money at Barclays Queensway branch in the city centre. Photo: Star

Wang Hao, 30, and Zhang Jin Juan, 26, both accountants at the Fujian Installations (K) Limited had withdrawn the amount from Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) in Kitengela.

They left the bank in their Toyota Prado but were immediately blocked by an unmarked car with five occupants armed with pistols and knives.

They robbed them of the cash before they were handcuffed and bundled in their car.

READ ALSO: Bungoma man goes berserk, kills parents before meeting his own death

TUKO.co.ke understands they were driven towards Nairobi but were later dumped in Syokimau while still handcuffed.

The companys security manager, Moses Chemengu, said the two were not injured and that their vehicle was recovered at the scene of the attack.

READ ALSO: EALA MP warns Raila of Jubilees plot to use him in passing referendum then dump him

At around 7.15pm, another businessman was attacked as he left Barclays Bank Queensway Branch on Mama Ngina Street where he had withdrawn KSh 300,000.

David Mathenge said that after he had taken the cash, he left the bank and after walking for a few metres, he was accosted by five men who wrestled him to the ground and stole the cash before they disappeared. He was not injured at all.

Story by Lucky Omenda, TUKO Correspondent.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenya's dreaded gangster queen shares her story | Faces of Kenya - on TUKO TV

Source: Tuko News
Indonesias national police chief Tito Karnavian on May 14 affirmed a family of five, including an eight-year-old girl, conducted the suicide bombing in front of police headquarters in Surabaya city.



The perpetrators of bomb attacks at three Christian churches a day earlier were also identified to be members of a different family, including four children aged 9 to 18.



The use of children in terrorist plots, analysts say, represents a new and shocking development in Indonesia.



Statistics on recent attacks showed that police and religions, excluding Islam, were the targets.



Investigations revealed that bombers used an explosive called triacetone triperoxide (TATP). This type of explosive is commonly used by Islamic State (IS) militants when carrying out terror attacks.



TATP is made from materials that are widely available, Tito told journalists at a press conference in Surabaya on May 14.



Indonesia raised security alert status to the highest level at major cities and regions in Indonesia, including Jakarta capital, Riau islands, East Java and Bali island, after the series of bomb attacks on May 13.-VNA
- Heavy rains and floods have hit parts of Southern Somalia leaving the militia marooned

- The insurgents appealed for help from the US forces to evacuate them from the flood

- The al-Shabaab have been under incessant sustained aerial and ground attacks

Unknown number of the dreaded terror group al-Shabaab members, on Wednesday, May 16, surrendered to security forces after their camps were washed away by floods.

In the past few months, heavy rains and floods have hit parts of Southern Somalia leaving the militia marooned and hampering the terror group's activities.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

According to Epuka Ugaidi, untold miseries visited at their hideouts in the Middle and Lower Shabelle regions left the insurgents appealing for help from the US forces to evacuate them.

READ ALSO: Barua ya mapenzi ya mwanafunzi wa shule ya upili kwa mwalimu wake yasisimua wengi

Members of the dreaded terror group Al-Shabaab surrendered to security forces after their camps were washed away by flooding. Photo: Mogadishu News.

READ ALSO: US government warns of major terror attacks in Kenya, schools and churches targeted

The terror gang which normally operated from forests, has been under incessant sustained aerial and ground attacks from the security forces targeting their bases from afar.

Intelligence reports indicated the group has been losing fighters daily hence weakening it.

Those who surrendered will work with the officials by leaking crucial information on the militia operations.

READ ALSO: Police Warn Of Terrorism Attack In Nairobi, Issue Photos Of Suspects

But even as efforts were made to combat the militants, the United States government warned of possible terror attacks across Kenya targeting US citizens visiting or living in the country.

In a statement posted on the website of the US Embassy in Kenya on May 4, 2018, the embassy warned the extremists may be targeting mostly crowded public places across the country including schools, churches, hospitals, tourists and transportation hubs.

READ ALSO: Al-Shabaab Attack Kills 14 In Mandera County

The US government urged its citizens visiting or living in the country to stay on high alert in the coming days.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Top 5 Facts About Uhuru Kenyatta - Raila Odinga Pact - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko
- Raila said politicians who capitalized on corruption and disunity are against the unity pact

- The former prime minister said Kenya's diversity can be a curse if tribalism is not countered

- He revealed he decided to work with Uhuru after reflecting on the status of the country

- The opposition leader reiterated building bridges initiative's sole purpose id to build a stable Kenya

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has said the Building Bridges Initiative he is spearheading with President Uhuru Kenyatta is facing a lot of opposition from individuals who benefited from historical injustices.

Raila said this when he delivered a speech at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom (UK) on Tuesday, May 15, where he addressed members of the institution's debating society.

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Speaking about the unity pact he signed with Uhuru, Raila said the initiative, though noble and necessary, would face a lot of opposition from politicians who had grown their careers through oppressing others.

READ ALSO: Kutana na kijana aliyemaliza chuo kikuu bila kugusa msichana hata mmoja

Raila Odinga left the country for the United Kingdon on a one week tour where he will talk about his unity pact with president Uhuru Kenyatta. Photo: Raila Odinga/Facebook.

Source: Facebook

"In Kenya, we agreed to recognize and confront the historical realities which we have long swept under the carpet in a bid to overcome impediments to our progress. We are not in any way deluded these changes will come easy. There will be opposition and resistance because the issues we want to tackle go to the core of how Kenya has been ran over the past five decades," said Raila.

According to the ODM leader, many political careers in Kenya had been founded on impunity, corruption and tribal divisions which were the main issues the initiative sought to eliminate.

"Some politicians have developed on foundations which we are now seeking to shake and rebuild. Many others were hoping to make careers out of that same foundation but we agreed we must these changes if we are to have a nation," explained Raila.

READ ALSO: Raila flying out of the country as Uhuru intensify campaigns

The former prime minister observed he decided to end his dissent with Uhuru which had escalated after the Tuesday, August 8, 2017 elections following a lengthy reflection on the journey of Kenya from independence to now.

The opposition leader said the Building bridges initiative will face a lot of opposition from dishonest leaders. Photo: Raila Odinga/Facebook.

Source: Twitter

He said for Kenya to attain its treasured goals of unity, peace, justice, liberty and prosperity which freedom fighters died for, its performance needed to be reassessed and misplaced strategies done away with.

"This reflection made us to come to a conclusion that our diversity appeared would turn out to be a curse to us and our children if we don't confront our real challenges. We got concerned that millions of our children continued to be born, married and even die because of these differences yet Kenyans cannot remember why and where they disagreed in the first place," added Raila.

According to the opposition leader, the initiative is set focus on strengthening devolution, tackling corruption, marginalisation, divisive elections, insecurity and lack of national ethos which he acknowledged would not be an easy ride.

READ ALSO: Raila to sue Facebook and Cambridge Analytica over devilish propaganda

TUKO.co.ke had earlier reported Raila jetted out of the country for a one week visit to the UK on Monday, May 14.

Raila Odinga is also expected to address Kenyans in diaspora during the tour. Photo: Raila Odinga/Facebook.

He explained that creating a stable nation was the primary purpose of the Building Bridges Initiative which offered an opportunity for a frank discussion about the questions which had bedeviled Kenya for decades.

"We see our agreement, which is now commonly referred to as the handshake as a possible guide that other African countries could borrow with modifications to address their circumstances. It is our hope that the Handshake could inspire other African nations struggling problems similar to Kenyas," Raila said.

Raila's proposal for an amendment on the constitution to fulfill the unity initiative's goals had already faced opposition from many leaders among them Deputy President William Ruto.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenya's dreaded gangster queen shares her story (Amazing Person Documentary) - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko
- Miguna said he postponed the journey after the government refused to issue him with a passport

- He instructed his lawyers to move back to court to seek for direction on what to do next

- The barrister said he would announce a new date for his second return

- The government insisted Miguna would only be allowed into the country if he applied for a passport afresh

Combative lawyer Miguna Miguna has cancelled his journey back to Kenya from Canada.

The barrister was expected back on Wednesday, May 16, but postponed the journey at the last minute citing frustrations by the government.

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The former Nairobi gubernatorial candidate had been asked to apply for a passport in order to be allowed back into the country. Photo: Polycarp Hinga/Twitter.

READ ALSO: Miguna will only be allowed in Kenya if he has travel documents - government

In a statement seen by TUKO.co.ke on the day he was supposed to travel, Miguna said the Department of Immigration was yet to provide him with a passport.

"I was determined to arrive home on schedule. However, just before my departure, I reluctantly cancelled my flight to Nairobi and postponed my next arrival date," he said.

READ ALSO: Kutana na kijana aliyemaliza chuo kikuu bila kugusa msichana hata mmoja

The NRK Kenya leader disclosed he had instructed his legal team to return to court and seek guidance on what to do next now that the government had allegedly refused to issue him with the much needed travel documents.

"In view of the refusal by the Department of Immigration to issue me with a valid Kenyan passport and facilitate my unconditional re-entry into Kenya as ordered by the High Court and formally requested by the Kenya National Commission for Human Rights on my behalf, and on advice from legal counsel, I have instructed my advocates to immediately bring to the attention of the court the continued willful contempt of its orders," he said.

READ ALSO: I have my air ticket back to Kenya - Miguna Miguna

Miguna also called on the NRM Kenya followers to stage peaceful demonstrations against the alleged violation of his rights and disregard of court orders.

The National Resistant Movement(NRM) Kenya is the resistance wing of the NASA opposition coalition which was formed at the height of 2017 General Election campaigns.

"I urge all Kenyan patriots and members of NRM Kenya to engage in peaceful protests against the illegitimate regime's continued violation of my rights and the rights of millions of Kenyans, its continued refusal to obey court orders," he said.

The controversial lawyer was forcefully flown back to Canada on March 28, 2018, after days of drama and chaos at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) following his first return from deportation.

READ ALSO: Do everything possible to ensure Miguna's safety - German MP to Kenya

The barrister's return from Canada, where he was deported to after his arrest in connection with the mock swearing-in of opposition leader Raila Odinga on January 30, 2018, was ordered by court but the government nevertheless stopped him from entering Kenya, citing his refusal to cooperate.

The government also said Miguna was a threat to national security.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Miguna Miguna's return: Chaos at Jomo Kenyatta Int. Airport (JKIA) - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko Breaking News Latest
- Fishermen at Remba Island complained of harassment by Ugandan authorities

- They claimed the authorities siphoned fuel from their motorboats and confiscated their catch

- They asked the government to step in and seek a lasting solution to the problem

All is not well at Remba Island of Lake Victoria, Homa Bay, following complaints by fishermen of frequent attacks and hefty penalties levied against them by Ugandan authorities.

The fishermen argued they were being harassed by the Ugandan police officers and their fishing gear confiscated.

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According to a report by Kenya News Agency (KNA), the fishermen led by their Beach Management Unit (BMU) Chairperson, Semekiah Okoth Mamra, asked the government to come to their rescue.

READ ALSO: Kutana na kijana aliyemaliza chuo kikuu bila kugusa msichana hata mmoja

Homa Bay fishermen call on government to save them from harassment by Ugandan soldiers

READ ALSO: City lawyer Apollo Mboya under fire for fighting Kenya Power

They cited an incident which occurred on Friday, May 11, where their colleagues were assaulted while out in the waters.

Mamra claimed the Ugandan officers barred them from carrying out fishing in the lake.

He called on the County Government of Homa Bay and that of national government to seek a lasting solution to the problem.

READ ALSO: Man caught on CCTV stealing laptop from lady's car in Kikuyu town

According to the chairperson, the security officials forcefully drained fuel from their motorboats without any explanation.

In extreme circumstances, they confiscated their catch.

The fishermen asked the government to deploy marine security officials to protect Kenyans in the area to avert the constant attacks.

READ ALSO: Emotions high as families pick bodies of Solai Dam tragedy victims

This comes barely a month after the Nyanza Regional Police Commander, Leonard Katana assured the fishermen security would be beefed up along the beaches in Lake Victoria.

Katana said they had purchased speed boats to assist the police in movement to avoid the increased cases of attacks.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Top 5 Facts About Uhuru Kenyatta - Raila Odinga Pact - On Tuko TV

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Limuru town in Kiambu county has raised eyebrows over a controversial group which is fast turning the town into the Biblical Sodom and Gomorah.

Mention Limuru and what comes to most people's mind at first is the biting cold in the area.

The fast rising Sub-County is however on the spotlight for all the bad news due to the prevalent moral decadence involving middle aged married men and young girls.

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It seems a section of residents has devised a technique of beating the chilling cold through outrageous debauchery without a care.

READ ALSO: Miguna cancels journey to Kenya after government insists he won't be allowed back

The disputable group, dubbed Team Watembezi, has elicited mixed reactions from Limuru residents due to its overt immoral conduct.

According to sources which spoke exclusively to TUKO.co.ke, Team Watembezi comprises of mostly notable married men who are probably bored with their marriages and are in search of sexual thrill with young carefree slay queens.

The middle aged men refer to themselves as Team Watembezi dogs, while the lasses, mostly in their twenties, refer to themselves as Team Watembezi divas.

READ ALSO: Mjane, 47, akiri kushiriki ngono na wanaume 100 ambao wameoa

The group works by organising road trips across the country where men facilitate the lasses with transport, drinks, accommodation and food in exchange of the obvious- what fine women can offer.

The slayqueens on the other hand have the opportunity to do what they like best- visit exotic places, take pictures to post online and brag to their friends and relatives.

"Men and women engage in drinking sprees then proceed to exchange partners and you are free to have sex with anyone you fancy in the group. It was my first time, I was so traumatised. I can never go back again," a forth-year student who was a former member of Team Watembezi divulged what happens in the road trips but refused to be named for fear of victimisation.

"I cannot join that group. I would be crazy to join. The demonic things that they engage in," said another resident from Limuru who also disclosed some of his friends were in the group.

The group is well organised and networked through social media.

READ ALSO: Man caught on CCTV stealing laptop from lady's car in Kikuyu town

The members communicate via Whatsapp and Facebook groups where details of their amorous trips are shared. They also have Instagram where members post memories of their rendezvous..

The group has a clothe line with,Team Watembezi label, where branded tee shirts and hoods for members are available.

Men's car also have the group's logo's inscribed at the back and the windows with some having contentious numbers such as #666.

Some married male members of Team Watembezi have been accused of neglecting their families, wives and children in their quest for pleasure in road trips which can take even up to four days over the weekends.

"My husband works in a big company and earns a high salary but he neglected all his responsibilities as a father since joining the group in 2016. I only see his pictures with small girls in exotic places while I struggle to feed our children at home, said an embittered mother of three children who resides in Limuru.

"He is hardly at home, I hardly see him especially on weekends and it's even worse when public holidays fall on weekends. He uses all his money in partying and returns home milked dry by those slay queens. I'm afraid I might contract HIV/AIDs and leave my child," said another resident.

The reckless slay queens on the other hand have been blamed for wrecking families in the area and causing wives and children untold suffering.

"They are mostly carefree young women with no children and responsibilities. That's why they can afford to go for a whole weekend and sleep with any one just to later post pictures having fun with another woman's hubby. They think they will never age, Karma is real, said a resident.

Some residents have appealed to the relevant authorities to take charge and curb the group which is eroding morals in the society.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenya's dreaded gangster queen shares her story (Amazing Person Documentary) - On Tuko TV

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Mombasa Deputy Governor William Kingi on Wednesday, May 16, got himself in an awkward position as county residents reported him to Governor Ali Hassan Joho for being too stingy.

They publicly blasted Kingi for being too mean and not giving them anything as opposed to other leaders from the region.

Joho had just heaped praises on his deputy while at the same time narrating how he had to source for a competent candidate when a crowd shouted.

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At one point, the flamboyant governor who was speaking in Mombasa, had to force a smile to diffuse the embarrassment yet to hit Kingi who accompanied the flashy politician.

READ ALSO: Kutana na kijana aliyemaliza chuo kikuu bila kugusa msichana hata mmoja

Mombasa Deputy Governor William Kingi got himself in an embarrassing situation as residents reported him to Governor Ali Hassan Joho for being too stingy. Photo: William Kingi/Facebook.

READ ALSO: You cannot be a selfie president - Moha Jicho Pevu tears apart Joho over 2022 presidential ambition

Joho defended his deputy saying Kingi joined politics recently and he could not be having enough money to splash around.

"You know such matter. I thank God before I became a politician I was a successful businessman. Your must have deep pocket, sometimes it is not easy. Kingi you heard that?," he told them.

But still the seemingly dejected locals could have none of it.

"He is stingy! He does not give us anything," they shouted.

On Sunday, May 13, the controversial governor hinted he could work with Jubilee for the interest of his constituents.

Joho's change of tone and the body language has in the recent times has reigned most political discourses.

Previously, he positioned himself as a fierce critic of President Uhuru Kenyatta's government.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenyans call on government to end Kenya Power's monopoly - on TUKO TV

Source: Tuko Breaking News Latest
- John Earnest Onyango allegedly runs a small church within Dandora area

- Onyango escaped the police dragnet on Friday, May 11

- The police officer said Onyango's crime partner had pleaded for forgiveness

Dandora police officer known to warn criminals before eliminating them, Hessy wa Dandora, on Wednesday, May 16, sent out a chilling message to one pastor turned criminal in the area.

John Earnest Onyango allegedly runs a small church within Dandora area and is believed to be part of a ring of gangs terrorising Maili Saba, Shiranga and Obama estates within Kayole slums.

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Onyango escaped the police dragnet on Friday, May 11, but his accomplice Okite Stephen Okech alias Harrison Job Atuta, was nabbed.

READ ALSO: Mwanamke apigwa na butwaa baada ya kushikwa mkono na Rais Uhuru bila kutarajia (video)

Onyango escaped the police dragnet on Friday, May 11, but his accomplice Okite Stephen Okech alias Harrison Job Atuta was nabbed. Photo: Hessy wa Dandora/Facebook.

READ ALSO: Al-Shabaab fighters surrender after floods hamper their operations

According the post, the police officer said Okite had pleaded for forgiveness since he was the family breadwinner.

"They mercilessly terrorise people around here like snakes and rob innocent dwellers of their valuables. Last week, Okite pleaded with the police to forgive him as he claimed he had been in this business for only three days. I hope he will be out soon," he posted.

Hessy threatened to deal ruthlessly with the alleged pastor who is at large should he re-surface.

"The way you successfully escaped, do not come back here. Just go. Never be seen here in Dandora even for a day," he warned.

READ ALSO: Behave yourself or I will kill you - Nairobi Killer cop Hessy issues last warning to another pretty gangster

Hessy threatened to deal with the man of God who is at large ruthlessly should he surface.

In 2017, Hessy felled pretty teenage girls who were alleged criminals after ignoring his warnings.

Hessy wa Dandora, Hessy wa Huruma, Hessy wa Kayole and Blackest Widow are Facebook accounts believed to be managed by a group of detectives fighting organised crime in Nairobi.

But their way of fighting crime-through summary execution of suspects-has attracted both praise and criticism in equal measure.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Top 5 Facts About Uhuru Kenyatta - Raila Odinga Pact - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko News
A typo is how the Opposition Leader described the Government's entire Budget for fiscal 2022, as she said says it contained nothing for the people of this country.
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The chief of the RIA Novosti Ukraine news agency, Kyrylo Vyshynsky, has been notified of suspicion in high treason and detained, the press center of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has reported.

"The Security Service of Ukraine reports that the head of the anti-Ukrainian propaganda information outlet RIA Novosti Ukraine, Kyrylo Vyshynsky, has been declared a suspect in a crime and detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine," the statement reads.

It notes that a criminal proceeding has been opened under Part 1, Article 111 (high treason) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

As reported, the SBU raided the Kyiv office of RIA Novosti on May 15. According to SBU spokeswoman Olena Hitlianska, SBU employees, together with the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, uncovered the illegal activities of a network of Russian-controlled media outlets. Law enforcers established that media entities had been used by the aggressor country as part of a hybrid information war against Ukraine.

RIA Novosti Ukraine chief Kyrylo Vyshynsky was detained. A passport of a Russian citizen was found during the search of his office.

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The situation in the Joint Force Operation area in Donbas remained tense over the past day.

Russian-occupation forces violated the ceasefire regime 45 times, using heavy weaponry in 17 cases. Invaders again, ignoring the norms of the international humanitarian law, fired 82mm mortar shells on the village of Novhorodske [34km north of Donetsk] about 6:00 on May 15, the JFO Headquarters press center reports.

In Luhansk, the tensest situation was observed outside Troitske (69km west of Luhansk) and Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk). In Donetsk region, the units of the joint forces carried out active defensive activity in the area of Zaitseve (67km north-north-east of Donetsk), Zalizne (39km north of Donetsk), Verkhniotoretske (22km north-east of Donetsk), Pisky (12km north-west of Donetsk). According to intelligence, two militants were killed and three more were wounded. The enemy also received an adequate response in Mariupol direction near Talakivka (20km north-west of Mariupol) and Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol).

One Ukrainian serviceman was killed and another two were wounded in armed hostilities. They were promptly evacuated to a hospital.

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One Ukrainian serviceman was killed and another two were wounded as a result of the enemy attacks in the Joint Force Operation area in Donbas.

Defense Ministry Spokesman Dmytro Hutsuliak said this at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"A Ukrainian soldier, born in 1985, was killed in shelling of Russian-occupation troops. Two more soldiers were wounded," Hutsuliak said.

According to him, militants launched 45 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the past day. The Ukrainian troops had to return fire 25 times to save their lives, using weapons not prohibited by the Minsk accords.

Since midnight May 16, militants have fired at Ukrainian strongholds ten times. As of morning, no losses among Ukrainian military were reported.

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The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has adopted at first reading a bill introducing amendments to some laws of Ukraine regarding the ban on the use of palm oil in food production.

A total of 233 MPs voted for the approval of the respective draft law, No. 3871, at first reading on May 15, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The purpose of the bill is clarification, namely a direct ban on the use of palm oil in the production of food, milk and dairy products and the establishment of administrative liability for the offense committed," reads an explanatory note to the bill.

The draft law proposes amending the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses by envisaging administrative liability for the offense committed. The authors of the draft law emphasize that the production, putting into circulation or sale of products that do not meet the requirements of standards, certificates of conformity, norms, rules and samples in terms of safety, quality, including palm oil products, as well as completeness and packaging, entails a fine on officials of enterprises, institutions and organizations irrespective of the form of ownership, as well as citizens who own enterprises or their authorized persons, in the amount of 20 to 100 tax-free minimum incomes.

Similar actions committed again within a year after the application of administrative measures entail a fine of 100 to 200 tax-free minimum incomes.

It is also proposed to amend Part 2, Article 6 and supplement Article 21 of the law of Ukraine on milk and dairy products in terms of the ban on the use of palm oil in the production of milk and traditional dairy products, as well as to envisage the ban on the use of palm oil in Article 27 of the law of Ukraine on the safety and quality of food products.

op
Japan supports Ukraine in its intentions to return the Chornobyl exclusion zone to economic use.

Ecology and Natural Resources Minister of Ukraine Ostap Semerak said this following the meeting with the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan in Tokyo, the press service of the Ministry reports.

"The Japanese colleagues expressed their support to the Government of Ukraine and, in particular, to our Ministry regarding the return of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant infrastructure to the economic use. Moreover, we may expect the arrival of Japanese companies in the Chornobyl exclusion zone with solar, hydrogen and other projects aimed at the development of renewable energy," Semarak said, noting that Japan is one of the most active countries in the world in implementing the new climate policy and moving towards the low-carbon economy.

At the same time, the Japanese minister confirmed his willingness to cooperate with Ukraine in many areas, particularly, in counteracting the climate change, which is crucial in the context of the new energy policy of Japan and Ukraine.

In turn, Ukrainian official said that 60% of greenhouse gases in Ukraine were emitted by the Ukrainian energy facilities and lowering of this indicator could be a joint Ukrainian-Japanese project.

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Ukraine welcomes the fact that well-known Swedish companies IKEA and H&M will enter the Ukrainian market this year.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said this at a meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom in Stockholm on Wednesday, according to the Ukrainian government portal.

"Ukraine is an attractive place for many Swedish companies that wish to expand their business. We welcome the fact that well-known Swedish companies IKEA and H&M will enter the Ukrainian market already this year," Klympush-Tsintsadze said.

She drew attention to significant progress in trade and economic cooperation, noting that trade between Ukraine and Sweden grew by 4.2% in 2017 compared to 2016, to $510.9 million.

Klympush-Tsintsadze also noted that the Swedish-Ukrainian business forum remains an effective tool for the development of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

This year's event will be held in Kyiv on June 14.

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Ukraine is going to present an updated plan of reforms at the second Ukraine Reform Conference, which will be held in Copenhagen on June 27.

Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said this at the meeting with Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallstrom in Stockholm, the Government portal reports.

"Ukraine plans to present a completely updated reform plan at the 2nd Ukraine Reform Conference to be held in Copenhagen on June 27, 2018. We look forward to Sweden's participation in this high-level event, and we also expect to discuss new EUs financial instruments of support for the long-term European Plan for Ukraine during the forthcoming conference," Klympush-Tsintsadze said.

Wallstrom, in turn, thanked for the invitation to the conference and expressed solidarity with Ukraine.

"We support the path of reforms that Ukraine is currently pursuing. Sweden will continue working with the EU in the interests of Ukraine," the Swedish Foreign Minister promised.

During the meeting, the parties discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral and multilateral dialogue between Ukraine and Sweden: implementation of the Minsk agreements, strengthening of sanctions against Russia, cooperation with the EU, bilateral dialogue and deepening cooperation in the defense sector, trade and economic cooperation, gender issues, energy and cyber security, and so on.

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Ukraine relies on Sweden's support in countering the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project, which harms the Ukrainian economy and poses a catastrophic threat to the ecosystem of the Baltic Sea region.

Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said this at the meeting with Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallstrom in Stockholm, the Government portal reports.

Nord Stream 2 is a political project that weakens Ukraine's position as a gas transit country, seriously harms the Ukrainian economy and undermines functioning and efficiency of the European Energy Union. The irresponsible lobbying of the Nord Stream 2 project will also lead to a catastrophic threat to the ecosystem of the Baltic Sea region. Therefore, we rely on Sweden's support in countering the implementation of this geopolitical project," Klympush-Tsintsadze said.

The Vice Prime Minister stressed that the energy security remained the main priority of Ukraines domestic policy and cooperation between Ukraine and the EU member states.

Klympush-Tsintsadze noted that Nord Stream 2 was not just an energy project but, primarily, Russias instrument of pressure.

"The future of the project should be decided at the pan-European level with the involvement of the European institutions. Sweden and Denmark made a relevant appeal to the European Commission," Wallstrom said.

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Ukraine's gas transit system (GTS) is fully capable of delivering natural gas to consumers in Europe, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said.

He said this at a meeting with Latvian Parliament Speaker Inara Murniece.

"One of the varieties of Russia's hybrid weapons is an attempt to build Nord Stream 2. Russia wants to put all partners into energy dependence. There is more politics in this project. Consumers in Europe can be provided with gas by the GTS of Ukraine, which is 100% capable of fulfilling all obligations," Groysman wrote on Twitter.

He assured Murniece that he appreciates good partnership between the two countries at all levels. "We feel the support of Latvia in the international arena, in matters of sovereignty of Ukraine, annexation of Crimea. Thank you for understanding the commonality of threats," Groysman added.

Murniece, in turn, said that the construction of the Kerch Bridge in Crimea could not be approved by any civilized norms. "Our opinion is unchanged - to keep solid sanctions against Russia due to annexation of Crimea," she said.

As reported, on May 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin opened automobile traffic across a newly built bridge connecting Russia and Crimea.

The international community condemned the construction of the Kerch Bridge by Russia.

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Russia's blocking the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to Donbas will mean that it is interested in continuing the military conflict in eastern Ukraine.

U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker said this at a briefing in Sloviansk, Donetsk region, on May 15, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The mechanism [on the deployment of a peacekeeping force to Donbas] is useful if Russia wants a solution, which means Russia has to decide that it wants to get out of eastern Ukraine and see peace and normalization restored for the people there. If Russia makes that decision, then there's no reason for it to oppose the UN Security Council resolution, and things would go forward. If it opposes the UN Security Council resolution, that means Russia has not fundamentally decided to end the war," Volker said.

He added that the most important alternative in this situation was the one the United States worked on every day. "That is for Ukraine to be a strong, successful, prosperous and safe country," he said.

"The stronger Ukraine is, the healthier for the country, the more that is an attraction for Donetsk and Luhansk occupied areas to be reunited with Ukraine, the harder it will be for Russia to continue the war on this territory," Volker said.

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French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg have discussed the security situation in Europe, in particular in Ukraine, as well as the situation in the Middle East, ahead of the NATO summit, according to the official website of the French president.

"The President of the Republic and Mr. Stoltenberg spoke about the latest developments in the fight against terrorism, as well as in the security environment in Europe, particularly in the Middle East and Ukraine," reads the statement, without specifying the details of the conversation.

The sides also summed up the preparatory work for the next NATO summit, which will take place in Brussels on July 11-12.

"Thanking Mr. Stoltenberg for his efforts to make NATO an agile and collective multilateral organization, fully taking into account the progress of European defense, the President of the Republic noted the particular role that France would play [in NATO]. He recalled the efforts made over the past year to strengthen defense resources, which will be increased to 2% of national wealth by 2025, to consolidate transatlantic relationship, and to strengthen the military credibility of Europeans," the document says.

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The delegation of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine took part in the Ukrainian-British military and political consultations in London.

"The delegation of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine, led by Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine for European Integration, Lieutenant General Anatoly Petrenko, took part in the Ukrainian-British military and political consultations within the framework of bilateral cooperation in London on May 15," the Ministrys press service reports.

During the visit, the head of the Ukrainian delegation met with Mark Lancaster, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Nick Gurr, Ministry of Defence Director for International Security Policy, Lieutenant General Mark Carleton-Smith, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy and Operations), and Ben Fender, Head of the Security Policy Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

"During the meetings with the British side, the military and political situation and the current progress of cooperation between the defence ministries of the two states were discussed. The direction and priorities of further cooperation were determined, and the bilateral action plan was adopted," the statement reads.

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UK Minister for Europe Alan Duncan has condemned the opening of the Kerch Strait Bridge from Russia to the annexed Crimea and called on the Kremlin to release Ukrainian political prisoners.

He said this in a statement published on the website of the British government.

"Crimea is part of Ukraine, and its annexation by Russia is a breach of international law. The opening of this bridge represents yet another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, and a further example of Russia's reckless behavior. We continue to work with partners to oppose the annexation, including by maintaining a robust package of sanctions," Duncan said.

The minister added that he was deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Crimea.

"The UK also remains deeply concerned by the human rights situation in Crimea, where we have seen the systematic persecution of minority groups and of those who voice their opposition to Russia's illegal annexation of the territory," he said.

Duncan again called on Russia to release political prisoners who are currently held in Crimea and Russia.

"We call again for Russia to release all Ukrainian political prisoners held in Crimea and in Russia, and to allow unrestrained access for international human rights monitoring bodies to the peninsula," he said.

On May 15, Russia officially opened the bridge across the Kerch Strait to the occupied Crimea.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called the illegal construction of the Kerch Bridge another indication of the neglect of international law by the Kremlin.

The European External Action Service, in turn, stated that the construction of the so-called Kerch Bridge on the Crimean peninsula temporarily occupied by Russia constitutes another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity by Russia.

Washington also condemned the erection and partial opening of the bridge across the Kerch Strait to Crimea, stressing that this was not agreed with the Ukrainian government.

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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called on the international community to continue pressure on Russia with the demand to release all Ukrainian political prisoners.

He wrote this on his Facebook page.

"I urge the international community to continue to exert pressure on the Kremlin so that Ukrainian political prisoners return home as soon as possible, to their families. We continue to fight and make every effort to release all illegally imprisoned Ukrainians who are held in the territory of the occupied Crimea, Donbas and in the territory of the Russian Federation," Poroshenko said.

The head of state recalled that Ukrainian political prisoner in Russia Oleh Sentsov had gone on an indefinite hunger strike to protest against the actions of the Kremlin, which holds Ukrainians on trumped-up charges.

Poroshenko added that the only condition for ending Sentsov's hunger strike was the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia.

On May 14, Sentsov began a hunger strike demanding the release of all Ukrainians detained in Russia and Russian-annexed Crimea.

Ukrainian film director Sentsov and activist Oleksandr Kolchenko were detained in Crimea on May 10, 2014. They were accused of plotting terrorist attacks. Kolchenko was jailed for ten years and Sentsov for 20 years.

There are currently 64 Ukrainian political prisoners held in Russia and Crimea.

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Today, 55% of the worlds population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050. Projections show that urbanization, the gradual shift in residence of the human population from rural to urban areas, combined with the overall growth of the worlds population could add another 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050, with close to 90% of this increase taking place in Asia and Africa, according to a new United Nations data set launched today.

The 2018 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects produced by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) notes that future increases in the size of the worlds urban population are expected to be highly concentrated in just a few countries. Together, India, China and Nigeria will account for 35% of the projected growth of the worlds urban population between 2018 and 2050. By 2050, it is projected that India will have added 416 million urban dwellers, China 255 million and Nigeria 189 million.

The urban population of the world has grown rapidly from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018. Asia, despite its relatively lower level of urbanization, is home to 54% of the worlds urban population, followed by Europe and Africa with 13% each.

Today, the most urbanized regions include Northern America (with 82% of its population living in urban areas in 2018), Latin America and the Caribbean (81%), Europe (74%) and Oceania (68%). The level of urbanization in Asia is now approximating 50%. In contrast, Africa remains mostly rural, with 43% of its population living in urban areas.

Population decline in some cities and in rural areas

Some cities have experienced population decline in recent years. Most of these are located in the low-fertility countries of Asia and Europe where overall population sizes are stagnant or declining. Economic contraction and natural disasters have also contributed to population losses in some cities.

A few cities in Japan and the Republic of Korea (for example, Nagasaki and Busan) have experienced population decline between 2000 and 2018. Several cities in countries of Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, have lost population since 2000 as well. In addition to low fertility, emigration has contributed to the lower population size in some of these cities. Globally, fewer cities are projected to see their populations decline from today until 2030, compared to what has occurred during the last two decades.

The rural population of the world has grown slowly since 1950 and is expected to reach its peak in a few years. The global rural population is now close to 3.4 billion and is expected to rise slightly and then decline to 3.1 billion by 2050. Africa and Asia are home to nearly 90% of the worlds rural population in 2018. India has the largest rural population (893 million), followed by China (578 million).

Cities ranking and mega cities

Tokyo is the worlds largest city with an agglomeration of 37 million inhabitants, followed by New Delhi with 29 million, Shanghai with 26 million, and Mexico City and Sao Paulo, each with around 22 million inhabitants. Today, Cairo, Mumbai, Beijing and Dhaka all have close to 20 million inhabitants. By 2020, Tokyos population is projected to begin to decline, while Delhi is projected to continue growing and to become the most populous city in the world around 2028.

By 2030, the world is projected to have 43 megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants, most of them in developing regions. However, some of the fastest-growing urban agglomerations are cities with fewer than 1 million inhabitants, many of them located in Asia and Africa. While one in eight people live in 33 megacities worldwide, close to half of the worlds urban dwellers reside in much smaller settlements with fewer than 500,000 inhabitants.

Sustainable urbanization is key to successful development

Understanding the key trends in urbanization likely to unfold over the coming years is crucial to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including efforts to forge a new framework of urban development.

As the world continues to urbanize, sustainable development depends increasingly on the successful management of urban growth, especially in low-income and lower-middle-income countries where the pace of urbanization is projected to be the fastest. Many countries will face challenges in meeting the needs of their growing urban populations, including for housing, transportation, energy systems and other infrastructure, as well as for employment and basic services such as education and health care. Integrated policies to improve the lives of both urban and rural dwellers are needed, while strengthening the linkages between urban and rural areas, building on their existing economic, social and environmental ties.

To ensure that the benefits of urbanization are fully shared and inclusive, policies to manage urban growth need to ensure access to infrastructure and social services for all, focusing on the needs of the urban poor and other vulnerable groups for housing, education, health care, decent work and a safe environment.

About the data set

The 2018 Revision of the World Urbanization Prospects is published by the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). It has been issued regularly since 1988 with revised estimates and projections of the urban and rural populations for all countries of the world, and of their major urban agglomerations.

Photo: Gerardo Pesantez/World Bank
Opening the bridge across the Kerch Strait is an attempt to legitimize the annexation of part of Ukraine's territory.

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed its strong protest against the launch of the bridge across the Kerch Strait by Russia in occupied Crimea and once again stressed that the construction of this facility without the consent of Ukraine is unlawful.

"Such actions by Moscow fundamentally contradict the generally recognized norms and principles of international law, grossly violate the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 and bilateral treaty obligations to Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement on May 15 when Russia officially opened the bridge.

Opening the bridge across the Kerch Strait is in fact an attempt to legitimize the annexation of part of Ukraine's sovereign territory against the backdrop of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine and the temporary occupation of the Crimean peninsula, the ministry said.

Read alsoPutin opens Crimean bridge

"The construction of the bridge, like any other actions of the Kremlin's occupying authorities, in no way can change the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as an integral part of the territory of Ukraine in its internationally recognized borders," the statement said. "The Russian Federation, as an occupying state, is fully responsible for the consequences of its internationally wrongful acts and will reimburse the harm caused."

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed that Ukraine would consistently work to expand national and international sanctions against individuals and legal entities involved in the illegal construction of the Kerch Strait bridge.

As UNIAN reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the need to build a bridge across the Kerch Strait immediately after the annexation of Crimea in March 2014.

Originally, the bridge was expected to be built before 2018 and put into operation in the summer of 2019.
The office of the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which is investigating Vyshinsky's case, is located in Kherson.

A lawyer of chief of RIA Novosti's Kyiv office Kirill Vyshinsky, who was detained on May 15 and was indicted on charges of high treason in Ukraine, has said his client is being transferred by Ukrainian law enforcers from Kyiv to Kherson for hearings on a preventive measure.

The office of the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which is investigating Vyshinsky's case, is located in Kherson, the Russian propagandist news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Read alsoRIA Novosti's Kyiv bureau chief monthly paid EUR 53,000 for discrediting Ukraine army

As UNIAN reported earlier, the press secretary of the Ukrainian SBU Security Service's chief, Olena Gitlianska, said on Tuesday the SBU officers had conducted raids in the office of RIA Novosti Ukraine in Kyiv.

Later, it became known that Vyshinsky was detained and indicted on charges of high treason. The SBU and prosecutors had uncovered the illegal activity of a Russian-controlled media chain in Ukraine.

It was established that in spring 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea, Vyshinsky produced anti-Ukrainian materials and received a medal "For the Return of Crimea" from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the SBU said.

Vyshinsky jointly with several other journalists started actively supporting the terrorist organizations in Donbas, the "DPR" and the "LPR," after his return from Crimea in 2014.

Deputy head of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine Viktor Kononenko said Vyshinsky had been paid EUR 53,000 every month for discrediting the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "EUR 53,000 for subversive activities is only a proven amount. According to our data, the financing exceeds EUR 100,000 per month," Kononenko said at a briefing in Kyiv on May 15.
Nauert reminded the United States had sanctioned numerous individuals and entities involved in this project.

The U.S. Department of State has condemned Russia's construction and partial opening of the Kerch Strait Bridge between mainland Russia and Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

"The United States condemns Russia's construction and partial opening of the Kerch Strait Bridge between Russia and occupied Crimea, which was done without the permission of the government of Ukraine. Crimea is part of Ukraine. Russia's construction of the bridge serves as a reminder of Russia's ongoing willingness to flout international law," Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Heather Nauert said at a briefing in Washington, D.C., on May 15.

Read alsoPutin opens Crimean bridge

According to Nauert, the bridge represents not only an attempt by Russia to solidify its unlawful seizure and its occupation of Crimea, but also impedes navigation by limiting the size of ships that can transit the Kerch Strait, the only path to reach Ukraine's territorial waters in the Sea of Azov.

"We call on Russia not to impede this shipping," she said.

Nauert reminded the United States had sanctioned numerous individuals and entities involved in this project. "These and our other Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control of the peninsula to Ukraine," she said.

"We once again reaffirm our commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and recall the international community's expression of that commitment in UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262," she added.
Sir Alan Duncan said the UK also remains deeply concerned by the human rights situation in Crimea.

The United Kingdom has condemned the opening of the bridge from mainland Russia to the Crimean peninsula, and highlighted the UK's concerns about human rights in Crimea.

"Crimea is part of Ukraine, and its annexation by Russia is a breach of international law," Minister for Europe Sir Alan Duncan said in a statement on the opening of the Kerch Strait Bridge, published on the official website of the UK's government.

Read alsoU.S. condemns Russia's construction of Crimean bridge

"The opening of this bridge represents yet another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, and a further example of Russia's reckless behavior. We continue to work with partners to oppose the annexation, including by maintaining a robust package of sanctions," he said.

Sir Alan Duncan said the UK also remains deeply concerned by the human rights situation in Crimea, where it can be seen the systematic persecution of minority groups and of those who voice their opposition to Russia's illegal annexation of the territory.

"We call again for Russia to release all Ukrainian political prisoners held in Crimea and in Russia, and to allow unrestrained access for international human rights monitoring bodies to the peninsula," he added.
After the start of the hunger strike, Sentsov was transferred to an isolated cell where his state of health is controlled by a doctor.

Dmitry Dinze, the lawyer of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who is serving a 20-year term in prison in Russia, has said his client went on hunger strike indefinitely.

The lawyer, who had visited Sentsov in the Beliy Medved (Polar Bear) colony in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, Russia, told the Russian alternative media outlet MediaZona that his client demanded the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia.

"I, Sentsov Oleh, a citizen of Ukraine, illegally sentenced by a Russian court and being in the colony of the town of Labytnangi, declare an indefinite hunger strike from May 14, 2018. The only condition for its cessation is the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners in the Russian Federation," Sentsov wrote in a note he passed through the lawyer.

"Together till the end. Slava Ukraini! [Glory to Ukraine]," Sentsov wrote at the end of the message.

According to the lawyer, his client was preparing for the hunger strike for about a month and a half. "He refused to receive food parcels, did not go to the colony's store, started eating thin broths and ate the minimum amount of food, preparing the body for starving, which he announced after the preparations." Sentsov sent a letter to the chief of the colony to inform about the hunger strike and demand the release of 64 Ukrainian political prisoners as a condition for the end of his protest action. Sentsov did not mention the names. According to the lawyer, the demand does not apply to him personally.

Read alsoUkraine shows full list of "Kremlin prisoners"

"The colony's [officials] tried to persuade him to stop the hunger strike; representatives of the Human Rights Council of the Federal Penitentiary Service visited him. He said in response that the hunger strike would continue until the victorious end: either he perishes or his demands are fulfilled. He did not demand his own release. It's only about the release of the political prisoners," the lawyer said.

After the start of the hunger strike, Sentsov was transferred to an isolated cell where his state of health is controlled by a doctor; now it is stable. The lawyer said Sentsov did not put forth any requirements or claims to the colony.

The lawyer warned the officers of the Federal Penitentiary Service often resorted to countering hunger strikes of prisoners by sending them to a psychological and psychiatric examination, where prisoners are found to be mentally ill and undergo forced treatment and feeding. At the same time, the materials of the Sentsov case have already results of his psychological and psychiatric examination, which found him completely sane.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russia's security forces detained Sentsov together with Oleksandr Kolchenko in occupied Crimea in May 2014 on charges of organizing terrorist attacks on the peninsula.

In August 2015, the North Caucasus District Military Court in Russia's Rostov-on-Don sentenced Sentsov to 20 years in a high-security penal colony. Kolchenko was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Both men pleaded not guilty.
Volker is currently in Ukraine, meeting the Ukrainian military and local residents personally affected by Russian aggression.

The U.S. State Department says that U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker's mandate remains the same.

"In response to comments I made [on May 13] on 112 Channel, the U.S. State Department responds 'Ambassador Volker continues to serve as the Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations and his mandate remains the same,'" head of Voice of America's Ukrainian service Myroslava Gongadze wrote on Twitter to dismiss her previous statement on the "expansion and extension" of Volker's mandate.

Read alsoRussia fully responsible for "horrendous" humanitarian costs of Donbas conflict - Volker

"It is U.S. policy to seek the full restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity," she tweeted on May 14, citing the U.S. State Department's statement.

Volker is currently in Ukraine. Late on May 14, he arrived in Donbas. "I came back to Donbas to hear more about the humanitarian consequences of Russian-aggression in eastern Ukraine. The fighting only hurts people on both sides of line. We're pushing to end conflict and call on Russia to respond. The people deserve peace," he tweeted upon arrival.

In Donbas, he is meeting with the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, the Ukrainian military, NGOs, and local residents personally affected by Russian aggression.
Poroshenko assured Ukraine continues to struggle and makes every effort to facilitate the release of all illegally imprisoned Ukrainians.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called on the international community to continue to exert pressure on the Kremlin so that Ukrainian political prisoners return home as soon as possible.

"The only condition for ending the hunger strike is the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners who are in the territory of the Russian Federation. 'Together till the end. Slava Ukraini! [Glory to Ukraine]'  political prisoner Oleh Sentsov wrote in a letter from an isolated cell of Russian casemates," Poroshenko wrote on Facebook on May 16.

Read alsoSavchenko ready to serve 22 years in Russian jail in exchange for 60 Ukrainian prisoners

According to the president, Sentsov went on hunger strike against the actions of the Kremlin, which holds Ukrainians behind bars based on false accusations.

"I call on the international community to continue to exert pressure on the Kremlin so that Ukrainian political prisoners return home as soon as possible, to their families," he said.

Poroshenko assured Ukraine continues to struggle and makes every effort to facilitate the release of all illegally imprisoned Ukrainians, who are held in the territory of occupied Crimea, Donbas and the Russian Federation.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Dmitry Dinze, the lawyer of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who is serving a 20-year term in prison in Russia, said his client had gone on hunger strike indefinitely.

Sentsov sent a letter to the chief of the colony to inform about the hunger strike and demand the release of 64 Ukrainian political prisoners as a condition for the end of his protest action.
A case on poaching has been initiated against a Ukrainian citizen Novitsky V.V., fishing vessel captain.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia says the Ukrainian fishing vessel YAMK-004 that Russian border guards detained near Russian-annexed Crimea has been seized.

According to the FSB website, the vessel was detained "in the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation". "In addition to the fishing gear found in Russia's exclusive economic zone, there are reasons to believe that similar ones could be found in the exclusive economic zone of Ukraine," the report said.

Read alsoRussia may charge crew of detained Ukrainian shipping vessel with terrorism  media

"Russian border guards will continue to step up efforts to fight against illegal catching of water biological resources, as well as other criminal manifestations in the waters of the Black and Azov seas," the FSB added.

As reported, a case on poaching has been initiated against a Ukrainian citizen Novitsky V.V., fishing vessel captain.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on May 4, Russian border guards detained the YAMK-0041 as it left its home port of Ochakiv and headed westward to Tarkhankut cape in Crimea. The vessel was detained allegedly for "illegal fishing." The State Border Service of Ukraine reported that the vessel had permission to fish within 12 nautical miles. Five crewmembers were brought to the annexed Crimea.

Read alsoUkraine demands release of fishing vessel detained by Russia near Crimea

Noteworthy, Ukrainian border guards on March 25 detained a fishing vessel called the Nord in the Sea of Azov that flew a Russian flag. The Prosecutor's office of Crimea opened a criminal case because the vessel came from annexed city of Kerch, a port officially closed by the Ukrainian government.

In response, the Department of the FSB of Russia in Crimea opened a criminal case against employees of the State Border Service of Ukraine that detained the ship. Ukrainian border guards have called it "the pressure on the State Border Service of Ukraine."

On May 3, the State Border Service of Ukraine reported that "the Russians began a policy of detention and inspection of ships" through the Kerch Strait.
In honor of Israel's 70th anniversary, Ukrainian artist Kseniya Simonova gifts the Jewish state with a dramatic 7-minute sand art story to the tune of Ofra Haza's 'Jerusalem'.

Israel received countless notes, flowers, videos and social media shoutouts from around the world to mark its 70th year of independence, celebrated this week on the Gregorian calendar.

Now the birthday state can add "sand art film" to its thank you notes.

Read alsoUkraine, Israel technically initial free trade deal

Kseniya Simonova, sand artist and past winner of "Ukraine's Got Talent," made a 7-minute film illustrated entirely through sand art images in tribute to the Jewish State. In a YouTube video, the artist continuously creates and re-creates images on an illuminated board to a soundtrack of of Ofra Haza's iconic "Jerusalem," The Times of Israel reported.

According to Simonova, the piece is meant to focus on the "pain and sorrow" of the Jewish people as it follows its narrative over the centuries through the eyes of a young boy.

Simonova's hands nimbly move across the board in time with the music as she develops scenes beginning with the story of creation, moving through the Jewish people's various exiles, the Holocaust and finally the victorious establishment of Israel in 1948.
There has been certain de-escalation since the beginning of Wednesday.

Russian-led forces mounted 45 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas in the past day, using heavy weapons 17 times.

"Over the past 24 hours, the situation remained tense. The fighting intensified after 16:00 and continued in all sectors," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on May 16, 2018.

At about 06:00 on May 15, again ignoring the norms of international humanitarian law, the occupiers opened fire from 82mm mortars at the village of Novhorodske.

Read alsoOSCE spots Russian funeral service vehicle in occupied Donbas

Areas near the villages of Troyitske and Novozvanivka were hot spots in the Luhansk sector.

In the Donetsk sector, units of Ukraine's Joint Forces conducted active defensive operations near the villages of Travneve, Zaitseve, Zalizne, Verkhniotoretske, and Pisky.

According to intelligence data, the enemy lost two fighters over the past day, while three others were wounded.

It is reported the invaders received an adequate response near the villages of Talakivka and Shyrokyne in the Mariupol sector.

"During the hostilities, one Ukrainian defender was killed, two others were wounded and promptly hospitalized," the report says.

Since the beginning of Wednesday, May 16, intensity of fighting has decreased. The enemy uses only small arms. No casualties among the Ukrainian military were reported as of 07:00 Kyiv time.
The SBU has held several events for almost a year to brief on the war crimes committed by PMC Wagner in Ukraine.

About 100 fighters from Russia's Private Military Company (PMC) Wagner are to arrive in Russian-occupied Donbas in eastern Ukraine in coming days to support the terrorist organization "Donetsk People's Republic."

"Another incontrovertible proof of the criminal activities of PMC Wagner in Ukraine, which will be attached to the materials of a [relevant] criminal case, is a confession by the mercenaries who in detail confirm the information of the [Ukrainian] Security Service," the SBU Security Service said, referring to an interview with a PCM Wagner fighter, which was published by the Russian edition Ridus on May 15.

Read alsoUkraine's SBU identifies chief instructor of Ukrainian unit at Russia's PMC Wagner

For almost a year, the SBU held several special briefings, where it revealed facts, dates, figures and names to consistently prove the bloodstained path of PMC Wagner members in Ukraine, from the seizure of Luhansk airport in June-August 2014 to the fighting outside the town of Debaltseve in January-February 2015.

SBU Chief Vasyl Hrytsak noted that "the truth about the crimes committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine and the world is horror for the high-ranking politicians and military leaders of Russia, because the International Military Tribunal is looming ahead of them, and paranoia and nightmares are becoming more frequent."
Currently, the weapons are being transferred to the area of the Ukrainian troops' withdrawal.

Units of Ukraine's Joint Forces have seized enemy weapons near the town of Maryinka in Donbas.

Read alsoJFO: Russian-led forces mount 45 attacks on Ukraine army in Donbas in past day

"In recent weeks, the situation near Maryinka remains tense. After dark, the enemy used proscribed weapons against the Ukrainian defenders," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said.

"Finally, a Ukrainian unit carried out a crucial raid on the enemy's rear. During a short battle, they seized three enemy mortars used by the militants to constantly shell our positions. The weapons were brought to our positions. There were no casualties among the Ukrainian military," the report says.

Currently, the weapons are being transferred to the area of the Ukrainian troops' withdrawal under the Minsk agreements, where they will be further examined.
The diplomat says this completely contradicts the Kremlin's rhetoric.

U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker says that even Russian-speaking residents in Donbas say it needs to be returned to Ukraine.

The diplomat noted that this completely contradicts the Kremlin's rhetoric, according to Voice of America's Ukrainian language service.

Read alsoVolker on recent attack on Voda Donbasa workers: "Targeting civilians is unacceptable"

He says that people whom he met were obviously ethnic Russians, as they talked in Russian. They say the most important thing is peace, and the (occupied) territory should be returned to Ukraine. He also noted that when Russian authorities claim that Russian-speaking residents are against Ukraine, feel threatened, and that this is an ethnic conflict, this is obviously not the case.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Volker is currently in Ukraine. Late on May 14, he arrived in Donbas. "I came back to Donbas to hear more about the humanitarian consequences of Russian-aggression in eastern Ukraine. The fighting only hurts people on both sides of line. We're pushing to end conflict and call on Russia to respond. The people deserve peace," he tweeted upon arrival.

In Donbas, he is meeting with the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, the Ukrainian military, NGOs, and local residents personally affected by Russian aggression.
Prosecutors have questioned potential witnesses in recent weeks, telling them that there is an open investigation into Cambridge Analytica.

The Justice Department and the F.B.I. are investigating Cambridge Analytica, the now-defunct political data firm, and have sought to question former employees and banks that handled its business, according to an American official and other people familiar with the inquiry.

Read alsoBBC: Cambridge Analytica is shutting down

Prosecutors have questioned potential witnesses in recent weeks, telling them that there is an open investigation into Cambridge Analytica  which worked on President Trump's election and other Republican campaigns in 2016  and "associated U.S. persons." But the prosecutors provided few other details, and the inquiry appears to be in its early stages, with investigators seeking an overview of the company and its business practices, The New York Times reported.

The investigation compounds the woes of a firm that has come under intense scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in the United States and Britain since The New York Times and Observer in London reported in March that it had harvested private data from more than 50 million Facebook profiles, and that it may have violated American election laws. This month, Cambridge Analytica announced that it would shut down and declare bankruptcy, saying that negative press and cascading federal and state investigations had driven away customers and made it impossible for the firm to remain in business.

Cambridge Analytica, the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation declined to comment.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, none of which are directly related to work he performed for Trump's campaign.

A U.S. judge has refused to dismiss Special Counsel Robert Mueller's case against President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, on the grounds that it has nothing to do with alleged Russia meddling in the 2016 election.

In a pointed rejection of Manafort's claims late on May 15, Judge Amy Berman Jackson of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sided with Mueller, ruling that his case against Manafort is not overly broad or improper despite not being directly connected to the election, Radio Liberty reported.

Manafort was charged in connection with his lobbying work for a pro-Russian former Ukrainian president years before serving briefly as the head of Trump's campaign in mid-2016.

The charges against him include conspiring to launder money, conspiring to defraud the United States, and failing to register as a lobbyist for a foreign government. He faces a second set of charges in Virginia that include bank fraud and filing false tax returns.

Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, none of which are directly related to work he performed for Trump's campaign.

Jackson was not moved by Manafort's argument that the case should be dismissed on the grounds that his Ukraine dealings predated the 2016 election by at least two years.

Read alsoReuters: Trump's ex-campaign chief Manafort to seek dismissal of charges

Jackson said it was "logical and appropriate" for investigators to probe Manafort's dealings with former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted by street protests in 2014 and now lives in exile in Russia.

"His work on behalf of the Russia-backed Ukrainian political party and connections to other Russian figures are matters of public record," Jackson wrote.

Read alsoReuters: Trump says he can't talk to Mueller unless it's 'fair'

"The special counsel would have been remiss to ignore such an obvious potential link between the Trump campaign and the Russian government," Jackson wrote.

Her ruling also pointed to an August 2017 memo by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that detailed the scope of Mueller's investigation. That memo explicitly gave Mueller authority to probe all of Manafort's Ukraine-related work predating the 2016 campaign.

The ruling marks a setback for Manafort, who last month was buoyed when another U.S. judge in Virginia who is hearing the tax charges against him questioned prosecutors about whether their case went beyond the mandate of Mueller's Russia investigation.

That judge, T.S. Ellis, said he believed prosecutors were using the charges against Manafort to try to get him to turn against Trump. Ellis has not yet ruled on Manafort's motion to dismiss the charges against him in the tax case.

After Jackson's ruling against Manafort, his spokesman Jason Maloni said Manafort "maintains his innocence and looks forward to prevailing in this matter."
(@FahadShabbir)

President, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Muffasar Atta Malik has expressed concern over soaring prices of many household commodities on the arrival of Ramazan-ul-Mubarak

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2018 ) :President, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Muffasar Atta Malik has expressed concern over soaring prices of many household commodities on the arrival of Ramazan-ul-Mubarak. In a statement here on Wednesday, he urged Sindh government and Karachi Municipal Corporation to take stringent action against the profiteers and hoarders creating serious problem for the masses. Many commodities largely being used for Sehri and Iftaar had gone beyond the reach of the common man. 'A large number of citizens have been complaining that the administration at district level have totally lost control over commodity prices, profiteering and hoarding,' he added.

The KCCI President mentioned that in many countries, the prices of various commodities are immediately reduced and special offers and discounts are given to welcome the holy month of Ramadan-ul-Mubarak.

Unfortunately, this is done otherwise in Pakistan. He said although price lists are regularly issued by KMC but no shopkeeper bothers to adhere the prices quoted in these lists. Shopkeepers continue to overcharge the customers without any kind of fear.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The search for a Bulgarian climber missing during a solo ascent of China's 8,027-metre Shishapangma peak has been called off, his expedition team said on Wednesday

Sofia, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2018 ) :The search for a Bulgarian climber missing during a solo ascent of China's 8,027-metre Shishapangma peak has been called off, his expedition team said on Wednesday.

Boyan Petrov, 45, had scaled 10 of the world's 14 highest peaks of over 8,000 metres in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountains solo and without supplementary oxygen. Members of Petrov's team last saw him alive by telescope on May 3 at 7,500 metres.

He is considered to have been missing since May 5 when other team members -- who were a day behind him -- found his tent empty at the last camp before the summit. At 26,335 feet, the Tibetan peak is the 14th highest in the world.

A joint search was launched by Chinese mountain rescuers and a Nepalese helicopter rescue team. "We call the search over. Boyan is a legend. All of Bulgaria thanks you. This is the end," Kiril Petkov, a friend and member of Petrov's team, said in a message on Facebook.

Petrov, who was also a prominent zoologist, had previously battled cancer and was an insulin-dependent diabetic. Two years ago he was left in a coma after being struck by a car while researching wildlife in southwestern Bulgaria.

He had planned to scale Mount Everest on his next expedition, aiming to become the 20th person on earth to have conquer all 14 peaks over 8,000 metres without oxygen by 2019.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th May, 2018 ) :Ministry of Information Technology and telecommunication will utilize funds being generated under Universal Service Fund (USF) for providing IT and Telecom services in far-flung areas of FATA on priority.

Through the Broadband for Sustainable Development Programme, the Ministry has been aggressively working to provide telecom services to the un served Mauzas across the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

Recently agreement has been signed for providing broadband internet facility in far-flung areas to accelerate socio-economic development to 5896 villages of Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The spokesman of the ministry told APP on Tuesday, this programme was redesigned to include the broadband equivalent data (internet) services as a compulsory component and for new projects, powering of telecommunication sites through Solar energy was also made a part of each project.

He said through the project 3g mobile broadband services would be provided in the areas of Mohmand, Bajaur and Malakand, having population of 1,599,500 residing in 684 muzas.

After the launch of 3G and 4g services, it had provided internet service to 5,896 villages of FATA and Balochistan, he added.

This year Universal Service Fund (USF) has successfully launched a project to provide connectivity to 35 unserved THQs and towns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. While giving details, he told that in Khyber lot, 3G mobile broadband services were being provided in the areas of Khyber Agency, FR Kohat (Tribal Area Adjacent Kohat), FR Peshawar, Kohat, Karak and Hangu, the areas consist of population of 1,751,600 residing in 503 muzas.

Minister for Information and Telecommunication, Anusha Rehman said she was pleased that with consistent efforts and spirit, Universal Service Fund (USF) was undertaking challenging and productive programmes for promoting telecom related services.

Anusha Rehman said she was proud of the fact that now people living in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) would also be able to have access to 3G services like other parts of the country.
(@mahnoorsheikh03)

Also demands prime minister and opposition leader to resign over NAB chairman issue

Islamabad (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News  16th May, 2018) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader Mir Zafarullah Jamali has announced to resign from his National Assembly seat.

According to media reports, after announcing to resign from the NA seat, Jamali has also demanded Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Opposition Leader Khurshid Shah to resign.

Expressing his views in the National Assembly, former prime minister and PMLN leader Jamali said that the chairman of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was appointed by the prime minister and opposition leader.

The prime minister and opposition leader should resign if the government is not satisfied with the performance of NAB chairman.

He further said that institutions are being targeted and lies were told in the Assembly.

Jamali had won as an independent candidate from his native area Dera Murad Jamali in 2013 general elections and joined PMLN after winning the election.

Jamali has been in politics for several decades. He was the chief minister of Balochistan from 1996 to 1997. He also served as prime minister from 2002 to 2004. He had been a part of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), PMLN and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PMLQ) during his political life.

However, now he has announced to resign over the issue of NAB chairman and has also demanded the prime minister and opposition leader to resign.
Punjab Assembly passed on Wednesday 12 bills while suspending the regular legislative procedure for half of these bills

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2018 ) :Punjab Assembly passed on Wednesday 12 bills while suspending the regular legislative procedure for half of these bills. The third sitting of the 36th session of the current assembly was started three hours and five minutes behind its schedule with Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal in the chair.

The House passed the Bills include: the Punjab Witness Protection Bill 2018, the Punjab Government Servants Housing Foundation (Amendment) Bill 2018, the Punjab University of Technology Rasul Bill 2018, the Punjab Bonded Labour System (Abolition) (Amendment) Bill 2018, the Explosive Substances (Punjab Amendment)? Bill 2018, the Registration (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018, the Registration (Punjab Second Amendment) Bill 2018, the Punjab Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill 2018 and the Punjab Agricultural Marketing Regulatory Authority Bill 2018.

Three of these bills were considered after suspension of the requirements of Rule 95 of the Assembly's Rules of Procedure bills. The Rule provides the procedure for consideration of a bill after the report of the concerned standing committee on the bill is presented in the House.

Provincial Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Khalil Tahir Sandhu introduced the Punjab Fertilizers Bill 2018.

The House referred the bill to the relevant standing committee with the direction to submit its report earlier than May 28, 2018.

The Minister also introduced the Drugs (Punjab Amendment) Bill 2018, the Punjab Legal Aid Bill 2018 and the Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service Inspectorate Bill 2018. The House took the bills in to consideration and passed them after suspending the regular legislative procedure which requires every bill to go through committee stage before its consideration for passage.

Minister for Agriculture Naeem Akhtar Bhabha and Saif Chattha, Parliamentary Secretary for Environment Protection gave answers to questions by lawmakers regarding their respective departments Combined opposition staged a protest against remarks of former prime minister regarding Mumbai attack.

The protesting lawmakers wanted to move an out-of-turn resolution against the former premier; however the Chair did not entertain the motion. PTI lawmaker Arif Abbasi identified the quorum and it was found incomplete after ringing of bells for five minutes. The Chair adjourned the House to meet again on May 17 (Thursday) at 10 a.m.
(@rukhshanmir)

Prosecution witness Muhammad Azeem Wednesday informed the Accountability Court (AC) of Islamabad that former finance minister Ishaq Dar had issued cheques of Rs 65.3 million to Hajveri Foundation Trust at different times

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2018 ) :Prosecution witness Muhammad Azeem Wednesday informed the Accountability Court (AC) of Islamabad that former finance minister Ishaq Dar had issued cheques of Rs 65.3 million to Hajveri Foundation Trust at different times.

Muhammad Azeem, who was a director of the National Assembly, deposed before AC Judge Muhammad Bashir, who conducted hearing of a reference against the former finance minister for having assets beyond known sources of income.

Three co-accused including National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) President Saeed Ahmed, Naeem Mehmood and Mansoor Raza also appeared before the court. During the course of proceedings, the ANP president informed the court that his lawyer could not attend the proceedings today and other defence counsel would continue cross examination of the witness.

On which, NAB prosecutor Imran Shafiq said Saeed Ahmed himself was accused of opening seven bank accounts in the name of Ishaq Dar and he had to tell the court on whose orders those accounts were opened.

The prosecutor said several accounts were opened in the name of Ahmed, which were operated by the former finance minister. The accused had to identify those accounts and inform the court that how much amount was deposited to the accounts, he added. Later, the court adjourned the case.
A Belgian judge on Wednesday rejected the extradition request by Spain of three former Catalan ministers over their region's controversial independence drive, the court said

Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2018 ) :A Belgian judge on Wednesday rejected the extradition request by Spain of three former Catalan ministers over their region's controversial independence drive, the court said.

The trio, all former ministers in the regional government of ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, faced a European arrest warrant issued against them in March by Madrid. Puigdemont and four of his ministers fled to Brussels in October last year to avoid facing charges including rebellion related to their push for secession from Spain.

The court "has ruled that the three Spanish European Arrest Warrants are irregular and therefore refused their execution," said a statement from the Dutch-speaking Brussels Court of First Instance.

"The council chamber shares the view of the public prosecutor and the defence that there are no valid underlying national laws corresponding to the content of the European arrest warrants," it added.

Spain wants the ex-ministers -- Meritxell Serret, Antoni Comin, Lluis Puig -- to face charges of rebellion, misuse of public funds and disobeying the state for organising last year's referendum on Catalan independence, which Madrid deemed illegal.

Puigdemont was arrested in Germany on the Spanish warrant last month but a German court refused to extradite him on the rebellion charge. The court instead ordered his release on bail pending a hearing on a lesser charge. The fourth Catalan politician who fled to Belgium with Puigdemont, Clara Ponsati, has since fled again to Scotland, where she too is facing extradition proceedings.
Belgium on Tuesday demanded a UN inquiry into the violence in Gaza and summoned Israel's ambassador to the foreign ministry after she described all the Palestinian victims as "terrorists"

Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th May, 2018 ) :Belgium on Tuesday demanded a UN inquiry into the violence in Gaza and summoned Israel's ambassador to the foreign ministry after she described all the Palestinian victims as "terrorists".

Belgium's foreign ministry said it summoned ambassador Simona Frankel over her remarks while Prime Minister Charles Michel said: "We call for an international inquiry led by the United Nations."
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Ecuador spied on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at its London embassy where he has been living since 2012, initially to support him but things changed after he hacked the mission's computers, the Guardian reported Wednesday

London, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2018 ) :Ecuador spied on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at its London embassy where he has been living since 2012, initially to support him but things changed after he hacked the mission's computers, the Guardian reported Wednesday.

The newspaper said Ecuador employed an international security company and undercover agents to monitor his visitors, embassy staff and even the British police at the embassy in London's luxury Knightsbridge area.

It estimated the budget spent on the operation, referred to initially as "Operation Guest" and later "Operation Hotel" at $5.0 million (4.2 million Euros). The snooping was initially intended to protect Assange from the risk of being taken away by British police but later became a full-blown spying operation.

The operation had the support of then Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa, the paper reported, adding that it has since been wound down under the country's new leader Lenin Moreno who took power last year.

The security team recorded Assange's daily activities and his interactions with embassy staff and visitors, including fellow hackers, activists and lawyers. They stayed in a rented flat near the embassy at a cost of 2,800 a month, the paper said.

- Hacked the embassy network? - The paper also cited documents showing that Assange hacked the communications system within the embassy and had his own satellite internet access.

"By penetrating the embassy's firewall, Assange was able to access and intercept the official and personal communications of staff," the paper said.

WikiLeaks denied Assange had hacked the network. Ecuador has moved to shut off internet access for Assange in recent months by installing a jammer to prevent him from accessing email and has restricted the number of visitors he can receive.

Assange took refuge in the diplomatic mission in 2012 after a British judge ruled he should be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault there. Assange claims the accusations were politically motivated and could lead to him being extradited to the United States to face imprisonment over WikiLeaks' publication of secret US military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010.

Sweden dropped its investigation last year, but British authorities say they still want to arrest him for breaching his bail conditions. Ecuador in December made Assange an Ecuadoran citizen and unsuccessfully tried to register him as a diplomat with immunity as part of its efforts to have him leave the embassy without risk of being detained.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Brussels, May 16(APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2018 ) :The EU and Cuba signed a renewable energy deal on Tuesday, a step towards normalising relations in defiance of Washington's continuing hardline stance on Havana.

As it scrambles to save the Iran nuclear deal after US President Donald Trump ditched it last week, the EU sought to add substance to its landmark cooperation agreement with Cuba, which came into effect in November.

EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini has condemned the US economic blockade of the communist island as "obsolete" and "illegal", but under Trump the US has rolled back the rapprochement championed by his predecessor Barack Obama.

Mogherini and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla led the first meeting of the EU-Cuba Joint Council in Brussels. The highlight was the signing of an 18 million euro ($21.5 million) project to support Cuba's goal of getting a quarter of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.

The EU also plans to finance a food security support programme for the island with a contribution of 19.

7 million Euros. "Today we celebrate an important step in relations between the EU and Cuba," Mogherini said.

"We want to construct a closer relationship based on open and frank dialogue and mutual respect and effective cooperation." Cuba turned a page in its history last month when Miguel Diaz-Canel took over as president after nearly 60 years of rule by revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and then his brother Raul.

Havana and Brussels also launched dialogues focusing on five areas including sustainable development, non-proliferation, human rights and unilateral measures. The last section will deal with the US embargo.

Havana is hoping the EU will prove to be an ally against Trump. The agreement with Cuba, so far ratified by 13 of the 28 EU member states, can be suspended in case of grave rights abuses. The EU's 28 countries are the main foreign investors in Cuba, mainly in the tourism and building sectors, the EU says.

The bloc imported some 470 million euros' worth of Cuban goods in 2017 and exported more than 2.0 billion euros' worth.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Accra, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2018 ) :A paramilitary unit controlled by former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh was accused Wednesday by rights groups of being behind the killings of more than 50 West African migrants in 2005.

Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International said they interviewed 30 former Gambian officials, including 11 officers, and a survivor of the round-up as part of a joint investigation. The migrants -- 44 Ghanaians and several Nigerians, Senegalese, as well as a Togolese -- were arrested on a beach in Gambia while trying to reach Europe, suspected of being mercenaries wanting to overthrow Jammeh.

According to a joint statement by the NGOs, they were detained in the capital Banjul and handed over in groups to the "Junglers", a notorious paramilitary unit, and executed. "The West African migrants weren't murdered by rogue elements, but by a paramilitary death squad taking orders from President Jammeh," said Reed Brody, a legal advisor at Human Rights Watch.

"Jammeh's subordinates then destroyed key evidence to prevent international investigators from learning the truth." A joint report by the Economic Community of West African States and the UN, which was not made public, concluded in 2009 that the killings and disappearances were carried out by rogue members within the Gambian security services, with no credible evidence to suggest they were acting on orders from superiors.

"The new evidence makes clear, however, that those responsible for the killings were the Junglers," HRW and TRIAL said in their statement on Wednesday. In the statement, Martin Kyere, the only known Ghanaian survivor, told how his group was tied up in the back of a pick-up truck.

"It was then that I thought, 'We're going to die," he said. But he managed to get free and escape into the forest, and later helped Ghanaian authorities identify many of the victims.
(@rukhshanmir)

Managua, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2018 ) :Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega was on Wednesday set to attend long-awaited crisis talks with the opposition after nearly a month of violence that has left scores dead, officials said.

The Central American country's Roman Catholic bishops said earlier this week they would mediate in the so-called "national dialogue." "Tomorrow, from 10 in the morning, once the national dialogue is opened by the bishops, our president will be there, we will be there," Ortega's wife and government spokeswoman, Rosario Murillo, had said on Tuesday.

Her statement came as demonstrators and riot police clashed in the northern town of Matagalpa, ruled by Ortega's Sandinista Front party. The town's mayor, Sadrach Zeledon, said one person was killed "by right-wing vandalism groups," referring to the demonstrators, who in turn said the victim, Wilber Reyes, was killed in attacks launched by police.

Meanwhile, 35 people were injured in the clashes and at least 10 people had been arrested, the Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights spokesman in the city, German Herrera, told local tv station 100% Noticias.

The education ministry said on its website that local high schools had been closed as a security precaution. In Masaya, 30 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of the capital Managua, residents reported harsh repression by riot police, while parents and students from private high schools marched Tuesday afternoon in Managua demanding justice and freedom.

The US embassy in Nicaragua has suspended the processing of nonimmigrant visas until further notice, citing the instability. - Belated rights scrutiny - Ortega had accepted the notion of talks in the early days of the crackdown, but the church deemed he had not fulfilled conditions in which they could be held.

Among them is a visit by a regional human rights group which has finally been given permission to enter the country to investigate reports of widespread police brutality. At least 53 people have been killed and some 400 injured in almost a month of protests, which initially broke out over proposed cuts to social security benefits, but morphed into widespread discontent with Ortega's leftist government.

The protests pose a serious challenge to the authority of Ortega, 72, who has ruled Nicaragua for the past 11 years and before that from 1979-1990, after overthrowing the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza.

The protests that erupted on April 18 were the worst his government has faced, badly shaking his tight grip on power over the country, one of the poorest in Latin America. Ortega made a series of concessions after sharp domestic and international criticism over the use of security forces to put down the protests, and curbs on independent media to report them.

100% Noticias, a private channel and one of several outlets closed in the media crackdown at the beginning of the protests, said its offices in Managua had been targeted by gunfire. "A shot was fired from a vehicle," said the channel's head of news, Lucia Pineda, adding that the station received threats from government sympathizers "every day." Ortega's concessions included abandoning the social security reforms, freeing dozens of arrested protesters, lifting broadcast bans on private TV channels, and offering dialogue.

Many Nicaraguans, though -- especially emboldened university students -- want Ortega to step down. - Army, business support, cools - Business leaders, as well as the army, appear to have distanced themselves from Ortega as the protests, and the deadly crackdown, have continued.

Most of the dead have been protesters. Frustrations have been voiced over corruption, the distant autocratic style of Ortega and Murillo, limited options to change the country's politics in elections, and the president's control over Congress, the courts, the military and the electoral authority.

Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, the archbishop of Managua and head of the Nicaraguan Bishops Conference who will mediate the talks, admitted during a press conference on Monday that "the circumstances for dialogue are not the best." Brenes said the talks would deal with issues designed "to pave the way for democratization" in Nicaragua.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Serbian police said Wednesday they had arrested a man sought by the FBI under suspicion of being part of a group of cybercriminals who called themselves "The Dark Overlord"

Belgrade, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2018 ) :Serbian police said Wednesday they had arrested a man sought by the FBI under suspicion of being part of a group of cybercriminals who called themselves "The Dark Overlord".

The arrest of the 38-year-old Serbian from Belgrade, identified only by his initials S.S., was carried out as part of an "international operation conducted by the FBI," a police statement said. The goal was to identify and arrest hackers who used the name "The Dark Overlord" and had been committing cyberattacks since June 2016, the statement added.

Members of the group were "stealing information and personal data from US citizens, including property and intellectual property data, sensitive health insurance and medical treatment data," it said.

At least 50 people were victims of attacks, the investigation found. Police said the arrested man is accused of "illegal access to protected computers, computer networks and extorsion". In late April, a British and Dutch-led operation brought down a website linked to more than four million cyberattacks around the world, with banking giants among the victims.

Two people, suspected of being administrators of the webstresser.org website were arrested in Serbia at the time.
Early College Credit Program (ECCP)



High school students take college courses on-campus, blended or online, with the high school district pre-approving the courses. High school does not offer a comparable course. Courses are taken for both high school and/or college credit. This program is offered at all three UWSP campuses.

More information about the Early College Credit Program can be found on the WI DPI website.

Admissions Standards:



Eligible students in grades: 9-12



At least a 2.0 cumulative GPA OR



Top 50% of class with an ACT composite score of 24 or higher.



*If the admission standards are not met, please contact the UW-Stevens Point Early College Credit Program Coordinator. Additional documentation (example, letter of recommendation from high school) will be required.

*First-year and sophomores interested will require a letter of recommendation from high school.



How to Apply:



Meet with your school counselor to see if taking college courses will work with your schedule and if you are ready to take college courses.



Complete the University of Wisconsin System: Early College Credit Program and High School Special Agreement Form.

Important: All required sections, columns and signatures on the form must be completed. Please review on page 2 the responsibilities for student/parent/guardian/foster parent and school district. This form must be completed every semester you are interested in participating in the program.



Apply to a UW-Stevens Point Campus (Stevens Point, Marshfield or Wausau) UW System online application.



Request your high school to send your high school transcript.



Submit any documentation needed for course prerequisites: ACT scores, AP scores, transcripts from other universities and/or technical colleges. For math, English and foreign language courses, students may be required to take a placement test.



Submit the Course Registration form with your final course choices, along with days and times. To view courses visit

UW-Stevens Point Course Timetable.



Send admission documentation to UW-Stevens Point at Marshfield, Attn: Angela Schmidt, 2000 W 5th Street, Marshfield, WI 54449 or email aschmidt@uwsp.edu.





Application Deadlines


Catholic Bishop officiates at the memorial service of Dhlakama in Beira, capital of the Province of Sofala. (AFP or licensors)

The Catholic Church in Mozambique has urged politicians not to give up on political dialogue as the country continues its search for an effective and lasting peace settlement.

Paul Samasumo  Vatican City

Bishop Joao Carlos wants the country to build upon gains made so far

The Churchs affirmation is contained in a report filed by Vatican News Maputo-based correspondent, Herminio Jose who quotes the Bishop of Chimoio Diocese, Joao Carlos Hatoa Nunes, the spokesperson of Conferencia Episcopal de Mocambique (CEM).

According to Bishop Joao Carlos, the Catholic Church in Mozambique will remain engaged and involved with the political dialogue to ensure that political actors deliver on their promises for peace. He said though the dialogue has experienced moments of progress and setbacks, the Church welcomes and wants gains made so far, in discussions, between the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi and the recently deceased Renamo leader, Afonso Dhlakama to be cemented.

Death of Dhlakama should not derail peace talks

Mozambicans and the international community have been wondering what bearing the demise of Afonso Dhlakama would have on the nations peace process. Dhlakama, leader of Mozambiques main opposition party and the former rebel group, the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo) died on 3 May, of a heart attack. He was 65 years old.

Some agreement was reached between President Nyusi and Dhlakama over the appointment of governorships in provinces; decentralisation of power and the integration of Renamo fighters into the regular Mozambican army. What is not clear, however, is to what extent agreements reached and if the implementation can proceed without further negotiation.

Both Frelimo and Renamo have their share of hardliners. Some in Frelimo do not like the idea of decentralisation while some in Renamo fear complete demobilisation. After 39 years as leader of Renamo, Dhlakama did not groom any heir apparent. In the meantime, Renamo has chosen Ossufo Momade, as its interim leader until a party congress anoints a new leader.

Invoking the 1992 Rome Accord

Mozambican academic, Brazao Mazula, has also weighed in saying that the goodwill and spirit of the Rome talks which led to the signing of the General Peace Agreement needs to be cultivated by the rivals. He says politicians on both sides need to regain each others confidence and trust. The General Peace Accord, in 1992, put an end to Mozambiques bitter Civil War between Frelimo (government) and Renamo.

Mozambicans long for a lasting peace settlement

Mozambicans who have lived with insecurity and uncertainty since independence in 1975 will be watching with bated breath to see if their leaders make good on talks. President Nyusi, speaking at Dhlakamas burial, expressed his governments commitment to peace and a lasting settlement.
A series of suicide bomb attacks, May 13 and 14, in Surabaya, included three churches. They were carried out by families, including women and children.

By Robin Gomes

Indonesian Church leaders have expressed shock at the new form of terrorism that became evident in a spate of suicide terror attacks Sunday and Monday in and around the eastern port city of Surabaya, in which three Christian churches were targeted, the Vaticans Fides news agency reported.

Attacks by families with children

Sundays attacks on churches were carried out by a husband, his wife and their four children, including a 9-year old girl.

The first explosion on Sunday took place at Saint Mary Immaculate Catholic Church. The second at Surabaya Pentecostal Church and the third at Diponegoro Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) went off five minutes apart, the police said.

Saint Jacob's Church and Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral were also targeted, but the bombs failed to explode. Later, another explosion was reported at an apartment building in the neighbouring city of Sidoarjo.

Other attacks also took place on Monday. A family of five, that included three children, carried out a suicide bombing on two motorcycles at the Surabaya police headquarters.

East Java Police said that 25 people were killed and dozens injured in the bombings over the two days. Of the 25 dead, 13 were perpetrators. The police were now hunting a fourth family suspected of planning another attack.

Family tragedy

Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo Jakarta, the president of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference (KWI), said that "planning and implementing a suicide attack by taking their children with them is a new" form "of violence. It is a family tragedy.

Commenting on the mother and her two small daughters, aged nine and 12, who carried out the suicide attack at the Indonesian Christian Church, he said that the two young daughters had no idea what would happen.

According to Archbishop Suharyo, the Surabaya attacks "are not a religious problem, but mainly concern the existence of the unified Republic of Indonesia (Nkri)". He noted that even the police have been targeted because they foil the plans of the terrorists.

Pancasila endangered

The world's largest archipelagic state with a myriad of ethnic groups, religions, languages and flora and fauna, Indonesia is also home to the world's largest Muslim population. The nation has long been an example of peaceful harmony, tolerance and unity among its people, thanks to the Pancasila or the 5 principles on which state is based. 

The vast majority of Indonesian Muslims are moderates, but recent incidents indicate that the growing phenomenon of Islamic radicalism is threatening this unity amidst its diversity.

The president of Indonesias Catholic bishops recalled that the nation if founded on the value of pluralism and the founding fathers agreed that the foundation of the state is the common ground of thought and commitment. Indonesia consist of a variety of ethnic groups, religious confessions and social groups, he emphasized.

Children suicide bombers

Meanwhile, Fr. Siprianus Hormat, KWI Executive Secretary expressed Indonesias bishops shock and disappointment at the attacks and expressed their solidarity to the families of the victims and the injured.

Speaking to Fides, he said it is traumatic to know that a whole family of suicide bombers carried out the attacks. He said that the attacks raise the serious question about children being raised up on extremism.

Christian-Muslim dialogue, cooperation

Fr. Hormat said that with the terror attacks on the police and churches, the primary assets of coexistence and pluralism of Indonesian society are in danger.

Indonesian Bishops, he said, are involved in interreligious dialogue, and in these hours common initiatives are being carried out, between Christian and Muslim leaders, to stigmatize violence, hatred, and terrorism. Society must remain united and reject these evil forces".

Despite the tension and fear caused by the assaults, Indonesias bishops expressed full confidence in the President, in public institutions and in the whole society, in order to stop extremism, which wants to poison society.

Fr. Hormat said that Christians in Surabaya are not intimidated. They believe and work for dialogue and fraternity towards all. Indonesia will not let the forces of evil destroy coexistence and democracy," Fr. Hormat added.

Pope Francis

Pope Francis on Sunday prayed for the repose of the souls of those who perished in the Surabaya suicide attacks and asked God to bring an end to hatred and violence.

I am particularly close to the dear people of Indonesia, in a special way to the Christian communities of the city of Surabaya who have been strongly hit by the serious attack against places of worship, the pope said during his midday Regina Coeli prayer in Romes St. Peters Square.

He offered his prayer for the victims and their relatives, and asked pilgrims to pray with him for the God of peace to stop these violent acts, and that in the heart of all may be found space not for hatred or violence, but for reconciliation and fraternity.

WCC

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit condemned the Surabaya suicide bomb attacks, and offered heartfelt condolences to the people who lost family members and friends.

In the face of this brutality, the human family, all people of faith and of good will, must stand together to recommit to respecting and caring for one another, to protecting one another, and to preventing such violence," Tveit urged.

WCC appealed to Indonesian president Joko Widodo, religious leaders and governments across the region to act swiftly and boldly to safeguard the fundamental religious rights of worshippers of all faiths, to ensure security in the face of violence and to guarantee justice for all people.

Tveit said, Government action must be matched by solidarity among Christians, Muslims and people of all faiths as they interact at the local level and together denounce any violent attack.


Last night at Excalibur Hotel & Casino, The Australian Bee Gees Show, A Tribute to the Bee Gees, celebrated Mothers Day with by giving away silk roses for their audience members that were celebrating the day (Photo credit: Ira Kuzma / www.IraKuzmaPhotos.com).

Photo credit: Ira Kuzma / www.IraKuzmaPhotos.com

The fever was contagious at last nights performance! They premiered their version of Night Fever with the alter lyric of Golden Knights Fever, They Know How To Do It paying homage to Las Vegas Winning Inaugural Hockey Team, the Vegas Golden Knights.

Photo credit: Ira Kuzma / www.IraKuzmaPhotos.com

The audience was on their feet shouting and singing along with ABGs. The entire event was captured on Video and will be sent to VGKs showing them the continued support of local Strip Shows and their audiences.

Photo credit: Ira Kuzma / www.IraKuzmaPhotos.com

Photo credit: Ira Kuzma / www.IraKuzmaPhotos.com


Beer Park at Paris Las Vegas will celebrate the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) by hosting its apparel brand, Electric Family, for a pop-up shop experience from noon to 7 p.m. daily from Wednesday, May 16 through Saturday, May 19 (Photo credit: Denise Truscello / WireImage).

Electric Family will return to the rooftop restaurant and bar with limited-edition artist merchandise and an exclusive chance to meet with more than 12 popular DJs, including Kaskade, San Holo, 3LAU, Slushii and more. Select pop-up experiences will also include surprise performances from some of the most iconic names in electronic music.

Guests may refer to the following schedule: Wednesday, May 16 3LAU: 3 p.m.  4 p.m.

Stellar: 5 p.m.  6 p.m. Thursday, May 17 Dion Timmer: 3 p.m.  4 p.m.

3LAU: 4 p.m.  5 p.m.

Kaskade: 6 p.m.  7 p.m. Friday, May 18 Stellar: noon  1 p.m.

Griffin: 1 p.m.  2 p.m.

Slushii: 2 p.m.  3 p.m.

Jauz: 2 p.m.  3 p.m.

GG Magree: 2 p.m.  3 p.m.

Anjunabeats All-Stars: 3 p.m.  4 p.m.

San Holo: 5 p.m.  6 p.m.

DROELOE: 5 p.m.  6 p.m. Saturday, May 19 Dubloadz: noon  1 p.m.

Robotaki: 1:30 p.m.  2:30 p.m.

Anjunabeats All-Stars: 3 p.m.  4 p.m.

k?d: 4 p.m.  4:30 p.m.

Along with incredible views of the Fountains of Bellagio, Beer Park offers billiards and foosball, as well as oversized yard games, including Jenga and Connect Four. Reservations are available by calling 702.444.4500 or by visiting www.beerpark.com.
Cambodias national election body has announced it is preparing to deploy almost a quarter of a million polling stations across the country ahead of the July 29 election.

The National Election Committee (NEC) made the announcement shortly after closing the party registration period on Monday.

Sam Rainsy, the former head of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, which was dissolved last year by a Supreme Court decision, meanwhile appealed to the electorate to boycott the vote.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has previously said that not voting in the election was tantamount to treason.

Hang Puthea, NEC spokesman, told VOA Khmer on Tuesday that the body had six officials organizing the 240,000 polling stations across Cambodias 25 provinces and municipal regions.

He claimed that Rainsys call for people to boycott the vote was illegal.

It's contrary to the law and society where 20 political parties registered in the election, while the people are also ready. So, what they say contradicted the law, he said.

It's an act of showing political monopoly, announcing that unless there is the CNRP, the people cannot vote. The law and democracy don't state there should be this or that political party, he added.

However, Rainsy said on Facebook that the election would be fake if the countrys main opposition party was not reinstated.

We must continue the resistance we started in 2013 by boycotting the fake election in 2018. This time, staying at home means voting in our hearts for the CNRP, he wrote.

Rhona Smith, the U.N.s human rights envoy to Cambodia, has said that the election would not be genuine if the main opposition party is barred from taking part.

Four political parties, including the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party, have registered for the election. Other than the CPP, the Cambodian Youth Party, Khmer National United Party, and Funcinpec Party will contest the vote. Only the CPP and dissolved CNRP previously held any seats in the National Assembly.
The Cambodian government has mocked U.S.-based Human Rights Watch for calling for the release of two jailed journalists.

The rights group, HRW, had called for the release of Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, two Radio Free Asia reporters who were jailed on treason charges for allegedly continuing to work for RFA after it had left the country under government pressure.

Chin Malin, justice spokesman, urged HRW to participate in the legal process, rather than criticizing the Cambodian legal system.

Rather than issuing statements without legal basis and being vengeful, they should study technical aspects of law, and participate in the court procedures, meaning that seeking clear evidence, studying the law and facts, and gathering firm explanations, looking for smart lawyers to take part in the legal battle over this case in the courts. It's better to do this, he said.

HRW said in a statement last week that the charges against Chhin and Sothearin were fabricated.

Ahead of Julys national elections, Prime Minister Hun Sen has been filling Cambodias prisons with journalists, activists, and politicians, Brad Adams, HRWs Asia director, was quoted as saying a statement.

In its reprisals against RFA for its critical reporting, the government has concocted absurd espionage charges against former journalists, who should be freed immediately.

The journalists arrests in November were part of Prime Minister Hun Sens ongoing crackdown on the media, civil society, and Cambodias political opposition.

The journalists were first accused of espionage, before being accused of producing pornography and charged with trafficking and sexual exploitation offenses.

Keo Vanny, a lawyer for the reporters, said he had yet to be presented with any evidence to support the governments claims.

For my side as a lawyer in this case and as a legal expert, I haven't seen any evidence ... on them from the courts side, he said.

The courts are due to announce a verdict in the case on Friday.
North Korea calls off talks with the South. U.S. and Chinese trade negotiators meet again. Soybean farmers are concerned about trade. VOA Asia Business Scene, containing rabies, and chasing the American dream in Hollywood.
On this Straight Talk Africa host Shaka Ssali talks about the referendum that took place in Burundi to extend President Pierre Nkurunzizas time in office with guests Mohammed Yusuf, VOAs reporter in Bujumbura, Frederic Nkundikije, Managing Editor of VOA's Central Africa Service and from France Leonard Nyangoma, Chairman of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy, CNDD (a major Burundian opposition political party). Join veteran journalist Shaka Ssali on Straight Talk Africa every Wednesday as he and his guests discuss topics of special interest to Africans, including politics, economic development, press freedom, health, social issues and conflict resolution.
The United States is a land of opportunity for many immigrants. But some who come to the US often face big hurdles. The challenges can be especially great for immigrant women trying to succeed in male dominated careers in STEM fields: for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. VOA spoke with three Afghan women, all of whom prove that where there is a will, theres usually a way. Zheela Noori went to Silicon Valley to find out what drives them. Freshta Azizi narrates.
Afghan security forces re-established full government control Wednesday over the capital of western Farah province, a day after the Taliban insurgency came close to capturing the city near the Iranian border.



A major coordinated assault early Tuesday had enabled the insurgents to enter Farah and take control of key government installations, including police and intelligence headquarters.



Provincial governor Abdul Baser Salangi told VOA a counteroffensive by Afghan forces, backed by U.S. airstrikes, inflicted more than 300 fatalities on the Taliban, forcing the rebels to retreat from the city.

Salangi also confirmed the killing of at least 25 Afghan forces and several civilians in Tuesday's clashes with insurgents. He estimated that about 2,000 rebel fighters took part in the attack.



The U.S. military also released video footage of airstrikes it conducted on Taliban positions in support of Afghan forces.

But Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi rejected the official claims, saying its fighters killed 63 "enemy" forces before staging a "tactical" withdrawal from Farah to transport seized military equipment and vehicles back to their bases around the city.



Ahmadi asserted the Taliban lost only nine combatants after achieving its mission, and without any opposition, withdrew from the area  claims residents also reportedly supported.

Witnesses said life returned to normal and markets opened after the fighting died down on Wednesday. A large number of families who had fled Tuesday's fighting also returned to their homes.



Afghan officials praised the U.S.-backed security forces for retaking control of Farah. Reports quoted residents, however, as saying Taliban fighters were patrolling city streets without fear after capturing parts of it.



Local media quoted the provincial police chief on Wednesday as alleging Iran was funding and arming Taliban insurgents in Farah. Tehran acknowledges contacts with the insurgents, but denies providing any military support.



The insurgent advances in Farah, though short-lived, have refueled criticism of President Ashraf Ghani's central government.

A city of about 50,000 people, Farah is a major poppy-producing area in western Afghanistan and has been under pressure from the Taliban since 2016, when the rebels came close to almost overrunning it.

Ghazni clashes

Meanwhile, fierce clashes reportedly were raging in two districts of the troubled central province of Ghazni after Taliban insurgents launched major attacks overnight. Local media quoted members of the provincial council as saying the fighting in Zana Khan and Jaghato districts killed at least 22 Afghan security personnel.



Since launching its annual spring offensive three weeks ago, the Taliban have made significant territorial advances and inflicted heavy casualties on government forces. The fighting and attacks have killed nearly 400 Afghan forces since the beginning of May.

Separately, President Ghani apologized Wednesday to the families of civilians who lost their children last month in airstrikes the Afghan air force conducted on a religious seminary or madrasa in the northern Kunduz province.



A United Nations probe into the April 2 attack in Taliban-controlled Dasht-e-Archi district confirmed the killing of 36 civilians, including 30 children. More than 50 children were among 71 wounded.



The government had insisted from the outset the air force targeted a Taliban base in the district and denied civilians had been hurt. An official statement said Wednesday that President Ghani met families of the victims, as well as elders from Kunduz, and he apologized for the incident.



A presidential statement quoted Ghani as saying the "difference between evildoers and a legitimate government is that a legitimate government apologizes for the mistakes made. The president promised that the government would pay compensation to the families.
Malaysian reformist politician Anwar Ibrahim is welcoming "a new dawn" for his country.

Anwar's three-year imprisonment ended Wednesday after he was granted a royal pardon. The 70-year-old politician was greeted by hundreds of supporters as he walked out of a hospital in Kuala Lumpur where he was receiving treatment for a shoulder injury, and headed for a meeting with King Sultan Muhammad V.

Anwar's release and pardon follows his Alliance of Hope party scoring an upset victory in last week's parliamentary elections, ousting scandal-tainted Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Barisan Nasional coalition, which ruled Malaysia uninterrupted for more than six decades.

Anwar praised Malaysians for his party's victory, saying "regardless of race or religion, have stood by the principles of democracy and freedom."

The party's victory was paved by a reconciliation between Anwar and 92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, who ruled Malaysia with an iron fist from 1981 to 2003, and came out of retirement to lead the Alliance of Hope to victory. Anwar served as deputy prime minister and finance minister under Mahathir, and was seen as Mahathir's heir-apparent until he was fired in 1999. The fallout led to Anwar's conviction and six-year imprisonment on a charge of sodomy.

Anwar says he has forgiven Mahathir, but has no plans to join the older man's Cabinet. Mahathir, the world's oldest elected leader, says he will run the government for two years before turning over the reins to Anwar, who must first be re-elected to parliament.

Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, serves as deputy prime minister.
At least a dozen armed policemen entered the home of ousted Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak late Wednesday after he returned from prayers at a mosque, Reuters witnesses said.

The police are searching for evidence and documents at the house in connection with an ongoing investigation, media reports said, without elaborating.

Several dozen policemen were also seen at a luxury condominium in another district of the capital, Kuala Lumpur, where Najib has an apartment.

A police spokeswoman could not be contacted for comment.

More than 100 journalists and onlookers were outside Najib's family home past midnight. The events were being streamed live on Facebook by local media and one account had attracted nearly 8,000 viewers.

Najib's long-ruling political coalition was defeated in a general election last week, and just days later new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad barred him and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, from leaving the country.

Mahathir, 92, has said there is sufficient evidence to investigate a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was founded by Najib.

Najib, once Mahathir's protege, has denied any wrongdoing.

The scandal is being investigated by police in at least six countries, including the United States.

Mahathir has replaced the attorney general and officials at the anti-graft agency, in what appears to be a purge of people seen as close to the former premier.

Earlier Wednesday, jailed reformist Anwar Ibrahim was granted a full pardon and freed, underlining the dramatic changes in the Southeast Asian country in the last seven days.

Anwar teamed up with Mahathir, his ally-turned-foe-turned-ally, to oust Najib. However, the relationship between the two remains volatile, and will largely determine what course Malaysia will chart in the coming months.

Anwar, 70, said he would like to take time off with his family and did not intend to join the cabinet any time soon. He said he would support the government led by Mahathir and Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is Anwar's wife.

"I've told Tun Mahathir, I don't need to serve in the cabinet for now," Anwar said, using an honorific for the prime minister.

Anwar was Mahathir's deputy in the 1990s, but fell out with his mentor during the Asian financial crisis. He was sacked from the ruling party and founded the Reformasi (Reform) movement, challenging Mahathir's government. Within weeks, he was arrested and jailed on charges of sodomy and corruption.

Forgiven

Images at the time of a goateed, bespectacled Anwar in court with a black eye and bruises brought condemnation of Mahathir from around the world.

Anwar's trial became a spectacle, with prosecutors at one stage bringing out what they said was a semen-stained mattress allegedly used when he had sex with two male aides.

After being freed in 2004, Anwar was jailed a second time for sodomy in 2015, when Najib was in power.

Both times, he and his supporters said the charges were politically motivated.

Anwar told a news conference at his home on Wednesday that he had forgiven Mahathir, who was a pugnacious and uncompromising prime minister for 22 years from 1981.

"I and Mahathir have buried the hatchet already, it was a long time ago," Anwar said. "I have forgiven him, he has proved his mettle. Why should I harbor any malice toward him?"

The pardon, which enables Anwar to re-enter politics immediately, was granted on the grounds that there had been a miscarriage of justice.

Mahathir had promised during the election campaign that he would step down and let Anwar be prime minister if he won the poll, but said this week he planned to stay in the post for one or two years.

On Wednesday, Mahathir's government effectively abolished a goods and services tax that has been blamed for raising the cost of living for the poor and was a factor in the shocking defeat of Najib's Barisan Nasional coalition, which had ruled Malaysia for six decades.

The new government has said it also planned to repeal a recently passed Anti-Fake News law and other laws seen as restricting press freedom.

Mahathir also seemed to be racing ahead with investigations into the 1MDB affair.

"It looks very likely that Najib will face the full force of the law," said Adib Zalkapli, a Kuala Lumpur-based analyst with risk consultancy Vriens & Partners. "Just last week nobody would have thought that this posh boarding school boy would be rear ended by his old political headmaster."
Bangladesh's Supreme Court has upheld a lower court's decision to grant bail to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

Zia was convicted back in February on charges of embezzling up to $250,000 from a trust fund dedicated to an orphanage during her tenure as prime minister from 2001-2006. She was sentenced to five years in prison.

The conviction bars the 72-year-old Zia, the head of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, from running in the next national elections set for December. Her lawyers have denounced the case as politically motivated.

Bangladesh's political scene has been dominated by a bitter rivalry between Zia and current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter and widow of assassinated presidents, who have traded power back and forth for decades.
Thursday's controversial referendum could extend the president's term in office to seven years and allow him to run for two consecutive terms. In a worst case scenario, rights groups fear the referendum could spark a new Burundian civil war.

Politicians have had their chance to argue the case for and against changing the constitution, but their debate has focused on the political system. Bujumbura residents say the proposed changes do not address their day-to-day problems.



Bujumbura was quiet and peaceful Wednesday. But behind the bustling streets and smiling faces lie fear and uncertainty.



For the most part, ordinary Burundians have been reluctant to talk about the referendum in public for fear of reprisals. One of the few willing to speak, Victor Kabera, a tailor, said he just wants a safe place to live and work.



He said the referendum vote is not important to him. Even if it takes two to three years, politicians can still go ahead and do it. But he said what the people are crying for is safety and security.

The most controversial amendment would extend the president's term from five years to seven, and effectively allow President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for two additional terms.



Nkurunziza has led the Central African country since 2005. His decision to run for a third term in 2015 led to violence and unrest that prompted 400,000 Burundians to flee the country.



The ruling party CNDD FDD said the changes would bring stability to the country's political system. Critics say they would simply strengthen Nkurunziza's hold on power.



Leonard, a university graduate who only gave his first name, told VOA he does not see why he should vote. He said he will go because it is his right, but he does not know what will happen. Something bad may happen, he added, and he does not see how this constitutional change is going to benefit him as an ordinary person.

Divine Irakoze, who lives in a Bujumbura neighborhood that has seen much violence is the past three years, said the changes should have been on how to improve security, build peace and the economy.

She said changes and development will lead to an end to ongoing killings and disappearances. And if killings and disappearances end, she said people will be free to speak and build a democratic society.



Rights groups say killings, intimidation, and attacks on civilians have become a common occurrence in Burundi. In a worst case scenario, they fear the referendum could spark a new Burundian civil war.
Canada's federal government will cover financial losses a pipeline builder might suffer if British Colombia's provincial government continues to obstruct the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, the country's finance minister said Wednesday.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau also said that other investors would step in if Houston-based Kinder Morgan backs out of the expansion, which would triple the capacity of a line carrying oil from Alberta to a Pacific port.

Kinder Morgan has halted essential spending on the project and says it will cancel it altogether if the national and provincial governments cannot guarantee it. British Colombia's leftist premier has objected to the plan on environmental grounds. The company set a May 31 deadline.

The line would allow Canada to diversify and increase exports to Asia, where it could command a higher price. Canada has the world's third-largest oil reserves but 99 percent of its exports now go to refiners in the U.S., where limits on pipeline and refinery capacity mean Canadian oil sells at a discount.

But the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion would dramatically increase the number of oil tankers traveling the shared waters between Canada and Washington state. Aboriginal leaders and environmentalists have pledged to do whatever necessary to thwart it, including chaining themselves to construction equipment. British Columbia's new government has launched legal challenges.

"This is an exceptional situation," Morneau said.

Morneau has been engaged in talks with Kinder Morgan.

"Discussions with Kinder Morgan continue  and we are striving to get to an agreement by the May 31 deadline," he said.
China has proposed hosting a new round of three-way talks with Pakistan and Afghanistan this month to continue with its diplomatic push in helping the two neighboring countries improve their strained bilateral ties.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing told an unofficial conference of government representatives and experts from the three countries in Islamabad on Tuesday that Beijing had initiated the trilateral vice foreign ministers-level dialogue in 2015. He said that since then, several rounds of talks have taken place, with the mission of easing Kabul's tensions with Islamabad and promoting security, counterterrorism and economic cooperation among the three nations.

"So, for this purpose the Chinese government has proposed to ... hold the next round of the strategic dialogue and also the practical cooperation dialogue at the end of this month in Beijing," Jing announced.

The engagement will further enhance "our sense of common community, our sense of development, our sense of common destiny for the three countries," he added.

The ambassador underscored that without the participation and common development of neighboring countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, Beijing could not achieve development of western China under its global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Major investments

China is investing billions of dollars in Pakistan to build road, rail and communication infrastructure, power plants and ports to connect the two countries. Beijing has declared the megaproject, known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as the flagship project of BRI.

But both Chinese and Pakistani officials admit a peaceful Afghanistan is vital for promoting mutual and regional economic cooperation.

"Afghanistan, Pakistan occupy the central part, the hub of this initiative. ... Afghanistan is so crucial for the success of this initiative," Jing said.

He praised Islamabad and Kabul for achieving progress in bilateral negotiations hosted on Monday by Pakistan.

Senior foreign ministry officials of the two countries have agreed after months of deliberations to further bilateral engagements under a formal framework for resolving issues straining mutual ties and for promoting a peaceful end to the Afghan war.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also issued its formal reaction to the progress made in Monday's talks between the two estranged neighbors.

"We believe that it will help create an enabling environment for the early realization of peace in Afghanistan and contribute to the two sides' efforts to uphold peace and development of their two countries, as well as the whole region," ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.

Trade, security talks

While addressing Tuesday's trilateral conference, Afghan Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal appeared upbeat about Kabul's security and trade-related talks with Islamabad, and said they were on track. He noted that impediments in trade and transit to his landlocked country through Pakistan had been significantly reduced as a result of recent engagements.

Zakhilwal credited an improved environment for Monday's productive talks, where both sides agreed on the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) framework of dialogue formulated by Islamabad.

"It took us only three hours to finalize [the APAPPS] and inshallah [God willing], we will put it to implementation," the Afghan ambassador vowed.

"There is now more direct military-to-military contact. A lot of disputes that arise, now they directly talk to each other and defuse tensions along the Durand Line [Pakistan-Afghanistan border]," Zakhilwal said. He noted that both countries were working on more bilateral high-level visits.

Afghanistan and Pakistan share a nearly 2,600-kilometer, largely porous border. Islamabad has lately started constructing a fence on the frontier to stop terrorist infiltration in either direction, officials say. The plan has fueled tensions and often provokes cross-border skirmishes because Kabul disputes the British early demarcation of 1893.

Pakistan's National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua, while speaking at Tuesday's conference, acknowledged China's proactive diplomacy was helping to ease regional tensions. He emphasized the need for both countries to separate politics from economic ties.

"Pakistan and Afghanistan should complement each other by becoming a trade corridor. And that is where China is a great help. ... Pakistan, Afghanistan, let us value each other. Let us make use of this opportunity. Let's engage ourselves constructively, if not for ourselves, for our children," Janjua said.

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan stem from allegations that the Taliban uses sanctuaries on Pakistani soil to sustain its violent campaign, while Islamabad says fugitive anti-state militants use "ungoverned" Afghan areas to plot terrorist attacks against the country.

Efforts on Taliban

Pakistan's Janjua and China's Jing both praised Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's recent offer of peace talks to the Taliban insurgency. The insurgents have not yet responded, and instead have intensified attacks in Afghanistan.

"It is for the first time ever that such an initiative has been taken that peace has been given a chance. We have not succeeded in Afghanistan because everyone has been investing in the war. This is for the first time that we are talking of peace," Janjua noted.

The Pakistani adviser explained the importance of Afghan peace for his nation: "We all are aware that we have got a war haunting our streets, haunting our children anywhere and everywhere, same as Afghanistan. That's why I say that we are partners in pains and sufferings."

China, Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past two years also have launched a trilateral engagement at the foreign ministers level, and the three sides are scheduled to meet in Kabul for another round of talks later this year.

Beijing is engaged economically in Afghanistan, but its active political involvement in promoting Afghan peace stems from concerns that continued Afghan war and instability will encourage terrorist groups like Islamic State to expand their footprints in the region and ultimately will threaten the restive western Chinese region of Xinjiang.

"This terrorism is a regional problem, and I think a regional problem needed a regional approach to deal with it. So, China, we definitely want to engage Afghanistan, engage Pakistan along with other regional partners in successfully dealing with the challenge of terrorism," Jing said.
China on Wednesday urged ally North Korea not to cancel a historic summit between its leader, Kim Jong Un, and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The call came as President Xi Jinping met with a delegation from North Korea's ruling Worker's Party, at which he expressed support for the North's avowed new emphasis on economic development, along with improving relations with South Korea.



"We support the improvement of North-South [Korean] relations, the promotion of dialogue between North Korea and the U.S., denuclearization on the peninsula and North Korea's development of its economy,'' Xi was quoted as saying by state broadcaster CCTV.



Neither CCTV nor the official Xinhua News Agency said whether the Kim-Trump summit was discussed.



At a daily briefing, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said North Korea and the U.S. should ensure the summit proceeds as planned and yields "substantial outcomes."



"Only in this way can we consolidate the alleviation of the situation and maintain peace and stability in the region," Lu said.



Kim and Trump are due to meet in Singapore on June 12, but North Korea on Wednesday threatened to withdraw, saying it has no interest in a "one-sided" meeting meant to pressure it into abandoning its nuclear weapons.



North Korea's warning came hours after it abruptly canceled a high-level meeting with South Korea to protest U.S.-South Korean military exercises.



China has called for the building of mutual trust through the suspension of large-scale U.S. and South Korean war games in return for a halt of the North's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests.



Xi has met twice with Kim over the past two months in what is seen as an attempt to ensure China's interests are upheld in any negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea.

Analysts said North Korea's threat to scuttle the summit is likely an attempt to gain leverage over Washington, which has demanded the North immediately and irreversibly cease its nuclear weapons program.



In his meeting with Xi last week, Kim registered his desire for Chinese support in the talks, particularly his call for a "phased and synchronous" approach to denuclearization, as opposed to Trump's demand for an immediate end to its nuclear program.



China is North Korea's most important economic partner and has long sought to convince it to follow Beijing's path of enacting free market reforms while maintaining tight single-party rule.



At his meeting with Xi, the leader of the North Korean delegation, Pak Thae Song, said he had been entrusted with consolidating recent agreements between Kim and Xi as well as studying China's model of economic development and "reform and opening."



"We will play an active role in carrying out our party's new strategic line of prioritizing economic development," Pak, a vice chairman of the Workers' Party Central Committee, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.



China-North Korea relations appear to have outwardly improved following Kim's March visit to Beijing  his first trip abroad since taking power six years ago.



However, China's strict enforcement of United Nations economic sanctions are believed to have brought economic pain to the North, which suffers from chronic food insecurity and a shortage of fuel and foreign exchange to buy needed imports.
The head of a new commission formed to expose the truth behind human rights abuses committed during Colombia's long civil war has said it will focus on society's "most fragile" and look at why sexual violence against women was so prominent.

The 11-member truth commission, part of a 2016 peace deal between the government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, started work this month and will convene hearings on select incidents of violence.

It is headed by Francisco de Roux, a 74-year-old Jesuit priest who has spent most of his life promoting peace efforts among warring factions and helping rural communities caught in the crossfire.

"We have been asked to focus on the most fragile of victims  women, children, old people, indigenous and Afro-Colombian groups, and LGBT people," he told Reuters in an interview.

"We want to establish what were the main patterns behind the biggest human rights violations ... the patterns that explain why women were raped, why land was stolen, why mass displacement occurred, why people were forcibly disappeared, why 30,000 people were kidnapped."

More than 220,000 people have been killed during the Andean country's conflict between the government, leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and drug traffickers.

There are an estimated 8 million war victims, 7 million of whom are displaced. One Marxist guerrilla group and myriad crime gangs remain active.

Some of the worst violence was inflicted on women, and de Roux said the commission would investigate why.

"Most probably we will find that how women were treated in such a violent way [was down to] the macho and patriarchal culture, which is something deep inside of us that treats women as inferior human beings," de Roux said.

Healing wounds

Authorities have said the government-funded commission, which includes a philosopher, an indigenous lawyer and an economist, will not be able to hear about every injustice because there are too many, but it will help to heal wounds.

Over the next three years, it will hold public hearings across Colombia and collect testimony from victims and perpetrators.

Its remit does not include prosecution, and de Roux said it would be difficult to establish a consensus on what caused the violence in a society still deeply divided.

"There will be many hypotheses to explain the problem of violence and often we will not be able to reach an objective truth," he said.

"Truth is more of an intention that human beings have to reach reality but we often fail to achieve it. What we get are hypotheses that, at best, can answer pertinent questions."

Instead, Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace tribunal, set up earlier this year, will try FARC leaders and military officials for war crimes.

Indifference

One of the challenges the commission faces is the widespread indifference of Colombians to the suffering inflicted during the 52-year conflict, de Roux said.

"One of the problems we have to clarify is why the conflict led us to a very deep indifference," de Roux said, citing levels of "social and cultural trauma" that have led to problems being ignored as a survival mechanism.

Experts say truth commissions in other parts of Latin America, from Guatemala and El Salvador to Argentina, have only offered a limited version of the truth and a starting point from which to heal the wounds of war.

"I think that some Colombians are ready to hear the truth, while others aren't," de Roux said.

"But we don't have a choice. I'm convinced that the truth is vital. It's absolutely necessary if we want to build a different kind of country."
Leather-clad bikers with Russian national flags joined motorists driving for the first time across a newly-opened bridge linking Crimea with Russia on Wednesday.

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday unveiled the new bridge to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. He chatted to workmen in overalls and drove a heavy, orange truck across the bridge's 19-km (12 miles) length.

On Wednesday, the road was open to the public. Some local residents on the Crimean side of the bridge waved from the roadside as a convoy of bikers, among them the leader of a pro-Kremlin biker group, tooted their horns on their way ontothe peninsula.

Some Russians have dubbed the road-and-rail bridge designed to link Crimea into Russia's transport network "Putin's bridge."

Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 drew sanctions and prompted a deterioration in ties with the West.

Many in Russia saw the move as restoring Moscow's rule over a historically Russian region.

"The Crimea bridge is a link," said Andrey Merkulov, a resident from Sevastopol at the bridge on the Crimean side. "It is the greatness and might of my country. It's yet more proof of this might and greatness."

Some Crimean residents said they had driven through the night from the peninsula's biggest city, Sevastopol, to attend what they described as a historic moment.

"We came to participate in the opening [of the bridge], to drive on it for the first time," said Aleksandr Karavayev, a resident of Sevastopol.

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Tuesday the bridge was illegal. The European Union and the United States also used the opening of the bridge to condemn the annexation of Crimea.
Kenya has approved a controversial new cybercrimes law that threatens heavy penalties for people who abuse others via social media  and that some critics contend could be used to stifle freedom of expression.

Among other things, the computer and cybercrimes legislation  which President Uhuru Kenyatta signed into law on Wednesday  makes it a crime to publish so-called false information, with hefty fines and prison terms for those found guilty.

The law does not define false information, saying only that it's a criminal offense to intentionally publish false, misleading or fictitious data, or to intentionally misinform. Violators could face fines of up to almost $50,000 or two years in prison, or both.

Joe Mucheru, Kenya's cabinet secretary for information, communication and technology, said his ministry spent more than two years getting the bill through parliament.

"There was a push to get this bill in place, especially with some of the nuisances that come in with the use this technology," Mucheru said. He said some people "are insecure because of cyber-bullying. Some have lost money, others are writing fake news about them."

Mucheru said the law was both necessary and constitutional.

"This technology is transforming our lives; we must have laws," he said. " The constitution provides very clearly the freedoms of media, so this law has not gone against any of the constitutional requirements that we have already in place."

Legislation criticized

Freedom House, an international watchdog for democracy, responded with a statement calling the new cybercrimes law "another step backward for media freedom and online expression in Kenya."

By criminalizing the publication of false information, the government has overstepped its bounds and become an arbiter of truth on the internet," Morris Odhiambo, the group's regional project director for East and Horn of Africa, said in the statement. "The laws broadly worded provisions and possible jail terms are ripe for abuse by public officials looking to silence critical reporting online."

As an example, Odhiambo cited the Kenyan government's temporary closure of three media groups in January.

Last week, the Committee to Protect Journalists released a statement urging Kenyatta against signing the bill, saying it would "stifle press freedom."

Angela Quintal, CPJ's Africa program coordinator, said that the legislation "will criminalize free speech, with journalists and bloggers likely to be among the first victims if it is signed into law."

Concern over imprecision

Robert Alai, a Kenyan blogger who has been arrested several times for his comments on social media, considers the law too vague.

"When you talk of fake news, this is an issue still under discussion," Alai said. "... No state has clearly stated what is fake news. Something which is fake to me may not be fake to you. Some people brand everything they do not agree with as fake news. The law is not fair.

Alai said aspects of the law would greatly affect Kenyans' freedom of expression.

The real media now is the individual who is holding a phone. That is the media which is going to be affected," he said. "That is the media which is trying to be intimidated through this law.

The law covers crimes such as cyber-espionage, identity theft and child pornography as well, mandating long prison terms and heavy fines for those found guilty. The new law also allows authorities to search and seize stored computer data, and to collect and intercept data in real time.
From masks and mugs to tea-bags and even condoms, royal fans can get their hands on all sorts of memorabilia to commemorate Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's upcoming wedding.

The names and faces of Queen Elizabeth's grandson and his American fiance adorn merchandise in shops across the British town of Windsor, where the couple will marry on Saturday and where vendors hope to capitalize on interest from locals and tourists.

Bags, cups, plates and "Harry" and "Meghan" jars of yeast extract, a spread usually eaten on toast, are on display on store shelves and in windows, alongside flags, cuddly toys and party wear.

"Our shoppers like to have something to remember the day by," Anthony Edwards, of Daniel department store, said. "We've got customers who bought 130 of the miniature magnets because they're celebrating their wedding on the same day."

The Royal Mint has unveiled a special coin, while Crown Jewels of London is selling "royal wedding souvenir condoms," presented in a box playing "an exclusive musical arrangement of 'God Save the Queen' and 'The Star Spangled Banner.'"

One consultancy has estimated the wedding could boost the UK economy by one billion pounds.

UK economic forecasting group EY ITEM Club said last week it expects the lift to be "limited."

"There should be some benefits to the UK economy from the royal wedding, although we would be wary of over-egging the potential impact or seeking to put a hard figure on the potential gains," Howard Archer, chief economic advisor to the EY ITEM Club, said in a statement.

"We suspect there will be a very limited, temporary boost to the economy focused on some sectors, notably retail, tourism and, possibly, catering and pubs."

Outside Windsor Castle, where Britain's sixth-in-line to the throne and the actress will marry, Kevin Ball has set up a small stall of commemorative caps and scarves on a bicycle to be able to move among the huge crowds expected.

"My mother-in-law is 87 now and she's pulling out things from Queen Elizabeth's wedding .... People like to look back on it in years to come," he said.

At the "King and Queen" gift shop, a steady flow of customers are picking their souvenirs.

"Everybody's going crazy," Alan Earwaker, 70, said after buying a commemorative mug. "I've got people over from Brazil, they're buying loads and loads of stuff to take back.... Everybody's wedding mad."
European Council President Donald Tusk blasted U.S. President Donald Trump Tuesday, saying the European Union "should be grateful." Writing on Twitter, he said Trump's recent actions have eliminated any "illusions" of collaboration between the continent and the U.S.

Tusk's comments came in response to Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement and his threat to impose punitive trade sanctions on the 28-nation European Union.



European Union leaders met in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia Wednesday to consider options to keep the Iran nuclear deal intact and to protect the union's economic cooperation efforts with Iran that began to revive after Trump pulled out of the pact.



After listing long-term challenges confronting the EU, such as Russian aggression and China's expansion as a global power, Tusk said at a news conference, "We are witnessing today a new phenomenon, the capricious assertiveness of the American administration."



EU leaders are not expected to make any quick decisions. But they are expected to continue to adhere to the provisions of the deal and to consider options to shield European investments in Iran, which many EU nations hope to benefit from.
The European Unions top diplomat said on Tuesday Communist-run Cuba could help broker fresh dialogue between the government and opposition in Venezuela, despite Havanas frequent assurances the crisis afflicting its leftist ally was a sovereign matter.

Federica Mogherini made the comments at a news conference in Brussels after hosting the EU's first joint council with Cuba since the bloc dropped all sanctions on the island and agreed on a political framework within which to strengthen ties.

The EU has said it is now Cubas top trade and investment partner, and arguably plays a bigger role than traditional allies like Venezuela or Russia as the island implements market reforms to its centrally-planned economy.

Analysts say the EU has also taken advantage of U.S. indifference or a diplomatic vacuum, as the Trump administration backtracks on a fragile detente with Cuba.

I personally believe that Cuba could play a positive role in trying to avoid further negative developments (in Venezuela) and trying to re-open and negotiate a political solution and dialogue, Mogherini told joint news conference with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

Venezuela will hold a presidential election on May 20 that the opposition coalition is boycotting, saying it is a farce intended to legitimize a dictatorship led by President Nicolas Maduro.

The Lima Group of largely Latin American nations on Monday urged the Venezuelan government to suspend the vote, calling the process illegitimate and lacking in credibility.

Cuba has played the role of broker in several disputes in recent years, notably hosting peace talks between the Colombian government and Marxist rebel groups it has been at war with for five decades.

The Cuban government has stood steadfast by Venezuela, denouncing foreign interference in its internal affairs, despite a sharp decline in subsidized Venezuelan oil shipments amid the OPEC nation's economic crisis.

The EU has sent several high-level delegations to Cuba this year. First Mogherini visited, then a delegation from the European Investment Bank.

The bloc signed on Tuesday an agreement with Cuba to invest 18 million euros to help its achieve its ambitious goals in terms of developing renewable energy on the island.

The EU has said it will sign cooperation agreements worth 49 million euros in total.
European and Iranian foreign ministers are working to salvage the nuclear deal, after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the pact.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said European and Iranian officials held talks to address various challenges  from maintaining and deepening economic, transport and financial relations, to protecting European companies doing business with Iran in light of promised U.S. economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

WATCH: Iran sanctions

Despite reported calls for a new or broader deal, Mogherini said the goal was to retain the 2015 agreement.

"If we want to save this deal  which is not an easy exercise  but if we want to save this deal, we know that the sooner we manage to do it, the better," Mogherini said. "Again, it will not be easy.  But if I can use the metaphor, we all have a relative in intensive care, and we want to get him out of intensive care as soon as possible."

Mogherini spoke after talks Tuesday between the foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany and their Iranian counterpart, Mohammed Javad Zarif.

Zarif said Tehran wants to make sure that the interests of the deal's "remaining participants, particularly Iran, will be preserved and guaranteed."

Trump said the agreement was insufficient in curbing Iran's nuclear program and its role in Middle East conflicts, and in addressing what happens after the deal expires.

Mogherini, however, said the EU believes the nuclear deal should be considered separately from other areas of disagreement with Iran.

"We are, and we have always been, clear on this: There are more chances and more possibilities to open avenues of discussions on other issues, if the Iranian deal stays in place rather than not," she said.

European leaders will be discussing the nuclear deal at a summit in Bulgaria that starts Wednesday.
Exiled Burundian activists and the Paris-based FIDH, or International Federation for Human Rights, are sending a strong message to world powers: It's time to impose more effective sanctions and other measures on President Pierre Nkurunziza and his government.

Burundian journalist Elyse Ngabire, who said she fled to France in 2015 after receiving death threats, said the international community must take measures that will force the ruling power into negotiations to end the crisis.

That call came as Burundians prepare to vote Thursday on a proposal to extend the president's term in office from five to seven years. That could allow Nkurunziza already on his third mandate after a controversial 2015 election  to stay in office for another 14 years.

Rights groups say violence that erupted with that 2015 vote has killed more than 1,700 people and uprooted another 400,000. Burundi's bishops, the United States and the European Union and others have denounced violence, intimidation and other excesses targeting opponents of the proposed constitutional changes.

Burundian authorities deny they target their own citizens, claiming exiled activists are spreading propaganda.

FIDH deputy Africa bureau head Tcherina Jerolon issued a warning to international powers that helped secure the 2000 Arusha peace deal that helped to end years of civil war.

"There is a risk to reduce the whole credibility of the involvement of the international community in the peace process ... in this context and in this region," Jerolon said. "DRC is at risk, we have the situation in South Sudan, the situation in Central African Republic ... there really is a need to have consistency and coherence."

Burundian activist Pierre Claver Mbonimpa fears the fallout of the referendum and warned that Burundi could again tip into civil conflict.
The Farnese Blue diamond, which was passed down through European royal families for 300 years, sold at auction Tuesday in Geneva for 6.7 million Swiss francs ($6.7 million), beating auctioneers Sotheby's estimate of 3.5-5.0 million.

The 6.16 carat, dark gray-blue gem from the Golconda diamond mines of India was first given to Elisabeth Farnese, daughter of the Duke of Parma, in 1715 when she married Philip V of Spain.

It was passed down through more than seven generations and, as their descendants married into other European families, it traveled from Spain to France, Italy and Austria.

Two other jewels went for even higher prices, also eclipsing their estimates. An oval diamond ring weighing 50.39 carats went for 8.1 million francs, while a round brilliant-cut diamond weighing 51.71 carats sold for 9.26 million francs.
An international human rights group is urging people to write to Iran's government to ask it to free a jailed Iranian teachers' rights advocate who has been on a hunger strike for three weeks.

London-based Amnesty International made the appeal in a Tuesday tweet linking to an online petition for the release of Esmail Abdi, a Tehran-based Iranian mathematics teacher and trade unionist. He has been serving a six-year prison sentence since November 2016 on charges of spreading propaganda and committing national security crimes.

In a Monday tweet, Amnesty said Abdi has been on a hunger strike since April 24. It had reported the start of his hunger strike on April 25, saying it learned of the protest from his wife.

Amnesty has described Abdi, a board member of the Tehran Teachers' Trade Association, as a prisoner of conscience. It said he began his hunger strike to protest Iran's suppression of trade unions and harsh conditions of his detention at Tehran's Evin prison.

Iranian authorities first arrested Abdi in June 2015 as he was planning to attend an overseas education conference to promote his campaign for quality education in Iran. They released him on bail in May 2016 after he went on a two-week hunger strike. But an appeals court upheld a six-year prison sentence against him in October of that year, and authorities jailed him again the following month.

Amnesty said forming trade unions and engaging in collective bargaining and strikes are universal human rights.

Iran's security forces have frequently detained Iranians engaging in such activities as part of a crackdown on anti-government protests that have persisted across the country since December.

This report was produced in collaboration with VOA's Persian service.
Gina Haspel is on track for confirmation as the Central Intelligence Agency's next director after a Senate panel voted 10-5 Wednesday in favor of the nominee.

At least five Democrats are expected to join a nearly united Republican caucus in backing Haspel, currently the CIA's acting director, when the full Senate holds a final confirmation vote, likely next week.

"She's the best person in the world to run the agency," Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio told VOA shortly after the vote by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

President Donald Trump's selection of Haspel sparked controversy, given the career CIA employee's oversight of harsh detainee interrogations after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S. and her backing of the spy agency's destruction of videotapes showing what many legal scholars say was the torture of terror suspects.

At her confirmation hearing last week, Haspel told the Intelligence Committee her post-9/11 actions had the backing of the Justice Department and came during a period of intense fears about U.S. security.

"She has acted morally, ethically, and legally, over a distinguished 30-year career and is the right person to lead the Agency into an uncertain and challenging future," the committee's chairman, North Carolina Republican Richard Burr, said in a statement.

Several Democrats sharply disagreed, alleging that, as acting CIA director, Haspel engineered an incomplete disclosure of her record to senators and the broader American public.

"The Haspel nomination is one of the most self-serving abuses of power in recent history," said Ron Wyden of Oregon. "I don't know of another occasion when the person who was up for nomination was given the sole ability to decide what about her background would be classified and what wouldn't."

"Gina Haspel chose to be an accessory to the CIA's illegal and unconstitutional torture regime, supporting waterboarding and the outright humiliation of prisoners," Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada said in a statement. "Her complicity darkened the light of America's legal system and rule of law to the entire world, threatened the safety of our troops in combat, and ignored every principle of international human rights."

During her confirmation hearing, Haspel repeatedly declined to say whether harsh interrogation techniques were morally wrong. Earlier this week, however, she wrote a letter to the committee's top Democrat, Mark Warner of Virginia, saying the CIA should not have conducted abusive interrogations.

"As Director of the CIA, Gina Haspel will be the first operations officer in more than five decades to lead the Agency," Warner said in a statement. "I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the President if ordered to do something illegal or immoral  like a return to torture."

If confirmed, Haspel will replace Mike Pompeo, who is now serving as Trump's secretary of state.
A police officer has been killed in an attack on a police outpost on Indonesia's Sumatra island Wednesday.

Five men in a van drove up to the front gate of the outpost of the city of Riau and immediately jumped out and began attacking police with a samurai sword.

Four of the men were shot and killed by police, while the fifth suspect was caught as he tried to escape the scene. At least one journalist who was at the outpost to cover a scheduled event was injured.

Wednesday's attack happened two days after a family of six suicide bombers, including teens and children, targeted three churches, killing at least 13 people and wounding 41 others in Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city.

A day later, a family of five carried out a suicide bombing attack on a police headquarters in Surabaya that left 10 people wounded, including four policemen and six civilians.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for both attacks.

The string of attacks comes as Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, welcomes the first day of Ramadan.
Italy's two anti-system parties on Wednesday appeared on the verge of clinching a deal to form a coalition government after 10 weeks of stalemate, rattling markets with radical ideas to free up billions of euros for tax cuts and welfare.

The far-right League and the 5-Star Movement have been discussing a common policy agenda for a week after a March 4 election ended in a hung parliament.

"It would be crazy to give up at the moment of truth," League leader Matteo Salvini said in a live video stream on Facebook, adding that he would not be intimidated by negative reaction from financial markets or attacks from the media.

"The more they insult us, the more they threaten us, the more they blackmail us, the more desire I have to embark on this challenge," he said.

Officials from the two parties said they had completed work on drafting a joint policy program, leaving it to Salvini and 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio to sign off on the document.

"It's a good program, but there are still one or two areas of difference for the leaders to decide on," the League's economics chief Claudio Borghi told Reuters.

There was still no word on the thorny issue of who would be prime minister. Neither Salvini nor Di Maio want the other to get the job, but they have yet to find a mutually acceptable alternative figure.

Late Tuesday, a draft coalition program leaked. In it, the parties said they planned to ask the European Central Bank to forgive 250 billion euros ($296 billion) of Italian debt purchased under the euro zone central bank's quantitative easing (QE) program.

Italy's borrowing costs jumped and its stocks slid on the news even after Borghi said the request for debt forgiveness was not in an official draft of their program.

He said the leaked version was "only some notes," while what the parties want is for the European Union not to account for bonds bought by the ECB under QE when calculating a country's official debt levels for the purposes of the EU Stability Pact.

Italy's 10-year bond yield jumped nearly 19 basis points to 2.13 percent, its highest level since early March and the biggest one-day rise since March 2017, while Italian bluechip stocks fell 2.5 percent.

Paying for promises

The ideas in the draft program underscore the great difficulties in finding the resources needed to pay for promises the two rival parties made to their voters during the campaign.

The League has pledged to introduce a flat tax rate of 15 percent, which would lower tax revenues by some 80 billion euros ($95 billion) per year, according to some estimates, while 5-Star has pledged new welfare payments for the poor at 17 billion euros.

They have both vowed to scrap an unpopular pension reform  a move that would punch a 15-billion-euro hole in state coffers.

Italy already has an enormous debt worth more than 130 percent of annual output, second only to Greece in the EU. The bloc's budget rules require it to cut the debt pile aggressively under the "fiscal compact," which both parties want scrapped.

Salvini dismissed concerns about the widening gap, or spread, between Italy's benchmark bonds and safer German ones as a sign the two potential partners were on the right track. The spread is a "cynical board game of high finance," he said.

Di Maio told reporters in parliament "the recipe to lower public debt is by investments and expansionary policies."

History of euroskepticism

EU leaders meeting in Sofia on Wednesday are likely to be concerned by the rhetoric of the parties, which could form a new Italian government as early as next week.

In Brussels, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU would not be complete without Italy, when asked at a news conference about Italy's role in the EU and its reliability in respecting common rules.

"Italy is of the highest importance for the European Union. The European Union would not be complete without the Italian nation," Juncker said. He declined to comment on the outcome of the coalition talks.

President Sergio Mattarella, who has repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaining a strong, pro-European stance, may also be dismayed.

Both groups have a history of euroskepticism. 5-Star has moderated its position considerably in the last year, rowing back on a previous plan to hold a referendum on Italy's membership of the currency bloc. However, the League still wants to leave the eurozone as soon as politically feasible.

They also share an anti-establishment sentiment that has taken root in Italy but which has international parallels such as Britain's vote to leave the EU and the U.S. election of President Donald Trump.

Each party plans to consult its supporters over the weekend to see if they back the nascent government pact. The policy program will probably be published Thursday, 5-Star said.
After three years in prison, Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim is now a free man after receiving a royal pardon.

The 70-year-old Anwar walked out of a hospital in Kuala Lumpur Wednesday where he was receiving treatment for a shoulder injury, and headed for a meeting with King Sultan Muhammad V.

Anwar was convicted in 2015 on charges of corruption and sodomy that were widely denounced as politically motivated. He served as deputy prime minister and finance minister under newly-elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during the latter's first tenure as leader, and was seen as Mahathir's heir-apparent until he was fired in 1999.

The two men reconciled and joined forces to form the Alliance of Hope opposition party that scored an upset victory in last week's parliamentary elections, ousting Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Barisan Nasional coalition, which ruled Malaysia uninterrupted for over six decades.

The election made the 92-year-old Mahathir, who ruled Malaysia with an iron fist from 1981 to 2003, the world's oldest elected leader. He says he will run the government for two years before turning over the reins to Anwar. Anwar must first be re-elected to parliament before he can succeed Mahathir.
Moscow is protesting the arrest of a journalist in Ukraine, and the Council of Europe and other human rights groups have expressed concern.



Ukraine's domestic security agency, the SBU, detained Kirill Vyshinskiy, the head of the Ukraine office of Russia's RIA Novosti news agency, on treason charges. His arrest followed SBU raids of the Kyiv offices of RIA Novosti and RT television Tuesday.



The agency alleges the Russian state-funded media outlets were being used as tools in a hybrid war against Ukraine.



The Kremlin denounced Ukraine's action as an attack on media freedom, and the Russian Foreign Ministry lodged a formal protest.



The Council of Europe said Wednesday it was concerned about the implications that repeated detentions of journalists may have for the situation with media freedom in Ukraine.
Four years ago, Maeve Taylor and her husband decided to quit their jobs and move their family across the United States to start an organic dairy farm in New York.



The couple used a federal loan to buy 35 cows and started to learn their new trade on a patch of rented farmland.



But when they began looking for land of their own they hit their first major hurdle. Even in an area with a long agricultural tradition and lots of farmland, there was nothing to buy  at least at a price they could afford.



"You'd think you could buy something, but hardly any of it is for sale," Taylor told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Wealthy landowners ... live here as retirement homes or have purchased property as a vacation home."



More than 31 million acres (12.5 million hectares) of U.S. farmland were lost between 1992 and 2012, according to a major assessment released this week by the American Farmland Trust  double previous estimates.



The advocacy group found nearly two-thirds of all U.S. development during that period was on farmland, taken over primarily by the expansion of urban areas and by low-density housing.



Experts say new farmers are being priced out by developers and the rural landscape risks being radically transformed as farms are split or sold as real estate, unless the government is prepared to safeguard agricultural property.



"We're at a time in history where farmland isn't being bought by farmers," said Holly Rippon-Butler at the National Young Farmers Coalition, an advocacy group. "Our limited agricultural resources could be lost to agriculture forever. That's the urgency."



Nearly 100 million acres  10 percent of agricultural land in the United States  is expected to change hands by the end of the decade as elderly farmers retire, according to a 2014 government estimate, the first of its kind.



The average age of U.S. farmers  and agricultural landholders  has been steadily rising, to the point where today many are looking to secure a comfortable retirement.



Almost two-thirds of U.S. farmland is now managed by someone over 55, and farmers older than 65 now outnumber those under 35 by a sixfold margin, according to the Young Farmers Coalition, citing federal statistics.



"Significant challenge"



The looming changeover in landholdings could be an opportunity for new farmers wanting to buy. But most agricultural lands are kept within families or sold to acquaintances, not on the open market.



Less than a quarter of the nearly 100 million acres of agricultural land that will change hands is expected to be sold to a non-relative, according to the 2014 federal findings.



Another 58 million acres is expected to be passed down through farming families.



Taylor said she and her husband were repeatedly turned away by sellers who pointedly told them that they wouldn't be able to afford the asking price.



Eventually, driven by falling prices for organic dairy products, they decided to sell their cows in order to pay off their loan  a story that appears to be increasingly common.



Last year, the Young Farmers Coalition surveyed U.S. farmers aged under 40 to gauge how they were fairing. The findings were stark. Almost 40 percent of respondents cited land access as a "significant challenge"  the survey's most-cited concern.



Real estate values for farms more than doubled from 2000 to 2015, U.S. Department of Agriculture research found in February.



Meanwhile, farm incomes stayed relatively flat, particularly after commodity prices fell in recent years. A study released in September found that the value of farm production compared with farm real estate is at its lowest point ever recorded.

Opportunities



Campaigners are now looking to lawmakers debating updates to what is commonly known as the farm bill, which expires in September.



The new five-year bill, a draft of which was released in mid-April, could offer strategies to address the issue.



While local-level zoning regulations already seek to protect farmland in the United States, experts say it is not difficult for developers to change the designation  and almost unheard of for it to be changed back again.



"In general, once you transfer land out of farming, it's very difficult if not impossible to bring it back into farming," said Juli Obudzinski, deputy policy director with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.



Even if land continues to be farmed, Obudzinski said spiking real estate values meant it was more likely to be bought up by existing farmers than new ones looking to get into the sector, and called for a national strategy on the looming transition.



"Otherwise, our concern is that these lands will just go to the biggest farms and the highest bidders, increasing consolidation and decreasing the viability of rural communities," Obudzinski said.



Still, the aging of U.S. agricultural landholders does offer potential opportunities.



Maeve Taylor's family is now in the process of purchasing land in nearby Vermont, close enough that they won't have to move.



The transaction is being facilitated by the Vermont Land Trust, which matched the Taylors with a farming family who wanted to sell.



It structured the sale in such a way that the land would be affordable to the Taylors, using a mechanism under debate in the farm bill discussions.



The owners had been raising organic wheat for nearly four decades, Taylor said, supplying it to nearby bakers. Now, they wanted to retire and ensure that their business continued.



The land sale is expected to take place this month, and Taylor expects to be farming organic wheat by summer.
The head of the Department of Homeland Security defended the Trump administration's practice of separating children from parents when the family is being prosecuted for entering the U.S. illegally, telling a Senate committee Tuesday that removing children from parents facing criminal charges happens "in the United States every day.''

Kirstjen Nielsen, who has headed the agency since December, came under attack by Democratic senators days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions said a "zero tolerance'' policy toward people entering the country illegally could lead to more families being split up while parents are prosecuted.

In a contentious exchange with Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Nielsen said her department was not taking children from parents as a way to deter illegal immigration. Rather, Nielsen said, if a person crosses the border illegally: "We will refer you for prosecution. You've broken U.S. law.''

When Harris pressed her about what that would mean for a 4-year-old child whose family faces charges of entering the country illegally, Nielsen said, "What we'll be doing is prosecuting parents who've broken the law, just as we do every day in the United States of America.''

The children are transferred to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services within 48 hours, she said. That department then finds people for the children to stay with while the parents are in custody, she said.

"They will be separated from their parent,'' said Harris, who's considered a possible contender for her party's 2020 presidential nomination.

"Just like we do in the United States every day,'' Nielsen replied.

But she did not dispute criticism by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., that the government could do a better job of monitoring the children it places in a family's custody to make sure they're safe.

"I could not agree with your concerns more, period,'' Nielsen said.

Nielsen told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that her agency and HHS have procedures aimed at making sure the people caring for the children are not criminals.

"It is our duty to protect them, to keep them in a safe environment,'' Nielsen said.

DHS has said it would refer all arrests for illegal entry to federal prosecutors, backing up Sessions' policy, announced last month, to expand criminal prosecutions of people with few or no previous offenses. A conviction for illegal entry carries a maximum penalty of six months in custody for first-time crossers - though they usually do far less time - and two years for repeat offenses.

Nearly one in four Border Patrol arrests on the Mexican border from October through April was someone who came in a family. That means any large increase in prosecutions will likely cause parents to be separated from their children while they face charges and do time in jail.

Just last week, President Donald Trump criticized Nielsen at a Cabinet meeting for not doing enough to stop illegal border crossings. He discounted her explanation that her department faces legal restrictions on what it can do, according to people familiar with the exchange.

The agency has denied a report by The New York Times that the confrontation left Nielsen close to resigning.
The Philippine president's offer of work and possible amnesty to holdouts from a violent Muslim rebel group that battled troops last year may bring momentary calm to an embattled southern island, experts say.

President Rodrigo Duterte visited that city, Marawi, on May 11 with pledges to provide shelter and livelihood assistance to 27 surrendered holdouts of the Maute Group, the presidential website says.

The group joined hands from May through October last year with the Islamic State-backed Abu Sayyaf rebels to fight troops for control of the largely Muslim city. Their fight was part of a decades-old struggle for Muslim autonomy on the southern Philippine island Mindanao.



Dutertes move will help deter new violence in Marawi in the short term, analysts say, if he proves sincere. That calm would help the city rebuild, allowing more of its 200,000-plus inhabitants to return after fleeing the war. It might raise hopes among other rebel groups on Mindanao, the historically violent island where Marawi is located, for better interaction with the government, they say.

Its a confidence building measure to try to perhaps deal with resentment and fears, said Maria Ela Atienza, political science professor at University of the Philippines Diliman. If people of Marawi will indeed be prioritized, then people who sympathize with the Maute Group can look at this as another opening.

Danger of resurgence

People from Marawi wonder when they can go home. Some worry that government reconstruction will be channeled into an industrial zone rather than the original sites of their homes and stores, Atienza said.

The promise of Chinese reconstruction aid has fanned new fears. she said. China granted $79.5 million in Marawi reconstruction aid as it tries to patch over an old maritime sovereignty dispute. Total reconstruction is due to cost $1.1 billion. Local officials are also talking to a consortium of five Chinese and five Filipino companies about how to rebuild, domestic media reported in April.

Dutertes offers this month came just ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, casting it as a diplomatic gesture, said Rhona Canoy, president of an international school in the nearby city Cagayan de Oro and part of a family active in local politics. People from the city feel a lot of resentment because of the extent of war damage, she added.

Suspicions fester

For Maute Group members who surrendered, Duterte indicated last week he would offer idle land in their home province to grow rubber trees and produce palm oil, the head of states website says.

Duterte said on his visit he would look into the possibility of amnesty for Maute rebels with old arrest warrants but willing to surrender. They should be willing to talk peace and avoid Islamic State or any alliance with the countrys armed communist rebels, he said.

The president in office since mid-2016 has tried other routes, including talks with the violent founder of another rebel group, to quell violence by Mindanao.

Its unclear whether Duterte will keep his pledges to Marawi, Atienza said.

Marawi will be hard to pacify long term, Canoy said, because of its history of trade in illegal goods.

Rebel groups in Mindanao have shown a pattern of retrenching under new names or different locations after fights with troops or police. Muslims have lived in the 21 million-population islands west and outlying islands for some 500 years, chafing at times against the countrys Christian majority over resources.

About 121,000 people have died from related conflicts since the 1960s and 1,127 died in Marawi last year.

As far as the long-term peace is concerned, thats never really been Marawi in the first place, so I dont know how its going to work out, Canoy said. Marawi has always been a violent city. Its been our wild west.

Muslim Mindanaos 20 rebel groups may want solutions other than amnesty and a livelihood, analysts caution. One group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, wants Congress to pass a stalled law that would give them greater autonomy following a 2014 peace deal, for example.

Duterte asked Congress in April to pass the law this year, domestic media say.

Foreign sympathizers of Islamic State (ISIS), an international terrorist outfit that weakened last year near its bases in Iraq and Syria, might also reenter the Philippines to help rebels, said Enrico Cao, a Ph.D. student of international affairs and strategic studies at Tamkang University in Taiwan.

Philippine officials suspected that Islamic State-backed Indonesians and Malaysians reached Marawi last year to support the Maute rebels.

I think the military knows that the ISIS flags have been flying in those villages for some time now. And I think the ideology is very difficult to root out, said Eduardo Araral, associate professor at the National University of Singapores public policy school.
Voters cast ballots on Tuesday in crucial party primaries in Pennsylvania, a state that has become central to Democrat hopes of retaking control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The state offers Democrats the opportunity to pick up as many as five seats from Republicans in congressional elections in November, analysts said. Democrats need a net total of 23 to assume the House majority, which would likely derail Republican President Donald Trump's policy agenda.

The polls closed at 8 p.m. and final results were expected within hours. Voters in the state were also choosing Republican nominees to take on incumbent Governor Tom Wolf and U.S. Senator Bob Casey, both Democrats.

Pennsylvanias politics were thrown into turmoil earlier this year when the state Supreme Court found that the current congressional districts had been unconstitutionally tailored to favor Republicans. The redrawn map has made some districts more competitive.

In addition, six incumbent House Republicans are not running for re-election, further scrambling the races and requiring voters to become familiar with a raft of first-time candidates.

81 candidates for 18 seats

Some 81 candidates are running for 18 congressional seats, including 10 Democrats in a single race.

Democrats feel confident they can ultimately win three districts in suburban Philadelphia regardless of which candidates win their primaries on Tuesday because of the liberal tilt of those areas.

A more interesting contest comes in the northeastern district being vacated by retiring Representative Charlie Dent, one of the few remaining moderate Republicans in the House.

Huge job losses

The largest city in the district, Allentown, sustained huge job losses with the 1995 closing of the Bethlehem Steel plant, once been a pillar of the region's economy.

The three top contenders represent the diverse viewpoints in the modern Democratic Party: Greg Edwards, a pastor backed by progressive U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and the Congressional Black Caucus; Susan Wild, endorsed by the abortion rights group Emilys List; and John Morganelli, who opposes abortion rights and has been supportive of Trumps hardline immigration policies.

Earlier this month, Sanders, who sought the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, visited Allentown to campaign with Edwards, drawing a crowd of more than 1,000.

Electoral risk

Terry Madonna, an expert on state politics at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, said Democrats risked losing the Allentown race if a candidate viewed as too liberal wins Tuesday's primary. In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton edged Trump in the district by a single percentage point in the presidential election, he noted.

Democrats are also hoping to pick up a seat held by first-term Republican Brian Fitzpatrick in another district outside of Philadelphia. Attorney Scott Wallace faces Navy veteran Rachel Reddick in the Democratic primary there.

Nebraska is also holding a primary on Tuesday that could affect the balance of power in the House. Two Democratic candidates, moderate former U.S. Representative Brad Ashford and progressive Kara Eastman, are battling to take on Republican Representative Don Bacon in an Omaha-area district Democrats believe they can win.
Russia's new weapons, including an array of new nuclear systems, will ensure the country's security for decades to come, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday at a meeting with top military brass.

Speaking in Sochi, Putin said the new systems unveiled this year would significantly increase Russia's military capabilities and "ensure a strategic balance for decades.''

The Russian leader presented an array of new nuclear weapons in March that he said couldn't be intercepted. They included a new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile; a nuclear-powered global range cruise missile; and an underwater drone designed to strike coastal facilities with a heavy nuclear weapon.

Putin said at Tuesday's meeting that the development of the weapons would remain a high priority.

He also mentioned other weapons systems, including the prospective S-500 air defense system that is meant to be precise and powerful enough to hit targets in space.

Putin said the strategic nuclear forces should receive new batches of Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles to replace the older Topol ICBMs. Also in the pipeline are modernized Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers equipped with long-range cruise missiles and the new Borei-class nuclear submarines armed with ICBMs.

The navy, Putin said, will commission more warships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles that the military tested during the war in Syria.

The Russian president said the army would receive a range of new armored vehicles, including the new Armata main battle tanks.

The Kremlin has made military modernization a top priority as Russia-West ties plummeted to post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and other disputes.
The question of whether Meghan Markle's father will walk his daughter down the aisle to marry Britain's Prince Harry or attend the wedding persisted Wednesday as royal representatives remained tight-lipped on possible changes to the program.

Harry's press office declined to comment on a celebrity news website's report that Thomas Markle, 73, needed a heart procedure and would not be well enough to fly to England.



The uncertainty over his health and attendance at Saturday's wedding came from comments TMZ said the father made exclusively to the site. His condition has not been independently confirmed.



Thomas Markle, a retired Hollywood cinematographer who lives in Mexico, told TMZ he would receive a stent and other treatment for blocked coronary arteries on Wednesday morning.



Stent procedures done on a non-emergency basis typically do not require long hospital stays, but the recovery guidance likely would rule out a lengthy plane trip to England right after surgery.

The bride's parents divorced when she was a child. Her mother, Doria Ragland, is traveling from Los Angeles to England for the wedding and is scheduled to ride with her daughter to St. George's Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle before the ceremony.



Ragland is also scheduled to visit with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Prince William and his wife, Kate, and other senior royals this week. Thomas Markle also had been expected to spend the days before the wedding meeting the queen and other members of his daughter's future family.

The palace has not announced any alternative plans for Thomas Markle's role of accompanying his daughter through the chapel to meet the groom. An official announcement is expected if it's confirmed that he will not be making it to the wedding.



Some estranged members of Meghan Markle's extended family have arrived in Britain, but did not receive invitations to the wedding.



Concerns about Thomas Markle's health overshadowed Wednesday's announcements of the bridesmaids and page boys who will take part in the ceremony.



The list include William and Kate's two older children: Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 3.

It is a repeat performance for the two, who were a page boy and bridesmaid when Kate's sister, Pippa Middleton, married last year.



The other bridesmaids are Harry's goddaughters, 2-year-old Zalie Warren and 3-year-old Florence van Cutsem, and Markle's goddaughters: Remi and Rylan Litt, ages 6 and 7 respectively, and 4-year-old Ivy Mulroney.



Besides Prince George, the page boys are Harry's godson, 6-year-old Jasper Dyer, and 7-year-old twin brothers Brian and John Mulroney.



The three Mulroney siblings are the children of Markle's close friend, stylist Jessica Mulroney, and are the grandchildren of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.



Some devoted fans of Harry and Markle are already gathering at prime viewing points just outside the imposing walls of Windsor Castle, even though the wedding is three days away.



A few carried signs wishing the soon-to-be newlyweds well, and some carried U.S. flags in honor of Markle's American roots.



Windsor officials have warned the public that huge crowds are expected in the town on Saturday. Many roads will be closed off and extra security procedures will be put into effect.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said Wednesday its investigators have determined chlorine was likely used in a February attack in northern Syria.

The group based its report on interviews with health workers and witnesses as well as tests of samples from the site of the attack in the Saraqeb area of Idlib province.

At the time, medical groups and first responders reported civilians had signs consistent with chlorine gas, including breathing problems and the smell of chlorine on their clothes.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces of carrying out a chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held area.

The OPCW's mandate extends only to determining whether chemical weapons were used and not to identifying who was responsible.

Syria's government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons throughout the conflict that began in March 2011.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Uzbekistan's reformist leader, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, met Wednesday at the White House, with security in central Asia, the fight against terrorism, trade deals and human rights in Uzbekistan high on the agenda.

Mirziyoyev, in power for 20 months after the death of his country's long-time autocrat, Islam Karimov, is talking with Trump in the Oval Office and then over lunch, part of his three-day visit to the United States for meetings with other American officials and leaders at the World Bank.

The 60-year-old Uzbek leader wants to attract more American corporate investment in his predominantly Muslim country of 32 million people. Ahead of Mirziyoyev's meeting with Trump, White House officials said Uzbek officials signed 20 business deals worth $4.8 billion, enough to support more than 10,000 American jobs.

Senior White House officials said that Uzbekistan, a one-time Soviet republic, has "played an important role over the past several years" in helping to sustain U.S. military operations in neighboring Afghanistan but that the U.S. is not looking to base American forces in Uzbekistan.

WAtCH: US, Uzbekistan Pledge to Build Closer Strategic Partnership

A senior Trump administration official, briefing reporters a day ahead of Trump's talks with Mirziyoyev, said the U.S. wants to "see how we can improve cooperation against common terrorist threats," which the official described as "critical in securing America and our friends in the region."

The official said the U.S. wants greater economic ties with Uzbekistan, saying that "securing market access to a young and growing regional population opens business opportunities" for American companies.

The senior White House official said the U.S. welcomes Mirziyoyev's release of prisoners of conscience, curbs on child labor and its recent accreditation of a Voice of America journalist to report news from Uzbekistan.

One of the Trump officials said several memorandums of cooperation between the U.S. and Uzbekistan would be signed related to agriculture, climate change, trade and education.

Kudos from rights groups

Human Rights Watch has credited Mirziyoyev with releasing 28 political prisoners and just days ago freeing Fahriddin Tillaev, an opposition and human rights activist who had been imprisoned for more than four years in what activists said was a politically motivated detention.



Last Sunday, a group of Uzbek human rights activists laid a floral wreath at a statue in the center of Tashkent, the country's capital. It commemorated the 13th anniversary of the massacre of 400 civilians, all of them shot to death by the military during an anti-government protest, allegedly on orders of the late strongman, Karimov.

To Human Rights Watch investigator Steve Swerdlow, that simple act of humanity  the laying of the wreath  shows that change for the better is afoot in Uzbekistan.

"For the first time, they weren't arrested," he said this week in Washington. "This was a significant event from our perspective."

The Trump administration official said the White House is "cautiously optimistic" about events in Uzbekistan.

"This is a window of opportunity," the official said. "We believe it's important to try to work with this government and encourage the kinds of steps that we have been ... so that we can encourage more change, more openness, so that Uzbekistan serves as an example for the rest of the Central Asia region."

Ahead of Mirziyoyev's visit, Javlon Vakhabov, Uzbekistan's ambassador to Washington, told a forum on the state of Uzbek affairs, "There is tremendous landmark change occurring in Uzbekistan, on human rights, good governance and the rule of law."

"Our ultimate goal is a full-fledged democracy, with a robust market economy," he declared. "There is a spirit of change everywhere in Uzbekistan. The country is opening up to the world."

Vakhabov said the country is "now at the beginning of a long journey" toward more freedom, the easing of restrictions on freedom of religion and ending forced child labor.

"We're strongly committed to end torture and other crude and degrading means of punishment," Vakhabov said.
A U.S. federal court has sentenced a Turkish banker to 32 months in prison for helping Iran evade American trade sanctions.

Mehmet Hakan Atilla was sentenced Wednesday. He was convicted in January on five counts of bank fraud and conspiracy. He was acquitted on one count of money laundering.

Prosecutors maintained that Atilla used his position as deputy general manager for international banking at Turkish state bank Halkbank to help build and protect a scheme that enabled billions of dollars in profits from Iranian oil sales to flow through world financial markets since 2011.

"This is the biggest sanction evasion prosecution in the United States that we're aware of,'' said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Lockard.

The case has strained diplomatic relations between the United States and Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the trial as a "chain of serious plots" against his government.

The prosecutors had called for a 20-year sentence, but U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said the scheme was most likely engineered by people far more powerful than Atilla.

"Mr. Atilla was, as the defense suggests, somewhat of a cog in the wheel, and I would add a somewhat reluctant one,'' Berman said during a three-hour court proceeding that mostly featured the judge explaining how he chose a far lighter sentence.

Berman said a lengthier prison term would be "inappropriate, unreasonable and unfair.''

Atilla has already served 14 months in prison since his arrest last year during a business trip to New York.That time will be credited toward his sentence, allowing him to return to Turkey in about a year.
It has been 10 years since Uganda set up its International Crimes Division. The ICD is a court meant to try cases involving war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, all of which have allegedly happened on Ugandan soil during the past 30 years. However, the effectiveness of this court to provide justice is still under question.

Uganda's International Crimes Division was created after peace talks to end the 20-year war between the government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army.

The ICD was designed to complement the International Criminal Court in the Hague that has issued arrest warrants for top LRA figures, such as the group's leader Joseph Kony.

But since its inception the court has convicted only six people on terrorism charges, all related to the murder of Muslims.

Only one ongoing case deals with an LRA member, Thomas Kwoyelo, who was arrested nine years ago in Congo and goes on trial next month.

ICD registrar Harriet Ssali says the division faces major challenges, especially the sheer number of cases it is expected to handle.

Uganda is dealing with hundreds of thousands of cases for all Ugandans. You cannot say I am trying Kwoyelo, because of the war crimes he committed and you do not try the other 10,000 defilement cases, murder cases, rape cases. The whole of Uganda needs justice, said Ssali.

The ICD is currently holding a pre-trial session for Jamil Mukulu, the leader of another rebel group, the rebel Allied Democratic Forces.

During the court session Monday, the prosecution team asked for a two week adjournment to analyze evidence they received from Tanzania.

Legal expert Wandera Ogaalo says the ICD is still lacking in the investigations department.

We have not had specialized investigators in this field. They are handling them like they handle them ordinary cases," Ogaalo. "Keep in mind they are crimes against humanity, genocide. These are specialized crimes which we did not have in our penal code. So how would you expect our policemen to investigate them properly?

Another obstacle to ICD operations is a 2000 law, known as the Amnesty Act. The act was aimed at ending violence and restoring peace by giving combatants an incentive to lay down their weapons.

Kwoyelo tried to claim amnesty in an attempt to escape being prosecuted, but this was overruled by the Supreme Court in 2015.

Some members of the ADF being tried by the same court say government officials have encouraged them to claim amnesty.

Ssali says the ICD is open to the Amnesty Act, but it must be used through the right procedure and can only apply to non-combatants.

The first Amnesty Act had a problem. It was granting blanket amnesty and it was not explaining under which circumstances you can actually apply for amnesty. People got excited, they wanted to end the war in the north. They just said; we shall grant you amnesty if you drop your weapons. But that is not applicable to everybody, said Ssali.

Lawmakers are considering an update to the Act to clarify who can claim amnesty, but the bill has languished in parliament since 2015.
Ukraine's state security agency raided offices of two Russian state-owned media outlets in the Ukrainian capital Tuesday and leveled treason accusations against a journalist, a move that drew sharp criticism from the top trans-Atlantic security and rights group.

Ukraine's domestic security agency, the SBU, said the raids of the Kyiv offices of the RIA Novosti news agency and RT television were part of its investigation into Russian media outlets being "used as tools in a hybrid war against Ukraine."

The agency said the head of RIA Novosti's Ukrainian office, Kirill Vyshinskiy, was detained for alleged treason, a crime that carries a prison term of up to 15 years upon conviction.

Relations between Moscow and Kyiv soured in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea and threw its weight behind separatists in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has long blamed Russian state media for fanning the flames of the war in the east, which so far has killed more than 10,000 people.

Moscow angrily protested Tuesday's raids. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced the Ukrainian action as an "unacceptable" attack on freedom of speech and urged the West to condemn it "without any double standards."

Harlem Desir, a media freedom representative at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a top security and rights group, expressed "serious concern" about the raids.

"The fight against propaganda must not fall short of international standards and should not represent disproportionate interference in media activities," Desir said in a statement. "OSCE participating states have committed to facilitating the conditions under which journalists from one participating state exercise their profession in another participating state."

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States shared concern about Russian propaganda, but noted that Ukraine must take care to ensure it abides by the law, including international human rights law.

The raids came several hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to southern Russia to attend the opening ceremony of a bridge linking Russia and the Crimean peninsula.
Another year in education and an extra kilometer of road for every 1,000 people could dramatically improve communities ability to withstand food crises, the United Nations has said.

Last year, 124 million people in 51 countries faced crisis levels of hunger, mainly due to conflicts and climate disasters, and experts say the situation is getting worse.

Emergency food assistance costs billions of dollars, but improving road access and ensuring people stayed in education for one more year could save over $1 billion, said a World Food Program (WFP) report published on Monday.

That is a fifth of the $5.3 billion the WFP spent on food assistance in 2016, when 108 million people in 48 countries suffered acute hunger, said the report.

Even low-income countries can reduce the risk of large-scale food crises by focusing their investment on roads and schools, said the WFP's food systems chief Steven Were Omamo.

The world is awash in food crises at the moment, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview.

Preventing food crisis is not the preserve of rich countries. Governments are investing all the time, even in low-income countries.

Aid agencies say the expense of emergency food assistance often hampers the long-term development that is key to making populations resilient to shocks that could lead to starvation.

Immediate relief, when we have a crisis, is no doubt a priority. But ... that is not enough, said Jose Graziano da Silva, director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Aid agencies need to provide an approach that builds resilience, Graziano da Silva told journalists on Friday at a conference in Rome on North Africa and the Middle East, where millions are going hungry.

The biggest impact could be made through promoting peace, according to report, based on analysis of data from 152 countries between 2009 and 2015, of which 77 received WFP's assistance.

A one-point increase in the World Banks index of political stability and absence of violence could halve food assistance expenditure, Omamo said.

That would mean a country like Central African Republic having the level of stability of Uganda, or Somalia having the stability of Kenya, he said.

WFPs new report makes clear that raising incomes is not enough to avoid hunger crises, said Dina Esposito, a vice president at international charity Mercy Corps.

While significant progress has been made, trends suggest that food crises could continue to grow due to increasing and protracted violence in places like Yemen, South Sudan and elsewhere, she said in an email.
Amid rumors among Russian media outlets that Moscow's top envoy to Ukrainian peace negotiations has resigned, the top U.S. interlocutor says he expects Russia to return to the table with a peacekeeping proposal.

U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker, who last met with his Russian counterpart Vladislav Surkov in January, told VOA he had not received word on Surkov's status or about a new meeting.

His last discussion with Surkov, Volker said, left him with the impression that Moscow would soon "come back to us with a proposal for how a peacekeeping force could grow in terms of geography and mandate and along a timeline."

"That would be very interesting to see, and we would be very prepared to sit down with the Russians to talk about that," Volker said. "We remain ready to bring peace to this region, but we need to hear from the Russians."

Volker arrived Tuesday in Donbas to discuss the security situation near the front lines with Ukraine's Joint Forces Commander, Lieutenant-General Serhiy Nayev.

Restoring infrastructure

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said Monday it would provide Kyiv with $125 million for infrastructure rehabilitation projects in Donbas and adjacent territories.

Donbas, an area bordering Russia that is populated by ethnic Russians and Ukrainians, is where Russian-backed separatist forces first battled Ukrainian forces after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, destroying much of the local infrastructure. While Moscow insists local ethnic Russians self-organized their defense, substantial reporting by various observers and international rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch indicate Russian army units provided direct support.

In February, OSCE monitors said fighting had escalated to its worst level in months, after the shelling of a front-line village wounded eight civilians and destroyed or damaged dozens of homes.

En route to a meeting Tuesday with Ukrainian officials and security monitors at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC), Volker told VOA's Ukrainian Service that Kyiv's military commanders, while appreciative of the restoration aid, "do want support for their defense capabilities, which we think are important to provide."

Since Russia's December withdrawal from the JCCC, a Ukrainian-Russian group intended to ensure the safety of OSCE monitors and help implement the Minsk agreement, Ukrainian military brass have found it increasingly difficult to maintain the cease-fire status necessary for restoration work to be carried out.

Volker said Russia, by withdrawing from the JCCC, which allowed Russian and Ukrainian military leaders to collaboratively defuse firefights and reinforce implementation of localized cease-fires, has forced Ukraine and its allies to attempt direct negotiations with local "puppet regimes." But the local separatist groups, Volker added, aren't actually controlling events along the front lines.

"And so you need to talk to the Russians to be able to effectively communicate about things like [cease-fire implementation], and they've pulled back from the JCCC," he said.

Volker said civilians and the military all talk about the need for a cease-fire.

"Everything from repairing electricity and water filtration lines and pumps, and the boundary crossings themselves, where there may be a bridge or a road, these things all have to be repaired and made safer. It's very difficult to do when there is active fighting," he said.

He added that Donbas region residents say they want a peace agreement that restores territorial control to Kyiv. "And these were clearly ethnic Russians, as you could tell by the language they spoke," he said. "That Russian speakers are pro-Russian or that this is an ethnic conflict, just clearly isn't true."

New top diplomat, same policy

On Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's first day in office, top U.S. officials attending a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels said the United States would refuse to "return to business as usual with Russia" until Moscow withdrew "forces and support for proxies in the Donbas, and [returned] control of Crimea to Ukraine."

After separate meetings with President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, National Security Adviser John Bolton and Pompeo, Volker said "everyone is on the same page" regarding U.S. policy on Ukraine.

Asked whether lethal aid would remain on the table, Volker was unequivocal. "Ukraine is fighting a war on its own territory. Soldiers in Ukraine are dying on Ukrainian soil every week, defending the territory of Ukraine. So this is about self-defense of a nation," he said.

"Ukraine has very capable militaries, substantially rebuilt since 2014, and produces most of its own defense equipment, but it does have some gaps," he added. "And it's perfectly reasonable for friends and allies of Ukraine to supply those arms so they can fill those gaps in their defenses.

"There is no restriction on this anymore," he said. "The idea of a blockage on arms sales to Ukraine is over, and it's really a question of what makes sense. What's necessary for Ukraine's self-defenses?"
U.S. lawmakers of both parties have told VOA they are not surprised by North Korea's threat to cancel an upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.

Pyongyang's objections to joint U.S.-South Korean military drills and the Trump administration's stance on North Korea's nuclear program are an obvious negotiating ploy, according to Republican Senator Thom Tillis.

"I actually think it's par for the course at this stage of any negotiations," he said. "The question is whether or not the summit stays on."

White House officials have downplayed Pyongyang's threat, and Tillis is urging a continued measured response.

"Nobody could have ever predicted a couple weeks ago that we would even get to the point to even schedule a [Trump-Kim] meeting. So I think we made positive progress, but we need to measure our rhetoric and try to keep it on track," Tillis said.

Democratic Senator Chris Coons says Pyongyang's actions underscore the challenges of dealing with Kim.

"It's a reminder that he's a very wily, capable adversary, that he will be unpredictable and difficult to negotiate with, as his father and grandfather were before him," Coons said.

Ben Cardin, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged a continued focus on quiet diplomacy, not North Korea's often-noisy rhetoric.
President Donald Trump says the United States has "little to give" in contentious trade talks with China, and Beijing has a lot to give, because he says the United States for years has been losing trade battles with China.

Wednesday, he defended his call to rescue China's giant technology company ZTE, which the U.S. Commerce Department last month barred from buying American-made components for its consumer products for seven years after it was caught violating U.S. trade bans with Iran and North Korea. ZTE said with the cut in U.S. parts it had ceased "major operating activities."

"Nothing has happened with ZTE except as it pertains to the larger trade deal," Trump said on Twitter. His assessment came days after he said "too many jobs" were being lost in China because of ZTE's difficulties and that he had "instructed" the Commerce agency to "get it done!" to help ZTE "get back into business, fast."

The U.S. and China, the world's two biggest economies, are in the midst of contentious trade talks this week in Washington, after Trump threatened to impose higher tariffs on $150 billion worth of Chinese exports and Beijing responded in kind to say it would impose higher levies on American products. Earlier talks in Bejing proved fruitless.

"Our country has been losing hundreds of billions of dollars a year with China," Trump said of last year's $375 billion annual U.S. trade deficit with China.

Trump's call to help ZTE has mystified some U.S. lawmakers, who say that use of the Chinese company's products presents a national security risk for the U.S. The House of Representatives Intelligence Committee concluded in 2012 that ZTE "cannot be trusted to be free of foreign state influence and thus [poses] a security threat to the United States and to our systems."

Senator Marco Rubio, who lost the 2016 Republican presidential nomination to Trump, is attacking the U.S. leader's attempt to help ZTE as misguided.

"It's not a trade issue," Rubio told VOA. "ZTE's been sanctioned for helping Iran and North Korea evade sanctions. So how are we going to be able to enforce the cancellation of the Iran [nuclear] deal if we're not going to be enforcing it on companies in powerful countries that are helping Iran evade sanctions already?"

"That's a law enforcement function that really shouldn't have anything to do with trade," Rubio said, "Chinese telecom companies are agents of the Chinese government. They don't just steal national security secrets, they steal commercial secrets. Like they will use a ZTE phone to spy on an American company and steal their intellectual property."
The United States is pushing for a deal in negotiations on a revised North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the White House said Wednesday, but Canadian and Mexican officials were not due in Washington for talks before a Thursday deadline.

President Donald Trump is committed to getting a better agreement with Canada and Mexico, press secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News.

"We still want to see something happen and we're going to continue in those conversations. They're ongoing now and we're pushing forward and hopeful that we can get something done soon," Sanders said.

On Tuesday, Mexico's economy minister said he saw diminishing chances for a new NAFTA agreement before a Thursday deadline to present a deal that could be signed by the U.S. Congress.

Neither the Mexican minister, Ildefonso Guajardo, nor Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland had plans to travel to Washington on Wednesday, their representatives said.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan has said that the Republican-controlled Congress would need to be notified of a new deal by Thursday to give lawmakers a chance to approve it before a newly elected Congress takes over in January.

Sanders did not address the timeline.

"We've got to get a deal that works for everybody, but most importantly this president is going to make sure that we get a deal that works for America," she said. "He's not going to stop until he gets it."

Ryan said Congress cannot begin working on the negotiating law known as "fast track" without a trade deal in hand.

"The point is, we can't work a bill unless we have an agreement that's in writing that we can work on and that hasn't occurred yet," Ryan told reporters at the U.S. Capitol.
North Koreas sudden threat to pull out of the upcoming summit with the U.S. raises new doubts of whether a denuclearization deal is possible.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to meet with U.S President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12 to work out an agreement to end the Norths nuclear program in exchange for security guarantees and an end to punishing international sanctions.

But on Wednesday North Koreas Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Kwan released a statement through the state-run KCNA news agency that criticized unbridled remarks made specifically by the U.S. presidents National Security Adviser John Bolton demanding that Pyongyang completely decommission its entire nuclear arsenal, along with its ballistic missile program and chemical weapons stockpile, before receiving any compensation or concessions.

He expressed indignation at the U.S uncompromising position and said North Korea might pull out of the Trump-Kim summit, unless the Trump administration acts with sincerity to improve relations through dialogue.

If the United States is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the North Korea-U.S. summit, the statement said.

The vice foreign minister also said it was absolutely absurd that Bolton would compare Libyas experience dismantling its relatively rudimentary nuclear program as a model for dealing with the Norths more advanced and expansive capabilities.

He also denounced the Trump administration for miscalculating the magnanimity of Kim Jong Uns decision to suspend further nuclear and missile tests, and his willingness to engage in nuclear talks, as signs of weakness, that were the result of what the U.S. administration has dubbed its maximum pressure campaign that led international efforts to impose punishing sanctions banning 90% of North Korean trade.

The vice ministers remarks came shortly after the North abruptly canceled inter-Korean talks planned for Wednesday, citing ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the U.S.

Last week American and South Korea forces began their two-week Max Thunder exercise that involves 100 aircraft, including eight F-22 radar-evading jets, as well as F-15 and F-16 fighter jets. The North derided the drills as a rehearsal for invasion that undermines improving inter-Korean ties.

Cautious reactions

The U.S. and South Korea reacted with caution to North Koreas more confrontational posture.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo conferred with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha on Wednesday and said the U.S. would continue planning for the upcoming Trump-Kim summit but continue to monitor the situation.

Pompeo, who recently met with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang to prepare for the summit, said on Sunday that the U.S. would lift sanctions on North Korea if it agreed to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

However, Kim Kye Gwan's statement appeared to reject such an arrangement, saying North Korea would never give up its nuclear program in exchange for economic trade with the United States.

Wednesdays denouncement of the joint drills also seemed to contradict what the North Korean leader reportedly said earlier this year. A South Korean diplomatic envoy that met with Kim in Pyongyang this year, said the North Korean leader had dropped his objection to U.S., South Korea military exercises as a barrier to developing a peace agreement.

The South Korean Unification Ministry said it was regrettable that the North unilaterally postponed ministerial-level inter-Korean talks, and the Norths cancelation of talks was not in line with the spirit of the recent Panmunjom Declaration calling for increased cross border cooperation that was signed by Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the inter-Korean summit.

"The South Korean government has a firm willingness to faithfully implement the Panmunjom Declaration and is urging the North to respond quickly to the talks for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula," said Baik Tae-Hyun, South Korea's Unification Ministry spokesperson.

Bargaining positions

It is unclear if the Norths threat to pull out of the summit with the U.S. reflects a change in policy or a negotiating tactic to exploit Trumps repeated claims that he may achieve a historic diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea that has eluded past presidents.

If you signal you are desperate for some kind of deal, then your counterpart can sense that you are willing to make concessions, and they can drive a hard bargain, and this could be a reflection of that, said Daniel Pinkston, a North Korea analyst with Troy University in Seoul.

The more aggressive stance taken by the North may also reflect growing pressure from conservative elements within the military or Communist Party that are worried the U.S. seems to be unilaterally dictating the terms for a nuclear deal.

It is true that North Korea is anxious about the situation where it needs to back down on everything to the U.S., said Ahn Chan-il, a North Korean defector and analyst with the World Institute of North Korea Studies in Seoul.

John Delury, a North Korea analyst with Yonsei University in Seoul suggested on Twitter that the U.S. and South Korea address the Norths sudden threat to withdraw from talks by making a small but meaningful good-will gesture, given that the Kim government has already made a number of concessions, including releasing three American prisoners, and suspending missile and nuclear tests.

However North Korea skeptics say the Kim government should not be rewarded for merely meeting its minimum obligations by suspending nuclear and missile tests that violate U.N. restrictions or for releasing prisoners that were unjustly apprehended by the repressive state.

Lee Yoon-jee contributed to this report.
North Korean threats to step away from denuclearlization talks are not slowing down planned military exercises between the United States and South Korea.

Pentagon officials reiterated Wednesday that the exercises, Max Thunder and Foal Eagle, part of annual spring exercises that date back 40 years, are proceeding as planned.

North Korea in the past has objected to the U.S.-South Korea exercises as "rehearsals for invasion." The U.S. and South Korea maintain that the annual exercises are strictly defensive and non-provocative.

"These defensive exercises are part of the ROK-U.S. Alliance's routine, annual training to maintain a foundation of military readiness," a Defense Department spokesman, Colonel Rob Manning, said in a statement issued late Tuesday. "While we will not discuss specifics, the defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed."

North Korea's official KCNA news agency said early Wednesday that Pyongyang had pulled out of scheduled talks with Seoul, citing the military exercises.

It also quoted North Korea's first vice minister of foreign affairs as saying a planned summit between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump could be canceled, "if the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment."

U.S. defense officials said the joint exercise with South Koreas air force, termed Max Thunder, began on May 14 and is set to run through May 25. The annual exercise, which itself has been held for the past 10 years, is run out of Gwangju Air Base.

Like last year's exercise, about 1,000 U.S. personnel are taking part, and will fly hundreds of combat training missions.

"During Max Thunder, U.S. and #ROK aircrews have the ability to fly missions in realistic scenarios," according to a Pentagon spokesperson. "This type of training is integral to our ability to safeguard the Korean Peninsula together."

U.S. officials also denied reports that Washington and Seoul had scrapped plans to deploy B-52 bombers as part of the exercises. They said the long-range heavy bomber was never scheduled to take part in Max Thunder.

A separate U.S.-South Korean military exercise, Foal Eagle, began in April and is expected to run until about June.

U.S. and South Korean officials said Pyongyang was notified of the schedule and defensive nature of the exercises in March.

Foal Eagle involves a series of ground, air, naval and special operator field exercises, with personnel moving in and out as needed.

Officials have said Foal Eagle would be conducted on a similar scale to last year's exercise, when almost 32,000 U.S. troops, including 28,000 already stationed on the Korean Peninsula, took part.
Ukraines war with Russian-backed separatist rebels in the east of the country is entering its fifth year. Since February, there has been an uptick in fighting along the 450-kilometer contact line.



VOA joined the United States Special Envoy for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker, along with U.S. ambassador Marie Yovanovitch on a trip to the frontlines Tuesday to witness first-hand the fallout from the violence, and call the worlds attention to a forgotten conflict.

Its important to just see what people are going through and renew the commitment that all of us should have about trying to bring peace, to bring an end to the conflict and a restoration of the territory to Ukrainian control so people can get on with normal lives, Volker told VOA.



Ukraines war with Russian-backed separatist rebels grinds on, away from the global headlines but ever present in the destroyed villages and minefields along the contact zone.



Monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe often record in excess of one thousand ceasefire violations a day, the majority carried out by the Russian-backed rebel forces.



It has been a year since American OSCE monitor Joseph Stone was killed when his vehicle drove over a landmine. The monitors - and the civilians  still face grave dangers every day.



Weve seen more heavy weapons on either side of the line, more impacts from the use of these weapons on either side of the line, and an increase in civilian casualties. The biggest risk for civilians is that of being injured by shrapnel, meaning through the use of weapons that should not be used according to the Minsk agreements. And the second biggest category of injury is caused by mines and unexploded ordinance, the Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE mission in eastern Ukraine told Ambassador Volker on a visit to the forward monitoring base at Popasna, just a few kilometers from the contact line.



Volker has backed a United Nations peacekeeping force in eastern Ukraine but says he has heard nothing from Moscow on the issue since meetings in February. Russian military commanders withdrew in December from a joint Ukrainian-Russian ceasefire monitoring center, known as the Joint Control and Command Center or JCCC, based in the frontline town of Soledar.



Everyone as a very clear understanding that this conflict is caused by Russias intervention, that it is 100 percent Russian command and control, Russian direction of the political activities of the two [rebel] peoples republics, and so we need Russia to make a fundamental decision for peace. If they want to do that, we are ready to step in and help, Volker told VOA.



In recent months the U.S. has supplied Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missile systems, enraging Moscow. Volker says allies have every right to help Ukraine defend its territory.



Its really a question of what makes sense, whats necessary for Ukraines self-defenses. Is Ukraine prepared to buy it  or will the U.S. look at things like foreign military financing as we did in the case of Javelins? But this is now treating Ukraine like we would any other normal country.



In the course of several briefings, Ukrainian commanders repeated demands they have made many times earlier, making it clear to Ambassador Volker that they want more military aid.

At the beginning of May, the Ukrainian government made a key change to the military command structure in the east, switching from an anti-terrorist operation to a Joint Forces Operation, overseen by the Ukrainian military. Kyiv hopes this and other moves will help boost the confidence of U.S. leaders who face concerns by some in Washington about efficacy, training, and rising corruption issues in Ukraines military.

We will defend our territory, and 100 percent we will push the enemy from our territories. And were sure of it if youll support us, Major-General Serhiy Nayev, the Ukrainian operations commander, told Volker ahead of a closed briefing Tuesday.

There was no announcement from the U.S. diplomat about any promises for more weapons.

Volkers visit to the frontlines brought some new attention on the conflict, but it has also raised hopes in Ukraine that the United States may offer more support.

Ukraines leaders have long been disappointed on that front, and it is not clear if those hopes will be fulfilled this time.
The United States and Gulf partners imposed additional sanctions on Lebanon's Hezbollah leadership Wednesday, targeting its top two officials, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Naim Qassem.

The U.S. Treasury Department said four other individuals also had been sanctioned, as was the group Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. It was the third round of sanctions announced by Washington since the United States pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal last week.

Wednesday's sanctions targeted members of the primary decision-making body of Hezbollah, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

"By targeting Hezbollah's Shura Council, our nations collectively rejected the false distinction between a so-called 'Political Wing' and Hezbollah's global terrorist plotting," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

The measures were imposed jointly by Washington and its partners in the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center, or TFTC, which include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, it said.

A number of those targeted by the TFTC had been previously blacklisted by the United States.

On Tuesday, the United States imposed sanctions on Iran's central bank governor and an Iraq-based bank for "moving millions of dollars" for Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard.

Last week, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions against six individuals and three companies it said were funneling millions of dollars to the Revolutionary Guard's external arm, the Quds Force.
In 2004, Desmond Meade, while serving a 15-year prison sentence for a drug offense in Florida, got a break. An appeals court returned his conviction to the original trial bench, allowing him to plead guilty to a lesser charge and get out of prison in three years, most of which he had already served.

But his freedom came with a price, something that didnt quite register with him at the time: as part of his plea agreement with prosecutors, Meade agreed to give up his civil rights: the right to vote, to serve on a jury and to run for office.

At the time, when I first accepted the plea deal, I didnt understand the consequences, Meade says.

Fourteen years and a pair of college and law degrees later, Meade, now 50, still cant vote; his application to regain his civil rights was rejected in 2011. The reason: a new Florida law that requires felons like him to wait for seven years before they could apply for rights restoration.

Home to nearly a quarter of the nation's disenfranchised felons, Florida has become a battleground in a national debate over felony disenfranchisement laws. With lawmakers deeply divided over the issue, Meade says he wants the states voters to change the system when they head to the polls on Nov. 6.

Hes promoting a ballot initiative that would amend the state's constitution, restoring the voting rights of all felons in Florida (except those convicted of murder and sexual assault) after theyve completed the terms of their sentence.

The measure enjoys broad voter support. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in February showed that 67 percent of Floridians were in favor of restoring the voting rights of felons other than those convicted of murder and sexual assault. Another poll showed support at 71 percent.

Were going to change the system, Meade says confidently. What were doing is taking the power out of the hands of politicians and were allowing the citizens of the state of Florida to decide whether or not folks should have a second chance, to be able to vote.

Rates of Voter 'Disenfranchised' Soar

Meade is one of more than 6 million American citizens who have lost their voting rights because of a felony conviction. Their number has soared in recent decades as the U.S. prison population has ballooned.

Felony disenfranchisement disproportionately affect African-Americans like Meade. One in 13 African-Americans of voting age cant vote. It is a rate more than four times higher than for other races, according to the Sentencing Project, a criminal justice research and advocacy organization. In Florida more than 1-in-5 African-Americans are disenfranchised.

But Meade says felony disenfranchisement crosses racial and political lines.

This is what I can tell you: there are three times as many people who cant vote in Florida who are not black, Meade says.

When it comes to letting felons vote, the United States is out of line with the rest of the democratic world, says Marc Mauer, executive director of the Sentencing Project.

Some democracies such as Canada allow prisoners to vote and politicians to campaign inside prisons. Other countries such as Britain restore prisoners' voting rights after serving their time.

There is no other democratic nation that takes away the right to vote for the rest of your life as is done in some states in the U.S., Mauer says.

States Set Voter Qualifications

The U.S. Constitution gives the states the right to set voter qualifications and to disqualify anyone who participates in rebellion, or other crime. That has led to an assortment of voting rights laws for felons, ranging from the most liberal -- Maine and Vermont, which impose no restrictions on felons  to the strictest in four states, such as Florida, that permanently revoke the voting rights of convicted felons.

This panoply of statutes has led to confusion over who has the right to vote, sometimes with harsh consequences. Last month, a Texas judge sentenced a 43-year-old African-American woman to five years in prison for voting illegally in the 2016 election while she was on supervised release from prison.

Defenders of the practice say there are compelling reasons to bar felons from voting, a practice that dates as far back as ancient Greece and came to the United States from England.

The short answer is: if youre not willing to follow the law, you should not be making the law for everyone else, says Roger Clegg, president and general counsel of the conservative Center for Equal Opportunity.

The longer answer, Clegg says, is that voters must meet certain minimum objective standards of responsibility and commitment to laws before theyre empowered with voting rights.

When you think about it, we dont let everybody vote, he says. We dont let children vote, we dont let non-citizens vote, we dont let mentally incapacitated people vote, and we dont let people who have committed crimes against fellow citizens.

Because of a high rate of recidivism among criminals, Clegg says felons must wait for a period of time to prove theyve turned over a new leaf before theyre allowed to vote.

Unfortunately, you cant assume somebody is no longer a criminal just because theyre no longer in prison, he says.

But advocates of broader rights say that the high rate of recidivism among felons is itself an argument for restoring their voting rights.

When people come out of prison, if we hope to reduce recidivism, we need to have these people connected with positive institutions within the community, Mauer says.

Another frequent argument advocates make is that the right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights of citizenship. And just as a felon doesnt lose the right to get married or divorced or to buy property, so, too, he or she shouldnt lose the right to vote.

If we say to people, you may have done your time in prison, but were still not going to permit you to vote, thats essentially sending a message that theyre a second-class citizen, Mauer says.

'Returning Citizens'

Thats how Meade, the married father of five, feels.

I think voting is probably one of the purest expressions of citizenship, Meade says. As long as Im not allowed to vote, Im only a second-class citizen, if that at all.

After the governor's board informed him in 2011 that his application had been rejected  five years after hed submitted it  Mead had to wait another two years before he could reapply.

But instead of waiting, he founded the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, a grassroots organization run by felons who call themselves returning citizens, while attending law school. The organization helps felons navigate Florida's cumbersome system of restoring felons' civil rights and apply to the board of clemency.

The board, made up of the governor and three elected cabinet members, meets quarterly to review about 100 cases from a backlog of more than 20,000. In some cases, applicants have to wait 10 years or more before the board hears their case.

If I help you file an application today, youll not know anything about this application until May 2025, Meade says.

Meade graduated from Florida International University College of Law in 2014 only to realize that he couldn't take the bar exam because he'd lost his civil rights. But by then he'd found a calling.

"Me not being able to vote, me not being able to practice law is not what sits at the heart of my passion," he says. "What sits at the heart of my passion is seeing my fellow citizens not being able to vote."
South Korea is pushing to keep the planned summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump on track after Pyongyang warned it may call off the meeting over U.S. demands that it dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

South Koreas National Security Council issued a statement Thursday pledging to closely coordinate the countries positions through various channels between Seoul, Washington and Pyongyang to ensure the summit be held successfully under the spirit of mutual respect.

The fate of the June 12 summit in Singapore was thrown into doubt Wednesday after North Korea first Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan said Pyongyang will have to reconsider whether to take part in the summit if the United States continues to demand that the regime unilaterally abandon its nuclear weapons arsenal.

President Trump told reporters at the White House later Wednesday that the U.S. has not been notified if the summit will still take place.

Well see what happens. Time will tell, Trump said at the White House Wednesday. Trump said the U.S. will insist on denuclearization by North Korea.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News that Trump is prepared for tough negotiations, but that if the summit is called off, well continue the maximum pressure campaign of economic sanctions against North Korea.

WATCH: North Korea Cancellation Threats a Bargaining Tool, Analysts Say

The North Korean statement was the second in 24 hours that appeared to erode a period of improved relations between North Korea, South Korea and the United States. North Korea abruptly canceled high-level talks scheduled for Wednesday with the South, citing the current joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises. The North Korean news agency KCNA said the Max Thunder exercises are a rehearsal for invasion of North Korea and a provocation.

The statement also warned that the U.S. will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities.

The Pentagon describes the Max Thunder military exercises as a routine annual training to enhance the ROK-U.S. alliances ability to defend the ROK (South Korea) and enhance interoperability and readiness. It says this has been clear for many decades.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert pointed out that Kim has said he understands and appreciates the importance of such exercises to the United States. She said as of now, the U.S. is still going ahead with plans for the summit with Kim.

But others who have worked closely with the North over the years say there are hardliners who may want to sabotage diplomatic negotiations they believe could imperil the Kim dynasty.

Seoul said Wednesdays talks between the North and South were to have focused on demilitarization and plans to formally end the Korean War that occurred in the early 1950s.
Tense White House staffers are bracing for firings following President Donald Trump's vow to root out leakers of information.

"Leakers are traitors and cowards and we will find out who they are!" Trump said in a tweet Monday.

Some attorneys with national security backgrounds see as extreme the president's assertion that leakers are committing treason, a crime punishable by imprisonment or even death.

"I think that the word 'traitor' is overused and should be reserved for people who commit treason as defined in the law," said Robert Litt, a former general counsel to the director of national intelligence. "Leaking isn't treason. If classified information is leaked, that's a crime and should be prosecuted."

Some in the White House interpret what is happening more akin to a prison knife fight than to subversion.

White House staffers are using "media to shiv [stab with a makeshift weapon] each other," Kellyanne Conway, a counselor to the president, said on Fox News, adding that she expected personnel changes amid an effort to identify leakers.

McCain comment

Trump's latest outburst about leaks appears to have been triggered by comments from an internal West Wing meeting at which one aide made a morbid remark about Republican Senator John McCain.

White House communications aide Kelly Sadler has been widely quoted as saying McCain's vote in Congress no longer mattered because "he's dying anyway."

The 81-year-old Arizona senator is being treated for an aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer.

A subsequent scolding about the leak by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders delivered to staff behind closed doors also quickly leaked, which Sanders accurately predicted would happen.

"Leaking snippets of unclassified conversations  such as the comment about Senator McCain  is not a criminal act," Litt told VOA. "But it's a breach of trust, and a government official would be well within his or her rights to fire someone who leaked confidential conversations. The prevalence of leaking from this White House suggests a failure to establish a culture of trust and loyalty."

Asked about the issue during Monday's scheduled briefing, principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah told reporters: "If you aren't able in internal meetings to speak your mind or convey thoughts or say anything that you feel without feeling like your colleagues will betray you, that creates a difficult work environment."

Trump has previously complained about leaks during his administration, as have those working for him.

"I'm going to fire everybody," then-White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci told reporters last July. "You're going to stop leaking, or you're going to be fired."

Scaramucci, ironically, was the next one out the West Wing doors following publication of profanity-laced insults he made about colleagues in a phone conversation with a magazine reporter.

History of presidential leaks

Bitter presidential complaints about leaks go back at least to President Woodrow Wilson, according to Columbia University law professor David Pozen.

Most notable was former President Richard Nixon's covert use of the so-called White House plumbers to stop the leak of classified information to reporters. Its members, working for Nixon's re-election committee, strayed into illegal activities, including the infamous Watergate building burglary that led to the downfall of the Republican's presidency.

A number of other presidents from both parties have also made attempts to plug internal leaks, small and large.

"Thankfully, U.S. law enforcement officials have long appreciated that those who disclose information to the media in an effort to inform public debate should not be lumped together with those who give sensitive national security information directly to foreign countries," Pozen told VOA.

New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman tweeted in response to Trump's latest complaint about leaks: "Sometimes the person yelling the most about leakers is doing the leaking."

Haberman has frequently interviewed Trump, going back years prior to his presidency. Trump has denied she has access to him and has called Haberman a "Hillary flunky," a reference to former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party opponent Trump defeated in the 2016 presidential election.

CNN reported on Tuesday that regular sweeps have been carried out in the West Wing since a ban on personal cellphones was put in place in January. Men in suits carrying machines have gone from room to room to detect unauthorized devices, according to the network.

Several West Wing staff members told VOA they have not noticed any such recent activity.

The Secret Service referred queries to the White House, which has not responded to a request for a comment on the CNN report.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is slated to meet privately in Brussels as soon as next week with key European lawmakers about the data protection controversy that has affected his company.

EU Parliament President Antonio Tajani confirmed the meeting Wednesday.

It will be Zuckerberg's first visit with EU representatives since a whistle-blower alleged that British political consulting company Cambridge Analytica improperly collected information from millions of Facebook accounts to help Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election in the United States. The collection affected about 87 million users and prompted apologies from Zuckerberg.

Facebook was largely unscathed by Zuckerberg's 10 hours of testimony before U.S. legislators in April. The social media giant's share price increased after his testimony, and some lawmakers apparently failed to grasp the technical details of the company's operation and data privacy policies.

Zuckerberg's pending appearance in Brussels comes as new European data protection laws are set to take effect May 25.

Some critics say Zuckerberg's meeting with the lawmakers should be public.

Guy Verhofstadt, president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, a liberal-centrist political group of the European Parliament, said he would not attend the meeting if it were held behind closed doors.

"It must be a public hearing," he said. "Why not a Facebook Live?" he asked on Twitter.
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Jennifer L. Savage, Charge d' Affairs at the United States Embassy in Harare, on Tuesday met with Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda in the capital, to assess the promised electoral reforms. She said President Emmerson Mnangagwa needs to take action on electoral reforms.
Political parties in Zimbabwe rarely get along and their interactions in the past have been marred with violence.

However, youthful political leaders from various parties are joining hands and taking a stand against political violence in the country and other issues affecting youth.

Lovemore Chinoputsa, the youth secretary general of the Movement for Democratic Change, said Wednesday the young politicians have a common goal.

We are representatives of different political parties youth wings, that have started a new trajectory in the politics of this country by coming together to work towards ensuring that as young people we push for a fair electoral field, we push for the participation of young people and also make sure our young people desist from violence.

Chinoputsa told journalists that younger members of the ruling ZANU PF, and the opposition parties the MDC, the MDC-T, Zapu, TZ and NPP all met last month to set out a common agenda for freedom, justice and equality.

From that meeting, he says, they discovered there is more that unites them than divides them in addressing the needs of younger Zimbabweans.

While organizers of Wednesdays news conference said youths from the ruling Zanu PF support their call for peace, no Zanu PF members were present.

Munyaradzi Dodo is the editor of Open Parly, an online publication that covers parliament business and other political events. While he says its a good thing to have the youth leaders finding common ground, he has low expectations.

Its commendable that the young people can come out and say such things in public. On paper all these things look amazing when we are at press conferences and the rhetoric is being highlighted. But the sheer absence of Zanu PF is testament that there are other leaders high up the rank who will be pulling strings. In practical terms these young people act in accordance to their leaders voice and actions.

Chinoputsa says the youth group is inclusive and other political parties are welcome to join the push toward its goals. Zimbabwe is expected to hold national elections in the next few months, and more than 100 political parties have expressed interest to taking part.

As much as 75 percent of Zimbabwes population is under the age of 35. Many younger Zimbabweans have long complained that the government ignores their needs, including job creation and educational opportunities. And, at times, leaders from different parties have encouraged younger members to use violence to suppress voters from other parties.
If you havn't done it yet,to get one of the fastest volcano news online:

After a period of relative calm, a moderately powerful vulcanian explosion occurred from Shinmoedake's summit crater this morning at 03:42 local time. ...

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List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano.

The Canary islands boast spectacular scenery, wild nature, great culture and gorgeous cuisine. Get to know 4 jewels on one tour: Lanzarote, La Palma, El Hierro, and Tenerife., and discover some world-class geology with an expert!

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One of the most exciting volcano travel destinations in the world! On our adventurous expeditions, you will get close to active lava lakes on Ambrym Island and the spectacular fireworks of Yasur volcano on Tanna Island.

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A recent visit to the volcano showed no more (or at least no more significant) activity from the side vent on the lower terrace. The recent lava flows that had surrounded the lips of the inner crater and partially spilled into the central lava lake were seen cooling.
A fascinating archipelago with very active volcanoes, tropical islands and very friendly and hospital people who still live their original Melanesian culture. Browse through our vast collection of photos.
Rome mayor hails "historic" decision to move botticelle from city streets.

Rome's horse-drawn carriages, or botticelle, are set to be moved off the streets to four of the capital's parks following legislation approved by the city council on 25 July.

The "historic" move will mean "no more tired horses forced to travel the city's streets among cars, under the sun", according to Rome's mayor Virginia Raggi of the populist Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S). The legislation now awaits approval by Rome's municipi (boroughs) before being passed definitively by the city assembly.

Raggi stressed that the legislation would not result in loss of work for the city's 41 botticelle drivers who are being offered the chance to switch to a taxi licence (free of charge) if they object to operating in parks.

Environmental association Verdi di Roma acknowledged that the move was a "first step towards eliminating the botticelle from Rome" but said the legislation was "insufficient" and called for the total abolishment of the carriage service which it described as an "instrument of suffering for horses."

A botticelle horse collapsed near Piazza Venezia in June 2016.

Under the legislation horses will not be permitted to work in temperatures above 30 degrees in the parks which include Villa Borghese, Villa Doria Pamphilj, Castel di Guido and Parco degli Acquedotti.

However, when the legislation was proposed earlier this year it was opposed by representatives of the carriage drivers, or vetturini, who described the steep roads required to reach Villa Pamphilj or Villa Borghese as "very dangerous" for the horses which are housed at stables in Testaccio. They also point out that although the city is prepared to issue them with taxi licences cost free, they would still have to buy the taxi vehicle.

The legislation is the latest in a series of moves against the presence of horse-drawn carriages on Rome's streets. In 2016, during her mayoral election campaign, Raggi pledged to eliminate the city entirely of botticelle, a promise that animal rights' acitivists have not forgotten in the intervening two years.

Rome's never-used electric botticelle have been in storage since 2012.

More than a year ago the city attempted to revive a plan to replace Rome's horse-drawn carriages with electric vehicles , first suggested by former mayor Gianni Alemanno in 2012. However the plan was subsequently abandoned a second time due to opposition from the vetturini.

Raggi's predecessor Ignazio Marino introduced stricter rules governing the horses, particularly in relation to passenger numbers and operating in the summer heat.

Botticelle horse collapsed on Via del Corso in 2012.

Over the years there have been numerous clashes between carriage drivers and animal rights' activists who say the conditions in which the horses work are cruel and dangerous.

In June 2016 a botticelle horse collapsed near Piazza di Venezia and in October 2014 an 11-year-old horse drawing a carriage collapsed in the middle of Via del Corso. In July 2012 an exhausted horse collapsed in Piazza di Spagna, under the strain of carrying six tourists in 40 degree heat.

18-year-old Birillo died at work in 2008.

At least two of Rome's botticelle horses have died on the streets while working  one in 2007, the other in 2008.
. The Ex Dogana in S. Lorenzo launches its new contemporary art gallery with Qualcosa del Genere, a solo exhibition by young painter Luca Grimaldi whose work features people and every-day objects depicted in a fragmented, almost abstract fashion.

Items from supermarket shelves and shop windows become almost unrecognisable in the paintings of Grimaldi who breaks his composition down into simple form and colour, presenting the viewer with images that are at once familiar and foreign.

The new gallery space is designed as a bridge between the public and the factory Studio Volante, which has been connected to the Ex Dogana for the last two years, offering studio artists the chance to present solo, collective and site-specific projects.

Grimaldi is the first artist in residence, invited by curators Giulia Lotti and Chiara Pietropaoli, to work on his first Italian solo show.

The exhibition opens at 19.00 on Friday 18 May.
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Theres significant funding left in the CHIP account for the funds theyre looking to rescind that have actually technically expired, Short said. And so in many cases Congress continues to not want you to rescind it because they say, well, we might go tap into it at some point in the future. But my understanding . . . is that those are actually expired accounts and not really able to be even used anymore.
Shares in A2 Milk, Blackmores and Bega Cheese all rallied Thursday as Bellamy's got hammered on its trading update

New Zealand dairy company A2 Milk said on Wednesday it expected full-year revenues to rise more than 63 per cent after a surge in the first nine months of the financial year.

Revenue for the 12 months to June 30 is expected to be between $NZ900 million and $NZ920 million ($827 million to $845 million) compared to $NZ549.5 million the previous year, the company said in a statement to the stock exchange.

A2 Milk said revenue for the nine months ended March 31 was $NZ660 million, up about 70 percent from last year on the back of strong sales growth in its nutritional products and liquid milk.

The sales growth also reflects the impact of seasonal sales from China selling events, weighted towards the first half of the financial year, the company said.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.

A County Court staff member has been fired after they were allegedly caught looking up sensitive information about Cardinal George Pell's upcoming trial.

The staff member reportedly accessed the information through the court's computer system and was fired just hours after the court was alerted to the security breach.

Cardinal Pell was committed to stand trial on multiple historic sexual assault charges a fortnight ago and his case returns to the County Court of Victoria on Wednesday morning in front of Chief Judge Peter Kidd where a trial date is expected to be set.

The incident is expected to be raised during the directions hearing, according to News Corp.
Her body was found in the bush at Macedon eight months later.

Borce Ristevski, 54, was charged with the murder of his wife Karen, 47, who went missing in June 2016 from the couple's Avondale Heights home they shared with Sarah.

Karen Ristevski's daughter Sarah will appear as a prosecution witness in the murder case against her father, Borce.

The revelation that Sarah is listed as a witness for the prosecution case comes as Mr Ristevski's lawyers attempt to stop media reporting of the Melbourne Magistrates Court proceeding.

In their notice of application to suppress the case, lawyers from Stary Norton Halphen argue a suppression order is required to ensure Mr Ristevski receives a fair trial.

Lawyers named both The Age and the Herald Sun stories that Mr Ristevski's legal representation was funded by taxpayers via legal aid as an example of reporting that was "deliberately toxic and designed to promote outcry in the community".

They said a follow-up story by the Herald Sun asserting Mr Ristevski would receive income from the rent of the Avondale Heights home, which had been put up for listing, inaccurate. The property is in the estate of Ms Ristevski and funds derived from it will not flow to her husband, the lawyers said.
After years of ballooning weight, Melbourne grandfather Max Campbell decided to undergo gastric bypass surgery, an increasingly common treatment for obesity that involves dramatically reducing the size of the stomach.

But in the days following the procedure, his health seemed only to worsen.

The 68-year-old had abdominal pain and was sweating. Doctors could not pinpoint exactly what was wrong.

I was concerned that I was looking at a very sick man and there wasnt anything normal about his condition, said his wife, Lyn Campbell.

He was still a very ashen colour.
Premier Mark McGowan has defended spending more than $250,000 leading a delegation to China and Japan last year, saying it was a worthwhile 10-day trip to promote the state and secure jobs.

The WA Opposition has launched a blistering attack on Premier Mark McGowan's 2017 delegation to China and Japan after the government revealed the 10-day trip cost more than $250,000.

WAtoday revealed on Tuesday that a group of 16 people, including ministers and bureaucrats, spent almost $120,000 on airfares, accommodation and "associated costs", and more than $118,000 on expenses in China alone.

Premier Mark McGowan celebrates the 30th anniversary of the WA-Zhejiang sister-state relationship with Province Communist Party Secretary Che Jun on November 10. Credit:Twitter

The delegation included Education Minister Sue Ellery, Tourism Minister Paul Papalia, university vice-chancellors, chief executives, tourism operators, medium-sized businesses and private college operators.
Kuala Lumpur: Anwar Ibrahim, the man who has been a symbol of hope for Malaysian anti-corruption and democracy campaigners for 20 years, walked free from custody on Wednesday and vowed to support newly elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his own wife, Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah.

Anwar, 70, left a Kuala Lumpur hospital at 11.30am local time, after receiving a long-awaited royal pardon just an hour earlier.

In chaotic scenes, he waved at supporters and hundreds of journalists before being bundled into a car by police officers, who then hung onto the vehicle.

Later, speaking for the first time since his release, Anwar pledged his full support to the new government as a "concerned citizen".
An urgent task was "respect for all Malaysians"  a reference to addressing racism embedded in the country's laws  "independence of the judiciary, rule of law, free media and proper separation of powers". Anwar expressed confidence that he would be able to work with the 92-year-old former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad  his ally turned foe turned ally  who led the opposition Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition to victory. Even while in jail, and then while recovering from shoulder surgery in Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Anwar said he had detected a growing outrage among Malaysians over the "corrupt regime" of former prime minister Najib Razak, who has been accused of siphoning off billions of dollars in the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund scandal. He told Fairfax Media the hardest thing about being in jail was the time away from his family.

Anwar Ibrahim in 2014, before his second stint in jail. Credit:AP "My children were quite young during the earlier period of incarceration [from 1999 to 2003] and that was a difficult period for them and [his wife, new deputy prime minister Wan] Azizah," he said. "It is pure agony to see your own children struggling because of decisions you made. This time [from 2015 to now] it is my childrens children who I missed deeply. Anwar Ibrahim, right, Mahathir Mohamad, middle and Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah, at the hospital in Kuala Lumpur. Credit:Anwar Ibrahim's Facebook page "But as a family, we were in concert that we cannot expect the people of Malaysia to take a risk for their freedom if we ourselves were not prepared to take those same risks.

At a time when democracy is in retreat ... I hope that the people of Malaysia have given some hope to people ... clamouring for freedom. Anwar Ibrahim "As the days and weeks wore on I never lost hope. In fact, even from within the prison cell I sensed that the outrage against a corrupt regime was increasing by the day." He said that, "in a free and fair election, we would have won 10 years ago". Anwar is set to replace Mahathir as prime minister under a deal the pair agreed to before the election, though no date has been set for that transfer of power. Anwar was due to walk free on June 8, but the fast-tracking of his release - via an expected full royal pardon from Malaysias King Muhammad V of Kelantan, due Wednesday - will allow him to re-enter politics almost immediately, rather than waiting the five years required by the constitution. Then Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, centre, is surrounded as he arrives at court in 2008. Credit:AP/File

Anwar must first win a seat in Parliament. He is likely to take Wan Azizah's seat if she resigns. Anwar said that after working with Mahathir for many years, "I understand that he cares deeply about Malaysia and the people of Malaysia ... a new partnership was essential to overcome the deeply entrenched, corrupt system that was presiding over Malaysia". "Our litmus test has always been supporting the reform agenda," he said. "So long as there is sincere commitment to these principles, we have always welcomed new supporters. The animosity which preoccupies some observers is not an issue for me." He spoke to Fairfax Media six days after the opposition's historic win in the country's 14th general election, which has ended 61 years of rule by the coalition.

In an ominous sign for the former prime minister, Najib and his wife Rosmah were slapped with a travel ban by Malaysias Immigration Department on Saturday, which stopped the couple from leaving for Jakarta. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, centre, waves to crowds leaving National Mosque after performing Friday prayers in Kuala Lumpur. Credit:AP The highs and lows of the relationship between Anwar and Mahathir are extraordinary. Anwar served as Mahathirs deputy prime minister for five years, when both were part of the now-defeated Barisan Nasional ruling party, from 1993 to 1998. The pair fell out spectacularly and Anwar was jailed, during Mahathir's first period of 22 years as prime minister, for a five year period in 1999 on trumped-up sodomy charges.
Accused child abuser Malka Leifer will undergo another psychiatric evaluation from behind bars after a Jerusalem District Court judge requested her mental state be reassessed once again.

The court is trying to determine whether Leifer is fit to undergo extradition proceedings.

Leifer did not attend Wednesdays hearing despite being present at the Jerusalem court, after her lawyer Yehuda Fried claimed she was feeling unwell.

Malka Leifer being led away after she left court early feeling unwell on May 2, 2018. Credit:Gabrielle Weiniger

She will return to court on May 31 to hear the outcome of the new assessment from a district psychiatrist, as well as a review of the evidence presented against her.
The panel said that Bai and RBP Consulting "carried out an extensive campaign of deceit, which was designed to forestall investors from seeking the return of their funds and from learning of the respondents' misappropriation of their investments."

Bai has been ordered to resign any position he holds as a director or officer of an issuer or registrant.

He has been permanently banned from trading in or purchasing any securities or exchange contracts; relying on any of the exemptions set out in the Securities Act, the regulations or a decision; becoming or acting as a director or officer of any issuer or registrant; becoming or acting as a registrant or promoter; acting in a management or consultative capacity in connection with activities in the securities market; and engaging in investor relations activities.

RBP Consulting has also been banned. The partnership included Bais wife but the panel determined that Roy Ping Bai was the sole operator and controlling mind.
As demand for Fairfield housing continues to grow, so does the demand for housing aimed strictly at seniors, which a trio of companies are on their way to addressing.

Fairfield will see more than 200 units of senior and assisted-living housing come online over the next three years as development of Sunrise Senior Living, Sturges Ridge and Maplewood at Southport continues. The three projects will include a number of spaces reserved for people with memory issues including Alzheimers and other forms of dementia.

As of 2016, there were more than 575,000 Connecticut residents 65 and older, making up an estimated 16 percent of the state population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That number is expected to keep growing.

They are responding to a need within not just Fairfield but the surrounding area, said Mark Barnhart, Fairfields economic development director. Everyone has talked about the fact that as a population we are growing older, and as people live longer we need specialized care options. They are certainly responding to that demand.

The latest addition to the list of senior living developments is Sunrise of Fairfield at 1571 Stratfield Road. Virginia-based developers Sunrise Senior Living are building a 63,000-square-foot facility that will bring 83 units of senior and assisted-living.

The company has more than 300 facilities throughout the U.S., Canada, and the UK, including in Stamford and under construction in Wilton. Barnhart said the $30 million project will be completed by 2020.

Development of Benchmark Senior Livings newest community, Sturges Ridge, at 400 Mill Plain Road has been continuing as developers near a fall 2018 deadline.

That development will be bringing 68 apartments with assisted living services and 20 memory care spaces. It will be joining the Waltham, Mass., companys residential facilities in Milford, Shelton, Trumbull, Brookfield, Ridgefield and Stamford.

Westport-based Maplewood Senior Living broke ground on its three-story, 93,0000-square-foot facility at 917 Mill Hill Terrace in December, with plans to bring almost 100 units to the area by spring of 2019. The development is starting to take form on the parcel, as a steel frame of the facility can be seen rising at the site.

The facility is being built on 27 acres of land just off Interstate 95 and will feature spacious lounges, a bar, bistro and a courtyard and pond area.

Up until now we havent had this option for folks who are in need of these kind of services, Barnhart said. Its very much market driven. Its something that has been missing from the local marketplace, so were excited to have this as an additional housing option for folks who want to stay in the local community.

Jordan.grice@hearstmediact.com
Sarah Crompton, WhatsOnStage



"John Logan's play about a crisis in the life of the artist Mark Rothko has become an award-laden popular hit since it first premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in 2009. Yet the skill of Michael Grandage's production and a towering central performance by Alfred Molina cannot entirely disguise its imperfections. It's less a perceptive masterpiece and more an art history yawn."

"It is all interesting, as far as it goes, but it never really goes very far. I felt I didn't know much more about Rothko when I left than when I walked in; he becomes a series of attitudes rather than a real man."

"All the most engrossing things come from the production not the text. Christopher Oram's set, with its simulacra of Rothko's great paintings and its glorious collection of artistic clutter  buckets full of rich paint, jars of red powder, an old record player  really does pulse and throb with the pleasure of artistic creation. Neil Austin's lighting bathes it in a magical glow. Grandage's sensitive direction animates every conversation with a delicate ebb and flow."

"Molina throughout is magnificent, terrifying in his rages, but profoundly moving as he touches his canvases quietly, waiting for them to speak to him. Facing a performance that has grown over the years to such a pitch of intensity and detail it is hard for Enoch to shine, but he does convince as a man struggling to make his own way, and to understand the significance of all he sees."

Ann Treneman, The Times



"Alfred Molina is a force of nature as Rothko: furious, intense, solid and never wavering in his belief of what it takes to be an artist. He is a visionary and a bully and he dominates the stage, even when he is just sitting there. There is also a stellar West End debut from Alfred Enoch as Ken, the student who, despite his nerves, tells his new employer that his favourite painter is Jackson Pollock. (It wasn't a popular answer.)

"Michael Grandage directs and, at 90 minutes straight through, he builds up the layers, not unlike the paint on a Rothko canvas, until you care deeply about both men. The connection only gets more powerful. The themes of student and teacher, father and son pulsate right along with those paintings on stage."

"The set, by Christopher Oram, is nothing short of perfect. He must have had great fun recreating those paintings and the wondrous blend of work, sweat, paint and liquor that made that studio."

Michael Billington, The Guardian



"The delight of the piece, however, is its ability to balance theory and practice. In Christopher Oram's design, the studio really does look like a workspace, and the highlight of Grandage's production is still the moment when Rothko and Ken take a blank canvas and slap on an undercoat. The two men go at their task like demons and at one point, applying layers of paint horizontally, achieve a physical harmony that totally belies their intellectual rivalry."

"Alfred Enoch captures exactly Ken's progress from sorcerer's apprentice to articulate opponent, and wittily scores off Rothko by reminding him that, just as the abstract expressionists waged brutal war on the cubists, so they too are now being overturned. Even if I couldn't always believe that the studio would have housed such suavely phrased arguments, the play offers an invigorating 90 minutes and shows Rothko's ability to paint the town his own sombre form of red."

Alfred Molina (Mark Rothko)

 Johan Persson

Natasha Tripney, The Stage



"Enoch brings a completely different energy to the production. He's a warmer presence than Redmayne was and he reframes some of the play's discussion about, say, the symbolism of blackness in art. He invigorates the play, while also making its limitations apparent."

"Grandage's production, however, goes some way to countering this. Christopher Oram's set is a kind of glorious abattoir-temple, bronzed by Neil Austin's lighting. Meanwhile, Grandage's direction provides a reminder that painting of this scale is a physical activity as well as an intellectual and aesthetic one and contains a wonderfully choreographed sequence in which the two men prep a canvas, their clothes and skin splattered in paint by the end."

Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph



"Molina is older, heavier, sadder  no less commanding  than he was at the Donmar in 2009; some of Rothko's thinking-aloud flows past like busy Manhattan traffic, could usefully slow a little, yet there's no discernible join between actor and character. A face from the Harry Potter films and as agile as a Wimbledon ball-boy as he darts about the replica studio, Alfred Enoch doesn't quite match the intensity of Eddie Redmayne, who scooped awards as the decreasingly submissive gofer last time, and blazed with memorable anguish."

"Yet the youth's transformation is still vividly relayed. And further niggling is beside the point. It's a joy to have this modern classic back, splendidly played, and finally reaching the wider audience it was denied  through dint of its Broadway-transferring success  last time round."

Andrzej Lukowski, Time Out



"US playwright Logan's short, intense play has its faults, notably a rather American tendency towards excessively mannered dialogue (an early discussion of Nietzsche between the two could practically have been lifted from a episode of Frasier). And Ken has a tragic backstory that's almost impressive in its contrivance.

"But for the most part Red remains pretty special. The dialogue has its faults, but the remarkable, elemental way that the two men discuss colour is not one of them (one day the black with swallow the red', declares a fearful Rothko, early on)."

"The tortured artist is a naff cliche, but Molina's towering performance avoids tropes  his Rothko barely has emotions at all, seemingly wholly devoted to his work, and yet clearly his entire life is defined by an existential dread and his desire to impose order upon it."

Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard



"There are certainly moments when John Logan's portrait of Mark Rothko feels like a sermon or a lecture. But it captures the grandeur of this famously imperious painter's vision.

Crucial to this is Alfred Molina, returning to the role he played when Logan's two-hander premiered in London in 2009. Roaring with rage and pacing like a condemned prisoner, he has both the feverish energy and the gravitas to be wholly plausible as this brilliant and titanically self-absorbed figure...Alfred Enoch brings wit and balletic physicality to a part that originally belonged to Eddie Redmayne."

"Michael Grandage's precisely choreographed production is sensitive to the play's tensions and rhythms, and there's a glorious scene in which the master and his apprentice prime a bare canvas  an exhilarating ritual that bears out Rothko's idea of art as something intimate and miraculous."
With a single snip of ceremonial scissors through a bright green ribbon, Winnipegs third legal cannabis farm officially opened for business on Tuesday morning.

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This article was published 15/5/2018 (1243 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With a single snip of ceremonial scissors through a bright green ribbon, Winnipegs third legal cannabis farm officially opened for business on Tuesday morning.

But Growforce Holdings isnt ready to start growing marijuana inside its 120,000-square-foot Transcona facility just yet.

Before any crops can sprout, the former meat packing plant will be upgraded with new ventilation equipment, climate sensors and a robotic system that will deliver pallet-loads of plants directly to workers to reduce any risk of microbial contamination.

"Normally we like a purpose-built facility, but in this case it was already built for a manufacturing process," GrowForces executive vice-president of operations, James Lowe, told media on a tour of the empty Warman Road plant.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS GrowForce CEO Rishi Gautam (left) and Coun. Matt Allard perform a ribbon-cutting Tuesday.

The building was originally built by Schneiders, and sold to Maple Leaf Foods in 2001. Maple Leaf shut the plant down in 2008.

The new interior of the facility will be built out in phases, Lowe said, and will employ more than 150 full-time workers when its fully operational.

"It runs the gamut from trimmers and packagers up to cultivation technicians, facility managers, facility engineers, laboratory managers, extraction specialists  I mean, its the entire microcosm of cannabis jobs that will be in this facility."

An advanced HVAC system will help mitigate any odour from the facilitys pungent crop, said Lowe.

"People wont smell anything."

The building was originally built by Schneiders, and sold to Maple Leaf Foods in 2001. Maple Leaf shut the plant down in 2008. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

Before any of GrowForces Winnipeg crop can be sold to registered medical cannabis users  or recreational cannabis users, after legalization  the operation will have to be inspected by Health Canada and receive both a cultivation license and a sales licence from the federal regulator.

The first test crops could be grown as early as this fall, said GrowForce CEO Rishi Gautam, who told reporters the facility could ultimately produce more than 900 kilograms of cannabis per month and repesents an investment of more than $40 million.

Gautam said GrowForce considered other cities for its facility, including Edmonton and Calgary.

"In terms of the amount of employment available and the types of resources we have available locally to us, it was a resounding yes to put our foot forward here and plant the flag in Winnipeg," he said.

St. Boniface city councillor Matt Allard took part in Tuesdays ribbon-cutting ceremony, and said the new business is "good news for the city of Winnipeg."

Growforce Holdings isn't ready to start growing marijuana inside its 120,000 square foot Transcona facility just yet: the building will undergo renovations first. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

Allard said he expects the new facility and new jobs will receive a "generally positive" reaction from his constituents.

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"If were transitioning from industrial facilities like meat-packing plants to modern cannabis production, I think its a good overall direction for the community."

Winnipeg businessman and Free Press part-owner Bob Silver is an investor in GrowForce and sits on the companys board of directors.

"The management is first-class, theyre well financed, and this isnt a fly-by-night operation," Silver told reporters.

"And I thought that if I was going to join anybody, it would be this firm. I was really, really intrigued by what GrowForce is going to do not only for the industry, but also for the city and the province."

solomon.israel@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @sol_israel
A committee meeting that was cancelled earlier this month when two councillors failed to attend has prompted Mayor Brian Bowman to ask council to crack down on members who miss meetings without legitimate reasons.

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This article was published 15/5/2018 (1243 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A committee meeting that was cancelled earlier this month when two councillors failed to attend has prompted Mayor Brian Bowman to ask council to crack down on members who miss meetings without legitimate reasons.

But the councillors targeted by Bowman said they did, in fact, have legitimate reasons and criticized Bowman for unfairly singling them out.

The mayor brought a motion to executive policy committee Tuesday that would note a councillors absence in the minutes as "unauthorized" if the reason does not comply with accepted criteria.

Bowman identified Couns. Jason Schreyer, Janice Lukes and Jeff Browaty as the guilty parties; all three have regularly voted against the mayor on various issues.

"I know theres been some frustration by some of my council colleagues, and this is one way in which we can just provide greater openness and transparency on those meetings," Bowman told reporters. "It is disappointing to hear when meetings cant be held because of lack of attendance by members of council."

Bowman said he decided to deal with the issue after Lukes and Schreyer failed to attend the May 3 environment committee meeting, resulting in its cancellation.

Bowman singled out Browaty for missing the Jan. 25 council meeting while he was vacationing in Mexico and added that Schreyer also hadnt attended any of the monthly meetings of the Winnipeg Food Council this year.

Leaves of absence are given on a councillors behalf when they miss a meeting because they are away on official city business, ill or injured, attending a private personal or family matter or for extraordinary or unforeseen circumstances.

For absences noted as "other official city business," its rare for details to be provided at meetings.

Bowmans motion would require the "other official city business" to be clearly stated.

Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan) said he was surprised to be singled out, adding he has an "excellent" attendance record and he notified city hall for most of the missed meetings. He said he missed others to deal with unexpected personal family issues.

Attending meetings of the food council is "a priority, but when I have other priorities, I have to pick and choose," he said, explaining that constituency issues come before food council meetings.

Although it appears Bowman is targeting him without finding out the facts, he said he will support Bowmans motion.

"Ive got no problem with the motion  its just got nothing to do with me," he said. "The only problem I have with it is the idea that its because of me; thats just absolutely unfounded and another surprising distortion but not surprising anymore."

Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) told committee chairman Coun. Brian Mayes ahead of time that she wouldnt be at the May 3 meeting because she was attending a developers conference. Schreyer didn't attend because he said he was home caring for his son, who was ill.

Bowman said he wasnt raising the absence issue in regards to Coun. Russ Wyatt, who has been in drug rehab treatment since January and has not attended any council or committee meeting since then.

Mayes said hes been frustrated with Schreyers repeated failure to attend the past five meetings of the Winnipeg Food Council, which was established in November and held its first meeting in January.

Browaty (North Kildonan) said he missed the January council meeting because the date was set after he had booked a family vacation.

He originally booked the vacation time in September to ensure he could attend the January council meeting, which has traditionally been held on the last Wednesday of that month, but when the schedule came out, the meeting was set six days earlier, and it was too late to change his plans.

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"I cant think of any profession where if you miss one meeting on a rare occasion, its the end of the world," Browaty said, adding he has missed meetings while attending other official city business and to deal with personal family matters.

Browaty said he, too, supports Bowmans motion, adding it reflects current practices for leaves of absence.

"Being a councillor is our full-time job. You shouldnt be missing council meetings haphazardly," he told reporters. "I never have and I have no issue with the public knowing about the stated reason for being absent."

Browaty, who has openly speculated about challenging Bowman for mayor in the Oct. 24 election, said theres been no love lost between the two recently, but would not say thats why Bowman had singled him out.

"I dont sense a lot of love from the mayor these days," he said.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
Last week marked the 26th anniversary of the explosion at the Westray mine in the Nova Scotia community of Plymouth. Sparks in the mine combined with methane gas to cause an explosion that killed 26 men on May 9, 1992.

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This article was published 16/5/2018 (1242 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Last week marked the 26th anniversary of the explosion at the Westray mine in the Nova Scotia community of Plymouth. Sparks in the mine combined with methane gas to cause an explosion that killed 26 men on May 9, 1992.

In the inquiry that followed, many people and organizations were singled out as contributing to the event, but no criminal convictions resulted.

Today, the people of Lac-Megantic in Quebec share a similar tragic fate as the people of Plymouth. The July 2013 train derailment in Lac-Megantic killed 47 and wiped out the towns downtown core. Despite the trials and investigations, we are left wondering who is responsible.

After the failure of complex systems that result in deadly disasters, we struggle to hold people to account.

Organizational anthropologists refer to four types of accountability: market, bureaucratic, community and randomness. Each type characterizes accountability differently; all have strengths and important limitations.

Markets and the law

Markets punish organizations after disasters; share values tumble and lawsuits mount. Many companies do not survive. Low-probability/high-consequence events like these, however, cannot be left to markets alone to address.

Markets encourage people to take chances and cut costs; they incentivize organizations to offload costs on others and not disclose information about vulnerabilities. The highly integrated nature of supply chains means that one small failure can sometimes have a massive cascading effect.

The concept of insurance  a common social response to managing risk  is also limited because these events involve so many organizations, are expensive and occur so rarely that there is a dearth of reliable predictive data. As American economist J. David Cummins emphasizes: "Catastrophic events, and particularly mega-catastrophes such as Katrina and the WTC terrorist attack, violate to some degree nearly all of the standard conditions for insurability."

Legal mechanisms have similar challenges; it is very difficult to find one smoking gun. Last year, Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Gareau found Robert Wood not guilty of criminal charges stemming from the Algo Centre mall collapse in Elliot Lake, Ont., that killed two people and injured more than 20, partly because there were too many people involved to hold one person to account.

The judge, troubled by his own verdict, declared Wood had to accept moral responsibility for the event, a vague and unenforceable concept.

Other legal mechanisms are also limited. Non-disclosure agreements, as we saw in Lac-Megantic, can be an efficient way to compensate victims, but they also shelter those who are responsible.

After Westray, the so-called Westray bill amended Canadas Criminal Code to extend the criminal liability of corporations in the field of health and safety. Only five employers have served time for fatality-related incidents since it was enacted in 2004.

Public bureaucracies

We value public bureaucracies because of their specialization, stability and clarity of accountability; they can also manage big projects for the public good.

But big projects can also result in big failures, and as projects become larger and more complex, it makes it harder for bureaucracies to identify who is responsible. That in turn facilitates blame-shifting and the practice of sweeping indiscretions under the carpet.

Senior public officials dont want to take responsibility for failures that they did not create themselves. They do not want to be blamed for policy decisions taken by politicians, or for underfunding.

Yet the "behind the curtain" tendencies of public servants in times of disaster erodes trust in governance. When asked in 2015 whether any public servants lost their jobs because of the events in Lac-Megantic, then-federal transport minister Lisa Raitt could not give a straight answer.

Inquiries are crucial for understanding the circumstances surrounding disasters. Westminster-style governments have a tendency to establish inquiries.

Still, governments, which are often in a conflict of interest in these matters, dont always call them. When they do, its sometimes simply to ease short-term political pressure. But inquiries are limited by their mandates, can only make recommendations and are only as good as our willingness to learn from and act on them.

Community accountability

Community accountability occurs when a community is held accountable to itself. Here, the concept of "community" is malleable; it refers to a group with a shared identity.

Restorative justice embodies aspects of community accountability; some call it "face-to-face" accountability. Unlike a bureaucratic approach, a community approach can be deeply personal.

Following the deaths of six people due to water contamination in 2000, Ontarios Walkerton inquiry demonstrated shades of a community approach when Justice Dennis OConnor chose to hold the inquiry in the town of Walkerton itself and allowed residents to provide personal accounts of the impact of the tragedy.

But there are challenges. Community accountability is oriented inward to the community, not outward to broader society, which also needs to learn about the systemic failures. Communities can fragment under this pressure; if the finger-pointing gets too intense, the community breaks down.

Communities can also feel anger towards outside organizations that they distrust. Following the Cave Creek disaster in New Zealand in which 13 youth and one adult died after a poorly constructed lookout point collapsed in a national park  and no one was ever convicted of a crime  the lawyer representing the government claimed that some people were simply out for revenge.

A random world

A new dynamic is emerging from our networked society: Randomness. In a random world, bad things happen; the world is a chaotic place, unworthy of trust or rational risk assessment.

Social media typifies this chaotic universe. As European scholar Pieter Rutsaert and his colleagues emphasize, social media "has the potential to develop a seemingly small-scale risk into a full-blown  crisis."

Accountability can also be random, underpinned by the fickle finger of fate.

Following the recent school shooting in Parkland, Fla., an online campaign emerged demanding that Mountain Equipment Co-op drop any products related to Vista Outdoor because it was a manufacturer of guns; other organizations managed to avoid the online scrutiny.

Media amplifies some tragedies and plays down others. Events that happen on the weekend, for example, get more coverage.

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In this context, the prominence of an event is driven by visuals and by the emotional weight of the story, which can be light on facts.

This dynamic results in people developing defensive posturing, adaptive capacity and brand management.

How we hold people to account after disasters is deeply embedded in social context; it is a legal question and a moral one.

When catastrophic events occur, we must consider the social and technological pressures that shape our behaviours and inform our accountability systems. We must emphasize learning, transparency and ethical conduct, and maintain public confidence in our overall system of governance. Recent events suggest there is much work to do.

Kevin Quigley is scholarly director of the MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance at Dalhousie University.

This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca.
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Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who provided the worlds people with the truth about US war crimes in the Middle East and many of Washingtons coups and regime-change intrigues around the globe, is in escalating danger.

Moves are afoot to force Assange out of Ecuadors London embassy, where he sought political asylum close to six years ago and has been forced to live as an effective prisoner. If he is taken into custody by British authorities, he faces being handed over to the US government, which has long sought to place him on trial on espionage charges that potentially carry the death sentence.

The British newspaper, the Guardian, originally published some of WikiLeaks devastating exposures in 2010. It then turned viciously against him, along with other international news outlets. Now, it has instigated a foul campaign, clearly acting in league with various intelligence agencies, to justify Ecuador reneging on Assanges asylum.

The fresh offensive against Assange comes seven weeks after the Ecuadorian government, under pressure from the US, Britain and other powers, cut off Assanges entire Internet and phone contact with the outside world, and blocked his friends and supporters from visiting him.

The Guardian has published unsubstantiated allegations that Assange violated the embassys communications system and apparently read confidential diplomatic traffic. In a tweet, WikiLeaks emphatically denied the accusation and pointed to its source, saying: Thats an anonymous libel aligned with the current UK-US government onslaught against Mr Assanges asylumwhile he cant respond.

There is no doubt about the intent of the latest allegations. Guardian opinion writer James Ball was blunt. The WikiLeaks founder, Ball asserted, should hold his hands up and leave the embassy.

The Guardians lead article declared: If he walks out of the embassy, he can expect arrest and could spend up to a year in prison for breaking his bail conditions. The US might then seek to extradite him. He would contest any attempt, and might win, but would face a long, uncomfortable spell behind bars while his case is decided.

Earlier this year, Ecuadors president, Lenin Moreno, who took office last May, stated that Assange was a costly inherited problem and a hacker, and made it clear that he viewed Assange as an obstacle to better relations with the US.

Ecuadors government gave Assange political asylum in June 2012, when his legal appeals ran out against extradition to Sweden to answer questions over fabricated allegations of sexual assault, and likely rendition to the United States. Swedish authorities finally dropped their trumped-up investigation in May 2017, but Prime Minister Theresa Mays British government still refused to cancel an arrest warrant against him, nominally for skipping bail when he sought asylum.

Rafael Correa, Morenos predecessor, recently told journalists in Madrid that Assanges days were numbered because Moreno, his former protege, would throw him out of the embassy at the first pressure from the United States.

Since his election, Moreno has carried out a sharp turn to the right, with tax cuts for big business, cuts in social spending and attempts to reduce Ecuadors dependence on loans and investment from China in favour of closer relations with US imperialism.

Ecuadors government cut off Assanges communications just one day after it welcomed a delegation from the US Southern Command (Southcom), the Pentagons arm in Latin America and the Caribbean, headed by General Joseph DiSalvo. Southcom said discussions were held to strengthen security cooperation.

There is no doubt that the US intelligence apparatus and political establishment are driving the conspiracy against Assange. Last year, WikiLeaks began publishing more incriminating files about the CIAs global operations. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said putting Assange on trial for espionage was a priority. CIA director Mike Pompeo, now secretary of state, declared that WikiLeaks was a non-state hostile intelligence service.

Last month, in a further bid to silence WikiLeaks, the US Democratic National Committee (DNC) launched a law suit, naming WikiLeaks and Assange as co-conspirators with Russia and the Trump campaign in a supposed criminal effort to steal the 2016 US presidential election.

In reality, the documents published by WikiLeaks laid bare the DNCs intrigues to undermine Bernie Sanders campaign in the 2016 presidential primary elections, and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clintons intimate relations with Wall Street banks and companies.

Journalist and documentary film-maker John Pilger yesterday spoke out against Ecuadors betrayal of Assange. The vindictive pursuit of Assange [is happening] for one reason only: he told the truth, Pilger told Sputnik International.

He revealed through Chelsea Manning the war crimes of the United States in Afghanistan and in Iraq; and of course, last year, revealing the machinations of the Democratic National Committee in trying to gerrymander the result [of the primary vote] in that country, which it successfully did.

Pilger condemned the Moreno governments move to revoke Assanges political asylum.

Political refuge is something that is internationally recognised, he said. Its not something you can then water down. Well, thats what Morenos government has done. Hes negotiated with the British government over the head of Julian, at times not even involving him and his lawyers.

Pilger pointed to the accommodation that Moreno was seeking with Washington, which has been aggressively moving against any government in Latin America regarded as an obstacle to US hegemony over the continent.

Its quite clear that this government has deferred to the United States because it cut off Julians contactsall Internet, all phone, all visitors apart from food and lawyers on the day that US Southcom deputy commander General Joseph DiSalvo arrived in Quito, Ecuador to renegotiate a US base that Correa had shut down.

The Guardian based its unverified accusations against Assange on secret records it had seen, together with Focus Ecuador, a right-wing website. It charged that Ecuadors intelligence agency bankrolled a multi-million-dollar spy operation to protect Assange in the embassy. Over six years, this activity had cost $5 million.

A closer examination of the story, however, indicates that the surveillance was conducted primarily against Assange and WikiLeaks. A security firm watched Assange around the clock and installed CCTV cameras throughout the embassy.

Operation Guest logged every visitor that Assange had for six years, and spied on his every movement in the tiny embassy, monitoring his mood, habits and sleeping patterns, the Guardian reported. Agents recorded each visitors purpose of visit, their passport information and arrival and departure times.

Every month, the security company sent a confidential list of Assanges visitors to the Ecuadorian president, the newspaper stated. Sometimes, the company included stills from secret video footage of interesting guests, plus profiles and analysis.

According to the Guardian, this possibly offered clues as to who gave him the trove of hacked documents that helped to bring down Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. It ominously stated that such a visitor would interest US special counsel Robert Mueller, who heads an investigation into the Trump administrations alleged links to Russia.

According to the newspaper, the FBI has already interviewed at least one source close to Operation Guest, indicating that Ecuador has handed over all its records to the US intelligence agencies. As a result, every person who has visited or communicated with Assange while he has been in the embassy is at risk of persecution and, potentially, frame-up charges of complicity in espionage or seeking to manipulate the 2016 US election.

The plot against Assange is bound up with an intensifying campaign by the American government and its allies to impose far-reaching Internet censorship and suppress freedom of speech and broader democratic rights. Unsubstantiated allegations of fake news and Russian meddling are being used by Google, Facebook and other conglomerates to restrict access to websitesincluding WikiLeaks and the World Socialist Web Sitethat provide critical commentary and exposures of the capitalist class and its agencies.

We urge workers and young people everywhere to come to Assanges defence and demand his immediate freedom.

The Socialist Equality Party (UK) and IYSSE are holding public meetings against War, Internet censorship and the persecution of Julian Assange, beginning May 17 in Glasgow, May 19 in Bradford, and May 20 in London, followed by meetings in Manchester, Sheffield, Oxford, Liverpool, Cambridge and Dublin, Ireland. We urge WSWS readers and supporters of democratic rights to attend.

The Socialist Equality Party in Australia is holding a meeting in Brisbane, Queensland, on May 20, following meetings in Sydney, Melbourne and Newcastle.

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[12 May 2018]

Freedom for Julian Assange!

[11 January 2018]
A May 2 fire at an auto parts factory in a small town south of Lansing, Michigan has disrupted automobile production in Michigan, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Alabama and Canada. The Meridian Magnesium Products plant in Eaton Rapids, which was severely damaged and will take months to rebuild, is one of the few factories in North America that produces light-weight magnesium-casted parts.

Due to its just-in-time parts delivery system, Ford had to halt production of its top-selling F-150 pickup at its Dearborn, Michigan assembly plant after halting F-150 production in Kansas City. It has also shut down production of its F-Series Super Duty pickups in Louisville, Kentucky.

One third of Meridians output goes to Ford, including the front bolster, which structurally reinforces the engine where the radiator is attached, for the F-150, Super Duty trucks, and Expedition and Navigator SUVs, according to the Detroit Free Press. The supplier also makes a lift gate for the MKT model.

While tools and dies have been sent to another Meridian plant in Ontario, Canada, the shutdowns could cost Ford production of 15,000 trucks per week. The F Series trucks accounts for the majority of the companys profits, bringing in an estimated $40 billion in annual revenue.

The disruption of parts production has also hit a General Motors plant in Wentzville, Missouri, the Fiat Chrysler van plant in Windsor, Canada, the BMW plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina and the Mercedes Benz plant in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.

As the auto companies scramble to restore production, a picture of the hazardous conditions and super-exploitation of auto parts workers is emergingfor many decades a pillar of the profitability of the auto manufacturers.

The conditions at Meridian Magnesium Products of America typify the brutal conditions that exist in auto parts plants in America. In recent years the company has been cited for more than half a dozen safety violations, including several incidents where workers suffered serious burns. Two more were injured during the explosions earlier this month. Workers report a hazardous environment in which untrained people are routinely assigned to dangerous jobs.

Magnesium is the lightest of structural metals, making it a prime source for fuel-efficient design. The unique industrial process at Meridian places molten magnesium under high pressure forcing the material into dies to cast parts. The facility also does secondary processing including assembly and painting.

In powder form magnesium ignites easily and burns at 2500 degrees Celsius, which means that any water it encounters is instantly vaporized producing explosive combinations of gas. Firefighters at the scene could only assist the injured and wait for the blaze to subside. The Eaton Rapids fire chief said an official report on the fire and blast will be released Thursday.

With 400 employees, the factory is the largest employer in the town of 5,000 people. The work force has a high rate of turnover and poverty level pay. Thirty-six percent of workers have four years or less and another 45 percent have between five and nine years. An assembly line worker makes just $11.67 per hour, a fork lift driver $12.84 and an assembler gets a mere $13.74. On top of this the workers now face the uncertainty of indefinite layoff and potential loss of health benefits.

The low wage regime confronting auto parts workers is the outcome of a long process in which the UAW has collaborated with the major car companies and auto parts suppliers to drive down wages.

Up until the 1960s, workers at so-called Independent Parts Suppliers enjoyed relatively similar wages and conditions as workers employed by the Detroit automakers. With the Big Three domestic automakers increasingly facing competition from international competitors in the late 1970s and 1980s, the UAW adopted a corporatist policy of labor-management collaboration and embarked on a campaign of cost cutting to boost the competitiveness of the US-based companies. In return for its collusion in slashing wages and destroying the achievements won by generations of autoworkers, the UAW received literally billions of dollars in payments funneled through various joint training programs and other schemes.

Peddling the lie that the enemies of American autoworkers were not the auto bosses but workers in Japan, Germany, Mexico and China, the UAW sought to outlaw any resistance by workers to wage-cutting, speed up and layoffs.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the UAW isolated and betrayed a series of strikes by auto parts workers, paving the way for a sharp lowering of wages in the parts sector and the expansion of non-union suppliers. A series of UAW concessions contracts at Budd Wheel, Dana Corp. and others broke the pattern of near parity wages with Big Three assembly workers.

By 1995, less than 20 percent of independent parts workers were represented by unions, down from 65 percent two decades before. In 1980, an auto parts worker earned 15 percent lower wages than a worker at a Big Three assembly plant. By 2000, the differential had risen to 31 percent and by 2014 it stood at 36 percent.

The nationalist and pro-capitalist UAW had no progressive response to the globalization of capitalist production. Between 1978 and 1998, GM built more than 50 parts factories in Mexico, which would come to employ more than 70,000 workers, making its parts subsidiary Delphi Automotive the countrys largest private employer. With wages as low as $1-2 an hour, compared to $22 an hour at GMs plants in Michigan in the late 1990s, GM, along with Ford, built an entire auto parts industry in Mexico.

Rejecting any effort to unite US and Mexican workers, the UAW joined management to use the low wages in Mexico as a hammer to drive down the pay of parts workers in the US. In 1993-94, GM sold off five axle and related product plants to a group of private investors led by former GM and Chrysler executive Richard Dauch to create American Axle & Manufacturing, employing 6,100 hourly workers.

At American Axle, with the assistance of the UAW, Dauch was able to replace thousands of former GM workers with new hires earning $12.50 an hour. While being forced to pay dues to the UAW, the new hires were not covered by the pension and benefit structures of the UAW-GM contract.

In the space of six months, two workersMichael Persechini and Dorothy Graveswere killed inside one plant in Detroit, the first crushed by machinery, the latter plunging 50 feet to her death while trying to close a roof vent. A UAW official discounted any suggestion that the deaths had anything to do with speed-up or unsafe conditions, saying instead, You have various accidents. Thats what happens with a new work force. People get killed.

After the UAW betrayed strikes at GM-Delphi in Dayton, Ohio in 1996 and Flint, Michigan in 1998, GM announced plans to spin off Delphi and slash 53,000 UAW members from its payroll. A year later, Ford followed suit, severing its ties to its Visteon parts division. The UAW sanctioned these decisions.

In the 2003 auto contract negotiations, the UAW agreed for the first time in its history to a two-tier wage contract with the major auto parts manufacturers, Delphi and Visteon, along with rollbacks in health and pension benefits for new hires. The following year, after a one-day strike, the union agreed to a two-tier system at American Axle.

In the name of in-sourcing work formerly done by suppliers in the US and internationally, the UAW is now imposing the same low wage and sweatshop regime inside GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler plants. In this way it can collect union dues from poorly paid in-progression workers, and temporary part-time employees who have no rights.

Press reports on the Meridian fire make an issue of the foreign ownership of the plant, which is held by the China-based Wanfeng Auto Holding Group. Indeed, the UAW has collaborated in driving down wages to the point where global companies are moving production to the US to secure cheap labor.

For decades the UAW has collaborated with every attack on jobs, wages and safety conditions. It is not a workers' organization, but a labor contractor, whose job is to enforce poverty-level wages on workers and do whatever it can to suppress opposition.

New organizations are urgently needed. Rank-and-file factory committees, independent of the union and the companies, must be organized in every factory, both union and non-union, to prepare a united struggle by all auto workers in defense of jobs, safety conditions, wages and benefits. The WSWS Autoworker Newsletter urges all autoworkers to contact us to help organize this fight.

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[8 May 2008]
Tens of thousands of teachers and school employees are assembling today in Raleigh, the state capital of North Carolina, for demonstrations to demand funding for crumbling school infrastructure, wages, benefits and reduced class sizes, and to oppose more than a decade of deep cuts to public education spending.

The walkout, which has already forced the closure of at least 40 of the states 115 school districts at time of writing, is the latest in a wave of teacher strikes and demonstrations across the US, in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and Colorado. It is part of an international upsurge of working-class class struggle in 2018, which has already seen strikes by transport workers in France, metal workers in Germany and Turkey, and a growth in strikes and protests by workers across the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

The rally follows yesterdays release of a report by the National Center for Education Statistics, based on a 2015-2016 survey, which found that 94 percent of teachers across the US were forced to spend their own money on school supplies, including chalk, to cover budget shortfalls.

The median amount spent was $297 per year, and this number increased in areas with higher levels of poverty. For schools where three quarters or more of students qualified for government-funded lunch programs, almost one in ten teachers spent more than $1,000 every year on basic classroom supplies.

As in previous walkouts, the initiative for the strike has come from rank-and-file teachers, not the union officials. The unions are opposed to any extended walkout and are seeking to send teachers back to school after a single day of rallying. The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) is promoting the rally with the hash tag #itspersonal, calling on teachers to take a personal day off school and pay $50 for a substitute teacher if their school remains open.

The union is presenting the walkout as a run-up to the main action of voting for Democrats in the November elections. NCAE president Mark Jewell declared at a rally yesterday that all of this will be fruitless unless we take this energy and passion to the ballot box and change those who make this policy.

The reality, however, is that the Democrats, no less than the Republicans, have overseen the assault on public education in North Carolina as throughout the US. Former Democratic governor Bev Perdue oversaw the largest cuts to school funding from 2009 to 2011, slashing more than $1 billion from annual expenditure in current dollar terms.

Just six days ago, Colorados Democratic-controlled House and Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper passed sweeping cuts to pensions for teachers and public employees. New teachers will now be forced to work an additional six years before retiring, while cost-of-living adjustments for pension benefits have been frozen for two years. The previous Obama administration spearheaded the assault on teachers, promoting charter schools and rewarding schools that carried out teacher layoffs.

In North Carolina, Republican Governor Patrick McCrory and the Republican-controlled legislature have continued this offensive over the past six years. To enable school boards to carry out mass layoffs, McCrory limited the duration of all new teacher contracts to one year. Since 2009, the number of teacher support staff in the state has been cut by a third, or 7,500 workers. Over the same period, the Republican governor has repealed the estate inheritance tax and slashed the corporate tax rate from 6.9 to 4 percent.

Ann, a North Carolina teacher who retired in 2017 after 18 years, told the WSWS, There isnt enough money for after-school programs. There isnt enough money for supplies. In 2016, her class size increased from 28 to 35 students. I taught for two years in a trailer with mold falling on the desks every day. There were 17 trailers at that school. I was sick almost all the time. Kids were sick. She added, Its completely about class. The income gap just gets bigger every year. The government subsidizes the wealthiest companies.

While there is enormous determination among teachers to fight, it is critical that they draw the lessons of the outcomes of the struggles that have occurred so far. In West Virginia, Oklahoma, Colorado and Arizona, the strikes were betrayed and shut down by the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers without achieving any of their main demands. The unions are continuing to isolate the strikes on a state-by-state basis and prevent the development a nationwide strike.

Teachers from Oklahoma and Arizona have sought to warn teachers in North Carolina to learn the lessons of these betrayals. A teacher from Arizona, Matthew, posted on the North Carolina Teachers United, a Facebook group that more than 38,000 teachers have joined in the lead-up to todays rally, warning: You have to watch your supposed allies, Democratic legislators begging for votes, [and] your union who basically just wants to increase membership, stop striking and vote Democrat in November... They will sell you out quick as they can. Oklahoma and Arizona were both defeated the same way.

In Arizona and Oklahoma, the unions relied on the services of auxiliary Facebook groups, including Arizona Educators United, Oklahoma Teachers United and Oklahoma Teachers WalkoutsThe Time is Now. The administrators of these groups, while retaining formal independence from the teacher unions, served to prevent teachers from organizing independently of the unions as the latter worked to betray the strikes.

To carry forward their struggle independently and in opposition to the strikebreaking trade unions, teachers require new organizations, rank-and-file committees of teachers and school workers, which would make a powerful appeal to teachers and other workers across the United States and internationally for a common struggle.

Such a movement must be developed in direct opposition to both major parties, Democratic and Republican, which represent the banks, corporations and financial institutions that dictate policy of every government in the US and around the world. Any attempt by government officials to introduce even moderate increases in social spending, including on public educationwhich, in any case, they have no intention of carrying outwould be met with an immediate act of retaliation by the financial institutions.

Last weeks pension cuts in Colorado followed a statement issued by the credit rating agency Standard and Poors (S&P) last November warning that it would downgrade its credit rating on the states government bonds if the pension funds liabilities were not reduced. In the course of the strike by West Virginian teachers in March, government officials revealed that they had been in regular contact with both S&P and Moodys rating agencies, which were demanding that the strike be ended.

The fight by the working class for its basic social rightsto public education, health care, a secure retirement and decent wagesis inseparable from the question of which social class determines the distribution of societys wealth: the working class, or a tiny layer of the corporate elite. The reorganization of economic life on the basis of genuine social equality, rather than profit, means the fight for socialism. This is the perspective of the Socialist Equality Party.
On Monday, World Socialist Web Site reporters attended a rail workers protest in Paris against the planned privatization of the National Railway (SNCF). The WSWS spoke to striking workers as well as students protesting plans for selective admissions at universities about the US-French-British missile strikes in Syria and the Israeli armys massacre of unarmed Palestinians in Gaza.

Julian, a student, denounced the missile strikes in Syria and the war threats against Iran. Its a bad thing. I think everyone is in agreement on this. We were not consulted about it at all. It was done very quickly and in a totally arbitrary way.

They should mind their own business and I dont think Syria is something they should be involved in. I dont know what they are looking for. Apparently, its war, and it looks like they will get one fairly soon. Whats happening with Iran is crazy. Its absurd and we are not given any say at all.

He stressed his horror and anguish over the bloody repression of unarmed Palestinian protesters in Gaza: I am completely against this, he said. The Israelis were the victims of genocide, so they know what this means. I do not know why they do this to the Palestinians, it is horrible. Trumps decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, he added, was a provocation, pure and simple.

Julian stressed that he had come to the protest to unify our struggle with the rail workers. He denounced Macrons attempt to end the rail statute in order to cut wage levels and attack the right to strike, which is constitutionally protected in France: I have a friend who works at a Carrefour supermarket, he said. And today she cannot strike because she is in the private sector. Basically, if tomorrow she goes on strike, her boss will fire her, and they want this at the SNCF too, so that if rail workers strike they would be fired as well.

He added that, like thousands of other students across France, he was protesting Macrons Parcoursup program, which would impose selective admissions at universities. He warned against the privatization of universities. Its not happened yet, but we are moving towards it. I am against giving favored treatment based on social class.

He added that he had been admitted to the University of Paris, but next year this may not be possible for people who went to the same high school that I went to.

Julian continued: People from the working class like me, or my father, we wont have the same CVs. For Parcoursup, we would have to put together CVs now. People from higher social classes, they can have internships or activities with friends of their parents. That gives them CVs longer than my arms, but we dont know anyone, and the only way we have to fill up our CVs is potentially to apply for jobs where we dont know whether we will be hired or not. We do not have the same advantages.

The WSWS also spoke to Hugo, a railway worker mobilized against President Macrons SNCF reform. He said: We are here to defend the public service, to defend the rail workers statute, we have demands on these issues. We do not want them to break up this service because it would just be the first. Then they would attack the hospitals, and so on. We dont want this and I am here to show my indignation.

Hugo said that a Macron victory against the rail workers and the public services would be a final step in the creation of a ruling aristocracy imposing its will arbitrarily on the masses. Our forefathers fought for these rights, he said. If Macron imposes his law by force, he will destroy their struggles. It paves the way for building a ruling caste and we are totally against this.

He added, These statutes protect the workers, because at the SNCF we are talking about the working class, we are struggling for all the workers.

Hugo denounced war and warned that Macron would increase military spending at the expense of the workers inevitably by smashing the public services and grabbing all that money. He added, International issues play a major role in our struggle. Fighting on international issues is a critical question.

He welcomed the rise of the class struggle internationally, including the strikes and protests by US and Tunisian teachers, German metalworkers and British rail workers: I am in solidarity, of course. It is only by being united at the international level that we can defeat the capitalists and what we are enduring today. That is what we are struggling for in France right now. I am for them and I defend them.

Emilie, a student protesting against Parcoursup, also opposed the attack on the rail workers. They must have certain rights, she said. Their job is not easy. They work on holidays, at Christmas, at night and so on. So its normal that they have certain advantages.

She also spoke out against the militarist project of Macron and Jean-Luc Melenchons Unsubmissive France (LFI) party to reestablish the draft, which could force students to fight wars in Africa and the Middle East.

She said, I dont want to go kill people, or bomb villages and civilians who have done nothing at all. I do not have the feeling I would be going to fight for my own interests. I feel I would be fighting for a government that does not give a damn about the population.

Already, they are not even financing the universities. There are budget shortfalls not only in the universities, but in the hospitals, the SNCF, etc. I see no good reason to go make peoples lives and work harder just to finance these military interventions.
The North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published a bitter statement this morning, denouncing the joint US-South Korean Max Thunder air force exercise that began on May 11 as an undisguised challenge to the peace talks held last month and a rude and wicked provocation.

The KCNA specifically referred to commentary that has described the Max Thunder war games as part of the US policy of maximum pressure and sanctions. The Trump administration has continued to insist that the US will not end its military threats or economic embargo until North Korea agrees to the complete and verifiable dismantling of a small arsenal of nuclear weapons.

In retaliation, the KCNA announced that Pyongyang was suspending top-level talks with South Korean officials scheduled for today. It warned that Washington will have to carefully contemplate the fate of the planned June 12 summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump. Pyongyang would closely watch the ensuing behaviour of the US and the South Korean authorities.

North Koreas reaction to the annual military exercise, which has been long scheduled, appears to have taken both the Trump administration and the South Korean government somewhat by surprise. On May 9, the Pyongyang regime released three American prisoners following talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. At a joint press conference in Washington on May 10the day before Max Thunder beganPompeo and South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha both claimed that North Korea had largely agreed to US terms for denuclearisation.

In media interviews last weekend, Pompeo and other administration figures continued to build up expectations that Pyongyang would submit to Washingtons demands. Throughout the US political and media establishment, however, Pompeos upbeat assessment was criticised and even ridiculed as naive and Pollyannaish. Former North Korean deputy ambassador to Britain, Thae Yong-ho, who defected to South Korea in 2016, was widely cited in the US, South Korean and international press, asserting that North Korea would never give up its nuclear weapons.

The Trump administration has, to a great extent, boxed both itself and North Korea into a corner.

To mollify opponents and critics in the American ruling class, Trump has vowed to walk out on planned talks unless Pyongyang agrees, in Pompeos words, to permanent, verifiable, irreversible dismantling of North Koreas weapons of mass destruction program  without delay.

At the same time, to appease domestic critics and the US military-intelligence apparatus, as well as Japan and factions of the South Korean establishment, Trump has ruled out any withdrawal of American military forces from South Koreaa condition that North Korea has traditionally linked with its agreement to give up its weapons programs and sign a peace treaty to formally end the 195053 Korean War.

North Koreas announcement makes clear its intention to try to secure better terms for the upcoming negotiations. It is unlikely to be a coincidence that the statement was issued shortly after talks yesterday in China involving top officials of the two regimes. China has vast interests at stake in developments on the Korean Peninsula and is carrying out its own diplomatic offensives to seek to protect them.

Since the Korean War, North Korea has served China as a buffer between its border with the peninsula and the US and allied military forces in the region. Over the past decade, tensions have developed, however, as Pyongyangs pursuit of its own nuclear weapons has provided Washington with a pretext to massively increase the size and capabilities of US military forces in the region. Japanese imperialism has also exploited Pyongyangs stance to ramp up its military spending and capacities, and systematically repudiate the post-World War II pacifist constitution that formally prevents it from engaging in offensive wars.

Of primary concern to China is the deployment by the US and Japan of advanced anti-missile systems, including the installation of the American THAAD system in South Korea last year that can spy deep into Chinese territory.

While portrayed as a defensive reaction to the purported threat posed by North Korea, the regional anti-missile shield is part of the US preparations for a potential nuclear first strike against China in the event of war. US nuclear strategy is to destroy as many of Chinas weapons as possible before they can be launched, and shoot down, with the anti-missile batteries, any that are fired in retaliation.

The 2018 US National Defense Strategy openly labelled China as the USs greatest strategic competitor and declared the Pentagon had to prioritise preparedness for war by further expanding its already vast nuclear arsenal.

Beijing has collaborated with the Trump administration in imposing the harshest-ever economic sanctions on North Korea and demanding it end its weapons programs. Chinas aim, however, is to strip both the US and Japan of one of their pretexts for the military build-up in the region.

In the longer-term, Beijing assesses that the opening up of North Korea to a flood of investment would lead to even greater economic integration between China and South Korea, and strengthen the wing of the South Korean establishment that views its military alliance with the US as unnecessary and even damaging to its interests.

There is little doubt that Beijing is exerting immense pressure on North Korea, including by holding out the possibility of substantial economic assistance, not to make any agreement with Washington that compromises Chinese interests. It would expect Pyongyang to at least insist on the withdrawal of the THAAD system, on Chinese and Russian involvement in any process of verifying denuclearisation and on a guarantee that American and South Korean forces will not move north of the existing border.

There also may be major divisions within the North Korean regime, with factions deeply opposed to making any concessions to the US and South Korea.

The Trump administration, faced with its own domestic pressures and provocatively ramping up trade and strategic tensions with China, may call off the talks or walk out on them. The only alternative policy it has proposed to disarm North Korea is to totally destroy the country: an implicit threat of a massive military assault, possibly involving nuclear weapons.
Thousands of teachers and their supporters are marching in Raleigh, North Carolina today to demand decent wages and benefits and increased school funding. The protest, along with one by South Carolina teachers on Saturday, is part of a nationwide revolt by educators against the bipartisan war on public education and school workers.

Over the past several months, hundreds of thousands of teachers and support staff have engaged in statewide walkouts in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona, and other strikes and protests in Kentucky, Colorado, New Jersey and many other states, plus the US territory of Puerto Rico.

This is part of an international struggle. Last week, 270,000 teachers carried out a nationwide strike in the South American country of Colombia to demand improved pay and health benefits. On Tuesday, 2,100 school bus drivers walked out in Montreal and across the Canadian province of Quebec because they earn less than $15,000 a year.

Now teachers in North Carolinawhich ranks 39th in the country in teacher pay and per-pupil fundingare demanding the restoration of a decade of funding cuts, pay raises for all school workers, the hiring of new nurses and social workers, and a plan to repair crumbling schools and reduce class sizes. Democratic Governor Roy Cooper has proposed to allocate less than $100 million to increase teachers salaries this year, promising only that their pay might reach parity with the national average over the next four years.

There is enormous support for a united struggle that will link up teachers with all sections of the working class. Serving as a block against such a fight are, first of all, the trade unions, including the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA). While claiming to represent teachers, the unions are, in fact, working consciously to prevent a united movement and shut down any strikes that erupt as quickly as possible.

The strikes in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona were initiated by rank-and-file teachers, not the unions, which are allied to the Democrats and defend the capitalist system. In each case, the unions worked to reassert control, strangle the fight and sign deals that ignored teachers main demands.

Repeating the same line of the unions in other states, the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) claims teachers demands can be won by limiting action to a one-day lobbying campaign of the state legislature and electing pro-education Democratic politicians in November. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Both parties represent the corporate and financial elite that rules this country, not the working class. While the rhetoric of the Democrats may differ from the right-wing rants of Republicans like state Rep. Mark Brody, the Democrats have waged a decades-long attack on public education too.

Obama and his education secretary, Arne Duncan, expanded for-profit charter schools and scapegoated teachers for educational problems caused by poverty and underfunding. Last week, Colorados Democratic governor and state House imposed sweeping cuts to teacher and public employee pensions, including raising the retirement age by six years for future teachers, freezing cost-of-living raises and increasing worker contributions for their retirement benefits.

In every state, politicians from both corporate-controlled parties claim there is no money for raises, new textbooks or other essential needs. At the same time, the giant banks and corporations are sitting on a $2.2 trillion cash hoardnearly four times what the federal and all state governments spend on public education each year. After the windfall from Trumps tax cuts, Charlotte-based Bank of America saw its first quarter profit rise by 30 percent, to $6.92 billion.

Instead of using these vast resources to meet societys needs, the corporations have spent at least $158 billion in stock buybacks in the first three months of 2018 and are expected to spend a record $1.2 trillion by the end of the year. The money squandered so far this year on stock buybacks, which benefit only the richest shareholders and executives, is enough to give a $49,000 bonus to all 3.2 million full-time teachers in the US, or increase per-pupil spending by more than $3,000 for each of the countrys 50.7 million public school students.

The lessons of the strikes so far this year must be learned and made the basis for a new organizational and political way forward. The Socialist Equality Party and the WSWS Teacher Newsletter call on teachers to:

 Elect rank-and-file workplace committees. Teachers and school workers must form rank-and-file committees in every school and community to take the conduct of the struggle out of the hands of the unions. Instead of making fruitless appeals to corporate-controlled politicians, these committees should appeal to every section of the working classpublic employees, manufacturing, warehouse, health care, technology and office workersto unite in a common fight for decent living standards and to expand public services.

 Prepare a nationwide strike to defend and vastly improve public education. The banks and giant corporations like Bank of America and Amazon operate on a national and international scale, shifting operations to whatever locale offers them the lowest taxes and cheapest labor. Teachers cannot fight on a state-by-state basis, but must unite their forces and build support for a nationwide strike to fight the assault on public education.

 Break with both big business parties and build a powerful political movement of the working class against the dictatorship of the banks and big business. The Socialist Equality Party is fighting to build a political movement of the working class whose aim is the establishment of a workers government and the reorganization of society to meet human needs, not corporate profit.

 For a sharp increase in taxes on the corporations and the rich , and the expropriation of the ill-gotten gains of the financial oligarchy. Immediate measures must be taken to promote social equality and a radical redistribution of wealth, including a progressive income tax that places the burden of taxation on the rich and corporate profits, while lowering taxes for the vast majority of the population. At the same time, workers must take hold over the wealth that they collectively create by nationalizing the banks and giant corporations and transforming them into publicly owned and democratically controlled enterprises.

Nothing the working class has ever achieved was won without a determined struggle against its class enemies and their political representatives. In the 1920s and 1930s, the textile workers of North and South Carolina waged heroic struggles in Gastonia and other mill towns against sweatshop exploitation and to end the scourge of child labor. Now Trump is overturning prohibitions on child labor established in the 1930s and the ruling class foresees a dystopian future where working class children are condemned to hard labor while only the sons and daughters of the well-to-do have quality education.

Workers in the United States and around the world are returning to the road of class struggle. To take this forward, a new leadership and perspective is needed. The Socialist Equality Party and the World Socialist Web Site Teacher Newsletter urge teachers in North Carolina to contact us to help form rank-and-file committees and mobilize the broadest support in the working class for this fight.
Israeli troops opened fire on several thousand Palestinians rallying along Gazas border with Israel Tuesday, killing two people.

The demonstration marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel, the day Palestinians call the Nakba or catastrophe.

More than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes following the 1947 UN vote to partition Palestine and during the 1948-49 war between Israel and her Arab neighbours.

The rally followed the funerals in Gaza of some of the 60 killed on Monday in a mass slaughter of unarmed Palestinian demonstrators by Israel Defence Forces (IDF), in the bloodiest day since the 2014 war. Shops across Gaza are closed for three days of mourning.

Tens of thousands of peaceful and defenceless protestors met with a brutal, pre-planned assault by the IDF, with more than 2,800 wounded, more than half by live fire. Five boys and a girl were among those massacred. The death toll rose above the 58 announced yesterday, due to two additional shootings and the death of an eight-month-old baby due to gas inhalation during Mondays IDF attacks.

Mondays demonstrations against Washingtons moving of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in breach of international law, were the culmination of the rallies held since the start of the Great March of Return nearly seven weeks ago.

The March has been fuelled by the anger and deprivation of the Palestinians, who face a humanitarian crisis, thanks to the 12-year-long joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the tiny enclave. Deprived by Israel of fuel and access to clean water and sanitation, Gaza has become almost uninhabitable. Many are destitute. Forty-six percent of the population are without work, while some 65 percent live on $1.90 or less a day.

Since the start of the March more than 100 have been killed, including at least 12 children. The death toll is expected to rise substantially, as more than 70 of those injured on Monday are in a critical condition and Gazas hospitals are struggling to cope.

The number of injured has reached the staggering level of 13,000, with 6,800 Palestinians requiring hospitalisationmore than half as a result of live ammunition, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

According to Jason Cone, the US director of Doctors Without Borders, the injuries sustained by our patients are terribly similar to what we see in conflict zones, with fist-size exit wounds and bone  pulverized into dust.

Among those injured were 10 journalists, indicating the degree to which the IDF is targeting reporters and photographers covering the protests in Gaza to minimise adverse publicity and conceal evidence of its criminality.

No Israelis have been killed or injured, or seen their homes damaged, since the March began.

Hamas, the bourgeois Islamist group that controls Gaza, is routinely blamed for provoking the conflict. However, it has repeatedly indicated its willingness to come to some sort of deal with the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority and Israel. On Wednesday last week, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman confirmed that Israel had received indirect proposals from Hamas for a long-term truce in the Gaza Strip, which Israel had rejected.

Instead the IDF deployed 13 battalions, as well as snipers and police special forces, along the entire length of the border, after cancelling its training of conscripts this week to concentrate on Gaza.

According to a lengthy report in Haaretz, army bulldozers moved into the Gaza Strip early on Monday and levelled the sandbanks built by Palestinians to protect them from snipers. The army also used drones to fire at tents in the Marchs camps, sending the tents, including some used by first-aid teams, up in flames. Police dogs were reportedly sent into the Marchs camps, while the army sprayed skunk water in the border area.

Haaretz also reported that soldiers are ordered to prevent demonstrators from crossing into Israel at any price, including use of live fire. Should any Palestinians manage to cross the boundary, the orders are to shoot directly at them with intent to hit, to prevent them from getting into these communities.

Israeli snipers, positioned alongside the Gaza security fence, have orders to shoot unarmed Palestinians who come within 100 yards.

The IDF dropped leaflets on Gaza warning the Palestinians that they risked death by participating in the protests. Despite this, the Palestinians in Gaza rallied in their tens of thousands Monday. Protests in the West Bank have generally been small, thanks to the PAs security forces that work closely with Israel.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas has played a crucial role in enforcing the Israeli blockade of Gaza and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza by recently upping the PAs sanctions and cutting funds for the besieged enclave. But to conceal his role, Abbas was forced to call for three days of mourning and the lowering of Palestinian flags, and a general strike for Tuesday.

On Tuesday, in addition to the rally in Gaza, there were protests in several West Bank cities. Clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus and Ramallah, leading to scores of people being injured.

The Israeli government is preparing for civil war against its own Arab citizens within Israel, at the same time as it prepares for military war against Gaza, Iran and its allies in Syria and Lebanon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu feels emboldened by Washingtons support for Israel as a key strategic ally in the resource-rich Middle East, as reflected in President Donald Trumps decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

But support also comes from the other imperialist powers.

Britain, for example, approved a massive increase in the shipment of arms to Israel after the 2014 war against Gaza: from $28 million in 2015 to $300 million in 2017, including grenades, bombs, missiles, armoured vehicles, assault rifles, small arms ammunition, sniper rifles and components for drones, combat aircraft and helicopters, along with spare parts for sniper rifles.

The Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), which compiled the figures, warned that there was little doubt that UK-made weapons have been used in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, particularly as it has become clear that many of the deaths and injuries are a result of sniper fire. This makes Britain complicit in Israels attacks on the Palestinians.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for a review of arms sales to Israel, in a message condemning its illegal and inhumane killing and wounding of yet more unarmed Palestinian protesters. He called for Britain to support an independent and transparent UN inquiry into the shootings and a review of the sale of UK-made arms that could be used in violation of international law.

On Monday, Corbyn denounced Israels slaughter of at least 60 Palestinians as an outrage and demanded that the international community take action to hold those responsible to account. He accused the IDF of a wanton disregard for international law and repeated his call for a review of UK arms sale to Israel.

It is Corbyns opposition to Britains diplomatic, political and military support for Israel that is the real reason the pro-Israel lobby in both the Conservative and Labour parties have targeted him and his supporters with accusations of widespread anti-Semitism on the left.

One of the foremost voices in this campaign is the group Labour Friends of Israel, which has the support of over 80 Labour MPs. In a tweet posted Monday, the group gave its apologia for Israels massacre, insisting that Hamas must accept responsibility for these events. Their successful attempts to hijack peaceful protest as a cover to attack Israeli border communities must be condemned by all who seek peace in the Middle East.
The International Socialist Organization is stepping up its efforts to legitimize American imperialisms military interventions in the Middle East in the wake of US-British-French missile strikes against Syria, the intensified offensive against Iran signaled by President Donald Trumps pullout from the Iran nuclear agreement, and the Israeli bombardment of Iranian forces in Syria.

The ISOs longstanding campaign for an escalation of the US-led war for regime change in Syria and a more direct confrontation with Iranian and Russian forces has closely tracked the moves by the American government. The present situation is no exception.

In recent days, Socialist Worker, the website of the ISO, has prominently featured an editorial published May 8 titled Our socialism is international, which concludes with an attack on opponents of the US intervention and Washingtons proxy forces in Syria, branding them apologists for the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The ISO has also reposted an article by Ashley Smith from August of 2016, at the height of the media propaganda blitz denouncing the Syrian government offensive against US-backed rebels in Aleppo, which makes similar arguments (see: International Socialist Organization backs NATO escalation in Syria )

On May 1, Socialist Worker published a commentary titled The left cant be silent about Assads crimes. The article attacked a piece published in Jacobin under the headline US Out of Syria. Jacobin has adopted an eclectic position on the war, publishing articles both pro and con.

The ISO felt all the more obliged to publicly reply to this article because Jacobin is co-hosting the ISOs Socialism 2018 conference in Chicago in July. Jacobins publisher, Bhaskar Sunkara, is a former vice-chairman of the Democratic Socialists of America, with which the ISO appears to be preparing some form of political regroupment.

The ISO is concerned that politically radicalized students and youth attracted to socialism are hostile to American military interventions in Syria and elsewhere. The growth of anti-capitalist sentiment among young people coincides with a resurgence of the class struggle among teachers and other sections of workers, which is taking the form of an incipient rebellion against the corporatist trade unions.

The ISO wants to ensure that any movement that emerges is subordinated to the agencies of American imperialism such as the unions, the Democratic Party and the State Department.

Its May 1 article begins by complaining that the Jacobin article provides an analysis of the US government role in Syria that is at best misleading and at worst a compilation of dangerous conspiracy theories. The authors criticize the Jacobin article for casting doubt on the idea that the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons With his arguments, Shupak [the author of the Jacobin article] joins a section of the left that apologizes for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and the Russian and Iranian interventions that have propped him up. By taking this position, they ally themselves with forces that have worked to crush the Syrian revolution and the broader Arab Spring.

In other words, anything short of uncritical acceptance of US government claims about alleged crimes by the Syrian government is tantamount to political support for Assad.

This is a cynical and dishonest amalgam. The ISO is using a form of moral blackmail to stampede youth and workers appalled by the death and destruction inflicted by the US in Syria into supporting the American intervention. When the Syrian uprising began, the authors write, leftists had to make a choicesupport a popular uprising or a murderous dictator. Sections of the left reverted to old paradigms about US imperialism in the Middle East that were always incomplete and that certainly today no longer fit the context of the region. [Emphasis added]

Later on, they return to this theme, writing: The question is simple. Which side are you on? Assad or the Syrian people resisting his oppressive regime?

This presentation of the situation in Syria and the broader Middle East is a travesty of history and socialist principles. It completely accepts the fraudulent human rights framework that US imperialism has used for decades as the pretext to invade countries, overthrow governments and plunder entire regions in the Balkans, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa.

What are these old paradigms about US imperialism in the Middle East that no longer apply? The ISO is arguing that the long-established hostility of the left to American imperialism is outdated, that the American State Department, Pentagon and CIA can play a progressive and democratic role, and that leftists should support their global campaigns against Syria, Iran and Russia.

Has the role of American imperialism changed?

The ISO would have people believe that the war in Syria represents a new and unprecedented phenomenon. According to it, some on the left have mistakenly viewed the US as the main aggressor in Syria, when in fact the US is not pursuing regime change and has essentially ceded the initiative in the region to Russia and Iran. According to the ISO, these latter states are the principal actors, with the US consigned to the role of a second-rank player with no significant influence.

The narrative is absurd from beginning to end. In fact, the United States has a long history of disguising its aggressive military interventions behind talk of defending democracy and human rights and supporting local insurgencies for this purpose.

The US launched the Korean War, which killed 5 million people, in an effort to strangle the Chinese Revolution, which had triumphed the year before. It was supposedly waged to defend freedom against communist totalitarianism.

Washington carried out the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, using a mercenary force recruited by the CIA, in the name of democracy.

In Vietnam, the United States killed nearly 3.5 million Vietnamese for the supposed purpose of defending the Free World against communist dictatorship.

Nor is the use of right-wing Islamist militias, for the most part linked to Al Qaeda, as US proxy forces peculiar to Washingtons intervention in Syria. The CIA armed and funded the Mujahideen (whom Reagan called the moral equals of Americas founding fathers) to overthrow a pro-Soviet government in Afghanistan in the 1980s, giving rise to Al Qaeda, and it resorted to Al Qaeda-linked Islamist forces to bring down and murder Gaddafi in Libya.

There is no essential difference between these criminal interventions and the US war to overthrow Assad and establish a puppet regime in Syria.

Among the socialist principles jettisoned by the ISO is the distinction drawn by Marxists between oppressor nations and oppressed nations. Syria is an oppressed nation, a former colony of France that has long been subject to subversion and intrigue by the United States. From the days of Marx through Lenin and Trotsky to the present, genuine socialists have not based their attitude to military attacks by imperialist powers on oppressed nations on the democratic credentials of the governments of the targeted countries.

The Assad government, as the Iranian government and all of the governments in the Middle East, is a bourgeois regime. It has run afoul of the United States not because it is repressive. Washington has no problem allying itself with and arming the Saudi oil sheiks and the bloody al-Sisi military dictatorship in Egypt. Assad has been targeted for regime change because he is allied with Russia and Iran, and is therefore seen by the United States as an obstacle to its drive for hegemony over the oil-rich Middle East and the Eurasian continent that it borders.

It is the task of the Syrian working class to put an end to the rule of Assad by the methods of class struggle and international socialist revolution, in opposition to both imperialism and the local ruling class, not in alliance with imperialism. Marxists do not contract out the struggle against the bourgeoisie anywhere to one or another imperialist power, all of which operate to subjugate, exploit and plunder other countries as well as their own working class.

The ISO attacks the Marxist conception of imperialism. For Marxists, the term has an objective historical significance. We continue to live in the epoch of imperialism.

Lenin defined imperialism as a definite stage in the historical development of capitalismthe highest stage. It was and remains the epoch of wars and revolutions. Its essential features are the monopolization of the economy, the dominance of finance capital, and the carve-up of the entire planet by a handful of advanced countries. It signifies, in Lenins words, reaction all down the line.

On these scientific foundations, not moralistic phrases, Marxists determine their attitude to a given war. The central issues are the class interests being pursued by the various camps, whether the countries involved are oppressor nations or oppressed nations, and what the real war aims are. These questions can be answered only by an examination of the historical background and the international context in which the war has erupted.

The ISO says nothing about the historical context of the war being waged by the US and its NATO and regional allies in Syria. In fact, the United States has been engaged in perpetual war for more than a quarter-century, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Each of these wars has been justified on the basis of lies, most notoriously the fabrication of weapons of mass destruction used as the pretext for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In all these aggressive wars, the US has employed the propaganda technique of demonizing the leaders of the targeted countriesgenerally figures who had previously collaborated with Washington in its predatory global activities.

The list includes Manuel Noriega of Panama (invaded in 1989), Saddam Hussein of Iraq (1991 and 2003), Mohamed Farrah Aidid of Somalia (1992), Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia (1999), the Taliban of Afghanistan (2001), Muammar Gaddafi of Libya (2011) and now Bashar al-Assad of Syria. Most of these leaders have ended up imprisoned, dead or both, and there is no doubt that Assad remains in the cross hairs of the US military today.

Moreover, the US has been intervening in Syria ever since France granted the country nominal independence in 1946, beginning with the CIA-orchestrated ouster of the left bourgeois nationalist regime of Shukri al-Quwatly in March of 1949. In December of the same year, Adib Shishakli came to power in a coup organized with the support of the US. Indicative of the political types leading the anti-Assad opposition today is the fact that Adib Shishaklis grandson and namesake, Adib Shishakli, a right-wing businessman with close ties to the Saudi royal family, is a leading figure in that opposition.

The US has been working to destabilize and ultimately remove the Assad regime for more than 15 years. Despite Syrias collaboration with the US in the early days of the war on terror, Trumps current national security adviser, John Bolton, then an undersecretary of state in the George W. Bush administration, gave a speech in 2002, Beyond the Axis of Evil, in which he added three other countriesSyria, Libya and Cubato Bushs list of Iraq, Iran and North Korea as countries most directly targeted by American imperialism.

Washington enacted the Syrian Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003, which imposed sanctions against the Assad regime. Following the 2005 assassination of the pro-US business tycoon and former prime minister of Lebanon Rafiq Hariri, which Washington immediately blamed on Assad, the US stepped up its offensive against Syria, forcing the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.

According to cables published by WikiLeaks, the US State Department provided $6 million to an Islamic group, the Movement for Justice and Development. This funded the anti-Assad Barada TV and various subversive activities in Syria. The US also funneled $12 million into its Middle East Partnership Initiative between 2005 and 2010.

In 2011, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published details of another US-inspired plot against Syria. It reported that in 2008, the Saudi national security adviser and long-time ambassador to Washington, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, and Jeffrey Feltman, a veteran US diplomat in the Middle East and assistant secretary of state for Middle East affairs, had hatched a $2 billion plot to destabilize Syria and overthrow the Assad regime.

By the time protests broke out against the Assad regime in March of 2011, the US had in place a far-flung and well-financed infrastructure of CIA assets and emigre politicians to rapidly gain control and channel the opposition behind the intrigues of US imperialism and its regional allies Israel, Saudi Arabia and the other Sunni Gulf oil sheikdoms.

Syrias CIA-backed democratic revolution

Central to the ISOs libel against opposition to the US intervention in Syria is the claim that the civil war in the country is a democratic revolution. According to its fraudulent narrative, the US is not backing Islamist militias and the anti-Assad movement is a genuine expression of popular outrage.

The May 1 article is particularly incensed by the (correct) statement in Jacobin that The CIAs effort to oust the Syrian government has been one of the costliest covert-action programs in the agencys history. The ISO rejects this statement, though it makes no effort to refute the facts cited to back it up, including an article in the New York Times noting that the CIA has spent $1 billion on its operations in Syria.

The ISO attempts to deny what is in fact undeniablethat the main forces arrayed against the Syrian government in Syria are Islamist militias, the most active of which are linked to Al Qaeda. The partisans of this revolution vie with one another for money and arms from regional and imperialist powers, mainly the US. They include forces funneled into Syria from Libya, Russia, Turkey and other countries by the CIA and allied Western intelligence agencies.

This so-called revolution has not produced a single programmatic document and has no internationally recognized spokespeople. The ISO never seeks to define the class character of its revolution.

The ISO does not choose to name the political leaders of its revolution because they are, virtually without exception, tied to the US government and the governments of the other imperialist powers. The Syrian National Council, which was formed in the summer of 2011 and immediately presented by the American media as the legitimate leadership of the anti-Assad opposition, was politically dominated by the Saudi- and Qatari-backed Muslim Brotherhood and led by emigre businessmen, lawyers and politicians with long ties to the US State Department, the CIA and the intelligence agencies of the European imperialist powers. Its initial head was a wealthy Chicago-based lawyer.

Agitating for a war it falsely claims to oppose

The ISO presents a grossly distorted account of the events in Syria so as to whitewash Washingtons responsibility for the destruction of an entire society, including the killing and maiming of hundreds of thousands of people and transformation of millions more into homeless refugees. It seeks to legitimize the official US lie that the blame for this bloody catastrophe rests entirely with Assad and his imperialist allies Russia and Iran. It slanders opponents of the US war as apologists for Assad and denounces the US government for failing to supply more advanced weapons to the Islamist militias that comprise the rebels.

Yet at the same time, talking out of both sides of its mouth, it claims to oppose the US intervention in the country. The authors of the May 1 Socialist Worker article write: As revolutionary socialists, we recognize that US military intervention anywhere is against the interests of all working people. We agree that US intervention in Syria and elsewhere should be opposed unequivocally.

This is a brazen lie. Far from opposing US military intervention, the ISO has for years been campaigning for it to be expanded. The May 1 Socialist Worker article restates the ISOs oft repeated attack on both the Obama and Trump administrations for failing to supply the so-called rebels with sufficient arms, denouncing the government for denying them anti-aircraft weaponry that would be necessary to combat the regimes air war.

Just weeks before the April 14 missile strikes against Syria, Eric Ruder, a prominent member of the ISO and socialistworker.org writer, signed an open letter published in the New York Review of Books by some 200 left academics, writers and journalists under the headline The World Must Act Now on Syria.

Issued in the midst of a coordinated propaganda campaign in the Western media over the Russian and Syrian government assault on anti-Assad Islamist holdouts in the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta, the letter was an open appeal to the US and the other imperialist powers to launch a direct military intervention against the regime (see: A new left appeal for imperialist intervention in Syria). Less than seven weeks later, the US, Britain and France used the pretext of the alleged gas attack on Douma, in eastern Ghouta, to launch their missile attack on Syrian facilities.

In September of 2013, after the Obama administration pulled back from plans to bomb Syria, having blamed the Assad government for an alleged sarin gas attack in eastern Ghouta without producing any proof of its involvement in the event, the ISO issued an apoplectic denunciation of Washingtons failure to implement its war plans. Socialist Worker published a rant by Michael Karadjis of the Socialist Alliance in Australia. It said, in part:

Terrified of popular revolution, throughout these two-and-a-half years, the US and especially Israel have happily watched the slaughter, and despite hypocritical whining about the regime, the US has made sure to not send a single gun or bullet to the armed opposition up to now [A]verage Syrians would gladly see a US attack if the US destroyed the conventional weapons of mass destruction that Assad has used against them for the last two-and-a-half years In fact, the idea that the US had ever wanted to intervene at all, including in this current crisis, is, in my opinion, also largely a grand delusion of Western left thinking.

After the US missile attack on Syrian air bases in April of 2017, the ISO published an article by Joseph Daher and Frieda Afary denouncing the attack for not going far enough. They wrote:

However, at this point, we can say that this strike, which was announced in advance to the Russian government, does not indicate any strategic change in US policy concerning the future of Syria or the Assad regime Clearly, no peaceful and just solution in Syria can be reached with Bashar al-Assad and his clique in power. He is the biggest criminal in Syria and must be prosecuted for his crimes instead of being legitimized by international and regional imperialist powers.

The upcoming Socialism 2018 conference will take place in the context of a deepening global geopolitical, economic and social crisis; a widening war in the Middle East and a growing danger of world war; and an unprecedented political crisis in the United States, the center of world imperialism. This crisis is being immensely intensified by the revival of the class struggle internationally and in the United States.

The bourgeoisie is terrified of the implications of a new period of working-class struggle, under conditions where their main instruments for suppressing the class struggle in the US, the trade unions and the Democratic Party, are losing any credibility in the eyes of working people and youth.

The ISO, notwithstanding its socialist pretensions and rhetoric, is a critical part of the bourgeois political establishment in America. Its function is to provide a left face for sections of the foreign policy establishment, primarily those affiliated with the Democratic Party. Above all, it functions as a mechanism for the AFL-CIO, the Democratic Party and the State Department to seek to control oppositional movements in the US.

Those who attend the ISO conference in July should be aware of the organizations pro-war record and oppose attempts to direct growing left-wing sentiment behind American imperialism.

The author also recommends:

US imperialism and the proxy war in Syria

[19 September 2013]
The virulent US-driven campaign in the Australian corporate media against China rose another notch this week. Fairfax Medias Australian Financial Review (AFR) ran a front-page lead on Monday, followed by an editorial on Tuesday, citing an unpublished US State Department report that accuses Beijing of using a combination of loans and economic coercion to take control of the Indo-Pacific region.

The 40-page document reportedly warns that Chinese loans worth hundreds of billions of dollars are saddling Australias smaller regional neighbours with unsustainable debts and giving Beijing crucial economic leverage to gain strategic and military power.

These charges follow a succession of similar warnings by Washington think tanks and visiting US representatives over the past several yearsmost recently the defeated Democratic Party president candidate Hillary Clinton.

The anti-China offensive has three purposes. The first is to condition public opinion in Australia and throughout the region in preparation for trade war and war against China. The second is to beat down those within Australian corporate circles who seek to avert or stall a confrontation with Beijing because of the massive profit interests at stake in China, the countrys largest export market. The third is to ratchet up the pressure from the US, on which Australian capitalism depends for foreign investment and military backing, for much more aggressive participation by Australian governments in military and economic operations against purported Chinese influence.

The provocative report alleges that 16 states are vulnerable to Chinese debtbook diplomacy and economic blackmail, including Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tonga and Micronesia.

The AFR asserted: The unclassified document, dated 27 March 2018, emerged out of an earlier classified version written confidentially last year for United States Pacific Command (PACOM). This points to definite military, as well as economic, calculations being made in Washington.

The document says Chinese lending is likely to play an important role in Chinas multifaceted campaign to erode strategic advantages of America and its allies, and displace the US as the regional hegemon.

This US hegemony was achieved by defeating Japan in World War II, then conducting a series of wars and coups, from Korea and Vietnam to the Philippines and Indonesia, at the cost of millions of lives, to assert total dominance over the region.

While railing against Chinas alleged muscle-flexing, the document bemoans the loss of control over the region by the US and its imperialist allies, such as Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand. It quotes former Australian Labor Foreign Minister Gareth Evans who recently characterised Laos and Cambodiaformer French colonies that were devastated by the US during the Vietnam Waras wholly owned subsidiaries of China.

Reportedly, there is alarm in the US that Papua New Guinea, which has historically been in Australias orbit has been rapidly taking on Chinese loans. PNG, the State Department reportedly claims, cant afford to pay and offers a strategic location [for China] in addition to significant LNG [liquefied natural gas] and resource deposits. Papua New Guinea was an Australian colony until 1975 and is dominated by US and Australian companies and aid programs.

The report warns that Vanuatu is already deeply in debt to China and Beijing is positioning itself to capitalise on the impending fiscal distress of Pacific Island countries.

The US State Department openly states that US and allied dominance is essential to waging a war against China. It declares that if Pacific countries turn to Beijing, it could undermine US basing rights, eroding US advantage in any future US-China conflict.

The report recommends revitalising the Quadrilateral Dialogue between Australia, India, Japan and the US, directed against China, to bolster Indias role as a regional leader and to promote the rules-based order in the Indo Pacificthat is, continued US dominance.

The document accuses Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte of backing down on the Philippines territorial claims to the Scarborough Shoals in the South China Sea after China stopped buying large quantities of tropical fruit from the Philippines.

While accusing Beijing of coercing governments, the report highlights two countries where the US has intervened to help oust governments that it deemed to be moving too close to China.

The document notes that Sri Lanka, under President Mahinda Rajapakse, borrowed $US8 billion from Chinese-controlled firms for projects such as an airport and port upgrade in Rajapakses hometown of Hambantota. The port became a debt trap, the report says. The Sri Lankan government could not afford to repay the ballooning debt and last year gave China a 99-year lease to the port, strategically located in the Indian Ocean.

In the January 2015 presidential election, the US backed Rajapakses defeat and his replacement by Maithripala Sirisena, whose administration shifted the countrys foreign policy away from China and toward the US and India. However, the government remained so debt-ridden that it retreated from its initial suspensions of Chinese programs and agreed to a modified lease of the port.

Likewise, the report says Beijing invested heavily in projects for Malaysias then-Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was under US Justice Department investigation for corruption. It indicts Najib for going largely silent on Chinas claims to most of Malaysias South China Sea economic zone. Corruption allegations against Najib helped create the conditions for the historic election loss of his UMNO government last week.

Washington is sending a blunt message to Canberra. Yesterdays Australian Financial Review editorial declared the report was a warning bell. It insisted that a failure of diplomacy by Australia and New Zealand had permitted China to make steady inroads that marked a fundamental geopolitical shift in our region.

This agitation is escalating a two-year media campaign to whip up anti-Chinese sentiment. Already, extraordinary claims are being made by the Australian establishment that Chinese interference in every aspect of political, economic and social life is bound up with plans to take over the country.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls government has responded with accusations that China is financing white elephant infrastructure projects in South Pacific states to gain influence. Australia demanded assurances from Vanuatu that it would never allow a rumoured Chinese military base; insisted it will build an underwater Internet cable to PNG and Solomon Islands in order to block a rival bid by Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei; and has moved to tighten ties with Fiji where China has also made significant investments.

Pressure from the US intelligence, military and political establishment is ongoing however. During Hillary Clintons tour of New Zealand and Australia last week, she insisted that both countries must stand up to Chinese interference. Former US ambassador to Australia John Berry also told an audience of Australian military chiefs and diplomats that Chinese President Xi Jinping had lied about not militarising islands in the South China Sea.

Addressing war veterans in the audience, Berry said it was essential that America and Australia both refresh and defend the rules-based order  being on guard for authoritarian termites undermining the foundations of these institutions.

In part, such declarations are aimed at silencing the wing of the Australian corporate elite who are voicing concerns about the potential implications of the anti-China hysteria for their access to Chinese labour, markets and profits.

Yesterdays Australian Financial Review carried an opinion column by Geoff Raby, a former Australian ambassador to China who heads a Beijing-based business advisory firm that boasts of helping Australian and Chinese businesses run successful operations across cultures and borders.

Raby called for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to be sacked for making strident public comments against China and pursuing a policy of strategic mistrust that has triggered an apparent freeze on Australian ministerial visits to China.

Despite these alarmed misgivings, the Australian government is ramping up Canberras commitment to US war preparations amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing, which are being intensified by the Trump administrations trade war measures against China.
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[May 15, 2018] APX Group Holdings, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2018 Results APX Group Holdings, Inc. ("APX Group", "Vivint" or the "Company") today reported financial and operational results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018. Adoption of ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers As of January 1, 2018, the company adopted Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("Topic 606"), the new U.S. accounting standard for revenue recognition, using the cumulative catch-up transition method. Adoption of the new standard resulted in changes to the accounting policies for revenue recognition, deferred revenue and capitalized contract costs (formerly subscriber acquisition costs). The cumulative effect of applying the new standard to all contracts with customers that were not completed as of January 1, 2018 was recorded as an adjustment to accumulated deficit as of the adoption date. The company is providing comparable results, in addition to GAAP, to help investors better understand the impact on financials from Topic 606. The impact of the adoption of Topic 606 is primarily related to the acceleration of revenue recognition associated with deferred product revenue. All results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018 in this earnings release are reported under Topic 606 unless otherwise indicated. All results for periods prior to 2018 are reported under previous accounting standards and are consistent with previously reported results for those periods. Todd Pedersen, CEO of APX Group, commented, "As always, the first quarter is a busy time of year for Vivint as we prepare for the summer selling season, focus on key initiatives and roll out new products and offerings. From a sales perspective, we achieved strong year-over-year growth in the first quarter, adding over 55,000 New Subscribers during the quarter, up 41% from the same period a year ago. The retail channel added approximately 8,000 customers, while our Inside Sales channel added over 31,000, or a 27% increase year-over-year, and our Direct to Home channel added over 16,400 New Subscribers, or an 11% increase year-over-year. We have several new hardware devices coming to market during 2018, including a second generation version of our proprietary Sky Panel, which we believe will improve customer experience and service costs, particularly in the area of wireless connectivity. We have fine-tuned pricing and service packages, which we believe will enhance customer close-rates and improve our unit of one economics. We have work to do in all areas of our business, including the scaling of our fixed costs infrastructure and subscriber acquisition costs. I feel we are off to a good start to the year." Revenue and Subscriber Data APX Group reported total revenues of $246.6 million versus $205.4 million for the three month period ended March 31, 2018, an increase of $41.2 million, or 20.1%, as compared to the same period in 2017, of which $8.6 million was associated with the adoption of Topic 606 related to the timing of revenue recognition. Total recurring and other revenue increased $49.7 million, or 25.3% for the three months ended March 31, 2018 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2017, of which $19.3 million was associated with the adoption of Topic 606 related to the timing of revenue recognition and classification of revenue components. Excluding the impact of the adoption of Topic 606, recurring and other revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2018 totaled $227.3 million, which represented an increase of $30.4 million, or 15.5% compared to the three months ended March 31, 2018. Approximately $25.8 million was due to an increase of 14.1% in Total Subscribers. Recurring and other revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2018, included recognized deferred product revenue and RIC imputed interest of $12.3 million and $3.3 million, respectively. The increase in recurring and other revenue was partially offset by $11.0 million from a decrease in the average MSR per user of approximately $3.00 attributable to the Company's transition to Vivint Flex Pay in early 2017. When compared to the three months ended March 31, 2017, foreign currency translation positively affected total revenues by $0.8 million, as computed on a constant currency basis. The Company added 55,502 New Subscribers during the first quarter of 2018, a 41.3% increase compared to the 39,292 New Subscribers added during the same period in 2017. The Company experienced growth in all sales channels; direct-to-home and inside sales channel grew 10.9% and 27.0%, respectively.





a: This earning release includes Adjusted EBITDA, a metric that is not calculated in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the U.S. ("GAAP"). See the "Statement Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section at the end of this earnings release for the definition of Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation to its most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP. Summary of Quarterly Key Financial and Portfolio Metrics ($ in millions, except for subscriber data) March 31,

2017 June 30,

2017 September 30,

2017 December 31,

2017 March 31,

2018 Total Revenues $ 205.4 $ 212.1 $ 228.7 $ 235.8 $ 246.6 Net Loss $ (82.6 ) $ (84.2 ) $ (107.9 ) $ (135.4 ) $ (84.7 ) Adjusted EBITDA(a) $ 115.4 $ 120.5 $ 128.6 $ 125.9 $ 122.9 Adj EBITDA Margin 56.2 % 56.8 % 56.2 % 53.4 % 49.8 % New Subscribers(1) 39,292 92,837 89,019 52,342 55,502 Total Subscribers(1) 1,151,453 1,215,056 1,270,478 1,292,698 1,313,742 Total Monthly Service Revenue(1) $ 65.99 $ 68.52 $ 71.24 $ 70.99 $ 70.95 Average Monthly Service Revenue per User(1) $ 57.31 $ 56.40 $ 56.07 $ 54.92 $ 54.00 Total Monthly Revenue(1) $ 68.45 $ 70.71 $ 76.22 $ 78.62 $ 82.20 Average Monthly Revenue per User(1) $ 59.53 $ 59.56 $ 60.52 $ 61.09 $ 62.97 Attrition Rate(2) 12.0 % 11.5 % 11.3 % 11.0 % 10.7 % (1) Data excludes wireless internet business and pilot programs and are provided as of each period end (2) Attrition Rate is reported on an LTM basis for each period end and excludes wireless internet business and pilot programs "Vivint continues to grow top-line revenue at an acceptable rate, 20% year-over-year under ASC 606 accounting, subscriber additions are healthy and our attrition rates have shown steady improvement, coming in at 10.7% in the first quarter which is a 130 basis point improvement year-over-year," said Mark Davies, Chief Financial Officer of APX Group. "However, we would like to improve our fixed-costs scaling, subscriber acquisition costs and customer credit profile. As we have previously communicated, Vivint has spent the last several years building out a strategically-differentiated smart home platform, including software, cloud and hardware technologies, sales channels and innovative service offerings, such as Flex Pay. And, as we have more than doubled our revenue over the last five years, along with our plans to continue industry-leading smart home growth, we have added resources in IT, infrastructure and key management capabilities. While we will continue to judiciously invest in growth and differentiation, we believe we have reached a stage where we can scale our adjusted EBITDA, while being more selective in adding new customers from a subscriber acquisition costs perspective. Driving efficiency in all areas of our business - subscriber acquisition and service costs, G&A, strategic investments and credit-based pricing - is a key element of our go-forward plans." Costs and Expenses Operating expenses increased $12.4 million, or 17.4%, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2017, primarily due to increases in personnel and support costs of $11.5 million driven by a 14.1% increase in the Total Subscribers, an additional $3.2 million in channel expansion costs associated with our retail sales efforts, an increase of $1.2 million of auto-related costs and $0.7 million of payment processing costs primarily attributed to the Vivint Flex Pay. These increases were offset by $4.2 million of certain contract costs previously expensed, but now recorded as capitalized contract costs in connection with the adoption of Topic 606. Net service cost per subscriber was $17.04, which contributed to a net service margin of 68.6% for the first quarter 2018, as compared to $15.95 in 2017. Selling expenses increased by $24.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2017, primarily due to $13.1 million in channel expansion costs, specifically $11.0 million of personnel and related support cost and $1.4 million of travel related costs, associated with the retail sales channel. In addition, our direct to home and inside sales channels selling expenses increased by $7.3 million in personnel and related costs, $1.9 million of information technology costs and marketing costs of $1.8 million primarily associated with lead generation related to subscriber growth in inside sales and materials to support the direct to home sales force. The Company's Net Subscriber Acquisition Costs per New Subscriber was $1,488 for the last twelve months ended March 31, 2018 as compared to $2,021 for the same period in 2017. Vivint Flex Pay increased the average proceeds collected at point of sale by approximately $957 per new subscriber. For the first quarter 2017, Vivint Flex Pay did not include an option for New Subscribers to finance through Citizens Bank. General and administrative ("G&A") expenses increased $12.1 million, or 31.1%, for the three months ended March 31, 2018 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2017, primarily due to an increase in personnel and related costs of $7.0 million, including $1.6 million associated with the Company offering a 401(k) match, and an increase in legal services of $3.1 million, related to on-going litigation fees, and a $1.0 million increase in insurance costs. Adjusted EBITDA and Net Loss Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2018 was $122.9 million and net loss was $84.7 million, as compared to adjusted EBITDA of $115.4 million and net loss of $82.6 million for the same period in 2017. Liquidity As of March 31, 2018, the Company's liquidity position on a consolidated basis, defined as cash on hand, short-term marketable securities and available borrowing capacity under the Company's revolving credit facility, was approximately $219 million. Certain Credit Statistics The Company's net leverage ratio, defined as the ratio of net debt to LTM Adjusted EBITDA, was 5.7x at March 31, 2018. Conference Call Vivint Smart Home will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the quarterly results at 5:00 p.m. ET today, May 15, 2018. To join the live webcast and conference call, please visit the Investor Relations section of the Vivint Smart Home website, www.investors.vivint.com/events-presentations/events or dial (866) 393-4306 for domestic participants or (734) 385-2616 for international participants with the conference code of 1741009. A financial results presentation and online access to join the webcast will be available immediately before the call on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at http://www.investors.vivint.com/events-presentations/events. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.investors.vivint.com following the completion of the webcast and conference call. About Vivint Smart Home Vivint Smart Home is a leading smart home company in North America. Vivint delivers an integrated smart home system with in-home consultation, professional installation and support delivered by its Smart Home Pros, as well as 24-7 customer care and monitoring. Dedicated to redefining the home experience with intelligent products and services, Vivint serves more than one million customers. J.D. Power ranked Vivint Smart Home "Highest in Customer Satisfaction for Home Security Systems." For more information, visit www.vivint.com. Forward-Looking Statements This earnings release and accompanying conference call include certain forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding, among other things, the Company's plans, strategies and prospects, both business and financial, including without limitation with respect to the Vivint Flex Pay plan and the Company's partnership with Best Buy. Forward-looking statements convey the Company's current expectations or forecasts of future events. All statements contained in this earnings release other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the beliefs and assumptions of management. Although we believe that the Company's plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that the Company will achieve or realize these plans, intentions or expectations. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These statements may be preceded by, followed by or include the words "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "forecasts," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "plans," "scheduled," "anticipates" or "intends" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. You should not put undue reliance on these statements which speak only as of the date hereof. You should understand that the following important factors could affect our future results and could cause those results or other outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements: risks of the smart home and security industry, including risks of and publicity surrounding the sales, subscriber origination and retention process;

the highly competitive nature of the smart home and security industry and product introductions and promotional activity by Vivint's competitors;

litigation, complaints or adverse publicity;

the impact of changes in consumer spending patterns, consumer preferences, local, regional, and national economic conditions, crime, weather, demographic trends and employee availability;

adverse publicity and product liability claims;

increases and/or decreases in utility and other energy costs, increased costs related to utility or governmental requirements;

cost increases or shortages in smart home and security technology products or components;

the introduction of unsuccessful new products and services;

privacy and data protection laws, privacy or data breaches, or the loss of data; and

the impact to the Company's business, results of operations, financial condition, regulatory compliance and customer experience of the Vivint Flex Pay plan and the Best Buy Smart Home powered by Vivint program. In addition, the origination and retention of new subscribers will depend on various factors, including, but not limited to, market availability, subscriber interest, the availability of suitable components, the negotiation of acceptable contract terms with subscribers, local permitting, licensing and regulatory compliance, and our ability to manage anticipated expansion and to hire, train and retain personnel, the financial viability of subscribers and general economic conditions. These and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release are more fully described in the "Risk Factors" section in the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K, as such factors may be updated from time to time in the Company's periodic and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. We undertake no obligations to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. Certain Definitions Total Subscribers - the aggregate number of active smart home and security subscribers at the end of a given period. This metric excludes subscribers originated under pilot sales programs. Total Monthly Service Revenue (MSR) - the aggregate, contracted recurring monthly service billings to our smart home and security subscribers, based on the number of Total Subscribers as of the end of a given period. This metric reflects billings for our services and excludes monthly billings for the purchases of our products. Average Monthly Service Revenue per User (AMSRU) - MSR divided by the number of Total Subscribers as of the end of a given period. Total Monthly Revenue (Total MR) - average monthly total revenue recognized during the period. Average Monthly Revenue per User (AMRU) - Total MR divided by average monthly Total Subscribers during a given period. Attrition Rate - the aggregate number of canceled smart home and security subscribers during the prior 12 month period divided by the monthly weighted average number of Total Subscribers, based on the Total Subscribers at the beginning and end of each month of a given period. Subscribers are considered canceled when they terminate in accordance with the terms of their contract, are terminated by us or if payment from such subscribers is deemed uncollectible (when at least four monthly billings become past due). If a sale of a service contract to third parties occurs, or a subscriber relocates but continues their service, we do not consider this as a cancellation. If a subscriber transfers their service contract to a new subscriber, we do not consider this as a cancellation. Net Service Cost per Subscriber- average monthly service costs for the period, including monitoring, customer service, field service and other service support costs, less total non-recurring product and service billings for the period divided by average monthly Total Subscribers for the same period. Net Service Margin - the monthly average MSR for the period, less average net service costs for the period divided by the average MSR for the period. New Subscribers - the aggregate number of net new smart home and security subscribers originated during a given period. This metric excludes new subscribers acquired by the transfer of a service contract from one subscriber to another and subscribers originated under pilot sales programs. Net Subscriber Acquisition Costs per New Subscriber - the direct and indirect costs to create a new smart home and security subscriber divided by New Subscribers for a given 12 month period. These costs include commissions, equipment, installation, marketing, sales support and other allocations (general and administrative and overhead); less cash received from product sales associated with the initial installation, activation fees, installation fees and upsell revenue. a:This earning release includes Adjusted EBITDA, a metric that is not calculated in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the U.S. ("GAAP"). See the "Statement Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section at the end of this earnings release for the definition of Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation to its most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP. APX GROUP HOLDINGS, INC. and SUBSIDIARIES Consolidated Statements of Operations (In thousands) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 2017 Revenues: Recurring and other revenue $ 246,597 $ 196,858 Service and other sales revenue - 5,391 Activation fees - 3,104 Total revenues 246,597 205,353 Costs and expenses: Operating expenses 83,760 71,352 Selling expenses 59,243 34,798 General and administrative expenses 50,967 38,861 Depreciation and amortization 124,258 76,869 Total costs and expenses 318,228 221,880 Loss from operations $ (71,631 ) $ (16,527 ) Other expenses (income): Interest expense 58,790 53,681 Interest income (31 ) (57 ) Other loss, net (45,240 ) 12,066 Total other expenses 13,519 65,690 Loss before income taxes (85,150 ) (82,217 ) Income tax (benefit) expense (433 ) 419 Net loss $ (84,717 ) $ (82,636 ) APX GROUP HOLDINGS, INC. and SUBSIDIARIES Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (In thousands) (Unaudited) March 31, December 31, 2018 2017 ASSETS Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 3,473 $ 3,872 Accounts and notes receivable, net 41,452 40,721 Inventories 109,236 115,222 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 17,155 16,150 Total current assets 171,316 175,965 Property, plant and equipment, net 79,644 78,081 Capitalized contract costs, net 1,008,325 Subscriber acquisition costs, net - 1,308,558 Deferred financing costs, net 2,839 3,099 Intangible assets, net 323,233 377,451 Goodwill 836,300 836,970 Long-term notes receivables and other assets, net 97,638 88,723 Total assets $ 2,519,295 $ 2,868,847 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' DEFICIT Current Liabilities: Accounts payable $ 76,131 $ 107,347 Accrued payroll and commissions 37,349 57,752 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 124,344 74,321 Deferred revenue 142,985 88,337 Current portion of capital lease obligations 10,637 10,614 Total current liabilities 391,446 338,371 Notes payable, net 2,761,380 2,760,297 Revolving Credit Facility 77,000 60,000 Capital lease obligations, net of current portion 11,065 11,089 Deferred revenue, net of current portion 229,978 264,555 Other long-term obligations 61,842 79,020 Deferred income tax liabilities 8,819 9,041 Total liabilities 3,541,530 3,522,373 Total stockholders' deficit (1,022,235 ) (653,526 ) Total liabilities and stockholders' deficit $ 2,519,295 $ 2,868,847 APX GROUP HOLDINGS, INC. and SUBSIDIARIES Summary Cash Flow Data (In thousands) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 2017 Net cash used in operating activities $ (59,582 ) $ (6,153 ) Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 46,586 (8,036 ) Net cash provided by financing activities 12,616 7,901 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash (19 ) (7 ) Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents $ (399 ) $ (6,295 ) Cash and cash equivalents: Beginning of period 3,872 43,520 End of period $ 3,473 $ 37,225 Statement Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Measures This earnings release includes Adjusted EBITDA, which is a supplemental measure that is not required by, or presented in accordance with, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP"). "Adjusted EBITDA" is defined as net income (loss) before interest expense (net of interest income), income and franchise taxes and depreciation and amortization (including amortization of capitalized subscriber acquisition costs), further adjusted to exclude the effects of certain contract sales to third parties, non-capitalized subscriber acquisition costs, stock based compensation, the historical results of Solar and certain unusual, non-cash, non-recurring and other items permitted in certain covenant calculations under the indentures and other agreements governing our notes and the credit agreement governing our revolving credit facility. We believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA is appropriate to provide additional information to investors about the calculation of, and compliance with, certain covenants in the indentures and other agreements governing our notes and the credit agreement governing our revolving credit facility. We caution investors that amounts presented in accordance with our definition of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other issuers, because not all issuers and analysts calculate Adjusted EBITDA in the same manner. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement of our financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP or as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities as a measure of our liquidity. See the following table for a quantitative reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Loss, which we believe is the most comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP. APX GROUP HOLDINGS, INC. and SUBSIDIARIES Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures (In millions) APX GROUP HOLDINGS, INC. and SUBSIDIARIES Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures (In millions) (Unaudited) Three Months Ended March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31, March 31, 2017 2017 2017 2017 2018 Net loss $ (82.6 ) $ (84.2 ) $ (107.9 ) $ (135.4 ) $ (84.7 ) Interest expense, net 53.6 54.9 58.0 59.1 58.8 Other expense (income), net 12.0 (1.9 ) 8.6 9.2 5.1 Gain on sale of spectrum(i) - - - - (50.4 ) Income tax expense (benefit), net 0.4 0.7 1.2 (1.2 ) (0.4 ) Depreciation and amortization (ii) 30.0 30.6 30.9 31.6 28.9 Amortization of capitalized contract costs 46.9 49.5 53.6 56.2 95.4 Non-capitalized contract costs (iii) 43.3 59.8 69.5 82.9 70.9 Non-cash compensation (iv) 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 Other Adjustments (v) 11.4 10.7 14.4 23.2 12.0 Adjustment for change in accounting principle (Topic 606)(vi) - - - - (12.9 ) Adjusted EBITDA $ 115.4 $ 120.5 $ 128.6 $ 125.9 $ 122.9 i. Gain on sale of spectrum intangible assets during the three months end March 31, 2018. ii. Excludes loan amortization costs that are included in interest expense. iii. Reflects subscriber acquisition costs that are expensed as incurred because they are not directly related to the acquisition of specific subscribers. Certain other industry participants purchase subscribers through subscriber contract purchases, and as a result, may capitalize the full cost to purchase these subscribers' contracts, as compared to our organic generation of new subscribers, which requires us to expense a portion of our subscriber acquisition costs under GAAP. iv. Reflects non-cash compensation costs related to employee and director stock and stock option plans v. Other adjustments including items such as product development costs, subcontracted monitoring fee savings, non-recurring gain, and other adjustments. vi. Adjustment to eliminate the impact of the Company's adoption of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180515006687/en/

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[May 15, 2018] Hyperlocal Tech Earns Zavvie, 8z 'Innovator Award' Finalist Selection BOULDER, Colo., May 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- zavvie, real estate's hyperlocal technology leader, has won a coveted spot as a "2018 Inman Innovator Award" finalist along with its brokerage partner, 8z Real Estate, rated the #1 Colorado brokerage by Zillow online reviewers. The announcement comes just days after the REach technology accelerator program from the National Association of REALTORS named zavvie as a company in its REach Class of 2018. Inman, real estate's top news and information site, said it selected the two Boulder-based Colorado firms as 8z Real Estate "uses its partner technology company, zavvie, to produce neighborhood-specific data, information, and content for agents who want to establish themselves as local experts, and zavvie is helping 8z's agents in expanding markets..." "This reaffirms the success 8z Real Estate agents have experienced with zavvie, and every team, brokerage and their agents nationwide are understanding that if they get zavvie, they get listings," said Lane Hornung, zavvie co-founder and CEO. "They're discovering the ease of a hyperlocal platform that automates their social media and makes their exposure as the neighborhood expert on sites like Facebook and Nextdoor more powerful and drives deeper engagement." According to Hornung zavvie success in Colorado has resulted in the creation of a national footprint. "We have expanded nationally because of demand," he said. "Real estate professionals have discovered that the best local strategy that helps solve the inventory problem housing markets face is to be a hyperlocal real estate expert. Using hyperlocal marketing is the best way to free up local inventory. A hyperlocal agent can find the buyers and the sellers to make a market work again," Hornung added. zavvie is highly unique among tech start-ups. It was initially the hyperlocal technology for 8z Real Estate. zavvie helped launch 8z into the fastest growing of Colorado's ten largest brokerages, serving the state's Front Range. Today, 8z is a tech forward, high productivity brokerage with about 150 agents. Last year its sales transactions totaled nearly $1 billion and it was recognized as one of Colorado's "Top Workplaces" by the Denver Post. As the hyperlocal platform for 8z agents and teams, zavvie was refined and perfected. The zavvie technology was able to demonstrate how hyperlocal maketing could create a massive, higher quality lead generation system for agents working in real-world situations. That's something few startups can claim. The success 8z Real Estate experienced appears in a Case Study written by Victor Lund, founder of the WAV Group. The study is part of the real estate industry's first White Paper on hyperlocal marketing, "The Hyperlocal Movement in Real Estate," available here.

The annual Inman Innovator Awards highlight the most forward-thinking, who are working to shape the future of the real estate industry. With 8z as its laboratory, zavvie is an example of how new technology empowers traditional real estate professionals, helping professionals carve out local neighborhoods where disruptors cannot reach. "Hyperlocal is more than a technique, it is a movement," said Stefan Peterson, zavvie co-founder. "Research has shown us every major industry is being transformed by hyperlocalism and real estate is no exception. Teams and brokerages and their agents across the country are joining real estate's hyperlocal movement and we see zavvie as a driver of this sea change," he added. Every neighborhood deserves a neighborhood hero, the founders argue, and they say zavvie offers consumers an agent with deep local knowledge and expertise they will never be able to get from the internet. Zavvie offers agents an innovative means to transition from offline "farming" to a far more efficient and cost-effective technology-based solution to connect to neighbors. Adding to recent zavvie recognitions, zavvie will be featured at two major events this week. zavvie will be at the REALTORS Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo, May 14-19 in Washington DC. They will be exhibiting as part of the NAR REach Class of 2018 at the Marriott Wardman Hotel, Booth 1731. Hornung is participating as a panelist at the upcoming "Gathering of Eagles" conference in Denver May 16-18, hosted by REAL Trends. At this annual event that attracts the industry's most distinguished influencers, he is billed as one a gathering of "technology thought leaders," who will discuss which digital tools are yielding actual results and how they can be deployed. About zavvie and 8z Real Estate zavvie is the nation's first hyperlocal marketing platform, the place where savvy, trusted local real estate agents go to tap into the most powerful way for a real estate agent to grow and maintain a successful real estate business. zavvie delivers to brokerages, teams and agents, a complete social media and hyperlocal system for top agents to build their listing business and make  or keep  them the dominant agent in their neighborhood. Discover more at zavvie.com. 8z Real Estate's mission statement is "Real Estate is broken, we are fixing it," and is committed to putting clients first. Named one of the "Best Companies to Work for" by the Denver Post, 8z is one of the fastest growing brokerages in the nation, and the fastest growing among Colorado's ten largest brokerages. With some 150 agents providing Colorado's Front Range home buyers and sellers with unmatched market data and online tools, 8z generated nearly $1 billion in total sales transactions last year. Find your 8z neighborhood agent at 8z.com. Contact: Kevin Hawkins 206-866-1220 kevin@wavgroup.com Related Images image1.jpg first-white-paper-on-hyperlocal.jpg

First White Paper on Hyperlocal Movement in Real Estate

zavvie sponsored the real estate industry's first White Paper on hyperlocal marketing, "The Hyperlocal Movement in Real Estate," available at zavvie.com. zavvie-logo.jpg

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John Travolta and Kelly Preston Walk the Cannes Red Carpet With Their Kids -- See the Pics! The family was dressed to the nines for the premiere of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story.'

The Cannes Film Festival premiere of Solo: A Star Wars Story was a family affair for the Travoltas!

John Travolta and Kelly Preston brought their two kids, 18-year-old Ella and 7-year-old Benjamin, along on the red carpet on Tuesday.

Preston and Travolta, who are in Cannes to promote their upcoming film, Gotti (the couple play John and Victoria Gotti in the movie) were dressed to the nines on the carpet. Ella wowed in a floor-length black-and-white gown and matching black sweater, while Benjamin sported a crisp, white look with a navy jacket.

Travolta -- who joined Instagram on Tuesday and has been posting from the film festival -- has a packed couple of days in Cannes. He'll be hosting a 40th anniversary screening of Grease on the beach and accepting Variety's inaugural Cinema Icon Award.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

In an interview with Good Morning America in 2016, Travolta opened up about how his and Preston's youngest child, Benjamin, helped his family reconnect after their 16-year-old son, Jett, died unexpectedly in 2009. Jett hit his head in a bathtub during a seizure while the family was on vacation in the Bahamas.

We certainly have bonded together, Travolta said. And certainly, having little Ben has been a beautiful kind of glue for us to rebond after tremendous loss.

The actor also thanked his late son while speaking with ET after winning an Emmy for The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. See more in the video below.

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John Travolta and Kelly Preston Face Off While He's Behind Bars in 'Gotti' Biopic Clip (Exclusive)

John Travolta Responds to Reports His 'Gotti' Film Was Pulled Just Days Before Its Release: 'Fake News'

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Donald Trump Jr. repeatedly pushed his Russian guests for damaging dirt on Hillary Clinton and grew increasingly frustrated when they failed to produce it, according to new accounts of the now-infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting between top campaign aides to Donald Trump and Russian emissaries.

One participant told the Senate Judiciary Committee Trump Jr. kicked off the June 9 meeting expectantly, telling his Russian guests, So I believe you have some information for us? And after hearing a Russian lawyer explain about an alleged tax fraud scheme involving major Democratic donors, a participant said Trump Jr. followed up: So can you show us -- how does this money go to Hillary?

Another participant recalled him pressing a second time, saying Trump, Jr. asked if illegally obtained funds were also being donated to Mrs. Clinton's foundation.

In the months since the first reports on the meeting, that gathering has emerged as a focal point of investigations into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign. The Senate Judiciary Committee released roughly 2500 pages of interview transcripts and other documents Wednesday morning that provide a number of new details and fresh insider accounts of the gathering, but do not appear to change the narrative in any dramatic way.

PHOTO: The Russian emissaries, a middle man and Trump campaign associates who met at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016. (ABC News Graphic, AP/Getty Images)

The public's business ought to be public, said Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who decided earlier this year he would permit the release the documents, a decision welcomed by Democrats.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)said the documents offer the public a piece of the picture, a part of the puzzle.

But the full mosaic will require further investigation, he said. The American people deserve to know the truth.

Trump Jr. said he welcomed the chance for the public to review his testimony.

I appreciate the opportunity to have assisted the Judiciary Committee in its inquiry, he said in a statement to ABC News. The public can now see that for over five hours I answered every question asked and was candid and forthright with the Committee.

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The Russian Emissaries

Beyond the details of Trump Tower meeting itself, the documents offer a fresh look at the relationships between the Russian emissaries and Trumps team  including the billionaire Moscow developer Aras Agalarov, who initially pushed for the meeting with help from his son, a Russian pop star, and his sons music agent.

As early as the summer of 2015, early into Trumps primary bid, the music agent to Emin Agalarov, Rob Goldstone, began to float the idea of Trump paying a visit to Russia. In an email exchange with Trumps personal secretary Rhona Graff, he floats the idea of a first meeting with Russian President Putin.

Maybe he would welcome a meeting with President Putin, which Emin would set up, he wrote.

It is not clear if Graff replied.

After Trumps election, another aide to Agalarov exchanges texts with Goldstone, celebrating Trumps election.

So it seems we are all now in the presidents inner circle!! wrote Ike Kaveladze, who represents Agalarovs business interests in the U.S. So shocking.

Later, Goldstone begins to update his Russian contacts on the fallout coming from the reports of the Trump Tower meeting. He texted to Agalarovs son: I hope this favor was worth it for your dad  it could blow up big.

A lawyers murky background

The woman who led the Russian groups presentation was Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who told the Senate in written answers to question that she was already in New York on other business when the meeting was added to her schedule.

She said she had no idea if Trump Jr. knew her background.

Whether Mr. Trump Jr. knew anything about me and my name is unknown to me, she said.

Her presentation centered U.S. sanctions against Russia, a policy staunchly opposed by Putins government, and the Kremlins response prohibiting Americans from adopting Russian children. Trumps team of aides in the meeting appeared to be baffled by her focus on this, instead of the promised dirt on Clinton.

Goldstone told the senators that Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, appeared somewhat agitated by this and said, I really have no idea what you're talking about. Could you please focus a bit more and maybe just start again?

PHOTO: Trump Tower in Manhattan, Oct. 8, 2016, in New York. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images, FILE)

And I recall that she began the presentation exactly where she had begun it last time, almost word for word, which seemed, by his body language, infuriate him even more, Goldstone said.

Kushner told reporters he only stayed briefly in the room and he believes "all of my actions were proper and occurred in the normal course of events of a very unique campaign, adding unequivocally, I did not collude with Russians, nor do I know of anyone in the campaign who did.

Veselnitskaya later revealed in an interview on NBC and in emails obtained by ABC News that - contrary to her earlier denials of Russian government ties to Senate Judiciary Committee investigators - she is, in fact, closely linked to top Kremlin official, Yuri Chaika, the prosecutor general.

I am a lawyer, and I am an informant, she told NBC. Since 2013, I have been actively communicating with the office of the Russian prosecutor general.

Trump team drafts response

The Senate interview with Trump Jr. also suggests President Trump personally may have weighed in directly as his lawyers crafted an initial response to news reports of the Trump Tower meeting.

That first public response, drafted aboard Air Force One, said the focus of the meeting was adoptions and failed to mention it came after the Russians had promised to deliver dirt on his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton  an omission that has become a topic of interest to Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

He may have commented through Hope Hicks, Trump Jr. told the Senate of one of the presidents closest and longest-serving aides. I believe some [of Trumps comments] may have been [incorporated into the formal response], but this was an effort through lots of people , mostly counsel.

When Trump Jr. first found out about the New York Times story, he said the meeting was about adoptions and mentioned nothing about a promise of political dirt on his father's political rival.

When the Times presented material to the contrary, the Trump son released a statement saying, "After pleasantries were exchanged, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Mrs. Clinton. Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information.

PHOTO: In this Nov. 14, 2016 file photo, Jared Kushner, son-in-law of of President-elect Donald Trump walks from Trump Tower, in New York. (Carolyn Kaster/AP,FILE)

Trump Jr. later went on Fox News' Sean Hannity show with something of a mea culpa saying, 'In retrospect, I probably would have done things a little differently, in reference to the meeting.

Trump's one-time legal team spokesman, Mark Carrollo told author Michael Wolf in his book "Fire and Fury that he "believed the meeting on Air Force One represented a likely obstruction of justice, and so he quit. ABC News first reported that Mueller sought an interview with Corallo afterward.

A blocked call

During his Senate interview, Trump Jr. said he never mentioned to his father he was going to hold the meeting.

But Democrats reviewing the transcripts have focused considerable attention to the question of whether candidate Trump knew the meeting with the Russian emissaries was occurring.

PHOTO: In this Jan. 18, 2017 file photo Donald Trump Jr., stands in an elevator at Trump Tower in New York. (Albin Lohr-Jones/Pool via Getty Images, FILE)

In a report prepared by Sen. Dianne Feinsteins (D-Calif.) Senate investigators focused on a series of phone calls and emails that occurred on June 6, 2016, as Goldstone and Trump Jr. were connecting to set up the June 9 meeting about this Hillary info.

Minutes after Trump Jr. had a phone call with Goldstones Russian client, he called a blocked phone number and spoke with someone for 11 minutes. Trump Jr. told Senate investigators he could not identify whom he called and said he did not know if his father used a blocked number. I have no idea, he said, when asked with whom he spoke. The senate investigators wrote that Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski testified that [Donald] Trumps primary residence has a blocked [phone] line.

Ivanka greets Russian guests

One of the Russian participants recalled a brief encounter with Ivanka Trump, the candidates daughter, after their meeting wrapped up.

She was at the reception, Kaveladze said. She said hello to us, and we said hello, how are you, and we had, like, polite conversation for maybe 1 minute. And then she told us to have a good day, and we left.

PHOTO: In this Nov. 13, 2017 file photo Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin arrives at the Capitol for a closed door meeting with the House Intelligence Committee, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images, FILE)

While numerous questions have swirled around the controversial private meeting since it first came to light, the Russians told the senate they found the entire episode to be of little use.

Kaveladze told the senators he reported back to Agalarov after it ended.

It was a complete loss of time, he said, calling it a useless meeting.

The Russian participants have largely maintained identical descriptions of the days events. Scott Balber, a New York lawyer who represents the Agalarovs and Kaveladze, told ABC News the meeting itself was a big nothing.

Of Goldstones promise of dirt, Balber said: I think he has said publicly that he quote goosed the story for the purpose of getting the folks in the Trump campaign to agree to the meeting.
Where would you choose to honeymoon if you were the most famous newlyweds in the world? This is the epic question as Prince Harry and Meghan Markles May 19 nuptials draw near. The destination they choose will likely come down to a number of factors, the first and most important of which is privacy. After such a public engagement and wedding, the couple will surely want some time away from the paparazzi and the crowds. This was exactly the case for Prince William and Duchess Kate, who honeymooned in the remote Seychelles islands after their 2011 wedding.

The second consideration the newlyweds will have to make is timing: If the couple cant jet off immediately following their wedding at St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle in England, they may spend a night or two in the U.K. before boarding a flight bound somewhere far-flung, as many British royals have done in the past. If history really were to repeat itself, the couple will do more than just wait a couple of days before departing for their adventure. Harry and Meghan may actually choose a destination that they or another member of the royal family has previously visited. And you can, too. There are a number of remote, romantic spots where royal couples have vacationed or honeymooned that you and your spouse should consider for your own honeymoon.

To help you plan a honeymoon worthy of the royals, we put together recommendations based on post-nuptial trips or vacations members of the House of Windsor have previously taken. While not all of their itineraries and accommodations are public knowledge, the destinations are, and we provided our own recommendations for each spot. With this guide, your favorite royal couples honeymoon or vacation plans can inspire your own!

North Island, Seychelles

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge traveled to the Seychelles during their courtship and reportedly fell in love with the remote Indian Ocean archipelago. Following their May 2011 wedding, they chose to return to the bright white sands and azure waters, checking into the Seychelles most exclusive resort, North Island, for more than a week. With just 11 villaseach with an expansive deck, plunge pool, and private section of beachfew places in the world will make your escapist fantasies come true with such glamour and beauty.

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The Brando, French Polynesia

Though not technically a royal, Pippa Middleton might as well be, considering all the hype surrounding her wedding to financier James Matthews last May. Make like the sister to the Duchess of Cambridge and choose Australia and the South Pacific for your post-nuptial getaway. The newlyweds reportedly checked into French Polynesias premier private-island retreat, the Brando, which has just 35 beachfront villas, a luxurious, lagoon-fronting spa, and all-inclusive dining. (Because rose all day is a honeymoon prerequisite, right?)

Berkshire, United Kingdom

Harry and Meghan were spotted at the historic Coworth Park, in the quaint town of Ascot, last summer for the Audi Polo Challenge. (Its the only hotel in the U.K. where guests can learn, practice, play and watch polo events within its grounds.) The couple may have been so won over by the country house-hotels charms that they decide to return for a mini-moon, which is exactly what we suggest you consider doing. Mini-moons are actually something of a royal tradition: Following their April 1923 wedding, King George VI and the Queen Mother honeymooned at Polesden Lacey, a private country estate in Surrey. Same for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who spent the first part of their honeymoon at Lord Mountbattens Broadlands House in Hampshire.

The Philippines

Following the official announcement of their engagement, Will and Kate jetted visited the tiny Filipino island of Bohol, where they checked into Eskaya Beach Resort. Theres another remote spot for you to consider, too. The archipelago of Palawan, made up of 1,780 islands on the western part of the Philippines offers four different resorts by super luxurious, eco-friendly El Nido Resorts. Some have overwater villa accommodations, but all front a pristine beach and are set against the backdrop of towering cliffs and tropical forests.

Greece

Related article: 5 honeymoons inspired by your favorite TV shows

After their 1981 wedding, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana headed to the Greek Islands, where they boarded the Royal Yacht Britannia on a 12-day cruise to Egypt. Apparently, the honeymoon plans were so flexible that the couple could pick and choose where they wanted to go each day. You, too, can choose to sail into uncharted waters: This May, Crystal Cruises Crystal Esprit returns to the Adriatic, offering six- to eight-day voyages aboard the boutique all-suite, butler-serviced yacht.

The Caribbean

Following Princess Margarets wedding to the Earl of Snowdon, the couple set off on a six-week honeymoon, hopping from one Caribbean island to the next aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. They visited places such as Antigua, Mustique, and Trinidad. To replicate this multi island itinerary, look at chartering a yacht through The Moorings or Sunsail, which has a fleet of over 500 vessels in 25 jaw-dropping destinations worldwide.

Malta

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have made numerous visits to the tiny Mediterranean island nation of Malta. Each time, they choose to post up at the Phoenicia, a luxury hotel in the islands capital city of Valletta, that recently unveiled an 18-month renovation. This year, Valletta is the European Capital of Culturehosting hundreds of art shows, film festivals, music concerts, and moregiving you and your new spouse even more reason to visit. (Beyond the gorgeous beaches, centuries-old sites, and historic architecture.)

New Zealand

Prince Harry visited this twin island nation in May 2015 on a royal tour. With its bustling harbor cities, pristine lakes, towering glaciers, dramatic Mt. Victoria, and more, the couple may be motivated to return for an adventure-packed honeymoon. But New Zealand isnt without its quieter pleasures: When Harry last visited, he stayed in the Central Otago wine region for one night at the exclusive Riverrun Lodge. The area, known for its pinot noir production, will no doubt offer you the same opportunities to unwind after your big day.

This article originally appeared in Martha Stewart Weddings.
Photo credit: Yelp / Eric S.

From Country Living

A restaurant in Monterey, CA has a strict policy when it comes to children: If they're loud, they will be asked to leave. While the rule has been in place for years, recent photos posted to Yelp have caused restaurant-goers and parents to chime in with opinions.

The restaurant's owner, Chris Shake, told KTVU that the nearly-70-year-old restaurant is known for its quiet dining experience, which is obviously aided by the policy. "We have many families who dine with us with their children who are well behaved and understand our policy with respect to other diners," he said. Many of the negative Yelp reviews, he says, come from people who are offended by the sign, not people who have eaten at the restaurant.

But for some parents, the sign is a deterrent to come in altogether. In a Facebook group for Bay Area, CA moms, one woman wrote: "Whoa. Ive never seen this before. Im canceling my reservation at the restaurant after seeing this picture on Yelp." She took issue with the wording in particular, telling KTVU that "adults only" would have gotten the message across.

Others are on board with the idea, saying that a stroller-free, quiet atmosphere sounds nice. One user wrote, "I really don't understand why you parents don't just take your kids to McDonald's or Chuck-E-Cheese where they could scream all they want."

Regardless of public opinion, it doesn't seem Old Fisherman's Grotto will be changing its policies anytime soon.

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Lindsay Ventura, second from left, poses with her siblings in a childhood picture. (Photo: Courtesy of Lindsay Ventura)

Every family has secrets. For Lindsay Ventura, her mother, and her sister, the secret was a disease. At first it was something they didnt even know they had, but when they were eventually diagnosed, they decided to keep it to themselves for years out of fear they would be stigmatized for it.

The disease was hepatitis C.

In 1990, when Ventura was 3 and her older brother was 5, their father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was given six months to live. That set things into motion for Venturas mother. Despite being healthy and having no symptoms, Venturas mom  whose own mother had liver disease  started to worry about her health, knowing she would soon be her kids sole parent.

She was 35 at that time, says Ventura, whose father passed away in 1991. The only reason this was on her radar was because [dad] was sick. She just wanted to know she would be around for my brother and I.

Lindsay Ventura in an elementary school photo. (Photo: Courtesy of Lindsay Ventura)

Venturas mom went to her doctor to find out if she, too, had liver disease, like her own mother. A blood test revealed she had some form of hepatitis, which the doctor called non-A/non-B hepatitis. (The hepatitis C virus wasnt identified until 1989, so it was still considered a new diagnosis then.)

Her mom eventually remarried and had two more children. A follow-up blood test in 1997 revealed a more accurate diagnosis: Venturas mom had hepatitis C. Even still they knew little about it and said shed likely die of old age before it was a concern, notes Ventura. She had no idea where it had come from. She worked as a physical therapist in burn units, administering wound care, and came in contact with patients bodily fluids, and shes a baby boomer [baby boomers and veterans have higher rates of hepatitis C]. To this day, she doesnt really know where it came from, but at the end of the day, it doesnt really matter.

Venturas mom asked the familys pediatrician if she should have her children tested for hepatitis C since it can be passed from mother to child during childbirth. The doctor said the chances were minimal, but her mom decided to have all four children tested anyway.

Story continues

Of the four of us, only two of us tested positive, says Ventura. I was 10 when I first was diagnosed, and my sister [who was also infected] was 3.

Because Venturas mom was a health care practitioner, she was conscientious about teaching Ventura and her sister how to prevent them from infecting anyone else. If we got cut, the person tending to it needed to wear gloves, explains Ventura. When I had my period, I had to reduce exposure.

Since hepatitis C can be transmitted if you share a toothbrush or razor with an infected person, Ventura and her sister had to take certain precautions. When I used toothpaste, I had to [apply it to] my finger instead of [directly on] my toothbrush. Id have my own nail clipper kit. If I went and got a mani/pedi with my mom, Id bring my own tools. She was very, very cautious, which Im grateful for.

Lindsay Ventura today. (Photo: Courtesy of Lindsay Ventura)

As a kid, however, there was an emotional burden to living this way. I knew there was something wrong  I felt unclean, she shares. That I might make people sick. The way doctors would approach us like we were this interesting case study. But I wasnt anything more than a little kid.

The disease was also kept secret. My mom made the decision she didnt want anyone to know about it because of the stigma that exists, and fear and misunderstanding, says Ventura, who lives outside of Boston. She chose not to disclose it anywhere. We knew to be careful ourselves. So it was really a secret. Our youngest sister didnt know for many years that we were sick, so it was really a secret in our own family.

But the secret didnt last long. In middle school, Ventura accidentally cut herself and went to the school nurse. The nurse was trying to put a bandage on me without gloves and finally I came out and said I had hepatitis C, she recalls. Through the rumor mill, my small town found out.

Because of the stigma of the disease, she ended up having to switch schools. I grew up with these 80 kids my whole life and to not be around them anymore, it was hard, she said. From then on, I was very closed off about my hepatitis C. I was scared and fearful. The social stigma left a lasting impression of fear for anyone to find out.

To monitor her health, liver function tests were a regular part of her life. Although these tests had always come back normal, that changed a week before Venturas 20th birthday. A liver biopsy revealed she had stage 3 fibrosis (fibrosis is when an inflamed liver starts to scar, replacing the healthy tissue and stemming the flow of blood to the liver, according to the American Liver Foundation).

They said Id be lucky to hit 30 without a transplant, she says. That was a real wakeup call. It was something on my radar, but never seemed like anything to worry about.

Lindsay Ventura with her mother. (Photo: Courtesy of Lindsay Ventura)

In 2007, during her sophomore year of college, Ventura started taking the recommended prescription drug regimen available at the time (interferon and ribavirin) to cure her hepatitis  6 pills a day every day for a year, plus weekly self-injections (her younger sister had started treatment at 14 years old). This caused serious side effects that took a toll, including nausea, vomiting, and excessive hair loss. I would be in the shower and clumps of hair would fall out, she recalls.

Rage was another byproduct of the medication. I lost friends because of the way I was behaving, she says. I almost lost my job. It impacted me on many levels, emotionally and physically. I was just surviving. I wasnt living. Im thankful I had my mom to be there for me. But it was a hard year.

A week before her 21st birthday, Ventura finished her treatment and was cleared of the virus. Ventura then realized that the symptoms shed had for years, from severe itching she chalked up to dry skin to dark-colored urine she thought was from dehydration to fatigue she blamed on her heavy course load at school  not realizing they were all caused by hepatitis C  went away.

Thats the danger of hepatitis C, she notes, even if you had symptoms, you wouldnt think of them as symptoms of a deadly virus.

For Venturas mom, after years of carrying the emotional burden of unknowingly infecting her children, having both of her daughters cured of hepatitis C was a huge relief. She had always felt guilty for giving us the virus, Ventura says. Even though it wasnt her fault. Post-treatment, I was elated for her that we were better.

However, Venturas mothers health then began to decline. Although her mom was able to take medication that finally got her hepatitis to undetectable levels, she was diagnosed with liver cancer. She said, Well, its a good thing, Ventura recalls. She had cirrhosis for about a decade. Her score wasnt high enough to get a transplant, so the liver cancer boosted her score.

After waiting for 14 months for a liver transplant and watching her mothers condition continue to worsen, the family finally got the call that there was a donor. Venturas mom received a liver transplant on May 1, 2014. I never really knew how important the liver was until it stopped doing what its supposed to be doing, Ventura says. And I never appreciated how long shed been sick until she wasnt sick anymore.

The 30-year-old continues: Its been a beautiful last couple of years knowing were all well and how easily cured [hepatitis C] is now. The treatment was scarier than the disease itself, and its not that way anymore. Its simple, it works, and it has no side effects.

After coping with family health issues that were kept secret for decades, Ventura decided to go public. Ventura, who works as the community outreach and education manager at the American Liver Foundation, started telling her story to others. When I started sharing, kind of coming out of the closet with the disease, it was freeing and terrifying, she says. Now its becoming something that isnt so taboo.

She adds: Only by starting the conversation can you break the stigma.

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month. Read more about the disease on Yahoo Lifestyle:

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A staged photo of a young woman carrying an AR-10 and a graduation cap reading, "Come and take it," dramatically walking away from the camera, went viral on Twitter over the weekend.

"Now that I graduated from @KentState, I can finally arm myself on campus," reads her tweet's caption. "I should have been able to do so as a student- especially since 4 unarmed students were shot and killed by the government on this campus. #CampusCarryNow"

The woman in question is Kaitlin Bennett, a recent graduate who decided to pose with the weapon to promote her second amendment rights. She's also the founder of Kent State's chapter of a right-wing media outlet called Liberty Hangout, which is prone to posting racist and inflammatory memes on Facebook.

Now that I graduated from @KentState, I can finally arm myself on campus. I should have been able to do so as a student- especially since 4 unarmed students were shot and killed by the government on this campus. #CampusCarryNow pic.twitter.com/a91fQH44cq  Kaitlin Marie (@KaitMarieox) May 13, 2018

Bennett's post received mixed reactions in light of recent school shootings. But as shocking as the attention-grabbing photo may seem to some, Kent State's university policy allows visitors, though not students  Bennett is now technically a visitor  to possess, store, or use deadly weapons "while outside on university grounds." Ohio is an open-carry state where the rules regarding guns on campus are largely up to the universities themselves.

The university confirmed that what Bennett did is legal to Refinery29: "Graduates are no longer considered students and would be permitted to open-carry, per the university policy," said Eric Mansfield, the school's executive director of media relations. He added that Bennett had notified the university police department of her photo shoot.

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Bennett's argument is based on the assumption that people are safer when there are fewer gun restrictions, but there is little evidence to suggest this. While the campus-carry debate is relatively recent, what research has been done around the subject suggests the opposite. "Many states relaxed restrictions on concealed and open carrying of firearms based on claims that such policies reduced violent crime," according to a 2016 report by Johns Hopkins University. "But the best available evaluations of these policies indicate that these right-to-carry laws increase violence."

As a Black woman, it's hard for 19-year-old Kent State sophomore Aliah Kimbro to support Bennett when she knows her own gun rights "aren't safe anywhere," she told Refinery29. "To see that tweet, 'Come and take it,' as if lives weren't taken on that campus due to gun violence, just shocked me," she said. "Kent became an open-carry campus in the last year and there were many protests from that, the incident of May 4 not forgotten."

On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of students protesting the U.S. bombing of Cambodia at Kent State, killing four and wounding nine. Bennett's tweet suggests that had these students been armed, they would have somehow been able to protect themselves against the random rounds being fired at them from a distance, as they were running away.

We've reached out to Kaitlin Bennett and will update this story when we hear back.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang's Regular Press Conference on May 16, 2018

2018/05/16

The 13th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) National Security Council Secretaries will be held in Beijing on May 21 and 22. At the invitation of State Councilor Zhao Kezhi, Indian Deputy National Security Adviser Rajinder Khanna, Presidential Aide and Secretary of National Security Council of Kazakhstan Nurlan Ermekbaev, Secretary of the National Security Council of Kyrgyzstan Damir Sagynbayev, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on National Security Nasser Khan Janjua, Secretary of the National Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the National Security Council of Tajikistan Abdurahim Kahorov, Secretary of the National Security Council of Uzbekistan Makhmudov Victor Vladimirovich, SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov, and Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure Yevgeniy Sysoyev will attend the meeting. The participants will exchange views on the regional security situation and security cooperation priorities of the SCO.

Q: The vice foreign minister of the DPRK said that if the US is unilaterally forcing the DPRK to abandon their nuclear program, the DPRK will "reconsider" its summit with the US. Also, the DPRK criticized the recent large-scale joint military exercises held by the ROK and the US, and decided to halt a high-level DPRK-ROK meeting previously scheduled to be held on May 16. What is your comment?

A: I have noted these two reports you mentioned.

On your first question, the current momentum for dialogue and detente on the Korean Peninsula, which does not come by easily and should be cherished by all, meets the common interests of all parties and represents the shared aspiration of the international community. When the peaceful political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue is facing important opportunities, all relevant parties, the US and the DPRK in particular, should meet each other halfway, demonstrate goodwill and sincerity to each other, jointly create enabling conditions and atmosphere for their summit, and make positive efforts for the denuclearization and enduring stability of the Korean Peninsula.

On your second question, we have seen the announcement by the KCNA as well as some responses of the international community. I want to repeat that the current detente on the Korean Peninsula needs to be cherished by all relevant parties. The political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue is presented with important opportunities. We hope that both the ROK and the DPRK could follow the spirit of dialogue, reconciliation and cooperation embodied in the Panmunjom Declaration, fully understand and respect each other's legitimate concerns, work in the same direction, accumulate mutual trust, and improve bilateral relations, and they will have our support in these efforts. In order to sustain and consolidate the momentum of the improving situation on the Korean Peninsula, all relevant parties shall demonstrate goodwill to each other, avoid provocative actions that will trigger tension, and make concerted efforts to create enabling conditions and atmosphere for reaching a political settlement to the Korean Peninsula issue through dialogues.

Q: What is the main purpose of holding the 13th meeting of the SCO National Security Council Secretaries at this moment?

A: This will be the 1st SCO National Security Council Secretaries' meeting after the SCO enlargement. Its primary task is to prepare for the meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council or the Qingdao Summit for short next month, on the political and security fronts. The Chinese leader will have a group meeting with the heads of all the delegations. At the 13th meeting of the SCO National Security Council Secretaries which will be chaired by State Councilor Zhao Kezhi, all participating parties will thoroughly exchange views on the regional security situation, cooperation on combatting the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, drugs trafficking and cross-border organized crimes, and international information security. We believe that under the concerted efforts of all parties, this meeting will help build consensus on the security cooperation among the SCO members and inject new vitality into the SCO security cooperation.

Q: According to reports, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand said at the China Business Summit that relationship with China is one of the country's most important and far-reaching international relationships and that China and New Zealand really have led the world in many ways by developing a relationship that brings great benefit to both sides. She added that it will take pioneering spirit and perseverance on both sides to develop such a relationship. What is your comment?

A: I have seen relevant reports. China appreciates Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's positive remarks on deepening China-New Zealand relations. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, our bilateral relations have achieved remarkable progress. Bilateral practical cooperation has led the world in many ways, and it is obvious that these "firsts" have delivered tangible benefits to our two countries and two peoples.

Under the current circumstances, China stands ready to work with New Zealand to deepen political mutual trust, expand dialogue, communication and cooperation in various areas and advance the comprehensive strategic partnership for more positive outcomes, based on the principle of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

Q: I have another question on the DPRK. What is China's opinion about these military drills by the ROK and the US? Do you think that they should stop holding these drills to promote peace negotiations?

A: China's position on the Korean Peninsula issue is consistent. We maintain that all relevant parties need to take concrete actions to build mutual trust, avoid provoking each other, and endeavor to bring the Korean Peninsula issue back to the track of political settlement through dialogues, all of which will be realized when all parties meet each other halfway. That is also why China has long been advocating the "suspension for suspension" proposal. We believe this proposal will help each other build mutual trust and put in place necessary conditions to resolve the issue through dialogues.

As for your specific question, like what I said to the Yonhap News journalist, all parties should cherish the hard-won momentum of detente on the Korean Peninsula, which will be the starting point for efforts to ensure that the high-level meetings and dialogues already on agenda could take place as scheduled and produce real results. That represents the only way to consolidate the improving situation on the Korean Peninsula and promote peace and stability of the region.

Q: Yesterday, China and Trinidad and Tobago signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly advancing the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Is this the first cooperation document inked between China and a Caribbean country on the Belt and Road cooperation?

A: You are correct. The relevant MoU signed between the governments of China and Trinidad and Tobago yesterday is the first inter-governmental document on jointly advancing the Belt and Road Initiative between China and a Caribbean country. China is willing to integrate the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of Trinidad and Tobago to enhance policy coordination and promote practical cooperation in such areas as infrastructure building, energy, finance and agriculture, under the principle of shared benefits through consultation and contribution and for the interest of our two countries and two peoples. It is obvious that the Latin American and Caribbean countries have also become important participants of the Belt and Road Initiative. Yesterday, Prime Minister Keith Rowley also said that Trinidad and Tobago would like to play an active part in the Initiative to boost the development of relations between Latin America and China, especially between the Caribbean countries and China.

At yesterday's first meeting of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, President Xi Jinping stressed that in recent years, the Belt and Road Initiative, translated from ideas into action, has fledged into substantive international cooperation and made remarkable outcomes. You may all have noticed that there have been more people, countries and international organizations choosing to endorse and participate in the Belt and Road Initiative. For instance, Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia Ban Ki-moon said the other day that China's Belt and Road Initiative should be leveraged to help Asia achieve better development. Brazilian Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes who recently paid a visit to China also said that the Brazilian side is actively exploring how to forge synergy between the Initiative and its own development strategies as this is mutually beneficial. Yesterday, China inked a memorandum of understanding with Oman as well on jointly advancing the Belt and Road Initiative.

Going forward, China will continue to expand opening-up, enhance communication, consultation and cooperation with other countries, make solid steps to further deepen and steadily move forward cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, and ensure that the opportunities and outcomes brought about by this initiative will be shared by all.

Q: Recent severe flooding and dam bursts have displaced nearly 300,000 people in many places of Kenya. Will the Chinese side offer assistance to Kenya?

A: China expresses condolences to Kenya on the massive displacement caused by severe flooding. President Xi Jinping has sent a message of condolence to Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. According to the China International Development Cooperation Agency, the Chinese government has decided to offer emergency humanitarian assistance to the Kenyan government for disaster relief.
A 5-year-old Colorado girl is recovering after being attacked by a bear in her own backyard, according to reports.

The child  identified by her father, Duane Cyr, as Kimberly Cyr to ABC News  was discovered by her mother around 2:30 a.m. local time on Sunday in East Orchard Mesa, according to a news release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Kimberlys mother heard screaming and went outside to investigate, finding a large black bear dragging the little girl, CPW said. She told CPW officers that the animal let go of Kimberly at her screams.

The CPW said in the news release that her mother said she believed Kimberly was outside looking for the familys dog after hearing noises, but in a 911 recording later released by local outlet KDVR, the girls father Duane said she was outside camping alone.

Kimberly was taken to St. Marys Medical Center with serious injuries, according to the CPW. In the 911 audio, Duane told the operator that his daughter was missing a chunk out of her butt.

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Dr. Charles Breaux, pediatric surgeon at St. Marys, told ABC News that Kimberly underwent a three-hour surgery to repair injuries to her soft tissue. Doctors told KKCO that Kimberly received more than six dozen stitches. Her condition is now fair, said the outlet.

CPW officers placed three traps near the familys home overnight on Sunday, and observed the animal believed to have been responsible for injuring Kimberly approaching a home nearby the location. The bear was killed by officers before entering the trap.

The necropsy, along with DNA results will provide the confirmation, but we are confident we have the right bear, Area Wildlife Manager Kirk Oldham said in a news release. However, we will leave all three traps in place for the time being out of an abundance of caution.

CPW further advised local residents to remove any sources of food  like trash or bird feeders  from outside of their homes to prevent bears.
In the span of just a few years, Volvo has basically had a complete makeover. Once known for understated design and safety, the 91-year old automaker has been upping its game from a design and luxury standpoint, a move precipitated by Volvos sale to Chinese automaker Geely (0175.HK) back in 2010, which wanted to push Volvo as a prestige marque.

The award-winning XC90 SUV kicked it all off four years ago, but the two younger siblings of the XC90 are getting even more praise. The XC60 was named World Car of the Year in New York this year, with the last of the trio, the all-new XC40, snagging European Car of the Year honors in Geneva.

Volvo XC40 (Credit: Pras Subramanian)

The XC40 is huge release for Volvo, as it competes in the hyper-competitive luxury crossover/compact SUV space. Rick Newman and I tested out the XC40 in R-Design trim (which is sandwiched between the base Momentum and top tier Inscription trim lines). In addition to great design and unique features, its what Volvos doing on the ownership front that could make this car a big hit. Well have more on that later.

Is that a Volvo?

Despite it being the baby SUV in Volvos range, we found the styling to be quite muscular for an entry-level model. Volvo seems to be betting the youthful styling will appeal to younger, millennial buyers, while keeping the more conservative styling of the higher-up models for older buyers and those with families.

Volvo XC40 (Credit: Pras Subramanian)

The aggressive, youthful appearance is apparent with the stout front end and grill, high belt line, and bulging wheel arches. The car is rather compact, but it all comes together nicely with a taut hatch with angular, Volvo-esque tail lights. Its a rather handsome car, and one that got a surprising amount of looks from people on the street. It really looks different than anything else in its class, and that is a massive plus in this segment.

Volvo XC40 (Credit: Pras Subramanian)

Creature comforts, updated

The interior is a another big statement for Volvo in its conquest to steal buyers of German rivals like BMW (BMW.DE), Mercedes (DAI.DE), and Audi (VOW.DE). Lets start with that large touchscreen display, mounted vertically in the dash. It handles everything: audio, navigation, car settings, climate control and more. Volvo calls it Sensus control, and for the most part it worked just fine. The high-res screen rendered everything clearly, and touchscreen response was solid. Volvo is seeing the future here, making the car function like a smartphone (aping Teslas Model S and Model X center stack layout).

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Volvo XC40 (Credit: Volvo)

Under the dashboard hood, all gauges were digital and clear, with the right amount of display info. My only niggle here was that the screen didnt seem as high-resolution as the one in the center stack, but perhaps it was just my vantage point.

Fit and finish in the cabin was excellent. We loved the seats with the R-Designs nubuck inserts that kept us in place during spirited driving. The dashboard itself was wrapped in soft touch materials, with special R-Design metal inserts in place. The steering wheel was leather wrapped and had the right amount of heft to it.

Rick Newman and I were fans of Volvos ingenuity with space and utility in the cabin. See our video above for more.

Volvo XC40 interior (Credit: Volvo)

Engine and drivetrain

Under the hood, all XC40s come with a 2.0L turbocharged I-4 pumping out 248-hp and 258 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels. This engine, coupled with its 8-speed automatic transmission, made this CUV surprisingly quick off the line, especially in dynamic mode. With a 0-60 time of 6.2 seconds, its quicker than a Porsche Macan outfitted with its turbo 4-cylinder.

Volvo intends to introduce a front-wheel drive XC40 paired with a 187-hp 4-cylinder engine later this year.

Care by Volvothe XC40s Trojan Horse

Perhaps nothing else in the XC40, will push the needle farther with consumers than something that actually isnt physically part of the car  the Care by Volvo subscription ownership plan.

Meant to target younger buyers and urban/suburban types who want to own a car without many of the trappings, Volvo is offering the XC40 for $600 a month (in Momentum trim) in an all-in type of lease program. This payment includes all lease fees, taxes, insurance (yes, you heard that right), and maintenance, including wear-and-tear items like brakes, tires, wipers, etc.

Care by Volvo website

Buyers pick up the car at the local dealership, but otherwise have no other interaction with the dealer, except for when its time to service the car. Befitting a certain type of consumer, everything is handled through the Volvo website and mobile app.

The Care plan is for two years, but after one year, buyers can swap into a different car if they choose (which would then restart the two-year period). Currently the only models on offer are the XC40 in Momentum trim ($600) and R-Design trim ($700), but the new V60 wagon will be coming soon.

Rick and I believe this is the Trojan Horse for the XC40. This unique ownership plan will likely get more drivers in the seats of these cars, since ownership is such a simple endeavor. Were already hearing that Volvos ship date for Care vehicles is etting pushed out, likely because demand is so high.

Volvo XC40 (Credit: Volvo)

Pricing

Our tester, in R-Design trim, came in at $45,835 and included options like the Premium package ($900), Vision Package ($1,100), Advanced Package ($995), upgraded paint, panoramic roof, 20 wheels, and a premium Harman Kardon sound system.



Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.

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At least one person was killed and three others injured as an explosion and fire tore through a medical building in Aliso Viejo, Orange County, at around 1.10 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.

Officials said the incident appears to have been an intentional detonation and the device may have been delivered as a package to a specific person, reported NBC4.

After the explosion, bomb squad investigators arrived on the scene to search for more dangerous devices, while children at a nearby day care were evacuated. The preschool was not affected by the blast.

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OC Sheriff, CA Twitter

Tony Dik, whose child attended the day care, told NBC that parents were worried and emotional when they found out that the preschool was on the same road as the explosion. "When I was playing outside I heard the big crash. I thought it was a garbage truck but it was a building that smashed," said Kingston, Dik's 6-year-old son.

According to the Orange County Fire Authority, the blast originated from the first floor of the building.

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Witness Mary McWilliams told NBC-4 that she saw several women, covered in blood and ash, running away from the building. One of them reportedly said take care of my mother, take care of my mother.

Fire fighters arrived at the site shortly after the incident to extinguish a blaze that was caused by the explosion. Although investigators and FBI are still determining the cause of the blast, officials have announced the threat is over.

Initial reports claimed a car crash caused the explosion inside the facility. Soon after, Carrie Braun, an Orange County Sheriffs Department spokesperson, denied that a car was involved in the incident and said the investigation into what caused the explosion is still ongoing. Officials also said in earlier coverage that no device was seen in the building.

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We have not found any type of specific device inside of the building right now that could tell us or lead us to what exactly the device was, if it was a device, Cdr. Dave Sawyer, from the Orange County Sheriffs Dept., said at a press conference on Tuesday evening.

The victim, who was confirmed dead on the scene, has not yet been named.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
Many Leave voters are unhappy about what they voted for (Picture: Getty)

Almost two-thirds of people who voted to leave the European Union are unhappy about the way Brexit is going, a poll has revealed.

Data from YouGov showed that 63% of Leave voters dont think Brexit is going well so far.

Among Leave voters, 50% say they expected Brexit to go smoothly but dont think its proceeding well, while an added 13% who expected Brexit to go badly say their low expectations have been met.

Fewer than a quarter of Leave voters believe that Brexit is going well, according to the survey.

Nearly two-thirds of Leavers think Brexit is going badly (Picture: YouGov)

There are 18% who say they predicted it would go well and still believe that, while a further 4% say they thought it would go badly but think it is progressing well.

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Remain voters, however, fall mainly into one exclusive camp  a massive 71% of them say they expected Brexit to go badly and believe it is going badly.

Only 2% of remainers say they expected Brexit to go well and believe it is going well.

YouGov polled 3,851 UK adults at the beginning of this week about their attitudes to Brexit.

Overall, 39% of those surveyed said they expected Brexit to go badly and think it is going badly.

Only 9% said the Brexit process had met their positive expectations.

Many supporters of former Ukip leader Nigel Farages party are also disappointed (Picture: Getty)

Along party lines, 75% of Labour voters and 91% of Lib Dems think Brexit is going badly.

But the majority of Conservative and Ukip voters are also disappointed.

A total of 64% of Tory voters are unhappy with how Brexit is going, and a massive 86% of Ukip supporters are also displeased.

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Meanwhile, prime minister Theresa Mays Brexit war cabinet will meet again on Tuesday as discussions over how to resolve the deadlock on the customs union continue.

Members of two ministerial working groups spent Monday discussing possible tweaks to the customs partnership and maximum facilitation plans that have divided the cabinet, while Mrs May herself briefed Tory MPs on details of the two options.

The EU is pressing for substantive progress from Britain on the future of the Irish border in time for a crunch European Council summit just six weeks away.

But the meeting of the Brexit sub-committee is thought unlikely to unite behind a solution when it meets on Tuesday.

Prime minister Theresa May is hosting Brexit talks with her cabinet (Picture: Getty)

Under a customs partnership, the UK would collect tariffs for Brussels. The alternative model being considered by the cabinet is known as maximum facilitation, or Max Fac, which would rely on new technology and trusted trader schemes.

Michel Barnier, the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, told ministers from the remaining 27 member states that little progress had been made on the issues of Ireland and governance since the council last met in March.

There were two rounds of negotiations before the key rendezvous of the June European Council summit, he said.
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.)  A California judge on Tuesday threw out a 2016 state law allowing the terminally ill to end their lives, ruling it was unconstitutionally approved by the Legislature.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia said lawmakers acted illegally in passing the law during a special session devoted to other topics, said lawyers for supporters and opponents. He did not address the legal issue of whether it was proper to allow people to take their own lives, and gave the state attorney general five days to appeal.

Attorney General Xavier Becerras office did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.

The Life Legal Defense Foundation, American Academy of Medical Ethics and several physicians challenged the law, which allows adults to obtain a prescription for life-ending drugs if a doctor has determined they have six months or less to live. The plaintiffs say the law lacks safeguards to protect against abuse.

California health officials reported that 111 terminally ill people took drugs to end their lives in the first six months after the law went into effect June 9, 2016, and made the option legal in the nations most populous state. Oregon was the first to provide the option in 1997. It also is allowed in Washington, Vermont, Colorado, Hawaii and Washington D.C.

Compassion & Choices, a national organization that advocated for the law, estimated that in its first year 504 Californians requested prescriptions for medical aid in dying, but had no further update Tuesday. The next report on how many people took the drugs is due in July.

Our supporters, theyve frankly expressed shock at this outcome. Theyre disappointed that this end of life option could be taken away, said John Kappos, an attorney representing Compassion & Choices.

Alexandra Snyder, an attorney and executive director of Life Legal Defense Foundation, said the judge ruled that lawmakers effectively hijacked a special legislative session that was called to address access to medical care and used it to pass their bill.

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Access to health care has no relationship to assisted suicide, she said, saying it set a dangerous precedent that undermines the legislative process.

Opponents have argued that hastening death is morally wrong, puts terminally ill patients at risk for coerced death by loved ones and could become a way out for people who are uninsured or fearful of high medical bills.

Democratic Sen. Bill Monning of Carmel, who carried the original legislation, said the bill was properly considered in the special session and followed every rule of transparency and openness. Lawmakers could try to pass it again if the law ultimately is rejected by the courts, he said.

So far, he said, there has been not a single report of malfeasance or problems.

Kelly Davis 41-year-old sister, Betsy Davis, was one of the first to use the law as she was dying of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrigs disease, that slowly robbed her of her ability to use her muscles including to swallow and communicate. She held a two-day party in Ojai to celebrate the end of her life with about two-dozen friends, giving away her possessions and ordering her favorite foods.

I keep thinking of all the people who are facing a terminal illness and theyre considering the use of this law, and theyre in limbo right now and this right might be taken away from them, Davis said. It gave her back control of her life, it let her die on her own terms and if this had happened leading up to her death or when she thought shed be able to use the law, she would have been devastated.

The states attorney generals office said in court papers that medical professionals have the right to refuse to prescribe and dispense the drugs. Under the law, the terminally ill person must be able to self-administer the drugs.
Washington (AFP) - Political consulting group Cambridge Analytica used Russian researchers and shared data with companies linked to Russian intelligence, a whistleblower told a congressional hearing on interference in the 2016 US election Wednesday.

Christopher Wylie, who leaked information on the British-based firm's hijacking of data on millions of Facebook users, told a Senate panel he believes Russian intelligence services had access to data harvested by the consultancy.

Wylie told the panel that Russian-American researcher Aleksandr Kogan, who created an application to harvest Facebook user profile data, was working at the same time on Russian-funded projects, including "behavioral research."

"This means that in addition to Facebook data being accessed in Russia, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that CA may have been an intelligence target of Russian security services...(and) that Russian security services may have been notified of the existence of CA's Facebook data," Wylie said in his written testimony.

Wylie added that Cambridge Analytica "used Russian researchers to gather its data, (and) openly shared information on 'rumor campaigns' and 'attitudinal inoculation'" with companies and executives linked to the Russian intelligence agency FSB.

The hearing is part of a broad inquiry on both sides of the Atlantic over the misuse of Facebook data by the consulting firm working on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

Facebook has accused Cambridge Analytica of misappropriating its user data by violating terms of the data agreement with Kogan, the academic researcher.

On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that the FBI and Justice are investigating Cambridge Analytica for potential criminal violations.

The Times said it was unclear whether the probe was linked to the one led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.

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- 'Black ops' at CA -

Wylie told the panel that "the ethos of the firm was 'anything goes'" for its political campaigns, including "attempting to divert health ministry funds in a struggling African country to support a politician's re-election campaign."

He added that he was aware of "black ops" at the company, "which I understood to include using hackers to break into computer systems to acquire kompromat or other intelligence for its clients."

He said that one of the tactics used to interfere with voter participation included "weaponizing fear."

"In one country, CA produced videos intended to suppress turnout by showing voters sadistic images of victims being burned alive, undergoing forced amputations with machetes and having their throats cut in a ditch," he said.

"These videos also conveyed Islamophobic messages. It was created with a clear intent to intimidate certain communities, catalyze religious hatred, portray Muslims as terrorists and deny certain voters of their democratic rights."

Cambridge Analytica announced earlier this month it was shutting down, unable to recover from the Facebook-linked scandal.

Its chief executive Alexander Nix was suspended after he was filmed by undercover reporters bragging about ways to win political campaigns, including through blackmail and honey traps.

Another whistleblower said that Britons' personal data may have been misused by a pro-Brexit campaign ahead of the 2016 referendum in which Britain voted to leave the European Union.
Ottawa (AFP) - Canada pledged Wednesday to compensate the builder of a controversial oil pipeline in British Columbia for any losses that may result from political delays.

The announcement comes amid ongoing talks between Ottawa and pipeline builder Kinder Morgan over fierce opposition from westernmost British Columbia to its Trans Mountain pipeline (TMX) and investor fears over political risks to the project.

Kinder Morgan, whose investors were to meet later in the day on the issue, had given a May 31 deadline to clear up political uncertainty surrounding the project.

"We are prepared to indemnify the project against any financial loss that derives from (British Columbia) Premier John Horgan's attempts to delay or obstruct the project," Finance Minister Bill Morneau told a news conference.

"If Kinder Morgan decides at some stage not to proceed with TMX, the indemnification against financial loss would still be in place for another party who might wish to take over the project," he said.

Morneau explained that it's up to the federal government, not Kinder Morgan, to settle the current disputes arising over the project, which Ottawa has deemed to be in the national interest.

He declined, however, to provide details of his proposal.

Ottawa approved in 2016 the Can$7.4 billion (US$5.8 billion) twinning of the pipeline, originally built in 1953, to move 890,000 barrels of oil per day from landlocked Alberta to the Pacific coast, for shipping to new overseas markets.

In exchange for the new 1,150-kilometer (715-mile) conduit that would allow Alberta to diversify its markets and get a better price for its resources, the province agreed to impose curbs to carbon emissions on its oil sands, which is the largest single pollution emitter in Canada and key to the nation meeting its Paris climate target.

Ninety-nine percent of Canada's oil exports go to the United States, which is increasing its own domestic production.

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But British Columbia's new social democratic government recently joined environmental activists' fight against the pipeline, provoking an Alberta boycott of its wines and threats to devastate the British Columbia economy by restricting oil and gas supplies to its neighbor.

Opponents of TMX are concerned about the risk of oil spills along Canada's pristine Pacific coast impacting fisheries and tourism.

- Investor fears -

The row reached a boiling point last month with nearly 200 protesters arrested, and concerns raised that British Columbia's opposition to TMX risked provoking a constitutional crisis and was scaring away international investors.

At that time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau interrupted a trip to Peru, France and Britain to return home to try to mediate the disagreement.

Backing for the project, meanwhile, has risen since the feud erupted with a majority -- including in British Columbia -- now in favor of the project.

Still more protests were planned in Calgary and Vancouver on Wednesday, including at Kinder Morgan's Pacific Coast tank farm that will see indigenous activists don hazmat suits to highlight the potential health risks from fumes, for example, that nearby residents could face if a wildfire or earthquake struck.

Activist Aurore Faucet with 350.org vowed to step up the fight, saying the "desperate play to bail out a pipeline violates Justin Trudeau's own promises on climate change and indigenous rights."

Mike Hudema of Greenpeace urged the government to reverse its approval of TMX, highlighting legal challenges also from indigenous tribes, environmental activists and municipal governments bent on stopping the project.

"Signing a taxpayer-backed blank cheque with Kinder Morgan's name on it is the definition of throwing good money after bad and Canadians shouldn't be on the hook for the big losses this project will likely incur," he said.

Federal opposition parties on both sides of the issue railed against Trudeau's "failed energy policies," while Horgan rejected Morneau's accusations and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley renewed her threats "to turn off the taps" on British Columbia if it didn't back down.

In a statement, Kinder Morgan said it "appreciates (Morneau)'s recognition that a private company cannot resolve differences between governments."
Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday called for an "independent investigation" after the death of 60 Palestinians killed by the Israeli army during protests on Monday.

"Reported use of excessive force and live ammunition is inexcusable," he said. "It is imperative we establish the facts of what is happening in Gaza."

"Canada calls for an immediate independent investigation to thoroughly examine the facts on the ground -- including any incitement, violence, and the excessive use of force."

Monday's violence coincided with the controversial inauguration of the new US embassy in Jerusalem, which broke with decades of international tradition.

Israel justified the use of force against Palestinian protesters by citing the need to defend its borders, which the demonstrators were trying to overwhelm.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians had gathered near the border while smaller numbers approached the fence and sought to break through.

Trudeau offered Canadian assistance in the probe, while vowing to work with partners and multilateral institutions "to address this serious situation."

The prime minister also said he is "appalled" that a Canadian doctor, Tarek Loubani, was among at least 2,400 unarmed protestors, media, first responders and children wounded.

"We are doing everything we can to assist Dr Loubani and his family, and to determine how a Canadian citizen came to be injured," he said.

"We are engaging with Israeli officials to get to the bottom of these events."

Canada has been a longstanding ally and supporter of Israel, but the Trudeau administration has been more critical of some of its policies regarding settlements and refugees than the previous Conservative government.

Now in opposition, the Conservatives said in February that they would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital if they win power in the next election in 2019.
Chinese President's Special Envoy WANG Zhigang Meets with Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio

2018/05/17

On May 14, 2018, Chinese President XI Jinpings Special Envoy, Minister of Science and Technology, WANG Zhigang, met with Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio in Freetown.

WANG firstly conveyed the congratulatory message and best wishes, as well as the invitation letter of FOCAC Beijing Summit from President XI. He said China and Sierra Leone are good friends and brothers that share weal and woe with each other. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 47 years ago, both sides have always supported each other on the basis of equality, fighting side by side at the critical moments like during the Ebola, and conducted long-term cooperation in peace-building and national development. Chinese side always highly values China-Sierra Leone relations and would like to work closely with Sierra Leonean new government led by President Bio to further advance the Comprehensive Partnership of Strategic Cooperation between China and Sierra Leone.

President Bio thanked President XI for sending the high-level envoy to attend his inauguration ceremony and asked WANG to convey his cordial greetings and highest consideration to President XI. He stated that, Sierra Leone and China enjoy traditional friendship. Sierra Leonean government would as always attach great importance to the development of its relations with China, draw on China's development experience, and broaden the bilateral friendly cooperation in various areas to bring tangible benefits to the two peoples. President Bio accepted President XIs invitation with pleasure and looked forward to attending the FOCAC Beijing Summit in China within the year.
With the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story just over a week away, its cast is gearing up for their galaxy far, far away debut with an appearance at Cannes. But while stars Alden Ehrenreich (Han Solo), Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian) and Emilia Clarke (Qira) were all smiles at the film festival, it was clear no one was having a better time than Chewbacca.

Finnish actor Joonas Suotamo was chosen to take over the role of Chewbacca in Solo. However, at a Tuesday photocall for the Star Wars spinoff, another person dressed as the iconic Wookiee posed for pictures with members of the castincluding Suotamo himself.

U.S. actor Alden Ehrenreich, Chewbacca and British actor Emilia Clarke pose on May 15, 2018 during a photocall for the film 'Solo : A Star Wars Story' at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France.

Suotamo praised Peter Mayhew, who has been a part of the galaxy far, far away crew since 1977s A New Hope, for helping him fill that furry suit.

Chewbacca is one of the most iconic characters in the history of film, and Peters development and portrayal of this beloved Wookiee has spread so much joy around the globe, Suotamo wrote in a statement following his casting announcement. Peters guidance and kindness have been invaluable gifts which warmed my spirit and prepared me for this journey. I aspire to make Peter proud and bring Star Wars fans the Chewie they know and love.
Civil rights leaders and environmentalists are calling on the Senate to reject President Trumps choice of Andrew Oldham for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit when it votes on the nomination Thursday.

During a press call on Wednesday, top brass for national civil rights and environmental advocacy organizations accused Oldham, 39, the top legal adviser to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, of fighting against voting rights, reproductive rights and government efforts to safeguard the environment and the public health. As Abbotts general counsel, Oldham repeatedly helped the Lone Star State join then-Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitts lawsuits against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Tiernan Sittenfeld, the senior vice president of government affairs at the League of Conservation Voters, said Oldham challenged the EPAs ability to implement the Clean Air Act and advocated overruling the landmark Massachusetts v. EPA decision that directed the agency to limit carbon pollution.

But its not just that. Oldham is so extreme that he doesnt just disagree with federal protections; he actually questions their constitutionality, Sittenfeld said. He said, and I quote, One of the reasons why the administrative state is enraging is not that you disagree with what the EPA does  although I do disagree with a lot of what it does. Thats not the thing that makes it enraging. Its the illegitimacy of it.

When contacted for comment, the Office of the Texas Governor told Yahoo News via email, Andrew Oldham has an impressive and extensive background, as well as a robust understanding of the Constitution and the rule of law. Mr. Oldham has served with dedication and distinction as chief legal adviser in the General Counsels office, and the justice system would be well-served by his appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Governor Abbott wholeheartedly supports his appointment to the court.

Even without a Supreme Court vacancy, Trump is reshaping the judiciary with his nominations to the U.S. Court of Appeals, which comprises 11 circuit courts with jurisdiction over different regions of the country. All of the speakers on the press call expressed concern for what Oldhams confirmation would mean for the Fifth Circuit, which covers Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

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Andrew Oldham testifies before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on April 25, 2018. (Video still: Committee on the Judiciary)

Yahoo News asked whether Oldhams ascent would have implications outside those states.

Joanne Spalding, the chief climate counsel for the Sierra Club, replied that the Fifth Circuits decisions are not binding for other regions, but they are persuasive and could be cited in any other district. There are many extreme decisions that are never actually reviewed by the Supreme Court. They stand and are binding by the states, she said.

Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice, added that the Supreme Court used to release opinions on about 150 cases a year but that this figure has been chopped roughly in half over the decades. That means, she said, that appeal courts more often issue rulings that become the law of the land.

It is also why the administration is focusing on and prioritizing filling seats on the courts of appeal because they know how critically important and powerful these judges and courts are, particularly given the fewer number of cases heard by the Supreme Court.

Aron noted that if he is confirmed by the Senate, Oldham would be Trumps fifth appointee to the circuit courts. Its extremely worrisome and reflects an extreme case of court-packing, she said.

Kristine Lucius, executive vice president for policy for the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said key civil rights questions  such as voting rights and educational opportunities  have historically been raised in the Fifth Circuit, whose population includes more people of color than any other circuit.

President Trump shakes hands with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt at the White House on June 1, 2017. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

What we also saw in the DACA and DAPA cases is that there was forum shopping, and people go to that circuit and are able to get nationwide injunctions. So, to the extent your question is about implications outside those states, we have very recent cases as examples where cases were brought but had nationwide impact, Lucius said.

The Obama administration introduced DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) in June 2012 and DAPA (Deferred Action of Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents) in November 2014. DACA protected some undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. DAPA granted deferred action status to some undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. since 2010 and have children who are American citizens or lawful residents. Texas and 35 others states sued the federal government, and the Fifth Circuit blocked these executive orders on immigrations from then-President Barack Obama in 2015.

The Alliance for Justice said Oldham was the architect of Texass strategy to block the expansion of DACA to additional Dreamers and parents of U.S. citizens or green card holders across the country.

Daniel Goldberg, legal director for the Alliance for Justice, said Oldham is just one of many narrow-minded elitists appointed by Trump to erode and eviscerate critical rights and legal protections. He said that Trump knows his legislative agenda is going nowhere and that if he introduced legislation to repeal the Clean Air Act, millions of people would be outraged.

Instead, Goldberg suggested, Trump is stacking the courts with young ideologues who will destroy the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and worker protections through their rulings.

This is a very conscious strategy of Donald Trump and the far right to weaken our laws through stacking the courts, he told Yahoo News.

Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., speaks about EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and the state of the EPA during a protest by the American Federation of Government Employees on April 25, 2018, in Washington. (Photo: Alex Brandon/AP)

Goldberg said past presidents, such as Obama, consulted with senators from the other party and nominated mainstream jurists who enjoyed broad, bipartisan support. Rather than finding consensus nominees, he continued, Trump is nominating jurists with clear ideological records of chipping away at legal rights.

Trump nominated John Bush, who spread birther conspiracies on an anonymous blog, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He nominated Damien Schiff, who said Justice Anthony Kennedy was akin to a judicial prostitute, to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. He nominated Wendy Vitter, who promoted the idea that taking birth control increases a womans chance of being attacked or murdered and wouldnt say whether Brown v. Board of Education was rightly decided, to the Eastern District of Louisiana.

These are not individuals past presidents would have nominated, Goldberg said. These are individuals who are being nominated for one purpose, and thats to get on the court so they can weaken our constitutional rights and critical laws.

Ilya Shapiro, a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute and editor-in-chief of the Cato Supreme Court Review, said these cry-wolf accusations are commonly brought against Republican judicial nominees by liberal advocacy groups. Shapiro had worked with Oldham on the DAPA litigation because Cato had filed amicus briefs and had helped to craft the legal arguments.

I think hes a very bright lawyer, a skilled lawyer. His commitment to originalism and textualism is clear, and that can be said of most of the Trump judicial nominees, certainly at the circuit court level, Shapiro told Yahoo News.

The goal of Trumps White House Counsels office, he continued, is to nominate originalists and textualists (adherents of philosophies that lean toward a strict reading of the letter of the Constitution and statute law) with a track record of intellectual rigor and commitment to their philosophies.

President Trump speaks during a meeting with California leaders and public officials who oppose Californias sanctuary policies in the Cabinet Room of the White House, May 16, 2018. (Photo: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

Every president tries to reshape the judiciary and should! This is a very big power that every president has over judicial nominations, Shapiro said. I would argue that, at least in the domestic sphere, its the biggest presidential power because executive actions can be rescinded, as weve seen. Regulations can be repealed, legislation can be sunsetted or changed, but federal judges are for life.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked President Obamas nomination to fill a Supreme Court vacancy for nearly a year, leaving the seat open for Trump to make an appointment.

Shapiro said the Trump administration has had a record number of circuit judges confirmed, indicating that this issue is a priority.

Regardless of his standing among civil rights advocates, Oldham came highly recommended to Trump from Texass Republican senators, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn.

Environmentalists are highly critical of the nomination of Andrew Oldham by President Trump. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: video still: Committee on the Judiciary, J. Scott Applewhite/AP, Steve Helber/AP, Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

Andy is a dedicated public servant who has spent a career defending Texas and the Constitution. His expertise and commitment to the rule of law will make him a strong addition to the bench, and I look forward to his speedy confirmation in the Senate, Cruz said in a statement in February when Trump nominated Oldham to fill Judge Edward Prados seat in the western district of Texas. (Trump had nominated Prado to become the U.S. ambassador to Argentina a month earlier.)

Cornyn agreed: Andys distinguished record of public service at the state and federal level makes him eminently qualified to serve on the Fifth Circuit.

According to the White House, Oldham previously worked as deputy solicitor general for Texas, an attorney at Kellogg Hansen Todd Figel & Frederick, a law clerk at the Supreme Court, a law clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and an attorney-adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, before whom Oldham appeared on April 25, is expected to vote on Oldhams nomination Thursday.

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A senior at Kent State University whose graduation photos show her wearing an AR-10 rifle and a cap that reads COME AND TAKE IT is reportedly receiving death threats.

This week, Kaitlin Bennett tweeted the images, writing, Now that I graduated from @KentState, I can finally arm myself on campus. I should have been able to do so as a student  especially since 4 unarmed students were shot and killed by the government on this campus, with the hashtag #CampusCarryNow.

Now that I graduated from @KentState, I can finally arm myself on campus. I should have been able to do so as a student- especially since 4 unarmed students were shot and killed by the government on this campus. #CampusCarryNow pic.twitter.com/a91fQH44cq  Kaitlin Marie (@KaitMarieox) May 13, 2018

Bennett referred to the 1970 campus shooting by the Ohio National Guard that killed four students and injured nine others during a protest against the Vietnam War. As a result, a mass student strike forced many colleges and universities to shut down, and may have helped topple the Nixon administration.

In a second photo posted by Bennett, in which shes looking over her shoulder and smiling, the caption reads, I have no apologies for my graduation photos. As a woman, I refuse to be a victim & the second amendment ensures that I dont have to be.

I have no apologies for my graduation photos. As a woman, I refuse to be a victim & the second amendment ensures that I don't have to be. pic.twitter.com/5CKmQobrMb  Kaitlin Marie (@KaitMarieox) May 15, 2018

The tweets combined have received more than 24,000 likes and 7,000 comments; while many people were outraged by the images, others encouraged Bennett to hang in there and continue to express her beliefs.

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Bennett, who studied zoology at the university and is a digital content producer for the libertarian website Liberty Hangout, tells Yahoo Lifestyle, I decided to come back to campus and take graduation photos with an AR-10 because I wanted to start a conversation about gun rights on college campuses. Its insulting that at Kent State University, guests may protect themselves with firearms on campus, but students and staff may not. Why does the school value the lives of guests more than those paying thousands of dollars to attend the university?

She also released a flurry of tweets in response to the thousands of comments from the public.

Thanks to all who have sent me death threats for taking a picture. You're the biggest advocates for gun rights. You proved exactly why people carry.  Kaitlin Marie (@KaitMarieox) May 16, 2018

Wouldn't it be awkward if the people calling my AR-10 in my grad photos an "assault rifle" found out assault rifles are banned & the AR-10 fires at the same rate as any modern pistol?

Don't talk about gun control when you can't even get your facts straight.  Kaitlin Marie (@KaitMarieox) May 16, 2018

This rifle is legally owned. Assault rifles have been banned for decades. Do you not see the problem here? You say you dont want to take away legally owned guns, but had NO IDEA that the rifle pictured is legally owned.  Kaitlin Marie (@KaitMarieox) May 15, 2018

At one point, Bennett tweeted to a woman named Rachel that she would See you around next semester, which many called out as being a threat of violence.

Hi Rachel, the only thing that changes about me graduating is that I can be armed on campus to protect myself. See you around next semester! https://t.co/ZOnLBc5R5H  Kaitlin Marie (@KaitMarieox) May 14, 2018

According to the schools policy on deadly weapons, Students, staff, faculty, and third parties doing business with the university are further prohibited from possessing, storing, or using a deadly weapon while outside on university grounds, that is owned, operated or leased by the university.

However, a representative from Kent State University tells Yahoo Lifestyle that the above language does not apply to Bennett because she graduated Saturday and returned to campus Sunday to take the photos. Therefore, she doesnt qualify as a student or a third party doing business with the university.

In April, a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga student named Brenna Spencer shocked many by posing for a graduation photo wearing a Women for Trump T-shirt and a handgun sticking out of the waistband of her white jeans.

I dont take normal college graduation photos pic.twitter.com/eI1NvLFYHs  Brenna Spencer (@BrennaSpencer) April 7, 2018

She captioned the image, liked by 116,000 people and prompting more than 33,800 comments, I dont take normal college graduation photos

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Tarek El Moussa underwent a controversial stem cell surgery to treat a back injury. (Photo: Getty Images)

Flip or Flop host Tarek El Moussa has undergone a controversial stem cell procedure using liposuction to fix a very scary back injury.

The HGTV host and real estate investor recently broke the news on Instagram  along with pretty graphic photos  writing, Well folks!!!!! As you know Im desperate to fix my back so..I did STEM CELL surgery today!! Its CRAZY!!!

The father of two added: They lipo my fat out with a 12-inch needle (I asked to take all my fat, they said no) than they spin it and separate the stem cells into a liquid. They then take the liquid and inject it through an IV. Somehowthe stem cells find the injured areas of your body and begin the process of healing it at a super fast rate. I believe they put over 1,000,000 stem cells back in my body after the lipo. Its wild seeing the technology and future of medicine.has ANYONE had stem cell injections? Is anyone familiar with it?

On Sunday, El Moussa also Instagrammed revealing photos of his back postsurgery, writing: The aftermath is.well not so bad?. Here it is Im a little sore but wowmy back is actually feeling better!!! Im so hopeful that in a few weeks I will have a major improvementIve always been told pain is weakness leaving the body..at this point I think Im out of weakness.what do you think folksnot so bad??

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Five years after battling testicular cancer and thyroid cancer, El Moussa injured his back and underwent two surgeries, the second of which occurred in May. Awful newslife has been going so well and Ive been so happy and healthy! El Moussa wrote on Instagram earlier this month. Unfortunately.I injured my back again.its very scary. Last time I lost 50 pounds and was taking large amounts of pain meds to try and help the pain. Truthfully those meds really affected my mental and physical state and changed who I was. Last time I hurt my back it took me a year and a half to recover. As of today, I can barely walkI honestly cant even believe this is happening, I feel like its a bad dream that I will wake up from. I will be truthful and say Im very down because of this. It is going to take a lot of positivity and strength to go through this a second time. I will stay positive and I will fight to get healthy again. I appreciate all the support.

Stem cells are a group of cells with the power to morph into various specialized cells that, according to the National Institutes of Health, serve as a sort of internal repair system replenishing other cells that serve vital organs.

Stem cells are typically extracted from bone marrow or neural or fetal tissue to treat a variety of medical conditions, and the latter method, which often uses cells from abortions, has sparked a debate between antiabortion and pro-abortion-rights camps.

However, using stem cells from fat to treat pain is novel. Fat is an excellent place to source stem cells, Brent Concolino, president of the Rock Institute in Newport Beach, Calif., which performed the surgery on El Moussa, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. The cells from fat are healthy, plentiful, highly anti-inflammatory, and nearly painless to extract. Specifically, we extract stromal vascular fraction (SVF) from the tissue surrounding fat, which contains four types of stem cells.

Marc Hedrick, MD, a pediatric plastic surgeon at the University of California, Los Angeles, also told ABC News in April, Fat is not the tissue we once thought. For too long it was seen as something to be removed and tossed away. We werent seeing its potential. We now know that its not just spare tissue but rather a vigorous tissue capable of regenerating.

In patients like El Moussa who have degenerative back conditions, SVF is being studied to reduce spasms and inflammation, and accelerate healing, says Concolino.

The process, which takes from two and three hours, is similar to liposuction except patients are put under local anesthesia and doctors remove less than two ounces of fat to obtain the SVF. However, the price tag is comparable  the procedure can range between $6,000 and $10,000. We store the patients fat, usually from his abdomen, with a special sterile harvesting technology and the fast extraction itself takes about 20 minutes, says Concolino. After the stem cells are deposited back into the patient, they start repairing tissue and forming new blood vessels on cartilage and bone.

But the procedure is open to debate. The FDA has recently issued language that would classify SVF from the fat in your own body as a drug and physicians are now fighting to be able to continue using it on patients as a surgical procedure, says Concolino. However, SVF would never come in a bottle like a pharmaceutical since it has to be made fresh on location in the operating room from a persons body and used immediately.

Concolino says theres little post-op discomfort or restriction on activity. Considering El Moussa spent Mothers Day on a boat with his family, he seems to be doing just fine.

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Geneva (AFP) - Cuba faced harsh criticism at a UN review of its rights record Wednesday, with diplomats slamming repression of activists in the country, including allegedly blocking them from travelling to meetings abroad.

Gathered at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, many diplomats criticised restrictions imposed on the freedom of expression and assembly in Cuba, pointing to reports of arbitrary detention of journalists and rights defenders, and efforts to block many from leaving the country.

But during the country's so-called Universal Periodic Review (UPR) -- which all 193 UN countries must undergo every four years -- Cuban officials decried "manipulation" and "false allegations".

"The guarantee of the exercise of human rights is a priority," Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez told the assembly.

The UN human rights office voiced deep concern last week at reports that Cuba had "prevented a number of human rights defenders and civil society representatives from boarding flights to travel to meetings abroad".

It said it had received direct information about at least 14 cases, and voiced concern that the stops may be used "deliberately as a form of intimidation, pressure and harassment".

Meeting with journalists on the sidelines of Wednesday's UPR, Rosa Maria Paya, daughter of the late opposition leader Oswaldo Paya and head of Cuba Decide, suggested the problem was much broader.

She said thousands of members from a range of organisations and unions were being blocked from travelling.

"None of them can travel Of course not all of them have tried, but all who have tried have been denied," she said.

British representative Charles Kent, who was among the 140 diplomats who took the floor Wednesday, said his country was "deeply concerned" at reports that Cuban activists "have been prevented from travelling to Geneva for the UPR".

Michelle Roublet of the United States also demanded that Cuba "release individuals who were arbitrarily detained and imprisoned for peaceful assembly, investigating and reporting on government activity or expressing political dissent".

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She also urged the country to "allow them to travel freely both domestically and internationally without limitation".

Rodriguez meanwhile insisted it was the return of the US economic blockade of the communist island which "violates international law, and represents a flagrant, mass, systematic violation of the human rights of our entire nation".

He also said that Cuba offered full protection to thousands of true human rights defenders.

But, he stressed, "in Cuba it is not possible to break with legality or try to subvert for an external regime change agenda the constitutional order and political system that Cubans have freely chosen".

"Those who act in that way do not deserve the lofty description of human rights defenders, but rather that of foreign agents," he said.
Deadpool crashed The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Tuesday night to promote his new film Deadpool 2. And while he was there, he decided to take over Stephen Colbert's monologue. Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds, read the rest of Colbert's monologue off the the teleprompter. He joked, "You know, you're not going to believe this, but Donald Trump is in the news. The administration is still dealing with the fallout from Trump announcing that the U.S. will be pulling out of the Iran deal. It's Trump's biggest pulling out blunder since Eric." Deadpool also brought up one of Colbert's favorite Trump topics, the "pee pee tape." Deadpool joked, "And president Trump spent the day complaining on Twitter about leaks inside the white house, because we all know Trump prefers his leaks in Russian hotel rooms." Deadpool continued to joke about the subject saying, "You get it, Stephen? Because the president watched two Russian prostitutes urinate on a hotel mattress." But Colbert interjected, "Allegedly." Deadpool realized his error, and said "Right, right, allegedly. Could've been three prostitutes." Shortly after that joke, Deadpool was killed off in a manner consistent with Avengers: Infinity War villain, Thanos. As Deadpool was succumbing to the infinity stones he mocked Colbert saying, "Thanos? You don't have the budget for this, Colbert." The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weeknights at 11:35 on CBS.
The death of a black man in police custody in Louisiana has been ruled a homicide by asphyxiation, a coroner said Monday.

Keeven Robinson, 22, died Thursday at a Jefferson Parish hospital following a car chase with deputies who said he was a suspect in a narcotics investigation.

Robinson left his vehicle following the chase and jumped several fences before he was caught by four Jefferson Parish police officers, all of them white. A struggle ensued. Robinson was taken into custody and later died.

Keeven Robinson, 22, died of asphyxiation while in police custody on Thursday. (Photo: Family Handout)

During a Monday press conference, Jefferson Parish coroner Dr. Gerry Cvitanovich announced that Robinsons death had been ruled a homicide. Robinson died due to compressional asphyxia from injuries to his neck, Cvitanovich said.

This initial medical classification does not take into account whether the homicide was an intentional act, accidental act, or an act incidental to a law enforcement action, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said in a statement. He added that the FBIs civil rights task force is also looking into the matter.

Following the news that Robinsons death had been ruled a homicide, more than 100 marchers took to the streets in a New Orleans suburb to demand justice.

Gaylor Spiller, president of the West Jefferson Parish chapter of the NAACP, said Robinsons family will seek an independent autopsy.

I like the fact that Sheriff Lopinto stepped up to plate, and hes doing his part, Spiller said, according to WDSU. He knows that the NAACP will be on his trail.

The four officers involved in the death have been reassigned. Their identities have not been made public.

Somebodys family actually lost a life, and Im very cognizant of that, Lopinto said during the news conference. That doesnt mean our officers did anything wrong, or it may mean that they did something wrong.

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Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) had stern words for the National Rifle Association on Tuesday, responding to the gun groups new president attacking student survivors of the shooting in Parkland, Florida, for allegedly engaging in civil terrorism.

The NRA is kind of just shy of a terrorist organization, Schultz told HuffPost. They have done everything they can to perpetuate the culture of violence that we have in our country with the spread of assault weapons across the nation.

In an interview with The Washington Times last week, newly elected NRA president Oliver North accused students of Parklands Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School of using intimidation and harassment and lawbreaking in the anti-gun efforts they launched following the Valentines Day massacre that left 17 people dead at their campus.

They call them activists. Thats what theyre calling themselves. Theyre not activists  this is civil terrorism, North said.

The retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel previously served on the NRAs board of directors. He is best known for his involvement in the Iran-Contra firearms scandal in the 1980s, in which he was found to have played a key role in the clandestine sale of weapons to Iran, which was under an arms embargo at the time. Funds from those transactions were then funneled to bolster terrorist efforts against Nicaraguas socialist government.

North was convicted of three felonies related to the scheme, including charges of obstructing a congressional inquiry and destroying evidence. The convictions were later vacated amid concerns that tainted testimony had been used in the case.

Still, Wasserman Schultz said she considered it ironic for someone with Norths past legal troubles to accuse young people of criminal behavior simply for standing up to make sure that we can keep people safe.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) attends the March for Our Lives rally earlier this year in Washington. In an interview on Tuesday, she characterized the NRA as "just shy of a terrorist organization." (Photo: Shannon Finney via Getty Images)

She also rebuffed Norths contention that the pressure the NRA now faces has never been seen against a civil rights organization in America, and is worse than the terrible days of Jim Crow.

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The Jim Crow laws actually resulted in the deaths of people standing up for their rights, said Wasserman Schultz, who headed the Democratic National Committee from 2011-16. People that are dying as a result of the infection that is the spread of assault weapons thanks to the NRA are being murdered in cold blood without any cessation or interest on the part of the NRA to do anything about it.

Two others Florida Democrats, Reps. Alcee Hastings and Ted Deutch, also condemned Norths comments in separate statements on Tuesday, referring to the Parkland students as heroes who arent afraid of the NRA.

In the months since the mass shooting, several of the students have emerged as the most vocal and visible members of a nationwide gun violence prevention movement that has eagerly positioned itself as a foil to the nations largest gun group.

Theyve campaigned for a renewed ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines and the closing of a legal loophole to ensure that all firearms transactions are accompanied by a background check. But their enthusiasm has yet to translate into changes to federal gun laws

A number of states, including Wasserman Schultzs home state of Florida, have pushed forward on their own. In March, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) signed a legislative package implementing a three-day waiting period for most gun purchases, raising the minimum age to 21 to purchase any firearm and enacting a so-called red flag law giving police more authority to confiscate weapons from dangerous individuals. The NRA opposed the measures.

Despite some signs that the NRAs stranglehold on gun policy may be loosening, North rejected the idea that the group is on its heels, or that the Parkland shooting changed the contours of the national conversation around firearms and gun violence.

Wasserman Schultz said North was deluding himself and his members with that claim.

Its kind of like a spoiled child stamping their feet on the ground, insisting that something right in front of their face isnt true, she said.

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UPDATE: 1:03 p.m. EDTPolice confirmed several shots were fired by a gunman at Dixon High School in Illinois Wednesday. Nobody was hit in the initial gunfire, and an unidentified school resource officer was able to pursue and confront the suspect, said Dixon Police Chief Steven Howell.

The suspect then shot at the officer, who returned fire and injured the male, who was arrested. The officer, whose identity had not yet been released, was hailed as a hero for stopping the shooter.

UPDATE: 12:41 p.m. EDTDixon Police Chief Steve Howell confirmed the suspect in Wednesday's shooting at Dixon High School in Illinois was a 19 year old former student of the school, KWQC-TV reported.

Trending: Syria Conflict May Spark World War 3, Majority of Russians Say in Poll

Neither the suspect's name nor the name of the officer who shot the suspect was released. The officer was placed on administrative leave as per protocol, according to KWQC.

"As we continue to gather more information about the shooting incident at Dixon High School this morning, I extend my deepest gratitude to the Dixon Police Department, and especially the School Resource Officer (SRO) on site, for their swift action today and for keeping our students, teachers and our community safe," Rep. Adam Kinzinger said in a statement.

UPDATE: 11:53 a.m. EDTThe shooting at Dixon High School in Illinois took place on Wednesday morning inside the school's gym, where students were gathered to practice for graduation, the Chicago Tribune reported, citing City Manager Danny Langloss.

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Authorities had not yet released the identity of the suspect, who was undergoing medical treatment for minor injuries. The male was believed to be a 19-year-old former student at the school, Lee County Sheriff John Simonton told Sauk Valley Media.

Original story:

A male armed with a gun opened fire on an officer at Dixon High School in Illinois on Wednesday morning. The officer returned fire and injured the suspect, the City of Dixon said in a Facebook post about the incident.

Story continues

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The suspect in the shooting, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries, was arrested at the scene. No students or staff were injured. The officer was identified as a school resource officer, WQAD-TV reported.

The school, along with all other Dixon Public Schools, was placed on lockdown Wednesday.

Dixon Police said they believed there was only one suspect and that there was no further threat.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
Although the speculation as to whether Thomas Markle will or wont attend his daughter Meghans wedding on Saturday and walk her down the aisle has been confusing  one thing seems certain: He loves her. And despite the difficult situation, he helped to instill in her a drive to pursue what she believes in.

When Meghan was just 11, she displayed an early interest in tackling social issues head-on after she was shocked, angry, and hurt by a sexist Procter & Gamble dishwashing soap commercial that insinuated that women belong in the kitchen.

It was my father who said, Well, if that upsets you, you should do something about it, and I wrote letters to Gloria Allred and Hillary Clinton and Linda Ellerbee and Procter & Gamble and they changed the commercial to people all over America, Meghan said in a 2015 speech on International Womens Day for U.N. Women.

While Thomas and Doria Ragland, Meghans mother, divorced when Meghan was 6, they both seemingly supported her while she attended Northwestern University, where she double-majored in theater studies and international relations, and then pursued acting as a career.

According to Katie Nicholl, author of Harry: Life, Loss, and Love, Meghan unearthed herself really to be incredibly tenacious and ambitious but also actually very normal.

After spending years taking small jobs  like being a suitcase model on Deal or No Deal or playing Hot Girl in A Lot Like Love  she got her big break with the USA hit Suits, playing paralegal Rachel Zane.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (Photo: Getty Images)

It was after her big breakthrough and relocation to Toronto that her first marriage, to producer Trevor Engelson, fell apart. Their lives were moving in different directions, and within two years of being married they were filing for divorce, Nicholl says.

Meghans new direction included using her newfound fame to bring attention to causes she cares about, such as womens health, gender equality, and female empowerment.

This dedication to activism is something that she and Prince Harry bonded immediately over, Nicholl says. And it has served her well as shes become a royal figure, partaking in charity work alongside Prince Harry before she becomes a full-fledged member of the Royal Foundation, where she hopes to continue to be involved with issues she cares deeply about.

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Over the course of her career, Meghan Markle has played many, many roles. But this isnt Hollywood. This isnt a film; this is real life, Nicholl says. She is a real-life duchess, a new member of the royal family, and she embarks on probably the most exciting role of her career to date.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to say I do on Saturday, May 19, at Windsor Castle. Yahoo will cover the historic event live from London from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. BST (5 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET). Bookmark this link to follow along LIVE.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.




Bogota (AFP) - They live in shantytowns that overlook Bogota -- hundreds of families who fled the bloodshed in rural Colombia during decades of civil war for the relative safety of the country's cities.

A year and a half after the government signed a peace deal with the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the poor still languish on society's margins. They are the forgotten ones.

Jose Pineda lives with his family lives in the ramshackle Ciudad Bolivar slum on the outskirts of Bogota, which seems to hang off the gray, chilly Andes mountainsides. El Ensueno, their neighborhood, is perched at the summit.

Most of the people in El Ensueno -- 600 households in all -- are victims of the conflict. Once thrown off their land, they have built shacks here, and constantly fear eviction.

Men, women, and children live in cramped conditions. Mud is everywhere. Water trickles down from the mountains above, and power is siphoned off from bootleg connections. If buses ever come, few have the money to afford a ticket.

"Colombia is divided between those who have a real house, and those of us who have a shack with a tin roof... those who eat when they want to, and those of us who make do with one meal a day," said the 50-year-old Pineda, a father of three.

The country is only just emerging from five decades of war, and even that isn't fully over -- remnants of rebel forces still battle for control of the lucrative drug trade.

Those years of conflict exacerbated poverty in Colombia, where the rich-poor divide is among the widest in the world, alongside Haiti and Honduras, according to the World Bank and the United Nations.

Nearly eight million people have been displaced by the violence, which has pushed thousands "towards cities, generating pools of misery" on the fringes, Jorge Restrepo, a professor at Javeriana University and author of the study "Conflict and Poverty in Colombia," told AFP.

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The conflict -- which drew in leftist guerrillas, paramilitary groups and state forces -- left about 260,000 people dead.

- Struggle to survive -

Pineda fled the country's southeast four years ago, after being brutally interrogated about his alleged ties to the FARC, whose members surrendered their weapons after the peace deal. The group is now a political movement.

But now, he is just one of the masses living on the edge.

Their fate depends on the ability of Colombia, Latin America's fourth-largest economy, to truly embrace peace and keep violence from reaching urban areas when current President Juan Manuel Santos leaves office.

The country will soon elect a new leader, with the first round scheduled for May 27, and the runoff for June 17.

Oscar Lezama, a former police officer who fled to Bogota in 2012, lives in El Ensueno with his wife and four children.

"The war forced us from the countryside to the city. We have to fight just to have five square meters," said the 48-year-old, his frustration palpable.

While the peace deal helped reduce the staggering death toll of 3,000 a year seen during the war, it has also divided Colombians.

Some have criticized the amnesty offered to former rebels, who have since been rehabilitated and allowed to enter politics. If Colombia's right-wing wins the presidency, it has pledged to modify the accord.

In areas like Ciudad Bolivar, home to 700,000 people, residents are angry that peace did not in any way improve their prospects.

Santos's administration, in power since 2010, launched an ambitious program of land restitution, but without specific plans for those forced into the cities.

- Fresh violence -

Poverty in terms of income in Colombia has decreased from 37.2 percent in 2010 to 26.9 percent in 2017. However, that still means that out of a population of almost 50 million, 13 million are poor.

Without "more ambitious programs," poverty will be "a permanent factor fueling violence, and perhaps even a resumption of war," said economist Eduardo Sarmiento.

In El Ensueno, armed factions are taking advantage of the power vacuum left by the FARC, with drug dealers targeting schools.

Five illegal organizations including the National Liberation Army (ELN) -- the country's last active rebel group -- operate within Ciudad Bolivar, according to Colombia's human rights ombudsman.

The violence that persists in several areas could lead to further displacement, fueling poverty, which has become a ticking time bomb in Colombian society.

Deysi Garcia, a mother of five children, almost lost her farm in Viota, 90 kilometers (55 miles) from Bogota. Paramilitaries occupied her land, where two bodies were later found.

Freed from prison, she succeeded in retaining her coffee plants but must also work as a maid. Her farm, because of its isolated location, cannot turn a profit.

"Customers pay very little, and it doesn't cover the cost of production," said the 38-year-old widow.
Cairo (AFP) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday urged Israel and the Palestinians to abstain from further steps that could lead to more Palestinian deaths, following Monday's deadly violence on the Gaza-Israel border.

Israel has come under international pressure after its border forces on Monday killed some 60 Palestinians protesting against the transfer the same day of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

"I hope that this message reaches our Palestinian brothers that self-expression and protest over this decision does not lead them to measures that could lead to more victims," Sisi said.

"On the other side, I hope that the Israelis understand that the Palestinian reactions towards this issue are legitimate and that they deal with it with extreme care over the lives of Palestinians," he added.

Speaking in a live youth conference on state TV, Sisi spoke on Egypt's role in the conflict, stating its previous peace efforts, saying that Egypt was in communication with both sides "so that this bloodshed would stop".

The Egyptian president said he had previously warned that the US embassy move "will have negative implications in the Arab and Muslim public opinion".

More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in seven weeks of protests, mainly from Israeli sniper fire.

Arab foreign ministers are to hold an "extraordinary" meeting Thursday in Cairo to discuss their future steps over the issue.
Cairo (AFP) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday that a "breakthrough" had been reached in talks with Sudan and Ethiopia over a controversial dam the latter is building on the Nile.

The progress, which he did not specify, took place over the last two days as the three countries' foreign and irrigation ministers as well as heads of intelligence met in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.

"The delegation that arrived six am this morning spent all of last night in meetings and discussions over this matter, and I can say that progress was made in the negotiations with our brothers in Sudan and in Ethiopia," Sisi said on a live youth conference on state TV.

Egypt, which relies almost totally on the Nile for irrigation and drinking water, fears Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam may reduce its water supplies from the Nile.

Talks on the issue involving Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have been deadlocked for months.

"Until now things have been...," Sisi said, failing to finish the sentence before adding: "This was a couple of days ago. But thank God I can say that there has been a breakthrough."

Sisi cited an announcement during a meeting between Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Sudan "that Egypt's share will not be affected".

"We just want to transform these statements to procedures... so that we are talking about specific commitments we must all implement and operate with," Sisi said on Wednesday.

Ethiopia's newly appointed prime minister, Ahmed, had said on May 3 in Khartoum, after a meeting with Bashir, that Ethiopia had no intention of harming Sudan or Egypt with its dam.

Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam project on the Blue Nile, launched in 2012, is designed to feed a hydroelectric project to produce 6,000 megawatts of power, equal to six nuclear-powered plants.

The Blue and the White Nile tributaries converge in Sudan's capital Khartoum and from there run north through Egypt to the Mediterranean.
(Photo: Yuri Gripas / Reuters)

WASHINGTON  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced Tuesday that she would contribute $175,000 to efforts to Democratic groups trying to win back state legislatures and to fight partisan gerrymandering.

In the last speech of the day at the Center for American Progress Ideas Conference, where she was joined by many other rumored presidential contenders, Warren pledged the money as part of a multipronged effort to fix a crisis in our democracy that she said has been building since long before President Donald Trump took office.

The senior Massachusetts senator identified control of state governments and the congressional redistricting process as key ways to fight Republican efforts to infringe on voting rights. She called on Democrats to root out key GOP-led threats such as racist voter-ID laws, early voting restrictions, disenfranchisement of felons and partisan gerrymandering.

Im doubling down on the importance of our voters  state by state  and I want to turn up the heat on gerrymandering, she said, according to the text of her prepared remarks. Im sending $175,000 to organizations on the front lines trying to win back our legislatures and fight for fair redistricting.

Democrats believe in a fair fight, and making sure that districts arent drawn to cut out one party or the other is a critical first step, she continued.

Warren is splitting the cash among several Democratic campaign committees and groups. She is sending $8,000 each to nine Democratic legislature campaigns in states where Democrats hope to pick up seats: Florida, Georgia, Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.

She is also contributing $30,000 each to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (a national party arm that helps elect Democratic state lawmakers) and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (a group led by former Attorney General Eric Holder that is devoted to fighting GOP-led partisan redistricting). The remainder of the $175,000 will be split among several nonprofit liberal resistance groups, including Forward Majority, a super PAC devoted to electing Democratic state lawmakers.

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Warren went further in her recommendations for restoring public faith in the idea, in support of what she called the fundamental principle that every vote matters.

She proposed amending the Constitution to establish an unquestioned, unassailable, nationally recognized right to vote. And she would crack down on the influence of special interests through three major reforms: requiring Cabinet members, agency heads and members of Congress to divest themselves of assets that pose a conflict of interest with their policy work; prohibiting presidents and those officials from lobbying after they leave their posts; and barring corporations from providing multimillion-dollar leave packages to executives so they can serve in government.

Lets dismantle the broken system that lets rich donors and giant companies undermine democracy by buying their way in Washington, she declared.

Her $175,000 contribution is the latest in a series of moves by Warren designed to elect Democratic candidates and buttress the depleted partys presence across the country.

At a March fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, she announced a contribution of $250,000 to the 50 state Democratic parties, as well as a $15,000 donation to the DNC.

The strategy is an implicit attempt to redress Barack Obamas relative inattention to Democratic Party infrastructure while he was president. He received criticism for creating Organizing for Action, a separate political arm that skeptics believe deprived the party of much-needed attention and resources.

During Obamas two terms, the party lost some 1,000 state legislative seats, forfeiting control of 27 state legislative chambers. The timing of those losses, which began with the 2010 midterm elections, was especially harmful to the party because it enabled Republicans to draw extraordinarily partisan congressional and legislative district boundaries that entrenched their advantages.

There is now a broad consensus among Democrats that ignoring the importance of state legislatures was a mistake of historic proportions.

However, a clear subtext of Warrens address is her growing national political profile, including rumored presidential ambitions.

Warren, who has made a name for herself as Wall Streets toughest foe in Congress, has emerged as a leading small-dollar fundraiser. A large majority of the more than $27 million Warren has raised since 2013 has been in increments of less than $200, according to an April analysis in The Intercept.

Although Warren is running for a second term in November, her use of her considerable campaign largesse to boost the fortunes of her fellow Democrats has fueled speculation that she has national aspirations. In all, she has raised or contributed nearly $15 million for Democratic candidates across the country, including the maximum allowed amount to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee this year and last.

Warren has taken a special interest in promoting Democrats with whom she has worked on her signature issue of financial industry regulation. This election cycle, she is backing the Ohio gubernatorial candidacy of Richard Cordray, the first head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Katie Porter, a former Warren student and consumer law professor now running in Californias 45th Congressional District.

The conference hosted by the CAP, the liberal think tank most closely aligned with the Democratic Party establishment, has become an important speechmaking stop for aspiring Democratic stars. This year Warren was joined on the speakers list by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Corey Booker (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), as well as former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D), Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and Rep. Joseph Kennedy III (D-Mass.), among others.

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Taking Security Seriously

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) talks with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) before the start of a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing concerning the roles and responsibilities for defending the nation against cyberattacks, on Oct. 19, 2017.

With Liberty And Justice...

Members of Code Pink for Peace protest before the start of a hearing where U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Oct. 18, 2017. Committee members questioned Sessions about conversations he had with President Donald Trump about the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, the ongoing investigation about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and other subjects.

Whispers

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), right, speaks with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) before a confirmation hearing for Christopher Sharpley, nominee for inspector general of the CIA, on Oct. 17, 2017.

Not Throwing Away His Shot

Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the musical "Hamilton," makes his way to a meeting of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies in the Rayburn Office Building during a round of meetings to urge federal funding for the arts and humanities on Sept. 13, 2017.

Medicare For All

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), center, speaks on health care as Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), left, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), right, listen during an event to introduce the Medicare for All Act on Sept. 13, 2017.

Bernie Bros

Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) pack his office on Sept. 8, 2017. Members of the "Draft Bernie for a People's Party" campaign delivered a petition with more than 50,000 signatures to urge the senator to start and lead a new political party.

McCain Appearance

Sen. John McCain, second from left, leaves the Capitol after his first appearance since being diagnosed with cancer. He arrived to cast a vote to help Republican senators narrowly pass the motion to proceed for the replacement of the Affordable Care Act on July 25, 2017.

A Narrow Win

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, center, speaks alongside Sens. John Barrasso, left, John Cornyn, right, and John Thune, rear, after the Senate narrowly passed the motion to proceed for the replacement of the Affordable Care Act on July 25, 2017.

Kushner Questioning

Jared Kushner, White House senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump, arrives at the Capitol on July 25, 2017. Kushner was interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee in a closed-door meeting about contacts he had with Russia.

Hot Dogs On The Hill

Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) prepares a hot dog during the American Meat Institute's annual Hot Dog Lunch in the Rayburn Office Building courtyard on July 19, 2017.

And Their Veggie Counterparts

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) visits the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals veggie dog giveaway on July 19, 2017, countering a National Hot Dog Day event being held elsewhere on Capitol Hill.

Poised For Questions

Callista Gingrich, wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, waits for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on her nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican on July 18, 2017.

Speaking Up

Health care activists protest to stop the Republican health care bill at Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 17, 2017.

In The Fray

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks to members of the media after announcing the revised version of the Senate Republican health care bill on Capitol Hill on July 13, 2017.

Anticipation

Christopher Wray is seated with his daughter Caroline, left, as he prepares to testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be the next FBI director on July 12, 2017.

Up In Arms

Health care activists protest to stop the Republican health care bill at Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 10, 2017.

Across A Table

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Capitol Hill on June 29, 2017.

Somber Day

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks about the recent attack on the Republican congressional baseball team during her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill on June 15, 2017.

Family Matters

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), right, and his sons, Jack, 10, and Brad, arrive in the basement of the Capitol after a shooting at the Republican baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, on June 14, 2017.

A Bipartisan Pause

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), right, coach of the Republican congressional baseball team, tells the story of the shooting that occurred during a baseball practice while he stands alongside Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), left, a coach of the Democratic congressional baseball team on June 14, 2017.

Hats On

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) reacts about the shooting he was present for at a Republican congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, as he speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 14, 2017.

Public Testimony

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is sworn in to testify before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on June 13, 2017.

Comey's Big Day

Former FBI Director James Comey testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Capitol Hill on June 8, 2017.

Conveying His Point

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats testifies at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on his interactions with the Trump White House and on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on June 7, 2017.

Selfie Time

Vice President Mike Pence takes a selfie with a tourist wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda on June 6, 2017. The vice president walked through the rotunda after attending the Senate Republican policy luncheon.

Budget Queries

Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney testifies before the House Budget Committee about President Donald Trump's fiscal 2018 budget proposal on Capitol Hill on May 24, 2017.

Flagged Down By Reporters

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, leaves a closed committee meeting on Capitol Hill on May 24, 2017. The committee is investigating possible Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.

Shock And Awe

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) hold a news conference on the release of the president's fiscal 2018 budget proposal on Capitol Hill on May 23, 2017.

Seeing Double

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) arrives in the Capitol for the Senate Democrats' policy lunch on May 16, 2017.

Honoring Officers

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service on the West Lawn of the Capitol on May 15, 2017.

Whispers

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.), right, and ranking member Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) talk during a hearing with the heads of the U.S. intelligence agencies in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 11, 2017.

Skeptical

Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates arrives to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election on Capitol Hill on May 8, 2017.

Differing Opinions

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) gives a thumbs-up to protesters on the East Front of the Capitol after the House passed the Republicans' bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act on May 4, 2017. The protesters support the ACA.

Real Talk

United States Naval Academy Midshipman 2nd Class Shiela Craine (left), a sexual assault survivor, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Military Personnel with (2nd from left to right) Ariana Bullard, Stephanie Gross and Annie Kendzior in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 2, 2017. Kendzior, a former midshipman, and Gross, a former cadet, were both raped twice during their time at the military academies. The academy superintendents were called to testify following the release of a survey last month by the Pentagon that said 12.2 percent of academy women and 1.7 percent of academy men reported experiencing unwanted sexual contact during the 2015-16 academic year.

In Support Of Immigrants

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), center, is joined by dozens of Democratic members of the House of Representatives to mark "Immigrant Rights Day" in the Capitol Visitor Center on May 1, 2017 in Washington, D.C. The Democratic legislators called on Republicans and President Donald Trump to join their push for comprehensive immigration reform.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Sofia (AFP) - The European Union's top official launched a stinging attack Wednesday on President Donald Trump, slamming his "capricious assertiveness" and saying the US leader acted more like an enemy than a friend.

EU president Donald Tusk urged leaders meeting in Bulgaria to form a "united European front" against Trump's withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal and his move to impose trade tariffs on Europe.

Tusk even compared the US administration to Europe's traditional foes Moscow and Beijing as he launched his broadside before a dinner of the 28 leaders in Sofia where they discussed the issue.

"Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think with friends like that, who needs enemies," Tusk told reporters.

"But frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful to President Trump, because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realise that if you need a helping hand you will find one at the end of your arm."

The transatlantic rift has hijacked the agenda of a summit on Thursday at which the EU leaders will meet their Balkan counterparts in a bid to foster closer ties and keep Russia out of their backyard.

European ministers met a top Iranian official in Brussels on Tuesday in a bid to save the Iranian nuclear accord after Trump decided to pull out. Meanwhile the EU is still trying to win exemptions from tariffs on steel and aluminium exports.

Tusk called for more unity in the divided EU -- which is set to lose Britain as a member next year -- to face the growing challenges.

- 'Capricious assertiveness' -

"Besides the traditional political challenges such as the rise of China or the aggressive stance of Russia, we are witnessing today a new phenomenon: the capricious assertiveness of the American administration," Tusk said.

"I have no doubt that in the new global game, Europe will either be one of the major players, or a pawn. This is the only real alternative."

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After the talks, a European source told AFP the leaders agreed on a "united EU approach" on the Iran deal, including continued support for the agreement if Tehran abides by it.

They also agreed to "initiate work to protect European companies negatively affected by the US decision," which involves Washington reimposing sanctions on the Iranian nuclear programme.

"The EU will continue fighting for a rules-based international system despite recent decisions on climate change, tariffs and Iran," the source said after the leaders met over dinner in Sofia.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron -- whose countries are the signatories to the Iran deal along with the US, Russia and China, gave their views on the situation to their colleagues, he said.

Merkel however said earlier that Europe had no choice but to stick with the ties that have bound it to Washington since World War II.

"Despite all the difficulties we have these days, the transatlantic relations are and will remain of outstanding importance," Merkel told the German parliament.

- 'Gun at its head' -

On Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, a move the EU has warned could spark a trade war, the leaders also presented a united front.

They backed plans to offer concessions if the US gives Europe a permanent exemption from the tariffs, but added that the "EU will not negotiate with a gun at its head".

Tusk said earlier that it was "absurd to even think that the EU could be a threat to the US" in terms of trade.

Behind their message of unity and firmness, some member states seem open to tolerating limited quotas from the United States on metals imports while others want a harder line, diplomats said.

The EU leaders were also due to discuss the deaths of dozens of Palestinians in Gaza after Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, in another move that the Europeans had strongly opposed, but there were no details on that discussion.

The EU has called for "utmost restraint" after Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians during clashes and protests along the Gaza border against the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, in the conflict's bloodiest day in years.

But there are divisions over the embassy move within the EU itself, with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania having recently blocked an EU statement slamming the US decision.

Wednesday's dinner will be followed by a summit on Thursday where EU leaders will meet their counterparts from the Balkan nations of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia.
Correction: An earlier version of this story described the voice in question as computer-generated. In fact, the recording originated with a human voice.

Not since The Dress has the internet ripped itself in half over a sensory puzzle like this.

In case you havent been online in the last 24 hours, that puzzle is a two-syllable sound clip that appeared on Reddit and has since gone viral.

When you hit the Play button, a voice says the word, looping it over and over. The word is Laurel.

Or maybe Yanny (pronounced yeah-knee).

What do you hear?! Yanny or Laurel pic.twitter.com/jvHhCbMc8I  Cloe Feldman (@CloeCouture) May 15, 2018

Some people hear Laurel and will go to their graves insisting that theres no other possibility. Others hear Yanny and nothing will budge their opinions. In-office polls put the perceptions right around 50-50.

I heard Laurel on my laptop. My wife, at her office on her phone, texted that she heard Yanny. We were each dumbfounded.

When she got home, though, listening on a different device in a different room, we both heard Yanny. But when I played a pitch-shifted (higher or lower) version, it was indisputably Laurel for both of us.

In desperation, I sought an expert opinion. Dr. Bradford May, an auditory scientist at Johns Hopkins University, puts it like this:

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Computer synthesis programs can produce unnatural sounds that fall on the boundaries between the two sounds. The listener will place these chimeric sounds into one category or the other depending on the best match. Because humans have differences in their auditory function and category boundaries, some will hear Yanny, while others will hear Laurel. This relates to the difficulty some Japanese speakers have with R vs. L sounds, which are not distinguished in the Japanese language.

Humans learn language by learning to attend to meaningful sound patterns, and by learning to ignore specific acoustic features of those sounds that are not important. So, a child, an adult female, and an adult male will produce very different acoustic patterns when they say Yanny, but you will hear Yanny because you are attending to the underlying meaningful pattern, not the talker-specific acoustic features. This is called categorical perception.

You will never confuse Yanny and Laurel when spoken by actual talkers, because they can only produce natural sounds that fall within the distinct parameter spaces of the two sounds.

The origin story

The original sound, by the way, is indeed the word laurel. You can listen to the original, right hereits the human-recorded pronunciation from the word laurel on Vocabulary.com. It was captured by a teenager who was listening to the playback of a professional pronouncers voice over her laptop speakers, then posted to Instagram, from there to Reddit, and the rest is history.

Marc Tinkler, president and CTO of Vocabulary.com, says that in 2007, he hired professional singers to record the pronunciations of 200,000 words. (Why singers? We had the words, plus we had the IPA spellings of the wordsInternational Phonetic Alphabet, he told me. Its basically an alphabet that describes every sound, every phoneme, that you can make. Opera singers study IPA, because they need to be able to sing in different languages.)

Tinkler notes that even the original recording, played off his own site, sounds like Yanny to some Vocabulary.com employeesat least when played on a TV we have in a conference room that has really terrible speakers. Tinny speakers, like the ones on TV sets and laptops, tend to emphasize the higher frequencies, which brings out the Yanny. Older people, who have begun losing some of the higher frequencies in their hearing, are more likely to hear laurel.

(Tinkler also says that the Yanny/Laurel craze has done a real number on Vocabulary.coms traffic. Laurel is far surpassing any other word, he says. Were looking at three, four, five thousand people on the page at any given moment.)

The bottom line is that we hear different things because our hearing is different, and because our brains categorize differently. If you can hear only one word or another, this will help to open your mind: The Times made a slider that lets you adjust the frequencies so that one word or the other jumps out.

As with The Dress, someone has stumbled upon an absolutely incredible razors-edge bit of hybrid sensory input. It doesnt matter if you hear Yanny or Laurel; the good news is that youre right.

David Pogue, tech columnist for Yahoo Finance, welcomes non-toxic comments in the Comments below. On the web, hes davidpogue.com. On Twitter, hes @pogue. On email, hes poguester@yahoo.com. You can sign up to get his stuff by email, here.

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By Suzannah Gonzales

(Reuters) - A man fatally shot three children and his ex-wife's boyfriend inside a Ponder, Texas, home on Wednesday, before shooting and killing himself, the sheriff's department said.

His ex-wife was also wounded in the shooting, said Captain Orlando Hinojosa with the Denton County Sheriff's Office.

The ex-wife is the mother of the three children, Hinojosa said. Hinojosa said he did not know the identity of the children's father.

Officials were called to the home at about 8:30 a.m. local time, responding to a possible burglary in progress, Hinojosa said.

Ponder fire officials took the woman to a local hospital, Hinojosa said. Her condition is not known, he said.

(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Hawaii's erupting Kilauea volcano has been spouting lava "bombs" and threatening escape routes for the people living on Big Island.

The eruption, which has already destroyed dozens of homes, has caused 19 new fissures so far, all spewing noxious gases and lava. Officials fear the unpredictability of the volcano, and how long the eruption will last is unclear. A major concern for emergency services is lava devastating roads that could lead locals away from danger.

"There's a lot of worst-case scenarios and roads getting blocked is one of them," Jeff Hickman, spokesman for the Hawaii National Guard, told Reuters. If either of the nearby highways137 and 132are hit by lava, authorities are likely to call a mass evacuation, said Hickman.

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

So far, around 2,000 people in Big Islands lower Puna district have been ordered to evacuate but thousands more from the regions 187,000 residents could follow, if authorities decide that evacuation routes are under threat.

Lava explosions, known as spatter bombs, have launched hundreds of feet into the air over the past two days according to the U.S. Geological Survey, as observers documented the opening of the two newest fissures.

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Related: Strongest earthquake in 43 years shakes Big Island as lava consumes homes

"It's optimistic to think that this is the last fissure we're going to see," Steve Brantley, Deputy Scientist-In-Charge for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said. "The appearance of the fissures in the past couple of days does not change the overall picture or concern," he told the Associated Press.

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What would represent a new threat is if water entered the volcanic crater, launching heavy debris high in the air. Experts warned last week that this was a possibility around the middle of the month, if steam and gas build inside the volcano, pushing heavy boulders out with great force.

"So far those explosions have not occurred and I think the key here is that the vent system is an open one, therefore pressure is not being built or developed down at the top of the lava column," Brantley said.

This article was first written by Newsweek

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By Sudip Kar-Gupta and John Irish PARIS (Reuters) - Total will pull out of a multibillion-dollar gas project in Iran if it cannot secure a waiver from U.S. sanctions, the French energy company said on Wednesday. Companies are starting to take matters into their own hands as European and some other governments struggle to save an international nuclear deal with Iran after the United States withdrew and said it would reinstate sanctions on Tehran. Determined to keep the accord alive, European leaders need to find a way to assure companies that their investments are beyond Washington's extra-territorial reach. They also want to persuade Tehran the 2015 deal - which lifted earlier sanctions on the Islamic Republic in exchange for it curbing its nuclear ambitions - is worth sticking to. Total signed a contract in 2017 to develop phase 11 of Iran's South Pars field with an initial investment of $1 billion - a contract Tehran repeatedly hailed as a symbol of the accord's success. "Total will not continue the SP11 (South Pars 11) project and will have to unwind all related operations before 4 November 2018, unless Total is granted a specific project waiver by U.S. authorities with the support of the French and European authorities," the French oil and gas major said in a statement. Total's announcement comes after German insurer Allianz and Danish oil product tanker operator Maersk Tankers said they were winding down their businesses in Iran. Joe Kaeser, the CEO of Germany's Siemens , told CNN his company would not be able to do any new business with Tehran. Iran has said it may start enriching uranium again if it can no longer see any economic benefit to the deal. 'SUICIDE' Total said any waiver would need to include protection from secondary sanctions that Washington might impose on companies that continue to do business with Iran. These might include the loss of financing in dollars by U.S. banks, the loss of U.S. shareholders and the inability to continue its U.S. operations, it said. France, Germany and Britain are leading a European effort to safeguard Europe's economic interests but have few options that pose any threat to the United States. "It would be suicide to do any new business or funding for Iran or Iran-related companies without explicit guarantees from the U.S. government. They have us by the throat because so much business is conducted and cleared in dollars," one European investment banker said. "The fines are in the multibillions these days so it's just not worth the risk for a small piece of business and maybe pleasing a (European) government." An official in the French finance ministry said "precise requests" were being lodged with the U.S. authorities, including for Total, and that the company's decision was not a surprise. A European diplomat was more blunt: "We have a situation where there is a will to impose sanctions on Europeans and a resentment towards European companies who are now being accused of supporting a terrorist state. With that in mind it's a logical decision." Total said it had so far spent less than 40 million euros ($47 million) on the project and withdrawing would not impact the company's production growth targets. Iranian oil minister Bijan Zanganeh said the French firm would not pay a penalty if it pulled out of the project. Italy's Eni , which last June signed a provisional agreement with Tehran to conduct oil and gas feasibility studies, said after Washington's decision to quit the nuclear deal last week that it had no plans for new projects in Iran. In an unintended twist, U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to threaten European companies that continue to invest in Iran may open the door to Chinese rivals. Industry sources told Reuters this week that China's CNPC, which holds a 30 percent stake in the South Pars project, was ready to take over Total's majority stake in the project if it pulled out. ($1 = 0.8463 euros) (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and John Irish in Paris; Additional reporting by Stephen Jewkes in Milan Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Mark Potter)
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Wither GAZA (Reuters) - Worried families crowded the halls and spilled out of rooms in Gaza's hospitals on Tuesday, as patients wounded at a border protest awaited treatment for injuries suffered on Monday, the deadliest day for Palestinians in years. In addition to 60 Palestinians killed by Israeli troops on Monday - when the United States opened its Embassy in Jerusalem - more than 1,700 received wounds needing hospital treatment, Gaza medics said. At Gaza City's Shifa hospital, the largest of the Gaza Strip's 13 medical facilities, officials ordered field tents to be put up in the hospital courtyard last week, fearing a likely surge in casualties from the protests around the time of the embassy opening. Bassem Ibrahim, who said he was shot in the leg by Israeli troops, said at one stage he had feared losing the limb because of the delays in treatment. "There are not many doctors. They are unable to see everyone, with all the injuries," said Ibrahim, 23. "The number was unbelievable and they did not have time. My leg was bleeding a lot." The director of Shifa's emergency department, which has only 20 beds, said his staff received 500 wounded patients on Monday, nearly 20 percent of all the injuries that day across Gaza. "We are talking about 25 times the capacity of the emergency department, with all the big challenges and the shortage of medicine and medical supplies that has reached critical levels," Ayman Al-Sahabani told Reuters. "A lot of these patients are waiting their turn to enter the operating rooms," Sahabani added. He said Gaza needed more vascular and orthopedic surgeons in particular, because of the nature of the injuries suffered. Palestinian health officials said 107 people have been killed by Israeli fire, and at least 11,000 wounded, since the protests began on March 30. POWER BLACKOUTS Nickolay Mladenov, the U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefed the Security Council on Tuesday that Gaza's fragile infrastructure, including lengthy electricity blackouts, required immediate action. "Starting tomorrow, the United Nations, together with international partners will need to focus and redouble efforts to implement projects that will have an immediate impact on improving the electricity, water and health situation as a matter of urgency," he said. Answering an appeal by Gaza health ministry officials, neighbouring Egypt agreed to transfer some of the injured to hospitals in Cairo. Alaa al-Wadeiah, 35, was among those awaiting to travel to Egypt to have his leg amputated. "I dont regret what happened to me. Even after I've lost my leg I'll go back to the border," said the unemployed father of four. The protesters are demanding that refugees and their descendants be allowed the right to return to their former family homes, which now lie on the other side of the border fence, inside Israel. Israel's use of live fire has drawn international criticism but the Israeli government says it is protecting its borders and that it has warned protesters, some hurling stones and rolling burning tyres, not to come too close to the fence. On Tuesday two Palestinian protesters were killed by Israeli fire, but the number of protesters - and wounded - declined dramatically from Monday as Gazans mourned those killed the day before. (Writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Stephen FarrellEditing by William Maclean)
Tehran (AFP) - By some counts the most popular figure in Iran, Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani is also one of the most powerful in the region and seen as a deadly adversary by the US and its allies.

General Soleimani, who heads the external operations Quds Force for the Guards, was again showing his regional clout this week as AFP sources reported his direct involvement in top-level talks over the formation of the new Iraqi government.

It is no surprise for a man who has been at the centre of power-broking in the region for two decades.

Where once he kept to the shadows, Soleimani has lately become an unlikely celebrity in Iran -- replete with a huge following on Instagram.

His profile rose suddenly when he was pushed forward as the public face of Iran's intervention in the Syrian conflict from 2013, appearing in battlefield photos, documentaries -- and even being featured in a music video and animated film.

To his fans and enemies alike, the 61-year-old is the key architect of Iran's regional influence, leading the fight against jihadist forces and extending Iran's diplomatic heft in Iraq, Syria and beyond.

"To Middle Eastern Shiites, he is James Bond, Erwin Rommel and Lady Gaga rolled into one," wrote former CIA analyst Kenneth Pollack in a profile for Time's 100 most influential people last year.

"To the West, he is... responsible for exporting Iran's Islamic revolution, supporting terrorists, subverting pro-Western governments and waging Iran's foreign wars," Pollack added.

With Iran roiled by protests and economic problems at home, and the US once again mounting pressure from the outside, some Iranians have even called for Soleimani to enter domestic politics.

While he has dismissed rumours he might one day run for president, the general has played a decisive role in the politics of Iran's neighbour, Iraq.

Before this week's post-election manoeuvring, he was pivotal in pressuring Iraq's Kurds to abandon their plans for independence after an ill-judged referendum last September.

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- Decision-maker -

His influence has deep roots, since Soleimani was already leading the Quds Force when the US invaded Afghanistan in 2001.

"My Iranian interlocutors on Afghanistan made clear that while they kept the foreign ministry informed, ultimately it was General Soleimani that would make the decisions," former US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker told the BBC in 2013.

His firm but quiet presence, and his somewhat hang-dog expression, play perfectly to the Iranian penchant for dignified humility.

"He sits over there on the other side of room, by himself, in a very quiet way. Doesn't speak, doesn't comment, just sits and listens. And so of course everyone is thinking only about him," a senior Iraqi official told the New Yorker for a long profile of Soleimani.

A survey published this year by IranPoll and the University of Maryland -- one of the few considered reliable by analysts -- found Soleimani had a favourability rating of 83 percent, beating President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

That is worrying to some Western leaders, who see him as central to Iran's ties with militia groups including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that US plans for regime change in Iran were misguided precisely because they might put Soleimani "in a very good position to take over from Ayatollah Khamenei".

To many in Iran, a military strongman could be an improvement on the faltering governance of recent years, particularly since he appears to supercede some of Iran's fraught social divides.

"If a military president becomes elected, he can surely solve people's problems," said a hardline member of parliament in March, immediately bringing Soleimani to everyone's mind.

Part of his appeal is the suggestion that he might bridge Iran's bitter social divides on issues such as its strict "hijab" clothing rules.

"If we constantly use terms such as 'bad hijab' and 'good hijab', reformist or conservative... then who is left?" Soleimani said in a speech to mark World Mosque Day last August.

"They are all people. Are all your children religious? Is everybody the same? No, but the father attracts all of them."
Billionaire George Soross nongovernmental foundation will quit Hungary, citing persecution faced by its staff that has made its work impossible.

The Open Society Foundations (OSF) will relocate its operations from Budapest, Hungary, to Berlin over the summer, blaming restrictions on a repressive environment that has grown under the government of Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Soros, 87, is a Hungarian-born billionaire who emigrated to the U.S. The organization he founded funds global civil society initiatives in education, independent journalism, arts and culture as well as humanitarian relief.

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OSF spokesman Daniel Makonnen said staff in the Budapest office were being spied on and threatened.

RTX5TQZF (1)

REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo

It started with intimidation in the media, and then it got to members of our staff and partners and friends being spied on by agents, he told Newsweek.

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Orbans Fidesz party won last months election in a landslide, and he campaigned on a platform that was criticized for peddling far-right and right-wing rhetoric. He accused Soros and his organization of encouraging migration.

Soros was a particular target of vitriol, with Stop Soros billboards being displayed around the country as a law was proposed that would curb NGOs that posed a national security risk. OSF said the campaign invoked anti-Semitic imagery from World War II, which the government denied.

The office of Orbans spokesman Zoltan Kovacs issued a one-line reply after a request for comment by Newsweek about the departure.

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We wont be shedding any crocodile tears after that news, the Hungarian Prime Minister's Cabinet Office said in the email.

Ironically, Orban himself received a Soros scholarship to go to Oxford University in 1989. He returned to Hungary on the fall of Communism, and founded Fidesz as a progressive left-wing political party. But during the 1990s, Orban's politics shifted sharply to the nationalist right. In 2015, during the migrant crisis, Orban repeatedly clashed with Soros over Hungary's obligations to take in refugees from the conflict in Syria.

Prior to Open Societys announcement on Tuesday, rights groups had already warned Hungary was going further down the path of authoritarianism, with NGOs and charities involved in migration already subject to hostility from the state-affiliated media and harassment by the authorities.

OSF spokesman Makonnen said: "This new law is opening the door to police raids, home searches and our files and documents being seized and further persecution by the Hungarian secret service. This is why we are being pro-active and moving to Berlin because it is a safe space.

This article was first written by Newsweek

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(WASHINGTON)  Amid an intensifying public debate on torture, President Donald Trumps pick to head the CIA on Tuesday said the harsh interrogation program the agency ran at black sites after the Sept. 11 attacks should not have been undertaken.

Gina Haspels letter to the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee appeared aimed at shoring up support for her Senate confirmation.

I have learned the hard lessons since 9/11, Haspel wrote. With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior Agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken.

Haspel said she would refuse to undertake any proposed activity that is contrary to my moral and ethical values.

Haspels letter was requested by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who is among key Democrats whose votes will be crucial in the narrowly divided GOP Senate, especially after Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona urged colleagues to reject the nominee over her past role in CIA interrogations.

McCains comments sparked a fresh debate over now-banned torture techniques ahead of Senate voting. Trump has said the country should consider using the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques. And Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who was integral to the post-Sept. 11, 2001 strategy, said last week if it were up to him, Id do it again.

Haspel testified at a Senate hearing that torture does not work as an interrogation technique and that as director her strong moral compass would ensure she did not carry out any administrative directive she found objectionable.

After the hearing, McCain, who is battling brain cancer home in Arizona, called Haspel a patriot for her long service to the CIA. But her role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge tortures immorality is disqualifying.

A career intelligence officer and now acting director, Haspel faces ongoing questions over her work running a covert detention site where terror suspects were brutally interrogated. Senators also want more information about her role destroying videos of the sessions.

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While Haspel is expected to easily clear the panel in a closed-door vote on Wednesday, her confirmation at the full Senate depends on winning support from key Democrats, largely those from conservative or centrist states, who are under enormous pressure from outside liberal and human rights groups to block her.

Most Republicans are expected to back her. But Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is opposed, and Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona has raised concerns about the nominee.

The United States must be an example to the rest of the world, and I support that, she said in her letter.

Warner has not yet said how he would vote ahead of the panels closed session Wednesday. But he felt Haspel was more forthcoming in her private meetings with senators, and asked her to put in writing some of what she told them.
Israeli strikes on targets in Syria last week took out several Russian missile defense systems and raised questions about the viability of Moscows military equipment.

Israeli fighter jets had targeted Iranian bases in retaliation for Iranian strikes on the Golan Heights, and they also hit Russian missile defense equipment during the strike. The Russian missile defense system that was hit combines surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery. But Israels military released videos of the strikes showing the Russian-made defense systems getting hit by the Israeli missiles.

Speaking to Russian television on Friday, Aytech Bizhev, a former Russian Air Force deputy commander-in-chief, defended the system by alleging that it was either out of ammunition or was disabled. He argued that the missile defense system would never have been hit if it were working properly.

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"When it's battle ready, it performs constant surveillance of enemy aircraft and has a very fast reaction time. It would've brought down those cruise missiles with either its cannons or own missiles, he told RT.

Moscow has long praised the advanced missile defense systems it has in place in Syria, and Russian officials have suggested that their systems could strike down any U.S. missiles lobbed into the country. Still, Russia and the U.S. have avoided coming to blows in Syria, even when Washington hit the targets of the Russian-backed Syrian government.

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Nevertheless, Moscow has deployed its most advanced air defense system in Syria, the S-400, according to the according to the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union invested heavily in its air defense systems. As a result, Russia now possesses some of the most advanced air and missile defense systems in the world. Russian air defense systems are also highly proliferated and are currently in use by dozens of nations around the world, CSIS reported.

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This article was first written by Newsweek

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ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's parliament passed a bill on Tuesday aimed at making asylum procedures simpler and faster and to ease overcrowding on its island refugee camps. Five camps on Greek islands close to the Turkish coast hold more than double their capacity, government figures show, and have been mired in violence over living conditions and delays in asylum claims that often take months to process. Human rights groups and the European Commission, which has offered Greece millions of euros in emergency aid, have criticized the government for not doing enough to manage the situation. Addressing lawmakers before the vote, Migration Minister Dimitris Vitsas acknowledged that the bill "will not magically solve the refugee and migration issue" but said the government wanted to reduce the wait for thousands of asylum seekers. "What are we seeking to do with this bill? To carry out a speedy processing of asylum claims while respecting the rights of those seeking international protection," he said. The government also planned to hire more staff, including on the islands, he said. On Monday, a dozen human rights groups criticized the bill, which also foresees a shortened appeals procedure for rejected asylum seekers, saying it would lead to slapdash procedures violating refugees' rights. The bill also allows for the imposition of a ban on asylum-seekers traveling beyond the islands until their claims are processed, which had been lifted by Greece's top administrative court last month. Greece has for years been a gateway to Europe for refugees fleeing violence in the Middle East and beyond, arriving via Turkey before traveling north to wealthier European nations. A 2016 European deal with Turkey has stemmed the flow but effectively trapped thousands in Greece until their asylum applications are processed. Although the number of new arrivals remains well below 2015 levels, the pace has picked up in recent months both through the Greek islands and on Greece's northern land border with Turkey, United Nations data shows. (Reporting by Karolina Tagaris; editing by David Stamp)
* Paraguay to follow later this month

* Netanyahu, Guatemalan president attend embassy dedication

* Guatemala "has chosen wrong side of history" - Erekat

* Most embassies in Israel staying in Tel Aviv (Adds Guatemalan president's comments, Palestinian reaction)

By Jeffrey Heller and Dan Williams

JERUSALEM, May 16 (Reuters) - Guatemala opened an embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, two days after the United States inaugurated its new site in the contested city in a move that infuriated Palestinians and drew international condemnation.

Israeli troops shot dead dozens of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border on Monday when the high-profile opening of the U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem by the administration of President Donald Trump raised tension to boiling point after weeks of anti-Israeli demonstrations.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the embassy's opening on Wednesday in an office complex in west Jerusalem.

"It's not a coincidence that Guatemala is opening its embassy in Jerusalem right among the first. You were always among the first. You were the second country to recognise Israel," Netanyahu said at the ceremony, referring to its founding in 1948.

Morales said his country, Israel and the United States "share friendship, courage and loyalty".

Guatemala was one of only a few nations that backed Trumps decision in December to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and is only the second country to move its embassy to the holy city. Paraguay said it will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by the end of May.

Trumps move reversed decades of U.S. policy, upsetting the Arab world and Western allies.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest obstacles to forging a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, who with broad international backing want East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, as their capital.

Israel regards all of the city, including the eastern sector it annexed after the 1967 conflict, as its capital. The Trump administration has said the citys final borders should be decided by the parties.

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Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said: "The Guatemalan government has chosen to stand on the wrong side of history, to side with violations of international law and human rights, and to take a hostile step against the Palestinian people and the Arab world."

Most world powers do not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the entire city and says its final status should be set in peace negotiations.

On the day the United States inaugurated its own embassy in Jerusalem, Israeli gunfire killed 60 Palestinians during the Gaza border protests. It was the bloodiest day in the Hamas Islamist-run enclave since a 2014 war with Israel.

Palestinian leaders said by relocating the embassy the United States had created incitement and instability in the region and abrogated its role as a peace mediator.

Palestinians have been demonstrating on the Gaza frontier for the past six weeks, demanding a return to family land or homes lost to Israel when it was founded in the 1948 Middle East war.

On Wednesday, a day after expelling Israel's ambassador in response to the Gaza deaths, Turkey ordered the Israeli consul general in Istanbul to return home.

Prior to 1980, Guatemala and a dozen other countries maintained embassies in Jerusalem. Israels passage in June 1980 of a law proclaiming Jerusalem its "indivisible and eternal capital" led to a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on Guatemala and several other countries to move their embassies to Tel Aviv. (Reporting by Jeffrey Heller Editing by Dan Williams and Janet Lawrence)
Jerusalem (AFP) - Guatemala inaugurated its Israel embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming the first country to follow in the footsteps of the United States' deeply controversial move.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales were among officials attending an inauguration ceremony at the new embassy at an office park in the disputed city at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The US and Guatemalan moves break with decades of international consensus.

Netanyahu profusely praised the Central American nation for making the move and noted it came only two days after the United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem.

The Israeli premier said he would visit Guatemala on his next visit to Latin America.

The US embassy move on Monday was accompanied by mass protests and clashes along the Gaza border that saw Israeli forces kill 60 Palestinians.

Israel has faced international criticism over its use of live fire, but says its actions are necessary to defend the border and stop mass infiltrations from the Palestinian enclave, which is run by Islamist movement Hamas.
Thomas Markle and Meghan - Pix supplied as a technical service by Tim Stewart News Limited 07932745508. No copyright inferred o

Meghan Markles father is to ungergo heart surgery which will stop him from walking his daughter down the aisle, it emerged last night.

After a day of confusion, in which he appeared to change his plans repeatedly, Thomas Markle announced via US celebrity website TMZ that he was due to have an operation and would not attend the Royal wedding on Saturday.

It marked a dramatic turn of events and came just hours after an earlier u-turn, in which he said he would be at the wedding.

The furore began on Monday when the 73-year-old said he would avoid the ceremony for fear of embarrassing his daughter in the wake of a controversy surrounding his collusion with the paparazzi.

However, on Tuesday he raised hopes of attending after all by saying his daughter had been in touch to reassure him, and was prepared to fly to Britain if his medical condition allowed.

Mr Markle is reported to have said: I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle.

But within hours he appeared to change his plans for a third time, claiming he required heart surgery after falling unwell again.

He told the site: "They [doctors] will go in and clear blockage, repair damage and put a stent where it is needed."

Playing out via TMZ, the abrupt changes raised further fears for Mr Markles well-being.

Royal wedding countdown in pictures as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's preparations begin

Kensington Palace has not commented on any of the claims, repeating only a plea for understanding and respect for Mr Markle.

Meghan Markle, he claimed, harbours no ill feelings towards him for the unfortunate episode, in which he was exposed for working with the paparazzi despite Kensington Palaces repeated insistence that he wished to remain private.

The confusion leaves plans for the royal wedding in further disarray, irreversibly overshadowing the marriage of Prince Harry and Ms Markle.

Markle family

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His inclusion in the wedding was only confirmed for the first time on May 4, with the 73-year-old planning to fly from his home in Mexico to Britain to meet the Queen and all senior members of the Royal Family before the big day.

Instead, on Monday, he disclosed he had pulled out of walking Ms Markle down the St Georges Chapel aisle because he doesnt want to embarrass the Royal family or his daughter.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: This is a deeply personal moment for Ms Markle in the days before her wedding.

She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr Markle in this difficult situation.

In comments that have not been confirmed or denied by the palace, Mr Markle said his daughter had sent him messages telling him that she loved him and was concerned about him.

It is understood that neither she or her husband-to-be Prince Harry hold him accountable for his decision to work with the paparazzi, believing him to have been placed under intolerable pressure by their presence.

Doria Ragland, Ms Markles mother, is flying to Britain, and is expected to meet the Queen this week as planned.

She is expected to be the alternative choice to walk Ms Markle down the aisle.

Meghan Markle's mother Doria Ragland seen departing Los Angeles to head to her daughter's wedding Credit: MEGA

Meghan's extended family arrive in London - without invites

Meghan Markle's extended family arrived in London with seemingly no invite to the big day.

With the constant speculation over whether or not her father would attend the ceremony, her nephews' arrival with their mother heaps more embarrassment on the American actress, 36.

Tracy Dooley - who was married to Meghan Markle's half-brother Thomas Markle Jr - was pictured at Heathrow Airport with her sons, Tyler, 25, and Thomas, 26.

Ms Dooley has previously told ITV's Good Morning Britain she had not received an invitation to the ceremony at Windsor Castle on Saturday, admitting she had not seen Ms Markle for 20 years.

She is expected to cover the event for an American broadcasting network and said she "will be in the front row cheering them on" in Windsor.

The Dooleys took to Facebook to announce their presence in the capital on Monday evening.

Meghan Markle's nephews Tyler and Thomas Dooley and their mother Tracy Dooley Markle arrive at Heathrow airport with an unidentified woman Credit: Constant Media

Ms Dooley posted pictures of landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster and the London Eye, writing: "We're here. Yay."

Her son Tyler uploaded an image of the Imperial War Museum, as well as a photograph of the inside of a hotel room.

"Just touched down in London. Man, what a journey so far," he wrote. "We're safe and sound."

Ms Dooley lives in Medford, Oregon, according to her Facebook, but is originally from Calabasas in California.

She is listed as a creative advertising and marketing specialist at Opus Broadcasting - a company responsible for a handful of radio stations, according to its website.

On May 3, she shared a link to her personal blog, saying she was travelling to London to "cover all things Royal wedding".

Upon the family's arrival, the Facebook blog page - called Royal Wedding with the Dooley Markles - posted a picture of the trio landing at Heathrow with the caption: "Just glad to have landed safely and hoping for Tom senior to be well, healthy and happy.

"I wish the same for Meghan, Prince Harry, my children, friends, family and those who need our prayers and love. Peace, love and good works."

In April, the blog's page, which appears to be run by Ms Dooley, shared an article headlined "Meghan Markle snubs nephew and his mum with no invite to Royal wedding."

It was accompanied with the caption: "Beyond blessed to be any part of this momentous occasion. We'll be front and center at Windsor cheering Meghan and Prince Harry on."
Mexico City (AFP) - Mexican former first lady Margarita Zavala, who was running fourth in the polls for the country's upcoming presidential election, announced Wednesday she is dropping out of the race.

The independent candidate's withdrawal could give a small boost to her fellow conservative Ricardo Anaya, who is in second place for the July 1 vote, as he tries to pull off a come-from-behind win against the leftist front-runner, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

But Zavala, 50, did not immediately endorse another candidate.

"I am withdrawing my candidacy in the interest of consistency, in the interest of political honesty, but also to free those who have so generously supported me so they can decide as they must in this difficult race," she told Mexican TV network Televisa.

Zavala, the wife of former president Felipe Calderon (2006-2012), was standing as an independent after resigning last year from the National Action Party (PAN), accusing Anaya, its then leader, of strongarming his way to the party's presidential nomination.

Anaya, who is running for a coalition between the PAN and two left-wing parties, sought to mend fences as Zavala announced her withdrawal.

She is "a brave woman of principle," he wrote on Twitter.

"Her contributions to the country and in particular this election campaign have been very valuable. All my recognition to her and her team."

Despite strong pre-campaign poll numbers, Zavala never gained momentum after the race officially opened on March 30.

The latest poll average from Mexican website Oraculus gave her 4.4 percent of the vote, leading only her fellow independent, governor Jaime "El Bronco" Rodriguez, with 2.6 percent.

Lopez Obrador has 43.4 percent, Anaya 29.3 percent and ruling-party candidate Jose Antonio Meade 20.2 percent, according to the site.
Edward Chang

Security, Middle East

Iran's President Rouhani speaks about the nuclear deal in Tehran

America has options that do not involve taking a hands-off approach to Iran or invading and occupying it.

The Iran Deal Didn't Change Tehran's Behavior

It is often argued that the 2015 Iran nuclear deal has not constrained the Islamic Republics destabilizing activity in the Middle East or stopped its ballistic missile testing. When responding to this argument, one of the oddest rebuttals is the claim that such destabilizing activity and missile testing were not a part of the agreement and therefore are irrelevant. This line of thinking says that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the deal is formally known, has constrained Irans nuclear activities for a ten to fifteen-year period and therefore is working. Those in favor of the JCPOA claim that, whether or not Iran follows the spirit of the law, Iran is in compliance with the agreement and that is what counts.

This rebuttal is odd because it reveals everything wrong with the agreement. While the JCPOA is certainly a considerable diplomatic achievement given the four decades of mutual enmity between the United States and Iran, its success ultimately depends upon improved relations between the two countries. However, both the nature of the regime in Tehran and the diametrically opposed interests between America and Iran make improved relations quite the pipedream. A deal focused narrowly on Irans nuclear ambitions places limits on the weapons one side can wield against the other without addressing the core issuethat Iran is an aggressive, revisionist power that is antithetical to the United States and its allies.

Yet hopes for improved relations are stated in the JCPOAs preface, [The signatories] anticipate that full implementation of this JCPOA will positively contribute to regional and international peace and security. Supporters of the deal now say too much is being made of that line- a line that appears but once in 159 pages. But why would negotiators bother making such a grand proclamation at the outset of such an important treaty if it was not meant to be taken seriously? Perhaps it is because the JCPOA is about more than just nuclear weapons.

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If there is anything supporters and detractors alike agree on, it is that Iran is a destabilizing force in the Middle East that acts contrary to American interests. Tehran supports numerous violent state and non-state actors, including the Bashar al-Assad regime of Syria or Shia Jihadist groups like Hamas of Gaza and Hezbollah of Lebanon. The first, Assads regime, is the focal point of a civil war that has cost the lives of hundreds of thousands since 2011. The latter two, Hamas and Hezbollah, are militant terror groups locked in a decades-long war with Israel, Americas staunchest ally in the region. Finally, Iran continues to test ballistic missiles, weapons that, one day, would serve as delivery options for a nuclear arsenal, in addition to posing a persistent conventional threat to Israel and Americas allies in the Persian Gulf.

But, most importantly, the fact remains that the Iranian revolutionary regime was founded on anti-Americanism. Like North Korea, the two bad boys of the world derive their legitimacy in large part on their opposition to the United States and a rejection of American and, more broadly, Western, ideals. Not all Iranians believe this way, of course. But if anti-Americanism continues to serve as a raison detre of the Islamic Republics very existence, relations between the United States and Iran are unlikely to improve in the long-term. This also means they certainly will not improve over the short ten-to-fifteen-year lifetime of the nuclear deal.

So, while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has declared Iran in compliance with the agreement, this should serve as cold comfort to any who acknowledge the unfortunate realities of the regime in Tehran. Compliance with agreements are a very low standard; of course, Iran should hold up its end of the bargain. However, such a low bar should be placed within the context of Irans other activities in the region and throughout the world. When this is done, it becomes clear Iran is doing what it always does: the right thing when others are watching and behaving irresponsibly when it believes nobody is watching or when it thinks it can get away with it.

Ironically, supporters of the deal, along with critics of President Trump, accentuate the problems with the deal when claiming Irans non-nuclear activities do not violate the JCPOA. For instance, the left-wing Vox notes, Irans support for terror and missile testingwhile problematicarent prohibited by the deal, so Tehran isnt violating the pact by doing so.

But in the same piece, it concedes, Irans behavior is extremely problematic in a whole host of ways, implicitly suggesting the United States could counter Tehran. When looking at the totality of both assumptions and facts surrounding the JCPOA, it matters little how well Iran adheres to a piece of writing if its overall behavior is indicative of a power uninterested in changing its ways. When followed to its logical conclusion, the deal is based on the shaky and dangerous assumption in that 2025 Iran will not be an enemy of the United States and the West. Furthermore, the deal assumes that Iran will not pursue nukes ever again because it will not feel the need to do so, just like many of Americas other allies in the Middle East.

Though Obama tried to insist otherwise, the Iran nuke deal means nothing in the absence of improved relations with Iran. Which brings us back to the original question  what purpose does the Iran deal ultimately serve? If the JCPOA was not part of a larger strategy to bring Iran into the community of nations, or if the JCPOA did not expect more responsible behavior from Iran, then what was the point? To simply deny Iran nuclear weapons capability for ten to fifteen years with no plans for the day after? The absence of the expectation of better relations with Iran and more responsible behavior on their part reveals the JCPOA to be meaningless. The deal was a tactical move at best, that, for the United States and European Union, kicked the can down the road. All it did was end up buying time for the Iranians on their road to acquiring nuclear weapons.

An easy way to test this theory would be to ask President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry if they would have signed the JCPOA knowing Iran would ultimately acquire nuclear weapons, all the while remaining hostile to the United States, Israel, and the West by the time the deal expired. Though neither Obama nor Kerry would ever subject themselves to such intense scrutiny, we know the answer is an unequivocal no.

None of this is to suggest President Trump was right to withdraw from the deal on May 8. In fact, the United States stands to gain very little from doing so, though it will not lose a whole lot from doing so either. Overall, it was an unnecessary move. The deal has not resulted in the economic boon promised to the mullahs and the Iranian people by President Hassan Rouhani, who expended a lot of political capital in Tehran when the deal was signed. The protests earlier this year are proof-positive of serious problems lurking beneath the surface, even in the presence of the JCPOA. Moreover, if Iran does not alter its regressive tendencies, it will only continue to be viewed as a pariah by the world.

But the United States has given the Ayatollah and the mullahs a short-term political boost by pulling out of the deal without having developed a convincing case as to why nixing the JCPOA is in the American interest, if Iran was indeed in compliance. The JCPOA was not popular with the Ayatollah; it may be a major propaganda victory for him given the United States pulled out of the deal, as Iran can then do what it does bestplay the role of victim. Most importantly, withdrawal was met with immediate opposition from the European allies; the United States would have found it much easier to deflect blowback if they could have presented a united front to the world, the same kind that made the 2015 deal possible. Otherwise, Iran will play their victim card to turn the European allies against the United States.

In the end, whether the U.S. had stayed in the deal or not, America and its allies must turn up the heat on Iran to continuously remind Tehran it is never off the hook. Strengthening the JCPOA is no longer an option and a new deal is not likely. This should not stop the U.S. from mending ties with European allies while reinforcing those with Israel and Sunni Gulf Arab allies. America should also counter Irans support for terrorism, tighten economic sanctions related and unrelated to the nuclear program, and, finally, be willing to forcefully push back against Iran if necessary.

When it comes to Iran, it is past due for the Trump administration to put its money where its mouth is on the matter. This means taking on Irans militant and terrorist group proxies both in Syria and elsewhere, responding resolutely to Irans reckless behavior in the Persian Gulf that threatens the free flow of commerce, taking measures to deter Irans ballistic missile arsenal, and consistently demonstrating a willingness to defend American allies and interests with the use of force.

This last point has often been the missing ingredient in U.S. policy towards Iran. President Obama cast the JCPOA as part of a binary choice that would lead to either war or peace, with nothing in between. Even now, alarmists claim withdrawing from the deal or confronting Iran would place America on the path to war with yet another large Middle Eastern country. But this is a false choice- theres already enough hostility between the two countries to have started multiple conflicts over the last few decades but deterrence has prevailed. Only once did the United States physically wage open warfare against Iran and that was thirty years ago. Finally, and more importantly, Irans aggressive behavior alone assured war would always loom on the horizon, whether or not the JCPOA was implemented in the first place.

America has options that do not involve taking a hands-off approach to Iran or invading and occupying it. While the risk of a major conflict should never be dismissed, no nation in the Middle East, Iran included, is spoiling for a fight if they do not have to directly participate. The sheer number of non-state militants, terrorists, mercenaries, and unconventional forms of warfare have created a unique environment where all participants can express their disdain for one another without having to throw a single punch themselves. As cynical as this sounds, it means the United States and its allies can fight back against Iran without having to lob a single cruise missile towards Tehran. And if instead the U.S. ever had to launch such an attack, it is ready, as always.

In 2015, Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb broke with his party by expressing opposition to the JCPOA, stating the deal was accepting the eventuality that [Iran] will acquire a nuclear weapon. History will be the judge of the validity of this remark. But, even if one were to assume good faith on the part of everyone who negotiated and signed the Iran deal, either the JCPOA merely delayed Irans quest for nuclear weapons at great cost or it was a gamble based on the misguided belief better relations would arise in its wake, thus ending Irans nuclear quest.

If the answer is the latter, then it was quite a gamble with billions of dollars and the lives of millions at stake. If history proves Iran to be after nuclear weapons after all, the irresponsibility to pursue the JCPOA should be treated with the same level of disdain and skepticism directed towards the decision to waste thousands of American lives in Iraq based on flawed premises.

Edward Chang is a freelance defense, military and foreign policy writer. His writing has appeared in the National Interest and War Is Boring.

Image: Reuters

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Tehran (AFP) - Iran said Wednesday that new US sanctions on its central bank governor would only make Iranians "more determined, patient and resistant than ever".

"We consider this inappropriate policy to be part of the continued unwise behaviour and hostile policies of the American government," said foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi in a statement on the ministry website.

On Tuesday, the US sanctioned Valiollah Seif, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran, accusing him of helping the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps transfer millions of dollars to Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Ghasemi said this was an attempt to coerce other countries who have opposed last week's decision by the US to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

"Following the failure and destructive effects of its own mistakes and obvious misconceptions after its unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA (nuclear deal), the US government is now trying to influence the will and decisions of the remaining members of the JCPOA and other countries in the world," Ghasemi said.

"These venomous policies have had, and will have, no success for America, and have made the government and nation of Iran more determined, patient and resistant than ever to confront the US," he added.

Since its withdrawal from the nuclear deal last week, the US has announced new sanctions targeting the Revolutionary Guards financial networks.

That has included a currency exchange network, another central bank official, and executives from Iraq's Al-Bilad Islamic Bank which Washington said provided a link to Hezbollah.

"The United States will not permit Iran's increasingly brazen abuse of the international financial system," said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

"The global community must remain vigilant against Iran's deceptive efforts to provide financial support to its terrorist proxies."
Tehran (AFP) - Iran's foreign minister said Wednesday that meetings with EU leaders on salvaging the nuclear deal sent a strong political message but must now be turned into action.

"If the JCPOA (nuclear deal) is supposed to continue, it was a good start and it has sent an important political message, but this is not the end of the work," Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters on his flight back to Tehran, according to state news agency IRNA.

"From next week, intensive expert meetings will start in Europe. They must do the work, but they will consult us so that we are sure the actions they take are sufficient from our point of view," he added.

Zarif was returning from a diplomatic tour of the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement -- Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia -- following the US decision last week to pull out.

He met his European counterparts in Brussels on Tuesday.

"They said that they would ensure Iran enjoys the benefits of the JCPOA and they accepted that the implementation of the JCPOA has nothing to do with other issues," he said, referring to Iran's demand that talks on saving the deal must not be linked to pressure on its missile programme and regional interventions.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Tuesday that experts had already begun work on measures to get round US sanctions, focusing on nine key areas including Iran's ability to continue selling oil and gas products, and how to protect European companies doing business in the country.

"We are not fantasising that Europe will break its relations with America... but we want Europeans to defend their own interests," Zarif added.

He said the negative global reaction to Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement -- and the new sanctions it announced Tuesday on Iran's central bank -- reflected US isolation on the Iran issue.

"America is not in charge of everything in the world. Of course, Americans would like the whole world to think this way and when the world doesn't think this way, they take some angry actions such as sanctioning the head of the central bank without any reason," Zarif said.

"We must expect more such moves by the Americans. These moves are against the law, contrary to conventional international relations and indicate their weakness."
CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack on Wednesday in Sumatra, Indonesia that killed one policeman and wounded two, the group's Amaq news agency said.

It offered no evidence in support of the claim.

Indonesian police shot dead four of the assailants after they used samurai swords to attack the officers, a police spokesman said.

(Reporting by Omar Fahmy; Writing by Eric Knecht; editing by John Stonestreet)
Turkey and Israel have found themselves in a diplomatic spat as the fallout over the killing of protesters in Gaza continues.

Turkish authorities expelled the Israeli ambassador from the country indefinitely on Tuesday. Seemingly not content with such a conventional diplomatic measure, Turkish authorities allowed the media to film them frisking the ambassador at the airport on his way home, Haaretz reported.

Ambassador Eitan Naeh was expelled from Turkey after at least 60 Palestinian protesters were shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip on Monday. Footage from Turkey showed him being made to remove his coat and shoes and undergoing a thorough pat-down by security officials.

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Naehs airport experiencewhich the Israeli media has described as humiliatinghas sparked a strange diplomatic tit-for-tat. In response, Israels Foreign Ministry summoned Turkey's consul in Jerusalem, Husnu Gurcan Turkoglu, inviting Israeli media to document his arrival.

Turkeys ambassadors to Israel and the U.S. have already returned to the country under orders from Ankara. Not to be outdone, Israel told the Turkish consulwho overseas relations with the Palestiniansto return home for consultations. Turkey replied by expelling Israels consul general in Istanbul.

Naeh was told it would be appropriate for him to return to Israel for a while after Mondays bloodshed, marking one of the strongest international reactions to Israels suppression of demonstrations in the Gaza Strip. Protesters had gathered at the border fence to protest the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and ahead of Nakba Day on Tuesday, which marks the anniversary of the Palestinian exodus from Israel in 1948.

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Israeli-Turkish animosity was on public display at all levels of government on Tuesday, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traded blows on Twitter.

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During a trip to London, Erdogan branded Israel a terror state. Netanyahu responded on Twitter saying Erdogan is among Hamass biggest supporters who well understands terrorism and slaughter. Erdogan then called Israel an apartheid state and said Netanyahu has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and can't cover up crimes by attacking Turkey.

Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments, the Turkish president said. To which Netanyahu replied: A man whose hands are stained with the blood of countless Kurdish citizens in Turkey and Syria is the last one to preach to us about combat ethics.

Netanyahu is the PM of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenseless people's lands for 60+ yrs in violation of UN resolutions.



He has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and can't cover up crimes by attacking Turkey.



Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments. Most popular: Trump, Republicansand DemocratsShow That Morality Matters LittleAt Least When Abused Women Are Concerned  Recep Tayyip Erdogan (@RT_Erdogan) May 15, 2018

While in London, Erdogan also accused Israel of conducting a genocide against the Palestinian people. They are not committing this genocide for the first time, he said, suggesting that recent events have shown the ugly face of Israel.

Israels nationalist Education Minister, Naftali Bennett, took to Twitter to urge Israelis to cancel holidays to Turkey, warning, Israel will no longer hold back from defending its honor.

Bennett also said he has asked the speaker of Israels Knesset to approve the recognition that Turkey committed a genocide against the Armenians in the 1910s. The Armenian Genocide is a thorny topic, with Turkey to this day denying responsibility for the deaths of some 1.5 million people over a two-year period.

Relations between the two countries have been strained for several years, mostly over Israeli treatment of the Palestinians. In 2010, Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish-operated passenger ship, the Mavi Marmara, that was attempting to breach Israels naval blockade of Gaza, killing nine activists. As a result, the two countries broke off diplomatic ties, which were not re-established until 2016.

This article was first written by Newsweek

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Istanbul (AFP) - Israel's ambassador to Turkey on Wednesday left the country after being ordered out by Ankara in a growing crisis over the killing by Israeli fire of dozens of Palestinians on the Gaza border that threatens a reconciliation deal.

Israeli ambassador Eitan Naeh departed for Tel Aviv via Istanbul airport under the full glare of the Turkish media, who appeared to have been specially invited to film his exit.

Naeh has been told by Turkey to stay away for an unspecified period of time. Turkey had already withdrawn its Tel Aviv ambassador for consultations while Israel ordered the Turkish consul in Jerusalem to leave, also for an unspecified period of time.

The Turkish foreign ministry on Wednesday also told the Israeli consul general in Istanbul to leave Turkey "for a period of time", the foreign ministry said.

The manner of Naeh's departure angered the Israeli government, with the ambassador filmed going through an extra security check and then sitting alone at the gate.

Israel's foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned the Turkish charge d'affaires in Israel to its Jerusalem headquarters for a reprimand over what it called in a statement "inappropriate treatment" of the ambassador.

The statement said that Naeh was subjected to "a stringent security check in the pre-arranged presence of the Turkish media."

The Israeli statement invited local news teams to film Turkish charge d'affaires Umut Deniz when he arrived at the foreign ministry.

- 'Strong message' -

The row, which on Tuesday saw President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu exchange bitter jibes on Twitter, threatens a 2016 deal to normalise ties after the crisis sparked by the May 2010 deadly storming of a Turkish ship by Israeli commandos.

Turkey has expressed outrage over the killing by Israeli forces on Monday of 60 Palestinians during protests and clashes on the Gaza border and also blamed tensions on the US decision to move its embassy for Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

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Ankara also withdrew its ambassador to Washington Serdar Kilic for consultations after the bloodshed, which came on the same day the embassy move took place. Kilic arrived back in Ankara on Wednesday afternoon, state media said.

Erdogan will on Friday host an emergency summit meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul which he has said will send a "strong message to the world" on the whole issue.

The Turkish leader has engaged in intense telephone diplomacy to drum up support for the summit, speaking to leaders including Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Saudi King Salman, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah.

Yet it remains to be seen which leaders will be present at the summit which will immediately be followed by a giant rally called by Erdogan in Istanbul to support the Palestinians.

Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdag said Turkey wanted to evacuate wounded Palestinians from Gaza for treatment but had yet to receive the necessary permissions from Egypt or Israel.

- 'History won't forgive' -

Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, this week has accused Israel of "genocide" and told Netanyahu he is leading an "apartheid state" while having the "blood of Palestinians" on his hands.

Netanyahu described Erdogan as "an expert on terror and slaughter" as a leading supporter of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Erdogan hit back, saying Hamas is a "resistance movement".

Meanwhile Netanyahu's son Yair posted on his personal Instagram account the slogan "Fuck Turkey" with the letter "c" turned into the crescent on the Turkish flag, Israeli media including Haaretz reported.

The Netanyahu family spokesman put out a statement saying: "Yair Netanyahu is a private person, and his Instagram page is also private."

Meanwhile the Turkish presidency said that on a visit to London on Tuesday Erdogan met a delegation of ultra-orthodox Jews from anti-Zionist group Neturei Karta, a very small splinter group on the margins of ultra-Orthodox Jewry.

They oppose the existence of a Jewish state before the coming of the Messiah. They had previously met with former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who became notorious for his verbal diatribes against Israel.
ROME (Reuters) - The leader of Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, Luigi Di Maio, said on Wednesday the best way to cut Italy's huge public debt was by investing more and helping the economy to grow. Analysts are concerned that big spending plans by 5-Star and the far-right League, who are negotiating to form a coalition, will push up Italy's debt, which at more than 130 percent of national output is already the highest in the euro zone after Greece's. "The recipe for lowering the debt is through investments and expansionary policies," Di Maio told reporters in parliament. (Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte, writing by Gavin Jones, editing by Steve Scherer)
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have finally made the decision everyone has been waiting for: Theyve announced their bridesmaids and pageboys for their nuptials on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Kensington Palace announced that the couple will have six bridesmaids and four pageboys, ranging in age from 2 to 7, including a mixture of the bride and grooms nieces and nephews (come through, Prince George and Princess Charlotte!), godchildren, and children of family friends.

Three of the 10 bridesmaids and pageboys have a special Canadian connection  theyre the children of (basically) Canadian royalty.

Four-year-old Ivy Mulroney will act as a bridesmaid, while her twin brothers, Brian and John, 7, will be pageboys.

Theyre the children of Ben and Jessica Mulroney, close friends of the couple who are reportedly quite integral to their love story.

Earlier this year, rumors swirled that Jessica Mulroney would act as Markles maid of honor, but Kensington Palace recently announced that the bride chose not to have one.

However, having her children in the wedding is still an honor for the Toronto-based Mulroney. She and Markle became friends during the latters time on Suits and have been inseparable ever since. Mulroney was even reportedly spotted wedding dress shopping with the bride in London.

Here are five things you should know about her.

Shes part of a Canadian power couple.

The stylist and mom of three has been married to Ben Mulroney, former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroneys son, since 2008. Ben currently hosts Your Morning and eTalk, and was the long-standing host of Canadian Idol. Jessica also has some television experience, as she regularly hosts fashion segments for Cityline.

Meghan Markle and Jessica Mulroney have been close friends for quite some time. (Photo: Jessica Mulroney via Instagram)

Shes been Markles friend for years.

Its believed that the pair met when Markle relocated from Los Angeles to Toronto for her role on the legal drama Suits. The pair quickly hit it off, jetting off for tropical vacations and practicing yoga together.

Story continues

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie, visit British Columbia with Prince William and Kate Middleton on their 2016 tour of Canada. (Photo: Getty Images)

She also works with Sophie Gregoire Trudeau  and shines a spotlight on Canadian designers.



Mulroney has an impressive list of clients, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus wife, Sophie, a longtime friend whom shes styled since 2015. Mulroney uses her platform to spotlight national talent, heavily featuring Canadian brands like Mackage, Lucian Matis, Zvelle, and Kate Middleton favorite Sentaler.

Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane in Suits.

Shes already helped Markle pick a wedding dress.



Mulroney is no stranger to wedding style. Shes a consultant for famed bridal boutique Kleinfeld and provides public relations for the stores Canadian location. Along with her Instagram page dedicated strictly to bridal styling, Mulroney is already an expert when it comes to Markles bridal style. She chose the gown that Markles character, Rachel Zane, wore to get married in Suits.

Jessica Mulroney, far left, with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the Invictus Games closing ceremony in September 2017. (Photo: Getty Images)

Shes also friends with Prince Harry.



Mulroney quickly formed a close relationship with her best friends fiance. According to sources, the royal and his fiancee often had dinners at Mulroneys Toronto home to avoid being spotted in public. As a result, Prince Harry has become close with Mulroney and her family. In September 2017, Mulroney was photographed at the Invictus Games closing ceremony alongside Markle and Prince Harry.

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The onePULSE Foundation opened the Pulse Interim Memorial to the public with a dedication ceremony May 8.

The foundation was joined by Pulse victims family members, survivors, first responders and community leaders for a dedication that opened with Pulse survivor Brian Reagan singing Hallelujah and included a bilingual opening prayer from Rev. Stanley Ramos, a dedication blessing from Orlando Health chaplains Phyllis Fitzwater and Jason ORourke, a video message from survivors and family members and a musical performance of Together Again by entertainer Tymisha Harris.

Eric Crittenden, onePULSE Foundations board chairman, spoke to the crowd saying that the Pulse Interim Memorial dedication not only marked a special place in Central Florida history, but also in American history.

This moment of rebirth is an affirmation of the resilience of which the United States is known, Crittenden said. We will not, and we did not, be kowtowed to an act of mass hatred or terrorism.

Founder and CEO of onePULSE Foundation and owner of Pulse nightclub, Barbara Poma spoke at the dedication thanking the Pulse families, survivors and first responders for their continued support in the memorial process.

Their willingness to come to meetings and give their input, even in their toughest moments making hard decisions, is a true reflection of the love and understanding they have for this important journey, Poma said.

The process for creating the interim memorial design was led by Kody Smith, Christina Hite and Greg Bryla, of the landscape architecture firm of Dix.Hite + Partners, and David Stone of Phil Kean Design, all of who worked closely with onePULSE Foundations memorial task force.

They labored over every detail to make sure it was respectful, dignified, cost efficient, impactful and most of all reflective of our community, Poma said of the design team. Everything you will experience here is intentional. It has purpose. It is because of their love and compassion for all those affected by the tragedy.

Rial Jones and Chris Contino of Jones Clayton Construction led the two month construction of the interim memorial which converted the Pulse property into a memorial park. Poma thanks Jones and Contino for their care of Pulse and for recognizing that this was not just another property.

This is sacred ground and they treated it as such. Thank you both for taking such good care of Pulse, she said.

The Pulse Interim Memorial contains photographs of the community after the Pulse tragedy affixed to a paneled wall that surrounds the Pulse nightclub. The photos were all selected by Chief Curator Pam Schwartz and her team at the Orange County Regional History Center. Several of the panels are clear, allowing visitors to look in at the building itself. On the wall near the nightclubs front entrance is a panel listing the victims names.

The parks landscaping, the sycamore trees, the bench bases and an electronic guest book kiosk were all among the items and services donated for the memorial. The now iconic Pulse sign has been enhanced with message boards attached to its base for visitors to write notes.

The list is so long of people who just wanted to be a part of this. It is so reflective of Orlandos reaction, Poma said. It is utterly heartwarming how everyone still wants to be a part of what happens here. The people of Orlando, they love their city. They love their people. We are family.

The interim memorial is open to the public while planning and design of the permanent memorial are underway. The Foundations Design and Construction Committee, led by Vicki Berman, reviewed and approved the interim design, and will soon begin efforts to oversee the design of the permanent memorial and museum.
Jim Carrey dissected President Donald Trumps efforts at diplomacy with North Korea and his standing on the world stage in a new painting.

In his latest piece, the actor-artist depicts Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, encouraging North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to attend an upcoming summit with Trump:

"Just take the damn meeting and pretend youre disarming so we can keep this stooge in the White House for another term. When democracy is dead well give you a seat at the grown-ups table. You'll be even more famous than the Kim with the big ass." pic.twitter.com/cnDGi6jGYt  Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) May 16, 2018

Carrey shared his latest politically-charged painting on Twitter Wednesday morning, shortly after North Korea reportedly threatened to pull out of the historic June 12 summit in Singapore.

However, it wasnt the first time that Carrey has painted Trump as Putins stooge.

They bailed him out, set him up and made him their stooge. With Trump in the WH, Putin may win the 3rd World War without firing a shot. #PuckerUpPOTUS pic.twitter.com/bnPWI8xa9h  Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) November 12, 2017

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The U.S. officially opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Monday with a celebratory inauguration ceremony attended by President Donald Trumps daughter Ivanka, the Presidents son-in-law Jared Kushner and several Republican members of Congress and the Trump administration.

But 70 miles away in Gaza, at least 52 Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli troops in the most violent clashes at the border of the Palestinian territory in years  the result of fury over Trumps formal recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital city, as well as anger stretching back 70 years to the founding of Israel as an independent state.

Here is what you need to know about the embassy opening and the deadly protests.

Why is the U.S. moving its embassy to Jerusalem a big deal?

US ambassador to Israel David Friedman listens as Senior White House Advisor Jared Kushner delivers a speech during the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018.

At 9 a.m. Eastern Time (4 p.m. local time) on Monday, May 14, the U.S. embassy was formally moved from Tel Aviv to the city of Jerusalem  the result of a campaign promise Trump had made to the pro-Israel group American Israel Public Affairs Committee. In a tweet, Trump described the event as A great day for Israel!

U.S. Embassy opening in Jerusalem will be covered live on @FoxNews & @FoxBusiness. Lead up to 9:00 A.M. (eastern) event has already begun. A great day for Israel!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 14, 2018

Moving the embassy is a controversial decision because Jerusalem is not officially recognized by the United Nations or most other countries as Israels capital. Eastern Jerusalem was captured by the Israelis in 1967 during the Six-Day or Middle East War, and Israel now claims the entire city as its capital  despite disputes over the citys status, including under international law. Palestinians also hope to establish a capital in East Jerusalem.

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Although Israel declared Jerusalem its capital in 1980, most foreign governments have made a point of locating their embassies in Tel Aviv, Israels second largest city. The new U.S. embassy will be the first of its kind located in Jerusalem. Guatamalan President Jimmy Morales is planning to follow in Trumps footsteps and is also moving Guatamalas embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The ceremony opening the embassy coincided with the 70th anniversary of Israel declaring independence  May 14, 1948.

At the event, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Jerusalem the eternal, undivided capital of Israel. The truth is that Jerusalem has been and always will be the capital of the Jewish people, the capital of the Jewish state, he said.

Where is the new embassy?

The new embassy is located in the fortresslike U.S. Consulate General in the residential neighborhood of Arnona in Jerusalem. By the end of 2019, the compound is to be expanded to include an interim embassy annex, according to the New York Times.

The new embassy will open with an initial staff of at least 50, Trump Administration officials told the Associated Press. U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman will split his time between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The two cities are roughly 50 miles apart.

How are the Palestinian protests connected to the embassy?

Palestinians look at smoke billowing from the site of an Israeli air strike on a Hamas' military site in Beit Lahia near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, east of Jabalia on May 14, 2018.

Palestinians believe Jerusalem  a holy city for Christians, Jews and Muslims  should be the capital of a Palestinian state. Trumps decision to move the embassy  therefore officially recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital  has been viewed as the U.S. endorsing full Israeli rule over the whole historic city.

Mass protests began on March 30. On Monday they escalated with an estimated 35,000 protesting at the border fence between Gaza and Israel, according to the Wall Street Journal. Gazas Health Ministry told the Associated Press that at least 52 Palestinians were killed and 1,200 others shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers who confronted the protestors. Among those killed were a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old, according to the Journal.

The date of the U.S. embassy opening  May 14  also bears significance to Palestinians, who mark Israeli independence as the nakba, or disaster. It is a reference to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled were or forced out of their homes in territory that is now Israel.

Who went to the opening?

President Trumps daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, a senior advisor to Trump, are the most high-profile people attending the opening. President Trump did not attend, but recorded a video message that said the Jerusalem embassy was a long time coming.

Ambassador Friedman also attended the opening, as did Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was there too.

Several members of Congress, all Republican, were also present.
Larry Burrows Revisited Ammunition airlift into besieged Khe Sanh, Operation Pegasus, April 1968. (Photograph by Larry Burrows)

In the 1960s, Larry Burrows became the preeminent photographer documenting the Vietnam War. His iconic images of the humanity and inhumanity of that war haunt us to this day. Yet before he covered the Vietnam War, he was already an accomplished photojournalist working for Life magazine alongside photography greats like Robert Capa.

Larry Burrows Revisited, now at the Laurence Miller Gallery, features nearly sixty photographs, including his images of the Vietnam war. The exhibit exemplifies Burrowss career as one of the great humanist photographers of the Twentieth Century, as well as a pioneer in the use of color.

Burrows was born in London in 1926. At age 16, he began working in the lab of Life magazines London bureau. Poor eyesight kept him from getting a hoped-for position as an Army or Navy photographer in WW II. Instead, he had to content himself with printing thousands of photos taken by Lifes great photographers of that war.

His photographs from the 1950s, taken while he was on assignment for Life, were widely published. His memorable image of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill  taken at an RAF station in 1954 as he stood with his back to the camera  typified Burrows uncanny ability to capture layers of nuance and meaning through a persons body language. He also took many portraits  Bridgette Bardot, C.P. Snow, T.S. Eliot and Louis Armstrong.

When the opportunity to cover the Vietnam War came up, Burrows was ready. He went there in 1962, and as David Halberstam says in his introduction to the book Larry Burrows Vietnam, From the start, the best photos from Vietnam were his. He had a feel for the war and the people fighting it  and he understood that  this was the ultimate assignment, demanding the ultimate risk. Many Burrows images were incorporated into Ken Burns recent documentary Vietnam.

Burrowss best-known series is One Ride with Yankee Papa 13, which Life published on 14 pages in 1965. From the opening spread, where a young, confident James Farley is introduced before a mission to airlift an infantry battalion, to its bloody sequence of the ensuing firefight and failed rescue, to Farleys emotional return to base, the photo essay captures the universal humanity of man embroiled in the inhumanity of war. Burrows covered the war until 1971, when the helicopter he was riding in to photograph the invasion of Laos was shot down, killing all aboard.

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Larry Burrows Revisited exhibition will be on view at the Laurence Miller Gallery in New York City through June 29, 2018.

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.

Recovery of wounded under fire, near Hill 484, Operation Prairie, October 1966. (Photograph by Larry Burrows)
Marcia Clark, O.J. Simpson, Robin Tunney, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. (Photo: Getty Images/ABC)

Talk about deja vu.

ABC announced its fall 2018-19 lineup, and Marcia Clarks new show, The Fix, is getting a lot of buzz. The official trailer was released today, and the three-minute video was a big flash from the past  1995 to be precise.

The legal thriller follows Maya Travis, an L.A. district attorney who moves to Washington, D.C., after suffering a public defeat when prosecuting an A-list actor for double murder. Sound familiar? Eight years later, Travis returns to the Los Angeles D.A.s office when this same celebrity is under suspicion for another murder.

Clark  who was the lead prosecutor in the O. J. Simpson murder case  is an executive producer and co-writer of the show. Naturally, the drama is only loosely based on her life. Robin Tunney, who starred in The Mentalist and The Craft, plays Maya Travis while Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost) takes on the role of famous actor turned suspect Sevvy Johnson.

Simpson was acquitted of murdering ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman but was later found liable for their deaths in civil court. He was released from prison in October 2017 after serving nine years for a Las Vegas kidnapping and armed robbery. He has kept a relatively low profile upon his release, but that might change. Simpson has been linked to various projects with Hollywood ties. Somehow, we dont think he will be getting an invite for a cameo on The Fix.

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Hey  the Sevvy Johnson character could have been an athlete. Its very different! Check out the preview below.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday that he would give full support to the government led by former rival Mahathir Mohamad, but would not immediately be part of it. "I have given my assurance, I am here as a concerned citizen to give complete support to manage the country on the understanding that we are committed to the reform agenda, beginning with the judiciary, media and the entire apparatus," Anwar said in a news conference at his home after he was freed from custody. Anwar said it was Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's prerogative to form the cabinet, but noted he had given assurances that he will consult party leaders. Anwar said he would take some time off with his family. "I've told Tun Mahathir, I don't need to serve in the cabinet for now," he said, using an honorofic for the prime minister. (Reporting by Joseph Sipalan and Tom Westbrook; Editing by Preveen Menon and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
CBS/Screengrab

A man who spent 18-years in prison for a murder he did not commit, has finally been freed.

David Robinson told CBS News that he had "been a living nightmare" and that life had "been an up-and-down roller coaster", but he was nonetheless delighted to be cleared.

In 2001, he was found guilty of shooting Sheila Box outside the bar she co-owned in the Missouri city of Sikeston, before stealing the day's takings.

Despite little physical evidence to link him with the murder, authorities claimed Mr Robinson, who had a history of drug related crimes, had killed her after a drug deal.

At his trial, a police informant testified that he had witnessed Mr Robinson commit the murder. It later emerged that they had been paid to give evidence and received hundreds of dollars in expenses.

An inmate who shared a cell with him as he awaited trial, also testified that he had confessed to the crime. Mr Robinsons attorney claimed the pair had never been placed together, so this could not be feasible.

But he was found guilty and sentenced to life without parole.

Four years after his conviction, another man confessed on tape that he was the real killer.

Romanze Mosby said he was selling Ms Box drugs and panicked when he noticed she had a gun. He then went on to take his own life in 2009.

As repeated attempts to appeal his case were denied, Mr Robinson remained behind bars.

But in February 2017, a judge ruled that the evidence clearly showed that Mr Robinson was not responsible for the murder and over a year later, he has finally been released.

Mr Robinson said what "bothered me more than anything", was "to be wrongfully accused of killing a woman.

Asked what he wants to do when he is finally a free man, he said: "Hug my mother."
A man broke down in court after being cleared of murder 27 years after he was wrongly convicted as a teenager.

John Bunn, now 41, wept as he thanked a New York judge for exonerating him of the 1991 shooting of correction officer Rolando Neischer.

He was just 14 when arrested over the killing and spent 17 years in prison after being convicted of murder based on tainted evidence.

Mr Bunn, from Brooklyn, was released on parole in 2009 but continued to fight to clear his name.

He was cleared after a retired detective who investigated Neischers murder was accused of manipulating evidence, coercing confessions and giving misleading testimony in multiple cases.

Mr Bunn and his friend Rosean Hargrave, then 17, were convicted of killing Neischer on the testimony of lone witness Robert Crosson, another correction officer who survived the shooting.

The teenagers were placed in a photo line-up by detective Louis Scarcella, a disgraced former star detective whose casework has prompted a large-scale review by Brooklyns district attorney. Dozens of cases linked to Mr Scarcella are under investigation and several convictions have been overturned.

Brooklyn Supreme Court judge ShawnDya Simpson threw out Mr Bunns conviction in 2016 and ordered a retrial. On Tuesday, prosecutors announced they were dropping charges due to a lack of evidence, local media reported.

They wont admit and say that Im an innocent man. But Im an innocent man, your honour, and I have always been an innocent man, a tearful Mr Bunn told the judge after she fully exonerated him.

I thank you so much for what you have done for me in saving my life and my familys life, he added.

It has been 27 years, Ive been fighting for my life and Ive been fighting for my innocence. It takes a courageous judge to make that happen.

Addressing prosecutors, he said: You all had the wrong man this whole time and you have [someone] out there running free. You had no right to do what you did.

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Mr Hargreave, whose murder conviction was thrown out in 2015, will also not face a retrial.

Mr Bunns lawyer, Glenn Garber, said the problems with the case against him were very obvious.

There was no probable cause to make an arrest, said Mr Garber, of the Exoneration Initiative, which provides free legal help to people wrongly convicted in New York.

Ms Simpson, visibly emotional as she cleared Mr Bunn, agreed.

This case was tried... a jury was picked, testimony was given and it concluded all in one day, she said. I dont consider that justice at all.
Meghan Markle pictured as a child in Rwanda with her mother Doria - Pix supplied as a technical service by Tim Stewart News Limited 07932745508. No copyright inferred o

Meghan Markle's family has taken the spotlight in the final days before her wedding, with her father revealing he is due to have an operation and can no longer attend the ceremony and her half-sister discussing allegedly-staged photos on Loose Women.

Meghan Markle's extended family has hit the headlines repeatedly over the past few months, with one newspaper describing it as a "motley collection of individuals who, between them, have a long record of boozing, bust-ups and bankruptcies".

Yet Meghan Markle is close to her "free-spirited" mother Doria Ragland  who is still expected to travel with Ms Markle to the church on Saturday  and her "thoughtful, inspiring" father, with the actress having written lovingly of her relationship with both her parents.

Here is a look at Prince Harry's future in-laws as Prince Harry and Ms Markle prepare to tie the knot in just three days at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

Royal wedding | Read more

Doria Ragland, Meghan Markle's mother

Doria Ragland, 60, was born in Los Angeles to an antique dealer father and a mother who was a nurse.

She attended the Fairfax High School, where she was remembered as bright and friendly - the teenager with the "Afro" hairstyle who loved listening to Marvin Gaye and dining out at a local Mexican taco joint with friends.

After school she worked as a make-up artist, which is how she met her husband, Thomas Markle, a lighting director in Hollywood. The pair married in 1979 and Ms Markle was born two years later.

Meghan Markle pictured as a child in Rwanda with her mother Doria Credit: TIM STEWART NEWS LIMITED

The family moved into a house in The Valley, LA, to a neighbourhood that Ms Markle described as "leafy and affordable".

Ms Ragland and Mr Markle divorced in 1987, but remained friends. Ms Ragland took a job as an air stewardess, meaning their daughter was frequently cared for by her father.

Meghan Markle with her moother Doria, who has a masters in social work Credit: TIM STEWART NEWS LIMITED

She later returned to university to obtain a masters in social work, following on from her BA in psychology.

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She now lives in the house she inherited from her father in 2011 in the Crenshaw area of LA.

Ms Ragland and her daughter are extremely close - Ms Ragland once drove a car with the number plate MEGNME - and Ms Markle has spoken of her pride in her free-spirited mother, with her dreadlocks and nose ring.

Ms Ragland is due to travel with her daughter to the ceremony on Saturday, travelling from their overnight accommodation at Cliveden House Hotel to St Georges Chapel by car.

Thomas Markle, Meghan's father

Born in Pennsylvania, of Dutch-Irish descent, Thomas Markle Snr, 72, made his way to Hollywood where he worked as a lighting director.

He worked for many years on the set of the television show Married With Children, and his work on long-running series General Hospital earned him nine Daytime Emmy nominations, of which he was twice named the winner.

He was also reportedly chosen to oversee the lighting for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics as well as the 1986 Oscar ceremony.

Baby Meghan Markle lies on the chest of her father Thomas Credit: TIM STEWART NEWS LIMITED

Prior to meeting Doria Ragland, he had been married to Roslyn, with whom he had two children - Samantha, now 52, and Thomas Jr, now 50.

Mr Markle and his daughter were very close, with the young Meghan accompanying him on film sets and being cared for by him while her mother was travelling as an air stewardess.

Since retiring, Mr Markle moved to Mexico. He was declared bankrupt in June 2016. Miss Markle has described her father as the "most hardworking father you can imagine".

He has not met Prince Harry, but has spoken to him on the phone and has given his blessing to the Prince asking for his daughter's hand in marriage.

Mr Markle was to meet the Royal family for the first time this week, however he has cancelled his plans to travel to the UK for the ceremony.

Meghan Markle pictured as a toddler with her father Thomas Credit: TIM STEWART NEWS LIMITED

Thomas Markle, 73, said he would no longer be flying to Britain on Monday, after embarrassing disclosures about his alleged dealings with the paparazzi.

He also reportedly told the US showbusiness website TMZ that he had suffered a heart attack six days earlier, but had checked himself out of hospital and had been intending to travel for the ceremony on Saturday.

The wedding plans have since been called into question, as Mr Markle was to walk his daughter down the aisle on Saturday.

Meghan Markles uncles

Michael Markle

Of Thomas Markle Seniors two brothers, the eldest, Michael, had a profound impact on her early life. The 78-year-old is a retired US diplomat and Air Force veteran who lives in Florida. His wife, Toni, died of cancer in 2012.

During his State Department career, he reportedly worked in Ottawa, Bucharest, Berlin and Guam, and when Meghan was 20 years old, she planned to follow in his footsteps with a potential career in diplomacy.

It was through Michaels connections that Meghan was able to secure a prestigious at the American embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

After enrolling at Northwestern University in Illinois, Spanish speaker Meghan travelled to Argentina for her senior year in 2003. She completed a double major in Theatre and International Relations.

"So I'm 20 years old, in Buenos Aires, in a motorcade, doing that whole thing. I thought for sure I would still have a career in politics, she told Vogue a decade later.

In an interview with the Mirror earlier this year, Michael spoke of his role in the process.

I knew the ambassador, and I asked him if he could help, as her application was a little on the late side, he said. As a result, he was surprised not to be invited to his nieces wedding. I dont understand why she has been so indifferent towards me. Its uncalled for. I helped her out, and I didnt ask for anything in return. This whole invitation thing has not been played out very well. I never did anything to embarrass Meghan. It seems to me they handled the arrangements poorly.

Michael has a 58-year-old daughter, Trish Gallup, who runs her own who runs her own chauffeur business.

Frederick Markle

Meghans other paternal uncle, Frederick, is a reclusive cleric who also lives in Florida. There, he leader and sole minister of the small Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church, reportedly going by the name Bishop Dismas.

According to the Daily Mail, Frederick lives in a secluded woodland property and lives like a hermit, shunning technology. He has refused to speak about his nieces marriage, as have his two sons, Nick and David, and ex-wife Theresa.

Meghan Markle's siblings

Half-brother Thomas Markle Jr

The 50-year-old window fitter lives in Grants Pass, Oregon.

He said his family was like The Dukes of Hazzard and The Simpsons, versus the Royal family  but has spoken fondly of his half-sister, with whom he grew up in Los Angeles.

He was married for 11 years to Tracy Dooley, with whom he has two sons  Thomas and Tyler.

Thomas Markle Jr has spoken fondly of Meghan Markle, his half-sister Credit: AKGS

He was arrested in January for holding a gun to girlfriend Darlene Blounts head in a drunken argument. Mr Markle and Miss Blount are now engaged.

Half-sister Samantha Grant

Samantha Grant, 52, lives in Florida and is a wheelchair user and suffers from multiple sclerosis.

She discussed the allegedly staged images of her father's on Loose Women on Monday, saying she was entirely the culprit, convincing her father that it would be to his advantage to show himself in a positive light.

It was my suggestion that to benefit him and to benefit the Royal Family and that everyone looked good, and they depict you as you are, she said.

Samantha Markle has lashed out at her half-sister, Meghan, in several interviews Credit: Splash News

She also caused a stir in April when she announced she was writing a book entitled The Diary of Princess Pushys Sister.

Despite not having spoken to her in nine years, Ms Grant lashed out at Ms Markle in numerous interviews. She since says she was misquoted.

The Dooleys

Ms Markle's sister-in-law Tracy Dooley, and her sons Tyler and TJ, are among the family members who have not been invited to the wedding.

Ms Dooley, who was married to the former actress's half-brother, was pictured arriving at Heathrow Airport this week. She has previously told ITV's Good Morning Britain she had not received an invitation to the ceremony at Windsor Castle on Saturday, admitting she had not seen Ms Markle for 20 years. The Dooleys announced on Facebook they had arrived in the capital.

Meghan Markle's nephews Tyler and Thomas Dooley along with their mother Tracy Dooley Credit: Constant Media

Tyler, 25, who uploaded an image of the Imperial War Museum, as well as a photograph of the inside of a hotel room, is a cannabis farmer who considers himself a 'pioneer' in the legal production of the drug in California. He is reportedly keen to develop a new cannabis strain called 'Markle's Sparkle', in aid of his cousin's wedding.

Meghan Markle's nephew Tyler Dooley is a Cannabis farmer who is planning a new drug called Markle's Sparkle Credit: Mega

The family are keen on the burgeoning industry. TJ, 26, reportedly gives marijuana to his dog for pain relief, while Tracy frequently sells advertising space to marijuana dispensaries.

On arriving in London, Ms Dooley posted on her Facebook page  called "Royal Wedding with the Dooley Markles"  that she hoped Ms Markle's father was "well, healthy and happy". She wrote: "Just glad to have landed safely and hoping for Tom senior to be well, healthy, & happy. I wish the same for Meghan Prince Harry, my children, friends, family and those who need our prayers and love. Peace, love and good works."

In April, the page, which appears to be run by Ms Dooley, shared an article headlined "Meghan Markle snubs nephew and his mum with no invite to Royal wedding." It was accompanied with the caption: "Beyond blessed to be any part of this momentous occasion. We'll be front and center at Windsor cheering Meghan and Prince Harry on."

Trevor Engelson, Meghan's ex-husband

New York-born film and television producer Trevor Engelson, 41, was married to Ms Markle for two years, until 2013.

The pair married on the beach in Jamaica in 2011, tying the knot at the Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios, in front of around 100 guests.

They are believed to have been dating for seven years before they married.

Meghan Markle and Trevor Engelson in 2006 Credit: Billy Farrell/Patrick McMullan/Getty

Their August 2013 divorce cited irreconcilable differences, and their work schedules - he is based in Los Angeles, while she began filming legal drama Suits in Toronto the year they married.

He is working on a show about a man whose wife runs off with a prince.
Meghan Markles father will not attend the royal wedding after all, because hes undergoing a heart procedure.

On Tuesday, Thomas Markle, 73, told TMZ hes having heart surgery at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to repair his heart from a previous attack that did significant damage, adding, They [doctors] will go in and clear blockage, repair damage and put a stent where it is needed.

Meghan Markles father, Thomas Markle Sr., will not attend the royal wedding due to a heart procedure. (Photo: Backgrid)

Thomas broke the news only hours after telling TMZ, I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle. On Monday, he also told the website he was experiencing chest pains and had been popping Valium for the pain.

Over the past week, the health of Thomas and the status of his wedding RSVP  has been confusing. After the Daily Mail revealed on Saturday that Meghans dad had staged paparazzi photos of him viewing images of Meghan and fiance Prince Harry at an internet cafe (an event that reportedly made the queen very angry), Thomas revealed that he suffered a heart attack six days earlier and was skipping the nuptials to avoid causing his daughter further embarrassment.

Meghan Markles father has flip-flopped on whether hes attending the royal wedding. (Photo: Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Meghans half sister, Samantha Markle, told the television show Good Morning Britain that her father was facing unbelievable stress from being thrust into the spotlight.

Heres a primer on Thomass health:

A heart attack can occur due to physiological and emotional factors.



According to the American Heart Association, heart attacks usually occur when the blood vessels that pump blood into the heart thicken from plaque that eventually ruptures, forming a clot. While a person of any age can experience a heart attack, theyre more common among older men: Most men who have a heart attack have their first one at age 65.

Stress, like what is affecting Thomas Markle, is also a factor. According to Steven Gundry, heart surgeon and cardiologist and author of The Plant Paradox, an intense emotional state can cause blood pressure to spike (which can harm the heart) or trigger unhealthy eating and drinking habits that can damage the heart or blood vessels.

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Cholesterol as a heart attack trigger is debatable.

Gundry says 50 percent of people presenting with a heart attack or acute coronary syndrome (a pre-heart attack) have normal levels of cholesterol [a fatty substance the body requires to build cells]. Its a bit of a myth that too much cholesterol causes heart attacks.

Popping Valium wasnt helping Thomass health.

Valium, a drug in the benzodiazepine family, is typically used to treat seizures and anxiety and, according to Gundry, Thomas was likely masking his chest pain, not eradicating it. The rule of thumb is, if you feel chest pains, chew on an aspirin to thin the blood rapidly.

Calling Thomass procedure heart surgery may be a stretch.

According to TMZ, doctors will insert tubes called stents (Think of them as scaffolding, says Gundry) in Thomass body to reopen the blood vessels. The stents, which arent typically used during open-heart surgery, remain in the body to keep arteries from narrowing again.

Thomas can help prevent another heart attack.

Avoiding smoking, stress, and trans fats (those found in fried or processed food) and sticking to a regular exercise regime will help stave off future heart attacks.

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Pride Fort Lauderdale President Miik Martorell told SFGN that his organization may not pursue the $13,000 it is still owed by Michael Cruz, who died last summer.

In June of 2011, Cruz was convicted of stealing $46,591 from Pride. Cruz, the former director of the then-named Pride South Florida, was sentenced to one year in jail and ordered to make monthly payments of $400 to Pride to reimburse the organization. He had $13,000 left in payments at the time of his death.

When Cruz was convicted, a lien was placed against him by the court to ensure he paid Pride back. According to Broward property records, Cruz and a man named Emmanuel Stringos purchased a home in Fort Lauderdale in 2000 for $87,490. The home was sold in July of 2017 for $215,000, but Stringos was the only name on the title at the time of sale.

Martorell hopes to get the rest of what Pride is owed from Stringos.

Martorell said he just started getting back into that about a week ago but hes not sure yet how to proceed. He said he would be seeking the advice of local attorneys. I dont even know where to begin.

In January, Martorell told SFGN he would wait until after Pride Fort Lauderdale, held in February, to continue efforts to get the rest of the money. We want to definitely recoup any moneys he owed to us. Its community money. Thats how we have to look at it, said Martorell on May 14.

But, depending on how difficult it is to recover the money from Stringos, Martorell said Pride might give up on recovering it. By the time we finish with attorney fees, it may be too cost prohibitive [to pursue]. It would be nice if the guy would just step up to the plate. But not everyone does the right thing.

SFGN was unable to find current contact information for Stringos.
The first lady will likely remain hospitalized for the rest of the week. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

First lady Melania Trump is recovering from surgery she had on Monday to treat a benign kidney condition, her office announced.

She will likely spend the next few days in the hospital recuperating after the embolization procedure, a surgery done to prevent blood flow to part of a body, typically with the intent of shrinking a tumor or preventing an aneurysm.

The procedure was successful and there were no complications, a statement from her office read. Mrs. Trump is at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and will likely remain there for the duration of the week. The First Lady looks forward to a full recovery so she can continue her work on behalf of children everywhere.

President Donald Trump spoke with his wife before the surgery and with her doctor after, a White House official told NBC. He is expected to visit her Monday.

The first ladys surgery was announced the same morning that the family of Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he had also undergone surgery. His doctors at the Johns Hopkins Cancer Center removed a tumor from his pancreas on Monday. The tumor was detected in a routine screening, and he will begin chemotherapy treatments after recovering from his surgery.

Also on HuffPost

Trump throws rolls of paper towels into a crowd of Puerto Rico residents affected by Hurricane Maria as he visits Calgary Chapel in San Juan on Oct. 3.

Trump reacts as he sits in a truck on March 23 while welcoming truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting at the White House regarding health care.

Trump registers his surprise as he realizes other leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are crossing their arms for the traditional "ASEAN handshake" as he participates in the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines, on Nov. 13.

Trump, along with first lady Melania Trump, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, put their hands on an illuminated globe during the inauguration ceremony of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 21.

Trump looks up toward the solar eclipse while standing on the Truman Balcony at the White House on Aug. 21.

Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May are pictured ahead of a photo opportunity of leaders as they arrive for a NATO summit meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on May 25.

Trump boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing, China, on Nov. 10.

Trump holds up a pen after signing the HBCU executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 28.

Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel wait for reporters to enter the room before their meeting in the Oval Office on March 17.

Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7.

Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio to the White House on Sept. 15. Frank, who wrote a letter to Trump offering to mow the White House lawn, was invited to work for a day along the National Park Service staff.

Trump and Putin shake hands as they take part in a family photo at the APEC summit in Danang, Vietnam, on Nov. 10.

Trump jokes with French President Emmanuel Macron about their handshakes at the start of the NATO summit at their new headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on May 25.

Trump holds a mechanical tool as he attends a Made in America roundtable in the East Room of the White House on July 19.

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A Ukrainian politician previously linked to President Donald Trumps former personal lawyer has reportedly been issued with a subpoena to appear before a grand jury tied to the special counsels investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

The politician Andrii Artemenko has confirmed he was issued a subpoena and that he is scheduled to appear before the grand jury on Friday.

I received the subpoena last week, Artemenko told Politico.

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Artemenkos potential testimony could directly implicate both the presidents ex-private lawyer Michael Cohen, as well as Felix Saterwho, along with Cohen, tried to get a Trump-branded tower built in Moscow while the president campaigned for office in 2015 and 2016.

Cohen reportedly delivered a peace plan for Ukraine allegedly crafted by Artemenko that would involve Russian troops leaving eastern Ukraine before a vote for Ukrainians to decide how long it would lease the Crimea territory to Russia, The New York Times reported in February 2017.

Artemenko was able to reach Sater and the pair ultimately met with Cohen, according to the report, where Cohen said he would get the peace plan to the White House. Cohen reportedly said he left the plan with former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was later forced to resign after he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with a Russian ambassador.

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Flynn is now cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe and pleaded guilty in December.

Two attorneys currently representing Cohen did not immediately respond to Newsweeks request for comment or emailed questions.

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Getty Images/Drew Angerer

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While Cohen has not been named as a target or subject of Muellers probe, the special counsel has reportedly shown a strong interest in Cohens dealings involving the potential Moscow tower and the aforementioned Ukraine peace deal, The Washington Post reported in March. Muellers team has asked for documents and also interviewed witnesses privy to Cohens interactions.

Furthermore, federal prosecutors at the U.S. Southern District Court in New York received a referral from Muellers team and were able to obtain a warrant that granted raids of Cohens office, residence and hotel room last month.

The raids enraged Trump and led him to repeat his cries of Mueller conducting a witch hunt and declaring attorney-client privilege to be dead.

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Managua (AFP) - Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega opened talks on Wednesday with opposition groups in a bid to quell a month of anti-government unrest that has seen more than 50 people killed.

The Church-mediated dialogue, which got underway in the capital Managua, involved representatives of university students who are leading the protests against Ortega as well as some from business groups and unions.

Ortega told the room that the aim of the talks was to "get past this tragic moment" and restore "peace" to the country, one of Latin America's poorest.

He was however interrupted by student representatives calling him a "murderer" and urging "an end to the repression."

"We have come to demand you order the immediate halt of the attacks. You're the boss of the paramilitaries, of the troops, of the mobs backing the government," said a leader of the student coalition, Lester Aleman.

The unrest was the worst faced by Ortega in his past 11 years as president.

The protests were initially triggered by an aborted attempt to reform the near-bankrupt social security system, but quickly morphed into a street movement demanding Ortega's ouster over a range of grievances.

Rights groups say at least 58 people were killed, the majority of them protesters.

Ortega said Nicaragua's police now have orders to not open fire. He also said that "the deaths were on all sides," not only that of the protesters.

Late Wednesday, foreign minister Denis Moncada announced an 11-strong delegation from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights would arrive in Managua on Thursday to observe the situation on the ground. The government had at first rejected such a mission while a parliament-created commission probed the deaths.

- Challenge to Ortega's rule -

The 72-year-old leader, who previously ruled between 1979 and 1990, is a former leftist Sandinista guerrilla who helped overthrow the US-backed dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza, but who himself has become seen as dictatorial.

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He has increasingly wielded power jointly with his wife Rosario Murillo, who is both his vice president and chief government spokesperson.

Murillo, who attended the talks alongside her husband, said "we came here in good faith" and urged all present "to think of Nicaragua."

But student representatives in the room made clear that they want the president and Murillo to step down.

They also used the occasion to reject Ortega's portrayal of many of those killed as criminals or vandals.

"They were students, not criminals," they yelled.

The talks came one day after the most recent clashes between protesters and police, in the northern town of Matagalpa, which has long been under the sway of Ortega's Sandinista Front party.

The town's mayor, Sadrach Zeledon, said one person was killed by "right-wing vandalism groups," referring to the demonstrators, who in turn said the victim, Wilber Reyes, was killed in attacks launched by police.

The Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights spokesman in the city, German Herrera, told local TV station 100% Noticias that 35 people were injured in the clashes on Tuesday and at least 10 people had been arrested.

The same day in Masaya, 30 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of Managua, residents reported harsh repression by riot police, while in the capital, parents and students from private high schools marched to demand justice and freedom.

The US embassy in Nicaragua has suspended the processing of non-immigrant visas until further notice, citing the instability.

- Concessions -

Ortega had accepted the notion of talks in the early days of the crackdown, but they were delayed for weeks. The Church deemed he had not fulfilled conditions under which they could be held -- among them that a regional human rights group be allowed to visit.

Ortega made a series of other previous concessions after sharp domestic and international criticism over the use of security forces to put down the protests, and curbs on independent media to report them.

Ortega's concessions included abandoning the social security reforms, freeing dozens of arrested protesters, lifting broadcast bans on private TV channels, and offering dialogue.

Business leaders, as well as the army, appear to have distanced themselves from Ortega as the protests, and the deadly crackdown, continued.

Frustrations have been voiced over corruption, the autocratic style of Ortega and Murillo, limited options to change the country's politics in elections, and the president's control over Congress, the courts, the military and the electoral authority.

One of the bishops, Abelardo Meta, said in Wednesday's talks that the clerics had a demand of their own -- "that the police be pulled back to their barracks."

"A revolution without arms has started. Here, it's not an army against an army -- it's a population that is unarmed," he said.
North Carolina teachers join the thousands of educators across the U.S. who have gone on strike this year, marching on Raleigh to demand higher wages and better funding for their classrooms Wednesday.

Teachers from 20 school districts across the state plan to strike, a demonstration that will affect around 700,000 North Carolina students. But teachers say it's time the state increases per-pupil funding to the national average and raises teacher pay.

What theyve been doing to our public schools is not right, North Carolina Association of Educators President Mark Jewell told ABC11 WTVD.

North Carolinas teacher salaries rank 35th nationwide, but teachers there have seen the value of their wages fail to keep up with cost of living increases over the past two decades.

Last year the North Carolina state assembly approved $2.5 million in cuts to education funding, including layoffs and the elimination of vacant positions in low-income and low-performing school districts.

Some state Republican lawmakers call the planned strike illegal, since North Carolina has Right to Work laws. Mike Brody called the protesting educators "teachers union thugs" in a lengthy post criticizing the choice to strike.

North Carolina is latest in a string of states where teachers have gone on strike to push for higher pay and better conditions.

Teachers in Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and West Virginia have all led demonstrations since the beginning of 2018.

Teachers in Arizona won a 20% raise. West Virginia educators got a 5% pay increase. In Oklahoma, the teachers union secured raises and increases to school funding and say theyll focus on supporting pro-education candidates in upcoming elections. Meanwhile the Kentucky strike led to vetoes of the governors cuts to school spending in the budget and tax reform bills. In Colorado, a strike by teachers in the Pueblo City School District resulted in a 2% pay raise for educators on Monday.

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I think a lot of us started to see, well shoot, if West Virginia can do it, North Carolina can do it,  middle school Spanish teacher Sally Merryman told NPR. If Oklahoma can do it, North Carolina can do it. If Arizona can do it, so can North Carolina.

Mississippi could be the next state to see teachers go on strike, according to analysis by the Brookings Institution.

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GENEVA (Reuters) - North Korea will join international efforts to ban nuclear tests, its ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Han Tae Song, told the Conference on Disarmament on Tuesday.

North Korea, which is believed to have tested six nuclear weapons, has said it will dismantle its only known nuclear test site this month ahead of a meeting on June 12 between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un.

"Discontinuation of nuclear tests and follow up measures are an important process for global disarmament and DPRK will join international disarmament efforts for a total ban on nuclear tests," Han told the disarmament forum, using his country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Han did not explicitly mention the Comprehensive nuclear Test-Ban Treaty aimed at introducing that total ban.

North Korea is one of the so-called Annex 2 states that must ratify that treaty for it to come into force. The United States is another, though Washington has signed the treaty, which Pyongyang has not.

"DPRK will further make peace efforts to achieve the development of inter-Korean relations, defuse acute military tensions and substantially remove the danger of war on the Korean peninsula," Han said.

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), which works towards bringing the treaty into force, welcomed his remarks.

"I am encouraged to see reports that the DPRK permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament declared his countrys intention to 'join international efforts to ban nuclear tests'," CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo said in a statement.

"We reiterate our offer for CTBTO to assist in any way in this endeavour."

(Reporting by Tom Miles; Additional reporting by Francois Murphy in Vienna; Editing by Alison Williams and Raissa Kasolowsky)
North Korea has threatened to back out of a planned summit with the United States and President Donald Trump, according to a report from South Korea's Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday.

The North has said it might withdraw from the scheduled talks because the U.S. and South Korea carried out joint military drills. It was also reported that North Korea has canceled its planned talks with South Korea scheduled for Wednesday over drills it claimed were "a rehearsal for invasion of the North and a provocation amid warming inter-Korean ties," according to an article from Yonhap citing North Korean state media.

The upcoming summitwith plans to involve both North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trumpis scheduled for June 12 in Singapore. It was seen as a meeting with the chance to help bring peace but also involving a fair amount of risk. The North and the U.S. have traded provocations and threats for quite some time until recent improvements in the relationship.

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"Our eyes are wide open with respect to the risks, but it isit is our fervent hope that Chairman Kim wants to make a strategic change, a strategic change in the direction for his country and his people," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Fox News on Sunday. "And if he's prepared to do that, President Trump is prepared to assure that there's going to be a successful transition."

kim

Korea Summit Press Pool/Getty Images

There have been recent signs of a de-escalation of tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, with the North notably releasing three Americans it had been holding. Most recently, satellite imagery seemed to show the North was working on dismantling its only known nuclear testing facility. Earlier Tuesday, North Korea told the United Nations disarmament body that it would join efforts to completely ban tests of nuclear weapons, according to Agence France-Presse.

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Kim had already met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in an effort to work towards a peace deal.

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North Koreas government warned Wednesday that it would cancel a planned meeting between its leader Kim Jong Un and United States president Donald Trump if the U.S. forced it to give up its nuclear weapons.

"We will not be interested in talks anymore if [they] only try to push us unilaterally into a corner and force us to give up nukes," Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan said in a statement. "It would be inevitable to reconsider whether to respond to the upcoming summit with the U.S.

The statement came just hours after North Korea said it was suspending talks with South Korea, citing ongoing joint military drills on the Korean peninsula by the U.S. and South Korea. In response to the move, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that the administration "will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies.

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MATTHEW LEE/AFP/Getty Images)

But North Korea lashed out with even greater force overnight, taking particular aim at Trumps new national security adviser John Bolton.

High-ranking officials of the White House and the Department of State, including Bolton, White House national security adviser, are letting loose assertions of so-called Libya mode of nuclear abandonment, Kim Kye Gwan said.

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The statement added: The world knows too well that our country is neither Libya nor Iraq, which have met a miserable fate.





The comments come after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took two trips to North Korea, meeting with Kim Jong Un. Trump has talked up the success of negotiation with North Korea, inviting talk that he could garner the Nobel Peace Prize as a result of the planned summit, which has been scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

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But the countrys vice foreign minister said Wednesday that Trumps ambitions could yet fall flat.

If President Trump follows in the footsteps of his predecessors he will be recorded as a more tragic and unsuccessful president than his predecessors, far from his initial ambition to achieve unprecedented success, he said.

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Thae Yong-ho, who fled his post as North Korea's deputy ambassador to Britain in August 2016, speaks as a picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) posing with South Korean envoys is seen on a screen at his book launch - AFP

Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, is misleading the world with his talk of denuclearisation, according to one of the highest ranking officials ever to defect from his secretive regime.

In his newly published memoir, Thae Yong-ho, who served as deputy ambassador at the North Korean embassy in London, says Kim is "hot tempered, impulsive and violent" and will never give up his nuclear arsenal

Mr Thae, who fled with his family to South Korea in 2016, describes a number of incidents of Mr Kims fierce temper in his new book, The Secret Code of the 3rd Floor Room, released on Monday. Its title is a reference to the office in the headquarters of the Workers Party of Korea charged with maintaining the Kim dynasty in power.

During an inspection of a turtle farm in May 2015, Mr Kim noticed that a number of young turtles were dead, the memoirs claim. The dictator reprimanded the manager of the facility and then ordered his execution.

The unfortunate man was taken outside and summarily shot.

Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump are due to meet on June 12 in Singapore Credit: KCNA/Reuters

In another incident, Mr Kim hurled expletive-laced abuse at officials who were overseeing renovation of the war museum in Pyongyang after it caught fire shortly before it was scheduled to reopen in July 2013.

Mr Thae described the episodes during a reception at the South Korean parliament to the mark the release of his autobiography.

He also expressed his scepticism that the regime he once served will ever surrender its expensively acquired nuclear weapons.

North Koreas definition of denuclearisation is different from the complete, verifiable, irreversible dismantlement that we think of, he said. The regime may reduce the scale of the nuclear arsenal that it possesses, but its end goal is to be a nuclear state that appears to have denuclearised.

North Korea's suspension of missile tests raises unrealistic expectations

Mr Thae pointed out that Mr Kim had declared as recently as April 20 that the Norths nuclear capability is a strong sword and a firm means to guarantee the regimes security.

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Why would he declare the definition of the regimes nuclear weapons in such a way if he was planning to give them up? Mr Thae said, describing Mr Kim as omnipotent and a god-like figure in the North who controls every aspect of life.

They are a sword and shield for eternal prosperity and happiness for generations to come, he said. He will never give them up.

The former diplomat expects Pyongyang to link the elimination of its atomic weapons to Washington withdrawing all its forces from the South, but he expects Mr Kim to use subterfuge to avoid keeping his side of the bargain.
A new law in Pakistan could provide the country with its first transgender protections if signed into law.

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act will allow for people to pick the gender identity displayed on official documents like passports and driver's licenses, according to NPR. The law also has protections against discrimination at work, in school or with medical care.

Efforts like this are not led by few individuals, activist Mehlab Jameel tweeted. They are a result of collective & prolonged struggle of the community over decades. People who protested on roads, those who bore brutalities on their bodies, those who suffer in silence -- this is a result of their pain & labor.

Efforts like this are not led by few individuals. They are a result of collective & prolonged struggle of the community over decades. People who protested on roads, those who bore brutalities on their bodies, those who suffer in silence -- this is a result of their pain & labor. https://t.co/VYdM9jdRuy  Mehlab (@mehlabjameel) May 9, 2018

Jameel helped draft the bill with senators in the country starting around January 2017. There is no timetable for when it would go into effect if signed into law.
London (AFP) - The chief executive of scandal-hit British charity Oxfam announced his resignation Wednesday, saying that someone else should help "rebuild" the group following a prostitution scandal in Haiti.

Mark Goldring had resisted calls to resign when the crisis hit in February, following revelations that Oxfam aid workers used prostitutes while working in Haiti following a devastating 2010 earthquake.

But he announced that he would now be leaving at the end of the year, after five years in the job, saying in a statement: "I think the time is coming for a new leader."

He added: "Following the very public exposure of Oxfams past failings, we have redoubled our efforts to ensure that Oxfam is a safe and respectful place for all who have contact with us.

"We are now laying strong foundations for recovery. I am personally totally committed to seeing this phase through.

"However, what is important in 2019 and beyond is that Oxfam rebuilds and renews in a way that is most relevant for the future and so continues to help as many people as possible around the world build better lives.

"I think that this journey will best be led by someone bringing fresh vision and energy and making a long-term commitment to see it through."

The reputation of Oxfam Great Britain, part of Oxfam International, was shattered and its funding hit by the scandal, with three of its global ambassadors, including South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu, pulling out.

The claims were not confined to Haiti -- subsequent claims were made about aid workers in Chad, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines -- prompting the charity to launch an action plan against sexual harassment and abuse.

Deputy chief executive Penny Lawrence resigned but Goldring refused repeated demands to follow her -- even after he said in one newspaper interview that the outrage was "out of proportion" to what happened.

"Mark faced the test of a lifetime managing the crisis which hit us in February and related to events before he joined," said Oxfam chairwoman Caroline Thomson.

"He rose to the immense challenge and his leadership has been invaluable through it. It is testament to his integrity and humility that Mark will see through the next few difficult months."
Oxygen masks were deployed when cabin pressure dropped on Southwest Airlines Flight 861 from Denver on May 12, shortly before it reached its destination at Dallas. The plane made an emergency landing at Dallas Love Field airport.

Passengers Josh Trimberger and Glen Eichelberger told CBS News they were told by flight crew that the oxygen masks dropped due to a change in cabin pressure. Eichelberger expressed criticism over the limited communication from flight crew, and both said they had feared their lives were in danger. CBS News said Southwest Airlines had described the landing in a statement to them as uneventful. The airline also said four of the 120 passengers had requested medical assistance to assess ear pain.

Responding to that statement, Eichelberger said, When youre in the air, 20,000 feet above the ground, and dont know whats going on, its not uneventful  its very eventful. Credit: Josh Trimberger via Storyful
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - The Palestinian Authority has recalled its envoys to Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria after their ambassadors attended an Israeli reception marking the US embassy's move to Jerusalem, it said Wednesday.

The statement from the PA's foreign ministry said the EU nations' ambassadors had attended the reception on Sunday, a day before the US opened its Israel embassy in Jerusalem.

The embassy move and Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has deeply angered Palestinians, who see the Israeli-annexed eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state.

The ministry "sees this participation as a grave breach of international law and United Nations resolutions which confirm that Jerusalem has been occupied since 1967 and ban countries from moving their embassies there," the statement said.

"The recalls are to consult with our ambassadors to these states about their positions and their commitment to the EU's positions."

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday withdrew his top envoy to Washington.

The European Union opposed the US move of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The embassy move was accompanied by mass protests and clashes along the Gaza border that saw Israeli forces kill some 60 Palestinians.

Israel has faced international criticism over its use of live fire against demonstrators.

It says its actions are necessary to defend the border and stop mass infiltrations from the Palestinian enclave, which is run by Islamist movement Hamas.

Jerusalem's status is perhaps the thorniest issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community. It sees the entire city as its capital.
Vice President Mike Pence may be taking up more of the spotlight on the political stage than President Donald Trump likes. The president reportedly was not going to speak at the National Rifle Associations convention earlier this month but plans changed when Trump heard Pence was speaking, Politico reported.

The same situation occurred when Pence was scheduled to rep the country at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this year, but the president changed his mind after he learned who else would be in attendance.

The report described Trumps actions as one-upping Pence, perhaps in an attempt to make sure the vice president knows where he stands in Trumps political world.

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It was always pretty apparent that Pence had a role and that role was to be subservient to Trump, a former, unnamed White House official who also worked on the Trump campaign told Politico. Pence should be not seen and not heard and kind of put away in a corner and used as needed.

The report also alluded to Trumps former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, joining Pences political action committee Great America, perhaps a sign the president may be keeping tabs on Pences political aspirations.

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AFP via Getty Images/Mandel Ngan

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What Pence or Trump believe about the vice presidents exact role is unclear, but the former Indiana governor has been one of the steadiest presences in an administration often labeled as chaotic by observers.

Pence has routinely defended Trump and even stumped for the administration in support of the tax bill last year, as well as the presidents attempts to repeal and replace Obamacare.

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Pence also showered Trump with praise as the greatest defender the Jewish state has ever had following the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem Monday.

The vice president even waded into Special Counsel Robert Muellers realm last week. Pence said he believed Mueller, whose team is probing Russias interference in the 2016 election, should wrap it up after nearly a year. It was the strongest statement Pence had ever made about Russia probe, which has loomed large over Trump throughout most of his administration.

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By Tamara Mathias and Manas Mishra (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc's Retacrit was approved by U.S. health regulators as a biosimilar to current anemia treatments from Amgen Inc and Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday, setting it up to compete against more established brands. A year ago the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected Retacrit as a copy of Amgen's Epogen and Johnson & Johnson's Procrit, citing https://investors.pfizer.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2017/Pfizer-Provides-Update-on-Proposed-Epoetin-Alfa-Biosimilar/default.aspx issues with a potential manufacturing facility in Kansas. Shares of the rival companies dipped in afternoon trade. "People were surprised last time when Pfizer didn't get a first round approval for a biosimilar, so I think people certainly expected it this time. Its not a surprise," Baird analyst Brian Skorney said. Epogen's $1.10 billion in sales accounted for about 5 percent of Amgen's 2017 revenue, but analysts believe a competing product is unlikely to hurt the company. "Its nice to see that the FDA is moving along and approving biosimilars but the commercial impact to Amgen is quite minimal," Jefferies analyst Michael Yee, who has a "buy" rating on Amgen's stock, told Reuters. Johnson & Johnson's Procrit brought in sales of $972 million in 2017, accounting for 2.7 percent of its total sales. The FDA has been pushing to approve copies of expensive branded drugs to increase competition in the market as the Trump administration rallies against exorbitantly priced medicines. Biosimilars aim to copy biologic products, which are made inside living cells, but they can never be exact duplicates. Tuesday's approval allows Retacrit's use as a treatment for a drop in red blood cells caused by chronic kidney disease, chemotherapy, or the use of zidovudine in HIV patients. The biosimilar was also approved for use before and after surgery to safeguard against the need for red blood cell transfusions due to blood loss from surgery. Shares of Johnson & Johnson dipped 1.2 percent and Amgen's shares fell 2.5 percent in afternoon trading. Pfizer's shares were down about 1 pct. (Reporting by Tamara Mathias and Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
Washington (AFP) - America's top diplomat, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, ended Tuesday a hiring freeze that contributed to the unpopularity of his dismissed predecessor.

Pompeo sent a message announcing the decision to his staff, with whom he was set to hold a closed-door meeting Wednesday.

"We're tremendously happy in the building as a result of that today," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters.

She noted "how frustrating it was for many people who wanted to get jobs at the State Department who were told, 'No, I'm sorry, we're not hiring.'"

The State Department, which employs more than 70,000 people in Washington and at 250 foreign posts, will now be able to hire up to the level of its funding currently authorized by Congress.

The powerful American Foreign Service Association, which represents diplomatic employees, said it was "pleased to see the clear consensus between Congress and the administration that diplomacy is a vitally important part of America's national security toolkit."

Pompeo's predecessor Rex Tillerson was a political newcomer who had led the oil giant ExxonMobil. He imposed the hiring freeze as part of a vast but unsuccessful effort to revamp the diplomatic agency.

Tillerson asked to slash nearly 30 percent of the agency's budget to comply with President Donald Trump's prioritization on military spending.

Congress, however, did not endorse such a large budget cut, considering it dangerous while US diplomats are dealing with several global crises.

Tillerson's action was badly received within State, pushing the administration to admit to a morale problem.

At the same time, dozens of high-level positions or ambassadorial posts have remained unfilled during the first 16 months of Trump's presidency.

Tillerson was frequently at odds with Trump, who fired him in March.

Trump enthusiastically backed Pompeo and, for the first time in his presidency, visited the State Department on May 2 for the new secretary of state's swearing-in ceremony.

"I want the State Department to get its swagger back," Pompeo, the former CIA director, told agency employees after taking the oath of office.
By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Thirty-four Chilean bishops summoned to the Vatican over a cover-up of sexual abuse by clergy began crisis meetings with Pope Francis on Tuesday that could result in a purge of Chile's Catholic hierarchy. "We feel pain and shame," Fernando Ramos, an auxiliary bishop of Santiago, told a news conference ahead of the three days of closed-door meetings. The scandal has devastated the credibility of the Church in the once staunchly Catholic country. It has also hurt the pope's own image because this year he strongly defended a bishop accused in the alleged cover-up before reversing his position. Bishop Juan Ignacio Gonzalez of the city of San Bernardo said he could not rule out some of the tainted bishops resigning or being sacked, as many Chileans have demanded. "It does not depend on us. Each person must decide this together with the pope," he said. One of the key bishops in the crisis is Juan Barros, whom the pope appointed to the southern city of Osorno in 2015 despite allegations that he had covered up sexual abuse of minors by his mentor, Father Fernando Karadima. Barros has said he was unaware of any wrongdoing. Luis Badilla, a Rome-based Chilean commentator for the Vatican-affiliated blog "Il Sismografo", called for "exemplary and educational decisions" by the pope to put the Chilean Church back on course. A Vatican statement said that at the start of the meeting the pope handed each bishop a list of themes on which they should meditate and pray before the start of the next encounter on Wednesday. During his trip to Chile in January, the pope said he had no proof against Barros, believed he was innocent, and that accusations against him were "slander" until proven otherwise. But days after returning to Rome, the pope, citing new information, sent sexual abuse investigator Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta to Chile to speak to victims, witnesses and other Church members. He produced a 2,300-page report that will be discussed at the Vatican meetings. VICTIMS FELT DEMONISED, DISCREDITED Victims have also accused other bishops of either covering up the abuse by Karadima, of delaying investigations, or of discrediting victims in the media and demonizing them in private conversations and emails. Last month, Francis held four days of meetings with Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and Jose Andres Murillo, three men abused by Karadima when they were teenagers in Santiago. They said in a statement afterwards that they had been "treated as enemies" by Chilean Church leaders for 10 years. Karadima, who trained some of the bishops for the priesthood decades ago, was found guilty in a Vatican investigation in 2011 of abusing boys in Santiago in the 1970s and 1980s. He never faced civilian justice because of the statute of limitations. Now 87 and living in a nursing home in Chile, Karadima has always denied the allegations. At the pre-meeting news conference, Gonzalez said he had met many victims and knew the three who met the pope last month. One of the victims, Cruz, later tweeted: "I've never seen him before in my life. The truth according to the bishops of Chile is very different from what we all have lived." In a stern statement last Saturday, the Vatican indicated that the pope intended to be tough. It spoke of "cover-ups and grave omissions regarding the victims" and said the meetings would seek to determine "collective and individual responsibility for these devastating wounds". In a homily at his daily morning Mass on Tuesday, without specifically mentioning Chile, Francis said every bishop should know "when its time to take his leave and step down". (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
UPDATE: 12:35 a.m. ETThe AP has declared that the race between Eastman and Ashford is "too close to call."

BREAKING: The Democratic primary race for a Nebraska congressional seat is too close to call between a former congressman and a social worker. Trending: Humanitarians on the High Seas: Freedom Flotilla Sets Sail for Gaza  AP Politics (@AP_Politics) May 16, 2018







UPDATE: 12:30 a.m. ETStill no official winner in the battle between Eastman and Ashford, although the lead for Eastman is now over 500 votes. In Oregon, meanwhile, the race for governor in November will be between Democrat incumbent Kate Brown and Republican challenger Knute Buehler. Results so far harder to come by in Idaho.

UPDATE: 11:35 p.m. ETWith 100 percent of precincts now reporting, Kara Eastman has a 163-vote lead over Brad Ashford, with a recount now likely.

UPDATE: 11:10 p.m. ETSome results that have come in: Jane Reybould is the Democratic nominee to take on Republican incumbent Deb Fischer for her Senate seat from Nebraska and Democrat Bob Krist will face off with Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts in the battle for Nebraska governor.

UPDATE: 11:00 p.m. ETThe final polls have now closed in both Idaho and Oregon. Meanwhile, there are still results to come in in Pennsylvania and Nebraska.

UPDATE: 10:45 p.m. ETIncredibly, it's now even closer in the battle between Ashford and Eastman. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, just 68 votes separate the two Democratic candidates for Nebraska's 2nd District seat. Ashford still just narrowly ahead.

UPDATE: 10:30 p.m. ETIt's painfully close in the battle for the Democratic nomination for Nebraska's 2nd District seat. With 87 percent of precincts reporting, establishment pick Brad Ashford has a lead of less than 100 votes over first-time female candidate Kara Eastman.

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UPDATE: 10:06 p.m. ETThe AP has called Scott Wagner as the victor in Pennsylvania's Republican gubernatorial primary. Wagner will take on Democratic incumbent Tom Wolf in November.

UPDATE: 9:52 p.m. ET Lou Barletta has been called as the winner by the AP of the Republican primary for Democrat Bob Casey's Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat. Barletta was an early Trump supporter and received the backing of the president via robocalls in the closing days of the race.

UPDATE: 9:45 p.m. ETIncumbent Deb Fischer has won the Republican primary for her U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska, with the AP calling the result despite just 10 percent of precincts reporting.

UPDATE: 9:40 p.m. ETThere's a potential upset brewing in Nebraska, where, in the Democratic primary for the 2nd District, progressive newcomer Kara Eastman has a narrow lead over establishment former congressman Brad Ashford with 49 percent of precincts reporting.

UPDATE: 9:30 p.m. ETThe race is tightening in the Democratic primary for the House seat in Pennsylvania's 1st District, with veteran Rachel Reddick trailing self-funded millionaire Scott Wallace by five points.

UPDATE: 9:15 p.m. ETIn the Pennsylvania Republican primary for Bob Casey's Senate seat, Barletta is up 58 percent to 42 percent over Christiana with almost a quarter of precincts reporting.

UPDATE: 9:05 p.m. ETA couple of races have already been called by the Associated Press in Pennsylvania, both in favor of incumbents on the Democratic side. In House District 2, Brendan Boyle has gotten the better of Michele Lawrence and in the 3rd District Dwight Evans has beaten Kevin Johnson.

UPDATE: 9:00 p.m. ETPolls are now closed in Nebraska, where there are primaries on both the Democratic and Republican side for incumbent Deb Fischer's U.S. Senate seat as well as for three House seats. The race for state governor is also in play.

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UPDATE: 8:43 p.m. ETWith two percent of precincts reporting, Barletta now has a narrow lead over Christiana. In the battle for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania governor, Paul Mango has a slim early advantage over Scott Wagner.

UPDATE: 8:23 p.m. ETThe first precincts are starting to report results in Pennsylvania. In one of the most eagerly watched races, Jim Christiana has an early lead over the Trump-backed Lou Barletta in the battle to win the Republican nomination to take on Democratic Senator Bob Casey. Still very early at this point.

UPDATE: 8:00 p.m. ETPolls have now closed in Pennsylvania, where there are 21 contested congressional primaries, so expect preliminary results to soon start dripping in.

UPDATE: 7:40 p.m. ET Twenty minutes until the polls close in Pennsylvania and election officials are having to battle power outages in multiple polling places thanks to severe thunderstorms sweeping through the area. In some case, voting machines needed to rely on battery backup in order to keep running.

Original Story:

Key steps will be taken toward the 2018 midterms Tuesday when four more states, including the keenly watched state of Pennsylvania, will hold primary elections. Votes will be held in Idaho, Nebraska and Oregon, but it is in Pennsylvania, where Democrats are looking to make major inroads in November, where the attention will be focused.

Related: Will Democrats Flip the House? Primaries in Pennsylvania Could Foretell Party's Chances

President Donald Trump shocked most observers when narrowly winning the state in the 2016 election, becoming the first Republican to do so in nearly three decades and propelling himself to the White House. But Democrats are now pinning their hopes on the Rust Belt state being at the forefront of a blue revival later this year.

There are several reasons for that optimism. Notably, Trumps approval rating has sunk to just 39 percent in Pennsylvania, compared with 55 percent disapproving of the presidents performance, according to an April Muhlenberg/Morning Call poll.

There is the matter, too, of this being the first election in which the states congressional map recently redrawn by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will be in effect. After the last map was found to be an unconstitutional gerrymander, the new version looks significantly more favorable for Democrats.

Finally, three sitting Republican congressmen including Representative Charlie Dent, have announced that they will not be seeking re-election, opening the door for Democrats who will face off Tuesday. The party will hope Pennsylvania yields several of the pickups en route to a 23-seat swing it needs to gain back control of the House of Representatives from the GOP.

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REUTERS/Charles Mostoller/File Photo

Before getting to that point, however, Democrats, in Pennsylvania as well as in Nebraska, must settle some internal division between its progressive and moderate wing.

The night will also provide a further indication of Trumps pulling power. The president has rallied behind one of his earliest supporters, Representative Lou Barletta, who is seeking to win the right to take on Democratic Senator Bob Casey in November.

The polls in Pennsylvania will close at 8 p.m. EDT, in Nebraska at 9 p.m. EDT, Idaho at 10 or 11 p.m. EDT and Oregon at 11 p.m. EDT. Check back for live updates and results as the night progresses.

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Madrid (AFP) - Hundreds of people took to the streets of Madrid and Barcelona on Wednesday to demand the Spanish government fulfil its promise to finance an ambitious plan to fight domestic violence.

"There is no lack of money, there is a lack of will," the protesters chanted in Madrid as they made their way from the equality ministry to parliament.

About 500 people, mainly women, also took to the streets of Barcelona, Spain's second largest city.

The protesters demanded the government's budget for 2018 include an annual increase of 200 million euros ($238 million) in spending on efforts to end domestic violence that was pledged in a state pact against gender violence agreed to in December.

While the protests were backed by Spain's main unions, they were far smaller than recent demonstrations against the controversial acquittal of five men accused of gang-raping an 18-year-old woman at Pamplona's bull running festival.

The men were sentenced instead to the lesser charge of sexual abuse.

Health Minister Dolors Montserrat in December called the pact against gender violence a "historic agreement" which includes more than 200 measures "to end this scourge".

At the time she promised one billion euros in extra funding over the next five years to the cause.

"This government is unpresentable, it has the habit of promising and then not fulfilling," said Maria Sanchez, a 68-year-old pensioner in Madrid.

She told AFP that she came to the march on behalf of her two daughters and two granddaughters.

Jimena Manteca, a 22-year political science student, said women had "woken up and we are not going to be silent".

A total of 583 women were killed in Spain by their partner or former partner between 2008 and 2017.

Domestic violence is a high profile issue in Spain and each death gets intense media attention, with parties across the political spectrum having vowed to stamp out the problem.
A Qatari investor on Tuesday confirmed that he sat in on meetings at Trump Tower shortly after President Donald Trump was elected. The revelation from Ahmed Al-Rumaihi came after the matter was highlighted on Twitter by Michael Avenatti, the lawyer representing adult film star Stormy Daniels in a lawsuit against the president.

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Al-Rumaihi had not previously revealed why he attended the meetings in December 2016 with Trump transition officials.

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"Mr. Al-Rumaihi was at Trump Tower on December 12, 2016. He was there in his then role as head of Qatar Investments, an internal division of QIA, to accompany the Qatari delegation that was meeting with Trump transition officials on that date," a spokesperson for the company Sport Trinity, which Al-Rumaihi co-owns, told CNN. "He did not participate in any meetings with Michael Flynn, and his involvement in the meetings on that date was limited."

No further details on the content of the meetings was provided by the spokesperson.

Following the statement, Avenatti, whose clients legal name is Stephanie Clifford, tweeted CNNs story and wrote, Once again, we have been proven right. More UGLY details to follow.

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On Tuesday morning, Avenatti tweeted a story by Slate that claimed that meetings Trumps lawyer Michael Cohen had with Trumps former national security adviser Flynn could unveil more about the controversial Steele dossier alleging collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russia. Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is cooperating with special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation.

Avenatti on Sunday on Twitter posed the questions: Why was Ahmed Al-Rumaihi meeting with Michael Cohen and Michael Flynn in December 2016 and why did Mr. Al-Rumaihi later brag about bribing administration officials according to a sworn declaration filed in court?"

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A source with knowledge on the Qataris' meetings at the tower told CNN, "There were several meetings that took place between the delegation and Trump transition officials. During one, Michael Cohen briefly popped in."

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Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




Muslims across the United States will mark the start of Ramadan, a holy month that involves daily fasting and prayers, on Tuesday. Ramadan is observed a day earlier in some parts of the world due to a moon-sighting methodology that leads countries to announce the start of the holy month on differing days.

When does Ramadan begin and end?

Ramadan is the ninth of the Islamic calendar and is dependent on a moon-sighting methodology, which requires a physical new moon sighting. In the United States, Ramadan begins on the evening of May 15 and is scheduled to end a month later on the evening of June 14. The holy month will end between June 14 and June 16 in different parts of the world.

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REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

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The final 10 nights of Ramadan include intense prayer and are followed by a three-day holiday called Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Fitr, which means festival of breaking the fast, marks the end of the month of Ramadan. The celebration is also dependent on the new moon, so its starting day varies each year from country to country, Al Jazeera reported.

Eid al-Fitr celebrations traditionally begin with morning prayers followed by a short sermon. According to Al Jazeera, clothing is an important aspect of Eid, with many wearing new clothes during the three-day holiday. Popular sayings during this celebration include Eid mubarak (Blessed Eid) and Eid said (Happy Eid).

What happens during Ramadan?

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are expected to pray and fast from dusk to dawn. Observers are allowed to eat a pre-dawn meal, including power foods like dates, yogurt and fava beans, to get them through the day, according to USA Today.

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The daily fast will first be broken with a sip of water and some dates at sunset, NBC News reported. Following sunset prayers, Muslims will celebrate with friends and family with a nightly feast called iftar. Mosques and aid organizations are known to set up free iftar meals for the public each night of Ramadan.

Muslims are not only required to fast during daylight hours, but must also abstain from sexual intercourse between spouses, smoking, swearing, arguments or gossip. In some countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, people seen not adhering to the food fast can be fined or jailed.

Some people are exempt from fasting. Children, the elderly, those who are sick, women who are menstruating, pregnant or nursing, and travelers are excluded from fasting.

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The Islamic holy month of Ramadan was to arrive in Gaza just as the Palestinian enclave was rocked by ongoing protests to which Israeli security forces have responded with deadly force, prompting an international outcry over the bloodshed.

Ramadan's date is dictated by the lunar calendar and was initially scheduled to begin Tuesday evening, meaning it would coincide with the annual remembrance of the Nakba, the Arabic-language term for "catastrophe" that refers to the mass displacement of Palestinians in the wake of the 1948 founding of Israel and the war with its neighboring Arab states that immediately ensued. The beginning of the holy month also arrived while the Gaza Ministry of Health reported up to 60 Palestinians killed and 2,770 more injured the day before by Israeli forces responding to demonstrations against the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, a holy city claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians.

Instead of celebrating Ramadan, many Palestinians were burying their dead in the wake of the bloodiest day in Gaza since a 2014 war between Israel and Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the self-ruling territory that borders both Egypt and Israel, as the Associated Press reported. Others continued to protest armed with rocks and burning tires as Israel reportedly killed at least two more demonstrators during the "March for Return" Tuesday.

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Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

Israel has defended its actions, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying it was necessary for every country to protect its borders and blaming Hamas for inciting the unrest. The White House closely aligned itself with the Israeli position, saying Monday that "Hamas is responsible" for the mounting Palestinian death toll and dismissed reports suggesting otherwise as a "propaganda attempt."

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Several other nations disagreed, however. Turkey expelled its Israeli ambassador and South Africa withdrew its own envoy to Israel. Ireland and Belgium both summoned their Israeli ambassadors over the deadly response to the demonstrations and the U. N. Security Council convened an emergency session. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley echoed Netanyahu, saying Israel was trying to defend its borders. She reportedly walked out as the Palestinian envoy started to speak.

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Trump's decision to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, upending decades of status quo and breaking with Washington's traditional policy, was condemned in a December U.N. General Assembly resolution, which passed 128-9. Saudi Arabia, a leading Middle East ally that broke rank with much of the international community to join Israel in welcoming Trump's decision to withdraw the U.S. from landmark nuclear accord with Iran last week, also "rejected" the move, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

As the violence raged on, Hamas has escalated its campaign against Israel, calling on the Palestinian Authority that controls the West Bank to cancel the 1990s Oslo agreements and for Palestinians to stage a third intifada or "uprising." Hamas, a close ally of the Muslim Brotherhood, was formed in the 1980s shortly after the outbreak of the First Intifada and was heavily involved in the Second Intifada of the early 2000s. The group has ties to both Iran and Saudi Arabia, but is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and the European Union. It took control of Gaza in a 2007 conflict that followed controversial elections in 2006, dividing it from the Palestinian Authority, which is run by the left-wing Fatah party.

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United Nations/Reuters

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is celebrated across the world by Muslims, who number about 1.6 billion or about a quarter of the world's population. The holiday begins on Tuesday in the U.S., but Saudi Arabia, Oman and some other Muslim nations have recently said its observance could begin as late as Thursday because the necessary phase of the moon was not spotted. Ramadan lasts for about 30 days and will end between June 14 and June 16, depending on the lunar cycle.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Cavusoglu said Tuesday that Turkey would seek to feed 100,000 Palestinians and provide $1 million dollars in assistance throughout the month of Ramadan.

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Rastan (Syria) (AFP) - The Syrian government retook full control of central Syria on Wednesday as rebels and their relatives were evacuated from final pockets of territory still outside the regime's grasp, an AFP correspondent reported.

The evacuations from areas straddling the boundary between Homs and Hama provinces came under a deal between rebel factions and the government.

Hundreds of people gathered in the centre of the town of Rastan in Homs province to welcome the return of government security forces and attend a flag-raising ceremony on the main square.

Nearby towns and villages in the areas of Talbiseh and Al-Hula were also evacuated, the official SANA news agency and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported.

"The last convoy of terrorists and their families exits northern Homs province and southern Hama province," SANA reported.

The armed factions, which the government systematically refers to as "terrorists", were transferred to Idlib province, which still largely escapes regime control.

A total of 34,500 people -- armed men and their families -- were transferred out of the area as part of the deal, according to the Britain-based Observatory.

"As of today, there is not one gunman left, no weapons left in the whole of Homs province," the province's governor, Talal Barazai, told AFP in Rastan.

Pockets of jihadists from the Islamic State group are however still thought to be active on the province's scarcely-populated far eastern edge.

The governor vowed that the Damascus-Hama highway would reopen "in the coming days".

With Iranian and Russian support, the Syrian government has reconquered swathes of territory it lost following the outbreak of the conflict in 2011.

Government and allied forces have almost finished retaking areas around the capital Damascus that had been held by jihadist and Islamist groups for year.

They have yet to seize back a small pocket still controlled by IS in southern Damascus, as well as a large part of the southern Daraa province and much of Idlib, in the northwest.

A large part of northern and eastern Syria is controlled by US-backed Kurdish forces who also fought against IS but want a level of autonomy that the regime refuses.

More than half of Syria 20-million-plus pre-war population has been displaced by the seven-year-old conflict, which the Observatory says has killed more than 350,000 people.
A Republican candidate in Georgia's gubernatorial race is bringing a deportation bus tour" to sanctuary cities throughout the U.S.

Georgia Senator Michael Williams premiered a commercial on Tuesday promoting a bus tour that would send undocumented immigrants back to where they came from.

Were going to implement my 287(g) deportation plan that is going fill this bus with illegals to send them back to where they came from, said Williams. Were not just going to track them and watch them roam around our state, were going to put them on this bus and send them home.

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Williams was a former co-chair of President Donald Trump's campaign in Georgia. The senator describes himself as "anti-political correctness, anti-liberal, anti-establishment, and pro-Georgia." According to his emails, Williams is a big supporter of the federal 287 (g) immigration program. which allows local and state law enforcement to work together with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest undocumented immigrants based on criminal charges unrelated to immigration.

The senator urged viewers to sign up for emails from deportationbus.com to receive the upcoming dates for the tour during the video.

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According to the video, the back of the bus reads Danger! Murderers, rapists, kidnappers, child molesters and other criminals on board. Right below is a Follow me to Mexico sign.

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If youre as tired as I am with politicians that do nothing but talk, and you want to see this bus filled with illegals, vote Michael Williams on May 22nd, Williams said.

Newsweek has reached out to Williams for comment about the tour but did not hear back in time for publication.

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In April, 225 people were detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New York over a span of six days. According to the agency, they detained 180 people that are convicted criminals or have pending criminal charges. ICE blamed New York City for having "created another magnet for more illegal immigration, all at the expense of the safety and security of the very people it purports to protect."

The Trump administration expanded immigration enforcement programs in Georgia in March, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported. There are four counties in the state currently participating.

The tour is set to begin in the Georgia counties of Clarkson, Decatur and Athens on May 16, according to a press release sent by the campaign. The tour is set to run from May 16 to May 21 with locations pending.

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Rex Tillerson came precipitously close to criticizing his former boss Wednesday.

In a commencement speech at Virginia Military Institute, the camera-shy former secretary of state gave his most public remarks since President Donald Trump ousted him from the White House in March.

As I reflect upon the state of American democracy, he told the Class of 2018, I observe a growing crisis in ethics and integrity.

Tillersons emphasis on integrity echoed his parting words to colleagues at the State Department in March. Then he went even further:

If our leaders seek to conceal the truth, or we as people become accepting of alternative realities that are no longer grounded in facts, then we as American citizens are on a pathway to relinquishing our freedom.

Tillersons time in Trump administration was marked by tension. He reportedly called the president a moron eight months before he was fired and replaced by then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

But the oil industry veteran has yet to directly criticize Trump. His speech, which began with a discussion on the globalized economy and stressed the value of friends and allies, is the closest he has come to attacking Trumps rhetoric and America First policy.

Tillersons hands are hardly clean on the subject of friends and allies. He earned a fortune as CEO of ExxonMobil, the oil behemoth that made common cause with despots (and helped push the climate toward catastrophe). He spent his tenure as secretary of state gutting Americas diplomatic corps.

His remarks on truth and fact appeared to be a comment on Trumps frequent use of lies, half-truths or exaggerations.

A commitment to facts binds us to other like-minded democratic nations, he said, distinguishing America from nondemocratic countries such as Russia.

Tillerson said its the responsibility of all Americans to recognize what truth is and is not, and what a fact is and is not. Citizens must also demand the countrys future be fact-based, not based on wishful thinking, not hoped-for outcomes made in shallow promises, but with a clear-eyed view of the facts as they are and guided by the truth that will set us free to seek solutions to our most daunting challenges, he said.

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When we as people, a free people, go wobbly on the truth  even on what seem the most trivial of matters  we go wobbly on America.

Ending on a dark note, he said that departing from the truth could mean American democracy as we know it is entering its twilight years.

Watch Tillersons full speech below.

Then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson departs the State Department after delivering parting remarks on March 22. He's been quiet since then on his time in the Trump administration. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)

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Moscow (AFP) - Moscow called Wednesday for the release of a Russian journalist detained in Ukraine for treason, condemning Kiev authorities for what it said was a repressive policy against the media.

"Russia will do everything to ensure its citizen is freed, and to prevent other journalists finding themselves in similar situations, whether they are Russian citizens or work for Russian media" foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a press briefing.

Kyrylo Vyshynsky, a dual Ukrainian-Russian national who works for Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti, was detained in Kiev on Tuesday where officials said he would be charged with treason for his "subversive" reporting to justify Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea.

They also said Vyshynsky later collaborated with separatist groups in eastern Ukraine, where a conflict that broke out following Crimea's seizure has cost some 10,000 lives.

RIA Novosti's offices in Kiev were raided on Tuesday by Ukrainian authorities and searched.

Vyshynsky has been transferred to the southern city of Kherson, where he is expected to appear in court of Thursday, said his lawyer Andriy Domansky.

The journalist "considers what happened to him as a provocation, persecution. He doesn't admit what they alleged against him," Domansky told AFP.

Zakharova accused Ukrainian authorities of a "repressive" policy against the media and expressed Russia's "indignation at the brutal violations of the freedom of the press in Ukraine".

Vyshynsky's arrest came just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin opened a bridge providing the first direct road connection from southern Russia to the Crimean peninsula.

The Kremlin, which had immediately condemned the journalist's arrest as "outrageous and scandalous", reiterated on Wednesday that Russia would respond.

However Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated Ukrainian journalists working in Russia had nothing to fear.

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"During all these difficult years Russia has never constrained your professional activities... Unfortunately our journalists working in Ukraine can't claim such treatment," Peskov told a press briefing.

Vyshynsky, 51, worked for several Ukrainian media outlets before becoming a correspondent for Russia's state television channel Rossiya for several years. He later joined RIA Novosti and received Russian nationality in 2015.

Both the EU and United States have said that while Ukraine has the right to protect its national security, it must respect human and legal rights.

"The EU attaches the highest importance to the freedom of expression and of the media," a spokesman told AFP.

But national security measures "must be done in full respect of fundamental rights and freedoms, including the European Convention for Human Rights," added the spokesman.

US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Tuesday that a lot of countries have concerns about the reach of Russian propaganda, but that "the arrests of journalists or searches taken of media outlets, if that is done, it has to be done in accordance with the law."

Meanwhile the Council of Europe said it "is concerned about the implications that repeated detentions of journalists may have for the situation with media freedom in Ukraine" and would follow the situation closely.
Moscow (AFP) - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was on Tuesday sentenced to 30 days behind bars for organising protests ahead of President Vladimir Putin's fourth inauguration.

Judge Dmitry Gordeyev of Moscow's Tverskoi district court found Navalny guilty of arranging the "unauthorised" demonstrations.

Navalny was also found guilty of disobeying police orders in separate charges later in the day.

The court heard testimony from one of the police officers who detained Navalny who said the group of 15 police had been authorised to use physical force.

The police officer said Navalny ignored megaphone warnings that the protest was illegal.

"I consider the detention was illegal, my rights were violated," Navalny said in court, arguing he had a constitutional right to hold a protest.

Navalny's lawyer Vadim Kobzev said the trial had "clearly political motives" as Putin begins his fourth Kremlin term.

"The authorities have started forming a government and now are striving by any means to deprive Navalny of freedom, to prevent him reacting to this process."

"What happens in court really has no relation to the judgement, the judgement probably already exists... they need to observe some formal steps but it has no relation to the result," Navalny told reporters following the adjournment.

The charismatic 41-year-old politician, who was barred from challenging Putin in March's presidential election, had called on Russians to stage rallies across the country on May 5 under the slogan "Not our Tsar".

Nearly 1,600 protesters were detained in 27 cities across Russia at the anti-Putin protests called "He's not our Tsar", according to OVD-Info, an independent monitor that tracks arrests.

Around one in 10 of those arrested were minors, according to the organisation.

Navalny himself was grabbed by police and carried away by his arms and legs shortly after appearing in Moscow's packed Pushkin square.

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The European Union condemned "police brutality and mass arrests" following the demonstrations, which saw officers in several cities beat protesters with truncheons and drag them along the ground.

Navalny has faced a string of charges since he became the leading opposition figure campaigning against Putin's rule at mass demonstrations in 2011 and 2012.

He was jailed three times last year for breaking rules on organising demonstrations and had to travel to Spain for surgery after one of several street attacks left him nearly blind in one eye.

Members of his team have also faced charges and young supporters have reported coming under pressure at school or university because of their involvement in his campaigns.

While in court on Tuesday, Navalny said the European Court of Human Rights had ruled in his favour after he filed a complaint over Russia's refusal to issue him with a new passport until last year, citing the fact he is serving a suspended sentence for fraud.
By Gleb Stolyarov

THE KERCH STRAIT (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, driving a truck, unveiled the auto section of a new road-and-rail bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula on Tuesday, defying Ukraine which said the move showed cynical disregard for international law.

Putin, at the wheel of an orange heavy KAMAZ dump-truck, drove 19 km (12 miles) across the bridge from the Kerch Strait. Some Russians are calling it "Putin's bridge", designed to link Crimea into Russia's transport network.

At a ceremony broadcast live on state TV, Putin, dressed in blue jeans, was met by cheering workers on the Crimean side after driving the truck in a convoy of vehicles.

"At last, thanks to your talent, this project, this miracle, has happened," Putin told the workers.

In Kiev, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said: "The illegal construction of the Kerch bridge is the latest evidence of the Kremlin's disregard for international law.

"It is particularly cynical that its opening is happening on the eve of the latest anniversary of the deportation of the Crimean-Tatar people by the Stalin regime."

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, drawing sanctions and prompting a deterioration in ties with the West. Many in Russia saw the move as restoring Moscow's rule over a historically Russian region.

Built at a cost of 223 billion roubles ($3.60 billion), the bridge will be the longest dual-purpose span in Europe. The Kremlin said it would be opened to cars on Wednesday and the rail section was due to be completed at the end of 2019.

"Putin initiated this project himself. Many didn't believe these plans were possible," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday ahead of the ceremony.

"This is an extremely important day from this point of view and in a practical sense and in symbolic terms."

The road stretch of the bridge was due to be completed by the end of 2018, but the opening was brought forward at Putin's request.

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Putin inspected the bridge in March ahead of the presidential election he won by a landslide, saying it was important to have the link to the Black Sea peninsula open for the summer tourist season.

The opening ceremony drew criticism from the West.

"France condemns the construction by Russia of the Kerch Bridge, which deprives Ukraine of full access and the use of its internationally recognized territorial waters," a French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert in a statement on Tuesday said the "bridge serves as a reminder of Russias ongoing willingness to flout international law" and said it was an attempt by Russia "to solidify its unlawful seizure and its occupation of Crimea" and impede navigation of the Kerch Strait.

The spokesperson of the European External Action Service said in a statement on Tuesday the bridge was "another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"The European Union continues to condemn the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia and will not recognise this violation of international law," the spokesperson said.

(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Additional reporting by Natalia Zinets in Kiev, Richard Lough in Paris and Lisa Lambert in Washington; Editing by Janet Lawrence and James Dalgleish)
If theres one thing you dont want to lose track of, its a near-Earth asteroida space rock that is uncomfortably close to our little blue planet. However, a new paper explained that scientists have done just that to more than 900 of these asteroids. Thankfully, these rocks have a low chance of hitting Earth and causing any damage.

A detailed report released in early May by astronomers from Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Massachusetts stated that about 11 percent of the more than 17,000 potential near-Earth asteroid candidates identified by the International Astronomical Unions Minor Planet Center from 2013 to 2016 were lost, New Scientist reported. This means that after their initial sighting, the asteroids coordinates were lost, making the objects unable to be followed up on or confirmed.

05_15_meteor

Sergei Gapon/AFP/Getty Images

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Potential near-Earth asteroids are asteroids that come within 30 million miles of Earths orbit, Space.com reported. There are tens of millions of space rocks that fit this category, but it's the larger ones that astronomers are most concerned with. In 2005, the U.S. government asked NASA to spot 90 percent of these asteroids that were 460 feet or larger, as these are the space rocks that could potentially cause damage if they came into contact with Earth.

According to the new report, the main reason that 11 percent of the potential near-Earth asteroids were lost was that the newly discovered near-Earth asteroid candidates were submitted for confirmation too late for them to be corroborated by a secondary source

We need to act fast, Peter Veres at the Minor Planet Center told New Scientist. Tomorrow, that object could be on the other side of the sky, and nobody really knows where it will be.

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What's more, bad weather and space objects that move too fast can also be underlying causes for these asteroids going unrecorded.

Unfortunately, being lost means that we dont know how close the asteroids may be to Earth now or how close they could get in the future. However, Veres told New Scientist that regardless of how close they get he doubts theyd be very large.

We believe that the largest ones  planetary killers larger than one kilometer  those are basically all found, said Veres.

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Although the lost asteroids are likely harmless, that doesnt mean weve found all the potentially dangerous asteroids out there. The NASA mission created to identify these large near-Earth objects aimed to have this feat completely by 2020. However, the agency likely wont meet this deadline, at least not without some serious robotic help.

Even if a large undetected asteroid did get too close, NASA has a plan. Although not as austere as Bruce Willis blowing up an asteroid in 1998's Armageddon, NASAs asteroid deflection mission is a form of planetary defense that aims to strike an impending asteroid in order to change its course.

This article was first written by Newsweek

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In his first appearance before a Senate committee, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt faced withering questions from Democrats about his ethical lapses, even as Republicans sought to shield him.

The hearing before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the interior and the environment was supposed to be about the EPAs budget request, but it was plain that Democrats would use the opportunity to question Pruitts conduct and character as the nations top environmental officer. He faces more than a dozen investigations into allegations including overspending on security measures and renting an apartment from a lobbyist.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt testifies before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on budget on Capitol Hill on May 16, 2018. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

Before the hearing began, the room filled with activists and reporters. The subcommittees chairwoman, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, noted that budget hearings rarely elicited such public interest. In seeking to carry out the Trump administrations agenda, Pruitt has emerged as a bete noire to the left, which regards him as a puppet of oil and gas barons. It is his conduct, however, that has emboldened critics, and even some Republicans are weary of his constant troubles. President Trump is not yet among them, having expressed confidence in Pruitt only days ago.

This was Pruitts second trip down Pennsylvania Avenue, where the EPA headquarters are located, to Capitol Hill. Late last month, he appeared before two separate House committees, where he faced tough questioning from Democrats. Since then, Pruitt has been described as increasingly isolated within the agency he runs.

Wednesdays appearance wasnt much better, even if it was lightly attended by legislators. He faced tough questioning from three Democrats on the subcommittee: ranking member Tom Udall of New Mexico, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont. The three forced Pruitt to confront uncomfortable allegations about the alleged chronic misuse of government resources. Pruitt, a former attorney general of Oklahoma, responded, sometimes testily, with what amounted to carefully worded evasions.

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This guy is a pretty slippery character, Udall admitted after the hearing, in response to a question from Yahoo News about whether Pruitt had answered any of the senators questions honestly.

Sen. Tom Udall questions EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt during a Senate hearing in Washington, D.C., on May 16, 2018. (Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Murkowski had opened the hearing by praising Pruitts record of repealing or delaying Obama-era regulations like the Waters of the United States rule (also known as the Clean Water Rule), which she said was overly restrictive. However, she also alluded to a series of issues that had arisen over his use of taxpayer resources and funds. Murkowski attributed some of the near-daily reports about Pruitts behavior to a gotcha age of political reporting, but she refused to absolve him of all responsibility, citing his close ties to lobbyists and penchant for first-class travel.

I do think there are legitimate questions that need to be answered, she told the administrator.

Udall followed and was not nearly so circumspect. Every day there seems to be a new scandal, with you at dead center, he said to Pruitt. Your tenure at the EPA is a betrayal of the American people. He noted that while Pruitt was a champion of states rights  or cooperative federalism, as he calls it  his budget proposed a drastic reduction in the funds sent to states for environmental work. This isnt cooperative federalism, Udall said, in a menacing drawl. Its flat-out abandonment.

For the most part, however, the Democrats sought to pin down just how much Pruitt knew about specific allegations: that he demanded an around-the-clock security detail to fend off threats to his life; his penchant for first-class airplane travel, supposedly also for the sake of security; the installation of a $43,000 private communications booth in his office; using emergency lights to travel the congested streets of Washington, D.C., including on one occasion to a meal at Le Diplomate, a popular French restaurant; a tweet sent from the EPA account that seemed to taunt Democrats over the confirmation of a Pruitt deputy.

Pruitt anticipated these questions in his opening statement and tried  as he had during House testimony  to blame agency staff for the troubles that could doom his tenure at the EPA. Processes at the agency were not properly instituted, he said, his use of the passive voice suggesting that he was helpless in the matter. I share your concerns about some of these decisions, Pruitt added. Earlier this week, the EPA opened an Office of Continuous Improvement whose Orwellian title appears to recognize the need to dispel the thickening cloud of scandal.

This hardly satisfied the Democrats. Udall lit into Pruitt about this behavior with the sirens around town, asking him bluntly if hed ever used emergency lights for non-emergency reasons. Pruitt retreated, as he often did during the lengthy hearing, into a pose of lawyerly deniability. Protocols regarding the use of sirens, Pruitt said, were followed to the best of my knowledge by each of the agents that served me.

OK, here we go, Udall said in response, eliciting laughter from the audience. During questioning, Pruitt said he could not recall ever asking for such measures, at which point Udall promptly introduced into the record an email from the former head of Pruitts security detail, Pasquale Nino Perrotta, that strongly suggested the use of emergency lights had been explicitly requested by Pruitt.

Members of the audience hold up signs that read Fire Him as Pruitt testifies before a Senate subcommittee on May 16, 2018. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

Mississippis Cindy Hyde-Smith and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, both Republicans, and Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, gave Pruitt an easier time, focusing their questions in part on the Superfund program and other environmental concerns.

Time and again, Udall who proved Pruitts most consistent tormentor, returning to the issue of Pruitts security detail, as well as his rental of a Capitol Hill room from a lobbyist. To me, thats the exact swamp that President Trump was trying to get rid of, Udall said, referencing Trumps campaign promise to shutter the revolving door between Capitol Hill and the lobbying firms of K Street. By all indications, that door remains as operational as ever. In the midst of the contentious exchange, Udall managed to extract from Pruitt the admission that a trusted adviser from Oklahoma who followed him to the EPA, Millan Hupp, helped Pruitt look for a permanent house in Washington. Pruitt said she did so on personal time.

By the hearings third hour, it was becoming clear that Pruitt would cede little ground, even as the barrage from Democrats continued. Republicans, meanwhile, did what they could to shield him.

Fish grinding, Murkowski said when it was her turn to speak. I ask every year. She then followed with a discussion of seafood effluent, to Pruitts likely relief. He can also take comfort in knowing that he will probably not be summoned back up the Hill anytime soon.

During the press conference Udall held afterward, his Democratic colleague Van Hollen said there was a growing recognition among Republican senators that Administrator Pruitt is toxic and hurting the administration by betraying the public trust. Van Hollen mused that Republicans may simply hope somehow Pruitt goes away and resigns. There is no indication that Scott Pruitt plans to do so.

Read more from Yahoo News:
The stock trades that the biggest hedge fund managers made in the first quarter have been revealed.

Hedge funds of a certain minimum size are required to disclose their long stock holdings in filings to the SEC known as 13-Fs. Of course, the filings only provide a partial picture since they do not show short positions or wagers on commodities and currencies. Whats more is these filings come out 45 days after the end of each quarter, so its possible they could have traded in and out of the positions.

Still, it does provide a partial look into where some of the top money managers have been placing money in the stock market.

Facebook gains friends

Facebooks stock was featured prominently in the news during the first quarter after the Cambridge Analytica data breach scandal came to light and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled on Capitol Hill. Still, many hedge funds grabbed shares of the social network.

Tiger Global, led by Chase Coleman, added 2,545,238 more shares of Facebook (FB). Colemans fund is a Tiger cub, or a hedge fund that was seeded by legendary hedge fund manager Julian Robertson of Tiger Management.

Billionaire Tiger cub Andreas Halvorsens Viking Global also loaded up on Facebook during the first quarter, adding 5.5 million more shares, bringing the entire stake north of 9.3 million shares. Fellow Tiger cub billionaire Rob Citrone of Discovery Capital also added to his Facebook stake, buying 806,600 more shares, bringing the funds position to 1.37 million shares. Citrones Discover Capital also bought calls on 2.3 million Facebook shares. Facebook remained the No. 1 position for Viking and Discovery.

Daniel Loeb, the activist hedge fund manager and CEO of Third Point, added another 600,000 shares to his existing Facebook stake, bringing the total position to 4 million shares at the end of the quarter. David Tepper, the founder of Appaloosa, also boosted his Facebook stake, adding 680,559 more shares to last hold just over 6.2 million at the end of the quarter.

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Daniel S. Loeb, founder of Third Point LLC. (REUTERS/Steve Marcus)

Activist hedge fund manager Barry Rosensteins JANA Partners sold its entire stake in Facebook, dropping 473,526 shares in the quarter. Billionaire Stanley Druckenmillers family-office hedge fund Duquesne Capital sold its entire Facebook stake of 1.08 million shares.

Dropping Apple

Teppers Appaloosa and Larry Robbinss Glenview Capital both exited their Apple (AAPL) stakes in the first quarter. Philippe Laffonts Coatue sold just over half of its Apple stake during the quarter.

Bloomberg noted that institutional investors abandoned Apple at a rate not seen since 2008.

Meanwhile, Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway added nearly 75 million shares of Apple during the first quarter, bringing the entire stake to just over 239.5 million shares, a position valued at more than $44.6 billion as of Tuesdays close.

Out of Amazon and into Alibaba

E-commerce was another area that saw a bunch of moves among the hedge funds.

Discovery Capital ditched all of its Amazon (AMZN) shares during the first quarter. Viking Global also shed most of its Amazon stake, selling 482,469, or about 93% of the position. Viking last held 35,751 shares of the e-commerce giant.

Meanwhile, Viking initiated a new position in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba (BABA), snapping up 2.2 million shares. Citrones Discovery Capital also boosted its Alibaba stake.

Andreas Halvorsen, CEO and a co-founder of Viking Global Investors. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Lee Ainslie, another Tiger cub and the founder of Maverick Capital, also added to Alibaba.

Loebs Third Point trimmed its Alibaba stake, selling 2 million shares to last hold 4 million of the e-commerce giant. Teppers Appaloosa also slightly pared back its Alibaba stake. The position remained a top 5 long equity holding for both Loeb and Tepper.

Cutting cable

Cable providers also saw some action. Laffonts Coatue and Halvorsens Viking Global both bailed on Time Warner (TWX), dumping their entire positions during the first quarter. Loebs Third Point sold 2 million shares of Time Warner and instead purchased call options on 2 million shares.

Rosensteins JANA Partners, Julian Robertsons Tiger Management, and Tiger Global closed their stakes in Comcast (CMCSA).

Healthcare moves

And lastly, healthcare stocks, which have been in the news frequently during the first quarter, gained favor among the hedge funds.

Billionaire Leon Coopermans Omega Advisors and Julian Robertsons Tiger Management disclosed new positions in UnitedHealth Group (UNH). Rosensteins JANA Partners also snapped up a new position in Anthem (ANTM), while Robertsons Tiger Management trimmed its stake by about half.

Billionaire Larry Robbins, the founder of Glenview Capital, disclosed a new stake in Express Scripts (ESRX). Robbins pitched Express Scripts as a long idea at the Sohn Conference earlier this month while downplaying the threat that Amazon poses to the healthcare industry, specifically the pharmaceutical sector.

Loebs Third Point exited its position in health insurer Aetna (AET), selling 1.85 million shares.

Below is a roundup of the biggest funds first quarter moves:

Appaloosa Management (David Tepper)

New: Wells Fargo (WFC)

Boosted: Micron Technologies (MU), Facebook (FB), Allergan (AGN)

Exited: Apple (AAPL)

Baupost Group (Seth Klarman)

New: PG&E (PCG), Tesla (TSLA) (PRN)

Boosted: Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD), 21st Century Fox (FOXA)

Trimmed: Amerisource Bergen (ABC)

Exited: Express Scripts (ESRX)

Coatue Management (Philippe Laffont)

New: Micron Technologies (MU), TAL Education (TAL)

Boosted: Twitter (TWTR)

Trimmed: Apple (AAPL), Nvidia (NVDA), Netflix (NFLX), Snap Inc. (SNAP)

Exited: Bank of America (BAC), Time Warner (TWX), Alphabet (GOOGL)

Discovery Capital (Rob Citrone)

New: iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM)

Boosted: Alibaba (BABA), Facebook (FB)

Exited: Amazon(AMZN), Bank of America (BAC)

Duquesne Capital (Stanley Druckenmiller)

New: Micron Technologies, Alibaba, Netflix

Exited: Facebook, Wells Fargo

Glenview Capital (Larry Robbins)

New: Express Scripts (ESRX), FedEx (FDX), Facebook

Trimmed: Anthem

Exited: Apple (AAPL)

JANA Partners (Barry Rosenstein)

New: Anthem (ANTM), AutoDesk (ADSK)

Boosted: Pinnacle Foods (PF), Jack In The Box (JACK)

Exited: Facebook (FB), Comcast (CMCSA)

Maverick Capital (Lee Ainslie)

New: Mohawk Industries (MHK)

Boosted: Alphabet (GOOG), Alibaba (BABA), Intel, Lowes (LOW)

Trimmed: Molson Coors (TAP)

Marcato Capital (Mick McGuire)

New: Univar (UNVR), Astec Industries (ASTE)

Boosted: InterActiveCorp (IAC)

Exited: Sothebys (BID)

Omega Advisors (Leon Cooperman)

New: Thermo Fisher (TMO), UnitedHealth

Boosted: United Continental (UAL), Citigroup (C)

Trimmed: Shire (SHPG)

Exited: Zynga (ZNGA)

Pershing Square Capital (Bill Ackman)

New: United Technologies (UTX)

Trimmed: Restaurant Brands (QSR), Mondelez (MDLZ), ADP (ADP), Howard Hughes (HHC)

Exited: Nike (NKE)

Third Point LLC (Daniel Loeb)

New: United Technologies, Wynn Resorts (WYNN)

Boosted: Facebook, TimeWarner (TWX) (CALL)

Exited: Aetna (AET), TimeWarner (TWX)

Tiger Global (Chase Coleman)

New: Twitter (TWTR)

Boosted: Facebook, Netflix (NFLX)

Exited: Comcast (CMCSA), Alphabet (GOOGL) (GOOG)

Tiger Management (Julian Robertson)

New: Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) (CALL), UnitedHealth Group (UNH), Workday (WDAY), eBay (EBAY)

Boosted: JPMorgan Chase (JPM)

Trimmed: Anthem (ANTM)

Exited: Comcast (CMCSA), S&P500 SPDR ETF (SPY) (PUT)

Viking Global (Andreas Halvorsen)

New: Alibaba (BABA)

Boosted: Facebook (FB), Wells Fargo (WFC), Anthem

Trimmed: Amazon (AMZN)

Existed: TimeWarner (TWX)



Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.
After falling out of the Hollywood spotlight relatively early in her career, Margot Kidder continued to lead a happy, productive life, appearing in a number of small films, advocating for mental health awareness, fighting for political causes and enjoying small town living in Montana.

The actress, who died on Sunday at her home in Livingston, Montana, at the age of 69, didnt give a s about getting old, her friend Frank DAngelo, who directed her in her final film, told PEOPLE.

I think she had enough of Hollywood because in Hollywood, her motto was, when you turn 30 and if you dont do stuff with producers  and Im being cordial here  youre not going to be in any movies, DAngelo added.

Kidder rose to fame in 1978 for her role as Lois Lane in Superman opposite Christopher Reeve. She and Reeve would go on to appear in three more Superman movies together, with the final film premiering in 1987, but both had difficulty finding quality work after finishing the franchise.

Her struggle with bipolar disorder, which became highly publicized after a 1996 manic episode left her homeless for a time, also likely contributed to her careers decline. After receiving treatment, Kidder went on to become a lifelong advocate for mental health awareness. She was completely open, DAngelo said of her struggles with mental health. She was homeless and she didnt regret that. To her that was an experience.

Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve.

Kidders openness to new experiences could also cause problems later her in life, according to Cara Wilder, actor and co-founder of Bozeman Actors Theatre. She always took in people in her house in Livingston because she had a big house and plenty of room but she got into trouble because people took advantage of her, she explained.

Wilder continued, She didnt live her life terribly carefully I dont think. She needed to make money in these last few years so she would go to [fan] conventions where they paid her a lot of cash to sign things.

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After recovering from her breakdown in 1996, Kidder began taking on a number of smaller roles in various off-beat projects. Im not choosy at all! Ill do practically anything, she told The Advocate in 2008. Im the biggest whore on the block. I live in a little town in Montana, and you have to drag me out of here to get to L.A., so Im not readily available. But unless its something sexist or cruel, I just love to work. Ive done all sorts of things, but you just havent seen them because theyre often very bad and shown at 4 in the morning.

She made a total of five films with DAngelo, including her final film, 2017s The Neighborhood, and 2016s The Red Maple Leaf, which featured a star-studded cast including James Caan, Kris Kristofferson and Mira Sirvino. Everybody on the set loved her. Everybody gravitated to her, DAngelo told PEOPLE.

Outside of acting, Kidder continued to be politically active throughout her later life. She was the Montana State Coordinator for Progressive Democrats of America as recently as 2009, and in 2011, she and dozens of other protestors were arrested while protesting the Keystone Pipeline.

Margot Kidder in 2010.

She was a vocal supporter of Bernie Sanders presidential bid and hosted a dinner event by the Yellowstone County Democrats in Billings, Montana titled Billings for Bernie. When Hillary Clinton was chosen as the Democrats candidate for president at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, she wrote, I am not an American tonight  I reject the words I voiced at my citizenship ceremony. (Kidder, born in Canada, became an American citizen in 2005).

We were very politically active so we had that in common, Wilder told PEOPLE. She absolutely led an unapologetic life. She had no qualms about being who exactly she was, saying things very much out loud wherever she was.

Wilder noted that Kidder also went to Standing Rock in North Dakota, where she protested the Dakota Access Pipeline. This woman, who was that old, going by herself to stand with these people. She wouldnt let her health or her finances stand in her way of what she felt she needed to do to help people.

Kidder, whose cause of death has not yet been made public, is remembered by her daughter Maggie, 41, with whom she had a rocky relationship, Wilder said.

Its a shame how people remember her, as either Lois Lane or the crazy actress, she was so much more than that, Wilder added. She was such a caring person, I know she had difficulty with some members of her family but I didnt know her that way at all.
Salesforce (CRM) CEO Marc Benioff used bold language in an interview with CBS This Morning when he called Facebook (FB) the new cigarettes of our industry.

Its a technology thats addictive, it may not be that great for you, and it might be something that you want to go back to, said Benioff, whose company focuses on cloud computing. So maybe this is a time where the government has to step in and regulate.

The Salesforce CEOs strong words come amid a time of turmoil for Facebook. Last month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled in Congress after the social network revealed that a consulting firm tied to President Donald Trumps campaign had improperly accessed the data of up to 87 million users.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff REUTERS/Mike Blake

Subsequently, House Democrats released a trove of Russia-backed Facebook ads aimed at sowing discord during the 2016 presidential election.

We could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer

The scandals have cast a negative light over big tech as a whole, and Benioff is not the first CEO in the industry to call out Facebook. Just this weekend, Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook moved beyond the usual platitudes in his graduation speech at Duke University when he broached the subject of data privacy.

We reject the notion that getting the most out of technology means trading away your right to privacy, so we choose a different path  collecting as little of your data as possible, and being thoughtful and respectful when its in our care, said Cook, whose speech was live streamed on Yahoo Finance. Because we know it belongs to you.

Cook got another Facebook dig in during an interview with Recodes Kara Swisher last month, when he pointed out that Facebook earns money from users data.

The truth is we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer. If our customer was our product, we could make a ton of money. Weve elected not to do that, Cook said, generating applause from the audience, according to a transcript.

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Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

Another big-tech CEO, Netflixs (NFLX) Reed Hastings, has also taken pride in the fact that his company has a revenue source thats divorced from users data.

Im very glad we built a business not to be ad-supported but to be based on subscription, Hastings said on the companys earnings interview last month, which Yahoo Finances JP Mangalindan noted was an apparent reference to Facebooks core business.

Were very different from the ad-supported business, and weve always been very big on protecting all of our members viewing. We dont sell advertising. So, I think were substantially inoculated from the other issues that are happening in the industry  and thats great.

Lesser-known tech CEOs also weigh in on Facebook

Another tech CEO, Tinders Elie Seidman, also sought to differentiate his company from the social network during an interview earlier this month with Yahoo Finances JP Mangalindan. That interview came the same week that Facebook revealed that its launching an online dating platform, prompting Seidman to point out that Tinder, unlike Facebook, does not rely on advertising dollars. It is that reliance that might encroach on users privacy, as companies can use peoples data to target their ads.

We dont have a lot of the data complexity, and we dont sell data, Seidman said. Then, he added, Our members are paying us, and I think thats a really important idea, which is that we make money if our members have a better experience.

Other tech CEOs have supported new regulation to rein in Facebook, including Ashish Toshniwal, who runs the app developer Y Media Labs. If Washington decides to regulate Facebook, I think that would be a good thing, Toshniwal told CBS This Morning. And I feel it will be good for Facebook as well. Like, lot of people who do not have the trust in Facebook, will probably have more trust if Facebook is regulated.

Ripping apart the social fabric of how society works

Figures in the tech industry with past ties to Facebook have also voiced concerns over data privacy and the purportedly addictive nature of the social network.

Last year, former Facebook executive Chamath Palihapitiya told a group of Stanford Graduate School of Business students that he felt guilty about helping to create Facebook. I think we have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works, he told the students.

Chamath Palihapitiya, Founder and CEO of Social Capital. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

And last month, former Facebook employee Sandy Parakilas told NPR that he was concerned about the social networks desire to access users data.

They have a business model that is going to push them continuously down a road of deceiving people, he says. Its a surveillance advertising business model.

Of course, Facebook is not the only tech giant to rely on personal data for its revenue. As the Wall Street Journals Christopher Mims noted, theres a giant company that has even more of your data than Facebook  Google (GOOG, GOOGL). But for now at least, it seems Facebook is the poster child for big techs big brother-like tendencies.

Erin Fuchs is deputy managing editor at Yahoo Finance.

Read more:

How Americas tech giants have reached crisis mode

7 years ago, Sprint fought a brazenly anti-competitive telecom deal

Why havent more big-company CEOs been exposed for sexual misconduct?
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's southern city of Shenzhen gave the green light to tech giant Tencent Holdings to test its self-driving car on some public roads as the country seeks to bolster its position in the global race for autonomous vehicle technology. Tencent obtained a license plate for its self-driving car from the Shenzhen Transport Bureau, state news agency Xinhua said on Monday. It follows Beijing move in April to issue national guidelines for testing self-driving cars, which was reported by the China Daily newspaper. China is making a major push into autonomous vehicles to develop national champions to compete with global leaders such as Waymo, the self-driving arm of Google parent Alphabet Inc, and Tesla Inc. Beijing, Shanghai and other Chinese cities previously announced local guidelines for self-driving tests. Internet giant Baidu Inc already has approval to test self-driving vehicles in Beijing, while SAIC Motor Corp Ltd and electric vehicle start-up NIO have licences to test autonomous cars in Shanghai. Xinhua said several cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing, have issued self-driving car licenses after testing regulations came into effect. Following two high-profile crashes in the United States involving Uber Technologies [UBER.UL] and Tesla, China's central government officials said Beijing would make safety a priority. The Shenzhen Transport Bureau required Tencent's autonomous car to have both a driver and second person for safety reasons to be in the car during tests, Xinhua reported. (Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu; Editing by Edmund Blair)
Brussels (AFP) - Tens of thousands of people marched through the Belgian capital Brussels on Wednesday to protest the centre-right government's plans to reform pensions.

Police said 55,000 people took part in the demonstration against a points-based retirement system and the planned increase in the retirement age from 65 to 67 years around 2030.

Unions said there were 70,000 protesters. Police said some 25,000 took part in a similar protest in December.

"We want a pension scheme that is enough to live on, not work more for less," CSC union leader Marie-Helene Ska told Belga news agency.

The FGTB union has for months called for keeping the retirement age at 65 years old, despite a law parliament passed in 2016 to set the age at 67-years-old around 2030.

The union said workers involved in hardship jobs should be able to take their full pension at 60-years-old or even before.

Prime Minister Charles Michel's government has "significantly reduced the rights of future pensioners in a way that has not been seen since World War II," his socialist predecessor Elio Di Rupo told RTBF broadcaster as he marched in the procession.

One year from parliamentary elections in Belgium, the socialist party has pledged to reverse the reforms agreed in the current legislature if it returns to power.
Tomi Lahren responded to the genealogist who researched her family history after the former Fox News host blasted immigrants who come to the U.S. with no English language skills.

But Lahren didnt seem to understand the point of journalist and genealogist Jennifer Mendelsohns Sunday findings.

A woman over the weekend took it upon herself to research my family history, in the hopes of digging up some kind of a GOTCHA moment, the former host of The Blaze told Fox and Friends on Tuesday, saying it was A GOTCHA angle to validate illegal immigration and open borders.

Mendelsohn tweeted on Sunday that, according to the 1930 census, one of Lahrens ancestors was living in the United States for 41 years and still spoke German. Additionally, another of Lahrens relatives spoke no English after living in the United States for ten years.

.@TomiLahren hits back after The View hosts mock her ancestry: Take on Elizabeth Warrens next pic.twitter.com/Sp6mh7dtlq  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) May 15, 2018

She found that my family who came here in the 1800s from Norway and Germany, that they spoke Norwegian and German. And, really, what she did is prove that my family came here legally, Lahren said in rebuttal to Mendelsohn.

But what she was hoping to do was try to call me a hypocrite for believing in merit-based immigration. Again, she failed miserably, she added.

Mendelsohn specifically tweeted that her findings were not about playing gotcha, adding that as long as people like Lahren continue to push a specious agenda that suggests todays immigrants are somehow wholly different from previous ones, Ill keep showing just how alike they really are.

But Lahrens rant continued.

This really isnt what she calls resistance genealogy. Its just another symptom of Trump derangement syndrome, the 25-year-old said.

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Mendelsohn also tweeted that her intention was to show that people are people, and always have been.

What Im trying to show here is that these nativists cant keep trying to back up their argument by saying the country doesnt work this way when clearly it does, and has: for their families. So why do they *really* not want these people here? Thats what we need to dig out.

Despite those clear explanations for why Mendelsohn shared what her post, Lahren said she was very happy that someone had such a fascination with her family history.

Im hoping that she will take on Elizabeth Warrens next, Lahren said.

Tomi Lahrens rich, dynamic and complex family history is a quintessentially American story, Mendelsohn told HuffPost by email on Tuesday. And a perfect reminder that this country has always afforded those who arrive with so little the opportunity to make a better life here. I believe it should remain that way.

Also on HuffPost

Donald Trump

"You're going to have a deportation force, and you're going to do it humanely. Don't forget ... that you have millions of people that are waiting in line to come into this country and they're waiting to come in legally. And I always say the wall, we're going to build the wall. It's going to be a real deal. It's going to be a real wall." - November 2015

Marco Rubio

"I personally do not believe that it's good for America to have millions of people permanently living here who can never become Americans, who want to be Americans, who love America, but just can't become Americans." - December 2015

Ted Cruz

"Listen, the commonsense principles that most of us understand and most Americans agree with on immigration are not complicated. It's legal? Good. Illegal? Bad." - November 2015

Jeb Bush

"There should be a path to earned legal status for those that are here -- not amnesty -- earned legal status, which means you pay a fine and do many things over an extended period of time." - August 2015

Carly Fiorina

If you have come here illegally and stayed here illegally, then you don't get a pass to citizenship. - June 2015

Ben Carson

"The key thing is we have to secure all our borders -- north, south, east and west. ... And then turn off the spigot that dispenses all the things that they are coming here to get. Then there wont be any reason for them to do it." - July 2015

Rand Paul

"It's an absurd idea, to round up 11 million. What's absurd about his idea is not only the rounding up part. [Donald Trump] says, 'oh, we're gonna welcome them all back, most of them are coming back.' Well if you take the time to send them home for breaking the law, why would you then immediately say you could come back. It's an absurd idea." - November 2015

Chris Christie

At any moment, FedEx can tell you where that package is. ... Yet we let people come to this country with visas, and the minute they come in, we lose track of them. We need to have a system that tracks you from the moment you come in. - August 2015

Mike Huckabee

"A country that does not have secure borders is really not a country anymore. ... [The U.S. must] stem the tide of the people who are rushing over because they've heard there's a bowl of food just across the border." - March 2015

Rick Santorum

Until this summer, I was the only candidate who had a message focused on helping American workers by putting common sense limits on this surge of immigrants. This is not anti-immigrant, this is pro-worker." - August 2015

John Kasich

"I don't favor citizenship because, as I teach my kids, you don't jump the line to get into a Taylor Swift concert." - August 2015

George Pataki

"I share the frustration, yes I think [Donald Trump] has tapped into a chord of people who do not want to see millions of people come here illegally, but that does not justify demonizing an entire group of people." - July 2015

Jim Gilmore

"I could not more emphatically disagree with [ending birthright citizenship]. Its very dangerous to begin to tinker with who gets to be a citizen, who doesnt get to be a citizen. And it is a dreadful message to be sent to young people right now who have citizenship and are going to feel like theyre not wanted. This is wrong. Its pandering. Its an awful-type of statement and it should be rejected summarily." - April 2015

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President Trump portrayed some immigrants crossing into the country illegally as animals while speaking Wednesday at a White House event targeting Californias sanctuary city policies.

We have people coming into the country, who are trying to come in, and were stopping a lot of them, but were taking people out of the country, you wouldnt believe how bad these people are, Trump said in reference to alleged gang members. These arent people. These are animals.

That broad-brush assertion itself is jarring, but not uncommon for Trump. In fact, its just the latest instance in which Trump has sought to dehumanize those he considers undesirable.

After a man angry over losing his job opened fire on a former office rival on Aug. 24, 2012, on the sidewalk outside the Empire State Building, Trump wasted little time rendering his judgment.

Terrible tragedy at the Empire State Building today. We must have fast trials and death penalty for the animals, Trump tweeted.

The gunman, however, was killed by police at the scene.

In fact, Trump often uses the word animal when advocating for swift capital punishment of those accused of crimes, as was the case with an Oklahoma man suspected in the murder of a female co-worker in September 2014.

The animal who beheaded the woman in Oklahoma should be given a very fast trial and then the death penalty. The same fate  beheading?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2014

Alton Nolen, 33, was found guilty of the crime three years later and was sentenced to death.

In a May 11, 2015, tweet, Trump demanded to know why there werent protests in favor of the two young police officers gunned down in Mississippi by two deranged animals at a traffic stop. He demanded the death penalty for the four suspects, one of whom, the suspected shooter, was later found dead in his cell while awaiting trail. The other suspects are now serving prison time for lesser charges.

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In the first debate of 2016 Republican presidential primaries, moderator Megyn Kelly asked Trump about using the term disgusting animal to describe women, which gave the candidate the opportunity for a memorable retort.

In effect, that response epitomizes Trumps threshold for calling others an animal: The word applies when he says so.

After he was elected president, Trump delivered a speech to Long Island law enforcement officers in which he extolled the virtues of violent policing when dealing with MS-13 gang members.

I was reading one of these animals was caught explaining they like to knife them and cut them and let them die slowly because that way its more painful. And they enjoy watching that much more, Trump said.

At a July campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, Trump returned to his portrayal of undocumented immigrants as animals.

And youve seen the stories about some of these animals. They dont want to use guns, because its too fast and not painful enough, Trump said, adding, And these are the animals weve been protecting for so long. Well theyre not being protected anymore, folks.

Following reports that the Syrian government had again used chemical weapons on its own people, Trump turned on Bashar Assad, giving him a new nickname.

Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018

Trumps sweeping judgment has long been incredibly swift for a man in his position. Of course, thats a quality his supporters often cite as distinguishing him from normal politicians.

But its also easy to find examples of when that impulse has been shown to be faulty.

When five black and Latino teenagers were accused of raping a white woman in Central Park in 1989, Trump took out full page ads in the citys daily newspapers demanding that the death penalty be reinstalled to deal with the suspects.

I no longer want to understand their anger. I want them to understand our anger. I want them to be afraid, Trump wrote of the accused. How can our great society tolerate the continued brutalization of its citizens by crazed misfits?

Fourteen years after their conviction, DNA evidence exonerated the young men and they were released from prison. To this day, Trump has never apologized to the men known as the Central Park Five.

Read more from Yahoo News:
President Trump's pick to lead the CIA, Gina Haspel, says the agency should not have undertaken the so-called enhanced interrogation program.

In a letter to Sen. Mark Warner, Haspel goes further than she would in a tense confirmation hearing last week.

Haspel has faced opposition partly due to her role in overseeing a secret CIA prison.

Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump 's pick to lead the CIA, now says the spy agency should not have used the brutal interrogation methods it employed in the years following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

In a letter to Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner dated Monday, Haspel writes that the so-called enhanced interrogation program "is not one the CIA should have undertaken." She stresses that she will not "condemn those that made these hard calls" following the terror attacks.

The tactics are widely considered torture, although proponents of the program, including former Vice President Dick Cheney , dispute that label.

With the letter, Haspel takes a stance she publicly would not take during a tense confirmation hearing before the intelligence panel last week. Facing questions about her fitness for the job partly because of her role in overseeing a secret CIA prison, Haspel stopped short of condemning the interrogation program on ethical grounds.

Later Tuesday, Warner said he would support Haspel's nomination, joining two Democratic colleagues in supporting her and giving a major boost to her chances of becoming CIA director. The senator said he faced a "difficult decision" but felt Haspel was "forthcoming regarding her views on the interrogation program."

"I'm going to support Gina Haspel's nomination to be Director of the CIA. I also respect my colleagues who have made a different decision," Warner said in a statement.

Shortly after Warner announced his support, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp , D-N.D., also said she would back Haspel, further bolstering her bid. Heitkamp faces re-election in a state Trump won later this year.

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The Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to vote on Haspel's nomination Wednesday. It's not yet clear when the full Senate would vote on whether to confirm her.

Two other red-state senators up for re-election this year  Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Joe Donnelly of Indiana  have announced they will support Haspel. Sen. John McCain  an Arizona Republican who was tortured during the Vietnam War  and Sen. Rand Paul , R-Ky., have both said they will oppose Trump's choice to lead the CIA.

Republicans have pressed red-state Democrats including Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Heitkamp, Manchin and Donnelly to support Haspel's confirmation. Sen. Jon Tester , a Montana Democrat up for re-election this year, has already said he will oppose her.

During the hearing last week, Haspel tried to assure lawmakers that she would not allow the use of the interrogation tactics that are broadly viewed as torture. As a candidate, Trump said he supports the use of waterboarding or worse tactics.

Repeatedly pressed about whether she would allow tactics she considers immoral, Haspel at times evaded senators' questions and noted that the CIA does not have a formal role in interrogations.

She said she would not restore "under any circumstances" an interrogation program at the CIA and supports the "higher moral standard" the U.S. holds now.





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Astronomers at the Australian National University (ANU) have found the fastest-growing black hole known in the universe, describing it as a monster that devours a mass equivalent to our Sun every two days.

The astronomers have looked back more than 12 billion years to the early dark ages of the universe, when this supermassive black hole was estimated to be the size of about 20 billion Suns with a one percent growth rate every one million years.

"This black hole is growing so rapidly that it's shining thousands of times more brightly than an entire galaxy, due to all of the gases it sucks in daily that cause lots of friction and heat," said Dr. Wolf from the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics. "If we had this monster sitting at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy, it would appear 10 times brighter than a full Moon. It would appear as an incredibly bright pin-point star that would almost wash out all of the stars in the sky."

Dr. Wolf said the energy emitted from this newly discovered supermassive black hole, also known as a quasar, was mostly ultraviolet light but also radiated X-rays. "Again, if this monster was at the centre of the Milky Way it would likely make life on Earth impossible with the huge amounts of X-rays emanating from it," he said.

The SkyMapper telescope at the ANU Siding Spring Observatory detected this light in the near-infrared, as the light waves had red-shifted over the billions of light-years to Earth.

"As the universe expands, space expands and that stretches the light waves and changes their colour," Dr. Wolf said. "These large and rapidly-growing black holes are exceedingly rare, and we have been searching for them with SkyMapper for several months now. The European Space Agency's Gaia satellite, which measures tiny motions of celestial objects, helped us find this supermassive black hole."

Dr. Wolf said the Gaia satellite confirmed the object that they had found was sitting still, meaning that it was far away and it was a candidate to be a very large quasar.

The discovery of the new supermassive black hole was confirmed using the spectrograph on the ANU 2.3 metre telescope to split colours into spectral lines.

"We don't know how this one grew so large, so quickly in the early days of the universe," Dr. Wolf said. "The hunt is on to find even faster-growing black holes."

Dr. Wolf said as these kinds of black holes shine, they can be used as beacons to see and study the formation of elements in the early galaxies of the universe. "Scientists can see the shadows of objects in front of the supermassive black hole," he said. "Fast-growing supermassive black holes also help to clear the fog around them by ionising gases, which makes the universe more transparent."

Dr. Wolf said instruments on very large ground-based telescopes being built over the next decade would be able to directly measure the expansion of the universe using these very bright black holes.

Reference: "Discovery of the Most Ultra-Luminous QSO Using Gaia, SkyMapper and WISE," Christian Wolf et al., 2018, to appear in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia (PASA) [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/publications-of-the-astronomical-society-of-australia, preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.04317].



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Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump has formally disclosed that he reimbursed his personal attorney more than $100,000 last year, apparently in connection with the payment of hush money to a porn star, government records show.

The disclosure caps a series of contradictory statements from Trump and his representatives on the scandal swirling around lawyer Michael Cohen -- which has widened to ensnare major corporations and a Russian oligarch.

The documents released Wednesday by a US government ethics body, do not specify the reason for the payments to Cohen, who paid $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had a tryst with Trump in 2006 while he was married. The president denies the affair, and initially denied all knowledge of the payment, which Cohen has acknowledged was intended to stop her from going public with the allegations.

Trump's claim began to unravel early this month, however, after Rudy Giuliani, a new member of the president's legal team, said Trump had reimbursed Cohen for the sum paid to Daniels -- and the president himself subsequently acknowledged the repayment.

A footnote to disclosures submitted Tuesday to the Office of Government Ethics said Cohen had incurred "expenses" on Trump's behalf in 2016 of between $100,001 and $250,000.

"Mr. Cohen sought reimbursement of those expenses and Mr. Trump fully reimbursed Mr. Cohen in 2017," it said.

Trump's filing states that the president was not required to disclose Cohen's expenses, but was doing so in the interest of transparency.

But an accompanying letter to the Justice Department from David Apol, the acting head of the Office of Government Ethics, said the payments by Cohen were indeed required to be reported, as also argued by an outside government ethics group which had lodged official complaints in March.

Apol told Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that he was providing both Trump's 2017 and 2018 disclosures, as potentially "relevant to any inquiry" the Justice Department may be pursuing into the president's filings from last year.

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- Cashing in on access to Trump -

Stormy Daniels is suing to be released from the hush agreement reached with Cohen, claiming it is invalid because Trump never signed it.

The president's lawyer, meanwhile, finds himself under investigation by federal prosecutors who seized reams of evidence in raids on his home and office last month but have not revealed what crimes he may have committed.

Cohen also stands accused of seeking to cash in on his proximity to the president, after it emerged he received millions of dollars from a Russian oligarch and major corporations seeking access to the administration.

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis Wednesday announced the retirement of its top legal expert over the $1.2 million in payments to Cohen, while AT&T has said it made a "big mistake" by paying the lawyer some $600,000.

The scandal engulfing Cohen has opened a new front in the legal challenges dogging Trump, grabbing headlines from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ominous investigation into possible collusion between the president's 2016 campaign and Russia.

The disclosure of Trump's payments to his lawyer came the same day a Senate intelligence panel released thousands of pages of testimony from its probe into a meeting between the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, and a Russian lawyer who offered to provide damaging information about Hillary Clinton.

In his testimony released Wednesday, Trump Jr said he did not tell his father ahead of time about the 2016 meeting at Trump Tower, also attended by the Republican candidate's campaign manager Paul Manafort and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The newly-released financial documents also offered a glimpse of the performance of two of Trump's flagship hotels: the Trump International Hotel in Washington -- which has attracted crowds of lobbyists, lawmakers and foreign governments with business before the federal government, and Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, dubbed the "Winter White House."

Trump's hotel in the US capital, which opened in late 2016, took in $40.4 million during 2017 while the Florida resort had revenues of $25.1 million last year.

A prior disclosure made last year covered a 16-month period and showed $37.3 million in revenues for Mar-a-Lago.

The report also showed Trump earned between $230,000 and $1.1 million in capital gains income on stock in iPhone maker Apple, Caterpillar, Microsoft and Pepsico.
Newly released transcripts of Donald Trump Jr.s interview with the Senate Judiciary Committee last September reveal that the presidents eldest son left some room for ambiguity about whether his father knew of a controversial 2016 meeting at Trump Tower.

The transcripts released Wednesday largely focus on a meeting that Trump Jr. took in June 2016 involving a Kremlin-tied businessmans claims to have damaging information about Hillary Clinton. That event, which was reported by The New York Times last July, has since moved to the center of investigations into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the presidential campaign.

In the interview conducted by Senate committee staffers, Trump Jr. left open the possibility that his father might have known about the meeting  something the White House has firmly denied.

Below is the relevant portion from the 224-page transcript, with Trump Jr.s answers preceded by A.

Q. So you did not pass the information along to your father. Do you know if anyone else did? A. I dont believe they did, but I dont know. Q. Have you ever asked him if he was given this e-mail or told about this meeting? A. No, I havent. Q. Has he ever told you whether he saw this e-mail or knew about this meeting? A. Not that I recall, no. Q. And that is something you would recall? A. Certainly not at that time. So I mean, obviously hes aware of it now because hes read it, its been in the papers, but thats the extent of my knowledge of his knowledge of it.

Some 2,500-plus pages of transcripts, including interviews with multiple witnesses, were released Wednesday, about two months after the House Intelligence Committee wrapped up its investigation into the possibility of Russian collusion. That Republican-controlled committee said that it found no evidence of collusion. But Democratic members of the panel said the investigation had been insufficient and the committee had not called enough witnesses or pursued all leads.

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The Judiciary Committee transcripts include interviews with several others who attended the Trump Tower meeting, including Rob Goldstone, a British music publicist who said he had information about Clinton; Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin; and Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer who submitted her answers to the committee in writing.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story mistakenly said the Senate Judiciary Committee had wrapped up its investigation. That was the House Intelligence Committee.

Also on HuffPost

President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the beginning of a meeting with his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, and government cybersecurity experts at the White House on Jan. 31, 2017. Citing the hack of computers at the Democratic National Committee by Russia, Trump said that the private and public sectors must do more to prevent and protect against cyberattacks.

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The Trump administrations renunciation of the Iran deal is an act of needless belligerence that serves little purpose beyond restoring hostility between the United States and Iran. By tearing up an agreement that Iran was complying with, and replacing U.S. obligations with threats, President Trump has effectively dared Irans leaders to restart their nuclear program, ratcheted up antagonism and substantially boosted the odds of a disastrous war.

A U.S.-Iranian war could come through a preventive U.S. bombing; an Iranian response to a covert U.S. action to undermine its regime; or through a flare-up of hostility in Syria. Exchanges of fire between Israel and Iran, like those weve seen on the Syria-Golan Heights border in recent days, could escalate to pull U.S. forces into war.

The U.S. withdrawal from the deal (officially the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) and renewal of sanctions it had suspended gives Iran legal grounds to cease performing its commitments under this JCPOA in whole or in part. It is, however, prohibited from developing nuclear weapons as a signatory to Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Still the deal isnt yet dead, as the other parties (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the EU) continue to abide by it.

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Its easy to disagree on the deals merits, given the difficulty of knowing what was possible.

Maybe Iran would have agreed to a broader agreement covering ballistic missile or even support for foreign militias. Possibly it might have reduced its uranium stockpile past 98 percent, pushed off the sunset dates on these restrictions, or given inspectors freer reign. But the success on the deals stated aim is hard to deny. As of last week, according to the inspectors and all public intelligence assessments, Iran was not building nuclear weapons. Even Trump, in his speech announcing his decision, didnt really suggest otherwise. He settled for arguing that Iran is untrustworthy, citing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus recent unrevealing revelation that Iran maintains files from when it had a secret nuclear weapons program in the early 2000s.

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Quitting the JCPOA will be costly. The most evident cost is erosion of trust in U.S. commitments. The United States has quit international agreements before, but doing so after only three years due to a party shift in the White House is different. Other countries will hesitate to negotiate deals with the United States if the next administration sees them as partisan detritus to toss.

The European parties to the deal are irate about the pullout and particularly the reintroduction of secondary sanctions, targeting firms that do business with Iran. Theyre eager to defend their businesses with financing measures, laws, or retaliation. But companies might still buckle for fear of running afoul of U.S. rules. Both outcomes could cause a trade fight costly to jobs and profits, adding to what U.S. firms lose by staying out of Iran. Boeing alone stands to lose $20 billion in Iranian contracts.

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The deal also suggests that the administration may not be too serious about getting North Korea to completely disarm. That was never realistic, particularly after what happened to Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi. Leaving the deal while insisting Iran complies anyway just reinforces the perception that dictators without nuclear weapons invite U.S. bullying.

The biggest danger of quitting the deal is war with Iran. For now, the Iranians arent planning to quit complying or to eject the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors. But they reserve that right, depending on their talks with the Europeans. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei seems to prefer that course. By giving a boost to hardliners, Trump has made that outcome, and most of the other things Americans want Iranians to stop, more likely. Hes vindicated the hardline view that Americans cannot be trusted. More diplomatically-minded Iranian leaders, like President Rouhani, may fear the electoral consequences of giving in to Trump, and endorse provocative policies to shore up their nationalist credentials.

GettyImages-950989350

ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images

Its hard to say what Trumps top goal is with Iran. Certainly non-proliferation isnt it. You keep the deal in that case. Trump seems less eager for war than National Security Advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who both call for regime change in Tehran. That seems to essentially mean war, due to a mistaken belief that strategic bombing undermines regime support rather than causing rallies around the flag. But Trump did swap those hawks in for H. R. McMaster and Rex Tillerson, who both wanted to stay in the deal, and he hinted at regime change in his speech. Overall, it seems doubtful that theres a policy goal beyond confrontation.

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One path to war: the Iranians restart their program, and the United States launches a preventive strikeor backs up Israel if it does. If that strike seems to fail, or leads to retaliation by Iran or the militias it supports, like Hezbollah, a wider war could occur, possibly including a U.S. invasion of Iran.

Even covert regime change efforts could set off a similar chain of events. The proximity of U.S. and Iranian forces in Syria is another flashpoint. The Iranians might react to tension with more aggressive behavior towards U.S. or Israeli forces therethe fighting near Golan could be an example. Or the militias they back there, or in Iraq or Lebanon, might do so.

The best way to limit the odds of war is to keep Iran in the deal. That starts with changing tact on secondary sanctions to allow European firms to do business with Iran. Another pacifier is getting U.S. forces out of Syria and Iraq, or at least cooperating with Iran to avoid clashes there, and discouraging the Israelis from preventive strikes on Iranian forces. Finally, its worth containing fears of Iran. Its military and religious establishment funds bad actors, but ultimately its middling power poses a threat to the United States, unless misguided fears cause us to launch another foolish war. With luck, well remember the decision to exit the Iran deal as more foolish than disastrous.

Benjamin Friedman is Foreign Policy Fellow at Defense Priorities.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own.

This article was first written by Newsweek

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President Donald Trump reported having paid his personal attorney Michael Cohen more than $100,000 as a reimbursement for a payment made to a third party, documents released on Wednesday confirmed.

A reason for the payment to Cohen was not specified in the federally required financial disclosure that the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) released, The New York Times reported.

The disclosure notes that though Cohen made the payment in 2016, Trump didnt fully reimburse him for it until 2017.

Cohen has admitted to having paid $130,000 in 2016 to adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, who has gone public about a 2006 affair that she claims to have had with Trump. The Wall Street Journal broke the news of the payment in January.

Details over that alleged affair and payments to Clifford have been far from clear.

Trumps attorney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, earlier this month told Fox News that Trump reimbursed Cohen $130,000 for the payment to Clifford before the 2016 presidential election. Giulianis statement contradicted Trump earlier having said that he had no knowledge about any payment made to Clifford through Cohen.

Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen, seen left, has admitted to having paid $130,000 to the adult film actress. (Photo: Lucas Jackson / Reuters)

Trump, one day after Giulianis statements, then acknowledged the payment to Cohen but said that it involved a nondisclosure agreement that was meant to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair ... despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair.

Trumps financial disclosure on Wednesday, which only covers the 2017 calendar year, immediately raised concern among government watchdog groups over its timing.

David J. Apol, the acting director of the OGE, sent a letter to U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Wednesday. In the letter, he noted that Trumps payment to Cohen should have been reported as a liability on his public financial disclosure report for the 2016 calendar year, which the president signed in June 2017.

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NEWS: Office Gov Ethics today referred Trump's failure to disclose payment to his lawyer for Stormy Daniels "hush agreement" to Dep Atty General Rod Rosenstein: pic.twitter.com/BUWBmw3HtK  S.V. Date (@svdate) May 16, 2018

The letter cites a previously requested investigation by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) into whether the failure to report it was knowing and willful.

OGE has determined that the information provided in that note meets the disclosure requirements for a reportable liability under the Ethics in Government Act, Apol stated.

In a statement responding to Trumps financial disclosure, Noah Bookbinder, CREWs executive director, questioned how many other similar payments Trump has not disclosed.

It is good that in the face of overwhelming evidence and public pressure, the president came clean about this liability on this years form, but we now have to wonder how many other liabilities for similar payments he has that he still has not disclosed because he has not been publicly called out on them, Bookbinder said.

The exact figure specified in the financial disclosure is said to be between $100,000 and $250,000.

This story has been updated to include Bookbinders response.

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Mr Trump says that actual negotiations with China over trade have yet to begin: Getty

President Donald Trump says that there has been no folding in his trade negotiations with China after recently indicating his administration had reversed course on punitive measures it took against Chinese company ZTE just last month.

Mr Trump said that his ZTE comments were only a part of the larger trade deal, and reasserted his frequent claim that China is taking advantage of the US economically.

Nothing has happened with ZTE except as it pertains to the larger trade deal. Our country has been losing hundreds of billions of dollars a year with China, Mr Trump tweeted Wednesday. We have not seen Chinas demands yet, which should be few in that previous US administrations have done so poorly in negotiating. Chin has seen our demands. There has been no folding as the media would love people to believe, the meetings havent even started yet!

The US has every little to give, because it has given so much over the years. China has much to give! Mr Trump continued.

Mr Trumps administration last month barred American companies from selling to ZTE for seven years after it was discovered that the company had been shipping American goods into Iran and North Korea in violation of economic sanctions. That move effectively crippled ZTE.

The president on Sunday tweeted about that situation, instructing the US Department of Commerce to find a way to help ZTE get back into business, fast. Mr Trump then said that too many jobs were lost in China.

President Xi [Jinping] of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done! Mr Trump tweeted Sunday.

Mr Trump followed up on Monday, noting that American manufactures sell parts to ZTE.

ZTE, the large Chinese phone company, buys a big percentage of individual parts from U.S. companies, Mr Trump wrote. This is also reflective of the larger trade deal we are negotiating with China and my personal relationship with President Xi.

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Mr Trumps comments on ZTE caught Republican politicians in Congress off guard, who said that the president did not consult congressional leadership, nor the heads of the Senate Finance and Foreign Relations committees before floating the idea of lifting restictions.

Im kind of surprised, considering the decisions that were made previously on national security; it kind of surprises me, and I havent figured it out, Senator Charles Grassley, a senior member on the Finance Committee, said. The two opinions are kind of in conflict with each other.
US President Donald Trump sounded a note of caution Wednesday about his much-vaunted summit with Kim Jong Un, saying "we'll see" after Pyongyang threatened to cancel.

Trump said the US government had not received any official word of a change in plans for the June 12 meeting in Singapore.

"We haven't been notified at all. We'll have to see," Trump said in the Oval Office.

"We haven't seen anything. We haven't heard anything. We will see what happens. Whatever it is, it is."

After weeks of warm words and diplomatic backslapping, Pyongyang abruptly threatened to pull out Tuesday, over US demands for "unilateral nuclear abandonment."

In an angrily worded statement, the North warned "if the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue."

The statement was attributed to first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan and carried by state media KCNA.

In that case, he added, Pyongyang would have to "reconsider" its participation at next month's summit in Singapore.

The first vice foreign minister also tore into Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton for drawing parallels between North Korea and Libya, calling the comparison "absolutely absurd."

"We do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," he said of Bolton.

Bolton has pushed the idea of a deal with North Korea like that reached with Libya's Moamer Kadhafi, who agreed in 2003 to the elimination of his country's nuclear program and chemical weapons arsenal to gain sanctions relief.

After giving up his atomic program, Kadhafi was killed in 2011 in an uprising backed by NATO bombing.

- A plea from China -

Experts have not been surprised by the sudden about face, expecting bumps in the road as tough issues to be discussed in the meeting come into sharper focus.

Washington is pressing for North Korea's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. But so far, the North has given no public indication of what it is offering, beyond a broad commitment to denuclearization of the "Korean peninsula."

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Pyongyang "made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States," the North Korean minister said.

In the past, Pyongyang has demanded the withdrawal of US troops stationed in the South, and an end to Washington's nuclear umbrella over its ally.

China, North Korea's sole major ally, called for the summit to go ahead.

"The situation on the peninsula has eased up, which is worth cherishing," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing.

Minister Kim also dismissed offers by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for US economic aid if the North denuclearizes.

"We have never had any expectation of US support in carrying out our economic construction and will not at all make such a deal in future," he said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian urged North Korea to "demonstrate its sincerity to negotiate on its denuclearization."

During a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Le Drian said: "Highs and lows can come along as the recent news from the peninsula shows, but we must not lose sight of the goal."

The White House said plans for the summit were moving ahead.

"The president is ready if the meeting takes place. And if it doesn't, we will continue the maximum pressure campaign that has been ongoing," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

- Tightrope diplomacy -

The North Korean warning follows a weeks-long charm offensive that has seen Kim Jong Un hold a historic summit with the South's president and meet twice with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Pyongyang also raised hopes ahead of the US summit by announcing it will destroy its nuclear testing site next week.

Analysts said Pyongyang appeared to be trying to redefine the terms of the debate.

"It's a diplomatic tactic," Kim Hyun-wook, professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, told AFP, calling it "brinkmanship to change the US position."

"It looks like Kim Jong Un was pushed into accepting US demands for 'denuclearization-first' but is now trying to change its position after normalizing North Korea-China relations and securing economic assistance," he added.

"The classic North Korean tightrope diplomacy between the US and China has begun."

US officials have repeatedly claimed credit for Washington's "maximum pressure" policy for bringing Pyongyang to the negotiating table.

Joshua Pollack of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies said Pyongyang had been irritated by the "triumphalist tone."

"The North Koreans aren't happy with what they're seeing and hearing," he said. "There is still a yawning gulf between expectations for diplomacy in Pyongyang and Washington, DC."

- Thunderstruck -

KCNA also denounced the Max Thunder joint military exercises being held between the US and South Korea as a "rude and wicked provocation," and Seoul said it had received a message cancelling planned high-level talks "indefinitely."

The two-week drills started last Friday and involves some 100 aircraft from the two allies, including F-22 stealth fighter jets.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters it had received "no notification" of a position change by North Korea on next month's meeting.

The exercises were "not provocative" and would continue, she added.

burs-arb/it/mdl
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says the US has 'skin in the game' and wants to reduce prices - AP

Donald Trump is ready to use trade talks to force the National Health Service to pay more for its drugs as part of his scheme to "put American patients first.

Mr Trump has claimed that the high costs faced by US patients are a direct result of other countries health services freeloading at Americas expense.

Alex Azar, the US Health and Human Services Secretary, has said Washington will use its muscle to push up drug prices abroad, to lower the cost paid by patients in the United States.

"On the foreign side, we need to, through our trade negotiations and agreements, pressure them," Azar said on CNBC.

"And so we pay less, they pay more. It shouldn't be a one-way ratchet. We all have some skin in this game."

He continued: "The reason why they are getting better net prices than we get is their socialised system."

In the UK, prices are dictated in part by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which has been successful in securing discounts for some of the costliest drugs.

Single-payer government-run health services like the NHS are able to use their negotiating muscle to pay far lower prices than their fragmented insurance-based private American counterparts, to the fury of the US president.

Donald Trump Credit: Mandelson Ngan/AFP

America will not be cheated any longer, and especially will not be cheated by foreign countries, Mr Trump said.

In some cases, medicine that costs a few dollars in a foreign country costs hundreds of dollars in America for the same pill, with the same ingredients, in the same package, made in the same plant. That is unacceptable.

It's unfair. It's ridiculous. It's not going to happen any longer. It's time to end the global freeloading once and for all.

The pharmaceutical companies in the US are among the biggest corporate political donors and Democrats accused the US president of looking after the industry rather than patients.

Lowering drug prices was one of Donald Trump's key campaign promises and he hopes to achieve this by making other countries pay more.

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Hammond on the NHS

"I think this applies to all advanced countries, including the UK," said Paul Ginsburg, professor of health policy at the University of Southern California.

This effort to change other nations' health policies will be driven by the US Trade Representative Bob Lighthizer when he is negotiating deals to avoid application of US tariffs or, in the case of the UK, a bilateral trade deal post-Brexit, said Brandon Barford, a partner at Washington-based Beacon Policy Advisors.

The second goal is that, for the UK in particular, trade negotiations will likely occur in the run-up to the US Presidential election in November 2020.

The President and his team want to be able to use the NHS and NICE as a foil for his plan that reduces costs for consumers at the point of sale, but without rationing and access restrictions for which the UK system is infamous in the US, particularly amongst conservative media.

Britains lower drug prices date back to an agreement reached between the industry and the NHS in 1957, which was designed to achieve a financial balance in the interests of patients, the National Health Service, taxpayers, and the pharmaceutical industry."

While prices in the UK are controlled, in the US they are left to the market and the differences can be dramatic.

For example, Americans paid an average of 1,964 ($2,669) for Humira, an injectable drug used to treat an array of autoimmune diseases including ulcerative colitis. The cost for a British patient is 1,003 ($1,362).

According to the latest figures the NHS spent 15.4 billion on medicines in 2016-17; only salaries cost the health service more.

In the UK there was some debate over whether the US could impose higher drug prices on the UK.

How much the UK spends on healthcare and on medicines is a matter for the UK government and it is not clear to us how the US or any other government would influence this, said Richard Torbett of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.

The way medicines' prices are set in the UK is governed by a voluntary agreement called the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, which is negotiated between the global industry and the UK government.

Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, an independent health think tank, disputed that British patients were freeloading at the expense of their American counterparts.

There is no reason to suppose that more expensive prices for drugs in Europe would translate into cheaper prices in the US.

USA healthcare prices are generally higher than in Europe and the absence of the sort of large-scale negotiation by the US government does not help.

This is more likely to be the cause of high drugs pricing, rather than one side of the Atlantic subsidising the other. "
Ankara (AFP) - Turkey on Tuesday urged Islamic countries to review their ties with Israel and said it would call an extraordinary summit of the world's main pan-Islamic body after dozens of Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on the Gaza border.

Ankara has reacted with fury to the killing Monday of 59 Palestinians in clashes and protests, on the same day as the United States formally moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in defiance of international outrage.

"Islamic countries should without fail review their relations with Israel," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told his ruling party in parliament.

"The Islamic world should move as one, with one voice, against this massacre," he added.

Yildirim said that Turkey had called an "extraordinary summit" of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Friday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the body.

It was not immediately clear what format the meeting would take or who might attend.

A Turkish foreign ministry official, who asked not to be named, said there was to be "a summit in Istanbul on Friday".

Yildirim said that after the summit at 3:00 pm (1200 GMT) a giant rally would be held at the vast Yenikapi meeting area in Istanbul under the slogan of "Stop the Oppression" to express solidarity with the Palestinians.

"This has nothing to do with party politics. This is to show solidarity, brotherhood and togetherness," he said.

"The Islamic world should move as one, with one voice, against this massacre," added Yildirim.

Erdogan regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause and last year hosted an OIC summit in Istanbul to denounce US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The summit declared East Jerusalem -- which the international community regards as annexed by Israel -- "as the capital of the State of Palestine" and urged the world to follow suit.

However Turkey also maintains full trade and diplomatic links with the Jewish state after a 2016 reconciliation deal ended a dispute over the deadly storming of a Turkish ship by Israeli commandos.

Ankara on Monday said it was recalling its ambassadors to the United States and Israel for consultations in the wake of the events.
By David DeKok

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - One of two Pennsylvania men charged in the killings of four young men lured to a farm with the promise of marijuana was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison after pleading guilty to murder, while the other suspect rejected a plea deal.

Shackled and wearing an orange jump suit in a Doylestown, Pennsylvania, courtroom, Cosmo DiNardo apologized to the families of the four victims, three of whom authorities said were shot dead and burned in a pig roaster by DiNardo and his cousin, Sean Kratz.

"I just want the poor families to know, I am so sorry," DiNardo, 21, said in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas. "If there is anything I could do to take back what happened, I would do it."

But Judge Jeffrey Finley sentenced DiNardo to four consecutive life terms, calling his apology "false and insincere" in light of his taped description of his crimes.

"After committing these offenses, you two went out and had a cheese steak and then went on as if nothing had occurred," Finley said.

DiNardo confessed to murder to avoid the death penalty, according to Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub. He entered a not-guilty plea in December, but later changed it to guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors.

In addition to first-degree murder, DiNardo pleaded guilty to robbery, abuse of corpse, and possession of instruments of crime.

Kratz, 21, of Philadelphia, on Wednesday rejected an offer from prosecutors to plead guilty to one count of 3rd degree murder in return for a sentence of 59 to 118 years in prison. Prosecutors said they will put Kratz on trial for first degree murder and seek the death penalty.

The state has not executed anyone in nearly 20 years and in 2015 Democratic Governor Tom Wolf placed a moratorium on all executions because of questionable prosecutions in the past.

The bodies of three victims - Dean Finocchiaro, 19, of Middletown Township; Mark Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg; and Thomas Meo, 21, of Plumstead Township - were found in a common grave at DiNardo's family's farm in Solebury Township in July 2017.

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DiNardo later led authorities to the nearby buried body of the fourth victim, Jimi Patrick, 19, of Newtown. DiNardo was charged with killing Patrick, but Kratz was not.

All four victims were shot after being lured to the farm last July with the belief that DiNardo would sell them marijuana, according to court documents.

The families of the victims have filed wrongful death lawsuits against DiNardo's parents and their construction company, saying he should not have had access to guns because of prior mental health issues.

(Writing by Peter Szekely; Editing by Paul Simao and Grant McCool)
(UNITED NATIONS)  The U.N.s Middle East envoy said there was no justifying the killings of more than 50 Palestinians by Israeli fire at the Gaza border, and several Security Council members called for an independent investigation, but the council had no unified message Tuesday as the U.S. said Israel had acted with restraint.

While some members said the U.N.s most powerful body needed to speak as one to try to calm the volatile situation  and the Palestinian envoy implored, When are you going to act?  a proposed statement had stalled Monday after the U.S. blocked it.

Still, Kuwaits envoy said he planned to propose a council resolution on protecting Palestinian civilians.

As the council met Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley laid blame for Mondays violence on the Hamas extremists who rule Gaza and insisted it had nothing to do with the opening of a U.S. embassy in contested Jerusalem, a move that infuriated Palestinians.

Saying that Hamas had incited people to lob flaming objects toward the Israeli side of the border fence and urged protest marchers to breach it, Haley asked: Who among us would accept this type of activity on your border?

No one would. No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has, she added.

Israel has said its troops were defending its border and accused Hamas militants of trying to attack under the cover of the protest.

But Nikolai Mladenov, the U.N.s Middle East envoy, said there was no justification for the killing and no excuse.

He called on Israel to use force proportionally and avoid using deadly force except as a last resort, a message echoed by the councils European members. In a joint statement after the meeting, they said that Hamas needed to avoid provocations and violence, but that Israels military must exercise maximum restraint in using lethal force.

Some of them and others, including China, called for an independent probe into the events at the Gaza border. The death toll alone warrants such a comprehensive inquiry, British Ambassador Karen Pierce said.

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U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also proposed an investigation, after a deadly protest in Gaza in March.

Many council members also re-emphasized their distance from the U.S. decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem and recognize it as Israels capital. It was a break with the U.N.s decade-long stance that Jerusalems final status must be decided in direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, who seek eastern Jerusalem as a future capital of their own.

The U.S. says it has the right to decide where to put its embassy, and Haley said Tuesday the decision simply recognized reality.

Kuwait, which requested Tuesdays meeting, had tried to get council members to sign on Monday to a statement that would have demanded that all countries comply with a decades-old Security Council resolution that called on them not to have embassies in contested Jerusalem.

The draft statement, obtained by The Associated Press, also expressed outrage and sorrow at the killings, sought an independent and transparent investigation, and called on all sides to exercise restraint.

The U.S. blocked it. The State Department said Tuesday the draft was too one-sided and unacceptable to the U.S. because it did not mention Hamas incitement of violence along the Gaza border.

Nonetheless, Kuwaiti Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said Tuesday he planned to draft a resolution on providing international protection to Palestinians. He didnt immediately give details of his proposal.

Tuesdays meeting came amid growing diplomatic fallout from the violence and the U.S. embassy move. South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel, Turkey temporarily expelled Israels ambassador, Israel asked the Turkish consul general in Jerusalem to leave, and the Palestinian envoy to Washington was recalled to Ramallah.

The demonstration in Gaza Monday culminated a weekslong Palestinian campaign against a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt after Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.

Protesters set tires ablaze, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the air, and hurled firebombs and stones toward Israeli soldiers across the border.

The Israeli military said Hamas tried to carry out bombing and shooting attacks under the cover of the protests and released video of protesters ripping away parts of the barbed-wire border fence.

Israel isnt a U.N. Security Council member, nor are the Palestinians.

The Palestinian U.N. envoy urged the council to condemn the killings, back an investigation, and get Israel to lift the blockade. Israels ambassador, meanwhile, called for condemning Hamas.

Each accused the others country of violating international law.

How many Palestinians have to die before you take action? Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour asked. Why are you paralyzed?

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon told the council that the international community had done too little to stop violence on the part of Palestinians.

You must tell Hamas that violence is not the answer, he said.
Two NASA astronauts are finalizing their preparations ahead of Wednesday morning's spacewalk to swap thermal control gear outside the International Space Station.

The Expedition 55 crew also worked on biomedical operations, radiation checks and Cygnus communications gear.

Flight Engineers Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel checked their tools and reviewed their procedures one last time today before tomorrow's spacewalk. The pair will work for about 6.5 hours swapping a pair of thermal control devices, known as Pump Flow Control Subassemblies, which control the circulation of ammonia keeping external station systems cool.

The veteran spacewalkers will set their spacesuit batteries to internal power Wednesday at about 8:10 a.m. EDT signaling the official start of the 210th spacewalk in space station history. NASA TV will begin its live broadcast of the activities beginning at 6:30 a.m.

Science and maintenance are always ongoing aboard the orbital lab even despite the spacewalk and cargo mission readiness activities. Feustel and Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai collected their biological samples this morning and stowed them in a science freezer for later analysis. Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev explored cardiac bioelectric activity at rest. Commander Anton Shkaplerov collected radiation measurements from dosimeters he retrieved from the orbital lab's U.S. segment.

Orbital ATK is getting its Cygnus space freighter ready for launch Sunday at 5:04 a.m. to deliver science, supplies and hardware to the Expedition 55 crew. Astronaut Scott Tingle checked out command and communications gear that will be used when Cygnus arrives four days later on Thursday for capture at 5:20 a.m.

On-Orbit Status Report

Tropical Cyclone: The crew configured the camera settings in the Cupola to support the capture of a series of photographs of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. The images will be used to create 3 dimensional images of the craters that have formed as a result of the volcanic eruptions.

Exposed Experiment Handrail Attachment Mechanism (ExHAM) #2: Last night ground robotics controllers used the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS) Small Fine Arm to transfer the Handhold Experiment Platform (HXP) from the JEM External Facility to the Slide Table. Later this week, the Slide Table will be brought back into the JEM and ExHAM samples will be exchanged before the HXP is returned to the JEM External Facility.

Two Phase Flow (TPF): This morning the crew deactivated the TPF experiment equipment in the Multi-Purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) for the experiment run completed overnight. The Two-Phase Flow experiment investigates the heat transfer characteristics of flow boiling in the microgravity environment. This experiment provides a fundamental understanding of the behaviors of bubble formation, liquid-vapor flow in a tube, and how heat transfers in cooling systems. Two-phase flow employs a sample cooling loop using perfluorohexane, often used in coolants for electronics, to establish flow rate and heating power in different conditions.

Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutron (RaDI-N): Today the crew retrieved eight RaDI-N detectors from a US Laboratory module location and handed them over to a Russian crewmember for processing. This Canadian Space Agency (CSA) investigation measures neutron radiation levels in the ISS.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Preparations: In preparation for tomorrow's US EVA 50 Pump and Flow Control Subassembly (PFCS) Relocate, the crew printed off their suit cuff checklists and finalized their EVA tool configurations. Once completed, the crew performed an audit of their EVA tool configuration and reviewed the EVA briefing package which includes a detailed timeline of their scheduled activities and procedures for dealing with off-nominal situations. The crew also participated in a conference with ground EVA specialists and discussed their review of the briefing packet. The crew is scheduled to egress the airlock at 7:15 AM CDT tomorrow morning.

Common Communications for Visiting Vehicles (C2V2) Checkout: This afternoon, the crew performed a successful checkout the C2V2 Portable Computer System (PCS) Command Panel in support of the upcoming Orbital-ATK Cygnus (OA-9) mission. The test verified crew command capability between ISS and a simulated Cygnus vehicle and is required ahead of the scheduled launch of OA-9 on 20-May. OA-9 will be the first Orbital vehicle to utilize the newer C2V2 system for approach and capture.

Today's Planned Activities

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

IMS Update

Life On The Station Photo and Video

R PAO event report preparation

ECON-M. Observation and Photography

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Reminder for EVA In-Suit Light Exercise (ISLE) Preparation

Auxiliary Computer System [] Laptops Antivirus Software Checkout and Report

Regeneration of Micropurification Unit () 2 Cartridge (start)

Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) Backup Power Retrieve

Health Maintenance System (HMS) Periodic Health Status (PHS) Pre EVA Examination

ISS HAM Service Module Pass

Gathering and deployment of PILLE sensors prior to USOS EVA

Study of cardiac bioelectric activity at rest

XF305 Camcorder Setup

 maintenance

Environmental Health System (EHS) Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) Sample Collect

Two-Phase Flow Item Gathering

Two-Phase Flow Experiment Unit Closeout

FAZOPEREKHOD. Preparation steps and starting the experiment

Food Acceptability Questionnaire - Subject

Environmental Health System (EHS) Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Potable Water Dispenser (PWD) Sample Analysis

De-install and pre-pack for return of PLETHYSMOGRAPH unit from CARDIOMED equipment

Environmental Health System (EHS) Microbial Capture Device (MCD) Coliform Water Processing

Water Recovery and Management Condensate Pumping

Robotic Workstation (RWS) Setup

 Reconfiguration in MRM1

SEPARATION. - replacement

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Cuff Checklist Print

Handhold Exp Platform #2 (HXP2) Item Checking part 1.

BIOCARD. Assistance During the Experiment and Photography

BIOCARD. Experiment Session

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Configuring

FAZOPEREKHOD. Closeout Ops

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Tool Audit

Equipment Lock (E-LK) Preparation

SEPARATION. - Water Sampling

SEPARATION. Distillation 6

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Review

EVA Worksite Survey

MATRYOSHKA-R. BUBBLE-dosimeter collection and measurements, Memory Card pre-pack for return

Total Organic Carbon Analyzer (TOCA) Sample Data Record

Lab Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Jumper Teardown

SEPARATION. Concluding Distillation. Log-file dump

Radi-N Detector Retrieval/Readout

Radiation Dosimetry Inside ISS-Neutrons Hardware Handover

MATRYOSHKA-R. Handover of BUBBLE-dosimeters from USOS

Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus 4, Unit Relocation

Monitoring RS structural shell surfaces using Multipurpose Eddy Current Device -2

-.

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Procedure Conference

Verification of -1 Flow Sensor Position

Preparing to downlink data on monitoring structural element surface

Cygnus Crew PCS Command Panel Checkout via C2V2 without RF Transmission to Ground Site

Regeneration of Micropurification Unit () 2 Absorber Cartridge (end)

Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Reminder for EVA In-Suit Light Exercise (ISLE) Preparation

Completed Task List Activities

None

Ground Activities

All activities are complete unless otherwise noted.

C2V2 checkout for OA-9

Airlock MTL flow adjust for airlock depress operations

Lab MCA zero cal

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Wednesday, 05/16: US EVA #50 with Robotics Support (Swap PFCS, R&R CP13 ETVCG, R&R SGTRC-2), CSA-CP maintenance

Thursday, 05/17: Cygnus OBT, Post EVA Ops (A/L deconfg/restow, EMU Water recharge, debrief), PFCS XFER, Team Task Switching, HXP2 Sample Detach, HRF samples, Ku String swap

Friday, 05/18: JSL Lab & Node 2 router configuration, HXP2 Sample Attach 3, SABL3 Relocate, Beam EHS Sample Collect and WTS sensor troubleshooting, Node3 EWC power up.

QUICK ISS Status - Environmental Control Group:

Component - Status

Elektron - On

Vozdukh - Manual

[] 1 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV1") - Off

[] 2 - SM Air Conditioner System ("SKV2") - On

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab - Operate

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 - Standby

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab - Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 - Idle

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) - Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) - Process

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab - Full Up

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 - Off

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A former adviser to Evan McMullins independent presidential campaign in 2016 is now in talks with a small group of U.S. senators to form a new caucus that would influence who is chosen as majority leader in 2019.

This group could say to the Republicans, Well caucus with you  [but] we will not do that unless its not Mitch McConnell. Instead wed like to have Susan Collins, said Joel Searby, a political operative from Florida, in an interview on Yahoo News The Long Game podcast.

The notion of pushing for Collins, a Maine Republican who is one of the most moderate members of the Senate, rather than McConnell, a Kentucky Republican who has held the majority leader post since 2015, would be to nudge the Senate toward bipartisan compromise rather than gridlock.

Similarly, Searby said, the group of three to five senators could tell Democrats they would vote with them on most issues in exchange for the selection of a more moderate Democrat like Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, rather than the current minority leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.

The grand idea is that it could change the culture of how the Senate works by saying there is now a third bloc that will stick together on nearly all issues, Searby said.

Issues such as health care, the national debt and infrastructure all require both Republicans and Democrats to work together to find solutions, Searby said, and such a caucus of independent-minded senators would insist that the Senate do so.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, at the Capitol. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Of course they need to have freedom to break off on issues that matter to them personally, he said. They would probably be free to deal differently on social issues but they would stick together on those things and force both sides to come together.

Searby was active in Florida politics as a Republican consultant until the 2016 cycle, when his involvement with McMullins campaign thrust him into the national political game.

Searby would not comment on which senators he and others are attempting to work with. But one chief of staff to a Democratic senator confirmed that he has had conversations with Searby.

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While many senators say they would like to see more bipartisanship, most are probably afraid of the consequences of going against their party leadership.

Refusing to vote for a member of ones own party for majority leader would be seen as a betrayal, subject to punishment in the form of a primary challenge.

The next opportunity for any splinter caucus to try to force compromise in the Senate would be next January, after the midterm elections, when the first session of the 116th Congress will be convened and new leadership elections will be held. Any impact on those elections would require extensive planning and coordination that would begin weeks, if not months, before those leadership elections.

Read more from Yahoo News:
London (AFP) - Britain's House of Lords inflicted another legislative defeat on the government over Brexit on Wednesday, the latest in a string of setbacks in parliament for Prime Minister Theresa May.

Peers voted to back maintaining EU environmental principles and standards by a majority of 50, as they wrapped up weeks of debates over the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which sets the legal framework for Brexit.

It was the 15th defeat for May on the flagship legislation in the upper chamber, after lawmakers approved various amendments her government opposed.

The bill will now go back to the House of Commons, which could reject the various approved amendments.

Pro-Brexit peers were angered by the latest defeat, accusing their colleagues of trying to wreck the legislation.

Conservative lawmaker Michael Lord said their scrutiny had showed the unelected chamber "at its worst".

But other peers said they had simply done their job of scrutinising and revising legislation.

The withdrawal bill is crucial to Britain's departure from the European Union, providing for the repeal of the 1972 act that made the country a member and transferring four decades of its regulations onto the British statute books.

Britain adopted the March 29, 2019, date for Brexit when it activated Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, setting the clock ticking on a two-year countdown to its departure.

The House of Commons passed the landmark bill by a majority of 29 earlier this year after weeks of debate and a damaging government defeat in that chamber.

Under parliamentary procedure, the legislation then passed to the House of for scrutiny before returning to the Commons for a final vote.
Kara Eastman with supporters in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (Photo: Nati Harnik/AP)

In the wake of the 2016 election, many progressive Democrats looked at the defeats the party had suffered and offered a theory: Democrats were losing, particularly in red areas, because they were offering a watered-down message and not standing for bold proposals voters could get excited about. In conservative districts where Democrats had suffered loss after loss, they believed success could be found by touting progressive policies that would appeal to working-class people who felt moderate Democratic campaigns werent offering them an appealing alternative.

That theory will be put to the test in Nebraskas Second Congressional District in November, following an upset primary win Tuesday.

Kara Eastman, who led a nonprofit and was a board member of a community college, defeated former Rep. Brad Ashford for the Democratic nomination. Ashford, a former Republican with a moderate voting record who lost his seat in 2016, had the full backing of the Democratic establishment, earning a spot on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committees list of Red to Blue candidates and receiving donations from the PAC of Democratic House leaders Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, but fell short in an attempt at a rematch with Republican Don Bacon.

Election materials for Democrats Kara Eastman and Brad Ashford. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

Eastman ran on a full-throated progressive message. She frankly endorsed Medicare For All, a program that would provide government health care for every American, a $15 minimum wage, higher corporate taxes and abortion rights.

Im tired of hearing Democrats dont have a backbone, said Eastman in a campaign ad. That we dont stand for anything. That changes now. Let me be clear: Im the only candidate for Congress that stands for universal health care and ending tax breaks for millionaires that threaten the middle class. I will fight to protect Medicare and Social Security, and always defend a womans right to choose.

The second district, in the eastern part of the state that includes Omaha, is more liberal than the rest of the state and has seen tight races in recent years. In 2014, Ashford beat incumbent Republican Lee Terry by three points. Two years later, Ashford lost his seat to Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general, by a single percentage point while Trump won the district over Hillary Clinton by two. Barack Obama won the district by a point in 2008, but it swung back to Mitt Romney by seven points four years later.

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Following the results, Bacon  who ran unopposed  complimented Eastman as genuine but said he doubted her platform would be successful in November, telling reporters I dont think liberal works in this district. Neutral prognosticators agree with Bacon so far, as the nonpartisan Center for Politics shifted its Crystal Ball Rating for the race from Toss-Up to Lean Republican following the primary result. There is no current polling on the general election race.

Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images)

Eastman has already received pledges of support from Ashford and the Nebraska Democratic Party. She credited her field team for the win and said that the general election campaign would maintain a focus of going door-to-door and talking to voters.

Im going to continue spending time in the community talking to voters and asking them what their concerns are, said Eastman in remarks following her primary win, because in the general election, there are a lot more concerns, right? Because what weve found is we all are concerned about some of the things that are happening in our country and people are looking for strong, positive leadership, and sometimes theyre looking for something they dont even know is out there.

Crystal Rhoades, chairwoman of the Douglas County Democratic Party and wife of Eastmans campaign manager, told Yahoo News that she didnt view Eastmans positions as radical and believed the candidate understood the values of the district. Rhoades said the previous strategy of running conservative Democrats in an attempt to appeal to a district where registration leans Republican had failed and that the path to victory could be by supporting a true-blue, never-been-a-Republican, full-blown Democrat.

The turnout between Democrats and Republicans is actually pretty even, said Rhoades. What we have seen is that Democratic turnout has been lower than it should be and we believe that the reason it has been suppressed is we kept running an extremely conservative Democrat. We believe running a Democrat who is more progressive will actually increase that Democratic turnout and propel her to success in the general election.

Even if Eastman is able to deliver her message and turn out Democratic voters, the most daunting roadblock is likely her opponent. Bacon may have a potential weakness due to the fact he voted for both the poorly received Obamacare repeal attempt and unpopular Republican tax plan, but according to Paul Landow, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha, hes still a great fit for the district.

Don Bacon has an outstanding profile for this congressional district, said Landow. Hes a sharp guy, hes got a great resume, hes former military and so is most of Sarpy County. Its a real uphill battle for Eastman to win this thing.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Washington (AFP) - The United States and six Gulf Arab states announced sanctions Wednesday on the leadership of Hezbollah, as Washington seeks to step up economic pressure on Iran and its allies in the region.

The US and Saudi-led Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center said the sanctions were aimed at Hezbollah's Shura Council, the powerful Lebanese militia's decision-making council, led by the Shiite group's secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah.

Nasrallah, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qasim, and three other Shura Council members were listed under the joint sanctions, which aim at freezing vulnerable assets of those named and blocking their access to global financial networks.

At the same time, the six Gulf members of the TFTC -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates -- declared sanctions on another nine individuals and firms part of or linked to Hezbollah that were already blacklisted by the US Treasury.

It was the second time the year-old TFTC came together to announce sanctions on groups they call threats to regional peace.

Last October, the group announced joint sanctions on top Islamic State and Al-Qaeda figures in Yemen.

"The TFTC again demonstrated its great value to international security by disrupting Iran and Hezbollah's destabilizing influence in the region," said US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin in a statement.

"By targeting Hezbollah's Shura Council, our nations collectively rejected the false distinction between a so-called 'Political Wing' and Hezbollah's global terrorist plotting."

The move came 10 days after Hezbollah gave a strong showing in Lebanon's elections, garnering enough seats in parliament to block any attempt by its political foes to make it disarm its militia, which rivals the Lebanese army in size and firepower.

The announcement followed two US moves in the past week to put pressure on Iran's financial networks, including sanctions announced Tuesday that aimed at an alleged financial pipeline that moved "hundreds of millions of dollars" from Iran's central bank through an Iraqi bank to Hezbollah.

Coming after the Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal on May 8, the Treasury said Wednesdays actions are part of a efforts to go after "the totality of Iran's malign activities and regionally destabilizing behavior, including that of Hezbollah."
Washington (AFP) - The White House on Wednesday voiced hope the upcoming summit between North Korea's Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump will proceed as planned, as Pyongyang threatened to pull out over US pressure for "unilateral nuclear abandonment."

The comments from the North about the meeting, set for June 12 in Singapore, were the first sign of a hiccup after weeks of tentative rapprochement.

"We're still hopeful that the meeting will take place and we'll continue down that path," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News. "At the same time ... we've been prepared that these might be tough negotiations."

"The president is ready if the meeting takes place. And if it doesn't, we will continue the maximum pressure campaign that has been ongoing."

In an angrily worded statement, the North warned on Wednesday it may back out of the high-level summit if the United States pressures it to give up its nuclear arsenal.

"If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue," first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan said in a statement carried by state media.

In that case, he added, Pyongyang would have to "reconsider" its participation at next month's summit in Singapore.

The first vice foreign minister also tore into Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton for drawing parallels between North Korea and Libya, calling the comparison "absolutely absurd."

"We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," he said.

Bolton has pushed the idea of a deal with North Korea like that reached with Libya's Moamer Kadhafi, who agreed in 2003 to the elimination of his country's nuclear program and chemical weapons arsenal to gain sanctions relief.

After giving up his atomic program, Kadhafi was killed in 2011 in an uprising backed by NATO bombing.

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- A plea from China -

Washington is pressing for North Korea's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. But so far, the North has given no public indication of what it is offering, beyond a broad commitment to denuclearization of the "Korean peninsula."

Pyongyang "made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States," the North Korean minister said.

In the past, Pyongyang has demanded the withdrawal of US troops stationed in the South, and an end to Washington's nuclear umbrella over its ally.

China, North Korea's sole major ally, called for the summit to go ahead.

"The situation on the peninsula has eased up, which is worth cherishing," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing.

Minister Kim also dismissed offers by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for US economic aid if the North denuclearizes.

"We have never had any expectation of US support in carrying out our economic construction and will not at all make such a deal in future," he said.

- Tightrope diplomacy -

The North Korean warning follows a weeks-long charm offensive that has seen Kim Jong Un hold a historic summit with the South's president and meet twice with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Pyongyang also raised hopes ahead of the US summit by announcing it will destroy its nuclear testing site next week.

Analysts said Pyongyang appeared to be trying to redefine the terms of the debate.

"It's a diplomatic tactic," Kim Hyun-wook, professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, told AFP, calling it "brinkmanship to change the US position."

"It looks like Kim Jong Un was pushed into accepting US demands for 'denuclearization-first' but is now trying to change its position after normalizing North Korea-China relations and securing economic assistance," he added.

"The classic North Korean tightrope diplomacy between the US and China has begun."

US officials have repeatedly claimed credit for Washington's "maximum pressure" policy for bringing Pyongyang to the negotiating table.

Joshua Pollack of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies said Pyongyang had been irritated by the "triumphalist tone."

"The North Koreans aren't happy with what they're seeing and hearing," he said. "There is still a yawning gulf between expectations for diplomacy in Pyongyang and Washington, DC."

- Thunderstruck -

KCNA also denounced the Max Thunder joint military exercises being held between the US and South Korea as a "rude and wicked provocation," and Seoul said it had received a message cancelling planned high-level talks "indefinitely."

The two-week drills started last Friday and involves some 100 aircraft from the two allies, including F-22 stealth fighter jets.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters it had received "no notification" of a position change by North Korea on next month's meeting.

The exercises were "not provocative" and would continue, she added.

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Caracas (AFP) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called Wednesday for dialogue with Washington similar to that between the US and North Korea, but warned that he will not give in to threats from Donald Trump.

"I think that the processes of dialogue between Democratic Republic of Korea and the US government are very positive and could serve as an example" for a rapprochement between Washington and Caracas, Maduro told a news conference in the southern city of Bolivar.

However, he noted differences between the tensions between the White House and Venezuela and those between the US and North Korea, as "we do not have nuclear missiles."

But the talks with Pyongyang "could serve as an example that the world needs tolerance, dialogue, respect for differences," Maduro said ahead of a campaign event for Sundays election.The early polls are being boycotted by the Venezuelan opposition, and much of the international community has condemned them as illegitimate.

Washington has dismissed the vote as a "sham" to keep Maduro in power, and has slapped sanctions on Caracas in a push to isolate the Maduro regime.

"I am ready for this to be resolved, with dignity, respect and dialogue, and that US aggression against our sovereign country ceases. Venezuela is a democratic state," the president said.

But the socialist leader warned that his government will not give in to the threats of US President Donald Trump, who has not ruled out an oil embargo or "a military option."

"Venezuela is not going to surrender to this empire," he said, condemning what he said was a "powerful lobby" of former Venezuelan bankers who are supporting "US aggression against Venezuela."

Maduro, the political heir to the late leftist firebrand Hugo Chavez, has presided over an implosion of once wealthy oil producer Venezuela's economy.

The South American country is in partial default on its debt and suffers severe shortages of food and medicines despite sitting atop the planet's biggest proven oil reserves.

Maduro's government has been printing money as foreign reserves dwindle, and the national currency, the bolivar, has become nearly worthless.
Even in the Trump era, Americas green rush continues apace.

Three states  Michigan, Utah and Oklahoma  will hold referendums in 2018 on the legalization of marijuana for recreational and medical use, continuing a nationwide trend of acceptance of the drug.

Over the past decade, Americans support for marijuana legalization has steadily increased. Recent polling shows that the percentage of U.S. adults who support its legalization is now nearly twice what it was in 2000.

In a January poll, the Pew Research Center found that roughly six in 10 Americans (61 percent) think cannabis should be legalized for recreational use by adults. Nearly two decades ago, only 31 percent of Americans supported making recreational weed legal. With this change of perspective came a series of changes to state laws. Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational use in 2012; seven states and Washington, D.C., followed their lead. In addition, marijuana has been legally approved for medicinal use in 29 states, and its been decriminalized (though not legalized) in 13.

Earlier this year, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Cole memo  which effectively allowed states to determine their own cannabis laws  and directed all U.S. attorneys to enforce the marijuana laws enacted by Congress. But after pushback from Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., President Trump promised that he would stay true to his position on the campaign trail that marijuana should be a states rights issue and that the federal government would not interfere with Colorados marijuana industry. Gardner recently told Yahoo News that hes working with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on a bipartisan bill to reconcile the contradictions between state and federal law.

Marijuana has been legalized for recreational use in nine states and Washington, D.C. It has been legalized for medicinal use in 29 states and Washington, D.C.

Support for legalization increases with each new generation. Though only 38 percent of participants from the Silent Generation (born between 1925 and 1945) favored legalization, growing majorities from each subsequent generational cohort surveyed did: 56 percent of baby boomers, 66 percent of Gen Xers and 70 percent of millennials.

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Nevertheless, 2018 ballot initiatives for legalization are not fated for success. Most Republicans still oppose legalization (55 percent), and this is especially true among the partys senior citizens (67 percent). Heres where weed will be on the ballot this year.

Michigan

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted more than 365,000 signatures to the state Elections Bureau in November 2017 to get a question about legal recreational marijuana on the November 2018 ballot.

If the initiative passes, it will be legal for all adults age 21 and older to possess and consume the drug. It would also enable businesses to get licenses to cultivate and sell marijuana, legalize industrial hemp, establish marijuana testing and safety regulations, let local governments determine whether they want to let cannabis businesses in their community and impose a 10 percent excise tax on marijuana sold by retailers (in addition to the states 6 percent sales tax).

Of the additional tax revenue, 35 percent would go to roads, 35 percent to K-12 public schools, 15 percent to municipalities that allow marijuana businesses and 15 percent to counties that allow marijuana businesses.

The measure would not change the states laws regarding public consumption, driving under the influence or testing job applicants for marijuana use.

Chuck Ream of Ann Arbor, Mich., growing marijuana in 2014 as a registered medical marijuana patient and a caregiver for four others. (Photo: Emma Fidel/AP)

Josh Hovey, a spokesperson for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, thinks its a balanced approach that creates a licensing structure that follows some of the best practices from around the country. He argued that marijuana prohibition in Michigan and across the country failed and wasted law enforcement resources, leading to the unnecessary arrests of 20,000 people per year in Michigan.

Were proposing a strongly regulated system that would allow for personal freedom to possess and consume limited amounts of marijuana, Hovey told Yahoo News. We think the time has come. We feel were in a very strong position to get this done and create a really robust system for the state.

Based on taxes generated in other states, as well as Michigans population (9.1 million) and medical marijuana market, Hovey estimates recreational marijuana could generate $100 million to $200 million every year in taxes that could go toward roads, schools and local governments, which he said are severely underfunded.

While we dont think this will solve all the states problems related to those funding issues, we think we can do a whole lot of good, he said.

Although the state certified the ballot initiative, Michigan has a more complex process by which the legislature can enact a similar law before sending it to the voters. The Detroit News reports that some Republican legislators are considering legalizing marijuana before the November ballot because they fear the initiative would boost Democratic voter turnout. On April 19, Republican state Sen. Mike Shirkey said, I think everybody in this chamber has thought about that strategy. Sources recently told the Detroit Free Press that Michigan Republicans are working on a plan so that any preemptive legalization would be tied to a state income tax and make smaller amendments to the proposals.

Utah

The Utah Patients Coalition collected nearly 200,000 signatures from registered Utah voters to get a question about medical marijuana on the November ballot. The ballot initiative would establish a medical marijuana program so that patients battling cancer and other life-threatening conditions wont need to break the law to alleviate their suffering.

The proposal would protect seriously ill patients from arrest and prosecution if they use medical marijuana according to their doctors recommendations, allow medical marijuana card holders to purchase up to two ounces of cannabis or 10 grams of cannabidiol or tetrahydrocannabinol over a 14-day period, and establish restrictions on where and how licensed marijuana dispensaries could operate.

Davis Cromar holds his son Holden, 10, who suffers from epilepsy, while standing with other patients, caregivers and supporters during a Utah Patients Coalition news conference in 2017. (Photo: Rick Bowmer/AP)

D.J. Schanz, director of the Utah Patients Coalition, said this is perhaps the most conservatively written medical cannabis legislation in the country. There would be a strict list of conditions that would qualify a person for the program.

I cant read the tea leaves but feel theres a great amount of public support for this. We look forward to debating the merits of this bill and the merits of no longer criminalizing patients in the public square in the upcoming months, Schanz told Yahoo News.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came out publicly against the proposal, but polls show that a majority of Utahns  including a majority of Mormons  actually support it. The Mormon Church is among the states largest employers and Mormons are the states largest religious demographic.

We feel that Utahns are independent thinkers, and are able to think outside what the government affairs and public relations departments of the church say, Schanz said. The church is on the wrong side of history on this. These medical decisions are best left between a doctor and a patient.

Previous attempts to legalize medical marijuana in Utah have been unsuccessful. In 2016, the Medical Cannabis Act, which would have legalized cannabis for nine specific medical conditions, including AIDS chronic pain and PTSD, passed the state Senate but was defeated in the House.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma voters will weigh in on Question 788, which seeks to establish a medical marijuana program on their midterm election ballot on June 26.

If its successful, anyone with a medical marijuana license would be able to legally consume marijuana and possess six mature marijuana plants, six seedling plants, one ounce of concentrated marijuana, 72 ounces of edible marijuana and up to eight ounces of marijuana at home.

Frank Grove, the chair of Vote Yes on 788 PAC and the president of the Drug Policy Reform Network of Oklahoma, said it looks like the measure will pass, and even the opposition has estimated it would cost $10 million to defeat it.

A marijuana plant awaits transplanting at the Hollingsworth Cannabis Company near Shelton, Wash. (Photo: Ted S. Warren/AP)

We remain confident that it will pass, Grove told Yahoo News. Weve been working on this issue a long time. In the past five years, things have really picked up here in Oklahoma. This was the third initiative petition we engaged in. It took a major grassroots effort across the state.

According to Grove, Question 788 was unique because it has no corporate backing and all of the donors who support it are regular Oklahomans putting their own money forward.

Republican Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin announced in January that Oklahomans would decide Question 788 during the primary election in June rather than the general election in November.

Backers of this proposal to legalize medical marijuana followed procedures and gathered the more than 66,000 required signatures to submit the issue to a vote of the people, Fallin said at the time. Im fulfilling my duty as governor to decide when that election will occur this year.

Grove noted theres usually a 5 to 10 percent increase in voter turnout when theres a marijuana question on the ballot. He said Fallin likely picked June because she doesnt want more liberals drawn to the polls during the general election.

I believe that what theyre considering is that theres going to be a big voter backlash here in Oklahoma, Grove continued. Theres a lot of discontent due to the other policies the leadership has enacted. Really, its a matter of protecting their own position at the polls.

Grove thinks Oklahomas decision on Question 788 will be significant nationally because its one of the few states with the initiative-petition process. Other states, like Texas, he said, are looking to Oklahoma to see what it might face in the future.

I believe If Oklahoma and Texas end prohibition federally, it can no longer hold. So Oklahoma could very well be the tipping point for the national opinion on medical marijuana, he said.

A worker at the Hollingsworth Cannabis Company near Shelton, Wash., packages pre-rolled marijuana joints. (Photo: Ted S. Warren/AP)

Federal law

Under federal law, marijuana is still one of the most strictly prohibited drugs in the country. The Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration classify it as a Schedule I substance  the same category as heroin. The Controlled Substances Act defines a Schedule I drug as not being safe for use under medical supervision, not having an accepted use in medical treatment and having a high potential for abuse.

Theres a catch-22 here: This federal classification makes it hard to conduct the extensive clinical trials needed to demonstrate its medical value to the governments standards to have it reclassified.

Support and opposition

Morgan Fox, a spokesperson for the Marijuana Policy Project, a nonprofit dedicated to marijuana policy reform, said these initiatives are important because they could result in thousands of fewer arrests annually for a substance that is safer than alcohol and shown to have numerous medical benefits.

Their success will not only provide adults with a less harmful alternative and provide relief for seriously ill patients, but also help increase the political momentum that has been building up over the last few years and provide even more examples of how implementation and regulation can work, Fox told Yahoo News.

He also said this election presents the opportunity to see how marijuana policy initiatives can impact state and local races. Mainstream establishment politicians are starting to pay closer attention to this, which is a clear sign that the issue is being taken seriously and that support for marijuana policy reform is broad and strong, Fox said.

A survey published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013 found that 76 percent of doctors would approve the use of medical marijuana.

Political action committees, such as Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana (CALM), think the normalization, expanded use and increased availability of marijuana will be detrimental to public health and safety. CALM insists that the Federal Controlled Substances Act should be enforced over state laws  barring the cultivation, processing and transportation of the plant. On its website, the group calls upon the state legislature, county governments and local municipalities to work within current federal law and to join with federal agencies to stop the spread of marijuana distribution and use. We encourage all citizens to join in this effort.

While CALM takes a traditional anti-pot approach, the nonprofit Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) opposes marijuana legalization while acknowledging that the war on drugs has been ineffective and that limited resources should not go toward incarcerating nonviolent drug users. SAM is the primary donor to Healthy and Productive Michigan, a registered committee opposing the Michigan ballot initiative.

A marijuana plant grows at Med Grow Cannabis College in Southfield, Mich. (Photo: Carlos Osorio/AP)

Kevin Sabet, the president of SAM, fears that commercialization of marijuana will create another Big Tobacco-type industry that puts private profit over public health.

The marijuana industry has an incentive to put these on the ballot because if they pass, they make money. The opposition doesnt have a financial incentive other than thinking this is the right thing to do, Sabet told Yahoo News.

Sabet said marijuana arrests can have dire consequences for somebody who is trying to get a job, an education, housing, health care and so on. SAM supports decriminalizing pot, expunging previous marijuana convictions and not giving nonviolent pot smokers criminal records  but not legalization and commercialization.

Sabet compared todays marijuana industry to the tobacco industry a century ago. He said the pot industry funds its own doctors, legislators and multimillion-dollar marketing campaigns.

The marijuana industry is all about making money, like any industry is, and to make money in this industry you have to say your product is safe, that youre never going to target kids  and you have to lie, because the only way to make money is to get heavy users, he said.

When asked why SAM doesnt support prohibiting alcohol, Sabet said theres a cultural distinction between alcohol and marijuana, for better or worse. He said alcohol has been used by a majority of the West since ancient Greece, while marijuana has been used by a minority of the population. Nevertheless, he sees the harm of legalized alcohol and tobacco as a warning sign. We dont want another legal drug, he said.

Our legal drugs, including alcohol, are more harmful than all illegal drugs combined, from a public health perspective. They kill 10 times as many people as the opioid epidemic. Think about that, Sabet said. Its not because tobacco is more harmful than heroin. Its because so many more people use tobacco and alcohol because its been normalized and promoted by an industry.

Read more from Yahoo News:

(Cover photo credit: Carlos Osorio/AP)
The White House blamed Palestinian militant group Hamas after Israeli troops in Gaza shot and killed more than 50 Palestinians during protests over the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

Speaking at the daily press briefing, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said that Hamas bears responsibility for the deaths because it planned the protests where Palestinians were shot.

The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas, he said. Israel has the right to defend itself.

At least 52 Palestinians were killed and thousands injured in Gaza Monday as the Trump Administration relocated the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Israeli army said that at least 35,000 Gazans amassed at the border, and that protesters threw Molotov cocktails, burned tires and threw stones at soldiers, according to CNN.

Moving the embassy is a recognition of reality, Shah said. For decades weve walked on eggshells pretending Jerusalem isnt the capital of Israel, when it obviously is.

Read More: What to Know About the Jerusalem Embassy Opening and the Palestinian Protests

When pressed on whether Israel bears any responsibility for the violence, Shah reiterated, We believe Hamas bears the responsibility. He referred to the Palestinian protests as a rather cynical exploitation of the situation and a gruesome and unfortunate propaganda attempt.

Shahs briefing echoed White House senior advisor Jared Kushners speech from Israel earlier Monday, when he said the protestors were part of the problem and not part of the solution.

Both Kushner and Shah said they dont think the violence will affect the Trump Administrations push for peace in the Middle East. The peace plan will be brought forward at the appropriate time, Shah said. The actions today, both the opening of the embassy in Jerusalem and these tragedies in Southern Israel, we dont think will impact the peace plan.
Another staff shakeup may be coming to the White House in the wake of recent media leaks, presidential counsellor Kellyanne Conway has said.

Ms Conway spoke out after multiple outlets reported that a White House aide had made disparaging comments about ailing Senator John McCain during an internal meeting. The comments drew outrage from Mr McCains family and supporters, but the administration focused its outrage on the staffers who relayed the comments to the press.

President Donald Trump for example, tweeted on Monday that White House leakers were traitors and cowards, and we will find out who they are!

Asked if she foresaw personnel changes at the White House over the leak, Ms Conway said: I do, actually. Yes, I do.

There are all kinds of leaks, the presidential adviser told Fox News' Martha MacCallum, adding that she had spoken with Mr Trump about the issue earlier that day.

Some leaks exist to hurt, I guess, colleagues, some leaks exist because they disagree with the policies that are being put forth, but none of them are helpful," she said.

Ms Conway said the leaks were a change from the early days of the White House, when officials would not leak information so much as use the media to shiv each other.

That was going on quite a bit at the beginning of this administration and its less so now, she said.

Multiple sources told The Hill last week that communications aide Kelly Sadler had made mocking comments about Mr McCain, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer last year. Responding to Mr McCains criticisms of Gina Haspel, the administration's pick to lead the CIA, Ms Sadler reportedly said: It doesnt matter, hes dying anyway.

The White House did not deny the comments, but also refused to apologise, saying only that the issue was being handled internally.

The comments drew criticism from Mr McCain's family, and from politicians on the left and right. Both Republican Senator Lindsey Graham  a longtime friend of Mr McCain  and Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders lambasted the White House for failing to apologise for the remarks.

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It is one thing in the White House for somebody to say something crude and stupid and disrespectful about an American hero, it is another thing for them not to apologise, Mr Sanders told CNN.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has told reporters she will not comment on the issue, but reportedly called a meeting last week to berate White House staff over the deluge of leaks.

If you aren't able in internal meetings to speak your mind or convey thoughts or say anything that you feel without feeling like your colleagues will betray you, that creates a difficult work environment, deputy press secretary Raj Shah told reporters on Monday. I think anybody who works anywhere can recognise that.

New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman added her own thoughts on the situation on Monday, tweeting: "Sometimes the person yelling the most about leakers is doing the leaking,
Well, this feels familiar. North Korea has nixed talks with South Korea set for Wednesday and threatened to pull out of next months summit with the U.S., underscoring the difficulty of negotiating with an ossified Stalinist regime that has clung onto power for seven decades precisely by switching between hostility and engagement with assorted world powers.

North Koreas state KCNA news agency announced the initial cancellation Tuesday, citing the joint air force drills between Seoul and Washington that it deemed a provocation and practice for invasion. North Korea has long railed against U.S.-South Korean military drills, but the move surprised many Korea-watchers as Kim had earlier said negotiations would continue regardless of the exercises.

Meanwhile, a North Korean official separately said Wednesday that the summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump set for June 12 in Singapore would be scrapped if predicated on one-sided demands to give up nuclear weapons.

We are no longer interested in a negotiation that will be all about driving us into a corner, North Koreas first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan said Wednesday. This would force us to reconsider whether we would accept the North Korea-U.S. summit meeting.

The tenor is markedly different from last months meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, when the North Korean leader promised a new era of cooperation. Experts posit Kim maybe now be trying to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington. The first vice foreign minister also criticized recent comments by Trumps hawkish National Security Adviser John Bolton, who has said the North should follow the Libyan model of nuclear disarmament via complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement.

Read More: A Deal Mr. Kim Cannot Refuse. North Korean Leader Could Be Offered Regime Security

That Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was toppled with U.S. backing despite acquiescing to demands to denuclearize has long been a thorn in U.S. efforts to reach a deal with North Korea  one likely sharpened by Trumps recent decision to nix a hard-fought denuclearization deal with Iran.

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Professor Stephan Haggard, a Korea expert at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy, says there are two explanations for North Koreas recalcitrance: One is that Kim is testing the [Trump] administration and seeing if he can get some concessions. The other is that has he gotten cold feet  they just want an out.

Either way, the brouhaha spotlights the risks for Trump meeting with the mercurial third generation North Korean leader, who like his illustrious father and grandfather has excelled at brinkmanship  alternating between threats and conciliatory gestures to eke concessions.

A U.S. government handout photo shows U.S. Central Intelligence (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, North Korea.

The Singapore summit would be the first ever meeting between the leaders of the longtime adversaries, whom do not have diplomatic relations and officially remain at war since only an armistice rather than peace treaty ended the 1950-53 Korean War. Distrust is intense. North Korea has signed five denuclearization agreements in the past but reneged on all.

In the last year, North Korea has tested a nuclear-armed ballistic missile that experts believe can reach the continental U.S., prompting the U.S. president to threaten a military strike and to spearhead three new rounds of U.N. sanctions. Trumps new foreign policy inner circle of Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has repeatedly said that military option remains on the table.

The threat of war increases exponentially if talks fail. However, Christopher Green, a senior analyst on the Korean peninsula for the International Crisis Group, says North Koreas latest maneuvers are simply designed to create leverage. I dont think it benefits North Korea to appear be too much of a cheap date, he says. It ill behooves them to have everyone thinking that they are desperate or that they cant afford to walk away from the talks.

Which is a tactic Trump  the self-styled master negotiator  should be able to appreciate, since he has himself has said that he would respectfully leave talks if he didnt like their direction. Still, the confusion injects doubt into the thought that we are now dealing with a North Korean leader desperate to come in from the cold.

Bruce Klingner, formerly CIA chief in Korea and now an analyst with the conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation, says that he had meetings with South Korean officials on Tuesday that were dominated by fears that Trump, eager to etch his name into the history books, may agree to too much in his talks with Kim. But now they are dealing with the prospect that Kim is stringing the world along just like his forebears.

In the Soviet context, we thought we were moving from Khrushchev and Brezhnev, with the pounding the table with shoes and ill-fitting suits, to the refined and public relations-effective Gorbachev, says Klingner. And now we seem to be going back to the troglodytes of the past.
Montevideo, May 16, 2018 (SPS) - The Federation of University Students of Uruguay (ASCEEP-FEUU), has expressed its solidarity with the just cause of the Saharawi people in a communique of the Federal Council of the Uruguayan student organization.

The Uruguayan student organization praised the enormous will of the Saharawi people to achieve "the objective of their self-determination and to end the criminal actions of the Kingdom of Morocco".

The Federation of University Students of Uruguay has also expressed its willingness to collaborate with the Union of Saharan Students (UESARIO) in different fields.SPS

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Kyle Mizokami

Security, Asia

Coming soon to a war near you?

Why North Korea's Worst Nightmare is the B-21 Stealth Bomber

For conventional missions, the B-21 will carry the JASSM-ER conventional cruise missile and two-thousand-pound GBU-31 Joint Directed Attack Munition satellite-guided bombs. The B-21 could use these weapons in a similar manner as its nuclear weapons, blasting its way through the enemys defenses before dropping JDAMs. Alternately, the B-21 could be used as a missile truck, launching up to sixteen JASSM-ERs at enemy targets from a distance, or penetrating less sophisticated enemy defenses to deliver JDAMs on target. The B-21 will also need to carry the thirty-thousand-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, the largest conventional bomb in the U.S. arsenal, as the B-2 is currently the only bomber capable of lifting the enormous bomb.

On October 27, 2015, nearly thirty-four years to the day after Northrop Grumman was awarded the contract to develop the first stealth bomber, the U.S. Air Force awarded Northrop a contract for a new bomber: the B-21 Raider. While many of the details of the Raider are shrouded in mystery, we do know a few things about it, and can infer others.

The B-21 Raider bomber takes its name from both the twenty-first century and the legendary 1942 raid by Gen. James Jimmy Doolittles force of B-25 Mitchell bombers against targets in and around Tokyo, Japan. In invoking the Doolittle Raid, the Air Force is drawing attention to attacks audacious nature, the strategic and tactical surprise, and the epic distances General Doolittle and his raiders flew to accomplish their mission.

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A tailless, batlike aircraft, the official rendering of the B-21 Raider released by the Air Force bears a superficial resemblance to the B-2 Spirit bomber. There are important distinctions, however. The B-21 moves its engines closer to the wing root, where they occupy the juncture between wing and fuselage, whereas the B-2s twin pairs of General Electric F118-GE-100 engines are distinctly apart from the fuselage on the wing. The Raiders engine air intakes are angled and not serrated like those on the B-2 Spirit. The Raider also has overwing exhausts to mask the infrared signature of the four engines, unlike the B-2. (Interestingly, this is exactly how the B-2s exhausts were depicted in an April 1988 artists conception of that bomber.)

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The aircraft appears similar in size to the B-2 Spirit, almost certainly making it a four-engine bomber. The announcement of Pratt and Whitney in 2016 as a B-21 subcontractor narrows down the new bombers engines to two designs: the F-100 and the F-135. The mature F-100, which powers the F-15 Eagle series of fighters, seems a sound choice, but the Air Force may want the F-135, which powers the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, for its growth potential and ability to lower engine costs for the F-35 fleet.

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Like its predecessor, the B-21 Raider will be a heavy strategic bomber designed to carry both nuclear and conventional weapons. If the B-2 is of similar size, it follows it will carry a similar amount of ordinance. This means two bomb bays. In order to keep costs down, the Air Force may elect to reuse the Advanced Applications Rotary Launcher from the B-2 bomber. The AARL is fitted one per bomb bay, each capable of carrying eight bombs or missiles.

In the nuclear mission, the Air Force will arm the B-21 with the Long-Range Stand-Off (LRSO) missile, the next-generation stealthy nuclear cruise missile. It will also carry B-61 free-fall nuclear gravity bombs, particularly the new B61-12 bomb with dial-a-yield capability. A combination of these two weapons will allow the B-21 to use its stealthy cruise missiles to clear a path through the enemy air-defense network before dropping B-61 bombs on primary and secondary targets.

For conventional missions, the B-21 will carry the JASSM-ER conventional cruise missile and two-thousand-pound GBU-31 Joint Directed Attack Munition satellite-guided bombs. The B-21 could use these weapons in a similar manner as its nuclear weapons, blasting its way through the enemys defenses before dropping JDAMs. Alternately, the B-21 could be used as a missile truck, launching up to sixteen JASSM-ERs at enemy targets from a distance, or penetrating less sophisticated enemy defenses to deliver JDAMs on target. The B-21 will also need to carry the thirty-thousand-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, the largest conventional bomb in the U.S. arsenal, as the B-2 is currently the only bomber capable of lifting the enormous bomb.

Like many new weapons systems, the Air Force has instructed Northrop Grumman to build the bomber with a so-called open architecture hardware and software system. As a result, unlike previous bombers, the B-21 could become much more than just a heavy bomber. The open-architecture specification should ensure that future upgrades will be relatively easy to integrate into the B-21, and for the bomber to adapt to a slew of new, different missions. The bombers weapons bay could end up being more of a mission payload bay, with surveillance, communications, drone or electronic warfare packages loaded inside to facilitate a variety of missions, particularly in denied environments. The Raider is on the path to being Americas first multirole bomber.

The B-21 Raider is set to fly in the mid-2020s, and the Air Force plans to buy at least a hundred of the bombers to replace the B-52H Stratofortress and B-1B Lancer bombers. A larger fleet of up to two hundred bombers is possible, but entirely bound to fiscal realities. We dont know what the Raider in its final form will look like, or when the Air Force will release more information on an aircraft it wants to carefully protect. The B-21 has disappeared into the black world of military technology, and will only reemerge when the bomber is ready.

Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national-security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in the Diplomat, Foreign Policy, War is Boring and the Daily Beast. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami.

This first appeared last year.

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Police in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, released surveillance footage of an arrest at the Mayfair Mall on May 11 which previously stirred outrage when cellphone video first emerged.

Officials are reviewing the incident and the use of force in the arrest, police said in a press release. Additionally, police are reviewing additional video from the scene, including surveillance footage released on Tuesday.

The cell phone footage shows officers wrestling with a 17-year-old boy and, at one point, punching him in the head. The footage released by police shows what happened before the altercation between the teen and officers.

Police said they were called to the mall for a report of five males causing a disturbance. One of the officers who responded found the teens and attempted to speak with them to determine what had happened. The teen, however, refused to stop and speak with the officer, police said. Additionally, the teen physically fought with the officer, who was attempting to legally detain the suspect, police said.

The teen was charged with disorderly conduct, battery and resisting an officer. The teens name was not released.

The Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee took issue with the officers use of force seen in the video, and the groups leader, King Rick, told local media that view had not changed after seeing the additional footage. Credit: Wauwatosa Police Department via Storyful
Gaza was preparing for more bloodshed Tuesday after 58 Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers during protests on Monday, the deadliest day in the territory since the 2014 war.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) opened fire on protestors on the Gaza border as American diplomats, religious leaders and officials including Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner gathered in Jerusalem for the opening of the new American Embassy to Israel.

While dozens of Palestinians were dying less than 100 miles away, attendees listened to a recorded message from the U.S. president, in which Donald Trump lauded the sacred land of Jerusalem and gave testament to the unbreakable spirit of the Jewish people. As well as the 58 dead, more than 1,000 were injured, The Times of Israel reported.

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REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Related: Gaza protests: What do Palestinians want, and will they get it?

The American Embassy controversy has been a thorny addition to an already difficult period for Israeli-Palestinian relations, with the Trump administration consistently bullish in its dismissal of the protestors. Even as world leaders expressed their concern at the ugly scenes in Gaza, Kushner said, As we have seen from the protests of the last month and even today, those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution.

Tuesday marks Nakbaor catastropheday, when Palestinians mark the anniversary of fleeing or being forced to leave their homes in present-day Israel after the countrys creation in 1948. Today will mark the climax of the protests that have been ongoing since March 30, in which Palestinians have called for the right to return to land in what is now Israel.

A Palestinian official who did not wish to be named told Newsweek that the timing of the embassy opening just before Nakba Day was shameful and an insult to our nation. He also condemned the celebrations in Jerusalem even though there was a massacre taking place in Gaza at the same time.

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There is a total dehumanization of the Palestinian people, the official added.

The protests are buoyed by dire humanitarian and economic conditions in the Gaza Strip, which has been under blockade by Israel and Egypt since 2006 in an effort to degrade the military capabilities of Hamasthe Islamist group that controls Gaza and its two million people.

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REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Further protests are expected along the Gaza border fence today, and may spread to other Palestinian territories in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Yesterday, the IDF warned it would take all steps necessary to protect the border fence and nearby Israeli communities and carried out air and artillery strikes on suspected militant positions inside the Strip.

The international community has called on Israel to exercise restraint and minimize bloodshed in response to Mondays violence. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was profoundly alarmed by the sharp escalation of violence in Gaza and urged Israel to exercise maximum restraint in the use of live fire. He added that protest organizers have a responsibility to discourage violence and provocations on the part of demonstrators.

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Federica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign policy chief, urged Israel to respect the principle of proportionality in the use of force, and the right to peaceful protest. Mogherini also said Hamas must not exploit [protesters] for other means.

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REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Othersincluding Turkey, Egypt and Qatarblamed Israel directly for the violence. The U.S., however, was supportive of Israeli use of force, further cementing what are becoming the closest relations between Washington, D.C., and Israel for many years.

On Monday, the White House blamed Hamas for the deaths, with Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah branding the protests a propaganda attempt. The U.S. also blocked a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an independent investigation into the killings.

Trumps decision has likely damaged the prospect of successful peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians, despite the White Houses claim that it remains committed to a lasting settlement. Yesterday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the new embassy a settlement outpost and vowed that Palestinians would not take part in any talks mediated by America in any way, shape or form.

Suddenly, everything that is good for peace is basically everything Israel wants, the Palestinian official said, including annexation of occupied territory and a green light to do whatever they want with the occupied Palestinian population.

The lack of support for Gazans from the international community has sent a message to Palestinians that they have nothing to lose, the official said. The choices that are being presented are either you accept living in a big open-air prison and do whatever Israel wants, or you die. So, whats your choice?

This article was first written by Newsweek

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Chrissy Teigen and Ellen DeGeneres are both on Team Laurel. (Photo: Getty Images)

Does anyone remember what we did before the internet?

If you logged on to any device Tuesday, you probably devoted a chunk of time listening to an audio clip that says Laurel or it says Yanny, depending on whos listening. A Reddit user shared the debate-sparking clip over the weekend, and then on Sunday YouTuber Cloe Feldman threw out the question that ended up taking over many peoples afternoons today.

What do you hear?! Yanny or Laurel pic.twitter.com/jvHhCbMc8I  Cloe Feldman (@CloeCouture) May 15, 2018

The Verge described the clip as an audio illusion, which is heard differently depending on the audio frequency. Yanny is at a higher frequency, while Laurel is lower. What people hear, scientists told the website, is partly determined by the audio system playing the word. A persons ears also affect what they hear because older people might have a tougher time hearing the higher frequencies in Yanny. What you expect to hear plays a part too, said Bharath Chandrasekaran, a University of Texas at Austin professor in the department of communications sciences and disorders. He noted that the meme poses the question as Yanny or Laurel?  automatically setting an expectation for your brain.

Well, just like the rest of us, celebrities were fascinated and frustrated by whats being called the 2018 version of #DressGate.

its so clearly laurel. I cant even figure out how one would hear yanny.  christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) May 15, 2018

Literally everything at my show just stopped to see if people hear Laurel or Yanny. I hear Laurel. https://t.co/efWRw1Gj0L  Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) May 15, 2018

Laurel? Yanny? All I hear is the SONG OF THE SUMMER. pic.twitter.com/cxRvOB7doL  The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) May 15, 2018

Yanny vs. Laurel is starting some real fights  JJ Watt (@JJWatt) May 15, 2018

I truly do not understand where Laurel comes from. I only hear Yanny. This is not a bit, I am so confused https://t.co/1rdGD3r5cZ  Ike Barinholtz (@ikebarinholtz) May 15, 2018

ITS DEFINITELY LAUREL  The Laurel Laurel Show (@latelateshow) May 15, 2018

Yanny and Laurel is like a deep ghost whisper. https://t.co/BImYfuERYh  Emmy Rossum (@emmyrossum) May 15, 2018

If you wanted to know whether I hear Yanny or Laurel heres your answer.  pic.twitter.com/xnrIby2kmd  Kyle MacLachlan (@Kyle_MacLachlan) May 15, 2018

Let the battle rage on.

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Education Lab is a Seattle Times project that spotlights promising approaches to some of the most persistent challenges in public education. It is produced in partnership with the Solutions Journalism Network, a New York-based nonprofit that works to spread the practice of solutions-oriented Read more
Charles Cable, a well-known farrier in the Goshen, NY area, passed away on Tuesday (May 15) at Calvary Hospital, Bronx, NY. He was 76.

Cable learned his trade from his father and in turn passed that knowledge of shoeing horses to his sons. In addition to his work in New York, Cable also plied his trade in Florida, Ohio and Michigan.

He is survived by his two sons, Tim (Christy) and Tom (Jody); his companion, Mary; brothers Philip H. (Phyllis), Raymond (Patty) and Leon; sisters Ruth Bales and Marilyn Thomas; a granddaughter; and several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held at Goshen Historic Track on Saturday, May 18, at 12 noon. All are welcome to attend. Burial will be in Effingham, Ill., at St. Anthony Cemetery, beside his parents.

Memorial donations may be made to the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, 240 Main St., Goshen, NY 10924 or Goshen Historic Track, 44 Park Place, Goshen, NY 10924.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Charles Cable.

(Harnessracing.com)
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Every Palestinian death is a pity, including those who were killed on Monday. Those were unnecessary deaths, part of the Nakba culture the Palestinians have been adopting for 70 years now.

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There was a Nakba. Palestines Arabs underwent an expulsion. Tens of millions around the world, including Jews, went through a similar expulsion. But the Palestinians are the only ones who have adopted an ethos of rejectionism, self-victimization, suffering and death. They arent looking for their own good. They have become addicted to a Nakba which is fully self-made, from its inception to this very day.

Mondays dead are the product of payments from Iran, an addiction to the self-victimization and self-deception ethos, and the fostering of the return fantasy (Photo: EPA)

Mondays protest was dedicated to Jerusalem. Thats interesting. Since the occupation in the year 638, Jerusalem wasmost of the timeunder Muslim rule. They never built a capital there. They never celebrated the city. Nothing.

Jerusalem remained under Arab rule from 1949 to 1967. There was no occupation. But they didnt establish the state of Palestine, and so they didnt establish a capital either. They left Jerusalem as a marginal, neglected and forsaken city. Until Israel arrived. And then, only then, they remembered how much they care about Jerusalem.

It didnt start on Monday. Musa Alami was one of the most important leaders of the Arabs of Palestine under the British Mandate. He studied in Britain, was a senior commander in the British Mandate, held talks with David Ben-Gurion, was close to the Nazi Haj Amin al-Husseini and was a member of the Arab Higher Committee. Like all other members of the leadership, Alami was against the Partition Plan. He invited the Jordanian army to invade Israel to thwart the existence of a Jewish state. When the Arab plot failed and the refugee problem was created, Alami called on the Arab world to start preparations for a war on the 'Jewish entity.'

Alami, who came from a rich aristocratic family, also tried to build an agricultural farm near Jericho to help the desperate refugees somehow. King Abdullah allotted about 5,000 acres for the project. Alami began digging and was joined by several people. They found wells.

Monday's unnecessary deaths are part of the Nakba culture the Palestinians have been adopting for 70 years now (Photo: MCT)

Alami raised funds and the initiative began taking shape. Refugees found work and a livelihood, and the agricultural crops fed the hungry. The farm began thriving. On the premises, they built a swimming pool, a clinic, a school and accommodation for hundreds of orphans who found refuge from their distress. It was meant to be a wonderful rehabilitation model, in accordance with the international communitys mandate and the mission the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was assigned with.

The thriving farm infuriated the refugees public activists and the leaders of the Arab world, apart from Abdullah. Despite Alamis radical views, they launched a propaganda campaign against him, turning him into a traitor who cooperates with Zionist. Rehabilitating refugees was perceived, even back then, as treason.

In the end of 1955, following ongoing incitement, hundreds of rioters invaded Alamis farm, leaving it in ruins. The arrival of Jordanian policemen prevented murder and rape.

If we want to understand why the Palestinian refugees descendants have remained in a state of distress, and why Hamas rioters vandalized the strips gas supply pipes, and why the Arab world hasnt bothered to rehabilitate for 70 years now, and why the Palestinians failed to establish a state and had no concern for Jerusalem, we should go back to the Alami farm rioters. Its the same logic. For 70 years now, the Nakba isnt just a memory. The Nakba is the ethos. Its the identity. Its the lifetime achievement.

While the free world is condemning both sides, the Palestinians are paying the price (Photo: AFP)

The Alami story, as part of the refugee saga, appears in Adi Schwartz and Einat Wilfs new book The Right of Return War, which is being published these days. The book is an indictment, not just against the international community, not just against Arab states, but against Israel as well. Because all of them together have made it possible for the monster known as the refugee problem o reach shocking dimensions.

In the exact same years that Alamis farm was active, from 1951 to 1955, $200 million (the equivalent of nearly $2 billion those days) were allotted for refugee development and rehabilitation projects. Only $7 million were used3.5 percent. They werent interested in rehabilitation. UNRWA, which was created to solve the refugee problem, has turned into an agency for the perpetuation of refugeeism.

Mondays dead are the product of payments from Iran, an addiction to the self-victimization and self-deception ethos, and the fostering of the return fantasy, by UNRWA as well.

The bloodshed and the suffering can be stopped. The free world should make it clear to the Palestinians: Peace, welfare and prosperity will arrive when you stop dreaming about ruin, destruction and return. But the free world is condemning both sides, encouraged by part of the Left. And the Palestinians are paying the price.
Grand River Raceway will host its 10th annual backstretch open house on Sunday, May 27. Guests are invited to drop in any time from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for a rare glimpse of horse racing behind the scenes.

A full tour of the open houses six main stations will last approximately one hour. The itinerary includes the unique opportunity to drive a racehorse.

Admission is free, but participants are urged to make a $10 donation (per family) at the door to support local organizations which aid in the retraining and placement of retired racehorses into new riding and driving careers. A BBQ lunch and beverages will be available for purchase between 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Other interactive stations include a tour of the judges stand and announcers booth high atop the grandstand with track announcer Gary Guy.

Back in the barn, visitors will learn about the basics of breeding, owning, training, driving and caring for racehorses. Guests can also view and learn about the equipment and techniques required to maintain the racetrack surface. The starting car will also be on display, and open for photo opportunities.



Young horseman Travis Moore and two guests during last years open house (Iron Horse Photo)

Members of Standardbred Showcase and Racing Under Saddle Ontario will be onsite to demonstrate the versatility of the Standardbred racehorse in different disciplines.

Representatives from the Youth Literary Derby will also join the open house to chat with youngsters and parents about their horse-themed writing contest designed to engage Ontario-resident youngsters in Grades 5 through 8.



Ben Hollingsworth with two open house guests driving Hollywood Ham during last years open house (Iron Horse Photo)

No registration is required for the open house. The event is suitable for all ages, but children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. The open house will run rain or shine. Participants are urged to wear closed-toe shoes and casual, comfortable clothing. Helmets and safety vests will be provided.

The Grand River Raceway open house is presented in cooperation with the Hands On Horses Program and the Ontario Harness Horse Association.

More than 3,000 people have attended Grand River Raceways open house events over the past nine years.

For more information, click here or call 519-846-5455 (Ext. 238) or email [email protected].

(Grand River Raceway)
TUNIS, Tunisia -- Tunisian officials say a knife-wielding man tried to attack police officers outside the main synagogue in the capital, but was subdued before wounding anyone.

The interior ministry said in a statement the failed attack took place Tuesday on Avenue de la Liberte, a major artery in Tunis.

Police union official Nassim Rouissi told Shems FM radio that the attacker, acting alone, tried to stab a police captain outside the synagogue.

Witnesses quoted by online newspaper Tunisie Numerique reported that the assailant shouted that he hated Israel.

The suspect, a 45-year-old Tunisian, was being questioned by counterterrorism investigators.
WASHINGTON - North Korea said it was suspending high-level talks with South Korea scheduled for later in the day on Wednesday due to U.S.-South Korean military exercises that it said went against the trend of warming North-South ties.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency also cast doubt on whether next month's summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump could go ahead as planned, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

"This exercise, targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula," Yonhap quoted KCNA as saying.

"The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities."
Turkey temporarily expelled Israel's consul-general in Istanbul late Tuesday night after expelling the Israeli ambassador to Ankara earlier in the day in protest of the high death count in clashes between Palestinians and the IDF on the Gaza border.

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In response to the expulsion from Ankara of Israeli Ambassador Eitan Na'eh, the Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish Consul in Jerusalem, Husnu Gurcan Turkoglu, and asked him to leave the country until further notice.

This led the Turkish Foreign Ministry to summon Israel's Consul-General in Istanbul, Yosef Levi Sfari, and ask him too to leave the country until further notice.

Prime Minister Netanyahu; Turkish President Erdogan (Photos: EPA, AFP)

None of the diplomats have been declared persona non grata, and the expulsions are temporary.

Ankara had already recalled its ambassadors from the United States and from Israel "for consultations" in response to the Gaza border clashes and called for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which Turkey currently chairs.

Turks protest US Embassy move in Istanbul ()

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Relations between the two countries have become especially tense in recent days.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been very vocal in his criticism of Israeli handling of the rioting on the Gaza border, during which mostly young Palestinians encouraged by Hamas have been trying to breach the border fence and enter Israel in what has been dubbed the "Great March of Return."

Over 100 Palestinians were killed in border clashes since the "Great March of Return" campaign began in March, with 60 killed on Monday alone.

Protest in Istanbul against the move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem (Photo: AFP)

Erdogan and Netanyahu have been exchanging barbs over the past two days in the wake of the Turkish president's harsh criticism of Israel.

Protest outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul (Photo: AP)

In an interview with Bloomberg Tuesday, Erdogan said that were "two people responsible: US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."

Protest outside the US Embassy in Ankara (Photo: AP)

Erdogan was also highly critical of the American decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as the new embassy opened in the capital on Monday.
Tel Aviv municipality employees, aided by a large police force, evacuated on Wednesday an ancient Muslim cemetery uncovered three weeks ago during construction works done at the corner of Elisabeth Bergner and Nahum Goldmann streets in Jaffa.

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Jaffa residents arrived at the scene as employees were removing the tombstones from the burial plot to protest the move, calling out "Allahu Akbar."

One protester was detained for questioning for disturbing the peace.

Muslim cemetery uncovered in Jaffa (:  )

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The ancient Muslim cemetery was uncovered last month by power shovels digging at the construction site. The workers began gathering the bones into cardboard boxes and buckets, intending to continue the works, but local residents led by the Islamic Movement in Israel began demonstrating against the move.

Protesters in Jaffa

A representative of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality who arrived at the site, accompanied by police forces, ordered the immediate halt of works, which satisfied the protesters.

After works were halted, several residents came to the scene, spray-painting the fence of the construction site with "Sacred place - digging is forbidden."

The Muslim cemetery (:  )

On Friday, Jaffa residents, including representatives of the Islamic Movement in Israel, arrived at the ancient cemetery and set up signs around it saying "Cemetery - sacred grounds." They also poured concrete over the graves, creating tombstones.

(Photo: Jaffa 48)

The municipality considered the move an invasion of land it owns and ordered the removal of the concrete tombstones before facts-on-the-ground could be set.

According to construction plans, a three-floor structure is supposed to be erected at the site, which will house a homeless shelter, offices and a commercial complex.
Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales inaugurated his country's embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, following in the footsteps of the United States, which opened its own embassy in the capital earlier this week.

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"It's not a coincidence that Guatemala is opening its embassy in Jerusalem among the first, you were always among the first," Netanyhu said at the outset of his remarks at the ceremony.

"You were the second country to recognize Israel, but you had a very important role in this," he went on to say, explaining that "Your ambassador to the United Nations, Jorge Granados, was very active in lobbying the countries at the UN at the time to support the Partition Resolution, which was effectively the recognition of the Jewish state by the United Nations."

Prime Minister Netanyahu, right, speaking to Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales and his wife (Photo: Marc Israel Sellem)

"In his honor, and in honor of Guatemala's efforts in those days, there's a Guatemala Street right here, about a kilometer from here, in Jerusalem. There's a Guatemala Street in many cities and many communities in Israel, because we remember our friends, and Guatemala is our friendthen and now," he added.

Netanyahu noted that Israel and Guatemala "share so many goals and so many values. Even though we are seemingly far away, we're not really far away."

Netanyahu at the Guatemala Embassy opening in Jerusalem (:  )

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"In this spirit of friendship and a common bond, we welcome you to Jerusalem for the opening of this embassy," the prime minister said. "I look forward to discussing with you the practical ways that we can advance this friendship and this alliance."

Netanyahu also promised to visit Guatemala in his next trip to Latin America.

Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife Sara, right, with Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales and his wife (Photo: Marc Israel Sellem)

Also attending the ceremony were Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze'ev Elkin, Economy Minister Eli Cohen, and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, as well as US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

"Today we mark a historic day in the friendly relations between Guatemala and Israel," Morales said on Twitter ahead of the event.

On Tuesday night, the walls of Jerusalem's Old City were illuminated with the flags of Guatemala, Israel, and the US and a message thanking President Jimmy Morales for the embassy opening. "Guatemalan Embassy, welcome home!" said Jerusalem Mayor Barkat, thanking "President Jimmy Morales Cabrera of Guatemala for his courageous decision," and calling upon other countries to "join the United States and Guatemalado the right thing and bring your embassies to the Jerusalem, our eternal capital!" "Guatemalan Embassy, welcome home!" said Jerusalem Mayor Barkat, thanking "President Jimmy Morales Cabrera of Guatemala for his courageous decision," and calling upon other countries to "join the United States and Guatemalado the right thing and bring your embassies to the Jerusalem, our eternal capital!"

Morales arrives in Israel

Morales first announced his plans to move his country's embassy to Israel's capital in December. "Dear citizens of Guatemala, I have spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today. We spoke about the excellent relations our countries have enjoyed since we supported Israel's creation. One of the important topics broached were transferring the Guatemalan Embassy to Jerusalem, and I hereby announce I have instructed the embassy's staff to plan such a move. May God bless you," Morales wrote on his Facebook page. "Dear citizens of Guatemala, I have spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today. We spoke about the excellent relations our countries have enjoyed since we supported Israel's creation. One of the important topics broached were transferring the Guatemalan Embassy to Jerusalem, and I hereby announce I have instructed the embassy's staff to plan such a move. May God bless you," Morales wrote on his Facebook page.

Morales revealed the date for the embassy move in March during a speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committees (AIPAC) annual policy conference in Washington. I would like to thank President Trump for leading the way. His courageous decision has encouraged us to do what is right, Morales said, according to a translation of his remarks on the pro-Israel US lobbying groups website. I would like to thank President Trump for leading the way. His courageous decision has encouraged us to do what is right, Morales said, according to a translation of his remarks on the pro-Israel US lobbying groups website. Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales (Photo: Marc Israel Sellem) Guatemala was one of only a handful of countries that backed US President Donald Trumps December decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and it was the first country besides the United States to set a date for moving its embassy there. Trumps move reversed decades of US policy, upsetting the Arab world and Western allies. Guatemala was one of only a handful of countries that backed US President Donald Trumps December decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and it was the first country besides the United States to set a date for moving its embassy there. Trumps move reversed decades of US policy, upsetting the Arab world and Western allies. Afterward, 128 countries Afterward, 128 countries defied Trump by backing a non-binding UN General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalema resolution Washington then vetoed

Prior to 1980, Guatemala and a dozen other countries maintained an embassy in Jerusalem. Israels passage in June 1980 of a law proclaiming Jerusalem its indivisible and eternal capital led to a UN Security Council resolution calling on Guatemala and several other countries to move their embassies to Tel Aviv, prompting their transfer.

The new Guatemala Embassy opened in Jerusalem (Photo: Reuters)

Morales said his decision to return the Guatemalan embassy to Jerusalem strongly evidences Guatemalas continued support and solidarity with the people of Israel.

Morales, a former comedian, has garnered widespread support from the conservative Christians in Guatemala, and has also found himself in hot water with the United Nations this year after one of the international organization's agencies attempted to impeach him for alleged corruption.

While Morales kept his seat, he has attempted to remove the chairman of the organizationthe International Commission against Impunity in Guatemalathat tried to remove him, and was widely criticized for it by the UN, US and European Union.

Paraguay has said it will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by the end of May.






North Korea on Wednesday canceled a high-level meeting with South Korea and threatened to scrap a historic summit next month between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader over military exercises between Seoul and Washington that Pyongyang has long claimed are invasion rehearsals. A senior North Korean diplomat said Pyongyang will refuse to be pressured into abandoning its nukes.

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The surprise declaration, which came in a pre-dawn dispatch in North Korea's state media, appears to cool what had been an unusual flurry of outreach from a country that last year conducted a provocative series of weapons tests that had many fearing the region was on the edge of war.

It's still unclear, however, whether the North intends to scuttle all diplomacy or merely wants to gain leverage ahead of the planned June 12 talks between Kim and Trump.

US President Donald Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (Photo: AFP, EPA)

North Korea's first vice foreign minister, Kim Kye Gwan, said Pyongyang has no interest in a summit with Washington if it's going to be a "one-sided" affair where it's pressured to give up its nukes.

He criticized recent comments by Trump's top security adviser, John Bolton, and other US officials who have been talking about how the North should follow the "Libyan model" of nuclear disarmament and provide a "complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement."

He also took issue with US views that the North should fully relinquish its biological and chemical weapons.

"We will appropriately respond to the Trump administration if it approaches the North Korea-US summit meeting with a truthful intent to improve relations," he said.

"But we are no longer interested in a negotiation that will be all about driving us into a corner and making a one-sided demand for us to give up our nukes and this would force us to reconsider whether we would accept the North Korea-US summit meeting."

The North canceled the talks hours before the two Koreas were to meet at a border village to discuss how to implement their leaders' recent agreements to reduce military tensions along their heavily fortified border and improve their overall ties.

It called the two-week Max Thunder drills, which began Monday and reportedly include about 100 aircraft, an "intended military provocation" and an "apparent challenge" to last month's summit between Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in , when the leaders met on their border in their countries' third summit talks since their formal division in 1948.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un, South Korea's Moon Jae-in (Photo: EPA)

The North's official Korean Central News Agency said the US aircraft mobilized for the drills include nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and stealth F-22 fighter jets, two of the US military assets it has previously said are aimed at launching nuclear strikes on the North.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said the drills will go on as planned.

"The United States must carefully contemplate the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit amid the provocative military ruckus that it's causing with South Korean authorities," the North said Wednesday. "We'll keenly monitor how the United States and South Korean authorities will react."

Some analysts say bringing up Libya, which dismantled its rudimentary nuclear program in the 2000s in exchange for sanctions relief, would risk derailing any progress in negotiations with the North.

Kim Jong Un took power weeks after former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's gruesome death at the hands of rebel forces amid a popular uprising in October 2011.

The North has frequently used Gadhafi's death to justify its own nuclear development in the face of perceived US threats.

Annual military drills between Washington and Seoul have long been a major source of contention between the Koreas, and analysts have wondered whether their continuation would hurt the detente that, since an outreach by Kim in January, has replaced the insults and threats of war.

US, South Korea's joint aerial drill (Photo: AP)

Earlierand much largerspringtime drills, which Washington and Seoul toned down, went off without the North's typically fiery condemnation or accompanying weapons tests.

South Korea called North Korea's move "regrettable" and demanded a quick return to talks.

Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Baek Tae-hyun said the North's decision goes against the spirit of last month's inter-Korean summit, where the Koreas' leaders issued a vague vow on the "complete denuclearization" on the Korean Peninsula and pledged permanent peace between the rivals.

He didn't provide a straightforward answer on whether Seoul sees the North's talks cancellation as potentially affecting the meeting between Trump and Kim.

In Washington, the US State Department emphasized that Kim had previously indicated he understood the need and purpose of the US continuing its long-planned exercises with South Korea.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US had not heard anything directly from Pyongyang or Seoul that would change that.

"We will continue to go ahead and plan the meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un," Nauert said.

US Army Col. Rob Manning said the current exercise is part of the US and South Korea's "routine, annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness."

Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said the purpose of Max Thunder and exercise Foal Eagleanother training eventis to enhance the two nations' abilities to operate together to defend South Korea.

"The defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed," Manning said.

Washington and Seoul delayed an earlier round of drills in the spring because of the North-South diplomacy surrounding February's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the South, which saw Kim send his sister to the opening ceremonies.

Kim Jong Un, Donald Trump (Photo: AFP)

Kim told visiting South Korean officials in March that he "understands" the drills would take place and expressed hope that they'll be modified once the situation on the peninsula stabilizes, according to the South Korean government.

The North's statement Wednesday comes amid a slew of surprising moves in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, South Korea's military said North Korea was moving ahead with plans to close its nuclear test site next week, an assessment backed by US researchers who say satellite images show the North has begun dismantling facilities at the site.

The site's closure was set to come before the Kim-Trump summit, which had been shaping up as a crucial moment in the decades-long push to resolve the nuclear standoff with the North, which is closing in on the ability to viably target the mainland United States with its long-range nuclear-armed missiles.

Despite the North's moves, some experts were skeptical about whether Kim would completely give up a nuclear program that he had pushed so hard to build.

The North previously vowed to continue nuclear development unless the United States pulls its 28,500 troops out of South Korea and withdraws its so-called "nuclear umbrella" security guarantee to South Korea and Japan as a condition for its nuclear disarmament.

Wednesday's threat could also be targeted at showing a domestic audience that Kim is willing to stand up to Washington. Kim has repeatedly told his people that his nukes are a "powerful treasured sword" that can smash US hostility.

North Korea also has a long history of launching provocations or scrapping deals with Seoul and Washington at the last minute.

In 2013, North Korea abruptly cancelled reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War just days before they were held to protest what it called rising animosities ahead of joint drills between Seoul and Washington.

A year earlier in 2012, the North conducted a prohibited long-range rocket launch weeks after it agreed to suspend weapons tests in return for food assistance.
The Gazan street was in a state of shock Tuesday, on Nakba Day of all days. The resistance movementsHamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, alongside Fatah in the West Bankwere supposed to demonstrate their full force on the street that day, but things didnt go as planned.

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Several hundred Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mainly in the Al-Bureij area, flocked to the fences and run wild as a force of habit. The result was one dead Palestinian and 50 wounded. Considering the weekend protests of the past two months, it was almost a regular day.

In the West Bank, some 1,000 protestors gathered in 18 sites. Despite the forecasts, it ended up being the calmest Nakba Day Israel could have wished for.

Monday's riots. The death toll left the Gazan street in a state of shock (Photo: EPA)

There isnt a single PR genius capable of explaining to normative people in the world a death toll of 61 and 2,850 wounded Palestinians in one day of protests. Israel will pay for Mondays events. In the short run, these numbers created a shock in Gaza. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar may have encouraged young Gazans to smash into the fences, but as the bodies piled up and the hospitals collapsedit made the leadership stop and think.

The social media discourse reveals a dispute: Part of the Hamas leadership is demanding revenge and wants to keep pushing the street to the fences so as not to lose the momentum; another part wishes to examine the political-economic achievements Hamas might be able to score from Mondays victims.

Its quite possible that the clashes will resume. On Tuesday evening, reports began arriving about buses ordered to drive the masses to the fences. The IDF remains on high alert.

Dr. Sufian Abu Zaida, a former minister of prisoner affairs in the Palestinian Authority who lives in Gaza, published a desperation op-ed on Tuesday, titled Gaza, where are you headed? According to Abu Zaida, if the popular struggle on the fence continues, Israel will find itself in an ongoing state of emergency, and the battle will spill into the strip and lead to the development of an open war (with no time limits), in which the common people will pay the price. He recommends converting Mondays tactical achievement into a strategic achievement: In light of the victims, the PA will halt its sanctions and the siege will be lifted.

In the internal discourse between Gazas different political streamsFatah, the Popular Front, Hamasactivists are also talking about their shock, about needing time to recover, about recalculating their route. Most importantly, they are talking angrily and contemptibly about the PA, which they see as an Israel collaborator. They are referring to the West Bank residents as treacherous. Abbas did declare three days of mourning, but its business as usual on the West Bank streets.

Ismail Haniyeh. Hamas had to be hit hard enough to make it stop and think (Photo: Getty Images)

Israel and Egypt are managing the crisis in a transparent manner. The Egyptians are playing good cop and Israel is playing bad cop. On Sunday, when Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was summoned to Cairo, he heard an explicit threat from the Egyptian intelligence chief, General Abbas Kamel. He was told that Israel was planning a military strike inside Gaza, which would also target the Hamas leadership.

The Egyptian asked the Hamas people to stay away from the fence so as not to play into Israels hands. Instead, he offered them a respectable economic package in the form of electricity and a more generous openingat least once a weekof the Rafah Crossing. He also suggested that the Egyptians would supply the fuel and the gravel that have been transferred so far through the Kerem Shalom Crossing. The next day, Egypt even offered medical aid to Gazas wounded.

The Egyptians are interested in a calm, as they fear Hamas and the global jihad will renew their ties. Moreover, the Egyptians are now going to demand more serious Israeli cooperation with the Egyptian plan to hand the control over Gaza back to the PA. Israel, for its part, rushed to open the Kerem Shalom Crossing on Tuesday and let seven trucks cross into the strip with medical equipment, in a bid to minimize the international indictment being written against the state.

Hamas chose to ignore the Egyptian intelligence chiefs warning on Monday, and Israelas expectedplayed its part as the bad cop. Its been years since warplanes were seen striking in the strip in broad daylight.

The Egyptians estimated that if Mondays events ended with a small number of casualties, the riots would continue on Tuesday. Hamas had to be hit hard enough to make it stop and think. Now, everyone is waiting: Will Hamas resume the violence in the coming days and on the weekend, or will it wait and try to utilize the ease of restrictions offered by Egypt and Israel? The battle isnt over yet.
US President Donald Trump greeted Muslims Tuesday in the wake of Ramadan month starting this week.

"Ramadan reminds us of the richness Muslims add to the religious tapestry of American life. In the United States, we are all blessed to live under a Constitution that fosters religious liberty and respects religious practice, said Trump.

"Melania and I wish you a blessed month. Ramadan Karim," Trump added.
President Reuven Rivlin said Wednesday Israel will do everything in its power to protect its border.

"Hamas sends Gaza's residents to the border fence while attempting to execute terror attacks under their auspices. Israel will not be silenced, we'll do everything we can to protect our border. I call upon the international community to stop Hamas and bring a state of calm to the region," rivlin said.
Iran will not surrender to US pressures, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, a day after Washington imposed new sanctions on following its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.

"They think they can make the Iranian nation surrender by putting pressures on Iran, by sanctions and even threats of war... The Iranian nation will resist against the US plots," Rouhani was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.
'The Worst Case of Facebook Censorship' Leads to New 'Christian' Social Media

Contact: Steven Andrew, USA.Life , 877-585-7729SAN JOSE, Calif., May 16, 2018 / Standard Newswire / -- Facebook is accused of "the worst case of Christian censorship ever." "Facebook blocked over 70 million people from me, because I am a Christian and believe in traditional marriage," said Steven Andrew, a Silicon Valley technology expert. However, instead of doing nothing, he used his leadership skills to start the new "pro-Christian" USA.Life social network and believers are signing up fast."This is greater censorship than what others have experienced. Facebook doesn't put me in 'Facebook jail,' they pretend nothing is happening and cut millions and millions of people off," he said.Andrew's Facebook account was very popular before Facebook restricted him, which Facebook's own data shows started after President Trump was elected in 2016. Andrew was reaching 5 to 8 million people per month.Then "left-wing Facebook increased their censorship on Christians and my account was greatly restricted to reach only 97,000 people last month. This is over 98% blockage," he said.Andrew has almost a half a million followers who want to keep up to date with him and walk close with God. They contact him and say, "what happened to you?""Since Facebook blocks Christians and those who share the Gospel of Jesus Christ,' they block America," he said.Viewing Facebook and Twitter as "anti-Christian," Andrew started USA.Life, which he believes Christians of all denominations will prefer. He invites people to "sign up today at www.USA.Life to get preferred user names and key updates.""By offering freedom, privacy and the most accurate news to users, USA.Life provides competitive advantages over Facebook and Twitter," he said. Andrew thinks Facebook spying on people and selling user's data is "immoral."He says, "I believe in Christian liberty like the founding fathers," but "Facebook acts close to Communist China by censoring Christians."So "family and friends can stay connected," this new social network is available anywhere online.Facebook also allowed scammers to impersonate Andrew and "scam money from the followers." Andrew objected, but Facebook did nothing.Andrew started a crowdfunding page to fund the completion of USA.Life and a new search engine called 1776Free, which "gives top Christian results that are hid by others.""What is needed is for supporters to chip in any amount in the crowdfunding. If the required funding comes in now, USA.Life and 1776Free will launch this summer," he said.Pictures, videos and press releases are available for the media at www.USA.Life
Israel's Ambassador to Ankara Eitan Na'eh, who was expelled at the orders of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was humiliated at the Istanbul International Airport on Wednesday as he was made to undergo a strict security screening in front of media cameras.

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The Turkish media teams were invited to the airport to cover Na'eh's departure from the country and filmed him removing his jacket and shoes at the request of security personnel. Na'eh was also frisked by a Turkish security guard.

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"This was an intentional humiliation," an Israeli official said. "The journalists were invited to the airport and taken into the sterile area of a Turkish Airlines flight, where security checks are done right before boarding."

Returning to Israel, Na'eh said he always has to undergo security checks at the Istanbul airport, but that this was the only time cameras were brought in to witness it. "There's no place like Israel," Na'eh added. "There's no place like Israel," Na'eh added.

Na'eh undergoes strict security check at airport

Because of the on-camera humiliation, the no. 2 diplomat in the Turkish mission in Israel, Umut Deniz, was summoned by the Foreign Ministry for a reprimand.

Upon his arrival at the Foreign Ministry, Deniz was asked to present his identification at the entranceIsrael's response to the humiliation of Na'eh.

In her meeting with Deniz, the director of the Foreign Ministry's Southern Europe Department, Iris Ambor, "expressed Israel's strong protest to the outrageous Turkish conduct," adding that "Israel cannot tolerate such behavior towards its representative. This behavior constitutes a blatant violation of the diplomatic code of conduct common among nations. This position has also been made clear directly to Ankara as well."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said Israel "views the incident that took place this morning at the airport very gravely. It cannot be that Israel's ambassador to Ankara is humiliated at the Istanbul airport, and in the presence of media that was brought there intentionally. This is something that must not happen between countries that have diplomatic ties. Because of that, we summoned the Turkish official."

Turkish diplomat Umut Deniz asked to show identification (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)

It was the latest blow in the recent diplomatic crisis between Israel and Turkey, which started with Erdogan's decision to recall the ambassadors to the US and to Israel in the wake of the opening of the American Embassy in Jerusalem and Israel's handling of the Gaza border riots, which exacted a high death toll
The Advocate General Office asks to sentence David (Dudu) Godovskywho is one of the main defendants in Yisrael Beiteinu party's corruption case and Faina Kirschenbaum's right hand man to seven years in prison.

The The Advocate General Office is also seeking to confiscate more than NIS 60,000 from Godovsky.

Godowski had admitted to and was convicted of accepting bribes as part of a plea bargain. His lawyers said they intended to summon Avigdor Lieberman to testify before he receives his sentence.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Tuesday the IDF's activity on the Gaza border fence, saying Israel was "left with bad choices" after dozens of rioters approached and attempted to sabotage the fence.

"I don't know of any army that would have done anything differently if it had to protect its border against people who say, 'We're going to destroy you," Netanyahu said in an interview with CBS.

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"You try other means. You try all sorts of means. You try non-lethal means, and they don't work, so you're left with bad choices," Netanyahu lamented.

PM Netanyahu (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)

The prime minister stressed that sometimes harming civilians is inevitable. "They're (Hamas) pushing civilians, women, children into the line of fire with the hope of creating casualties," Netanyahu explained.

"We try to minimize casualties. They're trying to incur casualties in order to put pressure on Israel, which is horrible," he elucidated.

The Prime Minister also said Israel will not hold talks with Hamas. "As long as they seek our destruction, what am I going to talk to them about?" he said.

As for peace with the Palestinians, he says he thinks it's "possible" but not with Hamas and others who call for Israel's destruction.

In another interview with HBO's VICE news, Netanyahu said that peace based on lies is pointless. "It's time to tell Palestinians: Abandon your fantasy of destroying Israel. Abandon the fantasy that says Israel will disappear. It will not," he assured.

Riots on Gaza border fence (Photo: IDF's Spokesperson's Unit )

Netanyahu presents wreckage of Iranian drone intercepted

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Israel's leader gave a debut presentation of the wreckage of the Iranian drone that had penetrated into Israel's Golan Heights last February and had been intercepted.

IDF thwarts attempts to put explosive on Gaza border fence

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The drone carried explosives and was meant to attack inside Israeli territory, according to IDF findings published last month.

In addition, Netanyahu spoke Tuesday evening with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel. They discussed regional issues, and Netanyahu thanked Merkel for condemning the Iranian aggression and for her supporting Israel's right to defend its sovereignty.

Netanyahu also spoke with France's President Emmanuel Macron and emphasized "Israel will protect its security interests, no country would have let its sovereignty to be threatened."

Palestinian rioters (Photo: EPA)

Meanwhile, The Palestinians continue with their Gaza border riots on the backdrop of the US Embassy move to Jerusalem. Palestinian Authority's President Mahmoud Abbas had decided to recall Palestinian Consul to the US Husam Zumlott, and according to Palestinian senior official Saeb Erekat, Zumlott is already on his way home.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo postponed his visit to Israel amid violent events on the Gaza border fence.

Democratic Party's Como said last week that he desires visiting Israel to show his solidarity after Iran had launched its rockets at it from Syria's territory, as reported by Politico News Media Company.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russian military vessels with caliber cruise missiles would be on permanent standby in the Mediterranean.

Addressing the Russian high military command at a meeting in the Black Sea city of Sochi, Putin said the deployment was "due to the remaining terrorist threat in Syria."
Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said Wednesday he sees "no reason morally and historically" not to recognize the Armenian Genocide, adding that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "is truly an enemy."

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A new diplomatic crisis erupted between Jerusalem and Ankara after Erdogan leveled harsh criticism at Israel over the high death toll in clashes on the Gaza border between Palestinians and IDF.

Erdogan recalled his ambassador to Tel Aviv and expelled Israel's ambassador. In response, Israel asked Turkey's consul-general in Jerusalem to leave.

Yisrael Katz (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

On Wednesday morning, Israel's Ambassador to Ankara Eitan Na'eh was humiliated at the Istanbul International Airport as he was made to undergo a strict security check in front of media cameras.

Because of the on-camera humiliation, the no. 2 diplomat in the Turkish mission in Israel, Umut Deniz, was summoned by the Foreign Ministry for a reprimand.

Upon his arrival at the Foreign Ministry, Deniz was asked to present his identification at the entranceIsrael's response to the humiliation of Na'eh.

In an interview with Ynet on Wednesday, Minister Yisrael Katz called to support a bill proposal by opposition MK Itzik Shmuli calling on the Israeli government to officially recognize the Armenian Genocidethe Ottoman government's systematic extermination of 1.5 million Armenians, mostly citizens within the Ottoman Empire, from 1915 to 1917.

Katz also slammed the Turkish president, saying Erdogan "hates the State of Israel. He's a man of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas's mother-movement. Every time something happens in Gaza, he gets worked up and acts in a very extreme manner."

Erdogan greets supporters during a visit to London

"This is a man who slaughters the Kurdish minority in Turkey and now in Syria," Katz went on to say. "He took 140,000 Kurds and transferred them from the region to replace them with other residents. The man acts cruelly and then preaches us. He's the last one that can preach us, but the first one to do so."

"He funnels massive amounts of money to radical movements, with an emphasis on the Temple Mount, and tries to fan tensions and incitement against Israel," Katz said of Erdogan. "This is worse, by the way, than his remarks right now. We need to put a clear end to this, if necessary with legislation or any other way."

However, Katz stressed it would be "a complete mistake" to cut or downgrade Israel's ties with Turkey. "Erdogan is an ideological enemy for the State of Israel, but we shouldn't volunteer so quickly to cut ties with countries we clash with over one reason or another," he said.

MK Shmuli told Ynet there is sweeping bipartisan for his bill proposal.

"There have been countries that recognized the massacre and the Turkish responsibility for it, and the Turks did not dare nix the diplomatic ties with them," he said.

Shmuli slammed Erdogan, calling him "the barbaric and anti-Semitic Sultan of Ankara" who "dares preach the State of Israel about morals, while he's bombing the Kurds in northwestern Syria every day."

Katz described the violent protests on the Gaza border, which led to the death of over 100 Palestinians over 6 weeks, as "a Hamas military operation, in which it used children, women and other civilians. Instead of missiles and shells, Hamas sent them as living ammunition to the fence, as living targets and as victims."







He went on to say that "the Egyptian intelligence minister summoned Ismail Haniyeh, flew him to Cairo, made him wait at the entrance to his office, spoke to him very harshly and showed him proofwith our helpthat (Hamas) are the ones who organized, they were the ones who paid, they were the ones who pushed (for the protests). He warned him and said: If you don't stop, Israel will escalate its response, Egypt will not be involved, and you will pay the full price."
Dozens of black signs were hung Wednesday in the memory of Palestinians fatalities in the Gaza border fence riots in the entrance of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem.

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Names and ages of those killed were written on the signs.

Sixty-one people were killed in Monday's riots, with more than 1,200 wounded. Senior Hamas official Salah Bardawil told Palestinian media Wednesday that 50 of the Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip border riots Monday belonged to the terror group's ranks.

Signs memorializing those killed on the border

One of Bezalel's students voiced her resentment of the signs, saying, "They decided to hang signs with the names of terrorists, but most of the students are silent. A lot of people show their support of the Palestinians, but glorifying human beings that their only goal is killing Jews is not the way."

The student noted how, in the past, some hung signs about the residents of the settlement of Gush Katif who were forcefully removed from their homes, and that it didn't take too long for those signs to be removed as well.

"It doesn't make sense," she decried. "It causes me pain to go inside the university and see that those signs are still there," especially, she noted, in light of the university's strong left-wing leaning.

"People are silent (about this) because they're afraid to speak up," she lamented. "I cannot remove them myself because they will say that I am infringing on their freedom of expression. It will also not help because it will only spur them even further."

The signs protesting against the Gush Katif unilateral disengagement

However, another student who took part in hanging the signs contradicted her, claiming "some students tried to tear them down and threw some of them into the trash," adding that, at the very least, "if the signs irritated themat least I did something," alluding to her dismay at the students' apathy towards the incident.

She, along with some 25 others, organized using a private Facebook group for Bezalel's Arab students to raise awareness of the issue.

"There were people who were killed in Gaza even though they were not terrorists," she said. "For example, an eight-month-old girl was killedwas she a terrorist? We are all Palestinians, we are all one people and this is the only way we can make our voice heard."

Hours later, students at the school hung white signs underneath the black ones with the names, age and cause of death of Israeli citizens slain in terror attacks perpetrated by Hamas.

Signs of Israeli victims of Hamas (Photo: Matan Maor)

Members of Knesset also protested against the signs, although Arab MKs asserted speaking against Israel's 'cruel massacre' should be commended.

MK Yoav Kish (Likud) joked that "this time the students (of Bezalel) chose to be creative in their contempt of values. They confuse freedom of expression with basic morality."

MK Yifat Shasha-Biton (Kulanu), an educator and lecturer at the academy, said, "We must put an end to the absurd phenomenon in which, in the name of freedom of expression and art, people in academia are allowed to say and do whatever they want and to discredit the IDF soldiers who defend them as well."

MK Haneen Zoabi (Joint List), meanwhile, welcomed the signs, saying Bezalel has an "atmosphere of openness" that is different from the ones in other Israeli academies, which she said have remained "thunderously and horrifyingly silent" in the face of the "cruel massacre" on the border, lamenting the fact that "only Arab students  found a logical way to protest against the horror of the mass murder in Gaza."

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design issued a statement in response, saying, "The University is a protected space for freedom of speech that allows the students free, critical and creative discourse about matters concerning them."
In light of recent conflagrations on the Gaza Strip's border and Hamas's actions in allegedly fomenting terror , Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the terror group's leaders were a "bunch of cannibals that treat their own children as armaments."

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"They have rocket armaments, personal armaments, and a third kindchildren or people," the defense minister said Wednesday on a visit to the IDF's Gaza Division.

"Their goal is to have the blockade removed, but not to build an economy or speak of coexistence, but to allow them to smuggle arms, to continue building the strength and to build a local model of Hezbollah," Lieberman added.

Defense Minister Lieberman (2nd right) said during a Gaza Division visit that Hamas used people and children as armaments (Photo: Ariel Hermoni, Defense Ministry)

The trucks thus returned to Israel, while six other trucks with similar medical equipment sent by UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund) and the Palestinian Authority were allowed to enter.

Hamas barred 2 Israeli trucks bearing humanitarian goods from entering Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

The Israeli medical equipment was intended to assist hospitals in the stripcaught wholly unprepared to handle the throngs of people being brought in from the riotsto cope with the situation.

For the same reason, Israel decided Monday to reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing after it was torched by rioters for the third time in ten days, reneging on its earlier decision to close it "until further notice."

Humanitarian goods at the Kerem Shalom crossing (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

An Israeli official said that the decision to reopen the crossing was made "as a result of Egyptian efforts to lower the flames of conflict and calm spirits down."

Mirroring the Israeli move, Egyptian officials communicated to their Palestinian counterparts that the Rafah border crossing will remain open until further notice.

While the crossing was set to close Wednesday, activities were extended until Thursday and there is currently no defined date for its closure.

Back to Lieberman, the defense minister added that Hamas has shown no willingness to recognize the State of Israel, accept the conditions set by the Middle East Quartet (the United Nations, United States, European Union and Russiaed) or give up the right of return.

Tuesday's relative calms was born of the 'serious, significant blow' Hamas was dealt, Lieberman said (Photo: Ariel Hermoni, Defense Ministry)

Asked nevertheless how he explained Tuesday's relative calm, compared to the serious clashes the preceding dayin which 61 Palestinians were killedLieberman said, "First of all, they were hit hard and let there be no illusionsthey did not forsake the riots or the terror processions.

"I assume we'll see more of that in the future. They have already explained the next hallmark day is Naksa Day (commemorating the Arab defeat in the 1967 Six Day War), and we'll see further such attempts on weekends leading up to June 5. But before all that, they were dealt a serious, significant blow and that's what sent them scurrying back into the doghouse."

On Egyptian mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas, Lieberman said there was a lot rumor mongering surrounding the matter, and that most emissaries acted of their own accord. "We've seen nothing significant, nothing serious," he claimed. "Our offer is openly, transparently on the tablerehabilitation in return for demilitarization."

"They cannot be given calm and a removal of the blockade only to continue building their strength and smuggling arms," he stated.

Lieberman praised the IDF's handling of recent riots (Photo: EPA)

Moving on to speak about the army's handling of the recent border riots, Minister Lieberman extolled its conduct. "The IDF acted in accordance with moral norms the likes of which have not been seen anywhere in the world," he said unequivocally.

"I've never heard (Syrian President Bashar) Assad denounced for 600,000 deaths. More than 100 people are killed in the Middle East every day. When I look at all the arenasLibya, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon or SyriaI have yet to hear a peep from MKs or the media," he continued.

It was, therefore, a "celebration of hypocrisy" according to the Yisrael Beytenu chief. "Try to imagine that might have happened if that mob had reached Kerem Shalom, Nahal Oz or anyplace else," he asked.

"I propose to everyone to try and think what might have happened had that mob succeeded in infiltrating one of those communities. We all saw what happened when that mob reached the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom (border crossing). Kerem Shalom is the oxygen line, it's really the only lifeline the Gaza Strip has," he concluded.

Addressing the Gaza Division's soldiers and commanders, Lieberman wished to thank them, saying he had met with the brigade commander, battalion commanders and company commanders.

"I'm here to thank them for the amazing job they've been doing here since Passover, both on the professional and normative levels. Farmers here till their fields until the last millimeter and people are going about their routines, as if nothing's happening on the fence," he explained.

"We've gone through Passover and Independence Day without a hitch thanks to the efforts put in by these soldiers and commanders," he commended.

Hamas will continue staging riots on weekends leading up to Naksa Day on June 5 (Photo: EPA)

Finally, the minister spoke about the crisis in relations between Turkey and Israel, following the 2013 reconciliation agreement between the countries and most recent deterioration in the wake of the Gaza riotswhich culminated in the downgrading of diplomatic relations and mutual humiliations

"My opinion is very clear. The agreement with the Turks was a mistake. I was against it even before the apology, and I voted against it in Cabinet. Exactly what I said was going to happen, happened. We need some forethought, and unfortunately everything I said thenand it's on the recordcame to pass," he lamented.
Senior Hamas official Salah Bardawil said in an interview to Palestinian media that 50 of the Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip border riots Monday belonged to the terror group.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said 62 people were killed in the conflagrations.
The IDF has pulled back soldiers stationed in Israeli communities in the Gaza perimeter and generally thinned its numbers in the region, following a status evaluation that no further border protests are expected soon.
JERUSALEM  The Palestinian envoy to Romania has been recalled in apparent protest for Romania's support of the US relocating its embassy to Jerusalem.

Romanian news agency Agerpres reported that the ambassador, Fuad Kokaly, would leave Romania Wednesday for "consultations" with Palestinian authorities.

Romania was one of four countries that recently blocked a European Union statement criticizing the US for moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to contested Jerusalem on Monday. Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary also blocked the statement.

Kokaly recently criticized a Romanian government plan to relocate the country's embassy to Jerusalem, saying it would endanger the national security of Romanian citizens and violate UN Security Council resolutions.
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Senior Hamas official Salah Bardawil told Palestinian media Wednesday that 50 of the Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip border riots Monday belonged to the terror group's ranks. He spoke in an interview to Baladna TV, a private Palestinian news outlet.

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Sixty-one people were killed in Monday's riots, with more than 1,200 wounded. While calm was achievedpurportedly with Egyptian mediationthereafter, Hamas fired on an IDF force Wednesday, prompting the army to retaliate with tank fire at a Hamas outpost in the northern strip.

IDF footage of Monday's riots near the Gaza border (:  '')

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The Israeli force suffered no casualties.

Senior Hamas official Salah Bardawil divulged that 50 of the 61 people killed in confrontations with the IDF Monday belonged to Hamas's ranks (Photo: AP)

Moreover, and in light of the calm achieved in the area, the IDF has decided to thin out some of the reinforcements it had brought in to assist the Gaza Division this past week.

Israeli assessments now say border confrontations will decrease over the coming days, but smaller reinforcements will nevertheless remain near the border throughout the weekend.

Earlier Wednesday, it was revealed that Hamas refused to allow two IDF Technological and Logistics Directorate trucks bearing hundreds of lifesaving medical equipment items to enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

The trucks thus returned to Israel, while six other trucks with similar medical equipment sent by UNICEF (the United Nations Children's Fund) and the Palestinian Authority were allowed to enter.

Gaza's Shifa Hospital (Photo: Getty Images)

The Israeli medical equipment was intended to assist hospitals in the stripcaught wholly unprepared to handle the throngs of people being brought in from the riotsto cope with the situation.

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit communicated Tuesday that a joint investigation by the IDF and the Shin Bet turned up that at least 24 of the 61 Palestinians killed Monday in the Gaza border riots were terrorists affiliated mostly with the Hamas terrorist organization, with some being members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

A Palestinian man aged 51 was killed by IDF fire in riots on the border Tuesday, in an incident east of al-Bureij in the north-central Gaza Strip. In addition, suspects who attempted to infiltrate Israel under the riots' cover were arrested.

The suspects were under surveillance by security forces throughout their attempt and were arrested when they drew near the fence. They were taken in for questioning.

IDF disputes Palestinian claim that 8 month old baby was killed in riots

Palestinians also initially reported that among those killed Monday was an eight month old baby, who died of inhaling tear gas during the confrontations.

The IDF's Arabic-language spokesman, Maj. Avichay Adraee, wrote on Twitter that "there's fundamental doubt as to the credibility of the Hamas health ministry's statement about the death of the baby in the Gaza Strip as a result of the inhalation of tear gas. We have several testimonies questioning the veracity of that statement."

8 month old Lila Randur was said to have died of gas inhalation

In contrast to the mass riots that took place Monday, during which multiple attempts to break through the fence were made, Tuesday only some some 400 Palestinians protested in six places around the Gaza border.

In the West Bank, meanwhile, some 1,300 Palestinians clashed with IDF forces in 18 conflagration zones, including in Hebron, near Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem, outside Ramallah, at the Qalandiya checkpoint and in the Nablus area. Rioters threw stones, burned tires and lobbed Molotov cocktails at security forces.
NEW DELHI  India has sent a government minister to North Korea for the first time in nearly two decades for talks on political and regional issues, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, following signs of a thaw on the Korean peninsula.

India established diplomatic relations with the North 45 years ago and has a small embassy there, but in recent years it halted trade and aid as the United States stepped up global pressure to isolate Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs.

India's diplomatic initiative comes weeks after the two Koreas held their first summit in more than a decade and as the leaders of the United States and North Korea prepare for a first meeting next month.

Junior foreign minister V.K. Singh, who began the two-day visit to North Korea on Tuesday, reiterated New Delhi's support for peace initiatives on the peninsula, the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.
SOFIA, Bulgaria  A top European Union official branded President Donald Trump selfish and capricious Wednesday as EU leaders gathered to count the likely economic damage US policies might inflict on the bloc and to try to rescue the Iran nuclear deal.

In a striking rhetorical assault on the leader of Europe's biggest ally, EU Council President Donald Tusk said, given Trump's recent decisions, "someone could even think 'with friends like that, who needs enemies?'"

Trump has bewildered the Europeans by threatening to slap tariffs on EU steel and aluminum exports and reneging on an agreement to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, which the EU believes is vital to world security. Trump has also broken with a key international principle of Middle East peace efforts by moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
Shin Bet and police arrested eight Israeli citizens last month, all of whom resident in the Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj in the Negev, on suspicion of sabotaging IDF cameras along the Egyptian border to aid in their drug smuggling operation.

One of their smuggling attempts, an IDF combat soldier was killed after his tank was rushed to the scene and fell into a ravine.

The eight were charged, with five of the suspects indicted for serious security offenses.
On the backdrop of a burgeoning diplomatic crisis with Turkey, the twin brother of fallen IDF soldier whose body is still held by Hamas in Gaza Hadar Goldin published a Facebook post Wednesday that blasted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his reconciliation agreement with Turkey.

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Tzur Goldin 's post included a recounting of a conversation the family had had with the premier some four years ago, mere days before Israel penned the reconciliation deal.

Fallen IDF soldier Hadar (L) and Tzur Goldin. Tzur published a Facebook post recounting a conversation his family had had with PM Netanyahu (Photo courtesy of the family)

"Lucky I decided to put our story in writing two years ago. You can just pluck out 'quality moments with the prime minister,'" Goldin mocked, adding that the family felt exceedingly hurt by the agreement signed at the time, which forewent any mention of the bodies of the Israeli soldiers held in Gaza.

"It was in the afternoon," he continued, "and the phone rang, showing an unlisted number. It was the government's military secretary. I put the call on speakerphone, with my mom on another line. On the other hand was the prime minister, with a handful of advisers in his office."

"The prime minister opened the conversation by explaining to my parents that an important agreement was to be signed in the next few days, and that no matter what they hear, it has nothing to do with bringing Hadar or Oron back. It has nothing to do with the Gaza Strip or Hamas," Goldin's brother noted.

Despite the Prime Minister Netanyahu's claims, the Goldin family still took an interest in the agreement. "It turned out," the post said, "that the essence of the deal was normalizing relations with Turkey, which cut off relations in Israel nine years ago after the Marmara attack."

"The agreement included the transfer of a gas line from Israel through Turkey, alongside a partial lifting of the naval blockade on Gaza, an agreement allowing the introduction of international trade to Gaza, the creation of water desalination facilities for the Gaza regime, the creation of a power station and an additional hospital and talks to create a sea and airport," Goldin elaborated.

Leah Goldin (L) with her son Tzur. She is said to have accused the PM of wasting all of the family's hard-earned bargaining chips (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Tzur continued, "My mother chimed in for the first time, and claimed that from his description, it sounded like an agreement with Gaza and not with Turkey. My mother asked the prime minister if we have been strung along this far only for Hadar and Oron to be forgotten, and nowtwo days before the deal is signedit's being brought to our attention like a thief in the dark."

"She asked the prime minister whether he ever planned on releasing Hadar to begin with," he accused.

Goldin said that the military secretary then interjected to claim his parents didn't understand, and that it was an agreement with Turkey alone that had nothing to do with Hamas. It was also important to Israel's economy, Goldin claimed the secretary said.

"The prime minister then told my mom, 'Leah, could you have shouldered the burden of bringing back Hadar at the expense of a plague fouling all of Gaza's water, or famine in the strip? Could you have shouldered the burden of threats by countries that hate us and that will disparage us in the world?'" he remembered.

At that point of the call, Tzur Goldin said, his mother began to weep. His father answered the prime minister himself, saying, "You're upgrading the strip: a power station? A seaport? A desalination plant? Where did this agreement come from? Does the government know about it, or has it been preordained?"

Simcha Goldin was said to have asked PM Netanyahu whether the deal was already finalized (Photo: Amit Shabi)

Goldin claimed the premier then raised his voice, saying, "I hope this agreement is signed."

His mother was then said to have replied, "You left no way to bring (Hadar) back, you threw away all of the chips we worked so hard to get one after the other."

The prime minister then told the family the call was over, Goldin said.

Concluding his post, Tzur Goldin wrote, "The agreement with Turkey was not merely that, but a deeply seated crisis for my family. It was a watershed line, making us understand that we've lived in an ideal world for 18 months that came crashing down before uswe first understood we were alone."

The post ended by noting that two months later, Herzl Shaul Oron's father died "of a broken heart."
UNITED NATIONS  A senior Palestinian official on Wednesday criticized US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and her pledge to "take names" of countries that do not back Washington, saying she had not been appointed "the schoolmarm of the world."

Haley first warned she would "take names" when she arrived at the United Nations in January last year. She reiterated it ahead of a UN General Assembly vote in December when more than 120 countries voted for a resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"She threatened and she pressured and she used coercion and so on at the UN, particularly by taking down names. I don't think people appointed her the schoolmarm of the world," Hanan Ashrawi, a senior official at the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told reporters at the United Nations.

The US mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ashrawi's remarks.
A senior Palestinian official on Wednesday criticized US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and her pledge to "take names" of countries that do not back Washington, saying she had not been appointed "the schoolmarm of the world."

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Haley first warned she would "take names" when she arrived at the United Nations in January last year. She reiterated it ahead of a UN General Assembly vote in December when more than 120 countries voted for a resolution calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

PLO official Hanan Ashrawi (L) said US Envoy to UN Nikki Haley was not 'world's schoolmarm' (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg, Reuters)

"She threatened and she pressured and she used coercion and so on at the UN, particularly by taking down names. I don't think people appointed her the schoolmarm of the world," Hanan Ashrawi, a senior official at the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told reporters at the United Nations.

The US mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ashrawi's remarks.

As the United States opened its new embassy in contested Jerusalem on Monday, dozens of Palestinians were killed in gunfire and tear gas from Israeli troops on the Gaza-Israel border, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The UN Security Council met on Tuesday over the violence.

The inauguration of the new US Embassy in Jerusalem (:  )

"Those who suggest that the Gaza violence has anything to do with the location of the American embassy are sorely mistaken. Rather, the violence comes from those who reject the existence of the state of Israel in any location," Haley told the council.

Israel and the United States said Hamaswhich rules Gazainstigated the violence, an allegation denied by the militant group, which opposes Israel's existence.

Ashrawi rejected Haley's assessment that the opening of the US embassy was not linked to the Gaza border demonstrations. Palestinian leaders have called Monday's events a massacre, and the Israeli tactic of using live fire against the protesters has drawn worldwide concern and condemnation

"It's extremely difficult to find any relationship between reality and the words we hear coming out from the American representative here," Ashrawi said.
News

Tucson, Arizona - Young patients, their families and invited guests were treated to a visit with some amazing animal ambassadorsincluding a fennec fox, a ferret, a blue-tongued skink and a snake from Reid Park Zooat a gathering at Tucson Medical Center this morning (May 15, 2018.) This special event was held to announce the arrival of San Diego Zoo Kids, a closed-circuit television channel, at Tucson Medical Center and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona.

San Diego Zoo Kids is an innovative television channel with programs produced primarily for medical facilities that serve pediatric patients and their families. The creation and development of the channel has been funded by businessman and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford. In 2017, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded San Diego Zoo Global an outstanding Museums for America Grant to bring San Diego Zoo Kids to 75 childrens hospitals and Ronald McDonald House Charities across the nation over the next three years. The generous grant from IMLS has made the channel available on television monitors in every patient room at Tucson Medical Center and in the childrens play area at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona.

San Diego Zoo Kids programming offers family friendly, animal-oriented stories that are both entertaining and educational. Tucson Medical Center (TMC) is thrilled to partner with the San Diego Zoo to bring to our patients a little more of whats magical and wonderful in the world at a time when theyre not feeling their best, said Judy Rich, TMCs president and CEO. From TMCs long-standing support of Reid Park Zoo to its robust pet therapy program, Rich noted that the educational and entertaining channel builds on the work TMC is already doing. This effort helps us in supporting families, offering a child-friendly environment and fostering an appreciation of the healing qualities of animals and nature.

The channel also features animal stories from Reid Park Zoo. We are excited to be collaborating with San Diego Zoo Global, Tucson Medical Center and Ronald McDonald House Charities to share our passion for animal conservation and education, said Nancy Kluge, president, Reid Park Zoological Society. We hope this glimpse into the lives of the animals at Reid Park Zoo will bring excitement and joy into the lives of those in our community who might not be able to visit the Zoo.

The service is also making its debut at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of

Southern Arizona. "We are so pleased to partner with the San Diego Zoo, Tucson Medical Center and Reid Park Zoo on this entertaining and educational program, said Kate Jensen, president and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona. One of our goals is to create a sense of normalcy for children and families, even while they are going through very difficult times. The San Diego Zoo Kids channel has become a very popular diversion. It is so well produced, educational and entertaining. We are grateful for this wonderful contribution from the San Diego Zoo.

The San Diego Zoo Kids channel offers up-close video encounters with animals, stories about caring for animals, quizzes about animals and habitats, and a wide variety of short video vignettes hosted by San Diego Zoo Global ambassador Rick Schwartz and San Diego Zoo Kids host Olivia Degn. Viewers can see best-of videos from the San Diego Zoos famous Panda Cam and other online cameras, as well as content from other zoos across the world.

We continue to be humbled by the healing properties of San Diego Zoo Kids, said Debra Erickson, director of communications, San Diego Zoo Global. Parents and caregivers share that the channel, which has no commercials or inappropriate content, not only calms children but makes them happy.

San Diego Zoo Kids debuted in 2013 at Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego. Since then, it has been installed in 137 children's hospitals, Ronald McDonald Houses, pediatric wards and childrens hospice centers across the U.S., in 33 states and the District of Columbia; and in facilities in Mexico, Canada, Australia, Pakistan and Singapore.

About Tucson Medical Center

Tucson Medical Center, licensed at more than 600 beds, has been Tucsons nonprofit community hospital for nearly 75 years. Governed by a board of community volunteers, TMC serves more than 31,500 inpatients and cares for nearly 100,000 patients each year in its Emergency Department. More than 1,000 physicians representing specialties from anesthesiology to vascular surgery practice at TMC. TMC offers top-notch intensive care units for adults, children and newborns, and is the leading provider in Southern Arizona for emergency care and pediatric care. Specialty areas include womens, maternity, cardiac, orthopedic, neuroscience, imaging and senior services.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona offers a home away from home to families that travel to Tucson for their childs medical care. The Ronald McDonald House offers comfortable private rooms, laundry facilities, play areas inside and outside, transportation to and from the medical facility and home-cooked mealsall at no cost to the family. Ronald McDonald House serves an average of 650 families a year, and they can stay as long as their child is being treated at a medical facility.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's approximately 120,000 libraries and 35,000 museums, and related organizations. Its mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. IMLS grant making, policy development and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive.

About IMLS Community Anchors Program

IMLS promotes the role of museums as essential partners in addressing the needs of their communities by leveraging their expertise, knowledge, physical space, technology and other resources to identify and implement solutions. By strengthening museums capacities for civic engagement, these projects contribute to the creation of livable, sustainable communities. IMLS welcomes applications for projects that empower museums to transform their roles in their communities from being community resources to being community catalysts. Museums have a role to play providing civic and cultural engagement, facilitating lifelong learning, promoting digital inclusion and supporting economic vitality through programming and services. IMLS encourages projects that demonstrate collaboration, adopt co-creating strategies and engage with a wide variety of cross-sector stakeholders to accomplish a sustained collective-impact goal.

About Reid Park Zoo

Reid Park Zoo is an AZA-accredited Zoo located in the heart of Tucson, Arizonas Reid Park. Originally founded in 1965, Reid Park Zoo has grown to 24 acres of land, housing over 250 animals from around the world in naturalistic exhibits. With more than 500,000 visitors annually, Reid Park Zoo strives to encourage commitment to the conservation of biological diversity and to provide educational and fun experiences for visitors of all ages.

The Reid Park Zoological Society is a membership-driven, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that is dedicated to supporting the city-owned Reid Park Zoo. Among recent accomplishments are: funding the construction of the state-of-the-art Animal Health Center; managing the construction of the alligator and red panda habitat; developing, funding and supporting the Zoos 10-year Master Plan; launching a dynamic marketing campaign for the Zoo; and funding the Zoos education support staff and apprentice program.

About San Diego Zoo Global

Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes on-site wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of these entities is made accessible to children through the San Diego Zoo Kids network, reaching out through the internet and in childrens hospitals nationwide. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.
The role of the government has always been to plan and provide for its citizens. In order to plan, it is vital that the population census is carried out. The process also takes into count the number of deaths that have occurred in the period in between the last census and the current one. From the figures, the government is able to calculate the population growth rates and plan for the citizens. For cases where the population growth is too low, the causes are established and the necessary measures towards solving the problem put into place. In Ghana for instance, one great problem that is facing the country is the high maternal mortality rate in Ghana.

Source:ashantiweb.com

Mortality refers to death, while mortality rate refers to the quantity of deaths with reference to a specified population. Normally, mortality rate is related to a particular cause. Therefore, maternal mortality rate refers to the number of female deaths with respect to every 100,000 live births, as a result of any cause be it during pregnancy or as a result of the people in charge of attending to expectant mothers. Deaths that occur as a result of accidents or incidents do no account for maternal mortality rates.

Source:SlideShare

For over 30 years, the high maternal mortality rates in Africa have paused a challenge to the United Nations. It has been a concern of every non-governmental organization that has seen to it effort being put to reduce these deaths. A number of statics have been carried out with the aim of finding solutions to this menace. These statistics have involved going through autopsy records of mortuaries. As of 1990, the maternal mortality rate in Ghana was 216 per 100,000 live births. In 2010, the number reduced to 164 per 100,000 live births. There is hope that the maternal mortality rate in Ghana 2018 will be lower.

The government alongside other non-governmental bodies are working tirelessly to reduce these deaths. There is a glimpse of hope although the current maternal mortality rate in Ghana are still above average. The expected maternal mortality rate should not be higher than 54 per 100,000 live births. According to the most recent statics that was carried out in Ghana, expectant women aged between 35-49 registered the highest maternal mortality in Ghana as a result of miscarriages.

Source:FRED

Maternal mortality rate in Ghana by regions

As per a census that was carried out in 2008, the maternal mortality rate in Ghana by regions result were not so good. The western region registered the highest figures, of 314.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. The upper west region registered 140 deaths per 100,000 live births. However, in 2016, Accra has equally registered higher number of maternal deaths. The results of a survey that was carried out in 2016 show that the Greater Accra Region registered 197 deaths per 100,000 live births. Out of these deaths, 100 deaths per live births were as a result of bleeding. This caught the attention of medical practitioners whom according to them believe that the deaths were attributed to the loss of blood during childbirth and that the blood banks in the whole region could not sustain the casualties being attended to. This called for the need to create awareness on blood donation which was followed by frequent blood donation sessions to ensure that the blood banks had enough stock to sustain the lives of the poor mothers who were losing lives as a result of bleeding during delivery.

Source:The Conversation

For over 20 years now, the government of Ghana has put so much effort in curbing the high rates of maternal mortality. The process has however been a slow and tough journey. This is a fight that the government commenced in 1990s but has not given up despite the fluctuating values that have been registered. The government is still focused on the Millennium Development Goals, whose target is 54 deaths per 100,000 live deaths. This might sound tough, especially when bearing in mind the difficult question, what is the maternal mortality rate in Ghana. The answer to this question might sound discouraging, since the figures still stand at 319 deaths per 100,000 live births in the year 2015. This however does not mean this figure has not reduced, considering the fact that as per 1990, the figures were at 634 and 467 in 2000. With the right kinds of measures, this figure can be brought lower.

Maternal mortality ratio

When dealing with maternal mortality, it is very obvious that you will come across the term maternal mortality ratio, normally abbreviated as (MMR). This term is not any different from maternal mortality. The only difference is that it is a ratio. It refers to the ratio of number of expectant females deaths resulting from pregnancy related causes per 100,000 live births. When the first census to determine the maternal mortality rates was carried out, Africa registered the highest maternal mortality ratio.

Source:GBC Ghana

This caught the eye of organizations such as the World Bank Group, World Health Organization(WHO), United Nations Population Division, UNICEF and UNFPA who since then have put all their effort to work towards curbing these deaths. Reducing maternal mortality ratio is one of the goals that the United Nations looks forward at achieving. Unlike countries like Zimbabwe and South Africa, which have registered higher figures in their mortality ratio, Ghana has consistently registered a drop in the ratio. African countries like Rwanda and Somalia are making positive change in their maternal mortality rates and this is very promising for Ghana country.

What is maternal mortality rate in Ghana

When carrying out population census, what is maternal mortality rate in Ghana is one question that will always pop up. The same way effort is being put to curb down infant mortality rates, the same effort should be channeled towards curbing maternal mortality rates in Ghana. It is time for people stop getting Goosebumps every time the question what is the mortal rate in Ghana is asked. It should be known that for the best results to be achieved, everyone should put in effort in the fight.

Source:OoWomaniya.com

Maternal and infant mortality rate in Ghana

Over years, maternal and infant mortality rate in Ghana have topped the headlines of news. It is one nightmare that the country has faced for years. The fight to reduce these figures has been on for quite some time. It has never been the governments wish to lose these lives and therefore it has tried all possible means of making sure that this menace is controlled. Conducting census is one of the measures that the government of Ghana has taken towards achieving this goal. With the correct figures, the government can tell to focus more and therefore channel the necessary resources required.

READ ALSO:MPs challenged to pay GHC1000 towards KATH maternity ward project

Unlike maternal mortality rate, infant mortality refers to the number of infant deaths, usually, those below one year, registered per every 1000 live births in a year. Infant mortality rate is also a factor affecting population growth. It is also a measure of the levels of health in a country. Very high infant mortality rates indicate poor health facilities and vice versa.

Source:pnassignmentjisx.gloriajohnson.us

For years, Ghana has been known for a wide range of diseases. Some of these diseases include; cholera, tetanus, typhoid, pulmonary tuberculosis, measles, chicken pox, malaria, trachoma, infectious hepatitis, poliomyelitis, dysentery, guinea worm, yellow fever among others. As per a report that was compiled in 1974, majority of these diseases were waterborne and could be prevented. According to a report by the World Health Organization, malaria and measles topped the lists of the reason behind a big percentage of the premature deaths in the country.

To curb these deaths, reducing infant mortality rates was made part of the Millennium Development Goal and since then nations have embarked on reducing these deaths by at least two thirds. To achieve this goal, several programs were initiated. Some of these programs include the Life Saving Skills program, the Safe Motherhood Program and the Integrated Movement of Childhood Illness. Each one of these programs had a target that it aimed at meeting.

For instance, Life Saving Skills program was aimed at increasing delivery skills in midwives. This would eventually reduce the number of neonatal deaths. The Safe Motherhood Program was keen on ensuring that expectant mothers had safe deliveries and that the health services offered to their children were standard and the best. Integrated Movement of Childhood Illness targeted on survival of these children by ensuring they received the best clinical services. The program was also aimed at ensuring that the right health services were administered.

Source:Wikipedia

After a few years with these programs in existence, Ghana has experienced change. The infant mortality rates reduced tremendously. The diseases which were a threat to childrens lives were put under control. Better vaccines were administered and with time, less cases of diseases experienced. This had great impact on the countrys population in general. Since 1990 to 2015, the country has experienced more than 50% decrease in the infant mortality rate.

The infant mortality rate dropped from a whole 12.7 million deaths to 6 million. The government has gone an extra mile to ensure that its citizens are provided with clean water and mosquito nets. This has been a major contributor to lowering these figures since majority of the diseases that were a threat were water borne. As of the survey that was carried out in 2014, the infant mortality rates have reduced from 66 to 41 per every 1000 live births since 1990.

Apart from targeting the diseases that were responsible for these deaths, the government in conjunction with the programs have also created awareness to the benefits of having your baby at a health centre and the importance of having your kid immunized. Since 2009, there has been a positive growth in the number of kids delivered in health centres. There has also been a rise in the number of kids being immunized. Diseases like malaria, pneumonia and acute diarrhea have been put under control since mothers are educated every time they visit the health centres. It is a relief that this part of the Millennium Development Goals is on its way to being achieved.

Maternal mortality calculation

Maternal mortality refers to the number of expectant female deaths with respect to the every 100,000 live births. From definition, already, maternal mortality is a ratio. Therefore maternal mortality calculation can be done by simply dividing the number of female deaths with that of live births then multiplying the result by 100,000. Although, according to the United Nations, these deaths should be as a result of complications that occur during pregnancy or during birth. Deaths that result from accidents and other incidents do not fit in this category of maternal mortality.

READ ALSO:First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo commissions new MBU at KATH

Maternal mortality trends

In the 1990s maternal mortality rates in Ghana were so high that maternal mortality was declared an epidemic. This drew the attention of non-governmental organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the World Bank Group. The organizations vowed work together with the government of Ghana to find solutions to the menace. The problem was included in the Millennium Development Goal. It was named Goal 5, which was aimed at improving maternal health.

Source:Pulse.com.gh

The aim of the goal was to reduce the maternal mortality rate by two thirds by the year 2015. They also targeted provision of reproductive health to everyone by the year 2015. These goals are slowly being achieved with the strategies and programs being incorporated.

It is so obvious that, no matter how much the goals have not been achieved, the efforts that have been put in place have been fruition. The maternal mortality trends in Ghana have become so easily noticeable. The organizations behind this success can count their goals achieved. From records, the maternal mortality rates in 1990 were as high as 634 per 100,000 live births. In 1995, there was a slight drop to 532 per 100,000 live births. Later in 2000, the figure dropped to 467 per 100,000 live births. In 2005, the figure dropped to 376 per 100,000 live births. In 2010, there was a drop to 325 per 100,000 live births. The most recent survey shows that the maternal mortality of Ghana as at 2015 is 319 per 100,000 live births. This trend is promising and with time and more effort, the 54 per 100,000 target will be achieved.

Causes of maternal mortality rate in Ghana

According to statics carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Sub-Saharan region has over years registered the highest number of maternal deaths. Although these deaths are becoming less with time, the number that Ghana registers is still too high and needs attention from the responsible authority. It is therefore necessary to establish the causes of maternal mortality rate in Ghana.

Source:Slideshare

According to the World Health Organization, the causes of maternal mortality rate in Ghana can be classified into two; direct and indirect deaths. Direct causes are those that result from the pregnancy. Some of these causes include; abortion process, hypertension as a result of the pregnancy, anemia, puerperal sepsis, postpartum hemorrhage among others. These causes normally are complications that occur during pregnancy. On the other hand, indirect causes are those that occur during the pregnancy period and have no relation to the pregnancy. These are diseases that may attack the expectant mother during the period of pregnancy. A common disease is malaria.

Source:Slideshare

Apart from the complications and diseases, there are other causes of maternal mortality rate in Ghana. These include poor general health of the expectant women. This may be as a result of the high rates of poverty in the country. Most of these expectant women do not have the funds required to gain access to good medical care.

Apart from funds, some parts of the country, the Northern region for instance, do not have adequate access to medical facilities. These regions rely on health centers which are not properly equipped to serve them. The health centers too are scarse and therefore ever crowded. Because of this reason, most expectant mothers do not get access to the medical facilities.

Source:A1 RADIO 101.1MHz

Illiteracy is another cause of maternal mortality rate in Ghana. A good percentage of the countrys population does not have access to education and therefore cannot read and write. A good fraction of this population become expectant at very tender ages. Most of these young expectant mothers succumb to their pregnancy and during child birth. Others, out of illiteracy do not see the need of seeking medical care, and out of ignorance develop complications without their consent and before they notice, they also lose their lives.

READ ALSO:Samira launches Safe Delivery Project

Maternal mortality prevention

As stated, it is the responsibility of the government to find solutions to maternal mortality prevention. Since the whole pandemic caught the attention of the United Nations and World Health Organization, the organizations have joined hands with the government of Ghana to find solutions to this problem. The journey to finding the solution to this menace has been summarized into solving problems related to; poverty, illiteracy, diseases, hunger and discrimination against women. It is evident that once these problems are solved, they will influence a reduction in the maternal mortality.

Source:Global Health Check

Diseases have a big share on the Millennium Development Goals and the United Nations in Ghana in conjunction with the World Health Organization have utilized every slight opportunity to see to it that diseases are minimized. The Northern region for instance, is famous for malaria. Most of the expectant mothers succumb to the disease. The UNICEF, under the United Nations initiated the Kangaroo Mother Care which is aimed at ensuring good heath for the mother as well as the baby. The care has killed two birds with the same stone since the lives of mothers and babies have been saved. The care has also provided education to the expectant mothers on how they are expected to feed as well as the activities that they should engage. Education on malaria and the importance of sleeping under treated mosquito nets have been provided. The expectant women are also being provided with free mosquito nets.

Source:mhc

Illiteracy is also a major contributing cause of maternal mortality in Ghana. Most of these expectant mothers that succumb to pregnancy related complications are below 18 years. This is a school going age. It is evident that these victims would be in school and would not have gotten pregnant in the first place. That is the reason why the United Nations is working so hard to create learning environments in the country to ensure that every kid has access to education. Illiteracy has also made some of these expectant women lack the knowledge on the need to attend prenatal clinics. Some deaths would have been prevented by simply going for these checkups. This is why the United Nations has established the Community Based Agents who mobilize and educate expectant women on the importance of these checkups. The organization is also training midwifes to offer better services.

Source:Maternal and Child Survival Program

As for poverty and hunger, the United Nations is working tirelessly to empower farmers by purchasing their produce at fair prices. With the fair prices, the farmers make profits and are motivated to work harder. In turn, poverty is curbed down. The organization is also after ensuring food security by helping manage the papaya mealy bug. By managing the menace, the organization has helped the farmers increase their produce and therefore have enough food. There are less cases of deaths resulting from hunger. Providing vocational training to the jobless in the society has also been of great importance since the skill obtained can be used to earn them a few coins and therefore curb the rates of poverty.

Provision of maternal health is also one method of reducing the rates of maternal mortality. The World Health Organization through agents is holding seminars and training camps to create awareness on the possible complications likely to be encountered during pregnancy and child birth. One of these complications is obstetric fistula which WHO is creating awareness on.

It is the hope of the government of Ghana that in the future years, maternal mortality will be a thing of the past.

Source: Yen
The most significant difference wealthy individuals and those struggling with life is the attitude of each person. To be wealthy, one must change the behavior, thinking and decision-making capabilities. Therefore, you need to take advantage of numerous online investments in Ghana. For instance, the majority of the rich people will always contemplate about increasing their income and then getting handsome profits on the same income. Therefore, they strive to establish numerous sources of income as they brainstorm on creating immerse wealth by compounding the income. Investment banks in Ghana can also help you gain your financial freedom.

Source: Investment Guru

For the individuals working in different companies, they get their salary as the primary source of income at the end of every month. That is one form of fixed income and there is no way that salary can make you rich. Therefore, it is more imperative for you to consider adding other sources of income such as online investment opportunities in Ghana and grow your income. Online investment with daily returns that will help you get the financial freedom and unimaginable financial stability.

Online investment in Ghana is one of the best sources of income you need to consider since it lets you work from the comfort of your home and advance your business without investing a lot of cash on it. However, you need to understand how to make money online for you to be successful. Some of these online investment opportunities in Ghana are:

Forex trading

Mutual funds

Bitcoin

Mutual funds in Ghana

Mutual funds have progressively established themselves as one of the best online business opportunities in Ghana. They have achieved this by making sure that they are biggest advertisers in the investment industry. Note that the majority of Ghanaian tertiary students will use mutual funds as their first investing tool since there is an investment club that the fund established at their learning institution or a seminar they held.

What is a mutual fund?

This can be defined as a pool of funds from different financiers that are invested in securities picked by a professional manager. Investing in a mutual fund means that you own a percentage of all the securities that the mutual fund invests in but in an indirect way. Bear in mind that a mutual fund can be open-minded in such a way that you can reclaim your shares by reselling it the fund. It can also be close-ended where you are allowed to sell your shares to another investor in case you want to get out of the fund.

How mutual funds in Ghana works

A mutual fund works by investing in various securities, its value will depend on the value of the securities it invests in. therefore, the cost of one share in the mutual fund is equivalent to the value of the net assets of the fund divided by the total amount of shares of the fund. In most cases, the value of the returns from the securities possessed by the fund like interests and dividends are re-invested in the fund to increase the price of shares. Therefore, as an investor in a mutual fund, you get more profit when the price of shares goes up.

READ ALSO: How to make money in Ghana in 2018

What are the restrictions on mutual funds in Ghana?

Here are some of the things that mutual funds in Ghana are not permitted to do:

Investing in commodities, futures, and options

Investing over 10% of their net assets value in real estate

Investing over 25% of their net asset value in securities of a single company or issuer

Investing over 10% of their net property value in various online investment companies

Investing more than 15% of net property value in a firm with shares that are not listed on a certified exchange

Attain a controlling stake in any firm

Short securities where they invest with anticipation that the price of a security will fall so that they can gain from the situation

Investing in securities of a company whereby the fund managers possess over 5% of the interest

Source: Betterment

Types of mutual funds in Ghana

Mutual funds in this nation are accessible in the following categories:

Equity funds: This entails mutual funds investing in equities and they are characterized by long-term growth focus. Some of online investment companies in Ghana that specialize in equity funds include:

FirstBanC Heritage Fund Limited

SEM All-Africa Equity Fund Limited

HFC Equity Trust

Omega Equity Fund Limited

Databank Epack Investment Fund

Money market funds: These are known to be the market for instruments that are designed to mature in one 12 months. They invest in low-risk and short-term securities like treasury bills and they are meant to protect capital instead of focusing on growth. They include:

SEM Money Plus Fund Limited

Databank Money Market Fund Limited

HFC Unit Trust, Legacy Unit Trust

TTL Income Haven Fund

Sirius Opportunity Fund Limited

Galaxy Money Market Fund Limited

First Fund Limited

EDC Money Market Unit Trust

Fixed/bond income funds: These online investment companies focus on investing in long-term fixed income securities like corporate debt, fixed deposits, notes, bonds, long-term government securities, and debentures. They include:

Stanbic Income Fund Trust

All-Time Bond Fund Limited

EDC Ghana Fixed Income Trust

SEM Income Fund Limited

UniSecurities Unit Trust

Benefits of investing in mutual funds

Compared to investing in individual securities, directly, mutual funds offers some advantages:

Mutual funds specialize in investing in numerous market instruments and this helps you to diversify your portfolio by clinching onto them.

Its a tax-free form of online investment since investors are not required to tax

Professional fund officers are responsible for picking your securities

You can track your performance easily since you will receive annual reports, price quotes on the sites and other important information

You get your cash any time you need it

Even though you may suffer some losses through underperformance, you wont lose all your investments

High return on investment over the long-term

Limitations of mutual funds in Ghana

Mutual funds also present some disadvantages:

High management fees

Fees charged when depositing or withdrawing

Do not have a fixed return

Limited investment alternatives

Forex trading in Ghana

In the current economy, where you need a well-paying job to live in a high-class lifestyle and enjoy life, you need to have extra investment platform to bail you out. Forex trading is one of the best investments in Ghana that is turning out to be the most lucrative investment schemes. With the influx of international traders here, forex trading in Ghana is becoming seamless in terms of transfer and transactions. The emergence of retail brokers has made banks, various institutions and individuals to start embracing forex trading.

While forex trading tends to be a new online investment venture in the country, it can still brag of numerous prominent personalities who have beaten to odds of investing heavily in these trades.

Things you must know as a forex investor:

Types of forex brokers

Even though there are numerous MT4 systems out there that traders and investors can use, understanding the kind of broker you are working with is vital. Here are the type of brokers you will come across.

Dealing desk

These are referred to as market makers who offer fixed spreads and might decide to quote below or above the actual price at any time. In most cases, these market creators will act like the counterpart of the trader who does not trader directly with the liquidity providers. They get their income via the spreads and they mostly assume the opposite trades of their customers before they cover themselves.

No dealing desk

This type of trader offers you with a direct access to the interbank market whereby this can be straight through processing (STP) or STP and ECN (electronic communication network. An honest No Dealing Desk broker will not re-quote the prices and this implies that you will trade during the economic announcement without restrictions. The spreads provided tend to be lower, but they are not fixed. This means that they can upsurge significantly when volatility increases when economic announcements are made. Therefore, these type of brokers is paid through commissions on every trade or they can opt to increase the spread.

STP (Straight through Processing)

This is where all the forex transactions are fully computerized and are instantly processed on the interbank without any broker interfering with the transaction.

ECN (Elecetronic Communication Network)

These brokers offer and display real-time order details that feature all the orders that were processed and the prices given by the banks on the interbank market. Therefore, they help in enhancing transparency in the market by giving out information to the participants in the market. ECN brokers get their income through taking a portion of the amount traded. With this type of a broker, all transactions are made on the interbank market in no dealing desk mode.

MTF (Multilateral Trading Facilities)

They strive to bring together the buyers and sellers of financial instruments as per non-discretionary rules. While Multilateral Trading Facilities is a non-regulated exchange, it runs under similar regulations, whereby the rules are crystal clear and ensure there is a fair trading system. MTF broker assures price efficiency and clearing of transactions and this trading facility offers greater discretion and faster order execution speed and low brokerage charges.

How to deposit and withdraw your funds

This is an imperative aspect you need to consider as an investor and try to work with brokers who provide the bank wiring system. Others will use eCash systems that are also good but on some occasions, they experience some problem with their systems. In most cases, it will not take more than 2 days to credit an investors account. When it comes to withdrawing, some brokers will use a local bank, which means they can transfer your income to any bank account in Ghana.

READ ALSO: How to Make Money Online in Ghana as a Student

Source: Environics Research

How is the FOREX trading done?

Once you invest your cash in a forex trading, but you dont know how trading is done, here is a solution for you. Make sure you work with a broker who offers free or paid signals that can help you in the trading process. For instance, one of the brokers who offer these services on the majority of investors on their system is Future Pip. As an investor, make sure you are included in the process of choosing a fund officer and check out on their trading systems. This will assist you to determine who is on the trading platform and how to monitor your account.

Additionally, you need to make sure you take part in the opening, financing and selecting of fund officers for your account. In case you dont have time to monitor your platform on daily basis, you dont need to worry since some genuine brokers will give you statements of your account. If you need an extra source of income, join different online investment for beginners platform and watch your income grow spontaneously.

How to buy bitcoins in Ghana

Bitcoin in Ghana has been a topic of discussion in the last few months and it is becoming one of the best ways to make money online. Here is a guide that will help you understand the mystery behind this magic digital currency and how to buy bitcoin in Ghana.

Unlike the Ghanaian Cedi, bitcoin is just a digital currency that cannot be seen nor felt, meaning that it is mined and stored electronically. Bitcoin is not controlled by the government. The coin was first developed in 2009 by an anonymous person under the name Satoshi Nakamoto and he released the coin as open-source software. Here is a process of getting bitcoin in Ghana.

Creating a bitcoin wallet online

This is the first thing you need to do when you want to invest in bitcoin. A bitcoin wallet will allow you store your cryptocurrency, this means that the wallet will serve as a bank account and its created via online applications. The moment you get your wallet, you can start trading with your currency.

How to get bitcoins in Ghana

Buying and selling of bitcoins involve some simple steps. You can get access to bitcoins through three major ways:

You can obtain your bitcoins through accepting bitcoin mode of payment for goods and services, although this is not very common in Ghana

You can engage in selling and buying bitcoin through exchanging of Ghana Cedis with bitcoin

Purchasing bitcoins from colleagues in Ghana

Purchasing the coins from friends is pretty fast than exchanging it and it is also less expensive. However, you need to engage in a face to face business when purchasing bitcoins.

Bitcoin exchange in Ghana

While this is one of the common methods of getting bitcoin, it is rarely used in Ghana. Several online investment platforms that specialize in buying and selling bitcoins are easily accessible. All you need to do is register your bank account details and change your bitcoins in Ghanaian currency and Ghanaian Cedis to bitcoin. Nevertheless, you must be careful when using the credible exchange so that you will not be scammed. Dont be a victim!

Bitcoin selling in Ghana

Bitcoin is the most convenient means of online investment opportunities since it allows you to sell your coins either from the local bitcoin merchants or online platforms that sell bitcoin in Ghana. The most reliable local bitcoin trader in Ghana is LocalBitcoins. The most effective alternative for this method is buying the bitcoins through mobile money. You can as well sell your coins through online platforms, where they will send you cash via platforms such as PayPal, perfect money, pioneer and many more.

Source: Online Investing

Online real estate investment in Ghana

As an investor, your primary goal should be growing your capital as you minimize risks. One of the best ways of ensuring this is to invest in online real estate since its average income is always promising and it allows you to hedge against the volatility in the stock market.

How online real estate investment works

In most cases, online real estate lending platforms have established a special purpose vehicle that helps in selling specific projects (SPV)and borrower payment dependent notes (BPDN) to various investors. The SPV uses the capital provided by the investor to give it the debtor by taking a first lien of the asset in exchange for the investment. The majority of online investment sites in Ghana will allow the debtor to leverage his project costs while the debtor is required to fill the remaining portion with their own funds in the form of common equity.

Before you start this online investment and earn money, here are the things you need to ponder before using online investment sites.

Lower investment minimums

In the current epoch where peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding has gained its ground, online lending platforms will give its investors a access to investments as all as $1000. This will let people mitigate their risks by spreading capital across several investment projects.

Management of risk via quality underwriting

Make sure you work with an online real estate investment platform that runs a detailed underwriting review on the loan provision by evaluating the borrower bank statements and running credit checks. This lets those investors who dont have experience in real estate investing to evaluate the supporting details of the pre-vetted deal flow to help the invest in lucrative ventures.

Secure monthly revenue

In most cases, lending cash on house flips must come with a lien on a property. For the reason that investors are required to invest their cash in form of a loan, they are supposed to get income on a monthly basis. This will allow them to build a passive revenue stream.

Investment management

Online platforms will assist you to get access to different lucrative investments and also help you manage them. Bing an SPV, the online platforms are responsible to follow up with the borrower on the status of the interest payment and distribution of monthly interest to various investors.

Apart from the advantages discussed above, there are some limitations of taking part in online real estate investment ventures. They include:

Illiquid investment

Currently, this form of investment lacks a secondary market where investors can liquidate their online investment. This means that the investments must be put on hold until they mature and investors must depend on these platforms to manage their investment post costing.

Inadequate communication with the debtor

With online platforms, talking to the borrower is an impossible mission since the platform has already created a huge barrier. Since the public is purchasing the notes from the platforms SPV, the investor is required to depend on the SPVs correspondence with the debtor to receive any updates and information.

Industry maturity

Still, many people are worried how the underwriting rules in this young industry will hold in case there is an economic correction. Since the institutional resources are becoming more readily accessible, lending rules are getting more aggressive in the last few months. This is because most of the online investment apps and websites are racing to acquire a huge market share of the deal flow to serve the institutional demand.

Example of an online real estate company

MeQasa is the prominent online real estate investment platforms that obtained $500000 investment funding from frontier digital ventures. The platform was created in 2013 by three Ghanian entrepreneurs, Kofi Amuasi, Rashad Tungteiya Seini and Kelvin Nyame.

Looking for a house to buy or even rent in Ghana has been a major challenge to many and this is why online tools and platforms have been put in place to help people do their searches efficiently. MeQaSa.com has played a vital role in elevating the real estate industry in Ghana by offering a free service that assists brokers and property owners and other real estate professionals do their business effectively online. They do this through simplifying the search experience for potential home buyers and tenants.

Source: Business Reporter

Before you decide to take part in any form of online investment, it is imperative to conduct your due diligence, especially when investing in the online real estate.

Fortunately, in the era of social media, the high demand for communal engagement has resulted to innovated websites that will let investors work together and communicate effectively. A good example for this is CrowDD and BiggerPockets. These are the sites play a vital role in providing classifications and evaluations and members are allowed to rate sponsors and platforms who they have invested.

READ ALSO: Small Scale Business Ideas in Ghana

Source: Yen
'The Worst Case of Facebook Censorship' Leads to New 'Conservative' Social Media

Contact: Steven Andrew, USA.Life , 877-585-7729SAN JOSE, Calif., May 16, 2018 / Standard Newswire / -- Facebook is accused of "the worst case of conservative censorship ever." "Facebook blocked over 70 million people from me, because I am a Christian and defend President Trump," said Steven Andrew, a conservative Silicon Valley technology expert. However, instead of doing nothing, he used his leadership skills to start the new "conservative" USA.Life social network and people are signing up fast."This is greater censorship than what others have experienced. Facebook doesn't put me in 'Facebook jail,' they pretend nothing is happening and cut millions and millions of people off," he said.Andrew's Facebook account was very popular before Facebook restricted him, which Facebook's own data shows started after President Trump was elected in 2016. Andrew was reaching 5 to 8 million people per month.Then "left-wing Facebook increased their censorship on conservatives to try to break up President Trump's support and my account was greatly restricted to reach only 97,000 people last month. This is over 98% blockage," he said.Andrew has almost a half a million followers who want to keep up to date with him. They contact him and say, "what happened to you?""Since Facebook blocks Christians and those who support President Trump saying 'America First,' they block America," he said.Viewing Facebook and Twitter as "anti-American," Andrew started USA.Life, which he hopes the majority of people will prefer. He invites people to "sign up today at www.USA.Life to get preferred user names and updates.""By offering freedom, privacy and the most accurate news to users, USA.Life provides competitive advantages over Facebook and Twitter," he said. Andrew thinks Facebook spying on people and selling user's data is "immoral."He says, "I believe in liberty like the founding fathers," but "Facebook acts close to Communist China by censoring freedom."So "family and friends can stay connected," this new social network is available anywhere online.Facebook also allowed scammers to impersonate Andrew and "scam money from the followers." Andrew objected, but Facebook did nothing.Andrew started a crowdfunding page to fund the completion of USA.Life and a new search engine called 1776Free, which "gives results that are hid by others.""What is needed is for supporters to chip in any amount in the crowdfunding. If the required funding comes in now, USA.Life and 1776Free will launch this summer," he said.Pictures, videos and press releases are available for the media at www.USA.Life
Moesha Boduongs recent interview with the Cable News Network (CNN) sparked a debate among a cross-section of Ghanaians, many of whom condemned some portions of her responses.

Her comments with respect to the reasons for which some women depend on men for their economic sustenance did not go down well with some people.

This was met with mixed reactions, eventually leading to a number of conclusions. Others however praised her for being candid about the realities of life.

READ ALSO: Meet Sarkodie's artiste who wrote a song for Alicia Keys and takes between GHc70,000 to GHc100,000 per song

The actress and model however apologized, and that chapter was considered closed.

She has since then released lovely photos together with insightful messages to the delight of her social media fans.

In her latest photo, she looked lovely in a wine-coloured outfit. Her beautiful smile, her glowing skin and her pose were enough to stimulate compliments from her fans:

@official_costaro9287 exclaimed: "Absolutely gorgeous, Moesha"

@thomasayisiadjei added: "You are looking awesome and gorgeous" and @thomasayisiadjei also wrote: "You are wise and amazing"

Moesha Boduong, who hails from the Upper West region, has carved a niche for herself as a model whose photos and videos always generated mixed reactions from the public.

READ ALSO: University graduate turns cobbler on the streets of Accra

Top 7 Worst Jobs in the World in 2018 | Yen.com.gh:

YEN is building a platform where Ghanaians can share local news and own experiences with each other. Witnessing an incident? Want to tell about a local problem? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Send us a message via Instagram or on YENs official Facebook page.

Source: Yen.com.gh
- Ghanaian actor, has express his appreciation to British diplomat, Jon Benjamin, for his wedding gift

- Jon Benjamin is reported to have given Dumelo a vegetable juice labeled as V8

Ghanaian actor and entrepreneur, John Dumelos wedding on Saturday, May 12, 2018, was indeed the talk of town.

Even though it was strictly by invitation, social media was abuzz with photos, videos and comments about the event.

Several celebrities, such as actors and musicians showed up to express their support to Dumelo and his wife Gifty Mawuenya.

Jon Benjamin

READ ALSO: Nana Ama McBrown reveals the only way her marriage would come to an end

Also present was Former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, who showed up clad in an all-white outfit.

Former British High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin, to mark the special occasion, presented a bottle of V8 vegetable juice.

This sparked a comical uproar on social media, as it brought up allegations of the acquisition of V8 vehicles by Dumelo from the presidency.

According to a report by Ghanacelebrities.com, Dumelo responded to the gesture and passed a suggestion to Benjamin.

Taking to Twitter, he tweeted: thanks so much, Jon. Really appreciate. Cant wait to be at your local bar for drinks.

Jon Benjamin is a British diplomat who served as High Commissioner to Ghana from 2014 to 2017.

READ ALSO: Prophet who 'predicted' Ebony's death 'declares' 2020 election results

Signs That You Are a True Ghanaian | Yen.com.gh:

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish on YEN.com.gh? Please contact us on Facebook or Instagram now!

Source: Yen
- Dr Asiama has charged government to quickly come to the aid of the Bank of Ghana

- He mentions that the GHiPSS has not made any profit since it was started

Dr Johnson Asiama, a former second deputy head of the Bank of Ghana, has expressed concern about the current state of the central bank.

According to him, the bank is in a financial mess and needs support from government.

Dr Asiamah made observation in an interview with Starr FM on Tuesday, May 15.

He was responding to an official government claim that the BoG had to borrow $4 million to initiate the mobile money interoperability platform.

READ ALSO: Don't bury me when I die - Shatta Michy's mother warns daughter

The interoperability platform was rolled out by the central bank in order to allow users transact business across networks. It is expected to make transactions faster and less expensive.

Broke BoG cannot support its initiatives - Dr Asiama

The platform was expected to be run by the Ghana Interbank, Payment and Settlement System (GHiPSS) but government awarded it to another company. Dr Asiamah was of the view it was because GHiPSS has been running at a loss since its inception.

Dr. Asiama left the Bank of Ghana in December of 2017. He mentioned that the bank is not in the place to raise its own finances.

He continued:

GHIPSS is saying the Bank of Ghana lent them that money4 million dollars, I can understand, however, if it amounts significantly above that, Bank of Ghana cannot (support) because I know their resources.

READ ALSO: I will sacrifice my manhood for NDCs 2020 victory  Party chairman

Dr Asiamah insisted that refinancing the central bank should be a top government priority. He remarked that it is the only thing that can be done now.

The Mobile Money Interoperability platform has been a controversial initiative by the government. It was launched by the vice president Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

It is thought to have cost much less than the GHc 4.6 billion the former administration budgeted for it.

Check out our video on what makes one truly Ghanaian:

Do you have amazing and critical stories for us to publish? Reach out to us on Facebook and Instagram.

Source: Yen Ghana
- The police are searching for three men who attacked two police officers in the Eastern Region

- They attempted to take weapons from the police officers

- They however fled the scene when a patrol team arrived

The police in the Eastern Region have begun a search for three people who attacked two police officers on duty at Sambuor police barrier near Mpraeso Adawso in the Kwahu South District.

The men, who were wearing masks suddenly emerged from a bush which was close to the barrier and opened fire on the officers, Sergeant Kennedy Asah and Corporal Eric Aboagye Dankwah.

The AK 47 rifle belonging to the police malfunctioned and was therefore of no help in an attempt to return fire.

READ ALSO: 7 serious things that happen to us when we die

A tussle between Sergeant Assah and one of the attackers ensued as the officer tried to wrestle a shotgun from the assailant.

The officer however sustained a gunshot wound on his right foot as the gun went off amid the struggle.

The masked men managed to escape before a police patrol team arrived at the scene. Three empty AA cartridges and four live cartridges were retrieved from the scene.

The injured sergeant was also rushed to the Atibie government hospital where he was treated and responding to treatment.

READ ALSO: Bisa K'Dei arrested in the USA?

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Source: Yen
3 UNI -- An Innovative Approach to Assist Foster Children

Contact: Rosangela De Morais, 3 UNI for Orphans , 561-614-5336, 3uni@3uni.org MIAMI, May 16, 2018 / Standard Newswire / -- 3 UNI for Orphans, a Miami based non-profit Christian organization brings a new approach to assist orphans and foster children locally and worldwide. 3 UNI aims to promote and connect orphan care organizations, ministries and local efforts with donors, volunteers and potential adoptive/foster families  or "connect resources to the need" as summarized by founder Rosangela de Morais. 3 UNI operates from Miami, Florida via an online platform that provides resources for people who want to adopt a child, become foster parents, find volunteering opportunities or begin an orphan care ministry. Their platform also provides a crowdfunding space for small organizations to fundraise for specific projects.Rosangela and her husband Tarcio became parents through international adoption, are foster parents and longtime advocates for children. They are also founders and counselors of a mentorship program for orphanages in Brazil. They firmly believe the supporting the local Church is key to orphan care.As part of 3 UNI's initiatives; the organization is now partnering with the Florida Guardian ad Litem program (GAL) to host a meeting to educate prospective volunteers on how to become an advocate for the county's most vulnerable children."The GAL program is in critical need for volunteers and we are happy to leverage our platform to promote this opportunity for volunteers to become advocates for the foster children," said Rosangela. "More than 3,000 children in the Miami-Dade County alone are in the foster care system, and 45% of them are 5 years old or younger. These children desperately need us to step up for them. It is part of our duty according to the Bible in Hebrews 13:3, to continue to remember those who are mistreated as if we, ourselves, were suffering. If you put yourself in the picture; you will step up."GAL volunteers are responsible for visiting their assigned child and speaking on their behalf in court hearings about three times a year. Prospective volunteers are invited to the information session to learn more about the program on May 19, 2018 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm at 10200 NW 25 St. #115, Doral, FL. Interested in attending can RSVP at www.3uni.org/volunteer
Remember when Obamas Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, stood up for Israel?

Yeah, neither to I.

But I do remember her ignoring the deaths of thousands of innocent Syrians, and kicking Israel in the teeth.

Brava to Nikki Haley for standing up for the truth and walking out when the anti-Israel haters began spewing their lies.

And shame on the MSM for their anti-Israel biased reporting, which served to score Hamas a big propaganda win.

Via Daily Caller.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley had a simple response Tuesday when Palestines Ambassador to the UN blamed Israel for the recent violence in Gaza. Walk out. Haley stood up and walked out of the UN Security Council meeting room when Palestinian Ambassador Riyad H. Mansour began his remarks. Tensions were high in the Security Council after nearly sixty Palestinian protesters were killed by Israeli forces Monday during rioting on the Gaza border. Protesters stormed the Israeli border, armed with slingshots, rocks and Molotov cocktails. The protests were in response to the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem. Haley told the emergency Security Council meeting, No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has. In fact the records of several countries here today suggest they would be much less restrained..

WATCH: U.S. Amb. Haley leaves UN Security Council meeting on Gaza violence as Palestinian representative begins to speak. pic.twitter.com/y3xJSCujgw  NBC News (@NBCNews) May 15, 2018

IDF releases footage showing Gazans tampering with fence

Senior Hamas Official: This Is Not Peaceful Resistance, It Is Supported by Our Weapons

Gazan Doctor Doubts Hamas Claim Baby Died from Israeli Tear Gas

As Gaza hospitals suffer shortages, Hamas refuses Israeli medical aid

When Someone Tells You The Palestinian Protesters Were Peaceful And Unarmed, Show Them This

50 Of 62 People Killed On Gaza Border Were Hamas Terrorist Operatives, Hamas Admits
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Oil prices climb amid geopolitical concerns

Xinhua, New York :

Oil prices settled higher on Tuesday as uncertainties remain due to U.S. sanctions on Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced last week that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, a landmark international agreement signed in 2015.

In a televised speech, Trump announced the exit, adding he will not sign the waiver of nuke-related sanctions against Iran.

The oil market retained support from the concerns over U.S. sanctions on Iran as traders bet it would reduce global crude supplies.

In a monthly oil market report released on Monday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) raised its forecast for global oil demand in 2018, expecting the world to consume 98.85 million barrels a day, 1.65 million barrels a day higher than last year.

The data from OPEC also showed that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) commercial oil stocks in March fell by 12.7 million barrels from previous month to nearly 2.83 billion barrels. Experts pointed out geopolitical concerns, tightening product inventories and robust demand would continue to provide support for prices.

The West Texas Intermediate for June delivery was up 35 U.S. cents to settle at 71.31 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for July delivery rose 20 cents to close at 78.43 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.
Trump administration faces crunch week on trade

AFP, Washington :

President Donald Trump's trade team faces a crunch week as they juggle talks on multiple sensitive issues representing hundreds of billions in trade amid pressing deadlines.

High-stakes negotiations will take place with China, the European Union and Washington's two North American Free Trade Agreement partners.

And while the talks have been going on for weeks and months, key deadlines are fast approaching-critically for NAFTA. Officials have been working furiously to update the 24-year-old trade pact that Trump called "a horrible, horrible disaster for this country."

Trump spoke to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday and discussed bringing the talks to quick conclusion, officials from both countries said.

But Mexico Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said Tuesday it would be difficult to get a deal on the complex issues this week.

"The possibility of finishing the negotiations between now and Thursday isn't easy," he said on Mexican television. "I don't think it will happen" by then but the negotiations would continue, even through the Mexican presidential elections set for July 1.

And outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan said last week he would need a written agreement for the US Congress to approve a revamped trade pact this year, while Republicans still control the legislature-something that could change in November's midterm elections.
Pope worried over Mideast violence

AFP, Vatican City :

Pope Francis said Wednesday he was "very worried" by escalating violence in the Middle East after 60 Gazans were shot dead by Israeli troops while protesting the US embassy's move to Jerusalem.

"I am very worried about the escalation of tensions in the Holy Land and the Middle East, and about the spiral of violence which moves us ever further away from the path of peace, dialogue and negotiation," he said during his weekly audience at the Vatican.

"I express my great sorrow for the dead and wounded and I am close through prayer and affection to all those who suffer," he added.

Calling for "dialogue, justice and peace," Francis said violence "has never led to peace. War incites war, violence incites violence."

Israel has come under mounting international pressure after its forces opened fire on the Gaza border on Monday, killing 60 protesters who had massed alongside the fence to protest as the US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. At least 2,400 other Palestinians were wounded in what was the bloodiest day of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the 2014 Gaza war.

Francis has on several occasions expressed support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, indirectly criticising US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Israel's claim to Jerusalem as its capital.

Jerusalem's status is perhaps the thorniest issue of the decades-long conflict, with Israeli claiming the entire Holy City as its capital while the Palestinians want the eastern sector as capital of their future state.

Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War, later annexing the eastern sector of the city in a move never recognised by the international community.

British Prime Minister Theresa May called for restraint, saying "such violence is destructive to peace efforts".

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the "violence of the Israeli armed forces against the protesters".

Ireland and Belgium summoned the Israeli envoys in their capitals, while South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel.

Turkey has told Israel's ambassador to temporarily leave the country, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of "state terror" and "genocide".

Israel hit back, ordering the Turkish consul in Jerusalem to leave for an unspecified period of time.

"Erdogan is one of the biggest supporters of Hamas, so there's no doubt he's an expert on terror and slaughter," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted.

Netanyahu also accused the Islamist movement Hamas which rules Gaza of deliberately putting civilian lives at risk for political gain.

"They (Hamas) are pushing civilians-women, children-into the line of fire with a view of getting casualties," Netanyahu told CBS.

"We've tried to minimise casualties; they are trying to incur casualties in order to put pressure on Israel which is horrible."

The US ambassador to the United Nations strongly defended Israel at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the violence in Gaza.

"No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has," Nikki Haley said. "In fact the records of several countries here today suggest they would be much less restrained."

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas withdrew his top representative to the United States, Husam Zomlot, the foreign ministry announced, without saying for how long.

The United States has blocked the adoption of a Security Council statement that would have called for an independent probe into the violence, diplomats said.

In the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, funerals were held for a second day.

Hundreds attended the funeral of Yazan Tubasi, 23, killed east of Gaza City.

"I am happy that my son is a martyr," said his father Ibrahim, 50, though he was crying uncontrollably.




Bangladesh Army Blue become champs

Sports Reporter :

Bangladesh Army Blue team became champions in the Haji MA Rob Akhand Boishakhi Rugby competition beating Bangladesh Red team in the tie-breaker of the final at Physical Education College Ground in the city's Mohammadpur on Wednesday.

The stipulated time was ended in 7-7 points.

Bangladesh Army Blue team, Bangladesh Army Red team, Bangladesh Army Green team and Bangladesh Army Yellow team took part in the Round Robin League basis first phase of the competition. Bangladesh Army Blue team and Bangladesh Red team gained the highest points of the League. Thus, Bangladesh Army Blue team and Bangladesh Army Red team moved into the final of the competition.

After the final match, General Secretary of Bangladesh Rugby Union (BRU) Mousum Ali, Joint-Secretary of BRU Md Mojibur Rahman, Secretary of the Tournament Committee Md Sarwar Rakib distributed the prizes among the winners.




Shapovalov shoots up the rankings with win over Berdych

AP, Rome :

Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov pulled off another big win, overcoming a slow start to beat 15th-seeded Tomas Berdych 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the first round of the Italian Open on Tuesday.

Also on the red clay of the Foro Italico, three-time Rome champion Maria Sharapova defeated 16th-seeded Ashleigh Barty 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, defending champion Elina Svitolina routed Petra Martic 6-1, 6-2, and defending French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko eliminated Zhang Shuai 6-2, 7-5.

The 19-year-old Shapovalov is coming off a semifinal appearance in last week's Madrid Open, where he beat fellow Canadian Milos Raonic in the Round of 16.

Already up to a career-high ranking of 29th this week, the victory over Berdych will move Shapovalov ahead of No. 22 Raonic when next week's rankings come out - making him the top Canadian.

"It's something I've wanted to work towards for all my life," Shapovalov said. "So, to be able to do that, it's pretty crazy. Hopefully I could lead the country to a Davis Cup victory one day."

Shapovalov is already the youngest player in the top 30 since Richard Gasquest reached No. 17 in 2005 at the age of 19.

Showing off his crafty game, Shapovalov made an audacious foray to the net to conclude one point with an overhead smash as he ran out to a 4-0 lead in the decisive tiebreaker.

Berdych came back to make it 5-5 but the left-handed Shapovalov then drew his opponent into the net and unleashed a wicked one-handed backhand passing shot down the line.

On his first match point, Shapovalov wrong-footed Berdych with another shot down the line that his opponent couldn't get back.

The risk-taking Shapovalov committed twice as many unforced errors as Berdych but also hit more than three times as many winners.

"I just couldn't find my footing the first set. The clay is so different here," said Shapovalov, who is making his Rome debut. "But I just kept fighting, kept competing. And I'm really happy I got to turn the match around."

On a day in which the start of play was delayed and then interrupted by rain, ninth-seeded David Goffin struggled to beat Italian wild card Marco Cecchinato 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 before a partisan crowd; 14th-seeded Diego Schwartzman eliminated Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 6-1; and 16th-seeded Lucas Pouille held off Italian wild card Andreas Seppi, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (3)

Greek qualifier Stefanos Tsitsipas, who reached the final of the Barcelona Open last month, advanced when Borna Coric retired while trailing 4-1.
Russia and China must act fast to end Rohingya crisis

UN Security Council members except China and Russia have called for robust council actions for Myanmar to address the root cause of the Rohingya crisis. Especially, in terms of ensuring grants and citizenship for the refugees and for holding the perpetrators accountable who had carried out atrocities against the Muslim minority in Myanmar. The Council must find a suitable solution to the issue for improving the situation on the ground. Otherwise, the crisis may constitute a threat to international peace and security, they warned.

We completely agree with the point of view of the majority UNSC members. Myanmar's internal crisis has fast turned into a regional crisis. It's somewhat depressing that Russia and China's active role in this regard is still missing. In the absence of an effective US global leadership both the countries are very important for solving the crisis. It's not only us but the UN investigating team has also urged the two global powers to intervene. As the world has watched the unfolding of a campaign of murder, arson and rape by Myanmar's military, known as the Tatmadaw, Beijing has blocked attempts by the UNSC to pass a resolution condemning the attacks, while offering the usual bromides about avoiding "interference" in domestic affairs of other countries.

However, it's not entirely true that China doesn't want a solution. On Nov. 19, while on a trip to Bangladesh and Myanmar, China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, announced that Beijing was brokering a "three-phase plan" to bring about "a final and fundamental solution" to the crisis. The "plan," which was light on details, included a cease-fire, to be followed by the repatriation of refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar and, later, policies to spur long-term economic development in Rakhine State. But we are yet to see long term sincere and concrete efforts taken by Myanmar. As for Russia, the Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov assured our Foreign Minister last month that it would provide assistance to the ongoing Rohingya crisis.

What is needed a clear understanding for prompt action. Time is running out and the monsoon season has started, and most importantly international donors are rapidly losing interest. Against this backdrop, we expect both Russia and China to act fast.
Most solar power plants fail schedule

Entrepreneurs demand subsidy from climate fund in solar mini-grid area

Anisul Islam Noor :

Bangladesh became a pioneer in home-based solar system in the world but the country is lagging behind in grid-based solar power plants.

Though the government signed more than fifty agreements so far for setting up grid-based solar power plant projects, 90 percent projects failed to start due to lack of land acquisition and required knowledge on grid based solar generation, experts said.

Most of entrepreneurs have not been able to manage the project fund yet since they could not come up with a convincing details of the project for the banks and other financials institutes. They failed to explain how much electricity will be generated and whether or not the investment will be a safe and profitable one.

As a result, the government's plan to supply electricity in off-grid areas in the country has been facing serious challenges.

The entrepreneurs urged the government to provide subsidy for solar power to reduce its cost to he reach of consumers from climate change fund as solar mini grid supplies electricity to climate affected people.

Power Division set a target for generating 253 MW electricity from solar power in 2016. However, a single megawatt of electricity was produced from those projects in scheduled time. In 2017, the target was to generate 190 MW, it was possible to connect only three megawatts of electricity to the grid. It is the country's first grid-based solar power plant.

Talking to the concerned, the shortage of grid-based solar power projects is one of the reasons for the inadequacy of land. Besides, the solar power project is not progressing because of the lengthy process of government approval for acquisition of land.

According to the power sector master plan, the target was to add around 1403MW electricity from solar by 2021. Of this, 200 MW in 2018, 180 in 2019, 190 in 1920 and 2021 in 195 MW.

Since 2011, about a dozen of companies have been assigned solar power projects. But most of the project projects have not started yet. Many entrepreneurs signed the deal but they moved away later. The initiative was taken to set up the country's first grid-based solar power plant in Phulpur, Mymensingh. The electricity development board (PDB) signed a contract with a private company in December 2011 for 18-megawatt solar power station. Later the company moved away from the project. For this reason, most of the solar power projects have not seen the light of dawn.

Finally, on September 18 this year, the country's first solar power project came into being. Three megawatt of electricity from the project of Nargin Sarishabari Solar Plant Ltd. in Sarishabari of Jamalpur is supplied to the national grid.

PDB's 60 MW project in Rangunia in Chittagong is also stuck due to land acquisition complexity. Thus, most of the solar power projects of the government's plans are pending for various reasons.

According to sources, four acres of land is needed to set up a megawatt solar panel. In that case, 400 acres of land is required for 100 MW. It is a big challenge to settle this huge amount of land in a densely populated and agriculture-based country like Bangladesh.

Siddique Zobair, a member of the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA), told The New Nation basically the work of grid-based solar power projects is not going forward for two reasons. One reason is that many places are needed to do a solar station. On the other hand, banks do not provide loans for investment.

Dhaka University's institute power is working for a long time for solar power. Professor Saiful Haque, Director of the Institute, told there are three problems for big projects of solar power. The issue is new here. To do this, lots of land is needed. In most cases, those who submitted the plan had no land.

Besides, irregularities were also seen in the awarding of projects. Although many organizations work on producing solar power, they have no prior experience. Some organizations have also got work on political considerations. There are enough doubts about whether these institutions will implement the projects at all.

Another big reason why solar power is not popular in Bangladesh is its high price. The cost of electricity per unit is estimated to be Tk15. But in the neighboring country, every unit of solar power generation is Tk 5 to 7, according to a research report of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Study on Energy Security.
Students condemn 'threats', rally against BCL men

Quota movement protesters staged demonstration on Dhaka University Campus, protesting threat to Joint Convener Nur and Rashed Khan on Wednesday.

DU Correspondent :

Students moving against quota system in civil service on Wednesday paraded against ruling party activists, demanding security of their activists at dormitories.

About a thousand pro-movement students marched from Dhaka University's central library condemning "Chhatra League's threats" to two of their leaders.

They alleged, Nurul Huq Nur and Rashed Khan, frontline leaders of Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakhhan Parishad, were subjected to intimidation by Bangladesh Chhatra League activists at Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall last night.

"Chhatra League men led by central Vice President Imtiaz Bulbul Bappi, Mohsin hall's Secretary Mehedi Hasan, and Institute of Fine Arts' Secretary Fahimul Islam threatened us last night," alleged Nurul Huq, a joint convener of the platform.

"We called the proctor and dialed the national helpline. But there was no response. The situation was later brought under control by Mohsin Hall's provost," he added.

JU Correspondent

Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) brought out a protest procession denouncing the death threat on the leaders of quota reformists on the campus here today around 11.00 am.

The protest possession started from the Central Library yard under the banner of "Bangladesh Sad'haran Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad" (BSCASP) for denouncing the death threat on the co-conveners of BSCAP Nurul Haq Nuru and Rashed Khan by a leader of Central Chhatra League (BCL).

The possession paraded different streets, departments, and institutions on the campus and ended at Central Shaheed Minar premises through a brief gathering.

The convener of BSCASP JU unit Shakil Uzzaman said pointing to the Chhatra League, 'You cannot refrain the students from the movement just by giving this type of death threat. They are not afraid of death threat. We condemn for the death threat on the leaders of quota reformists'.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of BSCASP Khan Muntasir Arman urges to BCL men to abstain from this type of offensive speech.
BD to push for early repatriation of Rohingya

UNB, Dhaka :

Bangladesh will "give a push" for expediting the verification and Rohingya repatriation process at the second meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) here on Thursday as little progress is seen in this regard since the handover of the first Rohingya list to Myanmar.

Officials said, Bangladesh handed over a list of 1,673 Rohingya families (8,032 individuals) to Myanmar on February 16to start the first

phase of repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland in Rakhine state. Myanmar has so far verified less than 900 Rohingyas out of 8,032 names of Rohingyas after verification in several steps, an official told UNB.

The JWG, dedicated to overseeing the repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh

to Myanmar, held the first meeting in Myanmar on January 15. Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque and his Myanmar counterpart Permanent Secretary at Myanmar Foreign Ministry Myint Thu will lead their respective sides at the meeting consisting of 15 high officials on each side. The meeting, with no virtual progress over Rohingya repatriation so far, will start at state guesthouse Meghna at 10 am and continue until lunch, another official said. "We'll raise all issues related to repatriation," Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mohammed Abul Kalam told UNB.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed the repatriation agreement on November 23, 2017. On January 16, Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a document on 'Physical Arrangement' which will facilitate the return of Rohingyas to their homeland from Bangladesh. The 'Physical Arrangement' stipulates that the repatriation will be completed preferably within two years from the start of repatriation.

Bangladesh currently has a Rohingya population, which is far more than Bhutan's entire population.

Bhutan has around 800,000 people whereas Bangladesh had to give shelter to some 1.2 million Rohingyas.
Tailback on highways still there



UNB, Cumilla

Traffic chaos on Dhaka-Chattogram highway continued to cause sufferings to commuters as a 20-km tailback was created from Daudkandi Toll Plaza to Putia on Wednesday as in the past several days.

"I started my journey from Cumilla around 5 am and after 7 hours we only managed to reach Hasanpur in Daudkandi, a one-hour journey in a normal case." said Shahjada Imran, a Dhaka-bound passenger.

Shahana Begum, an aggrieved passenger of a Dhaka-bound bus, said, "It's very urgent to take some effective measures to solve the problem. The situation has become unbearable. We've been suffering a lot with our children."

Contacted, DIG of Highway Police Atiqul Islam, said, "Sixteen goods-laden trucks went out of order on the highway on Tuesday, and some trucks became inoperative on Wednesday morning near Meghna and Ghumti bridges toll plaza...these incidents are slowing down the traffic movement."

Road Transport and Highway department secretary Nazrul Islam said, "Tailbacks have not been created only for road condition, there are also other reasons. We repair roads instantly, even in case of a small problem."

He said, "We're working to identify the cause of the problem and several meetings have been held to find out a solution to it."

Assistant Police Superintendent of Highway Police (Cumilla zone), Shafikul Islam said the vehicles coming through for lanes got stuck at the starting point of Daudkandi Bridge as it has only two lanes.

Pressure of goods-laden vehicles and slow movement of vehicles in toll plaza area also are worsening the situation, he said.

"We've been relentlessly trying to reduce the traffic gridlock," he said.

A 110-km tailback was created on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway from Chouddagram on Friday night due to the ongoing work on the rail overpass at Fatehpur level crossing.

The traffic congestion eased to some extent at some points on the highway on Monday and Tuesday.
SC upholds Khaleda's bail

Staff Reporter :

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the High Court order that granted bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Zia Orphanage Trust case.

However, the apex court's bail order does not allow the BNP chief Khaleda Zia to be freed from jail right now, as she has been shown arrested in some other cases, both the prosecution and defence lawyers opined.

The High Court on March 12 granted four months bail to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in Zia Orphanage Trust case, in which she is currently serving a five-year jail term.

After dismissing two appeal petitions filed by the government and the

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against the HC order, the Appellate Division also directed the High Court bench led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim to hear and dispose of Khaleda's appeal against the sentence by July 31.

In a jam-packed courtroom, the four-judge bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain

delivered the judgement saying "both the appeals are dismissed."

After the apex court order, Khaleda's lawyer Advocate A J Mohammad Ali prayed the copy of the short order. But the Supreme Court refused to deliver the order saying that there was no past record of delivering the copy of the short order by the apex court.

Mohammad Ali told the court that they wanted the copy of the short order to submit to the authorities concerned so that the BNP chief could be freed immediately from jail.

Attorney General (AG) Mahbubey Alam opposed his submission saying that there was no instance of giving short order copy by the top court.

The Supreme Court also said, "There was no system in the Supreme Court rules to give the copy of the short order. So, your application for short order copy has been rejected."

"You will get copy of the apex court soon," the court said.

Then, A J Mohammad Ali told the court that he had not come with any group but alone.

Then Chief Justice Mahmud Hossain said, "We don't pass any order by considering any group."

After the apex court's bail order, AG Mahbubey Alam told reporters that there was no scope for Khaleda to delay the trial proceedings of the case in the High Court as the apex court directed the HC to dispose of the appeal by July 31.

"We will take preparation as quick as possible for the High Court hearing," he said.

ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan also told reporters that the Appellate Division ordered the court to settle the appeal by July 31. "We must follow the order. We'll request the High Court that we are getting ready to begin hearing the appeal," he said.

Regarding her release from jail, the AG said, Khaleda cannot be released from jail even after the apex court judgement as she is shown arrested in other cases. The home ministry knows regarding this. If she is arrested in other cases, she won't be released, the AG said.

Asked to comment on Khaleda's four-month bail, the chief law officer of the state said: "The four months will be counted from the day when the High Court granted her bail. And the days when the bail was stayed in the Appellate Division will be deducted from the four-month period."

The HC granted her bail on March 12 and the Appellate Division stayed the HC order on March 14, which continued till yesterday.

On the other hand, BNP lawyer Moudud Ahmed told reporters that BNP chief would have to take bail in a few other cases, despite the bail upheld by the Supreme Court as the government had already shown her arrested in few other cases.

However, he said that it would be easy for Khaleda Zia to secure bail from the lower court as the Appellate Division has upheld her bail. "We'll try hard to secure her [Khalda] bail quickly. We have to complete this following a legal process. Khaleda Zia will return to us after getting bail. She will come back soon," he said.

Responding to a query, Moudud said, Khaleda Zia is accused in seven cases in which she is shown arrested. Among them, three are in Cumilla, two in Dhaka, and one each in Narail and Panchagarh. There are orders to show her arrested in those suits, he added.

Khaleda Zia is currently facing 36 cases. Among them, she have been shown arrested in seven cases in line with the lower court order, Advocate Sanaullah Miah, another counsel for Khaleda Zia told.

BNP Legal Affairs Secretary Kayser Kamal, expressed satisfaction over the judgment and said that the BNP chief got justice from the Supreme Court. He also hoped that Khaleda Zia will be released soon if the government doesn't interfere. We will move the court seeking her bail in other cases, in which she was being shown arrested in the meantime, he added.

The ACC filed the Zia Orphanage Trust case with Ramna Police Station in July 2008, accusing the six persons including Khaleda Zia on charges of misappropriating over Tk 2.1 crore that came from a foreign bank as grants for orphans.

On February 8, the Dhaka Special Court-5 convicted the BNP chief and sentenced her to five years' imprisonment in the Zia Orphanage Trust Fund embezzlement case. She was then sent to old central jail at Nazimuddin Road in the city.

The court also sentenced Khaleda's elder son Tarique Rahman, now in the UK, and four others to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment each, and fined them a total of Tk 2.10 crore, saying that all the convicts have to pay the fine in equal amounts.

Following the BNP chief moved against the lower court verdict, the HC on March 12 granted Khaleda Zia four months' bail.

Later, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the government filed two petitions challenging the High Court order. Full bench of the Appellate Division on March 14 stayed the High Court order considering those two petitions, and the tenure of the stay order was extended to May 8 later.

After hearing on two leave to appeal petitions, the Supreme Court yesterday granted her bail.
No respite from waterlogging in city

DSCC mayor blames WASA: Experts see lack of coordination among utility service providers

Reza Mahmud :

The sufferings of residents in most areas of the capital city are in the worst due to water logging caused for lack of proper drainage system.

The concerned authorities responsible for this menace are shifting their liabilities to others while experts blame lack of coordination among different utility service providing organizations.

"We have no respite from the acute water-logging in the city. Even moderate shower inundates almost all the streets for several hours, creating gridlock as well as sufferings for city people," environment expert Architect Iqbal Habib told The New Nation on Sunday.

He blamed the lack of coordination among different utility service organisations responsible for this."

Iqbal Habib said there was a meeting of three ministries including Local Government, Rural

Development and Cooperatives in July 16 last year, arranged by Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor late Annisul Huq, regarding how to overcome the water logging in the city.

"There were certain decisions were taken from the meeting to re4move water-logging from the city. But the main point was to take coordinated programme to meet the problem. The other important points were to give the prime responsibility to the public representatives that means city corporations to include people with the massive programme to solve the problem," said the environment specialist.

Iqbal Habib regretted, "Nowadays, we find there is no coordination among the authorities like city corporations, Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) and Dhaka District Administration in this regard. For this, we failed to achieve any positive result."

Other experts alleged that the housing companies are also filling all water bodies and low-lying lands surrounding the city, further aggravating situation.

They alleged that some influential persons also grabbed most of the city, which pushed the city under threats of flush floods and water logging in every rainy season.

They also blamed city residents for this as they throw polythene and other garbage to drains.

In these circumstances, the water logging has become a common scenario in the city after every rainfall from the begging of the rainy days of this summer. Even moderate rain frequently takes most parts of the capital under ankle-to-knee-deep water and pushed the public road transport system into a near-breakdown. Rainwater intrudes into ground floors of many slums, shops, educational institutions and other establishments.

Streets, lanes and by-lanes are submerged. People, mainly office-goers, suffer immensely. Many of them have to wade through filthy water to reach their workplaces, failing to get any vehicle.

"Though some vehicles were plying through the water it was very difficult to get that because the street were inundated under the rainwater. Then how can we get the transports? The water logging makes our lives hell," said Sharmeen Aklima, a private service holder from Motijheel.

However, many city dwellers blame the city corporations' cleaners for their unwillingness to unclean drains, which is responsible for water logging.

"The cleaners are found working in drains in main roads, but ignoring lanes and by-lanes. But we are also suffering from acute water logging in our lanes after coming out from home," Abul Hussain, a pharmacy shop owner said from Gendaria.

Experts also blame using of polythene bags for the untold water-logging. They said polythene are main culprit which blocked rain water in drains and caused flooding of rain water in every areas.

"Polythene is one of the main cause of water logging as they block rain water in the drains. Use and production of the product is illegal. But huge amount of polythene are produced and used everyday. Most of the polythene are eventually thrown to the drains and blocked the ways to pass rain water," Abdul Matin, General Secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon told The New Nation.

When contacted, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon told The New Nation on Sunday, "It is the WASA's responsibility to eliminate water logging. It is impossible to meet the problem until the WASA make all of its drains and canals 100 percent workable."

"But as public representative, we are trying our best to solve the problem. We are reforming and extended our drains to pass the rain water fast," he said.

When asked about experts' allegations about lack of coordination among the authorities, Sayeed Khokon said, "We are trying to go with coordination. "Frequently, I sit with every authorities like WASA, district administration and the ministries to solve problems."

Khandaker Millatul Islam, Additional Chief Waste Management Officer of DSCC said, "Our special teams are working hard after every rainfall to solve the problem. Our sucker machines are also in work."

Osman Gani, the Acting Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), told The New Nation on Sunday, "Our sucker Machine always works to eliminate water logging from the city. Our officials also are working hard to meet the problem."

When contacted, Taqsem A Khan, Managing Director of WASA said, "We are working hard to recover city canals and keep the drains workable to eliminate water-logging."
BD to join spl OIC summit in Istanbul Friday

UNB, Dhaka :

Bangladesh will attend the extraordinary summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan who currently holds its rotating chairmanship.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and Prime Minister's Security Affairs Adviser Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique will join the summit, a senior official at the Foreign Ministry told UNB on Wednesday. Turkey announced its decision to organise an extraordinary summit of the OIC on Friday in Istanbul.

The US administration "unlawfully" opened its embassy in Jerusalem, said the OIC on Monday terming it a "clear violation" of international law and legitimacy and in clear contempt of international community's position regarding Jerusalem. "The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly rejects and condemns in the strongest terms this illegal decision by the US administration," said the OIC in a statement.

The OIC said it considers this action as an attack on the historical, legal, natural and national rights of the Palestinian people, which undermines the standing of the United Nations and rule of international law and thus represents an affront to international peace and security; as expressed at the Extraordinary OIC Islamic Summit held in Istanbul on December 13, 2017, and also by the international community at the UN General Assembly held on December21, 2017. Bangladesh has strongly condemned the use of deadly force by the Israeli authorities against unarmed Palestinians which left scores of Palestinian civilians dead and several thousand injured. While expressing deep condolences and sympathies for the Palestinians, Bangladesh called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop the atrocities immediately. Bangladesh also expressed its dismay as the United States' shifted its Embassy to Jerusalem. Bangladesh stressed preserving the legal status of Jerusalem as an international city within the framework of relevant UN resolutions.

"Bangladesh reaffirms its position in favour of establishing the State of Palestine on the basis of two-state solution and on the pre- 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," said the Foreign Ministry here in a statement. Turkey strongly condemned the US for opening the embassy in Jerusalem and Israel for "committing a massacre" against the Palestinian protestors. Serving as the OIC term president, Turkey had initiated an extraordinary summit in Istanbul in December 2017 in a bid to protest the US decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Erdogan had phone conversations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas late May 14 in order to discuss recent developments in the region. Along with diplomatic works, Turkey will also hold two big mass events in a bid to show solidarity with the people of Palestine, Turkish media reports.
The Undead Archives

I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world.
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Tom Wolfe 19302018 by Mark Seliger

As you might already know, Famous Author  Tom Wolfe has died. Encomia proliferate.

David Douglas of Newsweek called him "more of a celebrity than the celebrities he describes," which was true at least when I was young. I don't know about the later big thick square novelsI once manfully tried to make it through Bonfire of the Vanities but fetched up against the rocky shores of my own inadequacies, and it was ugly. So will have to leave those discussions to others.

But there are a few of his slighter, lighter books that everyone, or maybe every American, should read. That list would include the early collection of magazine articles that helped make his reputation, The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, which in my opinion is treasurable for the title alone. That essay was about George Barris and the Kustom Kulture movement, which treated hot rods primarily as pop art.

Another must-read for those in these environs is The Painted Word. Although it's primarily a send-up, and has certainly been accused of being reactionaryit inspired almost hysterical criticism when it appearedthe central thesis was dead serious and oh-by-the-way correct: that modern art had moved away from being primarily a visual experience. I'll often ask of a photograph, "but is it good to look at?" And the antecedent there is probably Wolfe.

The virtual "part two" of that line of cultural criticism was From Bauhaus to Our House, a similar but less controversial look at modern architecture. It's a less famous bookthe modernist establishment had learned fast to contain and compartmentalize its outragebut one that's even more entertaining to read. Having grown up summering in northern Michigan, I love these sentences from the book's opening: "Every new $900,000 summer house in the north woods of Michigan or on the shore of Long Island has so many pipe railings, ramps, hob-tread metal spiral stairways, sheets of industrial plate glass, and white cylindrical shapes, it looks like an insecticide refinery. I once saw the owners of such a place driven to the edge of sensory deprivation by the whiteness & lightness & leanness & cleanness & bareness & spareness of it all."

I know just the house he's talking about it. (And that "insecticide refinery" is a small but pure note of his geniusstill makes me chuckle.) For entertaining reading, From Bauhaus to Our House is tough to beat.

And of course everybody should read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, because it's the single book of Wolfe's that, well, everybody should read. But then, you already knew that. All of these are entertaining reads, still. Wolfe was sui generis.

Mike

"Open Mike" is the often off-topic, anything-goes editorial page of TOP. Theoretically it appears on Wednesdays.

Original contents copyright 2018 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)

Featured Comments from:

Jack: "My wife was once a dinner party seat mate with Tom. His ice-breaker was 'What are you reading?' Fortunately she had just finished a book he was looking forward to reading himself. So she was the one recommending books. He was an excellent dinner partner as one would expect. And yes, he was all in white. But a photo of Tom must be in color."

Luis Aribe: "There is an essay by Tom Wolfe in Marie Cosindas's book, Color Photographs, on her images and on photography and photographers in general. It's a book well worth having just for her photographs, with the added bonus of Wolfe's essay."

John Camp: "I was sad to hear about Wolfe's deathhe was a major part of the journalism I read when I was trying to decide what to do with my life, and for my decision to become a journalist, although I was never his kind of journalist.

"About The Painted Word and From Bauhaus to Our House: There is a strain of what I consider to be fairly serious writing on visual art done by journalists. John Updike wrote three nice books of essays on art, all available at Amazon: Just Looking: Essays on Art, Always Looking: Essays on Art and Still Looking: Essays on Art. Robert Hughes was the Time art critic, but he was really a journalist who wrote on art (and other things) and looked with a skeptical eye upon the antics of the art world: 'The new job of art is to sit on the wall and get more expensive.' His books The Spectacle of Skill, The Shock of the New, and American Visions are all important and available at Amazon and are good and fun reading.

"I make a distinction between these guys and 'serious' art critics who are really theorists of modernity and post-whatever. These guys actually went out and looked at art and reported back on what they encountered. Too many serious critics, and particularly those who would get in an uproar and denigrate the work of Wolfe, Updike and Hughes (and they did), might look at some art, but what they reported on were usually artifacts of their own imagination...which was not nearly as rich as they thought it was."

Stephen Scharf: "What the hey, no mention of The Right Stuff? Now, that is a good read."

Rick Denney: "I still love Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers. It's probably more controversial than the essays you mentioned, though it resonates with my own flak-catching experience. But it follows the notion that the shorter he wrote, the more taut he became. About The Right Stuff, Neil Armstrong opined that a guy who never left his apartment in Manhattan was unlikely to know what really happened. So, sometimes we read for style more than substance. Wolfe was loaded with it. R.I.P."

Bruce Rubenstein: "I can understand having a rough time with Gravity's Rainbow, but Bonfire of the Vanities? Really? Maybe one had to have lived in NYC. I'm also a little surprised by a child of the '60s not mentioning The Right Stuff."

Andrew Lamb: "Bonfire of the Vanities falters towards the end. Not sure that it has aged well. Surely, the one to read is The Right Stuff?"

Chuck Albertson: "The Right Stuff is brilliant and hilarious, about 20 percent of it made it into the (excellent) movie. If you can find it, a draft of the book first ran in Rolling Stone, with photos by Annie Leibowitz. I also like Mauve Gloves and Madmen, Clutter & Vine, a collection of essays from the '70s that is a rollicking takedown of the Me Generation."

Geoff Wittig: "I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Wolfe, despite his writings' tendency to degenerate into self-parody, because of his sincere appreciation for the place of technical skill, of craft, in the visual arts. He wrote a brilliant and heartfelt eulogy for sculptor Frederick Hart exploring this concept; and was predictably criticized for his retrograde philistinism by the gatekeepers of 'contemporary art.' And it's hard not to have a bit of admiration for his ability to pull off the 'dandy' role in an age when it has become largely passe."

Mani Sitaraman: "More than four decades ago, when I was 14, I read Tom Wolfe's The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, the very first of his books that I was to read. Suddenly, everything my English teacher told me about writing prose didn't matter anymore. What a blast!

"Googling reveals numerous excellent, mannered portraits of Tom Wolfe, who was photogenic. There seem to be two schools of thought regarding images that accompany obituaries of notable public figures who die in old age. The first seems prefer the use of a very recent portrait, to reveal the person as they were in the times just before their passing. The other, like the use of a picture of the person when they first achieved fame. That's my preference, too. Here is a picture of Tom Wolfe in 1968, a couple of years after The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby was published. A perfect New York City environmental portrait by Sam Falk for the New York Times.

"Rest in peace, Tom Wolfe."

Carsten Bockermann: "Back in early 1999 I had the good fortune of meeting Tom Wolfe in New York City, where he was reading out of his then-new novel A Man in Full (great book, in my humble opinion).

"Of course, he was dressed in a white suit, just as one would expect."

D. Hufford: "I must get over my laziness about writing to write just a bit about Tom Wolfe. After all, as a native West Virginian, I owe him for his portrayal of another native West Virginian, Chuck Yeager, in The Right Stuff. Compare that with what we get nowadays with simplistic, shallow stereotyping stuff as Hillbilly Elegy.

"I am not an expert on his work, but that which I have read I have thoroughly enjoyed. I love his ability to gore sacred cows and to irritate those who need to be irritated: "Radical Chic: That party at Lennys" [the article in the June 8, 1970 issue of New York magazine Ed.] is still relevant, today, methinks. And I had started reading Bonfire of the Vanities just a few days ago. I have never watched the movie and although I have only begun the book, I already know the movie would be a disappointment. The scene where the husband who says he is going out to walk the dog and while out mistakenly calls his wife and asks if his girlfriend is there. The surprise and humor and the knowledge that this is the sort of stupid thing real people do would never be shown as well on film. Later, couple living in a small, rather shabby apartment but with pretensions and a British maid are relieved to find that she is racist. Relieved because they had been worried that with her British accent and her past experience of working for wealthier people, she was judging them and looking down on them. Finding her a racist restored their sense of superiority. This seems so real to me. Yeah, thats the way some of our 'betters' are.

"I am sorry to see him go."

Jack: "Tom wrote The Right Stuff in book form in 1979. It made a hero of Chuck Yeager to the people who hadnt followed flying by explaining how he first broke the sound barrier in a rocket plane. To me, I didnt need to read the book for him to be my hero. Months before the book was published, I was with General Yeager on the Bonneville Salt Flats with a small group attempting to break the sound barrier on land in the Budweiser Rocket Car. So naturally we brought the General in for the effort. The test run at 400 miles an hour was scary as the nose raised up off the ground and the nose wheel was how the driver steered. The telemetry was analyzed to determine how much adjustment would be required in the forward fin to keep the front from lifting off without also pushing it into the salt flats. In 1979 things were slow to compute and it took six hours to calculate. Five hours before that, Chuck told me he estimated it would require 6 degrees angle down. After much calculating over the hours, the computer declared a recommended angle of down 5.9 degrees. Chuck looked at me and said, 'See, Ive still got it.'"
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Saudi British Bank (SABB), one of the kingdom's leading financial institutions 40 per cent owned by HSBC Holdings, has reached an agreement to merge with Alawwal Bank (formerly Saudi Hollandi Bank)

that would create Saudi Arabias third-biggest bank with assets of around $77 billion.



Alawwal Bank, a unit of Royal Bank of Scotland, pointed out that the boards of both banks had now reached a preliminary, non-binding, agreement on the share exchange ratio, subject to a number of important steps, including agreement on a number of other commercial issues.



Based on this preliminary agreement, Alawwal bank shareholders would be receiving 0.485 SABB shares for each of its share, said the Alawwal Bank in a statement.



As per this exchange ratio and the closing price of SR33.5 per SABB share on May 14, 2018 (being the last trading day prior to the date of this announcement), the merger would value each Alawwal Bank share at SR16.3 and Alawwal bank's existing issued ordinary share capital at SR18.6 billion.



This represents a premium of 28.5 per cent to the Alawwal Bank share price as of May 14 this year.



Alawwal pointed out that while discussions were now at an advanced stage, any binding agreement to proceed with a merger would still be subject to a number of conditions, including shareholder and regulatory approvals.-TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabi's Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities and Civil Defence signed today an agreement to further bolster their efforts aimed at providing integrated services in line with Abu Dhabi Plan.



The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with Major General Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi, commander-in-chief of Abu Dhabi Police, and Falah Mohamed Al Ahbabi, chairman of Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities, in attendance, reported Emirates news agency Wam.



As the per the agreement, the two parties will form a joint technical team to review all site plans with the ultimate objective of following the best international practices in providing excellent and hassle-free government services to developers as well as owners. The step is also in line with the vision of the leadership with regard to reducing time for issuing construction licenses.



This is in addition to making use of the two departments' capabilities to increase revenues, cut costs, achieving sustainable development and improving life quality, thus enhancing the emirate's global competitiveness.



Al Ahbabi commended the cooperation between the two departments to develop policies and monitoring procedures to achieve an integrated and sustainable system for urban planning and development.



The agreement will also speed up and facilitate the construction licence issuance procedures, he added.



Al Rumaithi said, "This MoU is in line with the efforts of our leadership aimed at increasing revenue efficiency and speeding up procedures of site plans revision and approval to ensure that they meet the set security and safety conditions."
WorleyParsons, a leading global engineering services group, said it has been awarded a general engineering service (GES) contract by Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company (Yasref) to help optimise the production of its facilities.



A joint venture between Saudi Aramco and China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec), Yasref is a world-class, full-conversion refinery that covers about 5.2 million sq m in the Yanbu Industrial City. It is the key anchor project in Yanbu region of Saudi Arabia.



As per the deal, WorleyParsons will offer all engineering and consultancy services for the refinery, which includes feasibility studies, basic/concept studies, detailed engineering, procurement and construction support, and pre-commissioning/commissioning assistance, said a staagement from WorleyParsons.



The services will be provided from Yanbu office with the support from Dammam team, it added.



Yasref uses 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Arabian heavy crude oil to produce premium transportation fuels, as well as high-value refined products for both international and domestic markets. It became operational in September 2014.



On the contract win, Shaun Mills, the manager of projects at WorleyParsons Saudi Arabia, said: "We have been working with Yasref the last couple of years under a short form contract. During this period, we provided high-quality services and earned client trust."



"We are looking forward to supporting Yasref in optimising the production of its facilities," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Vibe, a new Italian rehabilitation centre in Tuscany, aims to combat the rise of social media addiction, as well as other psychological issues associated with virtual worlds, such as sleep deprivation, anxiety and depression.



Led by clinical director Dr Stephen Sideroff, an internationally recognised expert in addiction, neuro-feedback and alternative approaches to stress and mental health, the centre combines the benefits of Eastern and Western medicine to deliver individualised treatment packages for complex psychological issues.



With an estimated 13 per cent year-on-year growth of global internet users and a recent study showing 88% of the Middle Easts population engage on social media, its inevitably leading to a rise in social media addicts, said Dr Sideroff.



At the very least, saturated users are at risk of damaging their circadian rhythm or succumbing to social anxiety disorders.



Delivered by a team of experts with traditional Western clinical experience as well as practitioners of ancient Eastern remedies, the centre treats in-patients in a safe, controlled and positive environment for all manner of conditions including depression, addiction, anxiety, trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, compulsive behaviours, stress and burn-out.



Added Dr Sideroff: Each programme is created to suit the individual, where they will have one to one sessions with our clinical team and work side by side with powerful Sufis, Buddhist monks, yoga teachers and Tai Qi masters.



Our patients are also supported by spiritual music healing methods, brain retraining technologies, confidence and leadership programmes throughout their stay.



Vibe is the brainchild of Claudio Marianti di Pergola, a former investment banker with numerous major global financial institutions, who has made it his mission to create a one of a kind therapeutic model which delivers traditional mental health therapies supported by complementary medicines.



We have helped a number of patients since we opened Vibe in October 2017 and we understand that people in the Middle East who may require our services will often wish to seek these outside of their home country, said Claudio. In six hours, a patient from Dubai could be starting their journey back towards wellness at Vibes centre in Tuscany.



Located 40 minutes drive from Rome International Airport in the heart of Tuscany, Vibe has become the go to destination for those in need of overcoming addictions and mental health troubles, a statement said.



With a private beach right on the doorstep, the unrivalled luxurious setting is considered to be one of the most exclusive in Italy, surrounded by historic castles and family homes amidst Tuscan villages.



Therapies on offer to Middle East patients at Vibe include cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR), neuro-feedback and biofeedback, nutrition, somatic experiencing, equine therapy, 12-step programme, Ayurveda, acupuncture, mindfulness, gong and Sufi meditation, Buddhist chanting, yoga, Tai Qi, spiritual mentorship, massage and reiki.  TradeArabia News Service
MSD, a leading global biopharmaceutical company, recently hosted a round-table in Dubai,UAE to address the rising issue of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and the increasing risk of cervical cancer in the Mena region.



The event, attended by experts from across the region highlighted the importance of early detection and regular screening for cervical cancer. The experts also called for the need for governments to increase awareness campaigns around disease prevention and screening including the recommendation of the HPV vaccine.



Today, cervical cancer is the most common HPV-related disease and nearly all cases of cervical cancer can be attributed to HPV infection. As per the World Health Organization, in 2012, it was estimated that cervical cancer accounted for 528,000 new cases around the world. It was also estimated that there were 266,000 deaths from cervical cancer, with more than 85% of these deaths occurring in less-developed regions.



As of 2017, there were more than 1.8 million women in the UAE aged 15 years or older who may be at risk of developing cervical cancer. As per the Information Centre on HPV and Cancer (ICO), current estimates indicate that every year, 93 women in the country are diagnosed with cervical cancer, with 28 deaths every year. Cervical cancer is a cancer that can be prevented, yet this type of cancer is considered the third most frequent cancer among women in the UAE and the second largest cancer killer among women in this region.



The link between HPV and cervical cancer was first discovered in the mid-1970s, and since then researchers have also discovered that HPV can cause other cancers in both men and women. In most cases, HPV clears on its own; however when the body does not clear up, certain HPV types can lead to cancers and other diseases in both males and females.



Dr Muna Tahlak, consultant Obstetrics & Gynaecology & CEO of Latifa Hospital, Dubai, UAE, said: We recommend women to have the HPV vaccine which is the primary prevention of cervical cancer. Early detection through screening can prevent the HPV virus developing into cancer, with Pap smear screening being most successful test to detect cervical cancer at an early stage.



Yet, we are seeing that most cases of cervical cancer in the UAE are presenting for medical care in the latter stages of the disease, when chances of survival are slim and so the need for increasing education around preventative care has never been greater.



Dr Saad Aswad, consultant gynaecology oncology and chair of the Obstetrician/Gynaecologist Department, Tawam Hospital said: Without proper screening and the already available vaccinations which target HPV being offered to both women and girls, it has been predicted that 52 women will die each day from cervical cancer in the Mena region by 2035.



To combat this, across the region, comprehensive screening and treatment programmes are being implemented to stop women and girls dying needlessly from a preventable cancer. In particular, Abu Dubai is leading the fight against cervical cancer, as since 2008, girls in schools have been administered the HCP vaccines free of charge.



Mazen Altaruti, AVP and Managing Director for MSD in the GCC, said: For more than 125 years, MSD has been committed to vaccine research and development. We believe we have a role and responsibility in improving access to vaccines and quality healthcare in the gulf. We are committed to raising awareness about diseases that vaccines can help to prevent and to help adults understand how to protect their health.



MSD has played an important part in the reduction of vaccine-preventable diseases to date. It is our goal to continue to innovate and improve the environment for vaccines across the globe, with a focus on the UAE and GCC region, Altaruti added.



Introducing a vaccine against HPV in childhood immunisation programmes has helped drastically reduce the number of women with cervical cancer. Until 2017, globally 69 countries have added HPV vaccination to their national immunization programme for girls, and 20 countries also for boys. Countries that have added the HPV vaccine to their routine immunization schedules see protecting their population against cervical cancer and other diseases caused by HPV as a high priority.  TradeArabia News Service
More than 500 regional and international companies will showcase their latest advances in health services, pharmaceuticals, training and education, and medical device technologies, at the Global Health Exhibition, being held in Saudi Arabia this year.



Under the patronage of Saudi Arabias Ministry of Health, Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, the organisers of Arab Health, in collaboration with XS Conferences and Exhibitions, has announced the launch of the event, the kingdoms premier healthcare platform for the global market to meet and network with the Saudi healthcare sector pioneers and officials.



The exhibition is being held in line with "Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030", aimed to transform the kingdoms healthcare sector and develop strategic partnership programmes with local and multinationals institutions, firms and experts, said a statement from the organsiers.



The event will take place from September 10 to 12, at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, in Riyadh.



According to Peter Hall, president, Informa Middle East, said: Diminishing market access barriers for foreign investment, coupled with huge investment in healthcare infrastructure, has positioned Saudi Arabia as a top-tier market for medical device manufacturers, services providers, and dealers and distributers from across the globe.



Through the launch of the exhibition, companies now have an opportunity to promote their products and services to a whole new audience of buyers and make significant inroads into the Saudi market, he said.



Meshal Al Rubiaan, Ministry of Health spokesman, said: The objectives set out by the 'National Transformation Program 2020', part of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, has enabled the ministry to cultivate a favourable atmosphere to attract private healthcare providers and investors from abroad.



We will continue to work closely with our strategic partners to support important economic trade platforms such as the exhibition that promotes and facilitates the achievement of that vision, he said.



The exhibition will also attract world-class leaders and experts in the healthcare industry to support our objective to share knowledge and experience, he added.



Over the three-day event, the exhibition will also offer multi-disciplinary congress that aims to build world-class healthcare practices and standards for the kingdom. The conference programme will have specific focuses on healthcare transformation, healthcare investment and finance, technology and innovation, public health and eHealth, said a statement.



XS Conferences and Exhibitions CEO Adel Abdel Shakor said: The exhibition congress is a key component of the event as it aims to delve deeper into worldwide advancements and best practices in healthcare industry with an emphasis on the Vision 2030 to identify the immense opportunities represented for healthcare advancements in Saudi Arabia.



From emerging health disruptive and innovative trend, to the impactful change at the public health and policy level, the congress will explore ways to transform and adopt current healthcare landscape for better utilise existing system's capacity and capabilities in the hospitals and healthcare centres, and enhance the quality of preventive and therapeutic healthcare services, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Accenture, a leading global professional services company providing a range of strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations solutions, has appointed Khaled Al Dhaher as its country managing director for Saudi Arabia.



In his new role, Al Dhaher will be responsible for managing operations and driving Accentures digital consulting strategy in the kingdom, said a statement from the company.



He brings with him considerable experience in delivering state-of-the-art and innovative solutions in industries ranging from financial services, retail/wholesale and manufacturing to oil and gas and distribution.



Prior to this, Al Dhaher was the managing director for Hewlett Packard Enterprises business in Saudi Arabia, where he drove profitable growth and market-share expansion across HPE business groups.



Earlier, he held numerous leadership roles in the technology and banking solutions practices of Microsoft, Oracle and other multinational organisations, it said.



He holds a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US.



Lauding the appointment, Omar Boulos, regional managing director of Accenture in the Middle East and Turkey, said: "We are delighted to welcome Al Dhaher to lead us in Saudi Arabia, where we take an innovation-led approach to help our clients imagine and invent their future now."



"Al Dhaher's wealth of experience will help us continue to deliver our promise to clients: to make them future-ready, world-class institutions and embrace the governments transformation and innovation agenda as outlined in Saudi Vision 2030," he added.



Since 2011, Accenture has been leading digital transformation for a wide variety of clients in the region, from government entities to private enterprises and multinationals, it added.



On his new role, Al Dhaher said: With Accenture looking to drive digital consulting and transformation in the kingdom, this is an exciting time to be joining this reputable company.



My priority is to work closely with our clients in the public and private sectors as well as our partners in the kingdom to create robust solutions and achieve tangible economic growth, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Expo 2020 Dubais new World Majlis series is bringing together leaders from around the globe to debate on how to create a legacy of meaningful impact that reflects the World Expos theme of Connecting minds, Creating the Future.



The World Majlis session, held at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, gathered thought leaders from various government, professional, academic and cultural backgrounds for an in-depth discussion about the lessons and values of the UAEs Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and his vision for a sustainable future.



In line with Expo 2020s theme, and underpinned by its key subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, the World Majlis has been launched as a thematic dialogue programme to facilitate meaningful global conversations and forge connections between people and new ideas, which may not have otherwise occurred.



The initiative is deeply rooted in the Emirati and Arab tradition of the majlis  a highly valued meeting space where people gather to gain different perspectives and share informed opinions to help shape decisions on subjects that matter to their communities.



Mondays World Majlis, titled Sustainability Through New Eyes, was chaired by Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau. The session comprised 17 thought leaders, as well as 14students and two professors from local and international universities.



Al Hashimy said: Through the World Majlis, Expo 2020 Dubai wants to create a global dialogue by gathering people with diverse perspectives to engage in meaningful conversations that encourage them to look differently at challenges and create a real impact. Today, more than ever, we need to place humanity at the heart of our future. In doing so, we bring to life important subjects of global relevance.



From the outset, Expo 2020 has been about so much more than the six months of the Expo; our aim is to support the UAEs long-term strategic vision and the UAE Centennial 2071 plan. The World Majlis is aligned with this objective to inform a strong legacy by inspiring positive impact, throughout our journey to 2020 and beyond.



The World Majlis sessions are bringing together current and future thought leaders from a range of backgrounds including government, technology, science, art, culture, media and literature.



Within each session, participants address a number of topical issues. During this weeks World Majlis, those topics included how industry can mitigate its environmental impact while pursuing economic growth; how consumers can be transformed into responsible citizens by changing the way we think about consumption; and how the power of art and culture can help shift the focus of conversations about sustainability from loss to opportunity.



Representatives from Expo 2020s Official Premier Partners Accenture, Etisalat and PepsiCo also shared their insights from the leading edge of innovation.



Sass Brown, Founding Dean, Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), said: Topics like sustainability can be quite divisive but the World Majlis is a great platform to encourage conversation in a way that is not controversial. The tradition of the majlis allows that open conversation. I am excited that this is part of the build-up to Expo 2020 and that we get to participate, comment and be part of the process.



Reflecting Expo 2020s belief that youth must be at the heart of the next World Expo and its legacy, young people are among the participants of the World Majlis. This session included four students from Emirates Diplomatic Academy and 12 participants from academic institutions across the UAE who have benefitted from Expo Lives University Innovation Programme, which challenges them to team up and develop solutions to global problems.



Sebastian Caro, New York University, Abu Dhabi, said: The World Majlis has given us students an opportunity to empower ourselves and to step up and talk about important subjects, such as sustainability. The opportunity that we have to talk with important people with such diverse expertise and experiences gives us exposure that we need to take our ideas and make them become reality.



I hope that 30 years from now I will be able to say, I was there, I thought of this and I was able to do it.



A series of more than 50 World Majlis sessions will take place throughout the journey to 2020 and during the six months of Expo 2020, both in the UAE and abroad.  TradeArabia News Service
DXBlends Cafe, a top destination for coffee lovers, has announced the official opening of the second branch of DXBlends Cafe in Uptown Mirdif, Dubai, UAE.



The opening ceremony was attended by Abdullah bin Mohammed Ghobash, Sami Al Qamzi, director general of the Department of Economic Development (DED), accompanied by a number of officials, businessmen, media professionals and social media influencers.



DXBlends Cafe also offers a wide variety of main and side dishes, desserts, cold and hot beverages besides speciality coffee.



Anas Al Madani, founder and CEO of DXBlends said, Dubai has always been a prominent touristic destination that brings people together from different parts of the world, and through DXBlends Cafe we aspire to also attract specialty coffee lovers not only from the UAE but also from the region and the world. DXBlends will also offer coffee lovers a unique experience to select their favourite coffee beans and choose the way it is prepared. As you know, types of coffee vary with the different cultivation areas of coffee beans, degree of roasting, variation of coffee machines and a number of other factors.



Through its slogan Served with Heart, we aim to start with the concept of DXBlends from the heart of Dubai and expand to reach more marketplaces in the world, he added.



Adel Ibrahim, one of the first investors in DXBlends said: I am very delighted to be the first franchisee of this Emirati brand that I believe already surpasses a number of international brands in the market. I am certain that there is great potential in DXBlends, and we have already set a number of strategic plans to grow this brand not only locally but internationally.



DXBlends Cafe offers a great atmosphere for social gatherings and networking especially that it enjoys a great strategic location in Uptown Mirdif. The first branch of DXBlends Cafe is located in Dubai Healthcare City.  TradeArabia News Service
BMW Group, following its best-ever first-quarter sales results, has announced that there are more than a quarter of a million of its electrified vehicles on road after strong April sales growth.



The company revealed that a total of 194,889 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles were delivered to customers in April, a slight increase (+1.2 per cent) on last years figure, said a statement from BMW Group.



The company also sold a total of 799,520 vehicles to customers worldwide in the first four months of the year, up 2.5 per cent on the same period last year, it said.



Pieter Nota, member of board of management of BMW AG responsible for sales and Brand BMW, said: Combined sales of our electric vehicles which includes BMW i, BMW iPerformance and MINI Electric vehicles were up 52 per cent in April (9,831), bringing the total number of electrified cars sold to over 250,000.



We are well on track to deliver on our stated target to sell over 140,000 electrified vehicles this year, he added.



In the first four months of the year, BMW Group Electrified sales totalled 36,692 units, up 41.7 per cent on the same period last year. This considerable growth in electrified sales was spread across many markets, including US (7,716 / +73.3 per cent), the UK (5,059 / +25.6 per cent) and Mainland China (3,181 / +646.7 per cent), said a statement.



The result in China is due to the success of the recently launched, locally produced BMW 5 Series plug-in hybrid. In April, electrified vehicles accounted for 5 per cent of global BMW Group sales, although in certain markets, that percentage is much higher, it said.



For example, in the UK, 9.0 per cent of all BMW Group sales are electrified, in the US its 7.3 per cent. In the mature Scandinavian markets, over a quarter of all BMW Group sales are electrified and in Malaysia, electrified vehicles accounted for more than half of BMW Group sales in April, it added.



The main models driving electrified sales growth in April were the BMW 5 Series plug-in hybrid (2,670 / +711.6 per cent), the BMW X5 plug-in hybrid (1,578 / +45.8 per cent) (fuel consumption combined: 3,4-3,3 l/100 km; electricity consumption combined: 15,4 15,3 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 78-77 g/km) and the BMW i3 (2,665 / +18.3 per cent).



Worldwide sales of BMW brand vehicles increased slightly in April (167,275 / +1.6 per cent) and deliveries in the first four months of the year also set a new all-time high level (684,724 / +2.5 per cent). This is the Year of X at BMW, with the ramp-up of the new BMW X3, the introduction of the all-new BMW X2 and  later in the year  the new BMW X4 and BMW X5.



In April, sales of BMW X models accounted for 36.8 per cent of total BMW brand sales and were up 11.1 per cent (61,536) compared with the same month last year. Even stronger X range sales growth is expected in the second half of the year, as availability of the new models increases, it said.



In the first four months of the year, global MINI brand sales increased by 2.8 per cent (113,704). Despite significant headwinds in the UK, the brands largest market, MINI sales in April (27,329 / -0.9 per cent) achieved the same high level as the previous year.



The long winter in many markets has affected growth at BMW Motorrad, where sales for the first four months of the year are down 1.1 per cent (52,957). BMW Motorrad is introducing nine new models this year, and the related adjustments in production are also affecting deliveries. Nonetheless, BMW Motorrad continues to strive for sales growth in 2018, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Delta, a global leader in power and thermal management solutions, has signed a partnership agreement that designates Redington Gulf as its authorised distributor of its Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) systems in East Africa.



The agreement is expected to create synergies resulting from the integration of Deltas state-of-the-art UPS systems and Redington Gulfs local market expertise, partner ecosystem and services platform to ultimately enhance the power reliability, protection and efficiency of various mission critical applications in the region.



Motaz Al Maani, senior manager & general manager, Middle East & Africa, Delta Electronics EMEA Region, said that the growth of a business should never be at risk of limitation or delay due to avoidable technical restrictions of existing power hardware. He also added that with its Datacentre and UPS solutions, Delta delivers a competitive edge to companies that are reliant on first rate power solutions.



Deltas flexible and scalable UPS solutions are built to be easy to expand as required and to accommodate the demand for power protection said Al Maani. We are committed to improving the solutions we offer through advanced technology and innovation, to ensure that we meet the needs of our consumers while delivering utmost value and efficiency.



Redington Gulf president, IT Volume Africa Aloysius Fernandes, said that the partnership would reinforce its vision of being the leading Value-Added Distributor and Service Provider for all global brands in IT and Telecommunications for Middle, East, Africa, Turkey and CIS countries.



We are excited to be affiliated and named as the distributor of choice for the world recognised brand, Delta Electronics. Indeed, this is a great addition to our growing portfolio, he stated.



The announcement is timely and comes as a relief to many companies, as the lack of a stable electricity supply is often cited as a major constraint of doing business in East Africa. It is estimated that power outages often lead to losses of 1 per cent -2 per cent of the annual GDP. 78.9 per cent of businesses in the region report having experienced electrical outages. In a typical month, the number of outages is about nine, with the average duration of an outage lasting for six hours  which has a considerable impact for any business competing in todays always connected, digital economy.



Deltas entry into East Africa - as supported by Redington Gulf - will see businesses gain access to a stable and consistent power supply even during supply failures, which will greatly reduce costs to a business and drive competitiveness while ensuring operations continue to run smoothly.  TradeArabia News Service
Montblanc has celebrated the opening of two new boutiques in Chennai, this week, signalling strong confidence in the South Indian city's retail potential.



Unveiling the new Neo retail concept currently being rolled out worldwide, the new Montblanc boutiques in Palladium Mall and Express Avenue offer an immersive retail environment reflecting Montblanc's constant quest for purposeful and aesthetic innovations.



Visiting India for the opening, Montblanc chief executive officer, Nicolas Baretzki, inaugurated the Palladium Mall boutique at an official ribbon cutting ceremony on May 7. Among the guests were president of Montblanc Middle East, India and Africa, Franck Juhel, a select group of VIP customers and friends of the Maison who later enjoyed an exclusive reception and launch of the Meisterstuck Le Petit Prince Collection.



Baretzki said: "We are delighted to celebrate the opening of our ninth and 10th boutiques in India, and to continue increasing our presence in the country to serve our loyal customers. Our market position as the international luxury Maison with the biggest retail footprint in India is demonstration of the pioneering spirit that has remained at the core of Montblanc since it was established in 1906. The retail concept that we are currently rolling out across all our markets globally has been exceptionally well received here and opens up the world of Montblanc in a classically contemporary way."



The new boutiques, designed by French designer and interiors architect Noe Duchaufour-Lawrance, offer dedicated areas for the four core categories in Montblanc's portfolio: writing instruments, watches, jewellery, and leather goods.



The selection of refined materials inside the boutiques not only express the Maison's European codes of elegance and spirit of craftsmanship, but also serve to identify each category by the distinct materials with which they are usually associated. Watchmaking is brought to life through the use of bronze-sheen brass, leather and wood; black leather and walnut wood reflect the Maison's leather goods expertise; while lacquers and fine metals evoke writing instruments and jewellery.



Home to a wide selection of the Maison's core writing instruments, the boutiques offer a variety of collectables for discerning customers. Currently on display is the new Meisterstuck Le Petit Prince special edition writing instrument collection paying tribute to Antoine de Saint Exupery's classic fable about friendship and imagination, along with the Great Characters Beatles Edition celebrating the cultural legacy of one of the most acclaimed music bands of all time.



A selection of 1858 vintage-Minerva-inspired timepieces, sporty TimeWalkers, and classic Heritage Chronometries offer horology enthusiasts a wide variety of distinctive aesthetics, innovative complications, materials and different case sizes to suit any attire.



The contemporary boutiques also invite new and existing customers to discover the wide selection of stylish and functional leather goods, including the new Extreme and Meisterstuck Soft Grain collections which come with brand new functionality, colours and redesigned interior organisational layouts to accommodate the latest technology.



Montblanc's boutiques in Chennai are located on the Ground floor, Central Atrium, Chennai Express Avenue Mall and upper ground, Palladium Mall, Velachery, Chennai. - TradeArabia News Service


Global hospitality group Hyatt is set to debut its Grand Hyatt brand in Abu Dhabi next month.



Destined to be iconic, the 47-storey Grand Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel & Residences Emirates Pearl will be located on the renowned Abu Dhabi Corniche. It will be conveniently close to upscale shopping malls and tourist attractions and only 30 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport.



The contemporary twisting glass tower will offer 332 rooms, 36 lavish suites and 60 full-service one and two-bedroom residences with spectacular panoramic views of Abu Dhabi's skyline and the sparkling Arabian Gulf.



The residences are open for tenancy and have started to be occupied since April 2018.



Surrounded by large outdoor terraces, the luxury hotel welcomes an immersive leisure experience extended over an entire floor. The space will include a 50-m long Infinity Pool, a Kids Pool, a Plunge Pool and a Podium Rooftop Adult Pool. A one-of-a-kind Fitness Centre encompasses a modern gym with an outdoor terrace. It will also feature extensive meeting facilities and a sophisticated spa.



The hotel will also be the home of six restaurants and lounges. First to launch, Verso will welcome families, immersing them into the Italian way of life, by experiencing authentic and distinctive flavours, in a colourful, lively ambient setting. For a sumptuous afternoon tea or a light treat, the Pearl Lounge offers an elegant and relaxing venue, reflecting the regions pearl centred heritage throughout the design, from the breath-taking chandeliers to the intricate side tables.



To mark the soft opening, the hotel is offering guests an exclusive discount of 20 per cent on Hyatt Daily Rate from June 14 until September 14. - TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has announced its participation at IMEX 2018, the worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events, being held from May 15 to 17 in Frankfurt, Germany.



ADNEC is participating as part of a delegation representing the tourism sector in Abu Dhabi. The event will attract thousands of exhibitors, officials and pioneers in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and exhibitions (MICE) sector, where ADNECs presence is aimed at enhancing its global position in the Mice sector, especially since it is increasingly being considered as a preferred destination for major global events and conferences.



Khalifa Al Qubaisi, acting chief commercial officer, said: ADNECs mission of participating across international exhibitions has resulted in a four-star recognition by the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) in 2017. It became the first company in the Mena region to attain this recognition, which emphasises its uncompromising quest for excellence and passion for innovation and adopting international best practices. Business tourism in Abu Dhabi experienced an upward surge in 2017, following the capitals focus on bolstering its image and promoting it as the ideal destination for events. In fact, ADNEC hosted 442 local, regional and international events in 2017 and welcomed more than two million visitors.



The Year 2017 was a milestone in ADNEC's history, where the companys contribution to the Abu Dhabis economy touched Dh3.89 billion ($1.05 billion). Our prudent business strategies helped us achieve a hotel occupancy of 695,732 hotel nights, an increase of 150,000 nights hotel compared to 2016, demonstrating the synergy between ADNECs strategies and the Abu Dhabi plan and Economic Vision 2030. Our participation in IMEX Frankfurt 2018 is part of our efforts to diversify ADNECs portfolio and help it consolidate Abu Dhabis position as a hub for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, Al Qubaisi added.



ADNEC joins the Abu Dhabi delegation headed by the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, part of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, to Europes biggest trade exhibitions in the Mice sector, which welcomes more than 3,500 business tourism related entities from all over the world representing national and regional organizations, event organisers, operators of major hospitability facilities and event management professionals. The delegation comprises 16 participants from ADNEC and a selected group of hospitality facilities and hotels, tourism destination management organisations and tour operators along with Etihad Airways.



At IMEX, ADNEC will promote its specially designed, spacious and flexible halls and world-class infrastructure that ensures a smooth and seamless experience for event organisers and visitors. ADNEC is at the forefront of providing Abu Dhabi with a competitive edge and promoting its growing importance as a developed, modern economy owing to the plethora of investment opportunities that it offers across several economic sectors.- TradeArabia News Service


Flyadeal, Saudi Arabias low-cost airline, has launched a new service to Tabuk with scheduled daily flights from Jeddah and Riyadh.



Tabuk is the seventh destination in flyadeals growing domestic network, and is part of the airlines plan to fly to all major cities in the kingdom.



The new flights are expected to serve the growing demand for affordable air travel in the kingdom. The launch of the new destination is also timed to coincide with the start of the summer holiday season, which sees a natural increase in travel. Flyadeals new daily service from Jeddah and Riyadh will bring low fares travel to a region renowned for its excellent agricultural terrain, historical richness, and coastal charm.



The first flight to Tabuk took off on May 3 from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. Upon landing at Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, the aircraft -named Al-Anqa - was greeted with the customary water cannon salute.



A celebratory event was held at the arrival hall in the presence of the chairman of flyadeal and director general of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, Eng Saleh bin Nasser Al- Jasser; the director of Tabuk Airport; Adel Abdulqader Aalouh; CEO of flyadeal, Con Korfiatis; airport officials; staff; and members of the press. The guests were treated to a performance by local children showcasing the regions heritage. Subsequently, a ceremonial cake was cut and commemorative gifts were exchanged.



Al-Jasser stressed the importance of Tabuk city as one of the key destinations in the kingdom, noting its touristic, economic and historical status. He further noted that Tabuk is currently witnessing a transformation of mammoth proportions especially since its the de facto gateway to NEOM. With many ambitious projects underway, Tabuk is poised to become an economic hotspot and a global investment destination.



Aalouh congratulated flyadeal for becoming the fourth national operator to operate flights to Tabuk airport. He added that the services provided by flyadeal and other airlines will contribute to a healthy competitive landscape and support travel, tourism and the economic development of the region.



Korfiatis said: The addition of Tabuk to our continually expanding network is an important step in the companys progress towards bringing unprecedented low fares to all major regions of the kingdom. Today, in just over seven months of operations, our network covers all regions in Saudi Arabia.



In addition, Korfiatis announced that special fares for the new destination start as low as SR108 ($28.7) for Jeddah-Tabuk and SR198 ($52.7) for Riyadh-Tabuk. He added: By booking on our website or through our iOS or Android mobile app, customers can conveniently plan their travel to Tabuk. The recent addition of Sadad payment method also offers more flexible payment options for customers across the network  especially our new customers flying to and from Tabuk.



Flyadeal currently operates seven brand-new A320 aircraft and flies daily to Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Qassim, Jazan, and Abha. - TradeArabia News Service
Passengers at Dubai International Airport's (DXB) Concourse D were treated to a special performance by the students of Mawaheb from Beautiful People in celebration of Dubai Airport's partnership with the non-profit art studio.



The first anniversary performance included a special rendition of the Mawaheb song One hope, One wish composed and performed by student Asma Baker.



Located in the culturally rich Al Fahidi Historical neighbourhood, Mawaheb from Beautiful People is a Dubai-based art studio for adults with special needs.



Meaning 'talent' in Arabic, Mawaheb provides an opportunity to develop life skills through art, while demonstrating that everyone can be creative in their own unique way. - TradeArabia News Service
In all the turmoil of the Middle East, the most significant development of the year thus far may be the democratic election Iraq held on Saturday. It was competitive, fair and largely free of violence  a remarkable achievement for a country that until a few months ago was fighting a war against the Islamic State.

Washington Post reports in its article A positive sign from the Middle East: Iraqs democratic election that Iraqis were able to cast a vote against their government and the reigning elite  and it looks as if many did just that. The surprise front-runner in early returns was an alliance led by nationalist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a longtime enemy of the United States  but also an adversary of Irans local clients.

Mr. Sadr, a Shiite cleric, is remembered in Washington for leading a bloody insurgency against U.S. troops more than a decade ago. Hes still calling for the removal of all American forces from Iraq, at a time when even some Shiite leaders close to Iran are saying they want them to remain to continue training Iraqi forces. Yet Mr. Sadr has shifted politically: Several years ago he formed an alliance with secular groups, including the Iraqi Communist Party, and has campaigned on a nonsectarian, corruption-fighting agenda aimed at Irans local proxies. When his supporters took to Baghdads Tahrir Square to celebrate his apparent victory in the capital and several other provinces, they chanted, Iran is out, Baghdad remains free, according to a report by Al Arabiya.

Much of the Iraqi vote has yet to be tabulated, and its too early to say what role Mr. Sadr might play in forming a new government. So far, the alliance of Hadi al-Ameri, a militia leader close to Tehran, is running second, while incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, the U.S. favorite, is in third. The good news is that Irans most slavish and sectarian proxy, former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, is running a distant fourth, just barely in front of the largest Kurdish party.

Weeks  or more likely, months  of negotiations will ensue, and for now theres no telling who might head the next government or what its position will be on cooperation with the United States. Iran will be working hard to promote its interests, and the Trump administration ought to do the same. If it can summon the focus and diplomatic resources, theres an opportunity to reinforce the incipient shift toward nonsectarian politics built around support for Iraqi sovereignty  including from Iran. That could take the country away, at last, from the internal warfare that has wracked it since the U.S. invasion  and which, with similar partisans, continues to devastate neighboring Syria.

Mr. Sadr has called for a secular government of technocrats who will respect the rule of law and civil society. That may not be entirely achievable, but its a goal many Iraqis clearly found attractive. That they were able to express themselves democratically is even more encouraging.
The visit of the Milli Majlis delegation to Georgia ended on Wednesday. The deputies representing the Friendship Group with Georgia met with their Georgian counterparts, including members of the Friendship Group with Azerbaijan, as well as with the Chairman of the Parliament, Irakli Kobakhidze. In addition, the members of the Azerbaijani parliament also met with Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia David Dondua and discussed with him the issues of cooperation between the two countries that go beyond the inter-parliamentary cooperation. According to the press service of the Parliament and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the issues of trade, cooperation in the field of economy and implementation of the energy projects were discussed during the meetings.

The head of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, Sophio Katsarava, called the priority "the preservation of stability and the strengthening of regional security," hinting at the desire of both countries to resolve peacefully the existing conflicts in the separatist regions. Katsarava made a landmark statement about a desire to develop the inter-parliamentary cooperation between Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. It is a question of creating a trilateral format for the interaction of the three neighboring countries, not only through the executive branch, including the highest level but also with the participation of the legislative bodies of the states. Perhaps in the near future, a meeting of speakers will take place, and then an expanded conference with the participation of the deputies. The head of the Friendship Group with Azerbaijan, Vice Speaker of the Parliament Zviad Dzidziguri said: "There is a firm determination to involve legislators to the development of relations for the successful solution of the common issues.

It is noteworthy that the deputies of the Georgian parliament representing the Azerbaijani community of the country, Savalan Mirzoyev, Ruslan Gakhiev and Mahir Darziyev actively participated in all meetings.

From Tbilisi, the Azerbaijani guests went to Batumi. A lot of Azerbaijanis live in Adjara and thousands of tourists from Azerbaijan visit the region annually. The Azerbaijani consulate under the leadership of Farviz Ismayilzade is working in Batumi. The head of the autonomy, Zurab Pataradze, during the conversation with the deputies of the Milli Majlis, reminded that in Ajaria, there is a tradition to mark the anniversary of the proclamation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and this year Georgia and Azerbaijan celebrate the centuries of the first republics founded in 1918. Our countries gained independence almost simultaneously and together fought for its preservation, Zurab Pataradze said.
President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear deal earlier this month, moving to re-impose sanctions on Iran. Trump's exit marks the start of the US subjecting Iran to extreme pressure. The US may use Syria to wear out Iran militarily.

Global Times reports in its article Iran needs to find ways to weather sanctions storm that Tehran has become the most important external supporter of Bashar al-Assad's government since civil war broke out in the country. However, as Saudi Arabia, Israel and the US ratcheted up military tensions, the civil war has become a battle of attrition. The longer the unrest lasts, the more resources Iran will put into it.



In the Middle East, the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia will collaborate to oppose Iran. The Trump administration's strong stance toward Iran has intensified because of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's wariness over the Iran nuclear issue and Israel's threat of taking unilateral action against Tehran. The three countries have reached a consensus on together opposing Iran.



Upping the pressure on Iran, Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on any foreign company continuing to do business with Iran. Boeing's deal with Iran signed during the Obama administration might be scrapped. Besides, the US is likely to further impose curbs on foreign companies extracting oil in Iran. French energy giant Total will bear the brunt. President Trump intends to further isolate Iran economically.



The US also uses the North Korean nuclear issue to press Iran. The date of Trump's announcement to withdraw from the Iran deal was moved from May 12 to May 8, which might show US' intention of dominating negotiations on North Korea. The future of the North Korean nuclear crisis will exert pressure on Iran, forcing Iran to make concessions.



Iran will be bruised if the nuclear deal is abandoned. Its currency has plummeted. Almost each time President Trump examined the Iran nuclear deal, the Iranian rial plunged. Shortly after Trump's announcement, the Iranian currency dived to a record low of about 65,000 rials to 1 US dollar.



Moreover, a general feeling of insecurity has intensified in Iran. The country's domestic security controls were strict, but street demonstrations broke out since the end of 2017. Iranians aired their grievances against falling living standards and foreign affairs, and appealed to the government to focus on people's living conditions instead of supporting Syria and Lebanon's Hezbollah. President Trump also expressed his support for the demonstrations. He intends to encourage Iranians to oppose the government by slapping sanctions and making it harder for people to eke out a decent living.



Iran may regain its strong diplomatic stance. Iran's Hassan Rouhani won the presidential election and re-election because of the emergence of a relatively stable economy and improved relations with the West, especially with the US. However, President Trump frustrated the mild-mannered politician's diplomatic policies. While the US keeps pressing Iran, there will be more hawks in the government likely to affect Iran's diplomacy. Conservatives like Ebrahim Raisi and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may have more influence in politics.



While Iran's geopolitics and economy keep worsening, it has to cope passively. First, Iran is likely to control its domestic security more strictly. For example, it has banned the popular messaging app Telegram. Second, Iran will persist in stabilizing its currency and crack down on speculation and arbitrage. Besides, Iran will develop its nuclear diplomacy and strive for the support of the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia.



The coming few weeks may be important to observe Iran's diplomacy. President Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif both said that whether Iran will restart enriching uranium depends on the other five parties' talks. Since the five countries promised to keep the deal, Iran will ask for specific measures, for example, comprehensively removing economic sanctions and increasing investment in the country. The other five parties shouldn't submit to US pressure. Iran's negotiations with the five countries will in turn trigger another round of games with the US. We will have to wait and see.
The tough position taken by Donald Trumps administration on its European partners who are doing their best to maintain the Iranian deal has taken short the EU political elites. They appeared to be unable to develop a further strategy of relations with the U.S. and Iran. At the moment, the EU is under huge pressure both from America and Iran that has issued ultimatum to Brussels to provide guarantees of the economic part of the deal in 60 days.

Assertive Americans treat the European partners quite inconsiderate and prefer to use ultimatums and demands in the communication. For example, scarcely after an appointment, the new U.S. ambassador to Berlin Richard Grenell aggressively demanded from German companies to break business contacts in Iran as soon as possible. Even despite heavy critics of the local media and politicians, ambassador Grenell didnt reject his position.

The Europeans who think that the Iranian deal is a great success of their diplomacy and actively build economic contacts with Tehran are now facing a dilemma: whether to save face and interests in Iran, resisting the Americans, or to wait for a couple of years, hoping for Tramps era to come to an end. The first scenario is closely connected with a high risk for European companies. The second one is hardly to be considered a thoughtful strategy as reelection of Donald Trump doesnt seem to be impossible.

American President Donald Trump is destroying the world order that had been formed in the course of decades after the World War II, a German political scientist Stefan Birling told DLF. This is a tragedy as the world order which is called Pax Americana has been established and defended by Washington during the last 40-50 years. At the moment, we are watching a collapse of the liberal order, the political scientist believes. World orders such as Pax Britannica which existed in the 19th century usually broke when the power that established them failed to protect them economically and militarily, Birling explains. During recent 15 years, there was a dramatic shift in the world power balance, primarily, it was a rise of China and other countries. These factors are killing fundaments of the American world order. Today President Trump believes that his country has found itself in a situation when expenses for providing the American order are so huge that he wants to refuse of them.

According to the expert, the EU is poorly prepared for such a situation in general but it is a special problem for Germany: Germany is more dependent from the international stability than any other country of the same size in the world due to our geographical situation in Europe, our dependence from exports  46 per cent of GDP are generated by exports. And we are not ready for the post-American world. We have no efficient army. In fact, we have no real strategy of what we do want. We have no concepts and government that could help us in solving the problem.

Its notable that the deputy head of the Christian Social Union, an EU parliament member, Manfred Weber, one of devoted Transatlantists in the German political elite, said: Im not happy that the United States, our traditional partner, has made such a decision that pushes us toward China and Russia. However, if we, the Europeans, are certain about something, we should work with the partners that we have. Of course, the U.S. decision to abandon the Iranian deal will get overwhelming in the future as, for example, there is certain progress in the North Korean issue. There will be negotiations that are very welcomed by everyone. And in the end, the negotiations should result in an agreement which will confirm positions that have been agreed during the negotiations, i.e. the diplomacy work. And then North Korea would ask: Whats the value of American Presidents sign? Will the relationship be stable? the German politician says.

In the context of the U.S. unprecedented pressure and clear ignoring of European interests, even the most devoted Transatlantists in Europe are thinking about ne tactical alliances, including the one with Russia and China. If Washington crushes the Iranian issue, the strategic damage for the American interests can be quite tangible. And the whole concept of the transatlantic partnership which is in a crisis since Donald Trumps election can completely lose its attractiveness for the European political elites. Considering the fact that anti-American attitudes are widely spread in Germany, Donald Trumps administration will not far to seek. Notwithstanding with the fact whether the Europeans are able to deal with the American allies on Iran or not, it will be difficult to overcome the credibility gap.
Azerbaijan and Belarus have outlined the areas for the implementation of new big projects aimed at increasing the fighting capacity of the Azerbaijani army, the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said.

Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov and the delegation headed by Chairman of the State Military Industrial Committee of Belarus, Major-General Oleg Dvigalev discussed the military and technical cooperation issues during the meeting.

The sides expressed gratification with the result of joint activity in the military, military and technical spheres between the two countries and stressed the importance of the development of cooperation in these spheres.

The sides have also appreciated that the Azerbaijani army uses various military equipment, designed for all types of troops and produced by the enterprises of the military and industrial complex of Belarus.
Turkish Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington on June 4, a Turkish foreign ministry official said.

The meeting comes amid high tension between the two NATO allies, most recently due to U.S. moving its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.

The source added that matters pertaining to bilateral ties, regional issues - including Syria and recent developments in the Middle East - combating terrorism, and terror groups like PKK and FETO will be discussed during the meeting, Anadolu Agency reported.

On April 27, Cavusoglu and Pompeo held a bilateral meeting during the NATO foreign ministers summit in Brussels.
Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the United States of stoking violence in the Middle East with its embassy move.

Erdogan said "history will judge" the Trump administrations contentious decision to relocate the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The comments came as he stood alongside British Prime Minister Theresa May at Downing Street.

During their joint appearance the Turkish president said he would never accept the embassy move, claiming the US had contributed to the conflict.

"The US claims to be powerful. You are powerful, but you are not right. History will not forgive you. This is the fact that we will observe in the future," the Independent cited the Turkish president as saying.

"Israel will not be forgiven. Thats what we are going to witness in the future too. It all boils down to the fact of making a choice  are we going to side with the strong or side with those who are right?" he added.

Erdogan stressed that the Israeli ambassador to Ankara had been expelled on May 15 and its own ambassador to Tel Aviv has been recalled for instructions from the government.
The European Union is prepared to institute a so-called blocking statute to protect European companies if the Trump administration re-imposes sanctions following the U.S.s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said.

The European Commission discussed possible ways to preserve the 2015 nuclear accord and EU leaders will continue the discussion at a dinner in Bulgaria, Avramopoulos said. The 28-nation bloc is scrambling to contain the fallout from President Donald Trumps decision to pull out of the landmark agreement.

The EU commissioner said that the commission discussed concrete, practical solutions to make sure the European Union can continue to live up to its commitments under the deal and protect our economic operations. "We did discuss the possibility of applying our blocking statute. We are ready to do so if needed," Bloomberg cited Avramopoulos as saying.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of Germany, Britain and France met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif yesterday in Brussels. After the meeting, Mogherini said that technical experts were commissioned to identify ways to maintain oil shipments, avert transport disruptions, keep open banking channels and protect European companies doing business with Iran.
European Council President Donald Tusk called on Wednesday for a united European front against the United States withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, Xinhua reported.

"Following last week's announcement of the United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, we need a united European front," said Tusk who arrived in Sofia to participate in the EU-Western Balkans Summit.

"I want leaders to reconfirm that the EU sticks to the deal as long as Iran does," Tusk said.

"The deal is good for European and global security, which is why we must maintain it. Despite the U.S. hesitation," he said.

Options for the EU to protect European companies from negative consequences of the U.S. decision were also needed, Tusk said. "I want the European Commission to be given a green light, so that it is ready to act whenever European interests are affected," he said.
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili said that he is ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Speaking at the meeting with Tbilisi students, Margvelashvili noted that he is "ready for rational dialogue with the Russian president with regard to Georgias state interests," TV company Rustavi-2 reported.

"I have always said and now I repeat that I am ready for rational dialogue with the Russian president, and I think that it is possible to discuss solutions to vital problems accumulated in the relations between the two countries through this dialogue," the president said.
European Union and Iran have agreed to find a practical solution to keep the Iran nuclear deal alive in a short delay of time after the withdrawal of the US, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said after the talks with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, as well as Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif in Brussels.

All the sides recalled their commitment to the continued, full and effective implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. "We are working on finding a practical solution in a short delay of time," Mogherini told a news conference. "We are talking about solutions to keep the deal alive," she said, adding that measures would seek to allow Iran to keep exporting oil and for European banks to continue to operate.

"We have a quite clear list of issues to address. We are operating in a very difficult context ... I cannot talk about legal or economic guarantees but I can talk about serious, determined, immediate work from the European side," Reuters cited her as saying.

Mogherini added that they regretted the withdrawal of the US from the JCPOA. and we recognised that the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions and the normalisation of trade and economic relations with Iran constitute essential parts of the agreement.

In addition, High Representative/Vice-President said that the agreement is complex enough and does not need to be changed, modified or have any addition. "We simply committed to fully comply with all the commitments taken there, which means for the Iranian side the nuclear-related commitments, and from our side and from the side of the rest of the international community, in particular the commitments related to the economic benefits the Iranian people need to see as an outcome of their own implementation of the Iran deal," she said.

Zarif, in turn, noted that progress had been made towards a political agreement on measures that should be taken to keep the nuclear deal in place following Washington's withdrawal.

"We are on the right track ... a lot will depend on what we can do in next few weeks," he said.
More than 65,000 people have returned to Eastern Ghouta, the head of the Russian Center for Syrian reconciliation, Maj. Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko, said.

According to him, a total of 65 328 civilians have already returned to Eastern Ghouta.

"Thanks to the all-round support of the Russian side and the government of Syria, 65,328 residents of Eastern Ghouta returned to their homes from refugee camps and temporarily displaced persons," Interfax cited Yevtushenko as saying.
North Korea abruptly canceled talks with South Korea scheduled for today and threatened to walk away from talks with the U,S., according to media reports.

North Korea's Central News Agency said the ongoing joint military drills between the U.S. and South Korea are a "provocation" and a preparation for an invasion, according to a Reuters report citing South Korean news outlet Yonhap.

South Korea's Unification Ministry said it received a fax today from the head of the North Korean delegation for the high-level talks, which said his country is "indefinitely canceling the planned high-level inter-Korean talks" due to the military exercises.

"Accordingly, the scheduled inter-Korean high-level talks will not happen today and [the South Korean] government's response will be announced after discussion among the related ministries," the Unification Ministry said.

The move comes as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in an unprecedented summit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Erdogan discussed the aggravated situation in the Middle East, News.am reported citing Kremlin.

Special attention is paid to the mass protests which are held in the Palestinian territories against the opening of U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. The sides expressed serious concern over the death of a large number of participants of these protest actions.

The Russian side emphasized the importance of refraining from violence, need to establish an effective negotiating process in order to find mutually acceptable solutions based on relevant UN decisions.

The sides exchanged views on the problems of the Syrian settlement, taking into account the results of the 9th round of the high level Astana meetings on Syria.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the new government structure, the Kremlin press service said.

Russian Prime Minister will have ten deputy prime ministers, or by one more than in the previous cabinet, according to the decree.

Thus, the ten Deputy Prime Ministers will include First Deputy Prime Minister/ Finance Minister, Deputy Prime Minister/ Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian President in the Far-Eastern Federal District, and Deputy Prime Minister/ Chief of the Central Office of the Cabinet.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev presented yesterday his vision of the structure of the countrys new government. He handed over a draft decree on the new government to President Vladimir Putin.

Medvedev said he believes there should be no major changes in the structure of the next government.

"Considering the fact the existing government structure has proved its functional capability, there shouldn't be any fundamental changes in it," he said at a meeting with President Putin.

The PM voiced several ideas aimed at optimizing the incumbent system of executive agencies of power. The prime minister suggested transforming the Telecom Ministry into the Digital Development Ministry.

"An important change suggested for review is the transformation of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies into the Ministry of Digital Development, to implement the digital agenda the whole world is dealing with and which is absolutely actual in our country," he noted.

Medvedev also proposed splitting the Ministry of Education and Science into the Ministry of General Education and Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

One of his ideas suggests the splitting of the Ministry of Education and Science into two separate agencies of state power. One of them, the Ministry of General Education, will supervise the system of general secondary schools and vocational schools and colleges. The other, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, will coordinate the activity of research organizations and universities..

According to him, Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade is planned to assume management of operations of the Russian trade representations overseas currently under the Ministry of Economic Development.

"An idea is important that is related to transfer of operations of trade representations, which are now in the system of the Ministry of Economic Development, to the structure of the Ministry of Industry," Medvedev said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russian military vessels with Kalibr cruise missiles would be on permanent standby in the Mediterranean to counter what he said was the terrorist threat in Syria, Reuters reported.

Putin on Wednesday said only warships armed with Kalibr missiles would be on permanent standby, and not submarines.

Announcing the deployment while addressing the Russian high military command at a meeting in the Black Sea city of Sochi, Putin said it was due to the remaining terrorist threat in Syria.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with major foreign investors on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on May 24, acting presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

"This will be late in the evening on the verge of the main session," TASS cited Peskov as saying.

He added that this meeting will be held after talks between Putin and Frances President of France Emmanuel Macron.

The head of state traditionally holds meetings with foreign investors on the sidelines of the SPIEF. Forty investors managing assets worth $11.4 trillion attended the last meeting with the Russian president.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani believes that US President Donald Trump turned 'Iranophobia' into 'Trumpophobia.'

"Today, Iranophobia, which they have been spreading to convince the world through false propaganda that Iran is threat, has given its place to Trumpophobia," Rouhani said, speaking at a government meeting.

"This is because all know that Iran is a country, which treads down the path of peace and acts in line with international regulations," he explained, noting that "today, the US should come under pressure as a country going against its promises and acting in contravention of regulations."

He said that it is the United States, rather than Iran, that needs to be accused of wrongdoing.

Rouhani stressed that the entire world, including the United Nations nuclear watchdog, has verified Irans commitment to its obligations under the deal, while all are insisting that Washington has acted unwisely and in violation of international rules.

Iran's president stressed that some assume that pressure, sanctions and military threats can force the Iranian nation to surrender. "But the nations steadfastness and resistance have proven this attitude and course of action to be wrong," PressTV cited the president as saying.
The first womens car exhibition in the Saudi capital of Riyadh marks the latest stage in preparations for the day when women can take to the wheels for the first time in the kingdom.

The three-day exhibition allowed women to see the high-end cars on display, interact with dealers and insurance company representatives, and learn about special offers.

Organisers reported women enthusiastically discussed with their relatives and companions what cars would suit them best as they spent time on simulators to get a feel for the experience they expect to have starting June 24, when they will be allowed to drive, Gulf News reported.

At least 80,000 visitors are expected at the exhibition, which opened on May 14. Support given by state entities showed official commitment to ensuring success of the much-anticipated move. In September, Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz issued an order to allow women to obtain driving licences and to drive in the kingdom.
A group of protesters have stormed the city administration building in Yerevan, demanding Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan step down.

The protesters are attempting to enter the mayors room, a number of city hall staff members and police officers have blocked the way .

The protesters accuse the mayor of inefficient activity and lack of accountability. Participants of the action are also angry because the trees in a small park near the City Hall have been cut down, RIA Novosti reported.

Margaryan is a member of the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia, which passed into opposition after the election of the leader of the Yelk faction Nikol Pashinyan as Prime Minister on May 8.

Ex-mayor of Yerevan Vahagn Khachatryan, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that street protests will remain a powerful political force in Armenia. "Protest actions have great opportunities now, I think conflicts in the parliament will be solved with their help. It is still not clear how the National Assembly will work if Nikol Pashinyan's team and their allies are in the majority, although they have fewer seats, while the Republican party, which has more seats, declared itself a minority, but it still leads the parliament," he expects.

As for the "revolution" against Margaryan, according to Vahagn Khachatryan, the Yerevan people simply do not want to see the RPA representative at the head of the Armenian capital. "People took to the streets, as they were dissatisfied with the system embodied not only in Serzh Sargsyan, but also in other people. Many people are dissatisfied with the situation in Yerevan in the last ten years, which caused the desire of many Yerevan residents to demand the mayor's resignation, but protests is the only tool they have. Now people, considering the experience of Sargsyan's resignation, decided to solve the Yerevan mayor issue in the same way. The majority of Yerevan citizens do not want to see a person who has close ties to the RPA in power," the former mayor of Yerevan said.

Margaryan's resignation is quite possible. "I do not think that he will be able to work further as a separate element of this system. Last year, the Chamber of Accounts detected large-scale violations in Yerevan, but they did nothing then. Now it will be different, and the resistance of former corrupt officials becomes meaningless. The current heads of communities and cities received their posts not because of elections, but because there were no elections, and the people want to have an opportunity to elect their own local leader, "Vahagn Khachatryan concluded.

The director of the Armenian branch of the CIS Institute, Alexander Makarov, explained new protests with the aspiration of the Nikol Pashinyan team to strengthen its power. "Having received the office of prime minister for its leader Nikol Pashinyan, the protest movement is trying to gain support in other representative institutions as well. Yerevan is the largest center of Armenia. The desire to change the alignment of forces not only at the level of the republic, but also at the level of local governments is the goal, which the protest movement seeks to take control of the capital's substantial resources. It is not yet clear whether the protesters will be able to force Taron Margaryan, the RPA representative, to resign, whether he will do it under pressure of not yet very large protest movement," he noted.

"Now the question is how substantial Pashinyan's resource will be and how this mobilization resource will be used in the near future. The people taking part in demonstrations and rallies certainly have an influence on the political process, but it is not known how often it can be used. This resource is still relevant, although recently, one of Pashinyan's ministers urged protesters and generally political forces not to use this resource in the future," Alexander Makarov pointed out.
US President Donald Trump sent a congratulatory message to Nikol Pashinyan on assuming the office of Armenia's Prime Minister.

"Congratulations on your recent election. I look forward to working with you on the many areas of mutual interest for our two countries, including strengthening trade ties, democratic institutions and regional security," Trump said in his message to Pashinyan.

According to the US president, progress on fighting corruption, bringing all political parties together and peacefully solving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will help these efforts and ensure and Armenias bright future.

"Best wishes to you and the people of Armenia," concluded Trumps letter.
Israeli ambassador to Ankara left Turkey amid growing tensions over the aggravating situation in Gaza.

In addition, Turkey's Foreign Ministry told Israel's consul general in Istanbul Yosef Levi Sfari to leave the country "for a while," Turkish media reported.

According to diplomatic sources, the ministry asked the envoy and the consul general to leave following the situation along the Gaza border.

Yesterday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Turkey calls on Islamic states to reconsider relations with Israel. According to him, Turkey sharply condemns Israel's actions directed against the Palestinians. In turn, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pursuing a policy of racial segregation.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an emergency meeting on Palestine in Istanbul on May 18.

The head of the political research of the Center for Modern Turkish Studies, Yuri Mavashev, speaking with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that both countries are not interested in deepening the conflict, but the situation is so turbulent that predicting further developments is impossible. "Turkish-Israeli relations have not been stable over the past 10 years. Turkish-Israeli ties cannot be considered outside the context of the Middle East processes, since Turkey acts as a certain mediator and defender of Muslims in the region, and making its relations with Israel more stable is very difficult," he pointed out.

"Ankara is in a difficult situation, since it needs partners in the Middle East, including countries that are counterbalances to Iran. Israel was often seen in the Turkish foreign policy strategy as a kind of counterbalance to Iran, which allows it to unite with the Arab countries when this is impossible or difficult for a certain reason. But Israel is taking steps that are assessed as ambiguous by the Security Council and the UN General Assembly. Even if the Palestinians themselves are responsible for instability over the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem, it would be logical to hold Israel more accountable, because it is stronger, which means that it must be more responsible to prevent the killing of civilians," Mavashev drew attention.

"Many critics of Erdogan say that there is some inconsistency of the Turkish policy towards Israel. The foreign trade turnover has been more or less stable all these years, and there were no economic problems between Turkey and Israel. The opposition uses it to prove that the ruling Justice and Development Party's words do not meet its actions. Even if the AK Party wants to continue economic contacts with Israel, despite all the statements and expulsions of diplomats, it can be hampered by political forces, especially since it is a matter of protecting Muslims issue - they will ask how Turkey can trade with the state that kills Muslims? A lot will depend on the answer to this question from the AK Party and the president," the expert expects.

"Now Israel does not give any reasons to Ankara could somehow get around this issue. Moreover, not so long ago Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not take lectures from Turkey. In addition, the deterioration of relations with the US has intensified, because the decision to move the embassy was taken by Donald Trump, not by Israel. So there is an aggravation of Turkish-US relations, which, in my opinion, should be viewed together with the aggravation of Israeli-Turkish relations," Yury Mavashev concluded.
U.S. President Donald Trump has rid Europe of all illusions with the trade dispute and withdrawal from the Iran nuclear accord, European Council President Donald Tusk said.

Tusk said the European Union had to be united to face "a new phenomenon - the capricious assertiveness of the American administration."

"Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think that with friends like this, we need enemies," Reuters cited the European Council President as saying.

"But frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful for President Trump because thanks to him, we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realize that, if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm," Tusk told a news conference.
British Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan condemned the opening of the Crimean bridge and highlighted the UKs concerns about human rights in Crimea.

Duncan noted that the opening of this bridge represents yet another violation of Ukraines sovereignty, and a further example of Russias reckless behaviour. "We continue to work with partners to oppose the annexation, including by maintaining a robust package of sanctions," the statement from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Offices says.

On May 15. the official opening of a the Crimean bridge was held. The ceremony was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Taxi drivers have blocked part of the central Baghramyan Avenue in front of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans residence, demanding that traffic police annul all fines imposed on them for traffic offences.

Car importers and military commissariat workers are also taking part in the protest on the Baghramyan Avenue, RIA Novosti reported.

A group of protesters have stormed the city administration building in Yerevan, demanding Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan step down.The protesters attempted to enter the mayors room, a number of city hall staff members and police officers have blocked the way. The protesters accuse the mayor of inefficient activity and lack of accountability. Participants of the action are also angry because the trees in a small park near the City Hall have been cut down.
Moscow confirms its position that Jerusalem should remain the capital of two states, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

"Russias position on Jerusalem remains unchanged: the city should remain the capital of two independent states, Palestine and Israel," she said. The diplomat said that Jerusalem should "be open for followers of all three monotheistic religions."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stressed that "specific aspects of the agreement on the status of Jerusalem should be developed in the course of direct Palestinian - Israeli talks."

Zakharova also said that Russia is extremely concerned over the dangerous escalation in the Gaza Strip and in some areas on the West Bank. "We confirm the Palestinians rights to peaceful protests and denounce the use of military force against the civil population," she said. "We call again on the involved parties to show restraint and abandon moves that may provoke further escalation," the diplomat added.
HA NOI  The Ha Noi Peoples Council has urged authorities of the two districts of Ba Vi and Hoai uc in coordination with the citys related agencies to intensify the inspection of long-delayed construction projects and revoke the credentials of those which are violating the Land Law.

Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, vice chairman of the municipal Peoples Council who headed an inspection team in the two districts on Thursday, said that once violations were found, they should be reported immediately to the citys Peoples Committee for withdrawal.

He also asked the two districts to clarify the responsibilities of local authorities concerning land management violations.

The local authorities were requested to strengthen the information dissemination work so that people know about projects that are underway and can supervise them, ensuring the transparency.

Tuan ordered concerned agencies to collect proposals from districts, review the lands origin and submitted a report to the municipal Peoples Committee on revoking violating projects which have been delayed for a long time and are causing public concern.

Over the past few years city authorities had conducted inspections, reclaimed land and handed it over to other investors if original investors were not capable. However, he admitted that many non-State Budget projects were behind schedule for various reasons.

According to Nguyen inh Dan, vice chairman of Ba Vi Districts People Committee, the district has five projects which havent been implemented due to obstacles in land clearance.

For example, nearly 204ha of land has been allocated for the first phase of Yen Ky Cemetery expansion project by the municipal Peoples Committee since February 2011, but it has not yet begun construction as only 72ha of land has so far been cleared.

Regarding Tan Vien Luxury International Tourist Resort project, nearly 160ha has been cleared for the project but it failed to complete adjustments to the master plan. The districts Peoples Committee has proposed the city authority review the investors competence. If the investor was found not competent, the project would be handed over to others, he said.

Similar problems also occurred in Hoai uc District. The district has 31 projects which use non-State budget investment. Despite the fact that land has been allocated for land clearance work, the projects have been delayed for a long time because of investors incompetence.  VNS
HA NOI  Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing, and Becamex IDC Corp, the construction and development giant in Viet Nam, officially launched their joint venture BW Industrial Development Joint Stock Company on Tuesday.

With an area spreading over two million sq.m and an initial investment capital of over US$200 million, BW Industrial is the largest for-rent industrial and logistics developer in Viet Nam.

In particular, BW Industrial will focus on supporting the sustainable development of Viet Nam. They are a strategic investor in the global supply chain. With the mission of providing value-added services to other industries through BW Industrial joint ventures, the company ensures to provide the best and most modern real estate solutions for investors in different fields such as mechanical manufacturing, electronics, automobile manufacturing, garments and footwear.

BW Industrial was seeded with eight projects across five cities in each of Viet Nams strategic industrial hubs in the North and South, including Binh Duong, ong Nai, Hai Phong, Hai Duong and Bac Ninh. According to the plan, BW will build the foundations of industrial real estate and logistics services to meet the needs of multinational corporations as well as e-commerce companies in Viet Nam.

Jeffrey Perlman, managing director and head of the Southeast Asia division of Warburg Pincus, said, with a sizable population of nearly 100 million people and an increasingly diversified economy, manufacturing and domestic consumption had become the central areas of growth for Viet Nam. This was an ideal time to tap into these growth opportunities with the goal of taking Viet Nams industrial and logistics value chain to the next level, he added.

According to Nguyen Van Hung, chairman of Becamex IDC, Becamex contributes only 30 per cent of capital in this joint venture. It is also the policy that Binh Duong Province wants to call for investors to invest in, build for the socio-economic development of the locality. This is also a priority for profit sharing for investors.

Established in 1976, Becamex specialises in developing large-scale industrial townships with one of the largest industrial landbanks in key markets across Viet Nam. Becamex has formed a number of partnerships with foreign players such as Tokyu Corporation, a major Tokyo-based infrastructure developer, and Sembcorp, a Temasek-sponsored industrial group through the Viet Nam Singapore Industrial Park platform (VSIP), which is now widely recognised as one of the most successful industrial park developers in Viet Nam, with over $10 billion of investments to-date.

Warburg Pincus started investing in Southeast Asia in 2013 with Viet Nam as its maiden market. Since then, Warburg Pincus has committed over $1 billion in the region, including in Vincom Retail, Lodgis Hospitality, ARA Asset Management, Go-Jek, NWP, Trax, and others. Currently, the firm has more than $44 billion in private equity assets under management.  VNS
HA NOI  The Assam Investment Roadshow, which took place in Ha Noi on Monday, gave businesses from India in general and from the Assam region in particular investment opportunities with Vietnamese partners, especially in the agricultural field.

A delegation of representatives from government agencies and businesses, headed by Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister of Assam, attended the event along with other Vietnamese firms and representatives from the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

At the seminar, Sonowal invited Vietnamese businesses to invest in fields with preferential treatment in India and the Assam market, such as high-tech agriculture, industry, tourism, energy, and trade.

I am glad to showcase the potential and possibilities of the State at the Assam Investment Roadshow in Hanoi, and lead a delegation of legislators, officials and farmers to Vietnam, a country from which Assam can learn from immeasurably, especially in the agriculture sector, said Sonowal.

He also asked for Viet Nams help to accomplish the Governments aim of doubling crop income by 2020, and requested Viet Nam open a consulate office in the Assam capital of Dispur.

Assam is a major state in northeastern India, which in recent years has been playing a central role in boosting economic cooperation between India and ASEAN countries.

Mondays Roadshow was jointly organised by the VCCI in collaboration with Embassy of India and the Government of Assam, India.

Before attending the Roadshow, Sonowal had met with Cao uc Phat, a member of the Party Central Committee and Vice Chairman of Central Economic Commission, and Ha Cong Tuan, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as Hoang Binh Quan, Chairman of the External Relations Commission.

Bilateral collaborations on technology and the exchange of knowledge for the benefit of farmers from both countries were discussed.

According to figures from Indias Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the General Department of Vietnam Customs, exports from Viet Nam to India in the first three months of 2018 had reached US$1.57 billion, up 111 per cent from the same period last year. March 2018s exports from Viet Nam alone reached $637.63 million, up 120 per cent from March 2017.

Imports from India to Viet Nam in the first quarter totalled $1.04 billion, a slight increase of 2.4 per cent from the previous year. The trade surplus for Viet Nam in March was around $267.75 million, and the first quarter reached $532.60 million, a record level so far.

Viet Nams products with strong export growth include machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts, as well as steel products, coal, rattan, bamboo, rush and carpet products , and mobile phones and phone accessories.

In the opposite direction, imported Indian commodities with high growth rates include ores and other minerals, plastic materials, car parts and paper.  VNS
HCM CITY  The sixth Vietnam International Exhibition on Film and Television Technology (Telefilm) will be held next month in HCM City, showcasing products, services and technologies used in film and television.

It is expected to attract more than 250 exhibitors from 15 countries and territories and more than 2,000 film and television technology professionals.

On display will be TV programmes and serials; value-added and support services; technology and solutions for the TV, media, and communications industries and for image processing and transmission; and post-production services,

Several seminars will be held on the sidelines on current television trends amid rapid digitisation in the TV industry globally and in Viet Nam specifically.

As a prestigious international exhibition specialising in film and television, Telefilm will offer visitors the opportunity to meet potential partners and learn about the latest international film and television trends.

Organised by Viet Nam Televison and the ADPEX Joint Stock Company, the exhibition will he held from June 7 to 9 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7.  VNS
HA NOI  The Asian Development Bank (ADB), through its Trade Finance Programme (TFP), has signed an agreement with Citibank to further support trade across Asia.

With the agreement, ADB and Citibank intend to collaborate in financing up to US$100m or more in trade to support importers and exporters in developing markets. Citibank and the ADB can then share risks on a funded basis on underlying trade finance transactions.

Citibank has been working with the ADB since 2009 in its trade finance programme to support trade in developing Asia.

This continuing partnership with Citibank hopes to address the funded trade finance needs of SMEs, to stir more growth and jobs that underpin more stable economies in Asia, said Steven Beck, head of Trade and Supply Chain Finance at ADB. We are pleased with the renewed agreement with Citibank to address the increasing trade finance gap.

As one of the worlds leading global trade banks, Citibank is pleased to support this initiative to help fund trade flows with multinationals, as well as SMEs in and out of developing markets, said John Ahearn, Global Trade Head, Citi Treasury and Trade Solutions. By introducing this new product and continuing our collaboration with ADB, we look forward to furthering our mission of enabling growth and economic progress.

Backed by ADBs AAA credit rating, TFP provides guarantees and loans to over 200 partner banks to support trade, enabling more companies throughout Asia to engage in import and export activities.

Since 2009, ADBs TFP has supported more than 12,000 small- and medium-sized businesses across developing Asia  through over 16,600 transactions valued at over $30 billion  in sectors ranging from commodities and capital goods to medical supplies and consumer goods. In 2017, TFP supported approximately $4.5 billion in trade through 3,505 transactions.  VNS
HA NOI  IndiGo Airlines, the largest carrier in India, plans to operate a new flight to Viet Nam next year, reported Vietnam News Agency correspondents in New Delhi.

The new route to Viet Nam is part of IndiGos plan to serve 24 destinations around the world, including the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China, France, German, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland.

IndiGo Airlines occupies 39.5 per cent of the market share in India. It plans to raise its fleet to 200 aircraft from the current 163 during 2018-19. The carrier operates international flights to Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.  VNS
THE HAGUE  A Dutch art expert revealed on Tuesday that he has discovered a previously unknown portrait by Rembrandt, which he bought 18 months ago at a London auction for around 130,000 pounds (US$175,000).

Dating from about 1634, Portrait of a Young Gentlemen is the first unknown painting by the Dutch master to turn up in more than four decades and is likely worth millions.

It was bought in late 2016 by Dutch art dealer and expert Jan Six at a Christies auction in London.

"He knew instantly when he looked at it that it was a Rembrandt," his spokeswoman Ronit Palache told AFP.

"He has a huge knowledge about Rembrandt, and has spent years and years researching him. So he was unbelievably excited and also afraid that everyone would see how excited he was."

The painting has now been authenticated by other art historians, including another leading Dutch expert on Rembrandt, Ernst van der Wetering, she added.

It is undated and unsigned. And nothing is known about the paintings history and provenance other than that before being auctioned it had belonged to a British noble family for about six generations.

The compelling portrait, which shows a young man dressed in a black cloak with a distinctive white lace ruffle staring out of the painting, will go on display for a month at the Hermitage Museum in Amsterdam from Wednesday.

The lace collar closely resembles others by Rembrandt, such as in the portraits of newly married couple Marten Soolmans, and Oopjen Coppit bought in 2015 for 160 million euros by France and the Netherlands in a joint purchase from the wealthy Rothschild family.

Art dealer Six, who has also written a book about his discovery, intends to sell the newly-found painting after it has been on display in Amsterdam.

But his spokeswoman refused to be drawn on how much it could fetch at auction, merely saying: "It will be more than 130,000 pounds."

It is believed the painting is also part of a double portrait, but further investigation about the canvass history will be needed to solve the mystery, said Palache.  AFP
NEW YORK  Author Tom Wolfe, the acerbic chronicler of American society known for The Right Stuff and The Bonfire of the Vanities, has died at the age of 88.

Wolfes agent Lynn Nesbit told US media the writer died on Monday in a Manhattan hospital, where he was being treated for an infection.

"We are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Tom Wolfe," his publisher Picador said. "He was one of the greats and his words will live on forever."

During a prolific career, Wolfe turned his scathing pen to pop culture, the hippie movement, the art world, LSD, race relations and the lives of astronauts.

A dapper dresser and New York icon, Wolfe was known for his trademark white suits, homburg hats and white kid gloves.

Wolfe started his career as a newspaper reporter with the New York Herald-Tribune in 1962.

His first book, a collection of articles about the flamboyant Sixties, was published in 1965 as The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.

The book became a bestseller, and established Wolfe as a leading figure in the "New Journalism" movement, which also included in its ranks Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer and Truman Capote.

Wolfes 1979 bestseller The Right Stuff focused on the US astronauts involved in the space race with the Soviet Union.

It was made into a Hollywood hit starring Sam Shepard and made the Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier, a household name.

Wolfe moved to writing novels in the mid-1980s, penning The Bonfire of the Vanities.

A scathing takedown of greed and excess in New York, it was recognised as an essential American novel of the 1980s and was made into a film starring Tom Hanks.

Wolfe was born on March 2, 1930 in Richmond, Virginia, and never sought to rebel against his conservative, white bourgeois upbringing.

After studying at Washington and Lee University and Yale University, Wolfe began a 10-year-long newspaper reporting career.

In 1968 he published two bestsellers on the same day: The Pump House Gang, made up of more articles about life in the Sixties, and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, a non-fiction story about the hippie era.

The list went on with Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers, in 1970, a highly controversial book about racial friction in the United States.

Even more controversial was Wolfes 1975 book on the American art world, The Painted Word, which outraged many artists.

More recently, Wolfe published I Am Charlotte Simmons (2004) and Back to Blood (2013).

Wolfe married Sheila Berger, the artistic director of Harpers magazine, in 1978. They had two children.  AFP
HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the entire Peoples Public Security force to be well aware that following late President Ho Chi Minhs teachings is a key political task of each of its units and officers.

He was speaking at a meeting in Ha Noi held yesterday to review the five-year implementation of the Ministry of Public Security (MoPS)s Directive 05 on enhancing public security officers studying of and compliance with President Ho Chi Minhs teachings in the 2013-18 period.

A key passage from the teachings is: For myself, to be a frugal integrity; for my colleagues, to kindly help; for the government, to be absolutely loyal; for the people, to be respectful and polite; for work, to be devoted; and for the enemy, to be firmly smart against.

In his speech, PM Phuc said good adherence to the teachings meant building a steadfast and humane style for public security officers and a pure and strong public security force that works for the sake of people.

He said there were many good role models in the force, noting that even in peacetime, public security officers still sacrificed to keep political security and social order, ensuring people lead peaceful lives.

In the past five years, 47 officers had laid down their lives for the country, while nearly 1,400 others were injured while performing duties, he noted, adding that more than 600,000 collectives and individuals in the force had been honoured with noble rewards by the Party and the State.

The Government leader said after more than seven decades, the teachings of President Ho Chi Minh remained valuable and were the lodestar of every act and behaviour of public security officers.

The force needed to press ahead with communication activities to improve its officers awareness, morality and lifestyle. The entire sector must tighten discipline and step up corruption prevention to be pure and strong, thus keeping its role as the key force in the fight against crimes.

It was also necessary to continue fine-tuning mechanisms to ensure the Partys absolute and direct leadership of the force in all aspects, PM Phuc added.

Reporting on the implementation of Directive 05, Deputy Minister of the MoPS Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Van Thanh said that the movement Public Security Officers Study and Implementation of Uncle Hos Teachings had been closely associated with the study and following of Ho Chi Minhs ideology, moral example and lifestyle. Relevant campaigns and emulation movements in the force had spread, helping encourage officers to fulfil their tasks.

The sector had boosted examination, supervision, communication activities and commendation of role models to promote the implementation of President Ho Chi Minhs teachings and to follow the late leaders example, he added.  VNS
Thu Thiem New Urban Area in District 2 is planned to be a modern residence and a commercial, financial and service centre of HCM City. The ambitious project involves relocating thousands of households, and a number of them have expressed discontent with the Governments compensation or resettlement schemes, causing prolonged disputes and delaying the progress of the project.  VNA/VNS Photo Le Quang Nhut

Viet Nam News

HA NOI  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered HCM City authorities related agencies to quickly settle the growing land disputes involving the new urban area of Thu Thiem.

The order was made during yesterday meeting in Ha Noi chaired by the Government leader, and attended by the deputy prime ministers Truong Hoa Binh and Trinh inh Dung, showing the administrations commitment to resolve land disputes that were bound to emerge during the countrys course of fast development.

At the meeting, PM Phuc said the project Thu Thiem, envisioned to be a modern urban centre of the southern metropolis HCM City, was approved in 1996 by the then Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet.

The mega-project necessitated massive land clearance that saw displacement of thousands of households in the originally poverty-ridden swampland.

However, due to HCM Citys efforts and the positive support from the majority of the affected households, land clearance progress had currently reached 99 per cent, said PM Phuc.

We must look directly at the truths, if what weve done are right then continue to persistently explain yourselves and convince people, if there are mistakes, then I expect full commitment and resolution to correct them, all in serving of the citys development and peoples lives, he said.

The Government leader expressed appreciation towards the households who have willingly co-operated with the authorities on the development of the project.

PM Phuc stressed the importance of ensuring stable living conditions for the resettled households, and that the development of the city must not come at the expense of these households.

During the land clearance progress, however, the local authorities had made mistakes in terms of planning, land management, document storage and failed to effectively settle citizens complaints, leading to prolonged land disputes, he said.

The ultimate responsibility lies in the ministries and agencies involved, especially HCM Citys authorities, PM Phuc said.

He also asked the settlement of disputes must be in line with existing laws, respecting and protecting the legitimate rights of the citizens, investors, and the State, as well as ensuring harmonious interests between the parties involved.

PM Phuc also asked for utmost transparency during dispute settlement  the authorities need to investigate every development of the case, listen attentively to the peoples concerns and feedback, and strive towards full consensus towards a final solution.

If there are indeed faults on the authorities part, they have to stake out a clear timeline to address these issues.

The Government Inspectorate was also asked to review and clarify the peoples complaints over compensation or resettlement living issues during the land reclamation process, and a report to the Prime Minister is expected before July 15.

The ministries of environment and natural resources, construction, justice and the HCM City Peoples Committee all have the responsibility to closely work with the Government Inspectorate and support their investigation into peoples complaints.

Local authorities were also asked to cater to households who have relinquished their land but havent received living arrangements in resettlement housing, or households who have had their land taken by force that are still without a stable living condition.

Covering a total area of 657 hectares, the Thu Thiem new urban area is located on a peninsula in HCM Citys District 2, which faces downtown District 1 across Saigon River.

The proposed financial district and mixed-use urban area of HCM City is set to become the largest inner-city development in Southeast Asia.

To develop such a project, it took more than 10 years for site clearance of most of Thu Thiem peninsula, with as many as 15,000 households being resettled.

In a document sent to the Prime Minister in 2015, the city authorities said total costs in the new urban area for clearance compensation and resettlement, technical infrastructure, and loan interest had reached more than VN29 trillion (US$1.27 billion).  VNS
Gia Loc

HCM CITY  Viet Nam is facing challenges keeping pace with other countries in the application of stem cell therapy, many doctors say.

The therapy can help cure or even save the life of a patient if it is successful.

A patient from HCM City, for example, is no longer tired or short of breath after a year of using stem cells to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

He had suffered from COPD for nearly eight years. During that time, he was hospitalised at many different hospitals in the city for treatment once or twice a year.

In 2016, his condition worsened and his family was told that he would not recover.

Not willing to give up hope, his children researched the internet and read information about stem cell treatment for COPD which was under clinical trials at Van Hanh Hospital in District 10.

The patients wife said that Van Hanh hospitals doctor, Le Thi Bich Phuong, who works in its Stem Cell Unit, did not want to use stem cell treatment at the begining because her husband had a fully narrowed left carotid and stenosis in 30 per cent of right carotid artery, caused by a stroke.

However, the doctor decided to take a risk and treat the man eventually. Now, the quality of his life has improved and he no longer must be frequently hospitalised.

Dr Phuong said the stem cell treatment under clinical trial was being used on 30 patients with COPD and 15 with type 1 diabetes.

Since 2016, the hospital also has used stem cells to treat degenerative joint diseases. As of 2017, nearly 70 per cent of 400 patients have been treated with stem cells. The success rate is nearly 90 per cent.

At a scientific conference held in December last year, Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh said that Viet Nam had applied stem cells in the trial treatment of more than 21 diseases, including blood cancer, pancreatic failure, muscle and bone diseases, and stroke.

Via trials, stem cell therapy has been effective for medical conditions that were seen as having no cure, according to Anh.

Many hospitals in the country perform stem cell therapy, including Van Hanh Hospital in HCM City, and Vinmec International Hospital, Military Hospital 103, and Bach Mai Hospital in Ha Noi, Phuong said.

Several hospitals in Singapore and Thailand want to work with Vietnamese hospitals to help them perform the therapy.

Viet Nam has many stem cell storage banks. The National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusions stem cell bank, for instance, has stored 3,400 samples of umbilical cord blood stem cells which were donated by pregnant women, according to Nhan Dan (The People) Newspaper.

The institutes doctors have used the stored stem cells to treat patients with tumours relating to blood. They have performed hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for 290 patients, accounting for nearly 50 per cent such transplant cases in the country.

According to Phuong wide application of stem cells is difficult because few hospitals are capable of setting up a laboratory that meets Good Laboratory Practice standards.

The number of doctors who can perform stem cell therapy is low. Doctors must first practice in labs because training is not taught at medical universities as there is no faculty offering training.

The applied research on stem cell treatment only meets nearly 30 per cent of the need.

o Van Dung, vice rector of HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, said the university was developing more research as stem cell therapy had great potential.

In the future, a large research centre, including one on stem cell therapy, will be built at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine.VNS
HA NOI  National Assembly (NA) delegations collected over 2,000 opinions and petitions from citizens nationwide to submit to the fourth session of the 14th NA. All were transferred to the Government and relevant ministries and agencies for handling.

This was reported by Chairman of the NA Committee on Peoples Aspirations Nguyen Thanh Hai at the on-going session of the NA Standing Committee in Ha Noi yesterday.

Of the figure, the Government and relevant ministries and agencies answered over 1,400 opinions, accounting for nearly 74 per cent, by providing voters with essential information. They handled 162 petitions and are looking over how best to deal with a further 357, according to Hais report on the settlement of voter petitions submitted to the fourth session of the NA.

The report said that the efforts of the Government, ministers and heads of sectors in dealing with voters concerns has helped to tackle many difficulties that people, enterprises and investors have faced. These efforts have also helped to create a better environment for production, investment and business, contributing to general socio-economic growth.

There was a definite improvement in the quality of their dealing with voters petitions. Some ministers spent time to directly guide and handle all documents sent to voters to answer their petitions, according to the report.

However, the report also noted that some ministries and agencies had not been so enthusiastic in responding. Many answers sent to voters were unspecific or unclear.

Chairwoman of the NA Law Committee Le Thi Nga said the inspection and handling of some issues reflected by voters were ineffective. Apart from answering petitions, relevant ministries and agencies should also carry out inspections on the issues that were raised, she said.

Chairman of the NA Council for Ethnic Affairs Ha Ngoc Chien said people still lacked information about State guidelines, policies and regulations, citing that nearly 74 per cent of voters opinions were answered by providing them with related information.

Information dissemination of relevant ministries, agencies and localities were still limited, he said, suggesting that ministries and localities should increase work on this in the coming time.

Many participants said the Government should increase inspections and supervision over ministries and agencies in addressing voters petitions, and put measures in place to punish those lacking responsibility in dealing with them.

At the session, Vice President and General Secretary of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Committee Hau A Lenh reported that the Committee and the NA Standing Committee had received more than 3,000 opinions and petitions from voters nationwide to submit to the fifth session of the NA, which is scheduled to open on May 21.

According to the draft report, voters and citizens continued to express their confidence in the leadership and operation of the Party and the State, particularly in fighting against corruption and wastefulness. They expressed their wishes that the Party and State continue fighting against corruption and wastefulness at all levels.

Voters also applauded the efforts of relevant ministries and agencies in ensuring social order and security.

They also expressed concerns over such issues as traffic law violations, online swindling, illegal sand exploitation and deforestation.

Based on voters opinions and petitions, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Committee proposed the Government continue resolutely guiding tasks relating to administrative reform, anti-corruption and wastefulness prevention and control, as well as urban planning, and tackling illegal sand exploitation and deforestation.  VNS
Nguyen Tan Tai, 24, from District 12.  VNA/VNS Photo

HCM City  Two men were arrested on Monday by HCM City police in a stabbing incident on Sunday evening which killed two men who were part of a team of volunteer knights who protect local residents. Three other men were injured.

Nguyen Tan Tai, 24, from District 12, and Nguyen Hoang Chau Phu, 24, from Hoc Mon district were arrested by HCM City police on Monday, the city Police Department announced at a press conference yesterday.

Police said the suspects were taken to the police station and admitted to attacking the men with their knives.

A camera that recorded the incident showed Tai stabbing five of the so-called street knights within 13 seconds at the District 3 location.

On Sunday night, Phu and Tai were attempting to steal a Honda SH scooter on Cach Mang Thang 8 Street in District 3 when they were detected by a team of seven street knights.

After being besieged by the team, the suspects took out knives and aggressively fought back.

Two members of the volunteer team, Nguyen Hoang Nam, a 29-year-old truck driver, and Nguyen Van Thoi, a 42-year-old motorbike taxi driver, died immediately after being stabbed.

Tran Van Hoang, 47, who founded the Tan Binh District Knights, the volunteer robber-hunter group, had captured more than 500 thieves over a 20-year period; Nguyen uc Huy, 22, and inh Phu Quy, 22, are still in intensive care at a hospital in HCM City.

The secretary of the citys Party Committee, Nguyen Thien Nhan, and a delegation of officials visited the injured volunteers at the hospital on Monday.

After the incident, the Government Office sent an official letter from Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh instructing the police to arrest the three men involved in the incident and give strict punishment.

Major General Phan Anh Minh, deputy director of the HCM City Police Department, said the HCM City Peoples Committee would pay all expenditures for funerals and hospital fees for the deceased street knights and would take care of their relatives, especially the elderly and children under 18 years old.

To honour their sacrifice, HCM City Police are completing procedures to give the title of martyr to two of the deceased street knights, he added.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam s grassroots healthcare system is failing to win public trust, resulting in overcrowding at provincial-level hospitals and hampering efforts to ensure universal health coverage in the country.

The Health Ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO) discussed the problem in Ha Noi on Tuesday at their first meeting to discuss improving primary healthcare to gain universal health coverage (UHC). UHC means ensuring that all people can access essential quality health services without facing financial hardship.

Phan Le Thu Hang, deputy general director of the planning and finance department under the health ministry, said that grassroots healthcare had always been the foundation for implementing primary healthcare nationwide.

Viet Nam s grassroots level healthcare network, including village, communal/ward/townlet and district/town health facilities, is closest to patients. These small, local facilities aim to ensure that everyone has access to low-cost basic healthcare services, contributing to social equity and poverty reduction.

By 2012, the country had 622 district hospitals with nearly 69,000 beds, 651 regional general clinics with 6,752 beds and over 11,100 commune health stations (CHS).

As many as 73.5 per cent of CHS have doctors, 96.4 per cent of CHS have midwives or assistant doctors in obstetrics and pediatrics and 73.4 per cent of CHS meet national standards on communal level healthcare.

Among over 11,000 CHS nationwide, nearly 3,200 are in need of total rebuilding and nearly 3,600 need upgrading.

Investment in the development of the grassroots healthcare network so far has not matched the need, Hang said.

Other challenges facing Viet Nam s grassroots healthcare include weak capacity in disease prevention, health management and community-based healthcare, according to Hang.

CHS are providing 60 per cent of their assigned technical services, mostly due to a lack of staff or untrained staff and a lack of equipment.

In addition, people lacked awareness on disease prevention and using health services appropriately.

People, especially those living in urban areas with many available heath care institutions, prefer hospitals to ward healthcare stations. The CHS are usually preferred in rural or remote disadvantaged areas and by poor people who cannot access or afford healthcare services at major hospitals.

Health Deputy Minister Pham Le Tuan said that inequities in primary healthcare remained large among urban and rural areas and between the Kinh group and other ethnic groups.

Tuan said that funding for further developing the grassroots healthcare network faced a bottle-neck while the medical costs at CHS paid by national Health Insurance remained very low.

Less than 4 per cent of the countrys health insurance fund is allocated to the grassroots healthcare network. From 2004-2014, less than 20 per cent of patients in Viet Nam visited communal health stations.

In Viet Nam , 19 per cent of families spend over 10 per cent of their income on healthcare services, which is an unreasonable burden.

Kidong Park , WHO Representative in Viet Nam , said that an effective financial mechanism for primary healthcare, particularly commune health stations, was necessary to develop sustainable primary healthcare.

When people must pay directly to the healthcare provider without support from a third-party or Government insurer, they face a great risk of falling into poverty.

Solutions

Deputy General Director of Planning and Finance Department Phan Le Thu Hang said that Viet Nam had policies and programmes to strengthen the grassroots healthcare network, but more should be done.

For example, the country should develop a payment system to better link payment to service quality; enhance investment in infrastructure, equipment and medicines and promote staff capacity building, training, technology transfer and staff rotation.

For universal health insurance, the premium should be adjusted appropriate to the economic condition of users and the quality of services. Health insurance packages should be diversified. Linkages and cooperation between social health insurance and commercial health insurance should be strengthened. Synchronous measures are needed to control insurance abuse and fraud and to ensure the health insurance fund is balanced.

Momoe Takeuchi, team leader of WHOs Health System Development group, said that the health insurance allocation to primary health care providers should be increased to 30 per cent of total health insurance funds over the current 4 per cent.

This level of funding is a crucial step in obtaining universal health coverage in other countries like Japan , Korea and other OECD countries, she said, recommending a shift in cost-inefficient outpatient expenses from hospitals to primary healthcare providers.

She called for revision of the current list of services and medicines to better reflect the activities and roles of primary healthcare providers. The payment rate to providers should be based on their activities and performance.
HA NOI  Deputy Prime Minister Vu uc am has suggested the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) share with Viet Nam experiences in building e-government and e-administration accumulated from its members such as Australia, Singapore and Japan.

Deputy PM am made the suggestion while hosting a reception in Ha Noi on May 15 for an APICTA delegation, led by its Chairman Stan Singh, who is on a working visit to Viet Nam.

In recent years, the Vietnamese Government had mobilised different resources to foster the development and application of information technology in all spheres in a bid to step up the countrys socio-economic development, improve the business environment and enhance the national competitiveness edge, he said.

The hosting of the APICTA Awards in 2019 would serve as a chance for Viet Nam to introduce its IT development and facilitate partnerships between domestic businesses and international partners, am said.

Viet Nams IT enterprises would also have an opportunity to promote the quality of their products and services at the APICTA Awards, the Deputy PM added.

Therefore, the Government of Viet Nam would create optimal conditions for the Viet Nam Software and IT Service Association (VINASA) and relevant agencies to well prepare for the important event, he stressed.

APICTA Chairman Stan Singh briefed am about his working session with leaders of the Ministry of Information and Communications, which focused on solutions to strengthen bilateral cooperation, foster the development and innovation of ICT in Asia Pacific and a plan to organise the APICTA Awards in Viet Nam next year.

The awards are designed to honour outstanding products, software solutions, IT and start-ups of APICTA members.

The two sides also discussed the adding of prizes for products and solutions related to e-government, e-administration, smart city, and smart agriculture.

APICTA is an alliance of national IT organisations representing their respective economy to build, enhance a network to promote IT, promote technology innovations, capability and adoption and encourage the development of indigenous IT solutions to the global market.

The alliance now has 16 member-economies including Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, mainland China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, Macao (China), Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Viet Nam participated in APICTA in 2016. The VINASA brought the best Vietnamese IT products and services to the APICTA Awards two years ago. The APICTA Awards 2018 will be held in Chinas Guangzhou province in October.  VNS
SEOUL  North Korea on Wednesday called into question a much-anticipated and unprecedented summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump set for next month.

Pyongyang also cancelled high-level talks due Wednesday with Seoul over the Max Thunder joint military exercises being held between the United States and South Korea, denouncing the drills as a "rude and wicked provocation".

"There is a limit in showing goodwill and offering opportunity," the Norths official news agency KCNA said.

The drills between the two allies air forces were a rehearsal for invasion and "a deliberate military provocation" at a time when inter-Korean relations were warming, it added.

"The US will have to think twice about the fate of the DPRK-US summit," KCNA said, referring to the North by its official acronym.

Washington said it will continue to plan the meeting in Singapore on June 12, with State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert telling reporters it had received "no notification" of a position change by North Korea.

At a dramatic summit last month in Panmunjom, the truce village in the DMZ, Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in pledged to pursue a peace treaty to formally end the conflict and reaffirmed their commitment to denuclearising the peninsula.

But the phrase is open to interpretation on both sides and the North has spent decades developing its atomic arsenal, culminating last year in its sixth nuclear test - by far its biggest to date - and the launch of missiles capable of reaching the US.

The drive has seen it subjected to multiple rounds of UN Security Council resolutions, while Trump and Kim traded personal insults and threats of war last year.

Olympic thaw

Relations underwent a sudden turnaround as Moon used Februarys Winter Olympics in the South to broker talks between Washington and Pyongyang, before meeting with Kim in the DMZ last month.

The Trump-Kim summit is due in Singapore on June 12, with Washington demanding the North give up its weapons in a complete, verifiable and irreversible way.

High-level talks were meant to take place in the DMZ Wednesday to discuss follow-up measures to the Panmunjom summit between Kim and Moon.

But KCNA called the Max Thunder drills "an undisguised challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration" taking place before the "ink on the declaration had a chance to dry".

"We cannot but take a step of suspending the north-south high-level talks scheduled on May 16 under the prevailing seriously awful situation."

In a statement, Seouls unification ministry, which handles relations with the North, said it had received a message "in the name of chief delegate Ri Son Gwon that they were postponing the high-level talks indefinitely".

"Accordingly, todays high level talks wont take place and the government will react following consultations among relevant agencies," it added.  AFP
BAGHDAD  Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr on Tuesday eyed a governing coalition after dealing a blow to both Iranian and US influence with a shock election triumph that upended Iraqi politics.

With the last ballots still being counted, however, Tehran and its local allies already appeared to be making a rival push to block the fiery preachers route to power.

Near complete results showed Sadr set to scoop the most seats in parliament after his Marching Towards Reform alliance with Iraqs communists tapped popular anger over corruption and foreign meddling.

Rivals called to congratulate him on the victory, his office said, after Iraqis went to the poll Saturday for the countrys first election since the defeat of the Islamic State group.

The vote - which saw record high abstentions - was a slap in the face to the widely reviled elite that has dominated Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.

Sadr, who has ruled himself out of becoming prime minister, is looking to be the kingmaker and to cobble together a technocrat government from a dozen parties.

But with his alliance falling short of a majority, it will take lengthy wrangling to forge a coalition.

Tallies put the Conquest Alliance of pro-Iranian former paramilitary fighters who helped battle IS in second place, followed by incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadis bloc.

Abadi - a consensus figure favoured by the US - had been seen as likely frontrunner after declaring victory over the jihadists five months ago.

Sadr rose to prominence in the wake of the US invasion, when his militia fought a bloody insurgency against American troops.

After years on the sidelines, he has reinvented himself as a champion of the poor and linked up with secularists to battle corruption.

He is one of the few Iraqi politicians opposed to both the presence of American troops and the heavy influence that neighbouring Iran exercises over Iraq.

In a surprising move last year, he visited regional Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, as Tehrans rival Riyadh looks to increase its involvement in Iraq.

Supporters in the clerics impoverished Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City -- named after his late ayatollah father -- remain hopeful that his victory could spell improvements.

"If we want to change things then the prime minister needs to come from Marching Towards Reform," said resident Salah Jamal, 24.

"We have tried all the others," Jamal insisted. "But we have had no results."

Iran seeks rival coalition

The protracted horse-trading ahead comes at a time of high tensions after Washingtons withdrawal from a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran and fears of a tug-of-war over Iraq.

While Sadrs victory has yet to be confirmed, Iran already appears to convening meetings to try to block him from forming a government.

A participant said Qassem Suleimani, the foreign operations chief of Irans elite Revolutionary Guards, was in Baghdad to try to broker a coalition among Sadrs Shiite rivals.

Suleimani has reportedly called for a union between Abadis bloc, the Conquest Alliance of former anti-IS commander Ameri and former premier Nuri al-Maliki.

Abadi and Maliki are bitter rivals despite coming from the establishment Dawa party that has dominated politics in post-Saddam Iraq.

While speculation swirls, the next concrete step remains completing the vote count and firming up the final make-up of Iraqs new 329-seat parliament.

Officials on Tuesday announced results for two provinces where disputes had caused delays.

The final nationwide tally and exact make-up of the countrys next parliament is expected to be released in the coming days.  AFP
BRUSSELS The EU and Cuba signed a renewable energy deal on Tuesday, a step towards normalising relations in defiance of Washingtons continuing hardline stance on Havana.

As it scrambles to save the Iran nuclear deal after US President Donald Trump ditched it last week, the EU sought to add substance to its landmark co-operation agreement with Cuba, which came into effect in November.

EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini has condemned the US economic blockade of the communist island as "obsolete" and "illegal", but under Trump the US has rolled back the rapprochement championed by his predecessor Barack Obama.

Mogherini and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla led the first meeting of the EU-Cuba Joint Council in Brussels.

The highlight was the signing of an 18 million euro (US$21.5 million) project to support Cubas goal of getting a quarter of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.

The EU also plans to finance a food security support programme for the island with a contribution of 19.7 million euros.

"Today we celebrate an important step in relations between the EU and Cuba," Mogherini said.

"We want to construct a closer relationship based on open and frank dialogue and mutual respect and effective cooperation."

Cuba turned a page in its history last month when Miguel Diaz-Canel took over as president after nearly 60 years of rule by revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and then his brother Raul.

Havana and Brussels also launched dialogues focusing on five areas including sustainable development, non-proliferation, human rights and unilateral measures.

The last section will deal with the US embargo. Havana is hoping the EU will prove to be an ally against Trump.

The agreement with Cuba, so far ratified by 13 of the 28 EU member states, can be suspended in case of grave rights abuses.

The EUs 28 countries are the main foreign investors in Cuba, mainly in the tourism and building sectors, the EU says.

The bloc imported some 470 million euros worth of Cuban goods in 2017 and exported more than 2.0 billion euros worth.  AFP
GREETING OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

TO A BUDDHIST DELEGATION FROM THAILAND

Room adjacent to Paul VI Audience Hall

Wednesday, 16 May 2018

[Multimedia]

I offer you a warm welcome and I thank you for the precious gift of your Sacred Book translated into todays language by the monks of Wat Pho Temple. It is a tangible sign of your generosity and of the friendship that we have shared for so many years, a journey made of many small steps. I think in particular of the meeting in the Vatican between Blessed Pope Paul VI and the Venerable Somdej Phra Wanaratana, whose portrait can be seen in the entrance of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, which you have visited in these days.

It is my heartfelt wish that Buddhists and Catholics will grow increasingly closer, advance in knowledge of one another and in esteem for their respective spiritual traditions, and offer the world a witness to the values of justice, peace, and the defense of human dignity.

With renewed gratitude for this meeting, I invoke upon on all of you the divine blessings of joy and peace.
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Paducah Announces City Manager Finalists

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By West Kentucky Star Staff

May. 14, 2018 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 14, 2018 | 10:27 PM | PADUCAH, KY

The City of Paducah has selected four finalists for the City Manager position. Paducah mayor Brandi Harless announced the names at a called meeting of the Board of Commissioners for a budget workshop.



For the last several months, the city has been working with Strategic Government Resources of Keller, Texas, to conduct a nationwide search for the recruitment and selection of the next city manager.



The candidates, in alphabetical order, are as follows:



James (Jim) Arndt has more than 14 years of local government experience and spent an additional six years as a police officer and three years serving in the United States Army. He currently serves the City of Effingham, Illinois, where he has worked as their City Administrator for the past eight years. He has also been the Administrator for the City of St. Clair, Missouri and the Village of Union City, Ohio. Arndt holds a Masters Degree in Political Science and a Bachelors Degree in General Studies, both from Eastern Illinois University, and is an International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Credentialed Manager.



James (Jim) Halasz has been the County Administrator for Halifax County, Virginia for the past six years, and before that he spent twelve years serving as the Deputy City Manager for the City of Staunton, Virginia. In total he has more than 28 years of local government experience in addition to four years of experience working for Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee. Halasz holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Michigan State University and a Bachelors Degree from Siena Heights College.



Cole ODonnell has more than 20 years of local government experience. He most recently served the City of Dixon, Illinois as City Manager. Before that, he was the City Administrator for the City of East Moline, Illinois for five years and the City Administrator for the City of Algona, Iowa for almost 12 years. ODonnell is a graduate of Iowa State University and holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelors Degree in Political Science. He also is an ICMA Credentialed Manager.



James (Mark) Rooney also has an accomplished background with more than 22 years of local government experience and a distinguished career in the United States Army. He most recently served as Village Manager for the Villages of Carpentersville and Wheeling, Illinois, and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring from duty in 2014. Rooney holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics and History from the University of Nebraska, is a Graduate of Command & General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and is also an ICMA Credentialed Manager.



Mayor Harless said, I am extremely pleased with how the search is progressing and the experience of the candidates who have applied for the City Manager position. The recruitment has generated an exceptional number of quality candidates, and the City Commission looks forward to learning more about our four finalists during the on-site interview process.



On May 21 and 22, the four finalists will be in Paducah. The public is invited to a meet & greet reception on May 21, (the time and location have yet to be determined). In addition to the reception, the candidates will participate in face-to-face interviews with the board, tour the city, and meetwith department directors. Also, SGR will continue the vetting process on the candidates including a psychometric assessment, media search, and a rigorous background investigation.



Applications were accepted for the position through April 13, which resulted in an applicant pool of 32 candidates from 17 states with 19 of the candidates having city manager or assistant/deputy city manager experience. On April 17th, the Paducah Board of Commissioners met with SGR Senior Vice President Doug Thomas to review the candidate pool and select semifinalists to continue in the search process. That process narrowed the candidate pool to ten semifinalists. Those candidates completed a comprehensive questionnaire, online video interviews, an applicant Predictive Index Assessment, and additional application materials.



Commissioners narrowed the field to four candidates on May 9th.



In January, the Board selected SGR of Keller, Texas to conduct and assist in the nationwide search for the recruitment and selection of Paducahs next City Manager. Parks & Recreation Director Mark Thompson has been serving as Interim City Manager since January 13th.





In other business, the commissioners acted on a notice of intent for storm water discharges from City of Paducah.



The Paducah Board of Commissioners approved a municipal order to submit a Notice of Intent to the Kentucky Division of Water to be authorized for storm water discharges from our Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (SMS4). The Kentucky Division of Water has reissued Paducahs permit to operate the SMS4. The current permit is for May 1, 2018, through April 30, 2023. Within thirty days of the May 1st effective date, Paducah must submit this Notice of Intent. The City has held its permit since 2003. An SMS4 permit requires a variety of information including a sewer system map showing all major storm sewer outfalls, the names and locations of streams, and the delineation of the watershed drainage areas. The permit also requires the City to provide an annual report of its best management practices including public education, public involvement, pollution prevention, detection and elimination of illicit discharges, control of the runoff from construction sites, and construction management practices. For more information on this subject visit http://paducahky.gov/storm-water-phase-ii.



The Paducah Board of Commissioners and Department Directors also participated in a Budget Workshop. Fiscal year 2019 begins July 1 with the Board to approve the budget in June. At this meeting, Interim City Manager Mark Thompson kicked off the budget workshop by explaining the development of the Fiscal Year 2019 budget began in January. Departments have been meeting with the Finance Department and the City Manager to prepare their budget drafts and to look at ways to stretch already tight appropriations. Thompson says, We have to think about systemic changes so that we can still make progress in the city.



After a presentation about the General Fund, each Department then provided an overview of staffing, operations, past successes, and proposed departmental changes and budgetary needs. At this meeting the following departments gave presentations: Finance, General Government, Information Technology, Human Resources, Planning, Parks & Recreation, Police, Fire, and Engineering & Public Works.



Thompson also explained that even though they are working on the Fiscal Year 2019 Budget, they are thinking ahead to the Fiscal Year 2020 Budget. He explained that four committees will be created soon, each led by two members of the Board of Commissioners, to develop plans regarding the following topics: City-owned facilities, vehicles, support of outside agencies, and revenue opportunities. Each committee will be challenged to either find efficiencies or new strategies regarding these topics. The plan is to have recommendations from these committees by January as the City enters the Fiscal Year 2020 budget process.



The budget discussions will continue at a workshop to be held May 23rd.
The Wetzel County Grand Jury met behind closed doors recently and returned several indictments. They are as follows:

Joshua Stephen Lyons, 36, of 1778 Villers Road, New Martinsville, was indicted by the Wetzel County Grand Jury with two felony charges  Child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, and malicious assault.

Joseph Tyler Marcum, 28, of 1421 6th Ave., Charleston, W.Va., received a five count felony indictment and a separate two count felony indictment from the Wetzel County Grand Jury. He is charged with escape from custody, grand larceny, felony destruction of property, felony destruction of property, and fleeing in a vehicle from a law enforcement officer.

The other indictment charges him with grand larceny and felony destruction of property. Both indictments and all seven offenses are alleged to have occurred in Wetzel County on April 27.

Collin Anthony Reynolds, 23, of 632b Brown Ferry Road, Carmichaels, Pa., received a one count felony indictment from the Wetzel County Grand Jury for sexual abuse in the first degree. The offense is alleged to have occurred in Wetzel County on September 18, 2017.

Jimmy D. Freeze, 43, of 217 South Mill Street, Orrville, Ohio, was indicted by the Wetzel County Grand Jury on two felony counts  Possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) with intent to deliver, and possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) with intent to deliver.

Both offenses are alleged to have occurred on August 5, 2017 in Wetzel County.

Joshua Samuel Henry, 36, of 643 James Street, New Martinsville, is charged in a one count felony indictment by the Wetzel County Grand Jury with obtaining a controlled substance (Xanax) by misrepresentation, fraud, or deception.

The offense is alleged to have occurred on Feb. 14 in New Martinsville, Wetzel County.

Jason Earl Higginbotham, 33, of 27 1/2 Chestnut Street, Idamay, W.Va., is charged in a two count felony indictment by the Wetzel County Grand Jury  possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) with intent to deliver.

Both offenses are alleged to have occurred on Jan. 28 in Wetzel County.

Patricia Jane Jenkins, 39, of 214 Coal Lick Run Road, Mannington, W.Va., is charged in a two count felony indictment by the Wetzel County Grand Jury  possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) with intent to deliver.

Both offenses are alleged to have occurred on January 28, 2018, in Wetzel County.

Daniel Ray Kessler, 19, of 187 N. St. Rt. 2, Apt. E 204, New Martinsville, is charged in a one count felony indictment by the Wetzel County Grand Jury with Robbery in the second degree. The offense is alleged to have occurred on January 6, 2018, in Wetzel County.

Dillon Keith Lemasters, 25, of 1155 Crows Run Road, Reader, was indicted by the Wetzel County Grand Jury with two felony offenses of conspiracy to commit nighttime burglary and nighttime burglary. Both offenses are alleged to have occurred on March 16 in Wetzel County.

Caitlin Taylor Parsons, 27, of 4890 Veterans Highway, New Martinsville, WV, received a one count felony indictment from the Wetzel County Grand Jury charging her with possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) with intent to deliver. The offense is alleged to have occurred on October 5, 2017, in Wetzel County.

Kimberly Dawn Quinn, 32, of 329 Maple Ave., New Martinsville, was indicted by the Wetzel County Grand Jury on a four count indictment. Counts one and two are felony offenses of Aid in concealing stolen goods and conspiracy to aid in concealing stolen goods. Counts three and four are misdemeanor offenses of transferring stolen goods and conspiracy to transfer stolen goods. All four offenses are alleged to have occurred in November 2017, in Wetzel County.

Austin David Rhodes, 22, of 401 Front Street, Friendly, was indicted by the Wetzel County Grand Jury on two felony counts of conspiracy to commit nighttime burglary and nighttime burglary. Both offenses are alleged to have occurred in Wetzel County on March 16.

Elizabeth Ann Shaver, 26, of 112 Helen Street, Paden City, received a one count felony indictment from the Wetzel County Grand Jury for possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) with intent to deliver. The offense is alleged to have occurred on Feb. 21 in Wetzel County.

Courtney Alina White, 29, of 28 Rose Street Lot 88N, New Martinsville, was indicted by the Wetzel County Grand Jury on 13 counts. She was charged with two counts of forgery, two counts of uttering, eight counts of conspiracy and one count of financial exploitation of an elderly person. All 13 counts are felonies and are alleged to have occurred during the month of July 2017, in Wetzel County.

Joshua Raymond Wilson, 35, of 1133 4th Street Lot 88N., New Martinsville, received a four count indictment from the Wetzel County Grand Jury charging him with two felonies and two misdemeanors. He is charged with Aid in concealing stolen goods, and conspiracy to aid in stolen goods (both felonies) and transferring stolen goods plus conspiracy to transfer stolen goods (both misdemeanors). The offenses are alleged to have occurred in November and December of 2017.
Die Bundesregierung ist wegen der Steuerreform von Donald Trump alarmiert. Nach SPIEGEL-Informationen erwartet das Finanzministerium, dass deutsche Firmen mit US-Ablegern ihre Geschafte bald verstarkt in das Land verlagern.

Source: Finanzministerium: Trumps Steuerreform trifft fast 5000 deutsche Firmen  SPIEGEL ONLINE  Wirtschaft

I woke this morning and thought about my own line of thinking on what is happening

The EU is the actual target in all this financial games going onwe started with Russia and sanctions. This hurts the EU.Now China and games. This hurts the EU.Now Iran and games. This hurts the EU the most. We even threaten the EU with sanctions if they still trade with Iran

Merry Christmas EU! You are the target of the end run of the USA games

DER SPIEGEL is trying to tell the German people; Wake up and that means the EU better wake up

I started to do some contemplating with this post the other day

Wake up EU. America is gunning for you

I am an American: What do you not understand about America First? Were against Everyone and everything and every country

WtR
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May 16, 2018 | By Tim Patterson

Nanfeng Co., Ltd announced that its subsidiary Nanfang Additive Manufacturing Technology Co,.Ltd reached an agreement with the Tubular Goods Research Institute of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for a development project for special fittings, which will make use of additive manufacturing. The two sides have signed a contract for joint technology development.

According to the contract, the CNPC Tubular Goods Research Institute will commission Nanfang Additive Manufacturing to develop special 3D printing materials and manufacturing processes for electron-beam additive manufacturing of three-way pipe fittings, to complete electron-beam additive manufacturing of two thick-walled, large-diameter three-way pipe fittings, and to develop special 3D printing materials for repairing pipeline/pipe fittings.

In an official announcement by China National Petroleum Corporation released at the end of March, the CNPC Tubular Goods Research Institute first declared its intent to use this EBM additive manufacturing technology in the production of high-grade, large-caliber, and thick-walled three-way pipe fittings. This will be the first time this is carried out in China.

Product performance for these 3D printed fittings should meet the standard requirements for OD1422 X80 hot extrusion three-way pipe fittings, which are used in the low-temperature conditions of the East Railway Station. This will be the first application of metal 3D printing technology by Nanfang Additive Manufacturing for oil and gas pipelines. Previously, the main application for the technology was in the field of nuclear power.

In early February 2018, a major breakthrough was achieved by China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN)s technical research project. The project was looking at the use of 3D printing technology for creating spare parts, as part of the nuclear power plant repair process. The research team successfully used EBM additive manufacturing technology to fabricate an end cap for a refrigerating machine, and this part was installed in the compressed air production system of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power plant, in Guangdong province. It also successfully passed the quality check.

This was one of the first joint R&D initiatives between CGN and Nanfang Additive Manufacturing, after the two companies had signed the "CGN Nuclear Power Plant Additive Manufacturing Technology and R&D Cooperation Agreement" back in December 2017.

According to CNPC Tubular Goods Research Institute, fabricating large-diameter, high-strength thick-walled three-way pipe fittings has always been a major obstacle for the construction of high-pressure long-distance pipelines in China. The traditional hot extrusion manufacturing method is limited by the thermal processing capability of the equipment, and it is not capable of meeting the standard wall thickness requirements.

In the hot-drawing process of the branch pipe, the multiple high-temperature heat treatment and subsequent heat treatment would result in significant differences in the microstructure and properties of the surface and central parts. The yield strength and Charpy impact energy absorption at the central part were significantly decreased. Welding of the three-way pipe body would use the manual arc welding approach, which has low welding efficiency, and the weld line's impact and toughness would be the weakest part of the entire pipe fitting.

EBM 3D printing technology is a major step forward from the methods traditionally used for creating these pipe fittings. It makes use of digital models and intelligent manufacturing systems, with no mold processing. The technique faces no limitations in terms of the thickness of the parts produced, so it is capable of meeting wall thickness requirements, and the product quality is also very stable. The electron-beam 3D printed parts demonstrate excellent performance, with mechanical properties that reach or even exceed the level of those produced by forging.

According to Nanfang Additive Manufacturing, this new collaboration will see the two parties working hard to overcome the obstacles in the production of large-diameter, high-strength and thick-walled three-way pipe fittings for high-pressure long-distance pipelines. The cooperation will also help further enhance the companys metal 3D printing technology R&D.

This partnership will open up a new field of applications for Nanfang Additive Manufacturing's heavy metal 3D printing technology. At present, pipes produced in China do not adapt well to the low temperatures and bad weather conditions that Sino-Russian oil pipelines must endure. On the other hand, the prices of imported pipes that can meet these conditions are prohibitively high. The potential of 3D printing technology to overcome this issue could prove to be highly valuable.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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There's nothing around here we like more than shopping. But do-good shopping is the ultimate.

Lily Kanter, CEO of the just-launched Mill Valleybased Boon Supply, concurs: 50 percent of the proceeds on home, kitchen, lifestyle and outdoor goods sold on the brand's website will go to the cause of one's choice. Plus, shoppers can start their own personal fundraisers, GoFundMe style, for schools, nonprofits, whatever. (ICYMI: A retailer donating half of the purchase price of a product is pretty darn amazing.)

As soon as we heard what Kanter was up to (from our friend Gina Pell), we needed to know more. After all, she's the Lily in Serena & Lily (swoon!) among other impressive things. Luckily for us, the founder was more than happy to kvell about her new baby.

Find out what inspired her to start her biz with purpose, how it works, and what great (and affordable) goodies you can buy in our Q+A below.

7x7: What inspired you to start Boon Supply?

Lily Kanter: "I had been dreaming about a democratized cause-shopping platform for many years. I was approached by a friend to acquire a school fundraising business, and after reviewing the opportunity, the light bulb went offto transform the existing business."

7x7: Can you explain exactly how it works?

LK: "Boon Supply is a retail company that gives 50 percent of the purchase price from all items to the cause of the purchaser's choice. The user can shop to support an existing fundraiser on the site or start a new fundraiser for any micro or macro cause."

7x7: How do you choose the brands/products you sell?

LK: "We utilized many of the products of the existing fundraising company we acquired with a new twist on design, color, and pattern. All the products are exclusivewe design and develop products directly with the factories. My favorites are the compost bin, our shopping totes and, because I have three boys, the packing cubes, which are like having drawers inside your bag when you travel."

7x7: What are your goals for raising money?

LK: "We have already given back over $10 million since acquiring the existing school fundraising business less than a year ago. Our goal is to get that number up 10 times, and as quickly as possible."

7x7: What are you doing to get the word out?

LK: "We have partnered with a large number of schools and arts foundations throughout Marin County as part of our launch. Also, we've partnered with many nonprofits including Every Mother Counts, 826 Valencia, Futures Without Violence, GO Campaign, America Scores, ByKids, and the Animal Rescue Fund for the Hamptons."

7x7: Let's talk about your pre-Boon Supply career.

LK: "Before launching Mill Valley Baby & Kids and Serena & Lily, I spent 17 years in accounting and technologythe last eight years at a corporate job at Deloitte & Touche and Microsoft. My professional background is deep in accounting and systems integration. I spent 12 years building Serena & Lily and was schooled on the job in design, product development, merchandising and all the other areas of an omni-channel consumer brand. I got involved in many nonprofits in 2000 after leaving Microsoft. Boon Supply is a combination of everything I've been doing and passionate about for the past 30 years."

7x7: What's next now that you've officially launched?

LK: "We are focused on impact and how to really optimize the model for success, super excited about our gifting assortment launch this fall/holiday season. We'll also will be adding artisan products from special projects around the world."

7x7: What's a day like in the life of Lily Kanter?

LK: "I'm having a blast working on my passion project. Going to nonprofit events is now part of my work life, and my family enjoys travelling the world. We will be volunteering this summer in a refugee camp in Northern Kenya with IsraAid."

// Check out Boon Supply and do some good.
Market Research Future adds the Bioactive Fillings Market Research Report- Global Forecast till 2023 report to their unique collection. The global bioactive fillings market is expected to reach USD 6.8 billion by 2023.

Market Synopsis of Global Bioactive fillings Market

Market Scenario

Bioactive fillings are surface reactive glass-ceramic biomaterials and have interaction with biological tissues. Bioactive fillings have biocompatibility and bioactivity and thus have a high application as implant material in the human body to repair and replace diseased tissue. Bioactive fillings reacts with the biological tissues in two phases. In the first phase, alkali metal ions are leached from the glass and replaced with hydrogen ions and in the second phase, the Si-O-Si bonds in the silica matrix undergo hydrolysis, yielding a gel-like surface layer rich on Si-O-H groups. In the ultimate stage, calcium phosphate-rich layer forms over the surface of the filling, sealing any further leaching. Bioactive fillings, interact with the body, and have been used in orthopaedics for decades. Bioactive fillings are made from compounds such as silicon oxide, calcium oxide, and phosphorous oxide, and has antimicrobial effect due to the release of calcium and phosphate ions which have an antibacterial activity and also tend to neutralize the local acidic pH. Bioactive fillings prolong the life of fillings because their antibacterial effects and replacement of lost minerals.

View Reports Sample @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/937

The market drivers for global bioactive fillings market are rise in demand due to growing population, technological advancements, greater emphasis on restorative procedures, rising safety and success of bioactive fillings treatment, and others. The market restraints are poor mechanical weakness, low fracture resistance, poor load-bearing capacity and mechanical strength, possible toxicity, high cost of bioactive fillings treatment, rejection of the bioactive fillings and others.

The global bioactive fillings market is expected to reach USD 6.8 billion by 2023, and the market is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~ 9.2 % during the forecast period 2017-2023.

Intended Audience

Global Bioactive fillings manufacturers & suppliers

Research and development (R&D) companies

Hospitals and clinics

Academic institutes and universities



Segments

The global bioactive fillings market has been segmented on the basis of material, applications and end user.

Based on the material, the market has been segmented as silicon dioxide based, calcium oxide based, phosphorus pentoxide based, and sodium oxide based.

Based on the applications, the market has been segmented as orthopedic, dental, tissue engineering and others.

Based on the end user, the market has been segmented as orthopedic hospitals, dental hospitals, research and academics and others.



Regional Analysis

The Americas account for a significant market share owing to high expenditure on the health care especially of the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, the greater number of restorative procedures in the U.S. and Canada drives the bioactive fillings market. The high concentration of the major hospitals in the developed countries of this region coupled with good reimbursement rates is adding fuel to the market growth. Moreover, the large share of surgical restoration segment procedures in the returns of hospitals favors the market. The large number of medical devices companies in the U.S. is also a cause for the faster development of bioactive fillings market in the US.

Europe is the second largest market in the world due to growing medical devices industry and healthcare penetration. The European market growth is led by countries such as Germany and France. Germany is expected to be the fastest growing market over the assessment period due to its large medical devices industry and its large research base.

Asia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly. China and India are likely to lead this market due to fast growing healthcare sector and large unmet needs over the forecast period. The South East Asian countries such as China, India, and Malaysia are projected to contribute highly to the market growth. The growing penetration of healthcare industry in the Asia Pacific region is expected to drive the future bioactive fillings market in the region.

Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are estimated to drive the Middle East & African market. Other Middle East nations to watch out for are Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and Iran. The African region is expected to witness a poor growth owing to poor economic and political conditions, and poor healthcare development. Other regions are expected to be laggards due to poor social development and tribal identities such as sub Saharan Africa.

Request Full Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/bioactive-fillings-market-937

Key Players in the Global Bioactive fillings Market

Some of the key players profiled in the report are Septodont, Inc., DePuy Synthes, Medtronic, Stryker, Zimmer Biomet, SCHOTT AG, Aap Implantate AG, GNI GROUP LTD., Arthrex, Inc., Baxter, and others.



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Major contract win

Sydney, May 16, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - EnviroSuite Limited ( ASX:EVS ) ( FRA:57P ) is pleased to advise that it has secured a major contract in the Middle East with a large state owned public works authority for a city-wide odour monitoring and management system.Highlights- Largest ever contract signed for Envirosuite ($1.5m AUD)- First contract win in the Middle East region- Highly strategic use case for the Envirosuite solutionThis is a new client contract and is not related to the trial announced in the March quarterly sales update released on 9 April 2018, which is for another client in the Middle East region.The contract is worth $1.17m USD (c.$1.5m AUD) for an initial 12 month period. Although the contract does not specify a breakdown of the amounts attributable to software and hardware, for the benefit of investors, the nature of the software component in this solution, if sold in isolation would be in excess of $250,000 AUD. Subsequent to the initial period, Envirosuite anticipates that the solution will remain in place under a new SaaS contract for the ongoing provision of the solution.Due to the amplified effects of high temperatures in the Middle East, urban sewer networks are known to create high levels of Hydrogen sulphide which creates odour nuisance impacts in communities. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a colorless, flammable, extremely hazardous gas with a "rotten egg" smell and it's emissions are a major cause of odour complaints globally. It occurs naturally in crude petroleum and natural gas, and can be produced by the breakdown of organic matter (e.g. sewage). The client has been routinely receiving complaints about odours escaping from the sewer network throughout the city.The client required a system that monitors H2S releases from manholes, vents and pumping stations and allows for a proactive system of early warning of potential problems to operators. The solution will also assist the public works authority with managing odour nuisance complaints.Envirosuite will be providing its industry leading Environmental Compliance and Incident Intelligence solutions that allows for visualisation and proactive management through approximately 40 proprietary monitoring stations placed at locations around the city.Envirosuite Chief Executive Officer, Peter White commented:"This win provides substantial evidence of growing traction in our sales efforts as well as further geographic expansion for our world-leading environmental monitoring and management solution. This sale is also strategic, as we believe it to be the first ever regional-scale sewer network monitoring implementation globally.The deal highlights an expanding spectrum of deal quantum as we offer our solutions beyond the operational site level to a city or regional level.As populations continue to grow in urban communities, interest in the use of regional network monitoring systems to assist in managing odour nuisance complaints is growing rapidly. Envirosuite is ideally positioned to be the leader in this emerging global space, in addition to our other industry verticals. This positioning for Envirosuite is enabled by world renowned expertise in odour management, which is embedded in our software."About EnviroSuite Limited

EnviroSuite Limited (ASX:EVS) (FRA:57P) is an environmental management technology company that has developed a leading Software-as-Service platform which translates data into action in real-time.

Using proprietary algorithms built on more than 30 years of environmental consulting experience, Envirosuite's platform provides a range of environmental monitoring, management and investigative capabilities.

Envirosuite's platform is used worldwide by a range of clients in the mining, oil refining, transportation and water management industries and by governments looking to regulate industry in accordance with community well-being.

To learn more, please visit: http://www.envirosuite.com
It is a war you rarely see, but one that defines the US' relationship with Iran and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.

Rare images from inside Yemen's city of Taiz show the devastation wrought by months of fighting between Houthi forces backed by Iran and Yemeni government forces, bolstered by Saudi Arabia and its US-equipped air power. They also expose the startling levels of hunger and disease in a conflict that so often goes unseen, even though a child under the age of five dies of preventable causes every 10 minutes.

The fight in Taiz has led to a slow victory for the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, but at a great cost to the city and its inhabitants.

Startling drone footage by Brazilian photographer Gabriel Chaim shows how barely a wall has escaped the force of Saudi air power, and at times Houthi shelling too.

Mayhoub, a US aid worker from Washington, DC, set up a charity in Taiz after finding himself trapped in the city by the war when visiting his sick mother. He happened to be in hospital when he saw an eight-year-old girl come in with horrific injuries from shelling.

"A little girl came into the hospital with her heart out," Mayhoub told CNN, without giving his full name as aid workers are often targeted in Taiz. "And you could see her heart pumping. It's inhumane. Who sends shells into the most heavily crowded city in Yemen?"

Mayhoub led Chaim, the photographer, around the city, explaining where the Houthis retained positions from where they could shell Taiz. The conflict in the city has been further complicated as the Houthis' enemies have begun fighting among themselves, making a reprieve in the violence even less likely.

The impact on the youngest Yemenis is also acute, as images from Camp al Mahu -- a haven near Lahj -- devastatingly show. Here, tiny nine-year-old Mailiki Seif weighs just 2 kilograms, reduced to twigs of bone. Her mother, Mariam, says this is actually an improvement.

"When we came here as displaced people, there was nothing wrong with her," she said, cradling her daughter's fragile frame. "Then she started to have measles, diarrhea and vomiting. She got very skinny." Only emergency rations have kept the little girl alive.

Mariam said she is from the Red Sea city of Mokha, but airstrikes forced her family to flee. Her husband's brother and son were among 25 people who died in a strike.

"They were hit by a jet in the market. The airstrikes were hitting very close to our home." She said they fled to the camp "because there is war everywhere except for here."

Only the pro-government Yemeni forces benefit from the backing of an air force -- usually Saudi but sometimes from the United Arab Emirates.

The Saudi air force has been accused of causing hundreds of civilian casualties in their intensive bombardment of Houthi-controlled areas.

The country and its allies back the internationally recognized Yemeni government and has imposed blockades on the parts of the country several times, hampering the delivery of aid.

More than 10,000 civilians have died and 40,000 have been wounded in the war, which has left 15 million Yemenis without access to clean water.

Saudi Arabia denies targeting civilians and rejected a UN report last year that blacklisted the country for deaths and injuries to children in the Yemen war.

The toll on the country's civilians has brought the US' support for the Saudis into question. In a recent admission of how deep and blind the US assistance to the Saudi air force is, US Central Command chief Gen. Joseph Votel said that while US fuel transport provides mid-air refueling for Saudi jets, they are not able to say which targets those jets go on to bomb.

During recent congressional testimony, Senator Elizabeth Warren asked if the US military was -- when it gets credible reports that civilians were killed in Saudi airstrikes -- "able to tell if US fuel or US munitions were used in that strike?"

Votel replied: "No, Senator, I don't believe we are."
London Gatwick secured a new record in April with long haul connections +21.0% driving cargo tonnage for the month, +23.2% on last year.





A total of 3.7 million passengers travelled through Gatwick in April with the airport set to further increase the global connectivity it provides for passengers with Qatar Airways starting a new route to Doha in May  opening up greater onward connectivity to Asia and Australia.



As well as growing long haul connectivity and global export capability, the airport has also announced the start of its seasonal summer recruitment with 1,200 new roles available. Roles are available across the retail and restaurant portfolio as well as aircraft servicing teams, enhancing Gatwick's regional role, where the airport currently supports one in every 12 jobs.



In April, the airports North Atlantic routes performed particularly well, with Boston, Los Angeles and New York +79.9%, 60.5% and 38.3% respectively. Other destinations proving particularly popular were - Goa +66.3%, Hong Kong +59.8% and Dubai +15.2%.





Above: An A380 taking off from Gatwick.

Courtesy Gatwick



The change in short-haul passenger traffic in April 2018, relative to the prior year, largely reflects the timing of school Easter holidays, which were concentrated in April 2017 but spread across March and April this year.



Gatwick Airport Chief Executive Officer Stewart Wingate said: Aprils figures demonstrate the key role that Gatwick plays both for the country and the local area - with exceptionally strong long haul and cargo growth.



We are adding more global connections this month, starting another brand new route, to Doha - providing Gatwick passengers greater onward connectivity to Asia and Australia and increased cargo capacity for Britain.



Closer to home, we are delighted to be recruiting for our seasonal summer support across the airport with roles available in our retail and restaurant portfolio as well as aircraft servicing teams  further boosting the role that Gatwick plays in our region where the airport already supports one in every 12 jobs."
Note: While we're glad to see repercussions, the fact that children were injured and died means there is no joy in this post. Just an obligation to share with readers.



From the Manila Times:



The Department of Justice (DoJ) has summoned former President Benigno Aquino 3rd and two former Cabinet secretaries to respond to the criminal charges filed against them in connection with the series of deaths and serious illnesses of children inoculated with the controversial anti-dengue Dengvaxia vaccine.

A panel of investigating prosecutors issued a subpoena compelling Aquino and his former aides to appear today, May 15.



The DoJ will conduct its preliminary investigation on the complaint filed by two anti-crime advocacy groups and the families assisted by the Public Attorneys Office (PAO).

Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Rossane Balauag heads the DoJ panel. The members are Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Hazel Decena Valdez and Assistant State Prosecutors Consuelo Corazon Pazziuagan and Gino Paolo Santiago.

The complaint was filed by Philippine Anti-Corruption Commission Commissioner and Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) lawyer Manuelito Luna, and Eligio Mallari of the Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution Inc. Read more here.
Note: Like you, we find this rather hard to believe.



Many children eventually diagnosed with autism lose social skills between 18 months and 3 years of age. But few parents notice this trend, according to data from a large Norwegian study.++

Researchers presented the unpublished results yesterday at the 2018 International Society for Autism Research annual meeting in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Parents notice regression in only 2 percent of the children who lost social skills, according to the study.

Regression can be characterized by either a sharp or gradual loss of language, social and other skills. Many more children with autism regress than researchers originally thought, says Alexandra Havdahl, a research fellow at Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, who presented the findings. Read more art Spectrum News here.




















There are many Jews who are very much against the latest killing of Palestinians in Israeli-controlled Gaza. But did you notice that not too many of these Jews are given the time of day in the mass-media? That is apparently because same alleged manipulative aliens that control the mass-media apparently control Israel's aggressive "Zionist" actions.

The mass media and Israel have sought to recruit "pro-Killing Spree" talking heads to repeat the same "party line" that the killings have been a necessary for the state of Israel to "defend itself" and that Israel's government implicitly "speaks for Jews". But as a Jew, it is apparent that the State of Israel through such governmental actions is a betrayal of the Jewish people who had suffered through the Holocaust during World War II.

Arguably, Israel in spite of its label as a Jewish state can be said through its actions to speak no more for Jews than does U.S. President Donald Trump speak for "white people".

The barbaric gas-ing and killing of innocent women and children by Israel's government shows that it's being controlled by the same alleged alien demons which had once used the Nazis as their front under Hitler. Having killed millions of Jews, the demons reportedly infiltrate so-called leaders who call themselves Jews and turn their attention to inflicting open air concentration camps against Palestinians and other Muslims based upon Pagan Gnostic insights revealed on metahistory.org.

The Nazis had once portrayed the Jews as "terrorists" that must be extinguished. As Micheal Salla points out in his Typology of Extraterrestrials, it's the manipulative aliens linked to Artificial Intelligence (AI) which allegedly prop-up an oppressive imperial political-military-industrial complex on Earth which orchestrate "terrorism".



It's vital that the majority of Jews who support having peace, love and empathy for each other including the Palestinians help expose the apparent hypocrisy of Israel's apparent Nazi-inspired archons who now turn their eyes to helping to perpetrate a Holocaust against Palestinians and other Muslims. This is vital if we, as humans, are to avoid a manipulative alien false flag scenario toward a so-called "New World Order".

The mind that that also poses as Arab leaders of governments and so-called "terrorist organizations" that also condone killings like Israel's governing elites also betrays the alien psychopaths described by Dr. Michael Salla, David Icke and others.

The elites on both sides of the "War on Terrorism" betray the mind control of manipulative aliens which seek to "divide, rule and conquer" humanity by infiltrating Jewish, Muslims and other groups with psychopaths that carry out barbaric actions against Jewish and Muslims populations.

The on-going conflict between Israel and its neighbours in the context of the so-called "War on Terrorism" is apparently entirely artificial and this orchestration was revealed in an excerpt of the 80's film "They Live" which explored the alleged presence of demonic aliens masquerading as humans and instigating a "War on Terorism" (above video)

When one looks at the Jewish diaspora and inside the private lives of Jews inside Israel, we can observe Jews and Muslims getting along including with Muslims who are Palestinians. Similarly, if Israel was actually being run by these same Jews, you would not see Palestinians getting killed.

Instead you would see Jews inviting Palestinians to peaceful assemblies and to Shabbat dinners into their homes for a dialogue toward a vibrant multicultural Israel alongside a thriving Palestinian state, and that's the spirit of the Jewish people who view all Muslims as fellow human beings.

If the Palestinians were not similarly the targets of manipulation by these apparent demons, you would see in the media the Muslims who also invite Jews into their homes for celebrations. Indeed, there are many Arab Israelis who as private citizens get along well with their Jewish neighbours and the Palestinians in Gaza could also if they were not being subjected to acts of barbarity not by Jews but by apparent alien demons that reign terrorism against unarmed civilians in inhumane conditions in Gaza.

Conflict in Israel involving such killings is the apparent orchestration of manipulative alien mind control which seeks out willing human hosts for evil deeds against other humans. Indeed, in his "Typology of Extraterrestrials". Dr. Salla points out that through a global "political-military-industrial complex" manipulative aliens have sought to "divide, rule and conquer" and as Jews who say about the Holocaust "never again", we must oppose an evil which operators through impostors who call themselves "Jews".

We must not through advocacy or through silence allow Judaism to be seized by those responsible for killings, destruction and mayhem. Let us not relive aspects of the Holocaust as we allow the name of Judaism to be taken by apparent Nazi apologists.

For Jews who are liberated from the same manipulative alien intelligence which allegedly ruled over Nazi Germany, there is no moral defence for the recent killings of Palestinians protesting on their side of the in Gaza. Instead there's shock and horror among the silenced majority of Jews across the world at further loss in innocent human lives under the reign terror by the archons who mis-label themselves as Jews. Recent actions by a political-military-industrial complex against Gaza have been an abomination against Judaism and humanity in general.
Before reaching series production, Airbus aircraft undergo a complex, rigorous flight test and certification campaign. Once approved and certified, the aircraft is cleared for service. This extensive process is detailed in the paragraphs below, with specific examples from Airbus A380, A350 XWB and A320neo.

Airbus 21st century flagship A380 was certified by the two major international governing bodies  the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)  in December 2006, following a programme that began more than five years earlier and ultimately comprised more than 2,600 flight hours with a fleet of five test aircraft.

To ensure the A350 XWBs reliability from the moment it entered commercial service in January 2015, Airbus implemented one of the most thorough test programmes ever developed for a jetliner. Lasting just over 14 months, an industry record, the A350-900 flight test and certification programme comprised a five-aircraft fleet that performed over 2,600 flight hours in total  with Type Certification received from EASA and FAA in September and November 2014, respectively.

Testing and certification of the A320neo Family of jetliners involve six versions, with the A319neo, A320neo and A321neo undergoing validation of their airframe, systems and the two powerplant options offered on each aircraft type: CFM Internationals LEAP-1A and Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1100G-JM engines. The campaigns also confirmed the aircraft meet their performance targets in terms of fuel burn and range  based on the latest-generation engine choices and large Sharklet wingtip devices.
Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic have signed a joint venture (JV) agreement on expanding their existing transatlantic co-operation.

The new deal sets out the terms of governance as well as the commercial and operational terms of the expanded JV.

Air France-KLM is to acquire a 31% stake in Virgin Atlantic, the share currently held by Virgin Group, for 220m. Virgin Group will retain a 20% stake and chairmanship of Virgin Atlantic, while Delta will retain its 49% stake.

Air France-KLM, Delta and Virgin Atlantic said that they will now co-ordinate efforts to secure the regulatory approvals required for the new arrangements.

According to a statement from the carriers, the expanded JV will offer the most comprehensive route network across the Atlantic.

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Denmark-based logistics player DSV has opened an office in the Central American republic of Panama.

We open the doors to our new office in Panama City, an important hub for Central America and the Caribbean, not least due to [its] free zones, informed Torge Koehnke, executive vice president LATAM region at DSV Air & Sea.

It is a strategic decision to move into Panama. Many of our customers use Panamas free zones to distribute goods to the Central American and Caribbean markets, Koehnke continued.

In addition, Panama is an attractive place to store products and establish distribution to the countries in the region due to the tax benefits available.

Jonas Thoroe, managing director, DSV Air & Sea Panama, who is in charge in the newly opened office, added: With an office in Panama City, we are expanding our Air & Sea network and look forward to supporting current and new customers alike with their logistics requirements.

Panama represents an important market for a logistics operator, DSV said in a statement. The country is politically stable, with a growing economy, and offers a healthy and professional business environment, it said.

Furthermore, as well as its own domestic market, Panama represents an important hub for distribution of goods to other Central American and Caribbean countries, DSV posited.

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This peculiar device, in the collection of the Science Museum in South Kensington, London, looks like a tiny gas chamber a movie villain would use. Throw in your enemyin this case, a small innocent canaryclose the hatch, turn open the valve to let in poisonous gas from the cylinder above, and then laugh manically as the bird suffocates and die.

In reality, its the opposite. This device is used not to kill canaries, but to revive them. The cylinder attached to the top of the metal box contains life giving oxygen. They are known as Canary Resuscitators.

Until about thirty years ago, coal miners used to go down to work carrying canaries with them in glass chambers such as these. Underground mines can contain potentially deadly gases such as carbon monoxide that can form during an accident such as fire or an explosion. The odorless and colorless gas is equally deadly to both humans and canaries alike, but canaries are much more susceptible to the gas, and reacts more quickly and visibly than humans do, thus alerting miners to the presence of the poisonous gas.

When a disaster strikes inside a mine, rescue workers would descend into the mine carrying a canary in a Resuscitator. The glass and metal box has a circular open door in the front to let air in, but a grill prevents the canary from escaping. If there is carbon monoxide in the air, the canary would show signs of distress. It would start swaying noticeably on its perch and eventually fall of it. If the canary loses consciousness, the door to the box would be closed and the valve opened, allowing oxygen from the tank on top to be released and revive the canary. The miners would then evacuate the danger area.

Photo credit: www.healeyhero.co.uk

The idea of using canaries was first proposed by John Haldane, a Scottish physiologist noted for his discoveries of the physiology of breathing and the nature of gases and its effect on the human body. Haldane would famously lock himself up in sealed chambers breathing potentially lethal cocktails of gases while he took notes recording how it felt to be slowly poisoned. During the First World War, Haldane went to the front to identify the poison gas used by the Germans, leading to the invention of the first gas mask.

Haldane also investigated numerous mine disasters, and discovered that carbon monoxide was the lethal constituent that killed most miners after noticing that their bodies were stained cherry-pinkthe result of a compound that formed in blood when carbon monoxide combined with hemoglobin.

In the late 1890s, Haldane began experimenting on small animals like white mice and canaries. Small animals have faster metabolism rate, and hence show the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning much earlier even in the presence of small quantities of the noxious gas. Canaries are especially good at detecting toxins in the air because of their specialized respiratory system.

Animation showing the difference between human and bird respiratory system. Image credit: Eleanor Lutz

Like all birds, canaries have a complicated respiratory system designed to collect as much oxygen as possible from the air. This is important for birds because flying uses a lot of energy. Also, birds sometimes fly very high up where there is very little oxygen in the air.

When a bird inhales, it takes in large amount of air relative to its sizea bird's respiratory system takes up 20 percent of the bird's volume, compared to only 5 percent in humans part of which it stores in small empty spaces called air sacs distributed throughout the body of the bird. The rest is directed into the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide switch places. When the bird exhales, the air stored in the air sacs enters the lungs where another exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. So birds are continuously breathing oxygen both when they inhale and when they exhale. This makes them superior at taking oxygen, but also leaves them vulnerable to airborne toxins.

The use of canaries in mines was outlawed in Britain in 1986. At that time, more than 200 canary birds were in duty. They were replaced by electronic detectors which are cheaper and more effective, not to mention more humane, for the birds.
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, a CMS mission partner in Birmingham, England, Ruth Radley, writes about her experience of serving on the mission field in South Sudan while trying to cope with depression.

Its important that you know this was unanimous. We all believe this is the right step for you at this time in your life  hold on to that in the tough times. These were the words I heard when I was selected as a CMS mission partner. Little did I know how much they would come back to me over the next eight years.

Did I suffer from poor mental health previously? Not at all. My personality was such that I was always quick to feel happy and rejoice about certain situations, and quick to weep and feel sad or angry about others, but I would always bounce back fairly easily.

Did I expect that almost eight years after leaving I would return burned out and with clinical depression (which I had almost certainly been living with, but hiding well  even to myself, for at least 18 months)? Or that two years later I would still be on medication? No, I did not.

But that is where I now find myself. CMS have been amazing, supporting me with debriefing and friendship, but its a long, painful road. Would I have fallen into this depression had I been living in the UK? Its hard to say  perhaps, perhaps not. Yet here I am, clinically depressed and STILL a mission partner, doing my best to go forward with life and mission amid many questions.

So here are a few small things that I have learned along the way.

Be real

About five months into an intended six-month leave in the UK, I finally accepted returning to the place I loved and had called home, and which was suffering terribly through war, was not going to happen. I was no longer healthy enough to live there and be effective.

It was one of the hardest decisions of my life, having believed I would be there for at least 10 years. Calling a few important people in South Sudan to tell them I was not returning was incredibly tough. I loved them and had invested so much into what was my home.

Life is anything but simple or predictable. Life is what we live in the middle of, affected by all kinds of things around us, and sometimes, that is simply overwhelming.

After a long while I was strong enough to think about my future, and grateful that working in chaplaincy at Birmingham Childrens Hospital fitted with both the hospital and CMS, as well as me. The team have been amazing  they dont know my whole story, but know that I was broken, am still healing and see this new mission work as part of my healing story.

Accept you are human

One of the hardest things has been being put on a pedestal as an amazing person. I am who I am  flaws and warts and all  doing what I have been called to do, no different to anyone else. In some ways perhaps that has made accepting my present situation harder  feeling I had let down so many people who had supported me so faithfully.

However, I am learning that life isnt perfect, and at times that imperfection overwhelms us. We are not lesser Christians because we are struggling with mental health. Our bodies can get sick at different times, and so can our minds. I prayed so hard for God to help me, I begged and begged, but continued spiralling downwards. I recognised that sadly, although I was blessed to be able to return each year to South Sudan, I wasnt strong enough to live there. That was, and is, a tough reality. However, it doesnt mean I cant still support friends there. I am regularly in contact with South Sudanese friends sharing life, and the encouragement goes both ways.

It also doesnt mean I am no use in the kingdom, but I did have to relocate. Perhaps, as Henri Nouwen says, I am a wounded healer. I know first-hand some of the darkness of life, and how, despite the best intentions, it is not always possible to control your mind when it is sick. This is something I never experienced previously and I would have been critical of anyone who said that. However, it is the story of many people and I hope my experiences, even when I am healed, will lead me to greater compassion and understanding.

Accept, no matter how long your faith journey, you will never know it all or have it all sorted

In some ways, I am now reconstructing the faith I have held for 42 years. There is so much of my last six years or so that I simply do not understand, but I still serve a God I believe wants to be known to all. Who is for us, not against us, though at times I struggle with that. I also know disappointment with God and am still working through that.

I know that life doesnt always go the way we had planned or hoped, both for nations and personally  and that is also the experience of many of the parents and families I walk alongside through the tough moments in hospital. I havent got life sorted, I dont have answers, and I dont pretend I do. I listen, and sometimes I can empathise with some of what is said. I perhaps have a deeper understanding of the difficulties people go through in this area that may somehow stay with me as I continue in this life of mission we are called to.
Posted on: May 16, 2018 11:03 AM

The Mexican government has bestowed an honour on an Anglican priest in recognition of her work helping female victims of violence in the US. The Revd Maria Elena Daniel Cristerna was presented with the Ohtli Award at the Mexican Consulate at Eagle Pass, Texas, earlier this month. Mexicos Ministry of Foreign Affairs told ACNS that Cristerna was one of 10 Ohtli Awards given to Mexicans and friends of Mexico, who have dedicated their lives and professional activities, to forging a path for the Mexican community abroad as part of the 156th anniversary of the Battle of Puebla and Cinco de Mayo.

The awards are given by the Mexican foreign ministrys Institute of Mexicans Abroad, to recognize and honour Mexican, Mexican-American or Latino leaders who have dedicated their lives and careers to blazing a trail abroad for younger generations of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans as they strive to achieve their dreams. It is one of the highest and rare distinctions given by the Government of Mexico.

A teacher prior to her ordination, Cristerna was born in Nueva Rosita in the northern Mexico state of Coahuila. She emigrated to the US in 1970, becoming a US citizen in 1984. She has worked in farms, making jeans, selling in stores, as an administrative assistant, teacher, TV anchor, and radio host.

She studied at Sul Ross University in Alpine, Texas, and encouraged people to study, even if they were not young. She was elected Counselor of the Instituto of the Mexicans Abroad (2006-2008), where she represented the Mexican community in Eagle Pass.

She specialises in working with women who have been victims of any type of violence, helping them get psychological support, Mexicos Ministry of Foreign Affairs told ACNS. She is a big supporter of gender equality and women empowerment. One of her main goals is to empower women through education, and she has been a very good speaker in this matter, at conferences and rallies.

She has now returned to Mexico where, after ordination in 2006, took on responsibility as assistant rector of two parishes, El Buen Pastor (the Good Shepherd) and The Resurrection in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, in the Diocese of Northern Mexico, alongside her husband, the Revd Miguel Cristerna.

Ohtli is a Nahuatl word that means pathway or camino in Spanish. The award is a medal, a silver rosette, and a diploma.

Cristerna is exceptionally passionate about the empowerment of women, and recently represented the Anglican Church of Mexico as part of the Anglican Communions delegation to the 2018 session of the UNs Commission on the Status of Women in New York.

In 2014, she established a Womens Shelter to provide a refuge and haven for women, sometimes with children, who need to escape from pain and fear in their domestic environment. The multi-purpose shelter provides a place to sleep, eat, and recuperate from physical and emotional wounds. It also hosts prayer groups for older and younger women, religious retreats, and conferences where women can learn about their right to stand up against domestic violence. The shelter also provides a loving environment for children and helps to build up their confidence.
Posted on: May 16, 2018 9:25 AM

More than half of the finalists in an award recognising commitment, investment or a unique solution to earthquake strengthening which has saved or will now protect a heritage building in Christchurch, New Zealand, are Anglican churches and a school. The six buildings have recently re-opened following extensive renovation and repair work after the devastating 2011 earthquake in the city. They are amongst 290 Anglican properties in the Diocese of Christchurch under the care of the Church Property Trustees. Some 234 of them sustained damage as a result of the quake, the most notable being Christ Church Cathedral.

Holy Innocents, Mt Peel was re-opened in September last year, seven years after the earthquake partially destroyed the gable on the buildings east-end. A building technique used by the Etruscans in Italy, five centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, was used to precision-fill newly drilled holes in the stonework with a mixed grout of silicate and lime to strengthen the building so it will withstand another large earthquake.

The damage to the east-end gable of the Church of the Holy Innocents in Mt Peel is plain to see in this photo (above); but there is no trace of the tremor in this post-renovation photo (below).

Photos: Anglican Life

St Bartholomews Church, Kaiapoi opened in 1855 but within four years the entire building was moved from a sandhill to a more solid base. During the earthquake reconstruction, the entire building was again moved so that contractors could lay new quake-proof foundations before it was rolled back into position. More than any other church I can name, it's a church on the move," Bishop Victoria Matthews said when she re-opened the building in July last year.

St Pauls Church, Tai Tapu is a category one heritage-listed building, designed by Cecil Wood and built in the 1930s by Sir Robert Heaton Rhodes in memory of his wife who died in 1929.

St Barnabas Church, Fendalton, was closed for six years while workers repaired its basalt stonework and mortar. Repairs were also carried out to sections of the roof and tower which moved separately from the rest of the building in the tremor.

St Cuthberts Church in Governors Bay is described as one of the countrys most iconic stone churches. It was built by the first settlers in 1860 and many well known people are buried in its churchyard. The church re-opened in June last year.

St Michaels Old Stone Building is today part of the oldest school in New Zealands Canterbury region. Work was completed last March to repair stonework and rebuild newly strengthened gable ends.

Other buildings nominated in this category are the Statue of Captain Robert Falcon Scott (Christchurch City Council); Deans Farm Buildings at Christchurch Boys High School (The Building Intelligence Group); Christs College  kitchen and tower (Wilkie + Bruce Architects); the Former St Lukes Vicarage (Maiden Group); and Mona Vale Homestead (Christchurch City Council).

Judges whittled down some 70 entries for the biennial Canterbury Heritage Awards into 36 finalists across seven categories. The winners will be announced on 15 June during a ceremony at the Isaac Theatre Royal, itself a winner of the last awards in 2016.

Repairs to Christ Church Cathedral were held up after unsuccessful legal challenges to the Church Property Trustees plans to demolish the ruins and replace it with a modern designed building. Last year the Diocesan Synod agreed to the more expensive option of re-instating the Cathedral, after local and central government teamed up with heritage campaigners to pledge funding towards the costs. Work is yet to begin as the legal and formal structures are put in place to give effect to the agreements.
(ANSA) - Macerata, May 16 - A psychiatric assessment has been ordered for a neo-Nazi who shot and wounded several North African migrants to 'avenge' the murder and dismemberment of an 18-year-old Roman woman allegedly by a Nigerian drug pusher in the Marche city of Macerata in February, legal sources said Wednesday. Luca Traini's soundness of mind will be assessed by psychiatrist, criminologist and writer Massimo Picozzi on May 23, the sources said.

Traini, a former failed local candidate for the anti-migrant Euroskeptic League party, was described by his lawyer as a "gentle giant and not at all a xenophobe".

"It may not seem so, but Luca Traini is a gentle giant and is not a xenophobe," said Giancarlo Giulianelli at the trial of the 28-year-old.

Traini, from Tolentino, is charged with multiple attempted murder aggravated by racial hatred for the drive-by shooting of six migrants on February 3, four days after the discovery of Pamela Mastropietro's body in two suitcases.

Giulianelli, the lawyer, said his client "had a momentary blackout at the psychological level due to a clear personality disorder".

Traini's former middle-school teacher Patrizia Meloni told the court that he was very good at history and was a great admirer of Mussolini.

A lawyer for his migrant victims asked the court to consider terrorism charges.


TEL AVIV - Palestine has recalled four of its ambassadors from the European Union because the ambassadors participated at the inauguration of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, said the Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Ramallah.



It said the ambassadors to Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Austria were called back for consultations.



The ministry said the ambassadors' presence at the inauguration ceremony was a "major violation of international law and of numerous UN resolutions".
Chlorine gas likely used in Feb Saraqeb attack  OPCW Inspectors to not say who was responsible

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, MAY 16 - Chlorine gas "was likely used as a chemical weapon" in an attack in the northern Syrian town of Saraqeb in February, the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on Wednesday.



However, the global chemical weapons watchdog did not say who was responsible for the attack. OPCW is investigating various reports of chemical attacks, including one on Duma in East Ghouta on April 7, which activists claim killed dozens of people. However, its mandate is only to verify whether chemical weapons have been used, not to establish responsibility. The US, France and Britain claimed the regime of Bashar al Assad was behind the alleged attack on April 7 and a week later carried out airstrikes against what they considered to be government chemical weapons depots. In its report released Wednesday OPCW said "that chlorine was released from cylinders" in the Ali Talil neighborhood of Saraqeb in the northern province of Idlib. (ANSAmed).




Holy month of Ramadan starts Thursday Islamic Cultural Centre to hold cultural and religious events

(ANSAmed) - ROME, MAY 16 - Ramadan, a holy month of daily fasting for all Muslims, begins on Thursday, May 17.



The Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy, known as the Great Mosque of Rome and led by its Secretary General Abdellah Redouane, announced the start of Ramadan in a statement.



Ramadan is the ninth month of the lunar calendar and it will start in Italy on Thursday based on the lack of sighting of the new moon during the check conducted on Tuesday evening by the imam of the Great Mosque of Rome, Saleh Ramadan, as well as experts from the religious centre.



As it has in the past, this year the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy will host a series of cultural and religious events for Ramadan, such as the evening prayer and the breaking of the fast following sunset.



Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries also announced that they will begin Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, on Thursday. (ANSAmed).




VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis acknowledged Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting that starts Thursday, during comments at the close of his general audience on Wednesday.



"I extend my cordial wishes to my Islamic brothers for the month of Ramadan that will begin tomorrow. May this privileged time of prayer and fasting help in walking the path of God, which is the path of peace," he said.


Pope 'pained' over deaths in Holy Land, calls for dialogue Concerned over 'spiral of violence'

(ANSA) - Vatican City, May 16 - Pope Francis on Wednesday said he is "very concerned and pained" over the worsening tensions in the Holy Land and the Middle East, and for the "spiral of violence that increasingly drives away the path of peace, dialogue and negotiations".



"I express my great pain for the deaths and the wounded," he said.



"I emphasise that the use of violence never brings peace. War begets war, violence begets violence. I invite all the parties involved and the international community to renew their commitment so that dialogue, justice, and peace prevail," he said. (ANSAmed).




Tel Aviv, the white city that attracts 4 mln visitors Arrivals from Italy on the rise

(ANSAmed) - ROME, MAY 16 - The number of Italians who visited Tel Aviv in the first four months of the year grew by 46% over the same period in 2017, said Israeli national tourist office director Avital Kotzer Adari at the presentation of the exhibition ''Tel Aviv The white city'' that will open at Rome's MAXXI museum on Wednesday evening to mark the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the State of Israel. Of the over 44,000 Italians who have chosen to holiday in Israel at least "half visit Tel Aviv", which each year attracts a total of 4 million visitors. The tourism ministry has recently invested 8 million euros in increasing the tourist offer in the coastal city, where many former offices are now being converted into hotels. The White City grew out of nothing and "represents a success", according to Eldad Golan, the cultural attache at the Israeli embassy in Rome. It bears witness to the "rebirth of the Jewish people" and provides a European cultural influence in a Middle Eastern and Mediterranean context. (ANSAmed)
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Qatar Airways will use their brand-new Airbus A350-900 between Doha and Avinor Oslo Airport. The first flight with the new aircraft will be on October 29.

As the first carrier at Oslo Airport, Qatar Airways will start their daily operation to and from Doha with an Airbus A350-900. This also makes Oslo Airport the first Nordic airport to welcome Qatar Airways A350 on a regular schedule. The A350 is filled with innovative technology to reduce CO2 emissions, noise and operations cost.

Qatar Airways is an important partner at Oslo airport, and for Norway, both for the business and the leisure market. We are very happy with the decision Qatar Airways has made to start their operations here with the state of the art Airbus A350, said Jasper Spruit, VP Traffic Development in Avinor.
Royal Jordanian and Manaseer Group entered a partnership agreement whereby RJ will provide Manaseer Group discounted tickets. Manaseer Group is a Jordanian entity that works on the development and optimization of the economic environment and industry in Jordan.

RJ President/CEO Stefan Pichler and Chairman and founder of Manaseer Group Ziad Manaseer signed the agreement, according to which, RJ is Manaseer Groups first choice to any destination on the airline's network that spans four continents.

As per the agreement, Manaseer Group employees and their immediate family members on duty and personal trips, contractors and guests traveling for business with Manaseer Group are entitled to discounts on travel on RJs route network.

Stefan Pichler said: Today Royal Jordanian is glad to partner with Manaseer Group, one of the most successful business entities in the kingdom known for its commitment to the advance of the Jordanian society.

The agreement, he mentioned, implies that Manaseer Group will exclusively fly on Royal Jordanian to the airline's destinations, proof that the group is committed to encouraging other Jordanian companies.

"That is why we are pleased to offer the Manaseer Group families and guests discounts on tickets all year round, to facilitate their transportation globally.

Ziad Manaseer said: We are proud of our national carrier and its services. As a group of companies, we are keen on always choosing RJ for our travels.

He praised the key role the airline plays in connecting Jordan with the world and the support it lends various Jordanian economic sectors, including tourism and trade.

Manaseer added that the group and RJ are keen to see the partnership that combines two big Jordanian companies achieve success, particularly in view of the fact that the agreement they reached stems from the groups mission, which is deep commitment to the progress of Jordan and its leading companies.
Turkish Airlines has announced its traffic results recorded in April, after announcing its successful first quarter results a short while ago.

According to the April 2018 Traffic Results;

Upon the double-digit passenger increases in the first quarter of 2018, total number of passengers carried went up by 15% reaching 6.4 million passengers, in April. This passenger increase enabled the highest April load factor in Turkish Airlines history with 83.2% load factor.

Total Load Factor improved by 4.1 points, with an increase of 6.1% in capacity (Available Seat Kilometer), while international LF increased by 4.2 points to 82.6% and domestic Load Factor to 87.1% in April.

Double digit growth in demand (revenue per kilometer) that commenced in July 2017, kept on with 12% demand growth in April 2018.

Excluding international-to-international transfer passengers (transit passengers), number of international passengers went up by 30%. This has been an important indicator of the continued growing interest in Turkey.

In April, cargo/mail volume increased by 18%, compared to April 2017. Main contributors to the growth in cargo/mail volume are N. America with 27% increase, Middle East, Africa and domestic lines with 26% increase, and Europe with 19% increase.

In April, Load Factor increased for all regions. Africa, N. America and Europe showed visible load factor growth among other regions with 6 points, 6 points and 5 points increase, respectively.

According to the January-April 2018 Traffic Results;

During January-April, increase in demand and total number of passengers was 21% and 24%, respectively, over the same period of last year. Total number of passengers reached to 23 million.

During January-April, Total Load Factor improved by 5.8 points up to 81.2%. While International Load Factor increased by 6 points up to 81%, Domestic Load Factor went up by approximately 4 points to 86%.

Cargo/mail carried increased by 32% and reached 425 thousand tons, thanks to strong pick up in cargo/mail volume in April of 2018.
A video footage from Algerian Television (Algeria 1 TV) has showed the use of the Russian-made TOS-1A Heavy flamethrower system by the Algerian armed forces during a military exercise, on May 12, 2018. According to the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) arms trade database, Algeria has purchased 4 TOS-1A from Russia in 2015.



Print screen of TOS-1A from video footage of military exercise in eastern Algeria. (Source Algeria 1 TV)

Many other foreign customers have also shown interest in the TOS-1A heavy flamethrower according to Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexports press office.

The name flamethrower comes from the use of munitions releasing a large cloud of flammable gas with massive explosions. The TOS-1A uses two types of warheads, incendiary and thermobaric.

As was reported in the press, the Syrian government troops started using Russian-made TOS-1A flamethrower systems. There have been no official statements about the TOS-1As delivery to Syria.

The idea of a heavy short-range MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) able to launch rockets equipped with incendiary and thermobaric warheads was started in the late 1970s, with first development in in early 1980s at KBTM in Omsk and was named TOS-1. It was shown for the first time in public in 1999 in Omsk. In 2001, the improved TOS-1A system entered service.

The TOS-1A is based on a T-72 MBT (Main Battle Tank) tracked chassis. The launch system of TOS-1A consists of 24 launch tubes of 220 mm caliber mounted at the centre of the hull which has a traverse of 360.

The TOS-1A has the capability to launch multiple rockets within half a second. The rockets can be fired within the range between 400 m and 6,000 m.
On the purchase of OnePlus 6, customers can avail a discount of Rs 2,000 on SBI Credit and Debit card.

Customers will also be eligible to avail No Cost EMI for upto three months on all popular banks. (Photo: ANI)

Bengaluru: OnePlus, the leading premium Android smartphone maker, on Tuesday announced a host of interesting offers in the run up to the launch of the OnePlus 6. The much-awaited OnePlus 6 is all set to be revealed on 17th May at Mumbai's NSCI Dome.

On the purchase of OnePlus 6, customers can avail a discount of Rs 2,000 on SBI Credit and Debit card transactions during the first week.

They will also be eligible to avail No Cost EMI for upto three months on all popular banks.

In addition to this, all OnePlus 6 customers will be eligible for the following benefits:

Complimentary 12-month accidental damage insurance by Servify

Rs 2,000 cash back and device insurance for Idea subscribers

Gift card worth Rs 250 for all Amazon Prime Video consumers and discounts up to Rs 500 on Amazon Kindle

Benefits up to Rs 25,000 on flight and hotel bookings from ClearTrip

OnePlus has also provided fans with the chance to pre-book the OnePlus 6 on Amazon.in with added benefits, prior to its official launch in India.

OnePlus had partnered with Amazon.in for a 'Fast AF' sale, between 13-16 May, wherein customers can buy a Gift Card worth Rs 1,000 to be used to buy the OnePlus 6 between 21 and 22 May 2018 and get Amazon Pay Balance worth Rs 1,000 in addition to aforementioned offers.

The company will also be hosting pop-up events across eight Indian cities, including Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad between 21-22 May 2018.

Fans will be able to experience and purchase the powerful and stylish OnePlus 6 at these pop-up stores over two days, on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Across the globe pop-ups will be held in New York, London, Paris, Milan and Beijing.

The OnePlus 6 will be available for purchase on OnePlus.in, Amazon.in, OnePlus Experience store as well as all other OnePlus offline sales channels.
State government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of the victims of the mishap.

The boat, with about 35-40 passengers, was on its way to Rajamahendravaram from Devipatnam when the tragedy struck. (Photo: ANI)

Amaravati: At least 12 people died in the boat capsize in Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh with searches still on for ten other missing passengers, feared drowned, officials said on Wednesday.

The state government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of the victims of the mishap that occurred on Tuesday near Manturu village in East Godavari district with bad weather considered a probable cause.

The rescue teams that toiled for hours, to first trace the sunken boat and later to pull it ashore, so far extricated 12 bodies, including that of two children, officials said.

Efforts were still on to trace the other ten, they said.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who visited the accident spot, said human error was the main reason for it and assured that those guilty would be brought to book.

"There was gale yesterday (Tuesday) and the boat was also laden with cement bags and two-wheelers. That caused the mishap. We will not spare anyone responsible for the incident," he said.

Though a warning about the inclement weather was issued at least half an hour in advance, there was no communication system in the boat to receive it, Naidu said.

He also announced that a government job would be provided to an eligible person each from the families of the victims and a house would also be built for them.

The boat, with about 35-40 passengers, was on its way to Rajamahendravaram from Devipatnam when the tragedy struck.

At least 13 persons swam to safety after the boat capsized because of strong winds, West Godavari Superintendent of Police Ravi Prakash said.

The boat which got stuck in the sand of the riverbed at a depth of at least 40 feet was pulled ashore today.

Besides the Navy, personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Fire Services, revenue and police departments are involved in the search and rescue operations.

The passengers of the boat belonged to Kondamodalu, Kachluru and Talluru villages.

Earlier, the boat was located after an aerial survey by Naval helicopters, carrying expert drivers, from the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam.

However, with all the doors and windows of boats closed, extricating the bodies trapped inside proved to be cumbersome exercise for the divers.

They could initially pull out only two bodies after breaking open the glass windows.

East Godavari district Collector Kartikeya Misra, Superintendent of Police Vishal Gunni and West Godavari SP Ravi Prakash supervised the rescue operations.
The results indicated yet again that Rahul Gandhi might have come a long way, but is still no match for the Prime Minister in national politics.

New Delhi: The partys crushing defeat in Karnataka not merely hit the Congress hard but also dealt a severe blow to its president Rahul Gandhi, who was hoping to use an electoral victory to provide him with a springboard to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 general election.

The results indicated yet again that Rahul Gandhi might have come a long way, but is still no match for the Prime Minister in national politics. Mr Modi had held 21 rallies in Karnataka, while Mr Gandhi held 38 rallies.

The national political map looks grim for the Congress as the party is in power only in tow states  Punjab and Mizoram  and the Union territory of Puducherry. In one of his election rallies, Mr Modi had taken a dig at the Congress, saying that it will remain a party of three Ps  Punjab, Puducherry and Parivar. His prediction could well be coming true. This is the sixth state election that the Congress has lost under Mr Gandhis leadership  the six being Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya and Karnataka. Also, as expected, the blame game has begun within the Congress, with senior party leader M. Veerappa Moily saying that a BJP victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls was quite disappointing, and attributed this loss to wrong caste management by party leaders.

The Congress is, however, still trying to cling on to Karnataka as retaining the state could provide a much-needed boost for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. But coming to Mr Gandhis defence, the party pointed out that despite the defeat, the Congress vote percentage was more than that of the BJP. While the Congress voteshare was 38 per cent, that of the BJP was only 36.2 per cent.

With the Karnataka defeat and being willing to play second fiddle to the Janata Dal (Secular), the Congress will now find it difficult to project Mr Gandhi as the key face of a Grand Alliance (if one is formed) against the BJP in 2019. Another factor that is apparently hitting the Congress hard was voters lack of condifence in Rahul Gandhi.

Meanwhile, the BJP, emerging as the single largest party in Karnataka, is all set to reinvigorate saffron party units in the poll-bound states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The elections in these three states, particularly in Madhya Pradesh, will be another major test for Mr Gandhi.

Despite Mr Gandhi taking over as party president and trying to revitalise the outfit, lack of organisational strength and failure to match Amit Shahs booth-level management in major states remain a major problem area, a top Congress functionary said.
Conducted at a Delhi hospital, this is possibly the first case in which minimal invasive technical procedure was used for liver transplant.

The procedure hepatectomy, a surgical resection (removal of all or part of the liver), is usually done in traditional open surgery. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: In what is being claimed as a first in India, doctors at a Delhi hospital laparoscopically removed a part of the liver of a 23-year-old Iraqi woman, who donated the part to her ailing son after a 10-hour procedure.

The procedure hepatectomy, a surgical resection (removal of all or part of the liver), is usually done in traditional open surgery.

The woman's two-and-a-half-year-old son was suffering from a liver disease and as his condition deteriorated, she voluntarily donated a part of her liver.

In India, this is possibly the first case in which such minimally invasive technical procedure has been conducted for liver transplant, the hospital said.

The recipient had a condition known as 'glycogen storage disease', a precursor to advanced liver disease and liver cirrhosis. The mother offered to donate a part of her liver and after a thorough examination a graft was retrieved from the left lateral segment of the donor.

The entire procedure took 10 hours, the hospital said.

While using minimally invasive surgical techniques to conduct the surgery posed several difficulties, it also presented the patient with several advantages such as lesser pain, invisible scars. The recovery was smooth and uneventful with minimum hospital stay for the donor, Vivek Vij, director of liver transplant at Fortis Healthcare, said.

According to the World Health Organisation, liver diseases are the 10th most-common cause of death in India. Since the liver is a multi-function organ, it is susceptible to viruses, toxic substances, and contaminants present in food and water.

People with liver problems often experience few or no symptoms. While there have been major advances in treating liver diseases, a complete cure is still elusive. The only way to manage a failed liver is to get a transplant.

Liver transplantation is a treatment option for end-stage liver diseases and acute liver failure, although the availability of donor organs is a major limitation.
However, the security forces reserve right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

The ministry also said that the government expects everyone to cooperate in the initiative to observe Ramzan in a peaceful manner. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday asked the security forces not to launch operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the month of Ramzan.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has informed about about Centre's decision to J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, in its tweet, said: Decision taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment.

The Centre asks Security Forces not to launch operations in Jammu & Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan. Decision taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment.

HM Shri @rajnathsingh has informed the Chief Minister, J&K of Centres decision.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

However, the security forces reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people, the ministry further said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah welcomed the Centre's decision. The announcement comes a week after Mufti had said that the central government should consider a unilateral ceasefire in the state starting from Ramzan till the completion of the Amarnath yatra in August.

"The decision would go a long way in healing the wounds of people of the state who have been suffering the pain of violence and uncertainty for the past three decades or so. What best a time to go for this decision than the onset of holy month of Ramadhan which promotes values of patience, self-restraint and tolerance," Mehbooba said in a statement.

The ministry also said that the Government expects everyone to cooperate in the initiative to observe Ramzan in a peaceful manner.

Security Forces to reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

Government expects everyone to cooperate in this initiative and help the Muslim brothers & sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

In another tweet, the ministry said that it is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror.

The holy moth of Ramzan is likely to start tomorrow or Friday depending on the sighting of moon.

(With PTI inputs)
The apex court also refused to change the probe agency in the case.

The Supreme Court has fixed the matter for further hearing to May 17. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to give protection to witnesses of Kathua rape case.

The apex court has fixed the matter for further hearing to May 17.

The court has also refused to take the case from Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch and had it over to any other investigating agency.

Three witnesses in the Kathua gangrape and murder case alleged that they are being harassed by the Jammu and Kashmir police and sought for protection from the Supreme Court.

According to their plea, they had already recorded their statements before the police and the magistrate. The witnesses had in their statement before the magistrate said they gave their statement to the police under coercion.

In their petition, they had alleged that the state police was asking them to re-appear and re-record their statements and exerting pressure on their families.

The Supreme Court had on May 7 transferred the trial in the Kathua gangrape and murder case of an eight-year-old girl from Jammu and Kashmir to Pathankot in Punjab, but refrained from handing over the investigation to CBI saying there was no need as the investigation has been conducted and the chargesheet filed.

The eight-year-old girl, from a minority nomadic community, had disappeared from near her home in a village close to Kathua in the Jammu region on January 10. Her body was found in the same area a week later.

The state police has filed the main chargesheet against seven people and a separate chargesheet against a juvenile in a court in Kathua district.
As many as 6 people were killed in West Bengal poll violence according to officials, while unconfirmed numbers trailed between 6 and 12.

People injured in poll violence sit by the side of a road as a vehicle is set on fire by locals during Panchayat polls, in Nadia district of West Bengal on Monday. (Photo: File/PTI)

Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday touched heavily upon the violence created by the ruling Trinamool Congress during the West Bengal panchayat polls, saying democracy was "murdered" for narrow political interests.

"People weren't allowed to file nominations. It isn't only BJP people who suffered. People from all the leading parties except the one that rules Bengal suffered. This is serious. A land as great as West Bengal has to see such sights, it is unfortunate," the Prime Minister said, adding that such malpractices are worrying in a democracy.

However, the Trinamool Congress hit back and dismissed the prime minister's comments. Partha Chatterjee, TMC party secretary general, told NDTV, "The Prime Minister has reacted to his disappointment at not getting a majority in Karnataka. That's why he wanted to switch attention to Bengal."

He also added, "In this panchayat poll, Trinamool lost the highest number of workers compared to any other party and has the highest number of injured workers. Everyone knows BJP workers created disturbance during the polls, threatened everyone."

Re-polling in 568 booths across West Bengal from where the State Election Commission (SEC) had received complaints of violence during the panchayat poll, began on Wednesday amid tight security.
More than a dozen people were killed in the violence during the local body elections.

People injured in poll violence sit by the side of a road as a vehicle is set on fire by locals during Panchayat polls, in Nadia district of West Bengal. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi described panchayat poll violence in Bengal as murder of democracy, the Centre on Wednesday termed sketchy details on the panchayat polls violence and asked the West Bengal government to send another report.

The home ministrys second communication comes two days after Centre sent a similar one in wake of large-scale violence during the panchayat elections to the state on Monday. More than a dozen people were killed in the violence during the local body elections.

While confirming the development MHA officials said the Bengal government has been asked to send a detailed report on the violence during the polls as the initial report sent by the state was sketchy.

Officials claimed that in the fresh communication the state government has been directed to give all details regarding the circumstances leading to the violence and the steps taken to restore peace and punish those involved.
No date has been fixed for the next date of meeting which could be held only in July when court re-opens after summer vacation.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on Wednesday deferred its decision on elevation of Uttarakhand high court Chief Justice K.M. Joseph as a Judge of the apex court. No date has been fixed for the next date of meeting which could be held only in July when court re-opens after summer vacation.

The present collegium includes Justices J. Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph. With Justice Chelameswar retiring on June 22 and Thursday being his last working day, the meeting can be held after the induction of Justice A.K. Sikri soon after the retirement of Justice Chelameswar.

At its meeting last week on May 11, the collegium decided in principle to reiterate the recommendation in respect of Justice Joseph but to take a final call on Wednesday. It was adjourned on the grounds that some more time was needed to finalise names of other judges so that the remaining seven vacancies could be filled up.

Till 9 pm, the resolution of Wednesdays meeting has not been uploaded in the Supreme Court website. Highly-placed sources said at the nearly two-hour meeting, though there was consensus and unanimity to reiterate Justice Josephs elevation, there was no consensus in respect of other names, viz the Chief Justices of Madras, Gujarat, Karnataka and few other high courts. As a result, the collegium deferred its decision, sources added.

On April 26, Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had announced that the government had cleared the elevation of advocate Ms Indu Malhotra and put on hold Justice Josephs elevation. Both the proposals were sent on January 10 this year. Ms Malhotra was sworn in as a judge of the apex court on April 27. While seeking reconsideration of Justice Josephs elevation, Mr Prasad wanted adequate representation for minorities and other High Courts, which are not represented.

Under the memorandum of procedure on appointment of Judges which is existing now, once the proposal is returned for reconsideration, and if the collegium reiterates the appointment, the government is bound to accept the same but there is no time limit on such appointment.
CJI refused the plea of senior counsel Shyam Divan to defer the hearing till July as the government formation in Karnataka is yet to take place.

Divan told the court that this scheme will be effective on us for 15 years and we have a right to say something. Stand this over till the first week of July. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: In deference to the demand by Tamil Nadu, the Centre on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it was agreeable for the name Cauvery Management Board to implement the February 16 judgment on allocation and distribution of water among Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

Attorney-general K.K. Venugopal made this submission before a Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Kanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud when senior counsel Shekar Naphade for Tamil Nadu suggested that the authority which has not been named in the draft scheme be christened as CMB.

At the outset, the CJI refused the plea of senior counsel Shyam Divan to defer the hearing till July as the government formation in Karnataka is yet to take place.

Mr Divan told the court that this scheme will be effective on us for 15 years and we have a right to say something. Stand this over till the first week of July.

Opposing the suggestion, Mr Naphade said, There is always a government. The Constitution does not contemplate a vacuum. If it goes to July then Tamil Nadu will not be getting water in June.
The Opposition Congress has however dubbed it as attempt to saffronise education in the state.

The state government had earlier introduced the Jai Hind roll call answer in the state-run schools in Satna district as a pilot project on October one last year.

Bhopal: The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has made it mandatory for students in state-run schools to answer their attendance roll calls by saying Jai Hind.

It has been made mandatory for students of 1.22 lakh government schools in the state to answer attendance roll calls by saying Jai Hind, instead of yes sir/ madam. The objective behind the move is to foster patriotism among the students, an order issued by deputy secretary, school education department of MP government, on Tuesday said.

The state government announced that the decision to come into force from the coming academic session, scheduled to commence on July one this year.

The order was issued after chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan gave his stamp of approval to it, a spokesman of the state education department told this newspaper on Wednesday.

State education minister Vijay Shah said his department would issue an advisory to private-run schools in the state to introduce the Jai Hind roll call practice.

He, however, added that it would be left to the managements of these schools to take the decision if they would like to adopt the new system of roll call answer.

In September, Mr Shah had announced that students of government schools in Satna district will answer their roll call with Jai Hind from October 1 on an experimental basis.

Justifying the decision to introduce Jai Hind roll call, the state education department said the traditional practice of responding to attendance roll call by saying, yes sir/maam did not inspire patriotic feelings among the students.

The state government had earlier introduced the Jai Hind roll call answer in the state-run schools in Satna district as a pilot project on October one last year.

Satna is Mr Shahs home district.

State home minister Bhupendra Singh hailed the decision, saying that the move would instil patriotism among the students and make them realise that, We exist because nation exists.

The Opposition Congress has however dubbed it as attempt to saffronise education in the state.
It is likely that a new bench will take up this matter as Justice Goel is due to retire on July 6.

New Delhi: In a rebuke to the Centre which is seeking a review of the judgment of SC/ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act, the Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that even Parliament cant make a law that denies citizens the fundamental right under Article 21 (right to life and liberty) of the Constitution and the fair procedure.

A Bench of Justices A.K. Goel and Uday Lalit made this oral observation when attorney general K.K. Venugopal argued that the court couldnt substitute a law enacted by Parliament as it can only fill up a gap if there is any.

Justice Goel told the AG, An individual cannot be arrested on a one-sided version, without access to reasonable and fair procedure. It cant trample upon peoples rights. Parliament has the responsibility to ensure liberty and fair procedure to all persons in society, and that Parliament cannot make a law that denies people the rights under Article 21 (protection of life and liberty).

Justifying the March 20 judgment holding that a person cannot be arrested without a preliminary enquiry, Justice Goel said, We are not living in a civilised society where a sword keeps hanging on someone that he can be arrested anytime on a one-sided version. A constitutional court has to ensure liberty and fair procedure to everyone in society. Justice Lalit cited a number of judgments where court had stepped in to protect the rights of citizens and said, We have travelled far and wide in the area of human rights.

The Bench told the AG that it was prepared to have a detailed hearing after the summer vacation on every aspect and directed the matter to be listed in July. It is likely that a new bench will take up this matter as Justice Goel is due to retire on July 6.

In the last hearing, Justice Goel had observed, Our judgment did not incite anyone to commit crimes. The SC/ST community has the full protection of this court. Why cant authorities take action, wherever crimes take place? There should be a system of immediate punishment. Communities should learn to respect each other.

Justice Lalit told the AG, We have not diluted the Act in any manner. We have only taken note of the fact that right to life and liberty cannot be taken away on some absurd facts.
It also said that home minister Mr. Singh has informed the chief minister of the governments decision.

SRINAGAR: There has been mixed reaction in Jammu and Kashmir over the Centres decision to halt military operations against separatist militants during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, was the first to welcome the move. She said, I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire and would like to thank Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and home minister, Rajnath Singh, for their personal intervention. She wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter My gratitude also to the leaders and parties who participated in the all-party meeting and helped build consensus towards this announcement.

In another tweet, she said, The month of Ramadan is a harbinger of peace and such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful and amicable environment for a sustained dialogue.

Later in a statement, she also said, The decision would go a long way in healing the wounds of people of the state as they have been suffering the tragedies and pain of violence and uncertainty for the past three decades or so. What best a time to go for this significant decision than the onset of holy month of Ramadan which promotes values of patience, self-restraint and tolerance.

The Union home ministry earlier in a tweet had said that the decision was taken to help the peace- loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment. It also said that home minister Mr. Singh has informed the chief minister of the governments decision.

Former chief minister and opposition National Conference (NC) working president, Omar Abdullah, while reacting to the governments decision wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter, On the demand of all political parties (except the BJP, which had opposed it) the Centre has announced a unilateral ceasefire. Now if the militants dont respond in kind they will stand exposed as the true enemies of the people.

Several other political parties and civil society groups too have welcomed the decision although some of these have raised doubts about its success and even its implementation on ground.
Reports on Wednesday said 3 K'taka MLAs went 'incommunicado' and an orange alert went out across Cong-JD(S) combine.

Bengaluru: Karnatakas Congress chief Siddaramaiah has vehemently denied reports today that three Congress MLAs were missing from a morning meeting of newly-elected lawmakers.

The Congress has offered unconditional support to the JD(S) and together they have staked claim to form government in Karnataka, having won more than the required 112 for simple majority.

The BJP too wants to form government as it has emerged as the single largest party, but is eight MLAs short of the magic figure.

In such a scenario, the phrase MLAs missing can freeze even the bravest, most seasoned politician.

But Siddaramaiah has rubbished such reports, stating: All Congress MLAs are here. Nobody is missing. We are confident of forming government.

Reports on Wednesday morning said three Karnataka lawmakers went "incommunicado" and that an orange alert was sent out across the Congress-Janata Dal Secular (JDS) combine, which has the brightest chance to form the government after Tuesdays hung verdict.

The meeting of newly-elected Congress legislators was delayed on Wednesday morning as the party couldn't communicate with the three -- Rajshekhar Patil, Narendra and Anand Singh, NDTV reported.

Another Congress lawmaker claimed he had been approached by the BJP.

I got a call from the BJP leaders. They said come to us and we'll give a ministry to you. We'll make you a minister. But I'm going to stay here. H D Kumaraswamy is our chief minister, Congress Amaregouda Linganagouda Patil Bayyapur told news agency ANI.

At 11:05 am, ANI reported JD(S)' lawmakers Raja Venkatappa Nayaka and Venkata Rao Nadagouda are also missing from the JD(S) legislative party meeting which was on in a Bengaluru hotel.

They (BJP) are poaching our MLAs we know that. There is a lot of pressure every day. It is not easy to break us as we have the necessary numbers. People are watching this, Congress D K Shivakumar said.

Unofficially, Congress leaders say there are plans to move their legislators to a resort.

Yes, there is a plan. We have to safeguard our MLAs. We will let you know about the plan in time, Shivakumar told the media today.

According to reports, BJP leader K S Eshwarappa admitted his party was in touch with some Congress and JD(S) legislators.

The Karnataka verdict has left room for such negotiation as the BJP is desperate for numbers, alleged Congress and JDS leaders.

The BJP emerged as the single largest party in results announced on Tuesday but fell short of 112. The Congress has won 78 seats and the JD(S) 38.

The fear of "MLA shopping" was raised on Tuesday evening by JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, who is looking to become chief minister with the support of the Congress.

Bengaluru: Outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today denied reports of Congress lawmakers gone missing and said, All the Congress MLAs are intact. Nobody is missing. We are confident of forming the government.

Reports on Wednesday morning said three Karnataka lawmakers went "incommunicado" and an orange alert went out across the Congress-Janata Dal Secular (JDS) combine, which claims numbers to form government after a hung verdict in Karnataka.

The meeting of newly-elected Congress legislators was delayed this morning as the party couldn't communicate with three of its lawmakers, Rajshekhar Patil, Narendra and Anand Singh, NDTV report mentioned sources as saying.

Another Congress lawmaker claimed that he had been approached by the BJP.

I got a call from the BJP leaders. They said come to us and we'll give a ministry to you. We'll make you a minister. But, I'm going to stay here. HD Kumaraswamy is our Chief Minister, Congress Amaregouda Linganagouda Patil Bayyapur told news agency ANI.

At 11:05 am ANI, reported JD(S)' lawmakers Raja Venkatappa Nayaka and Venkata Rao Nadagouda are missing from the JD(S) legislative party meeting which is going on in a hotel in Bengaluru.

They (BJP) are poaching our MLAs, we know that. Everyday there is a lot of pressure. But it not so easy because two parties have the necessary number. People are watching this, Congress DK Shivakumar said.

Unofficially, Congress leaders say there are plans to move their legislators to a resort.

Yes definitely there is a plan. We have to safeguard our MLAs, We will let you know what is the plan, Shivakumar told the media today.

According to reports, BJP leader KS Eshwarappa admitted that his party is in touch with some Congress and JD(S) legislators.

The Karnataka verdict has left room for such negotiations as the BJP which is short of eight lawmakers to reach the halfway mark, is desperate for numbers, alleged Congress and JDS leaders.

The BJP emerged as the single largest party in results that was announced on Tuesday but fell short of the magic number of 112. The Congress has won 78 seats and the JD(S) 38.

The fear of "MLA shopping" was raised on Tuesday evening by JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, who is looking to become chief minister with the support of the Congress.
Mr Kumaraswamy spoke to reporters and said both the parties would meet the governor and ask him to invite them to form the government.

Bengaluru: JD(S) state chief H.D. Kumaraswamy and outgoing Congress CM Siddaramaiah and possible deputy CM G. Parameshwar met late on Tuesday night to finalise the contours of the coalition dharma amid conflicting reports of poaching of MLAs and horse-trading.

There are reports that some Congress Lingayat MLAs  the community to which BJP mascot B.S. Yeddyurappa belongs  are missing, with speculation rife that they may back Mr Yeddyurappas claim for the CMs post. Meanwhile, the AICC has given the responsibility of ensuring that the newly-elected legislators are not poached to party campaign committee chairman D.K. Shivakumar. The party has decided to hold the legislature party meeting at the party office at 8 am on Wednesday, after which the newly-elected MLAs would likely be taken to Eagleton Resorts on Wednesday.

As former Congress president Sonia Gandhi voluntarily extended unconditional support to H.D. Kumaraswamy, the leaders of both parties sat for a discussion on whether the coalition government should have a deputy chief minister or not, and addressed the issue of portfolio allocation. However, the main discussions revolved around the legal recourse that the leaders should adopt if governor Vajubhai Vala did not invite the coalition partners to form the government.

To begin with, Congress leaders, aware of the bad blood between the JD(S) leader and the Congress CM, advised Mr Kumaraswamy against continuing to hold any bitter feelings against the Congress. The Congress leaders cited the case of Mr Siddaramaiah, who once was a bitter critic of the Congress and later on joined the Congress and became the chief minister. The leaders advised Mr Kumaraswamy to forgive the bitterness created during the campaign and not hold Mr Siddaramaiahs vow in public rallies seriously, when he said: I am taking a vow on his father, Mr Kumaraswamy would not become the CM.

Sources said that instead of the BJP poaching their legislators, the Congress and JD(S) were in discussions on how to poach BJP legislators to end any hopes that the BJP had of forming the government. We will identify the weaklings and make them resign from the BJP, sources quoted one of these leaders as saying.

Emerging out of the meeting, former CM Siddaramaiah squashed all speculation that five of their winning candidates, all Lingayats said to be upset over BJP chief B.S. Yeddyurappa being denied a chance to become chief minister, were planning to jump ship and join the BJP. This is far from the truth, it is fiction, Mr Siddaramaiah said, adding that the Congress was fully backing Mr Kumaraswamy for chief minister.

Standing next to each other in a clear show of unity, he also said both the Congress and the JD(S) would meet separately on Tuesday night and pass resolutions to install a JD(S)-led government in the state. After this, the resolutions passed by the two parties would be handed over to the governor.

The governor will once again be requested to follow the recent Supreme Court ruling which said that the single largest party need not be invited to form the government if a coalition of parties had crossed the halfway mark.

Mr Kumaraswamy spoke to reporters and said both the parties would meet the governor and ask him to invite them to form the government. When asked how he had joined hands with the Congress after saying his party would not join hands with the two national parties and when he was reminded of the bitter criticism made by Mr Siddaramaiah, Mr Kumaraswamy downplayed the bitter exchanges, saying let bygones be bygones... it is all part of the election campaign.
Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said the party has sought a hearing on its petition challenging the governors decision.

New Delhi: Angry over Karnataka governor Vajubhai Valas move to invite BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa to form the government there, the Congress approached the Supreme Court on Wednesday night seeking an immediate intervention by the Chief Justice of India against what it called as an encounter of the Constitution.

The Congress urged Chief Justice Dipak Misra to hold an urgent hearing on Wednesday night itself since Mr Yeddyurappa is due to take the oath as chief minister at 9 am on Thursday.

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said the party has sought a hearing on its petition challenging the governors decision. We have filed a petition before the Supreme Court and have urged the registrar to allow a hearing on it tonight itself, Mr Singhvi said, adding that an immediate hearing was sought as the matter was very serious.

Late in the night, it was learnt that the registrar had gone to the Chief Justices residence. Heavy security was seen deployed outside the CJIs house.

Congress communications chief Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters: The BJP and the governor of Karnat-aka have murdered democracy and used the

law for their personal gains. They will definitely be punished for this by the people of Karnataka. The truth shall triumph.

The Congress also cited a Supreme Court judgment in the Goa case, where the BJP was not the single largest party but anyway formed the government. The Congress claims The Congress, in spite of being the single largest party, was not called to form the government, and there was a Supreme Court order affirming the decision of the Goa governor.

The Congress said the move to form a BJP government in Karnataka was illegal and against the law and the Constitution. Calling an immoral and illegal government to be sworn in as an illegitimate child cannot sustain the scrutiny of the Constitution or the test of law, Mr Surjewala said at a press conference. The party also said that granting 15 days time to Mr Yeddyurappato prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly will promote horse-trading.

Congress MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal said: The governor of Karnataka is bound by the Constitution and the order of the Supreme Court. We have the majority numbers, but the governor isnt calling us to form the government.

The BJP hit back at the Congress, with senior leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad saying: The party that blew up the Constitution to shambles is teaching us the Constitution, the party that imposed Presidents Rule the most number of times is giving us lessons.
Speculation rife that MLAs may be sent to Hyderabad, and maybe Punjab.

Bengaluru: Senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot as well as new ally JD(S) chief H.D. Kumaraswamy rushed to Eagleton Resorts in the outskirts of the city late on Wednesday, soon after governor Vajubhai Vala formally invited BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa to take the oath as chief minister at 9 am on Thursday, in a bid to ensure that their legislators were moved to safety and would not be the target of Operation Kamala 2.0, or face income-tax raids and body warrants that would require their detention.

The governor ended feverish speculation on Mr Yeddyurappas second ascension to the post of chief minister when he issued a formal letter after verbally inviting him to take the oath late Wednesday.

Critically, Mr Vala has given the BJP government 15 days time to prove his majority, which made the JD(S) and Congress fast forward plans to move their legislators out of Karnataka and into Congress-friendly states like AndhraPradesh and possibly Punjab to avoid a repeat of poaching of legislators that marked Mr Yeddyurappas first time as chief minister in 2008 when he was short of three MLAs.

The rush to move the MLAs out was necessitated by alerts received by the JD(S)-Congress that the BJP had made serious overtures to at least 12 legislators in the Congress-JD(S)-Independents camp. The BJPs strategy is to ensure some of the Congress and JD(S) MLAs it is wooing skip the floor test and ensure the victory of BJP CM B.S. Yeddyurappa.

At a later date, the legislators who have switched camps and had skipped the floor test will face disqualification from the Assembly. To avoid this, the tactic is to resign from Assembly membership and face elections again.

High level sources have told this newspaper that the BJP is sure to prove its majority in the House within a fortnight. Party president Amit Shah has reportedly assured incoming chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa that he will be able to prove his majority within the scheduled time given to him by the governor. The partys tally should cross 116 minimum, said the source, indicating that the BJP is sure of poaching more than 12 legislators from the Congress-JD(S)-Independents combine.

Soon after the news broke of BSYs lone swearing-in on Thursday, the JDS MLAs checked out of the swank Shangri-La Hotel in the city and were moved to an undisclosed destination with speculation running high that they could be moved to Hyderabad.

Mr Kumaraswamy, who conferred with party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda, has publicly aired his concerns that apart from tapping their phones, the BJP government

at the Centre was preparing to launch income-tax raids on his legislators, as they had done when Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar had sequestered Congress

legislators from Gujarat at the Eagleton Resort here.

The move to Hyderabad could take place as early as Thursday morning. This will include the 78 Congress legislators who are camping at Eagleton Resorts here.

Both the parties fear that the BJP would use the Central agencies like the I-T department to armtwist the MLAs to switch their loyalty, sources said.

The BJP may target those who joined the Congress Party in the recent past. Sources in the Congress said leaders like Akhanda Srinivasamurthy and B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan were in the BJPs crosshairs as were another eight to 10 legislators who will make up the shortfall of MLAs needed to shore up the BJPs numbers during the crucial floor test.
Prakash Javadekar even tried to secure JD-S support, held out offer of Cabinet post at the Centre to H.D. Kumaraswamy.

Bengaluru: The BJP and the RSS are not on the same page over the government formation in Karnataka. The reservations of the RSS on the issue of whether the party should form the government even when it does not have a simple majority in the state Assembly were, however, shot down by BJP president Amit Shah, sources said.

Many RSS leaders and even some in the BJP felt that a Congress-JD(S) coalition government might not survive for more than six to nine months even if it was formed and the state could have another Assembly election along with the Lok Sabha polls in 2019. But Mr Shah was not convinced and wanted the BJP to form the government at any cost, sources said.

Mr Shah even directed Union minister and Karnataka in-charge Prakash Javadekar to try and convince JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda to back the BJP, but the attempts to meet Mr Deve Gowda failed, after which Mr Javadekar held a meeting with JD(S) state president H.D. Kumaras-wamy at a hotel here. The BJP leader advised Mr Kumaraswamy to think about the long-term gains of a pact with the BJP as coalition with the

Congress could be detrimental to his partys prospects in the Old Mysuru region where the Congress and JD(S) are arch-rivals and vie for the same votebank.

Mr Javadekar reportedly even offered a Cabinet berth at the Centre to Mr Kumaraswamy and assured him that his brother, H.D. Revanna would hold an important post like that of deputy chief minister in the Cabinet. However, Mr Kumaraswamy politely told him that the decision would have to be taken by Mr Deve Gowda and the BJP had to talk to him. No pact could therefore be struck between the two parties.
North Korea has assured India that as a friendly country, DPRK will never allow any action that would create concerns for Indias security.

New Delhi: In view of the rapprochement between North and South Korea and the stage being set for a summit between the United States and North Korea, India has resumed ministerial-level visits from its side to North Korea after nearly 20 years. Minister of state (MoS) for external affairs V.K. Singh already began a crucial two-day visit to North Korea on Tuesday.

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said in a statement, The MoS highlighted the threat from nuclear proliferation, in particular Indias concerns in the context of the proliferation linkages with Indias neighbourhood.

The veiled reference seemed to allude to media reports for the past more than two decades of alleged clandestine nuclear and missile technology links between North Korea and Pakistan. But in a major move, North Korea has assured India that as a friendly country, DPRK (North Korea) will never allow any action that would create concerns for Indias security. The North Koreans also briefed Mr Singh on the recent developments in the Korean peninsula, including the peace talks between the two Koreas.

It may be recalled that in October last year, India had made it clear that it would not shut its embassy in North Korea. India had said then that its trade with North Korea was in any case minimal. The last high-level contact between the two countries was three years ago in April 2015 when the North Korean foreign minister had visited New Delhi and held discussions with the Indian government.

In a statement on Wednesday, the MEA said, At the invitation of the Government of Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), minister of state for external affairs V.K. Singh is on an official visit to DPRK from May 15 to 16. This is the first ministerial-level visit from India to DPRK after almost 20 years. During the visit, the MoS held discussions with Mr Kim Yong Dae, vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme Peoples Assembly, Mr Ri Yong Ho, foreign minister, Mr Pak Chun Nam, minister of culture and Mr Choe Hui Chol, vice foreign minister of DPRK on a range of issues covering political, regional, economic, educational and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

The MEA added, The DPRK side provided an overview of some of the recent developments in the Korean peninsula. The MoS reiterated Indias support to the joint peace initiative of DPRK and Republic of Korea (ROK) leadership, encouraging both sides for their efforts towards establishing peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula.

In what could indicate more trade and interaction now between the two countries, the MEA said, The two sides decided to explore possibilities of cooperation in the areas of mutual interest, including vocational education, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, promotion of yoga and traditional medicines. Both sides agreed to strengthen people to people contacts through educational and cultural exchange, to mark 45 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The new exam date for these will be held on June 25, June 26 and June 25 respectively.

MUMBAI: Amid pressure from student organisations, the University of Mumbai (MU) has postponed the law exams of the second, fourth and sixth semesters. Despite assurances, the varsity failed to declare results of the third and fifth semesters of General Law.

With the results still pending, students are worried about their previous semester's results and dont know if they have passed or failed. In case they have fail to clear, they would also have no time for revaluation of their answer sheets. To pacify the students, MU has postponed the exams of the summer semester along with ATKT (allowed to keep term) exams.

According to the new timetable issued by the varsity, the exams of the second semester of the first year of General LLB will now commence on June 30 instead of May 22. Similarly, the semester six exam of General LLB has been pushed to June 30 from May 22, while the semester four exam of general LLB will begin on May 31 now instead of May 23.

As the timetable of the current semester has been changed, the varsity was forced to change the timetable of ATKT exams for semester one, three and five of General LLB. The new exam date for these will be held on June 25, June 26 and June 25 respectively.

Meanwhile, the student law council, a wing of the students of law, welcomed the move by the varsity. However, it said that the MU should ensure that the law exams should not clash with the Company Secretaries (CS) exam.

Sachin Pawar, president of the student law council, said, We appreciate the MU decision of acknowledging the grievances of over 2,000 law students. However, considering that CS exams are scheduled from June 1, our demand was that MU postpone the exams and also ensure that they do not clash with CS papers. With the current postponement, they will clash with CS exams, therefore we urge MU to forthwith initiate corrective measures to avoid clashes in exams.

Sourabh Chandorkar, a final year student of New Law College, who is also pursuing CS examination professional programme (final year), said, The law exam should be held after CS exam as there will be clashe between the two.

Semester 3 law results in 2-3 days, sem 5 students have to wait for another 8 days

The students of the fifth semester of General LLB will have to wait for at least eight days more for their results as there are around 500 copies that are yet to be assessed. The result of the fifth semester may be declared by next week, while the results of the third semester will be declared in the next two or three days. The MU on Tuesday declared the results of the first semester of General LLB. It had a pass percentage of 36.26 per cent.

The pass percentage for the fifth semester of the three-year LLB/BLS (five year course) is 34.65 per cent. Mahendra Shinde, a student of final year of New College, said that the current delay in declaring results will affect the mindset and studies of law students and there will be a lot of dropouts. Moreover, the third-year students will miss job opportunities and it will also hamper preparation time for further postgraduate law courses.

Rizwan Shaikh, who is waiting for his fifth semester results, said, I wanted to appear for CLAT but I couldn't make it as I didnt know my fifth semester results are yet to be declared. The online assessment system, which was set up in semester four last year in April, is still continuing. Those wishing to go abroad for future studies will have to give up one year, which will not be compensated by the University.

Vinod Malale, deputy registrar (public relations), examinations department, MU, said, The assessment of semester three has been done and in the next two to three days, the results of the same will be announced. Five hundred scripts of the fifth semester, which have been written in Marathi, are yet to be assessed and it will take around five to six days to complete it.
Despite its many shortfalls, the Congress Party in Karnataka did deliver its vision of social welfare centred-development.

Does vikas (development) get you the votes? This is a question that remains a perennial favourite of Indias commentariat and has become hugely relevant once again in the wake of the Karnataka elections. It is also likely to remain so till the general election in 2019 or whenever it is scheduled.

Political pundits in India would tell you that it depends. It depends on how you define development and victory. Is development a slew of welfare programmes, about health, education etc and inclusive growth, or is it big-ticket infrastructure projects, roads, bridges, bullet trains and foreign direct investment?

Despite its many shortfalls, the Congress Party in Karnataka did deliver its vision of social welfare centred-development. The Congress critics would say that the Karnataka verdict proves that these welfare schemes did not click. But it is also true that the Congress voteshare has remained more or less at par with what it was in 2013.

As far as the BJP is concerned, its chief vote-getter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has made vikas the theme song of his speeches and the partys official agenda centrestages its vision of development. Still, two of the mining scam-tainted Reddy brothers won! Where does the electoral success of Karnatakas famous Reddy brothers of iron-rich Ballari, known for their money and muscle power, fit into these competing visions of development and high-decibel concern about corruption?

Which takes us back to the question of the relationship between vikas and victory at the hustings and the Karnataka verdict. The short answer: it is complicated.

While the theme song running through the BJPs official agenda is development, development and more development, it is amply clear from the Karnataka election campaign that this theme is going to run alongside the BJPs other agenda of aggressive promotion of Hindutva. This has been apparent during recent Assembly elections and also surfaced during the poll campaign in Karnataka. Emotions stirred up at the mention of Tipu Sultan are very much a part of its campaign.

It sounds cynical, but while development remains the crying need of the vast majority in this country, the all-pervasive talk about development or vikas is a bit like that trope about mom, apple-pie and democracy in the United States. Everyone feels obliged to publicly pay homage. And then, there is reality which is less lofty in tone.

On Tuesday evening, as the election results were still coming in, I watched a riveting discussion on television. Panellists were discussing the likelihood of different types of horse-trading in the wake of the Karnataka electoral verdict. Yogendra Yadav, psephologist, academic, politician and a familiar face on TV, said the contest was now veering towards one between the unconstitutional and the unprincipled.

From the comfort of my couch in the living room, I also marvelled at BJP stalwart Meenakshi Lekhis take on freedom. Ms Lekhi saw what others typically see as defection as freedom of movement, as in a MLAs right to dump his/her own party and cross over to whoever was making a good offer. Were now very much in the by-now familiar game of horse-trading which follows many elections in India.

At the time of writing, it is not clear what will happen finally in Karnataka though Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership have already delivered rousing victory speeches, thanking the cadre. The Karnataka verdict has left ample room for hard bargaining. The BJP has emerged as the single largest party, but the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) together have more seats. All eyes are now on governor Vajubhai Vala, who, incidentally, was the man who vacated his Assembly seat when Prime Minister Narendra Modi contested his first election in Gujarat in 2001.

Given the current situation, the governor can invite the coalition that has a majority, or he can invite the single largest party, which is the BJP, and ask it to prove its majority. Media reports say a few Karnataka MLAs have gone incommunicado and there is much talk about shifting the much-in-demand legislators to a resort. Can one joke about the resort becoming the last resort of electoral politics?

Vikas may not have touched the lives of everyone but in the coming Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, and till the next general election, expect incessant talk of vikas. Competing visions of vikas are going to rend the air.

It is equally clear, and Dr Subramanian Swamy publicly acknowledged it the other day, that economic or development issues alone are not powerful enough to enthuse the BJP cadre and therefore Hindutva will feature prominently.

The BJPs critics will see this as the partys not-so-hidden agenda of tugging at voters emotions through religion, consolidating Hindutva. Others will simply call it the formula for winning elections which has been worked at for a long time now and which is delivering results.

During a recent TV discussion, Dr Swamy said that for years, the Congress winning formula had been to create divisions within the Hindu community and unite the minorities, and now the BJP is determined to reverse this by uniting Hindus and dividing minorities.

So what can we expect in the coming months? Only soothsayers dare to definitively forecast the future. Caste, regional issues, local concerns have always driven the electoral agenda in this country. But given that we now have an explicitly ideologically-driven party calling the shots at at the Centre and in many states, ideology is going to be a key part of the traditional mix. This should not come as a surprise.

What is very likely, therefore, is that the BJP will continue to use its dual strategy  mobilise its cadre by aggressively reaffirming its ideological commitment to Hindutva and pitch its talk about vikas and aspirational India at the non-committed voter.

Will the voter buy this again? What about jobs? What about the real issues on the ground that affect the day-to-day lives of most people? In a democracy, the voter can still call the shots but only if he or she is willing to do so.
Pak military officials call for a comprehensive Indo-Pak dialogue.

Islamabad: In a move that is set to fuel enormous speculation, Pakistans powerful military is now pitching for better ties with India, arguing that engagement is the key to normalisation and that war is a failure of strategy. In a recent interaction with reporters of select south Asian media publications including this newspaper who visited the Pakistani Capital Islamabad, the Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)the wing of the Pakistan armed forces that interacts with the media-Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor also said Pakistan is a peaceful country and does not want war with India, adding that Islamabad has always been ready for a comprehensive dialogue with New Delhi. However, he reiterated the Pakistan Armys position that it would give a befitting response if war was imposed on it.

Maj. Gen. Ghafoor also spoke on the need for the media in SAARC countries to have a regular and an Apolitical (non-political) interaction with each other in the interests of peace in the region. The timing of the comments are being seen by foreign policy observers as an indication of a powerful signal from the Pakistan Army that it is keen on resumption of the Indo-Pak peace process. It also comes in the wake of track-2 diplomacy efforts picking up after a team of former Indian diplomats and academicians visited Pakistan recently. Ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours have deteriorated sharply over the past two years, with tensions between the two armies on the Line of Control (LoC). After the informal summit recently between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Chinese city of Wuhan, experts believe China is keen to nudge Pakistan to adopt a more conciliatory tone vis-a-vis India. It is also widely believed that it is the Army in Pakistan that has the final say in that country on strategic matters and ties with India.

Interacting with reporters in Islamabad, Maj. Gen. Ghafoor said, Engagement is key to normalisation. War is a failure of strategy. We are a peaceful country. We dont war. But if war is imposed, a befitting response will be given. He also said India should stop firing at the LoC.

The ISPR DG told reporters that Pakistan had always supported a comprehensive dialogue with India but claimed that it was New Delhi which did not want dialogue. When asked by this newspaper about the high profile terror attacks on India from Pakistani soil such as the Pathankot and Uri attacks, an unfazed Maj. Gen. Ghafoor shot back, You are talking about two high profile attacks (in India). We (Pakistan) have seen hundreds of attacks and we have (former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan) Jadhav as proof. It may be recalled that Jadhav is in captivity in Pakistan and that a Pakistani military court had sentenced him last year to death on charges of espionage and terrorism. New Delhi had called the Pakistani allegations baseless and had said Jadhav, a businessman after retirement, was abducted from Iran.

Maj. Gen. Ghafoor also told reporters that the Pakistan Army had carried out operations against terrorists and that there were no terror camps operating from Pakistani soil. However, the statement flies in the face of concerns expressed by Pakistans neighbours India and Afghanistan that the territory of Pakistan or that controlled by it is being used to stage terror attacks on both.

Nevertheless, what generated much interest was the conciliatory tone of Maj. Gen. Ghafoor when he asked the media from the SAARC countries to work towards removal of the trust deficit. Media from SAARC countries must have a regular interaction. It should be an Apolitical (non-political) interaction. The media must play a role in removal of the trust deficit, he said.

It may be recalled that the 19th SAARC Summit, which was scheduled to have been held in Islamabad in 2016, was indefinitely postponed back then after India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan among others pulled out of the event. India had then cited cross-border terrorism as the reason for pulling out of the summit after the Pathankot and Uri terror attacks.
It is unacceptable that Nawaz is being branded as a traitor, Abbasi highlighted.

Islamabad: Clarifying his predecessor Nawaz Sharif 's recent statement about the Mumbai attacks, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday appealed the opposition members not to put the country's national security in jeopardy for earning brownie points politically.

"I can say with assurance that no one in Parliament has read the newspaper interview of the former premier of which a furore is being created," Geo News quoted Abbasi as saying while speaking in Parliament.

Last week, during an interview with the Dawn, Sharif had stated that "Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial?"

"We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan's narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it," he added.

His remarks were immediately picked up by Indian media, which termed the former prime minister's statement as a confession of Pakistan's role in the Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead.

It is unacceptable that Nawaz is being branded as a traitor, Abbasi highlighted.

"Party leaders should make statements based on facts," he noted, mentioning nobody needs a certificate of patriotism from anyone.

Pakistan's premier even expressed that Nawaz did not say or imply that the Mumbai attackers were sent from Pakistan deliberately. "However, India created that impression by misreporting the interview."
by Anil JT Couto*

Mgr Couto calls on the faithful in every parish to recite the prayer for a year as well as fast and perform the Eucharistic adoration. The secretary of the Bishops Conference urges believers to pray so that the country can be guided by pluralism and government wisdom in which the poor, tribals and Dalits are considered and respected with equal dignity. In Karnatakas elections, surprisingly, the BJP does not get a majority.

New Delhi (AsiaNews)  Mgr Anil JT Couto, archbishop of Delhi, issued a pastoral letter with a prayer to be recited in all parishes of the diocese, together with fasting and Eucharistic adoration, every Friday until the 2019 elections.

In his statement, the prelate expresses concern about Indias "turbulent political atmosphere which poses a threat to the democratic principles enshrined in our Constitution and the secular fabric of our nation.

His letter is dated 8 May but was released on 12 May, eve of the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Fatima. The archbishop emphasises the value of prayer and the importance of fasting as redemptive practices

In his view, what needs to be redeem is Indias political life in which Christian and Muslim religious minorities are increasingly targeted by Hindu nationalist radicals. Indeed, not only Christians but Muslims as well are victims of attacks.

Tensions have intensified following the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power in 21 out of 29 states. However, the Hindu nationalist party failed by a small margin to take the State of Karnataka in recent elections.

Mgr Theodore Mascarenhas, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), welcomes Mgr Coutos proposal. "It's a good initiative. Prayer is the main path. Praying is always a good thing. So, let us Christians pray for the country, so that political leaders can be prudent and enlightened." Mgr Coutos letter and prayer follow.

Dear Fathers, Brothers and Sisters,

We are witnessing a turbulent political atmosphere which poses a threat to the democratic principles enshrined in our Constitution and the secular fabric of our nation.

It is our hallowed practice to pray for our country and its political leaders all the time but all the more so when we approach the General Elections.

As we look forward towards 2019 when we will have [a] new Government, let us begin a Prayer Campaign for our country from May 13, 2018 which marks the Anniversary of the Apparition of the Blessed Mother at Fatima, consecrating ourselves and our nation to the Immaculate Heart.

I request that we observe a Day of Fast every Friday of the week by foregoing at least one meal and offering our penance and all our sacrifices for our spiritual renewal and that of our nation.

Moreover, I earnestly request that we organize an hour of Eucharistic Adoration every Friday at a convenient time in all our parishes, religious houses and institutions, specifically praying for our nation.

During this Adoration the enclosed Prayer may be recited.

With kind regards.

Prayer for our nation

Oh God of freedom and love, let your light of truth shine on our Nation, dispelling all darkness and untruth.

Let the dreams of our founding fathers and the values of our Constitution  Equality, Liberty and Fraternity  be always held in highest esteem.

Let the people of all castes and creeds, all denominations and persuasions live in harmony and peace steering far away from hatred and violence.

Protect our legislatures as a place of discerning minds. Raise our judiciary as the hallmark of integrity, prudence and justice. Keep our print, visual and social media as the channels of truth for edifying discourses. Protect our institutions from the infiltration of the evil forces.

Let the poor of our country be provided with the means of livelihood. Let the Dalits, tribals and the marginalised be brought into the mainstream of nation building. Let justice and integrity prevail in every sphere of our life.

May the ethos of true democracy envelop our elections with dignity and the flames of honest patriotism enkindle our political leaders.

This is our cry, Heavenly Father, in these troubled times as we see the clouds eclipsing the light of truth, justice and freedom.

Almighty Father, bless our nation with the revival of the Gospel values in the name of your Beloved Son Jesus Christ by sending forth your Holy Spirit.

Oh, Mary our Blessed Mother, who appeared at Fatima, give hope to the struggling nations and intercede for our beloved country. Amen.

*Archbishop of Delhi
by Lao Gao ()

Throughout its history, Chinas Communist Party has used well-known Buddhist leaders, Protestant clergymen and bishops to control religious communities and bend them to its will. The stories of Zhao Puchu, Zhao Fusan, Li Chuwen, and Jin Luxian are examples of that. A possible deal over episcopal the appointments between China and the Vatican is now raising fears.

Beijing (AsiaNews)  The Communist Party of China (CPC) has used Buddhist leaders, Protestant clergymen, scholars, and bishops to "infiltrate", control and twist religious communities, this according to Lao Gao (not his real name), a Catholic layman in the underground community, who here looks at some leading religious figures connected to the Party.

Without making any exhaustive claim in the matter, the author casts a certain light on the compromises and ties that allowed these individuals to forge brilliant careers. It should also be noted that for some of them, the Tiananmen massacre provided an opportunity for a break and flight.

Lao Gao appears concerned about the ongoing dialogue between the Holy See and China on episcopal appointments. He seems to fear that a possible agreement might give Beijing a cover to dominate the Church through the power to choose candidates to the episcopate, without any limits from the Vatican side, thus creating a generation of "opportunistic" bishops, to quote Benedict XVI.

It should be noted that under new regulations on religious activities, all communities are called to "sinicise themselves" and show their support for the Communist Party CCP.

In the People's Republic of China, the Party controls everything, especially religions, because they are considered antagonistic to its power. The Party itself considers itself a very exclusive god.

In order to achieve the goal of weakening or even eliminating religions, the Party uses unscrupulous means and principles, forcing important members of religions into strange alliances.

Zhao Puchu (1907-2000), one of Chinas best-known Buddhist leaders, chaired the Buddhist Association of China for almost half a century. He always behaved like a religious leader above suspicion. In reality, he was an undercover member of the Party. Obviously, he obeyed the instructions of Party leaders to subvert Buddhism from within.[i]

Protestant pastor Zhao Fusan (1926-2015), educational director of the seminary of Protestant Churches in Beijing, behaved like a good Christian. He was also greatly appreciated for his profound knowledge of the Bible and mastery of languages.

During the Cultural Revolution, under torture by the Red Guards, he revealed his identity as a Communist agent infiltrated in Protestant circles. After the Cultural Revolution, he was appointed director of the Institute of Religions at the Academy of Social Sciences. Later he became an Assistant Secretary of the CPC Committee in the Academy of Social Sciences, i.e. the second most important member of this important think-tank in mainland China.

During this period of time, he was able to examine  on behalf of the CPC Central Committee  the secret files of all religions, in particular Christian groups. In 1989 he criticised the military for the Tiananmen massacre and went to live outside of China. At the time, he was Chinas representative to UNESCO. Chinas mission to the UN agency was a nest of Chinese espionage in Europe. After condemning the Tiananmen massacre, he remained in Europe and then moved to the United States, where he died.[ii]

In Shanghai, Li Chuwen (1918-2018) was another important Protestant and a closet Communist until the Cultural Revolution. In the 1980s he was appointed deputy director of the Xinhua National Press Agency in Hong Kong, a spy nest. His immediate superior was Xu Jiatun, former Party Secretary in Jiangsu and a member of the CPC Central Committee. Hong Kong's Xinhua branch answered directly to the Central Committee. It must be said that Li Chuwen played an important role in the smooth transfer of sovereignty in Hong Kong to China.[iii]

Some Catholics have also been involved in the Partys control of religions. The late Mgr Aloysius Jin Luxian, former auxiliary bishop of Shanghai, in his book about his personal life, reveals some aspects of his submission to Party authorities.[iv]

Before his return to Shanghai  on the orders of the Ministry of Public Security  he worked as a translator for an agency in Baoding, 140 km south of Beijing. From there, he regularly visited Beijing, staying at Beijing Hotel (at the time, the capitals most luxurious hotel), to meet the Director General of the Political Protection Office in the Ministry of Public Security, i.e. the top body in the countrys political police before the creation of the State Ministry of Security.

Mgr Jin also had the opportunity of meeting Ling Yun, then vice-minister in the same department, who was later appointed Security Minister after the department was set up in 1983. Obviously, these meetings  and banquets  were held in secret places.

These top secret agents presented Jin Luxian to the State Administration for Religious Affairs in 1982, before he left Baoding for Shanghai where he became rector of the Inter-regional Seminary in Sheshan (Shanghai). The idea of setting up a seminary followed a decision by the government and was aimed at training priests who could continue building an independent Chinese Church.

This explains why, in the 1980s, when Chinese borders were almost closed, Jin Luxian could travel abroad and become the official bishop of Shanghai. Everything was done from the point of view of state security. Undoubtedly the authorities used Jin Luxian as an agent dressed up as priest and then a bishop. Of course, everything also depended on his eminent intellectual skills and consciousness.

It must also be said that, in his youth, Mgr Jin received a solid ecclesial priestly training and spent several years in a Communist prison.

Today, more than in the past, it is perhaps easier for Chinese authorities to find some priest who is willing to "collaborate" and offer himself as a candidate for the episcopate. Quite a few men have in fact entered seminaries on government orders.

Lao Gao ()

May 2018

china, vatican, religious freedom, episcopal appointments, catholic church, buddhis, protestants, three authonomies movement

[i] See the eulogy dedicated to him in the article (in Chinese) published by the People's Daily (31 May 2000).

[ii] See article (in Chinese) in the Gospel Times (in Chinese) of 17 July 2015.

[iii] See the article (in Chinese) in the Shanghai Observer of 12 April 2018, which highlights his contribution to the Party as a "hidden cell".

[iv] In The Memoirs of Jin Luxian (Chinese edition: :     1916-1982), p 179, he mentions the series of contacts with senior officials in the Ministry of Public Security.
by Thanh Thuy

Mgr Joseph Chau Ngoc Tri, bishop of Lang Son and Cao Bang said, We offer our lives as if they were flowers to [. . .] Our Lady. Five colours symbolise the graces the Vietnamese ask from Our Lady. In Ho Chi Minh City, thousands take part in the ceremony organised by the Sisters of the St Thomas Institute.

Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews)  Catholic devotion to Our Lady is very deep across the country and gets stronger during the month of May dedicated to Mary.

In every parish, believers of all ages take part in various ceremonies, including floral offerings called Dang Hoa in Vietnamese (pictured) to honour the Mother of Jesus.

In churches, the altars devoted to the Virgin are always full of fragrant buds and incense. One of them is in Vu Le, a remote part of the Diocese of Lang Son and Cao Bang, near the border with China. The local bishop recently visited the community.

On 12 May, Mgr Joseph Chau Ngoc Tri led the Mass and the offering ceremony during which he confirmed four young people.

"We are gathered here today, in this moving atmosphere, to offer beautiful and fragrant flowers to Mary Mother, the bishop said during the service. Let us raise our hearts to express our love and honour Our Lady. Through her, we come to Jesus.

We offer our lives as if they were flowers to the Mercy of God to please Our Lady. I prayed that God may help us change and have a better religious life every day, greater fervor in the life of faith, and strength in proclaiming our faith and bearing witness to everyone the love of Jesus."

The dioceses Communications Office said that "during the ceremony of flower offerings, five parish groups performed traditional dances as well as a religious song titled The gift of five-coloured flowers (Dang Hoa Nam Sac).

Speaking to AsiaNews, Mr Truong Son, a parishioner in Vuon Xoai (diocese of Saigon), said that "In the 'Month of Flowers', the faithful offer songs, prayers, dances and flowers in various colours: red for sacrifice, yellow for love, white for virginity, purple for loyalty, and green for hope. Mary Mother will pray to the Lord to grant us these graces."

Also on 12 May, the Sisters of the St Thomas Institute in Ho Chi Minh City organised an offering at the church of the Redemptorist Fathers. Thousands of faithful took part.

"I carefully watched the nuns, who performed traditional dances in harmony with sacred songs and colorful flowers, said a non-Catholic music teacher. This is a show of respect, love and gratitude to Mary Mother. I am very moved. In this atmosphere I see the sanctity and honesty of Vietnamese Catholics."

Echoing the teachers words, a Catholic university student was touched by the beauty of the melody of the hymns. The harmony of these sacred songs goes well with the dances. In this solemn atmosphere, everyone is here to present beautiful roses to Our Lady. This initiative expresses the love of the community towards Her."
by Melani Manel Perera

The first meetings were held in Mannar District on 12 May. The Office must look into the disappearance of more than 20,000 people during almost 30 years of civil war. Meanwhile, families hold protest rallies over the slow pace and modus operandi of the investigation.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  Two years after the government promised to set up the Office for Missing Persons (OMP), the agency held its first public consultations.

The Offices goal is to find out what happened to 20,000 people who went missing during almost 30 years of civil war, including youth, women, children, social activists, and academics.

The first meetings took place in Mannar District on 12 May. More will follow in Matara, Trincomalee, Mullaithivu, Killinochchi, Jaffna, Kandy, Batticaloa and Ampara.

On the side-line of the public hearings, the families of the missing staged a protest across the district over the slow pace of setting up the Office itself, a point recently made by the European Union as well.

Relatives also questioned the OMPs modus operandi, which in their opinion should find "solutions rather than conduct more consultations".

Still, for Saliya Peiris, who chairs the OMP, the start of the hearings can be considered a success since 250 families took part.

Speaking to the public present at the sessions, the lawyer called on the public to trust the Office. "You are discouraged and frustrated, he told them, but you must also be hopeful that you will receive the answers you seek".

Manuel Udayachandra, a Tamil mother, was among those present. Her son Anton disappeared ten years ago and she has not much faith in the administration of justice.

"They always ask us to gather information but they already have everything, she explains. We were under military control, so our children were kidnapped by the army. My son was sleeping when he was picked up in the middle of the night."

Jeyawanitha, another Tamil mother, has not heard from her daughter for years. Her hopes of finding her were rekindled in 2014 when she recognised her daughter among a group of young people in an election flyer issued by the camp of then presidential candidate, now president Maithripala Sirisena.

Since then she has been asking for answers, which are not forthcoming. "We want solutions for the missing and the abducted, she says.

Photo credit: Garikaalan
Ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI) in the Philippines and elsewhere in Asia are eyeing Canada as a safe bet for their investments, a new study says.

In addition to Canada, the US, Singapore, and Australia are the top preferred investment destinations of the ultra-wealthy individuals in the Philippines in 2017, said the 12th "Wealth Report" launched in Manila last week.

The report said there will be 260 new ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI) in the Philippines whose total net assets are $50 million and above by 2022, fueled by the bullish real estate market and the influx of Chinese investments, a survey by a property outfit says.

"That growth is driven mainly by bullish real estate industry, strong macroeconomic fundamental and will be further fueled by the influx of Chinese investments into the Philippines through the Belt and Road Initiative, Rick Santos, chairman, and CEO of property services provider Santos Knight Frank said.

A total of 541 global wealth advisers and private bankers representing 50,000 clients worldwide participated in the survey.

The Wealth Report incorporated the "Attitudes Survey" which presented issues influencing the wealthy's decision-making process.

Based on the report, 78 percent of Filipinos are exposed to property investments compared to the global average of 56 percent.

In China, 39 percent of the rich's portfolio is dedicated to property investments, while the average is 42 percent in the Philippines, Nicholas Holt, head of research for Knight Frank Asia Pacific, said.

He said 28 percent of Philippine clients are looking to purchase additional domestic residential homes in the next 12 months compared to the 22 percent global average.

Asia has finally overtaken Europe in absolute numbers of ultra-wealthy individuals, the report said.

While Europe managed a very respectable growth of 10% in the category, matching the global average, its mature market was no match for the dynamism of Asia, which saw a 15% bump in its ranks.

As of the end of 2017, Asia boasted 35,880 ultra-wealthy individuals compared to 35,180 in Europe. All eyes now move hungrily across the Atlantic to North America, which retains the number one spot. But with growth of only 5% from 2016 to 2017, its status as the hub of the ultra-wealthy could be under threat.

Growth within Asia over the next five years is looking very optimistic in both relative and absolute terms, led, as is so often the case, by China, which is forecast to contribute a whopping 47% of the growth of Asias nearly 20,000 new ultra-wealthy individuals. Second, behind only Japans 9,960 ultra-wealthy individuals in 2017, China, with 8,800 is going to add as many again to its ranks, and then some: with growth of 104% over the next five years, the exclusive club of the ultra-wealthy is set to become considerably less exclusive.

Japan, finally recovering from its Lost Decades, is forecast to grow its ultra-wealthy by a significant 51%, the highest of any large, developed country. In Asia, Japan will contribute 26% of the new ultra-wealthy by 2022.

From an admittedly small base, the Philippines is in a very strong position going forward: after a less than exciting 2016-2017 period, it is now seen as the second-best place to be as far as growth in the ultra-wealthy is concerned: at 84% it is behind only China.

Because of its low base, though, it will only contribute 1% of the regions overall growth between 2017 and 2022.

In the third position, Indian wealth is expected to charge ahead over the next five years after a solid but slightly disappointing 2017, narrowing in on 5,000 ultra-wealthy individuals, a growth of 71%. Indonesia and Malaysia occupy the 5th and 6th places at 66% and 65% growth, respectively.
100% plant-based vegan steak to be sold in over 400 Tesco supermarkets





Netherlands based company Vivera has created an entirely plant-based steak. Europes largest supermarket chain, Tesco, will be the first to sell the innovative vegan product in more than 400 locations across the UK.

According to a press release, Vivera(?) has noted a strong growing international demand for plant-based products.

As of June 2018, several other large retailers will begin selling the groundbreaking vegan steak across the EU.

The item is expected to appear in in stores in the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Italy later this year.

Vivera has begun production of its new meat-like, yet meat-free, product and expects to put out several million items this year.

Gert Jan Gombert of Vivera said a large group of vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians have been very interested in such a product for years. With the breakthrough of its market introduction and large-scale production, a large group of consumers can enjoy this plant-based product.

The smell, taste and bite can hardly be distinguished from real steak and we are convinced that this product will meet a large need of consumers, said Gombert.

Vegetarian and vegan meat products are now considered mainstream, according to a recent report. In fact, the global plant-based meat market is set to exceed $6 billion by 2023.

Viveras new vegan steak product will be available in Tesco stores from May 21.

Large-scale production of plant-based steak is major breakthrough

The development of mass-produced plant-based steak fits in the growing popularity of healthy and high quality meat replacements. Consumer interest in healthier and sustainable food is significantly increasing in many parts of Europe. As the worlds meat production is projected to double by 2050 according to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN) the availability of meat alternatives will become more relevant than ever before. Consumption of plant-based meat alternatives can significantly reduce the environmental impact and the use of scarce resources like water and farmland.

The focus of Vivera is to establish a 100% plant-based product portfolio before the end of 2018. Its current product portfolio consists of more than 40 different meat alternatives.

About Vivera

Vivera has been pioneering in the development of vegetarian and plant-based meal components since 1990. With its headquarters and factory in the Netherlands, the company has grown into one of the largest manufacturers in Europe. The product range consists of more than 40 products and belongs to the top of the market in quality as well as in variety. The products are based on a.o. wheat, soy, peas, corn, rice and vegetables. Its products are developed based on the best taste, bite, appearance, variety, health and value for money. Viveras range is already available in 23 European countries and around 25,000 supermarkets.
Lupin allergen declaration to become mandatory on 26 May 2018





Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is reminding food businesses that mandatory allergen labelling requirements for lupin begin on 26 May 2018.

FSANZ CEO Mark Booth said in a press release lupin is a legume which belongs to the same plant family as peanuts, and has the potential to be an allergen.

In Australia, lupin has not typically been used in food, however, due to its high protein and fibre content we are seeing an increase in its use, Booth said.

In 2017, lupin was added to the list of allergens that must be declared on food labels. Food businesses were given 12 months to meet these requirements. Any foods that contain lupin must declare it on the label from 26 May 2018  even if its already on the shelf. Correct allergen labelling can mean the difference between life and death for people with food allergies so it is vital that food businesses get it right. Booth continued.

Even if the food is not in a package (for example, food prepared at and sold from a takeaway shop), allergen information must be displayed in connection with the food or provided to the purchaser if requested he said.

Failure to declare a listed allergen can trigger a food recall obligation.
Not sure where you're getting your information from but you probably shouldn't use that source anymore.There's no point in applying for the onshore 820/801 if you don't plan to remain onshore while waiting. In fact, the BVA that's granted that allows the person to remain onshore when their current visa ends does not come with travel rights, so you'd have to make a separate BVB application for that and it's typically only granted for short periods to allow you to leave and reenter Australia. There is an offshore 309/100 which is the same partner visa but for offshore applicants and if you plan on being offshore for long periods, then that may be the best option. This is why it would be good to consult an RMA and see what all your options are, possible pitfalls of choosing certain routes, and making the best decision for the circumstances of your relationship.The long term relationship is for de facto or spouse couples... so any time dating or time that you can't prove such a relationship doesn't count towards that. The applicant would make either the 309/100 or 820/801 application and wait the normal processing times for the first stage (which for onshore often takes 1-2 years or more). If at that time of assessment, the CO feels you've supplied enough evidence for the 3 years prior (or 2 years if there's a child of the relationship) to the date of application, then they may grant the 100 at the same time as the 309 or the 801 at the same time as the 820. As we have seen with previous posters on the forum, that is no guarantee and if this is what you'll aim for, your best chance at waiving that two year waiting period between application and PR eligibility will be using an RMA to present your application in the best way possible.You should read the partner visa websites for information on this. 309/100 and 820/801
Hello to all..



My husband will at any time now be applying for the 309 visa...i need some information about how the payment method will be? is it possible for us to pay at the bank or how? Will there be any account number to make it easier for us to pay? Just wanna get the ideas before the time comes...



Thank you so much for your help...
Deniz Klnc / Istanbul, May 16 () - The Council, in EU27 format, briefed by the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier about the ongoing Brexit negotiations, the European Council declared in a statement.

Ministers discussed the state of play in the talks with the UK, in relation to both the completion of the work on withdrawal issues to finalise the draft withdrawal agreement, and on the framework of the future EU-UK relations, the outcome of which will be reflected in a political declaration.

"October is only five months away and some key issues still need to be settled" Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said, "We urgently need to progress on Ireland, on governance and on all other remaining withdrawal issues. We also need to provide a framework for the future relationship. Our citizens and our businesses, on both sides of the Channel, need reassurance that there will be an orderly Brexit. They also need clarity about the future relationship."

The Council also began preparations for the next meeting of the European Council (Article 50) to take place in June 2018 by looking at the annotated draft agenda for the summit.
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SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP)  A top European Union official branded President Donald Trump selfish and capricious Wednesday as EU leaders met to count the likely economic damage U.S. policies might inflict on the bloc and to try to rescue the Iran nuclear deal.

In a striking rhetorical assault on the leader of Europe's biggest ally, EU Council President Donald Tusk said, given Trump's recent decisions, "someone could even think 'with friends like that, who needs enemies?'"

Trump has bewildered the Europeans by threatening to slap tariffs on EU steel and aluminum exports and reneging on an agreement to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, which the EU believes is vital to world security. Trump has also broken with a key international principle of Middle East peace efforts by moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

Tusk's remarks, made before he chaired a meeting in Bulgaria of the 28 leaders whose countries make up the world's biggest trading bloc, underscored the widening gulf in EU-U.S. relations.

Listing Europe's traditional challenges, ranging from the expanding power of China to the belligerence of Russia, Tusk said: "We are witnessing today a new phenomenon, the capricious assertiveness of the American administration."

"Frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful to President Trump because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realize that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm," Tusk said.

At dinner talks in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, EU leaders were briefed on possible incentives to keep Tehran in the nuclear agreement despite a key player like the U.S. pulling out. Trump's decision means that U.S. sanctions, held in check by a presidential veto until now, could soon hit Iran and European companies doing business there.

The options being considered include new credit lines for Iran, increased energy cooperation and the use of EU laws to block European companies from caving in to U.S. sanctions.

The leaders also planned to discuss Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs, which could be imposed on the EU after June 1. Trump says the tariffs are needed for national security reasons. Europe's leaders, most of whom govern nations that are NATO allies with the U.S., say security concerns simply are an excuse to break with the rules-based order of the World Trade Organization.

"It is absurd to even think that the EU could be a threat to the U.S. We need to bring back reality in this discussion," Tusk said.

Trump's decision to relocate the U.S. embassy to the contested city of Jerusalem will also be raised. Some EU leaders have made a direct link between the move and the killing of almost 60 Palestinians during protests on the Gaza border.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel is calling for an international investigation.

"It's a moment that sends a shiver down your spine. Because there is a striking contrast between, on the one hand, an inauguration in great splendor, with smiles, and on the other hand, the drama, and families today that are in mourning with innocent children who are the victims of this situation," Michel told state broadcaster RTBF.

"We knew that there was a great risk, that this decision to move moving the embassy would bring less security, bring tragedies, and sadly we were right," he said.

But the EU is anything but united and finding consensus will not be easy.

Some countries sent representatives to the U.S. Jerusalem embassy opening on Monday and the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania blocked an EU effort to publish a statement critical of the U.S. move.

The leaders are expected to meet again Friday with the heads of government from six Balkans countries to assess their hopes of eventually joining the EU.

___

Casert reported from Brussels.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
NEW YORK (AP)  In a case that strained relations between the United States and Turkey, a judge sentenced a Turkish banker on Wednesday to just over two and a half years in prison, ignoring recommendations that he spend decades behind bars for his role in helping Iran evade U.S. economic sanctions.

U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman ordered Mehmet Hakan Atilla to spend 32 months in prison, including 14 months he has already served after his arrest last year during a business trip to New York on behalf of his employer, Turkey's state-run Halkbank. The sentence means Atilla can return to Turkey in about a year.

The trial, which ended in January, had featured testimony about corruption at the highest levels of the Turkish government. A spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Atilla's conviction on five charges a "scandalous verdict."

In the decades after the Iranian hostage crisis, in which 52 Americans were held captive from 1979 to 1981, the United States imposed increasingly stiffer sanctions prohibiting virtually all U.S. financial dealings with oil-rich Iran, including many bank transactions.

Prosecutors maintained that Atilla used his position as Halkbank's deputy general manager for international banking to help build and protect a scheme that enabled billions of dollars in profits from Iranian oil sales to flow through world financial markets since 2011.

"This is the biggest sanction evasion prosecution in the United States that we're aware of," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Lockard.

Lockard said the sanctions-busting scheme was "monumental in scope and momentous in timing" given the negotiations aimed at curtailing the nuclear aims of a state sponsor of terrorism and preventing a Middle East nuclear arms race.

"It is so serious that everybody is a victim of it," the prosecutor said.

But the judge decided on a dramatically shorter prison term than the life sentence recommended by U.S. probation authorities and the 20 years urged by prosecutors.

Berman said the lengthier prison terms recommended would be "inappropriate, unreasonable and unfair."

"Mr. Atilla was, as the defense suggests, somewhat of a cog in the wheel, and I would add, a somewhat reluctant one," Berman said during a three-hour court proceeding that mostly featured the judge explaining how he chose the sentence.

At one point, an emotional defendant wiped his face with tissues as the judge read excerpts from 101 letters written by friends, family and work associates of Atilla describing the 47-year-old husband and father as a compassionate and religious man who frequently helped others.

The judge said Atilla falsely testified at his trial on some matters but was unlikely to commit any new crimes, earned no profits directly from the fraud and had a role in the multi-year scheme that was less than many others. Those included Turkish government officials and Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab, who pleaded guilty and testified against Atilla.

The wealthy Zarrab, arrested a year before Atilla, initially attracted considerable attention to the case. He is married to Turkish pop star and TV personality Ebru Gundes.

Zarrab testified that he paid over $50 million in bribes to Turkey's finance minister to help the sanctions-busting scheme flourish after he initially encountered resistance from a Halkbank executive who feared he was "too popular" to carry out trades involving Iranian money without drawing attention to them. Zarrab awaits sentencing.

Judge Berman noted the feverish pitch of some observers of Atilla's trial, particularly in Turkey, when he promised to make a transcript of the sentencing available to the public later Wednesday.

___

Associated Press writer Tom Hays contributed to this story.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  As she sat in the house where "Great Gatsby" writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, once lived, a visitor contemplated the famous Jazz Age couple.

"I tried to imagine how maybe Scott would tell a joke and Zelda would laugh," said Farong Zhu, a Fulbright scholar from China who translated Zelda's only novel, "Save Me the Waltz," into Chinese. "Everything was very beautiful. I was so excited to be close to the Fitzgeralds, I couldn't sleep well the first night."

But you don't have to be a literary scholar to stay in this apartment upstairs from the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. The Fitzgeralds lived in the house in 1931 and 1932, and for $150 a night, anyone can rent the apartment on Airbnb . There's nothing else quite like it in the rental website's inventory, according to Airbnb spokeswoman Alyssa McEwan.

It's also the only site on the Southern Literary Trail open to the public for overnight stays. "It's a wonderful opportunity for travelers," said trail director Sarah McCullough. "And of course it generates revenue," always a challenge for historic sites.

Fitzgerald Museum director Sara Powell said she worried when rentals began in April that visitors might throw wild "Gatsby"-style parties. But those concerns proved unjustified. As McCullough put it, "Most of the people who would want to stay there probably have a great love for the writer and the writer's work and would have great respect for the property."

The house dates to 1910. The apartment is furnished in casual 20th century style: sofa, armchairs, decorative lamps, Oriental rug, and pillows embroidered with quotes from Zelda like this one: "Those men think I'm purely decorative and they're fools for not knowing better." It has two bedrooms, a working kitchen and Wi-Fi, but the ambience evokes another era, with a record player and jazz albums, a balcony and flowering magnolia trees in the yard, all tucked away on a quiet street in Montgomery's historic Old Cloverdale neighborhood.

"It's hard for writers to be disconnected from their own world, even for a second," Powell said. "We've had people tell us it was so good to be up there, even for a couple of days. You do unplug and get out of your headspace."

Though the Fitzgeralds didn't live in the house for long, Montgomery was important in their celebrated, tumultuous lives. Zelda was a Montgomery native, and they met at a country club here in 1918 during World War I. She was a teenage debutante and he was stationed at a nearby military base.

Once married, rich and rootless, they moved from place to place, including Paris and New York, where a stay on Long Island planted the seed for "Gatsby." In Montgomery, he worked on "Tender Is the Night" and she wrote "Save Me the Waltz." It was the last place they lived together with their daughter, Scottie, who turned 10 there and later was sent to boarding school. F. Scott, an alcoholic, died at age 44. Zelda battled mental illness and perished in a hospital fire at age 47.

In the 1980s, the house was threatened with demolition to make way for condos. Local lawyer Julian McPhillips and his wife, Leslie, bought the house and established a nonprofit for it. McPhillips is a Princeton University alumnus; Fitzgerald also attended Princeton, and the museum displays a copy of his Princeton transcript, showing many dropped courses before he left school to join the military. The museum also owns 11 of Zelda's paintings, personal belongings like an inkwell and beaded purse, and first editions of Fitzgerald's novels.

As a tourist destination, Montgomery is best-known for civil rights history. This is where Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat on a bus to a white man, sparking a bus boycott by African-Americans that resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court declaring segregation on public buses unconstitutional. That protest also turned a young Montgomery minister, Martin Luther King Jr., into the leader of the civil rights movement.

In April, two new sites opened in Montgomery that are already attracting a lot of attention: a memorial to victims of racial terror lynchings, and The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration.

Powell is looking for ways to connect with visitors coming to experience these other attractions. She's developing a workshop for 2019 looking at how race relations were impacted by an 1890s election law named for Zelda's father, Judge Anthony Sayre, that made it harder for illiterate and semi-illiterate citizens to vote. And while Fitzgerald scholars like Zhu are a natural fit for writers' residences, Powell is open to proposals on any topic.

Katherine Malone-France, vice president of historic sites at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, says the Airbnb rental and writers' residencies are great ways to keep places like the Fitzgerald house "financially sustainable and culturally sustainable" while remaining "respectful and relevant to their pasts."

"That is the best way to preserve something: To use it," she said.

___

If You Go...

F. SCOTT AND ZELDA FITZGERALD MUSEUM: 919 Felder Ave., Montgomery, Alabama, https://www.thefitzgeraldmuseum.org/ . Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Suggested $10 donation.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Some Harbour Island residents are demanding answers after city leaders introduced a plan to replace aging wastewater lines.

City: Harbour Island wastewater pipe overhaul needed

Wastewater pipes for Harbour Island installed in 1951

Residents say plan to replace pipes will rip up sidewalks, yards

Tampa, Harbour Island residents to meet Wednesday night

Harbour Island residents are getting together with Tampa officials to discuss the plans to replace the pipes, which residents say will force heavy construction through the island and tear up sidewalks, roads and yards.

City officials said the pipes, which were installed in 1951, are reaching the end of their usage and need to be replaced. A consultant has been hired to study the potential routes for new pipes.

The president of the Harbour Island homeowners association said, after a meeting with city officials, that proposed pipe routes would rip up the spine of the island, tearing up roads and sidewalks and potentially damage ecosystems in ponds and landscaping.

Residents want the city to consider different options for the pipes. So far, city officials say they are receptive.

"The first step is to do the preliminary engineering, which is a route study they'll look," said Eric Weiss with Tampa Wastewater. "The professionals will look at, 'Do you rehabilitate this pipe in place?', 'If you can't, what are the alternative routes you can get from downtown to this facility?' and all options are wide open."

Residents and city officials are meeting Wednesday night at the Tampa Bay History Center . City officials said it will take residents' opinions into consideration before any final plan.

South Neighborhood Association President Larry Premak said an all-water route for the pipes could be cheaper.

"Please look at the all-water route," Premak said of likely discussions at the meeting. "...they're saying this will cost $25 million - they can't even give us a figure for the all water route. If it costs $35 million, let's figure out how we're going to pay for it.

"Not 'this is your only option and deal with it, Harbour Island residents,' " he said.
Seeing Stars on the Oregon Coast Above - and Below - This Week

Published 05/16/2018 at 5:15 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff





(Manzanita, Oregon)  This week is action-packed with intense nature fun on and near the Oregon coast, some of it literally interstellar. Theres a star party, a tour of tidepools in Oceanside, and a tour of oyster-growing facilities in Tillamook County.

Theres some stargazing to be had in the Oregon coast range this week.

On Saturday, May 19, join OMSI and Rose City Astronomers at both Rooster Rock State Park and L.L. "Stub" Stewart State Park starting at sunset. From beginners to experts of all ages, its an opportunity to view the stars and other celestial objects up close and personal through telescopes. Viewing highlights waxing crescent moon, Venus, Jupiter, and more.

Join the group as they gaze at the spring night sky at Rooster Rock State Park, located 22 miles east of Portland on I-84 just east of Sandy River at exit 25. To reach L.L. "Stub" Stewart State Park, take US-26 west of Portland and turn right on OR-47. The event starts at sunset and is free with $5 parking per vehicle.

On the scheduled day of each OMSI Star Parties, it is suggested that interested visitors check back on OMSIs website for possible weather-related cancellations.

Warm clothing and a flashlight with red light are recommended. Personal telescopes and binoculars are welcome.



In wondrous Oceanside, Tidepool Discovery Days bring the coolest critters into the light on May 19. The group Friends of Netarts Bay Watershed, Estuary, Beach & Sea (WEBS) is hosting this event, which starts at 9:30 a.m. and is free.

What amazing creatures are lurking at the waters edge? Come out to Oceanside and make some discoveries. WEBS staff and volunteers will be onsite in the tidepools helping visitors understand what is living along the coastal edge. Learn about anemone clone wars, how a sea star eats, or how hermit crabs steal shell homes from other crabs. From seaweeds to sculpin fish, there is another worldly place to uncover. It happens at the main access: Oceanside Recreation Area.

Wear boots or bring a change of shoes. Flip flops are never ideal for exploring tide pools. Be prepared for shifting Oregon coast weather. Dogs are allowed. 541-231-8041. Registration at this link.

The following day, May 20, Friends of Netarts Bay hosts the Art of Growing Oysters.

Do you enjoy Pacific Northwest oysters? The oyster industry is an important part of Tillamook County and includes a number of farms, like Pacific Seafood operating out of Bay City, and one of the largest oyster hatcheries in the country, Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery on Netarts Bay. If you are interested in understanding where the tasty critters on your dinner plate come from, join in on the next tour.

This is a rare opportunity to learn about the these facilities, the state-of-the-art scientific research going on at the hatchery, and the issues faced by the shellfish industries and wild shellfish along the Pacific Northwest. This event includes an estuary walk to view oyster beds near Bay Ocean Peninsula County Park, a stop at Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery, and ends at Pacific Seafoods restaurant, the Fish Peddler.

It is free and starts at 9 a.m. Wear boots or closed toe shoes. The walk to the oyster beds will be muddy and is a moderate to moderate plus walk depending on the day. The groups requests you consider your comfort walking through mud and water. Meet at Netarts. 541-231-8041. Registration at this link. ----- Oregon Coast Hotels for these events - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours













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Heres this weeks dispatch from the crossroads of faith and culture.

The latest from my faith/media industry mail box 

NEW YORK, MAY 14, 2018  Nomi Network, an anti-human trafficking organization, will honor seven outstanding women at its 8th Annual Gala and Awards Ceremony for their efforts to eradicate the vicious cycle of human trafficking. The event will take place on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in New York City to raise awareness about human trafficking and encourage attendees to take a stand against this global issue. Award-winning actor Penn Badgley, whose credits include Gossip Girl and The Paper Store, will be presenting the keynote address. Award-winning actor Harry Lennix, whose credits include The Blacklist and Man of Steel, will also be in attendance.

Human trafficking enslaves approximately 46 million people globally and of this number, 70 percent are women and girls. Nomi Network chooses to puts faces to these numbers and believes that by knowing our women and their stories, we honor their tenacity and the hard work of those that advocate for them. In spite of these daunting numbers, I am confident that the monumental achievements of our gala honorees will see the eradication of modern day slavery in our lifetime, says Diana Mao, president and co-founder of Nomi Network.

The Abolitionist Award will be presented to Emily Nielsen Jones and her daughter Lexi Jones of the Imago Dei Fund. Mrs. Jones, who co-founded Imago Dei in 2009 with her husband, Ross, has been a longtime supporter of Nomi Network after learning how vital economic empowerment is for women when addressing the root causes of human trafficking. Being a mother of a young girl drove Mrs. Jones to adopt a gender-lens within the grant making at Imago Dei, choosing to focus on partnerships with female change agents who are building bridges of peace and creating a world where girls and women can thrive. Following in her mothers footsteps, Ms. Jones has always been eager to create a world for more human beings to achieve their full potential. She has traveled to Haiti, Tanzania and Rwanda to meet young survivors of trafficking and learn about the community driven-approaches seeking to empower women. Jones was recently chosen to join the leadership program Be the Change, and was selected to participate in the MA State National History Day for a group project on the Civil Rights Movement.

The Global Ambassador Award will be presented to Jeannie Mai of Foxs Emmy-nominated talk show, The Real. In addition to being a style expert, television personality and executive producer, Mai is also an ambassador for the Pacific Links Foundation, an organization committed to rescuing women and children from sex trafficking in Vietnam by providing employment opportunities. She also proudly supports Nightlight International, Not For Sale, Step Up, and Heartbeat Vietnam. Mai participated in the 2017 film Stopping Traffic, which centered on the relationship between child sexual abuse, child-focused cyber-porn and prostitution. She has also been recognized as one of Ciroc, Variety and Womens Wear Dailys 2016 Women of Empowerment.

The Abolitionist Award also will be presented to Nicola Forrest and her daughter Grace Forrest of the Walk Free Foundation, an international human rights organization that focuses on the eradication of human trafficking. The Forrests will be coming from Perth, Washingotn, to accept their award, where they work with Nicolas husband, Andrew Forrest, to run the Minderoo Foundation, which oversees Walk Free. Recognized as some of Australias most generous philanthropists, the Forrests have given away more than $222 million to over 230 individual organizations and programs. The Forrests Walk Free initiative was inspired by Ms. Forrests school trip to Nepal where she visited poverty stricken orphanages. Nicola is now a founding director at the foundation, as well as a communication strategist for the Global Slavery Index and an ambassador for the Humanitarian Group and The Freedom Hub, both of which focus on the empowerment of trafficking survivors in Australia.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Award will be presented to Sarah Middleton of the PIMCO Foundation. At PIMCO, Mrs. Middleton is responsible for global corporate citizenship. To achieve this, she developed PIMCOs employee volunteer program and implemented key corporate responsibility initiatives. Middleton represents PIMCO by being on the Points of Light Corporate Institute Leadership Faculty, Executive Committee for IMPACT2030, a board member for the Sisters of St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation, and chairing the Orange County Funders Roundtable.

This year, Nomi Network will also be debuting the new Founders Award for Outstanding Service, which will be presented to Board Member Emeritus Susan Lee Cheung. Lee Cheung has over 15 years of experience in advocacy as a legal assistant at Sullivan and Cromwell LLP, program manager for development at Asian Americans for Equality, and advocacy fellow at Covenant House International, where she focused on the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act. Most notably, Lee Cheung has served on Nomi Networks advisory board since its inception in 2009, where she leads semi-annual budget meetings to ensure proper use and stewardship of donor funds in addition to developing the methodology for program evaluation in Cambodia and India.

This is Nomi Networks 8th gala and serves as an important annual event to raise funds and awareness, to recognize the organizations critical work and achievements, and to celebrate their key supporters and champions. Honorees from previous years have included actress Mira Sorvino, actress Mamie Gummer, actress and activist Julia Ormond, TOMs Blake Mykoskie, and Patagonias Wendy Savage. Leading companies such as Carlson Hotels, LexisNexis, and Exxon have also been recognized for their continued support and actions.

This years reception and ceremony will take place on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at 6:30 p.m., at Tribeca 360 in New York City. The evening will include a cocktail reception, seated dinner program, dancing, and a silent auction featuring many one-of-a kind items. To purchase tables or individual tickets, please contact Sweena Varghese at sweena@nominetwork.org or purchase directly online at https://www.nominetwork.org/2018gala. ABOUT NOMI NETWORK:

Launched in 2009, Nomi Network is a vital non-profit organization that serves as an economic agency for the empowerment of survivors and women at risk of human trafficking. Nomi Network provides direct training, capacity building for organizations and social enterprises that employ survivors, and ethical sourcing options for brands that want to reduce their child and forced labor footprint. Currently, Nomi Network is focused on serving vulnerable women in Cambodia and India. The organization also produces a small collection of bags and accessories, and 100% of the profits from product sales are directly invested back into training and education opportunities.
Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts has twelve live/work studios on two floors in which the artists-in-residence reside. Spaces range from 8202,200 square feet. Each studio has its own kitchen and private bathroom and is equipped with basic items (linens, bedding, dishes, a basic set of tools, etc.) and furniture (bed, table, chairs, desk). Residents have access to a variety of additional furniture that can be placed in the studio. Studios are also equipped with a paint sink, plywood-backed sheetrocked walls, accessible windows, concrete floors, and 12 ceilings. Both live/work studio floors have complimentary laundry facilities, utilities are paid for by Bemis, and each studio has wifi internet.


For Immediate Release, May 16, 2018 Contacts: Buck Lindekugel, Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, (907) 586-6942, buck@seacc.org

Hunter McIntosh, The Boat Company, (202) 468-8055, hunter@theboatcompany.com

Marc Fink, Center for Biological Diversity, (218) 464-0539, mfink@biologicaldiversity.org

Corey Himrod, Alaska Wilderness League, (202) 2660426, corey@alaskawild.org

Andy Moderow, Alaska Wilderness League, (907) 3316098, andy@alaskawild.org

Gwen Dobbs, Defenders of Wildlife, (202) 772-0269, gdobbs@defenders.org

Anne Hawke, Natural Resources Defense Council, (202) 513-6263, ahawke@nrdc.org

Erin Whalen, Earthjustice, (907) 500-7130, ewhalen@earthjustice.org Alaskans Challenge Old-growth Timber Sale in Tongass National Forest Kuiu Timber Sale Would Harm Local Businesses, Wildlife JUNEAU, Alaska Local conservation and business interests represented by Earthjustice sued the U.S. Forest Service today to stop an old-growth timber sale on Kuiu Island in the Tongass National Forest. The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Alaska, says the Forest Services environmental analysis is 11 years old and fails to consider new threats from the proposed 13.6 million board-foot sale on North Kuiu Island. The sale could wipe out 523 acres of old-growth forest. North Kuiu Island has become a recreational hotspot, and the timber sale would injure regional economic interests. The passenger capacity for the small cruise ship fleet in Southeast Alaska has more than doubled since 2011 and is still expanding by adding vessels, new itineraries and expanding seasons to meet market demand for the southeast Alaskan wilderness experience, said Hunter McIntosh, president of The Boat Company. Almost all of these vessels operate along northern and central southeast Alaska marine travel routes that require access to North Kuiu Island. Small cruise vessels bring hundreds of visitors to the island every year, where they take part in kayaking, hiking, beachcombing and other recreational activities, and provide business to local merchants as they pass through the region. Logging would happen in sight of Kuius popular bays, bring industrial traffic, and create a visible landscape of clearcuts that would take the island off tour itineraries for years. Southeast Alaskas economy has moved beyond the clearcuts of the past, and Kuiu Island is an example of that shift, said Andy Moderow, Alaska director for Alaska Wilderness League. Beautiful wilderness and abundant salmon and wildlife are what makes the Tongass a worldclass tourism and fishing destination. So why are we talking about greenlighting clearcuts in clear sight of popular tourist routes on an island that is home to highvalue salmon watersheds? Kuiu Island is already working for Southeast Alaskans. The Forest Service should not move forward with these kinds of destructive and outdated sales. The proposed sale would damage the environment. Recent scientific analyses show that the populations of deer, black bear and marten on the island are declining alarmingly and in ways that can be traced to Kuius legacy of old-growth logging. Additional logging of Kuiu Islands irreplaceable old-growth forest will destroy essential habitat for marten, deer, and black bears. In proposing this sale based on a woefully outdated analysis, the Forest Service is ignoring significant recent information showing significant declines in all three species on Kuiu Island. Its time for the U.S. Forest Service to move away from controversial and costly industrial-scale old-growth timber sales and instead focus on restoration of wildlife habitat and watersheds, said Pete Nelson, director of federal lands at Defenders of Wildlife. It is high time for the Forest Service to respect all the ways that modern Alaskans depend on the Tongass, not just logging, said Erin Whalen, one of the Earthjustice attorneys who represents groups in the case. We wont let the agency turn a blind eye to the sales serious economic, social, and environmental costs in the name of satisfying timber quotas. Though this project has been in the works for more than a decade, the Forest Service has never sold any of the timber because the economics didnt work. No logger could sell the timber for more than it cost to cut the trees down and transport them. The new sale proposed by the U.S. Forest Service is still unprofitable, but the Forest Service sweetened the deal for private loggers by shifting much of the cost to U.S. taxpayers. The agency funded nearly all the road construction needed for the sale. The Forest Service just seems like it is stuck in the past, says Buck Lindekugel, grassroots attorney for the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. Spending over $3 million of taxpayer dollars to build roads for the loggers, and then allowing them to export all the logs without any local manufacture, makes no economic sense given the timber industry makes up less than 1 percent of the regions economy today. American taxpayers arent going to let the agency keep getting away with this type of corporate welfare much longer. The Forest Service also approved the sale for 100 percent export  increasing immediate value for the logger but reducing the local economic benefit of the sale. Its disturbing that the Forest Service wants to resurrect this destructive timber sale that would harm wildlife and the local economy, said Marc Fink, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. The agency continues to undervalue the tremendous importance of the remaining old-growth forests on the Tongass for wildlife, recreation and mitigating climate change. We will not allow the Trump administration to harm local businesses and wildlife in a reckless effort to liquidate natural treasures that belong to Alaskans and to all Americans  squandering taxpayer dollars and our kids heritage, said Niel Lawrence, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Earthjustice filed todays lawsuit on behalf of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, The Boat Company, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Alaska Wilderness League, Alaska Rainforest Defenders and the Natural Resources Defense Council. It says the Forest Services conclusion that [n]o new information would affect the original decision or warrant additional analysis is unreasonable and unlawful for several reasons, including: The sales decreased local economic benefits caused by the Forest Services changed export policy;

The increased public cost of the sale, which is more than fifteen times what the Forest Service expects loggers to bid;

Harm to local tourism businesses that rely on North Kuiu; and

Threats to Kuiu Islands dwindling wildlife populations. The Forest Service failed to evaluate, in a supplemental environmental impact statement, whether the high environmental, social, and economic costs of the sale could be justified in light of the increased cost to taxpayers and the decreased economic benefit of the sale.
For Immediate Release, May 16, 2018 Contact: Abel Valdivia, (919) 932-0199, avaldivia@biologicaldiversity.org Study: Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles Protected by Endangered Species Act Are Recovering 78 Percent of Studied Populations Grew, Just Two Species Declined After Listing

OAKLAND, Calif. Most marine mammals and sea turtles in the United States that are protected by the Endangered Species Act are recovering, according to a new study by scientists at the Center for Biological Diversity.



The best available population data for 23 marine mammals and nine sea turtles shows that 78 percent of them  including most large whales, Florida manatees, California sea otters, and green sea turtles  experienced substantial population increases after being protected by this landmark federal law. The Endangered Species Act works. This is great news at a time when our oceans face growing threats from climate change, overfishing and pollution, said Dr. Abel Valdivia, the Centers ocean scientist and lead author of the study. Its easy to get discouraged as we watch human activities destroy marine ecosystems. But our study shows we can still save whales and other endangered species if we just make the effort. The study, which is under review at the scientific journal PLOS ONE and appears as a preprint in the BioRXiv server today, looked at all marine mammal and sea turtle species protected by the Act. The good news is being released just before Endangered Species Day on May 18. The study analyzed only those species with reliable and high-quality data, making the findings of this comprehensive survey of the scientific literature a powerful indicator of endangered species recovery.



According to the study, most species are on the path to recovery. Three species of marine mammals and two species of sea turtles remained unchanged after listing, which may indicate population stability. Just two marine mammal species, the Hawaiian monk seal and Southern Resident killer whale, continued to decline after being listed. No listed sea turtle populations declined. Conservation measures triggered by the Act include habitat protections, science-based management measures to safeguard the species, and recovery planning. The Endangered Species Act has required devices that allow sea turtles to escape from fishing nets, protected whales from deafening sonar, reduced disorienting lighting from sea turtle nesting beaches, among other protections. The study found that species listed for more than 20 years were more likely to be recovering than recently listed species, another sign the Act is effective if federal officials follow its mandates. People can see more humpback whales migrating along the West Coast, which is a success story everyone can appreciate, Valdivia said. Yet Southern Resident killer whales still struggle against extinction, partly because the federal government missed its own deadline to expand critical habitat protections. The Act works well when officials effectively use the tools it provides. The study, titled Marine mammals and sea turtles listed under the Endangered Species Act are recovering, was primarily authored by Dr. Valdivia. Marine mammals and sea turtles make up 36 percent of the 161 marine species listed under the Act. See a fact sheet of the study.


After a long and rigorous review process where some of the biggest names in the industry competed for the opportunity to work on the Wimpy account, The Odd Number today announced its appointment as the lead agency for the brand.

Xola Nouse, MD of The Odd Number.

"Wimpy is an iconic South African brand, steeped in heritage and rich in local culture. This account win is incredibly important to The Odd Number. As a truly independent South African agency, our goal has always been to create powerful, insightful and nuanced communication," says Xola Nouse, MD of The Odd Number. "The partnership comes at the right time for our agency, and for the local advertising industry as a whole  it says a lot about Wimpys commitment to South African business and to the future of our industry.Nouse says the agency is looking forward to winning creatively and commercially for Wimpy and playing a meaningful role in shaping its future.Proud to announce that The Odd Number has been appointed as Wimpys creative partner, Jacques Cronje, marketing executive at Wimpy, says, "We have huge confidence in the agency and feel that there is real creative synergy between the agency and the brand. We look forward to a successful and dynamic partnership in the years ahead."
Sabre rattling work for Africa from Ogilvy SA

Ogilvy South Africa picked up the ultimate continental accolade at the 2018 Holmes Report Sabre Africa Awards in Gaborone on Thursday night (10 May 2018).

The agency won the Platinum Sabre Africa Award for Best in Show for the second year running with the Life Uncensored campaign for Pfizer.



Life Uncensored provided an interactive platform, specially created to provide a more human approach to medical conditions such as erectile dysfunction, contraception and menopause. It achieved over 1.2m views of video content and contributed to an exceptional growth in sales of relevant products for Pfizer including market share growth from 8% to 21%.

Last year, Ogilvy South Africa won the Platinum Sabre with the PROtestHIV World Aids Day campaign for Anglo American.



The agency also won four 2018 Sabre Africa category awards and a certificate of excellence.



Ogilvy South Africas Influence and Public Relations National Managing Director, Joanna Oosthuizen, says; The Sabres bring continental recognition to go with the five 2018 Prism awards already won this year on the local stage. Our next target is to get our work recognised among the best in EMEA and the world, and we believe we have the kind of clients who allow us to achieve that sort of level.



Ogilvy winners - 2018 Holmes Report Sabre Africa Awards



Platinum Sabre Award for Best in Show

Life Uncensored - Pfizer



Digital Campaign

Winner:

Life Uncensored - Pfizer



Social Media Campaign

Winner:

KFC Black Fried Day - KFC



Certificate of Excellence:

KFC Soundbite - KFC



Consumer Products/Services

Winner:

Nimue 12 Week Challenge #NoMakeUpBride - Nimue



Healthcare

Winner:

Life Uncensored - Pfizer




As a key market and potential innovator, Africa is poised for rapid adoption, skipping generations of inherited ideas and practices to emerge as an early adopter for innovative solutions that take cognisance of the unique African context. Tapping into this market and laying down infrastructure, physical or digital, takes insider knowledge and trust on the ground.

Warren Hewitt

Living labs enable the user community to co-create solutions, in an integrated process of managed experimentation, in which users are observed participants but also the creators of the end product.

Blockchain-based inter-modal transport payment solution

These ingredients include a multi-modal transport interchange, medical and educational facilities, financial institutions, first-world road infrastructure, and commitment from local and provincial government to grow the region.

Technology is a key driver

Mellowcabs pilot

The GTP is focused on three key goals; stimulate a 24-hour economy, build physically and virtually connected communities and facilitate an urban transition to an inclusive, vibrant and economically prosperous area.

Adopted globally as an experimental practice for contextual product development, the living lab enables new ideas to be tested in an active, real-world, real-time environment.The findings can lead to open innovation in the context of cities and can result in ground-breaking ideas, products and systems. But the key to the system is the user-adoption built into the model.The live development and testing process enables end users to provide real-time feedback on the performance of a product or service, and how they could adopt it into their lives.A living lab is about to take place in Cape Towns Bellville area. The Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP) has signed an agreement with Iconic Blockchain in the UK, to develop a blockchain-based inter-modal transport payment solution, using Bellville as a test bed for the concept.Successful solutions for this method could have far-reaching potential - not only for moving people but also for moving goods, making deliveries, and more.Bellvilles existing infrastructure has all the ingredients needed to support an international living lab environment. This gives us significant opportunities to facilitate connections for teams who want to test and develop their ideas in a lively, active urban environment.Technology is a key driver behind a living lab, specifically in its use as both a tool and an end product, but critically, its the connections that the GTP can make, that complete the circle.We connect, facilitate, introduce, host and participate in the programme to provide a seamless introduction into the area. Its a package that plays an important role in the success of the project.The agreement with Iconic Blockchain is a good example of how this process could work in reality. The developers, led by Iconic Blockchain founder, Simon Ho, explore the possibility of implementing the TSio Protocol, a proprietary platform that provides commuters with a universal currency solution that can be used on multiple modes of transport.The platform enables commuters to move seamlessly between train, taxi or bus, making it safer and more efficient to travel around on public transport.The GTP has also recently partnered with Mellowcabs, a micro-transport solution that will help people to move around Bellville more efficiently. Bellville is highly connected, with multiple public transport links. The Mellowcabs pilot will provide Bellville residents, and commuters, with a last-mile transport solution that could enable workers to leave their cars at home, while still knowing theyll be able to move around the centre when theyre there.But beyond what we do, is the need to prepare the city for a rapidly advancing world. The fourth industrial revolution presents opportunities for innovation in all sectors of a citys development.These technological advances affect transport, logistics, building, infrastructure, employment models and trading patterns. Cities dont have to, and, arguably, cant, grow in governmental siloes.They benefit from partnerships and collaborations with other entities like Iconic Blockchain, startup incubator Startup Hatchery and Mellowcabs, among others, who bring a new perspective to urban regeneration and planning. And the living lab is the perfect vehicle to take advantage of those opportunities.
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The C-130J transport aircraft of the RAF. An internet photo

DHAKA (BNS): Bangladesh is acquiring two surplus C-130J Hercules military transport aircraft of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) under a Government-to-Government deal with the UK.



British aerospace firm Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group has announced a support contract for the upkeep of the tactical transporters being acquired for the Bangladesh Air Force.



"In accordance with a Government-to-Government agreement for the sale of former Royal Air Force C-130J aircraft from the UK Ministry of Defence to the Bangladesh Air Force, Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group is pleased to announce a contract with the Bangladesh Air Force for the support of the aircraft," the company said following the signing of the contract at the Bangladesh Air Headquarters in Dhaka on May 10.



The multi-year contract will see Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group deliver a total support solution to the Bangladesh Air Force C-130J covering aircraft maintenance, logistics support including the provision of spare parts and ground support equipment for establishing local capabilities, as well as engineering services to ensure effective operation of the fleet.



The company will also be carrying out important modifications to the aircraft, such as design, development and installation of a MEDEVAC capability, to enable the Bangladesh Air Force to carry out important tasks within the country and overseas delivering support to UN missions, the company said in a statement.



The Bangladeshi Air Force currently operates four C-130B variants which are set to retire in the coming years.


HOLLAND >> For the third time in as many months the Northampton Township Board of Supervisors on Wednesday cancelled a meeting on land development plans for a Super Wawa in Holland. The latest cancellation happened just hours before the meeting was scheduled to be held at the township building. A message posted on the townships website announced the cancellation: At the...
ArcelorMittal has transferred Rs 70 billion to an escrow account of State Bank of India (SBI) owing to payment of outstanding dues relating to defaulting firms in a bid to become eligible for Essar Steel. Sources close to the development said a significant amount of around Rs 70 billion had been put into the SBI account with a proposal on escrow of the deposited funds.

The move is said to be a demonstration of ArcelorMittals commitment to Essar Steel even though it believed it was an eligible bidder, they said. A letter to this effect was sent to the committee of ...
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Digital Editor
When you have a job with 762 billion dollar worth company, which is among the most valuable ones in the world, it is not easy to quit it; but some employees are doing exactly so over moral reasons.

Three months ago, the search giant entered into a contract with United States Defense Department to provide to them for a controversial drone programme - Project Maven - through which the unmanned flying machine can automatically differentiate between the objects and people by analysing its own footage.

Some of the employees are not at ease with this project.

Having ethical concerns over giving so much power to a machine, about dozen of them are resigning in protest, according to Gizmodo.

In addition to this reason, they are also not happy with the search giant's involvement in military work and lack of transparency in the firm regarding such decisions, which, according to them, could lead to erosion of trust at the user's end.

Apart from these resignations, nearly 4,000 Google employees, in an internal petition, have expressed their opposition to Project Maven and urged the higher-ups to immediately cancel the contract and form a policy banning the company from taking up military work in future.

However, all this seems to have no effect on the top executives, as they have defended their work on the project.

This is not all, the company may also bid for another Pentagon's project - the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, a cloud computing contract.
Is Icelandic international carrier WoW Airlines really as cheap as the company made it sound on Tuesday? The airline created quite a stir as it said it was offering transcontinental flights from Delhi to cities in the US (with a stopover in Reykjavik) at a rock-bottom one-way fare of Rs 13,499 (and Rs 26,999 round trip).

However, what it did not mention was the bevy of services for which you would have to pay hefty charges  from check-in to in-cabin baggage, seat choice and food. And, these charges go up even more if you check in at the airport rather than going for online ...
Chances are that you have never heard about Wow Air or its founder Skuli Mogensen. But now is the time to stand up and take notice.

Mogensen is famous for saying that a day will come when airlines will pay their passengers to fly. His airline is not exactly doing that, but its offering a deal thats unheard of in the aviation world. In December, Wow will launch the cheapest return flight from India to East Coast (US) at Rs 27,000  this is less than half of the next cheapest flight. If you find a cheaper flight than this, I will pay the difference, ...
North Korea abruptly announced a suspension of high-level inter-Korean talks scheduled for Wednesday, citing ongoing US-South Korean military drills and also threatened to pull out of a summit with US President Donald Trump if Washington pushes it to give up nuclear weapons. North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the "Max Thunder" drills between the South Korean and US Air Forces "were a rehearsal for invasion of the North and a provocation amid warming inter-Korean ties". It also called into question whether June 12 summit between North ...
Guatemala on Wednesday opened its embassy in Jerusalem, becoming the second country to do so.

This comes two-days after the United States (US) inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem.

The inauguration was attended by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales.

"This is the beginning of something extraordinary, or I would say, the re-beginning of something extraordinary, which is the relationship between Guatemala and Israel," the Times of Israel reported, citing Netanyahu, as saying.

"You are always among the first, always among the first.We remember our friends, and Guatemala is our friend - then and now," Netanyahu went on, recalling that Guatemala was the second nation, after the US, to recognize Israel in May 1948.

Netanyahu also promised to visit Guatemala in his next trip to Latin America, according to the several media reports.

On Monday, in the presence of a US delegation, including US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, a brand new US embassy was inaugurated at Jerusalem's Arnona area.

Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his gratitude towards United States President Donald Trump for the same.

Post the opening of the embassy, violent clashes erupted between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers at the Gaza Strip, resulting in the killing of 62 agitators.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday won two awards under the Swachhata Survekshan 2018, the government's cleanliness survey.

The awards were announced by Hardeep Singh Puri, the Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

Vijayawada was ranked India's 'cleanest big city' with a population of over 10 lakh, while Tirupati was the best city in 'Solid Waste Management', having a population between one to three lakhs.

Indore has bagged the title of the cleanest city in India, followed by Bhopal and Chandigarh.

The Swachh Survekshan 2018, which was organised by the MoHUA, under the aegis of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) assessed 4,203 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

The exercise, undertaken between January 4 to March 10 enhanced the scope to cover a record number of ULBs impacting around 40 crore urban citizens across the country by 2,700 assessors.

As compared to 2017, while Swachh Survekshan was conducted in 434 cities, this year, the scope was enhanced manifold.

Compared to the previous surveys, this year's exercise allocated substantial weightage to the feedback from citizens based on their daily experience.

Jharkhand was adjudged the best-performing state in the survey followed by Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As Karnataka's political scenario gets intensive, the state's Congress Party leaders have alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to "poach" their MLAs in an attempt to establish majority to form the government in Karnataka.

"They (BJP) are poaching our MLAs, and we know that. Every day, there is a lot of pressure. But it not so easy, as two parties have the necessary numbers. However, we are taking all necessary steps," Congress leader DK Shivakumar told ANI.

On being asked whether Congress MLAs in Karnataka would be shifted elsewhere, Shivakumar claimed that a plan has been chalked out to safeguard the former.

Echoing a similar stance, another Congress leader, Ramalinga Reddy, also claimed that the BJP was "trying hard" to get his party MLAs on their side.

"We believe in all our MLAs. BJP is trying hard to get them. They don't believe in democracy; they just want power. All the people are happy, nobody is unhappy here," he said.

Meanwhile, outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah re-iterated that the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance would form the government in the state.

"All the Congress MLAs are intact. Nobody is missing. We are confident of forming the government," he told reporters here, prior to the Congress party meeting at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office.

Results of the Karnataka Assembly polls announced on Tuesday evening showed that the BJP won 104 seats, emerging as the single largest party, while the Congress and JD (S) bagged 78 and 37 seats, respectively.

Soon after, the Congress announced that it would support the JD (S), taking their total seat share to 117, thus resulting in a fractured mandate.

As the results of the poll in the state have left the assembly in hung, the final decision will be taken by the Governor, Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.

On a related note, JD(S) MLAs have gathered to attend the legislative party meeting, which is expected to begin shortly.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gave its ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Equatorial Guinea for Cooperation in the field of traditional systems of medicine.

The MoU on the same was signed on April 8 during President Ram Nath Kovind's visit to Equatorial Guinea.

The MoU will enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries. The financial resources necessary to conduct research, training courses, conferences and meetings and deputations of experts will be met from the existing allocated budget and existing plan schemes of Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani and Siddha).

The traditional systems of medicine in India are well organised, codified and well-documented. These systems hold tremendous potential in the global scenario.

The Ministry of AYUSH having the mandate to promote, propagate and globalise these traditional systems of medicine has taken effective steps by entering into MoU with Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, Hungary, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mauritius, Mongolia, Iran and Sao Tome and Principe for the cooperation in the same.

The two countries also approved a MoU in the field of medicinal plants. The MoU will further enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

The financial resources necessary to conduct research, training courses, conferences and meetings will be met from the existing allocated budget and existing plan schemes of the National Medicinal Plants Board of the Ministry of AYUSH.

India is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of biodiversity, having 15 agro-climatic zones. Out of the 17,000-18,000 species of flowering plants, more than 7,000 are estimated to have medicinal usage in folk and documented systems of medicine.

About 1,178 species of medicinal plants are estimated to be in trade of which 242 species have annual consumption levels in excess of 100 metric tonnes per year. Medicinal plants are not only a major resource base for the traditional medicine and herbal industry but also provide livelihood and security to a large segment of Indian population.

There is a global resurgence in traditional and alternative care systems resulting in world herbal trade which stands at USD 120 billion and is expected to reach USD 7 trillion by 2050.

Moreover, there are a large number of medicinal plants, particularly in the tropical regions, which are common to the two countries, given the similar geo-climatic factors.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the signing and ratification of the agreement between India and Brunei Darussalam for the exchange of information and assistance in collection with respect to taxes.

The agreement enables the competent authorities of India and Brunei to provide assistance through the exchange of information that is foreseeably relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic laws of the two countries concerning taxes covered by the agreement.

The information received under the agreement shall be treated as confidential and may be disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts or administrative bodies) concerned with assessment, collection, enforcement, prosecution or determination of appeals in relation to taxes covered under the agreement.

The information maybe disclosed to any other person or entity, authority or jurisdiction with the prior written consent of the information sending country.

The agreement also provides for automatic exchange of information between India and Brunei with respect to categories of cases. It also enables assistance in collection of tax revenue claims between both countries.

The agreement provides for mutual agreement procedure for resolving any difference or for agreeing on procedures. It shall enter into force on the date of notification of completion of the procedures required by the respective laws of the two countries for entry into force of the agreement.

The agreement will stimulate the flow of exchange of information between India and Brunei for tax purposes which will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance. It will also enable assistance in the collection of tax revenue claims between both countries.

As such, the agreement does not have any financial implications. Only in the event of extraordinary costs exceeding USD 500 as per Article 9 of the agreement, the same will be borne by the Centre.

India has similar provisions in other such tax information exchange agreements.

The central government is authorised under Section 90 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 to enter into an agreement with a foreign country or a specified territory for the exchange of information for the prevention of evasion or avoidance of income tax chargeable under the act.

Negotiations for entering into an agreement for the exchange of information with respect to taxes were conducted at Brunei from January 10-11 last year. Pursuant to the same, the governments of India and Brunei Darussalam have agreed on the text of the agreement.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the establishment of Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) at Bhopal as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 under the aegis of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has announced the approvals.

The estimated cumulative cost of the project is Rs. 179.54 crore in first three years. This includes the non-recurring expenditure of Rs. 128.54 crore and recurring expenditure of Rs. 51 crore.

The Union Cabinet has also approved the proposal to create three Joint Secretary level posts, which include one post of Director of the Institute and two posts of Professors.

The main objectives of the NIMHR are to provide rehabilitation services to the persons with mental illness, capacity development in the area of mental health rehabilitation, policy framing and advanced research in mental health rehabilitation.

The institute will have nine departments and will conduct 12 courses to offer diploma, certificate, graduate, postgraduate, M.Phil degrees in the area of mental health rehabilitation. Within a span of 5 years, the student intake of the institute in various courses is expected to be over 400.

The Madhya Pradesh government has allocated five acres of land in Bhopal for setting up of this Institute. The institute will be established in three years in two phases.

The NIMHR will be the first of its kind in the country in the area of mental health rehabilitation. It will serve as an institution of excellence to develop capacity building in the area of mental health rehabilitation and also help the government to develop models for effective rehabilitation of persons with mental illness.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Central Government on Wednesday asked the security forces not to launch operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the month of Ramzan.

Accordingly, the security forces are to reserve the right to retaliate, if attacked or if it is essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

The move was taken to maintain a peaceful environment during the holy month observed by Muslims.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh informed Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti of the decision, which the latter whole-heartedly welcomed.

Ramzan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The police on May 18 will question Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash alleged assault case.

Earlier this year, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal were questioned in the regard.

Both Khan and Jarwal were arrested on February 21 for allegedly mishandling Anshu Prakash during a party meeting conducted at the residence of Kejriwal.

The MLAs were later sent to 14-day judicial custody, which was further extended by 14 days.

Later both the leaders were granted by the Delhi High Court.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday met with Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Ban Ki-moon in Chinese capital city Beijing.

"The BFA, established at the beginning of this century, reflects the aspiration of Asian nations to pursue strength through unity, jointly meet challenges and increase the influence of Asia," China's state-run news agency Xinhua quoted President Xi as saying.

"The mission and purpose of the forum is to promote economic integration in Asia, boost exchanges and cooperation between regional countries and the world, to achieve mutual benefits and win-win results," he added.

Ban thanked the Chinese government for its support for the BFA.

Given the present scenario, the BFA Chairman noted that the forum needed to send out clear messages backing globalisation and free trade.

According to the report, Ban said that the forum should not remain confined to Asia and should go beyond it in the long run, adding that, it should become an important platform for promoting the harmonious coexistence of the people.

The BFA is a non-profit organisation that hosts high-level forums for leaders from government, business and academia in Asia and other continents to share their vision on the most pressing issues in this dynamic region and the at large.

BFA, which is modelled on the Economic Forum (WEF) held annually in Davos, Switzerland, is also known as the 'Asian Davos'.

The forum, which came into being in 2002, is committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries closer to their development goals.

This year's conference was held in China's southern island province of Hainan from April 8 to 11 and was attended by top leaders from China, Philippines, Singapore, Mongolia, Austria and several other countries.

The theme for this year's conference was "An Open and Innovative Asia for a of Greater Prosperity".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Special envoys from Chinese President Xi Jinping's team arrived in Washington D.C. to discuss economic and trade issues.

As reported by the Xinhua news agency on Wednesday, Liu a member of Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee led a delegation of economists and engaged in intense trade talks with the US.

Before the delegation-level meeting, a Chinese working group arrived in the United States last week and engaged in consultations with the US.

Earlier on Wednesday, United States President Donald Trump tweeted that he will wait to see the demands put forth by China with respect to bilateral trade.

"We have not seen China's demands yet, which should be few in that previous U.S. Administrations have done so poorly in negotiating. China has seen our demands. There has been no folding as the media would love people to believe, the meetings", Trump tweeted.

Earlier on May 9, Trump said bilateral trade talks with China will ensure a positive outcome for both the countries.

Post the culmination of third California-China Business Summit both countries agreed on resolving economic and trade issues through dialogue and deliberation.

They also discussed the issue of increasing US trade exports to China, bilateral trade service, two-way investment, protection of intellectual property rights and imbalanced tariff rates.

The United States and China have been tied-up in a constant bilateral trade war.

On March 23, Trump had imposed massive trade tariffs amounting to USD 60 billion on China, in an effort to stop the latter from stealing "intellectual property" from American companies.

In retaliation to that China threatened to impose a 25% tariff on $50 billion worth of US exports.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Sichuan Airlines co-pilot was "sucked halfway out" of the aircraft's cockpit at 32,000 feet, but the flight managed to make an emergency landing at Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu on Monday, according to several media reports.

Captain Liu Chuanjian is being hailed as a hero on Chinese social media after landing the flight manually.

"There was no sign before the windshield burst. Just a huge noise," Captain Liu was quoted by the state-run China News Service.

"When I looked at the other side, the co-pilot was partially blown out of the aircraft. Luckily, he had the belt buckled up. Many devices were malfunctioning and the plane was jolting strongly. It was very difficult to control," he added.

The plane was flying from Chongqing to Lhasa.

None of the 119 passengers, on the plane was injured.

Sichuan Airlines based in Chengdu, mainly operates domestic flights. It also has international routes to Canada, Japan and the Czech Republic.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
European top diplomats on May 15 agreed to follow through the landmark Iran nuclear deal.

This comes after the U.S. President Donald Trump's decided to withdrew from 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal.

The EU will launch intensive discussion at all levels with Iran in next few weeks, as per Xinhua.

One of the crucial points of discussion will be about how to maintain economic relations and effective banking transactions with Iran in the context of renewed U.S sanctions, according to European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

"We reaffirm our resolve to continue to implement the nuclear deal in all its part, in good faith, and in a constructive atmosphere," said Mogherini, as quoted by Xinhau.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is in Brussels for his diplomatic tour to save the 2015 nuclear deal.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Iran has so far complied with all of the conditions established under the nuclear deal.

On May 9, President Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the Iran nuclear deal which limited the country's uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief.

Calling the accord as an "embarrassment" that was "defective at its core", he also warned of severe consequences if Iran resumes its nuclear programme.

The Iran nuclear deal was signed between six countries in 2015 - Iran, US, Britain, Germany, Russia, France and China for lifting economic sanctions on Tehran in exchange for limitations to the country's nuclear programme.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday was apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indian Railways (IR) and SNCF Mobilites (a company owned by France) on technical cooperation in the field of railways.

The MoU was signed on March 10 during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India.

It provide a platform for the IR to interact and share the latest developments and knowledge in the railway sector.

The MoU facilitates the exchange of technical experts, reports and technical documents, training and seminars and workshops focusing on specific technology areas and other interactions for knowledge sharing.

It will also provide a framework of cooperation for a focused approach in following key areas - high speed and semi-high speed rail, station renovation and operations, modernisation of current operations and infrastructure and suburban trains.

The Ministry of Railways has signed MoUs for technical cooperation in the railway sector with various foreign governments and railways corporations.

The identified areas of cooperation among others include high-speed corridors, speed raising of existing routes, development of world-class stations, heavy haul operations and modernisation of rail infrastructure.

The cooperation will be achieved through the exchange of information on developments in the areas of railways technology and operations, knowledge sharing, technical visits, training and seminars and workshops in the areas of mutual interest.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the light of upcoming Ramzan, the South police of Hyderabad have organised pre Ramzan coordination meeting with religious heads, departmental officers, Masjid committee members, Ulema and Mashyaqeen.

The purpose of the meeting is to monitor the arrangements and security of Ramzan month.

The program was attended by the Hyderabad city commissioner, along with other police officers.

Commissioner of police, Anjani Kumar, said, elaborate arrangements, including bundobust, are made for the upcoming Ramzan month. Each and every activity will be monitored, he added.

More than 1500 police force, including Telangana Special Police and Women Force, will be manning several Ramzan events in the city.

The traders and shop owners have also made special arrangements to attract customers during Ramzan.

Ramzan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indonesian police on Wednesday shot dead three men after one launched an attack on the police headquarters in Riau province of Indonesia.

The men crashed their car into a number of police officers, who were on guard at the entrance of the Police headquarters, reported Indonesian news agency Antara.

The exact number of attackers is unknown as of now, however, according to several media reports available at the moment, one of the dead men had a suspected bomb strapped to his body, another man was arrested and four others were suspected to have fled the scene.

The incident is said to have happened when Riau Police chief inspector General Pol Nandang was going to give the press release of the drug cases disclosure.

Two journalists who had been at the police headquarters were also hurt in the attack, according to the news agency.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indore has bagged the title of the cleanest city in India, followed by Bhopal and Chandigarh, according to a government cleanliness survey.

Hardeep Singh Puri, the Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs announced the results under the Swachh Survekshan 2018 at the Media Centre here on Wednesday. He also congratulated the winners.

The Swachh Survekshan 2018, which was organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), under the aegis of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) assessed 4,203 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

The exercise, undertaken between January 4 to March 10 enhanced the scope to cover a record number of ULBs impacting around 40 crore urban citizens across the country by 2,700 assessors.

As compared to 2017, where Swachh Survekshan was conducted in 434 cities, for this year, the scope was enhanced manifold.

Compared to the previous surveys, this year's exercise allocated substantial weightage to the feedback from citizens based on their daily experience.

Jharkhand was adjudged the best-performing state in the survey followed by Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.

As per the Swachh Survekshan 2018, a record number of 37.66 lakh citizen feedbacks were collected and 53.58 lakh Swachhata apps were downloaded. The total number of interactions on the Swachhata app by citizens were around 1.18 crore.

According to the survey report, Vijayawada is the cleanest among big cities having more than one million population while Mysuru has emerged as the cleanest among cities with pollution of three lakh to one million.

In 2016, the survey was conducted in 73 cities having a population of one million or more and the capital city of states or union territories.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Moscow on Monday to discuss the future of Iran nuclear deal following the withdrawal of the United States from the international treaty.

As reported by CNN, Zarif discussed the nuclear deal, also known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to ensure that the same remains in its place.

Zarif is further scheduled to conduct a number of international diplomatic meetings to discuss the deal with international leaders.

Earlier he met China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and stressed on the importance of keeping the 2015 accord, which aims at halting Iran's nuclear activities and stimulate the country's economy.

"China will take an objective, fair and responsible attitude, keep communication and cooperation with all parties concerned, and continue to work to maintain the deal," Wang said, adding the agreement was "hard-earned."

Zarif will further meet with the foreign ministers of the three European countries in Brussels to discuss the future of the deal.

Last Wednesday, United States President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal while calling it unfair and warned of severe consequences if Iran resumes its nuclear programme.

Later on Tuesday, it was reported that the European Union is planning to rescue the deal post the US withdrawal from the international treaty.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Just before the midnight, Congress filed a petition in the Supreme Court (SC) challenging Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R. Vala's decision to invite the Bharatiya Janata Party to form the government.

Governor yesterday invited BJP legislature party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa to form the government, as the saffron party has emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats. Along with one independent MLA, the BJP has staked the claim at forming the government.

However, they are still short of the halfway mark of 112 by seven MLAs.

Whereas Congress-JD(S) alliance has 115 MLAs, just above the halfway mark.

"BJP has 104 seats, how will they prove majority on floor, even if they get some independent MLAs? Only way out is to bring Congress and JD(S) MLAs with them, either by using muscle power or buying MLAs. We have filed a petition urging Governor to give us a chance," Javed, lawyer of the JD(S) and Congress, told ANI.

Congress-JD(S) alliance chief ministerial candidate HD Kumaraswamy has accused the Governor of encouraging horse-trading.

While calling the Governer's decision unconstitutional, Kumaraswamy said, "By giving 15 days time (to prove majority) Governor is encouraging horse-trading by BJP leaders, this is unconstitutional. We will discuss the future plan."

However, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, who is in Bengaluru, said the BJP has enough seats to prove majority and form its government.

When asked if BJP has the number of MLAs to prove majority, he said: "Definitely, we have. You will see it."

Javadekar on late Wednesday met Yeddyurappa at his residence in Bengaluru ahead of his swearing-in on Thursday morning.

Constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap told ANI that Governor has "complete power" to appoint the Chief Minister.

"It depends on Governor's discretion. Constitution provides them complete power to appoint anyone the CM, but Guv is expected to choose the person, who in their judgement, is in a situation to gain majority in the assembly," Kashyap said.

"Governor's decision can't be challenged. As far as the question of which party has the majority is concerned, it can be proven only on the floor of the house, not at the Raj Bhavan or by submitting any list," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala on Wednesday invited Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), chief ministerial candidate, BS Yeddyurappa to prove majority to form the government in the state.

A letter by Governor Vala reads, ". you have been elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party of Karnataka. I am also in receipt of your letter dated 15th May 2018 staking claim to form the government."

The Governor also asked Yeddyurappa to indicate the date, time and the place for scheduling the swearing-in ceremony.

"I invite you to form the Government and be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka. I may also direct you that you would seek a vote of confidence on the floor of the House showing that you command the confidence of the House. This process shall be completed within fifteen days from the date of the assumption of your office as the Chief Minister of Karnataka," the letter further read.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took to Twitter and said Yeddyurappa will take oath as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on Thursday morning at Raj Bhavan.

"The moment that crores of Kannadigas are awaiting is here. Sri @BSYBJP will take oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka tomorrow morning at 9.00 AM at Raj Bhavan. The movement to build our Suvarna Karnataka has started. #CMBSY," the BJP tweeted.

BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai also said the same, "Governor has invited BS Yeddyurappa to form a government, official communication has been received, the Governor gave 15 days to prove majority, oath to take place at 9 am tomorrow."

Results of the Karnataka Assembly polls announced on Tuesday evening showed that the BJP won 104 seats, emerging as the single largest party, while the Congress and JD(S) bagged 78 and 37 seats, respectively.

Soon after, the Congress announced that it would support the JD(S), taking their total seat share to 117, thus resulting in a fractured mandate.

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Minutes after Supreme Court Registrar arrived at the residence of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, with the petition by Congress and JD(S) challenging the swearing-in of BJP's B.S. Yeddyurappa, Supreme Court has decided to hear the plea at 1.45 a.m.

The hearing will have a three-judge bench of Justice A.K. Sikri, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Gobde.

Congress and JD(S) have challenged Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R. Vala's decision to administer oath to BJP legislature party leader Yeddyurappa on Thursday morning at the Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru.

Congress has contended that despite the alliance having 115 MLAs they have not been invited by the Governor to form the government and said the "Governor has shamed his office" by inviting the BJP to form the government.

The Karnataka Governor yesterday invited Yeddyurappa to form the government after it emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats. Along with one independent MLA, the BJP has staked the claim at forming the government.

However, they are still short of the halfway mark of 112 by seven MLAs.

Whereas Congress-JD(S) alliance has the majority with 115 MLAs.

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In a mid-night drama, Congress-JD(S) alliance chief ministerial candidate HD Kumaraswamy on late Wednesday arrived at the Eagleton Resort in Bengaluru, where Congress and JD(S) MLAs are staying, while security was deployed at the residence of BJP's B.S. Yeddyurappa, ahead of his swearing-in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka on Thursday.

The development took place after Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala invited the single-largest party, the BJP, to form a government and prove majority within 15 days.

A letter by Governor Vala reads, "You (Yeddyurappa) have been elected as the leader of the BJP legislative party of Karnataka. I am also in receipt of your letter dated 15th May 2018 staking claim to form the government."

Later, Kumaraswamy, son of former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda accused the Governor of encouraging horse-trading.

While calling the Governer's decision unconstitutional, Kumaraswamy said, "By giving 15 days time (to prove majority) Governor is encouraging horse-trading by BJP leaders, this is unconstitutional. We will discuss the future plan."

The Congress even approached the Supreme Court Chief Justice Dipak Misra for an urgent hearing on the matter.

The party said the Governor denigrated his office, trampled the Constitution and acted as a BJP puppet.

Following the comments against the Governor, BJP tore into the Congress for trying to teach it "lessons on the dignity of the Constitution."

"The party that blew up the constitution to shambles is teaching us the constitution, the party that imposed President rule the most number of times and weakened the democracy is giving us lessons on dignity of the Constitution," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a press conference in New Delhi.

Results of the Karnataka Assembly polls announced on Tuesday evening showed that the BJP won 104 seats, emerging as the single largest party, while the Congress and JD(S) bagged 78 and 37 seats, respectively.

Post the poll verdict, the Congress and the JD(S) announced their decision to form a coalition government in the state with 115 MLAs, just above the halfway mark of 112.

However, the Governor yesterday invited Yeddyurappa to form the government in the state and gave him 15 days to prove majority.

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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday welcomed the Centre's order directing the security forces to not launch operations in the state during the holy month of Ramzan.

The Chief Minister took to Twitter to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for their personal intervention in this regard.

"I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire & would like to thank @narendramodi ji & @rajnathsingh ji for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders & parties who participated in the All Party Meeting & helped build consensus towards this announcement," she tweeted.

Mehbooba further said that such decision will in future create a peaceful environment for a sustained dialogue.

In another tweet, she said, "The month of Ramadan is a harbinger of peace & such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful & amicable environment for a sustained dialogue."

Accordingly, the security forces are to reserve the right to retaliate, if attacked or if it is essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

Earlier in the day, the Home Minister informed the Chief Minister of the decision.

Ramzan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief.

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Militants on Wednesday fired upon 42 Rashtriya Rifles patrolling party in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The attack was reported from Shikargah area in Tral sub-division of Pulwama district.

The area is being cordoned off.

Further details are awaited.

Yesterday, terrorists hurled a grenade at a police station in Pulwama's Rajpora.

However, the grenade missed the target and exploded outside the station.

Police retaliated with aerial firing.

Earlier on Tuesday, suspected terrorists fired upon a police vehicle, killing Bilal Ahmad, a Special Police Officer (SPO) at Pazalpora Arwani area of Bijbehara town in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

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Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi has defended Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R. Vala's decision to administer oath to BJP legislature party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa on Thursday morning at the Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru.

"Governor has discretion to call largest party and he has done so. If single largest party won't be able to form government, other party will be called. In case of Goa elections, single largest party Congress had not presented its side, that's the difference," said Rohatgi, who is appearing for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the hearing of the petition filed by Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) challenging the Governor's decision.

In one of the rare incidents, the Supreme Court began hearing the plea at 1:45 am on Thursday.

Abhishek Manu Singhvi is appearing for Congress-JD(S) alliance, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta for Union government, while Rohatgi for the BJP.

The plea is being heard by a three-judge bench of Justice AK Sikri, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice SA Bobde.

Congress has contended that despite the alliance having 115 MLAs, they have not been invited by the Governor to form the government and said the "Governor has shamed his office" by inviting the BJP to form the government.

The Karnataka Governor yesterday invited Yeddyurappa to form the government after it emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats. Along with one independent MLA, the BJP has staked the claim at forming the government.

However, they are still short of the halfway mark of 112 by seven MLAs and have been given 15 days to prove their majority in the Karnataka assembly.

Whereas Congress-JD(S) alliance has the majority with 115 MLAs.

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Clouds gather over upcoming North Korea-United States summit as the reclusive nation on Wednesday threatened to cancel the much-anticipated summit, if Washington unilaterally pushes Pyongyang into giving up its nuclear arsenal.

If America "corners us and unilaterally demands we give up nuclear weapons we will no longer have an interest in talks and will have to reconsider whether we will accept the upcoming DPRK-US summit", state media quoted vice-foreign minister Kim Kye-gwan saying.

The US-North Korea Summit is, as of now, scheduled to take place on June 12 in Singapore.

The US is pressing for Pyongyang's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.

In addition to this, Kim Kye Gwan also castigated US National Security Advisor (NSA) John Bolton, who talked of a "Libyan model" for North Korean denuclearisation.

Kim said that it was a "highly sinister attempt to enforce the fate of Libya and Iraq upon the DPRK."

Earlier North Korea called off the high-level talks with South Korea, scheduled for Wednesday to discuss follow-up measures to the two Korean leaders' summit last month, in the wake of the recent military drills between South Korea and the US.

After calling off the scheduled Korean summit on Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to media reports, had then also hinted at calling off the United States summit.

The military drills called 'Max Thunder' are taking place between the US and South Korea air forces.

These rehearsals are said to be meant for an invasion of North Korea and could negatively impact the melting inter-Korean relations, North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) .

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After a portion of an under-construction flyover collapsed in Varanasi's Cantonment area on Tuesday claiming 18 lives, Union Health and Family Welfare minister JP Nadda directed Health Secretary Preeti Sudan to stay in touch with health officials of Uttar Pradesh.

Health Secretary also spoke to Principal Health Secretary of Uttar Pradesh and offered all help to the victims.

At least 18 bodies have been recovered from debris after the flyover collapsed. The death toll may rise as the rescue operation is still underway.

Meanwhile, Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said that three-member committee will investigate the incident.

"Seven NDRF teams are on the spot. As per current information, 16 people died and 6 are under treatment. All trapped vehicles have been taken out. Final figures are awaited," he told ANI.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Keshav Prasad Maurya expressed grief over the incident and said that culprits will not be spared.

"This is a very unfortunate incident and I'm deeply saddened by it. I'm going to meet the injured in the hospital. Culprits will not be spared. We will set up a committee to look into the matter," he added.

Meanwhile, KR Sudan, the project manager of the flyover said that the reason of incident could not be ascertained till the investigation is done.

"I cannot tell the reason of this incident till the investigation is done. Cranes are still coming, rescue operations are still underway," he told ANI.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 5 lakh to the family of people, killed in the incident. He also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the injured people, adding that a committee has been formed to look into the incident.

Speaking to ANI, Adityanath said, "I express grief over the incident, my condolence with the affected families. I have sent Deputy Chief Minister (Keshav Prasad Maurya) and minister Neelkanth Tiwari to the spot. We have formed a committee to look into the incident. The report will come in 48 hours.

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Kathmandu [Nepal], May 17 (ANI): The Sanskrit department of Nepal's first and oldest Tribhuwan University has felicitated Swami Nischalananda Saraswati in a function on Wednesday.

Swami Saraswati who is on his religious run in Nepal was felicitated as he prepared to leave the Himalayan nation and fly back to India on Thursday.

One of the participants, Gyan Chandra Adhikari told ANI "Swamiji enlightened us with the speeches about life and its importance. In order to make our life meaningful all the things relating to religion, physical things which science is able to witness, science itself tends to witness and show others but it is all possible because of the god's will. The physical things, beings, and substances, all these are the boon of the god and to make our life more significant we should always be with the god and follow them."

Nischalananda Saraswati is accorded as 145th Swami in a row. He came on a visit to Nepal last week.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli along with an Indian envoy paid a visit to him during his stay in Nepal.

Tara Prasad Awasthi, a lecturer at the Tribhuwan University told ANI,"Sankaracharya himself is the enlightenment, ocean of knowledge. He is the 145th light of knowledge. We should perceive the knowledge as per our capacity and this also helps in improving the relations between India and Nepal.

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Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs General V.K. Singh (retired) became the first Indian minister to visit North Korea in 20 years as the latter pledged not to ever create concerns for India's security.

As per a release by the Ministry of External Affairs, Singh arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday for a two-day visit to hold bilateral talks on the entire gamut of bilateral relations with his North Korean counterpart and various other high-level officials.

The MoS highlighted the threat posed to India from nuclear proliferation.

In response to that, North Korea emphasised that being a friendly country, it will never allow any actions that would create concerns for India's security.

Singh met a delegation including Kim Yong Dae, Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Minister of Culture Pak Chun Nam and North Korea Vice Foreign Minister Choe Hui Chol.

North Korea also provided an overview of some of the recent development work in the Korean peninsula.

Further, Singh reiterated the on-going peace process between North-South Korea as he encouraged both the sides to establish peace and prosperity in the Korean peninsula.

India and North Korea also decided to explore possibilities of cooperation in areas of mutual interest including vocational education, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, promotion of Yoga and traditional medicines.

The two leaders also agreed on enhancing people-to-people relations in the field of education and culture.

Singh visited North Korea on the occasion of completion of 45 years of establishment of diplomatic relations with India.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said preliminary action has been taken against the erring authorities responsible for the Varanasi flyover mishap wherein at least 15 people have been killed and 11 critically injured.

On Tuesday, a huge slab of the under-construction flyover in Varanasi's Cantt area came down on cars and a local bus after two pillars collapsed.

Several people got crushed or trapped under the debris in the incident which took place in the evening when the traffic was at its peak.

Post the incident, the chief minister announced ex-gratia for the affected families and met the victims at the Kabir Chaura Hospital on late Tuesday night.

"15 people have been killed. 11 people are critically injured and we have assured proper treatment for them. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has taken preliminary action against responsible authorities," Adityanath said at a press conference held here in the wee hours of Wednesday.

He also added that he has asked the deputy chief minister and the minister concerned to personally monitor rescue and relief works.

"A committee has also been constituted which will give a report in 48 hours," he added.

Earlier reports suggested that at least 18 bodies have been recovered from debris after the flyover collapsed.

After the incident, Adityanath announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 5 lakh to the family of people killed in the incident. He also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the injured people.

Union Health and Family Welfare minister JP Nadda also directed Health Secretary Preeti Sudan to stay in touch with the health officials of Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, KR Sudan, the project manager of the flyover, said the reason behind the mishap could only be ascertained after the completion of the investigation.

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Turkey on Wednesday told Israel's consul general in Istanbul Yosef Levi Sfari to leave the country "for some time" over the killings of about 60 Palestinian protesters by Israeli forces along the Gaza border.

Ankara has been a vocal critic of the Israeli violence against Palestinians in Gaza and the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had accused Israel of "state terror" and "genocide" over the killings.

Turkey's consul general in Jerusalem was summoned by the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Tuesday and also asked to leave the country for an indefinite period of time, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.

At least 62 Palestinians were martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli forces along the Gaza border on Monday.

A large number of Palestinians has gathered to protest on the Gaza Strip's eastern border to commemorate the Nakba anniversary and protest the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Following the violent clashes, Turkey recalled its ambassador from Israel and the U.S. for consultations, South Africa also recalled its envoy from Israel.

The United Nations had called for an emergency meeting to discuss the outcome of the ongoing Gaza border protests.

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As violence were reported in a number of places during panchayat polls in West Bengal, which was held on May 14, re-polling is being held on Wednesday in 568 panchayat election booths spread across 19 districts of the state.

Voting, which began at 7 am, will end at 5 pm.

The booths, where re-polling is taking place, include 63 in Murshidabad, 52 in Coochbehar, 28 in West Midnapore and 10 in Hooghly among others.

The State Election Commission had ordered the re-poll, following complaints of violence during the polls on Monday.

The poll panel has asked the state government and the police to make elaborate security arrangements so that polling can be held in a free and fair manner.

The counting of votes will be held on May 17.

The panchayat elections in West Bengal saw huge-scale clashes on Monday between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers, resulting in the death of at least 12 people.

The Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and other parties of the Left Front also staged a protest outside State Election Commission in Kolkata against the incidents of violence.

Taking note of the incident, the Ministry of Home Affairs also sought a report from the state government regarding incidents of violence during Panchayat Election in the state.

The voting took place for 621 zilla parishads, over six thousand panchayat samitis, and nearly 31 thousand gram panchayats.

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Despite the Congress' alliance with the Janata Dal {Secular} (JD-S), which will give them the requisite majority in the Karnataka Assembly to form their government, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader B. S. Yeddyurappa, on Wednesday, suggested his party will claim to form the government.

"During the legislature party meeting, the leader will be elected. From there we will go to Raj Bhavan immediately. We will claim to form the government. Most probably we will ask the Governor to give us time tomorrow," said Yeddyurappa.

Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar also disapproved the Congress-JD-S alliance, saying that the people of Karnataka wanted a BJP government in the state.

"People want a BJP government and we will make it. Anyone can create unnatural tensions, but people of Karnataka are with us. After meeting, we will take necessary steps. This attempt made by Congress to make a backdoor entry is not appreciated," he said.

Sharing his thoughts on the alliance, BJP leader D.V. Sadananda Gowda said, "We are the single largest party. You have seen how the Congress and the JD-S were fighting, six months back. Now, they want to come together and make government."

The BJP had emerged as the frontrunner in the elections grabbing 104 seats. However, they fell just short of crossing the 112-seats mark required to form the government.

The Congress, with 78 seats in their kitty, was in the second position. Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda-led JD-S party was in third in those terms with 37 seats.

Despite not grossing the majority of the seats, the Congress allied with the JD-S, offering the latter's H. D. Kumaraswamy the Chief Minister seat, which was accepted by them. The alliance now has enough seats to claim a majority stake in the Assembly seats and form the government, which looks like the most likely outcome now.

However, the final decision on the matter will be taken by the the Karnataka Governor, Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.

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The Union Cabinet Chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the establishment of National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) at Bhopal as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 under the aegis of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. The estimated cumulative cost of the project is Rs. 179.54 crore in first three years. This includes non-recurring expenditure of Rs. 128.54 crore and recurring expenditure of Rs. 51 crore.

The Union Cabinet has also approved the proposal to create three Joint Secretary level posts, which include one post of Director of the Institute and two posts of Professors.

The main objectives of the NIMHR are to provide rehabilitation services to the persons with mental illness, capacity development in the area of mental health rehabilitation, policy framing and advanced research in mental health rehabilitation.

The Institute will have nine Departments/Centres and will conduct 12 courses to offer diploma, certificate, graduate, post graduate, M. Phil degrees in the area of mental health rehabilitation. Within a span of 5 years, the student intake of the institute in various courses is expected to be over 400.

Government of Madhya Pradesh has allocated 5 acres of land in Bhopal for setting up of this Institute.

The Institute will be established in three years in two phases. Within two years, the civil and electrical work of the institute will be completed. Simultaneously, during the construction of building, the Institute will run in a suitable rented building in Bhopal to conduct certificate/diploma courses and also OPD services. Subsequently, the Institute will provide complete set of rehabilitation services for persons with mental illness and conduct courses upto Master's degree and M. Phil.

NIMHR will be the first of its kind in the country in the area of mental health rehabilitation. It will serve as an institution of excellence to develop capacity building in the area of mental health rehabilitation and also help the Government to develop models for effective rehabilitation of persons with mental illness.

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The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its in-principle approval for establishing a Central University by the name of Central University of Andhra Pradesh in Janthaluru Village of Ananthapur District, Andhra Pradesh.

A provision of funds worth Rs. 450 crore has been approved for meeting the first phase expenditure towards establishment of the said University.

The Cabinet also approved the proposal for operationalization of the Central University in the transit campus, initially by forming a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in order to give a legal status to it till the amendment to the Central Universities Act, 2009 is enacted and to enable commencement of academic activities from the Academic Year 2018-19. The Central University would be mentored by an existing Central University till its governing structure is in place.

The approval would increase access and quality of higher and help in minimizing the regional imbalances in facilities, and give effect to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014.

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The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved setting up of a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Deoghar, Jharkhand. A provision of funds worth Rs. 1103 crore has been approved for the project and the said AIIMS will be set up under the Pradhan MantriSwasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).

Details:

The AIIMS at Deoghar will consist of:

A hospital with a capacity of 750 beds, trauma center facilities

A medical college with an in-take of 100 MBBS students per year

A nursing college with an int-ake of 60 B. Sc.(Nursing) students per year, residential complexes and allied facilities / services, broadly on the pattern of AIIMS, New Delhi.

20 Speciality/Super Speciality Departments including 15 Operation Theatres.

An Ayush Department with 30 beds for providing treatment facilities in the traditional system of medicine.

Impact:

The setting up of new AIIMS at Deoghar will serve the dual purpose of providing super speciality health care to the population while also helping to create a large pool of doctors and other health workers in this region to be available for primary and secondary-level institutions/facilities being created under the National Health Mission (NHM).

Background:

Under the PMSSY, AIIMS have been established in Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Raipur, Jodhpur, Rishikesh and Patna. Work of AIIMS Rae Bareli (U.

P.), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Kalyani (West Bengal) and Mangalagiri in Guntur (A. P.) is in progress. Construction work has also been awarded for AIIMS, Gorakhpur (U. P.).

Further, following AIIMS have also been sanctioned:

Bathinda, Punjab in July 2016

Guwahati (Assam), May 2017

Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh) in January 2018

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China share market closed session down on Wednesday, 16 May 2018, as renewed geopolitical worries over Korean peninsula after North Korea pulled out of high-level talks with Seoul and surging U. S. bond yields to the highest level in seven years dampened sentiment.

Markets participants were also in risk averse mood ahead of Chinese Vice Premier Liu He's May 15-19 visit to Washington for a second round of trade negotiations. The blue-chip CSI300 index fell 0.8%, to 3,892.84, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.7% to 3,169.57 points.

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Generations of poor people in developing countries are trapped in a cycle of poverty determined by their circumstance at birth and unable to ascend the economic ladder due to inequality of opportunity, says the World Bank Group's 'Fair Progress? Economic Mobility across Generations Around the World' report.

Mobility has stalled for the last 30 years, says the report, which tracks economic mobility between parents and their children through the prism of education, a critical asset that influences an individual's lifetime earnings. It looks at people born between 1940 and 1980, and finds that 46 out of 50 countries with the lowest rates of mobility from the bottom to the top are in the developing world.

Gender gaps, however, are closing with girls in high-income countries now out-performing boys in tertiary education and catching up in the developing world. In the not too distant future, the share of girls with more education than their parents will exceed the equivalent share for boys globally.

The ability to move up the economic ladder, irrespective of the socioeconomic background of one's parents, contributes to reducing poverty and inequality, and may help boost economic growth by giving everyone a chance to use their talents, the report notes. People living in more mobile societies are more optimistic about their children's future, which is likely to lead to a more aspirational and cohesive society.

All parents want their children to have better lives than their own, yet the aspirations of too many people -especially poor people - are thwarted by unequal opportunities, said World Bank Chief Executive Officer Kristalina Georgieva. We need to invest in children from a very early age so that they are well-nourished and well-educated; ensure that local communities are a safe place for children to grow, learn, and thrive; and level the economic playing field by creating good jobs and improving access to finance.

The report draws on a newly developed Global Database of Intergenerational Mobility with unprecedented coverage of 148 countries, home to 96 percent of the world's population. It paints a uniquely detailed picture of socio-economic mobility and inequality of opportunity around the world. It also sheds light on the patterns and drivers of income mobility and their relationship with educational mobility by examining available data from 75 countries.

The data show that, on average, upward mobility from the bottom has declined and the numbers of people remaining trapped at the bottom has increased in developing economies. For individuals born in poorer households, the opportunity to climb up the ladder is narrowing in many economies in which average living standards are already much lower compared with high-income economies.

Countries with higher mobility in education are better placed to generate future growth, as well as reduce poverty and inequality.

And, conversely, stalled mobility raises concerns about future progress, particularly for Africa and South Asia, where most of the world's poor live and where the prospects of children are still too strongly tied to the socioeconomic status of their parents, said Carolina Sanchez, Senior Director of the Poverty and Equity Global Practice at the World Bank.

But the report also finds huge variation in the extent of intergenerational mobility in the developing world. For example, only 12 percent of the people born in the 1980s in the Central African Republic, Guinea, and South Sudan have achieved education levels higher than their parents, compared with 89 percent of people from South Korea and 85 percent from Thailand.

A close examination of six large developing countries - Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria - reveals that economic mobility rose in all of them from the 1940s to the 1980s, albeit to varying degrees. However, since the 1960s, progress has slowed in four of these countries and completely stalled in China and Nigeria. The global trends in gender convergence are seen in Brazil, China, Egypt, and Indonesia, where the mobility gaps between girls and boys are close to zero. No such convergence has taken place in India or Nigeria, where the gender gaps are almost as large today as they were a half century ago.

However, the rise in educational mobility in many high-income economies and in parts of East Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East gives some room for optimism, suggesting that inequality of opportunity can be reduced with the right policy actions. Educational mobility in Brazil, Egypt, and Indonesia, for example, increased significantly from people born in the 1940s to those born in the 1980s - even though income mobility remains low in these countries.

This report paints a sobering but nuanced picture of economic mobility and inequality of opportunity in the developing world. On the one hand, the average developing country has very low rates of economic mobility across generations and, most worryingly, there has been no real improvement in the last three decades. On the other hand, the experience of some countries shows that with political will and the right policies, that can be changed, said Francisco Ferreira, Senior Advisor on poverty and inequality at the World Bank.

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Key benchmark indices extended early slide and hit fresh intraday low in morning trade. At 10:15 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 259.34 points or 0.73% at 35,284.60. The Nifty 50 index was down 91.30 points or 0.85% at 10,710.55. Domestic stocks fell tracking losses in US and Asian shares amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Korean peninsula.

Shares of oil exploration and production (E&P) companies edged lower. PSU OMCs declined. Cement stocks fell.

Local stocks began trading for the day on a weak note on negative Asian stocks.

The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was down 0.95%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 0.8%. Both these indices underperformed the Sensex.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was weak. On the BSE, 1,460 shares fell and 479 shares rose. A total of 86 shares were unchanged.

Shares of oil exploration and production (E&P) companies edged lower. Reliance Industries (down 1.42%), ONGC (down 1.64%) and Oil India (down 0.06%) fell.

PSU OMCs declined. HPCL (down 2.42%), BPCL (down 1.97%) and Indian Oil Corporation (down 1.4%) fell. Cement stocks fell. Ambuja Cements (down 1.19%),

ACC (down 0.1%), UltraTech Cement (down 2.79%) and Shree Cement (down 1.51%) declined.

Grasim Industries was off 1.72%. Grasim has exposure to the cement sector through its holding in UltraTech Cement.

EPC Industrie rose 1.46% after the company announced a joint venture with an Israeli Greenhouse firm Top Greenhouses. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 15 May 2018.

EPC Industrie will hold 60% stake in the joint venture (JV) while Top Greenhouses will hold remaining 40%. The JV company will focus on protected cultivation business providing specialised, cutting edge and relevant technologies to Indian market. The JV will bring out the best by combining the ingenuity of Israel to the big Indian market, the firm said.

On the political front, Karnataka delivered a hung Assembly on Tuesday with no party getting a clear majority to form government in the state. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single-largest party, winning 104 seats, the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular (JDS) stood second and third with wins on 78 and 38 seats respectively. All eyes are now on Governor Vajubhai Vala as both the BJP and the post-poll combine of the Congress and the JDS have staked a claim to form the government.

Overseas, Asian stocks were trading lower as geopolitical developments and rising benchmark US yields spurred a return of risk aversion. North Korea canceled high-level talks with Seoul, denouncing military exercises between South Korea and the United States, breaking from several months of easing relations on the peninsula. This has also raised concerns about the planned summit between US President Donald Trump and his North Korean counterpart leader Kim Jong Un scheduled next month.

US stocks halted a four-day rally yesterday, 15 May 2018 with the steepest slide in almost two weeks as healthcare and tech shares retreated. Investors are weighing the prospect for higher Federal Reserve rates as strong US retail and factory data on Tuesday fueled bets the Fed may raise rates three more times this year.

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Recovery continued on the bourses in early afternoon trade as the key benchmark indices cut further losses after an intraday slide. At 12:22 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 115.38 points or 0.32% at 35,428.56. The Nifty 50 index was down 46.60 points or 0.43% at 10,755.25. Most realty stocks gained. Telecom stocks saw mixed trend. Domestic stocks were weighed by political uncertainty in Karnataka and negative Asian stocks.

Local stocks began trading for the day on a weak note as US and Asian shares declined amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Korean peninsula. Key benchmark indices extended early slide and hit fresh intraday low in morning trade. Stocks pared losses in mid-morning trade.

The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was down 0.14%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 0.13%. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was weak. On the BSE, 1,557 shares fell and 831 shares rose. A total of 114 shares were unchanged.

Wipro (up 2.16%), Yes Bank (up 1.39%) and Tata Motors (up 0.79%) edged higher from the Sensex pack.

Most realty stocks gained. DLF (up 1.7%), Phoenix Mills (up 1.62%), D B Realty (up 0.29%), Godrej Properties (up 0.16%), Prestige Estates Projects (up 1.16%) and Oberoi Realty (up 0.28%) rose. Housing Development and Infrastructure (down 0.93%), Unitech (down 3.9%) and Sobha (down 0.71%) fell.

Indiabulls Real Estate jumped 9.59% after the company announced that a meeting of the board of directors of the company will be held on Friday, 18 May 2018, to consider the proposal of buyback of equity shares. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 15 May 2018.

Telecom stocks saw mixed trend. Bharti Airtel (up 0.21%) and Idea Cellular (up 1.04%) rose. MTNL (down 1.19%) and Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) (down 3.36%) fell.

Shares of Bharti Infratel rose 0.83%. Bharti Infratel is a provider of tower and related infrastructure and is a unit of Bharti Airtel.

Reliance Communications lost 18.15% after an insolvency tribunal reportedly ordered bankruptcy proceedings against the telecom company on a petition filed by Ericsson.

According to reports, the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal on Tuesday, 15 May 2018, admitted three petitions filed against Reliance Communications (RCom) and its subsidiaries by Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. The latest development could affect RCom's deal to pare debt by selling its wireless assets to Reliance Jio Infocomm, media reports suggested.

Meanwhile, RCom clarified after market hours yesterday, 15 May 2018, that the company and two of its subsidiaries Reliance Telecom and Reliance Infratel, await the detailed orders of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Mumbai, allowing the Ericsson application for admitting the companies to debt resolution under IBC. The companies will decide the next course of action after studying the orders.

On the political front, Karnataka delivered a hung Assembly on Tuesday with no party getting a clear majority to form government in the state. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single-largest party, winning 104 seats, the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular (JDS) stood second and third with wins on 78 and 38 seats respectively. All eyes are now on Governor Vajubhai Vala as both the BJP and the post-poll combine of the Congress and the JDS have staked a claim to form the government.

Overseas, Asian stocks were trading lower as geopolitical developments and rising benchmark US yields spurred a return of risk aversion. North Korea canceled high-level talks with Seoul, denouncing military exercises between South Korea and the United States, breaking from several months of easing relations on the peninsula. This has also raised concerns about the planned summit between US President Donald Trump and his North Korean counterpart leader Kim Jong Un scheduled next month.

US stocks halted a four-day rally yesterday, 15 May 2018 with the steepest slide in almost two weeks as healthcare and tech shares retreated. Investors are weighing the prospect for higher Federal Reserve rates as strong US retail and factory data on Tuesday fueled bets the Fed may raise rates three more times this year.

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As many as 146,000 CCTVs will be installed in over 1,000 Delhi government schools in six months at an estimated cost of Rs 5.97 billion, Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Satyendra Jain said here on Wednesday.

The CCTVs will be installed in classrooms and open areas, except bathrooms.

Jain said that a tender has been floated and seven to eight companies have participated in the bidding process.

The Minister said that 146,800 closed-circuit televisions will be installed in 1,028 city government schools.

The CCTV footage will be stored in every school and automatically erased after 30 days, adding that parents will be issued an ID and password to view the footage.

Jain said of the Rs 5.97 billion, Rs 3.85 billion will be spent on execution of the project, Rs 570.69 million on maintenance of the cameras and Rs 1.55 billion on the internet connection for the schools.

The project was approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) of the Delhi government.

Meanwhile, the installation of another 140,000 CCTVs across the city, aimed at protection of women, has become the new flashpoint between the Delhi government and Lt. Governor Anil Baijal.

Baijal had formed a committee to look into the installation of CCTVs, while the government asked him to stay off the project, alleging that it was being done to stall the project.
Tuesday's launch capsize in Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh claimed 22 lives and the rescue workers on Wednesday fished out bodies of 12 persons including two children, officials said

Even 24 hours after the incident, the search was on for the missing.

Rescue workers pulled out the launch by using boats and heavy cranes. Earlier, the Indian Navy personnel traced the launch reportedly at a depth of 60 feet.

Teams from the Navy, state disaster management department and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were engaged in the rescue operations with the help of Navy helicopters.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who rushed to the scene to supervise rescue operations, told reporters that 10 more bodies were yet to be pulled out.

He said a total of 44 people were on the launch and half of them swam to safety.

The incident occurred near Manturu in Devipatnam block of East Godavari district around 5 p.m.

The boat, which sailed from Kondamodalu, was on its way Rajamahendravaram. It is believed to have capsized due to gusty winds.

Naidu announced Rs 10 lakh compensation each for the next of kin of the deceased. He said the government would provide jobs to one member each from the families of the victims and would also make arrangements for free education for their children.

The Chief Minister said human error led to tragedy. He was informed by the officials that the launch was carrying cement bags and two-wheelers.

When the boat was caught in gusty winds and rains, those onboard closed the windows. This led to the capsize and also sealed the escape routes.

Hundreds of wailing relatives of the victims thronged the river shores near the accident site. Authorities handed over the bodies after autopsy under a tent near the river bank.

YSR Congress Party chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan expressed their shock. They alleged that such incidents were recurring due to government's negligence.

--IANS

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Three militants were killed and one injured when eight terrorists attacked a police headquarters in Indonesia's Riau province on Wednesday, police said.

This was the second attack on a police premise in the country since Monday.

The militants had arrived in a white minivan at the headquarters in Pekanbaru at 9 a.m. They sprayed a hail of bullets and used swords to stab police personnel, Xinhua news agency reported.

While the police managed to shoot four of the attackers, the remaining five escaped, said the police chief of Riau. A search is on to nab the rest.

The attack comes days after over two dozen people were killed in a series of terrorist strikes in Indonesia, including suicide bombings by a family of six in three churches on Sunday in the islands second largest city, Surabaya.

It is said to be the deadliest since the 2002 Bali attack. A suicide bombing was also reported at the city's police headquarters on Monday when bike borne attackers blew themselves up at the check point to the precinct.

--IANS

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Five people, including four militants and a policeman, were killed when eight terrorists attacked the police headquarters in Indonesia's Riau province on Wednesday.

This was the second attack on a police premise in the country since Monday.

A white mini van intruded the compound of the police headquarters in Pekanbaru at 9 a.m. but was stopped by other cars, Xinhua news agency reported.

Suddenly the militants exited the car and immediately staged strikes with swords against policemen, said a police spokesman.

Two policemen were injured in the sword attacks and another was killed after being hit by the vehicle which was trying to escape the compound of the headquarters.

"So far there are four perpetrators whom we have shot dead. One of them was being checked by a bomb squad," the police spokesman said, referring to a suspected bomb strapped to the militant's body. Other militants escaped the compound and a hunt was on to find them.

A footage showed that a man lying on the ground with a sword next to his body. Two journalists who were at the headquarters were also wounded.

The attack came days after a series of terrorist strikes in the country, including suicide bombings in three churches on Sunday in Surabaya city, the provincial capital of East Java and a suicide bombing at the police headquarters in the city, which left at least 25 people dead and dozens injured.

It was said to be the deadliest since the 2002 Bali attack. A suicide bombing was also reported at the city's police headquarters on Monday when bike-borne attackers blew themselves up at the checkpoint to the precinct.

--IANS

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At least 10 Afghan soldiers and 44 Taliban militants have been killed after clashes broke out in four districts of the country's Ghazni province overnight, an Army official said on Wednesday.

The clashes began after militants launched a massive coordinated attack against security checkpoints in Andar, Gilan, Zana Khan and Jaghato districts after midnight, the Army official was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Eight militants were injured in the clashes.

The clashes continued till Wednesday morning but the security situation was later brought under control, said the official.

On Tuesday, at least five civilians, 25 soldiers and nearly 300 militants were killed after the Taliban launched a massive attack in Farah province.

--IANS

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Undergoing acupuncture treatment during in vitro fertilisation (IVF) might not increase a woman's chances of conceiving, finds a study.

Acupuncture -- a traditional Chinese medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body -- has become a widely used treatment prior to and during IVF.

The study, however, showed that acupuncture is no better than placebo for improving IVF success.

It showed no significant benefit from IVF when compared with a short course of acupuncture using dummy needles placed away from "true" acupuncture points.

"Our findings do not support acupuncture as an efficacious treatment compared to sham," lead investigator Caroline Smith, Professor at the Western Sydney University in Australia.

For the study, published in the journal JAMA, the team included over 800 Australian and New Zealand women to examine the effects of acupuncture administered prior to and following an embryo transfer (ET).

The participants were given either acupuncture or a sham acupuncture control (a non-insertive needle placed away from the true acupuncture points).

The results showed the rate of live birth was 18.3 per cent among participants who received acupuncture versus 17.8 per cent who received the sham acupuncture control, a non-significant difference.

While a short course of acupuncture may statistically be no better than sham at improving live birth and pregnancy outcomes, a psycho-social benefit from acupuncture was reported by women undergoing IVF, the researchers said.

"Some studies suggest reproductive outcomes maybe improved when acupuncture is compared with no treatment," Smith said.

"Feeling relaxed and reporting relief from stress and women feeling good about themselves is to be welcomed for women as they undergo an IVF cycle," explained co-author Michael Chapman, Professor at the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

--IANS

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Guatemala inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, two days after the US opened its embassy in the disputed city.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut a blue-and-white ribbon as the official opening of the embassy, Xinhua news agency reported.

Morales said Israel and Guatemala have a "deep friendship", hoping that other countries will follow suit.

Netanyahu hailed the opening as "the beginning of something extraordinary" in the relationship between the two countries.

The opening of the US embassy on Monday triggered deadly clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces in Gaza and the West Bank that left more than 60 civilians dead.

--IANS

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Actress Amruta Khanvilkar had fun working with Alia Bhatt in "Raazi", and says the fact that she is grounded reflects her upbringing.

"Apart from the story line, Meghna Gulzar was one of the key reasons for me to do the film. I have never played the role of a Pakistani Muslim before, and that too playing a real-life character was very intriguing," Amruta told IANS.

"Every day was an enriching learning experience - be it speaking language (Urdu dialect) or being around Meghna ma'am or shooting scenes with Alia. The entire experience was enthralling."

Based on Harinder Sikka's book "Calling Sehmat", the story of the film "Raazi" revolves around a young Kashmiri girl who gets married to a Pakistani Army officer and becomes a spy to give inside information about the neighbouring country to protect her own.

On working with Alia, she said: "I believe she is an extremely secure actor and an extremely receiving and giving actor. Her performance in 'Raazi' speaks volumes of her talent. This girl who in just 25 years of age has achieved so much in such less time and has seen stardom like no one else her age - but despite all this, she is so grounded, which truly reflects her upbringing."

Amruta finds Alia "a friendly and jolly person".

"There are totally no airs about this girl. She makes all her co-stars feel extremely comfortable - I too shared a good bond with her throughout the shoot," added the actress, who has featured in projects like "Golmaal", "Nach Baliye 7", season two of "24".

Amruta says working with Meghna was on her bucket list.

"Meghna ma'am was one of the main reasons for me to be a part of this film. She was literally my 'bucket-list' director. Working with Meghna ma'am was a learning each and every day, right from getting my character right, to the Urdu lessons, to the body language of Munira, everything was well discussed and decided by ma'am.

"There was so much of a detailed work going on in every department, that as an actor, it made our jobs very easy. One thing I absolutely love about her is that she is the most composed and calm director I have ever worked with."

After the movie, the actress took a short break.

She said: "I feel my choice of work allows me to take a break as and when I want. With the release of 'Raazi' and its promotions, I couldn't spend quality time with mom. Hence, right now, I am on a break for two days at Radisson Blu Resort and Spa, Alibaug, and we are having an absolutely amazing and relaxing time.

"My ideal holiday would be taking my full fam-jam along with me to a place like this, where we could just relax and unwind together as we do not get to do that in Mumbai with everyone's busy schedules."

--IANS

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Haryana on Wednesday assured the Supreme Court that it will not disrupt the supply of Yamuna water to Delhi till Monday, as the court asked the Delhi government to approach the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) for adjudication on the water-sharing dispute between the two.

A bench headed by Justice Madan B. Lokur asked the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to make a request to Haryana on Wednesday itself, after which Haryana would take a decision on the amount of water to be released to Delhi till Monday next.

The apex court also pulled up the DJB for approaching the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Delhi High Court against Haryana on water sharing, as the issue has to be decided by the UYRB, a statutory body.

"You can always go to the board; it's an expert body set up particularly for this purpose. Why should we do the job of an expert body?" the bench asked.

"We expect the board to meet and sort out the matter amicably between Delhi and Haryana," it added.

The DJB had approached the court, saying it has not been receiving sufficient water from Haryana. It withdrew its plea.

The UYRB told the court that it had constituted a committee to study the river flow and water sharing among the riparian states.

The Centre set up the board primarily to regulate allocation of available water among the six beneficiary basin states and also for monitoring the return flow.

On an earlier hearing, the apex court had slammed the UYRB for not doing its job on distribution of river water and asked why the courts should do the work the board was supposed to do.

As the DJB repeatedly requested that status quo on water supply be maintained, the apex court bench directed it to make the request to Haryana as it's been "very reasonable" in its approach on sharing of Yamuna water with Delhi.

The bench was hearing a DJB plea against a daily shortfall of 120 cusecs of water from the Yamuna.

The DJB had also sought instructions to Haryana to supply 450 cusecs of potable water daily to Delhi, as agreed between the two states.

Haryana was supplying only 330 cusecs of water daily to Delhi as against 450 cusecs per day, the DJB petition said.

The Haryana government had earlier told the top court that it was facing "huge distress", but would continue to supply water.

With Delhi facing a water shortage, the DJB had moved the Supreme Court for directions to Haryana to release adequate water to the Wazirabad reservoir, alleging that the Yamuna water supply had been reduced by one third.

"Delhi is in the midst of an acute water crisis owing to stop in supply of water by Haryana into the Yamuna, which is meant for drinking purposes in Delhi," the DJB plea said.

The DJB's water treatment plants have been functioning below capacity over the past few weeks due to a drop in the Yamuna level and release of polluted water from Haryana that could not be treated, it added.

Yamuna water sharing between Delhi and Haryana has been a contentious issue for decades and the apex court had ordered Haryana in February 1996 to release 450 cusecs of water daily to Delhi.

--IANS

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Award winning writer and journalist Tom Wolfe, who is noted for works like "The Bonfire of the Vanities", "The Right Stuff" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" has passed away in the US. He was 88.

Wolfe who pioneered "new journalism" passed away in Manhattan on Monday, his agent confirmed the news to the New York Times on Tuesday. He had been hospitalised with an infection.

Wolfe, who began working as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune in 1962, was a pioneer of "new journalism", which melded traditional reporting methods and literary fiction techniques.

Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1930, Wolfe attended Washington and Lee for undergraduate and Yale for his Ph.D. before moving to New York in the 1960s, the New York Post reported.

Wolfe worked as a reporter at the Springfield Union in Massachusetts and as the Latin American correspondent for the Washington Post.

His first book "The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby" was a collection of essays originally published in Esquire magazine.

While the stories have no connecting theme, this is the first book that gave early examples of New Journalism.

Wolfe's other books include "The Pump House Gang", "Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers", "The Painted Word" and "Mauve Gloves & Madmen, Clutter & Vine" which includes his well-known essay about the "Me Decade."

His best-selling book "The Right Stuff" which is about rocket airplane experiments after World War II and the Project Mercury astronauts, won the American Book Award for nonfiction, the National Institute of Arts and Letters Harold Vursell Award for prose style, and the Columbia Journalism Award.

Wolfe's first novel "The Bonfire of the Vanities," was first serialised in Rolling Stone magazine and came out as a book three years later. It followed the greed, racism and social classes of New York City in the 1980s.

Wolfe is survived by his wife, Sheila, and two children, Alexandra and Tommy.

--IANS

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US top aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co. (Boeing) on Tuesday called as "a landmark decision" a ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) determining that the European Union (EU) has provided billions of US dollars in subsidies to European aircraft maker Airbus.

Boeing said the WTO has found that the EU has failed to honour multiple previous rulings and provided more than "$22 billion of illegal subsidies" to its business archrival Airbus.

"After examining this case for more than a decade, the WTO has determined the EU must end its unfair business practices and remedy the ongoing harm caused by the illegal subsidies," Xinhua quoted Boeing as saying.

The latest WTO ruling on the decade-old case, which was initiated in 2006, ends the dispute and clears the way for the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to seek remedies in the form of tariffs against European exports to the US, Boeing said.

The US has accused European governments of providing favourable loans to Airbus for its A380 superjumbo and the A350 long-range jet that compete with Boeing's 747 jumbo jet and 787 Dreamliner, respectively.

The US can now take steps to establish the level of sanctions it can impose on European exports under WTO rules.

Boeing said the US is expected to levy billions of retaliatory tariffs on the European exports, possibly the largest ever, which could come as early as 2019.

"Today's final ruling sends a clear message: disregard for the rules and illegal subsidies is not tolerated. The commercial success of products and services should be driven by their merits and not by market-distorting actions," said Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing Chairman, President and CEO.

--IANS

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Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu and Kashmir on May 19, the Border Security Forces (BSF) have confirmed that five militants have sneaked into the Indian side.

BSF Director General K.K. Sharma, who arrived here on Tuesday, after a trooper was killed in firing by the Pakistani rangers in Samba district, confirmed that the successful infiltration bid took place on Monday.

The BSF chief said the militants had sneaked in using a tunnel. He said a bigger infiltration bid aided by the Pakistani rangers was, however, foiled by the BSF on the international border (IB) on Tuesday.

Modi is scheduled to attend several official functions during his one-day visit on Saturday.

--IANS

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The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the establishment of the National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) in Bhopal.

The institute will be registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, and will work as an entity under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

The Cabinet also approved a proposal to create three Joint Secretary-level posts, including one post of institute Director and two posts of Professors.

The three-year budget for the institute includes non-recurring expenses of Rs 128.54 crore and recurring expenditure of Rs 51 crore.

"The main objectives are to provide rehabilitation services to persons with mental illness, capacity development in the area of mental health rehabilitation, framing of policy and advanced research in mental health rehabilitation," a government statement said.

The institute will conduct 12 courses that offer diploma, certificate, graduate, postgraduate, M.Phil degrees in the area of mental health rehabilitation. It is expected to take in 400 candidates in five years.

Madhya Pradesh has allocated five acres of land in Bhopal for the institute, which will be established in three years in two phases.

--IANS

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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday approved the setting up of an integrated multi-modal logistics hub on 886.78 acres in Nangal Chaudhary area in Mahendragarh district of Haryana.

The hub will be a part of the 1,504-km High-Capacity Western Dedicated Freight Corridor between Delhi and Mumbai, Law and Information and Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

He said that the Haryana government had provided land for the project while the central government had given financial sanction of Rs 1,029.49 crore for the first of the three phases of the project which will be implemented by financial year 2020-21.

An official statement said that the CCEA had also given in-principle approval for the development of Phase II.

"The expenditure on Phase I comprises cost of entire land at Rs 266 crore, including land cost for Phase II as well," it added.

Prasad said that in order to effectively operationalise the freight corridor, there is a need for logistics hubs, which the government has dubbed as "freight villages".

The government said the project will lead to creation of employment, reduction in fuel costs, boost exports, reduction in vehicle-operating costs, reduction in accident-related costs, increase in collection of taxes by the state government and reduction in pollution.

The proposed development of a freight village as the logistics hub is estimated to generate over 4,000 direct and 6,000 indirect jobs.

Job creation will not be limited to the core logistics facilities but also entail opportunities for the entire logistics supply chain, it said.

--IANS

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Putting the blame squarely on the top officials of the Punjab National Bank (PNB), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a second chargesheet in the Rs 7,080.86 crore fraud case against absconding diamantaire Mehul Choksi, his Gitanjali Group of companies and senior past and present officials of the PNB, here on Wednesday, officials said.

The chargesheet was filed in the Special CBI Court in Mumbai, naming a total of 18 accused, exactly 90 days after the CBI first registered the complaint on February 15 this year, shortly after the scam was admitted by the PNB.

The CBI said it found during investigations that the fraud was perpetrated despite the knowledge of senior PNB officials who failed to implement the circulars and caution notices issued by the Reserve Bank of India regarding safeguarding the SWIFT operations, and instead, misrepresenting the factual position to the RBI.

The second chargesheet comes two days after the CBI lodged its first chargesheet against fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, besides former and serving PNB officials in the Rs 13,000 crore-plus fraud case.

The PNB, however in its BSE filing said, they were yet to receive the copy of the chargesheet.

The agency registered the first FIR on January 31 against Nirav Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal and uncle Choksi along with others following the January 29 complaint by Deputy General Manager of PNB's Zonal office in Mumbai.

The CBI registered two more FIRs subsequently. Most of the accused are common to both the FIRs.

While the chargesheet filed on Monday was based on the first FIR, the second chargesheet filed on Wednesday is based on the second FIR.

According to the CBI's second chargesheet, between 2015-2017, the accused persons hatched a criminal conspiracy and defrauded the PNB to the tune of Rs 7,080.86 crore by fraudulently issuing Letters of Undertaking to overseas banks.

These LoUs were issued to obtain Buyer's Credit and also issuing Foreign Letters of Credit in favour of the three companies belonging to Choksi, without any sanctioned limit or cash margin and without making entries in the PNB's CBS system.

The CBI said that PNB ex-Deputy General Manager Gokulnath Shetty at the flagship Brady House Branch, had allegedly taken bribes from the diamond company for issuing the fraudulent LoUs.

Besides Shetty, the chargesheet named the PNB's then Managing Director and CEO Usha Ananthasubramanian, two Executive Directors K.V. Brahmaji Rao and Sanjiv Sharan, International Banking Division General Manager Nehal Ahad, officials Manoj H. Karat, Bechu B. Tiwari, Yashwant T. Joshi, Prafful P. Sawant, and Mohinderkumar B. Sharma.

It has also named Gitanjali Gems Ltd., Gili India Ltd., Nakshatra Brand Ltd., Mehul C. Choksi as Managing Director of Gitanjali Gems Ltd., the company's employees Aniyath S. Nair, Nitin Sahi, Kapil Khandelwal and Vipul C. Chitalia.

In this matter, the CBI had raided 52 premises, arrested several of the accused, seized voluminous documents and examined a large number of witnesses.

So far, 15 people have been arrested, though the prime accused including Modi and Choksi are still absconding, in what is billed as the biggest ever scam on a public sector bank in recent times.

--IANS

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The central government on Wednesday announced a ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir during Ramadan, saying this was necessary to help "peace loving Muslims" observe the holy month in a peaceful environment.

A Home Ministry statement said that security forces had been told not to launch operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month.

The decision was taken "to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment", it said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh conveyed the decision to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who had made an appeal for a Ramadan ceasefire in the state on May 9.

But the statement said that security forces would reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if it was essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

"Government expects everyone to cooperate in this initiative and help the Muslim brothers and sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties.

"It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror," it said.

--IANS

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The central government on Wednesday announced a ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir, asking security forces to halt their operations during Ramadan to help "peace loving Muslims" observe the holy month in a peaceful environment.

The announcement, reminiscent of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's similar initiative in 2000, comes barely two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Jammu to inaugurate development projects and address the sixth convocation of a university in the winter capital.

A Home Ministry statement said that security forces had been told not to launch operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month that begins on Thursday or Friday subject to the appearance of new moon.

The decision was taken "to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment", the statement said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh conveyed the decision over phone to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who had appealed for a ceasefire after an all-party meeting in Srinagar on May 9 - a call that was questioned by the state BJP, the coalition partner of the PDP in the state government.

A close aide of the Chief Minister told IANS that Rajnath Singh called her, saying the Centre has decided "a ceasefire during the month of Ramzan".

Mehbooba Mufti "wholeheartedly" welcomed the initiative and thanked Modi and Rajnath Singh "for their personal intervention".

"The month of Ramadan is a harbinger of peace and such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful and amicable environment for a sustained dialogue."

But the Home Ministry statement said that security forces would reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if it was essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

"(The) government expects everyone to cooperate in this initiative and help the Muslim brothers and sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties.

"It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror," it said.

Former Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah asked the militants to reciprocate to provide relief to the people during the month of fasting.

"Now if the militants don't respond in kind, they will stand exposed as the true enemies of the people," he tweeted.

Separatist leaders and militants groups, who are backed by Pakistan, were yet to react to the move.

It comes ahead of Modi's Jammu trip on Saturday during which he is scheduled to inaugurate a ropeway to Vaishno Devi hill shrine.

He will lay foundation stones of a 1.000 MW Pakal Dul hyrdo electric project and Jammu Ring Road from the University of Jammu. Modi will also address the sixth convocation of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-Jammu).

The first time the Central government announced halt in its operations against militants was on November 19, 2000 when Vajpayee made a unilateral declaration of stopping combat operations in Jammu and Kashmir.

This was for a period of one month during Ramadan which was extended thrice till May 31, 2001. But violence didn't stop and over 1,200, including 445 civilians, were killed in militancy related incidents during the four months of the ceasefire, according South Asia Terrorism Portal that curates data on terrorism in the region.

--IANS

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The Central government on Wednesday again sought a report from the West Bengal government over the violence during panchayat elections in the state earlier this week that left at least 10 dead.

"The Ministry of Home Affairs has sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government in view of the violence during panchayat elections," a senior Home Ministry official said.

More than 50 people were also injured on Monday in the violence during the three-tier Panchayati Raj institutions' elections in West Bengal.

The Ministry sought the report again after the West Bengal government submitted a "sketchy" report on Tuesday in response to its first query sent on Monday.

A youth was beaten to death as he tried to enter polling premises in Nadia district, while a Trinamool Congress (TMC) activist was shot dead in South 24 Parganas district's Kultali in West Bengal.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) had on Monday claimed that one of their activists was killed in a bomb attack in North 24 Parganas district's Amdanga.

Three deaths were reported from Murshidabad, while two were killed in East Midnapore's Nandigram. Two persons lost their lives in Nadia and North Dinajpur districts.

More than 60,000 armed personnel from West Bengal and neighbouring states were deployed for the panchayat polls. As many as 80,000 civic volunteers were also deployed to guard the polling centres.

--IANS

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Kerala Minister A.K. Balan on Wednesday expressed confidence that the CPI-M will easily win the May 28 Chengannur assembly bypoll.

Minister for Law and Culture Balan said: "There is absolutely no doubt that our candidate will win not just easily but it will be a handsome victory."

The death of Communist Party of India-Marxist legislator K.K. Ramachandran Nair in January, has led to the bye-election. The counting of votes will take place on May 31.

Balan was speaking about the second anniversary celebrations of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government, which ends in the state capital on May 30, a day before the assembly bye-election result.

Vijayan was sworn in on May 26, 2016.

Balan said: "The reason why we are confident is the Rs 750-crore development work that our late legislator Nair did in the constituency. Besides, our candidate Saji Cherian's overall acceptance in the constituency.

"This time it is the Congress' candidate that is being fielded and not that of the UDF. The two major allies of the United Democratic Front -- Kerala Congress (Mani) and Janata Dal (United) -- are no longer with them anymore," said the minister.

"We are celebrating the government's second anniversary and we are pleased the way the two years have panned out with numerous programmes and projects."

Balan said he had not heard even a single word against the Left government in the state during his campaigning.

--IANS

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Rome, May 17 (IANS/AKI) This weekend, the populist Five-Star Movement will explain to members its proposed common agenda with the far-right League at meetings across Italy this weekend, according to message from party staff to its lawmakers seen by Adnkronos.

"Dear friends, this weekend, the Five-Star Movement will be in village, town and city squares across Italy to describe the full details of the 'contract of government' to citizens," read the message.

Five-Star activists are preparing leaflets and background information for the many encounters planned across the country, the message added.

"All elected spokespersons at local and regional government level and in the national and European parliament, as well as mayoral candidates will attend these meetings," the message said.

"It's vital for everyone to take part," the message underlined.

Five-Star party members will be asked to approve on an online vote the German-style five-year 'contract of government' being hammered out with the League, Five-Star leader Di Maio has said.

Di Maio and League leader Salvini said they expected to wrap up negotiations on a contract between the two sides on Wednesday.

In a live Facebook stream, Salvini said the two parties would update Italian president Sergio Mattarella by Monday on their efforts to form a government.

There was still no word on the thorny issue of who would be premier -- a job that Di Maio and Salvini both covet.

Mattarella has extended indefinitely the last-ditch talks between Five-Star and the League on a tie-up, which began last Thursday. If the two sides agree on a prime minister, Mattarella must approve their pick and lawmakers will vote on the proposed cabinet.

If the Five-Star-League talks on a tie-up fall through, Mattarella will appoint a 'neutral' caretaker cabinet to oversee fresh elections, possibly in the next few months.

Italy has been in political limbo since the inconclusive March 4 election in which Five-Star emerged as the largest party and the centre-right alliance led by Salvini became the biggest political bloc.

--IANS/AKI

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Anwar Ibrahim, former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister jailed for sodomy, was released on Wednesday after newly elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad helped arrange a full pardon for him.

Anwar, 70, headed for the royal palace to meet the King after the pardon came through, Xinhua news agency reported.

He emerged from Cheras rehabilitation hospital here where he was serving his sentence after an operation on his shoulder.

Once seen as a potential future leader, he had been jailed on charges of sodomy and corruption after falling out with the government.

Mahathir has promised to step aside for Anwar to become Prime Minister within two years.

--IANS

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Google may have been confused last month over who the first Prime Minister of India was, but now a simple search for the name "Pappu" leads to results related to Rahul Gandhi.

"Pappu (Rahul Gandhi) is a male name given in some regions of India," says the first result on the Google search.

The result link leads to a Wikipedia page that incidentally doesn't mention Gandhi and simply says "Pappu is a male given name..."

In fact, an image search for the word "Pappu" also leads to pictures of Rahul Gandhi and a simple Google search for "age of Pappu" leads directly to the Wikipedia profile of Gandhi.

Last month, Google showed pictures of Narendra Modi if one searched for "India's first Prime Minister" until the glitch was corrected by the global search engine.

--IANS

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The Gujarat government on Wednesday announced 50 per cent cut in prices of plots of up to 3,000 square metres offered by the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), hoping to boost small and medium industries in the state.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, wherein it was decided that such GIDC industrial estate plots will cost 50 per cent less, so as to benefit small and medium units.

"We have effected drastic changes in the process of land allocation and pricing for GIDC to develop industrial estates. As decided in the meeting, plots up to 3,000 square metres to be allocated to small and medium enterprises (SME) by the GIDC will cost 50 per cent less. Subsequently, the GIDC will sell such plots to small businesses at half the rate," Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel told the media.

The state government sells industrial land to GIDC, the nodal agency to develop industrial estates in the state and facilitate industrial development.

The GIDC had to pay more for land in some cases in the past due to higher market rates. This resulted in costlier plots for small businesses.

The decision will help in developing ancillary industries in the state, said Patel. Patel clarified that other plots of bigger sizes will continue to cost the same as earlier.

--IANS

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Honda Cars India on Wednesday launched the second generation of its entry level sedan -- Amaze -- in both petrol and diesel engine options.

According to the company, the second generation vehicle comes with a starting price of Rs 5.59 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs 6.69 lakh for the diesel version (ex-showroom across India).

Honda Cars India's President and CEO Gaku Nakanishi said: "It is a big promise from Honda and we are confident that the all new Amaze will become one of the strongest pillar of HCIL business."

"In line with our commitment to offer latest technologies to the Indian consumers, Amaze comes with advanced Diesel CVT which is Honda's first such technology in the world and also an industry first in the Indian market," Nakanishi added.

The auto manufacturer said that the new vehicle is equipped with a petrol "1.2L i-VTEC" engine and the diesel powered variant is powered by a "1.5L i-DTEC" engine. Besides, both petrol and diesel variants have manual and automatic "CVT" transmission options.

--IANS

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Taiwanese tech giant HTC is reportedly working on a new Android phone named "Exodus" that will be powered by blockchain technology.

"The upcoming phone will come with a "universal wallet" and a built-in secure hardware system to support cryptocurrencies and decentralised applications," TheNextWeb reported late on Tuesday.

Blockchain smartphones are claimed to offer better security and user experience by integrating "cold wallet" storage right into the device and enabling direct trading of the native cryptocurrency with peers on the phone's network, without mining fees.

"The company plans to create a blockchain network using 'Exodus' phones to facilitate cryptocurrency trading among the phone users," the report added.

Phil Chen, the brain behind HTC's Virtual Reality (VR) headset "Vive" will be in charge of all blockchain and cryptocurrency related initiatives of HTC including "Exodus".

"Through 'Exodus' we are excited to be supporting underlying protocols such as Bitcoin, 'Lightning Networks', 'Ethereum', 'Dfinity' and more," Phil Chen was quoted as saying by TheNextWeb.

However, HTC has still not announced the price of the smartphone but the company is reportedly considering accepting cryptocurrency as a form of payment for the device.

Before HTC, Sirin Labs' blockchain smartphone which was announced in September 2017, is slated to launch in October 2018.

--IANS

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India on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the situation in West Asia after over 50 Palestinians were killed in violence in the wake of the United States opening its embassy in Jerusalem.

"India is deeply concerned with continuing tensions on the border between Gaza Strip and Israel where more than 50 Palestinian nationals lost their lives and thousands injured on May 14," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of lives.

"We urge all sides to avoid escalation of the situation so as to create a conducive atmosphere to resume the peace process," the statement said.

The violence earlier this week coincided with the dedication ceremony of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

The transfer of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem had already incensed Palestinians, who claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his country's military action that killed and wounded Palestinians.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called for intensified protests.

The Latin American nation of Guatemala also inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, two days after the US opened its mission in the disputed city.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and Netanyahu cut a blue-and-white ribbon as the official opening of the embassy.

The developments come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two separate visits to Israel and Palestine since last year.

Modi visited Israel in July last year in what was the first-ever prime ministerial visit from India to the West Asian nation.

He then went on a standalone visit to Palestine in February this year in what was again the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to that country.

The visit came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to India in January this year.

India has continuously supported the Palestinian cause at various international fora.

New Delhi had voted in the UN General Assembly in December last year against US President Donald Trump's unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

--IANS

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India leads the world in the number of students getting bachelors degrees in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Of about 5 million students who received their bachelor's degrees in 2012 in STEM subjects worldwide, 29.2 per cent were from India, UNCTAD's Technology and Innovation Report 2018 released on Tuesday said.

China came next with 26 per cent of the STEM graduates. The EU accounted for 9.5 per cent of STEM graduates that year and the US for 6 per cent, the report said.

The report used statistics from 2012 and said the total number of bachelors-equivalent degrees awarded that year was 20 million.

The wide gulf in the numbers of students graduating in STEM explains why the US relies on such a large number of foreigners, especially Indians, to fill its technology workforce needs.

"Many countries are witnessing skills shortages in the fields of digital technologies and many employers report difficulties in filling high-skill vacancies," UNCTAD said, citing a 2016 worldwide survey by ManpowerGroup on talent shortage that found that 40 per cent of employers reported difficulties in filling positions.

According to India's University Grants Commission, 10.7 million students were studying science, engineering/technology or computer science in 2016-17, although it did not give a breakdown between undergraduate and postgraduate levels or by year of study.

They made up 36 per cent of those studying in universities and colleges, UGC statistics showed.

Looking to the future, UNCTAD cautioned that "there were indications that educational institutions were not keeping pace with technological advances during the current transition period".

It urged educational institutions to "react with agility" to the rapid pace of technology and the labour market changes and said this may require "significant transformations" in the and training systems.

With the widespread use of artificial intelligence and robots looming on the horizon, the report said that "rapid technological progress required the labour force to develop a broader range of skills, focusing on humans' comparative advantage, to increase employability".

UNCTAD called for broadbasing and said: "In the new technological landscape, there is a need for generic, core or fundamental skills such as literacy, numeracy and academic skills, together with basic financial and entrepreneurial skills and increasingly, basic digital and even coding skills."

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

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The central government on Wednesday clarified that the country had only imported 13,110 metric tonnes (MT) of sugar worth $4.68 million from Pakistan during 2017-18.

The clarification came after some reports indicated that large quantities of sugar had been imported from Pakistan.

"It has been observed that there have been some misinformed news reports appearing in the media about import of sugar from Pakistan," the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.

According to the statement, till May 14, 2018, India imported 1,908 MT of sugar worth $0.657 million from Pakistan.

"We must see this import in the overall context that total annual sugar production of India is about 31.90 million MT in sugar season 2017-18," the statement said.

"Further, India exported 1.75 million MT in 2017-18. During April-May 2018, the total export of sugar has been 240,093 MT. Thus import from Pakistan has been very miniscule as compared to total production in the country and exports from India. Further, it has been reported that Pakistan government has provided cash freight subsidy of Rs 10.7 per kg on sugar."

In terms of value, in 2016-17, the country imported sugar worth $1,019 million, this declined to $934 million in 2017-18.

Besides, the ministry disclosed that quantity-wise, in 2016-17, total import of sugar was 2.14 million MT and that it marginally increased to 2.40 million MT in 2017-18.

India mostly imports sugar from Brazil. Currently, import of sugar "is free with a customs duty of 100 per cent".

--IANS

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India's Deputy National Security Adviser Rajinder Khanna will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Summit's (SCO) security meet in Beijing next week.

India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval's absence from the meet may have to do with him accompanying Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Sochi in Russia.

The SCO meeting attended by the top security officials of the member countries will be held on May 21-22 and focus on improving the security cooperation between them.

The 13th meeting of the SCO National Security Council Secretaries will be held in Beijing on the invitation of China's Public Security Minister and State Councillor Zhao Kezhi, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

"During the meeting, the participants will review the security situation and discuss priorities for security cooperation," he said.

Last year, India and Pakistan were admitted to the SCO led by China.

The main SCO summit is slated in Chinese city Qingdao, which will be attended by Modi.

--IANS

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The Jaipur Foot, a marvel of "Gandhian engineering," has an international role in helping victims of civil strife around the world regain their dignity by restoring mobility, according to diplomats and activists.

D.R. Mehta, the founder of Jaipur Foot, invoked the ancient Indian concept of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakama - "The World is One Family" - and said on Tuesday the affordable prosthetic, as well as its technology and know-how, was available to all the countries.

"It is not technology for India, it is technology for the disabled" of the world, he said.

So far, Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, the organisation behind the Jaipur Foot has held camps in 29 countries, set up associate permanent centres in five countries including Pakistan and has proposed setting up such centres in five more, he said during a panel discussion here on "50 Years of Jaipur Foot: Lessons Learnt".

A Jaipur Foot costs only about $70 while a similar prosthetic in the US can run up to $15,000, he said.

A Nigerian immigrant in Connecticut, John Matthew, who had lost a leg in an accident, came to present a personal testimony.

Unable to afford a prosthetic in the US, he was sponsored by a youth affiliate of Jaipur Foot USA to visit Rajasthan and be fitted with one.

Asked by Bangladesh Permanent Representative Masud Bin Momen how his organisation could produce them so cheaply, Mehta said it was because the Jaipur Foot was the "epitome of frugality" based on "Gandhian Engineering of doing the most with the least" utilising locally available materials.

Mehta said that 1.7 million people have received the Jaipur Foot, making it the world's most widely used prosthetic.

India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin said that the panel discussion on the Jaipur Foot, sponsored by the Indian Mission and the World Health Organisation, was a fitting lead up to next month's UN Conference on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which seeks to prevent discrimination against them and provide equality of opportunity and acceptance.

Maria Emma Mejia Velez, the Permanent Representative of Colombia, where Jaipur Foot has an associate centre, said there was great need for the mobility aid in her country because a large number of victims of internal conflicts had lost their legs.

She said that there should be international cooperation among countries for helping the disabled and said that working with Jaipur Foot and India was an example of South-South cooperation.

Mauritius Permanent Representative J.D. Koonjul said the Jaipur Foot movement was an excellent template for South-South cooperation and with the North.

The Jaipur Foot affiliate in his country was reaching out to other Indian Ocean countries like Seychelles and had also received European Union assistance, he said.

Mohammed Hussein Mohammed Bahr AlUloom, the Permanent Representative of Iraq, spoke of the scourge of landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which had maimed a large number of people.

He said that Iraq welcomed Jaipur Foot, which has plans for an affiliated center there.

There were 25 million IEDs and landmines in his country - or one for every Iraqi - and the recently defeated Daesh, or the Islamic State, had added more to them, he said.

Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative Amrith Rohan Perera said that a large number of combatants as well as soldiers had lost their legs during the 30-year civil conflict in his country and asked for Jaipur Foot cooperation to help them.

John Mullen, who has worked with victims of landmines in Mozambique, spoke of how Jaipur Foot invited him to bring along a woman who had lost her leg to a landmine in that country to Rajasthan and fitted her with a prosthetic.

He recounts the woman's journey to India, and from her tragedy to regaining mobility in a book, "Florecia".

He found Help One Walk International that is partnering with Jaipur Foot and a Mozambican organisation to set up a prosthetic clinic in Mozambique which has 10,000 victims of landmines, according to him.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

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From Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to the man on the street, there was universal acclaim for the ceasefire announced by the central government in the state during the holy month of Ramadan.

"I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire and would like to thank (Prime Minister) Narendra Modiji and (Home Minister) Rajnath Singhji for their personal intervention," tweeted the Chief Minister, who on May 9 sought the ceasefire.

She added: "The month of Ramadan is a harbinger of peace and such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful and amicable environment for a sustained dialogue."

Former Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah asked the militants to reciprocate to provide relief to the people during Ramadan.

"On the demand of all political parties (except the BJP, which had opposed it), the Centre has announced a unilateral ceasefire. Now if the militants don't respond in kind, they will stand exposed as the true enemies of the people," he tweeted.

Amitabh Mattoo, advisor to the Chief Minister, commented: "Let us all celebrate this moment and make sure that we now have a permanent end to violence. A great chance for Pakistan and all militant groups to respond."

Separatist leaders remained tight-lipped but the common man was overjoyed.

"Believe me, I have not been able sleep in peace during the last many months due to the impeding danger of an encounter in our area. The decision has come as a great relief and ordinary Kashmiris like me only hope the decision is reciprocated by militants," said a resident of Pulwama district who did not want to be named.

In Srinagar, there was elation.

"This was the most immediate requirement for indicating a mindset favouring a dialogue rather than violence. Ramadan has created another ray of hope for us," said Firdous Ahmad, a shopkeeper in the city's uptown area.

Transporters, shopkeepers, businessmen and even pavement sellers were happy.

"We need a break and this could not have come at a better time than Ramadan. If the government has walked two steps, let the separatists walk at least half a step. It is only by taking such small steps that the march to peace and honour can start," said Shakeel Ahmad, a businessman in the old city area of Srinagar.

The decision not to initiate combat operations against militants during Ramadan comes barely two days before Prime Minister Modi visits the state on May 19.

--IANS

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Ravinder Raina, the Jammu and Kashmir Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President, said on Wednesday that the guilty in the Kathua rape and murder will be punished.

Raina arrived in Srinagar after he was named the party's state president.

Talking to the media on the sidelines of a BJP function here, he said that as a law student "I know that the Kathua rape and murder case is sub-judice and we need not comment on it, yet I know that the most powerful institution in our country is the judiciary.

"Those guilty of this heinous crime would get exemplary punishment and no innocent person would suffer."

In January, an eight-year-old girl from Kathua was abducted, gang raped and murdered, triggering widespread outrage.

Raina parried questions on the unilateral ceasefire advocated by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan and the ensuing Amarnath Yatra.

--IANS

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After and Google, has now banned advertisements showing cryptocurrencies and related products from its Bing search engine.

"Because cryptocurrency and related products are not regulated, we have found them to present a possible elevated risk to our users with the potential for bad actors to participate in predatory behaviours, or otherwise scam consumers," Melissa Alsoszatai-Petheo, Advertiser policy manager at Microsoft, said in a blog post on Wednesday.

"To help protect our users from this risk, we have made the decision to disallow advertising for cryptocurrency, its related products, and un-regulated binary options," she added.

Bing Ads will implement this change globally in June, with enforcement rolling out in late June to early July.

in March announced that it would ban advertisements for cryptocurrencies and other "speculative financial products" across its ad platforms.

The ban on such advertisements would come into force from June.

In January, social media giant banned all ads promoting cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and ICOs.

According to media reports, Twitter was also likely to ban cryptocurrency, token sales and Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) advertisements on its platform.
Militants attacked an army patrol in Jammu and Kashmir's Tral region on Wednesday, police said.

A patrol party of the Rashtriya Rifles was attacked by the militants in the Shikargah area.

"The army patrol also retaliated. No casualty was reported by the army. The area has been cordoned off for searches," a police officer said.

--IANS

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An Anti-Terrorism Court here resumed hearing of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case on Wednesday, summoning the last two Pakistani prosecution witnesses and asking the government about the availability of 27 Indian witnesses in the next hearing "so as to conclude the trial expeditiously".

District Police Officer Dera Ghazi Khan Sohail Habib Tajik recorded his statement before Judge Shahrukh Arjumand, the Dawn reported.

The statements of two more Pakistani witnesses, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Additional Director General Wajid Zia and another official, Zahid Akhter, needed to be recorded.

The prosecutors, however, sought adjournment due to engagements at the accountability courts. The court asked Zahid Akhter to appear in the next hearing while Wajid Zia will be summoned for prosecution evidence on May 23.

The prosecution completed the testimonies of 68 Pakistani witnesses last year.

The court "observed with concern that since January 2016 upon the request of the prosecution, government functionaries sitting at the helm of affairs were directed repeatedly for producing 27 Indian nationals so as to give evidence in instant case, but till date no serious and final response has been given by the government".

In January 2016, the government had contacted New Delhi asking it to send the witnesses to Pakistan to testify against the Mumbai attack suspects. A total of 166 Indians and foreigners were killed in the bloodbath.

Lakhvi and the other suspects - Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younus Anjum - are being tried by the ATC since 2009.

Earlier, the Lahore High Court released prime suspect Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi on post-arrest bail in 2015 after he furnished Rs 2 million in surety bonds. Lakhvi's request for exemption from appearing in the court was also accepted on Wednesday.

--IANS

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Industrial conglomerate Murugappa group will invest around Rs 2,000 crore including on a gas-based power plant in Russia, said a top group official on Wednesday.

"We will be investing Rs 2,000 crore spread over this fiscal and the next fiscal," M.M. Murugappan, Executive Chairman of the Rs 32,893 crore turnover group, told reporters.

He said the investment will be in the group's international and domestic operations in expanding capacities.

Elaborating further, Sridharan Rangarajan, President and Group CFO, said the investment will be in the group's international and domestic operations.

Rangarajan said the group was planning to set up a gas-based power plant in silicon carbide manufacturer Volzhsky Abrasive Works (VAW), Russia, and expanding the phosphoric acid production capacity of the fertilizer major Coromandel International Ltd at an outlay of Rs 350 crore.

The Murugappa group will also expand the production capacity of its engineering products - transmission chains and supplies to railways - and debottleneck some of its plants.

According to Rangarajan, the capacity of the gas fired power plant in Russia is yet to be finalised. "The funding of the investment will be from internal accruals."

According to Murugappan, around 10 per cent of the group's turnover is from exports and largely contributed by crop protection chemicals, ceramics, steel tubes and others.

Queried about the US sanctions against Russia and its impact on the group, Murugappan said some of the customers were impacted but VAW was not majorly affected.

He said the group had no plans to rename any of its-listed or unlisted companies with the word Murugappa.

He said each group company had a history behind it and their products have good brand equity.

Last fiscal the Murugappa group companies - listed and unlisted - together posted a turnover of Rs 32,893 crore, logging a growth of 13 per cent over the previous year's turnover.

The group's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITA) was Rs 4,663 crore, higher by 14 per cent over that of the previous fiscal.

--IANS

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North Korea on Wednesday said it may reconsider attending a summit with US President Donald Trump if Washington unilaterally insists upon Pyongyang giving up nuclear weapons, media said.

North Korean news agency KCNA quoted Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan as saying that if the US "corners us and unilaterally demands we give up nuclear weapons we will no longer have an interest in talks and will have to reconsider whether we will accept the upcoming North Korea-US summit".

Earlier in the day, in a sign of growing difficulties, the Kim Jong-un regime pulled out of talks scheduled with Seoul for Wednesday, mentioning the South Korea-US military drills, the BBC said.

The highly anticipated meeting between Trump and Kim is due to take place on June 12.

It came about after North Korea said it was committed to denuclearising the Korean Peninsula.

Delicate preparations were taking place for the Trump-Kim meeting, but this would throw it into doubt, the BBC reported.

Kim said North Korea "had high hopes that the summit would lead to the easing of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and count as a big step to build a great future.

"However, it is very unfortunate that the US is provoking us ahead of the summit by spitting out ludicrous statements."

Korean officials from both sides were due to meet in the demilitarised zone between the two countries on Wednesday to discuss further details of the agreements they had made at the historic summit on April 27.

However, the North withdrew, angered by the start of large South Korea-US military drills.

The drills -- called Max Thunder -- had been due to take place around the time of the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February-March, but were postponed because of an unexpected thaw in the North-South relations.

North Korea had previously said it understood that the drills needed to go ahead.

But KCNA said they were a "provocation" and a rehearsal for an invasion -- a return to the sort of language it has used during far more tense times.

--IANS

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In view of recent "provocative" acts such as the South Korea-US joint military exercises, North Korea has no choice but to suspend high-level talks with Seoul, KCNA news agency said on Wednesday.

It also said the US should think twice about the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit, reports Xinhua.

Shortly after the report, the US State Department said it was continuing to prepare for the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea's top leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

The US has not heard anything directly from Pyongyang or Seoul that would change the arrangements, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert was quoted as saying.

The US side needs to verify the KCNA's report, she said. "We've received no formal or even informal notification of anything."

"We've seen some pretty good indications from them so far," she said, citing the the release of three American detainees. "So they have taken some steps in the right direction ... I think those are all good signs."

The KCNA said that the "2018 Max Thunder" joint air combat exercise involving over 100 warplanes including "B-52" strategic bombers and "F-22 Raptor" stealth fighters is aimed at launching pre-emptive strikes against North Korea as well as taking control of the airspace.

--IANS

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Negotiations to modernise the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are unlikely to reach an accord in principle by May 17, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said on Tuesday.

The three NAFTA partners, Mexico, Canada and the US, continue to disagree on several issues, he said.

"The possibility that by Thursday we will have all of the negotiation (wrapped up) is not likely. We don't think it will happen by Thursday," Xinhua quoted Guajardo as saying .

May 17 loomed as a deadline for a preliminary agreement after Paul Ryan, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, last week said that for Congress to approve a revamped NAFTA, an agreement in principle had to be submitted by then.

Otherwise, Congress would not have enough time to debate and approve a new deal before legislative elections in November.

"The conditions are still not there at this time," affirmed Guajardo, who heads Mexico's negotiating team.

Among the issues the three sides have yet to agree on is a US proposal to include a so-called sunset clause that would allow the deal to automatically expire every five years, pending renewal. Neither Canada nor Mexico wants that.

However, the trio may be closer to agreeing on automotive rules of origin that place caps on the amount of foreign-made parts allowed in vehicles manufactured in North America, said Guajardo.

Washington wants less foreign-made parts and more US-made components, while Canada and Mexico want to preserve the existing limits.

--IANS

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A US government watchdog has said that the Pentagon has provided the wrong number of Afghan government troops earlier this month, exaggerating its decline.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said on Tuesday that the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) had 313,728 military personnel as of January 31, instead of the 296,409 that the Pentagon reported earlier in May, Xinhua news agency reported.

It said the Pentagon failed to include the Afghan Border Force in the tally.

The SIGAR requested "the appropriate congressional committees and the Secretary of Defence to remind all Department Of Defence components of their statutory duty to provide accurate and timely data concerning the ANDSF for quarterly reports".

The new number would put the year-on-year drop of the ANDSF at 17,980, instead of 35,999, a number SIGAR considered not as grave as previously suggested but also indicated a serious trend in the war-torn country that its government was losing control over the country while the Taliban was extending its influence.

--IANS

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The CBI on Wednesday filed a second chargesheet in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case against diamond merchant Mehul Choksi and his Gitanjali Group's companies.

The chargesheet was filed in a special CBI court in Mumbai, an official said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had filed the first chargesheet against some former and current bank officials and others in the over Rs 13,000 crore fraud case on Monday.

The agency registered the first FIR on January 31 against Nirav Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal and uncle Choksi along with others following the January 29 complaint by Deputy General Manager of PNB's Zonal office in Mumbai.

The CBI registered two more FIRs subsequently. Most of the accused are common to these FIRs.

While the chargesheet filed on Monday was based on the first FIR, the second chargesheet is based on the second FIR.

So far, 15 people have been arrested while Modi and Choksi are on the run.

--IANS

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has inaugurated a highly-controversial bridge linking the Russian mainland to Crimea, tightening Russias hold over the contested peninsula which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

The 19-km, $3.7 billion bridge is Moscow's only direct road link to Crimea. Russia expects it will carry millions of cars and rail travellers and millions of tonnes of cargo each year. Previously, all car traffic passed over the Kerch strait by ferry or by passing through Ukraine, the Guardian reported.

On Tuesday, Putin drove an orange Kamaz truck across the bridge as he opened the road to car traffic. "In different historical epochs, even under the tsar priests, people dreamed of building this bridge," Putin told workers at the ceremony.

"Then they returned to this (idea) in the 1930s, the 40s, the 50s. And finally, thanks to your work and your talent, the miracle has happened."

The Russian state media touted the bridge as the "construction of the century". The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany had considered and then scrapped plans to build a bridge over the Kerch strait.

Relations between Russia and Ukraine remain extremely fraught as a simmering conflict continues between Kiev and Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine's southeast.

In 2016, the US imposed sanctions on Russian companies that were helping to build the bridge across the Kerch strait. Ukraine said the construction of the bridge showed "blatant disregard for international law".

The US State Department said that "the bridge impeded ship navigation and goods delivery in the area and therefore it was watching the situation closely".

The Russian embassy, however, said that "the US remarks were predictable and Moscow was not asking anyone's authorization for building infrastructure projects on its territory.

"As one could predict, Washington is not happy with that. But Crimea is Russia," the Russian embassy said in a statement.

"We shall not ask for anybody's permission to build transport infrastructure for the sake of the population of Russian regions."

The bridge's construction was led by Stroygazmontazh, whose owner, Arkady Rotenberg, has close connections to the Kremlin. Rotenberg was Putin's judo sparring partner.

He was hit with sanctions by the US for his proximity to Putin and by the EU for being among those accused of undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity.

The bridge was completed six months ahead of schedule, according to Russian state news agencies. It can reportedly carry up to 40,000 cars per day, its span is greater than that of the Vasco da Gama bridge in Portugal, previously the longest in Europe.

--IANS

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Haryana has made a record wheat procurement of 87.27 lakh tonnes this Rabi season, compared with the previous high of 87.16 lakh tonnes in 2012-13, Minister of State for Food and Supplies Karan Dev Kamboj said here on Wednesday.

Sirsa, Karnal and Jind districts led in wheat procurement, of which nearly 99.9 per cent was done by government agencies.

Punjab and Haryana have so far procured over 213.31 lakh tonnes, with Punjab's share over 126.04 lakh tonnes.

He said that the state government had given farmers the highest Minimum Support Price of Rs 1,735 per quintal for wheat.

Last year, 74.25 lakh metric tonnes of wheat was procured, while only 58.86 lakh metric tonnes was procured in 2013-14.

The Reserve Bank of India had sanctioned Rs 4,900 crore to Haryana for wheat procurement this season.

Punjab has disbursed over Rs 18,592 crore to farmers and commission agents for wheat procurement this season.

Officials in Punjab said that of the wheat procured, over 121.36 lakh tonnes has been lifted from the grain markets for storage.

Procurement of wheat in both states started on April 1.

--IANS

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday criticised Israel's use of "deadly force" against Palestinians during the Gaza rallies in which over 60 people were killed, prompting demonstrations in Tehran.

Rouhani made his remarks during a Cabinet meeting while around 400 people gathered outside the former US embassy in central Tehran to protest Monday's killing of Palestinians and the transfer of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Xinhua news agency reported.

"(Israel) is not a regime that is committed to morality and even international rules and regulations, only understanding the language of force," Rouhani said, adding that Israel's actions would make Palestinians more determined to continue resistance.

"Some Islamic countries have simply turned a blind eye to these incidents. Some others have regarded it as (Israel's) self-defence right, while legitimate self-defence belongs to people who own the land, not to those who have taken lands by usurpation," the President said.

Wednesday's demonstrations in Tehran saw protesters chanting slogans and setting fire to the Israeli and US flags, while others held posters of US President Donald Trump with the slogan "Go to hell".

The majority of the international community has condemned Israel's use of lethal force along the Gaza border in which at least 112 Palestinians have been killed and 12,000 injured since March 30.

However, the US blamed the violence on the Islamist movement Hamas, which governs the Gaza strip.

--IANS

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that warships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles will be permanently on duty in the Mediterranean due to persistent terrorist threats from Syria.

"A total of 102 voyages by surface ships and submarines are scheduled for this year. As the risk of attacks by international terrorists in Syria remains, our ships armed with cruise missiles will be permanently on duty in the Mediterranean," Putin said at a meeting with senior military officials and representatives of the defence industry.

He praised the professionalism and coordination of Russian ships and submarines during military operations in Syria, which, he said, had destroyed important facilities and infrastructure used by terrorists, Xinhua news agency reported.

Russian troops have been participating in the fight against the Islamic State and insurgent groups in Syria since September 2015 at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Putin said the Russian Navy has expanded its presence in the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic and the Asia-Pacific region.

Moscow will strengthen the naval component of its strategic nuclear forces and increase the role of the Navy in ensuring nuclear deterrence, he said, adding that the country will continue to equip the Navy with the latest weapons, means of communications, reconnaissance and target indication systems.

--IANS

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Samsung's latest flagships, Galaxy S9 and S9+ will reportedly now support Google's augmented reality (AR) developer platform, ARCore.

"Google has updated its ARCore support page listing both the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+ with all major variants. This means that users will be able to download the ARCore app from Google Play on these devices," 9to5Google reported on Tuesday.

Google's ARCore makes it easier for developers to use the smartphone's combination of hardware and software to create AR applications. Without ARCore support, AR apps won't run on phones as well as they could with Google's optimization tools.

Once installed, the Galaxy S9 devices will give users access to ARCore applications like Just a Line, IKEA's Place, and in-app features from Amazon or eBay.

Earlier this year, when Samsung launched the S9 family, the company had added that the devices would support Google's AR developer platform but that was not the case during the launch.

--IANS

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There are serious concerns about the collection of biometric data for Aadhaar cards in India and these must be allayed, a former State Department official who is considered an expert on social media and cyber-crime issues has stressed.

"I don't want to meddle in India's But there are concerns (about collection of personal details for Aadhaar card)," Jared Cohen told IANS on the sidelines of the third annual BCTECH Summit here.

Cohen is currently the CEO and Founder of Jigsaw, a Google arm started to tackle threats to online security.

He conceded there are arguments on the merits of the Aadhaar system but there are also concerns that must be addressed.

Cohen did not want to comment on the case before the Supreme Court, whose constitution bench has reserved judgement in the PIL which wants removal of the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar for enjoying benefits of government services and for opening of bank accounts and buying telephone services, among others.

The petitioners have also expressed concerns over the personal details of crores of card holders being accessed by unauthorised parties.

When asked what he expected from the Supreme Court judgement, Cohen repeated: "I don't want to meddle in India's "

Cohen was one of the members of policy planning staff of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He played a role in helping shape counter-radicalisation strategies and advised on US policy towards Iran and the Middle East.

Beginning in April 2009, Cohen aided delegations focused on connecting technology executives with local stakeholders in Iraq, Russia, Mexico, Congo, and Syria. He had also worked with another US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.

In the midst of the June 2009 protests in Iran, Cohen sought to support the opposition in Iran. He contacted Twitter, requesting that the company not perform planned maintenance that would have temporarily shut down service in Iran, because the protestors were using Twitter to maintain contact with the outside world.

According to Ryan Lizza from The New Yorker, "The move violated Obama's rule of non-interference and White House officials were furious." In an interview with Clinton, she "did not betray any disagreement with the President over Iran policy," but "cited Cohen's move with pride."

While serving on the policy planning staff, Cohen became an advisor to Richard Holbrooke, who was the first Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He took several trips with Holbrooke to Afghanistan, where he helped develop some of the early strategic communications strategies.

Cohen, 36, was among the early adopters of social media in the US government. In April 2010, he had the third largest number of Twitter followers in the US government, behind Barack Obama and Senator John McCain.

Earlier, speaking at the plenary session of the summit which began on Tuesday, Cohen said it was difficult to produce technology solution for more than 10 years with any certitude.

But what he observed was that change and innovation happens earlier and faster than expected. "We are constantly surprised at what innovation can do," he told the gathering.

Participating in a session titled "The New Digital Age Transforming Businesses", he said data was the most valuable man-made resources but cyber crimes were growing.

Cohen described fake news as one of the many disinformation campaign to influence people accompanied by cyber-bullying and patriotic trolling with government funding.

There are 194 countries actually attacking each other on a daily basis which includes corporate espionage. "Information security breaches happen in real time before you can realise. This is something states have to recognise and tackle. It is the challenge on the horizon."

Speaking at the opening session, Anthony Salacito, Vice President, Education at Microsoft, said that teachers do not have to rethink about their role because of evolving technology.

"Actually, it is the reverse. It is the recongition that education is the engine of development and learning has changed. The students' generation today is called digital and the workplace has changed," he noted.

Salacito said Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play a role in every field.

"AI begins with data collection, display, prediction of outcomes and then drive outcomes. How AI can drive human ingenuity potential and amplify it is the current trend," he added.

He referred to "Project Sangam" introduced in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala under which, students are initiated into why they learn and what they learn so that it just does not limit to getting them a job but building on skills to higher achievement.

Salacito also talked about how Microsoft has developed learning tools that help dyslexic children read, a big empowerment of them.

BC TECH is an annual event that enables the wide talent in technology companies across the world come together and exchange ideas and enter into mutual tie ups.

Over 270 companies including giants like Microsoft, Google and Amazon representing $200 billion in value are attending the event. British Columbia province in Canada is home to scores of start-ups as well as giants in technology.

The three-day summit has been organised by Government of British Columbia and the BC Innovation Council (BCIC).

(VS Chandrasekar is in Vancouver on an invitation from Government of British Columbia. He can be reached at chandru.v@ians.in)

--IANS

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Sikkim government on Wednesday felicitated veteran journalists CD Rai, Samiran Chhetri Priyadarshi, Santosh Nirash and Amalendu Kundu with "Kashiraj Pradhan Lifetime Journalism Award" here.

Chief Minister Pawan Chamling and Governor Shriniwas Patil handed over the awards during a gala event at Chintan Bhawan.

All the journalists have been working in this profession for over 25 years.

This is the first time that the state has instituted such an award for journalism.

Sikkim observes May 16 as the State Day. In its 43rd year after becoming a part of India in 1975, the day is marked by honouring various people from all walks of life, including farmers, young entrepreneurs, former bureaucrats and educators who played a pivotal role in shaping up the state.

As many as 68 farmers were honoured for taking forward the state's organic-mission.

The state also recognised young entrepreneurs and those who have made it to Civil Services from Sikkim.

Chamling, who now holds the distinction of being the longest serving Chief Minister of the country (24 years), congratulated the winners.

--IANS

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Two alleged terrorists were shot dead in an exchange of fire with an anti-terror squad of Indonesian police on Tuesday in North Sumatra province.

The shootings occurred when the squad attempted to arrest the two persons, who were visiting their fellows in Tengku Mansyur General Hospital in Tanjung Balai town, reports Xinhua.

Seven other alleged terrorists were captured in three separate places, including Tanjung Balai, Tanjung Bali Selatan and Teluk Nibung sub-districts.

The shooting and arrests followed a series of terrorist attacks in Surabaya city, the provincial capital of East Java on Sunday and Monday, that killed 28 people and injured dozens others.

--IANS

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Two Indians nationals have been arrested with half a kg of gold in Nepal.

The men, identified as Jitendra Sainik and Suresh Kumar of Haryana, were held on Tuesday during checking at Gaddachauki in Bhimdatta Municipality-10 of Nepal's Kanchanpur district, custom officials said.

The gold was being smuggled in a jeep with an Indian number plate and the men were intercepted after a tip while they were on their way to India.

The customs officials confiscated half a kg of gold without label kept in a bag seized from the jeep. They said the market price of the seized gold was around Rs 2.5 million.

"We are investigating whether it is the work of an organised smuggling group or some businessmen," said Madan Dahal, chief at the custom office in Gaddachauki.

He added that the gold could have been brought from Kathmandu and legal action would be taken against the accused after further investigation.

--IANS

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A Senate panel on Wednesday released documents about a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump campaign aides and a Russian delegation.

Among the documents released was a transcript of the testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee by the President's son, Donald Trump Jr, who attended the June 9 meeting at Trump Tower in New York, the US media reported.

The Committee, which is conducting one of several investigations into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential election, interviewed Trump Jr and four other people who attended the meeting.

In his testimony, Trump Jr said he couldn't remember whether or not his father was involved in drafting an initial statement in response to the meeting. "I don't know. I never spoke to my father about it," he said.

However, the 2,500 pages of transcripts confirmed that Trump Jr and campaign aides wanted "dirt" on his father's Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, CNN reported.

Rob Goldstone, who arranged the meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin, Georgian-American businessman Ike Kaveladze and a translator testified before the panel.

In the lead-up to the meeting, Goldstone had told Trump Jr that Veselnitskaya would provide dirt on Clinton from Russian sources.

"If it's what you say I love it," Trump Jr responded to Goldstone ahead of the meeting which was also attended by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and then campaign chief Paul Manafort.

But the participants said Veselnitskaya did not in fact provide dirt on Clinton, instead focusing on overturning the US sanctions on Russia under the Magnitsky Act that the US passed to punish Russian human rights abuses.

Asked what Veselnitskaya was talking about regarding the damaging opposition research, Trump Jr said: "It generally started out as people with... perhaps general interest in Russia. I'm not sure if they were US or Russia based, but business people who were supporters of the Democratic National Committee and perhaps Hillary Clinton were in some sort of tax scheme to avoid paying taxes in both the US and Russia."

Trump Jr said he couldn't remember if Veselnitskaya provided any names related to her allegations. "I don't recall, but she may have."

Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who declined to be interviewed by the committee, said in a 11-page statement that he had "hardly any" contacts with Russians during the campaign and that he "did not remember" the Trump Tower meeting.

Following the documents' release, Trump Jr said the transcripts showed he "answered every question asked".

"The public can now see that for over five hours I answered every question asked and was candid and forthright with the Committee."

--IANS

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Even as North Korea keeps the world in suspense over its proposed talks with the US and South Korea, the East Asian nation has given its assurance that it will not allow any action that will create concerns for India's security.

The assurance came during Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh's two-day visit to North Korea that concluded on Wednesday. This was the first ministerial-level visit from India to North Korea in 20 years.

According to a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry, Singh held discussions with Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong Dae, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Minister of Culture Pak Chun Nam and Vice Foreign Minister Choe Hui Chol "on a range of issues covering political, regional, economic, educational and cultural cooperation between the two countries".

The statement said the North Korean side "provided an overview of some of the recent developments in the Korean Peninsula".

Singh reiterated India's support to the joint peace initiative of North and South Korean leadership, encouraging both sides for their efforts towards establishment of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

Singh also highlighted the threat from nuclear proliferation, in particular India's concerns in the context of the proliferation linkages with India's neighbourhood.

"The DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) side emphasised that, as a friendly country, DPRK will never allow any action that would create concerns for India's security," the External Affairs Ministry statement said.

"The two sides decided to explore possibilities of cooperation in areas of mutual interest including vocational education, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, promotion of yoga and traditional medicines," it stated.

"Both sides agreed to strengthen people-to-people contacts through educational and cultural exchange, to mark 45 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries."

After weeks of improving ties on the Korean Peninsula, capped by the dramatic image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shaking hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, things took a sudden step backwards on Wednesday.

In a missive delivered to the South in the early hours during the day, the North said it was suspending high-level talks scheduled for Wednesday in view of "provocative military disturbances with South Korea".

After Kim announced that he will relinquish his nuclear programme and offered to hold talks with US President Donald Trump, scheduled in June, Pyongyang on Wednesday also threatened to abandon the talks if Washington continued to insist on pushing it "into a corner" on nuclear disarmament.

A statement published by the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said Pyongyang would never accept economic assistance from the US in exchange for unilaterally abandoning its nuclear programme.

--IANS

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As Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R. Vala on Wednesday invited BJP legislature party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa to form the new government in the state, the Congress said the Governor denigrated his office by acting as a "BJP stooge".

The Governor has no moral and constitutional right to hold the office even for a day for shaming his office, the party said, adding that an "illegitimate and immoral government" will be taking oath under B.S. Yeddyurappa.

The party said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah have sanctioned "encounter of the Constitution, law and all precedents at the hands of Governor of Karnataka".

"Vajubhai Vala denigrated the Governor's office, trampled upon the Constitution, abused the law and acted as a BJP puppet. He chose to serve his masters in the BJP rather than serve the Constitution," tweeted Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

"The action of Karnataka Governor, who acts as a stooge of BJP taking orders from BJP headquarters, Prime Minister and BJP President rather than the Constitution of India, is immoral, illegal and unconstitutional," said Surjewala.

"The Governor has failed utterly to discharge his duties as the custodian of the Constitution."

The BJP has launched "Operation Lotus" from the Raj Bhavan by thrashing India's Constitution and murdering democracy, he said.

"It is a black letter day for India's constitutional norms and democracy."

He said the letter of the Governor clearly established that even he does not believe that Yeddyurappa and the BJP have majority.

"We want to ask Shah and Modi if the post-poll alliance with majority doesn't have the right to form the government, then why did they form the government in Goa, with less MLAs than the Congress?

"If two parties can't form the government in post-poll alliance, then how did they form a government in Meghalaya and Manipur?" he added.

He said the Governor has no discretion or power but to invite the post-poll coalition with clear majority to form the government, citing Supreme Court judgments in the Rameshwar Prasad case and the Goa case.

But, the lust for power supersedes the Constitution, he said mockingly.

--IANS

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A day after the Karnataka Assembly election results threw up a fractured mandate, Governor Vajubhai Wala remained in the spotlight on Wednesday as both the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress combine staked claim to form the new government.

The day witnessed hectic political developments, allegations and counter-allegations.

The Governor has not yet taken any decision and is expected to take a call soon after consultations with legal experts, Raj Bhavan sources said here.

During the day, the JD-S accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of horse trading by offering Rs 100 crore and Cabinet berths to its MLAs while outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dragged Prime Minister Narendra Modi into the matter, accusing him of "encouraging" horse trading, a charge rejected by the BJP.

The BJP, the single-largest party with 104 seats that fell eight seats short of the magic number, elected former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa as its legislative party leader. Its delegation later met the Governor to stake claim to form the new government.

"We have staked claim to form the government as the single largest party with 104 newly elected legislators," Yeddyurappa told reporters after meeting the Governor.

"I have requested the Governor to allow me to take oath as the Chief Minister at the earliest. The Governor said he would take an appropriate decision soon," he said.

Of the 222 constituencies where polling was held on May 12, the BJP won 104 seats while the Congress won 78 and the JD-S won 38 seats, along with its ally the Bahujan Samaj Party, throwing up a hung Assembly.

The BJP is eight short of the 112-halfway mark needed for a simple majority.

In a separate development, JD-S president Kumaraswamy was elected the leader of the legislature party at a JD-S meeting.

The JD-S along with Congress leaders later met the Governor to press their claim for government formation. The JD-S and the Congress leaders submitted a list of support of 117 MLAs.

State Congress President Parameshwara, after meeting the Governor, told reporters that Vala assured them he would act as per the Constitution, Supreme Court judgments and precedents.

On Tuesday, the Congress extended unconditional support to the JD-S.

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of encouraging horse-trading to lure Congress and JD-S legislators.

"Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah are supporting party leaders to poach legislators of our party and the JD-S, so as to prevent us from forming the new government," Siddaramaiah told the media here.

Asserting that the Congress would not allow the BJP to form a government at any cost, Siddaramaiah said none of the Congress legislators were missing or likely to defect.

Kumaraswamy accused the BJP of offering Rs 100 crore and Cabinet posts to its newly elected legislators as a "desperate" attempt. "Our legislators have been offered Rs 100 crore and Cabinet seats by the BJP in return for support to form the government. Where are the Income Tax officials now?" the former Chief Minister asked at a press conference after the JD-S legislators' meet.

The JD-S leader also named Modi and Shah for the alleged offers made by the BJP.

"This attempt by the BJP to poach our legislators will backfire as there are people who are willing to leave the BJP to support us (JD-S)," he claimed, adding that the JD-S and the Congress together had the required majority to form the government.

The BJP was quick to reject the charges. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said: "Rs 100 crore figure is imaginary... it is what the Congress and Janata Dal-Secular do with. We are going by the rules. We do not indulge in horse trading of any kind."

"We are confident of forming a government. We have met the Governor and submitted our claim. We are very sure that we will form the government and a very stable one," he said.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad hit out at Siddaramaiah for accusing Modi and Shah of encouraging horse trading, adding that government formation in Karnataka is the prerogative of the Governor.

"I will not make any comment on Karnataka government formation process, as it is solely the discretion of the Governor. He should take a call," he told the media.

He said he had read in the media the "utterly irresponsible, misleading and malicious" comments by Siddaramaiah. "I deny all these baseless and unfounded allegations," the Minister said.

--IANS

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Two communities indulged in stone pelting in north Delhi's Sadar Bazar following an argument over playing of music, the police said today.

The incident was reported on the intervening night of May 15 and 16.

During the incident, the man, who was playing DJ, also sustained minor injuries. The police were informed about the incident and controlled the situation. They dispersed the crowd and deployed force in the area.

The injured person was rushed to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital and was discharged after treatment, the police said.

Police have registered a case of rioting against unidentified persons and are investigating the matter.

Police said they got a meeting conducted of the local peace committee and now the markets are open and situation is peaceful. Police are maintaining a vigil in the area.

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Two Indian nationals were arrested today for allegedly smuggling half a kilogram of gold in a jeep in western Nepal, officials said.

Jitendra Sainik and Suresh Kumar, residents of Haryana, were arrested during checking at Gaddachauki in Bhimdatta Municipality-10 of Nepal's Kanchanpur district, custom officials said.

The gold was being smuggled in a jeep with an Indian number plate and the men were intercepted by the officials following a tip-off as they were on their way to India, The Himalayan Times reported.

The market price of the seized gold, kept in a bag without a label, is around Rs 2.5 million, officials said.

Chief at the customs office in Gaddachauki Madan Dahal said it was not clear where the gold came from, but assumed that it could have come from Kathmandu.

"We are investigating whether it is the work of an organised smuggling group or some businessmen," he said, adding that legal action would be taken against the accused after further investigation.

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The Delhi High Court today sought the Enforcement Directorate's response on a plea by two companies, which were acquitted in the money laundering case arising out of the 2G scam, seeking modification of an earlier order for maintaining status quo regarding the release of their attached properties.

The plea came up for hearing before Justice S P Garg who listed it for further hearing on July 27.

The firms Eversmile Construction Company Pvt Ltd and Conwood Construction & Developers Pvt Ltd, represented through senior advocate Dayan Krishnan, sought modification of the March 21 order of the high court and claimed that the ED has attached assets more than what was required.

The high court had on March 21 said that "status quo as obtains today shall be maintained by the parties regarding the release of attached property".

The court's order had come while seeking response of former telecom minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and 17 others on the appeal of ED challenging their acquittal in the money laundering case arising out of the 2G scam case.

Today Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, opposed the plea of the two firms and said the agency will file its response to it.

The high court had earlier allowed the interim plea of the ED for maintaining status quo with regard to the properties worth around Rs 223 crore which the agency had attached in the money laundering case.

The ED did not want the properties to be released from attachment, saying that third party rights might be created in them.

On March 19, the ED had moved the high court challenging the special court's order acquitting all the accused in the money laundering case arising out of the 2G scam. A day later, the CBI too had challenged in the high court the acquittal of the accused in the case.

A special court on December 21 last year had acquitted Raja, Kanimozhi and others in the CBI and ED cases.

The ED, in its charge sheet, had alleged that Rs 200 crore was paid by Swan Telecom (P) Ltd (STPL) promoters to DMK-run Kalaignar TV, while the CBI had alleged there was a loss of Rs 30,984 crore to the exchequer in allocation of licences for the 2G spectrum which were scrapped by the top court on February 2, 2012.

Besides Raja and Kanimozhi, the special court had acquitted 17 others, including DMK supremo M Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal, Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka of STPL, Asif Balwa and Rajiv Aggarwal of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd, film producer Karim Morani, P Amirtham and Sharad Kumar, Director of Kalaignar TV in the ED case.

It had also acquitted those including former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja's erstwhile private secretary R K Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech Ltd MD Sanjay Chandra and three top executives of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RADAG) -- Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair, in the CBI's 2G case.

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A Giridih police team has arrested six suspected Maoists from an upscale hotel near Dhanbad railway station, police said today.

Giridih superintendent of police Surendra Kumar Jha today confirmed the arrest and said it was made in the early hours of May 15.

He said the interrogation of the six suspected Maoists is on and on the basis of the information got from them, search operations have been launched in the dense forests of Giridih, a Maoist hotbed, the SP added.

Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Dhanbad on May 25 to address a public rally and through remote lay the foundation stones of a power plant of the Adani group at Godda, an AIIMS and an international airport at Deoghar and a unit of Hindustan Urvarak Rasayan Limited at Sindri.

Among those arrested from the hotel was Jitan Marandi, who was an accused of the 2011 Chilkari massacre by Maoists in which 19 villagers, including the younger son of former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi were gunned down, the police said.

Jitan Marandi, who hails from Giridih, was sentenced to death by the lower court but was exonerated by the High Court in 2013.

Police said Marandi and three other Maoists, who have been identified by the Giridih police had checked into the hotel around May 14 midnight and furnished their Aadhar cards as proof of identity.

They took two rooms of the hotel and then telephoned two others to meet them at the hotel.

The Giridih police had put Jitan Marandi on surveillance and located him by his mobile tower and arrested all the six after a few hours.

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Around 68 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the repolls held in 572 booths across West Bengal districts today and the polling has been more or less peaceful amidst tight security arrangements, a State Election Commission official said.

The repolls in these booths were held following reports of widespread violence during the panchayat polls on Monday which had claimed at least 12 lives.

"Around 68 per cent polling was recorded. There are people still standing in the queue. The repoll has been more or less peaceful," a senior State Election Commission official said.

"Initially, we had earmarked 568 booths but later on increased it to 572 booths," the official said. The counting of votes will take place tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the body of a booth presiding officer who went missing on the polling day on May 14 has been found beside the railway tracks in North Dinajpur district, police said.

They said the body of Raj Kumar Ray, 33, was found from Sonadangi area near here beside the railway tracks last night. The cause of the death would be known after the postmortem, they added.

The State Election Commission, however, feels the death may not be related to poll violence.

Several polling officials today blocked the Raiganj-Kaliaganj Road for around two-hours demanding a thorough probe into the death.

Reports from Malda district said a voter died at Baishnabnagar area after he fell ill while standing in the queue.

At Bhangar in South 24 Parganas, the police arrested several bike-borne miscreants for allegedly intimidating voters. The area had witnessed the killing of a person and arrest of a TMC leader on the direction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ahead of the poll.

The opposition protested against the selection of booths for the repolling.

"The SEC did not order repoll in those booths where we saw the TMC letting loose a reign of terror. Repolling has been ordered in those booths where TMC candidates might lose the polls," CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said.

The BJP said they had demanded repolling at 2,300 booths across the state.

"In today's repoll too there were incidents of violence and in few places police acted swiftly. We had demanded repolling in 2,300 booths, but the SEC conducted repolling only in 572 booths," state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said.

The TMC leadership expressed satisfaction over "free and fair" polls conducted by the SEC.

"The people have voted freely and fairly. The opposition does not have any base. They just wanted to create trouble to score some political brownie points," TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said.

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Goa minister Vijai Sardesai today said the activists who have made allegations against him in the alleged land conversion scam are aping Arvind Kejriwal.

Like the Delhi chief minister, they are making allegations without giving evidence, and will apologise later, he said.

Hundreds of people held a protest rally here last month demanding scrapping of the Regional Plan 2021 of Goa.

The protesters alleged that several politicians including Sardesai, who is the minister for town planning, benefited from the plan, and illegally converted their 'orchard lands' into 'settlement zones' (where construction is allowed).

"We asked them to come up with the proof of such conversion, but they didn't," Sardesai told reporters after chairing a meeting of the Town and Country Planning Board.

"This is typical Kejriwal style...and then you will give apology. Somebody starts filing defamation cases, then the apology is also automatic," he said, referring to an apology tendered by the Delhi chief minister in a defamation case.

A five-member experts' committee set up to investigate the allegations did not get any evidence from the activists, Sardesai said.

One of the plots of land, which is in his wife's name, was never converted from an orchard to a settlement as alleged, he said.

"I applied for a fresh zoning certificate from the town planning department. It still shows as an orchard (in the certificate)," he said.

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Social Activist Swami Agnivesh today called for making Delhi a model state by strictly implementing a law on minimum wages for labourers in the unorganised sector.

Agnivesh lauded the AAP government for coming out with the law at a meeting held at Bandhua Mukti Morcha's office where the issue of non-payment of minimum wages was discussed.

The Morcha, chaired by Agnivesh, works for the registration of unorganised sector labour in Delhi and ensuring payment of minimum wages to them.

"I thank the AAP government for its law on minimum wages. But, now there is need for strict implementation of it to make Delhi a model state," Agnivesh said.

"A majority of workers are not aware of their right to be paid minimum wages. We will approach stakeholders for a campaign to raise awareness on this," he said.

The Minimum Wages (Delhi) Amendment Act, 2017, passed by the state Assembly was approved by President Ram Nath Kovind last week. It provides for a fine ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 and jail term between one to three years, for non-payment of minimum wages.

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A day after government approved its merger with telecom major Airtel, a section of Telenor India's employees are facing lay-off.

They got mails from Bharti Airtel asking them to attend a meeting with the HR officials to discuss "way ahead and next step", an employee working for the Norwegian telecom company's Indian subsidiary in Andhra Pradesh circle said.

Confirming the move, Airtel said "not all people from Telenor India will find meaningful roles within Airtel".

The Department of Telecom on May 14 approved the merger -- a move that will make the subscriber base of Sunil Mittal-led firm almost twice the size of new entrant Reliance Jio.

Both the companies had entered into an agreement for the deal in February 2017.

A Telenor employee said he attended a meeting with HR officials of Airtel after receipt of a mail yesterday.

"They told me that post merger, they have no place for my position. They offered me five months salary and asked my resignation letter. I have not decided what to do, the employee told PTI on condition of anonymity.

An Airtel source said Telenor India has around 1,400 employees and 700 of them had been absorbed.

Airtel offered "good financial" package besides continuance of medical insurance and free calls to the dropouts, the source said.

A spokesperson of Airtel said the company has already "on-boarded over 700 people from Telenor India and provided them growth opportunities" across its (Airtels) India and international operations.

"Its inevitable that in a post-integration scenario such as this, not all people from Telenor India will find meaningful roles within Airtel.

"We are ensuring that these people get appropriate support such as continued financial and medical allowances along with the assistance of our placement partners, the spokesperson said in an email reply.

The mail received by Telenor employees said "You must be aware that Telenor (India) Communications Private Limited has been integrated with Bharti Airtel Ltd. With regards to this legal merger, we invite you for a personal discussion with the Airtel Team to inform you about way ahead and next steps. Be available for the meeting as per the details below."



Telenor India runs operations in seven circles -- Andhra Pradesh (and Telangana), Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh (East), UP (West) and Assam.

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Vice President Venkaiah Naidu today said that all courses, even medicine and engineering, should be taught in Indian languages.

"As the Vice President of India and being a citizen, I feel that all the courses, medicine, engineering...should be taught in Hindi and all (other) Indian languages in coming days," Naidu said in his convocation speech at the Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication here.

Will and change of mindset were needed to effect this change, he said.

"It is easy to speak out your heart in one's own language. I am not averse to learning English, English should be learnt. But before that, our mother tongue - be it Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi or Marathi, should be learnt," he said.

If mother tongue is eyes, languages are pairs of spectacles. Spectacles are worn over eyes, but in the absence of eyes, there is no sight, Naidu said.

To establish their language here, the Britishers made its study a must for getting jobs, he said.

If teaching and learning in Indian languages is not promoted, future generations won't be able to speak their mother tongues, the vice president said.

Naidu also touched upon disruptions in legislatures.

"The House is for debate and discussion. If it does not run, democracy would weaken....To speak against (government) is the right in democracy, but to stall the House is wrong," he said.

In selecting leaders, four 'C's should be considered -- character, calibre, capacity and conduct, he said.

However, in today's politics, another four 'C's -- caste, community, cash and criminality -- are encouraged, he lamented.

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The Allahabad High Courttoday granted bail to three junior engineers of the Noida authority, who were accused of fraud along with suspended chief engineer Yadav Singh.

The bench comprising Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice DK Singh- l granted bail to the three junior engineers, identified as Rajesh Kumar Sharma, Ram Dutt Sharma and Sushil Kumar Agarwal.

However, the bench rejected the bail application of the managing director of Tripti Construction Private Limited, Vinod Kumar Goyal, one of the accused in the case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had investigated the matter and submitted a charge sheet against these three junior engineers.

Criminal cases were registered against Singh and others on July 30, 2015 under sections 109 read with 120-B IPC (conspiracy) and 13 (2) and 13 (1) (e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 registered with CBI, New Delhi.

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Ahead of the Shahkot by-election, Apna Punjab Party district president today joined the Congress in the presence of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

The chief minister welcomed Jagtar Singh Chandi and his supporters into the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), saying it was a sign of the growing confidence of the people in the Congress government policies and programmes.

In a statement issued here, he said, leaders and workers from various opposition parties were keen to join the secular and democratic Indian National Congress, which had proved its commitment to the welfare of the people of Punjab.

Expressing gratitude towards Amarinder Singh, Chandi said he and his colleagues were feeling let down and suffocated in their party due to its autocratic style of functioning.

The Shahkot bypoll was necessitated following the death of Shriomani Akali Dal MLA Ajit Singh Kohar.

The by-poll would be held on May 28 and results would be declared on May 31.

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The Army was taken into confidence and its concerns were addressed before arriving at a decision that the security forces will not launch any operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan, government sources said.

Sources, however, said that "limited operations" based on specific intelligence will continue.

"Army has been given the right to retaliate to any attack," a source said.

The Home Ministry said the security forces reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

During this period, road opening and sanitisation of routes will continue.

The decision not to launch any operations during Ramzan was taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah welcomed the Centre's decision.

The move of the Centre is similar to the Non Initiation of Combat Operations (NICO) announced by the first NDA government, headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, during Ramzan in 2000.

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The government employees of Assam will support the All Assam Students Union (AASU) in their state-wide protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, with the call 'Job not above Motherland'.

Reminiscent of the anti-foreigners Assam Agitation (1979-1985), Sodou Asom Karmachari Parishad (SAKP), a major association of government employees, will launch a joint movement with AASU to oppose the bill and for an error-free National Register of Citizens that is being updated.

AASU had spearheaded the Assam Agitation from 1979-1985.

In a meeting here yesterday, SAKP president Basab Kalita said the association will join hands with AASU for a state-wide movement to oppose the bill as it "threatens the existence, language, heritage and culture of the indigenous people of Assam".

"SAKP was born out of the Assam Agitation when the employees of the state government showed great courage to voice their views defying odds against illegal migration into Assam. We still have the same spirit," he said.

SAKP has over 3.5 lakh government employees as its members.

"With the slogan 'Job not above motherland' which was chanted during the Assam Agitation, we have once again joined hands with AASU to fight for the cause of the state," he said.

"How can we remain silent when our state is under threat? SAKP had expressed opposition to the bill before the Joint Parliamentary Committee when its members visited Assam (May 7-9)", Kalita said.

The Bill will threaten the existence, language, heritage and culture of the indigenous people of Assam if implemented, he claimed.

AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath and general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi told the meeting that the bill, if passed, will push the Assamese language, culture and indigenous tribes and communities of Assam "to the brink".

AASU and SAKP decided that May 18 would be observed as 'Preronar Din' (Day of Inspiration) to encourage the employees engaged in NRC updation and making lists of genuine Indian citizens.

They would organise a protest in front of the Raj Bhavan here on June 4 opposing the bill, AASU chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya said.

The meeting also agreed to approach the district deputy commissioners for ensuring the safety and security of government employees engaged in the NRC update process.

Bhattacharyya claimed that there were reports of government employees in certain places being pressured to include the names of suspected illegal immigrants and some residents based on verbal information without official legacy data about them being citizens of India.

"This is a clear violation of norm. The employees are feeling the pressure at various levels. We appeal to district administrations to ensure the security of the government employees to help them work without fear", he said.

The NRC legacy document verification has to be completed by May 31 as per the directive of the Supreme Court, he added.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955.

A key amendment in the Bill seeks to grant citizenship to people without valid documents from six minority communities -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of residence in India.

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Around 50 persons, including two



corporators of the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, have been arrested in connection with last week's violence in Aurangabad that claimed two lives and left over 60 people injured, a senior official said today.

The two corporators - Rajendra Janjal of Shiv Sena and Feroz Khan of All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) - were arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Aurangabad police yesterday, the official said.

"So far, police have arrested around 50 persons in connection with the riots," Rahul Shrirame, Deputy Commissioner of Police in Aurangabad, said.

Janjal was arrested from his residence in Shivaji Nagar area on charges of setting vehicles on fire during the violence, he said.

"A video had gone viral on Saturday, which purportedly showed Janjal being part of the mob that was torching vehicles and damaging public property in Raja Bazaar area," the official said.

The Shiv Sena corporator was produced before a local court yesterday, which remanded him in police custody till



May 18.

An offence under sections 143 (member of an unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage) and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc) of IPC has been registered against Janjal at Jinsi police station, another official said.

The Aurangabad DCP said AIMIM corporator Feroz Khan allegedly instigated the mob for violence in which Assistant Commissioner of Police Govardhan Kolelar was injured.

Kolekar was airlifted to Mumbai for treatment, another official said.

An offence under relevant IPC sections was registered against Khan at City Chowk police station, the DCP said.

The AIMIM corporator was produced before a local court, which sent him to three-day police custody.

On May 11, Aurangabad, located about 350 kms from here, witnessed clashes between groups allegedly over illegal water connections.

The violence left a 65-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy dead and around 60 others, including a dozen policemen, injured. Several shops and scores of vehicles were also torched, the police said.

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Speedy resolution of Tata Steel's takeover of Bhushan Steel has positive implications for resolving other stressed assets in the Indian banking system, S&P Global Ratings said today.

More than Rs 1 trillion (USD 15 billion equivalent) of steel assets are up for auction. This is the leading edge of an estimated Rs 9 trillion bad loan burden at Indian banks, it said.

"The speedy resolution of Tata Steel Ltd.'s takeover of Bhushan Steel Ltd. affirms India's fledgling bankruptcy law and has positive implications for resolving other stressed assets in the Indian banking system," S&P said in a statement.

Under the Bankruptcy Law, Indian banks have forced a number of defaulted steel mills to bankruptcy court. The law provides for resolution of bankruptcy cases within 270 days.

Tata Steel will pay upfront Rs 35,200 crore (USD 5.4 billion equivalent) to take over Bhushan, making this the biggest asset sale yet to be processed through India's new bankruptcy courts.

The case was resolved in just 10 months and closed yesterday when a court approved Tata's bid and dismissed claims from other creditors.

S&P Global Ratings said a time-bound resolution is a positive development for India's business environment. The previous open-ended resolution framework allowed vested interests to perpetually delay bankruptcy proceedings, it said.

"In our view, the Indian government and the Reserve Bank of India have enforced the new code by creating new dedicated bankruptcy courts with the power and resources to achieve timely rulings," S&P said.

The RBI's ongoing pressure on banks to recognise and resolve problem assets will lead to enhanced accountability and long-term sustainability of the banking sector, said the US-based rating agency.

For the steel industry, consolidation is a long-term positive. Large metal companies such as Tata Steel, JSW Steel Ltd., Vedanta Resources PLC, and ArcelorMittal have emerged as key bidders for the debt-ridden steel assets in the last few months.

"The planned acquisitions, if successful, would strengthen the market positions of Tata Steel and JSW Steel, whereas Vedanta could end up diversifying its commodities portfolio," S&P said.

Tata Steel has the financial capacity to spend up to Rs 70,000 crore (on an enterprise-value basis, and including Bhushan Steel) on stressed assets without hurting its credit profile, it said.

"However, Essar Steel will be too large to fit Vedanta's limited iron ore capacity and may lead to weakening of financial ratios if the proposed acquisition goes through," S&P said.

With the resolution of Bhushan Steel, the focus will now shift to other pending cases (such as Electrosteel Steels, Essar Steel, Monnet Ispat) where a timely resolution would bolster the credibility of the new legal framework," S&P said.

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A high-ranking official at the Bank of England today apologised for describing the British economy as "menopausal", after online comments accused him of "sexism" and "misogyny".

Ben Broadbent, deputy governor for monetary policy at the central bank, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that the slowing economy is experiencing a productivity slump not seen since Britain's late Victorian age towards the end of the 19th century.

Broadbent said that during the era, there was a "climacteric" effect where "productivity growth suddenly slowed pretty much to a halt".

He noted that the sharp slowdown was similar in its severity to the one witnessed over the last ten years.

Broadbent explained that the term "climacteric", used by economic historians, essentially means "menopausal, but can apply to both genders" and implies "you've passed your productivity peak".

After criticism on social networks, however, he issued a swift apology over the remarks on Wednesday.

"I'm sorry for my poor choice of language in an interview with the Telegraph... and regret the offence caused," Broadbent said in a statement released by the central bank.

"Economic productivity is something which affects every one of us, of all ages and genders," he added.

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Ludhiana based Bonn Group today launched bread and bakery items with no added preservatives and positioned them as healthy products.

Bonn Group has unveiled a new product line 'La Americana Gourmet', comprising range of breads, biscuits and cakes.

"In these products, there are no added preservatives and despite that we are maintaining the same shelf life. We are using natural ingredients in these products. We are taking care of health, taste and wellness," Bonn Group COO Pankaj Aggarwal said.

These products are in premium category, he added.

"This range is a combination of taste and healthy experience. Today's consumer is more exposed to healthy imperatives than their predecessors and, hence, there is greater consciousness for health and wellbeing," said Amrinder Singh, Director, Bonn Group.

The company has also planned to expand its footprint in southern region by setting up a plant there as it seeks to clock turnover of Rs 1,500 crore in next five years.

Last fiscal, the company clocked sales of Rs 600 crore, the COO said.

The company will soon have presence in southern market with a new plant coming up in Mysore, Aggarwal said.

"It will cater to four states-Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana," he added.

Another plant will also come up at Sonipat in Haryana in next two months which will primarily cater to Delhi and adjoining markets, said Amrinder.

Bonn group has installed capacity of 11 lakh loaves per day with 11 units in Punjab and Delhi.

In addition to it, Aggarwal said "We are looking at setting up plant in all metros".

"We are growing between 30 to 40 per cent per annum as against the 10 to 15 per cent industry growth of bread and biscuits," said Aggarwal.

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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved the development of trunk infrastructure components for the integrated multi-modal logistics hub known as 'Freight Village' at Nangal Chaudhary in Haryana under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project, a statement said.

The trunk infrastructure components include roads and services, building complex,



water, sewage and common effluent treatment plant.

The development of the Freight Village in Haryana will be on a 886.78 acres of land plot which will be implemented by the project Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in two phases.

A financial sanction of Rs. 1029.49 crore for development of Phase I and in-principle approval for development of Phase-II of the project has also been given by the CCEA, the statement said.

Expenditure on Phase-I comprises cost of entire land at Rs. 266 crore including cost of the land to be used for development of Phase II, the statement said.

The CCEA has also approved an investment of Rs. 763.49 crore by the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) which includes Rs. 266 crore as equity and Rs. 497.49 crore as debt in the SPV.

The $100-billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, conceived in 2006 by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a global manufacturing and investment destination, by utilising the high capacity 1,483 kilometer long Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), as the backbone, was supposed to be ready by 2017.

As of now, the revised targets are 2020-21 for phase-I of the project and Phase-ll of the project will be reappraised in 2028 or earlier.

The project has enormous economic value which includes creation of employment, reduction in fuel costs, boosts to exports, reduction in vehicle (trucks) operating cost, accident related costs, increase in collection of taxes by the State Government, reduction in pollution.

The Freight Village will be connected through Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) at Dabla, which is at a distance of approximately 10 kms. This logistics hub integrated with the DFC would have high speed connectivity to key ports and industrial Centres, lower cost of supplying goods, real time freight tracking and data analysisl, last mile gateway port connectivity from the hinterland and other advantages.

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The government today gave ex post facto nod to an agreement between India and Morocco to boost cooperation in the field of mining and geology.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on April 11, 2018 in New Delhi between the Moroccan Ministry of Energy, Mines and Sustainable development and the Ministry of Mines, Government of India.

"The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex post facto approval to the signing of MoU between India and Morocco in the field of mining and geology," Ministry of Mines said in a statement.

The MoU will provide an institutional mechanism between India and Morocco for cooperation in the field of geology and mining, the statement said.

This cooperation will be mutually beneficial on economic, social and environmental fields in both countries, it added.

"The MoU aims to strengthen cooperation between India and Morocco in the field of mining and geology. The activities involved in the cooperation viz development of geological infrastructure, promotion of mining and geology, training programs and establishment of geological data bank would serve the objective of innovation," the statement said.

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The Cabinet today approved extension of metro rail network from Noida City Centre to Sector-62, which borders Ghaziabad in UP, with an investment of Rs 1,967 crore, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here.

Briefing reporters on the Union Cabinet decisions, he said the total stretch is 6.675 kms long and will provide transport facilities to a large number of people living in Noida, besides catering to residents of close-by areas of Ghaziabad.

He said Noida is also expanding in terms of commerce and educational facilities.

Under Delhi Metro corridor, metro line will be extended from Noida City Centre to Sector 62, Noida Rs 1,967 crore would be spent on the expansion, he said.

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The Cabinet today approved signing of tax information exchange agreement between India and Brunei.

The agreement enables the competent authorities of India and Brunei to provide assistance through exchange of information, relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic laws of the two countries concerning taxes, an official statement said.

"The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has has approved the signing and ratification of agreement between India and Brunei Darussalam for the Exchange of Information and Assistance in Collection with respect to Taxes," the statement said.

The information received under the agreement will be treated as confidential and may be disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts or administrative bodies) concerned with assessment, collection, enforcement, prosecution or determination of appeals in relation to taxes covered under the agreement.

The statement said information may be disclosed to any other person or entity or authority or jurisdiction with the prior written consent of the information sending country.

"The agreement also provides for automatic exchange of information between India and Brunei with respect to categories of cases," the statement said.

It will also enable assistance in collection of tax revenue claims between both countries and mutual agreement procedure for resolving any difference or for agreeing on procedures under the agreement.

"The agreement will stimulate the flow of exchange of information between India and Brunei for tax purposes which will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance. It will also enable assistance in collection of tax revenue claims between both the countries," the statement added.

The Central government is authorised under section 90 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 to enter into an agreement with a foreign country or specified territory for exchange of information for the prevention of evasion or avoidance of income tax chargeable under the Income Tax Act, 1961.

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Traders' body CAIT today alleged that the USD 16 billion Flipkart-Walmart deal circumvents laws, and said it will seek legal recourse on the matter.

Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), in a statement, urged the government to conduct close scrutiny of the deal that it claimed will have greater ramifications on retail trade and the economy.

US retail giant Walmart Inc has announced acquisition of 77 per cent stake in Flipkart in its biggest takeover till date. The deal values the 11-year old Indian e-commerce firm at USD 20.8 billion.

"CAIT has decided to challenge Walmart Flipkart deal since the deal is circumventing laws and will offend FDI policy once it is implemented and will create an uneven level playing field beside accomplishing hidden agenda of Walmart to reach out to offline trade through e-commerce way," it said.

It added that its team of lawyers is studying the deal and very shortly, CAIT will move to appropriate authorities and seek legal recourse.

When contacted, Flipkart did not respond to emails.

Walmart India Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Rajneesh Kumar said the company has been in India for many years now and has been contributing to the country's economy through local skilled job creation, sourcing from small farmers and SME suppliers.

"We believe that this partnership will be beneficial to all stakeholders and Walmart will continue to be an economic contributor. The partnership (with Flipkart) will create millions of jobs through development of supply chains, direct farm procurement will help in increasing farmers income and take forward government's vision of 'Make in India' initiative and supporting SMEs, among others," he added.

Traders' bodies, including RSS-affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch, have opposed the deal and claimed that this could further hurt sellers' business. E-sellers' representative body, AIOVA has urged the government to set up a regulatory body to monitor various e-commerce marketplaces and their policies towards merchants on these platforms.

CAIT, in its statement today, also demanded that a national policy for e-commerce be framed at the earliest and a regulatory authority be constituted to regulate the online retail business in India.

"...and till such time, the deal should be put in abeyance by the Government and a close scrutiny should be held in the entire deal," it added.

CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said one of the key issues in the matter was that of control of user data.

"...whoever controls the platform, controls data and digital intelligence. Therefore, being the controller of the Company, Walmart may use the data and other information as per its will and wish and the possibility of compromising the data can not be ruled out," alleged Khandelwal.

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A small Nepalese cargo plane today crashed in a mountainous district, killing both the pilots onboard the aircraft mostly used for flying food and other supplies to remote regions.

Pilot Kiran Bhattarai and co-pilot Aditya Nepali were killed when the Makalu Air cargo aircraft crashed at Simikot pass in Bahun Kharka in Humla district, police said.

The single-engine Cessna 208B Grand Caravan with call sign 9N-AJU had taken off from Surkhet to Humla district and was flying at a height of 12,800 feet.

The bodies of the two pilots have been brought to Kathmandu. There were no other passengers in the ill-fated aircraft, police said.

The bodies were brought on board a Simrik Air helicopter at around 1 pm, said Simrik Air staffer Kamal Gautam.

The aircraft took off from Surkhet Airport early today and was scheduled to land at 6:55 am in Simikot.

Makalu Air has three single-engine Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircrafts to its fleet. Based in Nepalgunj, Makalu Air provides chartered passenger and cargo services.

The freight transporter aircraft was discovered wrecked and fragmented into three parts in Ekalbajkharka at around 11:00 am, a Nepalese media report said.

The plane was mostly used for flying food and other supplies in the mountainous region.

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The government today approved a dedicated Rs 5,000 crore fund to bring more land area under micro-irrigation as part of its objective to boost agriculture production and farmers income.

The fund has been set up under NABARD, which will provide this amount to States on concessional rate of interest to promote micro-irrigation, which currently has a coverage of only 10 million hectares as against the potential of 70 million hectares.

"The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved an initial Corpus of Rs 5,000 crore for setting up of a dedicated 'Micro Irrigation Fund' (MIF) with NABARD under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)," an official statement said.

An allocation of Rs 2,000 crore has been made for this fiscal while Rs 3,000 crore has been earmarked for the 2019-20 fiscal.

NABARD will extend the loan to state governments during this period.

"Borrowings from NABARD shall be paid back in seven years including the grace period of two years. The lending rate under MIF has been proposed at 3 per cent lower than the cost of raising the fund by NABARD," the statement said.

This cost would be met from the ongoing scheme of PMKSY-PDMC (per drop more crop component) by amending the existing guidelines.

"The total financial implication on interest subvention comes to about Rs 750 crore," the official statement said.

The dedicated fund would supplement the efforts of PMKSY programme and help bring about 10 lakh hectares under micro-irrigation.

The fund will facilitate States to mobilise resources for their initiatives, including additional (top up subsidy) in implementation of PMKSY-PDMC to achieve the annual target of about 2 million hectares per year during the remaining period of 14thFinance Commission.

The states might access this fund for innovative integrated projects, including projects in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode and also for incentivizing micro irrigation.

Farmers Producers Organization (FPO)/Cooperatives/State Level Agencies can also access the funds with state government guarantee or equivalent collateral. Farmers Co-operatives may access this fund for innovative cluster based community irrigation projects.

The government expects that the States which are lagging behind in adoption of micro irrigation would also be encouraged to take advantage of the fund for incentivizing farmers as being done by the good performing States.

The task force on micro irrigation had estimated a potential of 69.5 million hectare under micro irrigation, whereas the area covered so far is only about 10 million hectare.

Further, the Group of Secretaries, 2017, emphasised on target of 10 million hectare under micro-irrigation over the next 5 years, which would require an additional annual coverage of about 1 million hectare compared to the present pace of implementation.

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The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) today told the Delhi High Court that it has given electronic access to the Delhi Police on data concerning missing children.

A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and I S Mehta listed the matter for May 31 when the Delhi Police would inform it about the progress in the process of tracing missing children through the electronic mode.

During the hearing, central government standing counsel Anil Soni, appearing for MWCD, informed the bench that they have shared the electronic access with the Delhi Police.

The court had on May 9 granted a week's time to the ministry to undertake the entire exercise of transfer of data after the MWCD had sought time "for providing arrangement/design module for enabling Delhi Police ZIPNET application to electronically search 'found children' data on the link from the www.trackthemissingchild.gov.in."



The ministry had sought a month's time to complete the process but the court had granted it only a week.

The government counsel had earlier informed the court that the ministry has shared with the Delhi Police data of 1,323 missing children and 933 found children from April 7 to May 3.

The ministry has made arrangement through National Informatics Centre to share data of children with the Delhi Police through e-mail on daily basis as it was agreed in the May 2 meeting, it had said.

The court had earlier asked the police to run on a trial basis the FRS, developed by a private entity, which could help trace and rescue missing children.

Earlier, NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) had given a proposal to give the software to the Delhi Police free of cost.

Senior counsel H S Phoolka and advocate Prabhsahay Kaur, appearing for the NGO, had submitted in the court that Vision Box, the software developer, has offered the FRS free of cost for one year, provided it was used only for tracing missing children.

The bench was hearing a PIL regarding missing children and was examining ways and means to address the issue of tracing and restoring them to their families.

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The success of Ayushman Bharat scheme depends largely on coordination between the Centre and state governments, UP health minister Sidharth Nath Singh said today.

Noting that the adoption of 'Ayushman Bharat' was a giant step towards the global Universal Health Coverage agenda, Singh described it as "a great milestone in the healthcare history of the country".

The Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission (ABNHPM) is expected to offer a coverage of Rs 5 lakh to 10 crore of India's poorest families.

"..this scheme is a highly aspirational scheme and thus the onus of success depends largely upon Central and state government coordination, commitment of insurance companies and effective, efficient and corruption-free healthcare provision both from public and private sector hospitals," he said.

Singh was speaking at the Ayushman Bharat Healthcare Summit organised by India Virtual Hospital and Business World in the national capital.

"Centre-state coordination is critical given the fact that the states have to bear 40 per cent share of the premium cost and therefore financial commitment as well as timely payment is critical to the success of the scheme," he said.

Singh said in order to ensure the success of the scheme and that health services envisaged in the scheme reached the last beneficiary, the participation and responsiveness of both government and private facilities was critical.

"At each level, good governance must be the driving force to get the desired result," he said.

Sharing his views on the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission, Singh said it met the long felt need of Financial Risk Protection from catastrophic healthcare expenses.

"I am confident that the Ayushman Bharat Scheme will be a game changer for the people of India and will fulfil our dream of ensuring a healthy India," he said.

Referring to challenges faced in the implementation of the scheme, he said it would need a holistic approach and re-engineering for adequate health financing, health workforce, medical products, health information and people-centred, integrated and responsive healthcare system.

"Therefore, in my opinion, state governments should build and strengthen a receptive, responsive and resilient public health system to cater to the huge demands of this scheme," he said.

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China's ruling Communist Party headed by President Xi Jinping has ordered all social organisations in the country to set up the party units in their outfits, implement socialist core values and observe social morality.

China's Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) said it requires social organisations to set up units of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to ensure their correct political direction and strengthen the Party's leadership over social organisations.

Social organisations have to make clear in their charters that they would establish CPC units and organise Party events. They should also implement socialist core values and observe social morality, state-run Global Timed reported, quoting an MCA press release.

Highlighting Party building in social organisations requires them to uphold Party leadership and stress political awareness, the MCA said.

"The notice implements the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which ensures the Party's leadership over all work," Su Wei, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Chongqing, told the paper.

The once-in-a five year Congress was held last year which approved a second tenure for Xi, now regarded as the most powerful leader heading the party, the presidency and the military.

He began his second five-year tenure in March and expected to continue in power for life after the removal of the two- term limit for the President.

Since he took over power in 2013, Xi has been reinforcing Party's control over all limbs of governance including the powerful military.

The report of the 19th National Congress of the CPC stressed the need to strengthen the building of primary-level Party units, and ensure that primary-level Party organisations in enterprises, villages, schools, communities and social organisations play a key role in communicating the Party's propositions and carry out the Party's decisions.

Many social organisations had established Party units before the notice was issued, and Party units serve to help organisations in their operations, such as communicating with governments and supervising their work, Xu Jialiang, a professor at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, told the paper.

"But Party units in these organisations are a political core rather than leadership core, which means the Party does not control these organisations and does not issue orders on operations," Su said.

The notice was issued following the MCA's campaign to combat illegal social organisations from April to December, and the ministry has shut down or dismissed over 300 illegal social organisations in the first quarter of the year.

Fraudulent organisations have damaged the Party's and nation's reputation, and hurt the credibility of social organizations, the ministry said.

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The Trump administration has said that China's strategic intentions and trajectory in the Indo-Pacific are destabilising and counterproductive, reiterating its pledge to maintain the region free and open.

Randall Schriver, Assistant Secretary of Defence, Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, during a Congressional hearing told lawmakers that the US will continue to pursue a



constructive, result-oriented relationship with China, but it will not accept policies or actions that threaten to undermine the international rules-based order.

"Our approach to the region and our strategy to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region accounts for our relationship with China.

"China should and does have a voice in shaping the international system, as do all countries. However, in recent years, we have grown concerned by China's strategic intentions and trajectory, including some activities in the region that we view as destabilising and counterproductive in the South China Sea, for example," he said yesterday.

"We will stand up for and defend that order, and we will encourage others to do the same; and although we are committed to cooperating with China where our interests align, we will compete, vigorously, where our interests diverge," he said.

Schriver said America's vision for the Indo-Pacific region excludes none as it seeks to partner with all nations that respect national sovereignty, fair and reciprocal trade



and the rule of law.

"Although we accept that states will make some decisions that are not in our interests, we recognise that for the Indo-Pacific region to flourish, each nation in the region



must be free to determine its own course within a system of values that ensures opportunity for even the smallest countries to thrive, free from the dictates of the strong," he



said.

"Our aim is for all nations to live in prosperity, security, and liberty, free from coercion and able to choose their own path," the senior Pentagon official said.

Testifying before the same subcommittee, Alex Wong, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said "free" and "open" used to describe the Indio-Pacific region were chosen with care, because they embody the principles the US sought to embed in the region.

The term "free" means first, on the international plane, that we want the nations of the Indo-Pacific to be free from the coercion of outside powers, he said.

Nations should be able to pursue their own paths in a sovereign manner free from the weight of spheres of influence, he added.

"Free means, at the national level, we want the societies of Indo-Pacific nations to become progressively more freefree in terms of good governance, in terms of fundamental freedoms, and in terms of transparency and anti-corruption," Wong said.

"Open" first and foremost, means open sea lines of communication and open airways, the State Department official said.

These open sea lines of communication, particularly those in the South China Sea, are the lifeblood of the region, he noted.

"Secondly, we mean more open connectivity in the form of quality, best-value energy, transport, and digital infrastructure that's driven by private capital investment. Third, we mean more open investment environments and free, fair, and reciprocal trade," Wong said.

"A better investment environment and an equal and open playing field for trade benefit US businesses and workers. But they also benefit indigenous innovators and indigenous entrepreneurs who will be more empowered to drive economic growth in their home countries," he added.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea but Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the waterway.

The US periodically deploys its naval ships and fighter planes to assert freedom of navigation.

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A wealthy Christian businessman from India has gifted a USD 3 lakh mosque to hundreds of Muslim workers ahead of Ramzan in the UAE, a media report said today.

Saji Cheriyan, 49, who hails from Kerala's Kayamkulam, built the mosque for Muslim workers living in a worker accommodation that he rented out to 53 companies in Fujairah, Gulf reported.

He will name the mosque as Mariam, Umm Eisa.

Cheriyan said he decided to build the mosque after he saw workers taking taxis to go to the nearest mosque.

"They have to spend at least 20 dirhams to go to Fujairah city or another industrial area to attend the Juma prayer in a mosque. So, I thought it will make them happy if I build a mosque here next to their accommodation," he said.

The businessman, who had landed in the UAE in 2003 with just a few hundred dirhams, is gifting the 1.3 million dirham mosque to hundreds of workers this Ramzan, the report said.

The mosque in the East Ville Real Estate complex in Al Hayl Industrial Area can accommodate 250 worshippers at a time, it said.

Facilities for another 700 to pray in the interlocked courtyard of the mosque, which will be shaded by the time it opens, have also been arranged, it said.

The construction began over a year ago. Now the mosque is all set to open with the full support of Awqaf in Fujairah.

"The Awqaf officials were surprised and happy when they got to know I am a Christian who wishes to build a mosque. They have offered me all the support and were ready to offer free electricity and water and other facilities," Cheriyan said.

However, all that he has accepted from Awqaf are the carpet and sound system for the mosque.

"When word spread about my mosque, many other people also offered cash donations, construction materials like sand and paint. But I have politely refused all those offers as I would like to pay from my pocket for this mosque," he said.

He said he has opted for the name Mariam, Umm Eisa (Mary, the Mother of Jesus) for the mosque after an Abu Dhabi mosque was renamed so in 2017.

Cheriyan, an Orthodox Christian by birth, had previously built a church for his parish in Dibba and also keeps the doors of a multipurpose hall in the East Ville Complex for various other groups of Christian believers to pray.

"I have grown up seeing communities living together in utmost harmony. We celebrate all religions' festivals and I don't judge or treat people based on religion, caste, colour or nationality. The UAE is another example of communal harmony and tolerance," he added.

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Amidst continuing protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, across Assam, the Dibrugarh University students have 'banned' the entry of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for his alleged silence on it, its students union said today.

The Dibrugarh University is Sonowal's alma mater.

Dibrugarh University Post Graduate Students' Union (DUPGSU) president Uttaran Goswami told reporters that the decision to ban the chief minister was taken by its members and the university's All Assam Students Union unit at a joint meeting yesterday as Sonowal had remained silent on the Bill and was not playing an active role to prevent the bill from being passed by Parliament.

Dibrugarh was once Sonowal's home constituency and he was banned from entering his alma mater, from where he had started his political journey due to his silence on the Bill, he said.

"We are against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, because it is against the people of Assam. We strongly oppose the bill as the BJP-led central government is trying to provide citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis," said DUPGSU general secretary David Hazarika.

3000 students of the university sent a memorandum to Sonowal strongly opposing the Bill and urged him to keep intact the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985.

"The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016, should be repealed or Assam should be excluded from coverage of the Bill", it said.

Assam, the students union said, "Will not tolerate the peril to language, culture, land and indigenous demography that has been posed by the introduction of the Bill."



"You yourself being one from among the students of Assam Movement, who later challenged the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act of 1983, we hope you will not allow the significance of the Assam Accord and the sacrifice of the martyrs (of the Assam Movement) to go in vain", the students said.

The Assam Movement was a six-year agitation since 1979 demanding the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants was launched by the AASU.

The Bill will pose a threat in the job market to the youth of Assam, the memorandum asserted adding that the indigenous population of Assam will come under threats of cultural and language hegemony posed by the large number of immigrants.

The university students and AASU members took out a rally against the bill in Dibrugarh town yesterday and Hazarika along with four other students of the University tonsured their heads as a mark of protest.

Meanwhile, protests by ASSU, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad have been daily taking out torch light rallies across the state since the JPC hearings on the Citizenship Amendnment) Bill in the state between May 7-9, while the opposition Congress organised a massive protest rally in Guwahti today opposing the Bill.

At Jorhat a public rally was organised by the AJYCP, AASU, ruling alliance partner AGP, Asom Sahitya Sabha, Assam Minority Students Association, Nepali Students Union, Nepali Senior Citizens Forum, All Assam Tea Tribe Students Association and lawyers and scribes' bodies.

At Tezpur a 'Gana Satyagraha' was organised against the Bill by several organisations.

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Stepping up pressure, JDS and Congress leaders today met Governor Vajubhai Vala and submitted a list claiming support of 117 MLAs with a plea to consider their claim for government formation.

The delegation led by JDS state unit chief H D Kumaraswamy and KPCC president G Parameshwara met the Governor after both the parties held legislature party meetings earlier in the day.

"In a post alliance of JDS and Congress and our pre-alliance with BSP, we all together have 117 MLAs and the letter of their support has been given to Governor," Kumaraswamy told reporters after the meeting.

He said both parties had also submitted the resolutions about their alliance passed in both their legislature party meetings to the Governor.

Kumaraswamy said the Governor told the delegation that after consulting legal experts on the Supreme Court judgments, he would "come to a decision and inform us about it." Next step has to be decided by the Governor, he added.

"Governor said he will decide about considering our claim in accordance with the Constitution. I hope that he will abide by the Constitution and give his direction," he said.

Kumaraswamy said all the JDS MLAs "are in tact with us."



Parameshwara said a copy of the resolution passed at the Congress Legislature Party was submitted to the Governor.

The Governor said he would act in accordance with the law, based on apex court judgments and as per the constitution while also looking at precedents followed earlier in states like Goa, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur, he said.

Some MLAs from both JDS and Congress were part of the delegation.

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Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal's sister has been elected as a member of the Board of Commissioners of Multnomah County in Oregon, the first South Asian to be elected in the western US State.

Susheela Jayapal, 55, won the District 2 seat on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners with 57 per cent of the vote, the results of which were declared last night.

"My sister", Susheela Jayapal, "just became the first South Asian American elected in Oregon!!! #DiversityMatters," Pramila, who is the first ever Indian American woman elected to the House of Representatives, tweeted soon after the results.

A former corporate lawyer and longtime community volunteer defeated construction contractor Sharon Maxwell and two others to succeed Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith.

Susheela, a political newcomer, will represent North and Northeast Portland commissioner's seat.

Born in India like her sister Pramila, Susheela came to the United States when she was 16, to go to college. In 1983, at the age of 20, Susheela earned her undergraduate degree in economics from Swarthmore College.

After working for two years as a financial analyst at an investment bank, Susheela went to law school, earning her law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.

She was a litigator at law firms in San Francisco and Portland, and then became the General Counsel at adidas America, serving as the member of the senior executive team responsible for the legal affairs of what was then a USD 1 billion company.

As an attorney, Susheela represented the government in taking on corrupt and negligent bank officers during the fiscal crisis of the 1980s; provided free legal services to people seeking political asylum in the US; and worked on improving labour conditions at factories in Southeast Asia, developing and implementing adidas' first set of labour standards.

She is a frequent visitor to India to meet her parents.

In an interview to local Oregon Live, she had said her first priority was housing, homelessness and she wants to create an ombudsman's office.

"What I really see and respond to is the effect on communities that have been fractured by these types of displacement. I think we are all worse off when that happens to one of our communities," Susheela had said.

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Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala should convene the Assembly quickly to settle the issue of majority as any delay would give elbow room for political parties to indulge in horse-trading, retired Supreme Court Judge N Santosh Hegde said today.

"No party has got any majority and the happenings thereafter... I am not very happy because many unconstitutional methods are being tried to cobble up majority," the former Solicitor General of India told PTI.

"So, sooner the Governor calls the House and call upon the people to prove the majority, better it is," the former Karnataka Lokayukta said.

"Calling (B S) Yeddyurappa, you have an example of ... find basis from S R Bommai case where the Supreme Court has held the vote of confidence should be held only on the floor of Legislative Assembly and not outside, and single largest party should be called upon to prove majority," he said.

But there are examples like in Goa and Manipur, where "it's been the other way round" -- the party which was supposed to have majority (not the single largest party) was called upon to prove majority," Hegde added.

"So, the Governor has lot of elbow room to manage it. But the consequences are very very sad that they (political parties) may stoop to any level to cobble up majority. And you (parties) speak about political morality and other things? It's a sad for the State, I can say that much," he said.

"The Governor should not keep this (on the issue of proving who has majority) pending so that there will not be elbow room for parties to (indulge in) horse-trading or call it by another name; it's not proper thing to happen," added Hegde, a former Advocate General of Karnataka.

With the Karnataka assembly polls throwing up a hung verdict, the BJP with 104 seats has fallen short of the half-way mark of 112.

The Congress-JD(S) combine moved quickly even as the counting of votes was underway yesterday and requested the governor to allow formation of a JD(S)-led government. The two parties together have a clear majority in the 224-member Assembly.

Elections were held for 222 seats on May 12 while polling for the remaining two will be held later.

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A Delhi court today rejected a criminal defamation complaint filed by BJP leader Mukul Roy against Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying the statement referred to as defamatory were not made by the respondent.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal dismissed the complaint of Roy, a former Railway Minister, who had alleged that he was defamed by Banerjee, a Trinamool Congress MP, through various means which included a legal notice and a tweet.

Roy was earlier a member of the Trinamool Congress but later joined the BJP, while Banerjee is a Member of Parliament (MP) of the TMC.

"It is clear that the statement referred to by the complainant as defamatory are actually not made by the respondent. Therefore, there is no ground to proceed against the respondent in the present case. Accordingly, the complaint is dismissed," the court said.

The court rejected Roy's contention that the legal notice sent to him by Banerjee was defamatory, noting that it nowhere showed it contained defamatory terms.

"I am unable to understand how serving a legal notice can be said to be defamatory in the absence of any defamatory remarks in that legal notice," the judge said.

The court dismissed Roy's allegations of defamation based on a 'tweet', saying it was not made by Banerjee.

It also rejected Roy's statement that he was allegedly defamed as he was called a 'traitor', saying it was clearly not made by Banerjee.

According to the complaint, the accused had sent a notice to Roy on November 13 last year, using "defamatory statement" in it by putting words in his mouth. The same was circulated to the media the same day which was widely covered.

"The accused intentionally got the aforesaid notice served at the unit office of BJP at Kolkata, so as to tarnish the image of the complainant before his newly joined party, namely BJP, and to lower the morale of his supporters and party workers," Roy's complaint, filed by advocate Savinder Singh, said.

The notice was sent to Roy after he had reportedly made certain public remarks about Biswa Bangla Marketing Corporation and TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee.

The notice sent by Abhishek's advocate claimed that on November 10, Roy in a public rally had made certain defamatory, malicious, and false statements against Banerjee.

"Roy had deliberately levied various baseless allegations which were published, broadcast and circulated by various organisations, the notice had said. Mukul Roy had quit the TMC and joined the BJP on November 3 last year.

The complaint also mentioned a tweet, made by a made by one of the followers of AITMC, which allegedly defamed Roy.

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The Delhi BJP today expressed hope that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would join the police probe into chief secretary Anshu Prakash assault case without "indulging in politics".

The "conspiracy" of assault on Prakash was "hatched" at Kejriwal's residence so it was no surprise that he was to be questioned by the police, alleged Vijender Gupta, BJP legislator and Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly.

The Delhi Police today sent a notice to Kejriwal, asking him to appear before it in connection with the alleged assault on the chief secretary.

"The chief minister should cooperate in investigation instead of indulging in politics over it," Gupta said.

He also criticised the Delhi Police for delaying the questioning of Kejriwal in connection with the case.

"It is a delayed step by the police. I fail to understand why police was hesitant in questioning him," he said.

Last month, Kejriwal's private secretary Bibhav Kumar and party volunteer Vivek Kumar were also questioned in connection with the case.

The police have already questioned 11 AAP MLAs who were present at the chief minister's residence for the meeting on February 19 in which Prakash was allegedly attacked.

Kejriwal, his former advisor V K Jain and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were also present there.

The alleged assault on the chief secretary had triggered a bitter tussle between the Delhi government and its bureaucracy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi Police has sent a notice to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking him to appear before it in connection with the alleged assault on chief secretary Anshu Prakash in February, police said today.

Reacting sharply to the development, Aam Adami Party has alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "misusing" Delhi police to "bother" Kejriwal.

A senior police officer said that the notice was sent to Kejriwal today to join the investigations on May 18 at 11 am.

The notice said, "You (Kejriwal) are required to attend investigation and be available at your residence/office on May 18 at 11 AM. In the event, such timing is not convenient to you due to official exigencies, kindly intimate an alternate time."



However, Kejriwal has not responded to the notice, the official said.

There is also a possibility that the police may also ask Kejriwal's deputy Manish Sisodia to join the investigation after the chief minister.

Reacting sharply to the Delhi police notice, AAP's Delhi unit chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "It is for the first time in India that a chief minister is being examined in a fake case. Modi ji is misusing the police to bother the chief minister but people stand by Kejriwal."



He also alleged that the prime minister is "pressurising" chief secretary Prakash to pursue a false case against the AAP supremo.

Last month, Kejriwal's private secretary Bibhav Kumar and a party volunteer Vivek Kumar were also questioned in connection with the case.

Police have already questioned the 11 AAP MLAs who were present at the chief minister's residence for the meeting on February 19 in which Prakash was allegedly attacked.

Kejriwal, his former advisor VK Jain and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were also present there.

On February 23, a police team had examined the CCTV system installed at the chief minister's residence in the Civil Lines area and seized the hard disk. The forensic report on the hard disk is still awaited.

The alleged assault on the chief secretary had triggered a bitter tussle between the Delhi government and its bureaucracy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tata Steel today said any delay in the acquisition of debt-ridden Bhushan Steel may lead to governance issues since the latter has a running plant.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Tuesday approved Tata Steel's bid for Bhushan Steel.

"In the short term, I think the delay in the process (acquisition) is a concern. We worry about the governance issues since Bhushan Steel is a running plant," Tata Steel executive director and chief financial officer Koushik Chatterjee told reporters here.

The committee of creditor (CoC) had approved Rs 32,500-crore deal along with 12.27 per cent equity in Bhushan Steel offered by Tata Steel.

"We valued the assets on the basis of going concern and on the basis of strategic opportunity it can provide to us," he said.

Chatterjee said that the company want to see that the physical assets of Bhushan Steel are kept properly.

"The depletion in assets in any form will be a concern and we will certainly look into it whenever the process is completed," he said.

The company's chief executive officer and managing director, T V Narendran, said that acquisition of any plant is always an anxiety for the future.

"We think the quickest way to resolve that is to close the transaction fast," he said.

"The Bhushan Steel plant has a five million tonne capacity. We can easily see it going to 4-4.5 million tonne level. Beyond the five million tonne level, there will be a need for more investment," he added.

Narendran said the acquisition of Bhushan steel which has good presence in automotive steel will help the company in the growth of its automotive steel production.

"We also have an opportunity with Bhushan Steel because we are expanding the second phase of our Kalinganagar unit," Narendran said.

Tata Steel has already tied up for financing of Rs 35,000 crore for acquiring Bhushan Steel, of which the equity portion is Rs 18,000 crore, while the debt is Rs 17,000 crore.

"Post acquisition, the delisting of Bhushan Steel is also possible, but it is too early to comment," Koushik said.

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A Delhi government official was arrested today in connection with the alleged assault on Delhi minister Imran Hussain in February, the police said.

The Aam Aadmi Party, however, called the arrest a "mere eyewash" intended at misleading the court.

The arrest comes on a day when the Delhi Police sent a notice to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking him to join the investigation in connection with the assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash on February 19 at his residence.

Hussain had on February 20 lodged a complaint with the police claiming he was assaulted by officials and staff at the Delhi Secretariat, hours after Chief Secretary was allegedly attacked by AAP MLAs at Kejriwal's residence.

The Delhi Government Employees Association had, however, refuted the allegation.

A senior official said Ravinder Parmar, who is in his 50s and is an undersecretary in the Delhi Government's urban development department, was arrested. He was called for questioning a couple of times earlier and he had been named by Hussain in his complaint.

Kumar was identified on the basis of CCTV footage obtained from the Secretariat, the police said.

Kumar had already applied for anticipatory bail and after his plea was accepted he was given bail.

The AAP, in a statement, said that the Delhi Police has done nothing in three months since the "murderous assault" on the minister in "full public view" on February 20.

"The arrest of one accused ahead of the hearing in Tis Hazari court on the application moved by Hussain, is only a ploy to distract the court's attention. The murderous assault on the minister and his staff was pre-planned and the conspiracy was hatched by top bureaucrats who had provoked junior staff to carry out the attack. All these facts will be placed before the court," the party said.

In March, 11 people, including government officials, were questioned in connection with the incident.

The men were identified on the basis of CCTV footage obtained from the Secretariat.

Hussain had lodged a complaint with the police claiming that a day after the alleged assault on the Chief Secretary, he was mobbed by the officials and staff of the Delhi government who raised slogans and prevented him from taking the elevator to his 6th floor office at the Secretariat.

He said he was restrained from going to his office and his mobile phone was snatched during the incident.

The Delhi Government Employees Association had refuted the allegation and claimed that the minister had arrived at the Secretariat on February 20 when sloganeering was going on against the alleged assault on the chief secretary, but nobody manhandled him.

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Delhi is projected to become the most populous city in the world around 2028, according to new United Nations estimates released here today, which said India is expected to add the largest number of urban dwellers by 2050.

The 2018 Revision of World Urbanisation Prospects produced by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and released here today said that 68 per cent of the world population is projected to live in urban areas by 2050.

Currently, 55 per cent of the world's population lives in urban areas.

The report notes that future increases in the size of the world's urban population are expected to be highly concentrated in just a few countries.

Together, India, China and Nigeria will account for 35 per cent of the projected growth of the world's urban population between 2018 and 2050. By 2050, it is projected that India will have added 416 million urban dwellers, China 255 million and Nigeria 189 million.

Tokyo is the world's largest city with an agglomeration of 37 million inhabitants, followed by New Delhi with 29 million, Shanghai with 26 million, and Mexico City and So Paulo, each with around 22 million inhabitants. Cairo, Mumbai, Beijing and Dhaka all have close to 20 million inhabitants.

"By 2020, Tokyo's population is projected to begin to decline, while Delhi is projected to continue growing and to become the most populous city in the world around 2028," the report said.

By 2030, the world is projected to have 43 megacities with more than 10 million inhabitants, most of them in developing regions. However, some of the fastest-growing urban agglomerations are cities with fewer than a million inhabitants, many of them located in Asia and Africa.

Projections show that urbanisation, the gradual shift in residence of the human population from rural to urban areas, combined with the overall growth of the world's population could add another 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050, with close to 90 per cent of this increase taking place in Asia and Africa, according to the new United Nations data set launched today.

The urban population of the world has grown rapidly from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018. Asia, despite its relatively lower level of urbanization, is home to 54 per cent of the world's urban population, followed by Europe and Africa with 13 per cent each.

Today, the most urbanized regions include Northern America (with 82 per cent of its population living in urban areas in 2018), Latin America and the Caribbean (81 per cent), Europe (74 per cent) and Oceania (68 per cent). The level of urbanization in Asia is now approximating 50 per cent. In contrast, Africa remains mostly rural, with 43 per cent of its population living in urban areas.

Some cities have experienced population decline in recent years. Most of these are located in the low-fertility countries of Asia and Europe where overall population sizes are stagnant or declining.

"Economic contraction and natural disasters have also contributed to population losses in some cities," the report said.

Globally, fewer cities are projected to see their populations decline from today until 2030, compared to what has occurred during the last two decades.

The rural population of the world has grown slowly since 1950 and is expected to reach its peak in a few years. The global rural population is now close to 3.4 billion and is expected to rise slightly and then decline to 3.1 billion by 2050. Africa and Asia are home to nearly 90 per cent of the world's rural



population in 2018.

India has the largest rural population (893 million), followed by China (578 million).

The report added that understanding the key trends in urbanization likely to unfold over the coming years is crucial to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including efforts to forge a new framework of urban development.

As the world continues to urbanize, sustainable development depends increasingly on the successful management of urban growth, especially in low-income and lower-middle-income countries where the pace of urbanization is projected to be the fastest.

"Many countries will face challenges in meeting the needs of their growing urban populations, including for housing, transportation, energy systems



and other infrastructure, as well as for employment and basic services such as education and health care. Integrated policies to improve the lives of both urban and rural dwellers are needed, while strengthening the linkages between urban and rural areas, building on their existing economic, social and environmental ties," it said.

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Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi today pardoned more than 330 young people, most of whom had been convicted and jailed for their participation in illegal protests.

Egypt's president has the authority to pardon those who have been convicted and cannot appeal their sentences. Authorities in Muslim countries traditionally release prisoners on the eve of the fasting month of Ramadan as a show of mercy. Ramadan begins on Thursday this year.

In televised remarks, el-Sissi said he ordered that all the procedures be completed so the prisoners can "eat sohour at their homes," referring to the pre-dawn meal before the daily sunup-to-sundown fast.

Officials say a total of 332 prisoners will be released, including pro-democracy activists who were found in violation of a 2013 law that prohibits unauthorized protests.

Secular activists Andrew Nassef of the unofficial leftist Bread and Freedom Party, and Islam Fouad of the opposition Dostour (Constitution) party were among those pardoned, the officials said. Islam Marei, of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, is also on the list, they said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Egypt has waged a massive crackdown on dissent since el-Sissi led the military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013 amid mass protests against his yearlong rule. Thousands of people have been jailed, including several prominent secular activists who defied the protest ban.

Those measures have virtually eliminated street activism in Egypt, where mass protests in 2011 ended President Hosni Mubarak's nearly 30-year rule. The government has also cracked down on online organizing by blocking hundreds of websites, including many run by independent journalists and rights groups.

The government has defended such measures, saying it is trying to restore stability, revive the economy and defeat an Islamic State-led insurgency based in the Sinai Peninsula.

Also on Wednesday, an Egyptian court added the names of 241 suspected Islamic militants to the country's terrorism watch list for five years. The designation bars them from travel and grants authorities the right to freeze their assets.

The Cairo Criminal Court said they are part of a group of 555 terror suspects who face military trial on charges of joining a local affiliate of the Islamic State group. The charges include killing and plotting to kill security personnel, attacking military checkpoints in northern Sinai and sabotaging a gas pipeline between Egypt and Jordan.

Only 216 of the 555 suspects are in custody, according to authorities. An IS affiliate based in northern Sinai has carried out attacks across Egypt in recent years, mainly targeting security forces and the country's Christian minority.

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The Gujarat cabinet today gave its approval to a project, wherein doctors would visit elderly people at their homes to provide health care services to them at an annual fee of Rs 1,000.

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel told this to reporters after the cabinet meeting in Gandhinagar today.

"It has come to our notice that the number of elderly people living alone has increased due to several factors. Therefore, our government has decided to provide treatment to them at their doorstep," he said.

"The scheme will be launched in Gandhinagar on a pilot basis and citizens above 70 years of age can avail this facility by paying an annual token fee of Rs 1,000," he said.

If the pilot project succeeds, it will be replicated in other parts of the state as well, Patel, who also handles the health portfolio, said.

"In order to avail this service, senior citizens need to first register themselves at Gandhinagar civil hospital by paying Rs 1,000," he said.

Under the project, a team comprising a doctor, nurse and a para-medic would visit each elderly citizen, who has registered under the scheme, every 15 days, he said.

"The doctor would provide treatment to them and guide them for any health-related issue. The team will carry some basic medicines and various equipment like an ECG machine, to carry out on-the-spot assessment," Patel said.

In case of an emergency, the team would visit the patients at their home to treat them, for which they will have to pay Rs 200 per visit, Patel said.

In another important decision, the cabinet gave its nod to the proposal to reduce the rate of industrial land sold to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) by the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC).

"To promote the MSME sector, the GIDC will now charge only 50 per cent of the actual price of the industrial plot of under 3,000 square meters," Patel said.

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"Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke hates the phrase "strong women" characters and believes it is "sexist".

The 31-year-old actor, who is attending the Cannes Film Festival, where her new film "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is screening, said the usage of phrase is particularly useless due to a presence of a female lead in a film.

"Take the 'strong' out of it, find another adjective, damn it. I'm just playing women," Clarke said in an interview as part of the Kering Women in Motion talks, reported Variety.

"If it's not strong, what is it? Are you telling me there's another option, that there's a weak option? You think a lead in a movie is going to be a weak woman? It just doesn't even bear having the conversation, so enough already with the strong women, please," Clarke added.

The actor also said there are no strong men characters in films, unless they are physically strong.

Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen in hit HBO series, also revealed that she received equal pay on the show.

"On Game of Thrones, I have always been paid the same amount as my male co-stars. It was my first job and I was not discriminated against because I was a woman, in my paycheck," Clarke said.

The actor said some of instances of women not being paid equally in Hollywood were "actually shocking" for her.

"You start to dig deep and see where it is, rife in the industry. So I think it's mainly in the beginning, just be aware of that and going, 'Can you just check?' You just start to fight harder for that stuff," she added.

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EU chief Donald Tusk hit out at US President Donald Trump today, accusing Washington of "capricious assertiveness" in abandoning the Iran nuclear deal and imposing trade tariffs on Europe.

"Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think with friends like that who needs enemies," Tusk told reporters in the Bulgarian capital Sofia before EU leaders met to discuss a "united front" on Trump.

"But frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful to President Trump, because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realise that if you need a helping hand you will find one at the end of your arm," the European Council president added.

The 28 European Union leaders are meeting for dinner on the eve of a summit to discuss closer ties with the Western Balkans, but tensions with Trump have hijacked the agenda.

European ministers met with a top Iranian official in Brussels on Tuesday in a bid to save the Iranian nuclear accord after Trump decided to pull out. Meanwhile the EU is still trying to win exemptions from tariffs on steel and aluminium exports.

In a scathing attack, former Polish prime minister Tusk compared the Trump administration with Europe's long-time adversaries, Moscow and Beijing.

"Besides the traditional political challenges such as the rise of China or the aggressive stance of Russia, we are witnessing today a new phenomenon: the capricious assertiveness of the American administration," Tusk said.

He called for more unity in the divided EU -- which is set to lose Britain as a member next year -- to face the growing challenges.

"I have no doubt that in the new global game, Europe will either be one of the major players, or a pawn. This is the only real alternative.

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After a row erupted over a question on bad omens in a recruitment examination held by Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) , Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said today the examiner who set the question paper had been debarred from all future assignments.

The HSSC has also withdrawn the question, he said.

Khattar said the question asked in the written examination was not appropriate.

Speaking to reporters, Khattar said he would talk to representatives of the Brahmin community tomorrow on the issue. Members of the Brahmin community have held protests state over the issue.

Khattar said the HSSC chairperson had informed him that the examiner had been debarred by the Commission . Apart from this, the controversial question has also been withdrawn, the chief minister said.

In an examination for aspiring junior engineers held on April 10, one of the questions asked was - which one among the following is not a bad omen in Haryana. The options for the answer were: seeing an empty pot, a casket, a black Brahmin, a Brahmin girl.

Opposition Congress and INLD had slammed the Khattar government over the issue.

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had said, "this is not an ordinary mistake, this is something unpardonable. They have not only insulted the Brahmin community, but they are also promoting superstition."



Meanwhile, when asked about the letter written by him to the Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on the need to stop wasteful flow of Ravi waters to Pakistan, Khattar said the issue was common to both states.

The Central Water Commission has called for evolution of a system for the construction of dams so that the states concerned could utilize the water, he said.

"I have come to know that Capt Amrinder Singh has got a study conducted which found the construction of dams not feasible. In the wake of these circumstances, the Haryana government would now decide its future course of action. Let me make it clear that Haryana has no conflict with Punjab. As the issue is of common interest, Punjab should take lead in this matter," he added.

To a question regarding the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway, the chief minister said the KMP and Kundli- Ghaziabad-Palwal (KGP) Expressways were likely to be completed by June-end.

Asked about the quantum of investment the state is expecting from foreign investors, the chief minister said 21 MoUs had been signed during his visits to the USA, Canada, Japan, China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai, and investment worth Rs 1.26 lakh crore is in the pipeline.

"Projects of 14 companies involving investment of Rs 5,134 crore are in progress. These would provide employment opportunities to about 8,000 people. Apart from this, 350 MoUs were signed during the Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit-2016 held at Gurugram which are at different stages of implementation," he added.

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The first poster of award-winning director Rahat Kazmi's film, based on Urdu short story writer Ismat Chughtai's most celebrated and most controversial work 'Lihaaf', was released at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival.

Titled "Lihaaf" ("The Quilt"), the film stars Tannishtha Chatterjee and Sonal Sehgal in the lead.

Set in Lucknow, the story revolves around lonely Begum Jaan, who turns to her masseuse Rabbo seeking comfort and companionship.

Begum Jaan's young niece is the narrator of the story, who is devastated when she learns about the nature of their relationship.

The poster shows feet of two women - one wearing a pair of heavily-embellished anklets, the other with a thinner set - entangled on a dark red velvet quilt.

Chughtai courted controversy for the story, which touches upon the themes of homosexuality.

The writer and her friend-contemporary Saadat Hasan Manto were accused of obscenity for their stories -- "Lihaaf" and "Boo" respectively.

They went on to defend themselves in the Lahore Court and were absolved of the charges later.

The film has been produced by Kazmi, Tariq Khan, Zeba Sajid, Namita Lal, Umesh Shukla, Utpal Acharya and Ashish Wagh. It is co-produced by Oscar winning producer Marc Baschett.

The announcement comes close on the heels of the premiere of Nandita Das' biopic on Manto at the festival.

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Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar today demanded the resignation of state PWD Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, holding him morally responsible for the flyover collapse here, in which 15 people lost their lives and several were injured.

He also alleged that the state ministers were putting pressure on the district officials and the officials of the UP State Bridge Corporation for completing the construction of the flyover before the 2019 general elections.

Without taking the name of Maurya, who is also the deputy chief minister, Babbar said the minister concerned with the UP Bridge Corporation should resign on moral grounds and added that suspending officials, engineers and staff would not absolve him of his responsibility.

He alleged that three Vinayak temples were being demolished in the city for development works, adding that the flyover collapse was a fallout of the "curse" of the deity.

The actor-turned-politician also alluded to a remark by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when a flyover collapsed in Kolkata two years ago. Modi had then said, "This is not an act of god, this act is of fraud."



Babbar said he would not repeat the prime minister's words and would only say that the Varanasi incident was an act of "negligence", which occurred due to hurrying up the construction under pressure from BJP ministers and senior officials.

The Congress leader also demanded a Rs 50-lakh compensation each for the family of the deceased instead of Rs 5 lakh and a Rs 10-20 lakh compensation for the injured, depending on their injuries, instead of Rs 2 lakh.

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French oil major Total said today it will end work on a major gas field project in Iran unless it is exempt from US sanctions against Tehran that the Trump administration is phasing back in.

Total started the South Pars 11 project in July 2017, two years after Western powers signed a nuclear deal with Tehran prompting the return of many businesses to Iran. But earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced his withdrawal from the deal, and warned companies that they face sanctions if they do business with Iran.

As a consequence, "Total will not be in a position to continue the SP11 project and will have to unwind all related operations before 4 November 2018 unless Total is granted a specific project waiver by the US authorities with the support of the French and European authorities," the French company said in a statement.

The group said it has $10 billion of capital employed in its US assets, and US banks are involved in 90 percent of its financing operations, making Total highly vulnerable if targeted by any US actions.

By contrast, Total said it had spent less than 40 million euros ($47 million) on the Iranian project, which it runs with its partner Petrochina and which is dedicated to the supply of domestic gas inside Iran.

A withdrawal from the Iran project would not affect Total's current overall production targets as the group had since opened up other growth opportunities, it said. For the French company to stay, a project waiver would have to protect the company from "any secondary sanction as per US legislation", it said.

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A paramilitary unit controlled by former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh was accused today by rights groups of being behind the killings of more than 50 West African migrants in 2005.

Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International said they interviewed 30 former Gambian officials, including 11 officers, and a survivor of the round-up as part of a joint investigation.

The migrants -- 44 Ghanaians and several Nigerians, Senegalese, as well as a Togolese -- were arrested on a beach in Gambia while trying to reach Europe, suspected of being mercenaries wanting to overthrow Jammeh.

According to a joint statement by the NGOs, they were detained in the capital Banjul and handed over in groups to the "Junglers", a notorious paramilitary unit, and executed.

"The West African migrants weren't murdered by rogue elements, but by a paramilitary death squad taking orders from President Jammeh," said Reed Brody, a legal advisor at Human Rights Watch.

"Jammeh's subordinates then destroyed key evidence to prevent international investigators from learning the truth."



A joint report by the Economic Community of West African States and the UN, which was not made public, concluded in 2009 that the killings and disappearances were carried out by rogue members within the Gambian security services, with no credible evidence to suggest they were acting on orders from superiors.

"The new evidence makes clear, however, that those responsible for the killings were the Junglers," HRW and TRIAL said in their statement today.

In the statement, Martin Kyere, the only known Ghanaian survivor, told how his group was tied up in the back of a pick-up truck.

"It was then that I thought, 'We're going to die," he said.

But he managed to get free and escape into the forest, and later helped Ghanaian authorities identify many of the victims.

Jammeh, whose 22-year-rule was marked by numerous human rights violations, lost the presidential election in December 2016 to opposition leader Adama Barrow.

He fled the country the following month for Equatorial Guinea, where he finally conceded and handed over power.

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Tamil Nadu government today declared the results for the Class XII exams held in March, with 91 per cent of the students emerging successful.

Girls continued to outshine boys, with 94.1 per cent of them clearing the exams, which was 6.4 per cent more than that of the number of boys, according to statistics released by the state government.

Around 9.07 lakh students had registered for the exams that were held from March 1 to April 6 this year.

Among the districts that fared well, Virudhunagar topped the list, followed by Erode and Tirupur.

Subject-wise, more number of students (96.4 percent) cleared Physics, followed by Chemistry, Biology and Maths.

As many as 2,110 differently-abled students of the 2,602 who appeared for the exams came out in flying colours.

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Godrej Agrovet, part of Godrej group, today said it is keen to acquire Oil Palm business of Ruchi Soya Industries, which is facing insolvency proceedings, and has submitted its bid in this regard.

Balram Singh Yadav, Managing Director, Godrej Agrovet Limited, said the committee of creditors to the bankrupt Ruchi Soya, an Indore-based firm, is expected to meet next week to finalise the bids.

"We are in the race. We have made bid through National Company Law Tribunal. The Committee of Creditors probably in a week's time will open the bids. We are very keen on some part of Ruchi Soya.

We are more keen on their oil palm plantation business. That is very attractive because we also have that business. We know that business very well.That is our primary focus as far as Ruchi Soya is concerned," Yadav told PTI.

In December 2017, Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd, which has debt of Rs 10,000 crore, entered the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process and Shailendra Ajmera was appointed to act as Interim Resolution Professional.

Patanjali Ayurved, a fast moving consumer goods firm, run by yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Adani Wilmar, which sells cooking oil under Fortune brand, are among the other bidders.

Replying to a query, Yadav said they clocked Rs 5,200 crore revenue and expects to record higher growth during the current fiscal.

He said the company's Animal Feed division is expected to yield better results backed by favourable commodity prices.

"My sense is that the growth (Animal Feed division) will be more than double this year as per the trend which I am seeing now," he said.

Creamline Dairy Products Limited (CDPL), subsidiary of Godrej Agrovet Limited, announced the launch of 'Jersey Thickshakes' today.

'Jersey Thickshakes' are manufactured at Creamline Dairy Private Limited's state-of-the-art plant near here.

In December 2015, Godrej Agrovet acquired a majority stake in CDPL.

With a processing capacity of above 12 lakh litres per day and over 100 collection centres, CDPL has a strong distribution network in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra.

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Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal today said that Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala was "constitutionally obliged" to invite the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) post-poll alliance to form the government in the state.

Sibal, also a senior advocate, said that Governor has "no choice" but to invite them to form the government.

"The Governor is constitutionally obliged to invite the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) combine. There is no choice with the Governor, but to invite us to form the government," Sibal told PTI.

Earlier in the day, JD(S) and Congress leaders had met the Governor in Bengaluru and submitted a list claiming support of 117 MLAs with a plea to consider their claim for government formation.

The delegation led by JD(S) state unit chief H D Kumaraswamy and KPCC president G Parameshwara met the Governor after both the parties held their respective legislature party meetings.

In the May 12 polls, BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 members, while Congress secured 78, the JD(S) 37 and others three.

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Governor Vajubhai Vala today invited BJP legislature party leader B S Yeddyurappa to form the government in Karnataka, capping a day of intense jockeying for power and allegations by the Congress of bribery and horse-trading against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I invite you (Yeddyurappa) to form the government and be sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka," a Raj Bhavan communique said.

Vala also asked 75-year-old Yeddyurappa to seek a vote of confidence within 15 days of assuming office as the chief minister.

Briefing reporters, BJP General Secretary Muralidhar Rao said Yeddyurappa will take oath here tomorrow at 9 AM.

Prime Minister Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah are unlikely to attend the swearing in ceremony, party sources said.

Toiling hard to control the levers of power in Karnataka, Yeddyurappa and H D Kumaraswamy, the leader of the newly formed JD(S)-Congress alliance had earlier met Vala and staked claim to form the government.

With 104 MLAs in the 224-member Assembly, the BJP is the single largest party, while the JD(S)-Congress coalition, formed after the election results were declared, has 116 legislators. It has also claimed support of an independent MLA.

With there being precedents of both governors inviting either the leader of the single largest party or that of a post-poll coalition to form the government, Vala, a former RSS-BJP veteran from Gujarat, opted for the former.

Earlier in the day, Kumaraswamy claimed the BJP had offered his MLAs Rs 100 crore and ministerial berths to break ranks and back the saffron party.

The allegations were promptly dismissed by the BJP, with Union minister Prakash Javadekar dubbing them as "imaginary".

Outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah also alleged the prime minister was encouraging "horse-trading" to ensure the BJP returns to power in the state despite falling short of a majority.

"Our MLAs were offered Rs 100 crore by the BJP to break away. I want to know whether this is black or white money," Kumaraswamy told a press conference.

"The JD(S)-Congress combine has 116 MLAs (including JD(S) pre-poll ally the BSP)...the BJP is trying to misuse its power being at the Centre and form its government through horse-trading," he said.

Javadekar strongly rebutted the allegations, saying, "This (talk of) Rs 100 crore, Rs 200 crore is imaginary. The BJP is not doing this. We are not in the habit of practising horse-trading. This is the kind of JD(S) and Congress do. We are going by the rule book and we will form the government."



Kumaraswamy also alleged the BJP was trying to repeat "Operation Kamala" to come to power.

"Operation Kamala" was a term used in 2008 when the BJP did not have a majority of its own in the Assembly and its leaders managed to persuade three Congress and four JD(S) MLAs to resign, allegedly by offering them money and office.

There were reports that MLAs of the JD(S) and Congress would be lodged in tourist resorts to ward off threats of "poaching" by the BJP.

The Congress had earlier indicated that it could move court if the governor does not invite the JD(S)-Congress combine to form the government in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Security forces will not launch any operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan, a move seen as a bid to bring peace and provide a conducive atmosphere in the restive valley.

The announcement by the Home Ministry comes two days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.

Today's decision has been taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.

The Ministry said the security forces, however, reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah welcomed the Centre's decision.

The move of the Centre is similar to the Non Initiation of Combat Operations (NICO) announced by the first NDA government, headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, during Ramzan in 2000.

Today's announcement comes a week after Mufti had said that the central government should consider a unilateral ceasefire in the state starting from Ramzan till the completion of the Amarnath yatra in August.

The fasting month of Ramzan is likely to start tomorrow or Friday depending on sighting of the moon and ends on Eid.

However, the ministry did not mention whether the suspension of operations against the militants will continue during the Amarnath yatra which will start on June 28 and conclude on August 26.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has informed Mufti of the central government's decision.

"It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror," the spokesperson said.

The government expects everyone to cooperate in this initiative and help the Muslim brothers and sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties, the spokesperson said.

During his Independence Day address last year, Modi had said bullets or abuses will not resolve the Kashmir issue and that it can be addressed by embracing every Kashmiri.

Modi had said his government is committed to restoring the lost glory of Kashmir and its status as 'heaven on earth'.

The prime minister had said only a "handful of separatists" were resorting to different tactics to create problems in the state and asserted that there will be no soft approach towards terrorism.

The first NDA government, headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had taken a similar initiative in 2000 by announcing a unilateral suspension of operations for Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan that year which continued for five months.

Almost all terrorists groups operating in the valley in 2000 had rejected the government offer.

However, the NICO was discontinued after five months after increased violence, including an attack at the Srinagar airport in which six militants belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba stormed it killing two security personnel and two civilians. All six militants were also killed in the retaliatory firing.

The valley has witnessed the killing of over 55 militants including at least 27 locals this year.

The situation in Kashmir valley is considered to be turbulent where nearly 80 incidents of violence occurred in last four months and civilians were often seen coming out to encounter sites to stage protests with the intention of giving the militants an opportunity to escape.

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The state government will spend Rs 110 crore on different schemes of the Public Works Department (PWD) in Jaswan-Pragpur assembly constituency of Kangra district in the current fiscal, Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur said today.

A new industrial area will also be developed at Channaur, he added.

The chief minister was addressing a public meeting at Pragpur in Kangra district.

"The State government would spend Rs 110 crore on different schemes of the Public Works Department in Jaswan-Pragpur assembly constituency of Kangra district during current financial year and a new industrial area would be developed at Channaur," Thakur said.

He also said that due to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country was forging ahead on path of progress and prosperity and added that today 21 states of the country has BJP led governments which speaks of the people's support to the party.

"In its first decision government has reduced age for availing social security pension for the senior citizens without income limit from 80 years to 70 years, benefitting 1.30 lakh old people and has resulted into financial burden of Rs 200 crore on the state exchequer. Our initiatives of the state government were even appreciated by the Prime Minister of India," said Thakur.

The state government has also decided to use 15 per cent of the total offering of the temple for construction and maintenance of Gau Sadans (cow shelters).

The state, currently, has six medical colleges and now the government has decided to open a medical university to manage these medical colleges.

The chief minister said that another medical college will also be opened at Hamirpur district soon.

"Jaswan-Pragpur Assembly constituency was poised to become ideal assembly constituency of the state. Previous government politicised the issue of Central University and tossed the issue between Dehra and Dharamshala. The present state government soon after holding the reins of the state has ensured that the Central University would soon become functional in a big way. said Lok Sabha MP Anurag Thakur.

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Pharma firm Granules India today said the US health regulator has issued Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) after audit of its Telangana facility.

"The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has issued Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) for the company's Jeedimetla facility located at Hyderabad, Telangana, India," Granules said in a BSE filing.

The company said this facility was inspected by the USFDA in March 2018 and there was one observation during the inspection. Granules said it has responded to the observation within the stipulated time frame.

Jeedimetla facility manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and pharmaceutical formulation intermediates (PFIs), the company added.

The USFDA issues an EIR to the establishment that is the subject of an FDA or FDA-contracted inspection when the agency decides to close the inspection.

The company's shares were trading 0.16 per cent higher at Rs 94.80 on BSE.

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Gujarat Governor OP Kohli today took the additional charge of Madhya Pradesh in absence of incumbent state governor Anandiben Patel who has gone abroad on leave for more than ten days.

As per convention, when governor of any state goes out of the country on leave exceeding ten days, another governor has to take the charge temporarily, according to Raj Bhavan sources.

Madhya Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Hemant Gupta administered the oath of office to Kohli in a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan.

Kohli had served as the governor of Madhya Pradesh from September 8, 2016 to January 22, 2018.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state Assembly Speaker Sitasaran Sharma and cabinet ministers.

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A senior member of Gaza's rulers Hamas said today that most of the 62 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire during border protests and clashes this week were members of the Islamist group.

Salah Bardawil did not give further details about whether they were members of the group's armed or political wing, or what they were doing at the time they were killed.

"Fifty of the martyrs were Hamas and 12 from the people," he told a Palestinian television show.

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The Delhi High Court today asked the Delhi government to make attempts to re-activate its defunct website which shows information on availability of EWS category beds in private hospitals.

The court also asked the government hospitals run by the state and the Centre here to make attempts to make their websites, if any, functional, giving details on availability of beds under the economically weaker section (ED) category.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher said the government hospitals could take necessary assistance of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for the purpose.

The court was hearing a plea seeking direction to the Delhi government to take immediate steps to restore the functioning of its official website relating to real- time availability of free beds in identified private hospitals of Delhi for making updated information available to people at large and EWS patients.

Advocate Ashok Agarwal, appearing for a woman on whose behalf the application was filed in a pending petition, said five years ago the Delhi government's Department of Health and Family Welfare used to update real-time status of availability of EWD beds, including critical/ICU beds, in identified private hospitals.

However, for the last two years, the official website of the department had stopped functioning and no steps were taken by the Delhi government to restore it, he said.

He added that the EWS patients who were in need of bed in the identified private hospitals were unable to know the status of the availability of beds.

Delhi government advocate Gautam Narayan said he would take instructions as to why the website was not able to show availability of beds in hospitals in the EWS category.

The court sought response of the Delhi government and central government, represented by advocate Meera Bhatia, on the plea and listed the matter for August 29.

The application was filed in a pending petition by Meera Devi (47) who was detected with a tumour in her brain in July 2016 and was allotted a date in August 2018 for surgery by AIIMS.

When her condition worsened, she moved the high court against AIIMS and was later operated upon by another government hospital.

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The Madras High Court today



dismissed a PIL seeking CBI probe into the alleged sex scandal involving a woman college teacher.

The vacation bench comprising Justice R Subramanian and Justice M Dhandapani dismissed the PIL filed by G S Mani, an advocate practising in the Supreme Court.

Citing the ongoing state CB-CID probe and pendency of a petition seeking setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) to deal with the matter, the bench said hence, the PIL could not be entertained.

The matter relates to alleged attempt by Nirmala Devi, an assistant professor of an arts college in Aruppukottai in Virudhunagar district, to lure girl students to extend sexual favours to higher education officials in return for marks and money.

The college is affiliated to the Madurai Kamaraj University.

Devi has been arrested while Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, in his capacity as the chancellor of the university, had set up a one-man inquiry committee to look into the allegations.

The petitioner had expressed doubts over the investigation by the state police and the inquiry ordered by the governor.

The state police investigation and the judicial inquiry ordered by the governor would destroy the entire investigation and evidences, he alleged.

"There is a bright chance of tampering evidences. Hence the court monitoring CBI probe is just and necessary," Mani said.

Devi was arrested after an audio clip of her purported conversation with students went viral on social media.

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A Delhi High Court judge today recused himself from hearing a plea challenging a DGCA decision which mandated that senior pilots have to serve a 12-month notice period before quitting an airline and shifting to another.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher said he cannot hear the matter and directed it be listed before another bench on May 23 subject to orders of the Acting Chief Justice of the high court.

He did not give any reason as to why he was recusing himself from the case.

The court was hearing a petition by the Indian Pilots Guild, representing senior Air India pilots who operate widebody aircraft.

An association of several private airlines, including the Spicejet and Indigo, have moved an application seeking to be impleaded as a party in the matter as they are also affected by the DGCA's decision.

The Jet Airways, represented through advocate Ramesh Singh, has also challenged the DGCA's rules on the issue.

The petition by the Indian Pilots Guild has challenged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) rules announced on August 16 last year according to which pilots are now required to serve a notice period of at least one year in respect of commanders and six months in respect of co-pilots, to their employers.

The notice period, however, may be reduced if the air transport undertaking provides a no-objection certificate to a pilot and accepts his/her resignation earlier than the period stipulated in the amended rules, as per the amended Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR).

"During the notice period, neither the pilot shall refuse to undertake the flight duties assigned to him, nor shall the employer deprive the pilot of his legitimate rights and privileges with respect to the assignment of his duties," the DGCA had said on August 16, 2017.

The DGCA had mooted the proposal of one-year notice period in May last year after various domestic airlines, under the banner of Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), had urged it to increase the notice period to one year arguing that they put in a lot of time and effort on training them.

Various domestic pilots' bodies had, however, opposed the proposal on the ground that it was "exploitative" as longer notice period would mean airlines can be "vindictive" to those quitting.

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The Delhi High Court today rapped the police for its practice of waiting 72 hours, as per a standing order of the Delhi Police Commissioner, to carry out post-mortem of unidentified bodies.

The practice came to light after a report said police was yet to carry out a post-mortem of an unidentified woman found dead near Shanti Van area here two days back.

Pulling up the police for the delay, the high court said the agency's decision to wait for 72 hours would have led to loss of valuable medical and forensic evidence.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the report which said that according to norms if the body was not identified after 73 hours it would be cremated without an autopsy, a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar asked the Delhi Police which law permits it to wait for so long without carrying out a post-mortem.

Senior police officers, including an Additional DCP, who were present in court said there was a September 2010 standing order of the Commissioner of Police which said that post-mortem of unidentified bodies can be conducted only after 72 hours.

Disapproving the practice and calling it unfortunate, the bench said it "fails to see how non-identification of a body can interdict investigation, especially in cases of murder or where sexual assault is suspected", as in the instant case.

It also said,"How can you rely on a standing order which is contrary to the criminal procedure code?"



The bench also directed the police to forthwith carry out the autopsy and forensic examination of the body and a status report be filed before the next date of hearing on May 31.

The court also ordered that the body will not be cremated without carrying out of the autopsy and collection of all necessary evidence.

The bench asked the police to indicate in its report whether it was possible to identify a person later by using her or his DNA imprint or would a DNA sample be required.

It directed the agency to also preserve DNA samples for identifying the woman, who was in her 20s, at a later date.

The police, meanwhile, said that an FIR for the offence of murder was registered at Daryaganj Police Station on the same day the body was discovered.

It also assured the bench that the post-mortem would be conducted today.

The agency also told the court that the victim appeared to be homeless person and it was questioning vagabonds in the area to ascertain her identity.

On May 14, the police were informed that a woman, with head injuries, was lying unconscious in the Shanti Van area. She was rushed to a hospital where she was declared brought dead.

The woman is yet to be identified. It is suspected that she was hit with a stone on her head and effort was also made to distort her face, the police had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court today sought response of a private school and the state government on a plea of a student seeking continuation of her studies in that school under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category.

Justice Rekha Palli sought reply of the school in Rohini and the Delhi government after the VIII standard student alleged that she was not allowed to continue studies under EWS category despite providing necessary documents.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on July 13.

The student alleged that the school's action was violative of her fundamental right to

Advocate Ashok Agarwal, appearing for the girl child, sought direction to the school to allow her to continue her studies in one its branches in Rohini in class IX under EWS category.

The plea also sought direction to Delhi government to take action against the school for not allowing the girl to continue her studies there.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Highlights from the Southern



region at 1700 hrs.

MDS12 KA-POL-2NDLD KARNATAKA



Bengaluru: Amid intense jockeying for power in Karnataka, the JD(S)-Congress combine's chief ministerial candidate H D Kumaraswamy claims the BJP offered his MLAs Rs 100 crore in bribes to break ranks and back the BJP in government formation, a charge rejected by the saffron party.

MDS10 KA-HEGDE



Hyderabad: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala should convene the Assembly quickly to settle the issue of majority as any delay would give elbow room for political parties to indulge in horse-trading, says retired Supreme Court Judge N Santosh Hegde.

MDS14 KA-CPI



Hyderabad: Describing the Raj Bhavan as "the centre of conspiracies by the BJP," CPI general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy expresses doubts as to whether the JD(S) would be allowed to form the government with the Congress's support in Karnataka.

MDS16 KA-JAVADEKAR



Bengaluru: Union minister Prakash Javadekar rubbishes JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy's charge that the BJP was offering Rs 100 crore to wean away his party MLAs in its bid to form a government in Karnataka, saying it is "imaginary".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
iStock/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) -- At least one person is dead and three more were injured after a mysterious explosion rocked a Southern California building Tuesday.



Officials are unclear what led to the explosion, but are not ruling anything out. Bomb technicians are inside the medical building in Aliso Viejo, which was undergoing a renovation, to determine the cause, officials said.



There's no "initial indication" of terrorism right now, Mike Gifford, spokesperson for FBI in Los Angeles, said. However, authorities will continue to investigate possible terrorism out of caution.



The powerful blast blew out nearly the entire bottom floor, officials said. There were early reports that a car had crashed into the building, but that turned out not to be the case.



Children at a day care across the street from the building were evacuated. No children were hurt, officials said.



Authorities said they are not actively seeking a suspect.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Eight Hindus from Pakistan and Bangladesh, currently residing in Maharashtra, were today granted Indian citizenship certificates by MoS, Home (Urban) Ranjeet Patil.

The union government had earlier decided to grant Indian citizenship to Hindu minorities who had earlier resided in Pakistan or Bangladesh and are currently residing in India, a release issued by the state government said.

In accordance with the decision taken in 2016, states are empowered to award citizenship certificates to such people, it said.

"According to this decision, eight residents from Jalgaon, Kolhapur, and Aurangabad districts were allotted citizenship certificates in a programme held at the state secretariat," the release stated.

"From the last several years, there were demands to grant Indian citizenship for Hindu minorities hailing from Pakistan and Bangladesh who are now living in India. We are happy that this demand is fulfilled," Patil said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's energy mix will be substantially complemented by renewable energy and the country is going to generate around 175 Gigawatt of energy from such sources, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has said.

He said India was a leading player in the renewable energy movement and has positioned itself in this arena in a short span of time.

"We are going to generate around 175 Gigawatt of renewable energy on solar, wind, bio-CNG, bio-fuel to small hydro projects ie all the verticals and in the near future, India's energy mix will be substantially complemented by renewable energy," he told PTI.

Concluding his three-day visit to the UAE, Pradhan who is also the minister for skill development and entrepreneurship said that India-UAE relationship is at its peak.

"Our strategic relationship has developed due to the efforts of two visionary leaders, Prime Minister Modi and the Crown Prince of the UAE. We are moving towards a special strategic to a comprehensive strategic relationship," he said.

Later, speaking at a press conference, Pradhan said that India is prepared to enhance the skills of manpower being supplied to the UAE.

He said that in a crisis-like situation, India should have oil storage facility, which makes it a win-win situation for both India and the UAE.

"The UAE gets an assured market and we get a regular supply chain. This is a special arrangement with the UAE," he said.

Asked about the recent hike in oil price, he said that today, the oil price is pinching Indian consumer because India is a very price sensitive country.

"We are a big consuming country so there must be a sense of responsibility and reasoning in the pricing," he said.

"Last month, addressing the stakeholders of energy business at the International Energy Forum (IEF), Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed that we don't expect a low oil price of say USD 25-30 but we must expect a reasonable and responsible price," said the minister.

Imports during April 2018 were valued at USD 39.63 billion which was 4.6 per cent higher in dollar terms and 6.43 per cent higher in rupee terms over the level of imports valued at USD 37.88 billion in April 2017, according to a statement by the Commerce Ministry.

On US President Donald Trump's decision to snap nuclear deal with Iran, he said it is too early to come to a conclusion and that he doesn't see any disruption in fuel supplies to India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aftab Karma Singh Pureval, an American of Indian-Tibetan descent, has won the Democratic primary for the first congressional district of Ohio, but faces a Himalayan task of defeating a 11-time Republican Congressman.

But for the 35-year-old, who was the first Democrat to get elected as the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts in more than 100 years, says climbing the Himalayas is in his DNA.

Congressman Steve Chabot has represented the seat since 1995 from the Republican bastion.

"I am the first Tibetan-American to run for the Congress, Pureval told PTI in an interview.

"My story is improbably American. I am the son of a refugee. My mother was born in Tibet and she was forced to flee her home country along with my grandparents, he said.

He said, his grandparents and his mother made their way through the Himalayas to Nepal and entered India where she grew up as a refugee.

His mother studied in a school in Mysore and later went to Delhi for college education, where she met his Punjabi father. "My (paternal) grandfather was in the Indian Army (Brig. Ajit Singh)," he said, adding that after marriage, his parents moved to the US and settled in Ohio, where he was born in 1982.

Pureval said it came as a surprise to him after he won unopposed the primary last week, when he was told that he is the first Tibetan American to run for the Congress.

Because of his parental heritage, he says he is a proud Tibetan-American and Indian-American.

"They (Tibetan community) are very excited. I am connected with a lot of the community in all parts of the country through social media. They are thrilled to see me run, a Tibetan-American run for the US Congress. It is driving a lot of energy and they have been incredibly supporting of my efforts," Pureval said.

Responding to a question about his priorities, Pureval, a lawyer by profession, said "first and foremost" is to advance the cause of the people of Ohio's First Congressional District, focusing on healthcare, taxes, creating jobs, making college more affordable. "I will absolutely play a role in being the first Tibetan-American to try and be an advocate for the cause," he said.

"I am incredibly proud of my background, my culture and my ethnicity. I am incredibly proud that India is the biggest democracy in the world. Pride is the word that I would use (for India), he said.

Recollecting his visit to Tibet's capital Lhasa in 1994 as a 13-year-old, Pureval said Tibet obviously is a sad story. "For Tibetan people, it is hard to maintain their culture. I hope that this (him running for Congress) gives the Tibetan community the hope that the future is bright."



Considered to be a rising star in the Democratic Party, Pureval said he wants to inspire the next generation to believe in public service.

He said that one generation, my parents and my family, went from being refugees to now running for the US Congress. "That dream is at stake in this election," Pureval said.

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Indian engineers, IT professionals, doctors and teachers are among 6,080 skilled workers holding a UK job offer who were denied visas to the UK since December 2017, according to a data released today, indicating that Indians are likely to be the hardest hit by the country's annual visa cap.

The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) acquired the figures via a Freedom of Information (FOI) to the UK Home Office to highlight the "scale of the problem" being created due to the British government's annual immigration cap for skilled professionals hired by UK-based companies from outside the European Union (EU).

Latest UK Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures record Indians as the largest chunk of skilled work visas granted (57 per cent) to nationals from outside the EU, indicating that Indians are likely to be the hardest hit by the visa cap.

"Science, engineering and technology has long benefited from mobility of talent and collaboration across borders including between India and the UK. The figures we've obtained from the Home Office show that currently our immigration system is hampering this ambition, said CaSE Deputy Director Naomi Weir.

"We're calling on government to make immediate changes so that employers can access the talent they need, and in the long term to ensure that the UK immigration system is aligned with the ambition to be open and welcoming to science, engineering and tech talent, she said.

While there is no nationality-wise breakdown of the 6,080 visa refusals under the Tier 2 category between December 2017 and March 2018, it has emerged that more than half (3,500) were for engineering, IT, technology, teaching and medical roles.

The cap under the Tier 2 visa category to allow companies to bring in professionals from outside the EU is set at 20,700 per year, with a monthly limit of around 1,600. Until December 2017, that limit had been exceeded only once in almost six years but since then that limit has been breached nearly every month.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the British Medical Association Council (BMA), called for a more flexible immigration system which does not end up turning away doctors desperately needed to fill staff shortages in the state-funded National Health Service (NHS).

"The Tier 2 visa quota has been reached for the fifth month in a row, yet there are still more than 100,000 NHS posts unfilled, with vacancy rates rising. At a time when the NHS is under enormous strain and struggling to fill positions, the current visa restrictions and arbitrary caps for non-EU workers entering the UK are inexplicable and threatening patient care and safety," he said.

Last month, it had emerged that at least 100 Indian doctors were denied visas after being recruited by the NHS due to the Tier 2 monthly quota being over-subscribed.

In other fields as well, experts warn that access to overseas professionals remains crucial for the growth and development of the UK economy.

"Employers know and accept that there is a need for highly skilled immigrants as do the majority of the general public. The people standing in the way are those who set random immigration limits that seem to be plucked out of the air for political purposes," said Nobel Prize winning Indian-origin scientist Prof Venki Ramakrishnan, the president of the UK's Royal Society.

CaSE has been lobbying the UK government to make job offers in areas where there were clear shortages, such as science and engineering, exempt from the Home Office cap.

"The cap is beginning to cause damage and it needs to be addressed quickly. In the immediate term, shortage and PhD level roles should be made exempt from the cap. In the long term, an immigration system for a Global Britain that supports research and innovation should not feature a cap on the international specialists we want to attract," said CaSE Executive Director Dr Sarah Main, who had written to the British Prime Minister Theresa May earlier this year on the issue.

The UK Home Office said that while it recognises the "contribution" of international professionals, it is important that the country's immigration system ensures that employers look first to the UK resident labour market before recruiting from overseas.

"When demand exceeds the monthly available allocation of Tier 2 (General) places, priority is given to applicants filling a shortage or PhD-level occupations. No occupation on the Shortage Occupation List has been refused a place," a Home Office spokesperson said.

It also highlighted that any applications refused during over-subscribed months can re-apply for consideration in the next month. However, critics believe the the Shortage Occupation List does not go far enough and the entire quota-based system in unworkable.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Premier League (IPL) betting rackets were today busted in Bihar and neighbouring Jharkhand with the police seizing a total of over Rs 33 lakh in cash from Patna and Jamshedpur.

While seven persons were arrested in Patna, another one was taken into custody in Jamshedpur, the police in the two cities said.

The police conducted a raid at a house in Mango area of Jamshedpur yesterday night and caught one person red handed when a match was on, Senior Superintendent of Police of East Singhbhum district, Anoop Birtheray, said.

The police team recovered Rs 26.44 lakh in cash, about 390 grams of gold jewellery, 13 mobile phones, two lap tops, a tab, two ATM cards and a four-wheeler from the accused, Birtheray told a press conference today.

He said investigation was on and there is a possibility that the racket is spread across the country.

In Patna, the police today claimed to have busted the IPL betting racket with the arrest of seven persons who were caught with Rs 7 lakh in cash and 10 mobile phones.

The arrests took place during two raids conducted in Rupaspur police station area of the city, following a tip-off that a group of anti-social elements there were running a betting racket, Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Manu Maharaj said.

The racket was active in different parts of the country, he said.

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Iran's foreign minister said today that meetings with EU leaders on salvaging the nuclear deal sent a strong political message but must now be turned into action.

"If the JCPOA (nuclear deal) is supposed to continue, it was a good start and it has sent an important political message, but this is not the end of the work," Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters on his flight back to Tehran, according to state agency IRNA.

"From next week, intensive expert meetings will start in Europe. They must do the work, but they will consult us so that we are sure the actions they take are sufficient from our point of view," he added.

Zarif was returning from a diplomatic tour of the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement -- Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia -- following the US decision last week to pull out.

He met his European counterparts in Brussels yesterday.

"They said that they would ensure Iran enjoys the benefits of the JCPOA and they accepted that the implementation of the JCPOA has nothing to do with other issues," he said, referring to Iran's demand that talks on saving the deal must not be linked to pressure on its missile programme and regional interventions.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Tuesday that experts had already begun work on measures to get round US sanctions, focusing on nine key areas including Iran's ability to continue selling oil and gas products, and how to protect European companies doing business in the country.

"We are not fantasising that Europe will break its relations with America... but we want Europeans to defend their own interests," Zarif added.

He said the negative global reaction to Washington's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement -- and the new sanctions it announced Tuesday on Iran's central bank -- reflected US isolation on the Iran issue.

"America is not in charge of everything in the world. Of course, Americans would like the whole world to think this way and when the world doesn't think this way, they take some angry actions such as sanctioning the head of the central bank without any reason," Zarif said.

"We must expect more such moves by the Americans. These moves are against the law, contrary to conventional international relations and indicate their weakness.

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With the Karnataka power tussle turning into a midnight courtroom battle, the Supreme Court asked was it not a convention that the single largest party gets invited to form the government, as it began hearing on a plea by the Congress-JD(S) combine against the governor's decision to invite BJP's B S Yeddyurappa to take oath as chief minister.

The apex court also asked can it restrain the governor from inviting a party to form the government, to which senior lawyer and Congress leader A M Singhvi said the Supreme Court had done so in the past.

The court said was it not a convention that the single largest party gets invited by governor to form government and prove majority.

Arguing on behalf of the Congress and JD(S), Singhvi told a three-judge bench, constituted by Chief Justice Dipak Misra to hear the matter, that the governor has negated democracy by not calling the alliance commanding majority in Karnataka.

"It is the biggest license to poaching if the governor gives 15 days to BJP to prove majority as in earlier such cases 48 hours were given by SC," Singhvi said.

He said the BJP has 104 MLAs and Governor invited B S Yeddyurappa to form govt in "unconstitutional manner", even as JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy along with the Congress has 116 MLAs supporting him.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing BJP and B S Yeddyurappa, said no injunction can be issued to the governor.

The bench, comprising justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan, commenced hearing on the matter at 2:11 AM. Attorney General K K Venugopal and ASG Maninder Singh were also in court on behalf of the Centre.

Hours after the Congress-JD(S) appraoched the CJI for an urgent hearing, the Supreme Court decided to hear the late night petition filed by the Congress and the JD(S) challenging Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision to invite the BJP to form the government in the southern state.

The joint petition by the KPCC president G Parameshwara and H D Kumaraswamy sought a stay on the oath-taking ceremony, as communicated by the governor to the BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa.

In its midnight legal push, the Congress and JD (S) approached the Supreme Court seeking an immediate intervention by the chief justice to stay the move, which it termed as an "encounter of the Constitution".

The Congress urged Chief Justice Misra to hold an urgent hearing tonight itself since Yeddyurappa is slated to take oath as chief minister at 9 am tomorrow.

Singhvi said the party sought hearing on its petition challenging the governor's decision tonight itself.

The Congress termed the governor's decision as "murder of democracy and trampling of Constitution".

Earlier in the evening, Vala invited Yeddyurappa to form the government and take oath as chief minister tomorrow. He also asked Yeddyurappa to seek a vote of confidence within 15 days of assuming office.

Singhvi, who has been assigned the task to lead Congress' legal challenge against Vala's decision, had met the Supreme Court registrar to take forward the process to hear the "urgent petition".

The Congress has termed the move to form a BJP government in Karnataka as "illegal and against the law and Constitution."



The petition prepared by advocate Dev Dutt Kamath contended that despite presenting the list of 116 MLAs, governor Vala has invited the BJP which has 104 MLAs to form the government and has given relatively longer time of 15 days to prove the majority on the floor of the House.

Kamath and other advocates earlier met the registrar for putting the petition before CJI Misra for constituting the bench.

The Congress has also said that granting 15 days' time to Yeddyurappa to prove majority on the floor of the House will promote horse trading, alleging that BJP will resort to poaching of MLAs of Congress and JD(S).

The BJP has emerged as the single largest party in the southern state winning 104 seats, but is short of a simple majority.

On the other hand, the Congress and JD(S), which have already announced post-poll tie-up, have won 78 and 37 seats respectively and claimed before Vala to have numbers to form government in the state.

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A special court in Ahmedabad



today concluded the hearing on the discharge application of former Gujarat police officer N K Amin in the 2004 Ishrat Jahan alleged fake encounter case.

"I never fired from gun," said Amin, who argued in person before CBI judge J K Pandya.

Testimonies of witnesses produced by the CBI, which investigated the case, were not reliable, as some of them were accused-turned-prosecution witnesses, he said.

Satish Verma, a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer, who assisted the CBI in the investigation, "tampered with the evidence," Amin alleged.

The agency had said in the chargesheet that Amin fired five rounds at Ishrat and four others during the alleged fake encounter.

Amin also sought relief on the ground of parity, as former in-charge DGP of Gujarat P P Pandey, a former accused in the case, has been granted discharge by the court.

The CBI lawyer maintained that it had sufficient evidence against Amin as well as retired IPS officer D G Vanzara, another accused whose discharge plea is pending.

Amin, who retired in August 2016, was given extension by the state government. He was later forced to resign on the direction of the Supreme Court after a petition challenged his and co-accused Tarun Barot's re-induction into the force.

The court will hear Vanzara's discharge plea on June 5.

Ishrat, a 19-year-old college girl from Mumbra near Mumbai, her friend Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh, Amzad Ali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Ahmedabad police on the outskirts of the city in June 2004.

The police had claimed that they were terrorists affiliated to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The first chargesheet filed by the CBI named seven Gujarat policemen -- Amin, Barot, Pandey, Vanzara, J G Parmar, K M Vaghela and G L Singhal -- for carrying out a fake encounter.

While Pandey was discharged, all others are out on bail.

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An Israeli tank fired at a Hamas position in northern Gaza today after militants in the Palestinian enclave shot at soldiers, the army said.

The exchange of fire east of Jabalia came after weeks of mass protests and clashes on the Gaza border, which peaked on Monday when some 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces. Protests since then have dwindled.

In response to the gunfire, Israeli troops "targeted a military post belonging to the Hamas terror organisation with tank fire," the army said in a statement, noting no soldiers were wounded.

A Palestinian security source in Gaza confirmed the target was a Hamas observation point, saying the Israeli attack resulted in no injuries.

In a separate incident, bullets from a heavy machine gun fired in Gaza hit a house in nearby Israeli town Sderot, causing damage but no injuries, police said.

The army said the incident was "serious" and they considered "terror group Hamas responsible for anything taking place in and from Gaza."



Palestinians have held demonstrations on the border since March 30 for what they call the right of return. Monday's protests were also against the move of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

During the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948, more than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes.

The protests have peaked on Fridays, with the numbers of demonstrators ranging from thousands to tens of thousands.

Small groups have approached the border fence, throwing stones, burning tyres and hurling Molotov cocktails. Some have tried to break through the fence. Israel has faced international criticism over its use of live fire, but insists its actions are necessary to defend the border and stop mass infiltrations from the Palestinian enclave, which is run by Islamist movement Hamas.

Earlier today, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman called Hamas leadership "a bunch of cannibals that treat their children as ammunition."



Speaking at an army base near the Gaza border, Lieberman said the goal of Hamas was "to remove the siege (over Gaza) but not to build their economy or create coexistence," he said, referring to the Israeli blockade of the strip.

He argued their aims were rather "to smuggle arms, continue building their military force and create another upgraded Hezbollah model," referring to the armed Lebanese group.

Israel and militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008.

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Israel and Turkey exchanged diplomatic barbs today as the spat between the former allies escalated following deadly violence along Israel's border with Gaza.

A day after it expelled the Israeli ambassador, Turkey asked Israel's consul general in Istanbul to leave as well. Israel, in turn, summoned a top Turkish diplomat to be reprimanded for the humiliation of Israel's ambassador as he was kicked out of the country.

The exchanges came less than two years after the countries reconciled and exchanged ambassadors after six years of animosity.

Once close allies in an Arab-dominated region, Israel and Turkey's ties began to decline after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party has roots in Turkey's Islamist movement, first came to power as prime minister in 2003.

Relations imploded in 2010 after a confrontation between Israeli commandos and a Turkish flotilla trying to breach the blockade of Gaza left 10 Turkish activists dead.

Erdogan has often lashed out at Israel over its clashes with Hamas militants in Gaza and he led the international criticism of Israel after nearly 60 Palestinians were killed Monday in the bloodiest day of cross-border violence since a devastating 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. He also ratcheted up his rhetoric against the U.S. Embassy move to Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retorted that a "man whose hands are drenched in the blood of countless Kurdish civilians in Turkey and Syria is the last one who can preach to us about military ethics." Netanyahu's son, Yair, who has drawn criticism in the past for making crude social media posts, chimed in on Facebook.

"Turkey, you're responsible to unbelievable atrocities and suffer to Cyprus, the Greek people, the Kurds and a genocide of the Armenians. Also I would like to remind the Turks that they're a people coming from Central Asia, illegally occupying little Asia and Constantinople that was Christian before their invasion. So shut up!" he wrote.

Israel's Foreign Ministry summoned a top Turkish diplomat Tuesday to reprimand him for Turkey's treatment of Israeli ambassador Eitan Naeh. The ministry accused Turkey of subjecting Naeh to a particularly severe security screening at the airport in Istanbul and inviting local Turkish media to capture the humiliation of him being frisked and forced to remove his shoes and jacket.

In a video filmed by Dogan agency's reporter at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport, Naeh is seen being searched at a final checkpoint routinely used for flights to the United States, United Kingdom and Israel before boarding. The final passenger security control is carried out by Gozen Air Services on behalf of Turkish Airlines.

In the video, an airport security official pats the ambassador down. Naeh appears to be lifting his feet as the official squats. A man in plainclothes shadows the ambassador and three other officials look on as Naeh is searched.

Meanwhile, another passenger who is holding his shoes is also patted down. Naeh smiles and waves at the cameras as he heads to the boarding area.

The meeting in Jerusalem with the Turkish deputy ambassador, Umut Deniz, lasted about 20 minutes. He was asked to present his documents upon entering and made no comment to a crowd of reporters as he left the building. He then walked to a waiting van, slammed the door shut and it drove away.

Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said Israel expressed "our concern and our dismay at a gross violation of the diplomatic ethics." "The images of our ambassador being subjected to an unnecessary security check are spread all over Turkey," he said. "This is something that is totally contrary to diplomatic relations between countries and a public humiliation of an ambassador is something that Israel will not accept under any circumstances.

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Israel's ambassador to Turkey today left the country after being ordered out by Ankara in a growing crisis over the killing by Israeli fire of dozens of Palestinians on the Gaza border that threatens a reconciliation deal.

Israeli ambassador Eitan Naeh departed for Tel Aviv via Istanbul airport under the full glare of the Turkish media, who appeared to have been specially invited to film his exit.

Naeh has been told by Turkey to stay away for an unspecified period of time. Turkey had already withdrawn its Tel Aviv ambassador for consultations while Israel ordered the Turkish consul in Jerusalem to leave, also for an unspecified period of time.

The Turkish foreign ministry on Wednesday also told the Israeli consul general in Istanbul to leave Turkey "for a period of time", the foreign ministry said.

The manner of Naeh's departure angered the Israeli government, with the ambassador filmed going through an extra security check and then sitting alone at the gate. Israel's foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned the Turkish charge d'affaires in Israel to its Jerusalem headquarters for a reprimand over what it called in a statement "inappropriate treatment" of the ambassador.

The statement said that Naeh was subjected to "a stringent security check in the pre-arranged presence of the Turkish media." The Israeli statement invited local teams to film Turkish charge d'affaires Umut Deniz when he arrived at the foreign ministry.

The row, which yesterday saw President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu exchange bitter jibes on Twitter, threatens a 2016 deal to normalise ties after the crisis sparked by the May 2010 deadly storming of a Turkish ship by Israeli commandos.

Turkey has expressed outrage over the killing by Israeli forces on Monday of 60 Palestinians during protests and clashes on the Gaza border and also blamed tensions on the US decision to move its embassy for Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

Ankara also withdrew its ambassador to Washington Serdar Kilic for consultations after the bloodshed, which came on the same day the embassy move took place. Kilic arrived back in Ankara on Wednesday afternoon, state media said.

Erdogan will on Friday host an emergency summit meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul which he has said will send a "strong message to the world" on the whole issue.

The Turkish leader has engaged in intense telephone diplomacy to drum up support for the summit, speaking to leaders including Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Saudi King Salman, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah.

Yet it remains to be seen which leaders will be present at the summit which will immediately be followed by a giant rally called by Erdogan in Istanbul to support the Palestinians.

Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdag said Turkey wanted to evacuate wounded Palestinians from Gaza for treatment but had yet to receive the necessary permissions from Egypt or Israel.

Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, this week has accused Israel of "genocide" and told Netanyahu he is leading an "apartheid state" while having the "blood of Palestinians" on his hands.

Netanyahu described Erdogan as "an expert on terror and slaughter" as a leading supporter of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Erdogan hit back, saying Hamas is a "resistance movement".

Meanwhile Netanyahu's son Yair posted on his personal Instagram account the slogan "Fuck Turkey" with the letter "c" turned into the crescent on the Turkish flag, Israeli media including Haaretz reported.

The Netanyahu family spokesman put out a statement saying: "Yair Netanyahu is a private person, and his Instagram page is also private." Meanwhile the Turkish presidency said that on a visit to London on Tuesday Erdogan met a delegation of ultra-orthodox Jews from anti-Zionist group Neturei Karta, a very small splinter group on the margins of ultra-Orthodox Jewry.

They oppose the existence of a Jewish state before the coming of the Messiah. They had previously met with former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who became notorious for his verbal diatribes against Israel.

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The Jaipur Foot project is the "epitome of frugal" or Gandhian engineering, which involves doing the maximum with the minimum, its founder Devendra Raj Mehta has said.

Founder of Jaipur Foot project and chief patron of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti Devendra Raj Mehta said his organisation's quest for improvement has led to collaborations with leading academic institutions across the world, including IITs, Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Highlighting the cost effectiveness and affordability of the Jaipur Foot, Mehta said the artificial limb costs about USD 60 as compared to the about USD 15,000 price tag of other artificial limbs being provided in other nations.

On how the organisation is able to make and provide the artificial limbs at affordable rates, Mehta said "high cost of prosthetic is not justified socially".

The Jaipur Foot project is the "epitome of frugal" or Gandhian engineering, which involves doing the maximum with the minimum, Mehta has said.

India's Permanent Mission to the UN along with the BMVSS in Jaipur organised a panel discussion at UN yesterday on the Jaipur Foot's 50-year journey of helping people with disabilities across the world. Following the panel discussion, an exhibition on Jaipur Foot was also inaugurated in the UN Secretariat Building.

Mehta said that his organisation is partnering with the Santa Clara University on developing a prosthetic known as the myelectric hand. A major research project on below-elbow artificial hand is also underway in Stanford University in collaboration with BMVSS. The model is likely to be functionally more efficient and inexpensive.

Prakash Bhandari, member of the Executive Committee and Media adviser Jaipur Foot, said the focus is on building a smart hand that is low on cost. He added that now 5,000 people every year across foreign nations would be provided with assistance from Jaipur Foot, starting with Vietnam, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Iraq.

Addressing the gathering, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the UN Maria Emma Mejia Velez also hailed Jaipur Foot's contribution to South-South cooperation, saying the organisation has played a crucial role in providing mobility to the differently-abled persons in her country.

She said 6 per cent of Colombia's population has some sort of disability due to the conflict, civil war and impact of mines.

Iraq's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Mohammed Hussein Mohammed Bahr AlUloom voiced appreciation that Jaipur Foot helped shape a better future for the disabled people across the world. He said there are about 25 million unexploded landmines and IEDs in Iraq and his country is still facing tremendous challenges in removing them.

Bangladesh's Ambassador to the UN Masud Bin Momen also appreciated that Jaipur Foot is soon opening a centre in his country, saying that 160 million people will be potential beneficiaries of the organisation's work.

Sri Lanka's UN envoy Amrith Rohan Perera paid tributes to the work done by BMVSS and for reaching out to his country "at a time when we were confronted with a long conflict".

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Insulated panels maker Jindal Mectec and Ireland-based Kingspan today announced formation of a joint venture (JV) in India.

The JV 'Kingspan Jindal' will capture the modern



methods of construction in India, relating to warehouses, cold storages, high rise buildings, airport roofs etc, the



companies said in a joint statement.

The demand for the product is bound to rise in the country as with the government's UDAN scheme, a lot of airports will come up, Jindal Mectec MD Saurabh Jindal said.

The extpertise and modern engineering practices of Kingspan Insulated Panels will be used to make new products to cater to the growing demand of the customers, he said at a press conference here.

"India was on our plan. This is a growing market and with our presence in India, we can further tap the markets like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan," Gilbert McCarthy, MD of Kingspan said.

McCarthy also informed that Kingspan will hold 51 per cent stake in the new venture.

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Former Calcutta High Court Justice C S Karnan announced today the launch of his political party and said it will contest the general elections next year with women candidates only.

His 'Anti-Corruption Dynamic Party' would contest in seats across the country including Varanasi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Justice Karnan said.

"My party will take part in the forthcoming (Lok Sabha) polls in 2019. We will decide on the number of seats but only women candidates will be nominated for contesting," Justice Karnan told reporters on the sidelines of a convention organised by several human rights organisations here.

"We are approaching the Chief Election Commissioner for registration of my party," he said, adding that he wanted corruption to be removed from the country.

The Supreme Court had sentenced Justice Karnan to six-month jail on May 9 last year for contempt of court when he was a serving judge of the Calcutta High Court.

He was arrested by West Bengal CID from Coimbatore on June 20. He was the first high court judge to have retired as a fugitive on June 12.

Justice Karnan, who also served as a judge of the Madras High Court, said he had been requested by the general body of his party to contest from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in 2019.

"But I don't want to contest from Varanasi. That should also be contested by a woman candidate," he said.

Earlier, addressing the convention, Justice Karnan, a Dalit, said atrocities were being perpetrated regularly on minorities such as Dalits, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Parsis across the country.

"This stands out as most demeaning in the eyes of international community, even though we Indians boast of our country being the largest democracy in the world," he said.

He urged those belonging to upper castes to protect the interests of the minorities and Dalits, "since they are the weaker sections of the society".

"All the state machineries and the central government should protect the interests of minorities and Dalits, which is the paramount duty of the respective governments," he said.

He also demanded immediate release of "innocent social activists who are languishing in jails".

He made this statement when the speakers representing the organisers alleged that many social activists are jailed though charges against them were not proved.

The Convention was organised by Dr B R Ambedkar Sangh, South Asian Dalit Forum and Bandimukti Committee and others.

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Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil has expressed surprise over the Karnataka poll results where the BJP emerged as the single largest party, and demanded the use of paper ballots in future elections instead of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

He claimed the 'wave' of BJP's popularity was now receding and therefore, the NCP and the Congress were working towards forging alliance in future polls.

Patil said what surprised him was that prior to elections in Karnataka, he had visited the state and people there appeared "satisfied" with the Congress government.

The BJP yesterday emerged as the single largest party but fell nine seats short of a majority in Karnataka, where the Congress dramatically backed third-placed rival JD(S) for a post-poll alliance to keep the saffron party out of power.

Elections were held for 222 seats on May 12 while polling for the remaining two will be held later.

The BJP bagged 104 seats, a gain of 64 , while the Congress notched 78, a loss of 44 seats, though its vote share was nearly two percentage points more than the saffron party.

The JD(S) secured 37 seats, down by three from its previous tally.

Reacting to the poll results, Patil said he had visited Karnataka during the election period and "all was well with the Congress government".

"Even the common man and farmers were satisfied with the government. The Congress was doing well there," he claimed while talking to reporters here last night.

"But it is really a surprise to see such an outcome," he said.

Justifying his demand for the use of paper ballots in polls, Patil wondered why can't the Election Commission (EC) revert to the old practice when such a system was prevalent even in some developed countries.

The EC should not insist on EVMs for conducting polls, he asserted.

"If the BJP is insisting for the same, then it is better not to hold elections at all," Patil stated.

On his party's plan to tie-up with the Congress in future polls, he said, "Presently, the BJP wave has receded and hence, the NCP and the Congress have come together to contest elections."



Notably, the Congress has decided to tie up with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP for the bypolls to two Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, scheduled on May 28.

While the NCP will contest the Bhandara-Gondia seat, the Congress will fight the Palghar seat.

Patil exuded confidence that Congress nominee Damodar Shingda will win the Palghar Lok Sabha bypoll.

The by-elections were necessitated due to the resignation of sitting BJP MP Nana Patole in Bhandara-Gondia and the death of Palghar's sitting BJP member Chintaman Wanga.

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BJP general secretary Ram Madhav today saw 'karma' catching up with the Congress-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka as he recalled the dismissal of the BJP government in Gujarat in 1996 involving some of the key protagonists in the political drama unfolding currently in the southern state.

H D Deve Gowda, now JD(S) president, was the prime minister at the time, the then Gujarat Governor Krishna Pal Singh was a former Congress leader and the state BJP chief was Vajubhai Vala, now the Karnataka governor, Madhav said, sharing a "interesting note" he received on WhatsApp.

The then president, Shankar Dayal Sharma, had imposed the President's Rule in the state on the recommendations of the Gowda government, supported by the Congress.

Suresh Mehta was the state chief minister and had proved his government's majority in the assembly but was dismissed for alleged constitutional crisis in the state.

"Karma comes to haunt the Congress in Karnataka after 22 years," the post shared by Madhav on social media said.

"How is this story relevant after 22 years in Karnataka? Because those quoting verses of morality, constitutional ethics & conventions were perpetrators of murdering democracy and numerous elected governments right from Nehru," it said.

"The Congress-JD(S) today want Vajubhai to be merciful reminding him of his duty. But then there's Karma- Catches all, spares none," it added.

Both the BJP and the Congress-JD(S) alliance have staked claim to form government in Karnataka after the assembly election result threw up a hung verdict.

Shankersinh Vaghela, who had raised a banner of revolt in the BJP in Gujarat, had the "open support" of the Congress to split the saffron party but its government still proved its numbers in the assembly, the post said.

The governor, however, "surpassed" his constitutional reach and sent a report to the Centre, saying law and order had collapsed and the state faced a constitutional crisis, the post claimed.

"Within 15 minutes of the file reaching the then prime minister's table, the state govt of Gujarat was dismissed and the President's rule imposed," it claimed.

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The BJP today said the Karnataka Governor has acted as per Constitution and the Supreme Court's orders by inviting its leader B S Yeddyurappa to form the government in the state and accused the Congress of trying to "loot" the mandate.

Governor Vajubhai Vala, accused by the Congress of acting like a BJP "puppet", got strong support from Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who said Constitution, the Supreme Court's orders, reports on the Centre-state relations as well as a decision by former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1989 justify the decision to invite the single largest party BJP to form the government in Karnataka.

At a press conference, Prasad accused the Congress of threatening violence in the state if it was not invited by the governor to form government and said it has resorted to "shameful and irresponsible" tactics.

The Congress has extended support to JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy to form the government. The two parties together have 115 MLAs, more than the half-way mark. The BJP has won 104 seats, making it the single largest party.

He also said the opposition party's charge that the BJP was trying to buy out MLAs of other parties should be rejected with the "contempt it deserves".

Asked about the Congress' claim that the governor should have followed the precedent of Goa and Manipur, where the Congress emerged as the single largest party but the BJP and its post-polls allies were invited to form government, he said the opposition party never staked a claim for forming government in those two states.

Prasad also cited the reports of the Sarkaria and Punchhi commissions, both on the Centre-state relations, and said they had recommended that a governor in the case of hung Assembly verdict should first invite the largest pre-poll alliance followed by the largest single party and then the post-poll alliance in that order of preference.

A Constitution bench of the Supreme Court "endorsed" this as well, he said, suggesting that the Karnataka governor's decision was in line with the two reports.

The apex court has also agreed with the discretionary powers given to the President and the governors by the Constitution, and stated that it should not be arbitrary, Prasad said.

The senior BJP leader cited the then outgoing prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's decision in 1989 to not stake claim to form the government at the Centre despite the Congress emerging as the single largest party saying the mandate was against his party.

"I want to ask Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi when their party is preaching us about the Constitution and democratic norms that if they have forgotten the legacy of their own family," Prasad said.

Asserting that people's verdict in Karnataka was against the incumbent Congress, he said its tally was reduced was to 78 from 122 with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah losing from one constituency and 16 ministers facing defeat as well.

The BJP got 104 seats and fell short of a majority by a few seats but the mandate is clearly in its favour, he said.

The Congress is unable to resist the temptation of grabbing power in the state and is riding "piggyback" on the JD(S), against which it fought the poll bitterly, Prasad said.

"The Congress is trying to loot the mandate," he alleged.

Prasad said the Congress should not "preach" as it has a history of making a mockery of the Constitution.

The Congress imposed the President's rule in states with democratically-elected governments and its prime minister once faced a trial over his attempts to turn his minority government into a majority dispensation, Prasad alleged, apparently referring to P V Narasimha Rao.

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Union Minister Suresh Prabhu today said the Karnataka governor should invited the BJP to form the government as it is the single largest party.

"In 1996, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was called to be sworn as a Prime Minister when he was not having majority but he was leader of the single largest party. It is a precedent," he said.

In the just concluded Assembly elections in the southern state, BJP has emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats out of 222 for which polls were held. The Congress has won 78 seats and JD (S) 37 seats. Elections took place on 222 seats.

Due to the fractured verdict, jockeying for power has begun in the state, with contenders BJP and JD(S)-Congress combine intensifying efforts to outmanoeuvre each other in the race for forming the government.

The BJP is the single largest party and there have been precedents that the single largest party is called by the governor or the president, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu told reporters on sidelines of a conference on 'national intellectual property rights policy' here.

Earlier, he launched the Intellectual Property (IP) mascot IP Nani at the conference.

An anti-piracy video featuring Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan was also launched by the minister at the event.

Mascot IP Nani is a tech-savvy grandmother who helps the government and enforcement agencies in combating IP crimes with the help of her grandson 'Chhotu' aka Aditya, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement..

The IP mascot will spread awareness about the importance of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) among people, especially children, in an interesting manner, it said.

This character, it said, is also in line with the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) campaign for the World IP Day which celebrates the brilliance, ingenuity, curiosity and courage of the women who are driving change in the world and shaping common future.

Speaking at the event, Prabhu said that mere legal provisions are not sufficient for protection of Intellectual Property Rights but their strict implementation is equally required.

Piracy is a serious crime which should not go unpunished, he added.

The minister also called for creating awareness against violation of Intellectual Property Rights and stressed on the need for participation of society in the effort.

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The Kerala Government today decided to ask the Centre to increase the state's share in central taxes to 50 per cent from the present 42 per cent.

The decision in this regard was taken at the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here today.

The Union Government had in February 2015 increased the share of states in central taxes from 32 per cent to 42 per cent, accepting the recommendations of the 14th Finance commission.

This was said to be the single largest increase ever recommended.

The cabinet also approved the directions and recommendations in the memorandum, which will be submitted to the 15th Finance commission during its three day visit to Kerala from May 28.

The Commission will be in Kerala from May 28 and hold discussions with political parties.

It would meet government representatives on May 29 and also visit different institutions at Thrissur on May 30.

Kerala has been highly critical of the ToR, saying it is against the state's interests and a 'threat' to its economy.

There are also fears its tax share would come down to 1.8 per cent from the present 2.5 per cent if the 2011 census was taken as the base for allocation of central tax revenue.

Hence, the state will demand that devolution should be on the basis of the 1971 census, an official press release said.

The government also demanded that there be no dip in the allocation in the state's tax revenue and the criteria recommended by the 14th Finance commission be followed.

The release said the state government was committed to ensure that fiscal deficit remained at three per cent of the state's internal revenue.

Kerala had convened a meeting of Finance Ministers of southern states here on April 10 to arrive at a consensus on their response to the Terms of Reference.

State Finance Minister Thomas Isaac had held that these states were being 'penalised' for successfully implementing national policies.

A similar meeting was also held on May 7 at Amravati in Andhra Pradesh to discuss the commisison's proposals.

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RJD president Lalu Prasad was released from a Ranchi jail today, after the trial courts granted him permission in accordance with the six-week interim bail granted to him by the Jharkhand High Court in three fodder scam cases on medical grounds, following which the former Bihar chief minister flew down to Patna.

After completing the formalities at the Birsa Munda Prison, the RJD chief came out of the jail and headed to the Ranchi airport straightaway, jail sources as well Prasad's close aide Bhola Yadav, who was accompanying him, said.

The RJD chief arrived at the Patna airport at 6:40 pm.

No family member was present at the Jayprakash Narayan airport in Patna to receive him. Only a handful of supporters were there to greet the RJD chief, who was seen coming out of the exit gate on a wheelchair, assisted by Bhola Yadav, who is an RJD MLA in Darbhanga district of Bihar.

From the airport, Prasad left for the 10, Circular Road residence of his wife Rabri Devi with a posse of security personnel.

Earlier in the day, the trial courts in Ranchi granted the release order to Prasad, in accordance with the Jharkhand High Court's verdict, providing him provisional bail in three fodder scam cases on medical grounds.

The release order was granted in the three cases, in which Prasad has been convicted, his lawyer Prabhat Kumar told PTI.

While special CBI court judge Shivpal Singh granted the release order to the RJD chief in two cases -- RC 64A/96 (Chaibasa treasury) and RC 38A/96 (Dumka) -- CBI court judge S S Prasad granted the release order in case number RC 68A/96 (Chaibasa), Kumar added.

The lawyer said said they completed the formalities of signing bonds and submitting sureties of Rs 50,000 each in the three cases to get the release order.

He added that the period of bail would be effective from the day Prasad was released from the jail.

A special CBI court had convicted Prasad on January 24 in the RC-68A/96 case, related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.62 crore from the Chaibasa treasury, and sentenced him to five years of imprisonment.

The RJD chief was convicted in the RC64A/96 case, in connection with the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury in the 1990s, and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail on December 23 last year.

The CBI court had held Prasad guilty in the RC 38A/96 case, pertaining to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from the Dumka treasury in the early 1990s, and sentenced him to 14 years of imprisonment.

The authorities at the Birsa Munda jail had separately granted the RJD chief a three-day parole on May 10 to attend his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav's wedding in Patna on May 12. The time taken to travel was not included in the duration of the parole and Prasad had returned to the prison on May 14, a day after his parole expired.

The 69-year-old former Bihar chief minister is suffering from diabetes, blood pressure, kidney problems and other ailments.

Bhola Yadav said Prasad would go to Delhi, Mumbai and other places for specialised treatment during the bail period.

The RJD supremo has been in jail since December 23 last year, after being sentenced in the Deoghar treasury case.

The over Rs 900-crore fodder scam cases are related to the illegal withdrawal of money from government treasury by the animal husbandry department in undivided Bihar in the 1990s when Prasad was the chief minister.

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Maharashtra ATS today arrested a 32-year-old man from Kutch in Gujarat for allegedly being in touch with terror suspect Faisal Hassan Mirza who was picked up last week from a Mumbai suburb, police said.

The man, identified as Allarakha Khan, a driver, was arrested from his residence in Gandhidham, a senior police official said.

Mirza was arrested by the ATS on May 11 on suspicion of plotting terror attacks in Mumbai, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh with the help of his group members.

During his interrogation, Mirza gave the ATS names of some people with whom he was in touch with, following which a search operation was launched, the officer said.

Khan was arrested after interrogation, he said.

Mirza and Khan were in touch with one Farooq Devadiwala in Dubai, who had recruited Mirza for launching terror activities in India and carrying out suicide bombings, he said.

Khan's role in the terror conspiracy is being probed by the ATS and his background is being checked, an ATS official said.

Khan was remanded in police custody till May 25 by court.

Recently, the law enforcement agency of UAE had detained Devadiwala, suspected to be a close aide of Chhota Shakil, a henchman of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

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Invited to form government in Karnataka, BJP today asserted it would prove its majority in the assembly and dubbed the Congress-JDS post-election alliance "unholy and unacceptable."



Announcing Governor Vajubhai Vala's invitation to B S Yeddyurappa to form the government, BJP national general secretary Muralidhar Rao said the understanding between the Congress and JDS was only "to keep the BJP off."



"It is a complete subversion of the mandate anddemocratic process and it should be treated as sabotage of thepeople's expression which is sacred in democratic process," he told reporters here.

BJP has emerged the single largest party in the assembly elections which returned a fractured verdict.

"People of Karnataka know this is an unholy and unacceptable alliance," Rao said.

On the governor's invitation, he said, "We had submitted our willingness and claim... being the single largest party we are accepting the responsibility and expressing the willingness to form the government."



He said BJP had always followed the core democratic principles that when there was no clear mandate.

"In such a situation when there is no pre-poll alliance, the single largest party should be given an opportunity to form government and prove majority on the floor of the house.

"We will prove the majority on floor of the house which is part of directive from the Governor," he said.

Rao said Yeddyurappa would take the oath alone as the Chief Minister and once the majority is proved on the floor of the assembly, cabinet members would be inducted and expansion would take place.

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The Delhi Police has arrested a 53-year-old man for allegedly duping an investor of Rs 1.25 crore on the pretext of providing exciting opportunities to purchase properties, police said today.

The accused, Pankaj Dayal, was arrested on Monday and was produced before a court the next day and was sent to judicial custody, they added.

Dayal was arrested from Nehru Place in connection with a cheating case of 2014, they said.

He had opened a company in the name of Realtech Constructions and he used to lure investors by telling them that they could make money money by investing in property and would take money from them, police said.

Later, he would keep delaying the project' for some reason or the other and used to abscond later, police said.

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A 30-year-old man was booked today for allegedly raping his 28-year-old woman friend, a housewife, at different locations in Thane and Pune districts, police said today.

The accused, identified as Yogesh Patil, developed friendship with the woman around one year back, police said.

The complainant claimed that Patil took her to Jejuri in Pune district and raped her in a lodge in January this year, said an official of Thane police station.

Patil also allegedly raped the woman on two occasions in Thane district in subsequent months, the official said quoting the complaint.

On one occasion, he allegedly raped the woman by threatening to kill her with a revolver, the official said.

A case has been registered against Patil under various sections of the IPC.

Police are yet to make any arrest in the case.

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A man has landed in trouble after his estranged wife accused him of snooping on her.

The man, who is in his mid-40s, has been accused of installing a spy camera in the woman's bedroom in the house located in Kalepadal area of the city, where he no more stays, police said today.

"They had got married around two decades back. But within a year of their marriage, the man went abroad for work and stayed there for a few years" sub inspector of Wanwadi police station, Rekha Kale, said.

However, the relationship between the couple soured when he returned to India around 10 years ago. After he came back, the couple stayed together for eight months, but since things did not work out between them, the man moved to Bengaluru to stay with his parents, she said.

"But he suspected his wife's character and would often visit the flat in Pune to meet their 12-year-old son. During one of his visits, he secretly installed a spy camera on the waterpurifier machine in the bedroom to spy on her, the officer said.

"The woman found the secret camera in January this year. She approached the police months later and lodged a complaint against him for allegedly spying on her," Kale said.

Based on her complaint, a case under section 354 (C) (voyeurism) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against the man on Monday, she said.

"Once the man comes to Pune from Bengaluru, we will talk to him and further action will be taken," Kale said.

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Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today said the media should not combine and views, adding that it should follow a new TRP philosophy -- "promotion of truth in a responsible and professional manner".

Recalling the contribution of several journalists during the independence movement, who considered the profession their mission, he said these days, while some were practising journalism as a mission, some were "commissioning it as an industry".

Speaking at the third convocation of Kushabhau Thakre Patrakarita Avam Jansanchar Vishwavidyalaya at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay auditorium here, Naidu said the front page of a newspaper should contain news, while views should be restricted to the editorial page.

The media should dedicate itself to a new TRP philosophy -- promotion of truth in a responsible and professional manner -- he added.

One should not mix up and views, because ultimately, the judgement had to be made by the people, the vice-president said.

He stressed that "information with confirmation" was the most powerful ammunition in the fight against injustice, social evils and the negative forces in the world.

Pointing out that phrases like "breaking news", "making news", "good news" or "bad news" were frequent in the electronic media nowadays, Naidu said should not be for "breaking, but joining".

He said those who not allow Parliament to function should not be given prominence in the media.

"But unfortunately, what is happening because of the electronic media is, if they break a microphone, throw papers or create some other problem, they get prominence," the vice-president said.

The media should raise awareness on the maladies afflicting the society such as casteism, communalism, corruption and atrocities against women, he said.

Lamenting that the colonial rule had changed our mindset, Naidu called for encouraging the use of mother tongue.

Stating that every state must first promote the local language, then Hindi and then English, the vice-president hoped that those taking care of the education system in the country would also follow it.

Expressing concern over incidents of crime against women, he said, "This has not been the tradition of our country, where women had always been given the utmost respect since the ancient period. The rivers in the country were named after women," he noted.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Assembly Speaker Gaurishankar Agrawal and other state ministers were present on the occasion.

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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah today welcomed the Centre's decision to not launch any security operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the Muslim fasting month of Ramzan.

"The decision would go a long way in healing the wounds of people of the state who have been suffering the pain of violence and uncertainty for the past three decades or so.

What best a time to go for this decision than the onset of holy month of Ramadhan which promotes values of patience, self-restraint and tolerance," Mehbooba said in a statement.

She said the ceasefire would also provide the necessary breather to the people who have been craving for it so long. She thanked the Centre particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh for the "historic decision".

"This marks the beginning of listening of the story of pain of the state's people by the country's leadership," she said.

The chief minister appealed to all stakeholders to reciprocate positively to the gesture aimed at giving relief to the people of the state who have seen enough "torment and tragedy". Mehbooba also thanked political parties who backed her idea of 'cessation of hostilities' during a meeting convened by her recently.

Earlier the chief minister thanked the Centre in a post on Twitter.

"I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire & would like to thank @narendramodi ji & @rajnathsingh ji for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders & parties who participated in the All Party Meeting & helped build consensus towards this announcement (sic)," Mehbooba tweeted.

She said Ramzan is a harbinger of peace and such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful and amicable environment for a sustained dialogue.

Abdullah said if the militants did not respond in kind to the Centre's unilateral halt on operations during the month of Ramzan, they will be exposed as enemies of the people.

"On the demand of all political parties (except the BJP, which had opposed it) the Centre has announced a unilateral ceasefire. Now if the militants don't respond in kind, they will stand exposed as the true enemies of the people," he said in a tweet.

Earlier today, the Centre asked security forces not to launch operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the month of Ramzan.

The decision has been taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment, a home ministry spokesperson said in New Delhi.

The security forces, however, reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people, the spokesperson said.

"It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror," the spokesperson said.

The holy moth of Ramzan is likely to start tomorrow or Friday depending on the sighting of moon.

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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah today welcomed the Centre's decision to not launch any security operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan.

"I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire & would like to thank @narendramodi ji & @rajnathsingh ji for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders & parties who participated in the All Party Meeting & helped build consensus towards this announcement," Mehbooba said in a tweet following the Centre's announcement.

She said Ramzan is a harbinger of peace and such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful and amicable environment for a sustained dialogue.

Omar said if the militants did not respond in kind to the Centre's unilateral halt on operations during the month of Ramzan, they will be exposed as enemies of the people.

"On the demand of all political parties (except the BJP, which had opposed it) the Centre has announced a unilateral ceasefire. Now if the militants don't respond in kind, they will stand exposed as the true enemies of the people," he said in a tweet.

Earlier today, the Centre asked security forces not to launch operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the month of Ramzan.

The decision has been taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment, a home ministry spokesperson said in New Delhi.

The security forces, however, reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people, the spokesperson said.

"It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror," the spokesperson said.

The holy moth of Ramzan is likely to start tomorrow or Friday depending on the sighting of moon.

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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said ten memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed with the UK for various projects entailing investment of around Rs 1,500 crore with employment potential for around 1,000 persons.

Six MoUs were signed during a meeting with Lord Raj Loomba at the House of Lords, the chief minister told reporters here today.

A delegation led by Khattar arrived back yesterday after a visit to Israel and the UK.

The MoUs signed included that with Pontaq (UK India Innovation Fund), focusing on fintech, smart cities and emerging technologies; UK India Global Business Limited for promoting technology transfer, support services and establishing UK/European companies especially focused on Aerospace and Defence Sectors; Xelba Limited and AU Capital Partners Limited for undertaking Internet of Things (IOT) initiative.

An MoU has also been signed with WKCIC Group for undertaking collaboration in skill development in Haryana, Khattar said.

During the visit, the delegation has explored the possibility of collaboration with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre at Sheffield for setting up a facility in Haryana which would lead to influx of major players like Rolls Royce, Metaltech, Mclaren and Boeing, added Khattar.

He said the delegation also held a meeting with Transport for London (TfL) which provided a broader perspective for implementation of a successful City Transport System for a growing city like Gurugram.

A team from Haryana led by the Transport Minister or Transport Secretary would be tasked to visit UK to understand the principles and seek collaboration with TfL for developing a comprehensive Transport System for Gurugram, Faridabad and other urban areas in Haryana.

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Shiv Sena ministers today opposed at the Maharashtra cabinet meeting the state government's decision to open salt pans in Mumbai for affordable housing, according to a party source.

The decision on the salt pan land is a part of the just-released Mumbai's Development Plan (DP) 2034.

Environment minister Ramdas Kadam (of Shiv Sena) raised the issue of opening the salt pans for development in the cabinet meeting held here and the other Sena ministers also voiced their concern over it, the source told PTI.

"The Sena ministers strongly voiced their opposition and conveyed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that under no circumstances will their party allow the salt pans to be used for construction purposes," the source said.

Kadam told Fadnavis that the poor were being used as a "shield" to unduly favour builders, said the source who claimed to be privy to the discussions at the meeting.

"The opening of salt pans (for the housing sector) will further put stress on the ecology of Mumbai, which is already facing problems of excessive population, traffic and climate change," the source said.

Last week, Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam had also said that the city cannot afford to have salt pans and no-development zones, which are the last remaining open spaces in the city, fall prey to the builder lobby.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nirupam had urged him to intervene in the Fadnavis government's decision on the issue.

According to the DP 2034 for Mumbai, 300 hectares of salt pan lands, which serve as natural buffers during heavy rains and high tides, will be utilised for affordable housing. This will destroy the regions bio-diversity and increase the chances of similar deluge in future, Nirupam had said.

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Diversified business conglomerate Murugappa Group has chalked out Rs 2,000 crore capital expenditure plans for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 financial years, which include ramping up capacity at its existing facilities, a top official said here today.

"If you look at this (financial year and next year), the capital expenditure planned is Rs 2,000 crore. It will be for FY 2018-19 and 2019-20", company Executive Chairman M M Murugappan told reporters here.

The city-headquartered company had spent about Rs 616 crore for the 2016-17 fiscal as capital expenditure and Rs 660 crore for the previous financial year 2015-16.

To a query on the increase in capital expenditure, he said the investments would be mostly on the agriculture and engineering side.

"One of the investments will be in expanding our existing phosphoric acid plant in Vishakapatnam to 440 tonnes per day, which will require Rs 350 crore (investments)", he said.

Company President and Group CFO Sridharan Rangarajan said the proposed capital expenditure does not include any acquisition of another company. "It is normal capacity expansion plans and debottlenecking programmes", he said.

The Murugappa Group, which owns several companies under agriculture and engineering businesses,clocked a total revenue of Rs 32,893 crore for the 2017-18 fiscal, up from Rs 29,206 crore in the 2016-17 financial year.

Responding to a query, he said 48 per cent of the total revenue was registered from financial services business, 31 per cent from agri-business and the rest from the 'engineering division'.

To another query on how the funding would be done to meet the Rs 2,000 crore capital expenditure, he said it would be through internal accruals.

Asked if the Rs 2,000 crore capex would be invested in domestic market or overseas, Rangarajan said some amount of the investments would be made in Russia. "We are putting up a gas based powerplant there," he said.

On areas that offer growth for the Group, Muruguppan said the company would certainly like to grow faster than the GDP.

The World Bank has forecast a 7.3 per cent growth rate for India this year and 7.5 per cent for 2019 and 2020, and noted that the country's economy has recovered from the effects of demonetisationand the Goods and Services Tax.

"Double digit growth. That is the way we would plan it as we go forward", he said.

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Muthoot Finance today reported 40.3 per cent jump in standalone net profit at Rs 451.39 crore for March quarter on the back of diversification of loan portfolio.

The company had registered a net profit of Rs 321.78 crore during January-March, 2016-17.

Total revenue from operations was however down at Rs 1,572.92 crore as against Rs 1,709.63 crore in the year-ago period, Muthoot Finance said in a regulatory filing.

For 2017-18 financial year, net profit was up 46 per cent at Rs 1,720.27 crore as against Rs 1,179.83 crore in the preceding year.

Total income was at Rs 6,185.27 crore as against Rs 5,728.63 crore in 2016-17.

On consolidated basis, the net profit for 2017-18 increased to Rs 1,798.69 crore from Rs 1,207.26 crore a year ago. Income was Rs 6,640.95 crore compared with Rs 5,910.80 crore.

Chairman M G George Muthoot said :"While the thrust on increasing the gold loan business continues, group's focus on diversification of lending portfolio has started yielding results. The consolidated loan book of the group has increased 12 per cent year-on-year at Rs 32,154 crore."



He also announced that Muthoot Finance is one of the top 50 corporate income tax payers in the country paying Rs 1,037 crore in 2017-18.

"Our subsidiaries are contributing 10 per cent of group assets and have again shown an excellent performance during the year. We are expecting this contribution to increase to 15 per cent of group's assets in the coming year," said Managing Director George Alexander Muthoot.

Muthoot Homefin (India) has grown its loan portfolio by Rs 1,024 crore during the year reaching Rs 1,465 crore.

The company's micro finance subsidiary which has a strong self-help group (SHG) model increased its loan portfolio by 97 per cent during the year reaching Rs 1,137 crore.

The NBFC arm in Sri Lanka increased its loan portfolio by 13 per cent during the year. First year premium collections in the insurance broking subsidiary increased 44 per cent at Rs 101 crore, he said.

Stock of Muthoot Finance closed 1.18 per cent down at Rs 420.45 on BSE.

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Taking strong exception to the military exercises between Seoul and Washington, North Korea cancelled a high-level meeting with South Korea and threatened to scrap the historic meeting between its leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, even as the US maintained it was going ahead with the summit preparations.

Uncertainty looms larger over the June 12 summit between Trump and Kim in Singapore after North Korea's Korean Central Agency (KCNA) released an statement in this regards hours before the two Koreas were to meet at a border village today. The two countries expected to discuss ways to implement their leaders' recent agreements to reduce military tensions along their heavily fortified border and improve their overall ties.

The statement that comes after a brief hiatus in the war of words between Trump and Kim is likely to mar efforts towards building a denuclearised Korean Peninsula.

The White House said it would independently look at what Pyongyang has said. The State Department said it was going ahead with preparations for the summit as planned earlier.

In a statement attributable to KCNA, Pyongyang cited the ongoing military exercise between the US and South Korea as a reason behind the move.

"The joint exercise is a reflection of the invariable stand of the US and south Korea to persist in the 'maximum pressure and sanctions' against the DPRK," it said.

DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which is more commonly known as North Korea.

In a related development, North Korea also cancelled its May 16 talks with the South.

"We cannot but take a step of suspending the North-South high-level talks scheduled on May 16 under the prevailing seriously awful situation that a mad-cap North-targeted war and confrontation racket are being kicked up in South Korea," KCNA said.

North Korea held the South Korean authorities "wholly accountable" for the scuttled North-South talks and unease in the North-South relations.

"The US will have to think twice about the fate of the DPRK-US summit now on high agenda before a provocative military racket against the DPRK in league with the south Korean authorities," the statement said.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the US is aware of the media reports in this regard.

"The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies," Sanders said.

The State Department said it is continuing with the preparations for the summit and there has been no word from North Korea on the ongoing exercises.

State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said Kim had previously indicated he understood the need and purpose of the US continuing its long-planned joint exercises with South Korea.

"We have not heard anything from that government or the Government of South Korea to indicate that we would not continue conducting these exercises or that we would not continue planning for our meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un next month," she told reporters at her daily conference.

According to Col Rob Manning, the Pentagon Spokesperson, South Korea Republic and US military forces are currently engaged in the recurring, annual ROK-US drills, to include exercises Foal Eagle 2018 and Max Thunder 2018.

"These defencive exercises are part of the ROK-US Alliance's routine, annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness," he said.

"The purpose of the training is to enhance the ROK-US Alliance's ability to defend the ROK and enhance interoperability and readiness. While we will not discuss specifics, the defencive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed," Manning said.

The State Department refuted the allegations that these exercises are provocative in nature.

"They're certainly not provocative. These are things that we do all around the world with many of our partners and allies. These are things that have occurred for decades and decades," Nauert said.

At the same time, she ruled out the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reaching out to the North Koreans in this regard.

"I don't think he's picking up the phone and begging anybody to do anything at this point. We are operating under the idea and the notion that the president's meeting is going forward with Chairman Kim next month," Nauert said in response to a question.

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India's longstanding innovation, the Jaipur Foot project, is being hailed as an "excellent" example of South-South cooperation and multi-stake holder collaboration as it has helped over 1.7 million persons with disabilities gain mobility in 34 countries.

India's Permanent Mission to the UN along with the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) in Jaipur organised a panel discussion here yesterday on the Jaipur Foot's 50 year journey of helping people with disabilities across the world. Following the panel discussion, an exhibition on Jaipur Foot was also inaugurated in the UN Secretariat Building.

In India, a longstanding innovation has been the 'Jaipur Foot', popularised by Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) and the organisation has worked with over 1.7 million persons with disabilities in 34 countries across the world, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said at the discussion.

"The organisation has now worked for half a century for this noble cause. While the technology behind such innovations has continued to improve, the 'Jaipur Foot' has provided much needed assistance to those who are among the most affected and those who have very limited resources to seek the kind of assistance that is needed by them. They truly are working to ensure no one is left behind," Akbaruddin said.

Jagdish Dharamchand Koonjul, Permanent Representative of Mauritius to the UN, said that his country is proud to be associated with the work of Jaipur Foot in Mauritius and in the Indian Ocean Region.

"In 2014, the Jaipur Foot Project, which represents an excellent template for South-South cooperation and South-North cooperation was launched in Mauritius to service the countries in the region," he said.

Koonjul stressed that the Jaipur Foot Project is a fine example of multi-stakeholder partnerships involving governments, civil society and the private sector to realise the Sustainable Development Goals in Mauritius.

"Besides ensuring the transfer of much needed technology in the field, the project has fostered a strong partnership with local and international organisations and in the development of capacity building programs in education, health, social and economic integration and rehabilitation," he said.

Koonjul told the audience at the panel discussion that in the Indian Ocean region, Jaipur Foot Mauritius has provided prosthesis free of cost to 1200 persons. In 2015, a 15-month old boy from Seychelles became the youngest beneficiary of the Jaipur Foot.

"We are proud of the journey covered by Jaipur Foot in Mauritius by giving a much-needed boost to the self-esteem of people and improving the quality of life of the differently abled persons. Jaipur Foot has empowered them to lead an independent and productive life," he said.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Vice President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe told PTI on the sidelines of the event that in today's changing global circumstances, India is playing a very crucial and leading role, including in the rehabilitation of the different-abled people.

"Jaipur Foot has become a symbol of Indian society's ability to empathize. Indian society definitely provides several avenues for cultivation of more empathic and sensitivity-oriented initiatives and Jaipur Foot is one of them," Sahasrabuddhe said.

He said that it is a "great honour" for India to be taking a lead and initiative and to be seen as a nation that is working for the rescue and rehabilitation of those who are different-abled.

Founder and Chief Patron of BMVSS Devendra Raj Mehta said Jaipur Foot is the "epitome of frugal" or Gandhian engineering, which involves doing the maximum with the minimum.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A woman corporator of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today sat on an indefinite fast outside the office of civic chief Ajoy Mehta in the corporation building demanding speedy cleaning of the Mithi river ahead of monsoon.

The clogging of the 15-km river was considered as one of the major factors responsible for the 2005 Mumbai deluge.

Protesting NCP corporator Dr Saeed Khan, who represents flood-prone Kurla suburb, also demanded the work to construct a retaining wall along the river be expedited.

She alleged the civic body, headed by the Shiv Sena, has failed to construct the retaining wall in the last 12 years.

"Even after the court ordered the BMC to construct retaining wall in 2005, the work has not yet been completed. Piling work is going on to build the wall. The incomplete work of piling is so shoddy that it has created more mess around the area near the river. If not cleaned, the mess could lead to havoc during the monsoon," Khan said.

The river, which originates at the Vihar lake, traverses areas like Powai, Saki Naka, Kurla, Kalina, Vakola and BKC, before flowing into Mahim creek in the city.

Its width varies between 25 metres and 75 metres during the entire course.

Khan said she sat on strike today as civic officials did not act upon her complaints against the slow pace of construction of the retaining wall.

A senior civic official said the BMC is coordinating with the Mithi River Development and Protection Authority (MRDPA) and city collector to clean the river.

"Our work is monitored by the high court. Everything will be fine before the arrival of monsoon," he said.

An NGO had said that the river stretch along Saki Naka area is plagued by water hyacinth, which indicates the excessive presence of sewage and garbage.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ness Digital Engineering, a digital transformation and custom software engineering services provider, opened a facility here today.

S&P Global, a company rating agency, would support the new facility for technology, data operations and core business process talent, a company press release said.

The new 1,00,000-sq ft centre provides top talent with a world-class work environment for evolving products and platforms of S&P Global across its varied business segments,it said.

The facility has state-of-the-art technology labs to exclusively focus on artificial intelligence, internet of things, machine-learning and develops innovation and solutions,the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: Bengaluru based start-up firm Namrata Hemp Company(NHempCo) proposes to cultivate industrial hemp and set up processing and manufacturing plants in Telangana and will soon submit plans to the government for pilot projects, a top company official said today.

"We have prepared the proposal and will submit it to the state government very soon and expect the Telangana government to approve the pilot for cultivation of hemp in 25 acres and hemp processing and manufacturing plants in 15 acre," NHempCo Founder and MD Harshaavardhan Redi Sirupa told reporters here.

NHempCo is looking for the approval of a pilot project on hemp cultivation and setting up first hemp factory in Nalgonda or Mahabubnagar districts (of Telangana) and will make an initial investment of Rs 15 crore towards it, he said.

The company also planned to collaborate with agriculture and horticulture department to build up PPP model towards cultivation of industrial hemp on barren lands held by the government, he said.

On approval from the government,NHempCo proposes to start registering and collaborating with farmers across the state,he said, adding "Under our ecosystem, farmers are the biggest beneficiaries. Not just buy back from farmers, all iHemp seeds for cultivation will be distributed free from our company".

The company today launched an white paper 'Industrial Hemp-The Sunrise Industry of Telangana", highlighting on industrial hemp cultivation to boost the state's economy and how 'IHemp' can elevate farmers capabilities to revamp their farming process.

Harshaavardhan further said industrial hemp is classified under cannabis as per the NDPS Act.

Cultivation of industrial hemp has been restricted to Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

However, the state governments have special powers to issue license for cannabis cultivation for industrial purposes, he added.

Industrial hemp's potential in India is highly underestimated and not fully explored, he said.

According to the company, over 25,000 products can be produced with hemp.

NHempCo is also in the initial stages of spearheading its mission by setting up a hemp farm in Alamuru village in Andhra Pradesh on 27 acres, where 15 acres are reserved for cultivating industrial hemp plants, and the remaining for processing units, warehouses, and R&D facilities, Harshaavardhan said.

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Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega will attend long-awaited crisis talks with the opposition after nearly a month of violence that has left scores dead, officials said today.

The Central American country's Roman Catholic bishops said earlier this week they would mediate in the so-called "national dialogue" scheduled to begin tomorrow.

"Tomorrow, from 10 in the morning, once the national dialogue is opened by the bishops, our president will be there, we will be there," said Ortega's wife and government spokeswoman, Rosario Murillo.

Demonstrators and riot police clashed today in the northern town of Matagalpa, which is ruled by Ortega's Sandinista Front party.

Thirty-five people were wounded in the clashes and at least 10 people had been arrested, the Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights spokesman in the city, German Herrera, told local TV station 100% Noticias.

The education ministry said on its website that local high schools had been closed as a security precaution.

Ortega had accepted the notion of talks in the early days of the crackdown, but the church deemed he had not fulfilled conditions in which they could be held.

Among them is a visit by a regional human rights group which has finally been given permission to enter the country to investigate reports of widespread police brutality.

At least 53 people have been killed and some 400 injured in almost a month of protests, which initially broke out over proposed cuts to social security benefits, but morphed into widespread discontent with Ortega's leftist government.

The protests pose a serious challenge to the authority of Ortega, 72, who has ruled Nicaragua for the past 11 years and before that from 1979-1990, after overthrowing the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza.

The protests that erupted on April 18 were the worst his government has faced, badly shaking his tight grip on power over the country, one of the poorest in Latin America. Ortega made a series of concessions after sharp domestic and international criticism over the use of security forces to put down the protests, and curbs on independent media to report them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NIIT Ltd today said its step down subsidiary, NIIT China (Shanghai) will sell its entire 60 per cent shareholding in Wuxi NIIT for CNY 3.75 million (about Rs 3.98 crore).

"...NIIT China (Shanghai) Ltd, a step down subsidiary of the company has entered into an agreement to sell its entire 60 per cent shareholding in its subsidiary company ie Wuxi NIIT Information Technology Consulting Ltd (Wuxi NIIT)," NIIT said in a BSE filing.

It added that the move is in line with the company's focus on education centre consolidation and delivery through SLT platform and digital transformation initiatives.

"As per agreement, Wuxi has agreed to take up all responsibilities and obligation for the operation and management, claims and debts of Wuxi NIIT with effect from December 1, 2017," it said.

The filing added that the transaction involves sale of 4.8 lakh shares aggregating to 60 per cent paid-up capital of Wuxi NIIT. The deal is subject to approval of NIIT GC Ltd (Mauritius), the holding company of NIIT China.

"Out of the total consideration of CNY 3.75 million, CY 1 million (has been) received and balance CNY 2.75 million to be received on July 31, 2018," it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The month-long "Malmas Mela", which attracts people from across the country to this pilgrimage town in central Bihar, was today inaugurated by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Kumar, who also launched a mobile app that would help tourists gain information about Rajgir, which was the capital of the mighty Magadh empire in ancient India.

Speaking on the occasion, Kumar said it filled him with pride that his native district of Nalanda was home to Rajgir which was held sacred by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists,Sikhs and Muslims alike.

"I make it a point to visit this place at least once every year. Whenever I come here, I am filled with peace. This year, Malmas Mela has been included in the list of state festivals. Therefore, visitors may look forward to better facilities henceforth", the Chief Minister said.

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Researchers have developed a new method of analysing X-ray images of lungs, which could help in the diagnosis and assessment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and other lung diseases.

The team at the University of Southampton in the UK devised the method for numerically describing the complicated three-dimensional structure of the lung using topology - a part of mathematics designed specifically for the study of complex shapes.

Utilizing a combination of computed tomography (CT) scans, high-performance computing and algorithms, the researchers computed numerical characteristics, in three dimensions, of the entire bronchial trees of 64 patients categorised in four different groups.

The groups were: healthy non-smokers, healthy smokers, patients with moderate COPD and patients with mild COPD.

COPD is a complex lung condition that involves, to various degrees, the airways (bronchi) and the lung tissue (alveoli). It results in a progressive loss of lung function.

The condition affects more than 200 million people worldwide. It is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, researchers said.

In the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports. the team analysed such features as the structure and size of the bronchial tree, the length and direction of its branches and the comparative changes in shape during deep inhalation and full exhalation.

They found that, typically, a larger more complex tree indicates better lung function and a smaller distorted tree, poorer lung function.

The researchers found that their novel method was able to accurately distinguish between the different groups of patients, the characteristics of their lung function and the different stages of their condition.

It was able to identify characteristics not detectable to the naked eye.

They hope that repeating this method across a much larger database of images and combining it with other data could lead to the real-world development of a valuable clinical tool for the early diagnosis of conditions like COPD and asthma.

This provides a more accurate way of identifying the severity of an individual patient's condition, researchers said.

Until now, the severity of lung conditions has been assessed by using a spirometer - a device which measures the force and amount of air a patient can exhale.

Two-dimensional CT images, assessed by expert specialists, who have extensive experience of examining and interpreting CT imagery, and relatively simple measures of lung density and bronchial wall thickness are also used.

Our study shows that this new method, employing topological data analysis, can complement and expand on established techniques to give a valuable, accurate range of information about the lung function of individuals," said Jacek Brodzki, a professor at the University of Southampton.

This method is a major advance in our ability to study the structural abnormalities of COPD, a complex disease that affects so many people and, sadly, results in significant morbidity and mortality," said Ratko Djukanovic, a professor at the University of Southampton.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indonesian authorities said today they shot and killed three "alleged terrorists" who staged an attack on a police headquarters that left one officer dead and several wounded, the local police chief said.

The group slammed a minivan into a gate and then attacked officers with swords.

"Three officers were injured and one later died in hospital," said local police chief Nandang, who goes by one name.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Security forces pushed back an attack by Taliban insurgents today and took control of Farah city in western Afghanistan, officials said.

Farah provincial Gov Abdul Basir Salangi said more than 300 Taliban fighters were killed in the gun battles in the provincial capital also called Farah. The Taliban launched attacks from multiple directions early Tuesday aiming to gain control of the city but later faced resistance from reinforced security forces.

Salangi said at least 25 government troops were killed.

Amin Rahman Mujadedi, an official from the provincial health department, said 28 bodies were transferred to a hospital since the start of the battle and 66 wounded received treatment. He said the majority of those were security forces.

Gen Mohammad Radmanish, Defence Ministry spokesman, said Farah city was cleared of insurgents Wednesday and Afghan forces were chasing Taliban fighters outside of the city. He said Afghan forces established additional checkpoints to provide security.

Mohammad Sarwar Osmani, a lawmaker from Farah, said residents were trying to get their lives back to normal. "Shops are open today and people are out on the streets in the city," he said.

Afghan forces have struggled to combat the Taliban in recent years, as the insurgents have seized several districts across the country. The US and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014, but still provide support.

NATO said in a statement Tuesday that A-10 close support fighter jets were circling Farah, which it said was under government control.

Farah province has seen heavy fighting in recent months, with local officials and tribal elders requesting additional forces to support the overburdened army and police.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault on Farah in a statement to media, saying they attacked from multiple directions.

Separately, in eastern Ghazni province, at least 14 policemen were killed, including a district deputy police chief, after Taliban fighters launched attacks on their checkpoints, said Arif Noori, spokesman for the provincial governor.

More than 20 other security forces were wounded during simultaneous attacks, "There is a sporadic gun battle going on in Jaghatu district where Taliban stormed police check points," added Noori.

Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attacks in Ghazni. Andar and Gilan districts were two other areas where came under attack, but right now are under control, said Noori. A total of 43 Taliban fighters were killed during the battles in three different districts, he added.

Taliban insurgents have stepped up their attacks against the Afghan security forces as well as government officials since the announcement of their spring offensive last month across the country.

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Opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah today targeted the BJP over the issue of alleged illegal construction near an Army ordnance depot in Nagrota by the wife of state legislative assembly speaker Nirmal Singh.

"Dear @BJP4India the Indian Army is moving court against the J&K Speaker's (until recently Deputy CM) wife & yet we hear nothing from you about these anti-national people who are a threat to national security. May I ask why? (sic)," Abdullah said in a tweet.

The former chief minister was reacting to a report that Army had filed contempt proceedings in the High Court after Mamata Singh, wife of Nirmal Singh, did not stop the construction of the house near the defence installation at Nagrota.

The Army had in March this year written a letter to then deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh to stop construction work as it was within the prohibited zone. The Army later approached the High Court to get the construction work stopped.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Maharashtra Cooperation Minister Subhash Deshmukh today clarified that contrary to claims of the Opposition parties, only 2000 tonnes of sugar has been imported in the state from Pakistan.

The minister said the claims of the government having imported the sweetener to the tune of 20 lakh tonnes are "false" and are part of a "conspiracy" to ensure that sugar prices crash in local markets.

"The (quantum of) imported sugar from Pakistan (in Maharashtra) is 2,000 tonnes. I am going to find out the source of false information that triggered panic in markets," Deshmukh said.

He said such claims are part of a conspiracy with an aim to make sugar prices fall further.

"The political leaders who made tall claims of import quantum at around 20 lakh tonnes want the prices to crash," he alleged.

Various political parties have accused the BJP government of importing sugar from Pakistan at a time when the prices of the commodity in domestic market are already under pressure due to bumper production of sugarcane in the country.

Parties like the NCP, Congress, and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had held protests against the import.

"....These are the same leaders who also control most of the sugar mills in the state who could buy the sugar at lower rates and use such excuse to put blame on the state or union government for not helping farmers. I am gathering information about the source of the allegations. I feel it (such claims) is a conspiracy against farmers," Deshmukh said.

He said, "there is already a 100 per cent import duty in place on sugar for the last five months which makes any import during this period economically non-feasible".

Meanwhile, farmer leader and Lok Sabha MP from western Maharashtra Raju Shetti said, "Most of the sugar mill owners in Maharashtra are with Congress and NCP. It is highly suspicious that they are making false claims of sugar imports and are creating panic in markets.

"These mill operators do not want to pass on the income earned from selling sugar to farmers. It looks like they want the union government's financial assistance in the name of repayment to farmers," he claimed.

Shetti said these mill owners are known for consistently marking a partial payment to sugarcane cultivators.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court today said it would be open to appoint any suitable former judge of a high court in a tribunal or commission till any legislative amendment in this regard was brought, so that such bodies "may not remain headless".

The apex court also said that a committee could be set up in two months by the Centre to consider issues, including creation of a regular cadre and laying down eligibility for recruitment for tribunals.

"We further direct that wherever qualification required for appointment to a tribunal/commission is of a former Chief Justice or a former Supreme Court judge, and no suitable person of that category is available, it will be open to make appointment of any suitable former judge of a high court till any legislative amendment in that regard is brought out so that a tribunal/commission may not remain headless," a bench comprising Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and Indu Malhotra said.

"Subject to above, the constitution of the committee is left to the Government. The committee may be constituted within two months and may give its report within three months thereafter," the bench said.

It said that the Centre might take a call after the panel gives its report and take further appropriate action.

The bench said an affidavit of further developments be filed in the court by October 31 and posted the matter for hearing on November 13.

The apex court had on May 7 said that a committee might be set up to consider aspects like setting up of an autonomous oversight body for recruitment and overseeing the performance and discipline of the members so recruited and other related issues.

It had said that the committee might also consider amending the scheme of direct appeals to the apex court so that orders of tribunals were subject to jurisdiction of the high courts and on making benches of tribunals accessible to common man at convenient locations instead of having only one location at Delhi or elsewhere.

The court had said that in the alternative, the committee might consider conferring jurisdiction on existing courts as special courts or tribunals.

It had said that consideration on these issues requires urgent setting up of a committee, preferably of three members.

The issue had cropped up before the court which was hearing a matter in which it was pointed out that appointment, norms and functioning of Debt Recovery Tribunals was not consistent with the apex court's observations passed in various judgments.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Orchids The International School has designed an efficient Computer course, which is a product of careful thought and abundant testing. Based on the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) concept, the complete Computer Curriculum is refined and implemented successfully at all the branches. Students will be taught app development, coding and different creative technologies to primary, secondary, and senior secondary levels with the hope of inspiring the next-generation of innovators and tech professionals in the country. (Photo: )



At Orchids campus, students are introduced to the Computer program called 'Scratch'- a visual programming language that can be used to program a game. The comprehensive Computer programs offered at Orchids The International School is designed specially by correlating it to day-to-day life for a proper understanding of its professional and personal use. This facilitates pupils to see various technical terms of computers in the most effective way possible. Also, the students will develop specific discipline knowledge and skills required for graduate level and other future prospects.

With the help of survey conducted at the pilot level, it was illustrated that most schools have assigned only a single period of computer science teaching only the basics. Orchids The International School has successfully taken up the idea of having 3-4 periods depending on the grade and covers programming languages as well, along with the fundamentals. In addition, students are taught to create their own web pages and write their own blogs. These computational subjects are relevant to the necessity of pursuing careers in information processing systems. Some of the key highlights of the course are: To simulate hands-on training with real-life scenarios



Increasing computational thinking and problem-solving ability by basic class activities and puzzles



Regular assessment after every module instead of one-time examination



Inculcate the creativity of writing



The certificate will be issued after completion of course



Asma Umar, The Principal, Orchids The International School, Bengaluru says, "Our prime focus is to keep our kids abreast with the latest software. It will assist them to be innovative leaders in the area of Computer Science and help our faculty to be recognized for quality teaching." Dr. Madhuri Sagale, The Principal at Orchids The International School, Mumbai says, "These Computer Courses have been a really positive one. They offer a unique blend of hands-on and fun for the students and their bright and young instructors are able to connect with our students in ways that few others can." Farhat Ehsas, Parent, Pune, "Introduction to Computer software has increased the kids' interest in learning computers and giving kids the vital life skills required to become leaders in the technologies of tomorrow." Meenu Devi, Teacher, Bengaluru, "At Orchids Campus, we are delivering a unique blend of technical, creative and expressive learning experiences which inspire and delight students. This course provides students with a boost of confidence in their own abilities and a launching pad for further exploration of the endless potentialities of technology and creativity." Amit Kedia, a student at Orchids The International School, Pune, shared his experience, "This course taught me to be innovative and I was directed by some excellent instructors. It was very useful and is certainly starting to assist me with my school projects." About Orchids The International School



The 'Orchids The International School' is facilitated with advanced infrastructure, which includes a well-equipped Computer Lab to serve each student to explore new ideas and learn through hands-on experiences. Owing to the pursuit of excellence in teaching and research, the Department of Computer Science aims to be recognized as a technological advance school. They have full-time and adjunct faculties to respond to the academic needs of the students right away. The Computer Course designed by 'Orchids The International School', is one of the acknowledged course by the students itself as they are enjoying it very comfortably and looking forward to the same. Quick Facts



Founded in 2002



Working on 5 pillars - Academics Excellence, Safe Campus, Personal Attentions, Holistic Development, Best-in-class Infrastructure



19 International Schools



Presence across 4 Cities - Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad



2,000+ Teachers



17,000+ Students



Media Contact: Prudhvi Raj prudhvi.raaj@orchids.edu.in (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Oxfam chief executive Mark Goldring announced his resignation today, saying someone else should "rebuild" the British charity following a prostitution scandal involving aid workers in Haiti.

In a statement, Goldring said he would stay until the end of the year but beyond that, "this journey will best be led by someone bringing fresh vision and energy and making a long-term commitment to see it through".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
PNB executive director K V Brahmaiji Rao, who has been divested of powers, today called on Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar to explain his position with regards to the CBI chargesheet naming him in the Nirav Modi fraud case.

Sources said PNB's executive director Rao today met Secretary Kumar and explained his position.

The CBI on Monday filled a chargesheet in the Punjab National Bank's USD 2 billion fraud case in a Mumbai court naming Rao, another executive director Sanjiv Sharan and the bank's former MD Usha Ananthasubramanian in the scam.

Following the development, the Finance Ministry asked the PNB board to strip two executive directors of all functional powers. The PNB board met the same day and divested the two executive directors of all financial and executive powers.

The ministry had also asked Allahabad Bank to take similar action against its CEO and MD Usha Ananthasubramanian. The bank's board yesterday divested her of all powers.

Meanwhile, sources said Ananthasubramanian did not attend office today.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today extolled the "essential rightness" of the United States in global affairs as he urged demoralised US diplomats to act firmly and aggressively as they promote and carry out the Trump administration's foreign policies.

In a pep talk to State Department employees, Pompeo explained that his repeated calls for the agency to regain its "swagger" meant that diplomats should act with confidence, knowing that the US cause is just. The State Department released excerpts of his prepared remarks, which were delivered at an internal town hall event.

"Swagger is not arrogance; it is not boastfulness, it is not ego," Pompeo said, according to the excerpts. "No, swagger is confidence; in one's self, in one's ideas. In our case, it is America's essential rightness. And it is aggressiveness born of the righteous knowledge that our cause is just, special, and built upon America's core principles."



"Our task is to preserve our civilization of human dignity, individual liberty, democracy, national sovereignty, and the rule of law, and to challenge anyone seeking to take it down," he said.

"We should be proud and confident in America and her values we should carry that diplomatic swagger to the ends of the earth; humbly, nobly and with the skill and courage I know you all possess." Pompeo, who replaced his fired predecessor Rex Tillerson last month, is in his third week on the job.

He pledged at his confirmation hearing and has said publicly on numerous occasions that he wants the State Department to get its "swagger" back. Those words were met with relief from many beleaguered State Department employees who were critical of Tillerson's endorsement of major budget cuts and staff reductions.

The former CIA chief has already reversed some of Tillerson's most unpopular directives by lifting a 16-month hiring freeze and restoring a programme allowing diplomatic spouses to work in embassies abroad.

Still, many diplomats remain concerned as Trump has withdrawn from several key agreements that had been diplomatic achievements of the previous administration, such as the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris climate accord and a Pacific Rim trade deal. The Trump administration has also turned its back on decades of U.S. policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moving the U.S. embassy to the holy city from Tel Aviv.

Pompeo, however, told his staff that Trump appreciates diplomacy and will use it as a force to protect American interests.

"We are fortunate that our President values and understands the power of diplomacy, and knows that we must use every tool in the diplomatic toolkit," he said.

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Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today slammed outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of encouraging horse-trading in the state, saying the Congress should understand that the mandate of the people is against it.

Taking a dig at the Congress, he said the Karnataka elections were a no-ordinary affair as Siddaramaiah lost in one constituency and "scraped through" in the other.

"Only 16 of his Cabinet colleagues lost in the elections," he said sarcastically.

"I have seen in the media utterly irresponsible, misleading and malicious comments by Siddaramaiah against our prime minister...I completely deny these allegations," Prasad told reporters here.

Siddaramaiah had accused Modi of encouraging horse-trading to bring the BJP to power in the state.

The prime minister in his address to BJP workers here had thanked the voters of Karnataka and promised that the Centre would work shoulder-to-shoulder with the state for its development, Prasad said.

"I don't think there was anything wrong in the prime minister's remarks" for Siddaramaiah to level such allegations, he said.

The law minister said the Congress should understand the mandate of the people and respect it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Ram Nath Kovind will attend the 9th convocation ceremony of



Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (YSPUHF) in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh on



May 22.

The state-run university was founded in 1985 with an objective to promote and research in the fields of horticulture, forestry and allied disciplines.

Former president R Venkataraman was the chief guest at the first convocation of the varsity held in the year 1988.

This is a very proud moment for the university and we are thankful to the Honourable President and the Himachal Pradesh government for giving us this opportunity," UHF Vice Chancellor H C Sharma said



He said Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and Governor and Chancellor of the varsity, Archarya Devvrat will also be present at the event.

This will be the second instance when the President of India will be attending the convocation of the university. Former president R Venkataraman was the chief guest at the first convocation of the university held in the year 1988, the vice chancellor said.

The university will be giving out degrees to 462 students during the ceremony. Besides, students of MBA and PhD programmes will also be receiving degrees at the event.Gold medals in eight disciplines will be awarded during the ceremony.

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Meghan Markle will be accompanied at her wedding to Prince Harry on Saturday by six bridesmaids, including 3-year-old Princess Charlotte, Kensington Palace announced today.

Princess Charlotte is the second child and only daughter of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

Her elder brother, Prince George, aged four, will be a page boy alongside three other young boys.

So far, the details of the bridesmaids' dresses and the page boys' uniforms remain under wraps, the BBC reported.

Markle, 36, will not have a maid of honour as she wanted to avoid choosing just one of her closest friends, it said.

Merkle is a humanitarian activist and former American actress.

As well as his niece and nephew, Prince Harry has also picked three godchildren - three-year-old Florence van Cutsem, two year-old Zalie Warren and Jasper Dyer, six - to have starring roles on his big day.

Markle's goddaughters, Remi Litt, six, and her elder sister, Rylan, seven, will also be joining the procession of bridesmaids.

The three children of one of her best friends, Jessica Mulroney - Ivy, four, and Brian and John, both seven - will complete the picture.

Jessica is married to Ben Mulroney, a Canadian TV host and son of former Canadian prime minister, Brian Mulroney.

Prince George, the son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, will have experience to lean on - he was page boy at his aunt Pippa Middleton's wedding to James Matthews last year.

His sister, Charlotte, recently showed she was undaunted by the limelight when she visited her little brother, Prince Louis, at hospital after his birth.

With the world's cameras trained on Charlotte, she seemed to enjoy the attention, waving sweetly and smiling at the bank of photographers, the report said.

The announcement on bridesmaids comes during a turbulent week for the royal couple. After first telling TMZ he would not be flying to the UK to walk his daughter Meghan down the aisle as planned, Thomas Markle later said he had changed his mind, according to the US-based celebrity site.

"I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle," he said yesterday, according to TMZ.

Markle has been involved in controversy since it was revealed he allegedly staged a series of photos captured by an American paparazzo.

Just hours later, the site reported that Markle would not be attending as he said he would be undergoing heart surgery today, just three days before the royal wedding.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Kamrup Metropolitan district administration has ordered separate inquiries into the deaths of two septuagenarian prisoners of the Central Jail, Guwahati, an official release said here.

The two convicts had died last month in two hospitals in Guwahati and separate probe orders were given for the two deaths.

Abdul Sabhan, aged 76, expired at the B Barooah Cancer Institute here on April 24 during treatment, while Raj Karan Singh, 70, died at the Gauhati Medical College Hospital the previous day, the release said.

Sabhan, who hailed from Morigaon district, had been transferred to Guwahati from Morigaon District Jail on August 9 last year for better medical treatment.

Singh was from Kamrup Metropolitan district and he was admitted to hospital on April 23 because of his illness and he died on the same day, it said.

The probe reports are to be submitted to the National Human Rights Commission and the Assam Human Rights Commission, the release said.

Submitting reports on death of prisoners while serving term to the NHRC or the AHRC is part of a routine official procedure, official sources said.

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Prohibitory orders were imposed in Hailakandi district of Assam by the administration to maintain law and order, an official said today.

The order issued by District Magistrate Adil Khan prohibits demonstration, picketing and procession in front of offices, public institutions, public undertakings, commercial establishments or any other places of public importance.

The order also prohibits inflammatory speeches, communal or anti-national slogan shouting, writing and postering on walls, roads, public or private buildings, vehicles, etc., use of loud speakers and bursting of crackers, unauthorised construction and encroachment in forest areas and government land.

Exempting government meetings and programmes from the purview of the order, it says violation of the order will result in prosecution under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Meanwhile, Khan held a security meeting with the superintendent of police and other senior officials of security agencies to review the law and order situation in the district.

Section144 of the CrPc has been promulgated to avert untoward incidents breaching peace and tranquillity, the district magistrate said.

On May 14, the All Assam Students Union (AASU) took out a procession in Hailakandi against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and some miscreants pelted stones, injuring some activists.

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The Delhi High Court today stressed the dire need for proper critical care training to paramedics, while hearing a plea by a woman whose mother had died of cardiac arrest due to medical negligence.

The court sought response of the Delhi government on the plea by the woman, a neuro scientist in the US, seeking direction to frame binding critical care guidelines for Delhi government-run and private hospitals.

She also prayed for a direction to provide basic and advanced critical life support cardiopulmonary resuscitation training to all doctors and nurses under their jurisdiction.

"You (Delhi government) need to do something about it. Her mother was taken from one hospital to another. Paramedics should be trained more," Justice Rajiv Shakdher said.

The woman, in her petition filed through advocate Jai Dehadrai, highlighted the "criminal neglect" suffered by her mother "at the hands of two hospitals and five doctors who blatantly refused to admit or treat her while she laid helplessly dying in her car".

The victim had died on February 9 last year after she was refused an entry into two private hospitals in east Delhi.

Dehadrai said the woman was not seeking any compensation from the hospitals but wanted directions for framing guidelines for hospitals.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on August 31.

The plea also sought a direction to the Delhi government and Directorate General of Health Services to permanently shut down and cancel the medical licence and permission granted to the two hospitals, alleging they were "nothing more than death traps".

It also sought cancellation of licences and degrees of the five doctors who were allegedly directly responsible for causing the death of the victim by denying her treatment.

"Direct the Government of NCT of Delhi and the Directorate General of Health Services to draft binding medical guidelines for all private and government hospitals in Delhi to ensure admission of dying/critical patients brought in an emergency situation and specifically the victims of cardiac arrest.

"Set up a commission of inquiry under the stewardship of a retired high court judge to investigate and ascertain the quality of emergency healthcare facilities provided in the National Capital Region of Delhi," the plea said.

It said when the woman was taken to the first hospital, the MBBS doctor there neither attend to the emergency situation, nor provide any treatment and refused her admission. The doctor also asked the attendant to take the victim to another hospital, the plea said.

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Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh mooted today a proposal to cut down the budget of all other departments by five per cent each, in order to arrange additional revenue for education, which he described as "critical for the state's development and progress".

The initiative, the chief minister said, would help raise an additional Rs 887 crore for education, whose budgetary allocation currently stands at 14 per cent of the total outlay at Rs 2,916 crore. The additional budget for education would raise the total to Rs 3803 crore, making it 21 per cent of the overall outlay.

"Education is the most vital engine of the state's growth and the Congress government in Punjab would take all possible steps to improve the education system, including five per cent reduction in the budgetary allocation for other departments, if needed, to raise its investment in education," Singh said.

The chief minister was speaking at the Agri Conclave 18, hosted by a private TV channel here, an official release said.

Speaking at the event, Singh reiterated his stand on water sharing, saying Punjab did not have sufficient water to share with other states, given the criticality of the ground water levels.

Describing the declining water levels and the cropping pattern in the state as "critical issues", Singh said Punjab was grappling with a major water crisis.

Recalling that he had given water to Rajasthan during drought period in his previous tenure, he pointed out that the situation had changed drastically since then, with melting glaciers adding to Punjab's water woes.

"Though the division of resources between Punjab and Haryana is in 60:40 ratio, the entire Yamuna river water went to Haryana, which also got additional water from the Sharda Link along with 40 per cent of the Beas-Ravi-Satluj water," Singh said.

"Once the issue of the quantum of water is decided, only then can the matter of SYL canal construction be sorted out," he said, expressing hope that the matter would be resolved amicably.

Underlining the need to save groundwater through various innovative methods, such as drip irrigation, aeroponic and hydroponic techniques, the chief minister said his government was working on getting canal water into the cities in order to control exploitation of groundwater and prevent spread of diseases.

Singh said the agriculture crisis was a national problem and the Centre must address it.

"Unfortunately, it is being used to score political points," he said, adding that the few steps being taken by the central government now were only with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections, due next year.

Singh said Punjab, being an agri state, was contributing 12.5 per cent to the country's overall food production but had less than two per cent of total cultivable land.

"The state is unfortunately facing many challenges on the agriculture front," Singh said, and listed problems like: depleting soil fertility, declining water tables, near stagnation in yields of rice and wheat, and decreasing real income for farmers.

"These matters are of serious concern and need central government's urgent intervention," he said.

The chief minister reiterated the need for overall implementation of the Swaminathan report, especially on the pricing structure, observing that despite record paddy and wheat production, "Punjab's farmers are in distress".

"While salaries of government employees has gone up more than 100 times since 1976, MSP had been increased only by 22 per cent, making agriculture extremely non-viable for the farmers," he said.

Underlining the need to change the cropping pattern, Singh said his government was working on new models, through research collaborations with the US, Isreal, and Canada.

"An exchange programme with Uzbekistan for cotton cultivation is also under consideration," he said, noting that the new cotton seeds had lower germination time, which could be beneficial to the farmers.

"While the state government is striving to shift farmers away from the water-draining paddy cultivation to alternate crops, such as maize, the Centre needs to extend favourable MSP support to facilitate such a shift," he said.

Responding to a question by an audience member, the chief minister reiterated his government's commitment to complete the farm loan waiver process, under the waiver scheme launched in January, by November this year.

"So far, a total of Rs 999.67 crore has been provided as relief to about 2.02 lakh farmers," he said.

He clarified, while replying to an audience query, that both the principal and the interest components were being covered in the Rs 2 lakh waiver amount announced by his government.

"The Congress was unaware of the magnitude of the financial mess it was inheriting from the erstwhile SAD-BJP government," Singh said, while replying to another question.

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A rare pear-shaped blue diamond, originating from the Golconda mines in India, passed between Europe's royal houses for more than 300 years, has been sold at auction for a whopping USD 6.7 million.

Known as the Farnese Blue, the 6.16-carat jewel surpassed pre-auction estimates after going under the hammer yesterday for the first time at Sotheby's Geneva.

The fancy dark grey-blue diamond takes its name from the second wife of King Philip V of Spain, Elisabeth Farnese, who received it as a wedding gift in 1715.

Over the next three centuries, the jewel was passed down to through generations of her descendants, which -- due to marriages between European houses -- saw it join the royal families of France, Italy and Austria.

The historic diamond was exhibited in London, New York, Singapore and Taipei, before arriving in Geneva ahead of yesterday's auction, CNN reported.

The winning bid, made by an as-yet-unidentified buyer, exceeded pre-sale estimates, which had valued the item at between USD 3.7 and USD 5.3 million, it said.

Speaking after the sale, Daniela Mascetti, Deputy Chairman, Sotheby's Jewellery Europe and Senior International Specialist, said: "The Farnese Blue is quite simply an unforgettable diamond, and everyone who set their eyes on it was mesmerised by its extraordinary colour: the rich blue of the deepest ocean.

"As was evidenced by the competition between bidders, the response from collectors has matched our own excitement for this diamond," Mascetti said.

At one point in history, the Farnese Blue is thought to have appeared on a diamond tiara belonging to Marie Antoinette.

The diamond was one of a number of high-profile jewels featured in yesterday's auction. Among them was a round diamond ring, weighing 51.71 carats, that sold for USD 9.2 million, and a 50.39-carat oval diamond ring that went for USD 8.1 million.

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Shares of Reliance Communications (RCcom) tumbled 20.5 per cent a day after NCLT admitted an insolvency petition filed by Ericsson against the company and two of its subsidiaries.

The stock after making a weak opening further tanked 20 per cent to Rs 9.95 on BSE.

At NSE, shares of the company dived 20.56 per cent to Rs 9.85.

Weakness was also seen in other group stocks, with Reliance Naval and Engineering trading lower by 6.23 per cent, Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management 2.70 per cent, Reliance Power 1.19 per cent and Reliance Capital 1 per cent during the afternoon trade on BSE.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)yesterday admitted an insolvency petition filed by Swedish communications equipment major Ericsson against Anil Ambani-run RCom and two of its subsidiaries seeking to recover Rs 1,150 crore.

Ericsson had signed a seven-year deal in 2014 to operate and manage RCom's nationwide telecom network but has not been paid the bill.

The tribunal admitted the petition yesterday which could potentially result in delaying RCom's plans to sell assets to lighten its debt load.

In a statement, the company said, "RCom and two of its subsidiaries - Reliance Telecom and Reliance Infratel - await detailed order from NCLT, allowing the Ericsson application for admitting the companies to debt resolution under the IBC.

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Rashtriya Lok Sal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh has lambasted the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government for not fulfilling their promises of providing relief to sugarcane farmers.

Despite assurances from the Centre, sugarcane farmers were yet to get their dues from sugar mill, Singh said at an event to mark the seventh death anniversary of farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait at the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) headquarters in Sisoli yesterday.

The BJP government had promised to clear payments every 14 days, he said.

The RLD leader also criticised the Centre for its sugarcane import policy, which has directly affected farmers and said ripe sugarcane crop was not being purchased from farmers.

Their fields are full of sugarcane but the government is not buying them the farmers need the land to sow other crops as well, Singh said.

Calling upon the farming community to stand united, Singh credited Tikait for protecting the interests of Indian farmers.

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"Deadpool 2" star Ryan Reynolds says he is uninterested in pushing his children into the glitz and glamour world of show business.

The 41-year-old actor, who has two daughters James (three) and Inez (19 months) with wife actor Blake Lively, feels it will be "cruel" to make kids deal with the pressures of fame.

When asked why he does not want to put his children in showbiz, Reynolds said, "Mostly because I'm against child abuse. Show business, for a little kid, that's a crazy pursuit.

"Acting is great. Theatre school, that kind of (thing) - amazing. I don't know why you would put your kid in show business."



The actor appeared on "Good Morning America" to promote his upcoming film "Deadpool 2", which releases this Friday.

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The Supreme Court today held that the process to auction Sahara group's prime Aamby Valley property in Maharashtra would continue, as the group has failed to deposit Rs 750 crore in the SEBI-Sahara refund account.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra observed that the group had on April 19 told the court that they would sell a parcel of the Aamby Valley properties and deposit the amount in the account by May 15 since auctioning would not fetch the desired price.

The bench, also comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and A K Sikri, was informed by the counsel representing the official liquidator of the Bombay High Court that the group has failed to deposit the money.

Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Sahara chief Subrata Roy and the group, also told the bench that they have failed to deposit the amount in the refund account.

"As far as the auction of the property is concerned, the same shall continue as the contemner has failed to deposit Rs 750 crore as suggested by him earlier," the bench said and posted the matter for further hearing on July 12.

During the hearing, the bench sought to know from senior advocate Arvind Datar, who appeared for SEBI, as to what was the total principal amount due which was to be deposited by the Sahara group.

Datar said the total amount was Rs 25,781.23 crore, out of which Rs 14,357 crore principal amount has already been deposited by the group. With interest, the deposited amount would come to around Rs 18,187 crore.

He said approximately Rs 6,500 crore was due which was to be paid by the group.

"He (Sahara) was permitted to sell one parcel (of Aamby Valley) and deposit Rs 750 crore. He has failed. The issue is how to realise the money," the bench observed, adding, "You go ahead with auction of properties which are unencumbered."



Datar said as per the group, the Aamby Valley was worth Rs one lakh crore and the remaining amount to be paid by them was around Rs 6,500 crore and the apex court might consider allowing the sale of shares of 4-5 companies, which were holding shares of the property.

The bench, while referring to the holding companies other than Sahara group, said, "they may say that we do not want to sell my land or property. Here, the valuation is of Aamby Valley and not of these companies".

However, Sahara's counsel Singh said that valuation of parcels of Aamby Valley was kept in a sealed cover and if it was to be sold, the valuation should be given to them also. As of today, the group was maintaining the property and they would continue to do so but the valuation should be shared with them, he added.

"Let the auction proceed," the bench said.

The apex court had on April 19 said if the group failed to sell parcel of Aamby Valley property by May 15 and deposit the amount in the refund account, the Bombay High Court's official liquidator would proceed with the proposed auctioning process to sell them.

The group had earlier said it has already deposited more than Rs 17,000 crore and they deserved a hearing as lot of issues were required to be looked into.

The official liquidator, in its report filed in the top court, had said it has commenced the procedure for auctioning the Aamby Valley property for which bids would be invited from May 21 to 31 and the auction would begin from June 2.

Roy, who has spent almost two years in jail, has been on parole since May 6 last year. The parole was granted the first time to enable him attend the funeral of his mother. It has been extended since then.

Besides Roy, two other directors -- Ravi Shankar Dubey and Ashok Roy Choudhary -- were arrested for failure of the group's two companies -- Sahara India Real Estate Corporation (SIRECL) and Sahara Housing Investment Corp Ltd (SHICL) -- to comply with the court's August 31, 2012 order to return Rs 24,000 crore to their investors.

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"Lady Bird" star Saoirse Ronan believes that stardom can be a "distraction" and said she tries to stay ground by doing what she loves.

The 24-year-old actor recently appeared on ITV's "Lorraine", where she opened up about fame and how she copes up with it.

"I can see how it can be distracting, especially when you do get a bit more recognisable, and maybe you're sort of in the public eye a little bit more and stuff," Ronan said.

"But if you're why it is you're doing this - it should be because you love it - it keeps you quite levelheaded," she added.

The "Brooklyn" actor, who hails from Ireland, also said that she supports Irish women's campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which makes abortion illegal in the country.

"I'm fully in support of a yes vote. A lot of the people I know are. There's so many women everyday that have to travel abroad mainly to the UK to have an abortion and what this will do is just give women the choice and full ownership over their own body," Ronan said.

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The Supreme Court today directed realty firm Jaiprakash Associates Limited (JAL) to deposit Rs 1,000 crore, in addition to Rs 750 crore already deposited, by June 15 to provide refunds to the hassled home buyers.

On submission of the amount, the liquidation proceedings against Jaypee Infratech Limited (JIL), a subsidiary of holding company JAL, shall remain stayed, the top court said.

The direction came from a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra when lawyer Anupam Lal Das, counsel for the JAL, said that holding firm JAL be allowed to revive its crisis-hit subsidiary JIL as its liquidation would neither be in the interest of creditors, nor in the interest of home buyers.

The bench, which also comprised Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, directed that in case of default in depositing the money by June 15, "the statutory proceedings against JIL shall proceed".

It then asked lawyer Pawan Shree Agrawal, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae, to disburse money to the home buyers who wanted refund on a "pro-rata" basis.

Senior advocate C A Sundaram, representing a financial institution (FI), said most home buyers have taken loans from banks and hence, it should be ensured that they pay refunded money to the banks only.

The court asked the banks, who have granted loans to home buyers of JIL, to send their representatives to discuss this aspect with the amicus to ensure that the disbursed amount goes to the FIs.

At the outset, the counsel for JAL apprised the court about the present status of the insolvency proceedings against JIL and submitted that the holding firm's resolution to revive the subsidiary was needed to be considered by the committee of creditors (COC).

"We have proposed the best revival plan and the liquidation of JIL is neither in the interest of creditors, nor in the interest of home buyers," he said.

The firm has proposed to offer 2,000 equity shares of JIL to each home buyer as part of its Rs 10,000-crore proposal to revive it, Das said.

The lawyer said the company has been delivering possession of 500 dwelling units every months to home buyers and moreover, 92 per cent home buyers wanted possession of their homes.

"Please ask the Committee of Creditors to decide whether my (JAL's) resolution plea for revival of the company (JIL) worth considering or not," he said.

Senior advocate Ajit Sinha, appearing for home buyers including one Chitra Sharma, said the court had directed the real estate firm to deposit Rs 2,000 crore and only Rs 750 crore has been deposited and hence, it was a case of non-compliance of the order.

The company, in its plea, had sought a direction for restraining the National Company Law Tribunal (NLCT) at Allahabad from proceeding further with the insolvency proceedings.

It had also said that the handing over of the company to the "sole resolution applicant" will result in compromising the interests of home buyers, minority shareholders, employees and even the financial creditors of the company.

The apex court had on January 10 directed JAL, the holding firm of Jaypee Infratech Ltd (JIL), to provide details of its housing projects in the country, saying the home buyers should either get their houses or their money back.

The home buyers had moved the apex court, stating that around 32,000 people had booked flats and were now paying instalments.

The plea had also stated that hundreds of home buyers were left in the lurch after the NCLT, on August 10 last year, admitted the IDBI Bank's plea to initiate insolvency proceedings against the debt-ridden realty firm for allegedly defaulting on a Rs 526-crore loan.

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The Supreme Court Collegium today again deferred its decision on the issue of recommending Uttarakhand Chief Justice K M Joseph for elevation to the top court after it was returned by the Centre.

An apex court official said that no decision has been taken as to when the recommendation will be sent to the Centre.

The Collegium comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and four senior most judges --justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph deliberated for more than an hour.

Official details on the outcome of the meeting were awaited. This was the Collegium's second meeting in five days.

At its last meeting on May 11, the Collegium had agreed in principle to reiterate its recommendation for elevating Justice Joseph as a judge of the apex court, almost three weeks after it was returned by the Centre, but could not decide on a date.

It had then adopted a resolution which stated that there was a need for further discussion on the issue of sending the other names of judges to the Centre and had decided to meet again today.

"The Chief Justice and other members of the Collegium have, on principle, unanimously agreed that the recommendation for appointment of Justice K M Joseph, Chief Justice, Uttarakhand High Court (Parent High Court: Kerala)as a Judge of the Supreme Court should be reiterated.

"However, the said reiteration should also be accompanied by the recommendation of the names of Chief Justices of High Courts for elevation as Judges of the Supreme Court, for which detailed discussion is required," the resolution of May 11 had said.

It had also decided to consider the names of other High Court Judges for elevation as Judges of the Supreme Court.

Official sources said those high court judges who are in the race to be elevated to the apex court are Chief Justice of Madras High Court Indira Banerjee, who is originally from the Calcutta HC, Gujarat HC Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy, whose parent cadre is Telangana and Andhra Pradesh HC, and Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, who is originally from Rajasthan HC.

The government had on April 26 returned the Collegium's recommendation to elevate Justice Joseph seeking its reconsideration, saying the proposal was not in accordance with the top court's parameters and there was adequate representation of Kerala in the higher judiciary from where he hails. It had also questioned his seniority for elevation as a judge of the apex court.

The Collegium has recommended the name of Additional Judge Justice Ramchandra Singh Jhala to be appointed as a permanent judge of the Rajasthan High Court.

"Taking into consideration the material on record, the Collegium finds Justice Ramchandra Singh Jhala, Additional Judge, suitable for being appointed as Permanent Judge (of the Rajasthan High Court).

"In view of the above, the Collegium resolves to recommend, for the present, that Justice Ramchandra Singh Jhala, Additional Judge be appointed as Permanent Judge of the Rajasthan High Court against one of the existing vacancies," its resolution said.

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The Supreme Court Collegium met today to deliberate on several issues, including reconsidering the name of Uttarakhand Chief Justice K M Joseph for elevation to the top court after it was returned by the Centre.

Details on the outcome of the meeting, which is understood to have gone on for over an hour, are awaited. This was the Collegium's second meeting in five days.

At its last meeting on May 11, the Collegium had agreed in principle to reiterate its recommendation for elevating Justice Joseph as a judge of the apex court, almost three weeks after it was returned by the Centre.

It had then adopted a resolution which stated that there was need for further discussion on the issue of sending the other names to the Centre and had decided to meet again today.

The Collegium comprises Chief Justice Dipak Misra and five senior most judges Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph.

"The Chief Justice and other members of the Collegium have, on principle, unanimously agreed that the recommendation for appointment of Justice K M Joseph, Chief Justice, Uttarakhand High Court [Parent High Court: Kerala] as a Judge of the Supreme Court should be reiterated.

"However, the said reiteration should also be accompanied by the recommendation of the names of Chief Justices of High Courts for elevation as Judges of the Supreme Court, for which detailed discussion is required," the resolution of May 11 had said.

It had then also decided to consider the names of other High Court Judges for elevation as Judges of the Supreme Court.

Official sources said those high court judges who are in the race to be elevated to the apex court are Chief Justice of Madras High Court Indira Banerjee, who is originally from the Calcutta HC, Gujarat HC Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy, whose parent cadre is Telangana and Andhra Pradesh HC, and Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, who is originally from Rajasthan HC.

The government had on April 26 returned the Collegium's recommendation to elevate Justice Joseph seeking its reconsideration, saying the proposal was not in accordance with the top court's parameters and there was adequate representation of Kerala in the higher judiciary from where he hails. It had also questioned his seniority for elevation as a judge of the apex court.

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India's Deputy National Security Advisor Rajinder Khanna will attend the meeting of the SCO NSAs in China next week to discuss security cooperation between the members of the eight-nation grouping.

The NSAs meeting is being organized ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit to be held in the Chinese city of Qingdao from June 9 to 10 which will also be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This will be the first summit of the grouping after India and Pakistan joined as full members last year.

The 13th meeting of the SCO National Security Council Secretaries will be held in Beijing from May 21 to 22 on the invitation of China's Public Security Minister and State Councillor Zhao Kezhi, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang announced today.

The meeting would focus on improving the security cooperation between the members.

During the meeting, the participants will review the security situation and discuss priorities for security cooperation, the announcement said.

India will be represented by Deputy NSA Khanna, it said.

Over the years, the SCO has developed strong anti-terrorism cooperation structure, Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).

It specialised in cooperation in counter-terrorism operations with periodic exercises between the member countries.

The meeting will also be attended by Secretary-General of the SCO Rashid Alimov and Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Antiterrorist Structure.

The SCO in which China plays an influential role is comprised of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

Pakistan's NSA Lieutenant General (retired) Naseer Khan Janjua is also due to take part in the SCO NSAs meeting.

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The Shiv Sena ministers today opposed opening up of salt pan lands in Mumbai for affordable housing in the cabinet meeting, saying it would put additional strain on the city's fragile ecology.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, said the decision fell in the Union government's purview, and raising the issue at this point was akin to "playing to the gallery".

Recently-approved Development Plan (DP) 2034 for Mumbai provides for the use of salt pan lands for affordable housing.

"The issue of opening up salt pan lands for development was raised by (Environment Minister and Sena leader) Ramdas Kadam in the cabinet meeting," a party source said.

"Sena ministers voiced their opposition to the proposal very strongly and conveyed it to the chief minister that under no circumstances the party will allow construction on salt pan lands," the source added.

The poor were being used as a "shield" to favour builders by opening up salt pan lands, Kadam told Fadnavis, the source said.

"Opening up salt pan lands will put more strain on the ecology of Mumbai, which is already grappling with problems such as excessive population, traffic and (effects of) climate change," the source said, quoting Kadam.

Kadam himself could not be contacted.

Fadnavis told PTI that no proposal regarding development of salt pan lands was before the cabinet, and it (Sena ministers raising the issue) was a "sort of an attempt to play to the gallery".

"The decision about salt pan lands is not in the hands of the state government but of the Centre. The Centre will allow affordable housing only on those lands where it is ecologically viable and environmentally permissible, because we already have laws governing the same," the chief minister said.

According to the DP-2034, 300 hectares of salt pan lands, which serve as a natural buffer during heavy rains and high tides, will be utilised for affordable housing.

Last week, Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam had opposed the provision, saying the city cannot afford to have salt pans and no-development zones, the last remaining open spaces, falling prey to the builder lobby.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nirupam had requested the Union government to intervene in this matter.

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Outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah turned "emotional" at a meeting of the party's new legislators today while speaking on Congress' defeat in the assembly polls even as senior leaders blamed him for the result, party sources said.

The 69-year-old leader received flak from several senior party MLAs, who held him responsible for the Congress' performance, citing his complete authority in selection of candidates and the Lingayat issue, they said.

Meanwhile, Home Minister in the outgoing government Ramalinga Reddy said most of the MLAs were present at the meeting today except "three or four " who were on their way, but all were in touch".

Claiming that 117 MLAs were on their side, he said "despite this if the Governor does not invite us, we will decide how to go further...we may also parade our strength."



Party sources aware of the developments said Siddaramaiah "kind of got emotional" as he spoke



during the legislature party meeting of the Congress' loss despite his government's "good developmental works".

Siddaramaiah is also said to have cited "polarisation" as one of the factors that affected the party's prospects in the May 12 election.

The sources said 73 legislators, including one independent MLA, were present at the meet.

Six MLAs who were absent were in touch with party leaders over phone, they said.

A joint legislature party meeting of Congress and JD(S) MLAs is scheduled at a hotel here later today, following which Congress leaders are likely to be shifted to a resort on the outskirts of the city, the sources said, adding that JD(S)was expected to make a similar move.

In the May 12 polls, BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 members, while Congress secured 78, the JD(S) 37 and others three.

Alleging that BJP was trying to poach Congress MLAs, Reddy said "they had done it in the past, they are trying to do it again, but they will not succeed... we are all together and will stay together."



"BJP has contacted five or six of our MLAs. They raised their hands when asked during the meeting today," he added.

Reddy also said the Congress legislature party leader was not elected at the meeting, which discussed the government formation exercise. "We have signed a letter extending our support to Kumaraswamy as chief minister," he said.

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The Siddaramaiah government's high-risk gamble to play the Lingayat card with a religious minority tag has turned out to be a costly misadventure electorally, leaving Congress poorer in terms of assembly seats.

BJP has made a strong showing in Mumbai-Karnataka region, where it won 30 out of 50 seats, conceding 17 to Congress, down from 31 it had won in the previous 2013 assembly polls.

While out of 36 seats in central Karnataka region, Congress' tally dropped to 13 from 19 last year,BJP made steep gains by winning 15 seats, compared to three it won in 2013.

In Hyderabad-Karnataka region also, BJP increased its tally from 10 seats to 15, even as Congressretained a lead with 21 out of 40 seats.

The influential and politically powerful Lingayats are a dominant caste in Mumbai-Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnataka in the northern region of the state and Central Karnataka.

That the move to accord religious minority status to Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats backfired is exemplified by the defeat of three prominent ministers, Vinay Kulkarni, Dr Sharanprakash Patil and Basavaraj Rayareddi.

All the three ministers were the prominent faces of the Siddaramaiah government, who had aggressively pushed for the religious minority tag to the Lingayat community.

The Siddaramaiah government has recommended to the Centre to give religious minority tag to Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats, who follow the philosophy of 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara.

The move was seen as an attempt to break the traditional Lingayat vote base of BJP.

After having pushed the issue aggressively, the Congress seemed to have developed cold feet in the run-up to the elections, as it was wary of the electoral implications.

It's worst fears cametrue, as the party not only fared badly in regions where thecommunity was dominant,but Congress leaders and ministers involved in a state-wide campaign for the cause were defeated.

On the other hand, BJP did well bypicking up more than half of the 120 odd seats in Karnataka,where Lingayats are a dominant community.

This also indicates that Congress' attempts to sway the community by recommending for religious minority status ahead of the election did not succeed.

Seats dominated by the Lingayat community are spread across Mumbai and Central Karnataka, where BJP has done considerably well, as also in Hyderabad-Karnataka region, where they fared marginally well.

However, another prominant face of the Lingayat movement, Minister M B Patil won from Bableshwar in Vijayapura district.

The results are also being seen as B S Yeddyurappa, considered as 'Lingayat strongman', reasserting his clout on the community,as BJP successfully projected the Lingayat issue as an effort by Congress to keep him awayfrom the Chief Minister's chair.

Also what is seen to have consolidated Lingayat votes against Congress is BJP managing to project the decisionto accord religious minority tag to Lingayats as an attempt to divide the community/Hindus for political gains.

Lingayats/Veerashaivas are said to form about 17 percent of the population.

There were sharp divisions within the Siddaramaiah government in its apparent move to take away a significant slice of the Lingayat/Veerashaiva vote bank that has largely stayed with the BJP, ahead of the polls.

CongressMinisters and leaders belonging to the Veerashaiva community likeShamanuru Shivashankarappa had openly opposed the decision.

The demand for a separate religion tag to Veerashiva/ Lingayat faiths had surfaced from the numericallystrong and politically-influential community, amid resentment from within over projecting the two communities as the same.

One section led by Akhila Bharata VeerashaivaMahasabha has demanded separate religion status, assertingthat Veerashaivas and Lingayats are the same.

The other group wants it only for Lingayats as they believe Veerashaivas are one among the seven sects of Shaivas, which is part of Hinduism.

Of late, some Lingayatshave also stated that they were open to having Veerashaivas under their umbrella, but the Lingayatnomenclature was non-negotiable.

The state cabinet on March 19 decided to recommendto the Centre grant of religious minority tag for Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats.

This was based on the report of an expert committee that had recommended considering grant ofrecognition as religious minority to Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats (Believers of Basava Tatva (philosophy).

Subsequently,the Karnataka minorities' welfaredepartment notified Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats asa religious minority,but said it would come into effect afterthe Centre's approval to the state recommendation.

For Siddarmaiah too, the Lingayat issue seems to have backfired personally, as Chamundeshwari from where he lost by a margin of over 36,000 votes, has a considerable Lingayat population along with Vokkaligas.

Along with Lingayats, Vokkaliga votes are also seen to have consolidated against Congress in the old Mysuru region inthis election.

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Sikkim celebrated its 43rd statehood day with great fanfare today.

It was on this day in 1975 that Sikkim had officially become a state under the Union of India and Kazi Lhendup Dorjee became its first chief minister.

A grand function was held at the Samman Bhawan auditorium in the capital town where Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling highlighted the achievements of his government.

Sikkim has witnessed massive development and progress over the last two decades under his government, said Chamling, who has broken the record of former West Bengal Jyoti Basu as the longest serving chief minister by being in office for nearly 24 years.

"Our GSDP has increased by 5154.80 times which speaks volumes on the state's development and progress. Similarly, our per capita income and revenue generation have increased substantially," he said.

He said the salaries of the state government employees had increased by 2,412 per cent after the last pay revision in 2008. The recent recommendations submitted by the Pay Commission and accepted by the state government will further enhance their salaries.

Similarly in the case of retired government employees there has been more than 2100 per cent increase in their pensions, Chamling added.

Sikkim has the highest number of employees on the government pay roll constituting about 14 per cent of its population.

Sikkim Governor N Shrinivas Patil speaking at the same programme greeted the people of Sikkim on the occasion.

He congratulated Chamling for setting a new record of being the longest serving chief minister.

Patil expressed happiness over the greenfield Pakyong airport for launch of air connectivity soon and said it will be followed by railway connectivity in the next couple of years.

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The Delhi government's Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) has approved the installation of around 1.46 lakh CCTV cameras in state-run schools, a move aimed at ensuring the safety of students.

Giving details about the project that will be executed at an estimated cost of Rs 597.51 crore in six months, PWD minister Satyendar Jain said that as per the plan, the cameras will be installed in each classroom and open areas in 1,028 school buildings owned by the Delhi government.

Jain said that once the project is completed, the contractor has to provide the facility to allow access to parents to see their children studying in the classrooms on a real-time basis, adding that LED screen for each school principal will also be provided for live viewing of the video feed.

It comes in the backdrop of Lt Governor Anil Baijal constituting a high-level committee to prepare common framework for the installation and monitoring of CCTV cameras across the city which the AAP dispensation is strongly opposing.

"Parents will be provided user ID and password for the classroom of their child for viewing the video feed on their phone through a mobile app. The storage of video recording of each camera will be available for 30 days at school-level.

"High speed Internet connection of appropriate band width will also be provided to school through Internet service provider," the minister told reporters here.

He said that tenders have been floated for the project for which around seven companies have participated in the bidding process, adding that work project will be awarded only after the Cabinet gives its nod to the same.

Out of the total cost (Rs 597.51 crore) of project, Rs 384.85 crore is for its execution while Rs 57.69 crore will be set aside for maintenance for five years. Also, Rs 154.97 crore is for Internet connection charges for lease line for five years, Jain also said.

Apart from this, several projects, including construction of the Shastri Park intersection and Seelampur, were also approved by the EFC in its meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia yesterday.

He added that the EFC has also given its nod to the construction of cluster bus depots at Sector 37 Rohini at a cost of Rs 43.76 crore.

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Osho Rajneesh's story, which was the subject of Netflix's blockbuster documentary "Wild Wild Country", is getting another screen birth with Bollywood filmmaker Subhash Ghai slated to co-produce a biopic on the controversial spiritual guru with an Italian production house.

The project, titled "Osho: The Other Side of the Ocean" was announced at the ongoing Cannes International Film Festival.

"I am proud to announce an international film 'Osho: The Other Side of the Ocean' as a producer under Indo-Italian co-production to be directed by Italian director Lakshen Sucameli in English language for global market on interesting and dramatic chapters of Osho's life from childhood till his death in 1990," Ghai told PTI.

Sucameli has co-written the story with "Rang De Basanti" fame Kamlesh Pandey.

A follower of Osho, Sucameli, has been developing the project for a while and had even set up a crowdfunding website.

In an interview to Osho in 2010, the director had revealed the premise of the story.

The film "tells the story of a female journalist who follows Osho's life in America, then onto the world tour until his death in Pune in 1990," he had said.

"The main character is at first very sceptical towards Osho and his commune but changes her mind through time... In this way I hope to catch the attention of those who still see Osho with a negative attitude, which includes a large part of movie goers, especially in the States," Sucameli had said.

Rajneesh's move to America was the subject of "Wild Wild Country" where the directors explored the rise of the cult in Oregon, America, the internal politics of the commune and the distrust of the locals towards the guru and followers.

The commune did not survive for long and Rajneesh was arrested while trying to flee Oregon. He left the US and returned to his ashram in Pune.

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India imported just 1,908 tonnes of sugar from Pakistan since April this year, the government said today, rebutting opposition charge that large quantities of the sweetener are being shipped from the neighbouring nation.

Till May 14 in this fiscal, import of sugar from Pakistan is mere 1,908 tonnes for a value of USD 0.657 million.

In 2017-18, sugar import stood at 13,110 tonnes valuing USD 4.68 million, the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), which is under the Commerce Ministry, said.

"Import from Pakistan has been very miniscule as compared to total production in the country and exports from India," the DGFT said.

Sugar production of India, the world's second largest producer, is estimated at record 32 million tonnes in the 2017-18 marketing year (October-September) as against 20.3 million tonnes in the previous year. The annual domestic demand is 25 million tonnes.

The DGFT said that the country exported 1.75 million tonnes of sugar in 2017-18 and 2.4 lakh tonnes so far this fiscal.

In Maharashtra, the Congress party and the NCP have attacked the Union government, claiming that its policy of allowing the import of sugar from neighbouring Pakistan was leading to a crash in its prices in the domestic market.

The Centre has doubled import duty to 100 per cent to curb cheaper shipments. It has also asked millers to export 2 million tonnes of sugar.

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The suspension of operations against militants in Jammu and Kashmir during Ramzan is not a concession to extremists but an effort to create an environment free of terror and violence during the holy month, officials said today, while asserting there will be no lowering of guard.

The central government has been trying to create an environment free of terror and violence to enable Muslims to observe Ramzan in a peaceful manner and in a conducive environment so that terrorists do not exploit their religious sentiments, a home ministry official said, explaining the reason behind the government decision.

Motivated by this consideration, the government has issued instructions to the security forces and Army not to undertake offensive operations during Ramzan in Jammu and Kashmir, the official said.

However, if it is essential for protecting the life of the common people, the security forces will be compelled to take appropriate action. It is expected that all Muslim brothers and sisters who follow the true tenets of Islam will cooperate in ensuring the success of this initiative, the official said.

Earlier today, the Home Ministry in a major announcement said security forces will not launch any operations in Jammu and Kashmir during Ramzan, a move seen as a bid to bring peace in the restive valley.

"This is not a concession to militants. This is aimed at people not to have any difficulty during the holy month of Ramzan. All right-thinking people want peace, youngsters want education, good life. Hope militants will not make it difficult for people. There will be no lowering of guard during this period," the official said.

The fasting month of Ramzan is likely to start tomorrow or Friday depending on sighting of the moon. The month ends with celebration of Eid.

Another official said it is a matter of regret that over the last few years, terrorists have indulged in large scale bloodshed not only in India but also in other parts of the world during the holy month.

This has caused immense sufferings to peace-loving Muslims adhering to the true tenets of Islam. People belonging to other communities have also suffered, the official said.

"Ramzan is in true sense, the month of worship, purity and peace. It should be our collective endeavour to isolate those who bring a bad name to Islam by their senseless acts of terror and violence.

"The government of India wants that during the ensuing month of Ramzan, no section of society and in particular, the peace-loving Muslim community should face any difficulty. It is important that all peace-loving people come together to isolate the terrorists and motivate those who have been misguided to return to the path of peace," the official said.

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Jharkhand has emerged as the best-performing state in terms of cleanliness, while Indore in Madhya Pradesh was adjudged the cleanest city in the country, according to the government swachhta survey released today.

Maharashtra stood at the second place behind Jharkhand in the Swachh Survekshan 2018' while Chhattisgarh was at the third position in the category of 'best-performing states' in the Swachh Survekshan 2018', released by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri here today.

As far as cities are concerned, table-topper Indore is followed by Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal, while Union Territory of Chandigarh stands at the third place in the national-level category.

Indore and Bhopal have retained their respective positions from the last year survey. But this year, the survey has covered 4,203 cities while in 2017 only 434 cities were surveyed.

State ranking was introduced in this year's survey, which was conducted between January 4 and March 10.

In 2016, the survey was conducted in 73 cities having a population of 10 lakh or more and also the capital cities. Mysuru had bagged the award of the cleanest city in the country.

The names of the "worst-performing cities" in the latest survey would be announced on the day the awards are presented to the winners, Puri said.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) got the tag of India's cleanest small city' (urban local body) with population between 1 lakh and 3 lakh in the 2018 survey.

In the 'cantonment' category, the Delhi Cantt has emerged as the cleanest, followed by Almora, Ranikhet and Nainital (all three in Uttarakhand).

Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad was adjudged the "fastest mover big city" in this syurvey. Ghaziabad improved its cleanliness ranking from 351 to 36 in the category of more than 10 lakh population, Puri said, adding, It shows the government of Uttar Pradesh is making all efforts to improve the cleanliness status in the state.

Vijaywada in Andra Pradesh has emerged as the India's cleanest big city' with over 10 lakh population, while Kota in Rajasthan was the best city in terms of 'citizens' feedback'.

Greater Mumbai in Maharashtra was the cleanest state capital, according to the survey.

In the category of cities with less than 1 lakh population, the cleanest city was Bhadson (Punjab) in the north zone, Bundu (Jharkhand) in the east zone, Kakching (Manipur) in the north east zone, Siddipet (Telangana) in the south zone, and Panchgani (Maharashtra) in the west zone.

Puri said a record number of 37.66 lakh citizens' feedback was received for this year's survey.

Compared to the previous surveys, this year's exercise allocated higher weightage to the feedback from citizens and direct observation by assessors on the performance parameters of the cities on cleanliness, Puri said.

Marks were awarded based on various parameters, including open-defecation free status, and collection, transportation, processing and disposal of waste.

While deciding the awards, it has been kept in mind that one city gets only one award -- the category in which it has performed the best, Puri said.

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The Supreme Court today took strong note of denial of bail to the accused whose pleas have been pending in Madhya Pradesh high court for almost two decades and asked the Centre whether any steps were being taken to expedite it.

The apex court was informed that Madhya Pradesh High Court was currently hearing criminal appeals of the years 2001 and 2002.

A bench of Justices Adarsh Goel and Indu Malhotra issued notice to Centre and Madhya Pradesh government to specify the steps being taken for expeditious disposal of such appeals by creating an alternative forum, especially for the accused in custody.

The court was hearing a plea challenging denial of bail to an accused by the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on the ground that appeal is pending.

"Issue notice to the Union of India as well as to the State of Madhya Pradesh to consider whether any steps are being taken to ensure expeditious hearing of such appeals by creating an alternative forum as suggested...", the bench said.

It requested the Attorney General K K Venugopal to depute any Additional Solicitor General to assist the court in the matter and posted it for further hearing on July 17.

The bench referred to its verdict earlier this year, which had stressed the need for "re-engineering of the structure of administration of justice by which the Supreme Court and the High Courts may discharge only core constitutional functions, while the statutory appeals or other statutory functions can be dealt with by an alternative mechanism by courts of appeal which, in hierarchy, will be higher to the district judges but below the High Court".

The bench referred to another verdict of last year by which it had asked the High Courts to issue directions to subordinate courts for speedy disposal of bail applications, normally within a week.

It had then directed that the magisterial trials, where accused are in custody, be concluded within six months and sessions trials where accused are in custody be ended within two years. It had said that efforts should be made to dispose of all cases which are five years old by the end of the year.

Huge pendency of criminal appeals in High Courts have caught the attention of the apex court recently as on February 6, in another case, the apex court had expressed concern over the pendency of such cases as old as 42 years in the Allahabad High Court.

It had said that "some drastic measures" need to be taken to reduce pendency in judicial system and a mechanism needs to be evolved soon, for speedy disposal of cases related to petty offences, which has been clogging the judicial system.

The apex court was then informed that the oldest criminal appeals in the country of 1976 are pending in Allahabad High Court.

Besides the Allahabad High Court, the court was also concerned with the pendency in Madhya Pradesh High Court, where there was pendency of over 70,000 cases since 1994.

The Allahabad High Court had said in its report before the top court that average time taken for disposal of appeal is 11.39 years and had attributed the delay to shortage of judges, heavy filing of cases, conduct of lawyers and lack of infrastructure.

In its report, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had said that it has total of 71,474 cases pending since 1994, in its three branches -- Jabalpur, Indore and Gwalior.

The total number of appeals where the sentence is life imprisonment are 15,424.

As many as 21,662 appeals where the sentence is up to three years for petty offences are pending since 1995 while appeals where sentence is more than three years and up to five years are 8,442.

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About 50 Spanish leading male academics announced today that they would no longer take part in panel discussions that do not include at least one woman, in a manifesto called "not without women".

"The members of this list publicly pledge not to participate as speakers in any academic event or round table of more than two speakers where there is not at least one woman as an expert," the manifesto read.

Among the signatories of the manifesto are analysts from many Spanish and foreign universities, the World Bank and the Bank of Spain.

More than 80 other experts have asked to be included on the list, according to the Twitter account of the manifesto, which is presented as a "collective initiative".

The manifesto comes as Spain is experiencing a revival of the feminist movement, which is demanding more be done to ensure real equality between men and women.

Spanish women staged an unprecedented strike in defence of their rights on International Woman?s Day in March and held massive street demonstrations that day in the whole country.

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A key US Senate Committee today approved the nomination of veteran intelligence officer Gina Haspel to become the new director of the CIA despite the bitter debate over her role in the torture used by the US on Al-Qaeda detainees in the early 2000s.

Her nomination now goes to the full Senate for confirmation. If confirmed, she would be the first woman director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

The Senate Select Intelligence Committee passed Haspel's nomination by 10-5 votes.

All eight Republicans and two of the seven Democrats on the Senate intelligence committee supported Haspel. The remaining five Democrats had already announced their opposition and did not change their minds.

Haspel, a career intelligence officer, told Senators she would not agree to restart such an interrogation programme in future, but she has avoided decrying torture as immoral per se.

Haspel, 61, faced questions over her work running a covert detention site where terror suspects were brutally interrogated in the years after the 9/11 attacks. Senators also want more information about her role destroying videos of the torture sessions.

At a hearing last week, Haspel refused to say if she thought torture was immoral. Senator John McCain of Arizona said her role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge torture's immorality is disqualifying.

Senator Richard Burr, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said, "Gina Haspel is the most qualified person the President could choose to lead the CIA and the most prepared nominee in the 70-year history of the Agency."



She has acted morally, ethically, and legally, over a distinguished 30-year career and is the right person to lead the Agency into an uncertain and challenging future, he said.

As Director of the CIA, Gina Haspel will be the first operations officer in more than five decades to lead the Agency. I believe that she will be a strong advocate for the Agency's workforce, and an independent voice who can and will stand up on behalf of our nation's intelligence community, Vice Chairman Mark Warner said.

Applauding the Intelligence Committee's favourable, bipartisan vote in support of Haspel's nomination to be CIA Director, Senator Marco Rubio urged the Senate to confirm her nomination.

With over 30 years of CIA experience, she is perhaps the most qualified person ever nominated for this critical national security role. Her nomination enjoys the support of six former CIA Directors who have served under Republican and Democratic presidents, he said.

"With the multitude of national security threats facing the US, it is crucial that policymakers have the best intelligence possible as they make decisions to protect and promote US interests. There is no learning curve at the CIA for Gina Haspel.

She will ensure the CIA remains the world's finest intelligence agency, and I urge all my colleagues to support her on the Senate floor, Rubio said.

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In first high-level visit to North Korea from India in two decades, Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh was in Pyongyang today where he held talks with several leaders including Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on key issues and raised New Delhi's concerns over nuclear proliferation.

The two-day visit came less than a month before the proposed summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and is seen as an effort to reach out to Pyongyang.

In the meetings, the Ministry of External Affairs said, the North Korean side provided an "overview" of some of the recent developments in the Korean Peninsula while Singh conveyed India's concerns over proliferation linkages of North Korea with India's neighbourhood, seen as a clear reference to Pakistan.

The North Korean leaders emphasized that as a friendly country, Pyongyang will never allow any action that would create concerns for India's security, said the MEA.

India has been consistently raising the issue of North Korea's possible proliferation linkages with Pakistan and had even demanded a probe into it.

The MEA said Singh reiterated India's support to the joint peace initiative by leadership of both North Korea and South Korea, saying it was encouraging both sides in their efforts towards establishment of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

This is the first ministerial level visit from India to North Korea after a gap of almost 20 years. India and North Korea established formal diplomatic relations in 1973. The current year marks the 45th year of establishment of diplomatic relations.

Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in signed a joint statement following a historic summit aimed at improving ties between the two countries.

After the summit, Kim became the first North Korean leader to step into South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953. India had welcomed the peace initiatives.

The MEA said Singh's visit to Pyongyang, which began yesterday, was at the invitation of North Korean government.

During the visit, Singh held discussions with Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong Dae, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Minister of Culture Pak Chun Nam and Vice Foreign Minister Choe Hui Chol.

The MEA said a range of bilateral issues covering political, regional, economic, educational and cultural cooperation figured in the talks.

Singh's visit came amidst a threat by Pyongyang to cancel the June 12 summit between Kim and Trump if Washington insists on pushing it "into a corner" on nuclear disarmament.

The US, however, said it is proceeding with the preparations for the summit.

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The Haryana government today told the Supreme Court that it would maintain status quo on the supply of Yamuna river water to Delhi till May 21.

The apex court asked the Delhi government and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to request Haryana for the maintenance of status quo on water supply and directed Haryana to take an independent decision on the matter.

A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Navin Sinha said the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) should deal with the issue and it would be appropriate if the Delhi government approached the Board.

The Delhi government withdrew a plea filed by the DJB in the apex court and said it would approach the Board immediately for release and continuation of drinking water supply from Haryana.

The court was hearing the DJB's plea alleging that Haryana had reduced by one-third the supply of Yamuna water to the national capital, leading to a grave water crisis.

"We expect the Board to meet and sort out the matter amicably between Delhi and Haryana," the bench observed.

One of the functions of the UYRB, set up by the Centre in 1995, was to regulate and supply water from all storage sites and barrages up to the Okhla barrage in Delhi, in accordance with the agreements between the governments of the six basin states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.

On May 11, the apex court had slammed the UYRB for not doing their job pertaining to distribution of river water among the beneficiary states and asked it why should the courts do its work.

Haryana government had earlier told the top court that it was facing a "huge distress" for water as it was receiving only half the supply from Hathni Kund barrage located in the Yamuna Nagar district. Haryana had, however, said it would continue supplying 150 cusecs of water to Delhi till May 15.

Delhi had earlier said there was a shortfall of 120 cusecs of water of Yamuna river daily for the national capital.

The DJB had contended that Haryana was supplying Delhi only 330 cusecs of water daily as against 450 cusecs a day, which was agreed upon between the state and the Union Territory. It had claimed that due to curtailment in water supply to Wazirabad reservoir, the plant was running at reduced capacity leading to a "grave water crisis" in the city.

The DJB had sought directions from the apex court to Haryana to supply the entire 450 cusec of water per day continuously and daily to the Wazirabad reservoir.

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Haryana Government today assured the Supreme Court that it would maintain status quo on supply of Yamuna river water to the national capital till May 21 and would decide on the Delhi government's proposed request to continue the supply.

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) told a bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Navin Sinha that they would withdraw their petition filed in the apex court in the matter and approach the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) immediately for continuance of release of drinking water to Delhi.

One of the functions of the UYRB, set up by the Centre in 1995, is to regulate and supply water from all storage sites and barrages up to the Okhla barrage in Delhi, in accordance with the agreements between governments of six basin states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan.

During the hearing, the counsel for the Delhi government told the bench that a request would be made today itself to Haryana for continuing the status quo relating to the release of drinking water.

The court asked Haryana to expeditiously decide on Delhi's request, saying the issue involves water for drinking purposes and not for irrigation.

"Counsel for the state of Haryana says that a decision will be taken on the request but regardless of the decision taken by the state government, the status quo will maintain till May 21, 2018. Needless to say, the state of Haryana will take an independent decision," the bench said.

"We expect the board to meet over the next couple of days and sort out the matter amicably between the state of Delhi and the state of Haryana," it said, adding it expected all UYRB members to attend the meeting so that the representatives of Delhi and Haryana could place their views.

"We leave it open to the board to take a call whether it is necessary for the basin states to be represented," the bench said, adding "the application (of DJB) is dismissed as withdrawn".

"We are glad to note that there is finally some agreement between the Government of Delhi represented through the Delhi Jal Board and the Government of Haryana," the bench noted in its order.

The top court also pulled up the Delhi government for approaching the National Green Tribunal, Delhi High Court and then the apex court in this matter and not the UYRB.

"The whole purpose of UYRB is that it should look into it since they are a professional expert body," the bench said, adding, "this kind of jockeying by the DJB on the back of Delhi government should not be encouraged".

The top court was hearing DJB's plea which had alleged that Haryana had reduced by one-third the supply of Yamuna water to Delhi, leading to a grave water crisis.

Haryana had earlier told the court that it would continue supplying 150 cusecs of water to Delhi till May 15 over and above what it was supplying.

Delhi had claimed that there was a shortfall of 120 cusecs of water of Yamuna river daily as Haryana was supplying only 330 cusecs of water a day as against 450 cusecs per day, which was agreed upon between the state and the union territory.

The DJB had sought directions from the apex court to Haryana to supply the entire 450 cusec of water per day continuously and daily to the Wazirabad reservoir.

During the hearing today, the bench asked what decision was taken by the UYRB in the matter after which Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, appearing for the Centre, placed before it minutes of meeting of the board along with the recommendations.

He said the board has decided to set up a committee to look into the issue of water supply and the panel would give their recommendations within a month.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Haryana, said they have agreed to examine the request to be made by Delhi government for release of extra 150 cusecs water.

Senior counsel Dushyant Dave, representing Delhi government, said the situation in the national capital was "extremely acute" and as on day, they wanted 1,393 cusecs of water instead of 1,507 cusecs, which was based on apex court's 1996 judgement.

However, the court said, "We are sure that Haryana will take a reasonable decision quickly (on Delhi government's request). Let them take a decision. Board will examine it".

"It is for the expert body (UYRB) to do it. It is set up only for this purpose. Why should we do what an expert body has to do," the bench said.

At the fag end of hearing, Divan said there were six basin states and if at all, Delhi withdrew additional water, there would be pro-rata reduction in water supply to other states.

Haryana had earlier told the top court that it was facing a "huge distress" for water as it was receiving only half the supply from Hathni Kund barrage located in the Yamuna Nagar district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Haryana-based woman was apprehended at the Delhi airport today for allegedly carrying a live bullet round in her baggage, an official said today.

R Vaid (26) was intercepted by a Central Industrial Security Force officer, who detected the bullets while scanning her baggage at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the morning, he said.

A bullet of .32-mm calibre was recovered from the passenger who was travelling to Amritsar from here, the official said.

"The lady, who hailed from Karnal in Haryana, was not allowed to take the flight and was handed over to the police by the CISF authorities as she could not produce any documents for carrying the ammunition," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 25-year-old research scholar of the city-based University of Hyderabad suffered burns when she allegedly tried to commit suicide in the campus hostel by setting herself ablaze apparently due to "depression", police said today.

The incident occurred around 1 am today when the woman PhD student, a native of Cuttack in Odisha, allegedly set herself on fire, they said.

She was immediately rushed to the health centre on the university campus and later shifted to a private hospital from where she was taken to the state-run Osmania General Hospital, they said.

She is suspected to have lit a matchstick to her clothes and set herself on fire.

As per preliminary investigation, she was reportedly suffering from "mental depression" and attempted suicide by setting herself ablaze, Assistant Commissioner of Police N Shyam Prasad Rao said.

"She suffered 50 per cent burn injuries in the incident. Her parents have been informed," the ACP said.

The officer said the student's statement has been recorded.

He said she had attempted to end her life once earlier also.

A university official said she had joined the PhD course in January this year and she was reportedly under depression over not being able to clear an entrance examination.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A worker of Arunachal Pradesh power department has died of electrocution while installing new electric poles near Borduria village, 8 km from Khonsa, the headquarters of Tirap district.

The deceased, a casault worker, identified as Wangkho alias Akho Wangsa, a native of Pongchau village under Longding district, came in contact with live wire while installing new poles and died on the spot yesterday, an official release said here today.

Three other casual workers of the departments Khonsa division sustained severe injuries in the incident.

The injured have been sent to the Assam Medical College & Hospital, Dibrugarh for treatment.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu has expressed shock and grief over death of the worker.

While extending condolences to the bereaved family members, Khandu today announced ex-gratia relief to the next of kin as per the laid down norms.

He also wished speedy recovery of the injured.

Meanwhile, the chief minister cautioned officials and workers engaged in maintenance and construction of high voltage power lines to maintain extreme caution so that such unfortunate incidents do not reoccur.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Karnataka BJP legislature party leader B S Yeddyurappa would be sworn in as chief minister tomorrow, senior state BJP leader and party spokesman Suresh Kumar claimed today.

"B S Yeddyurappa will take oath as chief minister at 9.30 am at Raj Bhavan tomorrow. Let us all gather on this happy occasion," Kumar said in a tweet in Kannada.

There was, however, no official communique from Raj Bhavan.

Both the BJP and JDS-Congress combine have staked claim to form the government in the state after it delivered a fractured verdict.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
LONDON (Reuters) - It may not be possible for the European Union to legislate in time to avoid disruption in cross-border derivatives contracts in case of no-deal Brexit, a top EU regulator has said.Steven Maijoor, chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), said it and the bloc's national regulators were monitoring how the derivatives market was readying for a potential "cliff-edge" March departure by Britain from the EU.The Bank of England has said Britain and the EU need to legislate to ensure continuity in the stockpile cross-border derivatives contracts worth 26 ...
Former Reserve Bank of India chief Raghuram Rajan said on Wednesday he did not intend to apply for the job of Bank of England governor which is due to come vacant next year. Rajan has been mentioned by analysts as a possible future BoE governor after Mark Carney - who previously headed Canada's central bank - steps down at the end of June 2019. "I have a very good job at the University of Chicago and I actually am an academic, not a professional central banker. I am very happy where I am," Rajan told reporters after an event in London hosted by the U.S. ...
(Reuters) - Aluminium producer Hindalco Industries Ltd posted a 25 percent fall in its fourth-quarter profit, widely missing street estimate.The company's profit dropped to 3.77 billion rupees ($55.59 million) in the three months through March 31, from 5.03 billion rupees a year earlier, the company said in statement http://bit.ly/2Ioi41K. Analysts on average expected the company to post a profit of 4.67 billion rupees, Thomson Reuters Eikon data showed.Revenue from operations for the company, which also manufactures copper products and fertilisers, slipped about 0.6 percent to 116.81 billion ...
(Reuters) - India's JSW Steel posted record quarterly net profit on Wednesday, nearly tripling from last year, largely beating market estimates thanks to higher commodity prices and spreads.The company's fourth-quarter net profit climbed to 29.96 billion rupees ($441.50 million), against 10.14 billion rupees in the same period last year, it said https://www.bseindia.com/xml-data/corpfiling/AttachLive/0a89cf41-d394-4c25-adbe-3c3f516e9cef.pdf.Analysts had expected net profit of 18.13 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters data. Total revenue from operations rose 16.2 percent to 208.17 ...
By Arnab Paul(Reuters) - Indian shares fell on Wednesday as doubts over the composition of the next government in the southern state of Karnataka dampened investor risk appetite.Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)won 104 seats https://bit.ly/19s8ulR, falling marginally short of the 113 seats needed to form a government, while the opposition Congress clinched 78.The Congress said it was ready to let regional party Janata Dal (Secular), which stood third with 37 seats, to form a government to stop the Hindu nationalist BJP from taking power.However, analysts say the ...
Hearing aid makers Widex and Sivantos agreed to merge on Wednesday to form the world's third-largest supplier behind market leaders Sonova and William Demant. Germany's Sivantos, formerly known as Siemens Audiology, and Denmark's Widex will create a company worth more than 7 billion euros ($8.28 billion), including some 3 billion euros in debt. Makers of hearing aids, whose customers are typically in their seventies or eighties, are benefiting from rising demand in ageing societies, but some are facing challenges adapting to the digital age and the demands of more ...
This is National Law Enforcement Week and Tuesday was Peace Officer Memorial Day, a day to recognize the risks that law enforcement officers take every day on-the-job in Utah and around the nation. State Representative Lee Perry, who is also a lieutenant with the Utah Highway Patrol, has done some work along those lines in the form of legislation he sponsored, that passed, during the recent legislative session.

Perry said in the old days first responders might be told to just buck it up and deal with the stress and some of the horrific things they face in their job. But they really do need to talk to someone, while respecting the confidentiality that is inherent in that type of work.

So what weve done is created a bill (and) we worked with the judiciary branch and made it so that law enforcement officers can have trained peers -other firefighters, police officers  that are trained to recognize some of the serious hazards. They can go talk to those individuals about concerns theyre having, and if its really serious, theyll refer them to a psychiatrist, psychologist, etc., he said.

On KVNUs For the People program on Tuesday, Perry said sometimes its not as serious but the officer still needs to know someone cares and is available to talk to. He said, hopefully, this way the officer or first responder can be helped to get things out of their system a little bit and not be as prone to carry it over into their lives after they retire or before they retire.

An event is coming up May 24th at the Salt Lake City Library discussing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Utahs first responders. It is a free event that will be moderated by Salt Lake Tribune editor Jennifer Napier-Pearce along with Salt Lake Police Sergeant Lisa Pascadlo and a Salt Lake Fire representative.

AUDIO: Lee Perry, state representative and Utah Highway Patrol Lt, talks to Jason Williams on KVNUs For The People on 5/15/2018
Cameroons Minister of Defense, Joseph Beti Assomo has ordered a probe into torture of a suspected Separatist fighter by some Gendarmes in the South West region recently.

In a release signed Tuesday May 15, 2018, Mr Assomo said Gendarmes arrested a certain Tsobonyl Alphones Tatia also known as Title man and General, who is reported to have terrorized the entire population of Nkongle, in the South West region and has also been killing Gendarme.

They tied and tortured him by using machetes to beat him up mercilessly. He said by doing so, the men in uniform took the laws into their hands, contrary to training they received.

The Minister of Defense has promised that investigations when completed, culprits will have to face the law.

He has called on the people of affected region to collaborate with the Forces of law and Order to eradicate terrorism.

Joseph Beti Assomo did not however mention repeated cases of torture, burning of houses and massive killings by men in uniform in ongoing Anglophone crisis.

On several occasions like the case of Azi in Lebialem division in the South West region, the military have been caught on video setting houses ablaze, shooting and killing innocent citizens but these have never caught the attention of the Minister.

Late 2017, several students of the University of Buea were brutalized, some raped and some arrested and the public cried foul, instead Communication Minister said the Military acted in a professional manner.

These military excesses seem to have instead radicalized the population as even kids as young as 12 years have carried arms against the military (evidence in a recent video released by Separatist fighters)
| BY Ricki Green |

Steve Ayson has teamed up with Spotifys creatives on two epic movie trailer-esq spots. The new work is part of a major marketing campaign from the music streaming company titled, Love What You Love.

Both films drop hugely popular tracks in places they might not normally reside.

Chase turns a gritty, high-speed car chase into a love session for Myley Cyrus Wrecking Ball. While the second spot Horror gets spooky around lethally catchy Camilla Cabellos Havana.

Shot in Mexico City, the two films will start rolling out worldwide today through June 21st.

Spotify

Chief Marketing Officer: Seth Farbman

VP, Brand and Creative: Jackie Jantos

Global Executive Creative Director: Alex Bodman

Global Brand Design Director: Rasmus Wangelin

Creative Director: Rajeev Basu

Associate Creative Director: Alex Sobiecki

Senior Art Director: Ellen Pai

Director of Integrated Production: Belinda Lopez

Senior Broadcast Producer: Laura Ferguson

Production Company: MJZ

Director: Steve Ayson

President: David Zander

Executive Producer: Emma Wilcockson

Line Producer: Mark Hall

Director of Photography: Dariusz Wolski

Production Designer: Nicolas Scabini

Service Production: Kinema Films

General Director (Kinema): Jose Ludlow
| BY Ricki Green |

Canon Business Services brought its new brand concept to life this Mothers Day by celebrating all of Australias hard working Mums. The leading imaging brand and IT Services company shone a light on some of its most special customers  the Mums  and treated them to a special Canon experience.

Says Simon Russell, general manager, marketing, Canon Business Services: Whether they work in an office or stay at home, all mums are working mums and they work hard. This Mothers Day, we wanted to put the spotlight on working mums and say thank you to all the mums who lead in our lives.

And what better way to do just that than by spoiling them and giving them a memory to keep forever? A variety of working mums were invited into SunStudios for a Mothers Day portrait session with the Canon Collective photography experience team. The mums were then greeted with surprise messages of love and gratitude from their closest team members, their families.

Their experience was captured in a short film directed by Dylan Harrison through Hooligan Collective and Seargant Major. The film is the first in an ongoing series around the new brand platform for Canon Business of No one does it like you.

To reach all of Australias mums, the video has been promoted across Canon Australias social channels, including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Says Russell: We launched our new brand concept in February, which seeks to harness the emotion of our Canon consumer brand and make business personal. For too long, B2B marketing has focused on so called business people, who dont exist. We want to showcase the real people in business and help share their experiences  the highs and lows of business.

The reality for most of our business customers is that the stereotype of the stay at home mum while dad works doesnt apply. Whether juggling careers, sharing family responsibilities, working from home or full-time mothering, the truth is that all mums are working mums. Celebrating them this Mothers Day is just the start of our new marketing approach and gives a glimpse into how we do business.

Canon Business Services, General Manager, Marketing: Simon Russell

Canon Business Services, Marketing Executive: Kristine Ferrer

Creative: Hooligan Collective

Director: Dylan Harrison

Producer: Ash McLeod

DOP: Jason White
| BY Ricki Green |

Originally founded in Australia, House has taken its kitchenware offering global as it expands into the UK multichannel market. To coincide with the launch, eCommerce web development agency Convert Digital, was appointed by House parent company, Global Retail Brands, to develop and design an ecommerce solution for the UK launch.

Global Retail Brands approached Convert Digital for this important launch because of the agencys knowledge and experience of the Magento 2 platform and the flexibility it gives to offer a fully scalable, trusted and robust website.

The development did not come without challenges though as the agency had to implement new payment solutions, WorldPay, and soon to launch Klarna and Amazon Pay for the more UK targeted approach.

Some of the checkout features include an address validation tool and customisations around checkout to ensure that the addresses, phone numbers and emails that are captured would be valid for the UK.

To add urgency and transparency the agency incorporated a next day shipping countdown timer on the product pages to cut off time for the customer to receive next day shipping.

House will be opening four more UK stores by the beginning of May, and a further two by the end of June. The new store openings and online shop launch is part of Houses plan to open 75 physical stores in the UK.

Says Andrew Waite, managing director at Convert Digital: Launching a household homewares retail brand such as House into the UK market is an exciting step for Australian retail. We look forward to continually developing and adding additional features to drive ecommerce growth and support the House stores roll out.

Following this launch, Convert Digital, in conjunction with the House UK team will begin the process of developing Click and Collect for launch in the next couple of months.

House online offers 2000 products from a wide variety of global brands including Jamie Oliver, Cole and Mason, Joseph Joseph, Chasseur, LSA International and marie claire.
| BY Ricki Green |

McDonalds has today released a new brand ad Timeless, an intergenerational tale that challenges the 24/7 connectedness of modern life created by DDB New Zealand.

Built on bringing families together over a meal, McDonalds taps into the insight that what families want the most is to spend quality time together.

Our silver-haired protagonist faces a particularly difficult challenge. Looking after his three grandchildren, he puts a good old-fashioned day out up against technological toys and wins.

Switching off the fuse board at home, Grandpa takes the kids on a succession of adventures, culminating in a Maccas meal at his special lookout. Grandpa wins over his grandkids and each piece of technology disappears, as the family reconnects with each other.

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Big Mac, the spot celebrates the everyday feel-good moments that happen when a family spends time together. Just like the Big Mac, these moments are timeless.

Says Shane Bradnick, executive creative director, DDB NZ: Timeless touches issues many families face with the rise of technology.

At times technology makes us feel more connected to the world, but not to the people closest to us, our family.

This spot simply reminds us that theres more out there to experience with the ones we love, using the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren.

McDonalds director of marketing, Jo Mitchell, says that the spot puts perspective on how things have changed.

Says Mitchell: Following on from Middle Seat, were proud to launch our new brand spot Timeless this week.

Its the next major piece of brand-building creative for McDonalds, highlighting the emotional connection Kiwis have with our brand while featuring our most iconic burger, the Big Mac.

Its a spot built around a real and timely human truth that we are sure will be familiar to most. It comes at a crucial time when our competitors are fighting in the pits with price, and brand love is more important than ever.

This spot also demonstrates the continued passion and understanding DDB have for our brand. Great work comes from great team work, and Timeless is yet another demonstration of this.

The spot will roll out in a 60 version on TV, cinema and instore.

Client: McDonalds

Director of Marketing: Jo Mitchell

Head of Marketing: Liz Wilson

Senior Brand Manager: Nikki Jeffcote

Agency: DDB NZ

Chief Creative Officer: Damon Stapleton

Executive Creative Director: Shane Bradnick

Creative Directors: Ben Pegler & Rory McKechnie

Senior Art Director: Zac Lancaster

Lead Business Partner: Karla Fisher

Senior Business Director: Lauren Taylor

Senior Planner: Anna Gunnell

Executive Producer: Judy Thompson

Senior Television Producer: Claire Colohan

Production Company: Revolver/ Will ORourke

Director: Matt Devine

Managing Director/ Executive Producer: Michael Ritchie

Executive Producer: Pip Smart

Producer: Alex Kember

Director of Photography: Crighton Bone

Editor: Tim Mauger for The Editors

Post Production: Blockhead

Colourist: Dave Gibson
| BY Ricki Green |

M&C Saatchi has donated its services to create a campaign designed to drive donations for Sydney Film Festival (SFF).

Over 65 years, the Festival has become a shared experience that feels like it is owned by the film-goers. But the growing stature of the event means corporate and government funding isnt enough to sustain it. As a not-for-profit, the SFF needs a groundswell of philanthropy from its Festival-goers.

This year, SFF is asking Festival-goers to pitch in a little extra by adding a donation to their Festival purchases with a call-to-action campaign.

The zombie film has long been a beloved cinematic genre which has been resurrected for the entertaining and controversial campaign which features a seriously pissed off (and quite sweary) zombie, Rhys Muldoon, whose pleas for donations are rudely interrupted by his deteriorating limbs.

Says Cam Blackley, chief creative officer for M&C Saatchi: Charities appeal for donations in many ways but only the Sydney Film Festival would attempt it while the presenters body falls apart in full Dolby surround sound. We had a blast working with a great client to keep a Sydney cultural event alive and were also dead pleased to have ticked the Zombie Schlock genre off our bucket lists too.

Says Leigh Small, CEO, Sydney Film Festival: We needed a creative way to get the message out to Festival-goers about the need for individual philanthropy.

We are so incredibly lucky to have collaborated with the best in the industry to create this fantastic campaign including seasoned advertising gurus M&C Saatchi, film production company Barefoot Communications who produced last years Opening Night film, We Dont Need a Map, animation experts at Animal Logic, prosthetic artists from MEG, Soundfirm, Rumble and Panavision, who have all kindly donated their services and expertise.

Sydney Film Festival

Chief Executive Officer: Leigh Small

Philanthropy Manager: Georgia Shepherd

M&C Saatchi

Chief Creative Officer: Cam Blackley

Creative Director/Writer: Andy Flemming

Copywriter: Lauren Ami MacDonald

Art Director: Alice Schofield

Group Account Director: Karlee Weatherstone

Strategy Director: Catherine Mellon

Executive Producer: Loren August

Unit Assistant: Jakson Gray

Senior Editor: David Zandberg

Designers: Iva Madderom, Ian Hartigan, Vi Trinh

Barefoot Communications

Director: Matisse Ruby

1st AD/Producer: Brendan Fletcher

DOP: Dylan River

Actor: Rhys Muldoon

Makeup Effects: Makeup Effects Group

Post Production: Animal Logic
| BY Ricki Green |

Neighbourhood  Sydneys independent monthly newspaper  is celebrating its first year this month.

Having launched a print publication in a time of media free-fall and digital change, Neighbourhood has broken new ground, by old means.

Says Jonathan Samway, publisher and editor-in-chief, Neighbourhood: It took some bravery  and maybe a little madness to be free of the predictable formats we saw around us. It demanded integrity and a sense of adventure. If this experience wasnt going to be special, why bother doing it?

Neighbourhood marks its first anniversary birthday with a hard-hitting edition, covering local issues such as Australias medical cannabis debate, the growing number of homeless sleeping rough in the Hawkesbury and claustrophobia in Town Hall Station. It also casts a wider net with stories on Syrian and Rohingya refugee camps, and a comment on the recent London local elections.

Neighbourhood is a hyper-local paper that thinks global. The idea was never to be limited by geography, but to be appreciated as a state of mind. With a print circulation of 100,000 across Sydneys inner east, inner city and inner west, and up to four times the amount online, Neighbourhoods first year has seen incredible growth.

The papers website publishes around triple the content of the print publication. There, youll find filmed content, podcasts, and animation, and playlists from the likes of The Preatures, Jim Moginie of Midnight Oil and Gareth Liddiard, as well as a series of postcard stories that stretch from Mexico to Broken Hill. Its a big world. Were in it.

Neighbourhood cuts across age groups and economic demographics and enhances a feeling of community and dialogue between people. It marks its difference with its interest in having a diversity of voices, rather than adhering to a conventional house style.

Says Mark Mordue, editor, Neighbourhood: Were proud of having discovered so many young writers who we believe will form a generation-shifting wave of journalistic and literary talent. And to bring them to light alongside major figures like our London correspondent, the Booker-shortlisted author Will Self, or our culinary critic, the legendary chef Tony Bilson.

With photographers such as Matthew Abbott and Dean Sewell, whose work youre just as likely to see in The New York Times or The Guardian, the paper and its website have created a publication that delivers enduring stories and images in a time of fast news. Connecting to people in Berlin or Chicago as much as Bondi or Chippendale, from 20 years old to 80.

Says Mordue: In the end, the talk about Baby Boomers vs Gen X vs Millennials can be so much marketing shite when it comes to a bigger, transcending conversation about creativity, politics, where we live  and how we make our future togethe.
| BY Lynchy |

Hakuhodo Singapore has partnered with Kao to launch SOFINA in Singapore, making it the first country in South-East Asia to carry the SOFINA brand.

As the first brand in Japan with skin analysis machines, the launch sees SOFINA introduce these machines exclusively at its flagship space at ISETAN Scotts. The skincare analysis machines offer fine-tuned, individualised beauty and skincare advice based on in-depth analysis of ones skin health.

With a revolutionary range of beauty and skincare products including SOFINA iP, SOFINA beaute and SOFINA Primavista, SOFINA prides itself in infusing its proprietary Holistic Beauty Science with innovation. Through DODAI Essence  the key product in SOFINA  skin metabolism rate increases to allow for easy absorption and better skin hydration; enhancing ones ability to generate beautiful skin from within.

On partnering Hakuhodo Singapore for its inaugural launch into this region, Atsushi Yoneyama, President of Kao Singapore said, The choice to engage Hakuhodo was based on their expertise in launching new products as well as their intimate knowledge of the market and what works in this region.

Yoshihiro Fukumoto, Managing Director of Hakuhodo Singapore said, Leveraging on our Sei-Katsu-Sha philosophy, we were able to better understand our target audience, and reach out to them not as another economic entity, but as people with aspirations. Then its a matter of optimising relevant and effective platforms to engage them.
| BY Lynchy |

Organised by 4As Singapore, Singapore Media Awards 2018 has opened its call for entries with a closing date for submissions on Monday, June 11.

New award categories and nominations introduced this year are Best Use of Programmatic, Best Partnership (for a campaign) between a Media Owner and an Agency, and for Best Programmatic Specialist, Best Content Specialist, Best Direct Response Specialist, Best Communications Strategist, Best SEM Practitioner and Best Local Media Agency.

For the first time, this year, SMA will be hosting an inaugural full day conference to bring together all the stakeholders of the industry to discuss wide topics under the themes of Juggling (what are the multiple challenges that we face and need to address everyday), Trapeze (a birds eye view of the industry and sub sectors) and Flame Throwers (whats big and impactful that is happening in media).
| BY Lynchy |

Vatti is a Chinese brand dedicated to high-end intelligent kitchen appliances. As an exhibitor at the Appliance & Electronics World Expo (AWE) held in March, Vatti was aiming to build a distinctive brand image during the expo. With advanced AI systems, Vattis kitchen appliances work smartly just like human brains.

Its more of a belief than a campaign, said by Yuki Lu  the Chef Brand Officer of Vatti, Consumers can be only touched by a brands strong belief and the excellent executive ability. They wont buy it unless they believe the brand can really achieve something. We make the BRAIN to tell them we can do this. We can create any products that out of minds, and we will offer tailored solutions for all their kitchen life needs. Vatti strives to create the BRAIN  a thinking kitchen. As a Chinese Brand, we have a strong cultural confidence. We want to create more inspiring kitchen appliances for the world, which can lead the trend of global kitchen life.

With that in mind, a bold idea was conceived. Joining forces with a couple of excellent local architects, The Nine China and Insight Group built a 12-meter-high head installation. When the V-shaped automatic door opens, the audience can enter into the head and get a full look inside. The audience would be stunned by a magical space which consists of thousands of polygon prisms, and the holographic animation projected onto the screen. In the holographic film, there is a virtual hero Kungfu Water representing the cleansing power of water in Vattis dishwashers. Meanwhile, there are other holographic animals as symbols of leftover food and all kinds of stains on dishes. Through martial art movements, the Kungfu Water powerfully rinsed a fish, which later spat out a chicken. The chicken then spat out a bullfrog and the list goes on. At the end of the film, the Kungfu Water incarnated into a waterspout and unleashed its greatest power on an eel, and the eel spat out a clean white plate as the tagline Wash Away Layers of Dirt faded in. With a sense of humor and exaggeration, the film showed the powerful cleaning function of Vattis smart dishwasher. The holographic video hall has also impressed audiences with Vattis high-end intelligent brand image.

The head installation attracted almost 300,000 visitors at AWE 2018, and it was reported by Chinas national broadcaster CCTV. Soon after, the Intelligent Head was placed in the Zendai Himalayas Center and it has become a new landmark in Shanghai.

Credits 

Founder and Chief Creative Officer: Jody Xiong. Vice President: Cobe Liu.

Art Director: Jody Xiong. Copywriters: Candy Chen, Yixiao Chen, Hu Dong.
| BY Lynchy |

At the end of last year, the Bangkok Art Directors Association (B.A.D.) launched its B.A.D. Young Cannes 2017 The Greatest Sponsors campaign in search for the representatives from Thailand to compete in the Young Lions 2018 competition at this years Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

Bhuvadol Thykahm (left), a copywriter, and Suphasek Ruangraweewat (right), an art director, from Y&R Thailand were judged the winners for the Print Category (see winning entry below). The team beat 24 other entries from the Bangkok industry on a brief from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation to discourage people from smoking in the home.
Chorney-Booth: Roy Oh offers comfort through his Korean Kitchen

The pandemic has done many things to the restaurant industry, but its been particularly troublesome for restaurateurs who had plans for new eateries that were well in the works by March 2020. Celebrated local chef Roy Oh knew that his award-winning Anju restaurant was going to be shuttered to make way for construction in the building it lived in. He had plans to launch a pop-up in March 2020 to fill the gap, which, of course, got thwarted by the pandemic. Oh has been on a bit of a journey ever since, and has finally landed with a new bricks-and-mortar restaurant.
Join Arts for ACT Gallery, at 2265 First Street in downtown Fort Myers on from 6-10 p.m. Friday, June 1, for the opening reception and Meet the Artists for June Fort Myers Art Walk. This month, ACT Gallery will feature Rey Lorenzo in the main gallery showing mermaids and other original works and off the main gallery in the white gallery, Joe LeMay. Also showing, New Works from our Co-op Artists!

* Main Gallery Rey Lorenzo

For over 35 years, Rey Lorenzo worked professionally as an artist. He works on residential and commercial art projects pertaining to original art and murals. Painting in acrylic paints with vibrant colors, and textured surfaces, Rey has a line of artistically hand-painted furniture and an acrylic painted and polymeric clay textured canvas line. He loves the ability to create new and creative artwork that helps enhance the environments fir his clients. Rey Lozano Art is comprised of a vibrancy of colors and textures along with the use of a multitude of jewels, rhinestones, clay, glass & tile pieces to create and to help add dimension to his canvases. Come see what Rey has created for ACT Gallery.

Visit his website at: www.reylozanoart.com

In the White Gallery Joe LeMay

Born and raised in the Midwest, Joe LeMay made the move down to Southwest Florida in 1998. In 2004, he went to study art in Savannah, Georgia where he graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in Illustration.

After getting his B.F.A., he returned to Fort Myers and began working in freelance illustration. His freelance work has included childrens book illustration, logo design, poster design and comic strip illustration. Soon after arriving back in Southwest Florida, he began working at a gallery in downtown Fort Myers.Being involved hands-on in the gallery scene inspired him to move in a different direction and he began creating artwork targeted at galleries and exhibitions rather than web pages and magazines.

Although his gallery work draws upon his background in illustration, it branches out into several different styles and techniques, a luxury not often afforded the freelance illustrator. It is this freedom that continues to inspire him to experiment and enjoy the process of making art. He is currently living and working out of Cape Coral.
With the Sanibel Fire and Rescue Districts new ladder truck currently undergoing its equipment installation, the district has two offers on the table from departments interested in the old one.

At the May 9 commission meeting, Fire Chief Matt Scott explained that the replacement truck is starting to have the apparatus and accessories added to it in the process of being completed.

The new ladder truck is on the line, he said.

A final inspection for the vehicle is expected in August.

Scott noted that the truck could be in service by September.

An update was also provided on the E1 ladder truck that the new one will replace.

Scott explained that he found companies to list the sale with, with one that provided the service on consignment. He provided them with the information on the truck and it was listed for $75,000.

Thats what they thought we could get out of it, he said.

Since the listing went up, Scott has been contacted by a few agencies.

I have two departments who are interested, he said.

One agency in Montreal will not have an answer until May 17. Scott explained that the second department is offering a cash payment upfront of $61,5000  not the listed asking price.

So right now, were in a holding pattern, he said.

Scott noted that the listing company will receive 10 percent when it is sold.

He recommended that the district wait on the second offer before making a decision.

The commissioners voiced support for getting the highest payment possible.

Scott also gave an update on a brush truck the district acquired through a loaner program.

Federal Excess Personal Property and Firefighter Property, or FEPP/FFP, is equipment on loan to state foresters from the federal government for use in rural and wildland fire protection programs. Most of the items are from military installations, with trucks suitable for conversion to tankers or brush trucks.

Fire departments desiring equipment can contact the Florida Forest Service to make a request.

Scott said the district is converting the military vehicle into a high water brush truck.

The truck has been painted, he said, explaining that the front end is being attached at the Bayshore Fire Protection and Rescue Service District in Fort Myers.

The truck is expected to be in service in June.

Scott explained that the conditions of the program include turning over the vehicle if the federal government needs it  which never happens  and providing mutual aid for wildland fires.

Also at the meeting, Sanibel Fire Marshal Rick Tassoni pointed out a fire access issue.

He reported that there is no access road to the Breakers West Condominium. It had been using the Waterside Inn on the Beachs access road, until the Waterside Inn no longer allowed it access.

We cant access it correctly, Tassoni said of Breakers West.

He noted that the law requires fire access.

According to Tassoni, Breakers West sued Waterside Inn over the refusal for access, but it ended up losing the lawsuit. He said Waterside Inn is now suing Breakers West for $100,000 over the suit.

Tassoni said Breakers West must modify or add an access road to be in compliance.

The city has to approve all that, he said.

The Sanibel Public Library may not fully reopen in the fall as expected.

Its going to be postponed, Tassoni said of it. Theres major issues theyre running into.

During public comment, one man asked which seats were coming up for election.

The commissioners serve four-year terms, with Seat 1 and 2 on the same cycle and Seat 3 following two years later. Seats 1 and 2 are expected to be on the list for the upcoming November election.

Commissioner Mike Lawrence holds Seat 1 and Commissioner Bruce Cochrane holds Seat 2.

Seat 3, held by Commissioner Jerry Muench, will be up for election in 2020.
As National Safe Boating Week marks its 60th anniversary, and leads into the Memorial Day weekend, island authorities highlighted the importance of safety on the water and offered up some basic tips.

Running from May 19-25, the nationally-recognized week promotes water safety awareness.

The goal behind the week is to promote safety on the water and try to prevent accidents and drownings, Fire Chief Jeff Pawul, with the Captiva Island Fire Control District, said.

Capt. Tim Barrett, the Sanibel Fire and Rescue Districts training officer, agreed.

The main goal of boater safety week is, as the name implies, to make everybody sit back and think about boater safety, he said. So when people go out on the water, theyre prepared.

According to the U.S. Coast Guards 2016 Recreational Boating Statistics, the most recent figures available, there were 4,463 reported accidents that year. They involved 701 deaths and 2,903 injuries, plus approximately $49 million of damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents.

In 2016, Florida was the top-ranking state with 70 fatalities and 684 accidents.

Florida has been and always is  as of late  the number one state for boating accidents and drownings in relation to boating accidents, Pawul said.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 80 percent of boating deaths nationwide were due to drowning in 2016 and 83 percent were not wearing a life jacket. Two-thirds were described as good swimmers.

One in three boating injuries occurred in boat operators over the age of 35.

In addition, 77 percent of the deaths occurred on boats where the operator had no boating safety instruction, and in 15 percent of the deaths the primary cause and leading factor was alcohol.

The top-ranking factors among boating accidents, injuries and deaths during 2016 were operator inattention, operator inexperience, improper lookout, excessive speed and alcohol use.

Florida has the greatest number of boats and boat owners and  not surprisingly  the greatest number of boating accidents, Pat Schmidt, commander of Americas Boating Club of Sanibel-Captiva, said. In the vast majority of these accidents, the boats captain has had no boating education.

For our organization, thats worrisome, she added.

Fire district officials offered the boating community some tips on how to stay safe.

The best thing is to take a boating safety class, Barrett said.

Pawul agreed, noting that there are even online courses available to take.

Its almost like a drivers ed course for the water, he said.

Americas Boating Club has an array of classes.

We pride ourself on offering the finest boating education in Southwest Florida, Schmidt said. Our program offers courses for everyone, from beginning boaters to highly experienced boaters.

Barrett and Pawul pointed out that most calls come from boats running aground.

Theres really shallow water around here, Barrett said.

He recommended that boaters study the charts before heading out.

To get from A to B, you may have to go through C and D to get there, Barrett said. If youre not local, get a good chart before you hop on a boat and go.

Pawul echoed that.

Boating wise, we have the same issues to deal with as Sanibel does with people running aground because they are inexperienced with a boat or inexperienced with our area, he said.

Pawul explained that local boating is not like boating in a lake up north.

You see water and you think you can go there, and quickly go from 4 (feet) to 10 feet of water to a foot or less, he said, adding that several factors play into how big of a problem it is at that point.

Depending on your speed and the type of vessel youre in, it can be a small incident, Pawul said. You get in a bigger boat with higher speeds and thats when people can really get injured.

Barrett also suggested that more than one person be able to handle the boat.

Make sure at least one other person knows how to operate the boat, he said. Everyone should have a good basic knowledge, or if something happens theyre kind of stuck with no way of operating it.

Pawul recommended knowing how to use GPS in case of an emergency.

Educate yourself on your boat and your surroundings. If you get in trouble, know how to convey your location to rescuers, he said, referring to using landmarks or reading latitude and longitude. We notice that a lot  people cant convey where they are at.

Filing a float plan or mini itinerary with family or friends before leaving is also key.

Make sure somebody knows where youre supposed to be at, so we know where to start looking for you, Pawul said.

There is a minimum equipment list of what every vessel should have, which includes a cell phone or way of communication and life jackets. State law requires one life jacket for each person on board.

Schmidt explained that there is a Life Jacket Loaner Program in place with the Sanibel fire district. Residents and visitors can borrow the jackets from Station 171, at 2351 Palm Ridge Road, on a daily or weekly basis. Supplied with a Sea Tow Foundation grant, the sizes range from infant to extra large.

People can come get a life jacket and use it for the extra people they dont normally have (on board), Barrett said.

Boaters are also encouraged to bring extra food and water, as well as sunscreen, hats and such.

One of the last important things is dont drink and drive out there, Pawul said.

He explained that boat operators are responsible for themselves and the passengers on their vessel, along with any other boaters out on the water.

If youre driving and operating a boat, youre putting everybodys life in jeopardy, Pawul said.

While National Safe Boating Week is only one week, a recently launched national campaign aims to empower recreational boating advocates to create a safe boating culture 365 days per year. Called Boat Live 365, it features a range of resources, from accident reporting and cold water, to propeller strikes.

While National Safe Boating Week is important, its purpose is to underscore the importance of safe boating 365 days, Schmidt of the campaign.

For more information, visit the campaign website at boatlive365.org.

Additional safety information can be found at www.safeboatingcampaign.com.
Rob Gibson

If you've been by the boardwalk in Kelowna lately, specifically near the sails, it's hard to miss construction on the new tourism Kelowna Centre.

As we get closer to summer, it's easy to see how progress on the new visitor centre is coming along.

The visitor centre used to be located on Harvey Street but according to Lisanne Ballantyne, President, and CEO of Tourism Kelowna, the times they are changing.

"Because of declining visitors coming through (the old centre), like many places in North America, we made the decision to go to where the customer was."

That new location is right on the waterfront and according to Ballantyne, more than 400 thousand people visit the downtown boardwalk every year.

"People are making their travel arrangements online and in advance, so people are arriving fully booked, they've got their hotels in place and now they are looking for things to do while they are here."

Hence the new visitor centre, right on the waterfront, actually in the same location as the old originally ferry landing and an even older sawmill. According to project manager, Gustav Van Niekerk building on the waterfront can be tricky.

"We did have some geotechnical issues which we had to mitigate, as we excavated for the foundation we actually found some of the original pilings for the ferry terminal."

Van Niekerk says they plan to donate some of the findings to the Kelowna Museum.

Part of the construction challenge was the actual design. There are no 90-degree angles, most of the building is rounded and off square.

"It's got quite an organic design which was from the beginning was a desire of Tourism Kelowna so we could take advantage of the timeless location. There were engineering issues that needed to be overcome but our design team and skilled labourers did an excellent job of bringing it all together."

During construction, an environmental consultant is performing environmental monitoring and there have been no issues to report.

The new building is on track to open by mid to late summer.
Photo: City of Kelowna

The City of Kelowna is coming to the aid of beleaguered residents who find themselves prisoners in their own homes during major snowfall events

City public works manager Darryl Astofooroff outlined a series of potential changes to the way the city responds to people living on what are termed Priority 3 roads.

The city clears roads on a priority basis. Priority 1 includes all main arterial roads, Priority 2 includes secondary roads, roads with a grade greater than 10 per cent, bus routes and school zones, while Priority 3 includes most residential streets.

Three options were outlined for council, one which staff recommended and council seemed on board with.

"Option 3 is to increase the annual snow removal budget by $400,000 to enhance service levels, hire more contractors to improve response time into residential Priority 3 streets and add additional resources," said Astofooroff.

"This would also allow us to add additional snow routes and would help in rebuilding snow removal reserves."

Astofooroff said proposed new snow routes would include neighbourhoods in Black Mountain, Kirschner Mountain and Academy Way.

Proposed changes resulted from a steady increase in service requests from people on local residential roads. About 70 per cent of calls following a 37 centimetre dump on Dec. 27 of last year were from those areas.

"When you have these snowfall events, although these are Priority 3 roads, people literally can't get in and out," said Coun. Brad Sieben.

"There is a safety considerations. As much as we need to make sure traffic keeps flowing, these are ones where they become shut-ins without service."

Astofooroff says the city is also looking into GPS tracking to monitor the progress of snow removal, and adding resources for specific tasks such as cul-de-sacs, higher elevation neighbourhoods and clearing multi-use corridors.

Large or continuous snowfalls over the past number of years have depleted the city's snow removal reserve fund, while storms in January and February have all but drained this year's budget.

In order to prop up both, the city placed $800,000 of 2017 surplus funds into the snow removal reserve fund.
Photo: Contributed

A feature film shooting in the Central Okanagan this summer is looking for paid extras.

"A Score To Settle" stars veteran actor Nicolas Cage, and will film in the Kelowna area in June and July.

According to casting call information, extras with a focus on ethnic diversity are being sought for a variety of situations, including:

Hotel staff and guests

Wedding guests

Gang members

Prisoners and guards

Policemen

Spa customers

Seniors/nursing home residents

General public

You must be a resident of B.C. and legally entitled to work in Canada.

The casting call will take place May 26 in the Westbank Conference Room of the Kelowna Sandman Hotel, from 9 a.m. to noon.

To avoid long lines, email [email protected] for an arrival time.

Cage previously starred in The Humanity Bureau, which was filmed around Osoyoos in 2016.
Photo: Chelsea Powrie

The Town of Osoyoos will be waiving Osoyoos Landfill fees for all shoreline flood debris along the lake, effective immediately.

Residents are asked to share with the landfill scale clerk the location where the debris was collected, out of the following three options:

RDOS Area "A"

Osoyoos Indian Band

A specific town address or area

The landfill's hours of operation are Tuesday and Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Monday and Sunday.

The fees will be waived until June 15.
Alanna Kelly

Workers are racing against time to raise up dikes along Mission Creek as water levels are expected to rise in the coming days.

Four kilometres of Kelowna's Mission Creek Greenway has been closed since Monday so workers can build up the dikes.

EOC operations section chief Alan Newcombe says it's important to keep the dikes high enough so that when high flows happen, they are contained within the channel.

Along the creek, there are numerous residential areas, so if the water came over the dike, it would impact a lot of private property, he said.

Fencing blocks off the pathway, and large signs read "park closed due to flooding hazard."

Resident are being told to keep out, as heavy equipment is being used on the trail.

The path under the Gordon Drive bridge has been flooded out, and rising water continues to cover it.

The dikes are being raised up to two feet in some locations.

Last week, when we had the higher flows, we did notice that in some locations the water came right up to the top of the dike, said Newcombe.
Photo: Contributed Emergency crews were called to the intersection of KLO and Benvolin just after 6 p.m. for a report of a roll over.

Emergency crews were called to the intersection of KLO and Benvoulin just after 6 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a roll over.

Witnesses tell Castanet one car ended up on its roof, but it is not known yet how the accident happened or if anybody was hurt.

Castanet will have more information should it become available.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Lynne Kent says owning a home in Vancouver that's valued at $4 million isn't the blessing it may appear to be.

She and her husband are among a small group of homeowners in British Columbia facing a tax bump on homes assessed at over $3 million who say they simply can't afford it.

The school tax increase introduced in the B.C. budget would be set next year at 0.2 per cent on the portion of property valued above $3 million. It would increase to 0.4 per cent on the portion above $4 million.

For the Kents, that would mean an extra $2,000 annually.

Kent and her husband bought their three-bedroom bungalow in Kitsilano in the early 1970s for about $40,000 and live on Canada Pension Plan and Old-Age Security payments, plus some savings.

Read more
Photo: The Canadian Press David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Metis Federation, takes part in a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday March 8. The Manitoba Metis Federation says it will launch a lawsuit against the provincial government in a dispute over planned hydro projects.

The Manitoba Metis Federation says it is taking the province to court in a dispute over planned hydro projects.

Metis federation president David Chartrand met Tuesday with Crown Services Minister Cliff Cullen and Manitoba Hydro to discuss a deal between the federation and the Crown utility.

In March, Premier Brian Pallister quashed a $67-million deal that had been negotiated between the federation and Manitoba Hydro to help support a transmission line to Minnesota. The premier called it "persuasion money."

The federation said at the time it would file for a judicial review to overturn the decision because, it argued, the agreement was legally binding.

"We were hoping that the province would have come forward with a position of an olive branch, given that we believe strongly that the agreement was negotiated between ourselves and Hydro," said Chartrand.

"They are not willing to sit down and they are going to overrule Hydro, which we believe they don't have the legal right to do."

He said the federation has given its lawyers the green light to go ahead with court action, probably within the next week.

Cullen said the two sides have agreed to disagree on the matter.

"They feel it was an agreement," he said. "Our understanding is that it's really a proposal."

Cullen said the ball is in the Metis federation's court.

"It's really up to them on how they want to proceed," he said. "We'll wait and see what their undertaking is."

Despite the disagreement on the transmission line, Cullen said the government is committed to consulting with the Metis federation.

Nine of 10 Hydro board members resigned in March over what they said was Pallister's refusal to meet with them to discuss important issues, including Indigenous rights.
Photo: Facebook Vernon Harper

A Cree elder who was a co-organizer of a cross-Canada trek to raise awareness of broken treaties and grievances against the federal government has died, according to an organization that advocates for dozens of First Nations communities in Ontario.

Vernon Harper, a medicine man and Indigenous rights activist, organized the Native People's Caravan from Vancouver to Ottawa in 1974.

Harper, 85, also authored a book about the trek entitled "The Red Road: The Native People's Caravan, 1974."

The Anishinabek Nation Grand Council says Harper died on Saturday, surrounded by members of his family in Toronto, where he was born on June 17, 1932.

He served as vice-president of the Ontario Metis and Non-Status Indian Association and in 1976, he co-founded the First Nations School of Toronto, which is designed to empower its students with a strong cultural identity.

Funeral services are to be held in Toronto on Friday.

"My condolences go out to Vern's family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time," Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee said Tuesday in a release.

"He will be fondly remembered for his passion for helping others and for being a champion of Indigenous rights," Madahbee said. "He was an advocate for those who could not speak for themselves and he influenced the lives of many."

Harper was also one of a few First Nations elders with a chaplain status recognized by the Correctional Service of Canada and provided spiritual services, sweat lodge ceremonies and traditional counselling to Indigenous prison inmates.
Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe meet at the Legislative Building in Regina.

REGINA - Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is calling on the Prime Minister to get tough with British Columbia over its opposition to the Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion.

Moe says Justin Trudeau's Liberal government should withhold sending federal infrastructure money to B.C.

He says it has been a month since Trudeau met with B.C. Premier John Horgan and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley in Ottawa and the federal government has not introduced legislation to help get the project built.

Moe made the remarks on his Facebook page Tuesday and later expanded on them at the legislature in Regina.

The $7.4-billion Trans Mountain project would triple the flow of heavy oil from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C.

Kinder Morgan, the company behind the pipeline, has warned it will pull the plug by May 31 if hurdles to the project remain.

Moe says time is running out and Ottawa should take action.

"The Prime Minister has spent the last two weeks announcing nearly $200 million in funding to Toyota, Rio Tinto, and Alcoa in Quebec and Ontario, while only paying lip service for the last year and a half to Trans Mountain, on which tens of thousands of western Canadian energy sector jobs depend," he wrote on Facebook.

"The Prime Minister can act now and make use of tools available to his government, like withholding of infrastructure funding to British Columbia to get this pipeline built."

At the legislature, Moe says Saskatchewan will be putting forward proposals to reform Canada's equalization payment system.

He says Saskatchewan needs to get its agriculture, energy and other products to market if its economy is to continue to grow.

Moe says without better market access Saskatchewan may not be able to continue contributing to equalization. He notes the province contributed $580 million to the program that benefits have-not provinces last year.

"I think it is time for us to look at this formula of equalization to ensure that provinces such as Saskatchewan can continue to be contributors, " he said.

Moe declined to give examples of the changes Saskatchewan will seek to the federal equalization program, but says his government will discuss them with other provinces in the months ahead.

Speaking in Calgary, Trudeau says his government is looking at legislative, legal and financial avenues to get the federally-approved Trans Mountain project moving.

But Trudeau says he won't negotiate in public.
Photo: File photo Finance Minister Bill Morneau

Finance Minister Bill Morneau will provide an update Wednesday on the status of his talks with Kinder Morgan to expedite the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion  but he is not expected to announce a deal.

Rather, Morneau is expected to articulate the broad strokes of how Ottawa sees a deal coming together  setting forth the federal Liberal governments principles, values and goals that could form the basis of an eventual agreement.

Morneau had been engaged in intensive talks with Kinder Morgan officials up until Tuesday, but the two sides have yet to declare any common ground on the amount of federal money involved.

The finance minister's very public display, which comes the day before the company's annual meeting in Calgary, is likely to put additional pressure on the company.

Amid mounting opposition from the B.C. government, environmental groups and protesters, not to mention skittish investors, Kinder Morgan halted all non-essential spending on its $7.4-billion plan to double an existing pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby, B.C., and gave Ottawa until the end of May to broker some calm.

Earlier Tuesday, before Morneau's news conference  scheduled for 9 a.m. ET  was announced, Trudeau was in Calgary, trying to convince skeptical Albertans to believe his latest mantra: that the pipeline will be built.

"Let's be honest about these things. I don't think there is anything that I can say that would reassure some of my critics who have such little faith in my government getting anything done for Alberta," he said.

"I don't think there's any magic phrase I can say that will have critics and skeptics put down their criticism and say, 'You know what? The prime minister reassured me today.'"

As Trudeau spoke, a small group of protesters were heard shouting, "Build KM" and "Build that pipe."

Morneau's talks with Kinder Morgan had their genesis a month ago, when Trudeau promised to deploy both financial and legislative tools to ensure the disputed expansion is able to proceed.

During a remarkable eight-hour stopover in the national capital, an unscheduled break from a busy overseas travel itinerary, Trudeau convened a summit in Ottawa with B.C.'s John Horgan, who has staked his government's survival on opposing the pipeline, and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, whose province's economic health depends on it.

Trudeau instructed Morneau to sit down with Kinder Morgan to find a financial solution that would soothe their investors. He also promised legislation that would reaffirm Ottawa's authority to press ahead with a development deemed to be in Canada's national interest.

The Liberal government position is that it approved the project in 2016 after a rejigged environmental assessment and Indigenous consultation process, and in concert with the its climate change and oceans protection plan. Approval came in consultation with the previous B.C. Liberal government, which gave its consent to the project after its own conditions were met.

Horgan's election last year changed that. His minority government exists at the pleasure of the Green party, and on condition of his continued opposition to the project.
Spectacular video shot by Kelowna Coun. Ryan Donn appears to show a hot air balloon interfering with air traffic at Kelowna International Airport Wednesday morning.

The balloon seems to be in very close proximity to the path of a WestJet aircraft as it takes off.

But, while the entire scene may seem dangerous, it was anything but, according to airport manager Sam Samaddar.

"The hot air balloon is an aircraft, and it was in communication with air traffic control," said Samaddar. "It has a transponder, so it can transit through the airspace."

He says the balloon operator would also have been in communication with aircraft in the area.

Samaddar says there is a protocol with what is called airmanship, which is based on the manoeuvrability of a particular aircraft.

"There is a precedence set in terms of order of priority. In this case, because the balloon is less manoeuvrable, it has a higher level of order of priority."

The hot air balloon landed safely in an area adjacent to the KF Aerospace hangar, away from the runway.
Photo: Contributed

The District of Peachland hopes to get the message out to bikers.

Turn down the volume.

The municipality is joining other cities across the country in asking motorcyclists to put an end to loud pipes.

The campaign will be unveiled Friday morning.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Premier John Horgan defended his government's position on the Trans Mountain pipeline Wednesday, hours after Finance Minister Bill Morneau said the federal government is willing to protect Kinder Morgan's investors.

Horgan said he is protecting the interests of British Columbia by joining two legal cases that are already underway over the project and asking the B.C. Court of Appeal whether the province has the right to protect its environment through a permitting system for hazardous substances that are transported inside its borders.

"I'm doing what I said I would do, I'm defending the interests of British Columbia," he said after speaking to the B.C. Tech Summit. "I'm not causing any risks."

Horgan said the province asked the federal government to take part in the reference case to the Appeal Court, but it declined so his government went ahead on its own to determine its position under the Constitution.

"These are not overly provocative statements in my opinion, those are the normal course of events working with the rule of law, not allowing Mr. Morneau to determine constitutionality, but the courts."

Kinder Morgan has ceased all non-essential spending on the $7.4-billion pipeline project that would twin the existing pipeline between Burnaby, B.C., and Edmonton. The company wants assurances it can proceed without delays by May 31.

Morneau said Ottawa is willing to "provide indemnity" to Kinder Morgan investors to ensure the controversial project is able to proceed.

Asked about how Morneau's statement might impact the future of the pipeline, Horgan replied: "I'm not a seer. I don't know what the future holds. Mr. Morneau will do what he wants to do."

Horgan later issued a statement replying to Morneau: "The federal finance minister is trying to use our government as an excuse, as the federal government puts taxpayer money on the line to backstop risks to private investors, while completely ignoring the risks to B.C."

B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson said Horgan's approach on the pipeline is now placing taxpayers' money at risk through the federal commitment.

"Instead of the private sector paying to build this pipeline, taxpayers will now be responsible for cleaning up Horgan's mess," he said in a news release.

"Oil will continue to be shipped by rail through our communities despite the dangers, and tankers will continue to operate off our coasts carrying oil to Washington refineries. While Horgan risks the economic future of B.C. to hold on to power, our province may face the consequences of losing out on opportunity and prosperity."
Photo: Facebook

A coyote has been destroyed after it attacked a boy in Burnaby, Tuesday.

Conservation officers shot the animal after it attacked the child, believed to be as young as three.

The incident happened shortly after 5 p.m. in the Sperling-Broadway area.

The extent of the boy's injuries is not known.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Liveleak

A dustup at a Langley Tim Hortons outlet ended with a woman flinging her own feces across the counter.

Leaked surveillance images show a heated argument between the woman and a staff member.

The woman then pulls down her pants and defecates on the floor before scooping it up and throwing it.

Police arrested the woman, who was released on a promise to appear in court.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: UBCO UBC grad students Kurt Yesilcimen, second from left, and Connor Keegan, far right, give the cart a final inspection before handing it over to Metro Community Churchs Devon Siebenga and Ramsay Collier.

A group of UBC Okanagan students have turned their collective minds to the streets and built the first-ever personal belongings carrier.

Specifically designed for homeless people to carry their belongings in, the cart is now ready to roll.

The idea was born of a partnership between UBC Okanagans School of Engineering and Metro Community Church, which works with the Kelowna homeless population.

Crafted by faculty, staff and students at the School of Engineering, the carrier is partially constructed with composite materials designed in the Okanagan node of UBCs Composites Research Network. The goal was to make something strong, yet light that can be easily manipulated along city streets.

One of the largest and most rewarding challenges addressed so far, is to develop this carrier in a way that satisfies the needs of the entire community. The teamwork between all community stakeholders has been fantastic and has been a very valuable experience for all students involved, said Crawford.

Last week, Crawfords team handed the original prototype to representatives from Metro Community which provides a safe place for people struggling with homelessness, mental health challenges, addiction and poverty.

The prototype will be given to a member of the street community to 'test drive' and provide feedback to the engineers.

Were certainly excited to pick this one up and get it out on the streets for a test drive, said Metros Devon Siebenga. We have a couple members of our community in mind who will be able to use this and let us know how practical it is.

The cart will allow homeless people to secure their belongings, normally stowed in shopping carts. The carts are lockable and users can leave them while they attend appointments, get a meal or access other support services.

This first one, which can be dismantled into three lockable sections, is made of plywood and specialty designed composites, comes equipped with hand brakes, a removable bicycle hitch, a GPS unit, shelving inside each compartment and 3D-printed wheel hubs.

Many of the people who live on the streets, live from minute-to-minute and stress about securing their belongings, said Siebenga. This limits their ability to get a hand up and the problems further compromise their sense of stability and path to recovery. This personal belongings carrier is a first small step in restoring their dignity.
Photo: RDKB Flooding on downtown streets in the City of Grand Forks on May 10.

Officials in the Regional District Kootenay Boundary said more evacuation orders could be given either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.

Chris March, RDKB Emergency Operations Centre director, said the warning is due to "unprecedented fluffing" in the river systems  which he explained is when soil, gravel and other materials fall into rivers due to bank erosion.

"Homes well above the floodplain, in certain locations, are seeing significant bank erosion, and that's making the homes unsafe."

About 1,471 properties remain evacuated in the regional district, affecting about 2,950 people.

The Kettle and Granby rivers both have risen more than 20 centimetres since Tuesday and are expected to rise further, and officials said they are taking an overly-cautious approach to the potential for further flooding in the coming days.

Data from the B.C. River Forecast Centre is somewhat favourable, indicating flows could be well below the record levels seen last week. However, Marsh said that forecast doesn't consider the "worst case" for rain.

He said the flows projected for the Granby River from the province consider if five to 15 millimetres of rain falls, but he said thunderstorms forecasted in the next three days could easily drop 20 to 30 mm in a short timeframe.

"That's what we're faced with, and it's kind of an unknown for us. We're seeking the route of an ounce of prevention and we just want to keep everybody safe."

The City of Grand Forks has formally put in a request for military support to the federal government.

RDKB chair Roly Russell said it's not an unreasonable request since the closest unit is stationed in Trail, about 90 minutes away.

"We've got a list of operational tasks we can give them as a unit, and they can be self-sufficient... so it would be a resource on the ground that would help us immediately," regional fire chief Dan Derby said.

"They have boats, engineering staff, just manpower that can assist the volunteers who are just exhausted in the community, from seven days of sandbagging in the community."
Photo: Facebook

A coroner's jury has made 10 recommendations after the body of Saskatchewan woman was found in a Surrey park two years ago, but remained unidentified for months.

Family and friends of 27-year-old Deanna Desjarlais called for the inquest, hoping it would examine why some missing persons cases are publicized by police while others are not.

None of the 10 recommendations from the jury deal specifically with how Vancouver police handled the woman's disappearance in April 2016.

Jury members have called on provincial and municipal polices forces to be required to participate in the Provincial Dental Data Bank, to help in identifying missing persons.

Other recommendations seek better release planning for inmates, more timely provision of social assistance, and easily accessible, low-barrier shelters for Indigenous or HIV-positive women.

The woman's friend, Dana Morenstein said nearly two years ago that Desjarlais, a sex-trade worker with addiction problems, was twice reported missing to Vancouver police, but her remains found in a Surrey park in May 2016 were not identified until September.

Morenstein said when police didn't take public action, she started a Facebook page to get the word out about Desjarlais, originally from Saskatoon and a member of the Kawacatoose First Nation.

The family also called for the national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women to examine police actions, saying too many missing women's cases are dismissed.

Because Desjarlais's body had been scavenged by animals, Morenstein said police informed the family that a cause of death hadn't been determined, but the death was considered suspicious.

Vancouver police defended their investigation, even though a media release was not issued when Desjarlais was first reported missing.

Sgt. Brian Montague said in September 2016 that officers had information in May that she was "alive and well and potentially not wanting to be located."

He said the family was notified and the file was closed. It was reopened when a second missing person report was filed the following month.

"I guarantee the investigation was handled properly," Montague said.
Ongoing Rise is collecting donations of backpacks and school supplies for local students of all ages from elementary school to high school that will be handed out before the new school year begins. Students can come in to the Rise Thrift...
An overflow crowd of Signal Mountain residents came to the May town council meeting, almost all in opposition to a proposal by developers The Keith Corporation to build a large supermarket on property they own at 617 Cauthen Way. Rezoning the property from Low Density Residential to Highway Commercial District was on the agenda for a first reading Monday night. After a more than four hour meeting, the council decided that this rezoning warranted more discussion.

During the citizens opportunity to address the council 32 residents spoke, only five were in favor of the project and two of them were related to the developer and one was the architect that designed the proposed building.

The proposed plan would build a Food City supermarket on 3 of the 8.5 acres of land that is owned by the Keith Corp. The 4.59 acres behind the building that would remain wooded would be considered a buffer between the 21 residential properties that touch the total acreage. One of the existing commercial buildings would be razed and replaced with the store; the other building would be renovated and together with the big box store, would become the developers idea of a town center concept with "lifestyle components." There are 150 parking spaces planned that incorporates tree islands in the parking lot which will add an acre of impervious paving, increasing storm water runoff. And, there will be an estimated removal of 1100 trees.

Almost every speaker told the council that they moved to Signal Mountain for the small town feel. One said she had never spoken to anybody who moved there for more shopping opportunities. Many cited a land use plan that was originally developed in 2008 and updated in 2010 in which there was nothing indicating a desire to be anything except a small town. Residents fear a big box grocery store would change that. It would increase traffic, noise from delivery trucks and dumpsters and light pollution. There is also a concern that the development has no step down transition area from commercial to residential and there is a fear that it would create an adverse impact causing declining property values of adjacent homes as well as the lifestyles of the owners. This development would duplicate what is already available, said one resident. Pruitts Grocery Store is already considered to be the town center, she said, and there already are cafes and a coffee shop.

If rezoning is approved, people believe there will be a domino effect and that it will be difficult to turn down other requests for rezoning to commercial. Another speaker said that a good business will attract customers; a big grocery store is not needed to bring them. "Why does everybody worship growth? We dont want it," said another. There will soon be three big box grocery stores at the foot of Signal Mountain and another in nearby Red Bank. Many residents fear a negative effect on Pruitts which offers residents very personalized services and supports local vendors. Small stores cannot compete pricewise with large chain store prices, said one concerned speaker. "I believe that you should go home with the one who brung you to the dance," she said.

If such a large building is allowed and the business does not meet the projected numbers, both residents and the council are afraid that a large empty shell will remain. This decision is a very big deal, one man told the council. It will permanently change the character of the townforeverwe wont ever go back."

The few proponents of the project said with people now shopping for groceries off of the mountain, revenue is being lost. Property tax now collected from the 8.5 acres is currently $3,000. If it was developed as has been proposed, it is estimated to generate $37,596 yearly. The town would also benefit from an additional $122,850 in sales tax from the grocery store.

One owner of a franchised business that is off the mountain said he sees a difference in business in a commercial district which has a large anchor store as a tenant. He said in his opinion that a small town feel does not necessarily mean small business. He believes that there are enough people for both Food City and Pruitts to survive. He said there has been a prolonged period of growth in the county but he does not feel like it is happening on Signal Mountain. Another advocated for a zoning change said he had moved to the mountain for the school system, but he sees no economic vitality. He said this is a time warp to the 1970s or 80s. Because of the great asset of the schools, he said people will continue to come and the community will continue to grow and infrastructure needs to follow.

The Keith Corporation maintains that the land use plan targeted that property for future commercial development, and that "The Shoppes at Signal Mountain" would be in keeping with what residents wanted when the plan was created. The design of the large grocery store would be among the smallest of Food City stores; he said and is designed to look like multiple small stores.

The development would have three access points, and the developer would prefer to have a pedestrian activated traffic light for safely crossing Taft Hwy. He said it would create 128 jobs, many first jobs for kids and last jobs for retirees. Knox Campbell with Keith Corporation said that the company would be saving trees by not using the back 4.59 acres, as he showed a slide for an alternative plan for using the land. The drawing he showed left only one tree on each of 17 lots. One speaker noted that was not how those lots could actually be landscaped, and all of the trees would not need to be cut.

Steve Smith, president and CEO of Food City K Vat, told the council his company is looking at growth opportunities and that is seen on Signal Mountain. He told the council that a three-year lease remains on the store at the foot of the mountain and there are no plans to close it unless competition makes it unprofitable. People are not expected to come up the mountain to shop, but growth is projected in the county outside of the Signal Mountain city limits. He said that the company has done its homework regarding continued growth and profitability. Food City will sign a 20 year lease for the building, he said. If rezoning is not approved for the land owned by Keith Corporation, locations will be considered elsewhere in the county. Trucks and increased traffic would still impact the town, said Commissioner Robert Spalding. Mr. Smith told the council that deliveries could be scheduled in order to reduce the noise they created.

The developers cannot be kept in limbo, said Town Attorney Phil Noblett. A first vote must be held three months after the planning commission makes its recommendation to the town council. The council is the body that will make the final decision. If the request is denied, the project cannot come back for 12 months, he said. During that time, the developer can do what they want with their property. This vote will require a majority of the five member council, so there must be three votes in favor for the zoning request to move forward.

Town Manager Boyd Veal recommended that conditions be added to the ordinance before a first vote. The planning commission recommended six to one for the council to deny the request, therefore the conditions that had been considered were not sent to the council. It was decided that the ordinance will be amended to add conditions that will be put in writing and ready for a first vote that will take place at the agenda meeting on May 25. After the first vote, the council will have additional discussions about the rezoning request.

In other business, approval was given for the purchase of a police interceptor and fuel pump and fuel management software for the public works building. Contracts were awarded for three storm water projects: culvert replacement at 933 Whippoorwill Dr., ditch rehabilitation on Shackleford Ridge Road and drainage improvements on Fern Trail. A donation of surplus police radios to Marion County Emergency Management Agency was approved, and $4,000 will be given to the Signal Mountain Lions Club for events during the Fourth of July. A contract for work on the front part of the MACC building was authorized for $409,470.

An amendment was approved for the 2017-2018 budget to make adjustments for actual expenditures made during the year. The first reading of the fiscal year 2018-2019 budget was also approved. The property tax rate remains the same as the current year, at $1.5665.
Local franchise owner Heath Kyle, one of five operators in his family, opened Chattanoogas newest Chick-fil-A restaurant on Wednesday, and is celebrating with a special grand opening Road Trip. The interactive field trip will transport up to 100 participants around the Chattanooga area in order to earn a year supply of Chick-fil-A meals.

Over 60 Chick-fil-A fans lined up before the 6 a.m. mark at the new East Ridge Chick-fil-A at 639 Camp Jordan Pkwy to secure their seat on the unique First 100 Road Trip Experience. Guests started arriving around 3 a.m. to secure their spot on the bus.

The community celebration of the new location at 639 Camp Jordan Pkwy., will bring 90 new jobs to the area along with the brands trademark handcrafted food and personalized customer service. Kyle continues to build his East Ridge staff by hiring full- and part-time positions to work in all areas of the restaurant, including leadership positions focused on talent, training and administrative support. Interested applicants can apply at www.cfaeastridgejobs.com.

Chick-fil-As First 100 campouts have given away more than $34 million in free food through 2017 and continue to be the chains signature event to celebrate the opening of a new location. However, this Chick-fil-A grand opening celebration will not involve any overnight activities. Instead, up to 100 eligible participants, 18 years and older, can start gathering shortly before 6 a.m. on May 16 to register and immediately participate in a unique grand opening event.

Designed to be an impactful experience on many levels, the First 100 Road Trip will take participants around the Chattanooga area on a chartered bus while spending approximately six hours being engaged in activities to serve their community and give back to local organizations. The group will return to the new East Ridge restaurant where participants will be awarded a digital offer card loaded with a one-year supply of free Chick-fil-A meals (52 meals with each consisting of a Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich, medium Waffle Potato Fries and a medium beverage).

Mr. Kyle will also be using his opening to have an immediate impact on the local community by holding a childrens book drive with books being donated to East Ridge Elementary. He will be collecting new and gently used childrens books on Monday through Thursday morning of grand opening week to be placed in a nearly 3-foot Book House, built from reclaimed wood. Since 2014, Chick-fil-A has collected more than 66,000 books that have been donated to 363 local organizations in 45 states and Washington, D.C.

Becoming an operator seemed like the perfect fit for Mr. Kyle who has been surrounded by the Chick-fil-A brand most of his adult life. A graduate from Tennessee Temple University with a degree in business management, he has always had the desire and passion to start his own business.



Chick-fil-As program of working for yourself, but not by yourself appealed to Mr. Kyles entrepreneur side, and in 1999 he went to work for the franchise. It took four years of hard work, but in 2004 he was awarded with the Pell City, Ala. location. His dedication to the brand is evident by him receiving the opportunity to open the new East Ridge Chick-fil-A in Chattanooga, which allows him to be closer to his wifes family who lives in the area.



Becoming an operator has truly become a Kyle family affair. While Mr. Kyle was in college, his mother, Freda, became a Chick-fil-A Operator in Mississippi and will celebrate her 20th anniversary this year in October. In addition, his siblings, Luke, Matthew and Heather, have also become operators  with 70 years of Chick-fil-A experience between the five of them.

My team members and I cant wait to welcome guests to our East Ridge restaurant, were not just in the chicken business  were in the people business said Mr. Kyle. I will continue to grow my team members in leadership and purpose so they can provide customers with a remarkable experience by serving freshly prepared food, with healthy options, and with sincere hospitality.



Mr. Kyle will bring three team members he hired in Pell City and mentored over the years to fill leadership roles at East Ridge and hopes to continue his legacy of developing and providing growth for his staff.

The nearly 5,000-square-foot Hwy. East Ridge Chick-fil-A restaurant features a:

 traditional heritage restaurant interior design that showcases handmade, authentic materials for a vintage-inspired interior, including a large gathering table made from reclaimed wood and a light fixture made from recycled Coca-Cola bottles.

 drive-thru with dual ordering lanes and screens to enable customers to move quickly into a single lane for payment and pickup

 convenient separate entrance and inside pick-up counter designated for Chick-fil-A One mobile orders and a dining room with seating for 122 with additional outdoor patio seating for 18.

 full-service menu with a variety of healthy options and breakfast until 10:30 a.m., and will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Like all Chick-fil-A locations, it will be closed on Sunday to provide a day of rest and time with family and friends for team members.




Shaw Industries Group, Inc. has achieved carbon neutrality in its commercial carpet manufacturing operations. The achievement encompasses all commercial carpet manufacturing facilities that Shaw owns and operates globally, including those for Patcraft, Philadelphia Commercial, Shaw Contract and STS.At Shaw, we believe in creating a better future. We understand the challenges of climate change are global in scale and require a global response. No one company can solve problems at this scale by itself, but we can each contribute to an effort that enables all of us to create a wave of change for the better, notes Tim Conway, vice president of sustainability for Shaws commercial division.What we manufacture and the spaces our clients design make an impact. By reducing Shaws carbon footprint, we reduce the impact of what we create together.Shaw achieved carbon neutrality across its commercial carpet operations by first reducing its energy consumption, then switching to cleaner fuels, producing renewable energy at its own facilities and incentivizing additional renewable energy development and usage through the purchase of renewable energy credits. These efforts include installing a 1 MW solar array atop its carpet tile manufacturing facility in Cartersville, Ga. in 2013.Companywide, Shaws greenhouse gas emissions have improved approximately 25 percent compared to 2010 and the company has a target of reducing both the amount of energy it uses and the amount of GHG emissions it produces by 40 percent by 2030 (per pound of finished product).This is just one of a series of actions we have taken and will continue to take in line with our overall sustainability strategy and corporate vision, states Troy Virgo, director of sustainability and product stewardship at Shaw. We all have an important role in creating a better future, and with every decision, every thought and every action, were working toward even better solutions. The steps we take matter for people and the planet.
Bob Corker, whose life of public service is legend, will go back to his beginnings in Chattanooga Friday night when the Senator will be awarded The Heart for Haiti Humanitarian Award at a banquet that will be held at Stratton Hall.

Seeing the desperation in the eyes of the people, his heart was moved to start giving something back and saw politics as the best way to do it. Long before Bob Corker began his political career, he was part of a team from Chattanooga who went to Haiti on a Christian team for a construction project.Seeing the desperation in the eyes of the people, his heart was moved to start giving something back and saw politics as the best way to do it.

He served as Mayor of Chattanooga before he became one of the leaders in the United States Senate but he never forget his personal experience in Haiti and through the years has been an ardent supporter of the Childrens Nutrition Program which was started 20 years ago by Chattanooga physician Mitch Mutter.

Fridays banquet will celebrate 20 years as an outreach to the Haitian people and Corker has taken their plight of Haiti to Washington repeatedly, his influence sparking millions in aid after the island was devastated by a deadly hurricane several years ago.

Dr. Mutter, now a Medical Director for the state of Tennessee, said, I have been deeply moved by what the Senator has made happen in Haiti and the Heart for Haiti will honor Bob as he steps away from a public life. Nobody in Tennessee or in the United States has any idea what Bob has done for those he adopted years ago.

Dr. Mutter has taken groups of Chattanoogans to Haiti for years and Fridays banquet will bring many of them together at Stratton Hall, which is located a 3146 Broad St.
Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Wednesday convened a hearing on S.J. Res. 59, bipartisan legislation to replace the 2001 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force (AUMFs) with an updated AUMF against al-Qaida, the Taliban, and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The hearing is the committees fourth in the past year to examine the AUMF with testimony from legal scholars, policy experts, and the Secretaries of State and Defense. Committee members also met with the State Department legal adviser to discuss S.J. Res. 59 after the bills introduction in April. Wednesdays hearing featured testimony from former State Department legal adviser John Bellinger and international legal counsel for Human Rights First Rita M. Siemion.

We should take the opportunity now, after years of discussion and debate in our committee, to update the current authorities in a responsible manner, said Senator Corker. Our legislation gives the administration the flexibility necessary to win this fight while strengthening the rightful and necessary role of Congress, and I believe it is the best chance we have to finally address this issue in a constructive way.

In his testimony, Mr. Bellinger endorsed S.J. Res. 59 as a clear improvement over the existing 2001 AUMF that satisfies the Trump administrations criteria for any new authorization, including no lapse in existing authorities prior to enactment of a new AUMF, no sunset date, and no geographic limitations.

An updated AUMF is legally necessary to ensure that our military has clear statutory authorization to use force against new terrorist groups that threaten violence against the United States and to ensure that U.S. military operations, including detention, withstand legal challenges in U.S. courts, said Mr. Bellinger. I am pleased that S.J. Res. 59 addresses the parameters I recommended when I testified before the committee in June and the prerequisites articulated by the Secretaries of State and Defense. S.J. Res. 59 appropriately balances the need for the president and our military to have a broad and flexible congressional authorization to use force against the terrorist groups that threaten the United States today with the understandable concerns of members of Congress from both parties not to authorize an entirely open-ended use of forceS.J. Res. 59 is a clear improvement over the 2001 AUMF with respect to the concerns of both the executive branch and Congress.

Senator Corkers full opening remarks at the hearing follow.

We thank our witnesses for being here. They are here to share their expertise on S.J. Res 59, legislation recently introduced by myself, Senators Kaine, Flake, Coons, Young, and Nelson.

The bipartisan legislation would replace the 2001 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force (AUMFs) with an updated AUMF against al-Qaida, the Taliban, and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

It is the result of years of work and bipartisan negotiations that began in the 113th Congress when I first became ranking member of this committee. And the chairman [at the time], I know pursued this for some time, and we had votes on other AUMFs. I thank [Senator Bob Menendez] for his efforts in that regard.

Since then, we have held at least seven public, full committee hearings on authorizations for the use of military force.

Today will be our fourth such hearing on this topic in the last year, in addition to a classified briefing and a number of other meetings.

Since last June, we have heard testimony from legal scholars, policy experts, and the Secretaries of State and Defense twice.

During the drafting process, the administration outlined the following principles for any AUMF considered by Congress: number one, an AUMF must not sunset; number two, it must not be geographically constrained; and number three, it must be enacted before repeal of the 2001 or 2002 AUMFs.

The proposal that is before us, or the one that we are discussing today, adheres to all three of those requests.

After we introduced our AUMF, we held a full committee discussion with the State Department legal adviser. And I just want say that meeting, which we held off the record in [room] 116 where we do so much of our discussion, I thought was one of the best discussions we have had on an AUMF, and I think one of the reasons that the ranking member and others have requested that we have the legal scholars we have here today [is] to flesh out some of those issues.

In particular, I want to thank Senators Flake, Kaine, Young for their leadership and hard work on this legislation.

As we all know, the current administration  just like the Obama administration  believes that it does not need any additional authorization to use force against al Qaeda, the Taliban, or ISIS.

And just for what it is worth, I agree. I agree one hundred percent. I thought the Obama administration had all the legal authority they needed to conduct the operations that were under way. I feel like this administration has exactly the same.

But I also believe strongly that Congress should play a greater role in authorizing the use of force by enacting a new AUMF.

The current AUMF is nearly 17 years old. There is widespread discontent that Congress has been unable to update it, and there is a high risk that we will do so in an irresponsible manner by simply sunsetting, at some, point the 01 AUMF.

There is also a growing risk the further we get from September 11, 2001, that the courts could call into question or limit the existing authorization.

We should take the opportunity in my opinion now, after years of discussion and debate in our committee, to update the current authorities in a responsible manner.

The current AUMF requires the administration to trace terrorist groups back to the 9/11 attacks, which involves, lets face it, some legal stretching as we saw in the justification for the fight ISIS.

This AUMF updates the authority and clearly allows the president to continue to fight derivatives of terrorist groups as they morph and change their name whether or not they were around in 2001.

Less than 25 percent of the current members of Congress were here when Congress voted on the 2001 AUMF.

As a result, members were able to simply criticize the administration, which ever one happened to be in office at the time, and not bear any responsibility.

This AUMF would ensure that Congress remains involved in these decisions, but does not hamstring the administration.

Our legislation gives the administration the flexibility necessary to win this fight while strengthening the rightful and necessary role of Congress, and I believe it is the best chance we have to finally address this issue in a constructive way.

I want to thank both of our witnesses and the members of this committee for their seriousness on this issue with which they approach the topic before us today, and I hope that together we can have a productive discussion on a way forward.
County Commissioner Tim Boyd on Wednesday charged that UnifiEd "is using students in the Department of Ed as a crutch for their political agenda."

He also said the group's APEX Project is "the most far left, liberal document I have ever read. It does not represent the values of Hamilton County and I am insulted and disrespected by it."

Commissioner Boyd said, "This is not an organization pushing for better education in Hamilton County. It is pushing to change our way of life and the way we continue to do good things in this community."

Commissioner Boyd, at a commission meeting, said the report does not recommend but "demands things" and "54 times tells elected officials, community leaders and people on this dais that we must comply with this document."

He said, "I'm offended by it. I don't endorse it. I don't think the people of this community endorse it."

Commissioner Boyd said the report praises some New York City officials for coming to Chattanooga and helping facilitate the study process. He said, "There's not a whole lot from New York City that I want to bring to Chattanooga. New York City has one of the nation's worst school systems."

He said the program "promotes community schools, but at the same time it proposes programs that would defeat and destroy community schools."

The commissioner said a survey mentioned in the report had 30 percent of the respondents who were under age 18 and 40 percent with high school degrees or less.

He said, "I certainly don't agree with UnifiEd's hateful remarks they have aimed at Rhonda Thurman and Joe Smith. Joe Smith is one of the kindest, most respected people in this county. His taking in 19 foster children, I can't even fathom that."

Commissioner Boyd said, "The UnifiEd PAC spent $14,700 to try to defeat me, but the people in District 8 were not fooled by UnifiEd. We beat their candidate 2-1."




The Church of God of Prophecy is bringing the International Assembly back home to Tennessee. The 100th International Assembly will be held July 18-22 at the Chattanooga Convention Center.Were coming home, said Bishop Sam N. Clements, general overseer, to the Assembly crowd gathered in Orlando, Fl. We will celebrate a homecoming. Were bringing it back as close to Cleveland as we can get.For most of its history, the Church of God of Prophecy held its annual International Assembly in Cleveland, where they would draw record crowds of up to 20,000 at various times throughout the week-long event.The Church housed the event in two of its own tabernacles on Central Avenue and Keith Street, and sometimes in Chattanooga. After holding the event at the primary location in Cleveland from 1972-1991, the decision was made to move the Assembly to other cities and it has since been held in Louisville, Ky, Fort Worth, Tx., Greensboro, NC and Orlando, Fl.During the 2018 homecoming, Bishop Clements said he hopes people will be able to reconnect with the Churchs International Offices and historical sites, such as Fields of the Wood and the First Assembly House near Murphy, NC.You will be able to visit the International Offices, he said. We may even have a pre-Assembly service at Fields of the Wood. Some of you have never had the opportunity of being there.Pre-Assembly meetings, which include the International Presbytery meeting of overseers from around the world, will be held in the churchs new Ministry Training Center at the International Offices.According to initial reports, the 99th Assembly, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, was one of the highest attended Assemblies since leaving Tennessee. The week attracted an estimated attendance of 10,000 and included worship services, business meetings and events specifically for missions, children and youth.
Nearly 30 GPS and McCallie AP Spanish students offered a friendly bienvenidos (welcome) to a collection of Spanish-speaking community members for an afternoon of education, conversation, and fellowship in Caldwell Commons.

Local professionals from TVA and Coca-Cola, representatives from La Paz Chattanooga (a local Latino outreach and resource center), local educators (including East Side Elementary Principal Greg Wilkey), GPS parents, and additional friends of GPS were invited by GPS Spanish teacher Dr. Maria Carlone and McCallie Language Department Head/Spanish teacher Mr. Paco Watkins to the GPS campus to engage with students through Spanish conversation on social and educational topics in an effort to allow both students and professionals to practice the Spanish language, learn of others experience with the language, and to make new amigos.

The topics ranged from family traditions and cultural shocks, to scientific and technological advances in Hispanic countries, global issues such as womens rights and the environment, and art and literature. While at one table, one heard a member share memoirs of his or her childhood in a foreign country. At another table, one heard TVA professionals explain alternative forms of energy and their benefits, all in Spanish.

Using the community as a classroom is Dr. Carlones method behind these language exchanges, which she says not only benefits students foreign language use, but also enhances their global perspectives from several angles.

It gives them a wider view of the world, Dr. Carlone said. They build on their foundational knowledge of cultural differences, experience the language with its special accents and regionalisms from a wide variety of countries, and increase their empathy for what it means to come to the U.S. from another country, adapt to a new culture with new traditions, and strive to embrace the new traditions while simultaneously keeping the ones that belong to their own country.

Spanish language origins represented in the room include Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Colombia, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, and the United States. A handful of guests are not native speakers but learned the language either through their education, profession, or social community.

These exchanges also show the students that there are real-life, practical uses to what they are learning, said Dr. Carlone. Indeed, the majority of the guests used Spanish as a part of their job. Dr. Carlone also added that the guests were quite impressed with the students fluency and language ability.

This helps build the confidence in the language for the students and helps them see that their hard work is paying off now and will pay off in the future when they go to college and choose a career where they will be able to use their language skills, said Dr. Carlone.

The topics that Dr. Carlone and Mr. Watkins selected for the gathering were inspired by prompts that would be given during an AP Spanish exam, and therefore the event doubled as a form of review for students in preparation for their upcoming exam.

Dr. Carlone said, I cannot thank the members of the [Spanish-speaking] community and our brother school enough for their outpouring of support through involvement and participation.


The specialty chemicals company LANXESS looked back on a record year at this year's Annual Stockholders' Meeting. Last year proved impressively that our strategy is paying off and that we are fully geared up for growth, stated LANXESS CEO Matthias Zachert to stockholders at Cologne's LANXESS arena.



In view of the company's performance figures, the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board proposed a dividend of 80 cents to shareholders  up 14 percent on the previous year. This corresponds to a total dividend payout of EUR 73 million. We are therefore continuing the trend of recent years, added Zachert, referring to LANXESS's dividend policy.



In the last fiscal year, EBITDA pre exceptionals rose by 30 percent to around EUR 1.3 billion, the highest figure in the company's history to date. Key factors in this sharp increase in income were higher sales volumes in all segments as well as the strong contribution of the Chemtura businesses acquired last year. The EBITDA margin pre exceptionals increased from 12.9 percent to 13.3 percent, moving closer to the Group's medium-term margin target. From 2021, the average margin is expected to be between 14 and 18 percent. Sales also rose significantly by 26 percent to around EUR 9.7 billion. Net income fell to EUR 87 million from EUR 192 million in the previous year. However, excluding the substantial one-time exceptional expenses, primarily for integration of the Chemtura businesses and consolidation of production networks and value chains, as well as a one-time charge arising from the U.S. tax reform, net income increased by 54 percent from EUR 246 million to EUR 379 million.



Record as a milestone for further corporate development



In his speech, Zachert looked beyond past business results. He said that the record earnings figure was merely a milestone in LANXESS's development that vindicated last year's decisions, and that the company's future course was set.



A key step in this realignment was the acquisition and integration of Chemtura in 2017. On completion of the acquisition on April 21, 2017, LANXESS became one of the world's leading providers of flame-retardant and lubricant additives. At the same time, the Group strengthened its presence in the growth markets of North America and China. The operational integration into the existing structures has now been successfully completed. LANXESS has already realized EUR 30 million of the EUR 100 million synergies targeted by 2020. Last year, we promised that the acquisition of Chemtura would make LANXESS bigger, stronger and more competitive. We have kept this promise, Zachert told the stockholders.



Strong start to the new fiscal year



LANXESS followed up the successful 2017 fiscal year with the best quarterly result in its history. Sales rose by almost seven percent to around EUR 2.6 billion in the first quarter. EBITDA pre exceptionals improved significantly by 14 percent to EUR 375 million compared with the same period of the previous year. The EBITDA margin pre exceptionals was almost one percentage point up on the previous year at 14.6 percent. Net income improved significantly by 23 percent to EUR 96 million compared with EUR 78 million the year before.



Consequently, the Group has increased its forecast for the 2018 fiscal year and now expects EBITDA pre exceptionals to rise by five to ten percent in the New LANXESS segments (Advanced Intermediates, Specialty Additives, Performance Chemicals, and Engineering Materials). In the previous year, the comparable EBITDA pre exceptionals figure was around EUR 925 million.



Chairman of LANXESS Supervisory Board steps down



This year's Annual Stockholders' Meeting was also marked by the farewell of Dr. Rolf Stomberg. He stepped down after 13 years as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Zachert thanked Stomberg for his commitment: Your clear view on LANXESS, your pragmatism and your constructive criticism gave us guidance and certainty, also in difficult times. You have played a major role in the successful development of the Group and you are handing over the company in good order and in the best possible position.



Stomberg proposed Dr. Matthias L. Wolfgruber as his successor back in March. The doctor of chemistry and former CEO of Altana AG has been a member of the supervisory body as a stockholder representative since 2015. The Supervisory Board is going to elect its new Chairman at its first, constituent meeting after the 2018 Annual Stockholders' Meeting.
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Voice of the People Audio Article Native son Tom Smiths history of East Chesterton (Chesterton Tribune 9-30-21 Commentary) was interesting and a poignant tribute to his five-generations back ancestors, the Morgans, who traveled from West Virginia and Ohio to settle here in 1833  to raise a family, to farm and...

Voice of the People Audio Article This summer the Times of NW Indiana again suggested in an editorial that Dunes Action had been in opposition to the renovation of the State Park Pavilion. We never did. In fact, most of us had been waiting for it for decades. They did not...

Guest Commentary Audio Article This is a short history of the Morgan family farm before the possible development of the remaining 49 acres east of Chesterton. Jesse and Jane Morgan arrived in Northwest Indiana in 1833 after traveling through Ohio, northern Indiana, stopping off in LaPorte County for a...

Echoes of the Past Audio Article 10 Years Ago Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011  Bethlehem Lutheran Church will host a wellness screening event. . . CHS girls soccer team beats LaPorte 5-0 and clinches a share of the DAC title. Scoring goals are Rosie Biehl (2), Hannah Kollar (2), and Sam...
Trying to merge, being knocked back, and trying to do something else is very common because the economic drivers are still there, said Lisl Dunlop, a partner at law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips who works on antitrust issues. After calling off its deal with NorthShore, which garnered scrutiny from the FTC because of concerns that the merged entity would control too much of the market in northern Illinois, Advocate last year agreed to combine instead with Wisconsin giant Aurora Health Care in a deal that created the 10th largest not-for-profit hospital system in the country.
The locations being redeveloped were the final two Sears stores in operation in the city. The Galewood neighborhood project encompasses the department store and a nearby Sears Auto Center, which both closed in 2017. The Six Corners store is expected to close in mid-July, Sears announced last month.
The contract was initiated by Novartis' former chief executive, Joe Jimenez, according to a person familiar with the matter. Although the company decided after its first meeting, in March, not to pursue the relationship, Novartis said it continued paying $100,000 a month to Cohen, because the contract could not be terminated.
The company insists that its Zestimates are relatively accurate, with a median (national) error rate of 4.6 percent. But for years, consumers, appraisers and realty agents have criticized the company for having much higher error rates on individual properties  sometimes 10 percent or more in areas where housing types vary widely or property data are difficult to obtain. Some major metropolitan areas have error rates well in excess of Zillows national median  Dallas-Ft Worths rate is 8.2 percent  and some states have exceptionally high rates. Delawares statewide median error rate is 11.9 percent; certain counties in some states have error rates of 20 percent or higher. In Illinois, at least five counties have error rates of 20 percent or higher and one, Perry County, has a 26.7 percent rate.
Q: I am a trustee of a 10-unit condo association, which hired a new building manager. When the outgoing manager received the separation letter, he claimed that owners didnt support the decision and that he wasnt going to leave the job. He refused to turn over the keys, files and bank accounts. Although he was told the change was uncontested, he would not relent, so a cease-and-desist was sent to enforce the change. He replied that he had an attorney to fight it. (The attorney is his wife and co-owner of their business.) In the meantime, the outgoing building manager is the only one with oversight of our bank accounts. I went to the bank with copies of the notarized statement filed with the registry of deeds to prove that I am a trustee and our declaration of trust, which states that trustees have fiduciary oversight. I explained our concern about the manager being fired and still having sole oversight of our accounts. The bank claimed it needed additional documents but couldnt explain what they were. The outgoing property manager hasnt shown us an actual bank statement in at least two years, which is concerning.
Other sessions include Atlanta chef Todd Richards cooking soul food from his new book, Indian Instant Pot cookbook sensation Urvashi Pitre (one of this years hottest topics) and two mezcal specialists exploring the Mexican import. Finally, for the first time, Food & Dining welcomes Between Bites, the Chicago organization that brings together chefs and writers who share their stories about food and life, an apropos program given this years festival theme, Storytelling. Here are details.
Before she became famous on SNL for her Miley Cyrus impression and Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy character, she made her big debut in the Tribune in 2007  not for performing, but for running. Bayer and a friend were photographed participating in a city running tour for a story on guided fun runs. One very glamorous shot shows Bayers back as the group makes its way through an underpass.
The original Broadway production recieved mixed critical reviews. Alas, Anastasia also feels the need to spend a hefty opening chunk in the ill-advised staging of the entire fall of the czar  replete with reductive recitatif, swirling, panicked royals and even the cliched image of blood red slowly filling the digitized windows of the palace, Chris Jones wrote in his 2017 review of the Broadway production. That results in a clunky start to the show that at first feels very much like it won't lose the grasp of the animated cartoon, compromising the dignity of all sides of the revolution.
A world without books would terrify any writer. Bradbury viewed the rapid rise and increasing omnipresence of television as a serious threat to literature and to the culture, no less than the rise of the free-range political chicken of the moment, Sen. Joseph McCarthy. The all-too-vivid historical memory of Nazi book burnings, mass genocide and World War II haunted the books own imaginings. Fahrenheit 451 went on to be banned (occasionally, sporadically), assigned to millions of schoolkids and adapted for the movies, television, radio and the stage. For a tale about fire brigades starting fires, rather than extinguishing them, this one has enjoyed a remarkable shelf life.
That quiet, pensive search is effectively obliterated by the novel's other story line, set around the Civil War, which is far more developed - and considerably more dramatic. The geography, the weaponry and the cause are entirely different from the Iraq War, but Powers brings to Virginia battle scenes the same searing immediacy he brought to his stories of carnage in "The Yellow Birds." Once again, we come to feel the mix of agony and absurdity suffered by soldiers caught between the tectonic plates of history. And, pulling back from those poignant individual stories, Powers also creates a haunting vision of Virginia in economic and social collapse, a calamity that strips away the last bulwarks of civilization, inspiring some men to even greater barbary and others to further commercial exploitation.
Buckendahl described the impact the charity has on families in the community. "In our 41st year of service, the demand grows. Our Care Mobile Program will double its capacity this year helping children get access to pediatric care in partnership with Advocate Children's Hospital. Our Houses and Family Rooms will continue to see high numbers. We want to be there every single time to make sure that these families stay close to their hospitalized child, so they can focus on recovery and treatment care plans," she said.
Out of all of the traumatic events, divorce was most common, with about 25 percent of children reporting a parent or guardian splitting. After that, 9 percent had lived with someone with an alcohol or substance abuse problem, 8 percent had a parent in jail and 8 percent had lived with someone with mental illness. About 6 percent witnessed violence by parents or other adults.
I realize that this confusion is due to the unfortunate fact that the name "Hawaii" is used in so many different contexts, and that the state's geography is unfamiliar to most mainlanders. (That goes both ways: We've had friends and relatives from Hawaii expect to include a visit with us outside Washington, during their trips to New York City. When you live on an island that might only take an hour to circumnavigate - and where directionals are not north, south, east and west but ocean side, called "makai," and mountain side, called "mauka" - it's tough to grasp the vastness of the continental United States.)
The man who shot Case, Edward Klein, 80, formerly of West Allis, Wis., was charged with attempted murder but found to be unfit for trial after exhibiting signs of dementia and committed to a private facility in suburban Milwaukee. Case, 46, has said that he and his family supported the way the incident was resolved.
"Our school system was not set up for universally every child in every high school having a lab equal to the education they need," Emanuel said. "This investment today ensures that there's a level playing field across the City of Chicago for every child. And ensures that we're going to make an investment with them that's commensurate and equal to the fact that we raised the standards on our kids."
DUBUQUE, IOWA  A man accused of shooting into a Dubuque nightclub has pleaded guilty to a federal charge.



The Telegraph Herald reports that Ricardo Sanchez, of Chicago, entered the plea Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. The charge: unlawful possession of a firearm by a drug use. No sentencing date has been scheduled.



Police say Sanchez fired repeatedly into Club Rise in Dubuque about 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 27. The club was closed, but four employees were inside. None was hit.



Sanchez is a music promoter who police say had a dispute with Club Rise over payments for a concert.



Iowa charges were dropped when the federal charge was filed.
The girl told authorities she had been introduced to Whitley by Individual A  later identified as the woman who hosted the sex parties. She said Whitley, whom she knew as "Will," had paid her at least five times for sex in his apartment over several months.
The 18-year-old man, Davion Ervin, was shot in the head, wrist and back around 11 a.m. in the 800 block of North St. Louis Avenue, police and the Cook County medical examiners office said.
At issue is how to structure civilian oversight of the Police Department, an idea that is hardly new to policing. Cities that have undertaken serious reform, including Los Angeles and Seattle, have similar commissions designed to give citizens a voice in critical policing issues, such as use of force. Their purpose is also to help restore confidence among residents that officers will be fair and constitutional in how they patrol and investigate crime.
Authorities said the incident began about 8 a.m. when the suspect fired several shots near the gym. Dallas, who has worked as a school resource officer at Dixon High for five years, rushed to the area. He confronted the suspect, who then fled but, with the officer in pursuit, fired several shots at Dallas but did not strike him, police Chief Steven Howell said.
Police said they were able to track Chandani after viewing video from the station. Later in the day, they discovered he was heading back to the station and alerted Metra police officers.
Cassidy, a Democrat from Rogers Park, filed the bill after learning about a Chicago woman who gave birth in June while in jail. The woman, Karen Padilla, was seven months pregnant when Cook County Judge Nicholas Ford revoked her bond on a theft case after she was pulled over for a traffic violation and police noticed a warrant for her arrest. She was ultimately released after the jail and the Cook County states attorneys office got involved.
These folks dont need inspiration, they just need money, he said, smiling, to laughter and applause. They need contacts; they need space for them to develop their ideas. But part of their job here is also going to be to help us train the 18-year-olds, the 25-year-olds who is just getting started, and to coach even younger change agents.
Six cops will be added to patrol from 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily. The increased police presence comes almost a year after two men were shot during an early morning argument on the riverwalk. The June 2017 shooting happened after 2 a.m., so its not clear whether these new police patrols would have helped in that case.
It says if you are going to run a gun shop, you need to do so safely, said Sen. Chris Nybo, a Republican from Elmhurst who helped negotiate the bill. If you dont run your shop safely, or you enable gun trafficking or you allow straw purchases or you do anything illegal in connection with firearms transactions, we will go after you, we will stop you and we will attempt to penalize you.
The way I look at it is you have people on either side of the issue criticizing, and in my view were down the middle of the fairway, and we have the right things that are necessary both for public safety needs so we have a proactive Police Department, with the right amount of oversight and accountability and transparency, he said.
Since announcing Monday that they had removed the children from the home where they say torture was carried out "for sadistic purposes," prosecutors have refused to discuss further details of the allegations against Rogers and her husband Jonathan Allen, 29. He has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of felony child abuse and seven counts of felony torture. He is being held on $5.2 million bail.
In March, Lamb narrowly beat Saccone in a district that President Donald Trump won in 2016 by about 20 percentage points. The president campaigned in the district twice and sent several tweets on Saccone's behalf. The White House later contended that it was Lamb who had had embraced the president's policies and vision.
JERUSALEM  Most of the protesters killed this week by Israeli fire along the border with the Gaza Strip were members of Hamas, the militant group said Wednesday, an admission that deepens the starkly different narratives on both sides over the deaths.



Israel, which has faced blistering international criticism over its response, is likely to latch on to the remarks to bolster its claims that Hamas has used the weekly border protests as cover to stage attacks.



But with the images of rifle-toting Israeli snipers facing off against seemingly unarmed protesters beamed around the world, the remarks by Hamas may do little to convince Israel's detractors, including the Palestinians.



In an interview with Baladna TV, a private Palestinian news outlet that broadcasts via Facebook, senior Hamas official Salah Bardawil said 50 out of the nearly 60 protesters killed Monday were Hamas members, with the others being "from the people."



Bardawil did not elaborate on the nature of their membership in the group and his claim could not be independently verified. It was unclear if the protesters he was referring to were militants or civilian supporters of the Islamic group, which rules Gaza and opposes Israel's existence.



The affiliation may matter little to those who have deemed Israel's response to the protests to be heavy-handed.



For Israel, it was enough to cement its narrative.



"It was clear to Israel and now it is clear to the whole world that there was no popular protest. This was an organized mob of terrorists organized by Hamas," said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon.



Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had tallied similar numbers to Hamas and "won't let those who call for our destruction to breach our borders and to threaten our communities."



In response to the uproar over his remarks, Bardawil later said in a statement that Israel was "legitimizing the killing of Palestinians just because they are Palestinians or just because they are Hamas, even if they were unarmed and defending their dignity and rights."



Organizers say the wave of border protests is meant in large part to break a decade-old blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt and pressure Israel to ease its restrictions. Since the Hamas-led protests began March 30, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,500 wounded by live fire, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Palestinian officials say the vast majority of the casualties have been unarmed protesters. One Israeli soldier has been wounded.



The weekly protests peaked on Monday when about 40,000 Gazans descended on the border area. As in previous demonstrations, the protesters burned tires and hurled firebombs and stones toward Israeli troops, and tried to attack the border fence. Israeli snipers opened fire in response, killing 59 Palestinians and wounding hundreds.



Images of the protesters being whisked away in stretchers amid the tear gas contrasted sharply Monday with jubilant scenes of the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem by a high-powered American delegation and Israeli leaders. Hardly a mention was made of the border violence, only about an hour's drive away.



The Israeli army has staunchly defended its actions. It points to the violent history of Hamas, says there have been shootings and bombing attacks against its forces, and fears a mass border breach.



On Tuesday, the army released a video that appeared to show protesters detonating several explosions near the border. It also said its forces had killed a squad of Hamas gunmen who opened fire at troops.



Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said 14 of those killed Monday were actively involved in carrying out attacks.



Omar Shakir, the local director for Human Rights Watch , said that if they were unarmed, the identity of the slain protesters and their affiliation to a militant group has little to do with Israel's right under international law to use lethal force at a demonstration.



"These individuals that were killed, regardless of their affiliation or membership, were engaged in a demonstration in which they did not pose an immediate threat to life and were gunned down, and that's what's relevant," Shakir said.



Israel says it uses live fire only as a last resort. Snipers are supposed to aim at protesters' legs and can shoot only with approval from a commander.



Hamas' statement comes at a moment when Israel finds itself largely isolated over its response to the protests.



Countries have summoned and recalled ambassadors, the U.N. has issued condemnations and some have called for an investigation of Israel's actions. The Palestinians held a one-day general strike and called for three days of mourning for the victims.



The U.S. was among the few countries that came to Israel's defense, backing its right to protect its border on the same day that it countered international disapproval of moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Palestinians, who seek east Jerusalem as capital of their hoped-for state and vehemently oppose the U.S. move, recalled their ambassadors to four European countries that had supported it.



On Wednesday, Guatemala followed the U.S. lead, festively opening its new Jerusalem mission with Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales saying his country was bringing a message of "love, peace and fraternity" to Israel. Paraguay said it also will move its embassy to Jerusalem. Romania, the Czech Republic and Honduras have said they are considering doing the same.



Akram reported from Gaza City, Gaza Strip
TERRE HAUTE, IND.  About 70 law enforcement officers welcomed the five-year-old son of a slain police officer to a western Indiana school as he returned to class for the first time since his father was killed in a shootout.
Although the Senate Intelligence Committee has yet to weigh in on the collusion allegations, Burr and Warner have hinted for days that their panel's interim findings on the intelligence community would depart from those reached by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee. "I'm not sure that the House was required to substantiate every conclusion with facts," Burr told reporters last week, promising the Senate panel would "have the facts to show for" its conclusions.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross speaks at the National Press Club on May 14, 2018, in Washington. Ross allowed the 15-person Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment  which included scientists and representatives from companies and local governments  to expire in August. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
This issue is at the heart of the disagreement between the two governments. National Security Adviser John Bolton said North Korea should follow the example of Libya, which gave up its nuclear program. But Libya is the perfect illustration of why Pyongyang wants the bomb. Without it, dictator Moammar Gadhafi found his forces under attack by the U.S. and its NATO allies, and both his regime and he were soon eliminated.
Why havent we tried that? Plenty of agricultural commodities, after all, are grown without these elaborate government controls. But a small, well-organized special interest group has persuaded Congress to preserve a system that disables the free market in favor of letting bureaucrats and politicians determine prices and production. The government even decides how much of the supply will come from beets and how much from cane. A Soviet central planner would feel right at home.
Gaughan, however, has gone to extremes, instituting a gag order, holding numerous meetings in chambers, closing the courtroom for two recent hearings, and controlling the flow of documents so they cant be seen by reporters or the public. The Tribune, with other news organizations, last Friday asked the Illinois Supreme Court to lift Gaughans requirement that every court filing be routed to his chambers rather than to the clerks office, effectively sealing them. That means documents disappear from sight for weeks or months, which destroys the First Amendment presumption of public access, according to the news organizations filing. This murder case soon heads to trial, but Illinois citizens are in the dark about some aspects of whats happening.
Mount Waialeale is the wettest location in the United States, with 472 inches of rain per year. Such massive rains occur in mountainous locations situated such that prevailing winds force warm, moist air far upward. As air ascends, it cools  in dry air, the temperature drops about 5 degrees for every 1,000 feet of elevation increase. And as air cools, its ability to hold moisture diminishes sharply: The moisture condenses into clouds and precipitation. Compared to Mount Waialeale's massive rainfall, Chicago's annual precipitation of 36.89 inches seems puny.
A: Well, I actually have two different jobs. Im the director of bands at the school and director of the churchs middle school choral ensemble. I also served as interim director of youth on our last mission trip. It was a lot of work, but it was a beautiful experience. We have four bands at the school, and more than 100 students in fourth through eighth grade who are involved.
To determine the states where residents report getting the most and least sleep, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the share of adults in every state who report sleeping less than seven hours per night on a regular basis. These figures were obtained from the 2021 report by the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps , a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program. For similar lists visit 24/7 Wall St.
Tyler is currently Homer School District 33Cs interim assistant superintendent for business, where she oversees the business office and has overseen the operations department. Before that, she was the head of East Aurora School District 131s finance department, where she was credited with bringing stability to a troubled business office that had been without a manager for months prior to her hire.
He is one of those people who you dont really come across often, Hill said. I know thats very cliche to say, but theres so much about him, you know, you only ever read about. Where you have that kind of person whos giving, and he just wants to make sure that everyone else is OK, no matter what hes going through.
A: Andover is about a genetics professor who clones his dead wife, but the woman is not the same wife he was in love with, and so, he keeps on trying to clone her. I wrote it as a feature film script and intended to make it a tiny independent movie, but it just grew and grew. I found the more this project moved forward, more people became interested. A lot of people loved the script because it was an interesting look at the times and it had different aspects to it, like science fiction, romance and humor.
The concerns were that this individual was going to be in close proximity to school-age children, Sims said. They were concerned that, while he has served his time in the Department of Corrections, they still want to ensure that the young people walking through the streets of the city of Calumet City are safe. Thats really what it boiled down to.
The company said that store closings will affect 207 workers at its store in Chicago Ridge Mall, 134 at its location in Evergreen Park, 115 at its store at Chicagos Ford City Mall on the Southwest Side and 311 at its location in Orland Park. It was unclear from the filing whether the 311 includes both employees of the Carsons department store at Orland Square Mall and the nearby Carsons Furniture Gallery, directly east of the mall.
"I believe the official language of Carpentersville should remain English," he said. "Any change to this policy is going to cost the city of Carpentersville money. For signs, literature, forms, etc. This would result in more taxes for me and other taxpayers. Secondly, we're in the United States of America and that is the official language. It's English. I have nothing against anyone as long as they assimilate to our border's culture."
While the probation officers and youth counselors are on strike, much of their duties are being covered by administrators and employees who are not members of the union, Court Administrator Doug Naughton said previously.
These immigrants who have been with this caravan coming from South America have demonstrated they have no respect whatsoever for American law. They have declared that they will come to the U.S., however they can get here, legally or illegally. They have no intention of becoming good U.S. citizens. They are nothing more and nothing less than invaders. We dont want them here. If you dont want to come into this country legally, we dont want you.
Several villages have electronic message display boards at their buildings, including Norridge in front of village hall. River Grove, which has struggled with a tight budget, would be the first library in the area to have one if the proposal went through.
Included in the agreement is $85,000 in severance pay for Olson, as well as $15,000 for his attorney fees. He also received about $36,000 for salary through June 30, despite retiring effective April 30, the agreement states. In addition, he was paid about $60,000 for unused vacation time and about $18,000 for unused sick days, and he received various insurance benefits and reimbursements.
He also said the app was a great tool because not only are police and fire officials notified, but teachers who may be on the other side of the building and didnt hear any of the gunfire know that they may have time to get the classroom emptied even before police arrive.
The statement added that a preliminary investigation of the crash revealed the Woodstock man was driving a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban eastbound on Tyron Grove Road west of Keystone Road and did not have a stop sign. The Vernon Hills man was driving a 2007 Toyota Prius northbound on Keystone Road approaching a stop sign at the intersection, and for unknown reasons, he pulled out in front of the Suburban, causing the collision, according to the statement.
In a collage technique, students glued the cutout words and objects they felt best describe their personality to the outside and inside of their masks, reflecting two points of view - their inner self and what they show the outside world.
Wanting to be a part of the festivities, she and friends Kelly Strain and Katie Welter, also of Naperville, camped out in front of Buckingham Palace for a chance to see the new royal couple pass by in their carriage and have their first public kiss on the palace balcony.
According to a news release from Batavia police, Green and the teenager fled the store and were seen traveling on eastbound Interstate 88 at more than 105 mph. About an hour later, the two were taken into custody by Lisle police after they were located in a wooded area and identified as the suspects in the Batavia theft, police said.
Goodwill officials purchased five acres of land at Ridge and Clark roads, and then received a donation of three additional acres, Coble told the Indiana State Charter School Board Tuesday. She said Goodwill plans to build the Excel school, a distribution center, and a store at the site. They anticipate an enrollment of about 300 students at the Excel Center, which gets state funding through a workforce development fund, officials said.
VanDenburgh was trapped in the car and medics on the scene pronounced him deceased. It is unknown if he was suffering from a medical condition before the accident, Biggs said, adding the dump truck driver was not injured.
They got married in 2002, she said. Michigan prosecutors alleged that Kelly and Jason Cochran had made a pact on their wedding night that if one of them was unfaithful, they'd have to kill their lover. Cochran, however, claimed during her trial in Michigan that there was no definite pact, and she didn't take it seriously.
Everyone is more relieved not to remove the dam, but to shore it up, said Paul Redar, who lives along the river. We would lose hundreds of acres of wetland that depend on the river, he said, if the dam was removed. I have a bald eagle, an osprey and a goshawk, he said of wildlife he recently spotted.
The Addiction Policy Forum says people can call its Addiction Resource Center at 1-833-301-4357 for confidential support, information about local treatment or recovery resources, and education about substance use and addiction. The resource line is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Information also is available online at www.addictionresourcecenter.org .
A: I always thought when I started to teach it was telling the students a whole list of facts. In todays world, facts are innumerable and easy to access and so the teaching has migrated less to providing facts and more to providing context. I also teach at a level where the students know an immense amount, in fact on any narrow finance subject the chance that one of them knows more than me is 100 percent. So I cant be the expert on every single area but I can orchestrate to use their knowledge and my knowledge because what I know is the structure of how things go together. If I teach them the structure, they can put in the details.
121st Bell Game was a return to normalcy

More than just a game, this year's Bell Game represented a return to normalcy after more than a year impacted by the pandemic.
By Alexander Chipman Koty and Qian Zhou

In China, newly wed employees are entitled to marriage leave  extra days of paid leave.

Every region in China offers employees who get married at least three days of leave. Many other regions in China offer additional marriage leave, with Gansu and Shanxi  which offer 30 days  the most generous.

An employee is eligible for marriage leave once he or she has registered the marriage with the relevant authorities, including divorced individuals who get re-married and foreign employees.

China is relatively stingy when it comes to statutory annual leave. Employees with less than a year of work experience are not entitled to any leave, and those with 1-10 years of experience are entitled to just five days.

Marriage is a very important event in Chinese culture, said Jessica Huang, Senior Brand and Marketing Manager at Dezan Shira & Associates. Marriage leave is a way for the government to recognize its significance.

There are no concrete guidelines on the time period during which marriage leave must be used. Employers can include rules on marriage leave in their company handbook to determine how and when it can be used, and which documents must be submitted as proof. Usually, employers stipulate that marriage leave must be used within a year of the marriage registration.

International Payroll & HR Solutions from Dezan Shira & Associates

Previously, China offered additional late marriage leave as an incentive for couples to get married at an older age and postpone having children, as part of its One Child Policy. However, late marriage leave was abolished in late 2015 with the introduction of the Two Child Policy, except in Tibet.

Faced with a rapidly aging population, China is now encouraging couples to have children. Yet, marriage and birth rates are slowing. In 2016, there were 11.4 million new marriages in China  a 6.7 percent year-on-year drop, and the third consecutive year of decline.

The government is expected to develop new policies to encourage population growth and counteract these demographic trends, including the relaxation of existing family planning laws.

The complete guide to marriage leave in China is shown below.
A cracked vase, made during China's Qing Dynasty (AD 1644-1912), was auctioned off for 87,000 (approx. $117,000) in the UK, according to the Daily Mail on May 13, 2018.



The final auction price has come as a great surprise to the vase's previous owner, who had intended to donate the piece to a charity store. 83-year-old Anne Beck inherited the ornately decorated but partially cracked vase from her grandfather. Neither she nor her grandfather had tried to repair it, which had been sitting in Beck's garage for 11 years.

As Beck thought the vase had become too damaged, she planned to drop it off at a charity store. On her way there, she stopped at an auctioneer's valuation event and was persuaded to put the item up for sale.

The vase was initially advertised on the website of Eastbourne Auctions with an estimated price of between 90 and 120. However, it was eventually sold to a Germany-based Chinese buyer for 87,000 with all fees included.

The vase dates back to the 18th century and was made for Emperor Qianlong. Experts said it could have fetched up to 500 million if it hadn't been damaged.
Luckin coffee, an emerging coffee shop operator in China, will soon file a monopoly lawsuit against Starbucks, luckin coffee Vice President Guo Jinyi said on Tuesday during a press conference in Beijing.

The Chinese coffee company released an open letter to Starbucks in which it accuses the American company of breaching China's anti-monopoly law.

According to the letter, Starbucks signed lease contracts with property owners which limit them from making rental agreements with potential competitors of Starbucks. These include dozens of coffee chain brands, stores that make over 30 percent of their revenue from coffee, and any store that includes the word "coffee" in its name.

Starbucks also allegedly pressured suppliers to pick sides, given that many of their equipment, packing and ingredient suppliers overlap with other companies'. Luckin coffee claims it has received notice from some of their suppliers that they will stop providing products, as required by Starbucks.

"Starbucks has damaged the fair competitive environment of the market and hindered the development of the Chinese coffee sector," Guo said.

Starbucks said China has a huge coffee market with vigorous competition and a rapid pace of development. "We have no intention of participating in the market hype of other brands. We welcome orderly competition, mutual promotion, constant innovation, continuously improving quality and service, and creating real value for Chinese consumers," Summer Gao, a representative from Starbucks China's communications department, said in an email to China.org.cn when asked to comment on luckin coffee's open letter.

Guo later posted a statement on the Chinese social media platform WeChat asking Starbucks to directly address the questions raised by luckin coffee. "Luckin coffee has substantial evidence and absolutely no interest in market hype," Guo wrote.

Statistics from Euromonitor International, an independent provider of strategic market research, show that Starbucks has seen its market share in China's chain coffee shop industry grow from 78.8 percent in 2016 to 80.7 percent in 2017.

Qian Zhiya, CEO of luckin coffee, told China News Service in November last year that her goal was to "beat Starbucks in China." So far, Luckin Coffee has opened 525 stores across China during the four months of its current trial run.
Chinese coffee shop operator luckin coffee has sued Starbucks for monopoly, according to a message by luckin coffee Vice President Guo Jinyi posted on the Chinese social media platform WeChat on Wednesday morning. Guo's post included a notice from a Chinese court indicating that it had accepted the case.

Yesterday, Luckin coffee released an open letter to Starbucks in which it accused the American company of breaching China's anti-monopoly law.

According to the letter, Starbucks signed lease contracts with property owners which limit them from making rental agreements with potential competitors of Starbucks. These include dozens of coffee chain brands, stores that make over 30 percent of their revenue from coffee, and any store that includes the word "coffee" in its name.

Starbucks also allegedly pressured suppliers to pick sides, given that many of their equipment, packing and ingredient suppliers overlap with other companies'. Luckin coffee claims it has received notice from some of their suppliers that they will stop providing products, as required by Starbucks.

Starbucks said China has a huge coffee market with vigorous competition and a rapid pace of development. "We have no intention of participating in the market hype of other brands. We welcome orderly competition, mutual promotion, constant innovation, continuously improving quality and service, and creating real value for Chinese consumers," Summer Gao, a representative from Starbucks China's communications department, said in an email to China.org.cn when asked to comment on luckin coffee's open letter.

Guo later posted a statement on WeChat asking Starbucks to directly address the questions raised by luckin coffee. "Luckin coffee has substantial evidence and absolutely no interest in market hype," Guo wrote.

Statistics from Euromonitor International, an independent provider of strategic market research, show that Starbucks has seen its market share in China's chain coffee shop industry grow from 78.8 percent in 2016 to 80.7 percent in 2017.

Qian Zhiya, CEO of luckin coffee, told China News Service in November last year that her goal was to "beat Starbucks in China." So far, Luckin Coffee has opened 525 stores across China during the four months of its current trial run.
You are here: China

A total of 23 defendants, including 15 Taiwan residents, stood trial at a court in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, Tuesday in a cross-border telecom fraud case.

Prosecutors accused Taiwan resident Ye Qingshun of colluding with others to form two fraud groups in Malaysia from 2015 and swindling 44 mainland residents out of 7.86 million yuan (US$1.2 million) by pretending to be staff of telecommunication, police or procuratorial agencies.

According to a court statement, some of the suspects have been dealt with in separate cases.

During Tuesday's trial, the prosecutors presented evidence, which the defendants and their defense counsels examined. Both sides expressed their opinions.

More than 30 people, including legislators, political advisors, journalists, the families of some defendants, and members of the public attended the open trial.

The court will announce the verdicts at a later date.
 Flash

In view of the recently provocative acts such as the Republic of Korea (ROK)-U.S. joint military drills, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has no choice but to suspend high-level talks with the ROK planned for Wednesday, the official KCNA said on Wednesday.





The state media also said the United States should think twice about the fate of the planned DPRK-U.S. summit.





Shortly after the report, the U.S. State Department said it was continuing to plan for the summit between President Donald Trump and the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.





The United States has not heard anything directly from Pyongyang or Seoul that would change the arrangements, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing in Washington.





The KCNA said that the "2018 Max Thunder" joint air combat exercise involves over 100 warplanes including "B-52" strategic bomber and "F-22 Raptor" stealth fighter, and is aimed at launching pre-emptive strikes against the DPRK as well as taking control of the airspace.





The exercise, which runs from May 11 till May 25, is a "blatant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula," the report said.




 Flash





A delegation from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) ruling Workers' Party started its visit in China on Monday, Lu Kang, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed during the daily presser.





Invited by International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China , according to Lu, the delegation will view the achievements China made in the domestic economic construction and opening-up and reform as well as promote the exchanges of both Parties' experiences and views on governance.





The visit came after recent positive interactions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, who have met twice since late March.





Kim Jong Un held talks with Xi Jinping on March 28 in Beijing  his first known foreign visit since coming to power in 2011. A month later, he made an unannounced visit to Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning Province in early May.




 Flash

European top diplomats on Tuesday agreed to follow through the landmark Iran nuclear deal despite U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw last week, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told reporters on Tuesday.





To this end, the EU will launch intensive discussion at all levels with Iran in next few weeks, Mogherini said at a press conference following a meeting with foreign ministers of Britain, Germany, France and Iran.





The discussion will focus on, among others, how to maintain economic relations and effective banking transactions with Iran in the context of renewed U.S sanctions, according to Mogherini.





"We reaffirm our resolve to continue to implement the nuclear deal in all its part, in good faith, and in a constructive atmosphere," said Mogherini.





She added that she will brief leaders of EU members states on Wednesday in Sofia, Bulgaria, which is about to host the EU-Western Balkan summit.





When leaving the meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif echoed Mogherini, saying "it's the start of the process, a lot depends on what we do in the next few weeks. I believe it's a good start."





"We need to receive those guarantees, and we will see how best we will move over," Zarif told reporters.





Zarif is in Brussels on the final leg of a whirlwind diplomatic tour to save the 2015 nuclear deal after the recent U.S. withdrawal from the pact.





Trump declared last week that the United States would withdraw from the deal, claiming that it had failed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons or supporting terrorism in the region.





According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Iran has so far complied with all of the conditions established under the nuclear deal.





The landmark agreement was signed in July 2015 by Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus the EU and Germany.




 Flash

The second edition of the "Chinese Higher Education Expo" concluded in Kolkata, capital city of the eastern Indian state of West Bengal on May 11 to enhance higher education cooperation between India and China.





The Consulate General of China in Kolkata in cooperation with the School of Chinese Language in the city held the two-day event at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre on May 10 and 11. As many as 62 well-known Chinese universities from 11 provinces and municipalities participated in the event.





The two-day Expo was aimed at creating a platform where Indian students can get to know about China's higher education and acquire information about studying in China, allowing them to explore the possibility of pursuing high quality yet affordable higher education in China.





The participating Chinese universities at the expo included Nanjing University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Sichuan University of Science and Technology and Northeast Normal University. On their part, the universities publicized their achievements, seeking Indian partners for cooperation for their diverse courses, spot admission assessments, and substantial scholarships for Indian students.





The Expo was held as part of the on-going effort of the Chinese Consulate to promote cultural and educational exchanges between China and India with a special focus on West Bengal.





The Chinese government has set a target to attract half a million foreign students by 2020. More importantly, China recently dropped its work experience requirement for foreign postgraduates, opening a floodgate of opportunities, especially to international students pursuing higher education degrees in China.





Talking about the initiative, Chinese Consul General Ma Zhanwu said, "There is a good flow of Indian students into China, especially in the field of science and technology. Hundreds of Indians are pursuing IT education in China. Lately, many have shown interest in artificial intelligence in Chinese universities. We hope this expo will help these students."





For the ease of the students, the Chinese Consulate in Kolkata has provided an on-the-spot visa enquiry service with expedient processing facilities. "The students will get admission into Chinese universities based on their performance in Indian institutes, and no entrance test will be required for enrolment," Ma said.





In recent years, China has drawn increasing number of Indian students, making it the fastest growing destination for Indian students for further studies. According to a survey by the Center for China and Globalization in 2017, the number of Indian students studying in China has increased by more than 20 percent on average.





According to Ma, around 18,000 Indian students are currently studying in China, including a few hundred from West Bengal. On the other hand, only 2,000 Chinese students are studying in India. So, he called for a rise in the numbers. According to figures from May 2017, there were 2,914 colleges and universities in China with over 20 million students.





But what makes China the most interesting destination for India's students today is the low costs and easier admissions of Chinese universities which also have excellent infrastructure and facilities. Furthermore, China is also physically closer to India, taking about two hours to travel from Kolkata to Kunming, China. Most importantly, with the rapidly growing China-India relations, studying in China can bring more opportunities for the Indian students in the years to come.
 Flash

Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy and Vice Premier Liu He arrived in Washington on Tuesday afternoon for economic and trade consultations with the U.S. side at the invitation of the U.S. government.





Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chief of the Chinese side of the China-U.S. comprehensive economic dialogue, leads a delegation whose members come from major economic sectors of the Chinese government.





The delegation members include Governor of the People's Bank of China Yi Gang, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission Ning Jizhe, Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs Liao Min, Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Luo Wen, Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Jun, as well as Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy International Trade Representative Wang Shouwen.





Before the delegation's arrival, a Chinese working group arrived in the United States last week and engaged in intense consultations with the U.S. side.
By Matt Clinch, CNBC | May 16, 2018

Alaska Airlines plans to close its New York pilot base in September to reinforce its West Coast fleet, asking more than 100 pilots to relocate to California in a matter of months.

The airline acquired Virgin America in April 2016 for a reported US$4 billion which grew Alaska into the fifth largest airline in the U.S., serving over 44 million passengers in 2017.

Pilots that fly routes from JFK, Newark EWR and La Guardia, will relocate and deploy from West Coast hubs this fall, although the company's aircraft will still serve that market. Prior to the merger, Virgin America competed with established airlines on this trans-continental route for over a decade, by advertising as the cool, alternative airline of Silicon Valley.

"This was a difficult decision -- but a necessary one -- based on the need to match our pilot staffing with the geographic areas on the West Coast where we deploy our aircraft every day. All of our JFK-based pilots are being offered the opportunity to transfer to either Los Angeles or San Francisco," a spokesperson for the airline told CNBC via email.

Alaska, along with Virgin America, currently operate fourteen flights a day to JFK and the company says it will add another in July.

Mid-continental and East Coast routes accounted for 4 percent of the Alaska's flight composition back in 2013, which climbed to 10 percent after the merger. In that same timeframe, Alaska's California presence has climbed from 15 percent to 25 percent in network composition, which could increase after the transition. Pulling pilots and aircraft from New York could potentially lower volume and weaken the company's leverage in any future merger deals while lowering expectations of international growth into Europe and Asia.

Alaska now serves 115-plus destinations from seven hubs along the West Coast. The airline leads domestic seat share in Seattle, Portland and Anchorage. It ranks second in San Francisco and fifth at LAX. However, transferring its New York workforce westward might not lead to sustained growth in the region. United Airlines still accounts for more than 40,000 seats per day at SFO, nearly four times more than Alaska. At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Delta has increased its stake by offering 50-plus destinations including eight foreign countries. Alaska will also face tough competition down the road in Hawaii, as Southwest Airlines is launching a low-cost service from four California cities, including inter-island routes.

Many destinations in Mexico and Alaska that are already served by Alaskan Airlines from West Coast hubs are not oversaturated with direct flights from New York area airports. Popular Mexican vacations spots such as Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos, have little or no direct flights from New York. There are also no domestic airlines offering direct service to Anchorage, Alaska from JFK or Newark. Only a seven-and-half-hour flight, a summer seasonal direct option to Alaska's largest city could tap into the multi-billion dollar tourism sector which continues to grow in the Frontier State.

Alaska Airlines says its growth model consists of three parts, flying customers to desired locations for affordable fares, building loyalty through benefit programs and adding network depth and frequency. Alaska has promised the integration of Virgin America is ahead of industry standards and would be 85 percent complete by June of this year. However, pilots who are now Alaskan employees are still wearing Virgin uniforms, wings and flying Virgin branded aircraft.
Updated : 2018-05-16

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Yang Xiaotong, a master of Manchu embroidery, which is a State-level intangible cultural heritage, impresses people all over the world with her works.

The Chinese Cheongsam Association once ordered 5,860 qipao (a traditional body-hugging, one-piece dress) with Manchu embroidery from Yangs studio, and Yang once received an invitation from Frances famous Louvre Museum to exhibit her works there.

More than 200 of her works were selected by the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries for exhibitions in places all over the world. The National Museum of China in Beijing has also held activities about her embroidery works.

As a fourth generation inheritor of Manchu embroidery, Yang began her study of the art from when she was only 4 years old from her grandmother, who participated in the work of making a wedding dress for Empress Wanrong, the wife of Emperor Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Yang explained that after Huang Taiji (1592-1643) proclaimed himself emperor in 1636 in Shenyang, Manchu embroidery became a symbol of royal culture and status, and officials felt honored if they were given an item of Manchu embroidery.

Since 1992, Yang has created thousands of Manchu embroidery works, including clothes for Chinese celebrities such as Yang Lan and Zhang Ziyi.

Yang Xiaotong has made great efforts to inherit and promote the intangible cultural heritage, embroidering the designs on quilts, pillows, purses and modern qipao, and as well creatively embroidering English words on these things, which are popular among purchasers.

With the increasing popularity of Manchu embroidery, more people are learning the skill.

Yang opened a studio in Hunnan district in Shenyang to provide free classes for residents, and so far she has trained more than 700 people.

Yang is now a distinguished guest professor at the International Education College of Liaoning University, promoting Manchu embroidery to more people.

A piece of Manchu embroidery work by Yang Xiaotong [Photo/Shenyang Daily]

Qipao with Manchu embroidery by Yang Xiaotong [Photo/Shenyang Daily]

Yang Xiaotong at work [Photo/Shenyang Daily]
Tesla just got a Guinness World Record, because their Model X SUV can apparently tow an airplane. They set the record for heaviest tow by an electric production passenger vehicle. The Tesla Model X towed a 287,000-pound Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner about 1,000 feet along a taxiway at Melbournes Airport in Australia.

This isnt the first time Qantas Airways, who owns the Dreamliner, and Tesla have joined forces. Their 2016 video of a Qantas Boeing 737-800 aircraft racing a Tesla Model S P90D went viral.

This video below is all part of Qantas and Tesla bringing awareness to their new rewards for Tesla owners, which include:

There will now be Tesla charging stations at Qantas facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide so Model S and Model X owners can charge while they fly

Frequent Flyer members who also own Teslas will enjoy their mileage offset in their Tesla cars as well as in the air for June with the Qantas Future Planet Program

SUVs generally top out at a towing capacity of 5,500 pounds, so while this is quite an impressive accomplishment coming from Tesla, I still wouldnt ever buy one. Im patiently going to wait for Porsche to give me a Cayenne S thats entirely electric, not that hybrid bs. Team Porsche all the way.

You can watch the video of the Tesla Model X towing the airplane here:

You can watch the video of the Tesla racing Qantas here:
'The Worst Case of Facebook Censorship' Leads to New 'Christian' Social Media



SAN JOSE, Calif., May 16, 2018 /



"This is greater censorship than what others have experienced. Facebook doesn't put me in 'Facebook jail,' they pretend nothing is happening and cut millions and millions of people off," he said.



Andrew's Facebook



Then "left-wing Facebook increased their censorship on Christians and my account was greatly restricted to reach only 97,000 people last month. This is over 98% blockage," he said.



Andrew has almost a half a million followers who want to keep up to date with him and walk close with God. They contact him and say, "what happened to you?"



"Since Facebook blocks Christians and those who share the Gospel of Jesus Christ,' they block America," he said.



Viewing Facebook and Twitter as "anti-Christian," Andrew started USA.Life, which he believes Christians of all denominations will prefer. He invites people to "sign up today at



"By offering freedom, privacy and the most accurate news to users, USA.Life provides competitive advantages over Facebook and Twitter," he said. Andrew thinks Facebook spying on people and selling user's data is "immoral."



He says, "I believe in Christian liberty like the founding fathers," but "Facebook acts close to Communist China by censoring Christians."



So "family and friends can stay connected," this new social network is available anywhere online.



Facebook also allowed scammers to impersonate Andrew and "scam money from the followers." Andrew objected, but Facebook did nothing.



Andrew started a



"What is needed is for supporters to chip in any amount in the crowdfunding. If the required funding comes in now, USA.Life and 1776Free will launch this summer," he said.



Pictures, videos and press releases are available for the media at



Share Tweet Contact: Steven Andrew, USA.Life , 877-585-7729SAN JOSE, Calif., May 16, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- Facebook is accused of "the worst case of Christian censorship ever." "Facebook blocked over 70 million people from me, because I am a Christian and believe in traditional marriage," said Steven Andrew, a Silicon Valley technology expert. However, instead of doing nothing, he used his leadership skills to start the new "pro-Christian" USA.Life social network and believers are signing up fast."This is greater censorship than what others have experienced. Facebook doesn't put me in 'Facebook jail,' they pretend nothing is happening and cut millions and millions of people off," he said.Andrew's Facebook account was very popular before Facebook restricted him, which Facebook's own data shows started after President Trump was elected in 2016. Andrew was reaching 5 to 8 million people per month.Then "left-wing Facebook increased their censorship on Christians and my account was greatly restricted to reach only 97,000 people last month. This is over 98% blockage," he said.Andrew has almost a half a million followers who want to keep up to date with him and walk close with God. They contact him and say, "what happened to you?""Since Facebook blocks Christians and those who share the Gospel of Jesus Christ,' they block America," he said.Viewing Facebook and Twitter as "anti-Christian," Andrew started USA.Life, which he believes Christians of all denominations will prefer. He invites people to "sign up today at www.USA.Life to get preferred user names and key updates.""By offering freedom, privacy and the most accurate news to users, USA.Life provides competitive advantages over Facebook and Twitter," he said. Andrew thinks Facebook spying on people and selling user's data is "immoral."He says, "I believe in Christian liberty like the founding fathers," but "Facebook acts close to Communist China by censoring Christians."So "family and friends can stay connected," this new social network is available anywhere online.Facebook also allowed scammers to impersonate Andrew and "scam money from the followers." Andrew objected, but Facebook did nothing.Andrew started a crowdfunding page to fund the completion of USA.Life and a new search engine called 1776Free, which "gives top Christian results that are hid by others.""What is needed is for supporters to chip in any amount in the crowdfunding. If the required funding comes in now, USA.Life and 1776Free will launch this summer," he said.Pictures, videos and press releases are available for the media at www.USA.Life
Judge Rules California's Assisted Suicide Law Unconstitutional



NAPA, Calif., May 15, 2018 /



The Act's sponsors introduced the bill in a special session of the legislature convened by Governor Jerry Brown to address Medicaid funding shortfalls, services for the disabled, and in-home health support services.



Life Legal attorneys appeared in court this morning to argue that the End of Life Option Act, which decriminalizes physician-assisted suicide, is not related or even incidental to the stated purpose of the special session. Suicide is not health care.



Riverside Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia agreed, holding that "the End of Life Option Act does not fall within the scope of access to healthcare services," and that it "is not a matter of health care funding."



Life Legal filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings in March 2018, arguing that the law should be overturned because the manner in which it was passed is unconstitutional. We have argued from the outset that suicide has nothing to do with the provision of health services.



California Attorney General Xavier Becerra opposed our motion, stating that legislation passed during special sessions is presumed to be constitutional. The Attorney General also argued that Life Legal's plaintiff physicians do not have standing to challenge the End of Life Option Act.



Judge Ottolia ruled that doctors do have standing to bring challenges on behalf of their patients, especially in this case, as terminally ill patients would face significant difficulties filing their own lawsuits against the Act.



"We are thrilled by today's ruling, which reinstates critical legal protections for vulnerable patients," said Life Legal Defense Foundation Executive Director Alexandra Snyder. "The court made it very clear that assisted suicide has nothing to do with increasing access to health care and that hijacking the special session to advance an unrelated agenda is impermissible."



Stephanie Packer, who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, was present at the hearing. After the End of Life Option Act was implemented, Stephanie's insurance company denied coverage of life-saving chemotherapy treatment, but said it would pay for "aid-in-dying" drugs, which would cost $1.20.



Stephanie has spoken out against assisted suicide in California and other states, saying, "I am so grateful that California's assisted suicide law was overturned today. The bill's proponents tout dignity, choice, compassion, and painlessness. I am here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. Choice is really an illusion for a very few. For too many, assisted suicide will be the only affordable 'treatment' that is offered them."



It is anticipated that Attorney General Becerra will appeal today's ruling.



About Life Legal Defense Foundation

Life Legal Defense Foundation was established in 1989, and is a nonprofit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens committed to giving helpless and innocent human beings of any age, and their advocates, a trained and committed voice in the courtrooms of our nation. For more information about the Life Legal Defense Foundation, visit



Share Tweet Contact: Alexandra Snyder, Life Legal Defense Foundation , 202-717-7371NAPA, Calif., May 15, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- A California judge overturned the state's assisted suicide law this morning, ruling that the legislature acted outside the scope of its authority when it enacted the End of Life Option Act.The Act's sponsors introduced the bill in a special session of the legislature convened by Governor Jerry Brown to address Medicaid funding shortfalls, services for the disabled, and in-home health support services.Life Legal attorneys appeared in court this morning to argue that the End of Life Option Act, which decriminalizes physician-assisted suicide, is not related or even incidental to the stated purpose of the special session. Suicide is not health care.Riverside Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia agreed, holding that "the End of Life Option Act does not fall within the scope of access to healthcare services," and that it "is not a matter of health care funding."Life Legal filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings in March 2018, arguing that the law should be overturned because the manner in which it was passed is unconstitutional. We have argued from the outset that suicide has nothing to do with the provision of health services.California Attorney General Xavier Becerra opposed our motion, stating that legislation passed during special sessions is presumed to be constitutional. The Attorney General also argued that Life Legal's plaintiff physicians do not have standing to challenge the End of Life Option Act.Judge Ottolia ruled that doctors do have standing to bring challenges on behalf of their patients, especially in this case, as terminally ill patients would face significant difficulties filing their own lawsuits against the Act."We are thrilled by today's ruling, which reinstates critical legal protections for vulnerable patients," said Life Legal Defense Foundation Executive Director Alexandra Snyder. "The court made it very clear that assisted suicide has nothing to do with increasing access to health care and that hijacking the special session to advance an unrelated agenda is impermissible."Stephanie Packer, who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, was present at the hearing. After the End of Life Option Act was implemented, Stephanie's insurance company denied coverage of life-saving chemotherapy treatment, but said it would pay for "aid-in-dying" drugs, which would cost $1.20.Stephanie has spoken out against assisted suicide in California and other states, saying, "I am so grateful that California's assisted suicide law was overturned today. The bill's proponents tout dignity, choice, compassion, and painlessness. I am here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. Choice is really an illusion for a very few. For too many, assisted suicide will be the only affordable 'treatment' that is offered them."It is anticipated that Attorney General Becerra will appeal today's ruling.About Life Legal Defense FoundationLife Legal Defense Foundation was established in 1989, and is a nonprofit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens committed to giving helpless and innocent human beings of any age, and their advocates, a trained and committed voice in the courtrooms of our nation. For more information about the Life Legal Defense Foundation, visit www.lldf.org
'The Worst Case of Facebook Censorship' Leads to New 'Conservative' Social Media



SAN JOSE, Calif., May 16, 2018 /



"This is greater censorship than what others have experienced. Facebook doesn't put me in 'Facebook jail,' they pretend nothing is happening and cut millions and millions of people off," he said.



Andrew's Facebook



Then "left-wing Facebook increased their censorship on conservatives to try to break up President Trump's support and my account was greatly restricted to reach only 97,000 people last month. This is over 98% blockage," he said.



Andrew has almost a half a million followers who want to keep up to date with him. They contact him and say, "what happened to you?"



"Since Facebook blocks Christians and those who support President Trump saying 'America First,' they block America," he said.



Viewing Facebook and Twitter as "anti-American," Andrew started USA.Life, which he hopes the majority of people will prefer. He invites people to "sign up today at



"By offering freedom, privacy and the most accurate news to users, USA.Life provides competitive advantages over Facebook and Twitter," he said. Andrew thinks Facebook spying on people and selling user's data is "immoral."



He says, "I believe in liberty like the founding fathers," but "Facebook acts close to Communist China by censoring freedom."



So "family and friends can stay connected," this new social network is available anywhere online.



Facebook also allowed scammers to impersonate Andrew and "scam money from the followers." Andrew objected, but Facebook did nothing.



Andrew started a



"What is needed is for supporters to chip in any amount in the crowdfunding. If the required funding comes in now, USA.Life and 1776Free will launch this summer," he said.



Pictures, videos and press releases are available for the media at



Share Tweet Contact: Steven Andrew, USA.Life , 877-585-7729SAN JOSE, Calif., May 16, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- Facebook is accused of "the worst case of conservative censorship ever." "Facebook blocked over 70 million people from me, because I am a Christian and defend President Trump," said Steven Andrew, a conservative Silicon Valley technology expert. However, instead of doing nothing, he used his leadership skills to start the new "conservative" USA.Life social network and people are signing up fast."This is greater censorship than what others have experienced. Facebook doesn't put me in 'Facebook jail,' they pretend nothing is happening and cut millions and millions of people off," he said.Andrew's Facebook account was very popular before Facebook restricted him, which Facebook's own data shows started after President Trump was elected in 2016. Andrew was reaching 5 to 8 million people per month.Then "left-wing Facebook increased their censorship on conservatives to try to break up President Trump's support and my account was greatly restricted to reach only 97,000 people last month. This is over 98% blockage," he said.Andrew has almost a half a million followers who want to keep up to date with him. They contact him and say, "what happened to you?""Since Facebook blocks Christians and those who support President Trump saying 'America First,' they block America," he said.Viewing Facebook and Twitter as "anti-American," Andrew started USA.Life, which he hopes the majority of people will prefer. He invites people to "sign up today at www.USA.Life to get preferred user names and updates.""By offering freedom, privacy and the most accurate news to users, USA.Life provides competitive advantages over Facebook and Twitter," he said. Andrew thinks Facebook spying on people and selling user's data is "immoral."He says, "I believe in liberty like the founding fathers," but "Facebook acts close to Communist China by censoring freedom."So "family and friends can stay connected," this new social network is available anywhere online.Facebook also allowed scammers to impersonate Andrew and "scam money from the followers." Andrew objected, but Facebook did nothing.Andrew started a crowdfunding page to fund the completion of USA.Life and a new search engine called 1776Free, which "gives results that are hid by others.""What is needed is for supporters to chip in any amount in the crowdfunding. If the required funding comes in now, USA.Life and 1776Free will launch this summer," he said.Pictures, videos and press releases are available for the media at www.USA.Life
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AKRON, Ohio -- Akron Zoo announced it will introduce new animals to its annual Curious Creatures exhibit throughout the month of June.

Guests can view tree monitors, flower beetles, spotted turtles, pinktail trigger fish, spotted jellyfish, the Partula snail and other exotic species in the zoo's Komodo Kingdom Education Center.

Curious Creatures first opened in June 2017 and features animals with unusual or strange adaptations, such as color-changing abilities and unique hunting styles.

The exhibit includes more than 20 different species, including the panther chameleon, naked mole rat, walking batfish, giant Pacific octopus and more.

Visitors can also participate in hands-on, interactive activities at the Curious Creatures Learning Lab. Here they can see various marine and terrestrial invertebrates up close.

The Partula snail is highlighted in this year's exhibit. The gastropod became extinct in the wild in the 1990s. The Akron Zoo sent shipments of snails to Tahiti in 2016 and 2017, where they were introduced to a predator-free reserve.

Akron Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The cost of admission is $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and $9 for children 2-14 years old. Children younger than 2 years old may visit the zoo for free.

Visit akronzoo.org or call 330-375-2550 for more information.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.
LYNDHURST, Ohio -- Theft, Richmond Road: At 1:05 a.m. May 9, the manager of CVS/Pharmacy, 1443 Richmond Road, notified police that a man was seen stuffing merchandise into his backpack before leaving the store without paying for the goods.

The suspect was last seen walking west on Mayfield Road. Police spotted the suspect and spoke with him. It was learned that the suspect, a Cleveland man, 40, was wanted on warrants issued by police in University Heights, Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights.

The stolen merchandise, which included frozen pizzas and a cell phone charger/speaker, were found under a minivan in the lot at 5043 Mayfield Road. The total value of the merchandise was $26.77.

Suspicion, Clubside Road: At 7:55 p.m. May 13, a representative of Hawken School, 5000 Clubside Road, reported that someone had posted a message with pictures of a bomb on the school's Facebook page.

The message contained no specific reference to the school or any threats. Police checked the school and found nothing out of the ordinary.

Criminal damage, Mayfield Road: At 3:15 a.m. May 13, a woman reported that the side of her car was keyed while it was parked at Aldi, 5144 Mayfield Road.

Domestic violence, Edenhurst Road: At 3:15 a.m. May 13, a caller informed police that a car at a nearby residence was being driven back and forth across the home's grass and that people were yelling at each other.

At the scene, police found a woman, 26, with a gash on her forehead. The woman had been struck by her brother, 33.

The man was arrested on a domestic violence charge. The woman refused transport to the hospital.

OVI, Mayfield Road: At 10:40 p.m. May 10, police stopped a car, as it was known that its owner had a suspended license. The driver, a Cleveland man, 41, was found to be intoxicated.

The man was arrested and charged with OVI and driving under suspension.

Theft, Cedar Road: At 12:10 p.m. May 10, the manager of Giant Eagle, 25105 Cedar Road, reported that a man wearing a blue jacket ran out of the store with stolen items. The suspect got into a van and drove from the scene.

Police could not locate the suspect's van.

Disturbance, Cedar Road:

At 7:55 p.m. May 8, security at Legacy Village notified police that a disturbance took place at the restaurant Brio, 24325 Cedar Road. A former employee who had been fired six to eight months earlier had returned to the eatery to speak with his girlfriend, who is still a server at Brio.

The two had an argument and the former employee, a South Euclid man, 18, was told to leave. The man refused to do so.

By the time police arrived, the man had left and was in front of the nearby Crate & Barrel store. Police told the man to leave and issued him a criminal trespass warning.

Warrant arrest, Brainard Road: At 2:40 p.m. May 8, police conducted a traffic stop on a box truck driven by a Cleveland man, 34. It was subsequently learned that the man was wanted on police warrants issued in Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights.

The man was arrested and turned over to Cleveland Heights police.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
HIRAM, Ohio -- Hiram College could eliminate majors in Spanish, French, economics, studio art and dance as part of a plan to balance the school's budget and change how it approaches liberal arts education.

Instead, majors would be offered in areas such as "Fine, Performing and Digital Arts" or international studies.

Recommendations include eliminating six faculty positions. Two are tenured in music and religious studies. Two are tenure-track in philosophy and English. The remaining are a contract faculty position and a visiting faculty position.

President Lori Varlotta told Inside Higher Ed this month the college still needs to cut $1.2 million and address declining enrollment. In an interview with cleveland.com Tuesday, she said the recommended cuts and reconfiguring of departments bring the college within an acceptable range of that number.

"We're hoping this new configuration has a 21st century feel to it," she said. "It's not the case that we're going to lose a lot at Hiram College -- we're going to offer it in different ways."

Outside of this list, the college has no intention to engage in further cuts, Varlotta said.

This would be on top of five retirements, three people voluntarily reassigned to other full-time roles at the university and two non-renewed contracts through a regular peer review process.

The plan recommends cutting majors and minors in studio art and art history, music, theater arts and religious studies. Majors in economics, philosophy, mathematics, Spanish and French could also be cut.

In the list of recommended additions would be:

a fine, performing, and digital arts major

a crime and justice program

an international studies major

a sports management major

The recommendations also include exploring data analytics, engineering, gaming and interactive media and information technology and analytics programs.

Students would have the opportunity to finish majors they've already declared.

Varlotta said the only major that wouldn't be retooled to would be religious studies, which would be folded into general education. At Hiram, a third of the classes students take fall under general education requirements.

The college might choose to approach general education by having students take classes that align with a specific interest, such as global warming or immigration, Valotta said.

Hiram College is a private, liberal arts college located in Hiram, Ohio, between Cleveland and Youngstown. Total enrollment last fall was 1,006 traditional students and 204 weekend students, with 292 incoming freshmen.

Officials announced the college was considering a reconfiguration in April and that programming could be arranged within five potential schools, tentatively:

When the plans were announced, faculty and students were concerned about layoffs. About 250 students signed a petition declaring they felt it was unnecessary to cut any tenure-track positions, the Record-Courier reported.

The Hiram chapter of the American Association of University Professors did not immediately return request for comment Tuesday.

The recommendations were presented by Interim Dean Judy Muyskens and were created with input from faculty, staff and students, Varlotta said. The recommendations will go through revisions before they go to the board of trustees for approval.

A trustee vote could come as soon as the end of this month.

Read the full recommendations list and the revision process here.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - A 30-year effort to get a survivor of World War II history into the air will be showcased on May 31 when the restored B-29 bomber "Doc" visits Burke Lakefront Airport.

"Doc" was one of 2,700 Superfortresses built by Boeing during the war, and got its name as one of nine B-29s in a group known as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (plus the wicked witch). The "Doc" character from the Disney movie is painted on its nose.

The bomber is the same type of aircraft as those used to drop atomic bombs on Japan during the war, and one of only two B-29s still flying today.

This will be the aircraft's first visit to Cleveland since "Doc" became fully operational two years ago, and it's particularly meaningful for the man who put the bomber on its road to recovery - Tony Mazzolini, of South Euclid.

Mazzolini, an Air Force flight engineer aboard a B-29 during the Korean War, gathered other aviation enthusiasts in the hopes of creating a flying museum as a tribute to those who flew on those bombers.

In 1987, he found a surplus B-29 destined for target practice at the China Lake Naval Weapons Center in the California desert, and traded it with the Navy for a B-25 bomber that his group, the United States Aviation Museum, had restored.

Tony Mazzolini is shown in 1998 with the battered remains of "Doc," the B-29 bomber once destined for use by the Navy for target practice. (Photo courtesy Tony Mazzolini)

The B-29 was dismantled and shipped to a hangar at a Boeing plant in Wichita, Kansas, where volunteers known as "Doc's Friends" slowly rebuilt the bomber over the years.

Its visit to Cleveland may be a homecoming, of sorts, in that the I-X Center was formerly a General Motors factory, commonly known as "the bomber plant," where B-29 parts were made during World War II.

"To bring it back, from the desert to here, after working on it for 30 years is a very proud moment for me," Mazzolini said.

"Our intent is to keep the memories alive and remember the history," he added. "We're trying to honor the veterans and the homefront that helped build our arsenal of democracy, and Cleveland was a major contributor to aviation history."

The B-29 is expected to arrive from 2-3 p.m. on May 31, and depart the next day.

The bomber will be open to the public for cockpit tours until 8 p.m. Cost of a tour is $20 for adults, $10 for children ages 6-12, and under 6 free.

"Doc" will be joined at the airport with Liberty Aviation Museum's B-25 bomber, "Georgie's Gal."

Mazzolini said Doc supporters are currently raising funds for a 32,000 square-foot permanent home and education center for the bomber at the Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita.
ALIQUIPPA, Pennsylvania -- A teacher on suspension after she was found in a car with a 17-year-old male was shot dead Sunday in the driveway of her mother's home, reports say.

Now investigators tell CBS Pittsburgh they believe Rachael DelTondo knew her gunman and that it was a crime of passion. No arrests have been made.

"We could not be taking this more seriously," Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier tells CBS Pittsburgh. "We had a young woman ... shot to death on the driveway of her mother's house on Mother's Day evening."

DelTondo, 32, had just returned from an ice cream shop when she was shot multiple times after getting out of her vehicle, ABC News reports.

The teacher was suspended from her job at Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School in the fall after confidential information was leaked from the Aliquippa Police Department involving her and a 17-year-old, according to ABC News. The teen was not a student at the school.

DelTondo was not charged.

Lozier won't say if investigators have a suspect or if they believe the shooting is related to the leaked information. A cellphone belonging to DelTondo is being examined for evidence.

"We are working with every resource we have," Lozier tells Action News 4. "We're getting video cameras, we are downloading information, we are interviewing witnesses. We are doing everything we can."

To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Felonious assault, Fairmount Boulevard: At 4:55 p.m. May 13, a Bellefaire JCB staff member called police to report a disturbance and that a 17-year-old female client had been choked by a 14-year-old male client.

Police arrested the boy and charged him with felonious assault. Police are investigating the disturbance.

Personal welfare, Silsby Road: At 2 a.m. May 7, police were dispatched to Silsby Road where a girl, 17, was attempting to flag down passing cars. It was learned that the girl is from Columbus and that she has family living locally.

Charges for a curfew violation are pending.

Overdose, Bromley Road: At 7:50 a.m. May 7, police were called to a residence where a woman, 23, had overdosed on drugs.

Police administered Narcan, and EMS personnel took the woman to the hospital for further treatment.

Burglary, East Carroll Boulevard: At 5:25 p.m. May 8, police were called to a residence on East Carroll Boulevard where a burglary is believed to have taken place.

There were no signs of forced entry or items missing, but someone had gone through the resident's personal belongings.

Burglary, Milford Road: At 6:10 p.m. May 8, a man reported that his home had been burglarized and electronics were stolen. Police are investigating.

Marijuana possession, Fenwick Road: At 7:15 p.m. May 8, a woman, 49, reported that her daughter, 17, was in possession of marijuana.

Assault, Cedar Road: At 7:30 p.m. May 8, police were called to a home where a woman, 25, reported that a man, 24, had assaulted her and destroyed her $700 cell phone. Police are investigating.

Theft, Warrensville Center Road: At 8:05 p.m. May 9, security at Macy's, 2201 Warrensville Center Road, reported that an unknown male suspect, known to have stolen from the store in the past, successfully stole $33 worth of clothing.

Meanwhile, a man who was with the suspect was nabbed at the store after stealing pants and a jacket. This man, 27, of Cleveland, was charged with complicity.

Assault, Cedar Road: At 9:40 p.m. May 9, a Cleveland woman, 49, reported that she had been punched in the face by a man, 51, with whom she had a past relationship. The assault took place in the man's apartment.

Theft, Cedar Road: At 6:50 p.m. May 10, a man, 35, reported that a delivered package was stolen from his apartment complex. The package's contents were valued at $14.95.

Sex offense, South Belvoir Boulevard: At 12:25 p.m. May 11, it was reported that two clients of Bellefaire JCB, 2575 S. Belvoir Blvd., may have engaged in sexual activity in one of the campus's residential facilities. The detective bureau is investigating.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
SEOUL - North Korea is casting doubt on next month's summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump over joint Air Force drills taking place in South Korea, which it says are ruining the diplomatic mood.

North Korea always reacts angrily to the joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises, considering them as a rehearsal for an invasion. But this year, with the sudden burst of diplomacy, had appeared to be different.

The South Korean and U.S. militaries had scaled back and played down the exercises, declining the news media the usual access to the drills. North Korea barely said a word about the drills during the computer simulation exercises that took place through April.

The two-week-long Max Thunder drills between the two countries' Air Forces, an annual event that began on Friday, have, however, clearly struck a nerve in North Korea.

"This exercise targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula," the North's Korean Central News Agency said in a report published early.

The Max Thunder exercise involves about 100 warplanes, including eight F-22 radar-evading fighters and an unspecified number of B-52 bombers and F-15K jets, according to the South's main Yonhap News Agency. During last year's Max Thunder exercises, U.S. and South Korean fighter jets flew an average 60 sorties a day to showcase their firepower.

By mentioning the Panmunjom Declaration, North Korea was referring to the agreement signed last month by Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in following their historic summit.

They agreed to work to turn the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War in 1953 into a peace treaty that would officially bring the war to a close, and also to pursue the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea suggested that the drills were putting the proposed summit between Trump and Kim, scheduled for June 12, in jeopardy.

"The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities," KCNA said.

Trump and Kim are due to meet in Singapore, which would be the first time a North Korean leader had meet with a sitting U.S. president.

Trump and his top aides, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, both previously known for their hard line views on North Korea, have express optimism that a denuclearization agreement can be worked out.

In surprising detail, Pompeo - who says Kim watches foreign news reports - has laid out the economic and development aid that would flow to the North Korean regime if it permanently and verifiably gives up its nuclear weapons program.

But North Korea, despite being run by one totalitarian family for the last seven decades, is not entirely monolithic. It does have its hawks and its doves, and analysts speculated that hard-liners in the military, concerned about the sudden talk of denuclearization, might be trying to interfere with the current diplomatic efforts.

At the same time as threatening to scupper the summit with Trump, North Korea did cancel talks with South Korean officials that had been scheduled for Wednesday, less than 24 hours after agreeing to them.

North Korea had said it would send five senior officials to Panmunjom for meetings with South Korean officials, the first such talks since the April 27 inter-Korean summit.

They were due to discuss some of the infrastructure aid that South Korea would provide to North Korea as part of their broader detente.

The North was going to send Ri Son Kwon, who leads the North Korean agency in charge of inter-Korean exchanges and was present at the summit, while the South was going to send senior officials from the transport ministry and forest service.

"Through the inter-Korean high-level talks, (we) will push to lay the groundwork for sustainable development and lasting peace by having in-depth discussions and faithfully implementing the Panmunjom Declaration," the South's unification ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

Max Thunder is a two-week operation that has been held annually in the spring for about 10 years. It features the United States and South Korea flying strike aircraft together from air bases in South Korea and Japan to practice air-to-air combat. About 1,000 U.S. troops and 500 South Koreans were involved last year, according to a U.S. military statement published at the time.

Max Thunder is significantly smaller than Foal Eagle and Key Resolve, two other military exercises that were held in April, and briefly paused to reduce tensions as Kim and Moon could meet at the border at the demilitarized zone between their nations to discuss potential peace plans.

The Pentagon said in March that Foal Eagle, which includes ground maneuvers, would involve about 11,500 U.S. troops and 290,000 South Koreans this year, while Key Resolve would focus more on computer simulation and involve about 12,200 U.S. troops and 10,000 South Koreans.

The threat by North Korea to cancel the summit now would seem to contradict the message that South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-yong brought to the White House in March, when Kim volunteered to meet with Trump. At that time, Kim's message was that North Korea would refrain from additional nuclear or missile testing and understood "that the routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea and the United States must continue."
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Global Tea Market: Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2024

Global Tea Market: By Product Type (Fruit/Herbal Tea, Black Tea, Green Tea, Instant Tea, and Others), By Packaging (Loose Tea, Tea Bags, Aluminum Tin, Plastic Containers, and Paper Boards), By Distribution Channel (Supermarkets/Hypermarkets, Convenience Stores, Online Stores, and Others), and Geography - Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2013-2017 and Forecast 2018-2024

Global Tea market was valued at US $ XX Mn in 2017 and expected to grow at 5.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over 2018 to 2024

Market Outline: Tea Market

Tea is an aromatic beverage which is usually prepared by infusing the dried crushed leaves of the tea plant in boiling water. Various types of tea available in various tastes and flavors. It is one of the frequently consumed beverage all across the world. It has flavonoids, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, which enhance the functioning of human body.

Market Dynamics: Tea Market

Increase in the consumer-base is the major factor influencing the growth of the tea market. Growing awareness among the people regarding the health benefits associated with the consumption of tea is anticipated to drive the growth of the market. The introduction of various flavors such as mint flavor, chocolate flavor, lemon flavor etc. is attributed for the growth of the tea market. The advent of instant or ready-to-drink tea, which is adding fuel for the growth of the tea market. However, the high cost of the raw materials and increasing cost of the agriculture inputs may hinder the growth of the tea market.

Free sample of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/tea-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx

Market Scope: Tea Market

Tea market is segmented based on the product type, packaging, and distribution channel

Based on the product type, the market is segmented into the following:

 Fruit/Herbal Tea

 Black Tea

 Green Tea

 Instant Tea

 Others

Based on the packaging, the market is segmented into the following:

 Loose Tea

 Tea Bags

 Aluminum Tin

 Plastic Containers

 Paper Boards

Based on the distribution channel, the market is segmented into the following:

 Supermarkets/Hypermarkets

 Convenience Stores

 Online Stores

 Others

Free TOC of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/tea-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

Regional Analysis: Tea Market

Geographically, global tea market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific Tea market to keep the top spot in the global tea market. China contributes the largest share in the region of Asia Pacific. Owing to the presence of higher consumer-base, China tea market tops the position in Asia Pacific region. In China tea is also used as medical drink due to the presence of various herbal properties. The herbal tea in China is typically black or dark brown in color. North America follows the Asia Pacific in the global Tea market. Bottled tea accounted as the fastest growing tea format in the region of North America. The Europe tea market is expected to grow at significant rate over the forecast period.

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https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/tea-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3

Competition Assessment: Tea Market

Some of the players in the global Tea market include:

 Nestle S.A (Switzerland)

 The Republic of Tea (U.S)

 DavidsTea (Canada)

 Akbar Brothers Ltd (Sri Lanka)

 Associated British Foods (UK)

 Unilever (Netherlands)

 Starbucks Corporation (US)

 WISSOTZKY TEA (Russia)

Notable Market Developments: Tea Market

 In January 2018, Zest Tea has launched its first ready-to-drink (RTD) products.

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https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/tea-market/

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This is all about to change, however. That's because the U-S-A! U-S-A! is coming, and what we don't know about high society, tasteful decorum, and royal protocol is enough to fill several royal advisers with the type of creeping existential dread rarely seen outside of an Ingmar Bergman movie.

Case in point, Markle's father was just revealed to have faked paparazzi shots of himself getting measured for his wedding suit, power walking on a hillside, looking up information about his daughter and future son-in-law on Wikipedia (this should've been the first clue that something was amiss), and reading a book on British history in his local Starbucks. After the controversy broke, he apologized and claimed that he did it to rehabilitate his image after he was caught by actual-real paparazzi buying a late-night six-pack from a convenience store whilst looking slightly disheveled -- despite the fact that "slightly disheveled" is pretty much the official uniform of buying a late-night six-pack.

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In a final act of contrition, he then pulled out of the wedding (and walking his daughter down the aisle) after expressing concerns that his presence as a disgraced book-reader and clothes-wearer would draw attention away from the world's most famous family and their wealth of celebrity friends ... at which point Meghan's half-sister embarked on a media tour to claim that the photos were all her idea, and afterwards recording a video telling Meghan not to try to "censor" her.
10:09 | New York (U.S.), May. 16.





Condemnation statements were issued on Tuesday during a session of the UN Security Council





According to the Andean nation, the violent acts increase instability in the Middle East and must be investigated independently to determine liability.









They also concurred that demonstrations' leaders must avoid violent and provocative actions.





The Peruvian representative urged Israeli and Palestine authorities to exercise restraint and restore dialogue so as to move towards sustainable peace in the Middle East.





Also, he reaffirmed the call on parties to resume direct talks aimed at reaching a final settlement to the conflict, on the basis of relevant UN resolutions and within mutually and internationally recognized borders.





(END) NDP/RMB/MVB

Peru has deemed as unacceptable the latest round of violence in Gaza, where dozens of Palestinian citizens have died.Published: 5/16/2018
"Potato plays a fundamental role in the economy and nutrition of Peruvians ()," International Potato Center ( CIP ) Deputy Director General for Research and Development Oscar Ortiz expressed.
Every bride finds the final days in the run-up to her wedding rather fraught. It doesnt matter how meticulous the planning has been, something always goes awry.

That said, poor Meghan Markle seems to be having more than her fair share of pre-wedding stress. At a time when all she should be thinking about are last-minute finishing touches, she and Prince Harry are having to deal with a full-blown family crisis.

At the time I write, its uncertain whether Meghans father  73-year-old Thomas  will fly to the UK for Saturdays royal wedding following revelations that he accepted money from a paparazzo to stage a series of cheesy pictures.

After his conduct was exposed, the poor man  who is clearly not in the best of health  was so mortified he decided to pull out of giving his daughter away on her big day. Last night he appeared to have had a change of heart.

Meghan is naturally distraught at the prospect of not having her father walk her down the aisle; and Harry, we are told, is fuming, blaming himself  and the media  for the inevitable pressures brought about by association with royalty.

If it were me, Id be tempted to call the whole damn circus off and just tie the knot quietly in private, well away from the cameras. Too late now, of course  but why they didnt just do that in the first place is slightly baffling.

Prince Harry's fiancee Meghan Markle, pictured as a child with her father Thomas who has been at the centre of a scandal over staged pictures

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had asked Meghan's father to walk her down the aisle, but he staged photos of himself looking longingly at this engagement picture in an internet cafe in Mexico

After all, as a couple Harry and Meghan seem so determined to defy convention and royal protocol that you might have thought a big meringue wedding would have been the last thing on their minds. Especially since its Meghans second time around.

As for Harry, bearing in mind what he said in 2016 about wanting to protect Meghan and her family from the attention that comes with the Royal Family, surely it would have been the easiest thing in the world to use their wellbeing as an excuse for keeping the whole thing low key.

But that is not how Meghan and Harry have chosen to play it. On the contrary: their nuptials  and all the carefully managed publicity in the run-up  seem to have been engineered to garner as much attention as possible for the couple, who have cast themselves as the hip face of the modern Royal Family.

Even their stylish official engagement pictures, shot in the grounds of Kensington Palace with Meghan in a 56,000 couture dress, would not have looked out of place in Vogue. Not to say there is anything wrong with that approach; just that it is not exactly the behaviour of a couple who are keen to avoid the limelight.

Given all that, and the amount of effort that seems to have gone into managing the public relations of the occasion, it seems curious that the situation with Meghans father should have been left to drift to the point where it is now a serious crisis.

Thomas Snr is said to be deeply concerned he would cause 'embarrassment' to his daughter Meghan and the royals if he walks her down the aisle

Or to put it bluntly, knowing that the wedding was going to be such a huge and lavish affair, and knowing that Thomas Markle was going to play a key part on the day, why didnt someone senior at the Palace take the situation in hand?

As the Mail reported on Saturday, Mr Markle has been leading a sad and solitary life in a seedy, murder-plagued town just across the Mexican border.

Rarely emerging from his dilapidated bungalow during daylight, he has few friends and seems to live off chicken tacos and six-packs of beer.

Diana, Princess of Wales with her second son Prince Harry carrying a plate of strawberries

When I read that report, two questions sprung to mind.

First  and forgive my impertinence  I couldnt help but wonder whether, given the fact shell never have to worry about money again, Meghan might not have been tempted to find her father a more salubrious place to live.

Second, with the wedding only a week away, what on earth was he still doing there?

Why wasnt he already in the UK, attending rehearsals, being talked through what to expect and getting to know the social landscape?

Meghan Markle with her father, Thomas Markle when she was younger. There is no major doubt over whether he will walk his daughter down the aisle at St George's Chapel in Windsor

He could have met his soon-to-be son-in-law, whom we are told he has only ever spoken to on the phone. Or even the Queen and Prince Philip who, lets not forget, welcomed Michael and Carole Middleton to a break the ice lunch eight days before Kate and Williams wedding.

Father/daughter relationships are complicated at the best of times  and Mr Markle is clearly a proud man  so its understandable Meghan may have felt reluctant to confront the situation.

But she doesnt need to. That is  or should have been  the job of the Royal Household.

The Queen herself is said to be furious about whats happening  and who can blame her. Because whatever else may be going on behind the scenes, its abundantly clear that royal officials have seriously dropped the ball.

Why no one had the sense to dispatch a trusted aide from Kensington Palace out to Mexico the moment the engagement was announced is beyond me.

Surely it would have been a matter of simple courtesy, not to mention expediency, to meet Thomas and start preparing him for the biggest day of his life.

It doesnt take a genius to see that there is an abyss between the family Meghan was born into and the one she is marrying into. And that is a good thing  indeed, its part of the joy of this union.

But while Meghan is clearly at ease with her new cultural and social status, the same cannot be said of those she has left behind.

Given that Harry and Meghan are so passionate about mental health, you would have thought the potential strain that being at the centre of such a global event could place on her father would have been a concern to them.

Actress Meghan is believed to have texted her father and asked him to come to the wedding after claims he would not make it

And yet instead of dealing with the situation like grown-ups and taking positive steps to build bridges, the Palace seems to have done what it so often does in tricky situations: buried its head in the sand.

Perhaps Im being unfair. Perhaps overtures were made, but rejected. It certainly doesnt help that Meghans parents are divorced  reportedly not even speaking  but then many of us who arrange weddings have similarly tricky relatives to deal with.

I hesitate to say it, but this is where Harrys late mother, Princess Diana, would really have come into her own. She would have understood exactly the difficulty a man like Meghans father faces in coming to terms with his daughters marriage to a Prince.

She would have seen this coming, stepped in, held his hand, made him feel welcome  no matter what. Diana had her defects, but in terms of emotional intelligence and kindness towards others you couldnt fault her.

Who could forget the touching sight of her guiding her own father, Earl Spencer, who had suffered a stroke a few years previously, to the altar at her own wedding?

Yet amid all the turmoil, there is one consolation: long term, none of it really matters.

What determines the success or failure of any marriage is not the event itself, but the months and years that follow it and the love two people have for each other. And that depends on no one but Harry and Meghan themselves.
As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.
What was it that possessed Donald Trump to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the divided city of Jerusalem, sparking this weeks bloodshed in Gaza?

It was an unprecedented decision that previous Presidents had shied away from, knowing it would dangerously inflame tensions with the Palestinians who lay claim to the eastern part of the city and whose Muslim faith has a number of sacred sites within its walls.

With violent protests and more than 50 Palestinians shot dead by Israeli troops, the reaction has been as explosive and brutal as everyone feared.

What was it that possessed Donald Trump to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the divided city of Jerusalem, sparking this weeks bloodshed in Gaza? (stock image)

A significant clue as to what drove Trump to make such a seemingly reckless move can be found in the two evangelical preachers who led the prayers at the embassys official opening on Monday.

We come before you, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, thanking you for bringing us to this momentous occasion in the life of your people and in the history of our world, intoned Robert Jeffress, a televangelist from a Texas megachurch, who also spoke at Mr Trumps private prayer service for his inauguration.

He went on to praise the President as one who stands on the right side of you, O God, when it comes to Israel.

His sentiments were echoed by Pastor John Hagee who delivered the ceremonys benediction. We thank you, O Lord, for President Donald Trumps courage in acknowledging to the world a truth that was established 3,000 years ago  that Jerusalem is and always shall be the eternal capital of the Jewish people, he said.

Why on earth should these Texan evangelical preachers make such a song and dance about the U.S. symbolically acknowledging Jerusalem as the Israeli capital?

Strange as it may seem, the reason is that they  and millions of evangelical Americans like them  believe it will help bring about the fulfilment of fire and brimstone prophesies from the Bible that are central to their very literal interpretation of Christianity.

With violent protests and more than 50 Palestinians shot dead by Israeli troops, the reaction has been as explosive and brutal as everyone feared

Some evangelicals believe war between Jews and Arabs is part of Gods plan, involving a period of destruction called the Great Tribulation.

Donald Trump is desperate for the support of evangelicals in the U.S. And he hopes to achieve this by overturning decades of American foreign policy designed to avoid offending Arabs, and categorically accepting Jerusalem as Israels capital.

The biblical prophesies are made in the books of Revelation and Daniel. They hold that Jesus Christ will return to Earth when all the Jews are reunited in Israel and it becomes an exclusively Jewish state.

According to Revelation, once the Jews are reunited, an epic battle between good and evil will break out in Israel and good will finally triumph.

In its apocalyptic vision, the book talks of a scarlet Whore of Babylon with seven heads and ten crowned horns, and a burning lake of fire and sulphur into which the damned will be thrown.

Dispensationalists believe God has divided human history into dispensations  periods that illuminate different aspects of Gods plan for mankind. The final period will be the millennial kingdom, 1,000 years in which Christ will rule on earth from Jerusalem.

So-called Christian Zionists take Revelation literally, so they want Israel to flourish. Their dispensationalist theology is today predominantly believed by Americans but it first arrived in the U.S. with the English Puritans  protestants who emigrated to the American colonies from the 17th century onwards.

Dispensationalists believe God has divided human history into dispensations  periods that illuminate different aspects of Gods plan for mankind. The final period will be the millennial kingdom, 1,000 years in which Christ will rule on earth from Jerusalem.

The movement, whose supporters even included Martin Luther King, received a boost in the Eighties from the rise of the American religious Right.

About a third  some 15 million people  of Americas evangelical population, but 65 per cent of their leaders, are today estimated to believe in dispensationalism.

While Israel has welcomed the support of evangelical Christians and encourages them to visit holy sites, Jewish sceptics note that the evangelicals believe Jews can be saved only if they convert to Christianity

What is so extraordinary is not just the fundamental and unlikely nature of the beliefs of these evangelicals, but that they could not be more different in outlook from the metropolitan Jewish lobby on the East and West coasts  traditionally thought to be the reason U.S. presidents so readily rush to Israels aid.

Evangelists are mostly poorer and less educated than the average American.

Huge numbers live in the Bible belts of Southern and some Midwestern states.

Their small-c conservatism means, ironically, that they regard the traditional sophisticated Jewish lobby with the utmost suspicion.

Trump aides have denied that theology was behind the incendiary embassy move, insisting it was motivated by a genuine attempt to create peace in the Middle East by bolstering an increasingly beleaguered Israel. One reason Trump pushed for the embassy move might be that he has a prominent Jewish Zionist backer  Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson  who contributed $25 million to his election campaign and urged him to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

However, the fact is that the only Americans who really supported the move by a significant majority were evangelical Christians.

The Christian Zionism movement has spread beyond the U.S. across the world. Every year, thousands of supporters parade through Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot to noisily profess their love for Israel

A survey by the Brookings Institution found 63 per cent of Americans opposed the decision, as opposed to only 40 per cent of evangelicals.

Mr Trump is widely regarded as having done more to please evangelicals than any president, giving them a string of positions on his cabinet.

They have become increasingly crucial to him electorally, as support among other voters has dwindled.

Vice President Mike Pence, who calls himself an evangelical Catholic, has close links with Christian Zionist groups.

Then there is the choice of American pastors for the opening ceremony in Jerusalem. Mr Jeffress is an ardent Apocalypse proselytiser, frequently stating that Israels future is tied up with Bible prophesies.

Like some other evangelicals, he has claimed that Mr Trump was chosen by God as leader, comparing him to the ancient Persian king Cyrus who allowed exiled Jews to return to what is modern-day Israel.

In 2014, Mr Jeffress wrote a book claiming that Barack Obama was paving the way for the coming of the Antichrist, Christs foe in the book of Revelation.

It was an unprecedented decision that previous Presidents had shied away from, knowing it would dangerously inflame tensions with the Palestinians who lay claim to the eastern part of the city and whose Muslim faith has a number of sacred sites within its walls

He has condemned every other religion but Christianity as a heresy that will lead followers to the pit of hell.

Pastor Hagee  who gave the embassy benediction on Monday  founded Christians United For Israel.

This organisation boasts more than four million members and likes to quote a verse from the Bibles book of Genesis which states that God will bless those who bless the Jews and curse those who curse the Jews.

Mr Hagee  who described Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans, as Gods punishment for sinful ways  says he believes Jews will be saved in the imminent Second Coming of Christ.

The Christian Zionism movement has spread beyond the U.S. across the world. Every year, thousands of supporters parade through Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot to noisily profess their love for Israel.

However, the alliance between evangelical Christians and Israelis remains uneasy.

While Israel has welcomed the support of evangelical Christians and encourages them to visit holy sites, Jewish sceptics note that the evangelicals believe Jews can be saved only if they convert to Christianity.

Otherwise, according to the Book of Revelation, they will be tossed into the burning lake along with all the other heretics.

It is a story of theological fundamentalism that other Christians will find hard to believe. But in the Middle East, where religious zealots have battled for thousands of years, history always seems doomed to repeat itself.
The story reads like the script of some overblown daytime TV soap. Our beautiful young heroine is on the verge of fulfilling her lifes ambition of marrying her dashing Prince, having sacrificed career and country to follow her heart.

But the fates seem determined to conspire against them.

Her father, whom she adores but who is a deeply troubled man, is admitted for heart surgery days before the wedding. Distraught, she turns to her mother, a solitary yet comforting presence, who flies to her rescue.

Meanwhile, her half-sister, unhinged with jealousy, drips poison into every passing press microphone, while the rest of her estranged family circle like vultures. Will love triumph? What will become of them all?

Find out, in the next instalment of . . . the royal wedding.

With every new lurch and jolt in the roller coaster that has become the marriage of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle, yet more nagging questions, as I wrote yesterday, arise. These are the most baffling . . .

The story reads like the script of some overblown daytime TV soap. Our beautiful young heroine is on the verge of fulfilling her lifes ambition of marrying her dashing Prince, having sacrificed career and country to follow her heart

1. How did the Palace get it so horribly wrong?

There is arguably no organisation on this planet with more experience of staging public weddings, pageants and general pompery than the Royal Household. This sort of thing is like falling off a log to them.

In particular, managing the expectations of tricky guests and pushy minor players is their stock in trade. So why did they completely fail to see the problems inherent in the complex Markle family dynamics?

Did no one stop to think of the implications of Prince Harry marrying a woman from a very different culture and class and take steps to minimise the impact on vulnerable individuals? Which brings me on to the next question . . .

2. Why did no one google her family?

Even the most cursory internet search would have thrown up a few red flags. Could they not have taken at least a few steps to get them on-side so that we wouldnt today be listening to Meghans half-sister Samanthas deranged TV ramblings and her drug-addled half-brother Thomas Markle Jrs crazed letters to Harry painting her as a scarlet woman?

What was it that stopped them? Incompetence? Oversensitivity? Or did the couple themselves, away in their little love bubble, simply not think it mattered?

Either way, it does rather make you wonder whether there is a single grown-up in charge at Kensington Palace.

3. Why has mum only just flown to her side?

Like any mother-of-the-bride, Doria is a key figure  not least since, apart from Meghans father, she seems to be the only other relative invited.

So isnt it just a little bit odd that she only touched down on British soil yesterday  just three days before the big day? Why hasnt she been holed up for the past month in some swanky suite in Kensington Palace, trying on hats, choosing sugared almonds and generally guiding her daughter through the final preparations?

After all, its not every day your daughter gets to marry a prince. Worse, if she does, as is now predicted, stand in for her ex-husband Thomas and walk Meghan down the aisle, shell be doing so with terrible jet lag after her ten-and-a-half hour flight from Los Angeles, which has a time difference of eight hours behind London. Why put her through this?

4. Why invite only two family members?

I know her parents are separated, and not on the best of terms. But its not as though the Royal Family is unfamiliar with that scenario, or dysfunctional relationships in general.

Indeed, the royals are remarkably skilled and cheerful about smoothing over old feuds and burying hatchets (look at Andrew and Fergie, seemingly never happier or closer than since their divorce). I dont imagine the prospect of relatives glaring at each other across the canapes worries them in the slightest.

I know her parents are separated, and not on the best of terms. But its not as though the Royal Family is unfamiliar with that scenario, or dysfunctional relationships in general (Thomas Dooley, Tracy Anne Dooley)

5. Why snub her uncles?

Meghans two uncles, her fathers brothers, seem like respectable fellows. One, Frederick Markle, 75, is a bishop  admittedly of his own church, the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church in America (which has around 40 members); but in some respects that could be to his advantage, since Her Majesty is also, of course, the leader of her own church  what an ice-breaker!

Meanwhile Meghans other uncle, retired U.S. diplomat Michael Markle, 78, seems positively normal, not to mention actively quite peeved by the snub especially considering he got Meghan her first job at the U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires.

This whole invitation thing has not been played out very well, he said when it transpired that he had been left off the list in favour of celebrities such as David Beckham. I never did anything to embarrass Meghan. It seems to me they handled the arrangements poorly. I couldnt have put it better myself.

6. Why hasn't Harry met her dad?

Harry seems to spend his life flying all over the place shaking hands with all manner of boring and questionable individuals. Surely he could have taken a few hours out of his schedule to have a beer with the father of his wife-to-be.

I know its never an easy dynamic, the relationship between husband and father-in-law, but youve got to start somewhere. And some awkward encounter at the altar is probably not the best place to first clap eyes on each other.

7. ...And when did Meghan last see him?

Couldnt Thomas have been persuaded to come to the UK for a pre-wedding visit in the six months since the couple got engaged? It might have gone a long way to calm the nerves  and make him less inclined to pull a silly stunt posing for fake paparazzi shots in the hope of a quick buck.

8. Why are Harry's childhood pals left out?

Why have Harry and Meghan invited a raft of celebrities at the expense of their own generation of young royals? This really is baffling. You invite people you must surely barely know  for instance the Spice Girls  at the expense of childhood friends.

In Harrys case, old muckers such as Freddy Windsor, 39  with whom he used to play as a child  and his sister, Lady Gabriella Windsor, 37, as well as Lady Davina Lewis, 40 (the Duke of Gloucesters daughter) and Lady Helen Taylor.

Even the Duchess of Cambridges sister, Pippa, has been frozen out of the evening do.

Dont the couple want any real friends? Or do they just intend to spend their married life posing for selfies with Sir Elton John (who is invited)?

9. Why aren't the right-on couple helping dad?

Why did Meghan not reach out (as Californians say) to her father? If the pair of them  are so committed (as they never tire of telling us) to helping people with mental health issues, why have they not done anything to help her father, who has patently been struggling with this for some time.

They say charity begins at home, and never was this more true than in the case of Thomas Markle. Even if he is one of those proud, stubborn fathers who struggles to accept help, couldnt she at least have helped him out a little financially to ease the pressure?

If the pair of them  are so committed (as they never tire of telling us) to helping people with mental health issues, why have they not done anything to help her father, who has patently been struggling with this for some time

10. Why have a big wedding if they hate 'intrusion'?

This for me is the most obvious question of all. Harry has always said he hates all the scrutiny that comes with being a royal, and just wishes he could be in peace. He has been very vocal about media intrusion, and the negative impact on his future wifes wellbeing.

And I have huge sympathy for him, especially given what happened with his mother. But why stage such an Instagram-tastic occasion complete with a Vogue-style engagement shoot, a 100,000 wedding dress, 600 guests, hot-and-cold running celebrities and more expansive hype than Kim Kardashians bottom?

If they had wanted to get hitched quietly at Kensington Palace it would have been perfectly possible. Instead, theyve opted for the full Hollywood treatment. Im sure its all going to go splendidly.

They only have themselves to blame if the whole world is watching now.
A breast cancer survivor who had a double mastectomy designed floral tattoos to conceal her surgery scars with the help of an all-female shop.

Andrea Reynolds searched for a female tattoo artist that would be able to conceal her reconstructive scars after her double mastectomy in 2013 because the surgery left her in a deep depression.

After months of looking, Reynolds found Fallen Angels Tattoos in Salt Lake City, Utah. The all-female tattoo shop, founded by Terrina Francis, specializes in covering scars and disfigurements.

Survivor: Andrea Reynolds went to Fallen Angels Tattoos in Salt Lake City, Utah, to cover up her double mastectomy scars after she battled breast cancer

Girl power: Owner Terrina Francis created the tattoo shop with an all-female staff. She wanted to support females in the specialty and make women more comfortable at the shop

Creative: The shop specializes in covering up scars and disfigurements including post-pregnancy stretch marks

'I finally felt womanly again,' Reynolds told The Salt Lake Tribune.

'Terrina changed my life. I wasn't afraid to look in a mirror anymore. To get anything of beauty out of the cancer experience was incredible.'

With the help of Francis, the cancer survivor was able to design a tattoo across her chest that she was proud to show off.

Francis first got the idea to use her shop to conceal disfigurements and scars when she heard about an East Coast artist tattooing on nipples for women who had them removed after cancer surgeries.

The decision was close to Francis' heart because she lost her aunt the breast cancer.

'The media and society make women feel like our hair and our breasts are what makes us beautiful,' Francis told the Utah newspaper.

'But these women go through chemotherapy and lose their hair and get their breasts cut off. And if they survive cancer, they don't like what they see in the mirror.'

Girl gang: Women seek out the shop because it is staffed with only female artists

Family: Francis got he idea to tattoo over disfigurements from another shop on the East Coast

By creating an all-female tattoo shop, it helped make women feel more comfortable to get their tattoos. This was especially true for women who were using a design to cover up a scar or disfigurement.

The shop also specializes in tattooing over varicose veins and post-pregnancy stretch marks.

To cover up the stretch marks, the tattoo shop offers a service where they match the pigment used in the ink to the skin tone of the client. This helps to blend the scar in with the rest of the skin.

Francis, who left her job as a real estate agent to open the shop, has her new job rewarding with the number of people she has been able to help.

'I had no idea that owning a tattoo shop could be that fulfilling,' she said.
The fairytale says we meet, fall in love and live happily ever after.

It certainly didnt include being so bored in bed, its more fun having sex with yourself than it is having sex with your partner.

Can lust last the distance? Its not designed tobut there are ways to trick the system.

The choice no-one wants to make

If you had to choose between being absolutely and totally in love and having a deeply satisfying, pretty sensational sex life, what would you settle for?

Tracey Cox says that although it is difficult it is possible to keep the passion going throughout your relationship

Its a choice no-one thinks theyll ever have to make  and sure as hell never wants put in front of them  but, I have to be honest, all the recent research (rather depressingly) tends to point this way.

Dont jump off the cliff just yet  there are things you can do to circumvent this  but the first step does seem to be accepting that love and lust arent quite the chummy bedfellows we thought they were.

Why lust and love are bitter enemies

When we fall in love with someone, we merge with the other person.

This makes us feel all safe and snuggly and at peace with the world and our partner  but kills desire.

Desire surges to its most powerful, wondrous peak when we first meet and want someone, simply because were unsure if our feelings are reciprocated.

Once it turns out theyre just as besotted as we are (be still our beating heart!), the distance that was between us disappears (be still our beating groin  not quite so fab) and all the uncertainty, edginess, anxiety and jealousy that kept us in that feverish, longing state is suddenly removed. Novelty, risk and separation all up the desire factor.

Tracey says that feeling comfotable with someone can kill your desire

We want quite the opposite in love so actively seek out exactly what will destroy it.

Even worse, we cant blame each other for this because its not the fault of either sex  though we both dont help matters.

Men cant multi-task

Men, for instance, are rubbish at lusting and loving simultaneously for partly biological reasons.

The male brain releases high levels of vasopressin when deeply in love and that, in turn, decreases the level of testosterone, the hormone responsible for sex drive.

But its not just that.

Loving someone, means worrying about their well-being.

The pursuit of pleasure requires us to be selfish little sods: become too absorbed with your partners pleasure and youll lose desire for them. When this happens, men often think theyve fallen out of love but quite the opposite has happened: theyre too in love.

Desire and lust makes you want to do filthy, sometimes quite degrading things to your partner.

If theyre sitting on a pedestal or love and respect, the two dont sit easily together.

Sex without sin is like an egg without salt, said the famous director Luis Bunuel.

Take away the ability to sin and you take away desire.

Women think too much

Meanwhile, her desire follows another, equally disastrous, path.

Female desire is often linked to how we think our partner feels about us.

In the beginning when he wanted to slam us up against the fridge and bugger dinner, wed be like Fabulous! He must really fancy me.

One year in, hell do the same thing and instead of our eyes becoming hooded with lust, theyll narrow with suspicion.

Instead of thinking Great! were liable to think Why?

Is he having sex with us, or having sex because he just feels like sex? Whos he thinking of when hes doing it? Is it leftover lust from eyeing off that new girl in the office?

Feeling unattractive, hormones and insecurities are just some of the reasons that might put you off bedroom action

Then the body issue thing kicks in.

It wouldnt occur to men to think Jesus! The old beer guts looking a bit large today. Better not shag the Missus.

But one unflattering reflection in return for a fleeting glance in a mirror on the way to the bedroom and its like someone put a pin in the desire balloon.

Other lust hijackers

Feeling unattractive. Hormones. Emotional history. Insecurity. Not liking your partner much. Genetics. These are just a few of the things that transpire to rob us of lust.

Our baseline personality also plays a part, as does life experience. Sexual desire is a lust for life as well as sex: you need to be excited by life to be excited by your partner.

Long-term relationships move through three stages: lust/infatuation, romantic love and attachment.

The third stage is designed to be calmer, to provide us with a sense of stability so we can mate and procreate (which, lets face it, is sort of the point even if we like to forget it is.)

Its around this stage that what you never thought was going to happen to you does: youre  dear God!  bored!

IF YOUVE STOPPED HAVING REGULAR SEX Make a pact to become sex partners again Rule out any health or emotional problems that might be interfering: medication (anti-depressants?), anger in the relationship, painful intercourse, erection issues. If you need to seek professional help, do it. Did you both just fall into complacency or did something happen to stop you regularly having sex? Decide on obvious Im up for it signals. If youre a touchy, feely couple and also ultra-considerate (Shes tired, bless her. Ill just massage her shoulders and see if it leads to anything), its easy to miss each others tentative little sexual overtures. Work out some that are so obvious even the cat knows whats on the agenda for the evening. Start sending those signals. You have to have sex to want sex. One of the best ways to break out of a sex rut is to just close your eyes and go for it even if you arent champing at the bit. Act on a mere flicker of desire and see where it leads you. Get over the idea that youre both somehow going to be instantly aroused just by looking at each other. That happens at the very, very start when its all as romantic as a Richard Curtis film (with very rude bits thrown in). Its not going to happen when youve already done it to the same person and body 20,000 times. You need to turn yourselves on. Penises age You also both also need to give up on the idea that hes going to get an instant erection every time he so much as thinks about sex. Again, thats how things worked at the start - like when you were 18 - not 30 and over. Lots of men need to be physically stimulated before an erection appears, it may not just happen automatically. Introduce some quickies. If you make a pact to have sex three times a week for five minutes each time, it will kickstart your libido. Consider seeing a sex therapist. If you havent had sex for a while, doing it again will feel weird. But you should start to feel some type of connection after about a month if youre seriously trying a few new things, talking honestly about it and doing it on a regular basis. If after all this, youre both still nonplussed, you might like to consider seeing a sex therapist. It sounds drastic but hit a good one and youll be making whoopee like you never dreamed possible in no time at all! Advertisement

So bored in fact, masturbating is more fun than having sex with your partner: at least then you can watch some porn or play out that fantasy about seducing your way too attractive next-door neighbour.

Suddenly, you find yourself in love but not in lust and that leaves you, well, confused.

This isnt right! This isnt what happens in the movies!

Panicked, we either cheat, leave or settle for what we think is our lot: sexual despondency.

The fact is, were built to fall in love but not to stay that way.

For those of you who are still reading and not swinging from the rafters, the thing is, Im not really telling you anything you dont already know, simply explaining why.

We all know nearly half of all marriages end in divorce, this just gives a little insight as to why this might be.

But while it might be common, its not inevitable that your relationship will follow this rather dire passion pattern.

Heres how to trick Mother Nature

LUST LIFTERS THAT WORK

Stop trying to live up to societys idea of the ideal sex life and instead focus on what turns you and your partner on and experiment with that.

Look and act sexy and drop the You should love me no matter what attitude. They probably still do love you when youre sprawled on the floor in front of the telly, cutting your toe-nails. Whether theyll suddenly want to have sex with you is another thing.

Fantasise and stop stressing about it.

Physically having sex with your partner and mentally having it with someone completely different isnt wrong, its whats going to stop you straying.

Stop being sex robots.

When youve been with someone a long time, you develop a sexual shorthand. You know exactly what to do to make them orgasm and they do you.

Because it works and its easy, you then so rarely stray from that path, your bodies know how to do it all by themselves.

Effective, yes. When youre both tired or time deprived, appreciated. Exciting long-term, hell no.

Change location

Its one of the quickest ways to make sex more exciting.

A passionate snog and sneaky feel spirals to sizzling hot if its done in the back of a cab.

Ditto the position youve done countless times when its on the bonnet of your car in the garage.

Trade-offs dont always work.

Promise to do it their way one time, and yours another and you risk feeling resentful when its not your turn  and getting a lackluster, lukewarm response from them when its yours.

Compromise but try to find middle ground or at least blend turns into the same session.

Dont fall for the cliches.

Lose the idea that singles sex is raunchy and rampant and married sex is loving and affectionate.

The naughtier the sex, the happier the couple! On that note

Lose the idea that its disrespectful to do or suggest doing filthy things to your long-term partner.

So many people let go and indulge in wonderfully naughty sex with people they have no intention of staying with but turn prudish and proper when they meet someone they do see a future with.

Perfect your technique and work out physically what you each need but remember desire starts in the brain.

Its as important to connect before and after sex as it is during it.

Dont be scared to add outside stimulation.

If porns not your thing, written erotica might be.

Sex lives all around the world were transformed by women reading Fifty Shades.

Find one at relate.org.uk or itsgoodtotalk.org.uk.

Visit traceycox.com to see new products in Traceys supersex and Edge ranges and for more information about sex and relationships.
She's known for her impeccable good taste when it comes to her fashion sense.

And Crown Princess Mary put on a strong sartorial display on Tuesday as she stepped out at the opening of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit.

The ever-elegant mother-of-four certainly gave fashionistas a run for their money when she attended the Copenhagen Concert Hall in Denmark.

The Australian-born princess was resplendent in a chic black blouse and a white pleated skirt featuring blue prints by designer Charlotte Eskildsen.

The 46-year-old added a high-end feel to her stylish look by co-ordinating her outfit with a matching pair of suede Gianvito Ross pumps, retailed at $960, and a cobalt blue clutch.

Crown Princess Mary put on a strong sartorial display on Tuesday as she stepped out on the first day of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit

The ever elegant mother-of-four where she was met with a young girl who presented her with flowers outside the venue

The effortlessly stylish royal arrived at the sixth edition of the event where she was met with a young girl who presented her with flowers outside the venue.

Princess Mary was greeted by Eva Kruse, the CEO and president of the 'Global Fashion Agenda' where she was then taken to the conference.

Wearing her glossy brunette tresses in a bun, the princess showed off her glowing complexion with a subtle make-up look and a pair of lavender blue stone earrings.

At the event, Princess Mary was among the crowds of 1,000 people from the international fashion industry where they discussed about the sustainability challenges within the fashion industry.

The Australian-born princess was resplendent in a chic black blouse and a white pleated skirt featuring blue prints by designer Charlotte Eskildsen and a pair of suede Gianvito Ross pumps

Wearing her glossy brunette tresses in a bun, the princess showed off her glowing complexion with a subtle make-up look and a pair of lavender blue stone earrings

The two-day Summit aims to create a common understanding and gain industry-wide commitment on the most critical issues facing the fashion industry and planet.

Leaders from the fashion sector, NGOs, policy and academia are gathered to partake in the important discussion on how the fashion industry can contribute to a world beyond the next season.

The annual event presented a curated program of keynotes and discussions and deep diving breakout sessions with leading voices who will share their experiences and commitments to inspire future action.

Princess Mary was greeted by Eva Kruse, the CEO and president of the 'Global Fashion Agenda' where she was then taken to the conference, held at the Copenhagen Concert Hall

The effortlessly stylish royal arrived at the sixth edition of the event where she was met with a young girl who presented flowers to the princess

For many years now, Princess Mary has been a passionate advocate for health, gender equality, women and sustainability in fashion.

And it isn't the first time the princess stepped out in the same pleated skirt.

The 'Designers Remix' skirt by Charlotte Eskildsen made the rounds in the fashion world after featuring in the 'Danish Fashion Now' in 2015.

At the time, Princess Mary had 10 of her 'iconic' outfits - made by Denmark's renowned fashion designers - displayed at the exhibition, which was held at the Brandts Institute in Odense, Denmark.

For many years now, Princess Mary has been a passionate advocate for health, gender equality, women and sustainability in fashion
For most mums, raising one child can be a challenge.

And one Australian mother knows this all too well, having gone through the process 50 times over.

Noelene Lever, 78, is an Aboriginal woman who has dedicated her life to caring for foster children, as well as five biological kids of her own.

Ms Lever worked multiple jobs, working seven days a week, so she could raise as many as eight children at one time.

Ms Lever had her first child at 20 and after giving birth to five children her husband was tragically killed in a car accident, leaving her a widowed single mother at 36.

Her family moved from Tweed Shire to Sydney to chase a job opportunity so she could support the family.

'I sat my kids down and said, "We can live here and eat bread and butter or we can move to Sydney and have devon and tomato sauce on our bread", and they jumped at the chance to move,' she told FEMAIL.

Noelene Lever, 78, (second from right) is an Aboriginal woman who has dedicated her life to caring for foster children, as well as five biological kids of her own

She was offered a job with the Aboriginal Legal Aid, worked for the Royal Commission for Aboriginal deaths in custody and helped out at the Aboriginal Childrens Services.

Ms Lever worked multiple jobs so she could raise as many as eight children at one time

'I would work five days at the legal service and would spend weekends at the children's hospital,' she said.

'I had eight kids in my care and I was the only provider, but I didn't mind, as long as they had a smile on their face and food on the table.

'I would also sleep on the couch if the kids needed the big bed but it didn't worry me, as long as they had a place to rest their head.'

Ms Lever has dedicated her life to working with children who need her help and she has provided dozens of kids a loving home.

'I had eight kids in my care and I was the only provider, but I didn't mind, as long as they had a smile on their face and food on the table,' Ms Lever said (pictured fourth from left with her family)

'I don't regret any of it, I really enjoyed it and a lot of them still keep in touch even though they're married and have children of their own,' she explained.

'It's just what I love to do, to help any child. I don't care where they're from but it is my job to lend them a hand, which just means my own stuff has to go on the back burner.'

Due to a variety of small health problems and an increasing age, Ms Lever doesn't foster any more kids but spends time with her children, her 30 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.

'It's sad that there are so many out there who just need some love and understanding. They need to know that someone cares about them and have someone to go to,' she said.

'I think about it even when I see my own children today and it brings a tear to my eye.'

Due to a variety of small health problems and an increasing age, Ms Lever doesn't foster any more children

'My kids keep saying "you've been at it since you were 20 and you've only had two years on your own, you deserve a break"',' she added.

The way Ms Lever started fostering children happened more naturally than it would normally.

Her children would often ask if they could spend the night at a friend's house and she always told them she had to meet the parents first, which often resulted in the kids coming to spend the weekend at her house instead.

'They would spend time with us and once the weekend was up they would ask if they could stay on,' Ms Lever told FEMAIL.

'I said "it's fine, but we have to see your mum and dad first". I would go and visit the parents and a lot of them said "if you can do it and you're happy to do it, then okay".

'My children keep saying "you've been at it since you were 20 and you've only had two years on your own, you deserve a break"',' she said

'I was surprised by what so many of them said, they almost just gave them to me,' she added.

Ms Lever never pressured any of the children into telling her why they wanted to live with her but over time they would open up.

The way Ms Lever started fostering children happened more naturally than it would normally

'Later on I would ask why they wanted to stay and they would say "it's better here, it's easier",' she said.

'They always did what I asked of them and they weren't ever naughty or messed up. I think this is because I understood them and they knew their duties.'

Ms Lever wanted to ensure that any child that entered her home would be treated with as much respect as any other.

She told her biological kids that any child that walks through the door has to be treated like family.

'I would say "they don't get any less love than you and if you're fine with that, they can stay".

'It was easier to run a household that way. Sometimes the children that would arrive at our home would have the clothes on their backs, their parents wouldn't give me anything.'

Ms Lever wanted to ensure that any child that entered her home would be treated with as much respect as any other (pictured with her great grand children)

Many of the children who joined the family stayed for an extended period of time and while they were there, Ms Lever was dedicated to building up their confidence.

'Some kids went through to year 12 but others said they weren't brainy enough and wanted to leave school, but I would always tell them that they had everything they needed to do well and we were all there to support them,' she said.

One child, who came to her when when he was nine, suffered from bad self esteem, but he managed to make it to year 12 and is now studying law.

'I bumped into him and his friends once and he came and put his arm around me and said "hello mummy" and I told him "I'm so proud of you and don't forget that my door will never close on you".

'That's what makes it all worthwhile, seeing them with a smile on their face. It makes me proud to see them doing so well after putting themselves down so much.'

A lot of the children that joined the family stayed for an extended period of time, of which Ms Lever spent building up their confidence

Another child that has had an impact on Ms Lever's life is Sarina Kapeli, now 39, who was only two weeks old when she went into her care.

Ms Lever met Sarina's mother Jean when she was still in hospital.

'When I met Jean she had her baby in her arms and she asked if I wanted a hold. When I took Sarina, she was asleep, then she opened her eyes, smiled at me, and went back to sleep, that's when the connection started.

'Her mother asked if I could look after her for a couple of weeks and I eventually ended up taking her mother in as well. She was like the eldest child out of my kids and Sarina was the baby,' she told FEMAIL.

'Sarina's mother passed away when she was only nine so she stayed with me. I thought it was important to take her to Cairns and Mosman to know who her family were and to understand her culture.'

Recently Ms Lever won Barnardos Mother of the Year for New South Wales as she was nominated by Sarina

Ms Lever is humble about her accomplishments, although she is extremely thankful for the award

Ms Lever retired to Forster when she was 70 but is still an active part of the community.

'Since I retired I have won the confidence of a lot of kids and they will come up to me and say "hello auntie",' she said.

'On Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to taekwondo, I do it to encourage other kids to go and to support them. I've gotten to my red belt and there's a competition to break boards, which I'll be doing as I want to encourage them to do it.

'I go to netball and junior footy and watch from the side lines to encourage them. I live on my own now, so I have the time.'

Recently Ms Lever won Barnardos Mother of the Year for New South Wales as she was nominated by Sarina.

Ms Lever is humble about her accomplishments, although she is extremely thankful for the award.

'There are a lot of mothers out there who are deserving of that prize, it just blew me away when I got the phone call,' she said.

'It was embarrassing, I like to be the quiet achiever and I just hold everything close to my heart because all I've ever wanted to do is just be there for my kids.

'I just try and set a good example for my children to follow. I'm looking at the wall in my kitchen of images they've all drawn and one says 'house of love', we're all one big happy family.

'I was blessed with my life, to be able to give my life to children and I was blessed with the strength and the health to do it.'
Beauty bloggers are often known for their flawless complexion and radiant skin.

But Melbourne's beauty therapist Madeleine Edwards has proudly shared a makeup-free photograph of her acne for the first time.

The YouTube star, who has more than 20,000 subscribers, has decided to come clean by revealing her painful blemishes in a series of bare-faced selfies.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 23-year-old beauty influencer admitted she edits her pictures by blurring out her pimples before uploading them onto social media.

Melbourne's beauty therapist Madeleine Edwards (pictured) has proudly shared a makeup free photograph of her acne for the first time on Instagram

The YouTube star decided to come clean by revealing her blemishes in bare-faced selfies

The 23-year-old beauty influencer admitted she edits her pictures by blurring out her pimples before uploading them onto social media

'I wanted to share this because I feel guilty in a way. I wanted to show you what my skin is like under the makeup and before I Facetune my pimples away,' she said.

'My skin doesn't really look like it does in my selfies lately, and it's something that affects me more than I want it to.

'I try to be a role model. I post videos about skincare and makeup, but I still can't post a makeup picture without editing it, because I'm just so insecure about it.

'I love makeup, but I don't wear it to hide or mask my insecurities, I actually don't wear it every day. But whenever I have pimples and I'm posting a photo to Instagram, I will always blur them out of the photo.

'I don't really have a positive message here, other than the fact that I'm trying to learn not to be so vain, and let my appearance define me as a person and control my life.'

The young woman said she decided to flaunt her natural beauty on Instagram after feeling guilty about hiding her flaws from her followers.

'As my following on Instagram and YouTube grows, I'm meeting followers and subscribers in real life, and I always feel guilty if I don't look the same way in real life as I do on my Instagram,' she said.

'I want to be real with people. I do have acne, as much as I pretend I don't. Instagram is for sharing your life with your viewers, and I don't want to pretend everything is perfect all the time, because it definitely isn't.'

The young woman said she decided to flaunt her natural beauty after feeling guilty about hiding her flaws from her followers

She was lucky to enjoy most of her teenage years without having to endure bad breakouts

She was lucky enough to enjoy most of her teenage years without having to endure bad breakouts - but just two weeks ago, her skin started to flare up.

'I've had acne on and off for about five years. I never suffered through my teens, it only started after I'd finished school,' she said.

Madeleine - who dishes out beauty advice on social media - also admitted she previously let her insecurities control the way she went about her life day to day.

It's so disheartening for me, slapping product after product on to my face, knowing that my skin isn't going to look like the other 98 per cent of the beauty influencers that I follow, all with beautiful, blemish-free skin

'It's such a shame that we let these small, surface issues and insecurities stop us from feeling comfortable in who we are, or even get in the way of passion and what we want to do,' she said.

'I love makeup, but it's so disheartening for me, slapping product after product on to my face, knowing that my skin isn't going to look like the other 98 per cent of the beauty influencers that I follow, all with beautiful, blemish-free skin.'

But she was determined to break the stigma surrounding beauty bloggers by sharing a raw image of her face covered in acne in an effort to seek comfort.

'I was super nervous before I posted it,' she said.

'It's funny, because I was seeking comfort through my followers. I was reaching out to them, hoping that people felt the same way as I did.

'It turns out people found comfort and could relate to me, who was also looking for people to relate to.

The 23-year-old YouTube star usually dishes out her beauty advice to all her subscribers

For those struggling with insecurities, Madeleine said: 'Don't let your skin define you'

Madeleine's skincare routine Before she begins her skincare routine at night, Madeleine puts on a headband to keep the loose hair away from her face. She puts coconut oil on cotton pads to wipe her makeup off completely. 'I love this because it just dissolves all my makeup. When I get to my eyes, I just hold [cotton pads] there for a little bit and then wipe it off. I also like to do zig-zags to get my mascara off because this skin is so thin,' she said. 'If you use too much coconut oil, you can get them in your eyes and it feels like you've got this film over your eyes - but you can just splash it out with water.' Next, she uses two dry cotton pads to remove all the coconut oil residue. 'Even if you have oily skin, this is okay to do because you're going to be cleansing after. But just make sure you use a gel cleanser if you've got oily skin because that's going to de-grease and take all of the oil off.' Moving on, she then wets her face before using Dermalogica's 'Special Cleansing Gel'. After washing her face clean, she scrubs her skin with Dermalogica's 'Daily Microfoliant' powder. 'I learnt in beauty school, they said your face ends here [pointing to her neck and collarbone]. I think it's so true because whatever you do to your face, you should do to your neck as well,' she said. Then she rinses the powder off with lukewarm water. Next, she uses two dry cotton pads to remove any residue. 'This is going to ensure all the dirt and makeup are removed,' she said. Next, she spritz her face with Demalogica's 'Multi-Active Toner'. 'Every time you wash your face, you should tone your skin because water has a high alkaline level, which messes with the pH balance, which is inviting bacteria to attack your skin,' she said. 'Your skin should be a balance between alkaline and acidity. So a toner just brings back the natural pH level of your skin, which makes your products work a lot better.' Once a week, Madeline said she uses an exfoliant on her face before she puts on a hydrating mask for 15 minutes. She gently wipe off the mask with a towel. She tones her face again before using rose hip oil on her skin. She then puts on a serum before using an eye cream around her eyes, Finally, she moisturises her face and skin before heading to bed. Advertisement

'There's nothing like scrolling through your Instagram feed and seeing photo after photo of beautiful girls with perfect skin, it makes you feel so lonely.'

Since sharing her photograph, Madeleine said she was met with positive messages.

'I can't believe the response the post got, it was a moment of weakness for me, like a cry for help, but people were telling me that it was inspirational and they were thanking me for posting it,' she said.

There's nothing like scrolling through your Instagram feed and seeing photo after photo of beautiful girls with perfect skin, it makes you feel so lonely

'I really felt like I turned a negative thing into a positive, which is incredible. I'm so glad I made the post. I feel a lot more comfortable.

'It's crazy how much the words of strangers through the internet can impact you. I don't feel like my acne is something I need to hide.

'I know it's there, and I know it's ugly, but I don't feel embarrassed about it anymore. I feel like all of the ladies who commented on the post, sharing their skin journeys and I are in this together.'

Since sharing her photograph, the young woman said she was met with positive messages

Despite coming clean about having adult acne, Madeleine admitted she will still continue to edit her blemishes out for social media

But despite coming clean about having adult acne, Madeleine admitted she will still continue to edit her blemishes out for social media.

'In saying that, when I'm posting makeup photos on my Instagram, I will still edit the blemishes out, but not because I'm ashamed, solely because I'm a budding social media influencer and beauty guru,' she said.

'Unfortunately, brands aren't going to re-post my photos if I have pimples. It's a shame, but it's the way the beauty industry is.

'At least now I don't feel deceitful, and everyone knows what I look like underneath the makeup and before the editing.'

For those struggling with insecurities, Madeleine said: 'Don't let your skin define you.

'There's nothing harder than looking in the mirror and feeling like the exterior doesn't match the interior. It sucks. But you just have to let all of your other beautiful qualities shine through.

'People aren't going to choose to hang out with you because of your looks anyway, they choose to be with you because they think you're awesome. It's something I'm still trying to work on myself.

'I'm not normally a ranter, but I 100 per cent realised that some of you might have skin far worse than I have, and I don't mean to make anyone feel bad or ugly.

'Hopefully some of you can relate, I always find comfort in knowing I'm not alone.'

To follow Madeleine Edwards' journey, please visit her YouTube or Instagram.
The Standard London hotel is home to several hip drinking and dining spots, with Double Standard being one of the most sceney. I settled into a corner table in the buzzy restaurant, which like the rest of the hotel, has a sultry sixties vibe mixed with a dash of California swagger and futuristic cool. Mo, our super friendly waiter for the evening, came over and set us up with a couple of expertly poured vodka martinis to start. Despite it being packed out, the service was swift and efficient. The food menu at features a mouth-watering mix of hearty American-inspired nibbles and we opted for a mixed feast of Padron peppers, fried chicken bites, moules frites and a generously portioned superfood salad topped with avocado. Seduced by the convivial atmosphere we ordered a couple more drinks and settled into our moreish selection of morsels. Post-dinner, be sure to make a booking for a couple more drinks on the rooftop bar. It serves up some of the best views in London...
A group of diverse but like-minded individuals, the members of ARC have come together in their common desire to fight hatred, bigotry, intolerance and violence because of the harm these antisocial behaviors cause to our society. In that effort, we will not use or sanction the use of illegal actions (such as violence or intimidation) in pursuit of our desired aims and if we learn of anyone who does use these unethical methods we will report those individuals to the authorities. Instead, we will use the guarantees found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that ensure freedom of legal speech and expression.
Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian have long led the trend for curvaceous derrieres - and sparked countless copycat cosmetic surgeries around the world.

But according to a leading cosmetic surgeon, patients' focus has shifted from boosted behinds to impossibly curvy hips.

Dr Foued Hamza, famed for pioneering the Brazilian butt lift, explained that stars showing off their 'hip cleavage' - the line created where a narrow waist flares out to a curvaceous hip - in outrageously high-cut bikini briefs has sparked a surge in requests for similarly dramatic waist-to-hip ratios from clients.

Dr Hamza said patients are requesting fat transfers from their stomach to their hips to create a small waist and 'thicker' hips - just like Kim Kardashian or Blac Chyna.

A waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 - or a waist measurement of exactly 70 per cent of the hips - has long been vaunted as the ideal, and now Dr Hamza says more and more women are determined to get it.

The surgeon, who runs clinics in both London's Harley Street and Paris, said: 'The hips are what my patients are asking for now, it is not just about the bottom.

'It is all about a curvy body silhouette as a whole that they want to achieve,it is not about simply providing women with bigger bottoms.

Speaking about the fat transfer surgery, which costs in the region of 6,500 to 10,000, he said: 'My patients are increasingly coming and asking for to remodel their body according the golden ratio waist to hip measurement, by removing the fat from the waist and tummy, and then adding it to the hips and buttocks to get the famous number 0.7.'

Here, Femail takes a look at some of the curvaceous stars responsible for sparking the craze...

Kim Kardashian is leading the celebrity trend on Instagram of showing off dramatic 'hip cleavage' in high waist bikini bottoms and swimsuits, sparking a demand for surgery

Often crediting controversial waist trainers for their 'snatched' midriffs, stars with dramatic waist-to-hip ratios have seen hips take over as the new bottoms (Kendall Jenner seen)

Bella Hadid is among the stars showing off her impressive proportions in high-waisted underwear

Surgeon Dr Foued Hamza, pioneering doctor in Brazilian Butt lifts, told Femail he has seen a rise in patients requesting fat transfer from their stomach to their hips (Kylie Jenner seen)

Dr Hamza says 'golden waist-to-hip ratio' is worked out by dividing waist measurement by that of hips (model Ashley Graham seen)

Blac Chyna is a fan of high-waisted swimsuits and underwear, frequently taking to Instagram to show off her jaw-dropping proportions

Beyonce also has enviable proportions, and despite being responsible for sparking trend for curvy derrieres, the emphasis has now moved to hips

Iggy Azalea has long been admired for her hourglass proportions, and according to Dr Hamza, patients request the perfect '0.7 ratio'

Nicki Minaj is another star famed for her incredible curves, and cuts an impressive figure from all angles

Amber Rose initally rose to fame for her curves, which caught Kanye West's eye before the duo dated

Nicole Scherzinger has previously spoken out about her curves, which helped her rise to fame during her time in band The Pussycat Dolls

Love Island's Olivia Buckland previously hit back at photoshop claims, explaining that the tattoo on her waist and knowing her angles made for her enviable hip to waist ratio

Kylie Jenner frequently posts pictures of her new-found curves in an array of figure-hugging ensembles

Jess Wright was seen getting in on the trend as she posed in a dangerously high-cut white swimsuit on holiday this month
Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding may be just days away, but Prince Charles and Camilla have been keeping up their busy schedule as usual.

The couple met journalists and photographers at an event celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Press Association at Tate Britain on Wednesday night.

Camilla, 70, looked stylish in a vibrant plum frock featuring a ruffled hem as she chatted with guests at the reception.

Both she and the Prince of Wales, 69, looked in high spirits at the event, which was attended by guests including Lord Sebastian Coe.

Prince Charles and Camilla attended an event celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Press Association at Tate Britain on Wednesday night

Charles, 69, looked in high spirits at the reception, just days before youngest son Prince Harry's wedding

Camilla, 70, also appeared cheerful as she shook hands with Lord Sebastian Coe

Earlier in the day, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla visited Google Arts & Culture projects which are designed to share art, history and heritage across the world.

Camilla looked chic in a pink suit, teamed with two tone Chanel shoes and was all smiles as she arrived at the event.

The pair were also set to meet vloggers, fashion designers and tech-savvy schoolgirls at the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group offices in west London during the whirlwind visit.

They will also be introduced to prominent YouTube stars and take part in a discussion with members of youth charities about violent crime and social media.

Charles was presented a photograph by Clive Marshall, the Chief Executive of the PA Group

Camilla was also seen chatting with PA chairman Murdoch MacLennan at the event

Camilla looked stylish in a plum frock featuring a ruffled hem as she arrived at the reception

The Duchess of Cornwall looked happy to meet royal correspondents at the event at Tate Britain

Camilla and Charles both looked in high spirits as they arrived at this evening's reception

Charles is no stranger to social media, with the @ClarenceHouse Twitter account having nearly 760,000 followers, while its Instagram account has almost 300,000.

The Royal Family YouTube Channel has garnered over 75 million video views since it was established in 2007.

The royal couple will then tour the new tech hub created by the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, one of the world's biggest online fashion retailers.

The new tech hub in White City was opened a year ago and features Artificial Intelligence capabilities, such as personalisation and image recognition.

The Duchess of Cornwall looked cheerful today as she arrived at the YouTube space in London's King's Cross to learn more about Google Arts & Culture projects

The royal looked elegant for the visit in a pale pink suit, teamed with two-tone Chanel shoes

The royal had a chance to look through a virtual viewer during a visit the YouTube Space in London

Prince Charles looked to be in great spirits as he shrugged off royal wedding woes

They will also meet 65 local schoolgirls who are learning to code in partnership with Imperial College London.

Last on the tour is a trip to the newly opened White City outpost of members' club, Soho House.

Here, Charles and Camilla will attend a reception hosted by the British Fashion Council, showcasing new British talent in sustainable fashion, textiles and design industries.

The royal chatted to school children during a hackathon at the Yoox Net-a-Porter Tech Hub at White City Place

It was business as usual for Charles who is counting down to the wedding of his younger son at Windsor on Saturday

The Duchess was presented with a gift by Alison Loehnis, President of NET-A-PORTER & MR PORTER

The royal cut a cake as Chief Executive of Yoox Net-a-Porter Group Federico Marchetti looked on

Among the 100 invited guests are Vogue editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, chair of menswear for the British Fashion Council, Dylan Jones and editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar UK, Justine Picardie.

Charles is a long-time supporter of sustainable fashion, founding the Campaign For Wool in 2010, to encourage ecologically responsible fashion which prioritises natural fibres and has a low carbon footprint.

These are Charles and Camilla's penultimate public engagements before the wedding of Charles' son Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor on Saturday.

An outfit for the royal wedding? The Prince and Duchess were presented with gifts at the end of their visit

The couple were given a tour of the new Tech Hub, with Alison Loehnis, President of NET-A-PORTER & MR PORTER
As many will be familiar with the colour of the AIDS awareness ribbon is red and Queen Maxima was sure to show her support this evening.

The Queen of the Netherlands, 46, stunned as she stepped out in a very topical scarlet jumpsuit for the Red Ribbon Concert at Afas Live in Amsterdam.

The Argentinian-born royal remained on theme head to toe, opting for rouge accessories in the form of a leather clutch and a patent pump.

She was joined by husband King Willem-Alexander, 51, who although chose to dress in a navy suit, showed his support by wearing an awareness ribbon.

Queen Maxima stunned in a scarlet jumpsuit as she joined King Willem-Alexander at a charity concert to raise funds for the AIDs foundation

The couple appeared in high spirits as they arrived at the event on Wednesday, posing for photos on the red carpet before heading inside for the concert.

The performance is organized by collaborating organizations for AIDS2018 and takes place during the week of AIDS Memorial Day.

The Red Ribbon Concert is an international concert with performances from 40 young musicians including the Ricciotti Ensemble and the Dutch gospel choir.

The couple appeared in high spirits as they posed for photos on the red carpet before heading into the concert

The Argentinian-born royal remained on theme head to toe, opting for rouge accessories in the form of a leather clutch and a patent pump

Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau is also expected to be in attendance having dedicated much of her life to the fight against AIDS and in November received the World Without Aids Award.

Earlier today Queen Maxima attended Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Awards in in Middelburg.

Queen Maxima, who originally hails from Argentina, wore a pale pink dress cinched in at the waist with a bejewelled belt.

The figure-skimming piece was adorned with floral patterns, and the mother-of-three teamed it with a wide brimmed hat, with her hair swept into an updo beneath.

Her famous blonde locks were blow-dried to perfection and she flashed a smile to well-wishers upon her arrival

The performance is organized by collaborating organizations for AIDS2018 and takes place during the week of AIDS Memorial Day

Opting for matching accessories, Maxima carried a small leather clutch, and completed her look with nude courts complete with an on-trend sheer panel.

Wearing a touch of fuchsia lipstick and a pair of statement pear-shaped drop earrings, Maxima smiled at cameras as she arrived.

She was joined by husband King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who looked dapper in a pinstripe navy suit with a pink tie.

Willem's mother Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands was also present, dressed in a deep purple blazer with a coordinating skirt and hat.

The trio were attending an annual event that sees awards presented to men, women and organisations who inspire the Four Freedoms of Franklin D. Roosevelt: Freedom of expression, Freedom of religion, Freedom from lack and Freedom from fear.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands continued to showcase her fashion credentials as she attended an official engagement in the Netherlands on Wednesday

Arriving at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Awards in in Middelburg, the 46-year-old royal opted for a head-to-toe blush ensemble for the occasion

She was joined by husband King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who looked dapper in a pinstripe navy suit and pink tie

Queen Maxima, who originally hails from Argentina, wore a pale pink dress cinched in at the waist with a bejewelled belt

The figure-skimming piece was adorned with floral patterns, and the mother-of-three teamed it with a wide rim hat, wearing her blonde hair in a sleek bun

Willem's mother Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands was also present, putting on a similarly matching appearance in a deep purple blazer with a coordinating skirt and hat
As Thomas Markle's attendance at the royal wedding looks increasingly unlikely, royal fans have taken to Twitter to call for Prince Charles to step in.

The retired lighting director, 73, is reportedly undergoing heart surgery today after a dramatic week which saw him pull our of proceedings due to a staged photo scandal, before yesterday insisting he wanted to come and be 'part of history'.

Now royal watchers have insisted that the future king is the perfect replacement and taking on the role would be a sign of 'acceptance' and 'unity' for Charles to do the honours.

Others suggested it would be an equally nice moment for Charles as he has no daughters of his own.

The royal is no stranger to stepping into the father-of-the-bride shoes after giving away family friend Alexandra Knatchbull at her wedding to Thomas Hooper in 2016, as her own father looked on.

Prince Charles, who walked family friend Alexandra Knatchbull down the aisle at her wedding in 2016, should be the one to replace Thomas Markle, according to royal fans

Royal fans have called on Prince Charles to step in, saying it would be a sign of 'acceptance' and 'unity' with his new daughter-in-law

At the time, some speculated that Lord Brabourne, a close friend to Prince Charles and the Royal Family and the grandson of Earl Mountbatten, was in poor health.

Others suspected strained relations between Alexandra, goddaughter of Princess Diana, and her father could go some way towards explaining why a bride from one of Britains most established families chose to break with tradition.

In 2010 Norton Knatchbull, the eighth Baron Brabourne, abandoned his 31-year marriage to run away to Nassau in the Bahamas with fashion designer Jeannie Nuttall.

When this relationship ended in 2014 and he returned to the historic estate where Noel Coward played the piano at weekend house parties (when the Queen and Prince Philip were staying)  he was banished from the house to live in a converted barn.

Meghan, 36, pictured in a wedding dress for her on-screen wedding in Suits

A family friend said: Its very unusual to be given away by someone else at your wedding  even if its the Prince of Wales. At the time Alexandra was absolutely furious with her father for leaving her mother, but of course she still wanted him at the wedding.

This week has seen countless twists and turns surrounding whether Mr Markle would attend Saturday's royal wedding at Windsor Castle in Berkshire after The Mail On Sunday revealed he had staged paparazzi photos for money.

He pulled out on Monday, saying he didn't want to further embarrass his daughter but it seemed that Meghan had managed to persuade her father to change his mind.

The royal did the honours at Alexandra's wedding in 2016, while her father looked on

Yesterday it seemed he had backtracked on his decision after the bride-to-be pleaded with him to come to England for the big day.

'I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle,' Mr Markle said. 'Of course I'd walk her down the aisle. This is a historic moment. I'd like to be a part of history.'

However, his attendance is once again in doubt amid claims he will undergo surgery today.

He said that doctors will 'go in and clear blockage, repair damage, and put a stent where it is needed' during the operation, which will take place at 3.30pm UK time.
A family who welcomed quintuplets after four miscarriages and the death of their twins born prematurely has shared touching new photos of the five newborns with their parents and sisters.

Amy Kempel, from Mountain House, California, gave birth to Lincoln, Noelle, Grayson, Preston, and Gabriella in January this year after a desperate insurance battle that saw her and her husband Chad seeking out a specialized doctor to ensure a safe delivery.

Chad and Amy, who were 36 and 34 when their quintuplets were born, feared the high-risk pregnancy would end in heartbreak without the proper care. Though their pleas went unanswered, Amy delivered the three boys and two girls at 27 weeks on January 11 at an in-network hospital, and the parents told Daily Mail Online at the time that the babies were all healthy and in stable condition.

Amy and Chad Kempel, from Mountain House, California, welcomed quintuplets in January and also have two daughters; Savannah, three, and Avery, almost two

Family: The parents, who were 36 and 34 when their quintuplets were born, feared the high-risk pregnancy would end in heartbreak and fought to get the proper care

Proud mom: A touching snap sees Amy leaning above the five babies nestled against one another, each wrapped in a blanket

Four months later, the proud parents have celebrated the quintuplets' arrival into the family thanks to a joint photo session.

The five babies' older sisters, Savannah, three, and Avery, almost two, posed for one shot next to Amy and Chad, who each held two of the newborns. Savannah cradled the fifth quintuplet while Avery flashed a bright smile at the camera, just like her parents.

Another touching snap sees Amy leaning above the five babies nestled against one another, each wrapped in a blanket.

Savannah and Avery also posed on each side of a baby carriage with their five siblings sleeping inside.

Photographer Gaby Clark said she reached out to the family after reading about their struggles to ensure their babies would be delivered safely, and offered to perform a photo session for them.

She had to be creative in order to make the photo shoot successful, since her small, 250-square-foot studio would have been filled up with 'the five car seats alone'.

Gaby ended up moving the whole operation into her property's guest house, and said photographing the family was an 'amazing' and 'thrilling' experience.

Siblings: Savannah and Avery also posed on each side of a baby carriage with their five siblings sleeping inside

All here! Photographer Gaby Clark said she reached out to the family after reading about their struggles to ensure their babies would be delivered safely and offered to stage a shoot

Little ones: The parents suffered four miscarriages and lost twins born at 22 weeks. They were able to have two daughters before welcoming quintuplets

Big news: Amy and Chad were trying for their third and final child when they discovered they were pregnant with quintuplets early last year

Prior to the quintuplets' birth, Amy and Chad were desperate for an out-of-network doctor who specializes in delivering multiples after their insurance company denied their appeal and could not provide a doctor with that experience.

The couple, who lost twin boys born at 22 weeks in addition to going through four miscarriages, at one point even wrote to President Trump and lawmakers pleading for help to get a doctor who could deliver the quintuplets and ensure they had the best chance of life.

Amy, a stay-at-home mom, has an incompetent cervix, making it difficult to carry a baby to full term.

She underwent fertility treatments for all of her pregnancies including her daughters Savannah and Averywho were born full term.

Having multiple babies in the womb increases the chance of premature birth, which can cause serious health complications to the mother and permanent learning and development disabilities to the babies.

The couple were trying for their third and final child when they discovered they were pregnant with quintuplets early last year.

The news left them terrified.

Care: The parents are pictured look on at their premature quintuplets in the neonatal intensive care unit at Walnut Creek Medical Center after being born at 27 weeks

Medical help: Amy underwent fertility treatments for all of her pregnancies including her daughters Savannah and Averywho were born full term

Request: The Kempels asked for help to get a specialized out-of-network doctor to deliver their quintuplets after their healthcare provider denied them, but their pleas went unanswered

They sought help to ensure their five children would have the best chance of survival and learned that their health insurance provider Kaiser Permanente did not provide doctors who specialized in multiple births.

'Our only issue and the whole issue for the fight was the ability to stop labor when it starts and that's not something they could do,' Chad said.

They found a doctor in Arizona who could prolong labor for another three to five weeks and had commonly delivered quintuplets at 33 weeks in the past.

However, Kaiser denied their appeal stating their Walnut Creek Medical Center could provide 'the necessary experience and resources (of) high quality care'.

This prompted the couple to seek outside help, writing letters to President Trump, President Obama and California lawmakers.

'We thought we're not going to let this happen again and make sure that Amy and those babies are going to be cared for by the best that we can find,' Chad said.

They received a response from a local assembly member who said they would reach out to the company but it was not a guarantee.

'In the end we did not get the referral we wanted,' Chad said.

Delivery: Though Amy delivered prematurely at an in-network hospital, the couple welcomed healthy quintuplets. Pictured, Chad holds Savannah while looking at the baby in the incubator

Sister: Amy is pictured holding Avery, who was also born with the help of fertility treatments

Hopeful: The parents were looking forward to bringing their babies home and said they were taking everything day by day

Family members created a GoFundMe to raise money for the out-of-pocket expense for the specialist, which would have cost $750,000.

Before Christmas, Amy checked into Walnut Creek Medical Center where she stayed for 36 days before having a C-section.

On January 11, she gave birth to Lincoln, Noelle, Grayson, Preston and Gabriella, who weighed between 2lbs 5oz and 2lbs 12oz.

Speaking to Daily Mail Online less than two weeks after the birth, Chad said: 'So far everything's going as well as it can at this point. There are no major complications, oxygen levels are good, brain scans showed they're healthy but we're still on edge everyday.'

The parents said at the time that their focus was getting to the hospital an hour away from their home and being able to hold the babies as much as possible.

Chad continued to work through the delivery as a systems engineer and was planning on taking his paternity leave once the babies came home.

He and Amy were looking forward to having their family under one roof and seeing their children's milestones.

'It's going to be chaos no doubt, but it's a welcomed chaos,' Chad said.

'Things are going to be turned upside at the house very soon but the focus right now is day by day,' he added.
Twitter users are making up their own funny weddings rules and traditions ahead of the royal wedding this weekend.

On Sunday, the account @HastagRoundup and its spinoff @HashFakeFacts challenged social media users to tweet their own 'fake wedding facts' ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 'I do's'  and hundreds have obliged with their own made-up twists on nuptials.

While some tweets are sarcastic, others imagine weddings gone wild in which guests throw baked potatoes instead of rice, umpires conduct the ceremonies, and blinged-out bears proceed the bride down the aisle.

the account @HastagRoundup and its spinoff @HashFakeFacts challenged social media users to tweet their own 'fake wedding facts' ahead of

Game: The account @HastagRoundup and its spinoff @HashFakeFacts challenged social media users to tweet their own 'fake wedding facts' ahead of the royal wedding

Ouch! Hundreds obliged, including this man who joked about baked potatoes being thrown at newlyweds

What happens in Vegas... doesn't always stay in Vegas, especially when social media and legally-binding marriage contracts are involved

Yikes! Signing a piece of paper and spending a lot of money on a party won't make a couple's issues go away

But it will end in a home run! Umpires need to go through the same steps as anyone else to perform a marriage

Sorry! Crossing fingers is not recognized under the law

Showy: In fact, some people say that the more lavish the wedding, the less sturdy the relationship

Are you saying 'ring bear'? This Twitter user likely learned this 'fact' from Barney on How I Met Your Mother

Not always... To be fair, the royal wedding this weekend will be a whole lot like a Disney movie

Some of the funniest 'fake wedding facts' put a twist on the usual wedding traditions.

'In Ireland, instead of rice guests throw baked potatoes,' wrote one Twitter user.

'It's okay to throw Rice Krispies Treats at a wedding if that's all you have,' added another, while a third tweed: ''Rice should be evenly cooked before throwing.'

'Ringbearers are simply bears that wear jewelry,' quipped one, who seems to be a fan of the show How I Met Your Mother.

'Umpires can officiate a wedding in any ballpark in America,' joked yet another person.

A few had rules for guests, like: 'Restraining orders dont apply to people who need to speak now or forever hold their peace.'

Yuck! It's not very popular to throw rice at newlyweds anymore  but cooking it would just make it stick in clumps

Hmmm... This person took the idea of 'saving yourself for marriage' to a different level

Don't shoot! This person doesn't appear to think much of this couple's hunting-themed wedding

Uh-oh! Someone taking this advice seriously would definitely cause offense

Holy moly! The picture accompanying this tweet  showing more than bridesmaids  really says it all

People of Walmart: This woman doesn't think much of discount store Walmart's dresses

Nope! Some couples seem to think a wedding is an excuse to spend well outside their means

'If the marriage doesn't last a year, you can reclaim your wedding gift,' tweeted a woman named Lee Ann.

'It's customary to leave the card of a good divorce attorney as a wedding gift in most western societies,' added Amber C.

Quite a few have shared tongue-in-cheek advice for couples, like, 'You can marry as many people as you like in Vegas. Because it just stays in Vegas.'

'The more money that you spend on the wedding, the happier your marriage will be,' wrote a man named Dustin G.

In the same vein, Marc Sheehan wrote: 'It's perfectly reasonable for a couple that makes $70,000 combined to spend $100,000 on a wedding.'

The charm? This person got in a dig at Donald Trump, quipping that if he divorces Melania, his fourth marriage will be 'free'

Please don't! This woman joked that a couple having a religious ceremony should give the priest a kick for good luck

Bad advice! Restraining orders definitely do apply to weddings

Toss 'em! Several people suggested funny things to throw at the couple after the ceremony

Wait for it... Trying to get a gift back after a failed marriage won't end well

Has a nice ring to it! There is not actually a name for a group of cummerbunds

And a drink, too? This seems like a suspiciously good deal

On the flip side, a woman named Kerry Teddy tweeted that 'Walmart is the best place to buy Wedding dresses.'

'If you cross your fingers while saying, "I do" you have 14 days to end the marriage no questions asked,' wrote Jeff Dwoskin.

And then, there is the sarcastic advice. A woman named Caitlin Tierney wrote, 'Getting married saves your broken relationship.'

'After three marriages the fourth ones free,' added a man named Paul Lander, including a picture of Donald Trump.

'It's best to save your virginity for your second marriage,' joked another Twitter user, while one suggested: 'If its a religious ceremony, always kick the priest in the balls for good luck.'
This is the emotional moment outspoken transgender activist Munroe Bergdorf broke down in tears before undergoing 'life-changing' facial feminisation surgery.

In the UK documentary What Makes A Woman, the outspoken transgender model and social activist - who was born male but identifies as a woman - charts her personal journey for the first time as she examines the changing world of gender and identity as part of Channel 4's Genderquake season.

In footage from the show she Munroe, 30, is seen trying to compose herself in a hospital gown at a clinic in Belgium, and telling the cameras: 'This is the scary part.'

Munroe, who has been living as a woman since she was 18, had explained that she hopes the surgery, which involves a saw smoothing down her brow ridges and moving her lower jaw forward, will help her 'feel more at home in my own skin'.

'I think I overestimated how overwhelming it can be,' she said.

The programme follows Munroe as she goes under the knife in an effort to tackle her gender dysphoria, and challenges scientific and social norms around gender in an attempt to understand how our bodies, behaviour and brains help define who we are.

Munroe shows her vulnerable side as she admits she's 'overestimated how overwhelming' surgery can be

In her first UK documentary Munroe examines the changing world of gender and identity as part of Channel 4's Genderquake season

Munroe Bergdorf, 30, has showed off the results of her recent facial feminisation surgery Trans model

Munroe spent three weeks recovering from her operation, after which she admits on camera she is thrilled with her new look, even though her idea of femininity is still 'complex'.

I finally look like myself - like my idea of a woman,' she says.

'Just walking down the street and not even thinking about people and their assumptions, I feel such a calmness now.

'I feel like my life has been changed, it was life-changing,' she says after the procedure.

Before long she is back to her day job, and seen flying off to New York to appear in a catwalk show for the designer Rio Uribe, who uses his Gypsy Sport brand to showcase models who challenge fashion norms.

She bravely attends a discussion by a feminist group called We Need To Talk, sparked by changes to the Gender Recognition Act that will make it easier for a transgender person to self-identify their gender.

Tension rises when a group gathers protest the meeting, calling themselves TERFS  Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists.

Munroe is left 'extremely on edge' and near to tears after sitting through the meeting, which pushes the idea that being a woman 'is not an identity'.

Munroe heads to New York to walk for a designer who is challenging the fashion norms surrounding gender

The model confronts a woman Venice Allan who is against self-identification for trans people

Munroe says as she leaves: 'When we [see] events like this, which directly are designed to deny [transgender womens] very identities and the fact that we even exist, its extremely hurtful and concerning.

Later Munroe sits down with one of the organisers, Venice Allan, aka Dr Radfem, who believes it's 'stupid' that transwomen could self-identify easily online and place women 'under threat'.

Munroe calmly explains: 'Your strand of feminism seems to me like a last ditch attempt to keep things the way they are.

'The reality is society is moving forward, people are getting browner, people are getting more queer, more fluid with their identity, feminism isnt inclusive at all.

But Venice snaps back: 'Feminism is about women!'

Munroe also opens up about an brutal attack that she suffered at the hands of an ex, and breaks down as she discusses being a rape survivor.

Munroe has her brain scanned and is not surprised to learn that she is classified as transgender

She also heads to Germany, where investigators are conducting a study to find out the differences between male, female and trans brains - where a small sample of data is already suggesting that 'gender is a spectrum'.

Munroe has her brain scanned and is not surprised to learn that she is classified as transgender.

She adds: 'It doesnt change my own views about my own identity and in the end brains, like people, are all individual.'

What Makes a Woman? tonight 10pm Channel 4 and later on All4
The Queen has honoured recipients of the Victoria and George Cross at a reception at Buckingham Palace.

The monarch welcomed the servicemen and women and their families to her home for a drinks reception on Wednesday.

Dressed in a bright floral skirt and aqua blue jacket the 92-year-old monarch spent time meeting the brave medal-holders in the picture gallery of her London home.

The Queen welcomed recipients of the Victoria and George Cross to the picture gallery at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday

She could be seen sipping on a fruity drink as she shook hands will all of those awarded who lined up to greet the monarch.

Her Majesty appeared to be in high spirits today with her smiling not leaving her face once during proceedings.

There were 24 recipients of the Victoria Cross or the George Cross, along with widows and families of those who have posthumously received the honours, at the tribute.

There were 24 recipients of the Victoria Cross or the George Cross who posed for a commemorative photograph at the palace

The Queen was presented with a book by Major Peter Norton GC, which recalls the exploits by the twenty-five living recipients of the medals

Major Dominic Troulan, 55, was attending after he was awarded the George Cross in 2017 for repeatedly risking his life to save about 200 people during a deadly Kenyan terrorist attack.

The retired officer, who served for two decades in the special forces, returned a dozen times to the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi in 2013 to search for survivors and lead them to safety, after al-Shabab extremists stormed the centre armed with machine guns and grenades.

The elite group of invited guests included Johnson Beharry, who in 2005 became the first living recipient of the Victoria Cross since 1965.

Her Majesty shakes hands with a very tall Ben Roberts-Smith VC at the reception

Nepalese Gurkha Capt Rambahadur Limbu VC appeared to share a joke with the monarch

The private, from 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, was awarded the honour for two separate acts of outstanding gallantry to rescue his comrades in Iraq in 2004. He suffered serious head injuries.

The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest military decoration awarded for valour 'in the face of the enemy' to members of the armed forces.

The George Cross (GC) is the highest civil decoration and is awarded to those who have displayed the greatest heroism or the most conspicuous courage whilst in extreme danger.

They all posed for a group portrait which they will each receive as a keepsake.
A family has posted a job advert for a permanent live-in nanny position with a twist  the job description has been written by the family's two children, aged seven and nine.

After three nannies left the post in the last six months, the parents, from Leicestershire, decided to try a different approach to hiring.

Among the unusual requirements candidates must have experience in gaming, baking, cooking, carpentry, building and sports.

The listing appeared on Childcare.co.uk last week, seeking a live-in 'dream nanny' for the family.

A family has shared an advert of a 70,000 live-in nanny job online, with the specification written by the two children, aged seven and nine

The advert states that their previous nanny left the job due to their 'challenging' behaviour and the successful candidate comes with an annual salary of 70,000.

The children have listed daily responsibilities for their new nanny including; letting them stay up past bedtime, eating pizza for dinner every day, not making them do any chores and doing all their homework for them.

The ad specifies that candidates must be highly skilled in sports, gaming, and cooking, as well as being 'really fun' and 'not have any rules'. In return, the children promise not to pull pranks on their new nanny 'unless you shout at us'. The parents of the children have posted the ad on their behalf.

The parents have made it clear that the children can be challenging so, due to their demanding careers, it's imperative that the children have a childcarer that will keep them happy for long periods of time.

Among the requirements are having pizza for dinner every night as well as letting the children stay up past their bedtime

The parents have said that although they know allowing their children to do what they want isn't a conventional way of parenting, they'd rather their children be happy and content while they're not around.

The successful candidate will have living quarters within the family's house in Leicestershire with a private bathroom and bedroom.

The nanny will be required to work 48 hours a week, but the parents will be at the house every other weekend and at least one parent will be home three nights week after tea time.

On top of the special duties requested by the children, the nanny will also be required to wake the children up and get them ready for school, feed them three times a day, take them and pick them up from school, and put them to bed.

LIST OF REQUIREMENTS 1. We want to play football and other stuff with them 2. I want them to play Fortnite and FIFA with me 3. I want them to be fun and not have any rules and we want to stay up to whatever time we want 4. We want to make cakes every day and have pizza for dinner all the time 5. We dont want them to be angry with us ever 6. They have to do all of our homework and I dont want to do any chores Advertisement

The family has said that there will be a month-long probationary period where the children will feed back to the parents on how happy they are with their nanny.

Childcare.co.uk is a platform which allows parents to search for and connect with babysitters, childminders, nannies, nurseries, private tutors and schools and allows childcare providers to advertise their services.

The site has more than 1.5 million users nationwide and is the largest online community for parents in the UK having launched in 2009.

Richard Conway, founder of Childcare.co.uk said, 'We've had some pretty unconventional ads on the site in recent years, but this is right up there with the best!

'I can appreciate where the parents are coming from, and if I was away from home a lot I'd want my kids to be as happy as possible.

'It can be difficult finding the right person to care for your children, so why not get them involved in the search? I'm sure that our platform will prove effective in finding this family's very own Mary Poppins!'
Organic tea company Pukka has been banned from calling one of its products 'Detox' - as the name isn't backed up by official health claims.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has found that the name of the Detox tea does not meet EU regulations on nutrition and health claims.

Pukka's Detox tea has been on sale since 2004, and contains aniseed, fennel and cardamom.

On the tea company's website, the product was described as the 'ultimate organic cup to help your body spring clean'.

However, the ASA has ruled that claim that the product is a 'Detox' tea must not be made in its current form.

Organic tea company Pukka has been banned from calling one of its products 'Detox' - as the name isn't backed up by official health claims

Explaining its decision, the watchdog said the word 'detox' was likely to be understood to relate to overall good health or health-related well-being, and as such considered it to be a general health claim.

However, it found that the product was not accompanied by a 'permitted health or nutrition claim', as required by EU regulations.

The company said it had believed the Detox tea named did not need to be accompanied by a relevant authorised health claim currently, as transitional measures allowed for brand names or trademarks that existed before 2005 to continue to be marketed until 2022.

But the ASA said that neither 'Detox' nor 'Pukka Detox' had been registered as a trademark before January 2005, and were therefore not covered by the exemption.

On the tea company's website, the product was described as the 'ultimate organic cup to help your body spring clean'

The watchdog said: 'Consequently, we considered the ad was not covered by the exemption under Article 28(2) of the regulation and as such 'Detox' was required to be accompanied by a permitted health or nutrition claim.

'Because it was not, we concluded that the claim breached the Code.'

The ASA ruled that the claim must not appear again in its current form, adding: 'We told Pukka Herbs not to make references to general benefits of food for overall good health or health-related wellbeing in brand names unless those claims were accompanied by a permitted health or nutrition claim.'

Pukka's Detox tea, which has been on sale since 2004 and contains aniseed, fennel and cardamom, has been promoted on the company's Instagram account

Euan MacLennan, herbal director at Pukka, said in a statement: 'We respect the ASA's decision and, indeed, EU regulations relating to health and nutritional claims.

'This ruling from the ASA contradicts previous rulings from Trading Standards and relates only to advertising. Pukka Detox tea will continue sell in the UK as has been permitted by Trading Standards until 2022.

'At Pukka, we support a sensible and proportionate approach to health. This includes any person's choice to "detox" or "cleanse" their bodies.'
On May 16, in accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring of the ceasefire regime on the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan, to the north from Kuropatkino settlement of the Martuni region, Artsakhs Foreign Ministry told ArtsakhPress.

May 16, 2018, 12:45 OSCE monitoring at Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact passed in accordance with the agreed schedule

STEPANAKERT, MAY 16, ARTSAKHPRESS:From the positions of the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistants to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (CiO) Ghenadie Petrica (Moldova) and Ognjen Jovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), as well as Personal Assistant to the CiO Personal Representative Simon Tiller (Great Britain).

From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistant to the Personal Representative of the OSCE CiO Mihail Olaru (Moldova) and staff member of the Office of the CiO Personal Representative Martin Schuster (Germany).

The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule.

From the Artsakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs and defense.
People can behave in strange ways when they no longer want to romantically connect with someone whom they have been dating.

But dating experts are imploring people to try 'caspering' as the new rejection method instead of 'ghosting'.

A dating trend like 'ghosting' - where the person disappears out of the blue - is popular for letting someone down without having to say a word. While this is the easy (cowardly) way to express to someone you aren't interested, there are other options for those who want to be more kind.

The friendly ghost! Dating experts recommend 'caspering' as a polite way to let someone down who you are not interested in

Superdrug Sex Educator Alix Fox told IBTimes UK why she thinks people should introduce 'caspering' into their dating vocabulary.

'I'd like to see more positive new terms enter the linguistic landscape, to make people more mindful about behaving well towards others and themselves, help them navigate the modern dating process more joyfully, and ultimately enjoy happier experiences,' she said.

'If you're going to ghost someone, be friendly about it!' she added.

According to a survey by dating site Plenty of Fish, more than 80 percent of singles have been ghosted.

The survey interviewed 800 millennial daters in the US between the ages of 18 and 33.

Dating experts advise sending a simple message to the person to express you aren't interested before disappearing entirely from their life. This allows the rejectee to also move on quicker from the relationship.

'If you've decided you don't want to chat to someone any longer, that's fine,' Fox said. 'Try to leave them with a compliment or some constructive feedback so they feel bolstered to keep on looking for love.'

The Dating Glossary (to help keep all those terms in check) Caspering The act of 'caspering' someone means that you politely tell the person you are no longer interested before completely disappearing from their lives. Ghosting The meaner version of 'caspering' is 'ghosting'. This involves disappearing, sometimes out of the blue, without telling the person why you're no longer are interested. Orbiting (or haunting) These terms can be used interchangeably with each other. It means you return into an ex's social sphere by liking their pictures or engaging with their posts. Benching This involves the person you're dating not wanting to see you yet they still keep you in close contact. Zombieing One of the newer terms involves a partner 'returning from the dead' after a period of ignoring your existence. They now acknowledge you instead of acting like you are a stranger. Advertisement

Another word to hit the dating scene is that of 'orbiting', which was dubbed by a writer at Man Repeller.

It involves staying in someone's social media 'orbit' by liking and engaging with their posts, without ever actually reaching out for a genuine chat.

Instagram Stories is a particularly dangerous tool of the chronic orbiter, who can check in on your daily happenings - all the while knowing you've 'seen' their viewing of it.

Some sneaky people will even 'ghost' a partner only to come back into their orbit months later by way of Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter stalking.

According to Popsugar, it's a dangerous way of keeping up with what your ex boyfriend or girlfriend is doing without their knowledge, but if they find out it could be disastrous.

FEMAIL spoke to sex expert, Nikki Goldstein, to shed light on the dating phenomenon

'You should ask yourself what you're hoping to achieve,' the publication said.

'If staying informed about their life makes you feel better about not having them in your life anymore, that's one thing  but it might be holding you back from living a better life without them.'

This particular phenomenon has also been described as 'haunting', with FEMAIL speaking to Australian sex expert, Nikki Goldstein, about how it can impact your online - and offline - life.

'Haunting comes out in two different ways - when an ex is purposefully popping up in your lives or they're looking at your social media,' she said.

'The downside of technology is you can haunt someone so easily. The introduction of a like or a click can really unnerve somebody.'

Dr Goldstein said that there was a difference between simply wanting to catch up on someone's life and haunting, which is more targeted.

'Haunting is quite a negative word. If you're curious about what they're doing I don't think that's a bad thing,' she said.

'But haunting is as if you're taunting them, saying 'yeah I can still see what you're doing'. It's being more active and liking and commenting on their photos.'

When it comes to what is considered being haunted in real life, it all depends on your interaction with your ex.

'If there's no bad blood and you bump into each other it's fine, but if you see them and they purposefully ignore you or bring along a new partner to rub it in your face, it's a move to show you that they think you're not worth them anymore, it's a spiteful way to get back at somebody,' Dr Goldstein said.
Tired of Big Macs, chicken nuggets and the Whopper?

If you're a fan of fast food, then rejoice - some of the most popular secret orders from Australia's leading chains have been revealed.

From McDonald's to Hungry Jacks and Nandos, Lifehacker has rounded up special meals ranging from burgers to sauces that you've probably never heard of.

FEMAIL has rounded up some of the most popular orders from fast food stores available

MCDONALD'S

The Land, Sea And Air Burger

The Land, Sea and Air Burger included a patty of beef, chicken and fish. All you need to ask for when ordering is a Big Mac with fish and chicken.

It is then smothered in tartar sauce and nestled between two buns, but you may have to assemble it yourself.

The Land, Sea and Air Burger houses a patty of beef, chicken and fish. All you need to ask for is a Big Mac with fish and chicken

Big McChicken

For those who think bread is an unnecessary part of a burger you can order a Big McChicken, which is a burger sandwiched between extra bits of chicken.

It's an alternative to the Big Mac as all three of the burger buns are replaced with the McChicken fillets.

If this has you drooling, you simply need to order a Big Mac but with the McChicken fillets instead of the buns.

For those who think bread is an unnecessary part of a burger you can order a Big McChicken, which is a burger sandwiched between extra bits of chicken

Salad Burger

There's a new secret item has been added to the New Zealand McDonald's menu - the Salad Burger.

It contains an egg, cheese, McChicken sauce, shredded lettuce, two pickles and onions on a quarter-pounder bun.

Sadly strict vegetarians won't be able to eat it because there are 'elements of beef product' in the cheese.

While the burger is not officially available in Australia yet, customers could try and make it through the McDonald's Create Your Taste machines in store.

The new secret menu Salad Burger has been introduced at McDonald's stores in New Zealand

HUNGRY JACKS

The Aussie Battler Burger

Aussies love nothing more than a good burger and a secret menu item from Hungry Jacks hits all the right spots.

The chain will easily add extra salads to your burger for free, meaning you can even add beetroot, which is an Australian favourite.

You can create a delicious burger piled with a sausage omelette muffin, salad, beetroot and mayonnaise. You can also add bacon for an extra dollar.

Australian's love nothing more than a good burger and a secret menu item from Hungry Jacks hits all the right spots

You can also add bacon for an extra dollar, which finalises the quintessential Aussie classic

"Frings"

Hungry Jacks has both French fries and onion rings on its sides menu and according to Lifehacker, you can order both in the same box.

If decisions aren't your strong point, you can ask for a box made up of half of each., but you will be charged more if you do so.

Hungry Jack'has both French fries and onion rings on its sides menu and according to Lifehacker, you can order both in the same box

KFC

Breast Fillet Box

KFC chains have a few menu hacks available, but sadly they don't have a large range of customisable options, according to Lifehacker.

This means you can't swap around chicken fillets or add and subtract anything other than cheese or sauces.

But one meal you can still order - even though it's no longer featured on the menu - is the breast fillet box.

It is made up of two breast fillets, potato and gravy, small chips and a drink.

KFC chains have a few menu hacks available, but sadly they don't have a large range of customisable options

NANDO'S

Peri-Tamer Sauce

If you can't handle spice, Nando's has a mild BBQ marinade sauce on their children's menu.

Luckily you can request to have this sauce on other meals on the menu, although it isn't listed as an option. All you have to do is ask the staff for it.

You can also mix up your sauces, which means if you're buying a whole chicken you can ask for half of the chicken to be marinated with one sauce, and half with another.
The parents of a five year-old girl with a rare form of leukaemia face a race against time to find a bone marrow donor to save her life.

The parents of Kaiya Patel of Northwood, London, have just two months to find a match but fear that they won't because their daughter is Asian.

None of her family members were matches for a donation and because of her ethnicity she has just a 20.5 per cent chance of finding a match.





Kaiya's family have said they are devastated after discovering that unexplained bruises on her legs were a sign of her life-threatening cancer.





Her father, Ruchit, 37 said: 'It's heartbreaking. I had no idea it would be so serious when I took her to A&E  kids have bruises all the time.





'Kaiya told me they were because she was clumsy like daddy. It was a huge crushing blow to find out she had leukaemia. It felt like a punch in the stomach.'

Five year-old Kaiya, from Northwood, needs a stem cell transplant in the next two months if she is to survive her acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

'It was a crushing blow'

Mother Annu and father Ruchit Patel, both 37, contacted a friend who is a doctor after noticing bruises on their daughter's legs on March 28.

The friend sent them immediately to A&E, where Kaiya was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer called acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

A transplant could save Kaiya's life but it is possible none will be found because there are not enough Asian people on the stem cell register.

Mr Patel, who works as a lawyer in London, told Mail Online: 'We had been leading a pretty normal life and were incredibly happy with two little girls going to school and learning ballet and gymnastics.

'We noticed quite substantial bruises on Kaiya's legs but the school had no reports of her injuring herself.

'I sent pictures of the bruises to some doctor friends and they said to take her to A&E.

Bruising on Kaiya's legs was the only sign she was unwell, her parents say, and they only took her to A&E as a precaution  but it turned out to be more than just clumsiness

'We were due to fly on holiday that afternoon so I took her to get checked out in the morning. But the doctors ran some blood tests and told me we wouldn't be flying anywhere  it was bad news, and they thought it was leukaemia.'

WHY DO ETHNIC MINORITIES STRUGGLE TO FIND MARROW DONORS? In the UK, northern Europeans have about a 69% chance of finding a matching stem cell donor, but that drops to just 20.5% for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people.

This is because BAME people only make up around 15% of the donor register, whereas the majority are northern European.

This makes a difference because a person's tissue type is largely determined by their ethnicity so people typically find a better match with someone of the same ethnicity.

This is not always the case, but it is a big factor in finding a suitable donor.

75% of UK patients won't find a matching donor in their families, so they have to search for an unrelated donor. Source: Anthony Nolan Advertisement

Kaiya was sent by ambulance to Great Ormond Street Hospital and given chemotherapy  she stayed in the hospital for four weeks.

The family have been told Kaiya needs a stem cell transplant, also known as a bone marrow transplant, in order to survive.

While 60 per cent of white British people can find a matching donor, only 20.5 per cent of black and ethnic minority people can, according to the Anthony Nolan charity.

'Thousands' have offered help but no match has been found

Mr Patel has set up Facebook and Twitter pages to try to find a donor.

People wanting to help can join the Be Kaiya's Donor Facebook page to get involved.

Thousands of people have responded through social media and, Mr Patel says, 6,000 people have registered to be tested to see if they are a match.

Celebrities including Ricky Gervais and Sanjeev Bhaskar have shared the family's plea on Twitter, but a suitable donor has yet to be found.

The family have put their lives on hold to try to find a donor for Kaiya (right), pictured with her mother Annu, sister Annika and father Ruchit

The Patel family were due to fly on holiday to the US on the same day as Kaiya's diagnosis  they had led a 'normal' and 'incredibly happy' life, Ruchit told MailOnline

On a 'cocktail' of drugs

WHAT IS ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKAEMIA? Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a type of blood cancer that starts from young white blood cells in the bone marrow. There are around 810 new cases in the UK every year. In the US, ALL affects approximately 1.7 adults per 100,000. Anyone can develop ALL, however, it mainly affects younger people. Many ALL symptoms are vague and flu-like, such as: General weakness

Fatigue

Fever

Frequent infections

Bruising or bleeding easily, including nosebleeds, heavy periods and blood in the urine or faeces

Unexplained weight loss

Bone or joint pain

Breathlessness

Swollen lymph nodes

Feeling full

Paler skin than normal Risks for developing ALL include exposure to radiation, smoking, being overweight and having a weak immune system. Research suggests being breastfed and exposed to childhood infections may reduce a person's risk. The main ALL treatment is chemotherapy. Patients may also have radiotherapy, steroids or bone marrow transplants. Source: Cancer Research UK Advertisement

'Kaiya is on a cocktail of chemotherapy and immunosuppressants and they are having an effect on her and her appearance  she is losing her hair,' Mr Patel added.

'We try to keep her spirits up but it's difficult to know how much to tell her. She knows she's ill and that she has to keep taking the medicine and that she can't go to school or do the things she enjoys.

'She has been able to come home to sleep in her own bed at night, but she is still a day patient at the hospital most days.

'We're desperate to find a donor because it's the only way to save her. People's response to our publicity has been wonderful; they really want to help.'

Acute lymphoblastic lymphoma is a rare and aggressive type of blood cancer which requires immediate treatment.

The condition causes bone marrow to release large numbers of white blood cells into the body before they are ready.

This lowers the red blood cell count and makes the body more susceptible to infection.

Symptoms include paleness, feeling breathless or tired, easily bruised skin  as in Kaiya's case  and repeated infections in a short space of time.

'You don't think bruises could be something so serious'

Mr Patel said the family did not notice any obvious symptoms that something was seriously wrong.

'When I look back I remember she did have a couple of nosebleeds,' he said. 'But you just don't think that or bruises are symptoms of cancer.

'The type Kaiya has is very dangerous and very aggressive  in most cases it's fatal.

'It's extremely rare and makes up 0.1 per cent of leukaemia cases. From what we could find Great Ormond Street has only had one case in the last ten years.'

All of Kaiya's immediate family have been tested and none of them are a match to be a stem cell donor. Pictured here with her sister Annika (left), now three years old

Mother Annu has had to stop working at the family's microbrewery restaurant in order to look after Kaiya and her sister Annika, who is three.

The family are appealing to people to join the stem cell donation register  more information is available on the Anthony Nolan website.

Mr Patel said: 'There's a much worse chance of finding a matching donor if you're Asian.

'It's not because people don't want to help  we've had an overwhelming response.

'Perhaps people think stem cells are deep down and hard to extract, but testing to see if you're a match is as simple as a cheek swab in most cases.'

Go to the 'Be Kaiya's Donor' Facebook page to find out more about how you can help.
he Nursing and Midwifery Council was said to have done little to investigate

The nursing watchdog ignored grieving families  and even the police  who were warning about failing midwives, a scathing report has found.

It suggested the Nursing and Midwifery Council was more interested in protecting the reputation of nurses and midwives than uncovering poor care.

At least three mothers and 16 babies are thought to have died at a hospital trust between 2004 and 2016 at the hands of a dysfunctional gang of musketeer midwives obsessed with natural childbirth.

The report commissioned by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt examined the NMCs actions during the scandal at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

It was carried out by the Professional Standards Authority which regulates the NMC and concluded that the bodys actions were inadequate.

A 'dysfunctional gang of musketeer nurses' was said to have caused the deaths of at least three mothers and 16 babies

Families said the NMC had failed to prevent subsequent tragedies by not suspending incompetent midwives.

One of the babies who died in 2008 was Joshua Titcombe whose father James Titcombe is now a high profile patient-safety campaigner.

The 84-page report accused the NMC of failing to engage with families and investigate their concerns.

One mother whose baby was stillborn at the trust in 2004 said the watchdog was shrouded in secrecy and refused to provide any information.

The report also found that the NMC had ignored the concerns of Cumbria police who had launched their own investigation into the maternity unit. The force was worried that midwives under investigation by its officers were still being allowed to work at the trust and deliver babies.

Although the police had hoped the NMC would stop these midwives from practising, it did nothing for two years.

The report also accused the watchdog of dragging its heels over the investigations of the midwives at the centre of the scandal. One was only struck off last year, eight years after a bereaved father had first raised concerns. The deaths all occurred at the Furness General Hospital maternity unit in Cumbria, run by the Morecambe Bay trust.

An initial review published in 2015 blamed the failings on the team of musketeer midwives. The year after that report was published another baby died after suffering brain damage due to preventable mistakes.

On Monday the watchdogs 190,000-a-year chief executive Jackie Smith suddenly announced she will stand down in July. Harry Cayton, chief executive of the Professional Standards Authority, said: What happened at Furness General Hospital remains shocking, and the tragic deaths of babies and mothers should never have happened. The findings we are publishing today show that the response of the NMC was inadequate.

Although the police had hoped the NMC would stop these midwives from practising, it did nothing for two years

Although the NMC has made good progress with its technical handling of complaints and concerns, there remain cultural problems which it must remedy in order for the public to have confidence in its ability to protect them from harm.

A statement released by bereaved relatives James Titcombe, Eliza Brady and Carl Hendrickson said the report exposed the truly shocking scale of the NMCs failings.

We were particularly horrified that even when Cumbria police directly raised significant issues, the NMC effectively ignored the information for almost two years.

While this was going on, serious incidents involving registrants under investigation continued, meaning lives were undoubtedly put at risk. Avoidable tragedies continued to happen.

Eliza Bradys son Alex was stillborn at Furness General Hospital in 2008. Carl Hendrickson lost his wife Nittaya and son Chester that same year due to preventable mistakes.

Three midwives have been struck off for their part in the scandal and one suspended.

Jackie Smith said the NMC was committed to improving the way it communicates.

The report also found that the NMC had monitored Mr Titcombes Twitter account and set up Google Alerts on him. It said he was regarded as hostile to the NMC corporately.
Meghan Markle's father Thomas Markle (pictured on Thursday last week) has pulled out of his daughter's big day on Saturday

Meghan Markle's father has confirmed he will not attend her wedding to Prince Harry in three days time after suffering a heart attack last week.

Thomas Markle, 73, is due to have an operation at 3.30pm UK time today to 'go in and clear blockage, repair damage, and put a stent where it is needed', he is reported to have said.

It is unclear where Mr Markle, who lives in Mexico, will have the procedure, however, heart attacks are treated using the same procedures throughout North America and in the UK.

Mr Markle was admitted to hospital yesterday after suffering severe chest pains, with tests confirming the heart attack did 'significant damage' and requires immediate surgery.

Despite Meghan reportedly working hard to convince her father to walk her down the aisle, the retired lighting director is not expected to be in a fit enough state to travel across the Atlantic to Windsor after a major operation.

Mr Markle claims his heart attack was triggered by an open letter his son Thomas Jr wrote to Prince Harry saying marrying Meghan would be the 'biggest mistake in royal wedding history'.

Although it is unclear exactly what his surgery will involve, the MailOnline has rounded up the most common heart-attack operations and when Mr Markle may be able to congratulate his newly-married daughter in person.

Meghan, pictured with Harry on April 25, pleaded with her father to walk her down the aisle. However, after suffering a heart attack last week, he will not be well enough to attend

Angioplasty

What is it?

An angioplasty involves making a small incision in a patient's arm or leg, through which a wire with an attached deflated balloon is thread through up to the coronary arteries.

The balloon is then inflated to widen areas where blood flow to the heart muscle has been reduced or cut off by plaque build up.

In some cases wires with laser tips are inserted to break up plaque. The balloon may also have a sharp rotating edge to cut away cholesterol build up.

What does it do?

Angioplasties open blocked arteries, which restores normal blood flow to the heart.

This reduces chest pain and allows people to exercise if they were left immobile by their angina.

Angioplasties also reduce patients' risk of suffering a heart attack.

How long is the recovery? And what are the risks?

For patients being treated for chest pain, most are usually able to go home the same day of the operation. They should avoid strenuous activities and driving for at least a a week.

Heart-attack patients may need to stay in hospital for several days after their angioplasties.

Angioplasties are considered relatively non-invasive due to them only requiring a small incision in the arm or leg. The procedure generally lasts between 30 minutes and one hour.

Risks depending on people's age and overall health but may include excessive bleeding, heart attacks and stroke.

An angioplasty involves inserting a wire with an attached deflated balloon through an artery in a patient's arm, which is then thread up to the heart. The balloon expands and opens the artery

Stent placement

What is it?

A stent is a wire mesh tube that props open arteries during an angioplasty.

It surrounds the deflated balloon and expands with it when the balloon is inflated.

After the balloon has been deflated and removed, the stent stays in the artery permanently.

The recovery process and risks are the same as they are for angioplasties.

What does it do?

Stents hold arteries open to help improve blood flow to the heart and relieve chest pain.

Stent placements are inserted in the same way as angioplasties but involve a wire mesh around the balloon. Once the balloon is removed, the stent remains to keep the artery open

Bypass

What is it?

Bypass surgery involves taking arteries or veins from other parts of the body and using them to reroute blood around the clogged artery.

Depending on how narrowed people's arteries are, some patients may require several bypass grafts.

In some cases, small incisions are made in the chest, through which arteries or veins from the leg are attached to the heart.

This requires the heart to be stopped, with blood being pumped through an oxygenator, which is also known as a 'heart-lung' machine.

What does it do?

Bypasses are one of the most effective ways to restore blocked blood supplies to the heart.

As well as improving blood and oxygen supplies to the organ, the procedure relieves chest pain, reduces the risk of a heart attack and often allows patients to be more mobile.

How long is the recovery?

Most patients need to stay in hospital for at least a week after having a coronary artery bypass.

Patients are generally able to sit in a chair after one day, walk after three and use stairs after six.

It takes around six weeks before people can resume their normal daily activities, such as working and driving, and three months before they make a full recovery.

What are the risks?

Up to one in every three patients will suffer an irregular or abnormally fast heart rate, which is usually not serious and treatable with medication.

Around one in 25 develop infections at the site of the incision on the chest, arms or legs.

Reduced kidney function affects less than one in 20, which is typically just temporary and resolves within a few weeks.

Brain-related problems may also occur, which can affect people's abilities to concentrate. Although this can be permanent, it usually improves after a few months.

Due to the heart and coronary arteries being vulnerable after a bypass, up to 10 per cent of patients suffer a heart attack within 30 days of the surgery.

Risks depend on a patient's age, overall health, weight and the number of vessels grafted.

Bypass surgery involves taking arteries or veins from other parts of the body and using them to reroute blood around the clogged artery. Some patients may require several grafts

Heart transplant

What is it?

Heart transplants involve removing diseased organs and replacing them with a healthy donated heart from someone who has recently died.

They are considered in patients with severe heart failure who have not responded to medication.

This may include those with coronary heart disease, birth defects that affect the heart or abnormally large or shaped hearts that have become stiff.

Heart transplants involve a cut being made in the middle of the chest while a patient is under general anaesthetic.

Once the diseased heart is removed, the donor organ is connected to the main arteries and veins, and should begin beating normally. It is held in place by a series of stitches, which are known as sutures.

What does it do?

Such procedures have been proven to restore heart health in patients with irreversible damage.

Heart transplant can be life saving in patients whose organs no longer worked efficiently.

How long is the recovery?

Most patients stay in hospital for between two and three weeks after a heart transplant.

It can take several months before they can return to their normal activities.

Patients are required to take immune-system suppressing drugs for the rest of their lives to reduce the risk of their bodies rejecting the donated organ.

They also require regular check ups with heart specialists.

What are the risks?

One of the most common complications is the donor heart being rejected, which occurs when the immune system recognises the organ as foreign and attacks it.

Taking immunosuppressants to reduce the risk of rejection can cause side effects such as infections, weight gain and high blood pressure.

In up to 10 per cent of surgeries, the heart transplant does not work properly, which can be lift threatening and requires medications, ventilators and bypass machines to keep circulation going.

If the donated heart's function does not improve, a second transplant may be required.

Narrowed and hardened arteries are common after a heart transplant. They tend to occur several years after the operation.

These can restrict the heart's blood supply, leading to attacks and even failure. Medications can prevent this.
Causes are often temporary or psychological and don't need medical treatment

43 per cent of all British men say they have problems maintaining an erection

Men in their 30s have the highest levels of erection problems, according to a surprising survey, and men of all ages are struggling to talk about the problem.

Although most commonly associated with ageing men, erectile dysfunction can happen at any age and may be more common in younger men than people think.

43 per cent of all British men aged 18 to 60 say they suffer from impotence, and they are most likely to point the finger at stress, tiredness, anxiety, and drinking alcohol.

Failing to get or maintain an erection is common and usually nothing to worry about, but it can be embarrassing.

Men are reluctant to talk about their bedroom troubles and around one in five said it had led to a break-up or mental health problems.

Many men feel too embarrassed to talk about their erection problems and more than one in four would rather end a relationship than talk to their GP about it

Researchers polled 2,003 men about their experience of impotence in a campaign for the Coop Pharmacy, which aims to break the taboo around it.

The pharmacy's #whatdoyoucallit campaign intends to stop men feeling shame in talking about their penis, whatever word they want to use to refer to it.

Dysfunction least common in 20s but worst in 30s

Poll results showed that men aged under 30 have the least difficulty in getting it up  at 35 per cent  but that figure shoots up to 50 per cent among men in their 30s.

42 per cent of men in their 40s and 41 per cent of those in their 50s report experiencing erectile dysfunction.

TV doctor Hilary Jones said: 'Erectile dysfunction is a taboo in our society that needs to be broken.

'In an age when many people are happy to share intimate details of their lives on social media, it is a huge cause for concern that men today do not feel confident enough to discuss openly their struggles with impotence.'

Over one in four would rather end relationship than see a GP

WHAT CAUSES IMPOTENCE? Erectile dysfunction is often temporary and doesn't have a serious cause, but can sometimes be a symptom of a wider problem. Here are some causes of impotence: Cardiovascular: Diabetes affects the blood supply by narrowing the arteries and damaging the nervous system, giving a doubly harmful effect. Heart disease and high blood pressure can have a similar effect. Lifestyle: Being overweight will increase the risk of developing heart disease, circulation problems and type 2 diabetes. Heavy drinking and cigarette smoking also contribute to conditions which affect erections. Low testosterone: This kills the libido, making sex impossible. Low testosterone can be hormonal or can be caused by treatments for prostate cancer. Nervous system disorders: Stroke, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and damage to the spinal cord by injury can all prevent nerve messages from the brain reaching the penis. Medication: Drugs that can cause impotence include anti-depressants such as Prozac, and medication for high blood pressure such as beta-blockers and diuretics. Psychological: Depression is one of the main causes of impotence, which can set up a vicious cycle if impotence makes a man even more depressed. The same applies to fear of failure in bed, which can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Advertisement

A third of men with erectile dysfunction have not told anyone about it and, shockingly, 27 per cent say they would rather break up with their partner than go and see a GP about it.

Four in ten men blame stress for the sexual issue, with the other most common causes being tiredness (36 per cent), anxiety (29 per cent) and boozing too heavily (26 per cent).

Staying late at the office also affects mens performance in bed, with 57 per cent of those who work late most days having problems compared to 32 per cent who never have to work late.

Often impotence will only be temporary but in some cases it can be a symptom of an underlying medical condition or a side effect of medication.

Conditions which can increase the risk of impotence include high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and low testosterone.

Viagra now available without a prescription

Treatment can involve taking a pill like Viagra to stimulate erections, or taking medication if there is an underlying problem.

Adrian Wilkinson at Coop Pharmacy said: 'The results of the survey clearly show that erectile dysfunction is something that's having a huge impact on almost half of the male population in the UK.

'It's with this in mind that we want to de-stigmatise any negative misconceptions and start talking about impotence and normalising it.

'We want to help men feel good, know they're not alone and know they're not being judged.

'We don't want men to resort to splitting up with their partners, especially now Viagra Connect is available over the counter in pharmacies and online too.

'Men can access this product themselves, easily, conveniently and, if they're concerned, discreetly.'

Aspirin could help

Viagra is not the only way to overcome the problem, and a recent study suggested Aspirin could treat erectile dysfunction.

Researchers in Turkey found just one 100mg pill a day for six weeks significantly reduced circulation issues in men.

At the beginning of the study, 70 per cent of the 184 men  who had an average age of 48  could not achieve an erection.

By the end, they found their 'erectile function score' went up from 14.3 out of 30 (less than 50 per cent) to 21.3 (more than 75 per cent) , based on the universally accepted Index of Erectile Function scale.

Those statistics aren't far off the success rate marketed by Viagra - between 48 percent and 81 percent.
A businessman has become one of the first people in Britain to have his oesophagus removed by a robot.

Neil Jones, 56, who suffered from aggressive cancer of the foodpipe, was told the muscle between his throat and stomach had to be removed.

Yet, key-hole surgery performed by tiny robotic arms at the Royal Preston Hospital, Lancashire, last April removed the 7cm tumour on his chest easily.

After the surgery, Mr Jones spent around two weeks in hospital, one of which was in intensive care, but has since made a full recovery.

The 1.25 million machines, known as Da Vinci robots, have five octopus-like arms that end with tiny instruments that can bend and rotate 360 degrees.

These are thought to have allowed greater control during Mr Jones' eight-hour operation and gave surgeons access to parts of the body that are difficult to operate on with just the human hand.

Surgeons have previously credited the consoles for being quicker than existing treatments, as well as causing fewer side effects by removing small sections of cancerous tissue without making a large cut, such as during open surgery.

The consoles, which are also used at the Royal Marsden (RM), may be rolled out across other NHS hospitals with the correct technology on a case-by-case basis, according to a RM spokesperson.

Neil Jones is one of the first people in Britain to have his oesophagus removed by a robot

Surgery conducted by Da Vinci robots is said to be quicker and causes fewer side effects

Key-hole surgery performed by tiny robotic arms at the Royal Preston Hospital, Lancashire, last April removed the 7cm tumour on Mr Jones' chest easily, avoiding human hand tremors

WHAT IS THE DA VINCI XI ROBOT CONSOLE? The da Vinci Xi involves surgeons sitting at a console where they can see high-definition images of patients' anatomies via a flexible tube with a camera and light at the tip. It allows two surgeons to operate on a patient at the same time while performing different tasks. The 'arms' of the robot allow doctors to make tiny movements while removing 'all natural human tremor'. The 'hands' are also able to rotate 360 degrees, enabling them to access hard-to-reach tumours. It is considered minimally invasive surgery, which supports faster patient recovery. The da Vinci Xi is often used for training due to it allowing instruments to be exchanged quickly, as well as senior surgeons being able to monitor students' progress. Source: Intuitive Surgical Advertisement

'My recovery has been exemplary and my whole experience has been wonderful'

Mr Jones, a company director from Preston, said: 'I was thrilled. I knew the robot could carry out complex procedures with precision, but I was not aware it could carry out this procedure.

'They then told me they were very hopeful that I might be able to have the chest element of the procedure done robotically.

'The surgeon told me that if I was suitable, this would be their preferred way to do the surgery as it would speed up my recovery.'

He added : 'My experience of the robot has been very positive. I would highly recommend that anyone who can have surgery done robotically does not hesitate in getting it done.

'I would not even know they have been in my chest, which is the bit where the robotic surgery was done.

'My recovery has been exemplary where the robot operated and my whole experience has been wonderful.'

Although the robot removed the tumour from Mr Jones' chest, surgeons treated affected cells in his stomach and neck.

His surgery was funded by the people of Preston, which allowed the Rosemere Cancer Foundation to buy the hi-tech Da Vinci console.

Struggled to eat

Mr Jones' cancer battle began when he started struggling to eat last September.

He said: 'Eating was like trying to pass a bowling bowl through a straw and food just got stuck half-way down and felt really uncomfortable before gradually working its way down.'

After being referred to a specialist, tests revealed he had squamous cell carcinoma on his osesophagus.

Speaking of his diagnosis, Mr Jones, who is engaged, said: 'I was absolutely shocked to told it was cancer.

'I knew there was something wrong but I never thought it would be that.'

Diagram shows how robotic surgery works in prostate cancer patients

Surgeons sit at opposite ends of a robotic console while they perform the operation

Surgeons can see high-definition images of patients' anatomies via an internal camera tube

The robot's 'arms' can make tiny movements and remove 'natural human tremor'. Pictured: surgeon using the pioneering device during an unnamed patient's hysterectomy

Robot 'hands' can rotate 360 degrees to access hard-to-reach-tumours. Pictured: console removing part of the tongue, thought to be due to oral cancer, on patient Anne White, 67. The Duke of Cambridge (far left) can be seen watching the procedure during a hospital visit

Cancer patient had her uterus and colon removed by robots

This comes after a cancer patient had a hysterectomy and part of her colon removed at the same time in pioneering surgery performed by the robot console last April.

Christine Lockton, 63, from Croydon, underwent a procedure that saw surgeons sitting at opposite ends of a robotic console while they performed the operation.

Surgeon Shahnawaz Rasheed, who co-led the operation at the RM Hospital, London, said: 'The precision of surgery, we think, is much higher. Because of that, the impact on the patient should be less.

'So we can do the same operation in terms of the removal of the cancer, but have less of a trauma to the patient.'

The multidisciplinary approach - carrying out colorectal and gynaecological surgery at the same time - while using robotics, had never previously been performed on the NHS.

Mr Jones spent around two weeks in hospital, but has since made a full recovery

He urges anyone who has the opportunity to have surgery performed robotically to grasp it
Foreign minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on May 16 received the delegation led by Deputy Speaker of the Parliament (Riksdag) of Sweden Bjorn Soder, the foreign ministry said.

May 16, 2018, 14:53 Armenian FM receives Swedish parliamentary delegation

STEPANAKERT, MAY 16, ARTSAKHPRESS:Welcoming the guests, the Armenian FM attached importance to the visit of Swedens parliamentary delegation, stating that Sweden is a key partner for Armenia since independence. The FM noted that the inter-parliamentary effective cooperation contributes to further strengthening the inter-state relations.

Bjorn Soder thanked for the reception and also congratulated Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on his appointment, expressing hope that during his tenure the Armenian-Swedish friendly relations will further deepen and expand.

FM Mnatsakanyan introduced the guests on the recent developments in Armenia and the steps of the new government which enjoys the publics support.

The meeting agenda also covered issues relating to strengthening the Armenian-Swedish political dialogue, boosting the commercial ties, the educational-cultural cooperation, the collaboration in the fields of IT, innovations, creative education, as well as expanding the legal framework. The meeting also touched upon the mutual cooperation directions in international platforms.

The Armenian FM thanked for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Swedish Parliament on 2010.

The two officials also attached importance to the signing of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), stating that it will open new cooperation prospects both at the Armenia-EU and the Armenian-Swedish bilateral formats. The sides also highlighted the quick ratification of the CEPA by the Swedish Parliament. The Swedish parliamentarians assured that they will do everything possible to quickly complete the ratification process.

FM Mnatsakanyan also introduced the Swedish parliamentary delegation on the joint efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries aimed at settling the Nagorno Karabakh conflict exclusively through peaceful means.
The tragic death toll from the growing opioid epidemic has driven an increase in the number of organs available for transplant, new research has found.

The number of donors who died from drug intoxication rose from 59 in 2000 to 1,029 in 2016 - a nearly 17-fold increase.

This means that previously just 1.2 percent of donations came from drug overdose death donors and it is now up to 13.7 percent.

No difference was found in the quality of life from those who received a transplant from an overdose death donor compared to other donors, the researchers from the University of Utah Health said.

Experts say the findings show how the devastation of the epidemic has led to a strange silver lining that could provide hope for the more than 116,000 people across the US lingering on organ transplant waiting lists.

The number of organs available for transplant has risen due the increasing opioid epidemic in the US from 59 in 2000 to 1,029 in 2016 - a nearly 17-fold increase, a new study has found

Researchers looked at 17 years of transplantation records and concluded there was no significant change in the recipients' chance of survival when the organ donation came from victims of drug intoxication

'We were surprised to learn that almost all of the increased transplant activity in the United States within the last five years is a result of the drug overdose crisis,' Dr Mandeep Mehra, medical director of the Heart and Vascular Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said.

Many wonder that if the organs come from donors who were destroying their bodies with drugs, then are the transplants even safe to perform?

In the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers looked at 17 years of transplantation records.

They concluded that there was no significant change in the recipients' chance of survival when the organ donation came from victims of drug intoxication.

The team then looked at the survival rate of 2,360 patients one year after they received either a lung or heart transplant from a donor who died of drug overdose compared to donors who died from other causes such as a stroke.

I would like to see the tide reverse even though my field is benefiting from the deaths from the opioid epidemic Dr David Wojciechowski Massachusetts General Hospital

No difference was found in the quality of life from someone who received a transplant from an overdose-death donor compared to another donor.

'Dying from an opioid overdose does not preclude someone from being an organ donor and the families of those who've died often don't know that,' Dr David Wojciechowski, Director of Transplant Nephrology Clinical Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Daily Mail Online.

'It's a way to turn something negative into something potentially positive.'

He added that doctors are prone to being very careful when selecting organs for transplant from overdose-death donors.

HOW AMERICA GOT HOOKED ON OPIOID DRUGS Prescription opioids and illicit drugs have become incredibly pervasive throughout the US, and things are only getting worse. In the early 2000s, the FDA and CDC started to notice a steady increase in cases of opioid addiction and overdose. In 2013, they issued guidelines to curb addiction. However, that same year - now regarded as the year the epidemic took hold - a CDC report revealed an unprecedented surge in rates of opioid addiction. Overdose deaths are now the leading cause of death among young Americans - killing more in a year than were ever killed annually by HIV, gun violence or car crashes. Preliminary CDC data, published by the New York Times, shows that US drug overdose deaths surged 19 percent to at least 59,000 in 2016. This is up from 52,404 in 2015, and double the death rate from a decade ago. It means that for the first time drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans under 50 years old. The data lays bare the bleak state of America's opioid addiction crisis fueled by deadly manufactured drugs like fentanyl. Advertisement

During an overdose, a person often experiences low blood pressure that can reduce the supply of oxygen throughout the body.

Additionally, those who are injecting themselves could be exposing themselves to an increased risk of Hepatitis B and C, and even HIV.

However, Dr Wojciechowski said that even if the donor is infected with one of these diseases, that doesn't eliminate them from the process.

'If the recipient is Hep C positive, for example, then a Hep C organ donor could be matched with them,' he said.

'Also, and this is being done under research protocol including here at Mass Gen, but Hep C has become much more treatable in recent years and we can still transplant an organ from a Hep C donor and treat the disease after transplant.

'In this case the recipient is made aware of this and signs a paper knowing the organ is from an increased risk donor.'

According to an analysis released in February, the growing opioid epidemic has cost the US more than $1trillion from 2001 through 2017.

Around the same time, the US Senate announced it has allotted $6billion for the opioid epidemic over a two-year period.

As the government works to fight the opioid epidemic, the transplant community know that it won't be able to rely on drug-intoxication deaths as a long-term source of donations.

'I would like to see the tide reverse even though my field is, for lack of a better word, benefiting from the rise of deaths from the opioid epidemic,' Dr Wojciechowski told Daily Mail Online.

'Local recovery organizations that cover the donation process have been doing more campaigns about donation and talk to families about their wishes to be donors as well as talking about living donations.'
America's fertility rates have reached a 40-year low, a newly-released CDC report reveals.

In 2017, the average fertility rate was just 1.76 births per woman.

As recently as a decade ago, the number of children in each family averaged out to 2.08.

The total number of live births in 2017 has also fallen to an historic low: just 3.85 million babies were born last year - more than one million fewer than in 2007.

These new lows are just the latest in a recent cascade of evidence that the world is in a reproductive decline, and the US may be pulling ahead in the race to the bottom.

In 2017, there were an average of 1.76 live births per woman in the US, setting the record lowest fertility rate in the country since 1976

Earlier declines in fertility were met with some ambivalence, as the change seemed to come as a result of fewer teenagers having babies.

That trend has continued. The most dramatic declines in birth between 2015 and 2017 were still among the youngest women.

Teenagers 19 and under had 7.4 fewer babies in 2017 than they had in 2015.

But declines have bled over into older age groups as well. In fact, only the oldest group of women included in the new statics - those between 35 and 39 - had more babies last year than they did two years ago.

Some warn that, coupled with signs of failing male fertility and poor sperm qualities, long-running fertility fall-offs bode ominously for the US population - and the world.

While biological causes have not been established, there are many scientists that have suggests the fertility issues sweeping the world are a bellwether of the human extinction, or at least of the early impacts of climate change on us.

But on the other side of the dooms-day argument are practical observations about the ways women's desires and abilities to fulfill them have changed.

Far more women are pursuing higher degrees and busier careers earlier in life now than were doing so in, say, the 1970s.

This lines up well with new data's finding that fertility decreased in every group of women except the oldest.

Yet science struggles to put a finger on why this is happening.

In a November data release, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that while most women were estimated to have under two children in their lifetimes, most would like to have between two and three children.

But really, Americans do not move too far from the two  maybe three  mindset about kids, Dr Alaka Basu, a development sociologist at Cornell University, told Daily Mail Online in a previous interview.

Fertility rates dropped in every age group except the oldest women (between 35 and 39, shown in red) between 2015 and 2017, with the sharpest declines in the youngest group (teal)

'In most parts of the world, two to three children, that's a figure that people give almost mechanically,' she says.

More and more women and couples are choosing to not have children, but 'of the ones that do have children, there are very few that want just one,' Dr Basu says.

She says that the the numbers are also skewed by the younger generations who may not have or think they want more than one child (or any) now, but are far from the end of their childbearing years.

Instead, she previously told Daily Mail Online that 'what's happening is that birth rates are actually falling among immigrants,' who, Dr Basu says, have historically had larger families, driving up national averages 'poorer and less educated women.'

Indeed, the new numbers from the CDC show that fertility drops are most dramatic among Hispanic women (18.8 percent).

Of course not all of these women are immigrants, but Hispanic and black families - for whom fertility declined by 10 percent since 2015 - disproportionately live below the poverty line in the US.

'It's not bad at all because among poorer women, being single or being a teen mothers is debilitating, so if that is coming down that is good,' Dr Basu suggested.

This too has played out in recent data. Though it is not yet clear what fertility rates were for unmarried and never-married women in 2017, in 2016, these declined by 14 and 21 percent, respectively.
Next month, Toys 'R' Us is putting its famous mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe, on the auction block. Also up for sale: sex-toys-r-us.com.

The adult-oriented domain name is one of hundreds of website addresses that the bankrupt toy-store chain is looking to find a buyer for as it winds down its business and shutters 735 US stores, according to court records.

Also up for sale: ihatetoysrus.com, toysrussucks.com, kinkytoysrus.com and adult-toys-r-us.com.

The company is selling its intellectual property, which includes its name, Geoffrey the Giraffe logo, and the Babies 'R' Us brand, to raise money to repay its creditors.

Closing down signs are seen outside the Toys R Us store in Coventry, Britain, March 13, 2018

Geoffrey the Giraffe is seen on the side of a Toys 'R' Us truck March 17, 2005 in Colma, California. Toys R Us Inc.

In this July 30, 1996, file photo, a woman pushes a shopping cart over a graphic of Toys R Us mascot Geoffrey the giraffe at the Toys R Us store in Raritan, N.J. Toys R Us

Brand specialists said it could be one of the most valuable brands ever sold by a company going out of business.

A spokeswoman for Toys 'R' Us did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Companies like Toys 'R' Us often register related domain names to guard against someone hijacking their brand for their own business, said Bob Phibbs, a brand specialist and chief executive of the Retail Doctor consulting firm.

'They just went crazy,' said Phibbs. 'I'm sure they were laughing and drinking Red Bull and then just came up with every iteration they could.'

Toys 'R' Us announced its plans to sell Geoffrey the Giraffe and sex-toys-r-us.com

Phibbs said the long list of domain names owned by the company reveals the allure of the Toys 'R' Us brand.

The company registered dozens of domain names: lodges-r-us.com, bistros-r-us.com, recipes-r-us.com, burgers-r-us.com and even cigars-r-us.com.

'It shows the power of the brand,' said Phibbs. 'The 'R' Us is the key to the brand, not the Toys.'

None of the domain names are currently active. (Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
A former Australian ambassador to China believes Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has made a mess of Canberra's relationship with Beijing and should be sacked.

Ties with China have soured in the past year and Beijing is especially cranky about Australia's foreign interference laws.

No Australian government ministers have visited the Chinese mainland this year and none were invited to the Boao Forum, a major conference in April held on the island of Hainan.

A former Australian ambassador to China says Julie Bishop (pictured) should be sacked

Former envoy Geoff Raby (pictured) said Ms Bishop has angered China and made a mess

Former envoy Geoff Raby said Ms Bishop has angered China by making 'the most strident public comments on the South China Sea of any foreign minister' and delivering a 'bizarre' speech that claimed China was unfit for regional leadership.

'If the role China is now playing to resolve tensions on the Korean Peninsula and possibly removing North Korea's nuclear capability is not leadership, it is difficult to find another word to describe it,' Dr Raby wrote in an opinion piece published in The Australian Financial Review.

He argued the prime minister needed to replace the foreign minister with someone better equipped for the demands of the job, adding Ms Bishop had not visited China in more than two years.

'Australia ... needs a foreign minister who is steeped in history and geopolitics, who lives and breathes the issues and who has a grasp of the profound challenges Australia faces in the rapidly evolving new world order being shaped, in large measure by China,' he said.

Dr Raby pointed to Ms Bishop's cabinet colleagues Josh Frydenberg and Greg Hunt as alternatives because they both previously worked in former foreign minister Alexander Downer's office.

The hostilities between Bishop and Raby have been covered in China's tabloid Global Times paper, promoting claims that the foreign minister be sacked.

Ties with China have soured in the past year and Beijing is especially cranky about Australia's foreign interference laws (pictured is Julie Bishop)

In an editorial on page three, Bishop's response to the 'harsh accusation' was included in which she labelled Raby 'profoundly ignorant,' The Age reported.

More than 2,600 Chinese readers commented or forwarded comments on the article, penning mostly negative responses.

'Like a koala's sharp claws, from time to time it wants to hurt people,' wrote one person.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull defended Ms Bishop, saying he was disappointed by the commentary.

Australian Governor General Major-General Michael Jeffery (centre), accompanied by Australia's ambassador to China Geoff Raby (left)

'It's utterly wrong. Julie Bishop is doing an outstanding job,' he told reporters in Melbourne.

'Every time she goes out on the world stage, she makes Australians proud. She's a formidable foreign minister, a great diplomat, and a great colleague.'

Labor's foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong was also sympathetic to Ms Bishop's plight saying Mr Turnbull had failed to sufficiently support her.

'I think we've seen a lengthy period where she has been openly undermined by colleagues,' Senator Wong told Sky News, singling out Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton.

Senator Wong said Ms Bishop needed to focus on Australia's challenging relations with China.

'The commentary today reflects a building concern about the relationship,' she said.
Mystery surrounding a vacant block of land, whose last known owner died 150 years ago, is standing between an expansion of Melbourne Airport.

The Australian Government is seeking to claim the parcels of land so more runways at the airport in Tullamarine, in Melbourne's north-west, can be installed to accommodate more flights.

But it's unsure if anyone has claims on the land, after its last registered owner, and one of Melbourne's founding fathers, John Pascoe Fawkner, died in 1869, Herald Sun reported.

Mystery surrounding a vacant block of land (in red), whose last known owner died 150 years ago, is standing between an expansion of Melbourne Airport

The government is seeking the land after its last registered owner John Pascoe Fawkner (pictured), died in 1869

Fawkner owned the 6770sq/m parcel of land in the mid 19th century when he was town councillor, before being elected to Victoria's first colonial parliament in 1856.

He served in parliament until he died - without having any children with his wife Eliza - 13 years later.

The federal Department of Infrastructure said it will acquire the land if a current owner can't be found.

A department spokesperson told the publication: 'The Commonwealth understands there was a deed of grant dated December 1850 to Mr Fawkner. The owner has not been confirmed.

The Australian Government is seeking to claim the land so more runways at Melbourne Airport (pictured) can be installed to accommodate more flights

'The land is proposed to be incorporated into the airport site for ... the expansion of the current runway system as envisaged by Australia Pacific Airports Pty Ltd's runway development program.'

The expansion was outlined in 2013 as part of a 'master plan' to accommodate for an 'unprecedented' growth of passengers, flights and aircraft using Melbourne Airport.

More than 30 million passengers a year use the airport following a boost in international flights, particularly from China, Herald Sun reported.
A former firefighter accused of a string of Sydney bombings and murders in the 1980s allegedly told his ex-wife a Family Court judge 'won't be there much longer' weeks before he was shot dead.

Opening the crown case on Tuesday, prosecutor Ken McKay said in court that when the ex-wife asked if the judge was going on holidays, Leonard John Warwick replied: 'No, he won't be there at all.'

The crimes involved extreme, targeted violence, the prosecutor told Justice Peter Garling, who is hearing the trial without a jury.

Former firefighter Leonard John Warwick (pictured on Tuesday) - accused of a string of Sydney bombings and murders in the 1980s - allegedly told his ex-wife a Family Court judge 'won't be there much longer' weeks before he was shot dead

They took place when Warwick's Family Court matters were proceeding and the victims had intervened in the dispute with his ex-wife, he said in court.

Warwick, 71, has pleaded not guilty in the NSW Supreme Court to four alleged murders - including the shooting deaths of his brother-in-law and a judge - and 20 other alleged offences relating to seven events which occurred between February 1980 and July 1985.

He was involved in a long-running Family Court dispute which ended in 1986 and allegedly 'inextricably linked' him to the seven events and provided him with a motive, the crown alleged in court.

Warwick is charged with the 1980 shooting deaths of his brother-in-law Stephen Blanchard and Justice David Opas; the bombing of Justice Richard Gee's home and of the Family Court building in Parramatta in 1984; and, in the same year, the bombing of the home of Justice Ray Watson in which his wife Pearl was killed.

Opening the crown case on Tuesday, prosecutor Ken McKay said in court that when the ex-wife asked if the judge was going on holidays, Leonard John Warwick replied: 'No, he won't be there at all'

Warwick in 1985 allegedly set off a bomb that ripped apart a Jehovah's Witnesses hall

His ex-wife's solicitor was allegedly the target of a car bomb.

Warwick in 1985 allegedly set off a bomb that ripped apart a Jehovah's Witnesses hall, killing Graham Wyke and injuring 13 people, part of the congregation offering support to his ex-wife Andrea Blanchard.

In his brief defence opening, lawyer Alan Conolly described his client as 'a lover not a murderer'. He said the crown evidence was 'flimsy'.

'There was not one scintilla of evidence against this man except some DNA which the defence will say has been very poorly cared for,' Mr Conolly said in court.

Mr McKay said in court the body of Warwick's brother-in-law was found in a creek in a national park days after he went missing.

The court heard he had been shot in the head while 11 bricks were roped around his waist - bricks which were similar to those found at Warwick's home.

In his brief defence opening, lawyer Alan Conolly described his client as 'a lover not a murderer'. He said the crown evidence was 'flimsy'

Justice Opas had made orders and comments which Warwick would have regarded as being adverse to his case, the prosecutor said in court.

The court heard Warwick allegedly told his ex-wife: 'You don't have to worry about him anymore. He won't be there much longer.'

The judge was shot dead in the courtyard of his home with a .22 calibre rifle which was the same type used to kill Mr Blanchard, Mr McKay said in court.

Justice Gee replaced Justice Opas in hearing the case and a bomb exploded at the front of his house early one morning. It destroyed the building.

Justice Watson had been about to leave for work when his wife opened the door and was killed by an explosive, the court heard.

Mr McKay said in court Warwick's father had worked at a colliery using explosives and detonators for decades while the accused had been in the army from 1967 to 1969.

The trial will continue on July 9.
Defense minister of Armenia Davit Tonoyan on May 16 held a consultation over the complaints of officers of military commissariats, Artsrun Hovhannisyan  spokesman of the defense ministry, said on Facebook.

May 16, 2018, 15:40 Defense minister holds consultation over complaint of officers of military commissariats

STEPANAKERT, MAY 16, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS:Defense minister of Armenia Davit Tonoyan on May 16 held a consultation over the complaints of officers of military commissariats, Artsrun Hovhannisyan  spokesman of the defense ministry, said on Facebook, reports Armenpress.

The officers are protesting against the optimization of military commissariats.

The spokesman said the defense minister got acquainted with the issue in-detail and gave instructions to continue the works to implement the optimization concept. At the same time the minister tasked to present him respective proposals and solutions within a week on the issues of providing the staff with jobs, the spokesman said.

Earlier today more than 10 representatives of military commissariats protesting against the optimization of military commissariats gathered outside the governments building demanding a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Head of the citizens admissions and applications department of the government Alexander Ghazaryan received the representatives of military commissariats.

According to the new law on Defense, the management of military commissariats is shifted from the General Staff of the Armed Forces to the defense ministry. As a result of the optimization, the number of 44 military commissariats will be reduced to 14, and only 2 out of the 20 employees will remain in each military commissariat.
A stylist for the Miss Lebanon Australia beauty pageant won by Salim Mehajer's sister has revealed what really goes on behind the scenes of the controversial event.

Zooka Alameddine, 36, said she has witnessed bullying, 'catfights' and fraudulent entry attempts.

Ms Alameddine defended Mary Mehajer's 2016 win, saying it has nothing to do with event being sponsored by her brother, the disgraced former Auburn deputy mayor.

A stylist on the Miss Lebanon Australia beauty pageant won by Salim Mehajer's sister Mary (pictured) has revealed the inside story of the controversial event

Ms Alameddine defended Mary Mehajer's (pictured, left, right, with brother Salim) 2016 win, saying it has nothing to do with event being sponsored by her brother, the disgraced former Auburn deputy mayor

Ms Mehajer won because she did not use Botox or face-fillers, Ms Alameddine said, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The stylist said she questions participants to thwart entry attempts by non-Lebanese women.

'The first thing I ask is what village are you from?' said Ms Alameddine, and revealed fake entrants are often given away when their accents don't match their backstory.

Describing the pageant as 'very, very gruesome', Ms Alameddine said overweight women have little chance of winning.

Zooka Alameddine (pictured, centre, next to Mary Mehajer), 36, said she has witnessed bullying, 'catfights' and fraudulent entry attempts.

The stylist (pictured) said she questions participants to thwart entry attempts by non-Lebanese women

'If she's really overweight we don't take her,' the stylist said.

One 2017 contestant lost 9kg in the lead-up to the pageant, and participants are put through a gruelling bootcamp to get them in shape for the swimsuit segment.

There is one advantage to being a larger contestant, however, with 'bigger girls' spared the worst of the bullying, Ms Alameddine said.

'The skinny girls don't find the bigger girls the threat so they're more than willing to help those girls. However they won't help the other girls,' she said.

Ms Alameddine made the revelations ahead of the Wednesday night premiere of SBS documentary Lebanese Beauty Queens (pictured is Mary Mehajer)

Controversy erupted after Ms Mehajer (pictured left, right) won the 2016 event when it was revealed her brother Salim was a sponsor

Ms Alameddine made the revelations ahead of the Wednesday night premiere of SBS documentary Lebanese Beauty Queens.

Controversy erupted after Ms Mehajer won the 2016 event when it was revealed her brother Salim was a sponsor.

The then-18-year-old's sister Aiisha was also involved, sitting on the event's organising committee.

The Mehajer siblings vehemently denied Mary's win had anything to do with their involvement, but angry contestants slammed the pageant as 'rigged'.

Ms Alameddine said rumours about rigging has become the norm, and there would always be someone claiming the winner bought their crown, she told SBS.

Ms Alameddine said rumours about rigging has become the norm, and there would always be someone claiming the winner bought their crown (pictured is the Mehajer family celebrating Mary's win)

'Just like in sports, when parents yell out at the TV that it's rigged, or when a person achieves success and people want to undermine their achievement,' she said.

'The best way we can make the rumours go away is by highlighting the reasons someone won  that it was on their own merit and not because of their family.'

The stylist said some contestants are their own worst enemy, and doom their chances by using fillers or Botox the night before the pageant.

'We like our pageant contestants to have natural beauty,' she said.

Pageant founder Joe Khoury told Daily Mail Australia the judges are impartial and selected to have no links to the contestants.

'All entrants must be Lebanese-Australian, and I've been running it for 18 years, I have never seen any fights between the contestants or anything like that,' he said.

There is no suggestion from Daily Mail Australia that Mary Mehajer or any of the contestants pictured were involved in any alleged bullying, catfights and/or fraudulent entries.
Fresh warnings of deadly terror attacks being planned in Indonesia have been issued to Australians after more than a dozen people were killed in a series of suicide bombings.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said 'information' suggests terrorists are planning more attacks that could occur at any place - including popular holiday destination Bali - and at any time.

Australians have been told to exercise greater caution over the next four weeks, as terror risks are heightened during the month of Ramadan, which started on Tuesday.

Scroll down for videos

A fresh warning from the Australian Government says more deadly attacks in Indonesia could occur at any place and at any time (Pictured: Officers stand guard following suicide bombings in Surabaya on Sunday)

Australians have been told to exercise greater caution over the next four weeks, as terror risks are heightened during the month of Ramadan (Pictured: Burning vehicles in Surabaya)

'We continue to receive information indicating terrorists may be planning attacks in Indonesia. Attacks could occur anywhere, anytime,' DFAT said in its latest travel warning (Pictured: A casualty receives treatment after Sunday's suicide bombings)

'We continue to receive information indicating terrorists may be planning attacks in Indonesia. Attacks could occur anywhere, anytime,' DFAT said in its latest travel warning.

The Australian Government's grim warning comes after a young family of ISIS supporters killed at least 14 people in suicide bombings at Christian churches on Sunday.

DFAT warns travellers to be alert in places of worship during the period of 'religious significance', as they have been targeted and could be again.

The 3,224 Australians now holidaying in Indonesia, mainly in Bali, as well as future travellers, should also consider the level of security provided at venues when planning activities, it warned.

The Australian Government's grim warning comes after a young family of ISIS supporters killed at least 14 people in suicide bombings at Christian churches on Sunday

DFAT warns travellers to be alert in places of worship during the period of 'religious significance', as they have been targeted and could be again

The family (pictured) who police say committed the church suicide bombings on Sunday

Travellers have also been told that Western-branded venues, business areas, and places frequented by foreigners are also under a high threat of attack.

DFAT said terror suspects remain at large in Indonesia and 'may seek' Western tourists as targets.

'Extremists in Indonesia may carry out small-scale violent attacks with little or no warning. Groups linked to or inspired by conflict in Iraq and Syria have anti-Western motivations,' it wrote.

The UK Government issued its own travel advice to British tourists, urging them to monitor local media reports and follow the advice of local authorities.

Terror attacks 'are very likely' in Indonesia, particularly from Islamist extremists, it said.

At least ten people were injured at Surabaya police station on Monday in an attack (pictured) that came the day after at least 14 were killed in suicide bombings

CCTV captured the moment the bomb detonated outside the station about 11.50am Monday

The government added: 'Terrorist groups continue to plan attacks and have the capacity and intent to carry out these attacks at anytime and anywhere in the country.'

The travel advice comes as Australians in Bali were warned they are under increasing threat from child suicide bombers, according to a secret intelligence report.

ISIS fighters have flooded Indonesia, with more than 1100 returning to the area after spending time in the Middle East.

Urgent reports were provided to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton by secret intelligence agents after suicide bombers attacked three churches in Surabaya, The Australian reported.

The intelligence said the indoctrination of children, who are then organised to carry out suicide bombings, was 'horrific'.

A young family of ISIS supporters carried out the attacks at the three churches, killing at least 14 people. The family included two girls aged nine and 12 years old.

Mr Turnbull said increased security would be introduced at airports as a result.

Body scans will be carried out on 94 per cent of passengers, while advanced X-ray and bomb-detection technology would be used on travellers' bags.

Just hours after the intelligence briefings were provided to Australian leaders, another attack was carried out at a police station - again by a family with young children.

Officers (pictured) load a body bag into an ambulance at the site of an attack on Sunday

President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo (centre left) visited the scenes of the attacks and described them as 'cowardly actions' that were 'very barbaric and beyond the limit of humanity'

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (centre) condemned the attacks as an act of 'barbarity' and expressed his condolences to Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation

The bombings were the worst to target churches in Indonesia since a series of attacks on Christmas Eve in 2000 killed 15 people and wounded nearly 100. Officers (pictured) remove wreckages of burnt out motorcycles

An eight-year-old girl survived after her family detonated bombs outside a police station.

It was the latest suspected Islamic terrorist attack to coincide with the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, as security agents fear the attacks may signal the escalation of terrorism in the region.

Police said four officers and six civilians were injured and suspected it was carried out by Islamist extremists linked to Jemaah Ansurat Daulah, which was formed in 2015 by ISIS sympathisers.

Mr Turnbull condemned the attacks as an act of 'barbarity' and expressed his condolences to Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.

Mr Widodo with officials at the scene of a suicide attack outside the Central Pantekosta church in Surabaya

Three unexploded homemade bombs - two at the Pantekosta church and one at the Diponegoro church - were detonated by a bomb squad. Anti-terror policemen (pictured) stand guard following one of the attacks

'Our heart goes out to all of the victims of those attacks and the people of Indonesia know that they have our utmost solidarity in the battle against terrorism,' he told reporters in Sydney on Monday.

'It almost beggars belief; the brutality, the barbarity, the inhumanity, the blasphemy of these terrorists.'

Meanwhile, Mr Dutton said it was an act of evil.

An estimated 10,000 Australians live in Bali alone all-year round.

Indonesia is also the second most popular overseas holiday destination for Australians, after New Zealand, with more than 1.2 million Australians visiting its northern neighbour in 2016.
As the debate over service animals on flights rages on, it seems Chris Pratt is trying to get away with something even trickier than a peacock or miniature horse.

Pratt was joined by his Jurassic Park co-star Bryce Dallas Howard for a hilarious new CollegeHumor video that tackles the debate - with a dinosaur.

In the clip, Pratt and Howard take on the roles of their characters Owen Grady and Claire Dearing as they try to bring a velociraptor named Blue on a flight.

Scroll down for video

Chris Pratt was joined by his Jurassic Park co-star Bryce Dallas Howard for a hilarious new CollegeHumor video that tackles the service animal on airlines debate - with a dinosaur

In the clip, Pratt and Howard take on the roles of their characters Owen Grady and Claire Dearing as they try to bring a velociraptor named Blue on a flight

Pratt puts a huge, shaking cage onto the scale in the beginning of the video, much to the horror of the airline attendant.

'I cannot allow that animal to board the plane!' he firmly tells the couple.

'Oh no, no it's okay, she's a service animal,' Howard says, trying to soothe him.

'She's a dinosaur!' the attendant replies

'I mean, he needs her for emotional support,' Howard continues, giving Pratt a comforting pat on the back.

When the attendant tells the couple they can't bring a dinosaur on the plane, Howard tells him that Pratt needs her 'for emotional support'

Pratt tells the attendant that he has been with the velociraptor since birth and can't be separated from her

'No,' the attendant says again as the velociraptor continues to thump around in its cage.

'Yes, please,' Pratt begs. 'We're not just one of those bogus a-hole couples. I get anxiety and I need her to calm me down.'

'Oh word? 'Cause I'm getting anxiety just standing here,' the attendant shoots back.

The velociraptor starts to menacingly screech and Pratt tries to soothe her.

'I was with her at birth,' he continues. 'And I've been separated from her one time. And I will not let that happen again!'

'He wouldn't even have the courage to talk to you right now if she weren't here,' Howard tells the attendant.

'He's the most cowardly man you've ever seen. It's so unattractive.'

'Okay, that's not really helping,' Pratt tells Howard before he pleads with the attendant again.

'It could kill everyone on board!' the attendant screams as the velociraptor screeches

In an attempt to show the attendant he can control the velociraptor, Pratt feeds her a big raw piece of steak

The velociraptor screeches again as she eats the steak, while Pratt instructs her to then 'eat the pole' - but still the attendant remains unconvinced

'Listen, I didn't wanna do this but I read the bylaws and there's no specific rules stating that I can't have a dinosaur on your plane so load her up.'

'It could kill everyone on board!' the attendant screams as the velociraptor continues to screech.

'Name one person who was killed by a dinosaur,' Howard replies.

'What about at that park they keep having to close down?' he asks, seemingly referring to Jurassic Park.

'What park?' Howard asks, playing dumb, as Pratt proclaims 'We don't know what you're talking about'.

'Look, I wanna help you, but I have to at least know that you have some control over your animal,' the attendant tells the couple.

So Pratt gets out a huge piece of raw steak and confidently tells him, 'You wanna see control? I'll show you control'.

But the velociraptor manages to escape and suddenly Pratt has a gun in his hand, saying in his leading man voice: 'Here we go'

Howard then tells the velociraptor: 'Blue, go full beast mood!'

The velociraptor screeches again as she eats the steak, while Pratt instructs her to then 'eat the pole'.

'You're just saying things she's already doing!' the attendant claims.

To try and prove him wrong, Howard then tells Blue to 'stay'.

But the velociraptor manages to escape and suddenly Pratt has a gun in his hand, saying in his leading man voice: 'Here we go'.

The video is a promotion for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the second installment in the revamped series that will be out on June 22.

Pratt's new film follows him and Howard as they return to the Jurassic World theme park to try and rescue the remaining dinosaurs from an impending volcano.

But the CollegeHumor clip also touches on a recent issue of service animals on airline flights.

Just this week, American Airlines banned insects, goats, hedgehogs, ferrets, spiders, chickens, and hawks from being taken on flights as service animals.
Stephen King ignited a social media firestorm when he made a joke about Melania Trump's hospital stay following kidney surgery.

On Tuesday, the White House released a statement announcing that the First Lady underwent surgery on Monday for a benign kidney condition. The statement said she would remain hospitalized for the rest of the week.

King, who has spoken out against Trump on multiple occasions, jumped on Twitter to take a jab at the president but was slammed for his 'hateful' remark about Melania's condition.

'Not to be snarky,' King tweeted, 'but Melania can probably use a week's rest from Blabbermouth Don. Sounds heavenly to me.'

Stephen King was slammed on Twitter for his joke about Melania Trump's hospital stay

King tweeted that Melania remaining in the hospital for a week is 'heavenly' because she gets a 'week's rest' from Trump

The White House said in a statement that Melania underwent surgery on Monday for a benign kidney condition

Fans and critics immediately lashed out at King calling his tweet 'disgraceful' and 'hateful'.

'You know. I've been a fan of yours since I was in high school and read Christine for the first time. Now, I just feel sorry for you so full of hate and for what?' Twitter user Cindy Frazier tweeted.

'I'm sure when Mr King was injured and in the hospital his wife would have appreciated similar comments,' user Jbooth wrote. 'Have a little respect and compassion.'

Another Twitter user said he was no longer a fan of King's.

'Well, I used to be a fan,' Ed Koeb tweeted. 'Fortunately, there are plenty of other talented authors that may have a clue that some of his or her readers actually support our/your President. Not snarky, trashy.'

'Stephen King you are losing what little you have left of your facilities (sic) ... what happened to you?' Twitter user Matthew Brady posted. 'No one, of your caliber, bashed the former President or his family like.' There is dislike, but be civil my man. ... former fan of yours.'

Many people slammed King for his tweet saying it was insensitive and unnecessary

One Twitter user said she was no longer a fan of Stephen King after his remark about Melania's condition

Another Twitter user told Stephen King the tweet was 'disgraceful'

Many people said they were no longer fans of Stephen King, who has not yet addressed the backlash

'I have been a fan since Firestarter, but an author is more than his books. As long as your politics remained private I could overlook but not anymore. I am said,' user Becky Deverts wrote.

Another person told King he was 'disgraceful'.

King has yet to respond to the backlash.

In a tweet on Tuesday afternoon, Trump wrote that Melania was in 'good spirits' following her surgery.

'Our great First Lady is doing really well. Will be leaving hospital in 2 or 3 days. Thank you for so much love and support,' Trump tweeted.
Almost 2.37million were working in the UK between January and March  a rise of 155,000 on the same period in 2016

The number of EU citizens with jobs in Britain has soared since the referendum.

Almost 2.37million were working in the UK between January and March  a rise of 155,000 on the same period in 2016.

The figures, from the Office for National Statistics, appear to undermine claims that Brexit would prompt EU-born workers to flood home. The increase was driven by a surge of 116,000 workers from Romania and Bulgaria, whose citizens were given the right to seek employment here in 2014.

There were 347,000 workers from those two countries  up 50 per cent since the referendum. The influx is thought to be driven by large wage differentials between the two countries and the UK.

Workers from 14 wealthier states such as Germany, Italy, France and Greece also increased by 54,000, or 5.5 per cent, to just over 1million. Many escaped stumbling eurozone economies and high youth unemployment.

But the number of employees from Poland and seven other eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004 fell by 19,000  around 2 per cent  to 956,000.

Workers from outside the EU also rose by 235,000 over the past two years to just over 3.27million, indicating that Britain was still seen as being open for workers.

Lord Green of Deddington, chairman of Migrationwatch, which campaigns for balanced migration, said: These new labour force figures dispose of any claim of a Brexodus. However, the number of foreign workers in Britain is growing at its slowest annual rate for eight years. Year-on-year, the number of EU migrants in employment rose by only 7,000.

In the past 12 months, the number of people from Poland and the seven other eastern European countries in jobs fell by 70,000, or nearly 7 per cent.

But this was offset by increases of 41,000 from western Europe and 36,000 from Romania and Bulgaria. Experts from the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford said the drop in workers from Eastern Europe could be down to migrants returning home after a fixed period in the UK or the economic situation there improving.

Numbers of workers from outside the EU were broadly stable, with a 4,000 fall.

Jonathan Portes, professor of economics at Kings College London, said the number of European nationals  as opposed to EU-born  had fallen by 27,000 year on year.

He said: A combination of factors  a slowing economy here combined with recovery on the continent, but also the political and psychological impact of the Brexit vote have made the UK a significantly less attractive place to live and work.

Government officials are working to draw up post-Brexit arrangements which incorporate an end to free movement rules while ensuring that any fall in overseas labour does not damage the economy.

Analysis published last year showed EU migrants account for as many as one in ten employees in some sectors.

The total number of foreign-born workers increased year-on-year by 3,000 to 5.64million. This was slightly down on the historic peak of 5.7million between July and September 2017.
A woman has been filmed scrolling through her mobile phone while driving with a baby and young child in the back seat of her car.

The female motorist was driving though heavy traffic on a Sydney road on May 3 when she was approached by a motorcyclist filtering through lanes.

In video footage the rider is seen beeping at the woman, telling her to 'get off your phone, you are going to cause an accident'.

The situation quickly escalates as the woman winds down her window and argues with the motorcyclist as she shouts 'why are you talking to me?'.

The woman is later heard yelling at the motorcyclist whilst pointing her finger out of the window as he swears at her for using her phone.

She continues to drive as she is turned back with her head out of the window, arguing with the motorcyclist.

A beep presumed to be the driver is then heard as the motorcyclist sticks his finger up, flipping off the driver behind him.

The motorcyclist approaches the driver who is using her phone whilst in traffic on a busy Sydney road

The motorcyclist is then seen passing through traffic, escaping further arguing from the driver.

The video was recorded on the motorcyclists person and was later uploaded to YouTube.

The incident occurs after NSW police release a crackdown on mobile phone usage whilst driving.

The driver is recorded using her mobile phone while children are seated in the back seat of the car
Theresa May will publish a 100-page dossier setting out the Governments Brexit vision in detail next month in a bid to kick-start flagging trade talks

Theresa May will publish a 100-page dossier setting out the Governments Brexit vision in detail next month in a bid to kick-start flagging trade talks.

The White Paper will be the biggest Government statement on Brexit since the 2016 referendum, setting out plans on everything from trade, transport and fishing to data protection and security co-operation.

The decision to press ahead with the document represents a victory for David Davis, who has been arguing for months that the UK needs to get on the front foot over Brexit.

Mr Davis told ministers yesterday the White Paper would include detailed, ambitious and precise explanations of our positions... it should set out what will change and what will feel different outside the EU.

The move comes amid fears trade talks with Brussels have stalled. The EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Monday there had been little progress since March.

The new document, which ministers hope to publish before the next Brussels summit at the end of June, will also try to tackle the vexed issue of future customs arrangements, which has split the Cabinet.

Members of Mrs Mays Brexit war Cabinet again failed to resolve the customs issue during a 90-minute meeting yesterday.

Mr Davis and Mrs Mays deputy David Lidington gave brief presentations on work to tackle problems with the Governments two customs options. But sources said the two sides in the debate were no nearer to reaching agreement.

Instead, ministers spent much of the meeting discussing arrangements for the Irish border if neither of the Governments two customs options succeeds.

Eurosceptic MPs yesterday urged Mrs May to face down Brussels and Dublin over its demand that Northern Ireland effectively remain within the customs union in order to prevent the creation of a so-called hard border.

Members of Mrs Mays Brexit war Cabinet again failed to resolve the customs issue during a 90-minute meeting yesterday

Jacob Rees-Mogg, who clashed with the Prime Minister over the issue in private talks on Monday, said: The Irish government needs to understand that if it obliges us to choose between the Republic and the Union, we will choose the Union. Mr Rees-Mogg accused Brussels of displaying only faux concern over Ireland  and is said to have told Mrs May she could win a referendum on Irish unification.

Privately, many ministers believe Brussels has been stalling over trade talks in the hope that the Irish border issue will force the UK to stay in the customs union.

A former Civil Service chief launched another bitter attack on Brexit last night.

Lord Kerslake hit out at the Governments indecisiveness, and said none of the proposals for customs arrangements would work.

The crossbench peer has acted as an adviser to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on several issues, and his repeated attacks on government policy have led to questions about his impartiality.
Dr Schram's PhD certificate - proof positive of his credentials

KEITH JACKSON

NOOSA  Albert Schrams application seeking leave to retrieve his original PhD documentation from Italy is now being determined by the PNG national court.

The former vice chancellor of Papua New Guinea's University of Technology and his wife Paulina sit in a Port Moresby hotel nervously awaiting the outcome of the judges deliberations.

The national court is expected to make a decision by Monday.

Dr Schram was arrested earlier this month and charged with obtaining employment through false pretence with police alleging he produced a fake PhD certificate to Unitech in 2012 when he was seeking the post of vice-chancellor.

This matter was first raised in 2013, not long after Dr Schrams appointment, as he began to implement measures to improve financial transparency and accountability at Unitech.

These interventions caused controversy among some senior staff at the university leading pro-chancellor Ralph Saulep to challenge the veracity of the doctorate after which Dr Schram was deported from PNG in March 2013.
A secretive religious cult leader who was convicted of sexual abuse has died - leaving a shocking legacy including claims of sexual and physical assault, forced marriage and threat of eternal damnation for anyone who strayed from the community's interpretation of the New Testament.

Hopeful Christian, born Neville Cooper before changing his name, was an Australian evangelist who founded Gloriavale Christian Community - a controversial and reclusive cult - in 1969 on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island.

Christian, who died aged in his 90s, had been suffering from prostate cancer, according to the New Zealand Herald.

He moved from Australia with his wife first Gloria, and was known as the 'overseeing shepherd' of the community he led for more than 40 years. He retired in 2010 but continued an active role. He is believed to have had 19 children with three wives.

About 550 people live in Gloriavale, where followers submit to the cult's interpretation of the New Testament and work unpaid. Women are considered to be subordinate to men and are forced to wear headscarves and loose, full-length blue dresses with high necklines and long sleeves.

Former cult members have made numerous allegations of sexual and physical assault, said women faced submission, domestic servitude and fear of going to hell.

Scroll down for video

Hopeful Christian, formerly known as Neville Cooper, was the founder of Gloriavale Christian Community

Lilia Tarawa (centre) grew up at Gloriavale and is the granddaughter of Hopeful Christian. She eventually escaped the cult

In 1995, Christian spent 11 months behind bars for sexual abuse.

Former cult member Yvette Olsen broke her silence to say she had been sexually abused by Christian three times when she was 19, describing him as a 'dirty old man' of 'unbridled lust'.

Ms Olsen said he called her a 'harlot' after she started dating a 14-year-old boy in the community when she was 16.

Christian faced three charges of indecent assault stemming from 1984, when a 19-year-old member of the community testified that she was penetrated with a wooden object.

Christian argued that the girl was given the object and told to use it on herself as a means of 'therapy'.

Families in the community were apparently unaware of the nature of Christian's crime and were led to believe he had been imprisoned for preaching the gospel.

A report on the controversial sect by the government's Charities Services unveiled a multitude of claims made by 11 former members and unearthed disturbing allegations of abuse, forced marriage and imprisonment.

Five female Gloriavale defectors claimed they were the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the same alleged offender, with suggestions a sexual predator may be lurking within the community.

Two women from outside Gloriavale also claim they were victims of sexual assault by the same alleged offender.

Gloriavale spokesman Fervent Stedfast said the sexual assault allegations and suggestion a sexual predator lived within the community were 'nonsense'.

In 2014, the community - a trust registered as a tax-exempt charity and then run by four church leaders and overseen by Christian - was revealed to own $36.6 million of assets. This included an aircraft repair firm and a dairy farm.

Christian had been suffering from prostate cancer, it is understood, and was aged in his 90s

Yvette Olsen (not pictured) said she was sexually abused by Christian three times when she was 19

About 550 people live in Gloriavale, who follow a strict interpretation of the New Testament

Lilia Tarawa, 26, grew up at Gloriavale and is the granddaughter of Hopeful Christian. She escaped the cult's oppressive rules and now lives in the outside world.

She told Daily Mail Australia she was openly mocked by Christian after receiving a school report praising her leadership qualities.

Ms Tarawa said she was actively encouraged not to speak out in the repressive community

'My grandfather read it aloud at dinner and mocked me in front of everyone,' she remembered. 'He called me 'bossy' and said we didn't want bossy women in the community.

'I was humiliated and still struggle with a lack of self worth sometimes today because of that.'

From there, things only got worse for Ms Tawara, who witnessed a boy 'being belted with a metal strap by a teacher' at her community-run school.

'Old-fashioned corporal punishment was encouraged. Those memories are hard, but I shared those stories because it's when I started to think 'this isn't right',' she explained.

While she knew that things weren't right, Ms Tarawa was actively encouraged not to speak out in the repressive community.

Children were lower than women in the hierarchy - and everyone was made to share everything - whether it was meals, prayers or breastfeeding. Meanwhile, young girls were married to much older men in arranged marriages.

'I couldn't speak out,' Ms Tarawa said. 'Your whole life is lived in fear of hell and damnation.'

On another occasion from her childhood, Ms Tarawa admitted to stealing rolled oats, after her charismatic grandfather told the community that it was better to speak out than stay silent and be damned.

'Grandad reminded us of the consequences of stealing. "If your hand or foot causes you to sin then it's better for it to be cut off than have all your limbs and be cast into everlasting hell fire",' she recalled.

'I wanted to ignore my conscience but the guilt was too much. Condemnation festered in my soul. If I didn't cleanse myself then I'd be damned to eternity with Satan... I'd rather look like an idiot now than lose my salvation.'

At the age of 16, like many of the women in the 90 families inside the Gloriavale community, Lilia made a vow to her grandfather during her commitment ceremony.

She promised, like others, that she would submit to males, look after her home and remain 'meek', 'modest' and 'pure'.

At this point, she also renounced adultery, divorce, birth control and abortion.

'Gloriavale told me that I wasn't allowed to have sex with anyone until I was married,' Ms Tarawa said.

'In fact, it wasn't until I escaped the cult later and had sex for the first time, that I was finally broken free from the religious chain.

'I realised I wasn't going to go to hell for having sex. That was the beginning of my freedom.'

Eventually, the Tarawa family left Gloriavale for good, at which point Ms Tarawa broke free from the religion which had defined her childhood and embraced the modern world.

They wear standardised clothing - women in long, blue dresses and often cover their hair with scarves, while men wear neckties, dark blue pants and light blue sleeved shirt
A Florida high school agriculture teacher is under fire after he was filmed drowning two wild raccoons in a garbage bin during class with his students.

Dewie Brewton has been placed on administrative leave from Forest High School in Ocala after a freshman student leaked the shocking footage.

The mother of the student who filmed Brewton's class said her son was in tears when he revealed what had happened to the two raccoons in agriculture class on Monday.

Footage from the class shows a raccoon in a metal wire trap being dunked into a garbage bin that has been filled with water.

Dewie Brewton has been placed on administrative leave from Forest High School in Ocala, Forida after footage revealed he had drowned two raccoons in his agriculture class

Footage of the class shows a raccoon in a metal wire trap being dunked into a garbage bin that has been filled with water to drown it

Multiple students can be seen helping with the drowning, while others stand around and watch.

'It made me sick,' the mother, who asked to remain anonymous, told WKMG. 'It made me sick to my stomach.'

'It's terrible. It still does make me sick to my stomach.'

The mother said Brewton, who has worked at the school since 2006, 'pinned' the raccoons and caught them in cages before he 'had the children drown' them.

She claims the raccoons were held down with metal rods when they tried to come up for air.

The mother said Brewton, who has worked at the school since 2006, 'pinned' the raccoons and caught them in cages before he 'had the children drown the raccoons'

The mother said that Brewton decided to kill the raccoons because it ate a chicken that the class had been raising

In one video, students can be seen pouring water into the raccoons cage as it sits in the garbage bin

'When the raccoon would try to pop its head up they held water hoses in its face to drown it,' she added.

The mother said that Brewton decided to kill the raccoons because it ate a chicken that the class had been raising.

She told Kron 4 that Brewton threatened to give a 'referral' to any student in the class who recorded or took pictures of the drowning.

'[My son] knew while it was happening that it was wrong, so he did it anyway and stood behind people hiding, taking pictures and videos,' she said.

In one video, students can be seen pouring water into the raccoons cage as it sits in the garbage bin.

'Why is he not fighting?' one person asks in the clip as the raccoon sits in the garbage bin filled with water.

Brewton was placed on administrative leave on Tuesday and the incident is being investigated by Marion County Public School officials.

Brewton was placed on administrative leave on Tuesday and the incident is being investigated by Marion County Public School officials

'While law enforcement tells us the teacher did not do anything illegal, his actions before students are certainly questionable,' a spokesperson told WKMG.

'The district is determining the status of the teacher at this moment.'

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is also investigating and officers from the FFWCC were at the school on Tuesday.

It released a statement on Tuesday saying it was 'looking into' the incident and that officers are determining 'the legality of what occurred', according to OCALA.

The FFWCC will present its findings to the state attorney's office, which will then determine whether Brewton will face criminal charges.

Forest High School's Future Farmers of America Alumni Chapter has since rallied around Brewton, who is the group's adviser.

Forest High School's Future Farmers of America Alumni Chapter has since rallied around Brewton, who is the group's adviser

'We would like to say that we are 100 percent behind our adviser and everything he does for our children/students,' the statement, posted on Facebook, reads.

'This is a man who would give everything he had to make sure that his children/students are taken care of. He has always gone above and beyond his call of duty to ensure that his students had everything they needed.'

'He has spent late nights, weekends and has provided around the clock support for his club and for his school.'

'We must focus on all of the extremely positive and life changing things that this man has done for people.'

But the mother of the student who filmed the incident remains unconvinced that the raccoons were handled in the appropriate manner.

'I don't think that's the way to treat any animal,' she said. 'Whether it is a raccoon or (another animal) you just don't torture an animal and kill it like that.'
Britain will attempt to save the Iran nuclear deal after Donald Trump pulled the US out of the agreement, as hurried talks are held between Boris Johnson and his counterparts.

The Foreign Secretary had said Britain continues to believe that the Iran nuclear deal 'has value' as he arrived in Brussels for EU-hosted talks with France and Germany.

The talks were followed by a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in an intensive diplomatic effort to shore up agreement over the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson met his European counterparts to discuss the Iran nuclear deal - but appeared to be left out on a limb

The landmark 2015 agreement was meant to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

But the US pulled out of the pact last week and promised to impose tough economic sanctions on Iran.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told reporters it and the E3 - the UK, Germany and France, had agreed to 'deepen our dialogue at all levels'.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (L) and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during a meeting of the E3 and Iran at the Europa building in Brussels, Belgium

She told reporters it was a positive meeting.

She said: 'It allowed us to agree on a common set of lines of actions and measures to put in place on which we will start working tomorrow.'

Arriving earlier on Tuesday in the Belgian capital, Johnson said: 'We think it (the JCPOA) has value, we continue to believe in it even though America has decided to walk away.

'So we will be looking at a package of measures that we may be able to devise as Europeans to encourage the Iranians to stay in the deal.

Tuesday's meeting was held amid fears that European companies may face reprisals from the US for breaching American sanctions by continuing to operate in Iran.

Mr Johnson said before the meeting: 'We will be looking at all the ways we can come up with to protect legitimate UK and European businesses who may want to trade with Iran, who do want to trade and have great plans to do that.

'But we have to accept, we have to be realistic, about the electrified rail, the live wire of American extra-territoriality and how that can serve as a deterrent to business ... that doesn't mean there aren't some things we can do.'

European diplomats wanted to show they were not gullible and would not drop other divisive issues with Tehran, including its role in the Syria conflict.

'I want to stress we are under no illusion about the stuff Iran gets up to in the region, in the Middle East. We have no illusions about Iran's disruptive behaviour, but we think we can tackle those in other ways,' Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said.

'As you know very well, we have many other disagreements,' she said. But, she added, 'with the nuclear deal in place we have better chances to address any other issues we have to address with Iran'.

Mr Johnson held talks with French foreign minister Jean-Yves le Drian in London on Monday and said Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Paris on the need to preserve the JCPOA, which removed sanctions on Iran in return for Tehran giving up its military nuclear programme.

British Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson (L) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (C) and the French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian (R)

(Left to right) Vice-President of the Commission Federica Mogherini, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas and the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson

The pair were joined by German foreign minister Heiko Maas in Brussels.

Mr Zarif told reporters as he left that the meetings had been 'a good start', adding: 'I believe we are on the right track, now a lot depends on what we can do within the next two weeks.'

The European Commission has been examining measures to counter the introduction of any US sanctions that could harm European businesses.

The commission is expected to unveil them to EU leaders at a summit in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Wednesday.

Among them is the possible use of an EU 'blocking regulation' which would, in essence, ban European companies from respecting American sanctions when the sanctions might damage EU interests, notably trade and the movement of capital.

The regulation, which has been brandished as a threat in the past but never used, was drawn up more than 20 years ago and would have to be revised.
Desperate villagers escaping civil war in Myanmar are using elephants to cross a deep river.

Sick, young and elderly villagers piled their few belongings onto the majestic creatures to escape fierce fighting.

Thousands of people recently completed a trek through dense jungle to safety and some crossed a chest-deep river in Myanmar's remote Kachin state.

The people of Awng Lawt in Kachin state were forced from their homes by escalating fighting between rebels from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Myanmar's military earlier this year.

Working elephants are widely used in the rough terrain of Kachin state, including by rebel groups fighting Myanmar's army

The army has driven our some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims since August, a move that has been met with fierce international condemnation

The army has driven our some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims since August, a move that has been met with fierce international condemnation.

For three days, the cillageers shelter in their paddy fields as the sound of gunfire and fighter jets came ever closer.

But as shells started to fall among their homes, village leaders ordered an evacuation to IDP camps dozens of kilometres away.

The slowest and most vulnerable could only manage to hack through the jungle undergrowth for three or four hours a day.

On May 2, after nearly a month and with food running out, they reached the river where some local elephant owners came to their aid.

Thousands of people recently completed a trek through dense jungle to safety and crossed a chest-deep river in Myanmar's remote Kachin state

The slowest and most vulnerable could only manage to hack through the jungle undergrowth for three or four hours a day

Remarkable footage shows Kachin villagers in bright traditional headdresses hoisting youngsters onto the backs of several of the giant creatures to cross the waterway.

'We had some elderly, sick and blind people,' said one villager, preferring not to give his name. 'So we asked the mahouts for help to carry those people.'

Working elephants are widely used in the rough terrain of Kachin state, including by rebel groups fighting Myanmar's army, which is equipped with helicopters and fighter jets.

Most of the villagers are now in camps but, as the fighting rages, they do not know how long it will be before they can return home.

Myanmar has been mired in almost continuous conflict with ethnic insurgent groups for more than 70 years.

More than 100,000 people have been displaced by the violence in and around Kachin state, according to the latest UN figures.
An African athlete who fled the Commonwealth Games in the middle of the night, has boasted of his exploits across Australia in a series of provocative photographs.

Simplice Fotsala, a 29-year-old boxer from Cameroon, has posed with his thumbs up in front of Melbourne landmarks including the city's Arts Centre, the Seafarers Bridge and Morang train station.

The photos were posted on April 21, six days after the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games came to a close.

Simplice Fotsala, a 29-year-old boxer from Cameroon, has posed in a series of photos posted on his Facebook page, including this photo in front of Melbourne's Arts Centre

The photos were posted by Fotsala on April 21, just six days after the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games came to a close

Fotsala was one of five athletes from conflict-torn Cameroon to go missing from the Commonwealth Games, including two boxers and three weightlifters.

The athletes were all warned they would face mandatory detention and deportation for overstaying their visas if they did not leave the country before midnight on Tuesday.

Some of the missing athletes have contacted the Refugee Advice and Casework Service in Sydney to seek protection visas, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Since posting the daring photos to his Facebook page, Fotsala has been praised by friends back home for having the 'courage' to flee.

Fotsala (circled) was one of five athletes from conflict-hit Cameroon to go missing from the Commonwealth Games, including a second boxer and three weightlifters. Eight athletes in total went missing from Africa (pictured)

Fotsala can be seen posing with his thumbs up in this photo at Melbourne's Morang train station

The Cameroon athlete appears carefree, posing with a grin on his face and even donning his black and red Commonwealth Games team slippers (left and right)

Simplice Fotsala (right) is seen competing during the Rio Olympic Games in 2016

'You really did it, buddy,' one man said.

'Cool my buddy, very well played,' another supporter said.

The praise continued, with others saying: 'congratulations' and 'force to you my bro'.

When Fotsala posted the photos to his Facebook page, he made them publicly accessible to anyone on the social media platform, including the authorities.

However the Cameroon athlete appeared carefree, posing with a grin on his face and even donning his black and red Commonwealth Games team slippers.
A man has hit back at critics complaining about service during flights to Bali.

Mark Sheridan took to social media this week to tell passengers they should just be grateful tickets don't cost $1,400 anymore.

'WARNING,' the Facebook post read. 'If you're travelling to Bali be careful.'

Mark Sheridan said on Facebook passengers should just be grateful tickets don't cost $1,400 to get to the tropical destination

He urged tourists to make the most of their trip and embrace the opportunity

'You will pay an extremely cheap airfare and still be disappointed with the service you get and the flight - no matter which airline you travel with, Jetstar, Air Asia or Garuda.'

The former ground staff and cabin crew employee said explained people these days expect everything for free and still find reasons to complain.

'Delays, no water, expensive water, no blankets, delays, bad service, delays.'

Airfares used to be $1,400 return to Bali, he said and urged travellers to make the most of their holiday.

'WARNING,' the Facebook post read. 'If you're travelling to Bali be careful.'

'The airlines are all the same unless you travel first class with Emirates or someone. Chillax people.'

Mr Sheridan told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday the post was written light-heartedly, as so many people will find any little thing to pick at and dismiss the overall benefits.

'Be grateful. Some people never get the chance to go on a holiday yet travel on an aeroplane.'

'Enjoy everything the country and culture has to offer.'

Flights booked to Bali in the middle of May for June could be scooped up for as little as $351 from Sydney.

The former ground staff and cabin crew employee said explained people these days expect everything for free and still find reasons to complain

People took to social media to complain about flying to Bali

One person said their service was 'pathetic' after flying on Jetstar

Travellers looking ahead to August are able to scoop flights for just $239 one way on Jetstar.

Tourists should be weary of taking off too soon however after a warning was issued for the hotspot.

Holiday makers were told to exercise a high degree of caution at the destination following a wave of deadly terror attacks.

Another person complained that they were unable to get to their intended destination

One traveller complained that they weren't offered a glass of water on a flight

Travel advice, issued by the Australian Government, has warned there is a heightened risk of terror attacks in Indonesia during the month of Ramadan, which started on Tuesday.

Travellers have been told attacks could happen 'anywhere, anytime' during the Muslim fasting month, as highlighted by a young family of ISIS supporters who killed more than a dozen people in suicide bombings at Christian churches on Sunday.

The 3,224 Australians now holidaying in Indonesia, mainly in Bali, have been told to follow the government's official travel advice and to remain vigilant.
Starbucks and Amazon have come out swinging against a new tax in Seattle that would see large corporations pay $275 in tax for every employee.

Any firm earning more than $20 million a year will be asked to pay a head tax, which will raise up to about $48million to help battle the city's homelessness problem.

Amazon, which employs about 45,000 people in Seattle, will shoulder most of the burden - and they're not happy about it, instead claiming the city is anti-business and has a spending efficiency problem.

Amazon has lashed out at Seattle City Council after a controversial new tax bill passed on Monday

The bill will see companies making more than $20million pay a yearly tax of $275 per employee in Seattle, with the money used to help the city's homeless (stock image)

A spokesman for Starbucks, which will be one of the worst hit companies, said the city's spending priorities were skewed

Amazon vice president Drew Herdener said the company was 'disappointed', but had recommenced building a new 18-storey building.

'We remain very apprehensive about the future created by the council's hostile approach and rhetoric toward larger businesses, which forces us to question our growth here,' he said in a statement.

'City of Seattle revenues have grown dramatically from $2.8B in 2010 to $4.2B in 2017, and they will be even higher in 2018. This revenue increase far outpaces the Seattle population increase over the same time period.

'The city does not have a revenue problem  it has a spending efficiency problem. We are highly uncertain whether the city council's anti-business positions or its spending inefficiency will change for the better.'

The bill was hotly contested, with many in support of having large companies, who are heavily blamed for the city's wealth disparity, help fix Seattle's issues

But Amazon said the city was reckless with its spending and could not be trusted with the estimated $48million the tax would bring in

Starbucks was equally as angry, and agreed the City needed to change its priorities or it could not be trusted with so much money.

John Kelly, Starbucks' senior vice president of global public affairs, said the Council had made poor spending decisions in the past at the expense of the city's most vulnerable.

'This City continues to spend without reforming and fail without accountability, while ignoring the plight of hundreds of children sleeping outside,' Kelly said. 'If they cannot provide a warm meal and safe bed to a 5-year-old child, no one believes they will be able to make housing affordable or address opiate addiction.

'This City pays more attention to the desires of the owners of illegally parked RVs than families seeking emergency shelter.'

In January, the Seattle Times reported there were 11,643 homeless people in the city. Last year alone, $68million was spent on trying to help those people.

In January, there were 11,643 people homeless throughout Seattle (stock image)

The city has the third-largest number of homeless people anywhere in the US, with 169 people dying out on the streets in 2017.

The city declared a state of emergency over homelessness in 2015.

Rising house prices driven by Seattle's rapid economic boom has exacerbated the problem, with many blaming large firms for rising inequality.

City coffers are expected to receive around $48million per year under the new proposal, down from $80million under the original.

Councillors say they plan to spend two thirds of the new money on affordable housing, building 591 units over the course of five years, and the other third on emergency shelters, trash pickup, and raises for service workers.

The city spent $68million in 2017 alone trying to help eradicate the problem (stock image)

Overall, around three percent of Seattle businesses will be hit by the tax, which will last for five years before another vote is held on whether to renew it.

While Mayor Jenny Durkan is delighted the vote passed City Hall, she told KOMO News on Monday she knew it would not solve the crisis entirely.

'No one is saying that this will solve everything, but it will make a meaningful difference,' she said.

'This legislation will help us address our homelessness crisis without jeopardizing critical jobs.

'Because this ordinance represents a true shared solution, and because it lifts up those who have been left behind while also ensuring accountability and transparency, I plan to sign this legislation into law.'
EXCLUSIVE: Michael Cohen 'asked Qatari investor for millions of dollars' which he said he would 'pass to Trump family members' at Trump Tower meeting - and Qatar's foreign minister was there too

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Cohen 'asked Qatari investor for millions of dollars' which he said he would 'pass to Trump family members' at Trump Tower meeting - and Qatar's foreign minister was there too

Donald Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, is facing claims he asked a Middle Eastern official for millions of dollars to give to 'Trump family members' in a meeting at Trump Tower weeks after the president's election victory, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Cohen is alleged to have asked Ahmed Al-Rumaihi, a former diplomat in charge of a $100bn Qatari investment fund, to send 'millions' through him to Trump family members. A source told DailyMail.com that the Qatari said he refused.

Al-Rumaihi on Tuesday issued a statement agreeing that he was at Trump Tower and a source with knowledge of the daysaid that Cohen had 'popped in' briefly to a meeting. Photographs show that he was part of a group greeted by Cohen, who went up in an elevator with them.

DailyMail.com can disclose that the group also included Qatar's foreign minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

The claims of a demand for 'millions' were made by a senior Kuwaiti government source close to Al-Rumaihi.

Last week DailyMail.com revealed that Al-Rumaihi was accused in court documents of boasting about bribing disgraced Trump former aide Michael Flynn, and attempting to bribe Trump's former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon  charges which the investor denies.

The Kuwaiti source told DailyMail.com that following DailyMail.com's disclosure of the court case, Al-Rumaihi called him and boasted that Cohen had asked him for money in exchange for influence in the Trump administration.

The official said: 'He said Cohen told him to send millions to various members of the Trump family.' Al-Rumaihi did not do so, the official added. The Trump family members were not named.
Exorcists are conducting suburban rituals to cast out demons from people they believe are possessed by Satan.

Pastor Maurice Chapman conducts one-to-one ceremonies out of his Melbourne church, while US 'deliverance minister' Jay Barlett has held group sessions in Sydney.

Using the internet to advertise, these twenty-first century exorcists claim to be able to save people who are suffering from demonic possession.

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Exorcists are conducting suburban rituals to cast out demons from people they believe are possessed by Satan (pictured is a Sydney exorcism)

Using the internet to advertise, these twenty-first century exorcists claim to be able to save people who are suffering from demonic possession (pictured is a Sydney exorcism)

They say even simple activities such as masturbation, yoga, using tarot cards and even watching Harry Potter can cause people to become possessed.

'Harry Potter [is] the greatest curse to mankind, because kids are so drawn to that, it's all witchcraft - this is how the Devil is getting in,' Pastor Maurice told SBS.

One of Pastor Maurice's clients is a Sydney man named Dermott who has undergone a week of exorcisms to evict demons he believe have taken hold of his body.

Footage of one session shows Pastor Maurice shout 'Spirit of masturbation - out in the name of Jesus!' while holding his palm over Dermott's head.

Another client, Yul, believes he heard voices but was saved after undergoing deliverance, another name for exorcism.

'At one brief stint I started hearing "just kill yourself",' he said.

'But I've got good news, when I went to a deliverance I never heard those voices again - they went.'

Jay Bartlett is an American 'deliverance minister' who travels the world performing exorcisms.

Jay Bartlett (pictured) is an American 'deliverance minister' who travels the world performing exorcisms

At one Sydney event he was filmed conducting a ceremony on multiple people, one of whom claimed to be possessed by 24 demons.

His subjects twitched and screamed, and he used a large silver cross while claiming to cast demons out of his subjects.

On his website Bartlett offers services including spiritual testing 'to determine if you have evil spirits, heart parts, ancestral heart parts and soul invaders'.

He also provides 'for opportunities for evil spirits to be driven out, heart parts to be healed and bodies supernaturally repaired'.

Exorcism expert Sarah Ferber from the University of Wollongong warned exorcists and deliverance ministers do not have their subjects' best interests in mind.

They prioritise their service to God, and are not concerned with the mental or emotional health of those asking them for help, she said.

Linda Chaniotis from Adelaide was sent to an exorcist by her devout Pentecostal Christian parents.

She was told that she was a 'bad child', possessed by demons and cursed by a witch, and put through deliverance when she was as young as ten.

At the age of 30 she was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy, and said she was relieved to find out there was a explanation for her symptoms.
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The royal wedding may still be days away, but Meghan Markle's fomer high school is using it as an excuse to celebrate.

Meghan's alma mater, the Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, threw a special celebration on Tuesday in honor of one of its most famous former students.

Hundreds of girls gathered for the 'Here's to Meghan' event, where they toasted the soon-to-be princess and Prince Harry with cookies, tea, and lemonade.

Many of the students were happy to get in the spirit for the occasion, sporting tiaras or decorating themselves with both British and American flags.

Meghan Markle's alma mater, the Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, threw a special celebration on Tuesday in honor of one of its most famous former students

Hundreds of girls gathered for the 'Here's to Meghan' event, where they toasted the soon-to-be princess and Prince Harry with cookies, tea, and lemonade

Many of the students were happy to get in the spirit for the occasion, sporting tiaras or decorating themselves with both British and American flags

Meghan (pictured with Prince Harry at an Anzac Day service) went to both middle and high school at Immaculate Heart

Some girls wore large hats in a reference to the festive headwear sported at British weddings, while others teased their hair sky high to resemble the headpieces.

The school posed with a British flag for a group photo and even hung the Union Jack next to the Stars and Stripes on its balcony.

There was even a corgi in attendance, no doubt a salute the Queen of England's beloved dogs.

The adorable pup was outfitted in an I Heart Meghan shirt, the heart filled in with the British flag.

Many of the girls waved British flags in honor of Meghan's new home as they smiled for photos together on Tuesday

Some girls wore sunhats in a reference to the festive headpieces that are seen at British weddings and will no doubt be sported during Saturday's nuptials

Other girls sported tiaras in honor of Meghan's soon-to-be title. Meghan will be the first biracial woman to marry into the British monarchy

Girls hugged, cheered, and danced as they celebrated Meghan, who graduated from the all-girls Catholic school in 1999.

Meghan went to both middle and high school at Immaculate Heart and has joined the ranks of famous alumnae that include Tyra Banks and Mary Tyler Moore.

The future actress got her start in theatrical productions at both Immaculate and nearby Loyola High School.

And, in her senior year, Meghan was chosen by the school to serve as a student leader for her class' 'Kairos retreat'.

The school posed with a British flag for a group photo and even hung the Union Jack next to the American flag on its balcony

Many of the girls got into the spirit of the occasion by teasing their hair sky high to resemble the British wedding headpieces

This girl opted for just putting American and British flags into her bun as a way to celebrate Meghan on Tuesday afternoon

The honor is given to students who are 'known for their empathy as well as their abilities to listen and guide students', according to Immaculate's website.

And Meghan's school isn't the only Los Angeles institution catching royal fever.

The city's famous Pinks Hot Dogs has also created a special menu item in honor of their hometown princess' big day, according to CBS Los Angeles.

Pinks' 'Royal Dog' will feature two hots dogs in one bun that is topped with mustard, cheese, pickle relish, onion, Pink's chili, and two slices of bacon.

A group of girls joyfully cheer and wave their American and British flags at the 'Here's to Meghan!' celebration on Tuesday

There was even a corgi in attendance - no doubt a salute the Queen of England's beloved pups - that was outfitted in an I Heart Meghan shirt

Girls hugged, cheered, and danced as they celebrated Meghan, who graduated from the all-girls Catholic school in 1999

Meghan has joined the rank of famous alumnae at Immaculate Heart that include the likes of Tyra Banks and Mary Tyler Moore

Amid all the joyous celebration, a devastating family crisis has been brewing for the last few days as it has been revealed Meghan's father won't be attending the wedding.

Thomas Markle, 73, revealed he cannot fly to England and walk his daughter down the aisle because he needs to have major heart surgery on Wednesday.

Mr Markle told TMZ that doctors will 'go in and clear blockage, repair damage, and put a stent where it is needed' during the operation.

He also revealed he believes his heart attack was triggered by an open letter that his son, Thomas Jr, wrote trying to convince Prince Harry not to marry Meghan.

Meghan Markle's father has once again pulled out of his daughter's big day, revealing that he needs to have major heart surgery on Wednesday morning

The surgery seems to be the final end to speculation surrounding Mr Markle's attendance, just hours after it seemed Meghan had convinced her father to come to her wedding

Mr Markle also revealed he believes his heart attack was triggered by an open letter his son, Thomas Jr (pictured), wrote to Prince Harry trying to convince him not to marry Meghan

The surgery seems to be the final end to a roller coaster of speculation surrounding whether Mr Markle would attend the royal wedding, just hours after it seemed Meghan had convinced her father to change his mind and walk her down the aisle.

Mr Markle astonishingly pulled out of the royal wedding on Monday, saying he didnt want to embarrass his daughter any further after the Mail on Sunday revealed he had staged paparazzi photos for money.

On Tuesday it seemed he had backtracked on his decision after the bride-to-be pleaded with him to come to England.

But that very same day, Meghan's father said he had to return to the hospital after suffering chest pains.

Meghan Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, made her way to Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday ahead of the wedding

It is now largely believed that it will be Ragland who walks Meghan down the aisle on Saturday since Thomas is not attending

Mr Markle said a battery of tests found that the heart attack had done 'significant damage' and revealed he needed immediate surgery.

But Meghan's mother Doria Ragland will still be by her side, and is now speculated to be the likely choice to walk her down the aisle.

Ragland, 61, was seen being picked up by an SUV at her California home before heading to Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, where she was dropped off at a private entrance.

The yoga instructor and social worker was seen clutching a Burberry garment bag - which likely contains an outfit she will wear during Meghan's wedding weekend.
The shocking moment a motorist swerves into another during an alleged road rage incident has been caught on camera.

Police have released dashcam footage of the incident, which happened on Sulwood Drive in Canberra at about 3pm on May 7.

The video shows a black Toyota Kluger SUV turning left behind another vehicle.

The shocking moment a motorist swerves into another during an alleged road rage incident has been caught on camera

The black SUV is then then seen speeding up and turning into the emergency lane as it draws level with the other car.

The SUV then swerves right, right into the side of the other vehicle before pulling out in front of traffic and driving down the other side of the road.

Police said it was not believed anyone was injured during the incident. They are now seeking the public's assistance.

'ACT Policing is seeking the public's help to identify a vehicle involved in a collision on Sulwood Drive, Kambah on Monday, 7 May 2018,' ACT Police said in a statement.

'If you have information that can identify the black Toyota Kluger or additional dash-cam footage of the collision please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.'
Before he allegedly shot his family dead and killed himself on the back verandah, friends and neighbours knew Margaret River murderer Peter Miles was battling depression.

Cynda Miles reportedly confided in friends that her husband's mental condition was 'getting worse and worse' in the days before his death.

Another local who that week returned a tool to the family's acreage in Osmington, Western Australia, believed that the 61-year-old was 'in a bad way'.

Quiet, but 'chatty and cheerful' when drawn out of his shell, no one in the small rural area (population 135) anticipated the grandfather was capable of committing the country's worst mass killing since Port Arthur.

Police believe Peter Miles (left) murdered his family in the early hours of the morning, before killing himself

Deadly relationship: Grandfather Peter Miles (left photo) is believed to have killed his wife (right), daughter (red dress) and her four autistic children

The family massacre has devastated the local community - with flowers piling up in town

Organic farmer Bee Winfield, from Nannup, about 45 minutes drive east, was proud to call Peter and Cynda among her friends.

She described Miles as suffering hearing problems. He would 'fade into the background' in social settings, she said.

'He was a quiet guy but when you talk one on one to him ... unless you know him a bit then he would love to talk.'

The former dairy farmer's favourite topics included state politics and 'the rough deal farmers get'.

He also loved to talk about the state of the world, and was easy to get talking about climate change or Donald Trump.

Ms Winfield recalled Miles as 'cheerful and chatty' during a 2015 soil course at her organic farm.

Later, Peter came and gave Ms Winfield and her husband a day's toil when one of them was struggling with medical issues.

'I was stressed out - we were far behind - and I'm telling (my husband) off,' she recalled.

A happier time: Cynda Haynes with grandchildren Rylan, 9, and Kadyn, 5, Arye, 8, and Taye, 11, and friends Felicity Haynes and Karen Majer, several years ago

All four of Katrina Miles's children were on the autism spectrum. She is pictured with some of them above

What happened? Peter with his family years before the tragedy... pictured are Rylan, 12, Kadyn, 8, Ayre,10, Cynda, 58, Peter, 61, Taye, 13, and mother Katrina

'Peter's going, 'it's OK Stewy, what do we need to get done,'' ignoring me and just pacifying (the situation).'

But she finds it difficult to reconcile that Peter with the monster who last week slaughtered the family he once doted upon.

The children had been 'everything' to him, and Cynda 'had nothing but praise for him,' Ms Winfield claimed.

'What in the heck were his thought processes?' she wondered.

Neighbour Felicity Haynes this week told the ABC's 7.30 program a few locals knew he was suffering from a mental health troubles.

'I knew he had been depressed for some time,' Dr Haynes said.

'He's had a difficult life and there have been deaths in the family that really upset him.'

Peter's estranged son-in-law Aaron Cockman said one of his sons had died by suicide.

Another was suffering kidney issues in hospital about the time of the killings.

Locals, left and right, bring flowers to a community hall near Osmington at the weekend

Investigators were still combing through the Miles-Cockman family home on Tuesday

Cynda Miles was well known for her environmental work in the local community

There were other issues that had weighed on his mind in recent years.

Mr Cockman and Peter's daughter Katrina were estranged. It has been widely reported there were tensions between him and the family.

Dr Haynes told Daily Mail Australia this week Peter and the family moved to the Osmington property back in 2014 with the hope of creating a safe, happy and sustainable future.

But the drought took its toll on the farm. Aerial pictures broadcast after the murders last week showed a dam Peter had dug, all of his own accord, was barren.

He had also been looking for work. Wife Cynda posted a picture of one of his business cards on Facebook.

He also sought farming and vineyard work on classifieds website Gumtree.

Police forensics officers are seen above on the sprawling 30-acre property the family called home last Friday

'I have over 30 years farming experience and over 12 years vineyard experience,' he wrote.

'I enjoy a variety of jobs and willing to do one off small jobs as well as your larger contracts.'

A tribute photograph left for the Miles-Cockman family

It is unclear what led Peter to commit the heinous crimes, but another neighbour told the Seven Network he seemed 'strange' last Thursday.

'He was meant to come meet me tomorrow because he was going to look after my property for me while I was away,' he said.

'When I think back he sounded strange on the phone ... a bit vague about the whole thing.

'I remember thinking it was odd.'

According to a version of events provided by Mr Cockman, Peter killed his grandchildren and daughter in their cottage.

Then, he allegedly shot his wife dead, called the emergency line Triple Zero, and killed himself.

Peter Miles was found dead, in a chair on the back verandah, a rifle between his legs.

Police investigations continue.
A hero policeman has revealed how he saved a girl moments after her family of Islamist suicide bombers blew themselves up outside police headquarters in Indonesia.

Officer Roni Faisal ran to the girl moments after her family on two motorbikes killed themselves at Surabaya.

The orphaned, eight-year-old girl was wedged between her mother and father as the blast killed her parents and two brothers, aged 14 and 16.

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A hero policeman has revealed how he saved a girl moments after her family of Islamist suicide bombers blew themselves up outside police headquarters in Indonesia

'I saw she was just a kid, seven or eight-years old, her face and her body covered with blood,' Roni told the ABC on Tuesday.

'As a father myself, my instinct then was to save her.'

That explosion occurred on Monday as the girl's family of five, on two motorcycles, rode towards the gates of the police complex in Indonesia's second biggest city.

Surabaya's police chief Tito Karnavian said the eight-year-old girl survived the explosion as her parents and two brothers were killed.

Officer Roni Faisal ran to the girl moments after her family on two motorbikes killed themselves at Surabaya and said his instinct was to save her

Closed-circuit TV cameras showing her stumbling after the suicide bombing.

The family of suicide bombers, who injured four police officers and six civilians, was linked to pro-ISIS extremist group Jemaah Ansurat Daulah.

This is the same group which on Sunday coordinated three terrorist attacks at Christian churches in Surabaya, also involving child suicide bombers.

These three attacks killed 28 people and injured another 57.

The family of suicide bombers, who injured four police officers and six civilians, was linked to pro-ISIS extremist group Jemaah Ansurat Daulah, which was also behind Sunday's attack on three Christian churches

A car bomb was detonated at a Pentecostal church by a man, whose two sons, aged 15 and 17, rode explosives on motorcycles into a Catholic church.

Their mother and two sisters, aged eight and 12, blew themselves up at a Presbyterian Church.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is warning travellers to be prepared for terrorist attacks in Bali, Surabaya and Jakarta following the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which runs until mid-June.

This week, 3,224 Australians in Indonesia have registered with the Australian government's Smarttraveller service, with most of them short-term visitors to Bali.
North Korea has threatened to walk away from its summit with President Trump if the US refuses to lift sanctions until after its nukes have been dismantled.

In a blistering statement the hermit state criticized the US and South Korea for holding joint military drills, saying they are preparing for an invasion of the North.

A second statement then attacked 'repugnant' National Security Adviser John Bolton for suggesting that the North would have to give up its weapons first, before being compensated later.

Instead, America will have to end 'hostile policy, nuclear threats and blackmail' as a 'precondition' for denuclearisation, the North said.

Kim Jong Un will walk away from his planned summit with Donald Trump if the US refuses to lift economic sanctions before its nuclear weapons are dismantled, the North Korea regime says

North Korea took particular issue with 'repugnant' National Security adviser John Bolton and accused him of trying to back the country into a corner

The statement, attributed to first vice minister of foreign affairs Kim Kye Gwan, continues: 'It is a ridiculous comedy to see that the Trump administration, claiming to take a different road from previous administrations, still clings to the outdated policy on the DPRK - a policy pursued by previous administrations at the time when the DPRK was at the stage of nuclear development.

'If President Trump follows in the footsteps of his predecessors, he will be recorded as more tragic and unsuccessful president than his predecessors, far from his initial ambition to make unprecedented success.

'If the Trump administration takes an approach to the DPRK-US summit with sincerity for improved DPRK-US relations, it will receive a deserved response from us.

'However, if the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-US summit.'

DPRK is an acronym for Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The statement takes particular issue with Bolton and his suggestion that the North follow a Libya-style program of disarmament.

Over a decade ago, Libya under then-ruler Muammar Gaddafi agreed to give up its nuclear and chemical weapons program - only to have the West lead a military effort to remove Gaddafi from power after the Arab Spring in 2011.

The regime branded that suggestion 'awfully sinister', saying it was an attempt to impose the 'miserable fate' of Iraq or Libya on the North.

'We shed light on the quality of Bolton in the past,' the statement adds, 'and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance toward him'.

'The world knows all too well that our country is neither Libya nor Iraq,' it said.

In an earlier statement, Kim's regime also attacked the ongoing 'Max Thunder' joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, saying they are actually a 'rehearsal for invasion' of the North.

'The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities,' KCNA said.

This photo from 2017 shows a vehicle carrying what appears to be an intercontinental ballistic missile during a military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea

President Trump last week greeted three Americans who were released from North Korea as they returned in the wee hours of the morning to an air case in suburban Maryland

The White House made no immediate moves to slow down preparations for the summit on Tuesday.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders simply said: 'We are aware of the South Korean media report. The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies.'

President Trump ignored reporters asking for an update twice on Tuesday as he came and went from the White House to Walter Reed hospital, where his wife was recovering from a benign kidney surgery.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency had earlier reported that Pyongyang also canceled high-level talks with Seoul, scheduled for later in the day.

The North Koreans cited the military drills as the reason.

The meeting was to happen in the border town of Panmunjom, as a followup to Kim's April meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-In.

The Trump administration has appeared to be making progress in recent weeks toward a new diplomatic framework with the hermit kingdom.

Tempers had cooled following months of belligerence on both sides  Trump called Kim 'Little Rocket Man' and Kim responded by branding him a 'mentally deranged U.S. dotard.'

Last week Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Pyongyang on a mission to retrieve three Americans held prisoner in the communist nation.

He returned a day later with Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak-song and Tony Kim on board his government jet. Trump, eager to reap the PR benefit of a public splash, went to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 2:00 in the morning to greet them personally.

The prisoner release was seen as a first step toward the planned summit, which Trump announced last week would take place June 12 in Singapore.

The North Korean statement got a jump on the U.S State Department

U.S.-KOR Combine Force take part in an annual best warrior competition at U.S. military base Camp Casey in Dongducheon, South Korea, on 12 April 2018

'We have no information on that,' said spokeswoman Heather Nauert, NBC reported. 'Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We need to verify it.'

The snag comes after North Korea began dismantling a key nuclear test site just weeks before Kim due to meet Trump for what would be historic summit.

Satellite images examined by American researchers appear to show building demolitions, removal of railways, and overturned mining carts at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea.

The researchers are relying on commercial satellite imagery from May 7, according to the 38 North web site.

The site analyzed images which show significant changes that have been made at the location which are consistent with decommissioning.

Critics have argued that the site already is in need of decommissioning, making its decommissioning less of a concession than it might otherwise seem.

'Between April 20 and May 7, 2018, the probable engineering office building and a possible instrumentation shed located just outside the North Portal (where the last five underground nuclear tests have been conducted) were razed along with at least two smaller buildings or sheds,' according to 38 North.

Meanwhile, the hermetic nation plans to join international efforts to implement a total ban on nuclear weapons tests, its ambassador told the United Nations today.

Pyongyang has pledged dismantle the test site some time between May 23 and May 25 in order to uphold its pledge to cease tests, its state media reported on Saturday.

No personnel or significant activity is observed at the barracks area

Earlier today, North Korea's ambassador to the UN in Geneva Han Tae-song announced the country's intentions to work towards a complete ban on tests.

'DPRK will join international desires and efforts for a total ban on nuclear tests,' Han Tae-song said in an address to the Conference on Disarmament, using North Korea's official acronym.

Han told the UN assembly that his country aimed to make more 'efforts to achieve the development of intra-Korean relations, defuse acute military tensions and substantially remove the danger of the war on the Korean peninsula.'

'It will make sincere efforts... to establish a durable lasting peace mechanism' with its neighbour to the south, he said, urging the international community to 'extend its active support in encouraging and promoting the current positive climate.'

The military exercises that apparently provoked the North Korean side are known as 'Maximum Thunder.' The drill involves F-15 and F-16 aircraft numbering more than 80, NBC News reported.

The annual drill has regularly been a thorn in the side of the North Koreans. U.S. military officials say it is needed to practice the kind of cooperation that would be necessary in any real live military situation on the heavily-armed Korean peninsula.

It includes both air-to-air and air-to ground mission practice.
Firefighters are working to identify the most effective type of smoke alarm.

A study conducted by Fire and Rescue New South Wales has attempted to end a long debate among those in the industry about which alarm is better - ionisation or photoelectric.

Ionisation smoke alarms work by having a small amount of radioactive material that ionises the air between two electrically charged plates, which can be disrupted by smoke particles.

A study conducted by Fire and Rescue New South Wales has attempted to identify the most effective type of smoke alarm

There has long been debate amongst those in the industry whether ionisation or photoelectric smoke alarms are the most effective

Photoelectric alarms on the other hand use a beam of light which can similarly be blocked by smoke entering the alarm.

The experiment involved setting a mock up apartment alight 81 times under different conditions using photoelectric, ionisation, and combination alarms.

The three-year study found, that in smouldering fire tests, photoelectric alarms, photoelectric and ionisation dual alarms, and photoelectric with heat sensing alarms activated on average 30 seconds to a minute faster than ionisation alarms.

In flaming tests, however, the ionisation alarms were 53 seconds faster.

'So what we're saying is it's actually the number, the location and the interconnection of smoke alarms that gives you the best possible chance,' said Assistant Commissioner of FRNSW Mark Whybro.

Respected independent fire expert David Isaac told RN Breakfast, however, that the test was flawed as it was not a proper smouldering fire test involving cotton.

The experiment involved setting a mock up apartment alight 81 times under different conditions using photoelectric, ionisation, and combination alarms

Mr Isaac, who is a member of the Standards Australia fire committee and the Fire Protection Association's technical advisory committee, explained that in previous studies photoelectric alarms had gone off 30 minutes before ionisation alarms.

'Once the fire goes to the flaming stage in a home, it's less than three minutes, so you won't be able to survive in that home,' Mr Isaac said.

'You must know about a fire when it's early in its smouldering phase and that's what ionisation smoke alarms will not do.'

He and other experts have been arguing for years that the Building Code should be changed to mandate the use of photoelectric alarms.

He also claimed he has seen CSIRO research where ionisation alarms had failed a previous standard, however, the manufacturers who commissioned the research will not publish it.
Social media sleuths helped authorities catch the person responsible for leaving graffiti on a trail at a national park in Utah.

Michigan photographer Joe Braun was hiking on Angels Landing trail in Zion National Park on Saturday when he came across a rock that had been tagged with graffiti.

The vandal drew a giant heart on the rock with the words 'Teena + Spencer 2018'. Above the heart were the words 'A+N Zion 2018'.

A second heart had been etched on the rock with, 'A + H 2018 Zion'. The name 'Alex' was also scrawled in small letters on the rock.

When Braun realized the graffiti was done in permanent marker and couldn't easily come off, he became outraged and gave the graffiti the middle finger while he snapped a picture and posted it on his Facebook page.

'Please pardon my vulgar hand gesture, but this is how I feel about people who vandalize our national parks,' he wrote. 'Graffiti like this is illegal and unwanted, and permanent marker takes a fair amount of professional effort to remove.'

It didn't take long for social media users to track down the man responsible for leaving the graffiti. He did, after all, leave his Instagram handle 'SuspenceFitness' scrawled on the rock next to the giant heart.

Amid the backlash, the vandal turned himself in to authorities. He also deleted his Facebook and Instagram pages, but KSL.com reports that the man had posted another photo of him tagging another section of the national park with his Instagram name. In the caption of the photo, the man wrote 'I had to.'

A spokesman for Zion National Park told the outlet that the person who wrote on the rock is working with park officials to repair the damage. The park is not releasing his name until the investigation is complete.

'This is very serious to us, and we are taking action,' spokesman John Marciano said. 'The good thing is, he is cooperating. He's taken full responsibility, and that's great.'

The vandal reportedly apologized in a since-deleted Instagram post, writing: 'I'm so so so so so sorry about this. I am contacting the park to help with the situation. I did not mean to cause any harm and I obviously was not thinking'

The man reportedly apologized for the incident in a since-deleted Instagram post, writing: 'I'm so so so so so sorry about this. I am contacting the park to help with the situation. I did not mean to cause any harm and I obviously was not thinking.'

According to KSL.com, the park sent a crew to clean up Angel's Landing. Usually vandals are charged a fine and are required to pay restitution for the cost of removing the graffiti.

Criminal and civil penalties are pending.

'Park law enforcement appreciate the tips that have poured in and hope that this incident will serve as a deterrent to anyone else contemplating vandalizing one of America's treasures,' Marciano said.
The Trump administration is considering housing children of illegal immigrants who cross the U.S. border alone or get separated from their parents at military bases in the United States.

The move would split children from their parents after they crossed the U.S. border from Mexico illegally and comes as the administration has increased its crack down on illegal immigrants after border agents said March and April had the highest monthly totals of illegal immigration since Donald Trump became president.

Officials said the Health and Human Services Department is looking at four bases in Texas and Arkansas to house the children but they spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plan has not been made public or made final.

A policy under consideration by the Trump administration would house children of illegal immigrants who cross the U.S. border alone or get separated from their parents at military bases

President Trump has cracked down on illegal immigration after reports that April and March saw the highest illegal border crossings of his presidency

The move comes as President Trump shown increased anger on the issue in the wake of the high immigration numbers.

Officials in his administration have followed his lead in getting tougher on illegal immigration.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions warned last week that parents who cross the border illegally with their children will have them taken away.

'If you cross the border unlawfully, then we will prosecute you -- it's that simple. If you smuggle illegal aliens across our border, we will prosecute you,' he said during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border.

The new policy to split children and parents would aid in the crack down.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which would carry out the policy, said in a statement to the Associated Press that it routinely evaluates additional locations for temporary housing of illegal immigrants.

Health and Human Services takes custody of children who cross the border alone as well as children who are separated from their families when their parents are charged with crimes or the child's welfare is in doubt.

An email notification to Pentagon staff from the Health and Human Services Department, obtained by the Washington Post, characterized the base visits as a preliminary assessment of a housing option. 'No decisions have been made at this time,' the email read.

During a surge in children from Central America in 2014, when Barack Obama was president, Health and Human Services temporarily used military bases in California, Oklahoma and Texas to house the kids.

Nearly 1 in 4 Border Patrol arrests on the Mexican border from October through April was someone who came in a family. That means any large increase in prosecutions will likely cause parents to be separated from their children while they face charges and do time in jail.

A Health department official told the Post the children pend an average of 45 days in the government's care. They are provided with educational and recreational opportunities and 85 percent are returned to their parents or another family member.

President Trump has railed against his administration officials about the increased illegal immigration numbers. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (right) defended the policy to separate parents and children, saying it happens 'every day.'

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defended the Trump administration's practice of separating children and parents when the family is being prosecuted for entering the U.S. illegally.

She told a Senate committee Tuesday that removing children from parents facing criminal charges happens 'in the United States every day.'

In a contentious exchange with Sen. Kamala Harris, whose home state of California is on the border with Mexico, Nielsen said her department was not taking children from parents as a way to deter illegal immigration.

She said it was about the law. If a person crosses the border illegally, she said: 'We will refer you for prosecution. You've broken U.S. law.'

A conviction for illegal entry carries a maximum penalty of six months in custody for first-time crossers - though they usually do far less time - and two years for repeat offenses.
Washington (CNN) North Korea has threatened to cancel the planned summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, saying the US should carefully consider the fate of the upcoming meeting, in view of what it calls "provocative military disturbances with South Korea," North Korea's state news agency reported early Wednesday local time.

The warning comes as KCNA reported North Korea has suspended talks with South Korea because of a joint military drill.

"We are aware of the South Korean media report. The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

However, the White House was caught off guard by the reports, according to aides. One official affirmed an assertion from the State Department that it has received no information from Pyongyang about the status of the talks.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert defended joint US-South Korean military exercises Tuesday and said the US had not heard of any disruptions to either the planned exercises or the upcoming summit.
Indonesia has been rocked by another attack on police as officers shoot dead four people armed with a suicide vest and samurai swords.

The suspected militants slammed a minivan into a gate at Pekanbaru police station on the Indonesian island of Sumatra before attacking officers with swords on Wednesday.

One police officer was killed and several more were wounded before authorities shot dead three alleged terrorists.

The bodies of two attackers who were shot and killed are seen at the entrance of a police station in Pekanbaru, Indonesia on Wednesday (pictured)

Police remove the bodies of attackers who were shot and killed at the entrance of the station (pictured)

The attack follows a string of terror attacks on police officers and several Christian Churches across Indonesia.

On Sunday, a family of six - including girls aged nine and 12 - staged suicide bombings of three churches during morning services in Surabaya, killing 18 including the bombers.

On Monday members of another family blew themselves up at a police station in the city, wounding 10.

'There were five people on two motorbikes. One of them was a little kid,' national police chief Tito Karnavian said.

'This is one family.'

An eight-year-old girl from the family survived the attack and was taken to hospital, while her mother, father and two brothers died in the blast, he said.

Indonesian policemen secure the site outside the police headquarter in Pekanbaru, Riau following attacks on May 16

Indonesian policemen examine a car used by attackers outside the police headquarter in Pekanbaru, Riau

Indonesian policemen secure the site outside the police headquarter in Pekanbaru

Indonesian policemen remove the body of an attacker at the police headquarter

The suspected militants slammed a minivan into a gate at Pekanbaru police station (pictured) on the Indonesian island of Sumatra before attacking officers with swords on Wednesday

The spate of bombings have rocked Indonesia, with the Islamic State group claiming the church attacks and raising fears about its influence in Southeast Asia as its dreams of a Middle Eastern caliphate fade.

Tourists holidaying in Bali have been told to exercise a high degree of caution following the wave of deadly terror attacks.

The Australian Government warned tourists there was a heightened risk of terror attacks during the month of Ramadan, which started on Tuesday.

On Monday, members of another family blew themselves up at a police station in the city, wounding 10

'There were five people on two motorbikes. One of them was a little kid,' national police chief Tito Karnavian said. 'This is one family.'
Staunch Trump supporter Rep Lou Barletta has won the Republican nomination for the US Senate in Pennsylvania on a night of primaries across the country.

Barletta led his rival, state Rep Jim Christiana, by 112,000 votes with more than 80 percent of the precincts reporting on Tuesday night.

He will next face off against Democratic Sen Bob Casey, who has held the seat for two terms.

Barletta focused his campaign on Casey rather than Christiana, and on Tuesday promised to appeal to the Democrats who voted for Donald Trump.

Staunch Trump supporter Rep Lou Barletta (pictured after his victory) has won the Republican nomination for the US Senate in Pennsylvania on a night of primaries across the country

'If you are a Democrat or an independent who voted for Donald Trump, you cannot vote for Bob Casey,' Barletta said during his victory speech, according to Fox News.

'[Casey] is going to stop every single thing that you voted for and the agenda that this country is on and the progress that we're making in America today.'

Barletta, a former small-city mayor who first got national notice for attempting to pass local laws to combat illegal immigration, supported Trump before he received the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

The president rewarded Barletta with early support in the Senate race.

That included recorded telephone calls last week, in which Trump declared he backed Barletta 'fully, strongly, and proudly'.

Nebraska Sen Deb Fischer, who was also backed by Trump, likewise found victory on Tuesday night.

Barletta supported Trump (pictured together in January 2018) before he even received the 2016 presidential nomination

Nebraska Sen Deb Fischer, who was also backed by Trump, likewise found victory on Tuesday

The incumbent defeated four GOP challengers and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska.

Some of Fischer's primary opponents had argued she wasn't conservative enough, but Fischer received endorsements from a majority of the state's elected Republican officials, as well as major farm and business groups.

Before being elected to the Senate, Fischer was a rancher and state legislator.

Early Tuesday afternoon, Trump tweeted: 'Nebraska - make sure you get out to the polls and VOTE for Deb Fischer today!'

Lincoln City Councilwoman and grocery store executive Jane Raybould won the Democratic nomination and will face off against Fischer in November.

Trump (pictured with Fischer during a meeting with GOP senators in December 2017) tweeted his support for Fischer on Tuesday

And Nebraska Gov Pete Ricketts easily won the Republican nomination to seek a second term in November.

He will face off against Nebraska state Sen Bob Krist, who won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday.

Meanwhile in Pennsylvania, Mary Gay Scanlon won a 10-way Democratic primary in the southeastern 5th Congressional District.

The district is likely to flip to Democrats following a court-ordered redrawing of the state's congressional district boundaries.

Scanlon is a longtime public interest lawyer and chair of the pro-bono committee at a Philadelphia-based law firm.

Meanwhile in Pennsylvania, Mary Gay Scanlon won a 10-way Democratic primary in southeastern Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District

John Fetterman (pictured) won the five-way Democratic Party primary race for lieutenant governor Tuesday, beating incumbent Mike Stack

She will face Republican Pearl Kim, a former state and county prosecutor, in November's general election in the now-Democratic-leaning district.

The seat is open following the resignation of Republican Rep Pat Meehan amid allegations he used taxpayer money to settle sexual harassment allegations by a former aide.

Scanlon is one of three women Pennsylvania could send to Congress next year, breaking the all-male hold on the state's 18-member US House delegation.

Madeleine Dean won a three-way Democratic primary on Tuesday night for a suburban Philadelphia seat where Democrats are heavily favored in November.

And Chrissy Houlahan is the uncontested Democratic nominee for another suburban Philadelphia seat where she is likewise heavily favored.

Stack (pictured) became the first holder of the office to lose in a primary election on Tuesday

Pennsylvania state Rep Rick Saccone lost a two-way Republican primary barely two months after losing to Democrat Conor Lamb in a special election for a different US House seat

Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor became the first holder of the office to lose in a primary election on Tuesday night.

John Fetterman won the five-way Democratic Party primary race for lieutenant governor on Tuesday, beating incumbent Mike Stack.

Last year Gov Tom Wolf ordered an investigation into the treatment of state employees by Stack and his wife and stripped Stack of state police protection.

Wolf will be challenged by Pennsylvania state senator and waste-hauling millionaire Scott Wagner, who spent more than $10million on his campaign.

Pennsylvania state Rep Rick Saccone lost a two-way Republican primary in a newly drawn congressional district in Pennsylvania, barely two months after losing to Democrat Conor Lamb in a special election for a different US House seat.

In Idaho, former state Rep Paulette Jordan won the Democratic primary for governor. She is the first woman to become the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Idaho

Saccone lost Tuesday's 14th Congressional District primary election to state Sen Guy Reschenthaler for the open seat in a heavily Republican district.

Lamb beat Saccone in a district that President Donald Trump won in 2016 by about 20 percentage points.

The president campaigned in the district twice and sent several tweets on Saccone's behalf.

Oregon state Rep Knute Buehler won the GOP gubernatorial primary, besting a crowded field vying to compete against incumbent Democrat Kate Brown in November.

Buehler, who ran for secretary of state in 2012, was the most centrist of the Republican front-runners.

In Idaho, former state Rep Paulette Jordan won the Democratic primary for governor.

Jordan, 38, is the first woman to become the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in the state.

If she wins the general election, Jordan would not only be the first woman to serve as Idaho governor but also the first Native American woman to serve in that position in any state.
A medical examiner revealed he was able to identify a night club owner allegedly killed by the mob 20 years ago just from his finger.

Francis 'Cadillac Frank' Salemme, 84, and Paul Weadick, 62, are accused of killing Steven DiSarro in 1993 before burying his body behind a mill in Rhode Island.

DiSarro's remains were excavated from the property in March 2016, more than 20 years since his death.

Rhode Island's acting chief medical examiner Dr. Alexander Chirkov told the US District Court in Boston a bone on his finger had been broken and healed, helping to identify the body. DiSarro's medical records showed he had been previously treated for a broken finger, WPRI reported.

One of Rhode Island's top medical examiners said Steven DiSarro's remains were identified through a bone in his finger which had broken and re-healed - more than 20 years after he was allegedly murdered

DiSarro's body was dug up in March 2016, 23 years after he was allegedly strangled to death by mobsters who were afraid he would rat them out to police

DiSarro was allegedly strangled to death in 1993 by Salemme's son - Francis Jr - while Weadick held his feet off the floor and Salemme watched, prosecutors say

Dr Chirkov said a broken bone in DiSarro's neck helped investigators to ascertain how the 43-year-old died.

He said the hyoid bone, located just below the jaw in the neck, was snapped, which is 'evidence for manual strangulation'.

'To fracture this bone you have to apply force to the site,' he said.

Salemme and Weadick pair were brought in after William Ricci, the mill's owner who also has links to organized crime, was arrested when 1,400 marijuana plants were found inside.

Francis 'Cadillac Frank' Salemme, 84 (left and right), and Paul Weadick, 62, have gone on trial accused of murdering club owner Steven DiSarro in 1993

Salemme, former head of the Patriarca crime family, is accused of ordering DiSarro's death after the man was approached by police and asked for information

DiSarro (pictured) was the owner of a Boston nightclub called The Channel in which Salemme had an interest

Facing federal charges, Ricci told police to start digging out back which led to the discovery of DiSarro's skeletal remains, the Washington Post reports.

At the time of his death, DiSarro was the owner of a Boston nightclub called The Channel in which Salemme had an interest.

Shortly before he was killed, police had told DiSarro he was about to be indicted and that he should cooperate with them against Salemme and his son, Francis Jr.

Salemme, a convicted mafia hit-man, was head of the Patriarca crime family in New England and - together with James 'Whitey' Bulger - ran the Boston underworld.

After being approached by police DiSarro was summoned to a sit-down meeting with Salemme which left him 'extremely distraught', the Boston Herald reports.

He was so frightened left behind a note to his infant son saying it might be 'some time' before he saw him again, the contents of which will be revealed during the trial.

It was at that meeting, prosecutors say, that DiSarro was strangled to death by Francis Jr as Weadick held his feet off the ground and Salemme watched.

After DiSarro spoke with police about turning on Salemme and his son, Francis Jr, he was summoned to a meeting with Salemme and was so distraught he left a note for his son before he went

Francis Jr (far left), DiSarro (second left) and Salemme (right, gesturing) are pictured together leaving a Brooklyn restaurant in 1990

Francis Jr is not on trial because he died in 1995.

The prosecution's star witness is Bulger's former top lieutenant, Stephen 'The Rifleman' Flemmi, who said he walked in on the killing as it was taking place.

He later spoke with Salemme who confirmed they had killed DiSarro and will testify to that fact, prosecutors say.

As part of the trial, jurors have been shown the home where the alleged killing took place and the mill where the body was discovered.

Salemme was charged in 1995 with participating in eight murders and agreed to plead guilty in 1999 to racketeering and extortion.

The prosecution's star witness is Bulger's former top lieutenant, Stephen 'The Rifleman' Flemmi, who said he walked in on the killing as it was taking place (pictured: Investigators dig up DiSarro's body in 2016)

Pamela DiSarro, wife of murdered Steven, leaves court on May 9 after appearing as the government's first witness against Salemme

He began cooperating with authorities that year in an investigation into the FBI's corrupt relationship with Bulger and Flemmi, in particular agent John Connolly.

In exchange for his cooperation, Salemme's sentence was reduced, and he entered the witness protection program.

Prosecutors say Connolly tipped off Bulger and Salemme to their impending indictment, allowing Bulger to flee in 1994 and remain a fugitive until 2011.

In return for testifying against Connolly, Salemme was granted witness protection and had been living in Atlanta until DiSarro's body was uncovered.

After learning that the body had been found he fled, and was eventually tracked to Connecticut where he was found with a car full of clothes and cash.

Defense lawyers say that Flemmi, who is serving a life sentence for 10 murders, cannot not be trusted.

Salemme is pictured in 1972 being arrested in Boston for the murder of Wimpy Bennett

Steven Boozang, Salemme's lawyer, said Salemme has consistently denied killing DiSarro despite the potential to get a 'free pass' by cooperating with investigators.

'Just because he's done bad things doesn't mean he's done this,' Boozang said.

SAlemme also pleaded guilty in 2008 to obstruction of justice and admitted to lying to authorities when he said he another former Mafia leader may have been involved in DiSarro's killing.

Salemme's appearance is now a long way from his days as a feared mob boss.

On his first day in court he wore a baggy gray suit with his thinning gray hair slicked back, and looked frail as he walked from a wheelchair to meet his lawyers.

The trial began on Wednesday last week and testimony resumed on Monday.

Both Salemme and Weadick deny any involvement in the killing. The trial continues.
Jared Kushner was photographed on Tuesday returning to his home in Washington, DC after he helped inaugurate the new United States embassy in Jerusalem.

President Donald Trump's son-in-law was seen getting out of an SUV as a Secret Service agent held the door open for him.

Kushner then casually strolled into his home in the swanky Kalorama section of the nation's capital.

The trip to Israel gave Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, an opportunity to serve as the face of the administration.

The power couple was photographed hobnobbing with senior Israeli officials in a celebratory dinner after the inauguration.

Jared Kushner was photographed on Tuesday returning to his home in Washington, DC after he helped inaugurate the new United States embassy in Jerusalem

President Donald Trump's son-in-law was seen getting out of an SUV as a Secret Service agent held the door open for him

Kushner then casually strolled into his home in the swanky Kalorama section of the nation's capital

Kushner, whose portfolio as senior adviser to the president includes responsibility for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, delivered a speech at the inauguration ceremony for the embassy that struck many as callous and coldhearted.

While Kushner was speaking, Israeli soldiers were gunning down Palestinians who protested en masse near the fence that rings the Gaza Strip.

Kushner suggested the terror group Hamas was responsible for bloodshed in Gaza that raged while speech after speech wore on.

By day's end Israeli Defense Forces snipers had shot and killed 58 people.

'As we have seen from the protests of the last month and even today, those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution,' Donald Trump's son-in-law told the crowd as his wife Ivanka looked on.

Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka (right) and husband Jared (left) joined Benjamin Netanyahu for the opening of the embassy this afternoon

Kushner criticized Palestinians who were protesting the official opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem on Monday and called them 'part of the problem'  but his remarks were left out of a White House transcript circulated to television reporters; the National Security Council corrected its error hours later, and had a restored version available on Tuesday

Kushner's remarks blaming the Palestinian protesters came as 58 were shot dead along the Gaza border in the single deadliest day in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 2014. Pictured is a young child overcome by tear gas

The festivities in Jerusalem were a stark contrast to the bloodshed on the Gaza border (right) where dozens of protesters were killed by Israeli snipers. Ivanka Trump (left) is pictured unveiling engraved stonework carrying her father's name on the wall at the embassy today

Two hours later, however, a White House aide gave television reporters a transcript that omitted that line.

An MSNBC journalist caused a firestorm overnight by tweeting about the discrepancy.

DailyMail.com requested an official transcript from the National Security Council on Tuesday morning. It arrived complete and intact. It's still not clear why it was missing, and what led to it being re-inserted.

It would have been impossible for the White House to hide Kushner's words, which were broadcast worldwide.

Kushner said on Monday that the United States showed the world it could be trusted by opening its Israeli embassy in Jerusalem.

The trip to Israel gave Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, an opportunity to serve as the face of the administration

The power couple was photographed hobnobbing with senior Israeli officials in a celebratory dinner after the inauguration

Kushner, whose portfolio as senior adviser to the president includes responsibility for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, delivered a speech at the inauguration ceremony for the embassy that struck many as callous and coldhearted

'When President Trump makes a promise, he keeps it,' Kushner said at the embassys opening ceremony.

'Today also demonstrates American leadership. By moving our embassy to Jerusalem, we have shown the world once again that the United States can be trusted,' he said.

'We stand with our friends and our allies, and above all else, weve shown that the United States of America will do whats right,' he said.

Kushner's sentiment was echoed by White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah on Monday.

He told reporters during an afternoon briefing that 'Hamas is responsible for these tragic deaths. ... Their rather cynical exploitation of the situation is what's leading to these deaths. And we want them to stop.'

'This is a gruesome and unfortunate propaganda attempt,' Shah said later of Palestinian groups portraying Israel as the aggressor.

'I think the Israeli government has spent weeks trying to handle this without violence.'

Tuesday at the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley noted press reports of Hamas soldiers trying to start fires on the other side of the Israeli border.

'They light Molotov cocktails, attached to kites, on fire, and attempt to fly them into Israel to cause as much destruction as possible,' Haley said.

'When asked yesterday why he put a swastika on his burning kite, the terrorist responded: "The Jews go crazy when you mention Hitler".'

Speaking of the one-sided bloodshed, Haley claimed Hamas was 'pleased with the results' and that 'no country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has.'

The Kushners generated more controversy during the early part of their trip to Israel.

On Sunday, the couple received a blessing in Jerusalem from a rabbi who once compared black people to monkeys.

The blessing was given on Sunday by Israel's Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef.

Kushner's father-in-law was unable to attend, but a video display aired snippets of his speech vowing to move the embassy to Jerusalem

Kushner said on Monday that the United States showed the world it could be trusted by opening its Israeli embassy in Jerusalem. He is seen above looking on as wife Ivanka shakes hands with Naftali Bennett, Israel's minister of education

'When President Trump makes a promise, he keeps it,' Kushner said at the embassys opening ceremony

The Kushners generated controversy during the early part of their trip. On Sunday, the couple received a blessing in Jerusalem from a rabbi who once compared black people to monkeys. The blessing was given by Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef (seen shaking Kushner's hand)

Yosef was condemned by the Anti-Defamation League earlier this year for making the crude remarks.

During a sermon in March, the rabbi discussed how to properly say a blessing The Forward reports.

Yosef used the Hebrew word 'kushi,' which although it was used in the Bible is now considered a derogatory term for black people.

'You can't make the blessing on every 'kushi' you see  in America you see one every five minutes, so you make it only on a person with a white father and mother,' he said, according to The Times of Israel.

'How do would you know? Let's say you know! So they had a monkey as a son, a son like this, so you say the blessing on him.'
Semen found on clothing worn by the victim of a cold case murder in Melbourne matches the DNA of a relative accused of stabbing her to death, a court has been told.

Ranny Yun, 27, was found dead in the sewing room of her Springvale home in October 1987 and Meth Mean was charged in November 2017 with her rape and murder.

Semen found on a tracksuit wrapped around her left ankle allegedly belongs to Mean, a forensic officer told a pre-trial committal hearing at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

His DNA also allegedly matches the semen found on her genitals, according to the officer's statement to police.

Ranny Yun (pictured), 27, was found dead in the sewing room of her Springvale home in October 1987 and Meth Mean was charged in November 2017 with her rape and murder

An autopsy determined Ms Yun was hit on the back of the head and had her throat cut.

Pathologist Stephen Cordner did not find any defensive injuries, suggesting Ms Yun was incapable of defending herself, possibly because she was impaired.

Professor Cordner believes the blows to the back of Ms Yun's head happened before the injuries to her neck.

Injuries found behind Ms Yun's left ear could mean someone tried to cut her ear off, he said in court.

'I don't know ... but that sort of thought comes to mind,' Prof Cordner said under cross-examination.

Husband Kuy Thong said Ms Yun told him she was about six weeks pregnant before she was allegedly murdered.

'I put a baby doll in Ranny's coffin when she died,' he said in a statement to police on November 1, 2017.

Ms Yun's younger cousin Rada, who was 13 when she discovered Ms Yun's body, told police in 2010 her cousin was killed 'the Asian way'.

'I used to live in the Khmer Rouge regime, and this is how people were killed,' she told the court, referring to Cambodia's brutal former regime.

'I've seen how people got killed and hit from behind.'

The younger cousin, now in her mid 40s, said in court that she came home from high school with another relative on October 15, 1987 and found the front door unlocked.

Ms Yun's younger cousin Rada, who was 13 when she discovered Ms Yun's body, told police in 2010 her cousin was killed 'the Asian way'

When she walked into Ms Yun's room, she found her cousin lying on her back on the floor, the court heard.

The cousin made three statements to police, including one in 2010 that states: 'I believe Ranny was murdered by someone she knew.'

The younger cousin and Ms Yun used to live with Mean and his family. Ms Yun's husband is Mean's cousin.

Rada on Tuesday said in court there was tension and 'agitations' when she and Ms Yun lived with the Mean family.

'I just remember that there were agitations between Ranny and Meth, but it was just little family problems.'

The hearing before magistrate Donna Bakos is due to resume on Wednesday.
Welfare recipients around the country are to be drug tested in a $10million crackdown on beneficiaries led by the government.

A proposed trial will kick off in three locations, including Mandurah in Western Australia, with tests for an initial 5,000 people receiving Newstart and youth allowances.

Research has revealed 25 per cent of the unemployed population have admitted to recent drug use and are three times as likely to use meth than employed Australians.

Welfare recipients across Australia to be drug tested in beneficiary crackdown (stock photo)

The selected welfare recipients are expected to be regularly tested over a two-year time frame, 9News reported.

Member for Canning Andrew Hastie said the welfare system is supposed to aid people along their search for employment and the trial will 'help drug users help themselves'.

The move follows an announcement that drug and alcohol abusers claiming welfare because of their addictions will be denied payments under a resurrected government plan, unless they are undergoing treatment.

The federal government will attempt to disqualify drug and alcohol addicts from $814-a-fortnight payments when social services minister Dan Tehan reintroduces the measure, which was blocked in the Senate last year.

The proposed change to the disability support pension (DSP) - which is part of a greater plan to tackle addiction - would deem 450 people a year ineligible.
Nicola Kenny, 26, had pulled in to take a call about her baby, who had been hospitalised, when Ciaran McBride, 33, ploughed into her

A truck driver has been spared jail despite killing a young mother by ploughing his vehicle into her car after she pulled over to the hard shoulder to take a call about her ill newborn daughter.

Nicola Kenny, 26, was talking to hospital medics on the phone when Ciaran McBride, 33, smashed into her.

Ms Kenny was in the car with her mother Anne and aunt Irene Whelan, who both survived. She was a mother to daughter Lily Rose for just 24 hours.

McBride claimed he had suffered a 'fit of sneezing' just before the crash.

However, Judge Thomas Teehan said McBride had 'most likely' fallen asleep at the wheel, because of the way the truck had slowly veered into hard shoulder.

Nicola, from Thurles, Co. Tipperary, had given birth the day before the crash, at a hospital in Clonmel, also Co. Tipperary.

Her daughter Lily-Rose had become unwell and was transferred to the Temple Street children's hospital in Dublin.

Clonmel Circuit Court heard Nicola was being driven to Temple Street to visit her daughter by her aunt, with her mother also in the car, on September 5, 2016.

They pulled into the M8 hard shoulder to take a call from the hospital to say the new baby was fine and that there was no need to travel to Dublin.

McBride, who was travelling in the same direction, then crashed into the back of the car.

Nicola died at the scene, while her mother was injured and her aunt spent months in hospital with a serious injury.

The crash, which occurred at 12.25pm between the Cahir and Cashel exits on the M8, was attributed to 'driver error', the court heard.

It was also heard that McBride had driven almost 500km on the morning of the incident.

Ms Kenny was in the car with her mother Anne (pictured in a wheelchair at her daughter's funeral) and aunt Irene Whelan, who both survived

Nicola (pictured), from Thurles, Co. Tipperary, had given birth the day before the crash, at a hospital in Clonmel, also Co. Tipperary

He told gardai in interviews that he had taken the statutory 15- and 30-minute breaks that morning, but his tachograph was incorrectly inserted in the truck so this couldn't be checked.

Based on checking the records at toll booths the accused had passed through, Garda Declan Corrigan said he would 'have to dispute' this account of taking breaks.

A witness, engineer Patrick Foley, told gardai he overtook the truck shortly before the crash.

He said he noticed the space between his car and the truck 'becoming greater because the truck was slowly veering off towards the hard shoulder' in a gradual movement.

'When he saw the car and saw where the truck had gone, he immediately thought there was going to be an impact,' Garda Corrigan said.

The garda was one of the first at the scene and found Nicola in the rear passenger seat of a Ford Focus car.

They pulled into the M8 hard shoulder (pictured) to take a call from the hospital to say the new baby was fine and that there was no need to travel to Dublin

'Nicola appeared to be dead. There was no sign of life,' he said.

Her mother Anne Kenny, who had been a front-seat passenger, asked him was her daughter dead and he informed her that there was no sign of life.

McBride was arrested at the scene, and a breath test was negative.

He had a conviction for drink-driving going back to when he was 18, and for 'smuggling' a person in his truck in France, when some people got into his vehicle without his knowledge.

Nicola (pictured) died at the scene, while her mother was injured and her aunt spent months in hospital with a serious injury

A victim-impact statement prepared by the deceased's mother Anne said her 'premature death as a young mother has had a devastating effect on myself and our entire family'.

She added that life will 'never be the same'.

Nicola's father Paddy said in his victim-impact statement that the death 'has left a huge hole in our lives'.

He added that the biggest loss has been suffered by Lily-Rose, who now has to 'grow up without a mother'.

Nicola's family did not attend the sentencing hearing. Her parents are in the process of securing the guardianship of Lily-Rose.

McBride, of Tivenmara Road, Carna, Keady, Co. Armagh, pleaded guilty yesterday to careless driving causing death and serious injury.

Philip Sheahan SC, for the accused, assured the court that 'the remorse and regret and sorrow is profound on Mr McBride's account', although he added that this 'pales in comparison' with the pain and suffering of the victim's family.

Judge Teehan said it was not a crime of intent, but a crime of 'recklessness'. He gave the accused credit for co-operating with the gardai and pleading guilty, as well as his 'genuine remorse'.

McBride was given an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay 10,000 in compensation to the deceased's parents.
A popular Victorian street pub known for its cheap late night $4 pizzas was destroyed in a blaze early Wednesday morning.

Up to 24 firefighters forced their way into the Bimbo Deluxe in Fitzroy in inner city Melbourne at around 1am, where the ground floor was alight.

They had the blaze under control within 20 minutes.

Investigators say the blaze initially started in offices above the popular bar.

Bimbo Deluxe has been closed off to the public as an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the blaze

No one was in the building at the time.

The pub and eatery originally opened its doors in Fitzroy's Brunswick Street back in 2002.

While the cause of the blaze remains unknown, it is currently not being treated in a suspicious.

The blaze started at 1am on Wednesday morning and was controlled in under 20 minutes by firefighters

The business has not announced when they will be next reopening.

The bar remains blocked off to the public as investigations are underway in determining what caused the blaze.

The popular bar and eatery first opened its doors on Brunswick Street back in 2002
A 33-year-old Pennsylvania teacher who was shot dead outside her mother's house was the victim of a 'crime of passion', investigators have said.

Rachael DelTondo was killed by a hail of bullets on Mother's Day - just months after being suspended from her job when a police report was leaked revealing she had been found in a steamed-up parked car with a 17-year-old boy.

Cops said they are investigating 'everyone that was driving' near the crime scene in Aliquippa on Sunday.

Rachael DelTondo, 32, (pictured) was standing on her mother's Buchanan Street driveway, in Aliquippa, Beaver County, on Sunday when she was killed in a hail of gunfire

DelTondo's death comes just six months after the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School teacher was suspended from her job over a leaked police report

Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier said prosecutors 'could not be taking this more seriously', CBS Pittsburgh reported, adding that evidence appeared to show the perpetrator was known to the victim.

Lozier added that the neighborhood should not fear a random killer.

Meanwhile they have been scouring security footage and are attempting to access DelTondo's phone.

DelTondo's death comes just six months after the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School teacher was suspended from her job over a leaked police report.

School officials and members of the media received an anonymous email in October 2017 containing the 2016 Aliquippa police incident report which implied she inappropriately met with a 17-year-old boy, Times Online reported.

The report stated that officers were on patrol at around 1.50am on February 6, 2016, when they saw a car parked near the old Aliquippa Hospital.

Police noted that 'the windows were steamed over and the engine was not running.'

Inside was DelTondo and the teen.

DelTondo's (pictured with a partner in 2015) engagement was called off a few months after she was caught in a steamed up car with a teenage boy

Police at the scene where DelTondo was gunned down outside her family home

The 32-year-old died at the scene and her death has been ruled a homicide

DelTondo reportedly told officers at the time that she was talking with a 'former student.'

However, School CEO Brian Hayden said records show the teen was never a registered student at PA Cyber. Cops later found text messages and Snapchat messages which revealed the pair had a 'relationship.'

Lozier said this exposure was a 'personal vendetta against' DelTondo.

He added: 'It's shameful that this woman was painted with a police report that had been written that did not result in criminal charges.'

During the confrontation with officers, DelTondo reportedly told police that she and the teen were 'friends' and that they were 'just talking' because he was 'upset'.

Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School(pictured) suspended her after shool officials and members of the media received an anonymous email in October 2017, containing the 2016 Aliquippa police incident report which implied she inappropriately met with a 17-year-old boy

She also said 'she didn't want her fiance to know that she was here parked because he would get mad.'

No charges were brought against DelTondo over the incident, and police drove the teen home that evening. The report was not public knowledge until the anonymous email was sent in October last year.

The school announced they were suspending her the following month.

The leak prompted a state police investigation by Aliquippa Police - which DelTondo complied with.

Brian Hayden, chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, earlier released a statement after learning of DelTondo's death.

'We were saddened this morning to learn of the tragic death of Rachel DelTondo, apparently the result of a violent incident in the City of Aliquippa.

'We have no additional information beyond what is being reported by local media. We express our sympathy to her family, friends, and coworkers. Ms. DelTondo was employed by PA Cyber but on a paid suspension.'

The death has stunned neighbors in the quiet neighborhood and police are hunting for clues to the identity of the killer.

Today, family, neighbors and friends are struggling to come to terms with her sudden death

'I counted six shots that I heard,' a neighbor, Fred Poore, told CBS News after the shooting.

Earlier last year, DelTondo was in the press over a dispute with a bridal shop over her wedding dress.

The teacher was planning a big, elaborate day with her Italian-American family, which included a $10,000, custom-made dress from a New York designer, CBS Local reported.

But the wedding was called off a few months after DelTondo was caught with the teen, but before the report was made public.

The family, who had already put down a $4,600 non-refundable deposit, told the salon they would like to pay the balance and receive the dress so they could sell it, but said the designer never delivered the gown and refused to refund their deposit.

Eventually, they took the salon to court and got a local investigative reporter involved to pressure the wedding dress maker into doing the right thing. By early 2017, they finally received a check in the mail.

Today, family, neighbors and friends are struggling to come to terms with her sudden death.

'I don't know why that happened. I really don't,' said Dan Casper, a neighbor, who described the 32-year-old as a 'beautiful lady, friendly, knew everybody, talked to everybody'.

DelTondo had just returned from getting ice cream on Sunday evening when she was shot dead.

The Beaver County Coroner's Office has ruled DelTondo's death a homicide.
Theresa May admitted the Cabinet was not finding it 'easy' to navigate Brexit today amid fresh Tory infighting.

The Prime Minister denied that the government had made 'no progress' in talks with the EU this year.

She conceded that balancing the ability to strike trade deals around the world with the need to keep a soft Irish border was 'difficult'.

But she warned that Labour's chaotic approach to Brexit would already have 'sold out' British interests.

The admission came at a raucous PMQs session, after it emerged that David Davis has warned her favoured customs plan could be illegal.

Theresa May's plans are at risk of being derailed by a mounting Tory civil war - with her Cabinet at loggerheads on the shape of future trade with Brussels

At a raucous PMQs today, Mrs May admitted the Cabinet was not finding it 'easy' to navigate Britain's departure from the EU

The Brexit Secretary is said to have used a letter to the PM to raise doubts about whether a 'partnership' arrangement with the EU would break international trade law.

Amid growing speculation that the concept will be killed off, the Attorney General has been asked to provide an urgent legal opinion.

But the suspicion of Brexiteers has been raised as the opinion will be given directly to the PM rather than the Cabinet, according to The Times.

In the Commons today, Jeremy Corbyn taunted Mrs May about the lack of progress in talks, jibing that the Cabinet was 'more interested in negotiating with itself than the EU'.

But Mrs May said that she was seeking to ensure trade was 'as frictionless as possible' and insisted ministers were clear about what they wanted from new customs arrangements.

'It is difficult. There will be some who will say, "Actually forget about an independent trade policy". That is not the position of this government,' she said.

'There may be some who say, "don't worry about the Northern Irish border'. That is not the position of this government.

'It is absolutely right that we are aiming to achieve those three objectives. And when he talks about progress we'll be publishing a white paper in a few weeks which will show how much progress we are making on these issues.'

Cabinet Office minister David Lidington today insisted all the customs options would be examined to ensure they were legal.

He said when any major changes were considered 'you check, is this compatible with other treaties'.

Meanwhile, Labour is turning the screw on the government by deploying an obscure parliamentary procedure in a bid to force publication of secret Cabinet documents on Brexit.

The Commons is set for a major showdown vote on the so-called 'humble address' motion later, with fears defeat for the PM could cause huge damage to the UK's negotiating position.

Brexiteers David Davis (pictured left) and Boris Johnson (pictured right) has been voicing doubts about the customs partnership plan favoured by the PM

The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier jibed this week that there had only been a 'little progress' in Brexit talks

It has been revealed that the government will publish a 100-page Brexit White Paper next month, billed as the most comprehensive vision yet of the UK's position outside of the EU.

But Mrs May's plans are at risk of being derailed by a mounting Tory civil war - with her Cabinet at loggerheads on the shape of future trade with Brussels.

Ministers are struggling to decide between two rival customs proposals. The customs partnership - believed to be Mrs May's preferred option - would see the UK collect tariffs on behalf of the EU and then offer rebates to businesses.

The second maximum facilitation, or 'Max Fac' option, would rely on technology and trusted trade schemes to keep trade fluid and avoid a hard Irish border

But whips also fear Mrs May has no chance of getting the Brexiteers' 'Max Fac' proposal through the Commons.

Meanwhile, at least a dozen Tory Remainer rebels are threatening to side with Labour in a looming vote on whether to stay in the customs union - something Mrs May has repeatedly ruled out.

The White Paper will be the biggest Government statement on Brexit since the 2016 referendum, setting out plans on everything from trade, transport and fishing to data protection and security co-operation.

The decision to press ahead with the document represents a victory for David Davis, who has been arguing for months that the UK needs to get on the front foot over Brexit.

Mr Davis told ministers yesterday the White Paper would include detailed, ambitious and precise explanations of our positions... it should set out what will change and what will feel different outside the EU.

The document will try to tackle the vexed issue of future customs arrangements, which has split the Cabinet.

It is expected to be published before a crucial EU summit next month, in the hope of showing the bloc that progress can be made.

However, there are growing signs of frustration in Brussels. Michel Barnier said this week that there had been little progress since March.

Members of Mrs Mays Brexit war Cabinet again failed to resolve the customs issue during a 90-minute meeting yesterday.

Mr Davis and Mrs Mays deputy David Lidington gave brief presentations on work to tackle problems with the Governments two customs options. But sources said the two sides in the debate were no nearer to reaching agreement.

Instead, ministers spent much of the meeting discussing arrangements for the Irish border if neither of the Governments two customs options succeeds.

Eurosceptic MPs yesterday urged Mrs May to face down Brussels and Dublin over its demand that Northern Ireland effectively remain within the customs union in order to prevent the creation of a so-called hard border.

What are the options on the table for a customs deal with the EU?

With time ticking away on the Brexit negotiations, the Cabinet is still at daggers drawn on the shape for future trade relations with the EU.

The government has set out two potential options for a customs system after the UK leaves the bloc.

But despite a series of tense showdowns at Theresa May's Brexit 'War Cabinet' ministers continue to be deadlocked over what to do.

Meanwhile, Brussels has dismissed both the ideas - and warned that negotiations could stall altogether unless there is progress by a key summit next month.

Despite a series of tense showdowns at Theresa May's 'War Cabinet' (pictured in February) ministers continue to be deadlocked over what to do

OPTION 1 - CUSTOMS PARTNERSHIP

Under the so-called 'hybrid model', the UK would collect EU import tariffs on behalf of Brussels.

Britain would be responsible for tracking the origin and final destination of goods coming into the country from outside the EU. The government would also have to ensure all products meet the bloc's standards.

Firms selling directly into the UK market would pay the tariff levels set by Brussels - but would then get a rebate if Britain's tariffs are lower.

Supporters of the hybrid plan in Cabinet - including Theresa May, Philip Hammond and Greg Clark - say keeping duties aligned up front would avoid the need for physical customs borders between the UK and EU.

As a result it could solve the thorny issue over creating a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Mrs May has been advised by the chief whip that the hybrid option could be the only way of securing a majority in parliament for a Brexit deal.

But Brexiteers regard the proposal as unworkable and cumbersome - and they were joined by Sajid Javid and Gavin Williamson in criticising it at a tense 'War Cabinet' meeting last week.

There are fears the experimental system will either collapse and cause chaos, or prevent the UK from being able to negotiate free trade deals around the world after Brexit.

Mrs May has instructed official to go away and revise the ideas. Eurosceptics are braced for her to bring back the plan with only 'cosmetic' changes, and try to 'peel off' Mr Javid and Mr Williamson from the core group of Brexiteers.

They are also ready for Mrs May to attempt to bypass the 'War Cabinet' altogether and put the issue before the whole Cabinet - where she has more allies.

OPTION 2 - MAXIMUM FACILITATION

The 'Max Fac' option accepts that there will be greater friction at Britain's borders with the EU.

But it would aim to minimise the issues using technology and mutual recognition.

Goods could be electronically tracked and pre-cleared by tax authorities on each side.

Shipping firms could also be given 'trusted trader' status so they can move goods freely, and only pay tariffs when they are delivered to the destination country.

Companies would also be trusted to ensure they were meeting the relevant UK and EU standards on products.

Senior ministers such as Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Liam Fox believe this is the only workable option.

But Remain minded Tories such as Mr Clark insist it will harm trade and cost jobs in the UK.

They also warn that it will require more physical infrastructure on the Irish border - potentially breaching the Good Friday Agreement. It is far from clear whether the government would be able to force anything through parliament that implied a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

The EU has dismissed the idea that 'Max Fac' could prevent checks on the Irish border as 'magical thinking'.
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Royal biographer Andrew Morton has announced he is doing well after he suffered a mini stroke while he was giving a speech.

The 65-year-old gave an update on his condition on Tuesday night, hours after he collapsed in his chair while he was five minutes into a speech in central London.

Mr Morton, who was promoting his book Wallis In Love: The Untold True Passion Of The Duchess Of Windsor, told the shocked audience, 'I'm sorry I can't go on.'

The author tweeted that night: 'Thank you for all of your good wishes - seems that I had a mini stroke, but am doing well & on the mend.'

Royal biographer Andrew Morton has announced he is doing well after he suffered a mini stroke while giving a speech on Tuesday

The 65-year-old gave an update on his condition on Tuesday night after he collapsed into his chair while he was five minutes into a speech in central London

Mr Morton was due at another event on Tuesday to promote his new book on Meghan Markle

Mr Morton was giving a talk at Simpson's In The Strand when he suffered the mini stroke.

After telling the audience he couldn't go on, he quickly left the room and an ambulance was called to the scene.

He is understood to be receiving treatment at the nearby University College hospital.

Mr Morton, the author of Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, was due to help present ABC's coverage of the royal wedding this weekend.

A source told The Sun: 'He forgot what he was saying, was sweating and started to sway.

'He ended up getting carted off from The Strand in the back of an ambulance and taken to UCLH. People are saying it's a suspected stroke.'

Mr Morton was due to appear to talk about his book on Meghan at Waterstones in Chelsea on Tuesday, but the event was cancelled that afternoon.

The bookshop tweeted: 'Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have been forced to cancel the Andrew Morton event this evening.

'Please accept our sincerest apologies. We are offering refunds to all ticketholders so do pop in. Many thanks.'

Waterstones in Chelsea, where Mr Morton was due to speak Tuesday night, tweeted this message

Mr Morton, pictured on his wedding day to wife Carolyn, is the author of a number of biographies of royalty and famous figures

Mr Morton made his name writing Diana: Her True Story, which was was revised after her death in a horrific car accident.

The book was based on about seven hours of taped interviews, which were secretly made in Kensington Palace in 1991 and conducted through an intermediary.

In the tapes, the princess talked openly about her life before marrying Prince Charles, her long battle with bulimia, her suicide attempts, the heartache over her husband's long affair with Camilla Parker Bowles and her strained relationships with other members of the Royal family.

When the book was first released it was met with 'shock, disgust and astonishment' from many members of the public.

The Archbishop of Canterbury condemned it, an MP suggested Mr Morton be imprisoned in the Tower of London, and the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, Lord McGregor, accused the media of 'dabbling their fingers in the stuff of other people's souls'.

Mr Morton is best known for his bestselling biography of Princess Diana after she taped repsonses to his questions

In the ensuing furore, the book was banned by numerous major bookstores and supermarkets until it became apparent that the book had been produced with the Princess' co-operation.

Mr Morton has also penned other books on William and Kate, Monica Lewinsky and Victoria and David Beckham.

Mr Morton has also penned other books on William and Kate, Monica Lewinsky and Victoria and David Beckham

He previously survived a car crash when he was injured on his honeymoon in a fatal smash in which a woman and baby died.

Last month while promoting his book on Ms Markle, Mr Morton said the American actress is joining the Windsors fully formed, with her own successful career.

In his new book, Meghan  A Hollywood Princess, he charts Ms Markle's rise to stardom.

'She's a very different kind of bride. She's coming to the royal family fully formed, with a successful career, with successful work as a blogger, Instagram-er, social media and also of course her humanitarian work with World Vision Canada and the United Nations,' he told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show.

'She's the full package she's brought these millions of followers as a dowry to the royal family.'

Morton hailed Ms Markle's activism, which began at an early age, suggesting: 'Her royal crest is going to be Make The Change, because that's always been her motto.'

He also claimed that former friends of Ms Markle had experienced what he called the 'Meghan chill'.

'It's the sense that when you're out, you're out,' the writer said.

'She's had a life where she's been very mobile. She's moved from Los Angeles to Toronto, and not all of her friends have stayed with her, and those who've dropped by the wayside have felt what they call the 'Meghan chill'.'
Mother-of-two Tracy Garcia was brutally attacked by the savage dogs - which belonged to her neighbor - near her home outside Ardmore in Oklahoma

A 52-year-old woman has been mauled to death by a pack of seven flea-infested dachshunds.

Mother-of-two Tracy Garcia was brutally attacked by the savage dogs - which belonged to her neighbor - near her home outside Ardmore in Oklahoma.

Cops said they shot and killed one of the beasts on Thursday night when it charged at them.

They captured the others, which were put down at the request of the owner.

Six of the dogs are believed to have been mixed with a terrier, but one - the biggest and oldest - is thought to be part-border collie.

Amanda Dinwiddie, a euthanasia technician at Ardmore Animal Shelter, said the 'predominant breed' in the dogs was 'standard dachshund', KXII reported.

She added: 'They have really noticeable characteristics like their knobby legs, knees, very short-legged dogs and their coats.'

Three of the dogs were females and four were males, Dinwiddie explained, while none of them weighed more than 40 pounds and none stood taller than knee-height.

Three of the dogs were females and four were males, Dinwiddie explained, while none of them weighed more than 40 pounds and none stood taller than knee-height. They are all now dead

Amanda Dinwiddie, a euthanasia technician at Ardmore Animal Shelter, said the 'predominant breed' in the dogs was 'standard dachshund'. Pictured: One of the dogs after being put down

Dinwiddie said they were covered with fleas and ticks and had apparently been living 'out in the woods'

Photographs show that the animals' legs were no taller than a human hand.

The dogs were aged between one and three years old.

Dinwiddie said they were covered with fleas and ticks and had apparently been living 'out in the woods'.

But the animals will not be tested for rabies because 'there's just no reason to go spend the thousands and thousands of dollars,' Dinwiddie said.

The case will be turned over to the District Attorney's office for review, Carter County Sheriff Chris Bryant said.

Cops and medics were originally called at about 10pm on Thursday.

One of the dogs was shot but the rest were captured, euthanized and taken to Ardmore Animal Shelter

Deputies were dispatched at 10pm to Banyon Road (pictured), just east of Ardmore, where they found the woman. She later died in hospital

Garcia was treated at the scene and taken to hospital, where she later died.

No arrests have been made and police are still investigating the incident.

'This is a bad situation, a very unfortunate situation,' Sheriff Bryant said, as reported by KTEN.

'Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the victim. This is just a bad deal all the way around.'


Six immigration officers have been accused of raiding the home of a couple armed with handcuffs in an 'intimidating' manner.

Enforcement officials descended on the London flat of Duncan Watkinson and his Chinese fiance Zixuan Qu at dawn on May 1.

The pair claim the team were 'banging' on the windows after turning up to their home at 5.30am.

Mr Watkinson posted a video to Facebook showing the enforcement team entering their home earlier this month.

He said he and his partner were left in tears after officials attempted to arrest 29-year-old nursing student Miss Wu and take her away to a detention centre.

Enforcement officials descended on the London flat of Duncan Watkinson and his Chinese fiance Zixuan Qu at dawn on May 1 (stock image)

After 25 minutes at the couple's house, the couple allege the enforcement team appeared to recognise an error had been made and retreated.

The couple told The Guardian the enforcement officers began their operation in an 'intimidating' way.

Mr Watkinson said: 'The initial announcement that they're there is an incredible loud banging on the doors and windows.

'They came in without showing me anything. I opened the door and the first thing that happened was one of the officers put their hands on my chest and pushed me back into the room. Following him were six or seven others.'

Speaking to The Guardian, Miss Wu said she thought she would be 'sent back' to China.

After 25 minutes at the couple's house, the couple allege the enforcement team appeared to recognise an error had been made and retreated (stock image)

She said: 'I thought I'm going to get detained and I was going to get removed from the UK away from my fiance  All my adult life was here and they'll just take everything away from me and send me back to China.'

Miss Wu, who came to London from China to study health and social care in 2010, applied for her visa to be extended in 2014.

The Home Office has been holding her passport for four years while her application is being 'processed'.

This has left Miss Qu in a position where she has been unable to leave the country.

The couple were even forced to call off their wedding at last minute after the Home Office failed to supply a copy of Miss Qu's passport.

Two requests were sent by her lawyer but she claims they went unanswered.

A Home Office spokesman told The Guardian: 'Miss Qu has overstayed her visa since January 2014. Her last removal notice was served in January 2018. Miss Qu had not made an application to the Home Office simply by booking and paying for the appointment. The application is not made until she actually turns up to the appointment and submits the application.'
A Japanese man has been arrested by police after successfully squatting in the house of a 90-year-old woman for five months without her knowing.

The 20-year-old man was only caught when the woman's son came over to visit, and after hearing a noise from the second floor, he found the squatter asleep upstairs.

The man later told police he had been living in the house since December, and has since been dubbed a 'modern-day ninja' in Japanese media.

Mystery man: The 20-year-old was only caught when the elderly woman's son visited and heard a noise from the second floor of the house and found him asleep (stock image)

The incident took place in the city of Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, SoraNews24 reports.

The 90-year-old woman's son had come to visit her, and suddenly heard a mysterious noise from the second floor.

He walked upstairs to investigate and found a strange man sleeping on a futon in one of the rooms.

Without waking him, the son walked back downstairs to question his mother - who said she had no idea who the intruder was.

Scene of the crime: The incident took place in the city of Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

They called police who came to the home and arrested the squatter, who refused to reveal his idendity.

He did however tell police he believe he had first entered the woman's home on December 12, 2017 - meaning he had been living there for five months.

The woman said that in her later years she now rarely made it up the stairs, and it is likely her bad hearing meant she had not heard the intruder upstairs.

The story has led to various reactions on social media in Japan, with many pointing out that the squatter would have been caught sooner had the son bothered to visit his elderly mother more often.
Little Elizabeth Lynne Mackenzie is too young to know that she has made history as Queensland's five millionth resident.

The 3.7kg beautiful bundle of joy made her grand entrance via caesarean section at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.

The newborn was oblivious to her many visitors she had on Wednesday from the media and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who couldn't wait for a cuddle.

'She's gorgeous,' she told proud parents Natasha and James.

Scroll down for video

Meet Elizabeth Lynne Mackenzie, who became Queensland's five millionth resident on Tuesday. She's pictured with her doting family

They are thrilled about their baby's place in history.

'That's pretty cool,' Natasha told the Courier Mail.

Mr Mackenzie told 9 News: 'It's a complete surprise. It's been brilliant.'

Elizabeth is the couple's second child together and is a sister for Angus, 3,

Mr Mackenzie also has sons William, 9, who shares Elizabeth's birthday, and Oliver, 6, from a previous relationship.

The latest addition to the family will ramp up State of Origin rugby league rivalry in the MacKenzie household when game one kicks off in three weeks.

'She's gorgeous,' Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said when she got to cuddle the 3.7 kilogram bundle of joy

Elizabeth with doting parents Natasha and James and brother Angus, 3.

Originally from Wollongong, south of Sydney, the couple barrack for the New South Wales Blues.

William, Oliver and Angus all go for the Queensland Maroons with Elizabeth expected to follow her brothers.

'It's up to her,' Mr Mackenzie told the Courier Mail.

Named after her nannas, Elizabeth is one of 60,000 babies expected to be born in Queensland in 2018.

The five million mark was reached four years ahead of schedule.

It's been 12 years since Queensland welcomed its fourth millionth resident.

The five million mark reached by Elizabeth was achieved four years earlier than expected

Elizabeth is one of 60,000 babies expected to be born in Queensland in 2018

New estimates estimate Queensland will hit six million people by 2029 as skyrocketing housing prices in Sydney and Melbourne force residents to head north.

Around 275 people relocate from interstate to Queensland every day.

For a couple of years, we had a low level of interstate migration, but we've seen this upswing in the past year or so,'University of Queensland demographer Elin Charles-Edward told AAP.

'There's a bit of speculation the house price differential is starting to bite, so it is attracting people up here because it's just that more cheaper.'
Royal fans have hit out at Meghan Markle's half-sister after she launched a stinging attack on the bride-to-be saying that she has no right to try and censor her.

Samantha Markle has given a bombshell interview to US media where she insisted she had 'freedom of speech' and has every right to speak out.

The mother-of-three, who has given a series of meddling media interviews in recent weeks laid into Meghan amid claims she is upset about her airing her views.

She tore into the future princess just days after wading into the fake paparazzi row when her father staged fake paparazzi shots for money.

In the explosive rant the 53-year-old said: 'She's not going to tell me that I can't speak about my life'

And she fumed: 'I'm not going to take it. She's way out of her league to tell me that I can't speak.'

After the astonishing clip emerged royal well-wishers blasted the 53-year-old telling her: 'The world can't wait for you to go away.'

The verbal attack came as Meghan's mother Doria touched down in the UK for an emotional reunion with her daughter as she prepares to meet the royal family for the first time, and preparations continued in Windsor for the big day on Saturday.

Meanwhile Meghan's father Thomas Markle, who appeared to confirm today that he wasn't coming to the wedding, prepared to have a heart operation at 3.30pm UK time.

Samantha Markle has given a bombshell interview to US media where she insisted she had 'freedom of speech'

Meghan pictured alongside Samantha Markle in 2008

It has sparked speculation that now Doria will be the one to walk Meghan down the aisle at the ceremony on Saturday.

Samantha, Mr Markle's daughter by his first marriage, has been accused of abusing her connections to Meghan, who she hasn't seen for ten years.

Yesterday she waded in to the faked paparazzi photos row as she defended her father when it emerged Mr Markle had staged the shots for money.

Samantha, 53, told TMZ: 'If its about my life or my father's there is something in this country called freedom of speech.

'She doesn't have a copyright on that and she's not going to tell me that I can't speak about my life or my father's life where its a matter of public self-defence.

'The media is disparaging us. I'm not going to take it.

Mother of three Samantha has given a series of interviews speaking about Meghan's romance with Prince Harry in recent weeks

Meghan's mother Doria, pictured leaving her home in Los Angeles yesterday, has now touched down in the UK for an emotional reunion with her daughter

'She's not qualified to suggest that I don't under any law in this country.

'This is not Great Britain. I am a United States citizen and that's all there is to it. She's way out of her league to tell me that I can't speak.

'I'm not saying anything about her but if I'm talking about my life or my father's she has to respect it.'

But she was deluged with a barrage of abuse on social media, with one user commenting: 'Wow her attitude sure changed when she was told Meghan wants her to stop talking.

It came a day after she gave an interview to Good Morning Britain where she was accused of being a 'vulture'

'I don't know why SM cares what the tabloids say..she isn't anybody important. SM actually believes she herself is a celebrity.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding in numbers 0 - Maids of Honour - all the bridesmaids will be children 1 - Best man - Harry's brother, the Duke of Cambridge 1 - Hour - the length of the wedding ceremony 2 - Diamonds from Diana, Princess of Wales's collection used for Meghan's engagement ring, plus one from Botswana 3 - Diana's siblings at the service 6 - Harry's position in line to the throne 6 - Windsor Grey horses taking part in the carriage ride 7 - Charities Harry and Meghan picked to receive public donations instead of wedding gifts 16 - The wedding will be the 16th royal wedding or blessing to take place in St George's Chapel since 1863 200 - Guests invited to the Frogmore House evening reception 600 - Congregation in St George's Chapel 2,640 - People specially invited into the grounds of the castle 5,000 - UK and international media accredited in Windsor 100,000 - Estimated number of visitors in Windsor on the day Advertisement

'Sorry lady, you're not! The world can't wait for you to go away.'

Another said: 'Samantha Markle really needs to get a grip, everything this woman says just makes her look bitter & jealous.'

And another tweet said: 'Desperate to go to Meghan and Harry's wedding but wants to disparage them at the same time. Not cool!'

Another said that Samantha is 'a very odd woman', adding: 'Every time I switch on the TV she's on.'

And one tweeted: 'Instead of trashing your sister prior to the royal wedding it would be best if you invest some time in praying for your father's health & peace in your family.'

In the explosive chat Samantha admitted the relationship she has with her half-sister is 'strained' and claimed that Meghan doesn't have a relationship 'with anyone' in the family.

In the interview, which comes just three days before the couple tie the knot at St George's Chapel, Windsor, on Saturday, she also revealed she had bought the couple a 'sentimental' wedding gift adding: 'I would like to give it to her in person, but if not I will certainly send it.'

Samantha first hit out at her famous half sister when the romance was first revealed in 2016. She claimed she had always been attracted to Harry because she was 'ambitious' and wanted to become a princess.

She also announced she would release her memoirs and that her sister should be prepared for some uncomfortable revelations.

Royal well-wishers camp outside Windsor Castle today ahead of the big day on Sturday

People take a look at Windsor Castle in Berkshire today, three days before the royal wedding

Royal wedding bunting and a Union Jack flag adorns a sweet shop in Windsor today

A policeman and his dog on guard outside Windsor Castle today ahead of the royal wedding

She also blasted her sister on Twitter when it appeared she had been snubbed from the wedding, despite members of the public being invited.

She said: 'Out of respect and humanitarianism, the Markles should be invited if 2,000 complete strangers are.

'Our uncle, brother, me, best friend of 30 years, nephews. Our issue is not a matter of closeness. Family is family.'

It comes as:

Meghan's father Thomas Markle will not be attending the royal wedding because he needs to have major heart surgery at 3.30pm today;

The bride to be's mother Doria Ragland is currently on her way to London after leaving Los Angeles International yesterday afternoon;

The royal page boys and bridesmaids are revealed, with Prince George and sister Charlotte joining the three children of Meghan's best friend Jessica Mulroney and Harry and Meghan's godchildren;

Canadian socialite Mrs Mulroney touched down at Heathrow Airport with her husband Ben, son of the country's ex prime minister Brian Mulroney;

Royal fans kitted out in Union Jack flags have started to set up camp behind the barriers that the royal procession will take through Windsor

Yesterday Samantha gave an interview to Good Morning Britain to speak about Mr Markle pulling out of the wedding because he didn't want to embarrass the royal family following the fake photo row.

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall receive gifts after visiting the Yoox Net-a-Porter Tech Hub at White City in West London today

Prince Charles visits the new Tech Hub at the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group offices in West London, three days before his son Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle

Queen Elizabeth II talks with Major Peter Norton GC at a reception for the living recipients of the Victoria and George Cross medals, at Buckingham Palace in London today

She was then accused by host Piers Morgan of being a 'little vulture' and grabbing money by 'trashing' the Suits star.

In an explosive exchange Mr Morgan asked her: 'How much money have you made from trashing Meghan Markle?' to which Samantha replied: 'Not very much'.

Ms Markle said she had encouraged her father to do a deal with paparazzi claiming he had been treated 'shabbily' by the media.

But Piers went on the offensive and said: 'There's no bigger media vulture in this wedding than you. You are doing a book called the 'Diary of princess pushy's sister'.'

Samantha replied that a 'book cannot be judged by its cover or by its title'.

She also claimed that she was 'the culprit' behind the embarrassing 'faked' photographs of their father taken in the run-up to this week's royal wedding.

Samantha said she advised him to co-operate with a US-based paparazzo photographer in order to show himself - and, strangely, the royal family - in a 'positive' light and insisted his motive hadn't been money.

But she could not confirm whether Mr Markle had actually accepted any payment for his collusion for the stunt. Mr Markle later told TMZ he had.

Ms Markle told GMB: 'He was unfairly present in the media as shabby, I think photographer looked for the most unflattering photographs.

'My father has really suffered at the hands of the media. I think a person has a right to say 'enough is enough, I wasn't to be shown how I really am'.

But Piers hit back: 'You've spent the last two years criticising her, you called her narcissistic, selfish, that Hollywood has changed her and that Prince Harry shouldn't marry her, yet you have the gall to blame media vultures.

'You've made loads of money off the back of a tenuous link to Meghan Markle, who you've spoken to once in 10 years. You've been trashing her for two years you vulture'.

Meghan's dad WON'T attend her wedding because he will have heart surgery today - and blames his SON for triggering heart attack with letter to Harry urging him to walk away

Meghan Markle's father won't attend her wedding to Prince Harry in three days' time because he needs to have major heart surgery today, it has been claimed.

Thomas Markle, 73, who lives in Mexico, revealed that doctors will 'go in and clear blockage, repair damage, and put a stent where it is needed' during the operation, which will take place at 3.30pm UK time.

Mr Markle is thought to have previously stayed at General Hospital in Rosarito, the town where he lives, but it is unclear where today's operation will take place.

Free public healthcare is provided in Mexico, as opposed to the US where it is administered by private institutions.

The retired lighting director believes his heart attack was triggered by an open letter his son, Thomas Jr, wrote trying to convince Harry not to marry Meghan.

Meanwhile it was claimed today that the relationship between Meghan's parents has been strained further after the fallout over the paparazzi photos.

A source told The Sun Online: 'Thomas and Doria are currently barely speaking to one another.

'He is trying to make peace after everything that has happened. Their relationship had been hanging by a thread for months before the staged photo scandals.

The surgery is the latest twist surrounding Mr Markle's attendance at Meghan's wedding

Mr Markle revealed he believes his heart attack was triggered by an open letter his son, Thomas Jr (pictured), wrote to Prince Harry trying to convince him not to marry Meghan

'He had told friends that he wanted to come with the peace gesture for an appeasement before the wedding and his daughter's big day, but his recent actions have crushed that.'

The revelation over surgery was the latest twist on a rollercoaster of speculation surrounding whether Mr Markle would attend Saturday's royal wedding at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.

It came just hours after Meghan seemed to have convinced her father to change his mind and walk her down the aisle.

He pulled out on Monday, saying he didn't want to further embarrass his daughter after The Mail On Sunday revealed he had staged paparazzi photos for money.

But yesterday it seemed he had backtracked on his decision after the bride-to-be pleaded with him to come to England for the big day in Berkshire.

He told TMZ that Meghan tried calling him on Monday, but he wasn't near his phone. She later sent a text saying she loved him and was concerned about his health.

Meghan, pictured with Harry on April 25, pleaded with her father to walk her down the aisle

Mr Markle has said he believed his ex-wife Doria Ragland would be a 'good choice' to give their daughter away at St George's Chapel, Windsor. Pictured: Doria with Meghan in March 2015

'I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle,' Mr Markle said yesterday. 'Of course I'd walk her down the aisle. This is a historic moment. I'd like to be a part of history.'

Mr Markle, who had a heart attack a week ago, returned to the hospital yesterday after having chest pains. He said a series of tests found that the heart attack had done 'significant damage' and revealed he needed immediate surgery.

Mr Markle also blamed his recent health troubles on his son Thomas, who told Harry that marrying Meghan would be the 'biggest mistake in royal wedding history'.

'It's not too late, Meghan Markle is obviously not the right woman for you,' Thomas's letter, shared with InTouch, reads. 'I'm confused why you don't see the real Meghan that the whole world now sees.'

Thomas went on to call his half-sister a 'jaded, shallow, conceited woman, that will make a fool of you and the royal family heritage'.

Just a week later, in another open letter, Thomas apologised for his words and begged Meghan to invite him to her wedding.

Mr Markle said that he did not want to embarrass his daughter (pictured together, circa 2000)

But when it came to her father, Mr Markle revealed that Meghan held no hard feelings against him for setting up paparazzi photos for money.

When asked what the Queen thought about his money grab, Mr Markle laughed and said: 'I don't think the Queen is thinking about what I'm doing.'

Who will give Meghan away if her father isn't cleared by doctors? Doria Ragland - 4/6 Prince Charles - 2/1 Prince William - 5/1 Meghan Walks Solo down the Aisle 5/1 Thomas Markle 10/1 Gabriel Macht 14/1 Prince Philip 20/1 Prince Harry 33/1 Kate Middleton 100/1 Advertisement

Mr Markle said although he doesn't believe faking the 'hammy' photos was that serious, he admitted it was a 'stupid' decision.

He also blasted his eldest daughter Samantha Markle, who revealed she convinced Mr Markle to set up the photos.

Mr Markle said Samantha has no real relationship with Meghan, and knows nothing of her relationship with Harry.

Before changing his mind, Mr Markle said he believed his ex-wife Doria Ragland would be a 'good choice' to give their daughter away at St George's Chapel, where the wedding is being held in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Miss Ragland is flying into the UK from Los Angeles to support her daughter and would be the clear favourite to walk her down the aisle if Mr Markle is not cleared by doctors to fly.

Prince Charles is 2/1 with the bookies to step in, while Prince William is 5/1 to take Meghan into St George's Chapel before starting his duties as Harry's best man.

There have also been a flurry of bets on Meghan walking down the aisle alone. On Monday night, Mr Markle told TMZ that Miss Ragland should be the person to do it.

Mr Markle's ex-wife Doria Ragland is expected to meet Prince Charles and Camilla (pictured at a service at St Martin-in-the-Fields for the Victoria Cross and George Cross Society yesterday)

Doria Ragland (left, with her daughter in Toronto in September 2017) has been keeping a low profile ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding (the couple, pictured right on April 23)

Miss Ragland has been keeping a low profile in recent weeks ahead of Saturday's nuptials, and has been photographed out and about near her home in Los Angeles.

So far there has been no official announcement on who will now be walking Meghan down the aisle.

But according to TMZ, Mr Markle believes Miss Ragland, who has a close relationship with her daughter, should now be the one to give her away if he can not make it.

The yoga instructor and social worker has been described by Meghan as a 'free spirited clinical therapist' and she has been seen alongside Meghan at a number of public events.

Harry, who has described her as 'amazing', flew Miss Ragland out to Toronto to join Meghan and himself at the Invictus Games last year.

Royal experts said at the time that Harry's decision to invite Meghan's mother to join them at the closing ceremony of the tournament was 'hugely significant'.

Miss Ragland was already expected to have an 'important role' during the ceremony. It is thought she will ride with Meghan in the car to the chapel to Windsor Castle.

She is also expected to meet the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla and Prince William and his wife, Kate, before the big day.

The 73-year-old said Meghan tried calling him on Monday, but he wasn't near his phone. She later sent a text saying she loved him and was concerned about his health. Pictured: The father and daughter in her teenage years

Thomas Markle is seen on surveillance video entering an internet cafe with photographer Jeff Rayner to set up staged photos

A friend of Meghan and Harry's told the Mail that she was standing by her father and pleaded for understanding, saying he was 'not in a good place'.

Meghan wouldn't be the first to be given away by a woman at a royal wedding If Meghan Markle's mother does walk her down the aisle it won't be the first time it has happened. Queen Victoria gave away her youngest child Princess Beatrice at St Mildred's Church, Whippingham on the Isle of Wight in 1885. She wore black to remember her husband Prince Albert who had died 24 years earlier, although her outfit is believed to have been encrusted with diamonds. Royal historian Victoria Howard told the BBC: 'I think it would be a lovely touch for Meghan's mother Doria to walk her down the aisle. 'It would be unusual but it wouldn't be an unprecedented move. Queen Victoria walked two of her daughters down the aisle'. Advertisement

The friend said: 'This is not what she wants. She obviously wants her dad there. And the idea of contemplating him not being there now is not something that she wants to have to do.

'She and Prince Harry are begging for people to give him some space. They have been saying this for weeks, while trying to offer him support and help.

'He is clearly feeling under immense pressure. The concern for him is real and genuine. He is a proud man who wants to be a father and not be taken care of, but it's quite difficult.

'Everyone needs to pause and think what this is doing to them and, more importantly, to him. It is a really worrying, scary situation. The couple have been doing everything they can to help him.'

Harry, 33, is said to be distraught and could try to get Mr Markle to change his mind.

The friend said: 'Harry feels guilty that this has happened to someone he loves because they are in a relationship with him.

'He is devastated. He feels like this is another thing in the wake of him... the problems he causes. He feels that anyone who gets associated with his life  this is the price they have to pay.

'He wants to protect her and this is really difficult for him to swallow.'

Meghan will now be accompanied by only mother at the wedding (Doria Ragland with Prince Harry and Meghan in September)

The couple issued an unprecedented official statement through Kensington Palace in the wake of the crisis.

A spokesman said: 'This is a deeply personal moment for Ms Markle in the days before her wedding. She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr Markle in this difficult situation.'

US gossip website TMZ claimed to have spoken 'on the record' to Miss Markle's father, who confirmed he had worked with the freelance photographer to set up images of him being measured for his wedding suit and searching online for articles about his daughter.

He said he did it to 'rehabilitate' his image but had been left looking 'stupid and hammy'  and would not be travelling to the UK to give her away in order to spare her further embarrassment.

Kensington Palace was clearly broadsided by the claims as aides had insisted on Sunday that Mr Markle would be by his daughter's side at Windsor Castle this weekend.

TMZ further claimed that Mr Markle  a former award-winning Hollywood lighting director who lives a reclusive life in Mexico and has yet to meet his future son-in-law  confirmed he had been offered money by US-based freelance photographer Jeff Rayner.

Thomas Jr previously told DailyMail.com his father was 'struggling' ahead of the wedding

Thomas Markle admitted to staging paparazzi photos (pictured) with an agency for money

But he insisted the 'deal' was not 'principally' about money. Instead, he wanted to 'rehabilitate' his image after pictures had been published of him looking overweight and dishevelled.

HOW MEGHAN'S BIG DAY WAS UPENDED: TIMELINE TO THOMAS MARKLE'S DECISION TO STAY AWAY TUESDAY MAY 8: On Monday May 14, Thomas Markle Sr claims he suffered a heart attack six days ago - making it either Tuesday or Wednesday May 8 or 9. He claims he checked himself out of hospital in order to attend the royal wedding. Markle Sr was at his home from Sunday 7 onwards and was not seen leaving it at any time WEDNESDAY MAY 9: Markle leaves his Mexican home at 8.30pm. He checks into the Rodeway Inn in San Ysidro, just across the U.S. border, and shops at a nearby 7-11. He is seen purchasing Gas X medication, a milkshake and a bottle of Heineken THURSDAY MAY 10: At 4.10am Markle drives 135 miles to his property in Los Feliz. He picks up mail at UPS before stopping in to CVS to buy his former wife Doria Ragland, Meghans mother, a card and returning home. He is later photographed purchasing two Happy Meals and a creamy drink at a McDonalds drive-thru. He also bought a large pot of flowers for his estranged wife from a Home Depot Later that afternoon, he is pictured dropping off the flowers and card at Doria Ragland's home. He is then pictured picking up KFC close to the Mexico border as he returns to his Mexico home FRIDAY MAY 11: Markle remains in his Mexico home SATURDAY MAY 12: Markle remains in his Mexico home SUNDAY MAY 13: The Mail on Sunday reveals that Markle has been staging paparazzi photos of himself in the run up to the royal wedding - the photos have raised north of $110,000. Markle remains in his Mexico home MONDAY May 14: Markle announces he will not attend his daughter's wedding or walk her down the aisle. According to TMZ, he admitted to staging paparazzi photos in the run up to the wedding. Sources say Kensington Palace was blindsided by the decision. In a statement they say is is a deeply personal matter for Ms Markle Advertisement

The website wrote: 'He says since his daughter started dating Prince Harry he's been offered anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000 for interviews and he's turned all of them down.

'Thomas says the paparazzi agency approached him, offered him money  though nowhere near the reported $100,000  and he figured there was no harm in it and it would help recast his image.

'He admits the pics look 'stupid and hammy'. He says he was just going along with the paparazzi agency, which he now deeply regrets.'

The website continued: 'Meghan's father will not be walking her down the aisle on Saturday... he isn't going to the wedding at all because of the fallout over selling photos of himself.'

Mr Markle also told the website that he had suffered a heart attack six days ago but checked himself out of the hospital so he could attend the wedding.

There was no independent confirmation that Mr Markle had been ill, however.

Indeed, last week he was seen leaving his home in the beachside community of Rosarito, Mexico, and driving to San Diego, just over the US border.

According to reports, he stopped for a few hours' sleep and then carried onto LA where he was photographed putting a pot of flowers on the doorstep of his ex-wife, Miss Ragland.

To add to the confusion, Mr Markle's daughter - Meghan's estranged half-sister Samantha - claimed that she was 'the culprit' behind the humiliating photograph debacle.

In a bizarre intervention, Samantha said she had advised her father to co-operate with the photographer to show himself  and, strangely, the Royal Family  in a 'positive' light. She also insisted his motive hadn't been money.

One source told the Mail that Mr Markle was 'very unwell', adding: 'He is under significant stress.

'There is genuine concern about his safety. His health and safety are paramount [to Meghan]. He is under a huge amount of pressure.'

If Miss Markle's father is not at the wedding, it is believed Miss Ragland will walk her down the aisle.

Revealed: The 4 procedures Meghan Markle's father could undergo following his heart attack and why they will prevent him from giving his daughter away By Alexandra Thompson, Health Reporter For MailOnline Meghan Markle's father has confirmed he will not attend her wedding to Prince Harry in three days time after suffering a heart attack last week. Thomas Markle, 73, is due to have an operation at 3.30pm UK time today to 'go in and clear blockage, repair damage, and put a stent where it is needed', he is reported to have said. It is unclear where Mr Markle, who lives in Mexico, will have the procedure, however, heart attacks are treated using the same procedures throughout North America and in the UK. Mr Markle was admitted to hospital yesterday after suffering severe chest pains, with tests confirming the heart attack did 'significant damage' and requires immediate surgery. Despite Meghan reportedly working hard to convince her father to walk her down the aisle, the retired lighting director is not expected to be in a fit enough state to travel across the Atlantic to Windsor after a major operation. Mr Markle claims his heart attack was triggered by an open letter his son Thomas Jr wrote to Prince Harry saying marrying Meghan would be the 'biggest mistake in royal wedding history'. Although it is unclear exactly what his surgery will involve, the MailOnline has rounded up the most common heart-attack operations and when Mr Markle may be able to congratulate his newly-married daughter in person. Angioplasty What is it? An angioplasty involves making a small incision in a patient's arm or leg, through which a wire with an attached deflated balloon is thread through up to the coronary arteries. The balloon is then inflated to widen areas where blood flow to the heart muscle has been reduced or cut off by plaque build up. In some cases wires with laser tips are inserted to break up plaque. The balloon may also have a sharp rotating edge to cut away cholesterol build up. What does it do? Angioplasties open blocked arteries, which restores normal blood flow to the heart. This reduces chest pain and allows people to exercise if they were left immobile by their angina. Angioplasties also reduce patients' risk of suffering a heart attack. How long is the recovery? And what are the risks? For patients being treated for chest pain, most are usually able to go home the same day of the operation. They should avoid strenuous activities and driving for at least a a week. Heart-attack patients may need to stay in hospital for several days after their angioplasties. Angioplasties are considered relatively non-invasive due to them only requiring a small incision in the arm or leg. The procedure generally lasts between 30 minutes and one hour. Risks depending on people's age and overall health but may include excessive bleeding, heart attacks and stroke. An angioplasty involves inserting a wire with an attached deflated balloon through an artery in a patient's arm, which is then thread up to the heart. The balloon expands and opens the artery Stent placement What is it? A stent is a wire mesh tube that props open arteries during an angioplasty. It surrounds the deflated balloon and expands with it when the balloon is inflated. After the balloon has been deflated and removed, the stent stays in the artery permanently. The recovery process and risks are the same as they are for angioplasties. What does it do? Stents hold arteries open to help improve blood flow to the heart and relieve chest pain. Stent placements are inserted in the same way as angioplasties but involve a wire mesh around the balloon. Once the balloon is removed, the stent remains to keep the artery open Bypass What is it? Bypass surgery involves taking arteries or veins from other parts of the body and using them to reroute blood around the clogged artery. Depending on how narrowed people's arteries are, some patients may require several bypass grafts. In some cases, small incisions are made in the chest, through which arteries or veins from the leg are attached to the heart. This requires the heart to be stopped, with blood being pumped through an oxygenator, which is also known as a 'heart-lung' machine. What does it do? Bypasses are one of the most effective ways to restore blocked blood supplies to the heart. As well as improving blood and oxygen supplies to the organ, the procedure relieves chest pain, reduces the risk of a heart attack and often allows patients to be more mobile. How long is the recovery? Most patients need to stay in hospital for at least a week after having a coronary artery bypass. Patients are generally able to sit in a chair after one day, walk after three and use stairs after six. It takes around six weeks before people can resume their normal daily activities, such as working and driving, and three months before they make a full recovery. What are the risks? Up to one in every three patients will suffer an irregular or abnormally fast heart rate, which is usually not serious and treatable with medication. Around one in 25 develop infections at the site of the incision on the chest, arms or legs. Reduced kidney function affects less than one in 20, which is typically just temporary and resolves within a few weeks. Brain-related problems may also occur, which can affect people's abilities to concentrate. Although this can be permanent, it usually improves after a few months. Due to the heart and coronary arteries being vulnerable after a bypass, up to 10 per cent of patients suffer a heart attack within 30 days of the surgery. Risks depend on a patient's age, overall health, weight and the number of vessels grafted. Bypass surgery involves taking arteries or veins from other parts of the body and using them to reroute blood around the clogged artery. Some patients may require several grafts Heart transplant What is it? Heart transplants involve removing diseased organs and replacing them with a healthy donated heart from someone who has recently died. They are considered in patients with severe heart failure who have not responded to medication. This may include those with coronary heart disease, birth defects that affect the heart or abnormally large or shaped hearts that have become stiff. Heart transplants involve a cut being made in the middle of the chest while a patient is under general anaesthetic. Once the diseased heart is removed, the donor organ is connected to the main arteries and veins, and should begin beating normally. What does it do? Such procedures have been proven to restore heart health in patients with irreversible damage. Heart transplant can be life saving in patients whose organs no longer worked efficiently. How long is the recovery? Most patients stay in hospital for between two and three weeks after a heart transplant. It can take several months before they can return to their normal activities. Patients are required to take immune-system suppressing drugs for the rest of their lives to reduce the risk of their bodies rejecting the donated organ. They also require regular check ups with heart specialists. What are the risks? One of the most common complications is the donor heart being rejected, which occurs when the immune system recognises the organ as foreign and attacks it. Taking immunosuppressants to reduce the risk of rejection can cause side effects such as infections, weight gain and high blood pressure. In up to 10 per cent of surgeries, the heart transplant does not work properly, which can be lift threatening and requires medications, ventilators and bypass machines to keep circulation going. If the donated heart's function does not improve, a second transplant may be required. Narrowed and hardened arteries are common after a heart transplant. They tend to occur several years after the operation. These can restrict the heart's blood supply, leading to attacks and even failure. Medications can prevent this. Heart transplants involve removing diseased organs and replacing them with a healthy donated heart from someone who has recently died. This is done in severe heart failure (stock) Advertisement

Royal page boys and bridesmaids revealed: Prince George and sister Charlotte will be joined by the three children of bride-to-be's best friend and Harry and Meghan's godchildren

Princess Charlotte and Prince George will be among the bridesmaids and page boys for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, it was revealed today.

The three children of Meghan's best friend Jessica Mulroney - twins Brian and John, seven, and daughter Ivy, four - will also walk down the aisle on Saturday.

The bridesmaids for the service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, Berkshire, include Harry's goddaughters, Zalie Warren, two, and Florence van Cutsem, three.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte, pictured on the way to meet their new baby brother who was named Prince Louis, at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, on April 27

The three children of Meghan's best friend Jessica Mulroney - twins Brian and John, seven, and daughter Ivy, four - are pictured with their mother arriving at London Heathrow Airport today

Also involved are 36-year-old Meghan's goddaughters, sisters Remi and Rylan Litt, aged six and seven respectively, and four-year-old Ivy Mulroney.

The other pageboys are 33-year-old Harry's godson, Jasper Dyer, aged six, and seven-year-old twin brothers Brian and John Mulroney.

Kensington Palace announced this morning that Harry's niece and nephew would be among Meghan's young helpers at the nuptials in Windsor this weekend.

Charlotte, three, and four-year-old George are already skilled in the role, having performed the duty for the Duchess of Cambridge's sister, Pippa Matthews, last year.

Meghan is godmother to her friend Benita Litt's two daughters Remi, six and Rylan, seven, and she is thought to have spent Christmas with the family in 2016 (pictured)

Remi, six and Rylan Litt, seven, will be among the six bridesmaids at this Saturday's wedding

Harry has paid tribute to former mentor and close friend Mark Dyer by requesting his son Jasper as a pageboy.

Meanwhile Meghan has publicly recognised one of her best friends, stylist Mrs Mulroney, by choosing her twin sons to take part in the wedding.

Mr Dyer, a redhead like the prince, was a supportive big brother figure for Harry during the 1990s and early 2000s.

It was during that period that the teenager was coming to terms with the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in Paris in 1997.

Mrs Mulroney, who is married to Ben Mulroney, the son of former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, was seen arriving at London Heathrow Airport today.

Six-year-old Jasper Dyer, pictured with his father Mark Dyer, will be a page boy at the wedding

Police officers stand today outside Windsor Castle on the Long Walk in the Berkshire town

Police pose with the Madame Tussauds wax figures of Harry and Meghan in Windsor today

Zalie Warren is the daughter of Jake Warren, son of the Queen's bloodstock and racing adviser John Warren, and his wife Zoe.

The palace has already revealed Meghan is not having a maid of honour because she did not want to choose just one person from her close-knit group of friends.

Kate is likely to play a supervisory role for the page boys and bridesmaids, something she did when her younger sister, Pippa, married James Matthews last year.

The duchess was spotted giving a polite warning to the youngsters in her charge, holding her finger to her lips to ensure they were quiet as they entered the church.

Who are the four page boys and six bridesmaids for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding? Kensington Palace has announced that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will have six bridesmaids and four pageboys at the wedding. Here is the full list: BRIDESMAIDS Kate with Princess Charlotte after Pippa Middleton's wedding in May last year Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (aged three) The middle child and only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has made a name for herself for her royal confidence despite being just three years old. It was Charlotte - Harry's niece - who led the way into the Lindo Wing to meet new baby brother Prince Louis, giving a regal wave as she went. Her parents have told how the fourth in line to the throne rules the roost, saying she is 'very sweet' but also feisty. Miss Florence van Cutsem (aged three  goddaughter of Prince Harry, daughter of Mrs Alice van Cutsem and Major Nicholas van Cutsem) Three-year-old Florence is Prince Harry's goddaughter, and the daughter of his long-standing family friend Major Nicholas van Cutsem and Alice van Cutsem. Major van Cutsem, a major with the Household Cavalry's Life Guards, has been a friend of Harry and William's since childhood. Remi and Ryan Litt are aged six and seven Miss Remi Litt (aged six  goddaughter of Meghan Markle, daughter of Mrs Benita Litt and Mr Darren Litt) Remi Litt is the six-year-old daughter of Meghan's close friend Benita Litt and her husband Darren Litt. Meghan is Remi's godmother and in a since deleted Instagram post, the actress shared a picture of herself with the family - including her two 'fairy god-daughters' - showing them happily posing in front of a Christmas tree after spending the holidays together in 2016. Benita runs her own brand agency under her name where she helps others to start businesses. Miss Rylan Litt (aged seven  goddaughter of Meghan Markle, daughter of Mrs Benita Litt and Mr Darren Litt) Meghan's other goddaughter is seven years old and Benita Litt's oldest child. Ivy is the four-year-old youngest child of Meghan's best friend Jessica Mulroney Miss Ivy Mulroney (aged four  daughter of Mrs Jessica Mulroney and Mr Benedict Mulroney) Ivy is the four-year-old youngest child of Meghan's stylist and best friend Jessica Mulroney. The youngster's name is actually Isabel Veronica but she is nicknamed Ivy. Jessica Mulroney runs a bridal store in Toronto, where Meghan used to film Suits, and is said to have helped the bride choose her wedding gown. She is married to Ben Mulroney - son of former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney. Miss Zalie Warren (aged two  goddaughter of Prince Harry, daughter of Mrs Zoe Warren and Mr Jake Warren) Zalie is the youngest of the bridesmaids at just two years old. She is another of Harry's goddaughters and the daughter of one of his best friends, Jake Warren and Mr Warren's wife Zoe. The Warren family are closely connected to the royals through horse-racing. Jake's father John Warren is the Queen's racing manager. The father-and-son team run Highclere Stud in Newbury together. PAGE BOYS His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge (aged four) Prince George goes to meet his new baby brother at hospital in London on April 27 Prince George, who is four, is third in line to the throne and a future king. William and Kate's eldest child is said to be shyer than his younger sister Charlotte, and the duke has told how his son loves helicopters, flying and is obsessed with all things police-related. Like Charlotte, George is rarely seen in public. The duke and duchess try to ensure their children are protected from media intrusion. But the pair have appeared at key royal events such as the annual Trooping the Colour parade, and have joined William and Kate on official overseas tours. Jasper Dyer is a godson of Prince Harry's Master Jasper Dyer (aged six  godson of Prince Harry, son of Mrs Amanda Dyer and Mr Mark Dyer MVO) Six-year-old Jasper Dyer is also a godson of Harry's and the son of his trusted mentor Mark Dyer and Mr Dyer's wife Amanda. Former Welsh Guards office Mr Dyer has been a key father figure to the prince since childhood. A former equerry to the Prince of Wales, he was entrusted by Charles to keep an eye on Harry. The pair travelled together in Harry's gap year and he inspired the prince's charity work in Lesotho, southern Africa, after arranging Harry's first ever stay in the country. Master Brian Mulroney and Master John Mulroney (both aged seven  sons of Mrs Jessica Mulroney and Mr Benedict Mulroney) The fraternal twin sons of Jessica and Ben Mulroney are seven years old - and older siblings to Ivy Mulroney. In an interview with thestar.com in 2014, Mrs Mulroney described how the boys were best friends. 'Ben was at the MMVAs (iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards) and John did something really sweet,' she said. 'He hugged Brian from behind and said, 'Brian, you make me great'. ' The article described the children, who had two nannies, as 'incredibly well-behaved'. Brian and John Mulroney are Jessica and Ben Mulroney's twin seven-year-olds Advertisement

Next stop, Windsor! Meghan's mum Doria heads to LAX with a Burberry outfit carrier and gets VIP treatment by using a private entrance - but will she walk her daughter down the aisle?

Meghan Markle's mother Doria Ragland is on her way to London as speculation mounts she will now be the one walking her daughter down the aisle.

The yoga instructor and social worker was picked up at her home in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon before heading to the airport.

She was then spotted going through a private entrance at Los Angeles International where she will enjoy VIP treatment before boarding her flight to the UK.

Doria was holding a Burberry clothes bag, likely to contain an outfit she will be wearing during the wedding celebrations this weekend.

The 61-year-old is now at the centre of mounting speculation that she will now be the one to walk Meghan down the aisle after her father appeared to confirm today he won't be coming to ceremony at Windsor Castle on Saturday.

He revealed he is due to have heart surgery later today, which will mean he will have to stay at home in Rosarito, Mexico, instead of making the trip to London.

Off she goes! Meghan Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, made her way to Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday ahead of the royal wedding

On the go: The 61-year-old yoga instructor and social worker got picked up at her California home as she made her way to LAX

Speculation is mounting that Doria will be the one to walk Meghan down the aisle at St. George's Chapel on Saturday

She wore a low-key ensemble for the 10 and a half hour flight, choosing a chic blazer over a white T-shirt that had a picture of a dog on the front.

Meghan's mother arrived at LAX's brand new Private Suite, used by the rich and famous, which provides ultimate privacy and luxury facilities, at a cost of thousands of pounds.

After arriving at Heathrow, likely to be early this afternoon, she will be whisked off to see her daughter and Prince Harry.

She's staying with the bride at Cliveden House the night before the nuptials, and then travelling with her to St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on the day.

The mother-of-one was seen carrying a Burberry garment bag as she left her house, just days before her daughter is due to tie the knot with Prince Harry

The five star mansion, near the village of Teplow on the border of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire is roughly 15 minutes away by car to the wedding venue. It has been chosen for its secluded location and privacy.

Doria has been keeping a low profile over recent weeks in the run up to Saturday's nuptials, and has been photographed out and about near her home in Los Angeles.

The yoga instructor and social worker has been described by Meghan as a 'free spirited clinical therapist' and she has been seen alongside Meghan at a number of public events.

Prince Harry, who has described her as 'amazing' flew Doria out to Toronto to join Meghan and himself at the Invictus Games last year.

The SUV was seen using a private entrance as the mother of the bride made her way to LAX

The SUV was seen using a private entrance as the mother of the bride made her way to LAX

Doria also attended the closing ceremony of Prince Harry's Invictus Games with her daughter in September last year

Doria, (left, with her daughter) has been keeping a low profile ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding (the couple, pictured right)

Royal experts said at the time that Harry's decision to invite Meghan's mum to join them at the closing ceremony of his Invictus Games was 'hugely significant.'

Doria was already expected to have an 'important role' during the ceremony. It is thought she will ride with Meghan in the car to the chapel in Windsor Castle.

She is also expected to meet the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla and Prince William and his wife Kate before the big day.

Inside the paparazzi-proof 2,000 per-use private terminal at LAX Los Angeles International Airport's 'The Private Suite' has been catering for celebrities and wealthy clients since it opened in May. Guests will have to pay a $7,500 (5,500) annual fee to use the facilities, that includes a private check-in bar and lavish seating area. But every time they visit, they will face an additional charge. Groups of up to four people will cost $2,700 (2,000) for a domestic flight and $3,000 (2,200) for an international flight. The suite features perks such as a BMW car service that will drive members from private TSA screening directly to their planes The service is expected to draw a celebrity-heavy clientele, with LAX the prime hubs for many celebrities flying in and out on a daily basis The Gavin de Becker & Associates designed venture offers private parking, black car escorts, a private lounge plus 13 additional private rooms and celebrity chef meals, among other perks. Roasted seaweed is said to be among the snacks on offer to the high-class clientele. Once passengers they are screened, they will be driven directly to their planes in a BMW sedan. Each guest or group of four will interface with a team of eight terminal employees, Forbes reported. In addition to a 'private lounge,' there are 13 private rooms that include daybeds, dress clothing and snacks including tortilla chips and roasted seaweed Each of the 13 individual suites also comes with its own bathroom. Pictured: A bathroom in The Private Suite Two staff members assist with entry, two assist with special individual requests, one assists with screening, one acts as a driver, one handles luggage and one walks members right up to the aircraft door. The 13 private suites within The Private Suite all come with daybeds, individual bathrooms, snack-stocked refrigerators, flavoured almond dispensers, roasted seaweed and tortilla chips snacks, headphones, dress clothing and raincoats, the Wall Street Journal reported. The terminal will be next to LAX's south runway. LAX is about 15 miles southwest of Hollywood Advertisement

Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, has once again pulled out of his daughter's big day, revealing that he needs to have major heart surgery this morning

Wedding day: Meghan and Prince Harry are slated to say 'I do' on Saturday, May 19 at St. George's Chapel, which is on the grounds at Windsor Castle

The surgery seems to be the final end to speculation surrounding Thomas' attendance

Thomas Markle, 73, revealed that he is having major heart surgery today, coming just hours after it appeared Meghan had convinced her father to change his mind and attend the nuptials, when he announced he wouldn't be coming on Monday.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding in numbers 0 - Maids of Honour - all the bridesmaids will be children 1 - Best man - Harry's brother, the Duke of Cambridge 1 - Hour - the length of the wedding ceremony 2 - Diamonds from Diana, Princess of Wales's collection used for Meghan's engagement ring, plus one from Botswana 3 - Diana's siblings at the service 6 - Harry's position in line to the throne 6 - Windsor Grey horses taking part in the carriage ride 7 - Charities Harry and Meghan picked to receive public donations instead of wedding gifts 16 - The wedding will be the 16th royal wedding or blessing to take place in St George's Chapel since 1863 200 - Guests invited to the Frogmore House evening reception 600 - Congregation in St George's Chapel 2,640 - People specially invited into the grounds of the castle 5,000 - UK and international media accredited in Windsor 100,000 - Estimated number of visitors in Windsor on the day Advertisement

He said he didn't want to embarrass his daughter any further after the Mail on Sunday revealed he had staged paparazzi shots for money.

Before again changing his mind, Thomas said he believed his ex-wife Doria would be a 'good choice' to give their daughter away.

Doria is the clear favorite to walk her down the aisle if Thomas is not cleared by doctors to fly.

Prince Charles is 2/1 with the bookies to step in while Prince William is 5/1 to take Meghan into St George's before starting his duties as Harry's best man.

There have also been a flurry of bets on Meghan walking down the aisle alone.

Doria made her way to LAX just one day after it was reported that she quit her job at a mental health clinic.

According to Us Weekly, the 61-year-old social worker she left her role at the Los Angeles clinic she had been working at to pursue her goal of starting her own private practice following her daughter's nuptials.

'Doria is no longer working at the mental health clinic in the Los Angeles area. It was Doria's decision to leave,' a source told the outlet. 'She has talked about starting her own private practice, focusing on working with elderly patients.'

The reports about Doria's decision to quit her job come just one week after it was revealed that she had met with TV legend Oprah Winfrey at her $88 million Los Angeles home in order to discuss ideas for a tell-all interview.

According to the Mirror Online, the duo spent six hours together going over potential topics that could be covered during a sit-down, with a source saying that they focused particularly on race and the role that it has played in Harry and Meghan's relationship.

'Oprah and Doria spent a long time chatting and they got on really well,' the source said.

'The most important and significant issue they spoke about was race and how badly some people had reacted to Meghan and Harry.

'What happened to Meghan and Harry was disgusting and they and all of their families were horrified. It's an issue close to both Doria and Oprah, who have both suffered racism.'

However, the interview reportedly needs to be approved by Meghan, Harry, and Buckingham Palace before it is recorded.

Growing up, Meghan lived with her mother in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in the Mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles.

The Suits star's mother, Doria, and her father, Thomas, divorced when she was six years old.

Extended family: Meghan's nephews Tyler (R) and Thomas Dooley and their mother, Tracy Dooley (L), are in London for the wedding but they aren't thought to be attending the ceremony

'What a journey so far!' Shortly after arriving in London, Tyler began sharing images of the trip on his Facebook page

Although Doria is thought to be the only close relative attending the royal wedding, members of Meghan's extended family are in town for Saturday's celebration.

The former actress' nephews Tyler and Thomas Dooley and their mother, Meghan's sister-in-law Tracy Dooley, seem determined to take part in the big day.

Despite previously revealing they hadn't received an invite to the royal wedding, the trio were seen making their way to the arrivals gate at the London airport on Monday with 13 suitcases.

The family have been enlisted as 'special correspondents' for Good Morning Britain and are expected to report from Windsor, though are thought not to be attending the ceremony.

Meghan's best friend touches down in London: Fashion queen arrives at Heathrow with family Meghan Markle's best friend Jessica Mulroney arrived in London with her husband and three children this morning, just 72 hours before the royal wedding. The 37-year-old glossy Canadian socialite touched down at Heathrow Airport with her husband Ben Mulroney, son of the country's ex-prime minister Brian Mulroney. They were with their three children - twins Brian and John, seven, and daughter Ivy, four - who are rumoured to be page boys and flower girl at Saturday's wedding. Meghan Markle's best friend Jessica Mulroney arrives at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 - 'The Queen's Terminal' - this morning with her husband Ben Mulroney and their three children The couple were with their three children - twins Brian and John, seven, and daughter Ivy, four The 37-year-old glossy Canadian socialite touched down at Heathrow Airport this morning Meghan Markle 's best friend arrived in London with her husband and three children today It comes amid claims Meghan's father Thomas Markle, who lives in Mexico, will not walk her down the aisle in Windsor because he is due to have a heart operation. Professional wedding planner Mrs Mulroney, dubbed 'the Gwyneth Paltrow of Toronto', runs a bridal store and is said to have helped Meghan choose her gown. Meghan went on holiday with Mrs Mulroney to Positano on the Amalfi coast in August 2016 in one of her last jaunts as a single woman before her engagement. Their friendship has gone from strength to strength since Meghan, then a young ingenue, moved to Toronto in 2011 to play Rachel Zane in the TV show Suits. By then Mrs Mulroney was married to Ben Mulroney, and one of Canada's top television presenters, and mingled with the cream of Toronto society. The children are rumoured to be page boys and flower girl at Saturday's wedding in Windsor Professional wedding planner Mrs Mulroney has been called 'the Gwyneth Paltrow of Toronto' Mrs Mulroney runs a bridal store and is said to have helped Meghan Markle choose her gown She introduced Meghan to her social circle, which included Canada's First Lady Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, the wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The former Jessica Brownstein came from a privileged background as a member of Canada's Browns shoes dynasty, which is worth a reported 50million. She attended an exclusive all-girls' school, before studying industrial relations and economics at McGill University. She then launched a business importing lingerie. After a successful career as a stylist - with her own TV slot - and wedding planner, she was propelled to the A-list in 2008 after marrying Brian Mulroney's eldest son. She comes from a privileged background as a member of Canada's Browns shoes dynasty Meghan and Prince Harry are said to have previously sought refuge at Mrs Muroney's house Meghan's unofficial wedding planner and best friend Mrs Mulroney posted this picture on Instagram in August 2016  a month after Meghan had her first date with Prince Harry Mrs Mulroney and Meghan are said to have bonded over a passion for yoga, Pilates, dogs and philanthropy - and Meghan calls herself as 'Aunty Meg' to the children. Meghan and Prince Harry are said to have sought refuge at Mrs Muroney's house when news of their relationship broke. Then last September, as engagement speculation grew, Mrs Mulroney was in a box with Meghan and her mother Doria for the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games. Harry joined them for the final 20 minutes of the show, standing arm in arm with Meghan and planting a kiss on her check as they watched Bryan Adams sing. Advertisement
The deputy who hid outside the Parkland high school while 17 people were shot dead is collecting an almost $9,000 pension.

Scot Peterson quit the Broward County Sheriff's Office a week after Nikolas Cruz, 19, rampaged through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14.

The deputy was branded a coward for lingering outside the school for four minutes instead of confronting the gunman and saving lives.

Former Broward County deputy Scot Peterson (right), who hid outside the Parkland high school while 17 people were shot dead, is collecting an almost $9,000 pension

He quit his post before he could be investigated for failing to act, keeping his hefty taxpayer-funded pension that kicked in last month.

Peterson, 54, is receiving $8,702.35 a month in state pension and will continue to do so for the rest of his life, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

His pension was calculated from his 32-year service and an average for his five highest-earning financial years.

He earned $101,879.03 last year including $75,673.72 in base salary plus overtime and other payments, according to police records.

The deputy was branded a coward for lingering outside the school for four minutes instead of confronting the gunman and saving lives

He quit his post before he could be investigated for failing to act, keeping his hefty taxpayer-funded pension that kicked in last month

Peterson was considered a trusted school resource officer in all his performance reviews until the day of the shooting.

The pension could be revoked if he was convicted of a crime, and since he quickly resigned he was unlikely to be hit with a federal failing to act charge.

Peterson has, however, been sued for wrongful death by the father of 18-year-old Meadow Pollack, who was killed in the shooting.

Andrew Pollack said Peterson could have entered the school, but instead 'let all those people get murdered'

'I filed a wrongful death suit against Deputy Peterson today. I want to expose that coward so bad,' he wrote on Twitter.

'Where ever he goes I want people to recognize him and say that's one of the cowards of Broward.

'The SRO that let those children and teachers die on the 3rd floor!'

Peterson, 54, is receiving $8,702.35 a month in state pension and will continue to do so for the rest of his life

He quit a week after Nikolas Cruz, 19, rampaged through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14

In another tweet, Pollack insisted the lawsuit wasn't for financial gain.

'This suit has nothing to do with money,' he wrote.

'I want to be sure anywhere he goes in this country he will be recognized as the coward that could have gone in and saved the students and teachers on the third floor.'

Meadow' brother Hunter also branded Peterson a coward on Twitter.

'My family wants the world to know this is the guy that hid behind a concrete wall while kids and teachers were killed.

'He's a WEASAL [sic] COWARD, and no matter where he goes should be recognized as a failure. He failed to act, and then lied about it after. We will not forget!'

Peterson has, however, been sued for wrongful death by the father of 18-year-old Meadow Pollack, who was killed in the shooting

Her father Andrew Pollack (pictured at the White House) said Peterson could have entered the school, but instead 'let all those people get murdered'

Meadow' brother Hunter Pollack also branded Peterson a coward in a post on Twitter

Pollack made headlines after he gave a powerful speech during a listening session at the White House with President Donald Trump in the wake of the shooting.

He has since founded a school safety organization and a memorial fund in his daughter's name.

Pollack's lawsuit also names 19-year-old shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz, the estate of Cruz's mother and the couple who took him in when she died.

Cruz is charged with killing 14 teenagers and three adult staff members with an AR-15-style automatic weapon.

Sheriff Scott Israel said Peterson never went inside the building 'that was under attack.'

Instead, he 'took up a position outside which allowed him to view the western entrance of the building.'

Surveillance footage that later emerged showed he remained in the area outside for 20 minutes.

In a statement, his lawyer said allegations that Peterson 'was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue.'
Two teenagers are among the group arrested over a wild party which allegedly left an AirBnB rental completely trashed.

A 20-year-old man and two 18-year-old men were charged by Victoria Police with criminal damage for allegedly destroying an $836,000 property in Footscray, west of Melbourne.

Police allege the property was allegedly rented for the night and sustained 'significant damage internally and externally' when up to 100 teenagers partied and allegedly destroyed the house on May 6.

Police have charged three men for allegedly destroying a rental property and are wanting to speak to another two men (pictured) who they think can help with the investigations

A 20-year-old man and two 18-year-old men were charged by Victoria Police with criminal damage for allegedly destroying an $836,000 property in Footscray (pictured)

Police allege the property was rented for the night and sustained 'significant damage internally and externally' (pictured) when up to 100 teenagers allegedly partied on May 6

The party allegedly spiralled 'out of control' and police were called to the Ryan Street address (pictured) at about 7.30am Sunday

The party allegedly spiralled 'out of control' and police were called to the Ryan Street address at about 7.30am Sunday.

Detectives have released the images of two men of African appearance who they think will be able to help them with ongoing investigations and urge the public to help identify the men.

Earlier this month Kelly, the landlord of the property, claimed she was forced to watch helplessly while the large, out-of-control group allegedly trashed her home.

She rushed to the home and called police but they were unable to go in and stop the party without a warrant - forcing her to helplessly watch while 'balling her eyes out'.

'Neighbours called me at 7am and said they're there destroying all of your televisions and furniture and smashing it across the street,' she claimed to 3AW.

'It felt like I was watching my house burning down.'

She said police told her they 'can't prove there is anything happening because they have no right to go in.'

Earlier this month Kelly, the landlord of the property, claimed she was forced to watch helplessly while the large, out-of-control group allegedly trashed her home (pictured)

She rushed to the home and called police but they were unable to go in and stop the party without a warrant - forcing her to helplessly watch while 'balling her eyes out'

Neighbours alleged the teenagers 'swore at police' and were 'looking for a fight' as they 'jumped on neighbour's car' and 'threw glass bottles' (property being cleaned pictured)

Neighbours alleged the teenagers 'swore at police' and were 'looking for a fight' as they 'jumped on neighbour's car' and 'threw glass bottles'.

Shocking pictures of the house taken on Monday as repair workers fixed windows allegedly show a bathroom destroyed, walls punched through and lights dangling from ceilings.

Kelly said she had rented the property for one night to five guests from Adelaide via booking.com.

All three men were bailed and are expected to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on September 13.

Victoria Police arrested one 19-year-old man for being drunk and disorderly earlier this month.

All three men were bailed and are expected to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on September 13 over the incident (property pictured)
A public school is being gutted of its air-conditioning as part of a much-needed renovation, and the State government is showing no intentions of reinstalling it.

Staff and P & C at Lidcombe Public School, in Sydney's west, have been informed that their classroom and library upgrade will not include air-conditioning - despite the fact the buildings were air-conditioned prior to the renovations.

If the school wants air-conditioning it will have to supply the units and electricity upgrade itself, The Daily Telegraph reports.

And it's the principal and parents who will have to foot the estimated $300,000 bill.

Staff and P & C at Lidcombe Public School, in Sydney's west, have been informed that their classroom and library upgrade will not include air-conditioning - despite the fact the buildings were air-conditioned prior to the renovations

The State government is refusing to pay for the air-conditioning - despite the fact that Lidcombe reaches temperatures as high as 45 degrees celsius - with the principal and parents being expected to foot the $300,000 bill

Lidcombe, located in the Auburn electorate of State opposition leader Luke Foley, reaches temperatures as high as 45 degrees celsius.

But Mr Foley claims that Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Education Minister Rob Stokes are simply not committed to providing the infrastructure needed to appropriately cool New South Wales' classrooms.

'Rob Stokes and the Premier might as well admit it  they have no intention of airconditioning NSW schools, they are going to leave that to the parents and principals,' he said.

Mr Foley also said that staff and parents at Lidcombe Public had been hoping to spend the $250,000 they'd raised on resources for students, including creative and critical thinking tools and equipment for extra-curricular activities.

Now it's beginning to look like those funds will have to be re-allocated.

State opposition leader Luke Foley (pictured) claims that Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Education Minister Rob Stokes are simply not committed to providing the infrastructure needed to appropriately cool New South Wales' classrooms

The air-conditioning of schools is tipped to be a key battlefront in next year's state elections, with Labor having already pledged $300 million towards the cause.

But Ms Berejiklian's lack of investment in the issue has left some feeling hot under the collar.

Opposition education spokesman Jihad Dib, for one, has panned Lidcombe Public's renovations as non-sensical, and affirms that hot classrooms produce poorer learning outcomes.

'Rob Stokes and the Premier might as well admit it  they have no intention of airconditioning NSW schools, they are going to leave that to the parents and principals,' he said

'Rebuilding a school and not including air-conditioning makes no sense,' he said.

'Everybody knows that retrofitting is more expensive, much more expensive and certainly more disruptive.'
A chef who hit back at TripAdvisor critics is regretting that his 'big mouth' caused his restaurant to plummet from his city's fifth place to barely being in the top 20.

Alex Claridge's Birmingham venue, The Wilderness, slipped down the rankings after he 'annoyed' his customers by responding to reviews about the decor and music.

His venue features a Brexit-inspired menu entitled Things Fall Apart, and his experimental decorations - moss cracking through tiled walls, for example - has earned praise in the national media.

But the 30-year-old said he was 'seriously affected' financially by the drop after he promised to use a customer's verdict of his eatery - 'more strange than special' - as his Tinder bio.

Alex Claridge says his responses have seriously affected his restaurant financially - but resolved to continue doing this his way

The innovative restaurant - branded 'dinner as theatrical performance' in one national website review - has won an army of fans, but some negative reviews were met with responses such as the one below

Famed locally for serving ants while blaring rock 'n' roll music, Mr Claridge branded TripAdvisor 'patently b******s', tweeting: 'My big mouth has almost got us out the top 20 on @TripAdvisorUK.

'If I annoy one more person I reckon Ive done it and gone from top five to top 30.'

The innovative restaurant - branded 'dinner as theatrical performance' in one national website review - has won an army of fans and earned a place in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2018.

It made headlines in 2016 when Alex put ants on the menu. But a reviewer who said he'd 'covered food and farming at the BBC for many years' said neither he nor his wife would return.

A reviewer who said he'd 'covered food and farming at the BBC for many years' said neither he nor his wife would return

Writing under the name duckrabbit76, he said: 'This is only the second occasion (in this country) I've had something on my plate which I thought had turned.

'My wife and I felt pretty disappointed and would neither return nor recommend this restaurant.'

Mr Claridge defended his dishes, saying all food was prepared fresh on site every day and suggested his less experimental lunch menu may be more the the customer's taste.

Diner David B wrote on TripAdvisor: 'Taken here as a surprise. Certainly was. Not sure what the overall theme here is.

Mr Claridge defended his dishes, saying all food was prepared fresh on site every day

'I suspect that the decor is on a limited budget. There is nothing special interior wise at all. Just very dark lighting. Staff here are doing a good job in helping to make the environment more acceptable but there is no getting away from the dour interior.'

Mr Claridge replied, saying: 'For clarity, the theme of the restaurant is disappointment until July when the theme will change to mild disinterest.

'Im only joshing (ish)! The restaurant looks as it does because I like that. We play rock and roll music because I like that.

'This is the de rigueur for this sort of dining experience and restaurant and I am genuinely gutted (and puzzled) that whosoever bought you to my restaurant didnt research a little more what we do and what that entails.

'I always want my guests to have the best possible time, but were not for everyone and wouldnt want to be.

'Alternative dining options are available and fine dining isnt to everyones taste.'

Another reviewer wrote: 'I get that its good to try to differentiate your product from others.

'I understand the chef patron here wants to do it his way and to adopt things he likes. You just dont feel this is anything special more strange than special.'

Again, Mr Claridge responded, saying: 'Fair play. I wouldnt know how to design or put together a restaurant that wasnt to my taste, but I totally get that wont be for everyone.

Some diners bemoaned the dimly-lit restaurant's decor - but Mr Claridge maintains you can't please everyone

'Any readers can just review the past week of mischief of Tripadvisor to see how a bit of rock and roll music and a black dining room seems to polarise opinion but thats alright, I reckon were all a bit different and other dining options are available.

'It does make me a bit sad, but then I cant please everyone. Finally, thank you for your parting epithet - more strange than special - which will now constitute my Tinder bio.'

The Wilderness was the 20th most popular restaurant in Birmingham on TripAdvisor at just after 9.30pm on Monday, May 14, 2018. But 87 per cent of ratings on the site gave the restaurant a maximum five stars.

Kevin W wrote: 'This is without doubt one of the most interesting, exciting and welcoming restaurants we have ever visited.

'Love the decor, very New York East side bar, great choice of music and all staff are so passionate about ensuring you have the best experience.

'After having eaten in many fine dining and Michelin starred establishments I found the Wilderness to be as good or better but with a more relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

The Wilderness was the 20th most popular restaurant in Birmingham on TripAdvisor at just after 9.30pm on Monday, May 14, 2018. But 87 per cent of ratings on the site gave the restaurant a maximum five stars

'To all the negative reviewers who complain about small portions, the colour scheme and a rock music soundtrack, please try the large mixed grill at Wetherspoons whilst listening to Abba.

'Keep up the entertaining responses to all the people who don`t understand your concept!'

Mr Claridge said it was impossible to please everyone at a restaurant, and although the bad reviews had upset him, he was not going to change.

'You can say its not for you, not for your taste, but you cant say its terrible,' he said. 'Its not terrible. These arent guests who say something is wrong at the time, they sit there and smile and say everything is great and then behind the anonymity of the internet they say bad stuff.

'If you went to a Black Sabbath concert but you dont like guitar music or men with long hair and then you give it a two-star review, that would be mad. If you dont like rock music or men with long hair, why did you go? If you try to please everyone you please no-one.'
A British computer expert who helped shut down the NHS 'WannaCry' cyber attack has been charged in the US with creating banking malware.

Marcus Hutchins, 23, has been charged with six counts of creating and distributing malware known as Kronos.

Hutchins made a telephone call from jail hours after his arrest last August to an unidentified individual - which was recorded and filed by US prosecutors, according to court documents.

Marcus Hutchins (right) arrives at US Federal Courthouse on August 14, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin alongside his lawyers

He said he had written code as a youngster which was turned into malicious software that prosecutors say harvested banking details.

According to court documents seen by The Washington Post, Hutchins said in the phone call: 'So I wrote code for a guy a while back who then incorporated it into a banking malware, so they have logs of that, and essentially they want to know my part of the banking operation or if I just sold the code on to some guy... once they found I sold the code to someone, they wanted me to give them his name, and I don't actually know anything about him.'

The cyber security expert also said logs of an online chat showed he had given software called 'compiled binary' to someone 'to repay a debt' of 'about five grand'.

He denies the charges and his lawyers argue the call is inadmissible as evidence as he had been 'coerced' by investigators.

The debt had arisen after he suffered a software malfunction while holding Bitcoin for another person.

As a result of the issue he lost some of the cryptocurrency.

British IT expert Marcus Hutchins speaks during an interview in Ilfracombe, Devon in May 2017 after creating a 'kill switch' to a global NHS cyber attack

Hutchins, also known as Malwaretech, also said in the phonecall: 'I think the coding part I was less than 18, but I think giving him the binary I might have been older than 18.'

He added: 'I knew it was always going to come back, I just didn't think it would be so soon.'

Hutchins, of Ilfracombe, Devon, was arrested in a first-class lounge at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas as he waited to board a flight back to the UK on August 2 2017.

He helped shut down the global WannaCry cyber attack - which targeted the NHS - in May 2017.

The cyber expert was hailed as a hero when he found a 'kill-switch' that slowed the effects of the virus that hit more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries.

The investigation into the banking malware predates that attack and is completely unrelated, officials said.

An indictment from July 2017 says Hutchins created the Kronos malware before conspiring with another defendant, whose name has been redacted, to advertise and sell it on internet forums.

The unnamed defendant sold the software for 2,000 dollars (1,500) in a digital currency, according to the charges that cover a period between July 2014 and July 2015.

Hutchins is due to appeal for the telephone call transcript, along with post-arrest statements, to be suppressed from legal proceedings at a hearing on Wednesday.

Lawyers argue that during questioning 'the government coerced Mr Hutchins, who was sleep-deprived and intoxicated, to talk'.

They argue that, as he is a British citizen he did not sufficiently understand warnings given over how comments he made may affect his case.
Royal butler Paul Burrell has said that Diana will be at the wedding of her son Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'in spirit'.

Mr Burrell, who was a servant for the royal family for several years, added that the Princess of Wales would have 'approved' of Harry's fiancee.

The former butler to Diana has been accused of cashing in on his time spent serving the royal family after he released a book in 2003 and appeared on the Australian version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

And he is planning to get back in the spotlight ahead of this weekend's royal wedding having lined up a series of new media appearances.

Paul Burrell (pictured), who was a servant for the royal family for several years, said the Princess of Wales would have 'approved' of Harry's fiancee

In an interview on ITV's Lorraine on Thursday, he said that Prince Harry and William would both be thinking of their mother during the bid day in Windsor on Saturday.

He said: 'Diana will be there in spirit. How can you not have Diana there? The boys will be thinking about her.

'The Queen will give Meghan a diamond tiara the night before and she will carry white roses, I'm sure.

'I can see there being touches of Diana throughout the day, she won't be far away and I bet the boys take a quiet moment.

'It is a good chance for two boys to say 'thank you mummy, for bringing us into the world' because that is why they're here.'

He added: 'I think Diana would have approved of Meghan. Together with Meghan by his side, they will go out and fulfil her dreams.

'If she was still there she would be at the centre of all of this, and Mrs Middleton would not have got a look in with the grandchildren.

'We watched William and Harry walk behind the coffin, that 11 year old boy's heart broken and it's never been the same since, until he found Meghan; she mended it.'

Mr Burrell also spoke of the first time he 'met Harry', when Diana secretly revealed that she was pregnant with her second child

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry in Windsor on Saturday, in a wedding that is set to be watched by more than a billion people

In an interview on ITV's Lorraine, he said that Prince Harry and William would both be thinking of their mother during the bid day in Windsor on Saturday

Mr Burrell also spoke of the first time he 'met Harry', when Diana secretly revealed that she was pregnant with her second child.

'I was at Balmoral with the queen and Diana was heavily pregnant,' he said. 'She took me into the dining room, and put my hand on her tummy and I felt a kick.

'She told me it was our little secret, and that was the first time I ever met Harry. I couldn't tell the Queen, my wife, anybody.'

He said watching Prince William and Harry growing up was 'the best time of my life', describing the younger sibling as 'mischievous, naughty and noisy'.

'Harry and William were like chalk and cheese,' he added. 'One day William said 'I don't want to be king', and Harry said 'I'll do the job instead of you then'.

'After that we called him GKH  Good King Harry.'

Paul Burrell worked as a footman for the Queen before serving Diana, Princess of Wales

Mr Burrell, who Princess Diana referred to as 'my rock', published a book called A Royal Duty was published in 2003.

Ahead of its publication, Princes William and Harry, just 21 and 19 at the time, said: 'We cannot believe that Paul, who was entrusted with so much, could abuse his position in such a cold and overt betrayal.

'It is not only deeply painful for the two of us but also for everyone else affected and it would mortify our mother if she were alive today.

'If we may say so, we feel we are more able to speak for our mother than Paul. We ask Paul please to bring these revelations to an end.'

In response to the comments, Mr Burrell said his book was 'nothing more than a tribute to their mother' and that he was 'extremely proud' of his work, adding: 'I am convinced the princess would be proud of too'.

Mr Burrell appeared on reality television series I'm a Celebrity Get me Out of Here! earlier this year, coming in ninth place.
An activist of a self-proclaimed 'sextremist' group was caught on camera celebrating Mother's Day - by appearing topless in Vatican City.

Visitors to St Peter's Square looked on shocked as a mother from the radical feminist group Femen was grabbed by police while breastfeeding her child in the middle of passing crowds.

The woman had the words 'alma mater' scrawled across her bare chest, which is the Latin meaning for 'mother feeding.'

The woman had the words 'alma mater' scrawled across her bare chest, which is the Latin meaning for 'mother feeding'

Femen have revealed that the stunt was aimed at getting Pope Francis to acknowledge the right of all mothers to be able to breastfeed whenever and wherever they want.

In January, Francis encouraged mothers to breastfeed their babies if they were hungry during an extended ceremony at the Sistine Chapel where he baptised 34 infants.

He said at the time: 'If they start performing a concert (by crying), or if they are uncomfortable or too warm or don't feel at ease or are hungry ... breastfeed them, don't be afraid, feed them, because this too is the language of love.'

Femen also added that the display was deliberately staged on May 13 as a Mother's Day dedication.

Posting on their website, Femen said that journalists covering the event were also arrested, with police 'illegally confiscating photos and video materials' taken by most of them.

The sextremist group have a history of staging protests at the Vatican.

Back in December, a topless activist from the Femen tried to steal baby Jesus from a nativity scene on Christmas Day.

And the day before the group staged another protest at the Vatican, with the demonstrators bearing the words #MeToo and 'assaulted by church' all over their bodies.

The group was founded in Ukraine in 2008 and has become known for its topless stunts against government, religious, and other public institutions.

After leaving Ukraine in 2013, claiming it feared for the 'lives and freedoms' of its members, it has since branched out to a number of other countries, with its main headquarters located in Paris.
A man had his eyes gouged out with a spoon in a horrific attack by his father and brothers - because he wanted to marry a girl of his choice.

Abdul Baqi, 22, from Nasirabad village in Pakistan's Balochistan province, had asked his family to take an engagement proposal to his girlfriend.

But the request enraged his 70-year-old father Dost Muhammmad and four brothers - Abdul Ghani, Abdul Sattar, Abdul Rehman and Abdul Karim - who then held him in a room and gouged his eyes of their sockets.

Horrifying: Abdul Baqi, 22, had told his family he intended to marry his girlfriend, but this enraged his father and brothers who attacked him and gouged his eyes out

They locked his mother in another room so she could not intervene and then used a spoon and a knife to carry out the horrific punishment.

Mr Baqi, who is currently admitted in Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre in Karachi, said: 'I requested my father and brothers that I want to marry a girl I have been in relationship with.

'My father agreed first. But, three hours later I was taken to a room by my father and four brothers where they tied me to a bed and started taking out my eyes.

'I kept shouting at them what were they doing? But they didn't listen to my pleas.'

Narrating the tragic incident, Baqi said: 'My father used the back of a spoon to take out my first eye. I saw my eye dangling out of the socket. He then used a knife to cut the veins.

Before: The 22-year-old is pictured before the horrendous attack by his brothers and father

Shocking: Mr Baqi was held down by his brothers, who had locked their mother in a separate room so she could not help him, while their father gouged his eyes out with a spoon

'When they removed my first eye, I requested them to leave me now. But they didn't listen to me at all and removed the other one as well.

'After they finished, I pleaded to them to please kill me now but they replied they want me be an example for other boys in the village.'

Neighbours informed some of Mr Baqi's other siblings of the incident, who rushed him to hospital. After being transferred to a specialist hospital in Karachi, doctors confirmed he will never be able to see again.

His brother Abdul Gaffar, 24, who did not take part in the attack, said: 'I was not at home when the incident happened. I received a call from my neighbour that something is wrong at your home.

Devastating: Despite initial hopes that one of his eyes might be saved, doctors have told Mr Baqi that he will be blind for life

'I immediately rushed home and I was shocked to see my brother crying in pain.

'We had no money at home. Some friends and neighbours helped us with 35,000 rupee (224).

'We took him to a hospital in Quetta where doctors told us that if we immediately take him to Karachi, may be his one eye can be saved. But doctors at Jinnah Hospital in Karachi told us he won't be able to see again.'

The incident has been reported to police, and his father and two of the brothers have been arrested.

Two remaining brothers are still on the run, local news reports.
Brenna Jessie (pictured) says an immigration officer said she couldn't be Scottish on the grounds that the country's females are ugly

An immigration officer allegedly tried to flirt with a feminist by doubting her nationality because Scottish women are 'ugly as hell' - while the holidaymaker was stood with her girlfriend.

Brenna Jessie flew to Portugal in April for a surfing holiday with her partner, but says she was stunned by the surprise greeting from airport passport control when they landed in holiday hotspot Faro.

The 25-year-old from Edinburgh, says the guard who checked her passport and said she was pretty, before quizzing her over whether she was really from Scotland.

Ms Jessie and her girlfriend were then left gobsmacked when he reportedly declared the reason for his query was because Scottish females are usually ugly as hell.

The women's rights campaigner, who also works with victims of domestic violence, branded the alleged remark sexist and made her feel uncomfortable.

Brenna, from Edinburgh in Scotland, said: 'I walked away in shock, I was totally lost for words.

'It was only afterwards that the fury hit me that he had the cheek to say something like that.

'Making such a misogynistic comment shows utter disrespect and general disregard for women.

'He has also clearly never been to Scotland - as a gay woman I can say that we are not short of beautiful women here.'

She claims its not the first time she has experienced unsolicited offensive and sexist comments from men, which she says she encounters on a daily basis.

'There was an instance where a man yelled at me and told me that he would like to put his foot in me,' she said.

'Im exposed to sexism on a daily basis - its actually one reason we wanted to escape on holiday, but it was the last thing I would expect in an airport security situation.

'Ive experienced sexism abroad regularly in places like France and Italy, like being wolf-whistled and catcalled, but Ive never had that response to being Scottish before.

'I think that really threw me because I have never heard anyone say something like that about Scottish women.

'I didnt really feel I had the power or capability to challenge him because when youre going through security, you just want it to be over with as quickly as possible. I do wish Id been able to tell him directly that it was inappropriate and sexist.

Ms Jessie said that as a gay woman she could say for certain that Scotland has no shortage of beautiful women

'I wish I challenged it because without people willing to say, "you did something wrong", this goes on. But he is to blame in that situation.'

The Portuguese Immigration and Border Service (SEF) said: 'The employees of the Portuguese Immigration and Border Service are responsible for providing a high-standard public service to their users, wherefore not having knowledge of the situation in particular, SEF enhances that the performance of Inspectors of the Immigration and Border Service is carried out exclusively within the compliance of the Code of Ethics to which they are bound to.

'For any procedure to be triggered identifying the situation, SEF appreciates the complainant may identify the situation at the appropriate place presenting the date, time and the identification of author of the referred comment.'
This is the dramatic moment an exhausted woman was plucked from the Mediterranean after being spotted floating several miles off the Greek coast.

Video taken from a ferry by Briton Alan Wood shows the unnamed woman floating in one of the busiest shipping lanes in Europe off Athens.

The vessel, sailing in the Saronic Gulf from the Greek capital to the island of Aegina, came to a halt when witnesses heard screaming.

Shocked passengers watched as a lifebuoy was hurled towards the stranded woman who swam over, grabbed it and held on for her life.

Mystery surrounds why the woman was in the water so far from land. The distance from Athens to Aegina is around 13 miles.

Dramatic footage captures the moment an exhausted woman was plucked from the Mediterranean after being spotted floating miles off the Greek coast

Video taken from a ferry by Briton Alan Wood shows the unnamed woman floating in one of the busiest shipping lanes in Europe off Athens in the Saronic Gulf. The vessel came to a halt and launched a rescue operation (pictured) to pull the woman to safety

Footage captured last week by 49-year-old Mr Wood, originally from Brighton, shows a one of the rescue crew swimming towards her and pulling her to the side of the ferry

Mystery surrounds why the woman was in the water so far from land. The distance from Athens to Aegina is around 13 miles

Footage captured last week by 49-year-old Mr Wood, originally from Brighton, shows a one of the rescue crew swimming towards her and pulling her to the side of the ferry.

But their attempts at scaling the side of the ferry failed and the man then drags the stranded woman to the far end of the ferry where a ramp was lowered into the water to pull her aboard.

The woman was exhausted and unable to move, but alive and breathing according to witnesses.

The drama was caught on film by Mr Wood who istravelling the world in a sailboat with his wife, Irenka, 47, a former member of the RNLI, and their three children.

'I was in complete disbelief that even though we were miles offshore and in a major shipping channel there could be someone in the water,' Alan said.

Shocked passengers watched as a lifebuoy was hurled towards the stranded woman who swam over, grabbed it and held on for her life

Attempts at scaling the side of the ferry failed and one of the men had to drag the stranded woman to the far end of the ferry

A ramp was lowered into the water to pull the exhausted woman aboard as shocked passengers watched on

The woman was exhausted and unable to move, but alive and breathing according to witnesses

The drama was caught on film by Mr Wood who istravelling the world in a sailboat with his wife, Irenka, 47, a former member of the RNLI, and their three children

'We were about half way between Athens and Aegina Island in the Saronic Gulf.

'We were travelling at about fifteen knots when we heard screams, someone shouted that there was a person in the water.

'Since we live on a boat and me and my wife are both Royal Yacht Association instructors, we instinctively shouted and pointed  and the kids did the same.

'Once the woman was brought to safety she was given the medical attention she required and was taken back to shore for further treatment via a patrol boat.

'The woman seemed exhausted and very pale, but she was conscious, breathing and able to communicate a little.

'My wife stood by to monitor her condition and to offer first aid should the woman fall into unconsciousness.'

The couple are travelling across the world with their three children in their family's sailboat and trying to encourage other families to lead a life of adventure and travelling.
As many as 12 human trafficking and slavery victims could have been rescued in dawn raids carried out this morning.

Police rescued the potential victims in Folkestone, Dover and Lydd as part of an investigation that saw seven more locations raided today.

The four raids already carried out were connected to a suspected organised crime networked linked to Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate say.

Officers arrested a 47-year-old man and a 25-year-old man at one property in Dover on suspicion of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, contrary to the 2015 Modern Slavery Act.

Kent Police says both men remain in custody while enquiries continue and the suspected victims have been taken to a place of safety.

This is the moment Kent Police smashed through a door to rescue a group they believe to be victims of slavery

The four raids already carried out were connected to a suspected organised crime networked linked to Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate say

Police smashed through doors and cut through barriers in the early hours of Wednesday morning to make arrests

Detective Inspector James Derham of Kent Police said: 'Human trafficking and modern slavery are two of the fastest-growing international crimes and a large source of income for the people responsible, who care little for the misery they inflict on victims who are often lured to the UK on the promise of a better life.

'Instead they are forced to carry out backbreaking or degrading work for little or no pay while living in substandard conditions and being mistreated and abused on a daily basis.

Kent Police carried out four raids this morning and seven more throughout the day to tackle modern slavery

'Tackling human trafficking and modern slavery is a priority for Kent Police and we will be relentless in our pursuit of those whom we believe are responsible for the exploitation of others.

'Such offences have no place in a civilised society and we are keen to do everything we can to prevent them from happening and protect those who are most at risk.'

The 4am raids were carried out with assistance from the Salvation Army, whose director of anti-trafficking and modern slavery, Anne Read, said: 'Following the police operation all victims have been offered safe delivery into protective care and specialist support through a Government contract operated by The Salvation Army.

'This provides vital help and support to adult victims of this pitiless exploitation, which gives them the very best chance to recover through comprehensive specialised services, which can range from intensive 24/7 support in the first stages of recovery or for people with high-level needs to counselling and help with accommodation, repatriation, finances and finding employment.'

Officers arrested a 47-year-old man and 25-year-old at a property in Dover while taking in 12 suspected victims
An autopsy has confirmed that a man died after his e-cigarette exploded, penetrated his brain and left him with burns to 80 per cent of his body.

Tallmadge Wakeman D'Elia, a TV producer, was killed in a fire in his St Petersburg, Florida bedroom on May 5.

According to FEMA, the 38-year-old's death is the first in the USA to be caused by a vaping pen.

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Tallmadge Wakeman D'Elia (pictured smoking an e-cigarette), a TV producer, was killed in a fire in his St Petersburg, Florida bedroom on May 5

Tallmadge Wakeman D'Elia was killed by smoking extreme e-cigarette that makes a huge vapor cloud and has no safety features The Smok-E Mountain Mech Works vaping device, which is made in The Philippines, is an unregulated mechanical e-cigarette. One store selling vaping devices says the e-cigarettes come with 'no safety features and no regulation'. Unregulated devices usually come without built-in technology to automatically shut down when overheated. Vapor Source adds: 'Mechanical mods are specifically made for users who desire that massive vapor cloud. 'Smok-E Mountain presents to you sharp, durable, and enigmatic products that blur the line between electronic cigarette and art. 'In result the user is provided with an excessive, smooth, and raw vape. Lose yourself in the billowing, sweet mist.' The brand of vaping pen was recorded as Smok-E Mountain Mech Works, which produces unregulated e-cigarettes described as not coming with 'safety features'. Pictured: A Smok-E Mountain vaping device The website clearly states: '**NOT RECOMMENDED FOR BEGINNERS**,' adding that the devices are for advanced users only. The owner of Lizard Juice, an e-cigarette retailer in Florida, said he does not think such vaping pens are 'safe enough'. Gary Wilder told ABC he refuses to sell the devices, fearing they will overheat. He explained: 'Any other e-cig that has a computer chip in it prevents that from happening.' Wilder also said rubber casings should be used over additional batteries and batteries that appear worn should be rewrapped. 'If that seal is broken on the top, the negative is exposed and if you put that in your pocket, it can do the same thing in your pocket,' he added. Advertisement

In an autopsy report seen by ABC Action News, examiners explained that the e-cigarette made a 'projectile wound' in D'Elia's skull, becoming lodged in his brain.

The brand of vaping pen was recorded as Smok-E Mountain Mech Works, which produces unregulated e-cigarettes described as not coming with 'safety features'.

It is not known why the device blew up.

Smok-E Mountain, however, told ABC its e-cigarettes do not explode, suggesting instead that the device's battery or atomizer was likely to blame.

A recent FEMA report explained that vaping pen explosions are very rare, but said when they do happen the devices become like 'flaming rockets'.

D'Elia's death has been explained as 'accidental', with 13WMAZ reporting that he suffered 80 per cent burns.

He worked for CNBC as a producer before moving to Florida and going freelance.

His neighbor, Dale Kleine, said she was the one who identified D'Elia's burned body.

D'Elia (pictured) worked for CNBC as a producer before moving to Florida and going freelance

Pictured: A woman reviews the Smok-E Mountain device for a YouTube video, showing the kind of vape cloud it can be used to produce

She told Fox6: 'I saw the smoke coming out of the roof and we were hoping that nobody was home but then we found out that Wake was home.'

Deputy fire marshal Steven Lawrence, who attended the scene, said vape pens can 'become pieces of flying debris and shrapnel'.

He added: 'It's like having a small ... firecracker in your hand.

'It can explode and at that point it can project either the pieces of the lighter itself or the vape pen.'

FEMA recently reported that there were almost 200 incidents involving exploding vape pens between 2000 and 2016, but D'Elia is the first person in the US to die as a consequence.


Grieving family members have begged thieves to stop stealing an 11-year-old boy's memorial as it is replaced for the third time.

The loving family of Logan Woodyatt continue to go to the scene of the accident, dig a new hole and place a blue and white cross next to the Blue Mountains highway.

This is the second time they have made this heartbreaking trip in less than a week.

Grieving family members have begged thieves to stop stealing an 11-year-old boy's memorial as it is replaced for the third time

The boy, whose favourite colours are blue and white, was killed in the back seat of a Holden Commodore in 2016.

Michelle Elizabeth Currey, an alleged ice addict was behind the wheel when she crashed in to a tree at Bilpin.

The 45-year-old has since been jailed after she crashed her boyfriend's car, killing his son while high on the drug ice.

The roadside memorial was stolen last month and only replaced on Sunday before it was taken again.

Logan Woodyatt, 11, was killed in a car crash in November 2016 after the driver was high on the drug ice

'I am upset, It is kind of a kick in the guts to Logan, to our family to his family, ' Logan's aunt, Bec Girling told Seven News.

She said: 'Like who would take his cross? It is something to remember him'.

The family sought council and police approval to place the blue and white cross at the scene of the accident and will continue to replace it.

The roadside memorial was stolen last month and only replaced on Sunday before it was taken again

'It's not hurting anyone, it's not offensive it's blue and white it is for Logan,' Ms Girling said.

Curry told police investigating the crash at the time she had seen a face in the tree trunk which distracted her.

Curry faced 11 charges for drug and driving offences and will be eligible for parole in April 2020.
Retirees are flocking to exotic countries to live never-ending holidays because Australia is too expensive.

Norah Ohrt moved to Spain from Perth five years ago after retiring from her art gallery to live out her life for less.

The Perth Galleries director, who was described as a 'Western Australian art icon' packed up her life and two cats and moved to her new home 14,500km away, according to a local newsletter.

Retirees are flocking to exotic countries to live never-ending holidays because Australia is too expensive (stock image Spain)

Norah Ohrt moved to Spain (stock image) from Perth five years ago after retiring from her art gallery to live out her life for less

The 'hard working' and 'often feisty gallery owner' bought a house in Martos, south of Spain, where she has been enjoying her affordable retirement.

The 71-year-old told ABC News a three-course meal costs from $12, annual water bills cost $192 and houses cost as little as $20,700.

'If you're on an Australian pension and struggling, I would strongly suggest that you look to alternatives, particularly if you have a second language that you can use,' she said.

The thrifty pensioner said she was even able to renovate her $65,000 three bedroom, two bathroom Spanish home using her superannuation.

Retirees can access their pension with several countries Australia has relationships with including Spain and Italy.

However, Australian citizens living outside of the country for more than five years do not have access to Medicare.

The 'hard working' and 'often feisty gallery owner' bought a house in Martos, south of Spain, where she has been enjoying her affordable retirement (stock image)

Ms Ohrt advised other pensioners who were struggling to live in Australia financially to 'look to alternatives' and make use of a 'second language' (stock image)

Another couple living retirement to its fullest are Australian travel bloggers Ros and Alan Cuthbertson.

The couple in their late 50s have been living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, making it just one of more than 40 countries they have travelled to, according to their blog Frequent Traveller.

'We experienced the backpacking lifestyle in our youth, and while it is a great lifestyle, now that we are in our late 50s we feel we want and deserve to travel without sacrificing comfort,' the blog read.

'You are never too old to travel.'
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis said Wednesday that its top lawyer is stepping down over a deal to hire U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, as a consultant.

The company said general counsel Felix Ehrat is retiring 'in the context of discussions surrounding Novartis' former agreement with Essential Consultants, owned by Michael Cohen.'

'Although the contract was legally in order, it was an error,' Ehrat said in a statement, adding that he took 'personal responsibility to bring the public debate on this matter to an end.'

Company spokesman Eric Althoff said last week that Novartis had entered into a one-year agreement with Essential Consultants in February 2017 - a month after Trump's inauguration - to focus on health care policy.

Access: Michael Cohen touted himself round blue chip firms after his boss Donald Trump's election victory

Blame game: Current Novartis CEO Vasant Narasimhan (right) wrote to all his staff about the deal with Michael Cohen saying it was nothing to do with him - pinning responsibility in effect on his predecessor Joe Jiminez (left)

My bad: Novartis general counsel Felix Ehrat took the fall for hiring Cohen saying it was an 'error'

Althoff said Novartis, which is based in Basel, Switzerland, had hired Cohen for $100,000 per month, but determined after a single meeting with him that he wouldn't be of use. The company still paid out the $1.2 million contract.

Novartis said Shannon Thyme Klinger, who graduated from the University of North Carolina law school and who is now the company's ethics, risk and compliance officer, will take over from Ehrat as general counsel on June 1. Ehrat had been in his post for about seven years.

The move comes five days after AT&T said its chief lobbyist was leaving the company after overseeing a $50,000-per-month contract for Cohen to serve as a consultant for a year.

In a memo to employees, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson had said the company made a 'big mistake' in hiring Cohen as a consultant. While everything the company did was legal, Stephenson said that the association with Cohen was 'a serious misjudgment.'

Stephenson noted that the company's reputation has been damaged and that the vetting process used by its team in Washington 'clearly failed.'

Stephenson said Bob Quinn, senior executive vice president of the external and legislative affairs group, 'will be retiring.'

The Justice Department is seeking to block AT&T's $85 billion purchase of Time Warner on the grounds that it would stifle competition. AT&T disagreed, sending the battle into a federal trial. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon is expected to rule next month.

AT&T said Cohen approached the company after the 2016 presidential election and said he was leaving the Trump organization to do consulting for a 'select few' companies that wanted his opinion on Trump and the administration.
Residents of a small country town are vowing to keep their children close as convicted paedophile Kevin James Scott walks the streets as a free man.

The 73-year-old child molester was handed a sentence of just two years and 10 months after pleading guilty to the sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy in 2016.

Now he's been released back into the regional community of Dorrigo, New South Wales - just over an hour's drive from where the incident took place - on parole.

And locals are convinced he'll re-offend, with grandmother Trudy Maynard saying: 'It's terrible, our kids can't walk around the streets'.

Convicted paedophile Kevin James Scott, 73, was handed a sentence of just two years and 10 months after pleading guilty to the sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy in 2016

Now the child molestor has been released into the small regional community of Dorrigo, in New South Wales

Scott was relocated to public housing in Dorrigo, just one kilometre from a primary school and 100 metres from a girl guides hall.

Local residents have been left outraged, with grandmother Colleen saying the paedophile was simply 'too brazen'.

In 2016, the then-71-year-old Scott cornered 14-year-old Sam in a toilet cubicle and indecently assaulted him.

'I was scared for my life. I just kicked and punched and run, and he had the hide to follow me,' Sam said.

Sam said the paedophile stole his innocence.

'He's taken my dignity and everything away from me,' he said.

Scott has a history of child abuse offences, including the ongoing sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl and the indecent assault of a 10-year-old girl

Sam's mother Michelle said the heart-breaking day would stay with her for life.

'We were driving home and he said to me, "mum you've got to stop at the shop", and I said "why?" and he said "I've got to go and get bleach"... he said "I need to wash myself",' Michelle said.

Michelle said she nor her son were told when Scott was released back into the community.

The incident wasn't the paedophile's first offence.

In 2003 he was charged with the ongoing sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl at the same park, as well as the indecent assault of a 10-year-old girl at a nearby Coffs Harbour beach.

Those charges saw Scott sentenced to a total 13 years behind bars.

He was released on parole after just two.

Dorrigo residents are convinced the child molester will re-offend, with local grandmother Colleen (far right) declaring that 'He's too brazen'

When he re-offended in 2016 Scott was handed a benign sentence that again saw him serving little more than two years in prison.

And the judge who delivered that sentence, Clive Jeffreys, has a history of controversy when it comes to child abusers.

Jeffreys stoked outrage in 2015 after sentencing paedophile Maurice Van Ryn, who confessed to the sexual abuse of nine boys and girls, to a mere 13 years.

That sentence was ultimately appealed and doubled, while the court of appeal found Jeffreys' sentencing to be manifestly inadequate.

The judge who handed Scott the lenient sentence, Clive Jeffreys (pictured) has a controversial history when it comes to child abusers - in 2015 he stoked outrage after sentencing paedophile Maurice Van Ryn, who confessed to the sexual abuse of nine boys and girls, to a mere 13 years

'This bloke Jeffreys needs to be stopped,' declared radio host Ray Hadley on 2GB.

'He needs to be taken away from any judicial matter involving offences against children.'

Corrective Services NSW have confirmed that Kevin James Scott will be given the opportunity to relocate in the near future.
Turkey is urging on all Islamic nations to unite against Israel at a summit called in the wake of this week's violence on the Gaza border.

More than 60 Palestinians have been killed - many by Israeli live fire - in the last two days amid violent demonstrations over the opening of a new US embassy in Jerusalem.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the extraordinary summit of the world's main pan-Islamic body, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as he engaged in a Twitter spat with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, pictured with Theresa May in London yesterday, has called a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to unite against Israel

Erdogan said the meeting in Istanbul on Friday 'will give a very strong message to the world' on the cause of the Palestinians, as his Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, urged Islamic countries to 'review their ties with Israel'.

Erdogan condemned the shootings of Palestinian, branding Israel a terrorist state carrying out genocide, which saw the Israeli Prime Minister hit back on social media.

'Erdogan is among Hamas's biggest supporters and there is no doubt that he well understands terrorism and slaughter,' Netanyahu tweeted.

'I suggest that he not preach morality to us.'

Erdogan took to Twitter himself to respond, branding Netanyahu 'the PM of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenseless people's lands for 60+ yrs in violation of UN resolutions.

'He has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and can't cover up crimes by attacking Turkey. Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments.'

Twitter spat: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned to social media to respond to Erdogan on Gaza, after which the Turkish President also took to Twitter

Erdogan is among Hamas's biggest supporters and there is no doubt that he well understands terrorism and slaughter. I suggest that he not preach morality to us  Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) May 15, 2018

Netanyahu is the PM of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenseless people's lands for 60+ yrs in violation of UN resolutions.



He has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and can't cover up crimes by attacking Turkey.



Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments.  Recep Tayyip Erdogan (@RTErdogan) May 15, 2018

This comes after Israel's defence minister Avigdor Lieberman called Hamas 'a group of cannibals' and accused them of using children as weapons and human shields on the border.

Lieberman said Israeli troops did everything they could to avoid civilian deaths - and put the blame on Hamas rulers.

He said: 'The Hamas leadership is a group of cannibals who treat their children as armament. They have rocket armament, personal armament and another kind of armament - their children and women.

Violence: A wounded Palestinian protester lies on ground during clashes with Israeli security forces in al-Bureij in the center of Gaza Strip on Tuesday

Israel's defence minister has said Hamas is 'a group of cannibals that uses children as weapons' in the wake of deadly protests (pictured) along the Gaza border

More than 60 Palestinians have been killed - many by Israeli live fire - in the last two days amid violent demonstrations over the opening of a new US embassy in Jerusalem

'Their goal is to lift Gaza's blockade but not to build their economy or hold talks about coexistence, but rather to smuggle weapons (into Gaza) to continue to build up their military force and create a pseudo Hezbollah model.'

Meanwhile, Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan, suggested Hamas was responsible for every Palestinian death during the clashes.

He told Jpost: 'Hamas has orchestrated the violence and orchestrated with the deliberate intent of trying to force the IDF to use lethal force against their people so that their own people get killed.'

Since the Hamas-led protests began on March 30, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed and some 2,500 have been wounded by live fire, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Palestinian officials say the vast majority of the casualties have been unarmed protesters.

The heavy death toll on Monday, along with hundreds of wounded, made it by far the bloodiest day of cross-border violence since a devastating 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. It also triggered a diplomatic backlash against Israel.

Canadian doctor shot in the legs during Gaza protests A Canadian-Palestinian doctor has described how he was shot in the legs by an Israeli marksmen - while a paramedic colleague was killed in a separate shooting. Dr. Tarek Loubani, from London, Ontario, was on the Gaza border on Monday to help care for wounded Palestinians during deadly clashes. The emergency physician said he was wearing a visible green surgeon's outfit when a bullet entered his left leg and exited through his right leg. While he will require rehabilitation, he says he feels 'incredibly lucky'. Canadian-Palestinian doctor (pictured in blue) has described how he was shot in the legs by an Israeli marksmen - while a paramedic colleague was killed in a separate shooting But the doctor revealed his guilt at being unable to save a paramedic, 36-year old Musa Abuhassanin, who was shot in the chest an hour later at a protest site further north. Loubani said that, had he not been shot himself, he may well have been able to save Mr Abuhassanin's life. 'There was relatively heavy fire that was going on. He was wearing a high visibility jacket. It was clearly marked. He was shot in the chest,' Dr. Loubani told the Globe and Mail. 'They couldn't remove him. They couldn't recover him for about 30 minutes until finally they dragged him to a blind spot and then dragged him down a hill and took him to the hospital in a civilian vehicle. He died before he got to the hospital.' Loubani is part of a medical team funded by the South African-based Shuttleworth Foundation, the Globe and Mail reported. Advertisement

The use of force along the Gaza border has sparked international concern - while Israel claims it was just protecting its borders. Pictured: Relatives mourn an eight-month-old baby killed in the clashes

The state's defence chief Avigdor Lieberman said troops did everything they could to avoid civilian deaths - but that Hamas rulers in Gaza were to blame for using them as human shields

The UN Security Council held a special session that began with a moment of silence for the Palestinians who were killed. In Geneva, the UN human rights office said Israel has repeatedly violated international norms by using deadly live fire to repel protesters.

Turkey expelled Israel's ambassador and consul general and several European countries summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their foreign ministries for questioning and called for an international investigation.

US president Donald Trump announced his decision in December to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the American embassy there, triggering a joyous reaction from Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Israel has always claimed Jerusalem as its capital yet most countries opted to place their embassies in coastal Tel Aviv because of the holy city's contested status.

Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it in a move not recognised internationally.

The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and view the relocation of the embassy as a one-sided move that invalidates the US as a peace broker in the region.

The embassy move added fuel to the weekly Palestinian protests in Gaza demanding the right of return to Israel and the lifting of a decade-old naval blockade.

They culminated in the killing of nearly 60 Palestinians by Israeli forces in clashes along the border.
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A typhoon soars over a dam yesterday morning in an evocative recreation of the iconic Dambusters raid to mark the mission's 75th anniversary.

The original plan to have a Lancaster bomber take part in the flight was abandoned at the last minute due to high winds, leaving crowds disappointed.

But organisers said they were unwilling to risk one of just two remaining airworthy Lancasters for the tribute flight.

An RAF Typhoon took part in a flypast over the Derwent dam in Derbyshire this morning as part of tributes nationwide

The commemoration was one of a number throughout Britain to mark the anniversary, with silence falling at the Bomber Command memorial in Green Park as respects were paid to the 53 crew members who died in the raids.

RAF Flight Lietenant Nigel Painter laid a wreath alongside 53 pairs of white flight gloves in commemoration to those who lost their lives during the 1943 raids.

Flight Lieutenant, Nigel Painter at the Bomber Command memorial in Green Park, London, today as he prepares to lay 53 pairs of Flight Gloves in memory of the 53 RAF crew members who died during the Dambusters raid

George 'Johnny' Johnson, 96, the only surviving British member of the squadron, was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours last year following campaigns to get him knighted.

He unveiled an exhibition by Dan Llywelyn Hall, who in 2013 became the 133rd artist to paint the Queen, featuring all 133 of the Dambusters to mark the missions 75th anniversary.

Family members of the Dambusters also attended the two unveiling ceremonies, one at the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln and the other at the Dambusters Inn in Scampton.

'Having Johnny attend both unveilings of all the 133 men he would have last seen 75 years ago on that fateful day was a moving experience for me,' Mr Llywelyn Hall said.

'It brought tears to the eyes of several family members, 48 of which travelled to unveil their relatives portrait.'

Mr Llywelyn Hall had a sitting with Mr Johnson, from Bristol, in February and painted the other portraits from archive pictures and research.

Later, speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Mr Johnson said he feels lucky to be alive as he turns 96 later this year.

On the night of May 16, 1943, he was one of 113 airmen from the Royal Air Force 617 Squadron to fly to Germany for one of the most complex military operations of the war.

Operation Chastise set out to destroy three dams deep within Germany's Ruhr valley in order to set back the Nazi's war effort, a task that was thought near impossible.

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Pictured: George 'Johnny' Johnson sitting in front of a Lancaster Bomber at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire today as it marks 75 years since the iconic WWII raids

The Lancaster bomber that was due to fly over the dam yesterday remained in its hangar at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire

Mr Johnson has revealed for years he didn't talk about the war and only started speaking publicly after his wife and wartime sweetheart Gwenyth passed away.

'I never spoke about being in the RAF until my wife died in 2005. My family said I should open up and talk about it, they said it would help,' Mr Johnson told MailOnline, during an interview at the Royal Air Force Museum.

The veteran was visiting the site in Hendon, north London, to discuss his experience during The Dambusters Raid with Falklands War Veteran Simon Weston CBE and MailOnline.

Sitting beneath a Lancaster Bomber while being interviewed, Mr Johnson said he felt 'lucky' to still be alive.

Today just Mr Johnson and Canadian front-gunner Fred Sutherland are the only surviving members of the squadron.

Last year Mr Johnson was awarded with an MBE following a public campaign to give him a knighthood.

He said: 'I'm the lucky one. I'm still alive. I'm representing the squadron and it is the squadron that has been honoured, not me.'

At the time, he said he wanted to dedicate the medal in memory of the 55,573 Bomber Command personnel who died during the war. He said they got 'little or no respect' for having given their lives.

A stunning colour picture of the last surviving Dambuster George 'Johnny' Johnson (left) with his legendary Lancaster crew taken during the war. With Johnson (from left to right) is Donald McClean, Navigator, Dave Batson, Front gunner, Joe McCarthy, Skipper, Bill Radcliffe, Flight Engineer and Len Eaton, Wireless Operator

At 96 years of age, Mr Johnson has a twinkle in his eye when he recalls the days of boarding the Lancaster Bomber with his pilot Joe McCarthy.

'I remember everything,' he said. 'We were told from the beginning during training we would not know what the target was until the night but that didn't stop us theorising. Most of us thought it was to be a battleship at sea.'

'However on a Sunday afternoon in May, we went into briefing and suddenly learnt how wrong we were.'

Sworn to secrecy, Mr Johnson was told not to discuss Operation Chastise with anyone  including his fiance Gwyneth who worked in the control tower or his friends outside his squadron.

'We started low level training, where we flew the aircrafts at 100ft of less and dropped items.

Pictured: George 'Johnny' Johnson

'Then the day came where the bombs arrived in glorified dustbins, big and black. There were legs attached to the aircraft and it became obvious that was how we would carry the bomb.

'Wallis showed us how he had developed the explosive. When he told us it had to be dropped at 60ft, we realised this was much lower than we had been training for.

'It was the highest briefing I'd ever attended. The station was packed with senior officials. There were scaled down versions of the dams were to target and a map on the wall which showed two routes from our base.'

When asked whether he felt scared or nervous however, Mr Johnson joked he always felt safe thanks to his pilot Joe McCarthy's stature.

'I always felt in good care with him, we would joke to one another after to keep the mood light,' he confided.

'There was no way we were turning back, we had a job to do.'

Mr Johnson served beneath Wing Commander Guy Gibson who he described as a great man. The squadron carried the bouncing bombs developed by inventor Barnes Wallis. These, when dropped from very low altitude over water, would skim along the surface, skipping torpedo nets until they sank in front of their target  in this case, three dams along the Ruhr in Germany  and explode with devastating force.

Though the raid was seen as a great victory, with 11 factories destroyed by flood waters, historians pointed out the human cost was high. Around 1,300 people were killed and, out of the 133 airmen who set out, 53 did not return. Eight out of 19 aircraft were lost.

Even within the RAF there was criticism, with bomber supremo Sir Arthur Harris, who described the raid as harebrained all along, wrote after: 'I have seen nothing to show that the effort was worthwhile except as a spectacular operation.'

Historians Sir Charles Webster and Noble Frankland, who worked for the Strategic Air Offensive, claimed the operation was oversold and its achievements exaggerated, leaving other Bomber Command raids unfairly ignored.

They pointed to the speed at which the dams were rebuilt as Hitler sent armies of forced labourers including prisoners of war to the regions to work around the clock. It took five years to build the dams but they were repaired within five months.

Dambusters. George 'Johnny' Johnson (Bomber Aimer - Front Left) with the Rest of His Lancaster Bomber Crew in November 1943. (Back Row L-R) Dave Roger (Rear Gunner), Dom Mclean (Navigator), Bill Radcliffe (Flight Engineer), (Front Row L-R) 'Johnny', Lem Eaton (Wireless Operator) Joe Mccarthy (Pilot and Captain) Ron Batson (Mid Upper Gunner)

But Mr Johnson says he believes historians and those speaking retrospectively do not understand the pressures of war or the importance the operation had on boosting morale.

His message to such historians was to 'shut their bloody mouths'.

The verteran said: 'The dams raids in the first place proved to Hitler that what he thought was impregnable was not!

'It stopped the ammunition production, not for as long as we would have liked but enough to affect their position. They also had to move aircraft out of other key areas in the country.

'But the greatest thing overall was the affect on the moral of the people in this country. Seeing those newspapers splashed wide the next day and all on the front pages, we thought to ourselves, 'God, did we do that?'

'And with the raid coming so quickly after a success in North Africa people were saying, 'Are we winning something here?'

'It made a tremendous difference to the people in Britain. That was its greatest value.'

When asked if he had any regrets, Mr Johnson said: 'Hitler asked for it, he took enough of our men.'

Pictured: George 'Johnny' Johnson speaks to MailOnline reporter Katie French about his time in the RAF

The Dambusters: How bouncing bombs - and incredible flying by RAF pilots - flooded the Ruhr valley and delivered a crucial blow to the Nazi war machine On May 16, 1943, 19 Lancaster bomber crews gathered at a remote RAF station in Lincolnshire for a mission of extraordinary daring - a night-time raid on three heavily defended dams deep in Germany's industrial heartland. The dams were heavily fortified and needed the innovative bomb - which bounced on the water over torpedo nets and sank before detonating. To succeed, the raiders would have to fly across occupied Europe under heavy fire and then drop their bombs with awesome precision from a mere 60ft above the water. 19 Lancaster Bomber crews armed with Bouncing Bombs set off to attack several dams in Germany on May 16, 1943 The Eder Dam, pictured, was destroyed as part of Operation Chastise on the early hours of the morning on May 17, 1943 The Mohne and Eder Dams in the industrial heart of Germany were attacked and breached by mines dropped from specially modified Lancasters of No. 617 Squadron. The Sorpe dam was was also attacked by by two aircraft and damaged. A fourth dam, the Ennepe was reported as being attacked by a single aircraft (O-Orange), but with no damage. Up to 1,600 people were estimated to have been killed by floodwaters and eight of the 19 aircraft dispatched failed to return with the loss of 53 aircrew and 3 taken prisoner of war. Wg Cdr Guy Gibson, Officer Commanding No. 617 Sqn, was awarded the VC for his part in leading the attack. The raid, orchestrated by Guy Gibson and the RAF's 617 'Dambuster' Squadron, was seen as a major victory for the British, and Wing Commander Gibson is recognised as one of the war's most revered heroes. Their success was immortalised in the classic 1955 film The Dambusters, its thrilling theme tune and gung-ho script evoking the best of British derring-do. Eight of the bomber crews were lost while a further three were forced to turn back. Of the 133 men sent out, 53 were killed and three were taken prisoner by the Nazis Now you can experience the adrenaline of the Dambusters raid in a new virtual reality ride The public are being invited to recreate the Dambusters raid aboard a Lancaster Bomber in a new virtual reality experience. Users are transported through the historic moment, with the ability to see inside and outside the aircraft as it attacks the Mohne Dam, at the Royal Air Force Museum London. Operation Chastise took place in the early hours of May 17, 1943, destroying three heavily-protected dams in the Ruhr valley. The museum enlisted its team of historians to make Dambusters: Immersive Histories as historically accurate as possible. The new ride offers users the opportunity to experience the conditions onboard one of Guy Gibson's Lancaster bombers It is based on real people and events aboard a No. 617 Squadron Lancaster Bomber during Operation Chastise, piloted by Wing Commander Guy Gibson. Kris Hendrix, a historian at the museum, said: 'This is not just a video game slowed down. 'This is a very truthful, historical document, so the people you see inside the Lancaster are based on real people. 'We know their names, we know where they were born, we know their ranks. 'You can actually see them, you hear their accent, over the intercom there is an Australian accent  an Australian bomb aimer who you see in the front. The bouncing bombs were spun backwards so they would sink tight to the dam wall to focus the explosive force 'Even a lot of the conversations, which have been written down, are all there.' Visitors can wear haptic vests, which replicate the vibrations from the Lancasters Merlin engine. Two people can take part in the experience, in the place of flight lieutenant Robert Hutchison, a wireless operator, and Harlo Torger Taerum, a navigator. Operation Chastise was hailed a success after two of the dams, the Eder and the Mohne, were breached. They released 300 million tonnes of water. The parapet of the Sorpe dam was damaged, although there was no breach. A total 19 aircraft and 133 aircrew took part in the raid, and 53 died. Many hundreds of civilians were killed. Advertisement

Mr Johnson was interviewed by Falklands War veteran Simon Weston about the Dams Raid at the Royal Air Force museum at Hendon in April (pictured together, above)

Sir Winston Churchill flew to America shortly before the raid to broadcast to the country about its success.

But while Churchill is now revered as a great world leader, whose career was dramatized in a Hollywood blockbuster The Darkest Hour earlier this year, Mr Johnson says he saw the former Prime Minister in a different light.

Speaking to MailOnline, Mr Johnson said: 'Churchill was thought of as a great leader but I didn't entirely agree with that opinion.

'He and Sir Arthur Harris, chief of the Bomb Commander just didn't get on well at all together. On one occasion, Churchill only mentioned the bomber commander once and that's when he said publicly, it was up to us to take the war to Germany.

'Churchill was arranged to be in America on the night of the Dams Raid so he could broadcast the success to the Americans. But on the evening, Sir Arthur said he didn't want to do it  he said there was no military advancement in carrying out the raid but it was done.

'This of course created criticism from other countries, Churchill said it was Harris's fault. I felt that if Churchill had an idea he thought would win the war, he would talk to the top person then decide to go ahead with it. If it went wrong, it was the other person's idea, if it went right, it was Churchill's.'

Despite 53 of Mr Johnson's 132 comrades losing their lives in the attempt, the mission's overall success was seized upon by the British propaganda machine and the feat cemented in the public consciousness with Michael Anderson's 1955 film The Dam Busters.

Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has expressed an interest in remaking the film, employing Mr Johnson as an advisor, though the project which is almost a decade in the making is currently on hold.

Dambusters 75th anniversary: Silence in Green Park for memorial to mark iconic raids as Lancaster Bomber flypast cancelled due to windy weather

Silence fell at the Bomber Command memorial in Green Park this morning as respects were paid to the 53 crew members who died in the raids.

RAF Flight Lietenant Nigel Painter laid a wreath alongside 53 pairs of white flight gloves in commemoration to those who lost their lives during the 1943 raids.

The ceremony is one of many taking place today to mark 75 years since the iconic Dambusters raid on three Germany dams during World War II.

George 'Johnny' Johnson, 96, the only surviving British member of the squadron, was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours last year following campaigns to get him knighted.

Silence fell at the Bomber Command memorial in Green Park, London, this morning after the Last Post was performed

He unveiled an exhibition by Dan Llywelyn Hall, who in 2013 became the 133rd artist to paint the Queen, featuring all 133 of the Dambusters to mark the missions 75th anniversary.

Family members of the Dambusters also attended the two unveiling ceremonies, one at the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln and the other at the Dambusters Inn in Scampton.

'Having Johnny attend both unveilings of all the 133 men he would have last seen 75 years ago on that fateful day was a moving experience for me,' Mr Llywelyn Hall said.

'It brought tears to the eyes of several family members, 48 of which travelled to unveil their relatives portrait.'

Mr Llywelyn Hall had a sitting with Mr Johnson, from Bristol, in February and painted the other portraits from archive pictures and research.

Artist Dan Llywelyn Hall has created a composite of his 133 portraits of the Dambusters airmen from the exhibition Dambusters Reunited

Mr Johnson and Canadian former front gunner Fred Sutherland are the only two living survivors who took part in the bombing raids on the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams in Germany.

Some 19 Lancaster bombers flew from RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire for the daring mission on May 16/17 1943 to shatter dams in Germany's industrial heartland and cut off vital supply lines in the Ruhr Valley.

A total of 133 Allied aircrew left for the raid aboard 19 Lancaster bombers, led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, but 53 men were killed and three were captured.

Gordon Yeo, a front gunner in the first wave of bombers to attack the Mohne Dam, was brought up in Barry, south Wales, where Mr Llywelyn Hall comes from.

The exhibition, Dambusters Reunited, is on display at Prospero World in Mayfair, London.

This evening a planned Lancaster Bomber flight to mark the Dambusters' 75th anniversary has been cancelled due to windy conditions.

The flyover will now be conducted by a 29 Sqn Typhoon aircraft on Wednesday after weather conditions, particularly the wind, were considered too dangerous for the BBMF Lancaster, a Battle of Britain Memorial statement said.

Dan Llewelyn's portrait painting of remaining surviving British Dambuster George 'Johnny' Johnson

The plane was scheduled to fly over RAF Scampton - the original home of the Dambusters' squadron - as well as the Derwent Dam in Derbyshire's Peak District, the Rolls Royce Factory in Derby and Eyebrook Reservoir in Leicestershire.

Thousands of spectators are expected to visit the dam to watch the aircraft fly past despite the Lancaster Bomber no longer taking to the skies.

The event will mark 75 years since the Dambusters raid which was formally known as Operation Chastise during the Second World War.

A statement from the Battle of Britain Memorial said: 'Knowing many people had made plans to travel to watch the planned Lancaster flight to mark the 75th anniversary of 617 Squadron's raid on German dams, when it was confirmed that the wind conditions were well beyond the limits the Lancaster is placed under, the Royal Air Force has arranged for a 29 Sqn Typhoon from RAF Coningsby to fly as much of the route as is possible.

'We are so sorry to disappoint those who wished to see our Lancaster fly as once those original 617 Sqn aircraft did, but hope you will enjoy the might and speed of world class, multi-role Typhoon.

'The BBMF Lancaster is one of only two airworthy in the world. In order to preserve her in airworthy condition so that she can continue to commemorate those who gave so much for this country, there are strict limitations on the weather conditions she is allowed to fly in.'
Police are desperately searching for a mother missing since she didn't show up to collect her three children on Mother's Day.

Joleen Cummings was last seen leaving her job at Tangles Hair Salon in Fernadina Beach, north of Jacksonville, about 5pm on Saturday.

Her ex-husband reported her missing the next day after she didn't meet him at a nearby Winn-Dixie to pick up their children.

Joleen Cummings was last seen leaving her job at Tangles Hair Salon in Fernadina Beach, north of Jacksonville, about 5pm on Saturday

The 34-year-old told clients she planned to spend Mother's Day, which was also her birthday, with her children on Sunday.

Officers found her gold 2006 Ford Explorer abandoned in a nearby Home Depot car park but have not announced any other leads.

Just days before she vanished, Ms Cummings had such a huge fight with her ex-boyfriend Jason Gee that neighbours called police.

The screaming match started as Ms Cummings didn't want Gee to stay in her house as he was wanted for a probation violation.

A neighbour told News4Jax they often fought but this time was worse as the screams were louder and her children were present.

'She was more frantic. I think it was because her kids were there. I don't know if they were there for any other fights, but this one, she was more frantic,' they said.

Just days before she vanished, Ms Cummings had such a huge fight with her ex-boyfriend Jason Gee that neighbours called police

Officers found her gold 2006 Ford Explorer (centre behind white car) abandoned in a nearby Home Depot car park but have not announced any other leads

Ms Cummings told police her ex-boyfriend broke things inside the house during the argument.

Gee ran when police arrived and was later arrested and held without bond as a person of interest in Ms Cummings' disappearance.

Friends were convinced the doting mother would never abandon her children, despite her ex-husband telling police she had run off before.

'We are all very worried, it's just so out of character for her to disappear. Her life was those children, and I refuse to believe she just took off,' her boss Jim Simmons told Action News Jacksonville.

Cummings is 5ft 2in weighing 160 pounds with blue eyes and blonde hair, and has used the last name 'Jensen' in the past.
A Florida judge delivered what he called a 'bombshell' after a jury convicted a man of murder.

He said the defendant had called his brother from jail and given him the names of the six jurors and two prosecutors sparking fears for their safety.

Defendant Tavaress Alexander Wilson, 29, told his brother in the call: 'The jurors need to pray on it.'

Wilson was said to have given his brother the name of the four men and two women in the jury along with two names of prosecutors, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Defendant Tavaress Alexander Wilson told his brother in the call: 'the jurors need to pray on it'

His lawyer claimed that the call was for strictly religious reasons.

'There's no appropriate reason to give out the names other than a nefarious purpose,' said a prosecutor on the case.

Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Colbath told jurors Tuesday that while it's 'unsettling', there's no reason for them to be scared.

Detectives found no evidence of an actual threat against the four men and two women on the jury.

'I want to reassure you about your safety,' the judge added. 'I know this is unsettling. It's unsettling to me  Nothing had happened as a result of the names being given out.'

The 29-year-old was said to have given his brother the name of the four men and two women in the jury along with two names of prosecutors

Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Colbath told jurors Tuesday that while it's 'unsettling,' there's no reason for them to be scared

Cobalth explained to the jurors that their names are on public record under Florida law and that phone calls made from the jail are monitored as well.

He was found guilty for second-degree felony murder with a firearm, burglary with a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm and two animal cruelty charges

The judge added that he refused to disclose the information sooner as 'it would have skewed your ability to be fair' when going over the trial's evidence.

He denied a motion, on Monday, to have the call used by prosecution while they questioned Wilson.

Wison faces up to life in prison but will be sentenced at a later date.

He has lost all phone privileges and is only able to contact his public defender. Wilson asked to call his mother but the judge said he will decide on that at a later date.

Wilson was found guilty on charges for second-degree felony murder with a firearm, burglary with a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm and two animal cruelty charges.

While Wilson didn't pull the trigger that eventually killed his 23-year-old accomplice, he was convicted in his death after the duo attempted a home burglary only to be confronted by the owner.

The homeowner's Pitbull and Yorkie were killed in the incident, according to CBS 12.
Applaws dog food was found to be riddled with mould

Plastic and mould has been found in a packet of dog biscuits sparking a call for an inquiry in to the pet food industry.

Dog owner, Ruth Quick opened the packet of Applaws dog food to find it riddled with mould.

The expiry date printed on the Duck and Venison dry dog food was May 2019.

Ms Quick noticed the infected dog food and told ABC she had heard of the contaminated product before.

'I know of at least one person's dog who basically ate about half the packet of Applaws and became ill for about a good week with diarrhoea and just being very unwell,' she said.

Australian pet owners are calling for regulation on pet products after more than 70 dogs contracted the condition megaesophagus earlier this year.

The rare disease slowly closes the throat, making eating, drinking and even breathing increasingly difficult.

Advance Dermocare dry food was pulled from the shelves after it was linked to the rare disease.

Australian pet owners are calling for regulation on the pet products after more than 70 dogs contracted the condition megaesophagus earlier this year (image not Applaws product)

Nine police dogs were killed by the 'premium brand' of dog food which retailed at $85 to $100.

Earlier this month, the manufacturer offered to reimburse owners' vet bills and pay the cost of a new dog to replace those euthanased.

If dogs survive, they must be fed upright so the food does not get stuck in their enlarged throat.

Advance Dermocare dry food was pulled from the shelves after it was linked to the rare disease megaesophagus earlier this year

More than 60 per cent of house holds own an animal and $4billion is spent a year feeding them.

The pet food industry has no laws governing their product's safety and is self-regulated.

'There have been so many examples over the last 10 years of toxicity from food that the government must act to do something,' Veterinarian Dr Richard Malik said.

MPM Products said they had received 20 complaints about mould and two claiming their dog had become ill.

The illness of the dogs haven't been linked to the dog food.

MPM Products also revealed coloured plastic was found in its dry dog food two years ago due to a supplier failing to remove plastic ID tags from chicken carcasses before processing.

MPM Products said they had received 20 complaints about mould and two claiming their dog had become ill
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Meghan Markle's mother received the royal treatment today as she flew into Heathrow's ultra-luxurious VIP Windsor suite and had a police escort as she made her way to an emotional reunion with the bride-to-be.

Doria Ragland, 61, landed in London on Wednesday afternoon following a nearly 11 hour flight from Los Angeles.

The yoga instructor and social worker was given every perk of being a royal, as she was picked up at the steps of the aircraft by a Jaguar, which is part of the royal fleet, and driven to the private Windsor Suite.

Meghan's personal assistant Amy Pickerill greeted Doria with an immigration officer, who quickly stamped her passport, as a palace aide was seen collecting Doria's baggage, including her Burberry wedding outfit.

Doria was quickly whisked away from the airport and taken to see Meghan and Prince Harry before she will meet the Queen and her future royal in-laws, including Prince Charles, William and Kate, for the first time.

However, it was unclear whether she stayed at opulent hotel Cliveden House - where she will be staying with Meghan the night before the wedding - or Kensington Palace after being chauffeured from Heathrow.

Doria's arrival comes as Meghan's half-sister Samantha issued a ruthless attack on her, and her father Thomas Markle announced he was having his heart surgery today after he was exposed for staging photos for money.

Samantha astonishingly admitted this week that she was to blame for the paparazzi photos, as she insisted it was all for the benefit of the royal family - not to rake in cash before the wedding.

Thomas, 73, flip-flopped on his decision to pull out of the wedding on Tuesday, saying he didn't want to miss being a part of history but said it depended on if doctors would clear his release from hospital.

Still, his family members are refusing to rule out that Thomas won't be able to fly to the UK in time, as royal fans have taken to Twitter to call for Prince Charles to step in and walk Meghan down the aisle on Saturday.

Thomas' nephew Tyler Dooley, 25, was seen in London today with his mother Tracey, after the two flew into the UK ahead of the wedding, although it isn't believed they were invited.

Meghan Markle's mother Doria Ragland received the royal treatment today as she flew into Heathrow's VIP Windsor suite before an emotional reunion with her daughter. Pictured: Doria leaving her California house for London on Tuesday (left) and a palace aide collected Doria's Burberry wedding outfit on Wednesday (right)

After Doria got off the plane, she was driven to the VIP Windsor Suite, where Amy Pickerill was waiting with an immigration officer

Meghan's personal assistant Amy Pickerill, who is believed to be holding Doria's passport, greeted the future royal's mother as a palace aide collected her baggage, including her Burberry wedding outfit

The immigration officer reportedly took one look at Meghan's mother before stamping her passport and letting her go

Meanwhile, the Queen was honouring recipients of the Victoria and George Cross at a reception at Buckingham Palace. The monarch welcomed the servicemen and women and their families to her home for a drinks reception.

Prince Harry and Miss Markle draft in two experienced royal staff to help with the Big Day To help with the arrival of Meghan Markle's mother on Wednesday, two of the royals' very best have been drafted in to assist in the run up to the Big Day. Amy Pickerill, 32, Meghan's 'Girl Friday' stood outside the Windsor Suite at Heathrow airport today waiting to greet Doria Ragland following her transatlantic journey. While a Fijian-born corporal who was made William and Kate's first orderly following their wedding has been working hard in the background fulfilling the flurry of crucial roles including logistics, driving and organisation. Miss Pickerill, who grew up in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, is said to be 'supporting Meghan on engagements and with her official work as part of her role'. While the former Parachute Regiment corporal is constantly on hand to solve any problems that arise during the hectic final few days before Harry and Meghan say 'I do'. Advertisement

Her Majesty appeared to be in high spirits today with her smiling not leaving her face once during proceedings, despite claims she was furious with Meghan's father over the fake photos row.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla visited Google Arts & Culture projects which are designed to share art, history and heritage across the world.

The pair were also set to meet vloggers, fashion designers and tech-savvy schoolgirls at the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group offices in west London during the whirlwind visit.

Doria is expected to meet the senior royals ahead of her daughter's big day on Saturday.

She will stay with the bride at Cliveden House the night before the nuptials, and then travelling with her to St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on the day.

The five star mansion, near the village of Teplow on the border of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire is roughly 15 minutes away by car to the wedding venue.

It has been chosen for its secluded location and privacy.

After Doria got off the plane, she was driven to the VIP Windsor Suite, where Miss Pickerill was waiting with an immigration officer.

The officer reportedly took one look at Meghan's mother before stamping her passport and letting her go.

Miss Pickerill was seen getting into the Jaguar and driving away with Doria. Prince Harry and Meghan will see Doria first before she meets the rest of the royal brood.

She is expected to meet Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla and Prince William and his wife Kate before the big day.

Prince Harry's aides were seen collecting her baggage, including her Burberry wedding outfit after she landed

Doria was picked up by a Jaguar, which is part of the royal fleet, at the steps of the aircraft and taken to the private Windsor Suite

Prince Harry and Meghan will see Doria first before she meets the rest of the royal brood, including Prince William and Kate

Miss Pickerill handled Doria's arrival seemingly seamlessly. She was 'hand-picked' by Prince Harry for the role of Meghan's Girl Friday.

The 32-year-old is an assistant private secretary, based in Prince Harry's office, and it's speculated she will be promoted to be Meghan's private secretary after the Royal Wedding in May.

Miss Pickerill grew up on Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, with twin brother Ashley and is said to be 'supporting Meghan on engagements and with her official work as part of her role'.

Also a part of the team handling Doria's arrival was a Fijian-born corporal from the Parachute Regiment.

In January 2013 it was reported by the Daily Mail that he was the first orderly employed by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

His role involves chauffeuring, logistics and even organising Prince William's wardrobe. The Daily Mail was asked not to name him.

'If you're supposed to be here, you won't need directions': The illustrious Windsor Suite where popes, presidents and even Vladimir Putin has been wined and dined in luxury at Heathrow Airport... but will set you back 3,300! For travellers weary from the hustle and bustle of flying economy, the idea of flying first-class alone may seem like a distant dream. But for the elite few an ultra-luxurious experience awaits them when they touch down in London. Aptly dubbed the Windsor Suite, the opulent VIP service and private lounge at Heathrow Airport - which Meghan Markles mother Doria today experienced - has welcomed popes, presidents, royalty and religious leaders into a lap of luxury. 'If you're supposed to be here, you won't need directions,' said Anita Newcourt referring to the deliberate lack of signage, the lounge's manager told the Financial Times in 2011. 'We want to stay the airport's best-kept secret.' Aptly dubbed the Windsor Suite, the opulent VIP service and private lounge at Heathrow Airport - which Meghan Markles mother Doria today experienced - has welcomed popes, presidents, royalty and religious leaders into a lap of luxury. Image: pommietravels.com Adorned with sculptures, bonsai trees and white leather sofas, the Windsor Suite could not seem further away from the madness of the average airport waiting area. Before 2011 the suite was reserved for a select few whose names were on a list maintained by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, meaning no amount of money of game could grant even the most A-list celebrity access. Now, it has opened its doors to the wealthy - and the prices are eye-watering to say the least. The Windsor Suite's 'Black' service starts at 2,750 plus vat (3,300) for up to three people for an arriving flight as well as those on flights connecting within three hours. According to the official brochure, wealthy travellers arriving at the airport can expect: Staff to meet you from your aircraft, either on the air-bridge or at the foot of the aircraft steps

Staff to take your baggage tags and drive you to your VIP suite by private luxury chauffeur-driven car while a baggage team arranges the collection of your bags.

To be shown to your own private lounge where you can relax with refreshments

To have your passport and other documents handed to immigration officials. You are present but do not need to take an active part unless they require more information or additional checks

To be able to leave the airport and continue your journey after the formalities of customs and immigration are oever

To have your chauffeur vehicle take you to any address in the UK (applicable for Black service) The Windsor Suite's 'Black' service starts at 2,750 plus vat (3,300) for up to three people for an arriving flight as well as those on flights connecting within three hours. Image: pommietravel.com Heathrow VIP's website says: 'Heathrow VIP provides you with the perfect airport experience. 'A private and personal service like no other, we offer a luxurious and exclusive transition through Heathrow. 'We understand every journey is unique, and our team is committed to ensuring your experience is seamless and memorable.' It adds that while paparazzi are not allowed in the secure area of the suites: 'We cannot guarantee long distance photographs will not be taken. 'Should we be aware of Paparazzi at the Airport or surrounding areas, the Airport team will request they cease and move on.' Advertisement

A royal aide at the time said: 'I have to say he is a lovely guy  like all Army, a superb can-do attitude and great sense of humour.'

Despite the international attention focused on her trip, however, Doria cut a laidback figure as she made her way out of her Los Angeles home, carrying a Burberry garment bag, which likely contained an outfit she will wear during the wedding celebrations this weekend.

And should that indeed end up being her chosen designer for the main event, it will be a fitting option; not only is Burberry a British brand, it is also one that Doria has shown herself to be a fan of in the past.

The mother of the bride opted for a Burberry design when she made her first public outing with Meghan and Prince Harry, at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in Canada in September 2017.

Meghan's mother arrived at LAX's brand new Private Suite, used by the rich and famous, which provides ultimate privacy and luxury facilities, at a cost of thousands of pounds.

Doria has been keeping a low profile over recent weeks in the run up to Saturday's nuptials, and has been photographed out and about near her home in Los Angeles.

Royal fans call for Prince Charles to walk Meghan down the aisle as a 'gesture of support' - after he did the honours for Diana's goddaughter who was estranged from her father Prince Charles, who walked family friend Alexandra Knatchbull down the aisle at her wedding in 2016, should be the one to replace Thomas Markle, according to royal fans As Thomas Markle's attendance at the royal wedding looks increasingly unlikely, royal fans have taken to Twitter to call for Prince Charles to step in. The retired lighting director, 73, is reportedly undergoing heart surgery today after a dramatic week which saw him pull our of proceedings due to a staged photo scandal, before yesterday insisting he wanted to come and be 'part of history'. Now royal watchers have insisted that the future king is the perfect replacement and taking on the role would be a sign of 'acceptance' and 'unity' for Charles to do the honours. Others suggested it would be an equally nice moment for Charles as he has no daughters of his own. The royal is no stranger to stepping into the father-of-the-bride shoes after giving away family friend Alexandra Knatchbull at her wedding to Thomas Hooper in 2016, as her own father looked on. At the time, some speculated that Lord Brabourne, a close friend to Prince Charles and the Royal Family and the grandson of Earl Mountbatten, was in poor health. Others suspected strained relations between Alexandra, goddaughter of Princess Diana, and her father could go some way towards explaining why a bride from one of Britains most established families chose to break with tradition. In 2010 Norton Knatchbull, the eighth Baron Brabourne, abandoned his 31-year marriage to run away to Nassau in the Bahamas with fashion designer Jeannie Nuttall. When this relationship ended in 2014 and he returned to the historic estate where Noel Coward played the piano at weekend house parties (when the Queen and Prince Philip were staying)  he was banished from the house to live in a converted barn. A family friend said: Its very unusual to be given away by someone else at your wedding  even if its the Prince of Wales. At the time Alexandra was absolutely furious with her father for leaving her mother, but of course she still wanted him at the wedding. This week has seen countless twists and turns surrounding whether Mr Markle would attend Saturday's royal wedding at Windsor Castle in Berkshire after The Mail On Sunday revealed he had staged paparazzi photos for money. The royal did the honours at Alexandra's wedding in 2016, while her father looked on (left). Meghan, 36, pictured in a wedding dress for her on-screen wedding in Suits (right). He pulled out on Monday, saying he didn't want to further embarrass his daughter but it seemed that Meghan had managed to persuade her father to change his mind. Yesterday it seemed he had backtracked on his decision after the bride-to-be pleaded with him to come to England for the big day. 'I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle,' Mr Markle said. 'Of course I'd walk her down the aisle. This is a historic moment. I'd like to be a part of history.' However, his attendance is once again in doubt amid claims he will undergo surgery today. He said that doctors will 'go in and clear blockage, repair damage, and put a stent where it is needed' during the operation, which will take place at 3.30pm UK time. Advertisement

The yoga instructor and social worker has been described by Meghan as a 'free spirited clinical therapist' and she has been seen alongside Meghan at a number of public events.

Prince Harry, who has described her as 'amazing' flew Doria out to Toronto to join Meghan and himself at the Invictus Games last year.

Royal experts said at the time that Harry's decision to invite Meghan's mum to join them at the closing ceremony of his Invictus Games was 'hugely significant.'

Doria was already expected to have an 'important role' during the ceremony. It is thought she will ride with Meghan in the car to the chapel in Windsor Castle.

On the go: The 61-year-old yoga instructor and social worker got picked up at her California home as she made her way to LAX on Tuesday

The former yoga instructor and social worker is expected to see Meghan and Prince Harry first, before meeting the Queen (pictured today) and other senior royals for the first time

Doria, (left, with her daughter) has been keeping a low profile ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding (the couple, pictured right)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding in numbers 0 - Maids of Honour - all the bridesmaids will be children 1 - Best man - Harry's brother, the Duke of Cambridge 1 - Hour - the length of the wedding ceremony 2 - Diamonds from Diana, Princess of Wales's collection used for Meghan's engagement ring, plus one from Botswana 3 - Diana's siblings at the service 6 - Harry's position in line to the throne 6 - Windsor Grey horses taking part in the carriage ride 7 - Charities Harry and Meghan picked to receive public donations instead of wedding gifts 16 - The wedding will be the 16th royal wedding or blessing to take place in St George's Chapel since 1863 200 - Guests invited to the Frogmore House evening reception 600 - Congregation in St George's Chapel 2,640 - People specially invited into the grounds of the castle 5,000 - UK and international media accredited in Windsor 100,000 - Estimated number of visitors in Windsor on the day Advertisement

Thomas Markle, 73, revealed that he is having major heart surgery today, coming just hours after it appeared Meghan had convinced her father to change his mind and attend the nuptials, when he announced he wouldn't be coming on Monday.

He said he didn't want to embarrass his daughter any further after the Mail on Sunday revealed he had staged paparazzi shots for money.

Before again changing his mind, Thomas said he believed his ex-wife Doria would be a 'good choice' to give their daughter away.

Doria is the clear favorite to walk her down the aisle if Thomas is not cleared by doctors to fly.

Prince Charles is 2/1 with the bookies to step in while Prince William is 5/1 to take Meghan into St George's before starting his duties as Harry's best man.

There have also been a flurry of bets on Meghan walking down the aisle alone.

Doria made her way to LAX just one day after it was reported that she quit her job at a mental health clinic.

According to Us Weekly, the 61-year-old social worker she left her role at the Los Angeles clinic she had been working at to pursue her goal of starting her own private practice following her daughter's nuptials.

'Doria is no longer working at the mental health clinic in the Los Angeles area. It was Doria's decision to leave,' a source told the outlet. 'She has talked about starting her own private practice, focusing on working with elderly patients.'

The reports about Doria's decision to quit her job come just one week after it was revealed that she had met with TV legend Oprah Winfrey at her $88 million Los Angeles home in order to discuss ideas for a tell-all interview.

According to the Mirror Online, the duo spent six hours together going over potential topics that could be covered during a sit-down, with a source saying that they focused particularly on race and the role that it has played in Harry and Meghan's relationship.

'Oprah and Doria spent a long time chatting and they got on really well,' the source said.

'The most important and significant issue they spoke about was race and how badly some people had reacted to Meghan and Harry.

'What happened to Meghan and Harry was disgusting and they and all of their families were horrified. It's an issue close to both Doria and Oprah, who have both suffered racism.'

However, the interview reportedly needs to be approved by Meghan, Harry, and Buckingham Palace before it is recorded.

Growing up, Meghan lived with her mother in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in the Mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles.

The Suits star's mother, Doria, and her father, Thomas, divorced when she was six years old.

Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, has once again pulled out of his daughter's big day, revealing that he needs to have major heart surgery this morning

Megan Markle's family members Tracey and Tyler Dooley leave their hotel in Waterloo, Central London, ahead of Megan Markle's marriage to Prince Harry, although they thought to be invited to the big day

Extended family: Meghan's nephews Tyler and Thomas Dooley and their mother, Tracy Dooley (pictured together right), are in London for the wedding but they aren't thought to be attending the ceremony

Harry and Meghan's very modern wedding: Couple break with royal tradition to choose their FRIENDS' children to be bridesmaids and page boys alongside Prince George and Princess Charlotte

By: Mark Duell for MailOnline

Most of the bridesmaids and page boys at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be their best friends' children, it was revealed today.

The wedding at Windsor Castle will have an unconventional feel after the couple looked outside of the royal family for the ten boys and girls to take part.

Just two of the youngsters involved in the wedding party are royals - Harry's niece, Princess Charlotte, three, and his nephew, four-year-old Prince George.

The three children of Meghan's best friend Jessica Mulroney - twins Brian and John, seven, and daughter Ivy, four - will also walk down the aisle on Saturday. Their father is Ben Mulroney, the son of former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney.

The bridesmaids for the service at St George's Chapel in the castle grounds include Harry's goddaughters, Zalie Warren, two, and Florence van Cutsem, three.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte, pictured on the way to meet their new baby brother who was named Prince Louis, at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, on April 27

The three children of Meghan's best friend Jessica Mulroney - twins Brian and John, seven, and daughter Ivy, four - are pictured with their mother arriving at London Heathrow Airport today

Also involved are 36-year-old Meghan's goddaughters, sisters Remi and Rylan Litt, aged six and seven respectively, and four-year-old Ivy Mulroney.

The other pageboys are 33-year-old Harry's godson, Jasper Dyer, aged six, and seven-year-old twin brothers Brian and John Mulroney.

Florence's cousin Grace van Cutsem famously stole the show in 2011 at William and Kate's wedding when she covered her ears on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Kensington Palace announced this morning that Harry's niece and nephew would be among Meghan's young helpers at the nuptials in Windsor this weekend.

Tickled pink! Cheerful Charles and Camilla show no sign of strain over Harry's wedding woes as they meet fashion designers and YouTube stars His younger son is at the centre of a drama with his future in-laws as drama over Thomas Markle's wedding attendance rumbles on. But it was business as usual today for Prince Charles and his wife Camilla as the smiling pair visited Google Arts & Culture projects which are designed to share art, history and heritage across the world. Camilla looked chic in a pink suit, teamed with two tone Chanel shoes and was all smiles as she arrived at the event. The pair were also set to meet vloggers, fashion designers and tech-savvy schoolgirls at the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group offices in west London during the whirlwind visit. They will also be introduced to prominent YouTube stars and take part in a discussion with members of youth charities about violent crime and social media. The Duchess of Cornwall looked cheerful today as she arrived at the YouTube space in London's King's Cross to learn more about Google Arts & Culture projects Prince Charles looked to be in great spirits as he shrugged off royal wedding woes The royal had a chance to look through a virtual viewer during a visit the YouTube Space in London Charles is no stranger to social media, with the @ClarenceHouse Twitter account having nearly 760,000 followers, while its Instagram account has almost 300,000. The Royal Family YouTube Channel has garnered over 75 million video views since it was established in 2007. The royal couple will then tour the new tech hub created by the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, one of the world's biggest online fashion retailers. The new tech hub in White City was opened a year ago and features Artificial Intelligence capabilities, such as personalisation and image recognition. The Duchess was presented with a gift by Alison Loehnis, President of NET-A-PORTER & MR PORTER The royal chatted to school children during a hackathon at the Yoox Net-a-Porter Tech Hub at White City Place They will also meet 65 local schoolgirls who are learning to code in partnership with Imperial College London. Last on the tour is a trip to the newly opened White City outpost of members' club, Soho House. Here, Charles and Camilla will attend a reception hosted by the British Fashion Council, showcasing new British talent in sustainable fashion, textiles and design industries. Among the 100 invited guests are Vogue editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, chair of menswear for the British Fashion Council, Dylan Jones and editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar UK, Justine Picardie. Charles is a long-time supporter of sustainable fashion, founding the Campaign For Wool in 2010, to encourage ecologically responsible fashion which prioritises natural fibres and has a low carbon footprint. These are Charles and Camilla's penultimate public engagements before the wedding of Charles' son Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor on Saturday. Advertisement

Remi, six and Rylan Litt, seven, (left) will be among the six bridesmaids at this Saturday's wedding. Six-year-old Jasper Dyer, pictured with his father Mark Dyer, (right) will be a page boy at the wedding

Meghan is godmother to her friend Benita Litt's two daughters Remi, six and Rylan, seven, and she is thought to have spent Christmas with the family in 2016 (pictured)

Charlotte and George are already skilled in the role, having performed the duty for the Duchess of Cambridge's sister, Pippa Matthews, last year.

Harry has paid tribute to former mentor and close friend Mark Dyer by requesting his son Jasper as a pageboy.

Meanwhile Meghan has publicly recognised one of her best friends, stylist Mrs Mulroney, by choosing her twin sons to take part in the wedding.

Mr Dyer, a redhead like the prince, was a supportive big brother figure for Harry during the 1990s and early 2000s.

It was during that period that the teenager was coming to terms with the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in Paris in 1997.

Mrs Mulroney and her family were seen arriving at London Heathrow Airport today.

Zalie Warren is the daughter of Jake Warren, son of the Queen's bloodstock and racing adviser John Warren, and his wife Zoe.



'We'll have to wait and see': Meghan Markle's nephew says family still hope her father can make royal wedding despite him saying he will undergo major heart surgery later today

BySarah Whiteand Mark Duelland Cheyenne Roundtreeand Alex Robertson For Mailonlineand Rebecca English for the Daily Mail

The nephew of Meghan Markle has said his family are still hopeful that her father can make the royal wedding despite him saying he will undergo major heart surgery today.

Tyler Dooley refused to rule out that Thomas Markle would fly to the UK before the big day in Windsor on Saturday.

He told MailOnline: 'We all hope [that he'll make it]. But we'll just have to wait and see.'

When asked if he was excited about the Royal Wedding, he said: 'I'm excited, yeah.'

Thomas, 73, who lives in Mexico, revealed that doctors will 'go in and clear blockage, repair damage, and put a stent where it is needed' during the operation, which will take place at 3.30pm UK time (7.30pm local time).

Tyler Dooley (pictured in London) refused to rule out that Thomas Markle (right, in Mexico) would fly to the UK before the big day in Windsor on Saturday

'She's NOT going to tell me I can't speak about my life': Meghan's half-sister faces backlash after launching an astonishing attack on royal bride-to-be



Royal fans have hit out at Meghan Markle's half-sister after she launched a stinging attack on the bride-to-be saying that she has no right to try and censor her. Samantha Markle has given a bombshell interview to US media where she insisted she had 'freedom of speech' and has every right to speak out. The mother-of-three, who has given a series of meddling media interviews in recent weeks laid into Meghan amid claims she is upset about her airing her views. She tore into the future princess just days after wading into the fake paparazzi row when her father staged fake paparazzi shots for money. Samantha Markle has given a bombshell interview to US media where she insisted she had 'freedom of speech' In the explosive rant the 53-year-old said: 'She's not going to tell me that I can't speak about my life' And she fumed: 'I'm not going to take it. She's way out of her league to tell me that I can't speak.' After the astonishing clip emerged royal well-wishers blasted the 53-year-old telling her: 'The world can't wait for you to go away.' The verbal attack came as Meghan's mother Doria touched down in the UK for an emotional reunion with her daughter as she prepares to meet the royal family for the first time, and preparations continued in Windsor for the big day on Saturday. Meanwhile Meghan's father Thomas Markle, who appeared to confirm today that he wasn't coming to the wedding, prepared to have a heart operation at 3.30pm UK time. Royal fans swerve Windsor tent ban by camping in sleeping bags in the street as wedding fever ramps up with just three days to go until the big day By Mark Duell for MailOnline With just three days to go until the wedding of the year, anticipation is mounting around the world. But it would be tough to find anyone more dedicated than these four royal fans who are already sleeping out overnight in Windsor ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's marriage on Saturday. The fans, who are kitted out in Union Jack flags and clothing bearing the couple's faces, have set up camp behind the barriers on the route that the royal procession will take through the Berkshire town. Thames Valley Police are enforcing a no tent rule in the run-up to the big day for security reasons, forcing people to sleep in the open air or on fold up chairs, with some using sleeping bags on the pavement. These royal fans are already sleeping overnight in Windsor ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding on Saturday The fans have set up camp behind the barriers on the route that the royal procession will take through the Berkshire town The fans are kitted out in Union Jack flags and clothing bearing the couple's faces, ahead of the big day on Saturday Thames Valley Police are enforcing a no tent rule in the run-up to the wedding on Saturday for security reasons Royalists are now a major fixture at wedding and funerals, with hundreds trying to bag key spots along procession routes days in advance, but some have criticised the ban on camping as 'really sad'. Carl Martin, 33, a royal fan from Felixstowe, Suffolk, said he received an email from the council telling him that 'camping will not be allowed... but folding chairs and some form of cover will be allowed'. It comes after police were seen clearing away sleeping bags and other possessions belonging to homeless people ahead of the royal wedding. Windsor Council leader Simon Dudley had called for homeless people to be removed from the streets because they would show the borough in an 'unfavourable light'. The bishop uncle, an outspoken half-sister and a cannabis farmer nephew: How Meghan Markle's estranged family have turned the royal wedding into a VERY colourful affair By Ed Riley For Mailonline Meghan Markle's family have done their best to steal the spotlight off the royal bride-to-be ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry this weekend. Never far from controversy, the extended Markle clan have hit the headlines over the past few months, using their new found fame to exploit the family name. The future princess' family are a mix of colourful characters that include a reformed alcoholic, a bishop, and even a cannabis farmer. Some have even started arriving in the UK ahead of the nuptials this Saturday, as they prepare to give a round of media interviews about the marriage. Here we look at some of Prince Harry's future in laws that will soon be forever linked with the royal family: Tracey Dooley, 52 The recovering alcoholic, who sells advertising was once married to Meghan's half brother, Thomas Markle Jr. She was pictured arriving at Heathrow with her sons Tyler and Thomas, and are in the UK to conduct a round of interviews - even though she hasn't seen Meghan for around 20 years. She is documenting her stay in London on a Facebook page 'Royal Wedding with the Dooley Markles' where she has uploaded a selection of pictures of famous landmarks. The recovering alcoholic (left, and right, with her son Tyler) sells advertising and was once married to Meghan's half brother, Thomas Markle Jr The Dooleys arriving at London's Heathrow. From left to right: Tyler, his girlfriend Sandra Bazan, Tracy, and far right Thomas Tyler Dooley, 25 Tracey's son Tyler is developing a strain of cannabis called 'Markle's Sparkle' in the US state of Oregon, known for its relaxed drug laws. He considers himself a 'pioneer' in the legal production of the drug in California. He claims to have last spoken to Meghan three years ago - and remembers her babysitting them when they were younger. Tracey's son Tyler is developing a strain of cannabis called 'Markle's Sparkle' in the US state of Oregon, known for its relaxed drug laws Thomas Markle Jr, 50 (Meghan's half brother) Mr Markle Jr - Meghan's estranged half brother - works as a jobbing glass fitter in Grants Pass, Oregon, and along with his girlfriend Darlene Blount, 37, spent time in prison recently. She allegedly assaulted her boyfriend on New Year's Day, and a year earlier he allegedly held a gun to her head. Both charges were dropped. He wrote a letter to Prince Harry describing Meghan as a 'jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage.' Thomas Jnr then grew up in the same household as his father, sister Samantha, step-mother Doria and half sister Meghan. Thomas Markle Jr (pictured) works as a jobbing glass fitter in Grants Pass, Oregon Roslyn Markle, 71 (Meghan's stepmother) Meghan's stepmother, was once married to Meghan's father. She is the mother of Meghan's two half siblings, Thomas Markle Jr and Samantha Grant. Thomas Markle, 73 Meghan's father was a workaholic who already had two children from his first marriage to Rosyln Loveless when he met Doria, Meghan's mother. He worked in showbusiness, winning awards for lighting direction, and won 560,000 on the lottery which allowed Meghan to be privately educated. But he split with his wife and left LA for Mexico after declaring himself bankrupt with credit card debts of 24,180. He now lives as a recluse in Rosarito in Mexico. Samantha Markle, 53 Meghan's half sister admits she hasn't spoken to Meghan in almost a decade, but plans to release a book called The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister. She has launched a number of verbal attacks at Meghan, and hit out when it she wasn't invited. She hasn't seen her half sister for ten years. Samantha, a writer and counsellor who is based in Florida and sometimes uses the surname Grant, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008. Samantha, a writer and counsellor who is based in Florida, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008 Meghan's teenage niece Noel Rasmussen, 19, is estranged from her mother Samantha Noel Rasmussen, 19 Meghan's teenage niece is estranged from her mother Samantha, and lives with her grandmother Roslyn Markle, Thomas's first wife in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has defended Meghan from attacks by her own mother, saying she has spent 'years' telling her how much she hates the future princess. 'She wanted to be nice, to say how much she loves her sister - but after years of telling me and the rest of the family how much she hates Meghan and what a horrible woman Meghan is, which isn't true.' Michael Markle, 78 Meghan's uncle, retired diplomat Michael Markle, worked for the US Air Force and lives in Florida, and is Thomas Markle's brother. During his career he worked in Ottawa, Bucharest, Berlin and Guam, and used his connections to help Meghan get a job at the US embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Frederick Markle Thomas Markle's other brother Fred, is a bishop. He is the leader at the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church in the US, in Florida, where he goes under the name Bishop Dismas. He is said to be a recluse and is rarely seen outside of the church, which used to have a congregation of around 40, but is now only attended by the Bishop himself.


President Trump said Wednesday that he would not back down from a commitment to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula as he responded to Kim Jong-un's latest demands.

Trump repeatedly told reporters asking if the planned meeting would move forward, 'We'll have to see.'

'No decision. We haven't been notified at all. We'll have to see,' he said during the Oval Office visit of the president of Uzbekistan. 'We haven't seen anything. We haven't heard anything. We will see what happens, whatever is. It is.' he added.

Asked by a journalist if Kim is bluffing, Trump would only say, 'We'll see what happens.'

'Time will tell,' he told reporters asking about the June 12 summit.

President Trump said Wednesday that he would not back down from a commitment to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula as his summit, as he responded to Kim Jong-un's latest demands

Trump repeatedly told reporters asking if the planned meeting would move forward, 'We'll have to see'

The White House's line on Wednesday was that it remains optimistic that a sit-down will take place between President Trump and Kim, despite a flare-up in hostilities, and if doesn't, the U.S. will keep its choke hold on North Korea's economy.

North Korea first said that it objected to joint military exercises the U.S. and South Korea were conducting, warning that it would not sit idly by while the countries rehearsed their invasion.

It then blasted the U.S. for what it called a 'hostile policy, nuclear threats and blackmail' and went after the Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton in a second statement threatening to call off the talks between Trump and Kim.

In a statement provided to state news agency KCNA, North Korea's first vice-minister, of foreign affairs, Kim Kye Gwan, took aim at Bolton's comparison of the nuclear deal that Trump is pursuing to the Libya model that ultimately left dictator Muammar Gaddafi out to dry.

The deputy foreign affairs minister rejected the United States' terms of nuclear abandonment, shunning the 'complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization' of the Korean Penninsula and the 'total decommissioning of nuclear weapons, missiles, biochemical weapons.'

He explicitly took issue with the U.S. position of 'abandoning nuclear weapons first, compensating afterwards' saying the proposed terms are 'essentially a manifestation of awfully sinister move to impose on our dignified state the destiny of Libya or Iraq which had been collapsed due to yielding the whole of their countries to big powers.'

'We're ready to meet, and if that happens that's great. And if it doesn't, we'll see what happens. We're still hopeful that the meeting will take place and we'll continue down that path,' White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders responded on Fox & Friends

North Korea said in the statement that 'we do not hide our feeling of repugnance' toward Bolton. The isolated nation said that Trump would be wise to recall 'twists and setbacks owing to the likes of Bolton' and that he should avoid taking advice from 'quasi-patriots who insist on the Libya model' like his new national security advisor.

'If President Trump follows in the footsteps of his predecessors, he will be recorded as more tragic and unsuccessful president than his predecessors, far from his initial ambition to make unprecedented success,' the statement asserted.

'However, if the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit.'

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Wednesday morning that North Korean outrage was par for the course and the U.S. was moving ahead with preparations for the summit in Singapore.

'We're ready to meet, and if that happens that's great. And if it doesn't, we'll see what happens. We're still hopeful that the meeting will take place and we'll continue down that path,' she said moments before on Fox & Friends. 'If it doesn't, we'll continue the maximum pressure campaign that's ongoing.'

A senior White House official likewise told DailyMail.com that North Korea's jockeying wasn't unexpected.

'The president said he wants to have the meeting,' the official said. 'But if we don't, he'll continue the ongoing maximum pressure campaign.'

Trump was non-committal as he spoke to reporters, claiming that the U.S. had neither seen nor heard anything about a cancellation.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un's government threatened on Wednesday (local time) to call off a planned nuclear summit with President Donald Trump (right)

This photo from 2017 shows a vehicle carrying what appears to be an intercontinental ballistic missile during a military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea

North Korea's government said yesterday that it was considering calling off the planned nuclear summit between its dictator and Trump through state-run news agency KCNA.

Kim's regime warned that ongoing 'Max Thunder' joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea could be a 'rehearsal for invasion' of the North.

'The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities,' KCNA said.

Trump's administration made no immediate moves to slow down preparations for the summit on Tuesday and tried to make it seem like business as usual on Wednesday at the White House.

Sanders, however, did not brief reporters from the podium for a second day in the row. She took a smattering of questions from reporters after her Fox News interview at 7:30 am and that was all.

In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, she simply said: 'We are aware of the South Korean media report. The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies.'

President Trump last week greeted three Americans who were released from North Korea as they returned in the wee hours of the morning to an air case in suburban Maryland

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency had earlier reported that Pyongyang also canceled high-level talks with Seoul, scheduled for later in the day.

The North Koreans cited the military drills as the reason.

The meeting was to happen in the border town of Panmunjom, as a followup to Kim's April meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-In.

The Trump administration had appeared to be making progress in recent weeks toward a new diplomatic framework with the hermit kingdom.

Tempers had cooled following months of belligerence on both sides  Trump called Kim 'Little Rocket Man' and Kim responded by branding him a 'mentally deranged U.S. dotard.'

Last week Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Pyongyang on a mission to retrieve three Americans held prisoner in the communist nation.

He returned a day later with Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak-song and Tony Kim on board his government jet. Trump, eager to reap the PR benefit of a public splash, went to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 2:00 in the morning to greet them personally.

The prisoner release was seen as a first step toward the planned summit, which Trump then announced would take place June 12 in Singapore.

U.S.-KOR Combine Force take part in an annual best warrior competition at U.S. military base Camp Casey in Dongducheon, South Korea, on 12 April 2018

The State Department did not have a response to North Korea's threat on Tuesday to call it off.

'We have no information on that,' said spokeswoman Heather Nauert, NBC reported. 'Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We need to verify it.'

The snag comes after North Korea began dismantling a key nuclear test site just weeks before Kim due to meet Trump.

Satellite images examined by American researchers appeared to show building demolitions, removal of railways, and overturned mining carts at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea.

The researchers are relying on commercial satellite imagery from May 7, according to the 38 North web site.

The site analyzed images which show significant changes that have been made at the location which are consistent with decommissioning.

Critics have argued that the cite already is in need of decommissioning, making its decommissioning less of a concession than it might otherwise seem.

'Between April 20 and May 7, 2018, the probable engineering office building and a possible instrumentation shed located just outside the North Portal (where the last five underground nuclear tests have been conducted) were razed along with at least two smaller buildings or sheds,' according to 38 North.

Meanwhile, the hermetic nation plans to join international efforts to implement a total ban on nuclear weapons tests, its ambassador told the United Nations.

Pyongyang has pledged dismantle the test site some time between May 23 and May 25 in order to uphold its pledge to cease tests, its state media reported on Saturday.

No personnel or significant activity is observed at the barracks area

Yesterday, North Korea's ambassador to the UN in Geneva Han Tae-song announced the country's intentions to work towards a complete ban on tests.

'DPRK will join international desires and efforts for a total ban on nuclear tests,' Han Tae-song said in an address to the Conference on Disarmament, using North Korea's official acronym.

Han told the UN assembly that his country aimed to make more 'efforts to achieve the development of intra-Korean relations, defuse acute military tensions and substantially remove the danger of the war on the Korean peninsula.'

'It will make sincere efforts... to establish a durable lasting peace mechanism' with its neighbour to the south, he said, urging the international community to 'extend its active support in encouraging and promoting the current positive climate.'

The military exercises that apparently provoked the North Korean side are known as 'Maximum Thunder.' The drill involves F-15 and F-16 aircraft numbering more than 80, NBC News reported.

The annual drill has regularly been a thorn in the side of the North Koreans. U.S. military officials say it is needed to practice the kind of cooperation that would be necessary in any real live military situation on the heavily-armed Korean peninsula.

It includes both air-to-air and air-to ground mission practice.
Adidas is slated to recognize LGBT Pride Month in a unique way.

The shoe company is marking the event with new twists on four of its signature shoes, reworking its Campus, Deerupt, PureBOOST DPR and I-5923 lines to reflect LGBT Pride and recognize LGBT people throughout the world.

A logo stating Love Unites will be placed on each insole of every shoe model, though each one will reflect LGBT Pride with its own unique color scheme.

Adidas has reworked four of its signature shoe lines to recognize LGBT Pride Month worldwide

The Deerupt line features a bright, multicolored mesh design while the I-5923 series offers an array of red and blue pastel hues. The Campus shoe line has a red and blue color scheme laid against an off-white background and the PureBOOST DPR features three varying hues of red stripes set against its signature white background.

The Adidas Pride Pack will soon be available online starting on June 1, 2018 and be priced between $90 (66.75) and $150 (111.24).

adidas pays homage to Pride month with this four pack of rainbow-inspired kicks https://t.co/0vxmPhxXfu pic.twitter.com/poM4U7fLAr  Sneaker News (@SneakerNews) May 15, 2018

What is LGBT Pride Month?

LGBT Pride Month is a month-long celebration to commemorate LGBT pride worldwide and honor the contributions of LGBT people to society across the globe.

The month is often marked with pride marches and other celebrations to commemorate it. LGBT rights activist Brenda Howard is often referred to as the Mother of Pride for her efforts in organizing the first LGBT Pride marches in the United States. In recent years, LGBT Pride Month has gained increased prominence, with President Bill Clinton first recognizing the monthly event in 1999 and 2000 and President Barack Obama also following suit during his tenure in the White House.

When is LGBT Pride Month?

LGBT Pride Month is held every June.

The month is always designated as LGBT Pride Month since the Stonewall Riots in New York City, widely credited with helping to spark the LGBT rights movement in the United States, occurred on June 28, 1969.
The White House has already fired aides who have leaked inside information to reporters, and Press Secretary Sarah Sanders is willing to hand out more pink slips.

But Sanders also claims some of what she reads about what's going on under her own nose  told to 'a couple of bad actors'  is fake news.

But she'll have a tough time forcing one of the most porous West Wing denizens out the door, according to one former senior White House official, since he works in the Oval Office.

Donald Trump himself has set a self-defeating standard by talking to old friends about his days, the onetime aide says, only to see his dirt dished in the press  and unable 'to remember who he told what' a day later.

The result has been a schizophrenic culture that publicly chastises blabbermouths while quietly leading in the other direction by example.

And 'the response is always to hunt for the leaker and to try to instill fear, but rarely to examine that organizational culture that has led to such rampant leaking,' Axios reports.

Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, said Wednesday that she's fired leakers in the past and is ready to do it again

A former senior Trump aide says the president is setting a self-defeating standard by talking with old friends and being unable 'to remember who he told what' a day later

Sanders told 'Fox & Friends' on Wednesday that she's frustrated by a steady stream of disclosures, and opened fire on the leakers  calling them 'total and complete coward[s]'.

'They should be fired,' she said, reflecting what one White House insider has told DailyMail.com is a renewed 'angry boil' in the Oval Office over secret relationships between staffers and journalists.

'We've fired people over leaking before. I've personally fired people over leaking before and we certainly would be very willing to do so again,' Sanders vowed.

Asked why aides to President Donald Trump are willing to undermine him, she said she doesn't know because she's not involved.

'I can't answer why people do it because I don't engage in it, because I find it to be some of the most disgusting behavior you could ever participate in,' she said.

But 'sometimes some of these leaks are made up, and reporters search for validation for them,' Sanders claimed.

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway spoke Monday night to Fox News about leakers in the White House

The White House has battled its own internal divisions since Inauguration Day  initially resulting in a leak war between Jared Kushner on one side and Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus on the other.

Kushner, the president's son-in-law, emerged from 2017 as the last man standing from the West Wing's original triumvirate or top deputies, but the leaks never stopped.

According to the Daily Beast, the president is sorely missing Hope Hicks, his longtime former adviser who served as critical West Wing glue and a surrogate for her boss among fractious staff.

'He obviously misses her and still talks about her often,' one White House aide said, comparing it to 'empty nest syndrome.'

While Trump blasted disloyal staffers, he also claimed much of the dirt they dish is false, and exaggerated by reporters in order to paint him falsely in a bad light

Unable to control leakers internally, the president vented this week on Twitter that the 'traitors and cowards' are peddling bad information.

'The so-called leaks coming out of the White House are a massive over exaggeration put out by the Fake News Media in order to make us look as bad as possible,' Trump tweeted.

'With that being said, leakers are traitors and cowards, and we will find out who they are!'

Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway predicted hours later that heads will roll.

'Some leaks exist to hurt colleagues, some leaks exist because they disagree with the policies that are being put forth, but none of them are helpful,' she said.
A pensioner found murdered at her home has been named by police as Rosina Coleman, 85.

Ms Coleman, a former seamstress, was found yesterday morning at her home in Romford having been battered to death in a 'despicable and cowardly' attack in her own home.

The 85-year-old victim was found dead by a handyman at the bungalow where she lived alone.

Police believe she was subjected to a 'cowardly assault' between 7.30am and 11.30am on Tuesday before being left to die alone.

A close friend Ms Coleman's paid tribute to the widow - calling her an 'incredible person' and suggested the attacker could have been after her cash.

85-year-old Rosina Coleman was battered to death in a 'despicable and cowardly' attack at her Romford home

The pensioner, who lived alone, was discovered by a handyman at her home in Romford, east London on Tuesday

Her friend, who did not wish to be named, said: 'Rose was an incredible person. We were very good friends.

'She used to be a seamstress and to this day she still made all her own clothes. She used to press my clothes as well.

'My wife died a few years ago and her husband died 11 years ago. We helped each other through it.

'I don't know why anyone would do this to her  I can think of no reason. Was it for money?'

Officers are looking into a burglary gone wrong as one line of inquiry and have asked the womans family if any items were stolen from her home.

A cordon has been set up around her 400,000 home as cops scour the area for clues.

Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, added: 'We do not know what has happened at the moment - she was just a really nice neighbour.

'I have not seen her for a month as we have been out of the country. I have known her for the 28 years we have lived here, she was very nice.'

Scotland yard said: 'Detectives investigating the murder of a woman on Tuesday, 15 May in Havering have named the victim.

'Although we await formal identification, we are confident that the deceased is Rosina Coleman, who was 85 and from Romford.

'Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 11.31am on Tuesday, 15 May to reports of a woman found deceased at an address on Ashmour Gardens in Romford.

Police believe she was subjected to a 'cowardly assault' between 7.30am and 11.30am on Tuesday before being left to die alone

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem is expected to take place tomorrow. There have been no arrests

'Officers attended. Rosina Coleman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her next-of-kin have been informed.

'A post-mortem examination is expected to be held on Thursday.

'At this early stage there have been no arrests.'

Police were called by paramedics just after 11.30am on Tuesday to reports of a woman found deceased at an address in Ashmour Gardens, Romford.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detective Inspector Paul Considine, of the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command, added: 'This is a despicable incident in which the victim, an elderly lady who lived alone, had been subjected to a cowardly assault that left her with serious injuries.

'I want to ask anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious to call police immediately.'
Two hero police officers who rugby tackled and arrested Jo Cox's murderer were today given a rare round of applause by MPs in the Commons today.

MPs flouted parliamentary convention to break into loud claps and as they paid tribute to the 'extremely brave' police officers.

PCs Craig Nicholls and Jonathan Wright were both in the public gallery of the Commons watching as MPs applauded them below.

The two officers chased after neo Nazi Thomas Mair, rugby tackling and arresting him after he stabbed the MP outside a library where she was holding a constituency surgery.

Theresa May and Speaker John Bercow led tributes to the brave officers during the moving scenes.

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MPs flouted parliamentary convention to break into a rapturous round of applause and as they paid tribute to the 'extremely brave' police officers.

PCs Craig Nicholls and Jonathan Wright were awarded a medal for their bravery (pictured, picking it up at Buckingham Palace) for chasing and tackling the far right fanatic who murdered Jo Cox. They were both in the public gallery of the Commons watching as MPs applauded them below.

Opening PMQs, Mr Bercow said: 'Colleagues today the two extremely brave police officers who apprehended the killer of our late friend and colleague Jo Cox are in the side gallery for Prime Ministers Questions.

'I am referring to PC Joanthan Wright and PC Craig Nicholls, both of the west Yorkshire Police.

'Gentleman, we honour your public service, we thank you for it and we offer you the warmest of welcomes here to the House of Commons today.'

Mother-of-two Jo Cox, 41, was shot and stabbed by neo-Nazi Thomas Mair in her Batley and Spen constituency just days before the 2016 EU referendum

In a rare moment of parliamentary unity, MPs from across the political divide flouted strict rules to erupt into a spontaneous round of applause.

Mrs May said it was appropriate for the Commons to 'recognise the bravery and hard work' of the two police officers.

She said: 'When Jo Cox was killed, this House lost one of its best.'

Mother-of-two Mrs Cox, 41, was shot and stabbed by Mair in her Batley and Spen constituency just days before the 2016 EU referendum.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn thanked Mr Bercow for welcoming the officers to the chamber, adding: 'They did great work, as indeed police officers do all over the country.'

Mair, as extreme rightwing terrorist, was jailed for life for murdering the Labour MP for Batley and Spen shortly before the EU referendum vote.

While attacking her he was saying: 'This is for Britain', 'keep Britain independent', and 'Britain first', the court heard.

Her murder rocked the country and sparked an outpurng of grief and tributes from MPs of alll political persuasions.

Parties have tried to further her work in trying to tackle loneliness by setting up a commission in her name.
A magistrate has defended the decision to spare two women jail time after they drunkenly attacked a paramedic, claiming that 'special circumstances' allowed them to be exempt from mandatory sentencing.

Amanda Warren, 33, and Caris Underwood, 20, had the jail sentences they received for assaulting paramedic Paul Judd in 2016 quashed on appeal by Victoria County Court judge Barbara Cotterell on Tuesday.

Drug Court Magistrate Tony Parsons insists that the women didn't get off 'scot free', however, because they spent two weeks behind bars.

Drug Court Magistrate Tony Parsons (pictured) has defended the decision to spare two women jail time after they drunkenly attacked a paramedic, claiming that they weren't let off 'scot-free' because they spent two weeks behind bars

Caris Underwood (left) and Amanda Warren had the jail sentences they received for assaulting paramedic Paul Judd in 2016 quashed on appeal by Victoria County Court judge Barbara Cotterell on Tuesday

'Basically scot free, to be fair, isn't right,' he told 3AW radio host Tom Elliott on Wednesday.

'They've been under supervisional bail for the past two years and they've now got corrections orders for the next two and three years. They also did two weeks jail.'

Warren and Underwood were originally sentenced to six months and four months respectively, but Judge Cotterell said special reasons linked to their difficult childhoods and young families mean the minimum six-month term should not apply.

Parsons championed the importance of such legislative flexibility, stating that 'There's a whole range of circumstances that you and I, if we were in court or someone or close to us was in court, would want to have taken into account.

'We need that flexibility, because I think only justice is going to be done when we take all the facts and circumstances into account.'

Elliott, for his part, firmly disagreed with the decision to let the women off the hook, and further denounced the clause that allows supposedly 'mandatory' sentences to be waived in certain circumstances.

Warren ran from court on Tuesday after her sentence was quashed.

Warren (pictured) and Underwood appeared before Victoria's County Court on Tuesday

Warren ran from court in Melbourne after her prison sentence was quashed

The women admitted punching and kicking Paul Judd as he and another paramedic tried to treat a patient in Reservoir.

Lawyers for both women say the pair had tough childhoods but have started to turn their lives around since their drunken assault.

They both pleaded guilty last year to intentionally causing injury, while Warren has also admitted to criminally damaging the ambulance by ramming it with a car.

Defence lawyers for Underwood (left) and Warren previously argued special circumstances were present and the pair should avoid jail

Mr Judd broke his foot in the violent attack and has required multiple surgeries since.

The experienced ambulance worker has not been able to return to work since the violent attack in April 2016.

Unless there are 'special reasons', Victorian laws introduced in 2014 demand a mandatory minimum jail term of six months for anyone who intentionally injures an emergency worker.

The women have admitted punching and kicking Paul Judd as he and another paramedic tried to treat a patient in Reservoir

Ambulance Employees Australian Union secretary Steve McGhie expressed his frustration with the decision in an interview with 3AW Drive.

'I'm quite disgusted with the outcome,' he said.

Ambulance vehicles were pictured in Victoria plastered with protest graffiti after the decision was handed down.

Ambulance workers protested against the court's decision, writing 'It's not OK to assault paramedics' on a row of ambulance vehicles

Fair Go paramedic posted photos of ambulance vehicles displaying the message: 'It's not OK to assault paramedics' in pink and white writing.

'Paramedic after Paramedic, Crew after Crew, branch after branch, we all stand in defiance to today's ruling,' the organisation posted on social media.

An #itsneverok hashtag went viral social media on Tuesday as ambulance officers and the community expressed their support for the paramedics.
Two young brothers were killed in California when officials say a car taking part in an illegal street race slammed head on into the vehicle they were in on Tuesday.

According to California Highway Patrol, the deadly accident took place at around 5.40pm in Mead Valley, leaving six-year-old Dominick Gonzalez and eight-year-old Antonio Gonzalez dead.

CHP Officer Dan Olivas told local news outlets that a silver Honda Accord and a black Nissan Altima were racing each other along Oakwood Road, with the Accord going the wrong way.

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Gone too soon: Dominick Gonzalez, 6, and Antonio Gonzalez, 8, dead on Tuesday after being involved in a head-on crash.

Totalled: This blue Nissan Versa carrying a man and his two young brothers was involved in a fatal crash that killed both boys in California on Tuesday

Officials say the driver of this Silver Honda Accord was taking part in an illegal street race when he crashed head on into the Nissan

Sneakers and socks are pictured lying on the ground beneath the wrecked Nissan

As the two vehicles neared the crest of the road, reported KCAL, the Accord driver saw a blue Nissan Versa heading directly toward him, but he did not have time to swerve out of the way to try an avoid a collision.

The Versa was being operated by Luis Gonzalez who was driving his two younger siblings, according to an eyewitness. All three were rushed to a hospital, where Antonio and Dominick Gonzalez were pronounced dead.

Luis Gonzalez sustained minor to moderate injuries, reported KTLA5. The victims were named late Wednesday afternoon.

Video taken at the scene showed first responders swarming around the two mangled vehicles.

Relatives of the deceased boys told ABC7 the three brothers were on their way to pick up their two sisters from an after-school program when the crash happened.

This screenshot show a driver involved in the two-vehicle collision being carried into an awaiting ambulance

Antonio and Dominick were sitting in the backseat of their brother Luis' Nissan when the collision happened

People are seen comforting one another at the site of the fatal accident that claimed the lives of two children

The driver of the Accord, who has not been identified, was also taken to the hospital to be treated for minor and moderate injuries. He is expected to be charged with vehicular manslaughter.

The driver of the Altima had briefly paused at the scene of the crash, but then took off. The California Highway Patrol is now searching for him.

The vehicle was described as a black sedan circa 2005. Anyone with information on the drivers whereabouts is being asked to call CHP at 951-637-8000.

A GoFundMe page has been launched to raise money for the young victims' double funeral.
Dr George Tyndall (undated file photo) was hired by the University of Southern California in 1989, and first faced complaints on the 1990s

A university gynecologist was allowed to treat students for nearly 30 years despite numerous complaints he hoarded images of their genitals and touched them inappropriately during pelvic exams while making 'creepy' remarks.

Dr George Tyndall was hired by the University of Southern California in 1989, and first faced complaints in the 1990s, when co-workers claimed he was unnecessarily taking photos of 'hundreds' of his patients' vaginas.

More damning allegations piled up in the years that followed - including that he inappropriately touched students while making sexual remarks - until he was allowed to resign last year with an undisclosed pay out. He intends to continue practising.

A full picture of the allegations against Dr Tyndall during his decades-long career at USC was put together by the Los Angeles Times from exclusive interviews with 20 current and former employees and 100 pages of complaints made against him.

Dr Tyndall told the Times he denies all the allegations and has always followed correct medical procedure.

Complaints were first made about the doctor's conduct during medical exams by his chaperones - female nurses or assistants who accompanied him in the treatment room.

They became concerned by what Tyndall described as a full body scan to check for unusual moles, which saw patients lie naked on the examination table as he slowly examined every part of their body, including the area between their buttocks.

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More damning allegations piled up in the years that followed - including that he inappropriately touched students while making sexual remarks. Pictured is the Engemann Health Center, where he worked since it opened in 2013

He is also said to have made 'creepy' remarks about the students' appearance during these exams, including describing their breasts as 'perky' and calling their skin 'flawless' and 'beautiful'.

'They stand right up there, don't they?' he allegedly told one patient.

The latter part of gynecological exams often sees the doctor examine the uterus for abnormalities by inserting two fingers inside a patient.

However, chaperones were concerned by Tyndall's use of his fingers at the beginning of an exam. They claimed he would often express concerns that a medical device used to open the walls of the vagina would not fit.

'Oh, I think it will fit. Let's put two fingers in,' one assistant recalled him saying, adding that he would move his two fingers in and out of the vagina as he spoke.

The chaperones also said he repeated a similar statement to hundreds of women as he probed them: 'My, what a tight muscle you have. You must be a runner.'

In some exams, Tyndall is said to have made explicit references to sex. One chaperone recalled him telling young patients not to worry their hymen was intact as 'your boyfriend's going to love it'.

He also allegedly gave a Middle Eastern student a small bag of blood that she could pop on her wedding night so her husband would think she was a virgin.

An internal USC investigation said Tyndall's conduct during pelvic exams amounted to sexual harassment.

Co-workers also became concerned in recent years that Tyndall was targeting Chinese students who had little spoken English or knowledge of American medical conduct.

Earlier in his career, chaperones were worried about how often he would take photographs of students' genitals. One chaperone recalled 'hundreds' of patients photographed in this way, while another witnessed '50 to 100'.

Tyndall claimed he did this to reassure patients they did not have genital warts and to avoid future lawsuits for missing a cancer diagnosis.

Pictured is an undated file photo of the University of Southern California campus, where Tyndall worked for nearly three decades

The doctor was allowed to continue practising despite the numerous complaints that were filed against him.

His downfall came in June 2016 when photographs of students' genitals shot in 1990 and 1991 were found under his desk, some with identifying information.

This discovery, along with a nurse's complaint to a rape crisis center, led to Tyndall being immediately suspended.

However, he was allowed to resign from the university's Engemann Student Health Center a year later with an undisclosed pay off.

And as USC did not report him to the Medical Board of California, he is allowed to continue practising and renewed his medical license in January.

USC President C. L. Max Nikias released a statement about Tyndall on Tuesday.

Nikias said the university had acted quickly to suspend Tyndall in 2016 and said previous complaints had been handled independently by the former health center director, Dr Lawrence Neinstein.

He also said the University of Southern California had complained to the California Medical Board when Tyndall asked to be reemployed earlier this year.

But he admitted this complaint should have been made as soon as Tyndall resigned in June 2017 to prevent him from practising medicine elsewhere.
Ten children who were found living in squalid conditions in their Northern California home had allegedly been tortured by their parents for 'sadistic purposes' and shot with pellet guns.

The children, who range in age from 4 months to 12 years, were taken into protective custody in Fairfield, north of San Francisco, this week.

Their parents Jonathan Allen, 29, and Ina Rogers, 30, were subsequently arrested and charged with neglect and torture.

The children, some of whom had visible scarring, told investigators that they had suffered puncture wounds, burns and bruises. They also showed injuries consistent with being shot by pellet guns.

Ina Rogers, 30, and Jonathan Allen, 29, have been charged with neglect and torture after police removed 10 children from their squalid home in Fairfield, California

The 10 children were found living in squalid conditions in their Northern California home and had allegedly been tortured by their parents for 'sadistic purposes'

Police had conducted a six-week investigation and said nine of the 10 children had been tortured as far back as 2014.

'I'm horrified by the statements that were given by these children,' Sharon Henry, a prosecutor with the Solano County district attorney's office, told the LA Times.

She added that the children, who were home-schooled, had been tortured for 'a sadistic purpose.'

The investigation started on March 31 when the children's mother called police to report that her 12-year-old son was missing.

Police eventually found the boy asleep under a bush in a neighbor's yard and took him back to his home.

They said they found the boy and his nine siblings being forced to live in 'squalor and unsafe conditions'.

Photos of inside the home show human and animal feces strewn across the floor, as well as garbage, debris and spoiled food everywhere.

The children, some of whom had visible scarring, told investigators that they had suffered puncture wounds, burns and bruises

Photos inside the home show human and animal feces strewn across the floor of a bathroom

The children, who range in age from 4 months to 12 years, were taken into protective custody after they were found living in squalor at their home in Fairfield

Photos of inside the home show a bathroom completely covered in feces and a bedroom with garbage strewn everywhere and stained bed sheets and pillows

Police said an investigation into the family revealed a 'long and continuous history of severe physical and emotional abuse of the children.'

Both parents have denied they tortured or abused their children.

Allen, who remains in Solano County jail following his arrest on Friday, told KCRA that he was not a monster and claims he has never even spanked his children.

'I didn't do what they said I did,' Allen said. 'I'm not a cruel dad. I am the most loving parent that I could possibly be.'

He insisted that his children were brainwashed into thinking they had been abused.

Allen added that he was religious and practiced Kabbalah, noting that one of the investigating officers became 'extremely angry' when he noticed he kept his 'spiritual temple clean'.

'I am like the Indiana Jones when it comes to spirituality. I dig deep,' he said.

Rogers invited photographers into her home to see how she claims it looks on a normal day

Ina Rogers held a press conference outside her home on Monday saying the 'squalor' officers saw while investigating came from her tearing her house apart as she searched for her child

His wife also denied abusing their children and said they were both 'amazing' parents.

'I strive and I pride myself on being a good parent to my children,' Rogers told KGO.

My husband has a lot of tattoos, he looks like a scary individual, and that's why people are so quick to judge him. But absolutely not, my husband is an amazing person. I am an amazing mother.'

Rogers attempted to explain the 'squalor' officers found at their home, saying she had torn her house apart searching for her missing son.

'I was afraid that I could not find him. Once that fear sets in, you don't know what to do,' Rogers said.

Rogers, who was arrested March 31 and released after posting $10,000 bail, was booked for child neglect.

The children's father was booked on Friday for nine counts of felony torture and six counts of felony child abuse after specialists conducted interviews with the children.

He is being held in the Solano County Jail in lieu of $1.5 million bail.
Lifelong republican Jeremy Corbyn held a secret meeting with Prince Charles today - just three days before the royal wedding.

The details of Mr Corbyn's meeting with the father of the groom remains shrouded in secrecy, but sources confirmed to MailOnline it took place.

It is usual for Prince Charles to meet with the leader of the official opposition, and he held three private meetings with Ed Miliband, the first in February 2011.

But it has taken the Labour leader nearly three years to have the private meeting with the heir to the throne.

Representatives of royal would not comment on the meeting, but it is likely that it took place at the prince's official London residence of Clarence House.

News of the meeting emerged just hours after the Labour leader revealed he does not plan to watch the royal wedding live this Saturday - although he may tune in to see it on catch up.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will walk down the aisle in Windsor in front of the eyes of the world in a ceremony broadcast live on television.

But the Labour leader (pictured in PMQs in the Commons today) - a lifelong republican who has lobbied for the abolition of the monarchy - will not be tuning in to watch the ceremony on Saturday

Prince Charles (pictured today meeting staff outside the Net-a-porter offices in London) met with the Labour leader for a private audience today

His spokesman said that Mr Corbyn is too busy with an economics conference this Saturday to watch the couple tie the knot.

But he did use his appearance in PMQs this week to wish the couple good luck with their big day.

What anti-monarchy positions has Jeremy Corbyn taken? Jeremy Corbyn is a life-long republican who want the abolition of the monarchy. Here are some of the positions he has taken over the years: Calls for abolition of the monarchy: In 1993 he signed an early day motion calling for the monarchy to be scrapped. It was tabled by fellow republican and his political mentor, Hilary Benn. Did not kneel for the Queen: Jeremy Corbyn did not kneel before the Queen as he was sworn in as a member of the privy council,it was reported. But it is understood Buckingham Palace does not force privy council members to do things they are not comfortable with and that Corbyn did not kneel. Advertisement

During the weekly Commons clash, Mr Corbyn wished the couple 'all the best' and thanked Prince Harry for his work on mental health.

Speaking afterward, his spokesman was asked if he would watch it on the television.

He said: 'Well, there's catch up isn't there?

'We have various engagements and conferences that we are dealing with over the weekend. But, as I say he welcomes the work they have done and wishes them all the best.

'We have got an economics conference on Saturday.'

It came after Theresa May had used PMQs to wish the couple good luck iwth their big day.

She said: 'I'm sure the whole House will wish to join me in offering our best wishes to His Royal Highness Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their wedding this Saturday and the very best for their future lives together.'

It comes as confusion continues over whteher Ms Markle will be walked fdown the aisle by her father Thomas.

The 73 year-old had pulled out of the ceremony after he was revealed to have stages some paparazzi photographs.

He U-turned and announced he was panning to go, but appears to have changed his mind again saying that will not attend as he needs to have major heart surgery today.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured together outside Kensington Palace at the announcement of their engagement) will walk down the aisle in Windsor in front of the eyes of the world in a ceremony broadcast live on television.

Thomas Markle, 73, who lives in Mexico, revealed that doctors will 'go in and clear blockage, repair damage, and put a stent where it is needed' during the operation, which will take place at 3.30pm UK time.

Mr Markle is thought to have previously stayed at General Hospital in Rosarito, the town where he lives, but it is unclear where today's operation will take place.

Britons up and down the country are putting on street parties to celebrate the big day.

While the US are also getting into the royal wedding spirit - with reports that American shops are selling out of British food and web searches for cucumber sandwiches surging.
Despite the Royal Wedding being only days away, Meghan Markle has already established herself as one of royals's most powerful style influencers, in a similar way to how the Duchess of Cambridge has with the Kate Middleton effect.

In what is being dubbed the 'Meghan Markle effect', every time that Prince Harrys soon-to-be bride is photographed and pictures of her outfits are shared, the websites of the designers experience a surge in traffic and in turn, sales.

While Princess Diana remains the Royal style icon, Meghans white Line the Label power coat, that she wore during the announcement of her engagement, sold out within 12 hours.

The Meghan Markle effect has also resulted in hopes that Meghan being welcomed into the Royal Family will improve opportunities for all African American women in the workplace. But what is the Meghan Markle effect?

In what is being dubbed the Meghan Markle effect, every time that Prince Harry s soon-to-be bride is photographed and pictures of her outfits are shared, the websites of the designers experience a surge in traffic and in turn, sales

What is the Meghan Markle effect?

An effect can be described as a trend that impacts others; in this case, Meghan Markle has sparked an increase in product sales for the clothes and accessories that she wears.

As quoted in the New York Times, Caroline Rush, the CEO of the British Fashion Council, said: Weve seen that Meghan Markle is very considered in her choice of what she wears, and understands the soft power fashion can have in terms of connecting to a community, shining a light on local companies and using what you wear to challenge conventions.

How much is the Meghan Markle effect worth?

According to David Haigh, CEO of the British consultancy that specialises in brand valuation, Brand Finance, Meghan Markle could contribute 150 million to the British fashion industry in the form of unofficial brand endorsements.

She will quickly match or even surpass the Duchess of Cambridge in her incredible influence on the fashion industry, Haigh said.

However, new research from Brand Finance has found that the Royal Wedding and excitement in the last couple of months has doubled her value, in the same way that Kate Middleton became a trendsetter overnight after her engagement to Prince William.

New research from Brand Finance has found that the Royal Wedding and excitement in the last couple of months has doubled Meghan's contribution to British fashion, in the same way that Kate Middleton became a trendsetter overnight after her engagement to Prince William

But this number is just for the UK; Meghan has also been known to wear a number of Canadian brands and her effect continues to make an impact on a similar level to that of Justin Trudeaus wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau.

President of the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards Vicky Milner said: People are glued to her.

'When you have a figure like that, it changes everything for designers and the county when it comes to fashion. For people to be able to see Canadian brands in a new light is huge.

Meghan Markles trending outfits

With speculation amounting around whether Meghan Markle will choose from Ralph & Russo, Alexander McQueen, Jenny Packham or Vera Wang for her wedding dress, the new Royal has sparked a digital frenzy.

Invictus Games appearance with Prince Harry

Meghan wore ripped jeans from the Californian brand Mother, which resulted in a 200 percent increase in traffic to its website and a 60 percent increase in Google searches, in comparison to the same week the year before.

President and Founder of Mother Lela Becker said that the ripped jeans sold out in three days with 400 people signing up on a waitlist for a reorder. The website also had more traffic than it does on Black Friday.

Meghan Markle seen here attending a Wheelchair Tennis match during the Invictus Games 2017 wearing the 'Husband Shirt' by Misha Nonoo and ripped jeans by Mother

Meghan also carried a tote bag from Everlane and according to Founder and CEO of the brand, Michael Preysman, there were more than 20,000 people on a waitlist.

Searches for the Misha Nonoo white Husband Shirt that she wore also increased by 62 percent in the following week and traffic grew by 130 percent.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's engagement announcement

The white coat Meghan wore for her engagement announcement to Prince Harry crashed Line the Labels website after selling out immediately.

Designer John Muscat said: We had no idea she was going to wear our coat; it was a proud moment of our team. We received an influx of emails, calls, and messages on social media immediately after the photos went public.

Meghan Markle seen here with her husband-to-be Prince Harry, after they announced their engagement, wearing the iconic Line the Label white 'power coat'

The iconic white coat was then renamed as The Meghan in honour of her engagement to Prince Harry.

Her earrings also caused a stir and the Birks website spiked by 500 percent. The company later revealed that it does the same every time Meghan wears a Birks piece.

Engagement pictures

Meghan chose British label Ralph & Russo for her engagement photos and she was pictured wearing a glittering couture gown, thought to have taken thousands of hours to make and is estimated to have cost 56,000.

Kensington Palace revealed that the gown was privately purchased and pictures also emerged of Prince Harry leaving the Chelsea, London branch of the brand in April 2018, possibly making arrangements for Meghans wedding dress.

Meghan seen here with Harry in their official engagement photo released by Kensington Palace, wearing a couture gown by Ralph & Russo, the brand rumoured to be the designer of the new Royal's wedding dress

Christmas Day church service

Meghans 1,000 Sentaler camel coat, that she wore for her debut with the Royal Family, was also victim to the Meghan Markle effect. Founder of the Canadian brand Bojana Sentaler said: 'The Meghan Markle effect is definitely real.

Since she wore the wide collar wrap in camel colour on Christmas Day, the coat sold out instantly and we had an enormous demand for Sentaler that day, as well as for many days after that. We were shipping coats all over the world.

Meghan Markle seen here attending the Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene in King's Lynn wearing a camel coat by Canadian brand Sentaler

First official appearance in Edinburgh

Other than the search surge that her tartan Burberry coat caused during her trip to Edinburgh, her 425 crossbody bag from Strathberry sold out within 11 minutes and traffic to the Scottish companys website increased by 5,000 percent.

The interest in the brand has been incredible. The phones began ringing constantly and our visitor numbers on our website were up by around 5,000 percent, a Strathberry spokesperson said.

Meghan Markle, with a Strathberry bag over her shoulder, holds hands with Prince Harry as they meet members of the crowd during a visit to Edinburgh

Cardiff Castle trip

Meghan also caused a rise in demand for a pair of 230 black Hiut jeans during a visit to Cardiff Castle with Prince Harry. This resulted in back orders of three months and the company having to recruit more staff who were forced to pump out 150 pairs a week.

Commonwealth events

In her first major engagement on behalf of the Royal Family, Meghan joined Harry at a Commonwealth womens empowerment reception at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London.

She wore a Jackie O dress from Black Halo, that sold out in less than 10 hours and the brand was forced to work overtime in order to keep up with demand.

Meghan Markle seen here attending the Women's Empowerment reception hosted by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London, England, wearing the 'Jackie O' dress from Black Halo

Meghan also showed off a pinstriped day dress at the Commonwealth Youth Forum, by French-American designer Joseph Altuzarra, who she worked with when she was on Suits.

Joseph Altuzarras website visits increased by 400 percent and Instagram was up by 300 percent in the hours after. We are not a millennial street style brand. We are a niche brand in a niche area. She changes how people think of us, the designer said.

He also stated that Meghan represents inclusivity and the 21st centurys attitudes towards race and nationality.

Meghan Markle seen here arriving for a reception with delegates from the Commonwealth Youth Forum at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London, wearing a pinstripe dress by French-American designer Joseph Altuzarra

The Meghan Markle effect on attitudes towards race

As well as making an impact on the fashion industry, the Meghan Markle effect has resulted in hope that Meghan being welcomed into the Royal Family will improve opportunities for African American women in the workplace.

Its exciting for black women, and I think its going to be inspirational. Were claiming her for a black womans right to be in there like everybody else, Camille Newman, owner of plus size clothing business Pop-Up Plus said in an interview with The Guardian.

She expressed that the Royal Wedding is a marker for black or biracial women being accepted in society and referenced a 2016 report that found that black women receive startup and investment funding at a lower rate than white-owned businesses.

Its her race, her color, her class and its her age. Its not just an African American woman thing, or an American thing, its a woman thing. I think all women can be proud of her, she said.

In 2015, the Kate effect brought over 152 million to the British economy, according to Brand Finance. Alongside this, the Charlotte effect and George effect has translated to over 177 million combined

How much is the Kate Middleton effect worth?

In 2015, the Kate Middleton effect brought over 152 million to the British economy, according to Brand Finance.

Alongside this, the Charlotte effect and George effect has translated to over 177 million combined.

What date is the Royal Wedding?

Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys wedding will take place on Saturday, May 19, 2018, starting with the ceremony at 12pm BST.

For all of the information about Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys Royal Wedding, click here.
A mentally ill woman who stabbed her mother 146 times to her death wants to be able to live with her schizophrenic boyfriend.

Vicky Wagner killed her mother at the front of a house in a horrific act which ended Joyce Brown's life in 10 minutes.

Ms Brown was helping her daughter move furniture when Wagner turned and stabbed the 66-year-old at the home, north of Adelaide.

Vicky Wagner, who killed her mother Joyce Brown, has asked the court to allow her to stay with her schizophrenic boyfriend, a choice leaving Wagner's sister Michelle Chamberlain (pictured) fearing for worst

Wagner, who pleaded not guilty because of mental incompetence, asked the Supreme Court of South Australia to reduce her mental health supervision conditions and allow her to live with her mentally ill boyfriend, The Advertiser reported.

The daughter, aged 41 at the time of the attack, was sentenced to life in a prison equivalent of mental health supervision but after serving two years, Wagner was released from maximum security.

In 2014 she signed a document which allowed her to move from low-security monitoring before moving to independent community living.

Eight years after the bloodied stabbing, Tricia Johnson asked if Wagner would be granted permission to spend one night a week with her boyfriend - which could eventually increase by a day each month.

Wagner's devastated sister, Michelle Chamberlain, is fearful the schizophrenic woman would target her family in an act of 'deja vu'.

'A very cautious approach is needed - this is too fast, too soon,' Tony Kerin reportedly said on behalf of Ms Chamberlain.

'Now, Wagner will be going back into that same environment - with a man who's self-reporting that he has not been using drugs ... people are still a bit frightened and want some comfort.'

Reports at the time showed Wagner had been treated for schizophrenia, a mental disorder which affects the way one thinks and behaves, since 2002.
Karen Bradley denied bowing to terrorist 'blackmail' over Brexit today - as she warned the Eurosceptics' favoured customs plan would hamper efforts to keep a soft border.

The Northern Ireland Secretary was challenged on why the government was not taking a tougher line with the EU after she vowed there would be no new physical infrastructure at the border with the Republic.

During a combative evidence session with MPs, Mrs Bradley admitted that there were problems with both the customs models being considered by the Cabinet.

But she claimed that the 'partnership' blueprint favoured by Theresa May would make it 'easier' to avoid a hard Irish border.

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley (pictured) was challenged on why the government was not taking a tougher line with the EU after she vowed there would be no new physical infrastructure at the border with the Republic

Labour's Kate Hoey (pictured) asked why the minister was so opposed to any new cameras or other technological solutions

Labour's Kate Hoey asked why the minister was so opposed to any new cameras or other technological solutions. The Brexiteer said the government should respond to 'blackmailing or threats by dissidents who might decide that they are going to get violent and start killing people'.

But Mrs Bradley told the European Scrutiny Committee it was important to reach a compromise so people on the island of Ireland could 'continue their lives in the way they have for many years'.

A customs partnership after Brexit would make it easier to deal with the Irish border question, the Northern Ireland Secretary has said.

Varadkar dismisses UK customs option as less useful than deodorant Leo Varadkar has stepped up tensions in Brexit negotiations by dismissing one of the UK's customs options as less useful than deodorant. The bizarre comment came as he said both proposals floated by Britain were not currently workable - but the partnership concept was more likely to work in the end. 'I do think the customs partnership is closer to being made workable than this proposal of 'max fac',' Mr Varadkar told the Irish parliament yesterday. Mr Varadkar jibed that the option sounded like some sort of cosmetic or hygiene product. 'Certainly I haven't seen any detail to date to indicate to me that such a solution would be as functional as make-up or deodorant,' he said. Advertisement

Theresa May's Brexit 'war cabinet' met again on Tuesday without reaching agreement on which of the two options for customs arrangements on the Irish border - the 'customs partnership' and 'maximum facilitation' models - it will back.

The EU is putting pressure on Britain to present its preferred option at a meeting of the European Council in June, although Downing Street insists it will not put a timetable on the process.

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley said: 'Both of the customs options that are on the table could potentially be made to work.

'There is no doubt that a customs partnership hybrid model makes the Irish border situation easier, there is no doubt that the question of the Irish border is resolved by the customs partnership in an easier way than maximum facilitation.'

The Irish border is one of the most vexed issues facing Brexit negotiators.

Under a customs partnership an external tariff common with the EU would be imposed when goods entered the UK and they would be able to move 'seamlessly' across the island of Ireland, Ms Bradley told the EU Scrutiny Committee at Westminster.

That could assuage the worries of businesses that trade across the Irish border which are seeking frictionless trade.

Ms Bradley said she was keeping an open mind about both options.

She reiterated her position on the EU's 'backstop' option on the border which would see alignment of Northern Ireland-related matters with the EU.

She said: 'We don't want the backstop to happen. We want to solve the issue of the Irish border through the overall EU/UK relationship.

'Option B is that we resolve it through both the UK/EU relationship but with specific provisions for the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland.

'The backstop is not where anyone wants to be.'

Mrs Bradley told the European Scrutiny Committee it was important to reach a compromise so people on the island of Ireland could 'continue their lives in the way they have for many years'

What are the options on the table for a customs deal with the EU?

With time ticking away on the Brexit negotiations, the Cabinet is still at daggers drawn on the shape for future trade relations with the EU.

The government has set out two potential options for a customs system after the UK leaves the bloc.

But despite a series of tense showdowns at Theresa May's Brexit 'War Cabinet' ministers continue to be deadlocked over what to do.

Meanwhile, Brussels has dismissed both the ideas - and warned that negotiations could stall altogether unless there is progress by a key summit next month.

Despite a series of tense showdowns at Theresa May's 'War Cabinet' (pictured in February) ministers continue to be deadlocked over what to do

OPTION 1 - CUSTOMS PARTNERSHIP

Under the so-called 'hybrid model', the UK would collect EU import tariffs on behalf of Brussels.

Britain would be responsible for tracking the origin and final destination of goods coming into the country from outside the EU. The government would also have to ensure all products meet the bloc's standards.

Firms selling directly into the UK market would pay the tariff levels set by Brussels - but would then get a rebate if Britain's tariffs are lower.

Supporters of the hybrid plan in Cabinet - including Theresa May, Philip Hammond and Greg Clark - say keeping duties aligned up front would avoid the need for physical customs borders between the UK and EU.

As a result it could solve the thorny issue over creating a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Mrs May has been advised by the chief whip that the hybrid option could be the only way of securing a majority in parliament for a Brexit deal.

But Brexiteers regard the proposal as unworkable and cumbersome - and they were joined by Sajid Javid and Gavin Williamson in criticising it at a tense 'War Cabinet' meeting last week.

There are fears the experimental system will either collapse and cause chaos, or prevent the UK from being able to negotiate free trade deals around the world after Brexit.

Mrs May has instructed official to go away and revise the ideas. Eurosceptics are braced for her to bring back the plan with only 'cosmetic' changes, and try to 'peel off' Mr Javid and Mr Williamson from the core group of Brexiteers.

They are also ready for Mrs May to attempt to bypass the 'War Cabinet' altogether and put the issue before the whole Cabinet - where she has more allies.

OPTION 2 - MAXIMUM FACILITATION

The 'Max Fac' option accepts that there will be greater friction at Britain's borders with the EU.

But it would aim to minimise the issues using technology and mutual recognition.

Goods could be electronically tracked and pre-cleared by tax authorities on each side.

Shipping firms could also be given 'trusted trader' status so they can move goods freely, and only pay tariffs when they are delivered to the destination country.

Companies would also be trusted to ensure they were meeting the relevant UK and EU standards on products.

Senior ministers such as Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Liam Fox believe this is the only workable option.

But Remain minded Tories such as Mr Clark insist it will harm trade and cost jobs in the UK.

They also warn that it will require more physical infrastructure on the Irish border - potentially breaching the Good Friday Agreement. It is far from clear whether the government would be able to force anything through parliament that implied a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

The EU has dismissed the idea that 'Max Fac' could prevent checks on the Irish border as 'magical thinking'.
Meghan Markle's family have done their best to steal the spotlight off the royal bride-to-be ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry this weekend.

Never far from controversy, the extended Markle clan have hit the headlines over the past few months, using their new found fame to exploit the family name.

The future princess' family are a mix of colourful characters that include a reformed alcoholic, a bishop, and even a cannabis farmer.

Some have even started arriving in the UK ahead of the nuptials this Saturday, as they prepare to give a round of media interviews about the marriage.

Here we look at some of Prince Harry's future in laws that will soon be forever linked with the royal family:

The future princess' family are a mix of colourful characters that include a reformed alcoholic, a bishop, and even a cannabis farmer

Tracey Dooley, 52

The recovering alcoholic, who sells advertising was once married to Meghan's half brother, Thomas Markle Jr.

She was pictured arriving at Heathrow with her sons Tyler and Thomas, and are in the UK to conduct a round of interviews - even though she hasn't seen Meghan for around 20 years.

She is documenting her stay in London on a Facebook page 'Royal Wedding with the Dooley Markles' where she has uploaded a selection of pictures of famous landmarks.

The recovering alcoholic (left, and right, with her son Tyler) sells advertising and was once married to Meghan's half brother, Thomas Markle Jr

The Dooleys arriving at London's Heathrow. From left to right: Tyler, his girlfriend Sandra Bazan, Tracy, and far right Thomas

Tyler Dooley, 25

Tracey's son Tyler - Meghan's nephew - is developing a strain of cannabis called 'Markle's Sparkle' in the US state of Oregon, known for its relaxed drug laws.

He considers himself a 'pioneer' in the legal production of the drug in California.

He claims to have last spoken to Meghan three years ago - and remembers her babysitting them when they were younger.

Tracey's son Tyler is developing a strain of cannabis called 'Markle's Sparkle' in the US state of Oregon, known for its relaxed drug laws

Tyler with his girlfriend Sandra (left) and with his mother Tracy, right

Thomas Markle Jr, 50

Mr Markle Jr - Meghan's estranged half brother - works as a jobbing glass fitter in Grants Pass, Oregon. His girlfriend Darlene Blount, 37, spent two nights in jail recently.

She allegedly assaulted her boyfriend on New Year's Day, and a year earlier he allegedly held a gun to her head. Both charges were dropped.

Thomas Markle Jr (pictured) works as a jobbing glass fitter in Grants Pass, Oregon

Mr Markle Jr (after he was arrested in January, left) wrote a letter to Prince Harry describing Meghan as a 'jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage'

He wrote a letter to Prince Harry describing Meghan as a 'jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage.'

Thomas Jnr then grew up in the same household as his father, sister Samantha, step-mother Doria and half sister Meghan.

Roslyn Markle, 72

Meghan's stepmother was once married to Meghan's father. She is the mother of Meghan's two half siblings, Thomas Markle Jr and Samantha Grant.

Roslyn (nee Loveless) and Thomas Snr were both living in Chicago, Illinois, when they met and married - but split when their son was 10 in 1976.

Meghan's stepmother, Roslyn (above), was once married to Meghan's father. She is the mother of Meghan's two half siblings, Thomas Markle Jr and Samantha Grant

After the divorce, Roslyn moved with her two children to Albuquerque, New Mexico, while Thomas Sr relocated to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a career in TV and film.

Roslyn - who does not speak to Samantha - also had another child, with son Bobby Lucero now 35.

Thomas Markle, 73

Meghan's father was a workaholic who already had two children from his first marriage to Rosyln Loveless when he met Doria, Meghan's mother.

He worked in showbusiness, winning awards for lighting direction, and won 560,000 on the lottery which allowed Meghan to be privately educated.

But he split with his wife and left LA for Mexico after declaring himself bankrupt with credit card debts of 24,180.

He now lives as a recluse in Rosarito in Mexico.

Meghan is pictured with her retired father Thomas Markle, 73, in her younger years

Mr Markle worked in showbusiness, winning awards for lighting direction

Samantha Markle, 53

Meghan's half sister admits she hasn't spoken to Meghan in almost a decade, but plans to release a book called The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister.

She has launched a number of verbal attacks at Meghan, and hit out when it she wasn't invited. She hasn't seen her half sister for ten years.

Samantha, a writer and counsellor who is based in Florida and sometimes uses the surname Grant, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008.

Samantha, a writer and counsellor who is based in Florida, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008

Meghan's half sister (left, and with Meghan in 2008, right) admits she hasn't spoken to the bride-to-be in almost a decade, but plans to release a book called The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister

Meghan's teenage niece Noel Rasmussen, 19, is estranged from her mother Samantha

Noel Rasmussen, 19

Meghan's teenage niece is estranged from her mother Samantha.

She lives with her grandmother Roslyn Markle, Thomas's first wife in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

She has defended Meghan from attacks by her own mother, saying she has spent 'years' telling her how much she hates the future princess.

'She wanted to be nice, to say how much she loves her sister - but after years of telling me and the rest of the family how much she hates Meghan and what a horrible woman Meghan is, which isn't true.'

Michael Markle, 78

Meghan's uncle, retired diplomat Michael Markle, worked for the US Air Force and lives in Palm Bay, Florida.

He is Thomas Markle's brother.

During his distinguished 19-year career, he worked in Ottawa, Bucharest, Berlin and Guam, and used his connections to help Meghan get a job at the US embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2001.

He told The Mail on Sunday how he helped her get the position when she was just 20.

Meghan's uncle, retired diplomat Michael Markle (above), worked for the US Air Force and lives in Palm Bay, Florida. He is Thomas Markle's brother

Frederick Markle, 75

Thomas Markle's other brother Fred, is a bishop.

The 75-year-old is the leader at the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church in the US, in Florida, where he goes under the name Bishop Dismas.

He is said to be a recluse and is rarely seen outside of the church, which used to have a congregation of around 40, but is now only attended by the Bishop himself.

He is said to be a recluse and is rarely seen outside of the church, which used to have a congregation of around 40, but is now only attended by the Bishop himself
A female television presenter has been suspended from Kuwaiti state TV after joking with her male colleague about his appearance.

The unnamed woman was hosting the live coverage of Kuwait's municipal elections last weekend.

As she was handing over to a male colleague, she joked that he should stop adjusting his headwear on camera, as he was 'already handsome'.

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Off air: The unnamed female host has been suspended by the state-run Kuwait Television after she made a joke involving a comment about her male colleague's appearance

The female host's joke broke away from the formal presenting style normally seen on Kuwait Television - which is the official television station run by the Ministry of Information.

The clip of their exchange was widely shared on social media, and drew ire among government ministers.

Kuwait MP Mohammad Al Hayef tweeted the country's Minister of Information, 'asking him to take action against the TV host,' Stepfeed reports.

The unnamed host was suspended, pending an investigation into the incident.

The issue has divided Kuwaiti Twitter users with some supporting the government's stance.

Suspended: She joked that a male colleague should stop adjusting his headwear, as he was 'already handsome', which broke off from the formal style of Kuwait state TV

Stepfeed reported that several people argued that a political news show should be formal, and not contain personal jokes between presenters.

However, others were outraged that the government seemed to go into overdrive over a harmless joke.

'Leave housing problems, leave problems of corruption, leave problems of waste of public money, leave health problems, leave problems of education, leave the concerns of citizens that have been destroyed by the loans and high prices and the greed of traders - and go to cut the livelihood of a Kuwaiti announcer who said to her colleague "you are handsome"!,' one Twitter user wrote.
Alleged sex cult leader Keith Raniere and his accused sidekick Allison Mack could be facing human trafficking charges, court documents suggest.

Mack and Raniere have both been arraigned on federal charges including two counts of sex trafficking and one count of conspiracy to commit forced labor.

But in a new filing discussing sensitive evidence from alleged victims of what prosecutors have said was Raniere's sex cult, Nxivm, there is mention of 'human smuggling, alien harboring, physical or mental abuse towards an intimate partner, stalking, sexual abuse or sex trafficking'.

Judge Nicholas Garaufis announced earlier this month that the trial in the case would begin on October 1, and Raniere entered his plea of not guilty on all charges.

Mack did not enter a plea, with negotiations between the actress and lawyers for the Eastern District of New York still ongoing.

According to ICE, human smuggling refers to the 'importation of people into a country via the deliberate evasion of immigration laws'.

It also includes harboring 'aliens already in a country illegally'.

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Allison Mack (left on May 4) appeared in front of Judge Nicholas Garaufis for a status conference in her sex trafficking case early this month. Right: Keith Raniere last year

The Smallville star, 35, was released on $5million bail after agreeing to cut all ties with the cult Nxivm

On May 4, Mack came face-to-face with Nxivm leader Keith Raniere for the first time since declaring in court papers that she was seeking a plea deal in the case

Mack arrived in federal court on May 4 for a status conference in her sex trafficking case.

The Smallville actress said little and ignored her co-defendant, Nxivm leader Raniere, in their first face-to-face encounter since she agreed to cut all ties with the cult as a condition of her $5 million bail.

Raniere on the other hand made repeated attempts to catch Mack's eye after he was seated in court, but had no luck in getting her attention.

Lawyers for Raniere suggested that the defense will argue that the sexual acts between the cult leader and his younger female accusers were consensual.

'He believes in his innocence and I'm impressed with his stamina. He has no reason to plead guilty,' said his attorney Marc Agnifilo outside the courtroom.

He then questioned why the branding of young women was a crime by stating: 'There are groups of men who brand themselves. When women choose to brand themselves they become victims?'

Agnifilio closed out his remarks by lashing out at those who are labeling Nxivm as a sex cult.

'It's a slogan, it's a label that the government is attaching to conduct to make it nefarious. Women joined of their own volition,' argued the defense attorney.

The prosecution also had news to share on May 4, revealing that more indictments would be coming in the case.

A pre-trial conference was scheduled for next month with both defendants, but Mack's lawyers announced that they plan to petition the court to allow their client to skip all further court appearances prior to the actual trial.

Mack was able to secure the $5 million bond thanks to her mother Melinda putting up her house as collateral along with a retirement account in addition to Mack's New York home in Clifton Park.

Movers were seen at that property carrying out Mack's belongings.

The allegations against Raniere and Mack were outlined in the Complaint and Affidavit in Support of Arrest Warrant that was filed back on February 14.

Special Agent Michael Lever with the FBI had been investigating Raniere and speaking with former cult members, including two women known as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2.

Lever states that Raniere came up with the idea for Nxivm's sex slave program, known as DOS, during the summer of 2015.

Leader: Mack and Raniere have both been arraigned on federal charges including two counts of sex trafficking and one count of conspiracy to commit forced labor (Raniere above in 2009)

Heavy charges: The two are facing life in prison and Raniere has been denied bail by the court

Remarks: 'He believes in his innocence and I'm impressed with his stamina. He has no reason to plead guilty,' said his attorney Marc Agnifilo (left) outside the courtroom

A woman by the name of CC-1, who was revealed to be Mack in subsequent filings, was his first 'slave,' and provided 'colateral' which guaranteed she would remain faithful to him by providing Raniere with damning material.

'CC-1's email was titled 'vow 3' and included an attached letter. The letter pledged CC-1's 'full and complete life' to 14 RANIERE,' reads the complaint.

'In the letter, CC-1 used the terms 'slave' and 'master' to refer to herself and RANIERE. Moreover, the letter identified 'collateral' to 'cement' the vow made by CC-1.

'This collateral was described as: (1) a letter regarding CC-1 'smother and father that would 'destroy their character'; (2) a contract that transferred custody of any children birthed by CC-1 to RANIERE if CC-1 broke her commitment to RANIERE; (3) a contract that transferred ownership of CC-1 's home if the commitment to RANIERE was broken; and (4) a letter addressed to social services alleging abuse to CC-1 's nephews.'

Mack is facing life in prison, and more indictments are coming according to prosecutors (Mack on Smallville above)

It is not clear if any of the claims made in those letters were true.

Soon, CC-1 was recruiting slaves of her own and filling out the pyramid that Raniere had hoped to create, selecting Jane Doe 1 as one of these women.

Jane Doe 1 stated that her first meeting with Raniere ended with the leader questioning her devotion, but soon things took a bizarre turn.

'The next night CC-1 again received a text message from RANIERE, woke Jane Doe 1 in the middle of the night and assigned her to meet RANIERE and tell him she would do anything he asked her to do. Jane Doe 1 did as she was assigned, and RANIERE led her to a house across the street,' reads the complaint.

'RANIERE directed her to remove all her clothes and made comments about her naked body. RANIERE then blindfolded Jane Doe 1, led her into a car and drove her around in a manner that made Jane Doe 1 believe RANIERE was trying to prevent her from knowing where they were going.

'RANIERE led, Jane Doe 1, still blindfolded, through some trees, into what she believed was a shack, and tied her to a table.

'Another person in the room, who Jane Doe 1 did not previously know was present, began performing oral sex on Jane Doe 1 as RANIERE circled the table making comments.

'Jane Doe 1 did not want to participate in this sexual activity, but believed it was part of her commitment to DOS and that if she broke her commitment to DOS her collateral could be released.'

Dismissal: 'It's a slogan, it's a label that the government is attaching to conduct to make it nefarious. Women joined of their own volition,' argued the defense attorney of those who label Nxivm a sex cult

Command: Mack had been serving as leader of the cult for the past month DailyMail.com previously revealed, a role she assumed after Raniere was arrested by authorities in Mexico

Jane Doe 1 said that she then began to frequently have sex with Raniere while also frequently posing nude for CC-1, who on one occasion sent 'close-up pictures of [her slaves'] vaginas' to Raniere.

This was not the only task Jane Doe 1 had to undertake, as she was also responsible for reading, reviewing and editing Raniere's writings and texts.

Allegations of Raniere's alarming and illegal sexual predilections are also outlined in a letter sent by US Attorney Richard P Donoghue to Judge Steven M Gold back in March.

'According to confidential sources, the defendant had repeated sexual encounters with multiple teenage girls in the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s,' reads the letter.

'In one instance, the defendant met a fifteen-year-old girl while he was in his 20s and had repeated sexual contact with her. In another instance, the defendant met a twelve-year-old girl whose mother worked for the defendant and began tutoring her.'

The letter goes on to say: 'Shortly thereafter, the defendant began having regular sexual intercourse with her, including at his home where he lived with multiple adult sexual partners.'

Raniere is also said to have voiced his belief that the age of consent should be lowered to when a parent believes their child is capable of performing sexual activity.

Raniere could be spared from serving any time though, with a former publicist for Nxivm telling DailyMail.com that member India Oxenberg has said she is willing to take the fall for Raniere if it will keep him out of prison.

Frank Parlato, who has been covering Nxivm extensively on Art Voice, said that the female members of the cult have devised a plan they hope will save Raniere.

First, all female members are prepared to deny that they were ever forced or coerced into performing sex acts in an attempt to discredit the allegations made by the two former members whose grand jury testimony resulted in the indictments of Mack and Raniere.

If that does not work, Oxenberg is prepared to testify that they alone were responsible for coercing members into having sex claims Parlato.

'Mack, Oxenberg and Clyne have made a pact to go to prison, saying privately they are ready to walk into prison tomorrow if Raniere could be free today,' reported Parlato.

That has likely changed in light of Mack's release.

Melee: Mack leaves the court as photographs pursue her following the appearance on May 4

Familiar scene: Mack (above after posting bail in April 24) was released on $5 million bail and headed home to California, where she is under house arrest

Parlato told DailyMail.com that Mack's arrest had been in the works ever since Raniere's extradition from Mexico to the United States back in March.

He posted video of Raniere's arrest at the time, which showed Mack in a state of disbelief as officials dragged away the self-proclaimed Svengali.

The grand jury indictment states that Mack did 'benefit ... financially and by receiving a thing of value, from participation in a venture ... knowing that means of force, threats of force, fraud and coercion, and a combination of such means, would be used to cause such persons to engage in one or more commercial sex acts.'

The first of the women to testify in front of the grand jury, Jane Doe 1, also said that Mack 'did knowingly and intentionally conspire to provide and obtain the labor and services of a person .... by means of serious harm and threats.'

'As alleged in the indictment, Allison Mack recruited women to join what was purported to be a female mentorship group that was, in fact, created and led by Keith Raniere,' United States Attorney Richard Donoghue said in a statement on May 4.

'The victims were then exploited, both sexually and for their labor, to the defendants' benefit. This Office and our law enforcement partners are committed to prosecuting predators who victimize others through sex trafficking and forced labor.'

Mack had been serving as leader of the cult for the past month DailyMail.com previously revealed, a role she assumed after Raniere was arrested by authorities in Mexico.

Both her initials and those of Raniere's were branded on the pelvic area of women who joined the organization.

The group had a large base in Albany, but a number of its most high-profile members decamped to Mexico earlier this year.

They are now in Brooklyn.
Waffle House hero James Shaw has presented the injured diners and families of victims gunned down in the mass shooting last month with nearly a quarter million dollars he raised for them.

The 29-year-old father became a national hero after he wrestled an AR-15 assault rifle from a crazed gunman who burst into the Tennessee Waffle House on April 22 and opened fire.

Immediately after the shooting, Shaw set up a GoFundMe page with the aim of raising $15,000 for the victims.

Waffle House hero James Shaw (pictured) met with injured diners and families of victims gunned down in the mass shooting last month

Shaw presented them with a check of nearly a quarter million dollars he raised for them on Wednesday

This week the total hit more than $241,000 and on Wednesday, Shaw presented a check to the families, and injured victims, at a private ceremony at Tennessee State University.

The presentation followed a ceremony to pay tribute to the four Waffle House diners who were killed in the shooting; Akilah DaSilva, DeEbony Groves, Taurean Sanderlin and Joey Perez. Four balloons were released in remembrance of those killed.

'Had you not been there, everybody in that building would have been killed,' said Renee Hampton, the aunt of 24-year-old Sharita Henderson, who was wounded in the shooting, according to the Tennessean. 'I just want to say thank you.'

Renee Hampton, aunt of 24-year-old Sharita Henderson, who was injured in the Waffle House shooting, thanked James Shaw, Jr. at the private ceremony at Tennessee State University

Shaundelle Brooks, whose son, Akilah Dasilva, was killed in the Waffle House shooting also shared a hug with Shaw

Family members release balloons in remembrance of those killed in the Waffle House shooting

'I truly wish I was welcoming you to our university under different circumstances, but please know you have all been in our thoughts and prayers since the horrific events of April 22 unfolded,' said TSU President Glenda Glover.

Shaw was grazed by a bullet and got second degree burns on his hand from where he grabbed the gun barrel and wrestled the rifle from the gunman

Shaw, the father of a four-year-old girl, initially hid in the toilet when crazed and half naked shooter Travis Reinking burst into the restaurant.

Reinking shot through the door, grazing his forearm, and the father-of-one decided it was time to fight back.

'I acted in a blink of a second. When he reloaded his clip, which felt like 30 minutes. I looked at him, and he wasn't looking at me. He just had the barrel down. It was like, 'Do it now. Go now.' I just took off,' he told the New York Times.

'I hit him with the door and the gun was kind of jammed up. I grabbed it from him and I threw it over the counter top.'

Shaw then chased the killer out of the diner while the fleeing man hurled abuse at him for intervening. 'I just wanted to live, and he was, like, astonished, that I wanted to live,' he recalled.

Shaw has since gone to see some of the shooting victims in the hospital and they all remembered him from the day.

Restaurant worker Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29, and 20-year-old customer Joe R. Perez were among the four shot dead by a gunman at a Nashville Waffle House on April 22

Deebony Groves, 21, and Akilah Dasilva, 23, were also killed when the gunman stormed in and opened fire with an assault rifle

His GoFundMe has been inundated with hundreds of messages from well wishers praising him for his bravery and kindness.

'James Shaw you are a superhero and such an inspiration, rest in peace to the victims, Amy Youngs wrote.

'James you make us all proud. Thank You for everything you have done and are doing!' Scott Lokken said.

Anne & James Hardwick added that Shaw was 'one of the good guys in the world.'

The father-of-one was also honored at the Tennessee State House on April 24 where state lawmakers praised his 'indescribable bravery'.

The resolution passed by the house read: 'No matter his motivations, Mr. Shaw is indeed a hero; his actions on that fateful morning are unfathomable to most, indescribable by even the chief of police, and very poignant to the citizens of Nashville, who are deeply grateful for his brave actions in the face of extreme adversity that saved many lives.'

Law enforcement stand outside a Waffle House where four people were killed and two were wounded on April 22

Reinking, suspected of killing four people in a late-night shooting at a Waffle House restaurant, is escorted into the Hill Detention Center in Nashville

Even President Trump finally picked up the phone to speak to Shaw, three weeks after the shooting, according to the White House.

White House spokesman Raj Shah confirmed that President Trump had spoken with Shaw on Monday, to commend his heroic actions and quick thinking.'

Shaw said he plans to use his new platform to address gun violence and mental illness issues.

Meanwhile, Reinking, who remains in jail wearing a 'suicide smock' after the judge revoke his $2 million bond, is charged with four counts of criminal homicide.

Police say he opened fire outside the restaurant with an AR-15 rifle and then stormed the restaurant, wearing only a green military jacket. Four were killed and four other people were wounded in the shooting.

Reinking escaped on foot, shedding his only item of clothing, and fled into the woods. He was finally arrested almost 36 hours later after a manhunt involving 160 law enforcement officers, and charged with four counts of criminal homicide.

He also faces four counts of attempted murder and one count of unlawful gun possession in the commission of a violent felony.
An Australian businessman believes the baby formula war wouldn't exist in Australia right now if manufacturers kept up with demand.

Dr Matthew McDougall launched the Australia China Daigou Association earlier this year to improve public awareness about the fast growing and controversial Daigou-to-Consumer trading practice and improve relations.

The aim is to connect Daigou buyers with manufacturers so they can buy directly from businesses instead of stripping from pharmacy and supermarket shelves and leaving limited supplies for frustrated parents who need but can't access it.

While the Daigou practice is used in many product markets, it's the baby formula market where its most visible due to a critical supply shortage, which has sparked outrage among Australian parents.

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The association hopes to connect Daigou buyers with manufacturers so they can buy directly them instead of stripping from store shelves

'Daigou are doing it in such a way that it's impacting on Australian consumers and there has to be a better way,' Dr McDougall told Daily Mail Australia.

'We are determined to stop the bad practices, which are harming everyone.'

It's estimated there are 80,000 daigou shoppers in Australia.

Supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths took drastic measures earlier this week to move the product behind the counter to stop raiders from stocking up.

The two-can limit per customer rule remains to ensure mothers parents can find the necessary formula for their children.

Australia China Daigou Association president Dr Matthew McDougall told Daily Mail Australia that manufacturers have a responsibility to provide to all consumers

Dr McDougall wants to dispel the biggest misconception about Daigou shoppers, whose reputations are damaged by a minority clearing store shelves and selling formula for profit online overseas.

'It's an embarrassing and frustrating assumption that is not accurate,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'Some are motivated by profit but most are doing it to send tins back home to friends and family.

'As an association, we need to create opportunities for manufacturers to work directly with the Daigou community and improve the way Daigou shoppers go about purchasing and shipping items to their buyers back in mainland China.'

Coles and Woolworths supermarkets have moved the popular A2 and Aptamil product off the shelves to behind the counter

He warned against pointing the finger at Chinese buyers and believes the problem wouldn't exist if suppliers kept up with demand.

'Australian manufacturers have a responsibility to provide to all consumers,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'Daigou fundamentally understand they can't continue to source baby formula from shelves en masse but their options are limited.'

Several small scale manufacturers have expressed interest in working with the association.

'But Daigou shoppers want the most popular brands such as A2,' Dr McDougall said.

Meanwhile, a mother who struggles to find baby formula has confronted workers in a warehouse full of dozens of boxes of the formula.

The warehouse, Sunny Gift, located in Queensland, is filled from wall-to-wall with the rare baby formula all being prepped to be shipped off to China.

Katherine and her partner Aaron recorded the moment they entered the store asking whether they were selling any baby formula.

The warehouse, Sunny Gift, located in Queensland, hoards dozens of boxes of baby formula

The workers are seen prepping the boxes of popular baby formula to ship off to China

'Do you sell baby formula from here? Because I need some,' Katherine asks the supplier Jenny Li.

Ms Li is seen shaking her head at Katherine's question.

'Oh okay, did you have an online store or something?' Katherine continued.

Both Katherine and Aaron are furious at having to shop around for baby formula for their grandchild.

'It makes me really angry because this is a necessary product,' she told Nine News.

'Our children are our future, so lets look after them, we have to feed them.

'We cant keep shipping this product if we dont have enough supplies for our kids here.'

Katherine and her partner Aaron (pictured) are furious at not being able to find formula for their grandchild

Jenny Li, the supplier of Sunny Gift, does not sell baby formula to Australians, as she is hoarding them to send to China and sell them for a higher price

Ms Li says the baby formula is very easy to find in Australia, which makes it easier for her business

Ms Li seemed indifferent when she was asked about the baby formula being hard to find in Australia.

She said it's easy to find and easy to buy here.

There may not be a solution for the shipping of baby formula to China, because as long as the shop is licensed, it is perfectly legal.
For Donna Werner, an American, travelling more than seven hours and 3,000 miles will all have been worth it if she just gets a look and a wave from Britain's newly-married royal couple on Saturday.

Werner, 66, from New Fairfield, Connecticut, has joined thousands of others who will camp out for several nights in the streets of Windsor in the hope of catching a glimpse of Prince Harry and U.S. actress Meghan Markle on their wedding day.

'I want them to come through those gates. I want them to look at me, wave and smile,' Werner said outside Windsor Castle, dressed head to toe in a mix of British and U.S. flag-themed attire, including a shirt that read 'Prince Harry, I'm still available. Last chance!'

Donna Werner came more than seven hours and 3,000 miles hoping for a look and a wave from Britain's newly-married royal couple on Saturday. Werner, 66, from New Fairfield, Connecticut, will camp out for several nights in the streets of Windsor

'That will make it all worthwhile. It really will.'

A self-proclaimed 'royal super-fan', Werner, a married, stay-at-home mom, has made the trip across the Atlantic for several royal occasions in Britain, including the weddings of Prince Andrew in 1986 and Prince William in 2011 and Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday celebration in 2016.

For her, it's all about being part of a love story.

'This is a real life fairytale. It has come true for one little girl... I'm so happy for her and I'm so happy for Harry,' said Werner, who planned to spend her first night under the stars in a sleeping bag on Wednesday.

A self-proclaimed 'royal super-fan', Werner, a married, stay-at-home mom, has made the trip across the Atlantic for the weddings of Prince Andrew in 1986 and Prince William in 2011 and Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday celebration in 2016

Of the news that Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, will not attend his daughter's wedding, the royal super-fan said, 'I really think it stinks... I just still think you have to be there for your daughter. Just suck it up'. She is seen here arranging flags and decorations near the spot she has chosen outside Windsor Castle

Armed also with hand warmer heat packets, she will camp there till Saturday to ensure she gets a good view of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's carriage procession after they have tied the knot in a ceremony at St George's Chapel in the castle.

'It is such an experience. People think it would be fun to do, but to actually buy a plane ticket and then to sleep on the streets for three to four nights,' she said.

'At my age most people are, like, 'give me a hotel'.'

In recent days, headlines around the royal wedding have been dominated by news that Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, will not attend his daughter's wedding following reports that he staged paparazzi photos and suffered a heart attack.

Werner, who has described her penchant for the royal family as 'a little obsession,' had strong words about the drama.

'I really think it stinks,' she said.

'I just still think you have to be there for your daughter. Just suck it up.'
The Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday approved Gina Haspel, Donald Trump's selection to lead the CIA.

The 10-5 tally wasn't as close as it could have been, with Republicans controlling the panel by just an 8-7 margin.

The committee's top Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner, offered a surprising thumbs-up on Tuesday after Haspel, the spy agency's acting director, put in writing her belief that the CIA should never have engaged in 'enhanced interrogation' techniques  now widely regarded as forms of torture.

The program, applied to terrorism suspects, 'is not one the CIA should have undertaken,' Haspel wrote to Warner on Monday.

The Virginia senator said in a statement Wednesday that Haspel 'will be a strong advocate for the Agencys workforce, and an independent voice who can and will stand up on behalf of our nations intelligence community.'

'Most importantly,' he added, 'I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the President if ordered to do something illegal or immoral  like a return to torture.'

CIA nominee Gina Haspel says she thinks it was a mistake to apply 'enhanced interrogation'  torture  to terror suspects

Haspel wrote Monday to Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (left) and copied Chairman Richard Burr (right), but refused to say her predecessors who green-lighted torture were wrong

Haspel would be the first woman to run the CIA. Her maneuvering with Warner came as the Trump administration worked overtime to attract support for her.

Committee chairman Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, quietly nudged Democrats to support her. Ultimately Warner and West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin did.

Manchin is facing a tough re-election challenge this year in a deep-red state, and can't afford to be painted as soft of terrorism.

'Gina Haspel is the most qualified person the President could choose to lead the CIA and the most prepared nominee in the 70 year history of the Agency,' Burr said Wednesday.

The full Senate will still have to vote to officially confirm her.

Haspel's moment in the harsh glare of politics has generated a renewed public debate about the practical value of torture, which Trump touted as a certainty during his 2016 campaign.

Haspel's letter also declares that 'valuable intelligence' has been collected in the past through enhanced interrogation techniques

Waterboarding involves restraining a suspect, placing a cloth over his face and pouring water on his head to simulate drowning

'Torture works,' the president said on at least six occasions as he ran for the White House. He specifically mocked Democrats' concerns about waterboarding, saying it was a 'minor form' of torture and that the U.S. 'should go much stronger.'

But Haspel wrote Monday that she has 'learned the hard lessons since 9/11.'

'With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior Agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken.'

Haspel's letter came after Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona urged colleagues to reject the nominee over her past role in the CIA's 'enhanced interrogations.'

While she said she now disagrees with the operations, she declined to take issue with her predecessors' decisions  and said the torture sometimes produced useful information.

'I won't condemn those that made these hard calls, and I have noted the valuable intelligence collected,' she said, while conceding that 'the program ultimately did damage to our officers and our standing in the world.'

U.S. Capitol Police officers removed a protester from the Senate Intelligence Committee's hearing room last week as she shouted at Haspel

The question of what to do about the CIA's history of torturing suspected terrorists hung over Haspel's hearing

Haspel also admitted that the CIA should have kept Congress better informed of its methods all along.

'[I]t was a mistake not to brief the entire Committee at the beginning,' she wrote. 'Both the Committee and the Agency shared the goal of obtaining the critical intelligence needed to thwart another attack.'

'CIA needs to have consensus from members of the oversight committees who make decisions on behalf of the American people as their elected representatives on activities that can't be made public.'

U.S. Army military policemen are shown in 2005 patting down suspected terrorists at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, Iraq  a place where people in military custody were often tortured

When Haspel's nomination reaches the floor of the Senate for a full vote, she will likely prevail although the margin will be narrow.

Republicans John McCain and Rand Paul have announced their opposition to her. But McCain, who is battling brain cancer, is not expected to come to Washington to cast his ballot.

Three Democrats have acceded to the White House, however.

In addition to Warner, Joe Donnelly of Indiana said Saturday that he made his decision after 'a tough, frank and extensive discussion' with Haspel. Manchin had earlier thrown his lot in with her.

Republicans hold a 51-49 Senate majority, making for a 52-47 vote with McCain recovering from surgery.
Julie Bishop has said she would still go to Bali if she had a trip planned despite three terror attacks in Indonesia in the last four days.

The country was on Wednesday rocked by another attack as four militants armed with a suicide vest and samurai swords killed a policeman and injured several others following two suicide bombings.

Ms Bishop, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, urged Australians travelling to Indonesia to be cautious and check the latest alerts on the Smart Traveller website.

Julie Bishop (pictured on Friday) has said she would still go to Bali if she had a trip planned despite three terror attacks in Indonesia in the last four days

She said: 'We encourage people to take responsibility for their own safety. There is a lot of advice set out in the Smart Traveller travel warning and I do urge anyone seeking to travel to Indonesia to read it.

'People should take care not to be in places where there might be terrorist attacks, to read the advice, to take notice of what local authorities say and to register (with DFAT via Smartraveller) so the Australian missions overseas know they're in country.'

This volume of ISIS-inspired attacks in such a short time period has never been seen before, an expert said on Wednesday.

'This is unprecedented in Indonesia, and I don't know of any other terrorist attacks in the world involving entire families blowing themselves up,' said Australian National University Associate Professor and terrorism expert, Greg Fealy.

The bodies of two attackers who were shot and killed are seen at the entrance of a police station in Pekanbaru, Indonesia on Wednesday (pictured)

Police remove the bodies of attackers who were shot and killed at the entrance of the station (pictured)

In Wednesday's attack, the suspected militants slammed a minivan into a gate at Pekanbaru police station on the Indonesian island of Sumatra before attacking officers with swords.

One police officer was killed and several more were wounded before authorities shot dead three alleged terrorists.

The attack follows a string of terror attacks on police officers and several Christian Churches across Indonesia.

On Sunday, a family of six - including girls aged nine and 12 - staged suicide bombings of three churches during morning services in Surabaya, killing 18 including the bombers.

On Monday members of another family blew themselves up at a police station in the city, wounding 10.

'There were five people on two motorbikes. One of them was a little kid,' national police chief Tito Karnavian said.

'This is one family.'

An eight-year-old girl from the family survived the attack and was taken to hospital, while her mother, father and two brothers died in the blast, he said.

Indonesian policemen secure the site outside the police headquarter in Pekanbaru, Riau following attacks on May 16

Indonesian policemen examine a car used by attackers outside the police headquarter in Pekanbaru, Riau

Indonesian policemen secure the site outside the police headquarter in Pekanbaru

Indonesian policemen remove the body of an attacker at the police headquarter

The suspected militants slammed a minivan into a gate at Pekanbaru police station (pictured) on the Indonesian island of Sumatra before attacking officers with swords on Wednesday

The spate of bombings have rocked Indonesia, with the Islamic State group claiming the church attacks and raising fears about its influence in Southeast Asia as its dreams of a Middle Eastern caliphate fade.

Tourists holidaying in Bali have been told to exercise a high degree of caution following the wave of deadly terror attacks.

The Australian Government warned tourists there was a heightened risk of terror attacks during the month of Ramadan, which started on Tuesday.

On Monday, members of another family blew themselves up at a police station in the city, wounding 10

'There were five people on two motorbikes. One of them was a little kid,' national police chief Tito Karnavian said. 'This is one family.'
Melbourne's iconic yellow and green trams are up for adoption to businesses or community groups who will keep them forever.

Around 134 of the retired trams will be put up for adoption at the end of May.

Each tram will be handed over to a person who diligently fills out a questionnaire detailing what tram they would like, whether they would like seating options and agree to pay $1000.

Melbourne's iconic yellow and green trams are up for adoption to businesses or community groups who will keep them forever

The trams aren't allowed to be visited by their new owners in the yard and will instead to allocated to the new home.

If the new owner doesn't like their tram - it will be given to another lucky buyer.

All the trams up for adoption are from the 'W' and 'Z' class and were designed and built in Melbourne.

The W- class were built by the Melbourne and Metropolitian Tramways Board between 1923 and 1956. The Z- class were built between 1975 and 1983.

The trams aren't allowed to be visited by their new owners in the yard and will instead to allocated to the new home

By adopting out the dated transport it allows them to still be in the public eye.

Public transport minister Jacinta Allan said the trams have connected the community and have been a part of Australia's rich history.

'These Victorian icons will now be available to come to life once again and preserved for future generations to enjoy,' Ms Allan told the Guardian.

According to Victrack to externally restore the trams internal fittings will cost $35,000  $80,000 depending on the condition of the tram.

Expressions of interest open on 28 May and close on 6 July.
A hero police dog is fighting for life after being shot several times as it charged towards a gunman who opened fire at officers during a police siege in Germany.

The specially trained Malinois Belgian Shepherd Dog had been sent in to an empty army barracks near Dresden as cops closed in on an alleged killer, named as Robert K.

Having already wounded an elite officer, the 33-year-old former soldier then opened fire on the police dog with his Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum, hitting the animal several times in the stomach as it ran towards him.

Police later said Robert K., who was accused of stabbing his pensioner neighbour, 75, to death had turned the weapon on himself.

Pictures show a GSG 9 elite police officer carrying the injured dog away from the scene.

A hero police dog is fighting for life after being shot several times as it charged towards a gunman who opened fire at officers during a police siege in Germany. Pictures show a GSG 9 elite police officer carrying the injured dog away from the scene.

The animal is now being treated for serious injuries having been fighting for life since Monday.

Dresden police chief Horst Kretzschmar, 58, said he hoped that the hero dog 'comes through' but Saxony's Interior Minister Roland Woller said it was 'unclear' whether he would survive.

According to Bild, the drama had started after a dispute with neighbours who complained to police about the noise coming from Robert K.'s flat in Dresden-Kaditz.

He is said to have found the incident so humiliating that he decided to take revenge on his neighbour and police.

The Malinois Belgian Shepherd Dog had been sent in to an empty army barracks near Dresden as cops closed in on an alleged killer, named as Robert K. (pictured)

On Saturday, pensioner Marita M. was stabbed to death in her apartment with Robert K. apparently suspecting her of having called police.

But his suspicions proved incorrect with media reports saying she had not been the one who alerted authorities.

Police launched a hunt for his VW and eventually received a tip about where he was hiding - an abandoned military base north of Dresden.

An officer and the police dog were injured as shots were fired while negotiations with the gunman proved unsuccessful.

Eventually a robot was sent into the building and the shooter's lifeless body was discovered. Police said he was found with two backpacks containing food and ammunition.
A couple from Alabama have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts in the death of a young woman who was mauled by the defendants' five dogs last year.

Brian Graden, 43, of Section, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge of criminally negligent homicide and was sentenced to a year in jail with credit for time served, followed by two years of supervised probation.

Under the conditions of the plea agreement, Graden will have to undergo court evaluations and is not allowed to own or keep dogs while on supervised release. Additionally, he will have to cover court costs and pay restitution.

Brian Graden (left), 43, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a charge of criminally negligent homicide in a 2017 dog attack that killed an Alabama woman. His wife, Melody Graden (right), 45, pleaded guilty to to four counts of failing to vaccinate her dogs for rabies

Victim: Emily Colvin, 24, was mauled to death by the Gradens' five dogs outside her Section home in December 2017

His wife Melody Graden, 45, pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to vaccinate her dogs for rabies and was sentenced to 90 days for each counts, followed by two years of probation, according to the station WHNT.

The resolution of the case comes six months after the Gradens' five dogs attacked and mauled to death 24-year-old Emily Colvin in front of her and husband Eric's home in Section. Another woman was also injured in the December 7 incident.

One of the dogs was shot and killed by a responding law enforcement official on the day of the deadly attack. The four others were later euthanized as per a judge's order.

Jackson County Assistant District Attorney M. Brent Benson said that the pleas were approved by Emilys widower.

The Gradens offered their sympathies to the victims loved ones through their attorney on the day of their sentencing, reported Al.com.

Brian (left) was sentenced to a year in jail with credit for time served, followed by two years of supervised probation. One of his dogs, all of which have since been killed, is pictured right

MElody, pictured in an old photo with her husband, was sentenced to 90 days for each counts, followed by two years' of probation

Colvin's death prompted Alabama lawmakers to pass a bill this year that can impose felony charges carrying stiffer penalties on owners of dogs that seriously injure or killed someone, al.com reported.

Emilys Law was signed by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey in mid-March. The Gradens were not charged under the new legislation because it became law after Colvin's death.

Emily married her boyfriend, Eric Colvin, in the summer of 2015. The couple lived in Section, Alabama, and at the time of her death Emily was enrolled in Northeast Alabama Community College.

The plea deal was approved by Emily's widower, Eric Colvin (pictured together)

In March, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (center) signed Emily's Law, which imposes felony charges carrying stiffer penalties on owners of dogs that seriously injure or killed someone

A friend of Colvin's told WAAY 31 she had complained about the dogs running loose in the area before.

She was killed just days after another north Alabama woman was killed in a dog attack.

In that case, Tracy Patterson Cornelius, 46, was killed in Marshall County. The owners of the dogs in that attack have been charged with manslaughter, a felony.
Mark Zuckerberg will appear before the European Parliament to answer questions about the improper use of data of millions of Facebook users by British consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica.

The Facebook CEO is set to face European MEPs in Brussels as early as next week, when he is due to attend a tech summit in Paris organised by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Facebook has come under scrutiny over the way it handles personal data after revelations that Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed data of 87 million users.

Answering questions: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will appear before members of the European Parliament to answer questions about the improper use of users' data

'The founder and CEO of Facebook has accepted our invitation and will be in Brussels as soon as possible, hopefully already next week,' President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, said in a statement.

The European Parliament has requested Zuckerberg appear before the assembly more than once, and it appears he has finally agreed.

The 34-year-old Facebook CEO will notably meet party leaders and members of the civil liberties committee, the statement said.

Two birds, one stone: Zuckerberg is due to attend a tech summit in Paris, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, pictured yesterday with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the Elysee Palace in Paris

In April, Zuckerberg fielded questions over two days from U.S. lawmakers over how it handles private data, refusing to make any promises to support new legislation or change how the social network does business.

Zuckerberg's visit comes as he is due to meet President Macron along with more than a dozen technology chief executives during a Tech for Good summit in Paris next week.

Macron's office said today that the French President will hold 'very frank' talks with Zuckerberg on tax and data privacy during his visit.

'There will be tough discussions,' one official in Macron's office said.
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A 160ft superyacht stopped traffic in central London this morning as Tower Bridge opened for it to sail through and moor next to HMS Belfast.

The giant vessel known as Lady M II was pictured cruising passed the City of London's skyscrapers as it headed eastwards towards Tower Pier.

Lady M II sleeps 11 people in six rooms with a 12-man crew on board. It boasts an jacuzzi on deck and a luxury interior with lavish furnishings.

It can be chartered out for 134,000 ($180,000) and comes with water skis, scuba diving and snorkeling equipment for trips through tropical waters.

A 160ft superyacht called Lady M II (pictured) stopped traffic in central London this morning as Tower Bridge opened for it to sail through and moor next to HMS Belfast

Lady M II (left) was seen cruising passed the City of London's skyscrapers as it headed eastwards towards HMS Belfast (right)

Lady M II sleeps 11 people in six rooms with a 12-man crew on board. It boasts an jacuzzi on deck and a luxury interior

Measuring 164ft in length, the motor yacht was designed by Donald Starkey, built in 1994 and last given a refurbishment in 2006.

It used to be known as just Lady M, or Lady Marina, but was re-named when it was given a re-fit.

Lady M II's appearance comes just three days after Lord Alan Sugar's 13million superyahct Lady A also brought traffic to a standstill at Tower Bridge.

Lord Sugar, 71, named the boat after his wife of over 50 years Ann and was seen ending the weekend in style on the Thames on Sunday.

Lady M II, which can be chartered out for 134,000 a week, is pictured sailing past the Tower of London on Wednesday
Emily Thornberry has risked sparking fury by saying the murderous Syrian dictator Bashar Assad has clung on to power because he is more popular than the West thought.

Around 400,000 Syrians have been killed in the bloody civil war which has turned whole cities to rubble and made millions homeless.

Assad has used barrel bombs and chemical weapons to murder his own people and destroy the uprising which threatened his rule.

And he has been backed by Vladimir Putin's who has deployed Russia's massive airforce to help pummel Syrians into submission.

But in an interview Ms Thornberry suggested the despot has clung on after seven years of bloodshed because he is actually popular.

A senior Labour MP tore into Ms Thornberry over the remarks, telling MailOnline: 'Murdering, imprisoning starving and besieging your opponents is one way to achieve a certain type of popularity.'

Emily Thornberry (pictured at Labour party conference last September) has risked sparking fury by saying the murderous Syrian dictator Bashar Assad has clung on to power because he is more popular than the West thought.

It comes after Jeremy Corbyn repeatedly refused to condemn Assad for gassing his own people in a chemical weapons attack in Douma which killed dozens last month.

Ms Thornberry also refused to condemn Russia for voting down UN resolutions to try to stop the bloody conflict.

And she refused to back the decision of Baltic states Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia to become Nato members.

She told Prospect magazine: 'There is an argument that if [President Bashar al-Assad] had been as overwhelmingly unpopular as the rebels told the West at the outset then he wouldn't be there.

'I think there has been a depth and breadth of support for Assad that has been underestimated.'

Britain and its allies have made repeated attempts to try to pass UN resolutions aimed at putting an end to the war.

But their efforts have been repeatedly thwarted by Russia which has used its veto to block all the resolutions.

Yet Ms Thornberry refused to condemn Putin, saying: 'People will always block resolutions. If you look at the number of resolutions America has blocked, I mean that's the way of politics.'

And she cast doubt over her commitment to the key Western military alliance of Nato, by refusing to say if Baltic states should have been allowed to join it.

She said: 'There is a feeling in Russia that they don't like the current status quo.....Putin is taking advantage of that by his bellicose language and his behaviour.'

Bashar Assad (pictured last week) has used barrel bombs and chemical weapons to murder his own people and destroy the uprising which threatened his rule.

Her comments will fuel concerns that a Corbyn-led Government will take a far softer line with Moscow.

And it comes after Mr Corbyn faced fury form his own backbenches for fialing to point the finger at Moscow for the Salisbury poison outrage.

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were left fighting for their lives after being poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok.

But rather than condemn Russia for the attempted murder Mr Corbyn said they should be given a sample of the poison to carry out their own tests on.

A senior Labour MP tore into Ms Thornberry over the remarks, telling MailOnline: 'Murdering, imprisoning starving and besieging your opponents is one way to achieve a certain type of popularity.

'His regime's survival is based on the twin pillars of Russian and, Iranian support and the Wests timidity in tackling his chemical weapons use.

'The Labour Party was instrumental in setting up natoafter World War II to protect states from Russian aggression and the Baltic States democratically elected governments have freely chosen to join.

Buses are seen during an evacuation operation of rebel fighters and their families from rebel-held neighbourhoods in the embattled city of Aleppo, Syria on December 15, 2016. The historic city was reduced to rubble by Assad's forces

'There are many Estonian Lithuanian and Latvian social democrats in Labours sister parties who would be happy to explain why they have made that decision and have recently welcomed 500 UK troops to Estonia.'

A source close to Ms Thornberry said: 'It's a statement of fact that if you look back at 2011, many commentators and foreign diplomats were predicting that Assad would be deposed in a matter of weeks as the dictators of Tunisia and Egypt had been, and that the entire population of Damascus and the massed ranks of the Syrian Arab Army were ready to turn against him.

'Unfortunately, those predictions proved over-optimistic, particularly as the civil war developed over time into a struggle for survival against Daesh.

'But none of this detracts from our desire to see Assad brought to justice for the crimes he has committed against his people over the last seven years, including the vast majority of the civilian population who oppose his regime, and it remains our belief that there can be no future for Assad's leadership in the peaceful, stable and democratic Syria we all want to see.'
A crane that was on the construction site before the Florida International University pedestrian bridge collapsed in March was driven away from the scene shortly after the span crumbled down killing six people.

The white crane, rented from a Sweetwater firm called George's Crane, was still at the scene in the moments after the horrific 'instant bridge' crashed down onto the roadway, according to the Miami Herald.

One person in particular noticed the crane drive away from the deadly scene- a homeless man named Carl Robertson, 73.

Robertson who lives in the area where the bridge used to stand, and was the first person to call 911 using his old cell phone, says the crane operator 'drove away... and nobody stopped him.'

Scroll for 911 call

Mystery: Why did the crane's operator from George's Crane decided to drive the massive machine off the site of the bridge collapse at Florida International University that killed six people in March

The massive white crane (circled) was driven for 30 blocks and parked back at George's Crane lot shortly after the 'instant bridge' collapsed

Moments after the bridge collapsed the crane was still at the scene (pictured on right)

However, in this image the crane, which should still be on the left side of this image, has disappeared

Despite being one of the eyewitnesses to the scene that fateful day, police never took a formal account from Robertson.

He says it wasn't until later that day that he started to think about the white crane and the behavior of its operator, 'I didn't have my wits about me because they were pulling people out.'

However, as he processed the traumatic event he had witnessed, he realized something felt off about watching this large machine being driven away.

Robertson says he witnessed the bridge collapse, then, he claims minutes later, the crane's operator jumped from his cab and untied the caution tape that police had just anchored to his machine.

Then he fired up the rig and left, driving west down Tamiami.

According to a lawyer for the crane company, the driver was simply moving the machine out of the way for the first responders rushing to aid people trapped and injured.

Bryant Blevins, the attorney for George's Crane explains that the 'emergency vehicles needed access. They were getting there pretty quickly after the collapse. At that point, he had to move the crane.'

While not a lot of information is publicly available about the collapse, during the investigation into the incident by the National Transportation Safety Board, police clarify they do not believe that the crane's operator fled the scene.

Carl Roberstson, a homeless man who lives near where the bridge was being constructed and was the first to call 911 on his old cell phone, says he found it odd to see the machine being driven off the site following the collapse

Local law enforcement with the Miami-Dade Police Department say the operator stuck around long enough to offer help, but it is unclear for just how long.

At some point soon after the collapse, the operator drove the crane off the site, for about 30 blocks, to George's Crane lot in Sweetwater.

While that is where the crane stayed, the operator later returned to the scene that evening where he was interviewed by police and one of the federal agencies, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), that is also investigating, according to Blevins.

An attorney for the family of Alexa Duran, an FIU student who was killed, says he is angry a piece of equipment was removed from the site of the collapse.

'Why would he leave the scene?' asks the Duran family attorney, Alan Goldfarb. 'It doesn't make any sense. ... How could you remove equipment from an investigative scene?'

The horrific collapse killed six people and the Miami-Dade Police are investigating the deaths as homicides

Meanwhile, the Miami-Dade Police Department is investigating the deaths as homicides.

They say they have an idea of why the crane left, and that they don't believe the operator has anything to do with the collapse.

Capt. Alex Acosta tells the Herald 'He moved it right there on site, off to the side,' adding, 'He must have just got nervous.'

Acosta adds that while operator, who has not been publicly identified, first offered help, he then left the scene, dropped the crane off at George's Crane lot, and returned home.

Police later figured out who he was and called him back to the scene.

'He came back voluntarily and was interviewed,' Acosta said, adding that no action was taken against him.
A teenage girl has been charged with a string of offences after a house was extensively damaged by fire in the New South Wales rural region of New England.

Emergency services were called to Bundarra Road, Invergowrie, about 20km west of Armidale at around 8.40pm on Tuesday night, after reports a property was on fire.

The fire was quickly extinguished by Fire & Rescue NSW firefighters but the house was extensively damaged.

Police were told a 14-year-old girl allegedly assaulted two people and damaged two vehicles at the property, before she started the blaze.

A house and two cars were extensively damaged at a Bundarra Road (pictured) property in Invergowrie, around 20km west of Armidale in the NSW New England region

The girl was arrested at the scene by New England Police District officers and taken to Armidale Police Station.

She was charged with three counts of common assault, two counts of malicious damage to motor vehicle and damage property by fire.

The girl was bailed to appear at a childrens court on June 7.
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For people who live in Britain's isolated rural areas, transport connections can often feel sub-par and bureaucracy can render residents powerless do anything about it.

But one Scottish crofter, fed up of waiting for a road to be built to his remote village, decided matters into his own hands - quite literally.

After years of campaigning, 56-year-old Calum Macleod from the remote Isle of Raasay on Scotland's west coast decided to build a 1.75 mile long stretch with nothing but a rudimentary set of tools.

Calum, who worked mainly as a lighthouse keeper, crofter, and postman never actually held a driving license - was keen to reverse the depopulation of the north of Raasay and make it easier for his daughter to come home from Skye for the weekend.

56-year-old Calum Macleod decided to build the enormous road using only a set of rudimentary tools and an engineering manual

Pictured in 1982 towards the end of the project, Calum could be seen grafting away - shifting dirt away from the single tracked road

The crofter poses in celebratory fashion for the camera in front of his trusty wheelbarrow while holding an antique pickaxe

Calum Macleod's home (pictured) in the hamlet of Arnish which the crofter wanted to be better connected to the rest of the island

The ageing crofter was in his 70s when the project was finally completed - and it was only granted official status by the local authority in the mid-1980s

Calum Macleod taking a well-earned break having been working breaking up rocks to form the road's under-layer

Starting in the mid 1960s, the road took nearly a decade to fully construct, and once finished it connected the hamlet of Arnish to the rest of the island.

Using only an engineering manual, shovel, pick, and wheelbarrow Mr Macleod almost singlehandedly constructed the stunning stretch of island infrastructure.

And local residents were so impressed by his creation - they decided to name it after him.

single-track road was driven with limited assistance across a harsh and windswept landscape of bogs and boulders.

The work was completed in his spare time, with Calum continuing his various day jobs throughout the construction.

By the time Calum finished his road he was in his late 60s and, along with his wife, was one of the last two inhabitants of Arnish.

Nevertheless, the amateur-built thoroughfare was finally adopted and surfaced by the local council in 1982.

A memorial cairn to Calum and his legendary determination now stands at a picnic site above the road, which is itself sadly falling into disrepair some three decades after his death.

Over time Calums road has entered into folklore, being the subject of books, films, documentaries, and even an increasingly popular Scottish folk tune.



As a mark of their thanks, the local authorities on Raasay decided to name the road after him and install a sign with his original wheelbarrow

The enormous 1.75 single-tracked road was built singlehandedly by Calum over the course of a decade in the crofter's spare time

The stunning road winds over the top of some of the island's highest peaks and features views over to Skye in the distance

The road has become a major tourist attraction on the island after being featured in several films and television dramas
A search was underway near the U.S. Virgin Islands on Wednesday for a crew member on a cruise ship who apparently went overboard in rough seas.

Geneva-based MSC Cruises said the crew member on the MSC Seaside was reported missing round 1am while the ship was en route to Puerto Rico from St. Maarten.

The missing man was identified as 37-year-old Michael Majaba of the Philippines.

A crew member on the MSC Seaside is missing after going overboard about 10 miles off the coast of St Thomas

The Coast Guard said Majaba went overboard from the seventh deck of the Seaside while the ship was about 10 miles southeast of St. Thomas.

The ship turned around to search for the crew member with the assistance of the U.S. Coast Guard and other ships in the area.

The effort has been hampered by large swells and winds of more than 30 mph.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Seaside appeared to have continued on towards its destination.

The Coast Guard said it sent one of its ships, a smaller vessel and a helicopter to search for the man.
Chris Owen made 70 in one year by complaining about unwanted mayonnaise in burgers

Britain's biggest moaner has made thousands over the past three years by complaining over bad food and service.

Chris Owen from Buckinghamshire says he makes 1,000 a year by asserting his consumer rights.

The 39-year-old father-of-one said it all started when a 650 marble table he was having delivered was damaged three times and had a part missing on the fourth attempt.

The PR director told The Sun: 'I spent four Saturdays waiting for a table to be delivered to my house and each time it was dropped during delivery. I knew I was within my rights to complain.'

He netted 200 for the inconvenience and resolved to complain whenever he saw something that wasn't right and joked that he competes with his father to see who can chalk up the biggest reward from bad service.

Chris's complaint tips Be firm but don't lose your temper and resist being rude. It isn't necessary to know you consumer rights off by heart but it helps. Make it clear that you will raise serious issues with the Citizen's Advice Bureau. Compare them to a competitor and threaten to patronise the business in question instead. If you're not satisfied with their refund, check your rights and if necessary ask for more. Advertisement

In three years he has made 2,900, including 637 in freebies and vouchers in the first year. He doubled his earnings the next year and revealed the most lucrative wins come from unsatisfactory food and service.

His personal hatred of unwanted mayonnaise in burgers has earned him 70 over the years.

PR director Chris Owen has made a fortune from complaining. In one year he made 75 from exercising his consumer rights over unwanted mayonnaise in burgers

And one pizza chain offered him and his three friends a free meal after the eatery took 90 minutes to deliver water to his table.

'We ate for 200 in a place where it's genuinely difficult to spend more than 25,' he said.

He says a handy trick is copying in the BBC watchdog media team into emails, a tactic that secured him a 480 refund for a kitchen installation that melted his junction box.
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A Texas mansion that is famous for its three-story closet and its appearance in a Gucci Mane music video has been listed for sale for $7million after a huge price drop.

The nine-bedroom property at The Woodlands, just north of Houston, is currently owned by former beauty queen and socialite Theresa Roemer and her husband Lamar.

They first listed the mansion for sale back in 2014 for $12.9million but failed to sell and it has now hit the market again for $7million.

Roemer's expansive, custom-built closet first made headlines back in 2014 when someone broke in and stole $1million worth of her handbags and jewelry.

This Texas mansion famous for its three-story closet has been listed for sale for $7million

The expansive, custom-built closet spans 3,000 square feet and three levels, complete with its own staircase

Roemer's expansive, custom-built closet first made headlines back in 2014 when someone broke in and stole $1million worth of her handbags and jewelry. Rapper Gucci Mane filmed a music video inside the closet in 2016

Rapper Gucci Mane also filmed a music video inside the 3,000 square foot closet with its floating staircase in 2016.

Roemer, who made her fortune after opening a chain of luxury gyms, said when she first listed the property three years ago that she planned to build an even bigger wardrobe in their new home.

Meanwhile the new listing agent, Claudia Fathivand of Nan and Company Properties/Christie's International Real Estate, told the Houston Chronicle that they key to selling the property might actually be downplaying the famous closet.

'I'm going to try to rebrand it. Not everybody has the amount of clothes that (Roemer) has,' Fathivand said.

Roemer said when she first listed the property three years ago she planned to build an even bigger wardrobe in her new home

The massive closet opens up into one of the property's many bathrooms

Rapper Gucci Mane also filmed a music video inside the 3,000 square foot closet with its floating staircase in 2016

The gated nine-bedroom property is situated at The Woodlands, which is just north of Houston

'Not everybody needs a three-story closet. So the closet, to me, is a distraction.'

The agent said wealthy buyers would more likely be interested in the lavish properties other features, including the lap pool, elevator and wine room.

The expansive estate, which sits on two acres, has nine bedrooms and 11 bathrooms spread over three levels.

The home, which was built in 2005 and remodeled in 2013, also features an Egyptian Crystal chandelier and 25 foot floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

The open floor plan is one of a kind and includes some features like a huge catering kitchen

The home also features an Egyptian Crystal chandelier and 25 foot floor-to-ceiling glass walls

The property, which was last remodeled in 2013, also features a wine room complete with its own sitting area

Part of the home has a dedicated beauty salon, as well as a whopping 11 bathrooms

The outdoor entertaining areas feature a huge chessboard alongside the pool

The home also features a gym, media room, wet bar, butler's pantry and elevator

The area features an outdoor kitchen, covered veranda and lap pool

It features multiple dining and entertaining areas in the open floor plan

The Egyptian Crystal chandelier and 25 foot floor-to-ceiling glass walls welcomes you to a breathtaking residence
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To handle the arrival of Meghan's mother on Wednesday, the royals sent in their very best - Meghan's 'Girl Friday' and a Fijian-born corporal who was made William and Kate's first orderly.

Amy Pickerill, 32, stood outside Windsor Suite at Heathrow airport waiting with an immigration officer to greet Doria Ragland after she landed.

The assistant private secretary was 'hand-picked' by Prince Harry for the role of Meghan's Girl Friday, and although currently based in Harry's office, it's speculated she'' be promoted to be Meghan's private secretary after the wedding.

Meghan's personal assistant Amy Pickerill, who is believed to be holding Doria's passport, greeted the future royal's mother as a palace aide collected her baggage, including her Burberry wedding outfit

Also on scene to meet the bride-to-be's mother at the airport was a Fijian-born corporal from the Parachute Regiment. He was hired by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in January 2013.

Miss Pickerill grew up in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, with twin brother Ashley and is said to be 'supporting Meghan on engagements and with her official work as part of her role'.

As private secretary shell act as a confidante for whom no task is too big or small  from diary organising to answering letters.

Amys had plenty of practice working for the Royal Family: most recently, from September 2016, she handled media inquiries on behalf of William and Kate.

Prince Harry's aides were seen collecting her baggage, including her Burberry wedding outfit after she landed

A history graduate from the University of Nottingham, Amy also studied for a post-graduate diploma in broadcast journalism at Londons City University, which she completed in 2009.

Amys previous roles have included media relations manager and head of campaigns at the Royal Bank of Scotland.

She took up her current role on a salary upwards of 30,000, late last year, shortly after Harrys engagement was announced.

Meghan Markle's mother Doria Ragland received the royal treatment today as she flew into Heathrow's VIP Windsor suite before an emotional reunion with her daughter. Pictured: Doria leaving her California house for London on Tuesday (left) and a palace aide collected Doria's Burberry wedding outfit on Wednesday (right)

After Doria got off the plane, she was driven to the VIP Windsor Suite, where Amy Pickerill was waiting with an immigration officer

The immigration officer reportedly took one look at Meghan's mother before stamping her passport and letting her go

Doria was picked up by a Jaguar, which is part of the royal fleet, at the steps of the aircraft and taken to the private Windsor Suite

Prince Harry and Meghan will see Doria first before she meets the rest of the royal brood, including Prince William and Kate

Also a part of the team handling Doria's arrival was a Fijian-born corporal from the Parachute Regiment.

In January 2013 it was reported by the Daily Mail that he was the first orderly employed by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

His role involves chauffeuring, logistics and even organising Prince William's wardrobe.

A royal aide at the time said: 'I have to say he is a lovely guy  like all Army, a superb can-do attitude and great sense of humour.'

On the go: The 61-year-old yoga instructor and social worker got picked up at her California home as she made her way to LAX on Tuesday

Megan Markle's family members Tracey and Tyler Dooley leave their hotel in Waterloo, Central London, ahead of Megan Markle's marriage to Prince Harry, although they thought to be invited to the big day

Doria, (left, with her daughter) has been keeping a low profile ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding (the couple, pictured right)

The three children of Meghan's best friend Jessica Mulroney - twins Brian and John, seven, and daughter Ivy, four - are pictured with their mother arriving at London Heathrow Airport today
A U.S. Army Chaplain is fighting to keep his husband in the country after Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents arrested him on May 10 and threatened to deport him to Honduras, where he hasn't lived since he was seven.

Avila Rodriguez, 24, was released from ICE custody on Monday and was reunited with his husband, Tim Brown, 46, while he appeals a deportation order from a federal immigration judge.

'I've served 10 years, I've served in two deployments, been to Afghanistan twice. I've done my work,' Brown said in an interview with Newsweek. 'But more than anything, I'm just frustrated we have a system that's so broken.'

U.S. Army Chaplain Tim Brown, 46, is trying to keep his 24-year-old husband in the country after Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents arrested Sergio Avila Rodriguez on May 10 and threatened to deport him to Honduras. Avila Rodriguez was released from ICE custody on Monday and was reunited with his husband while he appeals a deportation order from a federal immigration judge

Brown, of Sanford, North Carolina, told Newsweek that an ICE agent had told him on April 18 that his husband would be safe from deportation.

'He said, 'Do you think we're going to arrest the spouse of an active-duty Army officer?'' Brown said.

Brown said Avila Rodriguez fled violence in Honduras with his uncle at age seven, and has been in the U.S. ever since.

'Sergio's quote-unquote crime...was being a 7-year-old who was brought unwillingly, of no volition of his own, to the U.S. by his uncle, and you want to take him out in shackles?' Brown said. 'It's unbelievable to me. To his mind, this is his home.'

Brown said the couple has spent thousands of dollars to keep Avila Rodriguez in the country.

'Imagine this situation where you're at the mercy of a bureaucracy that is massive and an enforcement agency that just goes in and rips families apart and your only recourse is to just sit there,' Brown said.

ICE officials said in a statement that they first encountered Avila Rodriguez during a targeted enforcement action in Raleigh, North Carolina, on April 18.

Tim Brown married his husband, Sergio Avila Rodriguez, in January 2017 (pictured above on their wedding day)

U.S. Army Chaplain Tim Brown (right) said he has spent thousands of dollars to keep his husband, Sergio Avila Rodriguez from being deported to Honduras

Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramps up deportation efforts under Trump Sergio Avila Rodriguez will likely have to travel to Texas for his appeal, which is where he was found crossing into the country illegally with his uncle in 2001 at the age of 7. Avila Rodriguez has had a standing deportation order since missing a court appearance in 2002 for that crossing. ICE officials said they are waiting for the court to make a decision before determining future actions in Avila Rodriguez's case, but in the meantime he has no legal status in the U.S., despite his marriage to Tim Brown, 46, of Sanford, North Carolina. Foreign nationals illegally present in the U.S. are generally not eligible to adjust their status through marriage without first leaving the country, ICE officials said. Under President Donald Trump, ICE has increased its efforts to arrest and deport people living here illegally. In 2017 the agency made 143,470 administrative arrests - an increase of 33,366 compared to 2016 ICE is focused on removing people who are public safety threats, such as convicted criminals and gang members, as well as people who have violated U.S. immigration laws by illegally re-entering the country after being removed. Advertisement

Agents took him into custody after he reported in on May 10 to the agency's Charlotte office. ICE officials described him as 'an immigration fugitive' with a criminal conviction.

Avila Rodriguez was convicted of driving while intoxicated in Durham County in January 2015, ICE officials said. He was also stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol near Rio Grande City, Texas in September 2001 while attempting to illegally enter the country.

The agency 'respects the service and sacrifice of those in the military and the families who support them, and is very deliberate in its review of cases associated with veterans and active-duty service members,' ICE officials said in a statement.

The agency added that 92 percent of all people arrested by ICE in Fiscal Year 2017 'either had a criminal conviction, a pending criminal charge, or were already subject to a removal order issued by a federal immigration judge.'

Brown, who launched a social media campaign after his husband's arrest, said the couple feels 'humiliated' and as if they have been 'stripped of everything.'

He used the hashtag, #operationsavesergio to garner public support and media attention for his husband's plight. After Avila Rodriguez's release Monday, Brown posted an update on Facebook, declaring the couple's 'gratitude.'

'Sergio and I have felt loved,' Brown wrote.

Sergio Avila Rodriguez was reunited with his husband on Monday. Immigration officials had detained Avila Rodriguez and planned to deport him before he was released while awaiting his appeal of a court order that would expel him from the country
Jodi Arias wants part of an appeal over her conviction for murdering her boyfriend Travis Alexander in 2008 to be held in secret.

A sizeable portion of the sentencing retrial that sent Arias to prison for life in 2015 was shrouded in secrecy, with a white-noise machine turned to keep spectators from hearing legal arguments and the public sometimes barred from the courtroom.

Now, Arias is seeking more secrecy, with her lawyers asking the Arizona Court of Appeals on Friday to bar the public from having access to the opening brief in her appeal.

Lawyers for Jodi Arias Arizona (left, undated mug shot) asked the Arizona Court of Appeals on Friday to bar the public from having access to the opening brief in her appeal against a 2013 for murdering her boyfriend Travis Alexander (pictured together, right, in undated shot)

'The contents of the opening brief may endanger some members of the public, given the continuing interest in this case by the public and the media,' they wrote.

The lawyers did not explain what the peril was and who would be affected by the public release of the brief.

Peg Green, an attorney representing Arias, did not immediately respond Tuesday to an email seeking elaboration on her bid to keep the brief private.

Mia Garcia, a spokeswoman for the Arizona attorney general's office, which is now handling the Arias case, said the agency is opposing Arias' request.

Prosecutors said Arias attacked Alexander in a jealous rage after he wanted to end their affair and planned a trip to Mexico with another woman.

Arias has acknowledged killing Alexander but claimed it was self-defense after he attacked her.

The guilt phase of Arias' trial ended in 2013 with jurors convicting her but deadlocking on punishment.

A second sentencing trial began in late 2014 and stretched into early 2015, also resulting in a jury deadlock.

Arias' highly publicized trial in 2013 and sentencing retrial in 2015 generated frenzied publicity by detailing all the kinks and fetishes the two had been involved in

That required Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens to sentence Arias to prison for life.

The case was marked by secrecy after the first trial, which turned into a media circus as salacious and violent details about Arias and Alexander were broadcast live around the world.

Friends found Alexander's body left in the shower of his Phoenix home after he had been stabbed almost 30 times and shot in the forehead.

These included Alexander's desire for Arias (seen in an undated photo in custody) to wear boy's underwear and have sex in his office

Arias' highly publicized trial detailing all the kinks and fetishes the two had been involved in.

These included Alexander's desire for Arias to wear boy's underwear and have sex in his office.

The jury also heard a graphic phone conversation between the pair in which they described the various ways they liked being pleasured.

Despite her reservations about testifying during the sentencing retrial, Arias had actively courted the spotlight since she was arrested in 2008.

She did interviews on TV's '48 Hours' and 'Inside Edition' after her arrest and was on the witness stand for several weeks during the trial in which she was found guilty of murder.

Arias told a bizarre story of masked intruders breaking into the home and killing Alexander while she cowered in fear.

She subsequently changed her story and said it was self-defense after Alexander attacked her on the day he died.

She also did a series of media interviews after she was convicted.

In the sentencing retrial, Stephens repeatedly held secret hearings and kicked members of the public out of the courtroom as the first witness called in Arias' defense took the stand.

Arias (pictured in court on April 13, 2015) initially told a bizarre story of masked intruders breaking into the home and killing Alexander while she cowered in fear before changing her story to claim self-defense

At the time, the judge didn't reveal the witness' identity, saying only that the decision to close the courtroom was difficult but necessary because the witness wouldn't otherwise testify in public.

A month later, the Arizona Court of Appeals threw out Stephens' ruling that let the unidentified witness testify in a closed courtroom.

Eventually, it was revealed that the person testifying in private was Arias.
This is the upsetting moment adults cruelly throw raw eggs on a little boy as he tries to cut his birthday cake.

In the unsettling footage, the child - aged around three - looks upset as family members violently drench him in egg yolk and hit him with his birthday cake.

The video, which was filmed in Indonesia, has been widely condemned on social media after it was published last week.

In the footage, the child - aged around three - looks upset as family members violently drench him in egg yolk and hit him with his birthday cake

In Indonesian culture, birthdays are traditionally celebrated by playing humiliating pranks on the birthday boy or girl.

This custom can involve smearing cake on their face, pushing them into dirty water as well as pouring eggs, flour and rotten food over them  sometimes to the point until they cry.

This practice is considered a form of affection in Indonesia and a way of ensuring good fortune for the youngster in the coming year.

However, the tiny child in the clip is visibly devastated by the nasty prank.

In Indonesian culture, birthdays are traditionally celebrated by playing humiliating pranks on the birthday boy or girl. Here, an adult is seen pouring a pan of egg yolk over the boy's head

The clip, which was uploaded on May 3, begins by showing a grinning little boy excitedly waiting to cut his cake as family members around him finish singing Happy Birthday.

As the child eagerly begins to slice his birthday cake, he is suddenly hit on the head with an egg by an adult.

The boy's grin turns to shock as more adults vigorously start pelting more raw eggs all over his body and face while another individual throws a whole bowl of yolk on him.

Now drenched, he hangs his head in humiliation.

The video has sparked outrage online. Many social media users have slammed the parents of the child and believe that the cruel prank will have repercussions

He then tries to slice the cake again - only for the adults to destroy it and throw pieces at the boy.

Although he shakes his head, pleading with them to stop, they continue to smear him with it.

The traumatised birthday boy continues to look down in sadness as the video cuts.

The footage  which has clocked up over one million views in a week  has sparked outrage online. Many social media users have slammed the parents of the child and believe that the cruel prank will have repercussions.

Isaac Wallner said 'Look how low he is hanging his head. They killed all of his spirit! This is disgusting.'

Meanwhile, Melanie Corbut said 'Poor boy. They should be arrested for child abuse. These people have some serious problems' - and Sandra Barbagallo commented 'I don't think this is funny at all. This kid looks very unhappy.'

Another commenter, Susan Schafer, said 'Good grielf! Like this doesn't teach a child to be mean and bully someone? Just ignorant'.

And Anthony Fuentes commented 'This is an example of how people use their culture to instil humility into their kids But the repercussions produce negative influences on children who then become adults and think that everything they've been taught is OK.'
The leader of the opposition research firm behind the infamous anti-Trump 'dirty dossier' told Congress last year that the FBI collected intelligence from inside the president's campaign before the 2016 election.

The agency was at the time run by James Comey, the now decidedly anti-Trump former official who has unleashed scathing criticism of Trump in his memoir

Glenn Simpson's testimony is among the disclosures in Wednesday's Senate Judiciary Committee release of transcripts from its investigation into the unverified collection of dirt funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

In August 2017 Simpson told committee members and staff that former British sy Christopher Steele  whom he had hired to probe Trump's potential Russia ties  told him about a meeting in Rome with an FBI agent he knew.

'Essentially what he told me was they [the FBI] had other intelligence about this matter from an internal Trump campaign source,' Simpson recalled.

Fusion GPS boss Glenn Simpson told a Senate committee in 2017 about a conversation he'd had with British ex-spy Christopher Steele

Steele, hired by Simpson's firm to compile the 'dirty dossier' of anti-Trump research, said he was in contact with the FBI in Rome  who told him they had a human intelligence source inside the Trump campaign

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Judiciary Committee's top Democrat (right) released Simpson's interview transcript in January

Despite reporting that Steele had misspoken, Simpson's lawyer confirmed to the Senate that he 'stands by his testimony'

He said the Bureau 'believed Chris's information might be credible because they had other intelligence that indicated the same thing, and one of those pieces of intelligence was a human source from inside the Trump organization.'

Simpson moments later said the mole in Trumpworld 'was a voluntary source, someone who was concerned about the same concerns we had. It was someone like us who decided to pick up the phone and report something.'

Simpson's words were first made public in January when California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein released a transcript of Simpson's interview.

Feinstein drew howls from Republicans for unsealing the record without consulting with them first.

President Trump called her 'Sneaky Dianne Feinstein' and blamed her for releasing the testimony 'in such an underhanded and possibly illegal way, totally without authorization.'

James Comey was director of the FBI during the entirety of Trump's presidential campaign, leading the Bureau during the time Simpson says it had a mole inside it

Trump has called the swirl of investigations surrounding his alleged but unproven Russia ties a 'witch hunt'

Trump said in morning tweet that Feinstein may have broken the law when she made the transcript public yesterday, bucking Republican leadership

Simpson's testimony transcript includes this section where he described his conversation with his contractor Christopher Steele about his interactions with the FBI

Simpson said Steele gave him the impression that the FBI's source in Trumpworld was 'voluntary' in nature

A flurry of reporting ensued, with partisans leaking claims to NBC News and other outlets claiming that Simpson had misspoken  that the FBI didn't have a human intelligence source inside the Trump campaign.

Two days later, Committee chairman Chuck Grassley wrote to Simpson's lawyer Joshua Levy for clarification.

Levy responded to the Iowa Republican senator: 'I am writing in response to your letter, dated January 11, 2018, in which you have asked about the August 22, 2017 testimony from our client Glenn Simpson that Christopher Steele in the fall of 2016 said he believed the FBI had another source within the Trump organization/campaign.'

'Mr. Simpson stands by his testimony.'

Most of the material released Wednesday concerns a now-infamous 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Donald Trump Jr., a British music publicist and a Russian lawyer who the future president's son believed had opposition research about Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
A Georgia GOP gubernatorial candidate's campaign ad featuring a 'Deportation Bus' was removed from YouTube Wednesday for violating its policy on hate speech, just a day after it debuted.

Michael Williams, who is currently a Georgia State Senator, says in the ad that he will fill the bus with 'illegals' and send them 'back where they came from,' if he wins the election on May 22.

'We're not just going to track them, or watch them roam around our state. We're going to put them on this bus, and send them home,' Williams says in the ad.

As he walks around to the back of the bus, slogans read 'Follow Me to Mexico' and 'Danger! Murderers, Rapists, Kidnappers, Child Molesters, and Other Criminals on Board.'

Georgia GOP gubernatorial candidate, Michael Williams (pictured) posted his campaign ad to YouTube on Tuesday, by Wednesday it was removed for violating the company's policy on hate speech

Sound familiar? In the ad that thus far remains on Facebook, Williams showcases slogans written on the back of the bus hearkening back to Trump's 2015 campaign rhetoric about the US southern border

He also says the bus isn't some 'pansy political bus tour.'

The governor-hopeful closes out the ad emphatically adding 'If you want to see this bus filled with illegals, vote Michael Williams on May 22.'

A Burger King and a Cracker Barrel in Decatur and Athens respectively are among the four stops on the tour.

He says his bus tour will be stopping in the most dangerous sanctuary cities in the state.

The mayor of Clarkston, another city Williams declares is dangerous, expressed his concern over the pre-election tour.

Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry has alerted local police over concerns that immigration vigilantes might seek residents to put on the bus.

Georgia Democratic Party Latino Caucus Chair Antonio Molina says Republicans are using anti-immigrant scare tactics.

Hate speech: The ad was taken down by YouTube within a day after it was posted to its site

Williams is also a former Georgia co-chair for the Trump campaign.

In 2015, Donald Trump infamously opened his campaign with a speech that characterized illegal immigrants coming into the United States via the southern border as criminals and rapists.

'They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people,' he said at the 2015 event.




The Maine attorney general's office has filed a civil complaint against two white men accused of violently attacking an African-American man outside a grocery store last month.

Law enforcement officials say 27-year-old Dusty Leo and 34-year-old Maurice Diggins hurled a racial slur at the victim before assaulting him outside a 7-Eleven in Biddeford in April.

The suspects allegedly broke the man's jaw and knocked him to the ground, then chased him in a truck.

Race attack: Maurice Diggins, 34 (left), and Dusty Leo, 27 (right), are facing civil action for allegedly attacking a black man after using a racial slur in Maine in April

Attorney General Janet Mills said in a statement announcing the civil action against Diggins and Leo that 'all Mainers should be shocked by this brutal race-based assault.'

According to the complaint, on April 15 the victim walked to the 7-Eleven near his home to buy a few items. As he approached the front door of the store, Leo and Diggins, whom the victim had never met before, drove up in a pick-up truck.

The two men repeatedly used a racial epithet to address the black shopper, after which Leo allegedly punched him on the side of the head, breaking his jaw.

Diggins then allegedly hit the victim on the back of the head and threw him to the ground.

The assailed man managed to get to his feet, at which point Leo and Diggins chased him in their truck until the victim lost them by running into an alley, according to the complaint.

The civil action was filed in York County Superior Court under the Maine Civil Rights Act, seeking a court order prohibiting Diggins and Leo from having any contact with the victim or his family.

Diggins (left and right) allegedly hit the victim on the back of the head and threw him to the ground, then chased him in his and Leo's truck. Both men are also facing criminal charges

Both suspects also face criminal charges of aggravated assault in this case. Diggins remains at the York County Jail while Leo was released on bail.

According to Diggins' Facebook page, the 34-year-old suspect works as a drywall finisher and lives in Biddeford with his wife of two years and their young daughter.

Online records show that Diggins got a suspended sentence and two years or probation in 2016 after being convicted of theft by deception and two count of theft by taking or transfer.

The Maine Civil Rights Act was passed in 1992 and prohibits the use of violence, the threat of violence or property damage against any person motivated by race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability. Any violation of an injunction under the act carries a sentence of up to 364 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.
An Indiana couple are accused of locking their four children in their basement for hours without food and forcing them to urinate in a bucket.

Police said Connie and Javier Campos, aged 32 and 40, had been abusing their children for several months at their home in Anderson before they were arrested last week.

The children, who are all aged under 15 years, told police the abuse started when one of them was caught taking food from the house.

Police said Connie and Javier Campos, aged 32 and 40, had been abusing their children for several months at their home in Anderson, Indiana before they were arrested last week

They said their parents would lock them in the dark basement each night with a barn padlock on the door. The windows of the basement had been boarded up.

One of the siblings has cystic fibrosis and was locked in her bedroom instead.

There was a bottle and a bucket in the basement if they needed to use the bathroom and the children said they were forced to wait for food.

The couple's eldest child, a 15-year-old boy, claims to have also been sexually assaulted by his 40-year-old father in the basement.

Investigators first started looking into Javier Campos back in 2016 when they removed the 15-year-old from the home and placed him in foster care.

The investigation was temporarily suspended when the couple moved out of the home they had been living in and went off the grid.

The children, who are all aged under 15 years, told police the abuse started when one of them was caught taking food from the house

The children's mother Connie has admitted to locking her children in the basement claims her husband came up with the idea

Police said it was difficult to locate them after Javier, who had already been previously deported, gave them a false birth date.

Authorities started investigating again in November last year when one of the children was spotted at a motel.

The children were subsequently interviewed by police and told them they had been locked in their basement.

Their sibling, who remains in foster care, told police last month that he had allegedly been forced to perform sex acts on his father in the basement.

In an interview with Fox59, the children's mother admitted to locking her children in the basement but has denied any knowledge of her husband's alleged sexual abuse.

The couple are both charged with four counts of felony neglect, while Javier also faces two charges of felony child molesting

The couple's eldest child, a 15-year-old boy, claims to have also been sexually assaulted by his 40-year-old father in the basement. Javier denies sexually abusing his son

Javier denies sexually abusing his son.

'I locked my kids in the basement. I did not do it to hurt them, but I was trying to do it because I did not want them to make a big mess when I was gone,' she told Fox59.

She claims her husband came up with the idea.

'I did not think nothing wrong with it really, but I should not have gone along with is so easy,' she said.

'I did not like the basement. I did not go down there very much.'

The couple are both charged with four counts of felony neglect, while Javier also faces two charges of felony child molesting.

They both remain in prison while their children are being cared for by a family member.
Stephen Lawrence (pictured) was murdered at a bus stop in Eltham in 1993

Duwayne Brooks, the friend of Stephen Lawrence who was with him as he was brutally murdered, has been earmarked as a potential candidate for Mayor of London after joining the Conservative Party.

In an interview with the Sun, Mr Brooks said he had joined the Tories to 'give young black men a voice' in London and across Britain.

Blasting the incumbent mayor Sadiq Khan, Mr Brooks described the Labour politician as 'the worst mayor ever' and called for his 'head to roll'.

Drawing parallels between the Windrush Scandal and the Metropolitan Police's controversial 'Gang Violence Matrix' - he argued it was 'incomprehensible' that Mr Khan should be allowed to stay when Amber Rudd was forced to leave her role as Home Secretary.

A recent report found that the Met's police database was 'racially discriminatory' and that after Scotland Yard admitted that more than 1,500 names on the list posed no threat to the public.

Mr Brooks was standing with Stephen Lawrence, 18, as they were attacked by thugs at a bus stop in Eltham in 1993.

In the resulting inquiry, it was concluded that the Met was 'institutionally racist' in its handling of the murder.

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Duwayne Brooks has been touted by leading Tory figures as a potential future Mayor of London

Duwayne Brooks (right) pictured outside City Hall in 2012 has been a long-time critic of mayor Sadiq Khan

Calling for Mr Khan to quit over the Met database scandal, Mr Brooks said: 'I don't understand nobody has called for his head to roll following the discovery of the Gang Matrix.

'It is beyond me that Amber Rudd can be forced to resign on issues that were nothing to do with her, and yet here here we have Sadiq Khan who must have had knowledge that this gang matrix document existed.

'And he hasn't apologised to London, he hasn't apologised to black Londoners.'

'This is why London needs a voice, why young black men need a voice. And Labour isn't that voice for young black men. I've seen it, I've experienced it.'

Senior Conservatives have reportedly called for Mr Brooks to be considered as a potential candidate for Mayor of London as the 2020 election looms on the horizon.

One London Conservatives source said: 'He would be a brilliant candidate to take on London's failing Mayor'.

He has previously served as a Liberal Democrat councillor in Lewisham, South-East London and stood as an independent candidate in last month's local elections.

He was awarded an OBE in 2015 for his campaigning work.

Asked if he could run for City Hall himself, Mr Brooks said he was focusing on his community work but did not rule out a bid one day.
The racist Manhattan attorney who was filmed on Wednesday berating workers at a midtown restaurant for speaking Spanish was also caught on tape last year unleashing a profanity-laced tirade at Jewish supporters of Palestine.

Aaron M. Schlossberg was caught on camera Wednesday threatening to call ICE on two friends speaking Spanish to each other in a restaurant.

He was filmed lambasting the manager of Fresh Kitchen on Madison Avenue for allowing his staff to speak Spanish in 'my country' and raged about 'paying for their welfare' in a video filmed on Tuesday.

The 42-year-old, a registered Republican who has donated to Donald Trump, owns his own commercial law firm and boasts of being fluent in Spanish in his own work biography.

It has been revealed that Schlossberg was seen in a video recorded on May 25, 2017 during a demonstration with Trump supporters who protested Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour for her views on Israel. The video was posted by journalist Isaac Saul of A Plus.

Schlossberg attended the rally in support of Milo Yiannapoulos and Pamela Geller, who were protesting a commencement speech by Sarsour.

The racist customer lambasted the manager of Fresh Kitchen on Madison Avenue for allowing his staff to speak Spanish in 'my country' and threatened to call federal immigration officials

They spoke at the May 2017 rally in Manhattan denouncing Sarsour as an anti-Semite because of her support for the campaign to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel for its policies toward the Palestinians.

Sarsour has denied that she is an anti-Semite. She says her criticisms are of Israeli behavior in the occupied territories.

Schlossberg was pictured among Trump supporters shouting 'you are not a Jew' at a rabbi who he believed to be a counter protester, according to Saul, who published a video of the incident.

After the video filmed on Tuesday went viral the man was widely named as Aaron M. Schlossberg, 42, who runs his own commercial law firm and boasts of being fluent in Spanish in his own work biography

Schlossberg is seen in the video with other Trump supporters yelling profanities at a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews who oppose the State of Israel on religious grounds and giving them the middle finger.

The lawyer's rant at the restaurant on Wednesday began after he saw a lunchtime regular speaking Spanish with a Hispanic employee, the manager told the New York Daily News.

'They were speaking Spanish because they are friends,' he said. 'He got mad, waiting in line for his food.

'He's a customer, so I had to stay professional and ask him to leave. That's what I did.'

'Your staff are speaking Spanish to customers when they should be speaking English - this is America,' he ranted at the Fresh Kitchen manager while wearing a white work shirt and black pants.

In the background other customers can be heard calling him 'ignorant' and saying 'yes, this is America'.

'I will be following up because my guess is there not documented and my next call will be to ICE,' Schlossberg says. 'I will get each of them will be kicked out of my country.

'I pay for their welfare, I pay for their ability to be here. The least they can do is speak English.'

Schlossberg also mocked a woman eating a sandwich, telling her: 'Maybe you shouldn't eat that sandwich... maybe you should take a break from the food.'

NYU legal ethics professor Stephen Gillers said lawyers like Schlossberg can be disbarred for conduct outside work, but predicted he would only receive a 'private admonition'.

'Mr. Schlossberg could be disciplined for this conduct but it will not lead to disbarment,' Gillers told Forward.

'A lawyer can be disciplined for conduct even if the conduct is unrelated to work for a client.

'Factors a disciplinary committee will consider in deciding what if any discipline is warranted include extenuating circumstances and whether Mr. Schlossberg has prior discipline.

'If he does not, I think the most serious discipline he could face would be a private admonition if he has a clean record. That means the discipline will not become public.'

Schlossberg attended the George Washington University Law School, according to his LinkedIn, which noted he studied abroad in Madrid while at college.

As well as fluent Spanish, Schlossberg claims to be able to speak French, Hebrew and Mandarin Chinese.

The Law Office of Aaron M. Schlossberg was founded in June 2012 and specializes in 'complex commercial matters', including insurance.

It is based on Madison Avenue and offers consultations in Spanish, French and Hebrew.

Its website features testimonials from clients paying tribute to Schlossberg's 'professionalism' and 'determination' on cases.

His law office gave a $500 donation to Donald Trump on April 5, 2016, according to OpenSecrets.org.

The Fresh Kitchen branch where Schlossberg began ranting at a customer who was speaking Spanish to a Hispanic employee, as he did on a regular basis

Schlossberg's LinkedIn also lists him as having attended The Haverford School in Philadelphia in 1994, before going to John Hopkins University where he graduated in 1998 with an English degree.

At John Hopkins he wrote for the student newspaper, The News Letter, his profile states.

He graduated from George Washington Law School in 2002 and clerked for New Jersey Superior Court Judge John Peterson.

In 2003, he worked as an associate attorney at The Law Offices of Michael Haskel in Mineola, New York, before moving to Ohrenstein & Brown two years later.

He then moved to Havkins Rosenfield Ritzert & Varriale and served as an associate from 2005 to 2013 before setting up his own practice a year later.

The Law Office of Aaron M. Schlossberg was founded in June 2012 and specializes in 'complex commercial matters', including insurance

His website and social media pages have now been bombarded with abuse from people who have seen the viral video.

The New York State Bar Association said on Wednesday that Schlossberg is not a member.

New York state law does not require attorneys to be members of the bar in order to practice.

The NYSBA is a 'voluntary membership bar association, and attorneys are not required to belong to NYSBA in order to practice in New York,' it said in a statement to DailyMail.com.

'NYSBA has no statutory or regulatory role relating to the certification or discipline of attorneys in New York State.'

'Complaints against attorneys are investigated by grievance committees appointed by the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court,' the NYSBA said in a statement.

Calls to the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court went unanswered as of Wednesday evening.

The front desk at Schlossberg's office building was turning away all visitors at his request on Wednesday.

The video of Schlossberg raging in Fresh Kitchen was initially posted on Facebook Edward Suazo, who said his wife was at the restaurant when the rant occurred.

'What a big man talking down to couple of women and a helpless employee,' Suazo wrote.

'I wish someone tells me I can't speak in my native language ! First of all they wasn't talking to you!'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Schlossberg for comment.
Indiana police have released shocking video of a gun-toting man who ambushed officers with an AR-15 after allegedly killing his neighbor.

Barry Freeman, 51, opened fire on multiple officers of the Evansville Police Department after they responded to a shots fired call along North Kentucky Avenue shortly after 9pm Friday night.

After ambushing officers, Freeman shot and killed neighbor, Jeffrey Kempf, 56, before he was shot and killed by a SWAT Team member of the department.

Police said they aren't sure why Freeman went on the shooting spree, but they believe it may have had something to do with a disagreement with a family member.

The shoot-out lasted for nearly an hour before Freeman was killed. Freeman, who was half-naked, fired dozens of rounds from the AR-15 and a shotgun.

Four law enforcement vehicles, four houses, and two businesses were damaged by the gunfire.

Indiana police have released shocking video of gunman, Barry Freeman, who ambushed officers with an AR-15 after allegedly killing his neighbor, Jeffrey Kempf, Friday night. The video shows officers arriving to the scene before fleeing when they realize Freeman is armed

Barry Freeman (pictured), 51, opened fire on multiple officers of the Evansville Police Department after they responded to a shots fired call along North Kentucky Avenue shortly after 9pm Friday night

After ambushing officers, Freeman (pictured) shot and killed neighbor, Jeffrey Kempf, 56, before he was shot and killed by a SWAT Team member of the department

Freeman shot dead victim Jeffrey Kempf (pictured) with a shotgun. Police said they don't believe Freeman was targeting Kempf

No officers or deputies were injured during the incident.

Surveillance video from a neighbor's house showed Freeman's assault on law enforcement.

Police body cameras also captured the event as it unfolded.

At the start of the video, a woman is heard speaking with a 911 dispatcher. She is heard telling the dispatcher: 'I'm pretty sure our neighbor shot a gun and he just took off running.'

But that initial information was incorrect, police said in a press conference on Tuesday.

After the 911 call, the video cuts to two responding officers searching for the gunman.

'What's he got in his hands?' one officer is heard asking, before realizing the gunman is carrying the weapon.

The officers then run back to their patrol car and arm themselves before pursuing Freeman on foot.

Police said the shoot-out lasted for nearly an hour before Freeman was killed. Freeman, who was half-naked, fired dozens of rounds from the AR-15 and a shotgun.

Four law enforcement vehicles (pictured, with bullet holes), four houses, and two businesses were damaged by the gunfire

When police caught up with Freeman, he was waiting for them behind a parked car with the gun raised in an 'apparent ambush attempt'.

Freeman is then seen walking over to a fence to see where the officers went.

'Freeman fires multiple times at responding officers, striking one patrol car,' police said.

He also opened fire on another patrol car, and a photo of that car shows it riddled with bullets from the AR-15.

According to police, at one point Freeman's gun malfunctioned, preventing him from firing on other patrol cars arriving to the scene.

The video then cuts to an officer's body camera footage. Multiple shots are heard as officers try to determine where the shots are coming from.

Freeman then returns to the driveway with a shotgun and shot the neighbor, Jeffrey Kempf.

Police said they don't believe Freeman meant to shoot Kempf and instead was trying to shoot police officers.

'We believe Mr. Kempf came out of his home to see what was going on and was randomly targeted,' Sgt Jason Cullum, a spokesman for the Evansville Police Department said in press conference on Tuesday.

'Freeman's movements indicate he was looking for law enforcement targets,' police said.

The gunman then armed himself with the AR-15 and tried to shoot a police officer through the fence.

The officer returned fire. Freeman was shot twice in the chest twice and he can be seen falling to the ground in the video.

Police said they aren't sure why Freeman went on the shooting spree, but they believe it had something to do with a disagreement with a family member

Cullum said authorities have no idea why he only targeted police because Freeman had only ever had a traffic citation in 2006

He then sits back up and fires his rifle several more times before he was taken into custody, police said. Freeman died a short time later.

Jeffrey Kempf's sister, Susie Martin, remembered her brother as a 'kindhearted guy who would do anything for anybody'.

Kempf was one of eight siblings. He was a mechanic who lived with his mother to help care for her, Martin told the Courier and Press.

He was well-known in the neighborhood, she said.

Neighbors told Kempf's family that after the first round of gunfire, Kempf went to his neighbor's yard to make sure everyone was okay.

'He went over to help, that's all,' Martin said.

Cullum said authorities have no idea why he only targeted police because Freeman had only ever had a traffic citation in 2006.

'This is one [case] that makes no sense at all,' Cullum said.
Anthony Bryan arriving at Parliament to give evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights

The Home Office was today accused of racism in its treatment of Windrush citizens by a grandfather who was wrongly detained as an illegal immigrant.

Anthony Bryan, who feared he would be deported to Jamaica despite living in the UK since arriving as a child in 1965, told a Parliamentary committee that his case would have been handled differently had he been white.

In stark testimony to MPs and Peers, the 60-year-old and Paulette Wilson, 61, told of the 'nightmare' of being embroiled in the scandal.

Ms Wilson, a grandmother who came from Jamaica in 1968, was also mistakenly locked up in an immigration centre and threatened with being booted out of Britain.

Both gave moving accounts of their appalling treatment at the hands of the authorities to the Joint Committee on Human Rights.

During the emotional session, Mr Bryan was questioned whether he thought his treatment would have been different if he had been from Canada, New Zealand or Australia.

In response, Bryan said: 'I hate to say it, but I don't think I'd have this problem [if] I had come from Canada instead of coming from Jamaica.' His wife added: '[It was] because of the colour of your skin.'

Mr Bryan told the Joint Committee on Human Rights, his treatment would have been different if he was white

Mr Bryan's wife Janet McKay-Williams agreed her husband's treatment was 'because of the colour of your skin'

Asked if he thought race was a 'big' factor in what happened, he said: 'In the Home Office? Yes.' He said: 'I hate to say it, but I don't think I would have had this problem..'

His wife Janet McKay-Williams, who worked tirelessly to secure his release from detention and the threat of deportation, said it was 'because of the colour of your skin'.

Mr Bryan, from north London, was held in a detention centre twice, for a total of almost five weeks in 2017. He said he was left 'broken' by his treatment.

His trouble began when he applied for a passport so he could visit his ailing mother in Jamaica. He then lost his job after receiving a letter informing him he had no right to remain in the UK.

He said he explained to immigration officials, who came to detain him at his home that he had lived in Britain for most of his life, adding: 'But to them I was lying... everything I was telling them, I had to prove that'.

Mr Bryan and Janet McKay-Williams, who worked tirelessly to secure his release from detention and the threat of deportation

His family were told by enforcement staff working for private firm Capita that once in Jamaica he would be able to speak to his children and grandchildren 'by Skype'.

Mr Bryan said he phoning his family from the detention centre to tell them: 'It looks like you're going to see me in Jamaica.'

He told the committee: 'They had tickets for me - I thought I was going, to be honest. I was resigned because I couldn't fight any more. I just gave up.

'Six weeks before, I had buried my son, and all of a sudden I was in this lock-up even though I hadn't done anything. I was upset.' He said it was 'torture' being held in a detention centre at Oxford Airport.

'You can see the planes landing and taking off,' he said. 'That was depressing because you're thinking "Is that the plane I'm going on".'

Mr Bryan was released from the immigration centre in November last year after a last-minute intervention from a lawyer.

Ms Wilson, from Wolverhampton, who gave evidence alongside her daughter, Natalie Barnes, had been looked after by her grandparents after arriving in Britain aged 10.

She received a letter from the Home Office in 2015 and was told to report each month to immigration officials. In October last year she was detained and taken to the Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre in Bedfordshire, where she spent a week before being released.

Mr Bryan's problems began when he applied for a passport to visit his sick mother in Jamaica

Ms Wilson, who had worked for 37 years, said: 'The first thing I got was a letter saying I was an illegal immigrant. They were saying I don't belong here - I've got six months to get out.'

Referring to the decision to detain her, she told the committee: 'Where could I have run to? My family is here in England. I wouldn't have run away.

'I was thinking they were going to pick me up here and put me on the plane and probably when I get there people's going to kill me. I was thinking all sorts of things in my head.'

Mr Bryan and Ms Wilson said it was difficult to get hold of documents that proved they had been in the UK since the 1960s, even though they told officials they had evidence, including National Insurance numbers, which would indicate their long-term residence.

Ms Barnes said 'documents were very hard to come by, They kept telling us to go here, there and everywhere... it was just very hard to get that evidence'.

Committee chairwoman Harriet Harman said: 'This really should not have happened. It has been very heartrending hearing what you have experienced and how frightening and shocking that must have been for you.'

Ministers have faced a furious backlash over the treatment of those who came from the Commonwealth between 1948 and 1973 to help rebuild postwar Britain.

Every Windrush migrant was given an automatic right to stay, but many never applied for passports or were formally naturalised.

Changes to immigration rules in 2014, dubbed the 'hostile environment' strategy, have meant some Windrush migrants have not been able to rent properties, work, open bank accounts, access NHS treatment or hold driving licences. Some were detained and threatened with deportation.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid admitted this week that 63 members of the Windrush generation could have been wrongfully removed or deported from the UK since 2002.

But Mr Javid, who became home secretary last month after Amber Rudd resigned over the scandal, told MPs he did not have information on how many Windrush immigrants had been detained.
An intruder has been caught on a baby cam breaking into a home and exposing himself to a woman and her son while they slept.

Police said the man broke into the home in Layton City, Utah in the early hours of Monday morning.

Footage captured on the baby cam showed the intruder walking carefully around the bedroom as the woman's eight-month-old son slept in a crib nearby.

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Police said a man broke into a home in Layton City, Utah in the early hours of Monday morning and exposed himself to a woman and her eight-month-old baby while they slept

Police said the man exposed himself while standing next to the crib and the woman's bed just a few feet away.

Authorities described him as wearing dark jeans, a multi-colored sweatshirt and unique slip on shoes.

The intruder, who was carrying an iPhone with a case showing the Apple symbol, was also wearing a wedding band at the time.

The woman and her husband, who didn't want to be identified, told Fox13 that the intruder didn't steal anything from the home.

'It terrifies me. I really don't know how to process it,' the woman said.

Footage captured on the baby cam showed the intruder walking carefully around the bedroom as the woman's eight-month-old son slept in a crib nearby

Police said the man exposed himself while standing next to the crib and the woman's bed just a few feet away

'What if he was taking pictures of me? I feel like that's taken from me. My privacy of my body should be mine alone.'

The couple said they weren't sure how the intruder got into their home because there were no signs of forced entry and all the doors were locked.

They fear the intruder knew their garage code and may be someone they know.

'That's what is worrisome to us, that it could potentially be somebody that we know, and this has been happening under our nose,' the husband said.

The husband was not in the bedroom at the time. The couple's two-year-old daughter was sleeping in another room at the time.
A Trump supporter who says he was harassed by employees at a Cheesecake Factory for wearing a MAGA hat has hit back at his critics by saying 'I love Trump, he's what America needs'.

Eugenior Joseph, 22, said employees started hounding him while he was dining with his girlfriend's family at the restaurant at the Dadeland Mall in Miami, Florida on Mother's Day.

Joseph told Fox & Friends on Wednesday: 'I love Donald Trump, he's just what the country needs. He's a true American. He really cares for the wellbeing of America.'

Eugenior Joseph, berated at Cheesecake Factory over MAGA hat: I love Donald Trump hes just what the country needs. Hes a true American. https://t.co/IpM7tQhS4n pic.twitter.com/9shQFOpEeI  Fox News (@FoxNews) May 16, 2018

Eugenior Joseph, 22 (pictured), told Fox (right) he thinks Trump is 'what America needs' after being harassed by employees at a Cheesecake Factory in Miami, Florida on Sunday for wearing a MAGA hat

He then added: 'People will say what they want about him, it's a free country. And I think Donald Trump is everything we ever need in this country.'

The confrontation started when one female employee came over to his table, and noticed him wearing a MAGA hat, Joseph told the Daily Wire.

One witness says the employee then signaled for some of her co-workers to come over, and pointed out the hat.

'Her finger was literally on top of his head, we were all looking at her like "what is happening?"' one witness told The Daily Wire.

'She was pointing at him, calling her other coworkers, telling them to look at this guy wearing a Make America Great Again hat.'

Witnesses say about a dozen employees gathered around the table, and started chanting for Joseph to be thrown out.

Cheesecake Factory released a statement apologizing for the incident and saying 'no guest should ever feel unwelcome in one of our restaurants'

'So then all the employees started standing there, saying things out loud, like, "I'm going to knock his head in so hard his hat's going to come off,"' the witness said.

The abuse continued even after Joseph went to the bathroom.

'I got up and went to the restroom, my girlfriend followed me, and as we were walking back, a group of [the employees] came out from the back and they just started clapping and yelling, and just screaming things at me,' Joseph said.

He says one of the employees even threatened to get into a fight with him.

'He got behind me and another coworker came by and they were staring at each other and he fist bumped him and then he started looking at me, balling his fists, smacking his fists, trying to scare me,' Joseph added.

His girlfriend, Izabella Victores, wrote on Facebook about how the confrontation was especially troubling for her elderly grandmother and little sister.

The incident happened when Joseph, right, was sitting down for a meal with his girlfriend's, left, family

'All of these threats and aggression were done in front of my 80-year-old grandmother and 8-year-old sister who were terrified.

'This was supposed to be a simple mother's day celebration, and instead we were threatened and harassed by an entire restaurant of employees,' she wrote.

As the family got up to leave, they say the manager followed them out and said that some of the employees had admitted to their actions and were sent home.

Police officers met them outside the restaurant and made a report, but didn't file any charges, according to multiple witnesses who spoke with the Daily Wire.

Cheesecake Factory has since released a letter of apology and has since fired two employees.

'No guest should ever feel unwelcome in one of our restaurants and we are taking this matter very seriously.

'Upon learning of this incident, we immediately apologized to the guests in person. We are conducting an investigation and will take the appropriate corrective action,' the company's statement reads.

Joseph says he is new to politics and bought the Trump hat because he thinks he's 'a really good president'.
A New Jersey board of education member is being called to resign after she allegedly tried to 'manipulate' a police officer and attempted to use 'civic privilege' to avoid a ticket.

Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad, a South Orange and Maplewood Board of Education, was pulled over on April 27 by officer Shaun Horst for 'doing 37 in a 25'.

'My name is Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad, I'm on the school board, I'm a community member of this town. I'm sorry if I was speeding,' she can be heard telling the officer.

Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad, a South Orange and Maplewood Board of Education, was pulled over on April 27 by officer Shaun Horst

'My name is Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad, I'm on the school board, I'm a community member of this town. I'm sorry if I was speeding,' she said when pulled over for 'doing 37 in a 25'

Muhammad - who can clearly be heard crying and distraught - then asks officer Horst if her daughter can exit the car so that she can walk to school, adding that she has another child that she needs to take to school as well.

She added: 'And I'm scared of cops, because you guys hurt black people.'

The woman appears to be more concerned about her child's safety and instructs her daughter to get out of the car.

She added: 'And I'm scared of cops, because you guys hurt black people'

e woman grows more upset over the course of the conversation, instructing her kids to walk to school to stay safe and get there on time

'Ma'am, do you want me to call an ambulance?' the officer asked Muhammad, who grows irate at the suggestion.

'That's an insult,' she retorts before the officer responds that she looked like she 'might be having a panic attack, or some anxiety'.

'That was a f*****g insult,' she added.

Muhammad instructs her daughter to call her sibling and call the school and inform them to what happens before respectfully asking the officer if he could call the school for her.

Muhammad is married to the great-grandson of Elijah Muhammad named Khalil Gibran Muhammad. Elijah Muhammad founder of the Nation of Islam

The officer responds no.

When handing over her license and insurance, Muhammad is unable to find her most current copy of the latter and shares that she is 'freaked out' by the encounter.

Later on, Officer Horst re-approaches the vehicle and Muhammad can be heard sobbing and also seen trying to hand the officer a card.

The officer hands a summons to the woman for speeding and failing to have a valid insurance in her possession - which calls for a mandatory court appearance.

'Now you want me to go to court? I don't wanna go to court  I have insurance, he can text you a picture of it right now,' says Lawson-Muhammad, whose husband can be heard in the background offering to send a picture of it.

The officer hands a summons to the woman for speeding and failing to have a valid insurance in her possession - which calls for a mandatory court appearance

But once the officer tells her that he can't void the summons since it's already been written, Muhammad blows her cool.

'Then I'll call Sheena, and your skinhead cop chief, too,' she added. Sheena is the president of the village.

The video of Muhammad has circulated online and in a letter written Wednesday, Chairman of the SOMA Black Parents Workshop Walter Fields condemned the behavior she exhibited and the failure of the board president to act.

'When viewing the video, it is clear that Board Member Lawson-Muhammad attempted to exercise her civic privilege during a routine traffic stop,' Fields writes in his letter.

Chairman of the SOMA Black Parents Workshop Walter Fields condemned the behavior and demanded that she resign

'Board Member Lawson-Muhammad also infers that she is afraid of police, a reference that I believe attempts to manipulate the officer given the tensions between the African-American community and law enforcement.'

He added: 'Under no circumstances is this behavior, from a public servant no less, acceptable, Ms. Lawson-Muhammad must resign her position.'

Along with his scathing condemnation of Muhammad, Field also accuses the board's president - Elizabeth Baker - of failing to act when he first informed her.

'It is our expectation that you will submit your resignation from the Board of Education for withholding such information from the Board and the public.

Fields concludes by commending the officer for his professionalism but ultimately calls on Muhammad to apologize for her actions.

'Ms. Lawson-Muhammad must issue a public apology to this officer,' he concluded.

Muhammad is married to the great-grandson of Elijah Muhammad named Khalil Gibran Muhammad.

Elijah Muhammad founder of the Nation of Islam.
An attorney who represented Donald Trump for almost 20 years says the president made a mistake in hiring former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on his legal team.

Jay Goldberg came out on MSNBC's 'The Beat with Ari Melber' on Tuesday saying he also believes that Giuliani might be in the job for his own gain and to hog the spotlight from Trump.

Goldberg, who represented Trump in his first divorce, said Giuliani showed 'the height of unpreparedness' when he went on Sean Hannity's show and revealed the details of a $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Jay Goldberg came out on MSNBC's ' The Beat with Ari Melber ' on Tuesday saying Donald Trump made a mistake in hiring former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on his legal team

'For him to go on Sean Hannity without debriefing the president seems to me to be the height of unpreparedness,' he said.

'I can't imagine a lawyer for client going on television without fully debriefing the client about what the client expects and wants.'

Goldberg went on to say that Giuliani wasn't sufficiently experienced to be leading the legal team amid special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

'I think he's a polarizing figure,' he said.

'There are those people who think he was a wonderful prosecutor but he has no record managing a defense of someone who's accused of wrongdoing. I told (Trump) that I didn't think that Giuliani was the right person for him to select.

Goldberg, who represented Trump in his first divorce, said he believes that Giuliani (above with Trump in 2016) might be in the job for his own gain and to hog the spotlight from Trump

'I thought there were much better people that he could use in terms of negotiating with Mueller.

'I thought Rudy would come into the case with an intent to take the spotlight off Trump, and in some ways seek to aggrandize himself - whether it be at the expense of Trump or not.'

When asked if Giuliani was doing a good job, Goldberg responded bluntly: 'I don't think so.'

Goldberg has also lashed out previously at other members of Trump's legal team, including Michael Cohen who facilitated the payment to Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged affair she claims to have had with Trump.

He reportedly told Trump during a phone call in April that Cohen would never offer the president full protection.
This is the disgusting moment a Canadian woman pooped in the middle of a Tim Hortons before throwing it at the restaurant's staff.

In a video, the woman was seen arguing with a restaurant employee for about 20 seconds before she decided to empty her bowels.

She then grabbed a few napkins and stood in the middle of the floor.

The woman was still arguing with the cashier as she proceeded to take off a jacket that was tied around her waist and pull down her pants.

In a video, the woman was seen arguing with a restaurant employee for about 20 seconds before she decided to empty her bowels. She then grabbed a few napkins and stood in the middle of the floor

The employee is seen standing next to her as he calls his police, but quickly moves away when the feces dropped (muzzed on the floor)

It was then that the woman leaned her buttocks against a wall in the restaurant and pooped on cue.

The employee is seen standing next to her as he calls his police, but quickly moves away when the feces dropped.

She then quickly picked up the droppings and hurled it at the employee.

It's unclear if the poop landed on him.

The woman then continues to berate the employee as she wipes her buttocks with napkins.

And apparently hurling the excrement at the worker wasn't enough because she then threw the dirty napkins at the man.

She then quickly picked up the droppings and hurled it at the employee

It's unclear if the poop landed on him. The woman then continues to berate the employee as she wipes her buttocks with napkins

Meanwhile, diners didn't seem bothered by the whole ordeal.

It's unclear what drove the woman to the revolting act.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police later confirmed that the woman had been arrested and released.

In Canada, if a person commits an indecent act in a public place with the intent to insult or offend any person, that individual could be found guilty of an indictable offence that would carry a prison term of not more than two years.

But despite that law, no charges have been brought against her. The woman will have to appear in court at a later date.

Authorities said they are reviewing the incident and will determine if the woman will be charged.

The woman has not been identified by authorities.

And apparently hurling the excrement at the worker wasn't enough because she then threw the dirty napkins (pictured in her hand) at the man
Melania Trump thanked doctors and all those who had sent well wishes and prayers to her on Wednesday after undergoing kidney surgery in hospital.

The first lady also said she was feeling 'great' and was eager to get back to the White House.

'A sincere thank you to Walter Reed Medical Unit & to all who have send good wishes & prayers! I am feeling great & look forward to getting back home to the White House soon,' she said.

Within minutes of her tweet, the president was seen boarding Marine One at the White House to make his way to be with her.

Melania Trump tweeted on Wednesday afternoon that she is feeling better and is looking forward to getting home after undergoing kidney surgery on Monday

President Trump was seen boarding Marine One on Wednesday afternoon to fly to the first lady's hospital bed

The president took shelter under an umbrella as he made his way to the helicopter on Wednesday afternoon

Trump visited his wife on Monday and Tuesday too.

Melania underwent the surgery on Monday. Her office announced it afterwards.

Her last public appearance was on May 10 when she accompanied the president to Joint Base Andrews to greet three North Korean detainees on the tarmac after they were released.

She announced her Be Best campaign against social media bullying a day earlier.

The first lady is expected to be released from hospital by the end of the week.

Melania was last seen in the early hours of Thursday morning when she accompanied Trump to greet three North Korean detainees off the plane at Joint Base Andrews

In addition to the tweet, Melania posted this message of thanks on her Instagram account
Britain used to be a nation of shopkeepers, but for how much longer? Over the past few months, a number of high-profile names have collapsed, including Maplin and Toys R Us, while other big retailers such as Mothercare, Carpetright, New Look and House of Fraser are considering closing stores to secure their future.

But not every High Street is a ghost town. Rather, many have seen the usual butcher, grocer, shoe shop and ladies outfitter replaced by a different breed of business: a beauty salon, a hairdresser or coffee shop.

Traditional businesses are being replaced by those operating in 'the experiential economy', to use industry jargon. The extent of this transformation is laid bare by recent figures from PwC, the consultancy firm.

Using data gathered from 500 British High Streets and shopping centres, it calculated that the UK's High Streets suffered 5,855 store closures in 2017, more than in any year since 2010, and witnessed 4,083 openings  a net loss of 1,700 outlets.

Not every High Street is a ghost town. Rather, many have seen the usual butcher, grocer, shoe shop and ladies outfitter replaced by a different breed of business: a beauty salon, a hairdresser or coffee shop

The data offers a 'state of retail snapshot' because it focuses on net closures/openings of businesses with five or more outlets, rather than independents.

According to the British Independent Retailers Association, some 65 per cent of High Street shops are independent, and they have fared no better as soaring business rates, online competition and a harsh winter take their toll.

The casualties included pubs, fashion retailers, shoe shops, charity shops, travel agents and banks, while coffee shops, tea rooms, beauty product retailers, ice cream and funeral parlours all opened more outlets than they were closing.

The Mail talked to some of the winners and losers about the state of the British High Street . . . and whether it has a future.

RISERS

Beauty product shops  net rise nationwide of 30 outlets in 2017

Floral Street, King Street, Covent Garden, London

Michelle Feeney, 54, made a name for herself as the chief executive of tanning brand St Tropez. Now she has moved into perfume, opening Floral Street in November last year.

The location, near Chanel, Burberry and Apple stores, comes with 'astronomical' rent and business rates, Michelle admits. But she views it as an investment. 'If you are going to make a beauty brand successful, you'd usually launch with a big advertising campaign. Instead, I've invested in a store.'

She is optimistic about the state of the High Street. 'You have to make yourself a destination. Retail is alive and well if you make it exciting.' What she offers is 'edutainment'  a place where customers can sign up for 'scent tutorials' as well as buying beauty.

Coffee Shops +25

Coaltown Espresso Bar, Ammanford, Wales

Ammanford is a small former mining town in Carmarthenshire. Scott James, 24, who founded Coaltown, a coffee roasting business, with his father Gordon in 2014 says he wanted 'to bring some jobs back to the area'. Now he is doing well enough to supply Selfridges.

In February, they opened a cafe, too, and now employ 11 people in total, including roastery staff.

Rent for the cafe, a former burger bar that had been vacant for five months, is fortunately 'quite low', he says. 'That's thanks to the fact many businesses can't survive on the High Street, so we're able to take advantage of that.'

The coffee shop also doesn't pay business rates as it's too small to qualify. (Businesses with a rateable value of 12,000 or less are exempt.)

Scott is positive about the venture's future. 'Nowadays, you have to offer people something they can't get online, something unique, something they can post on Instagram. Otherwise you don't stand a chance. The High Street isn't finished. It just needs to adapt, like it always has done.'

Ice cream shops +27

Romeo & Giulietta artisan gelateria, Stoke Newington, Hackney, London

When the sun comes out, a queue ten-deep snakes outside the door of this tiny shop. Opened last July, it has built up a loyal customer base for its ice cream, made on site by the twentysomething husband and wife team Ciprian Sumanaru, who used to be a plumber, and Iuliana, who used to work in Specsavers. The couple are Romanian but have lived in Italy and kitted out the shop (a former greengrocer's) to resemble an Italian gelateria.

'People seem to like the fact that the ice cream is homemade and say it makes them feel like they're on holiday,' says Iuliana.

The shop benefits from not having to pay any business rates yet due to its relatively small turnover, and rental is cheap thanks to its location just off the main thoroughfare. 'Businesses that ensure the very best customer experience have a future,' insists Iuliana.

Funeral parlours +12

Claridge Funeral Service, Marlborough, Wiltshire

At the age of 18, Daniel Claridge became Britain's youngest qualified funeral director and, now 27, he launched his own business last October. He expected to arrange 20 to 30 funerals in his first year but has clocked up nearly 50 so far. His parents, both former paramedics, help out in the business.

The recent boom in funeral parlours in the UK is not because of a spike in the country's death rate, he believes, but rather an increase in small independent firms. 'In the 1990s, there were a lot of big firms which bought out the smaller operators, and that led to the service becoming less personal. People are going back to independents, which has led to new businesses being set up.'

He, too, is grateful for not having to pay business rates yet.

Book shops +20

Imagined Things, Harrogate, North Yorkshire

'Yes, there are a lot of threats to bookshops  online, supermarkets, deep discounting,' say Georgia Duffy, the owner. 'But there is still something special about a bookshop and a bookseller that still cares about authors.' Her aim is 'to put readers in touch with authors,' and she invites writers to give talks at the shop, which are proving hugely popular.

The 28-year-old, a qualified radiographer who put her job at Harrogate Hospital on hold to open her shop last summer, says conditions are tough and the costs of operating on the High Street are 'weighted against us', compared with internet retailers operating out of warehouses paying lower rents and business rates.

Tea rooms +30

Mrs C's Vintage Tea Room, Hucknall, Nottinghamshire

Step inside this new tea room and you're back in the Forties. Glenn Miller is on the gramophone, teapots come with knitted warmers and the owner, Karen Clubley, 46, is dressed in a floral swing dress. She took over the venue in January to meet a demand for 'nostalgia'. 'When you walk in here, you are in your grandma's parlour. And you're greeted by people with passion. The public's so fed up with the Costas and Starbucks  there's nothing original about them.'

Located just off the main High Street, her rent is a bit lower than if she was in a more prominent location, she says. 'And our rates are non-existent because we're a small business. I think if you try to ensure customers have a great time, then they'll come back.'

Barbers +4

House of Gentleman, Elvet Bridge, Durham,

Sam Gadd, 30, set up his barber shop last year and also offers 'male beauty and waxing'.

He pays 15,000 a year in business rates and 55,000 a year in rent. The costs are 'astronomical', but he says he wanted a large site.

He charges 18.95 for a basic cut, which he admits is expensive. 'Across the road you can get a cut for 8, but we explain that you get a high-quality service here  a full consultation and a free drink. We offer a personalised experience.'

The resurgence in barber shops is, Sam says, down to 'male vanity  men do want to look better now. They're waking up to taking care about their appearance and a barber is the first port of call.'

He says that he's been profitable every month since opening, 'but it's quite tough'.

FALLERS

Fashion stores Net fall of 314 in 2017

Chi Chi Boutique, High Road, Loughton, Essex

In a good year, Chi Chi had a turnover of 250,000 to 300,000. By the end, Jo Mason, 43, says she was 'lucky if it was 70,000 to 80,000'. When she opened her shop in 2001, there were at least 20 other fashion outlets on the long High Road, she says. 'There's now just half a dozen.'

Throwaway fashion, the rise of Primark and the internet have hit her business. 'Shops become surplus to requirements  unless it's to get your nails done or have a shave.'

Her boutique closed two years ago and the site, after remaining empty for some time, recently reopened as a waxing salon.

Shoe shops -86

Marshall Shoes, High Street, Bridlington

David Marshall's grandfather opened the shop in 1895 to sell boots and shoes to the local Yorkshire farming community. Today, this part of Bridlington is in decline, says David.

The business, which has two other shops in the town, also sells shoes online, accounting for about 65 per cent of its turnover.

'We can now sell more in a month online than that store could turn over in 12 months,' he says, which is why he could no longer justify three outlets. With a 'heavy heart', he closed the original Victorian shop last month to turn it into office space and warehousing for the online business.

Charity shops -69,

The Children's Society, Cavendish Street, Keighley, Yorkshire

Many retailers grumble that charity shops, which tend to enjoy discounted business rates, have an unfair advantage. But even they have started to feel the pinch.

The Children's Society, which runs 104 shops, has suffered a dramatic decline in customers over the past few years, according to Lynne McMahon, director of retail and trading. 'The number of customers fell by about 50 per cent. We can't run a shop at a loss.'

This branch closed, after 20 years, at the end of March.

'We're not a destination shop  we're very reliant on footfall, on people walking past. Small things  like a bus stop moving or a bank closing  can make a tremendous difference.'

Parking restrictions introduced on the other side of the road had significantly affected the number of donations, she added.

Convenience stores -59

My Local, Church Street, Liverpool

Over the past decade there has been a boom in supermarkets opening convenience stores  but that appears to be over. In 2016, the 130-strong chain of My Local stores went into administration.

The prominent site of this My Local, on the corner of the Clayton Square shopping centre in the centre of Liverpool, has recently been taken over by McDonald's, even though it has three existing outlets within 300 yards.

Pubs -66

The George, Eden Grove, Holloway, North London

Peter Mara, 50, has been landlord of this Victorian pub for 27 years. He will pull his last pint on May 29 when the pub closes.

'It will be a terrible loss to the community,' he says. 'We've had weddings, christenings, funerals, birthdays, Christmases in here.'

It is not yet known what will happen to the site, owned by the Wellington Pub Company, but many pubs in this area, near Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, have been turned into flats.

'I made a profit every one of the 27 years I've been here, but turnover has been steadily going down, and the cost of everything has just gone up,' Peter says, pointing out that a case of house wine from the cash and carry has gone up recently from 25 to 32.

His lease is up for renewal next month and given that it was due to increase substantially, he concluded that 'the maths just didn't stack up'. Competition from two nearby Wetherspoons and supermarkets offering cheap beer has hit custom  and changes in behaviour.

'When I started, people would come in for a pint at lunch and then go back to work. That's no longer acceptable.'

Estate Agents -102

Hunters, Ber Street, Norwich

Hunters operates 213 estate agents nationwide. But the great majority are run by a variety of franchisees. This branch in Norwich was one of eight in the East Anglia region to close in February this year. Kudos Residential, who ran this particular franchise, went into liquidation with a loss of 21 jobs and owing 545,833 to creditors.

A spokesman for Hunters insists this was not reflective of the company's overall robust financial health: 'The closure in Norfolk was due to other factors and is not representative of trends we are seeing.'

In the past five years, however, a plethora of online estate agents have taken off, leading many traditional High Street branches to feel the pain.

Countrywide, the UK's biggest estate agency company, which owns Hamptons and Bridgfords, posted an annual loss of 212 million for 2017.

Travel Agents -326

Co-operative Travel, Mansfield, Notts

The internet and low-cost airlines have dealt a double blow to High Street travel agents, leading to significant consolidation among the big chains.

This former Co-operative Travel closed during 2017, one of a large number of Co-ops to be closed by Thomas Cook, which had been running them as a joint venture since 2011.

At its peak in 2012, Thomas Cook operated 1,237 branches across the UK. By the end of this month there will be just 601.

A company spokesman points out there is a Thomas Cook branch less than 100 yards away in Mansfield.

Lynne Jordan Dicks, who owns the Blooming Wonderful florist next to the former Co-operative Travel, says it's tough for all retailers in Mansfield. 'We used to have queues of people outside our shop on market day, but everybody buys everything online nowadays.'

Banks -201

NatWest, North Street, Wareham, Dorset

North Street in Wareham is a handsome shopping thoroughfare, with a hardware shop, Post Office, butchers and bakers. But one of its key outlets, a NatWest bank, is closing at the end of May, part of a long wave of bank closure programmes instigated by its parent company, Royal Bank of Scotland (still 71 per cent owned by the taxpayer after the financial crash of 2008).

Recently, RBS announced 300 branch closures to reduce its total to 750, in response to 'the different ways that people are banking with us', according to a spokesman, who added: 'Since 2012 transactions in the NatWest Wareham branch have reduced by 26 per cent, with now only 93 customers visiting the branch on a weekly basis.'

NatWest is by no means the only bank to be shutting branches. HSBC, which had 1,286 in 2011, now has 625.
Two Louisiana lawmakers got into a fist fight at a local bar on Tuesday evening because they disagreed on a bill.

State Representative Stuart Bishop of Lafayette and Senator Norby Chabert of Houma both made apologies for their actions on Wednesday, with Bishop telling the News Star the pair 'had a gentleman's agreement, and settled it with our hands'.

Houma reportedly punched Bishop several times in the altercation, but he claims he did not swing back. The Lafayette Rep said he was 'a little bruised, but not injured'.

Police were called to the River Room, but both politicians had left by the time authorities arrived.

Senator Norby Chabert of Houma (left) and State Representative Stuart Bishop of Lafayette (right) became involved in a fist fight

The Louisiana politicians had been at the River Room, and police were called to the scene but no arrests were made

On Wednesday, Bishop took to the House floor to issue a public apology for letting the situation get out of control.

'One of my colleagues and I from across the hall had a disagreement and it got physical,' he said.

'I feel like it was unbecoming of a gentleman or unbecoming of a member of this House.

'For that, I truly apologize if I did anything to upset y'all or make y'all look bad, because the integrity of this body is one thing that I cherish and I hold very dear.'

Chabert told the News Star he 'loved Stuart [Bishop] like a brother, and sometimes brothers fight'.

He said the pair were both 'passionate people', which caused the situation to intensify further than it should have.

'Obviously, I regret the incident,' he said.

Chabert also took to the Senate floor, saying he was disappointed in his actions, but happy to take responsibility for them.

'It's something you never want to have to live with. But when you do it, you have to own it,' he said.

'We're still friends, we're always going to be friends and we're going to continue to do our best for our constituents and this state.'

He said he and Bishop were 'both better men than that', and 'humbly apologized'.

In the House, crime scene tape was seen jokingly draped around Bishop's desk on Wednesday.
Ten children who were rescued from a squalid Northern California home were waterboarded, strangled, and shot with crossbows by their father, prosecutors said.

The children, who range in age from 4 months to 12 years, were taken into protective custody in Fairfield, north of San Francisco, this week.

Their parents Jonathan Allen, 29, and Ina Rogers, 31, were subsequently arrested and charged with neglect and torture.

Horrific details of the alleged abuse were revealed in a motion to increase bail for Rogers, who prosecutors claim did nothing to stop Allen from harming the children.

Ina Rogers, 30, and Jonathan Allen, 29, have been charged with neglect and torture after police removed 10 children from their squalid home in Fairfield, California

Prosecutors claim Rogers (in court on Wednesday) stood by and did nothing while Allen strangled, waterboarded, and shot their children with a crossbow

Rogers, who did not enter a plea on Wednesday, has been charged with nine counts of felony child abuse. Her bail has been set at $495,000

Solano County Deputy District Attorney Veronica Juarez said the children were getting 'punched, strangled, and bitten' on a 'continuous basis'.

She said they were also being shot at with 'weapons such as crossbows and bb guns' and hit with 'weapons such as sticks and bats'.

They were also subjected to 'waterboarding and having scalding water poured on them', she added.

The children, some of whom had visible scarring, told investigators that they had suffered puncture wounds, burns and bruises. They also showed injuries consistent with being shot by pellet guns.

Allen has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of torture and felony child abuse. He is currently in Solano County Jail on $5.2million bail.

Rogers, who did not enter a plea on Wednesday, has been charged with nine counts of felony child abuse. Her bail has been set at $495,000.

Prosecutors claim that Rogers assisted her husband in the abuse and 'dissuaded' their children reporting injuries that included broken arms.

The 10 children were found living in squalid conditions in their Northern California home and had allegedly been tortured by their parents for 'sadistic purposes'

Police conducted a six-week investigation and said nine of the 10 children had been tortured as far back as 2014.

'I'm horrified by the statements that were given by these children,' Sharon Henry, a prosecutor with the Solano County district attorney's office, told the LA Times.

Henry added that the children, who were home-schooled, had been tortured for 'a sadistic purpose.'

The investigation started on March 31 when the children's mother called police to report that her 12-year-old son was missing.

Police eventually found the boy asleep under a bush in a neighbor's yard and took him back to his home.

They said they found the boy's nine siblings 'huddled together on the living room floor' being forced to live in 'squalor and unsafe conditions'.

The children appeared to be 'skittish and spoke with speech impediments', according to Juarez.

Photos of inside the home show human and animal feces strewn across the floor, as well as garbage, debris and spoiled food everywhere.

The children, some of whom had visible scarring, told investigators that they had suffered puncture wounds, burns and bruises

Photos inside the home show human and animal feces strewn across the floor of a bathroom

The children, who range in age from 4 months to 12 years, were taken into protective custody after they were found living in squalor at their home in Fairfield

Photos of inside the home show a bathroom completely covered in feces and a bedroom with garbage strewn everywhere and stained bed sheets and pillows

Police said an investigation into the family revealed a 'long and continuous history of severe physical and emotional abuse of the children'.

Both parents have denied they tortured or abused their children.

It remains unclear whether any California government agencies had an opportunity to intervene sooner or knew of the turmoil in the household.

Solano County court records show that Allen was charged with four felonies in 2011, including corporal injury, assault with a firearm, and criminal threats in a case involving his wife, identified by her initials I.R.

Prosecutors alleged Allen used a .22 caliber revolver in some of the crimes.

He pleaded no contest to corporal injury as part of a deal with prosecutors and was sentenced to 180 days and three years of probation.

Prosecutors dropped the other charges.

Rogers told reporters that she had one prior interaction with child welfare officials when her mother 'had mentioned something' that prompted a home visit. Officials took pictures of the children and interviewed them individually, she said.

'Nothing was founded, my kids were placed back with me,' she said.

Solano County's Child Welfare Services department officials did not immediately provide information on details about the visit or other interactions they may have had with members of the household.

Allen, who remains in Solano County jail following his arrest on Friday, told KCRA that he was not a monster and claims he has never even spanked his children.

'I didn't do what they said I did,' Allen said. 'I'm not a cruel dad. I am the most loving parent that I could possibly be.'

He insisted that his children were brainwashed into thinking they had been abused.

Allen added that he was religious and practiced Kabbalah, noting that one of the investigating officers became 'extremely angry' when he noticed he kept his 'spiritual temple clean'.

'I am like the Indiana Jones when it comes to spirituality. I dig deep,' he said.

Rogers invited photographers into her home to see how she claims it looks on a normal day

Ina Rogers held a press conference outside her home on Monday saying the 'squalor' officers saw while investigating came from her tearing her house apart as she searched for her child

His wife also denied abusing their children and said they were both 'amazing' parents.

'I strive and I pride myself on being a good parent to my children,' Rogers told KGO.

'My husband has a lot of tattoos, he looks like a scary individual, and that's why people are so quick to judge him. But absolutely not, my husband is an amazing person. I am an amazing mother.'

Rogers attempted to explain the 'squalor' officers found at their home, saying she had torn her house apart searching for her missing son.

'I was afraid that I could not find him. Once that fear sets in, you don't know what to do,' Rogers said.

Rogers, who was arrested March 31 and released after posting $10,000 bail, was booked for child neglect.
Donald Trump described criminal migrants as 'animals' Wednesday in a charged discussion about the border wall and law enforcement.

'We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in  and were stopping a lot of them  but were taking people out of the country,' Trump told California Republicans visiting the White House.

Trump added, 'You wouldnt believe how bad these people are. These arent people. These are animals. And were taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate thats never happened before.

The president's comments on migration and law enforcement came during a round table on so-called 'sanctuary cities' for immigrants and the violent MS-13 gang.

Trump has often painted members of MS-13, a gang that originated in the United States but has roots in El Salvador, as 'vicious' and 'killers.'

He was referring to the group when he unloaded on the 'animals' committing crimes in the U.S. on Wednesday, however he was immediately accused of conflating the gang with illegal immigrants in general and his comments were swiftly condemned by Democrats.

President Donald Trump again suggested to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday that the California mayor who warned illegal immigrants about an ICE raid be charged with obstruction of justice

Trump said during a round table at the White House on sanctuary cities that the Department of Justice should consider penalizing Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for her conduct

'Immigrants are human beings. Not animals, not criminals, not drug dealers, not rapists. They are human beings,' said Colorado Congressman Jared Polis.

California Governor Jerry Brown said, 'Trump is lying on immigration, lying about crime and lying about the laws of California.'

'Flying in a dozen Republican politicians to flatter him and praise his reckless policies changes nothing. We, the citizens of the fifth largest economy in the world, are not impressed,' he said.

Trump had mocked Brown during the discussion, noting that the Democrat may run for president in 2020.

He invited Brown to 'please, please run' for higher office and said, 'I think hes going to be retired, from what I understand, pretty soon.'

Brown had been a punching bag throughout the event, with attendee after attendee hitting the governor of their home state.

'I have 3.5 million constituents that Im responsible for their public safety. If you look around this room, your tiny but mighty team, this is what Governor Brown classifies as low-life politicians. Well, here we are,' said San Diego County Supervisor Kristen Gaspar.

Gaspar said that Brown 'makes San Diego a great place to commit a crime' because illegal immigrants can 'be across the border in a matter of minutes and shielded by Mexico, or you have the option of simply staying put, shielded by Governor Moonbeam.'

Trump told her that 'Mexico does nothing for us' when it comes to protecting the border.

'Mexico talks, but they do nothing for us, especially at the border,' he repeated. 'Certainly dont help us much on trade, but especially at the border, they do nothing for us.'

The president claimed during the meeting with Californians that the ICE Director and Homeland Security chief also attended that Schaaf told 1,000 illegal immigrants to 'get out of here' before the raid

The president also suggested to Attorney General Jeff Sessions during the meeting that the California mayor who warned illegal immigrants about an ICE raid be charged with obstruction of justice.

Trump said the Department of Justice should consider penalizing Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for her conduct, practically directing Sessions to hit her with criminal offenses.

'You talk about obstruction of justice, I would recommend that you look into obstruction of justice for the mayor of Oakland, California, Jeff,' the president told him.

The president claimed during the meeting that the ICE Director and Homeland Security chief also attended that Schaaf told 1,000 illegal immigrants to 'get out of here' before the raid.

'To me, that's obstruction of justice. And perhaps the Department of Justice can look into that with respect to the mayor, because it's a big deal out there, and a lot of people are very angry about what happened, Trump said. 'That was a terrible thing.'

The Department of Justice said after the raid that it would launch an investigation.

Trump said in April at a tax round table that he didn't just want a probe, he thought Schaaf should be hit with criminal charges.

'How about the mayor of Oakland, where she tells a thousand people to get going, law enforcement's coming to get you,' he said then. 'And this was all planned. And many of them scattered.'

'To me that's obstruction of justice, and something should happen there. And it hasn't and I don't know why it hasn't,' Trump said.

'You talk about obstruction of justice, I would recommend that you look into obstruction of justice for the mayor of Oakland, California, Jeff,' the president told his AG

Sessions did not comment directly on Trump's direction that he go after Schaaf during Wednesday's discussion.

When it was his turn to talk he told group, 'I want you to know that the president has made clear to all of us that we have to do better. We are going to do better in our Department.

'Were reviewing everything were doing. And were going to probably have twice as many prosecutions, add a whole bunch of judges, and do the things that we can to move this agenda forward.'

The former Alabama lawmakers said that he believes that that 2018 is the year that the immigration reforms that Republicans have been pursuing will finally pass Congress.

'Weve got a leader. He can articulate this message effectively. And if we all get behind our leader, well get something done this year thats historic,' he asserted.
A damaging internal email showed that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt encouraged his motorcade to use flashing lights and sirens to move him quickly through Washington D.C.'s heavy traffic.

Pruitt's motorcade used its sirens to move him quickly when he was running late, such as when he had dinner plans at Le Diplomate, an expensive French restaurant, according to reports.

The EPA chief was on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning to testify before a Senate subcommittee on agency's budget but he ended up facing some of his toughest questions and criticism to date, particularly from Democrats who were given free reign to repeatedly ask Pruitt about the multiple scandals surrounding his tenure at the EPA.

Protestors at a Senate hearing Wednesday morning called on EPA administrator Scott Pruitt to be fired over the multiple scandals at his agency.

EPA administrator Scott Pruitt faced multiple questions and criticisms during a Senate hearing about the scandals surrounding his time at the environmental agency.

Pruitt is facing dozens of investigations about his time in office, ranging from the cost of his security detail, thousands of dollars spent on first-class travel, the pay raises given to aides, the installation of a $43,000 soundproof phone booth in his office, and the cheap rent of a condo he received that is tied to lobbyists.

Sen. Tom Udall, a Democrat who has called on Pruitt to resign, asked him about reports he liked his motorcade to use the vehicles' flashing lights and sirens to cut through traffic.

"There are policies in place regarding the use of lights" and those were followed, Pruitt said.

But Udall asked him repeatedly if he encouraged the action.

"I don't recall that happening," Pruitt said.

Udall then disclosed an internal email from then-EPA special agent Pasquale "Nino" Perrotta indicating Pruitt wanted the sirens used.

An internal email from then-EPA special agent Pasquale "Nino" Perrotta indicating EPA administrator Scott Pruitt wanted his motorcade to use flashing lights and sirens.

The email, sent in February 2017 shortly after Pruitt was confirmed, had the subject line "Lights and Sirens." It added "Btw - Administrator encourages the use." Perrotta also wrote the agency's justification for Pruitt's first-class travel. He later resigned.

Additionally, a U.S. senator blasted Pruitt for flying first-class because of security reasons, saying no one 'knows who you are.'

Pruitt's team claimed the administrator needed heavy security protection because of death threats.

But Patrick Leahy, also a Democrat, blasted the agency chief for claiming he needed first class travel for security reasons, saying it was 'silly.'

"What a silly reason you had to fly first class," Leahy said. "Nobody even knows who you are."

Udall also told Pruitt: "Your tenure at the EPA is a betrayal of the American people. You have used your office to enrich yourself at the expense of the American people."

The EPA administrator used a defense he has used in other appearances before lawmakers. He blamed staff and processes for allowing some of incidents to take place.

I would not make the same decisions again," he said.

But some of the areas of criticism are, frankly, areas of the agency where processes were not properly in place to prevent certain abuses from happen," he said, specifically referring to the phone booth installation.

He also touted all the regulations his agency has dismantled.

Pruitt also revealed under questioning that he has set up a legal defense fund.

"It's been set up," he said when a Democratic senator asked about its existence.

President Donald Trump supports his agency chief but several members of Congress do not.

Last month a group of 131 representatives and 39 senators signed a resolution calling on Pruitt to resign.

President Donald Trump supports his appointee to the EPA but Sen. Patrick Leahy blasted Scott Pruitt for traveling first class for security reasons, saying 'nobody even knows who you are.'

Pruitt was also asked about a report an aide helped Pruitt find a new place to live.

He called the aide a longtime friend" who used her 'personal time' to help him. He noted he did not pay her for this service.

Then thats a gift, thats a violation of federal law, Sen. Tom Udall said, noting that subordinates of federal officials are prohibited from providing free services.
The 21-year-old heir to a wealthy real-estate fortune in Pennsylvania plead guilty Wednesday to murdering four young men in a plea deal that allows him to escape the death penalty.

Cosmo DiNardo quickly confessed to ambushing and killing the four young men, burning bodies, crushing one with a backhoe and burying them on his family's $5million suburban Philadelphia farm shortly after the brutal slayings, so his plea was as expected.

While he is escaping the death penalty, his life-sentence gives his victims' families some closure.

'Your only way out of prison is wearing a toe tag. That's the least we all deserve,' said Mark Potash, the father of 22-year-old victim, Mark Sturgis.

Melissa Fratanduono, the mother of 21-year-old victim Tom Meo, cursed at DiNardo, saying it has 'taken everything' for her not to kill him herself.

DiNardo has a history of mental illness, including an involuntary commitment and a schizophrenia diagnosis, but his lawyer said mental health professionals weren't sure they could have presented an insanity defense.

Cosmo DiNardo, 21 (pictured) took a plea deal on Wednesday that spares him the death penalty. Instead he will spend the rest of his life in prison. His victims' families read impact statements in court

Murdered: Jimi Patrick, 19, (left) was the first to go missing and Dean Finocchiaro, 19, (right) vanished two days later along with two other young men

Murdered: Tom Meo (left) and Mark Sturgis (right) were the other two young men to go missing. They both worked for Sturgis' father's construction business and are friends

All four of the young men's remains were found buried on DiNardo's family's expansive property (pictured authorities digging massive holes during the July search at the property)

'Mental illness is real, mental illness is sad, and sometimes it can be tragic,' lawyer Fortunato Perri said.

His accused accomplice, DiNardo's cousin, 21-year-old Sean Kratz, stunned prosecutors and victims' relatives Wednesday afternoon when he rejected his own plea deal. Prosecutors say they will now seek the death penalty against him.

DiNardo, the scion of a wealthy family, dabbled in dealing marijuana and customizing sneakers and portrayed himself on social media as 'a savage.'

He showed himself holding guns and would send aggressive messages to women he found attractive. Authorities saw him as the mastermind of the killings and charged him in all four deaths. Kratz was charged in three.

Potash called DiNardo a 'perfect example of someone who started at the top and worked your way down to the gutter.'

'You think you're savage?' Potash said. 'You've lived your whole life protected. In prison, you'll meet savage. And I promise you, it won't look like you.'

Police found the men after a five-day search. Three were lit on fire and placed 12-feet deep in an oil tank converted into a pig roaster. DiNardo allegedly lured them to his family's farm under the guise of making pot deals.

DiNardo, pictured in his mugshot in July (left). His cousin, Sean Kratz (right) has turned down his plea deal and stands accused in three of the four murders. Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against Kratz

Cosmo DiNardo was smiling at the news chopper as he was led into police custody for attempting to sell one of the missing men's car after he disappeared in July of 2017

Sturgis and Meo have been friends for years and worked for Sturgis's father's construction company. They were planning to meet up on the night when they both vanished

Sturgis and Meo are both friends with Dean Finocchiaio (above with his family)

DiNardo quickly confessed, and District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said authorities might never have found 19-year-old Jimi Taro Patrick's body unless DiNardo told them where it was.

Patrick's grandparents, who raised him since birth, asked DiNardo to pray for them and for his mother, who she says is mentally ill, so that someday they might be able to forgive him.

'My heart is broken, and I will never, ever be the same,' Sharon Patrick said.

WHAT LED POLICE TO FINDING HUMAN REMAINS ON THE PENNSYLVANIA FARM July 5: Jimi Tar Patrick, 19, is seen for the last time. He appears to be the first of the men to go missing. July 7: Dean Finocchiaro, 19, Mark Sturgis, 22, and Tom Meo, 21, are all seen for the last time. July 9: All four men have been reported missing, and a search warrant is executed at a home in Solebury Township, where investigators find Meo's car. July 10: Officials search a Solebury Township farm owned by Antonio and Sandra DiNardo. Their son, 20-year-old Cosmo DiNardo is taken into custody on firearms charges that appeared to be unrelated to the missing persons case. July 11: DiNardo is released on bail. July 12: Authorities find human remains of multiple bodies on the farm. The remains of Finocchiaro are identified. DiNardo is arrested for a second time and charged with trying to sell a vehicle belonging to one of the missing men. Advertisement

DiNardo was expressionless as he pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree murder, conspiracy, robbery and abuse of a corpse.

'If there is anything I could do to take it back, I would,' said DiNardo. 'I cannot come to terms with what occurred. I'm so sorry.'

Judge Jeffrey Finley dismissed that as 'false and insincere.'

'To you, human lives are disposable,' Finley told DiNardo. 'They have no value.'

The families of the slain men are suing DiNardo's parents, Antonio and Sandra DiNardo, who own the Solebury farm property and construction and concrete companies in Bensalem, where they live.

The families say DiNardo's parents shouldn't have allowed him access to a gun, which was barred by law due to his commitment.

In his confession, DiNardo acknowledged selling handguns to local residents. Five months before the killings, police charged him with having a shotgun.

'My family received a life sentence,' Anthony Finocchiaro, the father of 19-year-old victim Dean Finocchiaro, told DiNardo. 'I pray that Dean's spirit haunts you the rest of your miserable life.'

The July 2017 search of the Solebury, Pennsylvania, farm, belonging to the family of DiNardo, was prompted after four young men went missing in a span of three days.

DiNardo was arrested within a week of the men going missing on charges of trying to sell one of the their vehicles, which was also found in Solebury.

Days after DiNardo's supposed friend, Finocchiaro went missing, an acquaintance asked DiNardo if he was worried about him in a group chat.

Police used diggers and metal detectors to search a 90-acre farm in Solebury, Pennsylvania

Police had spent days searching the farmland of DiNardo's parents' in July (pictured)

Cosmo DiNardo was briefly out on bail at his home (pictured) after he was released

DiNardo did not seem bothered or surprised that his friend was missing, according to text messages discovered byPhilly.com.

DiNardo's eerily callous response was: 'I mean I know the kid but yeah I feel bad for his parents. He's a pill-popping junky who had 2 duis  He prob just jumped parole Or probation.'

These claims seem to have been exaggerated considering Finocchiaro only has one DUI charge. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to use possession of drug paraphernalia and has a current open case for the same charge. He has another open case in Bucks County Court for charges of assault and harassment.

DiNardo also sent a photo to the group showing him holding what appears to be a revolver.

In one thread, DiNardo seemed to be confused as to why his family's home was being searched. He said: 'Because no reason for people tone [sic] at my place where we don't live.'

'I have no clue bro it's weird people keep hitting me up I have no idea what's up.'

Patrick was first to disappear, the other three vanished two days later.

When asked about how the bodies were located, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said in July: 'I don't understand the science behind it but these dogs could smell these four boys 12  feet below the ground.'

According to a friend of Meo, DiNardo sold guns and marijuana and in the past has bragged about having someone killed over a debt.

'I can tell you on multiple different occasions, on multiple different accounts, from multiple different people, including myself  Cosmo has spoken about weird things like killing people and having people killed,' Eric Beitz, 20, of Bensalem, told Philly.com at the time of the murders.

Beitz said he believed DiNardo was the last person to see his friend alive.

'Everybody you talk to about this guy, you hear he's mentally unstable.'

Four young men went missing from towns in Pennsylvania over the course of a few days in July. Police tracked one man's cell phone signal to the DiNardo property and one man's father said one of their cars had also been found there

Investigators blocked off the drive way leading to the DiNardos' farmland. They used cadaver dogs to search the premises in July

The FBI was called in to help with the search, due to their expertise in recovery operations underway at the farm in July

DiNardo is the son of Antonio and Sandra DiNardo, a couple that purchased the massive 90 acres of farmland where police found the bodies of the four missing men.

In September 2005, the DiNardo couple bought 68 acres of farmland in Bucks County, Pennsylvania for $5million.

Less than a year later, they bought a smaller tract of farmland on an adjacent property.

In December 2008, they purchased two more acres of adjacent property to form the large farming complex where the bodies were discovered.

The scope of the search was so extensive - backhoes and other earth-moving equipment was brought in.

The local district attorney said this was the largest search in recent history.

The family began to amass its vast commercial and residential real estate holdings thanks to Cosmo DiNardo's eponymous late grandfather, who also began to buy up real estate in the 1970s.
Yes, the royals have made their mistakes over the years, but of one thing you could always be certain: the Firm could be relied on to stage a good wedding.

Ruthlessly planned, endlessly rehearsed and timed to the second, with every guest and every bloom in place, each one since the war has been a masterpiece of glittering royal showmanship.

That is how it has always been, as Mail readers have been nostalgically reminded this week with our series of royal wedding specials, from the great romance of the Queen and Prince Philip to the glamour of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon.

On Saturday, it is Harry and Meghans turn. Theoretically, this ought to be the most thrilling royal wedding of them all  the Queens action-man grandson marrying a Hollywood actress.

How disappointing and slightly worrying that the excitement and expectation of the days leading up to their wedding should be overshadowed by family division and crises.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are due to be married this Saturday at St. George's Chapel in the grounds of Windsor castle

Royal insiders said courtiers expressed surprise that the palace had not opened up a chain of communication with Thomas Markle

And how astonishing that Buckingham Palace, normally a finely-tuned machine, brilliant at overseeing pageants and jubilees, should appear to be so ineptly disorganised.

Not even yesterdays late announcement that Prince George and Princess Charlotte will be among Meghans attendants has dampened down the sense of panic and controversy over why her father, who was meant to give her away, is not now coming to the wedding.

Her mother, of course, will be there. But shes arriving jet-lagged after an 11-hour flight, just three days before the wedding.

And then, yesterday, came another unedifying attack from a member of Meghans extended family  her half-sister Samantha adding to the brickbats shes already thrown by denouncing Meghan for trying to silence her.

Not forgetting the brides half-brother Thomas Jnr penning nasty letters to Harry demanding that the prince dump the narcissistic, shallow, selfish Meghan.

If only Meghan had put this motley clan  it includes Tyler Dooley, a cannabis farmer  on the guest list. If only senior voices at Buckingham Palace had whispered in Harrys ear that the bride keeping her family on the outside with their noses pressed against the window pane was bound to mean trouble. Seemingly, such crucial advice was not forthcoming.

As for the brides father, Thomas Markle, being naive and foolish enough to participate in the staging of paparazzi photos of himself preparing for the wedding  and sold worldwide by the photographer for an estimated 100,000  that unseemly situation should never even have been allowed to have arisen.

He was, of course, invading his own privacy at the very time Kensington Palace was sending strict warnings to the media not to harass him.

Whichever way you look at the issue, it was utterly misguided for experienced royal advisors not have realised that this lonely man  who lives in a drab, seedy, drug-plagued Mexican town along with other cash-strapped American retirees  would struggle to deal with the enormity of his daughters wedding.

Even worse, the plan for him not to meet Harry until just hours before the wedding was absurd and probably unworkable.

Someone, surely, might have given thought to how best to involve Mr Markle in the weeks running up to the wedding, some way of acclimatising him to what lay ahead.

Palace sources were yesterday hinting  not entirely convincingly  that there had been offers of assistance to the 73-year-old former TV lighting director.

Behind palace walls last night, long-standing courtiers were expressing surprise that a channel of communication had not been opened up to Mr Markle, at the very least keeping him informed and making him feel involved.

How simple it would have been to have flown him to London and put him up quietly in one of the palaces. When Prince Philip married the Queen, his ailing mother came to live under the royal roof. In all the circumstances now there is huge surprise that, at the very least, someone wasnt diplomatically despatched to his Mexican home to meet him, reassure him and make it clear they were available for advice at all times.

Critics said the controversial treatment of Thomas Markle would never have happened under Sir Christopher Geidt, the Queen's former private secretary

Sir Christopher was surprisingly forced out last year in the fall-out from Prince Philips retirement

The feeling is that if that arch-fixer Sir Christopher Geidt, the Queens former private secretary, was still around, things could have been so very different.

Sir Christopher was surprisingly forced out last year in the fall-out from Prince Philips retirement which left Prince Charles with significantly more powers in royal affairs. Christopher would have known how to handle things, says one of his former palace colleagues. In particular, he would have known how to handle Harry.

This is a reference to the Princes hot-headedness  which was most notably apparent in 2016 when he issued an intemperate official statement, firing off scattergun accusations against those who had reported and commented on his relationship with Meghan.

Perhaps most astonishing of all is the fact that, six months after he and Meghan got engaged, Harry has yet to meet his future father-in-law. And indeed, as things stand, it may still be quite some time before he does.

After all this time, he and Mr Markle have only talked on the phone but not met in person. Now, of course, its too late. Added to which, just imagine how he must be feeling today as Meghans relatives, some of whom are still bad-mouthing the bride on TV chat shows, have flown to London from the U.S.  not as guests of the royals  but as paid-up TV pundits.

And make no mistake, Prince Harry, well-meaning but woefully inexperienced, has been making the key decisions about his wedding, just as his brother William did when he married Kate.

Understandably, the treatment of their mother by the paparazzi has left them both with deep suspicions of the media and obsessed by controlling events they are involved in. In particular, Harry has overseen every name on the wedding guest list which, as the Mails Shakespeare Diary revealed yesterday, has some surprising family omissions.

The children and grandchildren of the Queens cousins, the Duke of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester, Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra have not been invited, while, surprisingly, vacuous celebrities such as David and Victoria Beckham have.

But with the exception of Princess Alexandra, who has lived for years in Thatched House Lodge in Richmond Park, William and Harry grew up with these relatives as neighbours at Kensington Palace. Among cousins who are invited are Harrys Spencer cousins, those blood relatives who are the children of Princess Dianas brother Charles and sisters Sarah and Jane.

Inevitably, some of these royals, however distant, are angry at not being invited and its difficult to see how this will not leave a legacy of bitterness and dissent that wont help Meghans acceptance into the wider royal family.

No doubt, one day, she and Harry will be able to look back on the troubled wedding preparations and laugh about them. But right now no one is laughing.

Indeed, palace staff are wickedly referring to the chaos surrounding the wedding plans as the Markle debacle.

One of the problems is that many palace staff have been kept in the dark about the arrangements.

About 140 of the Queens staff will be on duty at Windsor Castle on Saturday but one senior figure says simply: We wont know until the day itself exactly what our instructions are and what we are meant to be doing. Normally we would have known a good week in advance, just as we did with Prince Williams wedding.

Some said the chaos within the royal courts in the run up to the wedding can be blamed on Kensington Palace, Clarence House and Buckingham Palace pulling against one another

Thousands of well-wishers are descending on Windsor already for the wedding on Saturday

It would all have been written down and printed out for us. But this time, so far, weve got nothing. Its being kept secret until the day. Its all very unsettling.

Equally troubling for these key members of the royal machine is the fact that, to their surprise, hardly any have been introduced to the bride.

Before William got married, we got to know Kate quite well, says the staff member. But hardly anyone has met Meghan.

The general feeling below stairs, where Harry is very popular, is that he is trying to do too much by himself.

And the stumbling and inadequate performance of the most senior palace advisers is being blamed by some on the fact that the three royal courts  Kensington Palace, Clarence House (where Charles is based) and Buckingham Palace  are pulling against each other.

Such a problem was the very thing that the now-departed Sir Christopher Geidt, was trying to prevent.

In fact, neither Clarence House officials nor those at Buckingham Palace have been intimately involved in the wedding planning, which has been directed by Harrys small team at Kensington Palace.

Friends of Charles, who is hosting the party for 200 on Saturday evening at Frogmore House in Windsor Great Park, say the prince is concerned that Harrys wedding has become the subject of nasty parlour gossip.

They say the fact that Meghans fathers predicament was being discussed on Radio 4s flagship Today programme yesterday, at a time when Prince Charles usually listens, would have seriously worried him.

Yes, everything will probably work out magnificently in the end, but, oh, what a messy affair it has been so far.
Donald and Melania Trump won't attend the royal wedding - like other political leaders they weren't invited to the society event - but they are sending Prince Harry and his bride-to-be Meghan Markle a gift.

The White House says that the president and first lady will make a donation to one of the charities the Harry and Meghan recommended to their guests.

'President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will be making a contribution to one of the 7 charities the royal couple has designated in lieu of gifts,' Lindsay Walters, a spokeswoman for the White House, told DailyMail.com on Wednesday.

The couple has asked guests and well-wishers donate to charity close to their hearts rather than buying a gift when they tie the knot on May 19.

Donald and Melania Trump won't attend the royal wedding - like other political leaders they weren't invited to the society event - but they are donating to a charity the royal couple has selected for contributions in lieu of gifts

Causes they selected include social change, women's empowerment, conservation, the environment, homelessness and the Armed Forces.

They showed their determination to continue Princess Diana's work in support of people with HIV by nominating the Children's HIV Association, as well.

A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said last month: 'Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle are incredibly grateful for the goodwill shown to them since the announcement of their engagement and are keen that as many people as possible benefit from this generosity of spirit.

'The couple have therefore asked that anyone who might wish to mark the occasion considers making a donation to charity, rather than sending a wedding gift.'

The statement said that Harry and Meghan had 'personally selected seven organisations they would like to support, reflecting their shared values' that they would like people to support.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle asked guests and well-wishers donate to charity close to their hearts rather than buying a gift when they tie the knot on May 19

The couple showed their determination to continue Princess Diana's work in support of people with HIV by nominating the Children's HIV Association as one of their seven charities

Kensington Palace said, 'Prince Harry and Ms. Markle do not have any formal relationships with the charities chosen.

'The couple have chosen charities which represent a range of issues that they are passionate about.

The statement released in early April said, 'Many of these are small charities, and the couple are pleased to be able to amplify and shine a light on their work.'

Donald and Melania Trump are due to make their first official visit to the U.K. in July.

They were known to have been left off the guest list for the nuptials that will not be treated as a state wedding, as Harry is presently sixth in line for the throne.

'It has been decided that an official list of political leaders  both U.K. and international  is not required for Prince Harry and Ms. Markle's wedding. Her Majesty's Government was consulted on this decision, which was taken by The Royal Household,' Kensington Palace in April said.

The decree left British Prime Minister Theresa May off the guest list, as well as Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.

Prince Harry and the Obamas bonded over the Invictus Games when the Democratic president was in office. The prince had been encouraged not to invite the American politician to his wedding by the British government, it was reported, because it could upset the easily offended and sitting president.

A source with knowledge of the guest list declined to say whether the Obamas were invited when some guests, including Markle's old 'Suits' castmates, were revealed in April.

The person told press that the former president and first lady would not be attending in any case, adding, 'But the couples look forward to seeing each other soon.'

MEGHAN AND HARRY'S RECOMMENDED CHARITIES: CHIVA (Children's HIV Association)

The Children's HIV Association (CHIVA) supports children living with HIV and their families, across the U.K. and Ireland. The charity aims to enhance the well-being of children and young people with HIV and to create a more hopeful and optimistic future for them, ensuring they achieve their greatest potential.

Dr. Amanda Williams, Chair of CHIVA, said: 'We are delighted and honoured that Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have chosen to recognise our work supporting the health and well-being of children and young people living with HIV in the UK and Ireland.

'We are grateful for the opportunity to raise awareness of the complex issues for young people growing up with HIV. We are a very small charity and through our work we support over 1,000 young people living with HIV.

'All donations will make a significant difference to our programmes of work and lead to direct improvements in the lives of these young people.'

Last week Harry and Meghan attended a training session for Invictus Games hopefuls, but wounded veterans didn't make it on to the list of causes

Crisis

Crisis is the national charity for homeless people. The charity helps people directly out of homelessness, working side by side with thousands of people each year to help them rebuild their lives and leave homelessness behind for good.

How Meghan gave up her charity links ahead of the royal wedding After announcing her engagement to Harry, Meghan gave up her charitable commitments including her work with WorldVision, to focus on her new life as a royal with a 'clean slate'. She became a World Vision Global Ambassador after heading to Rwanda with the organization in February 2016 when she saw the impact of clean water on the lives of children and communities in Africa. In January 2017, she travelled to Delhi and Mumbai with the charity, which is a global relief, development and advocacy charity. Kensington Palace said she would be focusing on her new life, rather than past charities. Harry's communications secretary Jason Knauf said: 'She has made the decision that she wants to start with a clean slate and focus on the UK, and getting to know this country, and travelling around the Commonwealth.' She also stepped away from her roles as a UN women's advocate and a counselor for One Young World. Advertisement

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: 'We are hugely grateful that Prince Harry and Ms. Markle are asking the public to support Crisis as they celebrate their wedding.

'Homelessness is one of the most urgent issues of our time, but at Crisis we know what it takes to end it. Donations will help us to support more people to leave homelessness behind through our housing, employment, education and advice services across the country, and to campaign for the changes needed to solve the homelessness crisis once and for all.'

Myna Mahila Foundation

Myna Mahila Foundation is a charity that empowers women in Mumbai's urban slums by providing them with a trusted network in which they are supported professionally and personally to help them grow as individuals and businesswomen.

Myna offers women from these communities stable employment close to their homes and breaks taboos around menstrual hygiene by offering women access to low cost sanitary pads and accurate information about their health.

Providing mothers in the community with these products helps them equip their daughters to stay in school. The pads are manufactured and distributed by women from these communities.

The charity also empowers its staff through training in women's health, English, maths, and life skills such as self-defense.

Former soldier Prince Harry nominated Scotty's Little Soldier, which supports children who have lost a parent serving in the British Armed Forces

Markle saw the work of the foundation first hand when she visited the charity last year. She wrote about it in Time Magazine.

Suhani Jalota, who founded Myna Mahila in 2015, said: 'Myna Mahila Foundation is delighted to be a part of this special occasion for Ms. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

'This support will enable us to expand our reach into more urban slums in Mumbai, empowering local women through access to menstrual hygiene products and employment opportunities.'

Who does Scotty's Little Soldiers support? Lee Scott who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009 with his son Kai A charity that supports children who have lost a parent while serving in the British Armed Forces is among a selection that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have asked people to donate to - instead of giving wedding presents. Scotty's Little Soldiers, which was inspired by war widow Nikki Scott, is one of seven charities the Royal couple has chosen to support. The charity was set up in memory of Nikki's husband and father to her two children, Corporal Lee Scott, after he was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. It now provides assistance to hundreds of bereaved forces children around the UK, including holidays, group events and professional bereavement counseling. Assistance is available to families from the British Army, Royal Navy or RAF and the charity has the vision: 'We want every bereaved British Forces child to have access to the very best emotional support, outstanding development opportunities and the chance to smile again.' Nikki Scott set up the charity in her husband's memory, which provides assistance to hundreds of bereaved Forces children around the UK Nikki says that she knows that this is a charity close to Harry's heart. Pictured: Lee with his son Kai Scotty provides assistance to hundreds of bereaved Forces children around the UK, including holidays, group events and professional bereavement counselling. Pictured: Lee while on tour in Afghanistan Nikki (pictured with Lee) says that she feels 'overwhelmed' to have the support of Prince Harry and Meghan Charity founder, Nikki Scott, said: 'We are absolutely overwhelmed to have been personally selected by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as one of their chosen charities to benefit from donations marking the Royal wedding. 'Having met Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace last year, I know that helping the children of fallen British Forces heroes sits closely to his heart. 'For all our members, Scotty's Little Soldiers offers a vital support network for children, who at such a young age, have already gone through so much. 'Simply having the opportunity to spend time with other children who have gone through something similar or receiving a gift on the anniversary of their parent's death can help reassure them that they are not alone.' Scotty's Little Soldiers offers a vital support network for children who have lost their parents at a young age. Pictured: Lee and Nikki with their children Brooke (left) and Kai Nikki Scott set up a charity that provides a support network for bereaved forces children Nikki says that giving bereaved children the opportunity to spend time with others is a great help Advertisement

StreetGames

StreetGames uses sport to change lives across the UK, helping people and communities to become healthier, safer and more successful. StreetGames uses sport to empower young people to kick-start a cycle of positive change in their own lives that resonates across their communities.

Jane Ashworth OBE, CEO of StreetGames, said: 'All of us at StreetGames are absolutely thrilled to have been personally chosen by Prince Harry and Ms. Markle. It's a great honour to have our work using sport to change lives and communities recognised in this way.'

Meghan and Harry met young participants in the StreetGames initiative when they visited Cardiff earlier this year

Last week, the couple visited Bath to meet athletes training for the next Invictus Games - and have nominated several sporting charities to benefit from their wedding

Surfers Against Sewage

Surfers Against Sewage is a national marine conservation and campaigning charity, which inspires, unites and empowers communities to take action to protect oceans, beaches, waves and wildlife.

Hugo Tagholm, Chief Executive of Surfers Against Sewage, said: 'Surfers Against Sewage is thrilled to be one of the charities chosen to benefit from donations marking the wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle. Our work as a national marine conservation charity empowers tens of thousands of volunteers annually to protect beaches for everyone. We are currently focused on tackling plastic pollution and this support will help us move towards our vision of Plastic Free Coastlines.'

The Wilderness Foundation UK

The Wilderness Foundation UK promotes the benefits and enjoyment of wild nature. Through the great outdoors, the charity helps build resilience in vulnerable teenagers, introduces rural employment to urban youth, and brings science to life.

Jo Roberts, CEO of The Wilderness Foundation UK, said: 'We are deeply touched and honoured that Prince Harry and Ms. Markle have chosen to support The Wilderness Foundation and its beneficiaries.

'As the world's population grows exponentially the planet's remaining wild places and resources are coming under increasing threat. It has never been more important for us as humans to protect the planet that gives us life. Whilst teaching conservation values, we in turn use the positive power of nature to support and recharge the lives of challenged and vulnerable young people and adults.'
The FBI selected a code name with an air of danger when they labeled the initial Russia investigation  quoting from a Rolling Stones lyric at a time when Trump was firing up his supporters to the sounds of the superstar rock band.

The bureau gave the early probe the code name 'Crossfire Hurricane'  pulled from the 1968 hit 'Jumpin' Jack Flash,' which has kicked off countless concerts by the band.

Trump, by August of 2016, was warming up huge crowds and the closing out rallies with the frequently repeated strains of 'You Can't Always Get What you Want'  a selection frontman Mick Jagger considers odd.

TROLLED? The FBI's early probe of Trump Russia connections was called 'Crossfire Hurricane,' a name drawn from a Rolling Stones lyric

The name, the New York Times revealed a day before the one-year-anniversary of Robert Mueller's probe, was established July 31, 2016. Two days later, agents who had traveled on a mission to London to meet with Alexander Downer, the Australian ambassador to Great Britain.

Rolling Stones star Keith Richards has told of the band's bad experience with Donald Trump

The FBI learned of the bizarre tale of former Trump campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos, who revealed over drinks with the ambassador that a Kremlin-linked professor had told him the Russians had dirt on Donald Trump's rival, Hillary Clinton.

The code name is drawn from the opening stanza of 'Jumpin' Jack Flash.'

'I was born in a cross-fire hurricane; And I howled at the morning driving rain,' the song begins, with a famous guitar riff.

'But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas. But it's all right. I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash. It's a gas, gas, gas,' the song continues.

Word of the Trump-tweaking code name comes just after it was revealed guitarist Keith Richards was still complaining about the band's bad experience with Trump back in the 80s.

The rockers were left bruised after Trump was their promoter in 1989, on their Steel Wheels tour.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones perform at U Arena on October 19, 2017 in Nanterre, France

The Rolling Stones are a constant part of the playlist at Trump rallies

The guitarist, 74, said the encounter left him demanding: 'You've got to get rid of this man!'

Richards told the BBC: 'He was the promoter for us in Atlantic City. It was (billed as) Donald Trump presents the Rolling Stones, (which was) in miniature.

'We never have much to do with promoters usually, but this one got me. That was the last time I got angry.

'I pulled out my trusty blade, stuck it in the table and said, 'You've got to get rid of this man!'

He told Radio 4's Today: 'Now America has to get rid of him. Don't say I didn't warn you.'

GROUPIE? The Trump camp has called George Papadopoulos a 'coffee boy.' But his boozy encounter with an Australian diplomat helped trigger the Russia probe. He is cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller

Frontman Mick Jagger said of Trump's use of 'You Can't Always Get What You Want: 'He used it on every rally through the election campaign.... 'It's a funny song for your play out song. When he finished his speech, he played out on this doomy ballad... It's kind of weird if you think about it. But he couldn't be persuaded to use something else.

'It was odd, really odd.'

If the name seems too 'Rock and Roll' for an investigation that the president brands a 'witch hunt' and many observers consider a dire threat to his presidency, it is much more memorable than the one slapped on the Senate Judiciary's probe that released 2,500 documents on a 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians.

The panel called its release: 'Materials from Inquiry into Circumstances Surrounding Trump Tower Meeting.'
The Tories accused Labour of running up the white flag on immigration last night, after it pledged to scrap controls on illegal immigration.

Diane Abbott said she would close two main detention centres, axe migration targets and force officials to prove suspects were in Britain without permission.

The shadow home secretary also vowed to scrap the requirement for bosses and landlords to carry out checks on a worker or tenants right to be in the country.

Miss Abbott said it was Jeremy Corbyns ambition to reframe public debate on the issue. The Labour leader later tweeted his support for her speech.

Diane Abbott said she would close two main detention centres, axe migration targets and force officials to prove suspects were in Britain without permission

Tories said the proposals would wreck efforts to deal with the estimated million illegals in Britain.

Diane Abbott has confirmed what we already know  that Labour will have an open-door policy where anybody who wishes to come to our country can do so, said Andrew Bridgen MP.

Labour are running up the white flag on illegal immigration and declaring an amnesty for those here illegally.

The Tories accused Labour of running up the white flag on immigration last night, after it pledged to scrap controls on illegal immigration. Miss Abbott said it was Jeremy Corbyns ambition to reframe public debate on the issue. The Labour leader later tweeted his support for her speech

Under Labour, there will be no such thing as an illegal immigrant because anyone who wants to come to our country will be made welcome.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: Labours plans would demolish policies  under successive governments  that are vital for tackling illegal immigration. Completely the wrong approach.

Caroline Nokes, who is the immigration minister, warned against closing any detention centres, saying this could put communities at risk.

Labour politicians have focused on immigration controls following revelations about the treatment of the Windrush generation and the resignation of Amber Rudd as Home Secretary over deportation targets.

Last year, a former Home Office chief said Britain was home to more than a million illegal migrants.

A Labour government would shut two of the main detention centres, Yarls Wood in Bedford and Brook House near Gatwick airport

David Wood, who was head of immigration enforcement, told MPs that few of them were ever likely to be sent home.

Both Tory and Labour governments have brought in a series of measures to tackle the problem and at the Home Office Theresa May introduced a hostile environment policy.

But, speaking at an Institute for Public Policy Research event yesterday, Miss Abbott said Labour would try a fresh approach. A Labour government would shut two of the main detention centres, Yarls Wood in Bedford and Brook House near Gatwick airport.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: Labours plans would demolish policies  under successive governments  that are vital for tackling illegal immigration. Completely the wrong approach

The remaining centres would be returned to local authorities, she added.

Labour would also end indefinite detention by restricting it to 28 days and introducing a system of reporting and monitoring.

A key plank of Miss Abbotts strategy would involve shifting the burden of proof to the Home Office to establish whether a person was in the country illegally.

Critics pointed out that this could encourage illegal immigrants to tear up their papers so officials would not be able to prove they had no right to remain.

Those who come under investigation over their status would be granted proper rights of appeal, possibly using legal aid, she said. Currently, these state funds are available only to those who are claiming asylum.

If we are going to deprive people of the right to be here, we must be clear that they do not have the right to live here, said Miss Abbott.

Labour would also end the minimum income stipulation for migrants to bring a spouse from abroad and always allow children to join them. If Labour under Jeremy Corbyn cannot begin the process of reframing the debate on migration then I think Jeremy would feel he had failed, she said.

The Labour Party is under new management and part of new management is having a very different conversation on migration.

Asked whether her announcements would send the signal that Labour was soft on immigration, she told Sky News that she wanted a system that was efficient and fair.

Mr Corbyn said: Well end Theresa Mays hostile environment that has ruined the lives of so many Windrush citizens, close Yarls Wood and invest in services for survivors of trafficking and domestic violence.

Miss Abbotts announcement comes after new Home Secretary Sajid Javid disclosed on Tuesday that 63 members of the Windrush generation may have been wrongly removed or deported.

She said the scandal was a direct consequence of Mrs Mays policy  when she was home secretary  of making life as difficult as possible for illegal immigrants.

Miss Abbott also said she would end the Governments target of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands.

This was political phrasemaking and it was never a workable policy, she said.

Addressing Labours plan to close two of Britains main immigration detention centres, Mrs Nokes said: Immigration detention is a vital tool in helping ensure those with no right to remain in the UK are returned to their home country.

And, if this (Labours plan) led to the release of serious offenders this could put communities at risk.'
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Meghan Markle's sister has hit out at the Palace for not helping her father after his heart attack  saying she had to send him money.

Samantha Markle launched the astonishing attack on officials at Kensington Palace, saying she had to wire cash over to him following the operation.

It comes as she suffered a suspected broken ankle and a fractured knee in a car crash on Wednesday, hours after she slammed the royal family for not supporting her father after his heart attack.

Last night she joined her brother Thomas Markle Jr in his criticism of the Palace after she claimed her father was not offered support following his heart attack.

She also claimed to have had to wire money to 73-year-old Thomas Markle so he could survive.

Meghan Markle's half- sister Samantha (left, and right with the actress) has hit out at the Palace for not helping her father after his heart attack  saying she had to send him money

Thomas Markle Jr previously told The Mirror: 'I wrote to Kensington Palace months ago asking for their aid. Weve all been so overwhelmed by the attention and have found it difficult living under such scrutiny.'

He is in Windsor but is not invited to the wedding, along with her half-sister and fellow estranged family members after months of infighting among them soured the occasion.

Samantha, who had earlier astonishingly claimed she was behind her father's deal to stage photograph with a paparazzi agency, said his condition was 'life-threatening'.

'He was upset. He wanted to go. But his doctor had the overruling opinion he needed surgery. So he's smart enough to know, "this is life threatening",' Samantha told The Sun.

She went on to dismiss reports that Kensington Palace had offered support for her father in Mexico and had not offered to fly him to London early or provide details on how he could get there.

The sibling added: 'That is not true or he would have been living in his place. He'd have a reliable vehicle. He'd have been with security. I have receipts showing I've sent my father money twice by MoneyGram because he needed it.

Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, has once again pulled out of his daughter's big day, revealing that he needs to have major heart surgery this morning

'There was no actual contact from Meghan and she has not spoken with my father since the heart attack. I don't know why that is, I'm not blaming her.'

This goes directly against Mr Markle's own claims that Meghan called and texted him after he decided to pull out of the wedding.

Retired lighting engineer Thomas Markle blamed the heart attack he suffered a week ago on an open letter by his son, Thomas Jr, in which he tried convincing Prince Harry not to marry Meghan.

The 73-year-old had flip-flopped on his decision to not attend the Royal Wedding, saying he did not want to embarrass his daughter or the Royal Family after it emerged he staged photographs with a paparazzi agency.

Thomas Markle Jr also told The Mirror: 'I wrote to Kensington Palace months ago asking for their aid. Weve all been so overwhelmed by the attention and have found it difficult living under such scrutiny

He had also suggested that Meghan's mother, his ex-wife Doria Ragland, should walk down the aisle.

After last night's car crash, Samantha's boyfriend told website TMZ that a photographer's car veered in front of them - forcing him to swerve left and crash into a concrete barrier.

Mark said Samantha, who has multiple sclerosis, was left with a twisted and backwards-facing foot after striking the windshield and falling to the floor mat.

Mark then rushed her to hospital in the car, he said.

Earlier on Wednesday Ms Ragland, 61, received truly royal treatment today as she flew into Heathrows ultra-luxurious VIP Windsor suite before being whisked away under police escort.

She landed in London on Wednesday afternoon following a near 11-hour flight from Los Angeles.

The yoga instructor arrived in lieu of Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, who was reported to have said yesterday he can not attend his daughter's wedding.

After arriving at Heathrow, Thomas' ex-wife Doria was given every perk of being a royal as she was greeted at the steps of her plane by a Jaguar, part of the royal fleet, and driven to the private Windsor Suite.

Meghans personal assistant, Amy Pickerill, greeted Doria alongside an immigration officer, who quickly stamped her passport, while a place aide collected her bags  including her Burberry wedding outfit.

She was whisked off for an emotional reunion with her daughter and is expected to meet the senior royals ahead of the big day on Saturday.

Ms Ragland will stay with the bride at Cliveden House the night before the nuptials, and then travelling with her to St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on the day.

The five star mansion, near the village of Teplow on the border of Buckinghamshire and Berkshire is roughly 15 minutes away by car to the wedding venue.

Doria's arrival comes as Meghan's half-sister Samantha issued a ruthless attack on her.

Samantha astonishingly admitted this week that she was to blame for her father's deal with the paparazzi agency, as she insisted it was all for the benefit of the royal family - not to rake in cash before the wedding.

Still, his family members are refusing to rule out that Thomas won't be able to fly to the UK in time, as royal fans have taken to Twitter to call for Prince Charles to step in and walk Meghan down the aisle on Saturday.

Meghan Markle's mother Doria Ragland received the royal treatment today as she flew into Heathrow's VIP Windsor suite before an emotional reunion with her daughter. Pictured: Doria leaving her California house for London on Tuesday (left) and a palace aide collected Doria's Burberry wedding outfit on Wednesday (right)

'She's NOT going to tell me I can't speak about my life': Meghan's half-sister faces backlash after launching an astonishing attack on royal bride-to-be



Meghan's half-sister Samantha Markle was rushed to hospital by boyfriend, Mark, who said they were driving in Florida when they had a 'paparazzi confrontation', it was reported Royal fans have hit out at Meghan Markle's half-sister after she launched a stinging attack on the bride-to-be saying that she has no right to try and censor her. Samantha Markle has given a bombshell interview to US media where she insisted she had 'freedom of speech' and has every right to speak out. The mother-of-three, who has given a series of meddling media interviews in recent weeks laid into Meghan amid claims she is upset about her airing her views. She tore into the future princess just days after wading into the fake paparazzi row when her father staged fake paparazzi shots for money. In the explosive rant the 53-year-old said: 'She's not going to tell me that I can't speak about my life' And she fumed: 'I'm not going to take it. She's way out of her league to tell me that I can't speak.' After the astonishing clip emerged royal well-wishers blasted the 53-year-old telling her: 'The world can't wait for you to go away.' Samantha, 53, told TMZ: 'If its about my life or my father's there is something in this country called freedom of speech. 'She doesn't have a copyright on that and she's not going to tell me that I can't speak about my life or my father's life where its a matter of public self-defence. 'The media is disparaging us. I'm not going to take it. The verbal attack came as Meghan's mother Doria touched down in the UK for an emotional reunion with her daughter as she prepares to meet the royal family for the first time, and preparations continued in Windsor for the big day on Saturday.
This is the incredible moment a quick-witted policeman saves a woman from her cleaver-wielding ex-husband at a police station in south-east China.

The assailant was called to settle dispute with his ex-wife; however he pulled out a butcher knife suddenly and rushed towards her.

Policeman Yu Qizhi turned back and tackled the man with bare hands in two seconds. The man was arrested for attempted voluntary manslaughter.

A woman in south-east China sought help from police to settle dispute with her ex-husband

Her ex-husband arrived and suddenly pulled out a butcher knife from his bag

The incident occurred in Qilihu police station at Jiujiang in Jiangxi Province on May 10, reported China Central Television.

Surveillance camera footage shows police officer Yu using the computer as a woman speaks of her complaints.

It's said she was harassed by her ex-husband.

Policemen brought the man to the police station in a bid to settle the dispute but he pulled out a silver cleaver as he saw his ex-wife.

'The man yelled for a second and took a weapon out from his bag. I saw it and quickly turned back and grabbed his cleaver,' said police officer Yu.

Quick-thinking police officer Yu turned back and grabbed the man and disarmed the knife

The policeman dragged the assailant away from the woman and brought him to the floor

The man was arrested and detained by the police for attempted voluntary manslaughter

It took roughly two seconds for the policeman to press the man on the floor and disarmed the cleaver from him.

'I didn't have time to react and that's my instinct, to disengage any danger,' he explained.

The man was arrested and detained for attempted voluntary manslaughter.
A suicidal man was rescued after regretted climbing over a security fence at a 10,100ft cliff at Mount Emei, south-west China.

The 28-year-old Mr Hu was trapped at a 22 square-foot platform at about 10ft down a cliff.

Monks and onlookers joined forces to pull Mr Hu back using a fire hose. He did not sustain any injuries.

Monk Keyin and other monks drag a suicidal man up from a cliff at Mount Emei in China

The 28-year-old hold onto a fire hose as he is pulled up a 10,100ft cliff at the Golden Summit

Monk Keyin told Chengdu Business Daily that he heard there was a man attempting to jump off a cliff.

The incident happened at the Golden Summit, the main of Mount Emei in Sichuan Province on May 15.

Monk Keyin brought a team of monks to rescue the trapped tourist.

Footage emerged on Youku, a Chinese video-sharing platform, shows Monk Keyin, who had a fire hose wrapped around his waist, pulls Mr Hu up along the rocks as others hold onto the hose at the back.

The 28-year-old was saved after a 10-minute rescue at 10,100ft high.

'I told him that there are so many wonderful things to do, we should cherish the moment to enjoy it while we can,' said Monk Keyin.

The tourist claimed he was scared and changed his mind after climbing 10ft down the cliff

Mr Hu said he has been suffering stress from work lately and thought of committing suicide

Mr Hu attempted to jump off the 10,100ft cliff at the Golden Summit on Mount Emei (file photo)

Mr Hu, from Fushun of Zigong city, explained to the press that he has been suffering stress from work lately.

He went to Mount Emei and climbed about three metres (10ft) down the cliff as he was about to jump but soon changed his mind.

Mr Hu said he was scared and regretted the decision however he found himself stuck at the small platform at the edge of the cliff and could not climb up.

Policemen at the Golden Summit contacted Mr Hu's family and suggested them to have a talk about Mr Hu's struggles.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details
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In a move that takes animal farming to new heights, farmers in China are now keeping their pigs in modern multi-storey buildings to feed the nation's prodigious appetite for the meat.

These so-called high-rise 'hog hotels' on Yaji Mountain in southern China house around 1,000 sows per floor.

Privately owned agricultural company Guangxi Yangxiang Co Ltd is running two seven-floor sow breeding operations, and is putting up four more, including one with as many as 13 floors that will be the world's tallest building of its kind.

So far, the company has spent about 500 million yuan (58 million) in total, not including the cost of the pigs.

Workers transport pigs in an elevator at Guangxi Yangxiang's high-rise pig farm in Yaji Mountain Forest Park in Guangxi

Young pigs travels in an elevator at Guangxi Yangxiang's high-rise 'hog hotel' in southern China.

Hog farms of two or three floors have been tried in Europe.

Some are still operating, others have been abandoned, but few new ones have been built in recent years, because of management difficulties and public resistance to large, intensive farms.

Now, as China pushes ahead with industrialisation of the world's largest hog herd, part of a 30-year effort to modernise its farm sector and create wealth in rural areas, companies are experimenting with high-rise housing for pigs despite the costs.

The 'hotels' show how far some breeders are willing to go as China overhauls its farming model.

A feed mill under construction that will supply Guangxi Yangxiang's high-rise pig farm. The privately owned agricultural company is currently running two seven-floor sow breeding operations to feed China's astounding appetite for pork

One of seven-floor sow breeding operations run by Guangxi Yangxiang Co Ltd at Yaji Mountain Forest Park

Workers move young pigs out of stalls at a high-rise pig farm. The 'hotels' show how far some breeders are willing to go

'There are big advantages to a high-rise building,' said Xu Jiajing, manager of Yangxiang's mountain-top farm.

'It saves energy and resources. The land area is not that much but you can raise a lot of pigs.'

Companies like Yangxiang are pumping more money into the buildings - about 30 percent more than on single-storey modern farms - even as hog prices in China hold at an eight-year low.

For some, the investments are too risky. Besides low prices that have smaller operations culling sows or re-thinking expansion plans, there is worry about diseases spreading through such intensive operations.

Guangxi Yangxiang's high-rise pig farm buildings are seen at Yaji Mountain Forest Park. The farming company spent 16,000 yuan (1,861) per sow on its new farm, about 500 million yuan (58 million) total, not including the cost of the pigs

Young pigs prepare to enter an elevator at the high-rise farm. Demands have been increasing for such 'hog hotels'

Newborn piglets stay warm inside Guangxi Yangxiang's high-rise 'hog hotel'. Experts warn that success for high-rise pig farms in China could have implications across densely populated, land-scarce Asia, as well as for equipment suppliers

But success for high-rise pig farms in China could have implications across densely populated, land-scarce Asia, as well as for equipment suppliers.

'We see an increasing demand for two- or three-level buildings,' said Peter van Issum, managing director of Microfan, a Dutch supplier that designed Yangxiang's ventilation system.

Microfan also supplied a three-storey breeding operation, Daedeok JongDon GGP Farm, in South Korea.

'The higher ones are still an exception, but the future might change rapidly,' van Issum said.

Piglets drink milk from a sow in the high-rise pig farm. Companies like Yangxiang are pumping more money into the buildings

But experts warn that success for high-rise pig farms could have implications across densely populated, land-scarce Asia

Pig buildings under construction are seen at Guangxi Yangxiang's farm. This project is part of a 30-year effort to modernise China's farm sector and create wealth in rural areas

Yaji Mountain seems an unlikely location for a huge breeding farm. Up a narrow road, away from villages, massive concrete pig buildings overlook a valley of dense forest that Yangxiang plans to develop as a tourist attraction.

The site, however, is relatively close to Guigang, a city with a river port and waterway connections to the Pearl River Delta, one of the world's most densely populated regions.

While Beijing is encouraging more livestock production in China's grain basket in the northeast, many worry that farms there will struggle to get fresh pork safely to big cities thousands of miles away.

That has helped push some farm investments to southern provinces like Guangxi and Fujian, where land is hilly but much closer to many of China's biggest cities.

Piglets drink milk from a sow at the farm. Yaji Mountain seems an unlikely location for a huge breeding farm, but the site is actually relatively close to Guigang, a city with a river port and waterway connections to the Pearl River Delta

A worker waits for an elevator to transport young pigs out of Guangxi Yangxiang's high-rise pig farm

Additional equipment - much of it imported - to reduce disease, environmental impact and labour costs significantly increased agricultural company Yangxiang's spending on the multi-million pound project

Yangxiang will house 30,000 sows on its 11-hectare site by year-end, producing as many as 840,000 piglets annually. That will likely make it the biggest, most-intensive breeding farm globally. A more typical large breeding farm in northern China would have 8,000 sows on around 13 hectares.

In Fujian province, Shenzhen Jinxinnong Technology Co Ltd also plans to invest 150 million yuan (17 million) in two five-storey sow farms in Nanping. Two other companies are building high-rise hog farms in Fujian as well, according to an equipment firm involved in the projects.

Thai livestock-to-retail conglomerate CP Foods is also building four six-storey pig units with local firm Zhejiang Huatong Meat Products Co in Yiwu, a Chinese city near the large populations around Shanghai.

Yangxiang spent 16,000 yuan (1,861) per sow on its new farm, about 500 million yuan (58 million) total, not including the cost of the pigs. Building upwards means higher costs and greater complexity, such as for piping feed into buildings, said Xue Shiwei, vice chief operations officer at Pipestone Livestock Technology Consultancy, a Chinese unit of a U.S. farm management company.

'It would save on land but increase the complexity of the structure, and costs for concrete or steel would be higher,' he said.

Piglets drink milk from a sow at Guangxi province's 'hog hotel'. A waste treatment plant is still under construction, along with the ongoing construction of the new breeding farms, on Yaji Mountain to handle the site's manure

Part of an automatic feeding system is seen inside Guangxi Yangxiang's high-rise pig farm. Building upwards means higher costs and greater complexity, such as for piping feed into buildings, said experts

Controls for the feeding system are seen inside Guangxi Yangxiang's high-rise pig farm. After testing other models, privately owned agricultural company Yangxiang concluded the multi-storey building was best to raise pigs.

Health concerns also raise costs, because the risk of rampant disease - an ever-present problem in China's livestock sector - is higher with more animals under one roof.

Even two-storey farms in Europe have sparked worries that pigs will receive less care, said Irene Camerlink, an animal welfare expert at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna who has worked with Chinese farms.

Any outbreak of disease could lead to extensive culling, she said.

Farm manager Xu said Yangxiang reduces the risk of disease by managing each floor separately, with staff working on the same floor every day. New sows are introduced to a building on the top floor, and are then moved by elevator to an assigned level, where they remain.

Workers at a construction site of a feed mill that will supply Yangxiang's high-rise pig farm.

A truck delivers feed to silos at a mill under construction at Guangxi Yangxiang's high-rise pig farm

Yangxiang will house 30,000 sows on its new 11-hectare site by year-end, producing as many as 840,000 piglets annually

The ventilation system is designed to prevent air from circulating between floors or to other buildings. Air enters through ground channels and passes through ventilation ducts on each level. The ducts are connected to a central exhaust on the roof, with powerful extraction fans pulling the air through filters and pushing it out of 15-metre high chimneys.

A waste treatment plant is still under construction on Yaji Mountain to handle the site's manure. After treatment, the liquid will be sprayed on the surrounding forest, and solids sold to nearby farms as organic fertiliser.

The project's additional equipment - much of it imported - to reduce disease, environmental impact and labour costs, significantly increased Yangxiang's spending, the company said.

But after testing other models, Yangxiang concluded the multi-storey building was best. Others are less convinced.

'We need time to see if this model is do-able,' said Xue of the farm management firm, adding that he would not encourage clients to opt for 'hog hotels'.

'There will be many new, competing ideas (about how to raise pigs in China),' Xue said, including high-rise farms.

Eventually, 'a suitable model will emerge.'
By Alexandra Thompson, Health Reporter For MailOnline

Meghan Markle's father has confirmed he will not attend her wedding to Prince Harry in three days time after suffering a heart attack last week.

Thomas Markle, 73, is due to have an operation at 3.30pm UK time today to 'go in and clear blockage, repair damage, and put a stent where it is needed', he is reported to have said.

It is unclear where Mr Markle, who lives in Mexico, will have the procedure, however, heart attacks are treated using the same procedures throughout North America and in the UK.

Mr Markle was admitted to hospital yesterday after suffering severe chest pains, with tests confirming the heart attack did 'significant damage' and requires immediate surgery.

Despite Meghan reportedly working hard to convince her father to walk her down the aisle, the retired lighting director is not expected to be in a fit enough state to travel across the Atlantic to Windsor after a major operation.

Mr Markle claims his heart attack was triggered by an open letter his son Thomas Jr wrote to Prince Harry saying marrying Meghan would be the 'biggest mistake in royal wedding history'.

Although it is unclear exactly what his surgery will involve, the MailOnline has rounded up the most common heart-attack operations and when Mr Markle may be able to congratulate his newly-married daughter in person.

Angioplasty

What is it?

An angioplasty involves making a small incision in a patient's arm or leg, through which a wire with an attached deflated balloon is thread through up to the coronary arteries.

The balloon is then inflated to widen areas where blood flow to the heart muscle has been reduced or cut off by plaque build up.

In some cases wires with laser tips are inserted to break up plaque. The balloon may also have a sharp rotating edge to cut away cholesterol build up.

What does it do?

Angioplasties open blocked arteries, which restores normal blood flow to the heart.

This reduces chest pain and allows people to exercise if they were left immobile by their angina.

Angioplasties also reduce patients' risk of suffering a heart attack.

How long is the recovery? And what are the risks?

For patients being treated for chest pain, most are usually able to go home the same day of the operation. They should avoid strenuous activities and driving for at least a a week.

Heart-attack patients may need to stay in hospital for several days after their angioplasties.

Angioplasties are considered relatively non-invasive due to them only requiring a small incision in the arm or leg. The procedure generally lasts between 30 minutes and one hour.

Risks depending on people's age and overall health but may include excessive bleeding, heart attacks and stroke.

An angioplasty involves inserting a wire with an attached deflated balloon through an artery in a patient's arm, which is then thread up to the heart. The balloon expands and opens the artery

Stent placement

What is it?

A stent is a wire mesh tube that props open arteries during an angioplasty.

It surrounds the deflated balloon and expands with it when the balloon is inflated.

After the balloon has been deflated and removed, the stent stays in the artery permanently.

The recovery process and risks are the same as they are for angioplasties.

What does it do?

Stents hold arteries open to help improve blood flow to the heart and relieve chest pain.

Stent placements are inserted in the same way as angioplasties but involve a wire mesh around the balloon. Once the balloon is removed, the stent remains to keep the artery open

Bypass

What is it?

Bypass surgery involves taking arteries or veins from other parts of the body and using them to reroute blood around the clogged artery.

Depending on how narrowed people's arteries are, some patients may require several bypass grafts.

In some cases, small incisions are made in the chest, through which arteries or veins from the leg are attached to the heart.

This requires the heart to be stopped, with blood being pumped through an oxygenator, which is also known as a 'heart-lung' machine.

What does it do?

Bypasses are one of the most effective ways to restore blocked blood supplies to the heart.

As well as improving blood and oxygen supplies to the organ, the procedure relieves chest pain, reduces the risk of a heart attack and often allows patients to be more mobile.

How long is the recovery?

Most patients need to stay in hospital for at least a week after having a coronary artery bypass.

Patients are generally able to sit in a chair after one day, walk after three and use stairs after six.

It takes around six weeks before people can resume their normal daily activities, such as working and driving, and three months before they make a full recovery.

What are the risks?

Up to one in every three patients will suffer an irregular or abnormally fast heart rate, which is usually not serious and treatable with medication.

Around one in 25 develop infections at the site of the incision on the chest, arms or legs.

Reduced kidney function affects less than one in 20, which is typically just temporary and resolves within a few weeks.

Brain-related problems may also occur, which can affect people's abilities to concentrate. Although this can be permanent, it usually improves after a few months.

Due to the heart and coronary arteries being vulnerable after a bypass, up to 10 per cent of patients suffer a heart attack within 30 days of the surgery.

Risks depend on a patient's age, overall health, weight and the number of vessels grafted.

Bypass surgery involves taking arteries or veins from other parts of the body and using them to reroute blood around the clogged artery. Some patients may require several grafts

Heart transplant

What is it?

Heart transplants involve removing diseased organs and replacing them with a healthy donated heart from someone who has recently died.

They are considered in patients with severe heart failure who have not responded to medication.

This may include those with coronary heart disease, birth defects that affect the heart or abnormally large or shaped hearts that have become stiff.

Heart transplants involve a cut being made in the middle of the chest while a patient is under general anaesthetic.

Once the diseased heart is removed, the donor organ is connected to the main arteries and veins, and should begin beating normally.

What does it do?

Such procedures have been proven to restore heart health in patients with irreversible damage.

Heart transplant can be life saving in patients whose organs no longer worked efficiently.

How long is the recovery?

Most patients stay in hospital for between two and three weeks after a heart transplant.

It can take several months before they can return to their normal activities.

Patients are required to take immune-system suppressing drugs for the rest of their lives to reduce the risk of their bodies rejecting the donated organ.

They also require regular check ups with heart specialists.

What are the risks?

One of the most common complications is the donor heart being rejected, which occurs when the immune system recognises the organ as foreign and attacks it.

Taking immunosuppressants to reduce the risk of rejection can cause side effects such as infections, weight gain and high blood pressure.

In up to 10 per cent of surgeries, the heart transplant does not work properly, which can be lift threatening and requires medications, ventilators and bypass machines to keep circulation going.

If the donated heart's function does not improve, a second transplant may be required.

Narrowed and hardened arteries are common after a heart transplant. They tend to occur several years after the operation.

These can restrict the heart's blood supply, leading to attacks and even failure. Medications can prevent this.
Number two: Microsoft founder Bill Gates

1. Jeff Bezos - $112billion

The 54-year-old entrepreneur founded Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, in 1994. He became the world's richest person last year.

2. Bill Gates - $90billion

The Microsoft founder has been on the Forbes Rich List since 1987, and between 1995 and 2017, he 'won' the top position all but four years. He is also known for his philanthropic work along with his wife Melinda.

3. Warren Buffett - $84billion

The American business investor is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, which wholly owns companies such as Geico and Dairy Queen and parts of Cocoa Cola, Kraft Heinz and Apple.

4. Bernard Arnault - $72billion

The 69-year-old is head of LVMH, the world's largest luxury-goods company, which includes Louis Vuitton, Dior, Moet & Chandon champagne and Hennessy cognac. He is the richest person in fashion - and in France.

5. Mark Zuckerberg - $71billion

Zuckerberg, 34, launched Facebook along with his college friends while at Harvard University, and is still the CEO of the social media giant.

6. Amancio Ortega - $70billion

The 82-year-old Spanish business tycoon is founder of the Inditex fashion group, which includes high street favorite Zara.

7. Carlos Slim Helu, America Movil - $67.1billion

The Mexican business magnate, 78, was the world's richest person from 2010 to 2015. He has made his fortune from buying into Mexican companies, and accounts for 40 per cent of the listings on the Mexican Stock Exchange.

8 and 9. Charles and David Koch - $60billion each

The brothers, aged 82 and 78, head up Koch Industries, the second-largest privately held company in the United States.

10. Larry Ellison - $58.5billion

The 73-year-old American co-founded software company Oracle. He is the owner of the sixth largest Hawaiian island and his own racing yacht team.

Source: The Forbes List
Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg 'has no plans' to meet with the British Government after 3million Facebook users were exposed in a new data leak.

British lawmakers had asked Facebook to fully answer 39 extra questions after the tech giant had not addressed all of its concerns during a parliamentary hearing.

It comes after a popular personality app failed to provide adequate protection to the 'anonymous' data of participants, the latest of a string of security breaches.

The quiz, called myPersonality, collected highly sensitive data - including psychometric test results that reveal how neurotic or extrovert an individual may be.

Three million of Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook users had intimate details exposed as a new data protection scandal has hit the social media platform. The quiz, called myPersonality, is an app which collected highly sensitive data, including psychometric test results (stock image)

Investigators found the information was poorly protected for four years and gaining access to it was relatively easy.

During a hearing last month, Facebook UK's head of public policy, Rebecca Stimson, gave 39 answers to the extra questions in a letter published by the committee.

However, its head said that they lacked the detail they were looking for.

In her letter, Stimson said that Facebook did not pass user information to Cambridge Analytica, although it did provide tools to a researcher who appeared to have shared the data with the consultancy.

'We have provided comprehensive responses to the 39 points that the committee raised following Mike Schroepfer's testimony,' a Facebook spokesman said in a statement.

'While Mark Zuckerberg has no plans to meet with the committee or travel to the UK at the present time, we fully recognize the seriousness of these issues and remain committed to providing any additional information required for their inquiry into fake news.'

Run by the University of Cambridge, the myPersonality site was founded in 2007 and allowed users to take real psychometric tests and obtain their results instantly.

The leaked information gave access to the 'Big Five' personality scores of 3.1 million users, according to a report from New Scientist, who broke the news.

These have been defined as openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism - sometimes abbreviated to OCEAN.

'This type of data is very powerful and there is real potential for misuse,' Chris Sumner at the Online Privacy Foundation told New Scientist.

More than six million people took part in the study overall, and 40 per cent of these participants decided to share their Facebook profile information with the researchers.

According to the University of Cambridge's website for the myPersonality database, this resulted in 'one of the largest social science research databases in history.

'This data was anonymised and samples of it were shared with registered academic collaborators around the world through the myPersonality project,' according to the site.

As a result of the leak, 22 million status updates from over 150,000 users could be seen.

It also showed personal data such as age, gender and relationship status from 4.3 million people.

HAVE YOU BEEN USING A ROGUE APP? Facebook said it will ban the apps involved and notify the public using the same tool on its online help centre that told users if their information had been shared with Cambridge Analytica. To check if you have been affected, click here. Advertisement

Questions have been raised over the robustness of the anonymisation technique employed by the personality quiz.

After completing the test, each user was ascribed a unique ID which brought together all their information.

This included age, gender, location, status updates and the results of the personality quiz.

With all the information tied to one ID, finding the name of the person and demolishing anonymity could easily be achieved.

'You could re-identify someone online from a status update, gender and date,' said Pam Dixon at the World Privacy Forum.

The database's website is now offline, and so are the men involved in the scandal.

David Stillwell and Michal Kosinski of the University of Cambridge's The Psychometrics Centre were in charge of the database.

Alexandr Kogan, an individual mired by the Cambridge Analytica fallout, was part of the project until 2014.

David Stillwell has removed his Twitter and website in light of the investigation.

The Information Commissioner's Office says they are 'aware' of the incident and are making enquiries.

The leaked information gave access to the 'Big Five' personality scores of 3.1 million users. Questions have been raised over the robustness of the anonymisation technique employed by the myPersonality quiz (pictured)

The database was a huge academic success, enabling the publication of 45 scientific papers.

Security flaws, however, rendered the project a data protection catastrophe.

Access to the database was restricted and people had to register as a collaborator. This resulted in 280 people from 150 institutions formally accessing it.

These included universities and companies such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo.

Many others were supposedly turned down for a variety of reasons.

David Stillwell (left) and Michal Kosinski (middle) of the University of Cambridge's The Psychometrics Centre were in charge of the database. Alexandr Kogan (right), an individual mired by the Cambridge Analytica fallout, was part of the project until 2014

Cambridge Analytica approached the myPersonality database via the formal avenues and was allegedly declined on the grounds of political aspirations.

However, it transpires that a formally rejection was easily circumnavigated as, for the last four years, a working username and password has been available online.

New Scientists reports that this log in information could be found from a single web search.

This means anyone could have accessed the database, with names and deeply personal information, in less than a minute.

Code-sharing site GitHub is publicly available and was where the credentials were found.

They have now been removed from the site.

On April 7 facebook suspended myPersonality from the platform, pending an investigation.

WHAT IS THE CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA SCANDAL? Communications firm Cambridge Analytica has offices in London, New York, Washington, as well as Brazil and Malaysia. The company boasts it can 'find your voters and move them to action' through data-driven campaigns and a team that includes data scientists and behavioural psychologists. 'Within the United States alone, we have played a pivotal role in winning presidential races as well as congressional and state elections,' with data on more than 230 million American voters, Cambridge Analytica claims on its website. The company profited from a feature that meant apps could ask for permission to access your own data as well as the data of all your Facebook friends. The data firm suspended its chief executive, Alexander Nix (pictured), after recordings emerged of him making a series of controversial claims, including boasts that Cambridge Analytica had a pivotal role in the election of Donald Trump This meant the company was able to mine the information of 87 million Facebook users even though just 270,000 people gave them permission to do so. This was designed to help them create software that can predict and influence voters' choices at the ballot box. The data firm suspended its chief executive, Alexander Nix, after recordings emerged of him making a series of controversial claims, including boasts that Cambridge Analytica had a pivotal role in the election of Donald Trump. This information is said to have been used to help the Brexit campaign in the UK. Advertisement

'We are currently investigating the app, and if myPersonality refuses to cooperate or fails our audit, we will ban it,' said Ime Archibong, Facebook's vice president of Product Partnerships.

'If at any time a username and password for any files that were supposed to be restricted were made public, it would be a consequential and serious issue,' sa Pam Dixon.

'Not only is it a bad security practice, it is a profound ethical violation to allow strangers to access files.'

This astounding revelation comes on the back of Facebook suspending around 200 apps as part of its investigation into misuse of personal data on the social network.

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg promised an audit of apps that may have accessed 'large amounts of data' on the site.

As a result of the leak, 22 million status updates from over 150,000 users could be seen. It also showed personal data such as age, gender and relationship status from 4.3 million people

The investigation is ongoing but the site has confirmed hundreds of apps have so far been suspended, pending further analysis of their behaviour.

The audit will identify apps that had access to large amounts of information prior to a 2014 Facebook policy change and then investigate those whose behaviour raises concerns, Facebook said.

Writing in a blog post updating on the investigation, Facebook's vice president of product partnerships Ime Archibong said: 'We have large teams of internal and external experts working hard to investigate these apps as quickly as possible.

'To date, thousands of apps have been investigated and around 200 have been suspended  pending a thorough investigation into whether they did in fact misuse any data.'

Mr Archibong said where evidence of data misuse is found, Facebook will ban the apps involved and notify the public using the same tool on its online help centre that told users if their information had been shared with Cambridge Analytica.

'There is a lot more work to be done to find all the apps that may have misused people's Facebook data  and it will take time,' Mr Archibong said.

'We are investing heavily to make sure this investigation is as thorough and timely as possible.

'We will keep you updated on our progress.'

The investigation is one of a series of responses from Facebook following the data scandal, with new tools having also been rolled out to users to provide clearer access app permissions and privacy settings.

However, the social network is facing continued questions from lawmakers in the UK and US, and Mr Zuckerberg has been threatened with a formal summons to appear before a parliamentary inquiry into fake news after a recent testimony by chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer was labelled 'unsatisfactory' after he failed to answer a number of questions from MPs.
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A tiny satellite bound for Mars has captured an incredible image of the Earth and the moon that may leave you feeling insignificant against the backdrop of the cosmos.

The stunning shot shows both our home planet and its natural satellite as tiny dots floating in the eternal darkness of space.

Earth appears as a tiny blue blob on the right of the image, while our orbiting moon is an almost indistinguishable speck to the left in the image taken from 621,371 miles (1 million kilometers) away.

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 Slide me  Earth appears as a tiny blue blob on the right of the image, while our orbiting moon is an almost indistinguishable speck to the left in the image taken from 621,371 miles (1 million kilometers) away. The positions are marked in the right image

The picture was taken by one of two tiny CubeSats that were launched together on May 5 as part of the InSight Lander project and are now heading to Mars.

One of the CubeSats, called Marco-b and affectionately known as 'Wall-E', used a wide angle 'fisheye' lens to snap the photo on May 9.

Capturing the Earth and the moon was a fortunate coincidence, as the image was only intended to test whether the craft's antennae had deployed correctly.

Nasa decided to release the image taken by the miniature satellites in homage to one of the space exploration programmes most famous predecessors, the Voyager mission.

Voyager 1 and 2 took advantage of a once in a lifetime event where a spacecraft could use the gravitational pull from different celestial bodies to visit all four giant outer planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

In 1990, Voyager 1 took an iconic image which captured Earth and the solar system from an incredible distance.

Speaking about the latest shot, Andy Klesh, Marco's chief engineer at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, said: 'Consider it our homage to Voyager.'

'CubeSats have never gone this far into space before, so it's a big milestone,' Dr Klesh added. 'Both our CubeSats are healthy and functioning properly. We're looking forward to seeing them travel even farther.'

Capturing the Earth and the moon was a fortunate coincidence as the image was only intended to see if the antennae had deployed correctly. The image was taken by one of the CubeSats, called Marco-b (and affectionately known as 'Wall-E') that used a fisheye camera to snap the photo on May 9

A Nasa engineer tests a Mars Cube One (MarCO) satellite before launch. They will follow the InSight Lander to Mars as Nasa wants to see if the small satellites can relay information back to Earth from the car-sized satellite that is analysing the geology of the red planet

The tiny satellites will follow the InSight Lander to Mars, as Nasa wants to see if the small satellites can relay information back to Earth.

If they survive the extreme cold of deep space and successfully send the data, it may prove that smaller satellites have a place in space exploration alongside much larger, bulkier crafts.

Formally known as Marco-b and its twin Marco-a, the two briefcase-sized objects are the only CubeSats to ever be launched into deep space.

Most never go beyond the orbit of Earth, they generally stay below 497 miles (800 kilometres) above the planet.

This artist's rendition of the two Mars-bound cubesats flying through space shows what the two CubeSats wil llook like in transit.If they survive the extreme cold of deep space, it may prove that smaller satellites have a place in space exploration alongside much larger, bulkier crafts

WHAT ARE CUBESATS? A CubeSat is a miniature satellite that has been sent into space. Nasa defines them as a class of nanosatellites that use a standard size and form factor. Each unit, or U, is 10cm x 10cm x 10cm (4 in x 4 in x 4 in) and the cubes can be pieced together to create larger structures. These can include 1.5, 2, 3, 6, and even 12U objects. They are often made of commercial off the shelf products and are a low-cost option for space exploration. CubeSatS have a variety of functions. The small satellites are intended for low Earth orbit (LEO) where they perform a number of scientific research functions and explore new space technologies. They were originally developed to teach university students about satellites, CubeSats are now a major commercial technology, providing data on everything from shipping routes to environmental changes. Each unit, or U, is 10cm x 10cm x 10cm (4 in x 4 in x 4 in) and the cubes can be pieced together to create larger structures. These can include 1.5, 2, 3, 6, and even 12U objects Advertisement

Nasa decided to release the image taken by the minuscule satellites in homage to one of the space exploration programmes most famous predecessors, the Voyager missions. In 1990, Voyager 1 took an iconic image which captured Earth and the Solar system from an incredible distance

The Voyager crafts have set numerous records since they were launched in 1977, including Voyager 1 becoming the only spacecraft to have entered interstellar space.

Nasa launched the Voyager 1 spacecraft on September 5 1977, and the Voyager 2 on August 20 1977.

Each spacecraft carries a golden record on board  a record that includes sounds, pictures and messages of Earth.

Mr Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for Nasa's Science Mission Directorate said: 'I believe that few missions can ever match the achievements of the Voyager spacecraft during their four decades of exploration.

'They have educated us to the unknown wonders of the universe and truly inspired humanity to continue to explore our solar system and beyond.'

Despite being more than 40 years old, the Voyagers are still transmitting sporadically, but Nasa expects it will go silent by 2030. Voyager 1 is currently 13 billion miles away from Earth, travelling northward through space. It's sibling, Voyager 2, is now 11 billion miles from Earth, travelling south towards the interstellar region

Despite being more than 40 years old, the Voyagers are still transmitting sporadically, but Nasa expects it will go silent by 2030.

Voyager 1 is currently 13 billion miles away from Earth, travelling northward through space.

It's sibling, Voyager 2, is now 11 billion miles from Earth, travelling south towards the interstellar region.
An 800-year-old 'Made in China' label has revealed new clues about the lost history of a shipwreck and its cargo.

The mysterious ship sank in the Java Sea, off the coast of Indonesia, hundreds of years ago - but little is known about the vessel or its journey.

Its wooden hull had disintegrated over time, leaving only a treasure trove of cargo.

The ship was carrying ceramics marked with an inscription that indicates they were made in Jianning Fu, a government district in China.

Researchers have now used the label to date the shipwreck to a hundred years earlier than previously thought.

They now believe the ship may have sunk late in 1200s and as early as 1162, although the circumstances still remain a mystery.

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An 800-year-old 'Made in China' label (pictured) has revealed the lost history of a shipwreck and its cargo. This Chinese inscription mentions a location, Jianning Fu, that dates from AD 1162 to 1278

The ship had been carrying thousands of ceramics and luxury goods for trade, and they remained on the ocean floor until the 1980s when the wreck was discovered by fishermen.

In the years since, archaeologists have been studying artifacts retrieved from the shipwreck to piece together where the ship was from and when it departed.

In a new study researchers describe the equivalent of a 'Made in China' label on a piece of pottery which has helped explain what happened to the ill-fated vessel.

Study lead author Doctor Lisa Niziolek, an archaeologist at the Field Museum in Chicago, said: 'Initial investigations in the 1990s dated the shipwreck to the mid- to late 13th Century, but we've found evidence that it's probably a century older than that.

'Eight hundred years ago, someone put a label on these ceramics that essentially says "Made in China" - because of the particular place mentioned, we're able to date this shipwreck better.'

The ship was carrying ceramics marked with an inscription that might indicate they were made in Jianning Fu, a government district in China.

But after the invasion of the Mongols around 1278, the area was reclassified as Jianning Lu.

The slight change in name tipped Dr Niziolek and her colleagues off that the shipwreck may have occurred earlier than the late 1200s, and potentially as early as 1162.

Dr Niziolek claims that after the Mongol colonisation, it is unlikely the ship was carrying old pottery with the outdated name.

Pictured are Chinese ceramic bowls in situ at the Java Sea Shipwreck site. As well as the pottery found at the wreck site, the ship was also carrying elephant tusks and sweet-smelling resin. These were carbon dated to find out when the ship sunk

She said: 'There were probably about a hundred thousand pieces of ceramics on-board.

'It seems unlikely a merchant would have paid to store those for long prior to shipment - they were probably made not long before the ship sank.'

The ship was also carrying elephant tusks for use in medicine or art and sweet-smelling resin for use in incense or for caulking ships.

Dr Niziolek said both the tusks and the resin were critical to re-dating the wreck.

Because both the resins and the tusks come from living things, the treasures could be radiocarbon dated.

This technique make use of the carbon present in all living things.

Researchers have discovered that the mystery ship had been carrying thousands of ceramics (pictured) and luxury goods for trade, and they remained on the ocean floor until the 1980s when the wreck was discovered by fishermen

The mysterious ship sank in the Java Sea, off the coast of Indonesia , hundreds of years ago - but little is known about the vessel or its journey

A type of carbon atom called C-14 is unstable and decays relatively steadily over time.

Scientists can use the amount of C-14 in a sample to determine how old it is.

The analysis, known as radiocarbon dating, had originally been done decades ago and pointed to the shipwreck being about 700 to 750 years old.

But Dr Niziolek said analytical techniques have improved since then, and the scientists wanted to see if the date held.

The ship's wooden hull had disintegrated over time, leaving only a treasure trove of cargo lying on the sea bed that was then collected and studied

A team of archaeologists and divers gathered all the items that were found at the site of the shipwreck and brought it to the surface. This was done in the 1980s and the findings have been studied several times since

The amount of decayed carbon found in the resins and tusks revealed that the cargo was older than previously thought.

Researchers brought all these clues together and concluded that the shipwreck was indeed older than previously thought -somewhere in the region of 800 years old.

Dr Niziolek said: 'When we got the results back and learned that the resin and tusk samples were older than previously thought, we were excited.

'We had suspected that based on inscriptions on the ceramics and conversations with colleagues in China and Japan, and it was great to have all these different types of data coming together to support it.'

She said the fact that the shipwreck happened 800 years ago instead of 700 years ago is a big deal for archaeologists.

WHAT IS CARBON DATING AND HOW IS IT USED? Carbon dating, also referred to as radiocarbon dating or carbon-14 dating, is a method that is used to determine the age of an object. Carbon-14 is a carbon isotope that is commonly used by archaeologists and historians to date ancient bones and artefacts. The rate of decay of carbon-14 is constant and easily measured, making it ideal for providing age estimates for anything over 300 years old. It can only be used on objects containing organic material - that was once 'alive' and therefore contained carbon. The element carbon apears in nature in a few slightly different varieties, depending on the amount of neutrons in its nucleus. Called isotopes, these different types of carbon all behave differently. Most of the stable, naturally occurring carbon on Earth is carbon 12 - it accounts for 99 per cent of the element on our planet. While carbon-14 is a radioactive version of carbon. Carbon-14 occurs naturally in the atmosphere as part of carbon dioxide, and animals absorb it when they breathe. Animals stop taking it in when they die, and a finite amount of the chemical is stored in the body. Radioactive substances all have a half-life, the length of time it takes for a material to lose half of its radioactivity. Carbon-14 has a long half-life, 5,370 years to be exact. This long half-life can be used to find out how old objects are by measuring how much radioactivity is left in a specimen. Due to the long half-life, archaeologists have been able to date items up to 50,000 years old. Radiocarbon dating was first invented in the 1940s by an American physical chemist called Willard Libby. He won the 1960 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery. Advertisement

By studying the artefacts and their inscriptions as well as carbon dating the organic materials, the scientists found that the the shipwreck occurred 800 years ago instead of 700 years ago

Archaeologists believe the shipwreck occurred at a time of important transition. Original analysis had been done decades ago and pointed to the shipwreck being about 700 to 750 years old. Improvements to the technique make this latest finding more accurate

'This was a time when Chinese merchants became more active in maritime trade, more reliant upon oversea routes than on the overland Silk Road,' Dr Niziolek continued.

'The shipwreck occurred at a time of important transition.'

She added: 'The salvage company Pacific Sea Resources recovered these artefacts in the 1990s, and they donated them to the Field Museum for education and research.

'There's often a stigma around doing research with artefacts salvaged by commercial companies, but we've given this collection a home and have been able to do all this research with it.

'It's really great that we're able to use new technology to re-examine really old materials. These collections have a lot of stories to tell and should not be entirely discounted.'
Astronomers have lost track of nearly 900 near-Earth asteroids.

These space rocks, which orbit uncomfortably close to our planet, were spotted just once by scientists.

Researchers were unable to continue tracking them, which means they have no way of knowing if they are on a collision course with Earth.

Despite fears they could smash into Earth, experts say there is a 'low chance' of of surprise near-Earth asteroids causing damage.

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Astronomers have lost track of nearly 900 near-Earth asteroids that could be on a doomsday collision course with our planet (stock image)

Near Earth asteroids (NEAs) are space rocks that come within 30 million miles (48 million km) of Earth's orbit.

So far, astronomers have spotted more than 8,000 near-Earth asteroids that are at least 460 feet (140 meters) wide.

This is large enough to wipe out an entire city.

Between 2013 and 2016, 17,030 NEAs were listed by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Centre in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Of these, 11 per cent - nearly 1,900 - were labelled 'initially unconfirmed', meaning they were observed a few times but not enough to pin down their orbit.

In a new study, researchers at the Minor Planet Centre combed through the data to find out why astronomers lost track of so many of the objects.

They discovered that astronomers were often too slow to track their orbits.

NEAs are typically picked out by asteroid survey systems that use telescopes powered by artificial intelligence to scan large swathes of the night sky.

Each of these space rocks, which orbit uncomfortably close to our planet's own trajectory, had been spotted once but scientists have not continued tracking them. Pictured is a visualisation of the orbits of 1,400 near-Earth asteroids released by Nasa in 2014

These systems then submit their findings for confirmation from a secondary source, and the researchers found that a delay between these two readings is often the reason NEAs are lost.

Some telescopes take more than 20 hours to report potential NEAs, making them almost impossible to spot again and confirm.

'We need to act fast,' study lead author Dr Peter Veres told New Scientist.

'Tomorrow, that object could be on the other side of the sky, and nobody really knows where it will be.'

To make their finding the team looked at data from some of Earth's most prolific asteroid hunting systems, including Pan-STARRS, the Catalina Sky Survey, the Dark Energy Survey, and the Space Surveillance Telescope.

Explained: The difference between an asteroid, meteorite and other space rocks An asteroid is a large chunk of rock left over from collisions or the early solar system. Most are located between Mars and Jupiter in the Main Belt. A comet is a rock covered in ice, methane and other compounds. Their orbits take them much further out of the solar system. A meteor is what astronomers call a flash of light in the atmosphere when debris burns up. This debris itself is known as a meteoroid. Most are so small they are vapourised in the atmosphere. If any of this meteoroid makes it to Earth, it is called a meteorite. Meteors, meteoroids and meteorites normally originate from asteroids and comets. For example, if Earth passes through the tail of a comet, much of the debris burns up in the atmosphere, forming a meteor shower. Advertisement

They studied the influence of telescope positions and motion, brightnesses of objects, submission delays between sources, and more.

The team also analysed the size of each potential-NEA based on the brightness of their initial readings, finding that 900 were likely asteroids.

The largest of the lost rocks appears to measure a few kilometres across, Dr Veres told New Scientist.

For comparison, the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs is believed to have measured around 6.2 miles (10km) across.

One hundred and two of the unconfirmed NEAs were larger than 140 metres making them 'potentially hazardous.'

Dr Veres added that regardless of how close the objects get it is unlikely they would be large enough to destroy Earth.

'We believe that the largest ones  planetary killers larger than one kilometer  those are basically all found,' the astronomer told New Scientist.

'I would say the danger is coming from objects we havent discovered yet,' he said.
Tamara de Lempicka, the Polish painter known for her Art Deco work that portrayed Jazz Age high society, has been honoured in the Google Doodle for May 16, 2018.

Also known as the Baroness with a Brush, Tamara de Lempickas style paid tribute to the Roaring Twenties and her paintings are being celebrated on what would have been her 120th birthday.

From being a refugee who was forced to move from St. Petersburg to Paris after the Russian Revolution began, she completed her training in art under the likes of French painters Andre Lhote. But who was Tamara de Lempicka?

Artist Tamara De Lempicka seen here with her painting Portrait of a Man, a painting of her husband Tadeusz

Who was Tamara de Lempicka?

Born Maria Gorska on May 16, 1868 in Warsaw, then part of Congress Poland, Tamaras first portrait was of her sister after she was dissatisfied with the work of an artist that her mother had commissioned.

In 1911, she attended a boarding school in Lausanne, Switzerland but soon left after she expressed her dislike for the establishment.

Tamara was then taken on a tour of Italy by her grandmother, where her interest in art developed and after the divorce of her parents, she returned to Lausanne but did not spend the holidays with her family in protest of the separation.

She spent her summers with her Aunt Stefa in St Petersburg and in 1915, Tamara met a Polish lawyer, Tadeusz Lempicki. After her family offered him a large dowry, they married in 1916.

However, during the time of the Russian Revolution, Tadeusz was arrested by the Cheka and Tamara was forced to search prisons for him with the help of the Swedish consul and secured his release.

They traveled to Copenhagen, London and Paris and after their daughter Kizette was born, Tamara decided to become a painter and went on to study at the Academie de la Grand Chaumiere with Maurice Denis and then, Andre Lhote.

This photo shows Portrait of Ira P. painted by Tamara de Lempicka in 1930, capturing the essence of modernism and the Art Deco spirit in Paris during 20's and 30's

Tamara de Lempicka paintings

Tamaras first paintings were portraits of her daughter and neighbour and she sold them through the Galerie Colette-Weil, that allowed her to exhibit her work at a number of galleries.

Her breakthrough came when her work was exhibited at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts and she was spotted by journalists from Harpers Bazaar.

After showing off her work in Milan, where she met the poet Gabriele dAnnunzio, Tamaras paintings grew in popularity. Around the same time, she divorced Tadeusz and became the mistress of the art collector, Baron Raoul Kuffner.

They met after the Baron had commissioned a portrait of his then-girlfriend Nana de Herrera, but Tamara soon took her place and they later married in Zurich in 1934.

Gallery technicians at Sotheby's auction house seen here lifting a painting by Tamara de Lempicka entitled Portrait de Marjorie Ferry from 1932, expected to fetch up to 4 million, in 2009 in London

Her self-portrait, Tamara in a Green Bugatti, appeared on the cover of German fashion magazine Die Dame in 1929 and her first American show at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh was a hit, but the Wall Street crash wiped out the proceeds.

During the 1930s, she painted the likes of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Queen Elizabeth of Greece and her style that was perceived as post-Cubist and neoclassical grew in demand.

After settling in Los Angeles, California and having sold off the Barons properties in Hungary during the Second World War, the pair remained popular but her work was not as respected with the movement of abstract expressionism having taken over.

Tamara de Lempicka's cause of death

Baron Kuffner died of a heart attack on an ocean liner in 1961 and Tamara moved to Houston, Texas with Kizette and her husband, a geologist.

Tamara then lived in Cuernavaca, Mexico until she passed away in her sleep on March 18, 1980.

Victoria De Lempicka, grand-daughter of the artist Tamara De Lempicka, seen here standing in front of Adam and Eve (1931) which is part of the Art Deco Icon exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts in London

What is a Google Doodle?

Tamara de Lempicka has been honoured in the Google Doodle for May 16, 2018 with illustrations by Matthew Cruickshank.

Tamara de Lempicka has been honoured in the Google Doodle for May 16, 2018 with illustrations by Matthew Cruickshank

Matthew pays homage to the artist and said: Few artists embodied the exuberant roaring twenties more than Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka.

Her fast paced, opulent lifestyle manifests itself perfectly into the stylized Art-Deco subjects she celebrated in her paintings.

I first encountered Lempicka's work at her Royal Academy show in London, 2004. I was struck by the scale and skill of her paintings coupled with her life (as colorful as her work!).

I chose to place a portrait of Lempicka in my design with accompanying motifs evocative of the roaring '20s and '30s. It's no easy feat to recreate any artists work - but I hope to have done so here.

Early concepts of the Tamara de Lempicka Google Doodle, illustrated by Matthew Cruickshank shown here

A Google Doodle will celebrate events around the world with illustrations on the Google homepage and is incorporated into the Google logo.

Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin marked their visit to the 1998 Burning Man Festival in California with the first ever Doodle and this was their way of letting users know they were 'out-of-office'.

Today, team of illustrators, designers, animators and artists, like Matthew Cruickshank, work on the Google Doodles and the logos are hyperlinked to a page that provides more information about the cultural event celebrated.

Recent Google Doodles include Chantal Akerman, Mrinalini Sarabhai and Maria Reiche.
Russia's hypersonic glide vehicle weapon that can strike anywhere in the world within minutes will be ready by 2020.

That's according to anonymous sources who claim they have access to US intelligence about the vehicle, dubbed Avangard.

Avangard, which the US is currently unable to defend against, can allegedly travel at 20 times the speed of sound.

Russia successfully tested Avangard twice in 2016, the sources claim.

A third test in October 2017 failed when the platform crashed seconds before hitting its target, they said.

But Moscow, which has been developing the weapon for three decades, remains on track to get ready for war in the next two years.

The news comes just months after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed his expanding hypersonic arsenal was 'invincible.'

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Russia's hypersonic weapon that can travel at five times the speed of sound will be ready by 2020. This image taken from footage provided by official website of Russian President: Kremlin.ru shows a computer simulation of the glider vehicle Avangard

The Avangard glide vehicle is designed to sit atop of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Once launched, it uses aerodynamics to sail on top of the atmosphere.

It is capable of making sharp twists and turns on its way to targets, making it absolutely invulnerable to any missile defence system.

Speaking to CNBC, the sources claim one intelligence report noted that during tests Avangard glide vehicles were mounted to Russian-made SS-19 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

One of the trial gliders featured a mock warhead, though it is still unknown if the weapons will carry explosives when they enter service.

The Russians are planning to conduct a fourth test sometime this summer.

'These kinds of boost glide vehicles attack the gaps in our missile defence system,' Thomas Karako, director of the Missile Defence Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told CNBC.

The vehicles are equipped with onboard countermeasure systems capable of dodging even the most advanced missile defence systems. This artist's impression shows how the glider could manoeuvre at high speed to bypass missile defences en route to its target

The news comes more than two months after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed his expanding hypersonic arsenal was 'invincible' (file photo)

WHAT IS RUSSIA'S AVANGARD HYPERSONIC GLIDE VEHICLE? Russia is developing a hypersonic weapon that can breach even the world's most advanced missile defense systems. The Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle travels at 20 times the speed of sound and can hit targets anywhere in the world within half an hour. The vehicle launches atop an intercontinental ballistic missile before sailing on top of the atmosphere toward its target. It is loaded with advanced countermeasure systems that allow it to skirt around missile defense systems. The gliders are also highly unpredictable thanks to their exceptional maneuverability, making them almost impossible to track. Each weapon could be loaded with a nuclear warhead but experts say the sheer speed of the vehicles means they would do damage even without an explosive payload. Putin described his hypersonic arsenal as 'invincible' during a state-of-the-nation address in March 2018. He claimed Avangard strikes 'like a meteorite, like a fireball' and was capable of reaching targets at 20 times the speed of sound. At this speed the weapon could circle the Earth in just over half an hour. Advertisement

'There's no time like the present to modify our current missile defence posture,' Mr Karako added, saying it was 'unfortunate that we have let Russia come this far.'

Putin described his hypersonic arsenal as 'invincible' during a state-of-the-nation address in March.

He claimed the Avangard would fly to targets at a speed 20 times the speed of sound and strike 'like a meteorite, like a fireball.'

Standing in front of a large projection of computer generated missiles and simulated strikes on American soil, the former KGB agent said the hypersonic glider had already entered serial production.

The hypersonic glide vehicle, dubbed Avangard, launches atop an intercontinental ballistic missile (IBM) before sailing on top of the atmosphere toward its target. Russia tested its latest IBM, the Sarmat missile, for the first time last year (pictured)

WHAT ARE HYPERSONIC MISSILES AND HOW DO THEY WORK? Aircraft and missiles are said to be hypersonic once they exceed speeds of Mach 5 and above, or five times the speed of sound. This occurs at 1,715 metres per second (3,836mph / 6,174kmh). The latest class of hypersonic missiles would be smaller, guided and designed to carry conventional explosives for time-sensitive, rapid response in theatre operations. There are two kinds of approaches to solving the hypersonic challenge in missiles: 'scramjet' and 'boost glide.' The air-breathing scramjet relies on high speed for its power. As it accelerates, more air and fuel is pushed into the engine, allowing it to accelerate even more - to hypersonic speeds. The boost glide model rides a reentry vehicle to extremely high altitudes, where it skips across the Earth's upper atmosphere. Traditional ballistic missiles already travel at hypersonic speeds. Built to carry nuclear and conventional warheads, these weapons are capable of reaching outer space in the course of their flights, but they can't manoeuvre. Advertisement

'I want to tell all those who have fuelled the arms race over the last 15 years, sought to win unilateral advantages over Russia, introduced unlawful sanctions aimed to contain our country's development: You have failed to contain Russia,' Putin said.

America's top nuclear commander said US forces are unable to defend against a hypersonic weapon during a speech in March.

'We don't have any defence that could deny the employment of such a weapon against us,' Air Force General John Hyten, commander of US Strategic Command, told lawmakers at the Senate Armed Services Committee.

'Both Russia and China are aggressively pursuing hypersonic capabilities,' he said, adding that the US had 'watched them test those capabilities.'
Microsoft may be planning to go head-to-head with Apple in the tablet market.

The tech giant could release a line of cheaper Surface tablets as a way to better compete with the iPad, Bloomberg reported, citing sources close to the situation.

A range of cheaper Surface models could start at $400 and could hit the shelves as soon as the second half of 2018.

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Microsoft could release a line of cheaper Surface tablets (pictured) as a way to better compete with the iPad. The cheapest version would start at $400 and hit the shelves in 2018

They'd feature rounded edges, USB-C ports and a 10-inch screen, making them comparatively smaller than the Surface Pro, which features a 12-inch screen and starts at $799.

Meanwhile, the standard iPad has a 9.7-inch screen.

The devices will also be lighter than high-end models and will be equipped for up to four hours of battery life, while the Surface Pro lasts for 13.5 hours on a single charge.

One version of the upcoming Surface will have 64gb storage, while another model will have 128gb worth of storage, Bloomberg said.

They'll both be able to connect to LTE cellular networks and will run Windows 10 Pro.

Alongside the devices, Microsoft plans to launch a cheaper keyboard cover, stylus and mouse -- the current package costs $160.

Alongside a line of cheaper Surface tablets, Microsoft plans to launch a cheaper keyboard cover, stylus and mouse -- the current package costs $160

Microsoft declined to comment on the rumors of a cheaper Surface model, Bloomberg said.

By releasing a cheaper Surface model, Microsoft is trying to gain a bigger share of the low-cost tablet market, which Apple recently tapped into with its latest iPad version.

Microsoft tried to do this before when it released the $499 Surface RT tablet in 2012.

However, the firm later discontinued the Surface RT in 2017.

Instead, it began to focus on the Surface Pro, a higher end, more expensive version of its tablets.

Although Microsoft has yet to have a blowout success with the Surface, interest in the devices has sparked in recent months, with Surface revenue growing 32% in the most recent quarter.

On Tuesday, the company released the gigantic Surface Hub 2 touchscreen, a 50.5-inch device that is designed to replace the whiteboard.

Apple's tablet business continues to dwarf Microsoft's, generating $20 billion in revenue during the past four quarters, while the Surface business brought in about $4.4 billion in the same period.

Microsoft's cheaper Surface tablets would reportedly feature a 10-inch screen, which is about the same size of the standard iPad (pictured). The base iPad has a 9.7-inch screen

WHAT ARE THE SPECS OF APPLE'S NEW 'AFFORDABLE' IPAD? At Apple's Spring 2018 event in Chicago the company announced a new 9.7-inch iPad dubbed its 'most affordable' model yet. The latest incarnation of the tablet integrates with Apple Pencil and features over 200,000 education dedicated apps. Below are the device's specs: - Available for $329 for consumers and $299 for schools in the US - It will cost 319 in the UK for a 32GB Wi-Fi only model and 449 for 32GB for Wi-Fi + cellular model - Support for Apple Pencil - Available in silver, space grey and gold - TouchID fingerprint scanner - Ten-hour battery life - Eight mega-pixel camera - A10 fusion microchip - Augmented Reality (AR) compatibility Advertisement

The iPhone maker recently released a $329 version of the iPad at its Spring 2018 event in March.

The latest incarnation of the tablet integrates with Apple Pencil and is available for $299 for schools in the US.

As well as a ten-hour battery life, eight mega-pixel camera, an A10 fusion chip and 9.7-inch Retina display, the one pound (154g) mobile computer will also feature over 200,000 education dedicated apps.

The iPad is also equipped with LTE cellular connectivity.

At the same time, Apple is believed to already be prepping a next-generation iPad with facial recognition technology that can be used to unlock the device.

The home button would be dropped in favor of an all-screen device, not unlike the 10th anniversary iPhone X, which was released last fall.

A revamped version would mark the first time the iPad's appearance has been redesigned since the first iPad Pro debuted in 2015.

Apple is reportedly preparing to release the device as soon as this year.
A previously underestimated problem in coffee farming has been threatening the worldwide production of the popular drink.

A microscopic worm that lives in the soil is targeting the roots of the coffee plant and causing significant damage.

Two species nematodes feed on the plant roots, weakening the plant and ultimately cause yield loss, but with no significant symptoms, making them hard to identify.

But, scientists are coming up with a plan to combat the parasites.

The world's supply of coffee beans is challenged by two major parasite species that live in the soil and damage the roots of the plant with no specific symptoms

The nematodes also enjoy banana and black pepper plants, which are often grown alongside coffee providing a rich environment for them to thrive.

The team, led by researchers from the University of Leeds, took soil samples from plantations in Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia.

They analyzed these samples to identify DNA from the worms and found them at damaging levels wherever they looked.

'We found widespread evidence of these parasites,' said Peter Urwin, Professor of Plant Nematology at the University of Leeds Faculty of Biological Science.

'The exact species vary by country and looking at soil samples, I can tell the difference between Vietnam and Brazil or Indonesia.

'The sad fact is that wherever we take samples, we find plant-parasitic nematodes, which are hugely damaging to coffee crops.'

According to the researchers, this is the first to assess plant-parasitic nematodes in coffee fields by sampling multiple crop plants in three major coffee producing countries.

And, the scientists have now developed a method to quickly detect the presence of the parasites.

According to the researchers, this is the first to assess plant-parasitic nematodes in coffee fields by sampling multiple crop plants in three major coffee producing countries

WHAT ARE NEMATODES? Nematodes are a type of microscopic worm, and there are more than 15,000 known species of them. Thousands of individual nematodes can be found in a handful of garden soil. Some species can contain more than 27 million eggs at one time and lay more than 200,000 of them in a single day. Their body is long and narrow, resembling a tiny thread - and this is the origin of the group's name. The word 'nematode' comes from a Greek word 'nema' that means 'thread'. Nematodes have long and narrow bodies resembling a tiny thread. Pictured is a nematode on a blackberry plant The epidermis (skin) of a nematode is not composed of cells like other animals, but instead is a mass of cellular material and nuclei without separate membranes. This epidermis secretes a thick outer cuticle which is both tough and flexible. The cuticle is the closest thing a nematode has to a skeleton, and its used as a support and leverage point for movement. Long muscles lie underneath the cuticle. These muscles are all aligned longitudinally along the inside of the body, so the nematode can only bend its body from side to side, not crawl or lift itself, so free-swimming nematode looks like it's thrashing about aimlessly. Source: University of California Museum of Paleontology Advertisement

'We report the development of a molecular pipeline that combines novel with previously reported primer sets to identify and quantify nematodes extracted from soil surrounding coffee plants and its intercrops,' the study reads.

'A main aim was to identify the complex of species of Pratylenchus and Meloidogyne present in the soil rather than a single species.

'The procedures were designed to require neither specialized equipment for nematode extraction nor taxonomic expertise, thus underpinning the potential for widespread adoption by extension workers.'

Scientists have now developed a method to quickly detect the presence of the parasites in coffee plants in Brazil, Vietnam, and Indonesia

While the finding suggests coffee plants may be facing greater threats than previously suspected, it isn't all bad news.

The researchers say their method could be used to better understand where the parasitic species live, so growers can fight back.

'We were alarmed by the number of parasites we found in our samples and hope our method will be taken up by others so we better understand what we are facing,' said PhD researcher Christopher Bell.

'Ultimately, farmers and growers should benefit from this work and take appropriate mitigating actions,'
Innovative new technology from ContinUse Biometrics will allow patients to monitor multiple body functions from home with use of a laser.

The nanotechnology can monitor the user's health and breathing through clothing from up to a meter away.

It can measure respiration, lung activity, temperature, blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, glucose, alcohol level and even muscle activity.

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Innovative new technology from ContinUse Biometrics will allow patients to monitor multiple body functions from home with use of a laser. It can measure respiration, lung activity, temperature, blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, glucose, alcohol level and muscle activity

'Our sensor consists of a camera with special optics and a laser. They can be connected to any type of consumer device, such as mobile phones or TVs,' said Professor Zeev Zalevsky, the Chief Technology Officer.

'We use unique and patented optical methods to capture nano-vibrations created by the movement of internal organs, chemicals, and molecules in the body of the subject that we are trying to sense.'

The tech is particularly helpful for people with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

The device is intended for hospital patients or those with chronic diseases who need close monitoring at home.

The nanotechnology can monitor the user's health and breathing through clothing from up to a meter away. The device is intended for hospital patients or those with chronic diseases who need close monitoring at home

'Providing continuous medical care to those who need it is currently expensive and inefficient. We need to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to all,' said CEO Asher Polani.

'Providing that kind of preventive care improves quality of life and can save patient's lives,' Polani continued.

The startup has locations in Israel, Spain and the Silicon Valley.

'Our remote sensor is easy to use - it doesn't interfere with the user's daily routines, nor does the user's environment affect the quality of measurements.

'That's right, no need to remove clothes, change position, turn on the light, or do anything else!' the website reads.
Restaurants close to a citys landmarks are often tourist traps  overpriced and inauthentic. But thats not true of the eateries around Romes Trevi Fountain. Theres an array of brilliant restaurants near here ranging from pitstop panini places to trattorias and veggie-friendly antipasto bars to upmarket Michelin-worthy establishments. One thing to keep in mind is that lots of restaurants in this area dont open on a Sunday, so plan ahead.

Our Rome insider has picked the best places to eat near the Trevi Fountain

Il Chianti

Il Chianti has a lovely terrace area  think wonky cobbles, big canopies, plenty of space and lots of flowers. It serves mostly Tuscan dishes such as pappardelle with slow-cooked boar sauce and hearty bean soups, but its hard to resist the plates of cold meats and cheese, washed down with a large glass of local wine when the suns out. Open daily, 12000100.

Bus: Tritone/Fontana Trevi

Colline Emiliane

Since its beginnings in the 1930s, Colline Emilianes ethos has been all about family, quality and artisanship. Pasta is made by hand daily  and if youre to try anything from this category, make it the pumpkin ravioli  as are the creamy desserts, and the menu has a comforting, hearty feel. Think milk-braised veal with mash, meat dumplings in broth and caramelised pear cake. Prices are reasonable considering the restaurants location. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 12451445 and 19302245 and Sunday, 12451445.

Bus: Tritone/Barberini

Le Tamerici

Le Tamerici is an upscale seafood restaurant. It serves tartare of the day, every day, as well as incredible oysters and a plethora of delicate pasta dishes. Its tradition in Rome to have fish, often cod and often battered, on a Friday, and the roasted version served with peas here is both comforting and contemporary. The prices reflect the level of presentation and service youll get, so expect to pay around 55 per person without drinks. Open Monday to Friday, 12301500 and 19302330 and Saturday, 19302330.

Bus: Tritone/Fontana Trevi

Ristorante Moma

About 10 minutes from the Trevi Fountain, Ristorante Moma is an example of Romes ability to innovate without losing sight of its culinary roots. The setting is quiet and romantic, and food is displayed in the most beautiful way, making this a perfect spot for a special occasion. The spaghetti cacio e pepe is very good here, but plump for something a bit more inventive to go with it, like the oxtail stew with bitter cocoa and celery or lightly breaded meatballs with white truffles, displayed all in a row with a smudge of porcini paste along one side. Top tip: under-order, as youre likely to be brought a few complimentary surprises along the way. Open Monday to Saturday, 12301500 and 19302300.

Bus: Veneto/Emilia

Ostaria Romana

Thanks to Italys love of pasta, pizza, and deep-fried vegetables, its easy to find something veggie-friendly in Rome. One of the best restaurants near the Trevi Fountain for vegetarians  and anyone who appreciates authentic Roman food  is Ostaria Romana. Its always full of locals, so youll need to book well in advance to secure a table, and is home to an amazing antipasto bar brimming with olives, beans, sauteed vegetables, frittata, mozzarella and ricotta. Dont let the scribbles on the walls put you off. Look a little closer and youll see theyre messages from very happy customers. Open Monday to Saturday, 12301500 and 19152300.

Bus: Traforo/Tritone

Enjoy an unforgettable meal near the iconic fountain

Trattoria della Stampa

This unassuming restaurant is family-run and fuss-free. Theres a small menu on the door but one of the owners will come to your table and talk you through the options, which change every day. Stop by for lunch as they often have lighter bites like omelettes, or soups. This is genuine Roman home cooking at its best and the prices certainly do not reflect its location so close to the Trevi Fountain. Open Monday to Friday, 12151530 and 19002300.

Bus: Tritone/Fontana Trevi

Baccano

Baccano is a modern brasserie inspired by a melting post of cuisines  French, American and Mediterranean shine through. Theres lots of options for vegetarians, fussy kids and anyone who needs a break from typical Roman dishes. The foie gras is excellent as is the burrata-topped bruschetta, but theres also burgers, pasta, salad, and steaks. You dont need a reservation, and its open all day. If you were up early to see the Trevi Fountain and skipped breakfast, be thankful you know about Baccano  there isnt loads of choice for the first meal of the day in this part of the city. Open daily, 11000200.

Bus: Corse/Minghetti
Travellers can now set up home wherever they please thanks to a nifty new luggage set which holds a kitchen, office and even a bed.

Milan-based designer Mark Sadler crafted the slick accessories for suitcase brand Fabbrica Pelletterie Milano (FPM).

But the complete set doesn't come cheap and will set customers back 16,000.

Now travellers can set up home wherever they please thanks to a nifty luggage set which holds a kitchen, office and bed

The aluminium-clad cases open up, with one housing built-in power, a cooker, a refrigerator, cutlery drawers and a fold out chopping table.

A spokesperson from Sadler's design studio said the cookstation - which hasn't hit the market yet - is expected to retail for 6,500 (5,693).

The office unit - which is currently for sale via FPM for 4,900 (4,293) - includes drawers, a desk and foldout chair.

There are even plug sockets, so users can charge their electronics on-the-go.

Meanwhile, the bed case - priced at 6,900 (6,045) - features a foldout wooden mattress frame and a soft topper.

The bed case - priced at 6,900 (6,045) - features a foldout wooden mattress frame and a soft topper

The office unit - which is currently for sale via FPM for 4,900 (4,293) - includes drawers, a desk and foldout chair

All of the suitcases are finished with leather detailing on the inside straps and handles.

Each has four wheels which spin in all directions for added ease when transporting.

Sadler also makes a more conventional range of aluminum suitcases for FPM, with no quirky surprises lurking inside.

The suitcases could be perfect for well-heeled festival-goers who want to snazz up their camp

The kitchen unit includes various drawers for users to stash their cooking implements
Madrid has become the latest Spanish city to propose a crackdown on Airbnb-style holiday rentals with new rules that could ban 95 per cent of the listings from the capital.

The proposed legislation wants to place strict new rules on home rentals, especially in the city's historic centre, in a bid to tackle 'mass tourism'.

Locals in the Spanish city fear they are being priced out of rental accommodation in Madrid due to short holiday lets that travellers are booking through websites and apps.

Madrid, pictured, has become the latest Spanish city to propose a crackdown on Airbnb-style holiday rentals with new rules that could ban 95 per cent of the listings from the capital

And now Madrid's secretary for sustainable urban planning, Jose Manuel Calvo, has announced the drastic measures to encourage 'responsible tourism'.

According to The Local, the plans include 'preserving residential use of buildings, putting a stop to permanent use (by tourists) and replace it with temporary, thus preventing housing from becoming accommodation exclusively for tourists.'

This means that apartments cannot be rented out to tourists for more than 90 days of the year and that entire apartment blocks cannot solely be used by tourists.

Meanwhile in Madrid's central zone, holiday rentals on Airbnb and other websites, will need a designated street entrance for tourists and a separate one for permanent residents of the building.

However, a spokesman for Airbnb said: 'Home sharing on Airbnb is helping local families across Madrid afford their homes and rising living costs, while boosting the local economy.

'It is part of the solution to local housing concerns in the city, and is helping put tourism euros in the pockets of local families - not just wealthy hotel groups.

'We look forward to continuing our positive conversations with the City of Madrid on clear and fair rules that differentiate between professionals and regular families occasionally sharing their home.

'Following inaccurate and misleading scraped data that was published in Madrid earlier this year - we produced a report using actual Airbnb data to show the minimal impact home sharing has on the Madrid housing market.'

The plans for Madrid come just days after fellow Spanish city Valencia, also proposed restrictions on Airbnb.

The aerial view over the city of Madrid showing the royal palace. The city has become the latest in Spain to want to crackdown on Airbnb rentals

Officials in the city, on Spain's eastern coast, want to ban private holiday rentals over first floor level.

This would mean holidaymakers would be unable to rent apartments that have sweeping views of the Mediterranean Sea, while in the historic old town, any new rentals will not be allowed.

Meanwhile, last month, Palma on the holiday island of Majorca announced it was set to impose an outright ban on holiday rentals.

The island's capital will be the first in Spain to bring in the ban, which will come into force from July.

The ban comes just months after it was announced that Majorca, as well as Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, are to ban home owners from renting out 'space in flats on websites such as Homeaway and Airbnb without a licence'.

People face fines up to 400,000 euros (360,000) if they do not first obtain a licence.

The rental sites could also be fined if they are found to be carrying adverts from unlicensed clients.
She was certainly dressed for the part.

And on Tuesday, Naomi Watts was seen attending to business on her phone, as she strolled through the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City.

The mother-of-two was classically dressed in a work-wear ensemble.

Working walk: On Tuesday, Naomi Watts, 49, was seen attending to business on her phone, as she strolled through the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City

Naomi tucked a white blouse into a dark, A-line skirt.

The 49-year-old accessorized with shades, a necklace, a watch and a green purse.

Her look was complete with a pair of open-toe, chunky heels.

Classic: The British beauty tucked a white blouse into a dark, A-line skirt

Tuesday was a good day for the star.

It was announced that Naomi will co-star with Frank Grillo in the upcoming film, Once Upon a Time in Staten Island.

Bobby Cannavale is also set to star in the project, directed by James DeMonaco, according to Deadline.

The final touches: Naomi accessorized with shades, a necklace, a watch and a green purse. Her look was complete with a pair of open-toe, chunky heels

Naomi and Frank will also team up again for the sci-fi thriller, Boss Level, which co-stars Mel Gibson.

In addition to those two roles, Naomi will appear in The Wolf Hour, The Burning Season, Luce, Ascendant and Ophelia.

The latter of her projects, co-starring Daisy Ridley, is the 're-imagining of Hamlet, told from Ophelia's perspective,' according to IMDB.
Tziporah Malkah appeared on A Current Affair on Tuesday night to discuss pleading guilty to assaulting her ex-boyfriend earlier this year.

But the 44-year-old, formerly known as Kate Fischer, has now lashed out at the Channel Nine program, claiming the footage was edited to make her look 'cray cray'.

After the interview was broadcast, the former model berated ACA on Instagram, writing: 'They were cheap... they can shove any Logies they get up their a**e.'

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'Shove your Logies up your a**e!' Tziporah Malkah has revealed she is 'beyond disappointed' after her A Current Affair interview and accused the show of making her look 'cray cray'

During the program, Tziporah candidly discussed the moment she assaulted her ex-boyfriend and three police officers after ingesting a 'perfect storm' of alcohol and prescription drugs.

A Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday: 'We absolutely reject the assertion that we manipulated the interview to make Tziporah look "cray cray".

'We believe the interview was fair and balanced and provided Tziporah the opportunity to discuss (in broad terms) the circumstances around her recent court appearance in Adelaide.'

Guilty: Tziporah pleaded guilty to assault in a South Australian court this month and received a $1,200 fine without a recorded conviction

In the interview, Tziporah claimed she consumed antidepressants, gin and tonic and Stilnox before she 'cat-scratched' then-boyfriend Guy Vasey in January.

Tziporah pleaded guilty to the charge in a South Australian court earlier this month and received a $1,200 fine without a recorded conviction.

She also spoke to ACA about taking almost a decade to get over her casino mogul ex James Packer and admitted to fantasising 'for years' about rekindling their romance.

'I was heartbroken... I was very smitten with him, I was in love with him,' she said of their 1998 breakup, adding: 'I fantasised for years about us getting back together.'

Later, the fallen star made a bizarre revelation about throwing pieces of jewellery from her ex-boyfriends into the ocean.

She admitted that she did this as a 'cathartic' exercise after returning to Australia in 2011 following a long period living in Los Angeles.

'I fantasised for years about getting back together': Tziporah also spoke about her 'heartbreak' over her ex-fiance James Packer. Pictured in 1998

Taking to social media late on Tuesday night after the ACA interview aired, Tziporah expressed her frustration over the final product and claimed that the producers had made her look 'crazy'.

'To say that I'm disappointed is a very slight way to say how I'm feeling about the segment,' she wrote.

She later added: 'They were cheap and went for the "Tziporah is cray cray" angle.'

Tziporah went on to describe ACA producers as a 'callous bunch', writing: 'They can shove any Logies they get up their a**e. And beware of you and yours, those at ACA: God doesn't like His people being f**ked over.'

However, a Channel Nine spokesperson insisted that Tziporah's suggested angle for the interview - a 'powerful message to victims of domestic violence' - was not appropriate given the circumstances.

'The fact of the matter is Tziporah just pleaded guilty to charges of domestic violence,' they said. 'For her to then wish to make a pitch for victims of domestic violence to come forward would have seemed disingenuous and hollow.'

Ouch! A spokesperson insisted that Tziporah's suggested angle for the interview - a 'powerful message to victims of domestic violence' - was not appropriate given the circumstances

During the interview, Tziporah confessed she was ashamed by her attack on her ex-boyfriend, which happened during an argument about a sick cat.

'I pulled open the bottle of milk, poured it all over his (Mr Vasey's) McDonald's and swished it around, and then just in my frustration I cat-scratched him on the face,' she said.

'I was like: "What have I done?" I was very, very ashamed and very, very sorry.'

Tziporah finished by stating that she had since found a 'new purpose' raising money for the homeless and victims of domestic violence.

Attack: In the interview, Tziporah claimed she consumed antidepressants, gin and tonic and Stilnox before she 'cat-scratched' then-boyfriend Guy Vasey in January

Last week, Tziporah was allowed to walk free from Victor Harbor Magistrates Court, south of Adelaide, where she faced a media pack who asked her if she 'has a problem with police'.

She lashed out at a reporter, telling her, 'I have a problem with you!' before leaving in the back seat of a taxi.

Prior to her comments, she briefly told reporters she was pleased with the magistrate's decision to not record a conviction.

'I think I got off fairly... it was a really good outcome today, and I'd like to thank you all for coming to share my joy,' Tziporah said.

She also revealed she was 'sorry' and had written a letter of apology, which was released by Magistrate Brian Nitschke last week.
She declared herself 'the first woman of colour to have a prominent role in the Star Wars legacy' when the trailer was released in April.

And Thandie Newton paid homage to the black actors who have come before her as she premiered the latest installment, Solo: A Star Wars Story, at Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday night.

Thandie, 45, made quite the statement in a red carpet dress adorned with the faces of fellow stars - including Samuel L. Jackson and John Boyega - as she prepared to make history with her own leading role in the cult franchise.

Take a stand: Thandie Newton made a huge fashion statement in a gown adorned with black Star Wars characters at the Solo: A Star Wars Story premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday

Thandie - who plays the mysterious Val in the franchise spin-off - worked alongside British designer Vivienne Westwood to create the decadent couture gown for the event.

The Westworld star's stylist, Erin Walsh, shared an illustration of the dress in the design process on Instagram, and explained that Thandie wanted to dedicate her red carpet moment to those who came before her.

In the lengthy caption, Erin said: For tonight's #Starwars premiere, Thandie had the brilliant idea to make a dress covered in a print with photos of iconic black @starwars characters! She wanted to celebrate her role in the iconic history of the franchise!!'

Stunning: Thandie - who plays the mysterious Val in the franchise spin-off - worked alongside the British designer to create the elaborately embellished ensemble

Paying tribute: Thandie gave a huge nod to the black Star Wars characters in her custom Vivienne Westwood design, which featured Samuel L. Jackson and John Boyega to name a few

Iconic moment: Thandie is the first black actress to play a leading role in the 71-year franchise

Thandie is the first black actress to play a leading role in the 71-year franchise, and the fashion expert described how the dress finally came together.

Erin continued: '[Christian Hogstedt] photographed the action figures from her personal collection and @viviennewestwood made a SICK print on a gown that's totally ethical'.

The stunning tan floral gown was embellished with the action figures of Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu, Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera and Hugh Quarshie as Captain Panaka.

Thought process: Thandie's stylist, Erin Walsh, shared an illustration of the dress, and explained that she wanted to dedicate her red carpet moment to those who came before her

Representing: The stunning tan haute couture gown also included Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera and Hugh Quarshie as Captain Panaka

Making history: While very little is known about Thandie's character in the hotly anticipated sci-fi flick, the actress got very candid about her feelings towards the long-running series

While very little is known about Thandie's character in the hotly anticipated sci-fi flick, the actress got very candid about her feelings towards the long-running series and its checkered history with diversity.

In an interview with Page Six last month, Thandie admitted she found it 'extraordinary' that it had taken 10 different films for the first black woman to be cast in a starring role.

The screen queen explained: 'I felt excited that I could let go of my own personal resentment and frustration and feeling of hopelessness, frankly.'

Shock: In an interview with Page Six last month, Thandie admitted she found it 'extraordinary' that it had taken 10 different films for the first black woman to be cast in a starring role

'Let go': Thandie explained: 'I felt excited that I could let go of my own personal resentment and frustration and feeling of hopelessness, frankly'

In character: Thandie also revealed her delight at her casting to the Radio Times and shared her excitement over her character getting its own action figure

Paying homage: Thandie's dress included a figure of Billy Dee Williams' Lando Calrissian (pictured)

Diversifying: John Boyega (L) was cast in the franchise reboot as Finn, while Samuel L. Jackson was part of the franchise's prequel era as Mace Windu

Memorable moments: Hugh Quarshie (pictured) starred as Captain Panaka in the 1999 prequel Star Wars: Episode I  The Phantom Menace

Fresh face: Veteran actor Forest Whittacker (pictured) starred in Rogue One as long-standing rebellion fighter Saw Gerrera

Crediting director J.J Abrams for 'starting the conversation' by casting fellow Brit John Boyega in the series reboot The Force Awakens, Thandie shared her elation at the film finally shining a spotlight on diverse characters.

'It felt brand new,' Thandie continued. 'It had that vibe of just rebels out there and that's kind of what I feel like, because in order to break glass ceilings, you kind of got to be a rebel. Rebels get st done.'

'I'm just so grateful to [Abrams]. He's a single individual and what he's doing in cinema is unprecedented. I wish it wasn't unprecedented, but it is.'

So happy: Thandie credited director J.J Abrams for 'starting the conversation' by casting fellow Brit John Boyega in the series reboot The Force Awakens

In the spotlight: 'There have been others with one line and Lupita Nyongo was a computer-generated character but you didnt get to see the colour of her skin' reasoned Thandie

Thandie also revealed her delight at her casting to the Radio Times and shared her excitement over her character getting its own action figure.

Of her character being the first black female lead, the Crash actress told the publication: 'Im the first woman of colour to have a prominent role in the Star Wars legacy.'

'There have been others with one line and Lupita Nyongo was a computer-generated character [in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi], but you didnt get to see the colour of her skin.

'Im the first. Im going to have a toy and everything. Its exciting, but thats all I can say. It is a big deal.'

Little has been revealed about Thandie's character, but from the film's trailer it's clear that she's part of the crew that works alongside young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) as he takes on the criminal underworld.

The film is set to be released in the UK on May 24, and in the US on the 25th.
Sophie Monk has revealed that the upcoming series of Love Island is not for the faint-hearted.

On Tuesday's Triple M Jane Kennedy and Mick Molloy radio show, the 38-year-old said there will be a lot of sex and 'everyone's hot as balls.'

'[It's] a really sexy version of Big Brother without [any] body fat,' the blonde beauty joked to the co-hosts.

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'Everyone's hot as balls': Sophie Monk, 38, revealed to Triple M on Tuesday, that Love Island is a 'sexy version of Big Brother without body fat' and that there will be A LOT of sex

'It's unapologetically stunning. Everyone's hot as balls. Just out of control,' Sophie said of the young cast of singles.

And when questioned by Jane Kennedy as to whether the cast will have sex on the show, Sophie simply responded with 'Yeah'.

The Australian version of the UK reality series premieres on Nine on Sunday 27th of May.

Intimate: Set in Majorca, Spain, the dating show sees contestants couple up with one another, in the hopes of eventually winning a major cash prize

Set in Majorca, Spain, the dating show sees contestants couple up with one another in the hopes of eventually winning a major cash prize.

However over the course of the series, they can partner swap.

Speaking to NW magazine on Monday, Sophie revealed that Love Island producers 'won't be censoring anything!'

Raw: Speaking to NW magazine on Monday, Sophie revealed that Love Island producers 'won't be censoring anything!'

She told the publication: 'We've always tended to be a bit safer here in Australia, but not now - you can see everything. I'm so proud of Channel Nine. Good on them for going fully sexy.'

The hosting gig comes after Sophie's stint on reality series The Bachelorette Australia.

Sophie chose millionaire pub baron Stu Laundy on the grand finale episode, however their romance was short-lived.

The model confirmed their split via an Instagram post in January.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office are reviewing allegations of sexual assault leveled against a friend of Chris Brown for potential charges.

Lowell Grissom Jr. has been accused in a lawsuit of twice raping a woman at a bash at Brown's Tarzana, California home last year.

The allegations against Grissom were presented to Los Angeles prosecutors on Tuesday, according to the New York Daily News.

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Under review: Allegations of sexual assault made against a friend of Chris Brown are now being reviewed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office (Lowell Grissom Jr L, Chris Brown R)

Grissom has previously denied the accusations.

'A case was presented today and is currently under review,' LA County District Attorney Office spokesperson Ricardo Santiago told the website.

Grissom is currently the only target of the case, not Brown, adds the website.

The accuser's lawyer, Gloria Allred, explained she was pleased to see movement in the case.

'I am glad that the case involving Mr. Grissom is being reviewed': The accuser's lawyer, Gloria Allred, explained she was pleased to see movement in the case (pictured May 9, 2018)

'I am glad that the case involving Mr. Grissom is being reviewed by the L.A. County D.A.,' Allred told the NY Daily News.

'Our client will continue to assist law enforcement in every possible way. We look forward to further developments.'

According to TMZ, sources have told the website it will be difficult to prove a lack of consensual sex, where they say evidence is thin.

Not being reviewed: Grissom is currently the only target of the case, not Brown, adds the website (Brown pictured April 2018)

Last Thursday, Grissom's attorney Anthony Willoughby told TMZ that his client 'vehemently denies these false and defaming accusations [that] originated last year, ending with no arrests, no proof, an inconclusive rape kit and after a police investigation,' adding that there were 'no charges filed' in the incident.

'This civil lawsuit is a blatant attempt at a money grab and to harm the reputation of my client while encouraging PR noise for Gloria Allred while she exploits this young woman for her own financial gains and public persona,' Willoughby said.

Grissom was accused by Allred's client of sexually assaulting the woman near a bathroom, and again in a laundry room, at the 28-year-old Grammy winner's mansion.

Willoughby told the outlet he was confident that Grissom Jr. would prevail in the lawsuit, in which he and Brown are accused of sexual battery, gender violence, battery, assault, hate violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.

Master of the stage: Brown performed at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit last year

Grissom's accuser, referred to as Jane Doe in court docs, said the incident occurred following an outing at the club 1Oak in February 2017.

Doe said in court docs that Brown - who was convicted of felony assault in his 2009 attack on ex-girlfriend Rihanna - supplied guests at the party drugs including Molly and cocaine at the heavily-armed home.

She said Brown, with a gun in his waistband, made Grissom 'push a couch in front of the bedroom door' so no one could depart, and then put on porn to 'create a hyper-sexualized' prior to stripping down and having sex with female guests, according to documents obtained by The Blast.

Doe told the court she and her friend were blocked from leaving the room, at which point they were sexually assaulted by Grissom and a woman who was there. Doe said she eventually left the home and was subsequently treated at a rape center, reporting the incident to authorities.

Doe 'filed this lawsuit because she wants justice for herself, but she also wants to warn other young women about the potential danger to themselves if they have their phone taken away and if they go to Chris Browns house,' according to Allred.
She is expecting her second child in October.

And this week My Kitchen Rules star Jess Alvial shared an ultrasound of her unborn baby on Instagram as she hit the halfway mark in her pregnancy.

The 31-year-old joked in the caption that her little one is already taking after his mother, writing: 'When he has his mummys pout already!!'

'When he has his mummys pout already!!' My Kitchen Rules star Jess Alvial shares ultrasound of her unborn baby as she hits the halfway mark in her pregnancy

Growing brood: Jess and and her husband Jason have been married for seven years, and are already the proud parents of four-year-old son Ethan

Jess and her sister Emma were dubbed the 'Botox sisters' on the popular Channel Seven cooking show.

Jess and and her husband Jason have been married for seven years, and are already the proud parents of four-year-old son Ethan.

In her post Jess revealed she became emotional when she found Ethan's baby clothes while packing up his bedroom.

'I broke down last night when we were packing up Ethans bedroom. I found a box with his hospital things and his tiny little coming home outfit!' she explained.

''I looked at my big boy and rubbed my belly thinking how fast time flies!! Hold on to your kiddies for dear life.... Where does time go! My silver lining for now is this little muffin is on his way.'

Popular stars: Jess and her sister Emma were dubbed the 'Botox sisters' on the popular Channel Seven cooking show

Jess and her husband were surprised to hear they were expecting another child so soon, with Jess suffering from endometriosis.

The reality star told New Idea last month: 'This is something we've wanted for a very long time...and it's something we didn't think would happen straight away.

'Because Ethan was a big baby, I had some complications after giving birth and right now there are shadows and cysts and blood clots on my ovaries. So it's something that we have to watch because we're really lucky,' she continued.

Meanwhile Jess found herself involved in the now infamous row that led to rivals Sonya Mefaddi and Hadil Faiza being sent home on My Kitchen Rules.

'Villains' Sonya and Hadil were booted off the show after they hurled a string of profanity-laced insults at their rivals Jess and her sister Emma.
Earlier in the day they enjoyed the glitz and glamour of Fashion Week.

And in the late hours of Tuesday night, reality TV lovebirds Megan Marx and Jake Ellis took the party to their hotel room with 'wine and champagne.'

Gold Coast heartthrob Jake filmed a clip of his 29-year-old girlfriend ambling around their luxury Quay West suite holding one glass of red wine and two empty champagne flutes.

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'We've got wine, we've got champagne!' Bachelor In Paradise's Megan Marx and Jake Ellis enjoy a booze-filled hotel celebration after he fractures his penis

'Just finished up at fashion week, look at this scene...obviously she's still dressed for fashion,' Jake joked as he filmed Megan sauntering around the room.

'We've got wine, we've got champagne and a view of the harbour!' Megan revealed in the Instagram story clip.

Seconds later, Megan took to the photo-sharing app again to give fans a glimpse at their room service feast.

Having a ball: 'We've got wine, we've got champagne and a view of the harbour!' Megan revealed in the Instagram story clip

In the clip, Megan panned over an assortment of burgers, beer-battered chips, bread rolls and steak.

'Hurry up, I'm starving...let's eat, let's eat,' Jake exclaimed in the background.

Megan and Jake recently returned to Australia after a loved-up sojourn in Phuket, Thailand.

During the trip, Megan took to Instagram to profess her love for Jake by sharing this touching message: 'Loving this villa. Loving you.'

Smitten pair: Megan and Jake recently returned to Australia after a loved-up sojourn in Phuket, Thailand

'Loving this villa, loving you': During the trip, Megan took to Instagram to profess her love for Jake by sharing this touching message: 'Loving this villa. Loving you'

Meanwhile Jake is still recovering from an 'excruciating' penis fracture, which occurred while having sex with Megan two months ago.

Last Monday, Jake spoke to NW magazine about his penile injury, describing it as 'the most excruciating thing I've been through in my life.'

He explained that he was getting frisky with Megan in a friend's bathroom in Perth when they heard a 'snap' and knew something had gone terribly wrong.

'Immediately I knew I'd dome some damage to myself, and told Megan I needed to go to the hospital straight away,' Jake said. 'It was very swollen!'

Jake admitted the couple were 'drunk' at the time and claimed he tried to hide what happened from his girlfriend because he feared it would 'turn her off'.

Fortunately, Megan saw the funny side and laughed off Jake's 'broken d**k' incident - however she did acknowledge the sight is 'etched into (her) memory forever'.

After travelling to a nearby hospital in the early hours of the morning, the reality TV lovebirds faced the embarrassment of being recognised in the emergency room.

A doctor asked Jake, 'Do I know you from somewhere?' and Megan confessed that she was worried the incident would expose their relationship before the Bachelor In Paradise finale.
Academic and Islam convert Dr. Susan Carland marked the start of Ramadan on Tuesday night.

The wife of The Project's Waleed Aly, 38, shared a banner she had hung in her home that read: 'Ramadan Mubarak!'

It's believed her family were preparing for the holy month of Islam ahead with a celebratory gathering.

'Ramadan Mubarak!' Waleed Aly's wife Dr. Susan Carland celebrates the start of Ramadan as Muslims prepare to fast during daylight hours for a month

Ramadan is the holy month of Islam, and Muslims fast through the daylight hours. This year, the month runs from May 17 to June 16.

Not only do devotees refrain from eating during the day, but they are also not able to drink water, chew gum or smoke a cigarette while the sun is out.

Muslims who refrain from fasting, but who are financially able are expected to help feed those less fortunate.

Celebrations: Ramadan is the holy month of Islam, and Muslims fast through the daylight hours. This year, the month runs from May 17 to June 16

Last year, Susan was seen celebrating the end of Ramadan with friend and activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied, with the pair pictured jumping for joy.

Captioning her photo with all capital letters, the author wrote: 'We can drink day time coffee!'

Raised a Christian, Susan switched to the Baptist Church as a teenager, but later became a Muslim when she was 19.

Family life: The pair share two children, daughter Aisha 14, and son Zayd, 10, who Waleed has previously boasted about being 'high achievers'

She tied the knot with Waleed in 2002, after the pair knew each other since they were both 16.

When Waleed won the coveted Gold Logie in 2016 for Best Personality On Australian Television, he thanked his beautiful wife during his acceptance speech.

The couple share two children, daughter Aisha 14, and son Zayd, 10, who Waleed has previously boasted about being 'high achievers'.
John Travolta displayed his 'dad moves' as he partied the night away with unlikely pal 50 Cent on Tuesday night.

Going viral in a clip shared to social media, the actor, 64, didn't appear to have a care in the world as he grooved along while the rapper performed his hit, Just a Lil Bit.

Cutting loose after his slick display at the Gotti red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival earlier on in the night, John was seen awkwardly bopping his head along to the music before shaking his hips side to side at the event hosted by MoviePass Ventures.

Hidden talent: John Travolta, 64, displayed his 'dad moves' as he partied the night away with unlikely pal 50 Cent at the Gotti after party at Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday night

John was clearly loving his pal's music as he made his way on stage to display his fancy footwork.

Getting into the rhythm of the popular 2005 rap, John shimmied along before raising his hands in the air to keep the energetic momentum going.

While the audience captured his dance moves on camera, the American Crime Story star continued to be lost in the music.

His slick suit also didn't appear to restrict him in any way as he showed off his best moves, despite 50 Cent having changed out of his red carpet suit for a more casual display for the performance.

Loving life: Going viral in a clip shared to social media, the actor didn't appear to have a care in the world as he grooved along while the rapper performed his hit, Just a Lil Bit

Keeping still: Earlier on in the night, John and 50 Cent put on a suave display on the Gotti red carpet

Work it! Cutting loose after his slick display at the Gotti red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival earlier on in the night, John was seen awkwardly bopping his head along to the music before shaking his hips side to side

Here we go: Travolta attempted to show off his moves after joining 50 Cent onstage

Earlier on in the night, John was joined by his Kelly Preston and two children at the premiere of their new film Gotti.

The glamorous couple stood alongside their daughter Ella Bleu and son Benjamin, marking their first appearance as a family in Cannes Film Festival.

The Grease icon looked dapper in a sharp black velvet tuxedo as he led his family past awaiting cameras with a smile.

Travolta proudly presented his family on the red carpet ahead of the screening in which he takes on the lead role, no doubt happy to have them by his side.

The exit's that way: The actor divided fans with his dance moves on Tuesday evening

Raise your hands: Travolta appeared to encourage the audience as his performance got into full swing

Main man: Fiddy entertained fans with a rousing performance at the after-party in Cannes

Unlikely pals: Following the stage show he shared a warm handshake with Travolta

Pressing palms: The two stars beamed after enjoying a surprise appearance together onstage

The 64-year-old's swept back salt-and-pepper hair and beard gave him a more distinguished look, as he stood proudly next to his wife and daughter.

His wife Kelly, who he is co-starring in new film Gotti, was breathtaking in a strapless busty gown.

The actress donned an embellished dress which was belted around the middle in velvet, accentuating her sensational figure.

It's a family affair: Travolta's wife Kelly Preston and son Benjamin also got into the party spirit on Tuesday evening

Say cheese: The actor beamed as she posed for photos with Kelly, Benjamin and daughter Ella Blue

Hold these: Kelly slipped off her shoes as she prepared to let her hair down on the dance floor

Vantage point: Benjamin climbed onto a sofa to get a better view of the party

My boy: Kelly fussed over her young son as the family made their presence felt at the late night bash

In good company: Actress Ashley Cusato joined Travolta and Kelly at the party on Tuesday evening

Kelly, who held the hand of her youngest child, added a touch more sparkle to her outfit with a pair of statement earrings.

Opting for a similar style, Ella, 18, also donned a dramatic tulle frock, which was adorned with a bold monochrome pattern.

The striking beauty covered her floor-length gown with a cropped black cardigan while working the red carpet.

Ella, who is herself a budding actress, wore her raven locks loose, and again taking inspiration from her mother, added glitz with a pair of earrings.

The Travolta family: John and his wife Kelly turned the Gotti premier into a family affair as they walked the red carpet with their two children earlier that night

The glamorous couple stood alongside their daughter Ella Bleu and son Benjamin as they strolled along marking their first appearance as a family in Cannes

Sophisticated: The Grease icon looked dapper in a sharp black velvet as he led his family past awaiting paparazzi ahead of the screening

Thumbs up: Travolta was in high spirits as he greeted onlookers at the red carpet event

Happy couple: His wife Kelly, who he is co-staring in new film Gotti alongside, was breathtaking in a strapless busty gown

Star appearance: The actress donned an embellished dress which was belted around the middle in velvet, accentuating her sensational figure as she larked around on stage

Side by side: Travolta and his glamorous wife were inseparable for much of the night

Also looking stylish for the event was the Travolta's son Ben, who was making his first outing on the red carpet at the age of seven.

This is the fifth time the couple have teamed up on-screen, previously starring in The Experts (1989), Battlefield Earth (2000), Old Dogs (2009), and From Paris With Love (2010).

The crime drama covers the life of the infamous leader of the Gambino crime family and was directed by Entourage's Kevin Connolly.

The film is a family affair for the Travolta family with daughter Ella Bleu, 18, starring as Gotti's daughter Angel Gotti.

In attendance: Steacy Keach and his wife Malgosia Tomassi were also present on Tuesday evening

My girls: Travolta posed for one of many photos on the night with Kelly and their daughter, Ella Bleu

Rounding out the cast include Stacey Keach, Pruitt Taylor Vince and William DeMeo.

In December it was announced Lionsgate had dropped the John Gotti biopic just 10 days before the movie's scheduled released date.

It's not Travolta's first time commandeering a high-profile role based on a real person, as in 2016, he portrayed attorney Robert Shapiro in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

Gotti is slated to hit theatres June 15.
A look at Sara Huegill's fashion-obsessed Instagram account shows her lusting over luxury goods, including designer shoes and handbags.

The wife of Olympic swimmer Geoff Huegill was arrested on Sunday for allegedly shoplifting a pair of $2,500 leather trousers from a Byron Bay boutique - but they aren't the only high-end item she has been coveting.

On social media, the 34-year-old frequently posts images of high-end products, often tagging her spouse and begging him to buy them for her.

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Expensive taste: A look at alleged shoplifter Sara Huegill's fashion-obsessed Instagram shows her lusting over luxury goods, including designer shoes and handbags. Pictured with Geoff on the Gold Coast on Wednesday in their first public sighting since she was arrested on Sunday

In March, Sara snapped a selfie that showed her trying on a $2,933 'BIKER' jacket from luxury fashion label Off-White.

In the picture's caption, the former PR professional tagged Geoff, who now works at a pool cleaning business in Sydney.

She added the hashtag 'bday wishlist'.

Expensive taste: On social media, the 34-year-old PR professional frequently posts images of high-end products, often tagging her spouse and begging him to buy them for her

Expensive taste: In March, Sara snapped a selfie that showed her trying on a $2,933 'BIKER' jacket from the luxury fashion label Off-White

It's not the only time Sara has shared a changing room snap with her 4,100 Instagram followers.

Last December, she ducked into Australian designer Ellery to try on a shoulderless cotton dress that retails for four figures.

Spanish luxury fashion house Balenciaga seems to be another favourite of Sara's, with its expensive items often featuring on her Instagram account.

Dressed to impress: Last December, Sara ducked into Australian designer Ellery to try on a shoulder-less cotton dress, retailing for upwards of four figures

It appears the mother-of-two frequently stops by high-end boutiques to admire what is on offer.

'WINDOW SHOPPING' she captioned a picture of a $2,845 Balenciaga bag, which was kept under a glass display cabinet.

'Yum yum yum,' she wrote below another photo that showed a $1,870 handbag.

'Window shopping': Recently, Sara captioned a picture of a $2,845 Balenciaga bag which was kept under a glass display cabinet

Label lover: Spanish luxury fashion house Balenciaga seems to be another favourite of Sara's, with its expensive items often featuring on her Instagram account

Footwear fetish! A pair of $1,240 Balenciaga mules also feature on her account

A pair of $1,240 Balenciaga mules also feature on her account, alongside the caption: 'Oh baby!'

Louis Vuitton appears to be another favourite, with Sara sharing a snap of the $2,457 'square bag' from the brand back in November.

She has since shared more images of handbags from the French designer - all of which retail for more than $1,000.

Bag lady! Louis Vuitton appears to be another favourite, with Sara sharing a snap of the $2,457 'square bag' from the brand back in November (left)

Seeing red: Sara has since shared more images of handbags from the French designer - all of which retail for more than $1,000

A life of luxury: In addition to shoes and handbags, the brunette's Instagram account also shows her coveting fancy homewares, including a chic stainless steel tea set

In addition to shoes and handbags, the brunette's Instagram account also shows her coveting fancy homewares, including a chic stainless steel tea set.

And in August, Sara snapped a picture of a luxury Porsche, which was accompanied by the caption: 'PLEASE @geoffhuegill'.

The former competitive swimmer responded: 'But we already have a Volkswagen Beetle darling... they're almost the same'.

'But we already have a Volkswagen Beetle, darling': Sara snapped a picture of a luxury Porsche alongside the caption, 'PLEASE @geoffhuegill'

Alleged incident: Sara allegedly stole a pair of leather trousers worth $2,500 from exclusive Byron Bay boutique Island Luxe on Sunday

Sara allegedly stole a pair of leather trousers worth $2,500 from exclusive Byron Bay boutique Island Luxe on Sunday, which also happened to be Mother's Day.

It is understood Geoff and the couple's two children were nearby at Main Beach while she went shopping.

The family was holidaying in the NSW coastal town at the time of the alleged incident.

The former publicist refused to be interviewed and was released on bail, charged with shoplifting.

Pricey pants: Sara allegedly walked out of the store with $2,500 leather trousers from luxury Australian label Bassike

On Wednesday, Sara and Geoff were spotted together for the first time since the alleged incident.

The pair were pictured leaving a Coles supermarket on the Gold Coast, both looking rather downcast.

Sara shunned the designer clothes she loves, instead dressing down in a baggy Harley-Davidson T-shirt, acid wash jeans and a simple pair of slides.

First sighting: Sara appeared downcast while on a coffee run on the Gold Coast on Wednesday
Last year, she flew to tropical Fiji to film the debut season of Bachelor In Paradise.

But perhaps somebody needs to tell Elora Murger that she's not in the South Pacific anymore.

The 28-year-old arrived at an Australian Fashion Week event on Wednesday wearing a short playsuit and knee-high boots.

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You're not in Fiji anymore! Bachelor In Paradise's Elora Murger arrived at an Australian Fashion Week event in a playsuit and knee-high boots despite the chilly Sydney weather on Wednesday

Elora, who rose to fame on Matty J's season of The Bachelor in 2017, put on a leggy display in her denim-look ensemble.

The reality TV star was pictured strutting through the Carriageworks venue in Sydney in a pair of slinky black boots.

She accessorised with a corset-inspired belt that highlighted her slender figure and styled her brunette hair loosely.

Brr! Elora, who rose to fame on Matty J's season of The Bachelor in 2017, put on a leggy display in her denim-look ensemble as she strutted through the Carriageworks venue in Sydney

During an appearance at Fashion Week on Tuesday, Elora was notably seated in the back row alongside her Paradise co-stars Megan Marx and Jake Ellis.

The trio were pictured at the C/MEO Collective runway show, which also took place at Carriageworks in Eveleigh.

Several meters ahead of them, VIP guests sat in the exclusive front row.

Fashionista: Elora accessorised with a corset-inspired belt that highlighted her slender figure and styled her brunette hair loosely

Elora's recent appearance on Bachelor In Paradise didn't result in the happy ending she may have hoped for.

She failed to find love despite trailers teasing a possible same-sex fling with Megan.

The self-proclaimed 'Tahitian goddess' previously appeared on The Bachelor in 2017.
Her spy dramedy Whiskey Cavalier has been picked up by ABC.

And Lauren Cohan of The Walking Dead fame cut a sleek figure when she attended the Disney ABC upfront presentation in New York.

The 36-year-old swung by Tavern On The Green in Central Park in a fitted black trouser suit with split bell sleeves and burgundy buttons.

Hand at the hips: Lauren Cohan of The Walking Dead fame cut a sleek figure when she attended the Disney ABC upfront presentation in New York

Metallic studs ran down the side of each of her legs, and the outfit's neckline plunged far enough to flash a bit of cleavage.

Lauren swept her hair tightly back, accentuating her features with makeup and matching her suit to her black nail polish.

Deadline reported last week that ABC has picked up Whiskey Cavalier, which Lauren and Scott Foley co-lead as agents for the CIA and FBI, respectively.

Dazzling: The 36-year-old swung by Tavern On The Green in Central Park in a fitted black trouser suit with split bell sleeves and burgundy buttons

Whiskey Cavalier is the code-name for Scott's character Will Chase, while Lauren's Francesca Trowbridge operates under the pseudonym Fiery Tribune.

Lauren's new gig has led to online speculation that her The Walking Dead character Maggie Greene is on the verge of getting killed off.

However, it appears she can continue playing Maggie on The Walking Dead - just as a recurring cast member rather than as a full-time principal.

Smile big: Metallic studs ran down the side of each of her legs, and the outfit's neckline plunged far enough to flash a bit of cleavage

She is already slated for a recurring role in the upcoming ninth season, appearing on only six of its eight planned episodes, according to Deadline.

By the time her ABC show starts shooting in the summer, Lauren will have been able to finish up her work for her AMC show's next season.

Lauren will also be seen this August in Mile 22, a spy thriller with a cast including Mark Wahlberg, John Malkovich and none other than Ronda Rousey herself.
Amal Clooney angered fashion designer Tom Ford's team after deciding at the last moment on a different look for the Met Gala.

The 40-year-old human rights lawyer decided just hours before the annual fashion event to arrive in her 'backup' outfit by British designer Richard Quinn, according to an article on Tuesday by PageSix.

She stunned in a strapless gown with silver bustier, dark slacks and a long floral train at least four feet long.

Backup outfit: Amal Clooney, shown last week at the Met Gala in New York City, reportedly wore her 'backup' outfit instead of her planned Tom Ford designed gown

Lady in red: Amal, shown with husband George Clooney, wore the Tom Ford custom gown to the after-party

PageSix reported that when Amal told Ford's team about the switch 'they were annoyed, obviously, but they were gracious, and and said it was fine to go with [another designer], but they would prefer that Amal not wear the dress at all if she wasn't going to wear it on the Met Ball red carpet'.

Fashion forces at Vogue also reportedly urged Amal to stick to the original plan.

Ford's people hoped that if Amal didn't debut the full-length crimson gown designed to look like a stained-glass window that another star would be able to at a future A-list function.

They were surprised and infuriated when Amal changed into the Tom Ford dress for the more private after-party.

Fashion designer: Tom Ford, shown in February in Beverly Hills, had his team working on Amal's gown, but she changed plans at the last moment

Vogue editor Anna Wintour, 68, who chairs the event said on The Late Show that Amal insisted on changing gowns inside the gift shop at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Amal was a co-chair of this year's Met Gala along with Rihanna and Donatella Versace and also appeared on the May cover of Vogue ahead of the gala.

There have been few designers more successful than Ford, who shot to fame back in 1994 when he was named creative director of Gucci.

The house was almost bankrupt at the time he took the reins, and within five years was valued at $4billion.

His edgy looks were a hit with critics as well, and in 1999 he took on a second job as creative director of Yves St. Laurent.

That post proved a bit more challenging at times for Ford, as even though critics loves his lines and profits for the fashion house were up, his work was hated by Yves himself, who was not shy about voicing his distaste for the young designer's hyper-sexualized aesthetic.

Then, in 2004, he walked away from the top post at both houses when questions began to arise about the future of Gucci group and who would be in control. He enjoyed a few years off before he launched his eponymous line in 2006, which included accessories and beauty products as well as his designs for men and women.

Cute couple: George escorted his lawyer wife to the Met Gala and the after party

Ford's womenswear line fast became a hit with A-list celebrities and high-society ladies, who had no problem dropping $11,000 on one of the designer's sequined gowns or a comparatively reasonable $2,200 for a black sleeveless dress.

Ford also did his best to make sure his designs were not overexposed, which may explain why he refused to dress Melania Trump back in the day.

The designer has made a point of never dressing more than one celebrity for major Hollywood events like the Oscars and Golden Globes.

Among those who have been lucky enough to walk the red carpet in a Tom Ford gown are Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts, Resse Witherspoon and Julianne Moore, who along with Tom Hanks' wife Rita Wilson has long been one of the designer's muses.

Ford is so strict about the one dress rule that Hayden Panettiere was forced to go out and drop $10,000 on one of the designer's gowns for the 2014 Golden Globes.

The actress, who was nominated that year for her work in Nashville, said that it had always been her dream to wear one of Ford's creations for a special night, but unfortunately for her the designer had styled Watts for the ceremony.

Ford did later send Panettiere flowers along with a note telling her how beautiful she looked that night.

Amal was accompanied by her actor husband George Clooney, 57, at the gala and after-party.

Amal and George welcomed twins Ella and Alexander in June 2017.

George can be seen in the upcoming TV miniseries Catch-22 based on the book of the same name by Joseph Heller.

He'll also be a producer and director of the miniseries also starring Christopher Abbott, Kyle Chandler and Hugh Laurie.

George was spotted on Tuesday filming in Italy.
As a former co-host of Studio 10, the Australian public have become accustomed to seeing Jessica Rowe's youthful visage on TV.

But on Wednesday, the reporter warned fans from failing prey to an anti-ageing product that was using her face to promote its brand.

The 47-year-old wrote on social media: 'Someone is using my name and image to sell this product. Please be careful about on-line scams like this.'

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'This is a scam. Do not buy this product': Former Studio 10 journalist Jessica Rowe hits out at beauty brand as she denies association with anti-ageing product on Wednesday

Along with her statement, she shared a poster which saw the TV star promoting a Lutragen anti-ageing cream.

'This is a scam. I have no association with Lutragen. Do not buy this product,' she wrote alongside it.

It's not known if Lutragen created the collateral which has been shared online.

'Sometimes I do like to share some of my favourite things with you. But this one is NOT FOR REAL. Someone is using my name and image to sell this product. Please be careful about on-line (sic) scams like this. If you dont see me talking about a brand or product on my social feeds then it means its not for real and Im not associated with it in any way,' the mother-of-two wrote.

Daily Mail Australia have reached out to Lutragen stockist Supplement Watch Australia for comment.

It is not suggested that Lutragen is a scam or that it knew of or was involved in any scam, only that Jessica Rowes image was used without her permission.

'If you dont see me talking about a brand or product on my social feeds then it means its not for real and Im not associated with it in any way': Jessica shared the warning to her fans, confirming she would always tell her social media followers if she was associated with a brand, product or service

Meanwhile, Jessica sent shockwaves through the morning TV industry when she abruptly quit her hosting role at Studio 10 in March.

She cited personal reasons and more time with her family as the reason for her exit.

And last week she detailed how hard things had become for her family before she made the decision to leave the Channel 10 show.

Family reasons: The journalist reveals that she'd become 'grumpy' and couldn't be there emotionally for her daughters, Allegra, 11, and Giselle, 9

Speaking to Nine Honey, the journalist revealed that she'd become 'grumpy' and couldn't be there emotionally for her daughters, Allegra, 11, and Giselle, nine.

'I was finding in the afternoons I'd be getting grumpier and I don't like feeling like that and I thought something has to give,' she revealed to 9Honey.

The TV personality added: 'When they were younger I felt they needed me physically, and now it's more emotional, and I want to be there for them.'

Struggles: Jessica added: 'I was finding in the afternoons I'd be getting grumpier'

Things came to a head after a family holiday to Thailand made the TV host realise just how stressed she was day to day.

'I was happy and relaxed and the girls were too. Suddenly I thought, 'I need to bring this state of mind back with me - how can I do that?' I realised it meant changing my work,' she revealed.

The decision didn't come easily, with Jessica considering the move for six or seven months, she told the website.
She's been busy promoting her NBC sitcom Will & Grace in New York this week.

And on Tuesday night, Debra Messing kept going as she attended a party hosted by the Gersh Agency in honor of Upfronts week in the Big Apple.

Messing, 49, chose a sleeveless black cocktail dress for the event with a plunging neckline and flirty skirt.

Lovely: She's been busy promoting her NBC sitcom Will & Grace in New York this week. And on Tuesday night, Debra Messing kept going as she attended a party in a flirty black cocktail dress

The actress went bare-legged black pumps and accessorized with enormous gold hoop earrings.

She wore her red hair up in a bouffant do and kept her make-up light with a splash of red lip color.

Her NBC comedy returned to TV screens in 2017 and reunited Messing with her original co-stars Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes and Megan Mulally.

The network has commissioned a tenth season of the show which will premiere later this year.

Sitcom star: Messing, 49, wore her red hair up in a bouffant do and accessorized with enormous gold hoop earrings

Star power: Messing posed up a storm at the bash with Oscar winner Allison Janney who's been promoting her CBS series Mom at the Upfronts in the Big Apple

Messing posed up a storm at the bash with Oscar winner Allison Janney who's been promoting her CBS series Mom at the Upfronts.

Janney, 58, wore an ankle length turquoise patterned dress with asymmetrical tiered hem.

She wore her blonde hair loose with the sleeveless frock and stepped out in nude sandal heels that revealed a dark red pedicure.

Lovely look: Janney, 58, wore an ankle length turquoise patterned dress with asymmetrical tiered hem and stepped out in nude sandal heels that revealed a dark red pedicure

Trio: Messing and Janney posed for photos with This Is Us recurring actress Elizabeth Perkins

Date night: Perkins, 57, who attended the party with husband, Argentinean cinematographer Julio Macat, opted for an all-black ensemble

Elizabeth Perkins who appears in NBC's This Is Us attended the party with her husband, Argentinean cinematographer Julio Macat.

Perkins, 57, who is currently fiming the HBO series Sharp Objects, opted for an all-black ensemble.

She paired a blouse with pretty semi sheer panels with tailored slacks, sandal heels and a long coat.

Dascha Polanco, 35, from Netflix's Orange Is The New Black, fairly busted out of a bright red dress.

The number had spaghetti straps and was cinched at the waist and the dark-haired beauty added shiny platform shoes.

Red carpet ready: Dascha Polanco, 35, from Netflix's Orange Is The New Black, fairly busted out of a bright red dress with spaghetti straps and that was paired with shiny platform shoes

New role: Melonie Diaz, 34, who stars in the reboot of Charmed, paired a teal dress with a black coat and black sandals

Star power: Roseanne and The Talk's Sara Gilbert showed up in a shiny black suit and white baggy shirt that she left untucked

The Talk's Sara Gilbert showed up in a shiny black suit and white baggy shirt that she left untucked.

Also on hand was veteran actress Judith Light who goofed for the cameras with Janney.

The Transparent star, 69, paired skinny black pants with a tailored black jacket and a black turtleneck.

The former Who's The Boss? star completed her look with black heels.

Funny: Also on hand was veteran actress Judith Light who goofed for the cameras with Janney. The Transparent star, 69, paired black pants with a tailored black jacket and a black turtleneck

Stylish: The former Who's The Boss? star completed her look with black heels
She's shot to fame playing a robot on HBO's Westworld.

But Angela Sarafyan looked every inch the human cover girl as she was spotted arriving at the Vogue Denim Dinner in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Decked out in a ruffled red and white floral robe dress, the 34-year-old actress was a sight to behold entering the downtown soiree.

Flower power: Angela Sarafyan looked every inch the human cover girl as she was spotted arriving at the Vogue Denim Dinner in Los Angeles on Tuesday

Daring to impress, the scintillating stunner revealed a peek at her delicate decolletage as the number boasted a plunging neckline.

Her gorgeous gams were thrust on center stage as the ensemble featured slick white leggings underneath.

She stomped the tony streets in a set of black ballerina wrap high heels as she flaunted a pair of gold dew drop earrings.

Throwing caution to the wind, the darling diva went virtually makeup free with just a thick smattering of dark berry lipstick.

Scintillating: Daring to impress, the scintillating stunner revealed a peek at her delicate decolletage as the number boasted a plunging neckline

Born in Yerevan, Armenian, Angela has appeared in number of films, including The Twilight Saga: Breaking Down - Part 2.

She'll next star in the upcoming thriller film, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, which stars Zac Efron as serial killer Ted Bundy.

Angela has played Clementine Pennyfeather on Westworld for the last two years.

The show, which also stars Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton, is about a fictional, Western themed amusement park.

Season two of Westworld returned to HBO on April 22.
He made a splash when he debuted on as the Canadian intruder on Bachelor In Paradise.

And while romance wasn't on the cards for Daniel Maguire, 33, he proved he hasn't severed his ties with Australia when he announced his collaboration with Keith Urban on Tuesday.

Taking to Instagram to share the unlikely news, the British Columbian native posted a very Australian-inspired snap of himself shirtless and cooking up a steak on a BBQ.

An unlikely duo! Keith Urban's surprise collaboration with Bachelor In Paradise's Canadian intruder Daniel Maguire REVEALED

Wearing sunglasses and with both a pair of tongs and a phone in his hands, the reality star captioned the post: 'Summer BBQ while listening to the new @keithurban single 'Coming Home'.

The reality TV 'villain' added: 'Brings back memories of Merritt Music Mountain Festival.'

Plugging the Australian-born country artist, Daniel continued: 'Check out his new song in my story.'

Pals in good places: Taking to Instagram to share the unlikely news, the British Columbian native posted a very Australian-inspired snap of himself shirtless and cooking up a steak on a BBQ

Further spruiking his new collaboration Daniel used the hashtags: '#KeithUrbanComingHome #KeithUrbanNewMusic #KeithUrban #universalmusicgroup #newmusic'

Daniel is best known in Australia for his brief stint on Channel Ten's Bachelor in Paradise.

His appearance on the show caused controversy after he made 'chauvinistic' comments about the appearance of the show's female castmates.

Caught up Down Under? Wearing sunglasses and with both a pair of tongs and a phone in his hands, the reality star captioned the post: 'Summer BBQ while listening to the new @keithurban single 'Coming Home'

The former American Bachelor contestant left fans furious when he described co-star Laurina Fleure as 'older than I usually go for, I usually go for under 30.'

While his thee-day-long stint in Paradise was short lived, in an interview with Elle, Daniel said his intentions in Paradise were genuine.

'If my game plan was just to be there longer, I would have put all my eggs into one basket and just went all-in on one person. But I was trying to get to know people, and it was by hanging out with them, talking to them,' he told Elle online.

Daniel was further roasted by fans for calling the female contestants on the show 'stale-stale bread'.

On this, he told the digital outlet: 'I just often put out words that mean nothing. I'd usually just say it to get a rise out of the producer and potentially the cast, or people watching it. But I don't mean nothing.'
She has skipped the Cannes Film Festival this year.

Yet Lily-Rose Depp put on a spectacle as she grabbed a coffee with a female friend in Beverly Hills,California on Tuesday.

Johnny Depp's model daughter, 18, looked lovely in a thigh-grazing flirty floral skirt and patent heels.

Leggy lady: Lily-Rose Depp looked lovely in a flirty floral miniskirt as she went make-up free on a coffee run with a female friend in Los Angeles on Tuesday

Often choosing to go make-up free as a model with natural beauty, it is no wonder Lily-Rose ditched the cosmetics once again when she headed out on the coffee run.

The beauty teamed her chic skirt with a simple black tank top, a chocolate brown suede jacket and a black quilted leather handbag by Chanel.

The magazine cover girl was prepared as she went about her day-to-day activities, armed with a coffee and her iPhone.

Lily-Rose was happy taking a coffee break, away from the showbiz circuit  having a track record of securing envy-inducing invites to the most glamorous events.

Caffeine fix: The model, 18, teamed her chic skirt with a simple black tank top, a chocolate brown suede jacket and a black quilted leather handbag by Chanel

This time last year the star was soaking up the buzzing atmosphere of the Cannes Film Festival among the great and the good of the showbiz world.

But she skipped the festival this year as she stayed at home and she spent the time mingling with her pals.

As the Chanel brand ambassador, she climbed aboard the designer's cruise where she enjoyed a private showcase of their latest collection at the soiree in May.

The model-turn-actress was born into the limelight as the daughter of Johnny and Vanessa, so it's no surprise she's following in their footsteps.

Turning her back on Cannes? She has skipped the Cannes Film Festival this year (pictured in May 2017, France)

Lily-Rose first established her place in the modelling world at a tender age, emulating her mother who forged a career with Chanel from the age of 18.

In 2014, she joined her dad Johnny for her film debut as a cameo in the film Tusk as she joined shoulders with pal Harley Quinn Smith.

Her parents first met while the Hollywood star was filming mystery thriller The Ninth Gate in France in 1998.

Pout and about: The star made the most of her time at the festival last year when she headed out in the day when she wasn't treading the red carpet (pictured in Cannes, May 2017)

The couple, who also share 15-year-old son Jack, were going strong for 14 years together before they went their separate ways for good in 2012.

Lily-Rose shed light on what it was like having Johnny and Vanessa for parents as she claimed they weren't 'very strict' and 'trusted' her to make her own decisions.

She told VOGUE magazine: 'Ive always felt older than my age. Ive spent a lot of time around adults, and I relate more to them.'

'My parents werent very strict...theyve always trusted me to be independent and make my own decisions. There wasnt really anything to rebel against.'
He's married to one of the most beautiful actresses in the world, Michelle Keegan.

But Mark Wright, 31, who is an LA-based host on Extra told Lorraine on Wednesday that he has a major crush on another Hollywood star, Eva Mendes, 44, and wants to meet her.

He said: 'I still wants to interview Denzel Washington, Eva Mendes because she was always my crush (sorry Michelle!) and Rihanna.'

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Who could blame him? Mark Wright told Lorraine on Wednesday he's desperate to interview his crush Eva Mendes in his role as Extra host in LA

Absolutely stunning: Apologising onscreen to wife Michelle, Mark said he was rather taken with the Hollywood star

Talking about his three-year marriage, Mark said he and Michelle, 30, are keen to prove the naysayers wrong, who believe a long-distance union can't work.

Michelle was in South Africa filming Our Girl for most of their marriage, while Mark was in LA - and now Michelle flits from LA to the UK.

He said: 'We're back and forward all the time. I just come to see her for a weekend and try and make sure it's three weeks maximum that we don't see each other.

Hard: During the interview, Mark also revealed he was 'annoyed' to not attend the BAFTAs with his wife Michelle on Sunday due to his work commitments

'She looked amazing at the BAFTAs [on Sunday]. I was annoyed I couldn't be there, I saw the pictures and thought... *breathes out*'

Mark continued: 'People are told and taught long distance relationships cant work. Why cant they work?

'As long as you see each other enough, it keeps things fresh.

Anything is possible: Talking about his three-year marriage, Mark said he and Michelle, 30, are keen to prove the naysayers wrong, who believe a long-distance union can't work

He said: 'We're back and forward all the time. I just come to see her for a weekend and try and make sure it's three weeks maximum that we don't see each other'

'While we're young and we're still so in love and so happy, and shes travelling round the world with her work, why not?

Mark credits his solid work ethic with helping him to land the coveted job on Extra, saying he has been dubbed a 'grafter.'

He said: 'I've made sure I had to do that, because when you're from a show like TOWIE, which I love, it does have stigma of people thinking, "this guy's not going to do presenting or acting".'

He also told Lorraine: 'While we're young and we're still so in love and so happy, and shes travelling round the world with her work, why not?

Doing his thing: Mark credits his solid work ethic with helping him to land the coveted job on Extra, saying he has been dubbed a 'grafter'

I've literally done everybody if I have to say so myself.

Mark's role will see him back in the UK to cover Prince Harry's marriage to Meghan Markle on Saturday.

He said: 'We're going to be at the venue on Saturday and Friday just picking up fan reaction.

The royals in America are so huge I never even realised, they're bigger there then they are here.

And thinking of his own wedding to Michelle, he said he can understand what the couple are going through.

He said: 'It was amazing I'm just looking at what Meghan's going through now. Theres so much stress, the planning, and the family causing the stress.

'I feel so sorry for Meghan and her dad - and now's hes unable to attend the wedding.

That was probably one of the most important things for Michelle, what song she was gonna dance to with her dad on the day. She cried and he cried.

Back! Mark's role will see him return to the UK to cover Prince Harry's marriage to Meghan Markle on Saturday and he said he feels for Meghan and her father Thomas given the situation
They've recently graced televisions, stirring the reality drama pot in their own ways.

But on Wednesday, Bachelor In Paradise stars Elora Murger, Jake Ellis and Megan Marx as well as Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan left the on-screen antics behind them as they flashed VIP passes and sat in the front row on the Roopa runway at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Sydney.

Returning from their Thailand getaway, Megan and Jake were first to show face at the Australian fashion brand's show.

Reality stars reunite! Bachelor in Paradise's Megan Marx (right) Jake Ellis (left) and Elora Murger join MAFS star Nasser Sultan as they attend lavish Fashion Week show and flash VIP passes before sitting in the front row

Wearing a flared long-sleeve red dress, Megan was all smiles as she posed in the fiery number alongside beau Jake.

Keeping her look casual, the blonde-haired beauty opted for a pair of lace-up black heels.

Megan had her long locks pulled back, revealing her flawless complexion and adding a touch of elegance by way of a low bun at the nape of her neck.

Red hot! Wearing a flared long-sleeve red dress, Megan (pictured) was stunned at the event

Belle of the ball: The duo looked loved-up as they posed side by side, before Jake was seen leaning in for a kiss from his blonde girlfriend

Ensuring her look was minimalist, the reality star added a pop of cheery-hued lipstick atop her lips, adding highlighter to give her dewy skin a glowing boost.

As for her counterpart, Jake was seen looking ever fashionable in a pair of beige-hued chinos, pairing the look with a baby blue shirt and navy jacket to match.

The duo looked smitten as they posed side by side, before Jake was seen leaning in for a kiss from his blonde belle.

From reality show to fashion show! Sitting in the front row alongside their fellow Bachelor In Paradise star Elora Murger (right), Jake and Megan waited for the Roopa fashion show to kick off

Sitting in the front row alongside their fellow Bachelor In Paradise star Elora Murger, Jake and Megan waited for the Roopa fashion show to kick off.

Elora, who took to Instagram Stories earlier to showcase her hairstyle being done by her stylist, opted for an sizzling gold ensemble.

Showing off her gym-fit physique, the reality star was seen posing with one hand on her hip while donning a tie-up strapless crop and culottes to match.

Golden girl! Elora, who took to Instagram Stories earlier to showcase her hairstyle being done by her stylist, opted for an all-gold ensemble

Smiles for miles! Showing off her gym-fit physique, Elora was seen posing with one hand on her hip while donning a tie-up strapless crop and culottes to match

Also in attendance was Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan.

Attending the fashion runway solo, the party-goer was seen sitting in his assigned front row seat, wearing a black shirt, paired with light-washed jeans and black boots.

Wearing his VIP pass securely around his neck, Nasser sat eagerly ahead of the show with one leg crossed over the other.

In attendance! Attending the fashion runway solo, party-goer Nasser was seen sitting in his assigned front row seat, wearing a black shirt, light-washed jeans and black boots to match
She put on a loved-up display with her 74-year-old husband Michael Douglas the previous evening.

But despite the late night, Catherine Zeta-Jones looked effortlessly fresh faced on Tuesday, showing off her trim physique in black and white as she headed to the gym in New York.

The 48-year-old Hollywood superstar kept her raven tresses out of the way in a simple topknot as she headed into the Big Apple, adding a quirky twist to her sporty ensemble by rocking a black top with white frilled sleeves.

Casual: Catherine Zeta-Jones, 48, showed off her trim physique in a black and white look as she headed to the gym in New York on Tuesday

Catherine put on a casual display in the loose-fitting black tracksuit bottoms teamed with the frilled top, finishing the look with classic white trainers.

Carrying her things in a Chanel-emblazoned gym bag the Oscar winner sported her typically defined brows and a simple nude lip to finish her look.

At one point Catherine appeared to rummage through her bag as she stopped her walk in the New York sunshine, but kept her phone and wallet close to hand.

Catherine's outing came after she put on a united display with husband Michael on Monday night, as they arrived at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan hand-in-hand to attend a charity event for the Robin Hood Foundation, which aims to help New York's poor.

Low-key: The Hollywood superstar showed off her ageless beauty in a black top with white frilled sleeves as she carried her essentials in a Chanel-emblazoned gym bag

Chic: Catherine looked effortlessly fresh-faced after enjoying an evening at a charity event the night before

Catherine, who hoofed up a storm for her Oscar-winning performance in Chicago, played up her chiselled frame in a glinting cocktail dress.

Though mostly black, it featured a bit of white-trimmed frilly drapery running down the front of its right side, complementing her jewelled earrings.

The actress, who is less than a decade older than Michael's firstborn child, balanced on platform heels and carried a black clutch to the event.

Michael wore a black suit, white pocket square and white dress shirt, adding a splash of colour with a burgundy tie and slipping on black shoes.

Just a number? The Chicago star walked hand-in-hand with her 74-year-old husband Michael Douglas when they attended a Robin Hood Foundation event in New York on Monday

VIP: The son of 101-year-old Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas was glimpsed inside the event schmoozing with none other than Bill and Melinda Gates

The son of 101-year-old Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas was glimpsed inside the event schmoozing with none other than Bill and Melinda Gates.

Journalist Susan Braudy accused Michael of having sexually harassed her while she was working for his production company in the 1980s. The claims include that he masturbated in front of her without her consent, per The Hollywood Reporter.

He denied the allegations before The Hollywood Reporter ran them in January, and Catherine called his statement 'honest, open and transparent' on The View.

Fabulous: Catherine, who hoofed up a storm for her Oscar-winning performance in Chicago, played up her chiselled frame in a glinting cocktail dress

Michael, who once told the Guardian cunnilingus gave him the HPV that resulted in his throat cancer, married his first wife Diandra Luker in 1977.

She gave birth to his son Cameron Douglas in 1978 and filed in 1995 for a divorce that was only finalized in 2000, while Michael and Catherine were an item.

Catherine and Michael welcomed their son Dylan in August 2000 and married at the iconic Plaza Hotel on 5th Avenue that November.

On the go: Michael wore a black suit, white pocket square and white dress shirt, adding a splash of color with a burgundy tie and slipping on black shoes

Their daughter Carys, whom Catherine was heavily pregnant with when she danced at the Oscars and accepted her trophy for Chicago, arrived in April 2003.

Monday night's charity event also played host to Catherine's competitor - Jennifer Lopez, who showed off one of her statuesque legs in a split gown.

Catherine and Jennifer are both playing 'Cocaine Godmother' Griselda Blanco in upcoming TV movies - the former for Lifetime, the latter for HBO.

When you got it: Monday night's charity event also played host to Catherine's competitor - Jennifer Lopez, who showed off one of her statuesque legs in a split gown
It was a star-studded bash with the likes of Nicole Scherzinger, Paris Hilton and Winnie Harlow all in attendance.

And actress Michelle Rodriguez made sure all eyes were on her as she arrived at the De Grisogono at Villa des Oliviers in Antibes, France, on Tuesday night.

The Fast And Furious star, 39, showed off some epic sideboob in a very low-cut burgundy satin gown as she opted to go braless.

Wow! Michelle Rodriguez displayed some epic sideboob as she went braless under a very low-cut burgundy gown at the De Grisogono party on Tuesday at Villa des Oliviers in Antibes

Every angle: Posing again from the front, she flaunted her legs as her gown had a sexy thigh-split running up the front

Showing off a tattoo on her back, the star, who famously dated supermodel Cara Delevingne and actor Zac Efron, posed while looking over her shoulder.

Then posing again from the front, she flaunted her legs as her gown had a sexy thigh-split running up the front.

She added some extra inches to her height with a pair of nude peep-toe platform heels.

Racy: The nature of Michelle's dress was very racy indeed and she appeared very body confident

Look over your shoulder: Michelle flashed a smile while throwing some serious shapes in front of the cameras

Ready to party: Michelle has also been pictured at the Eden Roc hotel as she enjoys her time in Cannes

Upon arrival, she wore a silky black kimono jacket over the top of her look, posing in front of a light installation at the party.

But she soon whipped that off to reveal some serious skin.

While fans snapped away at her on camera phones, Michelle played up to it, pulling funny faces and sticking her tongue out.

Her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival marks the 16th time she has attended the event in her 39 years.

She has been pictured at the Eden Roc hotel and also at Naomi Campbell's Fashion For Relief party on Sunday.

Fashion For Relief is a charity founded by supermodel Naomi Campbell back in 2005 and this year the gala is raising money for Save The Children and the Time's Up movement.

Mixing it up a little: Upon arrival, she wore a silky black kimono jacket over the top of her look, posing in front of a light installation at the party

She's a fan! Her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival marks the 16th time she has attended the event in her 39 years

Playful: While fans snapped away at her on camera phones, Michelle played up to it, pulling funny faces and sticking her tongue out

See you later: She gave a final wave before no doubt heading off onto the dancefloor




Tom Hardy was ready for action on Friday afternoon as filming commenced on the set of forthcoming biographical crime drama Fonzo.

The British actor, who plays Al Capone in the new film, was dressed casually in tracksuit bottoms and trainers as he took a break between takes in New Orleans.

Puffing on a vape, Tom, 40, idled on the exterior set while a stunt double prepared to fill his shoes for another scene.

Here he comes: Tom Hardy was ready for action on Friday afternoon as filming commenced on the set of forthcoming biographical crime drama Fonzo

The actor once again showed off his shaved head, a necessity for his latest role as the notorious American mobster.

Opting to go shirtless, his heavily tattooed frame was clear for all to see - as well as the make-up line across his neck, which concealed the top inkings on his chest for his upcoming scenes

According to production notes, the story will show how 'his past becomes present as harrowing memories of his violent and brutal origins melt into his waking life'.

Don't mind me: Tom, who plays Al Capone in the new film, took it easy during a break between scenes in New Orleans

Transformed: The bald look took him far away from his usual appearance (left in 2017), and transformed him into the famously ruthless gangster

Busy: Tom has been busy filming over the last few weeks, with the flick anticipated for a 2019 release

The Dark Knight Rises star, who beefed up considerably to play hulking antagonist Bane in the Batman film and MMA fighter Tommy Conlon in Warrior, previously spoke about his fears for his health now he's 40.

For the project, Tom once again altered his appearance, although he claimed it wouldn't be as drastic as his previous roles.

He told the Daily Beast: 'It's not the classic Al Capone that you necessarily envision with the silhouette. I don't want to give too much away about it, but there's definitely a transformation with that role.

Ready for action: Meanwhile a stunt double prepared to fill his shoes for another scene

Helping hand: An assistant helped the stunt double into a fat suit ahead of the scene on Friday

Muscular: The shaven-headed body double shared Tom's stocky, muscular physique

'I don't know if it's as drastic as Bane. I've probably damaged my body too much. I'm only little!

'If I keep putting on weight I'll collapse like a house of cards under too much pressure.'

The star added that he has aches and pains in places that he shouldn't and now struggles lifting his children Louis, nine, and the two-year-old he shares with wife Charlotte Riley.
Tom Cruise is known for insisting on doing his own stunts - which led to an ankle injury that set filming back two months for Mission: Impossible - Fallout last summer.

But now, with the release date fast approaching in July, the movie is wrapped and in the can - with the exhilarating trailer hitting the net on Wednesday.

And not only are fans of the action franchise given a thrilling glimpse into the sixth instalment in the series in the lengthy teaser, they get to witness the stunt that saw Tom's ankle take a beating.

The trailer kicks off with the transportation of Solomon Lane, who was gassed and captured at the end of fifth film Rogue Nation.

He says, in his husky, whispered tone: 'There cannot be peace without first a great suffering.

'The greater the suffering the greater the peace!'

As he speaks these chilling words, there are shots of barbed wire dripping with blood, nuclear attacks, bombs being armed and frightening explosions.

Teaser: Mission: Impossible - Fallout's exhilarating trailer hit the net on Wednesday. And fans get to witness the stunt that saw Tom Cruise's ankle take a beating

Daredevil: In another scene, we witness the moment Tom performed the window jumping stunt, which saw him leap across two buildings in London's financial district

Trusty aide: He speaks via earpiece to Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg)

Ready, set, jump: Benji directs him to leap through an office window

As he sits, being strapped down by officers (and seemingly given some kind of injection), he whispers, almost excitedly: 'The end you've always feared is coming. It's coming. And the blood will be on your hands!'

He is talking to Ethan.

We then learn that Solomon escaped in Paris, when a van transporting him is run off the road and into the river.

Alec Baldwin's character Alan Hunley is seen telling Ethan that he is now at risk - which it soon becomes clear he is.

Watching on: Ethan jumps out in front of a room full of aghast office employees

Gay Paris: With scenes set in France, the UK, Norway, India and New Zealand, Ethan is seen in trucks, planes, helicopter and on motorbikes

Armed and dangerous: There are shots of barbed wire dripping with blood, nuclear attacks, bombs being armed and frightening explosions

Who's targeting him? It seems that Henry Cavill's August Walker is, who is 'not just an observer, he's an assassin'.

'If you go rogue, he's been authorised to hunt you down and kill you,' continues Hunley.

A clip of Ethan locked in a vicious-looking fight with Walker then crops up, with them slamming each other's bodies violently across the sinks of a bathroom.

'No hard feelings!' Walker quips.

In another scene, we witness the moment Tom performed the window jumping stunt, which saw him leap across two buildings in London's financial district.

Out: We then learn that Solomon escaped in Paris, when a van transporting him is run off the road and into the river

Happy ever after? Ethan is seen seemingly marrying Julia (Michelle Monaghan) by a lake before holding her closely in a panic

Don't look down: In one final death-defying series of climactic moments, Ethan is seen jumping from a plane and falling from a cliff

He speaks via earpiece to Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) who directs him to leap through an office window in front of a room full of aghast employees.

'What are you waiting for?' Benji frantically asks.

'I'm jumping out of a window!' Ethan screams back.

'Oh, good luck!' is Benji's reply.

He needed it - as Tom in fact landed on the ankle at a unsteady angle, snapping it after crashing into the side of the building he was aiming for.

Warnings: Rebecca Ferguson is back as Ilsa Faust, with Ethan telling her to 'walk away'

High drama: Tom has spilled the beans on some of the film's most incredible stunts, in a bid to top the moment Ethan clung to the edge of a plane taking off in the fifth film

Running from danger? There's a terrifying moment with a mountain plane crash

The tagline of this film in the series is 'Some missions are not a choice' which then flashes up.

With scenes set in Paris, London and locations across Norway, India and New Zealand, Ethan is seen in trucks, planes, helicopter and on motorbikes.

Solomon then speaks once more: 'When the clock stops, Ethan Hunt will loose everyone he ever cared about.'

This comes as Ethan is seen seemingly marrying Julia (Michelle Monaghan) by a lake before holding her closely in a panic.

Of his stunt-gone-wrong, Tom previously told Graham Norton: 'I'm wearing two wires, they're just safety wires because I go to full tilt and I'm sprinting as hard as I can and I hit the side of the wall'

A threat: Alec Baldwin's character Alan Hunley is seen telling Ethan that he is now at risk - which it soon becomes clear he is

The end? Solomon is being strapped down by officers (and seemingly given some kind of injection), as he whispers, almost excitedly 'The end you've always feared is coming. It's coming. And the blood will be on your hands'

Rebecca Ferguson is back as Ilsa Faust, with Ethan telling her to 'walk away'.

He is later seen trying to attack someone in a hospital bed, held back by Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames).

Another moment sees Vanessa Kirby's character dolled up in an evening gown, suddenly unclipping a weapon from her lace garter.

In one final death-defying series of climactic moments, Ethan is seen jumping from a plane, falling from a cliff and crashing in a chopper.

Big bad: Henry Cavill's August Walker is 'not just an observer, he's an assassin'

Nasty: A clip of Ethan locked in a vicious-looking fight with Walker then crops up, with them slamming each other's bodies violently across the sinks of a bathroom

Va va va vroom: Tom is known for insisting on doing his own stunts - which led to an ankle injury that set filming back two months for Mission: Impossible - Fallout last summer

Of his stunt-gone-wrong, Tom previously told Graham Norton: 'I'm wearing two wires, they're just safety wires because I go to full tilt and I'm sprinting as hard as I can and I hit the side of the wall.

'That's the stunt. I hit the side of the wall... and then I climb up on the wall and was meant to pull myself over but the mistake was my foot hitting the wall. I knew instantly my ankle was broken and I really didn't want to do it again so just got up and carried on with the take.

'I said, "It's broken. That's a wrap. Take me to hospital" and then everyone got on the phone and made their vacation arrangements.'

Nasty: Tom revealed toe-curling footage of the moment he broke his ankle during filming of Mission Impossible 6 last year

Action squad: Tom made an appearance on the BBC chat show alongside his co-stars (L-R) Rebecca Ferguson, Henry Cavill and Simon Pegg

Production for the film was halted for two months while Tom recovered from his injuries, though Paramount insisted the movie would still meet it's planned release date - which it turns out it will do.

'Production will go on hiatus while Tom makes a full recovery, and the film remains on schedule to open July 27, 2018,' the movie studio said at the time in a statement.

Luckily the leading man was not bedridden for too long, as Tom was spotted back on set in Brentwood, Essex in October.

Speaking about the story of the film, Tom has said: 'It takes into account all the previous Mission Impossible plots and it's the fallout of all the good things we did that are now being used against us.'

Ouch! Tom shared the footage during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show in January

Painful: In the video, Tom is seen hurling himself towards the edge of a building, with two wires attached to his back

And, ever the daredevil, Tom also spilled the beans on some of the film's most incredible stunts, in a bid to top the moment Ethan clung to the edge of a plane taking off in the fifth film.

He said: 'There is one big set piece, which has been two years in the planning. We do an aerial helicopter sequence, which in terms of action is the largest we have ever done.

'We were flying very low near rock faces and I was literally on Henry's tail. It was incredibly exhilarating and dangerous.'
They forged an unbreakable bond on the reality scene during filming their party antics for Geordie Shore.

So it's no wonder Holly Hagan and Charlotte Crosby made time for a dinner date on Tuesday during their respective Caribbean holidays with their boyfriends.

The Geordie Shore star, 25, contained her cleavage in a scanty lace embellished bra, which gave her a sexy look when teamed with her light-blue denim jeans.

Shore are good pals: Geordie Shore's Holly Hagan displayed her cleavage in lace bra as she joined leggy Charlotte Crosby for dinner in St Lucia getaway on Tuesday with their beaus

With a lot of skin on show, the MTV beauty best displayed her hourglass curves and her sun-kissed glow in her racy ensemble.

To bring a touch of elegance to her night out attire, the bubbly personality slipped her feet into towering heels.

Inspired by her idol Kim Kardashian's peroxide blonde phase, Holly kept up her platinum-coloured locks which she wore down to her waist in a sleek style.

The British beauty rounded off her look with heavy strokes of make-up and accessorised with huge hoops.

Time to party! Geordie Shore returned to television screens last night, so it's no wonder the pair were partying up a storm abroad

Firm friendship: They forged an unbreakable bond on the reality scene during filming their party antics for Geordie Shore

Away with her boyfriend Jacob Blyth, Holly looked completely smitten with her tattooed hunk when she fixed her adoring gaze on his physique.

Charlotte put on a sizzling display in her chic Co-ords, with the microscopic shorts showcasing her bronze pins in sandals.

To draw further attention to her desirable curves, the leading lady wore her brunette tresses in cascading curls to her waist.

The Geordie Shore star embraced the sweltering climes in her white sandals with tan-coloured straps.

Must be love: Away with her boyfriend Jacob Blyth, Holly looked completely smitten with her tattooed hunk when she fixed her adoring gaze on his physique

Only eyes for you! They couldn't tear their eyes away from each other

Holding hands! The lovebirds looked incredibly close as they headed out for dinner

Also holidaying with her boyfriend, Charlotte and Joshua Ritchie put on a very amorous display as they packed on the PDA.

Geordie Shore returned to television screens last night, so it's no wonder the pair were partying up a storm abroad.

The 17th season of the show sees the reality stars descend on the scorching hot beaches of the Gold Coast in Australia.

Sharing a smooch: Also holidaying with her boyfriend, Charlotte and Joshua Ritchie put on a very amorous display as they packed on the PDA

Only eyes for you! Joshua and Charlotte couldn't take their eyes off each other as they enjoyed some alone time together during their evening with Holly and Jacob

Holding hands! The pair sauntered out together holding hands which showed they have a close emotional bond
Gemma Collins and James Argent arrived at TOWIE filming separately on Wednesday, a day after they had a huge bust-up at a London airport.

The lovebirds had been heavily documenting their romantic trip together to Marbella on social media, but it seems all was not well on the return.

In an video obtained by The Sun, the couple were pictured rowing at London's Southend airport, with Gemma, 37, grabbing 30-year-old Arg's arm.

Trouble in paradise: Gemma Collins and James Argent arrived at TOWIE filming separately on Wednesday after having a HUGE row at an airport the day before, following their holiday

Stony-faced: Arg looked rather stern as he arrived to filming in Brentwood on his white Vespa

While it's not clear what the tiff was about, Gemma begs her boyfriend to talk to her, but he's not having any of it as he shouts back and tries to get away.

And it looks as though things are still tense between the pair as a day later, they were seen heading to filming but were not pictured together.

Gemma appeared bright and breezy as she was pictured in Brentwood, Essex, although dark sunglasses shielded her eyes.

Shock: In an video obtained by The Sun, (not pictured), Gemma and Arg were pictured rowing at London's Southend airport, with Gemma, 37, grabbing 30-year-old her man's arm

Going solo: Arg was not pictured with Gemma on the day, signalling there could be further problems

Va va voom: James appeared down in the dumps, barely raising a smile as he arrived on his white Vespa bike, wearing his beige chino shorts

Pucker up, baby: The TOWIE star, 37, later packed on the PDA with her boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent, 30, while on holiday in Marbella on Tuesday, sharing this snap on Instagram

She wore a black bomber jacket with a matching top and jeans, completing her look with a pair of Adidas sliders.

James appeared down in the dumps, barely raising a smile as he arrived on his white Vespa bike, wearing his beige chino shorts.

He was pictured catching up with his TOWIE pals, Tommy Mallett and Dan Edgar. Gemma and Arg appeared to be getting along like a house on fire on their break.

Food for thought: Arg indulged in a little snack ahead of the filming

Getting on with it: He wore a black top and beige chinos as he parked up his bike

Fancy seeing you here: Gemma gave a very royal wave as she headed to her Brentwood boutique

He's nowhere to be seen: Gemma was pictured greeting lots of other people, but her boyfriend wasn't in sight

The bubbly blonde and her man had showed off their golden tans as they wrapped their arms around each other while cooling off in the pool.

Gemma wrote in a caption alongside the snap: 'Weve had the most amazing holiday I love you so much @real_arg #specialmemoriesmade.'

It was the couple's first break away together since they went official following on their epic historic romance in March.

Lads! Arg was pictured catching up with his TOWIE pals, Tommy Mallett and Dan Edgar
Jennifer Garner has a new business she is working on, Once Upon A Farm, which she is co-founder and brand officer of.

And on Tuesday the 45-year-old Alias vet shared a look inside her office, which appears to have zero frills.

The estranged wife of Ben Affleck sat at her desk with her prescription glasses on looking like an average worker bee who pulls a regular nine-to-five with a 30 minute lunch break, which is quite a change from the glam of Hollywood premieres.

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Working: Jennifer Garner has a new business she is working on, Once Upon A Farm, and on Tuesday she took fans inside her office

Amazing Jen! The Miracle From Heaven actress is co-founder and brand officer

The beauty, whose last film was Tribes Of Palos Verdes, sat at her desk as she wrote down something.

Garner - whose next film is the action flick Peppermint - looked toned as she wore a black sweater and skinny jeans with brown boots and her hair back.

She also posed with an office mate who looked very official in a blue shirt and jeans.

Hard at work: The beauty, whose last film was Tribes Of Palos Verdes, sat at her desk as she wrote down something

All biz: Garner - whose next film is the action flick Peppermint - looked toned as she wore a black sweater and skinny jeans with brown boots and her hair back. She also posed with an office mate who looked very official in a blue shirt and jeans

Where's the sink? She also showed off Cassandra's test kitchen

On her website, it says that Once Upon A Farm has a mission.

'Our mission is to nurture our children, each other and the earth in order to pass along a healthier and happier world for the next generation,' it reads.

It was also claimed: 'We believe that when babies and kids have access to fresh, nutritious food, theyre better prepared for a lifetime of health, happiness and meaningful contribution to the world, but we know not all kids have access to fresh foods which is why our goal to be the first fresh baby food to be accepted by the WIC program and USDAs special supplemental nutrition program. Its also why were supporting like-minded organizations like Save the Children and The Ron Finley Project.'

Garner is in the process of divorcing Affleck - who is dating SNL's Lindsay Shookus. Together they have three kids, Violet, Seraphina and Samuel.
Drew Scott and wife Linda Phan just got hitched in a lavish Italian ceremony this Saturday.

But the Property Brothers star, 40, and his bride, 33, are already keen on starting a family together.

'We're excited to have kids,' the realtor told People Wednesday, 'I think Linda and I will be great parents, and we're excited to start that chapter of our lives.'

Gonna need a bigger house! Drew Scott Of Property Brothers told People he wants to have kids with new wife Linda Phan (above in April) and think they 'will be great parents'

And the HGTV persona's business partner and twin Jonathan was quick to voice his support, telling the magazine: 'I couldn't think of two more wonderful people to be parents.'

'I'm waiting for the day that I hear the announcement that they're going to have kids. Wow, that'd mean I'm an uncle! That'll take someone me getting used to.'

After a lavish wedding with all of their closest friends and family at the Borgo Egnazia estate in Italy Saturday, the couple are looking forward to some downtime together.

For the honeymoon the duo decided on South America.

Property kids! Scott told People that he's excited to start that chapter of [he and Linda's] lives' as baby plans are on the horizon

Love that idea! The HGTV persona's business partner and twin Jonathan (together in March, above) was quick to voice his support, telling the magazine: 'I couldn't think of two more wonderful people to be parents'

'We're going to Ecuador with WE [tv],' the reality star explained.

'We went to Kenya with them last year on a trip and we want to do the same thing in Ecuador.'

But the couple won't be completely alone, as Drew added: 'We're bringing family and friends with us.'

Jaw-dropping: The couple are looking forward to some downtime together after a lavish wedding with all of their closest friends and family Borgo Egnazia estate in Italy, above, on Saturday

Drew and Linda met on the job.

The newlywed used to work at Drew and Jonathan's company Scott Brothers Global where she went from architectural designer to creative director.

The couple's wedding glory was captured in a TV special for HGTV.

Property Brothers: Linda & Drew Say I Do premieres June 2 at 9/8c on TLC.
Former Miss Universe Australia Tegan Martin has shown the results of a special treatment she gets to achieve her flawless complexion.

The 25-year-old took to Instagram on Wednesday, to share a selfie before attending a a runway show at the Australian Fashion Week.

In her snap, she flaunted her glowing visage and pale pink outfit.

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Is that her secret? Former Miss Universe Australia Tegan Martin has shown the results of a special treatment she gets to achieve her flawless complexion

She wrote in the caption: 'This fashion thing does not come naturally,' before going on to thank the Hunter Plastic Surgery for her 'oxy hydration treatment'.

The centre also shared her selfie, which garnered plenty of questions from fans asking what was involved in the process.

Hunter Plastic Surgery responded, explaining the facial starts with 'a light peel and relaxing facial massage using the Oxy cream treatment.'

'It can be enjoyed solo or added to a Glow Laser treatment like Tegan had. As a stand-alone it is $80,' they explained.

Fashionably flawless: She wrote in the caption, 'This fashion thing does not come naturally,' before going on to thank the Hunter Plastic Surgery for her 'oxy hydration treatment'

Having a laugh? Tegan (right) recently poked fun at her friend Keira Maguire (left) and Jarrod Woodgate's romantic Bachelor In Paradise commitment ceremony

Tegan's appearance at Fashion Week comes after she recently caught up with her former I'm A Celebrity jungle campmate Keira Maguire and her beau Jarrod Woodgate.

The trio recently ate out at a cafe in Melbourne's South Yarra and the former Miss Universe Australia appeared to mock the romantic Bachelor In Paradise finale.

Jarrod and Keira have continued their relationship after the show's last episode, in which they both professed their love to one another on-screen.

'It's so big': Tegan sat across from the duo, as she tried on Jarrod's ring for size and mocked the couple's commitment ceremony

In a social media post Tegan can be seen sitting across from the duo, as she tried on Jarrod's ring for size.

She joked: 'I said yes! Will you with me forever baby?'

Laughing, she handed back the large band to Jarrod, saying: 'It's so big! There you go Jaz.' Jarrod also agreed, adding: 'It's massive!'
Toni Garrn showed off her natural beauty on Wednesday afternoon as she stepped on the French Riviera ahead of her latest red carpet appearance at the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival.

The German model caught the eye as she strolled close to the picturesque resort towns Hotel Martinez, just hours after her stunning display at the Cannes premiere of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Sporting a simple white blouse and matching cropped jeans, Toni, 25, looked typically stylish during a short break from proceedings at the annual event.

Looking good: Toni Garrn showed off her natural beauty on Wednesday afternoon as she stepped on the French Riviera

White deck shoes added to her summer-ready look, while circular sunglasses rounded things off.

With her wet hair effortlessly swept across her head, the model revealed delicately proportioned features accentuated by the barest hint of make-up.

With a simple silver handbag proving to be a notable accessory, Toni once again commanded attention despite opting for a distinctly low key look.

Here she comes: The German model caught the eye as she strolled close to the picturesque resort towns Hotel Martinez

Striking: Sporting a simple white blouse and matching cropped jeans, Toni, 25, looked typically stylish during a short break from proceedings at the annual event

Subtle: With her wet hair effortlessly swept across her head, the model revealed delicately proportioned features accentuated by the barest hint of make-up

On Tuesday evening Toni continued to showcase her phenomenal physique as she made a sexy statement on the red carpet for the Solo: A Star Wars Story premiere.

Giving the illusion that she was nude, the German model went braless under a semi-sheer glittering gown which clung to her frame.

Toni opted for a semi-sheer silver beaded dress for the premiere which showed off her tremendous pins with a soaring thigh-split.

Tasteful: White deck shoes added to the German supermodel's summer-ready look

Finishing touches: Circular sunglasses rounded things off as she made her way out of the hotel

String to her bow: Toni made her acting debut in November as Reeva Steenkamp, the South African model murdered by paralympian boyfriend Oscar Pistorius, in TV film Oscar Pistorius: The Blade Runner Killer

Stunning: On Tuesday evening Toni continued to showcase her phenomenal physique as she made a sexy statement on the red carpet for the Solo: A Star Wars Story premiere

The model made her acting debut in November as Reeva Steenkamp, the South African model murdered by paralympian boyfriend Oscar Pistorius, in TV film Oscar Pistorius: The Blade Runner Killer.

While the film was slammed by Steenkamp's family, Toni revealed she was proud of her work and spoke about what it was like for her to portray Reeva for television audiences.

'It is such a tragic and horrible story,' she told Channel 24. 'This was a young woman who simply fell in love with the wrong person and that it could happen to any woman including myself.'

'From creating a non-fictional character, to feeling empathy and sorry for Reeva and her family. It's still with me. I think about her life, her relationship and her family daily.'

Meanwhile: Nadine Leopold was seen posing for a photoshoot at Eden Roc Hotel in Cannes on Wednesday afternoon

Incoming: Karolina Kurkova (L) and Jennifer Connelley (R) made their way across Nice airport after flying into France for the annual event
He was reportedly given a stern talking to by show bosses after he punched Jordan in the face in a ferocious bust-up during filming TOWIE.

Yet Myles Barnett put the warning behind him as he got back to work with his ex-girlfriend Courtney Green at Lokkum Restaurant, in Brentwood on Wednesday.

The TOWIE star looked sombre on arrival at The Only Way Is Essex hot spot where he joined his former flame as well as Chloe Sims and Adam Oukhellou.

Stepping out: TOWIE's Myles Barnett got back to work with ex-girlfriend Courtney Green on Wednesday after he was reprimanded by bosses

Reality star Myles kept it casual in a pair of skintight trousers, a slim-fitted round neck T-shirt and boots.

Not far behind him, Courtney stole the attention of the cameras with her slender legs in her tiny polka dot dress.

The plunging garment  which gave onlookers a good look at Courtney's cleavage  also featured a frill going across her body to draw attention to her frame.

Winning look: Not far behind him, Courtney stole the attention of the cameras with her slender legs in her tiny polka dot dress

Myles return to the TOWIE filming shortly follows reports he was reprimanded by show bosses for his shocking street fight with Jordan Wright.

As well as the physical clash with his co-star, the television personality slammed his ex-girlfriend for being a 'dirty little s**g'.

The scorned ex-boyfriend of Courtney laid the blame of his break-up on his co-star, with the fight escalating to the pair squaring up to each other.

Keeping up her glamour: The brunette beauty toyed with her long fringe as she let her hair down in a sea of curls

TOWIE bosses were forced to pull the two stars off each other when their ongoing feud reached a fever pitch in the clash.

A source told MailOnline the reality star had been lectured about his behaviour by senior executive producers following his violent outburst.

Another source told The Sun: 'Myles and Jordan were shouting at each other then suddenly Jordan threw a drink, and Myles just lost it. He punched Jordan square in the face. It was madness.'

MailOnline has previously contacted Myles and Jordan's representatives for comment.

Amazing looks: The TOWIE star sauntered with confidence in her white hot ankle boots which added to her height with its heels

Despite their being hundreds of rows over TOWIE's eight year history, this is the first time cast members have engaged in a physical fight.

Their feud began when Jordan made a beeline for Courtney during their Barcelona getaway, with the hunk later boasting about the flirtation to her ex.

Enraged with jealously, Myles probed Jordan over whether he was flirting with Courtney who previously claimed their interation was 'harmless'.

Jordan angered Myles even more when he let slip he knew Myles had asked Courtney for a photo of him during his jealous rage while the pair in Spain.

Moving on: Myles return to the TOWIE filming shortly follows reports he was reprimanded by show bosses for his shocking street fight with Jordan Wright

Horrified viewers were stunned after Myles erupted into a furious tirade. He said: 'All of you can f*** yourselves,' before turning to Courtney and adding: 'As for you, you've been a dirty little dog as well, so honestly f*** off.'

Unable to contain his emotions, he then lobbed his juice at Jordan and the fight to break out, with Bobby and Courtney desperately tearing them apart.

With his girlfriend drawing him away, Myles snapped in one last blow: 'You can f*** off too you dirty little s**g'.

Stepping out: The former flame were also joined by suave looking Adam Oukhellou to shoot exciting scenes for the reality television show

Myles and Courtney's love story began before joining TOWIE in 2016 yet their romance began to unfold on screen in front of viewers the following year.

They soon fell out when he discovered she was texting her ex and acting like 'a psycho' yet their reconciliation came shortly after.

Myles' fractious relationship with Courtney's best friend Chloe Meadows also caused strife, with the duo locked in bitter rows over his treatment of Courtney.

Wow: Chloe Sims wowed when she joined the TOWIE cast in her navy blue dress which hugged every inch of her fabulous figure

Following the split, Courtney was filmed tearfully explained the reason for their break-up with her pals Amber Turner, Chloe Lewis and Yazmin Oukhellou.

Courtney shared: 'I was just so unhappy. In the whole relationship I was so worried the whole time about making him happy that I forgot about myself. And I've realised that I wasn't happy, cos I was so much concentrating on him.'

Elsewhere Myles, who revealed his nickname was a hedgehog due to his fiery temper, previously spoke openly of his regret of cheating on Courtney.

The television personality has also acknowledged his aggressive behaviour on the show and he vowed to work on himself in a bid to get her back.

Give us a twirl: The TOWIE beauty really stood out in her towering high heels and figure-hugging blue dress

Heading home: Georgia Kousoulou was pictured leaving Faces nightclub after filming on Wednesday

Holding her heels: She wore flat shoes and held her high heels in hand
Iain Lee has revealed the sexual abuse he suffered at the age of 8 ruined his relationships with older men throughout his life.

The talkRADIO host, 44, first spoke about the ordeal - which saw him assaulted by a Scout leader - in Channel 5 documentary Me and My Mental Health, and expressed his belief that it triggered his depression.

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, the star went on to confess the incident made him feel 'ashamed, guilty and afraid', and 'messed up' his future connections to authoritative male figures.

'Messed up': Iain Lee has revealed the sexual abuse he suffered at the age of 8 ruined his relationships with older men throughout his life (pictured in February 2018)

He wrote to his 98,000 followers: 'What happened to me as a kid didn't last long at all and I wasn't raped. In fact, what happened was very low key compared to many many others.

'Part of me is terrified that when people find out the extent of what happened I will somehow be 'in trouble' or called out for exaggerating or trying to profit or making something out of nothing.'

However, recalling the devastating impact the event had on his life, he said: 'All I know is that what happened to me over a very short time caused me to feel ashamed, guilty, afraid and unable to tell my parents.

Horrendous: Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, the star confessed the incident made him feel 'ashamed, guilty and afraid', and 'messed up' his future connections to male figures

'I was 8. It's messed up my relationships to this day with older men and men in authority.'

Assuring he will only ever be honest with his followers, he continued: 'I've just been replying to a letter from the Scouts and its made me feel very, very nervous. Feel sick actually.

'But seeing this story be magnified and turned into 'my hell' 'torture' and all that s*** really doesn't help me or anyone.'

Staying positive: He wrapped up his emotional post in his usual style, in a bid to lighten the mood

Opening up: Iain revealed he was sexually abused as a child by a Scout leader earlier this week, and said he believes it was the trigger to his depression and suicidal thoughts

He wrapped up his emotional post by writing: 'PS and now I feel shit and I'm crying so I'm gonna watch Evil Genius to cheer me up.'

Iain revealed he was sexually abused as a child by a Scout leader earlier this week, and said he believes it was the trigger to his depression and suicidal thoughts.

Appearing on the documentary, which airs on Thursday, Iain explained that his abuse has 'weighed' on him for 35 years.

Tough: Iain explained that his abuse has 'weighed' on him for 35 years, having discussed his mental health battle on I'm A Celebrity (pictured with co-star Shappi Khorsandi)

He said: 'A lot of my depression comes around self-loathing, shame and guilt. How do I say this? There was a bit of sexual abuse that went on as a kid. A scout master and stuff, which kind of weighed heavily on me.

'It is the most horrendous messed-up scenario, it was humiliating and it was shameful, and I remember getting home to my mum and dad and never telling them. I never told them.

He added: 'I think it certainly played a part in my depression, what happened to me at the age of eight. I can see that as the starting point for it. Because up until then the memories I do have are generally quite happy.

'Now I feel embarrassed and ashamed talking about it, it was 35 years ago.'

Honest: The 44-year-old radio personality added that he believes the abuse triggered his depression and even caused him to consider suicide

Having never told his parents about the abuse, the comedian, who stars on the show opposite Trisha Goddard, Adam Deacon and MP Kevan Jones, revealed that staying silent forced him to contemplate taking his own life.

He began: 'I was out walking the dog and we were in these woods and I just thought, "F***, this is really off the beaten track, I could get a bit of rope. I could hang myself here and no-one would find me for ages."

'And I really allowed myself to go off into this fantasy.' MailOnline have contacted Iain Lee's rep for comment.

His honest admission comes after he revealed earlier this month that he contemplated suicide on Twitter, after alleged trolling from broadcaster Jon Gaunt.

Social media cleanse: His honest admission comes after he revealed earlier this month that he contemplated suicide on Twitter after alleged trolling from broadcaster Jon Gaunt

The radio personality lashed out at the journalist in reaction to a series of now-deleted posts, as he claimed his life had been made 'an absolute misery', however rounded out his message by wishing Gaunt's family well.

In his posts, he penned: 'The gall of someone who has threatened me, blackmailed me, mocked my mental health, tried to get me the sack - getting in touch indirectly to ask me to go easy.

'Im a decent bloke so I will. But sweet Jesus man, have a look at yourself. An apology would be a start.'

He then added in response to a now-deleted message: '@jongaunt of course Ill do as you ask. Hadnt crossed that line anyway. Youve got a nerve though son. After everything you put me through I should tell you exactly where to go.

Hitting back: In his posts, he penned: '@jongaunt of course Ill do as you ask. Hadnt crossed that line anyway. Youve got a nerve though son. After everything you put me through I should tell you exactly where to go' (Jon Gaunt, pictured on This Morning in 2012)

'Im a decent bloke though. I wish, as Ive always done, you and your family peace.'

Responding to the message, Jon penned: 'Iain why have you put this in the public domain? You could DM me this is extremely serious, as serious as when you went to court. My family are in real danger please dm me.'

Iain retorted: 'Im not going to mate. You dont dictate my narrative Im afraid. I hadnt crossed that line you asked. I havent referred to the specifics. Im simply saying, youve got a f**king nerve after what you put me through. Once again, peace.'

Iain finally added: 'I anticipate another call from Nick asking me to go easy. I have done.never mentioned what you asked me to stop mentioning.

'You made my life an absolute misery. At my lowest ebb of your trolling, I considered, briefly, suicide. So no. I will not DM you. I wish you and yours peace.'

The reference to court appeared to allude his 2011 battle with a parish councillor, known as 'Mr Good Evening', who bombarded him with hate messages over the phone, email and Twitter.

Samuel Wilkins, an Ofcom worker and village councillor in Whyteleafe, Surrey, was jailed after he subjected the comedian and his producer to a 16-month campaign of abuse and nuisance calls.

Mr Wilkins, then-33, who was also a children's charity trustee, sent Twitter messages calling Lee an 'ugly c**t' and a 'pathetic little p***k' and even made remarks about the DJ's young son.

For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details.

For confidential support for adults who suffered any type of abuse in childhood call NAPAC on 0808 801 0331, free from landlines and mobiles, or click here for details
Cruel Intentions alum Selma Blair stepped out with a new mystery man during a sunny stroll with his dog in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The Grammy nominee - turning 46 next month - looked youthful in a chic felt hat, olive-green blouse, cuffed blue jeans, and black ballet flats for the outing.

It's unclear who the Lost in Space guest star's tall companion was, but he kept it casual in a navy-blue top, blue jeans, and grey sneakers.

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New man? Cruel Intentions alum Selma Blair stepped out with a new mystery man during a sunny stroll with his dog in Los Angeles on Tuesday

The cozy pair were seen feeding a parking meter before getting ice-cream together.

Toting a large beige purse - The Daily Edited's taupe baby bag, Blair (born Beitner) was later seen grabbing coffee with a grey sweatshirt thrown over her ensemble.

Selma has clearly split with Dead Ant director Ron Carlson as both have wiped each other from their respective Instagram accounts, and they haven't been pictured together since December.

The Hollywood Medium guest star had previously been dating the single father as far back as February 2015.

Turning 46 next month! The Grammy nominee looked youthful in a chic felt hat, olive-green blouse, cuffed blue jeans, and black ballet flats for the outing; she added a taupe baby bag from The Daily Edited

Taking a call: It's unclear who the Lost in Space guest star's tall companion was, but he kept it casual in a navy-blue top, blue jeans, and grey sneakers

Sweet treat: The cozy pair were seen feeding a parking meter before getting ice-cream together

Crossing the street: Toting a large beige bag, Blair (born Beitner) was later seen grabbing coffee with a grey sweatshirt thrown over her ensemble

But the true love of the Mom and Dad actress' life is her six-year-old son Arthur Saint from her two-year relationship with fasion designer Jason Bleick, which ended in 2012.

Blair's street sighting came the same day she celebrated her 20th anniversary of living in LA where she candidly discussed the highs and lows of her life and career.

'I battled alcoholism and depression and anxiety. I am now winning that battle. Hi a much better life!' the University of Michigan grad - who boasts 654K social media followers - wrote.

'I had a son. Hi Arthur! I lived with #postpartumdepression for 4 long years. Crippling anxiety. I fell apart. The last moment being very public. I was sorry. I was humbled. I stayed humble...

It's over: Selma has clearly split with Dead Ant director Ron Carlson as both have wiped each other from their respective Instagram accounts, and they haven't been pictured together since December (pictured October 10)

'Sidecar Saturday': But the true love of the Mom and Dad actress' life is her six-year-old son Arthur Saint from her two-year relationship with fashion designer Jason Bleick (L), which ended in 2012 (pictured January 27)

Reflective: Blair's street sighting came the same day she celebrated her 20th anniversary of living in LA where she candidly discussed the highs and lows of her life and career

The University of Michigan grad wrote: 'I battled alcoholism and depression and anxiety. I am now winning that battle. Hi a much better life!'

'I got better. The weight of grief began to lift. I still struggle. I cry quietly so as not to wake my child. I am a good mother.'

Selma - who gave shout-outs to Guillermo del Toro, Karl Lagerfeld, and Carrie Fisher - was referring to the 'total psychotic blackout' she suffered after mixing alcohol with medication on a 2016 Delta flight.

Blair will recur as Heath Duke's mother Jade (a 'stripper who is biding her time until her 82-year-old husband kicks the bucket') in the long-delayed 10-episode spin-off of the 1988 cult classic Heathers, which premieres July 10 on the Paramount Network.
They did a really great job covering the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, for Amazon Prime Video.

Now local news anchors Tish and Cord, who are played by Molly Shannon and Will Ferrell, are back to host HBO's coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Royal Wedding - in their own inimitable, light-hearted style.

The Saturday Night Live alums were spotted hugging when they met up at JFK airport in New York on Tuesday.

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Give us a kiss: Molly Shannon and Will Ferrell hugged when they met up at JFK airport in New York on Tuesday ahead of a flight to London

Crowning glory: The couple have been busy filming promos for their hilarious take on the royal proceedings

Molly, 53, wore a black coat over a glamorous a red pleated frock and silver shoes.

Will, 60, was super casual in a cream trilby hat, an Adidas jersey, black knee-length shorts and blue Under Armour sneakers with a lime green stripe.

They have been busy filming hilarious promos for their Royal Wedding special, produced by Funny Or Die.

Saturday Night Live alums: Molly, 53, and Will, 60, are due to reprise their roles as local TV hosts Tish and Cord for HBO's live coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markles wedding

Jetting out: The actress wore a black coat over a red pleated frock and silver shoes while her co-star was super casual in a trilby hat, Adidas jersey, black knee-length shorts

In one, Will as Cord gets trapped in one of London's iconic red telephone boxes while Molly as Tish attempts to film beside it.

'Tish, I'm stuck,' Cord moans as he kicks the door. 'Just open the door,' his unimpressed co-host replies.

Tension levels rise as he yells back: 'Don't you understand, I'm claustrophobic and I need you to get me the f*** out of here, OK!'

Playing the part: In one promo, Tish and Cord wore crowns as they filmed beside one of London's iconic red phone boxes. Unfortunately the claustrophobic Cord got stuck

He's free: Cord finally forced his way out, saying, 'My God, I panicked, I'm OK, I'm cool...I have stress odor now'

Cord finally forces his way out, saying: 'My God, I panicked, I'm OK, I'm cool...I have stress odor now.'

In a second Instagram video the pair eat cake but Cord chokes on his slice and they both decide to film without the dessert.

The 'TV hosts' also released a statement via HBO with Tish/Molly saying: 'Every little girl dreams of growing up and marrying a prince!

'Now I get to be front-row center of this fairytale romance. Ill be crying all day!'

Cord/Will added: 'This wedding is going to be a blast. There will be more luxury packed into that church than all the Bed, Bath & Beyonds combined.'

Meanwhile, the Royal Wedding will be held at at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on Saturday with Cord and Tish's coverage going out live on HBO at 7.30 am ET and 4.30am PT with an encore at 9.45pm ET/PT.

Second promo: The couple enjoyed a slice of wedding cake, but Cord chokes on his bit

Having too much fun: Cord and Tish's coverage will go out live on HBO at 7.30 am ET and 4.30 am PT with an encore at 9.45pm ET/PT
Lars von Trier, the enfant terrible of Cannes, has returned to the film festival with his latest controversial film, The House That Jack Built.

The film is supposed to be so horrific that over 100 audience members walked out of its Cannes premiere, with many calling it one of the worst movies of the year and one of the most unpleasant movie-going experiences.

However, those who remained behind ended up giving the film a six-minute standing ovation.

Matt Dillon plays a serial killer in Lars von Trier's controversial film The House that Jack Built

The Danish director is no stranger to Cannes controversy. In 2011, he was banned from the film festival and branded a persona non grata after he called himself a Nazi.

'For a long time I thought I was a Jew and I was happy to be a Jew. But then I found out I was actually a Nazi. My family were German. And that also gave me some pleasure. What can I say? I understand HitlerI sympathize with him a bit.'

Heres all you need to know about Lars von Triers latest film, The House that Jack Built, including its trailer, cast, release date and critics reviews.

The House That Jack Built trailer

The trailer for The House That Jack Built was released on May 14 and has been viewed more than 900,000 times in under two days.

It shows Matt Dillons Jack, described as looking like a serial killer by Uma Thurmans character, commit a series of violent and depraved acts including cutting off a ducklings leg and stabbing a man in the throat.

What is The House That Jack Built about?

The film follows Matt Dillons character Jack, a well-off architect with over 60 murders under his belt.

Spanning the course of 12 years, The House That Jack Built shows the murders that made Jack the terrifying killer he is.

The trailer hints at some of the more controversial scenes including Jack mutilating a young woman and later murdering children.

What is The House that Jack Built release date?

The House That Jack Built hasnt yet got a UK release date, but the film is scheduled to come out in Denmark on November 29, 2018.

Ive never seen anything like this at a film festival. More than 100 people have walked out of Lars von Triers The House That Jack Built, which depicts the mutilation of women and children. Its disgusting, one woman said on her way out. #Cannes2018 pic.twitter.com/GsBGCoyHEG  Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) May 14, 2018

Who is in The House that Jack Built?

Theres Something About Mary and The Outsiders actor Matt Dillon stars as the serial killer Jack.

Uma Thurman, who appeared opposite Dillon in the 1996 film Beautiful Girls, plays one of Jacks victims.

Lars von Trier's The House that Jack Built was reportedly so violent that 100 people walked out

Other cast members include American Honeys Riley Keough, Lost and Justified alum Jeremy Davies, and Swiss actor Bruno Ganz.

The House That Jack Built reviews

Many critics are far from pleased with von Trier's film. New York Magazine's Kyle Buchanan tweeted out a response from a Cannes viewer who said: 'He mutilates Riley Keough, he mutilates children... and we are all there in formal dress expected to watch it?'

Variety's Ramin Setoodeh said he's never 'seen anything like it', adding it was 'one of the most unpleasant movie-going experiences of my life'.

Lars von Triers The House That Jack Built was one of the most unpleasant movie-going experiences of my life. #Cannes2018  Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) May 14, 2018

Talked to someone who walked out of the Lars von Trier film at Cannes: "He mutilates Riley Keough, he mutilates children... and we are all there in formal dress expected to watch it?"  Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) May 14, 2018

Lars Von Triers The House That Jack Built is an ordeal of gruesomeness and tiresomeness, quite as exasperating as I feared, but leading to what I have to admit is a spectacular horror finale. Review later #Cannes2018 #Cannes71 #Cannes  Peter Bradshaw (@PeterBradshaw1) May 14, 2018

However, other critics were quick to point out Lars von Trier's background.

Disgusted people walking out of a Lars von Trier movie about a serial killer is pretty much the definition of dog bites man  Sam Adams (@SamuelAAdams) May 14, 2018

Im confused by people walking out of a Lars von Trier Film as if they expected something totally different from him  #Cannes2018  Rachel West (@rachel_is_here) May 14, 2018
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She's commanded the catwalk for nearly two decades for lingerie giant lingerie giant Victoria's Secret.

And now Adriana Lima swapped the runway for the red carpet as she wowed the style brigade in a daring cutout gown at the premiere of South Korean flick Burning (Beoning) at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday alongside actress Milla Jovovich and fellow model Barbara Palvin.

The 36-year-old Brazilian beauty was sure to turn heads as she arrived to the Palais des Festivals in a strapless Alberta Ferretti gown which showcased her taut stomach with its daring midriff cutout panel.

Model behaviour: Adriana Lima swapped the runway for the red carpet as she wowed the style brigade in a daring cutout gown at the premiere of South Korean flick Burning (Beoning) at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday alongside actress Milla Jovovich and fellow model Barbara Palvin

Her striking cream silk garment accentuated her ample cleavage while she sashayed her way up the star-studded carpet.

Adriana's haute couture display cinched in her narrow midriff before cascading down into a billowing a-line skirt with sultry thigh-high slit.

Flashing her slender pins, the South America fashion star confidently worked her ensemble for the cameras while managing to avoid a possible wardrobe malfunction.

The runway stunner added a touch of glitz to her gown with a sapphire and diamond collar with matching diamond drop-earrings while her dark tresses were worked into a soft old Hollywood wave.

Drama: The model's look featured a dramatic train which trailed behind her

A vision: The 36-year-old Brazilian beauty was sure to turn heads as she arrived to the Palais des Festivals in a strapless Alberta Ferretti gown which showcased her taut stomach with its daring midriff cutout panel

Sultry: Adriana's haute couture display cinched in her narrow midriff before cascading down into a billowing a-line skirt with sultry thigh-high slit

All that sparkles: The runway stunner added a touch of glitz to her gown with a sapphire and diamond collar with matching diamond drop-earrings

Work it: Flashing her slender pins, the South America fashion star confidently worked her ensemble for the cameras while managing to avoid a possible wardrobe malfunction

Red alert: Adriana sported a bold red lip for the star-studded occasion

Walk this way: She slipped into a pair of metallic heels as she strutted her stuff up the iconic stairs

Mane attraction: Her dark tresses were worked into a soft old Hollywood wave

Extraordinary: Adriana put her best fashion foot forward in the look

Sealed with a kiss: She blew kisses to the waiting crowds as the rain began in Cannes

Glowing: She accentuated her flawless complexion with a light dusting of bronzer

Fix up: Adriana's designer number featured classic ruching across the bodice

The stunner has been a Victoria's Secret Angel since 1999 and has walked in 18 VS Fashion Shows. Last month, she told People that she wouldn't retire from the brand until her 20th VS Fashion Show but was realistic about her age being a factor in her decision.

'I plan to be at 20. Two more years. Maybe more, I dont know,' she said, 'Its nature. I'm working out, Im being healthy, so lets see how the body is going to turn out. But I enjoy it. So lets say 20.'

Lima has two children, Valentina, eight, and Sienna, five, with her former husband husband Marko Jaric.

Complementing Adriana's striking appearance, model-turned-actress Milla looked sensational in a grey column dress which boasted a daring plunging neckline.

Sensational: Complementing Adriana's striking appearance, model-turned-actress Milla looked sensational in a grey column dress which boasted a daring plunging neckline

Dazzling: The 42-year-old Ukrainian star's look featured 3D metallic detailing throughout which added a futuristic edge to the carpet

Sparkle: Adding inches to her statuesque frame, she slipped on a pair of metallic heels and accessorised with a diamond necklace and matching ring

Phenomenal: She showcased her model moves infront of the cameras

Breathtaking: Milla's look featured criss-cross detailing across her back which highlighted her alabaster skin

Subtle: She peered over her shoulder while posing for the cameras

Wonder: Milla showed how to work the carpet

Slinky: Keeping to the plunging theme, VS model Barbara slipped into a slinky black gown which featured a perilously low neckline that highlighted her decolletage

Getting chic done: Equipped with intricate silver beading, the ensemble featured a wraparound skirt which teased at her gym-honed pins and showcased her pointed stilettos

Equipped with intricate silver beading, the ensemble featured a wraparound skirt which teased at her gym-honed pins and showcased her pointed stilettos

All in the details: She complemented the look with a daring diamond choker and layered rings which complemented her gown's glittering detailing

Glam: She worked her locks into a half up, half down do' and sported a glamorous beauty look

Threads: Brazilian model Izabel Goulart donned a striking Zuhair Murad look

The 42-year-old Ukrainian star's look featured 3D metallic detailing throughout which added a futuristic edge to the carpet.

Adding inches to her statuesque frame, she slipped on a pair of metallic heels and accessorised with a diamond necklace and matching ring.

The former model worked a dramatic beauty look and styled her brunette tresses into a voluminous tousled wave.

Keeping to the plunging theme, VS model Barbara slipped into a slinky black gown which featured a perilously low neckline that highlighted her decolletage.

Equipped with intricate silver beading, the ensemble featured a wraparound skirt which teased at her gym-honed pins and showcased her pointed stilettos.

She complemented the look with a daring diamond choker and layered rings which complemented her gown's glittering detailing.

Sheer bliss: Her daring semi-sheer look followed the theme of the day and was covered in intricate beading

Styling: She worked her voluminous curl while on the carpet

Glossy: She worked her brunette locks into a voluminous curl

Take a peak: She peered over her shoulder while getting her photo taken

Beautiful: Petra Nemcova dazzled in a beautiful ballerina length gown

Glittering: The grey ensemble boasted velvet leaf detailing across the bodice and down the skirt

Red alert: The blonde beauty's look cinched in her narrow waist with a red bow waist belt

Having fun: Petra beamed as she twirled her skirt on the carpet

All smiles: She pulled a number of poses infront of the cameras

Spinning around: The model happily spun around in her designer garment

Making her way: Petra walked her way up the carpet, holding on to a male's arm

I see London, I see France: Model Toni Garrn stunned in her head-turning look which flashed her undergarments beneath a billowing tulle skirt

Model beauty: The stunner sported a berry lip and intricate jewels for the occasion

Cheeky: Toni's look highlighted her perky posterior

White hot: Cindy Bruna turned heads in her feather detailed gown which was equipped with billowing sleeves

Simple: Model Julia Restoin-Roitfeld stunned in a simplistic nude gown

Effortless: The French bombshell's fashion choice featured a simple silhouette which accentuated her slender frame

Stunning: She accessorised her look with a diamond necklace and matching earrings

Hell for leather: LaToya Jackson stunned in a leather full length gown

Pin-credible: Her choice of red carpet ensemble featured a daring thigh-high slit

Wave: She waved to the crowds while she made her way inside the venue

Stepping out: Her look featured a matching waist belt which highlighted her narrow frame

One way to command attention! A guest certainly pulled out all the stops in a dramatic gold ensemble as she posed on the red stairs

The models were on the carpet for the premiere of South Korean mystery drama Burning (Beoning) directed by Lee Chang-dong.

The flick tells the story of part-time worker Jong-soo, who bumps into Hae-mi, who used to live in the same neighborhood, while delivering.

Knowing each other from yesteryear, Hae-mi asks him to look after her cat while she jets off to Africa for work.

But upon arriving home, she introduces a mysterious stranger named Ben, who she met in Africa, to Jong-soo.

The mysterious companion later visits Jong-soo's with Hae-mi and confesses his dark secret hobby. The film stars Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, and Jeon Jong-seo.

Going for gold: She accessorised her ensemble with a gold necklace

In the nude: Former MIC star Kimberley Garner appeared on the carpet in a nude ballgown

Making a statement: The reality star's look featured a plunging mesh neckline
She strutted down the Victoria's Secret catwalk 17 times before hanging up her wings at the end of last year.

And Alessandra Ambrosio is back in sexy smalls once again, modeling for German brand Lascana.

In behind-the-scenes shots from the racy swimsuit shoot, the 37-year-old was seen flaunting her washboard abs and enviable assets.

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Sizzling hot! After hanging up her Victoria's Secret wings last year, Alessandra Ambrosio was back in sexy lingerie for German brand Lascana

Alessandra, who frequently showcases her grueling workouts on social media proved that hard work pays off.

One shot saw the Brazilian beauty stun in a patterned triangle bikini.

Her brunette locks were styled into loose beach waves and she donned a natural makeup look.

Stunner: In behind-the-scenes shots from the racy shoot, the 37-year-old was seen flaunting her washboard abs and enviable assets

Train hard play hard: Alessandra, who frequently showcases her grueling workouts on social media proved that hard work pays off

Beauty: Alessandra's glam for the shoot left her looking radiant with well-defined cheekbones and a bold brow

Alessandra's glam for the shoot left her looking radiant with well-defined cheekbones and a bold brow.

She also stunned with a subtle smokey eye and a plump nude lip.

Another shot saw the Lascana ambassador bring the drama in a cut-out lace bodysuit.

Windswept: Her brunette locks were styled into loose beach waves and she donned a natural makeup look

Racy in lace! Another shot saw the Lascana ambassador bring the drama in a cut-out lace bodysuit

She knows how to pose: She stuck out her toned derriere and effortlessly placed one arm over her head

International supermodel: Alessandra originally hails for Brazil

She stuck out her toned derriere and effortlessly placed one arm over her head.

The sassy look was teamed with thin black strappy heels.

Alessandra was also seen modelling some of the brand's clothing with a grey t-shirt and distressed casual jeans.

Hot to trot! One shot saw the stunner lay down and flaunt her enviable curves

The right partnership: After being announced as the new ambassador, the Daddy's Home 2 star revealed that she felt a connection to the label and their message

All female: 'I think Lascana's campaign and their philosophy "It's a woman's world" is about empowering women to feel good and confident to do whatever they want, to follow their dreams and to accomplish them and to be happy,' she said

The woman's brand: think we learn from everything that we do. Of course there are things I've done that were wrong but I feel like these things teach you to be the way you want to be'

After being announced as the new ambassador, the Daddy's Home 2 star revealed that she felt a connection to the label and their message.

'I think Lascana's campaign and their philosophy "It's a woman's world" is about empowering women to feel good and confident to do whatever they want, to follow their dreams and to accomplish them and to be happy,' she said.

'I can definitely identify with this. I think we learn from everything that we do. Of course there are things I've done that were wrong but I feel like these things teach you to be the way you want to be.'

Not her first time: Alessandra is no stranger to modelling swimwear

Walk the walk: She strutted down the Victoria's Secret catwalk 17 times before hanging up her wings at the end of last year

Looking back on the past: 'Everyone is human, everyone makes mistakes but those mistakes are what make you learn and make you stronger'

Alessandra continued to open up about learning from her past mistakes.

'There are certain things in my life that maybe I wouldn't have done in retrospect, but I feel like you have to do some things wrong to learn from them,' she said candidly.

'Everyone is human, everyone makes mistakes but those mistakes are what make you learn and make you stronger.'

Life lessons: 'Life is about learning every day, it's about experiencing things. That is the beauty of life; it's a learning process the whole time,' she continued

Single: Earlier in the year, Alessandra announced that she had ended her 10-year engagement to businessman Jamie Mazur

Split: Alessandra and ex-fiance Jamie began dating in 2005 before calling off their engagement earlier this year

'Life is about learning every day, it's about experiencing things. That is the beauty of life; it's a learning process the whole time,' she continued.

Earlier in the year, Alessandra announced that she had ended her 10-year engagement to businessman Jamie Mazur.

The pair who began dating in 2005 have two children together - daughter Anja Louise, nine, and Noah Phoenix, six.

Family: Alessandra is mom to two children - daughter Anja Louise, nine, and Noah Phoenix, six

Keeping things low-key: Alessandra was also seen modelling some of the brand's clothing with a grey t-shirt and distressed casual jeans
Kourtney Kardashian has been showing off bikini photos all week to talk about her swimwear on her app, KourtneyKardashian.com.

And on Wednesday the 39-year-old daughter of Kris Jenner added yet another photo, this one from her trip to the Turks And Caicos earlier this spring.

In the caption, the girlfriend of Younes Bendjima revealed who took the sultry photo: her son Mason, aged eight, who she had with ex Scott Disick.

Say cheese: Kourtney Kardashian posted this flashback bikini image on Wednesday and said the photo was taken by her son Mason, aged eight

With her boy: The 39-year-old TV star with Mason as she holds Reign and walks with Penelope earlier this week in LA

The eldest Kardashian child had on a black string bikini as she sat on the beach looking out at the water with her legs opened.

Her gym-toned figure could be seen in all its glory with her flat tummy and toned legs on display.

It seems to be a trend for female stars to have their kids photograph them when they barely have any clothes on.

Elizabeth Hurley has done it as her son Damian snaps most of her bikini images.

A budget buy! Kardashian posed in a $215 metallic bikini as she shares favorite swimsuits with fans (but at up to $375, it's time to start saving)

On Tuesday she shared several old bikini images to talk up bikini lines.

Writing that metallic swimwear was all that she was 'currently coveting', the star posed in one for a beach picture, taken on her vacation last month.

In it the mother-of-three stood on the sand, her slim figure on display in a $215 Norma Kamali suit.

'Scroll down to see the metallic swimsuits I've been wearing latelyincluding the exact ones from my recent vacation,' she wrote.

'One of my favorite metallic red Norma Kamali swimsuits is sold out, but the Kai Lani below is similar and I have that style in a few colors.'

Looking good: Thanks to her Keeping Up With The Kardashians fame, Kourtney is financially stable and has money to splurge on her swimwear

Vacation time: She loves to show off her gym-honed figure in a bikini; the reality star is seen on her trip last month

Thanks to her Keeping Up With The Kardashians fame, Kourtney is financially stable and has money to splurge on her swimwear.

And that certainly shows in her choices, which cost up to $375.

But while most of the suits are unashamedly designer items, there is one cheaper option, a $15 version from BooHoo - although there is no picture of Kourtney wearing this.

Along with her beach break, the sister of Kim and Khloe recently took a romantic trip with boyfriend Younes Bendjima to Arizona to celebrate his 25th birthday.

And the two seem closer than ever, with Younes sharing a flashback picture of Kourtney to Instagram on Tuesday.

'Ufff my heart,' he wrote.

Another suit: Along with her beach break, the sister of Kim and Khloe recently took a romantic trip with boyfriend Younes Bendjima to Arizona to celebrate his 25th birthday
She's had to deal with the aftermath of learning her boyfriend of nearly a year, Marcel Somerville, cheated on her with a random woman - while they were on a romantic vacation together!

And so Gabby Allen has clearly decided the way to get over that holiday from hell is to go on a holiday from heaven.

The reality personality, 26, has jetted out to Bali, with former Love Island co-star Georgia Harrison in tow, to lick her wounds and escape the UK, following the saddening betrayal.

Jetting off: Gabby Allen has clearly decided the way to get over her holiday from hell is to go on a holiday from heaven, after Marcel Somerville cheated on her during their last trip together

Staying at Motel Mansion, Gabby looked to be having a fabulous time, not letting Marcel's horrible mistakes get her down.

Slipping into an array of sexy swimwear, the blonde bombshell was seen posing and flaunting her frame in the provocative ensembles, showing her failed rap star ex, 32, what he's missing.

Opting for a leopard print one-piece in some shots, she was seen reclining by the pool with her pal, laughing and soaking up the sun.

She changed into a teasing animal print bikini top for another shot as she sipped on refreshing cocktails at the bar.

Escape to the sun: The reality personality, 26, has jetted out to Bali, with former Love Island co-star Georgia Harrison in tow, to lick her wounds and escape the UK, following the saddening betrayal

Pink lady: Her pal Georgia, 23, was seen in a hot pink bathing suit, showcasing her lean pins

Gabby wore her blonde locks loosely sleek and decorated her look with orange lipstick and a deep swish of mascara.

Her pal Georgia, 23, was seen in a hot pink bathing suit, showcasing her lean pins.

The girls swapped wigs for the snaps and pose with pool toys by the sparkling blue waters.

Gabby looked as if she has left her troubles - and Marcel - well and truly behind her in the UK, having confirmed her split from her Love Island beau on Instagram, after he admitted to cheating on her.

Kicking back: Opting for a leopard print one-piece in some shots, she was seen reclining by the pool with her pal, laughing and soaking up the sun

Sultry: She changed into a teasing animal print bikini top for another shot as she sipped on refreshing cocktails at the bar

She was seen a few days ago taking a turn around Soho with a male pal, clearly trying to sweep her heartache under the rug.

Speaking to MailOnline earlier this month, a spokesperson for Marcel explained that the Blazin' Squad star understood his wrongdoings and hoped that one day Gabby would forgive him.

His rep said: 'Sadly the rumours are true, Gabby and Marcel have split up. Marcel can't really defend his actions as he knows he did wrong and will regret it forever.'

Pose: The girls swapped wigs for the snaps and pose with pool toys by the sparkling blue waters

They said: 'Marcel is upset that he broke the heart of someone he loves and someone that he shared so many special moments with, but with all the good times there are difficult times, and sadly Marcel and Gabby had been in a bad place at this stage.

'Gabby was a special part of my Marcel's life, and he hopes one day she can find it in herself to forgive him. He knows what he did was wrong and is extremely sad about how he has hurt Gabby.'

His comments come a day after Gabby confirmed their 'tough' split and revealed she is 'in shock' from the relationship break-up.

In an Instagram post the blonde beauty thanked her friends, family and fans for their support during the difficult time as she deals with the end of her romance.

Wink wink: Gabby looked as if she has left her troubles - and Marcel - well and truily behind her in the UK, having confirmed her split from her Love Island beau on Instagram , after he admitted to cheating on her.

Girls vacay: The pair were pictured having fun at the resort

She wrote: 'Thank you to everyone for your kind messages, love and support. It's been tough couple of days, I think I might still be in a bit of shock! But I'm sure in time I will be OK. I have the best family and friends around me. I'm a lucky girl.'

Gabby and Marcel met on the 2017 series of summer smash Love Island and quickly forged a romance.

But their seemingly rock-solid relationship was rocked by claims of infidelity during their Mexican getaway last month.

New allegations by The Sun state that Marcel cheated on Gabby multiple times with different women over the course of a few months.

It is also revealed that the rapper kissed another girl during a night out - but when Gabby's suspicions arose, he managed to convince her that nothing occurred.

The publication claims that Gabby had her doubts when it came to Marcel remaining faithful in their relationship.
She's proved her prowess both on the red carpet and in the philanthropic world.

And Naomi Campbell continues to work hard for change, posing for photographs at Number 10 Downing Street on Wednesday.

The world famous supermodel, 47, arrived at the Prime Minister's home to discuss racial disparity.

Philanthropist: Naomi Campbell continues to work hard for change, posing for photographs at Number 10 Downing Street on Wednesday

Miss Campbell looked every inch the professional in her pinstripe suit worn over a grey turtleneck top, donning an elaborate pair of oversized sunglasses to add a touch of glamour to the ensemble.

Simon Woolley, who is chairing the Race Disparity Audit, hosted the meeting and said they looked at how to develop equality, particularly among young people.

The model was there to have a conversation about her work nationally and internationally and to explore various possibilities.

Theresa May was not in attendance as she is currently in Bulgaria meeting with EU and Western Balkan heads of state

Naomi has just returned from Cannes Film Festival where she hosted the annual Fashion For Relief gala.

Key issues: The supermodel arrived at the Prime Minister's home to discuss racial disparity at an event hosted by Simon Woolley (pictured)

Professional: Miss Campbell looked every inch the professional in her pinstripe suit worn over a grey turtleneck top, donning an elaborate pair of oversized sunglasses to add a touch of glamour to the ensemble.

This year, the charity catwalk show, which she founded, had the theme of Race To Equality, focusing on education, health and culture.

She called on the support of the world's most iconic models turned out to take part in the show, raising awareness as well as funds for a cause close to her heart.

Naomi told the press: 'Equality means to me to be treated fairly in equal ways, impartiality, wherever you are in the world.

Its about Sudan where there was a 19-year-old girl who was forced to get married, stabbed her husband and now shes sentenced to death.'

Marriage is legal at 10 and rape is legal as well.

This is an injustice. We are taking two steps forward and one step back in the sense that we look up to world leaders  well, were supposed to  and you hear and see things and were not where we should be.

Not present: Theresa May was not in attendance as she is currently in Bulgaria meeting with EU and Western Balkan heads of state

Charity: On Sunday, the 47-year-old hosted a Fashion For Relief - a charity which she founded catwalk show at the Cannes Film Festival

The catwalk queen also discussed passing on the baton to her younger counterparts: But its an honour to walk Id love for it to be carried on by the younger generation and for me to sit in the audience and watch.

Fashion For Relief was founded in 2005 and has raised millions with the help of events and donations from the world's most reputable fashion houses.

Working with the charity, Naomi has previously used her status to help fight against Ebola and help out following natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.
She's one of the highest earning stars on reality TV.

And Bethenny Frankel proved that she was all about luxury while showing off her newly renovated loft in the chic SoHo neighborhood of New York on Instagram, in honor of her new Architectural Digest profile.

The Real Housewives Of New York star, 47, said she 'wasn't even looking to move,' but simply 'couldn't pass up' the sprawling 4400ft space, which she said was a steal at $4.2million.

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Cover girl! Bethenny Frankel (above Monday) showed off her newly renovated loft in SoHo neighborhood of New York on Instagram to celebrate her new Architectural Digest cover

'I wasn't even looking to move but this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up,' explained the Bravo favorite.

'All of a sudden I was in it,' Bethenny said about the ultra roomy two-bedroom she'll share with daughter Bryn Hoppy, eight.

The Skinny Girl founder worked with designers Cheryl Eisen and Vian Abreu of Interior Marketing Group to make the streamlined space come to life.

Though many would guess that Frankel had to to complete overhaul the real estate she revealed she tried to keep as much of the original structure as possible.

Budget! The RHONY star said she 'wasn't even looking to move,' but simply 'couldn't pass up' the sprawling 4400ft space, which she said was a steal at $4.2million

Work of art! The Shark Tank alum was keen on showing off all the parts of her art collection that came from her previous spots

Move it or lose it! 'I wasn't even looking to move but this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up,' explained the Bravo favorite

Home, sweet home! 'All of a sudden I was in it,' Bethenny said about the ultra roomy two-bedroom she'll share with daughter Bryn Hoppy, eight

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! 'People think it was a gut job, but the bones of the kitchen, the bathrooms, the plumbingit's all intact,' the entrepreneur explained

Dressing up: The apartment comes complete with a perfectly lit glam room

'People think it was a gut job, but the bones of the kitchen, the bathrooms, the plumbingit's all intact,' the entrepreneur explained.

'It's like taking plain hummus and adding lemon zest and herbs. Now it's yours,' the starlet said about her design philosophy.

The Shark Tank persona also kept exposed pipes and an old school radiator viable, explaining it was 'important for [her] to highlight instead of hide' original, industrial features of the spot.

Bethenny gave her 1.7million Instagram followers a thorough walk through of her glam new digs.

Spicing things up! 'It's like taking plain hummus and adding lemon zest and herbs. Now it's yours,' the starlet said about her design philosophy

It takes a team! The Skinny Girl founder worked with designers Cheryl Eisen and Vian Abreu of Interior Marketing Group to make the streamlined space come to life

Cool kid: Daughter Bryn's room looked like it would be the envy of every other kid on the block

Relax! A luxurious bathtub offered the hard working reality star the perfect place to unwind after a busy day

Fitting in! During the tour of the modern grey-scale space Frankel pointed out her favorite features, which included plenty of places to store things and a stellar walk-in closet

During the tour of the modern grey-scale space Frankel pointed out her favorite features, which included a stylish kitchen island, beloved paintings, and plenty of places to store things.

The apartment comes complete with a glam room, a walk-in closet, and a library/'Man Den' for all of the star's needs.

Despite her outgoing persona, Bethenny confessed: 'I am sort of antisocial, which people are shocked by because of my personality' to the magazine.

'But I don't really go out much. I'm 90 percent homebody, 10 percent lunatic.'
She excitedly revealed she will be 'showing soon'.

And Rachel Weisz certainly flaunted her blossoming bump as she stepped out for a sunny stroll in New York on Wednesday.

The 48-year-old actress, who is expecting with husband Daniel Craig, dressed to accentuate her evolving figure in a flowing, figure-skimming orange and white dress.

Chic: Pregnant Rachel Weisz, 48, certainly flaunted her blossoming bump as she stepped out for a sunny stroll in New York on Wednesday

Rachel nailed her summer style in the sensational dress which fell at a stylish midi-length.

Teaming it with a pair of comfortable white trainers, the star looked to be absolutely glowing as she toted her belongings in a stylish shoulder bag.

The brunette opted for a low-key beauty look, scraping her tresses into a loose bun and shielding her striking features with a pair of shades.

Rachel and Daniel excitedly announced they were expecting their first child last month.

Flawless: The actress, who is expecting with husband Daniel Craig, dressed to accentuate her evolving figure in a flowing, figure-skimming orange and white dress

Summer style: Teaming her dress with a pair of comfortable white trainers, the star looked to be absolutely glowing as she toted her belongings in a stylish shoulder bag

The Mummy actress married Daniel in New York City in June 2011.

Daniel has a 25-year-old daughter Ella from his first marriage to actress Fiona London.

The couple, who do not know the sex of the baby, were excited to share the news that Rachel will welcome their first child together into the world.

Family: The couple, who do not know the sex of the baby, were excited to share the news that Rachel will welcome their first child together into the world

Rachel told the Radio Times: 'I'll be showing soon. Daniel and I are so happy. We're going to have a little human. We can't wait to meet him or her. It's all such a mystery.'

The Disobedience star previously talked about her 'very private' romance with her actor husband as the pair strive to keep their love out of the limelight.

Of their relationship, she said: 'It's very personal, it's very private. I don't think mine's particularly exceptional apart from that we're both in the public eye.

'But I never thought I would get married. It was not an ambition of mine. It was the opposite.'
They are two of the hottest models in the world.

And Toni Garrn and Cindy Bruna looked sensational as they attended the Montblanc launch collection and dinner, hosted by Charlotte Casiraghi, during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival at Villa la Favorite on Wednesday.

Toni, 25, worked her daring plunge which put all emphasis on her sensational assets, while stunning Cindy, 23, showcased her frame to perfection in a slinky fishnet inspired ensemble.

Model muses: Toni Garrn and Cindy Bruna attended the Montblanc launch collection, hosted by Charlotte Casiraghi, during the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday

Toni looked effortlessly regal in the jaw-dropping plunging number which showed off her model statistics.

The blonde bombshell sported a glamorous coat of make-up, which consisted of statement red lips.

Another model commanding attention was French beauty Cindy Bruna who wowed in the black cut-out dress.

Looking good: French beauty Cindy, 23, showcased her frame to perfection in a slinky fishnet inspired ensemble

Sexy: The daring number boasted glittering detail throughout and boasted a low-cut neckline

Towering over: Toni was pictured with Nicolas Baretzki, CEO of Montblanc

At the event: Gorgeous model Cindy also stood alongside the Montblanc CEO

Sizzling: Julia Restoin Roitfeld opted for a clingy white floor-length gown, which featured cut-out detailing on the side

Stunning: The model, who has been linked to Jamie Redknapp, teamed the look with statement silver earrings, as well as a glamorous make-up look

The daring number boasted glittering detail throughout and boasted a low-cut neckline.

Showing off her flat stomach and envy-inducing long legs, Cindy looked in her element as she posed up a storm.

Julia Restoin Roitfeld opted for a clingy white floor-length gown, which featured cut-out detailing on the side.

Regal: Charlotte Casiraghi, who was hosting the event, looked a vision in a classic black dress which flaunted her bronzed pins

The model, who has been linked to Jamie Redknapp, teamed the look with statement silver earrings, as well as a glamorous make-up look.

Charlotte Casiraghi, who was hosting the event, looked a vision in a classic black dress which flaunted her bronzed pins.

She was joined by Alexandra of Hanover, who also put on a sartorially savvy display in a stunning dress.
SNL star Pete Davidson and Eighty-Sixed web series creator Cazzie David have reportedly decided to end their two-year relationship.

'Multiple sources' confirmed the split to Us Weekly on Wednesday, but one noted: 'There's a chance they get back together.'

And while the 24-year-old Lip Sync Battle champ has wiped all evidence of her off his social media, the 25-year-old THR guest columnist shared a cotton candy couple snap on May 3 captioned: 'BFFs (heart emoji).'

Scroll down for video

Over? SNL star Pete Davidson and Eighty-Sixed web series creator Cazzie David have reportedly decided to end their two-year relationship (pictured August 27)

News of the break-up came two months after Pete got a makeover from Queer Eye For The Straight Guy's Tan France in order to get a style 'upgrade' for Cazzie and her 'cool family.'

But eyebrows raised when Davidson Insta-storied (then deleted) a cryptic apology to David on January 31, which read: 'Idk what I did to make you hate me so much but I'm sorry.'

A year ago, the Staten Island native - who entered rehab in 2016 - credited the Emerson College alum's support with helping him remain 'happy and sober for the first time in 8 years.'

'ILYSFM': 'Multiple sources' confirmed the split to Us Weekly on Wednesday, but one noted, 'There's a chance they get back together' (pictured in 2016)

And while the 24-year-old Lip Sync Battle champ (R) has wiped all evidence of her off his social media, the 25-year-old THR guest columnist (L) shared a cotton candy couple snap on May 3 captioned: 'BFFs (heart emoji)'

Two months ago: News of the break-up came after Pete got a makeover from Queer Eye For The Straight Guy's Tan France in order to get a style 'upgrade' for Cazzie and her 'cool family'

But eyebrows raised when Davidson Insta-storied a cryptic apology to David on January 31, which read: 'Idk what I did to make you hate me so much but I'm sorry' (pictured in 2016)

'I'm very lucky. She's very, very supportive,' the St. Francis College drop-out told ET.

'She's the most beautiful girl in the world. Look how lucky I am! She's so smart, look how smart she is. She is a very, very wonderful lady.'

Cazzie is best known as the nepotistically-privileged daughter of Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David (who boasts a $500M fortune) and The Last Animals producer Laurie Lennard.

'She's the most beautiful girl in the world. Look how lucky I am!' A year ago, the Staten Island native - who entered rehab in 2016 - credited the Emerson College alum's support with helping him remain 'happy and sober for the first time in 8 years' (pictured in 2016)

Related to Bernie Sanders too: Cazzie is best known as the daughter of Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David (who boasts a $500M fortune) and The Last Animals producer Laurie Lennard

RIP: Pete - who takes meds for borderline personality disorder - was seven when his firefighter father Scott was killed in one of the Twin Towers during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001

Meanwhile, Pete - who takes meds for borderline personality disorder - was seven when his firefighter father Scott was killed in one of the Twin Towers during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

Catch more of the 6ft3in funnyman on this week's Saturday Night Live finale on NBC alongside host/former staff writer Tina Fey and musical guest Nicki Minaj.

Davidson will also play Duncan in Claire Scanlon's matchmaking comedy Set It Up - streaming June 15 on Netflix - alongside Glen Powell, Lucy Liu, Zoey Deutch, Tituss Burgess, and Taye Diggs.

Ready? Catch more of the 6ft3in funnyman on this week's Saturday Night Live finale on NBC alongside host/former staff writer Tina Fey and musical guest Nicki Minaj
Over the past several months, she's entertained fans with her uncanny impersonations of Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and Nicola Sturgeon, to name a few.

And Tracey Ullman, 58, has now focused her attentions on another British politician, dressing up to portray Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Michael Gove in the second season of her sketch show Tracey Breaks The News.

In a promotional picture released ahead of the BBC One show's June 1 return, Tracey is seen sporting black-rimmed spectacles, a short grey haircut and a pink short with a slate tie as she clutches a small stack of work files.

Guess who: Tracey Ullman has undergone a dramatic transformation to portray Michael Gove in the upcoming second season of her comedy sketch show Tracey Breaks The News

Pursing her lips as she gazes at the camera lens, it's clear to see that no detail has been left out, with her forehead enlarged and slightly wrinkled and her chin even changing shape to further resemble the 50-year-old Conservative politician.

Speaking on podcast The Chat With Claire Fordham recently, Berkshire-born Tracey, who returned to British screens in 2016 after decades of success in the US, spoke about the new format of the show, which will air in three half-hour episodes.

She said: Now we are doing a more immediate format, which is great fun. I always used to shoot shows and then they would go out six months later.

Star: Tracey Ullman has won over an army of fans with her many impeccable impersonations

The real McCoy: Michael Gove serves as the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom. Pictured on May 13, 2018

'But everythings so fast in the world now I couldnt do an Angela Merkel piece or a Theresa May piece and put it out six months later.

What we do now is we do three shows  which is what we are doing now - and well shoot for two weeks and try to do stuff thats going to resonate for a while.

Then we go in for three consecutive weeks when we write on the Friday and the Monday then we'll shoot on the Tuesday/Wednesday then on the Thursday as well if we have to, and it goes out on the Friday so it's really current

Thats been so much fun  its like doing my own little Saturday Night Live. I love it and the writers love it.

Labour of love: Last year, Tracy bore a striking resemblance to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in a sketch during the inaugural season of her show

Last year, Tracey looked strikingly similar to Labour leader Corbyn as she dressed in a grey wig, scruffy beard, shabby beige suit and his trademark red tie.

Tracey Breaks The News also saw the star take on France's 65-year-old first lady Brigitte Macron as she wore a blonde wig and heavy fake tan.

Tracey had viewers in stitches last year when she played Prime Minister Theresa May, donning a grey wig, dark suit, red nail polish and a wary smile.

In the sketch, Theresa May was seen at home with her husband, Phillip, as they discussed boys and girls' jobs and she received a Vivienne Westwood dress, before saying she is 'strong and stable' when asked by a computer how she is.

Impersonation: While she transformed into Corbyn, a fellow impersonator took on the role of his right hand man John McDonnell

Tracey has also played Angela Merkel as an enthusiastic London tourist, Nicola Sturgeon forcing SNP ideology on J.K Rowling and the Duchess of Cornwall as the world's worst babysitter.

Speaking about the three-part BBC series Tracey said that comedy is needed to counter the 'current terrifying doom spiral'.

She said: 'I am thrilled to be allowed to Break the News again with my fantastic team of writers and performers. It's wonderful that there is so much comedy to be found in the world's current terrifying doom spiral.'

First lady: She also impressed fans when she portrayed France's First Lady Brigitte Macron

She added: 'I can't wait to play new characters including the glamorous FLOF (First Lady of France) Brigitte Macron and a certain Labour leader, who we imagine has a marvellous sense of humour and will no doubt be delighted to see himself depicted by a middle aged woman (please don't shave your beard off Jeremy, we've just had one made). Onward!'

Last year, her television sketch series, Tracey Ullman's Show, lost out on an Emmy Award to Saturday Night Live.

On the loss, she told Stephen Colbert on The Late Show: 'I didn't think I would win, being up against Saturday Night Live was pretty tough this year. Thank God for Saturday Night Live, I had a smashing time!'

The second season of Tracey Breaks The News is set to return to BBC One on June 1st from 9:30pm.
She is one of the world's most popular Instagram models.

But Sahara Ray made a surprise appearance on the catwalk in Sydney, Australia on Wednesday night.

The busty blonde ruled the runway at the I.AM.GIA show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Beauty and a Beat! Justin Bieber's 'ex fling' Sahara Ray make a surprise appearance on the catwalk at Fashion Week in Sydney

The 24-year-old modelled what appeared to be a modern take on a tracksuit.

She bared her super toned abs in the two-piece burgundy ensemble, which included a bomber jacket with a large collar and fitted three-quarter length trousers.

Sahara strutted down the catwalk in a pair of strappy black stilettos and wore a pair of futuristic oversized tinted sunglasses.

Rock hard: She bared her super toned abs in the two-piece burgundy ensemble, which included a bomber jacket with large collar and three-quarter length trousers

Taking to Instagram, Sahara also showed off what looked to be a new tattoo while getting ready for the show.

She panned her iPhone camera over her ankle inking - a large heart with the word 'Mayo' etched in the middle.

Hitting the headlines two years ago when she was spotted skinny-dipping with Justin Bieber in Hawaii, Sahara regularly wows her 1.3million followers on Instagram with her smouldering hot snaps.

The blonde beauty is the daughter of famed Australian surfer Tony Ray.

As well as modelling, she owns and runs her own swimwear line, Sahara Ray Swim.
She's the highest paid actress on television.

So it's not surprising that when she feels like a little retail therapy, she heads for the best.

On Wednesday, Sofia Vergara was spotted checking out expensive jewelry at a high-end store in New York.

Flashed midriff: Sofia Vergara was spotted out and about in New Yrk on Wednesday wearing a cropped black top with very ripped blue jeans and a black and white striped blazer

The Modern Family star, 45, opted for a funky ensemble for her shopping trip.

The Colombian beauty paired very ripped blue jeans with frayed hems with a black cropped top, exposing her midriff.

She added a black and white striped blazer and black platform sandals.

Her long hair was worn loose and she sported sunglasses and bright red lip color.

Colombian beauty: The Modern Family star, 45, wore her long hair loose and sported bright red lip color

Retail therapy: She was snapped checking out some very pricey jewelry at a high-end store

Vergara was snapped looking at stunning necklaces as she browsed the goods on display.

Her low-key outing was in marked contrast to her last red carpet appearance when she and husband Joe Manganiello, 41, glammed up for the Hollywood premiere of Solo: A DSTar Wars Story.

The couple who wed in 2015 joined a host of stars for the event last Thursday with Vergara looking fabulous in a strapless white chiffon dress with ruffles.

Her actor love recently gushed to Cigar Aficionado about his marriage, saying it was about 'coming to grips with the idea that someone who is not related to you could possibly love you that much. She was it for me.'

'Looking back on the relationships I had before this, I think the universe was giving me some tough practice so I'd get this right,' he said.
Billy Slater will captain Melbourne Storm for the first time in his career when the NRL champions host Manly on Saturday night.

Slater is stepping in for suspended Storm skipper Cameron Smith and can use the AAMI Park match as an audition to also replace Smith as Queensland captain in next month's State of Origin.

Slater, Greg Inglis, Matt Scott and Darius Boyd are in the mix to lead the Maroons with the opening Origin at the MCG on June 6.

Smith, who pleaded guilty to a dangerous contact charge, called time on his illustrious representative career on Tuesday.

"I have not done that yet in my career so it will be an honour," Slater told SEN radio about being named captain.

"Obviously I'd love to have Cameron out there; I haven't played much footy without Cam but it is something to look forward to which I have not done before."

Brandon Smith has been named as the replacement for Smith at hooker.
A man has been slashed with a knife and another man is on the run following an attempted carjacking in Melbourne's southwest.

Police say a 33-year-old Glenroy man parked at the Hoppers Crossing railway station just after 6.30am on Wednesday, when another man threatened him with a knife and made demands for his car.

The victim refused to hand over his car and received a slash wound to the leg before the offender, described as 170cm tall with a thin build and wearing a black hooded jumper, ran from the scene.

The victim was taken to hospital for treatment.
Queensland Treasurer Jackie Trad says the state's opposition leader and members of the shadow cabinet deliberately misled parliament by claiming she ignored corruption allegations against Ipswich City Council.

Liberal National Party Leader Deb Frecklington, her deputy Tim Mander and shadow education minister Jarrod Bleijie accused Ms Trad on Tuesday of ignoring 326 complaints against the council when she was local government minister between 2015 and last year.

Ms Trad says that figure actually refers to the number of pages in a document relating to just three accusations she received, and whe will ask Speaker Curtis Pitt to refer the opposition MPs to the ethics committee for deliberately misleading parliament.
WHO IS MEGHAN MARKLE?

--

BORN

Rachel Meghan Markle was born in Los Angeles on August 4, 1981. It's unclear when or why Markle started going by her middle name.

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FAMILY

- Mum is Doria Ragland, an African-American social worker and yoga instructor.

- Dad is Emmy Award winner Thomas Markle, a lighting director who has Dutch and Irish heritage.

- They met in the late 70s when Markle was a lighting director on a TV soap and Ragland was working as a temp at the studio. They split when Meghan was six.

--

SIBLINGS

- Meghan has two older half-siblings, Samantha Grant and Thomas Markle Junior, who were born when Thomas Markle was with his first wife Roslyn.

- Grant, 52, is a former actress and model, who lives in Florida and has multiple sclerosis. She reportedly hasn't spoken to Meghan since 2008.

--

PETS

- Two rescue dogs, Bogart, a labrador/shepherd cross, and Guy, a beagle.

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EDUCATION

- The Hollywood Little Red Schoolhouse and the Immaculate Heart High School, a private Catholic school for girls in LA.

- Graduated in 2003 from the Northwestern University School of Communication, Illinois, where she studied theatre and international relations.

--

PREVIOUS MARRIAGE

- In September 2011, Meghan married movie producer and manager Trevor Engelson in Jamaica after a seven-year romance. The couple divorced in August 2013, citing irreconcilable differences.

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HOBBIES/INTERESTS

- Cooking, writing, travel, yoga, politics, social issues.

--

CAREER

- Best known as Rachel Zane in US TV drama Suits.

- Markle got her break on US soap General Hospital in 2002.

- Minor TV roles followed on shows including CSI New York, Knight Rider, 90210, and Without A Trace.

- Her movie credits include British thriller Anti-Social and the comedy romance Random Encounters.

- Before breaking into acting, Markle worked as a freelance calligrapher.

- She also ran a lifestyle blog, The Tig, as a "hub for the discerning palate - those with a hunger for food, travel, fashion & beauty", but brought it to a close in April 2017 as things began getting serious with Harry.

--

HUMANITARIAN WORK

- Markle is a global ambassador for World Vision Canada, an ambassador for UN Women, and an advocate for gender equality.

- She told Vanity Fair her social awareness began during the Los Angeles riots sparked by the police beating of Rodney King, in 1991.

- As an 11-year-old she was also enraged by a TV ad suggesting women belong in the kitchen washing up.
BRITAIN'S ROYAL WEDDINGS PAST

A look back at the weddings of members of the British Royal Family during the reign of Queen Elizabeth and where the romances ended up.

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PRINCE WILLIAM AND CATHERINE MIDDLETON

April 29, 2011. Westminster Abbey

The future King of England married Catherine Middleton in a ceremony watched by millions around the globe. The pair met while studying at St Andrews University in Edinburgh and finally tied the knot after eight years together.

After weeks of speculation as to who would dress the bride, Middleton walked down the aisle in a now-famous custom lace Alexander McQueen gown. The ceremony was followed by a reception at Buckingham Palace.

The pair, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, has three children, Prince George, 4, Princess Charlotte, 3, and the newly-born Prince Louis.

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ZARA PHILLIPS AND MIKE TINDALL

July, 30, 2011. Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh

More than seven years after they were introduced in a Sydney bar the Queen's granddaughter and Olympic equestrian Zara Phillips and English rugby player Mike Tindall were married in Edinburgh.

The two sport stars tied the knot in a simple but lavish affair attended by key members of the royal family. They have since welcomed a daughter Mia and are expecting another child in the summer.

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PETER PHILLIPS AND AUTUMN KELLY

May 17, 2008. St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle

Peter Phillips became the first of the Queen's grandchildren to wed when he married Canadian Autumn Kelly. The son of the Queen's only daughter, Princess Anne, Phillips typically avoided the spotlight but sparked furore when he sold photos of his wedding to a celebrity magazine.

The pair met in 2003 while both working at the Montreal Grand Prix. Phillips did not tell his future bride of his royal connections for some time, with Kelly discovering she was dating a royal when she spotted him on TV.

They've since had two daughters, Savannah and Isla.

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PRINCE CHARLES AND CAMILLA PARKER-BOWLES

April 9, 2005. Windsor Guildhall

After a long and infamous affair, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles finally wed in a low-key private civil ceremony at Windsor.

The ceremony was followed by a televised religious blessing at St George's Chapel in front of Queen Elizabeth II.

The pair first met in 1970 and were on-again, off-again lovers for decades.

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PRINCE EDWARD AND SOPHIE RHYS-JONES

June 19, 1999. St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle

The Queen's youngest son married PR manager Sophie Rhys-Jones in a low-key ceremony at St George's Chapel.

The prince winked at his bride as she joined him at the altar wearing a simple ivory gown.

The pair, known as the Earl and Countess of Wessex, have two children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.

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PRINCESS ANNE AND TIMOTHY LAURENCE

December 12, 1992. Crathie Kirk, Balmoral

The Princess Royal's second marriage was held in Scotland as the Church of England at the time did not allow divorced people to marry in its churches.

She wed Royal Navy Commander Timothy Laurence and became the first British royal divorcee to remarry since 1905.

--

PRINCE ANDREW AND SARAH FERGUSON

July 23, 1986. Westminster Abbey

Married in a fairytale wedding on the heels of the pomp of Charles and Diana, all eyes were on the pair as the Queen's second eldest son married a commoner who was the daughter of a major. The pair were known as the Duke and Duchess of York following their nuptials.

While initially the monarchy had high hopes for the laid-back Ferguson, the marriage disintegrated and the pair divorced in 1996. However, they still remain close and have two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

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PRINCE CHARLES AND LADY DIANA SPENCER

July 29, 1981. St Paul's Cathedral, London

It was the wedding of the century, but the romance was doomed almost from the beginning when the heir to the throne married Lady Diana Spencer in a ceremony watched across the globe.

The pair had two children, Prince William and Prince Harry, but separated in 1992 before divorcing four years later. Diana died in a Paris car crash in 1997.

--

PRINCESS ANNE AND MARK PHILLIPS

November 14, 1973. Westminster Abbey

The first of Queen Elizabeth's children to marry, Princess Anne wed army lieutenant Mark Phillips in a televised ceremony. Phillips was an Olympic gold medal-winning equestrian who unusually did not take a title from the Queen on marrying into the royal family.

The pair welcomed two children, Peter and Zara, while together before divorcing in 1992 - the siblings bear no titles.

--

PRINCESS MARGARET AND ANTONY ARMSTRONG-JONES

May 6, 1960. Westminster Abbey

The vivacious younger sister of the Queen married photographer Armstrong-Jones after being talked out of marrying her first love Peter Townsend because he was a divorcee.

Armstrong-Jones was made the Earl of Snowden on the day of the wedding - which was the first to be broadcast on television.

Rumours of affairs circled in 1966 and the couple drifted apart before divorcing in 1978.

They had two children while together, David and Sarah.
An inmate-turned-prison advocate is calling for an overhaul of Queensland's corrective services system, saying it breeds corruption.

Speaking at the Crime and Corruption Commission's public hearings into the sector on Wednesday, Sisters Inside CEO Debbie Kilroy said an independent chief inspectorate for prisons was needed.

"When you have a closed institution ... there will always be aspects of corruption and risk of corruption because there's no accountability or transparency if there's no one from the outside world going in with the checks and balances," she said.
A barramundi farm near Darwin will become the first recipient in the NT to receive funds from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility with almost $30 million to expand its business.

Humpty Doo Barramundi will receive $28.7 million, with an initial $7.2 million cheap loan from the fund and a similar amount from ANZ bank in the first stage of a $58 million larger expansion, it was announced on Wednesday.

The $5 billion NAIF aims to help develop northern Australia's economy, but has been criticised with only one other project, a marine support base in WA, funded so far.
Blackmail charges against two construction union bosses have been dropped but federal jobs minister Michaelia Cash says the decision doesn't damage the union royal commission's legacy.

CFMEU Victoria leaders John Setka and Shaun Reardon were fighting allegations they blackmailed Boral managers Paul Dalton and Peter Head at a coffee shop meeting in Melbourne in April 2013.

But prosecutors dropped the charges during a pre-trial committal hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Senator Cash was asked if the decision was embarrassing for the coalition government, which had pursued the CFMEU through the royal commission and the courts.

"Absolutely not. That is a matter for the Victorian police," Senator Cash told reporters on Wednesday.

"The CFMEU are without (doubt) one of the most notorious, in fact, they are the most notorious union in Australia. I think we're up to about $14 million in fines."

Mr Setka and Mr Reardon were charged in 2015 after an investigation by a joint Victorian and federal police unit, following a referral from the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption.

Outside the court on Wednesday, the pair's legal team called them innocent men who were the victims of a distortion of evidence.

"It was definitely a witch-hunt," Mr Setka told reporters.

Senator Cash said the decision had not damaged the legacy of the royal commission, which was ordered under former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott.

"Absolutely not. Because at the end of the day, royal commissions provide evidence, as we've all seen," she said.

"The government responds to that evidence by way of implementing policy. That is exactly what the Turnbull government did."
The daughter of a Victorian woman who was allegedly murdered by her husband is expected to testify at an upcoming court hearing.

Borce Ristevski is accused of murdering his 47-year-old wife, Karen Ristevski, at Avondale Heights on June 29, 2016, with her body not recovered until eight months later in bushland.

Melbourne Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday the pair's daughter Sarah is expected to give evidence at a committal hearing in July. Lawyers withdrew a bid to suppress media reporting of the case.
Climate change is affecting Victoria's emergency services, including access to internationally-shared firefighting aircraft, a parliamentary inquiry has been told.

Emergency Services Minister James Merlino told a budget estimates hearing on Wednesday the state's fire season was starting earlier, lasting longer, was more intense and the state needed more aircraft.

"It's getting quite challenging in terms of our aviation fleet and those large air tankers ... those planes fly around the world, (in) the northern hemisphere they want and need to keep the planes for a longer period of time, we want and need those planes earlier," he said.
From prisoner to prime minister-in-waiting - inside and outside of Malaysia there's eager anticipation for the political comeback of opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim.

The 70-year-old was convicted of sodomy in 2015 in a case he claimed was politically motivated and concocted to crush him.

His sentence expires in June but the unexpected election win of his alliance led by former leader Mahathir Mohamad last week has led to his swift release.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the Australian government had followed Anwar's trial closely and had expressed concerns to the previous Malaysian government.

She is relieved the pardon will allow Anwar to participate fully in Malaysian politics.

"Anwar has much to contribute to Malaysia," she said.

Mahathir became the world's oldest elected leader at 92 and previously served as prime minister for 22 years.

He has agreed to hand the baton to Anwar, but no timing has been given, creating uncertainty about how the two will work together.

Anwar walked free from a Kuala Lumpur hospital on Wednesday where he was recovering from shoulder surgery.
Western Australia's premier has defended spending more than $250,000 leading a delegation to China and Japan last year, saying it was a worthwhile trip to promote the state and secure jobs.

The delegation of 40 included Education Minister Sue Ellery, Tourism Minister Paul Papalia, vice-chancellors, chief executives, tourism operators, medium-sized businesses and private college operators.

"They got access that they've never had before. We met with major airlines, government representatives, tourism providers (and) companies that provide support to foreign students," Premier Mark McGowan told reporters on Wednesday.
A 14-year-old girl has been accused of setting fire to a NSW home after assaulting two people and damaging two cars at the property.

The house at Invergowrie, about 20 kilometres west of Armidale in the New England region, was badly damaged in the blaze which was put out by firefighters on Tuesday night, police have said in a statement.

Officers called to the scene were told a teenage girl had assaulted two people and damaged two cars before lighting the fire.

The girl was taken to the Armidale Police Station, where she was charged with three counts of common assault, two of malicious damage to motor vehicle and one of damaging a property by fire.

The 14-year-old has been granted bail to face a children's court on June 7.
Semen found on clothing worn by the victim of a cold case murder in Melbourne matches the DNA of a relative accused of stabbing her to death, a court has been told.

Ranny Yun, 27, was found dead in the sewing room of her Springvale home in October 1987 and Meth Mean was charged in November 2017 with her rape and murder.

Semen found on a tracksuit wrapped around her left ankle allegedly belongs to Mean, a forensic officer told a pre-trial committal hearing at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

His DNA also allegedly matches the semen found on her genitals, according to the officer's statement to police.

An autopsy determined Ms Yun was hit on the back of the head and had her throat cut.

Pathologist Stephen Cordner did not find any defensive injuries, suggesting Ms Yun was incapable of defending herself, possibly because she was impaired.

Professor Cordner believes the blows to the back of Ms Yun's head happened before the injuries to her neck.

Injuries found behind Ms Yun's left ear could mean someone tried to cut her ear off, he said.

"I don't know ... but that sort of thought comes to mind," Prof Cordner said under cross-examination.

Husband Kuy Thong said Ms Yun told him she was about six weeks pregnant before she was murdered.

"I put a baby doll in Ranny's coffin when she died," he said in a statement to police on November 1, 2017.

Ms Yun's younger cousin Rada, who was 13 when she discovered Ms Yun's body, told police in 2010 her cousin was killed "the Asian way".

"I used to live in the Khmer Rouge regime, and this is how people were killed," she told the court, referring to Cambodia's brutal former regime.

"I've seen how people got killed and hit from behind."

The younger cousin, now in her mid 40s, said she came home from high school with another relative on October 15, 1987 and found the front door unlocked.

When she walked into Ms Yun's room, she found her cousin lying on her back on the floor.

The cousin made three statements to police, including one in 2010 that states: "I believe Ranny was murdered by someone she knew."

The younger cousin and Ms Yun used to live with Mean and his family. Ms Yun's husband is Mean's cousin.

Rada on Tuesday said there was tension and "agitations" when she and Ms Yun lived with the Mean family.

"I just remember that there were agitations between Ranny and Meth, but it was just little family problems."

The hearing before magistrate Donna Bakos is due to resume on Wednesday.
A Melbourne man has been charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of drugs after police allegedly seized $10 million worth of GHB during raids.

The Abbotsford man, 25, was arrested at a property about 6.30am on Wednesday and charged with trafficking a commercial quantity of drugs. He is expected to face court on Wednesday.

The arrests follows more than 30 raids across Melbourne's north-west and Shepparton in the past four months, seizing 2100 litres of the chemical used to make GHB, 12 firearms and leading to 30 arrests.
NSW's corruption watchdog will get a multimillion-dollar boost next financial year after earlier funding cuts forced it to slash its team of investigators.

The state government has announced the Independent Commission Against Corruption will receive $27 million in 2018/19 as part of a $106 million commitment over the next four years.

"This record funding of more than $106 million underlines our commitment to a strong and fair ICAC," Premier Gladys Berejiklian said in a statement on Wednesday.

ICAC was given $21.1 million in 2016/17 plus an initial operating grant of $529,000.

That grant was down from $1.34 million the previous year, forcing the organisation to reduce the number of investigation units from four to three, as well as cutting the number of full-time investigators.

Shadow attorney-general Paul Lynch dismissed Ms Berejiklian's "record funding" announcement, saying the amount would barely touch what the watchdog needed.

"The NSW government is not to be congratulated for doing the right thing and restoring ICAC's funding following the knee-jerk decision to cut it in the first place," he said in a statement.

"Corruption watchdogs should be allowed to investigate without fear or favour and should not have to beg for increased funding to be able to carry out their work."

Ms Berejiklian noted Labor provided about $19.8 million in its 2010/11 budget.

ICAC underwent a major restructuring in 2016, with a single commissioner replaced by a chief commissioner and two part-time commissioners.
An indigenous group in Queensland's gulf country is celebrating the impending acquisition of two cattle stations it previously shared with a mining company.

The Waanyi people have owned 51 per cent of the Lawn Hill and Riversleigh cattle stations for more than two decades, while New Century Resources has owned the remainder.

The group has struck a deal with the miner to gain complete control of the 539,000-hectare pastoral properties.

Waanyi elders say the acquisition will have commercial and environmental benefits.

"The stations are important businesses for Waanyi people and help to provide employment," elder Eunice O'Keefe said.

"The properties sit in Waanyi country, meaning Waanyi people are permitted to practice our traditional lifestyle such as camping, hunting and fishing."
Tony Abbott believes Prince Harry's and Meghan Markle's royal wedding illustrates how much Britain's monarchy has moved with the times.

The former prime minister - a proud monarchist - won't be making the journey to England to attend Saturday's wedding, but says he'll "probably watch a bit of it on TV."

Mr Abbott, a major figure in the 1999 'No' campaign against Australia becoming a republic, says the monarchy continues to evolve.

"I do think it's good that this impending royal marriage has illustrated just how much the monarchy has moved with the times," Mr Abbott told 2GB radio on Wednesday.

"That's the virtue of the monarchy. It is a very flexible, adaptive institution and the monarchy here in Australia has evolved in keeping with the times."

Mr Abbott remembers fondly his brush with the groom.

The pair shared a flight to Perth in 2013 when the prince (who was then a captain in the British army) was off to spend time with Australian soldiers.

Mr Abbott describes his encounter with the "very impressive" young man as a wonderful few hours.

"I think no one who spends time with Prince Harry could fail but be impressed by his decency, his humanity," he said.

"He would be the last to say he was an academic, but he's a very sensible, clear-headed bloke."
Residents of Tathra are still recovering from a bushfire that ripped through the NSW coastal town two months ago but things have improved to the point where emergency support services are about to leave.

They'll be replaced by a team of caseworkers who'll continue assisting the small community, which lost more than 60 homes as well as 30 caravans and cabins on March 18.

Many residents were rushed to an evacuation centre in nearby Bega when the blaze arrived bringing embers described as "flaming hand grenades".

The centre at the Bega Showground hall became home for hundreds of locals for days.

Many found out they'd lost everything from news bulletins while gathered around TV and radios at the hall.

A recovery centre was then set up in Bega Town Hall to connect residents with services from insurance providers to counsellors. It was downscaled to a smaller operation in the past few weeks.

And now the final support stage has been announced by the NSW government - the Tathra and District Fire Recovery Support Service.

AAP understands the recovery centre is to be replaced by a team of caseworkers who'll remain in Bega longer-term.

"Many families experienced significant impacts as a result of this devastating bushfire and now face major decisions about their future," Emergency Services Minister Troy Grant said in a statement on Wednesday.

A mayoral fund, organised to centralise donations, has collected more than $1 million to date.

Residents were last week updated on efforts to clear debris.

Maps show almost 50 properties have been cleared with many more in progress or close to completion.

On one of the worst-hit streets, Wildlife Drive, a handful of asbestos-contaminated sites are still to be cleared.

Tathra residents have recently taken to social media to post images of the clean-up efforts and the first tourists returning to the seaside village.

One woman on Monday posted a picture of green ferns shooting through the blackened earth.

"Twilight walk along the forest track - the greenery is balm for the eyes and soul," she said.

A preliminary investigation by the Rural Fire Service found electrical infrastructure was the likely cause of the fire.
Police have seized 200 litres of sly grog that was being transported nearly 700km from Mt Isa to Tennant Creek.

A man was identified as behind the attempted supply of 185 litres of cask wine, which was seized before he fled back to Townsville, avoiding charges.

A 52-year-old man was also charged with supplying alcohol to a person on the Northern Territory's Banned Drinkers' Register and is now on it himself.

"Some of the success we've had has been a result of information from the public, so we would like to thank them" Tennant Creek Superintendent Kerry Hoskins said.

"We want the public to continue to dob in a grog runner and help make our community a safer place."

Restrictions on the sale of alcohol were introduced in the town this year, with the Northern Territory Liquor Commission proposing to extend them further to limits of buying six cans or stubbies a day.

Tennant Creek is regarded as having significant alcohol-related social problems, with a two-year-old girl raped in February - allegedly by her 24-year-old uncle - and the liquor commission's report showing the majority of crimes and violence related to the town's "extraordinarily high" and harmful drinking rates.
Live sheep exports to the Middle East are expected to continue during the northern hemisphere summer after the findings of a review into the trade are released.

The federal government is unlikely to recommend a ban on the trade between May and October after a report into the northern summer trade of live sheep is made public on Thursday.

The RSPCA and Australian Veterinary Association are adamant the northern summer trade can't protect sheep from heat stress on voyages to the Middle East during the hottest part of the year.

But the government wants to clean up the industry, which has come under heavy pressure following revelations of animal cruelty, including sheep deaths in stifling conditions.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud has foreshadowed tougher penalties for dodgy exporters, including harsher jail sentences and hefty fines.

Stocking density on live export ships also shapes as a key issue.

Livestock vet Michael McCarthy's report comes after Labor signalled increasingly likely support for a rogue Liberal MP's push to end live sheep exports.

Rural NSW backbencher Sussan Ley will introduce a private bill seeking to end the trade to parliament on Monday.

The opposition's agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon said his party is close to supporting the legislation on the condition the industry's end date is no less than five years away.
A series of reforms aimed at stamping out corruption within Queensland councils is expected to pass state parliament after a third straight day of debate.

The reforms proposed by the Labor government on the back of an ongoing Crime and Corruption Commission probe into misconduct at local government level has dominated the parliamentary sitting week, which ends on Thursday.

Labor has the numbers to pass the new legislation, part of which would give Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe more powers to dismiss councillors charged with corruption or integrity offences.

It comes after Mr Hinchliffe issued a show-cause notice to the Ipswich City councillors a fortnight ago warning they would be sacked after continued corruption allegations against the council.

Mayors from Logan and Fraser Coast have also been charged by the CCC over misconduct offences.

Amid the ongoing debate, the Liberal National Party says it will vote against a clamp down on donations from property developers to political parties.

Greens MP Michael Berkman is also against the proposal but he says Labor's mooted ban doesn't go far enough.

Mr Berkman said donations should also extend to individuals and unions.

"We need to see a cap on all political donations, a cap on all election spending, so that Queenslanders can have faith they're being put front and centre."

Other measures in the reforms include a code of conduct for councillors that would bring them into line with MPs and government staffers, and a councillor conduct tribunal to hear and rule on misconduct allegations.
The Queensland government has to employ 164 new train drivers over the next 13 months to reach a recruitment target sparked by a staff-related commuter crisis.

A net 36 new drivers have been employed since the crisis began in October 2016, Transport Minister Mark Bailey revealed on Wednesday, well short of the 200 intended by June 30, 2019.

It would mean Queensland Rail would need to increase its recruitment efforts from 2.4 average net new drivers employed per month, recorded since the target was outlined in a January 2017 report, to more than 12.

Mr Bailey released the number in response to a claim by Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington that just five new drivers net had been recruited following the crisis.

The claim was based on a report from January, with Mr Bailey accusing Ms Frecklington of misleading given the data was old and did not include tutor drivers.

"Deb Frecklington's relentless negativity and desperate misuse of old data to grab a headline calls into question her integrity as a leader," he said in a statement.

Mr Bailey said while 77 new drivers had begun working, some had retired and others transitioned to other roles in QR, including 16 tutors who only drove in times of peak demand.

The target was sparked by significant disruptions to the network more than a year-and-a-half ago, which was the result of rostering failures when a new line put extra pressure on the timetable.
Detectives have launched a fresh appeal for information over the sexual assault of a woman in inner Melbourne last year.

The 31-year-old woman was running along the foreshore on Beaconsfield Parade in Middle Park between 11pm and 11.30pm on February 5 when she was grabbed from behind.

She was forced face down into the sand and sexually assaulted before a man and a woman came to her aid along with two other men wearing white shirts. The offender then fled.

At the time, CCTV was released of a man wanted in relation to the attack and the image has been released again.

Police also are still keen to speak to the woman who helped the victim as well as one of the men wearing a white shirt who are yet to come forward.

Detective Senior Constable Boris Di Camillo said any piece of information, no matter how small, could prove crucial.

"We're keen to speak to anyone who recognises this man in any way - it could be someone they know or even just someone they have seen in their local area," he said in a statement on Thursday.

"This was an incredibly traumatic incident for the victim to go through and as you can imagine has had a significant impact on her wellbeing."
Images have been released of a brazen thief who ran out of a jewellery shop with a solitaire diamond ring in Melbourne.

The man parked his late model white Holden Astra hatchback with the hazard lights flashing on Toorak Road at Camberwell about 2.20pm on May 10, police said on Thursday.

Once inside the shop, he asked about the ring on display in the window and when he was given it to look at, he ran off, got back into his car and drove towards the city.
Alexander Downer sat down for an interview with two FBI agents in London in 2016 to discuss potential Russian meddling in the US presidential election, a sensational New York Times report alleges.

The revelation the Australian government broke with diplomatic protocol and allowed Mr Downer, then Australia's high commissioner to the United Kingdom, to be interviewed by the FBI could damage Australia's recently repaired relationship with US President Donald Trump.

The New York Times first revealed late last year it was at a boozy night in May 2016, at London's Kensington Wine Rooms, that Mr Trump's then foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos told Mr Downer Russia had dirt on Mr Trump's political rival Hillary Clinton.

"Within hours of opening an investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia in the summer of 2016, the FBI dispatched a pair of agents to London on a mission so secretive that all but a handful of officials were kept in the dark," the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

"Their assignment, which has not been previously reported, was to meet the Australian ambassador, who had evidence that one of Donald J. Trump's advisers knew in advance about Russian election meddling.

"After tense deliberations between Washington and Canberra, top Australian officials broke with diplomatic protocol and allowed the ambassador, Alexander Downer, to sit for an FBI interview to describe his meeting with the campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos."

The FBI agents summarised "their highly unusual interview" and their report helped provide the foundation for a case that became the probe headed by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Mr Trump has repeatedly slammed the probe as a witch hunt.

Mr Papadopoulos became one of Mr Mueller's first scalps, pleading guilty to lying to officials.

He is co-operating with Mr Mueller's investigation.

The FBI codenamed their probe Crossfire Hurricane, a reference to lyrics in a Rolling Stones song.

Crossfire Hurricane began exactly 100 days before the November 8, 2016 presidential election won by Mr Trump.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has carefully attempted to repair his relationship with Mr Trump after the leaders had a fiery phone call about a refugee deal a week after the president moved into the White House.
Tom Wolfe, author of "The Right Stuff" and "The Bonfire of the Vanities," has died at the age of 88

Author Tom Wolfe, the acerbic chronicler of American society known for best-selling books "The Right Stuff" and "The Bonfire of the Vanities," has died at the age of 88.

Wolfe's agent Lynn Nesbit said the writer died Monday in a Manhattan hospital, where he was being treated for an infection.

"We are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Tom Wolfe," his publisher Picador said. "He was one of the greats and his words will live on forever."

During a prolific career, Wolfe turned his flamboyant pen and keen eye to pop culture, the hippie movement, the art world, race relations and Wall Street.

But he is perhaps best known for his non-fiction bestseller "The Right Stuff" about the US space program and the original Mercury astronauts.

The 1979 book was made into a Hollywood hit starring Sam Shepard and Ed Harris and made swashbuckling test pilot Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier, a household name.

Wolfe is credited with contributing the phrase "the right stuff" and another from the book, "pushing the envelope," to the American lexicon.

Among those paying tribute to Wolfe on Tuesday was American astronaut Scott Kelly.

"He changed my life, and I am grateful I was able to thank him for the wildly unrealistic dream he gave me as an 18 year old boy," Kelly tweeted. "He was the #RightStuff."

- 'New Journalism' -

Wolfe, seen here with then president George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush in 2002 after receiving the National Humanities Medal

Wolfe's first book, "The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby," published in 1965, was born out of a collection of articles about the 1960s he wrote for Esquire and New York magazines.

The book became a bestseller and placed Wolfe alongside other figures in the "New Journalism" movement such as Hunter S. Thompson, Gay Talese, Norman Mailer and Truman Capote.

Instead of keeping a distance from their subjects, "New Journalism" practitioners often adopted an unconventional stylistic approach and perspective.

In interviews over the years, Wolfe would fend off criticism of his liberal use of exclamation points.

Wolfe published two bestsellers in 1968 -- "The Pump House Gang" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," for which he spent time with the "Merry Pranksters," a band of LSD-taking traveling hippies led by Ken Kesey, author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

His 1970 book "Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers," examined racial tensions in the United States and lampooned some of the good intentions of New York liberals in awkward detail.

Wolfe's 1975 book about the US art world, "The Painted Word," outraged many artists with its depiction of an insular village.

Wolfe turned to writing novels in the mid-1980s, penning "The Bonfire of the Vanities," a scathing takedown of greed and excess in New York.

Like "The Right Stuff," the book also contributed a phrase -- in this case "master of the universe" -- to the American vocabulary.

"Bonfire" was made into a 1990 film starring Tom Hanks, Melanie Griffith and Bruce Willis.

- Newspaper reporter beginnigns -

Wolfe reads a copy of his 2004 novel "I Am Charlotte Simmons"

Another novel, "A Man in Full," was published in 1998 and also made it to the New York Times bestseller list.

More recently, Wolfe wrote "I Am Charlotte Simmons," a 2004 novel about college life, and "Back to Blood," a poorly received 2012 book set in Miami.

Thomas Kennerly Wolfe was born on March 2, 1930 in Richmond, Virginia, where his father was the editor of The Southern Planter, an agricultural magazine.

After earning his undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University, Wolfe obtained a PhD in American studies from Yale University.

Wolfe then began a 10-year career as a newspaper reporter. He joined the Springfield Union in 1956 in Massachusetts before going on to work for The Washington Post and the New York Herald Tribune.

In a 1991 interview with The Paris Review, Wolfe described his newspaper experience as invaluable training for his later fiction and non-fiction pursuits.

"I wouldn't give anything for the years I spent on newspapers because it forces you, it immerses you, in so many different sides of life," he said.

A dapper dresser, Wolfe was known for his trademark white suits, homburg hats and two-tone shoes, a style he would famously self-deprecatingly describe as "neo-pretentious."

Wolfe married Sheila Berger, the artistic director of Harper's magazine, in 1978. They had two children.
The couple revealed they knew little about each other when they met on a blind date in July 2016

It was love at first sight for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who both quickly sensed their brief encounter on a blind date could blossom into something much, much bigger.

They were set up by a mutual friend when US actress Markle was passing through London in July 2016, with the couple later revealing they knew little about each other. The speed of their relationship surprised them both.

"The fact that I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly was a confirmation to me that all the stars were aligned. Everything was just perfect," said Harry.

Less than two years later, they will tie the knot at Windsor Castle on Saturday, sealing a relationship that rapidly grew outside of the media spotlight -- and survived when it went public in explosive fashion.

The pair quickly bonded over their passion for good causes

When the couple first met for a drink, both were taken aback.

She was 34 and a divorcee of three years; he 31 and with a few foundered relationships and his 10-year army career recently behind him.

Harry had never heard of Markle or watched "Suits", the US television legal drama series she had starred in since 2011.

"I was beautifully surprised when I walked into that room and saw her," he recalled, and thought to himself: "I'm going to really have to up my game here!"

- Bonding in Botswana -

Bonding over their passion for the good causes they represented, they immediately set up a second date -- for the following day.

A few weeks later, he persuaded her to join him camping out for five days in Botswana, which Harry called a "huge leap" to take so soon -- but one that paid off.

Markle is pictured with the cast of "Suits", the US legal drama series she'd starred in since 2011 and which Prince Harry admitted never watching

"We were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me to make sure that we had a chance to get to know each other," he said.

As Markle continued filming "Suits" in Toronto, the pair never went longer than two weeks apart.

Their romance was under cover for the first five or six months, and largely conducted through nights in behind closed doors.

"We were able to really have so much time just to connect," said Markle.

Prince Harry said the royal family had been very supportive of his relationship, including his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, seen here in a portrait

The prince said the royal family had been very supportive of the relationship, including his grandparents Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, his father Prince Charles, as well as his brother Prince William and his wife Kate.

Harry said they had frank conversations about what her future could entail and found it a "huge relief" to have finally found someone comfortable with the pressure and lifelong job that he comes attached with.

Royal author Andrew Morton, who penned a biography of Markle, said the speed with which she fell for Harry was surprising as the TV star was a lifelong cautious character.

"He was more of the supplicant than Meghan. He had more to gain and Meghan has more to lose by her agreeing to be his bride," Morton told AFP, in an unusual role reversal for the prince.

- 'This is not a game' -

Harry publicly confirmed they were dating in November 2016 with a highly unusual statement blasting racist "abuse and harassment" directed towards her.

Prince Harry blasted the racist "abuse and harassment" Markle had been subjected to when rumours of their relationship started to spread

"It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms Markle should be subjected to such a storm," his communications secretary Jason Knauf said.

"This is not a game -- it is her life and his."

The angry statement, going way beyond the lengths Harry went to for previous girlfriends, confirmed how seriously he was treating this relationship.

Eventually, Harry proposed in November 2017.

The couple were having a cosy night in at Nottingham Cottage, the two-bedroom home they now share in the grounds of London's Kensington Palace, roasting a chicken.

Prince Harry designed the engagement ring himself, using diamonds which belonged to his mother Diana, Princess of Wales

"It was just an amazing surprise. It was so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee," the actress said.

Markle said yes before Harry had finished proposing or even produced the ring.

They announced their engagement on November 27 last year and she was swiftly integrated into the royal fold, making her first official public appearance with Harry on December 1 and spending Christmas with the family.

The pair will throw themselves into causes they wish to champion, while Harry has suggested that their joint focus will be on the Commonwealth, particularly youth.

"Both of us have passions for wanting to make change for good," he said.
It was not immediately clear when Zia would be released from the special prison in Dhaka, where she is the only inmate

Bangladesh's 72-year-old opposition leader Khaleda Zia was granted bail on corruption charges Wednesday after her lawyers argued her health was at risk, paving the way for her to be released from jail.

Zia was imprisoned in February after being accused of embezzling money intended for an orphanage, an allegation she said was politically motivated.

Bangladesh has for years been locked in an epic showdown between Zia, who has served as prime minister three times, and her arch-rival, current leader Sheikh Hasina.

In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision to grant Zia bail while she appeals against the five-year jail term, her lawyer Joynal Abedin told AFP.

She faces several other charges and it was not immediately clear when she would be released from the special jail in the capital Dhaka where she is the sole inmate.

Zia's lawyers said they told the court that she faced serious health risks if kept in prison and that she would be treated at a top private hospital once she is released.

"She has become very sick due to long solitary confinement," Abedin said, adding that Zia suffers from a neurological problem, arthritis and night-time fever.

- Elections loom -

The Supreme Court had earlier suspended the lower court's decision to grant Zia bail, prompting her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to condemn the move as part of a campaign by Hasina to silence the opposition ahead of looming national elections.

Zia faces more than 30 other inquiries related to violence and corruption.

Abedin said she was officially considered under arrest in at least six other cases and needs to get bail for each one, which may take days or weeks. However, the Supreme Court ruling is likely to have an influence on those proceedings.

"We hope she will be released shortly. These cases do not have merit at all. These are all politically motivated cases," Abedin said.

Mohammad Shamsuzzaman, an orthopaedic specialist at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, visited Zia last month as part of a four-member government team.

He said her condition was not serious but that she had developed back pain and her arthritis had worsened in prison.

"She has pain in hands and legs. She couldn't walk 50 metres without assistance," he told AFP.

Violence erupted in major cities across Bangladesh after the guilty verdict against the BNP leader was handed down in February, with her supporters clashing with police and activists from the ruling party.

Zia, who entered politics in the 1980s after her military dictator husband was assassinated in a failed coup, has consistently dismissed the charges as politically motivated.

Her party boycotted 2014 national elections in which Hasina was re-elected but is expected to contest the new polls due in December.

In March a report by German think-tank the Bertelsmann Foundation listed Bangladesh as a new autocracy, raising doubts about the credibility of the country's elections. The ruling Awami League has rejected the assertion.

Zia and her son were detained by an army-backed government in 2007 and spent a year and a half in detention pending trials for alleged corruption.
Safaa al-Faqih, one of the few female Yemeni craftsmen working in the precious stones industry in Yemen, crafts a stone in the old city of the capital, Sanaa

Her fingers bleed from beneath the nail beds, but sitting at her workstation, filing Yemeni gemstones on a spinning wheel, Safaa al-Faqih is at peace in a country for too long at war.

In green canvas trainers and a black niqab, the young artisan -- one of the few Yemeni women in her field -- runs a blue Yemeni agate through a hot flame, turning it slowly with her bare hands as she fits it into a mold.

"Every day, these stones tell me a different story," Faqih told AFP. "I discover something new every day."

While the stone is still hot, she gathers her long black abaya and moves to a grinding wheel, where she runs her finger over the deep blue edges every second to feel for their smoothness.

The stone slowly morphs from an uneven sphere to a perfectly symmetrical emerald-cut agate that gleams in the light.

"I love this craft," the young, brown-eyed artisan said. "Sometimes my fingers are all cut, and sometimes I get sick.

"But I love sitting among precious stones. I love the stones themselves. It's a true passion for me."

That passion is part of a long love story between Yemen and precious stones. What is today modern Yemen was once home to the legendary Queen of Sheba, and it was there that she found her famed jewels and gold, which she later gifted to King Solomon in Jerusalem.

Thousands of years later, war threatens to erase that history.

- Yemeni agate -

Yemen's rich cultural scene is slowly being eroded by a brutal war, with the historic town of Zabid, the old city of Sanaa and the old walled city of Shibam, known as the "Manhattan of the Desert", now on UNESCO's World Heritage in Danger list.

Modern Yemen was once home to the legendary Queen of Sheba, and it was there that she found her famed jewels and gold, which she later gifted to King Solomon in Jerusalem

Yemeni agate -- or "aqeeq" in the local dialect -- is a trademark of the traditional silver jewellery the country is famed for, adorning rings, necklaces, women's bracelets and, for men, curved daggers worn tucked into a belt.

The traditional Yemeni men's dagger, or jambiyya, has for decades been embellished with locally-quarried agate.

The stone carries particular significance among Muslim communities, as the Prophet Mohammed is said to have worn a silver ring bearing the stone, which is hard, chemical-resistant and takes on different shades around the world.

Yemen also has a tradition of jewellery-making that dates back hundreds -- some historians even say thousands -- of years, joining both the country's Muslim communities and the minority Jewish population, known for their craftsmanship.

Until the war brought the country's rich crafts industry to a halt, Sanaa in particular was famed for its silversmiths and embroidery artisans creating Yemen's trademark shawls.

In 2015, the country's northern Huthi rebels -- who today control the capital, Sanaa, unchallenged -- drove the government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi south, prompting the intervention of a regional military coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

Just a quarter of artisans are still working in Sanaa's old market, where the majority of gemstones were sold, and the men who previously dominated the industry have mostly gone in search of other work.

Faqih has lost most of her clients, who are unable to afford gemstones in wartime, and now sells her wares to a few family members or neighbours.

- Love of the craft -

It is in Sanaa that Faqih first learned her craft and where she continues to practice, creating pieces to meet whatever demand is left.

The artisan credits her father for encouraging her to fight for a place in her field.

In 2011, Faqih and a few of her peers pushed for women to be allowed into the male-dominated government vocational school. They succeeded, and joined the graduating class of that year.

"There was some opposition, from men especially, that I do this job. My parents were supportive, though," she said.

"I went on because I love this. I love this craft. That's the truth."

The Yemen war has claimed nearly 10,000 lives since Saudi Arabia and its allies joined the government's war against the Iran-backed Huthis.

The conflict has triggered what the United Nations says is the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

Millions are trapped in a country at the brink of famine, as ports remain blockaded and the country's main international airport is largely shut down.
Anwar Ibrahim's triumphs and tribulations have riveted and appalled Malaysians for decades

Anwar Ibrahim's release from prison marks yet another dramatic turn in a roller-coaster political life that has left a profound mark on Malaysian politics and society.

The opposition figurehead was freed on Wednesday after serving three years for a sodomy conviction widely viewed as politically motivated, and now quashed in the wake of the stunning defeat of the regime that ruled for six decades.

Anwar's political triumphs and legal tribulations have riveted and appalled Malaysians since the 1990s, when he soared to national power as a talented deputy prime minister, then fell spectacularly, only to rise from the ashes in the opposition.

Anwar has come tantalising close to leading the nation before but those hopes now look as strong as ever, with 92-year-old new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad signalling he will yield to his one-time protege in one of the great turnabouts in Asian politics.

Just three years ago, Anwar's career seemed finished, once again, when he was jailed on charges of sodomising a young male aide -- the second time he had faced such charges.

"Going to jail, I consider a sacrifice that I make for the people of this country," he said at the time.

"I have fought most of my life on behalf of the people of this country -- for the people, I am willing to go to jail or face any other consequence."

- Political chameleon -

In his four-decade career, Anwar has changed his political colours with the readiness of a chameleon in an ambitious pursuit of leadership in the multi-ethnic, Muslim-majority country.

He first rose to prominence in the 1970s as a radical Islamic student leader, taking part in protests over rural hunger that earned the first of his three jailings by Malaysia's authoritarian regime. He was held for 20 months under a draconian security law.

But he later shocked many associates by joining the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), and eventually caught the eye of Mahathir, the tough leader who dominated politics from 1981 to 2003 and has continued to exert formidable influence.

A gifted natural politician and witty orator, Anwar rose quickly, heading various ministries including the finance portfolio starting in 1991, while reinventing himself as a reformist who was praised in the West.

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Two years later, his ascension to deputy prime minister all but anointed him as Malaysia's future leader.

But differences with the proud Mahathir over how to respond to the 1998 Asian financial crisis spiralled into a bitter rift as Anwar called for reform and an end to UMNO corruption and nepotism.

Anwar was seen to have misplayed his hand, underestimating Mahathir, and he was sacked and charged with corruption and sodomy.

In a drama that earned worldwide scorn, Anwar was brought into court with a black eye after a beating from the country's police chief.

His bruising fall was widely seen as politically motivated, and triggered unprecedented protests in a country where dissent was suppressed.

Jailed for six years, Anwar says he was kept in solitary confinement, singing 1960s pop tunes to stay sane and reading anything he could get, including the Koran, the Bible, and Shakespeare.

Released in poor health in 2004 when the sodomy charge was overturned, the father-of-six spent a few years recuperating and working as an academic.

But he eventually joined the anti-government movement that had been energised by his ordeal, using his star power to unite a divided and cowed opposition.

Their three-party alliance capitalised on rising anger over corruption and UMNO oppressions to shock the regime in 2008 and 2013 polls.

It stung UMNO by winning 52 percent of the popular vote in 2013 but failed to take parliament due to government gerrymandering.

- Strange bedfellows -

The opposition alliance united by Anwar brought together strange bedfellows -- an ethnic Chinese pro-democracy party, the conservative Islamic PAS, and Anwar's own racially diverse party.

With his broad appeal across Malaysia's various ethnic communities, he was considered the glue holding the alliance together.

The corruption-plagued former government of now-disgraced Najib Razak was keenly aware of this, and the latest sodomy charge dogged Anwar through a lengthy trial that culminated in his jailing in 2015.

Many observers viewed the charges as an attempt to decapitate the newly potent opposition, which was fuelled by public disgust over government corruption, rights abuses, racially divisive politics, and increasingly authoritarian tactics.

Sure enough, not long after Anwar's removal, the tenuous opposition alliance crumbled amid internal dissension. Hopes of throwing off UMNO's yoke seemed crushed.

But in one of Malaysia's many political twists, Mahathir came out of retirement, determined to oust Najib over accusations that the former premier presided over the looting of billions of dollars from a state investment fund, a scandal that has tarnished Malaysia worldwide.

The public responded, throwing out UMNO in a landslide, and putting Anwar on course to finally achieve his dream of leading Malaysia.
Afghan commandoes and the US air force have driven the Taliban to the outskirts of the western provincial capital of Farah, officials said Wednesday

Afghan commandos and US air strikes have driven the Taliban to the outskirts of Farah city, officials said Wednesday, after a day-long battle to prevent the insurgents from seizing the western provincial capital.

"Subdued" fighting was continuing outside the city and Afghan troops were being supported by US airpower and advisers, a NATO spokesman said, while the Afghan army was conducting a clearing operation inside.

Some residents were starting to emerge from their homes, though many remained indoors, frightened by the hours of gunfights, airstrikes, and explosions that began overnight Monday to Tuesday.

"People are scared but happy there is no more fighting in the city," Bilal, an NGO worker, told AFP. "I can see the people have started going about their business in the city, but government offices are closed."

With internet and mobile networks patchy, casualty figures were difficult to verify.

Defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish said 11 soldiers had been killed. Previously he and NATO had said "dozens" of Taliban died in the fighting.

Farah provincial governor Abdul Basir Salangi and interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish gave far higher tolls. Danish said 300 Taliban had been killed, though Salangi said the 300 figure also included the wounded.

Salangi's spokesman, Nasir Mehri, said at least five civilians had been killed, and gave a higher death toll for the security forces of 25.

The attack was the latest in a series of attempts by the Taliban to storm urban centres.

Farah province, a remote poppy-growing region that borders Iran, has been the scene of intense fighting in recent years, and there have long been fears that its capital is vulnerable.

- Troops rushed in -

Reinforcements including Afghan special forces were rushed in from Herat and Kandahar as the fighting began late Monday.

A spokesman for NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, Lt Col Martin O'Donnell, said the US had carried out drone strikes and had A-10 Thunderbolts in the air over the city as a show of force supporting the Afghan army during the fighting.

Aref Rezaee, a spokesman for the 207th Corps, said the Taliban were forced from the city at around midnight, some 24 hours after residents told AFP the initial assault began.

But some insurgents are believed to be hiding inside residents' homes, spurring speculation the clearance operation could take some time.

"There is fear that once the reinforcements are gone they will come out and launch an attack again," Jamila Amini, a provincial council member, told AFP from inside the city.

Many remained apprehensive. "I want to open my shop today but they have planted land mines in some parts of the city," said resident Abdul Samad.

Afghan forces, their numbers sapped by killings and desertions, have been struggling nationwide to hold back the resurgent militant group since the withdrawal of NATO combat forces at the end of 2014.

The assault is the latest in a series of attempts by the Taliban to capture provincial capitals. Kunduz, Afghanistan's fifth largest city, fell briefly to the Taliban in 2015.

The insurgents, along with the Islamic State group, have also stepped up their attacks in the capital Kabul.
Anwar was originally jailed 20 years ago by then-premier Mahathir Mohamad, on what supporters insisted were trumped up sodomy charges

Anwar Ibrahim's release from a Malaysian jail on Wednesday paves the way for him to become prime minister, a path from prison to power that has been trodden by some of the most famous leaders of the last century.

Anwar was originally jailed 20 years ago by then-premier Mahathir Mohamad, on what supporters insisted were trumped up sodomy charges.

He was imprisoned again in 2015 by Najib Razak, the man who was ousted last week in shock polls.

The now 92-year-old Mahathir, who came out of retirement to lead the revolution at the ballot box, and who now holds the top job is expected eventually to vacate the prime ministership for the younger man.

Here are five other former inmates who emerged from jail to take power:

- Nelson Mandela -

"No power on earth can stop an oppressed people determined to win their freedom," said Nelson Mandela in 1961, the year before he was convicted for leading the armed struggle for black rights in South Africa.

Released in 1990, Nelson Mandela was elected president four years later at the age of 75 in South Africa's first multiracial election

Mandela was sent to the notorious Robben Island penitentiary, where his 27 years behind bars left him the most recognisable face of opposition to apartheid and a rallying figure in the international campaign to isolate Pretoria's white minority government.

Released in 1990, Mandela was elected president four years later at the age of 75 in South Africa's first multiracial election.

- Aung San Suu Kyi -

The daughter of revered independence leader General Aung San, Myanmar's de facto head of state opted in her youth for a quiet family life in Oxford over continuing her father's legacy.

Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's party won an emphatic victory during elections in 2015, propelling her to power

But when she returned to Yangon to visit her dying mother in 1988, Suu Kyi was propelled into the national spotlight during a failed national uprising against military rule. She spent 15 of the following 21 years under house arrest.

Suu Kyi's party won an emphatic victory during elections in 2015, propelling her to power, but her image as a global democracy icon has been tainted by a military crackdown on Myanmar's stateless Rohingya population that the United Nations has described as "ethnic cleansing".

- Jawaharlal Nehru -

Jawaharlal Nehru first went to jail in British-ruled India in 1921 after calling for the boycott of a tour by the Prince of Wales. He described his imprisonment as "the greatest pleasure" for allowing a showcase of his opposition to colonial rule.

Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, forged the Gandhi-Nehru family dynasty that has dominated Indian politics for most of the decades since

He was to spend nearly a decade behind bars on various charges, often as a result of his involvement with the civil disobedience campaigns of political ally Mahatma Gandhi, who also spent years in prison.

Elected the country's first prime minister in 1947 -- a post he held until his death near 17 years later -- Nehru forged the Gandhi-Nehru family dynasty that has dominated Indian politics for most of the decades since.

- Vaclav Havel -

As a dissident playwright known in his youth for his hard-partying lifestyle, Havel's peripheral involvement in the failed Czechoslovakian uprising of 1968 prompted a lifetime of activism.

As a dissident playwright known in his youth for his hard-partying lifestyle, Vaclav Havel's peripheral involvement in the failed Czechoslovakian uprising of 1968 prompted a lifetime of activism

Havel was blacklisted from the theatre and had various stints in prison before rising to the presidency in the "Velvet Revolution" that toppled the country's sclerotic communist regime.

With a love of western music, one of Havel's first acts in office was to invite Frank Zappa and the Rolling Stones to perform in Prague. Both acts had been banned under the regime his government replaced.

- Michelle Bachelet -

Chile's first female president was introduced to politics by her father, a former government official who died after being tortured in detention following a 1973 military coup.

First elected in 2006 and serving two non-consecutive terms, Michelle Bachelet left office this year

Bachelet herself was later arrested and subjected to torture for her own clandestine political activity. She went into exile in Australia and East Germany before returning to campaign for the restoration of democracy.

First elected in 2006 and serving two non-consecutive terms, Bachelet left office this year after easing restrictions on abortion and extending recognition to same sex relationships -- both contentious moves in a conservative country.
Indonesian policemen examine a car used by attackers during an assault on a police headquarters on the island of Sumatra that left one officer dead and two wounded

Four men were shot and killed as they staged an attack on a police headquarters that left one officer dead and two wounded, Indonesian authorities said Wednesday, after a wave of deadly suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group.

The latest assault in Pekanbaru on the island of Sumatra saw a group ram a minivan into a gate at the station and then attack officers with samurai swords, according to the country's national police.

It was not clear if Wednesday's incident was linked to the earlier attacks which saw two families who knew each other and belonged to the same religious study group stage suicide bombings at churches and a police station in Surabaya, Indonesia's second biggest city.

The attacks have put Indonesia on edge as the world's biggest Muslim majority country starts the holy fasting month of Ramadan from Thursday.

This week's bloody violence is putting pressure on lawmakers to pass a stalled security law that would give police more power to take pre-emptive action against people suspected of planning terror attacks.

The attacks have put Indonesia on edge as the world's biggest Muslim majority country starts the holy fasting month of Ramadan from Thursday

Indonesia -- which is set to host the Asian Games in just three months and an IMF-World Bank meeting in Bali in October -- has long struggled with Islamist militancy, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed over 200 people -- mostly foreign tourists -- in the country's worst-ever terror attack.

On Wednesday, police said they shot dead four of the attackers at the Sumatra police station and later arrested another who had fled.

Indonesian media said one attacker may have had a bomb strapped to his body but police did not immediately confirm the reports.

No group has yet taken responsibility for Wednesday's attack.

- 'Better organised' -

Indonesia's security forces have arrested hundreds of militants during a sustained crackdown that smashed some networks, and most recent attacks have been low-level and targeted domestic security forces.

Last year, a suicide bombing at a bus station in Jakarta killed three police officers.

But on Sunday, a family of six -- including girls aged nine and 12 -- staged suicide bombings of three churches during morning services in Surabaya, killing 13.

All six bombers were killed, including the mother who was Indonesia's first known female suicide bomber.

The next day, members of another family blew themselves up at a police station in the city, wounding 10.

Indonesia

The coordinated church attack was a sign local extremist groups were becoming more proficient, and stirs concerns about an uptick in extremism as hundreds of Indonesians who flocked to fight alongside Islamic State in the Middle East return home.

"They were better organized...and suggest a higher level of capacity than what we have seen in recent years," said Sidney Jones, director of Jakarta-based Institute of Policy Analysis for Conflict.

The church bombing family were in the same religious study group as the two other families linked to the attacks, police said.

"They had the same teacher and they regularly met for Koran recital every week," said East Java police chief Machfud Arifin, adding that police were pursuing the teacher for questioning.

The families have been linked to the local chapter of Indonesian extremist network Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which police said was behind the attacks.

The radical group supports Islamic State, whose ambitions have been reined in after losing most of the land it once occupied in Iraq and Syria.

Police have said the church and earlier police station attacks were motivated by the arrest of JAD leaders, including jailed radical Aman Abdurrahman.

They followed a deadly prison riot staged by Islamist prisoners at a high-security jail near Jakarta last week.
Punjab National Bank said it had incurred a record 134.17 billion-rupee net loss for the January-March quarter

Shares in fraud-hit Punjab National Bank plunged more than 12 percent on Wednesday after it posted the largest ever quarterly loss for an Indian lender.

PNB, the country's second-biggest state-run bank, has been reeling since announcing in February that it had been the victim of a 135 billion rupee ($2 billion) scam involving celebrity jeweller Nirav Modi.

Investigators charged Modi in absence, as well as several senior PNB officials, on Monday over the huge fraud case, which comes as the government bids to clean up debt-laden lenders.

PNB said on Tuesday it had incurred a record 134.17 billion-rupee net loss for the January-March quarter, having posted a 2.62 billion-rupee profit in the same period last year.

Shares in the firm plummeted 12.21 percent to 75.50 rupees on the Bombay Stock Exchange's Sensex index shortly after opening Wednesday.

The bank has accused Modi and his uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi of defrauding it of 2.8 billion rupees, which was just part of its total losses.

PNB said Modi and Choksi had scammed it by raising credit with international branches of other Indian banks, using illegal guarantees provided by rogue PNB employees.

The bank's fourth-quarter losses were largely incurred by having to set aside funds to pay the other banks for the illegal guarantees.

PNB said it had allocated 71.78 billion rupees to pay around half the amount it owes in the three months to March 31, while setting aside the other 50 percent over the next three quarters.

Modi, the third generation of his family to go into the diamond trade, is worth $1.73 billion according to Forbes, placing him 85th on India's rich list.

The 47-year-old's high-end Nirav Modi brand has stores in several of the world's major cities.

Indian authorities last month asked Hong Kong for help in arresting the wanted jeweller, but no developments have been made public.

India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested 19 people for enabling the defrauding of the bank with forged documents but Modi and Choksi remain untraceable.

India's government is trying to reduce the crippling debts of the country's embattled state banks, including the PNB.

It has announced a $32-billion recapitalisation plan to help banks clean up their books ahead of a general election next year.
An expert tastes wine during the 2018 Concours Mondiale de Bruxelles at a hotel resort in Beijing

China's growing thirst for wine has spawned a new crop of connoisseurs, inspired prize-winning domestic producers and even attracted a top international tasting competition.

More than 300 experts from around the world gathered at a luxury hotel in Beijing last weekend to taste 9,000 wines from some 50 countries.

After sniffing, tasting and spitting the various vintages, they recorded their notes on touchscreen tablets for the 25th Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, which awards coveted gold and silver medals that producers can then tag on their bottles.

To avoid any risk of bias the bottles were all wrapped in opaque plastic and the results will be announced later this month.

"Why have we come to China? Because it is the most dynamic market in the world," said Baudouin Havaux, the competition's president.

"In terms of consumption it is incredible, this country is growing at a crazy speed."

The Chinese drink 1.46 billion litres (386 million gallons) of wine per year -- on average almost one litre, or more than one bottle, per person -- according to a study by Vinexpo, an organiser of international wine fairs.

China ranks fifth in the world for wine consumption after the US, France, Italy and Germany.

But this figure is expected to increase by 18.5 percent between now and 2021. Over the next five years, China is expected to become the world's second-largest consumer of wine, behind only the US.

"I think gift-giving and status are still the biggest factors" driving wine purchases, said Canadian wine taster Jim Boyce.

"A lot of people also drink red wine because of the perceived health benefits. But there is also a growing niche of consumers who drink wine for taste, for pleasure and for experience."

"People simply have more money now to enjoy something like wine," said the expert who is based in China, where the disposable income of urban Chinese doubled between 2009 and 2016.

- Price tags -

Wine was more a symbol of "prestige" five years ago, agreed Havaux.

"It was important to leave the price tag on the bottle to show that it is very expensive," Havaux said.

"But young people are beginning to grow interested in the product itself."

More than 300 experts from around the world gathered at a luxury hotel in Beijing last weekend to taste 9,000 wines from some 50 countries

Among them is Kang Yi, a 30-year-old interpreter.

"I discovered wine when I was studying in Paris. Especially rose, champagne and riesling. When I came back to China, I joined a wine-tasting club."

Beijing-based Zhou Hewei, who works in insurance, admitted she used to buy wine for dinner parties "without really knowing much about it".

"Until the day when a friend who had studied wine at university opened a website. She wrote articles about grape varieties, terroirs... I learnt a lot and began to buy more and more bottles."

As a result of this growing passion, China in 2017 imported 750 million litres of foreign wine, according to customs data -- 20 percent up on the previous year. Foreign wines make up 50 percent of all sales in China, according to experts.

- Medal winners -

"The quality of Chinese wine has been steadily rising for a decade now," said Boyce, who has tasted more than 1,000 Chinese wines since 2005.

"We see the best Chinese wines are winning hundreds of medals overseas. And just overall, I think most people would say they taste a lot better than they did a decade ago."

The arrival of e-commerce has changed the landscape for Chinese wine lovers, Boyce added.

"Ten years ago, Chinese people would probably get their wine at a retail shop, and it would be mostly big Chinese brands and red Bordeaux.

"And then the internet came along, and the smartphone came along, and suddenly consumers had thousands of choices, from lots of countries," he said.

"This put a tremendous amount of pressure on the local companies to get better, because those companies were focused more on marketing than on quality."

Chinese wine producers have responded by gaining more experience, training overseas, and buying in better equipment.

But their production costs remain high, as many are forced to bury their vines in winter to prevent them freezing.

"Lots of wine estates are improving their quality and winning medals in major competitions," said Eva Xie, a Chinese taster and wine critic.

They are making their presence felt at the competition.

"In 2017, 30 percent of Chinese wines tasted at the Concours de Bruxelles were medalists, which is above the average rate of 25 percent," said Havaux. "That is impressive."
A new bill aims to encourage more women to join Japan's parliament

Japan's parliament on Wednesday passed a law to encourage female candidates to stand for elections in a country where women are vastly underrepresented in politics.

Under the new law, political parties are urged to make the number of male and female candidates as equal as possible and are encouraged to set targets for gender parity.

But the law includes no penalties for parties that fail to do so, nor incentives to encourage them.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made increasing female participation in the workforce a key plank of his economic policies as Japan struggles with a labour shortage.

But only 47 of the 465 members of parliament's lower house are women, a ratio of 10.1 percent that puts Japan behind Myanmar and Gambia in terms of female government representation, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

"I hope this law will make a big change in Japanese politics," said Internal Affairs Minister Seiko Noda, one of the members who drafted the legislation, according to public broadcaster NHK.

"I hope women who were hesitant to become candidates will be courageous" and run for election, she said.

The law was put forward by a cross-party group of lawmakers, but reportedly faced opposition during the drafting process despite containing no penalties for non-compliance.

Next year Japan will hold regional elections in April and elections for parliament's upper house in July.

Japan ranked bottom among G7 countries in the World Economic Forum's latest "Global Gender Gap Report", coming 114th worldwide.
Iranians burn an image of President Donald Trump during an anti-US demonstration in Tehran on May 9, 2018

Iran said Wednesday that new US sanctions on its central bank governor would only make Iranians "more determined, patient and resistant than ever".

"We consider this inappropriate policy to be part of the continued unwise behaviour and hostile policies of the American government," said foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi in a statement on the ministry website.

On Tuesday, the US sanctioned Valiollah Seif, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran, accusing him of helping the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps transfer millions of dollars to Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Ghasemi said this was an attempt to coerce other countries who have opposed last week's decision by the US to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

"Following the failure and destructive effects of its own mistakes and obvious misconceptions after its unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA (nuclear deal), the US government is now trying to influence the will and decisions of the remaining members of the JCPOA and other countries in the world," Ghasemi said.

"These venomous policies have had, and will have, no success for America, and have made the government and nation of Iran more determined, patient and resistant than ever to confront the US," he added.

Since its withdrawal from the nuclear deal last week, the US has announced new sanctions targeting the Revolutionary Guards financial networks.

That has included a currency exchange network, another central bank official, and executives from Iraq's Al-Bilad Islamic Bank which Washington said provided a link to Hezbollah.

"The United States will not permit Iran's increasingly brazen abuse of the international financial system," said US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

"The global community must remain vigilant against Iran's deceptive efforts to provide financial support to its terrorist proxies."
Prior to the trouble over payments to Trump's lawyer, Novartis was under investigation over alleged payouts to Greek politicians and doctors

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis on Wednesday announced the retirement of its top legal expert, as he apologised in a statement for payments made by the firm to Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen.

The announcement comes after Novartis was dragged into the scandal over Cohen's payment of $130,000 to US porn actress Stormy Daniels just days before the 2016 presidential election.

Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels or knowing anything about that payment but his new lawyer Rudy Giuliani has acknowledged the US president had in fact reimbursed Cohen for the payoff.

Last week, Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti wrote on Twitter that Novartis and US telecoms giant AT&T had used the services of Cohen's firm Essential Consultants -- the same company used to make the payment to Daniels.

On May 9, Novartis said it signed a one-year contract for $100,000 a month with the firm in February 2017, seeking advice on the new administration's public health policy.

On Wednesday, Novartis's general counsel Feliz R. Ehrat apologised for making the deal.

"Although the contract was legally in order, it was an error. As a co-signatory with our former CEO, I take personal responsibility to bring the public debate on this matter to an end," Ehrat said in a statement issued by the firm.

Ehrat will be replaced starting from June 1 by Shannon Thyme Klinger, who is currently Novartis's ethics, risk and compliance officer.

The shake-up follows a spate of trouble for the pharmaceutical behemoth in Greece, where the firm is accused of making illicit payouts to decision-makers and doctors between 2006 and 2015 to secure inflated prices for its products even though cheaper alternatives were available.

The case is under examination by the Greek and US authorities.
Higher local demand, partly because of the renewed popularity of the whisky-and-soda "highball", was one reason for Suntory's decision to suspend shipment of its premium products

Need relaxing Suntory time after a tough day? Well, it turns out that Suntory also needs more time.

The Japanese alcohol and beverage giant plans to suspend shipment of two of its premium-brand whisky products, the Hibiki 17-years-old and the Hakushu 12-years-old, as robust demand squeezes its production capacity, a company spokeswoman said.

The last batches of those products will be shipped out around June for the Hakushu 12-years and September for the Hibiki 17-years, and there is no telling when the firm will have enough supplies to resume sales, she said.

Sales of other Hibiki and Hakushu products of different ages will continue.

The Hibiki 17-years was the very Japanese whisky that American actor Bill Murray's character was hired to promote in the 2003 movie "Lost In Translation" by seducing drinkers with his pitch: "For relaxing times, make it Suntory time."

The planned suspension comes as Japanese premium whisky gains global popularity for its quality, with the Hibiki and the Hakushu products regularly winning international awards.

But the squeeze has also come partly because of a sudden rebound of domestic consumption of whisky in the last decade, fuelled by the popular whisky-and-soda "highball" drink.

The sharp rise in domestic demand has taken the company by surprise, especially after Japanese whisky consumption steadily declined in the three decades to 2008 as young Japanese increasingly shunned alcohol.

Suntory is rushing to build up its whisky production capacity, but the firm also needs to assess future demand as whisky-making can take decades.

"When we resume shipments, we want to make sure that we have adequate supplies of those products so that we would not have to resort to suspensions again," the spokeswoman said.

"It takes an enormous amount of time to make whisky. The current popularity of 'highball', and how it (has) continued for years now, was beyond what we could have expected," she said.
Donald Trump's decision to quit the Iran nuclear deal triggered a massive surge in oil prices

Global oil supplies could be hit by the decision by the US to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, and also by falling production in crisis-hit Venezuela, the IEA said on Wednesday.

The decision by US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Iran deal "has switched the focus of oil market analysis from the fundamentals to geopolitics," the International Energy Agency wrote in its regular monthly report.

On May 8, Trump announced he would pull the US out of a 2015 pact -- agreed by Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the Barack Obama administration -- that opened up Tehran's atomic programme in return for an easing of sanctions.

Oil prices -- which had already rising on the back of steady demand growth and a landmark deal by oil producing countries, both inside and outside the OPEC cartel, to lower output -- have since surged above $77 per barrel, the IEA said.

"In these early days, there is understandable uncertainty about (the) potential impact on Iran's oil exports" from the US move, it said.

When sanctions were imposed in 2012, Iranian exports fell by about 1.2 million barrels per day, the organisation said.

"It is too soon to say what will happen this time, but we should examine whether other producers could step in to ensure an orderly flow of oil to the market and offset a disruption to Iranian exports."

Shortly after the US announcement, Saudi Arabia, the OPEC cartel kingpin, acknowledged the need to work with producers and consumers to mitigate possible supply shortfalls, the IEA noted.

- Demand growth to slow -

Another possible risk to the global oil supply could come from crisis-hit Venezuela, the IEA said.

"In Venezuela, the pace of decline of oil production is accelerating and by the end of this year output could have fallen by several hundred thousand barrels a day," the IEA said.

"The potential double supply shortfall represented by Iran and Venezuela could present a major challenge for producers to fend off sharp price rises and fill the gap, not just in terms of the number of barrels but also in terms of oil quality," it said.

The IEA said that the overall market balance was "continuing to tighten", and it lowered its estimate for 2018 global oil demand growth to 1.4 million barrels per day from its previous estimate of 1.5 million.

"Demand at the start of the year was supported by cold weather in Europe and the US, the start-up of new petrochemical capacity in the US and a solid economic background," the IEA said.

"While the economic environment will continue to support oil demand... support from harsh weather conditions will vanish and the recent jump in oil prices will take its toll," it said.

"Therefore, world oil demand growth is expected to slow" in the second half of the year.
Emblazoned in yellow on the banners, the phrases 'Abolish one-party dictatorship' and 'Exercise democratic politics' are quotes from Mao

Hong Kong democracy activists have found an unlikely new way to get their message across -- using the words of the founder of Communist China, Mao Zedong.

As concern grows that semi-autonomous Hong Kong's freedoms are under threat from Beijing, two large red political banners carrying quotes from Mao that purport to be in favour of democracy have appeared on roadside railings, close to China's liaison office in the city.

Emblazoned in yellow on the banners, the phrases "Abolish one-party dictatorship" and "Exercise democratic politics", are taken from Mao's "Order and Conversation on the Southern Anhui Incident" in 1941, which saw nationalist troops attack communist forces.

Mao used the term "democracy" before he came to power in 1949 as a way to galvanise public support, but on taking the helm installed one-party rule.

Lawmakers in Hong Kong are allocated banner space by lottery for their term and the liaison office spot went to pro-democracy legislator Au Ngok-hin.

The banners were made by Au's campaign coordinator Sam Yip.

"Au and I wanted to remind the officers in the liaison office that this is the way for China to become prosperous and strong, and Mao said so," Yip told AFP.

The banners were also a response to pro-Beijing figures on both sides of the border who have said anyone calling for an end to one-party dictatorship would run the risk of election disqualification, Yip said.

Activists in the city have a history of coming up with inventive ways to promote their views.

Huge pro-democracy banners regularly appear on the city's famous Lion Rock, although they are quickly taken down.

Pro-democracy artists also managed to install a controversial light show on Hong Kong's tallest building two years ago which counted down to 2047 and was swiftly removed

Pro-democracy artists also managed to install a controversial light show on Hong Kong's tallest building two years ago which counted down to 2047 and was swiftly removed.

The year 2047 will be a watershed for Hong Kong as it will see the end of the 50-year agreement signed when Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997 and which enshrines the city's freedoms and way of life.

So far the Mao banners, put up on May 10, are still intact and are technically allowed to remain until the end of Au's term in 2020.

Hong Kong's legislature is partially directly elected and its mini-constitution gives rights unknown on the mainland, including freedom of speech.

But the prosecution of pro-democracy activists, the ousting of rebel lawmakers from the legislature and the banning of some opposition candidates from running for office have shrunk the space for political expression.
A global arms watchdog confirmed that chlorine was "likely used as a chemical weapon" in a February attack on the Syrian town of Saraqeb

A global arms watchdog on Wednesday confirmed that chlorine was "likely used as a chemical weapon" in a February attack on the Syrian town of Saraqeb.

A fact-finding mission by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons determined that "chlorine was released from cylinders by mechanical impact in the Al Talil neighbourhood of Saraqeb" on February 4, an OPCW statement said.

The team's conclusions were based on finding two cylinders "which were determined as previously containing chlorine."

Environmental samples also "demonstrated the unusual presence of chlorine in the local environment," said the organisation, based in The Hague.

However, in line with its mandate the watchdog did not say which side in Syria's complex seven-year civil war was responsible for using chlorine.

Eleven people had to be treated for breathing difficulties on February 4 after Syrian government raids on the town of Saraqeb, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at the time.

Mohammad Ghaleb Tannari, a doctor in a nearby town in Idlib province, also told AFP at the time that his hospital had treated 11 people.

"All the cases we received had symptoms consistent with inhaling the toxic chlorine gas, including exhaustion, difficulty breathing, and coughing," he said.

The OPCW said its team had interviewed witnesses, and found that a "number of patients at medical facilities shortly after the incident showed signs and symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorine."

"I strongly condemn the use of toxic chemicals as weapons by anyone, for any reason, and in any circumstances," said OPCW head Ahmet Uzumcu.

"Such acts contradict the unequivocal prohibition against chemical weapons."

An OPCW fact-finding team is also currently awaiting the results of its difficult mission to the Syrian town of Douma, after medics and rescuers said 40 people died in a chlorine and sarin attack on April 7.

The team exhumed bodies as well as gathering over 100 environmental samples which are being analysed in different OPCW-designated labs.

Syria and Russia have accused Syrian volunteer rescue workers of staging the April 7 video footage at the behest of the United States and its allies.
This year's narrow window of good May weather has seen records broken on Mount Everest

Two Nepali Sherpas broke their own world records for the most Everest summits by a man and a woman Wednesday, reaching the world's highest peak for a 22nd and ninth time respectively.

Kami Rita Sherpa, a professional guide, and Lhakpa Sherpa, who works in a supermarket in Connecticut, reached the summit from opposite sides of the 8,848 metre (29,030 feet) mountain.

Kami Rita, 48, was one of six sherpas who took seven clients to the summit from the Nepali side, Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, who organised the expedition, told AFP.

A guide for more than two decades, he broke the previous record of 21 summits that he shared with two other Sherpas.

Kami Rita first reached the top of Everest in 1994 when working for a commercial expedition.

"I did not start climbing to set a world record," he told AFP last month before setting out for the mountain. "It wasn't for any competition."

Lhakpa Sherpa, 44, reached the peak for a ninth time via the northern, Tibetan route, her brother Mingma Gelu Sherpa said.

With his record 22nd summit, Kami Rita Sherpa has now climbed Everest more times than any other person

The US-based Lhakpa has repeatedly broken her own record for the most Everest summits by a woman. The next most accomplished female Everest climber is American Melissa Sue Arnot, who has reached the top six times.

The daughter of a yak herder, Lhakpa worked as a porter and kitchen hand on trekking and mountaineering expeditions, before becoming a climber herself.

She moved to the United States 16 years ago and says she plans to continue climbing, while keeping her job in the supermarket.

"I keep going to encourage other Nepali women to climb," the 44-year-old told AFP last month.

The twin records come on the heels of Australian Steve Plain becoming the fastest person to summit the highest mountains on all seven continents.

He completed the seven climbs in 177 days -- nine days quicker than the previous record -- after reaching the top of Everest Monday.

Hundreds of climbers are on Everest attempting to reach the summit during the narrow window of good weather in May.

But the mountain is also highlighting its risks.

A Sherpa guide has been missing on Everest's southern side in Nepal since Monday, said Mingma of Seven Summits.

Lhakpa Sherpa, 44, reached the top of Mount Everest for a ninth time Wednesday, via the northern, Tibetan route

"They are searching for him on the way down," he said of the team that has just summited.

On the Tibet side a team was forced to retreat from just below the summit when at least 11 of their bottled oxygen systems failed.

"Multiple teams using the same device have experienced similar oxygen system failures. There are no reported injuries," Alpenglow Expeditions said in a statement.

Climbers use supplementary oxygen to combat altitude sickness. Air at the top of Everest contains less than a third of the oxygen at sea level.
A Hong Kong journalist was handcuffed, brutally beaten and left with a bloodied face while trying to attend a hearing of a human rights lawyer in Beijing today.

TV footage showed police bundling cameraman Chui Chun-ming to the ground and dragging him into a van after they refused to return his press pass.

Mr Chui, based in Beijing, is from Hong Kong and works for the Hong Kong-based Now TV channel. He was reportedly released hours later after allegedly being forced to sign a letter of remorse.

Chui Chun-ming, carrying a camera, was stopped by police officers on his way to the hearing

Mr Chui was violently pinned down by the police as they refused to give out any reasons

Xie Yanyi was arrested in the '709 crackdown' in 2015, during which the Chinese government arrested about 300 lawyers and activists. Mr Xie is pictured with his two sons in 2014

Mr Chui was working along with a Now TV journalist, Li Tung-yan, to report on the hearing of a lawyer, Xie Yanyi, at the Beijing Lawyers Association at 9am local time.

The hearing was to decide whether human rights lawyer Xie, who Mr Chui was trying to interview, should have his licence revoked, according to Now TV.

Mr Chui can be seen asking the police to return the press pass to him, as footage from Now TV showed.

'I will cooperate, as long as you give me my pass,' Mr Chui is heard saying in the video.

However, the uniformed officers refused to give a reason of stopping Mr Chui and they pushed Mr Chui onto the floor.

A woman shouted at the police: 'Why are you doing this? On what grounds do you have the right to handcuff him?'

Mr Chui was injured with bleeding on the left temple as he was being dragged onto a van.

Mr Chui told his colleague to 'show his face on camera' as a record of evidence.

He was released two hours later and sent to hospital to check injuries to his forehead, wrists and knees., reported South China Morning Post.

Mr Chui was dragged into a van by the police and taken to a police station for questioning

Now TV condemned the police for 'unreasonable and violent obstruction' to the press

Mr Chui asked his colleague to record the violence and show his face on camera as evidence

Reporters from outside mainland China including those from semi-autonomous Hong Kong are usually given a much freer rein than domestic journalists, who have little opportunity to air their views in a country dominated by state media.

Now TV expressed 'extreme anger' over the 'unreasonable and violent obstruction during their lawful reporting in Beijing'.

Xie Yanyi was one of the lawyers arrested in Beijing's '709 crackdown' in 2015, which marked the largest ever clampdown on the legal profession in China.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association urged China to stop 'uncivilised acts and suppression' of reporting work. The group handed a joint letter signed by local media to China's liaison office in the city today.

The Hong Kong government was 'very concerned' about the safety of the city's reporters

Hong Kong officials refused to condemn police actions when pressed by reporters, saying that they needed to 'establish the facts'

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China also called for 'an immediate end to violence against journalists in China'.

But Hong Kong officials refused to condemn police actions when pressed by reporters, saying that they needed to 'establish the facts'.

Chief secretary Matthew Cheung said the Hong Kong government was 'very concerned' about the safety of the city's reporters carrying out their duties 'anytime, anywhere'.

Now TV said he was requested to sign a letter of remorse to admit that he had displayed a 'radical reaction' and was 'interfering with a public function' before he was released.

A BBC team was also attacked last year by a large group of men as they tried to interview a Chinese woman petitioning the government.
Patents for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer blockbuster drug Viagra expired in China in 2014, leaving domestic firms able to develop generic drugs

A pharmaceutical firm claiming that 140 million men in China suffer from erectile dysfunction was given a massive stock market boost on Wednesday after winning approval to sell a Viagra-like drug in the country.

Shares of Hebei Changshan Biochemical Pharmaceutical surged by its 10 percent daily limit at the Shenzhen exchange after regulators gave one of its subsidiaries in southern Jiangsu province approval to manufacture a generic version of the drug.

In an attempt to explain the size of the market for the drug, Changshan, based in northern city of Shijiazhuang, claimed that over 140 million men in China suffer from erectile dysfunction, which Viagra-like drugs can fix.

"Assume 30 percent of them get treatment, the figure would be 42 million people," the firm, which mainly produces anti-clotting drug heparin, said in a statement to the Shenzhen exchange.

"Assume those accepted treatment could all use the meds multiple times, then the potential market size has the hope to reach tens of billions of yuan.

"The market space is vast."

China has 708 million men, latest available official figures showed, making one in every five men impotent based on Changshan's figures, whose authenticity was called into question after the announcement.

Changshan told the Securities Times newspaper that the firm did not exaggerate the figure and it had referenced two research reports.

Patents for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer blockbuster drug Viagra expired in China in 2014, leaving domestic firms able to develop generic drugs.
Syrians board buses prior to being evacuated from the rebel-held town of Rastan on May 7, 2018, after rebels and civilians were granted safe passage to a rebel-held part of Aleppo province under a deal with the government

The Syrian government retook full control of central Syria on Wednesday as rebels and their relatives were evacuated from final pockets of territory still outside the regime's grasp, an AFP correspondent reported.

The evacuations from areas straddling the boundary between Homs and Hama provinces came under a deal between rebel factions and the government.

Hundreds of people gathered in the centre of the town of Rastan in Homs province to welcome the return of government security forces and attend a flag-raising ceremony on the main square.

Nearby towns and villages in the areas of Talbiseh and Al-Hula were also evacuated, the official SANA news agency and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported.

"The last convoy of terrorists and their families exits northern Homs province and southern Hama province," SANA reported.

The armed factions, which the government systematically refers to as "terrorists", were transferred to Idlib province, which still largely escapes regime control.

A total of 34,500 people -- armed men and their families -- were transferred out of the area as part of the deal, according to the Britain-based Observatory.

"As of today, there is not one gunman left, no weapons left in the whole of Homs province," the province's governor, Talal Barazai, told AFP in Rastan.

Pockets of jihadists from the Islamic State group are however still thought to be active on the province's scarcely-populated far eastern edge.

The governor vowed that the Damascus-Hama highway would reopen "in the coming days".

With Iranian and Russian support, the Syrian government has reconquered swathes of territory it lost following the outbreak of the conflict in 2011.

Government and allied forces have almost finished retaking areas around the capital Damascus that had been held by jihadist and Islamist groups for year.

They have yet to seize back a small pocket still controlled by IS in southern Damascus, as well as a large part of the southern Daraa province and much of Idlib, in the northwest.

A large part of northern and eastern Syria is controlled by US-backed Kurdish forces who also fought against IS but want a level of autonomy that the regime refuses.

More than half of Syria 20-million-plus pre-war population has been displaced by the seven-year-old conflict, which the Observatory says has killed more than 350,000 people.
The vote -- which saw record high abstentions -- was a slap in the face to the widely reviled elite that has dominated Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein

Iran and its allies were mustering a bid Wednesday to limit the role of fiery Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr in Iraq's next government after his shock election win reshaped the country's political landscape.

The preacher, who was the bete noire of American forces during the US invasion, captured the most seats in parliament after his improbable alliance with Iraq's communists tapped popular anger over corruption and foreign interference.

But analysts said the reality of Iraq's complex political system and the sway still held by neighbouring Iran mean he faces a fight to oversee the running of a country still reeling from a brutal conflict against the Islamic State group.

Fanar Haddad, an Iraq analyst at the University of Singapore, said it was "mathematically, legally and constitutionally" possible for Sadr's rivals to form a coalition government without members of his victorious Marching Towards Reform alliance.

Preliminary tallies from last weekend's vote put the Conquest Alliance of pro-Iranian former paramilitary fighters who helped battle IS in second place, followed by incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's bloc.

Abadi -- a consensus figure favoured by the US -- had been seen as likely frontrunner after declaring victory over the jihadists five months ago.

The vote -- which saw record high abstentions -- was a slap in the face to the widely reviled elite that has dominated Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.

Since Monday, the powerful Iranian general Qassem Soleimani has met with several members of Iraq's old guard including Abadi and his predecessor Nuri al-Maliki, several officials told AFP.

According to the officials, Soleimani ruled out any alliance with Sadr, who surprised many last year by visiting Iran's regional foe Saudi Arabia as Riyadh seeks increased involvement in Iraq.

- Comeback king -

Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr rose to prominence in the wake of the US invasion of Iraq, when his militia fought a bloody insurgency against American troops

Sadr rose to prominence in the wake of the US invasion, when his militia fought a bloody insurgency against American troops.

After years on the sidelines, he has reinvented himself as a champion of the poor and linked up with secularists to battle corruption.

He is one of the few Iraqi politicians opposed to both the presence of American troops and the heavy influence that neighbouring Iran exercises over Iraq.

Soleimani's shuttle diplomacy is aimed at gathering enough parties opposed to Sadr to deny his alliance a governable majority and a route to the powerful position of prime minister -- though Sadr himself is not in the running for the top job.

As well as Abadi and Maliki, the Iranian general met with the pro-Tehran head of the Conquest Alliance Hadi al-Ameri.

A spokesman for Maliki told AFP that the former premier is looking to form a parliamentary bloc with "several major players, including the Conquest Alliance, Sunni and Shiite parties, and the Kurds."

Sadr has already ruled out governing with either Ameri or Maliki and called instead for a technocratic government that can begin to tackle Iraq's rampant corruption and the mammoth rebuilding task left from the battle against IS.

"Iran wants to exert pressure so that these two forces (Ameri and Maliki) are at the negotiating table," said analyst Haddad.

While speculation swirls, the next concrete step remains completing the vote count and firming up the final make-up of Iraq's new 329-seat parliament. Official election results are expected in the coming days.
Ghani has apologised to the families of children killed in an air strike

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani apologised Wednesday to the families of civilians, mainly children, killed when the country's air force sprayed an outdoor religious gathering with rockets and machine gun fire last month.

The April 2 airstrike on a ceremony attended by hundreds of men and boys in Dasht-e-Archi district -- a Taliban stronghold in the northern province of Kunduz -- left at least 36 people dead including 30 children, a United Nations investigation has shown.

Seventy-one people were wounded, including 51 children, it said, adding that it had "credible information" the tolls could be even higher.

Originally the government and military had said the Afghan Air Force targeted a Taliban base where senior members of the group were planning attacks.

The defence ministry initially denied any civilians had been hurt, then claimed the Taliban had shot them.

On Wednesday Ghani met families as well as local elders and apologised, a statement from the presidential palace said.

"(T)he difference between evildoers and a legitimate government is that a legitimate government apologises for the mistakes made," he said, according to the statement.

He also vowed that the government would pay compensation to the families, and build a minaret in memory of the victims as well as a mosque for the region. The statement gave no further details.

The UN investigators could not confirm if the casualties were all civilians or whether Taliban leaders had been present at the time of the air strike. They have called for further investigations.

The government has sent two teams to conduct an investigation into the incident but so far neither team has "publicly reported their findings", the UN said.
Liu Xia (L) and her younger brother Liu Xiaoxuan hold flowers as they scatter Liu Xiaobo's ashes at sea in July 2017

Dozens of the world's leading writers and artists, from Michael Chabon to Paul Auster and Khaled Hosseini, called on China Wednesday to release the widow of dissident Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo and let her seek medical treatment abroad.

Liu Xia, 57, has been under de facto house arrest -- despite facing no charges -- ever since her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, a recognition that deeply angered the communist regime.

The group of 28 released videos on Wednesday of themselves reading excerpts of Liu Xia's poetry as part of a campaign for her freedom.

They included Nobel literature prize laureate JM Coetzee, Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Chabon, American novelist Auster and Chinese-born writers Hu Ping and Ma Jian.

Hosseini, author of "The Kite Runner", said in a statement: "As artists who are free to speak (we) must do so on behalf of other artists whose voices are being stifled."

Liu Xia faces daily restrictions on movement and surveillance, although Chinese authorities maintain she is free.

Her friends told AFP she is taking medication for depression and has suffered heart problems and fainting.

Liu Xiaobo, a veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, died last year while serving an 11-year jail sentence for "subversion", making him the first Nobel laureate to die in custody since the era of Nazi Germany.

The campaign for the widow's release came two weeks after reports emerged that Liu had told a friend she was ready to "die at home" in protest at her continuing detention.

Suzanne Nossel, PEN America executive director, said: "Liu Xia's cry for freedom resonates around the world and rebukes the Chinese government's hollow claim that she is free."

The video campaign was jointly organised by PEN America and Amnesty International.

Diplomats from the French, German, Canadian, British and European Union embassies tried to visit her at her Beijing apartment last Friday amid growing concerns about her psychological health.

But security guards prevented them from seeing her and China's foreign ministry later warned foreigners not to interfere.

"Liu Xia is a Chinese citizen. The relevant departments of the Chinese government of course protect her rights according to Chinese law," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Monday.

The German embassy offered in April to help her travel to Germany but the move did not take place, according to Chinese writer Liao Yiwu, who is close to Liu Xia.

AFP reporters have tried to visit Liu's home multiple times in recent years but were blocked each time by plainclothes men.
French-Lebanese actress Manal Issa (R) holds a sign reading "Stop the Attack on Gaza" on the red carpet at the Cannes film festival

A "devastating" film about the massacre of an extended Palestinian family in Gaza by Israeli forces in 2009 has been hailed by critics at the Cannes film festival.

Italian filmmaker Stefano Savona spent nine years trying to piece together what happened when a farming community in the north of the Gaza Strip was razed by Israeli special forces, killing 29 civilians mostly huddled together in one house.

The wounded -- largely women and children -- were left for three days before the Red Cross could get to them.

"Samouni Road", which uses animation and 3D images to reconstruct what happened and "bring alive the ghosts" of the victims, has had rave reviews, with one critic calling it "an anti-war film for the ages".

The Hollywood Reporter said "its success at showing real lives unfathomably impacted by barbarism is beyond dispute; the accolades sure to accrue will drown out the few but noisy voices from all sides unable to see beyond their own fanatical propaganda".

The film's premiere comes as 60 people were killed after Israeli troops fired on protesters in the worst violence in the Gaza Strip since the 2014 war, with at least 1,200 other Palestinians wounded.

Savona told AFP that his film was not "reportage or propaganda" but an examination of "the pain and resilience of these people" trying to rebuild their lives after the 2009 massacre.

The Samouni clan have farmed their fields in northern Gaza since time immemorial, Savona said.

- Pilot refused to bomb survivors -

"They consider themselves the original Gazans. They were kind of snobbish about that. They are like a separate community within Gaza, who marry among themselves and have their own dialect.

"They were much less politically involved than most Gazans who are refugees," who settled in the Strip after fleeing or being expelled from their homes in what is now Israel.

"And all the Samounis were against Hamas," Savona added.

Yet their land, homes and mosque were levelled during a massive Israeli "anti-terrorist operation" that the director said turned their community into a "man-made desert, like the moon".

Savona had been in Gaza at the time, shooting his award-winning documentary "Cast Lead" -- the name given to the Israeli military incursion. He befriended the Samounis when they were allowed back to the ruins of their homes a fortnight after the killings.

"The bodies were in the bombed house for 14 days. I went there every day. People were coming back every morning to go through the rubble and I would talk to them," he told AFP.

"There were 150 people in the house, all cousins, when it was bombarded by an Apache helicopter gunship."

Ironically the Israeli pilot who killed them emerges as a kind of tarnished hero from the film for repeatedly refusing orders to fire on the survivors.

Savona used the Red Cross, UN and the Israeli army's own internal reports on the tragedy. "All that we see and hear comes from cross-checked sources," he said.

"The situation of Gaza was tragic 25 years ago," he told AFP. "Now it has gotten even worse. I just wanted to show these people and let them talk for themselves."

- Red carpet protest -

With the blockade, "Gaza has become this dark place on the map -- a terra incognita -- of which we hear and see almost nothing," said the Sicilian.

He was smuggled into the strip through the tunnels from Egypt when he returned to see the family in 2010, a route he said was now "almost impossible".

"We see almost nothing of life there now. All we see is smoke and fire and small figures running from being shot...

"But we have a responsibility to cover what is happening. If we had told this story in a better way we might have helped, but we haven't," Savona said.

"I did not want to get kidnapped by my own emotions in this film. Thousands of movies end up as psychological blackmail," said the director, who refused to comment on the killings in Gaza this week.

He sees his role as to simply observe, as in his documentary on the Egyptian revolution, "Tahrir, Liberation Square".

However, several stars and directors including Benicio Del Toro and French actress Virginie Ledoyen took part in a minute's silence outside the Palestinian pavilion at the festival on Tuesday to express their horror at what was happening in Gaza.

French-Lebanese actress Manal Issa later staged a protest on the red carpet before the screening of the latest Star Wars spin-off, "Solo", holding up a placard, "Stop the Attack on Gaza".

Issa is the star of the Syrian film "My Favourite Fabric", one of the pictures in the running for the Camera d'Or prize for best debut feature at Cannes.
Donald Tusk, the European Union's top official, launched a stinging attack ay on President Donald Trump, slamming his "capricious assertiveness" and saying the US leader acted more like an enemy than a friend

The European Union's top official launched a stinging attack Wednesday on President Donald Trump, slamming his "capricious assertiveness" and saying the US leader acted more like an enemy than a friend.

EU president Donald Tusk urged leaders meeting in Bulgaria to form a "united European front" against Trump's withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal and his move to impose trade tariffs on Europe.

Tusk even compared the US administration to Europe's traditional foes Moscow and Beijing as he launched his broadside before a dinner of the 28 leaders in Sofia where they discussed the issue.

"Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think with friends like that, who needs enemies," Tusk told reporters.

"But frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful to President Trump, because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realise that if you need a helping hand you will find one at the end of your arm."

The transatlantic rift has hijacked the agenda of a summit on Thursday at which the EU leaders will meet their Balkan counterparts in a bid to foster closer ties and keep Russia out of their backyard.

European ministers met a top Iranian official in Brussels on Tuesday in a bid to save the Iranian nuclear accord after Trump decided to pull out. Meanwhile the EU is still trying to win exemptions from tariffs on steel and aluminium exports.

Tusk called for more unity in the divided EU -- which is set to lose Britain as a member next year -- to face the growing challenges.

- 'Capricious assertiveness' -

"Besides the traditional political challenges such as the rise of China or the aggressive stance of Russia, we are witnessing today a new phenomenon: the capricious assertiveness of the American administration," Tusk said.

"I have no doubt that in the new global game, Europe will either be one of the major players, or a pawn. This is the only real alternative."

After the talks, a European source told AFP the leaders agreed on a "united EU approach" on the Iran deal, including continued support for the agreement if Tehran abides by it.

They also agreed to "initiate work to protect European companies negatively affected by the US decision," which involves Washington reimposing sanctions on the Iranian nuclear programme.

"The EU will continue fighting for a rules-based international system despite recent decisions on climate change, tariffs and Iran," the source said after the leaders met over dinner in Sofia.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron -- whose countries are the signatories to the Iran deal along with the US, Russia and China, gave their views on the situation to their colleagues, he said.

Merkel however said earlier that Europe had no choice but to stick with the ties that have bound it to Washington since World War II.

"Despite all the difficulties we have these days, the transatlantic relations are and will remain of outstanding importance," Merkel told the German parliament.

- 'Gun at its head' -

On Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, a move the EU has warned could spark a trade war, the leaders also presented a united front.

They backed plans to offer concessions if the US gives Europe a permanent exemption from the tariffs, but added that the "EU will not negotiate with a gun at its head".

Tusk said earlier that it was "absurd to even think that the EU could be a threat to the US" in terms of trade.

Behind their message of unity and firmness, some member states seem open to tolerating limited quotas from the United States on metals imports while others want a harder line, diplomats said.

The EU leaders were also due to discuss the deaths of dozens of Palestinians in Gaza after Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, in another move that the Europeans had strongly opposed, but there were no details on that discussion.

The EU has called for "utmost restraint" after Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians during clashes and protests along the Gaza border against the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, in the conflict's bloodiest day in years.

But there are divisions over the embassy move within the EU itself, with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania having recently blocked an EU statement slamming the US decision.

Wednesday's dinner will be followed by a summit on Thursday where EU leaders will meet their counterparts from the Balkan nations of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia.
Palestinian mourners carry the body of 51-year-old Nasser Ghorab at his funeral in a refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on May 16, 2018, a day after he was killed along during protests the border with Israel

Weeks of mass protests and deadly violence on the Gaza-Israel border have put the Palestinian cause back on the global agenda, but questions remain over whether the impact will last.

More than 100 Palestinians were killed in seven weeks of protests, culminating in 60 dead on Monday, mainly from Israeli sniper fire, as tens of thousands rallied against the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

The violence overshadowed the embassy move, as television networks split their screens between US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka speaking at the inauguration and the carnage on the Gaza border.

Israel says its actions are necessary to defend the border and stop mass infiltrations from the Palestinian enclave, which is run by the Islamist movement Hamas.

Following unconfirmed reports of indirect contacts between Hamas and Israel, Tuesday proved far calmer -- only a few thousand people gathered on the border, with only minor incidents reported.

Ramadan, the Muslim month of dawn-to-dusk fasting, was also poised to begin on Thursday, likely to keep people away from the protests.

Near the border on Tuesday evening, 26-year-old Mutassim Hajjaj showed off videos of himself seeking to breach the border fence the day before.

He said the protests had overshadowed the embassy move.

"That's a victory. It's a victory for us as the Palestinian people as it raised the issue of the right of return," he said.

Hajjaj was referring to Palestinian demands to return to land they fled or were expelled from in 1948 during the war surrounding Israels creation.

- Israel, Hamas feel pressure -

But whether the protests will have a lasting impact is up for debate.

So far, there has been limited diplomatic fallout for Israel, although the dozens of dead have led to condemnation from a range of countries worldwide.

Turkey, Ireland, Belgium and South Africa took diplomatic measures, while others called on the Jewish state to show more restraint against unarmed protesters.

But the United States vetoed a UN Security Council motion calling for an independent probe into the deaths and the President Donald Trump's administration blamed Hamas.

Mukhaimer Abu Saada, a politics professor at Gazas Al-Azhar University, said Hamas will be hoping for an easing of Israel's blockade of the territory and for Egypt to open its border, largely closed in recent years.

"Under increased international pressure, Israel will have to come up with a solution to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza," Abu Saada said.

Trump's administration and other global powers have failed to come up with a unified position, said Hugh Lovatt of the European Council on Foreign Relations think-tank.

"The international community ultimately proved itself unwilling and unable to curb Israeli action," he said.

"This further emboldened Israel."

Mark Heller of the Institute for National Security Studies at the University of Tel Aviv said the Israeli government, seen as the most right-wing in the country's history, would resist outside pressure.

"The government, in spite of the voices raised for an easing of the blockade, will not do anything because it does not consider Hamas can be a partner" for peace.

- 'Big disappointment' -

Three wars between Israel and Hamas since 2008 have devastated Gaza, while damage to Israel was relatively limited.

Hamas has started to adopt a new language, encouraging what it argues are peaceful protests.

Israel says protesters have used firebombs and explosive devices, while Israeli soldiers were fired upon at one point on Monday.

An Israeli drone drops tear gas canisters to disperse Palestinian protesters near the border east of Gaza City on May 15, 2018

Only one Israeli soldier has been reported wounded since the protests began on March 30.

Officially the protests were due to end on Tuesday but Hamas leaders have said they will continue in some form.

Reham Owda, a political analyst in Gaza, said Hamas would face scrutiny over its strategy of encouraging thousands to the border for the "right to return" protests.

"Maybe we will witness some easing in the blockade, but for people who lost their sons, there will be a big disappointment."

Some analysts say Hamas is not looking for a fresh war, knowing the impact would be severe on its already suffering people.

"But Hamas cannot afford to wave the white flag," Heller said. "We must therefore expect sooner or later that new clashes are inevitable."

Israeli drones have flown over protesters near the border dropping tear gas, largely without any armed reaction.

But on Tuesday evening as one flew over, plainclothed militants in the crowd rushed to grab their Kalashnikov rifles and fired round after round into the air, eventually bringing it down, an AFP journalist witnessed.

"Victory!" a man shouted.
Veteran CIA operative Gina Haspel wins support to become director of the premier US spy agency in a key Senate committee vote, despite her participation in an interrogation program that saw Al-Qaeda suspects undergo torture

A key US Senate panel on Wednesday greenlighted the nomination of veteran covert operative Gina Haspel to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency, despite her involvement in the torture of Al-Qaeda detainees in the early 2000s.

The Intelligence Committee voted 10-5 to forward her nomination to the entire Senate, virtually assuring that she will earn final approval to lead the US spy agency, replacing Mike Pompeo, who is now secretary of state.

Republican Senator John McCain, who was tortured during years spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, led a push to reject Haspel after she refused to say the brutal interrogation methods used after the 9/11 attacks were "immoral."

But she reiterated her opposition to the practice going forward in a letter sent earlier this week to the committee's senior Democrat, Mark Warner, persuading him to endorse her.

"With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken," she told Warner in the letter dated Monday.

Warner's support was matched by one other unnamed Democrat in the secret vote, ensuring the closely divided Senate will also be able to pass Haspel through in a vote expected as early as this week.

It will make Haspel, a 61-year-old Russia specialist, the first-ever woman to lead the CIA, and the first director who spent their entire career in the agency's clandestine services.

"Gina Haspel is the most qualified person the president could choose to lead the CIA and the most prepared nominee in the 70-year history of the agency," said committee chairman Richard Burr in a statement.

Warner echoed that sentiment.

"I believe that she will be a strong advocate for the agency's workforce, and an independent voice who can and will stand up on behalf of our nations intelligence community," he said.

"Most importantly, I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the president if ordered to do something illegal or immoral -- like a return to torture."

But Democrat Ron Wyden, one of the most strident opponents to the torture program, said he still has "grave concerns" about her suitability, rooted in still-classified matters that Haspel and the agency refused to make public.

The refusal to declassify the matters, Wyden said, has "only to do with protecting her own image."

- Out of the shadows -

After a lifetime spent in the clandestine service, almost nothing was known about Haspel, even what she looked like, until a sketchy official biography and a few photographs were released in the last two months.

The entrance hall of the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia

She joined the CIA in 1985, a few years after graduating from a Kentucky university where she studied languages and journalism.

Her first position was in Africa as a case officer, an assignment she says "was right out of a spy novel. It really didn't get any better than that."

Learning Russian and Turkish, in the 1990s she worked in Eastern Europe, and was CIA station chief in a country reported as Azerbaijan.

She joined the agency's Counterterrorism Center on September 11, 2001, the day when Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four US airliners, leaving almost 3,000 dead.

It was that period, from 2001 to 2005, that has cast a shadow both on the CIA and Haspel's resume.

Former CIA officials say Haspel oversaw a secret prison in Thailand run by the agency where Al-Qaeda suspects Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri were water-boarded.

She has won praise from some for following orders; others criticize her for not refusing to do so. In her Senate confirmation hearing, she said agents were working under orders they understood were legal.

"We had been charged with making sure the country wasn't attacked again," she said.

Her nomination had strong support from inside the agency and across the intelligence community, where even strong opponents of President Donald Trump backed her.

"Gina Haspel is precisely the kind of truth teller you want in the room when important decisions are being made," said former CIA director Michael Hayden.
Rebel groups in Indian-controlled Kashmir seek independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan

Indian military operations against rebels in the disputed Kashmir territory were suspended Wednesday in a rare gesture for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The nearly 30-day halt is the first of its kind in Indian-controlled Kashmir for nearly two decades, and follows an escalation of violence in recent months in the Muslim-majority Himalayan region.

India has 500,000 troops in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the suspension was to allow a peaceful month of fasting beginning Friday.

The decision means Indian troops will stop the pursuit of militants and door-to-door house searches -- but they will still retaliate if attacked, officials said.

In a statement, Singh sought the cooperation of "everyone" in the initiative but did not make a direct call for militants to suspend hostilities.

There was no immediate response from Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest militant group active in Kashmir, but the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group outrightly rejected the truce offer.

"We are in favour of negotiations but the talks of negotiations in presence of armed occupational forces in the region are lies," a LeT spokesman said in a statement to a Kashmir-based news agency.

Indian authorities and the Hizbul Mujahideen, whose militants are all from Kashmir, briefly ceased fighting in 2000.

However, the three-decade-old conflict has never shown any serious sign of ending.

- Near-daily gunfights -

Violence escalated after Indian troops killed a top militant commander in a 2016 gunfight that led to months of street protests in which scores of demonstrators were killed.

Dozens of young men have since joined militant groups and there are now almost-daily gunfights between armed rebels and Indian soldiers.

More than 200 militants and 57 civilians were killed in 2017 after the Indian government launched "Operation All Out", aimed at ending the insurgency in the region.

Many of the civilians were killed in protests to stop troops firing on holed-up rebels.

More than 70 militants have been killed this year in dozens of gunfights and more than 30 civilians have also died.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who runs the Kashmir government in an alliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, expressed hope that the decision "will create a peaceful and amicable environment for sustained dialogue".

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947. They have fought two wars over the disputed territory.

Rebel groups seek independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of arming the rebels, but Islamabad says it only gives diplomatic and moral support.

Six civilians were shot dead by government forces in protests over the killing of five militants on May 7, promoting Mufti to appeal for a unilateral ceasefire.

India's defence minister and several of Modi's party colleagues have rejected the ceasefire call, saying it will allow militants to reorganise.
In the heart of Sanaa's old city, the wartime prices are out of reach for most of the inhabitants

Marketplaces in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa were stacked with produce on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan, but there were barely any customers with the means to buy.

Prices have spiked over the course of Yemen's conflict, which since 2015 has pitted a Saudi-led coalition against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels and seen the country's largest port reduced to a wasteland under de facto blockade.

Millions of Yemenis are living on the edge of famine in what the United Nations calls the world's gravest humanitarian disaster.

During Ramadan, the breaking of the fast at sunset is a sacred tradition, which usually begins with dates.

But in the bustling Sanaa souk, date vendor Ali Saleh said there were few customers stopping by his stall -- stacked high with the traditional sweet.

"Turnover is not very good because of the cut of paying salaries. Also people are not keen in having dates anymore because they focus on the basic needs."

"People are giving priority to the bare necessities," he told AFP.

Yemen's conflict has left nearly 10,000 people dead, tens of thousands wounded, and led to outbreaks of cholera and diphtheria.

For the people of Sanaa, the deprivation during the day throughout Ramadan is not in question, but rather the traditional feast in the evening.

- Ration cards -

In the heart of Sanaa's old city, the wartime prices are out of reach for most of the inhabitants.

"The prices ahead of Ramadan are very high and don't match with what people are making, especially those with ration cards," lamented Abdullah Mofaddel, a resident of the capital.

Unable to pay the salaries of many civil servants, the rebel administration has distributed ration cards instead so people can buy basic necessities.

Unable to pay the salaries of many civil servants, the rebel administration has distributed ration cards instead so people can buy basic necessities

"The employees aren't getting salaries. People don't have money to spend. They should at least be paying salaries for Ramadan," said Mofaddel, referring to the Huthis.

In front of a stall, another resident echoed his complaint.

"The situation is very bad. Wages haven't been paid in eight months. We're in God's hands. Everything's getting more expensive by the day," said Ahmed al-Oqabi.

Residents say truckers transporting food are extorted at checkpoints belonging to the rebels and government forces alike, and the cost gets tacked on before the food reaches the markets.

The price of a 40-kilogramme (90-pound) sack of rice has risen by a third in the past few days alone, while a 50-kg bag of sugar has gone up 25 percent, Sanaa residents told AFP.

- No way to cook -

For war widow Jeta al-Sabri, Ramadan has arrived with new worries over how she will provide for her four daughters.

"I sold my gas cylinder to pay the rent, and now I can't cook anymore," said Sabri, referring to the cylinders used across the Middle East to power stoves.

"I have no more flour, no more rice. There's nothing in the house. All I have is my four girls, nothing more," she said, her children sitting across from her in a mostly bare room.

The little girls, giggling and smiling, sat on the tile floor, sharing a piece of Arabic bread and dipping it in coffee for flavour.

Sabri lost her husband in Taez, a large city in Yemen's southwest besieged by Huthi rebels on the outskirts -- and by competing anti-rebel forces inside the city itself.

Sabri escaped to Sanaa, where she depends on meagre social security and irregular assistance to survive.

Residents say truckers transporting food are extorted at checkpoints belonging to the rebels and government forces alike

"People can't get by," she said as her girls played, their life belongings stacked in boxes against the wall.

Ramadan is traditionally a period of piety and prayer -- and even truces between warring parties in the Muslim world.

But the war in Yemen shows no signs of abating this holy month.
Cambridge Analytica former employee and whistleblower Christopher Wylie testified at a Senate Judiciary Committee on interference with the 2016 US election

Political consulting group Cambridge Analytica used Russian researchers and shared data with companies linked to Russian intelligence, a whistleblower told a congressional hearing on interference in the 2016 US election Wednesday.

Christopher Wylie, who leaked information on the British-based firm's hijacking of data on millions of Facebook users, told a Senate panel he believes Russian intelligence services had access to data harvested by the consultancy.

Wylie told the panel that Russian-American researcher Aleksandr Kogan, who created an application to harvest Facebook user profile data, was working at the same time on Russian-funded projects, including "behavioral research."

"This means that in addition to Facebook data being accessed in Russia, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that CA may have been an intelligence target of Russian security services...(and) that Russian security services may have been notified of the existence of CA's Facebook data," Wylie said in his written testimony.

Wylie added that Cambridge Analytica "used Russian researchers to gather its data, (and) openly shared information on 'rumor campaigns' and 'attitudinal inoculation'" with companies and executives linked to the Russian intelligence agency FSB.

The hearing is part of a broad inquiry on both sides of the Atlantic over the misuse of Facebook data by the consulting firm working on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

Facebook has accused Cambridge Analytica of misappropriating its user data by violating terms of the data agreement with Kogan, the academic researcher.

On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that the FBI and Justice are investigating Cambridge Analytica for potential criminal violations.

The Times said it was unclear whether the probe was linked to the one led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.

- 'Black ops' at CA -

Former director of research for Cambridge Analytica Christopher Wylie pulls out his Canadian passport before testifying to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

Wylie told the panel that "the ethos of the firm was 'anything goes'" for its political campaigns, including "attempting to divert health ministry funds in a struggling African country to support a politician's re-election campaign."

He added that he was aware of "black ops" at the company, "which I understood to include using hackers to break into computer systems to acquire kompromat or other intelligence for its clients."

He said that one of the tactics used to interfere with voter participation included "weaponizing fear."

"In one country, CA produced videos intended to suppress turnout by showing voters sadistic images of victims being burned alive, undergoing forced amputations with machetes and having their throats cut in a ditch," he said.

"These videos also conveyed Islamophobic messages. It was created with a clear intent to intimidate certain communities, catalyze religious hatred, portray Muslims as terrorists and deny certain voters of their democratic rights."

Cambridge Analytica announced earlier this month it was shutting down, unable to recover from the Facebook-linked scandal.

Its chief executive Alexander Nix was suspended after he was filmed by undercover reporters bragging about ways to win political campaigns, including through blackmail and honey traps.

Another whistleblower said that Britons' personal data may have been misused by a pro-Brexit campaign ahead of the 2016 referendum in which Britain voted to leave the European Union.
Donald Trump Jr. during his testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee about his meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer

A Senate committee released thousands of pages of congressional testimony Wednesday from its probe into a meeting at Trump Tower between US President Donald Trump's son and Russians who had promised incriminating material on Hillary Clinton.

Donald Trump Jr, in testimony released by the Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee, says he did not tell his father ahead of time about the meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer five months ahead of the November 2016 presidential election.

The June 9, 2016 meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya was also attended by then-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

It has fueled speculation about possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and is believed to be of interest to special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian meddling in the election.

Trump has repeatedly denied his campaign colluded with Russia to get him elected and has denounced Mueller's investigation as a "witch hunt."

The Trump Tower meeting was arranged by a music promoter, Rob Goldstone, who reached out to Trump Jr saying he had "official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father."

Trump Jr responded "I love it" when first offered the political "dirt" on Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee.

Trump Jr has said since that no "meaningful information" was offered and the meeting focused mostly on the issue of adoptions of Russian children.

In his testimony, he said he did not know whether his father was directly involved in explanations about the meeting that reportedly contained discrepancies, but acknowledged the president "may have" influenced the messaging through then-White House communications assistant Hope Hicks.

Asked if Trump's comments through Hicks were incorporated into the final explanation of the meeting, Trump Jr said "I believe some may have been."

Among the 2,600 pages of documents released Wednesday was the full transcript of Trump Jr's testimony.

In a statement to US media, Trump Jr said he appreciated "the opportunity to have assisted the Judiciary Committee in its inquiry."

"The public can now see that for over five hours I answered every question asked and was candid and forthright with the committee," he said.

Manafort, who has been charged with a variety of non-campaign related offenses as a result of Mueller's investigation, was not interviewed by the panel.

Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley said he was releasing the documents so "Americans can now review this unfiltered information and arrive at their own conclusions."

- 'Helping' Trump, 'hurting' Clinton -

Committee Democrats said the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting "confirms that the Trump campaign was willing to accept Russia's assistance."

"Their efforts to conceal the meeting and its true purpose are consistent with a larger pattern of false statements about the Trump campaign's relationship with Russia," they said in a statement.

They said the committee found evidence of "multiple contacts" between the Trump campaign and Russian government officials or their intermediaries, "including offers of assistance and purported overtures from (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, which warrant further investigation."

Separately Wednesday, the Senate Intelligence Committee said it completed its review of Russian influence on the election and concluded it agreed with the US intelligence community's assessment that Moscow sought to sway the vote in Trump's favor.

The panel's chairman, Senator Richard Burr, said in a statement that after 14 months of reviewing tradecraft and analytic work, "we see no reason to dispute the conclusions" by the intelligence community.

Top committee Democrat Senator Mark Warner added that "the Russian effort was extensive, sophisticated, and ordered by President Putin himself for the purpose of helping Donald Trump and hurting Hillary Clinton."

The bipartisan conclusion countered the assessment of House Intelligence Committee Republicans, who had accused intelligence agencies of failing to use appropriate "tradecraft" when those agencies determined that Russia backed Trump's candidacy.
The boat was carrying 44 people across the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh state when strong winds flipped it over

Emergency workers recovered 12 bodies from a river and were searching for another 10 missing people on Wednesday after a ferry capsized in southern India, officials said.

The boat was carrying 44 people across the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh state when strong winds flipped it over late Tuesday, prompting a massive rescue operation including navy helicopters and dozens of divers.

The bodies were found after a 16-hour search of the sunken boat around 60 feet (18 metres) underwater using sonar equipment.

The state's Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said 22 passengers swam to safety and efforts are on to find those still missing.

Naidu blamed the private boat operator for the tragedy, saying the ferry was packed with men, cement bags and motorbikes.

"Because of the strong gale, the boat could not withstand pressure and sunk," he told reporters at the site of accident in East Godavari district.

The victims included members of a wedding party and people from local tribal communities, who regularly use the boats to reach their villages across India's second largest river that flows from the west of the country to the east coast.

Freak dust and thunderstorms have battered India for weeks this month, killing hundreds across the country.

Eight people drowned after their boat capsized late Sunday during a storm in northern Uttar Pradesh state.

But boat accidents are also common in India for other reasons -- mainly overcrowding, poor maintenance and lax safety.

In September, 20 people were killed when a boat capsized on the Yamuna river in northern India.

Six people died in October after their boat sank in eastern Bihar state, just months after 25 people died in a similar accident in the river Ganges.
Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg, pictured in April 2018, will attend a closed-door meeting with the Eurpoean parliament's most senior deputies

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to meet European Parliament members behind closed-doors to answer questions in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a top official said on Wednesday.

Senior lawmakers have "agreed that Mark Zuckerberg should come to clarify issues related to the use of personal data in a meeting with representatives of the European Parliament," the parliament's leader Antonio Tajani said in a statement.

The meeting would take place "as soon as possible, hopefully already next week," Tajani said.

The closed-door meeting with the parliament's most senior deputies will anger European lawmakers who were hoping to give Zuckerberg a grilling similar to his 10-hour interrogation in US Congress last month.

"I will not attend the meeting with Mr Zuckerberg if it's held behind closed doors. It must be a public hearing - why not a Facebook Live?" influential Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt wrote on Twitter.

Zuckerberg is also confirmed to visit French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on May 23, along with other tech leaders, according to the French presidency.

Tajani had invited Zuckerberg, saying the 2.7 million EU citizens affected by the data sharing scandal deserved a full explanation.

In a statement Facebook said it welcomed the chance to meet MEPs and "appreciate the opportunity for dialogue, to listen to their views and show the steps we are taking to better protect peoples privacy".

The visit comes as the EU is introducing tough new data protection rules later this month, which Facebook has said it will comply with.

Facebook admitted earlier this month that up to 87 million users may have had their data hijacked by British consultancy Cambridge Analytica, which worked for US President Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign.

The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into effect on May 25, aims to give users more control over how their personal information is stored and used online, with big fines for firms that break the rules.

Zuckerberg, who has repeatedly apologised for the massive data breach, told the US Congress in April that the more stringent EU rules could serve as a rough model globally.

"Facebook users deserve a proper answer to what has happened to their data. We will continue to defend their rights," said MEP Manfred Weber of Germany, one of the parliament group leaders that will meet Zuckerberg.
Threatening the White House: Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia

One year into his investigation of links between the Trump campaign and Russia, special counsel Robert Mueller has snared several top lieutenants of the president. Now his probe looms threateningly over Donald Trump himself.

The president has called the inquiry by Mueller's staff of top-notch investigators and lawyers a "$10,000,000 Witch Hunt," repeatedly proclaiming his innocence and denying any collusion between Team Trump and Moscow.

Since his appointment on May 17, 2017, Mueller -- a veteran prosecutor and former FBI director -- has not said a word about his work.

But after racking up 22 indictments, including those of former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, there is little doubt where the probe is headed.

The White House is clearly worried about what Mueller might know. Nearly everyone around Trump, including family members, has retained personal lawyers.

Trump's inner circle and Republicans also worry that, if the probe doesn't conclude soon, their insurance policy against his possible impeachment, the Republican-controlled Congress, could be lost if Democrats prevail in November elections.

Vice President Mike Pence told NBC last week that after one year, the probe should come to a close.

"We've fully cooperated in it, and in the interest of the country, I think it's time to wrap it up," Pence said.

That impatience, analysts say, belies the real concerns in the White House.

"This isn't about 'the law' anymore," said Bradley Moss, a Washington national security lawyer at the office of Mark S. Zaid, P.C.

"The president seems well aware that his political future rests in holding the line in the Senate and avoiding conviction by that body in the context of impeachment."

- Circling the White House -

"There was no collusion": President Donald Trump denies any wrongdoing in the 2016 election

When he fired then FBI director James Comey on May 9 last year, Trump ostensibly hoped the investigation into possible collusion with Russia during the 2016 election would disappear.

The move backfired. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein put the probe in the hands of an untouchable independent prosecutor, naming Mueller to the job.

A lanky, taciturn 73-year-old ex-Marine, Mueller was given a broad mandate to chase down anything vaguely tied to Russia and the 2016 election.

"This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!" an angry Trump declared at the time.

Since then, Mueller's team has quietly interviewed scores of Trump intimates, government officials, and foreigners, including Comey, Rosenstein, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, former CIA director Mike Pompeo, and White House counsel Don McGahn.

No one on Mueller's team has explained their approach. Yet each public step they take shows they are circling the White House.

The first was the July 26 FBI raid on Manafort's home. Manafort was then indicted on October 30 on money laundering, tax evasion and bank fraud charges.

The same day, George Papadopoulos, a young foreign affairs advisor to the Trump campaign, was indicted and pleaded guilty to one charge of lying to investigators, in a clear deal to cooperate with Mueller's team.

On December 1, Flynn, a key campaign insider, also pleaded guilty to a single charge of lying, indicating he too was cooperating.

A fourth key event was the April 9 FBI raid on the New York residences and offices of Trump's longtime personal fixer and lawyer, Michael Cohen, in a separate Justice Department probe over questionable business dealings, hush payments to women who allegedly had affairs with Trump, and other matters.

Yet many speculate Cohen could be compelled to "flip" on his old boss and give evidence to Mueller's operation.

- Questions for the White House -

According to reports, in bursts of fury, Trump sought to fire Mueller, Rosenstein, and Sessions several times during the past year, and was only stopped by his own advisors.

He has also repeatedly changed up his team of attorneys, in visible turmoil over the right legal strategy.

Now a showdown is nearing. Mueller has asked to interview Trump. So far, the White House has not accepted, suggesting they see significant risks in doing so.

A leaked list of questions Mueller's team proposed to the White House could explain why.

They showed that Mueller is studying possible obstruction of justice by Trump, including his firing of Comey and attempts to protect Flynn.

Mueller also appears to suspect Trump knew about a series of contacts between his staff, including family members, and Russians during the campaign in 2016.

And he also asked questions in relation to Trump's business dealings.

While that could lead to a high-level legal battle, Trump increasingly appears more focused on how the November vote could determine his fate.

Republicans have ramped up efforts in recent weeks to convince voters the investigation is corrupt and biased.

"Much of the bad blood with Russia is caused by the Fake & Corrupt Russia Investigation, headed up by the all Democrat loyalists, or people that worked for Obama. Mueller is most conflicted of all," Trump alleged in a tweet last month.
Iran Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani attends a meeting in Tehran in this file handout picture released on September 18, 2016

By some counts the most popular figure in Iran, Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani is also one of the most powerful in the region and seen as a deadly adversary by the US and its allies.

General Soleimani, who heads the external operations Quds Force for the Guards, was again showing his regional clout this week as AFP sources reported his direct involvement in top-level talks over the formation of the new Iraqi government.

It is no surprise for a man who has been at the centre of power-broking in the region for two decades.

Where once he kept to the shadows, Soleimani has lately become an unlikely celebrity in Iran -- replete with a huge following on Instagram.

His profile rose suddenly when he was pushed forward as the public face of Iran's intervention in the Syrian conflict from 2013, appearing in battlefield photos, documentaries -- and even being featured in a music video and animated film.

To his fans and enemies alike, the 61-year-old is the key architect of Iran's regional influence, leading the fight against jihadist forces and extending Iran's diplomatic heft in Iraq, Syria and beyond.

"To Middle Eastern Shiites, he is James Bond, Erwin Rommel and Lady Gaga rolled into one," wrote former CIA analyst Kenneth Pollack in a profile for Time's 100 most influential people last year.

"To the West, he is... responsible for exporting Iran's Islamic revolution, supporting terrorists, subverting pro-Western governments and waging Iran's foreign wars," Pollack added.

With Iran roiled by protests and economic problems at home, and the US once again mounting pressure from the outside, some Iranians have even called for Soleimani to enter domestic politics.

While he has dismissed rumours he might one day run for president, the general has played a decisive role in the politics of Iran's neighbour, Iraq.

Before this week's post-election manoeuvring, he was pivotal in pressuring Iraq's Kurds to abandon their plans for independence after an ill-judged referendum last September.

- Decision-maker -

His influence has deep roots, since Soleimani was already leading the Quds Force when the US invaded Afghanistan in 2001.

"My Iranian interlocutors on Afghanistan made clear that while they kept the foreign ministry informed, ultimately it was General Soleimani that would make the decisions," former US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker told the BBC in 2013.

His firm but quiet presence, and his somewhat hang-dog expression, play perfectly to the Iranian penchant for dignified humility.

"He sits over there on the other side of room, by himself, in a very quiet way. Doesn't speak, doesn't comment, just sits and listens. And so of course everyone is thinking only about him," a senior Iraqi official told the New Yorker for a long profile of Soleimani.

A survey published this year by IranPoll and the University of Maryland -- one of the few considered reliable by analysts -- found Soleimani had a favourability rating of 83 percent, beating President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

That is worrying to some Western leaders, who see him as central to Iran's ties with militia groups including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that US plans for regime change in Iran were misguided precisely because they might put Soleimani "in a very good position to take over from Ayatollah Khamenei".

To many in Iran, a military strongman could be an improvement on the faltering governance of recent years, particularly since he appears to supercede some of Iran's fraught social divides.

"If a military president becomes elected, he can surely solve people's problems," said a hardline member of parliament in March, immediately bringing Soleimani to everyone's mind.

Part of his appeal is the suggestion that he might bridge Iran's bitter social divides on issues such as its strict "hijab" clothing rules.

"If we constantly use terms such as 'bad hijab' and 'good hijab', reformist or conservative... then who is left?" Soleimani said in a speech to mark World Mosque Day last August.

"They are all people. Are all your children religious? Is everybody the same? No, but the father attracts all of them."
Palestinian mourners carry the body of 51-year-old Nasser Ghorab during his funeral in al-Nusirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip

A senior member of Gaza's rulers Hamas said Wednesday that most of the 62 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire during border protests and clashes this week were members of the Islamist group.

Salah Bardawil did not give further details about whether they were members of the group's armed or political wing, or what they were doing at the time they were killed.

"The latest round (Monday and Tuesday), 62 people were killed," he told a Palestinian television show.

"Fifty of the martyrs were Hamas and 12 from the people. How can Hamas reap the fruits if it pays such an expensive price?"

Questioned about the figures by the presenter, Bardawil said they were "official numbers".

Hamas spokesman Fawzy Barhoum did not confirm all 50 were members of the Islamist movement.

He told AFP Hamas paid for the funerals for all 50 "whether they are members or supporters of Hamas, or unrelated to the factions."

Bassem Naim, another senior Hamas official, declined to confirm or deny the number but said it was a "large movement and has great popular support".

It was "natural to see members or supporters of Hamas in large numbers" in such a protest, he said, adding that when they were killed they were "participating peacefully" in demonstrations.

Bardawil's statement was highlighted by the Israeli army, which has long argued that Hamas is seeking to use weeks of border protests as cover to carry out attacks.

Israel says its actions on the border are necessary to stop mass infiltrations from the Gaza Strip.

"Take his word for it. This was no peaceful protest," Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said on Twitter.

Palestinians, including Hamas officials, say protesters are being shot while posing no threat to soldiers and there have been international calls for an independent probe into the deaths.

Since protests and clashes began on March 30, 116 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip.

One Israeli soldier has been reported wounded in that time.

Monday left 60 Palestinians dead, the conflict's bloodiest day since a 2014 war.

That day's protests coincided with the move of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which has deeply angered the Palestinians, who see the Israeli-annexed eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state.

Hamas, which has controlled Gaza for a decade, is considered a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and the European Union.

It has fought three wars with Israel since 2008.

The Islamist group won 2006 Palestinian elections but the international community refused to accept the result.

A year later it seized control of Gaza from the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority in a near civil war.
A picture taken on April 30, 2018 in a camp for displaced Syrians from villages and towns around Abu Duhur on the edge of the southern Idlib province, shows children siting next to school bags provided by the UN as they attend classes provided by local teachers to some 300 boys and girls at the camp on the outskirts of the city of Sarmada in northern Idlib. Several weeks of deadly fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels allowed the regime to take control of some 400 villages and towns, as well as the military airport of Abu Duhur last month.

The UN special envoy to Syria warned Wednesday that a regime assault on the northern rebel-held area of Idlib would be "six times" more destructive than the battle to recapture Ghouta, which fell last month after years of siege.

"If we see a Ghouta scenario in Idlib, this could be six times worse, affecting 2.3 million people," Staffan de Mistura told the UN Security Council's monthly meeting on the Syria conflict.

De Mistura described what he called the classic Syrian regime tactic of a bombardment of a rebel territory followed by negotiations and then mass evacuations from the defeated area.

But the special envoy noted that half of the people in the northern rebel province of Idlib had already fled from other parts of Syria, "and will have nowhere else to go because there is no other place to go."

Regime forces recaptured Ghouta from rebels last month after a ferocious offensive that displaced tens of thousands, both to government-controlled zones around Damascus and to opposition-held parts of northern Syria.

Nevertheless de Mistura said he was "encouraged" by talks earlier this week in the Kazakh capital Astana on "how to avoid worst-case scenario in Idlib."

The latest round of peace talks, which wrapped up on Tuesday, did not however make any concrete progress towards ending the seven-year conflict that has cost 350,000 lives.

- Astana talks -

The high-level talks ended merely with a declaration by the three main guarantor nations of Russia and Iran -- both of which are allies of the Damascus regime -- and Turkey, which backs rebel groups, that negotiations would resume in July in the Russian city of Sochi, but rebel groups said they would not attend.

Since the Astana negotiations opened at the beginning of last year, they have mostly focused on attempts to keep Syrian regime forces and their rebel opponents at arm's length.

Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanski, said that the solution to the Syria conflict was "simple: restore the sovereignty of Damascus over its territories."

"If you cannot or will not help solve the problem, at least do not stand in our way!" he said in a statement directed at the United States, which did not send a delegation to the latest Astana talks.

Shortly before the UN meeting, the Dutch ambassador Karel Van Oosterom told reporters that the main obstacle to resolving the conflict was that "the Syrian government is not engaging."

He said that was the message that De Mistura himself had made during a recent meeting of the council.

To that end, Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the UN, called on Moscow and Tehran to use their sway to push Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a political rather than military solution to the conflict.

"We really need all those with influence on Syria, and that includes Russia and Iran, to encourage them to set aside a military strategy to resolve this conflict and to engage with the United Nations across the board so that we can get back to Geneva and we can get back to a political settlement," she said.

"I would urge those Astana progenitors to do what they can to ensure that on the ground the people in Idlib are safe and that we avert a humanitarian catastrophe there," she said.
The ozone layer in the stratosphere, 10-to-40 kilometres (6-25 miles) above Earth's surface, protects life on the planet from deadly ultraviolet radiation

The decline in the atmosphere of an ozone-depleting chemical banned by the Montreal Protocol has recently slowed by half, suggesting a serious violation of the 196-nation treaty, researchers revealed Wednesday.

Measurements at remote sites -- including the government-run Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii -- of the chemical, known as CFC-11, point to East Asia as the source or renewed production.

"We show that the rate of decline of atmospheric CFC-11 was constant from 2002 to 2012, and then slowed by about 50 percent after 2012," an international team of scientists concluded in a study.

"This evidence strongly suggests increased CFC-11 emissions from eastern Asia after 2012."

The ozone layer in the stratosphere, 10-to-40 kilometres (6-25 miles) above Earth's surface, protects life on the planet from deadly ultraviolet radiation.

The 1987 Montreal Protocol banned industrial aerosols such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that were chemically dissolving ozone, especially above Antarctica.

At its most depleted, around the turn of the 21st century, the ozone layer had declined by about five percent.

Today, the "hole in the ozone" over the South Pole is showing clear signs of recovery.

"The ozone layer remains on track to recovery by mid-century," the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said in a statement, reacting to the findings.

But "continued increase in global CFC-11 emissions will put that progress at risk."

The slowdown in reduction of CFC-11 also has implications for the fight against climate change.

"Perhaps even more serious is the role of CFCs as long-lived greenhouse gases," noted Joanna Haigh, a professor at Imperial College London, in commenting on the study.

Two decades ago, CFCs -- more potent by far as greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide or methane -- accounted for around ten percent of human-induced global warming.

- 'Atmospheric detective work' -

Widely used in 1970s and 1980s as propellant in aerosol sprays, as well as in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, CFCs do not exist in nature.

"This is the first time that emissions of one of the three most abundant, long-lived CFCs have increased for a sustained period since production controls took effect in the 1980s," the study concluded.

CFC-11 still contributes about a quarter of all chlorine -- the chemical that triggers the breakdown of ozone -- reaching the stratosphere.

The researchers said that the less rapid decline of CFC-11 could prevent ozone from returning to normal levels, or at least as quickly as hoped.

"A timely recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer depends on a sustained decline of CFC-11 concentrations," the wrote.

Other scientists not involved in the study signalled its importance.

"This is atmospheric detective work at its finest," said Piers Forester, head of the Priestley International Centre for Climate at the University of Leeds.

"The authors pinpoint a new source of CFC-11 to East Asia, breaking Montreal Protocol rules."

The UNEP said that is was "critical that we take stock of this science, identify the causes of these emissions and take necessary action."

A study earlier this year found that the ozone layer is unexpectedly declining in the lower stratosphere -- 10 to 24 kilometres above sea level -- over the planet's populated tropical and mid-latitude regions.

CFCs and other molecules have mainly eroded ozone in the upper stratosphere, and over the poles.

The study, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, identified two possible culprits: industrial chemicals not covered by the Montreal Protocol called "very short-lived substances" (VSLSs), or climate change, which would be far more difficult to resolve.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump are due to meet in Singapore on June 12, but Pyongyang has thrown the meeting into doubt

US President Donald Trump sounded a note of caution Wednesday about his much-vaunted summit with Kim Jong Un, saying "we'll see" after Pyongyang threatened to cancel.

Trump said the US government had not received any official word of a change in plans for the June 12 meeting in Singapore.

"We haven't been notified at all. We'll have to see," Trump said in the Oval Office.

"We haven't seen anything. We haven't heard anything. We will see what happens. Whatever it is, it is."

After weeks of warm words and diplomatic backslapping, Pyongyang abruptly threatened to pull out Tuesday, over US demands for "unilateral nuclear abandonment."

In an angrily worded statement, the North warned "if the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue."

The statement was attributed to first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan and carried by state media KCNA.

In that case, he added, Pyongyang would have to "reconsider" its participation at next month's summit in Singapore.

The first vice foreign minister also tore into Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton for drawing parallels between North Korea and Libya, calling the comparison "absolutely absurd."

"We do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," he said of Bolton.

Bolton has pushed the idea of a deal with North Korea like that reached with Libya's Moamer Kadhafi, who agreed in 2003 to the elimination of his country's nuclear program and chemical weapons arsenal to gain sanctions relief.

After giving up his atomic program, Kadhafi was killed in 2011 in an uprising backed by NATO bombing.

- A plea from China -

Experts have not been surprised by the sudden about face, expecting bumps in the road as tough issues to be discussed in the meeting come into sharper focus.

Washington is pressing for North Korea's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. But so far, the North has given no public indication of what it is offering, beyond a broad commitment to denuclearization of the "Korean peninsula."

Pyongyang "made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States," the North Korean minister said.

In the past, Pyongyang has demanded the withdrawal of US troops stationed in the South, and an end to Washington's nuclear umbrella over its ally.

China, North Korea's sole major ally, called for the summit to go ahead.

"The situation on the peninsula has eased up, which is worth cherishing," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing.

North Korea missile and nuclear sites

Minister Kim also dismissed offers by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for US economic aid if the North denuclearizes.

"We have never had any expectation of US support in carrying out our economic construction and will not at all make such a deal in future," he said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian urged North Korea to "demonstrate its sincerity to negotiate on its denuclearization."

During a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Le Drian said: "Highs and lows can come along as the recent news from the peninsula shows, but we must not lose sight of the goal."

The White House said plans for the summit were moving ahead.

"The president is ready if the meeting takes place. And if it doesn't, we will continue the maximum pressure campaign that has been ongoing," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

- Tightrope diplomacy -

The North Korean warning follows a weeks-long charm offensive that has seen Kim Jong Un hold a historic summit with the South's president and meet twice with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Pyongyang also raised hopes ahead of the US summit by announcing it will destroy its nuclear testing site next week.

Analysts said Pyongyang appeared to be trying to redefine the terms of the debate.

"It's a diplomatic tactic," Kim Hyun-wook, professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, told AFP, calling it "brinkmanship to change the US position."

"It looks like Kim Jong Un was pushed into accepting US demands for 'denuclearization-first' but is now trying to change its position after normalizing North Korea-China relations and securing economic assistance," he added.

"The classic North Korean tightrope diplomacy between the US and China has begun."

US officials have repeatedly claimed credit for Washington's "maximum pressure" policy for bringing Pyongyang to the negotiating table.

Joshua Pollack of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies said Pyongyang had been irritated by the "triumphalist tone."

"The North Koreans aren't happy with what they're seeing and hearing," he said. "There is still a yawning gulf between expectations for diplomacy in Pyongyang and Washington, DC."

- Thunderstruck -

KCNA also denounced the Max Thunder joint military exercises being held between the US and South Korea as a "rude and wicked provocation," and Seoul said it had received a message cancelling planned high-level talks "indefinitely."

The two-week drills started last Friday and involves some 100 aircraft from the two allies, including F-22 stealth fighter jets.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters it had received "no notification" of a position change by North Korea on next month's meeting.

The exercises were "not provocative" and would continue, she added.

burs-arb/it/mdl
US National Security Adviser John Bolton (R) -- shown behind President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting -- has drawn the ire of North Korea

John Bolton -- Donald Trump's national security advisor known for his bold mustache and even bolder statements -- now finds himself in North Korea's sights, with Pyongyang upset over his suggestion that it follow Libya's lead on denuclearization.

This is the biggest hiccup in the tentative rapprochement that began on March 8, when the president stunned the world by saying he was ready to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

On Wednesday, Kim's regime expressed its dismay and threatened to scrap the much-anticipated summit between the two mercurial leaders set for June 12 in Singapore.

The North -- careful not to directly call Trump onto the carpet -- instead went for the jugular on Bolton, a conservative firebrand who in the past has often advocated for US military action on the international stage.

"We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan said in a statement carried by North Korean state media.

While the impact of Pyongyang's change in tone remains to be seen -- simple brinksmanship or the beginning of a true diplomatic crisis -- it underlines the differences in approach within Trump's inner circle.

Bolton, who was named to his post less than two months ago, is not new to North Korea. A fixture in George W. Bush's administration, he was once referred to as "human scum and a bloodsucker" by North Korea's state media in the early 2000s.

Before joining the administration, the former US ambassador to the United Nations defended the option of a pre-emptive strike against Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal as "perfectly legitimate."

- 'Libya model' or 'Trump model'?-

But it was his recent comments to Fox News, in which he cited the "Libya model from 2003, 2004" as a blueprint for the denuclearization promised by North Korea, that have angered Pyongyang.

In late 2003, then Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi agreed to the elimination of his country's nuclear program and chemical weapons arsenal to gain sanctions relief.

The reference was seen in Pyongyang as unfortunate at best: after giving up his atomic program, Kadhafi was killed in 2011 in an uprising backed by NATO bombing.

Bolton's comment was a "sinister move to impose on our dignified state the destiny of Libya or Iraq," said the North Korean minister, Kim.

"I cannot suppress indignation at such moves of the US, and harbor doubt about the US sincerity."

Without explicitly disavowing the national security advisor, the White House clearly tried to put distance between the Oval Office and Bolton's comments.

"I'm not aware that that's a model that we're using," Trump's press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters, when asked about whether the "Libya model" was in play.

"This is the President Trump model. He's going to run this the way he sees fit."

- Hardliner -

On other hot-button issues, in public and behind private doors, Bolton has made it clear he will follow his signature hard line in his new position.

"Bolton told us, 'We want the sanctions to hurt, there will be no exemptions, but go and discuss with the Treasury,'" said one European diplomat about ongoing negotiations between the European Union and the US on Iran.

The fast-moving developments on North Korea have fueled fears of a clash between Bolton, for whom regime change is the best solution, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has already met the North Korean leader twice in Pyongyang.

Saying such a clash is possible, Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington says that Trump could eventually part ways with Bolton.

"Trump clearly likes Bolton's tough talk, but below the surface there are real differences. Trump is genuinely worried that Bolton is too keen to start wars, instead of just threatening them," Wright wrote.
A health worker wears protective equipment as he looks on at Bikoro Hospital -- the epicenter of the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo -- on May 12, 2018

Thousands of doses of Ebola vaccine arrived Wednesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is facing an outbreak of the deadly virus, the health ministry said.

Congolese authorities declared the outbreak in the northwest region near Congo-Brazzaville on May 8, and three have died from the disease, according to an official toll.

The number of reported cases is 42, including two confirmed, according to a World Health Organization tally.

"Five thousand four hundred doses of vaccine arrived from Geneva this morning" said health ministry spokeswoman Jessica Ilunga. They would be kept in Kinshasa until a refrigerated transportation chain could be guaranteed.

The WHO said the risk of the disease spreading was "high" and announced it was preparing for the "worst case scenario".

Chief executive Doctor Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited the affected Bikoro area last weekend, saying he hoped for a "better way out" of the latest outbreak in DRC.

Oxfam announced Wednesday that it has made available an initial $68,000 (57,000 euros) to fight the spread of the disease.

Ebola is one of the world's most notorious diseases, being both highly infectious and extremely lethal.

The worst-ever Ebola outbreak started in December 2013 in southern Guinea before spreading to neighbouring west African countries Liberia and Sierra Leone, killing more than 11,300 people out of nearly 29,000 registered cases.
The deputy CEO of Turkey's Halkbank has been sentenced in New York to 32 months in prison for a scheme to help Iran evade US sanctions

A Turkish banker was sentenced Wednesday to 32 months in a US prison for plotting to help Iran evade American sanctions on billions of dollars of Iranian oil proceeds, earning swift rebuke from Ankara.

Mehmet Hakan Atilla, 47, deputy director general of Turkish lender Halkbank, was convicted by a New York jury on January 3 on five counts of bank fraud and conspiracy following a five-week trial.

Judge Richard Berman handed down the unusually light sentence of 32 months in a Manhattan court.

US prosecutors had wanted him put away for 20 years. Atilla will be free to return to Turkey after serving his sentence.

The Turkish foreign ministry on Wednesday insisted that Atilla was innocent and condemned his treatment by the US judicial system as an "entirely feigned process, which is inconsistent with the principle of fair trial."

US prosecutors say the scheme to violate US economic sanctions involved billions of dollars' worth of Iranian oil proceeds held at Atilla's employer.

The explosive case strained ties between Ankara and Washington with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan railing against the verdict and calling the trial a plot against Turkey.

"A great injustice is being done against Halkbank," Erdogan told Bloomberg TV in an interview on Monday.

"There is a judicial procedure and the lawyers of Halkbank especially are following this judicial process. I hope it doesn't yield a result that will completely destroy Turkish-US relations," he added.

"We want his acquittal... If Hakan Atilla is going to be declared a criminal, that would be almost equivalent to declaring the Turkish Republic a criminal."

The conviction hinged on the testimony of Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab, who was arrested by US authorities in 2016 after jetting to Florida with his pop-star wife and child on a family holiday to Disney World.

Zarrab, 34, initially pleaded not guilty then flipped, becoming a US government witness after admitting being involved in the multi-billion-dollar gold-for-oil scheme to subvert US economic sanctions against Iran.

His testimony identified Atilla as a key organizer in the scheme, but also implicated former Turkish ministers and even Erdogan.

Relations between Erdogan and President Donald Trump had already been strained by the war in Syria and US indictment of Turkish presidential bodyguards.

Testifying in court last November, Zarrab said he was told that Erdogan, as prime minister in 2012, and treasury minister Ali Babacan gave "instructions" to two public banks to take part in the scheme.

Erdogan has repeatedly rejected the allegations, saying Turkey did not violate the US embargo on Iran and that political rivals were behind the case.
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- A D'Iberville man who fled police and crashed his vehicle in St. Martin in 2015, killing his mother in the process, pleaded guilty to second degree murder Monday and will spend at least the next 16 years in state prison.

Marshall Austin Smith, 26, entered his guilty plea in Jackson County Circuit Court Monday. Judge Robert Krebs sentenced Smith to 40 years, with 16 of those years without the possibility of parole.

Krebs also levied a $2,000 fine, all court costs, and $250 to the Victim's Compensation Fund. He also directed Smith to be placed in the long-term therapeutic drug and alcohol treatment program within the Mississippi Department of Corrections and also recommended Smith obtain his GED while incarcerated.

On July 30, 2015, Smith was involved in an altercation in front of Pepe's Mexican restaurant in D'Iberville. In an attempt to stop her son, Millicent Smith, 48, jumped into her son's 2005 Ford 500, but he took off in an attempt to elude law enforcement who had responded to the scene around 5 p.m.

Traveling at speeds up to 80 mph, Smith crossed into Jackson County, lost control of the car and, near Brittany Avenue and Quave Road in the St. Martin community, struck a tree. His mother was killed instantly.

During the course of the investigation, Smith was found to have had both methamphetamine and THC in his system at the time of the crash.

Assistant Jackson County District Attorney Cherie Wade noted the tragic nature of the case given that the victims were his own mother and family.

"This was one of the most tragic cases I've seen as a prosecutor," Wade said. "While the court imposed a lengthy day-for-day jail sentence, the true punishment is that this defendant will have to carry with him the weight of causing his mother's death for the rest of his life.

"I was moved by both the visible remorse displayed by the defendant in the courtroom and the forgiveness expressed by his family."

District Attorney Tony Lawrence also noted the difficulty the case presented for Smith's family.

"The defendant's sisters lost their mother due to his actions," Lawrence said. "They have consistently said they wanted him held accountable, but were also against a lengthy sentence.

"I think this case not only shows the tragic results of driving while impaired, but also how families are left to deal with the terrible effects that it causes."

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office and D'Iberville Police Department investigated the case.
President Donald Trump denies he had an affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels, and initially denied all knowledge of a payment by his lawyer to stop her from going public

President Donald Trump has formally disclosed that he reimbursed his personal attorney more than $100,000 last year, apparently in connection with the payment of hush money to a porn star, government records show.

The disclosures, released Wednesday by the US government ethics body, do not specify the reason for the payments to Michael Cohen, who paid $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had a tryst with Trump in 2006 while he was married. The president denies the affair, and initially denied all knowledge of the payment, which Cohen has acknowledged was intended to stop her from going public with the allegations.

Trump's claim began to unravel early this month, however, after Rudy Giuliani, a new member of the president's legal team, said Trump the president in fact reimbursed Cohen for the payments to Daniels.

A footnote to disclosures submitted Tuesday to the Office of Government Ethics said Cohen had incurred "expenses" on Trump's behalf in 2016 of between $100,001 and $250,000.

"Mr. Cohen sought reimbursement of those expenses and Mr. Trump fully reimbursed Mr. Cohen in 2017," it said.

Clifford is suing to be released from the hush agreement, claiming it is invalid because Trump never signed it.

Cohen, meanwhile, now finds himself under investigation by federal prosecutors, who seized reams of evidence in raids on his home and office last month, but have not revealed what crimes he is accused of.

He also stands accused of seeking to cash in on his proximity to the president, after it emerged he received millions of dollars from a Russian oligarch and major corporations seeking access to the administration.

The financial documents published Wednesday also offered a glimpse of the performance of two of Trump's flagship hotels: the Trump International Hotel in Washington -- which has attracted crowds of lobbyists, lawmakers and foreign governments with business before the federal government, and Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, dubbed the "Winter White House."

Trump's hotel in the US capital, which opened in late 2016, took in $40.4 million during 2017 while the Florida resort had revenues of $25.1 million last year.

A prior disclosure made last year covered a 16-month period and showed $37.3 million in revenues for Mar-a-Lago.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the killing of dozens of Palestinians on the Gaza border

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday lashed out at the international "silence" over the killing by Israeli fire of dozens of Palestinians on the Gaza border.

"If the silence on Israel's tyranny continues, the world will rapidly be dragged into a chaos where banditry prevails," Erdogan said at a dinner in Ankara.

The fresh violence in Gaza on Monday, when Israel's army killed 60 Palestinians during protests, came as the United States formally moved its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

A fervent advocate of Palestinian cause, Erdogan on Tuesday accused Israel of "state terror" and "genocide" over the killings.

The Turkish leader will on Friday host a summit of the world's main pan-Islamic body the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.

On Wednesday, Erdogan also said the Gaza bloodshed showed "the United Nations has collapsed".

Turkey has withdrawn its ambassador in Tel Aviv for consultations and told Israel's ambassador to Ankara to leave, also for an unspecified period of time.

That drew retaliation from Israel, which ordered the Turkish consul in Jerusalem to leave for an unspecified period of time.
Deaths from overdoses now account for 14 percent of organ donations in the United States, compared to one percent before the start of the opioid crisis

Overdose deaths in the United States are fast catching up with car crashes as a source of organ donations, an unexpected consequence of the opioid crisis in North America, experts said Wednesday.

Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine confirmed what organ donation networks have been noticing for years -- a steady uptick in organs available as a result of drug abuse.

In the year 2000, organs were donated from 59 people who had overdosed nationwide. By 2016, the number had soared to 1,029.

By comparison, 1,356 donors died in car accidents that same year.

Deaths from overdoses now account for 14 percent of organ donations in the United States, compared to one percent before the start of the opioid crisis considered a public health emergency by Congress and the administration of President Donald Trump.

Overdoses make up about one quarter of organ donors in the hotbeds of the epidemic, such as the northeast, said David Klassen, chief medical officer at the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

- Not in Europe -

Overall the rise in the number of organ donors in the past five years is mainly from overdoses, researchers say, not from scientific advances or improvements in medical coordination.

"This increase is driven by a crisis, and we cannot rely on this as a source indefinitely," said study co-author Mandeep Mehra, a professor at Harvard University.

The phenomenon is almost non-existent in Europe, where overdoses are linked to fewer than one percent of organ donations.

But the trend has been seen in Canada, particularly in Vancouver, British Columbia along the west coast, where the opioid crisis has exploded since 2016.

The powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl and heroin are the main drivers, as well as prescription painkillers like Oxycodone.

The number of people who died from opioid overdoses in the United States climbed five-fold from 1999 to 2016, when it topped 42,000, health authorities say.

- Healthy organs -

Regarding the quality of organs donated, the study published Wednesday confirmed that there was no difference in survival a year after transplant among people whose organ came from a drug-related death or any other cause.

Another study, published in April, even found that the chances of survival may be higher among those who get an organ from an overdosed donor.

People who die of overdoses generally are less likely to suffer high blood pressure and diabetes than other donors.

"Donors who come from overdose deaths actually are very good donors in the sense that they are unfortunately younger people, more often than the usual donors, and therefore they're relatively in good health, and don't have the burden of the diseases associated with age," Klassen told AFP.

"They are in fact often many times relatively healthy."

Drugs are metabolized very quickly by the body post-injection, and "there is nothing necessarily toxic" in the organ, he said.

There is a higher risk of transmitting infections like HIV or Hepatitis B and C, which are often linked to drug use. In the past, donors infected with Hepatitis C have been refused.

But today, the virus is easily detectable and many hospitals accept donors, said Mehra, describing available anti-viral treatments as "highly effective."

And the risk of infection is far less than the risk of dying from lingering too long on an interminable waiting list for an available organ.
The Grand Renaissance Dam under construction near the Sudanese-Ethiopian border in 2015

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday that a "breakthrough" had been reached in talks with Sudan and Ethiopia over a controversial dam the latter is building on the Nile.

The progress, which he did not specify, took place over the last two days as the three countries' foreign and irrigation ministers as well as heads of intelligence met in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.

"The delegation that arrived six am this morning spent all of last night in meetings and discussions over this matter, and I can say that progress was made in the negotiations with our brothers in Sudan and in Ethiopia," Sisi said on a live youth conference on state TV.

Egypt, which relies almost totally on the Nile for irrigation and drinking water, fears Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam may reduce its water supplies from the Nile.

Talks on the issue involving Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have been deadlocked for months.

"Until now things have been...," Sisi said, failing to finish the sentence before adding: "This was a couple of days ago. But thank God I can say that there has been a breakthrough."

Sisi cited an announcement during a meeting between Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Sudan "that Egypt's share will not be affected".

"We just want to transform these statements to procedures... so that we are talking about specific commitments we must all implement and operate with," Sisi said on Wednesday.

Ethiopia's newly appointed prime minister, Ahmed, had said on May 3 in Khartoum, after a meeting with Bashir, that Ethiopia had no intention of harming Sudan or Egypt with its dam.

Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam project on the Blue Nile, launched in 2012, is designed to feed a hydroelectric project to produce 6,000 megawatts of power, equal to six nuclear-powered plants.

The Blue and the White Nile tributaries converge in Sudan's capital Khartoum and from there run north through Egypt to the Mediterranean.
Speaking in a live youth conference on state TV, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi spoke on Egypt's role in the conflict, stating its previous peace efforts, saying Egypt was in communication with Israel and Palestine "so that this bloodshed would stop"

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday urged Israel and the Palestinians to abstain from further steps that could lead to more Palestinian deaths, following Monday's deadly violence on the Gaza-Israel border.

Israel has come under international pressure after its border forces on Monday killed some 60 Palestinians protesting against the transfer the same day of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

"I hope that this message reaches our Palestinian brothers that self-expression and protest over this decision does not lead them to measures that could lead to more victims," Sisi said.

"On the other side, I hope that the Israelis understand that the Palestinian reactions towards this issue are legitimate and that they deal with it with extreme care over the lives of Palestinians," he added.

Speaking in a live youth conference on state TV, Sisi spoke on Egypt's role in the conflict, stating its previous peace efforts, saying that Egypt was in communication with both sides "so that this bloodshed would stop".

The Egyptian president said he had previously warned that the US embassy move "will have negative implications in the Arab and Muslim public opinion".

More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in seven weeks of protests, mainly from Israeli sniper fire.

Arab foreign ministers are to hold an "extraordinary" meeting Thursday in Cairo to discuss their future steps over the issue.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was "appalled" that a Canadian doctor was among at least 2,400 wounded along the Gaza border with Israel

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday called for an "independent investigation" after the death of 60 Palestinians killed by the Israeli army during protests on Monday.

"Reported use of excessive force and live ammunition is inexcusable," he said. "It is imperative we establish the facts of what is happening in Gaza."

"Canada calls for an immediate independent investigation to thoroughly examine the facts on the ground -- including any incitement, violence, and the excessive use of force."

Monday's violence coincided with the controversial inauguration of the new US embassy in Jerusalem, which broke with decades of international tradition.

Israel justified the use of force against Palestinian protesters by citing the need to defend its borders, which the demonstrators were trying to overwhelm.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians had gathered near the border while smaller numbers approached the fence and sought to break through.

Trudeau offered Canadian assistance in the probe, while vowing to work with partners and multilateral institutions "to address this serious situation."

The prime minister also said he is "appalled" that a Canadian doctor, Tarek Loubani, was among at least 2,400 unarmed protestors, media, first responders and children wounded.

"We are doing everything we can to assist Dr Loubani and his family, and to determine how a Canadian citizen came to be injured," he said.

"We are engaging with Israeli officials to get to the bottom of these events."

Canada has been a longstanding ally and supporter of Israel, but the Trudeau administration has been more critical of some of its policies regarding settlements and refugees than the previous Conservative government.

Now in opposition, the Conservatives said in February that they would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital if they win power in the next election in 2019.
US President Donald Trump Trump has often painted MS13 gang members as "vicious" and "killers," and has conflated them with immigrants in general

US President Donald Trump described some migrants as "animals" Wednesday, in a charged discussion about the border wall and law enforcement.

"We have people coming in to the country, or trying to come in," Trump told California Republicans visiting the White House, "we are taking people out of the country."

"You wouldn't believe how bad these people are, these aren't people, these are animals and we're taking them out of the country."

Trump's remarks came after comments on migration and law enforcement, so-called "sanctuary cities" for immigrants, and the MS-13 gang.

Trump has often painted members of MS13 -- a gang that originated in the United States but with roots in El Salvador -- as "vicious" and "killers".

He has often conflated the gang with immigrants in general.

His most recent comment -- loaded with echoes of Nazi language about Jews -- was swiftly condemned by Democrats.

"Immigrants are human beings. Not animals, not criminals, not drug dealers, not rapists. They are human beings," said Colorado Congressman Jared Polis.

California Governor Jerry Brown said "Trump is lying on immigration, lying about crime and lying about the laws of California."

"Flying in a dozen Republican politicians to flatter him and praise his reckless policies changes nothing. We, the citizens of the fifth largest economy in the world, are not impressed," he said.
The F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in the United States and the engine of Ford's profits

Ford will restart production of the F-150, the best-selling truck in the United States, after a weeklong shutdown due to a fire at a key parts supplier, the automaker announced Wednesday.

The recovery included some herculean efforts, including shipping an 87,000-pound die from Michigan to a plant in Nottingham, England, using a massive Antonov cargo plane, to produce needed parts.

"While the situation remains extremely dynamic, our teams are focused on returning our plants to full production as fast as possible," Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, Global Operations, said in a statement.

"The ramp-up time to full production is improving every day."

The shutdown idled an assembly plant near Dearborn, Michigan that employs around 4,000 workers.

It came after the massive May 2 fire at Meridian Lightweight Technologies, whose main shareholder since 2013 is the Chinese group Wanfeng Auto Holdings.

Ford said it went to work immediately, while the plant was still smoldering, to remove vital tools and equipment, and received a British import license just two hours before the plane transporting the die landed.

The F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in the United States and the engine of Ford's profits.
Trump lawyer Rudolph Giuliani says the Mueller investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia has acknowledged it cannot indict the president, whatever evidence it finds

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team has told the White House that whatever evidence it comes up with in the Russian meddling probe, it cannot indict President Donald Trump, according to Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani told CNN and Fox News on Wednesday that Mueller's team had accepted a longstanding, though never tested Justice Department legal interpretation that a sitting president is immune from indictment.

"All they get to do is write a report," Giuliani told CNN.

"They can't indict. At least they acknowledged that to us after some battling, they acknowledged that to us."

Mueller's spokesman Peter Carr refused to comment on Giuliani's remarks, which came on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Mueller's appointment in charge of the probe into possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia.

But if correct, it would only confirm widespread belief in the legal community that the president is protected from indictment while in office.

As Giuliani said, if Mueller does find wrongdoing by the president, he is confined to submitting a report to the Justice Department.

But that report, and the evidence behind it, could serve as the basis for impeachment of the president in Congress.

Mueller's probe has already indicted 19 people, including top Trump campaign officials.

No one knows whether Mueller's team has any strong evidence of collusion with the Russians, or of Trump actively obstructing the investigation, another evident thrust of Mueller's probe.

- 'Get it over with' -

The special prosecutor, a former FBI director, has for months been in talks with Trump's legal team over whether the president would agree to be interviewed, as have at least 20 other White House officials and 28 Trump campaign workers.

"We're demanding from him -- tell us what you have to get from an interview that you don't already have. Because he has all the facts to make a decision," Giuliani said later on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle."

"There would be a narrow area where we might agree if they could tell us why they need it."

If Trump refuses an interview, Mueller could be forced to issue a subpoena to force him to testify, which could spark a legal battle of its own.

Giuliani, on a media blitz since joining Trump's legal team a month ago, said the year-old Mueller probe should be ready to wrap up.

"If you're going to write a fair report, fine, write it. If you're going to write an unfair report, write it and we will combat it," he said on the Fox News program.

"We're ready to rip it apart, and we're ready to rip them apart, if that's what they want. We would rather peacefully settle this and get it over with."

Although the precedent of the 1970s Watergate case says that presidential records can be subpoenaed, some scholars say that precedent might not extend to forcing the president himself to testify. If there is a battle over the issue, it would likely end up in the Supreme Court.
MOSS POINT, Miss. -- An alleged assault at Club Silk in Moss Point on Sunday has landed a man in police custody, according to Chief Brandon Ashley.

On Tuesday, May 15, 2018, Moss Point Police Investigators with the assistance of the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team arrested Tony Maurice Shoots and charged him with aggravated assault.

According to witnesses, Shoots was in a fight with another man in a parking lot adjacent to Club Silk. Per their statements, Shoots allegedly stabbed the man with a glass beer bottle.

The victim, 28-year-old Kerry Young of Moss Point was transported to Singing River Hospital by private vehicle and taken immediately into surgery.

At this time, he is listed in critical condition.

Police are asking anyone with information about this crime are asked to please contact Detective Kimberlee Snowden or the Moss Point Police Department at 228-475-1711. You may also contact Crime Stoppers at 800-787-5898 or visit the Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers website at mscoastcrimestoppers.com.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Tuesday's primary elections (all times local):

8:45 a.m.

President Donald Trump is congratulating two of his favored candidates, Lou Barletta in Pennsylvania and Deb Fischer in Nebraska, who won their U.S. Senate primaries.

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., Republican primary candidate for U.S. Senate, waves to supporters after speaking during an election night results party, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, in Hazleton, Pa. Barletta, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump who first got national notice as a small-city mayor for his attempted crackdown on illegal immigration, on Tuesday won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

In a pair of tweets Wednesday morning, Trump said Barletta will "represent his people well - like they haven't been represented in many years."

On Fischer, Trump said the "people of Nebraska have seen what a great job she is doing - and it showed up at the ballot box!"

Barletta, currently a congressman, was heavily favored over state Rep. Jim Christiana to become the Republican challenger for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is seeking a third term in November. The president is expected to visit Pennsylvania to campaign for him.

Fischer, the incumbent, defeated four GOP challengers and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska. Her Democratic opponent is Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould.

___

2:02 a.m.

Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little has won the hotly contested GOP primary in the race to replace Republican Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter.

Little secured the nomination Tuesday against top opponents U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador and Boise businessman Tommy Ahlquist.

The gubernatorial seat became a top political race when Otter announced he wouldn't seek a fourth term - marking the first time in 12 years the top statewide seat would be open.

The 64-year-old Little is a rancher and Idaho native who has spent the past 16 years in elected office. In 2009, Otter appointed Little to the number two position with the expectation that he would one day become the Republican governor's successor.

Little is the grandson of the "sheep king of Idaho," Andy Little, a Scotsman who came to Emmett in 1884 and built an empire with 100,000 sheep.

___

1:15 a.m.

Social worker and political newcomer Kara Eastman has won the Democratic nomination for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District.

Eastman defeated former Rep. Brad Ashford in Tuesday's primary election with a campaign that cast her as a champion of liberal ideals, including supporting a single-payer health care system.

Eastman contrasted herself against Ashford, a centrist and former Republican who focused on his legislative experience and willingness to work with conservatives.

She will now face Rep. Don Bacon, a first-term Republican who defeated Ashford in the 2016 election.

Ashford had been the first Democrat in two decades to win the district, which encompasses much of the Omaha metro area. Although Omaha's strong Democratic core is balanced out by more conservative suburbs, the district gives Democrats a fighting chance of capturing a congressional seat in a state that is otherwise overwhelmingly Republican.

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12:55 a.m.

Former state Rep. Paulette Jordan has won the Democratic primary for Idaho governor.

She is the first woman to become the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Idaho.

If she wins the general election, Jordan would not only be the first woman to serve as Idaho governor but also the first Native American woman to serve in that position in any state.

The 38-year-old Jordan, who is a member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, won Tuesday's primary against 72-year-old Boise businessman A.J. Balukoff.

The last Native American to hold a statewide office in Idaho was in 1990, when Larry Echo Hawk ran as a Democrat for attorney general.

The open gubernatorial seat became a top political race when Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter announced he wouldn't seek a fourth term.

___

12:30 a.m.

Pennsylvania could send at least three women Congress next year, breaking the all-male hold on the state's 18-member U.S. House delegation.

Mary Gay Scanlon won a 10-way Democratic primary and Madeleine Dean won a three-way Democratic primary on Tuesday night for two suburban Philadelphia seats where Democrats are heavily favored in November.

Meanwhile, Chrissy Houlahan is the uncontested Democratic nominee for another suburban Philadelphia seat where she's heavily favored in November.

Women won contested Democratic primaries in three other seats in Pennsylvania, although two of those seats are in solidly Republican districts and another is considered a toss-up in November.

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12:25 a.m.

The Nebraska Democratic primary race for the 2nd Congressional District between social worker Kara Eastman and former Rep. Brad Ashford appears too close to call and could be subject to a recount.

Eastman appeared to hold a lead late Tuesday over Ashford, but neither candidate has claimed victory. The winner will face first-term Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who was unopposed in his primary.

Bacon narrowly won the seat in 2016 from Ashford, who served one term in Congress.

Ashford has presented himself as a centrist in the race, while Eastman has pitched herself as a liberal newcomer in hopes of energizing Democratic voters in the toss-up district.

The district includes Omaha and several Republican-leaning suburbs.

___

12:20 a.m.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Rick Saccone has lost a two-way Republican primary in a newly drawn congressional district in Pennsylvania, barely two months after losing to Democrat Conor Lamb in a special election for a different U.S. House seat.

Saccone lost Tuesday's 14th Congressional District primary election to state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler for the open seat in a heavily Republican district.

Lamb beat Saccone in a district that President Donald Trump won in 2016 by about 20 percentage points. The president campaigned in the district twice and sent several tweets on Saccone's behalf.

___

11:25 p.m.

Oregon state Rep. Knute Buehler has won the GOP gubernatorial primary, besting a crowded field vying to compete against incumbent Democrat Kate Brown in November.

Buehler, who ran for secretary of state in 2012, was the most centrist of the Republican front-runners.

While skeptical of major new spending, Buehler says he is open to increased taxes on electronic and regular cigarettes to pay for budget items like health care, and also to a carbon tax.

Buehler was considered a front-runner in Tuesday's primary, along with retired Navy pilot Greg Wooldridge and businessman Sam Carpenter.

___

10:30 p.m.

Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor has become the first holder of the office to lose in a primary election.

John Fetterman won the five-way Democratic Party primary race for lieutenant governor Tuesday, beating incumbent Mike Stack.

The Braddock mayor's victory means he will run on a ticket with Gov. Tom Wolf in the fall. Pennsylvania first started allowing lieutenant governors to serve a second term in the 1970s.

Fetterman had made a failed bid in 2016 for the U.S. Senate.

Stack, a former Philadelphia state senator, has had a chilly relationship with Wolf in their first term together.

Wolf last year ordered an investigation into the treatment of state employees by Stack and his wife and stripped Stack of state police protection.

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10:05 p.m.

Pennsylvania state senator and waste-hauling millionaire Scott Wagner is the winner of the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

Wagner's victory in Tuesday's three-way primary election caps a personal spending spree of more than $10 million that helped make him the front-runner and the GOP's endorsed candidate.

Wagner defeated first-time candidates Paul Mango and Laura Ellsworth, surviving weeks of Mango's sharp-elbowed attack ads that painted Wagner as sleazy and greedy.

Wagner fashions himself as a garbage man coming to clean up a state government that chokes the economy with regulations and taxes. He has compiled one of the Senate's most conservative voting records.

Wolf leads a unified Democratic Party into the fall. Wagner and Wolf live in York County.

___

10 p.m.

Nebraska state Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha has won the Democratic nomination to run for the seat held by incumbent Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Krist defeated two other Democratic candidates in Tuesday's primary election. The veteran state lawmaker campaigned on promises that he would take a less partisan approach to state government than Ricketts.

Krist had been a Republican but switched his affiliation to nonpartisan in September when announcing his bid for governor. He reregistered as a Democrat in February because of legal barriers in his bid to qualify for the ballot as an independent.

The two other Democrats who ran were Vanessa Ward, a pastor and community activist from Omaha, and Tyler Davis, a University of Nebraska at Omaha instructor.

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9:50 p.m.

Lincoln City Councilwoman and grocery store executive Jane Raybould has won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Nebraska.

Raybould defeated three Democratic challengers in Tuesday's primary race for the seat held by Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, who is running for re-election. Raybould faces an uphill general election battle in GOP-dominated Nebraska.

Fischer won election in 2012 by nearly 16 percentage points.

Raybould has served on the Lincoln City Council since 2015 and helps run her family's grocery store chain. She ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2014 as part of Democrat Chuck Hassebrook's gubernatorial campaign.

The other Democratic hopefuls who ran were retired farmer, attorney and judge Frank Svoboda of Lincoln; retired Fremont real estate broker Larry Marvin; and Chris Janicek, the owner of an Omaha specialty cake business.

___

9:45 p.m.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has easily won the Republican nomination to seek a second term in November.

Ricketts enters the general election with more than $1.3 million in campaign cash at his disposal for the general election, far outpacing all other gubernatorial candidates. His only GOP challenger in Tuesday's primary didn't raise or spend enough to trigger a reporting requirement.

Ricketts defeated Krystal Gabel of Omaha, a technical writer who advocates for medical marijuana and industrial hemp. Gabel previously volunteered for the Nebraska Green Party and the Legal Cannabis Now Party.

Ricketts has already started airing television ads to tout his previous efforts to lower property taxes.

___

9:40 p.m.

A four-term congressman who is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta had paid little attention to his Republican rival, state Rep. Jim Christiana, during the primary campaign leading up to Tuesday. Instead, he focused his attacks on the candidate he is looking to unseat in the fall, two-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.

Barletta is a former small-city mayor who first got national notice for attempting to pass local laws to combat illegal immigration.

Barletta endorsed Trump for president. Trump asked Barletta to run for Senate and is expected to campaign for him.

Casey is the son of a former Pennsylvania governor and is among 10 Democratic senators seeking re-election in states won by Trump.

___

9:30 p.m.

Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska has won the Republican nomination in her bid for a second term in office.

Fischer defeated four GOP challengers in Tuesday's primary election and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska.

Some of Fischer's primary opponents had argued she wasn't conservative enough, but Fischer received endorsements from a majority of the state's elected Republican officials, as well as major farm and business groups. Before being elected to the Senate, she was a rancher and state legislator.

President Donald Trump had tweeted earlier Tuesday: "Nebraska - make sure you get out to the polls and VOTE for Deb Fischer today!"

She defeated retired Omaha math professor Jack Heidel; writer and retired air conditioning technician Dennis Frank Macek; former finance manager Jeffrey Lynn Stein; and Lincoln businessman Todd Watson.

___

8:40 p.m.

Polls have closed across Pennsylvania, one of four states holding primary elections Tuesday.

In Pennsylvania, 84 candidates are vying for nominations in 18 U.S. House districts following the state's court-ordered redrawing of congressional maps. The new districts are expected to give Democrats their best shot in years of picking up seats long held by Republicans.

Republicans are also choosing their party's challengers to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, setting the stage for what is expected to be a hotly contested general election two years after Pennsylvania helped deliver the White House to Donald Trump.

Idaho, Nebraska and Oregon are also holding primaries Tuesday.

___

12:10 a.m.

A redrawn congressional map in Pennsylvania just three months ago has left candidates scrambling as four states prepare to hold primaries.

In Pennsylvania, primary voters will decide the fate of President Donald Trump's pick for U.S. Senate. Idaho, Nebraska and Oregon are also holding primaries Tuesday.

Congressman Raul Labrador is one of three GOP candidates for governor in Idaho, a state so heavily Republican that the primary goes a long way to determining the general election.

Ten Republicans are vying for Oregon's gubernatorial nomination - the most in more than a century. The interest among candidates belies the uphill climb for the party in the Democratic-leaning state.

In Nebraska, Omaha-area Democrats will have options for the first time in the state's lone urban House district, where two liberals are running.

Democratic 2nd District House candidate Kara Eastman hugs her campaign manager Ben Onkka, in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday, May 15, 2018, as she holds a slim lead over Brad Ashford in the primary election. Omaha-area voters are set to pick a Democratic nominee Tuesday who will challenge U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., after the congressman claimed the seat from Democrats two years ago. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Alan Greenway, of Caldwell, finds a seat at the Republican primary election night party where candidate signs dominate the walls, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at the Riverside Hotel in Boise, Idaho. (Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP)

Voters cast their ballots at Grace Bible Church in Greencastle, Pa., Tuesday, May 15, 2018, during the Pennsylvania primary election. (Colleen McGrath/Public Opinion via AP)

Democratic House candidate Kara Eastman waves to passing motorists in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Eastman is running against Democrat Brad Ashford in Tuesday's primary election, and the winner will challenge U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., after the congressman claimed the seat from Democrats two years ago. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2012, file photo, Knute Buehler, who ran for Oregon Secretary of State, makes a concession speech to supporters at a Republican election party in Portland Ore. Oregon voters will choose candidates Tuesday, May 15, 2018, to compete in the state's general election, a primary contest that sees Democrats striving to consolidate power while Republicans hope to make gains. (AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens, File)

Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor Scott Wagner, left, speaks to Springfield Township Treasurer Margaret Young as he arrives at a polling station Tuesday, May 15, 2018, in Springfield, Pa. Republican voters are deciding between three candidates to challenge Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who is uncontested in his primary to seek a second term in November. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2018, file photo, state Sen. Bob Krist, of Omaha, speaks during debate in the Legislative Chamber in Lincoln, Neb. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is touting his conservative credentials on the national stage as he prepares for re-election. He faces fellow Republican Krystal Gabel in the Tuesday, May 15 primary. The Democratic primary field is composed of Krist, university instructor Tyler Davis and community activist Vanessa Ward, all of Omaha. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

Voters fill in their ballots at a polling station in Omaha, Neb., Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Omaha-area voters are set to pick a Democratic nominee Tuesday who will challenge U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., after the congressman claimed the seat from Democrats two years ago. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts makes phone calls to voters, asking them to vote for him and for fellow Republican candidates, on primary election day, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, in Omaha, Neb. Gov. Ricketts is touting his conservative credentials on the national stage as he prepares for a showdown with the winner of Tuesday's Democratic gubernatorial primary. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

FILE - In this April 8, 2014, file photo, Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., accompanied by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., talks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Nebraska voters on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, will pick U.S. Senate nominees for both parties out of crowded fields of candidates who hope to claim the seat held by incumbent Fischer. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Paul Mango, Republican candidate for Pennsylvania Governor, campaigns in Canonsburg, Pa. Monday, May 14, 2018, the day before the Pennsylvania primary where he faces two other Republicans, Scott Wagner and Laura Ellsworth. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Paul Mango, right, Republican candidate for Pennsylvania Governor, attends a campaign rally with lieutenant governor candidate Diana Vaughn, in Canonsburg, Pa., Monday, May 14, 2018, a day before the Pennsylvania primary where he faces two other Republicans, Scott Wagner and Laura Ellsworth. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

FILE - In this April 5, 2018, photo, Kara Eastman and Brad Ashford, two Democrats vying to challenge 2nd District House incumbent Don Bacon, R-Neb., pose for a photo in Omaha, Neb. Democratic and independent voters will pick one as the party's nominee in the Tuesday, May 15, primary election. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

FILE - In this April 27, 2017, file photo, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown speaks in the Capitol ceremonial office in Salem, Ore. Oregon voters will choose candidates Tuesday, May 15, 2018, to compete in the state's general election, a primary contest that sees Democrats striving to consolidate power while Republicans hope to make gains. (AP Photo/Kristena Hansen, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2012, file photo, Knute Buehler, who ran for Oregon Secretary of State, makes a concession speech to supporters at a Republican election party in Portland Ore. Oregon voters will choose candidates Tuesday, May 15, 2018, to compete in the state's general election, a primary contest that sees Democrats striving to consolidate power while Republicans hope to make gains. (AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens, File)

FILE - In this March 25, 2018, file photo, Oregon Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Wooldridge answers questions at a debate hosted by Oregon Women for Trump in Keizer, Ore. Oregon voters will choose candidates Tuesday, May 15, 2018, to compete in the state's general election, a primary contest that sees Democrats striving to consolidate power while Republicans hope to make gains. (Molly J. Smith/Statesman-Journal via AP, File)

Scott Wagner, Republican candidate for Pennsylvania Governor, center, and lieutenant governor candidate Jeff Bartos, right, greet supporters as they campaign at a diner in Imperial, Pa., Monday, May 14, 2018, the day before the Pennsylvania primary where he faces two other Republicans, Paul Mango and Laura Ellsworth. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) - Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his powerful vice president and first lady, Rosario Murillo, say they will attend the opening of a national dialogue Wednesday that follows weeks of protests that have left dozens dead and weakened their Sandinista government.

The talks between civic groups and the government will be mediated by Nicaragua's Roman Catholic Church.

"Our president will be there; we will be there along with our representatives following the organization and methodology provided by Nicaragua's bishops," said Murillo, who is also a spokeswoman for Ortega's administration, said Tuesday.

People protest at the Jean Paul Genie roundabout against the government of President Daniel Ortega, in Managua, Nicaragua, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. The Nicaraguan Council of Bishops says talks between civic groups and the administration of President Ortega will start Wednesday morning, following weeks of anti-government protests in which scores have been killed. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga)

Protests against the government, roadblocks and clashes with police continued Tuesday. Human rights groups said more than 40 people were injured in the cities of Matagalpa and Juigalpa in the north and center of the Central American country.

The demonstrations began in April against a plan to cut social security payments for retirees. But a heavy crackdown that a human rights group says resulted in 65 deaths caused the protests to spread and turn into calls for Ortega and Murillo to step down.

The European Union released a statement Tuesday welcoming the dialogue and calling for an end to violence. An Organization of American States' Inter-American Commission on Human Rights mission will also visit Nicaragua, though a date has not been specified.

A woman holds a sign that reads in Spanish, "Murderer and thief, Nicaragua demands your resignation. Out with the dictatorship," during a protest at the Jean Paul Genie roundabout against the government of President Daniel Ortega, in Managua, Nicaragua, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. The Nicaraguan Council of Bishops says talks between civic groups and the administration of President Ortega will start Wednesday morning, following weeks of anti-government protests in which scores have been killed. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga)

People protest at the Jean Paul Genie roundabout against the government of President Daniel Ortega, in Managua, Nicaragua, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. The Nicaraguan Council of Bishops says talks between civic groups and the administration of President Ortega will start Wednesday morning, following weeks of anti-government protests in which scores have been killed. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga)

People carry a banner that reads in Spanish, "The future of a country are its children. The future are is students. Stop killing them" during a protest at the Jean Paul Genie roundabout against the government of President Daniel Ortega, in Managua, Nicaragua, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. The Nicaraguan Council of Bishops says talks between civic groups and the administration of President Ortega will start Wednesday morning, following weeks of anti-government protests in which scores have been killed. (AP Photo/Alfredo Zuniga)
BEIJING (AP) - A Chinese government spokesman said Wednesday that the country's military exercises around Taiwan are intended as a direct threat to the self-governing island's government over moves Beijing sees as cementing its independence from the mainland.

The message conveyed by the recent drills is "very clear," spokesman for the Cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office An Fengshan said at a biweekly news conference.

"It is a strong warning to Taiwan independence separatist forces and their activities. It demonstrates our determination and capabilities to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," An said.

China has the "firm will, full confidence and sufficient capabilities" to block moves toward Taiwan's formal independence, An said.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under control by force if necessary. A Japanese colony for 50 years, Taiwan was handed to China at the end of World War II but separated from the mainland in 1949 amid civil war.

Since her election in 2016, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has refused China's demand that she recognize Taiwan as a part of China. That prompted Beijing to cut off contact with her government, step up military exercises and work to increase Taiwan's diplomatic isolation.

Chinese state media have given heavy publicity to frequent missions by air force fighters, bombers and surveillance planes to circle Taiwan. China last month held drills on its side of the Taiwan Strait and has repeatedly sailed its sole operating aircraft carrier through the 160-kilometer (100-mile) -wide waterway.

Despite Beijing's threats and strong economic ties between the sides, surveys show few Taiwanese favor political unification with authoritarian, Communist Party-ruled China.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little on Tuesday won the hotly contested GOP primary in the race to replace Republican Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter.

Little secured the nomination against top opponents U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador and Boise businessman Tommy Ahlquist.

The gubernatorial seat became a top race when Otter announced he wouldn't seek a fourth term - marking the first time in 12 years the top statewide office would be open.

Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little, Republican candidate for governor, meets and greets people at the GOP primary election night party, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at the Riverside Hotel in Boise, Idaho. (Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP)

Little will face former state Rep. Paulette Jordan, who won the Democratic primary. She is the first woman to become the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Idaho. If she wins the general election, a tough task in this deep red state, Jordan would not only be the first woman to serve as Idaho governor, but also the first Native American woman to serve in that position in any state.

Idaho hasn't elected a Democratic governor since 1990, and the Republican Party now controls a supermajority on all federal, state and legislative seats.

Little, 64, is a rancher and Idaho native who has spent the past 16 years in elected office. In 2009, Otter appointed Little to the number two position with the expectation that he would one day become the Republican governor's successor.

Little is the grandson of the "sheep king of Idaho," Andy Little, a Scotsman who came to Emmett in 1884 and built an empire with 100,000 sheep.

The incoming governor will take over a state experiencing tremendous growth in residents and low unemployment. However, the state is facing a deficit of skilled workers to fill key tech jobs and grappling with a troubled education system where teachers often leave due to low wages.

The new governor will also face key health care decisions now that supporters of a Medicaid expansion initiative effort claim they have collected enough signatures to get it on the November ballot. If the initiative passes with just a simple majority, the next governor will be in charge of implementing Medicaid expansion for the first time in Idaho.

Alan Greenway, of Caldwell, finds a seat at the Republican primary election night party where candidate signs dominate the walls, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at the Riverside Hotel in Boise, Idaho. (Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP)

Voter turnout at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Eagle, Idaho has been steady. Nearly 50 people had voted by 9:15 a.m. "That's good for us," says poll worker Jackie Dahl. (Katherine Jones/Idaho Statesman via AP)

The public votes at precinct 1, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at Heritage Alliance Church in Twin Falls, Idaho. (Drew Nash/The Times-News via AP)

Abra Snow votes in precinct 1, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at Heritage Alliance Church in Twin Falls, Idaho. (Drew Nash/The Times-News via AP)
The Los Angeles Times suspended the head of its Beijing bureau on Tuesday after he was accused of sexual misconduct for a second time.

The newspaper said that it has launched an investigation into allegations against Jonathan Kaiman, 31, made by a former Wall Street Journal editor. In January, another woman accused Kaiman, who was hired by the LA Times in China in 2015, of sexual misconduct.

Felicia Sonmez, 35, who has reported for the WSJ and Agence France-Presse in China, detailed what she called Kaiman's 'problematic behavior' in an email shared Monday with the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China.

Jonathan Kaiman, 31 (pictured), was suspended by the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday after a second woman came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct

In her email, Sonmez recounted her experiences with Kaiman following a summer party hosted by the FCCC last September.

'Even though parts of the evening were consensual,' Sonmez wrote, 'Jon escalated things in a way that crossed the line.'

Kaiman said in a statement read over the phone to The Associated Press that 'all of the acts we engaged in were mutually consensual.'

According to Sonmez, she and Kaiman were both 'quite drunk' when she drove Kaiman home on her electric scooter. On the way, Sonmez said, Kaiman lifted up her dress and sexually touched her without her consent.

Former roommate Laura Tucker (left) accused Kaiman in January of pressuring her into sex in 2013. On Monday, fellow journalist Felicia Sonmez (right) said that Kaiman touched her non-consensually during a drunken hook-up in September

Sonmez thanked the Hong Kong Free Press for covering Kaiman's dismissal in a tweet on Tuesday

'It took me repeatedly telling him no and pushing him away for him to finally stop,' she wrote, recounting that on two occasions Kaiman started taking off his shorts in public despite her protests.

Sonmez said she and Kaiman then engaged in unprotected intercourse in his apartment.

'I dont remember what was going through my head as I went upstairs, whether I wanted to take a nap or get some water or maybe make out. I am certain I did not go up there to have unprotected sex with Jon.

'I am devastated by the fact that I was not more sober so that I could say with absolute certainty whether what happened that night was rape,' she said.

Kaiman said he remembers the night differently.

Tucker shared this email in January, showing how she complained to Kaiman after he allegedly pressured her into sex in 2013

The two met up for dinner after the incident, and Tucker wrote in her blog post that he took back his apology and defended his actions

'My perception and Ms. Sonmez's perception of that night's events differ greatly,' he said in his statement. 'It's unfortunate that, in hindsight, she feels the way she does about that night. I am a proponent of women's rights and believe that every woman has a right to be heard and to tell her truth.'

Sonmez said she didn't file a police report or report the incident to the LA Times after the incident. She was a board member of the FCCC at the time, while Kaiman was the group's president.

Kaiman said on his website that he is working on a book about a U.S. World War II flight crew that went missing in southwestern China.

Sonmez, who now lives in Washington, D.C., told the AP that she was 'heartened to hear that the LA Times is taking this matter seriously.'

'Whether it takes place in the US or while on assignment abroad, sexual misconduct should never be tolerated by any news organization,' she said. 'I urge the newspaper to conduct a full investigation of all of the allegations against Jon Kaiman.'

She said she is speaking out because she didn't want the allegations of the first woman who came forward to be dismissed as a one-off incident.

'I knew that not speaking out about it was going to do far more damage,' she told the LA Times.

Laura Tucker, a law student and former roommate of Kaiman's in Beijing, said in an online post this January that he pressured her to have sex with him in 2013.

Tucker wrote that, after going to a nightclub with a group of friends, she and Kaiman went back to her apartment.

Kaiman (pictured) said on his website that he is working on a book about a U.S. World War II flight crew that went missing in southwestern China

They started to become intimate but after a short while she decided she did not want to continue and told him she wanted to stop.

She wrote: 'I was pressured into sex by an opportunistic friend. I explicitly voiced my lack of consent several times, and my words had no effect. Jon did not listen to me, did not respect my wishes or my space, and wasnt open to the evening ending another way.

'I remember that he made me feel very pressured and very awkward, like it was too late to back out.

'The next form of resistance would have been to yell at him, or to call somebody, or to leave the apartment.

'The easiest, least confrontational way forward was to place male satisfaction above my own desires and to go back to the bed We had sex, and I felt gross for all of it'.

At the time the post was published, Kaiman was the president of the FCCC. He apologized to Tucker on Twitter, saying he 'did not in any way mean to pressure' her but 'thought we had talked through the issue as peers and friends'. He then resigned from his FCCC position.

Tucker praised Sonmez's letter in an email to the AP.

'I am furious but unsurprised that my experience was not an isolated event,' Tucker said. 'I applaud Ms. Sonmez for coming forward and echo her desire for a full investigation.'

LA Times Editor-in-Chief Jim Kirk said Tuesday that the paper 'takes these accusations seriously and is investigating'.

The FCCC also released a statement on Tuesday saying it 'strongly opposes acts of sexual misconduct against any person'.

A graduate of Vassar and a former Fulbright Fellow, Kaiman first joined the LA Times as an intern in 2011. He then went on to work as China Correspondent for The Guardian before being rehired back at the LA Times as Asia Correspondent and then Beijing Bureau Chief.
BERLIN (AP) - A Berlin museum has returned ancient wooden masks, an idol and other spiritually significant artifacts plundered from graves by an explorer to indigenous Alaskans, ending an odyssey in which many of the items were thought forever lost.

The masks, carved from spruce or hemlock, are daubed with red pigment - a traditional tincture made of seal oil, human blood and powder from a stone that indicate they were used in burial ceremonies by tribes in the Chugach area of Alaska.

One mask comes to a sharp point at the top, symbolizing the deceased's transition to the spirit world. Another shows a face with one eye open and the other closed.

A historical wooden mask, plundered from the graves of indigenous Alaskans, is displayed during a ceremony at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin on Wednesday, May 16, 2018. The Ethnological Museum hand over the mask and other looted items from their collection to an official of the Chugach Alaska Corporation, which represents indigenous people in the Chugach region. (Ralf Hirschberger/dpa via AP)

Their exact age hasn't been determined, but they're thought to be up to 1,000 years old. They were taken from graves in caves on Chenega Island in Alaska's Prince William Sound and a place known as Sanradna, whose exact location is no longer known, said John Johnson, a representative of the Chugach Alaska Corporation. The group today represents the region's indigenous people.

"They're a connection between the dead and the living, the future and the past," he said Wednesday. "If you look, one eye open, one eye shut, it's like traveling between two worlds."

The nine artifacts were among some 200 Chugach items collected for Germany's Royal Museum of Ethnology by Norwegian adventurer Johan Adrian Jacobsen between 1882 and 1884.

Several were thought lost at the end of World War II after being looted from the museum by Soviet Red Army troops, but they resurfaced in St. Petersburg, Russia. They were then given to a museum in Leipzig in communist East Germany in the 1970s.

Berlin's Ethnological Museum only learned in the 1980s that they had survived and eventually secured their return.

Johnson learned of their existence from Jacobsen's journals, where the explorer detailed how he had found them in caves and taken them. He traced them to the Ethnological Museum.

He led a delegation to Berlin in 2015 and has been working since then with the museum and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which oversees Berlin's museums, to establish their provenance and organize restitution.

Other items collected by Jacobsen were determined to have been fairly obtained through purchase or trade.

Elsewhere, Denmark has already returned human remains that were taken from the Chugach area. Johnson said much work remains researching the provenance of other artifacts scattered in museums around the U.S. and the world, including Britain, Russia and Finland.

"Sometimes museums feel that this is the end, that it's a sad day, but this is really a new beginning," he said. "The more you work together, the more you understand and enjoy the significance of these artifacts."

Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation President Hermann Parzinger carefully handed one of the masks to Johnson at a ceremony Wednesday, saying he hoped they could work together on future historical and cultural projects.

Work is underway on an exhibition on Jacobsen, who brought thousands of items to Germany from settlements on the northwest coast of Canada and Alaska. It will offer what Parzinger said will be a "critical examination of the history of the collection from today's perspective."

The self-proclaimed captain's accounts are more adventure than anthropological, Parzinger said.

"Johan Adrian Jacobsen was no academic, he was a sailor," he said.

Ideally the artifacts returned Wednesday would go back into the caves from which they were taken, Johnson said, but since that's impossible to do without risking their destruction, the hope is that they will be put on public display in a regional museum.

"They say a picture's worth 1,000 words, but when you have the object it could be a million," he said. "You learn so much when you see them up close."

John Johnson, right, of the Chugach Alaska Corporation and Hermann Parzinger, left, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, show a historical wooden item, plundered from the graves of indigenous Alaskans, during a ceremony at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin on Wednesday, May 16, 2018. The Ethnological Museum handed over looted items from their collection to the Chugach Alaska Corporation, which represents indigenous people in the Chugach region. (Ralf Hirschberger/dpa via AP)

Historical items, plundered from the graves of indigenous Alaskans, displayed during a ceremony at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin on Wednesday, May 16, 2018. The Ethnological Museum handed over looted items from their collection to an official of the Chugach Alaska Corporation, which represents indigenous people in the Chugach region. (Ralf Hirschberger/dpa via AP)

A historical wooden item, plundered from the graves of indigenous Alaskans, is displayed during a ceremony at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin on Wednesday, May 16, 2018. The Ethnological Museum handed over looted items from their collection to an official of the Chugach Alaska Corporation, which represents indigenous people in the Chugach region. (Ralf Hirschberger/dpa via AP)
BERLIN (AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday it would be wrong to cancel the nuclear agreement with Iran, highlighting it as one of her main differences of opinion between Berlin and Washington.

President Donald Trump announced last week the U.S. would pull out of the 2015 accord, which is designed to keep Tehran's nuclear ambitions in check and took over a decade to negotiate. France and Britain have also pledged to uphold the deal provided Iran keeps up its side of the bargain.

Merkel used her annual budget speech to Parliament to affirm Berlin's position on the issue, listing the U.S. pullout among several pieces of "troubling news" - along with recent chemical attacks in Syria, violence in Gaza and daily cease-fire breaches in Ukraine.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, delivers a speech during a meeting of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

"This agreement is anything but ideal," she told lawmakers, but noted that the U.N. nuclear watchdog has confirmed Iran is abiding by its terms.

"That's why we, Britain, France, Germany but also the members of the European Union, believe it's not right to cancel this agreement in this situation now," said Merkel, adding that concerns about Iran's ballistic missile program and its destabilizing influence in the region could best be discussed with Tehran by preserving the deal.

"Despite all the problems we have these days," she added, "trans-Atlantic relations are and remain of paramount importance."

Merkel told lawmakers that Germany's economy is on a good path and the government plans to increase its spending on defense and scientific research to ensure the country can meet the security challenges of the future and remain a leading industrial power.

During the debate, the co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany, Alice Weidel, was reprimanded by speaker Wolfgang Schaeuble for describing Muslim girls who wear headscarves as "useless people." Her party came third in last year's elections on an anti-immigrant program and is now the largest opposition party in Parliament.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, delivers a speech during a meeting of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. The reflections are caused by a window at the press tribune. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
Pope Francis has warned that the latest outbreak of violence on the Gaza border is only hurting chances of peace in the Middle East, saying 'war begets war'.

More than 60 Palestinians have been killed - many by Israeli live fire - in the last two days amid violent demonstrations over the opening of a new US embassy in Jerusalem.

Francis said he was 'very worried and pained' at the bloodshed and expressed his 'great pain for the dead and wounded' and all those who suffer.

Strong words: Pope Francis holds his homily as a gust of wind catches his mantle during his weekly audience in St. Peter's square in Vatican City, Vatican, where he made an appeal for peace in the Holy Land

Leading thousands of people in prayer at the Vatican on Wednesday at the end of his weekly general audience, he said the use of violence can never bring about peace.

'War begets war, violence begets violence,' he said.

Francis didn't single out either the Israelis or the Palestinians in his comments, instead urging all sides and the international community to 'renew their commitment so that dialogue, justice and peace prevail.'

He added, though, a special greeting to Muslims who are celebrating Ramadan, saying: 'May this privileged time of prayer and fasting help those to walk along the path of God, which is the path of peace.'

Are we there yet? Pope Francis checks his watch as he arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican

Francis' appeal came after Israeli soldiers shot and killed 59 Palestinians and wounded hundreds in mass protests at the Gaza border, part of a weeks-long campaign to break a border blockade that Israel and Egypt imposed after Hamas took over Gaza by force in 2007.

The latest bloodshed came on the same day the United States opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem after relocating it from Tel Aviv. Palestinians seek Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as a future capital.

Francis has previously responded to the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital by urging respect for the status quo of the holy city.

The Vatican has long sought an internationally guaranteed status for Jerusalem that safeguards its sacred character for Jews, Muslims and Christians.

The Holy See recognized the Palestinian state in 2015 and has long been viewed as being sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.
TOKYO (AP) - North Korea has a message for U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of next month's summit: Don't listen to your new hard-line national security adviser, John Bolton.

After announcing early Wednesday that it was pulling out of high-level talks with Seoul because of a new round of U.S.-South Korean military exercises, the North took aim at Bolton and said it might have to reconsider whether to proceed with the summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because it doubts how seriously Washington actually wants peaceful dialogue.

The moves give the clearest indication yet of North Korea's mindset heading into the summit, scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

FILE - In this April 9, 2018, file photo, National Security Adviser John Bolton listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington. After announcing early Wednesday that it was pulling out of high-level talks with Seoul because of a new round of U.S.-South Korea military exercises, the North took aim at Bolton and said it might have to reconsider whether to proceed with the summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because it doubts how seriously Washington actually wants peaceful dialogue. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Though North Korea has been for the most part silent about its intentions for the meeting, the announcements underscore two of its biggest concerns - the future of the nearly 30,000 U.S. troops in South Korea and claims coming out of Washington lately that sanctions and Trump's "maximum pressure" policy are what drove Kim to the negotiating table.

But defanging Bolton, the most militant of Trump's advisers, is now also apparently a major priority.

"We do not hide our feeling of repugnance toward him," North Korea said of Bolton in a statement attributed by state-run media to senior Foreign Ministry official Kim Kye Gwan.

A hard-liner's hard-liner, Bolton was a key adviser to President George W. Bush when the U.S. tore up a nuclear agreement with North Korea in 2002. The North conducted its first nuclear test four years later. In August, Bolton defended the idea of a preventive military strike against the North, and last month suggested negotiations in 2004 that led to the shipping of nuclear components to the U.S. from Libya under Moammar Gadhafi would be a good model for North Korea as well.

Not surprisingly, North Korea bristles at the mention of Libya.

Gadhafi, who agreed to abandon his fledgling nuclear program, was later deposed after a 42-year reign and was killed in 2011 - the year Kim assumed power in North Korea - while his country spiraled into chaos.

North Korea's statement Wednesday did not directly criticize Trump, or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has made two trips to the North to lay the groundwork for the summit. Instead, it stressed that North Korea welcomes Trump's position for ending the deep-rooted hostilities between their countries and concluded that if the Trump administration approaches the summit with a sincere desire to improve relations, the result will be positive.

It warned, however, of a "ridiculous comedy" if Trump listens to Bolton and "quasi-patriots" who insist on "abandoning nuclear weapons first, compensating afterward."

"We have already stated our intention for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States," the statement said, using the abbreviation for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"But now, the U.S. is miscalculating the magnanimity and broad-minded initiatives of the DPRK as signs of weakness and trying to embellish and advertise as if these are the product of its sanctions and pressure," it added.

North Korea's dual moves Wednesday can be seen as an attempt by Kim to fortify his position.

In an announcement issued hours before the anti-Bolton statement, North Korea said it was pulling out of talks in the Demilitarized Zone that were supposed to be held later Wednesday with senior South Korean officials because of the military maneuvers that began earlier this week.

Annual military drills between Washington and Seoul have long been a major source of contention between the Koreas, but the current exercises, called "Max Thunder," are particularly sensitive from North Korea's perspective because they reportedly involve nuclear capable B-52 bombers and F-22 stealth fighters.

The North fears the aircraft could be used to carry out a pre-emptive nuclear attack or a precision strike that would target Kim and his top lieutenants - the kind of thing Bolton advocated publicly before taking his current office.

But Kim has already won one round of bargaining on the military front.

At South Korean President Moon Jae-in's request, Washington agreed to delay the much larger "Foal Eagle/Key Resolve" drills in the spring because of the North-South diplomacy surrounding February's Winter Olympics in South Korea. Kim told visiting South Korean officials in March that he understood the drills would take place but expressed hope that they would be modified once the situation on the Korean Peninsula had stabilized, according to South Korea's government.

North Korea's announcement regarding the talks on Wednesday was in keeping with that position. And by playing the doves against the hawks in Seoul and Washington, it, too, might have been made with Bolton in mind.

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EDITOR'S NOTE - Eric Talmadge has been the AP's Pyongyang bureau chief since 2013. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter: @EricTalmadge

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This story has been corrected to fix spelling of former Libyan leader's name to Gadhafi.

FILE - In this March 9, 2018, file photo, a man walks past a public TV screen showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, right, in Tokyo. Pyongyang's threat to scrap the June 12 historic summit with Washington provides a fresh reminder of the many false starts and failures that shattered previous diplomatic attempts to resolve the nuclear standoff. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AP) - Burundians vote Thursday in a referendum that could keep the president in power until 2034 and threatens to prolong a political crisis that has seen more than 1,000 people killed and hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighboring countries.

Many in this East African nation do not see a positive outcome no matter the results of the vote, which President Pierre Nkurunziza's government forced through despite widespread opposition and the concerns of the United States and others warning of continued bloodshed. The country descended into crisis in 2015 when Nkurunziza pursued a disputed third term.

Now Burundi's 5 million voters are asked to approve a change to the constitution that would extend the length of the president's term from five years to seven and would allow him to stand for two more terms after his current one ends in 2020. Nkurunziza has forcefully urged voters to support the referendum.

FILE - In this Wednesday, May 2, 2018 file photo, Burundians attend a ruling party rally to launch its campaign calling for a "Yes" vote in the upcoming constitutional referendum, in Bugendana, Gitega province, Burundi. Burundians vote Thursday, May 17, 2018 in a referendum that could keep the president in power for another 16 years and threatens to prolong a political crisis that has seen more than 1,000 people killed and hundreds of thousands fleeing the country. (AP Photo, File)

"Whoever opposes this election will meet God's power," the president warned earlier this month while campaigning.

Tensions are even higher after unidentified attackers armed with machetes and guns carried out a massacre Friday in the rural northwest near Congo, killing 26 people, many of them children. The government blamed a "terrorist group."

While it is not clear whether the attack was linked to Thursday's referendum, it was "a very dangerous development," United Nations human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein said Tuesday.

Zeid, who has called Burundi one of "the most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times," warned that "everyone will suffer" if Burundi explodes into violence during or after the vote.

Nkurunziza is one of a growing number of African leaders who are changing their countries' constitutions or using other means to prolong their stay in power.

Some in Burundi's opposition, which has faced hate speech from officials including threats of drowning and castration, say they have little choice but to fight back. Boycotting the vote is risky following a presidential decree that criminalized calls to abstain from casting a ballot.

"The only available option now is to use guns and we are determined to use all means to realize our cause," said Hussein Radjabu, who was a Nkurunziza ally before being jailed on treason-related charges. He later escaped from prison and fled the country.

The referendum is rigged in Nkurunziza's favor, Radjabu told The Associated Press by phone.

Burundi's government strongly denies allegations it targets its own people, saying the charges are malicious propaganda spread by exiles.

The international community, however, has long expressed alarm. An estimated 1,200 people have been killed since early 2015, and International Criminal Court judges last year authorized an investigation into allegations of state-sponsored crimes.

As Thursday's referendum approached, Human Rights Watch noted "widespread impunity" for authorities as they tried to swing the vote in the president's favor, citing two recent deaths after beatings allegedly at the hands of state agents.

Opposition leaders call Nkurunziza, declared in March by the ruling party as "supreme guide of all times," a dictator unwilling to leave office.

"President Nkurunziza had declared that he would leave in 2020," Agathon Rwasa, chairman of the Amizero y'Abarundi opposition coalition, told a rally on Monday. "Now he wants to remain in power arguing that he was sent by God" while both the economy and diplomatic relations decline.

Impoverished Burundi has been volatile since the 1990s, riven especially by ethnic discord in the military as Hutu and Tutsi officers jockey for power.

The 54-year-old Nkurunziza, a former rebel leader who is the son of a Hutu father and a Tutsi mother, rose to power in 2005 following the peace deal ending a civil war in which some 300,000 people died. A born-again Christian who won some support with public displays of faith, he was re-elected unopposed in 2010 after the opposition boycotted the vote.

Protests erupted in April 2015 after Nkurunziza said he was eligible for a third term because lawmakers, not the general population, had chosen him for his first term. Critics called a third term unconstitutional, as the deal ending the civil war says the president can be re-elected only once.

Amid the protests, a group of senior armed forces officers attempted a coup. While peace talks between the government and the opposition stalled, Nkurunziza tightened his grip on the army, allegedly by purging officers deemed disloyal, according to the International Federation of Human Rights and local civic groups.

In the streets of the capital, Bujumbura, where the police have increased their presence this week, people say they are worried about what comes next.

One man told the AP he will vote for changing the constitution even though he opposes it because he fears there will be secret cameras spying on people in the voting booth.

"So I will go to vote for 'yes' in order to save my job," the public transport operator said, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.

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Muhumuza reported from Kampala, Uganda. Associated Press writer Ignatius Ssuuna in Kigali, Rwanda contributed.

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Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa

FILE - In this Saturday, May 12, 2018 file photo, army soldiers and policemen attend the scene where more than 20 people were killed in their homes in an overnight attack in the Ruhagarika community of the rural northwestern province of Cibitoke, in Burundi. Burundians vote Thursday, May 17, 2018 in a referendum that could keep the president in power for another 16 years and threatens to prolong a political crisis that has seen more than 1,000 people killed and hundreds of thousands fleeing the country. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Monday, May 14, 2018 file photo, Burundians attend a ruling party rally at the end of the campaign for a "yes" vote in the constitutional referendum, in the capital Bujumbura, Burundi. Burundians vote Thursday, May 17, 2018 in a referendum that could keep the president in power for another 16 years and threatens to prolong a political crisis that has seen more than 1,000 people killed and hundreds of thousands fleeing the country. (AP Photo, File)
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan announced Wednesday they have made progress in talks on what will be Africa's largest hydroelectric dam.

The foreign ministers of Egypt and Ethiopia and Sudan's water resources minister said they will set up a scientific study group to consult on the filling of Ethiopia's $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River. They also confirmed that leaders from the three nations will meet every six months for consultations.

The latest talks came after a round of negotiations last week in Cairo failed. More high-level talks are set for July 3 in Cairo.

Egypt fears too much of the Nile's waters could be retained each year, affecting its agriculture. Ethiopia maintains that the dam's construction will not reduce Egypt's share of the water and that it will help Ethiopia's development, pointing out that 60 million of its citizens don't have access to electricity.

"There was a progress in the negotiations with our brothers in Sudan and Ethiopia," Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi said in televised comments late Wednesday. "The matter will consume efforts and time to reach an understanding formula. There was a breakthrough."

"One step forward to Ethiopia," the country's foreign affairs spokesman, Meles Alem, told The Associated Press.

The mega-dam is now more than 63 percent complete. Once complete it will generate about 6,400 megawatts, more than doubling Ethiopia's current production of 4,000 megawatts.

According to a document obtained by the AP, the scientific group will discuss and develop "various scenarios related to the filling and operation rules in accordance with the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of shared water resources while taking all appropriate measures to prevent the causing of significant harm."

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Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - An exploding vape pen hurled fragments into a Florida man's head, killing him and starting a fire that burned most of his body, an autopsy report said.

The Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's autopsy report released Tuesday confirms the vape pen was responsible for the May 5 death of Tallmadge D'Elia, 38, in St. Petersburg.

Such accidents aren't unheard of: According to a U.S. Fire Administration report , at least 195 electronic cigarettes exploded or caught fire from 2009 to 2016, and while no deaths were recorded in that time, the explosions caused 133 injuries, 38 of them severe.

Firefighters found D'Elia inside his burning home, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Officials found "extensive" fire damage in D'Elia's bedroom, where his body was found, but minimal smoke, the report said.

The explosion sent two pieces of the vape pen into the D'Elia's cranium, the autopsy found. The report listed the cause of death as "projectile wound of the head." He also suffered burns on about 80 percent of his body. The death was ruled an accident.

The vape was manufactured by the Philippines-based Smok-E Mountain. A company representative told WFTS news that their devices do not explode. The representative said it was likely an atomizer - the part a person inserts into their mouth - or a battery. The representative said they've had problems with other companies cloning their batteries, which makes them less safe. The company wanted to see photos of the device that was used by D'Elia.

The Food and Drug Administration has said it's not clear what causes some vape pens to explode, but it could stem from battery-related issues.
BRUSSELS (AP) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says that all efforts must be made to keep the Iran nuclear agreement alive despite the U.S. pullout because "to end the deal would gravely threaten the peace and security in this tumultuous region."

Juncker was heading for Sofia, Bulgaria, for a summit with the 28 European Union leaders, hoping to forge a common stance on the agreement and the threat of U.S. sanctions which could hurt EU companies.

Juncker said that "I want us to agree on a common stance on our relations with the United States and its relations with Iran," hoping to stave off a negative impact of any possible U.S. sanctions.

From left, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maa, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Dria, and Britain's Foreign Minister Boris Johnson prepare to pose for a photo during a meeting of the foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany with the Iran Foreign Minister and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, at the Europa building in Brussels, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Major European powers sought Tuesday to keep Iran committed to a deal to prevent it from building a nuclear bomb despite deep misgivings about Tehran's Middle East politics and President Donald Trump's vehement opposition. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, Pool)

He said that "our means are there and we will use them, but don't fool ourselves our means are limited."
NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Police Department detectives' union is paying tribute to its oldest living retired detective, who originally joined the force in 1953.

The Detectives' Endowment Association was in the Bronx on Tuesday to honor 101-year-old Nicholas Calabrese at the former detective's nursing home. The New York Post reports Calabrese was born in 1917 and joined the NYPD Transit Department in 1953.

He worked as a detective on the pickpocket squad - covering subway lines in Manhattan and the Bronx - until his retirement in 1974.

In this photo provided by The Detectives' Endowment Association, retired New York Police Department detective Nicholas Calabrese holds a framed certificate from The Detectives' Endowment Association honoring him as their oldest living retired detective, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, in the Bronx borough of New York. Calabrese, who is 101-years-old, originally joined the force in 1953. (Sam Katz/The Detectives' Endowment Association via AP)

Union President Mike Palladino says he told Calabrese that he's actually older than the union that represents him.

Palladino said Calabrese was presented with a certificate of appreciation at the event and a number of gifts.

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Information from: New York Post, http://www.nypost.com
SRINAGAR, India (AP) - India announced Wednesday that its troops will halt counterinsurgency operations in disputed Kashmir during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, its first such declaration in 18 years.

A prominent rebel group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, rejected the offer, calling it a "drama," according to the newspaper Greater Kashmir.

The last cease-fire in counterinsurgency operations declared by India for Ramadan was in 2000. India and Pakistan declared a cease-fire between their forces in 2003, but India has continued to battle rebels seeking an end to Indian control.

India's home ministry said in a series of tweets that the decision was made so Muslims could observe the holy month "in a peaceful environment."

Another tweet said Indian troops "reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people."

The announcement came a week after all pro-India political parties in Kashmir, including the ruling People's Democratic Party which vaulted to power by forming an alliance with the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, urged the Indian government to cease counterinsurgency operations during Ramadan.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, India's ruling party, opposed the move in the meeting. This year, fasting begins Thursday or Friday in Kashmir.

The top elected official of Indian-controlled Kashmir, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, hailed the Ramadan cease-fire and thanked India's prime minister and home minister "for their personal intervention."

Lashkar-e-Taiba said a cease-fire was "no option, and no thought can be given on such compromise."

"We deem it a sin and disgrace to the sacrifices put up in the freedom struggle," said the group, which India accuses of launching attacks in the city of Mumbai in 2008 that killed at least 166 people. The group said they favor negotiations, "but not in the presence of armed forces in the region."

Reactions from Kashmir residents were mixed.

"India should take it further by reaching out to resistance leaders as well as Pakistan for the final settlement of Kashmir," said Mohammed Akbar, a shopkeeper.

Sajjad Ahmed, a schoolteacher, expressed doubt.

"What's there to cheer if they (the rebels) don't reciprocate?" Ahmed said. "We've seen in the past how such declarations have ended up in more chaos and more attrition. We're skeptical by experience."

In recent years, there have been renewed rebel attacks and public protests against Indian rule as a new generation of Kashmiri rebels, especially in the southern parts of the region, revive the militancy and challenge New Delhi's rule with guns and use of social media.

Indian authorities have been increasingly frustrated by the resistance shown by Kashmiri residents. Many Kashmiris, in open solidarity with militants, have attempted to help trapped rebels escape during military counterinsurgency operations by throwing stones at troops, who often retaliate with gunfire, causing civilian fatalities. Last year, at least 29 civilians were killed and hundreds wounded during such clashes.

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim it in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding Indian-controlled Kashmir be made part of Pakistan or unified with the Pakistani-controlled part as an independent country.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.

Most Kashmiris support the rebel cause while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.

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Follow Aijaz Hussain on Twitter at twitter.com/hussain_aijaz
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - State lawmakers held a second round of interviews of candidates for New York attorney general Wednesday more than a week after Eric Schneiderman abruptly resigned over allegations of sexual abuse.

Some of the hopefuls were asked why they consider themselves more qualified than the acting attorney general, Barbara Underwood, who is considered the favorite to be appointed interim attorney general to serve out the remainder of the Democrat's term.

The process began Tuesday with a bipartisan legislative committee interviewing six candidates, including Underwood. Another five were interviewed Wednesday, with a sixth failing to show up. They included two private practice lawyers with military or government experience, a county attorney, an administrative law judge and a lawyer-businessman.

None has the legal profession experience or the name recognition now enjoyed by Underwood, the state's No. 2 legal officer who found herself suddenly thrust into the spotlight after Schneiderman stepped down. Underwood led off Tuesday's first round of interviews, telling lawmakers that if she's appointed attorney general she won't run for the office in November.

Lawmakers conducting the interviews praised her lengthy legal career and public service, then asked some of the other candidates how they measured up to Underwood. Some said they couldn't, while others stressed how they would strive to keep the attorney general's office independent from the governor's office.

"If there is wrongdoing ... I'll investigate and take appropriate action," said Michael Diederich of Rockland County, who spent 29 years as a U.S. Army lawyer.

Schneiderman officially resigned May 8, a day after The New Yorker magazine reported allegations by four women that he physically and verbally abused them while dating. He has denied the allegations and is no longer running for a third term.

The Legislature has the authority under state law to appoint an attorney general should the position become vacant. It's likely the Legislature won't make a decision before next week's Democratic state convention, when the party is expected to nominate a candidate for attorney general.

Several other potential candidates have stayed out of the interview process. They include Zephyr Teachout, whom Gov. Andrew Cuomo defeated in the 2014 Democratic gubernatorial primary, and state Sen. Michael Gianaris, a Queens Democrat. New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, a Democrat who also stayed out of the interviews, announced Wednesday in Brooklyn that she's running for attorney general.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump and the leader of Uzbekistan pledged a close partnership on trade and military ties on Wednesday, as the two leaders conferred on the country's strategic position near Afghanistan.

Trump welcomed President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Oval Office for the first time and nodded as the Uzbekistan leader credited the U.S. president for "achieving very outstanding results" in job creation and last year's tax overhaul. Trump cupped his hands along the side of his mouth, leaned toward his counterpart and said, "I agree 100 percent."

The Uzbek president, who came to power in 2016 following the death of the country's longtime autocratic ruler, Islam Karimov, hailed a "new era for strategic partnership" between the two countries.

President Donald Trump meets Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Uzbekistan shares a short border with Afghanistan and provides a crucial supply route for U.S. forces based in the country. The two leaders were expected to discuss the situation in Afghanistan as the U.S. aims to bring the Taliban to the peace table.

Mirziyoyev has promoted gradual liberal changes in the Central Asian country of about 33 million. He has shed some of the repressive legacies of his predecessor, releasing some political prisoners, lifting restrictions on foreign currency exchange and ordering an end to the practice of compulsory cotton-harvesting work for students and others criticized by human rights groups.

Mirziyoyev has reshuffled the government, removing many old-guard officials, most recently the chief of the nation's national security agency.

White House officials said in advance of the meeting that Trump would raise human rights conditions but neither leader addressed the subject during brief remarks to reporters.

Russia, China and the U.S. all have vied for influence over Uzbekistan, a resource-rich and strategically placed country that provides the so-called Northern Distribution Network for the U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Mirziyoyev has sought to maintain friendly ties with Russia while moving to expand ties with the West. His trip to Washington was expected to offer clues about how far he's ready to go to open up to the U.S.

Trump said the two nations had forged strong ties on trade and the military, pointing to Uzbekistan's "purchase of equipment and military equipment from the United States." Mirziyoyev told reporters his country had signed contracts with leading U.S. companies worth $5 billion.

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Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

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On Twitter follow Ken Thomas at https://twitter.com/KThomasDC
LOS ANGELES (AP) - After being stuck in development for over a decade, "Deadpool" broke box-office records and shattered preconceived notions about what an R-rated superhero movie could do when it debuted in February 2016. Now the foul-mouthed mercenary is back with a sequel that's gearing up to play in the big leagues - the summer movie season, and it looks like it with be another hit for 20th Century Fox. Industry analysts say the film is tracking to earn at least $130 million in its first weekend in North American theaters.

Star and producer Ryan Reynolds spoke to The Associated Press about what to expect when Deadpool returns to theaters on Friday.

Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.

FILE - In this May 14, 2018 file photo, actor-producer Ryan Reynolds attends a special screening of his film, "Deadpool 2," at AMC Loews Lincoln Square in New York. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP, File)

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AP: The first is so wild and jam-packed with everything. Did you hold anything back or save anything thinking that there would be a sequel?

REYNOLDS: Oh my God we put everything out there. We had no pie in the sky notions that we would be guaranteed a sequel after this. But (screenwriters) Rhett (Reese) and Paul (Wernick) and I had been working together for, God, coming on eight years now. We worked on the first script together for years before it even got close to being greenlit and while shooting the first film, we were already coming up with a story for the second one. But at the time it wasn't something that was a reality; it was just something we loved. I think that at the end of the day the driving force behind "Deadpool" is that there are a great number of people who absolutely love every aspect of it. I think that's what translates to the audience. There is an authentic joy and love for what we're doing and we have so much fun doing it and you can't help but feel that through the screen.

AP: Is there anything that is off-limits for Deadpool?

REYNOLDS: Not really. To make a great rated-R comic book film you've definitely got to push the boundaries a little bit and we leave that to the editing process to figure out what we want to keep and what we don't. Tone is so critical in these movies and at the heart of "Deadpool" is always a very emotional story. You have to circle around that before you think about comedy bits or trying to incite reactions or that sort of thing. So "Deadpool 2" is really, at its core, about how one act of kindness can change the world. It's sort of a nature versus nurture story at its heart and that's critical to the film as a whole. Then you can model which sort of comedic set pieces you want around that. But at the end of the day it's got to be an engrossing story and that's the thing that we were most focused on from the get-go.

AP: That's very sweet and sincere! And here I was thinking the most sincere thing about "Deadpool" was the Wikipedia page. Everything else from the logline to the marketing leans into the irreverence of it.

REYNOLDS: Deadpool at his heart is sort of like a child. Like, yeah he can be vulgar, yeah he can act out but at its core there is a certain innocence to other aspects of him and I think that is something that's really important with the character. He sees the world through the prism of a child's eyes sometimes and that's also why he's tempestuous and obnoxious and misguided so much of the time too.

AP: How are you feeling leading up to the release? With a summer date, it's playing in the big leagues now.

REYNOLDS: For us that's been a dream come true as well. Having "Deadpool" positioned as a summer movie gives us a little more license to go a bit bigger, but at the same time our budgets are not comparable to some of the big Marvel movies. But necessity is the mother of invention so the less we have, the more creative we have to get. It has all the same principles and tenets as the first film which Dave Leitch loved and really wanted to honor, but at the same time there's a different flavor to it as well because Dave likes to keep major action in the lens as opposed to relying more on CGI.

It still has this kind of down and dirty feel, which I love, but it also has so many elements that I think are going to blow audiences away and surprise people. I'm super excited about it. Right now we're just focusing in on the marketing campaign which for "Deadpool" is always to a certain degree an extension of the film itself. We get to have as much fun with the marketing as we do with the actual shooting of the movie. I'm excited to put out some of the things we have ready to go in terms of the marketing.

AP: From the studio behind "27 Dresses," right ?

REYNOLDS: Absolutely, yeah. If you loved "Alvin and the Chipmunks," you are going to love "Deadpool."

AP: Do you feel like this has to do better than the first to be a success?

REYNOLDS: I don't really think about it like that. I'd be naive to not pay attention to some of the biz part of the showbiz but I know that the movie is made at a budget that makes it pretty reasonable for all parties involved and when we keep the budget down, the studio gives us a lot more play and leeway to do the things that we want to do and that's always great. So, no, I don't think it has to do better, necessarily.

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr

Actors Blake Lively, left, and Ryan Reynolds attend a special screening of "Deadpool 2" at AMC Loews Lincoln Square on Monday, May 14, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/Invision/AP)

This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Ryan Reynolds in a scene from "Deadpool 2." (Twentieth Century Fox via AP)

This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Josh Brolin in a scene from "Deadpool 2." (Twentieth Century Fox via AP)
OCALA, Fla. (AP) - An agriculture teacher at a Florida high school has been removed from the classroom as school officials investigate whether he drowned raccoons in front of students.

The Ocala Star Banner reports that Forest High School teacher Dewie Brewton was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into whether he drowned "nuisance animals" in class.

A school district spokesman says the district had received statements from witnesses that multiple animals were drowned in front of students because the animals were a nuisance to the agriculture program at the school.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also is investigating to see whether any laws were broken.

According to the school's website, Brewton has been the school's agriculture-education adviser since 2006.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - As she sat in the house where "Great Gatsby" writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, once lived, a visitor contemplated the famous Jazz Age couple.

"I tried to imagine how maybe Scott would tell a joke and Zelda would laugh," said Farong Zhu, a Fulbright scholar from China who translated Zelda's only novel, "Save Me the Waltz," into Chinese. "Everything was very beautiful. I was so excited to be close to the Fitzgeralds, I couldn't sleep well the first night."

But you don't have to be a literary scholar to stay in this apartment upstairs from the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. The Fitzgeralds lived in the house in 1931 and 1932, and for $150 a night, anyone can rent the apartment on Airbnb . There's nothing else quite like it in the rental website's inventory, according to Airbnb spokeswoman Alyssa McEwan.

This April 28, 2018 photo shows the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, Ala. Zelda was a Montgomery native and the couple met in 1918 at a Montgomery country club while F. Scott was stationed at a U.S. Army base. They lived in the house in 1931 and 1932. An upstairs apartment may be rented on Airbnb and is also used for writers' residencies. F. Scott Fitzgerald is best known for his novel, "The Great Gatsby," but while living in this house, he worked on "Tender Is The Night," and she worked on her novel, "Save Me The Waltz." (AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz)

It's also the only site on the Southern Literary Trail open to the public for overnight stays. "It's a wonderful opportunity for travelers," said trail director Sarah McCullough. "And of course it generates revenue," always a challenge for historic sites.

Fitzgerald Museum director Sara Powell said she worried when rentals began in April that visitors might throw wild "Gatsby"-style parties. But those concerns proved unjustified. As McCullough put it, "Most of the people who would want to stay there probably have a great love for the writer and the writer's work and would have great respect for the property."

The house dates to 1910. The apartment is furnished in casual 20th century style: sofa, armchairs, decorative lamps, Oriental rug, and pillows embroidered with quotes from Zelda like this one: "Those men think I'm purely decorative and they're fools for not knowing better." It has two bedrooms, a working kitchen and Wi-Fi, but the ambience evokes another era, with a record player and jazz albums, a balcony and flowering magnolia trees in the yard, all tucked away on a quiet street in Montgomery's historic Old Cloverdale neighborhood.

"It's hard for writers to be disconnected from their own world, even for a second," Powell said. "We've had people tell us it was so good to be up there, even for a couple of days. You do unplug and get out of your headspace."

Though the Fitzgeralds didn't live in the house for long, Montgomery was important in their celebrated, tumultuous lives. Zelda was a Montgomery native, and they met at a country club here in 1918 during World War I. She was a teenage debutante and he was stationed at a nearby military base.

Once married, rich and rootless, they moved from place to place, including Paris and New York, where a stay on Long Island planted the seed for "Gatsby." In Montgomery, he worked on "Tender Is the Night" and she wrote "Save Me the Waltz." It was the last place they lived together with their daughter, Scottie, who turned 10 there and later was sent to boarding school. F. Scott, an alcoholic, died at age 44. Zelda battled mental illness and perished in a hospital fire at age 47.

In the 1980s, the house was threatened with demolition to make way for condos. Local lawyer Julian McPhillips and his wife, Leslie, bought the house and established a nonprofit for it. McPhillips is a Princeton University alumnus; Fitzgerald also attended Princeton, and the museum displays a copy of his Princeton transcript, showing many dropped courses before he left school to join the military. The museum also owns 11 of Zelda's paintings, personal belongings like an inkwell and beaded purse, and first editions of Fitzgerald's novels.

As a tourist destination, Montgomery is best-known for civil rights history. This is where Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat on a bus to a white man, sparking a bus boycott by African-Americans that resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court declaring segregation on public buses unconstitutional. That protest also turned a young Montgomery minister, Martin Luther King Jr., into the leader of the civil rights movement.

In April, two new sites opened in Montgomery that are already attracting a lot of attention: a memorial to victims of racial terror lynchings, and The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration.

Powell is looking for ways to connect with visitors coming to experience these other attractions. She's developing a workshop for 2019 looking at how race relations were impacted by an 1890s election law named for Zelda's father, Judge Anthony Sayre, that made it harder for illiterate and semi-illiterate citizens to vote. And while Fitzgerald scholars like Zhu are a natural fit for writers' residences, Powell is open to proposals on any topic.

Katherine Malone-France, vice president of historic sites at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, says the Airbnb rental and writers' residencies are great ways to keep places like the Fitzgerald house "financially sustainable and culturally sustainable" while remaining "respectful and relevant to their pasts."

"That is the best way to preserve something: To use it," she said.

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If You Go...

F. SCOTT AND ZELDA FITZGERALD MUSEUM: 919 Felder Ave., Montgomery, Alabama, https://www.thefitzgeraldmuseum.org/ . Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Suggested $10 donation.

This undated photo provided by the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, Ala., shows a living room in an apartment upstairs from the museum. The apartment and museum are located in a 1910 house that the Fitzgeralds lived in in the 1930s. The apartment, a tranquil space with vintage charm, can be rented on Airbnb and is also used for writers' residencies. (Jonathon Kohn/F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum via AP)

This April 28, 2018 photo shows the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, Ala. The couple lived in the house in 1931 and 1932. Zelda was a Montgomery native and they met in Montgomery in 1918 at a country club while he was stationed at a U.S. Army base. An upstairs apartment in the house can be rented on Airbnb and is also used for writers' residencies. (AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz)

This April 28, 2018 photo shows a copy of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald's transcript from Princeton University, on display at the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, Ala. Fitzgerald's writing was said to have interfered with his academic work and he dropped out before graduating to join the military during World War I. He and his wife Zelda, a Montgomery native, lived in the house in 1931 and 1932. An upstairs apartment in the house can be rented on Airbnb and is also used for writers' residencies. (AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz)

This undated photo provided by the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, Ala., shows books on display in an apartment upstairs from the museum. The apartment and museum are located in a house where the Fitzgeralds lived in the 1930s. The apartment can be rented on Airbnb and is also used for writers' residencies. (Jonathon Kohn/F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum via AP)

Layers of paint and wallpaper in a closet are revealed in this undated photo provided by the F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, Ala. The closet is in an apartment upstairs from the museum. The apartment and museum are located in a 1910 house that the Fitzgeralds lived in the 1930s. The apartment can be rented on Airbnb and is also used for writers' residencies. (Jonathon Kohn/F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum via AP)
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - How much is that maltipoo in the window? It could end up costing twice what it says on the price tag if the buyer is enticed into signing a pet leasing contract.

That's what nearly happened to 24-year-old Natalie Sullivan, of Brooklyn. She and her roommate, she said, fell in love with a designer Frenchton puppy at a pet store but couldn't afford the $1,350 price tag.

"So the salesman talked us into this predatory payment plan," Sullivan said.

This undated photo provided by Natalie Sullivan shows Sullivan's French bulldog-Boston terrier mix puppy, Jane. Sullivan, of Brooklyn, says a pet store salesman talked her into a costly lease contract when she bought the dog. Nevada and California have banned pet leasing and New York may also outlaw the practice under legislation proposed in the Assembly and supported by animal welfare organizations. (Natalie Sullivan via AP)

It wasn't until they got home with their adorable French bulldog-Boston terrier mix that they read the contract more closely. Little Jane wouldn't actually be theirs for two years, after they'd forked over monthly payments totaling nearly $3,000 plus a balloon payment of $275. If they failed to pay, it appeared, the lease company could repossess their bat-eared baby as if she were a car.

"It's a heinous thing," said Libby Post, executive director of the New York State Animal Protection Federation, which is lobbying for a ban on pet leasing. "This kind of predatory lending should not involve a living, breathing being."

Pet leasing has been drawing scrutiny from lawmakers and animal welfare groups since media reports last year highlighted consumer complaints against Reno, Nevada-based Wags Lending, which pioneered the practice. Nevada and California have now outlawed pet leasing, and New York lawmakers are proposing legislation prohibiting lease contracts "where dogs or cats are used as collateral."

"Pet leasing is a predatory practice that preys on people who cannot always afford a companion animal," said Assemblyman Matthew Titone, a Democrat from Staten Island, in the memo supporting his bill.

Like consumer loans, pet leases are offered to people who want to buy a purebred puppy or a so-called "designer" dog - such as the popular maltipoo, a maltese-poodle cross - but can't afford prices that often exceed $1,000 at a pet store. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says leasing options are popular with pet dealers because they are under pressure to sell puppies while they are still puppies, when they are at their cutest and most attractive to buyers.

"The concept of leasing a dog is new in our culture," Wags Lending, launched in 2013, says on its website. "We have carefully crafted a lease purchase agreement so that consumers can enjoy the pet that they have always wanted, when they wanted." The company, which says it has handled 66,000 pet leases, says it doesn't charge interest, like that on a loan. Rather, it charges a monthly lease fee comprising rent plus depreciation "compensating the business for the decrease in the product's fair market value while the customer is using the product."

The Better Business Bureau in Fresno, California, looked at the cost calculator on one pet leasing company's website and found that if you bought a dog for $2,000, you could have a monthly payment as high as $293 for 24 months, bringing the dog's final cost to more than $7,000. And if you stop making payments, "the company has the right to take your animal back and ding your credit score."

A woman who answered the phone at Wags Lending said "we have no comment," then referred the call to a supervisor who did not call back. Wags Lending's parent company, Bristlecone Holdings, filed for bankruptcy last year, but Titone's office said it's not the only company offering pet lease contracts.

Sullivan, who works in television casting, said as soon as she understood the costs of her lease, she tapped into her savings and paid off the puppy's purchase price - plus the $275 payoff fee.

"Thankfully, we got a nice, healthy, well-rounded dog," Sullivan said. "But I wouldn't buy from a pet store again."

Wags Lending assigned some lease contracts to Monterey Financial Services, based in Oceanside, California. Chris Hughes, president and CEO of Monterey Financial, said the company is aware of New York's proposed legislation and stopped accepting leases from originators more than a year ago. He called assertions of "predatory lending" and holding pets as collateral "patently false and inaccurate."

"Under no circumstances has Monterey ever repossessed a pet, nor has Monterey ever intended to," Hughes said via email. He said Monterey works with the consumer to keep their account in good standing. "The animal remains with the consumer even in the case of default."
DIXON, Ill. (AP) - Charges were filed against a student who was wounded by a police officer after firing shots in a northern Illinois high school hallway while staff and seniors were meeting for a graduation rehearsal, Illinois State Police announced late Wednesday.

Matthew A. Milby, 19, of Dixon is charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated discharge at a school employee and aggravated discharge at a school building. Milby, who was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a school resource officer, remains hospitalized with what authorities describe as non-life-threatening injuries and is under surveillance. A Lee County judge set bond at $2 million.

Officer Mark Dallas, who has worked at Dixon High School for five years, was hailed as a hero for shooting and arresting Milby.

An emergency vehicle appears outside Dixon High School Wednesday, May 16, 2018 in Dixon, Ill. Officials say a police officer has shot and wounded a gunman at a northern Illinois high school. The Dixon city manager Danny Langloss says police confronted a former male student with a gun on school property about 8 a.m. Wednesday. Langloss says the gunman shot at an officer who returned fire and hit him. He is in custody with what Langloss described as non-life-threatening injuries. (Rachel Rogers/Sauk Valley Media via AP)

"He saved an enormous amount of lives," Lee County Sheriff John Simonton said. His comments were echoed by Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, who in a statement credited "Dallas for his bravery and quick action to immediately diffuse a dangerous situation."

The shooting happened shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Police Chief Steven Howell Jr. said several shots were fired near the auditorium, and Dallas rushed to the area to confront the gunman.

Howell said Dallas chased the suspect after he fled from the school. The suspect fired several shots at the officer, who returned fire, wounding the suspect and taking him into custody.

Police said they believe the gunman acted alone and that there was no further threat to anyone in the area. Howell declined to discuss why Milby brought a gun to the school.

"I could not be more proud of the police officer and the way he responded to the situation. With shots ringing out through the hallways of the school, he charged towards the suspect and confronted him, head on," Howell said of the 15-year veteran of the Dixon Police Department. "Because of his heroic actions, countless lives were saved. We are forever indebted to him for his service and his bravery."

Authorities originally said Milby wasn't a student at the school. However, Superintendent Margo Empen told Sauk Valley Media the suspect was not expelled, did not drop out and was eligible to graduate with his class.

Empen said she could not provide further details because of school privacy laws.

When police searched the school after the shooting, they found that the faculty and students had barricaded themselves inside by blocking the classroom doorways with desks, chairs and other furniture - just as they had been trained to do.

"A lot of things went right today and many things could have gone wrong," Dixon Mayor Liandro Arellano Jr. told reporters at a news conference outside the school.

Officials said all schools in the city about 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of Chicago were placed on lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. The other schools reopened after officials determined the gunman acted alone.

Police cars appear outside Dixon High School Wednesday, May 16, 2018 in Dixon, Ill. Officials say a police officer has shot and wounded a gunman at a northern Illinois high school. The Dixon city manager Danny Langloss says police confronted a former male student with a gun on school property about 8 a.m. Wednesday. Langloss says the gunman shot at an officer who returned fire and hit him. He is in custody with what Langloss described as non-life-threatening injuries. (Rachel Rogers/Sauk Valley Media via AP)

Students file into the adjacent National Guard armory following a shooting at Dixon High School Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Dixon, Ill. A 19-year-old who showed up at his former high school in northern Illinois and opened fire on a police officer working there, was shot by the officer and taken into custody. The officer, who was not injured, was hailed a hero for his quick response protecting students and staff who had gathered at Dixon High School for a graduation rehearsal. (Alex T. Paschal/Sauk Valley Media via AP)

Police investigate the scene following a shooting at Dixon High School Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Dixon, Ill. A 19-year-old who showed up at his former high school in northern Illinois and opened fire on a police officer working there, was shot by the officer and taken into custody. The officer, who was not injured, was hailed a hero for his quick response protecting students and staff who had gathered at Dixon High School for a graduation rehearsal. (Alex T. Paschal/Sauk Valley Media via AP)

Parents wait down the road to meet their children following a shooting at Dixon High School Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Dixon, Ill. A 19-year-old who showed up at his former high school in northern Illinois and opened fire on a police officer working there, was shot by the officer and taken into custody. The officer, who was not injured, was hailed a hero for his quick response protecting students and staff who had gathered at Dixon High School for a graduation rehearsal. (Alex T. Paschal/Sauk Valley Media via AP)

Police cars appear outside Dixon High School Wednesday, May 16, 2018 in Dixon, Ill. Officials say a police officer has shot and wounded a gunman at a northern Illinois high school. The Dixon city manager Danny Langloss says police confronted a former male student with a gun on school property about 8 a.m. Wednesday. Langloss says the gunman shot at an officer who returned fire and hit him. He is in custody with what Langloss described as non-life-threatening injuries. (Rachel Rogers/Sauk Valley Media via AP)

Parents greet and hug their children following a shooting at Dixon High School Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Dixon, Ill. A 19-year-old who showed up at his former high school in northern Illinois and opened fire on a police officer working there, was shot by the officer and taken into custody. The officer, who was not injured, was hailed a hero for his quick response protecting students and staff who had gathered at Dixon High School for a graduation rehearsal. (Alex T. Paschal/Sauk Valley Media via AP)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday ordered the lifting of a ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait after talks eased a dispute over the plight of Filipina housemaids in the oil-rich Arab nation, his spokesman said.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement that Duterte ordered Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to lift the ban after the action was recommended by the Philippine special envoy to Kuwait. Kuwait expelled the Filipino ambassador and recalled its envoy to Manila at the height of the diplomatic crisis last month.

It was not immediately clear when the ban would actually be lifted. Many Kuwait-bound Filipino workers affected by the ban have called for the lifting, saying their workplaces offer adequate protection from abuse, unlike vulnerable housemaids.

Duterte banned the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait after the body of a Filipina housemaid was discovered in a freezer in a Kuwaiti home in February in what he said was the latest in a growing number of deaths and abuse of impoverished Filipina maids in the wealthy nation.

The gruesome death of Filipina housemaid Joanna Demafelis focused attention on the plight of many Filipinos driven by poverty, unemployment and lack of opportunities at home to seek menial work abroad.

The Philippines is a major labor exporter, especially to the Middle East. About a tenth of the population works abroad, and the earnings they send home have bolstered the Philippine economy for decades.

Aside from the labor deployment ban, which Duterte recently threatened to impose permanently, he also ordered the repatriation of thousands of Filipino workers facing problems in Kuwait.

Kuwait, however, protested after Philippine authorities carried out rescue missions for troubled housemaids they said were seeking help and a video of the rescues was posted online. Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano apologized to Kuwait but maintained that the Philippines did not commit any infraction while carrying out its duty to help distressed Filipino workers.

Kuwait's Foreign Ministry accused the Philippine Embassy of a "flagrant and grave breach of rules and regulations that govern diplomatic action where staff helped Filipina house helpers run away," and ordered the Philippine ambassador to leave within a week.

Negotiations led to the signing last week of a new agreement that offered better protection for Filipino workers in Kuwait and started to ease the dispute. A Philippine government statement said, without elaborating, that the agreement offered "additional guarantees that we asked our Kuwaiti friends to extend."

Duterte has said he wanted the agreement to guarantee that Filipina maids would have access to their passports and cellphones, not be fed leftover food and be allowed to have a break weekly. He has threatened to ban the deployment of Filipino workers to at least two other nations because of reports of abuses and maltreatment of Filipino workers.
The International Skating Union will discuss limiting the number of quadruple jumps in a free skate routine, and will consider raising the minimum age to compete on the senior level from 15 to 17.

The ISU will hold its congress in Seville, Spain, from June 4-8.

With top-level men's skaters loading their free programs with quads - world champion Nathan Chen has done six - the governing body has several concerns. It fears the sport is becoming too much of a jumping contest, shoving artistry and other technical elements aside. There also is concern that daily practicing of quads can be damaging to skaters' health.

FILE - In this March 24, 2018, file photo, United States' Nathan Chen performs during men's free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Assago, Italy. The International Skating Union will discuss next month in Spain limiting the number of quadruple jumps in a free skate routine. With top-level men skaters loading their free programs with quads , Chen has done six, the governing body has several concerns, fearing the sport is becoming too much of a jumping contest, shoving artistry and other technical elements aside. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

Several coaches and men's skaters have encouraged the ISU to look into the explosion of quads, particularly in the last three years.

"At this point, with judging system the way the points have played, it is not avoidable, it's what you have to do to win," says American skating coach Rosi Tovi about the proliferation of four-revolution jumps. "Until there's some changeup with the judging system, I don't see how that will change.

"There's also concerns about the stress this is putting on the body. We've never seen this level of athleticism on kids, and they can tear apart their bodies. There is a long life ahead of them; if your body is broken, how is your life going to be? There's more concern needed about that."

Quad-mania doesn't just apply to the men. At junior worlds, Russia's Aleksandra Trusova did two of them in her free skate.

Olympic bronze medalist Javier Fernandez of Spain predicted the ISU would consider restrictions on the quad.

"I think at some point the ISU will maybe put a limit on the number of quads you can do in a competition or in a free program," Fernandez said before the Pyeongchang Games. "Let's say three persons can do four quads, or three quads, whatever, and all of them land the quads they have planned. Then the skating's going to tell who is the best skater, who's going to win."

"Skating is about who is the most complete, not who is the best jumper, right?" Fernandez added. "So that's the point I think everybody is having in mind right now."

The Dutch skating federation has recommended the age change for senior competition. Olympic women's champion Alina Zagitova was 15 at the Pyeongchang Games.
OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) - A Wisconsin man has been sentenced to 100 years in prison for his role in a standoff at a motorcycle shop that led to the death of one of his hostages.

A jury in March found Brian Flatoff guilty of 14 felonies, including attempted homicide. Jurors rejected his insanity defense, determining he did not suffer from a mental disease or defect during the December 2015 standoff with police at Eagle Nation Cycles in Neenah.

Authorities say Flatoff shot at officers and initiated the sequence of events that led to the death of 60-year-old hostage Michael Funk. Police mistakenly shot Funk during the standoff. Officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing.

A judge sentenced the 48-year-old Flatoff Wednesday to a 100-year term. Flatoff said he'll appeal his conviction.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Mormon church has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit accusing leaders of brushing aside rape allegations dating to 1984 against the former head of a church training center that prepares young members for religious missions.

Many people who could have testified about what happened in the 1980s have died or have only cloudy memories, leaving the faith unable to fully defend itself, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in court documents filed Tuesday.

McKenna Denson has said she reported several times over the past three decades that Joseph L. Bishop sexually assaulted her and the church failed to take disciplinary action.

FILE - In this April 5, 2018 file photo McKenna Denson speaks with reporters during a news conference in Salt Lake City. The Mormon church has asked a judge to toss out a lawsuit accusing leaders of brushing aside rape allegations against Denson, a former missionary training center director. Many people who could have testified about what happened in the 1980s have died or have only cloudy memories, leaving the faith unable to fully defend itself, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says in court documents filed Tuesday, May 15, 2018, Denson has said she reported several times over the last three decades that Joseph L. Bishop sexually assaulted her, but the church failed to take disciplinary action. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer,File)

Bishop has denied raping her but acknowledged to police that he asked her to expose herself when he was president of the faith's Missionary Training Center in Provo, according to police documents. The role he held from 1983 to 1986 gave him authority over hundreds of young Mormons preparing to go on church missions.

Bishop, now 85, is also named in the lawsuit. His attorneys argue the lawsuit should be dismissed because the claims are too old.

Her lawyers said Wednesday they disagree with the church's position. There are exceptions to time limits on lawsuits, and her case is one of them, attorney Craig Vernon said in an email. He also questioned the faith's decision to contest the lawsuit.

Denson, 55, has said her experience illustrates systemic problems in the church and she sued because she wants the faith to change the way it handles sexual abuse reports. She said Bishop singled her out, groomed her and sexually assaulted her. He told her no one would believe her if she came forward, she said.

The church has said no discipline was taken against Bishop because he denied the allegations and church members could not verify them.

The Associated Press does not usually name alleged victims of sexual assault, but Denson decided to go public with her story, saying the #MeToo movement gave her the courage to think she might be believed.

The case emerged with the release of a conversation Denson secretly recorded with Bishop in December. In it, Bishop is heard apologizing to Denson after she confronts him about the incident, but he does not specify what happened.

In the same conversation, Bishop acknowledged molesting an unidentified second woman and described it as back rub that he says got "too frisky."

The Mormon church has said it is investigating both incidents and has vowed to "bring accountability." Guidelines for how local leaders should deal with sexual abuse claims also were updated.

The case exposed how the church handles sexual abuse allegations, and was followed by news that a church member supervising missionaries in Puerto Rico was kicked out in 2014, after female missionaries reported "immoral and sinful" behavior.
The true meaning of Trudeaus elbow

So much of what happens in politics can be explained through the language of Seinfeld. Im thinking of that episode about the wedding in India  the one that runs in backwards chronological order, so that the audience gets its information about the plot in reverse.

In politics, as in the rest of life, events dont come completely out of left field. Neither do elbows. Much has been written about Prime Minister Trudeaus confrontation in the House last week, and the sometimes caustic relationship between the main parties in the Commons. Sometimes, you need to peel back the onion to fully understand an event. To fully understand why the atmosphere in the Commons is so fraught these days, you need to peel the onion back months, even years.

Certainly, the shenanigans played by the opposition parties on the floor of the House  attempting to block the Conservative whip from getting to his seat  are relevant. (The opposition House leaders claim theyre not, because its the government whips readiness that triggers the vote. Which is true. So why did they pretend they were delaying the vote by obstructing the whip? Because they were being jerks.)

But the opposition parties were reacting to events which occurred in the hours and days previous  when the Trudeau government, which came to office promising to treat Parliament with more respect than the last government did, brought in another motion of time allocation on its time-sensitive assisted dying legislation, C-14. And that came on the heels of the governments draconian Motion 6, which would have given the government side sweeping control of Commons operations, extending sitting hours until a member of the government  a minister or parliamentary secretary  decided otherwise.

Motion 6 was, of course, a direct reaction to the government coming within one vote of losing on C-10, a bill dealing with Air Canada operations. The government nearly lost that vote because of opposition gamesmanship  or strategy, depending on your perspective. An NDP MP moved an amendment; when it came time to vote on the amendment, the mover was absent, which forced a vote on the bill. Speaker Geoff Regan had to break the tie vote, and the Conservatives and New Democrats had a good laugh at the Liberals expense.

Consumed by the quest for career advancement, MPs play the partisan game  offering unequivocal support for the government while in power, using every cheap trick to embarrass it while out of power. Consumed by the quest for career advancement, MPs play the partisan game  offering unequivocal support for the government while in power, using every cheap trick to embarrass it while out of power.

Every action causes a reaction. The Opposition parties were upset at learning the parliamentary committee charged with recommending options for electoral reform would be controlled by a Liberal majority. So they started playing games, such as forcing the snap vote on C-10. Which led to Motion 6  which would have guaranteed that the government, and only the government, controls the House. The motion has since been withdrawn, but the pressures that led to it, and to last weeks blowup, have been building for decades.

Look, I find it incomprehensible that a prime minister, any prime minister, would see it as his job to enforce rules of decorum in the House and personally assist an obstructed whip. Its not the prime ministers House  quite the opposite, actually. The House of Commons exists to hold the government to account.

The government answers to Parliament, not the other way around.

Thats the theory, at least. But for the last half-century, weve seen a move towards executive government in this country  slow at first, accelerating lately. Almost 50 years ago, Parliament began surrendering control of the governments spending plans, delegating that critical and time-honoured function to parliamentary committees  which then put time limits on budget scrutiny. Eventually, budget estimates too complicated to be scrutinized would be deemed to be approved by Parliament.

As a direct result, power shifted from Parliament to cabinet ministers who no longer had to defend their spending plans. But large cabinet meetings were cumbersome, so the cabinet committee system evolved. And since bureaucrats and political staffers participate in cabinet committees, eventually all effective decision-making was concentrated in the Privy Council Office and the Prime Ministers Office.

Executive government in a majority Parliament context is nearly perfect now. Every successive government moves the line a little further. The last government imposed time allocations 100 times and prorogued Parliament to avoid a confidence vote, and to shut down a parliamentary committee investigating allegations of torture involving Afghan detainees.

The government treats Parliament as an inconvenience, which is understandable (as its job is to hold government to account). But it also treats Parliament with disrespect, which is simply wrong  because Parliament has a constitutional duty to fulfill. Omnibus bills, which require a straight yea or nay vote on an entire disparate package of proposals, significantly compromise the legislative check on executive power.

Sadly, parliamentarians have been thoroughly complicit in this drive towards executive government. Consumed by the quest for career advancement, they play the partisan game  offering unequivocal support for the government while in power, using every cheap trick to embarrass it while out of power. Parliament will never function properly as long as all of its members prefer a cabinet appointment to being a MP  to being one of the people whose job it is to hold the executive to account.

The late Jim Travers once wrote: Prime ministers now operate in the omnipotent manner of kings, surrounded by subservient cabinet barons, fawning unelected courtiers, and answerable to no one.

So whos surprised when a politician who holds almost absolute power in the current system takes it upon himself to impose order in his House to expedite a vote?

Its not his House. But its the job of the other 337 occupants to remind him of that fact.

The views, opinions and positions expressed by all iPolitics columnists and contributors are the authors alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of iPolitics.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on California's law allowing life-ending drugs (all times local):

10:35 a.m.

California's attorney general plans to appeal a Riverside County judge's ruling blocking a 2016 state law that allows adults to obtain a prescription for life-ending drugs.

FILE - In this Sunday, July 24, 2016, file photo provided by Niels Alpert, Betsy Davis smiles during her "Right To Die Party" in Ojai, Calif. Davis threw herself the party as she became one of the first to use a California law to take her own life in 2016. Advocates say the terminally ill may die tougher deaths after a judge on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, threw out the law that allows adults to obtain a prescription for life-ending drugs. (Niels Alpert via AP, File)

Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement Wednesday that he will seek an expedited review in an appeals court.

He says he strongly disagrees with Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia's ruling Tuesday that lawmakers illegally passed the law during a special session devoted to other topics. The judge gave Becerra five days to appeal.

The law allows adults to obtain life-ending drugs if a doctor determines they have six months or less to live.

Opponents say it lacks safeguards to prevent abuses.

An advocacy group estimates that in its first year 504 Californians requested prescriptions for medical aid in dying.

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11:15 p.m.

Advocates say the terminally ill may suffer unnecessarily after a judge threw out a California law that allows adults to obtain a prescription for life-ending drugs.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia said Tuesday that lawmakers illegally passed the law during a special session devoted to other topics. The state attorney general has five days to appeal.

The law allows adults to obtain life-ending drugs if a doctor determines they have six months or less to live.

Opponents say it puts terminally ill patients at risk for coerced death and could become a way out for people who are uninsured or fearful of high medical bills.

Democratic Sen. Bill Monning of Carmel, who carried the original legislation, says there has been no reported abuse.

File - In this Sept. 24, 2015 file photo, supporters of a measure to allow the terminally ill to end their own life march at the Capitol while calling on California Gov. Jerry Brown to sign the bill in Sacramento, Calif. A California judge on Tuesday, May15, 2018, threw out a 2016 state law allowing the terminally ill to end their lives, ruling it was unconstitutionally approved by the Legislature. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2015, file photo, Dan Diaz holds a photo of his late wife, Brittany Maynard, taken on their wedding day, during a rally calling for California Gov. Jerry Brown to sign right-to-die legislation at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. A California judge on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, threw out a 2016 state law allowing the terminally ill to end their lives, ruling it was unconstitutionally approved by the Legislature. Maynard moved to Oregon from California to legally end her life in 2014. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Harry Truman is headed back to Washington.

A statue of Truman, the nation's 33rd president who ended World War II after authorizing the use of atomic bombs against Japan, is set to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol next year. Every state gets to choose two statues for the National Statuary Hall Collection, and Missouri has displayed the same two men since the end of the 19th century. Missouri leaders thought it was time that Truman, who they called the most important statesman the state has produced, was represented there.

Alex Burden, the executive director of the Truman Library Institute, said they had raised more than $300,000 to pay for the statue and fielded five artist proposals, four of them from Missouri.

FILE - In this April 25, 1945, file photo, U.S. President Harry S. Truman speaks from a desk in Washington. The Missouri Senate on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, voted 32-0 on a proposal directing that a statue of the former president from Missouri be displayed in the U.S. Capitol. States get to choose two people for the National Statuary Hall Collection, and Missouri has displayed the same two men since the end of the 19th century. Truman will displace one of them. (AP Photo/File)

But the choice of which statue Truman should kick out is not clean-cut.

Truman will displace Francis Preston Blair, Jr. or Thomas Hart Benton. Both men were U.S. Senators, war-time soldiers and slavery opponents.

Yet before Benton spoke so stridently against the expansion of slavery that voters kicked him out of Congress, he inherited two slaves. And while Blair was instrumental in keeping Missouri out of the Confederacy, he once campaigned for office on the premise that black people were part of "a semi-barbarous race."

"Tragically, a controversy has arisen over which of the individuals honored by Missouri represents the greatest level of racism," U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver said in a statement in April.

Cleaver supports kicking out Blair, and years ago Missouri lawmakers approved that swap. A new proposal in the Legislature, however, would instead remove Benton, and for partisan, not racial, reasons.

The question comes amid a national debate over what historical figures should, and should not, be on public display. Confederate statues all over the country have been removed and vandalized.

James Grossman, the executive director of the American Historical Association, said decisions like these matter.

"When a community puts up a statue ... there's a statement of community values," he said. "Statues are as much a part of public education as schoolrooms."

In 2002, no one in Missouri's House or Senate opposed kicking Blair out, and the governor at the time, Democrat Bob Holden, signed off on the change. Truman would stand near Benton, the great-great-uncle of the famous Missouri artist also named "Thomas Hart Benton."

Then the issue took a partisan turn. Both Truman and Benton were Democrats, which didn't sit well with some Republicans in Congress.

Last year, all six Republicans representing Missouri in the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens asking that he "reconsider" removing Blair, who helped establish the Republican Party in Missouri. Spokespeople for Representatives Sam Graves, Vicky Hartzler and Jason Smith confirmed that the impetus for the letter was keeping the statues bipartisan.

As a result, Republican state Sen. Dan Hegeman introduced a resolution in March to keep Blair, a one-time Republican, and remove Benton, the Democrat.

That prompted pushback from editorials in The Kansas City Star and The Joplin Globe arguing that Blair's speeches saying that black people were "inferior" made him far worse.

Hegeman acknowledged that both figures had problems. "They were men of their own time," he said. Blair, however, helped keep Missouri in the Union, he pointed out. That had to count for something.

Both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate agreed with Hegeman's choice, and on Tuesday voted 32-0 to keep Blair. Missouri's House still need to sign off on the resolution, and the legislative session ends Friday.

If the new resolution doesn't pass this year or next, Truman will stand with Benton as planned.

Either way, Truman's arrival in Washington will present the state with another choice: How to commemorate the returned statue?

If it was up to Grossman, at the American Historical Association, he would put statues of controversial people in museums.

"These are all part of our history, they shouldn't be destroyed," he said. "But we can contextualize."

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The resolution is SCR 50
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Two Louisiana lawmakers say they regret getting into a bar fight over legislation.

Rep. Stuart Bishop says Sen. Norby Chabert punched him several times at a downtown Baton Rouge bar, but he didn't strike back. They left before police arrived, and no arrests were made.

The News-Star reports that Bishop, of Lafayette, said: "We had a gentleman's disagreement and settled it with our hands."

Lawmakers in the House roped off the area around Rep. Stuart Bishop's desk, on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Baton Rouge, La. The police tape was a joke after Bishop, R-Lafayette, got into a bar fight with Sen. Norby Chabert, a Houma Republican, a night earlier. Both say they regret the fight and consider themselves friends. (AP Photo/Melinda Deslatte)

Chabert said: "I love Stuart like a brother, and sometimes brothers fight."

Bishop says Chabert, of Houma, was angry one of his bills was blocked.

Gov. John Bel Edwards called it an unfortunate episode between two good friends, and said "They're going to continue to work together."

Both Republicans apologized to their colleagues Wednesday. In the House, crime scene tape was jokingly hung around Bishop's desk.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - The Latest on a legal challenge to the Trump administration's reversal of a proposal to make mining companies prove they can pay for future pollution cleanups (all times local):

11:45 a.m.

The mining industry says it will intervene on behalf of the Trump administration in a lawsuit that seeks to revive an Obama-era rule requiring companies to prove they can clean up their pollution.

National Mining Association Vice President Ashley Burke says the proposed rule would have placed an unnecessary financial burden on companies.

Burke says modern mining practices and regulations already in place sufficiently address pollution from extracting "hardrock" minerals such as copper and gold.

The Sierra Club and other groups on Wednesday asked a federal court to review last year's decision by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt to drop the Obama administration proposal.

The rule was intended to stop companies from abandoning mine sites without cleaning up their pollution, a longstanding problem in the industry.

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9 a.m.

Environmental groups are challenging the Trump administration's rejection of an Obama-era rule that would have required mining companies to prove they have enough money to clean up pollution.

The Idaho Conservation League, Earthworks and other groups on Wednesday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to review last year's move to drop the rule.

Earthjustice Attorney Amanda Goodin says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency action leaves taxpayers responsible for pollution that fouls waterways and endangers public health.

Mining industry representatives pushed hard to kill the rule.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt agreed with their argument that modern mining poses less risk for pollution despite a legacy of taxpayer-funded mine cleanups.

Under former President Barack Obama, the agency determined the opposite - that mining pollution remains an ongoing concern.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) - The Latest on the Texas execution of Juan Castillo (all times local):

6:50 p.m.

A Texas inmate who insisted he wasn't involved in a San Antonio "lovers' lane" killing more than 14 years ago has been executed for the slaying.

This May 9, 2018 photo shows Juan Edward Castillo at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Polunsky Unit near Livingston, Texas. Castillo who is convicted of killing Tommy Garcia Jr. is set for execution Wednesday, May 16, 2018, for the slaying more than 14 years ago. He'd be the sixth inmate put to death this year in Texas, more than any other state. (AP Photo/Mike Graczyk)

Juan Edward Castillo received lethal injection Wednesday evening for the fatal shooting and robbery of a 19-year-old man that testimony showed was carried out by Castillo and several friends on a secluded road where the victim was enticed by the promise of drugs and sex.

The execution is the 11th this year in the U.S., and the sixth in Texas.

The 36-year-old Castillo lost appeals earlier this week at the U.S. Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state's highest court. No last-day appeals were filed in the courts to try to block his punishment.

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1 p.m.

Attorneys for a Texas inmate facing imminent execution are asking Gov. Greg Abbott to grant him a 30-day reprieve.

Amanda Marzullo, executive director of Texas Defender Service, a legal organization whose lawyers have been representing death row inmate Juan Castillo, says the additional time is needed to ensure Texas executes a man who was properly convicted.

Marzullo, in a letter to Abbott, raises a number of questions about Castillo's case that the courts either have refused to consider or have rejected.

The Texas parole board earlier this week refused to recommend Abbott grant clemency for Castillo, who is set to die Wednesday evening.

He was convicted of killing a 19-year-old San Antonio man, Tommy Garcia Jr., during a robbery in 2003.

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11:15 p.m.

A Texas inmate has insisted he wasn't involved in a San Antonio killing more than 14 years ago that sent him to death row.

Juan Castillo faces lethal injection Wednesday evening for the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man in a robbery plot.

Castillo would be the 11th convicted killer put to death this year in the U.S. and the sixth in Texas.

His appeals lawyers have contended no physical evidence tied him to the 2003 slaying of Tommy Garcia Jr. and argued in appeals that trial testimony from witnesses who said Castillo talked about committing the crime was false or misleading.

Testimony showed Castillo's girlfriend offered Garcia drugs and sex if he'd take her in his car to a San Antonio lovers' lane. Once they were parked, testimony showed Castillo demanded Garcia's money. Garcia refused and was shot.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - The stepmother of a 5-year-old Wichita boy who has been missing since February was found not guilty of child endangerment in an unrelated case involving her own daughter.

A jury deliberated for less than an hour before returning the not guilty verdict Wednesday in the case of Emily Glass, The Wichita Eagle reported. Glass has been on trial for reportedly smoking three bowls of marijuana in her garage and then driving with her 1-year-old daughter to a local restaurant.

Prosecutor Monika Hoyt told jurors Glass admitted smoking pot in law enforcement interviews. Defense attorney Julia Leth-Perez countered there was no physical evidence proving she had smoked pot or that it affected her driving.

Emily Glass appears in Sedgwick County District Court in Wichita, Kan., Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Glass, the stepmother of a 5-year-old Wichita boy who has been missing since February, was found not guilty Wednesday of child endangerment in an unrelated case involving her own daughter. (Travis Heying/The Wichita Eagle via AP)

The trial did not touch on the larger mystery surrounding her stepson, who was reported missing the day after that trip.

Glass has not been charged in the Feb. 17 disappearance of her stepson, Lucas Hernandez. Glass told police she last saw Lucas playing in his bedroom before she took a shower and fell asleep. He was gone when she woke up from her nap.

Despite extensive searches, the boy has still not been found.

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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The headmistress at a North Carolina school has been indicted in a case involving a former teacher who's accused of multiple sex crimes with an underage student.

Police told local news outlets 55-year-old Nancy Beth Errichetti of Raleigh was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and aiding and abetting taking indecent liberties with a child. Errichetti is the head of Montessori School of Raleigh.

The former teacher, 36-year-old Nicholas Conlon Smith of Raleigh, has been booked on several charges stemming from an incident between 2011 and 2012, and another incident in August 2015.

Earlier this month, former students filed a lawsuit against Smith, Errichetti and the school.

Indy Week reports the indictment says Errichetti had knowledge of inappropriate behavior and failed to act.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Qatar and its adversaries in the Persian Gulf crisis have finally agreed to do something together: join the U.S. in placing terror sanctions on the Iranian ally Hezbollah.

The U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf nations are slapping sanctions on Hezbollah's senior leadership. The sanctions are being coordinated by a U.S.-Gulf partnership called the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center.

The group was formed last May. Shortly thereafter, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain cut off ties to Qatar and moved to isolate it economically. The spat has remained in a stalemate despite intermittent attempts by the U.S. to mediate or to hasten a resolution.

Most of the Hezbollah officials were already under heavy U.S. sanctions, so the actions will have limited practical implication in the United States. The Trump administration has been targeting Lebanese Hezbollah to increase pressure on its patron, Iran, following President Donald Trump's withdrawal last week from the Iran nuclear deal.

The sanctions come the same day that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke by phone with Qatar's foreign minister and urged a quick end to the Gulf dispute. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Pompeo emphasized the Trump administration's commitment to working with all the Gulf nations to ensure sanctions are "fully enforced" and prevent the nations' financial systems from being exploited by terrorists.
UPDATED

Ever since President Donald Trump took office, school choice has pretty much belly-flopped in Congress. And next year, things might get at least a little bit tougher for choice supporters.

Thats because Indiana GOP Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita vacated their seats in the House of Representatives to get the Republican nomination for Indianas Senate race this year. But they both lost the primary racebusinessman Mike Braun won the nomination instead. So when the 116th Congress boots up in 2019, it looks like Messer and Rokita wont be a part of it. Messer championed a tax break for parents who home school their children, and also backed a plan to let students take some federal money to the public or private schools of their choice. And Rokita has worked on legislation to create a federally backed tax-credit scholarship program.

The two lawmakers are famous for not getting along. Its possible that the exit of these two lawmakers who fought for several years over the same piece of niche policy turf might clear the field for new advocates. Still, theres power in numbers, and Rokita holds a fair amount of power over K-12 as the chairman of a House subcommittee overseeing elementary and secondary schools. But regardless, who might be decent candidates in the House to fill the void? Below are a fewbut not an all-inclusiveset of names to consider. Spoiler alert: Theyre all Republicans.

Jim Banks, R-Ind.

If you follow school choice in Washington, youve probably seen by now that Banks is the author of what might be one of choices last chances to succeed on Capitol Hill this year: a bill that would divert a portion of Impact Aid funding to education savings accounts that children connected to the military could use for different services, including private school. Banks will likely push for his legislation to be included in the National Defense Authorization Act, which is due to be considered in the House next week. The Heritage Foundation and its political arm have lobbied heavily in favor of the legislation, but theres no guarantee at all it will get added to the NDAA.

Banks is also a co-sponsor on Rokitas CHOICE Act , which aims to expand choice to children in military families, students covered by federal special education law, and others.

Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla.

Curbelo served on the House education committee in the 114th Congress, but hes no longer a member. (Neither is Banks, for that matter.) Curbelos a former member of the Miami-Dade districts school board, and having made his way through Florida politics, hes likely to be intimately familiar with the political weight school choice has in the Sunshine State.

In 2015 when the Every Student Succeeds Act was being negotiated on Capitol Hill, Curbelo touted his involvement in negotiating a final version of the law . Curbelo said at the time that what became ESSA promotes school choice. That turned out to be true in a handful of ways, although most states havent really taken advantage of these opportunities. However, keep in mind that political handicappers consider Curbelo a vulnerable GOP lawmaker in this years House elections.

Jeff Duncan, R-S.C.

Like Messer and Rokita, Duncan is a member of the School Choice Caucus . (Messer is the caucus chairman.) Hes spoken more than once on the House floor about National School Choice Week . In addition to co-sponsoring the legislation that authorizing the District of Columbias voucher programnot at all unusual for a GOP member of the Househes also an original co-sponsor of the A-Plus Act, which would essentially allow states to opt out of federal accountability for education and consolidate funding into block grants. Congress rejected an amendment containing the A-Plus Act when it considered ESSA in 2015.

I believe that each state and especially parents and teachersnot Washingtonshould be the primary education policy makers in our country, Duncan says on his website . If we restore education decisions to those who are closest to our childrento those who know them bestwe will create more opportunity for our students to learn and to succeed.

Here are other GOP members of the School Choice Caucus to consider: Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin , Rep. Paul Mitchell of Michigan , and Rep. Jackie Walorski of Indiana .

Tim Walberg, R-Mich.

Walberg has a few things going for him. Unlike the other three people weve mentioned, hes on the House education committee, although hes chairman of a subcommitee that doesnt deal with schools. (While in Congress, both Walberg and Curbelo received donations from Betsy DeVos before she was nominated as education secretary.) Walberg is also a member of the Congressional School Choice Caucus.

In addition, like Duncan, Walberg has spoken at National School Choice Week events. That may not sound like much, but its more than many GOP House lawmakers who nominally are supportive of school choice. It also means hes built at least some connections with the choice community in D.C., if not elsewhere. Finally, he represents DeVos home state, which may mean virtually nothing but probably doesnt hurt.

Mark Walker, R-N.C.

That A-Plus Act we mentioned earlier? Walker is the one who introduced it for this Congress . He also spoke at the launch of the Heritage Foundations Center for Education Policy last year. Heritage, youll remember, is an influential backer of Banks Impact Aid bill, and is one of the most vocal supporters of school choice in Washington.

As conservatives we know that children succeed when parents and teachers are empowered, not the bureaucracies or the politicians, Walker said at the Heritage launch event.

One more thing to keep in mind: There will be new members of Congress in 2019. Its unlikely there will be a huge new wave of GOP lawmakers in the next Congress, but one of them could become a prominent school choice champion relatively quickly.

And heres a full list of members of the Congressional School Choice Caucus, courtesy of Messers office:

Rep. Rick Allen, R-Ga.

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.

Rep. David Brat, R-Va.

Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind.

Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind.

Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Ala.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga.

Rep. Paul Cook, R-Calif.

Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C.

Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc.

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa

Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.

Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind.

Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Mich.

Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich.

Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C.

Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla.

Rep. Todd Rokita, R-Ind.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.

Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La.

Rep. Tim Scott, R-S.C.

Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich.

Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind.

Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark.

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C.

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind.

Did we leave anyone off this list? Let us know in the comments section.

School choice is one of the biggest topics we cover. See a sample of our top stories:

Image: Getty Images


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A Florida judge will soon decide if patients approved to use medical marijuana will be allowed to smoke it.

Leon County circuit court Judge Karen Gievers heard testimony Wednesday from two women with terminal illnesses challenging the state's ban on smoking cannabis.

Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2016 allowing the use of medical marijuana. The only mention of smoking in the amendment's language and in an intent document during the 2016 campaign was that the Legislature and local governments could restrict it in public places.

John Morgan, who helped get Florida's medical marijuana amendment on the ballot and passed in 2016, takes questions before a trial on whether the ban on smoking cannabis is allowed under the state constitution on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Joe Reedy)

"I don't think you need to be too much of a legal scholar to understand it means it is allowed in other places," said John Morgan, who led the effort to get the constitutional amendment passed.

The Legislature last year passed enacting laws that banned the sale of smoking products, saying that poses a health risk. The laws, which were signed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott in June, state that patients can use cannabis through vaping and in food, oils, sprays and tinctures.

Jon Mills, who represented the plaintiffs, said in closing arguments that the intent document clearly laid out that private use was not illegal.

"It does allow regulation of amount but not type. Clearly smokable marijuana is a type of marijuana," he said.

Deputy Solicitor General Rachel Nordby, representing the state, deemed the law was constitutional because the Legislature has a role in policing public health concerns.

"This case is not about what is or what is not marijuana. This case is about is the permissible plain uses of marijuana," she said.

One of the women who appeared was Cathy Jordan, who has had ALS since 1986. Jordan told the judge that smoking the plant is the only effective way for her to use it as medicine.

Jordan testified that smoking it dries her excess saliva, increases her appetite and works as a muscle relaxer.

"The edibles cause terrible stomach pain and vaping makes me gag," she said. "Smoking makes my life a lot more bearable."

Jordan said that when she was diagnosed with ALS - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - doctors thought she would live only three to five more years. She credits smoking with helping to prolong her life and has been supported by her physicians.

"Today we saw a woman literally fighting for her life hoping to smoke medical marijuana ... ," Morgan said. "The state of Florida is in fact trying to take her life and so many like her. If I was (Attorney General) Pam Bondi and Rick Scott I'd take a look at this video and say enough is enough. Let's stop the politics and let these people live."

John Tupps, a spokesman for Gov. Scott, said the state's Department of Health has been "working nonstop" to implement the law that was passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority.

"Implementing Amendment 2 has been delayed by the constant litigation filed by special interests," he said.

Diana Dodson, who has had HIV since 1991, testified that vaping is 50 percent less effective than smoking and that smoking allows her to get the proper dosage needed.

Gievers isn't expected to take much time in ruling on the case. Both sides, though, agree that this is likely the first step in a longer legal battle.

"The judge implied as much herself. Whatever her ruling is, this ain't stopping in Leon County Circuit Court," said Ben Pollara, who runs Florida for Care, a nonprofit medical marijuana advocacy group. "I've always thought we had a strong case. It is in the constitution and pretty clear conflict with the statute."
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump and immigration issues (all times local):

4:50 p.m.

House GOP leaders are warning rebellious Republicans that forcing roll calls on immigration could damage the party by weakening conservatives' enthusiasm for voting in this fall's midterm elections.

Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson, left, listensas President Donald Trump speaks to California Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez during a roundtable on immigration policy in California, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

California Republican Rep. Jeff Denham says that's what party leaders said during a closed-door meeting of Republicans on Wednesday. Another person in the room who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to describe a private discussion said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy delivered that message.

Denham and Florida GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo are leading a drive to force the House to vote on four immigration bills including liberal, conservative and bipartisan measures.

House Speaker Paul Ryan opposes that effort and is seeking a bill that can pass Congress and get President Donald Trump's signature. Party leaders have unsuccessfully sought such a compromise for months.

- Associated Press writer Alan Fram contributed to this item.

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3:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump is hammering California for its sanctuary policies in his latest push to resist the "resistance" to his presidency.

Trump on Wednesday met with local California leaders who oppose the state's refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

That includes failing to notify federal officials when people living in the country illegally are released from jails.

Trump thanked the officials, saying they had "bravely resisted California's deadly and unconstitutional sanctuary state laws." He added that "California's law provides safe harbor to some of the most vicious and violent offenders on earth."

Trump argues that the policies violate federal law and result in the release of criminals into communities.

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on immigration policy in California in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on immigration policy in California, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on immigration policy in California in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on immigration policy in California, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., listens during a roundtable on immigration policy in California, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump listens during a roundtable on immigration policy in California in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The Latest on an Oklahoma woman accused of stabbing one child and fleeing another (all times local):

4:15 p.m.

A Tulsa woman's 9-year-old daughter told investigators her mother held her and her two sisters hostage in their home for a week before the woman allegedly stabbed her 11-year-old daughter 50 to 70 times, struck her head with a pickaxe and set the home on fire.

This photo provided by the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office shows Taheerah Ahmad who remains jailed Wednesday, May 16, 2018, after authorities accused her of stabbing one of her daughters and setting their home on fire. Authorities say Ahmad was arrested in downtown Tulsa Tuesday and another daughter who had been reported missing was found safe, police said. (Tulsa County Sheriff's Office via AP)

The woman, 39-year-old Taheerah Ahmad, is accused of attacking her eldest daughter Monday night and fleeing with her 8-year-old daughter, who was found safe with her mother Tuesday. Ahmad was being held without bond Wednesday on complaints of arson, child abuse and assault and battery with intent to kill.

An arrest report indicates the 9-year-old girl told detectives the girls' mother "forced them to stay in their rooms without food or water" and threatened to stab them if they tried to leave.

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8:29 a.m.

A Tulsa woman remains jailed without bond Wednesday morning after authorities accused her of stabbing her eldest daughter and setting their home on fire.

Taheerah Ahmad was arrested Tuesday afternoon after witnesses recognized her vehicle and called police. Authorities accuse her of attacking her 11-year-old daughter and fleeing with her 8-year-old daughter. The younger daughter, who authorities initially said was 7, was found safe.

Ahmad told police she became upset about two of her three girls reading a book.

The mother is being held on complaints of arson, child abuse and assault and battery with the intent to kill. Her 11-year-old daughter is in critical condition.

Video of the arrest shot by KOTV in Tulsa shows the 8-year-old playing in an SUV as officers led her mother away in handcuffs.
GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) - The Latest on a Georgia GOP hopeful's "Deportation Bus" tour (all times local):

5:30 p.m.

A Georgia gubernatorial candidate riding around the state in a "deportation bus" has been greeted with protests by immigrants and other residents who say his campaign message is hateful and racist.

In this frame from video provided by the Michael Williams for Governor campaign, Williams shows off his "Deportation Bus" in an advertisement. News outlets report Williams will bring the bus to what his campaign calls Georgia's "dangerous sanctuary cities" beginning Wednesday, May 16, 2018. (Michael Williams for Governor via AP)

The bus carrying state Sen. Michael Williams stopped Wednesday at a Clarkston strip mall housing a Nepalese restaurant and a Halal butcher and grocer.

About 100 protesters turned out to greet Williams, including Joan Coles, a Clarkston resident who says Williams is using scare tactics to demonize immigrants.

Williams says in a campaign video ad that his bus will send immigrants living in the country illegally "home." He says he plans to bring the bus to Georgia's "dangerous sanctuary cities."

The candidate dismissed critics who have called his campaign rhetoric racist. He says he's only interested in upholding the law.

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4:20 p.m.

An ad for a Georgia GOP gubernatorial hopeful that features a "Deportation Bus" has been reinstated on YouTube after being removed for violating the website's hate speech policy.

The ad was taken down early Wednesday but was shortly made available again on the video sharing platform.

YouTube said in a statement that it sometimes makes the wrong call on videos flagged by users and, in those circumstances, takes action to restore them.

The candidate is state Sen. Michael Williams of Cumming, former state co-chair for Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Williams says in the ad that his bus will send immigrants living in the country illegally "home."

Williams is bringing the bus to what his campaign calls Georgia's "dangerous sanctuary cities."

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11:30 a.m.

A Georgia GOP gubernatorial candidate's ad featuring a "Deportation Bus" has been removed from YouTube for violating the website's policy on hate speech.

The ad was taken down Wednesday.

Michael Williams is former state co-chair for Donald Trump's presidential campaign. He says in the ad that his bus will send immigrants living the country illegally "home."

Williams is bringing the bus to what his campaign calls Georgia's "dangerous sanctuary cities" beginning Wednesday.

Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry has alerted local police over concerns that immigration vigilantes might seek residents to put on the bus.

Georgia Democratic Party Latino Caucus Chair Antonio Molina says Republicans are using anti-immigrant scare tactics.

The GOP gubernatorial race has been marked by over-the-top advertising. Another ad shows a GOP candidate pointing a shotgun toward a young man.

The primary is May 22.
HOUSTON (AP) - Defense attorneys are claiming that court-appointed prosecutors have financial incentives to seek the death penalty against a Jordanian-born man accused in two slayings that authorities allege is driven by his daughter's decision to marry a Christian.

Ali Irsan's defense team is seeking to remove pro tem prosecutors from the high-profile Houston case before the trial later this month, the Houston Chronicle reported . Irsan's lawyers, Allen Tanner and Rudy Duarte, filed a motion this April requesting prosecutors' dismissal.

Irsan is facing a capital murder charge in the 2012 shooting death of an Iranian women's rights activist, Gelareh Bagherzadeh. Police allege that Irsan, his wife and his son carried out the killing of Bagherzadeh, 30, near her parents' home in Houston.

Irsan's wife, Shmou Ali Alrawabdeh, and his son, Nasim Irsan, face murder charges in the Bagherzadeh case.

Prosecutors allege that Irsan also played a role in death of his son-in-law, Coty Beavers, 11 months later.

Authorities have said both slayings were motivated by Irsan's ire over his daughter marrying Beavers, a Christian. Bagherzadeh was a Christian convert and friend of Irsan's daughter, Nesreen Irsan.

Irsan's daughter had a protective order against her father after leaving home in 2011 and marrying Beavers, 28, according to testimony during a hearing on federal fraud charges.

Irsan, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, was sentenced to federal prison in 2015 for scamming the Social Security Administration.

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Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com
MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) - Jurors convicted a man Wednesday of kidnapping and killing a western Michigan gas station clerk whose body has never been found.

The Muskegon County jury deliberated about 1 hours before finding Jeffrey Willis, 48, guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 25-year-old Jessica Heeringa, a mother of a 3-year-old son who disappeared in 2013 while working late at a gas station in Norton Shores.

Willis is scheduled to be sentenced June 12. First-degree murder in Michigan carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Jeffrey Willis sits in the 14th Judicial Circuit Court in Muskegon, Mich., Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Willis is facing trial for the kidnapping and murder of Jessica Heeringa, who disappeared from her late-night job at a Norton Shores gas station in April 2013. Her body has never been recovered. (Mike Krebs /Muskegon Chronicle via AP)

Willis was also convicted last year in the 2014 fatal shooting of jogger Rebekah Bletsch. He's already serving a life sentence in her death.

Willis showed no emotion as the verdicts were read, and he quickly was escorted from the courtroom. Muskegon County Prosecutor D.J. Hilson embraced police investigators who worked for years to build the state's case.

Hilson presented a mostly circumstantial case. He told jurors that Willis had computer files containing information about Bletsch and Heeringa. Although Heeringa's body has not been found, Hilson said there was ample evidence to convict Willis in her death.

But defense attorney Fred Johnson argued there was no evidence Willis killed or kidnapped Heeringa, a woman the public defender described as "living a tumultuous life."

Willis also is expected to stand trial for the 2016 attempted kidnapping of a teenager.
SAN DIEGO (AP) - President Donald Trump is wrongly blaming Democrats for a law that he says is forcing migrant children to be taken from their parents at the border. The decision to separate families was made by the Trump administration.

A look at his comment Wednesday during his meeting with local California officials who support the president's moves on immigration policy:

TRUMP to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen: "I know what you're going through right now with families is very tough but those are the bad laws that the Democrats gave us. We have to break up families. The Democrats gave us that law. It's a horrible thing where you have to break up families. The Democrats gave us that law and they don't want to do anything about it. They'll leave it like that 'cause they don't want to make any changes. And now you're breaking up families because of the Democrats. It's terrible."

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on immigration policy in California in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

THE FACTS: Not so. No law that "the Democrats gave us" mandates the separation of children from their parents at the border.

A 2008 law designed to combat child trafficking has been described by Trump and his administration as a principal reason for "catch-and-release" policies that he's trying to end at the border.

The law says children traveling alone from countries other than Mexico or Canada must be released in the "least restrictive setting" - often to family or a government-run shelter - while their cases slowly wind through immigration court. It was designed to accommodate an influx of children fleeing to the U.S. from Central America.

And it had full-throated support from Republicans and Democrats alike, passing both houses of Congress unanimously. Republican George W. Bush signed it into law as one of his last acts as president.

The law says nothing about breaking up families. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently announced a "zero tolerance" policy for illegal entries, pledging to criminally prosecute people with few or no previous offenses. If parents are jailed, they are separated from children who joined them under protocols described in the 2008 law.

Administration officials have acknowledged that about 700 children have been separated from their parents since October. That figure is certain to increase once the zero-tolerance policy takes hold; nearly 50,000 Border Patrol arrests since October were of people who came as families. That's about 1 in 4 arrests by the agents.

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TRUMP: "Our numbers are much better than in the past, but they're not nearly acceptable and not nearly as good as what we could have. We're down 40 percent from those other standards, so that's really good - meaning 40 percent crossings."

THE FACTS: That claim of a 40 percent drop in illegal crossings in a year is based on outdated numbers. Yes, Border Patrol arrests plummeted to the lowest level since 1971 during the last budget year. But they began a sharp and steady climb after Trump's first few months in office. One likely explanation is that people who initially took a wait-and-see attitude toward Trump are now taking their chances.

Overall border arrests in April - which add people who are stopped at land crossings and other official points of entry - topped 50,000 for a second straight month. That was more than triple the number from a year earlier, which was the lowest tally on record since the Homeland Security Department was created in 2003.

Border arrests are an imprecise measure of how many people are attempting to enter the country illegally, because the numbers who make it into the U.S. are not known. But when arrests are up, that's taken by the government to mean that more people are trying.

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Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed from Washington.

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Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd

Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck
North Korea is threatening to cancel the forthcoming summit with the US due to ongoing military exercises between America and South Korea, according to reports.

A meeting between the two Koreas at a border village to discuss setting up military and Red Cross talks to reduce border tension and restart reunions between families separated by the Korean War has also been cancelled by Pyongyang, Yonhap News Agency said.

North Koreas Korean Central News Agency reported that Pyongyang was also questioning whether next months summit between North Koreas Kim Jong Un and US president Donald Trump can also take place as planned.

However, the US has said it is going ahead with plans for the meeting between the two leaders.

Yonhap said the two-week military exercise between the US and South Korea started on Friday.

A TV screen shows a satellite image of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea (AP)

The operations are thought to have involved 100 warplanes.

The Korean Central News Agency reported: The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities.

On Tuesday, South Koreas military said North Korea was moving ahead with plans to close its nuclear test site next week, an assessment backed by US researchers who say satellite images show the North has begun dismantling facilities at the site.

The sites closure was set to come before Mr Kim and Mr Trumps summit, which had been shaping up to be a crucial moment in the global diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear stand-off with the North.

The US state department said Washington has not heard anything directly from Pyongyang or Seoul which would change plans for the historic meeting, proposed for June 12.

Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Mr Kim had previously indicated he understood the need and purpose of the US continuing its long-planned joint exercises with South Korea.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos railed against state constitutional prohibitions on public funds going to faith-based institutions, in a speech Wednesday to the Alfred E. Smith Foundation in New York City. Her trip also included visits to two religious schools.



The target of DeVos wrath: so-called Blaine amendments to state constitutions that prohibit public funds from being used for religious purposes . DeVos said these amendments, many of which originated in the late 1800s, began as bigoted against Catholics.



These Blaine provisions prohibit taxpayer funding of sectarian'a euphemism at that time for Catholic'activities, even when they serve the public good, DeVos said, according to prepared remarks of the speech to the foundation, which is affiliated Archdiocese of New York. Activities like addiction recovery, hospice care, orthe amendments primary targetparochial education.

These amendments are still on the books in 37 states, DeVos said. And though she didnt get into this in her speech, that includes her home state of Michigan. Back in 2000, DeVos helped lead an effort to change the states constitution to allow for school vouchers. It failed .

She added that theres hope that Blaine amendments wont be around much longer. Last year, she said, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for a state-funded playground restoration program in Columbia, Mo., to exclude a facility on the grounds of a church. (That case is Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Mo. v. Comer . More about it here .) School choice advocates are hoping that ruling will prod state lawmakers to re-examine Blaine amendments .

These amendments should be assigned to the ash heap of history and this last acceptable prejudice should be stamped out once and for all, DeVos said.

But Maggie Garrett, the legislative director at Americans United for the Separation of Church, a nonprofit organization in Washington, has a different take on the state constituional amendments, which she referred to as no aid clauses.

Like with many things, Betsy Devos has her facts wrong, Garrett said. Its a simplistic and inaccurate view of the history. There were many reasons why people support no-aid causes, many of them were legitimate. And she noted that states continue to support such amendments. Recenty, for instance, Oklahoma tried to strike its clause through a state referendum, but the effort was resoundingly defeated

And she said that DeVos is overstating the impact of the Trinity Lutheran decision, which, in Garretts view, applied narrowly to playground resurfacing.

Federal Role in School Choice

DeVos also gave a shout-out to statesincluding , Florida, Illinois, and Pennsylvaniathat have created so-called tax credit scholarship programs, in which individuals and corporations can get a tax break for donating to scholarship granting organizations.

DeVos worked behind the scenes last year to get a similar, federal program included in a tax overhaul bill, but was ultimately unsuccessful, sources say. Still, school choice advocates havent given up on the idea.

In her speech, though, DeVos acknowledged that a new, federal school choice program might be tough to enact, and even undesirable.

A top-down solution emanating from Washington would only grow government ... a new federal office to oversee your private schools and your scholarship organizations. An office staffed with more unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats tasked to make decisions families should be free to make for themselves. Just imagine for a moment how that might impact you under an administration hostile to your faith! " she said. So, when it comes to education, no solutionnot even ones we likeshould be dictated by Washington, D.C.

She also conceded that Congress isnt too keen on the idea. In addition, leaders on both sides of the aisle in Congressfriend and foe alikehave made it abundantly clear that any bill mandating choice to every state would never reach the presidents desk, DeVos added.

This wasnt DeVos only stop in New York City to a religious educational organization. On Tuesday, she had a closed-press visit to Manhattan High School for Girls, an Orthodox Jewish school. That event wasnt originally posted on her public schedule. And on Wednesday, she planned to stop off at Yeshiva Darchei Torah Boys School, also in New York.

DeVos has no plans to a visit a public school in the nations largest school district during this trip, upsetting some parents, according to the Wall Street Journa l and Chalkbeat.

Her visit also came as New York City officials say they are looking into complaints that dozens of ultra-Orthodox yeshivas arent providing enough secular studies. The two schools the secretary planned to visit arent part of that investigation, according to the WSJ.

The swing through religious institutions was by design, said Elizabeth Hill, a DeVos spokeswoman.

Here in New York as well as across the country, religious education plays an important role in the education landscape, Hill said in an email. Every child and family has unique education needs, and for some, that means not having to bifurcate religion from education. Touring yeshiva schools over the last two days gave the secretary an opportunity to see firsthand how thats working for Orthodox families.

Where else has DeVos been? Check our school visit tracker .

Photo: Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos steps out of the Manhattan High School for Girls on May 15 in New York. DeVos met with students and faculty for several hours at the orthodox Jewish private school.

--Mark Lennihan/AP

School choice is one of the biggest topics we cover. See a sample of our top stories:

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Home Office failings are having a devastating effect on people seeking safety in Britain, a new report claims.

Refugee Action said its research indicated asylum seekers face a complex web of hostility and mistrust.

The charitys assessment flagged up long delays in determining applications, pointing to figures showing that an initial decision was still pending after at least six months in 14,306 cases at the end of last year.

A new report examines the Home Offices handling of the asylum system (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

We're proud to launch our new report on the human impact of Home Office failures throughout the asylum system, and why reform is urgent: https://t.co/DhWXSUilEe #StandUpForAsylum  Refugee Action  (@RefugeeAction) May 16, 2018

Stephen Hale, chief executive of Refugee Action, said: Britains asylum system often does immense damage to people who come to this country to claim protection.

Refugees are being forced to wait years for a decision on their asylum claim.

Our research shows the huge stress and anxiety this is causing, as people struggle to provide for their families and survive on little over 5 a day.

Banned from work or study, they feel hopeless, isolated and excluded.

The Home Office is systematically failing to respect the rights of vulnerable people.

The criticism is the latest to hit the Home Office following a furious backlash over the Windrush scandal.

Refugee Actions research  based on 40 interviews with asylum-seekers  found that waiting more than six months, and often years, for a decision is taking a tremendous toll on peoples well-being.

One woman, a victim of human trafficking, has been waiting a year and a half for a decision.

She said: I feel like my life has been rotating, I dont move forward. Its the same thing: Im always a slave to someone.

The paper also claimed that bad practices and poor decision-making are putting lives at risk.

Nationally, a third of appeals against refused asylum applications are successful, according to the report.

Refugee Action called for the Government to take urgent action to reform the system.

Its recommendations include giving people the right to work after six months of waiting for a decision, and granting discretionary leave to remain for those forced to wait for longer than a year.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection.

In 2017 there were just under 15,000 grants of asylum, alternative protection or resettlement, of whom almost 6,000 were children.

We are committed to transforming the asylum system. We are modernising our processes and have established a new team to focus on more complex cases to make sure that they are decided faster.

The department said there may be a number of reasons why asylum decisions require further time, some of which may be outside its control.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have given Princess Charlotte and Prince George starring roles in the royal wedding  but there is still a question mark over who will walk the bride down the aisle.

Kensington Palace announced on Wednesday that Harrys niece and nephew would be among Ms Markles six bridesmaids and four pageboys this weekend.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the wedding of the Duchess of Cambridges sister, Pippa Middleton, to her millionaire groom, James Matthews (PA)

But there was no news about a replacement for Ms Markles father, who has reportedly said he will not be at the service because he is due to have a heart operation.

Thomas Markle suffered an apparent heart attack last week and will reportedly undergo surgery in the US on Wednesday.

He told celebrity website TMZ that doctors would clear any blockage, repair damage and put a stent where it is needed.

That news came after Mr Markle said on Monday that he would not be at the wedding, then told the site that he was determined to make his daughters big day and be a part of history.

The former lighting directors attendance at the ceremony at Windsor Castle has been speculated on widely following allegations that he posed for staged paparazzi photos.

The royal wedding is taking place at St Georges Chapel in Windsor (Andrew Matthews/PA)

The day after the Mail On Sunday reported that the pictures, which appeared in a number of British newspapers, were mocked up, Ms Markles father dropped out of the wedding, according to TMZ, telling the site he did not want to embarrass the royal family or his daughter.

But on Monday he missed a call from his daughter and she later told him she loved him in a text message and said she was concerned about his health.

Despite her parents divorcing when she was six, Ms Markle has remained close to her father.

(PA Graphics)

Meanwhile, her mother, Doria Ragland, reportedly set off for London from the US on Wednesday.

She is expected to escort her daughter to St Georges Chapel for Saturdays service before exchanging places with the bridesmaids and pageboys.

Charlotte, three, and four-year-old George are already skilled in the role, having performed the duty for the Duchess of Cambridges sister, Pippa Matthews, last year.

The bridesmaids also include Harrys goddaughters, Zalie Warren, two, and three-year-old Florence van Cutsem, Ms Markles goddaughters, sisters Remi and Rylan Litt, aged six and seven respectively, and four-year-old Ivy Mulroney.

The other pageboys are Harrys godson, Jasper Dyer, aged six, and seven-year-old twin brothers Brian and John Mulroney.

Harry has paid tribute to former mentor and close friend Mark Dyer by requesting his son Jasper as a pageboy, while Ms Markle has publicly recognised one of her best friends, stylist Jessica Mulroney, by choosing her twin sons to take part in the wedding.

Mr Dyer, a redhead like the prince, was a supportive big brother figure for Harry during the 1990s and early 2000s when the teenager was coming to terms with the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

Mrs Mulroney, who is married to Ben Mulroney, the son of former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, was photographed arriving at Heathrow Airport with her family on Tuesday night.

Zalie Warren is the daughter of Jake Warren, son of the Queens bloodstock and racing adviser John Warren, and his wife Zoe.

The palace has already announced that Ms Markle is not having a maid of honour because she did not want to choose just one person from her close-knit group of friends.
Two police officers who apprehended the killer of murdered Labour MP Jo Cox were applauded in the Commons as they watched Prime Ministers Questions.

Pc Craig Nicholls and Pc Jonathan Wright, of West Yorkshire Police, sat in the side gallery and were commended by Theresa May for their bravery and hard work.

Commons Speaker John Bercow, speaking at the start of the questions session, said: Today the two extremely brave police officers who apprehended the killer of our late friend and colleague Jo Cox are in the side gallery for Prime Ministers Questions.

Pc Craig Nicholls, left, and Pc Jonathan Wright, pictured as they left the Old Bailey after giving evidence in the trial of Thomas Mair in 2016 (Victoria Jones/PA)

I am referring to Pc Jonathan Wright and Pc Craig Nicholls, both of the West Yorkshire Police.

Gentlemen, we honour your public service, we thank you for it and we offer you the warmest of welcomes here to the House of Commons today.

Following a round of applause across the House, the Prime Minister said it was appropriate for the Commons to recognise the bravery and hard work of the two police officers.

She said: When Jo Cox was killed, this House lost one of its best.

Mother-of-two Mrs Cox, 41, was shot and stabbed by neo-Nazi Thomas Mair in her Batley and Spen constituency just days before the 2016 EU referendum.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn thanked Mr Bercow for welcoming the officers to the chamber, adding: They did great work, as indeed police officers do all over the country.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin has called for the Israeli ambassador to be expelled, as a book of condolence was opened in the city for the Palestinian victims of the conflict in Gaza.

Micheal Mac Donncha, a Sinn Fein councillor, was joined by Palestinian ambassador Ahmad Abdelrazek to open the book of condolence at Mansion House.

Almost 60 Palestinians were killed and more than 2,700 injured by Israeli forces during protests on Monday.

Mr Mac Donncha said: I think there is tremendous sympathy among the people of Dublin for the people of Palestine and also a lot of anger, deep anger, at the actions of the Israeli government.

Asked if he supported calls for the Israeli ambassador to be expelled from Ireland, he said: I think it has come to that and that is the position of the city council.

Micheal Mac Donncha and Ahmad Abdelrazek launch the book of condolence at Mansion House (Brian Lawless/PA)

On Tuesday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: The Government will not be expelling the ambassador at this time.

In fact in recent decades, if ever, Ireland has never expelled an ambassador. That is not the way we believe we should engage with other states.

Mr Varadkar expressed his shock at the deaths and said: There is no indication that the scale of the threat could have justified such violence and so many deaths.

Mr Abdelrazek said he felt the solidarity and sympathy of the Irish people.

He said: I will always appreciate that. This time you can measure how the Irish people are outraged.

Members of the public began to arrive at Mansion House to sign the book of condolence after it was opened at midday on Wednesday.
A former Cabinet minister warned MPs risk denying the wishes of constituents over Brexit as he returned to the Commons in a neck brace following a riding accident.

Conservative Owen Paterson claimed lasting damage to our democracy could be done by MPs if they do not support the Government in ensuring the UK leaves the single market, customs union and jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

He also offered his heartfelt thanks to staff at the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries and Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, adding: Without their extraordinary skill, professionalism and simple human kindness, I would not be here today.

Conservative former minister Owen Paterson returned to the Commons following a riding accident (PA)

He suffered two broken vertebrae in his neck and one in his back after falling from a horse in January.

Delighted to pay tribute to the outstanding work of the Midland Centre for Spinal Injuries @RJAH_NHS at #PMQs, without whom I simply would not be here. https://t.co/Q1N3P8iSsO  Owen Paterson (@OwenPaterson) May 16, 2018

Mr Paterson quickly returned to a favoured subject upon his return by using Prime Ministers Questions to address his Brexit concerns.

The Leave supporter was heckled by some Opposition MPs as he said: The House of Commons Library confirms estimates that 63% of the members of this House represent constituencies that voted Leave.

Does the Prime Minister agree with me that, should those members not support her by voting for her programme of taking back control by leaving the single market, the customs union, any customs union and the remit of the ECJ, they will be denying the democratic vote of their constituents and do lasting damage to our democracy?

Mrs May welcomed Mr Paterson back to the Commons, adding: Hes absolutely right. What this Government is doing is delivering on the vote of the British people, which was to leave the European Union. As we do that well ensure we get the best Brexit deal for the United Kingdom.

It is important, and I consider it to be a matter of the integrity of politicians, that having given the choice to the British people we should then deliver for them on that choice.
The name of The Dam Busters dog will not be altered when a restored version of the 1955 film is screened in cinemas across the country to mark the 75th anniversary of the mission it was based on, it has been confirmed.

The movie features a black Labrador, who was the mascot for RAF 617 squadron, called N*****.

Director Michael Andersons war film will play unedited in 400 cinemas on Thursday May 17.

Barnes Wallis with the star of The Dam Busters, Richard Todd (PA)

A statement from Studiocanal, the distributor of the film, said: While we acknowledge some of the language used in The Dam Busters reflects historical attitudes which audiences may find offensive, for reasons of historical accuracy we have opted to present the film as it was originally screened.

As part of the screening, TV historian Dan Snow will explore the history of the Royal Air Forces 1943 attack on the Mohne, Eder, and Sorpe dams in Nazi Germany using Barnes Wallis bouncing bomb.

Snow will be joined by relatives of both the films crew and the original 617 Squadron, who carried out the raids, for a live event broadcast via satellite from the Royal Albert Hall.

The last-surviving British member of 617 Squadron, George Johnny Johnson shared his delight ahead of the films return to the big screen and the wider commemorations planed for the raids anniversary.

Johnson said: I think its wonderful. I shall be most grateful for the opportunity to watch it but also to take part in this tremendous presentation to start with.

That raid is stuck in my mind and it is as livid today as it was 75 years ago.

To see it represented in this wonderful arrangement to me means more than anything else.

When asked how accurately the film depicted the actual events, Johnson praised the performance of actor Michael Redgrave as the bouncing bomb creator Barnes Wallis.

Johnson said: I was pleased to see there wasnt too much of this hail-fellow-well-met sort of attitude.

It was well portrayed. I think Michael Redgrave as Barnes Wallis was a wonderful representation of a wonderful man.

And Barnes Wallis daughter Mary quite agrees with that.

Johnson also shared his memories of Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who led 617 Squadron through Operation Chastise.

Johnson said: His true leadership was in the attack situation.

He made the first attack on the Mohne dam.

Not only was he dropping his bomb, he was assessing its defence.

As he called each aircraft in, he flew alongside them. That to me says youre doing this, Im doing this, were doing it together.

It is the essence of a good leader in the attack situation. But he was very difficult to get on with outside of that.

The 4K restoration of The Dam Busters and the accompanying live broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall will appear in cinemas across the UK on May 17.
Gordon Ramsays restaurant empire swung to a loss last year as the celebrity chef disclosed plans to shut the Maze in Londons Mayfair.

Mr Ramsays holding company Kavalake booked a pre-tax loss of 3.8 million in the year to August 31 2017, which compares with a 102,000 profit in 2016.

Revenue at the group, which includes the Petrus, Savoy Grill and Bread Street Kitchen brands, came in slightly down at 51.4 million.

Gordon Ramsays holding company Kavalake booked a pre-tax loss of 3.8 million in the year to August 31 2017 (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Sales were impacted by a five-month closure of Plane Food, the chefs Heathrow Terminal 5 operation.

But turnover at Mr Ramsays international arm rose 52%, with the firm to open five new sites this year.

One site includes Hells Kitchen, a new concept restaurant in Las Vegas, which opened its doors in January and is performing ahead of expectations.

Accounts filed at Companies House also show that Mr Ramsay is to shut upmarket Maze in January 2019.

The restaurant, which held a Michelin star until 2015, is situated in the Marriott Grosvenor Square hotel and will be replaced with a new concept restaurant.

The company continues to actively look for new restaurant locations both in the UK and internationally, despite the wider malaise in the sector.

This year has seen the likes of Byron, Prezzo and Jamies Italian shut hundreds of stores through restructures after being hit by rising costs and falling consumer confidence.
A man who disguised himself with a pair of pants in an armed cash-in-transit robbery has been jailed.

Jason Keogh was captured on CCTV in an alleyway arranging the underpants on his head before holding up a G4S guard with a silver revolver and taking a cash box, the Metropolitan Police said.

A gun used by Jason Keogh (Metropolitan Police/PA)

The 44-year-old then returned to the same alleyway, where he ran into a parked van before fleeing the scene, near the Morrisons supermarket in Aldermans Hill, Palmers Green, north London.

He was unable to break into the cash box and it was recovered several hours later in the canal at New River Path on Oakthorpe Road, while the handgun and three rounds of live ammunition were found nearby.

Armed robber who used underpants as disguise is jailed for over 7 years #Enfield https://t.co/ylmAhnGX25 pic.twitter.com/79OsCM4S2C  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) May 16, 2018

Keogh, of Deans Drive, Enfield, north London, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Tuesday to seven years and two months in jail after admitting robbery, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.

He was caught on November 29 last year after forensic work identified him as a suspect in the robbery several months earlier on September 10.

Jason Keogh disguised himself with a pair of pants in an armed cash-in-transit robbery (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Detective Inspector Jason Barber, of the Mets Flying Squad, said: Despite the slightly comedic way Keogh disguised himself for this robbery, it shouldnt detract from the fact this was a very serious offence that put people at real risk of harm. The sentence handed down reflects this serious nature.

The Flying Squad will continue to robustly investigate all crimes of this nature and continue to protect the industry and public against such dangerous individuals.
Safiya Noble believes that prominent commercial internet search engines reinforce racism and sexismand that there are major implications for K-12 educators and students.

The main thing I want teachers to understand is that they would never send their students to a catalogue of advertisements as a scholarly, legitimate resource. And yet they regularly send their students to the largest ad platform in the country, Google, said Noble , an assistant professor at the University of Southern Californias Annenberg School of Communication.

The interview followed an event Tuesday at the New York-based think tank Data & Society, where Noble discussed her new book, Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism .

Noble undertook the research behind the book back in 2011, after a Google query for black girls yielded a stream of pornographic and offensive search results.

Noble says those hits werent an accidental byproduct of neutral algorithms driving Googles search engine. Instead, she argues, they reflect the human biases inherent in the engineers who created the algorithms, structural biases rooted in the underlying classification systems and web architecture upon which commercial search engines are built, and an advertising-based business model that accepts the reality that racist and sexist representations of women and people of color are often still quite profitable.

In response to such critiques, a Google spokeswoman pointed to a number of recent efforts by the company to improve the quality of its search results. A diverse team of human evaluators reviews search results according to publicly posted guidelines , and the company has been clear about its position that advertising does not impact so-called organic search results .

Theres no doubt that Google and other big tech platforms have changed, often for the better, in response to public pressure, Noble said.

But, she argued, the underlying structural problems associated with the worlds information being curated by a massive for-profit company, and with minorities and marginalized groups having relatively limited power to control how they are represented, persist.

What does it all mean for K-12?

Following is a transcript of our conversation, edited for length and clarity.

Why do you contend that search engines like Google reinforce racism and sexism?

I started researching the output of large commercial search engines, namely Google, to see what kind of information they provided about women and girls, particularly women and girls of color. I discovered that consistently, they were misrepresented, mostly through pornography and hypersexual content.

Was this a problem only during the period of time you studied (2011-2015), or is it ongoing?

Search results have changed for black girls over time, but the same phenomenon around misinformation about different kinds of ideas and people are still present. Its still a problem in that Asian and Latina girls are still often hypersexualized or pornified.

Were also now to a place where utter disinformation and propaganda about certain peoples identities can circulate freely.

What do you make of the changes that Google has made in recent years?

Over time, I have watched as scholars and journalists have criticized the big tech companies for the output of their systems, and Ive seen the platforms slowly shift and modify their results. But new problems always come online.

So while individual results might shift over time, structurally the same kinds of problems exist, where people who are in smaller minority groups often dont have the ability to control the kind of information that circulates about them.

Are students and teachers too trusting of Google Search results?

Ive done a lot of work with training teachers. And they are always stunned.

One of the first things I tell teachers is, Stop telling students to just Google something. I take them through seemingly benign image searches on particular occupations. For example, when theyve searched university professor, almost exclusively images of white men come back in return.

Imagine 3rd graders doing reports on careers and looking for images of people who work in white-collar occupations on an authoritative site like Google, and the images they see are primarily white men.

This works against the notion that education can create new possibilities for students to imagine themselves in any future they want.

What do you want the K-12 world to know about the mechanisms behind these problems you describe?

The main thing I want teachers to understand is that they would never send their students to a catalogue of advertisements as a scholarly, legitimate resource. And yet they regularly send their students to the largest ad platform in the country, Google.

Teachers need to understand that Google is an advertising platform. Its not necessarily great as a replacement for the school or public library.

To what extent do you see schools right now helping students understand how these tools work?

I think we have to make the distinction between well-resourced and non-resourced public schools. Students who go to under-resourced schools are more likely to not have up-to-date textbooks. They often have less-well-trained teachers. There are often a lot of barriers to an excellent education. So many times these are the students who are hyper-reliant on Google, even though [theyre the most likely to see misrepresentations of people like them.]

Do you believe a platform like Google Search should explicitly promote a social-justice agenda?

I think we need non-commercial search engines. Rather than asking Silicon Valley companies to change their business models, why dont we invest in public interest search tools that are curated by teachers, librarians, and subject-matter experts?

I think the idea of a public-interest search engine is no more controversial than the Library of Congress.

But what people have now is Google. Should companies like that be the arbiters of the online content users see?

The misnomer is that people think that search engines are neutral or benign tools currently.

The unfortunate part is that Google is often responding after the fact to problems that come up, in response to people like me and the Southern Poverty Law Center talking about how people like Dylann Roof [a white supremacist who killed nine African-Americans worshipping at a Charleston, S.C. church] appear to have been radicalized online through Google searches.

I dont think theyve sufficiently trained their workforce to head off complex issues.

What kind of training are you talking about?

I think engineering curricula has to include deep explorations into humanities and the social sciences. Current software engineers should be retrained to deal with failures of their products and the social implications of their work. I want to see software engineers who have more than a 12th grade level of humanities and social-sciences instruction.

In your book, you argue that so long as women and people of color are underrepresented in the workforces of these companies, these problems are going to continue to come up.

I think its fair to say there are not enough women and people of color working in Silicon Valley. But theres a huge pipeline of qualified people who dont get hired.

But we could hire an entire workforce of women and people of color, and if were still reliant on training in math and science that precludes exposure to other ways of thinking, well still get the same types of results.

Whats the role of schools in changing that?

Were at an important moment of K-12 education. These critiques of technology are not a core part of the curriculum.

K-12 educators can do a tremendous amount to help students understand that mathematical languages can be interpreted and used in different ways, just like other forms of language.

Its also important for teachers to impress upon students how important it is to have a well-rounded education. What would it be like if we had software engineers who had bachelors degrees in computer science and womens studies simultaneously? How much different would that make their work?

Photo: The Google sign at the companys headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.--Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP-File

See also:

for the latest news on ed-tech policies, practices, and trends.
Airline passengers in the UK are being told not to take their own food on flights.

New guidance from the Department for Transport (DfT) says any food items or powders should be 'packed into hold baggage where possible'.

Transport officials say that storing food in carry-on bags can obstruct images on the x-ray machine or may be mistaken for suspicious items, leading to additional checks.

New guidance from the Department for Transport is urging airline passengers not to take their own food on flights

But they insist that passengers won't be stopped from travelling with food but those that do should 'allow extra time at security.'

The new rules will affect the thousands of UK airline passengers who prefer to take their own food when they fly to avoid paying the premiums charged by airport retailers or airlines.

British Airways is also among the legacy carriers which have recently stopped offering complimentary refreshments to economy passengers on some flights in a bid to compete with low-cost airlines.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel said: 'Time and time again, our investigations have found that passengers are being ripped off with inflated prices for a number of items at airports around the UK.

'If travellers are being advised not to take their food through security, airports should ensure that the price of food available to them after security is fairly priced.'

There are already rules banning travel with liquids, gels and pastes of more than 100 millilitres, sharp items and tools.

There are already rules banning travel with liquids, gels and pastes of more than 100 millilitres

Large electrical items such as laptops or tablets can be taken into the cabin, but must be removed from hand luggage at the search area and placed in the tray.

Aviation minister Baroness Sugg said: 'We have some of the strongest aviation security measures in the world, and the restrictions are in place for a good reason  to keep passengers safe.

'By simply checking the guidance before they set off for the airport, passengers can have a smoother and less stressful start to their journey.'

A DfT spokesman added: 'There is no ban on passengers taking food brought from home or purchased in airports on to their flights.'
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to give evidence to the European Parliament about the use of personal data, the Parliaments president has announced.

Antonio Tajani said Mr Zuckerberg would meet leaders of political groupings and the chairman of the parliaments civil liberties committee in Brussels as soon as possible  maybe as early as next week.

The billionaire social media tycoon has resisted repeated requests from the UK Parliament to answer MPs questions in person, despite a warning from the chairman of the Commons Culture Committee Damian Collins that he could issue a summons requiring Zuckerbergs attendance next time he is in the UK.

Both parliaments want to question Mr Zuckerberg about the alleged use of Facebook users personal information to target political adverts in campaigns including the Brexit referendum.

In a tweet, Mr Tajani said: Our citizens deserve a full and detailed explanation.

I welcome Mark Zuckerbergs decision to appear in person before the representatives of 500 million Europeans. It is a step in the right direction towards restoring confidence.

Mr Zuckerbergs meeting with European Parliament group leaders will be held behind closed doors.

But members of the civil liberties committee will have an opportunity a few weeks later for in-depth questions on issues of personal data protection in a public hearing with representatives of Facebook and other companies.

Particular emphasis will be placed on the potential impact on electoral processes in Europe, said the European Parliament president.

Parliaments priority is to ensure the proper functioning of the digital market, with a high level of protection for personal data, effective rules on copyright and the protection of consumer rights.

Web giants must be responsible for the content they publish, including blatantly false news and illegal content.

Freedom must always be accompanied by responsibility.

President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani said citizens deserve a full and detailed explanation (Gareth Fuller/PA)

A Facebook spokesman said: We have accepted the Council of Presidents proposal to meet with leaders of the European Parliament and appreciate the opportunity for dialogue, to listen to their views and show the steps we are taking to better protect peoples privacy.

Mr Tajanis announcement came as the Commons Culture Committee in London questioned the chief operating officer of AggregateIQ, a Canadian company which has become caught up in controversy over targeted online advertising for the Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

In a barbed reference to Mr Zuckerberg, Mr Collins thanked Jeff Silvester for flying from Canada to give evidence, adding: I wish it was as easy to get other people that are similarly part of these investigations to give testimony in the way you have.

AIQ had previously worked for SCL Group  the British company linked to Cambridge Analytica  having been recruited by Christopher Wylie, who later blew the whistle on the alleged misuse of Facebook users information.

The committee heard that Facebook informed the Electoral Commission that AIQ ran 1,398 adverts on behalf of Vote Leave and other Brexit-backing campaigns between February 2016 and polling day on June 23.

But Mr Silvester challenged the claim, telling the committee that the company first met with Vote Leave on March 31 or April 1 and did not begin running ads until a couple of weeks later.

Despite assurances from AIQ that it destroyed personal voter information gathered during campaigns once a contract was over, Mr Silvester acknowledged that some data had inadvertently been kept in a repository of code retained by the company.

The data  which he described as contact information relating to a number of US citizens  came to light when a cyber-risk specialist accessed the Gitlab repository without authorisation and passed on his findings to the press, the committee heard.

Mr Silvester assured the committee that AIQ immediately took action to destroy the data, close down access to its servers and inform the British Columbia Information and Privacy Commissioner about the information which he said had been mistakenly retained.

He told MPs that no data on the Brexit campaign was included.

But committee member Ian Lucas pointed to files in the store which appeared to relate to Brexit, telling him: You are a Canadian company who have got information relating to the referendum in the UK which is continuing to be stored in this Gitlab repository and another person  a third party  has gained access to it.

That causes me great concern about your ability to protect data belonging to my constituents.

Mr Silvester insisted: I am not aware of any Brexit data being retained.

Mr Collins challenged Mr Silvester over AIQs claim to have co-operated with the UK Information Commissioner, saying that her office had complained that the company failed to provide responses to her questions in letters.

Mr Silvester said that he would be meeting with the Information Commission immediately after the committee hearing.

Mr Silvester confirmed AIQ had been working for a number of other pro-Leave groups in the referendum, including BeLeave, Veterans for Britain and DUP for Leave, but said they had all appeared to have been operating independently.

All of the direction from each of them came from them independently of each other. The ads that we were running on their behalf looked completely different, he said.

Campaigners have claimed Vote Leave should have declared a 625,000 payment to AIQ in its spending return which would have taken it over its 7 million.

Vote Leave said it did count as it was a donation to Darren Grimes who set up BeLeave.

Mr Silvester denied that AIQ could have used a file provided by Vote Leave to fulfil the BeLeave brief.

All of the direction from BeLeave came from BeLeave. We dont share information between clients at all, he said.

He acknowledged, however, it was possible that the online advertising they ran for Vote Leave and BeLeave could in some instances have shared the exact same audience.

It is theoretically possible because the age ranges are not that organic but I know that the ads that we were running for BeLeave were aimed at the young people, he said. Vote Leave was really looking at an older audience in rural areas.

Mr Silvester said AIQ was not connected to either the now defunct British data company, Cambridge Analytica, or its parent SCL, although it did work for SCL between 2014 and 2016.

Aggregate IQ is a completely separate company. We have no common directors, no common employees no common owners.

Aggregate IQ is entirely its own company. We are 100% Canadian owned and operated, he said.

Mr Silvester said AIQ had been paid 2.9 million by Vote Leave, 625,000 by BeLeave, 100,000 by Veterans for Britain and 32,000 by a DUP Brexit campaign during the referendum.

He also revealed the company did a very short piece of work creating a website for Michael Goves unsuccessful bid for the Tory leadership in 2016.

Mr Collins said that evidence from Facebook suggested that identical lists of users had been used to target ads on behalf of both Vote Leave and BeLeave, even though electoral rules bar different campaigns from co-ordinating their efforts.

The existence of these files and them being exactly the same would suggest either that Vote Leave had given these files to BeLeave who then gave them to you, or that someone in your company used the Vote Leave files for BeLeave targeting or at least made that possible by allowing these datasets to exist on both pages, said Mr Collins.

Mr Silvester said this was theoretically possible, but insisted that in fact all the direction we got from each client was quite separate.
A British cyber security expert credited with stopping the worldwide WannaCry computer virus is due to appear in a US court for a hearing about statements prosecutors say he made in a recorded jailhouse phone call acknowledging that code he wrote ended up in malware.

A US grand jury indictment accuses Marcus Hutchins of creating and distributing malware known as Kronos, designed to steal banking passwords. Hutchins, 23, has pleaded not guilty.

Federal prosecutors in Milwaukee want to introduce as evidence statements he made to an unidentified person hours after FBI agents detained him in Las Vegas before he boarded a flight home to the UK last year.

The statements are included in a transcript filed in court on the eve of the hearing where Hutchins will ask for the phone conversation to be suppressed, along with a two-hour FBI interview.

Prosecutors have said Hutchins also made incriminating statements during the FBI interview. His attorneys have argued Hutchins did not fully understand Miranda warnings because he is a foreigner and was also sleep-deprived after a week partying in Vegas.

Hutchins arrest last August came as a shock because only four months earlier he was lauded as a cyber crime-fighting hero for finding a kill switch to slow the outbreak of the WannaCry virus, which crippled computers worldwide, encrypting files and making them inaccessible unless people paid a ransom ranging from 300 to 600 dollars.

In the jailhouse call, which Hutchins was told was being recorded, he said he used to write malware years before.

According to the transcript, Hutchins said: So I wrote code for a guy a while back who then incorporated it into a banking malware, so they have logs of that, and essentially they want to know my part of the banking operation or if I just sold the code onto some guy then they wanted me to, once then found I sold the code to someone, they wanted me to give them his name, and I dont actually know anything about him.

The WannaCry virus affected NHS systems (Yui Mok/PA)

The indictment said the crimes happened between July 2014 and July 2015, but prosecutors have not offered any details about the number of victims.

Prosecutors also said in recent court filings that Hutchins is suspected to have sold the Kronos software to someone in Wisconsin and that he personally delivered the software to someone in California.

Details of Hutchins arrest and the crimes he is accused of committing have otherwise been sparse  and Hutchins lawyers have repeatedly criticised prosecutors for it in court documents.

During the jailhouse call, Hutchins also said he repaid a debt of about 5,000 dollars by giving someone logs that had the compiled binary of the code he created for the person who used it for banking malware. He said both happened when he was about 18.

I knew it was always going to come back, Hutchins said on the call, adding that he did not think it would be so soon.

Robert Graham, a computer security expert not connected to the case, warned against concluding that Hutchins had done something wrong simply because his code wound up in malware.

He said: Im not saying he didnt cross a legal line somewhere, but the quotes (in the filing) are still consistent with somebody who is a security researcher rather than a malware kingpin.

In addition to computer fraud, the indictment lists five other charges, including attempting to intercept electronic communications and trying to access a computer without authorisation.

Hutchins faces decades in prison if convicted of all the charges. He has been barred from returning home and has been living in California, where he works as a cyber security consultant while awaiting trial.
Theresa May has reaffirmed Britains commitment to Europes security post-Brexit as she prepares to become the first Prime Minister to visit Macedonia in almost 20 years.

Mrs May will tell the 27 other national leaders that Britain is unconditionally committed to maintaining Europes security when they meet at the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia.

Following Thursdays summit in the Bulgarian capital she will travel to Skopje for talks with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, the first visit to the country by a serving British premier since Tony Blair in 1999.

Prime Minister Theresa May is travelling to Macedonia (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

Mrs May said: This year, as we mark the 25th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Macedonia and the UK, the ties between our countries are stronger than ever.

Next year the UK is leaving the European Union, but we are not leaving Europe  and we will continue to work with our allies to protect our collective security and champion the European values that so many in Macedonia and the wider Western Balkans share.

The last wars on European soil took place in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo in the Balkans in the 1990s, following the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.

Downing Street said Mrs Mays talks in Macedonia would cover strengthening democracy in the former Communist country.

They will also discuss the dispute with neighbouring Greece over the name Macedonia that has been running since 1991.

An area of northern Greece is also called Macedonia and Athens has asked Mr Zaevs country to change its name.

Mrs May will also use her visit on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia to meet LGBT activists about their experiences in the country, Downing St said.
By Karin Strohecker

LONDON, May 15 (Reuters) - Argentina's recent market turmoil will make it more difficult for index provider MSCI to decide on whether to give the country the emerging markets status it seeks in June, the U.S. firm said on Tuesday.

Faced with a recent rise in dollar and U.S. Treasury yields, Argentina has found itself at the centre of an emerging markets sell-off with its currency losing a quarter of its value since the start of the year despite heavy central bank intervention. That forced Buenos Aires to turn to the International Monetary Fund for help.

A consultation with investors on whether to elevate Argentina to "emerging" market status from its current "frontier" market status is due to end within weeks and ahead of MSCI's annual classification review due in June, said Sebastien Lieblich, managing director at MSCI.

"We received a lot of unprompted feedback, going both ways," Lieblich told Reuters during a conference in London.

"Clearly the discussions will be and the decision will be more difficult to take, given the latest on Argentina. Now whether that will spur a structural change or structural issue, we don't know," he said, adding MSCI was monitoring the situation constantly.

In 2009, MSCI relegated Argentine stocks to its "frontier" index which encompasses smaller and less developed stock markets, as a result of Buenos Aires' restrictions on inflows and outflows of capital in its equity market.

On assuming office in December 2015, center-right President Mauricio Macri declared Argentina open for business after more than a decade of sweeping state intervention, including capital controls, had choked off much foreign investment.

MSCI surprised markets by not promoting Argentina at its index review last year, which investors had widely expected. It said at the time it needed more signs that Macri's pro-market reforms were "irreversible" to re-incorporate the country's shares into its emerging markets index.

MSCI indexes are used by investment funds worldwide, with some $1.7 trillion of active and passive money benchmarked against its emerging markets gauges.

MSCI has not yet set a date for its annual review, though it is normally scheduled for the third week of June, said Lieblich. (Reporting by Karin Strohecker Editing by Hugh Lawson)
BRASILIA, May 15 (Reuters) - China will dispatch teams to inspect 84 meatpacking plants in Brazil to evaluate them for exports to China, Brazil's Agriculture Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Brazilian Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi is currently visiting Beijing and confirmed with China's Commerce Minister Zhong Shan that inspectors will be sent at the end of the month.

"The expectation is that the Asian country will open up a good part of these meatpacking plants for export," the ministry said in the statement.

A ministry spokeswoman declined to name which plants or companies were involved. The statement did not specify what type of meat the plants process.

Maggi expressed hope that the two countries could resolve many of the issues involved in Brazil's 102 complaints against China pending with the World Trade Organization, according to the statement.

Maggi and Brazil's delegation also met with Chairman Zhao Shuanglian of COFCO, China's largest food processor and trader, according to the minister's Facebook page. The ministry did not provide further details on the meeting. (Reporting by Jake Spring Editing by Marguerita Choy)
In his landmark essay Avant-Garde and Kitsch, Clement Greenberg discusses the evolution of art in terms of its separation into two broad cultures; the highbrow and the popular. The progression or regression (depending on how you see it) from the one to the other was facilitated by the transition from feudalism to industrial capitalism, through which universal literacy was achieved to such an extent that those masses became the shapers and makers of various art forms. Greenberg, who was a painter and an art critic himself, contends that this transition occurs owing to the tendency of a society to start unravelling itself once the religious, cultural, and various other morals and absolutes on which it is based begin to be questioned rather critically. By this, one and the same civilisation produces simultaneously two such different things  the high and the low.

While the essay has been discredited since, and scholars have pointed out certain inconsistencies therein, I am interested in some of Greenbergs ideas because they pinpoint the bifurcation of aesthetics which we, in Sri Lanka, have been witnessing. The evolution of art, for Greenberg that is, follows two broad routes; from art (the academic, scholarly, upper class type, based on refined, sophisticated tastes) to avant-garde (the bohemian type, which separates art from the necessity of patrons and financiers) to its rear-guard, referred to as kitsch (a German word connoting the seamless fusion of commerce and art in modern, urban, industrial societies). Art and kitsch, highbrow and lowbrow, refined and vulgar; these are the terms we use to differentiate between these two aesthetic sensibilities, to an extent in Sri Lanka too. How can we apply Greenbergs contentions, minus their flaws, to what transpired in this country, then? By considering the way the transition from the highbrow to the popular corresponded to the evolution of the kind of audience which, in here or elsewhere, pandered to these cultural forms.

It follows that if there was no real bohemian culture in Sri Lanka, there was no intermediate stage between art and kitsch, or between the highbrow and the popular

Advent of archaeology

Perhaps what needs to be borne in mind before examining the applicability of this cultural phenomenon to Sri Lanka is that in Sri Lanka, there was, historically, no real bohemian culture. Bohemians were wanderers, vagrants, uncommitted rebels, who simultaneously distanced themselves from and attached themselves to the bourgeois lifestyles they vowed to get away from and repudiate. In here though, the separation was between the coloniser and his subjects, namely, the vast majority of the countrymen. For the latter, art was neither highbrow nor kitsch; it was purely a means of communicating within themselves. Even the Gal Viharaya at Polonnaruwa, as Regi Siriwardena once pointed out in an essay, was built with a utilitarian objective, since worship was as vital to the people of those days as going to a job is to us today. While art did exist, very little of it was consumed as objects of refinement to be studied from afar; there was, in other words, no proper extrinsic value to the artefacts we hold up and admire in museums today, only an intrinsic plasticity. With the advent of archaeology and restoration, traditional art forms became something to preserve. The champions of this mode of thinking were the born-again natives from the Anglican elite, like Devar Surya Sena.

Greenberg traces the aesthetic route from art to avant-garde, and at the hands of the bohemians, avant-garde reaches its peak. It follows that if there was no real bohemian culture in Sri Lanka, there was no intermediate stage between art and kitsch, or between the highbrow and the popular. In the Bengali Renaissance, particularly the novels of Bankim Chatterjee, we see the fusion of the West and East, which unearths a culture that can be at least vaguely referred to as avant-garde. Greenbergs thesis is that such a culture thrives on a self-referential sensibility. According to him, the avant-garde artists derive their chief inspiration from the medium they work in, which means that what is central to the work of, say, a Chatterjee novel or a Picasso painting is its preoccupation with its forms and techniques: it returns to its own workings and externalises those workings in every line, shape, and contour. If these indeed were the hallmarks of the avant-garde, bohemian sensibility, then we cannot claim that we reached that intermediate stage.

The transition from art to avant-garde is really the transition of one order to another. But the transition from avant-garde to kitsch is a reflection of changing landscapes and industrialisation. Colonial societies did not escape this wave of industrialisation, though they were asked to pay the price for European progress by handing over their resources at dirt cheap prices. Sarlis, the painter, who depicted moments and excerpts from the lives of the Buddhas, was Sri Lankas equivalent of Ravi Varma; the painters of spirituality on carpets and temple walls and tapestries, through whom the faith of the majority became intertwined with the walls of their houses. This is the fusion at the heart of kitsch, and in such a fusion we come across (as Tissa Abeysekara noted in an essay written on Lester James Peries) a pseudo-renaissance. But for the kitsch culture in Sri Lanka to unfold itself, it had to wait until three distinct epochs had passed: 1931, 1948, and 1956.

Universal literacy

Art and avant-garde turn to kitsch the moment the masses, the majority, are empowered to be the shapers and makers of the culture of their society. Kitsch is a product of the industrial revolution, even in societies which experience that revolution second hand and (as with us) have never gone beyond the landowning aristocracy that the coloniser selected, tutored, and in effect bred. Emancipation, in a metaphoric sense, was what the masses demanded, from the shackles of colonialism or at least the culture of illiteracy colonialism necessitated in their societies. In the West, industrialisation was followed by the establishment of what was called universal literacy. In Sri Lanka and India, literacy, though hardly obtainable (as Will Durrant has written, the British India Government spent eight cents per head per year on education at a time when they were spending 83 on the army), congealed into demands for the franchise, which we got in 1931. If literacy was the prerequisite for kitsch in the West, it was the prerequisite for freedom in our societies. But the franchise in itself was not enough; what was needed was independence (formally) and a complete if not partial moving away from the policies of the British Government. The former, of course, we got in 1948, and the latter we got in 1956.

The majority needed to be assimilated to the societies had been estranged from, but the minute they aspired to be the shapers of their collective destinies, a fatal rupture resulted between two forms of culture: the formal and the folk. This process was necessitated more or less by the rural-urban exodus which the franchise, independence, and the historical eventuality compelled by 1956, free education, resulted in. As Greenberg notes, the peasants who settled in the cities as proletariat and petty bourgeois learned to read and write for the sake of efficiency. But the formal culture they aspired to reach required tremendous reserves of leisure and privilege. The peasants simply could not afford that kind of leisure. Having been assimilated to the city, they could not return to the village either, because they had forsaken on their earlier way of life. As such, the new urban masses set up a pressure on the societies they were moved to, to provide them with a catalogue of art forms which they could enjoy. Subsequently it was this petty bourgeoisie which enabled the opening up of our art forms to outside (mainly Indian and Western) influences. On one hand, they enjoyed Sunil Shantha, Amaradeva, and Victor Ratnayake. On the other hand, they enjoyed baila, Rukmani Devi, and Clarence Wijewardena.

Greenberg notes, the peasants who settled in the cities as proletariat and petty bourgeois learned to read and write for the sake of efficiency

The fatal rupture  between folk and formal  caused by this social phenomenon was an inevitable consequence of the social mobility resulting from universal literacy (in the form of free education). Moreover, between Amaradeva and Clarence there was and is, to a certain extent, a separation, which while not unbridgeable remains, by default, distinct from one another. If we are to follow Greenberg and impute terms to these two streams of one sensibility, then we have to demarcate them as jana (highbrow) and janapriya (lowbrow). In both instances what was wiped out, or belittled, was the indigenous culture; the same culture which survives today, though barely, through the joint efforts of Sahan Ranwala and the Ranwala Balakaya as well as its followers and students (some of whom, like Chanuka Moragoda, have graduated to the janapriya sensibility through YouTube and other channels in social media). Obviously, one essay isnt enough to dwell on the problems that this particular rupture has caused within our cultural firmament. Examining a problem presupposes a succinct explication of that problem. Before examining it, therefore, I will lay it down as follows. The fact is that while the janapriya culture has evolved, and continues to evolve today, from baila on your radio to Sanuka Wickramasinghe on YouTube, the jana culture, which includes among its vast canon Amaradeva and Premasiri Khemadasa, has stopped somewhere. Now that Ive laid down the problem, Ill examine it next week. For now however, Im done with laying it down.
The Green one from Puttalam going for the jugular of the Green leader was taking swipes at him almost daily for some time and he suddenly went abroad on the eve of the no-confidence motion.



The politico went into the silent mode following his return from abroad and a rumour said that the man had been promised a place in the top team in the reshuffle around the corner.



The reshuffle came, but the politico got only a state level one as before. The only consolation was it was a different subject. And there was no need to work with a purohita

he hated.



Up in arms again, the politico had reportedly invited the young green ones in the backbenches to the battle-front.



But the young Green ones have refused to heed his call saying that they could not trust him any longer. So, the Puttalam politico has been compelled to fight his battle alone, they say.
A mysterious fire has destroyed the outhouse where the Rajarata sorceress cum soothsayer well-known as Penakiyana-maani practiced her occult crafts, they say.



Many people from all walks of life including politicos would throng her devalaya daily either to get their future read or seek her magical powers to fulfil various other purposes in life, they say.



Leading politicos in the country have been among her clientele and some people claim that making significant political predictions is her forte and many of them have come right.



By the way, some predictions she had made about certain political leaders in the country recently had angered some people and they had abused and threatened her on several occasions. She had also incurred the wrath of a leading politico in Rajarata, they say.



Some political and other high-ups had offered the maani their help to pursue legal action against the culprits. But she had declined their offers saying that the deities would punish all those responsible for the crime committed.
More than 50 students at a New Mexico high school are facing disciplinary action after they used a teacher log-in to change their own grades on the schools online course platform.

The Gadsden High School students logged into a teacher account on Edgenuity, an online course provider and grading platform, and changed a total of 456 grades, according to a statement from the Gadsden Independent School District. Five of the 55 students implicated have been suspended.

The students who altered their grades wont receive credit for those courses, and the 29 seniors involved will not be eligible to graduate in the spring. All students will have the opportunity to make up work, including seniors, who will be able to qualify for diplomas in the summer.

Students used a teacher access code, similar to a password, to log in to the restricted Edgenuity account. All students who changed grades used the same code, according to the districts statement.

We regularly work with schools on how best to set permissions and organize administrator rights to ensure there are appropriate access limits to student grades, a spokesperson for Edgenuity said in a statement. The company also recommends that schools clearly spell out the consequences for cheating and other academic dishonesty.

But password securitythe issue at hand at Gadsdenultimately comes down to the individual entrusted with the password, the Edgenuity spokesperson said.

How can teachers and other school staff ensure that their passwords stay private?

Some of the most effective safeguards are the most low-tech. Teachers should avoid keeping their passwords in a prominent placelike a sticky note near the computereven though it may be convenient, said Marie Bjerede, the principal of leadership initiatives for the Consortium for School Networking. (The district didnt provide details about how students obtained the teacher password at Gadsden.)

Small fixes like this can avoid bigger problems down the road. Cybersecurity is everybodys job, said Bjerede, It doesnt just belong to IT.

Students plotting interference in online gradebooks isnt a new phenomenon.

Last year, a sophomore in Chicago accessed his high schools PowerSchool grading system by sending phishing emails to his teachers, who then provided their usernames and passwords. In 2015, a high school senior in Long Island placed a keylogger a program that records all keystrokes entered on a deviceon a computer in the building. He used the captured log-ins to change his grades and rearrange the schedules of other students.

Despite these high-profile cases, its likely harder for most students to get unauthorized access to their grades in an online system than it would be if their teachers were using pen-and-paper gradebooks, said Bjerede, due to the security measures that these platforms put in place.

It also may be easier for educators to identify the students responsible. Edgenuity, for example, can provide school administrators with activity logs with every session on the platform, as well as the corresponding IP address for that session.

The best defense against against student hackers is the same one districts deploy against external threats, said Bjerede: a strong cybersecurity plan and regular trainings for teachers and staff.

CoSNs cybersecurity planning and evaluation resources recommend that districts have clear procedures for how to report and document security issues and a response plan in place for cyber attacks.

Image: Getty

See more:
Hon. Harin Fernando MP  Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure, Austin Fernando  Presidents Secretary and Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka and Shivnath Thukral  Director Policy Communication India and South Asia, Facebook at #visitsrilanka Instagram exhibition

Instagram today hosted its first ever cultural exhibition in Sri Lanka which was inaugurated by Harin Fernando, MP (Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure) and Austin Fernando (President's Secretary and Chairman - Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka). Showcasing the vibrancy and cultural diversity of Sri Lanka, the exhibit includes a wide range of images and stories captured by the Sri Lankan Instagram community.

The Instagram cultural exhibition was a part of the larger Facebook event  Boost Your Business at The Galadari Hotel, aimed at helping Sri Lankan business owners grow their businesses using Facebook and Instagram.

From scenic landscapes to glimpses of everyday life, a hint of modernity, expanses of lush greenery, the majestic Indian Ocean, and more, the exhibition encapsulates everything that is definitive of Sri Lanka and its uniqueness in quick visual snippets.

Members of the Instagram community featured in this exhibition constitute a group of 6 individuals from Sri Lanka across diverse age groups and professional backgrounds, united in their passion to capture inspiring moments and stories from their personal perspective. The exhibition also gave them a chance to make their voices known and display some of their most iconic visuals for the world to see.

The visual documentation of these moments on Instagram by the Sri Lankan community illustrates how people are increasingly using images to experience and discover the world around them. With a community of over 800 million users globally that is growing every day, Instagram has become a platform where people come together to connect, share interests and share experiences. On any given day, over 80 million photos are posted on Instagram therefore if something is happening, it is likely being captured on Instagram, taking these images to the world across cultural and language barriers.
Malaysia's former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been released from prison after receiving a full pardon from the king on Wednesday.

Anwar, who was initially scheduled to be released on Tuesday, walked out of the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital, where he was temporary confined after a surgery, and has arrived at the residence of the king, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V, according to the Malaysian news website, the Star.

An image published by the Malaysian news agency Bernama showed Anwar greeting newly elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Another image showed the king welcoming Anwar and his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the deputy prime minister-designate.

Earlier, Mahathir arrived at the royal palace for the royal pardons board meeting to discuss Anwar's release.

Anwar's party PKR holds 48 seats of the 113 seats won by the Pakatan Harapan alliance on Wednesday, and he is widely tipped to succeed Mahathir once he steps down from office.

In 2015, Anwar, 70, was jailed for five years after being accused of sodomy, a charge he described as a politically motivated attempt by then Prime Minister Najib Razak to end his career.

Sodomy is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia, where the offence carries a jail term of up to 20 years.

Uder Malaysian law, unless he is pardoned by the king, Anwar would be disqualified for five years from running for office after his release.

Anwar was also imprisoned for six years after being overthrown as Mahathir's deputy prime minister in 1998 on earlier charges of sodomising his former family driver and abusing his power.

He was freed in 2004 after Malaysia's top court quashed that sodomy conviction.

Anwar previously had a falling out with Mahathir after he criticised some of his policies. But his party eventually formed an alliance with Mahathir to take on Najib's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) for the election on Wednesday. (Aljazeera)
The All Ceylon Private Bus Association (ACPBA) would go for an indefinite countrywide strike from midnight today if the Government did not agree on the minimum increment of Rs.15 and 15 per cent increment, ACPBA Secretary Anjana Priyanjith said.

Speaking at a media briefing at Narahenpita, he said they would not stop the strike until the Government re-considered increasing the minimum fare which was at Rs.10 to Rs.15.

The owners of buses that ply short distance get a gross loss of Rs.700 daily. The minimum bus fare increment is directly affecting them. Without increasing the minimum bus fare the strike cannot be stopped. The recent diesel fuel increment of Rs.14 per litre had affected them the most, he said.

The most powerful section of this bus strike will be held by short distance bus owners. Not giving the minimum bus fare demanded or not giving the increment more than 10 percent will not help to call the strike off.

A survey we did found that passengers are willing to pay an increased bus fare. However, they in turn want us to ensure that buses run on schedule. The objections are coming from the Transport Ministers, Mr Priyanjith said.

The transport Minister and Deputy Minister called us for discussions which are not worth if the final decision should be taken by President Maithripala Sirisena.

If the President called for discussions we will definitely go but not with useless Ministers, he said.

The Inter-Provincial Private Bus Association (IPPBA) President Sarath Vijitha Kumara said a certain bus association was trying to betray the bus strike by accepting the 10 percent bus fare hike given by the transport Deputy Minister Asoka Abeysinghe.

The said bus association claims the strikers demand of 20 percent hike was false.

Mr. Kumara said they requested a bus fare hike according to their cost. According to the National Policy there should be more than 20 percent annual bus fare increment.

Meanwhile, the All Ceylon Private Omnibus Owners Federation (ACPOOF) Stanly Fernando said the scheduled strike would be avoidable and only the President could interfere in the situation as he had previously done.

He also said the Government should be held responsible for the inconvenience caused to passengers. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)

Video by RM
When you talk of ideas these days people tend to ask if they had been scientifically proven? Some people reject reincarnation and karma saying these phenomena are not scientifically proven. The scientific method has been taken to such an extent in our minds that some people in Sri Lanka even talk of a scientific cabinet now.

The question that should be asked then is What is so special about science? What is so special about anything that had been proven scientifically over another that had not been so? How do we separate science and non-science? Science is a word used for progressiveness from the early stages of western modernity and based on that a knowledge system which is called science has been raised over all the other knowledge systems. Is there anything special about science? This is not a new question. Philosophers have tried to answer this question for a long time.

There is a popular definition for science i.e. science is a knowledge which is tested according to the scientific method. This definition gives an answer to the question. Science is special because it is in accordance with the scientific method. Then the next problem is what on earth this scientific method is? For this question the answers are diverse. Anyone who defines scientific method should establish the demarcation between science and non-science and explain why science is superior.

What is the scientific method? Secondary school education has given us a ready-made answer. It is hypothesis, experiment, observation and conclusions. This popular answer is misleading and incomplete. These are only steps of the so-called scientific method. A method is not a list of steps. A method says how to do rather than what to do. These buzzwords say nothing about how things go about in science.

Induction is to make many observations and generalize them to come up with a general statement. This Bacons idea is obviously incomplete.

Science is mainly about inventing new theories. A theory is a well fabricated story to explain some phenomena and observations. (This definition which is the most sophisticated one among many others is by Dr. Nalin de Silva.) How does a scientist work when he is doing scientific research? This is the question to be answered by philosophers and scientists.

Sir Francais Bacon said scientific method is induction. Induction is to make many observations and generalize them to come up with a general statement. This Bacons idea is obviously incomplete. For instances, if we take the theory of gravitation we see things fall and the generalization is not gravitation, but a statement saying everything falls until it meets a barrier. Galileo introduced a term named hypothesis. That means what scientists do is not mere generalization, but to invent an explanation (hypothesis) on observations and then test it.

Testing and verifying theory

Then the problem is how do we test a theory? How can we verify a theory? As I have mentioned above, a theory is a story. How can we test a story? There is no direct way to test a story. What we can do is to consider the implications of the theory (story) and test them. Before the last century, philosophers of science and scientists believed that a theory can be proved by checking the implications. In non-science theories are not proved by checking implications.

Karl Popper, a rationalist philosopher, challenged these views. He showed that these views of the scientific method are completely illogical. One of his famous statements is that you cannot logically prove that All swans are white by observing thousands of white swans because there is a possibility that the next one is black. When you see a black swan the statement is falsified. Therefore we cannot prove anything by induction. What we can do is only refute a general statement. On the other hand, the statement that if P is Q doesnt logically imply that if Q is correct then P is correct. For example, if a number gets divided by 4 it gets divided by 2 as well. But it cant be in reverse. Though 6 is divided by 2 it is not divided by 4. Therefore although the implications of a theory are checked and found to be true, there is no guarantee that the theory is correct. However, we can do one thing. If an implication is found to be wrong we can say the theory is incorrect. We can refute the theory.

Therefore Karl Popper said we cannot prove anything by generalization or checking implications of a theory and therefore what can be done to verify theories in science is to refute them. Then people who expect science to be the path of finding truth had a problem saying that if you cannot prove truth in science then why use it. Popper said that science advances by creating lots of theories and rejecting the falsified ones. When false theories are excluded, true theories will remain. Therefore, the scientific method is falsification. If there is a way to prove a hypothesis is false (not proved false) it is a scientific hypothesis. According to Popper, statements in astrology, psychoanalysis and Marxism provide no way to prove themselves to be false. That is to say they are un-testable, so these fields are non-science. This is Karl Poppers critical rationalism.

Paradigm shift

This idea was challenged by another philosopher Thomas Kuhn. When he studied the history of science for a speech, he understood that falsification is not the ultimate goal of the scientific method. He showed that testing an implication of a theory is not an isolated process. The implication is generated with the help of other existing theories. Other theories and auxiliary assumptions are used also in the experimentation process. Therefore if we find by experiment that an implication of a theory is false, we cannot directly say the theory is false. It should be the fault of other helping theories or auxiliary assumptions. Therefore there is no way to falsify a scientific theory too. This Kuhns identification gave life to a new concept: Paradigm. A paradigm is a structure which has a centre theory. In the era of normal science, scientists do not challenge the paradigm. New theories are checked using the theories in the paradigm. Nobody challenges the centre theory. However, there are eras of revolutionary science where the centre theory is challenged and refuted. Then the whole paradigm will collapse to give way to a new paradigm. Different paradigms approach the same problem in completely different ways. Therefore science is unable to prove whether something is true or false, but will only check if it is in accordance with the existing paradigm.

Kuhn also tried to formulate the demarcation between science and non-science. He said that a paradigm shift is only possible in science.

Then a philosopher named Paul Feyerabend showed by analyzing the Galileo affair and other incidents of science history, that there was no method special to science. He showed that science should not have special advantage over non-science. He said that we should be against the chauvinism of science.

Popper said we cannot prove anything by generalization or checking implications of a theory

Sri Lankan philosopher Dr. Nalin de Silva also made a contribution to this field. He invented the concept of Chinthanaya. Chinthanaya is the logical, epistemological, and deep philosophical fundamentals of a culture. Culture, Chinthanaya and knowledge of the culture is interrelated. Different cultures have different Chinthanayas and therefore there are different knowledge systems in different cultures. Hence there are different sciences in different cultures. Western science is the science of Greek Judaic Christian (GJC) Chinthanaya which is now dominating the world. No science reveals an absolute truth because there is nothing that could be taken as an objective reality. We all have our own different worlds. Knowledge is not an external truth. It is our construction. Theories are just stories we construct to explain our world. In that sense all knowledge is lies (Boru). Western science which consists of abstract theories with concepts and phenomena that cannot be felt by the senses or imagined is a blatant lie (Pattapal Boru). Do not confuse these terms with their day today life meaning. Dr. Nalin de Silva further explains that other cultures should develop their own science against the oppressive dominance of western science and get rid of western imperialism completely. This is his Constructive Relativism.

Whatever these arguments are the most important thing to remember is that non-science is not just nonsense.

(Thamalu is a freelance writer and a second year undergraduate in Electronic and Telecommunications Engineering at the Moratuwa University. He could be contacted onthamalumaliththa@gmail.com)
The college landscape has gotten increasingly expensive and complex. So its more important than ever for students to understand how to decide what kinds of education or training they need after they graduate from high school.

A study released Wednesday argues that young people should no longer assume that they need a bachelors degree to have a stable job that pays well. But todays rules are contradictory, too: Students shouldnt assume they dont need a four-year degree, either.

The trick is to understand which degrees are necessary for good earnings in your chosen field of study, says the report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

And thats no easy task, since the list is quickly growing longer. In 1985, higher education institutions offered 410 programs of study, the report says. By 2010, that number had more than quintupled, to 2,260. In some of those fields, young people can earn more with a one-year certificate or an associate degree than they can with a bachelors. In others, the bachelors degree still carries a significant wage premium.

Five Rules of the College and Career Game argues that the college conversation needs to shift to reflect these new realities. Lead author Anthony Carnevale suggests that students and their families should put one thing front and center in their college planning: the payoff from specific college programs.

These are Carnevales five rules. He notes that living with them requires some tolerance of contradiction.



More education is usually better. In general, each level of educational attainment brings higher earnings. People who have graduate degrees have a median annual salary of $80,000. For those with bachelors degrees, its $62,000, and with associate degrees, $47,000. Contrast those with the median annual earnings of people with only high school diplomas: $36,000.

In general, each level of educational attainment brings higher earnings. People who have graduate degrees have a median annual salary of $80,000. For those with bachelors degrees, its $62,000, and with associate degrees, $47,000. Contrast those with the median annual earnings of people with only high school diplomas: $36,000. Majors matter more . Heres where nuance starts to matter. People with four-year degrees in architecture and engineering command median annual earnings of $85,000. For those with BAs in education, its $46,000.

. Heres where nuance starts to matter. People with four-year degrees in architecture and engineering command median annual earnings of $85,000. For those with BAs in education, its $46,000. What you major in is important, but it might not trump everything . Heres where nuance gets even more confounding. But its worth stopping to take in the earnings variations within the same major. The top 25 percent of those who majored in the liberal arts earn $81,000, while those in the bottom 25 percent of architecture and engineering majors earn $60,000.

. Heres where nuance gets even more confounding. But its worth stopping to take in the earnings variations within the same major. The top 25 percent of those who majored in the liberal arts earn $81,000, while those in the bottom 25 percent of architecture and engineering majors earn $60,000. Most humanities and liberal arts majors never catch up with the highest earning majors such as STEM, health care, and business. Are you frustrated yet? The Georgetown study finds that people who majored in fields such as business, physical sciences, or biology and life sciences can end up earning more, down the road, than those who majored in social sciences.

Are you frustrated yet? The Georgetown study finds that people who majored in fields such as business, physical sciences, or biology and life sciences can end up earning more, down the road, than those who majored in social sciences. Less education can be worth more. In a world still obsessed with bachelors degrees, this is a toughie. But consider this: 28 percent of those with associate degrees earn more than the average person with a bachelors degree. Median earnings for people with associate degrees in STEM fields are $60,000, while its only $47,000 for those with bachelors degrees in psychology and social work.

These kinds of distinctions are increasingly important as students try to figure out their post-high-school plans. But few schools have staff members with a good grasp of these trends. (I wrote about a notable exception to this pattern, a small school in Kentucky that uses labor market data to shape its course offerings and advise students . Check it out.)

Get High School & Beyond posts delivered to your inbox as soon as theyre published. Sign up here . Also, for news and analysis of issues that shape adolescents preparation for work and higher education.
By guest blogger Swikar Patel

Reno, Nev.

The Washoe County school district in Nevadas second largest city has been way ahead of most other districts in its approach to social-emotional learning, especially in measuring students SEL skills, which are part of its accountability system.

My colleague, Evie Blad, chronicled the districts efforts at building a thoughtful social-emotional learning program back in 2016.

As she noted, with the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act , the main federal K-12 law, states are now required to include at least one measure other than test scores in their accountability systems, an issue that has raised the profile of social-emotional measurement questions.

With the help of a federal grant and assistance from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, or CASEL, Washoe County leaders developed new survey measures, working with students to understand how they respond to questions about social-emotional skills and with teachers to develop data that could actually be used to change what happens in the classroom.

Alongside the districts existing early-warning system, which tracks risk factors for dropping out throughout a students school career, the data being gathered around social-emotional learning is helping educators ensure that students needs are met and their skills are developed as they progress through school.

We checked back in with the Washoe County district throughout this school year to learn how its work on social-emotional learning has been progressing.

In one of my visits, I spent time in high school classes that are pointedly about developing SEL skills such as coping with stress and the power of thought. Stephan Molder, an SEL teacher in Renos Hug High School, says successful social-emotional learning starts with the adults in schools. He boils it down to this: "...Its all about building relationships with students. I never wreck the relationship, no matter what. I always try to save the relationship first.

Now, see for yourselves:

Related reading on social-emotional learning:

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A sea of red-clad teachers took to the streets around North Carolinas legislative building in Raleigh this morning to fight for higher pay and more school funding.

About 40 school districts closed for the one-day walkout, affecting close to 1 million students. The organizers of the protest anticipated that more than 15,000 educators would attend todays March for Students and Rally for Respect, which coincided with the state legislatures first day back in session. Most counts say that number was easily met.

North Carolina is home to the latest in a series of statewide labor actions in which teachers have shut down schools to protest what they see as low compensation and inadequate school resources.

Teachers in Arizona, Oklahoma, and West Virginia , all received pay raises after multi-day walkouts. In Colorado and Kentucky, teachers saw some rollbacks on possible controversial changes to their pensions after protesting.

North Carolina teachers, who earn an average salary of about $50,000, according to the National Education Association , are calling for a nearly $10,000 pay raise over four years, in addition to more school funding. That would put them in line with the national average for teacher salaries. (See this primer for more on how teacher pay works across the states.)

Below are some scenes from todays march and rally.

Participants make their way towards the N.C. Legislative Building in Raleigh. Gerry Broome/AP

Teachers gather outside the Senate and House chambers during the teachers rally at the General Assembly. Gerry Broome/AP

Observers watch from inside the N.C. Legislative Building as teachers rally outside the General Assembly. Gerry Broome/AP

In a panoramic photo, teachers gather outside the North Carolina Association of Educators headquarters before the March for Students and Rally for Respect. Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer via TNS

A man encourages the crowd as teachers chant outside the House and Senate chambers during the teachers rally at the General Assembly. Gerry Broome/AP

General Assembly Police Chief Martin Brock tries to silence demonstrators outside the House and Senate chambers during a teachers rally at the Legislature. Gerry Broome/AP

North Carolina Rep. Evelyn Terry, D-Forsyth, second from left, speaks with educators during the teacher rally at the General Assembly.

Top Image: Standing on the roof of the North Carolina state legislature building, Javier Carranza, a teacher from Asheboro, captures a selfie with a long line of teachers filling Bicentennial Mall behind him. Robert Willett/ Raleigh News & Observer via TNS
Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2018 8:01 pm

After 41 years working with the Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co. in Bolivar, Tom Wilson retired Friday, May 4, receiving a send-off celebration from co-workers, family and friends.

One coworker said Wilson, who started working with the company in 1977, is what Coca-Cola is all about.
iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Despite some Senate Republicans expressing anger over a derogatory comment made by a White House aide about their colleague, GOP Sen. John McCain, they didn't raise the issue with President Donald Trump during a luncheon Tuesday on Capitol Hill.



"No, the issue didn't come up," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said when reporters pressed him on whether he encouraged the president to urge the staffer to apologize.



"Well, the person who said that should apologize and should apologize publicly," McConnell said.



"The president was in a very good mood, and really quite funny," McConnell said on the overall tone of the meeting.



GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said it wasn't the right time or place to raise the issue with Trump.



"This wasn't that kind of meeting," Kennedy said. "I think the comments were rude, crude and unconscionable. And I think the staffer ought to apologize and the administration ought to apologize. But this was not that kind of meeting."



Earlier, on his way into the luncheon, Trump ignored a reporter's question asking if he were going to apologize to McCain.



Last week, White House aide Kelly Sadler said McCains opposition to Gina Haspels nomination to be the next CIA Director didn't matter because hes dying anyway," multiple White House officials confirmed to ABC News.



Sadler has still not apologized publicly.



The senator's daughter, Meghan McCain, said on ABC's "The View" that she asked Sadler to publicly apologize and she agreed to it, but "I have not spoken to her since and I assume that it will never come."



Senate Republicans have been openly fuming about Sadler's comment.



Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told reporters Tuesday that McCains family is owed respect and an apology.



"If I had said that, I would apologize, Grassley said.



McCains closest ally in the Senate  GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina  called the comment disgusting.



It's [a] pretty disgusting thing to say, if it was a joke, it was a terrible joke, Graham said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."



I just wish somebody from the White House would tell the country that was inappropriate, that's not who we are in the Trump administration.



When was asked if President Trump should apologize for the comment: "I'll leave that up to him, but if something happened like that in my office -- somebody in my office said such a, such a thing about somebody, I would apologize on behalf of the office, Graham said.



GOP Rep. Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska tweeted on Sunday: As to the White House official who offered such an insult, she should show some respect and apologize.



Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell weighed in on the controversy from the Senate floor on Monday. He mounted an impassioned defense of McCain and called him a genuine American hero.



"We had some laughs and even reminisced about the battles; sometimes we were on the same side, and sometimes we werent," McConnell said. "But one thing about our colleague, John McCain -- youd rather be on his side than not."



House Speaker Paul Ryan praised McCains legacy in a pre-taped interview with HLN last week, and said McCain is a hero who has helped save our military.



"His legacy is so long that John McCain is a hero to us and John McCain all of our thoughts and prayers are with John and his family right now at this time," Ryan said.



Multiple White House officials told ABC News that press secretary Sarah Sanders scolded her press and communications team on Friday morning for the leak. Sanders called the comment "unacceptable, senior White House officials confirmed. Sadler, who was at the meeting, did not apologize to her colleagues for the comment.



A senior White House official told ABC News they don't expect Sadler will be fired.



"She had no intent. She said something she shouldn't have said and apologized to the family right away," according to a White House official.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Posted Wednesday, May 16, 2018 1:00 pm

Memorial Day is right around the corner, and area churches and cemeteries are setting dates for decoration services and business meetings.

Goodson

The Goodson Cemetery board will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 17, at the home of Delbert Simpson, 2101 Thornridge Drive, Bolivar. For more information, call 326-5416.

Pleasant Hill

Decoration day services will begin with Sunday school at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 20, at Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church.

Bro. Mike Bruce will bring the morning message with lunch served at noon. The Viles family will sing during the afternoon service.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Salem Cemetery

Decoration services will be at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 20, at Salem Missionary Baptist Church and Cemetery with Bro. Logan Modlin preaching.

Dinner will be served around noon, and Modlin will preach again during the afternoon service.

Dunnegan Cemetery

The Dunnegan Cemetery Board will hold its annual meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 26, at the Dunnegan Cemetery shelter.

Brighton Cemetery

Memorial services at Brighton Cemetery will begin with a picnic on the grounds at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 27. Bring a side dish or dessert to share, and all other food will be provided. The message will be brought by the Rev. Rex Warren of Fairview United Methodist Church. A short business meeting will begin at 2.

Barren Creek

The annual meeting for Barren Creek Cemetery is set for 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 27.

Goff Cemetery

The annual meeting for Goff Cemetery in Polk County will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 27, at the cemetery gazebo.

Anyone interested is encouraged to attend or make a contribution.

For more information, call Kevin Holt at 777-1870 or Giana Andrews at 327-2777.

Schofield Cemetery

Decoration day service for Schofield Cemetery Association, Halfway, will be at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, May 27. Bro. Eric Ingram will bring the memorial message.

A cemetery association meeting will be followed by a basket lunch on the grounds.

Antioch Cemetery

Antioch Cemetery of Pittsburg is seeking donations to help with the maintenance and upkeep of cemetery grounds.

The cemetery relies on community support, and all donations are greatly appreciated.

Donations may be sent to Antioch Cemetery Association, 27749 State Hwy. 64, Polk MO 65727.

Brush Grove

To maintain its upkeep, LuAnn Redburn is asking for donations for Brush Grove Cemetery be mailed to 201 N. Hill St., Fair Play MO 65649. The church is on South 33rd Road. Take Mo. 123 north from Fair Play then turn right onto East 412th Road and a left onto South 33rd Road.

Donations are greatly appreciated.

Reynolds Cemetery

The annual work and cleanup day for Reynolds Cemetery was Saturday, May 5.

Donations to help with the maintenance and mowing expenses of the cemetery are greatly appreciated. Donations can be made out to Reynolds Cemetery Fund and mailed to Kristy Sharp, secretary and treasurer, at 1828 U.S. Hwy. 65, Buffalo MO 65622. Donations also may be taken to or mailed to OBannon Bank, PO Box 890, Buffalo MO 65622.

The cemetery relies on donations to maintain its upkeep.

For more information, contact a board member  Kelly Brazil at (660) 525-9225, Jeff Ortner at 733-1033 or Bill Sharp at 399-3350  or K. Sharp at 328-9403.

To have a decoration service added to this list, call 326-7636 or email news@bolivarmonews.com.
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160518CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTING ALL ISLANDS

New Dawn FM News



The ABG Vice President and member for Atolls, RAYMOND MASONO has thanked the Papua New Guinea Government for including Bougainville in its Climate Change Programs.

MR. MASONO made these comments at the launch of the Building Resilience for Climate Change for Bougainville at the BEL ISI Park today.

He said that the problem of Climate Change has been created by man and man alone can find ways to control it.

MR. MASONO said that Bougainville is preparing for the Referendum but at the same time climate change is also affecting our people in a big way and can not be ignored.



Ends






160518NO STONES WILL BE LEFT UNTURNED.

New Dawn FM News

The ABG Vice President and member for Atolls, RAYMOND MASONO says issues such as Climate Change must not be ignored when talking about the upcoming Referendum for Bougainville.

Speaking at the launch of the Climate Change program at the Bel Isi park today, MR. MASONO said that the people of Bougainville have different issues that is disturbing them as Bougainville is preparing for the referendum.

He said issues such as Climate Change and relocation, War widows and missing persons with weapons and law and order must be made an inclusive process.

MR. MASONO said that Bougainville need to make sure all people of Bougainville are happy as we approach the voting day.



Ends


Water Polo Australia (WPA) is pleased to announce Cara O'Neill (nee Woods) as the organisation's new finance manager.O'Neill joined the WPA team in April and has been actively involved in water polo for over 30 years as a player at both club and state level.She joins WPA after 22 years in the finance industry most recently based at GX2 Technology as Chief Financial Officer for the past three years.O'Neill has proven experience across a wide range of industries including the corporate and not-for-profit sectors.WPA Chief Executive Officer, Christian Renford is delighted to welcome O'Neill to the WPA team.'On behalf of Water Polo Australia I would like to welcome Cara to the WPA team in what is an important role for our organisation.'Cara's skill set and past experiences combined with her extensive knowledge of water polo, makes her the perfect fit for the role and we have no doubt she'll be an asset to the team,' he said.
Be sure to browse through A Growing Boy's Wine Diary , with 10+ years of tasting notes!
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PCS Structural Solutions

Finegold

Farmer

Sweney

Sidhu

Jeseritz

Floyd

Lin

Williams

Jones

Byun

Woodfork

Hollar

Fucal

In Seattle, structural engineering firm PCS Structural Solutions hired Chris Jeseritz as a project engineer, Sunny Siddhu as a design engineer, and Sharon Mika Sweney, Steven Farmer Jr., Katya Finegold and Hee Jin Byun as BIM technicians. In Tacoma, it hired Paige Jones as human resources manager, Ellen Williams as an administrative assistant, Hai Lin as a design engineer, and Bryce Floyd, Marv Fucal and Daniel Hollar as BIM technicians. In Portland, it hired Shadow Woodfork as a project manager. Jeseritz has three years of experience and bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from South Dakota State University. He is working on Bellevue Memory Care. Siddhu has a master's in civil engineering from Oregon State University and a bachelor's in civil engineering from Washington State University. His projects include King County Housing Authority's Highland Village in Bellevue. Sweney has an associate degree in drafting and design technology from ITT Technical College in Seattle. She is working on the YMCA in Everett. Farmer has an associate degree in BIM from Sanford-Brown College. He has four years of experience and is working on residential projects. Finegold has a master's in civil engineering from Moscow State University of Civil Engineering in Russia and seven years of engineering, drafting and project management experience in Russia, Israel and Seattle. She is working on multifamily projects. Byun attended Virginia Tech, has four years of BIM experience and is working on projects. Jones has a bachelor's in communications and business from WSU and over 20 years of human resources experience in construction, finance and health care. Williams has a bachelor's in theatre arts education from Brigham Young University in Utah and four years of experience as an administrative assistant. Lin has a year of experience and bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from Virginia Tech. His work includes Madison Elementary School in Mount Vernon. Floyd has an associate degree in architectural design from Clover Park Technical College and a year of experience. He is working on Madison Elementary. Fucal has a bachelor's in architectural studies from WSU. He has three years of experience with engineering drafting and over 10 years with architectural design drafting. He is working on the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma. Hollar has nine years of BIM experience and a civil technology degree from Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York. He is working on projects. Woodfork has 15 years of experience and a bachelor's in architectural engineering from the University of Wyoming. He is working on two new elementary schools in Centralia.




ASLA names four in NW, James Corner as fellows

The American Society of Landscape Architects named 31 fellows for 2018, including four people in the Northwest and James Corner, whose New York firm is helping design Seattle's waterfront redevelopment.

ASLA said the honor recognizes contributions to the profession through work, knowledge, service and leadership.

The fellows will be recognized at the ASLA 2018 Annual Meeting and Expo in Philadelphia Oct. 1922. Information about all the fellows is at https://tinyurl.com/y7zfdpz3/.

Here are the Northwest fellows and Corner:





Kas Kinkead

Kinkead













Kas Kinkead of Seattle-based Cascade Design Collaborative was nominated for service by the Washington Chapter. ASLA said she is a leader in Seattle and nationwide because of her advocacy on sustainable building, green infrastructure and K-12 educational facilities.

Her guidance helped the state pass a funding-eligibility law for outdoor classrooms and a sustainable design protocol for new schools that includes stormwater and low-impact development strategies.

ASLA said she advocates for women in design professions and champions practice licensure for landscape architects.



















Thaisa Way

Way

Thaisa Way of the University of Washington was nominated for her knowledge by the Washington Chapter, particularly teaching, research, scholarship and leadership. She has students examine how the history of urban landscapes and public spaces inform design and policy, and how to develop healthy and equitable cities.

ASLA said Way writes and lectures about the role of landscape architecture and the intersection of urban landscape, design and history.

























Sandra K. Fischer

Fischer

Sandra Fischer of Bainbridge Island-based Fischer Bouma Partnership was nominated for leadership/management by the Washington Chapter. Fischer has an influential practice, ASLA said, and has worked to create attractive, livable, walkable and sustainable communities. She has led award-winning global consultancies and regional multidisciplinary firms, and raised the profile of landscape architecture in places where the profession is less established. ASLA said she develops the talents of people around her, with a particular interest in bringing women into leadership positions.

























Mary Anne Cassin

Cassin

Mary Anne Cassin was nominated for leadership/management by the Oregon Chapter. She has spent 35 years in the Portland park system, and has been a force behind that region's reputation for urban design. Cassin promotes open space in cities and was instrumental in Portland securing the 2011 National Recreation and Parks Association Gold Medal.

She has pushed for creative ways to finance parks, including a policy requiring developers to pay a fee for parks and recreation facilities.



















James Corner

Corner<

James Corner of James Corner Field Operations was nominated for his work by the New York Chapter. ASLA said his leadership on complex urban projects, and his lectures, writing and academic career put him at the forefront of contemporary landscape practice.

ASLA said he is focused on designing vibrant urban places. At the University of Pennsylvania, Corner pioneered landscape urbanism theory, which positions landscape architecture as critical to city development. ASLA said this paved the way for landscape architects to lead major, multidisciplinary projects that would have previously been led by architects or engineers.




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EUGENE, Ore. (AP)  The University of Oregon and a state agency are at odds over the historic status of a 93-year-old structure the university plans to demolish.

The Register-Guard reports the university is set to knock down Hayward Field's East Grandstand to make way for a new track and field stadium. Paul Weinhold, director of PHIT LLC, which is managing the Hayward Field rebuild, says the grandstand is not eligible for the historic landmark listing because the structure has undergone major alterations.





. . .
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The Albertsons grocery store at 13050 Aurora. Ave. N. has sold for $6 million, according to King County records.





. . .
Posted 5/15/18

New Hope CemeteryA New Hope Cemetery meeting will be Sunday, May 20. Lunch will be at 1 p.m., followed by the meeting at 2 p.m. Olive Point Baptist Church/CemeterySunday, May 20 there will be 
Starting a business can be both exciting and overwhelming  where do you start, and will it be a success? Below is my checklist for those looking forward to the challenge of starting a business.

Will it be a hobby or a business?

All businesses start as a small business and a lot of small businesses start off as hobbies. So, what is the difference? A hobbys primary purpose is to provide enjoyment and fun. A business is primarily commercial in nature and the purpose is to make a profit. Another distinction is that a business is an activity that is planned, organised and carried out in a business-like manner. Once you have decided whether the activity you are undertaking will be a business, you should assess whether it will be viable or feasible. The Victorian government has a free booklet called Planning and Starting Your Business  A short guide for new starters available from www.business.vic.gov.au. It includes a ten-question quiz to help you self-assess if your business idea is feasible. If a business is feasible, it is realistic and workable  not only from a financial perspective.

Have you considered the positives and negatives?

Lets be real, starting and running a business is not all milk and honey. There are negatives attached to the venture and there are positives too.

Positives of starting a business include:

You make your own decisions  you have some freedom.

You choose where you work and who you work with both suppliers and customers.

You get to run the business the way you want to.

You hire and train the people you want and not those who are already there.

You dont make a payment of goodwill for an existing business.

The negatives are:

Getting the initial funds to commence and operate a business may be difficult.

New businesses must create a demand for their product or service.

It may take months or years for a new business to become profitable.

Researching, planning and establishing a business can take a long time and a lot of money.

You are an unknown quantity  suppliers may not extend credit to you at first.

The key point is that starting a business compared with buying a business entails a lot more work, cost and research.

Have you thought about the structure?

There are three typical business structures used by new businesses:

sole trader;

partnership; or

proprietary company.

Which structure you use will depend on several factors: What type of business will it be? How many people will be involved? How will the profits be shared? What will be your legal liability?

How will the tax be paid? Where do you envisage the business in the future?

What about a name for your business?

The structure you decide upon for your business will dictate how you register its name. If you wish to operate as a sole trader you can simply use your own name, e.g. Stephen Barnes Consulting, and you dont need to register it. Any other business name (for example, Byronvale Advisors and Books by Byronvale) has to be registered.

When you register a business and company name, you have to check that the name is available to be used, unique and preferably easy to remember. Think about how it will stand out and emphasise what you do, for example Essendon Lawn Stencilling and Dyeing. Check the proposed name at the ASIC National Names Index and Australian Trade Mark Online Search System, and maybe also check the domain name availability.

Have you considered tax implications?

Successive governments promise no new taxes and attempts are made from time to time to simplify Australias tax system. But the reality is that taxation in this country is complicated, most businesses seek professional help to make sure they are compliant, but still, business owners need to be across it broadly. The tax-related matters you will need to consider are listed below.

Tax file number (TFN)

Australian business number (ABN)

Goods and services tax (GST)

Pay as you go (PAYG) withholding

Fringe benefits tax (FBT)

Wine equalisation tax (WET)

Luxury car tax (LCT)

Excise duty

Stamp duty

Land tax

Payroll tax

How will you protect your intellectual property (ip)?

First of all, what is IP? Well, according to the IP industry body, IP Australia:

IP is the property of the mind or proprietary knowledge. It is a productive new idea you create. This can be an invention, trademark, design, brand or even the application of your idea.

Your IP may be something as innocuous as your business name. I registered Byronvale Advisors as a trade mark. Why? Because there was a consultant in Australia with the name Byron Vale and I did not want him to trade as Byron Vale consultant or advisor.

Registering a business name, a company or a domain name does not automatically give you the same rights as registering IP, and you may not even have the right to use that name as a trade mark. If Byron Vale had registered Byron Vale as a trade mark, Byronvale Advisors Pty Ltd could have been prevented from trading as Byronvale Advisors, even though the company name is registered. Likewise, if I had not registered Byronvale Advisors, anyone could have registered the domain names www.byronvaleadvisors.com or www.byronvaleadvisors.com.au and there is nothing that I could have done about it.

Will you need council and planning permits or licences?

Every local council in Australia has a range of bylaws, zones and permit requirements and unfortunately these are not standardised.

Where you operate your business, the type of business and the size of business will determine the applicable council permits required. Examples of permits include:

Building permit;

Planning permit (for zones);

Registration of food premises;

Permit for tables and chairs on footpaths;

Advertising signs; and

Sale and serving of alcohol.

Another consideration is for home-based businesses that may require a council permit. Generally, a home-based business will not require a planning permit if:

The home is your main place of residence.

The total floor area used for the business is not more than 50 square metres, or one-third of the total floor area of the home.

The business employs no more than one person who does not live there.

The business does not use more of the propertys utilities  such as electricity, gas and water  than normal domestic usage.

The business does not decrease the attractiveness or value of the neighbourhood, e.g. it doesnt make excessive noise.

Only one commercial vehicle less than two tonnes is registered to a resident on the property at any time.

Nothing is offered for sale from the premises except goods made or repaired onsite.

Goods are not displayed so they are not visible from outside the property.

No vehicle is serviced, repaired or fuelled on the property.

Indigenous businesses can register as an Indigenous Corporation under the Corporations Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2006 (CASTI Act). Under the CATSI Act, your business will operate under rules that take into account Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander customs and traditions. Youll also be given the ability to operate nationally (as opposed to being limited to the state or territory in which your business is registered).

Registration information made easy

OK, so there is a long list of red tape and it seems a job in itself understanding and keeping up to date with all the requirements. But the Australian government has an online service designed to help you set up, expand and manage your business. To do this go to https://account.business.gov.au/, create an Australian business account (ABA) and register free to this online service.

Your ABA connects you to your local, state and federal government business obligations. Its delivered by a partnership of all three levels of government. You can use your ABA to:

receive updates about changes to regulations;

find and save the regulations that relate to your business;

reduce your paperwork by pre-filling forms;

apply for a range of licences online;

keep a record of the forms youve submitted online;

receive updates about new tools, events and webinars;

be kept in the loop about ways to increase your bottom line; and

get updates about opportunities in your industry.

What insurance will you need to take out?

Lets face it  insurance is expensive, especially when youre first setting up a business. Insurance, though, is important. What would happen if you were sick, lost your stock or premises in a fire or you were burgled? What would happen if someone was injured by a visitor to your premises, or your clients sustained financial loss caused by your supply of services or advice?

I advise clients to use an insurance broker for all their insurance requirements. Brokers know what insurances you need, the level of cover necessary and they obtain quotes from a range of underwriters for you. They usually offer reduced exclusions compared to what would be offered to you if you went direct to the underwriter.

Some examples of insurances your business may need are:

Building and contents.

Public liability.

Professional indemnity.

Business interruption.

Product liability.

Cyber insurance.

Intellectual property insurance.

Note also that for home-based businesses, the standard home and contents insurance policies often do not adequately cover them. The public liability part becomes void when a business is started on the premises.

If you employ workers in your business and/or make yourself an employee, then you are required to have WorkCover Insurance. WorkCover Insurance may also apply to contractors and directors who may be classified as employees for WorkCover Insurance, where it is deemed the contractual arrangement is akin to an employment relationship.

About the author
Posted 5/16/18

When Virginia Alice Cottey greeted her first students at her new school in 1884, she expressed her idea of what kind of education she intended for them to receive at her school. She described her 
Posted 5/16/18

The Buffalo Board of Aldermen approved business licenses for Central States Insurance Specialists and Performance Auto LLC, and motioned to not approve the business license for CBD Boutique LLC. It 
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Vietnam's pangasius exports up 18% in 1st quarter

Vietnamese pangasius exports reached US$438.2 million in the first quarter, up 18% year-on-year.

The top three markets during the quarter were Hong Kong (up 45%), the US (up 22.7%) and ASEAN (up 56.5%), according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

By the end of March, the value of pangasius exported to Hong Kong hit $101.1 million, accounting for 23% of the first-quarter total exports. Exports of pangasius to this market are forecast to continue to grow due to its high demand, VASEP said.

Pangasius export value to the US, the second-largest market, reached nearly $75 million, accounting for 17% of total pangasius exports in the first three months.

Exports of pangasius to the 10-nation ASEAN, the third-largest market, also increased strongly in the first quarter, reaching $46.7 million.

Vietnam's three biggest pangasius importers in the bloc were Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines.

Exports of the product to the EU, another major market, continued to decline, by 17.7% to $41 million.

VASEP predicts that ASEAN will overtake the US to become Vietnam's second-largest pangasius buyer if only because exports of pangasius to the US would continue to face high anti-dumping duty.


By Politico , May 15 , 2018





A federal judge on Tuesday rejected an attempt by Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign chairman, to get an indictment against him dismissed by claiming that special counsel Robert Muellers appointment was flawed.





In a blow to Manaforts defense, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that Muellers prosecution of the longtime political consultant on charges of money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent for Ukraine was squarely within the authority that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein granted to Mueller last May.

Read More:



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By The Hill , May 16 , 2018





Guatemala on Wednesday celebrated the opening of its new embassy in Jerusalem, following suit after the U.S. move that sparked violent protests along the Israeli-Palestinian border.





Two days after the United States moved its embassy to the holy city, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said at the opening of his country's embassy that Guatemala was bringing a message of "love, peace and fraternity" to Israel, according to The Associated Press.

Read More:



Join us - become an Elderado today at: LarryElder.com

Follow Larry Elder on Follow Larry Elder on Twitter

"Like" Larry Elder on Facebook




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Israeli ambassador returned to home country

Eitan Naeh, the Israeli ambassador to Ankara, left Turkey on Wednesday at the countrys request following indiscriminate violence and killings by Israeli soldiers along the Gaza border.

Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Israeli Ambassador Eitan Naeh to leave Turkey for consultations for an undetermined period of time over the killing by Israeli forces of 62 Palestinians.

Accompanied by a personal security guard and some consulate officers, Naeh left for Tel Aviv from Istanbuls Ataturk International Airport earlier this morning.

Israeli ambassador returned to home country WATCH

At least 62 Palestinian demonstrators were martyred and 2.800 others injured by Israeli Armed Forces along the Gaza border Monday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Thousands of Palestinians had gathered on Gaza Strips eastern border Monday to take part in protests aimed to commemorate the Nakba anniversary and protest the relocation of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The EU warned Poland that it was ready to resort to unprecedented sanctions next month unless the Polish government makes a lot of progress in the dispute over its controversial laws restricting the countrys judiciary. The EU launched a process that could lead to Poland losing its EU voting rights if it continues pursuing reforms that pose a systematic threat to the rule of law.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said earlier this week that Warsaw would face the full spectrum of options when European affairs ministers meet again in June prior to an EU leaders summit.

Weve made some progress but we still think there is a room for a lot more progress so that we are in a position to say no systemic threat, Mr. Timmermans said. It could mean that the Commission (and) Poland make so much progress that we say that there is no longer a systemic threat to the rule of law. It could also be on the other side of the spectrum that we do not advance at all anymore, and we have to ask the Council to engage in the follow-up phase of Article Seven.

The next phase of the process would include an organization of a hearing into whether to move forward down the path to the implementation of Article Seven of the EU treaty. Polands right-wing government that started making changes to the judiciary shortly after it came to power in 2015 says the reforms are needed to address corruption and revamp the judicial system that is still haunted by the communist legacy. Meanwhile, the EU has warned Poland multiple times that the reforms are seen as a threat to democracy. Sanctions would have to be unanimously supported by all EU member states  except Poland.
The protests in Gaza over the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, in which Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian demonstrators, have already claimed over 60 lives. After scores were killed, the Palestinian Sunni-Islamist fundamentalist organization Hamas, which rules the territory, called for a general strike. A day after the protests, Palestinians commemorated the Nakba, the 1948 Palestinian exodus that was literally a disaster, when more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs fled or were expelled from their homes upon the creation of the state of Israel 70 years ago.

Head of European diplomacy, Federica Mogherini called on all sides to act with utmost restraint and urged both sides to return to negotiations, saying that the European Union was committed to facilitate, and foster peace in the Middle East. She also warned that any further escalation of an already extremely tense and complex situation would cause again further unspeakable sufferings to both peoples, and will make the perspective of peace and security even more remote. Urging Israel to respect the right to peaceful protest and the principle of proportionality in the use of force, Ms. Mogherini then also stressed that Hamas and those leading the demonstrations in Gaza must ensure that they remain strictly non-violent and must not exploit them for other means.

Ms. Mogherinis comments come amid EU divisions over how to respond to US President Donald Trumps decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Three EU member states  Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic  have recently blocked an EU statement criticizing the relocation. The White House has not urged Israel to be cautious in its response to the protests, in contrast to the response by European countries including France and Britain. Having abandoned an international nuclear deal with Iran, this marks the second time in a week that Washington distanced itself from the EU.
Written by ACM

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- "Eurofora" was kindly Invited to "Cyber-Defense pledge" NATO International Conference, organized by both French Army Minister Florence Parly and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, as well as to EU Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly's Press Conference (respectively in Paris and in Brussels) this week.

But we were obliged, at the Last Minute, by various unforseen practical issues, (including an unprecedented Disruption of all our Phone/Fax/Internet Communications the 14/5/2018+) to cancel both planned visits.

The manifold Importance and our Interest for those two Topical European/Trans-Atlantic Events (including relevant Press Contacts), considering also certain Forthcoming Developments and/or Projects, are, however, unquestionably High.

(../..)

-------------------------------------------------------

<< Presse / Press - Confirmation et informations utiles - Registration and access informations // Cyber Defense Pledge Conference - 15 mai 2018 a Paris

De: Marie Perochain < >



1 Fichier (1.2 MB)

Programme_Conference_Cyber_Defence_Pledge.pdf (application/pdf)



14/05/2018 18:48



Hello,





We are pleased to welcome you on the Cyber Defence Pledge Conference which will be held in Paris on Tuesday, May 15th. Please find attached the conference final agenda.





The press entrance will be on Ecole militaires gate number 1, from 7:45 am to 8:30 am



Because of security measures, the access to the conference will be forbidden between 8:45 am and 9:15 am. It will be also essential to present an ID card of current validity at the entrance.



Adress et access :

- 1, place Joffre - 75007 Paris

- Metro : Line 8 - Stop : Ecole Militaire

- Bus : n 28, 80, 82, 87, 92



Security check :

- present an ID card of current validity to the entrance (Otherwise, access will be refused)

- Plan to check-in before 8:30 am





We stay available for any question you may have.





Kind regards,



Press service of Defense Ministry



Centre presse du ministere des Armees

DICoD



09 88 67 28 33

>>

----------------------------

<<REMINDER: Invitation to the European Ombudsman's press conference on 17 May at 10h

De: European Ombudsman News < >





15/05/2018 13:56



European Ombudsman



Invitation



Press Conference



Thursday 17 May 2018 at 10.00



European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly



The Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration in the EU institutions, agencies and bodies. Any EU citizen, resident, or an enterprise or association in the EU, can lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman's powers include the right to inspect EU documents, call officials to testify, and to open strategic inquiries on her own initiative.



For more information:

www.ombudsman.europa.eu

Twitter:@EUombudsman





Contact:



Gundi Gadesmann,



Head of Communication

T. +32 2 284 26 09







Ombudsman O'Reilly will present and discuss the following:



 Update on the inquiry concerning transparency in the Council of Ministers

 Update on the Fast-Track Procedure for handling access to documents requests

 Update on strategic work concerning the Brexit negotiations

 Update on other major inquiries

 Complaints against EU agencies

 Complaints about EU contracts, grants and funding

 Ombudsman Annual Report 2017



Followed by Q&A





Venue: Rue Montoyer 30, ground floor, Brussels. >>

-------------------------------------------









This Email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Hi Everyone. I have a query. I'm going to file visa for my spouse to which i have to provide my own PCC as well from all countries of past 10 years.



1. I have one PCC issued from UAE around 6 months before but the purpose written on that is "Immigration of canada". is it mandatory to get a new one or the current one is suffice?



2. I have one PCC issued from Australia around 6 months before. but while getting PCC, i mentioned code 35. whereas, for current requirement they ask that to get it issued through code 33. this code number is not written anywhere on PCC(or may be i can not find it) do i need to get this PCC again or it is fine?



Thanks in advance
Hi everyone,



I have joined my UK-citizen partner (now husband) in the UK and I am on a 2.5 year spouse visa. I am currently working in a contract role in the UK, but may have the opportunity to work remotely for an organisation based in the US when my contract is over (I am a freelance writer and editor so remote work is normal). This would be a permanent and ongoing role.



Can anyone tell me if this is allowed on a spouse visa and what the tax implications are as a non-UK resident? I obviously want to make sure it's above board with the HMRS and I'm not in danger of compromising my visa.



Thanks in advance!
Daniel Thomas of Hixson, was called to be the president of the Elders Quorum of the Hixson ward (congregation) in the Chattanooga Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

An Elders Quorum is a priesthood organization that at the local level acts under the direction of the stake president (leader) and also bishop (pastor) of the ward (congregation). The priesthood is the power and authority of God to act in the service of others. The purpose of the priesthood is to lift individuals and families.

Mr.

Thomas will serve locally with Jacob Shackleford and Joseph Heiss, with William Woods serving as their secretary. Mr. Thomas was born in Chattanooga and raised on Lookout Mountain. His family has lived in St. Elmo since the 1700s. He was raised along with three other siblings by a single mom, and you can tell when speaking to him that this has made an impact on his life and translates into his care for others around him. Mr. Thomas grew up attending The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, went away for a time, but that didnt last long. He has been an active member of the Church for years. He has been married to his wife Stephanie for 32 years and they have three children and two grandchildren.

Mr. Thomas says he looks forward to working with the Hixson ward to minister to those around them. They will serve families and individuals in their wards, and also the people of Hixson. All service in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hinges on the two great commandments  to love God and our neighbor. Service, Mormons are taught, should be heartfelt, motivated by the pure love of Christ to watch over the temporal and spiritual needs of Gods children throughout the world, including in the Hixson area.
MikenKeira said: However I now have a manager mumbling away and now saying the foreigner has placed all their lives at risk if we have a fire.....!!! Click to expand...

You fail to realize that their 4th grade attainment level of mental ability/maturity is far superior to any knowledge that a foreigner may have. LOL. Trying to explain anything is an exercise in futility. It is a lot easier on ones stress level to just go with the flow and try to cover your *ss when necessary in order to protect oneself.The Asawa's 3rd Son died about a week ago so the funeral was planned for yesterday (Thurs) in Culasi which is on the opposite side of Panay Island from Iloilo where we live. Drove over there on Monday. While planning the trip, I noticed there was a bypass around San Jose de Buenavista so when we got to that point, I took it so not to have to deal with all the city traffic and she screamed the whole way that I was lost until we got back on the national road northbound from the city. She had only made that trip before riding the Ceres Bus. This morning coming back, I was somewhat curious, so elected to go through the city. Of course, it took somewhat longer time to come on through, but I was 'reminded' about how much easier it was to drive directly to the heart of the city and then out the other direction. As I said, sometimes it is easier on ones stress level to just "go with the flow".Fredps. I have been to several wakes & funerals since moving here in 2014, but this is the first time that I have followed this process on through. Quite an education to this western world mind of all the process & drama the people of this country put to the process of death and all the involvement attached to internment and all the ongoing involvement going into the coming years. To my mind, they are utterly fascinated and totally immersed in death & dead relatives.
I know it sounds silly, but I like to make burgers at home and I can't find any good ground beef in Spain to make them.First of all, what they sell in the carniceria already shaped like a burger is an abomination that's a mix of ground beef, ground pork (OK I guess), and extra junk like potato starch and other unnameable stuff.So I tried to get them to grind some meat for me. They recommended aguja cut because I was asking for it to be as fatty as possible, but it wasn't very good. Right away, it looks too pink as opposed to the darker red of good ground beef back in the US. And as soon as it touches the pan, it turns a white/grayish color instead of the usual brown.Has anyone found the right meat/cut combination to get something approximately like a good 80% ground beef back in the US? I'm not being super picky. I'd kill for the 1lb ground beef packets at Trader Joe's right nowThanks.
Beekeepers in Alberta and Saskatchewan reported large losses

By Diego Flammini

Staff Writer

Farms.com

Western Canadian beekeepers blame cold weather for depleted bee populations.

Between 35 and 40 per cent of Saskatchewans bees died over the winter and early spring, said Simon Lalonde, president of the Saskatchewan Beekeepers Development Commission.

Its an exceptional number (and) beekeepers have to try and take whats left and rebuild, he told CBC today . I think most people will probably be trying to cover expenses this year. Its going to be a lean year for sure, but thats agriculture.

Saskatchewan is home to more than 100,000 bee colonies and 955 beekeepers, Stats Canada reports .

Canola producers could also feel the impacts of a lower bee populations.

Research suggests bee pollination can increase yields and the number of pods per plant, seeds per pod and seed weight, said the Canola Council of Canada .

Farmers may or may not see an impact there, they may chalk it up to less rain or a hot stretch when they wanted some cooler weather for the crop, Lalonde told CBC.

Beekeepers in Alberta have also experienced heavy hive losses.

One beekeeper estimates she lost 30 per cent of her hives during the winter.

Cold weather kept bees inside their hives, which makes for an unsanitary environment, said Grace Strom, owner of Greidanus Honey Mill in High River, Alta.

Warmer weather allows a bee to just pop out for 10 or 20 minutes, take a cleansing flight and return, she told CBC Thursday. That is really, really important to the well-being of a bee.

The lower bee populations will also likely lower honey production this year, Mike DeJong, president of the Alberta Beekeepers Commission, told CBC.
The prior post provided an overview of chops in China. This post focuses more specifically on how chops can be misused and how that risk can be mitigated.

We have seen numerous incidents where an unauthorized individual (e.g., local employee) uses the chop to further private interests (e.g., a side contract, engaging a vendor, engaging in unauthorized financial transactions, loaning out the chop) in a way that conflicts with the companys interest. We have also seen situations where administrative personnel are pressured by their supervisors to misuse the chop.

We have similarly seen situations where local managers in a dispute (often employment-related) take the chop hostage, thereby making it difficult for the local entity to handle some of its daily business. Indeed, a special type of lawsuit exists to handle these situations that roughly translates as a dispute for returning a companys official licenses and documents ().

In such disputes, the company may file a court claim to seek the return of company property, but shareholders cannot file a derivative action unless the company has suffered actual damage. Having a new chop engraved is normally possible only if the company can prove that the chop was stolen or damaged, which is difficult to prove in a hostage situation if the employee is in fact authorized on paper to use the chop.

In addition to misuse of legitimate chops, fake chops abound in China. Fake chops range from simple electronic copies to actual physical chops that mimic the real one. Indeed, ads for fake chops and fake fapiaos can be found stenciled or pasted on the walls of residential buildings, street signs, and littering the streets, despite the fact that making or knowingly using a fake chop is illegal. These fake chops are sometimes known as radish chops () in Chinese because they were historically carved from radishes rather than harder materials like stone or metal.

We have seen fake chops used for a variety of misconduct, including:

fake contracts (to get credit for sales to earn a bonus)

signing a yin-yang contract (): i.e., signing two versions of the same contract  one to file official, and one to express the true intent of the parties, such as different prices to minimize taxes

approving fake/inflated expense reports

issuing non-approved fapiaos (see above) fake identity-related documents (e.g., letters to prove employment, income, financial situation to secure bank loans, apply for credit cards or visas)

fake authorization letter (such as authorization to represent a company in a negotiation or to participate in certain activities)

issuing fake wealth management products that did not exist under the name of major Chinese financial institutions

fake government documents (to suggest that the government approves of something that it actually does not, or that the government has closed an enforcement action when it in fact has not)

It should not be surprising that scanned documents and imaging-editing software (e.g., Photoshop) can facilitate documents with images that resemble real chops. We have seen fakes ranging from shoddy (simply clicking on the image shows that it was inserted later) to extremely sophisticated (essentially indistinguishable from the real chop).

Several Chinese companies have reported significant losses from failing to identify falsified chops in financial transactions, or through local employees misusing the chops to engage in unauthorized banking transactions.

Listed below are the most common indicia of a fake chop, based on guidance from the China Notary Association and which is consistent with our experience:

Font. Most chops use either the Chinese font SimSun or FangSong, so use of another font is a red flag.

Color. Almost all chops use a crimson oil inkpad, and a real image is actually not smooth but contains uneven dots in its color. (A few chops use dark blue oil inkpad, and those images should also contain uneven dots.) Many fake chops are smooth and do not contain such uneven dots.

Shape. Almost all chops are either round shape or oval, except for the chop of the legal representative of a company, which is normally square/rectangular. The Chinese characters should have sharp edges or cracks due to the density of oil inkpad and the uneven pressure placed on the documents. Except for true electronic chops (see above), a chop that looks too good to be stamped by hand probably is not.

Angle. Similarly, no hand-stamped chop image can be perfectly straight.

Location. Typically, a genuine chop image is placed on top of the name of a company, while a fake is often stamped in the blank area of the document. Some fake chop images are also placed on top of a companys name, but it is much more difficult for a computer-generated fake chop to effectively cover some but not all of the companys name, as the ink in a real chop does not completely conceal the underlying text.

Considerations for risk mitigation

1. If the company does not already have a formal policy for chop management, consider implementing one. Many companies keep a formal log of each time the chop is used to track usage, similar to a notary publics book in most U.S. states. Some companies specify whether a specific chop must be used for certain situations to reduce the number of people with access to a specific chop (rather than having a broader group of people with access to the company chop). Note that because branch offices are not independent legal persons, a company is liable for how its branches use their chops.

2. Consider periodic training, spot checks, and/or audits of chop management. This could range from an informal request during a visit from headquarters to inspect the chop to a more formal review of the log evidencing which documents were chopped. Some companies include review of chop management as part of audits.

3. For suspicious or important transactions, consider trying to check a counterpartys chop. Because every company chop contains unique patterns that are invisible to the naked eye and these patterns are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to be replicated in a fake chop, a company can work with the counterparty and the local police (PSB) to verify the chop if suspicion exists that a chop may not be genuine. A few jurisdictions (e.g., Shenzhen, Shaanxi) have web-based or WeChat inquiry platforms for verifying chops.

4. Never chop blank agreements. We have occasionally encountered situations where well-meaning employees try to save time and avoid hassle by chopping blank agreements or fapiaos. This amounts to signing a blank check and should be avoided.

______

Eric Carlson, a contributing editor of the FCPA Blog, is a Shanghai-based partner at Covington & Burling LLP specializing in anti-corruption compliance and investigations, with a particular focus on China and other regions in Asia. Eric Carlson speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese and can be contacted here.

James Yuan and Audrey Zhi, both associates in Covingtons Shanghai office specializing in anti-corruption compliance and investigations, contributed to this post.
Lou Reed was a great songwriter because he was such an "emotional" man, his widow Laurie Anderson has claimed.

Lou Reed

The former Velvet Underground frontman died in October 2013 at the age of 71 leaving behind a legacy of revered music from his time with the band and his five-decade spanning solo career including songs such as 'I'm Waiting for the Man', 'Venus In Furs', 'Perfect Day' and 'Walk on the Wild Side'.

Avant-garde artist Laurie, 70, first met Reed in 1992 and was married to him from 2008 until his death in 2013 and looking back on his discography she believes his talent for composition came from him being open with his feelings.

In an interview with The Times newspaper, she said: "He was one of the few men I've ever met who could cry. Men don't cry, it's not allowed. But he was terribly emotional. Think of what he wrote - you don't write that if you don't feel it."

Laurie has been looking back on Reed's work for new book 'Do Angels Need Haircuts?' which is based on a recording of his performance of he made on March 10, 1971 at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery in New York City just before he embarked on his solo career at the age of 28.

Laurie.

Seeing how Reed constantly evolved as a musician his former wife is certain he would have embraced the new technology available to artists now and would have worked a lot with Virtual Reality.

She said: "VR takes my breath away. That's another thing I know Lou would have really loved, VR. He would be so into this, he's missing out."
Norfolk Southern Railroad will be closing several intersections beginning Thursday, at 8 a.m. for infrastructure improvements along the railway. RoadSafe Rail and Utilities is managing this project for Norfolk Southern Railroad.

The following intersections will be closed in this order:

1. Sheffey Lane



2. Tasso Lane

3. Old Tasso Road

4. 20th Street

5. 15th Street

6. 8th Street

7. Central Avenue

8. 3rd Street

9. 9th Street

Each intersection is anticipated to be closed approximately two or three days. Detour signs will be posted. Construction is estimated to be completed by Friday, June 22.



Contact RoadSafe Rail & Utilities at 304 755-1200 for additional questions or information.


Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release

SubCategory Select Sub-Category
FogPharma, a Boston, MA-based company advancing cell-penetrating miniproteins along with an on-demand drug discovery platform for the treatment of serious diseases driven by intractable targets, closed a $66m Series B financing.

The round, which brings total funding to date to $77m, was led by 6 Dimensions Capital, with participation from additional new investors GV (formerly Google Ventures), Blue Pool Capital, Horizons Ventures, Nan Fung Group, and Leerink Partners and existing investors Deerfield Management, Boyu Capital, WuXi AppTec Corporate Ventures, and an international group of non-institutional investors.

Founded by scientist-entrepreneur Dr. Gregory Verdine, chief executive officer and chief scientific officer, whose Harvard lab invented cell-penetrating miniproteins and who coined the term drugging the undruggable to describe his lifes mission, FogPharma pairs a broadly-enabling new drug class, designed to access the cell interior, with a parallelized engine to discover  rapidly and on-demand  drugs that engage the most intractable of disease targets. The companys drug discovery engine has been configured to deliver multiple new medicines in rapid succession, with clinical entry for the first product, a beta-catenin antagonist, by the end of 2019, followed by clinical product candidates addressing other intractable targets.

While FogPharmas approach has many therapeutic applications, the companys early focus is on drugging the major, intractable drivers of cancer and on pharmacological management of the immune response.

The company intends to use the funds to advance its beta-catenin inhibitor (iCat) program into Phase 2 development for cancer indications involving Wnt pathway activation, clinical development of its Cbl-b inhibitor program and a third program through IND-enabling studies, and a drug discovery platform for three additional, distinct and differentiated forms of cell-penetrating miniproteins.

In association with the Series B financing, FogPharma has appointed to its board of directors: Dr. Leon Chen, chief executive officer, 6 Dimensions Capital; Dr. Krishna Yeshwant, general partner, GV; and Dr. Rick Klausner, founder and director, Juno Therapeutics, GRAIL and Mindstrong.

FinSMEs

16/05/2018
HiFiBiO Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA-based biotherapeutics company, raised $37.5m in Series B funding.

The round was led by Sequoia China and LYFE Capital with participation from VI Ventures, Nest.Bio Ventures, Legend Star Capital and Proxima Ventures.

Led by President and CEO Liang Schweizer, PhD., HiFiBiO Therapeutics is a multinational biotherapeutics company mobilizing the human immune system to combat disease. The company integrates deep-rooted biological expertise with single-cell profiling technologies to discover and advance a pipeline of antibody drugs to treat cancer and autoimmune disorders.

The team also includes Jeff He, Chief Operating Officer, Colin Brenan, PhD, Chief Commercial Officer, Fred Dom, Chief Financial Officer and over 50 full-time employees operating out of three facilities in the USA, France and China. Both the laboratories in Cambridge, Mass. and Hangzhou, China are located within the Nest.Bio Ventures incubator facilities.

The company continues to establish multiple strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to drive an innovative pipeline of antibody drugs that leverage its proprietary single-B-cell functional antibody discovery CelliGOTM platform.

FinSMEs

16/05/2018
Metawave Corporation, a Palo Alto and Carlsbad, CA-based Smart Automotive Radar company, raised an additional $10m in funding.

This round, which brings total funding to $17m, included Denso, Toyota AI Ventures, Hyundai Motor Company and Asahi Glass, Motus Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Autotech Ventures, Bold Capital, SAIC Capital, Western Technology Investment (WTI), and Alrai Capital.

The company intends to use the funds to continue to expand operations and continue to build its products.

Founded in 2017 and led by CEO, Maha Achour, PhD, Metawave is building wireless technology platforms using engineered metamaterials and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop wireless systems and communication infrastructures. The company is initially focusing on providing smart radar platforms, for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving (capable of 4D point-cloud imaging, non-line of sight object detection, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication, making cars safer, smarter, and connected).

In the near future, it will enable smart antenna platforms for Fixed Wireless and the 5G cellular infrastructure to power dense point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, and mesh configurations for backhaul and access networks.

FinSMEs

15/05/2018
Parsable, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of a connected worker platform, closed a $40M Series C funding round.

The round was led by Future Fund, with participation from Airbus, Saudi Aramco and B37 Ventures.

The company intends to use the funds to bring its platform to more global enterprises.

Led by Lawrence Whittle, CEO, Parsable provides a SaaS based enterprise platform that powers new agile business processes for industrial giants, including Customers include Corteva, Green Chef, Schlumberger, Scientific Drilling, Silgan, TechnipFMC, Zume, and other category leaders in energy, industrial manufacturing, and consumer packaged goods.

The platform, currently used in over 50 countries, combines drag and drop process authoring, integrated collaboration, enterprise-grade mobile work execution, and an analytics and insights engine. Through the platform, users execute sequential processes and collect data inline as they work.

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FinSMEs

16/05/2018
I was sitting with Bill Spurlock, who has been a lifelong friend, and I asked him what was the difference between him and any other politician. Knowing Bill has been in the military for 34 years, I still wasnt ready for what he said: "I guess that when shots are fired, most people will run away but a long time ago I learned to run towards them. I believe problems are much easier to handle that way."

Bill had just moved back to Chattanooga when he raised some eyebrows by picking up election papers to run for Congress. With little experience in politics, he is a conservation Republican running against Chuck Fleischmann, a career politician who has been the Congressman for Tennessees Third District since 2011. I am not alone in the belief that its a toss-up between Fleischmann and Scott DesJjarlais (R-Jasper) who is the most ineffective member of a United States Congress that, as a political body, has a 20 percent approval rating from the American people.

For the last four years Fleischmann has gone by the nickname of "Do Nothing Chuck" and the Tennessee Republican Party, as dysfunctional as the bankrupt countries of Belarus and Jamaica, cannot understand why we seethe at the lack of worthy candidates. Never before has America needed leadership and Bill, who just retired a Major in the Army, has no doubt he can bring order to our national chaos.

"Im a conservative, a Christian and believe in the Republican principles but where I differ the most from Rep. Fleischmann is this: I am on the Republican ticket but the very second I am elected, Ill switch from being a Republican to become a Tennessean. Conservatives in our state will love me but the day Im elected will be the best thing that could happen to Democrats and any other citizens in the Third District.

"Ive done three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and, let me tell you, there is no better classroom than a fire-fight because you thank God for every single soldier. Black, white, college degree or high school drop-out  Im responsible for every single one  and thats the kind of elected servant I want to be."

Bill, a product of Baylor where he was an outstanding athlete, got his degree from UTC "a little piece-meal "because I was deployed a lot. I was determined to be a college graduate because it is so important to learn, and get it right, in order to be successful, either as an Army officer, a cyber expert, a chef in a restaurant  whatever.

"I dont mean to make a big deal out of my life in the military but so much of what Ive done I knew peoples lives depended on it. Man, that changes how you look at everything," he said over breakfast. "I kinda like helping people, making things happen, and thats why I am running for Congress. I can provide leadership and Ive been greatly encouraged because people know its lacking in Washington."

At best, Spurlock is a longshot. He lacks name recognition and got a late start in the race. "I was on a medical hold," he said, his back full of titanium after too many night assaults. "I knew I wanted to get going but a soldier cant run for office. I feel fine but the Army wanted to be sure I would be okay. You get immediate care when you are active military.

"Being an underdog or last in the race doesnt bother me at all. I want to work like crazy every day until the August election and I am finding a lot of veterans are meeting me with open arms. I love rural Tennessee  what can we do to get more broadband? How can we better education? Im a firm believer in early childhood development  I have a three-year-old and the little guy is smart!"

Asked about education at the so-called poverty schools, Spurlock said some rural counties are struggling, too, and hes all-about year-round school and pre-K development. Mental health is "a serious issue" with depression at a race-horse pace. "There are so many areas that I dont believe are addressed," he shook his head.

Staring at his coffee cup, he paused and said, "I am going to tell you a secret. Do you know what the most untapped source of power in Tennessee is? Im going to tell you because I know this is true. Weve got to talk to each other because you would be shocked at the answers we can find for problems. I am serious.

"The way it works is that sometimes, instead of doing it my way, Ill get the whole platoon to look at our problem. What youll learn is your team has some fabulous ideas. Then, as the leader, I implement our solution and, with everybody eager to make it work, you can accomplish any problem there is. Thats what leaders do."

And thats why Bill Spurlock can change the way we do things if he can just get the chance. Before you brush him off, the voters of District Three should listen to this man carefully because, in my mind, what we got right now aint working.
    1878 .      ,       103 000   2   70 .     1963 .       -8.     1969 .         .     1874 .  ,        . 2017 . ...
Here is the latest jail booking report from Hamilton County:

BALLARD, DAVID L

5225 CENTRAL AVE CHATTANOOGA, 374102023

Age at Arrest: 18 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (FELONY RECKLESS ENDANGERME

VIOLATION OF PROBATION ( UNLAWFUL CARRYING WEAPON)

---

BEARD, PAULA LEEANN

2907 CALHOUN AVENUE CHATTANOOGA, 37407

Age at Arrest: 38 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

REGISTRATION, EXPIRED

REGISTRATION, UNLAWFUL REMOVAL OF DECAL OR PLATE

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

---

BECK, JUNIOR LEE

HOMELESS ROSSVILLE, 30741

Age at Arrest: 21 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY)

---

BENFORD, MARCUS DEWAYNE

2000 EAST 23RD CHATTANOOGA, 37404

Age at Arrest: 41 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

CHILD SUPPORT NONPAYMENT

CHILD SUPPORT NONPAYMENT

CHILD SUPPORT NONPAYMENT

---

BENTLEY, MAGGIE LEE

636 OLD ALABAMA MCDONALD, 37353

Age at Arrest: 19 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

FALSE IDENTIFICATION (USE OF)

---

BITTENBENDER, GARRETT SPENCER

3912 17TH AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37407

Age at Arrest: 41 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

AGGRAVATED DOMESIC ASSAULT

---

BLACK, JARQUEZ M

2709 CITICO AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37406

Age at Arrest: 18 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

---

BOYD, DEANA WILKEY

11050 DAVENPORT RD SODDY DAISY, 37379

Age at Arrest: 54 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

---

BOYD, DONALD LEBRON

701 MANSION CIR CHATTANOOGA, 37416

Age at Arrest: 25 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT

AGGRAVATED BURGLARY (OCCUPIED HABITATION)

---

BREWER, SELINDA SHATAVIA

2223 E 25TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37407

Age at Arrest: 23 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga

DRIVING ON SUSPENDED LICENSE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

---

CALLOWAY, ANWOIANE C

2300 WILSON ST CHATTANOOGA, 37406

Age at Arrest: 36 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

---

CHANDLER, JAMES HAMMOND

955 CHURCH ST CLEVELAND, 37311

Age at Arrest: 37 years old

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County

VIOLATION OF PROBATION ( DUI )

VIOLATION OF PROBATION( DOMESTIC ASSAULT)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION( AGG DOMESTIC ASSAULT)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION( AGG DOMESTIC ASSAULT)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION( POSS DRUG PARA)

---

CLIFT, JOSHUA

5410 HIGH ST.

OOLTEWAH, 37363Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: CollegedaleBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---COBB, GREGORY DEAN1210 JARVIS AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 58 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaVIOLATION OF PROBATION---COOK, JONATHAN DWAYNE2307 GLASS STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 28 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaAGGRAVATED DOMESTIC ASSAULT---COONROD, ANTONIO DEWAYNE710 CARUTHERS RD CHATTANOOGA, 374112445Age at Arrest: 23 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION( FACILTATION TO COMITT AGG---DANIEL, TIMOTHY BRIAN9104 OLD HIXSON PIKE SODDY DAISY, 37379Age at Arrest: 34 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---DAVIS, BRYCEN LEE74 HUNT CREEK ROAD MANCHESTER, 37355Age at Arrest: 26 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGGRAVATED BURGLARY)---DAVIS, GREGORY L7619 YELLOW PINE DR HARRISON, 37341Age at Arrest: 52 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaPOSSESSION OF MARIJUANA---DAVIS, MONICKA SHONTA13822 MOUNT TABOR RD SODDY DAISY, 37379Age at Arrest: 41 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaFAILURE TO APPEAR---DUNIGAN, AUSTRALIA LADELL4305 CAIN AVE CHATTANOOGA, 374101737Age at Arrest: 35 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaHARASSMENTPUBLIC INTOXICATION---EDINGTON, CHRISTOPHER T8528 OOLTEWAH HARRISON RD OOLTEWAH, 37322Age at Arrest: 31 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCEIMPLIED CONSENT LAW - DRIVERS---ELLISON, BRUCE DEWAYNE272 WRIGHT LANE DECATURE, 37362Age at Arrest: 40 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION( AGGRAVATED BURGLARY)---FRIZZELL, STEVEN TYLER7974 BOSTON LANE CHATTANOOGA, 37343Age at Arrest: 32 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION( POSS LORAZEPAM)VIOLATION OF PROBATION( THEFT OF PROPERTY)VIOLATION OF PROBATION( CONTRABAND IN A PENAL INST---GOBELLAN, RENEE208 SQUIRREL AVE COHUTTA, 30710Age at Arrest: 32 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyDRIVING WHILE LICENSE SUSPENDED---GOSSETT, JAMES WESLEY1120 O GRADY DR CHATTANOOGA, 37419Age at Arrest: 39 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE---GRIFFITH, LYNDSIE JEAN97 OLD STATE HWY 8 DUNLAP, 37327Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY OVER $10---GRISSOM, WISTERIA DENISE1418 CAROUSEL ROAD CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 43 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaVIOLATION OF PROBATION( POSS OF COCAINE RESALE)VIOLATION OF PROBATION( POSS MARIJUANA)---GRIZZLE, AMY REBECCAWOODEN LOOP DATON, 37383Age at Arrest: 44 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE---HANDSBURY, ALLYSON N900 MOUNTAIN CREEK RD APT U437 RED BANK, 37415Age at Arrest: 23 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyDRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCERESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESS---HARMON, BRITTANI1146 PIERCE AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37403Age at Arrest: 21 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---HAWKINS, BRANDON EUGENE6293 TALITHA LN RED BANK, 37415Age at Arrest: 43 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHEFAILURE TO APPEAR---HILL, CLIFFORD RASHEED106 AUGUSTA DR FT OGLETHORPE, 30742Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyAGGRAVATED BURGLARY (OCCUPIED HABITATION)VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF OVER $1,000DOMESTIC ASSAULTDOMESTIC ASSAULT---HILL, CODY JAMES5416 DUPONT ST CHATTANOOGA, 37412Age at Arrest: 27 years oldArresting Agency: East RidgeBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---HOLLAND, WILLIAM KYLE759 SIMMONS TAWZER ROAD CHICKAMAUGA, 30707Age at Arrest: 32 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIAPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE---HOLLAND, WILLIAM3389 SPINNERS CV MEMPHIS, 38134Age at Arrest: 43 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF PROPERTY---HUBBARD, ANTONIO RODRIQUEZ3609 CRAIG ST CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 39 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyCHILDSUPPORT NONSUPPORTCHILDSUPPORT NONSUPPORTCHILDSUPPORT NONSUPPORT---HUMPHREY, BRANDON RAJSHAUN925 SHALLOWFORD RD CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 30 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (DOMESTIC ASSAULT)VIOLATION OF PROBATION (ASSAULT)VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHEVIOLATION OF PROBATION (ASSAULT)---JACKSON, BRANDON WESLEY1800 S HOLLY ST CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 24 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE---JAMES, PIERRE ANTONIO3725 FOUNTAIN AVE APT 67 EAST RIDGE, 37412Age at Arrest: 34 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyNONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORTNONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORTNONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORTNONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT---JUAN, JOSE PEDRO1611 LYNNBROOK AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 19 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE---KING, JOHNNEA201 EADS ST APT 538 EAST RIDGE, 37412Age at Arrest: 18 years oldArresting Agency: East RidgeAGGRAVTED DOMESTIC ASSAULT---LANGLEY, JACKIE SHARI1664 GREENDALE LANE HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 23 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---LOCKLEAR, MICHAEL A8959 WANDERING WAY OOLTEWAH, 37363Age at Arrest: 18 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE---LOWE, KENDRICK DEONTE7604 STANDIFER GAP RD CHATTANOOGA, 37415Age at Arrest: 26 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyDRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALEPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA---LUTTRELL, STEWART BRODIEHOMELESS SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, 37377Age at Arrest: 31 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---MARTIN, TIFFANY ANNETTE2701 AUTUMN CHASE DR CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 36 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF PROPERTY OVER $2,500---MASON, CRYSTAL MORGAN7614 BANTHER RD HARRISON, 37341Age at Arrest: 34 years oldArresting Agency: Red BankBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---MCCROSKEY, MARLIN LATREY6847 MARTHA AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37412Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---MCMULLAN, JOSHUA CHARLES5724 JAMES CIRCLE HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 32 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyAGGRAVATED BURGLARY (OCCUPIED HABITATION)---METZ, STEVEN DEAN11050 DAVENPORT ROAD SODDY DAISY, 37379Age at Arrest: 53 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA---MILLER, CHRISTOPHER BRENT311 GLOVER HILL RD JASPER, 37347Age at Arrest: 35 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyCONTEMPT OF COURT( NON SUPPORT)---MORRIS, PRESTON THOMAS7312 FLAGSTONE DR OOLTEWAH, 37363Age at Arrest: 19 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA---NELSON, PAULA ANNETTE9044 WACONDA SHORE DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37416Age at Arrest: 44 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyASSAULT---NEWBY, MATTHEW JAKE89 MASHBURN LANE RINGGOLD, 30736Age at Arrest: 26 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyTHEFT UNDER $1,000---OWENS, MELISSA LASHELLE2616 EAST 14TH STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 24 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF---PAIGE, ANTHONY LEBRON1207 BLEMEADE AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 48 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED S---PARKER, MAKAYLA MORGAN636 MORRISON SPRINGS RD RED BANK, 37415Age at Arrest: 20 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyASSAULT---PASLEY, JAVON CANTRELL1008 GILLESPIE RD CHATTANOOGA, 37411Age at Arrest: 20 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION( THEFT OF PROPERTY)VIOLATION OF PROBATION( AGGRAVATED BURGLURY)VIOLATION OF PROBATION( THEFT)---PENN, CHRISTOPHER JEROD2025 OCOEE ST CHATTANOOGA, 37401Age at Arrest: 27 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyCRIMINAL TRESPASSING---PIERCE, SCOTTIE LAMARHOMELESS CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF PROPERTY OVER $2,500---PIERCY, AMY RACHELLE3801 OAKLAND TER CHATTANOOGA, 37415Age at Arrest: 52 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION---POLLARD, PATRICK ALLEN1015 WEST AMWOOD DR CHATTANOOGA, 37379Age at Arrest: 24 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY)VIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGGRAVATED BURGLARY)VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY)VIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGGRAVATED BURGLARY)VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHEVIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF MARIHUANA)---POOLE, TEDARRALL D6510 MILL STREAM DRIVE HARRISON, 37341Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaVANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF---POSLEY, ALEXANDER WAYNE409 ROBERTS ST CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 42 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---PRITCHETT, TERESA302 GRAYSON ST ROSSVILLE, 30741Age at Arrest: 36 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)---PUGH, LOGAN STEPHEN2679 BOSTON BRANCH CIR SIGNAL MOUNTAIN, 37377Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaVIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY)---RAMEY, JOSEPH W259 LADDS SWITCH ROAD GUILD, 37340Age at Arrest: 37 years oldArresting Agency: Lookout MountainTHEFT OF PROPERTY OVER 1000THEFT OF PROPERTY OVER 2500POSSESSION OF MARIJUANAPOSSESSION OF BURGLARY TOOLSPOSSESSION OF PROHIBITED WEAPONPOSSESSION OF METH (SELL, DEL. OR MANUFACTURING)---RIVERS, MARCUS DUANE1613 DORCHESTER AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest: 23 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyTHEFT OF PROPERTY OVER 1000AGGRAVATED ROBBERY---SCHEIDT, JESSE MAZZIK9401 WEST RIDGE TRAIL ROAD SODDY DAISY, 37379Age at Arrest: 21 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyDRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE---SCHOATES, KYLE ALLEN1202 GADD ROAD CHATTANOOGA, 37343Age at Arrest: 31 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaPUBLIC INTOXICATION---SHIPLEY, PHILLIP SHOMELESS PIGEON FORGE, 37863Age at Arrest: 33 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyTHEFT OF PROPERTY---SIMS, LAQUAN LEWON6312 ROSEMARY DR CHATTANOOGA, 37416Age at Arrest: 28 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyCHILD SUPPORT NONPAYMENT---SMITH, LARRY DANIEL5509 NATION RD OOLTEWAH, 37363Age at Arrest: 37 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION(THEFT OF PROP)VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSS METH)VIOLATION OF PROBATION(POSS OF METH)---SORKNESS, BRIAN SCOTT2515 JAMES AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37415Age at Arrest: 36 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF COCCAINE)VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHEVIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF METHAMPHETAMVIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF HEROIN)---SPEIGHT, CHELSEA BIANCA2702 GLASS STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37406Age at Arrest: 27 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyASSAULT---STARLING, CARLOS LAYLE4609 GREEN SHANTY OOLTEWAH, 37363Age at Arrest: 39 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyREGISTRATION, EXPIREDDRIVING ON REVOKED LICENSEFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY---STRICKLAND, RONALD GERMAIN1901S S ORCHARD KNOB CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGGRAVATED BURGLARY)---TAYLOR, ANA ROSE29 MOUNTAIN VIEW ROAD WILMINGTON, 05363Age at Arrest: 20 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF PROPERTY (CONDUCT INVOLV.MERCHANDISE) UND---TAYLOR, RICHARD BYRONN6011 WHEATFIELD DRIVE HARRISON, 37341Age at Arrest: 53 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyFUGITIVE LONG BEACH CA---THOMAS, ROGERCLEVELAND, 37311Age at Arrest: 30 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyFAILURE TO APPEAR---TREPPARD, JOHN ALEXANDER914 SPURLING DRIVE HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 19 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF PROPERTY---TROXELL, JASON EUGENE900 MOUNTAIN CREEK ROAD CHATTANOOGA, 37415Age at Arrest: 35 years oldArresting Agency: Signal MountainDRIVING ON REVOKED LICENSEFINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY---TURNER, TAMMY SUE188 MCCPOLIN LANE GEORGETOWN, 37336Age at Arrest: 47 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION( POSS OF CONTROLLED)---WALDEN, RYAN KEITHCLEVELAND, 37311Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyVIOLATION OF PROBATION( THEFT OF PROPERTY)---WALKER, KHADIJAH7164 TANAGER CT EAST RIDGE, 374124147Age at Arrest: 24 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaTHEFT OF SERVICES---WAMSLEY, ELIJAH9337 CHARBAR CIRCLE CHATTANOOGA, 37421Age at Arrest: 18 years oldArresting Agency: Hamilton CountyPOSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE---WARE, BILLIE M330 CEDAR AVE APT 303 SOUTH PITTSBURG, 37380Age at Arrest: 53 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaASSAULTHEADLIGHTS ON MOTOR VEHICLES (INCLEMENT WETHER)DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE 2ND OFFENSEFOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY---WEAVER, DWIGHT ANTOINE1114 FLYNN ST CHATTANOOGA, 37403Age at Arrest: 29 years oldArresting Agency: Chatt. Housing AuthorityCRIMINAL TRESPASSING---WEST, JOLEN ROGER172 MAPLETON DRIVE NW CLEVELAND, 37312Age at Arrest: 19 years oldArresting Agency: Alcoholic BEV CommFALSE IDENTIFICATION (USE OF)---WOODLEY, QYESHA3006 5TH AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37407Age at Arrest: 31 years oldArresting Agency: ChattanoogaAGGRAVATED ASSAULTAGGRAVATED DOMESTIC ASSAULT

Here are the mug shots:

BALLARD, DAVID L

Age at Arrest: 18

Date of Birth: 09/11/1999

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (FELONY RECKLESS ENDANGERME

VIOLATION OF PROBATION ( UNLAWFUL CARRYING WEAPON) BEARD, PAULA LEEANN

Age at Arrest: 38

Date of Birth: 05/16/1979

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

REGISTRATION, EXPIRED

REGISTRATION, UNLAWFUL REMOVAL OF DECAL OR PLATE

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY BENFORD, MARCUS DEWAYNE

Age at Arrest: 41

Date of Birth: 05/25/1976

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

CHILD SUPPORT NONPAYMENT

CHILD SUPPORT NONPAYMENT

CHILD SUPPORT NONPAYMENT BENTLEY, MAGGIE LEE

Age at Arrest: 19

Date of Birth: 01/29/1999

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

FALSE IDENTIFICATION (USE OF) BLACK, JARQUEZ M

Age at Arrest: 18

Date of Birth: 03/03/2000

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE BOYD, DEANA WILKEY

Age at Arrest: 54

Date of Birth: 06/21/1963

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA BOYD, DONALD LEBRON

Age at Arrest: 25

Date of Birth: 11/11/1992

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT

AGGRAVATED BURGLARY (OCCUPIED HABITATION) BREWER, SELINDA SHATAVIA

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 12/13/1994

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON SUSPENDED LICENSE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CALLOWAY, ANWOIANE C

Age at Arrest: 36

Date of Birth: 04/27/1982

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

CLIFT, JOSHUA

Age at Arrest: 25

Date of Birth: 11/09/1992

Arresting Agency: Collegedale



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)



COBB, GREGORY DEAN

Age at Arrest: 58

Date of Birth: 11/22/1959

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION COOK, JONATHAN DWAYNE

Age at Arrest: 28

Date of Birth: 08/26/1989

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

AGGRAVATED DOMESTIC ASSAULT COONROD, ANTONIO DEWAYNE

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 05/24/1994

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION( FACILTATION TO COMITT AGG DANIEL, TIMOTHY BRIAN

Age at Arrest: 34

Date of Birth: 05/13/1984

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

DAVIS, BRYCEN LEE

Age at Arrest: 26

Date of Birth: 10/09/1991

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGGRAVATED BURGLARY) DAVIS, GREGORY L

Age at Arrest: 52

Date of Birth: 03/26/1966

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA DAVIS, MONICKA SHONTA

Age at Arrest: 41

Date of Birth: 11/05/1976

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR DUNIGAN, AUSTRALIA LADELL

Age at Arrest: 35

Date of Birth: 01/23/1983

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

HARASSMENT

PUBLIC INTOXICATION ELLISON, BRUCE DEWAYNE

Age at Arrest: 40

Date of Birth: 11/15/1977

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION( AGGRAVATED BURGLARY) GOBELLAN, RENEE

Age at Arrest: 32

Date of Birth: 08/20/1985

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING WHILE LICENSE SUSPENDED

GOSSETT, JAMES WESLEY

Age at Arrest: 39

Date of Birth: 11/20/1978

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE GRIFFITH, LYNDSIE JEAN

Age at Arrest: 33

Date of Birth: 06/15/1984

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY OVER $10 GRISSOM, WISTERIA DENISE

Age at Arrest: 43

Date of Birth: 04/14/1975

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION( POSS OF COCAINE RESALE)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION( POSS MARIJUANA) GRIZZLE, AMY REBECCA

Age at Arrest: 44

Date of Birth: 10/20/1973

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE HANDSBURY, ALLYSON N

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 12/25/1994

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

RESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESS HILL, CLIFFORD RASHEED

Age at Arrest: 25

Date of Birth: 09/29/1992

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

AGGRAVATED BURGLARY (OCCUPIED HABITATION)

VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF OVER $1,000

DOMESTIC ASSAULT

DOMESTIC ASSAULT HILL, CODY JAMES

Age at Arrest: 27

Date of Birth: 04/02/1991

Arresting Agency: East Ridge



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

HOLLAND, WILLIAM

Age at Arrest: 43

Date of Birth: 02/13/1975

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY HUBBARD, ANTONIO RODRIQUEZ

Age at Arrest: 39

Date of Birth: 12/30/1978

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

CHILDSUPPORT NONSUPPORT

CHILDSUPPORT NONSUPPORT

CHILDSUPPORT NONSUPPORT JACKSON, BRANDON WESLEY

Age at Arrest: 24

Date of Birth: 08/12/1993

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

JAMES, PIERRE ANTONIO

Age at Arrest: 34

Date of Birth: 03/05/1984

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT JUAN, JOSE PEDRO

Age at Arrest: 19

Date of Birth: 07/20/1998

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE KING, JOHNNEA

Age at Arrest: 18

Date of Birth: 07/26/1999

Arresting Agency: East Ridge



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

AGGRAVTED DOMESTIC ASSAULT LANGLEY, JACKIE SHARI

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 09/01/1994

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

LOCKLEAR, MICHAEL A

Age at Arrest: 18

Date of Birth: 04/27/2000

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE MCMULLAN, JOSHUA CHARLES

Age at Arrest: 32

Date of Birth: 12/04/1985

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

AGGRAVATED BURGLARY (OCCUPIED HABITATION) METZ, STEVEN DEAN

Age at Arrest: 53

Date of Birth: 07/24/1964

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA MORRIS, PRESTON THOMAS

Age at Arrest: 19

Date of Birth: 12/22/1998

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA NELSON, PAULA ANNETTE

Age at Arrest: 44

Date of Birth: 11/29/1973

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

REGISTRATION, EXPIRED

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA FO

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHE

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (DRUGS SCHEDULE VIII VIOLAT NEWBY, MATTHEW JAKE

Age at Arrest: 26

Date of Birth: 11/27/1991

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR

OWENS, MELISSA LASHELLE

Age at Arrest: 24

Date of Birth: 08/27/1993

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF PAIGE, ANTHONY LEBRON

Age at Arrest: 48

Date of Birth: 02/20/1970

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED S PARKER, MAKAYLA MORGAN

Age at Arrest: 20

Date of Birth: 03/10/1998

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

ASSAULT PASLEY, JAVON CANTRELL

Age at Arrest: 20

Date of Birth: 10/22/1997

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION( THEFT OF PROPERTY)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION( AGGRAVATED BURGLURY)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION( THEFT) PENN, CHRISTOPHER JEROD

Age at Arrest: 27

Date of Birth: 02/23/1991

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING PIERCY, AMY RACHELLE

Age at Arrest: 52

Date of Birth: 05/12/1966

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION POLLARD, PATRICK ALLEN

Age at Arrest: 24

Date of Birth: 12/05/1993

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGGRAVATED BURGLARY)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (THEFT OF PROPERTY)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGGRAVATED BURGLARY)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHE

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF MARIHUANA) POOLE, TEDARRALL D

Age at Arrest: 25

Date of Birth: 09/13/1992

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VANDALISM/MALICIOUS MISCHIEF POSLEY, ALEXANDER WAYNE

Age at Arrest: 42

Date of Birth: 04/29/1976

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

PRITCHETT, TERESA

Age at Arrest: 36

Date of Birth: 08/20/1981

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)



RAMEY, JOSEPH W

Age at Arrest: 37

Date of Birth: 05/16/1980

Arresting Agency: Lookout Mountain



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY OVER 1000

THEFT OF PROPERTY OVER 2500

POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA

POSSESSION OF BURGLARY TOOLS

POSSESSION OF PROHIBITED WEAPON

POSSESSION OF METH (SELL, DEL. OR MANUFACTURING) RIVERS, MARCUS DUANE

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 02/02/1995

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY OVER 1000

AGGRAVATED ROBBERY SCHEIDT, JESSE MAZZIK

Age at Arrest: 21

Date of Birth: 05/16/1996

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE SCHOATES, KYLE ALLEN

Age at Arrest: 31

Date of Birth: 08/27/1986

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

PUBLIC INTOXICATION SIMS, LAQUAN LEWON

Age at Arrest: 28

Date of Birth: 05/09/1982

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

CHILD SUPPORT NONPAYMENT SORKNESS, BRIAN SCOTT

Age at Arrest: 36

Date of Birth: 06/05/1981

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF COCCAINE)

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHE

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF METHAMPHETAM

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (POSSESSION OF HEROIN) SPEIGHT, CHELSEA BIANCA

Age at Arrest: 27

Date of Birth: 02/11/1991

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

ASSAULT STARLING, CARLOS LAYLE

Age at Arrest: 39

Date of Birth: 02/01/1979

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

REGISTRATION, EXPIRED

DRIVING ON REVOKED LICENSE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STRICKLAND, RONALD GERMAIN

Age at Arrest: 29

Date of Birth: 02/17/1989

Arresting Agency: Hamilton County



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGGRAVATED BURGLARY) TAYLOR, ANA ROSE

Age at Arrest: 20

Date of Birth: 06/25/1997

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga



Last Date of Arrest: 05/15/2018

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY (CONDUCT INVOLV.MERCHANDISE) UND
Nespresso has begun the construction of its expansion of the companys production center in Romont, Switzerland. The first new production lines are expected to be... Read More
The Supreme Court today set up a three-member panel headed by former Delhi High Court judge Justice S N Dhingra for "expeditious" auction of real estate major Unitech Ltd's unencumbered immovable properties of over 600 acres to refund the money to hassled home buyers. Considering the plight of home buyers who are "waiting with concern to get their money refunded", a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra gave the liberty to Justice Dhingra to nominate a Chartered Accountant and a valuer for speedy auction of over 600 acres of unencumbered land of the firm."We constitute a Committee headed by Justice S N Dhingra, former Judge of the High Court of Delhi. Justice Dhingra would be at liberty to nominate a Chartered Accountant and a valuer accredited with the Delhi High Court or this Court."Justice S N Dhingra shall formulate suitable terms and conditions for auction of the above properties on as-is-where is basis, to be notified in the newspapers," the bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said.Unitech Ltd has recently given a list of its unencumbered land properties located at Agra, Varanasi, Bangalore and near Chennai.The bench also asked lawyer Pawanshree Agarwal, who is assisting the court as the amicus curiae, and Abhinav Agrawal, the counsel for the real estate firm, to assist the Justice Dhingra panel in the auctioning of over 600 acre of land of the Unitech Ltd."The purpose of nominating of two counsel is that the Committee can function smoothly. We request Justice Dhingra to proceed with the auction as expeditiously as possible, as the home buyers are waiting with concern to get their money refunded. The auction shall be subject to confirmation by this Court. The expenditure incurred by the Committee, including the fees, shall be met from the accrued interest....," the bench said.The bench also took note of the fact that some home buyers wanted to take possession of their flats.Referring to its earlier order, the bench said the home buyers can be handed over the possession of their homes on "as is where is basis".The bench considered the submission of amicus curiae Agarwal that Rs 40 crore has been deposited with the apex court registry by one Pioneer Urban Land and Infrastructure Limited (PULIL), which has taken up certain projects in joint venture with Unitech.However, the bench did not agree to the opposition of PULIL that it had only 40 per cent stakes in the joint venture projects with Unitech Ltd and hence the home buyers cannot be given the entire compensation from the money deposited by it."It may be stated here that the Amicus Curiae as per the order of this Court has created a portal in respect of the aforesaid categories."We do not intend to make any distinction amongst the said categories and, accordingly, it is directed that amount be disbursed to the home buyers whose names find place in the portal created by the amicus curiae concerning the five projects and there has been no cavil over the same by the Pioneer Urban Land & Infrastructure Limited."The list of the names shall be submitted by Pawanshree Agarwal to the Registry and the amount shall be disbursed on pro rata basis...," the bench said.The home buyers of five projects in Gurgaon in Haryana -- The Close (South), South City II Floors, Escape, Fresco, and Harmony -- would be refunded from the Rs 40 crore deposited by PULIL, the court ordered and posted the matter for further hearing on July 5.Earlier, the apex court had ask all directors of Unitech Ltd and its subsidiaries to furnish details of their personal assets and warned them that if Rs 100 crore was not deposited by May 11, their assets would be auctioned.It had also said that the unencumbered properties of the real estate firm would be auctioned to realise the dues of the hassled home buyers.It had asked the real estate firm, which has already given the list of unencumbered properties, to also provide details of their encumbered assets with specific information about the "extent of loans or encumbrances".The apex court had on April 9 taken note of the list of all the unencumbered assets of Unitech Ltd and ordered that a public notice be issued inviting objections for auctioning them to realise the dues of the hassled home buyers.Sanjay Chandra, the MD of the firm, is seeking interim bail from the apex court after the Delhi High Court on August 11 last year had rejected the plea in a criminal case lodged in 2015 by 158 home-buyers of Unitech projects' -- 'Wild Flower Country' and 'Anthea Project' -- situated in Gurgaon in Haryana.Original Source:
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Samsung is going to delay the application of an in-display fingerprint sensor in its smartphones. In a report by a South Korean daily Chosun, the in-fingerprint display will not come in Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and one can expect it to be in Samsung Galaxy S10, which is rumoured to come in 2019.According to the, Samsung wants to be certain about the implementation of technology before putting it on display for the consumer. Samsung is reportedly taking its own time and wants to implement the technology not only for smartphones, but also to its other products and IoT devices.Dubbed Fingerprint on Display (FoD) technology,to Chosun, the technology is used to capture the details in the skin with the help of ultrasound. It provides increased accuracy and durability. On the other hand, the technology adopted by its counterparts use chipsets from companies like Synaptics and Gudix. In the technology used by these companies, a light is shot from below the display, which captures the fingerprint. This capture is reportedly found to be inaccurate. It is, however, easier to implement. This technology was reportedly adopted by Vivo in itsand, which were shown off at Mobile World Congress 2018.KGI Securities analyst,had also claimed previously that Samsung would not use the technology on its devices owing to technical issues.Original Source:
The Lani Kai Island Resort has taken action against the Town of Fort Myers and three neighboring establishments by suing both entities over parking regulations, liquor and business expansion and noise complaints.

According to the Lani Kai, owner Bob Conidaris has been trying to resolve what the business calls an on-going parking issue since late last year, but no remedies have been put into action by the town.

The businesses the Lani Kai alleges are in noncompliance to town ordinances are the Gulfshore Grille, Beach Dog House and The Cottage, at 1250 Estero Drive, all owned by Colorado East LLC.

The Lani Kai is complaining that there is not enough parking spaces owned by the business and that its patrons are overflowing into resort property.

In the past, wed let anyone park on our property. We were just so happy to be able to help our community, and encourage visitors to see all of the wonderful businesses and wonderful things that Fort Myers Beach has to offer, Conidaris said in a prepared statement.

But at this point, with the Town allowing some businesses outrageous expansions without the room for the additional parking required, theres no parking left on this little stretch of beach. If they keep this up, Fort Myers Beach parking will become a southern version of Manhattan, where everyone has to pay by the hour. If these expansions continue without the available parking, what island visitors are currently paying by the day (from $7 to $20 and up) will be charged by the hour. And I dont want that. It hurts our visitors, and inevitably, it hurts the small business owners of Fort Myers Beach, Conidaris statement continued.

At the heart of the suit is the allegation that town employees failed to follow its own procedures in allowing certain changes to an existing business.

According to the suit:

In 2011, The Dog Beach House (attached to Gulfshore Grille) requested a change to full-service bar.

The town responded with a letter telling the business that a special exception and public hearing would be required for any expansion, either in service or area, because the establishment is within 500 feet of other license holders.

In January 2013, despite prior notification, an approval of expansion was granted by a former town planner without a special exception public hearing and no public notice.

The Beach Dog House is operating as a full-service bar, and has expended its outdoor seating area, complete with a roped-off area behind the venue on the beach which was used by the public previously.

The Cottage has risen in popularity, but has not accommodated its parking situation to its growth, which has led to heavy traffic and illegal parking at the Lani Kai, the suit alleges, adding the Lani Kai has, as a result, suffered economic loss.

The Lani Kai has had to widen its staff, using employees to monitor the situation in the parking lot, which has now been gated.

Since last November, the Lani Kai has been reporting parking infractions of the neighboring business to the Town of Fort Myers Beach. They had said they would look into these issues, but nothing has been done and is ongoing, said Lani Kai attorney Ralph Brookes.

He also shares his concerns for other businesses in the area.

Estero Drive is backed up, The Cottage is double and triple parking cars when the Town Council has previously denied that kind of parking at The Fish Bowl and other locations, he said. The Cottage never went to Town Council but started these parking infractions on a regular basis. The Cottage was only approved as a service bar but has morphed into a full-fledged designation night club and bar. With more and more businesses coming to the Fort Myers Beach area, places are expanding without enough parking.

Brookes said these businesses have just bypassed regulations of the town.

No code enforcement or action has been taken by the Town of Fort Myers Beach, Brookes said. These places have never been cited for infractions and never presented any changes they wanted to make in Town Council meetings.

The Lani Kai has gone to the town for approvals in the past and had to prove they had adequate parking, the same rules should apply to everyone equally and fairly. Weve seen a history of improper administrative approval from the Town of Fort Myers Beach, added Brookes.

The lawsuit states the Lani Kai is looking for restitutions in excess of $15,000 due to loss of hotel revenue, loss of parking spaces and additional Lani Kai employee and contracted hours to monitor parking.

The Lani Kai is also requesting a stop work order to the businesses until it is compliant under all town codes.

We think the Town Council is concerned about these matters, but they have yet to be brought up to them due to the forgone steps of these establishments and additions without proper approval, said Brookes.

We do not comment on pending lawsuits, said Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Roger Hernstadt.
In todays world of constant communication, it is very easy to lose sight of what is important, what is real, and what is meaningful. In the midst of sound bytes and confrontation, we risk ignoring what we should be focused on: the necessity of working together to create solutions for even the most divisive issues.

Despite recent distractions and conflict, and despite my own personal frustrations at the inharmonious stances expressed among other school board members, my goal remains the same:

I believe that a school board must be responsive and receptive to students, teachers, parents, business leaders, partnerships, and the community at large. We should encourage an open, nonpartisan dialogue and work together with the shared goal of ensuring all our students are given the same opportunity for success.

I believe our school board serves all of the students in the community; one student is no more or less important than another. We are a diverse community and should embrace that diversity, because doing so makes us all stronger.

Our schools are here to serve the educational needs of all the students. We are here to serve our schools. Imagine if all of the opportunities, resources, and facilities were equitable for schools, students, and teachers in all districts.

Imagine all the possibilities if we work together to make change happen, instead of focusing on the arguments that divide us.

When I decided to run for school board, I wanted to bring new ways of thinking, new perspectives, and innovation to the school board. I have always believed we should learn from the past, and keep our focus on ensuring all our students have the same opportunities.

It is difficult, at times, to move forward with the burdens of past failures, but inequities do still exist, and this is an issue we are obligated to continue to address.

I do believe that we should continue to partner with community-based organizations to expand what is already offered in our school system, while continuing to improve that system from within.

I am enormously encouraged by the recent strides made in our school systems through the collaborative efforts at HCDE. When we work together, we create Future Ready Institutes that challenge the traditional approach to education in high schools by developing career-themed small learning communities. When we work together, we bring complex, hands-on science and advanced problem solving into the classroom through partnerships with local organizations and businesses like PEF, Chattanooga 2.0, and Volkswagen. When we work together, we bring more art into our students lives, we increase open enrollment in our schools, boost funding for ESL students, find the best teachers for our Opportunity Zone schools, and much, much more.

When we work together, we can create the educational opportunities our children need and deserve.

We should never say we cant change something because its too expensive or complicated or difficult. We cannot dismiss the past, but must learn from history to ensure we do not repeat it. We have an obligation to acknowledge inequity and explore solutions. And work together to effect change that will benefit us all.

The inequities that affect our schools must be corrected for the benefit of every single student we cant close our eyes to that. As your school board member, I will continue to address these tough issues and have hard conversations about finding solutions. Dr. Johnson is committed to make Hamilton County Schools the fastest improving school district in the state of Tennessee. Change is coming to Hamilton County Schools to bring educational opportunities our children need and deserve.

Kathy Lennon

School Board Member District 2

* * *

Ms. Lennon,

I have no doubt you have a genuine interest in education. The task of school board member is monumental. It is a task that most people would pass on. I admire your diligence in public service.

However, you get an F for marginalizing public concern on your favorite organization that you failed to mention, UnifiEd. Be honest, they funded your campaign too. I am looking at your campaign disclosures, same people.

I find your jabs at other school board members disingenuous especially after reviewing your three campaign financial disclosures available at the Hamilton County Election Commission. You have a similar donor footprint of UnifiEd candidate Katherlyn LanNore Geter. You have UnifiEd board members, and a similar footprint of donors. Of course, I just started your financial campaign analysis. You see, I feel some of our elected officials are owned by outside interests.

Ninety-two percent of Ms. Geters campaign resources resulted from UnifiEd's direct funding, indirect resources, board member contributions, and board member followers. I am finding the same pattern of names in your campaign disclosures. So, I find your letter curious at best.

Stop talking in veiled language of other. You are speaking about school board members Joe Smith and Rhonda Thurman.

That is clear as your campaign financial disclosures that bear similar donor footprint of other UnifiEd candidates.

When I finish my donor footprint analysis, I will share a copy.

In the meantime, how dare you marginalize public concern about a very fraudulent organization, by labeling public response as a distraction. Your last day in office will be the distraction.

April Eidson
Matt Lauer and his estranged wife Annette Roque are reportedly on the brink of a $100 million divorce.

"The damage in this marriage can't be fixed," a source told People magazine.

The disgraced "Today" journalist was fired from his 20-year post at NBC in November after multiple women accused him of sexual assault and harassment.

So what's at stake?

According to Time, Lauer's earnings from his time at NBC reaches well over $100 million and he brought in $25 million per year for his final three years at the peacock network.

The couple also own a Hamptons mansion that they purchased for $36.5 million in 2017 where Roque lives with the couple's three children, according to People. Lauer reportedly lives in the guest home.

They also own two additional properties that are both on the market. One in Sag Harbor which is listed for $12.75 million and a New York City property that's on sale for $7.35 million.

This isn't the first time Roque has filed for divorce in the couple's 20-year marriage.

She first filed in 2006 citing "cruel and inhumane" behavior but withdrew her petition three weeks later. She reportedly was "shopping" for a divorce lawyer again in 2014, according to People.
At age 25, Leslie Caron was getting ready to play a 14-year-old in MGMs 1958 Technicolor film Gigi  never mind she had already given birth to her first child.

We started doing the costumes, and by then I was still feeding my baby, the 86-year-old recently recalled to Vanity Fair, on the occasion of the movies 60th anniversary.

THROWBACK TIME! CELEBRITY FLASHBACK PHOTOS

I had this voluptuous look, which didn't fit a little girl of 14! she added.

One costume Caron worried about was the outfit she would wear as Maurice Chevalier sang Thank Heaven for Little Girls. The scene was being filmed in the Bois de Boulogne with hundreds of extras and horse-drawn carriages.

For the musical number, Caron was required to wear a wide straw hat, a plaid skirt and a jacket to highlight a more childlike figure.

Caron, who wanted to hide her curves, worked with head seamstress Madame Karinska to add decorative braids to the front of the jacket, distracting the audience. However, the trick didnt fool designer Cecil Beaton, who originally sketched the costume.

I dont remember designing those! Caron recalled Beaton saying. I was too mature looking.

However, after she explained her dilemma to Beaton, the braids stayed.

Gigi told the story of a rich playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training during the 1900s in Paris.

And Caron had plenty of experience playing the part. In 1955, she starred in a non-musical stage adaption of Gigi, which Audrey Hepburn had opened on Broadway in 1951. Caron told the magazine that for the production she chose Tennessee Williams favorite director, Peter Hall.

We were very attracted, one to the other, but were extremely professional and dint go out together at all, until the opening night, she explained. Then, that was it, on the opening night, we got together. That was it  until marriage, children, everything!

Caron and Hall married in 1956, but would ultimately call it quits in 1965. Caron married her third and last husband Michael Laughlin in 1969, divorcing in 1980.

Back in 2016, The Telegraph revealed Caron once had an affair with Warren Beatty.

I dont think my younger self would approve of my relationships, she told the U.K.-based news site. Having been raised by the nuns, I thought just one marriage was what was right.

"I still consider my real marriage to be with Peter Hall, the father of my children. I still reproach myself for not having the guts to insist on working things out. The problem between us was that Peter wanted me not to work but I loved work. Without it I would suffocate.

Im most proud though, of my children, she added. With them I think I succeeded.

In 2011, Caron revealed in her memoir Thank Heaven she met Beatty at a party in 1963, which rocked her marriage to Hall.

He was five-and-a-half years younger than me, irresistibly handsome and intelligent, she noted. Flirtatious banter flew back an forth. After dinner, he offered to take me back to the Beverly Hills Hotel and swept me off my feet.

"I never arrived at my hotel room. Indeed, I lingered another week and had what they call a good time. Back home in Stratford, I told Peter about Warren and said I wanted a separation. He tried to salvage our marriage with a trip to Marrakech. Disastrous.

But Carons determination to work has garnered her lasting success as a Hollywood star. TCM noted she has danced with both Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, co-starred with Cary Grant, won an Emmy and been nominated for two Academy Awards.

Today, shes still keeping busy appearing in the TV series The Durrells in Corfu. TCM also noted she has dedicated her time to writing and restoring old buildings in France and turning them into inns.

Still, she insisted her greatest joy has been her family.

There was a point when I felt very low, but I did a clever thing and moved back to England to be close to my children and grandchildren, she said. Im really satisfied here now; I could almost say I am happy.
Meghan Markle is marrying the man many have called Englands favorite prince, but not everyone is overjoyed by the upcoming union.

What a waste of money, public money, one British airline worker, who declined to be named because she was on the job, told Fox News. Theres bigger things happening in the world. Theres a lot more things happening that are more important than [the royal wedding].

She added she was not looking forward to seeing the streets of London decorated with royal wedding memorabilia.

Tacky stuff everywhere, tacky teacups and tacky things, thats the trouble, she said with a grimace. Lots of tourist stuff.

ROYAL WEDDING COVERAGE: THE LATEST NEWS

A colleague of hers said he thinks interest has waned since the days of Princess Diana among those who dont follow the royal family closely.

Im not a royalist. Its fun that there is going to be an event, and things like that -- they always bring the country together, you know -- but I remember Charles and Dianas wedding from 1981 and then we had Andrew and Fergie, and then we had Edward and Sophie, and each time the interest goes down and down Society is very different from when I grew up back in the 70s It was very insular in 1979, 1980, the royal wedding was an immense thing. But rightly the world has opened up and now [people] have their eye on other things.

Corrine Look, 23, said she is frustrated by the reported expenses of the royal wedding, which is estimated to cost a staggering $45 million, according to Business Insider. Kensington Palace has stated the royal family will pay for the "core aspects" of the wedding, but just the extra security at the event in the town of Windsor is estimated to cost millions of dollars.

Why am I paying for some rich people to live? It makes no sense, she said with a laugh.

Her friend Martha Henley said the royal family isnt of much interest to many young people today.

I feel like people outside of the U.K. think the monarchy is more important to us than it is. Its never really mattered to me. I hope they are very happy and I dont wish them any ill will, but I also dont think we should be paying for their wedding. Thats when it becomes problematic for me I struggle to see the relevance.

The female airline worker said in her circle the response to Markle has been tepid at best.

All the men think shes beautiful and the women dont trust her, she sneered. Shes beautiful so thats why she gets [the positive attention].

Pete Ruig, a university student, said he had no intention of tuning in for the royal wedding on Saturday.

He added he was most put off by reports that the members of the British public and representatives of various charities that are invited to the festivities have been told to pack a picnic lunch. Kensington Palace has said some light refreshments will be available.



"Everything that is wrong with the monarchy is completely encapsulated in the idea that you're invited to the royal wedding and you have to bring your own food," he declared. "It's kind of strange that you've invited these people with extra virtues that have excelled in a charity and how do you reward them? Not giving them food."



Still, royal expert Leslie Carroll, who has written six books about the royals, said the majority of the British public is not against the union.

Apart from the hideous racial trolling that weve seen I think thats a minority I think theyre going to be widely accepted, Carroll said of Harry and Markle as a couple.

Student Lana Abirached told Fox News that while in younger circles in London the monarchy is somewhat unpopular, she thinks the royal family represents something bigger in England's smaller cities.

"I think it has meaning," she said of Markle's upcoming marriage to the prince, "maybe not in the sense that it has political meaning, but it's in the identity of the country."

The 22-year-old added she thinks the fact that Markle is biracial is a step forward for the monarchy that many see as "outdated."

Carroll said the union is impactful for those who scrutinize Queen Elizabeth.

Queen Elizabeth broke a lot of her own rules. Queen Elizabeth is a lot more forward thinking than a lot of people think she is, in addition to wanting her grandson to be happy. She knows she is obviously not going to be around forever. She is far more embracing and tolerant [than people think], Carroll explained, pointing out that Harrys father Prince Charles, and his wife Camilla, have welcomed Markle.

Charles seems to be very happy with Meghan and when the engagement was announced Camilla actually said Americas loss is Britains gain.
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At her first wedding, Meghan Markle wore a simple strapless pleated white dress. Her Suits wedding style leaned more extravagant with an A-line skirt and lace detail. But at Saturday's daytime wedding to Prince Harry, she will keep things traditional with long sleeves and a dramatic train, designers predict.

That is, until she changes into a sexy number for the pairs private party.

Designer Caroline Castigliano keeps her client list tightly under wraps. She did let it slip to Fox News she is dressing several guests attending the upcoming wedding but, she said, I cant say who. Castigliano also dressed guests for Prince William and Kates 2011 nuptials.

The famed designer, who has clients all over Europe, predicts Markle will keep it classic on the big day, while still managing to show off her figure in the slightest way.

I think she is going to be reasonably traditional in her actual wedding dress, Castigliano said. This will all be about her respect for the queen and everything the royal family stands for. She may make it very much her own in the sense that she may wear something figure-hugging. I think she will wear an all-beaded dress, probably lace, nice long sleeves. For me, I see her in a V-neckline and a very big skirt on the dress. I see her in a beautiful silk veil; definitely a silk veil.

Click here for everything you need to know about the royal wedding

She will definitely have the choice of a beautiful tiara that will be loaned from Princess Dianas collection.

Castigliano clarified the dress may skim Markles curves but wont show too much.

Too curvy would be out of the question. It will not be revealing. I am absolutely certain. I am sure it will skim around her waistline, but its not going to be a [mermaid dress]. It will be subtle showing just how naturally beautiful she is. And then she will have this massive train.

Royal expert Leslie Carroll, who has written six books about the royal family, anticipated Markles dress will be modest.

It has to be long sleeves. She is going to be very covered up, predicted Caroll, who recently published American Princess: The Love Story of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

Designer Freya Rose, who is known for her shoe collection  a bridal favorite among stars like Kate Moss and Olivia Paloma , predicts Markle will opt for an understated dress.

I dont think she is going to go for anything ostentatious, Rose told us. Her style is generally quite simple and unfussy, and maybe a little bit [bohemian] at heart. I think she will have elements of some beautiful details  in the tiara or buckles or with monogramed features  but I think the dress itself will be quite understated.

On her feet, Rose expects Markle to wear pumps, also known as court shoes.

The shoe itself will be kept very classic, she insisted. Wed like to see some detailing, maybe she will have a beautiful monogramed heel or a buckle thats been made by a jeweler. I think it will be kept fairly simple. It will probably be a court shoe since it is a formal wedding. Were not going to see strappy sandals. Maybe a 4-inch heel height. She is used to wearing heels.

But thats during the day. Castigliano, Caroll and Rose are all certain Markle will change at night for the private reception with 200 close friends being thrown by Harrys father, Prince Charles.

In the evening... thats their friends, I think she will change. Then I think she will get into something much more slinky lovely and sensual and in a totally different way, Castigliano said. I think she will have a really low backless dress really showing off her fabulous figure.

Carroll added, I am sure she will have a second reception dress because that is going to be in the castle and it is private, that will be different.

Castigliano just hopes the public will get a glimpse of the second dress.

I do think we will get to see it. I think it will be terribly short, she said. There will be street parties everywhere. I presume that in the end they will do a drive when they come back in the evening. At least, thats what I am hoping, [that] we do get to see it.

As for the designer's nationality, Castigliano is nearly certain Markle will go with a British designer for her public wedding gown. If not, Castigliano predicted the decision could be frowned upon by the public.

I believe on this particular occasion she has to wear British. I think it would be quite a shock [if she did not]. Everybody loves Harry, theres just a special feeling for him. And I think its really important she gets that same love behind her and to get that I think they would expect her to wear a British designer, she explained.

But London-based designer Kate Halfpenny is hopeful Markle opts to pay homage to an American designer at the wedding, she recently told the Associated Press. Halfpenny also predicted Markle would wear a dress that is clean and simple.

"I hope she's got an American brand on, I really do," said Halfpenny, founder of Halfpenny London.
NBC has canceled Rise after critics accused the show of being anti-Christian and going out of its way to squeeze in liberal talking points.

The Media Research Center, which has tracked the extremely liberal high school drama for bias against Christians, posted an article celebrating its demise. "Rise," which starred Rosie Perez and Josh Radnor, was about a drama teacher who polarizes the town with his passion for musicals  specifically the provocative Spring Awakening.

We should cry because it happened, and smile now that it is finally over, MRCs Dawn Slusher wrote. Unlike the shows title Rise, every episode in this debut season continued to sink to new lows, so we can also smile over the news that the curtain has been lowered for good on the series.

Slusher once wrote, If you could take every liberal, Hollywood writers agenda and cram it all into one show, that show would be Rise.

Slushers outrage has been picked up by other publications, such as Christian Today, and the show was panned by The New York Times.

NBC did not immediately respond when asked if the backlash to storylines perceived by critics as anti-Christian played a role in why Rise will not return for a second season.

The now-canceled show featured episodes about a teacher encouraging a male student to act in a kissing scene with another male despite expressing that his Catholic parents wouldnt approve, a priest featuring what Slusher called stereotypical gay mannerisms, a pregnant minor contemplating abortion, a transgender teen and an assortment of other topics that critics feel paint Catholics as homophobes.

Times TV critic James Poniewozik noted that it was a little rich for NBC to air a show about a town being too provincial for Spring Awakening, a show that its hard to imagine the network mounting uncensored for its December musical.

Rise was also criticized for an episode that accused Catholics of hiding in shadows when it comes to issues such as homosexuality that aired a few days prior to Good Friday and Easter.

Deadline TV editor Nellie Andreeva wrote that the show had high hopes and the potential to be a companion to NBCs hit drama This Is Us, but simply didnt take off from a ratings standpoint.

Slusher said of the series finale, I, for one, have a big smile on my face knowing this liberal garbage is over for good, never to rise again.
Princess Charlottes growing up: Prince William and Kate Middletons only daughter has turned 3.

Kensington Palace wished the princess a happy birthday on Twitter May 2, thanking everyone for their "lovely messages."

Born on May 2, 2015, Charlotte is fourth in line to the British throne -- nestled between her two brothers: 4-year-old Prince George, who is third, and newborn Prince Louis, who is fifth.

The childrens grandfather Prince Charles is first in line, while their father is second. As for the reigning monarch? Thats their great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Read on for a look at some quick facts about the little royal.

She likes to make pizza dough

Her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, revealed the tidbit earlier this year.

Ive done that with George and Charlotte  making pizza dough, she was quoted as saying at a March event in London. They love it because they can get their hands messy.

Her name honors her famous family

Charlotte Elizabeth Diana pays tribute to Prince Charles, Kates great-grandmother Elizabeth, Her Majesty the Queen, and, most tellingly of all, Williams late mother, the Princess of Wales, according to Vanity Fair.

Shes related to Queen Victoria

The late British monarch, who ruled for more than 63 years, is Charlottes great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, Press Association reports.

Victoria had the second-longest reign of any British monarch (Queen Elizabeth II holds the record, having ruled for over 66 years).

She can communicate in a second language

Thanks to her nanny, Maria Turrion Borrallo, who hails from Spain, Charlotte speaks some Spanish, People reported in January.

She could be influential on the British economy

Brand Finance has taken a look at how she and George could affect the U.K. economy.

In 2015, Brand Finance valued the annual contribution of Princess Charlotte and Prince George to the UK economy at 101 million (approx. $137M) and 76 million (approx. $103M) respectively, the company said in September 2017. To estimate what the royal children could bring the UK economy in their lifetimes, assuming they will continue to have the same positive effect as they do today, these contributions were projected into perpetuity and discounted to a net present value of 3.2 billion (approx. $4.3B) and 2.4 billion (approx. $3.2B) respectively.

Fox News Jennifer Earl contributed to this report.
An Oklahoma waitress received a shocking Mother's Day surprise when a customer left her two large tips.

Brenda Pearson was working at the 4 Star Diner in Roland on Sunday when David Platt ordered a cheeseburger to go. When he went to pay, he told Pearson he wanted to leave a $1,000 tip.

DELTA PASSENGER GETS 2 YEARS IN PRISON OVER WINE-BOTTLE BRAWL

"I said, What? Are you serious? He said yes. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't hardly breathe. It took my breath away," Pearson told 5 News KFSM.

Platt said after talking with Pearson a bit, he thought she could use the money. "We talked about the Lord and about her life and her children. I got the impression that she was having a hard time of it, so I thought I'd just help her out a little bit," he told 5 News.

An hour later, Platt returned to the diner to order pie and left Pearson another $1,000 tip. "Money is just paper or numbers on a screen," Platt said. "Self-gratification only goes so far. So, when you're helping another person, you're adding something to the world. It's an investment and people, people are what's important."

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Pearson said the money was a godsend and she plans to use it to get caught up on bills and help take care of her children and family.
Three employees at the Great Lakes Ace Hardware store in Jackson, Michigan saved the life of a woman who allegedly overdosed on heroin.

Lisa Huff, one of three employees responsible for saving the woman, first noticed she was slumped over in her car in the stores parking lot. Two of her fellow coworkers, Cody Brigham and Joe Bommarito, also noticed the woman, WILX-TV reported.

After they called 911, Brigham used a crowbar to pry the woman's car window open and then dragged her out. Then, as they waited for help to arrive, Bommarito performed CPR.

"It looked like she was gone. We thought she was gone," Bommarito later told WILX-TV.

Paramedics then treated the woman for a heroin overdose, according to the news station.

The incident occurred on Monday, a day after Mothers Day.

"That's somebody's daughter," Bommarito said. Thank God she didn't lose her daughter, and if she had kids, thank God they didn't lose their mother.

"These are our neighbors around here. No matter what the situation is, we want to help them out. Joe was awesome with the chest compression, and the teamwork on the inside," said Brigham, who added that "it's one of those things where human nature kicks in."

Jackson County Sheriff's Sgt. Cullen Knoblauch said the three employees should be called heroes for helping the woman.

They definitely went above and beyond what their job duties are. They saw a person in need and acted without even thinking about their safety," he said, according to the news station.

The woman is expected to recover.

In a statement to Fox News, John Venhuizen, the president and CEO of Ace Hardware Corporation, said that he is so proud of our red vest heroes Cody Brigham, Joe Bommarito and Lisa Huff."

Their quick thinking and immediate action helped save a life, and for that we are very grateful. Cody, Joe and Lisa are extraordinary associates at Great Lakes Ace. Their selfless service is the stuff that makes Ace special and the very reason why folks like me work here, he continued.

Knoblauch was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Fox News on Wednesday.
The 7-week-old baby who was hit on the head by a softball earlier this month in Iowa is showing signs of recovery, according to a Facebook page devoted to her.

McKenna Hovenga was struck at her father's game while in her mothers arms on May 2 in the town of Shell Rock, which is about 95 miles northeast of Des Moines.

She was rushed to a local hospital and later transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

She has had setbacks, and just recently a report said doctors believe she suffered significant damage in one area of the brain.

The Facebook post on Tuesday, however, showed glimmers of optimism.

"McKenna is doing fantabulous! Her chest x-ray is looking better and they aren't getting as much mucous out when they suction," a relative named Laura wrote on Healing for McKenna Facebook page, where the family has been posting updates about the babys status.

"Today when they rolled her to her side, she peeped at us more than she has been. It was so good to see those eyes!" Laura wrote. "You can definitely tell when she is in her awake period because she flutters her eyelashes, flares her nostrils and purses her lips!"

Doctors at the Rochester clinic have been treating her for skull fractures, brain bleeds and seizures.

The head of neurology at the hospital identified the two areas of the brain where the seizures are occurring, according to the Facebook page.

The grim news is that they feel that the brain damage in one area is a lot and the brain damage of the other area is significant, a May 11 post read. These areas affect a large portion of the brain, with a good portion having to do with motor skills and development.

The family had set up a P.O Box for supporters to send letters, cards and baby gifts to McKenna. Laura said she was especially touched with the ones from children.

In a recent tally, more than $63,000 have been raised to help the family cover medical expenses.
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., needs to go nuclear  now. Thats rumored to be the pitch from President Trump when he meets with Senate Republicans Tuesday, and the president is correct.

Theres an election coming up and Republicans are furious that their hard-won majorities in the House and the Senate have earned them few rewards. Where is the progress on infrastructure? Where is the fix to immigration? What about health care? Voters want results and they arent getting them. The Senate majority leader could fix that.

Voters dont know it, but theres plenty of popular and productive legislation that has moved forward over the past few months in the House. At the Milken Conference in California this year, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., talked about hundreds of bills  many receiving robust bipartisan support  that have passed his chamber this year but died in the Senate.

For example, the House Judiciary Committee recently approved a bill offering education and vocational training to low-level drug offenders. The measure, called the First Step Act, had both Democratic and Republican co-sponsors, and passed out of committee on a 25-5 vote. What next? If the bill wins passage in the full House, it will most likely languish in the Senate.

At some level, what Schumer and his fellow Democrats are doing becomes unpatriotic. It is time to put a stop to this destructive obstruction. President Trump is right  McConnell should go nuclear.

According to a visibly frustrated Ryan, many of the bills passed by the House are commonsense fixes to existing legislation, or much-needed repairs to federal agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration. Many have strong bipartisan backing. These are not politically difficult votes to take; they are for the good of the country. But they will not see the light of day unless McConnell changes the rules.

Democrats have successfully blocked progress, not only for Republicans, but for the country. The upper chamber is stuck, thanks to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Schumer has effectively cut off consideration of new legislation by demanding the maximum 30 hours of debate on nominees hoping to join the Trump administration. That leaves little time for other matters, like moving the nation forward.

Its time to call a halt to this obstruction. McConnell can do it by expediting consideration of remaining nominees, thus clearing the way for other pressing matters.

The Rules Committee in the Senate has already made a tentative move in that direction, passing along party lines a change to cap the hours of debate on proposed hires at eight instead of the current 30. That measure, of course, requires 60 votes to take effect. McConnell should dispense with the formalities and just go nuclear, requiring a simple majority vote on remaining appointees.

The Senate, true to form, is mired in a debate over who started the slow-walking of candidates. Democrats claim the high moral ground, whispering Merrick Garland to make their case.

Garland, of course, was President Obamas third pick for the Supreme Court, on whose nomination Senate Republicans refused to allow a vote. Republicans counter that the Democrats started it, by going to a simple majority in 2013 in order to approve President Obamas executive branch and judicial nominees.

It doesnt matter! Americans dont care about the niceties of Senate protocol  they want action!

Democrats, led by Schumer, think that their resistance will fend off progressive challengers and win back disgruntled voters, but it isnt clear that their steadfast opposition is working.

The so-called generic ballot for the November elections has shown the Democratic lead shrinking in recent months, as the Trump White House touts the booming economy and efforts to level the field for American companies trading overseas.

At the end of last year, voters preferred Democrats over the GOP by a margin of 13 points, according to Real Clear Politics. Today that lead has shrunk to five points, and some polls have the two parties effectively tied.

McConnell is loath to be the fellow who tosses revered Senate procedures under the bus; we can sympathize. The Senate is a hallowed institution. He is also concerned, as are some conservative pundits, that the GOP will in the future rue the day Republican senators open the floodgates to majority rule. They warn: what about when Democrats take over, and Republicans are in the minority?

Who are they kidding? Do they honestly think Democrats would even hesitate to change the rules if they think it will boost their position? There is no nobility on the other side of the aisle.

Democrats have slimed any number of exceptional Americans nominated for roles in the Trump administration (see nominee for CIA director Gina Haspel). Democrats have lied routinely about, among other things, how the GOP tax bill would hurt the middle class. And Democrats have furthered salacious speculation about President Trumps campaign colluding with Russia. Assuming the Democrats would abide by polite convention is a non-starter.

As important, if he does nothing McConnell will effect do just what the GOP fears most  hand the House and maybe even the Senate over to Democrats.

Republicans today have a dim view of Congress, in part because so little of their wish-list has been accomplished. They may not turn out in the fall or support GOP candidates unless they see more rewards for doing so.

It is not enough for McConnell to patiently explain that Senate procedures allow Schumer to block consideration of legislation, or that, faced with having to make hard choices about how to allocate floor time, he is prioritizing the appointment of judges and confirmation of nominees that he considers most urgent.

Voters feel that if there are not enough days for Congress to get the job done, Congress should stay in session until the work of the people  the work members were elected and are paid to do  is completed. The problem with that is that for the party in power, releasing members to campaign for re-election is vital, even though many are retiring this year.

At some level, what Schumer and his fellow Democrats are doing becomes unpatriotic. It is time to put a stop to this destructive obstruction. President Trump is right  McConnell should go nuclear.
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Tuesdays primaries in Pennsylvania set the stage for races for 18 U.S. House seats that will be up for grabs in the November midterm elections. Court-ordered redistricting three months ago has made the outcome of those races increasingly unpredictable.

Democrats are looking to grab some of the Pennsylvania seats to help them take back the 23 seats they need to regain control of the House.

Pennsylvania supposedly holds the tea leaves that will tell the tale of what voters will do in November, or so were told. However, politics and people just arent that predictable.

The states recent redistricting left candidates playing the equivalent of musical congressional chairs with districts, with several incumbents choosing to retire. This gave way to a crowded field of candidates.

While the redistricting gave an edge to the Democrats, what will happen in November is anyones guess in the state that put President Trump over the top and into the White House on election night in 2016.

In one of the key House districts, incumbent GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick easily fought off a challenge from Dean Malik, an attorney, former Bucks County prosecutor and a veteran.

But three Democrats ran to unseat Fitzpatrick, including Steve Bacher, whose career includes higher education, nonprofit and government work; Navy officer Rachel Reddick, who was a registered Republican until 2016; and millionaire Scott Wallace, former counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Wallace was called a carpetbagger for moving back to Pennsylvania from Maryland to run. Evidently that worked for him quite well because he won the nomination handily.

Democrats hope to pick up the seat held by retiring GOP Rep. Charlie Dent. However, even among the Democrats running there seemed to be a Republican. Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli is tough on immigration, and in 2016 he took to Twitter (in tweets that hes since deleted) to contact President Trumps transition team and praise the president.

Morganelli also tweeted: Thankful for your coming leadership. Waiting to hear from transition. Met you at Bedminister (sic) when I played in Member Guest. Additionally, he attended an event with Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey in 2016 that opposed sanctuary cities.

This was in sharp contrast to the other Democrats running against him. Susan Wild, former Allentown city solicitor, was endorsed by Emilys List. Greg Edwards, a liberal pastor, was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats.

Edwards said someone like Morganelli is unelectable because if you try to run a Democrat like a Republican, the Democrats wont show up.

As of late Tuesday, Wild held a small but growing lead over Morganelli, who was still pulling close to 30 percent of the Democratic primary vote. The Republican primary between Marty Nothstein and Dean Browning was still too close to call.

Even though Democratic turnout was significantly higher than GOP turnout, the fact that so many Democrats pulled the lever for a Trump-like candidate provides some encouragement for the Republicans going into November.

In Western Pennsylvania, GOP state Rep. Rick Saccone, who lost to Conor Lamb in a special congressional election in March, was back again in hopes of pulling out a win in a more Republican-friendly district after the map was redrawn.

However, as of late Tuesday, with 94 percent of the precincts reporting it looked as though it was not meant to be. Saccone was losing to Republican State Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, who was endorsed by Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey.

The governors race featured a hotly contested Republican primary with incumbent Democrat Tom Wolf running unopposed. Both Republican candidates ran as their own version of President Trump.

State Sen. Scott Wagner pulled out a win over Pittsburgh business consultant Paul Mango, who considered himself an outsider in politics and said he wanted to restore faith in the American Dream. Wagner campaigned on the presidents tax cuts and people keeping more of their money in their paychecks.

In the Republican U.S. Senate primary, U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, who was endorsed by President Trump and the Pennsylvania Republican Party, beat Republican state Rep. Jim Christiana. Barletta was co-chair of the presidents 2016 campaign and will face Democratic Senator Bob Casey in November.

Look for Democrats in November to use the Conor Lamb playbook and run to the center, both statewide and in swing districts. It will be up to Republicans to effectively unmask their opponents for who they really are, and show their base they are the very people who will go to Washington and vote to undo every single thing that President Trump has accomplished.

The primary results had some good news for President Trump and the Republicans, as opposed to some of the special elections earlier this year.

If Republicans remind people of whats at stake in November, Pennsylvania may help them keep their House majority.
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Primaries held Tuesday in four states  both Democratic and Republican  should make Democrats optimistic, but wary.

Big primary fields in Pennsylvania demonstrated the positive energy behind Democrats, where attention has been largely focused on congressional races.

Incumbent 18th-District Rep. Conor Lamb secured the Democratic nomination in the newly redrawn 17th District, where he will face the incumbent from the 12th District, Republican Keith Rothfus.

To be sure, Lamb is a new face in the Democratic Congressional Caucus, having just won a special election in March to win his seat in Congress representing a district that voted for President Trump by 20 points.

Democrats need to highlight the policy specifics of their message, focusing on how their agenda will promote inclusive economic growth and put more money in the pockets of everyday Americans.

Lambs campaign excited left-leaning voters who have grown weary of the Democratic establishment, as he promised to help support new party leadership, replacing figures like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., if elected.

The success of political outsiders like Lamb has helped pave the way for a wave of newcomer candidates.

In Pennsylvanias newly redrawn 5th District, an impressive 10 Democrats competed for their partys nomination, with education advocate and lawyer Mary Gay Scanlon ultimately winning the nomination there.

Some of these primaries have come to represent a struggle over the future of the Democratic Party.

In Pennsylvanias 1st District, Scott Wallace, a wealthy 66-year-old businessman and grandson of World War II-era Democratic Vice President Henry Wallace, defeated Navy veteran Rachel Reddick for the Democratic nomination.

Like Lamb, Wallace has expressed skepticism of Pelosi and other long-time leaders, saying the party has some older leaders currently in the House. New blood is always a good thing.

Wallace, Lamb, and their fellow congressional candidates will join incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Tom Wolf, both of whom are favored to hold their seats in statewide Pennsylvania races this November.

Democrats nationwide have to look to both retain the districts they currently hold while encouraging new faces like Lamb to challenge established Republicans and gain seats in the House. This is especially important in Pennsylvania.

The recent redistricting throughout the state has evened the map, putting historically Republican congressional districts into play for the Democrats. At the same time, it is essential that incumbents like Casey and Wolf maintain their spots.

The Democrats should also maintain their position in Oregon, where Hillary Clinton won by over 10 points and where Democrats control the state Legislature overwhelmingly. Incumbent Gov. Kate Brown is broadly expected to secure re-election.

In Idaho, meanwhile, Republican Governor Butch Otter may be retiring, but this race, and many others in Idaho, appear to be fairly untouchable right now, indicating the limits of Democratic energy.

In Nebraska, too, most races solidly favor Republicans, with the exception of the 2nd District, where former Rep. Brad Ashford, a Democrat, is running to win his seat back from incumbent Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who unseated Ashford in 2016.

While the focus on resistance to President Trump has galvanized some voters, Democrats need to focus on showing voters the actual benefits of voting blue if they want to start even making inroads in states like Idaho and Nebraska.

If the Democrats want to win in these states they need to start appealing to a broader range of voters, including moderates and former Democrats who voted for President Trump. The Democrats need to highlight the policy specifics of their message, focusing on how their agenda will promote inclusive economic growth and put more money in the pockets of everyday Americans.

Ultimately, this message will be more compelling than just claiming the moral high ground and providing some sort of counterweight to President Trump and the Republicans.

For the Democrats, its time to stop rehashing 2016, shake off those losses, and aim higher than reckless calls for President Trumps impeachment. Instead, it is vital to refocus on effective policy alternatives to the Republicans and the future of this country.
After numerous people in District 1 have asked about my position with Unified, I feel that it needs to be clarified. I served on the APEX Steering Committee, which gathered information from approximately 4,000 residents of Hamilton County. Parents, teachers, grandparents, and concerned community members responded. Those responses were grouped into categories and results were published. That's it, no more and no less.

I know politics were not discussed because I was there. I can assure everyone that I am not an elitist and certainly not liberal. I am extremely conservative and, like everyone else on the committee, want the best for kids in Hamilton County.

While we all do not agree on the findings (I don't agree with some of it either), I do advocate having conversations. Personally, I believe total open enrollment is the answer. When a school has room and the parents/guardians can provide transportation then any child in the county should be able to attend any school they choose. However, the county cannot afford the cost of that transportation. It is just not feasible.

One big concern from the public survey was to recruit and keep good teachers. Give good teachers incentives to work in lower performing schools and pay them competitively. This has worked before. Lindsay Starnes at Clifton Hills is a prime example and may be one of the best principals we have in our county system. Future Ready is a solid idea because our students can get a diploma and even earn an industry certification. But once again, transportation is expensive. Hopefully, the school board will be able to work through this detail.

For those of you that think our school board is terrible, you've not been to a meeting or talked to those that are serving. I believe they are hard at work to improve the education of our students. I want to thank them for their hard work and service.

Steve Slater

Soddy-Daisy


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As an inventor holding over 100 U.S. patents  including the Super Soaker water gun, Nerf dart guns, clean energy technologies and many more  I know firsthand the vital role that patents play in incentivizing and protecting innovation.

Patents, copyrights and trademarks all protect intellectual property  an invention, idea or process that derives from a persons creative thoughts. The U.S. House Small Business Committee is holding a hearing on the topic Wednesday.

Patents are vital to encourage the creation of inventions and other intellectual property.

The patents that protected my inventions allowed me to pitch the inventions to companies without the risk of them being stolen. Royalties from my patents provided the capital to start my own company and fund new discoveries.

But the strong patent system that helped me succeed in the 1980s and 1990s is now weaker due to court decisions and other changes in the law. And the United States has fallen in global patent rankings from the No.1 spot in the world down to No.12 this year.

I am worried that the patent system that helped me succeed will not be there for future generations of inventors. Fortunately, there is bipartisan legislation in Congress to fix this problem. The aptly-named STRONGER Patents Act will ensure that future generations have the same protections and incentives that I did.

The story of the Super Soaker is a story of hard work that was incentivized and protected by patents. I conceived of the idea of the Super Soaker while still employed as a NASA engineer. I built a prototype and tested it in my bathroom.

The first patent on my initial design was filed in 1983. Although I initially hoped to manufacture the toys myself, I quickly realized that the equipment was too expensive for me to make the Super Soaker. So I decided to look for a toy company to handle the manufacturing.

In 1989, after years of tinkering and pitching my idea, I finally entered into a business agreement with Larami Corporation.

After the Super Soaker was commercially launched, it became one of the worlds best-selling toys in 1991. But to get there took more than 10 years. The reason Larami entered a deal with me was because I had patent protection for my invention.

Licensing my patent rights to Larami (Hasbro today) allowed me to focus on improving the product and inventing new designs, including more fun and more powerful versions of the squirt gun. My patents also prevented copycats from stealing my designs.

And most importantly, the royalties from my patents allowed me to fund new research on technologies in my lab, including clean energy batteries and engines.

Which gets us back to why the STRONGER Patents Act is important. The legislation would restore the ability of inventors to get injunctive relief against copycats, stopping infringers from using stolen technology. This ability has slipped away in recent years and needs to come back.

All inventors should have the legal right to obtain an injunction, whether the inventor manufactures the product himself or herself, or  like me  licenses the patents to others to do the manufacturing.

A second important aspect of the STRONGER Patents Act is fixing the post-grant patent revocation process, a process that allows a competitor to force a patent owner to go back to the Patent Office to defend his or her patent after the patent was previously approved.

Changes to this process in 2012 have tilted the system against patent owners. Statistics show a very high rate of patents being cancelled by the Patent Office since 2012.

I was fortunate. When one of my Super Soaker patents was challenged back in 2010, the Patent Office agreed with me that my patent was validly issued. But that was before the process became tilted against patent holders.

Inventors today are not so lucky. The STRONGER Patents Act will help level the playing field so that patents are not improperly taken away from their owners.

In summary, if you want to see more inventions in the future that make the world healthier, safer, and cleaner  or just more fun (like the Super Soaker)  then you should support a stronger patent system that protects and rewards the fruits of inventors discoveries.
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President Trump should stand firm and refuse to back down from demanding the complete and verifiable denuclearization of North Korea, in the face of the communist nations new threats to cancel his planned June 12 summit with dictator Kim Jong Un.

Any sign of weakness President Trump shows  as previous U.S. presidents have shown  will only encourage Kim to dig in his heels and demand more and more concessions.

In the face of the Norths flip-flop Tuesday  from welcoming a summit to casting doubt on one and resuming hostile statements about America  President Trump should convey a firm message loud and clear to the Kim regime: There will be no summit unless the North is willing to agree to some sort of concrete timeframe to give up its atomic arsenal  with intrusive inspections guaranteeing that goal.

If Kim refuses to explicitly agree to this, President Trump must have the courage to walk away from the summit, depriving Kim of a historic photo op the dictator would no doubt cherish.

Walking away would also deprive President Trump of possibly winning the Nobel Peace Prize  but the prize would be meaningless if it were awarded for a sham agreement with Kim not worth the paper it was written on.

President Trump need not demand full North Korean denuclearization at once. He could easily offer a step-by-step approach.

For example, if North Korea gives up an agreed number of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction, America could agree to drop selected sanctions  showing that trust can be built and that both sides can benefit by working together.

If this cannot be achieved and North Korea wants to put off getting rid of its nukes to some undefined point in the future  pocketing concessions before it does anything or very little  President Trump should give a one-word answer: no.

When it comes to the tortured history of attempted  and failed  negotiations between America and North Korea, one thing is clear: When things get tough, North Korea almost always walks away.

History is repeating itself. Just a decade ago, Pyongyang destroyed a cooling tower associated with its nuclear program in a move that was more for show then substance.

The world had high hopes that North Korea would next allow international inspectors in to examine its nuclear facilities. But that never happened. The North balked at the request, only to walk away from the bargaining table, driving tensions on the Korean Peninsula back to the boiling point.

And now  here they go again.

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that North Korea has begun to remove buildings from around its nuclear-test site in a step toward dismantling the facility, new satellite imagery shows, as the regime seeks to build trust with the U.S. after declaring its nuclear arsenal complete.

Then just hours later the North threatened to cancel the summit.

This is all part of the standard North Korean diplomatic playbook. We should expect lies, threats, gestures of good will and changing positions from the North as part of its standard operating procedure.

We must also remember that modern-day summits between nations are not affairs where world leaders walk into a room with unresolved differences and do real bargaining to hash out their issues at the table  this is not the 1600s.

A summit is the last step in reaching agreements, not the first.

Over the last few weeks or maybe months, Washington and Pyongyang have been negotiating the agenda and deliverables of what a Kim-Trump summit would achieve. This is done to ensure both sides come out as being perceived as winners, but also to ensure that the summit is not a failure, with both sides having egg on their faces and looking foolish.

A failed summit would be worse than no summit at all  putting pressure on both sides to take more aggressive actions that could lead to a military conflict.

What the Trump administration wants out of the summit is clear: a defined process and timetable spelling out how North Korea would give up its nuclear weapons and how this would be verified.

For North Korea, possible goals would be to see the lifting of the maximum pressure campaign of international economic sanctions; a peace treaty to replace the armistice that halted the Korean War in 1953; full diplomatic recognition by the U.S. and its allies; some form of economic aid from the U.S., South Korea and other countries; and a security guarantee pledging the U.S. will not attack the North or seek to overthrow Kim.

And you can bet Pyongyang wants at least some of this upfront  maybe even all of it  before it destroys any of its nuclear arsenal.

My educated guess is that the North Koreans  sensing the Trump administration will not give them any concessions upfront  may now be balking at a summit.

Its understandable that the North  seeking the best deal it can possibly get  sees giving up its nuclear weapons as a major concession coming at the end of years or even decades of U.S. concessions and prolonged negotiations.

President Trump would be foolish to go along with this long drawn-out process. And I dont think hell let the North play him for a fool.

The Trump administration might be willing to trade concession for concession with the North for a period of a few years, but that that might not be good enough for Kim.

Anyone would be tempted to give a concession to North Korea  for example, ending the Max Thunder military exercise that the North used as an excuse to cancel talks with South Korea that were supposed to take place Wednesday. But giving in to that temptation would be a mistake.

Time and time again, history teaches us that North Korea loves to pocket concessions, string out negotiations for years and build ever-more advanced weapons of mass destruction.

Now is the time to show what a Trump Doctrine  peace through strength  looks like when it is tested by tyrants. That means if North Korea will not commit to a plan to denuclearize that is concrete and involves international inspections that are intrusive, it is time for the U.S. to walk away from the negotiating table.

We should remember that walking away does not mean a path to war. In electing Donald Trump as president, the American people spoke out loud and clear: no more wars of regime change that could cost the U.S. taxpayer trillions of dollars.

What walking away does mean is that we can and must, with just a small fraction of our national power, contain North Korea for years  even decades  if need be.

Kim would be taking a huge risk by forcing the U.S. to walk away from the table. His nation is impoverished, people are going hungry, and he could soon run out of foreign exchange reserves. That means national bankruptcy.

North Korea has everything to lose, as history has a 100 percent track record of always punishing tin-pot dictators who starve, subjugate and treat their own citizens as slaves. Sometimes this take years, but the dictators always lose out in the end.

Kim is at a crossroads. If he gets rid of his nukes he has a chance to transform his country. If he doesnt, things will only get worse for his people and his regime.

President Trump should not make concessions and beg the murderous communist dictator to attend a summit. Kim is in the position of weakness and he needs wake up, accept that fact, and stop making unreasonable demands just to sit down and meet with the president of the most powerful nation on Earth.
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If you want to understand why Donald Trump is president today (and why he could very well win a second term), look to the Democrats' hysterical response to two of Trump's major foreign policy achievements over the past week.

Last Thursday, the president traveled to Joint Base Andrews to greet three American hostages whose release he had secured from North Korea. Unlike his predecessor, Trump did it without sending the offending regime an unmarked plane loaded with hundreds of millions in hard currency. The return of these American captives should have been a moment of celebration and bipartisan unity.

So how did Democrats respond? By blasting Trump for the way he welcomed the U.S. hostages home. The pretext for their outrage was Trump's comment thanking Kim Jong Un, who he said "really was excellent to these three incredible people" -- by which Trump obviously meant releasing them. No matter. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., took the Senate floor to attack Trump for his "troubling" remarks. "Kim Jong Un is a dictator" who "capriciously detained American citizens," Schumer declared, channeling Captain Obvious, and warned that, by praising Kim, Trump "weakens American foreign policy and puts American citizens at risk around the world."

Seriously? How do Democrats take a positive event such as the release of American hostages and turn it into an excuse to attack Trump? Apparently, Trump Derangement Syndrome is so debilitating that Democrats can't bring themselves to say "Good job, Mr. President," even when he brings our hostages home. Before, Democrats complained that Trump was too belligerent toward Kim; now, they're upset that he is too effusive. This is absurd. Trump is laying the groundwork for a high-stakes nuclear summit with Kim; of course the president is not going to publicly criticize him. People in Middle America listen to the Democrats' reactions and think: Can Trump do nothing right in these people's eyes?

Apparently, Trump Derangement Syndrome is so debilitating that Democrats can't bring themselves to say "Good job, Mr. President," even when he brings our hostages home.

Then, a few days later, Trump racked up another major achievement when he fulfilled his promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Four American presidents pledged to do it, but only Trump actually did. How did Democrats respond? Not a single congressional Democrat traveled to Israel to attend the historic opening of the embassy. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham, R-S.C., said that he personally invited Democrats to join the congressional delegation, but no one took him up on the offer. "I am disappointed that not one Democrat came," Graham said. "What does that say?" It says not a single Democrat could bring themselves to join in a celebration of what Trump had done.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., blasted Trump's decision when he announced it in December, declaring that "moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem now may needlessly spark mass protests, fuel tensions, and make it more difficult to reach a durable peace." Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., did the same, declaring, "The future of Jerusalem is an issue that should be decided by Israel and the Palestinians, not unilaterally by the United States." Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., called Trump's embassy move a setback while former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., declared that Trump's action would "severely, perhaps irreparably damage" peace efforts.

Keep in mind, the past four Democratic Party platforms had called for the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. And last June, the Senate voted 90-0 (with the support of Feinstein, Murphy and Sanders) for a resolution that "reaffirms the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995," which mandated the embassy move (a bill that passed two decades ago with Pelosi's vote). Americans see Trump being criticized for doing exactly what Congress demanded, and his Democratic and Republican predecessors promised, and they rightly see hypocrisy.

No matter what Trump does, the Democratic reaction is the same: Outrage. When Democrats can't even praise Trump unreservedly for bringing American hostages home or show up when he fulfills a plank of the Democratic Party platform by moving our embassy to Jerusalem, it further convinces millions of Americans who abandoned the Democratic Party in 2016 that they made the right decision.
Four-term U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump who first got national notice as a small-city mayor for his attempted crackdown on illegal immigration, on Tuesday won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.

Barletta paid little attention to his Republican rival, state Rep. Jim Christiana, during the primary campaign. Instead, he focused his attacks on the candidate he hopes to unseat in the fall, two-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.

With 80 percent of precincts reporting, Barletta led Christiana by nearly 112,000 votes out of more than 495,000 cast. The four-term congressman will face an uphill battle against the two-term incumbent Casey and Fox News' current projections show the seat is likely to remain in Democratic hands.

"Lou has established himself as tireless advocate for Pennsylvania families," National Republican Senate Committee Executive Director Chris Hansen said in a statement, "and his strong record of success will undoubtedly lead him to victory over Bob Casey and his history of flip-flopping on the issues that matter to Pennsylvanians."

Casey, who was unopposed for the Democratic nomination, has opposed Trump's Supreme Court pick, many of his highest-profile nominees and the GOP tax-cutting law.

"Tonight, I'm going to appeal to those Democrats and independents in Pennsylvania who voted for Donald Trump," Barletta said in a victory speech to supporters. "If you are a Democrat or an independent who voted for Donald Trump, you cannot vote for Bob Casey, who is going to stop every single thing that you voted for and the agenda that this country is on and the progress that we're making in America today."

Casey is among 10 Democratic senators seeking re-election this year in states won by Trump, making him a target for Republicans.

"This election will be a choice between a candidate who fights for working families and a candidate who fights for the corporate interests that stack the deck against them," Casey's campaign said in a statement. "It will be a choice between a candidate who stands up to President Trump when hes wrong and a candidate who believes President Trump can do no wrong."

Barletta's victory continues President Trump's winning streak in contested Republican primaries. Barletta was a Trump supporter before the 2016 presidential nomination was settled. That loyalty earned him Trump's early support in the Senate race, as well as recorded telephone calls last weekend featuring the president backing Barletta "fully, strongly and proudly."

Last week, Trump urged GOP Senate primary voters to support Rep. Jim Renacci in Ohio and oppose former coal company executive Don Blankenship in West Virginia. Renacci won and Blankenship lost.

In the GOP gubernatorial primary, state Sen. Scott Wagner was projected to narrowly defeat businessman, Army veteran and first-time candidatae Paul Mango and face Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in November.

Wagner, a waste-hauling millionaire, pumped more than $10 million of his own cash into his campaign and has spread hundreds of thousands more around the state since last year to boost GOP committees and candidates. But he will be an underdog against Wolf, who holds a substantial money advantage: Wolf headed into May with $14 million in his campaign account, while Wagner reported $2.2 million.

While Republicans focused on primaries for statewide office, Democrats have been keeping a close eye on races they see as key in their efforts to win back the House of Representatives.

A whopping 84 candidates were running in the Keystone States 18 House districts Tuesday, more than in any election year since 1984 when the state had 23 seats in the House. Seven of those 18 seats are vacant, due in large part to the departures of five Republican lawmakers who either have resigned or are not running again.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court added another wrinkle to the race in February, when it redrew the district boundaries in a way many observers considered favorable to Democrats. However, the overload of open seats has resulted in several oversized Democratic primary fields  such as in the new 7th District, where six Democrats were running to replace Republican Rep. Charlie Dent, who has stepped down. No fewer than ten Democrats were running in suburban Philadelphia's 5th District, where Rep. Patrick Meehan resigned last month amid allegations he sexually harassed a former employee. Both districts voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

In the southwest corner of the state, the new 14th District offered a chance at redemption for state Rep. Rick Saccone. In March, Saccone narrowly lost a U.S. House special election to Democrat Conor Lamb in the old 18th District, which overwhelmingly voted for Trump in 2016.

On Monday, Saccone told Fox News that the 14th District was "a much stronger district for a person like me." Early projections on Tuesday showed Reschenthaler leading Saccone by a 55 to 45 percent margin during Tuesday night's primary, The Hill reported, citing 97 percent of precints.

Lamb, who is running in the new 17th District, has no Democratic primary opponent and will face off with Republican U.S. Rep Keith Rothfus, who currently represents the old 12th District, in November.

Elsewhere, Democratic voters in the new 1st District were deciding between millionaire trial lawyer Scott Wallace and Rachel Reddick, a former Navy officer. Wallace, who has spent heavily on the race, has fought allegations of carpetbagging over his move back to his home state from Maryland after he reportedly was recruited to run. Others have criticized Reddick for being a registered Republican until 2016.

"When I saw Democrats needed a candidate in Bucks County, I knew I had to step up," Reddick said in a recent online campaign ad. "I won't be afraid to stand up to Donald Trump."

The winner of the three-cornered fight between Wallace, Reddick and Steve Bacher will face Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick in November.

Polling day was marked by stormy weather that knocked out power to a handful of polling stations near Scranton, delaying the counting of paper ballots, while a storm-related gas leak temporarily closed a polling place in the tiny borough of Delaware Water Gap, in the Poconos, according to the Pocono Record. Officials there kept it open until 10:30 p.m.

Fox News' Joseph Weber, Michelle Chavez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer in July 2016 after learning she had damaging information about Hillary Clinton, the Democratic opponent of now-President Trump.

But Trump Jr. and other key figures involved in the meeting downplayed the gathering when questioned by Senate investigators.

The meeting provided no meaningful information and turned out to be not about what was represented, Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to recently released transcripts. He contended that the meeting with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya was actually regarding a Russian adoption prohibition.

So what was this meeting about?

Before Trump Jr. was set to meet with the Russian lawyer as his father campaigned for the presidency, Trump Jr. was told Veselnitskayas potentially damning information about Clinton was from the Kremlin, according to emails he released.

Trump Jr. has maintained that Veselnitskaya did not have any information to share and instead wanted to discuss other matters, such as the Magnitsky Act which enacts sanctions on certain Russian officials as punishment for human rights violations.

After pleasantries were exchanged, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton, Trump Jr. said in a statement.

Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered, Trump Jr. continued

Was anyone else at the meeting?

Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended the meeting, along with a translator.

Rob Goldstone, a music publicist who set up the meeting, was also in attendance, as well as Rinat Akhmetshin, a prominent Russian-American lobbyist, Ike Kaveladze, a business associate of a Moscow-based developer and a translator.

A spokesperson for Trumps outside legal team said Trump was not aware of and did not attend the meeting. Trump Jr. said he wouldnt have wasted his time by telling him about the meeting.

Didnt Trump Jr. publish the emails about the meeting?

Trump Jr. posted screenshots of multiple emails purportedly from Goldstone.

In a June 3, 2016 email, Goldstone said he was asked to contact you with something very interesting.

The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary [Clinton] and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father, Goldstone said.

He added that the information was very high level and sensitive but was part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.

Trump Jr. responded in less than 20 minutes saying that he wanted to check out the information first, but if its what you say I love it especially later in summer.

In another email, Goldstone referred to Veselnitskaya as the Russian government attorney.

So did Trump Jr. break the law?

As Trump Jr. does not have a position in his fathers administration, he is not required to disclose foreign contacts, according to The Associated Press.

Foreign nationals are prohibited from providing "anything of value" to campaigns, and that same law also bars solicitation of such assistance. The law typically applies to monetary campaign contributions, but courts could consider information such as opposition research to be something of value.

Trump Jr. told the Senate committee that if he had been given any information about Clinton, he would have consulted with counsel on what to do with it.

Bradley A. Smith, a former Bill Clinton-appointed Republican Federal Election Commission member, said based on what's known about the meeting, Trump Jr.'s actions are unlikely to be considered illegal solicitation.

"It's not illegal to meet with someone to find out what they have to offer," Smith said.

But Larry Noble, a former general counsel at the FEC, said the situation "raises all sorts of red flags."

"You do not want your campaign to be involved with foreign nationals, period," said Noble.

Fox News Benjamin Brown, Brooke Singman, Bree Tracey and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Florida Circuit judge ruled Friday that that the states second-most populous county violated state and federal laws by destroying ballots from a 2016 Democratic primary race which Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz won.

Circuit Judge Raag Singhal decided that the records were wrongly destroyed because the laws require elections offices to keep the ballots in federal elections for 22 months. Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes destroyed the ballots just after 12 months, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

The judge also noted that because the ballots were subject to a lawsuit, only a court order should have allowed their destruction.

Snipes has not presented any evidence refuting that the public records sought were destroyed while this case was pending before this court, Singhal said.

Gov. Rick Scotts administration announced shortly after the ruling that Floridas Department of State will send election experts to the Broward elections office in the next election to to ensure that all laws are followed.

Snipes predecessor was fired from the elections office by former Gov. Jeb Bush and the Florida Senate after failing to ensure a smooth election process in the 2002 Democratic gubernatorial primary, according to Politico.

The lawsuit was brought by Tim Canova, the defeated Democratic primary candidate who sued the elections office after seeking to check for voting irregularities. He lost the primary race by nearly 7,000 votes to Wasserman Schultz, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Canova, who will be challenging the congresswoman again this year as an Independent, sought the paper ballots in March 2017, but was forced to sue three months later after he said Snipes failed to comply with the request and wanted to charge $72,000 to sort and produce the records, Politico reported.

Snipes testified that the push to destroy the ballots, which she did in September, was a mistake, adding that the boxes were mislabeled. She said nothing on my part that was intentional.

But the judge dismissed the argument, saying Defendant's lack of intent to destroy evidence while this case was pending is irrelevant.

An attorney for Snipes, Burnadette Norris-Weeks, said she will appeal the decision because the elections office never declined to provide the ballots to Canova, only objected to unreasonable demands.

It was a mistake [destroying the original ballots], but the ballots were preserved, Norris-Weeks told the Sun-Sentinel. They were scanned shortly after the election.

Canova is now pushing for Snipes to lose her job.

I think dismissal is an appropriate remedy, Canova told the newspaper.
California Gov. Jerry Brown unleashed fury Wednesday in a series of tweets targeting President Trump, saying he was not impressed with the commander-in-chiefs stance on sanctuary law and that he was lying on immigration.

The Democratic leader's tweet storm comes the same day Trump held a roundtable discussion with California Republican lawmakers where he praised them for holding a rebellion against the states sanctuary policies.

Each of you has bravely resisted Californias deadly and unconstitutional sanctuary state laws, Trump said at the White House. Youve gone through a lot, too, although its become quite popular what you do.

Brown slammed the president's meeting saying "flying in a dozen Republican politicians to flatter him and praise his reckless policies changes nothing."

In mid-April, Brown deployed "up to 400" members of the National Guard "to combat" criminal activity within the state and at the U.S.-Mexico border.

However, the governor sent military personnel on the condition that "the California National Guard will not enforce immigration laws or participate in the construction of any new border barrier."

In March, Trump said he stood in "solidarity" with those pushing back against the state's sanctuary policies claiming the laws "release known dangerous criminals into communities across the state."

Fox News' Adam Shaw and Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
More women on Wall Street could have averted the 2008 financial collapse, New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Tuesday at a feminist panel.

"If it wasn't Lehman Brothers but Lehman Sisters, we might not have had the financial collapse," Gillibrand told attendees at the progressive Center for American Progress Ideas Festival.

Gillibrand said women have "all these different life experiences" -- and that "women of color" are even "more important" because they bring "this host of experiences that are different that will make not only the problem-solving better, because it will identify different problems, but then it will identify different solutions."

"Amen, sister," former Hillary Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri, also a panelist, said in response.

Gillibrand is widely considered a 2020 presidential hopeful. Her comments attracted criticism from conservative commentators, who accused her of posturing and noted that Lehman Brothers had a female CFO during the financial crisis.

"The empowerment of women is so important throughout the economy," Gillibrand added "We don't value women in society, and that's just a fact."

Observers also noted that Gillibrand's "Lehman Sisters" comment appeared to have been cribbed from a joke used several times by International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde.

TRUMP SLAMS 'LIGHTWEIGHT' SEN. GILLIBRAND

In 2010, Lagarde wrote in The New York Times: "In response to a journalist who asked me a few months ago about womens strength in times of crisis, I smiled and said that if Lehman Brothers had been 'Lehman Sisters,' todays economic crisis clearly would look quite different.

"It was a quip, of course, but one that reveals a bit about how I view things," Lagarde added. The IMF bigwig repeated the apparent joke in a 2012 interview.

Gillibrand, however, gave no indication she was kidding.

"It is the value that a woman brings to that table that she has all these different life experiences," Gillibrand insisted.
Diane Franklin focused intently on the tiny black kitten, born just a few days earlier, as she used a syringe to feed it sugar water, then milk in an effort to save its life.Sucking on the syringe just a few minutes, the kitten already seemed to be bouncing back, stretching out its tiny paw seemingly in a show of appreciation for the attention from the Whitfield County Animal Shelter director.Veterinarian Dr. Emily Felker had come by a few minutes earlier to check on the runt from a litter of five, telling Franklin she thought it still had a chance to survive with the proper care.This kitten is just about dehydrated and just about brain dead because of lack of food, Dr.Felker said. So what youve got to do is get its blood sugar up. Itll be dead by the end of the day unless someone intervenes with nursing care  not medical care  nursing care. Cant wait too long, thoughWell, Ill be the nurse, chimed in Tammy Cantrell, an assistant at the animal shelter, where the kittens were brought a few days earlier. I can do it.Thats the right attitude, Dr. Felker answered.All this activity was going on in a nondescript mobile home (one of three donated to the county by the Whitfield County School System, with the other two being used by Public Works for a training room and a break room for paving) behind the animal shelter that offers few clues to passersby of the life-saving mission behind its doors. With the help of Whitfield County Public Works crews, though, the trailer has recently been remodeled and repurposed into a cattery, a facility that caters specifically to stray cats.As she passed through the animal shelter and headed toward the cattery, Ms. Franklin paused a moment to point out a 10-foot by 6-foot pen where the cats had previously lived, right next to several pens of dogs, now woofing loudly at a visitor.All the barking kept the cats nervous, she said, kept them going all the time, stressed out all the time.Now, though, the cats are housed in a heated and cooled mobile home away from the dogs. The cattery features walls that have been coated with plastic panels to make for easier maintenance, plenty of windows that let light shine in, and a collection of climbing toys to entertain the cats and give them a place to lounge around.On a recent Monday, inside one of several wire crates donated by residents, a surrogate mom was nursing the five newborn kittens  including two that required special attention to keep them alive. At one end of the building, Public Works has used wood and chicken wire to build a wall that sections off an area for storage of supplies.Im telling you, Public Works is just as handy as can be, an appreciative Ms. Franklin said. I told them basically what we wanted, and within a month, it was done. It was their vision and they saw it and it was exactly what the cats need. You can see that theyre not stressed out now. Theyre in cages, existing, away from the dogs, and that helps cats. Its just more of a pleasant area for the cats.The goal, however, is for the cats not to stay in their new cattery for long, she says.Were trying every day to find more cat rescues, Ms. Franklin says, noting that most of them seem to be located in the western states, and we also have open adoptions for local citizens. People that want to come and adopt a cat, all they have to do is have it spayed or neutered. Theres no fee. Were trying everything that we can do to move them, but theres just so many cats, its hard to do.With maximum capacity of 18 cats already reached that morning, Ms. Franklin was asked if additional crates would allow more cats to be kept at the facility. She admits she could easily fill them up.But thats my problem, she says. Yes, I could fill them up, but Ive got to be able to get them out, too. Theyre all vaccinated now on intake, and were not hearing the sneezing and upper respiratory problems, so they all seem to be healthy cats at this point. But you cant just keep holding them and feeding them  and not moving them  thats just a burden and expense on the county, and we just cant afford that.To help solve the problem of animal overpopulation, Ms. Franklin is pushing for Whitfield County to become the first in Georgia to make spaying/neutering of non-breeder animals mandatory  a move she believes over time would drastically reduce the number of dogs and cats at the animal shelter.Were talking to our commissioners and our councilmen, she said, and were really trying to say we want to set the precedent in the state of Georgia, that we are the responsible county and we want to stop the reckless overbreeding of dogs and cats.About 200 animals were vaccinated at a reduced rate rabies clinic at the shelter on Saturday, and Ms. Franklin took advantage of the opportunity to ask many of the pet owners if their dogs and cats had been sterilized.I got good reception on that and bad reception, she said.No, Im not, she heard from some.Well, let me tell you why Im pushing it, Ms. Franklin said, and so we were able to hand out some information to them about spay/neuter. Hopefully I can go out in the community and just start to discuss this  let me tell you why you need to spay/neuter your cats and dogs because we just have an abundance, way too much that we can deal with. Its just gonna take the hands-on, walking the streets and talking to people about it and putting it in the forefront.She believes adopting a mandatory spay/neuter ordinance now would pay major dividends in a decade.It will stop this department within 10 years, Ms. Franklin said. There would still be a need for a shelter, but the strays on the street that seem to be filling up our shelter, that will stop. I project in 10 years, you could see the effects of the spay/neuter ordinance and drastically eliminate the need for so much of this department.For proof, she can point to northern cities, where such spay/neuter policies have been in effect for years and adoptable animals are actually in short supply now. In fact, hundreds of dogs from Whitfield County have gotten a new lease on life up north after being placed there by rescue organizations in Georgia.We know our dogs are going to a great home - not just a good home, a great home - up north because they have to really show a lot of interest in getting the dogs there. They have to pay doggie day care because theres just not places that you can go  greenspace  and walk your dogs up there. So we know that these dogs are not going to just homes, chances are theyre also going to doggie day cares, theyre going to trainings, its just an ideal situation where they are super compliant and responsible with their animal ownerships vs. the South is breeding recklessly. Id love to be the first county in Georgia to say, okay, mandated spay/neuter.The aggressive work moving animals out of the shelter and to rescue organizations since Ms. Franklin took over as director last August has already paid off, with only one dog having to be put down at the shelter last month. While Franklin is thrilled with those results, shes also realistic enough to know that number could climb in a flash.I could have somebody back in here in a few minutes with a truckload of dogs or cats, and Ive got to do something with them, she said, noting that once the shelter goes over state-regulated capacity, the dogs that have been there the longest have to be euthanized. Unfortunately, we are still a shelter that has to use euthanizations sometimes. I dont like that option, but its an option that I have and until we get responsible, its always gonna have to be an option.Just as it takes a coordinated team effort to run the shelter with Ms. Franklin, Ms. Cantrell, and fellow employee Kevin Tankersley, it also requires a team effort to save the lives of the animals.The staff works constantly with animal-friendly organizations, including the Atlanta Humane Society and a rescue in Blue Ridge that has multiple avenues to move large numbers of dogs up north, often 15 to 20 at a time.Actually theyre coming from Blue Ridge tomorrow, Ms. Franklin said, and theyre pulling about seven more dogs from me, which is gonna be tremendous. Seven dogs leaving out of a shelter is a blessing because I know that seven more are gonna come in at any time, either through the owner surrender or the sheriffs department animal control. So its a circle.Nobody wants to have to openly euthanize the animals, Ms. Franklin said.Youre not gonna fix the problem by just euthanizing everything that comes out here, she said. Thats not a fix, and youre not gonna fix the problem just by rescuing everything that comes out here and adopting everything. I would much rather see them out alive and on a better path, but I would much rather see them not come in at all. Thats what weve got to work for.If this county comes into compliance, we can move on to the next county and help them and mentor them and maybe help them bring their citizens up to being responsible owners. Always in the South, there will be loose and unattended animals and irresponsible animal owners, unfortunately. Were gonna have to change a generations way of thinking before this self corrects.But theres hope, Ms. Franklin says. Whitfield County has stepped up to the plate. The commissioners have really been on board with changing it, and I think its been a positive change. Im hearing a lot of good things, and everybody says they want Whitfield County to come show them what were doing. Its just about moving animals and being positive, trying to get everything out in a positive way. Its tough, its hard work. Theres nights I get up at 2 oclock in the morning and hit the road (to take animals to rescue organizations that want them, often as far away as Virginia).Im like, Ill be back, she says with a laugh. But if thats what it takes, thats what it takes.If youd like to volunteer at the shelter, call 706-278-2018, option 2.
First lady Melania Trump tweeted Wednesday that she was "feeling great" after undergoing a kidney procedure earlier this week.

President Trump's wife tweeted thanks to her doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington, as well as "all who have send good wishes & prayers."

She added, "I am feeling great & look forward to getting back home @WhiteHouse soon."

MELANIA TRUMP'S KIDNEY CONDITION, 'EMBOLIZATION' PROCEDURE EXPLAINED

The post was the first lady's first public comment since she was hospitalized Monday for an embolization.

President Trump is visiting his 48-year-old wife for the third day in a row. Trump, 72, joked during a visit to the Capitol on Wednesday that the first lady should be the one visiting him in the hospital, not the other way around.

On Tuesday, Trump said he expected his wife to be back at the White House before the end of the week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The State Bar of California is investigating porn star Stormy Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti, Fox News has confirmed, after a complaint was filed regarding allegedly unpaid taxes.

Fox News on Wednesday obtained an April 18-dated letter verifying the existence of the investigationunrelated to his representation of Daniels.

The complaint against attorney Michael J. Avenatti has been reviewed and forwarded to the Enforcement Unit for further investigation and prosecution, if warranted, said the letter from the state bar, written by Supervising Attorney Anand Kumar and reviewed by Fox News.

The letter also provided the names of the investigators reviewing the complaint.

The State Bar of California declined to comment on the letter, when reached by Fox News.

The complaint itself was filed in late March by attorney David Nold of Bellevue, Wash., regarding Avenatti's role in purchasing Tullys Coffee several years ago through an entity called Global Baristas.

The complaint, first reported by The Seattle Times, said Avenatti and Global Baristas faced a lien for unpaid federal taxes worth roughly $5 million, claiming taxes were withheld from workers paychecks but not paid to the government. The complaint from Nold, as posted by The Seattle Times, called into question Avenattis fitness to practice law.

HEAT ON STORMY DANIELS' LAWYER OVER PAST BUSINESS DEALINGS

According to the state bar's website, an investigation is launched based on a complaint only if the state bar attorney "sees evidence of a serious violation."

But Avenatti told Fox News on Wednesday that the complaint is completely baseless and called Nold an unethical hack of a lawyer.

Nold, who filed the initial complaint, represents Bellevue Square, which has been in a landlord-tenant dispute with Tullys Coffee. The Superior Court for the State of Washington found Nold to be in contempt of court following an intentional disobedience of a court order. Nold disclosed Avenattis deposition transcript to The Seattle Times, according to a court filing obtained by Fox News.

The court ruled that I should not have given the full Avenatti deposition transcript to the news media, Nold told Fox News last week. The court found nothing wrong with sending the bar complaint.

Since the coffee chain purchase, Tullys has shuttered its stores (though the closures were described as temporary) as Global Baristas has dealt with numerous lawsuits.

The paper trail for that deal is complex.

Fox News obtained a copy of the notice of federal tax lien in question, sent to Global Baristas US LLC and Michael J. Avenatti MBR [member].

Avenatti reportedly said he thinks Global Baristas has paid the outstanding taxes. Further, Avenatti claimed to Fox News last week that he wasnt a member of Global Baristas US LLCbut rather the entity that owned it, Global Baristas LLC.

The federal tax lien is related to an entity that was owned by another company that I used to have an interest in, Avenatti told Fox News. At no point in time was I ever responsible for any taxes for Global Baristas US LLC, nor was I ever a member of that entity, nor did I own any direct interest in that entity.

However, a 2017 court document posted by The Seattle Times shows Avenatti acknowledging he was the principal of Global Baristas US LLC.

Avenatti, though, strongly disputed the complaint itself last week in an email to Fox News, calling it complete and utter nonsense.

Nold told Fox News in an email that this is "just Avenatti being Avenatti."

Meanwhile, another lawsuit was filed back in 2013 against Avenatti by his famous business partner, Patrick Dempsey of Greys Anatomy fame. Dempsey's complaint against Avenatti, which was settled quickly, alleged Avenatti had not fully financed the coffee chain as agreed.

Avenatti no longer has any interest in either Global Baristas entity.

The attorney was surely the lesser known partner in that Tully's deal.

But since then, he's rocketed to national fame with his representation of adult film star Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford.

He made waves last week when he tweeted bombshell allegations against Trump attorney Michael Cohen, citing financial records to accuse Cohen of receiving $500,000 from a Russian oligarch-tied company, in addition to other hefty payments from other companies for his supposed insight on the administration.

Cohen is under criminal investigation as part of a grand jury probe into his past business dealings. Included in the investigation is a $130,000 payment to Daniels in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006.
President Trump's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, told Fox News on Wednesday that special counsel Robert Mueller has told the president's legal team he will follow Justice Department guidance and not seek an indictment against Trump.

"This case is essentially over," Giuliani said. "They're just in denial."

Giuliani, himself a former federal prosecutor and mayor of New York City, also told Fox News that Mueller's investigators have not responded to five information requests from the president's team. That has forced Trump's legal team to push off making a decision about whether the president will sit for an interview with the special counsel -- a decision they had hoped to reach by Thursday.

"Weve had no response from them," Giuliani told Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" about his interactions with Mueller's team. "We're asking ... what do they really need to know, what kind of assurances do we have that they'll get it over with quickly, just like they did for [Hillary] Clinton."

The precedent that federal prosecutors cannot indict a sitting president is laid out in a 1999 Justice Department memo. Giuliani told Fox News that Mueller has no choice but to follow its guidance.

Giuliani joined Trump's legal team last month and has repeatedly warned that an in-person interview of the president by the special counsel's team would constitute a "perjury trap." Complicating matters, Trump himself has refused to rule out agreeing to an interview with Mueller.

In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity earlier this month, Giuliani said that the Mueller team had ruled out allowing the Trump team to submit written answers to the special counsel's questions.

The attorney whom Giuliani replaced on Trump's team, John Dowd, has said that Mueller has floated the idea of issuing a grand jury subpoena for Trump to answer questions. If that were to occur, the president could still fight it in court or refuse to answer questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment right to protection from self-incrimination.

Giuliani said last week that the president's legal team would oppose any subpoena unless they could "reach agreement on the ground rules." He argued that Trump could invoke executive privilege, and the team would point to Justice Department opinions in fighting a subpoena and "on both law and the facts, we would have the strongest case you could imagine."

"The same reason they cant indict him, they cant issue a subpoena to him," Giuliani told Ingraham Wednesday night. "Remember, [former President Bill] Clinton opposed a subpoena and then he voluntarily complied. He didn't give up presidential prerogative, and then his administration wrote a memo saying they can't do that."

Giuliani has also noted the handover of 1.2 million documents to the Mueller team as evidence of cooperation.

Thursday marks one year after Mueller's appointment to oversee the FBI investigation into alleged collusion between Russian officials and members of the Trump campaign. So far, investigators have charged 19 people  including four Trump campaign advisers  and three Russian companies.

Both Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and his deputy campaign chairman, Rick Gates, have pleaded guilty and are now cooperating with the probe. Several other former White House and campaign staffers, including Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon, as well as Inauguration Day committee chairman Tom Barrack, have been interviewed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Senate Intelligence Committee is preparing to question top Obama administration intelligence officials behind closed doors on Wednesday on their explosive assessment that officially accused Russia of meddling in the 2016 presidential election to boost then-candidate Donald Trump.

The committee, led by Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., invited former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan, former National Security Agenda Director Michael Rogers (who retired earlier this year) and former FBI Director James Comey.

DOCUMENTS SUGGEST POSSIBLE COORDINATION BETWEEN CIA, FBI, OBAMA WH AND DEM OFFICIALS EARLY IN TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE: INVESTIGATORS

Comey, though, plans to skip the closed-door session Wednesday due to a previously scheduled engagement, his attorney said.

"This gives staff the month of August in all likelihood to wrap up our investigation and for staff to work intensely while we're out of here and not getting in their hair."  Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C.

Comey, who was fired last May, has been on a media blitz in recent weeks promoting his memoir, A Higher Loyalty, in which he is highly critical of now-President Trump.

Burr and Warner, who are leading the panel in investigating Russian meddling and coordination with Trump campaign associates in the 2016 presidential election, hope to wrap up their probe by the end of summer.

This gives staff the month of August in all likelihood to wrap up our investigation and for staff to work intensely while were out of here and not getting in their hair, Burr told reporters last week, referring to Senate members being on summer recess.

The U.S. intelligence community assessment titled Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections, was released just two weeks before Trumps inauguration in January 2017the heat of the transition between the administration of former President Barack Obama and the new Trump administration.

The report was an unprecedented collaboration among the nations leading intelligence agencies to examine whether Russia had any influence on the 2016 presidential election. The report was drafted with the help and expertise of Clapper, Comey and Brennan, among others.

Among its findings was that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election  and aspired to help President-elect Trumps election chances when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to him.

Trump, throughout his presidency, has defended himself, his administration and his campaign against allegations that they colluded with Russia during the election period, calling the investigation a Witch Hunt.

But on the other side of Capitol Hill, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence led its own investigation into the allegations, releasing its findings in a 250-page report and closing the majority-led probe last month. Democrats on the committee vowed to continue their investigation.

HOUSE PANELS RUSSIA REPORT FINDS NO EVIDENCE OF COLLUSION, TRUMP SAYS PROBE MUST END NOW

The GOP-authored report found no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded, coordinated or conspired with Russia.

The panel investigated the Steele dossier, noting that the now-infamous multi-page memo of salacious accusations against Trump was paid for as opposition research by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

CLAPPER HIT FOR DOSSIER LEAK DODGE IN HOUSE GOP RUSSIA REPORT

The report included some questions about the actions of Obama administration officials. The committee found that Clapper provided inconsistent testimony to the committee about his contacts with the media, including CNN. Clapper is now a CNN national security analyst. Clappers response wavered on his communications with the media, initially denying any contact, and later admitting to discussing the contents of the dossier with CNNs Jake Tapper.

Clapper defended himself earlier this year, saying that his contact with the media did not occur until after I left the government on the 20th of January.

The closed-door session comes nearly one year after the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Fox News Bradford Betz contributed to this report
Oregon state Rep. Knute Buehler has won the GOP gubernatorial primary, besting a crowded field vying to compete against incumbent Democrat Kate Brown in November.

Buehler, who ran for secretary of state in 2012, was the most centrist of the Republican front-runners.

While skeptical of major new spending, Buehler says he is open to increased taxes on electronic and regular cigarettes to pay for budget items like health care, and also to a carbon tax.

Buehler defeated retired Navy pilot Greg Wooldridge and businessman Sam Carpenter in his party's primary.

In the general election, the Republican candidate will have to overcome a built-in disadvantage: The party trails Democrats by more than 9 percentage points in voter registrations.

A total of 10 Republicans registered in the GOP race. That's the largest GOP gubernatorial primary field in more than 50 years.

The front-runners did have similarities, including a shared approach to the crisis surrounding Oregon's Public Employees Retirement System, known as PERS, which is running a $25.3 billion deficit. At the local level, pension obligations are forcing some cities to cut back on basic services like road maintenance.

BARLETTA WINS PENNSYLVANIA GOP SENATE RACE AS HOUSE BATTLES ROIL STATE

All three front-runners advocated shifting to a system where employees pay into a retirement account like a 401(k), with some degree of matching contribution from the state.

Observers also widely cast the GOP contest as the most significant indicator of sentiments among conservative voters in the state since the 2017 inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Along with policy differences, the three candidates had split sharply on the president.

The win by Buehler, who actively painted himself as a centrist during the primary, showed some regional rejection of the national shift to the right that helped power Trump's victory.

Although that fueled sharp division among Republicans during the primary, and helped propel Carpenter, Buehler's relatively moderate stance on some issues is widely perceived as an asset in a general election contest against the Democratic incumbent.

Non-affiliated voters make up nearly a third of the Oregon electorate.
Senate Intelligence Committee leaders on Wednesday backed the 2017 intelligence community report that formally accused Russia of trying to interfere in the U.S. presidential election to boost then-candidate Donald Trump.

Their statements followed a final closed-door interview on the matter with top Obama administration officials. The committee, led by Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., spoke Wednesday with former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan and former National Security Agenda Director Michael Rogers (who retired earlier this year).

DOCUMENTS SUGGEST POSSIBLE COORDINATION BETWEEN CIA, FBI, OBAMA WH AND DEM OFFICIALS EARLY IN TRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE: INVESTIGATORS

Former FBI Director James Comey was invited but did not show up -- skipping the closed-door session due to a previously scheduled engagement, his attorney said. Comey, who was fired last May, has been on a media blitz in recent weeks promoting his memoir, A Higher Loyalty, in which he is highly critical of now-President Trump.

Despite Comeys absence, the committee leaders announced afterward they were able to complete the review of the intelligence communitys Russia assessment.

Committee staff have spent 14 months reviewing the sources, tradecraft, and analytic work, and we see no reason to dispute the conclusions, Burr said in a statement. There is no doubt that Russia undertook an unprecedented effort to interfere with our 2016 elections. I look forward to completing the Committees inquiry and issuing our findings and recommendations to the American people.

Warner said, After a thorough review, our staff concluded that the ICA conclusions were accurate and on point. The Russian effort was extensive, sophisticated, and ordered by President Putin himself for the purpose of helping Donald Trump and hurting Hillary Clinton.

Burr and Warner, who are leading the panel in investigating Russian meddling and coordination with Trump campaign associates in the 2016 presidential election, hope to wrap up their probe by the end of summer.

This gives staff the month of August in all likelihood to wrap up our investigation and for staff to work intensely while were out of here and not getting in their hair, Burr told reporters last week, referring to Senate members being on summer recess.

The U.S. intelligence community assessment titled Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections, was released just two weeks before Trumps inauguration in January 2017the heat of the transition between the administration of former President Barack Obama and the new Trump administration.

The report was an unprecedented collaboration among the nations leading intelligence agencies to examine whether Russia had any influence on the 2016 presidential election. The report was drafted with the help and expertise of Clapper, Comey and Brennan, among others.

Among its findings was that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election  and aspired to help President-elect Trumps election chances when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to him.

Trump, throughout his presidency, has defended himself, his administration and his campaign against allegations that they colluded with Russia during the election period, calling the investigation a Witch Hunt.

But on the other side of Capitol Hill, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence led its own investigation into the allegations, releasing its findings in a 250-page report and closing the majority-led probe last month. Democrats on the committee vowed to continue their investigation.

HOUSE PANELS RUSSIA REPORT FINDS NO EVIDENCE OF COLLUSION, TRUMP SAYS PROBE MUST END NOW

The GOP-authored report found no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded, coordinated or conspired with Russia.

The panel investigated the Steele dossier, noting that the now-infamous multi-page memo of salacious accusations against Trump was paid for as opposition research by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

CLAPPER HIT FOR DOSSIER LEAK DODGE IN HOUSE GOP RUSSIA REPORT

The report included some questions about the actions of Obama administration officials. The committee found that Clapper provided inconsistent testimony to the committee about his contacts with the media, including CNN. Clapper is now a CNN national security analyst. Clappers response wavered on his communications with the media, initially denying any contact, and later admitting to discussing the contents of the dossier with CNNs Jake Tapper.

Clapper defended himself earlier this year, saying that his contact with the media did not occur until after I left the government on the 20th of January.

The closed-door session comes nearly one year after the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Fox News Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Donald Trump Jr. and other key figures involved in an infamous Trump Tower meeting with Russian figures during the heat of the 2016 presidential campaign largely downplayed its significance and said Hillary Clinton was hardly discussed despite past speculation, in newly released transcripts from Senate Judiciary Committee interviews.

The committee released more than 1,800 pages of transcripts Wednesday from interviews with numerous figures involved in the June 9, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower. The controversial meeting, when it was revealed, fueled allegations of Trump campaign coordination with Russia  as Trump Jr. was apparently promised dirt on Clintons supposed involvement with Russia.

But Trump Jr. said he was "skeptical" going into the meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

In his e-mail to me, Rob [Goldstone] suggested that someone had official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary Clinton and her dealings with Russia and that the information would be very useful to the campaign, Trump Jr. said, noting he was skeptical of his outreach as he only knew Goldstone as a colorful music promoter.

Rob Goldstone, who was a music promoter, arranged the meeting at the request of pop singer Emin Agalarov, and later said he thought the meeting was a "bad idea."

CLICK TO VIEW THE DOCUMENTS

My skepticism was justified. The meeting provided no meaningful information and turned out to be not about what was represented, Trump Jr. said. The meeting was instead primarily focused on Russian adoptions, which is exactly what I said over a year later in my statement of July 8, 2017.

In a written response, Veselnitskaya said no information specific to Clinton was provided in the meeting. She also lamented the kind of apocalyptic Hollywood scenario what a private conversation between a lawyer and a businessman can be turned into.

Trump Jr. testified that he had no way to gauge the reliability, credibility, or accuracy of anything Goldstone promised.

I love it, Trump Jr. had written back to Goldstone at the time. But he testified that it was simply a colloquial way of saying that I appreciated Robs gesture.

Trump Jr. testified that if he was given information on Clinton, he would have then consulted with counsel to make an informed decision as to whether to give it any further consideration.

I also note at this time there was no focus on Russian activities that there is today, Trump Jr. said. Trump Jr. also noted that he was not aware of who would be in the meeting.

Trump said that Veselnitskaya did not provide any information on Clinton beyond very generally something about individuals connected to Russia supporting or funding Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton or the Democratic National Committee."

When asked how the meeting ended, Trump Jr. testified that we went our separate ways and Rob Goldstone came up to me and apologized.

Essentially he apologized for what he believed was wasting our time, Trump Jr. said.

Trump Jr. was also asked whether he believed Goldstone duped him into a meeting under false pretenses to grab his attention.

I imagine there was an element of showmanship involved, yes, Trump Jr. replied.

In addition to Trump Jr., the committee interviewed four other people who attended the Trump Tower meeting in New York -- publicist Goldstone, who set up the meeting with the promise of dirt on Clinton; Rinat Akhmetshin, a prominent Russian-American lobbyist; Ike Kaveladze, a business associate of a Moscow-based developer, and a translator.

The panel was also not able to interview Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, or Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager, even though both attended the Trump Tower meeting. But the committee released a short page of notes Manafort took on his phone during the meeting.

The White House has said the president was involved in drafting an initial statement after news of the meeting broke last year. The statement said the meeting primarily concerned a Russian adoption program, though Trump Jr. later released the emails showing he agreed to the sit-down after he was promised information on Clinton. The emails also show he accepted the meeting despite it being described as part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's campaign.

Asked in the interview if his father was involved in drafting the statement, Trump said: "I don't know. I never spoke to my father about it."

Trump Jr. also stressed that he did not tell his father about the meeting, saying "I wouldn't have wasted his time with it."

Trump Jr. also told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he couldn't remember whether he had discussed the Russia investigation as a whole with his father, according to transcripts. He also said he didn't think there was anything wrong with attending the Trump Tower meeting.

Like Trump Jr. and Kushner, who released a public statement about the meeting last year, Goldstone said the meeting was disappointing. He said he reported back to Emin Agalarov that "this was the most embarrassing thing you've ever asked me to do. I've just sat in a meeting about adoption."

The meeting is under scrutiny in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

The testimony of Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson was also made public Wednesday -- for a second time.

His testimony was first released, unilaterally, by Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., in January.

Simpson's firm was behind the composition of the Trump dossier, filled with salacious, and unverified, allegations against the president regarding matters related to Russia.

Despite Fox News' past reporting that Simpson was with Veselnitskaya before and after the Trump Tower meeting, Simpson said in testimony that he wasn't aware of the meeting beforehand, and was "stunned" to later learn about it.

Trump Jr. testified that at the time of the Trump Tower meeting, he "had never heard of Glenn Simpson or Fusion GPS."

Americans rightly have many questions about this meeting, and today, we are releasing the transcripts and exhibits from interviews weve conducted to allow the public to know what we know," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement. "These materials, taken in their entirety, provide the most complete public picture of the events surrounding the meeting to date. Americans can now review this unfiltered information and arrive at their own conclusions.

Fox News' William Mears and Pamela K. Browne and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kellyanne Conway says some people in and around the White House "are using the media to shiv each other"and that she expects some folks to be fired.

President Trump escalated his rhetoric by tweeting: "The so-called leaks coming out of the White House are a massive over exaggeration put out by the Fake News Media in order to make us look as bad as possible. With that being said, leakers are traitors and cowards, and we will find out who they are!"

Publicly, at least, the leakiest White House in modern history is now admitting that leaks from within are a major and corrosive problem.

The president's position has long been that fake news is to blame, that the anonymous sources constantly quoted by media outlets often don't exist. We see this in the "massive over-exaggeration" part of the tweet.

But if the leakers are "traitors and cowards," then they quite clearly exist, and are quite clearly a big problem for the administration.

In her interview with Fox's Martha MacCallum, Conway said that "there are all kinds of leaks. Some leaks exist to hurt, I guess, colleagues. Some leaks exist because they disagree with the policies that are being put forth. But none of them are helpful."

I would exempt from this category what I call authorized leaksthose in which a top White House official approves giving one news outlet a scooplet in advance or an argument to counter a negative story.

But so much of what flows from this White House are leaks of a self-destructive nature. This is a theme of my book "Media Madness," in which Steve Bannon and Jared and Ivanka and Reince Priebus and others are constantly pointing fingers about who's whispering what to journalists. Anthony Scaramucci was going to crack down on leakers but didn't last long.

From the beginning, Trump couldn't even call foreign leaders without having the conversations, and sometimes the transcripts, show up in the press.

Things reached the point that when Sean Spicer demanded everyone on his staff turn in their cell phones for checking, that meeting was immediately leaked.

The same thing happened to his successor, Sarah Sanders, who held a meeting after that leak about an aide's jibe at a "dying" John McCain (which the administration has somehow turned into a six-day story, fueled by media outrage). Sanders said it was "disgusting" that her meeting would be leakedand it very quickly was.

And while John Kelly stemmed the tide when he took over as chief of staff, there has been a torrent of leaks against him since he began losing influence.

Officials leak for many reasons: Settling personal scores. Pushing policy agendas. Trying to kill a proposed announcement. Deflecting blame for some fiasco. Or just because it makes them feel important.

But it's amazing when aides and advisers make the president look angry, detached, uninformed or unqualified, without having their names attached. No wonder he's attacking them as cowards.

Journalists are a tad conflicted on this subject. I like when people share information and insights on background or off the record, because it helps me do my job. As a longtime investigative reporter, I often relied on unnamed sources. But most of the leaks in question here involve political spitballing.

At the same time, any honest assessment would acknowledge that many of these White House leaks are designed to hurt rivals and undercut the boss, with ample help from the press.
President Trump backed two successful U.S. Senate nominees in Pennsylvania and Nebraska, which were among the four states holding primaries Tuesday.

Two of the presidents favored candidates, Lou Barletta in Pennsylvania and Deb Fischer in Nebraska, won their U.S. Senate primaries.

Barletta, currently a congressman, beat state Rep. Jim Christiana to become the Republican challenger for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is seeking a third term in November.

Barletta was a Trump supporter before the 2016 presidential nomination was settled. Trump asked Barletta to run for Senate, and the president is expected to visit Pennsylvania to campaign for him. The president also recorded telephone calls last weekend backing Barletta fully, strongly and proudly.

Fischer, the incumbent, defeated four GOP challengers and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska. Her Democratic opponent is Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould.

Early Tuesday afternoon, Trump tweeted: Nebraska  make sure you get out to the polls and VOTE for Deb Fischer today!

Democrats have viewed Pennsylvania has a key battleground state to winning back control of Congress. In the House race, six women -- 5 Democrats and 1 Republican -- won the nominations. The nominees are poised to break the all-male hold on the 18-member U.S. House delegation.

Chrissy Houlahan, an Air Force veteran, is the uncontested Democratic nominee for another suburban Philadelphia seat where she's heavily favored in November. Houlahan will face Republican nominee Greg McCauley, a tax attorney, in November.

Women won contested Democratic primaries in three other seats in Pennsylvania, although two of those seats are in solidly Republican districts and another is considered a toss-up in November, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Jess King of Lancaster County scored the Democratic nomination without opposition. Susan Wild, representing a district north of Philadelphia, won the nomination, beating both District Attorney John Morganelli and Pastor Greg Edwards.

Pearl Kim, the lone female Republican candidate, won the GOP nomination in a district south of Philadelphia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trumps CIA nominee Gina Haspel received the recommendation of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, sending the vote to the Senate floor -- where Haspel is expected to have the necessary votes to be confirmed.

The committee voted 10-5 to recommend Haspel, setting up a vote on the Senate floor as soon as this week. Haspel, if confirmed, would be the first woman to lead the agency.

Gina Haspel is the most qualified person the president could choose to lead the CIA and the most prepared nominee in the 70-year history of the agency, Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., said in a statement.

She has acted morally, ethically and legally, over a distinguished 30-year career and is the right person to lead the agency into an uncertain and challenging future. Im pleased to see the committee favorably report her nomination to the full Senate, and I look forward to her swift confirmation, he added.

Haspel, currently the CIAs deputy director, has come under fire from Democrats over her role in the agencys post-9/11 era interrogation and detention practice. She served as the chief of a base at a black-site prison in Thailand in 2002, where techniques such as waterboarding were used on terror suspects. Democrats have complained that the agency has been selective in its declassification of information about her.

CIA PICK HASPEL DEFENDS 'MORAL COMPASS' AMID DEM ATTACKS, DETAILS SPY CREDENTIALS

Haspel had refused to criticize her colleagues and superiors for their conduct during what she called a tumultuous time, but said the CIA under her watch would not resume such techniques.

However, on Tuesday, she wrote to Democrat Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the intelligence committee, saying: With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken."

In a tough confirmation hearing last week, Haspel was also grilled about her role in the 2005 destruction of more than 92 interrogation tapes. She testified that they were destroyed on the order of her supervisor at the time, Jose Rodriguez, and that she was not on the tapes. She did, however, tell senators she was an advocate for destroying the tapes to protect the identity of CIA agents.

But in her hearing, Haspel reminded lawmakers of the important role played by the intelligence community after the 9/11 attacks.

After 9/11  I stepped up. I was not on the sidelines, I was on the frontlines in the Cold War and I was on the frontlines in the fight against Al Qaeda, she said in response to grilling from Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

Haspels confirmation had been in question after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he would not vote for her. Along with the absence of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., it meant that Haspel needed at least one Democratic vote to assure her confirmation, even if all other Republicans voted in favor of her confirmation. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., has said he is undecided.

But since then, Warner, along with Sens. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., have all announced their support for Haspel.

As director of the CIA, Gina Haspel will be the first operations officer in more than five decades to lead the agency. I believe that she will be a strong advocate for the agencys workforce, and an independent voice who can and will stand up on behalf of our nations intelligence community, Warner said after the vote Wednesday. Most importantly, I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the president if ordered to do something illegal or immoral -- like a return to torture.

Democrats opposing her nomination specifically cited her role in what they claim amounts to torture.

While her career has been impressive, Ms. Haspels role in programs that conducted torture is very troubling; her refusal to acknowledge the immorality of such conduct even today with the benefit of hindsight is even more so and reflects poorly on our nations reputation as a moral leader in the world, Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., said in a statement Tuesday.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning that the White House was optimistic that Haspel will be confirmed.

Were very optimistic, we think obviously Gina Haspel is the most qualified and credible person that you can find to run the CIA, she said. Were excited about her taking the helm as the full director of this agency and things look really good.

Fox News Chad Pergram and Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.
Six men were arrested on drug complaints after the Chattanooga Police Department's Narcotics Unit with the assistance of CPD's Street Crimes Team conducted a search of a home in the 2000 block of Museum Street. While conducting that search, CPD officers observed marijuana plants at a nearby home in the same block of Museum Street and arrested another man on drug charges.

Upon execution of the May 11 search warrant CPD officers found more than 400 grams of marijuana, ecstasy pills, a stolen pistol, and $2,469 in cash. At the second location, officers found 139 marijuana plants, 945 grams of marijuana, and three firearms.

All seven men were taken into custody without incident. The men arrested and charges associated with each are as follows:

Arrested at first location:

Crammel Oattes, 34

Possession of marijuana for resale, drug paraphernalia

Marlin Oattes, 41

Possession of marijuana for resale, drug paraphernalia

Lorenzo McMillon, 48

Possession of marijuana for resale, drug paraphernalia

Gregory Hollins, 39 - validated gang member

Possession of marijuana for resale, drug paraphernalia, possession of ecstasy





Latravious Whetstone, 28

Possession of marijuana for resale, drug paraphernalia





Kasey Knox, 42

Possession of marijuana for resale, drug paraphernalia, and outstanding warrant





Arrested at second location:

Earnest Ross, 68

Possession of marijuana for resale, drug paraphernalia, manufacturing marijuana, and possession of a firearm
President Trump on Wednesday praised local California leaders for standing up to deadly and unconstitutional sanctuary state laws and hailed what he called a rebellion against the states immigration policies.

Each of you has bravely resisted Californias deadly and unconstitutional sanctuary state laws, Trump said at the White House roundtable of local officials on the issue. Youve gone through a lot, too, although its become quite popular what you do.

The roundtable featured a number of California Republican lawmakers and law enforcement officials who have pushed back against the states sanctuary laws which limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Among those there with Trump were Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

"They are breaking down society by breaking down the rule of law," McCarthy said.

A Republican official told Politico ahead of the meeting that it was a show of force.

In March, Sessions announced a lawsuit against the states sanctuary policies, which limit local law enforcements cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

A number of conservative areas in the state have objected and joined that lawsuit, looking to exempt themselves from the state law. A number of the officials behind such a push were among those invited to the White House.

The state of California's attempts to nullify federal law have sparked a rebellion by patriotic citizens who want their families protected and their borders secured, Trump said. They want border security and they want protection.

According to Fox 11, jurisdictions that have either filed amicus briefs supporting the federal lawsuit or who have joined it include Newport Beach, Orange, Huntington Beach, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Fountain Valley, San Juan Capistrano and Yorba Linda.

I think the resistance that started in the Democratic Party, this is your Republican resistance, right here, Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez told Trump.

We need help Mr. President, San Jacinto Mayor Crystal Ruiz said. We need help protecting the city of San Jacinto, Escondido, the state of California.

Dont give up the fight, Trump urged Ruiz.

Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown was unimpressed by the roundtable and accused Trump of lying about what is going on in California.

"Trump is lying on immigration, lying about crime and lying about the laws of California," Brown said in a statement. "Flying in a dozen Republican politicians to flatter him and praise his reckless policies changes nothing. We, the citizens of the fifth largest economy in the world, are not impressed."

A flashpoint between California and the Trump administration came in February when Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf alerted locals to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in northern California. Authorities said hundreds of criminal illegal immigrants escaped capture as a result.

Trump made reference to Schaaf on Wednesday and urged Sessions to consider an obstruction of justice charge for her. The Department of Justice had said in the wake of the raid that it was investigating.

You talk about an obstruction of justice, I would recommend that you look into obstruction of justice for the mayor of Oakland California, Jeff, he said.

Trump has been a frequent critic of both Schaaf and Brown, and in March said he stood in solidarity with those pushing back against sanctuary policies in places such as Orange County.



My Administration stands in solidarity with the brave citizens in Orange County defending their rights against California's illegal and unconstitutional Sanctuary policies, he tweeted.

California's Sanctuary laws...release known dangerous criminals into communities across the State, he added. All citizens have the right to be protected by Federal law and strong borders.


When United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres meets with U.S. legislators and President Donald Trump this week, one of the big questions will be whether he can guarantee the sweeping U.N. reforms promised last year  as absolutely essential protection from the anticipated hostility of the Trump Administration protection-will truly get off the ground as promised.

An additional question the Secretary General may have to answer from U.S. skeptics: how much additional money for the U.N. is the reform really going to cost? So far, the U.N. isnt saying, except to assert any money involved will be voluntarymeaning donors like the U.S. will not be automatically on the hook for it.

The atmospherics, not to mention the timing, of Guterres Washington foray could be vitally important for the sprawling and ill-focused institution he has promised to streamline, decentralize and overhaul, and for its relationship to the new team Trump has now selected to bring a more assertively conservative cast to the administrations foreign policy.

As a Western diplomat told Fox News, when the reform was announced last June the Secretary General needed to keep the U.S. in the tent. Now he needs to show results.

How well Guterres meetings will go is anybodys guess. They are sure to cover a wide range of topics, and the U.N. has plenty of supporters as well as critics on Capitol Hill, which Guterres will visit first on Thursday.

But at the White House the next day he is likely to face harder-nosed skeptics, led by President Trump himself, as well as newly appointed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton. Both are markedly more conservative than their predecessors, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster.

Bolton, in particular, a onetime U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. who knows its weaknesses intimately, has often spoken unflatteringly of the U.N.s bloat and inefficiency, and has said he would like to put as much U.S. funding for the institution as possible on a voluntary basis, rather than in the form of mandatory dues.

Atop that, Guterres has personally staked out positions in the past year that run counter to recent administration policy, and which might not improve his White House reception.

These range from opposition to the movement of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, to criticism of Trumps announced decision to leave the Paris Climate Accord on greenhouse gases, to vocal concerns about the Administrations rejection of the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran.

I think the Secretary General and his senior officials are concerned about the new U.S. leadership and what it means, observes Brett Schaefer, an expert on the U.N. at the conservative Heritage Foundation. This is an effort to build bridges.

At the same time, the U.N. is revealing major signs of financial strain and overstretch around some of its most ambitious--and expensive-- missions and goals, in part due of Trump Administration pressure.

The U.N.s multiple peacekeeping budgets are currently under discussion in U.N. committees, and further cuts are expected after a more than $500 million budget reduction last year. A major push for the cutbacks comes from U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, who in March declared that Washington will not pay more than 25 percent of the overall peacekeeping budget, down from a mandated 28.43 percent this year.

At the same time, the U.N. is still under critical fire for continuing cases of sexual exploitation and abuse, both in its peacekeeping operations and elsewhere. U.N. investigators at Guterres behest recently reopened an investigation against a top official at UNAIDS, the U.N. agency that combats HIV/AIDS, who was earlier cleared of accusations of sexual harassment and assault, and subsequently retired.

Some of the other major causes Guterres has been espousing are also running aground. As he begins his Capitol Hill rounds, the latest talks on implementing the hyper-ambitious Paris Climate Accord  from which Trump formally declared the U.S. intention to withdraw last August  are expected to end in a fizzle.

The major stumbling block is a demand for tens of billions of dollars in climate financing for developing nations, at a time when wealthy nations are increasingly feeling an economic pinch, sometimes exacerbated by their own anti-carbon policies.

An emergency round of talks has been scheduled for December to try to deal with the impasse, prior to a planned climate summit in 2019 under Guterres auspices at the U.N.s headquarters.

Guterres has been vocal in decrying the Trump Administrations announced intention to withdraw from the pactthe full process takes four years from the announcement--and he has urged other signatories to unite even stronger and stay the course.

Then there are the worlds dire humanitarian emergences, for which the U.N. remains the most important focal point for relief. This years U.N. humanitarian aid appeal asks the world to come up with some $25.3 billion, or $1.8 billion more than last year. The appeal is currently about 26 percent funded. The U.S. government, traditionally the worlds largest humanitarian donor, has so far contributed $1.2 billion, more than anyone else.



How well Guterres does in shoring up his battered causes may well depend on how he sells the idea that the U.N. can continue to deal with all of its responsibilities efficiently and effectivelysomething that Guterres himself admitted candidly, in announcing his reform initiative, it had been woefully inadequate at doing.

So far, however, the way he is going about it may be drawing as much concern as support.

The effort has been incredibly disjointed, one Western diplomat told Fox News. This doesnt feel much different than in previous years when we had reform. We are all a little bit confused about what to do.

Said a U.S. official: We are going to have to untangle what the reform means.

Simplifying and straightening out the U.N.s byzantine bureaucracy, and bringing more of its top-down authority closer to the people it is supposedly trying to serve in an accountable manner, was the major impetus behind the reform as Guterres announced it last June.

As a U.N. spokesperson put it to Fox News, In all areas, the proposed restructuring will reduce areas of overlap that currently exist and establish a much clearer division of responsibilities between the departments at Headquarters.

In its simplest terms, this entails breaking apart and reorganizing the U.N.s central Department of Management, which sets administrative policy for Guterres Secretariat, and U.N. Department of Field Support, which supports peacekeeping and special political missions outside headquarters. In fact, however, says the U.N. spokesperson, both departments currently perform similar tasks, but for different entities. 

The reformed U.N. will supposedly once again separate U.N. policy-making into a reformed Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, while many operational functions, whether related to peacekeeping or not, would be the responsibility of a new Department of Operational Support.

In all areas, the spokesperson declared, the proposed restructuring will reduce areas of overlap that currently exist and establish a much clearer division of responsibilities between the departments at Headquarters.

Not much of that clarity, however, is evident in a mind-deadening, 252-page document that lays out the nitty-gritty elements of the bureaucratic changes in bewildering detail, mostly in glutinous prose.

We need a big vision of what the reform is to achieve, said a Western diplomat. But this [document] has gone straight down into the smallest detail.

Notes Heritages Schaefer: they seem to be reorganizing boxes rather than streamlining the organization.

Amid the fine tuning, some of those poring over the document, the diplomat added, feel there are huge gaps in the architecture that still need to be addressed. I dont think we can tell at this stage what will be the outcome.

The same can be said about the price tag. Haley, among others, haled the fact that budget cutting efforts took some $285 million, or roughly 5 percent, out of the U.N.s budget last December.

Guterres reform document says nothing about dollars and cents, but declares that the sweeping reorganization, despite its ostensible removal of much overlap and duplication, will be post-neutral, meaning it will not cut any jobs, as mandated in a U.N. resolution endorsing the reform.

In fact, at a minimum, the cost of the post-neutral jobs is bound to rise. In UN-speak, as the U.N. spokesperson puts it: the post neutrality of the restructuring exercise does not mean that implementation of the reforms can be seamlessly done within existing resources.

As in any major change management initiative, additional resources will be required for change management and to align existing capacities with new functions, including through training.

But not to worry, these requirements are, by their nature, not of a continuing nature. Hence Guterres made no additional budget request for them, and intends to meet them through voluntary contributions as required.

One possible translation: The expenses are potentially open-ended; may stretch over a very substantial period of time; and may even have to be repeated if the alignment of existing capacities with new functions doesnt work well the first time. Moreover, they may be voluntary in name only if, at the end, the entire reform effort then demands them.

The fact that they keep insisting the reform is post-neutral should raise alarm bells, says Heritages Schaefer. This has the potential to reverse the budget-reduction accomplishments of Ambassador Haley, specifically the $285 million reduction she helped engineer this past December.

At least one Western diplomat was less concerned about that: It has always been known that he was going to ask for more money. Most people are willing if the results are there.

But another key area that is so far glossed over is how those results are actually going to be monitored and how will those responsible be judged for their actions in the new, decentralized organization.

This is intended, according to Guterres massive report, to be the responsibility of a new Business Transformation and Accountability Division, which the report says is integral to the Secretary Generals vision of a transformation based on sound management principles, to make the United Nations more nimble, effective, efficient, transparent and accountable.

When it comes to putting this into practice, however, the report says only that procedures for monitoring and oversight of the authority delegated as well as criteria for withdrawal of the delegated authority and other corrective actions will be developed.

In other words, the standards for holding anyone to account do not yet exist.

Queried further about the issue, the U.N. spokesperson did little to dispel the murk in telling Fox News that In the proposed structure, the Business Transformation and Accountability Division will help establish these [common] standards and support entities that lack a self-evaluation function.

Perhaps more clarity will emerge next month, after Guterres completes his Washington visits and tough, line-at-a-time readings of the management reform document start up in the U.N.s watchdog budget advisory committee.

A U.S. official, self-described as cautiously optimistic, told Fox News there is still a lot to be discussed.

But maybe, as the same Western diplomat who expressed less concern at any U.N. cost increases speculated, what will be discovered is that what [Guterres] is doing is making it up as he goes along.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. hasn't been notified about North Korea's threat to cancel his planned summit with Kim Jong Un next month.

North Korea threatened earlier in the day to scrap the historic summit between Trump and Kim, saying it has no interest in a "one-sided" affair meant to pressure the North to abandon its nuclear weapons.

Trump maintained that he'll still insist on the country's denuclearization should the summit go on.

"We haven't been notified at all" about the threat, Trump said as he welcomed the president of Uzbekistan to the White House.

He added: "We haven't seen anything. We haven't heard anything. We will see what happens."

The warning from North Korea's first vice foreign minister came after the country abruptly canceled a high-level meeting with South Korea to protest U.S.-South Korean military exercises that the North has long claimed are an invasion rehearsal.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders said earlier Wednesday that preparations for the summit were ongoing despite the cancellation threat and that Trump is "hopeful" the meeting will still take place.

"If it doesn't we'll continue the maximum pressure campaign that's been ongoing," she told Fox & Friends.

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said he is concerned that talks are "really being oversimplified" by the White House.

"This is not a like condo deal where two people sit down and hash out a number of outstanding issues and then they say `Well, some lawyers can write it up,"' he said.


Experts in Israel have found the earliest evidence of ancient blood vengeance in a cave in the Jerusalem Hills.

A human skull and palm bones were found in the cave by Boaz Zissu, an archaeology professor at Israels Bar-Ilan University. The remains have been dated to sometime from the 10th century to 11th century A.D.

Experts from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University identified the bones as belonging to a man aged between 25 and 40 years.

DEAD SEA SCROLLS DISCOVERY: TECH REVEALS HIDDEN SCRIPT

"The skull cap shows signs of two traumatic injuries that eventually healed -- evidence of previous violence experienced by the victim -- as well as a small cut-mark caused close to the time of death, and a blow by a sword that caused certain and immediate death, the researchers said, in a statement.

An examination of the skull revealed a great resemblance to the local Bedouin population, which apparently had a tradition of blood vengeance, even before the birth of Islam, according to the experts.

Archaeologists cited a text from the beginning of the 20th century that tells the story of a case of revenge, during which the murderer presented his family with the skull and right hand of the victim by way of proof. These are precisely the parts of the body that were discovered in the present case, they said. Since this is a person who was previously involved in violent incidents who then died from the fatal blow, the researchers say it concluded that the earliest evidence of blood vengeance has been discovered.

TROVE OF ANCIENT 'FREEDOM COINS' UNEARTHED IN JERUSALEM

The findings are being presented this week at the 44th Archaeological Congress at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

The remains are the latest fascinating find in Israel. These include the recent unearthing of a trove of bronze coins in Jerusalem. In February, archaeologists announced the discovery of a clay seal mark that may bear the signature of the Biblical Prophet Isaiah.

Also in February, experts revealed that they had uncovered a rare multicolored Roman mosaic featuring three toga-wearing figures during excavations in the ancient city of Caesarea.

ANCIENT INSCRIPTION UNEARTHED IN JERUSALEM, THRILLING ARCHAEOLOGISTS

In January, archaeologists announced the discovery of a large 1,500-year-old pool and elaborate fountain at the site of an ancient church near Jerusalem.

Last November, new evidence dated Christs tomb in Jerusalems Church of the Holy Sepulchre to the Roman era, matching historical records.

Archaeologists also uncovered a stunning 1,500-year-old Christian mosaic in the ancient Mediterranean coastal city of Ashdod-Yam, now part of the modern city of Ashdod.

LOST ROMAN CITY THAT WAS HOME TO JESUS' APOSTLES FOUND, SAY ARCHAEOLOGISTS

Other finds include the skeleton of a pregnant woman, dating back 3,200 years, in Israels Timna Valley, at a place once called King Solomons Mines.

In October 2017, archaeologists in Jerusalem announced that they have uncovered a new section of the Western Wall that has been hidden for 1,700 years.

Also in 2017, an ancient Greek inscription was found on a 1,500-year-old mosaic floor near the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Some experts also believe they have found the lost Roman city of Julias, formerly the village of Bethsaida, which was the home of Jesus' apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
Michigan deputies responded to a semi-truck crash on a local interstate late Monday. When they arrived, they learned the truck was hauling a rather unusual shipment to New York: Bengal tigers.

The Bay County Sheriffs deputies were aware the truck was hauling animals, but they were not informed of what kind prior to arriving at the crash site, Michigan Live reported.

The semi-truck hydroplaned and its driver lost control of the rig, causing it to leave the roadway, enter a grassy median and jackknife, Sheriff Troy R. Cunningham told the news site. The tigers were not injured in the crash, nor was the driver.

The tigers, each weighing roughly 600 pounds, are owned by a circus company, though its not currently clear which one.

The Bengal tigers, which are endangered, according to the World Wildlife Fund, were held at a local towing company overnight as authorities worked to clear the crash site.
On April 30, after more than 20 years in space, NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) satellite re-entered and burned up in Earth's atmosphere. Decommissioned in 2012, the instrument spent its lifetime probing the environments of black holes and neutron stars in X-ray wavelengths, revealing new insight into these dense gravitational objects.

"Observing these X-ray phenomena with precise high-resolution timing was RXTE's specialty," Jean Swank, an astrophysicist emeritus at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who served as the mission's project scientist until 2010, said in a statement. "During RXTE's run, no other observatory could provide these measurements."

Launched in December 1995 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the mission was originally referred to as XTE. It was renamed in 1996 to honor Bruno Rossi, an MIT astronomer and pioneer of X-ray astronomy and space plasma physics who died in 1993. [Images: Black Holes of the Universe]

RXTE relayed its last scientific observation to the ground on Jan. 4, 2012, and was powered down the next day. By then, the spacecraft had made several important scientific observations.

"RXTE far exceeded its original goals and leaves behind an important scientific legacy," NASA officials said in the same statement.

A wealth of science

After a star explodes in a fiery supernova death, it can leave behind a core of packed-together neutrons called a neutron star. These incredibly dense objects can squeeze the mass of the sun into a city-size object. Exploding stars can also leave behind even smaller and denser black holes.

The strong gravity of black holes and neutron stars can pull material from nearby companion stars into their own orbit, forming what's called an accretion disk. Friction heats the orbiting gas to temperatures of millions of degrees  hot enough to emit X-rays. As the gas spirals inward, powerful X-ray bursts, flares and pulsations can explode in the innermost reaches of the accretion disk and on the surface of neutron stars.

Signals from these features can be incredibly brief  only a few seconds at most and sometimes less than a millisecond. Those short-lived X-ray bursts can provide important information on the compact object at the heart of the disk.

In 1997, RXTE provided the first observational evidence for "frame dragging," an effect based on Einstein's theory of general relativity and predicted 79 years earlier by Austrian physicists Joseph Lense and Hans Thirring. Massive objects like black holes warp the space-time around them, much like a bowling ball deforms a stretched elastic sheet  a phenomenon already revealed by other experiments. If the object rotates, the black hole catches hold of nearby space-time and drags it along, including the inner accretion disk, much as the rotating bowling ball would twist and distort the sheet. RXTE was able to track fast X-ray oscillations of hot gas deep within the accretion disk to catch the relativistic behavior.

RXTE also revealed that black holes of extremely different masses produce similar kinds of X-ray activity. Their activity varies at time scales proportional to their masses. Stellar-mass black holes undergo changes in a matter of hours, while supermassive black holes, which bear the mass of millions of stars, make similar changes over a period of years.

The mission also provided proof of the existence of a new type of neutron star known as a magnetar. While normal neutron stars produce magnetic fields up to 10 trillion times stronger than Earth's, magnetars boast fields a thousand times stronger than that, meaning they possess the most powerful magnetic fields known in the universe. Of the approximately 2,600 neutron stars currently cataloged, only 29 are classified as magnetars.

All of the data collected by RXTE is open to the public at NASA Goddard's High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center.

"The data remain a treasure trove for studying compact objects, whether pulsars and stellar-mass black holes in our own galaxy or supermassive black holes in the cores of distant galaxies," Goddard's Tod Strohmayer, who served as RXTE's project scientist from 2010 through the end of the mission, said in the statement. "So far, more than 3,100 published papers in refereed journals, totaling over 95,000 citations, include RXTE measurements."

The astronomical community has recognized the importance of RXTE's contributions, honoring the research with five major awards. These include four Bruno Rossi Prizes (1999, 2003, 2006 and 2009) from the High Energy Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society and the 2004 Spinoza Prize, the highest Dutch science award, from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.

Although the mission came to an end in 2012, RXTE's niche has not been neglected. In 2017, NASA's Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) began to study variable X-ray sources from its perch on the skyward side of the International Space Station.

"NICER is the successor to RXTE, with an order-of-magnitude improvement in sensitivity, energy resolution and time resolution," Goddard's Keith Gendreau, principal investigator for the NICER mission, said in the statement. "The X-ray band NICER observes overlaps the lower end of RXTE's range, which means we can more easily take advantage of its long observational record."

When NASA originally retired RXTE in 2012, it was predicted to fall to Earth between 2014 and 2023. Fluctuations in solar activity that affect Earth's atmosphere made it difficult to precisely predict the satellite's fall at the time. Its launch before NASA issued standards for public safety from re-entering spacecraft meant that it had a 1-in-1,000 chance of harming someone when it crashed back to Earth  10 times riskier than NASA's current requirements for re-entering spacecraft. RXTE beat those odds, entering Earth's atmosphere over the tropics without harming anyone.

Since the beginning of the Space Age, there have been no confirmed injuriescaused by falling satellites.

Originally published on Space.com.
An 800-year-old piece of pottery has helped archaeologists put together fascinating new details about a medieval ship that sank off the coast of Indonesia.

The wooden hull of the ship, which sank in the Java Sea, has long since disintegrated, but its cargo offers vital clues about the vessel.

Fishermen discovered the wreck site in the 1980s and archaeologists have spent decades analyzing objects found on the seabed. Salvage company Pacific Sea Resources recovered the artifacts in the 1990s and donated them to Chicagos Field Museum.

EXPERTS DISCOVER 'CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS' ANCHOR AT CARIBBEAN SHIPWRECK SITE

The ship, which was transporting ceramics and luxury goods, is now revealing its secrets thanks to new analysis of the cargo. Experts published their findings in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

Initial investigations in the 1990s dated the shipwreck to the mid- to late 13th century, but weve found evidence that its probably a century older than that, said Lisa Niziolek, an archaeologist at the Field Museum in Chicago and the studys lead author, in a statement. Eight hundred years ago, someone put a label on these ceramics that essentially says Made in China  because of the particular place mentioned, were able to date this shipwreck better.

The ships cargo included ceramics marked with an inscription that may indicate they are from Jianning Fu, a district in China. Experts, however, note that after Mongol invasion of China around 1278, the area was reclassified as Jianning Lu.

The slight change in the name tipped Niziolek and her colleagues off that the shipwreck may have occurred earlier than the late 1200s, as early as 1162, they said, in the statement.

WILL CANNONBALL DISCOVERY LEAD TO LOST GALLEON'S SUNKEN 'TREASURE'?

The likelihood of a ship from the Jianning Lu era carrying old pottery is slim, according to Niziolek. There were probably about 100,000 pieces of ceramics onboard. It seems unlikely a merchant would have paid to store those for long prior to shipment  they were probably made not long before the ship sank, she explained.

In addition to ceramics, the ship was also carrying elephant tusks, possibly for use in medicine or art. Sweet-smelling resin, which could have been used for incense or for caulking ships, was also found.

Previous carbon dating of the tusks and resin had dated the wreck to between 700 and 750 years ago. However, improved carbon dating techniques tell a different story.

PIRATE MYSTERY: DOES THIS 300-YEAR-OLD BONE BELONG TO 'BLACK SAM' BELLAMY?

"When we got the results back and learned that the resin and tusk samples were older than previously thought, we were excited, said Niziolek. We had suspected that based on inscriptions on the ceramics and conversations with colleagues in China and Japan, and it was great to have all these different types of data coming together to support it.

Dating the shipwreck to 800, rather than 700 years ago is significant, according to the archaeologist. This was a time when Chinese merchants became more active in maritime trade, more reliant upon oversea routes than on the overland Silk Road, she said. The shipwreck occurred at a time of important transition.

Shipwreck sites offer a fascinating glimpse into the past. Last year, for example, experts announced the discovery of a centuries-old anchor in the Caribbean believed to be from one of Christopher Columbus ships.

MYSTERIOUS SHIPWRECK DISCOVERED IN GREAT LAKES BELIEVED TO BE NEARLY 200 YEARS OLD

Also in 2017, archaeologists in Japan found a cannonball that could lead to the sunken remains of a treasure-laden Spanish galleon.

In 2016 archaeologists said that they had discovered the 500-year-old wreckage of Portuguese ship off Oman. The ship, Esmeralda, was piloted by an uncle of explorer Vasco da Gama.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
Small doses of nudity and graphic violence still make their way onto Facebook, even as the company is getting better at detecting some objectionable content, according to a new report.

Facebook today revealed for the first time how much sex, violence and terrorist, propaganda has infiltrated the platformand whether the company has successfully taken the content down.

"It's an attempt to open up about how Facebook is doing at removing bad content from our site, so you can be the judge," VP Alex Schultz wrote in a blog post.

The report looks at Facebook's enforcement efforts from Q4 2017 and Q1 2018, and shows an uptick in the prevalence of nudity and graphic violence on the platform. Still, bad content was relatively rare. For instance, nudity only received seven to nine views for every 10,000 content views.

The prevalence of graphic violence was higher and received 22 to 27 viewsan increase from the previous quarter that suggests more Facebook users are sharing violent content on the platform, the company said.

Facebook uses computer algorithms and content moderators to catch problematic posts before they can attract views. During Q1, the social network flagged 96 percent of all nudity before users reported it.

However, the enforcement data from Facebook isn't complete. It refrained from showing how prevalent terrorist propaganda and hate speech is on the platform, saying it couldn't reliably estimate either.

Nevertheless, the company took down almost twice as much content in both segments during this year's first quarter, compared with Q4. But the report also indicates Facebook is having trouble detecting hate speech, and only becomes aware of a majority of it when users report the problem.

"We have lots of work still to do to prevent abuse," Facebook VP Guy Rosen wrote in a separate post. The company's internal "detection technology" has been efficient at taking down spam and fake accounts, removing them by the hundreds of millions during Q1. However for hate speech, Rosen said, "our technology still doesn't work that well."

The company has been using artificial intelligence to help pinpoint the bad content, but Rosen said the technology still struggles to understand the context around a Facebook post pushing hate, and one simply recounting a personal experience.

Facebook plans to continue publishing new enforcement reports, and will refine its methodology on measuring which bad content circulates over the platform. However, the data should also be taken with a grain of salt. One potential flaw is that the data doesn't account for any bad content the company may have missed. This is a problem perhaps most salient in non-English speaking countries.

Last month Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced criticism from civil society groups in Myanmar over how his company failed to detect violent messages from spreading across Facebook Messenger. To address the complaints, Facebook is adding more Burmese language reviewers to its content moderation efforts.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
The Army is now crafting early requirements for what is expected to be a new attack helicopter -- beyond the Apache -- with superior weapons, speed, maneuverability, sensor technology and vastly-improved close-combat attack capability.

We know that in the future we are going to need to have a lethal capability, which drives us to a future attack reconnaissance platform. The Apache is the worlds greatest but there will come a time when we look at leap ahead technology, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville told a small group of reporters.

A future attack-reconnaissance helicopter, now in its conceptual phase, is a key part of a wide-spanning, multi-aircraft Army Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program. FVL seeks a family of next-generation aircraft to begin emerging in the 2030s, consisting of attack, utility and heavy-class air assets. Ultimately, the FVL effort seeks to replace the Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook.

Current areas of exploration, McConville elaborated, include examinations of aerodynamics, aircraft configurations, new sensor technology and the physics of advanced attack helicopter flight.

The Army is now working on two Initial Capabilities Documents (ICDs) to lay the conceptual groundwork for new weapons, munitions and a supplemental next-generation drone.

The new attack-recon helicopter is intended to follow the - now much further along - FVL utility helicopter program effort; currently being developed as a Science & Technology demonstrator program, this program now includes built, airborne helicopters.

The concept informing a new attack-recon initiative rests upon the realization that even the most advanced existing Apache helicopter, originally emerging in the 1980s, may ultimately have some limitations as threats evolve in coming years. Although the most current Apache, the AH-64E, contains composite rotorblades, improved avionics and a new 701D engine, a new platform would be expected to introduce a quantum leap forward with respect to attack helicopter technology.

For instance, the new aircraft will be engineered to integrate weapons and sensor systems to autonomously detect, designate and track targets, perform targeting operations during high-speed maneuvers, conduct off-axis engagements, track multiple targets simultaneously and optimize fire control performance such that weapons can accommodate environmental effects such as wind and temperature, Army officials describe. Any future attack platform will also be optimized for whats called high-hot conditions, defined as 95-degrees Fahrenheit and elevations of 6,000 feet, where thinner air can make helicopter maneuvers far more challenging.

No particular air frames or specific technologies have as of yet been identified for the new Attack-Recon aircraft, however the new air vehicle itself is likely to contain composite materials, higher-resolution sensors, infrared heat suppressors and radar signature reducing configurations.

Also, in a manner quite consistent with the overall FVL program emphasis, a future attack-recon platform will seek much greater range, speed and fuel efficiency. A longer combat radius, enabled by newer engine technology, brings massive combat advantages. Principally, attacking air crews will, in many mission scenarios, be much less likely to need what the Army calls Forward Air Refueling Positions (FARP). FARPs are forward positioned mini-bases, often placed within hostile or enemy territory, designed to refuel and re-arm helicopters. A helicopter able to travel faster and farther without needing as much refueling naturally decreases combat risk.

One of the ICDs is preparing to solicit industry input for a next-generation drone demonstrator aircraft, engineered to work in tandem with an attack helicopter platform. The effort aims to achieve what Army developers describe as greater standoff, meaning an unmanned system can enter hostile combat while helicopter crews remain at a safer distance.

We need to be dominating the aerial corridor. We will put our UAS in that dangerous breach, said Brig. Gen. Walter Rugen, leader of the FVL Cross-Functional Team.

The new drone, along with the helicopter itself, will call upon advanced iterations of autonomous navigation. Emerging computer algorithms increasingly enable platforms to perform a wider range of functions without needing human intervention, potentially fostering a combat scenario wherein a helicopter crew would operate a forward-positioned armed attack drone.

It makes sense that the Army would envision a new drone for its future attack helicopter as a way to add new dimensions to its existing Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) technology. Army Apache and Kiowa helicopters have already deployed with an ability to view real-time video feeds from nearby drones from the cockpit of the aircraft. More advanced levels of MUM-T enable helicopter crews to control the flightpath and sensor payloads of nearby drones.

Army program managers have told Warrior Maven that this technology has been impactful in combat, as it has at times enabled Apache crews to see real-time images of a target before they even take-off. Naturally, this not only improves the possibilities for surprise attack, but also minimizes the risk to the helicopters themselves by shortening their exposure to enemy fire.

Pursuing a new attack helicopter platform, including these more advanced iterations of MUM-T, involves several key areas of emphasis, senior Army leaders say. These include rapid prototyping, continued experimentation and efforts to engineer the technical infrastructure sufficient to integrate new weapons as they emerge.

We gain insight from prototypes that help us derive requirements, said Rugen.

The developmental philosophy for the FVL program, Army leaders describe, seeks to engineer a platform able to evolve as technology evolves to accommodate new weapons, sensors, avionics, as they are discovered. Senior Army developers have explained that the idea is not just to build the best helicopter for today, or even the next few years, but rather to engineer new aircraft designed to include the best technologies for the 2030s, and beyond. Rugen described this strategy in terms of spiral development.

In practice, what this means is that instead of looking for near-term or immediate replacements for things like the Apaches 30mm chain gun, Hellfire missiles or infrared targeting sensors (Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sights)  Army developers seek to architect a platform able to embrace both near-term and future yet-to-be-developed technologies.

This approach is of particular relevance to the second ICD now in development focusing on weapons and munitions.

This story originally appeared at Warrior Maven.
The TWRA is planning another Wounded Warrior deer hunt at Enterprise South Nature Park.

Wildlife Officer Ben Layton told members of the County Commission that the deer herd at the park still needs some thinning based on parasite counts from the stomachs of deer as well as visual counts using thermal imaging.



He noted there were prior hunts and by 2016 it appeared the situation was in check. The latest data points to again a need for a hunt, he said.

County Mayor Jim Coppinger said over 150,000 visitors a year make use of the park.

He asked what other wildlife can be found there - "other than turkeys and snakes."

Officer Layton said an occasional bear may pass through, and he said the park has some coyotes.
From the publisher: In his acclaimed bestseller Three Days in January, Bret Baier illuminated the extraordinary leadership of President Dwight Eisenhower at the dawn of the Cold War. Now in his highly anticipated new history, Three Days in Moscow, Baier explores the dramatic endgame of Americas long struggle with the Soviet Union and President Ronald Reagans central role in shaping the world we live in today.

BUY THE BOOK Three Days in Moscow

On May 31, 1988, Reagan stood on Russian soil and addressed a packed audience at Moscow State University, delivering a remarkableyet now largely forgottenspeech that capped his first visit to the Soviet capital. This fourth in a series of summits between Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, was a dramatic coda to their tireless efforts to reduce the nuclear threat. More than that, Reagan viewed it as a grand historical moment: an opportunity to light a path for the Soviet peopletoward freedom, human rights, and a future he told them they could embrace if they chose. It was the first time an American president had given an address about human rights on Russian soil. Reagan had once called the Soviet Union an evil empire. Now, saying that depiction was from another time, he beckoned the Soviets to join him in a new vision of the future. The importance of Reagans Moscow speech was largely overlooked at the time, but the new world he spoke of was fast approaching; the following year, in November 1989, the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union began to disintegrate, leaving the United States the sole superpower on the world stage.

Today, the end of the Cold War is perhaps the defining historical moment of the past half century, and must be understood if we are to make sense of Americas current place in the world, amid the re-emergence of US-Russian tensions during Vladimir Putins tenure. Using Reagans three days in Moscow to tell the larger story of the presidents critical and often misunderstood role in orchestrating a successful, peaceful ending to the Cold War, Baier illuminates the character of one of our nations most venerated leadersand reveals the unique qualities that allowed him to succeed in forming an alliance for peace with the Soviet Union, when his predecessors had fallen short.
Former Alaska Sen. Johnny Ellis was on board Alaska Airlines flight 107 on May 14 when an unidentified man stripped naked and ran before being tackled to the ground. The Democratic politician has since taken to Twitter to share his side of the story.

WOW. On my flt from SEA 2 ANC, a completely naked man ran from front of plane to back, yelling and waving. 2 big guys maybe one Air Marshall tackeled him and locked in bathroom. Some fear & distress @ passengers NO word from Cpt or Crew. Waiting now @ gate 4 law enforcement !! Ellis tweeted that day.

AIRLINE CO-PILOT 'SUCKED HALFWAY' OUT COCKPIT WINDOW, REPORTS SAY

Fellow passenger and Yahoo writer Daniel Roberts voiced similar sentiment, reporting that the incident occurred about 20 minutes before landing.

Very scary at first. all are okay, many now laughing. guy is restrained in back of plane, he tweeted.

The man was quickly tackled and locked in one of the planes bathrooms, The New York Post reported. Later that evening, a rep for Alaska Airlines confirmed that the flight went on to land without incident.

DELTA PASSENGER GETS 2 YEARS IN PRISON OVER WINE-BOTTLE BRAWL

Airport police and fire chief Jesse Davis later described the situation to the Anchorage Daily News as "a medical issue."

According to the outlet, Ellis has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair. As he waited to deplane, he reported that the strange scene continued.

"I waited 4 wheelchair & was next 2 last off plane. Police boarded to take naked guy away. We thought drugs not booze. May have been psychotic break since some said guy who chased & tackled was actually his father. Flt attendants were debriefing. Cpt extra nice 2 passengers," he further divulged.

Spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said in a statement the disruptive passenger was removed by law enforcement after the plane parked at the gate, and was then transported to a local hospital. Egan didn't say whether the man was clothed or what led to the incident.

The carrier did not immediately return Fox News request for additional comment on the story.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Oddly enough, the rogue passenger isnt the first to make headlines  or plague Alaska Airlines - for such antics in recent months. In February, a naked passenger forced the turnaround of one of the carriers trips from Seattle to Anchorage. Weeks later, in March, another rowdy traveler stripped naked, watched porn and attacked airline crew during his Malindo Air flight in Bangledash.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
A man in California who was arrested by authorities for allegedly abusing his children reportedly denied the accusations against him, insisting during a jailhouse interview that he is not a torturer and not a monster.

Jonathan Allen spoke to KCRA from Solano County jail, where hes being held following his Friday arrest and booking on nine counts of felony torture and six counts of felony child abuse.

In the interview with the outlet, the 29-year-old father claimed his kids had no marks on them whatsoever when they were removed from the home. He said it was only after personal family issues and vendettas arose that the accusations came out.

I didnt do what they said I did, Allen said.

Ten children, who authorities believe were violently abused and living in horrible conditions, were removed from the family home on March 31, according to the Fairfield Police Department. Garbage, rotten food, and animal and human feces were strewn throughout the house, according to Lt. Greg Hurlbut, who spoke at a news conference on Monday.

TEN CHILDREN RESCUED FROM HORRIBLE LIVING CONDITIONS IN CALIFORNIA, PARENTS ARRESTED, COPS ANNOUNCE

Allen told the KCRA reporter that he was not an animal and not a cruel dad whatsoever.

I am the most loving parent that I could possibly be, he said.

He also said he was religious and practiced Kabbalah, saying he was like the Indiana Jones when it comes to spirituality.

Authorities have said that the children described various incidents of intentional abuse in interviews. They suffered puncture wounds, burns and bruises consistent with getting shot with a pellet or BB gun, according to the department.

However, Allen claimed to KCRA that his kids were brainwashed. He also said that he believed his kids would describe him as a loving dad if they werent in such a manipulative environment.

Allen said he believed that the evidence will show itself. But he added that he feared they have messed my kids up and that in their minds, he and the mother of the children were demonized.

Ina Rogers, 30, the childrens mother, was arrested after their removal and charged with child neglect, police said. She was released after posting $10,000 bail on April 9.

Allen chalked up the houses condition to KCRA as diapers on the floor and what he said his German shepherd puppy did when they were put in the bathroom.

When they first came and got the kids from my wife, there was diapers on the floor, evidently from them being changed, and that's what they're talking about the fecal, Allen told KCRA. It was like what the dog did in the bathroom and when they came into the house, what they saw on the floor.

Allen told the outlet that he loves his children with all my heart and that they were trying to give them the best life that they could.

I am not 100% perfect, Allen said. But I am not an animal. Im not a torturer. And Im not a monster. Im just not.

Fox News Nicole Darrah contributed to this report.
Police in Woodstock said they have arrested a teenager in connection to a pedestrian accident which killed a mother, her infant child, and a family friend.

Zoe Reardon, 18, of Atlanta, was arrested Monday and charged with three counts of second-degree vehicular homicide, distracted driving, two counts of vehicular homicide, failure to yield to a pedestrian, and a use of electronic communication device under age 18.

Deputies with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said Reardon, who was 17 at the time, was driving the vehicle which struck Kaitlin Hunt, who was holding her 3-month-old child Riley, as they crossed crossing Arnold Mill Road the evening of September 9, 2017. Investigators said Riley died the night of the accident and the 28-year-old mother passed away a few days later. A family friend, Kathy Deming, who had been recovering, died 10 days later, according to deputies.

Read more news from Fox 5 Atlanta.
A fire tore through a historic church in Wisconsin on Tuesday, sending heavy smoke and flames spiraling through the air.

Milwaukee firefighters battled the four-alarm fire at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in downtown Milwaukee Tuesday afternoon, Fox 6 reported.

Brian Smith, of the Milwaukee Fire Department, said no injuries were reported and said "everyone is accounted for at this time."

As of 5:30 p.m. local time, 85 personnel were reportedly still working to put the fire out.

"It required us to call in extra equipment," Smith said. "With a church of this size  required a lot of aerial ladder trucks...with water towers aiming toward the building to put the fire out."

One of the building's steeples, according to Fox 6, collapsed. The church endured a fire last year, and was remodeled in recent years.

The Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, which is part of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, opened in 1847 by German immigrants. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a state and city landmark.

Smith said it's "too early to tell" how and where the fire started, but said a call came in around 3:45 p.m. about a fire on the roof.

Residents in the area expressed concern for the church. Dinnel Murphy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "it's a shame."

"It's a beautiful building," Murphy said. "It's been there forever. It helps the poor and homeless, too."
An Ohio man who reportedly drove to a police station with his 1-year-old son in the trunk has been charged with aggravated murder.

The suspect, Jason Shorter, 41, drove to the City of Parma Police Department Saturday night and surrendered to officers after allegedly telling them he wanted to turn himself in for a crime, according to a news release from police.

Officers said they learned that the boy, Nicholas, was in the trunk of the vehicle, which was parked in the visitors lot just outside the police station. He was found unresponsive and not breathing and rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

According to the news release, police noted that the child appeared to have a stab wound to the chest.

Shorter, who appeared to have self-inflicted cuts on both his arms, was taken to a Cleveland hospital for treatment, and remained there under police guard.

He has been charged with one count of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, in connection with the child's death.

Shorters first appearance in court has not been scheduled; court records do not list an attorney.

Investigators are awaiting autopsy results from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office.
Authorities say a woman is accused of pulling a gun on another shopper outside a Florida supermarket after an argument that began in the checkout line.

The Leon County Sheriff's Office charged 36-year-old Jessica Mock with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.

The Tallahassee Democrat reported Mock was in a checkout lane at a Publix grocery Sunday but left the line briefly for a forgotten item, returning to find a woman had gotten ahead of the cart she left in line.

The sheriff's statement says the two argued and the other woman changed lines but the victim was returning her cart outside the Tallahassee area supermarket. Authorities say Mock then pointed a handgun at the victim.

Court records do not list an attorney for Mock.

___

Information from: Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat, http://www.tdo.com
Who's delivering college commencement addresses this year? Not a conservative.

A report from Young Americas Foundation shows that, of the top 45 schools in the country, not a single institution invited a conservative. When the list is expanded to the top 100 colleges as ranked by US News & World Report, only three speakers are conservative whereas 38 are liberal, a 12:1 ratio.

Americas top institutions continue to be abandoned as sites of higher education and turned into indoctrination centers, YAF spokesman Spencer Brown said in a statement. As if four years of being fed leftist pablum wasnt enough, too many schools shove their students out the door with one last liberal lesson.

Over the last decade, top colleges pulled commencement speakers from the Obama administration. During President Trumps second year in office, UN ambassador Nikki Haley was invited to speak at her alma mater, Clemson University, while Congressman John Lewis, who claims Trump is not a legitimate president, is speaking at several different schools in the top 100 list.

The AP touts the presence of Hillary Clinton at Yale University, Sheryl Sandberg at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Amal Clooney at Vanderbilt University. YAF points out voices like conservative philosopher and author Christina Hoff Sommers, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and Fox News Channels Dana Perino or Harris Faulkner would all make good choices  but because they dont fit the Lefts rigid mold, theyre not given the same platform afforded to liberal shills.

YAF considered 101 schools from the US News & World Report, 37 of which had multiple speakers, 23 had speakers with unclear ideologies, 38 were determined to be liberal, and three were determined to be conservative.

The three conservatives were Cathy Engelbert, DEO of Deloitte, who will speak at Lehigh University, Harold Korell, former CEO of Southwestern Energy Co., who is to speak at the Colorado School of Mining and Israels UN Ambassador Danny Danon, who will address Yeshiva University. Haley was not included in the data because Clemson had multiple commencement ceremonies.
A California narcotics detective tipped off members of the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime groups to impending raids by federal officials  and even helped a top target evade arrest, authorities said Tuesday.

John Saro Balian, a 45-year-old veteran officer with the Glendale Police Department, is accused of lying to federal officials about his ties to crime groups in California. He was taken into custody without incident at his home Tuesday and is facing up to five years in federal prison.

Mr. Balian moved in criminal circles and operated as though he was above the law by repeatedly lying to hide his criminal activity, Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the FBIs Los Angeles field office, said in a statement, according to the Los Angeles Times. His alleged actions impeded legitimate investigations into organized violent crime and consequently presented a threat to public safety.

Balian was identified as a person of interest by the FBIs Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, which was probing ties between the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime.

According to the complaint, Balian was interviewed several times by federal agents last year where he repeatedly made false statements and misrepresentations about his alleged links to local criminal figures, including Jose Loza, a Mexican Mafia member and shot-caller for the Canta Ranas street gang.

Loza, who is facing federal racketeering charges, was communicating with Balian while in custody using burner cell phones to discuss jointly undertaken criminal activities, the complaint said.

In one interview with authorities, Balian reported said: Im not [expletive] on anybodys payroll.

However, three confidential informants painted a different picture.

The 47-page affidavit detailed cases in which Balian offered tips to gangsters-turned-informants about gang sweeps and even gave locations of marijuana grow and drug stash houses that were targeted by law enforcement.

Cases involving corrupt public officials  and particularly those involving crimes allegedly committed by police officers  are among the most difficult and troubling matters we see, U.S. Attorney Nicola T. Hanna, of the Central District of California, said in a statement. If the allegations in this case are proven, this police officer provided meaningful support to criminal enterprises, and his attempts to cover up his associations served to obstruct justice.
Former and current nurses at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Saturday protested for the facility to be renamed after recent news about the Facebook data leak earlier this year.

Protesting nurses say some patients are reportedly fearful that their own privacy may be in jeopardy since the 147-year-old hospital is named after Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook CEO, and his wife Priscilla Chan. The couple donated $75 million in 2015, The New York Times reported.

A stipulation of accepting Zuckerbergs hefty donation was that the hospital be renamed -- a vote that was approved by the citys Board of Supervisors, but has since left some questioning their decision.

Had we known what we know now, perhaps we wouldnt have accepted the funds from Zuckerberg, John Avalos, the former supervisor told the paper.

In a statement to Fox News, Brent Andrew, the hospitals chief communications officer, said the most important commitment is to our patients, while underscoring the hospitals appreciation for the generous gift from Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg.

We are extremely grateful for the generous gift from Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, which has been put to good use in serving the healthcare needs of our community, including the creation of our state of the art Level 1 trauma center, Andrew said. Our most important commitment is to our patients, which includes strict adherence to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules which require the protection and confidential handling of protected health information.

The demonstration was led by Sasha Cuttler, a nurse who covered Zuckerbergs name on a sign at the entrance of the hospital, The Times reported.

One nurse who works at the hospital told the paper that the Zuckerberg name scares patients.

Facebook is still vying to rebuild its image after reports surfaced in March that millions of users accounts were improperly accessed by Cambridge Analytica, a data firm that worked on Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign.

Zuckerberg has since apologized for the incident and vowed to "make sure this doesn't happen again."
A conservative woman who recently graduated from Kent State University has received threats after she took aim at her schools anti-gun policies in a photo shoot where she carried an AR-10 and wore a cap that said, Come and take it.

Kaitlin Bennett, a 22-year-old Second Amendment supporter from Zanesville, Ohio and founder of Liberty Hangout at Kent State, a student media outlet that promotes libertarian values, posed in front of the Kent Student Center for the tweet that has gone viral.

Now that I graduated from @KentState, I can finally arm myself on campus. I should have been able to do so as a student  especially since 4 unarmed students were shot and killed by the government on this campus. #CampusCarryNow, she posted on Twitter Sunday.

Bennett told Fox News she wanted to condemn the schools insulting policies.

I wanted to draw attention to the gun policies on campus that allow guests to open carry, but not students, she said. I find it insulting that the school values the lives of their guests more than those attending the university for four years.

The university has a rule against students, faculty, and staff carrying deadly weapons. But Kent State University spokesman Eric Mansfield told Fox News that because Bennett is no longer a student, she violated no policies.

After graduation, she joined the ranks of our proud graduates, Mansfield said. So at the time of this photo, she and other graduates would be permitted to open carry on our campus.

AT TOP 45 COLLEGES, NO CONSERVATIVES INVITED FOR COMMENCEMENT: REPORT

Mansfield noted that KSU has a full-time, certified police force of more than 30 sworn officers who protect the campus and the university was recently ranked the safest big college campus in Ohio and the 25th safest in the country, according to National Council for Home Safety and Security.

Bennett said even though shes received death threats because of her post, she has no regrets.

Bennett told Fox & Friends Thursday morning she was offered a job by Blue Target Firearms as a result of the media attention.

I have no apologies for my graduation photos, she tweeted Tuesday. As a woman, I refuse to be a victim & the second amendment ensures that I don't have to be.

In another tweet, she made it clear her gun is an AR-10 and not an assault rifle as many had claimed.

Dont talk about gun control, Bennett wrote, when you cant even get your facts straight.
Call it a wild surprise!

Police in Illinois shared a snap of a puppy on social media.

This cute puppy was brought to the PD after a concerned resident found it alone on the side of a busy road, Bartlett police wrote in a Thursday tweet. Actually, the puppy turned out to be a coyote!

Authorities added that the canine was quite the attraction at the PD before he was brought to our friends at Willowbrook Wildlife.

BOBCAT MISTAKEN FOR DOMESTIC KITTENS BROUGHT INTO TEXAS HOME

The girl coyote pup was dehydrated, NBC Chicago reported Friday.

If she progresses nicely and we dont find any other issues over the week, we will most likely transfer her to another rehabber who has young pups close to her size," the wildlife center in Glen Ellyn told the news outlet.

Willbrook Wildlife Center provided an update on the pup Wednesday.

"The coyote pup is still at Willowbrook receiving supportive care," wildlife specialist Rose Augustine told Fox News in an email. "The animal received fluids one to two times a day to combat the dehydration it originally presented with. It has also started eating well on its own, which is a good sign the animal is recovering from its initial debilitation."

She added, "If the animal continues to progress, we will be in contact with other local wildlife rehabilitators to find a facility that has other similarly-aged coyotes so it can be raised with other animals of the same species."
Residents of this small hamlet an hour from Las Vegas have grown accustomed to admiring the wild horse herds that run freely in their town, becoming a source of pride for the close-knit community and a tourism hotspot of sort.

But those horses have grown hungry and emaciated because of a lack of forage in the area. Some horses ribs are showing, their fur is mangy and their bodies are rapidly declining. But an effort to try and rehabilitate them is riling up the community.

Federal workers have been trying to roundup the horses so they could be seen by veterinarians and cared for properly. But several horses have died during the roundup  angering residents who believe it is inhumane and unnecessary.

Officials say its the only way to save the horses.

The reason were out here because its been determined that the range can no longer support this part of the herd and so were gathering them up prior to having to do any more emergency needs down the road, said Donn Christiansen, area manager for the U.S. Forest Service.

Since the roundup began, 85 horses have been trapped and four have died upon capture. Both mares and foals caught are shipped to temporary holding facilities and inspected by a veterinarian. At the facility, a determination is made, based on the health of the horse, if the animal will be transferred to a longer-term care ranch and put up for adoption or whether it should be euthanized.

The horses have formed close bonds with local residents, who have fed them for generations. That has attracted the horses to area, where they tend to stay rather than moving on to other pastures. But the animals, over the years, have eaten up all the natural forage there.

The horses congregate on vast stretches of land, once green and lush, now dry and parched. Herds have to travel great distances for food, sometimes more than 10 miles, and animals experts say thats unsustainable.

Most of these horses are humanized, Christiansen said. Theyve been in too close of contact with humans because of their current location in this community.

Trapping the horses in a roundup consists of using the scent of hay to entice them to an area, where they are corralled into horse trailers and pens.

The massive effort has been met with loud opposition from local residents and protesters who are demanding proof that the horses are actually on the verge of death.

According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, at an information session held before the start of the roundup, officials fielded shouts of liar! and murderer! from about 50 protesters. Critics believe the roundup just inevitably leads to mass slaughter.

Officials tell Fox News they are working in the best interest of the horse herds.

Managing wild horses populations, which officials falls under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management and the U. S. Forest Service, is no easy task. The horses reproduce at a rate of 20 percent each year, far exceeding what the land can provide, officials said.

But recent conditions have not been favorable to them. Drought is rampant right now, making it more difficult for the replenishment of forage, and extreme overgrazing has also led to the current crisis.

BLM agents insist food is scarce, and they have to remove some horses so others have enough to eat. There are about 200 horses in the area.

Officials are trying to prevent what occurred in northern Arizona earlier this month on Navajo Nation land, where more than 200 dead horses were found at a dried-up watering hole. Many became stuck in the mud, dehydrated and starved to death.

Some locals say they are glad for the rescue effort.

Angela Moscola said she has admired the horses for years. But this year, she said, she has seen their condition deteriorate  and rapidly.

I used to come out several times last summer to look at the horses and just see them and come out and pet them, she said. They were in a lot better condition last yearTheir ribs werent sticking out, their hips, they just looked a lot better. This year, they look horrible.
Five people were found dead in a rural North Texas home Wednesday after police say a man entered the home of his ex-wife, and shot and killed her three children and her boyfriend before killing himself.

Capt. Orlando Hinojosa from the Denton County Sheriffs Office confirmed the killings, adding that the gunman also shot his ex-wife, but she had survived the incident. He said that he did not know her exact condition, but that he didnt believe that her injuries were life-threatening.

Dispatchers received a call at around 8:28 a.m. about a self-inflicted gunshot victim at a Ponder home and, while police were en route, they were notified of multiple other victims, the Denton County Sheriffs Office said.

The details surrounding the deaths werent immediately clear.

Police did not release the ages or identities of any of the victims.

Ponder is a small town just 40 miles north of Dallas with about 2,000 residents.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A deputy and deputy trainee with a Florida sheriffs office rescued a puppy locked in a hot car Saturday, authorities said.

The Escambia County Sheriffs Office Deputy Sheriff Matheny and Deputy Sheriff Trainee Waters responded to a call about the puppy, which was squealing, panting heavily, and in distress, authorities said in a Facebook post, adding Saturdays temperature reached 92 degrees.

The cars driver was nowhere to be found, according to the statement.

Since the puppy was in a continued state of panic and distress, Matheny decided to break the drivers side window and pull the puppy out.

While the two were waiting for local animal control officials, they gave the puppy water and kept her in the air-conditioned patrol car.

The driver of the car and owner of the dog, later identified as William Sparkman, 25, was arrested and charged with an animal conservation offense, according to the sheriffs office. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that Sparkman was released the same day he was arrested on a $1,000 bond.
A Florida teacher is being investigated after parents said he had students participate in the drowning of raccoons and chickens at school on Monday.

A Forest Hill High School parent told FOX51 that her son took photographs of the harrowing acts with the animals. Her son told her the creatures were trapped in cages as they were being drowned.

My son stood in the background, hid his phone and watched as they filled these trash cans full of water, and held these raccoons down in trash cans in the cages, the parent told the station. I was disgusted. At first, I was in shock, of course, but I watched the video, and its horrific. Its disgusting, and I cant believe it happened at school."

The teacher was identified as agriculture teacher Dewie Brewton, according to the Ocala Star-Banner. He was removed pending an investigation.

We received statements that the teacher drowned multiple animals in front of students, and with student participation, because the animals were nuisance animals to the [agriculture] program at the school, Marion County School District spokesman Kevin Christian told the Star-Banner.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission launched an investigation after parents notified the agency, according to FOX51.

The FWC takes these matters seriously, the agency said in a statement.
An Indiana couple locked their four children in a basement for hours at a time without food, water or a bathroom, forcing them to urinate in a bottle or bucket, police said.

Connie Campos and her husband, Javier Campos, who had previously been deported, were arrested over the weekend after authorities said the couple had been abusing the children for months at their home in Anderson. The mother admitted to FOX59 that she abused her children, who are all under 15.

I locked my kids in the basement. I did not do it to hurt them, but I was trying to do it because I did not want them to make a big mess when I was gone, Campos told the station. I am faced with a level six felony of neglect to my kids, which I understand. I made mistakes.

The alleged abuse reportedly began when one of the children was caught stealing food in the house. Campos then allegedly put the children in the basement at night and secured the door with a large barn lock. Another child with cystic fibrosis was locked in a bedroom, the children told investigators.

Campos said her husband came up with the idea.

I did not think nothing wrong with it really, but I should not have gone along with is so easy, she said. I did not like the basement. I did not go down there very much.

The children were forced to urinate in a bucket or bottle left in the basement, court documents stated. They were also forced to wait to be fed despite being hungry.

Javier Campos also faces a molestation charge, though he denied any wrongdoing to FOX59. He also has a violent past and was arrested for neglect in 2013. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were contacted about Campos after the recent arrest.

Both parents are charged with felony neglect.

Connie Campos said abusing her children was the biggest mistake of her life.

The children were placed with a family member after being rescued.
A 21-year-old man who enlisted his cousin in the savage killings of four men on a farm in the Philadelphia suburbs last summer pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder charges that will put him in jail for life, as family members of the victims lashed out in the courtroom.

Cosmo DiNardo's plea came after he confessed to the killings of the four men and told authorities the location of the bodies of 19-year-old Dean Finocchiaro, Mark Sturgis, 22, Tom Meo, 21, and Jimi Tar Patrick, 19, last year in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.

DiNardo's cousin, 21-year-old Sean Kratz, rejected a plea deal. Prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty at Kratz's forthcoming trial.

At one point DiNardo said he was sorry to the "poor parents" of his four victims, which a judge said was insincere, according to FOX29.

"To you, human lives are disposable," Judge Jeffrey Finley told DiNardo. "They have no value."

Melissa Fratanduono, the mother of Tom Meo, cursed at DiNardo during the sentencing, saying it has "taken everything" for her not to kill him herself.

"You've lived your whole life protected. In prison, you'll meet savage. And I promise you, it won't look like you."  Mark Potash, father of victim Mark Stugis,

Another family member, the father of Mark Stugis, told the 21-year-old his only way out of prison is "wearing a toe tag."

"That's the least we all deserve," Mark Potash said.

Potash also called DiNardo a "perfect example of someone who started at the top and worked your way down to the gutter."

"You think you're savage?" Potash said. "You've lived your whole life protected. In prison, you'll meet savage. And I promise you, it won't look like you."

WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT FILED IN GRUESOME MURDER CASE AT PENNSYLVANIA FARM

DiNardo came from a wealthy family, sold marijuana and boasted on social media that he was "a savage," frequently holding guns in photos.

Authorities said he was the mastermind of the killings on his family's 90-acre farm in Solebury Township, located about 30 miles north of Philadelphia and charged him in all four deaths. Kratz was charged in three.

Police found the men after a five-day search and said three were lit on fire and placed 12-feet deep in a metal tank that was converted into a cooker that he labeled a "pig roaster. DiNardo allegedly lured them to his family's farm under the guise of making pot deals.

DiNardo quickly confessed, and District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said authorities might never have found 19-year-old Jimi Taro Patrick's body unless DiNardo told them where it was.

COSMO DINARDO, COUSIN, PLEAD NOT GUILTY IN GRUESOME PENNSYLVANIA MURDERS

DiNardo has a history of mental illness, including an involuntary commitment and a schizophrenia diagnosis, but his lawyer said mental health professionals weren't sure they could have presented an insanity defense.

"Mental illness is real, mental illness is sad, and sometimes it can be tragic," lawyer Fortunato Perri told the court.

The families of the slain men are also suing DiNardo's parents, Antonio and Sandra DiNardo, who own the Solebury farm property and construction and concrete companies in Bensalem, where they live. The families say DiNardo's parents shouldn't have allowed him access to a gun, which was barred by law due to his commitment.

In his confession, DiNardo acknowledged selling handguns to local residents. Five months before the killings, police charged him with having a shotgun.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A New Jersey board of education member is facing a call to resign Wednesday after video surfaced purportedly showing her trying to manipulate a police officer by exercising civic privilege after she was pulled over for speeding.

The woman in the April 27 dash-cam video, who identifies herself as Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad, a South Orange and Maplewood Board of Education member, also is heard telling one of the towns officers that she is scared of cops because you guys hurt black people, before calling the cop's boss a skinhead.

Under no circumstances is this behavior, from a public servant no less, acceptable, Walter Fields, chairman of the SOMA Black Parents Workshop, wrote in a Wednesday letter to the boards president. Ms. Lawson-Muhammad must resign her position.

WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE

The incident began after Officer Shaun Horst pulled over Lawson-Muhammad for doing 37 in a 25.

My name is Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad, Im on the school board, Im a community member of this town. Im sorry if I was speeding, she is heard telling Horst, before asking him if its OK if her daughter can exit the vehicle to continue on her way to school.

And Im scared of cops, because you guys hurt black people, she then adds while making sobbing noises.

Maam, do you want me to call an ambulance? Horst asks her. You look like you might be having a panic attack, or some anxiety.

No I dont want you to call me an ambulance, Lawson-Muhammad snaps back at the officer. That was a f-----g insult.

After being handed summonses for speeding and failing to have a valid insurance card in her possession, Lawson-Muhammad  who is married to the great-grandson of Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad  becomes increasingly distraught.

Now you want me to go to court? I dont wanna go to court  I have insurance, he can text you a picture of it right now, says Lawson-Muhammad, referring to her husband.

Horst responds by saying that he cant void the summons since it was already written.

Then Ill call Sheena, and your skinhead cop chief, too, she adds, referencing the president of South Orange Village.

Lawson-Muhammad did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News at the time of publication of this article. The boards president, Elizabeth Baker, referred Fox News to the districts communications director, who also did not respond.

When viewing the video, it is clear that Board Member Lawson-Muhammad attempted to exercise her civic privilege during a routine traffic stop, Fields writes in his letter. Board Member Lawson-Muhammad also infers that she is afraid of police, a reference that I believe attempts to manipulate the officer given the tensions between the African-American community and law enforcement.

SOMA Black Parents Workshop, on its website, describes itself as being established in 2014 by Black parents determined to address patterns of racial discrimination in the South Orange-Maplewood School District.

Fields also accuses Baker of knowing about the incident and receiving the video more than a week ago, but failing to act.

Ms. Lawson-Muhammad must issue a public apology to this officer, he concludes, while hailing Horst  who joined the police force in South Orange less than two years ago -- for his calmness during the entire episode.

The officer should be commended for his professionalism, demeanor, and the respect he showed a citizen who immediately attempted to use her position to intimidate him, he said.
An East Ridge pastor said he is waging a write-in campaign for County Commission District 8 for the August general election.

Rev. Jeff P. Crim has filed a Certificate of Write In Candidacy with the Hamilton County Election Commission. Mr. Crims name will not be listed on the ballot, but voters have the option of writing Jeff P. Crim in the space provided on the ballot and having their votes counted.

Incumbent Tim Boyd defeated East Ridge Mayor Brent Lambert in the Republican primary.

He said, "The recent primary election for Hamilton County Commission District 8 was an unfortunate failure of local democracy. There were no candidates for voters to choose from in the Democratic Primary, and both candidates in the Republican primary focused on negative campaigning. The result is the only name on the ballot in the general election is a candidate who has been criminally indicted. Voters should have more voice than that. Nobody should be forced to accept the victory of a candidate under these circumstances simply because there is no other choice.

Jeff Crim has served as pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church in East Ridge for almost seven years. He lives in East Ridge with his wife and son.

He said he believes that District 8 "has a lot of unacknowledged strengths which make it a wonderful place to live and work. His ultimate goal is to be an advocate for all people of District 8 regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin and to build a strong, safe, and vibrant communities in Hamilton County."
An Ohio man, accused of stabbing his son to death in an attempted murder-suicide may have been involved in a custody battle with the boys mother.

Jason Shorter, 41, drove to the Parma police station on Saturday night and told officers that he wanted to turn himself in for an attempted murder, suicide, Sgt. Dan Ciryak said in a news release.

Police noticed that Shorter had self-inflicted lacerations on both wrists and that he also had a single self-inflicted stab wound to his chest.

NEW YORK NANNY WHO MURDERED TWO KIDS GETS LIFE SENTENCE

After learning that his son, 18-month-old Nicholas, was in the trunk of the car parked outside, police searched the vehicle and found the boy unresponsive. He also had an apparent stab wound to the chest.

Attempts to resuscitate the child were unsuccessful and he was taken to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

A GoFundMe page, set up for Nicholas to help pay for funeral expenses, revealed that Shorter had been involved in a year-long custody battle with the boys mother. According to the page, the woman, Nicole, allegedly won full custody of Nicholas on May 4, just eight days before his brutal killing.

On the eve of her second Mothers Day, and just months before his second birthday, Nicholas was tragically killed by his father, the donation page alleges.

Shorter was released from Metro Hospital late Tuesday night where he was being guarded by police while receiving treatment.

He was taken to Parma jail to await his first court appearance.

Shorter has been charged with one count of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, in connection with the child's death.
One of the three Americans who thwarted a terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train is trying his hand at local politics.

Alek Skarlatos, who portrayed himself in a Clint Eastwood film about the 2015 event called The 15:17 to Paris, announced Tuesday evening he would be running for the Douglas County commission seat in Oregon, the New-Review reported.

The former Oregon National Guardsman, from the small city of Roseburg, and two friends  Anthony Sadler and Spencer Stone  were traveling in Europe in August 2015 when they incapacitated a heavily armed Islamist gunman.

Skarlatos says he wants to bring more jobs to the rural county if elected.

"I've traveled all over the world, and there's no place I'd rather live than Douglas County, honestly," he said, during his announcement at the Douglas County Republican Party headquarters in downtown Roseburg. "Really I think that jobs bring in taxes, and if we can get people jobs that would make the whole community better off."

Skarlatos is pursing the seat vacated by Republican Gary Leif, who recently left the position to become a state lawmaker.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
As the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history unfolded on the Las Vegas Strip on the night of Oct. 1, 2017, country music concertgoers were "lit up like a fishbowl," according to witness accounts released by Las Vegas police on Wednesday.

The department released 1,200 pages of reports, including witness statements and officer testimony, on the shooting massacre that left 58 people dead and hundreds injured after gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd of 22,000 people.

One witness told police that as the shooting unfolded, she heard what people were calling fireworks while singer Jason Aldean was on stage. She was shot just seconds later.

Another woman who watched the chaos unfold said she knew she wasn't hearing fireworks when a man near her dropped to the ground with his "eyes wide open lifeless."

"OMG, there's tons of gunshots and people dead everywhere," the concertgoer texted her sister-in-law, once she took cover at the concert stage. She said she had to jump over a security guard's dead body to get there.

LAS VEGAS SHOOTING SURVIVORS ENGAGED, EXPECTED TO WED THIS SUMMER

The woman's account of what happened outside the Mandalay Bay resort that night was provided by Las Vegas police in a DVD with witness statements and officer reports about the massacre.

The documents were court-ordered to be released to the public. Two weeks ago, the department released body camera footage of police officers entering and combing through gunman Stephen Paddocks hotel room at the Mandalay Bay resort.

The documents  911 recordings, evidence logs, multiple witness statements and police officer reports  were released after media outlets sued to obtain them.

Lawyers for the police department argued that the medias public records requests were costly and time-consuming and releasing the information could disclose investigative techniques.

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said earlier this month the police investigation was not finished, and pointedly apologized for the release of information that he said would "further traumatize a wounded community."

Fox News Andrew Craft and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An agriculture teacher at a Florida high school has been removed from the classroom as school officials investigate whether he drowned raccoons in front of students.

The Ocala Star Banner reports that Forest High School teacher Dewie Brewton was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into whether he drowned "nuisance animals" in class.

A school district spokesman says the district had received statements from witnesses that multiple animals were drowned in front of students because the animals were a nuisance to the agriculture program at the school.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also is investigating to see whether any laws were broken.

According to the school's website, Brewton has been the school's agriculture-education adviser since 2006.
Good morning everyone! After yesterday's severe storms swept the country we will have less extreme weather today.

Hover, lingering rain and runoff across the Mid-Atlantic will keep flood warnings in effect, and there will be more rain for much of the eastern third of the country through Saturday.



The disturbance in the eastern Gulf of Mexico weve been monitoring has not become any better organized, but will continue spreading rain and storms into the Southeast.

Here's the rest of today's weather headlines:

JD
A South Carolina sheriffs office received numerous calls of a kangaroo sighting Tuesday morning -- and responding deputies were astonished the far-fetched reports were true.

The McCormick County Sheriffs Office received calls that a kangaroo was spotted near the South Carolina state line with Georgia early Tuesday morning, FOX 8 reported. When a deputy arrived at the scene there was indeed a marsupial wandering around rural Palmetto State County.

NAKED SOUTH CAROLINA MAN RUNNING IN ROAD CLAIMSSNAKES IN HIS PANTS BIT HIM, REPORTS SAY

The department posted a photo of the kangaroo on its Facebook page with a caption that read: When you get dispatched to an animal in the road and this is what you find.

The sheriffs office pointed out that kangaroos are not native in South Carolina but a man living in the county has a license to own the marsupials. The kangaroo spotted was one that escaped from its pen and was making its way to the highway.

MYSTERIOUS SOUTH CAROLINA FISH WITH HUMANLIKE TEETH STUMPS THE INTERNET

I thought dispatch was joking, a deputy from the sheriffs office commented in the kangaroo post.

The kangaroo was caught and transported safely back to its home, where it was reunited with its owner.
The suspended Pennsylvania school teacher who died on her mother's driveway after being struck by a barrage of bullets Sunday knew her killer and was murdered in a crime of passion, investigators said Tuesday.

Rachael DelTondo, 33, was gunned down on Mothers Day outside her family's Aliquippa home after returning from the ice cream shop with a friend. DelTondo  who was suspended from her teaching position at Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School after being caught with an underage student in a steamed-up car  was struck at least 10 times. Neighbors said they heard up to 12 shots fired that night.

We could not be taking this more seriously. We had a young woman, 33 years old, shot to death on the driveway of her mothers house on Mothers Day evening, Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier told KDKA.

Investigators said they believe DelTondo knew the shooter and evidence showed her murder was a crime of passion, the report stated. Police, however, havent identified or released details of the suspect. Lozier also wouldnt reveal details about the hunt for the suspect.

SUSPENDED PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL TEACHER SHOT DEAD ON MOM'S DRIVEWAY ON MOTHER'S DAY, POLICE SAY

Authorities are reviewing surveillance video and DelTondos cellphone for clues.

The former elementary school teacher was placed on paid suspension in October 2017 after Pennsylvania Cyber officials received an email from an anonymous sender about a police report detailing inappropriate contact between DelTondo and an underage student, Brian Hayden, Pennsylvania Cyber's CEO, told Fox News. Hayden said the student did not attend the online public school.

DelTondo had been working at the school for nearly 10 years.

In the police report filed in February 2016, officers said they found DelTondo and the teenage boy in a steamed-up parked car around 2 a.m., the Pittsburgh Gazette reported. The boy was reclined in the passenger seat.

DelTondo told officers the boy had called her because "he was upset and needed someone to talk to." She insisted the two were friends and that she didn't want her fiance to know about the meeting. No charges were filed in the incident.

The incident wasnt reported to the school, but became public when the police report and other documents marked for official use only were leaked to the school and media outlets, the Pittsburgh Gazette reported.

A mother of a former Aliquippa High School student also told WPXI last November about the incident involving DelTondo and the woman's then-16-year-old son.

DelTondos engagement ended around the time of her suspension and her wedding to a prominent local businessman was scrapped.

Pennsylvania State Police opened an investigation in December into the Aliquippa police on misuse of law enforcement data from the states Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network, state police spokesman Ryan Tarkowski told the newspaper on Tuesday. Its unclear if the investigation was directly linked to DelTondos case.
Pastor Frank Pomeroy acknowledges he and his family havent found a new normal just yet.

Every day his wife cries, and holidays and meals arent the same anymore. Nothing has been the same since their 14-year-old daughter, Annabelle, and 25 other people were killed when gunman Devin Kelley opened fire at First Baptist Church a little over six months ago.

Figuring out how to do things without Annabelle, thats the other thing where [my wife] Sherri and I are getting more accustomed, Pomeroy said with tears in his eyes. Everythings different now.

But grief couldnt drive Pomeroy, his family, and their parishioners from returning to the place where the massacre unfolded. Every Sunday, they hold service at a temporary facility on the property. In this rural, tight-knight community of about 600 people, the gatherings have provided comfort.

It showed that Satan couldnt shut us down. Evil couldnt win. We were able to not only have a facilitybut, we filled it up, Pomeroy said. Theyre praising, theyre singing, the music going forth is truly proclaiming a spiritual awakeningthat I believe is made possible because we have a beautiful place to come.

Now there is an effort to expand the place once the horrifying scene of carnage  but is now a memorial and once again a spiritual sanctuary.

Attendance at the church more than doubled after the tragedy, Pomeroy said. And instead of closing its doors and disappearing, there are plans to grow even bigger.

I think of what God has in store for this church and how many lives well be able to touch, said Sheri Kay, a parishioner who lost her nephew and his wife in the shooting.

A new worship center and an education building will be built on the lot behind the church. The project, which is expected to be completed early next year, will cost about $3 million. Pomeroy said the church wont be paying a dime, however. Donations and the North American Mission Board will cover the cost of the construction.

San Antonio-based Beldon Roofing Company purchased the land and gave it to the church.

Its phenomenal. God is really blessing us, Pomeroy said.

Plans include a memorial for the victims and a second construction phase, which will include multi-purpose community and activity center.

Pomeroy said its a crucial step forward as the church tries to rebuild.

He said he will also continue to work on reconstructing his own life. But that, he said, may be a slower process.

Its not normal that my wife cries every day, he said. But shes getting betterhopefully that will stop, eventually.
Several U.S. military bases may soon house illegal immigrant children caught crossing the border, two government officials told the Associated Press.

The Health and Human Services Department is also considering using the bases to shelter children who were separated from their parents while illegally entering the country, the officials reportedly said.

Illegal immigrant children are often separated from their parents for their own welfare, or because their parents are facing criminal charges.

The sources discussed the plan Tuesday on condition of anonymity because it has not been made public or made final.

Health and Human Services is a federal agency that oversees approximately 100 shelters in more than a dozen states for children seized at the border. The agency's mission is to ensure the health of Americans and provide critical services.

HHS has temporarily used military bases for housing in the past. During a surge in children from Central America in 2014, the HHS temporarily used military bases in California, Oklahoma and Texas to house children.

That process was not without its critics. In 2014, Texas officials appealed to the Obama administration to secure the U.S.-Mexico border as waves of illegal immigrant children overwhelmed the system, with one lawmaker saying U.S. military bases effectively have been transformed into camps to handle the influx.

"Our military bases are turning into refugee camps. I never thought I'd see this in the United States of America," House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said at the time.

WATCH: UNIVERSITY TRAINS STUDENTS TO HELP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

The Department of Homeland Security has limited space to house families that are kept together  only about 2,700 beds at three family detention centers in Texas and Pennsylvania. In April alone, people who came as families accounted for nearly 10,000 Border Patrol arrests. Another 4,300 were unaccompanied children.

"Our military bases are turning into refugee camps."  House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul

Nearly 1 in 4 Border Patrol arrests on the Mexican border from October through April was someone who came in a family. That means any large increase in prosecutions will likely cause parents to be separated from their children while they face charges and do time in jail.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defended the Trump administration's practice of separating children from parents when the family is being prosecuted for entering the U.S. illegally, telling a Senate committee Tuesday that removing children from parents facing criminal charges happens "in the United States every day."

Nielsen, who has led the agency since December, came under attack from Democratic senators days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions said a "zero tolerance" policy toward people entering the country illegally could lead to more families being split up while parents are prosecuted.

CALIF. LAWMAKER PROPOSES ALLOWING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO SERVE ON STATE BOARDS

In a contentious exchange with Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Nielsen said her department was not taking children from parents as a way to deter illegal immigration. Rather, Nielsen said, if a person crosses the border illegally: "We will refer you for prosecution. You've broken U.S. law."

When Harris pressed her about what that would mean for a 4-year-old child whose family faces charges of entering the country illegally, Nielsen said, "What we'll be doing is prosecuting parents who've broken the law, just as we do every day in the United States of America."

The children are transferred to the custody of Health and Human Services within 48 hours, she said. That department then finds people for the children to stay with while the parents are in custody, she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
No, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un isn't killing his summit with President Donald Trump. Or at least, he's highly unlikely to.

Pyongyang breaking off a high-level meeting with Seoul and threatening to scrap next month's historic summit with Washington over regular allied military drills is seen as a move by Kim to gain leverage and establish that he's entering the crucial nuclear negotiations from a position of strength.

Washington and Seoul, which have no intentions to overpay for whatever Kim brings to the table, have been saying strengthened international sanctions forced Kim into talks after a flurry of weapons tests. Pyongyang has now countered by saying it won't be unilaterally pressured into abandoning its nukes, analysts say.

Nonetheless, North Korea's surprise declaration on Wednesday was a fresh reminder of many false starts and failures that derailed previous diplomatic attempts to resolve the decades-long standoff. It's also a frustrating development for South Korea, which has been selling last month's inter-Korean summit  where the leaders issued a vague vow for the "complete denuclearization" of their peninsula  as a meaningful breakthrough in peace.

A look at the history of negotiations between Washington, Seoul and Pyongyang:

___

BAD START WITH WASHINGTON

The United States reached a landmark nuclear agreement with North Korea in 1994 following months of war fears triggered by the North's threat to turn its stockpile of nuclear fuel into bombs.

Under the "Agreed Framework," North Korea halted construction of two reactors the United States believed were for nuclear weapons production in exchange for two alternative nuclear power reactors that could be used to provide electricity but not bomb fuel, and 500,000 metric tons of annual oil supply. Pyongyang constantly complained about delayed oil shipment and the construction of the reactors that were never delivered. Washington criticized the North's pursuit of ballistic missile capability.

The deal collapsed in 2002 after North Korea admitted it had been running a clandestine nuclear program using enriched uranium.

___

DERAILED SIX-PARTY TALKS

It didn't take long for the United States to be roped back into talks with North Korea, but this time in a six-party forum that also included China, South Korea, Russia, and Japan.

After months of tense negotiations that began in August 2003, the North accepted a deal in September 2005 to end its nuclear weapons program in exchange for security, economic and energy benefits.

However, disagreements between Washington and Pyongyang over financial sanctions imposed on the North temporarily derailed the six-nation talks before North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in October 2006.

The disarmament talks resumed a few weeks later and the six governments in February 2007 reached a deal where North Korea would receive an aid package worth about $400 million in return for disabling its nuclear facilities and allowing international inspectors to verify the process.

But a final attempt to complete an agreement to fully dismantle North Korea's nuclear program fell through in December2008 when the North refused to accept U.S.-proposed verification methods.

The six-nation talks have stalled since then and the North conducted another nuclear test in May 2009.

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INTER-KOREAN EBBS AND FLOWS

Since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, relations between the Koreas have been marked by wild swings, with three historic summits mixed with hostility that often pushed the rivals to the brink of a major military conflict.

The rivals most recently came near a military clash in 2015 following land mine blasts blamed on North Korea that maimed two South Korean soldiers. The Koreas avoided disaster with a last-minute deal in which the North offered a vague regret over the blasts in exchange for the South temporarily stopping anti-Pyongyang broadcasts over the border.

The agreement led to a high-level meeting between the Koreas at the northern border town of Kaesong in December. But those talks fell apart after the South refused to agree to restart joint tours to the North's scenic Diamond Mountain resort, which were suspended in 2008 following the shooting death of a South Korean tourist.

A month later, North Korea went on to conduct its fourth nuclear test, which marked the start of a torrid run in weapons tests that peaked in 2017, when the country detonated a purported thermonuclear warhead and flight-tested three developmental intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to strike the U.S. mainland.

Wednesday was hardly the first time the North called off an important inter-Korean event at the last minute. In 2013, North Korea abruptly canceled reunions for families separated by the Korean War just days before they were held to protest what it called rising animosities ahead of joint military drills between Seoul and Washington, which the North claim are invasion rehearsals.

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WILL KIM GO BACK?

Months after taking power following the death of his father, Kim in 2012 reached a major agreement with the United States to suspend nuclear weapons and missile tests and uranium enrichment in exchange for food aid. But the deal was killed just weeks later after the North launched a long-range rocket in a failed attempt to deliver a satellite, which outside governments saw as a disguised test to advance ballistic missile capability.

Even amid the North's diplomatic outreach of recent weeks, there are lingering doubts on whether Kim would fully relinquish the nukes he likely sees as his only guarantee of survival.

Some analysts believe that Kim would seek a deal where he gives up his ICBMs but retains some of his shorter arsenal, which might potentially satisfy Trump but drive a wedge between Washington and Seoul. Or he might try to drag out the process and wait out the Trump administration, which has provided a credible threat of military force against the North.

Whatever his true intentions are, Kim will almost certainly show up for his talks with Trump in Singapore on June 12, analysts say. The past few months have seen the formerly reclusive leader belly-laughing with South Korean President Moon and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and declaring a halt to nuclear and ICBM tests while inviting foreign journalists to witness the dismantling of his nuclear test site scheduled for next week.

He has simply come too far to go fully back. He also desperately needs sanctions relief to build his economy. In Washington, he sees a president who seems eager to prove his deal-making skills and thinks less of the traditional alliance with Seoul than his predecessors did. In Seoul, he sees a dovish liberal leader who's eager for rapprochement. Kim knows he probably isn't getting a better shot than this.

"North Korea is responding to the Washington-Seoul drills based on internal principles and routines," said Kim Dong-yub, a former South Korean military official who's now an analyst at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies. "The North is not trying to subvert the table for talks."

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Follow Kim Tong-hyung on Twitter at @KimTongHyung
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French President Emmanuel Macron is thinking about inviting world leaders to a 13th century fortress on the French Riviera for summer diplomatic meetings.

Surrounded by the turquoise water of the Mediterranean Sea, the Fort de Bregancon has been the holiday retreat of French leaders for decades.

Macron's predecessor, Francois Hollande, broke with tradition and decided to open the site to visitors instead of vacationing there.

Macron just spent his first weekend there with his wife, Brigitte, and has decided to re-employ the fort as the president's summer residence and to host mini summits there.

The fortress, isolated on a small peninsula, can be easily secured. The site still will be open to the public when the president is not using it.
Arab states resoundingly condemned the killing of more than 50 Palestinians in this week's Gaza protests, just as they have after previous Israeli violence going back decades.

But behind the scenes fears over Iran have divided Arab leaders, with some willing to quietly reach out to Israel.

Saudi Arabia, which has used its control of holy sites in Mecca and Medina to brand itself the protector of Islam around the world, offered a brief statement of condemnation and reaffirmed its support for "the Palestinian brotherly people" and their "legitimate rights."

Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince has said the Gulf Arab states and Israel have mutual interests. Trump administration officials say a shift in alliances is already underway.
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On a recent Sunday, Managua's auxiliary Roman Catholic Bishop Silvio Baez talked to those gathered for Mass about love and its many forms.

It soon became clear that Baez wasn't speaking just to the 300 people sitting on plastic chairs in the sweltering heat, but also to President Daniel Ortega.

Dozens of young protesters had been killed in several days of clashes with police and the president's supporters, during protests set off by proposed social security cuts but that then veered into calls for Ortega to step aside after a decade in power.

"To denounce and publicly demonstrate against the actions, historic processes, political decisions that go against the great majority is also to love," Baez said. And he added, if one's presence is causing instability "to relinquish, to leave can be an act of love."

So began the latest turn in a 40-year dance between Nicaragua's predominant religion and Ortega, the former Marxist guerrilla who once infuriated the Vatican but gradually forged an alliance with the church.

The protests, which have continued on a smaller scale, have forced Ortega into a corner and he has asked for the church to mediate. Talks were scheduled to begin Wednesday after the president agreed, at least initially, to meet the church's conditions, one of which is to "review Nicaragua's political system from its roots to achieve an authentic democracy."

Ortega controls the national police and military, while the supreme court and congress strongly lean his way. Opponents accuse him of tilting the electoral field in his favor. But the protests led by students and supported by the business community and the Catholic Church are posing the greatest threat to his government since he won the 2006 election and returned to power 16 years after losing it.

"Clearly at the moment we're in the pendulum swing again where the bishops are more critical of the government. They feel it's more favorable to distance themselves, to make very clear demands," said Henri Gooren, associate professor of anthropology at Oakland University in Michigan and editor of the Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions.

Ortega said that he and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, would attend the talks Wednesday.

Church leaders have already been laying out those demands.

"We hope there would be a series of electoral reforms, structural changes to the electoral authority  free, just and transparent elections, international observation without conditions," said Rolando Alvarez, bishop of Matagalpa and a member of Nicaragua's Episcopal Conference. "Effectively the democratization of the country."

A priest in Alvarez's diocese was wounded in the arm by shrapnel Tuesday while trying to separate protesters and police in Matagalpa, but was out of danger, according to a statement from the diocese.

Ortega's relationship with the church has been long and tumultuous.

For years, the church was close to the Somoza dynasty that had ruled the nation from the mid-1930s. But as the corruption and abuses of Anastasio Somoza became difficult to ignore, Archbishop Miguel Obando y Bravo began to distance the church from the authoritarian regime in the 1970s while Somoza was trying to beat back threats both from civilian opponents and Sandinista guerrillas.

The church twice mediated between the Somoza regime and the Sandinistas during hostage situations. But it was not until shortly before Somoza's 1979 fall that the church  like much of Nicaraguan society  openly supported the Sandinistas.

That support did not last once the Sandinistas began governing. Sandinista supporters repeatedly clashed with conservative bishops, who were scandalized by the Marxist-influenced priests who backed and served in Ortega's government and by the growth of a Sandinista-backed "people's church." Hostility may have peaked in 1983 when Pope John Paul II came to Managua, scolded the maverick clerics and ordered Catholics to obey their bishops and avoid "unacceptable ideological commitments."

By the time Ortega lost the elections in 1990, the church had long since moved back toward its close relationship with Nicaragua's conservative elite.

Out of power, Ortega repeatedly tried to mend relations with the church, increasingly expressing religious faith and calling for reconciliation with his foes. Bishops remained wary. Addressing voters ahead of the 1996 election, Obando y Bravo alluded to Ortega by telling the story of a man who was bitten after taken pity on a dying snake. In 2001, at a time when Ortega was fighting rape allegations by his stepdaughter, Obando y Bravo urged Catholics to look for candidates who "have been exemplary in their families."

But gradually, there was a thaw. In 2005, Ortega and Murillo, his longtime partner, married in the Catholic Church in a ceremony presided over by Obando y Bravo.

Ortega steered his Sandinista Front lawmakers to support a total ban on abortion passed shortly before the 2006 election "as a gift to the Catholic Church," said Einar Berntzen, associate professor of comparative politics at the University of Bergen in Norway. A week before the vote, Obando y Bravo, who had recently been replaced as archbishop, gave a sermon widely interpreted as endorsing Ortega's candidacy.

Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, who replaced Obando y Bravo in 2005, is considered more cautious, Gooren said.

But in the wake of April's violent crackdown, Brenes has said the demonstrations were justified.

On April 20, hundreds of student protesters sought refuge in Managua's cathedral, where the church was collecting donations to support protesters. When police and Sandinista Youth descended, demonstrators retreated to the cathedral and left that night only after clergy negotiated their safe passage.

That day, Brenes and several of his bishops made public statements against violence and in favor of dialogue.

The following day Ortega said he was willing to negotiate the social security changes, but only with the business sector. The Episcopal Conference issued a more forceful statement.

"We urge the country's authorities to hear the cry of the young Nicaraguans" to repeal the reforms, it said, and it condemned the crackdown by groups tied to the government. "There are social sins that no human being can ignore, but rather must denounce, above all if they desire to restore the violated rights of the most vulnerable: our retirees." That message was echoed in Baez's recent sermon.

The next day Ortega canceled the social security overhaul and asked the Catholic Church to mediate a dialogue.

"We deeply appreciate the willingness of his Reverend Eminence, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, and all of the bishops to continue to contribute to dialogue, tolerance and peaceful coexistence in our country," Ortega wrote to Brenes.

Berntzen said he saw Ortega as "temporarily weakened."

"Since the Catholic Church is and remains a very respected institution, it appears the Catholic Church now perceives that the Ortegas need the Catholic Church more than the Catholic Church needs the Ortegas," he said.

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Associated Press photojournalist Moises Castillo and writer Luis Manuel Galeano contributed to this report.
Israel and Turkey exchanged diplomatic barbs Wednesday as the spat between the former allies continued to escalate following deadly violence along Israel's border with Gaza.

A day after it expelled the Israeli ambassador, Turkey asked Israel's consul general in Istanbul to leave as well. Israel, in turn, summoned a top Turkish diplomat to be reprimanded for the humiliation of Israel's ambassador as he was kicked out of the country.

The exchanges came less than two years after the countries reconciled and exchanged ambassadors after six years of animosity. Once close allies in an Arab-dominated neighborhood, Israel and Turkey's ties began to decline after now-President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party has roots in Turkey's Islamist movement, first came to power as prime minister in 2003. Relations imploded in 2010 after a confrontation between Israeli commandos and a pro-Islamic Turkish flotilla trying to breach the blockade of Gaza left 10 Turkish activists dead.

Erdogan has since often lashed out at Israel over its clashes with Hamas militants in Gaza and he led the international criticism of Israel after nearly 60 Palestinians were killed Monday in the bloodiest day of cross-border violence since a devastating 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. He also ratcheted up his rhetoric against the U.S. Embassy move to Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retorted that a "man whose hands are drenched in the blood of countless Kurdish civilians in Turkey and Syria is the last one who can preach to us about military ethics."

Israel's Foreign Ministry summoned a top Turkish diplomat Tuesday to reprimand him for Turkey's treatment of Israeli ambassador Eitan Naeh. The ministry accused Turkey of subjecting Naeh to a particularly severe security screening at the airport in Istanbul and inviting local Turkish media to capture the humiliation of him being frisked and forced to remove his shoes and jacket.

The meeting in Jerusalem with the Turkish deputy ambassador, Umut Deniz, lasted about 20 minutes. He was asked to present his documents upon entering and made no comment to a crowd of reporters as he left the building. He then walked to a waiting van, slammed the door shut and it drove away.

Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said Israel expressed "our concern and our dismay at a gross violation of the diplomatic ethics."

"The images of our ambassador being subjected to an unnecessary security check are spread all over Turkey," he said. "This is something we cannot accept, this is something that is totally contrary to diplomatic relations between countries and a public humiliation of an ambassador is something that Israel will not accept under any circumstances."

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Associated Press writer Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed to this report.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel says it would be wrong to cancel the nuclear agreement with Iran, highlighting it as one of her main differences of opinion between Berlin and Washington.

President Donald Trump announced last week The U.S. would pull out of the 2015 accord designed to keep Tehran's nuclear ambitions in check.

Merkel told Parliament on Wednesday that the U.S. decision was among several pieces of "troubling news" that had happened recently. Others included chemical attacks in Syria, violence in Gaza and daily cease-fire breaches in Ukraine.

While the Iran deal remains "anything but ideal," Merkel said "it's not right to cancel this agreement in this situation now."

Still, she added that "despite all the problems we have these days, trans-Atlantic relations are and remain of paramount importance."
Hours after North Korea announced it canceled a high-level summit with South Korea, a top official from the country on Wednesday threatened to abandon talks with the United States if the discussion is going to be a one-sided demand centered around giving up its nuclear arsenal.

Kim Kye Gwan, the North's first vice foreign minister, criticized comments from President Donald Trump's top security adviser John Bolton and other U.S. officials for citing the Libyan model for how the situation should be addressed.

Libya gave up its nuclear program in the 2000s in exchange for sanction relief. The North has often cited Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi's gruesome death in 2011 at the hands of rebel forces to justify its own nuclear program from what it considers threats from the U.S. Kim Jong Un took power weeks after Qaddafi died.

"We will appropriately respond to the Trump administration if it approaches the North Korea-U.S. summit meeting with a truthful intent to improve relations," Kim said in a statement.

He said that North Korea will no longer be interested in negotiations with the U.S., and will reconsider sitting down with Trump for the high stakes foreign policy meeting if it will be all about driving us into a corner.

In addition to the nukes, the vice foreign minister also expressed his disapproval for comments the U.S. made about its desire for North Korea to relinquish is biological and chemical weapons.

North Korea abruptly canceled its meeting with South Korea on Tuesday over its participation in joint military exercises with the U.S., with KCNA, North Korea's state media outlet, claiming the drills were preparation for a potential invasion of the country.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said the military exercises will continue despite North Koreas adamant disapproval. The ministry's spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo said the drills are not attack exercises, but are aimed at improving the skills of its pilots.

State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said during a Tuesday briefing that they had not received any "formal or even informal notification of anything," and are continuing to plan the summit, while Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the White House is aware of the report and the U.S. "will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies."

Fox News' Elizabeth Zwirz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pope Francis cryptic comment Tuesday that he's thinking about when it's time to take my leave is raising speculation Francis could follow in the footsteps of his predecessor in retiring from the papacy.

Francis made the remarks during his morning homily Tuesday, and, as is the norm, the Vatican didn't release the full text but only selected excerpts, the Associated Press reported.

Francis was reflecting on a biblical passage of St. Paul discerning when it was time to leave his flock in the care of others, a decision Francis said all bishops must make at some point.

"When I read this, I think about myself, because I'm a bishop and I'll have to take my leave," the excerpts quoted Francis as saying.

The pope added that bishops shouldn't consider their vocation as "climbing in an ecclesiastic career." Rather, he reminded them they are shepherds caring for a flock, and that at a certain point the time will come to turn the flock over to someone else.

"I think about the bishops, of all the bishops. May the lord give the grace to all of us to be able to take our leave this way, with this spirit and strength," he said.

Francis previously has said his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, "opened a door" to future popes to retire when he resigned in 2013. While the 81-year-old Francis has said he didn't envisage a long papacy, he hasn't said explicitly if he'd follow in Benedict's footsteps and retire.

Francis may have also been referring to Chilean bishops implicated in a sex abuse cover-up scandal, according to the Associated Press. Francis opened three days of an emergency summit with the 34 Chilean bishops Tuesday, and there is widespread expectation that at least some of them will offer to resign by the end of it.

The Vatican has said that during their first meeting, Francis gave the bishops a list of themes to meditate on, and that the time between now and their next meeting Wednesday would be devoted "exclusively to meditation and prayer."

It appeared that Francis was guiding the bishops through a Jesuit-style examination of conscience. This internalized self-critique has been on display in recent years when Francis has issued a brutal public dressing down of the Vatican bureaucracy at Christmas.

The Associated Press has contributed to this report.
Inmates at the Hamilton County Jail were challenged to create a mural expressing their message to

people on the outside. After discussing the stigma associated with being an offender and the us vs.

them culture they experience, participants decided to demonstrate the idea that after rejoining society, they could be worthwhile citizens capable of creating work that beautifies neighborhoods.

To best depict this idea, they settled on the theme of birds, "beautiful creatures experiencing freedom."



Inmates started by drawing bird structures that evolved into individualized birds crafted from their

imaginations. Digital versions of their drawings were organized into a composition sized to fit the

billboards location during photo shop sessions in the jail classroom. The birds were scaled, traced onto parachute cloth, and then painted during their classes.

From preliminary discussions to the finished piece, Birds of Freedom took one year to complete. During that time, about 75 inmates attended art classes funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission and had a hand in creating this mural.



A comment from an inmate evaluation read, I learned, and am still learning, how to deal with and work with people. Learning a lot of art skills is fun. I love everything about this class.



Mark Making has hosted classes in the Hamilton County Jail almost every Friday night since 2012. Mark Making seeks to empower individuals and transform communities through the arts. They work primarily with children, teens and adults with disabilities, the homeless and incarcerated.


Senator Bob Corker will address the legal community, and the Liberty Bell Award will be presented at the Annual Law Day Breakfast on May 18. The breakfast will be held at The Westin, 801 Pine Street, Chattanooga, Tn. 37402.

In 2012, Tennesseans elected Senator Corker to his second term in the U.S. Senate, where he serves as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and is an active member of the Banking Committee and Budget Committee. Senator Corker was Tennessees commissioner of finance and mayor of Chattanooga, but he spent most of his life in business.

Each year, the Chattanooga Bar Association honors an outstanding citizen in the Chattanooga area with the prestigious Liberty Bell Award for public service. The purpose of the Liberty Bell Award is to recognize community service that has strengthened the America system of freedom under law. In selecting the recipient of this award, the Chattanooga Bar Association considers such service as including activities which (1) promotes better understanding of our Constitution and the Bill of Rights; (2) encourage a greater respect for the law and the courts; (3) stimulates a deeper sense of individual responsibility so that citizens recognize their duties as well as their rights; (4) contribute to the effective functioning of our institutions of government; and (5) foster a better understanding and appreciation of the rule of law. Lawyers and judges are not eligible for the award; however, all other fields of endeavor are intended for the inclusion, namely education, business, sciences, communications, labor, government, religion, professions and youth organizations.

This years Law Day theme is Separation of Powers: Framework for Freedom. The U.S. Constitution established a system of government with distinct and independent brancheslegislative, executive, and judicialand it gave Congress, the Presidency, and a Supreme Court separate and distinct powers, so that these three separate branches share power and serve as checks on the powers of the others. Ambition must be made to counteract ambition, James Madison explained in Federalist 51, because he believed that the Constitutions principles of separation of powers and checks & balances preserve political liberty. By preventing any one branch from becoming too powerful, they provide a framework for freedom.


For more than 100 years, local Scouts have decorated or placed flags on the graves of veterans interred at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. This year, more than 2,000 Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Scout leaders and parents will come together on Saturday, May 26, to place a U.S. flag on the grave of each of the more than 50,000 veterans who served our country.

The Cherokee Area Council, BSA welcomes guest speaker U.S.

Navy Commander Kevin West. Commander West has operational experience with Commander Naval Forces Europe-Commander Naval Forces Africa-Commander 6Fleet (CNE-CNA-C6F) as Naval Forces Africa Public Affairs Officer for Africa Partnership Station exercises. He deployed in 2016/2017 as deputy public affairs director for Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan in support of Operation. Commander West has been awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals, a Joint Services Achievement Medal, two Navy Achievement Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the NATO ISAF Medal. He is also authorized to wear the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal for his work with United States Fleet Forces Command.

The ceremony will begin at 8 a.m. at the Armed Forces Pavilion. The Choo Choo Chorus will open the ceremony with the National Anthem. The ceremony will conclude with a 21-gun salute delivered by the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council Color Guard. The Command Post Museum will also provide an educational display.



After the ceremony, more than 2,000 Scouts from Chattanooga and surrounding communities will split into groups and begin placing flags on each grave.



This event is one of the highlights of the year for our local Scouting community, said Scott Fosse, the Scout Executive for the Boy Scouts Cherokee Area Council. Through the years, we have had several generations of Scouts place flags in this annual event, including Scouts who have placed flags for one of their own family members.



One of the basic tenets of Scouting is to instill in youth a duty to serve their country. This annual service project encourages Scouts to learn about the importance of service to others and the sacrifices made by veterans to secure the freedoms millions of Americans enjoy today.
A company founded in Chattanooga is one of four leading companies in the burgeoning cannabis business who have merged to form TILT Holdings Inc.

Briteside was organized in Chattanooga by Justin Junda, but is now based in Oregon.

Officials said the united companies "represent all facets of the industry to provide technology driven solutions throughout the entire cannabis ecosystem."

"TILT will enable businesses the opportunity to interact, communicate and operate with a greater degree of efficiency with their patients and consumers," said Alex Coleman, manager of Sea Hunter Holdings, LLC. "Due to the conflict between federal and state law, the industry still faces numerous challenges that are impeding the ability of businesses to effectively deliver products and services to a large and growing demand base.

TILT will maintain competencies across the entire spectrum of the industry, from vertically integrated operations to cutting edge genetics and CRM systems, all supported by robust data-driven insights. While a portion of our revenue is derived from our own proprietary operations, our emphasis is to enable businesses the ability to successfully evolve and meet the needs of a rapidly growing market."

The companies forming part of the business combination, which have collectively raised over $150 million in capital and securities, include:

Baker Technologies Inc. (Denver, CO) - The cannabis industry's largest software company, Baker helps dispensaries generate more revenue and build relationships with their customers through a variety of products, featuring online ordering, customer loyalty, messaging, and analytics. The company works with over 1,000 dispensaries in 24 states and Canada.

Briteside Holdings, LLC (Bend, OR) - Briteside produces a diverse range of products and services, from prefabricated modular cultivation units to home delivery and subscription based services. All Briteside products are predicated on proprietary algorithms designed to improve yields and efficiencies while reducing costs and time.

Sea Hunter (Boston, MA) - Sea Hunter is a leading source of cultivation, retail, operational and capital support to state licensees and, in certain circumstances, operates proprietary, vertical operations which allows it to deliver a more knowledge based product to customers.

Sante Veritas Holdings Inc. (SVT) - SVT's subsidiary Sante Veritas Therapeutics Inc. ("SVT Subco") is at the final stage of obtaining a cultivation license under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (the "ACMPR"). Health Canada recently issued SVT Subco a "confirmation of readiness" for a licence under the ACMPR, confirming its initial annual cultivation request of 2,835,000 grams of cannabis flower. SVT Subco is currently completing the buildout of Phase I of its cannabis products cultivation platform, comprising more than 40,000 square feet of combined indoor cultivation and administrative facilities in Powell River, British Columbia, on a waterfront site that was formerly part of Catalyst Paper's operations. SVT Subco anticipates receipt of licensed producer status later in 2018.

The merged company, TILT, expects to establish operations in every state where cannabis laws exist, for both infrastructure as well as technology. At present, Baker, Briteside and Sea Hunter operate in 24 states collectively, and have licenses for operations in a portion of those, and expects to operate in all such states within a short time.

The merged company, TILT is forecasting revenue of $70 million at calendar year-end 2018 and in excess of $200 million at calendar year-end 2019. TILT will maintain principal offices in Boston, Denver and Toronto.

"The combined company is expected to allow TILT to provide a more holistic solution to the industry," said Baker CEO, Joel Milton. "Baker's goal has always been to provide our clients a single platform that connects all of the tools and data they use on a daily basis. This merger is expected to be a win for us, the cannabis retail ecosystem and, most of all, the producers and dispensaries and their customers. Through this broader platform, with greater access to capital and resources, we are excited to introduce new technology enabled products which continue to create value for our clients. While these are currently being generated internally, we now also expect to accelerate our offerings through complementary, future acquisitions."

Briteside has been involved in growing, processing and selling marijuana. Briteside has also been offering an e commerce site to Oregon dispensaries to make orders and deliveries easier.
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Police have charged a Chattanooga man with killing a woman's dog at a residence on Partridge Lane.

Jonathan Ray Keylon, 27, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.

Police went to the woman's residence and found her hiding behind a neighbor's fence that was obscured by bushes.

She said Keylon was inside her house armed with a knife, and he had killed her dog. She was visibly shaking and said she had not given Keylon permission to be in her house.

Police found Keylon inside the living room with wet clothing that was covered in mud. He was lying in the dark with his hands in the air and his face covered with a blanket.

Keylon said he had killed the dog by accident while sighting in the scope of a pellet rifle. He said it happened in a wooded area behind the home.

Police found a large amount of blood inside a shed
The Scottish Parliament has voted against UK Brexit legislation it says would restrict Holyroods powers over key areas including agriculture, fisheries and the environment.

It says the current bill would allow the UK government to prevent the Scottish Parliament from legislating in key devolved areas  including farming  for up to seven years.

The Scottish Parliament voted to reject the EU Withdrawal Bill on Thursday (15 May).

See also: Scots and Welsh warn against farm Brexit power grab

Following the vote, Scotlands Brexit secretary, Michael Russell, urged the UK government to remove the parts of the bill that constrain devolved powers.

He said: In line with the clear majority of people in Scotland, we dont want to leave the EU and we are still working to find a way to secure as much as we can from our present relationship.

Undermining devolution

Mr Russell said the Scottish government accepted legal preparation for Brexit was required, but the UK governments EU Withdrawal Bill was an attempt to undermine devolution.

And he accused the UK government of wanting to take a power to restrict the competence of the Scottish Parliament and then exercise it against the wishes of the Scottish people.

The Scottish Parliament has now said overwhelmingly that this attempt to undermine devolution is unacceptable, Mr Russell said.

The UK government cannot ignore the reality of devolution or try to drown out what this parliament says. They cannot pretend that no motion has been passed.

The Welsh Assembly gave its consent to the bill on the same day  although Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru continue to maintain it is a power-grab by Westminster.

Considerable offer

Before the vote, Scottish secretary David Mundell said the UK government had worked hard to secure the support of the Scottish Parliament for the bill.

The UK government had put a considerable offer on the table that would see the vast majority of devolved powers automatically flow from the EU to Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh, he said.

Freezing a small number of specific policy areas while new arrangements were designed and implemented would give essential certainty to businesses, said Mr Mundell.

He added: We are clear our approach fully respects devolution, as the Welsh government has confirmed.

We still hope the Scottish government will come on board, even at this late stage. Our door remains open.
Gaffney woman killed, infant hurt in two vehicle crash Free Access A Gaffney woman was killed and an infant was hurt Thursday evening in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 18. Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler identified the victim as Betty Ann...

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Sponsors needed to host all-star football game Informational meeting to be held at 10 a.m. today

After being held in Raleigh for many years, Cherokee County has been given an opportunity to host this years Carolina Bowl Senior Showcase. An informational meeting will be held today...
Collier Construction announced the hiring of Richard L. Roberts as its chief financial officer.

Establishing this position and recruiting Mr. Roberts are the result of the organizations continued expansion to meet the Chattanooga communitys need for homes that exemplify the best in quality and design.

Mr. Roberts has over 30 years of experience in the corporate, public and non-profit accounting scene and has garnered a strong reputation among his peers for his exceptional analytical and management skills. In addition to his leadership skills, he is experienced in auditing and preparing financial statements, as well as payroll processing, project budgeting and relationship building.

We started as a small, local, family-owned construction team. Although we are very much still local and family-owned, Collier Construction is growing to meet the demands of our community, said Ethan Collier, founder and president. We needed an experienced and dedicated professional to fill our newly created chief financial officer position. I had the pleasure of working with Rick during my board service at Habitat and saw his dedication and leadership. We welcome him to the team.

Before joining Collier, Mr. Roberts served for over 10 years as the CFO for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area. His background in accounting systems and processes specifically related to the construction industry gave him a unique insight into that role, as well as for his position now with Collier. Mr. Roberts holds a Bachelor of Arts in business management from the University of South Florida and is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants.

Collier Construction started in 2001 as a construction company committed to building homes that provide for the economic health and well-being of the homeowners, the community and the environment.

Over the past two years, Mr. Collier has completed nearly 40 homes in the community known as One Hundred at South Broad. Mr. Collier most recently announced an expanded partnership with Uptown Firm as well as a $6 million townhome project on E. Main Street. In addition, they are working together at a new site called Reside North. This small development offers the only new residential construction in the North Shore area at a price point below $230,000.
Hey Long Beach, join us as we soar through the skies of Long Beach, California for a unique look at our great city! (Click below to watch video).
Historic Route 66 that crosses the nation is a popular drive, but the route through Arizona State is perhaps the most amazing bang-for-your buck bizarre trek possible!





If you want to go the location of such things as UFOs, ghosts, skinwalkers, Bigfoot, ancient native culture, amazing geological features and abandoned buildings, this route is going to put you over the top with joy.





Let's look at some of what it offers (BTW, I plan to take this same trek with my best friend this year and will definitely share the findings)





GEOLOGY













Petrified Forest Covering 230 square miles, these eroded badlands contain massive amounts of petrified wood approximately 225 million years old! There are fantastic rock shops in the area that I highly suggest you peruse.













Meteor Crater was created by impact about 50,000 years ago by a 160-foot iron nickel meteorite. This is truly an amazing sight.





Painted Desert runs from the Grand Canyon area to the Petrified Forest. Iron and manganese create the colors within.









ANCIENT NATIVE CULTURE









Walnut Canyon is just outside of Flagstaff and contains lots of cliff dwellings from ancient Native Culture. The hikes are breathtaking around this area.





URBEX/ABANDONED







Two Guns is a town with only a few crumbling memories left behind. It became infamous for the fact the town was built over top of caverns where great Native tragedy occurred when a war happened between two tribes, trapping and killing a tribe within. The town was said to be cursed, as many things went wrong. Eventually, citizens up and left.





Truxton, Arizona

There are plenty of abandoned homes and businesses along I-40 (Historic Route 66) as I-10 East/West became the popular back and forth for the nation. Many places shut down and moved on and left the beautiful crumbling remains behind.





Twin Arrows, AZ







GHOSTS





Hotel Monte Vista, Flagstaff, Arizona If you want to stay in a haunted location, this one has a LOT of different unusual ghosts. An infant is heard crying in the basement, a woman of the night tossed from a window supposedly watches people sleep and even bothers the men, a bank robber with a disembodied voice, a woman seen in a rocking chair, and much more! If you want to stay in a haunted location, this one has a LOT of different unusual ghosts. An infant is heard crying in the basement, a woman of the night tossed from a window supposedly watches people sleep and even bothers the men, a bank robber with a disembodied voice, a woman seen in a rocking chair, and much more!









Williams, AZ rail car at the Canyon Motel (if you dare.... LINK ) This charming motel offers a haunted train car to rent for the night,...





CRYPTIDS AND SKINWALKERS





Northern Arizona has a lot of reports of Bigfoot but the town of Seligman (almost the midway point of I-40 - historic route 66 in AZ) became famous for the submission of a supposed Bigfoot toenail to Melba Ketchum's DNA study of Bigfoot.



Skinwalkers, spoken of in the Navajo Culture, are witches who have the ability to shift their shape and disguise as an animal. The Windowrock area of Four Corners has many reports of skinwalkers.



I LINK ). n June 1987, the mutilated body of Sarah Saganitso was found in a rocky area behind where she worked at the Flagstaff Medical Center. George Abney, a professor at Northern Arizona University, was arrested that September and tried for her murder. Part of the womans left breast had been bitten off, and the prosecution offered testimony that the bite marks matched Abneys teeth. The defense countered that circumstances surrounding Saganitsos slaying suggested a skinwalker-witchcraft murder, including a broken stick left across her neck as well as a clump of grave grass found next to her pickup truck. Abneys attorneys first tried to implicate Saganitsos former boyfriend on the flimsy basis that he was a member of the Native American church, but investigation proved that the man in question was at a sweat lodge in Tuba City on the night of her murder. Nonetheless, Abney was acquitted. Did a guilty man go free, or do murdering skinwalkers sometimes prowl Arizona?





FREAKY FUN





Wigwam Village Motel in Holbrook ( LINK ) Stay in a tee pee shaped room!







The town of Oatman (on the western end of Historic Rt 66 I-40) has wild burros that walk the streets. When miners shut down in the area, they left them to roam free which they still do today.







Northeast corner of Antares Rd and Rt 66.







A must-get-selfie point in Winslow, Arizona.







Dinosaurs in Holbrook, AZ





UFOs





There is a local legend of a UFO crashing in Kingman, Arizona (far west portion of I-40 Historic Rt 66 in Arizona) in 1953.

: (researcher Preston Dennett) says the UFO crashed May 21, 1953, about eight miles northeast of the Kingman Airport and that government officials sent a team of about 40 scientists to the crash site to investigate. LINK : (researcher Preston Dennett) says the UFO crashed May 21, 1953, about eight miles northeast of the Kingman Airport and that government officials sent a team of about 40 scientists to the crash site to investigate.



The object was described as metallic, 30 feet wide and three and a half feet high, oval-shaped with portholes, he says. Inside were two to four, four-foot tall humanoids, deceased according to most sources, with large eyes and wearing metallic suits.

The object was quickly scooped up and taken to either Area 51 air base in Nevada or Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, Dennett says.

Arizona gets a great deal of UFO sightings for a few reasons and one is that the skies are clear the great majority of the year and in most places the view is 180 degree of uninterrupted sky.

Pretty much, if you're out in our desert at night and don't scan the skies, you could be missing a LOT. I have seen numerous UFOs here (I only count them if they are definitely not plane/helicopter like). I've seen them in daytime and at night, various shapes and various types of light. Perhaps the most interesting ones I ever witnessed with a friend were balls of red-orange light dancing, dissolving, coming back, and playing over and over - with no apparent vehicle or sound.









More Info
nametalkam at 16-05-2018 07:07 AM (3 years ago) (m)

The Federal Republic of Germany, has proposed a new process that will ensure a smooth repatriation of about 30,000 illegal Nigerian migrants.

The Federal Republic of Germany, has proposed a new process that will ensure a smooth repatriation of about 30,000 illegal Nigerian migrants.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, disclosed the proposed move yesterday in Abuja when he received in audience, the Security Adviser to the President of Germany, Dr Jan Hecker.



According to Onyeama, they dont have enough faith and confidence in the process that we have at the moment for the repatriation process. Some of the delays, they believe, is with the mission and consulate in Germany.

They want to propose a completely new process of repatriation known as Return and Re-admission.



Onyeama added that in the past two years, just about 200 Nigerians have returned to the country out of about 30,000.



He said Germans were not happy that the system we have in place is certainly not working to their satisfaction.

The new process, Onyeama further said, is basically that once all legal processes have been exhausted, Nigeria should believe in her German counterpart to make the right decision on whom should be repatriated.

He stated that as soon as the decision is taken, Germany would bring the concerned individuals to Nigeria without the involvement of the Nigerian Embassy in Germany.



Onyeama added: They will bring them here to Nigeria and say we have gone through a process in Germany, these people are your nationals, they have exhausted all the legal processes, please take them. And it will be here on



Nigerias territory that any possibility will then exist to say maybe that one is not or this one is not.

While noting that the proposed process is a complete transformation of the current process, Onyeama said apart from issuing travel documents to those to be repatriated, Germany would also be responsible for their travels.



In his remarks, Hecker said he was in Nigeria to see how both countries can intensify their bilateral relations and achieve good result, most importantly, on the issue of migration. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, disclosed the proposed move yesterday in Abuja when he received in audience, the Security Adviser to the President of Germany, Dr Jan Hecker.According to Onyeama, they dont have enough faith and confidence in the process that we have at the moment for the repatriation process. Some of the delays, they believe, is with the mission and consulate in Germany.They want to propose a completely new process of repatriation known as Return and Re-admission.Onyeama added that in the past two years, just about 200 Nigerians have returned to the country out of about 30,000.He said Germans were not happy that the system we have in place is certainly not working to their satisfaction.The new process, Onyeama further said, is basically that once all legal processes have been exhausted, Nigeria should believe in her German counterpart to make the right decision on whom should be repatriated.He stated that as soon as the decision is taken, Germany would bring the concerned individuals to Nigeria without the involvement of the Nigerian Embassy in Germany.Onyeama added: They will bring them here to Nigeria and say we have gone through a process in Germany, these people are your nationals, they have exhausted all the legal processes, please take them. And it will be here onNigerias territory that any possibility will then exist to say maybe that one is not or this one is not.While noting that the proposed process is a complete transformation of the current process, Onyeama said apart from issuing travel documents to those to be repatriated, Germany would also be responsible for their travels.In his remarks, Hecker said he was in Nigeria to see how both countries can intensify their bilateral relations and achieve good result, most importantly, on the issue of migration.

Post Reply I specialize in investigative reportage across several subject matter and sectors but mainly focus on metro events and investigation. Do leave your thoughts and opinion on my reports to let me know what you think about them. Thank you Posted: at 16-05-2018 07:07 AM (3 years ago) | Hero
China's top legislator Li Zhanshu paid an official friendly visit to Mozambique from Saturday to Tuesday to promote friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

In the capital city of Maputo, Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), met with Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and held talks with the African country's Speaker of Parliament Veronica Macamo.

China's top legislator Li Zhanshu (L) meets with Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi in Maputo, capital of Mozambique, May 14, 2018. [Photo: Xinhua]

During his meeting with President Nyusi, Li conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's sincere greetings. Li said the deep China-Mozambique traditional friendship was rooted in the history of their struggles against imperialism and colonialism, and has grown even stronger in their joint efforts for common development.

Li said China and Mozambique are all-weather friends and that successive leaders of both countries have made great efforts for the friendship. He noted that the bilateral ties has entered a new era since the heads of state of both countries decided to elevate the bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in 2016.

Li said that China will uphold justice and pursue shared interests, and adhere to the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith in its Africa policy, as expounded by President Xi Jinping.

China supports Mozambique's efforts to realize independent and sustainable development, and will sincerely help Mozambique to develop and grow stronger, Li said.

The top Chinese legislator briefed on China's experience and practices of achieving economic development while maintaining political and social stability over the past 40 years since the start of the country's reform and opening-up policy. He said these achievements were attributed to the overall leadership by the Communist Party of China, the advantages of socialism, as well as China's development concepts that are people-centered and compliant with its own domestic conditions.

China stands ready to enhance exchanges on governance experience, and implement the important consensuses reached by heads of state of the two countries, Li said, stressing the three major advantages of bilateral relationship, that is, political mutual trust, economic complementarity and people-to-people friendship.

Li said the Chinese side will encourage Chinese companies to invest in Mozambique within the frameworks of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries, in order to turn the bilateral traditional friendship and political mutual trust into more practical cooperation outcomes.

On his part, President Nyusi spoke highly of the achievements China has made in various aspects under the leadership of President Xi since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Nyusi said Mozambique is willing to participate in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and to deepen cooperation with China in agriculture, energy, manufacturing, tourism and infrastructure, so as to bring the bilateral cooperation to an even higher level.

During talks with Speaker Macamo, Li expounded Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially the theory of building a socialist democratic political system and briefed on the people's congress system in China.

Li said that the NPC stands ready to maintain friendly exchanges at various levels with its Mozambican counterpart and make sure the cooperation agreements signed between the two sides to be well implemented.

Li also voiced his hope that the Mozambican parliament will play a proactive role in creating a more favorable legal environment so that more Chinese companies will invest in Mozambique due to the facilitation for investment.

Macamo said that the Mozambican parliament will enhance comprehensive dialogues with China's NPC, support each other on issues concerning their core interests, and make efforts to ensure that the legislative body serves as a constructive force in promoting the development of the ties between the two countries.

Mozambique was the second stop of Li's visit to three African nations. He previously visited Ethiopia and will visit Namibia afterwards. When Li arrived in Mozambique on Saturday, he first attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Mozambican Hero Square in Maputo.

During his stay in Mozambique, Li also attended a symposium that gathered executives of Chinese companies operating across Africa. He urged the companies to uphold justice and pursue shared interests, and follow the policy of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith put forward by President Xi. The top legislator urged the companies to shoulder social responsibility during operations, respect local laws and customs, and make greater contributions towards China-Africa comprehensive friendly cooperation.

Li also attended the opening ceremony of this year's joint conference of the Confucius Institutes in Africa. In his address at the conference on Monday, Li said that the Confucius Institutes not only belong to China, but also belong to the world.

Li said he hopes the Confucius Institutes in Africa will always focus on China-Africa friendship, knowledge sharing and cultural exchanges, urging the Confucius Institutes to introduce Africa to more Chinese people while promoting China's culture and telling China's true stories in Africa, as a messenger for China-Africa cultural exchanges.

During his stay in Maputo, Li also attended the cornerstone-laying ceremony of the Mozambique-China Cultural Center and the teaching building of a Confucius Institute and the communication and art school at the Eduardo Mondlane University, and the launching ceremony of the Mozambique part of the Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages Project, and visited a China-Mozambique pilot center of agricultural technology and the suspension bridge over Maputo Bay assisted by the Chinese side.
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Outrage As Suspected Ritualist Was Apprehended With Roasted Babies In Uganda (Photos)

felicilin at 16-05-2018 01:45 PM (3 years ago) (f)

Police in Uganda have arrested two men after they apprehended with bodies of roasted babies. The men at different times reportedly abducted the babies, roasted them and were to used them for ritual purposes.

Police in Uganda have arrested two men after they apprehended with bodies of roasted babies. The men at different times reportedly abducted the babies, roasted them and were to used them for ritual purposes. Twitter user @solomonkibs73 who shared the photos of the men online, wrote

''Men caught with dried babies Wrapped with different clothes And ropes. All you are seeing here on the floor are dried babies,his girlfriend leads the police to his arrest when their one month old baby suddenly got missing''.





Twitter user @solomonkibs73 who shared the photos of the men online, wrote

Post Reply Posted: at 16-05-2018 01:45 PM (3 years ago) | Hero

nature7888 at 16-05-2018 02:17 PM (3 years ago)

(m) Which kind life be this I beg, even death is not an equal punishment for this man. Wicked Posted: at 16-05-2018 02:17 PM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac Which kind life be this I beg, even death is not an equal punishment for this man. Wicked Reply

Haso112 at 16-05-2018 03:30 PM (3 years ago)

(m) JESU OOOOO.... SEE AS THE GUY LOOK LIKE DEVIL, HEARTLESS MOFO...! HOW DOES HE EVEN SLEEP AT NIGHT AFTER KILLING AND ROASTING BABIES? Posted: at 16-05-2018 03:30 PM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac JESU OOOOO.... SEE AS THE GUY LOOK LIKE DEVIL, HEARTLESS MOFO...! HOW DOES HE EVEN SLEEP AT NIGHT AFTER KILLING AND ROASTING BABIES? Reply

gogoman at 16-05-2018 03:35 PM (3 years ago)

(m) so naija dey learn chaii Posted: at 16-05-2018 03:35 PM (3 years ago) | Addicted Hero so naija dey learn chaii Reply

angesco at 16-05-2018 03:36 PM (3 years ago)

(f) Quote from: angesco on 16-05-2018 03:34 PM UGANDA is becoming a NASTIER country - EVERY SECOND!



Is there no end to the BARBARITY and DEPRAVITY of ITS citizens?



And this is ALL done in the name of wanting to become RICH!!!!!!



THE LUST FOR MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.





Posted: at 16-05-2018 03:36 PM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac Reply

crocatum at 16-05-2018 05:58 PM (3 years ago)

(m) roasting what, I can't believe what I am seeing, I wonder how he reasons, maybe he thinks the babies are just animals to be roasted, it may even be he tried eating them too. Posted: at 16-05-2018 05:58 PM (3 years ago) | Gistmaniac roasting what, I can't believe what I am seeing, I wonder how he reasons, maybe he thinks the babies are just animals to be roasted, it may even be he tried eating them too. Reply

slimber at 16-05-2018 06:31 PM (3 years ago)

(f) Hmmm.mm I thought is only in Nigeria Posted: at 16-05-2018 06:31 PM (3 years ago) | Hero Hmmm.mm I thought is only in Nigeria Reply

kacylee at 16-05-2018 07:56 PM (3 years ago)

(f) this wickedness is every where I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 16-05-2018 07:56 PM (3 years ago) | Addicted Hero this wickedness is every where Reply

osarobo62 at 17-05-2018 12:07 AM (3 years ago)

(m) how can the continent of Africa develop when there is so much nastiness and evil going on Posted: at 17-05-2018 12:07 AM (3 years ago) | Hero Reply
clarajancita at 16-05-2018 02:18 PM (3 years ago) (f)

A former vice-chancellor of the Benson Idahosa University, Prof. Ernest Izevbigie, has dragged Nigerian Breweries Plc before an Edo State High Court sitting in Benin for alleged deception. Izevbigie accused the company of allegedly inscribing misleading information, with the inscription, low sugar, on the container of one of its non-alcoholic drinks, Amstel Malta.

A former vice-chancellor of the Benson Idahosa University, Prof. Ernest Izevbigie, has dragged Nigerian Breweries Plc before an Edo State High Court sitting in Benin for alleged deception. Izevbigie accused the company of allegedly inscribing misleading information, with the inscription,on the container of one of its non-alcoholic drinks, Amstel Malta.

The case, with suit number B/281/2017, was filed before the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Esohe Ikponmwen, through the claimants lawyer, Mr. Okonkwo Emmanuel, of Henry Idahagbon and Co.



Izevbigie said he had during a medical check-up discovered an increase in his blood sugar level. He also claimed that he had traced the challenge to his regular intake of the malt drink.



The professor of Biochemistry alleged that a laboratory investigation revealed that the product contained more sugar than the company claimed in the inscription on the brand.



He, therefore, urged the court to order the company to tender a written apology as the he had been injured by the alleged deception. He also stated that the label was misleading to the public.



During cross-examination on Tuesday by the counsel to the defendant, Mr. L. O. Ogiefere, the claimant told the court that malt did not merit the low sugar label, according to clinical research.



According to Izevbigie, the drink allegedly contained 10 cubes of sugar as against the 10 and a half to 10 one-quarter cubes contained in other malt drinks which did not have the inscription.



The presiding judge adjourned the matter till June 28 for the defendant to open its case. The case, with suit number B/281/2017, was filed before the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Esohe Ikponmwen, through the claimants lawyer, Mr. Okonkwo Emmanuel, of Henry Idahagbon and Co.Izevbigie said he had during a medical check-up discovered an increase in his blood sugar level. He also claimed that he had traced the challenge to his regular intake of the malt drink.The professor of Biochemistry alleged that a laboratory investigation revealed that the product contained more sugar than the company claimed in the inscription on the brand.He, therefore, urged the court to order the company to tender a written apology as the he had been injured by the alleged deception. He also stated that the label was misleading to the public.During cross-examination on Tuesday by the counsel to the defendant, Mr. L. O. Ogiefere, the claimant told the court that malt did not merit the abel, according to clinical research.According to Izevbigie, the drink allegedly contained 10 cubes of sugar as against the 10 and a half to 10 one-quarter cubes contained in other malt drinks which did not have the inscription.The presiding judge adjourned the matter till June 28 for the defendant to open its case.

Post Reply I am a metro reporter on Gistmania, I have been publishing news materials for over 5 years Posted: at 16-05-2018 02:18 PM (3 years ago) | Hero
Each year Montana Warriors on the Water hosts a week-long retreat for selected veterans from across the country. The event this year begins July 22, and will run through July 28. This years retreat will host their largest class of veterans to date with 18 total participants, five of which hail from Montana.

The outing begins in Miles City on July 22, moving to Hell Creek on July 23 and remaining there until Friday, July 27. During that time the veterans are instructed in fishing and enjoy a sense of camaraderie and unity throughout the trip. On Friday, the group will move from Hell Creek via boat to the Fort Peck Marina, and will be treated to a long-range shoot hosted by local volunteers.

On Saturday, July 28, Montana Warriors on the Water will host a benefit concert and auction that is open to the public. Performing will be the band Southern Drawl based out of Nashville, Tenn. Items to be auctioned include firearms and a youth hunt in Big Timber.

Montana Warriors on the Water is an all -volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit organization comprised of sportsmen and women, and veterans of the United States military, partnered with local businesses, communities and organizations to provide outdoor recreation therapy and opportunities to veterans at no cost to them.

According to literature put out by the group, their intent is to, honor our veterans by giving back, it is our goal to provide an environment for our veterans to relax and be able to meet other veterans from across the country who may be combat wounded or suffering from issues associated with psychological effects of war.

According to David Bradley of Glasgow, who sits on the advisory board, the event has been greatly supported by local people and businesses and that any support from the community is always welcome.

To find out ways you can help the group accomplish their mission of supporting veterans you can contact Bradley at 263-2133 or visit montanawarriorsonthewater.com. Bradley stressed that 100 percent of every donation goes to helping veterans and putting on these events in honor and support of service members and veterans.
Our community deserves a participation medal. The Torch Run for Special Olympics was held in Glasgow on Thursday. You may have heard sirens, and if you hit any stretch of Highway 2 between 8 and 9 a.m., theres a good chance you saw a parade with a mixture of emergency support vehicles and pedestrians moving westward.

The Torch Run, which is sponsored entirely by law enforcement personnel and their fundraising efforts, began in Montana in 1985. Its primary purpose is to raise awareness and funds for the Special Olympics. Our community succeeded in that purpose on May 10.

On Thursday, the Flame of Hope was carried from the Cottonwood Inn all the way to Malta, which is 70 miles to the west of Glasgow.

Likely due to the apparent enthusiasm and energy of the event organizers, the support from Glasgow was phenomenal.

Despite the dreary but tolerable weather, countless community members walked with the athletes on their trek from Triple A Glass to Ezzies Westend, where even more people were on hand to congratulate the walkers. Supporters also lined the highway in their vehicles to encourage the group.

Area businesses once again donated to a great cause without hesitation. Law enforcement and other emergency personnel along with community groups and individual supporters all happily assisted with portions of the running, walking, and biking on the Torchs journey on the Hi-Line through Valley County.

It was just a reminder of how supportive and generous our little corner of northeast Montana can be. If you see a law enforcement officer from any of the agencies in our area, be sure to thank them for their support of the Special Olympics in Montana, and take some time to thank our local businesses for their unwavering support of our community and its members.
- Remaining $200,000 will be received by May 18, 2018



- $2 million revenue Hemp grow started in Northern California

- Private Placement was completed at $0.75 a share

COCONUT CREEK, Fla., May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Via OTC PR Wire -- Bahamas Development Corporation (OTCPINK:BDCI) subsidiary company Global Consortium, Inc. dba Cannabis Consortium will receive $200,000 by Friday, May 18, 2018 to finish its Private Placement for $1,000,0000.

The last round will be completed at $.75 a share and will close out the full $1 million ahead of schedule. Global Consortium will issue a total of 1,866,667 shares of its common stock to complete the financing.

Cannabis Consortium and its Partners in California entered into a transaction with an indoor grow facility to grow high-grade cannabis CBD. The revenue from these plants will be approximately $2 million annually. The first grow started a few weeks ago and it will be ready to harvest in approximately 15 weeks.

Cannabis Consortium is still working towards getting the farm in Colorado planted, and is in negotiations with two other growers from other states. The indoor grow will help offset some of the initial needs to fulfill orders for CBD cartridges.

Cannabis Consortium does not own or operate any licensed cannabis operation. Cannabis Consortium is entitled to receive 15% of the annual net revenue collected by its partners from every project it is involved with. The Company is also entitled to receive 15% of the proceeds its partners receive should any company be sold. Cannabis Consortium acts as a consultant in these transactions, and is not involved in any day-to-day operations or decision making for any of the licensed cannabis operations. Cannabis Consortium may own assets in the future that are leased to various licensed entities operating in the cannabis sector. Cannabis Consortium will receive rent from any asset it leases to the cannabis sector.

Bahamas Development Corporation, in compliance with SEC regulations, may in the future use social media outlets like Facebook or Twitter and its own website to announce key information in compliance with Reg FD.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in Section 27(a) of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, estimates of services and equipment markets, release of corporate apps, growth of platform, target markets, product releases, product demand and, business strategy. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects and development stage companies. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also consider that any investment in securities is at risk.



Details of the Company's business, finances, appointments and agreements can be found as part of the Company's continuous public disclosure on otcmarkets.com.

For additional information about this release please contact:



Investor Relations:
CleanMedia Acquires Schay Advertising

Contact: CatholicAdNet.net, 859-429-7075,

info@CatholicAdNet.com



LEXINGTON, Ky., May 16, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- CatholicAdNet, a division of CleanMedia, announced today that it has acquired Schay Advertising and will be taking on all of the sites in its publisher network moving forward.



CatholicAdNet is a digital bid-based banner network specializing in connecting Catholic and family-friendly publishers with relevant advertisers. With more than 300 of the world's top Catholic sites in its publisher network, CatholicAdNet reaches millions of Catholics per month.



For advertisers, this provides the ability to geo-target Catholic consumers online in the places they organically and regularly visit at a low cost. Additionally, CatholicAdNet works directly and often exclusively with publishers, acting as a "one-stop shop" for Catholic digital advertising.



CatholicAdNet's customized dashboard simplifies the monitoring of campaign results for both advertisers and publishers and offers real-time optimization and statistics to maximize ROI for advertisers.



Interested advertisers or publishers in the Catholic, Christian and family-friendly realm are encouraged to contact CatholicAdNet either by phone at (859) 429-7075 or e-mail at info@CatholicAdNet.com.



About CleanMedia

CatholicAdNet is one of three specialty banner networks in the CleanMedia family  CatholicAdNet, CleanAds.net and ChristianAdNet. These niche networks allow advertisers to reach ultra-specific audiences and publishers to protect the integrity of their site by allowing only clean, relevant content to be advertised. For more information visit cleanmedia.net or catholicadnet.com.



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Waukesha, WI (53187)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 76F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

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As the new superintendent of the nation's second-largest school system, Austin Beutner has his work cut out for him.The Los Angeles Unified School District has a surplus, but LAUSD's own top fiscal analyst predicted that it could run a deficit by July. Student enrollment has declined by 100,000 since 2010, causing the district to lose state funding while its pension and health-care costs are rising. Meanwhile, L.A. faces a persistent achievement gap. Black and Latino students trail their white counterparts across the state and within the district in math and English scores.Beutner, who started the job on Monday, doesn't have a significant background in education or any experience in the classroom. But the city hopes his unique resume -- as an investment banker and philanthropist with a brief stint as publisher of thewill help turn L.A. schools around.The job isnt top teacher, says LAUSD board member Nick Melvoin. Its really about running an $8 billion organization with 55,000 employees.Still, critics say Beutner's lack of education experience andhis ties to staunchly pro-charter school advocates are cause for concern. Beutner has sat on the board of a charter school operator. Critics also contend that the selection process to choose Beutner was done without proper vetting.We dont know much about Mr. Beutner, except for his financial experience," says John Rodgers, director of the Institute for Democracy, Education and Access at the University of California, Los Angeles. "But the school board moved quickly and without much transparency in making this pick. We dont know much about how Mr. Beutner will deal with the achievement gap or other issues facing LAUSD.Many big cities in the past 20 years have chosen school superintendents with little or no education background, including Paul Vallas, who ran school systems in Chicago, New Orleans and Philadelphia; Arne Duncan, who ran Chicago Public Schools before running the U.S. Department of Education; Joel Klein, a former federal prosecutor who was Michael Bloombergs first appointee to run New York City public schools; and Forrest Claypool, who ran the Chicago Transit Authority before running that citys school district. Los Angeles itself has previously hired a former governor and a Naval officer to lead its schools.The pivot to a schools chief with business acumen rather than classroom credentials has often been associated with the push for charter schools and vouchers. In Beutner's case, he was picked by a school board that is largely pro-charter and that has ties to charter supporter and billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad.In what was the most expensive school board election in the country , charter backers spent $9.4 million in 2017 to help elect two pro-charter candidates in L.A., flipping what was a pro-teachers union board to one that favors charter schools. Broad himself contributed $1.9 million to those pro-charter efforts. More than $15 million was spent on the 2017 board elections.Mr. Beutner has strong ties to Eli Broad. [Broad] is someone who has tried on several occasions to assert control over the LAUSD, says Rodgers. In the past, he has tried to influence school board elections and floated the idea of mayoral control under [former Mayor Antonio] Villaraigosa.It was Broad who helped Beutner land a job as deputy mayor under Villairagosa, according to. The two later collaborated in an unsuccessful attempt to purchase theCritics worry that Beutner shares Broad's support for charter schools and could effectively try to remake LAUSD as an all-charter system. (Beutner could not be reached for comment.) But Melvoin, who won election on the board in 2017 and is part of the elected bodys pro-charter contingent, says those concerns have no basis.There are definitely some folks in the reform community that are excited about this choice, Melvoin says. But the fear there is going to be a charter expansion is unfounded.While Beutner has not publicly presented clear goals for education policy, Melvoin says the new superintendent did express a commitment to board members to give more power to the local schools. Traditionally, LAUSD has been a top-down operation, with policy being set in the central office.
Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.
A judge ordered a halt Tuesday to California's right-to-die law for terminally ill patients, ruling that it was illegally taken up and passed during a special legislative session devoted to health care funding. Unless a higher court intervenes, the law, in effect since June 2016, will become unenforceable next week.The law allows a dying adult patient to take lethal medication that a doctor has prescribed. Before that, two doctors must have determined that the patient would die within six months and was mentally competent to choose death.State health officials reported that between June 2016 and the end of that year, 173 Californians were prescribed life-ending drugs by their doctors and 111 of them took the drugs. Similar laws are in effect in six other states and the District of Columbia.A group of doctors represented by the Life Legal Defense Foundation challenged the California law, arguing that it lacked safeguards and could be exploited by greedy relatives. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia refused to block the measure from taking effect in 2016, citing its requirements for medical evaluation, but refused to dismiss the suit and expressed concern over how the law had been adopted.On Tuesday, Ottolia agreed with opponents that the Legislature had lacked authority to consider and enact the bill during a special session that Gov. Jerry Brown called in 2015 to address emergency needs in the state's health care system -- specifically, funding shortages for Medi-Cal, disability care and in-home nursing care.The judge had not yet issued a written ruling by deadline. But in comments during last year's hearing quoted by opponents, Ottolia said the right-to-die law did not appear to be "related to improving the health of Californians," Brown's stated overall purpose for the session. Lawyers for both sides said Ottolia expressed similar views at Tuesday's hearing.Bills considered in a special session require the same majority vote as in normal legislative sessions, but are generally reviewed more quickly and take effect sooner than standard legislation. However, the right-to-die bill, which Brown signed in October 2015, was drafted to take effect in June 2016.A special-session measure "does not receive the same degree of scrutiny and debate," Stephen Larson, a lawyer for opponents of the law, said Tuesday.He noted that state lawmakers had defeated four right-to-die measures during regular sessions after state voters rejected an assisted-dying law in 1992. Opposition to the law has been led by some religious groups and advocates for the disabled.The legislation gained new support in California from the plight of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old schoolteacher from Alamo who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2014. Facing a painful death, she moved to Oregon, where the nation's first such law was passed two decades ago, and legally obtained a doctor's prescription for the drug she used to end her life."I made a promise to my wife Brittany that I would continue her fight to authorize medical aid in dying," her widower, Dan Diaz, said Tuesday in a statement released by Compassion & Choices, the nonprofit group that sponsored the California law. He said he would try to persuade Brown, the state attorney general's office and the courts to keep the law in effect.There was no immediate comment from California Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office, which has defended the law in court. But Assemblywoman Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, the author of the state law, said she has learned that Becerra's office, with Brown's support, would ask the Fourth District Court of Appeal for a stay of the ruling and a prompt review of the law's validity."If this isn't Californians' health care, I don't know what is," said Eggman, a former social worker at hospices, who disputes Ottolia's conclusion that her bill should not have been considered during the special session. "The judge is not the governor," she added, noting that Brown had decided the measure was related to health care when he signed it into law.Asked for a comment, Brown's office said Ottolia's current assessment of the right-to-die law's relationship to public health was different from his analysis in 2016, when he let the law remain in effect.In his earlier ruling, Ottolia said: "Even though improving the health of Californians might seem far removed from assisted suicide, it is sufficiently related to health care and the efficiency and efficacy of the health care system for the court to consider the act to be within the scope of the authorization for the (special) session."Compassion & Choices also released a statement from Matt Fairchild, whom it described as a 48-year-old retired Army staff sergeant from Burbank who has been diagnosed with terminal melanoma that has spread to his bones, lungs and brain."I pray the attorney general successfully appeals this decision, so hundreds of terminally ill Californians like me don't have to suffer needlessly at life's end," he said.Larson, the lawyer for the Life Legal Defense Foundation, applauded "the courage demonstrated by the judge in finding the law unconstitutional." If the ruling stands, he said, lawmakers could reconsider the issue at a regular session and set tougher standards for doctors to diagnose terminal illnesses and determine that a patient is mentally competent."We are hopeful that the state accepts this decision and that the matter is referred back to the Legislature for further consideration," Larson said.
It's the kind of message you don't expect to see on a US election campaign bus: "FOLLOW ME TO MEXICO."Those are the words on the back door of a repainted school bus Michael Williams is using to drum up support in his bid for the Georgia governor's seat. He's dubbed it the "Deportation Bus" and says it's a show of support for the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration.In a press release Tuesday, Williams said his message is simple: shining a light on what he claims are "the dangers of sanctuary cities and the overwhelming problem of illegal immigration."In a campaign ad and a press release unveiling the bus, Williams said he aims to have every city in Georgia participate in 287(g), the federal program that allows local police and sheriffs to cooperate with the feds on immigration enforcement.
The Direction of the Wave Matters

National Money Can Swamp Local Issues

More Competitive, Swingier States Likelier to Split Tickets

So What Do These Patterns Tell Us About the 2018 Contests?

As the midterm elections approach, one of the more interesting storylines emerging is in states that have both a high-profile gubernatorial race and a high-profile U.S. Senate race.It got us thinking about how these contests might impact each other, especially in what's shaping up to be good year for Democrats. Looking back, we found a few patterns from previous midterms that gives us a clue about what to expect this year in these dual contest states.There are four states hosting both competitive gubernatorial and U.S. senate races in 2018: Florida, Ohio, Minnesota and Nevada. And two other states have one competitive seat and one that is on the cusp of competitiveness -- Arizona and Wisconsin. (We determined whether a race was competitive using our most recent gubernatorial handicapping and the Senate handicapping by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report .)The number of states with dual competitive contests is in line with recent midterm election cycles. In 2014, seven states ended up with competitive gubernatorial and Senate races: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire. And in 2010, the previous midterm election, there were also seven states: California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Hampshire, Ohio and Wisconsin.Looking at the results, these two election cycles saw the same party winning both races in a modest majority of cases -- four in 2014 and five in 2010. In the remainder, voters ended up splitting their tickets.So what else can history tell us about paired competitive gubernatorial and Senate races?Both the 2010 and 2014 midterms were GOP wave elections. This acted as a kind of insurance in 2014 in three states with solid partisan leanings that voted for that party in both the gubernatorial and Senate contests.One of those states was Arkansas, where the GOP was completing its transition to be the state's dominant party. The Democratic-held gubernatorial seat was open, while Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor faced a tough reelection bid against Republican Tom Cotton.National political issues -- namely negative attitudes against then-President Barack Obama -- outweighed local ones, says Hal Bass, an Ouachita Baptist University political scientist. Both Democratic nominees, he says, "ran traditional, Arkansas-centric campaigns that sought to appeal to voters on a personal basis."By contrast, both Republicans "ran more party- and ideology-centered campaigns that featured negative partisanship and demonizing their opponents as national, liberal Democrats," he says. "This latter strategy proved quite successful." The Republicans easily won both the gubernatorial and Senate races.The past few election cycles in Arkansas demonstrate that "our ticket-splitting propensities have declined dramatically, in keeping with the rest of the country," adds Bass.Georgia was another state whose old Democratic leanings were steamrolled by national Republican momentum. In 2014, the Democrats ran candidates with storied Georgia political names: Michelle Nunn, who sought to follow in her father Sam Nunn's footsteps to the U.S. Senate, and Jason Carter, the grandson of President Jimmy Carter, who ran for governor.In the end, neither were a match for their Republican opponents. Incumbent Gov. Nathan Deal beat Carter to win a second term and Republican David Perdue defeated Nunn.In the 2010 midterms, the Tea Party movement helped Republicans win both the gubernatorial and Senate races in Florida and Wisconsin. The races in Wisconsin, for instance, "were fueled by anger at the Obama administration," says University of Wisconsin political scientist Barry Burden. Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker emphasized his opposition to Washington, and Ron Johnson, the Republican Senate challenger to Democratic incumbent Russ Feingold, "appeared on the scene out of nowhere, motivated almost entirely by his opposition to the Affordable Care Act."But state partisan leaning can trump a national wave.Even in the strongly Republican election of 2010, strongly Democratic states saw sweeps of both contests. The Democrats won simultaneous gubernatorial and senatorial contests in both California and Connecticut in 2010.Even contests that initially seem to be driven by local factors can be nationalized once big national money enters the picture.The clearest example of this pattern was in Kansas in 2014, where incumbent Gov. Sam Brownback and long-serving Sen. Pat Roberts -- both Republicans in a historically Republican state -- faced serious challenges. Brownback was seeing blowback from a tax cut that produced big budget shortfalls; Roberts, after underperforming against a flawed Republican primary challenger, was running against a well-funded independent challenger, Greg Orman, who was so formidable that the Democratic nominee decided to exit the race.However, national Republicans rushed to invest in Kansas because Roberts' suddenly competitive race could have cost Republicans their shot at winning control of the Senate. "The Roberts race became nationalized overnight, in early August," says University of Kansas political scientist Burdett Loomis.The newly nationalized Senate race, with a focus on Obama and the Affordable Care Act, "reinforced lots of Republican sentiment in an already Republican state," Loomis says. "Brownback benefited from the nationalization of the race -- a trend that would have been far less prevalent if Roberts had not been in trouble."As a result, Brownback ended up joining Roberts in the winner's circle.Three states saw split results in 2014. One was purplish Colorado, where Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper was reelected and where Democratic Sen. Mark Udall lost his reelection bid to GOP challenger Cory Gardner.In Colorado, "the gubernatorial and Senate races were not a bundled group of contests collectively driven by a wave," says Colorado State University political scientist John Straayer. "The outcomes simply resembled what Colorado is -- evenly divided between red and blue statewide."Meanwhile, in similarly purplish Michigan, the Tea Party push didn't materialize to the same degree as it did in other states that were more solidly Republican, says Bill Ballenger, who publishes, a Michigan political tipsheet. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder narrowly won reelection, but Democrat Gary Peters easily defeated Republican Terri Lynn Land for an open Senate seat by double digits."Michigan's 2014 gubernatorial and senatorial general elections were totally separate animals," says Jake Davison, the editor of the political newsletter. "The gubernatorial race was a contest between two strong candidates, while the Senate race was a total mismatch. Despite 2014 being a banner GOP year, Land not only failed to land a punch, she never seemed to even get her gloves on."Alaska was another state that saw a split ticket in 2014. While the state generally leans Republican, an odd lineup in the gubernatorial race kept the GOP from sweeping both contests. In the general election, Republican Gov. Sean Parnell ended up facing Bill Walker, an independent running on a ticket with Democrat Byron Mallot.Meanwhile, midterm sentiment against Obama hurt incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, who was seeking another term, "but it hurt Walker less" because he wasn't a Democrat, says Gerald McBeath, a University of Alaska-Fairbanks political scientist.If, following historical patterns, the Democrats end up with an edge this fall, they would be on track to take a majority of these contests.In Minnesota, for instance, the gubernatorial seat is being vacated by Democrat Mark Dayton, and Democrat Sen. Tina Smith, who was appointed to her seat, is seeking to keep it. There, a Democratic wave would certainly benefit Democratic candidates, but Republicans are also feeling more optimistic than they have been in recent election cycles. The surprisingly strong showing in the state by Donald Trump in 2016, along with a more general shift of rural, blue-collar, but historically Democratic regions toward the GOP, has emboldened the party.There's one hitch: Our list includes some notable swing states -- Florida, Nevada and Wisconsin -- and is devoid of strongly blue or strongly red states. So it would not be surprising to see examples of states splitting their tickets between Senate and gubernatorial races.Take Nevada, where Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval is term-limited, and Republican Sen. Dean Heller is seeking reelection. Both the gubernatorial and Senate contests "should be close," says Jon Ralston, editor of the. "I think the Democrats are more confident about the Senate than the governor's race, but both races could go either way."There is one factor unique to 2018 that should play a role almost everywhere. "I expect this year that both the gubernatorial and Senate campaigns in Ohio will be affected by the enthusiasm created in support of or opposition to President Trump," says Mark Weaver, a Republican strategist in Ohio.
When Butch Otter was elected governor of Idaho 12 years ago, he was a doctrinaire libertarian and a self-described "brash young revolutionary." As he prepares to leave office, he's spoken publicly about the changes in his own attitude, recognizing the importance of government in areas such as education and health care.Over the same period, much of his state has moved in the opposite direction, growing more skeptical about government's role. Nonetheless, Otter's lieutenant governor and preferred successor, Brad Little, took the GOP nomination on Tuesday and will most likely serve as Idaho's next governor.Little is almost a classic business-oriented conservative, looking to cut taxes and the size of government -- but willing to invest in education and health care."He would have been kind of a midstream, mainstream Republican 20 or 30 years ago," says Randy Stapilus, a columnist and author of. "Now, there are significant numbers of Republicans who consider him not pure enough."Little's family has been a major force in ranching in the state since the 19th century, with his grandfather having been described as "the sheep king of Idaho." Little succeeded his father in the state Senate. Otter appointed him as lieutenant governor in 2009, after Jim Risch was elected to the U.S. Senate."I believe Little won because the economy is doing well and the state is on a solid fiscal ground -- solid bond ratings, balanced budgets with a prudent rainy day account, and a public employee retirement system that is almost completely funded," says Gary Moncrief, a political scientist at Boise State University. "It was hard to run an anti-government campaign when in fact the state government seems to be working pretty well, within the constraints of conservative policy environment in a state like Idaho."Polls show that most residents of Idaho believe the state is on the right track. Nonetheless, a clear majority of Republican voters were willing to support more hardline conservatives.But Little prevailed against a split field.He took 37 percent of the vote, outpacing his chief rivals, Congressman Raul Labrador, who won 33 percent, and doctor and developer Tommy Ahlquist, who finished third with 26 percent.The "outsider" candidate won on the Democratic side. State Rep. Paulette Jordan -- the first woman nominated for governor by either major party in the state -- easily beat A.J. Balukoff, who was the party's nominee against Otter in 2014 and had most of the "establishment" support.Jordan's candidacy has already attracted considerable national attention, in part because she would be the first Native American elected governor of any state.But the odds of that happening are vanishingly low. Idaho is one of the nation's most staunchly Republican states, with only 12 percent of state voters registering as Democrats.Much of the Republican vote split along regional and even religious lines. Labrador performed well in his congressional district in the north, while Ahlquist performed better in the eastern part of the state, which has a strong Mormon vote. (Ahlquist is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.) Little did best in the agricultural areas in his native southwest, while performing well enough in metropolitan Boise."A lot of people in the state think they're doing pretty well," says Jaclyn Kettler, a Boise State political scientist. "Little symbolizes a continuation of what they've had. He doesn't have as many negatives as Labrador or Ahlquist."The GOP primary race was nasty, with the contestants referring to each other as "liars" and "snakes." The contest cost roughly $10 million, with frequent attack ads launched from all sides.Ive been around elections for 45 years, and this is the most negative gubernatorial primary Ive ever seen, former GOP Secretary of State Ben Ysursa told theLittle gave as good as he got.His campaign ran an ad that went so far as to describe Labrador as "liberal" on immigration. That was a stretch since Labrador is one of the leading hardliners on the issue in Congress. Labrador is a founding member of the ultraright House Freedom Caucus. He suggested that if voters approve an expansion of Medicaid this fall, the legislature should overturn them. Last year, he drew controversy for saying, "Nobody dies because they dont have access to health care."Ahlquist cast himself as an outsider in the mold of President Trump, but his more moderate past was used against him. Based on a 2003 vote in the state Senate, Ahlquist sought to cast Little as a supporter of tax increases and salary hikes for politicians, but Little has consistently supported Otter's frequent tax cuts and pledged more to come. During the campaign, Little pledged to cut both personal and corporate income tax rates, while offering a break on business equipment property taxes.Little said he would only cut taxes, however, if the state economy continues to grow. While pledging to shrink government, he also said the state must invest in key areas."We have to be competitive in what we pay our professional educators," he said during his victory speech on Tuesday. "We have to invest in our infrastructure."Little's stances on issues such as health and early childhood education won him support not only from Republican officials but also from business groups."The independent effort on behalf of his candidacy was immense, well organized, and innovative," says Justin Vaughn, director of the Center for Idaho History and Politics at Boise State.Idaho is the nation's fastest-growing state. It will have to cope with the numerous demands that come with growth, including funding schools, even as its population ages, driving up health care costs. The state, as an entity, has limited resources. Idaho has the 48th lowest total state and local tax burden in the country. While personal income has grown by 40 percent since 2008, general fund revenue is up by less than 25 percent.Otter, the former government critic, ended up devoting a bit more to education year after year, Kettler notes. Little said during the campaign he would continue to support schools, refusing unlike his opponents to block spending on early childhood education.Following a three-term governor, the 64-year-old Little is as close to an experienced incumbent as a newcomer can be. That was something his opponents sought to portray as a knock against him, but it should serve him well, assuming he wins in the fall."Little knows his way around a ranch but is also soft-spoken and exceptionally wonky," Vaughn says. "He'll have no trouble staffing his administration with a high-quality, experienced team and will hit the ground running once inaugurated."
The Florida supermarket giant Publix has given more money to Adam Putnam's gubernatorial bid than any other candidate since at least 1995 and likely for the entirety of the company's history.Publix, the heirs to the company's founder and its current and former leaders have given Putnam $670,000 in the last three years -- or enough money to buy 74,527 chicken tender subs.No other Florida candidate has ever come close to that kind of subsidy from Florida's largest Fortune 500 company. Its most recent contribution, a $100,000 donation on April 30, was the largest, too, according to the latest campaign finance filings.The employee-owned company has also helped bankroll a handful of well-connected business groups who have contributed millions of dollars to the Republican candidate.Putnam, like Publix, is a product of Polk County. He hails from Bartow, just 20 minutes from Publix's headquarters in Lakeland -- which company officials say is a factor in their support for him."As the hometown candidate, Publix has had a long-standing relationship with Commissioner Putnam," spokesman Brian West said. "We support pro-business candidates, and believe Commissioner Putnam will make a great governor."Publix has backed Putnam since his first race as a 22-year-old, a successful campaign for state House of Representatives in 1996. It wrote Putnam a check for $500, according to state records.The more recent contributions came as Putnam oversaw regulation of the company's 785 stores. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that Putnam leads conducts health safety inspections at grocery stores. It also handles consumer complaints directed at food businesses, including supermarkets.In 2016, WFTS-Channel 28 discovered seven Tampa Bay area Publix stores failed health inspections. In those stores, food inspectors found rodent droppings, hundreds of pounds of meat and other food stored at unsafe temperatures, bugs and employees not washing their hands, according to the report.Putnam responded the next day by pulling the inspections from the department's website and eliminating the pass/fail grading system.He replaced it six months later with a new rubric. Instead of a failing grade, the worst rating issued now is "re-inspection required."At the time, Putnam said the grading system was "unclear" because a failing grade didn't necessarily mean the store needed to be shut down.He defended Publix, the state's largest private company, to WFTS-Channel 28 as an "industry leader" that "ought not be mislabeled based on minor infractions.""This approach allows the public to better understand the results of an inspection," Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spokesman Aaron Keller told the Tampa Bay Times this week.Putnam's ties to Publix are more than geographical.The chairman of Putnam's political action committee, Florida Grown, is Justin Hollis, whose last name is nearly as synonymous with Publix as "Jenkins." His great grandfather William M. Hollis was a vice president at the company and his grandfather, Mark Hollis, served 12 years as president and later as vice chairman. Another relative, M. Clayton Hollis Jr., retired in 2012 after 40 years there, and has donated $29,000 to Putnam.Putnam's PAC has paid Justin Hollis' consulting firm, Silloh Consulting, more than $1 million this election season.Putnam has raised more than $22 million so far. His primary opponent, Rep. Ron DeSantis, has brought in $8.3 million through April.DeSantis has not enjoyed the same support as Putnam has from Florida's largest industries. Political Action Committees like FRF Political Committee, Florida Jobs and Florida Prosperity Fund have given millions of dollars to Putnam from a war chest made up of six-figure contributions from Florida Power & Light, U.S. Sugar and others.Publix has donated to these PACs as well. The grocery chain gave nearly $1.5 million in the past 18 months to various PACs that have steered $2.1 million to Putnam.Unlike energy companies and sugar conglomerates, though, Publix is a popular brand beloved by many Florida shoppers for its clean stores, customer service and cult favorite deli counter "Pub Subs." The company's growing presence in political campaigns and lobbying in Tallahassee hasn't generated the same attention as other corporate leaders.Indeed, while DeSantis has criticized Putnam's close relationships to the sugar industry, his campaign declined to comment on the Publix donations.But Publix has followed in the footsteps of its business peers that have increased political giving since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling opened the doors to unlimited corporate spending in elections.In 2000, the company gave about $200,000 to campaigns. In the 2016 elections, it topped $2 million in contributions.Mostly, the company gives to business-aligned political action committees or statewide parties. When Publix gives to candidates, it's typically just a check for $1,000.But Putnam's political committee, Florida Grown, has received $410,000 from Publix, including $250,000 in the last nine months.At $85,000, Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, is the next highest recipient of the company's financial support. "Let's Get to Work," the PAC aligned with the man who Putnam hopes to replace, Gov. Rick Scott, received $50,000.Publix's former CEO and board member Howard Jenkins, the son of company founder George Jenkins, gave Putnam $78,000 this campaign cycle. In 23 years, he has only given $22,000 to other candidates.His brother, David Jenkins, chipped in $50,000, and brother-in-law and Publix Charities Vice President Hoyt Barnett gave $103,000. Other family members and board members have donated $6,000."Adam Putnam is proud to have strong support from one of Florida's most well-known and well-respected businesses that provides more than 100,000 jobs for hard-working Floridians," Putnam spokeswoman Amanda Bevis said in a statement.
Lt. Gov. Brad Little seized an early lead Tuesday night and held it as he asked Republican voters for a promotion from Idaho's No. 2 job to its No. 1 job.The Associated Press, New York Times and Washington Post called the race for Little around midnight, with about 30 percent of statewide votes still to be counted. Little held 37 percent of the vote, followed by U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador with 31 percent and developer Tommy Ahlquist with 28 percent."It really is something," Little said during his victory speech."I've talked to both Tommy and Raul. And to them and their families and their supporters, my hat is off to you," he said. "In case you did not notice, this was a pretty hard-fought campaign."Ahlquist congratulated Little in an emailed statement. "I look forward to supporting him in the general election and wish him the best," Ahlquist said. "We ran this campaign on a conservative blueprint to build an even better Idaho. While I would have liked a different result, I am grateful and honored for the opportunity to move some of these important issues forward in public dialogue. This has been an incredible and life changing experience spending the past 15 months with the people of Idaho.""Now it is time to turn our attention to November," Little said. "The die is cast. We know who the list of candidates are."Little will face former North Idaho legislator Paulette Jordan in the November general election.Idaho voters are selecting a new governor for the first time since 2006.Little, Labrador and Ahlquist have been locked in a costly and cutthroat contest for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in hopes of succeeding Republican Gov. Butch Otter, who is handing over the reins after three terms.Little is a third-generation Emmett sheep rancher. He's held a position in the Statehouse since 2001, when he was appointed to the Senate before becoming lieutenant governor in 2009. A loyal Otter ally who is often considered heir apparent to Otter's legacy, Little campaigned on continuing to promote Idaho's economy, improve education and advance agricultural interests.Voters endured an extra-long campaign season with political newcomer Ahlquist's early break from the starting gate in March 2017 to start his name-building campaign. And, despite the early start and fierce battle, voters took their time committing to a GOP candidate.After serving two terms in Idaho's House of Representatives, Labrador in 2011 went to Washington, D.C., representing the 1st Congressional District. He quickly found his place co-founding the Freedom Caucus and earning a reputation as a staunch conservative. Now, Labrador wants to bring his anti-tax, anti-spending, limited-government crusade back to Idaho.Tommy Ahlquist, first an emergency room doctor and then a developer, decided to make his next foray a political one. Convinced that what he learned in the medical and business world could be the answer to reforming state government, Ahlquist put $2.4 million million into his own campaign to convince Idaho voters they do not need a career politician at the helm.Collectively, the three candidates poured $5.6 million into the primary, with Ahlquist spending $2.84 million, Little $1.98 million and Labrador $800,000.
Gov. Kate Brown cruised to an easy win in the Democratic primary, marking the official start of a re-election campaign she has focused on for more than a year.In partial returns Tuesday, Brown collected 82.6 percent of votes cast.Fortified by the power of the incumbency and support among key Democratic constituencies, Brown faced nominal opposition. She never campaigned against her two Democratic challengers and instead focused on the Republican she expected to face in November, Rep. Knute Buehler of Bend.Buehler signaled on Tuesday night he will push for the type of robust discussion in the general election that did not occur in the Democratic primary. At his victory party in Wilsonville, Buehler challenged Brown to participate in 10 debates around the state between now and November. Brown's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Buehler's proposal.Neither of Brown's primary opponents, Candace Neville of Eugene and Ed Jones of Redmond, reported raising or spending any money to campaign, and there were no public debates. Brown, who became governor in 2015 when Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned, lives in Southeast Portland with her husband, Dan Little. She previously served 17 years in the Legislature and six as Oregon's secretary of state.Brown has been fundraising and strategizing since being elected in 2016 to finish the rest of Kitzhaber's term, and is in a strong position financially going into the general election. As of Tuesday, Brown's campaign was sitting on $3.7 million after spending more than $2 million over the last 18 months, largely on political staff and consultants.In contrast, Buehler's camp was down to $1.3 million after spending heavily on advertising in the final weeks of the primary.Jim Moore, director of the Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation at Pacific University, said Brown's focus on fundraising makes sense given Republicans' historical cash advantage."In the back of her mind, she's thinking of 2010 when the Republican Chris Dudley raised over $10 million," Moore said. "Democrat John Kitzhaber raised about $7.4 million. So, she just wants to be on top of that."If the general election turns out to be less expensive, Brown could use her extra cash to try to elect a Democratic supermajority in the Legislature and support or oppose key ballot initiatives, Moore said.As for Brown's political strength going into the general election, it will be determined, in part, by what happens in Salem over the next week. The governor took a gamble calling for a special session to expand an existing tax break that is already controversial with Democrats, many of whom want to trim rather than broaden it. Republicans have accused Brown of using the session to boost her approval among businesses.
The normally uneventful election for Broward County School Board has turned into a nationally watched race now that two parents of victims at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High have filed to run.The campaigns of Lori Alhadeff and Ryan Petty are rooted in grief, anger and a desire to prevent another school shooting. Alhadeff's daughter, Alyssa, and Petty's daughter, Alaina, were among the 17 who died after Nikolas Cruz opened fire on Feb. 14."Every parent in Broward County deserves to have their child come home to them safely," Petty told the Sun Sentinel in an interview Tuesday. "I'm running to ensure what happened to my family and Lori's family doesn't happen to anyone else."They're now supporting each other's candidacy and are forming a political action committee called Broward Parents for Better and Safer Schools to raise money. They have public relations representatives who organized a press conference Tuesday that drew about 50 members of the local and national media.Petty and Alhadeff said the school district failed to properly respond to warning signs that Cruz was a troubled student with dangerous tendencies. Petty criticized the district's discipline system that gave Cruz and other students endless second chances when his behavior failed to improve."It's become pretty clear the district's policies are confusing and are applied haphazardly, and that means we have kids falling through the cracks, and that poses a threat to our students and teachers," Petty said.They also criticized the district for what they see as a lack of openness, including failing to respond to requests for public information and changing stories about Cruz's involvement in the controversial Promise program, which provides alternatives to arrests for certain misdemeanors."I think the district should be transparent with the information," Alhadeff said. "Otherwise, are they hiding something? I have to question that."Alhadeff, 43 is running for the District 4 seat, which Abby Freedman, 51, now occupies. Freedman said last month she plans to run for re-election in the district that includes the Parkland high school, but she has yet to file with the Supervisor of Elections. Freedman couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.Alhadeff is a former classroom teacher in New Jersey and has a master's degree in education. She traveled to Indiana recently with some Parkland parents and school officials to visit a campus dubbed the "safest school in America" to get ideas on how to improve school security."I want to ensure schools provide safety and a quality education, and there is transparency and accountability," Alhadeff told the Sun Sentinel.Petty works in the telecom industry and was appointed to a state commission investigating the Stoneman Douglas tragedy."Feb. 14 changed my world and opened my eyes to the impact school district policies have on the safety and security of our students," he said.He is challenging incumbent Donna Korn, 46, for the at-large county seat. Korn also has a third challenger, 19-year-old activist Elijah Manley.Korn, who filed for re-election months ago, said her "heart is heavy" and her condolences go out to the Petties and all the families who affected by the tragedy."I actually love the Democratic process," she said. "I'm looking forward to speaking to all the successes we have had in the school district and address all the places we still have to get better."Alhadeff and Petty are being endorsed by a group of Parkland parents called Concerned Citizens of Broward County. Initially formed to address concerns with school security, the group started focusing on replacing School Board members after feeling the district wasn't responsive to their concerns, said John Daly Sr., who runs the group's Facebook page.The group is also supporting former Stoneman Douglas teacher Richard Mendelson against incumbent Laurie Rich Levinson for the District 6 seat, which includes Weston, Cooper City and Davie.Jim Silvernale, a union representative for district maintenance workers, has also received the group's endorsement. He's challenging incumbent Ann Murray for the District 1 seat, which includes Hollywood, Hallandale Beach and Dania Beach.School Board member Nora Rupert, a longtime critic of Superintendent Robert Runcie, is the only incumbent the group plans to support. She is being challenged by Mikelange Olbel, who runs a nonprofit for underprivileged youth.Campaign officials for Alhadeff and Petty say that while the two are supporting each other's candidacy, they're not involved in other School Board races.
Scott Wagner, the Republican Party's endorsed candidate for governor, survived an expensive three-way primary Tuesday to set up a showdown in November with Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.With 91 percent of the state's precincts reporting, Wagner, a York County state senator and businessman, captured 46 percent of the vote, according to unofficial state totals.Upstart Paul Mango, a retired health care consultant, finished second with 36 percent. Laura Ellsworth was third with about 18 percent.Mango had virtually no ties to the state's political brass or business interests before launching his first run for elective office on a platform of military service and social conservatism.Ellsworth, a resident of the Pittsburgh suburbs like Mango, is a corporate lawyer and nonprofit advocate who ran a bare-bones campaign centered on moderate GOP politics.In his victory speech, Wagner, 62, called for party unity."I want to thank Paul and Laura for putting themselves forward as candidates," Wagner said. "It's not an easy thing to do and I believe that they did it for the right reasons."But primaries are family arguments. For those of you with brothers and sisters, you know that even though you argue, you always come together when it's time to stand up for family. Today it's time for us to stand up for family -- and look out for each other. I am looking forward to a unified Pennsylvania Republican Party."In the Nov. 6 election, Wagner will run on the GOP ticket with Jeff Bartos, who won a four-way primary for lieutenant governor, unofficial results show. Bartos was Wagner's preferred candidate.On the Democratic side, Wolf will run alongside John Fetterman, the Braddock, Allegheny County, mayor who pulled off the unthinkable by knocking off Lt. Gov. Mike Stack.Fetterman did so by capitalizing on a progressive agenda that galvanized young Democrats fired up over President Donald Trump. Also, Stack could not overcome political baggage stemming from his frosty relationship with Wolf, who last year stripped Stack of his state police security detail and other state services, saying Stack and his wife were overly rude to them.Wagner is a rags-to-riches millionaire. He grew up on a farm and started various businesses out of high school rather than go to college. He was a bail bondsman and landlord before starting two trash companies. The current one, Penn Waste, has multiple municipal contracts in central Pennsylvania. He also owns a trucking company.Wagner used his wealth to make numerous contributions to Republican politicians before launching his own write-in campaign for a state Senate seat in 2014. To win that seat against the GOP's preferred candidate, Wagner spent his own money, a strategy he repeated during his primary gubernatorial run.During the primary, Wagner spent nearly $12.1 million in TV ads, campaign staff and in-kind donations, including helicopter ferries, from his businesses, Department of State records show.Mango, 59, also dipped into his own fortune in spending $7.7 million on his campaign. He spent that money promoting his military background as a West Point graduate and Army Ranger who received an honorable discharge in 1986. Mango also pushed social conservative issues while using negative ads to knock the conservative bona fides of Wagner.A big part of Mango's expenses were tied up in a statewide commercial that mocked Wagner's personal and business life. It used cartoon imagery to call Wagner a "a slumlord" over landlord-tenant lawsuits, a toxic polluter over environmental citations at his trash company and a shady bail bondsman, mong other claims.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Darryl De Sousa has resigned and a national search has been launched to find his replacement, Mayor Catherine Pugh's office announced Tuesday."I want to reassure all Baltimoreans that this development in no way alters our strategic efforts to reduce crime by addressing its root causes in our most neglected neighborhoods," Pugh said in a statement. "This broad-based, grassroots approach -- underpinned by the utilization of new crime-fighting technology -- is working and will continue to be effective as indicated by the downward trend in violence."The announcement comes after De Sousa was charged with three misdemeanor counts of failing to file federal income tax returns by federal prosecutors last week.De Sousa is not currently incarcerated, but faces up to a year in prison and a $25,000 fine for each charge.He could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday. A date has not been set for his initial appearance in federal court. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Baltimore declined to comment on the resignation.Deputy Commissioner Gary Tuggle, named acting commissioner on Friday after Pugh suspended De Sousa, will now be the interim commissioner, Pugh's office said.The police department command staff "is fully committed to bringing about the reforms to the practices and culture of the department that we are implementing and which are vital to ensuring the trust and confidence of all our citizens," she said. "As Mayor, I will not let up in pursuing my top priority of making our City safe and our neighborhoods worthy of the lives of all residents."The federal charges against De Sousa, unsealed Thursday, allege he willfully failed to file federal income tax returns in 2013, 2014 and 2015. De Sousa admitted in a statement on Twitter the same day that he did not file state or federal tax returns in those years, but did have taxes withheld from his police salary.De Sousa, a 30-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department, said he had filed returns in 2016 and filed for an extension in 2017. He wrote there was "no excuse" for his failure to "fulfill my obligations as a citizen and public official," and that his "only explanation" was that he had "failed to sufficiently prioritize my personal affairs."Pugh called De Sousa's failure to file returns a "mistake" on Thursday, and said he retained her confidence. But on Friday, she announced his suspension pending the resolution of the case, saying it was in the best interests of the city.Despite De Sousa's admitting to not filing his tax returns, his attorneys have pushed back against prosecutors, saying De Sousa was not given the opportunity other taxpayers receive to explain or file missing returns before being charged criminally."Criminal charges are usually a last resort by the government after the tax payer has ignored the government's warning," attorney Steven Silverman wrote in a statement. "Had the government made an inquiry prior to charging, the government would have learned that Commissioner De Sousa was in the process of seeking assistance from a professional tax consultant to file all past due returns."De Sousa was appointed the city's top cop on Jan. 19, the same day Pugh fired his predecessor, then-Commissioner Kevin Davis, citing stubbornly-high levels of violence.De Sousa's tenure in the top job is among the shortest in modern history, but not the shortest. The position is one of high turnover.De Sousa was the first officer to rise through the department to the rank of commissioner since Frederick H. Bealefeld III, who served from 2007 to 2012. Both Anthony Batts, who succeeded Bealefeld after a national search, and Davis, who was a recently appointed deputy commissioner when he took over for Batts, came from outside the department.In part because of his long service in Baltimore, De Sousa had the support of many community members who had come to know him as a personable and attentive commander in the past.De Sousa had enjoyed the support of BUILD Baltimore, the influential nonprofit group of church leaders and activists. His departure likely delays the reforms sought by BUILD, said the Rev. Andrew Foster Connors."It certainly doesn't move things forward," Foster Connors said. "He hasn't been there long enough to be able to change anything."BUILD had called on De Sousa to overhaul internal affairs, train officers on constitutional policing methods, and increase foot patrols in violent neighborhoods. De Sousa won further support from BUILD leaders when he admitted publicly the police department's problems went beyond "a few bad apples," as he had previously said."He apologized for using that language," Foster Connors said. "We couldn't have asked for more."De Sousa's resignation also comes as the department continues to implement mandated reforms under its consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice. The federal agency found widespread unconstitutional and discriminatory policing practices in the department after an investigation that concluded in 2016, and the city and police department agreed to overhaul training, supervision, discipline, policy and technology in the department as a result.Overseeing that process is an independent monitor team led by Venable attorney Ken Thompson. Thompson declined to comment on De Sousa's resignation on Tuesday.Councilman Brandon Scott, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said De Sousa's resignation and other turmoil in the police department's upper ranks comes at a time when the city can't "afford those distractions.""We don't need any distractions away from reducing the violence in the city and also from reforming the police department," Scott said.He said the situation underscores the need to radically overhaul how the police department is run. Scott has called for increased local oversight of the police department and the creation of a board of commissioners."This just shows that we should have done this a long time ago," Scott said.
The Governors Official Program is comprised of a wide range of constitutional and legal duties and ceremonial and community engagements. Each year, the Governor hosts thousands of visitors to Government House to take part in investiture and award ceremonies, Open Days, receptions and meetings, and travels widely throughout Queensland to support the activities of Patron groups. View a chronological record of the Governors daily program below.

On Tuesday, in the afternoon, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey hosted a luncheon in honour of Mothers.

Following, the Governor received the Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to Australia, His Excellency Mr Andres Unga, and Mrs Jaanika Unga.

Following, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey hosted a Reception to commemorate the centenary of the Australian Music Examinations Board, and the Governor addressed guests.
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GIS  16 May, 2018: The report of the Commission of Inquiry on Drugs along with the formulation of a National Drug Control Master Plan, is much awaited by the Government to consolidate the fight against drug scourge in Mauritius. The report of the Commission of Inquiry on Drugs along with the formulation of a National Drug Control Master Plan, is much awaited by the Government to consolidate the fight against drug scourge in Mauritius.

This reply was given yesterday by the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, to a Private Notice Question with regard the proposed elaboration of a National Drug Control Master Plan in the National Assembly.

He further stated that the increasing number of drug seizures and the arrest of drug traffickers over the last 3 years bear testimony to Governments determination to put an end to the illegal and harmful activities of drug barons and drug traffickers.

Prime Minister Jugnauth pointed out that the Cabinet had agreed to the setting up of a Committee in September 2015 to look into the pertinent issue of drug scourge prevailing in the country. The Committee, he underlined, recommended a holistic and integrated approach to effectively address the drug problem and which could be achieved with the formulation of a National Drug Control Master Plan for Mauritius.

In this context, the Prime Minister emphasised that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime was approached with a view to securing technical expertise for the elaboration of the Master Plan. Following consultations with relevant stakeholders, the final draft of the Master Plan has been submitted for period 2018-2022, he added .

The Master Plan identifies the need for the following: a national body at the apex of Government with the authority to act as the national convener across all sectors involved; plugging of gaps in legislative framework; an intelligence sharing platform among the law enforcement agencies; strengthen structural and organisational operations of ADSU and Customs; accelerate actions against the emerging threat of New Psychoactive Substances (Synthetic Drugs); and focus on the rehabilitation and social reintegration of people who use drugs or those on treatment.

Moreover, the Plan rests on four strategic pillars, which are: Drug Supply Reduction aiming at combatting the entry, production and cultivation of illicit drugs within the Republic of Mauritius; Drug Reduction, through a Standardized National Drug Use Prevention Programme; Harm Reduction in line to enhancing the quality and accessibility of the Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) and the Needle Exchange Programme; and Coordination Mechanism, Legislation Implementation Framework, Monitoring and Evaluation and Strategic Information which provides for the establishment of a National Drug Secretariat (NDS) to monitor and evaluate all drug control related policies, programmes.

Concerning the Dangerous Drugs Act, he underscored that it makes provision for unlawful possession of dangerous drugs and it does not provide for an offence of possession of dangerous drugs for personal use. He added that it is not envisaged to abolish custodial sentences for possession of any dangerous drugs and it is at the discretion of the Court to decide upon the sentence to be imposed, he added.

Moreover, Prime Minister Jugnauth highlighted that regarding the Certificate of Character Act, several provisions are already applicable. He also announced that for period 01 January 2014 to 31 December 2017, some 2276 cases have been reported to Police whereby 2336 persons were arrested and provisionally charged for possession of cannabis under the Dangerous Drugs Act. Of these persons arrested, so far 1513 persons have been convicted after being formally charged.
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GIS  16 May, 2018: One of the strategic fields of actions of the National Road Safety Strategy 2016-2025 is training and capacity building and the setting up of a Road Safety Academy. The idea is to equip all those involved in road safety with the knowledge and skills required in their respective fields said the Minister of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport, Mr. Nandcoomar Bodha in reply to a Parliamentary Question in regard to public roads, yesterday in the National Assembly.

Many areas of knowledge are related to road safety: law, economics and statistics, public finance, road engineering, mechanics, medicine, biomechanics, behavioural sciences, education and communication, environmental science and logistics solutions for transportation and travel, amongst others , he said.

The Minister highlighted that, pending the setting up of the Road Safety Academy, capacity building programmes are being organised on road safety, road safety audit, road crash investigation and accident analysis, medical fitness for drivers, driving instructors and examiners, traffic enforcement, drug-related driving detection, road safety charter and road safety education for schools.

He recalled that his Ministry intends to undertake training in various areas to ensure the sustainability of its action plan to achieve the objectives set by the National Road Safety Strategy. These include training for motorcar instructors and examiners as well as another batch of motorcycles instructors; traffic modelling; refresher course for existing motorcar instructors; techniques of management of the speed of movement in city and the integration of cyclists and pedestrians in the circulation system; traffic data collection for Police officers, and evaluation of vehicles in the context of the reform of the total loss system.

Mr Bodha further pointed out that the project on Continuum of Education has been introduced in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research. In light of the training of resource persons by the Police, the project of education on road safety has started on a pilot basis.

The Minister indicated that 62 speed cameras are already operational in various locations across the island to detect offences related to speeding. While pointing out that the law does not provide for the installation of cameras to detect cases of indiscipline and recklessness, Mr Bodha announced that his Ministry is considering amendments to the law based on existing legislation in other countries to address these cases. He was upbeat that the implementation of the Safe City project with the installation of Intelligent Traffic cameras on major public areas, among others, will assist in more effective traffic and road safety management.
(TNS) - During the day, Angelena Gill is back at her job, with as many responsibilities as ever. The new clothes shes bought for work are on point.But the holes torn in her life 30 days ago are still there  the breach in the house she had rented, the gap in her finances and the chasm between how she would have guessed these weeks would go and the realities.Its been one month since April 15, the day that a tornado ripped through East Greensboro, part of a larger storm system that also damaged parts of other communities in North Carolina and Virginia.There are now some new dollar figures to help provide context to the destruction in Guilford County: an estimated $48 million in total damages, with $30 million of that in damage to homes. Thats according to Greensboro Neighborhood Development Director Stan Wilson, who provided information from the county.He said that the Greensboro Housing Coalition is working with 135 households in need of housing services of various kinds, and five families have been re-homed in connection with those efforts.Last week U.S. President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for North Carolina. That frees up a range of federal grants and loans for homeowners, renters, businesses and others. FEMA agents were out in the communities knocking on doors and talking to people on Monday. Gill was one of those who spoke with the FEMA agents.Three schools significantly damaged by the tornado were back in classes a week after the storm hit, although in new locations for the rest of the school year, doubled up with other schools that had space available. School leaders expect insurance to pay for the damages, but the schools havent announced yet whether theyll be back at the old buildings when school starts again in August.Theres a lot still up in the air for families like Gills too. The big oak that crashed through their place during the tornado made their old home unlivable, so for now Gill and her husband are staying in a mini-apartment-type-space at the Salvation Army. If all goes well, she hopes to be able to sign an agreement to rent a new a place in Greensboro sometime this week. That quest to find a place to rent has taken up pretty much all of their time outside of work, she said.Gill said she hasnt had any help paying to secure new permanent housing. Thats coming out of pocket. She paid for the new clothes she needed for her job herself, too.In the early days following the tornado, she said, she went online, looked in the news and talked to people she knew, looking for what to do to get help. It was disappointing, she said, how much easier it felt to find announcements about where to give donations than about where to get the aid.Eventually, she did get connected to the coalition of local government and nonprofit agencies doing tornado relief, but a lot of the help they were offering was mismatched to the particulars of her situation. Some things will be more helpful down the road, such as the furniture voucher she got. She took another voucher to shop at the Salvation Army store, but couldnt find any of the types of clothing she was looking for in her size, though she did find a good pair of white sandals among the items donated just for tornado victims.Gill has said shes grateful to be alive and privileged to have a job and a car and no young children to care for during all of this. Shes more worried about others in her community: If its been this hard for her, shes wondering how people with less resources will be able to put a new life together.Susan Smith, senior disaster program manager for the Red Cross, said the two busiest periods for the agency were the immediate aftermath of the storm and then the next few weeks. They started with opening a Red Cross shelter and were out in the field, providing things like food, emotional counseling and eye-glasses. As the temporary Red Cross shelter closed and the next wave of need came, they helped set up a resource center with other assisting agencies and went door to door trying to connect with people whose homes were destroyed or heavily damaged.Hundreds of people came through that resource center, Smith said. A few people have called this week, but the number of people contacting them has died down a lot from where it was. Her agency is still working to connect people with other agencies that can help.If we get a call today, we are going to go out see what the damage is, she said. The point that everybody is at now is to be sure that those unmet needs are met.Smith urges people to fill out applications with FEMA if they havent already  you dont get aid if you dont apply  and to check out the City of Greensboros website for updates on storm recovery resources. Thats www.greensboro-nc.gov/services/april-2018-storm-recovery-resources.There are some critical links and phone numbers on that page, like information about a new $50,000 grant from the North Carolina Realtors Association to help people pay one months mortgage or rent on the primary residence damaged in the tornado.Volunteers will be available at the Greensboro Housing Hub, 1031 Summit Ave., in its 2nd floor Learning Lab from 10 am to 4 pm to assist with the application process on May 15, 17, 22, 24, 29 and 31, according to the website.People outside the area are going to think things are back to normal, Smith said, but I think it is our responsibility and the communitys to say, 'Hey, we still have needs here.'Get todays top stories right in your inbox. Sign up for our daily morning newsletter.Contact Jessie Pounds at 336-373-7002 and follow @JessiePounds on Twitter.2018 the News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.)Visit the News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.) at www.news-record.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The consensus is that sea-level rise will occur in Southern California, but how much and when are questions that complicate developing mitigation plans.Encinitas, a city of almost 60,000, 25 miles north of San Diego, is trying to get a grip on those questions to deliver a Coastal Vulnerability and Resiliency Plan. If only they had a crystal ball.It is impossible to foresee the future 50 to 100 years from now, and that makes planning for eventualities that far in advance a crap shoot. So you do it incrementally.If I knew the future of climatic events  whens the next tsunami going to hit Crescent Cityput how much sea-level rise is there going to be by 2100 in that category  I wouldnt be a professor at Scripps, said Bob Guza, professor emeritus for the Integrative Oceanography Division at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. I could make a fortune in the insurance industry.He went on to say that he expects there to be one to six feet of sea-level rise in the area by 2100. It could be more than that, he said. I dont think it will be less.Thats why the city is putting plans into place  incremental ones with pauses to see that works and what unintended consequences may crop up.One of the main actions is to protect Highway 101, which could be washed out during a major water event.We have a living shoreline project, said Katherine Weldon, shoreline program administrator for the city. That is where riprap [loose stone used to armor shorelines] was put in in the 1920s to protect Highway 101. Well put in more riprap then put sand on top of that.She said its a quasi-green project in that the birds will benefit, and it will help protect the highway as well.We also have the opportunity to do opportunistic beach fill projects, where we put sand in four locations in our city and track how the sand moves and where it goes, Weldon said.Then theres a 50-year Army Corps of Engineers adaptation project that looked at different ways to protect the shoreline. It was determined that the best path forward was beach nourishment, bringing in sand from outside the city and placing it strategically on the beach every five years. The key to something like that, Guza said, is close monitoring to see where the sand ends up eventually.What could go wrong, the worst that could happen is that it can get washed away, right? Not quite true, he said, pointing to a beach nourishment project where the sand didnt just wash away but ended up moving south and clogging the Tijuana River.So you need to know something like that. There are a lot of methods that were not really confident in how they will work. There are ideas that you can make a living beach that will hold the sand in place. These might work in the short term.But looking out 50 to 100 years? I think thats awful far out to plan, Guza said. The planning that were doing should be directed to 10, 20, 30 years out and done incrementally. Incremental defenses and learning from these projects as we go, so as they get bigger, we have a better clue on what the heck were doing.Since the city is 100 percent built out and there is no political will for a managed retreat of properties. Maybe there will be a big El Nino in 2040 in Southern California and that will raise awareness, but until then its fruitless to talk about massive retreat and things like that on the West Coast because its not politically feasible, Guza said.But more seawalls need to be built, and staircases too. No doubt were going to build more seawalls to protect cliffs, Guza said. This is happening as we speak; more cliffs are getting armor. I think its also important to know what the consequences of armory are. It stops erosion, but that cuts the sand off from the beach.And Weldon said during a major flood event, the rising tide will destroy staircases. Its one product nobody has talked about, fixing the staircases, which could be a ton of money. Be prepared for that because its what happens with high tide.
Charlton Evans shared this news with us:Coming from the Department of the Interior, "As part of a broader UAS strategy, the U.S. Department of the Interior has awarded a Call When Needed contract to four U.S. companies for small-unmanned aircraft systems services. The contract, which is Interiors first of its kind, will allow the agency to obtain fully contractor-operated and maintained small drones that are ready when needed to support wildland fire operations,in the Contiguous 48 States and Alaska."The just-published press release is available here: Interior Awards First Contract for Small UAS Services. Out-of-sight operations is good news. This maximizes the capabilities of the technology. In a wildland fire situation, they control the airspace, so safety can be assured.
Its a scenario that plays out over and over in cities across the country: A small business in a hip neighborhood closes, the storefront is left empty for months  maybe years  and then eventually gets replaced by a national chain.Whether its gentrifying Brooklyn Greenwich Village in Manhattan or Miami Beach , the coffee shops, boutiques and eateries that drew many residents to those areas are struggling to stay.But why?The notion of greedy landlords hiking up rents makes an easy scapegoat for policymakers and residents. But the real picture is much more complicated, with an insistence on long-term leases and major disruptions in retail shopping habits all playing a role in the vacancies, according to commercial real estate analysts.Still, cities are turning to vacant property taxes to nudge property owners of both retail and residential spaces to lease, develop or sell their properties before a short-term vacancy turns into what some cities see as blight.Cities opting for this solution are seeing varying degrees of success.The idea that if you tax the development, you will force the landlord into renting is complicated, says Joan Youngman, a senior fellow with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. In a hot market, the landlord might wait for a high-end renter. If the market is soft, the vacant land tax might force the landowner to allow it to fall into disrepair. Oakland, Calif., and most recently New York City have all considered levying vacancy taxes on landowners to force them to develop, lease or sell their empty properties. The moves follow similar taxes levied in Washington, D.C., and one aimed at addressing the residential housing crisis in Vancouver, Canada.The Washington, D.C., model raises the normal commercial property tax rate from between $1.65 and $1.85 for $100 in assessed value to $5 per $100 when the property is vacant. Property considered blighted is taxed at $10 per $100 of assessed value.In 2016, Washington, D.C., collected $9.4 million in vacancy taxes. Still the effectiveness of the tax remains unclear, according to a 2017 report from Pew Charitable Trusts . When asked, the city could not say how many properties were leased, improved or sold as a result of the tax, according to the Pew report.It also appears that some owners of vacant property have tried to skirt the law by filing for exemptions, or asking for building permits and then never making improvements. The District's city council eventually tightened the loophole through a bill that regulates how long a property owner can keep filing for exemptions.Vancouver's vacant house tax went into effect in 2017, despite hard data suggesting the vacancy rate for housing in the city had remained steady for more than a decade. Early indications suggest homeowners might not be declaring their homes empty Youngman calls the use of special taxes on vacant property a blunt instrument in spurring development. Real estate markets are contextual, she says. Washington, D.C., San Francisco and New York have been hot markets. The empty storefronts in those cities are less often the result of landlords looking to jack up rents and more often those property owners seeking long-term leases, Youngman says.Levying a tax might drive a landlord to fill a vacancy, but the new tenant may not be the type that made neighborhoods like Greenwich Village, the Mission District in San Francisco or Columbia Heights in Washington, D.C., attractive in the first place.Youngman points to the common complaint leveled by residents who point to national chains displacing local retailers in neighborhoods.Theyll say the neighborhood used to be so interesting and now it's so boring. I am not sure a tax can do anything about that, she says.In smaller cities like Hartford, Conn., which has much of its land locked up by tax-exempt landowners, policymakers dont have nearly as much leverage as their big city counterparts in using vacant property fees to drive down vacancies and spur better use of land.Hartford flirted with the idea of vacant property tax to spur development. The city has seen a steady migration of employers large and small to surrounding suburbs where property taxes are lower. What has been left are large lots that are filled by the least expensive use of commercial land -- parking lots."We see a sea of parking lots in a lot of parts of the city," Councilman Julio Concepcion told the. "When you're trying to go from point A to point B and all there is is dimly lit surface parking, the perception of the city is that it's unsafe. So we're just trying to fill those gaps in with development -- with housing or retail or whatever the market bears, and trying to make Hartford a more walkable, friendly city."Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin balked at signing the bill, and the effort fizzled out in 2017.Ultimately, the decline in local retail may be more a reflection of changing shopping habits than the relationship between retailers and commercial property owners. As more people shop online, commercial real estate markets will remain in flux.We are going through such a massive change in retail. The question," Youngman says, "is are we in a phase of trying to readjust to a new steady state in real estate?"
Manila (CNN Philippines Life)  Public art is an important mediator of peoples relationship to the city that is instrumentalized by the private sector, cultural agencies, politicians, and city planners to communicate their respective visions of urban development. In 2016, Bonifacio Global City (BGC) showcased 27 works of street art by a number of local and international artists in what was the first ever ArtBGC Mural Festival. But murals are not new to Manila, nor are they solely associated with westernized notions of street culture.

Covering extensive lengths of the citys network of concrete arteries with large-scale artworks has been a conventional strategy of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the government agency created in the 1970s by Ferdinand Marcos  and headed by his wife Imelda  was responsible for, among other administrative matters, the beautification of the city.

Despite major differences in the ways they are produced and consumed, the murals in BGC and along EDSA both function to inculcate certain sensibilities among Manilas citizenry in response to the citys poor urban planning and dilapidated infrastructure, rendered evermore inadequate in the face of growing demographic pressures that even a masterplanned and highly regulated space like BGC cannot remain immune to.

The distinct lack of public space in the forms of parks, promenades, and plazas in Manila has ensured that concrete walls remain the most popular canvas for public art, whether commissioned by government agencies like MMDA or private companies like Ayala Land.

MMDAs project along EDSA is a partnership with Boysen Paint company, which depicts a series of trees invoked as the lungs of the earth that are meant to relieve the commuter stuck in traffic of the ugliness of the concrete jungle. Photo from THE BOYSEN KNOXOUT PROJECT: EDSA/FACEBOOK

As an almost-entirely privatized city, managed by a board of trustees and operated as a profit-seeking entity, BGC represents the convenient convergence between the interests of government and private capital in the construction of urban public space. However, such spaces bordered by high-end shopping malls and gleaming corporate buildings actually function as privatized public venues, as curator Tessa Maria Guazon puts it, financially inaccessible to most of the public.

As new buildings, apartments, and commercial establishments continue to rise in BGC, traffic congestion continues to worsen. In light of mounting demographic pressures that have thwarted the original vision for BGC as a pedestrian-friendly city, the Mural Festival could be seen as a reminder to visitors and locals alike that Bonifacio Global City is really designed to be a walking city, as reiterated by Monica Llamas, then Art Program Manager of the Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc.

Art is the freedom to imagine but in its beauty is also the power to conceal contradictions.

The ArtBGC Mural Festival helped spawn a micro-tourism industry built around the appreciation of public art in BGC and has generated a number of cultural initiatives such as bicycle tours that spotlight BGC as a progressive, sustainability-minded city. But the festival was not without its critics, as some denounced the organizers for selecting mainly international artists whose work was not reflective of Manila as a city or of the experiences of its citizens.

Rather than being rooted in their locality, the murals in BGC are in keeping with the cultural nondescriptness the city has actively cultivated over the last decade as a global city, which has made it an attractive destination for international capital, especially the business-process outsourcing (BPO) operations of multinational corporations.

Meanwhile, in EDSA, one of MMDAs projects along this extensive road is a partnership with Boysen Paint company, which depicts a series of trees invoked as the lungs of the earth that are meant to relieve the commuter stuck in traffic of the ugliness of the concrete jungle and simultaneously to share the governments vision of creating a cleaner, greener Manila.

Art, in this particular public space, does more than impart a government slogan, and freely plays up on its subtle ambivalence instead, for nothing could be more ironically and painfully truthful than to be reminded that trees in parks serve as lungs to the city and that in this city of 14 million inhabitants there are hardly any tree-lined parks left.

As an almost-entirely privatized city, managed by a board of trustees and operated as a profit-seeking entity, BGC represents the convenient convergence between the interests of government and private capital in the construction of urban public space. Photo from ARTS AT BGC/FACEBOOK

The biggest property, the 100-hectare military camp of Fort Bonifacio with its centenary trees, was sold in the deal of the century to the mega-developers of what today is Bonifacio Global City. The calculus of profits that could be made on every square meter dictated the inevitable disappearance of the citys lungs. To the commuters stuck in traffic along those walls, the smog they are breathing is the reality of their daily existence while the trees on the walls remain an illusion, or for those who remember, an image of the past.

Government agencies responsible for urban renewal projects in Manila have conventionally relied on publicly-funded beautification projects that cover vast swathes of concrete with vibrant murals and color schemes that become associated with individual politicians. Just over a decade ago, former MMDA chairman Bayani Fernandos Metro Gwapo (Metro Beautiful) covered main thoroughfares, overpasses, and bridges in his now-infamous brand of blue and pink.

Throughout Manila, one could find painted on walls and strewn across tarpaulins appeals for the public to keep the city beautiful (gwapo) by observing proper behaviour in public (walang bastos: no vulgarity), environmental cleanliness (walang kalat: no littering), for their own good (tao ganado: each one a winner). These verbal cues in pink and blue were repeated endlessly until the next administration, that of Benigno Aquino Jr., came with its streams of yellow ribbons. The color effectively becomes the message.

But there also exist more subtle means through which Filipinos are encouraged with visual cues to do their best in their service to society. In 2013, the pillars of the Kalayaan flyover featured painted portraits of Filipinos in their various occupations, from doctors, engineers, teachers, to the pervasive figure of the OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker), whose remittances sustain the national economy. With millions of Filipinos working abroad, evidencing the lack of employment at home, these patriotic renderings honor their sacrifices in the service of the country.

For all its lack of public space, Manila has a vibrant culture of public art that, quite apart from its intrinsic artistic value, is intended by its patrons to fulfill specific utilitarian functions. The convergence between corporate interests and governmental programs in the commissioning of these murals is indicative of a trend in the instrumentalization of public art to promote visions of urban development.

The business districts want their murals to project an image of high-tech modernity in keeping with their role in international business as data processing centres. The city government commissions artists to beautify the drabness of concrete walls and pillars, while simultaneously exhorting the citizenry to help keep Manila beautiful, correcting their code of conduct as necessary in order to conform to the new urbanity. Exhortations to do ones best for family and country are communicated through portraits of people in diverse occupations, with a special place of honor accorded to the OFW, the unsung heroes of the nation.

The artwork is thus intended not just to please the public but to plead for and elicit a target-response from the populace. As any art form, however, mural painting overflows original intentions with the power of its own intrinsic appeal, so a simple utilitarian message may actually set people to think of alternatives that are not there, such as the trees-as-lungs in a treeless urban jungle.

Art is the freedom to imagine but in its beauty is also the power to conceal contradictions; as the cultural theorist Malcolm Miles writes, Developers do not develop in order to construct the city beautiful, they construct the city beautiful in order to conceal the incompatibility of their development with a free society.

***

Update: Monica Llamas is no longer connected with BGC.
Alex Wurz says the aerodynamics on Williams' 2018 car are basically "stalling".

The once-great British team is now among the absolute slowest on the grid, as young drivers Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin struggle to drive the 2018 car.

"We lose downforce to the diffuser," once team driver and now Williams advisor Alex Wurz is quoted by Italy's Autosprint.

"We had this problem last year but it was just annoying. Now it's stalling.

"We lose grip and the drivers have no confidence in the car."

Worse still, Austrian Wurz said there is not yet light at the end of the tunnel for Williams.

"Identifying the problem is just 10 per cent of the question. Resolving it is the real challenge," he said.

(GMM)
Renault would cope with the loss of Red Bull as a customer.

That is the claim of Cyril Abiteboul, boss of the French carmaker's F1 project.

Currently, it is unclear whether Red Bull will stick with Renault power for 2019 or switch to Honda.

Renault imposed a May 15 deadline on Red Bull, but then extended it until May 31.

Now, Abiteboul told El Mundo newspaper that talks will only begin after Monaco.

"Everything will start at the end of May, shortly after Monaco," said the Frenchman.

"We are not going to put a deadline, because it's not our style. But we cannot postpone it indefinitely," Abiteboul added.

"There is some urgency due to changes in the regulations, so if Red Bull wants our engines, they should let us know. If there is no agreement, we will stay with Renault and McLaren.

"We do not have to supply three teams," he said.

The Red Bull talks may also complicate Renault's desire to keep Carlos Sainz for 2019, as the Spaniard is only 'on loan' for this year.

"We all know about his Red Bull contract," Abiteboul said.

"We are also all aware that, if there is a will by all parties, there is a way to end it.

"We have been talking with Red Bull about all kinds of issues for 12 years and I am convinced that there will be many occasions to talk about this matter soon," he added.

(GMM)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16)  Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III is keen on taking the Ombudsman post to help President Rodrigo Duterte fight corruption.

Nakikita ko na very long 'yung fight niya so I decided na tulungan ko siya para mayroon siya kasama [I can see that he has a very long fight ahead so I decided to help the President and be his ally], Bello told CNN Philippines Newsroom.

He said that he sees it as a bigger challenge than his current duties at the Labor Department. Settled naman lahat 'yung labor issues. More or less, ok na. Natulungan ko na lahat ng mga kasama ko sa department [The labor issues have been settled. More or less, its now okay. I have helped all my colleagues at the department], he said.

Apart from being Labor Secretary, Bello is also in charge of negotiating with communist rebels to forge lasting peace. He also served as former Justice Secretary and Solicitor General during the term of former President Fidel Ramos.

Application for the Ombudsman post closed on Tuesday, after being extended from the original May 2 deadline.

Among the candidates was Associate Justice Teresita Leonaro-de Castro, who declined her nomination as Ombudsman, saying she wants to retire at the Supreme Court.
Bitcoins burgeoning electricity demands have attracted almost as much attention as the cryptocurrencys wildly fluctuating value. However, estimating exactly how much electricity the Bitcoin network uses, necessary for understanding its impact and implementing policy, remains a challenge. In a Commentary in the journal Joule, financial economist and blockchain specialist Alex de Vries uses a new methodology to pinpoint where Bitcoins electric energy consumption is headed and how soon it might get there.

de Vries works at the Experience Center of PwC in the Netherlands and is the founder of Digiconomist (@DigiEconomist), a blog that aims to better inform cryptocurrency users.

His estimates put the minimum current usage of the Bitcoin network at 2.55 GW annually, which means it uses almost as much electricity as Ireland. A single transaction uses as much electricity as an average household in the Netherlands uses in a month. By the end of this year, he predicts the network could be using as much as 7.7 gigawattsas much as Austria and half of a percent of the worlds total consumption.

To me, half a percent is already quite shocking. Its an extreme difference compared to the regular financial system, and this increasing electricity demand is definitely not going to help us reach our climate goals. Alex de Vries

If the price of Bitcoin continues to increase the way some experts have predicted, de Vries believes the network could someday consume 5% of the worlds electricity. That would be quite bad.





Estimated number of Terahashes per second (Trillions of hashes per second) performed by the Bitcoin Network Source: Blockchain.info. de Vries (2018)

Bitcoin is dependent on computers that time-stamp transactions into an ongoing chain to prevent duplicate spending of coins. Computers in the network perform calculations continuously, competing for the chance, once every ten minutes, to be appointed to create the next block of transactions in the chain. The user of the computer that wins is awarded 12.5 new coinsa process known as mining Bitcoin. But all the time, even the users that dont win are expending computing power.

You are generating numbers the whole time and the machines youre using for that use electricity. But if you want to get a bigger slice of the pie, you need to increase your computing power. So theres a big incentive for people to increase how much theyre spending on electricity and on machines.Alex de Vries

Its figuring out when that incentive stops paying off that is at the heart of de Vriess estimation method. Economic principles suggest that the entire Bitcoin network will eventually reach an equilibrium in which the costs of the hardware and electricity used to mine equal the value of the Bitcoin being mined. And that information can approximate the total amount of electricity that the network will use at said equilibrium.

Other researchers have used the fundamentals of this method before, but de Vries went further. He used production information about Bitmain, the biggest manufacturer of Bitcoin mining machines, to estimate both how much of a miners costs are associated with hardware rather than electricity and when this equilibrium might be reached. And while he does have confidence in his estimates, the problem with this method is that these manufacturers are extremely secretive.

Still, he believes that getting a good estimate is important in determining the sustainability of cryptocurrencies moving forward and in helping shape policy around them. Some states in the US have already started to put restrictions around Bitcoin mining.

But you need to base your policy on something. And I think that my method is important in that regard, because its very forward-looking. Its focused not on the now, but on where were headed. And I think thats something you really need to know if youre going to draft policy about it. I think everyone agrees on the minimum energy consumption. But the future estimate? Thats actually quite debatable. We dont really have a common approach to getting to a future estimate of electricity consumption right now, which is why I am hoping to get this conversation started. Im doing this research, but a lot of people should be doing it. Alex de Vries

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16)  Abuse among overseas Filipino workers in Kuwait is not as widespread as it seems, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Wednesday, even as the government was able to iron out a deal to protect the welfare of workers without the Gulf state asking for concessions.

"Alam mo kasi yung pagmamalupit at pag-aabuso ng ating mga overseas household service workers, perception lang yan eh Ito ang mistaken perception na hindi naman talaga inaapi," Bello told CNN Philippines' New Day.

[Translation: You know, the maltreatment and abuse of our overseas household service workers is just perception...This is the mistaken perception, that they are not really being abused]

He said out of 17,000 household service workers, only 1.7 percent have been victims of abuse, according to their records.

Bello clarified later on that there are actually 170,000 household service workers in Kuwait.

On the other hand, ACTS-OFW party-list Representative Aniceto John Bertiz said regardless of the numbers, the government is mandated to protect its people.

"Sabi ng Presidente kahit isang buhay, isang braso ang maabuso, mandato ng isang gobyerno ang protektahan ang kanyang mamamayan lalong lalo na ang mga domestic helpers," Bertiz told CNN Philippines' The Source Wednesday.

[Translation: The President said even if just one life, one arm is abused, it is the mandate of the government to protect its people especially the domestic helpers]

Bertiz added, "Let's not put our people in [numbers]."

He said he also favors a total worker deployment ban to Kuwait.

"If we cannot actually fully protect them as mandated by law why not stop sending them, give them [a job] here back home," the Representative said.

Bello said while the government is concerned with abused workers, he said the Kuwaiti government only wants overseas Filipino workers (OFW) to be "always happy."

"Mukhang mahal na mahal naman nila ang ating manggagawa," the Labor Secretary said.

[Translation: It seems they (Kuwait) really love our workers.]

His statement comes after the Philippine and Kuwaiti governments signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to protect the welfare of OFWs.

Bello said Kuwait is looking at a two-week timeline to assess the OFW situation before fully implementing the MOA.

He added Kuwait was surprisingly "positive" during the discussions and accommodated their requests.

"Everything we asked for, everything that the President wanted us to ask from them, binigay [were given] without any concession. Nabigla kami [We were surprised]," he said.

Bello said the Kuwaiti government even offered to shoulder the transportation expenses for the repatriation of the remaining 600 OFWs in Kuwait.

"They really want to show that they wanted us to maintain good diplomatic labor relations," he said.

On Tuesday, Malacanang announced the partial lifting of the deployment ban to Kuwait after a deal to protect Filipino workers was signed in Kuwait on May 11.

President Duterte imposed the ban in February in the wake of reports Filipino workers were abused and even died in the Gulf state, including household helper Joanna Demafelis whose body was found inside her employers' freezer.

READ: Government allows skilled, semi-skilled workers to Kuwait
(CNN)  The Chinese government is using billions of dollars in debts to gain political leverage with developing countries across Asia and the Pacific, a new report presented to the U.S. State Department claims.

The independent report, written by a pair of Harvard University scholars, identified 16 countries targeted by the Chinese government for "debtbook diplomacy, " with Pakistan, Djibouti and Sri Lanka identified as being most vulnerable.

According to the report, in some cases the huge debts grow to a size too large to pay back, allowing Beijing to leverage the loans to "acquire strategic assets or political influence over debtor nations."

This could allow the Chinese government to extend its influence across the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, encircling India and Australia as well as helping to consolidate its position in the South China Sea, the report said.

Last month, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he viewed "with great concern" any foreign military bases being built in the South Pacific, following reports Beijing was in talks with Vanuatu to host Chinese forces.

According to the new report, Vanuatu, just 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) off Australia's coast, has taken at least $270 million in Chinese loans in the past decade, worth 35% of its GDP. Both China and Vanuatu have strongly denied there were ever discussions over a PLA military presence on the island.

There is also concern in Washington that China is poised to gain control of a major commercial port in Djibouti, where the US and China have military bases.

A U.S. State Department official told CNN Tuesday it encouraged China to promote and uphold internationally accepted best practices in infrastructure development and funding.

"We need to ensure recipients have options that allow them to retain their sovereignty and future control of their economies," the official said.

'Subsidiaries of China'

According to the report, there are a number of ways in which Beijing and state-owned enterprises leverage debt to help China's strategic aims.

In one case, infrastructure built with Chinese loans, has then been leased back to Chinese interests to pay off the original debt.

In 2017, an unprofitable Sri Lankan port built with billion-dollar loans from Beijing was leased to Chinese state-owned firms for 99 years to help repay the country's debts.

The report's co-author Sam Parker said there were concerns these ports could be used by Chinese naval vessels once they were under state control. "There's definitely the potential where they can have it go from commercial, to occasional visit, to logistics, to humanitarian and then maybe finally a military base," he said.

In the Pacific, nations such as Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Tonga all owe the Chinese government billions of dollars in loans, encircling US allies Australia and New Zealand.

Meanwhile Chefitz said Beijing has used infrastructure incentives in the South China Sea to help break any broad opposition to the Chinese government's territorial ambitions in the contested sea.

Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans is quoted in the report saying Laos and Cambodia, each of which has borrowed more than $5 billion, are now "wholly owned subsidiaries of China."

The US State Department will be briefed on the report in the near future. But both authors said there appeared to be nothing the United States could do to offset China's growing advantage.

"The US government isn't going to throw 1 trillion dollars at this problem. It's not going to absorb the debt of our private sector companies and it won't be able to focus the entire government in one effort for 20, 30 or 50 years as China is able to do," Chefitz said.

At his daily press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said said China's foreign policy was based on "mutual respect and win-win cooperation."

"As for other parties, they shouldn't be presumptuous based on their own views -- nor should they assume economic cooperation between developing countries always have ulterior political motives," he said.

Motives unknown

Many of the loans are being given out as part of China's signature Belt and Road infrastructure program, which gives loans to developing nations to fund ports, railways and other initiatives across Asia, Europe and Africa.

Report co-author and Harvard scholar Gabrielle Chefitz said the loans under the Belt and Road plan, as well as China's other development grants, take a very different form to previous US programs such as the Marshall Plan.

"The Marshall plan was largely grants whereas China is giving this money and expecting something in return," she told CNN.

"And because of the relationship between the state and these companies, it's able to get returns which aren't wholly economic, which are strategic in nature ... like a veto in ASEAN, like a port, or a vote at the United Nations."

But Merriden Varrall, director at the Lowy Institute's East Asia Program director, told CNN there was still a lack of evidence as to how China was utilizing its loans around the region.

"Nobody knows what China's motives are, presumably they're not simply altruistic, Australia's interests in providing aid and investment are certainly not purely altruistic either," she said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "China using 'debtbook diplomacy' to spread its strategic aims in Asia Pacific."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16)  Associate Justice Teresita Leonaro-de Castro has turned down her nomination as Ombudsman, saying she wants to retire at the Supreme Court.

The 69-year-old magistrate, who is set to retire in October, formally declined the nomination in a letter to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), the body that screens applicants to the courts.

Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Arturo Brion earlier nominated de Castro to the Ombudsman post to replace Conchita Carpio-Morales, who is set to retire in July after a seven-year tenure.

"Although I am deeply moved by, and sincerely thankful for Justice Brion's kind endorsement, I regret that I must decline his recommendation as I wish to continue serving the Supreme Court until I reach the compulsory retirement age," de Castro said in a letter dated May 15.

Brion said de Castro fulfilled her duties "with competence, probity, and integrity" during her 45 years in government service. She began serving the government at the Supreme Court Office of the Clerk of Court in 1973.

De Castro is one of the harshest critics of Maria Lourdes Sereno, who was ousted as Chief Justice in a historic Supreme Court ruling on May 11. De Castro voted for Sereno's ouster.

Application for the Ombudsman post closed on Tuesday, after being extended from the original May 2 deadline. The full list of applicants have yet to be released.

"It is my most earnest hope that your search for worthy nominees for the next Ombudsman will be successful," de Castro said in her letter addressed to members of the JBC, including Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, the council's ex-officio chairman after Sereno was unseated as top magistrate.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16)  Kuwait has offered to bring the family of household service worker Joanna Demafiles to Lebanon and Syria to witness the trial of her suspected killers, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said Wednesday.

In an interview with CNN Philippines, Bello said the offer was made to Philippine officials during a recent trip to the Gulf state to sign an agreement to protect Filipino workers there.

Demafiles' body was found in a freezer in the rented apartment of her employers who had left Kuwait a year earlier. Kuwait had sentenced to death the husband-and-wife suspects who are nationals of Lebanon and Syria.

The Kuwaiti officials told Bello that the two countries had refused to grant Kuwait's request for the extradition of the couple.

"Ang plano yata ng Lebanese saka ng Syrian government is to conduct their own trial," Bello said. "And sinabi sa'min, 'if that happens, that we will provide all expenses to bring the parents and the relatives of Demafiles to witness the trial. We will provide lawyers, if you need lawyers. And we'll provide expenses for your lawyers, if you want to bring your lawyers."

[Translation: It seems like the plan of the Lebanese and Syrian governments is to conduct their own trial.]

In a separate interview on CNN Philippines' Balitaan, Demafiles' brother Joejet said their family had not been informed about Kuwait's offer.

"Sa ngayon wala po akong update kay Secretary Silvestre Bello. Noong May 12 nag-usap kami, nagtext siya sakin, kasi nagtanong ako sa kanya kung ano status ng case ng kapatid ko. Ang sagot sakin, 'yun nga po, hinahabol ng Kuwaiti government ang mag-asawang killer," Joejet said.

[Translation: Right now I have no updates from Bello. On May 12 we talked, he texted me, because I was asking for the status of my sister's case. In response, he said Kuwait is going after the couple.]

Joejet added that the government had advised them to just wait for further instructions.

But should the offer be made to them, Joejet said they would go to witness the trial.

"Yun ang inaantay ko sa atin pong mahal na Pangulo. Kung ako lang po 'yung tatanungin, gustong-gusto ko na pong masaksihan 'yung pagbitay sa mag-asawa na po 'yun," he said.

[Translation: That's what I'm waiting from our beloved President. If you ask me, I really wish to witness how the couple will be put on the death row.]

Joejet added their family is satisfied with how the government is handling Joanna's case. He said they are coordinating with Overseas Workers Welfare Administrator Hans Cacdac about their needs.

"Sa ngayon po, talagang di naman po sila nagkukulang sa'min [Right now, government is attending to us]," he explained.

In April, the Demafiles family said they wanted to meet the suspects and hoped that their death sentence would be implemented.

READ: Demafiles family won't settle for blood money
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16)  Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello clarified he just recommended the partial lifting of the deployment ban to Kuwait to President Rodrigo Duterte.

"I told the President that we can lift the ban only with respect to our skilled workers and professionals," Bello said in a statement released Wednesday.

This comes after Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque revealed Tuesday the ban had already been lifted for skilled and semi-skilled workers.

"Kung hindi po ako nagkakamali, na-i-lift na po ngayon ni Secretary Bello 'yan," Roque said on CNN Philippines Balitaan.

[Translation: If I'm not mistaken, the ban was lifted by Secretary Silvestre Bello.]

Talks of lifting the ban followed the signing of a labor deal between the Philippines and Kuwait, protecting the rights of Filipino workers in the Gulf State.

The Labor Secretary, however, said they still have to study the effects of the labor deal to the workers before lifting the ban on domestic helpers.

"As to the household service workers, I said in my report that we will have to wait and see the effect of the agreement that we signed on the protection of our household service workers," Bello said.

Duterte imposed the ban in February in the wake of reports Filipino workers were abused and even died in the Gulf state, including household helper Joanna Demafelis whose body was found inside a freezer of her employers' residence.

Kuwait is a top destination for overseas Filipino workers, with some 262,000 Filipinos working there as of 2018. Of this number, 170,000 are household service workers.

As of February 2018, remittances from Kuwait amounted to P5.5 billion, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. In 2017, a total of P42 billion was remitted from the Gulf State.
Bibendum and Matthew Clark owner C&C Group reports drop in profit

By Lisa Riley

C&C Group has reported a drop in full-year net revenue and profit with sales hit by severe weather in the second half.

In its annual results released this morning, the company announced a 4.9% drop in revenue to 548.2 million, with operating profit down 7% to 86.1 million for the 12 months ending 28th February 2018.

The business, which acquired Bibendum and Matthew Clark last month in partnership with AB InBev following the collapse of previous owner Conviviality, said its Tennents, Magners, and premium and wholesale businesses in the UK had performed strongly.

The group added it has found nothing unexpected in Matthew Clark and Bibendum so far, with significant progress already made in stabilising the business, said CEO Stephen Glancy.

A strategically important acquisition for C&C, these acquisitions greatly enhances our route-to-market in the UK on-trade, he said.

In addition, it said it had appointed David Philips as managing director of Matthew Clark.

Philips, who was finance director of Matthew Clark between April 2007 and November 2015, brought a wealth of knowledge and experience which would be invaluable in re-establishing a robust control environment and moving the business forward to best meet suppliers and customer expectations, said Glancy.

In Ireland, competitive pressure, as well as a currency hit of 2.4 million, negatively impacted the groups reported revenue and profit for the year, said the business, but reported a "good year" in the performance of its craft and super premium drinks in Ireland.

Tennents was the driving force behind share growth in the groups Scottish business, with revenues up 5%.

The financial year 2018 was a significant year of progress for the group, both in terms of strategic development as well as improved underlying performance, said Glancy.

"While the trading environment in our key markets of the UK and Ireland remained challenging, our branded portfolio returned to volume and revenue growth, outperforming the broader 'long alcoholic drinks' market."

The results were in-line with analyst expectations, despite weather disruption across the sector, and the company said it was confident in its outlook.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16)  The net worth of Vice President Leni Robredo has dropped to more than a million, 7.76 million lower than her previous net worth in 2016.

According to her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) from the end of 2017, the exact value of the Vice President's net worth is 1,114,802.84.

In April 2016, her net worth was at 8,878,111.43. When she assumed the vice presidency on June 30, 2016, her net worth was declared to be 11,053,138.

The SALN noted that the drop in her net worth is due to payment of her counter-protest fee before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET). It also noted Robredo's liabilities increased by 5 million.

Robredo's legal adviser Atty. Barry Gutierrez said she borrowed money to pay the protests fees required by the PET. Robredo paid the first tranche of a P15 million counter-protest fee in May after former Senator Bongbong Marcos filed an election protest against her, which sought to annul Robredo's proclamation and "declare him as the true winner."

"Supportive citizens raised money through contributions and attempted to submit to PET, but their petition was denied. So the VP had to raise the money herself," Gutierrez said in a message.

The Vice President's real properties for 2017 have stayed at 1,735,000 from her 2016 SALN. Her personal properties have decreased by almost 3 million, from 11.2 million in 2016.

Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte's net worth is 8.5 million, up by 4 million since he assumed office in June 2016.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16)  Opposition senators have asked the Supreme Court to stop the country's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In a petition filed before the High Court Wednesday, Senators Kiko Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Bam Aquino, Leila De Lima, Risa Hontiveros, and Antonio Trillanes said the executive cannot pull the country out of the international tribunal without the Senate's concurrence.

The "Instrument of Withdrawal" was sent to the United Nations Secretary General on March 15 without the participation of the Senate, contrary to Article 7, Section 21 of the Constitution, the petition said, adding that the provision applies to both entering and withdrawing from a treaty.

It wants the High Court to declare the move as "invalid or ineffective."

"Compel the Executive Department through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations to notify the United Nations Secretary-General that it is canceling, revoking, or withdrawing (the decision to pull out of the ICC)," the senators urged the Supreme Court.

They added the Supreme Court should stop the executive's move to prevent "dangerous consequences" in the future, as the President and his men "may upend some of the basic norms of our legal system at his or her own behest."

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque is confident the petition will be junked.

"Well good luck to them, I don't think there is no legal basis," Roque told reporters in a chance interview.

He said the petition for certiorari and mandamus filed by the senators won't prosper because it requires that the executive committed grave abuse of discretion and made a decision without or in excess of its jurisdiction.

"You cannot allege that on matters of foreign affairs," Roque said. "The courts will always defer to the executive on matters of foreign affairs."

Palace's argument

President Rodrigo Duterte pulled the country out of the international tribunal in March, a month after the ICC announced a preliminary examination on alleged extrajudicial killings in the country. A preliminary examination will determine whether there is cause to go on a full-blown investigation.

Trillanes first told CNN Philippines' The Source in March that he and other senators are filing a petition to question the withdrawal.

Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, along with Senate President Koko Pimentel, earlier said withdrawing from the ICC does not need Senate concurrence.

Duterte and his officials also said the withdrawal was not needed in the first place because the Philippines was never a member of the ICC. They argued the country's ratification of the Rome Statute, the treaty the formed the ICC, never took effect as it was nt published on the Official Gazette.

For its part, the ICC said it will push through with its preliminary examination.

Malacanang said it will not cooperate with the probe, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police - the agencies leading the anti-drug campaign - are following its lead.

ICC looks into drug killings

The ICC's review was launched after lawyer Jude Sabio filed a communication against Duterte at the ICC, followed by supplemental information from opposition lawmakers Trillanes and Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano. They said over a thousand were killed by the so-called Davao Death Squad under the leadership of then Mayor Duterte in Davao City, while thousands more were killed in the war on drugs since Duterte became president.

More than 4,000 suspects were killed in anti-drug operations since the bloody drug war in July 2016, government data show. Local and international human rights groups said Duterte in his public pronouncements ordered or encouraged policemen to kill those involved in the drug trade. They said this resulted in more than 13,000 extrajudicial killings in the drug war.

Malacanang has said there are no state-sponsored killings and it is committed to investigate officers who violate and abuse their authority.

CNN Philippines' Anjo Alimario contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16)  President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the total lifting of the deployment ban to Kuwait, the Palace said Wednesday.

"Upon recommendation of the Special Envoy to Kuwait Abdullah Mama-o, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte tonight instructed (Labor Secretary) Silvestre Bello to totally lift the ban on deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

This comes after conflicting statements by government officials on the matter.

READ: Labor Secretary clarifies no lifting of deployment ban to Kuwait yet

The total lifting of the ban meant domestic workers may also be deployed to the Gulf State once again, as opposed to earlier statements that only skilled and semi-skilled workers would be allowed.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello confirmed the news to CNN Philippines, saying they will issue a department order on Thursday.

"Yes, the President just directed me to lift totally the deployment ban for Kuwait, both for the household service workers and the skilled workers, as well as professionals" Bello said.

The Labor Secretary earlier said Duterte set two conditions for the ban to be lifted: the signing of a labor deal and justice on the case of slain overseas Filipino worker Joanna Demafelis.

"Apparently the President thinks, and I think too, that the conditions have been met," Bello said.

He added the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency will also impose a policy requiring recruitment agencies to put up training centers for the workers.

READ: Government allows skilled, semi-skilled workers to Kuwait

Talks of lifting the ban followed the signing of a labor deal between the Philippines and Kuwait, protecting the rights of Filipino workers in the Gulf State.

Duterte imposed the ban in February in the wake of reports Filipino workers were abused and even died in the Gulf state, including household helper Joanna Demafelis whose body was found inside a freezer of her employers' residence.

Kuwait is a top destination for overseas Filipino workers, with some 262,000 Filipinos working there as of 2018. Of this number, 170,000 are household service workers.

As of February 2018, remittances from Kuwait amounted to P5.5 billion, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. In 2017, a total of P42 billion was remitted from the Gulf State.
Aloha mai!

The 2018 Legislative Session has come to a close. Close to 200 bills sit on the Governor's desk awaiting his signature. Among the bills that passed final reading is Rep. Cynthia Thielen's HB 1602 RELATING TO OPIOIDS . The bill will require the inclusion of a label warning about the risks of addiction and death on the packaging of any opioid drug dispensed by a health care professional or pharmacist.

This legislative session has been praised as "historical and progressive" by certain lawmakers, however, Rep. Gene Ward suggests that we tread lightly on calling it historical. The Star Advertiser reported that "legislature makes gradual progress" and Civil Beat deemed this session "the most progressive" but this session, our caucus prompted necessary debate on a number of measures. This email includes a list of several notable bills that was heard this session.

Representative Gene Ward with Senate President Ron Kouchi, Speaker of the House Scott Saiki, and Kauai Representatives James Tokioka, Nadine Nakamura, and Majority Floor Leader Dee Morikawa, in the Senate Ways and Means and the House Finance Conference Committee.

Picture from Civil Beat.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Bill that pass Final Reading go to the Governor for consideration.

If the Governor signs the bill by July 10th (the 45th day after sine die), the bill becomes law.

If the Governor neither signs nor vetoes the bill by July 10th (the 45th day after sine die), the bill becomes law without the Governor's signature.

If the Governor intends to veto the bill, the Governor must inform the Legislature by June 25th (the 35th day after sine die) and deliver the veto by July 10th . If the bill is vetoed, it will not become law unless the Legislature successfully overrides the veto in special session by a 2/3 vote in each chamber. The Legislature must convene in special session at or before noon on July 10th to override the Governor's veto.

Information courtesy of LRB Hawaii.

BILL HIGHLIGHTS

HB2748 HD2 SD2 CD1 Appropriations for Housing Funds and Expanded GET Exemption for Affordable Housing Development PASSED. This bill appropriates over $200 million for various housing programs, including the Rental Housing Revolving Fund and the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund. It also expands the GET exemption for affordable housing development. This is a landmark bill, provided the funds are used wisely, that will go a long way toward increasing the stock of affordable housing in Hawaii. However, Rep. Ward expressed a few concerns about this bill - click here to view Rep. Ward's comments made on the floor .

HB 2739 HD1 Our Care, Our Choice Act. PASSED. Establishes the process to allow a mentally competent terminally ill patient to obtain life-ending medication. It was a lively discussion among representatives to ensure that sufficient safeguards were put in place to protect patients. Testimony was split in support and in opposition. Those in favor of the bill testified about a patient's right to choose to die and the right to be free from pain and suffering at a time of their choosing. The major concerns voiced by opponents were related to promoting a pro-suicide message, risks associated with a lack of system in place for returning unused medication and a lack of insurance coverage for the prescription. There were also concerns for patients that may suffer from temporary depression over a terminal diagnosis to not expedite their end of life with suicide. The opportunity of elder abuse and coercion were also hot topics in testimony.

SB3095 SD1 HD1 CD1 Chlorpyrifos Ban, Pesticide Reporting, and School Buffer Zone. PASSED. This bill bans chlorpyrifos pesticides after 1/1/2019, creates a buffer zone of 100 feet around schools where pesticides cannot be sprayed during instructional hours, and creates mandatory reporting requirements for those who use restricted use pesticides. Appropriates funds to DOAG to enforce compliance. This bill received huge support from environmental and health groups and quiet opposition from farmers and agricultural entities.

SB 2922 SD1 HD1 Constitutional Amendment Imposing Surcharge on Investment Real Property. PASSED. This amendment to the State Constitution creates a surcharge on investment real property and establishes a ballot question to be voted on by the people. Proponents of the amendment cited the need to improve Hawaii's education system, while critics pointed out potential rental cost increases, lack of a proposed tax rate, and potential reduction to existing general fund resources allotted to the Department of Education.

SB 2407 SD1 HD1 Medical Cannabis Study Group for Complex Cannabis Legal Issues.PASSED. The original bill allowed the use of medical cannabis to treat opioid use, substance use, and withdrawal symptoms resulting from the treatment of those conditions. The HD1 version instead establishes the Medical Cannabis Study Group to examine the legal issues regarding Hawaii's medical use of cannabis law, such as its use for substance abuse treatment, and other complex legal issues such as the state's compliance with federal law.

SB2046 SD1 HD1 Prohibiting Multiburst Trigger Activators. PASSED. This bill bans "bump-fire stocks" like those used by the perpetrator of the October 2017 Las Vegas massacre. Proponents pointed out that so-called "bump stocks" are merely toys and aren't practical or necessary for exercising one's right to self-defense. Detractors were worried that the language in the original draft of this and related bills was too vague, and could unintentionally outlaw other perfectly-legal modifications. However, the final language passed was a compromise that contained some language suggested in testimony by a local Federal Firearms License (FFL) holder.

HB1401 HD1 SD1 CD1 Voting by Mail Pilot Program . PASSED. While several bills introduced this year to create a mandatory voting-by-mail system failed, another bill that stalled last year in Conference Committee was revived at the last minute. Prompted by the severe flooding that had recently devastated parts of Kauai, the new bill creates a pilot program limited only to the County of Kauai for an all-mail voting system starting in the 2020 primary and general elections.

SB2514 SD1 HD1 CD1 HD1 Online Marketplace Facilitator Tax. PASSED. This bill refines GET tax law to include online marketplace facilitators (e.g. Amazon, Etsy, Overstock.com, Ebay) as doing business in the State. It defines doing business in the State as having gross annual receipts of $100,000 or more attributable to Hawaii, or as having 200 or more transactions per year in Hawaii. Although it is currently in violation of US Constitutional law pending a decision on South Dakota v. Wayfair, which is due to have a Supreme Court opinion released in late June 2018, a decision favorable to State taxing power may be released before the bill goes into effect.

SB 2990 SD2 HD2 CD1 Implements a Study for Paid Family Leave Program . PASSED. There were several bills proposing the establishment of a paid family leave program this year. Generally, the paid family leave bills that entered the conference period required the State to implement a Paid Family Leave Program by 2020, leaving the program model up to an implementation board. It also required a one-time comparative analysis and actuarial analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) by 2019. During the conference period, this bill regressed into a tamer version, appropriating $350,000 to LRB for a "complete sunrise analysis" study by September 1, 2019 so that the State can understand the impact of a paid family leave program before choosing an implementation model that best fits Hawaii's unique demographic. This study is to include a comparative analysis with Hawaii-based cost breakdowns and to explore options for compliance and enforcement and feasibility of additional support from DLIR.

May 1, 2018 - Rep. Gene Ward comments on HB2748 Relating to Housing.

CAUCUS NO VOTES

HB1768 HD2 SD2 CD1 Legislative Employee Salaries FAILED. This bill would allow public inspection and duplication of salary ranges, for legislative employees in incremental amounts of $15,000, rather than exact compensation amounts. The minority caucus opposed this measure because it inadvertently permits inequitable pay for minority caucus staffers in comparison to their majority counterparts. The bill passed Final Reading in the House with all caucus members voting "no", but the Senate decided to recommit the bill to Conference Committee, ultimately killing the measure at the very end of this session.

HB2601 HD1 SD2 CD2 Increases Surcharges for Rental and Tour Vehicles . PASSED. This bill increases the rental motor vehicle surcharge from $3 to $5 for lessees without a valid Hawaii driver's license from the rental motor vehicle surcharge and increases the tour vehicle surcharge by $1 for each category of tour vehicle. It also requires that the revenues from the increase in motor vehicle surcharge tax be expended for state highway road capacity projects in the county in which the rental motor vehicle was operated under rental or lease. Although this bill will increase county funds for road maintenance, this bill will negatively impact our local rental car business owners and have other unintended consequences. The passing of this measure will result in a forced fee-increase to tourists and other non-Hawaii drivers license holders by our local car rental places, which will make our local car rental businesses less competitive and may decrease the amount of car renters in our islands as well. Most importantly, the Attorney General submitted testimony warning that this measure could be subject to constitutional challenges because it arguably favors residents over nonresidents. Specifically, the AG's claimed that this measure potentially violates the Equal Protection Clause, which prohibits discrimination against a nonresident based solely on residency, and the Privileges and Immunities Clause, where a state may not impose higher taxes on a nonresident individual than it imposes on its own citizens.

On behalf of the minority caucus, mahalo to each of you for your support through this session. It is our honor and privilege to serve you. And if there is anything we can do for you, please reach out to any of our offices. Our contact information can be found on the capitol website . Don't forget to share this with your family and friends! Take care and God bless.

Mahalo,

Andria Tupola

State House Representative, District 43




We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here
The District Court of Helsinki on 4 May found Hartikainen guilty of violation of official duty for failing to disqualify himself from a meeting that dealt indirectly with the fixed-term employment of his spouse.

The Ministry of Finance has announced its decision not to take further action following the recent conviction of Antti Hartikainen, the director general of Finnish Customs. Hartikainen will thereby be able to continue in his current capacity at Finnish Customs.

The Ministry of Finance on Tuesday assured it nevertheless takes the ruling seriously.

Strict compliance with the disqualification rules is a key principle of good and sustainable administration. The ministry, however, sees no need to take action based on the provisions on public service, it explained in a press release.

It also argued that the legal proceedings brought to light relevant new information that had not been taken into consideration in a ruling issued by the Deputy Parliamentary Ombudsman on 25 May, 2016.

Helsingin Sanomat on Tuesday reported that the decision not to take action has raised eyebrows among legal experts.

Olli Maenpaa, a professor of administrative law at the University of Helsinki, highlighted in an interview with the newspaper that the district court considered the offence deliberate and serious, whereas the ministry called attention to mitigating factors.

But when you consider the director generals position and two previous reprimands, you couldve also reached a different conclusion based on the overall assessment, he stated.

Seppo Koskinen, a professor of labour law at the University of Turku, similarly expressed his puzzlement with the decision, reminding that a deliberate offence in office is typically regarded as sufficient grounds for issuing a warning.

Is this a clear message from the ministry that committing a deliberate offence while performing your official duties doesnt meet the threshold for issuing a warning? he said to Helsingin Sanomat.

The District Court of Helsinkis ruling is not yet final as the defendant has expressed his dissatisfaction with it.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Martti Kainulainen  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
Jan Vapaavuori (NCP), the Mayor of Helsinki, gauged ahead of the meeting that the question at hand will be the most momentous of the councillors' careers .

The councillors of four municipalities in the capital region convened yesterday to discuss the social, health care and regional government reform devised by the government of Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre).

Its still not too late to right the course of Finland, he tweeted ahead of the meeting held at Cultural House Martinus in Vantaa on Tuesday, 15 May.

The social, health care and regional government reform came  as expected  under a barrage of criticism from the councillors of Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen and Vantaa. Bjorn Mansson (SFP), a member of both the Helsinki City Council and the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council, branded the regional government reform as outright useless.

The counties under preparation would not become democratically governed intermediary administrations as they would be reliant completely on state funding. A uniform county system also is simply not applicable to all regions, the populations of which vary from roughly 70,000 to 1.7 million in Uusimaa, he argued.

His party comrades also reiterated the concern that the reform fails to take into consideration the special characteristics of the capital region: urbanisation as a global mega-trend and substantial net migration gains.

Related posts: Three cities join Helsinki in opposition to care and regional government reform (04 May, 2018)

Antti Lindtman (SDP), the chairperson of the Vantaa City Council, reminded that the capital region is home to nearly a quarter of the population of Finland.

The time for the capital region to issue a joint statement is now or never. Half of our revenues would vanish, while our costs would stay the same. Theres a need for concern, a need to raise our voice, he stressed.

Lindtman similarly drew attention to the unprecedented nature of the situation, saying this is the first time the government is pushing through such a massive reform without lending an ear to the residents and decision makers of Greater Helsinki.

The City of Vantaa has issued roughly 20 statements on different sections of the social, health care and regional government reform. Weve called attention to flaws in the reform after thorough and serious consideration, he told.

It turns out that every single flaw weve identified is about to come true  and in a worse way than any of us dared to think. The primus motor of Finnish competitiveness and undisputed driver of the economy mustnt stand idly by in the face of the governments bull-headedness, stated Lindtman.

One of the local policy makers to defend the massive reform was Pekka Puska (Centre), a councillor for the City of Vantaa.



The discussions are based on impressions. Uusimaa is in need of a social and health care reform just as much as the rest of Finland, he argued.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Roni Rekomaa  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 16)  The House of Representatives has approved on final reading a bill authorizing the registration of all Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card users.

House Bill 7233 or the "Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act" seeks to aid in tracking down lawless criminals who use post-paid and prepaid SIM cards to "pursue nefarious activities" such as theft, and kidnapping for ransom. It was approved Tuesday by a vote of 167 for and 6 against.

The bill defines SIM as "an embedded circuit that securely stores international mobile subscriber identity and related keys used to identify and authenticate subscribers on mobile devices."

The registration process requires SIM users to present valid identification to their respective Public Telecommunication Entity (PTE), which refers to a person who provides paid telecommunication services to the public.

The PTE or direct seller, on the other hand, is tasked to submit the registrations through a SIM card registration form with the full name, date of birth, gender and address of the end-user in a government-issued identification document with photo. Foreign nationals are also required to fill out the form.

The measure prohibits the disclosure of any information in the SIM card without the consent of the user unless the information adds value to an ongoing crime investigation and an order of a court upon finding probable cause is issued.

Users who fail to register will have their access to PTE services removed and incur the following penalities: P300,000 for the first offense; P500,000 for the second offense; and P1 million for the third and subsequent offenses.

Meanwhile, a direct seller will face suspension and a fine of P5,000 to P50,000 if they fail to abide by the bill.

The approved bill was authored by Deputy Speakers Gwendolyn Garcia and Sharon Garin and Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, among others.

It will have to be transmitted to the Senate for concurrence before it can signed into law by the President.

Moreover, multiple SIM registration counter bills from the Senate were filed in 2016 by Senator Loren Legarda, JV Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian, Panfilo Lacson, among others.




1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.
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The European Union can do more to communicate the social and economic benefits of forest management to the general public, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) argues in a set of recommendations adopted on 16 May that also emphasise that the sustainable management of forests should be "treated on a par with other measures aimed at reducing CO2 emissions" by the EU.

The CoR's opinion  which was drafted by Ossi Martikainen ( FI/ALDE), a member of Lapinlahti Municipal Council  is a contribution by the EU's assembly for local and regional authorities to the EU's mid-term review of its forest strategy , which was produced in 2013 and will be reviewed by the European Commission this autumn.

Mr Martikainen said: "Local and regional authorities have a great deal of experience in forestry, because they often own forests, manage forests, and implement national and EU legislation on forestry. We can see each day that forests are an important element to the economic success, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability of our communities, many of them in remote areas, and our recommendations highlight a number of ways in which they should use their powers to promote the transition to a bio-economy. Local and regional leaders should, for example, encourage the use of timber in construction and of advanced biofuel in public transport and in public facilities."

He continued: "Forestry, forest services and the forest bioenergy sector provide jobs for up to 4 million people in Europe and add 460 billion in value to the EU's economy. Forest policies are largely made in national capitals, but it is right that the EU is encouraging its member states to harmonise policies and it should continue to promote the reforestation of Europe and to reverse the deforestation on other continents. This is a strategy that is good for Europeans, for Europe, and for the climate. When we talk about reducing carbon emissions, we should also promote the re-growth of forests globally."

On the impact of the EU's forest strategy, Mr Martikainen said: "The EU's forest strategy is proving effective as a means of mainstreaming forestry issues and climate action into policies, and it offers good feedback opportunities. There are gaps, though. The Commission could solicit more input of local and regional authorities on issues such as green infrastructure, the bio-economy and the 2020 biodiversity strategy. It could also help ensure that the lively debates  and, sometimes, disputes  in our communities are fruitful, by providing more funding for research and reliable data. The EU could also gather examples of best practice, helping communities develop tried-and-tested proposals for action. This review is a chance for the EU to upgrade its efforts, to stimulate sustainable action, and contribute to public debate."

The opinion comes shortly after the European Commission suggested, on 2 May, that the percentage of the EU's budget used for climate-related purposes should be increased to 25%, from 20% in 2014-20, but also suggested cuts in the common agricultural policy (CAP), the main source of EU funding for forestry and forest services. The CAP provides funding, for example, for efforts to support entrepreneurship and training, to prevent deforestation, and plan and manage forests, and to introduce agroforestry systems.

In 2014, members of the United Nations  in the New York Declaration on Forests  pledged to halve the rate of deforestation by 2020, to end the loss of natural forests by 2030, and to restore at least 350 million hectares of degraded forest lands by 2030, an area greater than the size of India. Around 161 million hectares of forest  4% of the worlds total  are in the EU and, between 1990 and 2010, forest coverage in the EU increased by approximately 11 million hectares.

Notes to editors:

Forests cover around 40% of the EUs land area. Two-thirds of the EU's forested areas lie in six member states: Sweden, Finland, Spain, France, Germany and Poland. As in Finland and Sweden, forests cover more than 60% of Slovenia. By contrast, forests cover only 11% of the territory of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. More than 60% of forests are in private hands.

Ossi Martikainen (FI/ALDE), is a member of Lapinlahti Municipal Council and chairman of the CoR's Commission for Natural Resources (NAT). The NAT commission adopted the opinion by a majority vote on 9 March. The CoR adopted its first opinion on the EU Forest Strategy in January 2014, four months after the European Commission published the strategy. The strategy provides a framework for reference when drawing up sectoral policies that have an impact on forests. The strategy was followed, in September 2015, by the adoption of an implementation plan, setting out actions addressing challenges in the European timber sector. The EU is currently reviewing and updating most of its climate-related legislation to bring it into line with the 2030 targets; the European Commission will release its mid-term review of the forest strategy in the autumn.

The CoR's opinion reviewing the EU Forest Strategy highlights the importance of forests to climate regulation  "around 10% of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions are stored in forests"  and to Europe's economy, noting that forestry and forest services provide jobs for 3.5 million people ("up to 4 million if the forest bioenergy sector is also included") and add 460 billion in value to the EU's economy. It also identifies potential for greater benefits: while "90% of the timber raw materials used by Europe are of European origin", the percentage could rise; the transition to a greener economy and the growth of the bioeconomy could raise demand; while a "long-term approach" to sustainable management could result in "up to 90% of Europe's forests" being "natural or semi-natural, hosting a wide range of species". It argues that local and regional authorities should, for instance, be given more opportunity to shape EU initiatives that support the diversity of forests, such as the Natura 2000. Among its specific proposals, the opinion calls for "substantial investment in technology, pilot facilities and large-scale production, as well as a long-term regulatory framework".

Contact:

Wioletta Wojewodzka

Tel. +32 473 843 986
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Local and regional leaders call the EU to increase the budget of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) from 0.6 to 1% of the total EU budget after 2020. The Committee backs the request of the Galicia President Nunez Feijoo to introduce a new financial instrument for small coastal communities to access venture capital and bank guarantees for loans. The EMFF is the Union's main financial instrument to support the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), standing at EUR 6 396 million. Currently, Spain, France, Italy, Poland and Portugal are the top five beneficiaries of the fisheries fund, accounting for 50% of its total (European Parliament, June 2017).

"We need a new financial instrument geared to small coastal communities, based on shared management, that supports the creation of new business initiatives, ensuring handover to the next generation and diversification of the fisheries industry while retaining its traditional character", said Alberto Nunez Feijoo (ES/EPP), President of Galicia and rapporteur of the opinion  The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund beyond 2020  Investing in Europes coastal communities.

The members of the CoR support the head of the Galician government with regard to the following key points:

Continuing support for measures to compensate the fleet for socio-economic damage caused by environmental measures such as area closures, temporary stops and other measures limiting fishing activities;

Direct public support in the form of grants is the best option for fishing businesses due to their small average size;

Increasing support for applied research and data systematisation by at least 10%;

Supporting renewal of the fishing fleet focusing on improving living conditions on board. The average age of fishing vessels in the EU is 22.6 years;

Achieving a successful handover to the next generation through budgetary support for training and access to the sector via the purchase of vessels without generating an increase in fishing effort;

Simplification of the application process for EMFF funds, with adjustment for basins and regions through applications that can be managed by a single body.

The socio-economic impact of maritime and fisheries activity is substantial in many coastal regions. The sector contains more than 85 000 vessels, employs over 340 000 people throughout the whole chain, and produces more than 6 000 000 tonnes of fish and seafood from fishing and aquaculture.

The members of the CoR draw attention to the Fund's overall low level of implementation, standing at 2.7% in 2017, and to the problems arising from the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy such as reducing discards or achieving maximum sustainable yield (MSY).

The local and regional representatives regret the late entry into force of the EMFF and the delay in making funds available, considering that this delay is due to the fact that the validation process for the operational programmes was slow and the definition of eligible parties cumbersome and unclear.

Europe's cities and regions warn the European institutions that the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU must not be used as a pretext to cut future funding to the EMFF.

Further information

European Parliament Briefing on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), June 2017
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As catalysts for innovation policy and growth, Smart Specialisation Strategies will be an important factor in the success of EU's cohesion policy in the next budget period. The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) calls on the European Commission to take this approach one step beyond by initiating a phase 2.0 of smart specialisation, based on developing a "regional discovery process" in which regions pool their strategies involving the interregional triple helices.

"Future smart specialisation strategies should be based on interregional strategic cooperation, with the double objective of generating synergies between regional innovation and development policies, and financial instruments, and, secondly, of avoiding duplication", explains rapporteur Mikel Irujo (ES/EA), Head of the Navarre Government Delegation in Brussels and member of ERRIN Management Board. His opinion was adopted unanimously at the CoR plenary session on Wednesday 16 May.

The concept of regional discovery should be "based on a bottom-up process where regional authorities share their development objectives with other EU regions, draw up lists of the main actors involved in development in their regions, make a joint assessment of their regions' shortcomings and challenges and analyse the support instruments available". With the lead of the European Commission, this exercise should contribute to the combination of funds at all levels (local, regional, national and EU) to support interregional projects.

"Despite considerable efforts of the European Commission, in particular through the S3 Platform , regulatory barriers and the absence of a financial framework continue to limit the development of a genuine interregional cooperation ecosystem", rapporteur Irujo regrets.

His opinion urges to eliminate the complexity of fund management to allow synergies between regional and European funding and to put in place attractive financial tools to facilitate interregional cooperation, meeting the needs detected in already existing experiences as Vanguard Initiative . These would include appropriate and flexible ad-hoc instruments combining loan financing with public and private funding to support experimental pilot projects in different phases of development. The opinion also calls for more flexible use of Interreg to support the creation of industrial value chains and suggests extending the Digital Innovation Hubs approach to other industrial and technological areas.

The proposals were backed by MEP Lambert van Nistelrooij (NL/EPP) who took the floor at the CoR plenary session. He pointed out the added value of European cooperation for more effective implementation and roll-out of new products and services and urged to better incorporate the concept of smart specialisation in EU's next R&I framework programme.

Contact:

Lauri Ouvinen

Tel. +32 22822063
Page Content

On 25 April Mr Burianek kicked-off the 2018 Brussels model European Union that focuses this year on the future of Europe. After having presented the CoR initiative "Reflecting on Europe", a series of dialogues with citizens and political reflections and analysis of how local and regional authorities can contribute to the debate on the future of Europe, the Secretary General expressed the importance of having a more ambitious European commitment regarding a Youth Strategy. This must take into account a range of different policy areas affecting young people such as cohesion policy, better education and better access to jobs. Moreover, Mr Burianek reiterated the CoR's support for the Commission's efforts to reinforce the Youth Guarantee and the Youth Employment Initiative and the creation of the European Solidarity Corps. He concluded by saying that Youth represented by the young people in the audience are the main drivers for change and for a better European future and that young people from all over Europe are needed to bring in fresh ideas and perspectives for a more united and a more optimistic future of Europe.

Brussels Model European Union is an annual international simulation of European politics and decision-making process that aims to sensitise Europes youth to the European project. The aim of Brussels MEU is to increase dialogue and cultural exchange between European youth and policy makers, and to promote the participation of young people in European democratic life. During a week of the simulation, 150 participants gather in a simulation of European politics and debate pressing topics of the EU agenda, taking on the role of Members of the European Parliament, Heads of State, Ministers in the Council, or journalists. As such, they incarnate the functions of real policy makers and encounter all the difficulties and necessary efforts to make democracy work.
In 1849 Elder Parley P. Pratt, the great-great-grandfather of presidential candidate Mitt Romney, led the first Mormons into southwestern Utah, describing it as a countryturned inside out, upside down, by terrible convulsions in some former age.

On October 6, 1861, Brigham Young called 300 Mormon families on the Cotton Missiona church-led effort to settle the Virgin River Basin in southwestern Utah. The area became known as Dixie for the cotton and sugar cane it yielded. The Mormon emigrants, along with a smattering of pioneers already in the valley, established Grafton astride the Virgin River just west of Zion Canyon.

Young spoke at Grafton in 1861, warning against gentile encroachment in the area: The country from Toquerville to Adventure is a good place to hide up women and children and defend them in time of war, for no army could get into these pockets and openings, if there were a few men to oppose them.

On January 8, 1862, the Virgin River flooded Grafton after 40 days of constant rain, collapsing adobe homes and dispersing sand bars across farmland. The town was relocated 112 miles to the north.

When early settler Nathan Tenneys wife went into labor during the flood, Nathan and several other men lifted, shoved and floated their wagon-box home to higher ground. The Tenneys named their son Marvelous Flood in honor of his unique birth.

New Grafton was self-sufficient. Settlers harvested cherries, peaches, apples, pears, grapes, currants and grain. A cotton mill and molasses mill provided the towns chief exports in the early days; later cattle herding and silk production diversified the economy. In 1864 Grafton reached its largest population of 168 souls.

In 1866 local Paiutes began to attack the settlers cattle herds. In April of that year they murdered three members of the Berry family as they traveled from Grafton to Kanab. The conflict prompted the Mormon church to relocate all Graftonites to Rockville. Only about 40 people returned to Grafton in 1868.

The town rebounded and grew steadily after a silkworm craze in 1874, when residents planted large mulberry trees still standing todayto feed the lucrative worms.

The completion of the Hurricane Canal, which opened new farmlands in the Hurricane Valley, spelled Graftons demise. The town could never fully control the turbulent Virgin River. Said one resident: The making of ditches in Grafton was like the washing of clothes in a household, it had to be done every week.

In 1944 last holdouts Franklin Stephen Russell and Mary Ellen Ballard Russell moved from their home next to the adobe schoolhouse/church to St. George. They had bought the building (seen opposite below) in 1910 for $200 and a cow.

Hollywood has resurrected picturesque Grafton as the backdrop for numerous Westerns, including Child Bride of Short Creek, Arizona Kid, Red Fury, Ramrod and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In the latter, Paul Newman took his idyllic bicycle ride with Katharine Ross along the streets of Grafton.

Located just off Route 9 between Virgin City and Rockville in Washington County,Grafton today includes the adobe schoolhouse/church, several homesteads and a graveyard nestled beneath Mount Kinesava in Zion National Park.

Originally published in the February 2008 issue of Wild West. To subscribe, click here.
Now in its fourth year, the competition marks Africa Day 2018 celebrations and offers a platform for emerging talent, as well as established writers of all ages.

Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development, Ciaran Cannon has announced that Irish Aid has again partnered with The Irish Times on an African-themed short story and poetry competition.

Entries are invited across three categories: Primary School, Secondary School and Adult. Writers are invited to submit a short story or poem relating to the relationships and interactions between Ireland and Africa.

Primary-school children can submit a piece of up to 250 words while the word limit for secondary school students is 1,000 words. The word count for entries from adults is 2,000 words.

Launching the 2018 competition, Minister Cannon said: Irish Aid is pleased to continue its partnership with The Irish Times on the Africa Day writing competition.

"The competition is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the wealth of talent amongst Irish and African writers whose stories highlight the diversity of African culture and its place in Ireland, while deepening understanding between the African and Irish communities. I encourage aspiring and established writers of all ages to enter.

Martin Doyle, Books Editor of The Irish Times, said: The Irish Times is delighted to work with Irish Aid again to provide a space in which to nurture the next generation of writers.

"The competition continues to receive a great response and I am always encouraged by the calibre of entries received, and the insight they offer into the African-Irish experience.

"This year, we are especially delighted to welcome writer and spoken word artist, Dagogo Hart as a guest judge. His work reflects his own experience of growing up in Lagos, Nigeria and moving to Ireland as a teenager.

Submissions for all categories can be made via email to [email protected], with Writing Competition in the subject line, or by post to Africa Day Writing Competition, DHR Communications, 80 Francis Street, Dublin 8. Submissions for the adult and secondary school category must be typed. Entries for the primary school category may be handwritten.

The closing date for submissions is Thursday, 12th June 2018 and the winners will be chosen by Irish Aid and The Irish Times. The winning entries will be published on www.IrishTimes.com on Monday, 25th June. Winners will receive a selection of books to the value of 50 each at a special prize-giving and photographic presentation at The Irish Times.

Irish Aid will host its flagship Africa Day event, on Sunday, 27th of May 2018 in Farmleigh Estate, Phoenix Park, Dublin 15. Free and family-friendly, the event will feature three stages of live music with performances by well-known African and Irish musicians, traditional African drumming and dance workshops and cultural performances, an Africa bazaar and much more. Africa Day Champion and guest judge for Africa Day writing competition, Dagogo Hart will perform a spoken word set at the event and will encourage attendees to enter.

Further information is available on www.africaday.ie.
I slide down into a warm burgundy leather couch beside a heated fireplace. In front of me is a mantlepiece covered in trinkets and adorned with the flickering of candle flames. No, I am not in your favourite Grannys living room. I am in Black Hat Tattoo Parlour.

For those of you who have never had a tattoo done, its kind of a big deal. I mean, its there forever right? You want to be sure that what youre getting is really good. But you also want to feel comfortable, and trust the person who is making their mark on your body.

The minute I walk into Black Hat Tattoo Parlour on Parnell Street, I feel welcome. I am here with Lena and Sergy, partners in business  and in real life. Lena is a tall, attractive woman from France, with striking eyes, the color of an iceberg.
In the wake of the shocking actions of the Israeli military on the Gaza border over the past few days, Charlie McGettigan  who won the Eurovision singing Brendan Grahams Rock n Roll Kids with Paul Harrington  has said that RTE should withdraw from next years competition, if it goes ahead in Israel.

Charlie McGettigan previously won the Eurovision for Ireland in 1994 with Paul Harrington, performing the song 'Rock'n'Roll Kids'.

Speaking with Joe Duffy on RTE Radio 1, he said that Ireland should resist attempts to have the Eurovision hosted in Israel, and that it's broadcaster should consider boycotting it if the event goes ahead in the country.

"I think they need to make a decision, but if they dont, I think we need to make the decision not to go," McGettigan said on Liveline on Tuesday.

"It was dreadful yesterday (Monday) seeing Netanyahu and the Trumps celebrating while people are dead."

He argued that boycotting the Eurovision would be an attempt for Eurovision to voice their opposition to Israel's military actions.

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"It's a chance for the whole of Europe who are involved in Eurovision to make a statement and sort of say, 'Look, we don't agree with this'."

Speaking about the US/Israel celebrations which took place in Jerusalem, McGeittgan said: "It was like Nero in Rome...fiddled while Rome burned."

As it stands, the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 is scheduled to take place in Tel Aviv in May.
Award-winning Irish comedian Jason Byrne will take the reins at this year's IFTA Gala Television Awards.

The popular judge, who hosts the hugely successful Irelands Got Talent, was the biggest selling comedian at the Edinburgh Fringe; his inspired original brand of high-energy intelligent lunacy has ensured that he is one of the most exciting live comedy performers in the world.

Jason has numerous radio credits and won the Sony Radio Gold Award in 2011 for The Jason Byrne Show which ran for three series on BBC Radio 2. As he picked up more and more international experience, the well known comedian has performed shows all over the world.

Commenting today on the announcement as the IFTA host Jason Byrne said: Im absolutely delighted to be hosting the IFTA Gala Awards this year. At a time when more quality television is being made all over the world, its great to see Irish Television being able to hold its own. In this era of choice, television is and always will be, a very important medium for me personally, mainly because I dont like cat videos or being told how to apply make-up by a twelve year old.

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The awards will be taking place at the RDS Concert Hall, on Thursday 31st May 2018.
Gavin James, The Flaming Lips and Kodaline have been announced to play at the Galway International Arts Festival in July.

The festival, which runs from 16-29 July, will also feature Madness, Walking on Cars and The Stunning across the two weeks. Various venues across the city are used to hold the events, with locations such as Eyre Square, The Black Box and Roisin Dubh being used.

Heineken Big Top is also a key venue for the festival, as it will be hosting the larger music acts such as Gavin James and The Flaming Lips.

The festival celebrates other art-forms apart from music with theatre, dance, circus and visual art set to play a prominent part.

In terms of theatre performances, there will be six world premieres and five Irish premieres. This will include first-time showings of plays by Paul Muldoon, Sonya Kelly and Cristin Kehoe.

We are very excited about this years festival. It is our biggest programme ever and continues our build up into 2020 when Galway has the European Capital of Culture designation, said the festivals Chief Executive John Crumlish. We have expanded our theatre and music programmes and have a free programme that audiences will be very excited by.

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President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, will be launching a series of talks at the festival which focus on the idea of home. There will also be various interviews, conversations and debates across the programme which also centre around the theme of home called First Thought Talks.

It is going to be a busy couple of weeks in Galway with a programme that is seemingly endless.

For full Programme details, Festival updates and previews, visit www.giaf.ie
With just nine days to go until Irish citizens will be voting on the removal of the eighth amendment from the Constitution, Labour Senator Ivana Bacik has said that voting Yes on May 25th is the only way to deal with so-called hard cases and to show real compassion to women and their families.

Senator Bacik said: We are now just ten days away from voting in this vitally important referendum, and it seems that the tenor of the debate is becoming more vitriolic.

Its really important, as we enter the final days, that the debate remains respectful and factual.

We need to remain focussed on the issues at the centre of this debate- the need to prioritise womens healthcare and to show compassion in a crisis.

To this effect, I fully support and endorse the comments of my colleagues in Lawyers For Yes, John Rogers SC, Michael McDowell SC and Ms Justice Catherine McGuinness, who have said that so-called hard cases can only be dealt with by repealing the eighth amendment.

She added: There should be no attempt to minimise or downplay the really difficult cases that many women and their families face on a daily basis in a crisis pregnancy, and these women deserve our compassion and support."

In a press statement issues last night, she also said: The only way that we can offer real compassion and support is by repealing the 8th amendment, which currently prevents women from accessing the care of their doctors in a crisis pregnancy, and places them in vulnerable situations abroad; or has the effect of leaving them alone and unsupervised by a medical professional using medication purchased online with the threat of criminal sanction.

This is the reality facing thousands of women in crisis pregnancy situations and they need and deserve our support. That is why we need to vote Yes to repeal on 25th May.
Saint Sister's 'Twin Peaks' is the first single off their debut album, which will be released later this year.

The atmos-folk duo have given us a teaser of what their debut album Shape Of Silence will contain, with a quietly optimistic track full of pop culture references, good intentions and ideas, and blissful harmonies.

Its an instinctive reaction towards a friend who was going through a difficult time," MacIntyre told Billboard about the new track. "What I wanted to say was, lets just do all the things we enjoy, lets block out the rest of the world, let it just be us for the next while and dont worry, we dont have to think about anything that will upset you...[]."

Saint Sister are playing The Olympia Theatre on October 11. Make sure you don't miss out on them!

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Enjoy 'Twin Peaks' here:
The actor is amongst a heap of celebrities encouraging men to vote yes on May 25.

Irish actress Sharon Horgan has pleaded men to vote yes in the upcoming abortion referendum on May 25.

The Catastrophe star is taking part in the #YESman campaign which encourages men to vote yes. Bob Geldof, Steve Wall and Tracey Thorne also showed their support for the campaign.

The videos were recorded by Billy McGrath of Sidelines at the Vinyl Festival in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham earlier this month.

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Watch here:
President Michael D Higgins has paid tribute this morning to the giant of the Irish theatre world who has passed away at the age of 83.

From Galway, Murphy's first successful play, A Whistle in the Dark, was performed at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in London in 1961 and caused considerable controversy.

He worked closely with the Abbey Theatre and the Druid Theatre Company and he was hailed as a master of language by critics.

"It was with great sadness that Sabina and I have learned of the death of Tom Murphy," President Higgins stated this morning.

"The importance of Tom Murphys contribution to Irish theatre is immeasurable and outstanding. We have had no greater use of language for the stage than in the body of work produced by Tom Murphy since his earliest work in the 1960s.

"His themes were not only those which had influenced the very essence of Irishness, immigration, famine and loss - they were universal in their reach.

President Higgins added: "From the early beginnings of his writings in Tuam, Tom Murphy produced a unique and often provocative body of work. He was above all the great playwright of the emigrant, more than anyone capturing, in a poignant, creative way, the transience that is at the heart of the emigrant experience.

President Higgins also recalled his many meetings with the playwright.

"It was such a joy to meet Tom so many times over the years, and a particular pleasure for any of us who have been privileged to call him our friend," the president recalled.

"I had the pleasure of presenting Tom with the Aosdana torc in his home in 2017, a great acknowledgement by his contemporaries of his outstanding abilities as a writer.

"Sabina and I wish to express our condolences to his wife Jane and to Mary, Bennan, Johnny, Nell and their extended family and his wide circle of friends. I will miss him deeply, but he will be fondly missed by all of us who had the privilege of knowing him."
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Both the University of Illinois and Arizona State University are now offering Master's degrees in Computer Science in partnership with Coursera. Is gaining an online masters a worthwhile undertaking?

Disclosure: When you make a purchase having followed a link to Coursera from this article, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Coursera and the University of Illinois already offer an entirely online Master of Computer Science in Data Science (MSC-DS), see Coursera Offers MOOC-Based Master's in Data Science and now there's a more general Master of Computer Science (MCS) along the same lines.

The Illinois MCS is a non-thesis degree for computing professionals that requires 32 credit hours of graduate coursework. Students can complete the eight courses required for the Online MCS at their own pace, within a five-year window.

Lectures are delivered through the Coursera platform, but students are advised and assessed by Illinois faculty and teaching assistants on a rigorous set of assignments, projects, and exams required for university degree credit. The cost of tuition is $600 per credit hour for eight 4-credit hour courses, and is billed as each course is taken.

Students can complete the degree in as little as one year taking three or four courses per term, while others will finish in two to three years by taking one course per term. Students needing to skip a term due to work, family, or other life interruptions do not pay tuition for that semester. Coursera fees of $79 per course and exams fees are charged separately.

The Master's degree aims to build their expertise in four core areas chosen from the following:

Architecture, Compilers and Parallel Computing

Learn parallel programming to achieve peak performance from multi-core CPU and many-core GPU computer architectures, as well as the languages, compilers and libraries best suited for different parallel applications and platforms.

Artificial Intelligence

Build your knowledge of the statistical models and numerical optimizations of machine learning with application in computer vision, natural language processing and intelligent user interaction.





Build your knowledge of the statistical models and numerical optimizations of machine learning with application in computer vision, natural language processing and intelligent user interaction. Database and Information Systems

Learn the basics of database systems and different data mining methods for extracting knowledge and insight both from structured datasets (e.g. for a sales recommendation system) as well as unstructured data (e.g. from natural language text).





Learn the basics of database systems and different data mining methods for extracting knowledge and insight both from structured datasets (e.g. for a sales recommendation system) as well as unstructured data (e.g. from natural language text). Formal Methods, Programming Languages and Software Engineering

Discover the fundamentals of software engineering, including both function-based and object-oriented methods for analysis and design. Learn how to see a large software project from its original specification through its implementation, testing and maintenance. Additionally, you will learn how to manage large enterprise-level codebases.





Discover the fundamentals of software engineering, including both function-based and object-oriented methods for analysis and design. Learn how to see a large software project from its original specification through its implementation, testing and maintenance. Additionally, you will learn how to manage large enterprise-level codebases. Graphics and Human-Computer Interaction

Learn the fundamentals of interactive computing to promote an effective synergy between the computer and its human user. The Data Visualization course, for example, shows how to present and manipulate data to communicate understanding and insight to the public.





Learn the fundamentals of interactive computing to promote an effective synergy between the computer and its human user. The Data Visualization course, for example, shows how to present and manipulate data to communicate understanding and insight to the public. Systems and Networking

Learn how to network computers into distributed systems and ultimately build a cloud computing platform. Master ways to create applications that utilize cloud resources effectively.





Learn how to network computers into distributed systems and ultimately build a cloud computing platform. Master ways to create applications that utilize cloud resources effectively. Scientific Computing

Discover the fundamentals of numerical analysis and how it applies to accurate solutions to the large linear systems used for everything from simulation in scientific applications to optimization in machine learning to the physics of your favorite video game.

Applicants should possess a bachelor's degree is computing or if some other discipline sufficient background in object-oriented computer programming, data structures and algorithms. The next cohort starts on August 16, 2018 and the final deadline for applications is May 30, 2018

The early deadline for the Master of Computer Science from Arizona State University has already passed but the final deadline in July 20. There is an application fee of $70 for domestic (i.e. US-based) applicants and $90 for international ones. Tuition costs $15,000 - not including the costs of the Coursera courses - and there are options for financial support.

The areas of focus for this MCS, which requires students to choose 10 courses from 20 options are AI, Software Engineering, Cloud Computing, Big Data, and Cybersecurity. Youll also create a project portfolio of 4 projects that youll use to showcase your experience to prospective employers. Projects include:

Design a Visual Analytics System

Explore and reason with data in this project by designing and building a visual analytics system for analyzing visitor data to a fictional theme park.

Build a Deep Learning Architecture

Design and build a deep neural network of many layers in this project, creating a network that can learn to recognize image categories from a given dataset.





Design and build a deep neural network of many layers in this project, creating a network that can learn to recognize image categories from a given dataset. Build a Movie Database Demonstrate your ability to design and build a seven-table movie database from scratch in this project; you'll also create applications to work on top of the database.

Implement a K-Means Algorithm and Its Variants Create and build a clustering algorithm that can group the input collection of documents into a desired number of clusters in this project.

While gathering the details of these two master's degrees I wondered about the next application deadline for the Online CS Masters first offered by Georgia Tech in Spring 2014 in partnership with Udacity and AT&T. Having discovered that the Fall 2018 deadline passed on April 1st with the current deadline being September 1st for Spring 2019 there is some recent news about its impact. In terms of numbers, Georgia Tech hasn't achieved its ambitious target of enrolling 10,000 students within three years, enrollment expanded from 380 students in spring 2014 to 6,365 in spring 2018, making it the largest master's degree program in computer science in the U.S., and likely the world.

The analysis reveals that demand for the online program is large: it attracts over 3,400 applicants annually, about twice as many as its in-person equivalent. Some 61 percent of applicants are admitted, almost five times the 13 percent admission rate for the in-person program, and 80 percent of those admitted enroll. The typical applicant to the online program was a 34-year-old midcareer American, while the typical applicant to the in-person degree was a 24-year-old recent graduate from India.

Students admitted to the online program typically had slightly lower academic credentials than those admitted to the in-person program, but they performed slightly better in their identical and blind-marked final assessments, a finding the study hailed as:

the first rigorous evidence that we know of showing that an online degree program can increase educational attainment.

The cost of gaining an online Masters in Computer Science from Georgia Tech is substantially lower than either of the Coursera offerings and you can take the same courses it offers on Udacity for free.

This leads us to the question of whether a Master's degree is ever likely to pay back its cost - both financial and in terms of time. In Is Your Degree Worth Its Cost?, which reported on Stack Overflow findings, there was no discernible advantage in having a Master's Degree over a Bachelor's and that having a university degree led to a salary increase of only 3K per annum. The main case for doing a Master's degree seems to be for personal interest and it may be that, unless you want an academic career where the prestige bestowed by a degree from the University of Illinois has cachet, completing the courses on the Cousera or Udacity platforms can fill that need.







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The Planning Board approved a number of special permits on Monday.

North Adams Planners OK Distillery, More Norad Businesses



The planners approved one new business, one business relocation and the move and expansion of Moresi & Associates into the mill. NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The Planning Board on Monday approved a host of businesses, many having to do with the Norad Mill.

The former Excelsior Print mill on Roberts Drive has been filling up with tenants since being purchased by developer David Moresi last spring. On Monday, they gave the OK to a yarn dyer, a computer repair shop and Moresi's own business office.

Freia Yarns will take up residence in 4,000 square feet on the second floor of the building.

"I fell out of love with California and in love with the Berkshires," owner Tina Whitmore told the planners. Her 15-year-old business is primarily wholesale and she purchases yarns and dyes them under her label.

Planner Lynette Bond asked if there were any issues surrounding dye disposal. "Most of the dye is taken up by the yarn," Whitmore said, adding that the dye is nontoxic and the amount she produces is not "industrial level."

She was approved for hours from 8 to 8, seven days a week, although she said the hours were more because of her own tendency to work late, not her business's hours.

"If you don't let me open on Sundays, great, I'll take it off," she laughed.

Also approved to operate out of the mill was Computer Bug, which closed its store on Main Street a couple weeks ago. The computer repair and sales business also does photo restoration. It will occupy Suite 106 in the mill.

Moresi told the planners that after all he'd brought forward over the past year, this would be the last special permit he'd be asking for Moresi & Associates for awhile.

"We actually decided it's time for us to relocate our offices to the Norad Mill," Moresi said. "We're really excited about it. We're talking about a 5,000 square foot space, really transformative for our business, it's going to allow us to hire more office staff people as well as it's going to allow us to bring our newly formed sales company all under one roof."

The company has been working out of 1000 Massachusetts Ave., parts of which it also rents out. Moresi said he will maintain that location and already has tenants lined up once space opens up.

The permit was approved for hours of 24/7. Moresi explained that as a property management company his crews have to be able to respond whenever needed.

He told the planners he is working with Building Inspector William Meranti on a sign that will indicate the businesses in the mill. The sign is being manufactured by an Adams sign company and its location has been plotted out.

Also on the agenda was a rum distillery planned for Greylock Works. Off-Piste Enterprises LLC, doing business as Ski Bum Rum, will be the first of what mill owner Salvatore Perry hopes will be a thriving artisan and food production venue.

Some 30,000 square feet of the massive mill on State Road has been set aside for food production, including dairy, fermentation, cheese and baked goods. The distillery wasn't possible until the City Council and Planning Board began an ordinance change allowing it to operate in the I-2 zone.

Neighbor Francis Morandi raised concerns about smells and traffic. Large delivery trucks could block neighbors or damage the narrow Protection Avenue, he said.

Master distiller Ryan Max Riley said there would be no vapors or fumes. He estimated that he would need deliveries once or twice a month and did not think traffic would be problematic. The tasting room attached to the distillery would be open Friday through Sunday and at 200 square feet could only accommodate eight to 10 people at a time, he said.

Ski Bum Rum had a craft distillery in Golden, Colo., and distributed to about 150 of taverns and restaurants in that state, according to its website. It specializes in coconut and spiced rums and is a Gold Medal winner in the Denver International Spirit Competition. The Colorado location closed on April 1.

The special permit for the distillery was approved pending the completion of the ordinance change through City Council.

In other business:

 A special permit for a change of tenant for C&C Auto and Motorsports operated by Cory Spencer and Corey Fortin was approved for 708 State Road. Spencer said the business is a full-service garage and that would be open 9 to 5 Monday through Friday and by appointment on Saturday from 9 to 3.

The planners and two neighbors questioned the deteriorated condition of the property, which was formerly Tunnel City Auto owned by Mark Laveriere.

Spencer said he and his partner had already begun cleaning up the property and had plans to repair the front facade and put on a pitched roof but at the moment they were only leasing and did not want to invest too much until they completed the purchase of the property.

Of concern to the board was the trailer part of a tractor-tailer that was sitting in the back and being used for storage. Spencer and Fortin said they also wanted it gone and were pushing Laveriere to remove as much as possible.

"We're trying to put him to a point, where he's agreeing to get rid of more vehicles," Fortin said. "And one thing, when do buy, it's on paper that as soon as we sign, everything back there, including that tractor-trailer, has to be out."

Susan Lefaver, an abutter who has brought the condition of the property to the planners in the past, asked if the board could refuse the recognize the pre-existing use. The garage has been in continuous use and grandfathered into what is now a largely residential area. Planners told her that any objections would have had to be made years ago and that there was no appeal process in that regard through the city.

 A special permit application of Bhakti Chaudhari to operate the Subway at 1 Main Street was approved. She said nothing would change.

 Michele Kirby was approved to operate a beauty salon at 104 River St., owned by Alicia Canary. Kirby operated the Orchid Salon for 38 years on Ashland Street but the building has been sold. One of the new owners is Planner Brian Miksic.

 The planners also recommended to the City Council changes to the marijuana ordinance to include medical marijuana (a joint hearing was held immediately prior); approved a Form A of H.A. George Realty Corporation Inc. to convey property at 651 Ashland St. to an abutter; and approved signs for the NAMAzing Eagle Street Initiative and Tourists. A sign package submitted by David Atwell for Dave's Package Store on River Street was postponed to the next meeting over questions of the percentage of signage allowed.
Town Clerk Lori Trottier collects ballots in one of Tuesday's votes.

New Ashford Town Meeting OKs School Budget



Nearly 70 registered voters crammed into the meeting room at Town Hall in New Ashford. NEW ASHFORD, Mass.  Throughout the winter and spring, the school budget has been a sticky issue.

On Tuesday night, it was decided with sticky notes.

On consecutive paper ballot votes, town meeting voted by a 35-31 margin to keep the school line item in the town budget at the level recommended by the School Committee and, by a 13-vote margin, approved the total $870,054.61 spending plan.

Sixty-nine residents  or 35 percent of the town's 196 registered voters  crammed the Town Hall meeting room to do the town's business.

The most discussed item of business: whether to pay an increased tuition rate to send the town's elementary school-aged children to Lanesborough Elementary School. Town Clerk Lori Trottier made her way through the standing-room only crowd three times to collect secret ballots  recorded on Post-It Notes  before the 90-minute meeting came to a close.

The school budget issue came to a head in January when the Mount Greylock Regional School Transition Committee, following the lead of the Lanesborough Elementary School Committee's spring 2017 decision, voted to raise the tuition rate charged at Lanesborough to a level in line with the per-pupil cost of education at the school, as published by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

After negotiating with the New Ashford School Committee, the Transition Committee decided to offer a phased approach to bring the tuition up to the DESE per-pupil rate over the next three fiscal years. For FY19, that means New Ashford's per pupil rate will go from $8,977 to $12,477, an increase of 39 percent per pupil.

The rate goes to $14,442 next year and in FY21, the town would pay the DESE per-pupil rate.

Select Board member Mark Phelps opened the budget discussion by moving that town cut the education line item in the budget by $13,000, from $620,972 to $607,972.

"To the best of my knowledge, Hancock has given us an offer less than what Lanesborough is asking," Phelps said. "I think we should take Hancock up on its offer."

Cutting the budget would not have done that, exactly. A reduction in the line item would have forced the School Committee either to attempt to reopen negotiations with the newly expanded Mount Greylock Regional School District or find another elementary-school option, like Hancock Elementary.

"The Transition Committee is not going to negotiate with us again," School Committee Chairwoman Brenda Frye told the meeting. "You vote us in as School Committee members. You have to trust us to do our jobs. We have done our due diligence.

"We really feel Lanesborough is the best place for our students at this point."

New Ashford Superintendent Peter Dillon, who also serves as the superintendent for Hancock  as well as Richmond and the Berkshire Hills Regional School District  was asked by voters to talk about the difference between an education at Hancock and one at Lanesborough.

Dillon, stressing that he represents pupils in both schools, said there are differences. Chief among them is size; the smaller elementary school in Hancock is a "loving, supportive community with a real focus on literacy," Dillon said.

"The tradeoff is that the opportunities around music and music education are fewer [in Hancock]," he said. "There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but it is a different experience in Hancock versus Lanesborough."

Dillon also explained that even if the per-pupil rate offered by Hancock is lower, there would be additional costs not reflected in the base tuition rate. New Ashford would end up paying additional tuition money to support pupils on individualized education plans, and it might need to support an aide on the bus to Hancock Elementary.

Dillon said the final budget could not be determined precisely but, in his professional opinion, it would be "a wash," in 2019, with New Ashford paying about the same to send its pupils either to Lanesborough or Hancock.

"The other thing people argue is  there's nothing to say that Hancock couldn't hook us with a lower rate and then raise the tuition in a year or two," Dillon said. "I don't think that's their intention."

School Committee member Jennifer Welch pointed out that while the current agreement offered by the Mount Greylock Transition Committee raises the per-pupil rate at Lanesborough, the town's elementary school-aged population is trending down. And, in fact, barring a big influx of families with young children, the town's tuition bill won't go up in the next couple of years.

More importantly, Welch argued that the town should be investing in elementary school education and, at the very least, be willing to fund it at the same rate it funds middle and high school education.

"This is where the foundation of education begins, in elementary school," Welch said. "I have an eighth-grader doing 11th-grade math [at Mount Greylock] because of the opportunity Lanesborough Elementary School offered."

After the 35-31 vote killed the amendment to trim the school portion of the budget, a second paper ballot passed the entire budget by a margin of 40-27.

Yet another paper ballot was needed to pass a third budget item: phase one of the two-phase process to override the commonwealth's Proposition 2 1/2 in order to fund the town's budget.

Town meeting was asked to approve an additional $70,000 in taxation above the Prop 2 1/2 cap, a move that Select Board member Kenneth McInerney said would have been needed with or without the $13,000 cut proposed to the school budget.

The second phase of the Prop 2 1/2 override comes on May 22, when it will be a ballot question in the annual town election, slated for 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at Town Hall.

In other business on Tuesday, the town approved two articles related to New Ashford's high-speed broadband initiative. Article 6 enables the Select Board to act as the town's Municipal Light Plant Board (another question that will be repeated on the town election ballot). Article 12 authorized the expenditure of $10,000 from the town's Stabilization Account to purchase a backup generator and air conditioning for a planned broadband equipment installation at Town Hall.

The town also approved two proposed bylaws aimed at protecting town roads.

Chapter IX, Section 11 of the bylaw bans "bulldozers or other equipment with metal cleats or grouzers" on public roads.

Chapter IX, Section 10 prohibits cutting of trees in the public right of way without permission from the tree warden and prohibits "landings" of trees on streets or roadways. It also prohibits "skidders, bulldozers or other log dragging equipment" on public roads, "except rubber-tired equipment, with grouzered tire chains removed, which are being moved to or from an operation site."

Select Board Chairman Jason Jayko told the meeting, "Town roads are getting torn up with heavy equipment."

This story was updated to reflect the fact that a school committee member's comment about population trend referred to the town's K-12 population.
Ciccolo Federal Firearms Case Expected to End in Plea Deal

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- A man accused of plotting a terror attack two years ago is expected to sign a plea agreement on Monday.

An electronic notice filed in U.S. District Court on Tuesday afternoon states that "based on the good faith offer of a signed plea agreement, all pre-trial deadlines are hereby stayed."

Alexander Ciccolo was scheduled to go to trial in June before Judge Mark G. Mastroianni on federal weapons charges from his arrest on July 4, 2015, in Adams.

It became apparent at his arraignment on those charges that the FBI was looking at him as a suspected terrorist. Nearly a year later, the indictment against him was amended to include a charge that Ciccolo, also known as Ali Al Amriki, "did knowingly attempt to use a weapon of mass destruction."

The case has run into numerous delays over the past two years but jury selection had been scheduled for June 4 in U.S. District Court in Springfield.

Coccolo, 25, is originally from the eastern end of the state but was living on Murray Street in Adams when he was arrested.

According to the complaint affidavit, on July 4, 2015, Ciccolo took delivery of four firearms that he had ordered from a person who was cooperating with members of the Western Massachusetts Joint Terrorism Task Force, and who had been communicating with Ciccolo about Ciccolo's plans to engage in a terrorist act. Authorities say he had firearms in his possession and had purchased a pressure cooker at the local Walmart.

Ciccolo has a history of mental illness. His father, Boston Police Capt. Robert Ciccolo, had previously reported his concerns about his son's activities.

In 2013, Ciccolo had been peacefully protesting against nuclear weapons; two years later, he was supporting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and told authorities he wanted to attack a university.
Faces of The Fellowship: Bella

The Fellowship | May 16, 2018 Faces of The Fellowship: Bella

Bella is an 80-year-old Holocaust survivor who now lives alone in Israel and depends on The Fellowship for survival.

Born in Ukraine, Bella was just three years old when the Nazis entered her hometown. Her father was away fighting in the Soviet army, so Bellas mother and aunt bundled up little Bella and fled for their lives.

They had no idea where they were going and wound up on a cattle train. Hiding amongst the cows, they listened to shells falling outside the train their entire trip. The train eventually took them to Moldova, where Bellas mother worked on a farm.

After growing up and getting married, Bella and her husband fulfilled a lifelong dream when they made aliyah (moved to Israel) in 2002. They enjoyed ten happy years together in the Holy Land until he passed away in 2012.

Today, Bellas daughter lives hours away in another part of Israel, and her son remains in Ukraine. After suffering a stroke six years ago, Bella has a difficult time walking and rarely leaves her home. Living alone isnt easy, but The Fellowship makes it possible. She is part of our With Dignity and Fellowship project, which provides impoverished elderly in Israel with food, medicine, and companionship.

Yael Eckstein recently made one of our regular food box deliveries to Bella. While there, Yael admired the many pieces Bella has crocheted and listened to her share memories from her childhood. This is the kind of loving care generous Fellowship donors make possible every day.
Guatemala Opens Jerusalem Embassy, Two Days After US

The Fellowship | May 16, 2018 Guatemala Opens Jerusalem Embassy

Just two days after the historic US embassy move to Jerusalem, Guatemala opens its embassy in Jerusalem:

This is the beginning of something extraordinary, or I would say, the re-beginning of something extraordinary, which is the relationship between Guatemala and Israel, Netanyahu said.

Yesterday we opened the American embassy in Jerusalem, two days ago, and its not a coincidence that Guatemala is opening its embassy in Jerusalem right among the first. You are always among the first, always among the first, Netanyahu went on, recalling that Guatemala was the second nation, after the US, that recognized the State of Israel in May 1948.
Signing Agreement between Vanuatu (MALFFB Minister at left) and Chinese company, witnessed by Acting DG Benjamin Shing and Chinese officials
Regan A.R. Gurung, an Indian American professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Human Development and Psychology, has been named the president of the international honor society in psychology Psi Chi. (news.uwgb.edu)
We now offer lithium prices and coverage free for reference. Click here to read all about it. Join our growing community of participants who want to learn more about electrification and how this market is developing.
Senator Dino Melaye has been granted the bail application by trial judge Justice Nasir Ajana. Ajana ruled on the bail application before a Lokoja High Court on Thursday (today) in Lokoja, and based his ruling on the conviction as submitted by the defense counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) to the effect that the continued incarceration of Senator Melaye will jeopardise his health condition, which he said was deteriorating.

Some Nigerians took to Twitter to react to Melayes bail grant. See what some of them wrote:

BREAKING NEWS!!! Sen. Dino Melaye granted bail. Now that Malaye had regained freedom through bail, is he going back to the hospital or his house?   Jubril of Sudan till 2023 (@Gen_Buhar) May 16, 2018
President Muhammadu Buhari revealed how he was ousted out of power well he was Nigerias military head of state. Buhari also recalled how he was eventually imprisoned for three years by a military government that succeeded him.

Buharis reign as Nigerias military ruler ended in August 1985 following a palace coup led by his Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Babangida. The president said this while speaking at the commissioning of new office complex for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Reacting to Buharis statement, former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode said Buhari himself was corrupt for ousting out a a democratically-elected govt. and stole the Presidency and entire treasury.

Here is what he wrote

Yesterday @MBuhari lamented about how he was detained for 3 years in 1985 for "fighting corruption". He forgot that he staged a coup d'etat in 1983, toppled a democratically-elected govt. and STOLE the Presidency and entire treasury. What could be more corrupt than that?1/2  Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) May 16, 2018

 If his coup had failed he would have been court-martialled, tied to the stake and shot for military insurrecion, mutiny and treason and not just put under house arrest for 3 years. He should count himself lucky and not talk about history because he has much to answer for.  Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) May 16, 2018

Some people while reacting to FFKs statement supported th PDP cheiftain saying Buhari must have been talking only to his gullible supporters. See what they wrote;

Buhari is suffering from memory loss, he talks to justify his incapability and incompetency. The man has got no clue to governance.  ogbeide simeon (@SimeonOgbeide) May 16, 2018

Buhari was talking to his gullible supporters not the rest of us,these people belief anything their demi-god says.  Oduh Oduh (@oduhj1) May 16, 2018
An Ikeja Magistrates Court on Wednesday remanded a hotel cleaner, Abdulrahmon Shuaib, at the Kirikiri Prisons for allegedly stealing a customers cell phone, worth N25,000.

Shuaib, 22, of no fixed address, had pleaded guilty to the charges of stealing and attempt to escape from the police custody.

The Magistrate, Mrs Y. O. Aje-Afunwa, said that the accused should remain behind bars until the next adjourned date.

The Prosecutor, Insp. Peter Nwangwu, had told the court that the accused committed the offences on May 3 at Wix Hotel, situated at No. 7, Kujle Akinosi St., Oshodi, Lagos.

He said that the accused stole an XBO Android Phone, valued at N25,000, belonging to one Ganikale Hammed.

The prosecutor explained that the complainant, on getting to his room after it was cleaned, discovered that his cell phone was missing.

Shuaib stole an Android phone belonging to the complainant, (a guest at the said hotel), the prosecutor said.

He said that the cell phone was recovered from the accused.

Nwangwu also said that the accused made attempt to escape from the police custody.

The accused, on May 7, at 3.40a.m after he was apprehended and handed over to the police for questioning, he made an attempt to escape by breaking the ceiling, he said.

The offences contravened Sections 106 and 287 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

The case was adjourned until May 25, for a review of facts and sentencing.

-NAN
A Nigerian man simply identified as Jayden Williams on Facebook has shared a photo of a lady he slept with who demanded N200k from him for sex, but eventually got N20k.





He shared the above photo on his Facebook page, saying;

READ ALSO: Photos: Actress, Ini Edo stuns in new look

I just fucked this bitch very stupid and smelling pussy. She demanded 200k but i gave her 20k, women don cast i swear.

His post has generated several reactions by those who condemned the act.

Trust Nigerian, especially the wounded ladies They sent him back to the village with a lot of food for thought.

See their comments below;

Trending Now:
Punch News

Nigerians have reacted to Vice President Yemi Osinbajos activities at the Internally Displaced Persons camp at Abagena in Benue State.

Vanguard

THE Senate yesterday pleaded with the Joint Health Sector Union, JOHESU, to call off the on going three weeks old strike which has affected the health sector across the country.

The Sun

Former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, has expressed doubts over the possibility of Nigeria holding the 2019 general elections.

Thisday

President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to sustain the anti-corruption war despite the scars he suffered in his first attempt at fighting corruption as a military head of state between 1984 and 1985.

Daily Times

A legal practitioner and activist, Anthony Chyma, has tackled the National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, for describing Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, as being malicious and unfair to the NWC.

Guardian

President Muhammadu Buhari has said his government will not rest until it hunts down conscienceless looters of the nations treasury.

Daily Trust

The ruling APC has expressed confidence that its mandate allegedly stolen in 2014 cannot be taken again in the July 14, 2018 governorship election.

The Nation

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday said the governments Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) Focus Labs has identified more than $22.5 billion in private investments from about 164 projects.

Tribune

Alhaji Mohammed Musbahu, is the Commandant of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Sokoto State.
ABUJAPresident Muhammadu Buhari may have rebuffed the threat from the new Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, bloc in the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the seven-day ultimatum from the group for a meeting ran out last night.





Some of the faces at the merger includes Ogbonaya Onu, nPDP chairman, Kawu Baraje, Senator Bukola Saraki, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu, chair of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande,

The Presidents rebuff was despite the delivery of the ultimatum letter to him by the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

The nPDP bloc, comprising some leading elements in the party, including Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Speaker, Yakubu Dogara; Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and some other leading legislators, Vanguard learned, is now set to appraise its future in the party.

READ ALSO: I Am Being Forced To Contest In 2019- Goodluck Jonathan

The nPDP threat nonetheless, one of the Presidents strongest confidants, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, dismissed the threat as ineffectual, saying Buhari had in the past won the strongholds of the nPDP patrons without their contributions.

Speaking during a visit to the presidential villa yesterday, Governor El-Rufai nevertheless called for talks to address the genuine grievances of the nPDP.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, confirmed to Vanguard that it had initiated talks with the nPDP bloc.

The nPDP bloc representing one of the legacy parties that formed the APC in 2014, had last Wednesday issued a seven-day ultimatum to President Buhari to address perceptions of marginalisation of the bloc in the federal administration.

The group had insinuated that besides one seat in the Federal Executive Council given to a member of the bloc who it claimed did not contribute significant votes to the presidential election victory, nothing commensurate with its contribution was given to it.

Slim hope of response

The letter in which the group articulated its grievances was channeled to Odigie-Oyegun for onward presentation to the President who was at that time abroad on a medical check-up.

By last night, several sources in the party, including the nPDP bloc, confirmed that the President had not responded to the request of the bloc.

A source privy to the developments told Vanguard yesterday that the nPDP bloc, even though they were not hopeful of a response from President Buhari, had maintained a slim hope that the President would accede to see them.

I dont think they really were expecting a response but just hoping that if they were invited that they would use the opportunity to reassess their position and negotiate a better deal in the party, a high-level source said.

So from what I have gathered, they would be meeting to reassess their position. The chairman has submitted the letter but no acknowledgment or anything from the President.

Mr. Timi Frank, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of APC, who is politically estranged from Odigie-Oyegun, confirmed the development yesterday at a press briefing.

Frank, who served as the National Youth Leader of the defunct nPDP told journalists yesterday in Abuja that the group stood with its leader, Alh. Kawu Baraje, despite claims to the contrary by some other individuals who belonged to the group in 2014.

It was not an empty threat  Timi Frank

Frank said: Today makes it seven days from the day our group brought this letter to the party. But as it stands, we have not gotten any response yet from them. As we have said, whatever we must have said in that letter, it is not an empty threat. If they fail to recognize us, so be it.

But at the appropriate time, we are going to respond to Nigerians based on what we have said. It is not just a mere threat, it is not just a mere ultimatum, but I will tell you clearly that we are meeting our leaders, we are going to come up with a clear position to brief Nigerians on our next step if finally, they dont attend to us.

But at the end of the day, we believe we are going to take a decision that will benefit the Nigerian people because we believe that democracy should be all-inclusive. Democracy should not be a situation where when you speak the truth; you will be harassed, you will be intimidated and so on. Today, everyone that is being harassed within the APC, go and check your timetable, they are those of us who came from the new PDP within the APC that are still being harassed.

We have not seen where anybody from the ACN or the CPC or the ANPP or the section of APGA that happened to join us that is being intimidated or harassed. It is clear.

So, we are not going to be intimidated. We believe we are going to do the right thing. We believe we are going to do everything possible to rescue Nigeria. The way we rescued Nigeria from PDP.

So, if today, we decided to lay our complaints to the party and they feel it is not important for them to attend to our issues, we will leave them to God. God will someday judge, he said.

Maginalisation

According to him, the nPDP has continued to face serious marginalization except for two of its members who got presidential appointments.

The only two beneficiaries we can remember in our group is Rotimi Amaechi who finally became the Minister of Transportation and Sen. Hajiya Alhassan who became the Minister for Women Affairs.

These are the two people we can remember. So, I want to make it very clear again that we are not going to be intimidated by any group or anybody, he said.

He dismissed the claim by Senator Adamu and Dr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, a member of the House of Representatives that the ultimatum to the president did not have the imprimatur of all major stakeholders of the nPDP.

I want to make it very clear that we have no faction in our group. I saw in some of the papers I read today that there is a crack in the new PDP.

There is no crack as far as we are concerned. We only have one group, we have only one leader, and that leader remains Alh. Kawu Baraje. And I want to make it known to all of you that Alhaji Kawu Baraje was not alone in drafting that letter.

He had the mandate of over 95% of some of us that joined the new PDP into the APC that made the party successful in 2015.

You can see, and everybody knows that it was because of our participation in the APC that practically brought the victory we are all enjoying today. So, when people like Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, who used to be one of us, came up with some of his positions yesterday, I want to clearly make it known to the Nigerian people that they must have forgotten history and I want to make it known to you that whatever they have said to counter our moves are total lies.

He dismissed the claim by the two men that the nPDP bloc was compensated with the office of Senate and Speaker of the House as he insisted that the occupants got the offices in spite of oppositions from the APC.

Buhari will win despite nPDP El-Rufai

Speaking to State House correspondents, yesterday, Governor El-Rufai said: Who are these new PDP people that are threatening? This is Kwara, Kano, Sokoto, Adamawa, Rivers but I dont think Amaechi is part of them. So lets take these four states, go back to 2003 and check.

Buhari then under ANPP won in all these four states. Go back to 2007, Buhari won in these four states. Even when Shakarau was running as a presidential candidate in 2011, Buhari defeated him in Kano. And, I do not doubt in my mind that even if the people threatening to leave, leave, it will have absolutely no impact on the presidential elections, the president will win Sokoto, Kwara, and Adamawa easily.

Kano is already in the bag, I mean if you saw the crowd that welcomed the president without the former governor Kwankwanso, Kano has always been the presidents base.

To me, that is not the issue, the issue is that they have written, they have expressed grievances, some of the grievances are legitimate and should be looked into. But to threaten to leave the party is neither here nor there.

If they are honest with themselves they know that President Buhari will win those states with or without them. But if you have a grievance, we are a party and politics is a game of addition, not subtraction, so we dont want to lose anyone.

So, I think those the letter was addressed to ought to study it and look into what is reasonably possible to accommodate them because politics, as I said, is a game of addition.

PDP moves to woo nPDP back

Meanwhile, indications have emerged that the PDP has commenced moves to woo back the nPDP bloc into the opposition party.

The nPDP left the PDP in 2014 to join the APC.

The Contact and Integration Committee of the party, led by Senator Liyel Imoke, former governor of Cross River State, had been mandated to meet with the aggrieved members following the emergence of a faction within the ranks of the nPDP.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan told Vanguard exclusively, yesterday, that defectors from the party into the APC would return, noting that the APC does not mean well for them. In his words, the PDP would stop at nothing to convince them to return home as preliminary preparations for the 2019 polls get under away.

The PDP National Committee on Contact and Integration is in talks with them (nPDP) and all other parties that might want to engage or work with the PDP, Ologbondiyan stated.

While it is not clear if the PDP has resolved to grant them waivers to contest for elective positions, Vanguard gathered that Imoke and his team had been tasked to impress it upon them that they would be accommodated upon their return while their past sins, would be forgiven.

A party source, who pleaded anonymity, said with the fragmentation of the group; some would naturally return to the PDP, citing the position of a factional leader of the group, Senator Abdullahi Adamu as reason the centre can no longer hold.

Trending Now:

Senator Adamu has rocked the boat and I can tell you that most of those leaders would make a return to the PDP. Not everyone in the nPDP supports the position of Adamu. With his address yesterday (Monday), expect mass defection in the weeks ahead, he noted.

Source: www.vanguardngr
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LuxLeaks verdict sets strong precedent, says acquitted ex-PwC whistleblower Antoine Deltour

The Court of Appeal has affirmed Deltours status as a whistleblower, as recognised by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), thereby acquitting him of all charges concerning the copying and use of PwC documents.

It was the best we could expect from the judgment, Deltour told ITR. Its a great victory.

This appeal concerned the use of PwCs internal training documents. Though he never used them, Deltour photocopied these documents and the prosecution argued that he did so to share the files with competitors and recommended a symbolic fine of 1.

Although the Court of Appeal ruled on May 15 that copying these internal documents constituted a breach of law , it withheld any sentence. This verdict brings the two-year legal battle to a close.

A lot of observers thought that the justice would hand down a sentence, Deltour said. This judgment sets a strong precedent. It was a long judicial battle, but it ended in a victory for the whistleblower.

The case has shown that it is useless to push on in the courts, and this may mean there will be a stronger case for putting whistleblower protections in place, he added.

ITR contacted PwC Luxembourg for comment on the verdict, but the Big 4 firm declined.

Deltours supporters welcome this verdict as a victory. Meanwhile, critics of whistleblowing stress that the court did find that the law was technically breached.

It may be over for Deltour, but his co-defendants Raphael Halet, a former PwC employee, and investigative journalist Edouard Perrin are still awaiting their final hearings. But Halet and Perrin will no doubt heave a sigh of relief after this verdict.

What does this mean for whistleblowers?

The struggle faced by Deltour to obtain whistleblower status is not an isolated case. Recognising the role whistleblowers play, the European Commission (EC) released its proposed directive on the protection of persons reporting on breaches of Union law (the so-called whistleblower directive) on April 23, in a move widely welcomed by campaigners.

These measures are crucial for preventing businesses retaliating against employees leaking information, and require all companies with more than 50 employees or an annual turnover of more than 10 million ($12 million) to set up an internal procedure for whistleblowers. The proposals still require approval by the 27 member states, but the proposals are a big step forward for tax justice.

I remember just three years ago attending a public event at the European Commission with Antoine Deltour and the EC said there was not enough political will or even a legal basis for such a proposal, Nicholas Aiossa, EU policy officer at Transparency International, told ITR.

The EU has since moved to develop large tracts of policy on tax avoidance and money laundering, benefiting from whistleblowers like Deltour and Halet while watching them being persecuted by national courts, Aiossa said.

At the time, ex-PwC auditor Deltour saw the ECs proposal as a step forward in reinforcing existing measures at the EU-wide level. However, he expressed some concern that the scope of the legislation wouldnt be wide enough.

I hope this case strengthens the EUs hand, Deltour said. Its clear that a long legal battle is useless, so its better to put direct protections in place.

Although Deltour's court battle has ended, he plans to continue fighting for whistleblowers.

Ill soon be taking on responsibilities in a new organisation campaigning for whistleblower protections, Deltour said.

He explained that the organisation has yet to be launched because it still faces legal problems in the US, but he was optimistic that these hurdles will be overcome.

How the LuxLeaks case unfolded

The LuxLeaks scandal has been influential in political dialogue to tackle tax avoidance, improve transparency and protect whistleblowers. The revelations have put pressure on politicians, the European Commission, members of parliament and governments to make changes to tax policy

It began when Deltour discovered tax rulings between multinationals and the Luxembourg authorities while copying documents from PwC before leaving the firm on October 13 2010.

The trouble started when Deltour later leaked the details to Perrin and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The Luxembourg authorities charged Deltour with theft and with violating trade secrets and secrecy laws. Soon after, Deltours PwC colleague Halet was charged for helping to leak the documents. Perrin was then arrested in April 2015 for his role in publicising the details.

The trial began at Luxembourg's Cite Judiciare in April 2016. Judge Marc Thill found Deltour and Halet guilty of theft, violating trade secrets and secrecy laws in June of the same year. Deltour was given a 12-month suspended prison sentence with a 1,500 ($1,665) fine. Halet was given a nine-month suspended prison sentence with a 1,000 fine.

Halet and Deltour waged an appeal to overturn the verdict, but the Luxembourg courts upheld the initial judgment and reduced their suspended sentences to six months each.

Gerard Ryle, director of the ICIJ, called the verdict a disgrace.

It is a step back for free speech and society. I think it now shows that we do need rules around this. If you do good for society there needs to be some way of protecting you, Ryle said. I think the people who lose are society in general.

Yet the case went to the Court of Cassation, where Deltours conviction was quashed on January 11 2018. It was the first time that such a court had recognised the jurisprudence of the ECHR. Though Deltour was granted whistleblower status, Halets conviction was upheld by the same court.

The only issue left to settle in the Deltour case was whether or not he broke the law when copying training documents. Halet's case is expected to go to the ECHR in June 2018.

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Everyone eligible should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel or employment.

Vaccination should be voluntary but those who don't get vaccinated should be frequently tested for COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel and employment.

Both vaccination and testing should be voluntary and not required as a condition of long-distance travel or employment.

I defer to the judgment of lawmakers as long as they base their decisions on a consensus of medical professionals.

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Before the iPhone X launched, there were rumors of Apple using an in-display fingerprint scanner on the handset. As we all know now though, the Cupertino company ultimately ended up going with Face ID on the iPhone X and completely ditched Touch ID from it.

Since then, we have seen Chinese OEM become the first smartphone to demonstrate a smartphone with in-display fingerprint scanner and a few phones also making their way to the market with the technology. However, there has been no word on how good or bad in-display fingerprint scanner is compared to traditional fingerprint scanners that have been found on smartphones over the years.

Popular YouTuber MKBHD has taken Vivos X21 handset featuring an in-display fingerprint scanner for a spin to test its limits  how good or bad it is, and how it stacks up to Touch ID.

The first thing to note with in-display fingerprint scanner is that in its current form, it is slower than the second-generation Touch ID found on iPhone 6s and higher. Secondly, you cannot just keep your finger on the screen and expect the scanner to work. Instead, its a bit more intentional so you will have to press your finger on the display slightly to get the fingerprint scanner to work.

As the video shows, in-display fingerprint scanners have the same limitations as Touch ID on the iPhone. It does not work with wet or saucy fingers. While Touch ID did work with a dusty finger the very first time around, it took a few more tries for the in-display fingerprint scanner to work.

Even more impressive, the in-display fingerprint scanner worked with screen protectors installed  including those that were cracked, and it had no issues scanning Marques finger after getting some scratches on its display as well.

Sadly, Apple is unlikely to give up on Face ID and include an in-display fingerprint scanner on future versions of the iPhone X despite the technology being ready now. This is because Apple is known to never re-introduce a piece of technology that it has once removed from its devices. However, I still think the combination of Face ID and in-display fingerprint scanner would offer the best experience to users. In its current form, Face ID has a lot of limitations which can be a pain point for many.
Political prisoner, activist, journalist, hymn-writer, emerging think tanker, aspiring novelist, hanger on of academia, parliamentary candidate for North West Durham, Shadow Leader of the Opposition, Speedboat, proudly banned from Twitter so officially more dangerous than the Taliban, eagerly awaiting the second (or possibly third) attempt to murder me.
Lyzza said: you described your post perfectly.



if you had been paying attention, you would have seen what i replied to. Click to expand...

No, most of my posts contain substance.Not so much for yours.Just like this post to which I am responding now.I am still waiting for you to disprove the University of Chicago Law school and the FLA State Law School studies on Guns and Crime.OH wait. you couldn't so you just threw insults.
A federal judge on Tuesday denied former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's motion to dismiss the indictment returned against him by a grand jury in Washington, DC  rejecting Manafort's challenge to special counsel Robert Mueller's appointment.



This is the second time that US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson has rejected efforts by Manafort to invalidate Mueller's appointment. She previously dismissed a civil lawsuit that Manafort filed raising similar arguments in the hopes of stopping the special counsel's office from indicting him again in the future; Tuesday's ruling means that the criminal charges already filed against him in the US District Court for the District of Columbia will go forward.



Jackson wrote that "the indictment falls squarely within that portion of the authority granted to the Special Counsel that Manafort finds unobjectionable: the order to investigate 'any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign,'" citing Mueller's original appointment order last May.
Howey said:



In Trump's zeal to destroy every attempt at peace made by former Presidents, we can take comfort in the fact that the mantle of leadership of the free world has been handed over to Angela Merkel. How cute ! A conspiracy theorist!In Trump's zeal to destroy every attempt at peace made by former Presidents, we can take comfort in the fact that the mantle of leadership of the free world has been handed over to Angela Merkel. Click to expand...

She can say all she likes, it doesn't change the fact that there is American men and American weapons in her country, and every level of her government has been penetrated by the NSA/CIA/Alphabet Agency of the Week, as proven by the leaks that she herself was wiretapped.Don't misconstrue this as supporting the scrapping of the Iranian deal - to be honest with you I believe that Iran has every reason to arm and defend itself against the only country in the world that has actually used nuclear weapons in a hostile manner, and a country that has invaded two of its neighbors in the past 20 years. I'm just saying that what the Germans say doesn't mean a goddamn thing.The 'free world?' The 'free world' is disintegrating before our eyes. There are fires in Merkel's own backyard. If that position exists at all, it is an untenable one.
CLAIM

Maxine Waters told CNN that her first act if elected president would be to impeach Donald Trump.





Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-California), an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, has frequently been the target of online hoaxes that attempt to paint her lazy and ignorant, such as a fake tweet appearing to blame a terrorist attack on climate change, or an article baselessly accusing the lawmaker of missing 90 percent of her meetings.



In May 2018, another false rumor about the representative appeared, this time accusing Waters of saying that she plans to impeach Donald Trump if she is elected president of the United States:







Anderson Cooper: If elected what would your first act as president be?



Maxine Waters: Well Anderson, I would impeach Donald Trump.



This is not a genuine exchange between Waters and Cooper.Regardless, the meme was promoted on Twitter by Fox & Friendshost Brian Kilmeade on 14 May 2018, who reshared it with the caption genius.



Its unclear whether Kilmeade was aware that this meme contained a fake quote, or if he cared at all. If he was aware, he made no attempt to inform his followers. As such, many people took him at his word, appearing to believe without any further proof that this had been an actual exchange on CNN:
Why don't we admit when we are wrong? AND why are apologies becoming an endangered species?I recently read a rather old article published (Jeff Jacoby) in the Boston Globe and it hit home.Nobody likes to apologize, particularly when the world is watching. For many of us, the first instinct when our wrongdoing is exposed is to rationalize our offense, minimize the harm we caused, or put the blame somewhere else. Celebrities, politicians, and business moguls are especially notorious for non-apology apologies.I think this is a topic worth investigating since theres a lot of talk right now about whether President Trump should admit when he's wrong and when he lies. Trump is not the first person in power to be in this situation. Im sure you also see this play out all the time. Its frustrating to see our leaders play these types of avoidance games. They cause us to lose faith, with the result being that we learn not to trust them. Many voters certainly do NOT trust Donald Trump, the KING of LIES, exaggeration, and hyperbole.So, why do we avoid admitting our mistakes? I'm just as guilty as the next guy.Our knee-jerk reaction when caught is to avoid taking responsibility by:1. Blaming someone else,2. Getting defensive, or3. Rationalizing a wrongdoing with some sort of storyline we create.Unfortunately, there are those among us who have gotten into a habit of doing one or all three  consistently. Whats up with that? There's also the un-apology APOLOGY. You know the one. There's usually a .."BUT" in the apology and it doesn't ring sincere.Apologies need a big comeback if we the people want a united country. We need to grow up and find a little maturity because THAT'S the missing link.Maturity means owning up to a mistake, admitting we DID IT/SAID IT and saying something like: You were right. I was wrong and Im truly sorry for what Ive done. Truly sorry.It's not really that hard--humbling, yes. Embarrassing--probably. But the bottom line, we all need to learn to admit when we are wrong and to take responsibility appropriately.
JURIST Guest Columnist Ines Soumhi of Pitt Law, discusses the impact of European Law on the French Tax System...

In January 2018, the French Parliament formalized  as part of the 2018 Finance Act  several tax changes likely to impact companies including the repeal of the 3% additional tax on redistributions from the French Tax Code. This suppression, estimated to cost 9bn to the Government in claims for reimbursements, follows rulings asserting its contrariety with both the E.U. Parent-Subsidiaries Directive (PSD) and the French Constitution and highlights the phenomenon of Europeanization of national law.

Introduced in the French Tax Code in 2012, the 3% tax on the distribution of dividends is levied on French entities subject to corporate income tax (including French permanent establishments of foreign companies), redistributing profits received  inter alia- from their subsidiaries. Its purpose, beyond budgetary concerns, is to deter companies from distributing dividends to their shareholders and to induce them to reinvest their profits back into their businesses. From the outset, an intense debate has surrounded the taxs implementation and particularly its compliance with the PSD.

Established in 1990 to facilitate E.U. cooperation, the PSD was designed to address tax complications in the context of distributions between a parent company and a subsidiary, located in different EU Member states. In particular, article 4(1) of the directive provides that where a parent company receives distributed profits from its European subsidiaries, the Member State of the parent company shall either refrain from taxing such profits or tax such profits while authorizing the parent company to deduct from the amount of tax due the amount paid by the subsidiary. France has opted for a system of exemption of the dividends paid by subsidiary companies to their parents companies.

E.U. laws main impact was triggered by the CJEUs preliminary ruling as to the 3% Taxs conformity with the PSD. Member States are constrained by the decisions of the CJEU, which is required to ensure that national legislation comply with E.U. law and judgments of the CJEU. Specifically, preliminary rulings are a key element of European law supremacy and highlight Member States deference to the European judge in construing E.U law. In 2016, the main professional organization representing large French listed companies (AFEP) filed a lawsuit against the French Minister of Finance and Public Accounts challenging the legality of the taxs administrative guidelines as infringing the PDS. On June 27th, 2016, Frances highest Administrative Court, having serious doubts as to the conformity of the 3% Tax with the PSD, referred the matter to the CJEU for a preliminary ruling.

The CJEU was asked whether Article 4 of the PSD must be interpreted as precluding the levy of a tax against a parent companys distribution of dividends, which includes profits coming from that companys subsidiaries established in other Member States. On May 17th, 2017, the CJEU ruled that dividends distributed by a French parent company including amounts that the company had previously received from its E.U. subsidiaries, cannot be subject to the 3% Tax on profit distributions, as this would be equivalent to a deferred taxation of such dividends. The court held, that regardless of whether the taxable event is the receipt of the profits by the Parent company or the subsequent redistribution, subjecting such dividends to the 3% Tax would be a form of a double taxation prohibited by PSD.

Bound by the CJEUs preliminary ruling, the Conseil dEtat yielded to the CJEUs interpretation of the 3% Tax and emphasized its limited scope of application. It held that the CJUEs preliminary ruling solely encompasses redistributions expressly addressed by the PSD. It, however, stated that taxation is not precluded when such dividends are received from domestic or non-E.U. based subsidiaries.

Arguing that the Conseil dEtats ruling resulted in discrimination among taxpayers depending on the source of the profits distributed to shareholders, the constitutionality of the tax was challenged before the French Constitutional Council (Conseil Constitutionnel). In particular, it was alleged that the discrimination constituted reverse discrimination, which violates the principle of equality in terms of public burdens guaranteed by the French Constitution.

The Conseil Constitutionnel, on October 6th, 2017, held that by introducing different categories of treatment, based on the source of the redistributions, the 3% Tax violates the constitutional principles of equality before the law and equality in the context of public expenditure. In reaching its decision, the Conseil Constitutionnel relied on the intent of the law, which was to provide significant tax revenue, regardless of the origin of the distributed income. Following its ruling, the 3% Tax was officially abolished in January 2018 as part of the 2018 Finance Act and two temporary taxes were introduced to finance the reimbursement of the 3% Tax refund claims filed by taxpayers.

This decision is noteworthy in two respects. First, it underlines the intermingling of both legal orders as, by holding that the tax breached the equality principle  which commands to treat likes alike- the Conseil Constitutionel explicitly acknowledged that E.U and domestic situations must be deemed similar. Second, it highlights the emergence of a growing phenomenon of harmonization as between domestic and European legal situations for equality purposes. It appears that, upon the recognition of evident discrimination and absent any specific intent of the lawmaker as to a voluntary differing treatment, Frances domestic law should be in line with E.U. law.

To conclude, European laws impact on Member States legal systems can be assessed in two respects: a quantitative impact that manifests itself in the increased number of E.U. directives that need to be transposed; and a qualitative impact that is seen in how E.U. law trickles into domestic legislation. The twists and turns of the French 3% Tax illustrate how E.U. law can trigger significant changes in a Member States national legal system. Following the CJEUs decision, not only did the French legislature need to rethink its tax regime to comply with E.U law, but ultimately had to remove it completely from its legislation in the name of equality. In this specific case, the E.U. has been influential in shaping French legislation. Whether this influence benefits Member States or not is a different question. Yet, this decision has been welcomed by French companies.

Ines Soumhi (France) is a fresh LL.M. graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She received a double masters degree in business law and strategic management from the University of Paris I  Pantheon Sorbonne in 2017. She has interned in the business law department of the Weil & Associes law firm in Paris, France, and has been active in moot court, legal aid clinic and the university human rights organization during her studies.

Suggested citation: Ines Soumhi, French Law, European Union and Tax Harmonization, JURIST  Academic Commentary, May 15, 2018, http://www.jurist.org/forum/2018/05/Ines-Soumhi-EU-france.php.
Judge Daniel Ottolia, of Riverside County Superior Court, ruled against Californias End of Life Option Act [text] on Tuesday, which allowed physicians to prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients.

The suit was brought by the Life Legal Defense Foundation [advocacy website], a Christian legal organization that opposes abortion and assisted suicide.

Ottolia ruled [press release] that the End of Life Option Act was procedurally unconstitutional because the act was passed during a special legislative session meant to address health care. Ottolia said [Courthouse News report] that assisted suicide is not considered to be health care.

Alexandra Snyder, the executive director of the plaintiff organization, said in the press release that the plaintiffs were satisfied by the ruling. The court made it very clear that assisted suicide has nothing to do with increasing access to health care and that hijacking the special session to advance an unrelated agenda is impermissible.

Californias Attorney General Xavier Becerra [official profile] told Courthouse News, We strongly disagree with this ruling and the State is seeking expedited review in the Court of Appeal.

Last month Hawaiis governor signed [JURIST report] legislation allowing for physician aid in dying. In January the Department of Health and Human Services created [JURIST report] a new division to protect the religious beliefs of health care workers. Last September New Yorks highest court ruled [JURIST report] against physician assisted suicide.
The Greek parliament [official website] approved a draft bill [materials, in Greek] on Tuesday to expedite the asylum process for migrants and refugees and cure the overcrowded refugee island camps.

The bill addresses issues concerning the reception, hosting and integration of asylum seekers and refugees, speeding up asylum procedures as well as provisions related to immigration policy. The Migration Policy Ministry [official website] drafted the bill in accordance with two EU directives to speed up asylum processes and protect refugees.

The bill comes weeks after human rights groups condemned Greeces decision to re-implement a containment policy after it was struck down [JURIST report] by the nations highest administrative court. Amnesty International, Oxfam and Human Rights Watch [advocacy websites] were among the groups that called the action a challenge to the rule of law in Greece. Under Greeces containment policy, migrants arriving by sea from the Middle East and Turkey are kept in conditions that the groups describe as substandard and appalling on islands in the Aegean. The Greek government claims that the policy is necessary to implement the 2016 migrant deal between the EU and Turkey.

Human rights groups have criticized the newest asylum bill saying it will cause more refugees rights violations. One provision allows for the imposition [Reuters report] of a ban on asylum-seekers traveling beyond the islands until their claims are processed, which was struck down as part of the court decision last month.
Bryan police said an 11-year-old girl fought off a would-be burglar early Tuesday morning.

As soon as I made it back to my room I heard her yell, mama," said Shanetta Fielder of Bryan.

Fielder says those screams came from her 11-year-old daughter Shantese just after midnight Tuesday.

I saw the window wide open and the curtains and everything on the floor," she said.

Shantese says a man she barely got a good look at, grabbed her her neck in her sleep.

He tried to pull me out the window, said the 11-year-old.

Shantese says she fought the man off of her.

At first I couldnt breathe so I hit him to move his hand off my neck," said Lewis.

Lewis says the attacker rode away on a bike down Dale Street. Fielder is not sure why but she believes the attacker targeted her child.

I think he had it on his mind and he was on drugs, said Fielder.

Fielder hopes the police can make an arrest soon.

This is my baby, I never expected anything like this before and I never want to go through it again either," she said.

Officials said she had a minor injury, but didn't need medical attention. The girl told her parents what happened and they called the police.

Police are still searching for the man. Anyone with information should contact the Criminal Investigation Division at 979-209-5300 or Crime Stoppers at 979-775-TIPS (8477).
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Anda dapat mendengar suara bermain lotere dengan kontrak online. Yang harus Anda lakukan adalah mendaftar dan setoran Anda akan dimulai. Tentu saja, dalam proses yang sederhana dan mengganggu, Anda dapat langsung menggandakan dana Anda dalam taruhan lotere dengan taruhan online.

Dengan sistem taruhan online. Kenyamanan berarti dalam hal ini, tetapi tidak ada hubungannya dengan kenyamanan. Meskipun demikian, gamer dapat melakukan hal-hal lain seperti lelucon untuk ditangani.

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"This is a weblog that is truly welcome in blogtopia  a new blog doesn't seem to be frantically trying to score points for any party. That does NOT mean it's afraid to take a stand or be critical....You really can't predict exactly where The Debate Link will come down on all issues. It's not chanting anyone's mantra." -- The Moderate Voice "[A]n emerging genius in legal scholarship and commentary." -- Jim Chen "It's on my 1st cup of coffee rss feed." -- Hanno Kaiser "I heart this blog.... he referenced Wittgenstein, and it was entirely appropriate and non-pretentious." -- kath.A.rine "[F]unny, thoughtful, acclaimed ...." -- The Core
EUGENE, Ore.  Makenna is a 5-year-old American pit bull terrier mix who likes people and is looking for an active family that will give her daily exercise.

Makenna was a stray who arrived at Greenhill Humane Society in December. She is in foster care at present to give her a break from the stress of shelter living.

Makenna is playful and enjoys cuddling with her people. She relaxed quickly during her visit to KEZI, giving a friendly greeting to everyone she met.

Makenna must go to a household where she will be the only pet. She can go to a family that has older children.

Makenna weighs about 50 pounds and her adoption fee is $85. This includes the cost of vaccinations, microchip identification, spaying or neutering, a certificate for a free veterinary exam and more.

Every Tuesday, Greenhill Humane Society showcases homeless pets on KEZI 9 News Midday at 11 a.m.

If you are interested in Makenna or any other animals at Greenhill Humane Society, call 541-689-1503 or click here.

To ensure a good match is made, potential adopters must go to Greenhill in person to meet with the animal and kennel staff. All family members should be present to ensure the dog is compatible with everyone in the household.

Greenhill Humane Society is located at 88530 Green Hill Road. The phone number is (541) 689-1503. Greenhill hours are Friday through Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed Wednesday and Thursday.

First Avenue Shelter is located at 3970 W. First Avenue in Eugene. The phone number is (541) 844-1777. Its hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It is closed Sunday and Monday.
Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

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"Fall forward": Gurgen Khachatryan, the Co-Founder of the Galaxy Group of Companies, addressed a message to young people in Armenia

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UCOM hosted interns of Russian CBOSS corporation for a month

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Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

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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

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For more than 3 hours, 50 or more Azerbaijani servicemen have blocked the interstate road

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Transformation and trust are important for success in modern banking. Artak Hanesyan

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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

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CHARLES CITY, Iowa - Judy Hughes tells her story of living through Charles City's deadly tornado in ninth grade, 50 years ago, like it was yesterday.

I remember the humidity being so great that it was hard to breathe, Hughes said.

What happened all those years ago still affects her now. When her family rushed to her grandfather's home just north of town where neighborhoods were completely flattened.

The only thing left standing was the refrigerator, inside the refrigerator was not moved, all food was there. The fish he caught that day he planned on having for supper was still on his plate Hughes said.

Photos are to be shown for all the public to see at Floyd County's Historical Museum, taken by residents and media then, showing the devastation Mother Nature can bring at any time.

I'm very respectful of the weather when they, Im not afraid when they go to the basement I go to the basement. If the sirens go off here I go to the basement and take my radio, Hughes said.

Hughes says she never heard a siren saying they weren't around then. It wasn't until the 1970's when sirens originally used to warn of nuclear attacks were asked to be used for tornado warnings. The scale we measure tornados with has also drastically changed--we now used the enhanced fujita scale which measures damage versus the old scale measuring wind.

Respect your weather man, its so much easier to go to the basement spend 15 minutes down there and come back up and be fine, just take precautions, Hughes said.
GARNER, Iowa  A man accused of stealing from his grandparents is pleading not guilty.

Anthony James Fickel Schoneman, 23 of Garner, is now scheduled to stand trial July 11 on charges of 2nd degree burglary, 1st degree theft, and two counts of drug possession.

The Hancock County Sheriffs Office says Fickel Schoneman illegally entered his grandparents home in May 2017 when they were away and stole over $10,000 in cash, collector coins, a firearm, ammunition, and prescription pills. Investigators say the burglar obviously knew where those items were located in the home.

Fickel Schoneman was arrested on March 27 and entered a not guilty plea on Friday.
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- "I'm just going through a lot of emotions this week," said Wendy Trumpold, the daughter of Jack Werner.

Jack Werner was a deputy at the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office. On May 17, 1977, he was shot in the chest and killed while pulling over a suspect who was driving erratically in a mall parking lot. The suspect later admitted that his goal was to kill an officer that night.

Trumpold was only one and a half years old when she lost her father. She feels robbed of having memories with her dad. "I have things that my grandma has told me about him, but otherwise I have nothing to go by."

Tuesday, May 15, just two days before the 41st anniversary of Werner's death, is National Peace Officer Memorial Day. Across the nation, flags are lowered to half-mast and communities hold programs to honor fallen law enforcement officers.

In Minnesota, members of law enforcement agencies are gathering in St. Paul at the Peace Officer Memorial. Members of the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association Honor Guard take shifts walking the blue line in front of the memorial and stand in silent guard for 24 hours. There are also wreath ceremonies every 15 minutes. Rochester Police Department's Sergeant Bert Otto is a member of the Minnesota LEMA Honor Guard.

"At times it can be very emotional and touching to be a part of. It's really an honor to remember all of the officers that have died in the line of duty and be a part of that remembrance," said Sergeant Otto.

Today, the Olmsted County Sheriff's office is wearing pins with Werner's name on it, and black or black and blue mourning patches over their badges in honor of peace officers who have died in the line of duty. With the money they raised selling the pins, they sent Trumpold and her husband to D.C. last year to see Werner's name on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. This year, she laid a wreath for her father at St. Paul memorial.

Now, Trumpold wants a place closer to home to be able to grieve her father.

On Friday, area law enforcement is hosting a program at Soldiers Field Memorial to remember local law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. At the event, they will reveal the sign marking the future site of the law enforcement memorial for fallen Southeast Minnesota peace officers.

"It's very important to me. So important. If as monument was here, we could go more often and I could see my dad's name... I like to be close to my dad and I like to see stuff with his name on it," explains Trumpold.

Friday's event at 5:30 PM is open to the public. Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson says, "We get asked quite often, 'how can I show appreciation to our law enforcement folks?' Just coming and being in attendance is one great way."
AUSTIN, Minn.  U.S. Bank is donating $75,000 to the Austin Community Rec Center.

Every day we are moving closer to raising the funds needed to construct the Austin Community Rec Center, said Sandy Anderson, interim director of Vision 2020. This donation by U.S. Bank is truly appreciated by the entire community as we close in on our $5 million goal.

The Rec Center is planned as a 105,000 square foot facility offering year-round exercise and recreation options for the public. Construction is expected to start in July.

We are proud to invest in the communities where our employees and customers live, work and play. This is at the heart of our giving philosophy, known as Community Possible, said Patrick Hawkins, U.S. Bank market president and commercial banking relationship manager in Austin. We have been in Austin for 150 years, and the Austin Community Rec Center will be a community cornerstone, where families and friends can gather and support each other as they bring their own possibilities to life. It is an honor to do our part to bring this vision to reality.
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Between Tuesday and Thursday, around 400 Southeast Minnesota students in grades 3-5 from public, private, and home schools are attending the Young Authors, Young Artists Conference.

Kids chose classes to attend led by real authors and artists. The classes include sculpting, bookmaking, writing, and readers theater.

Best friends Chloe Grover from Chatfield and Thea Arrends from Lanesboro took a songwriting class together.

"We got to write our own song and I just love music," explains Grover.

"It's not every day you get to make music," adds Arrends.

The event was hosted at the Rochester Community and Technical College Heintz Center by the Southeast Service Cooperative.
ST. PAUL, Minn.  The Minnesota Supreme Court has cleared the way for the drunk driving prosecution of an Austin man.

Scott Ross Hunn, 35, was pulled over on February 21, 2016 after a Mower County sheriffs deputy said he rolled through a stop sign. The deputy said Hunn failed two field sobriety tests and was arrested for DWI. At the Mower County Jail, Hunn was asked to take a urine test and consented. His urine came back positive for amphetamines and methamphetamines.

Hunn then filed a motion to suppress the results of his urine test, arguing he had not been informed of his right to talk to an attorney before taking the test or the consequences of refusing to take it. The district court judge granted Hunns motion in part but that ruling was reversed by the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Hunn then petitioned the state Supreme Court for a review.

The Appeals Court ruling has now been upheld by the Minnesota Supreme Court and the results of his urine test can be admitted at trial. The Court ruled law enforcement is only required to inform drivers of their right to consult an attorney before a drug or alcohol test if the officers are invoking the implied-consent aspect of Minnesota law where refusing such a test is a crime. In other words, because the officer merely asked Hunn to submit to a urine test rather than tell him he was required to take it, the officer did not need to inform Hunn of his right to an attorney.
CHARLES CITY, Iowa- Tuesday marked the 50th anniversary of an F-5 tornado that ripped through Charles city killing 13 people and changing the community forever.

Charlie Thompson of Charles City was in second grade when the tornado hit and says he remembers it like it was yesterday.

He said he saw the announcement of the tornado on KGLO warning residents to take cover. He said that is when he ran to the basement.

We had nine big elm trees around the house that were all taken down it took part of the roof and a factory that was an entire square block factory was reduced to tooth picks, said Charlie Thompson.

Randy Gilbert was 15 when it happened and said he saw the tornado hit the hospital. He said his grandpa was driving when his car was thrown from the road and his house was destroyed with his grandmother still inside.

Gilbert said the town has never been the same.

The town changed. It has never been the same. The urban development was controversy before the tornado and it really got to be afterwards, Gilbert said. Businesses couldn't rebuild because they wanted to do something there and it kind of held the city down for a long time.
OLMSTED COUNTY, Minn. - More than two dozen people are off the streets after a six-month drug investagation in Olmsted County, and a majority of the arrests are connected to drug methamphetamine.

There's 27 targets in all. Fifteen people were taken into custody on Tuesday in the Rochester and Stewartville areas. Some are already in treatment or being held at other facilities.

As Erik Vargas, of Rochester, looks through the roster of people, he remembers how his life used to be.

"I've been on this roster myself," Vargas said. "Like previously I was charged with second degree drug sales and I'm taking actions for what I've done and I have a lot of grief and I don't know, remorse for what I've done."

He thumbs through the mug shots and even recognizes some of the faces.

"It's kinda sad," Vargas said, "but it's also good to get these people off the street."

Capt. Vince Scheckel is with the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office, as well as the commander of the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crimes Enforcement Team (SEMVCET).

He said most of their targets were mid-level dealers, mostly selling meth and even some heroin. Law enforcement tells KIMT there's still four people they're looking for.

"We're looking for you," Scheckel said, "and you will be arrested eventually and charged with a sales of controlled substance."

As for Vargas, he's now in drug treatment and recovering. He said big investigations like this one are a step in the right direction for those whose shoes he used to be in.

"I just got done with court for a review sentence from my second degree drug sale," Vargas said, "and I'm glad I'm not on here anymore and I'm taking the steps to better myself."

Carolyn Bowman, of Rochester, is no stranger to recovery. She said there's going to be more people who will need help recovering, especially with more potential dealers off the streets.

"They're going to go through withdraws," Bowman said. "They're going to grab whatever they can and that's not because people are bad, that's just because of the addiction."

Bowman thinks law enforcement needs to be ready for situations like this one and have resources available for people, including beds at treatment facilities.

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OLMSTED COUNTY, Minn.  A six-month investigation resulted in 27 people being arrested in connection to a drug investigation in Olmsted County.

More than 20 of those arrested have been arrested on charges connected to methamphetamine.

The arrests were announced Wednesday morning.

"Most of these targets were mid-level dealers moving ounces of mostly methamphetamine at a time, and grams of heroin," Capt. Vince Scheckel said.

Of the 27 arrests, 15 were taken into custody in the Rochester/Stewartville area.

Some of the others were already in treatment or being held at other facilities.

More than 30 officers took part in the investigation and 15 of those arrested are expected to be arraigned Wednesday.

To see who was arrested and what charges they are facing, thumb through our gallery.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  A man is pleading guilty to robbing Cold Stone Creamery in Rochester.

Police say two men armed with what turned out to be a pellet gun robbed the store on February 5. The men pointed the gun at two employees and got away with money from the cash register. One of the robbers was described as a Hispanic male

Police say that man was Andres Robert Green, 19 of Rochester, who was arrested at his place of employment in April and charged with 1st degree aggravated robbery.

Green has now pleaded guilty to simple robbery and is due to be sentenced on July 2.

The other robber was described as a black male around 18 years old and 6 feet tall, wearing a black hoodie. Rochester police have not announced an arrest for that suspect. For previous coverage of this story, click here and here.
MASON CITY, Iowa  A man accused of passing around fake cash is pleading guilty.

Charles Edward Reich, 40 of Mason City, was charged with forgery after law enforcement said he used money marked For Motion Picture Use Only at two Mason City businesses on December 13, 2017. Authorities say they found another fake $50 when they pulled Reich over for a traffic stop.

His sentencing is scheduled for June 25.
Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group

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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

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MASON CITY, Iowa  A man accused of stealing an expensive piece of construction equipment is pleading not guilty.

Brett Gerald Wetter, 43 of Mason City, is charged with 1st degree theft and his trial is set to begin on August 7.



A DigiTrak drill locator unit. A DigiTrak drill locator unit.

Mason City police say they were called to the Southbridge Mall parking lot on February 16. According to court documents, an employee of Precision Point Contracting told the officers he put a DigiTrak drill locator unit on the ground while he went to help a co-worker and the device was gone when he returned.

Officials say the unit is worth $17,525.

Precision Point Contracting says it was then contacted on March 2 by a Florida company that specializes in sales and repair of drill locator units. The company says it had been sent the stolen unit by Wetter. The company gave authorities a text message between Wetter and a company employee and police say the packaging the locator unit was mailed in had Wetters home address in Mason City.
MASON CITY, Iowa - Today is Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the Governors in both Iowa and Minnesota ordered flags to be lowered to half staff to honor those who lost their lives while on duty.

Governors Kim Reynolds and Mark Dayton ordered the flags to be lowered at all public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout both states.

The order is in conjunction with President Donald Trump's proclamation to lower flags at federal government buildings.
LAKE MILLS, Iowa  A Wisconsin man is facing drug and gun charges in Winnebago County.

Jeffrey Allen Walkowiak, 48 of Superior, WI, was arrested Monday afternoon in Lake Mills. Authorities say there was a warrant issued for Walkowiak and he was pulled over in his van near Oakwood Park around 3:12 pm. Officers say a search of Walkowiak and his van turned up 33.27 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, and two loaded handguns.

According to court records, the traffic stop happened within 1,000 feet of Lake Mills Community School.

He is charged with possession with intent to distribute meth, carrying weapons, possession of marijuana, gathering where controlled substances are used, and prohibited acts.
Josh Smith

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea on Wednesday threw into question an unprecedented summit between its leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled for next month, denouncing military exercises between South Korea and the United States as a provocation and calling off high-level talks with Seoul.

A report on North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency angrily attacked the Max Thunder air combat drills, which it said involved U.S. stealth fighters and B-52 bombers, and appeared to mark a break in months of warming ties between North and South Korea and between Pyongyang and Washington.

Any cancellation of the June 12 summit in Singapore, the first meeting between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to Trumps efforts to score the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for a successful meeting even as many analysts have been skeptical of the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Koreas willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that now threatens the United States.

The KCNA report called the air drills a provocation that went against the trend of warming ties.

This exercise, targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula, KCNA said, referring to a joint statement from an April 27 inter-Korea summit.

The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities, KCNA said.

A Trump-Kim summit until recently had looked impossible given the insults and threats the two leaders exchanged last year over North Koreas development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.

Kim Jong Un had said previously that he understands the need and the utility of the United States and the Republic of Korea continuing in its joint exercises, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing.

We have not heard anything from that government or the government of South Korea to indicate that we would not continue conducting these exercises or that we would not continue planning for our meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un next month, she said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the United States would examine the North Korean statement and continue to coordinate closely with our allies.

South Koreas National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong said in early March, after meeting Kim, that the North Korean leader understood that routine joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States would continue in spite of a warming of ties.

This was widely considered to be a major North Korea concession, though Pyongyang never publicly withdrew its long-standing demand for an end to the drills.

Kims latest move could be aimed at testing Trumps willingness to make concessions ahead of the summit, which is due to be preceded by a visit to Washington next week by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

A U.S. government expert on North Korea said Kim may also be trying to gauge whether Trump is willing to walk away from the meeting, which has prompted the presidents supporters to suggest he deserves to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

Any acquiescence by Trump to a North Korean demand for a halt to joint drills would likely undermine South Korean and Japanese trust in his commitment to their security. Kim has also shown a desire to win international approval for his diplomatic outreach, and any sign that he is sabotaging the talks could damage this effort.

SUSPENDED NORTH-SOUTH MEETING

KCNA said North Korea was suspending a ministerial-level North-South meeting, which had been due to be held on Wednesday to focus on plans to implement the inter-Korea summit declaration, including promises to formally end the Korean War and pursue complete denuclearization.

The U.S. should make efforts to create an atmosphere for mutual respect and confidence before dialogue, not resorting to a foolish farce that may reverse the good trend created with much effort, KCNA said.

The Pentagon said the May 14-25 Max Thunder exercises were routine and defensive in nature. A spokesman said the exercises would take place at Gwangju air base and would be at a scale similar to that of the previous years.

Last year, Max Thunder involved about 1,500 U.S. and South Korean personnel flying aircraft including F-16 fighter jets, according to a U.S. Air Force website.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States would agree to lift sanctions on North Korea if it agreed to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program, a move that would create economic prosperity that would rival that of South Korea.

North Korea said on Saturday it would dismantle its nuclear bomb test site some time between May 23 and May 25 to uphold its pledge to cease tests.

Joshua Pollack, of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said Pyongyang appeared irritated by the U.S. administrations vow to maintain sanctions in spite of North Korean concessions.

The North Koreans want a change in tone from the U.S., and at least so far, theyre not hearing one, he said.

A South Korean presidential adviser warned on Tuesday that an incremental North Korean approach to denuclearization would not be acceptable to Trump or the South Korean public.

Bonnie Glaser, of Washingtons Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said Kim may be being influenced by Chinese President Xi Jinping after two recent meetings with the Chinese leader, who has advocated a freeze in North Koreas nuclear program in return for a freeze in U.S.-South Korean drills.

The fact this issue is back on the table suggests Xi Jinping may have raised it with Kim, and that Kim is carrying Xis water, she said.

Reporting by Josh Smith in Seoul; Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom, Phillip Stewart, Tim Ahmann, Matt Spetalnick and Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Writing by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Alistair Bell, James Dalgleish and Lincoln Feast
By Gabriela Baczynska and Philip Blenkinsop SOFIA/BRUSSELS, May 16 (Reuters) - European leaders will seek to agree a common stance on Wednesday towards threatened U.S. import tariffs on steel and aluminium, balancing the views of those most fearful of a trade war and those determined not to be bullied into concessions. U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed import duties of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminium on grounds of national security, but granted EU producers a temporary exemption until June 1 pending the outcome of talks. French President Emmanuel Macron and other EU leaders, who meet for a summit in Bulgaria from Wednesday, have said the bloc will not negotiate with a gun held to its head.

Donald Tusk, who chairs the summits, said on Wednesday EU unity was key. "Here again, unity is our greatest strength and my objective is simple - we stick to our guns," Tusk told a news conference before the dinner discussion. "This means a permanent exemption from U.S. tariffs on aluminium and steel if we are to discuss possible trade liberalisation with the US." "The EU and US are friends and partners. Therefore US tariffs cannot be justified on the basis of national security. It is absurd to even think that the EU could be a threat to the United States." In bitter comments, Tusk said Trump has rid Europe of "all illusions" with the trade dispute and by pulling out of an international agreement on Iran's nuclear programme. He said on Twitter: "Looking at latest decisions of @realDonaldTrump someone could even think: with friends like that who needs enemies. But frankly, EU should be grateful. Thanks to him we got rid of all illusions. We realise that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm." EU diplomats say the need to find a unified stance goes beyond just tariffs. The United States has withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal, posing a threat to European companies doing business there, and has blocked appointments to the World Trade Organization, undermining its ability to settle trade disputes.

The debate will continue among trade ministers on Tuesday. However, in the run-up to the June 1 deadline, Germany, mindful that its cars could be hit if the trade conflict deepens, has urged its EU partners to show more flexibility. German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, a former head of Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet, has acknowledged that finding a common stance with France and formulating an offer to the United States were "equally difficult". The European Commission, which oversees trade policy for the 28 EU members, has insisted that the European Union be granted a permanent exemption without conditions.

It has also said it would respond to tariffs with its own duties on U.S. products, including motor bikes and whisky. It is expected to notify the WTO of its potential plans this week.

DON'T CALL IT TTIP A steel industry source said there were signs in written correspondence it had seen that the mood had changed and that the Commission was more inclined to find a compromise. The Commission has mooted the idea of negotiating an agreement with the United States to lower import duties, but only once the permanent exemption is granted.

The idea would be to dust off bits of the planned Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), on which negotiations were frozen after Trump came into office. Such an agreement would be far simpler, limited largely to tariff reduction, and would not be known as "TTIP", a red rag to anti-globalisation protesters. The EU view is that the first step would be an assessment of what both parties wish to negotiate, and then it would need EU members to approve a mandate. Negotiations proper could be years away. Altmaier said the Europeans should discuss this regardless of any exemption. One EU diplomat said Germany, and Altmaier in particular, risked undermining the Commission and that division would delight Washington. "He's rubbing a lot of people the wrong way," the diplomat said. "What we think is important is that the ranks are closed... We're not going to pay with a free trade treaty with something that is illegal in the first place." A further issue is that the United States has agreed permanent exemptions with countries such as Brazil and South Korea, but only by imposing import quotas instead of tariffs. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who talked with EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom again on Tuesday, has been on the phone to EU capitals telling them to accept export restraints, according to EU diplomats. However, a number of trade specialists in Brussels say that quotas on industrial goods are not allowed under WTO rules and that, in any case, the EU demand is that no measures be imposed. ($1 = 0.8444 euros) (Additional reporting by Maytaal Angel in London, Writing by Philip Blenkinsop, Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Messaging: philip.blenkinsop.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
(Kitco News) - Gold prices are modestly lower and dropped to another five-month low in early U.S. trading Tuesday. Both gold and silver are seeing follow-through selling pressure after strong losses posted Tuesday. June Comex gold futures were last down $3.30 an ounce at $1,286.80. July Comex silver was last down $0.044 at $16.225 an ounce.

The surging U.S. dollar is a major factor working against the precious metals market bulls over the past few weeks. The U.S. dollar index hit another five-month high overnight. Its important to remember that trends in the currency markets tend to be stronger and longer-lasting than price trends in other markets.

The gold and silver bulls need a dose of geopolitical unrest to wrestle their metals away from the grip of the appreciating greenback. Their wish may be granted as it appears the U.S.-North Korea summit in June is unraveling, which is not surprising to many. North Korea has cancelled talks with South Korea and now says it will not completely disarm its nuclear arsenal. The U.S. has not formally responded. This development could flare up into a markets-moving geopolitical event in the near term.

In overnight news, the Euro zone consumer price index for April came in at up 0.3% from March and up 1.2%, year-on-year. Those numbers were in line with market expectations.

Japans first-quarter GDP showed a growth rate of -0.2%, which was below forecasts for no change in growth.

Attention of the marketplace this week is also on U.S. trade meetings with China in Washington, D.C. Also, a possible U.S. decision on the NAFTA trade agreement with Canada and Mexico could be announced late this week, but many are skeptical it will happen so soon.

Something else to keep an eye on: The Turkish currency, the lira, fell to a record low against the U.S. dollar overnight, which prompted the Turkish central bank to issue a warning about unhealthy developments in the markets. In years past, unstable secondary currency markets have produced a contagion effect in the major currencies. This is not the case now, but it still warrants monitoring. Any tensions in the currency markets would likely prompt safe-haven demand for gold and silver.

The other key outside market today finds Nymex crude oil prices weaker and near $71.00 a barrel, and not far below Tuesdays 3.5-year high.

U.S. economic data due for release Wednesday includes the weekly MBA mortgage applications survey, new residential construction, industrial production and capacity utilization, and the weekly DOE liquid energy stocks report.

Technically, June gold bears have the overall near-term technical advantage and have momentum. Gold bulls' next upside near-term price breakout objective is to produce a close above what is now solid technical resistance at $1,300.00. Bears' next near-term downside price breakout objective is pushing prices below solid technical support at the December low of $1,247.20. First resistance is seen at the overnight high of $1,296.40 and then at $1,300.00. First support is seen at $1,280.00 and then at $1,275.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 3.5

July silver futures bears have the overall near-term technical advantage. Silver bulls' next upside price breakout objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at last weeks high of $16.865 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $16.00. First resistance is seen at todays high of $16.345 and then at Tuesdays high of $16.565. Next support is seen at the May low of $16.07 and then at $16.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 3.0.
Treasury yields, with technical-chart selling accelerating the move. We see only limited additional downside potential for gold, Commerzbank says. Speculators in the futures market have already trimmed their net-bullish positioning since summer, so this form of selling pressure should abate, the bank says. Meanwhile, the low price level should stimulate physical buying interest, Commerzbank continues. The geopolitical tensions in the Middle East (violent protests in Gaza, uncertainty over the Iranian nuclear agreement) point to solid demand for gold as a safe haven, as does the Korea conflict that is flaring up again. North Korea canceled a high-level summit with South Korea and there is now uncertainty on whether a planned summit between the leaders of the U.S. and North Korea next month will occur. By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com BMO Disagrees With Majority View Palladium To Keep Outperforming Platinum Those taking part in Platinum Week activities think palladium will continue to outperform sister metal platinum, but BMO Capital Markets does not share this view, analysts with the bank say. They report attending a panel discussion on platinum group metals, which featured speakers from a number of major producers. Since September, palladium has had a price premium over platinum, which previously had not occurred since 2001. Palladium has benefited in part from strong sales of gasoline-powered autos, which require this metal. Platinum is used in diesel-powered cars, which have lost market share in recent years. The panel suggested a $200-300 discount might warrant switching in gasoline catalysts, BMO says. Interestingly, a poll conducted at the event suggested that 90% of participants expect palladium to continue to outperform. This is not a view we agree with, owing to higher-than-expected levels of substitution. By Allen Sykora For Kitco News Follow @AllenSykora

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
* Sanctions caused market turmoil, hit supply chains

* Ireland, France, Germany lobbied to soften measures

* Rio Tinto, U.S. aluminium body appealed to authorities

* U.S. Treasury eased Rusal restrictions after 17 days (Adds Boeing denial in paragraph 8.) By Dmitry Zhdannikov, Richard Lough and Lesley Wroughton LONDON/PARIS/WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - They were supposed to be the toughest sanctions the United States had ever imposed on a Russian oligarch. Seventeen days later, Washington watered them down. On April 23, the U.S. Treasury eased restrictions on billionaire Oleg Deripaska's aluminium company Rusal . Instead of barring Rusal from international markets, which is what the United States originally intended to do, the Treasury suggested it might lift the sanctions altogether. Washington's change of course says a lot about the leverage held by the supply chain of a widely-used commodity such as aluminium. It also suggests the Trump administration is hard-pressed as it juggles international economic battles it has opened on various fronts, including with China and Iran.

Several European governments, including Germany and France, lobbied Washington to back down, according to more than a dozen U.S. and EU officials and industry sources who spoke to Reuters. Multinationals Rio Tinto and Boeing also appealed to the U.S. Treasury, seeking a softening of the terms on Rusal.

All made the same argument, the sources said: a squeeze on the largest producer of aluminium outside China would hit businesses around the world, disrupting production of myriad goods from car and planes to cans and foil, and putting jobs at risk. Rusal and Rio Tinto declined to comment. A spokesman for Boeing denied on Wednesday that the company had lobbied the U.S. Treasury on the matter, saying: "Boeing did not lobby the Treasury Department on Rusal." Unlike previous cases of sanctions on Russia, European countries did not have a chance to consult with Washington on punitive moves that would have ripple effects in the European economy, the sources said. One reason for the lack of dialogue: the U.S. State Department no longer has a Sanctions Policy Coordinator to liaise with other governments, according to three U.S. sources familiar with the matter and one European source.

The former coordinator, Daniel Fried, retired last year and has not been replaced because of a hiring freeze ordered by the Trump administration at the department.

The U.S. Treasury, whose Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed the measures, said it worked to mitigate the sanctions' impact on allies and industries that faced "undesired collateral consequences". It did not comment on lobbying efforts.

When asked if the lack of a sanctions coordinator had hindered international consultation, the State Department said it had held several discussions with European countries over the past year about sanctions and maintained a dialogue with them. It did not specify if it had discussed Russian sanctions. The sanctions were the toughest the United States has imposed on a listed Russian company since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea. The notice on April 6 gave buyers a deadline of 30 days to receive supplies from Rusal before dealings in dollars were prohibited. Any individual or company that failed to comply would themselves face being shut out of the financial system, while the Treasury could seize any dollars paid to Rusal. The effect was immediate. Prices for aluminium surged 15 percent as Rusal stopped supplying customers. As well as producing aluminium, the company produces alumina, a raw material needed to make aluminium.

"They (the Treasury) destabilised the global aluminium industry. This is unprecedented and a massive over-reach," said Anders Aslund, senior fellow at U.S. think-tank Atlantic Council.

Rusal told metals and mining conglomerate Rio Tinto that it was suspending deliveries of alumina from its Irish plant in Aughinish to Rio's Dunkirk aluminium smelter in France, Europe's biggest aluminium production facility, according to the industry sources. The Russian company feared any payment it received would be seized by U.S. authorities, the sources said. Rusal also informed Trimet Aluminium it was halting alumina deliveries to the German firm's smelter in the French Alps and three factories in Germany, in Essen, Hamburg and Voerde.

Trimet declined to comment. The suspension of alumina deliveries risked halting Rio Tinto and Trimet's aluminium smelting operations and hitting businesses throughout the metal's supply chain.

GOVERNMENTS TAKE ACTION The market ructions set off a different kind of activity. In the days following the sanctions notice, French, German, Irish and Italian officials lobbied against the restrictions, according to the EU sources.

Many were worried the measures could lead to the closure of those plants and businesses in their countries that relied on Rusal supplies, and the potential loss of thousands of jobs.

Ireland's foreign ministry complained to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin after Dublin officials met Aughinish management on April 13 and were told the plant could shut down, threatening hundreds of jobs, an Irish government spokesman told Reuters.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire discussed the issue by phone with Mnuchin in the days following the sanctions notice and then in person in the week of April 16, during International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington, according to a French finance ministry official.

"We got in touch with the Americans as soon as it became clear there was an impact on some companies operating in France," the official said. He added that hundreds of jobs were at risk in France. "The Americans were constructive from the start."

An Italian government source said Rome also lobbied Washington to soften the sanctions.

MULTINATIONALS MAKE MOVE Companies lobbied too. Rio Tinto contacted the French government and Trimet went to the German government, asking them to intervene with Washington, according to the industry sources. Rio Tinto also complained directly to OFAC, said two U.S. officials familiar with the developments. Trimet makes aluminium products for the auto, construction and packaging industries. While most of the lobbying came from Europe, according to U.S. officials, there were also concerns in the United States about the sanctions. After the April 6 notice, planemaker Boeing expressed concern to the U.S. government about rising aluminium prices, according to two industry sources familiar with the matter. Carmakers also complained about the possible impact of the sanctions on their businesses, said the sources, who declined to name the companies. One of the sources said that, in addition to aluminium, carmakers were worried about a possible disruption to supplies of palladium, used in catalytic converters. Rusal doesn't produce palladium but it supplies soda to Norilsk Nickel, the world's biggest palladium producer. American trade body the Aluminum Association told Reuters that, shortly after April 6, it shared market data with the Trump administration showing that last year the U.S. industry imported 680,000 metric tons of Russian primary aluminium, or 12 percent of U.S. demand. The association raised concerns about the Rusal sanctions at meetings with the White House's National Economic Council and the U.S. Trade Representative. It said the measures could constrain supplies for aluminium processors. On April 23, little more than two weeks after imposing sanctions, OFAC softened the measures. It gave businesses six months instead of 30 days to wind down dealings with Rusal and said it might lift the sanctions altogether if Deripaska ceded control of the company.

The announcement had an immediate market reaction, with aluminium prices falling as much as 10 percent. Aluminium prices now stand at $2,300 per tonne, down from the $2,700 level they rose to following the April 6 sanctions notice, but still above the $2,000 seen before the measures were imposed. David Mortlock, who designed earlier sanctions against Russia when he was Director for International Economic Affairs at the White House National Security Council in 2013-15, said such measures were not a precise science. "Don't forget, sanctions can be adjusted if the impact is larger than OFAC wants," added Mortlock, now a partner at legal firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher.

"Every time you do it, you learn from your experience." (Additional reporting by Yara Bayoumy, Mary Milliken, Warren Strobel, Mike Stone and Timothy Gardner in Washington; Polina Devitt, Anastasia Lyrchikova, Dasha Korsunskaya and Katya Golubkova in Moscow; Giselda Vagnoni in Rome; Conor Humphries in Dublin; Clara Denina and Dasha Afanasieva in London; Madeline Chambers in Berlin; Edward Taylor in Frankfurt; Michael Hogan in Hamburg; Writing by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Pravin Char)
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea threw next month's summit between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump into doubt on Wednesday, threatening weeks of diplomatic progress by saying it may reconsider if Washington insists it unilaterally gives up its nuclear weapons.

The North's official KCNA news agency said earlier Pyongyang had called off high-level talks with Seoul, which had been due on Wednesday, in the first sign of trouble after months of warming ties.

Citing first vice minister of foreign affairs Kim Kye Gwan, KCNA later said the fate of the unprecedented U.S.-North Korea summit, as well as bilateral relations, "would be clear" if the United States spoke of a "Libya-style" denuclearisation for the North.

"If the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit," Kim Kye Gwan said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Trump and Kim are scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12.

The vice minister specifically criticised U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, who has called for North Korea to quickly give up its nuclear arsenal in a deal that mirrors Libya's abandonment of its weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea clashed with Bolton when he worked under the Bush administration, calling him "human scum" and a "bloodsucker".

"We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," vice minister Kim said.

The North Korean statement, as well its cancellation of the talks with the South due to U.S.-South Korean military exercises, mark a dramatic reversal in tone from recent months when both sides embraced efforts to negotiate.

North Korea had announced it would publicly shut its nuclear test site next week.

'THREATS AND BLACKMAIL'

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States would agree to lift sanctions on North Korea if it agreed to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons programme.

However, Kim Kye Gwan's statement appeared to reject that, saying North Korea would never give up its nuclear programme in exchange for trade with the United States.

"We have already stated our intention for denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearisation is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States," Kim said.

North Korea has always defended its nuclear and missile programmes as a necessary deterrent against perceived aggression by the United States, which keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea has long said it is open to eventually giving up its nuclear arsenal if the United States withdraws its troops from South Korea and ends its "nuclear umbrella" security alliance with Seoul, though South Korean officials have said the North may be willing to compromise.

The United States has insisted on complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantling of North Korea's nuclear weapons and the facilities needed to build the weapons as soon as possible.

Asian stock markets dipped after North Korea called off the talks with the South. Cancellation of the Singapore summit could see tension flare again even as investors worry about China-U.S. trade friction.

"This will weigh on the Korean reconstruction beneficiaries that have had a strong run on peace and even reunification hopes recently," JPMorgan analysts wrote in a note.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa spoke to Pompeo by telephone and discussed North Korea's postponement of the talks with the South, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Pompeo told Kang Washington would continue to make preparations for the U.S-North Korea summit, bearing in mind the recent action by North Korea, it said.

Kim Kye Gwan's statement came only hours after North Korea denounced the U.S.-South Korean military exercises as a provocation and pulled out of the talks with the South.

Earlier KCNA denounced the "Max Thunder" air combat drills, which it said involved U.S. stealth fighters, B-52 bombers and "nuclear assets".

American stealth F-22 fighters were spotted in South Korea earlier in May, but a spokesman for the U.S. military command in South Korea said no B-52s were scheduled to take part in the drills.

Neither B-52s or B-1B bombers were present at last year's Max Thunder drills, according to a South Korean defence ministry official. The drills would go on as planned and were not aimed at any third party, the ministry said.

'MISERABLE FATE'

Cancellation of the first meeting between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to what would be the biggest diplomatic achievement of Trump's presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for success even as many analysts have been sceptical about the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Korea's willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that it says can hit the United States.

Kim Kye Gwan derided Bolton's suggestion that discussions with North Korea should be similar to those that led to components of Libya's nuclear program being shipped to the United States in 2004.

"(The) World knows too well that our country is neither Libya nor Iraq which have met miserable fate," Kim said.

"It is absolutely absurd to dare compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya which had been at the initial stage of nuclear development."

The outburst could be aimed at testing Trump's willingness to make concessions ahead of the summit, which is to be preceded by a visit to Washington next week by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

A U.S. government expert on North Korea said Kim Jong Un may also be trying to gauge whether Trump is willing to walk away from the meeting.

Joshua Pollack, of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said Pyongyang appeared irritated by the U.S. administration's vow to maintain sanctions in spite of North Korean concessions.

"The North Koreans want a change in tone from the U.S., and at least so far, they're not hearing one," he said.

The doubt thrown over the summit comes a week after Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, under which Tehran curbed its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of most international sanctions.

China said on Wednesday all parties "should show goodwill and avoid mutual provocation" to create a conducive atmosphere for denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in comments to a visiting North Korean delegation, said China supported North Korea's efforts to develop its economy, improve relations with the South and its dialogue with the United States, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The North-South talks had been due to focus on plans to implement a declaration that emerged from an inter-Korea summit last month, including promises to formally end the Korean War and pursue "complete denuclearisation".

South Korea described the North's decision as "regrettable".

Reporting by Josh Smith and Christine Kim in SEOUL, Tim Kelly in TOKYO, Philip Wen and Christian Shepherd in BEIJING, and David Brunnstrom, Phillip Stewart, Tim Ahmann, Matt Spetalnick and Lesley Wroughton in WASHINGTON; Editing by Paul Tait and Robert Birsel
Steve Holland, Christine Kim

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States is still hopeful that an unprecedented summit with North Korea will take place, in spite of a threat by Pyongyang to pull out, but President Donald Trump is prepared for a tough negotiation, the White House said on Wednesday.

North Korea threw the June 12 summit into doubt on Wednesday saying it might not attend if Washington continues to insist that it unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons. North Korea also called off high-level talks with South Korea scheduled for Wednesday, blaming U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

Were still hopeful that the meeting will take place and well continue down that path but at the same time weve been prepared that these could be tough negotiations, White House spokeswoman Sanders said.

The president is ready if the meeting takes place, she told Fox News. If it doesnt, well continue the maximum pressure campaign thats been ongoing.

Sanders said the North Korean comments were not something that is out of the ordinary in these types of operations.

North Korea on Wednesday cast doubt on whether the planned meeting between leader Kim Jong Un and Trump, which is set for Singapore, would be held.

If the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the...summit, said Kim Kye Gwan, North Koreas first vice minister of foreign affairs.

He specifically criticized U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, who has called for North Korea to quickly give up its nuclear arsenal in a deal that would mirror Libyas abandonment of its program for weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea clashed with Bolton when he worked under the Bush administration, calling him human scum and a bloodsucker.

We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him, Kim the vice minister said.

Sanders appeared reluctant to endorse the Libya model that the outspoken and hawkish Bolton has touted, most recently on U.S. television on Sunday, saying: I havent seen that as part of any discussions, so Im not aware that thats a model that were using.

Sanders said the model that would be followed in dealing with North Korea was the President Trump model.

Hes going to run this the way he sees fit. Were 100 percent confident...hes the best negotiator.

Trump himself has yet to respond to the North Korean statements, which a U.S. official said had taken the White House off guard after North Korean leader Kims diplomatic outreach both to the United States and South Korea.

Cancellation of the summit, the first meeting between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to what would be the biggest diplomatic achievement of Trumps presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for success even as many analysts have been skeptical about the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Koreas willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that it says can hit the United States.

MISERABLE FATE

North Korean official Kim Kye Gwan derided as absurd Boltons suggestion that discussions with North Korea should be similar to those that led to components of Libyas nuclear program being shipped to the United States in 2004.

(The) world knows too well that our country is neither Libya nor Iraq which have met miserable fate, Kim said in an apparent reference to the demises of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and Iraqi former president Saddam Hussein.

He said North Korea was a nuclear weapon state while Libya had been at the initial stage of nuclear development.

The North Korean statements marked a dramatic reversal in tone from recent months when Pyongyang appeared to embrace efforts to negotiate.

North Korea had announced it would publicly shut its nuclear test site next week. On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would agree to lift sanctions on North Korea if it agreed to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program. Pompeo also held out the prospect of U.S. private sector investment.

Kim Kye Gwans statement appeared to reject that, saying North Korea would never give up its nuclear program in exchange for trade with the United States.

We have already stated our intention for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States, Kim said.

North Korea defends its nuclear and missile programs as a necessary deterrent against perceived aggression by the United States, which keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

It has long said it is open to eventually giving up its nuclear arsenal if the United States withdraws its troops from South Korea and ends its nuclear umbrella security alliance with Seoul.

The Trump administration has insisted on complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantling of North Koreas nuclear weapons and the facilities needed to build the weapons as soon as possible.

North Korea announced it was pulling out of the talks with the South after denouncing U.S.-South Korean Max Thunder air combat drills, which it said involved U.S. stealth fighters, B-52 bombers and nuclear assets.

American stealth F-22 fighters were spotted in South Korea in May, but the U.S. military command in South Korea said no B-52s were scheduled to take part.

A South Korean defense ministry official said the drills would go on as planned.

Some analysts and U.S. officials believe North Korea may be testing Trumps willingness to soften the U.S. demand for complete denuclearization.

Dutch U.N. Ambassador Karel van Oosterom, who chairs the U.N. Security Council North Korea sanctions committee, said he remained hopeful.

Anyone who has had anything to do with DPRK in the past 20, 30, 40 years has seen that engaging in the political contact with DPRK is complex, he said. The road ahead will have bumps, and I think we are hitting one of the bumps at the moment.

The doubt thrown over the summit comes a week after Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, under which Tehran curbed its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of most international sanctions.

Reporting by Josh Smith and Christine Kim in Seoul, Tim Kelly in Tokyo, Philip Wen and Christian Shepherd in Beijing, David Brunnstrom, Phillip Stewart, Tim Ahmann, Matt Spetalnick, Lesley Wroughton and Doina Chiacu in Washington and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Editing by Robert Birsel and Alistair Bell
Demonstrators demand Taron Margaryan's resignation (video)

A protest action demanding the resignation of the Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan and against the current construction in the park near Al. Myasnikyan statue is taking place in Yerevan, Armenia. Sitting on the floor, they noted that they would not leave the municipality until the mayor did not announce his resignation. First Deputy Mayor Kamo Areyan approached the demonstrators and urged them to gather in the hall and talk, where Taron Margaryan can be present, too. Kamo Areyan clarified the questions: "No one is indifferent, we are called officially for serving you and our people. If a citizen has a demand, so come and raise your questions in quiet conditions, and the mayor will answer all your questions," said Kamo Areyan. However, the demonstrators refused and mentioned that they would wait for Taron Margaryan in the lobby.
Merchant & Gould names new management





Christopher J. Leonard, Merchant & Gould CEO -- Photo submitted





Christopher J. Leonard, managing partner of the Knoxville office -- Photo submitted



KNOXVILLE  National intellectual property law firm Merchant & Gould has named Christopher J. Leonard, managing partner of its Knoxville office, as CEO starting July 1, 2018. He will succeed Brian H. Batzli as the firms CEO, managing director and chairman of the board.



John Winemiller has been named managing partner of the Knoxville office as Leonard moves into his new role as CEO.



Founded in 1900, Merchant & Gould practices in all areas of intellectual property law and has offices in Atlanta, Denver, Knoxville, Madison, Minneapolis, New York, Silicon Valley and the Washington, D.C. area. Leonard will manage the firms operations throughout the United States and internationally through associated foreign counsel.



Chris Leonard is a wonderful choice to be the next CEO of Merchant & Gould, Batzli said. He has over 24 years of experience in intellectual property law and has served for many years in firm management. He is a trusted leader here at Merchant & Gould  as is John Winemiller, who will follow in Chris footsteps as the managing partner in Knoxville. I know that the future for our firm and our clients is in good hands.



Building and supporting the reach and impact of Merchant & Gould, serving our clients from Atlanta to Knoxville and beyond, has been the highlight of my career, Leonard said. I am proud to continue that work as CEO, ensuring that we continue to deliver unparalleled technical experience, unmatched value, lasting partnerships and a commitment to diversity. Furthermore, I am pleased that my friend and colleague John Winemiller will be doing the same from the Knoxville office.



Leonard founded and managed the firms Atlanta office for eight years beginning in 2000 and then founded the Knoxville office in 2008. He also served on the firms executive committee for seven years, and he served as chair of the firms Electrical and Software Practice Group twice.



Beginning his career as an intellectual property attorney in 1994, Leonards practice is focused on counseling clients on matters relating to software, electronic commerce, healthcare data management systems, telecommunications and traditional electrical and mechanical technologies. His practice currently encompasses U.S. and international patent prosecution, patent infringement and validity analysis, and licensing counseling. He also has extensive litigation experience in all areas of intellectual property law, including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secrets and unfair competition. Leonard, a registered patent attorney before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, also is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Tennessee Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia and the Knoxville Bar Association.



Prior to becoming an attorney, Leonard served as an officer in the United States Air Force where he worked with the ground-launched cruise missile weapon system. In that position, he was selected as one of the officers to lead Soviet weapons inspectors through detailed inspections of U.S. nuclear weapons systems in accordance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty between the United States and the former Soviet Union.



Leonard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Tennessee (UT), a certificate in Software Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the UT College of Law. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School General Management Program and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.



Winemiller joined Merchant & Gould in 2008. He focuses his practice on patent, trademark, trade secret, unfair competition and copyright litigation, as well as intellectual property licensing issues and trademark, patent and copyright counseling and prosecution. He has represented clients in a broad range of industries, from electrical switches and electronic pet products, to hosiery manufacturers and home builders. He also has extensive experience with commercial litigation, alternative dispute resolution and appeals in state and federal courts.



Winemiller earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton College and a masters degree and Ph.D. in music history and theory from the University of Chicago. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he was a faculty member at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he taught courses in music history, music theory and performance practice. His academic research focused on the nexus between the creative process and eighteenth-century conceptions of intellectual property. His interest in the theory of ownership of ideas led him to law school and, ultimately, to Merchant & Gould. Before joining the firm, he held prestigious clerkships with federal judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Eastern District of Tennessee.



Winemiller is a sought-after writer, speaker and teacher. He is an adjunct professor at the UT College of Law, where he has taught classes on trademark law, civil procedure and litigation matters. He is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association, as well as a member and Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and Knoxville Bar Foundation. He is member of the Hamilton Burnett American Inn of Court.



About Merchant & Gould

Merchant & Gould P.C. is a national intellectual property law firm with more than 100 attorneys in offices in Knoxville, Tennessee; Atlanta; Denver; Madison, Wisconsin; Minneapolis; New York; Silicon Valley; and the Washington, D.C. area. Founded in Minneapolis in 1900, the firm has grown to become one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the United States, representing the worldwide intellectual property interests of clients in diverse industries and technologies. For more information, visit www.merchantgould.com.

Published May 16, 2018






















By Kwon Mee-yoo







A variety of musical theater groups from across the globe will hit the southern city of Daegu from June 22 to July 8 during the Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF).







The festival celebrates its 12th year with 24 shows from the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Taiwan, China and Kazakhstan as well as some world premieres from Korea.







"We always try to balance popular appeal and artistry while selecting shows for the festival as an attempt to satisfy both avid theatergoers and local residents," Bae Sung-hyuk, DIMF executive committee chairman, said.







Bae emphasized the festival's internationality with the opening show "Mefisto" from the Czech Republic and the closing performance "Flashdance the Musical" from London's West End.







"Mefisto" was created by the Hybernia Theatre in Prague on its 10th anniversary and was a big hit in its home country. Based on Goethe's "Faust," the musical reverses the perspective from Faust to the demon Mephistopheles and runs from June 22 to 24 at the Daegu Opera House.







"Flashdance," staged from July 4 to 7 at the Daegu Opera House, is a stage adaptation of the namesake 1983 musical film. It revolves around a dancer named Alex, who works as a steelworker by day. BBC dance competition show "Strictly Come Dancing" champion Joanne Clifton plays Alex for the Korean tour. The musical reenacts the iconic blast of water on stage.







Other officially invited shows include "I Love Piaf" from France, "Romeo and Juliet" from Russia, "Mr. & Mrs. Single" from China, "Meant to Meat" from Taiwan, "Zhibek" from Kazakhstan and "Pianoforte" from Korea.







"Since this is an international festival, we try to introduce overseas works for the opening and closing. However, we also put a lot of effort into nurturing new Korean musicals as well," Bae said.







DIMF developed the musical "Turandot," based on the Puccini opera of the same name, and successfully staged it in Daegu, Seoul and China.







"We are in talks with a Hungarian director to state Turandot in Eastern Europe. We plan to start touring from Slovakia and the Czech Republic next year. This is the first for a Korean musical to be exported to Eastern Europe," Bae said.







"Turandot" will return to Daegu during the festival from June 29 to July 8.







DIMF chose four new shows, and supported their development, which will premiere during the festival.







"Warmly, Creamy, Mellowly" is set in a prison and inspired by hit drama "Prison Playbook," while "Missing" revolves around a middle-aged woman reminiscing about her days in a textile factory. "Blue Rain" questions the definition of justice and "Elephant Box" adapts the children's book "An Elephant Who Went to the Forest" for the stage.







The festival is now settled as a popular destination for theater lovers in Asia, according to the organizers.







"We attract theater producers from America and Europe and hope to become a marketplace for them to exchange information and communicate," Bae said. "Many Asian tourists come to the festival to see shows as well. This year we are expecting group tourists from Taiwan, who are interested in Korean musicals, through a major travel agency there."







For more information, visit

.


EU reaffirms readiness to provide support to Armenia for reforms in democratic institutions

Press Release 9th Human Rights Dialogue Yerevan 16 May 2018 On 16 May 2018, the EU and Armenia held the 9th round of their regular Human Rights Dialogue in Yerevan. This was the first EU-Armenia regular meeting following the election of the new Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. The EU and Armenia reiterated their commitment to the common values of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. These values underpin the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement signed on 24 November 2017 and unanimously ratified by the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on 11 April. The EU confirmed its readiness to work together with the new Armenian Government and to offer its support in these crucial areas. The EU and Armenia discussed, inter alia, electoral reform, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression and gender equality, as well as labour rights. On electoral reform, the EU recommended amending the legislation bringing it in line with international recommendations and commitments undertaken by the Republic of Armenia prior to the early elections. It was stressed by both sides that freedom of assembly is a universal and fundamental right of all. The EU welcomed the peaceful nature of recent protests and the general restraint shown by all sides, and inquired about the status of those who had been detained. The Dialogue highlighted the importance of a free and pluralistic media environment and political pluralism as a prerequisite for the conduct of democratic elections. Armenia reconfirmed its commitment to the adoption of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law in line with international standards and to establishing a national equality body under the Human Rights Defender's office. The Armenian Government will hold interactive public hearings with civil society organisations to ensure effective implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan. In the area of labour rights, Armenia indicated that it planned to reform the system of labour inspection to comply with international standards, including with regard to working time, wages and workers' rights. The dialogue allowed for an open, constructive exchange on the human rights situation in Armenia. In line with its policy, the EU had prior to the dialogue met and consulted representatives of Armenian and international civil society. The meeting resulted in operational conclusions with concrete actions that will be monitored and followed up over the next year. The EU reconfirmed its readiness to provide financial and technical support to Armenia, necessary for continuing the reforms aimed at further strengthening democratic institutions and human rights. The Armenian delegation was headed by Mr. Garen Nazarian, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, while the EU delegation was led by Mr. Dirk Schuebel, Head of Division for bilateral relations with Eastern Partnership countries at the European External Action Service.


Global economists call on Moon to keep up with tech disruption



By Kim Jae-kyoung



President Moon Jae-in came into office one year ago with lofty pledges to rejuvenate the economy. He promised to create more jobs for the young and ensure better lives for middle- and low-income families. However, the first-year economic scorecard for the Moon administration is disappointing. His income-led growth policies have failed to deliver intended outcomes. Exports have started to contract, youth unemployment is high, corporate investment is in the doldrums and consumer prices are sharply rising.



On the occasion of the first anniversary of President Moon and his administration, which fell on May 10, The Korea Times conducted interviews with six global economic experts to evaluate Moon's economic policies and examine the current state of the Korean economy. They are California State University-Channel Islands economics professor Sohn Sung-won, National University of Singapore economics professor Shin Jang-sup, INSEAD Singapore Campus economics professor Antonio Fatas, and ING Bank Asia-Pacific chief economist Rob Carnell in Singapore; Natixis Asia-Pacific chief economist Alicia Garcia-Herrero in Hong Kong; and Moody's Analytics Korea economist Katrina Ell based in Australia.





The following discussion has been reconstituted based on separate interviews, which were conducted from May 7 to 14.  ED.



Q: How do you evaluate the first year of the Moon administration in terms of economic policies? Can you identify any good or bad policies?





Sohn Sung-won

Katrina Ell: I would say Moon's first year should be classed as average and disappointing. There was a spike in confidence after he came into office in anticipation that there would be meaningful positive change for the economy, particularly with his pro-employment agenda, but unfortunately that has not come to fruition. There have been several disappointing developments, particularly around the youth unemployment rising, when it was one of his specific policies to address the chronically high level of unemployed young people.



Shin Jang-sup: I think in terms of economic policies, Moon's first year was terrible. I can't find even one policy that has been conducive to economic growth. Most of his policies have done the economy a disservice. Among them, the worst is his anti-business policies that discourage large firms from making new investments and hiring new employees.





Shin Jang-sup

Sohn Sung-won: A successful renegotiation of the KORUS FTA was a significant achievement. However, business tax increases and the higher minimum wage have hurt job creation.?The Moon administration has begun chaebol reform. It needs to go much further to make the economy more efficient and raise productivity.



Alicia Garcia-Herrero: On the economic side, my take is that Moon has felt short of shaking the Korean economy from its key weaknesses. I think the minimum wage and welfare policies are a double-edged sword. Korea has more space than Europe but it still needs to be done carefully. He needs to review one-size-fits-all type of policies. He should run more targeted policies _ for the elderly and the young.





Antonio Fatas

Antonio Fatas: ?Many of his policies have a social objective _ higher minimum wage, stronger welfare system and so on. From an economic point of view there is always a debate on how those policies will affect growth. Some view them as very damaging because of the distortions they might introduce. I have a different view. While one should be aware of distortions, social cohesion and protection can also be a model for growth. The performance of high-tax, strong social welfare systems in Europe have been as strong as or even stronger than that of the U.S. with much weaker welfare support.









Rob Carnell: Although not particularly market friendly, the Moon administration has realized that a strong domestic economy relies on more than just a cheap workforce providing export-centric industry price competitiveness. You also need a population where the median worker can exist comfortably on median wages (benefits hikes) and where unemployment is low (civil service jobs). This is helping Korea to grow even as the export sector looks to be slowing, as global demand for semiconductors and handsets faces a cyclical downswing.



Q: What do you think are the biggest risks to the Korean economy?





Robert Carnell

Shin: Widespread anti-business sentiment is hampering economic growth. In the name of reform, state regulators, including the Fair Trade Commission and the labor ministry, are aiming at conglomerates. It is not easy to foster a large, established company. They should get rewards for creating such firms, not punishment. These policies have dispirited enterprises and driven them out of the country. In this environment, who wants to make big investments? What is more worrisome is that most medium-sized firms do not want to become large companies as they don't want to be a target of government attacks.



Fatas: The challenge for South Korea is about competitiveness, innovation and productivity in particular in some sectors. Moon seemed to be aware of it and is pushing for pro-competitive reforms. But will he push hard enough? The biggest risk is complacency and the difficulty to challenge the current economic and business model that has served a purpose but needs to be changed in certain sectors.



Ell: I would say the biggest risk to the South Korean economy is from the elevated trade tensions between the U.S. and China. South Korea relies on exports to drive growth and the U.S. and China are both major trading partners. If the differences between the U.S. and China can't be ironed out in the coming weeks then there will be significant protectionist measures introduced that will result in reduced global trade flows, in turn hurting Korean manufacturing and exports, flowing through to the broader economy. Our baseline scenario remains that a trade war between the U.S. and China will be avoided.





Alicia Garcia-Herrero

Carnell: Korea's export sector is heavily reliant on electronics and handsets, and this could be facing a cyclical downswing. This could also be wrapped up in rising inventory levels, and a classic inventory-led cyclical downswing in industry is looking possible, if not probable, which will require some offsetting fiscal stimulus.



Garcia-Herrero: China is moving up the ladder basically competing directly with Korea in most sectors. Household debt is another big issue to handle.





Katrina Ell
By Yoon Ja-young



The country's airlines are expecting the reopening of North Korean airspace, which will save costs and shorten flight times. The government is also analyzing the benefits, which will only be possible with a successful summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump.



According to the government, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Infrastructure is reviewing diverse issues related with opening air routes over North Korean territory. It follows North Korea's suggestion to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to open international routes involving both Pyongyang Flight Information Region (FIR) and Incheon FIR. The ICAO allocates FIRs to member countries for provision of flight information. The ICAO has around 190 member countries including North Korea.



This means North Korea wants to open routes linking it to third countries through South Korean airspace. North Korea had previously operated international routes linking it with countries such as Germany, Kuwait and Malaysia, but many of the routes have been shut down following sanctions. Air Koryo, North Korea's only airline, currently operates only on routes between North Korea and major cities of China and Russia.



The South Korean government also banned its flagship carriers from flying over North Korean airspace in May 2010, following the sinking of the warship Cheonan. Foreign carriers have also been using detours as the ICAO has issued warnings about flying over North Korean airspace following a series of missile and nuclear tests by North Korea. Only Russian airplanes fly over North Korean airspace.



If North Korea and South Korea open their airspaces to each other, it could be a win-win for both. North Korea would receive around 800,000 won each time an airplane flies over its territory. Currently, routes B332 and B467 include North Korea's FIR. B467 stretches above Incheon, the East Sea, and Russia, for flights to North America and Europe.



Korean airlines can cut between 200 kilometers and 500 kilometers from routes linking Incheon with the United States, saving 16 billion won in fuel. The flagship carriers have been detouring to the airspace of Japan instead of the Kamchatka route. It sometimes adds one hour to flight time.



Though South Korea and North Korea are heading toward peace following the historic summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last month, the opening of the routes will be possible only when North Korea's summit with the United States comes with a successful outcome. Air Koryo and all its planes are also sanctioned by the United States.


Moon should place top priority on boosting private sector



By Kim Jae-kyoung



South Korea needs a new growth strategy.



The economy is losing resilience and vitality under President Moon Jae-in's income-led growth strategy.



Businesses are reluctant to make investments and hire new employees, while consumers shun spending due to the higher burden of taxes and interests.



Creation of unproductive jobs in the public sector supported by taxes has made civil service exams most popular among college graduates. Most young Koreans are seeking stable jobs rather than taking risks, which renders the economy enervated.



Moon's inclusive growth strategy aimed at producing more jobs with taxes and reducing income inequality has distorted the labor market, dispiriting enterprises and dampening domestic demand.



Simply speaking, his policies have good intentions but failed to deliver intended outcomes of offering better lives for middle- and low-income families.



"While he was elected professing to redistribute the country's income among its citizens, it may have gone too far in that direction," Sohn Sung-won, professor of economics at California State University-Channel Islands, told The Korea Times.



"Economic policy is skewed toward distribution rather than growth, and there are too many unnecessary regulations. Economic growth supported by job creation by the private sector is needed."



One year after Moon took office, the state of Asia's fourth-largest economy looks dismal. Employment, exports, domestic demand and production are all pointing to a downturn.



The youth jobless rate has stayed above 10 percent, while manufacturers' factory operating ratio fell to 70.3 percent, the lowest level since March 2009.






By Yoon Ja-young







The country's job market fell to its worst level since the global financial crisis, with many sectors shedding jobs. Experts say the Moon administration should focus on the corporate sector instead of pouring money into the public sector to create temporary jobs.







According to Statistics Korea, the number of employed came to 26.86 million in April, up 123,000 from a year ago. The potential for job creation is evidently weakening. The number of newly added jobs has been slightly more than 100,000 for three consecutive months since February when the figure fell from 334,000 posted in January.







It is the first time for the country to see such poor ongoing job creation since the period between 2008 and 2010 when the country suffered from the aftermath of the global financial crisis.







The number of unemployed stood at 1.16 million, with the jobless rate at 4.1 percent. The youth unemployment rate stood at 10.7 percent.







"The job market has been in dismal condition for the past year. This should be enough time for the administration to admit its job policy has been a failure," said Shin Se-don, a professor of economics at Sookmyung Women's University.







He stressed jobs should come from the corporate sector.







"The corporate sector is not in good condition but the government raised the minimum wage anyway. It also plans to shorten working hours. Because of this, businesses have no option but to decrease employment."







The country raised the hourly minimum wage to 7,530 won this year, a steep 16.4 percent hike from last year. It is scheduled to reach 10,000 won by 2020 according to President Moon's presidential election pledge. It is part of the Moon Jae-in administration's income-led growth strategy, which expects an increase in household income to lead to more consumption, thereby boosting the economy. The statutory maximum working hours will also be shortened to 52 a week from the current 68 in July.







While the government says the minimum wage hike's impact on the job market is unclear, experts agree the negative impact is evident.







"Any economist would agree rising labor costs coupled with inflexible labor policy were behind the poor figures. Most of the industries that are heavily affected by the minimum wage have shed jobs. The government is sustaining the job figure with public sector jobs, but these are not sustainable," said Cho Gyeong-lyeob, chief economist at the Korea Economic Research Institute.







Wholesale and retail firms shed 61,000 jobs in April, marking a drop for the fifth month in a row. Jobs at restaurants and lodgings decreased for 11 consecutive months, suffering a 28,000 drop in April.







Adding to this pessimism is that the manufacturing sector also started shedding jobs. The number of workers in the sector dipped 68,000 from last year.







"The administration should stop experimenting with its income-led strategy and slow down the pace of wage increases. It should speed up an innovative growth strategy instead," Cho said.







Economists urge the government to focus on solving structural problems and nurture new industries instead of spending money to create temporary public jobs. They warn jobs won't recover as long as the administration sticks to its current policy.







"The extra budget for job creation won't help at all. It would simply add subsidies for those who lost their jobs, but jobs will continue disappearing," Prof. Shin said.


U.S. stealth fighter, F-22 Raptor, takes off at a ROK airbase in Gwangju on the first day of the two-week Max Thunder joint exercise last Friday. North Korea abruptly postponed high-level dialogue slated for Wednesday, citing the participation of F-22 and other strategic assets that can attack the North. / Yonhap



North Korea on Wednesday threw into question an unprecedented summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled for next month, denouncing military exercises between South Korea and the United States as a provocation and calling off high-level talks with Seoul.



A report on North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency angrily attacked the "Max Thunder" air combat drills, which it said involved U.S. stealth fighters and B-52 bombers, and appeared to mark a break in months of warming ties between North and South Korea and between Pyongyang and Washington.

Any cancellation of the June 12 summit in Singapore, the first meeting between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to Trump's efforts to score the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for a successful meeting even as many analysts have been skeptical of the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Korea's willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that now threatens the United States.

The KCNA report called the air drills a "provocation" that went against the trend of warming ties.



"This exercise, targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula," KCNA said, referring to a joint statement from an April 27 inter-Korea summit.

"The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities," KCNA said.

A Trump-Kim summit until recently had looked impossible given the insults and threats the two leaders exchanged last year over North Korea's development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.

"Kim Jong Un had said previously that he understands the need and the utility of the United States and the Republic of Korea continuing in its joint exercises," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing.

"We have not heard anything from that government or the government of South Korea to indicate that we would not continue conducting these exercises or that we would not continue planning for our meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un next month," she said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the United States would examine the North Korean statement "and continue to coordinate closely with our allies."

South Korea's National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong said in early March, after meeting Kim, that the North Korean leader understood that "routine" joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States would continue in spite of a warming of ties.

This was widely considered to be a major North Korea concession, though Pyongyang never publicly withdrew its long-standing demand for an end to the drills.




South Korea expressed regret over North Korea's unilateral decision to cancel inter-Korean talks planned for Wednesday, calling on Pyongyang to return to dialogue as soon as possible.

Earlier in the day, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said it has canceled the high-level talks with the South, citing the ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the United States. It also threatened to cancel summit talks with the U.S. scheduled for June 12.

"It is regrettable that the North's unilateral move to postpone the high-level inter-Korean talks, citing the annual South Korea-U.S. air drills does not conform with the spirit and purpose of the agreements reached between the leaders of the two countries," the unification ministry issued a statement in the name of its spokesman Baik Tae-hyun.

"The government remains strongly committed to faithfully implementing the Panmunjom Declaration and urges the North to come out for talks as soon as possible for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula," it added, referring to the agreements reached during the April 27 summit between the two countries.

Following the historic summit held at the truce village of Panmunjom, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un affirmed the goal of "complete" denuclearization, agreed to halt all hostile acts and expand cross-border cooperation.














A senior North Korean official warned Wednesday that Pyongyang will reconsider the agreed-upon summit talks with the United States if it comes under continued pressure to "unilaterally" abandon its nuclear program.

Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan made clear that the communist regime is not interested in any nuclear talks in which it is coerced into giving up its nuclear arsenal, according to Pyongyang's state news agency KCNA.

"If the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit," he said in English.

DPRK is the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

He urged Washington to join talks with sincerity, which would be met by a "deserved response" by the North.

Kim's remarks came hours after the North abruptly announced an indefinite suspension of inter-Korean talks planned for Wednesday, citing ongoing joint military drills between South Korea and the U.S.

Pyongyang also threatened to cancel the much anticipated summit talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The U.S. earlier said that it continues to plan for the historic summit despite the regime's threat to withdraw. The two leaders are set to meet in Singapore on June 12.

Kim expressed displeasure with the U.S. bringing up previous denuclearization methods, including the one used for Libya.
South Korea and the United States will press ahead with their ongoing combined air drills as planned, Seoul's defense ministry said Wednesday, hours after North Korea canceled high-level cross-border talks in protest against the exercise.



The annual two-week Max Thunder exercise began on Friday, involving 100 aircraft, including eight F-22 radar-evading fighter jets, as well as F-15Ks and F-16s. It is hosted by South Korea's Air Force Operations Command and the US 7th Air Force.



"The exercise will proceed as planned, and regarding that, there are no differences between the South and US," the ministry said in a text message sent to reporters.



"On top of that, the exercise is designed to enhance the capability of pilots and is not an implementation of an operational plan or an attack maneuver," it added.



The remarks came after Defense Minister Song Young-moo and Gen. Vincent Brooks, the commander of US Forces Korea, held an emergency meeting to apparently discuss Pyongyang's abrupt decision to cancel the inter-Korean talks slated for Wednesday.













The North's Korean Central News Agency lambasted the drills as a rehearsal for invasion and a provocation amid thawing inter-Korean ties.



Earlier in the day, a source said a US B-52 strategic bomber might not participate in the ongoing drills.



"In the training, the US F-22 stealth fighters have already participated, while the B-52 has yet to join," the source said on condition of anonymity. "It appears that the B-52 might not attend the exercise, which runs through May 25."



Pyongyang has repeatedly shown its aversion to the deployment of the B-52 bomber, part of the US nuclear umbrella, over the peninsula.



Its protest came after South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un issued their landmark summit declaration last month, in which they pledged to halt all hostile acts on land, sea and air.



But the North's angry reaction has caused concerns that ongoing peace efforts could be jeopardized.



Pyongyang's protest also reinforced the conservative view that the communist state might use the inter-Korean declaration to oppose any allied drills that form an integral part of the Seoul-Washington collective defense system. (Yonhap)
AmorePacific Group Chairman Suh Kyung-bae





SPC Group Chairman Hur Young-in
By Kim Yoo-chul



One of the best-known names in business here is preparing to take advantage of the country's improving relations with North Korea.



While there are lots of questions over whether U.S. companies want to invest heavily in the North given the many uncertainties, Hyundai Group is betting big on new kinds of gambles there.



The conglomerate said Wednesday it was seeking to establish a consortium in anticipation of launching several sizable economic projects in North Korea.



"We are having discussions with businesses that want new business opportunities in North Korea. Among them are well-known international and domestic companies, as well as international funds. We can't name the partners we are talking to given the sensitivity of the issue," a Hyundai official said.



The group is planning to acquire companies that are now on sale via its investment arm in order to diversify its business portfolio.



Hyundai Group has exclusive rights authorized by the South Korean government to handle and manage all significant business projects relating to North Korea, meaning its profits are dependent upon developments of North-South relations.



The group reached an agreement with North Korea in August 2000 under which Pyongyang guaranteed exclusive rights to the business group to handle seven social overhead capital (SOC) businesses linked to electricity, telecommunications, railroads, tourism and others until August 2030.



"A large investment in SOC will encourage private investment later. What we have to do is find trustworthy business partners to restart economic projects in North Korea in close collaboration with the group. Hyundai needs help from foreign funds and international organizations," the official said, adding "quite a few" have approached Hyundai.



Over the last decade, the combined operating losses of Hyundai Asan, the group's flagship affiliate, reached over 200 billion won as it was forced to shut down business projects in the North because of worsening ties between the two Koreas.



Hyundai Group separated into several business groups in 2000, parting ways with Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Department Store and Hyundai Heavy Industries groups. It had been involved in various business projects in North Korea, including a mountain resort at Mount Geumgang and the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, where South Korean companies paid North Korean workers to manufacture shoes, watches and other goods.



The group official said they were closely monitoring the upcoming June 12 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald J. Trump, as well as other potential challenges and changes to the sanctions in place on the North.



Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong-yeon said last week Seoul was considering "various scenarios" to resume economic cooperation with Pyongyang, though declining to elaborate.



But he said Seoul has set $900 million as its initial fund to help get such economic projects on track.


A Bahrain court on Tuesday revoked the citizenship of 115 people, the most to lose their nationality at any one time, amid a yearslong crackdown on all dissent in the island kingdom.

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - A Bahrain court on Tuesday revoked the citizenship of 115 people, the most to lose their nationality at any one time, amid a yearslong crackdown on all dissent in the island kingdom.



Saudi Wahhabi-backed Bahrain government increasingly has wielded denaturalization as a hammer to beat back dissent on the Shiite-majority island off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf.



The court decision Tuesday came as much of the Mideast focused on Israeli security forces killing 59 Palestinian protesters as the U.S. Embassy opened in Al Quds (Jerusalem) the day before. Like much of the crackdown, it has quietly escaped attention.



Acting Head of Terror Crime Prosecution, Chief Prosecutor Hamad Shaheen, said on Tuesday that the Supreme Criminal Court found 115 Shia defendants guilty of forming of a terrorist group called Zulfiqar Battalions, possession of explosive devices and flammable materials, training in the use of munitions, attempted murder of police officers and communication with a foreign state.



Prosecutors accused defendants of building and detonating bombs, receiving weapons training and plotting to kill police officers. Prosecutors also alleged defendants received training and support from neighboring country and its hard-line paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

Fifty-three defendants received life imprisonment, three were sentenced to 15 years behind bars and fifteen others got seven years in prison. The rest of the defendants were sentenced to jail terms ranging from three to five years.



Bahraini officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment for more information. Activists said the sentencing raised the number of those who have lost their citizenship since the 2012 to over 700.



This outrageously harsh sentence is setting a new level of injustice in Bahrain, said Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy. Rendering people stateless in a mass trial is a clear violation of international law.



Bahrain, a nation only some 760 square kilometers (290 square miles) in size, is home to some 1.4 million people. About half are Bahraini citizens, the majority of them Shiite. The island is also home to the U.S. Navys 5th Fleet and a new British naval base.



The island has been ruled since the 1780s by the Al Khalifa family. King Hamad, who took the throne in 1999, initially took steps to move the country from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one.



However, the islands Shiite majority accused the government of treating them like second-class citizens. They joined pro-democracy activists in demanding more political freedoms in 2011, as Islamic Awakening protests swept the wider Middle East. Saudi and Emirati troops ultimately helped violently put down the peaceful demonstrations.



Bahrain promised change after the protests. But since April 2016, Bahrain has engaged in a new crackdown on dissent, overturning reforms that blocked civilians from being tried in military courts. It has shut down political parties, arrested political activists and forced others into exile.



The U.S. previously pushed back against Bahrain on human rights matters, using its influence as the islands defense guarantor with over 7,000 U.S. troops attached to a sprawling base called the Naval Support Activity in Manama.



However, thats changed with President Trump. His administration approved a multibillion-dollar sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain without the human rights conditions imposed by the State Department under President Barack Obama.











/129


By Kim Rahn



Political analysts presume North Korea's abrupt cancellation of high-level inter-Korean talks and threats to reconsider the Washington-Pyongyang summit are aimed at taking the lead ahead of talks over its denuclearization.



Most predict the North is unlikely to spoil the current mood for dialogue but is trying to strengthen its bargaining power before negotiations and send a warning  to the U.S., rather than to South Korea  not to underestimate the country.



About 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, Pyongyang notified Seoul that it had cancelled the high-level talks, which were to take place in less than 10 hours, citing the ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint military drills, which it sees as a rehearsal of war.



Later in the day, North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan also said in a statement the country would reconsider the summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, slated for June 12, if the U.S. forces the North to unilaterally give up nuclear weapons.





Experts say the exercises may not be the true reason for the North canceling talks, considering that the drills started May 11 and the North suggested the meeting four days later. Kim Jong-un also earlier told South Korean envoys that he understood the allies' joint military drills.



"With the drills as a pretext, Pyongyang is indirectly expressing discontent at the recent hard-line stances from Washington, such as moving the North's nuclear weapons to the U.S., removing biochemical weapons and raising an issue of human rights abuse," said Shin Beom-chul, senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. "The North is making use of the high-level talks as a chance (to express its discomfort)."



Indeed, Kim Kye-gwan said American officials' remarks, such as "denuclearization first and reward later" and "complete abandonment of nuclear, missile and biochemical weapons," are "thoughtless words that provoke its counterpart."



Dongguk University professor Ko Yu-hwan said North Korea seems to be getting pressure from the joint drills, as it says removal of military threats and a guarantee of regime security should be preconditions for denuclearization.



"In the reconciliatory situation where the Panmunjeom Declaration has been made, the North is sending a message, to both Seoul and Washington, that it is improper (for them) to continue what they used to do," Ko said.



It is also said Pyongyang was upset about a press conference by Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to the South, held at the National Assembly on Monday.



The North's Korean Central News Agency reported, "Although the South promised joint efforts for peace, prosperity and unification of the Korean Peninsula, it is continuing acts that run counter to the promise and letting human trash stand at the Assembly and slander our respected supreme leader and regime," apparently referring to Thae's press conference.



Despite the North's hard-line stance, Seoul officials and political analysts believe Pyongyang is unlikely to spoil the mood for dialogue entirely and likely to proceed with its planned nuclear test site closure in Punggye-ri next week.




White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders / Reuters



The White House is "still hopeful" the summit between North Korea's Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump will proceed despite Pyongyang's threat to cancel it, spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Wednesday.

"We're still hopeful that the meeting will take place and we'll continue down that path," Sanders told Fox News. "At the same time ... we've been prepared that these might be tough negotiations."

"The president is ready if the meeting takes place. And if it doesn't, we will continue the maximum pressure campaign that has been ongoing."

The North warned it may back out of the high-level summit -- set for June 12 in Singapore -- if the United States pressures it to relinquish its nuclear arsenal.

"If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue," first vice foreign minister Kim Kye-gwan said in a statement carried by state media.












/ Yonhap



South Korean has seen sales of heat-not-burn (HNB) electronic cigarettes grow at a fast click since their debut here last year, amid soaring popularity among local smokers, data showed Wednesday.

According to the data from the government and industry sources, 163 million packs of HNB tobacco products were sold in the country between May 2017 and this March. One pack contains 20 e-cigarettes.

Phillip Morris' iQOS was the first HNB e-cigarette to hit the domestic market. Other products include British American Tobacco's Glo and South Korean leading cigarette maker KT&G Corp.'s lil.

In May last year, e-cigarette sales stood at 1 million packs, but the number skyrocketed to 10 million back in July and 21 million packs in October.

However, the pace of their rapid growth slowed sharply as South Korea's tax and health authorities sought to raise taxes on e-cigarettes and limited tobacco companies' promotional activities. Monthly sales tumbled to 11 million packs in November and 12 million packs a month later.

In December, South Korea's parliament passed a bill to raise the local tax on heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco products to 897 won ($0.83) per pack from the previous 528 won.

But sales of e-cigarettes began to rise sharply this year. Monthly shipments of HNB tobacco products soared to 23 million packs in January, with numbers reaching 22 million packs in February and 24 million packs in March.

Soaring e-cigarette sales have prompted the local health authorities to take action. The health ministry said Tuesday it is considering a move to enlarge the size of graphic warnings on cigarette packs to discourage people from smoking.

In 2016, South Korea required tobacco companies to put pictorial warnings on the upper part of both sides of a cigarette pack, with the graphic images being changed every 24 months as part of its efforts to maintain awareness of the side effects of smoking.

The ministry aims to lower the smoking rate for South Korean men aged 19 and older to 29 percent by 2020. The rate stood at 40.7 percent in 2016. (Yonhap)




By Jon Dunbar







Rapper Sage Francis returns to Korea for concerts this Friday and Saturday. He last toured Korea in December 2014, performing in Daegu and Busan, but this time he's in Seoul and Busan, and he's bringing his co-collaborator B. Dolan, the other half of the

.







"This time I get to play with B. Dolan rather than doing it totally solo, and that's exciting for me," Francis told The Korea Times. "He is an absolute beast and I'm lucky to have him as a friend and rap partner. The tour we're on right now is giving us all the practice we need to smash whatever stage you guys put us on."







Francis, active in Providence, Rhode Island, is a poet, rapper and spoken word artist.







Born Paul William Francis, he got his moniker when reading lyrics to his first girlfriend, and she told him, "Damn, kid, you're a sage."







"I had no idea what it meant," he recalled, "but I did know that the letters worked great as a graffiti tag. Fortunately I'm terrible at graffiti, but that's why I initially adopted it as my rap name."





He founded

in 1996 and serves as its CEO. Originally the label was to release his own music, but it has also promoted other acts including Dolan, Buck 65 and Cecil Otter.







"My goal has always been to offer something as unique as it is enjoyable," he said. "We can be strange and famous at the same time if all goes well. The odds are against us, but we've got some incredibly talented and sharp minds in our small circle. So far so good."







Francis, known for his introspective and conscious lyrics, says the label of underground music is becoming outdated.







"It's all merging into the same thing," he explained. "I mean, underground used to be the music that was difficult to find. Nowadays we all share the same platforms for the most part. It's very easy to get all of your music on all the streaming services, iTunes, SoundCloud and so on. That means there's a lot of music to sift through."







Francis cooperated with Dolan for years before coming together as Epic Beard Men.







"We are not men with epic beards; we are epic men who happen to have beards," he said. "This seems to be confusing everyone, so it's time I set the record straight. We hate beards and we would be happy if they all disappeared from everyone's face except for ours."







On Friday

, with Korean hip-hop duo Garion opening. On Saturday

, with openers MA$$TIGE & Homebo2z.


SNU's regional balance admissions fail to increase rural student enrollment. / Graphics by Cho Sang-won



By Kim Hyun-bin



Seoul National University has been enforcing a "regional balance admissions" plan, which aims to increase opportunities for rural area students to enroll at the nation's top university.



The plan allows two students from each of the 2,360 high schools in the nation to annually apply through the program.

The plan was first implemented in 2005 to reduce student admission inequalities.



"The purpose of the regional balance admissions aims to bring in local talent. The principle of the school has the authority to pick the two most talented students to apply," said Ahn Hyun-ki, director of admissions at SNU.



In the early years, many experts were in favor of the plan claiming it could reduce the education gap throughout the nation. After the implementation of the program, some rural schools have gotten the chance to enroll students in SNU for the first time. However, over the years the university's initiative has gone sour with over one quarter or 25.7 percent of students coming from the capital this year.



The number is significant as Seoul only accounts for 13.6 percent of the total high schools in the nation.



Out of the 2,360 high schools in the nation 20 percent are in Gyeonggi Province, 13.6 percent in Seoul, 8.1 percent in South Gyeongsang Province, 8 percent in North Gyeongsang Province, 6.4 percent in Incheon, 4.7 percent in Gwangju, 3.3 percent in Daejeon, and 2.1 percent on Jeju Island.



There was even a greater gap within Seoul with more students enrolling to SNU from affluent districts.



Of 25 districts in the capital, Seocho district extracted the most students. There are 11 high schools in Seocho, but 10 (90.9 percent) have gotten admissions to SNU through the program this year. Dong-jak district followed with 71.3 percent and Gwangjin at 66.7 percent.



On the other hand, less affluent districts such as Dobong and Seongbuk had 20 percent and 15.4 percent respectively.

"At the beginning of the program students were admitted mostly by academic grades, but they were not able to meet the curriculum standards, so it seems SNU started to focus more on the College Scholastic Ability tests (CSAT) scores," said an official from an entrance examination company. "When the focus turns to CSAT, students in Seoul will have an advantage."



Maintain non-scheduled admissions



Seoul National University will maintain its non-scheduled admission rate at 78.5 percent for the 2019 school year, the same as the year before.



The 78.5 non-scheduled admissions consist of 23.8 percent regional balance admissions and 54.7 percent non-scheduled admissions.



The remaining 21.5 percent will come from regular admissions.



"We plan to maintain the admissions evaluation standards until the 2020 class for a stable college admissions procedure, and to admit students that have thoroughly completed their curriculum," said SNU in a statement.



The move goes against the Ministry of Education's (MOE) effort to increase regular admissions.

The MOE has called on universities to increase the percentage of regular admissions.

Most key universities have accepted the new changes.



Park Chun-ran, vice minister of education is said to have called key university presidents including those of Seoul National, Korea and Ewha Womans requesting they increase their regular admissions.



Regular admissions mostly take into consideration academic grades and the CSAT, which is based on a multiple choice test taken annually in November.



The education ministry says the move aims to address the drastic reduction of regular admissions.



However, for the past decade, the government has been pushing to reduce the regular admissions.

Many experts are pointing out the recent changes are due to the local elections slated for June 13.

The SNU rejected the MOE's request to increase regular admissions.



It submitted a report to the MOE, after running numerous simulations that analyzed the grades of the 2018 applicants to the university.



The report claimed the increase in regular admissions will worsen the stability of college admissions as students are expected to go "all in" on the CSAT.



The SNU pointed out it will also widen the education gap in areas around the nation as more well off families will increase the amount of private education for their children, which could cause the collapse of public education.



"If there is even a slight change in the SNU admission process it will a have a big impact and cause great confusion. The changes need to be carefully approached," said an official from SNU.










Republic of Korea Army's second lieutenants Park Seung-ri, left, and Yun Chae-eun smile while posing on top of an Army tank in this file photo. / Courtesy of Republic of Korea Army



By Lee Min-hyung



The number of female military officers here is far below that of developed countries, largely due to the nationwide perception that only men should serve in the military.



The Ministry of National Defense has, for this reason, unveiled its plan to raise the proportion of female military officers to 8.8 percent by 2020 from this year's 5.5 percent. This year, the defense ministry selected 1,100 female military officers, and plans to more than double the number to 2,450 in 2022.



No one would doubt the military here has so far been considered a place for men. This is largely due to a series of outdated military regulations which prevent women from working for some front-line or combat units. All able-bodied men are also required to serve in the military.



But the ministry is on track to abolish such discriminative regulations to foster gender equality in the military and shatter negative perceptions of female soldiers.



In particular, two female military officers were commissioned second lieutenants for the Republic of Korea Army's armored unit earlier this year. This is the first time female officers have been selected to serve their duty in the armored division of the ROK Army.



They are second lieutenants Park Seung-ri and Yun Chae-eun.



"I want to walk in the right path as the first female officer in the nation's armored unit," Park said in an interview, Wednesday. "At first, the title of the nation's first female officer in the division came as a burden to me, but my decision came as I felt strongly drawn to the mobility of tanks when I got a chance to drive."



"I will do my best to set a successful example as the first-ever female armored unit officer," she said.



Yun also said she was attracted to the Army's symbolic image of tanks and armored vehicles.



"I feel a strong sense of responsibility as the first female armored division officer here," she said. "It is very fortunate for me to serve my military duty at the unit, as armored vehicles  equipped with state-of-the-art technologies  will stand at the center of next-generation ground warfare."



"I will do my utmost to cultivate a strong leadership and mentality. Last but not least, I also hope to become a role model for would-be female officers in the armored unit."




An F-22 Raptor stealth fighter lands at a military base in Gwangju, Wednesday, amid Max Thunder, a joint military drill between the Air Forces of South Korea and the U.S. / Yonhap



By Kim Rahn



Max Thunder, which North Korea claims is the cause of its decision to cancel high-level talks with the South, is a joint military drill between the Air Forces of South Korea and the United States.



It has been held every May since 2009, with this year's drill starting May 11 and continuing for two weeks.



The drills include annual defensive exercises with mock combat, and the number of fighter jets and troops this year is similar to those in years past, with some 100 aircraft from both countries participating, according to the Korean Air Force.



This year, eight of the U.S.'s F-22 Raptor stealth fighters were deployed for the drills for the first time. It is said the Raptor fighters can penetrate North Korea's radar fence and make surgical strikes against strategic facilities.






A 25-year-old art class model who spread nude photos of her male colleague is surrounded by reporters as she moves from Seobu District Court to Mapo Police Station for questioning, Saturday. / Yonhap



By Lee Suh-yoon



Authorities have immediately sought to bring charges against a female model after she leaked a nude photo of her male model colleague.



But the public is taking issue with this latest incident  why are hidden camera crimes against women not being investigated with the same rigor and intensity?



This gender bias in the handling of hidden camera crimes by law enforcement officers has not gone unnoticed.



A public petition calling for equally swift justice to hidden camera crimes targeting women gained over 330,000 signatures in less than a week.



"Women also reported their cases to the police and tried to delete online posts of hidden camera recordings of them," one petitioner said on the Cheong Wa Dae website.



"But the response we got was: 'You should have dressed more modestly,' or 'It's too hard to catch the perpetrator.'"



The government must directly respond to any petition that exceeds 200,000 signatures on its website within 30 days.



After the photo of the male nude model was spread online on May 1, the police tracked down and investigated 20 suspects. They apprehended the perpetrator in just 10 days.



The police also took active steps to protect the man from potential psychological harm through derogatory online comments, or "secondary victimization."



Photos of the mask-clad perpetrator were displayed all over the media on May 12  a treatment usually reserved for those who commit violent crimes like murder.



The force and speed of this investigation stand in stark contrast to when women are victims of such crimes.



Women are the victims in over 80 percent of 6,000 hidden camera crimes reported every year, according to data from the National Police Agency (NPA).



Just days after the male model incident, three hours of hidden video footage of female students changing clothes in their dorm rooms was leaked online.



Authorities and the public, however, have shown a relatively lukewarm response to this.



On the day of posting, the most-searched terms on Naver, the nation's biggest portal, were not keywords related to the perpetrator, but the addresses of voyeur sites where this video could be viewed.



About 86 percent of all hidden camera criminals charged in 2016 were released on probation or after paying a fine, according to court data.



"If a woman had become a victim to a hidden camera crime while resting with her genital area exposed in a shared lounge, all blame would go to her for not resting in a more modest manner," one Facebook user posted last week.



"I've never seen local cops work so hard to catch a perpetrator of a hidden camera crime. They only turn into super-cops when the victim is male."



Shin Ji-ye, the Green Party's candidate running for Seoul mayor, also called for gender equality in investigations into hidden camera crimes.



"The police have been slow and passive in responding to cases involving female victims, saying it is too difficult to catch the perpetrator. This has been the reality so far, preventing the victims from reporting their cases properly," Shin said in a recent press conference.



"The Green Party asks at this point why the police do not respond with the same speed and manpower to hidden camera crimes involving female victims."



The Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Response Center also said it was necessary to address the difference in the government's response to hidden camera crimes.



"Talking about the difference between male and female victimization cases is not an attempt to attack or trivialize male victims," it said in a press statement. "We are determined to close this gap."








By Kang Aa-young







A Korean man in his 20s was booked without detention Tuesday for allegedly hitting his French girlfriend.







Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said the alleged assault happened about 4 a.m. Saturday in a bar in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.







The victim, 25, told police the man started hitting her after she said she wanted to break up with him. She said he beat her "like she's a bug."







The Frenchwoman is in Korea on a "working holiday" visa.







The Korean Working Holiday (H1) visa allows foreigners to stay here for up to a year while doing short-term work.


The initial outcome shows that the Saeroon Coalition led by Sayyed Muqtada al-Sadr is leading with 54 seats, followed by the Fatah Coalition led by Hadi al-Amiri with 47 seats. The incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's Nasr Coalition has come third as it harvested 42 seats in the Council of Representatives of Iraq. These front-runners have won their seats to lead a 328-seat parliament.

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Four days after the parliamentary election in Iraq, the partial results of the votes in the 18 provinces are being announced by the Independent High Election Commission.

The initial outcome shows that the Saeroon Coalition led by Sayyed Muqtada al-Sadr is leading with 54 seats, followed by the Fatah Coalition led by Hadi al-Amiri with 47 seats. The incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's Nasr Coalition has come third as it harvested 42 seats in the Council of Representatives of Iraq. These front-runners have won their seats to lead a 328-seat parliament.

In addition to these three leading lists, others like State of Law Coalition (25 seats), Kurdistan Democratic Party (23), and Al-Wataniya List (21) are the key political players that are going to form the new parliament delivered by the first election since the emergence of ISIS terrorist group in the country.

These are not the final results, but any dramatic change of the initial results is hardly thinkable, or at best any party can see a change of its harvest by at most two seats.

The conclusion of the fourth parliamentary election of Iraq allows the premise that an anti-American front has won the votes of a majority of the Iraqi people. Over the past months, the analysts predicted that al-Abadis Nasr list will win overwhelmingly mainly influenced by the big defeat in 2017 of the ISIS, which has been holding large swaths of the countrys territory since 2014. But the domination of the Saeroon and Fatah lists as the largest and most important anti-American political blocs sends a strong message to the Americans.

Analysts assert that the Iraqi people have made their voice heard locally and regionally, saying by ballot that they are roundly opposing the US presence and flagrant intervention in their political affairs. Al-Sadr and Al-Amiri are both political elites who over long years of their political life very brazenly spoke up against the US meddling both in the affairs of Iraq and in West Asia region. Even when the nation was combating the ISIS terrorists in more than one front, they called for immediate and unconditional withdrawal of US forces from the war-torn country, warning that, they directly target the US military bases in the country. Washington sent forces to Iraq under the guise of fighting terrorism in the country.

The US and allies have limits influencing Iraqs new government formation

The victory of anti-American forces in Iraq has consequences for Washington. One certain ramification of the Al-Sadr and Al-Amiris win is that the US will face tighter restrictions to sway the nations political course, especially when it comes to forming a government. The central point of slogans of Saeroon and Fatah coalitions in over a month of campaigning was preserving Iraq's independence and sovereignty and putting into practice socio-economic reforms. Their win has come as a surprise to the analysts, but it revealed that the majority of the Iraqis are not happy with Americans presence in their country.

In the coming weeks and perhaps months, as the state seeks to form a cabinet, the Americans are expected to do their best to impact the next developments and government formation process. But their power to play a role will be very limited as Iraq head to its future. So, under the new conditions, the Iraqi politicians should exercise utmost caution in their relationship with Washington as this is a demand sent to them by the public via the polls.

Anti-American camps power gain after 2003

To shed light on the reasons of the triumph of the anti-American lists in the May 12 election, the course of evolution of anti-Washington sentiments in the Iraqi society after the toppling of Saddam Hussain in 2003 should be brought to spotlight. Large part of Iraqi nation was optimistic about the US-led invasion to topple former dictator Saddam and this positive sentiment motivated a large part of the nations political body to set up warm relations with Washington. However, despite that openness to the Americans, Al-Sadr formed Jaysh al-Mahdi militia and led an armed revolt against the American occupation of the country. The militia group fiercely hit the American, as well as the allied British, military posts in Basra and Baghdad as he labeled the American forces in Iraq illegitimate and destabilizing and called on them to immediately leave the country. The armed struggle against Washington was heated enough to allow the CIA to several times from 2005 to 2007 attempt to assassinate the influential cleric. All attempts were unsuccessful, however.

Hadi al-Amiri, the head of the Badr Organization, was another key opponent of the US presence in Iraq. As an independent Shiite figure, he since the beginning, strongly came against the US military presence in Iraq. Even after 2010 when Al-Amiri served as a Member of Parliament and minister of transportation, he was widely recognized as anti-American with antipathy to Washington meddling in home affairs.

They two also helped form the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a force established to battle ISIS which wrested large tracts of Iraqi soil upon its rise. Through their contribution to PMF, the two leaders played a big role in the defeat of ISIS. During this period too, they solidly held their anti-American postures, asking the Americans to leave the country and remove all of their military bases in Iraq.

Iraq's parliamentary elections revealed that the Iraqi people consider the anti-Washington approach of the two political coalitions a right choice. With their vote to Al-Sadr and Al-Amiri, who confronted the US while other parties dealt with it moderately, the Iraqis continued to say no to more American interference in their country.









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Korean Air employees protest against the company's owner family in central Seoul, Saturday. / Yonhap



The owner family of Korean Air Lines Co. is suspected of having illegally hired more than 10 Philippine housekeepers, Seoul's immigration office said Wednesday.

The Seoul office of the Korea Immigration Service said they obtained statements backing such suspicions from Korean Air officials in the human resources division during an interrogation earlier in the day.

The questioning focused on verifying how the housekeepers came into the country, how they were paid by the Cho family and who actually hired them, the office said.

The immigration office, part of the Ministry of Justice, has been investigating allegations that the wife of Chairman Cho Yang-ho has unlawfully recruited maids from the Southeast Asian country for many years. They mostly worked for Lee Myung-hee -- Cho's wife -- and Cho Hyun-ah -- their eldest daughter and former Korean Air vice president.

The authorities raided the Korean Air headquarters in western Seoul last week, and based on the confiscated evidence, suspect the illicit hiring of 10-20 Filipino housekeepers.












Prosecutor-General Moon Moo-il is surrounded by reporters asking questions as he arrives at his office in Seoul, Wednesday. /Yonhap



By Kim Hyun-bin



Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il Wednesday denied all accusations that he exerted pressure to impede an ongoing investigation into a case of hiring irregularities. His move came amid an erupting dispute in the prosecution following resistance by a group of prosecutors in defiance of Moon's alleged intervention in the case.



"It is my duty to oversee and manage the prosecution so that our investigations are exercised in a proper and fair way," Moon said. "I will make sure every step in the probe is properly carried out to reach a fair conclusion."



Kangwon Land, the state-owned casino, has come under growing criticism for improper recruitment practices, which have been linked to Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the Liberty Korea Party (LKP).



The investigative team, led by the head of the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office, Yang Bu-nam, said in a statement that in May, it reported to the top prosecutor to seek a court warrant to arrest Rep. Kweon, but it was not approved. Instead, Moon ordered Yang's team to set up an advisory panel to determine the probe's next course.



The prosecutor's probe was started after a recently revealed case that there has been pressure by the head of the regional prosecutor's office not to seek an arrest warrant of those involved including Rep. Kweon and other high-ranking officials.



The investigative team held a press conference Tuesday, claiming Moon blocked their move to seek arrest warrants.



"Moon has broken his promise to guarantee independence," said Yang.



Justice Minister Park Sang-ki called on the prosecution to swiftly continue the corruption probe.



"It's a shame that the dispute has shaken the prosecution and caused concern for the public," Park said. "I advised the prosecutor-general to preside the case based on law and principles so it won't raise any further doubt."



In February, prosecutor Ahn Mee-hyun first raised an allegation against the alleged intervention in the Kangwon Land investigation by prosecutors who are not part of the team.



The Supreme Prosecutors' Office denied it at the time, saying there would be no outside pressure, even from Prosecutor General Moon.?


Reckford is giving a helping hand in building a house in Cheonan. Since 1994, the Habitat in Korea has built 1,009 houses in the country and funded almost 15,500 houses outside of Korea. /Courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Korea



By Kim Hyun-bin



Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, visited Korea recently to check on the progress of its Korean branch and to recruit donors and volunteers for the program.



This is not his first visit to the country, as he previously lived in Seoul while working for the Olympic Organizing Committee during the 1988 Seoul Olympics.



Reckford was shocked, as so much has changed over the span of just three decades.



"I think the Olympic Games were a coming-out party for Korea to reintroduce to the world and a tremendous success," he said.



"It is extraordinary to see Seoul as a driver and leader of technology, fashion, music for the whole region, and to see just the scale and wealth of Seoul compared to what it was 30 years ago."



Habitat for Humanity Korea, established in 1994, serves two major purposes, according to Reckford.



First, not only building or improving homes in Korea, but also raising awareness of the need for affordable housing.



Secondly, he pointed out the Korean government and corporations have played their parts in helping other countries in need.



"Korea has become an important donor country for the rest of Asia and Africa. Habitat Korea has raised funds both from the government and corporations," he said. "I think it is wonderful to see Korea as it becomes such a global and important country contributing back to other countries in need."



In 2001, former U.S President Jimmy Carter and his wife visited the city of Cheonan accompanied by then-President Kim Dae-jung.



Both presidents initiated the Jimmy Carter Work Project in the country, which greatly invigorated Habitat for Humanity Korea.



"In 2001, we had the Carter project here in Korea with 9,000 volunteers; we built houses in six sites around the country. The volunteers that got engaged are the current leadership in Habitat in Korea, which was a very important acceleration event," Reckford said.



Since 1994, Habitat for Humanity Korea has built 1,009 houses in the country and funded almost 15,500 houses abroad, primarily in low-income countries. In addition, it assisted and supported 63,207 seniors living alone, multicultural families and other socially neglected individuals in the country to re-establish their self-reliance and improve their living conditions, according to Habitat for Humanity Korea.



Habitat for Humanity Korea is seeking housing philanthropists who are willing to contribute to helping people in need, both here and abroad.



"Starting 2010, we started to support more families from outside the country as a way of repaying the love Korea got from U.N. countries during the Korean War. We believe it is our time to repay the favor to the world," said Sohn Mi-hyang, national director of Habitat for Humanity Korea.



In 2005, Habitat for Humanity International, which has some 70 branches worldwide, helped an average 125,000 individuals. But in 2017, that number soared to 3.5 million.


The headquarters of the African Development Bank in Abidjan, Ivory Coast / Reuters



A regional development bank in Africa will hold its annual meeting in South Korea next week, with a gathering to discuss economic cooperation between Asia's fourth-largest economy and the continent to take place as well, the finance ministry here said Wednesday.

The 53rd annual meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB), scheduled to run in the country's southern port city of Busan from Monday to Friday, is expected to draw more than 6,000 finance ministers, governors of central banks, heads of international organizations, business leaders and journalists from nearly 80 member states.

The AfDB was established in 1964 as a way to contribute to the economic and social development of Africa through promoting investment with 54 member countries from the continent and 26 from outside the region. South Korea joined the organization in 1984.

Under the theme of "Accelerating Africa's Industrialization," participants will discuss ways to promote African nations' development and cooperation.

World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim, Morocco's Prime Minister Eddine El Othmani, South Korean Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon and finance chiefs from many African nations will participate in this year's annual gathering, according to the ministry.

On the sidelines of the AfDB annual meeting, the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) meeting will be held as well.

Started in 2006, the biennial KOAFEC meeting has been aimed at sharing South Korea's experience on economic development and enhancing cooperation in resource development.

Earlier, South Korea said it will create a US$10 billion financial cooperation package, including the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) launched in 1987, to help emerging countries with cheap loans and its Knowledge Sharing Program (KSP). KSP, initiated in 2004, offers Seoul's growth experience and other useful expertise.

During the meeting, South Korea and the KOAFEC countries will discuss Korea-Africa cooperative projects and map out detailed methods to implement proposed programs. (Yonhap)




Shin Joong-hyun, left, and Yongsan Legacy co-founder Daniel Oh discuss Shin's "jailbroken" Fender electric guitar wired with parts from a Korean gayageum, which he is using to remaster his own classics. / Courtesy of Yongsan Legacy



By Kyung Lee



Shin Joong-hyun, just 17 years old, stepped foot on U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Yongsan for the first time in 1955  a newly purchased electric guitar strapped across his shoulder which his former coworker at a pharmaceutical factory gifted to him. He'd received the green light to audition for the right to perform American classics at select clubs for the Eighth U.S. Army (EUSA) and other service members frequenting them.



Before Shin could demonstrate his acquired talents confidently in front of a committee inside the Annex I Club, however, a minor mishap occurred just prior to stepping on stage that could sabotage his chances.



"The amplifier wasn't working," Shin said in a recent interview. "So after giving up on trying to figure out what was going on, I thought it was the end for me."



He strummed his powerless electric guitar before the judges, after which he gave an infuriated kick to the hibernating amplifier, which screeched to life.



Shin fell short of the top AA-class clearance grade for incoming musicians looking to perform on base. Fortunately, the judges issued him a B-class clearance grade.



Granted a pass to prove he could improve on his disheartening audition, Shin was now tasked with learning how to emulate the popular American genres of the day, primarily rock 'n' roll and its psychedelic deviations.



"There was a vinyl jukebox playing in every club, so my bandmates and I would put some money into the machines to study the scores we liked," he said. "We would also purchase sheet music sold in the compound to practice with our band."



Other than sitting in front of jukeboxes, Shin adds that listening to American beats on Vagabond FM _ a once-nomadic radio station broadcast by American Forces Korea Network (AFKN) _ played a major role in helping him adapt to the music U.S. service members craved from back home.





Shin Joong-hyun from May 2005 / Korea Times file



Having a clearance grade also offered privileges for the bands, allowing them to rehearse in places like the Annex I Club, a wide brick structure that Shin has called home from 1955 to this day.



Shin says Annex I fulfilled its function as a multipurpose sanctuary where he and his band could rest, practice, audition, and perform with various compositions they had selected to their liking.



"We would usually play rock 'n' roll until one day Park Soon-hwan (Jackie Park) walked into the dressing room and asked me for a spot in the band," he said.



Famously known for covering classic titles like "The House of the Rising Sun" and Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" in the later years of his career, Park's audition that evening infused Shin's group with a little more soul.



An African-American GI, Shin recalls, who happened to be standing at the club entrance, heard Park's Otis Redding-like vocals, then left the building only to return accompanied by his fellow soldiers.



"Hey man, you got some soul! Give me five!" one soldier yelled towards Park.



Having long been credited for his powerful voice, Park would prove his exceptional singing talents in the 1959 Spring Variety Show and in Shin's later compositions such as "Spring Rain" produced in 1970.



Contrary to the positive reception Park had received that evening, Shin was often met with heckles from the crowd that rattled his spirits while he strummed his chords aimlessly behind his bandleader.



"Hey, shorty! Play the guitar!" some privates would yell at Shin.



Noting that he was the youngest and shortest guitarist who was still unfamiliar with the charisma of American rock, Shin was teased to the point he didn't want to be remembered as the "adorable musician handling an oversized guitar."



"That line kept following me until I asked one of the club managers for some vinyl from the jukebox," he said. "And after listening to and practicing the solo for Guitar Boogie Shuffle all night, I put in a request for him to distribute sheet music to our band to perform the following evening."



It was at the Siberian Club located in front of Yongsan Station at the time  an EUSA-affiliated club appropriated for U.S. intelligence officers in attendance  where Shin played his first-ever solo sitting behind the band leader, his head bowed in concentration.





Shin Joong-hyun performs during an America tour in November 2012. / Korea Times file
Rep. Park Jie-won of the Party for Democracy and Peace / Yonhap



By Park Ji-won



A former negotiator for the inter-Korean summit in 2000 advised Washington, Wednesday, to give North Korea a chance to "save face," saying unnecessary harsh rhetoric may spoil the upcoming denuclearization talks with the North.



The remark came after the North unilaterally cancelled planned high-ranking talks between the two Koreas, threatening to pull out of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in Singapore next month.



"Recently, there has been a series of unnecessary remarks from the U.S. hurting the North's reputation. It should stop saying these things if it truly wants to achieve denuclearization," Rep. Park Jie-won from the Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP) wrote on Facebook.






By Kim Bo-eun





Thae Yong-ho
Pyongyang suspends high-level talks with Seoul



By Lee Min-hyung



North Korea threatened to cancel the planned summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, Wednesday, saying Washington is "unilaterally" demanding the regime relinquish its nuclear weapons.



"We will have to reconsider whether to respond to the upcoming Pyongyang-Washington summit if the U.S. drives us into a corner by unilaterally forcing us to give up nuclear weapons," North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan said in a statement, Wednesday.



Pyongyang also stepped up its criticism of Washington for attempting to sign a series of "forceful and unilateral" deals in return for the regime's denuclearization.



"The U.S. is making a fuss that it will provide economic compensation and benefits in exchange for our complete denuclearization," the statement said. "But we have never developed our economy with expectations (for financial help) from the U.S. and things will be same in the future."



The White House has yet to make public its official stance over the statement. According to local media, officials from the White House National Security Council and U.S. Department of Defense held an emergency meeting right after the regime hinted at the possible cancellation of the upcoming summit.



The announcement came hours after North Korea canceled a planned high-level dialogue with the South, citing the ongoing Max Thunder bilateral training exercise between Seoul and Washington, the regime's state-controlled media said Wednesday.



The two Koreas were scheduled to hold the talk on Wednesday to discuss follow-up measures for a series of peace agreements signed during last month's inter-Korean summit.



But on early Wednesday morning, the regime said it would not engage in the dialogue, as the Seoul-Washington military exercise goes against the peace momentum on the Korean Peninsula.






By Shlomo Ben-Ami





TEL AVIV  President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran was not his first departure from a key international agreement. From the Trans-Pacific Partnership to the Paris climate accord, tearing up multilateral frameworks has become a Trump specialty.







But even by Trump's standards, exiting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the Iran deal is formally known, is a bridge too far. The move is already being compared to President George W. Bush's ill-fated attempt to reshape the Middle East through wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.







Like Bush's military misadventures, Trump's approach to the region carries enormous risks, not least because it has buried whatever was left of the transatlantic alliance in the chasm separating America's power politics and Europe's emphasis on diplomacy.







Trump's move is not just about curbing Iran's weapons of mass destruction. Rather, his objective is regime change, something he apparently hopes to achieve by draining the Islamic Republic's economic and strategic resources. By reinstating sanctions, Trump is all but begging the Iranian people  who will bear the brunt of the sanctions' pain  to rise up against their government.







Trump's abrogation of the JCPOA has left Iran with two options, neither of them good. The first is to renegotiate the agreement with the remaining signatories  China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the European Union.







Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has already hinted at this possibility, but his ability to deliver could be limited when sanctions return. Forced to choose, European companies would sacrifice business in Iran to maintain access to the American market. And, as Iran's economy falters, Iranians will seek to apportion blame.







The second option is no better. Iran's reformists could capitulate to hard-liners, scrap the JCPOA altogether, resume nuclear activities, and accelerate the country's ballistic missile program. This would all but guarantee that Israel would launch a pre-emptive strike on Iran's nuclear installations  with America's blessing, if not complicity.







At that point, Iran would feel free to redeploy its proxies against Israel, starting with Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. And this could lead to a broader conflagration involving other U.S. allies in the region, including the Saudis and other Sunni Arab powers.







Unfortunately, the outcome to avoid is the very one that Israel's leadership seems keen to bring about. Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu accused Iran of cheating on the nuclear deal. At the time, Netanyahu's bizarre presentation  in English, no less  met with derision in the West. Now it looks like a prelude.







In fact, the Netanyahu-Trump tag team  which is largely responsible for the scuttling of the nuclear deal  is an explosive alliance of two narcissists who have allowed dysfunctional domestic politics to dictate their international behavior. In Trump's case, the goal seems to be systematic deconstruction of President Barack Obama's legacy, for no other reason than to be true to his electoral campaign (which, in a sense, has never ended).







Netanyahu, meanwhile, is enamored of his carefully honed image as the savior of the Jewish people from a second Holocaust. With his own political fortunes clouded by legal troubles that could lead to his indictment, warmongering has become a strategy to win re-election.







In fact, support for Trump in Israel reached a record high after his decision to withdraw from the JCPOA, and following Israel's massive military strike against Iranian targets in Syria. Netanyahu's tactics also conveniently distract international attention from the Palestinian problem, which is coming to a head again.







Israel has the strongest military in the Middle East, but Netanyahu must not be allowed to use it for his own political gain. Israel last fought an interstate war in 1973, and the trauma of that fight still lingers.







Moreover, military strength alone has done little to safeguard the country's borders. The "Begin Doctrine," Israel's preventive-strike strategy for maintaining a regional monopoly on nuclear weapons, has not led to fewer rocket attacks from Israel's Iranian-backed foes.







Only robust international diplomacy can halt the Middle East's slide toward nuclear proliferation. Even without the U.S., the JCPOA's remaining signatories can salvage the agreement's central tenets by supporting Iran's moderate leaders in mitigating the effects of new sanctions. The deal's remaining supporters can also help defuse the crisis on Israel's northern border, where Israeli and Iranian forces are already engaging each other directly.







In order to reach a new deal that ensures Iran's continued denuclearization, puts its ballistic missile program under surveillance, and encourages a less hostile foreign policy, both sanctions and regime change must be taken off the table. Trump will most likely hear the same message from his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-un, ahead of the two leaders' planned summit in June.







The irony, of course, is that this is exactly the type of "grand bargain" Iran proposed to the Bush administration in May 2003. Bush rejected the offer, vowing never to talk with a member of the "axis of evil." As Vice President Dick Cheney put it in reference to North Korea  another member of that fanciful "axis"  Americans "don't negotiate with evil; we defeat it."







But by trading diplomacy for saber-rattling, the Bush administration slammed the door on a solution with Iran. Today, as Trump embraces the same tactics, it's hard to fathom how the outcome will be any different.











Shlomo Ben-Ami, a former Israeli foreign minister, is vice president of the Toledo International Center for Peace. He is the author of "Scars of War, Wounds of Peace: The Israeli-Arab Tragedy." Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate ( www.project-syndicate.org ).
By William R. Jones





I have been a lifelong job-hopper, but not as a means of quick financial gain, but only to find my niche. I have worked in blue-collar, white-collar, and pink-collar positions. I'm very familiar with the 3Ds. I like to say that I've worked more jobs than Carl Sandburg before he settled into writing; over 52. Some of the things I did or was before leaving the failing highway to success were a prison correctional officer, a newspaper reporter, a house painter, pizza delivery person, TV extra, science consultant, medic, legal assistant, wastewater treatment plant operator, finance clerk, librarian, proofreader, janitor, seafood manager, biology researcher, teletype interceptor, nursing assistant, note-taker, and assistant to the president of a university, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.



You name it; I probably have some experience in it. Now, by this, you can see that there was no time for a career or particular lifework. Too, you can probably surmise that there was a lot of out-of-work in between. During the years, there were only two jobs that lasted more than a year: that of a soldier (3 years, 7 months, and 7 days) and my present position, that of an English language conversation teacher. To be sure, there were gains and losses, but mostly there was freedom and a happiness of being my own man. You see, I didn't mind being poor, and I still don't. There's not much I want anymore. Maybe, a good book. I'm perfectly okay with one cup, one bowl, one plate, one spoon, but not one chopstick; I'm really not good at spearing food!



My first job (a summer job) occurred when I was in grade six elementary school. My two younger brothers and I were hired by a bakery in Killeen, Texas. We sold "day-old-donuts" door-to-door in the neighborhoods. Now, part of the getup was a large rectangular basket (similar to a bicycle basket) filled with 12 bags of one dozen donuts each. You wore shoulder straps sort of similar to book-bag straps to carry the basket in front of you. We sold one bag with one dozen donuts for seventy-five cents and we got to keep twenty-five cents. By the way, it was early morning sales and a lot of walking involved. Sometimes, the sales were only a few bags, sometimes many, but never all. I hated that job, but a couple of dollars a day assuaged that aversion.



Eugene Fama was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated from Tufts University and the University of Chicago. He received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economics. First job at age 14: car washer, less than one dollar an hour. Later, stock boy for a ladies' department store. He said: "What I had learnedis that I had better get an education."



David Wineland was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and Harvard. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics. First job at age 10: newspaper delivery. Later, dishwasher at a food court in a shopping center. He said: it convinced me to go to college so I could get a better job."



What was your first job?





The author (wrjones@vsu.edu) teaches English language conversation and currently works for Virginia State University.




iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- North Korea is threatening to cancel its upcoming summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump over South Korea-U.S.military drills.



North Korea has also canceled high-level talks with South Korea that were scheduled for Wednesday local time over those same drills.



"If the U.S. and the South Korean government thinks that the improvement of North-South relationship and the U.S. talk made possible by our leading and generous efforts and actions as a pardon to open play-with-fire fuss like this war drill anytime, there is no greater misjudgment than that," North Korean state media agency KCNA said in a dispatch.



"We have no choice but to stop the North-South high-level talk scheduled for the 16th under the ugly circumstances where there is indiscreet North-invading war fuss and fight rampage," KCNA said. "... The U.S. must contemplate on the fate of the scheduled Korea-U.S. head meeting with the provocative military situation created with the South Korean government.



"We will keep sharp eyes on the U.S. and the South Korean government's future attitude."



The summit between the American and North Korean leader was first announced in March and Trump tweeted the scheduled date -- June 12 -- and location -- Singapore -- last week.



Three Americans that were held in North Korea for more than a year each were released last week, in what was seen by many as a gesture of goodwill before the scheduled summit.



The U.S. has not heard from North Korea and is still planning for the summit to go ahead, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said.



"What we have to go on is what Kim Jong Un has said before, that he understands and appreciates the importance to the United States of having these joint exercises, the Republic of Korea has as well," Nauert said. "We've received no formal or even informal notification of anything."



As the U.S. has done on multiple previous occasions, Nauert defended the exercises as "legal," "planned well, well in advance" and "not provocative."



Col. Rob Manning, a Department of Defense spokesperson, said in a statement the exercises are "part of the ROK-U.S. Alliances routine, annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness."



"The purpose of the training is to enhance the ROK-U.S. alliances ability to defend the ROK and enhance interoperability and readiness. While we will not discuss specifics, the defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed," Manning said.



Separately, a senior State Department official told reporters the U.S. and South Korea were in touch "a short while ago," but referred questions on that to South Korea. That official confirmed that there's been no contact from North Korea.



In a statement, the White House said: We are aware of the South Korean media report. The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
President referred to the start of the holy month of Ramadan and said: "Ramadan is the month of more endurance, patience, resistance, unity and brotherhood and clearing hearts from all grudges and divisions".



(AhlulBayt News Agency) - President referred to the start of the holy month of Ramadan and said: "Ramadan is the month of more endurance, patience, resistance, unity and brotherhood and clearing hearts from all grudges and divisions".



Congratulating the coming of the holy month of Ramadan, President Hassan Rouhani said in the meeting of the cabinet: "I hope we all can take the best advantage of Ramadan, which is full of divine blessings and pardon for all humankind".



Ramadan of this year has coincided with two important incidents, Rouhani said adding: "On the one hand, there are conditions in the region due to the United States authorities' imprudence in transferring the US embassy to Bayt al-Maqdis, which is against the past treaties and even UNSC resolutions, which will not contribute to peace and stability of the region".



"The Zionist Regime and the US think that they can put more pressure on the Palestinian people to deprive them of their own rights and separate the Muslims of the world from their own land, Bayt al-Maqdis. This is a grave mistake," continued the President.



He also said: "Muslims around the world consider Bayt al-Maqdis and Al-Aqsa Mosque their first qibla and it is respected by all Muslims. Therefore, this holy land cannot be separated from the 1.5 billion population of Muslims of the world by political games".



The people of Palestine will not tolerate such oppressions, he said, adding: "The people of Palestine have resisted for 70 years and will continue to do so until their legitimate rights are secured. The actions and deeds of the Zionist Regime have always been aggression, tyranny and killing of the innocent and in the recent days, these actions are clearer".



Deploring silence of Arab and Muslim countries over the crimes of the Zionists, the President added: "We are sorry that some Arab countries of the region are silent towards the recent crimes of the Zionists and some Islamic countries have simply turned a blind eye to these incidents, while legitimate self-defence is for the people and land that belongs to these people, not a land taken by usurpation,. Therefore, legitimate self-defence of Zionists in this land is meaningless".



"I have no doubt that such actions will make Palestinians more determined to resist and will prove it to the Muslims of the world that there is no way except unity, integrity, more pressure and helping the people of Palestine to liberate their lands, because the Zionist Regime is not a regime that is committed to morality and even international rules and regulations, only understanding the language of force," he continued.



Stating that the Islamic Republic of Iran will always defend the rights of the Palestinian people and will continue along this path, Dr Rouhani said: "Without a doubt, this year's Quds Day will be held more gloriously in Iran and other countries and the world will show the Zionist Regime and the White House leaders that they have chosen the wrong path and, God-willing, this will promote more unity and integrity in the World of Islam".



On the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the President said: "The Iranian nation have always stood up to the conspiracies of others, especially the United States, and have proved that they will not yield to pressure".



"In the nuclear issue, there are some on the other side of the deal who think that they can bring the Iranian nation to its knees through pressure, sanction, intimidation and showing signs of war, but the Iranian nation's resistance clearly proved that this way of thinking is incorrect," he added.



The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran also said: "From the first day in office, the 11th government believed that this issue has a technical and political solution and that we can reach a conclusion through respecting the rights of the Iranian people and political negotiation between countries".



On the achievements of the nuclear deal, the President said: "The first achievement was defending the rights of the Iranian nation. Based on the resolutions of the United Nations, Iran's enrichment was considered illegal, which we do not accept".



"The other achievement was removal of sanctions to serve national interests, which we might have achieved 80 per cent of what we wished but it is important that in interaction and negotiation with major western countries, including the US which has had hostility towards the Iranian nation, problems may arise. But if we compare JCPOA's existence and non-existence, it will become clear what Iranian nation has done," he continued.



The President added: "After the implementation of the JCPOA, the US unilaterally withdrew from it. Today, the US has violated international regulations and must be put under pressure".



Stating that everybody must be united against US pressure, Dr Rouhani continued: "These years are very different from the past years because today, except one or two small, reactive countries in the region and the Zionist Regime, nobody supports the US, and the entire world is on Iran's side".



"All international communities, including the IAEA and the UN explicitly announce that Iran has lived up to its commitments and the entire world emphasise that the US' action has been against international regulations," added Rouhani.



Saying that the US government is in isolation, he also said: "The Iranophobia that they were trying to promote and they had convinced the world that Iran was a threat, has not been replaced by Trumpophobia and Iran is not in a position that the whole world respects it".



"After the US withdrew from a very important multilateral and international agreement without a reason and logic, there is an opportunity for 5 countries that were party to the deal to cooperate with Iran, and we will stay in the JCPOA if our interests are guaranteed," the President said.



Dr Rouhani added: "Trump's plan was to announce that he would withdraw from the deal and predicted that the next morning Iran would announce that it would also withdraw from the agreement and that the IAEA would report that Iran has withdrawn from the deal and the next day the UN resolutions would come back and Iran would be subjected to sanctions again".



He also said: "For now, what is important is that all 5 countries party to the JCPOA will do their best to guarantee Iran's interests in the deal".







/257
By Andrew Hammond





U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's vow to destroy his nation's key nuclear testing site "is a good first step" in preparations for the landmark June 12 Singapore summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim. With positive mood music currently surrounding the Trump-Kim session, North Korea offers the potential to become the U.S. president's first big foreign policy win.







Any final, comprehensive deal between Washington and Pyongyang is possibly years away. Yet, it is already clear that it would be a remarkable achievement if Trump were to help preside over "denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula; help seal a peace treaty between the North and the South to supplement the armistice ending the 1950-53 Korea War; and in the process de-escalate tensions in the world's last Cold War-era frontier.







Should Kim ultimately decide to abandon North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for economic aid and security guarantees, the reason why this would  potentially  be so central to Trump's eventual foreign policy legacy is that almost a year and a half into office, the president's international actions have been much more defined by the dismantling of policies of previous presidents, especially Barack Obama, rather than building something new. He has, for instance, last week withdrew U.S. participation from the nuclear agreement between Iran and the U.S., China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.







Prior to that decision he scrapped U.S. involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal with key allies in Asia-Pacific and the Americas; withdraw Washington from the Paris climate change deal agreed to by over 170 nations; and launched a review of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which may yet collapse in 2018. The first three of these initiatives (Iran, TPP and Paris) were Obama-era signature policies, and Trump has also partially rolled back other key measures from the previous administration, including the Cuba liberalization policy.







Yet, for all this diplomatic action, thus far the new administration has failed to forge any clear, coherent and comprehensive new Trump doctrine, centered around his "America first" vision. When Trump moved into the White House, he promised a radical platform that could have reshaped U.S. foreign and trade policy more radically than at any point since the beginning of the Cold War  the time that Harry Truman helped build a consensus around U.S. global leadership.







To be sure, Trump has made some moves to shift away from this postwar orthodoxy  pursued by both Democratic and Republican presidents  such as building U.S.-led alliances to expand the liberal democratic order. But in practice, much of the last year and a half has also been characterized by policy incoherence and U-turns on issues such as military action in 2017 and 2018 in Syria  a departure from Trump's 2016 campaign rhetoric; and whether key international alliances like NATO are "obsolete" or "not obsolete."







These flip-flops reflect not just the ad-hoc nature of the new president's style of governing, and his contrarian character, but also the divisions within his team on key foreign policy issues. Take the example of the Paris climate deal, Iran nuclear agreement, and TPP, where then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was just one of the senior members of his team urging Trump to remain in the accords rather than leaving them.







Yet, as the president enters mid-2018, he now appears to have in place foreign policy personnel much more aligned to his political instincts. Former CIA Director Pompeo has replaced Tillerson as secretary of state, and the conservative hawk John Bolton has taken over as national security adviser from the more pragmatic General H.R McMaster.







This changing of the guard could be very important to Trump, almost 18 months into office, in the context of the fact that his political window of opportunity to put an enduring stamp on U.S. foreign policy may soon narrow rapidly  unless he wins a second term in 2020.







With this in mind, he and his new team will now seek to double down on other foreign policy priorities, including the ambition to do the "deal of the century" in the Middle East with Israel and the Palestinians (which will become more complicated by the U.S. president's decision to move the U.S. Embassy this week to Jerusalem); and forge renegotiated economic relationships with key countries such as Japan and China which are seen by the president as less one-sided and detrimental to the United States.







It is also to be hoped that Trump's new team will prove better foils than Tillerson and McMaster were for the president's ad-hoc style of governing, which regularly exposes his lack of experience and knowledge of international issues. If so, this will help serve as a compass for the White House in helping navigate the significant uncertainties of international affairs in 2018 and beyond.







Taken overall, the historic potential opportunity offered by the denuclearization negotiations with North Korea could become a central part of Trump's foreign policy legacy. However, in this high-stakes gamble for glory, the president could yet emulate many others who have failed to bring a sustained, peaceful diplomatic outcome to one of the key international challenges facing the United States.











Andrew Hammond is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics. Contact him at andrewkorea@outlook.com
Violence cannot be condoned under any circumstances



Violence cannot be justified for any reason in a democracy. Using violence against politicians, in particular, is a sort of brutal terrorist act going against the basic spirit of democracy. It is common sense that democracy features a formula to solve problems through dialogue and debate.



All parties concerned should listen to and respect others' opinions and seek solutions on an equal and free basis in a democratic society.



Humiliating this basic principle of democracy, a series of brutal terrorist attacks on politicians took place at the National Assembly and during a debate of candidates for Jeju governor in the lead-up to the June 13 local elections.



Rep. Kim Sung-tae, floor leader of the conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party, was assaulted by a man in his 30s on the steps of the Assembly building main hall on May 5. Kim was on a hunger strike, demanding President Moon Jae-in appoint an independent counsel to investigate allegations that a political blogger known as Druking manipulated public opinion online to support Moon before the May 9, 2017, presidential election.



Kim Kyoung-soo, a former lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and close confidant of President Moon, was allegedly implicated in the opinion-rigging case. Kim is now a strong candidate running for South Gyeongsang Province governor, despite his suspected involvement in the case.



Just nine days later, Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong was attacked by a protester who threw an egg at him and slapped him on the cheek, while he was explaining a construction project for a new international airport on the island during an open debate.



These acts of terrorism against leading politicians, irrespective of their political affiliation, cannot be condoned, no matter what. Law enforcement agencies should conduct a thorough investigation of the incidents that happened in broad daylight.



What is worrisome is the fact that the two incidents took place ahead of the local elections. Police have to take every necessary measure to ensure the safety of politicians participating in debates and various events during the campaign period. Terrorist attacks may seriously affect the results of the upcoming elections.






Kim Jong-un should not try to scuttle diplomacy



North Korea's indefinite suspension of high-level inter-Korean talks is apparently designed to express its discontent with strong U.S. demands for immediate and complete denuclearization. Pyongyang is also trying to put more pressure on Washington to extract more concessions from the U.S. side at an upcoming summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump to be held in Singapore on June 12.



On Wednesday, the North also threatened to cancel the unprecedented summit with the U.S. if it comes under continued pressure to "unilaterally" abandon its nuclear program. This threat came hours after Pyongyang abruptly suspended South-North talks planned for the day. The North cited the two-week Max Thunder joint air drills between the South and the U.S. as a reason for the suspension.



It is regrettable for Pyongyang to make such a threat which could pour cold water on the growing mood for detente not only with Seoul, but also Washington. We hope the North will refrain from going back to its old tactics of agreeing to do something and then undoing it. Such tactics could only prove Kim's olive branch is nothing but a disguised peace gesture to avoid a potential U.S. pre-emptive strike or buy time to develop a nuclear arsenal.



Of course, the Kim regime must have been displeased with U.S. calls for complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization (CVID). The North is opposing U.S. moves to apply a Libya-style denuclearization formula, under which the African country transferred all of its fissile materials to the U.S. for dismantling. The North apparently opposes such a formula, believing the Moammar Gadhafi regime collapsed because it gave up its nuclear ambitions.



The North's displeasure was manifested in a statement issued by First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan that Pyongyang has no interest in a summit with Washington if it is unilaterally coerced into giving up its nuclear weapons. He also criticized Trump's top security adviser John Bolton and other U.S. officials for trying to force the North to follow the Libyan model. Bolton called on Pyongyang to send all of its nuclear weapons to a processing center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where Libya's materials are stored.



The North is protesting the Libyan model which precludes any compensation before full denuclearization. Kim Jong-un has opted for a phased and simultaneous denuclearization so the North can get rewards for every step it takes in the denuclearization process. It might have been infuriated over other U.S. demands for the scrapping of chemical and biological weapons in addition to its nuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles.



The Kim regime should not attempt to scuttle its diplomatic offensive and go back to square one. It must not try to find any excuse to cancel the upcoming Trump-Kim summit. Instead, it should make sincere efforts to deliver on its promise to abandon its nuclear program. Otherwise, the North can never take the path toward peace, coexistence and co-prosperity.




Dakkochi, or chicken skewer, is a popular street food in Seoul. / Korea Times file



By Park Sol-min



Save, save, save me

I can't face this life alone

Save me, save me oh...

I'm naked and I'm far from home



Recently I was listening to a song by Britain's greatest band Queen, named "Save Me." I love this band so much yet I haven't listened to them very thoroughly, so finding this song is so much joy and happiness on these days when life seems hard. After all the gray and dark days I could rest and feel a bit of emotion through their songs. I have to admit too many of their songs are cheesy love songs from a boy's point of view and they don't excite me since I don't want any kind of romance now. But their songs are great on their own. No matter what, Freddie Mercury has a soulful voice that touches every heart.



This brought me back to a memory from when I was 15. It was winter, when I stayed as an "in-betweener" transitioning from middle school to high school. At the school I attended, they had a special academic course to teach university freshman courses ahead of time and prepare for the college entrance exam. All of high school life was aimed at that test.



This school was located in the remote country town of Hwaseong, a Gyeonggi Province suburb next to Suwon. I chose this school to escape three years of bullying at my previous school. It was a huge problem for me and my family, and they were all down with the idea of finding me new ground to set roots and stand on. I went there with a heart full of dreams and hope, wishing I would find some nice friends and start a new life, away from everyone who knew me as an outsider. I cut my hair to remove my fringe and reveal my whole face, no longer caring what others say about my looks. I had been wanting to do that for so long but feared my classmates picking on me for changing my hairstyle (they would have picked on me no matter what I had done, though).



One day, the sky was grey and low, full of smooth and dim clouds, right on the verge of snowing. I walked out the main gate of the school with the few friends I had gained, and went down to the street to find a snack. We were young 15-year-old girls who were always hungry and looking for things to munch on, and we were hungrier after spending hours and hours in a cold classroom  bearing the boredom of hours of nonstop classes that taught us nothing useful. It was a cold day yet I didn't feel cold at all with the excitement for the new town I'd arrived in, with new friends, and everything new yet old  buildings that had stayed the same for years, and a place where everyone else stayed the same with the same friends and same teachers.



Across the street we found a vendor selling dakkochi, or chicken skewers. I wasn't much a fan of street vendor foods. It is usually consumed with friends after school on the way home, but most of the time I was alone and I couldn't wait to be home where I could snuggle myself in bed and shut the doors to the world, for I was being harassed and picked on so much and I was anxious the whole day. Also, they tasted horrible and weren't appealing to the tongue of a depressed teenager, and I wasn't a fan of any kinds of meat. Third, there was an urban myth about the chickens street vendors used for skewers  that they were from street pigeons. I didn't care, though, since I never liked it anyway, so there it was. But my new school friend suggested I try it. Everyone else was, so why not? It was grilled with thick soybean sauce, and it looked yummy. I asked the vendor guy to put some sweet cheese spice on mine.



I don't remember how it tasted, maybe because it was just average street food. But it was more than just a 2,000 won skewer from a street on the Korean suburb countryside. It was more than just a chicken skewer, I remember, because Queen was playing.





Queen / Courtesy of Spotify



For the first time I couldn't believe my ears, hearing a Queen song out of nowhere, in the middle of nowhere, in a town I've never been. But the voice was so clear and shining like Freddie Mercury's. It was a familiar voice I had listened to so much  watching Queen's live show from 1991, days before my last middle school exam, lying on the living room floor with blankets pulled under my chin, comforted by the warmth of floor heating, eating mandarin oranges. I'd felt a bit sorry to watch it since I wasn't even born at the time, but kept thinking how awesome it would be to see Freddie live. Living in a different era from Freddie Mercury and knowing it was a brutal truth for a 15-year-old girl, and no one understood it, because their ears were muffed with some stupid K-pop that I hated (and still hate thoroughly).



I loved Queen that much. I'd discovered Queen through my dad  he didn't lecture me about the history of rock 'n' roll in front of a blackboard like Jack Black did in "School of Rock," but growing up as his daughter I naturally had to learn the music he loves, and that has been his greatest teaching for me in all my life. It was our only common interest. Most of the time we barely talked, but if we had to, it was about the music I guess. He told me about Freddie's death and AIDS... and I of course fell in love with Queen's music.



So, back to the street vendor: I stayed there and focused on what I was hearing. Yep, it was Queen, with the clear voice of Freddie Mercury and the rhythmic guitar and piano, typical Queen sound. Yet I wasn't sure since it was a song I didn't know. I was excited yet holding my horses. But I had to ask to the vendor guy or I would have died of curiosity, so I burst the question: "Hey, is this Queen?"



The vendor guy seemed surprised. His grey hair and hands, busy spreading sauce all over the skewers with a shiny golden wedding ring, stopped, and he looked at me. He kept on working but said, "How do you know Queen at your age? Yes, it's their song but it's for Christmas. It's been so long since it came out. How do you know of them? You're fairly young and I've never seen a kid who knows Queen!" He was excited.



I told him I loved Queen ever since I got to know them from my father. I asked him a few questions like why he started as a vendor and how business was going. Apparently he was doing it to make money for graduate school, and he was recently married and having financial difficulties. He was a diligent guy who rushed to his dream, yet he didn't sacrifice romance  the romance of the music he loved, the romance of his dream, and the romance for the lady he loved.



It was a cold day that I don't remember very much, but it was one of my few days of excitement and happiness. I wonder if the vendor guy went on to graduate school, or kept selling those skewers. I wonder how his life is going. I wish his life afterwards was all easy, because mine wasn't, and I had to go through terrible experiences I couldn't have foreseen at the time.



Listening to Queen in the cold weather makes me think a lot about my time in my early year of high school and the people I met. It didn't last the full years since I dropped out in the middle, due to severe depression and having no friends. It happened right in the middle of my second year, when the trees were blooming late with the coming heat of summer. I looked at the school for one last time, and it was sunny, green and breezy. Kids were noisy, and the trunk of my mom's car was full of my half-arsed high-school life. My hard times were just beginning...



I don't miss those days. Whenever anyone says how much they miss their teenage years, I hold back the urge to punch them in the face. It was certainly difficult, but I miss that one day when I was so excited for the newfound ground I found myself on. I miss that day full of potential, the place where I could find a new start, and how naive and pure I was. I just miss myself clean as snow, like that time in front of a vendor excited over a song by my favorite band.



A 2,000 won skewer and cold weather brings me too far back. But part of the song tells me what I would be like in school, far from home, alone, sad. Well, it's all gone, so it's good now, I guess, and I wish it will be good from now on.



Save, save, save me

I can't face this life alone

Save me, save me oh...

I'm naked and I'm far from home



Park Sol-min is an English instructor in Wonju.






By Tom Plate





The first thing that must be said to Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and his Bersatu party for their stunning ejection of the greedy incumbent prime minister is simply this: Congratulations  but who would have believed it?



But while sometimes politics is fiendishly complicated, in this case it is not. The voters of the Republic of Malaysia have returned to power their former prime minister for 23 years who stepped down voluntarily in 2003, laying claim as the longest-running prime minister in the history of his economically developing Southeast Asian secular authoritarian democracy.



Who is Dr. Mahathir Mohamad? He is easily one of the smartest political leaders I have interviewed. He spent very good time with me after he left office in a series of long chats that led to the book "Conversations with Mahathir Mohamad" (2011, Marshall Cavendish Asia).



The book was denounced at the time as too "soft" on this strong-willed man, but we now see  17 years later  that Malaysians wanted him back, hard or soft, flawed as he might be  they know he was the best prime minister they had had and needed his skills back at the top.



Why? Let me put it this way. In my career work as an American journalist, I have been extremely fortunate to have had considerable access to a good number of leading political figures, as it were.



This collection includes a geographically wide span, from British Prime Ministers John Major and Tony Blair, to Japanese prime ministers and to the three subjects of the "Giants of Asia" books: former U.N. Secretary General and South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon; wrongly ousted Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra, and  last but certainly not least  Lee Kuan Yew, the political genius who founded and ran for 31 years the remarkable city-state of Singapore.



Mahathir has absolutely no need to retreat to the back of any bus seating these passengers. To my mind, he was a moderate (but he hated this adjective) Muslim Machiavellian (that, he thought a fair phrase).



After the American tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. officials beat a jet path to Kuala Lumpur to sit at the feet of this master to learn how his government had been going about the proper business of keeping Malaysia secular  and extremists neutralized. If there were to be an icon for the adjective "wily," that would be "Mahathir."



I found him easy to talk to, pleasant and witty, and more or less dumbfounded that any American journalist would bother for more than 15 minutes with a man from mere Malaysia.



Down to his south on the Malay Peninsula, after all, was Singapore, then bejeweled with the crown prince of political articulation: Lee Kuan Yew. Who could compete with that extraordinary man who led the region in creating and maintaining quality government, though barely abiding opposing views?



What's more, I had just finished the first volume in the "Giants of Asia" series, the one on Lee Kuan Yew, who had always been generous to me with his time. So I had been properly pre-dazzled. But Dr. M, in his own droll way, was dazzling too. In media interviews after the second book appeared, about Dr. M, I was often asked: Who do you think is smarter? Better? Etc.



To be fair to both great leaders, each possessing quite remarkable qualities, I could not answer that question. So I didn't. And I won't, even today. For all sorts of reasons, I thought both were as smart and as sharp as any Western  or Eastern  leader I had ever interviewed.



The abused and jailed Anwar Ibrahim, soon to be released as a result of this amazing election, will succeed Dr. M before too long. But no one will ever exceed the almost miraculous political resurrection of Mahathir. Oh, one other thing: You know that infamous "aging crisis" in Asia? All these useless old people, etc. Dr. M is 92.





Professor Tom Plate, author of "Yo-Yo Diplomacy" and the "Giants of Asia" series, is Loyola Marymount University's distinguished scholar of Asian and Pacific Affairs, a South China Morning Post columnist and Pacific Century Institute vice president.


President said that survival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is possible without the United States, but impossible without Irans interests being served, adding: Tehrans interests in the JCPOA must be clearly and precisely guaranteed and until Irans interests are guaranteed, it will stay committed to it.



(AhlulBayt News Agency) - President said that survival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is possible without the United States, but impossible without Irans interests being served, adding: Tehrans interests in the JCPOA must be clearly and precisely guaranteed and until Irans interests are guaranteed, it will stay committed to it.



President Hassan Rouhani spoke with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May by telephone late on Sunday and stressed: The Islamic Republic of Iran seeks ways to secure its national interests by staying committed to the JCPOA, but unfortunately, the other sides have not had a good performance in living up to their commitments.



He also referred to the role of the United Kingdom in nuclear talks since 2003 until the deal was struck as a win-win solution, and described the United States withdrawal from the JCPOA as illegal, irresponsible and against Resolution 2231 of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).



Stating that the European Union has a limited time to save the deal and guarantee Irans interests, the President added: Irans interests in important issues related to the JCPOA such as selling oil, gas and petrochemicals, as well as banking relations and investment must be clearly determined and secured.



Dr Rouhani also referred to the upcoming meeting of foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, Iran and European Union foreign policy chief on Tuesday and expressed hope that the meeting would secure Tehrans interests by saving the JCPOA.



Describing the nuclear deal very important for peace and security of the region, he stressed that the US was responsible for the consequences of anything that happens to the JCPOA.



In the JCPOA, the two parties have obligations and it is not acceptable that only one party lives up to its commitments, Rouhani added.



He also referred to the significant role of the three European countries in saving the JCPOA and described Europes stances against US secondary sanctions a brave move that could maintain Europes position and global credit.



Protecting security of the Middle East and the world is important for Iran, the President said, adding: All countries must help to guarantee security in this region.



He then referred to the situation in Yemen and expressed Irans readiness to cooperate with the UN and European countries to promote peace and security in the country, saying: The Yemen crisis does not have a military solution and it is everybodys duty to help stop killing of the innocent people of Yemen.



The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May appreciated Irans commitment to the JCPOA and said: The ultimate goal of the European Union is to protect the JCPOA and we will do our best to cooperate with our European partners to save it and secure Irans interests.



She also referred to the upcoming meeting of foreign ministers of the three European countries and EU foreign policy chief with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran in Brussels and said: In this meeting, European countries have prepared a set of suggestions to save the JCPOA.



As the EU has announced in its statement, it considers Iran a committed and reliable partner, she said, adding: Therefore, it is very important that all parties to the deal try to save it.







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The Parliament considered this action an attack targeted the historical, legal, natural and national rights of the Palestinian people and undermined the status of the United Nations, the rule of international law and efforts towards a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Yemen's Supreme Political Council strongly condemned the US for relocating its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (al-Quds), describing the move as an all-out war against Arabs and Muslims.



"The US decision is an all-out war on the Arab and Islamic nations as it emphasizes the US implication in backing the Zionist occupation," said a statement by the council, Saba news agency reported.



It added "the US decision will have unlimited bad consequences on the region."



Parliament condemns US Embassy to Al Quds



The Presidency of the Yemeni Parliament condemned the transfer of the United States Embassy on Monday to Al Quds (Jerusalem).



The Parliament considered this action an attack targeted the historical, legal, natural and national rights of the Palestinian people and undermined the status of the United Nations, the rule of international law and efforts towards a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.



The Yemeni Parliament stressed that the special status of Al-Quds is a central importance to the Arab and Islamic nations, which requires rejection of this procedure and the protection and preservation of its unique religious and cultural character.



The Parliament called for the implementation of the State resolutions on the empowerment of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of a state on its national soil with Jerusalem as its capital and called on the international community not to support the American decision to recognize Jerusalem as the alleged capital of the Zionist entity and the transfer of diplomatic missions to it.



The Parliament confirmed that the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem, a clear confirmation of the US involvement and its support for the Zionist occupation, adding that that Arab weakness in the framework of the so-called deal Century will be a terrible disaster.



Ansarullah Political Bureau condemns US Embassy to Al Quds



The Political Bureau of Ansarullah (Houthi Ansar Allah) strongly condemned the transfer of the US Embassy to Al Quds (Jerusalem), on Monday.



The Political Bureau said the actions of the United States of America in its outcome is a blatant exploitation of the results of American policy in the region.



The Bureau said that America has worked for decades to fuel the war fires and the formation of the Tkfir groups that Loyal to it.



The statement confirmed that what is happening today is a clear result of the new Nakba, represented by the kings and princes and the major concessions to the submission of Jerusalem and the central issue of sacrifice to please their old masters.



The statement called on everyone to sense religious and historical responsibility and to act as they should for the best of a nation that was brought out to the people.



The Political Bureau of Ansar Allah confirmed the continued stand and solidarity with all options of resistance movements and the Palestinian people.





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Milan, May 14 - 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Luigi Di Maio said that substantial agreement has been reached after a meeting on forming a new government overnight with League leader Matteo Salvini. "The meeting with Salvini went well," Di Maio said. "It served to fine tune the final details of this government. Tomorrow (Monday) we'll go to the president's palace". Di Maio and Salvini have said they are trying to identify a 'third premier' - someone who is neither of the party heads - to lead the new government. Economist Giulio Sapelli told ANSA Monday that he has been contacted about the possibility of being the premier of a League/M5S government - but the parties denied this. "It's all true. I have been contacted by both political parties and I have said I am totally willing," Sapelli said. "They explained to me that that they are also assessing another figure, (fellow academic Giuseppe) Conte, and they have not said yet who they have chosen". But an M5S spokesman told ANSA Sapelli is not the name that will be put to President Sergio Mattarella later Monday, and League sources also said that they could not confirm Sapelli as the premier candidate. After the M5S statement to ANSA, Sapelli said "it must mean they've changed their minds. "A pity, I was counting on it," he said. President Mattarella will hold talks with the anti-establishment M5S and the anti-migrant, Euroskeptic League later on Monday. At 16:30 he will meet M5S representatives and then, separately, he will have talks with a delegation from the League at 18:00.
Rather than sign on to a community resolution seeking regulation of the dockless bikes that have sprung up around San Diego, the La Jolla Shores Association (LJSA) is standing by their request for a full-out ban. The Shores board, having sent a letter to San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and City Council member Barbara Bry asking for the prohibition, voted during its May 9 meeting to not sign their name on the regulatory resolution circulating among La Jollas community advisory groups.

At the April meeting, the board voted to send a letter to the mayor asking for these companies to be put the companies on notice that they are not welcome in La Jolla Shores.

And while LJSA is the first La Jolla group to ask for a ban, they are not the only group in the greater San Diego area to work towards a prohibition.

For the last few months, La Jollans have expressed concern about the proliferation of and lack of community input about dockless bikes from companies such as LimeBike, ofo and MoBike; and electronic scooters, some also from LimeBike and others from a company called Bird.

A resolution was drafted that asks the City to implement reasonable and balanced regulatory and infrastructure solutions to address the concerns of public safety and aesthetics generated by these forms of personal transportation.

It cites the need for enforcement processes and a system of recognized bicycle racks, as well as consideration of dedicated placement zones for dockless bicycles and other personal transportation vehicles which technically require no racking to be safely abandoned.

A MoBike parked on Avenida de la Playa in La Jolla Shores Ashley Mackin-Solomon

Other La Jolla groups have signed on to the resolution  namely La Jolla Town Council; La Jolla Parks & Beaches; La Jolla Community Planning Association, which had the signing of this resolution on its consent agenda, so it was passed without discussion; Bird Rock Community Council, during a board of directors meeting ahead of its public monthly meeting; and La Jolla Traffic & Transportation.

When leaders from these and other community groups met to discuss the resolution, LJSA chair Janie Emerson said she opposed.

I tried to impress on them what this what this does to The Shores and what it does for our businesses, because they dont have the same issues as we do in La Jolla Village. So we are pretty much on our own. The other groups arent going to fight it, she said during the May 9 LJSA meeting. I was talking against the wall. I was flabbergasted. I dont see this (resolution) as accomplishing anything, except benefiting tourists.  Their position is the antithesis of ours.

LJSA trustee John Sheridan opined that the resolution reads like an endorsement of the dockless bikes.

The board originally took up dockless bikes during its March meeting, and expressed concerns about bikes being parked on sidewalks, in hedges and in front of other tax- and rent-paying businesses, and riders violating the laws by not wearing helmets and riding on sidewalks. There were also reports of bikes left on Walter Munk Way, the boardwalk that divides the beach from Kellogg Park.

Reflecting on the boards opposition to the bike kiosks associated with DecoBike (now Discover Bike), LJSA trustee Terry Kraszewski added, Two years ago, when DecoBike want to come to our community, we voted unanimously to keep them out  and they went to other communities. What La Jolla Village is suggesting is the very thing we fought with DecoBike.

A motion to not sign on to the resolution passed 11-2-1.

LimeBikes, including one with a bent tire frame, are parked on the La Jolla Shores boardwalk, aka Walter Munk Way. Light File

Village Merchants stance

While listed as a board that could sign the resolution, the La Jolla Village Merchants Association (LJVMA) will not be signing the resolution due to some language that conflicts with an existing contractual obligation with the City.

LJVMA executive director Sheila Fortune told the Light the board would not grant another organization the right to speak for them, as suggested in the resolution. Specifically, the sections of the resolution that state: We propose to designate the La Jolla Town Council to communicate with the City on our behalf as our shared recommendations evolve and the following organizations have empowered the La Jolla Town Council to transmit this resolution to our elected representatives.

Bans in other communities

When discussed at the LJSA meeting, several trustees noted that other cities, such as Coronado, have effectively prohibited the bikes. In San Diego proper, District 2 City Council member Lorie Zapf successfully requested a prohibition of motorized scooters on select boardwalks. Zapfs announcement was made after the LJSA meeting.

In Coronado, the City Council decided to deny the business permit needed for them to operate in the public right-of-way.

The City Council decided because there are companies already operating, quite a few actually, where this is their sole business, it would hurt business. So they turned it down, said Coronado City spokesperson Janine Zuniga. It also keeps the City looking clean.  And although the Council did not vote to change any codes, the City Manager said staff would begin impounding the bikes, according to existing City policy relating to items left in the public right of way, and charging $45 each for the companies to retrieve them.

To enforce this prohibition, Coronado Police Department spokesperson Lea Corbin explained: When someone rides them over and they are left here, the public can call it in. We mark them with a bright notice giving the rider two hours to remove the property. If not, public services picks them up and stores them in the yard. The companies have to go and get them.

As of May 10, Zuniga added, there are 27 bikes impounded at the Public Services yard.

She told La Jolla Light: We still find them, but the numbers have dropped significantly. I see them all over San Diego, but not very much here. It seems to have dropped a lot.

More locally, on April 20, Council member Zapf issued a memo to Mayor Faulconer asking for an emergency ordinance prohibiting motorizes scooters from the Mission Beach Boardwalk, Ocean Front Walk and Bayfront Walk (from the Crystal Pier south to the jetty). The ordinance is expected to be voted upon at City Council on May 22.

In the memo, she writes, Reckless use of motorized scooters and e-bikes primarily along the Mission Beach Boardwalk, Ocean Front Walk and Bayfront Walk have resulted in collisions, accidents and bodily injuries. Currently, there are no clear regulations regarding the use of motorized devices at these locations. Our local authorities have faced new challenges to enforce motorized scooters and e-bikes that operate along these vulnerable areas.

She held a press conference on May 11, where she announced she was asking for the bringing of an ordinance that would treat the boardwalk like a sidewalk, and ban the motorized scooter on the boardwalk like they are banned on sidewalks.

District 2 City Council member Lorie Zapf speaks about a proposed ordinance to treat the Mission Beach boardwalk like a sidewalk, thereby banning motorized scooters from the boardwalk. Ashley Mackin-Solomon

I feel strongly that we must address this public safety issue immediately. Our boardwalk is filled with users of ages that do not exceed the 8 miles per hour speed limit. But once you mix in the electric scooters  they tend to well exceed the speed limit. Its a bad accident waiting to happen and  it is my duty to limit liability to the City and the harm of our citizens. With summer rapidly approaching, now is the time to act, she said.

Also in attendance at the press conference were representatives from the Mission Beach Town Council, Pacific Beach residents, interim lifeguard chief James Gartland and Northern Division Captain Tina Williams.

Gartland opened: Lifeguards are expecting our beach crowds to double in June, they will triple in July and will stay at that level until September. Over the last several months, we have had 13 motorized scooter-related medical aids, lifeguards have been very busy. Lifeguards have to focus their energy on the beach and the water. The boardwalk will be much safer if you take off the motorized scooters.

Williams added that since the beginning of the year, San Diego Police officers issued 43 verbal warnings to violating riders, issued 27 citations for riding a motorized scooter on a sidewalk, issued 182 citations for riding without a helmet and seven citations for riding a scooter with a passenger on board.

As to whether a similar ban could be carried out in District 1 (which includes La Jolla) City Council member Barbara Bry told La Jolla Light, I support Councilmember Zapfs efforts in prohibiting scooters on the boardwalks in her district, and I support a similar boardwalk prohibition in District One. Although the scooters provide a great service to both residents and tourists, we have to be cognizant of the potential safety impacts, especially on our busy beach boardwalks. The goal is that they serve the public interest, not impede it. ... Currently, my team is researching how other cities are dealing with them in terms of enforcement, appropriate regulations and fees.
In 1979, I was assigned to write an article for an intimate apparel trade magazine. "Seductive Selling LA Style" was the first story I got paid for as a freelance writer. It was about a retail store on La Cienega called Trashy Lingerie. It's still there.

So are low rates like the one I got for that gig -- $150. Unless independent writers regularly contribute to print versions of The New Yorker, Vanity Fair or The Atlantic, we make more money working as a McDonald's shift manager.

Until the dawn of the digital era, freelance writers who actually made a living routinely resold their stories, or versions of them. They might have resold to a foreign newspaper, or licensed reprint rights to a PR company for press-kit photocopies of stories in which their clients were mentioned. Unless they expressly sold rights beyond one-time print use, writers' exclusive ownership of their copyright could enable them to market their intellectual property more widely. And because story fees were lousy, they had to.

Most writing assignments still pay crap. But because the online marketplace has so radically changed the media universe, many publishers insist on buying all or most rights for most work produced by freelancers. A publisher buys all rights because it can't or doesn't want to account for all of a work's uses. "All" doesn't mean "exclusive," it means that the publisher gets to share the rights to re-license the work with its creator. Although the writer retains the copyright, he or she must compete in the resell market with a much more powerful seller.

A couple of weeks ago, I received a thin envelope in snail mail from Dublin, Ohio. The sender was Literary Works in Electronic Databases Copyright Litigation, a wonky, vaguely familiar name. I figured it was a story pitch or fund appeal from one of the many media information purveyors that usually find me via email.

But the Ohioans weren't looking for money, they were offering it. The envelope contained a check for a substantial amount. No letter. Just a check whose stub bore a claim number and the message:



Dear Class Member:

Full payment of your claim in In Re Literary Works in Electronic Databases Copyright Litigation. Void after 90 days.

Sincerely,

GCG, Claims Administrator

I've signed petitions. I've joined advocacy groups. But I've never sued anyone. Have I?

Well, yeah. Thirteen years ago, about 3,000 other freelance journalists and I sued some publishers for reselling our work when they didn't have the right.

I stared at the check, and remembered filling out reams of paperwork, determined, but cynical. There was no way I or anyone else would see anything remotely equivalent to the value of what had been stolen from us. I had plumbed years of story files more as a gesture of support for independent writers than for any real expectation of remuneration. It was a pain in the ass, but it was important to go on record that publishers don't get to repurpose our work without permission.

That's theft, and it violates the U.S. Constitution, which affords authors exclusive rights "to their respective Writings, ..."

In 2001, in a case known as New York Times v. Tasini, the U.S. Supreme Court found that five publishers had infringed on the copyright of six writers. The defendants had republished freelance writers' work in various electronic media when the creators had agreed to write stories only for one-time use in print.

The publishers removed much of the content from online databases, but shortly after Tasini, a related suit was filed that prompted years' worth of settlement negotiations. It was a larger, more complicated case in which writers were supported by the National Writers Union, the Authors Guild and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

As a member of ASJA, I had learned that I could submit claims for stories I wrote that might have been reprinted for the benefit of the original publishers but not for me. In 2005, defendants agreed to pay $18 million to settle all claims in a byzantine formula involving four class actions and two categories of written material.

The wheels of justice indeed grind slowly, but in this case they were greased with righteous perseverance. Yes, lawyers made millions ($4 million, if I'm interpreting the online documents correctly), but writers had claimed nearly 300,000 works for consideration, and 26,583 listed publications had objected to 42,000 of them, which had to be reviewed.

I had filed 235 individual story claims, of which 122 were declared in ineligible. The settlement documents do not parse individual claims, so I don't know which of my 113 eligible stories were compensated and for how much in my share of the total $9 million split among 2,500 writers (502 of them had opted out of the class settlement).

My hundreds of claimed stories were published between 1980 and 2004 for article fees ranging from $100 to $2,200. They ran in publications no longer in business (including, it appears, the naughty knickers magazine), and those published by major players including the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, the Orange County Register, Modern Maturity (now AARP Magazine) and Travel & Leisure.

Did I receive what I was due? Nah. But more important than my check for $2,555.77 was confirmation that my work has value that our justice system respects. That organizations such as ASJA served a vital role in my nascent career, educating me about writers' rights and my responsibility in advocating for them. Loudly, if necessary.



Photo: Ellen Alperstein


In a day of high drama even for the media industrys most combative family, Shari Redstone spent Wednesday furiously trying to outmaneuver CBS in a boardroom brawl for control of one of Americas most storied media companies.

The Redstone family risks losing control of CBS, which has been part of its media empire for nearly two decades and includes Americas most watched network. CBS board members, after months of behind-the-scenes tension, earlier this week began taking steps to strip the companys controlling shareholders  the Redstone family  of their power.

CBS independent board members maintain that Shari Redstone  the daughter of the pugnacious billionaire Sumner Redstone  has been undermining the broadcast company by attempting to exert her will over the company, even if her decisions harm shareholders. She has been pushing to reunite Viacom with CBS, which her father split apart in 2006, but CBS has been cool to the idea.

This is getting down and dirty, said Lloyd Greif, a Los Angeles investment banker. There is no way either party comes away from this without getting bloodied.

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The dispute has been a distraction for CBS and could unravel the company that Chief Executive Leslie Moonves built into a powerhouse over the last 22 years. Should Moonves and other CBS board members lose their case against the Redstones, his illustrious career could be over.

Ive never seen anything like this, Greif said. We are talking about lasting damage.

CBS contends merger talks have wiped out $7 billion in market value. Last year, CBS shares were trading as high as $70 a share, but lately they have been hovering around $50 a share. CBS fell 1% on Wednesday to $53.83.

The wrangling comes during an important week for CBS and other major TV networks, which have been rolling out their new fall schedules to hundreds of advertisers in prestigious venues around New York City.

Wednesday was CBS turn. As Moonves walked out onto his favorite stage at Carnegie Hall, the advertisers and entertainment executives in the room gave him a standing ovation.

Moonves appeared choked up. He hesitated, nodded his head, then asked the audience: Hows your week been?

USC business professor C. Kerry Fields said the situation was highly unusual and unique.

It appears that nothing short of Moonves  and other members of this board  leaving will satisfy National Amusements, Fields said, referring to the Redstone family investment vehicle. But Wall Street is definitely behind Moonves and his management team.

On Wednesday a Delaware judge, Andre G. Bouchard, issued a protective order to prevent further changes to CBS or its board.

About an hour before the hearing, the Redstone family, through National Amusements Inc., took the extraordinary step of changing CBS bylaws. The move appeared aimed at thwarting a planned vote by the board to weaken the Redstones hold over the company.

The Redstones mandated that any major changes at CBS would have to be approved by 90% of the CBS board. Such a move ensures that no decisions are made without the support of Shari Redstone and her allies on the board.

The action appeared to trouble the judge, who will issue a formal ruling on CBS request for a restraining order Thursday.

The high-stakes showdown in court comes after four months of behind-the-scenes tensions between Moonves, other board members and Shari Redstone.

She wants to merge CBS with another media company the family controls, Viacom, which owns MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Nickelodeon and the struggling Paramount Pictures. CBS does not want to be saddled with the troubles of the weaker Viacom, and on Sunday a special CBS board committee determined that such a merger was not in the companys best interest.

That conclusion was a rebuff to Redstone, who believes the two companies would be stronger together as traditional media compete with such technology giants as Facebook, Google, Netflix and Amazon.

CBS plans to hold a special board meeting Thursday to issue a dividend that would dilute the Redstones voting stock from nearly 80% to 17%. CBS said there was a provision in its charter that allows for such a dividend. It asked the judge to block the Redstones from making any changes to its board before Thursdays vote could take effect.

National Amusements Inc. believes the irresponsible action taken by CBS and its special committee put in motion a chain of events that poses significant risk to CBS, the Redstone family said in a statement midday Wednesday. Due to the magnitude of this threat, NAI was compelled to take this measured step to protect its position while also mitigating further disruption to CBS.

CBS has said it feared that the Redstone family would unilaterally make changes that would harm CBS shareholders. The Redstones bylaws change reinforces the companys concerns, CBS said.

The latest step by NAI provides further evidence of why we concluded that we had no choice but to file our action in the Delaware courts, in order to protect the interests of all CBS shareholders, CBS said in a statement after the bylaws change.

Late Tuesday, the Redstones filed a brief in the lawsuit, calling CBS attempts to eliminate their voting control egregiously overbroad and unjustified, and said the move would be an unprecedented usurpation of a controlling stockholders voting power.

The Redstones National Amusements asked the judge to deny CBS request to block the Redstones from making changes at CBS. The company has stated it has no intent of changing the board and, in the past, has expressed support for Moonves.

The dispute has been brewing for some time. Last month, Moonves bristled over media reports that Shari Redstone has been conducting a stealth search to replace him.

Moonves prides himself on his successful 12-year run as CEO of the broadcasting company with little oversight. But that changed in the last two years as Sumner Redstone, who turns 95 next week, became ill and Shari Redstone began taking a more active role in Viacom and CBS.

Legal experts have called CBS gambit to dilute the Redstones power the nuclear option. The Redstone family told the judge that there was no clear evidence that Shari Redstone planned to make changes to the board.

National Amusements called CBS effort extraordinary both in scope and finality in response to unsupported allegations.

Shari Redstone already has one close ally on the CBS board: Robert Klieger, a Los Angeles attorney who served as Sumner Redstones personal lawyer when the patriarch was sued by a former female companion. Klieger successfully represented Sumner Redstone in that fraught 2016 court case when the former companion, Manuela Herzer, tried to get Sumner Redstone declared mentally incapacitated. In 2017, Klieger joined the CBS board.

Last Friday, Klieger approached another board member, Bruce Gordon, and said National Amusements wanted a third board member, Charles Gifford, removed from the board before CBS annual shareholders meeting Friday. In its brief, National Amusements said it had concerns with Gifford that stemmed from unspecified incidents that occurred in 2016 and 2017.

Earlier this week, National Amusements said Gifford, whom it previously hadnt identified, had engaged in bullying and intimidation.

Gifford was not immediately available for comment. CBS defended Gifford on Wednesday, saying in a statement that he has always conducted himself with courtesy, integrity and staunch dedication to all of our shareholders.

CBS noted that Shari Redstone had previously supported Giffords involvement in an important CBS board committee. In addition, six weeks ago, National Amusements said in a regulatory filing that it planned to support the reelection of all current CBS board members, including Gifford.

The corporate wrangling comes just two years after National Amusements unilaterally made sweeping changes to Viacoms board.

That dispute also wound up in a Delaware court, and Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman eventually resigned. That helped clear the decks for Shari Redstone to install Bob Bakish as the new chief executive of Viacom.

Talks about a Viacom-CBS merger broke down over her push to have Bakish serve in an influential role at the combined company.

meg.james@latimes.com

@MegJamesLAT

UPDATES:

1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with a Delaware judge issuing an order to prevent further changes to CBS or its board.

11:50 a.m.: This article was updated with a statement from CBS about the Redstone familys bylaws changes.

11 a.m.: This article was updated with the Redstone familys move to amend CBS bylaws.

9 a.m.: This article was updated with CBS Wednesday filing and statement and with additional background information.

This article was originally published at 7:25 a.m.
The Los Angeles Times suspended Beijing Bureau Chief Jonathan Kaiman on Tuesday and has launched an investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct.

On Monday, former Beijing-based journalist Felicia Sonmez sent a letter to the Foreign Correspondents Club of China detailing problematic behavior during a sexual encounter with Kaiman in September.

In the letter, Sonmez said she and Kaiman attended a party in Beijing and left together on her scooter while heavily intoxicated. She alleges that as she drove toward Kaimans apartment, he repeatedly groped her without her consent. Once they arrived, she said, he backed her against a wall and began undressing himself in public while ignoring her protests.

Even though parts of the evening were consensual, while on the way, Jon escalated things in a way that crossed the line, Sonmez, a former Wall Street Journal editor and a former Washington Post reporter, wrote.

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She said that the two then engaged in intercourse in his apartment, but that she was uncertain about the circumstances. Many parts of the night remain hazy, she wrote. I am devastated by the fact that I was not more sober so that I could say with absolute certainty whether what happened that night was rape.

Sonmez, 35, did not file a police report or alert The Times after the incident.

When reached on Tuesday, Sonmez, who now lives in Washington, D.C., said she decided to come forward because I knew that not speaking out about it was going to do far more damage.

In a statement to The Times, Kaiman, 31, said all of the acts we engaged in were mutually consensual.

My perception and Ms. Sonmezs perception of that nights events differ greatly, he said. Its unfortunate that, in hindsight, she feels the way she does about that night. I am a proponent of womens rights and believe that every woman has a right to be heard and to tell her truth.

Jim Kirk, editor in chief of The Times, said the paper takes these accusations seriously and is investigating.

The latest allegation comes a few months after a different woman, Laura Tucker, accused Kaiman of pressuring her to have sex in 2013. After Tucker, a former roommate of Kaimans in Beijing, wrote about the encounter on blogging platform Medium in January, Kaiman resigned as president of the Foreign Correspondents Club of China and posted an apology on Twitter.

The club issued a statement to its members on Tuesday, saying it strongly opposes acts of sexual misconduct against any person.

Kaiman, previously a correspondent for the Guardian, was an intern for The Times in 2011 and was hired as a reporter in 2015.

andrea.chang@latimes.com
Novartis AGs top lawyer became the first executive to take the fall for the controversial $1.2 million in payments he helped arrange to President Trumps attorney, as the drugmaker tries to contain the furor from last weeks revelation.

Felix Ehrat, who along with former chief executive Joe Jimenez signed the agreement with a consulting firm led by lawyer Michael Cohen, will step down after seven years as Novartis general counsel, the Basel, Switzerland-based company said Wednesday in a statement. In an interview with Bloomberg, Jimenez said Cohen told him he had left Trumps organization and stopped working for the president before pitching for business with Novartis.

Novartis new CEO, Vas Narasimhan, has been grappling with the fallout over the contract, which drew the drugmaker into special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs probe of suspected Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election.

Narasimhan, whos meeting with investors Wednesday in Basel, conducted a conference call Monday for 5,000 managers in which he said the company needs to rebuild trust and rethink its approach to the use of consultants and lobbying firms, according to a person familiar with the situation.

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Although the contract was legally in order, it was an error, Ehrat said in the statement. As a co-signatory with our former CEO, I take personal responsibility to bring the public debate on this matter to an end.

Novartis is among a handful of companies that have been scrambling to explain why they made payments to Cohens firm, Essential Consultants LLC. AT&T Inc., which paid the firm $600,000, forced out veteran lobbyist and attorney Robert Quinn as CEO Randall Stephenson called the hiring of Trumps lawyer a big mistake and said that its vetting process had failed.

Novartis has said it quickly determined that Cohens firm was unable to provide the services it anticipated and after a single early-2017 meeting decided not to engage further. Still, the drugmaker was contractually bound to keep making monthly payments of $100,000 for a year. Novartis has said that Narasimhan had no involvement.

Jimenez said in the interview that a third party had recommended Cohen to Novartis, declining to identify that person. Novartis should have done more due diligence and definitively parted ways with Cohen as soon as it knew he wouldnt be able to help, the former CEO said.
Regulators are making it easier for U.S. airlines to limit the growing number of animals being brought onto flights by passengers who say they need them for emotional or psychological support.

The Department of Transportation said Wednesday it wont take action against airlines if they refuse to let passengers take aboard more than one support animal, demand assurance that a passenger has a disability or require proof of an animals vaccination and training.

The agency also will allow airlines to impose reasonable restrictions on the movement of emotional support animals in a planes cabin, and is seeking public comment on possible additional regulations to further restrict the animals. Service animals including seeing-eye dogs wont be restricted under the proposed changes.

The departments announcement comes as the three largest U.S. carriers have altered their policies on support animals since the start of this year, as a growing number of passengers claimed they needed them.

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On Monday, American Airlines, the worlds largest carrier, announced it was adopting rules that require new documentation for passengers with animals and ban altogether several types of creatures, including hedgehogs, goats, ferrets, chickens, birds of prey and snakes.

Federal law allows passengers to bring animals into the cabin that provide emotional support or assistance to fliers with disabilities free of charge. Such animals can sit at the feet or on the laps of the passengers.

Small pets that are not service or emotional support animals can be transported in containers that fit under the airline seat. Larger animals must be shipped in carriers that are placed in the cargo hold.

In the last few months, the surge in animals being brought onto planes has resulted in some animals urinating, defecating, biting, barking and lunging on planes, according to carriers. A Delta passenger was mauled by a 50-pound dog on a flight from Atlanta to San Diego last year.

American Airlines new policy takes effect with tickets issued on July 1. Among its provisions, passengers must submit a form 48 hours before their flight signed by a mental health professional who will attest that the passenger needs to travel with an emotional support animal. The carrier reserves the right to contact that professional.

Delta and Alaska have also added rules that require passengers to submit documents ensuring that their animals are healthy, well trained and being brought on board at the direction of a mental health professional.

Staff writer Hugo Martin contributed to this article.
White House trade advisor Peter Navarro has been excluded from talks Thursday with Chinas top economic envoy aimed at defusing a brewing trade war with the United States, two administration officials said.

The Chinese official, Vice Premier Liu He, will meet with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in Washington. The deputy director of the National Economic Council, Everett Eissenstat, will also participate, according to the officials.

Navarro, 68, who once published a book titled Death by China, has long been hostile to the country. His exclusion from the meeting marks another downturn in his White House career, where he was isolated by other senior officials before the president promoted him earlier this year to his top rank of aides.

Navarro, a longtime faculty member at UC Irvine, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

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The administration officials said Navarro wasnt a team player when the United States sent a delegation led by Mnuchin earlier this month to Beijing to meet with Liu. The officials would not elaborate on Navarros behavior.

However, the website Axios reported that Navarro exhanged sharp words with Mnuchin during the trip over the Treasury secretarys willingness to participate in the talks. An unnamed source told Axios that Navarro is at odds over Mnuchins policy toward China.

President Trump has proposed at least $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods to punish the country for what he considers unfair trade behavior, including its acquisition of U.S. technologies. China has threatened to retaliate for the tariffs, which could be imposed after a public comment period ends May 22.

The outlook for avoiding a costly trade war between the worlds two biggest economies looked grim after Mnuchins China talks failed to make progress. But conditions have recently improved after Trumps shock reversal this week of a ban on Chinas ZTE Corp. accessing American technology.

Beijing praised the move, which could keep ZTE in business and save some 70,000 jobs.
Venture capitalists are heading to Washington on a mission to save their lucrative relationships with Chinese investors.

Proposed legislation in Congress, which would give the government greater oversight of deals involving foreign investors, is a central issue at an annual summit for VCs that kicked off Wednesday.

The meeting is well-timed. Next week, the Senate Banking Committee will consider the bill, which could make it harder for foreign firms to make investments in U.S. technology companies and slow down or block potential deals, including venture capital funding rounds. VCs fear that efforts to keep American inventions out of foreign governments hands will imperil their businesses.

The new law would expand the purview of an existing government committee, which reviews deals involving foreign companies and technology that could pose national security threats. In March, it threw up a major obstacle to a proposed takeover of U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. by Singapores Broadcom Ltd. before President Trump blocked the transaction.

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Lawmakers are on track to increase restrictions on foreign investment and may fast-track the measure by attaching it to the National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass bill set for a vote in the coming weeks. The plan, backed by Defense Secretary James Mattis, serves as a bargaining chip in Trumps trade negotiations with China, said Jim Jochum, a lobbyist who previously served on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.

Its likely part of a big, grand bargain, he said.

While the new bill doesnt explicitly mention China, it is worded in a way that would have an outsized impact on investments by Chinese entities, mostly because the latest draft allows the government to exempt so many other countries. Potentially off the hook: countries that are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and other allies.

The legislation plays well to populist fears that China is leapfrogging the U.S. in job growth and innovation.

One of the few areas of bipartisanship this year is lawmakers desire to get tough with China, Roman Schweizer and Jaret Seiberg, analysts at Cowen Inc.s Washington Research Group, wrote in a note on Monday.

Proponents of the legislation, known as the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, say the governments jurisdiction over foreign investment needs to be broadened because the current process doesnt capture deals that pose national security threats. Foreign investors have been able to bypass the review process through joint ventures or minority investments.

VCs argue that their backers dont pose a threat to America. Investors in venture funds generally receive information on the financial performance of their private stock holdings, not technology secrets. VCs say the bill overreaches and will make their case directly to lawmakers this week. Meetings are scheduled Thursday with members of the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee, including Sens. Mike Crapo of Idaho, Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, as well as Rep. Sean Duffy of Wisconsin.

Lobbyists for VCs want to make sure indirect investors, particularly foreign shareholders in their funds, dont trigger government review. Theyve had some success. A new draft of the bill does exactly that.

Serious cash rides on the outcome. Last year, U.S. venture firms raised $32 billion, a 36% increase from five years earlier, according to the National Venture Capital Assn., the trade group that organized this weeks events in Washington. As new investors pile into Silicon Valley, particularly those from outside the U.S., VC funds are achieving record amounts of capital not seen since the dot-com era.

Publicly, VCs avoid acknowledging the boost they get from China. Scott Kupor, a managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz and outgoing chairman of the VC trade group, said in congressional testimony in January that lawmakers are wrong to scapegoat the country and that China accounts for less than 5% of capital committed to U.S. venture funds.

Investments through VC funds or for a minority stake are not security risks and therefore should not be prohibited, Kupor wrote in an email. If the goal is to prevent foreign governments from stealing IP or compromising our security, they simply cant do that through a minority investment.

Chinese money kicks in on the other side too. Acquisitions are the biggest driver of capital returned to VCs, and the number of Chinese acquirers doubled over the last three years, according to research firm CB Insights.

Lobbying efforts by the VC industry have ramped up since Trumps election. VCs sprang into action to help save the carried interest tax benefit for investors and successfully sued the Department of Homeland Security last year over delaying a visa program designed to welcome foreign entrepreneurs. The NVCA spent $511,000 on lobbying in the last quarter, a 19% increase from the same period in 2016, when President Obama was in office.

But the foreign investment issue differs in a major way from those other Republican-led initiatives: A leading sponsor of the bill is Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from Californiahome to the richest VC firms and most venture-backed startups.
There was a time, not too long ago, when it seemed like you could barely sit down in New York City without watching one of Wendy Wassersteins plays.

The writer, who died in 2006 at only 55, was a darling of Broadway throughout the 1980s and 1990s, beloved for her wit as well as her sympathetic and nuanced portraits of women, whom she insisted, in merry defiance of the patriarchy, on placing center stage.

Nowadays Wassersteins plays get produced so infrequently that South Coast Repertorys decision to revive The Sisters Rosensweig is interesting in and of itself. Why The Sisters Rosensweig rather than, say, The Heidi Chronicles, which won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for drama?

Although she came of age in the 1970s in a wild and woolly era of experimental theater, Wasserstein also had soft spot for well-made classics. The Sisters Rosensweig, which she wrote in 1991 and which is running through June 2 at the Costa Mesa theater, is in part an hommage to Chekhovs The Three Sisters.

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Wassersteins middle-aged Rosensweigs may have grown up in Brooklyn in the second half of the 20th century rather than in Russia at the end of the 19th. But like Chekhovs sisters, the Rosensweigs struggle to find themselves, and happiness, in a world with tragically limited options for intelligent, ambitious, passionate women.

Sisters may still have plenty to tell us as a culture  intelligent, ambitious, passionate women dont necessarily have more options now than they did then  and it provides some delightful set pieces for the talented cast that director Casey Stangl has assembled here. But its loudest voice is still the creaking of its dramaturgy. Throughout the first act you can hear ropes fraying and levers snapping behind the scenes as Wasserstein strains to maneuver her colorful, wisecracking characters into the same room.

That these characters were inspired by real people doesnt, oddly, make them more plausible. Wasserstein based the Rosensweigs on herself and her two sisters, Sandra and Georgette, while adding fictional touches to all three.

The eldest Rosensweig, Sara (Amy Aquino), is managing director of the Hong Kong/Shanghai Bank Europe. Twice-divorced, she lives in London, in a beautifully appointed house in Queen Annes Gate (one of John Iacovellis stunning sets), with her teenage daughter, Tess (Emily James).

As played by the likable Aquino, Saras a brusque, intimidating figure with chic clothing and a stiff blond helmet of hair. She has distanced herself from her Jewish roots to the point of pronouncing schedule the British way  but she has preserved a girlish sense of mischief.

The middle sister, Gorgeous (Eleanor Reissa), is a married mother of four who lives in Massachusetts and has her own radio advice show; she embraces cliches of American Jewish life, dresses exclusively in knockoff designer clothing, frantically lights Sabbath candles at the slightest suggestion of twilight and describes things she likes as funsy.

The youngest sister, Wendys stand-in, Pfeni (Betsy Brandt), is a human-rights journalist-turned-travel writer who breezes into town between assignments to see her boyfriend, Geoffrey, a bisexual theater director (Bill Brochtrup). Although Pfeni is autobiographical  Wasserstein had numerous love affairs with unobtainable, openly gay men  she is the sketchiest of the three characters, a kind of shorthand embodiment of commitment-phobia.

The story is really Saras. Its her 54th birthday, and shes had a bad year. An operation for female trouble kept her from attending their mothers funeral. Shes involved in an unsatisfying relationship with a conservative politician (Julian Stone), whom daughter Tess calls a Nazi behind his back. Tess has taken up with a young Lithuanian activist (Riley Neldam) and is planning to fly to Vilnius the next day.

Sara is preparing her own birthday dinner when a stranger arrives at her door, an American furrier named Mervyn Kant (Matthew Arkin). He turns out to be a friend of the puckish Geoffreys, but he isnt gay or bisexual. Hes very straight, and upon clapping eyes on Sara he quite mysteriously determines to win her heart, in spite of her reluctance to be wooed.

Arkin plays up the characters bull-in-a-china-shop cluelessness, and Sara obviously detests him from the outset. She hasnt gotten all the way to London just to be romanced by a Brooklyn furrier. So their ensuing love story comes as a surprise to everyone.

Wasserstein provides each character a bittersweet revelation about where he or she belongs in the world, and plenty of jokes and 1990s cultural references  which feel inevitably dated. Its still refreshing to see a story centered on women, their efforts to achieve emotionally and intellectually fulfilling lives, and their relationships with one another. This revival, although it exposes some wobbly engineering in the script, is bound to make people feel anew the loss of Wassersteins unique voice. What would she have had to say about America today?

         

The Sisters Rosensweig

Where: South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays; ends June 2

Tickets: $23 and up

Information: (714) 708-5555 or www.scr.org

Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes

See all of our latest arts news and reviews at latimes.com/arts.

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Every so often in Solo: A Star Wars Story  and the last word of that title is awfully generous  a character will make brief, ominous reference to the inevitable rise of the Empire. While it remains largely off-screen here, that evil galactic monolith is quietly in the ascendant. Alliances are being drawn, key players are shifting into position, and soon it will fall to everyone  even those thieves, mercenaries and other freelance operatives accustomed to working in the shadows  to decide who and what they really stand for.

Except, of course, for Han Solo, who, as played by Alden Ehrenreich in this prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, is still many years away from joining forces with Luke, Leia and the Rebel Alliance, much less inheriting the genial wisecrackery and stiffly smoldering presence of Harrison Ford. One of the few new things we actually learn about this perennial fan favorite in his first headlining vehicle is how he came by his surname, a detail I wont spoil. (You take your pleasures where you can get them in this movie.) Suffice to say that the word Solo underscores Hans status as a plucky rogue operator, a man with zero political allegiances, someone who cares less about which side wins or loses than about his own survival.

There was every reason to believe, in other words, that a stand-alone Solo movie  apologies if that was redundant  might prove to be not just a pleasantly zippy diversion but also a welcome, even meaningful display of independent thinking. The initial hiring of directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the merry comic anarchists behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, was an auspicious sign. It would be nice to report that, in the ever more sprawling Star Wars cinematic universe, this one-off had turned out to be a charming, irreverent outlier, operating by its own rules and risks and thumbing its nose at anyone who objected.

Thumb your nose at the Empire that is Lucasfilm, however, and you might get vaporized, or at the very least be forced to fall in line. As everyone by now knows, Lord and Miller were fired in 2017 (their names remain in an executive-producer capacity) and replaced by Ron Howard, a director who tends to approach even his untroubled productions with a fixers stay-out-of-the-way attitude. He and his collaborators (including screenwriters Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan) have cobbled together a high-speed, low-energy intergalactic heist movie, an opportunity to spend too much time with people you dont care about and too little time with people you do.

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Alden Ehrenreich, left, is Han Solo and Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca in Solo: A Star Wars Story. (Jonathan Olley / Lucasfilm Ltd. )

We first meet Han on his ugly home planet of Corellia, where he is one of several orphans slaving away for Lady Proxima (picture Oliver Twists Fagin crossed with that spaghetti growing mold in your refrigerator). Han and his girlfriend, Qira (Emilia Clarke), are plotting their escape, but circumstances conspire to separate them. Three years later, Han, a skilled pilot stuck in a far-flung war zone, hasnt given up his dream of buying his own spaceship and reuniting with Qira.

Before long he will join forces with two wily, cynical mercenaries, Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) and Val (an underused Thandie Newton), whose relationship with their employer, the ruthless gangster Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), foreshadows Hans future tussles with Jabba the Hutt. His talent for smooth-talking persistence already fully developed, Han succeeds in joining their mission, which involves the illegal seizure of a large quantity of Coaxium, a powerful, highly explosive substance that serves as both a universal energy source and a kind of high-pressure currency.

Thats quite enough plot, I think, though the filmmakers dont seem to agree. Compared with 2016s superior Star Wars stand-alone, Rogue One, this adventure has little sense of consequence in the grand scheme of things  a potential virtue that the movie tries to bury by piling incident on incident, all rattled off with little sense of flair or modulation.

To their credit, the writers have contrived a few clever twists and reversals as they steer Han from Corellia to wherever he will spend his time waiting for the events of A New Hope to kick into gear. There are, of course, some necessary boxes to check off, including a rookie-Wookiee meet-cute with Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), who at first seems more apt to eat Han for breakfast than to become his closest comrade and co-pilot on the Millennium Falcon. Speaking of which, fans will look forward to the fateful Sabacc game (or two) between Han and his new friend and fellow pilot, Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover).

Even these obligatory beats, however, scarcely register amid the movies hectic swirl of sloppily cut-together action, as well as a pervasively gritty, downbeat atmosphere that tries hard to seem jaunty and back-to-basics. (Theres even a persistent 70s vibe to the fashions and hairstyles.) In a rare miscalculation by the brilliant cinematographer Bradford Young, the images are often underlighted to the point of inscrutability; at times the movies murky, misty aesthetic made me wonder if Disney had taken the movies lighting budget and spent it all on fog machines.

Donald Glover is Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story. (Jonathan Olley / Lucasfilm Ltd. )

What meager charms remain can be credited mainly to the actors, including Clarke, intriguingly reticent as a love interest and possible femme fatale. Phoebe Waller-Bridge brings some salty line readings to her performance as the droid du jour. The intensely charismatic Glover  though granted far less screen time here than will satisfy fans of Atlanta, Community and Childish Gambino  leaves you with every assurance that he will someday age into Billy Dee Williams.

The resemblance between Ehrenreich and Ford is more elusive, but also less important than you might suspect. This Han Solo may not scan as an exact younger replica of the character who has taken root in collective pop-cultural imagination, but theres more to good acting than fitting a physical type. If I may risk sacrilege for the sake of accuracy, Ehrenreich, in just a handful of movies including Tetro, Hail, Caesar! and Beautiful Creatures, has already established himself as a considerably more versatile actor than his veteran predecessor in every way.

Ehrenreich isnt given much to work with here, but his sly comic reserve and devil-may-care attitude give you reasons to keep watching, well after the story has stopped doing anything of the sort. His performance sharply rebukes the rumors that swarmed the internet a few months earlier, suggesting the actor himself was chiefly responsible for the productions many woes. Ehrenreich hasnt failed Solo: A Star Wars Story. The truth, I daresay, is exactly the opposite.

------------

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Rating: PG-13, for sequences of sci-fi action and violence

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Playing: Opens May 25 in general release

Movie Trailers

justin.chang@latimes.com | Twitter: @JustinCChang
For almost 16 straight years, ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has been recruited to playfully roast his network and its rivals at the annual upfronts presentation to advertisers.

After excusing himself last year to tend to his newborn son who had undergone open-heart surgery, Kimmel returned Tuesday to ABCs New York upfront in awards show-presenting form.

Gamely described by Ben Sherwood, president of Disney-ABC Television Group at the onset as our annual act of ritual network executive humiliation, Kimmel took aim at the pending Disney-Fox deal and the TV industry in general.

But as promised, he reserved most of his fire for his network bosses.

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Somehow we have more people watching this upfront right now than most of our 10 oclock shows, Kimmel told the crowd shortly after taking the Lincoln Center stage.

Referencing his absence from the upfront presentation last year, Kimmel began with an update on his son, who just celebrated his first birthday and he said was doing much, much better than network television. He took a shot at Foxs introduction of advertising JAZ pods the previous day (sounds like something youd use to wash leotards) and mocked NBC for its Chicago fixation in its block of Dick Wolf-produced procedurals that will make up its Wednesday slate.

You ever hear of Denver? Kimmel asked. They have a fire department too.

READ MORE: Roseanne revival helps ABC stage a comeback in the ratings 

Kimmel also made fun of ABCs mini-crisis in losing hit producer Shonda Rhimes (Greys Anatomy, Scandal) to Netflix. [Shes] an amazing talent and person who changed the face of this network, he began, and now that shes leaving for Netflix, I can honestly say on behalf of everyone here at ABC who worked with her for so long: We hope she rots in hell.

Unlike his late-night show, which has seen a ratings bump from an occasional turn toward political material, Kimmel primarily focused on the state of his industry. He touched on the huge success ofRoseanne, adding that the high ratings proves the older and crazier you are, the more todays audience likes you. Thats why were so proud to introduce our new series, Gary Busey Proves 9/11 Never Happened.

Kimmel also mocked TVs spate of reboots, including Murphy Brown on CBS: Thats right, CBS knows what millennials want and theyll be damned if they give it to them.

He added, Im kind of excited about Murphy Brown.I think its refreshing to see anything brown on CBS, a dig at that networks long-standing lack of cultural diversity.

But his principal target was his own network. Kimmel reserved some barbs about the canceled Quantico and the magician-centered Deception (It was such a good idea, he said dryly), and Marvels Inhumans. Somehow we managed to have the only unsuccessful project with the word Marvel in the title, Kimmel said.

Watch the trailers for ABCs new shows 

He then turned his attention to a few of the networks new programs for the coming season, including the oddly titled action-comedy Whiskey Cavalier.

Should we cancel it now, or would you rather we wait until you left the room? he asked.

Kimmel then turned his focus toward TVs latest marketing buzzwords, including data-mining, shoppable moments and block-chain, but closed by advocating for a level of Zen-like acceptance for the industrys troubles.

Heres what I think we should do: Just let these stupid shows wash over us, clap politely and lets just go get blackout drunk together, he said. Our president is a lunatic, and were all going to die.

chris.barton@latimes.com

Follow me over here @chrisbarton.

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Just a few hours before hitting the red carpet in Cannes for the premiere of Solo: A Star Wars Story, London-born actress Emilia Clarke sat down to speak about the debut of the blockbuster movie and the ongoing shifts in the film industry.

In a candid talk  organized as part of Kerings ongoing Women in Motion talk series  Clarke spoke of the creative process of building her Star Wars persona.

Some things I had to fight for, but the team was generally very generous in terms of collaborating to create the character, said Clarke, who plays the role of Qira in the movie, the mysterious partner in crime of Han Solo. I put in a lot of research to determine my character, theres so much material if you want to dig in.

Clarke also addressed the director shake-up during the filming of the movie, which shifted to Ron Howard halfway through production. Ron took us from a kind of What are we doing phase to a place of such ease and comfort and fun, she added.

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In addition to the film, Clarke is in the midst of filming the final episodes of Game of Thrones, a career-defining project for the young actress who became loved for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO series.

Its like preparing to leave home. Its exciting yet sad and scary. Its been my entire life, my entire Twenties, my everything, said Clarke, admitting that she is yet to know how the series will end. No one really wants to know, people are always like Tell me, but dont tell me. It will certainly be what none of us expect it to be.

Outside of her ongoing movie projects, Clarke is also dipping her toes in screenwriting and plans to start her own production company in a bid to tell really good stories.

Its going to be something that I found, that Ill choose how to shape and put all my creative juices behind, she said, highlighting the importance of making smart business decisions as a young, self-employed actress, particularly at a time when the role of female creatives in the industry is radically shifting.

A self-proclaimed feminist and supporter of the #MeToo movement, Clarke quickly turned the conversation to the ongoing issue, talking of the importance of maintaining its momentum.

Emilia Clarke (REX / Shutterstock / WWD )

I keep getting questions as to whether #MeToo is dying down. The issue is that it reached a fever pitch that is absolutely unsustainable, in terms of how soundbite-y it is. But we must remember that the movement is working harder than ever and we continue to put gentle pressure on the industry, Clarke said. This has been a problem that has been around forever, so we cant solve it overnight. [The movement] is here to stay.

She pointed to education, the imposing of contractual obligations in terms of equality in the workplace and certain quotas regarding the representation of female directors in key competitions, as important next steps to take.

The language used to describe female roles is another area that needs revision, according to Clarke, who seems to have had enough of being asked about portraying strong women in her films.

Im playing a woman. Why call her strong? Is there even another option for a female lead? Find another adjective damn it, the young actress said.

Ditto when it comes to being asked about her clothing choices on the red carpet: Fashion is OK. We are on the red carpet and someone has lent me a dress, so its fine for me to say who Im wearing. But ask some dudes what they are wearing, too. If youre only asking women, its like were just show ponies.
One of Los Angeles most lauded chefs is headed to a shopping center in Orange County. Tony Esnault, the chef at the downtown L.A. French restaurants Spring and Church & State, and his wife and business partner Yassmin Sarmadi, plan to open Knife Pleat, a French restaurant at South Coast Plaza in early 2019.

It just seemed like a good fit for us, especially for Tonys style of food and cuisine and his meticulousness, Sarmadi told The Times. And I think there is room in Orange County, room for growth.

The restaurants name is taken from the fashion term for a pleat with the folds all pressed in the same direction. Its meant to be an homage to the restaurants location, surrounded by high fashion, in the South Coast Plaza Penthouse area on the third floor. Christian Louboutin, Oscar de la Renta and Canali are all neighbors.

Knife Pleat is located in the space formerly occupied by the French restaurant Marche Moderne, which moved to Newport Coast last year. The 5,000-square-foot restaurant is expected to seat 90.

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Esnault, who grew up in the Loire Valley and went to culinary school in Lyon, plans to use his last 25 years cooking in French fine dining restaurants as inspiration for the menu at Knife Pleat. Before opening Church & State and Spring with Sarmadi in downtown L.A., Esnault cooked at Carre des Feuillants in Paris, Louis XV in Monte Carlo, Auberge de LIll in Alsace, Essex House in New York and Adour at the St. Regis in New York. He was also the executive chef at Patina in Los Angeles.

A dish of roasted, braised, steamed and raw vegetables is on the menu at Spring in downtown L.A. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times )

Sarmadi said the new restaurant will focus on vegetables and feature influences from all over France.

Expect to see some fire too, she said. We dont know if it will be wood or charcoal yet, but there will be grill.

As for the space, Esnault and Sarmadi are working with Johnson Fain on the architecture and design. Sarmadi said they are redoing the entire restaurant. It will be bigger than Marche Moderne was and, as is their style, Sarmadi and Esnault will have an open kitchen.

The style is consistent with South Coast Plaza, and higher-end luxury, she said.

Specific details on the menu at Knife Pleat are still slim, but you can expect the thoughtful flavors and artful plating Esnault is known for. And heres to hoping the chefs legumes de saison, an exquisite plate of roasted, braised, raw and steamed vegetables, is on the menu.

jenn.harris@latimes.com

Instagram: @Jenn_Harris_
Wherever theres a public library, there are homeless people taking shelter, and this is true in Malibu.

Perry Thomas, who said hes a U.S. Army vet known as The Real, was wheeling his belongings into the Civic Center library Tuesday morning. He told me he sleeps on Surfrider Beach.

Its about as safe as any other place, he said.

In a way its odd that destitute people would settle down in one of the most affluent areas in the country  a place where there is no affordable housing, no shelter and very few services.

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On the other hand, if youre homeless, why not at least enjoy your surroundings?

I love the weather, said Bill Witter, a Pennsylvania native who was badly beaten near the Civic Center almost two years ago by another homeless man. Witter had numerous broken bones and a long recovery, and is now in a Santa Monica shelter while he waits for housing, but he hangs out in Malibu by day.

Sade Bryan was crying outside the library entrance and claimed it was allergy. But tears streamed down her face, and it was nothing Claritin could fix.

She said she became homeless 10 years ago thanks to an evil mother but did not elaborate. And she just moved to Malibu after living in a skid row tent. Now she sleeps on a mat near the Civic Center.

The reason I stopped by the library was that the county courthouse next door to it sits vacant, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday to serve meals out of the space and provide some homeless services.

Bill Witter, 45, sits outside the old Malibu Courthouse and library on May 15. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times )

In Malibu, as in other communities, people disagree over what to do about homeless populations. Theres fear of fires that may be set by those who live in the canyons, and break-ins, and also a fear of whether more services will only draw more homeless people, putting the library off limits for those who dont want to have to deal with them.

Its hard to balance what everyone wants, said Malibu Public Safety Manager Susan Duenas, who works with faith-based groups even as she handles complaints from residents who are just fed up and want the city to do more about public safety issues.

As John Maceri sees it, Malibu has done a comparatively decent job of bridging differences among various groups. Hes director of the People Concern, which has worked for about a year and a half to serve Malibus estimated 180 homeless, and has found housing for at least two dozen so far. People tend to live in canyons, Maceri said, and many have some combination of serious physical and mental health issues along with addiction problems.

All of that can complicate efforts to reel them in, and then theres the ever-present challenge thats going to be with us for a while.

Not enough housing anywhere in L.A. County. And certainly nothing in Malibu.

Despite voter-approved initiatives and more funding, problems festered for far too long, progress has been slow, mismanagement of available funds is always a threat, and well find out soon  in the latest homeless count for the county  if were keeping up or losing ground.

That brings me to Orange County, where demands to get homeless people away from the Santa Ana River were followed by the unsurprising discovery that theres nowhere for them to live. And even if there were, they might be turned away.

Last month, protesters rallied at Irvine City Hall even after county officials dropped a plan to consider the use of public land in Irvine, Huntington Beach and Laguna Niguel for temporary housing.

We are strong, one protester said. We will decide who comes into our city, and we will activate our supporters to make sure our children are safe.

An Irvine councilwoman urged residents to get a good description of homeless people moving into the community and call the police.

Look, I can understand the fears and the anger. To a degree. Some homeless people are addicted to drugs that kill their pain one day and cause new problems the next, some of them commit crimes, and few among us would choose to have an encampment near our home or business or school.

But for the most part, the homeless are a prophetic presence  a symbol of breakdowns on so many levels. Widespread poverty in a land of riches, unaffordable housing, substandard healthcare, limited psychiatric services and facilities. All of that has taken a toll, and so have the brigades of scarred, bomb-rattled veterans returning from distant wars, out of one tent and into another.

And Irvines message is, Sorry, its not our problem.

The latest flashpoint in this developing human catastrophe is in Koreatown, where theres opposition to a plan by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and council President Herb Wesson to put a temporary shelter on a city-owned lot.

Some foes say the shelter has been forced on them without enough of a chance for their input. But is that really the issue, or is Koreatown just one more place that would rather let someone else take care of the problem?

Ive gotta give the mayor and City Council credit for trying to use city-owned property to start moving people off the streets, but its like every community experiences this level of pushback, Maceri said. If every community would take a piece of it, it could be broken into smaller chunks. Its like were chasing our tails. No one wants the problem, but no one wants to be a part of the solution.

Last year, complaints from concerned residents forced the end of free meals for the homeless Wednesdays and Thursdays at Malibu United Methodist Church. The Rev. Sandy Liddell said meals are now distributed at nearby Zuma Beach just once a week.

Some people are just afraid, Liddell said, and she understands legitimate fears about public safety. But she went on to say that many people, some of whom have so much they dont need, make harsh judgments about those with next to nothing.

You can be forgiven for just about anything in our culture, except not pulling your financial weight, Liddell said. Its the one unforgivable sin.

But there are those among us, she said, who just will always need extra help.

And there will always be those who step up, and those who turn away.

Get more of Steve Lopezs work and follow him on Twitter @LATstevelopez
In the final weeks of budget negotiations in Sacramento, Cal State officials plan an all-out lobbying push. They say theyre racing against the clock to prevent harmful cuts by shaking more money out of state coffers.

The university systems leaders say theyre still trying to rebound from recession-era cuts while they try to accommodate more students. And even though the state has tried to make up funding in recent years, Cal States needs have grown and the money isnt keeping up.

Cal State asked for a $263-million boost in ongoing funding. Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing to give the system $92 million of that, as well a one-time $100 million to catch up on deferred facilities maintenance.

The effort to get more funding from the state was a major topic Tuesday when Cal State trustees met in Long Beach.

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Earlier this school year, Chancellor Timothy P. White had raised the prospect of another tuition increase  which would have been the second in two years. But last month, he shelved the proposal, opting to put more pressure on Sacramento instead of further burdening students. The decision was bolstered by news that the state now expects an $8.8-billion surplus.

Cal State is mobilizing students, staff and alumni to circulate a video called Invest in Californias Future, and spread the message on social media. On May 30, Cal State representatives plan to fan out and meet with numerous legislators and to post photos of those who are supportive with red signs that say Choose CSU.

The University of California, which followed Cal State in putting aside a proposed tuition increase, has launched a similar lobbying effort to try to increase its funding.

Cal State officials are hopeful. Were encouraged by discussions that weve had with the Legislature, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Steve Relyea told trustees Tuesday. This is the time, in these last few weeks, to continue ... telling the story of the California State University.

Theyre getting some political support. On Wednesday, Assemblyman Jose Medina (D-Riverside), chairman of the Assemblys higher education committee, is holding a Sacramento news conference with students and faculty to pressure Brown to fully fund both Cal State and UC.

What full funding would be was the subject of some confusion at the meeting Tuesday.

Cal State officials say the $263 million they request would be enough to cover academic programs, staff compensation, growing enrollment and a much-touted initiative to boost graduation rates. But Brown has repeatedly stated that, rather than ask for more and more, Californias public universities should learn to live within their means.

His proposed one-time money for maintenance did little to appease, especially because Cal State has an estimated $2-billion backlog in such work.

If June budget figures still fall far short of Cal States demands, White has said he will be forced to make some cuts. Ryan Storm, assistant vice chancellor for budget, said they could include freezing or reducing student enrollment, hiring fewer staff and faculty members and cutting back on student services. Storm said Cal State could also slash spending on its graduation initiative, which costs $75 million a year.

Even though were not having a tuition increase, I strongly feel that our students are still scared, student trustee Jorge Reyes Salinas said at the meeting. Theyre scared that the Legislature is not going to pull through.

Times staff writer Teresa Watanabe contributed to this report.

Joy.Resmovits@LATimes.com

@Joy_Resmovits
An explosion that ripped through an Aliso Viejo day spa Tuesday, killing the business owner and injuring two customers, does not appear to have been the result of an accident, authorities said.

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, an FBI official said the explosion appears to have been caused by a device that was not consistent with the beauty business, Magyar Kozmetika.



For the record: An earlier version of this article reported that three people were killed in the explosion. One person was killed and two injured.

The 1:10 p.m. blast rattled the suburban Orange County community and sparked a massive response from law enforcement. The explosion is being treated as a homicide, and evidence from the scene has been sent to the FBIs lab in Quantico, Va.

It wasnt clear how the device came to be in the business, said Paul Delacourt, assistant director of the FBIs Los Angeles office.

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A spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the federal law enforcement branch of the U.S. Postal Service, said the package delivered to the spa did not go through the Postal Service mail system.

We do not believe this was an accident, Delacourt told reporters. This explosion was caused by a device. The damage at the scene was extensive.

The Orange County Sheriffs Department is leading the investigation, with assistance from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI, officials said.

On Wednesday, authorities identified the woman who was killed as Ildiko Krajnyak. The 48-year-old worked for three decades as an aesthetician, according to public records and her LinkedIn account.

Tuesday night, Orange County Sheriffs Cmdr. Dave Sawyer said that it was too early to determine whether the explosion was a bombing, and that investigators were interviewing those who were injured and had been taken to hospitals.

Law enforcement officials executed searches at four locations Wednesday, including the damaged business, Krajnyaks home and a Long Beach residence that belonged to one of her business associates.

Delacourt said there was no indication of other threats or of secondary devices in the community.

For much of the day Wednesday, TV news vans lined the curb of Drover Court in Trabuco Canyon, the neighborhood where the vicitm lived with her family.

The family is in shock  total shock  and theyre trying to contact other family in Hungary, said Tiffany, a neighbor who declined to give her last name. The victim had lived in the neighborhood for at least 12 years, along with her mother, her husband and her son, who is curerntly attending college.

This poor family, no one is prepared for anything like this, the neighbor said.

1 / 8 FBI and Orange County sheriffs investigators look for evidence at the scene of an explosion at an Aliso Veijo business that killed one person and injured two others. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 8 Investigators work at the scene of an explosion at an Aliso Viejo business that killed one person and injured two others. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 8 Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes, center, and Paul Delacourt, left, assistant director of the local FBI field office, head for a news conference Wednesday to discuss Tuesdays fatal explosion in Aliso Viejo. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 8 Shredded pink insulation hangs from the exterior wall of an Aliso Viejo commercial building after it was struck by an explosion on Tuesday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 8 Law enforcement officials search a Long Beach property in connection with the Aliso Viejo explosion. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 8 Law enforcement officials search a Long Beach property in connection with the Aliso Viejo explosion. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 8 An aerial view shows damage to an Aliso Viejo building rocked by an explosion on Tuesday afternoon. (KTLA-TV) 8 / 8 Children are wheeled out of the Academy on the Hills preschool in their cribs after a fatal explosion at a nearby commercial building. (KTLA-TV)

The explosion shook the two-story building so forcefully that employees at neighboring businesses thought it was an earthquake. Some stepped outside, anticipating more shaking.

Andrew Dyjak, the owner of a massage business inside the building at 11 Mareblu, said he realized it wasnt an earthquake when he got outside and saw the devastation.

There was one part of the building that was destroyed, like really destroyed, he said. No windows, glass, and we noticed a small fire.

Glass was everywhere, and part of the buildings walls were damaged, Dyjak said.

For sure, we are closing for the day, he said. I dont think anybody is planning on going back. And they probably have to check the structure.

Besides Dyjaks business, the building housed at least one chiropractic office and a medical practice, he said.

Laguna Niguel retiree Judith Hoel was sitting in a dental chair inside the Ocean Valley Dental Center across the street from the building about to get her teeth cleaned when she heard a huge boom and the clinic shook.

Its terrible to say, but I hoped it was an accident and not something that would be worse, she said. Its a frightening world today.

More than 30 bystanders stood across the street from the building Tuesday afternoon, snapping selfies and posting updates on social media. Several dozen employees of the medical complex sat in grassy areas facing the office.

Rows of emergency vehicles blocked the streets as a helicopter hovered overhead.

Augustine Tolar had been driving to lunch along Moulton Parkway, passing Oso Parkway, when the explosion caused him to stop.

I knew right away there would be a fatality. No way in hell could someone survive that big of a hit, said the customer service clerk from Laguna Niguel.

UPDATES:

3:50 p.m.: This article was updated with details on locations that were searched.

3:25 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from neighbors.

2:20 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from the USPS.

12:25 p.m.: This article was updated with officials stating that the explosion was not believed to have been an accident.

Noon: This article was updated with comments from a Sheriffs Department news briefing.

10:45 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from the ATF.

This article was originally published at 6:45 a.m.
The pregnant woman on the other end of the call sounded despondent. It was about her partner, she said. He was a permanent resident, but the government wanted to deport him.

Keli Reynolds, an immigration attorney, agreed to take the case and began studying the 2013 joyriding charge that triggered the deportation order. The man had recently pleaded guilty and accepted a 365-day sentence, but Reynolds knew that if she could get the punishment reduced to 364 days, it would no longer be considered an aggravated felony and wouldnt require mandatory deportation.

She had spotted the workaround in a heartbeat, but the mans first attorney  an L.A. County deputy public defender  had missed it.

Christian, whom Reynolds identified only by his first name to protect client confidentiality, is one of several immigrants highlighted in an American Civil Liberties Union report released Wednesday that criticizes the public defenders office for its handling of cases involving clients who arent U.S. citizens.

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There is a crisis today in our countys public defender system, the report reads, arguing that the office underserves a large and vital segment of the Los Angeles population: the immigrant community. The report credits the diligence of many attorneys in the office and acknowledges the enormous complexity at the intersection of federal immigration law and state criminal law, adding that the problem stems from being grossly under-resourced.

The 61-page report, which relied on confidential interviews with dozens of attorneys in the public defenders office, ultimately makes an appeal to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors to fund 15 more attorneys in the offices immigration unit. The report says that the office of roughly 700 lawyers has only two designated immigration law experts.

Because individuals in immigration court dont have the right to free representation, its crucial they get a vital defense from their court-appointed lawyers in criminal cases, said attorney Andres Dae Keun Kwon, who wrote the report. In Los Angeles County, he said, public defenders are the first line of defense against Trumps deportation machine.

In a statement to The Times, Interim Public Defender Nicole Davis Tinkham defended the office, saying it has always been committed to providing strong representation to all of our clients, including immigrants, who are facing some unique challenges in this difficult period.

We are still reviewing the ACLU report but our initial assessment is that it is based on incomplete information about our practices, Tinkham said, adding that employees from the office recently met with immigration advocates. The office understands the importance of the issue, she said, noting that theyre already in budget discussions with the countys chief executive and Board of Supervisors.

L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement that the board plans to beef up the offices immigration unit. Theyre working to add eight lawyers to the unit this year, she wrote, with the goal of adding more next year depending on need.

The county and the public defenders office is moving forward to ensure everyone, regardless of citizenship status, has access to high-quality legal representation, she wrote. Increasing immigration law training across county departments is essential.

The ACLU report argues that the office should require attorneys to receive foundational training about the intersection of criminal and immigration law. Currently, the report says, only new hires have to get that type of training.

California law requires judges to offer a blanket warning to defendants before accepting a guilty or no contest plea in a criminal case. If youre not a U.S. citizen, the judge advises, a conviction could lead to deportation, exclusion from the U.S. or denial of naturalization.

L.A. County Superior Court Judge Sergio C. Tapia said he pays careful attention to how defendants respond to his advisement. Their answers, he said, can serve as hints.

There have been times where I suspect that, perhaps, a defendant is not getting adequate advice, said Tapia, a former L.A. County deputy public defender. When that happens, he gives the defendant a chance to talk to their attorney about any concerns. Defense lawyers sometimes then ask for more time to research an immigration issue, the judge said, noting that he has granted the requests in the past.

The judge said hes had concerns in cases involving both public defenders and private defense lawyers, adding that it seems to happen more frequently among private lawyers. Still, he said, he supports the ACLUs call for more immigration personnel and training within his former office.

Its long overdue, Tapia said. For the immigrant community, its critical that the office addresses this issue.

For Christian, whose family moved to the U.S. when he was a toddler, his partners dejected phone call to Reynolds a few years ago shifted the trajectory of his life. After noticing the 365-versus-364 issue, Reynolds asked her client about the discrepancy.

He had no idea the difference between that day, she recalled. Reynolds then contacted the public defenders office and eventually spoke to one of the offices two immigration experts, who asked, What needs to be done?

He needs a 364-day sentence, which he shouldve gotten from the beginning, Reynolds recalled saying. The public defenders office acted immediately, she said, and helped secure the lowered sentence.

By that time, an immigration judge had already ordered Christians removal and the case had gone to the Board of Immigration Appeals, a panel that interprets and applies immigration law. After Reynolds provided paperwork showing the new sentence, the case was returned to immigration court, where a judge terminated the removal proceedings.

Another of Reynolds clients, Norberto, also faced the possibility of deportation after taking an ill-advised plea. In 2015, Norberto, who was initially represented by the public defenders office, pleaded guilty to possession for sale of methamphetamine. Although it sounds counterintuitive, he would have been better off pleading up to the more serious, but not deportable, offense of transporting methamphetamine, so Reynolds filed a motion asking the trial judge to amend the plea. The judge granted the request and the removal proceedings were stopped.

Both of her clients, Reynolds said, ultimately got to keep their green cards.

marisa.gerber@latimes.com

For more news from the Los Angeles County courts, follow me on Twitter: @marisagerber
A federal appeals court seemed concerned Tuesday about the likely harm that would result if the Trump administrations plan to end protections for so-called Dreamers goes forward, but wrestled with technical legal questions about the judges ability to intervene.

During a hearing, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals acknowledged that the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, would have significant effects on 700,000 immigrants and their families.

The panel of three Democratic appointees is reviewing an appeal by the Trump administration of a preliminary injunction issued by a San Francisco federal judge in January that required the federal government to continue processing renewal applications of immigrants previously approved for the program.

Judge John B. Owens, an Obama appointee, asked whether the court could uphold the injunction on grounds that were not reached by the district judge.

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Although challengers argued that the repeal of DACA amounted to unconstitutional discrimination, they asked for and received a ruling based on the argument that the recision was arbitrary and capricious.

A lawyer for the Trump administration said the 9th Circuit could not reach out to answer the constitutional question because there was no evidence presented on it in the lower court.

A lawyer for the challengers said the court could uphold the injunction on equal protection grounds.

Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw, a Clinton appointee, noted that the Supreme Court had not barred legal challenges of an agencys action that disproportionally affects one protected group over another.

Immigrants from Mexico were the largest beneficiary of DACA.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Atty. Gen. Hashim Mooppan argued that the administration had the legal right to end the program and its discretion could not be challenged on selective enforcement grounds.

Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney for several DACA beneficiaries, disagreed. He told the court that President Trump had been using DACA as a bargaining chip for a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

That is not going to happen with Norwegians, Rosenbaum said. That is not going to happen with Western Europeans.

Owens noted that the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in the so-called Muslim ban travel case would probably give the 9th Circuit lots of guidance in how to resolve the DACA dispute.

He asked why the federal government wanted a quick resolution in the DACA litigation when there was so much at stake.

Mooppan said that the Supreme Court was not likely to rule on the travel ban until late June and the administration, in the meantime, was being forced to give work permits to 700,000 illegal aliens under a policy it believes is illegal.

That is an extraordinary intrusion on the executive branch, he said.

Wardlaw asked how the court should weigh Trumps tweets about DACA and immigration. She wondered whether the judges should give greater weight to tweets he sent after he took office.

Mooppan suggested the tweets were irrelevant, especially pre-presidential statements.

The case stems from lawsuits filed by the University of California, the state of California, Maine, Maryland and Minnesota, individual immigrants and others to block Trump from ending the program.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled that the administrations decision to repeal DACA was based on a faulty legal premise and should be blocked until the legality of the program is decided.

maura.dolan@latimes.com

Twitter: @mauradolan
A Beverly Hills real estate developer was arrested Wednesday on a felony charge of bribing a Los Angeles County employee in exchange for a government lease worth $45 million, federal law enforcement officials said.

Arman Gabaee, 57, provided the employee about $1,000 a month over a six-year period in exchange for leases, nonpublic information and other benefits, according to the criminal complaint filed last week.

Prosecutors also say Gabaee, known professionally as Arman Gabay, made offers to purchase the county employee a residence in Santa Rosa for nearly $1.1 million. Those offers were aimed at persuading the employee to sign off on a 10-year lease for the countys Department of Public Social Services at a Gabaee property in Hawthorne, the complaint said.

Gabaee viewed the Northern California property as leverage to get the employees assistance obtaining the $45-million county lease, prosecutors said.

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Sachi A. Hamai, the countys chief executive, said in a statement that she and other officials are deeply troubled by the allegations.

While we cannot comment on the specifics of this pending case, we can say emphatically that we expect our employees to adhere to the highest standards of ethical behavior as they conduct the publics business, she said. Anything less is a betrayal of the public trust and will not be tolerated.

Gabaee appeared in federal court Wednesday and was released after posting $1-million bail. His attorney, Thomas OBrien, said he had not received any evidence from the government that would allow him to analyze the truth of these allegations.

At this point, I have no further comment, he said.

Arraignment is set for June 12. If convicted, Gabaee faces up to 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Gabaee is co-founder and managing partner of Charles Co., a Hollywood-based real estate firm that develops projects across the region. In addition, one of his companies, M & A Gabaee, has leases with the county for offices in Pasadena, El Monte and elsewhere.

Investigators say Gabaee began giving cash payments to the county employee, who handled leases and other real estate matters, in approximately 2010 or 2011. Prosecutors contend that after the bribe payments began, the employee began running interference between Gabaee and county departments that leased space from him, helping out with such issues as building repairs.

Prosecutors said Gabaee had been seeking a new lease at 12000 Hawthorne Blvd. in Hawthorne, a property that had been leased by the county for more than a decade.

In 2011, the county Board of Supervisors signed off on a five-year lease renewal for the site, extending the rental agreement to 2017. At the time, county officials were using the location for welfare fraud investigations and other purposes.

In 2016, the county employee began cooperating with the FBI, agreeing to record conversations with Gabaee and others, the complaint states.

The employee acknowledged accepting numerous bribe payments from Gabaee and others, as well as committing  or attempting to commit  tax fraud and bankruptcy fraud, the document says. The employee also wants federal officials to consider that cooperation when they address certain illegal acts the witness has committed.

FBI agents secretly recorded at least nine phone calls between Gabaee and the county employee, who is not named in the complaint and is identified only as Cooperating Witness 1. Agents also recorded at least eight in-person meetings between the two and intercepted several phone calls by Gabaee to other people.

At one breakfast meeting, Gabaee expressed concern that there were cameras all over the  place, according to the complaint. At another, he warned the county employee that he might have to speak with a high-ranking elected official about securing the long-term lease in Hawthorne, the document states.

The complaint did not identify the elected official.

FBI agents also recorded Gabaee discussing efforts to purchase a home in Northern California for the county employee. In April 2017, prosecutors said, Gabaee identified a 3,000-square-foot house on more than eight acres in Santa Rosa wine country, making an offer for $1,065,000.

That same month, federal agents intercepted a call in which the county employee told Gabaee that Hawthorne can move forward, according to the complaint.

Im gonna move forward with the 10-year  a reference to the duration of the lease, the document states.

According to investigators, Gabaee was grateful to hear the news, telling the county employee, I cant thank you enough.

The lease drawn up by the employee called for the county to pay a base monthly rent of $324,120, with the potential for yearly increases. After telling the employee he had signed an offer on the Santa Rosa property, Gabaee began asking about more favorable terms for the rental agreement, including a commitment from the county to cover janitorial and utility costs.

Not long after Gabaee received a copy of the proposed lease, FBI agents approached him and told him they were aware of the alleged bribe, according to the complaint. Gabaees offer on the Santa Rosa property was withdrawn within hours, the document says.

County Supervisor Janice Hahn said the allegations, if true, are a reprehensible case of corruption and a betrayal of public trust.

At the county, we have no room for individuals only looking to enrich themselves on the publics dime, she said in a statement.

Hamai, the county CEO, said that before learning of the federal investigation, county officials had launched extensive reviews of leasing practices, which have resulted in new policies. The county initially held off on taking any personnel actions, she said, to avoid interfering with the federal investigation.

Eventually, based on the countys own investigation, the county moved to terminate one employee, who resigned in lieu of termination in August 2017, she said.

david.zahniser@latimes.com

Twitter: @DavidZahniser

adam.elmahrek@latimes.com

Twitter: @adamelmahrek

UPDATES:

8:15 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Los Angeles County officials and additional details from the complaint.

This article was originally published at 3:50 p.m.
Additional counts of felony child abuse have been filed against a Fairfield, Calif., mother, nine of whose 10 children are suspected to have been tortured, according to authorities.

Ina Rogers, 30, appeared before a judge Wednesday after having already been charged with misdemeanor child endangerment. That single count was based on squalid conditions that the police found in the familys home.

After the children were removed from the residence, further investigation revealed additional crimes had occurred, the district attorneys office said in a statement. The court granted a motion to add nine additional felony counts of child abuse or child endangerment. The court set bail on the additional charges at $495,000 and Rogers was taken into custody.

We believe that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt  the allegations that she committed nine felony counts of child abuse, Sharon Henry, chief deputy district attorney of the Solano County district attorneys office, said Tuesday.

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The investigation began when Rogers 12-year-old son went missing, prompting her to call the police on March 31. The boy was found asleep under a bush in a neighbors yard.

Inside the home, officers found spoiled food, trash and feces strewn across the floors and clutter blocking the walkways. Nine children, ranging in age from 4 months to 11 years, were inside.

The discovery triggered a six-week child abuse investigation that uncovered disturbing allegations. Authorities said this week that nine of the children had been tortured as far back as 2014, with eight of them describing attacks that caused puncture wounds, burns and bruising, and involved repeatedly getting shot with a pellet gun. Some had visible scars.

Jonathan Allen, who is the biological father of some of the children, faces seven counts of torture and nine counts of felony child abuse, authorities said. The 29-year-old man was arrested Friday and is being held on more than $5-million bail. He has pleaded not guilty.

In an interview from jail, Allen told reporters that he is innocent and that the evidence will prove it. Allen said he hopes to reunite with his family.

Im not 100% perfect, Im not perfect, no one is perfect, Allen said. But I am not an animal, Im not a torturer and Im not a monster. Im just not.

Rogers and Allen are scheduled to return to court on May 24.

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia
As far back as 2015, a Glendale narcotics detective used burner phones to tip off gangsters about upcoming raids, once allowing a top target of federal law enforcement to elude arrest for a month, authorities said Tuesday.

John Saro Balian is also suspected of collaborating with other criminals to steal cars, presumably to sell abroad, and taking money to hunt someone down.

When confronted by federal agents in four interviews over the last year, authorities say Balian, 45, lied about his ties to the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime in Southern California.

Im not [expletive] on anybodys payroll, he told the Los Angeles Police Department and FBI in one interview.

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Now, the veteran officer who once served as the spokesman for the Glendale Police Department is facing up to five years in federal prison. Prosecutors this week charged Balian with one count of making false statements to federal investigators, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.

Mr. Balian moved in criminal circles and operated as though he was above the law by repeatedly lying to hide his criminal activity, Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the FBIs Los Angeles field office, said in a statement. His alleged actions impeded legitimate investigations into organized violent crime and consequently presented a threat to public safety.

Its unclear whether Balian has retained an attorney.

Balian was identified as a person of interest by the FBIs Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, which in 2016 was probing ties between the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime.

Since then, three confidential informants have described a series of troubling interactions with the detective  known to them as Saro  that are detailed in a 47-page affidavit supporting the complaint. In some cases, Balian appears to have instigated clashes between the two sides, according to court records. Investigators corroborated some of the informants stories with cellphone records, police reports and interviews.

Former Chief Randy Adams, left, swears in lateral transfers, including John Balian in the center, in 2004. (Glendale Police Department )

In one incident, Balian allegedly offered an informant and a second man $100,000 to scare the bodyguard of an Armenian businessman in Commerce, a request that led to a shooting in July 2016.

After the encounter, the second man spoke with the informant.

I think I hit him, he said, according to the filing. Later, he added, I think I killed him.

The alleged shooter gave the gun to the informant, who said he gave the gun to Balian, according to the filing. Its unclear whether the bodyguard lived.

In one case, that same informant described a situation in which Balian offered a tip about a gang sweep, allowing a top target  a Frogtown gang member  to flee before agents arrived.

Tell your boy Bouncer that hes the No. 1 on the list for tomorrow, Balian warned, according to the affidavit. It took agents another month to arrest the target.

The informant also said Balian gave him locations of marijuana grow and drug stash houses  information he was privy to as an officer  and told him to hit them before law enforcement could execute their search warrants, according to the court filing.

Balian also allegedly instructed him to slap around people to persuade them to pay money. Armenians would not respect or pay him, Balian told the informant, if they didnt fear him, the filing said.

Another informant met with Balian up to 15 times in 2015 and occasionally saw him wearing a badge and a gun. That person admitted to stealing more than a dozen high-value cars for Balian and his associate, the filing said. He said hed leave the keys inside the car and park it on a designated street, where someone else would pick it up.

During a search of a third informants home, investigators found handwritten notes in the trash referencing Saro and possible cocaine shipments from Mexico. Its unclear whether a transaction occurred and if Balian was involved.

Federal authorities Tuesday afternoon were searching Balians Seal Beach home, an FBI spokeswoman said. They were looking for evidence of racketeering, interference with commerce by robbery or extortion, and bribery, according to the affidavit.

Investigators first interviewed Balian in April of last year. He told them he was an expert on the Mexican Mafia when he worked for the Montebello Police Department, so he used to stay on top of all these guys.

Balian was one of five Armenian American officers who sued Glendale in 2010, alleging discrimination, retaliation and harassment. The city eventually agreed to settle the case, paying $7,500 in Balians attorneys fees, and depositing 250 hours of sick time and 50 hours of vacation time into his leave bank.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek

richard.winton@latimes.com

Twitter: @LAcrimes

UPDATES:

10 p.m.: This article was updated with more information from the affidavit.

7 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from an FBI official.

This article was originally published at 6:25 p.m.
Firefighters have knocked down a massive fire that destroyed a strip mall in San Gabriel early Wednesday, authorities said.

The fire, which was first reported at 6:18 a.m., did major damage to the building at New Avenue and Valley Boulevard, sending flames shooting through the roof, which collapsed, said Antonio Negrete, a spokesman for the San Gabriel Fire Department.

Its completely destroyed, Negrete said of the building. Its a pretty crazy sight to behold.

About 85 firefighters from nine different agencies battled the blaze, knocking it down by 8:46 a.m., Negrete said. No injuries were reported.

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It spread pretty fast, Negrete said. It started off as small, a lot of smoke, and it just got bigger and bigger.

Firefighters spent about 20 minutes inside the building before they were evacuated, taking up a defensive position to fight it from the outside because the flames were so intense and the buildings structural integrity was compromised, Negrete said.

It appears there were five restaurants and one optometry business in the strip mall, Negrete said. Firefighters were still trying to make contact with some of the business owners Wednesday morning, he said.

The cause had not yet been determined, Negrete said.

Valley Boulevard, a major traffic artery, likely would be closed for much of the day, he said. Electricity was shut off through the area, which includes many businesses, and was likely to remain off throughout the afternoon as firefighters continue mopping up hot spots, Negrete said.

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson

UPDATES:

11:10 a.m.: This story was updated with the fire being knocked down.

This story was originally published at 7:15 a.m.
In Missouri, Republican Gov. Eric Greitens faces almost too many threats to count: A mistress accusing Greitens of sexual blackmail. An ex-husband who leaked her story to the media. A newspaper publisher who funneled cash to the ex-husbands lawyer. A mysterious Republican financier who wants to bring down the governor and may be the source of the cash.

And dont forget the state Legislature threatening impeachment and a St. Louis prosecutor threatening imprisonment.

Welcome to politics in the Show-Me State, where power is often wielded in secret, and often with cash.

On Friday, the Missouri state Legislature is expected to convene a special session to decide whether to remove Greitens from office over his treatment of his mistress and his handling of campaign contributions.

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In 2016, the Navy SEAL turned philanthropist used millions of dollars of still-untraceable dark money donations to help power his way to the governorship.

In one criminal case pending in St. Louis circuit court, Greitens has been accused of stealing a list of donors from his nonpartisan charity, the Mission Continues, to solicit donations for his political campaign. He has denied criminal wrongdoing.

In the most explosive scandal, Greitens has been accused of tying up his hairdresser in 2015, stripping off her clothes, photographing her naked without her consent and threatening to release the image if she told anyone about their affair.

His attorneys argued that prosecutors in St. Louis mishandled the investigation, resulting in a criminal case being dropped Monday. Charges could be refiled by a special prosecutor.

Greitens has admitted to the affair but denies taking the photo or threatening blackmail.

The scandal only came to light because because the womans ex-husband (whom The Times is not naming in order to protect his ex-wifes identity) and a St. Louis lawyer named Al Watkins gave the media private recordings of the woman talking about Greitens.

Watkins, it turns out, wasnt just working for the ex-husband.

Shortly before other news outlets published stories about the affair in January, Watkins received a visit from Scott Faughn, publisher of the Missouri Times, a small newspaper for state political insiders  and one of the most politically connected figures in the state.

Soon after their meeting, Watkins said in an interview Wednesday, he received two deliveries: $50,000 from Faughn and another $50,000 from a man who went by the name Skylar and was possibly just the courier.

Watkins said that Faughn told him that all $100,000 had come from an unnamed, anonymous wealthy Republican who did not like Greitens and that it was personal. Thats all I knew about the guy.

Watkins said he immediately took a photograph of the money and sent it to the FBI before depositing it into his law firms trust account.

There was no conditions to this money, Watkins said.

After the stories about Greitens and the hairdresser went public, Watkins said he received an additional $10,000 from Faughn and $10,000 from the unknown source.

Faughn has told a different story about the money, saying it was his and that he was buying the ex-husbands recordings for a book hes writing about Greitens  although other journalists got the recordings for free.

The money I used to buy the tapes was my money, Faughn wrote in a column this month. There is no huge conspiracy. (He did not respond to repeated messages from The Times seeking comment.)

That story has plenty of doubters, because court records show that Faughn and his newspaper have had financial problems.

Scott Faughn does not have $50,000 in cash, said Jason G. Crowell, a former Republican state senator and floor leader in the Missouri House of Representatives, as well as a Greitens appointee to the state housing commission. Theres no journalist in the state of Missouri, or anywhere else, thats rolling with $50,000 in cash.

In one 2016 lawsuit, a Jefferson City printing company sued Faughns newspaper for failing to pay its modest printing bills over several months.

Two state agencies have repeatedly issued liens and fines against the Missouri Times seeking more than $15,000 for unpaid payroll taxes between 2014 and 2016.

And in 2015, Capitol One bank garnished Faughns wages after spending five years trying to collect a debt that ballooned from $846.56 to more than $2,000 due to unpaid interest.

Faughn was sued again in November, by a St. Louis debt-collection firm, for $1,245 in unpaid rent and fees from 2008.

The Times was unable to find any evidence that Faughn owns a house or any other property that he could have borrowed against for cash. In several court cases over the last decade, the addresses listed for him were houses owned by relatives.

Faughns upcoming book about Greitens, While Missouri Slept, appears to be self-published, so he probably didnt get a cash advance from a publisher.

In a testy interview, KMOX radio host Mark Reardon put Faughn, a longtime guest of the show, on the spot: Can you prove that this money was yours?

Faughn paused, then stammered: I dont know how you  I mean  Im not quite sure what you want to prove. Im not gonna  Im not sure what youre asking.

Greitens attorneys would love to grill Faughn about the source of the money. But they havent been able to find him, and with the criminal case in St. Louis now dropped, they have also lost the power to depose him under oath.

He appears to be on the run, because weve tried multiple times to locate him at the normal stomping grounds for Scott Faughn and have been unsuccessful, said Jim Martin, one of Greitens attorneys.

Enter the conspiracy theories.

Greitens defenders quickly pointed a finger at a powerful special-interest group that would profit from the governors downfall: housing developers.

Last year, Greitens led an effort that ended the states lucrative tax credit for building low-income housing. The program had brought millions in profits to developers, who use the credits to finance their projects, but the governor argued it was inefficient.

After his intentions for the tax credit became clear, a handful of developers began donating money to political-action committees to prepare for the next election cycle  presumably to support candidates who will support the tax credit.

Make no mistake: The governor has many enemies  most of his own making  and they are celebrating his demise, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger wrote in a recent opinion piece about housing developers influence in Missouri politics.

The developers would benefit greatly if Greitens were removed from office and his replacement restarted the program.

Next in line for the governorship is Lt. Gov. Mike Parson, who supports the tax credits. Parsons office declined an interview request.

Faughn himself has been an advocate for the tax credit as one of the economic development successes in the state, and Sterling Bank of Poplar Bluff, Mo., a former sponsor of a weekly television talk show that Faughn hosts, specializes in financing projects involving low-income housing tax credits.

A spokeswoman for the bank did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did the banks lobbyist, former state House Speaker Steve Tilley, who has co-hosted lobbyist parties for lawmakers at Faughns offices and has appeared on the show.

Faughns involvement in Greitens downfall has a somewhat ironic twist, given his own history.

In 2002, before he became a newspaper publisher, Faughn was the 22-year-old mayor of Poplar Bluff, his hometown. But his political career quickly came to an end after he was convicted of forging checks related to a highway expansion project.

Faughn didnt serve prison time. Like Greitens, he maintained that he was innocent  the victim of powerful, shadowy forces working against an upstart trying to shake up the status quo.

In my community, Faughn said to a TV station after his conviction in 2007, if youre rich enough, if youre a powerful enough attorney, and a powerful enough newspaper publisher, and corrupt enough, you can take out just about anybody.

matt.pearce@latimes.com

Matt Pearce is a national reporter for The Times. Follow him on Twitter at @mattdpearce.

More national headlines
At first, they thought it was part of the show. Some looked up for the fireworks. But within moments, however, a horrible feeling began to sink in as the screams filled the air.

They wondered whether they were going to die.

Las Vegas police released more than 1,200 pages of witness interviews and officer reports Wednesday that detail the harrowing moments after a mass shooting that killed 58 people in October.

The documents were the second wave of items released by police after the Nevada Supreme Court ordered the department to provide the materials after media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, sued for them.

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In statements and interviews days after the Oct. 1 mass shooting where Stephen Paddock opened fire from his suite at the Mandalay Bay hotel onto a crowd of 22,000 people at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival, victims tell police officers about their wounds and fears.

There are also accounts from Mandalay Bay staff and security and witnesses from inside the hotel during the shooting  including what appears to be an interview with Jesus Campos, a security guard who was shot in the calf by Paddock while in the hallway of the 32nd floor. His name was redacted in the report, but the actions and wound described match authorities accounts of Campos.

At one point in an interview with officers, Campos described how, after he was wounded, he waited for a lull in the gunfire so he could make it down the hallway to his shift manager and two other security guards. He was then able to take the elevator down to have his wound treated  though he said it was about 90 minutes before a SWAT medic was able to look at his injury.

On the ground at the concert, the collection of statements and interviews reveals terror, confusion and chaos.

A 33-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to the thigh and a broken pelvis told Las Vegas Police Det. T. Townley in a recorded interview that she couldnt understand why the shooting kept up for so long.

And, um, I kept praying, please let them leave already. Why arent they walking and leaving? Why arent they, you know, shooting and then escaping? Like why are they just standing? And just sinking in, like, oh my goodness. Theyre  theyre shooting to kill us all. Theyre shooting  were gonna die. And I remember saying were gonna die.

In a hospital interview with a pair of Las Vegas police detectives two days after the shooting, another victim, whose name was redacted in a police report, described a chaotic, disorienting scene trying to escape the bullets.

A detective  identified as D. Jappe in the transcripts  asks the victim to detail what happened after hearing the gunfire, described as a sounding like fireworks.

And then I would say, a couple of seconds later, um, I fell to the ground and I couldnt feel my arm, the victim said. So I just kept yelling, I cant feel my arm. I cant feel my arm. I cant feel my arm. Um, and then my aunt was with me and she was just like  Youre fine. Get up. Jasons performing (country western artist Jason Aldean). What are you doing on the ground? Like and then she saw blood coming from my arm.

The victim said after a second round of bullets, everyone hit the ground.

The night of the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in Las Vegas. (David Becker / Getty Images )

There was like a bunch of people on top of us  on top of me specifically  um and then when it stopped we knew we had to get up to get going, the victim said. And I remember not being able to get up. I just remember telling (name redacted) like Get off me. Get off me. Get off me. 

Hundreds were wounded during Paddocks rampage from his perch at the Mandalay Bay. With his arsenal of ammunition and cache of weapons  including at least one AR-15 rifle equipped with a bump stock to simulate automatic fire  Paddock killed 58 people in about 15 minutes before shooting himself in the head. The gunman was dead when police entered his hotel room.

Police have not been able to determine a motive for the shooting, but a Caesars Palace casino host who was interviewed described Paddock as a weird guy.

The departments preliminary investigative report included interviews with Paddocks girlfriend, Marilou Danley, that seemed to support the comment about the gunmans strange behavior. She had described Paddock as growing distant leading up to the shooting and told investigators how three weeks before the shooting, he was constantly looking out the windows of the hotel room, which overlooked the site where the concert would take place.

She said he would move from window to window, as if studying the angles.

In another document released by police Wednesday, an interview a person at the Clark County Detention Center revealed Paddock answered a Backpage ad for schematics for Auto Sear for an AR-15 for $40. But the potential seller told detectives Paddock wanted to buy the actual Auto Sear for $500.

Paddock began talking about anti-government stuff, FEMA camps said Katrina was a trial run for the government to start kicking down doors and, um, confiscating gun. He seemed like another internet nut.

Police have determined Paddock was the only shooter during the rampage.

During the shooting, a witness on the 30th floor in the Mandalay Bay tried to reach the front desk about what he described as full auto gunshots going off.

I tried to call the front desk. I couldnt get through. Uh, so I called the Luxor. I got ahold of them. And I  I told them that the shooter was on my floor, the witness said. And they said, No, he  hes on  hes at the Mandalay Bay. And I said, Im at the Mandalay Bay. And shes like, Oh, uh, let me transfer you to, uh, Mandalay security. So she transferred me, and I told the lady, The shooter is on my floor. I think hes next door or he  he is nearby. And she started yelling, Hes on the 30th floor. Hes on the 30th floor.

He said the operator hung up on him. The man turned off all the lights in his room, hid and called his father, whom he asked to call police.

The statements also showed many examples of humanity throughout the night. Many victims told stories of people stopping to carry those who were wounded, tying tourniquets to stop bleeding and putting their bodies over others to protect them from bullets.

One victim told detectives that trying to get to the hospital was a frenetic and sometimes dispiriting journey.

A taxi driver rolled up his window and drove off when the victim asked for a ride to the hospital. A limousine driver, after initially directing the victim to a row of ambulances, changed his mind and agreed to drive the victim to Desert Springs Hospital and Medical Center.

The hospital was on lockdown and people were arriving in pickup trucks, the victim said.

The victim later was transferred to Sunrise Hospital.

It was just, like, chaos, the victim said. Later the victim told a detective, People were just in hallways in stretchers.

The victim said the volume of patients was so great that they couldnt get the names of everybody  so they just had a paper and they just wrote, like, She had morphine. They had an X-ray. But because they took the X-rays before my registration, they couldnt tie it to me, so they couldnt diagnose what was the issue.

The documents released also revealed the deep losses felt by those at the concert.

One statement from a man described being at the concert with his wife and daughter. His wife was shot in the back.

I made my kids run and tried helping my wife, he wrote. Others also started CPR and managed to put her on a table and carried her out to Reno and Haven St.

She didnt make it.

Police said they plan to roll out the release of more documents, video footage and 911 calls over the coming months in compliance with the court ruling.

Two weeks ago, the department released body-camera footage of officers breaching the door where Paddock had been shooting. Officers found him in the room, dead with a gunshot wound to the head and an arsenal of weapons and ammunition scattered throughout the room.

david.montero@latimes.com

Twitter: @davemontero

UPDATES:

7:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional statements from witnesses.

3:30 p.m.: The article was updated with additional details.

The article was originally published at 1:55 p.m.
President Trump backed two successful U.S. Senate nominees in Pennsylvania and Nebraska, which were among four states holding primaries Tuesday.

The primaries began to settle swing-state Pennsylvanias chaotic congressional landscape after a court fight ended with redrawn districts just three months ago. Amid the redistricting, Republican Rick Saccone recorded his second loss in two months in two U.S. House districts.

Among the more unusual results of Tuesdays primaries was the loss by Pennsylvanias Democratic lieutenant governor, Mike Stack, who was ousted by Mayor John Fetterman.

Oregon and Idaho also held primary elections.

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Heres a look at some of the other interesting races:

TRUMPS PICKS PREVAIL

Two of the presidents favored candidates, Lou Barletta in Pennsylvania and Deb Fischer in Nebraska, won their U.S. Senate primaries.

Barletta, currently a congressman, was heavily favored over state Rep. Jim Christiana to become the Republican challenger for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is seeking a third term in November.

Barletta was a Trump supporter before the 2016 presidential nomination was settled. Trump asked Barletta to run for Senate, and the president is expected to visit Pennsylvania to campaign for him.

Fischer, the incumbent, defeated four GOP challengers and will be the strong favorite to win reelection in deep-red Nebraska. Her Democratic opponent is Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould.

WOMEN RULE IN REDRAWN DISTRICTS

Pennsylvania could send at least three women to Congress next year, breaking the all-male hold on the states 18-member U.S. House delegation.

Mary Gay Scanlon won a 10-way Democratic primary and Madeleine Dean won a three-way Democratic primary on Tuesday night for two suburban Philadelphia seats that are likely to flip to Democrats following a court-ordered redrawing of the states congressional district boundaries.

Meanwhile, Chrissy Houlahan is the uncontested Democratic nominee for another suburban Philadelphia seat where shes heavily favored in November.

POLITICAL NEWCOMER WINS IN NEBRASKA

Social worker and political newcomer Kara Eastman has won the Democratic nomination for Nebraskas 2nd Congressional District.

Eastman defeated former Rep. Brad Ashford in Tuesdays primary election with a campaign that cast her as a champion of liberal ideals, including supporting a single-payer healthcare system.

OREGON CHOOSES GOP CANDIDATE AMONG 10 GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFULS

State Rep. Knute Buehler has emerged from a crowded primary to capture the Republican nomination for Oregon governor.

Buehler, who ran for secretary of state in 2012, was the most centrist of the Republican front-runners.

However, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown remains the favorite to win in November.
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Wednesday, May 16, and heres whats happening across California:

TOP STORIES

A Times inquiry has found that Dr. George Tyndall, a gynecologist at USC for nearly 30 years, had been accused repeatedly of misconduct toward young patients but was allowed to continue practicing. An internal USC investigation determined that Tyndalls behavior during pelvic exams was outside the scope of current medical practice and amounted to sexual harassment of students. But in a secret deal last summer, The Times found, top administrators allowed the doctor to resign quietly with a financial payout. Tyndall denies wrongdoing. Los Angeles Times

A fight over doctor-assisted suicide

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A judge has overturned a landmark California law that allows terminally ill patients to request lethal medications from their doctors. Its been the subject of fierce and emotional debates since it was approved in 2015. The judge found the California Legislature violated the law by passing the End of Life Option Act during a special session dedicated to healthcare issues, but gave the state attorney general five days to file an appeal to keep the law in place. State officials vowed to do so. Los Angeles Times

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L.A. STORIES

Activist dies: In the heart of L.A.s harbor, he fought for decades to preserve nature. Daily Breeze

More from the harbor: Amid rising trade wars, L.A.s ports are seeing a booming export business. Wall Street Journal

Deadly blast: A woman was killed in an explosion that rocked an Aliso Viejo medical office building Tuesday afternoon that officials said appears to have been intentionally set. Los Angeles Times

Tour time: Los Angeles Unified School Districts new superintendent, Austin Beutner, kicked off his first day of work Tuesday with a choreographed tour of the nations second-largest school district, from the San Fernando Valley to Carson. Los Angeles Times

Mixed use: Next to the Grove, retail is being replaced by housing. Curbed Los Angeles

Taking action: How one Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf dealt with a man who was seen criticizing a Muslim woman in its store. Press-Enterprise

CRIME AND COURTS

Weed clearing: San Francisco is working with a nonprofit organization to create a program that would automatically clear eligible marijuana convictions under Californias new marijuana legalization law. The program, created by Code for America, will allow the district attorneys office to use new technology to determine eligibility for record clearance under state law, automatically fill out the required forms and generate a completed motion in PDF format. Los Angeles Times

Big change: As Uber continues its makeover from Silicon Valley bad boy to good corporate citizen, the ride-hailing giant announced that it will no longer require that drivers, employees or customers who allege sexual assault or harassment go through arbitration instead of suing the company. Los Angeles Times

Say what: A man was arrested for leaving his car idling. Is that legal? Sacramento Bee

Closing arguments: His fundamental problem, the reason were all here  is he hated women, he believes they are whores and he likes killing them, a prosecutor said during closing arguments in the trial of a man on trial for allegedly killing five women. Orange County Register

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Yuck: The state attorney general has joined San Diegos regional water regulators in pressuring the White House to do more to address sewage from Tijuana that routinely spills over the border fouling beaches as far north as Coronado. San Diego Union-Tribune

GSK aftermath: Less than a month after police arrested a man suspected of being the Golden State Killer  one of Californias most prolific serial rapists  state lawmakers in Sacramento on Tuesday said they want to ensure all sexual assault kits are counted and swiftly tested. Los Angeles Times

Willie Brown speaks up: California needs to accept that Donald Trump is more popular than a lot of the haters are willing to admit. San Francisco Chronicle

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

RIP: Remembering the life of Tom Wolfe, who reveled in worlds where people stood tall and acted with extravagance and swagger. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Wolfes wild California adventures. City Journal

Party with a purpose: A white woman called police on African Americans having a barbecue at Lake Merritt. In protest, Oakland residents plan a huge cookout. SF Gate

Hard math: Its not so easy to move to cheaper cities when you get priced out. Here is why. New York Times

Going up: The price of a meal in San Francisco. SF Gate

Foodie alert: Los Angeles boasts not only a Chinatown and a Koreatown but also a Thai Town, a Filipinotown, a Little Tokyo, and a Little Bangladesh, not to mention suburbs dense with destination Szechuan palaces and Cantonese seafood halls. Is it now ready for David Chang?The New Yorker

Oscar! Oscar? Its only May, but there is already early Oscar talk for Black Panther. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: sunny, 71, Wednesday; sunny, 70, Thursday. San Diego: partly cloudy, 67, Wednesday; partly cloudy, 65, Thursday. San Francisco area: partly cloudy, 63, Wednesday; partly cloudy, 61, Thursday. Sacramento: scattered showers, 71; Wednesday. partly cloudy, 78, Thursday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Todays California memory comes from Frank Sheffield:

Dropped off at La Jolla Cove, San Diego, my friend and I walked home to Torrance, along the beach, camping with a WWII-surplus pup tent. Well, not all the way home, nor all along the beach: At Camp Pendleton we hitched a ride. It was 1952 or 53. Can you imagine 15-year-olds even getting permission to start such a hike today?

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.
Californias right-to-die law is nothing less than historic, certainly one of the most important pieces of legislation passed in the last several years. More than 100 people have used it to take their own lives since it was approved in 2015. Families have said repeatedly that the law has brought comfort to their relatives who took advantage of it, in many cases by offering an alternative to pain and suffering.

Furthermore, it has wide backing. A 2015 UC Berkeley survey of Californians found that three-fourths of respondents said they support the right of terminally ill patients to end their lives. That included majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independent voters.

But this important, compassionate and, by all measures, successful law was overturned Monday by a judge in Riverside County.

The legal problem isnt with the law itself, which sets sensible, protective and moderate rules to ensure that terminally ill people are not coerced or persuaded to end their lives. It assures them that after multiple examinations and determination by a doctor that they have less than six months to live, they can seek help to obtain medication that will let them die without pain. It ensures that the patients are fully capable of making the decision for themselves.

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There are no indications that the law has been misused in any way. Quite the opposite. It has spurred vital end-of-life conversations between patients and their healthcare providers that have led many to decide on options other than ending their lives.

A 2017 article in the Times reported that many of those patients simply needed adjustments in their pain medications but didnt realize it until they brought up the topic of exercising their right to die. Others opted to enter hospice care earlier. In other words, the bill is working exactly as hoped for and even better: Patients with many different beliefs and concerns gain more information and more control over how they will face the last stages of their lives in whatever way is right for them.

What made the law vulnerable to a challenge in court was the legislative sausage-making that went into its passage. After the bill failed to win approval during the regular legislative session, it was revived during a special session convened to discuss ways to raise money for Medi-Cal. The state Constitution requires legislators to stick to the specific agenda of a special session so that it isnt used to rush failed bills into law without hearings and careful consideration.

Lawmakers walked a fine line with this bill. The context of the session was clear: funding healthcare. But the governors proclamation for the special session also made a brief reference to improving the health of Californians, and the assisted-death bill certainly falls within the realm of providing healthcare that many people see as an improvement. And obviously the bill wasnt rushed into existence; its hard to think of a more thoroughly debated and discussed piece of legislation.

The path to passage was less than ideal, but in our view it was legal. Unfortunately, Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ottolia this week chose a more narrow interpretation and dealt a shocking blow both to the law and to terminally ill Californians who may have been counting on it.

It would be a terrible next chapter if this ruling is allowed to deprive Californians of the right to make such an extraordinarily important decision for themselves. With luck, the ruling will be quickly overturned on appeal. If not, the Legislature should move immediately to pass a new bill. We understand and respect the objections of the Roman Catholic Church and others who deplore such laws, but their religious beliefs should not overrule the views and desires of the majority of Californians.

Despite the brouhaha over the special session, Gov. Jerry Brown decided to sign the bill when it came to him in 2015. Heres his eloquent explanation: In the end, I was left to reflect on what I would want in the face of my own death. I do not know what I would do if I were dying in prolonged and excruciating pain. I am certain, however, that it would be a comfort to be able to consider the options afforded by this bill. And I wouldnt deny that right to others.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
A fierce philosophical debate about the future of Los Angeles is getting a national airing on the TV series Vida on Starz. Its ostensibly a family drama about two estranged Mexican American sisters whose mothers death brings them back to Boyle Heights. But its true focus is the real-world battle over a new kind of gentrification.

Young Latinos from Anaheim to El Paso, and from Highland Park to Chicago have argued for the past decade about whether it is OK for hipsters to turn barrios into a playground of Pilates studios, single-origin coffeehouses and vegan taquerias  so long as those hipsters look like the working-class people theyre pushing out.

There are even cute terms for the phenomenon: chipsters (Chicano hipsters) and gentefication, a portmanteau of gente (people) and gentrification. Both describe upwardly mobile Latinos who want to shop and dine in the neighborhoods of their youth  but in businesses that reflect their social class. Oh, and theyd like not to price out anyone in the process.

Gentefication has a conscience never before seen in the annals of gentrification, its advocates say. Leftist Latino activists cry hypocrisy.

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The clash has played out most prominently in Boyle Heights, where activists protested coffeehouses and hounded art galleries out of the neighborhood, attracting national news media attention. Even longstanding institutions like Self-Help Graphics were accused by these folks of being complicit in gentrification.

The sharp Vida lands its punches. The main characters Lyn and Emma are derided as bougie and worse. The hermanas clap back with talk about baby mamas and former friends stuck in the vida loca by their own inertia. Its dialogue ripped straight from social media feeds, where friends and family go at each other regularly over whether one can enjoy a Chardonnay and still be a woke Chicano.

Can young professionals and creative types with money ever move into an area without messing it up for the longtimers?

This may look like an intraethnic fight, but how it plays out could have implications for the future of urban neighborhoods across the country. Can cities evolve in such a way that the local tamale lady can coexist with bars that hold Morrissey karaoke nights? Can development ever bring investment to preserve, not supplant, longtime residents?

And can young professionals and creative types with money ever move into an area without messing it up for the longtimers?

The desire to keep barrios barrios is an urban movement unprecedented in Southern California history. For generations, the children of immigrants moved away from the old neighborhood as soon as they had the means to do so, and they did not return. The Jews of Boyle Heights decamped to the Westside; African Americans in South Central relocated to the Inland Empire or Leimert Park. After internment, Japanese residents largely left Little Tokyo behind to move to Torrance and Fountain Valley.

From the 1970s on, middle-class Latinos left East Los Angeles for San Gabriel Valley cities like La Puente and Whittier. The working-class cousins and compas who stayed behind ridiculed them as uppity and Tio Tacos, the Chicano version of an Uncle Tom. But no one questioned this progression: You moved out once you made money, and you returned only for parties and funerals, just like the girls in Vida.

Not gentefiers. They consciously and proudly want to live and play in the old hood. They view it as a step forward, not back. Activists in the barrio, however, refuse to give them a pass. In fact, the critiques are frequently harsher than those leveled at non-Latino hipsters because gentefiers should know better.

I see promise and holes in their respective arguments, and Ive been blasted by both sides. Gentefiers act shocked that not everyone wants to embrace their gospel of chipsterdom. But ultimately, it is still gentrification  now with a brown face. No amount of Frida blouses or Dia de los Muertos forearm tattoos will change that.

I respect the resolve of groups like Defend Boyle Heights and their take-no-prisoner campaigns. But people who want to encase barrios in amber turn off potential allies with their atavistic views. They certainly dont consider that some locals might want to walk to a craft brewery without being called a vendido (sellout). My uncles wanted Bud Light, but my cousins want a mezcal-based Old Fashioned. Is that so wrong?

Is there common ground? I say si, and I hope barrios from the Mission District in San Francisco to Barrio Logan in San Diego find it. Activists and gentefiers alike say they want to protect working-class neighborhoods, and they feel salvation can come via culture as much as it does from commerce. But this is a novel concept in California, where communities historically have been defined by developers who erect or destroy neighborhoods to suit the current tastes of the wealthy and middle class.

Both sides are far more invested in a positive outcome than, say, transplanted New Yorkers, who call our corner markets bodegas. If gentefiers and their antagonistes can jointly hammer out a way forward for the barrios they profess to love, they will revolutionize the fight to protect working-class neighborhoods in cities across the United States.

And if they dont? Theyll have to take their squabbling to the Inland Empire, where well all be living once Silicon Valley discovers the real Eastside  and that aint you, Silver Fake.

mexicanwithglasses@gmail.com

Twitter: @GustavoArellano
Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the appointment of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. The milestone has emboldened White House critics of the probe to declare, as Vice President Mike Pence did on NBC News, that it is time to wrap it up.

Never mind that the Mueller investigation is, comparatively, in its infancy. The Whitewater probe of Bill and Hillary Clinton, for example, began in 1994 and ended more than six years later. Muellers 12 months of work has turned up more clear wrongdoing than Kenneth Starr ever did: There have been 20 indictments and 5 guilty pleas, including prominent senior members of the campaign and administration, and that doesnt take into account the wealth of information that Mueller has yet to make public.



For the record: An earlier version of this article included Carter Page rather than Rick Gates as a cooperating witness in the Mueller investigation.

Some Republicans suggest that public opinion is shifting, that Trumps refrain of witch hunt may be gaining purchase. As the presidents latest mouthpiece Rudolph W. Giuliani crowed, Weve gone from defense to offense.

Wrap it up advocates can point to a slight uptick in Trumps approval ratings, and a downtick in public support for the investigation. They seem to think that if Mueller doesnt close up shop soon in response to political pressure, Trumps position is strong enough that he could put an end to it, perhaps by firing the special counsel or the special counsels boss, Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, and weather any storm the move occasions.

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The probe isnt going to end soon, simply or painlessly for this president. Trump remains in great peril.

Theyre wrong. The probe isnt going to end soon, simply or painlessly for this president. Trump remains in great peril.

Anyone paying attention over the last year knows Mueller will not yield to political pressure. His investigators havent leaked; they have ignored vicious personal attacks; they havent veered in the slightest from prosecutorial professionalism.

So to wrap it up, Trump would have to make a move, but will he?

The president and his lawyers are strategizing about whether he will agree to be interviewed by Mueller, either voluntarily or under subpoena. If he were to refuse, as the current swing of the pendulum suggests, and then try to end the probe, he would only seem more guilty and undermine his support even among Republicans. If his refusal were to lead, as expected, to a court battle, we would expect the Supreme Court to settle the issue. Any move by Trump to preempt it would again only undermine his credibility.

In addition, the president and his circle are well aware of how fast the midterm election is approaching and what effect an attempt to fire Mueller could have on the outcome. They want to avoid any action that would help the Democrats flip the House. Such a shift would change every calculation, not least because a Democratic majority could move to impeach the president early next year.

Of course, Trump may calculate that he could get away with firing Mueller now, if he moved quickly and the Republican leadership rallied to his side. But it is equally possible that Congress would respond with legislation to reinstate Mueller. Again, the field of battle would shift to the courts.

Most importantly, even a successful ouster of Mueller would not derail the investigation at this point. Too much evidence has been gathered, and too many prosecutors, who have surely considered and planned for the contingency, stand ready to carry on. Should Trump try to shutter the entire special counsels office, a much graver and politically and legally riskier act than firing Mueller or Rosenstein, other divisions in the Department of Justice, in particular the Southern District of New York, would also be ready to take up the charge.

The strength of all that evidence, the careful work done thus far, and the indictments already filed are the special counsels protection against witch hunt tweets and protestations that the investigation is already over with nothing to show for it.

In the course of the past year, weve learned not to underestimate what Mueller knows and what bombshell he may have prepared. It may involve the Russians and the campaign, it may involve obstruction of justice, but there are other relevant threads as well: the true motive behind the Seychelles meeting between Trump associate Erik Prince and the head of a Russian wealth fund, the hacking of Democratic Party emails and its links to Trump political advisor Roger Stone, the recent sale of Russias state owned oil company to Qatar.

Last week we discovered that Mueller was way ahead of us on the huge payments made to Trumps personal lawyer Michael Cohen for access to the president. We dont yet know what hes found out from cooperating witnesses, including Michael Flynn and Rick Gates, that might point directly at the president. And there is still the possibility that Paul Manafort or Cohen could decide to cooperate with the investigation.

None of these threads signals Trumps removal from office. A conviction in the Senate, no matter what happens in the midterm, would require a good number of Republicans to turn against the president, which seems remote absent a smoking gun that proves grave criminal conduct. But it is more than plausible that the probe and associated investigations will result in additional indictments of Trump associates  including Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr.  and will leave Trump seriously wounded, an untenable candidate in 2020. Once he leaves office, his legal exposure, both civil and criminal, would skyrocket.

The wrap it up crowd is indulging in wishful thinking. The first anniversary of the Mueller investigation is unlikely to be the last.

Harry Litman teaches constitutional law at UC San Diego. He is a former U.S. attorney and deputy assistant attorney general.

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Russias behavior under Vladimir Putin is baffling. Neighboring countries invaded: Georgia and the Ukraine. Crimea annexed. A covert war waged in eastern Ukraine. In Syria, chemical weapons and indiscriminate barrel bombing condoned. In Britain, one political assassination and another attempted. Throughout Europe, support of radical right-wing parties and organizations. In Britain again, propagandistic engagement during referendums on Scottish independence and Brexit. In America and Europe, systematic disruption of elections by social media and other manipulations.

Putin last week was inaugurated for a fourth six-year term as president in a hall where czars once were crowned. How to account for a super-power wreaking such havoc?

Under Putin, the Kremlin is now unmistakably a very assertive regime. Gone is the confusion of his first presidential period (20002008) when, for a while, there was hope in the West that he might be cleaning up corruption and dragging Russia toward a semblance of rule of law.

What instead happened was a kleptocratic consolidation. Some unfriendly oligarchs had their takings confiscated; some were imprisoned. Many escaped abroad. This didnt eliminate corruption, but rather narrowed it to a single oligarchical clan under Putins control.

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Any hope of democratization was dashed. Russia is now an autocratic system that barely bothers disguising itself as democratic. In the recent presidential election, there were seven candidates in addition to Putin, none of them independent, all anointed by Putin. Putins administration is exposed to no outside controls, no effective legislature, no effective judiciary, no effective press.

It can be tempting to think we are dealing with a primitive regime that has no imagination beyond brute force. But that is to underestimate Putin and his circle. They are, in fact, pursuing a sophisticated agenda of ideas.

Russia is now an autocratic system that barely bothers disguising itself as democratic.

When the Soviet Union disintegrated, Western eyes saw a communist dictatorship collapse. But Russian eyes saw something else: a loss of empire. The Soviet Union had been monumentally successful in completing a Russian expansion that had been unfolding for centuries into an empire stretching from Central Asia to Central Europe. Overnight, that was all lost. What Putin called the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century was not the end of communism but of empire.

His response has been to start rebuilding it. His agenda of ideas is meant to drive that purpose and secure his position in history as the czar who set the job in motion.

The Putin ideology starts from a vision that goes by the name of Eurasia. In that vision, Russia is a spiritual empire of historical-religious origin, an empire of virtue. The geographic empire may have collapsed, but its spiritual legitimacy survives irrespective of transitory national borders. The Ukraine cannot be independent and European, for instance, because that is simply not what it is; it is Eurasian and inescapably a part of spiritual Russia.

The second component of the ideology: Russia has enemies, including the European Union, America, liberalism and democracy. That worldview was confirmed, as seen from Moscow, by Western policies in response to the fall of the Soviet Union. Former communist leader Mikhail Gorbachev had accepted German reunification in return for a promise from America and Germany that NATO would not expand eastward. This promise was broken when the ex-Warsaw Pact nations, including Poland and the Baltic republics, were brought into NATO. The European embrace of the Ukraine was a continuation of that betrayal. Americans and Europeans will never afford Russia respect or treat it as an equal partner in collaboration, or so the thinking goes in Moscow.

From these ideas come the convictions that Russia, as the Eurasian empire of virtue, has something to fight for and the right to choose the means. Indeed, because it has enemies, Russia has no choice but to fight.

Still, Putin has a dilemma: He is big in ambition but small in power. The Russian state has behind it an unsophisticated economy and a population with a poor standard of education and public health. So it must fight with consistently dirty means. As historian Timothy Snyder writes in his just-published book, The Road to Unfreedom, the essence of Russias foreign policy is strategic relativism: Russia cannot be stronger, so it must make others weaker.

At the fall of the Soviet Union, the West expected Russia to become a compliant collaborator. What has emerged is an aggressive competitor.

Stein Ringen, a visiting professor of political economy at Kings College London, writes on democracy at ThatsDemocracy.com. His most recent book is The Perfect Dictatorship: China in the 21st Century.

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Although he was a Depression-era son of the South, Tom Wolfe was a consummate New Yorker. He lived there his entire adult life, and could often be seen walking on the Upper East Side in ice cream suits, an occasional gilt-tipped walking cane glinting in the sun. He was the citys most recognizable flaneur.

Wolfe, who died this week at 88, was an atypical New Yorker in one important respect: He loved California. Or rather, he was enamored of the energies to be found here during the post-war era and the cultural movements that were upending the statusphere that was Wolfes idee fixe for his entire career.

When I was spending time in the early aughts with Wolfe for a book that I wrote on New Journalism, he had fond reminiscences about his California sojourns, including a few somewhat discomfiting nights with his friend Hunter S. Thompson. Wolfe embraced the dynamism and creative spirit of the region, and still felt its effects decades after hed done his seminal reportage from the state.

As a journalist in the early 1960s, Wolfes profile subjects were West Coast figures: music producer Phil Spector, exotic dancer Carol Doda, The Pump House Gang surfers of La Jolla. Even The Right Stuff, his 1979 book about the Mercury space program, was largely centered on Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County. New York had its Astors and Rockefellers, but Wolfe instinctively knew that California was emerging as the breeding ground for the second half of the 20th century. In his articles and books, Wolfe explained California to the rest of us. He was the first significant New York writer to take the state seriously.

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Wolfe took the measure of New York as a young reporter at the New York Herald Tribune and realized that everything novel he observed there was just a facsimile of the real changes taking place on the West Coast. While covering the 1963 New York Auto Show for the newspaper, Wolfe gravitated to the tricked-out, pinstriped custom cars created by L.A. natives Ed Big Daddy Roth, Dale Alexander and George Barris. He compared Roths custom cars to the enigmatic statues of Easter Island: Suddenly you come upon the astonishing objects, and then you have to figure out how they got there and why theyre there. Wolfe sold Esquire on the idea of a much larger article, and flew to Los Angeles to observe Kustom Kulture firsthand. It became the anchor piece for his essay collection, The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.

In L.A., Wolfe had stumbled onto a new modality of American life.

In L.A., Wolfe had stumbled onto a new modality of American life, a revved-up culture that was fed by post-war prosperity and a ritualized formalism that wasnt beholden to the past  in short, the anti-New York. As Wolfe drove around Los Angeles, he was taken in by the citys architecture, shaped not like rectangles but like trapezoids, from the way the roofs slant up from the back and plate-glass fronts slant out as if theyre going to pitch forward on the sidewalk and throw up. This was meant as a compliment. Wolfe saw the future in L.A.; to the largely right-wing, East Coast readership of the Herald Tribune, Wolfes reporting was heresy.

Even Wolfes technicolor prose style was shaped by his visits to L.A. in the 1960s. When I started writing in what was known as my style, I was trying to capture the newness and excitement of the West Coast, Wolfe told me in 2004.

Less than a year after Wolfe introduced custom cars to a national audience, he was anonymously sent a cache of letters by Ken Kesey. The author of One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Kesey had jumped bail on a drug charge and was living in exile in Mexico. Down the rabbit hole went Wolfe into Keseys communal experiment with his followers the Merry Pranksters, spending weeks at the groups La Honda compound in San Mateo.

What emerged was The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, which is both the definitive report on the San Francisco counterculture and a cherished literary artifact of the era. The book reads at times like an acid trip, as Wolfe introduced his daring prose style that carried echoes of Burroughs and Kerouac: The sweet wheatfields and dairy lands of America would be sailing by beauty rural green and curving, and Sandy is watching the serene beauty of it  and then he happens to look into the big rear-view mirror outside the bus and  the fields are  in flames ::::::: curve and curdle straight up in hideous orange flames.

As a satirist, Wolfe could be merciless. But that wasnt the case with his dispatches from California. Wolfes tenderness and affection for the states endlessly renewable culture was palpable, both in conversation and in his work. In Los Angeles and other points west, Wolfe the social critic turned into an advocate.

Marc Weingarten is the author of The Gang That Wouldnt Write Straight: Wolfe, Thompson, Didion, Capote, and the New Journalism Revolution.

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To the editor: The world needs to salute President Trump for following through on his commitment to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Kudos also to the presidents senior advisor Jared Kushner and Ambassador to Israel David Friedman for their important assistance in bringing this about.

What happened on Monday was momentous, but it should not have been all that remarkable. After all, in 1995 Congress recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and mandated that the U.S. Embassy be transferred to Jerusalem no later than 1999.

To his everlasting credit, Trump was not deterred by the many predictions that the Arab world would unite behind the Palestinians in resisting this move and that Americas geopolitical interests would suffer.

Mondays opening ceremony for the Jerusalem embassy came at a particularly opportune time. The show of firm support for Israel after eight years of fecklessness from President Obama is also a message to Iran and others that the U.S. stands behind its allies and is not concerned about political correctness.

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Brian J. Goldenfeld, Woodland Hills

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To the editor: It is so troubling and upsetting to see the White House open its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims the entire city for Israel, which continues to build on occupied land. Furthermore, the protesters in Gaza had planned on having their largest demostration yet on May 14, the day our insensitive government decided to hold its embassy ceremony.

I find that completely confrontational, unconscionable, inconsiderate and disgusting.

On their border with the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers have been firing their weapons into crowds smothered by smoke. At least 62 Gazans have been killed since Monday, and more than 2,700 have been injured.

I condemn Israel for its occupation of land that belongs to the Palestinians and for its militarys wanton killing of Palestinians  and I condemn the Trump administration for playing a role in it.

Gerald Orcholski, Pasadena

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To the editor: I dont know for whom I have more disdain: the people who signed the recall petition against state Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) because he voted to increase the state gas tax or the Republicans who cant find a worthy issue on which to campaign. (Sen. Josh Newman in fight for his political life over vote to raise Californias gas tax, May 8)

Without much thought, Republicans seem to reject all tax increases, an instinct primed by a noisy gas-tax repeal initiative that has been financed with $250,000 from Republican businessman John Cox and $300,000 from the campaign of Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach). Both are running for governor on this issue.

Of course, both are trying to milk an anti-tax movement that Republicans use to emotionally squeeze voters, too many of whom do not understand the connection between taxes, vehicles, deteriorating roads and troubled transportation systems.

Jim Hoover, Huntington Beach

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..

To the editor: Good job trying to make Newman look like an innocent lamb caught up in a nasty political brawl. After all, he voted for the gas tax increase along with his fellow Democrats, and he cant be called to account for that.

The last thing the already over-burdened taxpayers in California need is a higher tax. The Democratic-controlled state Legislature has pulled out all the stops to protect Newman, even passing a new law designed to thwart his recall.

The article mentions the popular conservative radio talk show on KFI-AM but neglects to mention that Newman [used an expletive to describe] the shows hosts while addressing a college group. I say recall him.

Maureen Ballard, Rolling Hills Estates

..

To the editor: How pathetic is the state GOPs accusation that Newman is treasonous for voting to increase the gas tax? When the power of the party trumps (pardon the pun) whats best for the people, we have really lost the focus of the function of our government, which is to provide for the common good.

Its also the fault of Americans who want police protection, schools, fire protection and better roads but dont want to pay for them. Other countries are glad to pay for these benefits, but were more concerned about taking care of ourselves.

We get what we pay for.

Sandy Mishodek, Running Springs, Calif.

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Allies balk at Trump administration bid to block Chinese firm from cutting-edge telecom markets By David S. Cloud Britain and Germany are balking at the Trump administrations call for a ban on equipment from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, threatening a global U.S. campaign to thwart Chinas involvement in future mobile networks. Both countries are expected to limit Huawei and other Chinese companies from providing core components including routers. But other types of Chinese equipment for next-generation, high-speed communications could still be installed on British and German networks, officials and analysts say. The U.S. push to ban Huawei has provoked a global dispute in recent weeks, with senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, publicly urging NATO allies in Europe to exclude the company and warning that the United States might limit its military presence in countries that did not do so. Read More Facebook

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Confucius Institutes: Do they improve U.S.-China ties or harbor spies? By Don Lee Hanging red lanterns welcome visitors to the University of Marylands Confucius Institute, the oldest of about 100 Chinese language and cultural centers that have popped up over the last 15 years on American campuses, subsidized by millions of dollars from Chinas central government. But last fall, when four U.S. Senate investigators walked into the Confucius offices in Maryland and spent hours questioning staff, they werent looking for an educational exchange. The committee has been seeking detailed information from the university about the program, including contracts, email exchanges and financial arrangements that school administrators have kept under wraps since it started in 2004. American colleges once viewed these jointly funded institutes as an economical way to expand their language offerings  one that could also bring warmer ties with China and, importantly, an influx of Chinese international students paying full tuition. Read More Facebook

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Watch Live: White House holds surprise news briefing amid government shutdown Facebook

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U.S. policy toward China shifts from engagement to confrontation By David S. Cloud For decades, China had no closer American friend than Dianne Feinstein. As San Francisco mayor in the 1970s, she forged a sister-city relationship with Shanghai, the first between American and Chinese communities. As U.S. senator, she dined with Chinese leaders at Mao Tse-tungs old Beijing residence. And in the 1990s, she championed a trade policy change that opened a floodgate of Western investment into China. Today the Democratic senator sees China as a growing threat, joining a broad array of Trump administration officials, national security strategists and business executives who once favored engagement with Beijing and now advocate a confrontational approach instead. Read More Facebook

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Mnuchins attempt to calm markets backfires as Trump takes another shot at the Federal Reserve By Jim Puzzanghera An attempt by Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin to calm plunging financial markets backfired Monday, further rattling investors with new fears about whether major U.S. banks have enough cash on top of worries about interest rates, political instability in Washington and a slowing global economy. Adding to the volatile mix was a fresh attack on the Federal Reserve by President Trump, who declared that the central bank was the U.S. economys only problem and that it didnt have a feel for the market. The Fed is like a powerful golfer who cant score because he has no touch -- he cant putt! Trump said on Twitter. Read More Facebook

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He speaks to Democratic hearts. But is Beto ORourke a serious White House contender? By Mark Z. Barabak Hes a failed U.S. Senate candidate with an undistinguished congressional record who, for the moment, is a blazing-hot 2020 presidential prospect  despite the fact that he may not run and faces long odds if he does. Beto ORourke suggests the will-he-or-wont-he speculation is something he himself cant quite fathom. I think thats a great question, he responded in a Dallas Morning News interview when asked whether his unsuccessful November Senate bid merited a promotion to the White House. I ask that question myself. Read More Facebook

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Russian disinformation teams targeted Robert S. Mueller III, says report prepared for Senate By Craig Timberg, Tony Romm, Elizabeth Dwoskin Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. (Associated Press) Months after President Trump took office, Russias disinformation teams trained their sites on a new target: special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Having worked to help get Trump into the White House, they now worked to neutralize the biggest threat to his staying there. The Russian operatives unloaded on Mueller through fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter and beyond, falsely claiming that the former FBI director was corrupt and that the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election were crackpot conspiracies. One post on Instagram  which emerged as an especially potent weapon in the Russian social media arsenal  claimed that Mueller had worked in the past with radical Islamic groups. Such tactics exemplified how Russian teams ranged nimbly across social media platforms in a shrewd online influence operation aimed squarely at American voters. The effort started earlier than commonly understood and lasted longer while relying on the strengths of different sites to manipulate distinct slices of the electorate, according to a pair of comprehensive new reports prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee and released Monday. Read more Timberg, Romm and Dwoskin report for the Washington Post. Facebook

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President Trump announces Mick Mulvaney as acting White House chief of staff By Associated Press President Trump says budget director Mick Mulvaney will serve as acting chief of staff, replacing John F. Kelly in the new year. I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018 Facebook

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It aint over when its over: In Michigan, Wisconsin and elsewhere, losers seek to undermine election results By Mark Z. Barabak Democrat Gavin Newsom has yet to become California governor, but already a candidate for state Republican Party chairman is promoting a recall effort. In Michigan and Wisconsin, GOP lawmakers have rushed through legislation to thwart their incoming Democratic governors and hamper others in the opposing party from doing the jobs voters chose them to do. In Congress, GOP leaders have echoed President Trump and sought to undermine the legitimacy of Democrats strong midterm performance, raising unsubstantiated allegations of fraud and political malfeasance. Read More Facebook

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New CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger says she wont be a puppet of Mick Mulvaney By Jim Puzzanghera On her first full day leading the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Kathy Kraninger said she wont be a puppet of Mick Mulvaney, the controversial acting director whom she replaced in the powerful regulatory position. To underscore that point, the former White House aide said she would even reconsider a Mulvaney action that critics saw as a gratuitous jab at Democrats who championed the agencys creation: changing its name to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Kraningers declaration during a meeting with reporters Tuesday addressed one of the main criticisms of her selection. She is considered a protege of Mulvaney, her boss at the White House Office of Management and Budget who has executed a dramatic, industry-friendly shift at the watchdog agency. Read More Facebook

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Trumps pick for chief of staff, Nick Ayers, out of running By Associated Press Nick Ayers, right, with Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, at the funeral service for George H.W. Bush on Dec. 3. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Associated Press) President Trumps top pick to replace John F. Kelly as chief of staff, Nick Ayers, is no longer expected to fill that role. Thats according to a White House official who is not authorized to discuss the personnel issue by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Ayers is Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff. The official says that Trump and Ayers could not agree on Ayers length of service. The father of young children, Ayers had agreed to serve in an interim capacity though the spring, but Trump wanted a two-year commitment. The official says that Ayers will instead assist the president from outside the administration. Trump announced Saturday that Kelly would be departing the White House around the end of the year. Thank you @realDonaldTrump, @VP, and my great colleagues for the honor to serve our Nation at The White House. I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause.  #Georgia  Nick Ayers (@nick_ayers) December 9, 2018 Facebook

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U.S. hiring slows to 155,000 jobs, unemployment rate holds at 3.7% By Jim Puzzanghera Job growth slowed significantly in November but still was solid, indicating the economy remains in good shape but not expanding so quickly that it will lead to sharply higher interest rates. U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs last month, well below analyst expectations and a steep decline from Octobers strong 237,000 figure, the Labor Department reported Friday. Still, monthly job gains are averaging 206,000 this year, the best since 2015. Even the slower pace of 170,000 over the last three months is close to last years average of 182,000 and well above the amount needed to keep up with population growth. Read More Facebook

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Trump is expected to pick State Department spokeswoman for U.N. ambassador By Associated Press Heather Nauert at a briefing at the State Department on Aug. 9, 2017. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) President Trump is expected to nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Two administration officials confirmed Trumps plans. A Republican congressional aide said the president was expected to announce his decision by tweet on Friday morning. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly before Trumps announcement. Trump has previously said Nauert was under serious consideration to replace Nikki Haley, who announced in October that she would step down at the end of this year. Trump has been known to change course on staffing decisions in the past. Nauert was a reporter for Fox News Channel before she became State Department spokeswoman under former Secretary Rex Tillerson. Facebook

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Senate confirms new consumer financial protection chief: Kathy Kraninger, protege of industry-friendly Mick Mulvaney By Jim Puzzanghera The Senate, in a party-line vote Thursday, confirmed White House aide Kathy Kraninger to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and experts predicted a continuation of the industry-friendly shift it has taken since President Trump installed an acting director last year. Kraninger is a protege of acting director and White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney, an outspoken critic of the agency that was created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis to prevent predatory lending and other abuses that led to it. Democrats and consumer advocates have denounced him for sharply departing from the aggressive watchdog role the bureau had pursued under its first director, Obama-appointee Richard Cordray, including scaling back enforcement and moving to reassess tough new rules on payday loans and narrow the definition of abusive practices by banks and other firms. Read More Facebook

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Shutdown postponed by two weeks under plan approved by Congress By Erik Wasson Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), shown at the Capitol on Tuesday, says President Trumps border wall is a waste of money. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Congress passed a two-week stopgap spending bill that will delay the chance of a partial government shutdown until Dec. 22 as lawmakers and President Donald Trump negotiate over his demands to pay for a wall on the southern border. The House and Senate passed the measure Thursday without dissent, and Trump has indicated hell sign the bill before the current shutdown deadline of midnight Friday. Negotiations were delayed by memorial services this week for former President George H.W. Bush. The temporary measure gives Democrats and Republicans more time to find a resolution to their biggest hurdle: funding a wall on the U.S. Mexico border wall. Trump says he wants $5 billion for parts of a concrete wall on the southern border and is willing to shut down the government if he doesnt get it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has said Democrats will provide no more than $1.6 billion for border security, because the wall is a waste of money. The presidents demands for wall funding from Congress come after he said during the campaign that Mexico would pay for it. This week he said on Twitter that a $25 billion border wall would pay for itself in two months, without providing evidence. Most of the U.S. governments $1.2 trillion discretionary budget has been appropriated already by Congress for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1. Departments at a risk of a partial shutdown late this month include the departments of State, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Treasury and Homeland Security. Talks to resolve the differences have been on hold since a meeting among Trump, Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California originally slated for Dec. 4 was postponed due to Bush memorial events. The three are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby of Alabama told reporters the rest of the seven-bill spending package being negotiated is basically done. Shelby in recent weeks had tried to broker a compromise in which Trumps $5 billion request would be split over two years, but Schumer has rejected that. Some Democrats have been willing to trade border wall funding for deportation protections for young undocumented immigrants. Pelosi ruled out such a deal in remarks to reporters Thursday. The stopgap government funding measure also would extend the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides subsidized coverage for homes in flood-prone areas, to Dec. 21. Facebook

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Bipartisan Senate group wants to formally blame Saudi crown prince for journalists killing By Karoun Demirjian Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires. (Associated Press) A bipartisan group of senators filed a resolution Wednesday condemning Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, directly challenging President Trump to do the same. This resolution -- without equivocation -- definitively states that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia was complicit in the murder of Mr. [Jamal] Khashoggi and has been a wrecking ball to the region jeopardizing our national security interests on multiple fronts, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in a statement accompanying the release of the resolution. It will be up to Saudi Arabia as to how to deal with this matter. But it is up to the United States to firmly stand for who we are and what we believe. The resolution put forward by Graham and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who are expected to lead the Judiciary Committee together next year, comes just one day after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed leading senators about the details of the agencys assessment that Mohammed ordered and monitored the killing and dismemberment of Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Senators emerged from that closed-door briefing furious not only with Saudi Arabia, but Trump as well for dismissing the heft of the CIAs findings. You have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MBS and that he was intricately involved in the demise of Mr. Khashoggi, Graham said following the briefing, referring to Mohammed by his initials. He added that Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, who briefed senators last week, were at best being good soldiers and at worst were in the pocket of Saudi Arabia for presenting the evidence of Mohammeds involvement as inconclusive. The release of the resolution condemning Mohammed also comes as the Senate is preparing to move ahead with debate on a resolution to curtail U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. Though the Yemen resolution does not directly address Khashoggis murder, its popularity is a sign of how strained the United States patience with Saudi Arabia is on multiple fronts, including its role in worsening the civilian cost of the war in Yemen, cited by the United Nations as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Last week, the Senate voted 63 to 37 to advance the Yemen resolution past an opening procedural hurdle. But Graham and Feinsteins resolution on the crown prince has the potential of drawing broader support, especially from Republicans, who are deeply divided about how fiercely to punish Saudi Arabia over Khashoggis killing. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has been an outspoken advocate for human rights and is seen as one of the more influential foreign policy voices in the GOP, did not vote for the Yemen resolution last week or sign on to a bipartisan measure last month to sanction Saudi officials and cease weapons transfers to the kingdom. But he is an original co-sponsor of the resolution condemning Mohammed over Khashoggis death. So is Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who represents the other end of the GOP spectrum in terms of recent Saudi-related votes and endorsements. Young was an initial co-sponsor of the bill Graham wrote with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) to sanction Saudi officials deemed responsible for Khashoggis killing and stop the sale of anything but exclusively defensive weapons to the kingdom until it ceased hostilities in Yemen. Young also voted to advance the Yemen resolution  something Graham did as well, though Graham has signaled he will not be lending any similar support to the measure, fearing it may establish a precedent of invoking the War Powers Act too broadly. Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) are listed as original co-sponsors of the resolution condemning Mohammed, which also urges Saudi Arabia to negotiate with Houthi rebels to end the Yemen war, work out a political solution to its standoff with Qatar and release political prisoners. But how much sway the resolution has probably comes down to how forcefully the administration decides to heed it -- and thus far, Trump has not shown any interest in condemning the crown prince the way the senators hope he will. Demirjian reports for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Los Angeles County offices and U.S. Postal Service closed Wednesday in honor of George H.W. Bush By Brian Park The Honor Guard carries the casket of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush following his funeral on Dec. 5 in Washington, DC. (Doug Mills - Pool/Getty Images) The U.S. Postal Service will suspend regular mail delivery Wednesday, which President Trump has declared a national day of mourning in honor of former President George H.W. Bush. All retail postal outlets will be closed, and package delivery will be limited. In Los Angeles, all nonessential county departments, offices and libraries will be closed for the day, L.A. County officials said. The Los Angeles County Library said no overdue fines will be assessed for books, and due dates will be moved forward one week. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health offices also are closed Wednesday. The Sheriffs Department, Fire Department, clinics and hospitals will continue to operate, the county said. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health clinics are being operated with reduced staffing, and the department asked patients to confirm or reschedule any appointments. All county courts and the disaster recovery centers for the Woolsey fire in Malibu and Agoura Hills will remain open. Larger federal government operations will be closed Wednesday. To honor the life and legacy of President Bush, the Postal Service will observe the National Day of Mourning. Learn how Postal operations will be affected. https://t.co/Mffch7bPCh pic.twitter.com/vG46BsIOpm  U.S. Postal Service (@USPS) December 4, 2018 L.A. County offices and libraries will be closed tomorrow (Dec 5) in observance of the #NationalDayOfMourning for President George H. W. Bush.



The Countys Disaster Recovery Centers in Malibu & Agoura Hills will remain open from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. pic.twitter.com/Sv1J7GoJ7T  Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) December 4, 2018 @LAPublicHealth offices will be closed tomorrow December 5 in observance of the national Day of Mourning for President George H. W. Bush. Essential Services including clinics and other services will remain open: https://t.co/tZGoGGHRlg pic.twitter.com/ypXsV6vlYY  LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 4, 2018 Facebook

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Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to skip 2020 White House race, sources say By Associated Press Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks during an interview in Boston on Dec. 15, 2014. (Elise Amendola / Associated Press) Former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts will soon announce he wont launch a 2020 presidential campaign, according to three sources familiar with his plans. They did not say why the Democrat decided against a run. A formal announcement was delayed as the country observed a day of mourning for President George H.W. Bush, one source said. News of Patricks plans was first reported by Politico. Patrick, 62, served two terms as governor, from 2007 to 2015, was assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Clinton administration and since leaving the governors office has been a managing director for Bain Capital. Patrick traveled the country in support of Democratic candidates in the recent midterm election. Earlier this year, some of Patricks supporters and close advisors started the Reason to Believe political action committee, a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing a positive, progressive vision for our nation in 2018 and 2020. Reason to Believe PAC had been holding meetups across the country, including in early presidential primary states. While Patrick is opting against a 2020 run, dozens of Democrats are considering jumping in, including nearly a half-dozen members of the Senate, several House members, and other Massachusetts politicians. On Tuesday, Michael Avenatti, the attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels and a vocal critic of President Trump, said in a statement that he would run. Patrick had previously expressed some concerns about breaking through if he sought the nomination, telling David Axelrod, a former advisor to President Obama, that he wasnt sure he could stand out in such a large field. Its hard to see how you even get noticed in such a big, broad field without being shrill, sensational or a celebrity, and Im none of those things and Im never going to be any of those things, Patrick said in a September interview with Axelrod. Facebook

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Former Trump adviser Roger Stone invokes 5th Amendment right and wont testify before Senate Judiciary Committee By Associated Press Roger Stone in 2017. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Roger Stone, an associate of President Trump, says he wont provide testimony or documents to the Senate Judiciary Committee. An attorney for Stone said in a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the committees top Democrat, that Stone was invoking his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination in refusing to produce documents or appear for an interview. Stone has been entangled in investigations by Congress and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III about whether Trump aides had advance knowledge of Democratic emails published by WikiLeaks during the 2016 election. Stone has not been charged and has said he had no knowledge of the timing or specifics of WikiLeaks plans. In the letter to Feinstein, Stone said the committees requests were far too overbroad, far too overreaching and far too wide-ranging. Facebook

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Watch live: Vice President Pence and lawmakers honor George H.W. Bush at the U.S. Capitol before he lies in state Facebook

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Rebuilding crumbling infrastructure has bipartisan support. But who gets to pay for it? By Jim Puzzanghera The grades for major U.S. infrastructure would give any parent indigestion if they were on a childs report card. Roads: D; bridges: C+; dams: D; ports: C+: railways: B; airports: D; schools: D+; public transit: D-. The nations overall grade: D+, which translates to being in fair to poor condition and mostly below standards with significant deterioration and a strong risk of failure, according to an evaluation last year by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Read More Facebook

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Trump calls former lawyer Michael Cohen a weak person who is lying By Associated Press President Trump says his former lawyer Michael Cohen is lying to get a reduced sentence. The president is reacting to Cohens guilty plea Thursday to lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate project in Russia. During a surprise court hearing, Cohen admitted to lying in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Cohen in his guilty plea said he made the false statements to be consistent with Trumps political message. Cohens lawyer says he continues to cooperate with special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with Trump associates. Facebook

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As California Republicans confront a congressional wipeout, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faces a reckoning By Mark Z. Barabak When the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McCarthy trooped with other Republican lawmakers to a splashy Rose Garden celebration, smiling alongside President Trump as they celebrated the moment. As majority leader, McCarthy had helped round up the votes to narrowly pass the hard-fought legislation, convincing 13 other California Republicans to go along, even though several faced tough reelection fights. Fewer than half will be returning in January. Read More Facebook

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As California Republicans confront a congressional wipeout, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faces a reckoning By Sarah D. Wire When the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McCarthy trooped with other Republican lawmakers to a splashy Rose Garden celebration, smiling alongside President Trump as they celebrated the moment. As majority leader, McCarthy had helped round up the votes to narrowly pass the hard-fought legislation, convincing 13 other California Republicans to go along, even though several faced tough reelection fights. Fewer than half will be returning in January. Read More Facebook

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Michael Cohen, President Trumps ex-lawyer, pleads guilty to lying to Congress about Trump real estate project in Russia By Associated Press Michael Cohen, President Trumps former personal lawyer, pursued a Russian real estate project on candidate Trumps behalf well into the 2016 campaign, he said Thursday while pleading guilty to lying to Congress. Cohen had previously said that the project was abandoned in January 2016, but he now admits he continued to pursue a deal and says he updated Trump and members of his family about the negotiations, according to a new court document. Read More Facebook

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James Comey says acting Atty. Gen. Whitaker may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer By John Wagner Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker speaks at the Justice Department in Washington on Nov. 14. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) Former FBI Director James B. Comey apparently isnt too impressed with the mental prowess of President Trumps acting attorney general. Matthew Whitaker may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer, Comey said during a radio interview on Monday night in which he sized up the man Trump installed this month to replace ousted Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions. Comey was asked by WGBH News in Boston if he thinks Whitaker could derail the investigation of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Whitaker has spoken critically of the probe, and Trump  as recently as Tuesday  continues to call it a witch hunt. I think its a worry, but to my mind not a serious worry, Comey said. The institution is too strong, and [Whitaker], frankly, is not strong enough to have that kind of impact. He may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer, but he can see his future and knows that if he acted in an extralegal way, he would go down in history for the wrong reasons, and Im sure he doesnt want that, added Comey, who was fired by Trump last year and later wrote a book that portrays the president as an ego-driven congenital liar. Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney in Iowa, was Sessions chief of staff before being picked by Trump to lead the Justice Department. Trump has called Whitaker a very smart man. Earlier this year, Trump called Comey an untruthful slime ball. Wagner writes for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Interior Department watchdog clears Zinke in investigation of Utah national monument By Juliet Eilperin Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, third from the left, and Gov. Jerry Brown tour fire damage in Paradise, Calif., on Nov. 14. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) The Interior Departments Office of Inspector General has cleared Secretary Ryan Zinke in a probe of whether he redrew boundaries of a national monument in Utah to aid the financial interests of a Republican state lawmaker and stalwart supporter of President Trump. In a Nov. 21 letter to Zinkes deputy, David Bernhardt, Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall wrote that her office found no evidence that the secretary or his aides changed the boundaries of Utahs Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in an effort to help former Utah state representative Mike Noel, who serves as executive director of the Kane County Water Conservancy District. Last December, Trump shrank the monument, first established by President Clinton in 1996, by 46% based on Zinkes recommendation. Noel owns 40 acres that had been surrounded by the monument, but now lies outside its boundaries. The new boundaries also would make it easier to construct the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline, which would deliver water to sites in Kane County that include Noels property. Earlier this year, the Interior Department had proposed selling off 120 acres of federal land from the former monument that lay adjacent to some of Noels land holdings, but later reversed the plan. We found no evidence that Noel influenced the DOIs proposed revisions to the [monuments] boundaries, that Zinke or other DOI staff involved in the project were aware of Noels financial interest in the revised boundaries, or that they gave Noel any preferential treatment in the resulting proposed boundaries, Kendall wrote. Neither the Interior Department nor the inspector generals office would release the actual investigative report. In the letter, Kendall writes that her office will provide the report to Congress no sooner than 31 days from Nov. 21, when it is provided it to Zinkes office. The Associated Press first reported the inspector generals conclusions Monday night, but did not provide details from the report itself. Noel emailed Zinke about the effort to alter Grand Staircase-Escalante, according to emails released by Interior under the Freedom of Informational Act. But those emails do not make references to Noels land holdings. Noel also pushed to rename a Utah highway in honor of Trump, but abandoned that effort in March after some of his fellow Republicans objected to the idea. Noel did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. The inspector generals office still has at least two ongoing probes of the secretary, including one focused on his real estate dealings in Whitefish, Mont., and another regarding his decision to deny a permit to two Connecticut tribes who were hoping to jointly run a casino after MGM Resorts International lobbied against it. Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift welcomed the watchdogs conclusions. The report shows exactly what the secretarys office has known all along  that the monument boundaries were adjusted in accordance with all rules, regulations and laws, she said in an email. This report is also the latest example of opponents and special interest groups ginning up fake and misleading stories, only to be proven false after expensive and time consuming inquiries by the IGs office. But Kendalls spokeswoman, Nancy DiPaolo, defended the inquiry, even though she said the report has not been publicly released and we will not be speaking specifically about the matter at this time. The OIG opens investigations based on credible allegations and reports our findings objectively and independently, DiPaolo added. Any time or resources spent investigating conduct or activity that may be a violation of law, regulation or policy is a service to the public, Congress and the Department. Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement that he still intended to investigate the way Zinke and his colleague redrew the boundaries for Grand Staircase-Escalante and another Utah national monument, Bears Ears, next year. I have great respect for the inspector general, and I accept these findings, but Secretary Zinke should have known the people he listened to while destroying our national monuments had disqualifying conflicts of interest, he said. Should I chair the Natural Resources Committee in the next Congress, the process he and President Trump used to destroy Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante will be front and center in our oversight and investigations efforts. We need to know why they ignored overwhelming public expressions of support for both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, why they ignored Native American tribes throughout their decision-making, and why they removed protections on parcels of land with known mineral deposits. Eilperin and Rein report for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Trump advisor Larry Kudlow says China must do more to end trade war By Jim Puzzanghera Larry Kudlow, President Trumps top economic advisor, said Tuesday that Chinas response to U.S. efforts to rework the two economic superpowers trade relationship has been extremely disappointing but the planned meeting this weekend between the nations leaders is an opportunity for a breakthrough. They have to do more. They must do more, Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters ahead of a Saturday dinner between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 Summit in Argentina. I think the president is exactly right  to show strong backbone when prior administrations did not, to break through these Chinese walls, Kudlow said. Theyre so resistant to change. We have to protect the country. We have to protect our technology, our inventiveness, our innovation. Read More Facebook

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Watch live: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds a media briefing amid tensions at the border By Los Angeles Times Staff Facebook

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Democrat TJ Cox grabs lead over Republican David Valadao in nations last remaining undecided House race By Maya Sweedler Democrat TJ Cox slipped past Republican incumbent David Valadao on Monday to take the lead in the countrys sole remaining undecided congressional race, positioning Democrats to pick up their seventh House seat in California and 40th nationwide. Cox, who trailed by nearly 4,400 votes on election night, has steadily gained as ballot counting continues nearly three weeks after the Nov. 6 election, a pattern consistent with the states recent voting history. On Monday, he pulled ahead by 438 votes after Kern County updated its results. Read More Facebook

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Former CIA director Michael Hayden hospitalized after suffering a stroke By Deanna Paul Then-CIA Director Michael Hayden testifies before a Senate committee in 2008. (Saul Loeb / Getty Images) Former CIA Director and retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke, his family said Friday. He is receiving expert medical care for which the family is grateful, according to a statement issued by his namesake organization. The General and his family greatly appreciate the warm wishes and prayers of his friends, colleagues, and supporters. Hayden, 73, served as director of the CIA and National Security Agency during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. He retired from the CIA in 2009. Hayden has been a vocal critic of Donald Trumps campaign and presidency. Earlier this year, after Trump decided to revoke the security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan, Hayden was one of several former intelligence leaders who signed a statement in opposition. Criticizing the president for crossing a line, he quickly became one of the individuals whose security clearance Trump threatened to review. Deanna Paul writes for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Trump tells troops hes thankful for what hes done for the U.S. and rails against courts and migrants By Associated Press President Trump talks with troops via teleconference from his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Thanksgiving. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump used his Thanksgiving Day call to troops deployed overseas to pat himself on the back and air grievances about the courts, trade and migrants heading to the U.S.-Mexico border. Trumps call, made from his opulent private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., struck an unusually political tone as he spoke with members of all five branches of the military to wish them happy holidays. Its a disgrace, Trump said of judges who have blocked his attempts to overhaul U.S. immigration law, as he linked his efforts to secure the border with military missions overseas. Trump later threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico for an undisclosed period of time if his administration determines Mexico has lost control on its side. The call was a uniquely Trump blend of boasting, peppered questions and off-the-cuff observations as his comments veered from venting about slights to praising troops  You really are our heroes, he said  as club waiters worked to set Thanksgiving dinner tables on the outdoor terrace behind him. It was yet another show of how Trump has dramatically transformed the presidency, erasing the traditional divisions between domestic policy and military matters and efforts to keep the troops clear of politics. You probably see over the news whats happening on our southern border, Trump told one Air Force brigadier general stationed at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, adding: I dont have to even ask you. I know what you want to do, you want to make sure that you know who were letting in. Later, Trump asked a U.S. Coast Guard commander about trade, which he noted was a very big subject for him personally. Weve been taken advantage of for many, many years by bad trade deals, Trump told the commander, who sheepishly replied, Mr. President, from our perspective on the water  we dont see any issues in terms of trade right now. And throughout, Trump congratulated himself, telling the officers that the country is doing exceptionally well on his watch. I hope that youll take solace in knowing that all of the American families you hold so close to your heart are all doing well, he said. The nations doing well economically, better than anybody in the world. He later told reporters, Nobodys done more for the military than me. Indeed, asked what he was thankful for this Thanksgiving, Trump cited his great family as well as himself. I made a tremendous difference in this country, he said. Facebook

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Trump contradicts CIA assessment that Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi killing By Josh Dawsey | Washington Post (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump on Thursday contradicted the CIAs assessment that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, insisting that the agency had feelings but did not firmly place blame for the death. Trump, in defiant remarks to reporters from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, defended his continued support for Mohammed in the face of a CIA assessment that the crown prince had ordered the killing. He denies it vehemently, Trump said. He said his own conclusion was that maybe he did, maybe he didnt. I hate the crime .... I hate the cover-up. I will tell you this: The crown prince hates it more than I do, Trump said. Asked who should be held accountable for the death of Khashoggi, who was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, Trump refused to place blame. Maybe the world should be held accountable because the world is a very, very vicious place, the president said. He also seemed to suggest that all U.S. allies were guilty of the same behavior, declaring that if the others were held to the standard that critics have held Saudi Arabia to in recent days, we wouldnt be able to have anyone for an ally. Trumps remarks came after he held a conference call with U.S. military officers overseas, during which he repeatedly praised his administration and sought to draw the officers into discussions of domestic policy. Facebook

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Former FBI Director James Comey gets subpoena from House Republicans By Bloomberg Former FBI Director James B. Comey said he has received a subpoena from House Republicans, according to a Twitter post on Thursday. Bloomberg News reported last week that Comey would be receiving a subpoena alongside former Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch as part of continuing probes into their handling of investigations into Hillary Clinton and Russian election meddling, according to a top House Democrat. Happy Thanksgiving. Got a subpoena from House Republicans. Im still happy to sit in the light and answer all questions. But I will resist a closed door thing because Ive seen enough of their selective leaking and distortion. Lets have a hearing and invite everyone to see.  James Comey (@Comey) November 22, 2018 Read More Facebook

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Republican David Valadaos lead slips to 447 votes over Democrat TJ Cox in still-undecided Central Valley House race By Mark Z. Barabak Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), right, finds himself in an increasingly harrowing cliffhanger against Democrat TJ Cox. (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) On election night, it looked like Rep. David Valadao had survived a close shave and was destined to return to Washington for his fourth term. But on Wednesday, when Fresno County announced its latest vote totals, the Hanford Republican found himself in an increasingly harrowing cliffhanger against Democrat TJ Cox, with his lead in the Central Valley district shrunken to 447 votes. Thousands remain to be counted. Valadao, a repeated Democratic target, finished election night with a lead of nearly 4,440 votes. Cox, an engineer and a business owner who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2006, has steadily gained ground in the 21st Congressional District ever since. The trend is consistent with historic patterns showing Republicans in California tend to vote early and Democrats later, meaning their mail ballots continue to stream in past election day. Under California law, ballots postmarked up to midnight on Nov. 6 will be counted. Democrats have already picked up six House seats in California. They ousted Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, Mimi Walters, Steve Knight and Jeff Denham and won the seats of retiring Reps. Ed Royce and Darrell Issa. All six represented districts that backed Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016. Valadao was the seventh California Republican in a district Clinton won, though his previous successes  he last won reelection by a 14-point margin  suggested his ouster was a longer shot for Democrats. If Cox prevails, it would give Democrats a 40-seat gain nationwide, far more than the 23 seats needed to take control when Congress reconvenes in January. Facebook

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Trump says no new punishments against Saudi Arabia in Jamal Khashoggi murder By Eli Stokols In this Oct. 25 photo, candles are lit in front of a photo of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Lefteris Pitarakis) President Trump made it clear on Tuesday that he does not intend to punish Saudi Arabia or Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an American resident killed by Saudi officials in Turkey in October. In a remarkable statement replete with exclamation points, Trump cast doubt on the CIAs reported conclusions that it has a high degree of confidence that the crown prince ordered Khashoggis murder and sent his closest allies to Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul to carry it out. Read MoreThis article has been updated with staff. Facebook

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Sixteen House Democrats vow to oppose Nancy Pelosi as next speaker By Mike DeBonis | Washington Post House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Sixteen House Democrats said Monday that they will vote to deny Rep. Nancy Pelosi another stint as House speaker, a show of defiance that puts her opponents on the cusp of forcing a seismic leadership shake-up as their party prepares to take the majority. Their pledge to oppose Pelosi (D-San Francisco), both in an internal caucus election and a Jan. 3 floor vote, delivered in a letter sent to Democratic colleagues, comes as Pelosi has marshaled a legion of supporters on and off Capitol Hill to make her case. But her opponents said Monday they are convinced it is time to select a new leader. We are thankful to Leader Pelosi for her years of service to our Country and to our Caucus, they wrote. However, we also recognize that in this recent election, Democrats ran on and won on a message of change. Pelosi has expressed complete confidence that she will retake the speakers gavel in January  eight years after she lost it following massive Republican gains in the 2010 midterms and 16 years after she was first elevated to the top Democratic leadership post in the House. Come on in, the waters fine, she said Friday about a potential leadership challenge. The signers might not be able to force Pelosi out themselves. The size of the Democratic majority remains in flux, but Democrats have already won 232 seats, according to the Associated Press, with five races still undecided. All those races have Republican incumbents, but the Democratic challenger is ahead in only one of them. If the leads hold in the uncalled races, Democrats would have won 233 seats, a 16-seat majority. That means Pelosi could lose as many as 15 Democratic votes when she stands for election as speaker on Jan. 3. Read More Facebook

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Democratic senators sue over Whitakers appointment as acting attorney general By Associated Press Acting U.S. Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker (Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images) Three Senate Democrats filed a lawsuit Monday arguing that Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitakers appointment is unconstitutional and asking a federal judge to remove him. The suit, filed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, argues that Whitakers appointment violates the Constitution because he has not been confirmed by the Senate. Whitaker was chief of staff to Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and was elevated to the top job after Sessions was ousted by President Trump on Nov. 7. The Constitutions Appointments Clause requires that the Senate confirm all principal officials before they can serve in their office. The Justice Department released a legal opinion last week that said Whitakers appointment would not violate the clause because he is serving in an acting capacity. The opinion concluded that Whitaker, even without Senate confirmation, may serve in an acting capacity because he has been at the department for more than a year at a sufficiently senior pay level. President Trump is denying senators our constitutional obligation and opportunity to do our job: scrutinizing the nomination of our nations top law enforcement official, Blumenthal said in a statement. The reason is simple: Whitaker would never pass the advice and consent test. In selecting a so-called constitutional nobody and thwarting every senators constitutional duty, Trump leaves us no choice but to seek recourse through the courts. The lawsuit comes days after a Washington lawyer challenged Whitakers appointment in a pending Supreme Court case dealing with gun rights. The attorney, Thomas Goldstein, asked the high court to find that Whitakers appointment is unconstitutional and replace him with Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein, the second-ranking Justice Department official, has been confirmed by the Senate and had been overseeing special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Whitaker is now overseeing the investigation. The Justice Department issued a statement Monday defending Whitakers appointment as lawful and said it comports with the Appointments Clause, the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and legal precedent. There are over 160 instances in American history in which non-Senate confirmed persons performed, on a temporary basis, the duties of a Senate-confirmed position, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said. To suggest otherwise is to ignore centuries of practice and precedent. Facebook

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Gov. Rick Scott says Sen. Bill Nelson concedes Florida Senate race By Associated Press Republican Senate candidate Rick Scott speaks with his wife, Ann, by his side at an election watch party in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 7. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) Floridas Republican Gov. Rick Scott says incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson called him to concede defeat in their extremely tight race. Scott issued a statement Sunday saying Nelson graciously conceded their Senate race shortly after the states recount ended. The final results show Scott defeated Nelson by just over 10,000 votes out of 8 million cast. Nelson is scheduled to release a videotaped statement later Sunday. The defeat ends Nelsons lengthy political career. The three-term incumbent was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. Before that he served six terms in the U.S. House and as state treasurer and insurance commissioner for six years. Scott spent more than $60 million of his own money on ads that portrayed Nelson as out-of-touch and ineffective. Nelson responded by questioning Scotts ethics and saying he would be under the sway of President Trump. Facebook

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Orange County goes blue, as Democrats complete historic sweep of its seven congressional seats By Michael Finnegan Gil Cisneros defeated Republican Young Kim on Saturday in the last of Orange Countys undecided House races, giving Democrats a clean sweep of the states six most fiercely fought congressional contests and marking an epochal shift in a region long synonymous with political conservatism. With Cisneros victory, Democrats will constitute the entirety of Orange Countys seven-member congressional delegation, the first time since the 1930s that the birthplace of Richard Nixon, home of John Wayne and spiritual center of the Republican Party will have no GOP representative in the House. Sitting back in the 1960s, I would never have believed this would happen, said Stuart K. Spencer, a party strategist who spent more than half a century ushering Republicans, including President Reagan, into office. Read More Facebook

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Going, going ... with midterm wipeout, California Republican Party drifts closer to irrelevance By Michael Finnegan For a party in freefall the last two decades, California Republicans learned that its possible to plunge even further. The GOP not only lost every statewide office in the midterm election  again, in blowout fashion  but Democrats reestablished their supermajority in Sacramento, allowing them to legislate however they see fit After major defeats in Orange County and the Central Valley, two longtime strongholds, Republicans will have a significantly smaller footprint on Capitol Hill. (Democrats hold both Senate seats.) When the vote-counting is finished, the GOP may not even have enough lawmakers in Californias 53-member House delegation to field a nine-person softball team. Read More Facebook

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Congresswoman-elect Katie Porter says she will support Rep. Nancy Pelosi for speaker By Maya Sweedler Democratic Rep.-elect Katie Porter is congratulated by volunteers at her campaign headquarters in Irvine. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Congresswoman-elect Katie Porter said she plans to support Rep. Nancy Pelosis bid for speaker of the House and will make campaign finance reform her top priority when she enters the chamber in January. Im going to continue to have conversations, but so far I feel like Leader Pelosi is definitely making the things that were a priority to the families that elected me her priorities, including announcing her support for campaign finance reform and anti-corruption as HR1, Porter said in her first public appearance since being declared the winner in Californias 45th Congressional District on Thursday evening. It means a lot to me that she is a Californian. She understands our state, Porter added. When we talk about environmental protections, this is a person who understands as a Californian how fragile our environment is and whats at risk in things like drilling off our coasts. Porter, a law professor at UC Irvine, defeated two-term Republican Rep. Mimi Walters. The 45th District, covering inland Orange County, has never been represented by a Democrat. Porter became the third Democrat to claim a Republican-held seat in Orange County, following the victories of Harley Rouda in the 48th District and Mike Levin in the 49th. A fourth, Gil Cisneros, is running slightly ahead of his Republican opponent in the race for the open seat in the 39th District, which extends into Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Porter attributed the massive political shift in the county, for decades a conservative stronghold, to increased levels of political engagement. Folks here care about education, they care about the environment, they believe climate change is real, they want healthcare that protects preexisting conditions, they want a tax system that doesnt punish California, they want our schools and places of worship to be safe from gun violence, she said. Those are the issues we campaigned on, and to the extent that Donald Trump and Mimi Walters were on the wrong side of those issues, the voters have made clear what direction they want us to go. Porter was flying back from the East Coast when her race was called, she said. She turned on her phone to find 167 text messages from friends and supporters. Among them was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who was one of Porters teachers in law school and with whom she has remained close. The pair spoke via FaceTime this morning, she said. Facebook

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Bitter battle for Senate seat in Florida goes to hand recount By Associated Press Employees look through damaged ballots during a recount Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) Floridas acrimonious battle for the U.S. Senate headed Thursday to a legally required hand recount after an initial review by ballot-counting machines showed Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson separated by less than 13,000 votes. But the highly watched contest for governor between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum appeared to be over, with a machine recount showing DeSantis with a large enough advantage over Gillum to avoid a hand recount in that race. Gillum, who conceded the contest on election night only to retract his concession later, said in a statement that it is not over until every legally casted vote is counted. The recount so far has been fraught with problems. One large Democratic stronghold in South Florida was unable to finish its machine recount by the Thursday deadline due to machines breaking down. A federal judge rejected a request to extend the recount deadline. We gave a heroic effort, said Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher. If the county had three or four more hours, it would have made the deadline to recount ballots in the Senate race, she said. Meanwhile, election officials in another urban county in the Tampa Bay area decided against turning in the results of their machine recount, which came up with 846 fewer votes than originally counted. Media in South Florida reported that Broward County finished its machine recount but missed the deadline by a few minutes. Counties were ordered last weekend to do a machine recount of three statewide races because the margins were so tight. The next stage is a manual review of ballots that were not counted by machines to see whether there is a way to figure out voter intent. Scott called on Nelson to end the recount battle. Its time for Nelson to respect the will of the voters and graciously bring this process to an end rather than proceed with yet another count of the votes  which will yield the same result and bring more embarrassment to the state that we both love and have served, the governor said in a statement. The recount has triggered multiple lawsuits, many of them filed by Nelson and Democrats. The legal battles drew the ire of U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker, who slammed the state for repeatedly failing to anticipate election problems. He also said the state law on recounts appears to violate the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that decided the presidency in 2000. We have been the laughingstock of the world, election after election, and we chose not to fix this, Walker said during a morning hearing. Walker vented his anger at state lawmakers and Palm Beach County officials, saying they should have made sure they had enough equipment in place to handle this kind of a recount. But he said he could not extend the recount deadline because he did not know when Palm Beach County would finish its work. This court must be able to craft a remedy with knowledge that it will not prove futile, Walker wrote in his ruling turning down the request from Democrats. It cannot do so on this record. This court does not and will not fashion a remedy in the dark. The overarching problem was created by the Florida Legislature, which Walker said passed a recount law that appears to run afoul of the 2000 Bush vs. Gore decision by locking in procedures that do not allow for potential problems. A total of six election-related lawsuits are pending in federal court in Tallahassee as well at least one lawsuit filed in state court. Walker also ordered that voters be given until 5 p.m. Saturday to show a valid identification and fix their ballots if they have not been counted due to mismatched signatures. Republicans appealed the ruling, but an appeals court turned down the request. State officials testified that nearly 4,000 mailed-in ballots were set aside because local officials decided the signatures on the envelopes did not match the signatures on file. If those voters can prove their identity, their votes will be counted and included in final official returns due from each county by noon Sunday. Walker was asked by Democrats to require local officials to provide a list of people whose ballots were rejected. But the judge appointed by President Obama refused the request, calling it inappropriate. Under state law, a hand review is required with races that have a margin of 0.25 percentage points or less. A state website put the unofficial results showing Scott ahead of Nelson by 0.15 percentage points. The margin between DeSantis and Gillum was at 0.41 points. The margin between Scott and Nelson had not changed much in the last few days, conceded Marc Elias, an attorney working for Nelsons campaign. But he said that he expected the vote tally to shrink due to the hand recount and the ruling on signatures. The developments fueled frustrations among Democrats and Republicans alike. Democrats want state officials to do whatever it takes to make sure every eligible vote is counted. Republicans, including President Trump, have argued without evidence that voter fraud threatens to steal races from the GOP. Facebook

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Democrat Gil Cisneros pulls ahead of Republican Young Kim as more votes are tallied in Orange and San Bernardino counties By Michael Finnegan Congressional candidate Gil Cisneros (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Democrat Gil Cisneros pulled ahead of Republican Young Kim in one of Californias undecided congressional races Thursday, an ominous sign for a GOP already reeling from its loss of four House seats in the state. In updated vote counts released by the registrars for Orange and San Bernardino counties, Kim fell 941 votes behind Cisneros in the contest to succeed Republican Rep. Ed Royce in Californias 39th Congressional District. The 39th straddles Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange counties. In another unresolved House race, Democrat Katie Porter pulled further ahead of Republican incumbent Mimi Walters in the 45th District, which includes Mission Viejo, Tustin, Irvine, Rancho Santa Margarita and Laguna Hills. Porter, a consumer attorney and UC Irvine law professor, is now 6,203 votes ahead. The Nov. 6 midterm election has been devastating to Republicans in California. If Cisneros and Porter win, the party will have lost six of its 14 House seats in the state, essentially a wipeout in every contest that both parties spent heavily to win. The three Republicans already bounced from Congress are Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa, Steve Knight of Palmdale and Jeff Denham of Turlock in the San Joaquin Valley. Democrat Mike Levin won the seat of retiring GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista in the fourth district flipped so far. Facebook

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Florida Senate race likely headed to second recount By Associated Press A Palm Beach County Sheriffs deputy walks past boxes of ballots before a recount on Nov. 15 in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee) Unofficial Florida election results show that the governors race seems to be settled after a machine recount but the U.S. Senate race is likely headed to a hand recount. Republican Ron DeSantis is virtually assured of winning the nationally watched governors race over Democrat Andrew Gillum. Florida finished a machine recount Thursday that showed Gillum without enough votes to force a manual recount. Unofficial results posted on a state website show the margin between U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott is still thin enough to trigger a second review. State law requires a hand recount of races with a margin of 0.25 percentage point or less. Counties have until Sunday to inspect the ballots that did not record a vote when put through the machines. Those ballots are re-examined to see whether the voter skipped the race or marked the ballot in a way that the machines cannot read but can be deciphered. The election will be certified Tuesday. Read More Facebook

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Pelosi says she has the votes to become the next House speaker By John Wagner Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference in Washington on Nov. 14. (Susan Walsh) House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi insisted Thursday that she has the votes to become the chambers speaker despite solid opposition from more than a dozen Democrats who want fresh leadership when the party takes control next year. I have overwhelming support in my caucus to be speaker of the House, the San Francisco lawmaker told reporters. I happen to think at this point, Im the best person for that. A vote within the Democratic caucus is scheduled for Nov. 28. The full House votes on Jan. 3 to elect a new speaker. During her remarks, Pelosi touted the size of the Democratic victory in the midterms, which she called almost a tsunami. With a few races still to be decided, Democrats are poised to pick up close to 40 seats in the chamber. Pelosi called that the biggest victory for the Democrats since 1974, when the Watergate babies came in. Pelosis comments come as she faces solid opposition from at least 17 Democrats, setting the stage for a battle over who will ascend to one of the most powerful positions in Washington. After a campaign in which some Democrats prevailed in competitive districts by promising to oppose her, a coalition of incumbents and newly elected members has denied her a smooth path to the speakership. The defections, if they stand, would leave Pelosi, who has led the Democrats for more than 15 years, several votes short of the 218 she would need when the full House votes for speaker Jan. 3. However, no Democrat has stepped forward to run against her for a job she held from 2007 through 2010. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) told reporters Wednesday that shes being encouraged to stand for speaker if Pelosi doesnt have the votes. In an interview with the Washington Post on Thursday, she said she has been overwhelmed by the support from many of her colleagues for her possible entry into the race for House speaker. Over the last 12 hours, Ive been overwhelmed by the amount of support Ive received, Fudge said, adding that there are probably closer to 30" Democrats who have privately signaled that they are willing to oppose Pelosi. Things could change rapidly, Fudge said. Fudge, 66, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said she is building a diverse coalition as she mulls a speaker run, talking with allies in the caucus, moderate Democrats and newly elected members. To this point, Pelosi has enjoyed the strong backing of the Congressional Black Caucus. On Thursday, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), one of its members, wrote a letter to colleagues praising her insight, fortitude and strategic thinking and urging support for her speakership bid. Former Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., an African American who is contemplating a 2020 presidential bid, also voiced support for Pelosi, praising her in a tweet as an architect of the recent midterm success. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a leader of the resistance to Pelosi, said during an interview on CNN on Thursday that Fudge is the kind of new leader that we need in this party. Shes in touch with middle America. She understands what the American people want. Shes a next-generation leader that people will look to and say, Thats the future of our party, thats the future of our country, and thats exactly the kind of leader that I want to see as our next speaker. Wagner reports for the Washington Post. The Posts Robert Costa, Erica Werner, Mike DeBonis, Paul Kane and Elise Viebeck contributed to this report. Facebook

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GOP Rep. Jeff Denham concedes to Democrat Josh Harder in Central Valley race By Maya Sweedler Rep. Jeff Denham (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) Republican Rep. Jeff Denham has conceded to Democrat Josh Harder in the race to represent Californias 10th Congressional District in the San Joaquin Valley. It has been an absolute honor to serve our community and represent the Central Valley in Congress over the past eight years, the 51-year-old congressman said. The enormity of the responsibility was never lost on me. My wife Sonia and I look forward to starting the next chapter of our lives. Harder said he had spoken with Denham and the two were committed to a productive transition. Denham, an Air Force veteran, previously represented the region in the state Senate for eight years and founded a company specializing in plastic packaging used in agriculture. While a member of Congress, he sat on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture committees. First-time candidate Harder was born and raised in the district. After graduating from Stanford University, he served as vice president of a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Since moving back, he has been teaching at Modesto Junior College. Denhams House seat is one of four in California that Republicans lost in the Nov. 6 election, with two contests in Orange County still undecided as of Thursday morning. Jeff Denham called me this morning and we had a very productive conversation. I'm honored that I've been chosen to serve our community in Congress, and we're both looking forward to a productive transition that best serves the people of District 10.  Josh Harder (@JoshHarder) November 14, 2018 Facebook

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Democrat Katie Porter now nearly 3,800 votes ahead of GOP Rep. Mimi Walters By Maya Sweedler Rep. Mimi Walters thanks all of her supporters as she watches election results in Irvine on Nov. 7, 2018. (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press) Democrat Katie Porter opened a 3,797-vote lead Wednesday over Republican Rep. Mimi Walters in Orange Countys 45th Congressional District. In the neighboring 39th, Democrat Gil Cisneros has nearly tied the race against Republican Young Kim. Cisneros now trails Kim by a razor-thin margin of 122 votes. The 39th District straddles Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties; Wednesdays updated ballot counts came from the latter two. There are more than 202,000 ballots left to count in Orange County, which includes parts of seven congressional districts. The 45th is entirely in inland Orange County. In California, the ballots counted first tend to lean Republican and those tallied later skew Democratic. In the Central Valleys 21st Congressional District, Democratic challenger TJ Cox has pulled within 2 percentage points of Rep. David Valadao, who is serving his third term. The Associated Press had projected a win for Valadao on election night, but his 4,839-vote advantage has shrunk to 2,090. Back in CA-21, Valadao (R) wins a batch of ballots from his stronghold in Kings Co., but by a considerably smaller margin (14 points) than his previous ~30-point margin in the county. We're moving to Lean R from Likely R; today a bit scary for Valadao.https://t.co/WqJVUVkqGW  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 15, 2018 A spokesman for Valadao told the Fresno Bee that the changes were expected and that [s]tatistically, David Valadao has won this race. Democrats in California have already flipped four House seats, defeating three Republican incumbents and claiming an open seat previously held by the GOP. Reps. Steve Knight of Palmdale, Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Jeff Denham of Turlock have already lost their races, and retiring Rep. Darrell Issas San Diego County seat was claimed by Democrat Mike Levin. Facebook

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Trump aide departs West Wing after rebuke from Melania Trump By Associated Press First Lady Melania Trump. (Alain Jocard / AFP-Getty Images) Deputy national security advisor Mira Ricardel is leaving the White House, one day after First Lady Melania Trumps office issued an extraordinary statement calling for her dismissal. No replacement was named. Aides said Ricardel clashed with the first ladys staff over her visit to Africa last month. Yet it is highly unusual for a first lady or her office to weigh in on personnel matters, especially the presidents national security staff. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Ricardel would have a new role in the administration. On Tuesday, Stephanie Grisham, the first ladys spokeswoman, released a statement saying, It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House. President Trumps White House has set records for administration turnover. Ricardel was the third person to hold the post under Trump. An ally of national security advisor John Bolton, Ricardel began her service in the Trump administration as associate director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, then moved to the Commerce Department last year. Bolton brought her into the West Wing shortly after taking the job in April. He is traveling in Asia this week alongside Vice President Mike Pence. Facebook

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Race for House Minority Leader is Kevin McCarthys to lose By Associated Press (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is running to take over next years shrunken caucus in closed-door elections that will set the tone for the new Congress. The race for minority leader is McCarthys to lose Wednesday. But the California Republican, who is an ally of President Trump, must fend off a challenge from conservative Jim Jordan of Ohio. Jordan is a leader of the House Freedom Caucus. The two encountered questions and finger-pointing during a private meeting with lawmakers Tuesday night as the GOP sorted through the midterm defeat that put Democrats in the majority next year. Elections Wednesday will also determine party leadership in the Senate. Voting for the biggest race, Nancy Pelosis bid to return as the Democrats nominee for speaker, is later this month. Read More Facebook

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Melania Trump calls for the firing of deputy national security advisor By Justin Sink First Lady Melania Trump arrives at the Chateau de Versailles outside Paris on Nov. 11. (Alain Jocard / AFP/Getty Images ) First Lady Melania Trumps office said she wants Mira Ricardel, the deputy national security advisor, ousted from the White House. It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House, Trumps spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement in response to a question about reports the first lady had sought Ricardels removal. Ricardel is the top deputy to national security advisor John Bolton. She drew the first ladys wrath after threatening to withhold National Security Council resources during Melania Trumps trip to Africa last month unless Ricardel was included in her entourage, one person familiar with the matter said. Grishams statement comes as several media outlets have reported that President Trump is considering a broader shakeup of his administration, including ousting Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Sink and Jacobs report for Bloomberg. Read More Facebook

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CNN sues Trump over the suspension of Jim Acostas White House press credentials By Jim Puzzanghera CNN said Tuesday that it is suing President Trump and other administration officials over the decision to suspend the White House press credentials of correspondent Jim Acosta after a conflict at a news conference last week. The suit, to be filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, escalates an ongoing battle between Trump and the cable news outlet that he frequently accuses of disseminating fake news for its aggressive coverage of him and his administration. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acostas 1st Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their 5th Amendment rights to due process, CNN said in a written statement. If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials. Read More Facebook

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Maxine Waters to take aim at Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank as new head of House Financial Services Committee By Jim Puzzanghera Rep. Maxine Waters plans to zero in on two big banks  Wells Fargo & Co. and Deutsche Bank  when she becomes head of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. The Los Angeles congresswoman, now the committees top Democrat, is widely expected to gain the gavel after her party won control of the House in last weeks elections. While Waters has outlined a wide-ranging agenda, she said her focus on bank oversight will target two large institutions she has been tangling with for a while  including one, Deutsche Bank, that spills into her bitter feud with President Trump. With Trump in the White House, I know that our fight for Americas consumers and investors will continue to be challenging. But I am more than up to that fight, Waters wrote in a letter last week to her Democratic colleagues on the committee that was obtained by The Times. Read More Facebook

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Heres how a controversial voting system will decide a congressional race in Maine By Kurtis Lee For the first time in U.S. history, a controversial voting system known as ranked choice is being used to decide a federal election. Its happening in Maine, which adopted the system in 2016. Rather than marking a single candidate, each voter ranks them all, assigning a first-place vote, a second-place vote and so on down the ballot. Read More Facebook

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ACLU files suit to stop Trumps new asylum limits By Associated Press A group of Central American migrants march to the office of the U.N.'s humans rights body in Mexico City on Nov. 8. (Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press) The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a legal challenge to President Trumps order denying asylum to migrants if they cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in San Francisco and argues the new rules are against the law. Attorney Lee Gelernt said the regulations will put families in danger. The suit seeks to declare the regulations invalid and wants a judge to stop the rules from going into effect while the litigation is pending. The new rules were spurred in part by caravans of Central American migrants slowly moving north on foot, but officials say they will apply to anyone caught crossing illegally. Officials say about 70,000 people who enter the country illegally claim asylum. The order invoked the same national security powers Trump used to push through his travel ban. Read More Facebook

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Trump on new acting AG: I dont know Matt Whitaker By Associated Press President Trump talks with reporters before departing for France on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 9. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) President Trump is moving to distance himself from Matthew Whitaker as he faces criticism over his choice for acting attorney general. Trump told reporters Friday that I dont know Matt Whitaker and said he didnt speak with Whitaker about special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Whitaker has made public comments critical of Muellers investigation, and critics have called on Whitaker to recuse himself from oversight of the inquiry. Under former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, the investigation was overseen by Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein. Of the scrutiny Whitaker is facing, Trump said: Its a shame that no matter who I put in they go after. He also called Whitaker a very highly respected man. Whitaker was Sessions chief of staff before Trump made him Sessions interim replacement. Facebook

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg out of hospital after fall By Associated Press The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is home after being released from the hospital. She had been admitted for treatment and observation after fracturing three ribs in a fall. The court said Ginsburg was released Friday. Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg says she is doing well and working from home. The court had previously said the justice fell in her office at the court on Wednesday evening and went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Facebook

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Gun-control activist Lucy McBath defeats GOP Rep. Karen Handel in Georgia By Associated Press Lucy McBath speaks during a rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on Nov. 2 at Morehouse College in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer / Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Democratic gun-control activist Lucy McBath has defeated Republican Rep. Karen Handel of Georgia in a suburban congressional district long considered safe for the GOP. Handel had to seek reelection after winning her seat last year in a close special election race against Democrat Jon Ossoff. McBath became an advocate for stricter gun laws after her son, Jordan Davis, was fatally shot at a Florida gas station in 2012 by a man angry over loud music the teenager and his friends were playing in a car. McBaths margin of victory was narrow enough for Handel to have requested a recount. The Associated Press declared McBath the winner Thursday after Handel conceded. Handel conceded in a statement Thursday morning, stating that after reviewing all of the election data, its clear she came up a bit short in Tuesdays vote. Handel congratulated McBath, offering good thoughts and much prayer for the journey that lies ahead for her. McBath, who is African American, declared victory Wednesday. Facebook

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized after fracturing 3 ribs in fall By Associated Press Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fractured three ribs in a fall in her office at the court and is in the hospital. The court says the justice went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. The court says the fall occurred Wednesday evening. Ginsburg was admitted to the hospital for treatment and observation after tests showed she fractured three ribs. Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She has had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Facebook

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White House suspends press pass of CNNs Jim Acosta after heated exchange with Trump By Associated Press The White House on Wednesday suspended the press pass of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after he and President Trump had a heated confrontation during a news conference. They began sparring after Acosta asked Trump about the caravan of migrants heading from Latin America to the southern U.S. border. When Acosta tried to follow up with another question, Trump said, Thats enough! and a female White House aide unsuccessfully tried to grab the microphone from Acosta. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement accusing Acosta of placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern, calling it absolutely unacceptable. The interaction between Acosta and the intern was brief, and Acosta appeared to brush her arm as she reached for the microphone and he tried to hold onto it. Pardon me, maam, he told her. Acosta tweeted that Sanders statement that he put his hands on the aide was a lie. CNN said in a statement that the White House revoked Acostas press pass in retaliation for his challenging questions Wednesday, and the network accused Sanders of lying about Acostas actions. This conduct is absolutely unacceptable. It is also completely disrespectful to the reporters colleagues not to allow them an opportunity to ask a question. President Trump has given the press more access than any President in history.  Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 Contrary to CNNs assertions there is no greater demonstration of the Presidents support for a free press than the event he held today. Only they would attack the President for not supporting a free press in the midst of him taking 68 questions from 35 different reporters...  Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 As a result of todays incident, the White House is suspending the hard pass of the reporter involved until further notice.  Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 Sanders provided fraudulent accusations and cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better, CNN said. Jim Acosta has our full support. Journalists assigned to cover the White House apply for passes that allow them daily access to press areas in the West Wing. White House staffers decide whether journalists are eligible, though the Secret Service determines whether their applications are approved. Facebook

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Trump spars with reporters at post-election news briefing, ordering several to sit down By Associated Press  President Trump assails CNNs Jim Acosta at a White House news conference. President Trump sparred with reporters at his post-election news conference, ordering several to sit down and telling another hes a rude, terrible person. He told another reporter hes not a fan of yours, either. The presidents mood turned sour Wednesday after reporters pressed him on why he referred to a migrant caravan making its way to the U.S. on foot through Mexico as an invasion. Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric against the caravan in the final days of the midterm elections. Trump was also pressed on why his campaign aired an ad featuring a Mexican immigrant convicted of killing American police officers and linking the mans actions to the caravan. Several television networks pulled the ad after airing it or declined to air it at all. Facebook

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Im living one hour at a time at this point By Christine Mai-Duc Republican congressional candidate Young Kim and gubernatorial candidate John Cox campaign in Rowland Heights. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Republican congressional candidate Young Kim greeted gubernatorial candidate John Coxs giant campaign bus, the words HELP IS ON THE WAY emblazoned across it, as it rolled into the parking lot outside her Rowland Heights field office. Standing beside Cox on Saturday, Kim predicted that a string of GOP victories Tuesday would start with voters repealing the gas tax hike. Can you imagine Gavin Newsom being our governor? Can you imagine Gil Cisneros being your representative? Kim asked the crowd, to loud boos and cries of Nooo! The former state assemblywoman who worked for retiring Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) is vying for his seat with Democrat Gil Cisneros. She led the crowd in chants of Enough is enough! and, though short-lived, Drain the swamp! Ive served you in Sacramento and Ive seen dysfunction personally, Kim continued. We cannot continue that route. She urged her supporters to stay and help make phone calls or walk neighborhoods. Lets get out there  the 72 hours is really critical. Its all going to come down to a few votes, it could be your vote, she said pointing to her left, then pivoting right, it could be your vote. So dont sit back and do nothing. Every night I go to sleep thinking, OK, how many more votes can I get or how many more people can I call tomorrow? Kim said. It can be physically exhausting but Im mentally, emotionally very energized. She listed off her events so far that day  and the next one she was heading to. Thats just what I can remember, she said. Im living one hour at a time at this point. Kims campaign invited press to two of her events on Saturday. After she was whisked away to her next event  a high tea fundraiser in Walnut, a couple dozen volunteers remained. John Freeman, a statewide field manager for the state Republican Party, tried to pump them up. This is the Super Bowl. Were not in an NFL stadium, were not getting paid millions of dollars, but you know what? Freeman said. Were walking on the field right now. This is that high-stakes-level game. Facebook

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Its going to be tough out there Democratic candidate Katie Porter speaks to volunteers in Mission Viejo. Jon Bauman, Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na, is in the background. (Victoria Kim / Los Angeles Times ) Judging from the cheers in the crowd, about half those assembled at Katie Porters campaign headquarters in Mission Viejo Sunday morning were old enough to remember 70s rock n roll star Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na. Jon Bauman, as Bowzer is known off stage, said it was her position on senior issues including retirement and social security that has him out supporting Porter over her opponent, incumbent Rep. Mimi Walters. I want you to make sure every phone is called and every door is knocked, he told the crowd of about 80 volunteers. There has never been a more important election. Both Bauman and his nephew, California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman, were interrupted by yells from Trump supporters coming from an adjoining hillside. We love Trump, the voice cried out. We love him too, he makes great fodder, the younger Bauman retorted, before introducing Porter. Porter, a UC Irvine law professor and first-time candidate, acknowledged the uphill battle some of her canvassers might face in this more conservative end of the long-red Orange County district. I know its going to be tough out there, she said, motioning to the hillside. But she said the attacks meant the other side viewed her campaign as a significant threat. This election is going to be close, she said. If we dont fight all the way to the finish line, until 8 oclock on Tuesday, this could slip away. Bowzer then took to a keyboard piano to lead the crowd in a reworded rendition of the song Good Night Sweetheart: Good night, Mimi Walters, he crooned. A woman in a black tank top, jeans and flip flops holding a cup of coffee later joined the crowd with her two sons, 17 and 14, the younger one wearing a Trump 2016 T-shirt. She declined to give her name, saying she was concerned about being attacked, but said she lived up the hill and said she had been the one yelling. She said she was encouraging her sons to talk to people on both sides and make up their own minds. We need to have a government that runs the way government teachers are telling kids its supposed to be run, said the woman, a retired registered dental assistant who voted early for Mimi Walters. Referring to Democrats, she said: Theyve had control over all these years and Californias gone to crap. Among those canvassing was Stacie Campbell, 37, who was at the launch with her husband Jerome and three children, the youngest of whom was 2 months old. Campbell, a Mission Viejo resident who runs a business, had never canvassed or volunteered for campaigns before, and her husband is a French citizen and unable to vote. She said they had been talking to their children  the older ones are 5 and 2  about the presidency and the government since Trumps election. Together, they worked on homemade Katie Porter lawn signs and put them up around town. This is the first time its felt like a big deal and there isnt a president up for election, she said. Because her city is a mix of conservatives and liberals  her next-door neighbor is an NRA-supporting Republican  she the race felt m
President Trump recommended an obstruction of justice investigation into Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for impeding a federal roundup and criticized Mexico for doing nothing to help on its border with the United States as he expressed his sentiments about illegal immigration to a like-minded group of Californians on Wednesday.

Trump previously had insisted on a harsh penalty for Schaaf, but on Wednesday his remarks were aimed directly at Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, one of nearly two dozen opponents of illegal immigration gathered for a public meeting at the White House.

You talk about obstruction of justice. I would recommend that you look at obstruction of justice for the mayor of Oakland, Trump said, nodding in Sessions direction. To me thats obstruction of justice. Perhaps the Department of Justice can look into that.

Schaaf has been unapologetic about her decision to warn Bay Area immigrants about pending arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in February. The result, federal officials said at the time, was to reduce the number of arrests of those suspected of being in the country illegally.

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Trumps castigation of Mexico came after he rhetorically asked San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar whether Mexico helps or it does nothing for us in quelling the number of immigrants attempting to cross the border.

Mexico does nothing for us, he said, answering his own question. Mexico talks but they do nothing for us, especially at the border.

The session arranged by the White House included Californians who have fought against the states new sanctuary law, which limits communication between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents. Included were elected officials, most of them from conservative areas, and law enforcement officials, all outspoken about their allegiance to Trump.

Supporters of the law, including some law enforcement agencies, contend that it aids them by putting at ease residents who otherwise would not trust police and sheriffs deputies. Opponents argue that it forces the release of criminals who pose a danger to other residents  even if the measure is limited in scope.

Over and over on Wednesday, speakers compared the sanctuary law to the relationship of different federal and local agencies before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks  equating the potential threat of illegal immigration to the most damaging terrorist strike on U.S. soil. One speaker, San Juan Capistrano Councilwoman Pam Patterson, suggested that terrorists coming over the border would target the San Onofre nuclear power plant.

We know that terrorists are coming in, she said, saying the threat equals that of the nuclear disasters at Chernobyl, Russia, and Fukushima, Japan.

Trump did not make that argument, but he did cloak illegal immigration and immigrants in catastrophic rhetoric. He termed them violent predators and sadistic criminals and recounted butchery he said they had employed.

These arent people, these are animals, he said of criminal immigrants.

The presidents guests, to his seeming delight, cast California as a ruinous state and Gov. Jerry Brown as ignorant of the costs of the sanctuary law he signed.

California is going down the drain, said Escondido Mayor San Abed. When Jerry Brown cares more about illegal criminals than cares about his community and American citizens, this is insanity.

But Trump and his guests also exaggerated the breadth of the measure Brown signed last year after demanding changes from legislators that gave greater leeway for cooperation.

The law specifically allows local officials to alert ICE agents about people in jail whose crimes include serious or violent felonies, domestic violence or sex offenses. The measure also allows federal agents to question immigrants in county jails and to work with state prison officials on deportations  an element demanded by Brown.

The governor fired back at Trump immediately after the presidents televised event.

@realDonaldTrump is lying on immigration, lying about crime and lying about the laws of CA. Flying in a dozen Republican politicians to flatter him and praise his reckless policies changes nothing. We, the citizens of the fifth largest economy in the world, are not impressed, he said on Twitter.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the states senior Democratic elected official, likewise repudiated Trump, saying his administration is once again attempting to divide Californians and all Americans.

Their decision to convene this meeting is about fueling fear of immigrants and scapegoating entire communities, she said in a statement.

The issue of illegal immigration was a staple of Trumps presidential campaign and has loomed larger as the administration heads into contentious 2018 congressional elections. Republicans see the issue as one that activates the presidents base, which party candidates need to turn out in order to avoid losing the House or Senate.

Trump has pounded Republican leaders in Congress for failing to pass stricter immigration laws  even as those same leaders have refused to allow votes on popular measures that would protect young immigrants brought to the country as children.

Trump also said he would push for full funding of his proposed border wall; House and Senate budget negotiators offered him only a minimal amount of money this year and sharply limited how it could be used.

Trump insisted that Californians had come over to his side of the immigration debate and wanted both the construction of a border wall and tougher enforcement  an argument belied by public polls.

I think a lot of the Democrat politicians dont understand whats going on, he said. Because its actually good politically.

Even as he and his guests decried the impact, Trump also repeatedly reminded his audience that illegal border crossing attempts had dropped during his time in office. That posed a messaging conflict as the president sought to fan fears of a swell of unwanted immigrants.

When one local official invoked the need for a border wall by citing thousands of illegal immigrants, Trump interrupted to insist that things were getting better.

Now, its reversing, he said, crediting his administration for positive change.

Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington 

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @noahbierman

UPDATES:

3:55 p.m.: The article was updated with comments from the meeting.

The article was originally published at 8:50 a.m.
President Trump smiled broadly last week when a reporter asked whether he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to get North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to give up nuclear arms.

Everyone thinks so, but I would never say it, the president said, adding, The prize I want is victory for the world.

Modesty real or feigned aside, for weeks Trump has been clear that he views the scheduled June 12 summit with Kim as potentially a crowning moment  both a validation of his disruptive, idiosyncratic approach to world affairs and a rejoinder to the investigations and controversies that engulf his presidency.

Word of North Koreas threat late Tuesday to cancel the summit has cooled some of that heady talk, leaving the president and his spokeswoman sounding publicly ambivalent Wednesday about whether the meeting comes off at all.

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Kims government said it would call off the meeting if the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment. Its statement cited comments by Trumps national security advisor, John Bolton, that compared the administrations strategy with North Korea to the George W. Bush administrations policy toward Libya, which agreed to give up a more primitive nuclear program in 2003. Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi was toppled and executed by Western-backed rebels several years later, serving as a cautionary tale to Kim.

Trump remained publicly sanguine. Well see what happens, he told reporters at the White House on Wednesday, adding that he had not heard anything official from North Korea.

Experts on North Korea say that the latest setback, even if it proves to be a mere speed bump, should serve as a reminder that achieving any deal with North Korea will not come without obstacles, false starts and repeated tests from an unpredictable government known to toy with its foes.

Some warn that Trumps exuberance for striking the ultimate deal already has given Kim added leverage.

Kim assumes rightly that Trump is more eager than he for a meeting, said Sung-Yoon Lee, a Korean studies professor at Tufts University in Massachusetts. I would say Kim has Trump on a short leash right now.

Administration officials have insisted since March, when Trump abruptly agreed to a summit, that they are viewing Kims overtures with deep skepticism.

We dont want to get too carried away with optimism, a senior official said in an interview last month. Trump will walk if he smells the North Koreans using their musty old playbook.

Indeed, the president has said more than once that he would walk away from the negotiating table if things were not going well. He has stuck to a demand that North Korea will not accept, in the view of many experts: its complete denuclearization. To Kim and his government, its nuclear arsenal is crucial not only to the nations power but to its continued existence.

Its unclear whether Kim would accept something short of unilateral disarmament  or whether Trump would. But North Korea has put the question front and center, after days in which Trumps optimistic pronouncements had obscured the two leaders fundamental divide.

Trumps celebratory mood over a potential breakthrough with North Korea has been a sharp departure from his prior taunts of Kim as Little Rocket Man and his threats to Pyongyang of fire and fury like the world has never seen.

Earlier this month Trump talked excitedly about holding the summit in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea because if things work out, theres a great celebration to be had on the site. His advisors, who recognize that even a successful summit would not yield the immediate results Trump envisioned, prevailed on him to meet instead in Singapore, a neutral city-state in southeast Asia.

Last week, when Trump greeted three Americans released from Kims prisons, he raved that the North Korean dictator was really excellent to the men. During a rally in Indiana that night he waxed optimistic about what more would be achieved  a great deal for the world, for North Korea, for South Korea, for Japan, for China.

Trump also used the rally to defend his impulsive approach to foreign policy, and to criticize American reporters, telling the crowd to recall the fake news, when they were saying, Hes going to get us into a nuclear war.

You know what gets you into nuclear wars and you know what gets you into other wars? Trump said. Weakness.

On Saturday, Trump used Twitter to praise North Koreas announcement that it would dismantle a nuclear test site, calling it a very smart and gracious gesture!

Analysts, while recognizing the symbolic importance of the announcement by Kims government, were less impressed with the substance. North Korea had already promised last month to dismantle the site, one of many, when Kim met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Trumps optimism suits another purpose. He and his allies have invoked his high-stakes negotiations with North Korea  and what they saw as the prospects for a major achievement  as a shield against his domestic problems, especially the special counsels investigation into whether his campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election and whether he sought to obstruct the investigation.

There was no Collusion (it is a Hoax) and there is no Obstruction of Justice (that is a setup & trap), Trump tweeted this month. What there is is Negotiations going on with North Korea over Nuclear War, Negotiations going on with China over Trade Deficits, Negotiations on NAFTA, and much more. Witch Hunt!

Trumps quick agreement in March to accept Kims invitation to meet face to face surprised many world leaders and security experts, not only because Trump warned for his first year in office that diplomacy with Kim was a waste of time but also because Trump did not seem to have demanded concessions before sitting down with him.

Since then, its been Kim calling the shots for the show, said Lee, the Korean studies scholar at Tufts.

Lee called Kims subsequent promises to freeze nuclear and missile tests a trap, designed to win North Korea the legitimacy it has long craved without giving anything up in the long term.

Its a bit like an outlaw, a notorious criminal, telling the world, Im not going to commit crimes for the time being, and then being wined and dined by world leaders, he said.

Michael J. Green, senior vice president for Asia and Japan at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said he does not believe Trump has lost leverage with Kim through his exuberance, but he has made allies like Japan very nervous about how much he might give away in negotiations.

Dean Cheng, senior research fellow for Chinese political and security affairs at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said Trump is hardly the only one excited by North Koreas smile diplomacy  from its participation in the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February, through the recent series of negotiations with South Korea and the release of the three Americans.

A lot of people were caught up in this, Wow, things could be really different, Cheng said. Everyone would be well served taking a step back.

He added, referring to the suspected chemical attack that killed Kims half-brother in Malaysia last year, You are still dealing with Kim Jong Un, the man who authorized the killing of his brother at Kuala Lumpur airport.

Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington 

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @noahbierman
A music promoter who promised Donald Trump Jr. over email that a Russian lawyer would provide dirt about Hillary Clinton in June 2016 made the offer because he had been assured the Moscow attorney was well-connected and had damaging material, the promoter testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Rob Goldstone told the committee that his client, the Russian pop star and developer Emin Agalarov, had insisted he help set up the meeting between President Trumps son and the lawyer during the campaign to pass along material on Clinton, overriding Goldstones own warnings that the meeting would be a bad idea.

He said: It doesnt matter. You just have to get the meeting, Goldstone, a British citizen, testified.

The intensity with which Agalorov and his father, the billionaire Aras Agalarov, sought the Trump Tower meeting, which has become a key point of scrutiny for congressional inquiries and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, was revealed in more than 2,500 pages of congressional testimony and exhibits that were released by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning.

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Committee Democrats circulated some excerpts from the testimony in advance of their formal release at 9 a.m. EDT.

The excerpted testimony shows that attendees at the June 9, 2016, Trump Tower meeting largely agreed with Trump Jr.'s long-standing contention that the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, did not transmit dirt about Clinton. She has denied she was acting on behalf of the Russian government.

But the new information helps explain why Goldstone had written the candidates son before the meeting that Veselnitskaya would bring very high-level and sensitive information that was part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump  and why Trump Jr. responded, If it is what you say, then I love it.

The excerpts also shed light on the anxiety that rippled through President Trumps orbit a year later, as news of the meeting became public and his aides and lawyers tried to manage the story.

The testimony also includes new details about Trumps long interest in building business ties to Russia and a relationship with President Vladimir Putin.

An Agalarov employee testified to the committee that the Russian mogul tried to get Trump a meeting with Putin when the Miss Universe pageant, which Trump owned, was held in Moscow in 2013.

The employee told the committee that Agalarov secretly requested the meeting through a Russian government official.

Putin agreed to attend a pageant rehearsal, but canceled at the last minute. Though Trump periodically claimed during the campaign that he knew Putin, there is no evidence the two men met until after Trump took office.

Much of the testimony released Wednesday revolves around the Trump Tower meeting when Trump Jr. accepted the sit-down with Veselnitskaya and invited his brother-in-law Jared Kushner and top campaign aide Paul Manafort to attend as well.

Goldstone testified that he, like Trump Jr., attended the meeting expecting Veselnitskaya would deliver a smoking gun to help Trumps campaign. He testified that he was embarrassed and apologetic when she instead used the session to press her view that the sanctions imposed on Russia for human rights abuses, known as the Magnitsky Act, should be lifted.

The presidents son acknowledged he too was disappointed that the Russian lawyer did not provide more information that could be used in the campaign: All else being equal, I wouldnt have wanted to waste 20 minutes hearing about something that I wasnt supposed to be meeting about, he told the committee.

Though panel Republicans conferred with their Democratic counterparts on point-by-point issues during the preparation of the transcripts, their release is expected to touch off a new wave of partisan bickering.

Months have gone by since committee Chairman Charles R. Grassley (R-Iowa) first promised that the committee would release transcripts of the interviews the committee conducted with some of the participants in the Trump Tower meeting.

Veselnitskaya only agreed to provide written answers from Russia to the panels questions. Neither Kushner, now a top White House aide, nor Manafort, who has been charged with a series of financial crimes related to his work before joining the campaign, sat for interviews. But the committee interviewed the five other men who took part in the session, including a Russian American lobbyist who once served in a Soviet counterintelligence unit.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has said that she supports the release of the interview transcripts, but panel Democrats contend Republicans did not push witnesses to answer all key questions and are preparing to end their inquiry prematurely.

In a statement, committee Democrats said the Trump Tower meeting was one piece of a much larger puzzle and confirms that the Trump campaign was willing to accept Russias assistance.

They pressed for their committees investigation to continue.

Across the Capitol, the Russia probes have been winding down. Last month, the Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee released the final report of their yearlong investigation of Russian interference in the election and the Kremlins alleged collusion with the Trump administration, concluding over the protestations of panel Democrats that the Trump campaign did not cooperate with Moscow.

The Senate Intelligence Committee, which continues to press ahead with its investigation, is soon expected to release the second of four interim reports, with its final report expected in the fall.

President Trump has repeatedly insisted that his campaign did not collude with Russian efforts to interfere in the election, including through the hacking and distribution of Democratic emails.

I appreciate the opportunity to have assisted the Judiciary Committee in its inquiry, Trump Jr. said in a prepared statement. The public can now see that for over five hours I answered every question asked and was candid and forthright with the Committee.

Shortly after his election, President Trumps spokeswoman had said that no campaign officials had dealings with Russians during the campaign. Excerpts from the newly released testimony show that the presidents lawyers and associates were anxious about any reports on Trump Jr.'s meeting, which contradicted that claim.

Trumps lawyers are concerned because it links Don Jr. to officials from Russia, which he has always denied meeting, Goldstone wrote in an email to Emin Agalarov on June 26, 2017, a few weeks before the New York Times first reported on the meeting.

Ultimately, lawyers working for the Trump Organization crafted statements they asked other participants in the meeting to distribute, a move that could draw scrutiny from Mueller if it involved communicating with witnesses or otherwise hiding the true purpose of the meeting from investigators. .

Trump himself contributed to an initial statement about the meeting and released by his son, Trump Jr. told the committee. It misleadingly stated said the meeting had been primarily about the adoption of Russian children by Americans. The Kremlin halted adoptions in retaliation for the Magnitsky Act, the policy issue that appeared to be at the heart of Veselnitskayas presentation.

After Goldstone was interviewed by the Washington Post for the first time about his participation in the meeting in July 2017, the promoter tried to assure two Trump organization lawyers that he too had offered a similar account.

I said only that the meeting appeared to have been about adoption issues and was quickly terminated, he wrote in an email at the time.

Meanwhile, Goldstone secretly fretted about the scrutiny he predicted would follow.

I hope this favor was worth it for your dad, he wrote to Emin Agalarov. It could blow up.
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra is probably best known to California voters as the man who has sued the Trump administration more than 30 times, a feat he boasted about at a debate Tuesday ahead of next months primary election for the attorney general race.

Becerras rivals worked to turn the focus on the federal government against him.

Quite frankly, I think Mr. Becerra is obsessed with Donald Trump. Its not the role of state attorney general to be suing our federal government every five minutes, said Republican Eric Early, a Los Angeles attorney. Its outrageous. There are all kinds of problems in this great state that are being ignored.

Becerra was pummeled with criticism over his actions on immigration, the environment, guns and crime.

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My job as AG is to protect California families, to protect our values and to protect our resources, Becerra, a Democrat, told the audience of business leaders in Downey at his first of two debates Tuesday. Earlier in the day he sued the Trump administration to challenge a new policy threatening funding to Planned Parenthood.

State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, a Democrat who also is a candidate, said he agrees with Becerra that the attorney general needs to resist the Trump administration. But there is more to the office than suing Trump, he said, adding a lot more is not getting done in the attorney generals office.

He said Becerra is at fault for delays in creating a database for opioid prescriptions and a failure to go after oil companies on environmental issues. There also was sharp debate as the rivals accused Becerra of not doing enough to collect guns from 10,000 people in California who improperly possess firearms despite felony convictions or serious mental health problems.

At one point Jones addressed Becerra directly with his critique, saying, You have to do the job.

Whos running for governor? 

Becerra responded angrily to Jones, saying such criticism is unfair to state agents who risk their lives to collect guns from criminals. Thats a low blow to the men and women who have to do this every day, Becerra said, adding he has asked for more money to seize firearms from criminals.

Republican candidate Steven Bailey, a retired El Dorado County judge, called the slow pace of gun collection a travesty.

Its time that the attorney general was focused on Californias problems, not Washingtons problems, Bailey said, calling Becerras legal challenges to the Trump administration frivolous lawsuits that have no basis.

In response, Becerra said his office has taken action against criminal gangs, consumer fraud and those committing environmental crimes, while he said he also has been promoting economic development and jobs.

At the same time, we will go after anyone who tries to stop us from becoming that economic engine, including the federal government, which is constitutionally overreaching its power, Becerra said.

Becerra, a former 12-term member of Congress, became attorney general in January 2017 after he was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to replace Kamala Harris, who was elected to the U.S. Senate.

The event was sponsored by the BizFed Institute, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for economic development in California, and the Southern California News Group.

Many of the same issues were argued over by the candidates at a second debate Tuesday evening on the campus of UC Riverside. Asked about priorities, Jones told the audience that one thing he would pursue is criminal justice reform, while Bailey said past changes labeled as reform have resulted in unsafe streets, unsafe schools.

Early also challenged the new laws, including Proposition 47, saying that they mean too many criminals are getting out of jail early to reoffend. Becerra said job one is public safety for the attorney general.

In the first debate, Jones said he agreed with Becerras support for Californias sanctuary state law, which restricts law enforcement cooperation with immigration agents. The Republicans on the debate stage attacked the law.

Coverage of California politics 

Felons here illegally are being treated better than our taxpayers, Early said.

Bailey said the sanctuary state law is unconstitutional, and he supports the federal governments lawsuit challenging the state law. It is simply a protection of convicted criminals, he said.

Becerra said he respects federal law on immigration, but he defended the state law. The federal government cant tell California how to use its police, he said.

Asked about homelessness, Becerra said state and local governments have to collaborate on providing shelter for those living on the street and make a better investment in growing the states stock of affordable housing.

None of that is happening on your watch while you sue the Trump administration, Mr. Becerra, Early responded. There are tent cities popping up in every major city in our state.

Jones said there are laws requiring cities and counties to provide zoning for homeless shelters and affordable housing. Guess what? The attorney general is not enforcing that law, Jones said.

At one point, Becerra drew a laugh with a nod to being criticized by candidates from each political party: I feel like Goldilocks: too hot or too cold. I think Im just right.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

Twitter: @mcgreevy99

UPDATES:

8 p.m.: This article was updated with information from Tuesday evenings debate.

This article was originally published at 5:50 p.m.
If you find it hard to predict which songs are destined for pop-chart success and which will flop, try asking a computer.

After analyzing the attributes of more than half a million songs released over a period of 30 years, a computer algorithm was able to sort the successful songs from also-rans with an accuracy of up to 86%.

A team of mathematicians from UC Irvine described how  and why  it accomplished this feat in a study published in Wednesdays edition of the journal Royal Society Open Science.

There is something magical about music, wrote the team, which was led by students Myra Interiano, Kamyar Kazemi and Lijia Wang. Scientists have been trying to disentangle the magic and explain what it is that makes us love some music, hate other music and just listen to music.

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For the purposes of the study, the UCI team considered a song a success if it made it onto the Top 100 Singles Chart in the United Kingdom between January 1985 and July 2015. They compared these successes with all other songs that were released in the U.K. during that time period.

To quantify the acoustic properties of these 500,000 or so songs, Interiano and her colleagues relied on crowd-sourced data from two projects of the MetaBrainz Foundation  MusicBrainz and AcousticBrainz.

This data classified songs according to 12 acoustic properties, including whether they are sung by a man or woman, are happy or sad, and are acoustic or electronic, among other attributes. Songs are also categorized according to their mood and genre, such as hip-hop, blues, country and house music.

Less than 4% of songs in the entire sample found their way onto the Top 100 Singles Chart. To see what set these songs apart, they employed a machine learning method known as the random forest algorithm to crunch through all the data.

Sure enough, some noteworthy patterns emerged.

Successful songs are happier, brighter, more party-like, more danceable and less sad than most songs, the team wrote.

That may sound like an obvious recipe for pop-music success. But it actually went against the dominant musical trends.

Over the decades, songs exhibited a clear downward trend in happiness and brightness, as well as a slight upward trend in sadness, the study authors reported. The public seems to prefer happier songs, even though more and more unhappy songs are being released each year.

That observation matched up with previous studies of song lyrics that found they contained fewer positive emotions and made more references to loneliness and social isolation as the years went by.

It is interesting that, in this particular instance, acoustic characteristics of songs indicate similar patterns to those uncovered in lyrics, the researchers wrote.

In addition, the successful songs in a given year tended to be less male than other songs released at the same time, according to the study.

To test the strength of their algorithm, they asked it to assess 1,052 songs that were released in 2014 and predict which of them charted and which of them were also-rans.

When the algorithm used song data from 2009 to 2013 as a guide, it was able to make the correct guess 75% of the time, the researchers reported.

The accuracy got even better when the researchers included a non-acoustic variable  the superstar factor.

An artist was deemed a superstar if he or she had a song on the charts in the previous five years. In a given year, somewhere between one-half and two-thirds of successful songs were from superstar artists. That compared with no more than 2% of songs in the larger pool that didnt make the charts.

When the purely acoustic data were combined with the superstar data, the algorithm correctly identified successful songs 85% of the time. The accuracy improved to 86% when the algorithm trained itself on songs going back to 2004.

Even with this success rate, there are still limits on what computers can do, the team cautioned.

We can see that, in general, successful songs are, for example, happier, more party-like, less relaxed and more female than most, they concluded. But this does not necessarily allow us to naively predict that a particular happy, party-like, not relaxed song sung by a female is going to succeed.

karen.kaplan@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @LATkarenkaplan and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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A Glendale police officer is suing the city, alleging she was subjected to gender discrimination and harassment by her superiors, causing her to be passed over for promotions in retaliation for reporting their behavior.

Lynette Salazar claimed in the suit she was denied a promotion to sergeant several times throughout her time with the Glendale Police Department despite being qualified for the position and having a minimal disciplinary record. She also applied to several special assignments and training opportunities at the department where virtually all of the positions were given to male officers instead.

Many of the male officers who were chosen were less qualified than Salazar, according to the lawsuit.

Glendale engaged in a determined course of discriminatory conduct for the purpose of denying promotions to management positions for virtually all females, the suit alleges.

City Atty. Mike Garcia said city officials received the lawsuit and are in the process of reviewing it but declined to comment further.

Salazars attorney did not return a request for comment as of press time.

Former Glendale Police Chief Robert Castro is also named in the suit. It alleges that Castros personal selection and control over internal panels overseeing promotions helped perpetuate a culture of discrimination within the department.

Castro was at the center of a previous discrimination lawsuit in 2016 when a female officer, Ludmilla Abrahamian, alleged racial and gender discrimination in the departments promotion process. That suit alleged Castro told a panel of experts overseeing the search for a new police captain he did not want a female or minority to be one of the top contenders for the promotion.

The lawsuit was eventually settled earlier this year for $550,000.

Salazar took her discrimination complaints to Castro in June 2016 but the meeting was not successful, according to the suit.

Castro took no corrective action regarding discriminatory treatment, it states. [Salazar] is informed and believes and thereon alleges that [Castro] did not investigate or make any effort to obtain relevant information regarding [her] complaints. He did not even take notes during the meeting.

The lawsuit also alleges Castro and the department frequently failed to reasonably accommodate Salazar when she became injured on the job, such as not assigning her light-duty work and treating her less favorably in part due to her injuries.

Salazar was also the victim of harassment, according to the suit, during a meeting held in September 2016. Castro allegedly told officers he did not want any pussies out there, or words to that effect, with reference to his expectations for a sergeant.

Two women were reportedly in the room at the time of his remarks, and the suit alleges Castros comments were about his frustration with females on the police force.

The lawsuit claims that Castros contempt for female officers gave male officers a tacit approval to maintain a degrading work atmosphere in which the objectification of women was allowed.

Salazar eventually took her complaints directly to the citys human resources department, but the suit states Glendale officials found no evidence of gender or disability discrimination or proof of retaliation.

The lawsuit claims officials knowingly brought in an investigator whose primary interest was with the city and who would not find any evidence to corroborate Salazars complaints.

She is seeking unspecified damages.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc
In Hawaii, where fresh fish is prominent on many menus, a well-known San Francisco chef is working to raise the bar.

The recently opened Minas Fish House at the Four Seasons Oahu is the realization of chef Michael Minas dream to create a restaurant along the water, where, as he put it, fish was coming in the back door as were in service.

For the record: A previous version of this article incorrectly attributed the photograph of Minas Fish House to Olivier Koning. It was taken by Christian Horan.

There are very few places where you can do that, he said.

As soon as the fish lands in Honolulu, Mina relies on relationships forged with fishermen to deliver the best product as quickly as possible.

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The restaurant is in the resort community of Ko Olina, about 20 miles west of Honolulu.

You can get fish all day long, he said. And we tell people, If youve got something, just bring it. Weve got people bringing in fish at 6 oclock at night.

Fish arrive all day long

Dining options at Minas Fish House include indoors or outdoors on a terrace directly facing the ocean. (Christian Horan )

The dinner menu, which changes daily, features more than 20 fish dishes, Mina said. Fresh arrivals frequently mean last-minute additions after menus have been printed.

Weve got two fish sommeliers, as we call them people on the floor every night talking about the fish and bringing it to the tables, he said. They also are fishermen.

Chef Michael Mina outside Minas Fish House at Four Seasons in west Oahu. (Ola Collective )

Only the ahi tartare ($26) appetizer and the steamed lobster pot pie entree can be found on the menu at other Mina restaurants. The rest are exclusive to the west Oahu location.

The regularly available options include phyllo-crusted butterfish ($44), black garlic and miso black cod ($48) and grilled yellow-fin tuna and seared foie gras ($57).

Whether its a contemporary, upscale, more composed dish or whether its a whole fish that youre just putting beautiful olive oil and lemon on it and grilling it, at the end of the day its all about the fish, Mina said.

Dinner is served 5-10 p.m. daily. Indoor seating and terrace seating overlook the Pacific.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
Experience Cuban music, art, dance and culture on a four-night journey organized by the Palos Verdes Art Center and the creators of the opera Cubanacan: A Revolution of Forms. The centerpiece of the trip is a concert presentation of Cubanacan, the first Cuban opera in almost 50 years. Other highlights include private musical performances and visits to the National Art Schools; Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba, a female-led dance company and school; and the National Museum of Fine Arts.

Dates: Sept. 12-18

Price: From $2,675 per person, double occupancy; $3,075, single occupancy. Includes accommodations, breakfasts, meals per the itinerary, admission fees, and local guide and transportation. Airfare and visa fees not included.

Info: havanacubanacan.com
If youve never submitted a photo for our annual What I Did on My Summer Vacation issue, we have only one question: Why not?

If you have an iPhone 8 or iPhone X, a Galaxy S8 or S9, you have a 12-megapixel camera with you. A Huawei P20 Pro? One of its three cameras is a 40MP model.

In terms of equipment, mobile phones have leveled the playing field. There are camera buffs who will use their DSLRs to great effect, but weve seen a huge increase in terrific entries that rely only on the cellphone camera.

Now all you need is the subject, which can be anything related to travel. Beautiful scenics. Folks having fun. Lighting that sets the subject aglow.

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Crocodiles and caimans secrete tears that contain minerals that butterflies need. Thats partly how Karen Share got this photo in Brazils Pantanal. She made this photo while she was sitting in a bobbing boat--no small feat. (Karen Share)

Any of those could be part of our Sept. 16 photo issue, which will run online and in print.

Well consider photos shot from Friday, May 25, through Monday, Sept. 3, 2018.

Our team of editors and photographers will evaluate the photos and make the selections accordingly.

What influences a decision to include a photo like Matt Cohens shot (below) of a lavender field in France?

Matt Cohen captures just the right moment in this field in Provence, France. (Matt Cohen)

You should try to capture a moment  a childs look of joy, a wave that is about to crash on a beach, exquisite light that makes a scene look more like a painting.

Remember, this is for the Travel section, so a picture that shows us where in the world you spent your summer vacation  a photo that provides a sense of place  is important.

If you take photos of people, who are they and what is their story? Spontaneous action also earns points.

Heres how to submit:

Email your photos with the subject Summer Vacation Photo Issue to travel@latimes.com. (Note that photos larger than 10MB will bounce back.)

Upload them to Flickr, or hashtag them on Instagram with #latimestravel2018

Kevin Roland captures the Milky Way, a young couple and Mobius Arch in Californias Alabama Hills. This was a 20-second exposure. (Kevin Roland)

Please make sure you pay attention to these details:

Large, high-resolution photos: They need to be at least 1,600 pixels wide and 900 pixels deep and at least 200 dpi (dots per inch). Photos should be at least 1 megabyte; 5MB is ideal, but more than 10MB is too large.

No pros: Were looking for talented amateurs, not professional photographers. If you make some of your living as a professional photographer, please do not submit.

No alterations: You cant use a photo editing tool to take out or add elements. If theres an ugly trash can in your otherwise great shot, you cant take it out.

Spring/summer 2018 photos: Photos must have been taken from Friday, May 25 through Monday, Sept. 3.

Deadline for submissions: Sept. 5.

Include your name, city of residence, date and place of photo and an email or phone number where we can reach you for verification; we wont print your email or phone number, but we may need to clarify something about the photo.

Describe the photo: Whats happening? Who is in it? Please include the names of the subjects. What prompted you to take the picture?

What kind of camera did you use? Smartphone photos are fine, by the way; we love knowing that they can be used for great photography.

Agreement: By submitting your photos, you agree that The Times may reproduce your photos in any format.

Limit: Please limit submissions to no more than 10 photos.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
A skinny boy named Ammar, who is 12 but looks much younger, spent Monday playing with his sisters 10-month-old daughter, Layla, at the cramped apartment where they both lived in the Gaza Strip.

When the blue-eyed infant seemed hungry, he shared a piece of flatbread with her.

His sister, he figured, was with other family members at the massive Palestinian protests demanding a right to return to their ancestral homeland.

He decided to go find them.

He carried Layla to a bus that was leaving from a nearby mosque for the encampment where the family had been stationing itself along the eastern border of Gaza during the weeks of demonstrations.

When Ammar Rezeq reached the camp, it was teeming with thousands of people, many of them threatening to storm security barriers and swarm into Israel. Israeli forces held them back with barrages of gunfire and tear gas. He made his way toward a security barrier, where his relatives usually gathered.

Suddenly he was surrounded by clouds of acrid white smoke. His niece began to cough.

I put a scarf on my mouth and was trying to find my family, Ammar recalled.

Finally, he found his mother and one of Laylas aunts. They were shocked to see him appear through the haze, with the infant in his arms. The babys mother had never gone to the protests that day and stayed home to take a nap, they said.

The aunt took the baby from Ammar, and the three of them started running toward the bus. The girls hands were turning blue.

They thought she had fallen asleep on the bus, but when she wouldnt wake up, they persuaded the driver to take them to a hospital.

Ammar watched as doctors desperately tried to revive the infant.

I thought she would wake up, he said, tears welling in his eyes.

Ammar Rezeq, 12, grieves for his niece Layla Ghandour, whose name was added to a list of martyrs released by the Gaza Healthy Ministry. Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times

By Tuesday, Layla Ghandour had made international news as a symbol of the Palestinian cause. The Gaza Health Ministry added her name to a list of protest martyrs  the youngest of more than 60 people who died on the bloodiest day of weeks of protests.

An Israeli military spokesman, Ofir Gendelman, challenged the familys account, saying, We have evidence casting doubt on the truthfulness of reports about the death of a baby girl in the Gaza Strip. He did not elaborate.

A doctor at the hospital where Layla was treated said she had a preexisting heart condition that caused her death. He asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to discuss the childs medical history.

Laylas family and the Health Ministry acknowledged the medical issue, but said tear gas was a contributing factor in her death.

The clashes continued Tuesday as Palestinian officials reported at least two more fatalities near Gazas frontier with Israel, pushing the two-day death toll to 64.

Israels military also said scattered clashes broke out in the West Bank. It said 1,300 Palestinians participated in violent riots at 18 locations there Tuesday, with protesters burning tires and hurling rocks and firebombs at security forces.

A demonstrator rolls a tire to the front of the border protest in Bureij, near Deir al Balah in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times

The latest deaths came as Palestinians observed what they call the Nakba, or catastrophe, of their mass displacement 70 years ago during hostilities surrounding the creation of Israel.

Israeli officials maintain that live fire was used in response to a deadly threat posed by Palestinians seeking to breach the border fence with Gaza. The military said that at least 24 of those killed Monday were militants and that in the wake of Mondays confrontation, its aircraft hit more than a dozen sites in Gaza that it described as terror targets.

In justifying its use of deadly force, Israel has cited firebombs thrown by protesters and flaming kites being flown across the frontier. The military said at least 400 protesters gathered Tuesday on the Gaza side and that several Palestinians were apprehended as they tried to breach a fence.

But international criticism of Israel has been growing.

In Geneva, U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville denounced what he called the appalling deadly violence by Israeli forces. Ireland summoned the Israeli ambassador to urge restraint.

Turkey declared three days of official mourning, lowering flags to half-staff in a salute to slain Palestinians. With Turkey having temporarily expelled the Israeli ambassador in protest, Israel on Tuesday asked the Turkish consul general in Jerusalem to temporarily leave.

But at the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley staunchly defended Israel, telling the Security Council that no member would act with more restraint than Israel has in the ongoing Gaza border confrontation.

Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, however, denounced the massacre in Gaza, vowing to expand the confrontation with Israel.

On Tuesday, thousands of Palestinians staged angry funeral processions after midday prayers. They said their dead included eight children, a Hamas police officer and a double amputee who was photographed during the protests using a slingshot from his wheelchair.

Hundreds of mourners marched for Layla.

Her father, Anwar Ghandour, once eked out a living in tunnels along Gazas border with Egypt to smuggle in food, medicine, weapons, fuel and other goods. The tunnels were built after the Islamist militant group Hamas took over Gaza in 2007 and Israel, in a bid to protect itself, imposed a stifling embargo.

But Egypt destroyed most of them after President Abdel Fattah Sisi seized power from his Islamist predecessor, Mohamed Morsi.

Laylas father hasnt been able to find work since then  unemployment is nearly 50% in Gaza  and he struggles to provide for his family. A year ago, he and his wife lost a baby boy to the same heart condition that afflicted Layla. Relatives said he couldnt afford to buy the recommended medicines.

At the time, the couple lived in a three-bedroom apartment with nine other members of his family. Furniture was sparse, because the family had to sell it to buy food and other necessities. Mold covered the hallways, and the smell of sewage could be overpowering.

Family members carry the body of Layla Ghandour, 10 months, to her burial site in Gaza City. Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times

Laylas mother, Mariam Ghandour, 18, said she often argued with her husband because he could not afford to rent a home for them or provide food and diapers for his children. Around the time her son died, she moved back with her mother and grandmother.

The grandmother supported them from a stipend provided by the Palestinian Authority to the families of those killed in the wars with Israelis. Two of her sons died in previous hostilities. Fourteen people lived off this money, she said.

The power was out in the fathers apartment when he brought Laylas body home from the hospital. Neighbors brought the family two buckets of water to wash her because the pipes had run dry. The women in the family placed the baby in a pink, plastic basin and gently scooped water over her head by the light of a cellphone.

The mother then wrapped Layla in a white shroud and a red, green, white and black Palestinian flag.

Oh my beautiful daughter, I lost you, she sobbed, holding the tiny bundle tightly to her chest. She is all I have.

Shortly before the call to prayers sounded, the father took Layla to mosque to pray over her body. He and other family members took turns carrying her on the march from the mosque to a nearby cemetery, past shops shuttered because Hamas had called for a general strike.

As mourners lowered the body into the sandy ground, a wail echoed across ancient tombstones.

I want to see her one last time, her mother pleaded.

Its Gods will, the men told her as they shooed her away.

Have faith in God.

alexandra.zavis@latimes.com

Twitter: @alexzavis

Salah is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Laura King in Amsterdam and special correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.
Countering staunch opposition from the district attorney, the ACLU on Tuesday told Allentown City Council members they do have the right to craft a local marijuana law.

Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday night on making possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of marijuana paraphernalia and personal marijuana use a summary offense punishable by a fine of as little as $25.

Under Pennsylvania law, possession of a small amount of marijuana is a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of 30 days in prison and a $500 fine.

Allentown council in a committee vote last week backed the marijuana decriminalization measure 4-3. That slim of a majority would fall short of the five votes needed to overturn a possible veto by Mayor Ray O'Connell, elected by council March 29 after former Mayor Ed Pawlowski was convicted of corruption and resigned.

O'Connell has not come to a decision on whether to sign or veto the ordinance, a spokesman said last week and Tuesday.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin told Allentown City Council in a memo May 8 a local summary charge for marijuana "would be unconstitutional and unenforceable." The crime is established under Pennsylvania's Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act, he said.

"Any local ordinance attempting to alter the penalties set forth in the Act would clearly violate the Act's intent and would be in conflict with the language of the Act," Martin wrote.

That is similar to the advice attorney Bill Murphy gave to Easton City Council in February. That council in a 4-3 vote rejected a local law making possessing a small amount of marijuana a civil, summary offense carrying a fine of $75 to $300.

The American Civil Liberties Union, in a memo Tuesday to Allentown council, cites Pennsylvania Supreme Court precedent relating to possession of drug paraphernalia in the 2011 case of Holt's Cigar Co. v. City of Philadelphia.

"One thing that is crystal clear from the Holt's Cigar decision is that creating a local law with a different penalty is not an irreconcilable conflict, as long as the local law does not permit what the Act forbids or forbid what the Act permits," Mary Catherine Roper, deputy legal director for the ACLU, writes in the memo.

Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, York, State College and Erie have all adopted decriminalization laws similar to that proposed in Allentown, marijuana advocates say.

"The ACLU of Pennsylvania is aware that the council is considering an ordinance to lower penalties for possession of marijuana, as has been implemented successfully in other cities throughout the commonwealth," Andy Hoover, spokesman for the group, told council in an email Tuesday, adding, "The ACLU of Pennsylvania respectfully disagrees with DA Martin's conclusion ... ."

Allentown's law would apply to possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana or up to 8 grams of hashish; possession of drug paraphernalia and personal use of marijuana.

Violators would face a fine of $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second in one calendar year, $100 for a third offense in a year and $150 or up to eight hours' community service for a fourth offense. The proposal earmarks any revenue from the new law for recreation and police community engagement.

Bethlehem City Council members are scheduled to discuss the same proposal in committee May 22.

Here are the opinions to Allentown City Council on the matter from the district attorney and the ACLU:

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin opposes local marijuana laws by Anonymous arnc2g2N on Scribd

ACLU of Pennsylvania Allentown Marijuana Ordinance MEMO 5.15.2018 by Anonymous arnc2g2N on Scribd

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
John Fetterman won a five-way Democratic Party primary race for lieutenant governor, making Lt. Gov. Mike Stack the first holder of the office to lose in a primary election.

The Braddock mayor's victory Tuesday means he will run on a ticket with incumbent Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in the fall. Fetterman had made a failed bid in 2016 for the U.S. Senate.

Jeff Bartos, a real estate investor from suburban Philadelphia, beat three other candidates to win the Republican nomination. He joins Republican gubernatorial primary winner Scott Wagner in the general election race.

Stack, a former Philadelphia state senator, has had a chilly relationship with Wolf in their first term together. Pennsylvania first started allowing lieutenant governors to serve a second term in the 1970s.

Wolf last year ordered an investigation into the treatment of state employees, including state police troopers, by Stack and his wife and stripped Stack of state police protection. Stack later said his wife entered a residential treatment facility for a mental health issue.

A candidate for lieutenant governor runs independently of gubernatorial candidates in primary elections, but joins the party's nominee on the general election ticket.

The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate and chairs the state pardons board, among other responsibilities. The lieutenant governor also steps in if a governor is unable to serve or leaves office.

Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Here are the unofficial results of key Pennsylvania primary elections held on Tuesday, May 15, including the Republican contest for governor, the Democratic and Republican contests for lieutenant governor and the GOP bid for U.S. Senate.

Also included are results of the contested primary elections in U.S. House District 7 and Pennsylvania House districts 131, 134 and 183.

The Pennsylvania primary is highlighted by a new congressional map, with redrawn districts forcing incumbents to run in new districts or, in some cases, prompting them to not seek re-election.

The new map, which is aimed at more evenly distributing Democratic and GOP voters in each district, has led to many new Democratic challengers, including 11 in the District 5 primary and six in District 7.

Two prospective challengers for unopposed incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Casey and Gov. Tom Wolf will face off in Republican primaries for those nominations.

The results below, compiled by the Associated Press, will be updated throughout the night, so please check back later or refresh the page to see the latest tallies.

(i) denotes incumbents

MORE ELECTION COVERAGE

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Attorney Susan Wild advanced Tuesday to run for Congress in November to represent the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania's new 7th Congressional District.

The mother of two bested five other Democrats seeking the nomination to run for an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Wild, from South Whitehall Township, is a 35-year attorney and former Allentown city solicitor. She was the first woman appointed to the position, in 2015. She claimed victory shortly before 11 p.m., following a phone call from fellow candidate John Morganelli.

"I have to congratulate all of my primary opponents," she told supporters, in remarks carried live by WFMZ-TV 69. "They have been a formidable, respectful, amazing group of candidates that I've been proud to run with.

"And I hope that all of them will join me in unifying our party after today and moving on to November. I thank all of them, and I thank them for the race that they've run. It's made me stronger, and it's made us as a party stronger to have run this kind of a primary."

The Associated Press declared Wild the winner with 32.7 percent of the vote and 94 percent of precincts tallied.

Wild faces the winner of Tuesday's Republican primary, in addition to any third-party candidates that make the general election ballot. Northampton County Libertarian Party Chairwoman Jane Horvath says Tim Silfies, Lehigh Valley native and former business reporter for WFMZ-TV 69, will be representing the Libertarian Party.

Morganelli, in remarks also carried by WFMZ, said he ran to be a moderate voice in Congress.

"I am not overly surprised by the results," the 25-year Northampton County district attorney from Bethlehem said. "And we knew very early on that this was going to be a very, very tough race.

"And my observations are, I was told by a friend of mine at the outset of this campaign, 'John, this could be the year of the woman.' And I think that is true tonight: Susan Wild is part of the wave, that the women are out there, and I understand that. I get that. We need more female representation in the Congress and in state Legislature."

Unofficial, incomplete results showed Wild leading in the vote count with Morganelli in second place and candidate Greg Edwards running third in the field of six.

"You congratulate the winner, but you keep the movement alive," Edwards told supporters, in comments carried by WFMZ. "That's what you do. ... And we cry because we put our heart into it. And when you put your heart into it and it's like a couple thousand, it gets so -- but you know what? Tomorrow we're going to wake up. You all did a phenomenal job."

Edwards, of Upper Macungie Township, is founder and senior pastor of Resurrected Life Community Church and president and CEO of Resurrected Community Development Corp.

Until the next representative is sworn-in in January, the Lehigh Valley is part of the 15th and 17th Congressional Districts. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court redrew district boundaries after ruling the old map was unfairly partisan.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, a Republican representing the 15th, resigned last week after announcing he would not seek re-election. The 17th District's U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, a Democrat, ran for re-election in Pennsylvania's new 8th Congressional District.

A special election is set for Election Day, Nov. 6, to pick Dent's successor until the 7th District representative takes office.

The 7th District covers all of Lehigh and Northampton counties and southern Monroe County. The primary race drew attention beyond the Lehigh Valley, because of the new makeup of the diverse district and because of the open seat in a mid-term election. The term is for two years.

The other candidates on the Democratic ballot Tuesday were Roger Ruggles, of Easton, a member of city council and engineering professor at Lafayette College; Rick Daugherty, of Lowhill Township, executive director of Lehigh Valley Active Life in Allentown; and David Clark, of Catasauqua, a U.S. Army veteran who went on to work in social services for 16 years.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
UPDATE: 'In prison, you'll meet savage,' victim's dad tells murderer

One of two cousins has pleaded guilty to murder charges in the gruesome killings of four young men whose bodies were found buried on a suburban Philadelphia farm.

This undated file photo provided by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office in Doylestown, Pa., shows Cosmo DiNardo, of Bensalem, Pa. (Bucks County District Attorney's Office via AP, File)

Cosmo DiNardo faces life in prison under the terms of the deal reached Wednesday.

His cousin, Sean Kratz, is expected to plead guilty to charges related to his involvement in the deaths of the men, ages 19-22, last July in Bucks County.

The 21-year-old DiNardo pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree murder, conspiracy, robbery and abuse of a corpse.

DiNardo's lawyer has said he'd plead guilty to avoid the death penalty.

DiNardo was once committed, but lawyer Fortunato Perri said mental health professionals weren't sure they could present an insanity defense.

A woman in the packed courtroom gallery wept as DiNardo entered his plea.

Police said DiNardo, of Bensalem in Bucks County, lured the victims to his family's 90-acre farm in Solebury Township, outside New Hope, to sell them marijuana.

He shot and killed 19-year-old Jimi Taro Patrick on July 5 with a .22-caliber rifle, then buried him in a hole dug with a backhoe. Two days later, DiNardo and his cousin Kratz, 20, of Northeast Philadelphia, shot and killed Dean Finocchiaro, 19; Tom Meo, 21; and Sturgis. authorities said; their bodies were lit on fire and buried in a 12-foot-deep common grave.

After identifying DiNardo as a suspect in the disappearances of the men, authorities scouring the Solebury farm found the remains of the three buried together, authorities said. The prosecutor struck a deal with DiNardo not to seek the death penalty, contingent on his admission of guilt and full cooperation, including directing investigators to the location of Patrick's body, which was still missing at the time.
Allentown may join other other cities in thumbing its nose at Pennsylvania's criminal sanctions for simple possession of marijuana. Allentown City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday night to make possession of a small amount of marijuana a summary office, similar to a traffic ticket, punishable by a fine of $25.

The council has gotten conflicting advice on this. Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin told council a local ordinance cannot supersede state law on criminal issues. Under state law, possession of a small amount of pot is a misdemeanor, subject to a jail term of up to 30 days and a fine of up to $500 for a first offense.

This week the American Civil Liberties Union advised city council that it has the power to enact its own law and punishment for simple marijuana possession.

In a committee vote last week, council members voted 4-3 in favor of a decriminalization ordinance. The council would need five votes to override a veto. Mayor Ray O'Connell hasn't said whether he'd sign or veto the measure.

Easton City Council considered a similar law earlier this year and rejected it, saying the Legislature should lead the way on decriminalization. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, York, State College and Erie have adopted decriminalization laws similar to the one being considered by Allentown.

What do you think? If the Legislature won't act, should municipalities take the lead in decriminalizing pot? Have a say in our informal poll, and feel free to elaborate in the comments section.
Phillipsburg's legally required public notices will continue to be published in the most-circulated newspaper in town.

The town council on Tuesday rejected a resolution to pull the notices -- which include ordinances, meeting change announcements, budgets and other activity that appear in the newspaper's classifieds section -- from The Express-Times.

The measure was proposed in April amid council leaders' complaints about news coverage by the lehighvalleylive.com affiliate, and would have instead run the notices in newspapers with far lower circulation in Phillipsburg.

There was little discussion before Tuesday's decision, which had been tabled since last month. Councilman Josh Davis and two residents advocated for The Express-Times as the most likely to reach residents.

The vote against the change was unanimous. Council Vice President Danielle DeGerolamo was absent.

The rejected resolution would have put Phillipsburg's legal notices in The Morning Call, a competitor with The Express-Times, and The Star-Gazette, a weekly that is part of New Jersey Advance Media along with The Express-Times, The Star-Ledger, lehighvalleylive.com and nj.com.

There are 11,561 households in Phillipsburg, according to Express-Times circulation data. The Express-Times daily circulation is 2,783, and 3,095 on Sundays.

The Morning Call's daily Phillipsburg circulation is 156, and 165 on Sundays. The Star-Gazette reaches nine people in town when it publishes on Thursdays.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Advertising & Marketing Get on Board: AirHelp launches rewarding Affiliate Program

 airhelp

16.05.2018 17:20:29 - AirHelp, the world leading flight disruption compensation company, now offers its own affiliate program to website owners and influencers in the travel and tech industry. Partners count on attractive commissions, fast turnaround times and professional support.



(live-PR.com) - Attractive commission

- Unbureaucratic and professional support

- Market leader in over 30 countries worldwide

- A growing 5 billion Euro market



Berlin, 16.05.2018. AirHelp, the world leading flight disruption compensation company, now offers its own affiliate program to website owners and influencers in the travel and tech industry. Partners count on attractive commissions, fast turnaround times and professional support. With its mission of - Attractive commission- Unbureaucratic and professional support- Market leader in over 30 countries worldwide- A growing 5 billion Euro marketBerlin, 16.05.2018. AirHelp, the world leading flight disruption compensation company, now offers its own affiliate program to website owners and influencers in the travel and tech industry. Partners count on attractive commissions, fast turnaround times and professional support. With its mission of helping air passengers around the world get the compensation that is rightfully theirs, AirHelp offers those passionate about travel the opportunity of building up a rewarding business by helping other travelers. Do what really matters.



The program

As an official AirHelp Affiliate, you can build your own business fast by using the network of travel interested followers/readers you already have, and simply educating them about their right to compensation from airlines. Flight delays and cancellations are a common threat every traveler knows. However, most passengers dont know that they can get financial compensation from the airlines. Each year more than 5 billion Euro are left unclaimed in the hands of airlines.



AirHelp recognized this market potential and helps passengers get the compensation they are owed from airlines while taking all the hassle of applying for it. As using AirHelps services is completely free of charge for all passengers, this makes your marketing even easier, as you are promoting a beneficial and free product.



Within minutes you can register on our website to become an official AirHelp Affiliate, and youll receive your personal affiliate link. You may either share this link on your social media channels, or e.g. add a banner to your website. Our affiliate team is always there to provide you the best possible support, and also offers expert knowledge to support you in your content development process, if wished.



Thanks to AirHelps 30 days cookie tracking, as well as live reports that will be available to you, none of your acquired claims gets lost and you can monitor your campaign success at any time.





Earning potential

AirHelp offers an attractive commission for each compensation claim that gets accepted by its claim agents. For submitting a claim, your follower/reader simply needs to introduce his flight details on AirHelps website, or scan his boarding pass using the app internal boarding pass scanner.



Once your follower/reader submits a complete compensation claim, it will be screened for eligibility within seconds, thanks to AirHelps use of AI powered systems. This way, you can count on a very quick turnaround time until receiving your attractive commission, once your follower submitted the necessary documents.



In addition to the standard commission for accepted claims, AirHelp also awards bonus payments for all affiliates that generate a large number of claims. Your commission as well as your bonus will be transferred to your account on a monthly basis.





To find out more about the program, please click here: https://www.airhelp.com/en/affiliate/?utm_source=dynamic&utm_medium=affiliate-press-release&utm_campaign=general





For any question you might have, our team is happy to assist you under affiliate@airhelp.com





About AirHelp

Since launching in 2013, AirHelp has helped more than five million people process airline compensation claims worth almost 300 million euros in total reimbursement. AirHelp has offices across the world, is available in 30 countries, offers support in 16 languages, and employs more than 500 employees globally.

helping air passengers around the world get the compensation that is rightfully theirs, AirHelp offers those passionate about travel the opportunity of building up a rewarding business by helping other travelers. Do what really matters.The programAs an official AirHelp Affiliate, you can build your own business fast by using the network of travel interested followers/readers you already have, and simply educating them about their right to compensation from airlines. Flight delays and cancellations are a common threat every traveler knows. However, most passengers dont know that they can get financial compensation from the airlines. Each year more than 5 billion Euro are left unclaimed in the hands of airlines.AirHelp recognized this market potential and helps passengers get the compensation they are owed from airlines while taking all the hassle of applying for it. As using AirHelps services is completely free of charge for all passengers, this makes your marketing even easier, as you are promoting a beneficial and free product.Within minutes you can register on our website to become an official AirHelp Affiliate, and youll receive your personal affiliate link. You may either share this link on your social media channels, or e.g. add a banner to your website. Our affiliate team is always there to provide you the best possible support, and also offers expert knowledge to support you in your content development process, if wished.Thanks to AirHelps 30 days cookie tracking, as well as live reports that will be available to you, none of your acquired claims gets lost and you can monitor your campaign success at any time.Earning potentialAirHelp offers an attractive commission for each compensation claim that gets accepted by its claim agents. For submitting a claim, your follower/reader simply needs to introduce his flight details on AirHelps website, or scan his boarding pass using the app internal boarding pass scanner.Once your follower/reader submits a complete compensation claim, it will be screened for eligibility within seconds, thanks to AirHelps use of AI powered systems. This way, you can count on a very quick turnaround time until receiving your attractive commission, once your follower submitted the necessary documents.In addition to the standard commission for accepted claims, AirHelp also awards bonus payments for all affiliates that generate a large number of claims. Your commission as well as your bonus will be transferred to your account on a monthly basis.To find out more about the program, please click here: https://www.airhelp.com/en/affiliate/?utm_source=dynamic&utm_medium=affiliate-press-release&utm_campaign=generalFor any question you might have, our team is happy to assist you under affiliate@airhelp.comAbout AirHelpSince launching in 2013, AirHelp has helped more than five million people process airline compensation claims worth almost 300 million euros in total reimbursement. AirHelp has offices across the world, is available in 30 countries, offers support in 16 languages, and employs more than 500 employees globally. Press Information:

AirHelp







Contact Person:

Jennifer Marten

Affiliate Marketing Manager

Phone: 032 211001496

eMail: eMail



Web: http://https://www.airhelp.com





16.05.2018 17:20:29 -

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Stock Market News

Malvern International to buy Communicate English School for 2.3m 16-05-2018 14:41



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Stock Market News

Netflix original film releases in 2018 to outstrip four major studios combined 16-05-2018 14:58



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Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, little known to those who surf the net rather than scrutinize 
New Delhi: CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on last day said that the single largest parties in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya were not invited to form government and the same rules should be followed in Karnataka.

"BJP govt appointed Governors didn't invite Single Largest Party in either Goa, 2017 (INC, 17 out of 40 seats), Manipur 2017 (INC 28 of 60) or Meghalaya 2018 (INC 21 out of 60). Union ministers gave arguments supporting them.

BJP govt appointed Governors didnt invite Single Largest Party in either Goa, 2017 (INC, 17 out of 40 seats), Manipur 2017 (INC 28 of 60) or Meghalaya 2018 (INC 21 out of 60). Union ministers gave arguments supporting them. The precedent is there to follow, right? #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/F4fXKxAhix Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) May 15, 2018

The precedent is there to follow, right? "Same 'rules' followed when state governments were formed in Goa, Manipur and Bihar recently, must be followed now. Sauce for the goose must be sauce for the gander! JD(S)-Congress are together, past the majority mark & must be called to form the govt and take the floor test," Yechury wrote

In a hung assembly, if majority of the elected MLAs form a coalition, the Governor would be constitutionally right (1/2) Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) March 13, 2017

In his tweet, he also refereed to a tweet by senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley in which he had said that a majority coalition should be allowed to prove that it has the numbers to form a government in case of a fractured mandate."In a hung assembly, if majority of the elected MLAs form a coalition, the government would be constitutionally right in inviting the leader of the majority coalition to form the government and prove their majority within a short period," Jaitley had tweeted.

On paper the JD(S)-Congress in Karnataka have a majority. Noone else does. They should be allowed to prove it on the floor of the House. See the reasoned decision of President KR Narayanan in 1998 that favoured the BJP then. Surely, the BJP would agree to the same principle now? pic.twitter.com/ut6cTU3XhQ Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) May 15, 2018
Details K. Khan 20 April 2020

The economic crisis and pandemic have made it patently clear that US capitalism is not at all exceptional. Like everything else in the universe, American capitals political system is subject to sharp and sudden changes. After...
SPRINGFIELD -- The Branford Hall Career Institute Campus at 189 Brookdale Drive has stopped accepting new registrations and will close.

School staffers in Springfield confirmed the development Tuesday. Repeated calls to and messages left with parent company Premier Education Group, of New Haven, Connecticut, went unanswered.

The building was occupied Tuesday.

Branford Hall is the latest in a series of campus closings by Premier across Massachusetts.

The Springfield campus offers health care and technical training in vocations like culinary arts, professional medical assistant and heating, ventilation and air conditioning technician.

Premier Education Group also owns Salter College and Salter Schools. An outgoing message at the Salter College location in Chicopee said that the facility was already closed and had been consolidated with Branford Hall's Springfield campus.

Premier purchased the Chicopee location, formerly occupied by the Gold Club strip club, in 2009 for $1.3 million. The property, at 645 Shawnigan Drive and within sight of the Massachusetts Turnpike, is for sale for $1.8 million.

The Springfield building is owned by the same entity, Shawnigan Drive LLC, listed as the owner of the Chicopee property, according to tax records in the two cities.

Another Premier Education Group subsidiary, Salter School, closed its Fall River, Tewksbury, New Bedford and Cambridge locations in 2017, leaving only one remaining location in Malden.

Salter College's location in West Boylston is accepting new students, according to staffers there.

In 2016, Premier bought what was left of the Hallmark School of Photography in Turners Falls out of bankruptcy. Premier shut Hallmark down.

There are no other Branford Hall locations in Massachusetts. There are locations in Albany, Amityvill and Bohemia in New York; in Windsor and Southington, Connecticut; and in Hamilton, Jersey City and Parsippany, New Jersey.

Premier has been in trouble with the state of Massachusetts.

In 2014, then-Attorney General Martha Coakley announced that Salter College and The Salter School would pay $3.75 million in penalties to resolve allegations of misrepresenting job placement numbers and using deceptive enrollment tactics.

In 2016, the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure took disciplinary action against Premier Education Group LP, doing business as The Salter School. That discipline included a settlement of $150,000 to resolve allegations that the school engaged in misleading actions and employed unapproved instructors at its Massachusetts locations.

The state attorney general's office, which created new regulations in 2014 that govern for-profit schools, has consumer advice for students. The regulations require for-profit schools to provide certain disclosures to prospective students 72 hours in advance of enrollment.

Those disclosures include:

The cost of a program

The program's graduation rate

The percentage of students who are not paying their loans

Regulations also prohibit for-profit schools from contacting prospective students, either by phone or via text messaging, in excess of two times in each seven-day period.

The attorney general's office has tips for prospective students dealing with college recruiters and an advisory about for-profit schools, and encourages students to call the office at 888-830-6277 if they are victims of excessive recruitment calls.

Also, students at for-profit schools may be eligible for closed school discharge of federal loans in certain circumstances. You can find discussion of this option on the AG's page for ITT students. Another resource is the Division of Professional Licensure's Office of Private Occupational School Education page.
By AMANDA JERMYN

Special to The Republican

So much about the early universe is still a mystery, but recently astronomers have caught a glimpse of what appear to be signals of the earliest stars. Furthermore, their discovery potentially provides the first indirect detection of dark matter.

The Big Bang, which occurred about 13.8 billion years ago, generated a soup of subatomic particles that cooled rapidly as the universe expanded. After about 370,000 years these particles began to combine to form atoms, mostly hydrogen. Over time, in places where the matter was slightly denser, these atoms clumped together under the force of gravity to form huge clouds of gas and dust.

Gradually, these clouds condensed further under gravity, forming massive hot balls of nuclear fire, the first stars. The early universe was cold and dark, but now, with these first stars, there was light.



The signal that stirred the recent excitement was detected about two years ago by a radio telescope in the Australian desert and was reported earlier this year in the journal Nature. Judd Bowman, of Arizona State University, first author on the study, concluded that the signal came from the very first stars that appeared in the universe. While the signal dates from about 180 million years after the Big Bang it does not tell us exactly when the earliest stars were formed, only that at 180 million years they already existed. However, 180 million years fits with current theories as to when the earliest stars appeared.

Because these stars are so far away their light would be too faint to view directly, so the evidence for their existence is based on changes in the wavelengths of radio signals from hydrogen present in the early universe. When the first stars formed they emitted ultraviolet light that changed the behavior of the hydrogen atoms in the spaces between them, allowing them to interact with radiation from the cosmic microwave background, the afterglow of the Big Bang.

So, if there were stars present, the hydrogen would emit one particular energy signature , and, if there were no stars, they'd emit another. What the astronomers detected was a clear, but faint signal indicating the existence of stars.

Detecting such faint signals is not easy. Our own galaxy is filled with radio wave noise, and because the frequency the astronomers were looking for is part of the FM radio spectrum, the astronomers chose to install their antennae in the Australian desert to try and minimize interference.

According to Bowman, little is known about the nature of these early stars, but they were probably hotter and simpler than those formed more recently. While the team spent two years checking their results, further independent studies will be needed to confirm their findings. Bowman hopes that knowing where and how to look will help others to do so.



According to Rennan Barkana, an astrophysicist at Tel Aviv University who has published a related paper in Nature, a particularly intriguing finding of this study was that the hydrogen between stars was colder than thought possible. The astronomers expected the temperatures to be 10 degrees Centigrade above absolute zero, but they were in fact 5 degrees above absolute zero.

Barkana theorizes that dark matter, which has never been observed interacting with anything, may be cooling the hydrogen. While dark matter makes up 27 percent of the universe, we know little about it except that it is not made of normal matter particles, and we only know of its existence through its gravitational effects. If this finding is correct it could be the first indirect detection of dark matter, and the first indication that dark matter can interact with normal matter.



Join the Springfield Stars Club on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Springfield Science Museum for a talk by Jack Megas on "Why the Earth is Special." Megas is an astronomy educator at the Springfield Science Museum's Seymour Planetarium and a retired laboratory hematologist at Baystate Medical Center. He is a past president of the Springfield Stars Club and the Naturalist Club. Refreshments will be served, and the public is welcome. The meeting is free for club members, with a suggested donation of $2 for the public.



Amanda Jermyn, of Longmeadow, is vice president of the Springfield Stars Club. For more information, visit the club's website, reflector.org, like them on Facebook or call 800-336-9054.
Jessica Perez Blasko is community relations coordinator for the Springfield City Library.

By Jessica Perez Blasko

Special to The Republican



Many people think of books and story times when they think of public libraries, but libraries are also crucial places for idea exchange and community discussion. It's important that we take the time to process how our world is changing and share ideas about how we want to live in it. With that in mind, our libraries are hosting a number of events that address serious concerns such as gun violence, peace in the Middle East, interacting with law enforcement, and more. We hope you'll join us for these essential community discussions, documentaries, and programs.

'Viva Puerto Rico' Documentary Screening

"Viva Puerto Rico" follows the work of conservationists who restore island populations of the most endangered species: the Puerto Rican Amazon parrot, the leatherback turtle, and the manatee. Refreshments will be served. This program is open to all ages. Thursday, May 17 from 6:15-7:45 p.m. at the Sixteen Acres Branch Library, located at 1187 Parker Street in Springfield.

Ending School Gun Violence

Join us for an important discussion about the escalation of gun violence in American schools. Jamison Rohan, a student at Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, and Sabis International Charter School of Springfield student Trevaughn Smith will be our special guests. Rohan and Smith helped lead spirited, peaceful rallies in their hometowns to seek meaningful gun reform. They hope to send a message to Washington that school safety is of utmost importance and for the public to continue to talk about ending gun violence. Community members are encouraged to attend, express their views, and help seek solutions. This program is suggested for adults and teens ages 11+. Saturday, May 19 from 1-3 p.m. at the Sixteen Acres Branch Library.

Interacting Safely with Law Enforcement

Community member Kevin J. Dumpson, executive director of Suit Up Springfield and founder of Pro-Active on Purpose, will share his experiences and wisdom on how to safely and sensibly interact with law enforcement and other authority figures. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers. Free pizza will be served. Registration for this event is encouraged, though not required. This program is open to adults and teens. Wednesday, May 23 from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Central Library community room, located at 220 State Street in Springfield.

Documentary and Discussion: Egypt's Struggle for Peace

Join us for a screening of the PBS documentary "Egypt in Crisis" to better understand Egypt's fragile social politics. A discussion following the film will be facilitated by local author R. A. Migeed, whose new book "Fate and Choices" details the story of his emigration from Egypt to America. The book also relates the struggle to understand the momentous political changes occurring in Egypt as it moves towards a better future. Migeed's books will be available for sale, and refreshments will be served. This program is recommended for adults. Wednesday, May 30 from 6:15-8 p.m. at the Sixteen Acres Branch Library.

Fake News? Real News? How to Tell Fact from Fake

Which news is real? What news sources you can trust? Come to this workshop to learn how to identify biases and fake news, find reliable news sources, and look beyond the headlines. Light refreshments will be served. Registration for this event is encouraged, though not required. This program is open to all ages. Wednesday, June 20 from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Central Library Community Room.

Nonfiction Book Groups

For those who prefer reading about nonfiction topics like history, science, social justice, travel, health, art, music, and more, we have two groups that are perfect for you. The BYOB (Bring Your Own Book) Nonfiction book club meets monthly to enjoy coffee and discuss the nonfiction books members have read recently. This adult group meets on the third Wednesday from 10-11:30 a.m. in the Central Library Community Room.

The Sixteen Acres branch hosts a monthly U.S. History Book and Media Discussion Group, which focuses on American history books and documentaries. Members discuss the conversation-provoking history books that they are reading. The group also views critically acclaimed documentaries on a number of history topics. Refreshments provided. This adult group meets on the third Tuesday from 6-:15-7:15 p.m. at the Sixteen Acres Branch Library.

All library events are free and open to the public. Event refreshments provided compliments of the Friends of the Springfield Library. For more information about the Springfield City Library, locations and hours, program registration, and a complete listing of all library events, please visit www.springfieldlibrary.org. You may also request information by calling the Central Library Reference Desk at 413-263-6828, ext. 213.

Jessica Perez Blasko is community relations coordinator for the Springfield City Library; you can contact her by calling 413-263-6828, ext. 422, or sending email to jblasko@springfieldlibrary.org.
The Swampscott man accused of raping two people at gunpoint in his car in Boston was held on $50,000 cash bail at his arraignment Wednesday.

Joseph Losano was charged with two counts of rape that stem from two separate alleged victims in two separate cases, Boston police said.

At his arraignment in Roxbury Municipal Court, he was ordered to wear a GPS monitor, stay out of Boston, and stay away from the victims if he posts bail, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.



He is to return to court June 19.
Boston police arrested a 51-year-old Swampscott man Tuesday after he allegedly took two people into his car and raped them at gunpoint.

Joseph Losano was charged with two counts of rape. The charges stem from two separate alleged victims in two separate cases, Boston police said.

Losano is scheduled for arraignment in West Roxbury District Court Wednesday.
Chelsea firefighters rescued eight people after they were trapped in submerged cars following the sudden and rapid rainfall Tuesday.

reports that at about 5 p.m. Tuesday firefighters helped a driver and three passengers from a flooded car on Third Street. Drivers and a passenger were pulled from three separate cars on Vale Street around the same time, firefighters told the paper.

Firefighters had to wear water suits for the rescue. Drainage systems in two areas of the city couldn't keep up with the rain, firefighters said.

"People, they just drive through the water. It's amazing," Chelsea Fire Deputy Chief Wayne Ulwick told the Globe.
A Billerica woman suffered serious injuries to her legs when a pool table at Maverick's Restaurant in Tewksbury was flipped and it landed on her, The Lowell Sun reported.

Justin Denorscia, 22, was arraigned May 7 in Lowell District Court on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, vandalizing property and disorderly conduct.

Police said Denorscia had been thrown out of the restaurant several times but went there around midnight May 5 anyway. He was, again, thrown out.

But, instead of leaving, police allege that Denorscia went around the building to a back door. Once inside he flipped a pool table over.

The victim, who was shooting pool, told police she had her back to Denorscia and was unaware of what he was allegedly doing. She said she heard yelling, then the table landed on top of her.

She was transported to Lowell General Hospital with what police called "serious injuries."

After flipping the table Denorscia ran out the door, but was caught by patrons and held for police.

Denorscia will return to court June 20.
A fugitive wanted by police shot at law enforcement in Middleborough Wednesday morning, forcing police to surround the home.

Middleborough Police and deputies from the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department Warrant Unit were serving an arrest warrant on a wanted fugitive at 469 Wareham St. around 9:30 a.m., police said.

"Upon seeing the officers approach, the suspect opened fire with a long gun," according to a news release.

None of the officers were struck. Law enforcement pulled back, took cover and surrounded the home.

The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council SWAT Team has been called to the scene for mutual aid.

The fugitive, who has not been named, barricaded himself inside the home. Officers are working to negotiate his surrender.

Route 28 was closed in both directions between Interstate 495 and Spruce Street. Motorists are asked to avoid the area.

Police Chief Joseph Perkins urged businesses and residents between I-495 and Locust Street, along Route 28, to shelter in place. The Massachusetts State Police Air Wing responded to the scene.
The powerful thunderstorms that swept through the northeast Tuesday afternoon left at least three people dead.

The National Weather Service confirmed a man in Danbury, Connecticut and an 11-year-old girl in Newburgh, New York died Tuesday due to fallen trees. Both deaths occurred sometime before 5 p.m.

The Hartford Courant reported a third person died in New Fairfield, Connecticut, when a tree crashed into a car on Brush Hill Road there.

The man, who has not been identified, was killed when a tree fell on the truck in which he was sitting in Danbury's Candlewood Lake area. The young girl was killed when a tree crushed a car she was sitting in on Robinson Avenue near the border of New Windsor, New York.

Mayor Mark Boughton of Danbury, Connecticut confirmed the death of the man on Twitter.

Few details have been shared surrounding the fatalities. The two communities in which the deaths occurred reported severe power outages.

As of Wednesday morning, Boughton announced that the city's public schools would remain closed due to power outages. On Tuesday night, the Danbury Police Department announced the formation of a "functional needs shelter" for residents without power.

More than 80,000 power outages were reported across Connecticut Wednesday morning, according to Eversource. Wind gusts around Hartford topped 50 mph Tuesday afternoon.

Downed trees and utility poles impacted Massachusetts as well, though the severity did not reach the level reported in other northeast regions. By Wednesday morning, the Mass. Emergency Management Agency reported roughly 400 power outages statewide, mostly in eastern counties.

In Boston and Worcester, flooded roads trapped several cars, according to National Weather Service reports. With the exception of Norfolk County, where wind gusts reached 50 mph, most areas of Massachusetts saw wind gusts max out below 40 mph.
A man who allegedly opened fire on officers attempting to arrest him on a warrant in Middleborough has killed himself following a hours-long standoff with police, officials said.

Around 9:30 a.m., a man described by police as a wanted fugitive allegedly shot at officers with a long rifle as they attempted to execute an arrest warrant at 469 Wareham Street, Middleborough police said.

No officers were struck by the gunfire.

Police withdrew and established a perimeter around the house, issuing a shelter in place order for residents on nearby streets. For over seven hours the suspect remained barricaded within the home, as members of the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council SWAT Team and a State Police helicopter provided support to local officers.

Police made several efforts to contact the man in an effort to resolve the standoff peacefully, Middleborough Police Chief Joseph Perkins said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. But those effort proved unsuccessful.

Shortly after 5 p.m., Middleborough Police confirmed that the suspect, described as a white man in his 30s or 40s, had killed himself, ending the standoff.
HOLYOKE -- A driver who struck and fatally injured Zoe Rosenthal while she was crossing a city street last November had his license indefinitely suspended three days later, according to his public driving record.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles took the administrative action against Charles J. Davignon, of 65 Wellesley Road, Holyoke, after determining he posed an immediate threat, according to the record.

Davignon's record indicates he was also issued a citation for a crosswalk violation in Holyoke on Nov. 23, 2004.

Davignon's public driving record contains no additional information on the two crosswalk violations other than the citation numbers and the fact that each one cost him two points on his Safe Driver Insurance Plan.

The fatal crash occurred at about 6:35 p.m. on Nov. 27 as Davignon, northbound in a pickup truck on Canal Street, turned left onto Lyman Street, according to the police report. He struck Rosenthal, 52, who was crossing Lyman Street while walking her dog in the crosswalk.

Police said Davignon, then 62, remained at the scene and cooperated with officers. According to the report, he told police he did not see Rosenthal in the crosswalk.

Rosenthal, a teacher with the Literacy Project in Holyoke, suffered a serious head injury and died two days later at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

James Leydon, spokesman for the Hampden District Attorney's office, said this week no charges have been filed in connection with the fatal accident. "Subject to new developments, there's no criminal matter pending in this case," he said.

Rosenthal's family has filed a wrongful death suit against Davignon, alleging he was negligent in operating his pickup truck, causing her death.
EASTHAMPTON -- The head of the city's public access television station has lost her job.

Easthampton Media Executive Director Kathy Lynch was terminated on Friday, confirmed James Zarvis, president of the private nonprofit organization's board of directors.

"In the best interest of the station, for the present and the future, Easthampton Media has ended its relationship with our executive director," said Zarvis, who declined to provide further details.

Lynch, reached by telephone Tuesday, confirmed that she is no longer employed by Easthampton Media, and said she would be directing questions to her lawyer.

Lynch was placed on a two-week, nondisciplinary paid leave in April, after which she returned for two weeks before her employment ended.

Formerly Easthampton Community Access Television, Easthampton Media tapes and broadcasts government meetings in Easthampton and Southampton, and provides equipment, facilities and instruction to community members who wish to produce their own television programs and videos.

Lynch worked for the nonprofit from 1997-2000, and returned in 2010 as digital media coordinator before being promoted to executive director.

Under Lynch's leadership, Easthampton Media expanded its mission and offerings, and opened a 3,000-square-foot "cultural media center" at the Eastworks building on Pleasant Street.

Lynch procured a $172,000 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to help build the facility, which in September hosted a Women in Community Media conference. Lynch also produced and moderated a series of election-year forums and debates in 2017.

Easthampton Media receives its operating funds through the cable company Charter Communications. Charter pays a portion of subscriber fees into a fund managed by Easthampton city government. The nonprofit provides public access services in a contractual relationship with the city.

As a private organization, Easthampton Media's board of directors does not allow the public to attend its meetings, and does not post meeting minutes for public viewing, Zarvis previously told The Republican.
LUDLOW -- The mammoth Ludlow Mills complex has landed $300,000 in historic tax credits from the state, said Rep. Thomas M. Petrolati, D-Ludlow, a strong supporter of the ongoing preservation and redevelopment project along the banks of the Chicopee River.

The funding will help developer WinnCompanies complete a restoration project that's expected to produce 89 residential units and create up to 100 construction jobs at the iconic Clock Tower Building at Mill 8, one of the many buildings at the sprawling complex covering 170 acres between State Street and the river.

Petrolati says the residential housing is expected to include market-rate units mixed with workforce housing, or rentals that are affordable for working families whose incomes are too high for subsidized housing but priced out of market rents.

The workforce housing component is also expected to create up to five permanent jobs, Petrolati said.

The funding comes from the Massachusetts Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program administered by the Massachusetts Historical Commission and overseen by Secretary of State William F. Galvin, who announced the latest round of funding for Ludlow Mills.

Seven months ago, Petrolati was joined by WinnDevelopment officials, Gov. Charlie Baker, Ludlow Selectmen Chairman William E. Rooney, and other dignitaries, to celebrate Winn's completion of the Residences at Mill 10 -- a $20 million effort to convert a former mill building into mixed-income and age-restricted housing.

The overall transformation of Ludlow Mills is being overseen by Westmass Area Development Corporation, a regional, not-for-profit industrial and business developer. When the phased initiative is completed in 15-20 years, it's expected to produce around $2 million in new tax revenue for the Town of Ludlow, create up to 2,000 jobs, and stimulate around $300 million in private investment, according to Westmass estimates.

In related news, the governor has designated Ludlow an "opportunity zone," or geographic area that's being targeted for private, tax-free investments. The town is among 138 commonwealth communities that stand to benefit from the federal tax incentive program, which was designed to create economic opportunities for low-income census tracts.

"WinnDevelopment certainly can apply for that federal funding," Petrolati said Wednesday.

The clock tower is the signature flourish of the original mill complex, which was built, owned and operated by the Ludlow Manufacturing and Sales Co. The company employed around 4,000 people in the production of rope, cloth and twine during its heyday in the early 20th century, later shifting operations overseas at the onset of World War I.
The man accused of shooting at police who were trying to serve arrest warrants remains barricaded inside a Middleborough home, more than six hours after police initially went there.

During an afternoon press conference, Middleborough Police Chief Joseph Perkins said law enforcement officers are taking their time to reach a peaceful outcome.

Police have made several attempts to contact the suspect. When asked if police spoke to the man the chief stated, "We have not made any contact."

Perkins said family and friends of the suspect were brought to the scene. The suspect is a Middleborough resident who Perkins described as a white man in his late 30s or early 40s.

The chief declined to release the man's name. He would only say the man was wanted on multiple felony arrest warrants but declined to discuss the specific charges.

Middleborough Police and deputies from the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department Warrant Unit were serving an arrest warrant on a wanted fugitive at 469 Wareham St. around 9:30 a.m., police said.

One law enforcement officer was shot at but was not hit. There were about a half-dozen officers at the home. The shot came from a long rifle, police said.

Law enforcement officers retreated from the home after the suspect barricaded himself inside. The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council SWAT Team was called to the scene for mutual aid.

State Police, federal investigators and negotiators are all at the scene.

Traffic on Route 28 was closed in both directions and a shelter in place was ordered.
SOUTHWICK -- Town Meeting voters passed a marijuana zoning bylaw last night and created an overlay district for medical marijuana growth and sales, excluding all recreational marijuana retail sales.

Last week, voters prohibited nonmedical marijuana retail at the ballot box.

Some residents Tuesday night were concerned because warrant articles included language about retail recreational sales, but Town Counsel Benjamin Coyne said it was voided because of last week's prohibition vote.

Several residents spoke out against the articles and said the town should reconsider retail sales because buyers will take their business to other communities and Southwick will miss out on tax revenues.

Coyne addressed a question regarding future changes to the bylaw. A resident asked if the town would have to vote at the ballots again if there was a push for retail sales in the future.

"No," said Coyne. "Once a bylaw is in place, the way to change it is to amend it. You do not need another ballot question."

Resident Gina Patterson said she is "a transplant" from Hawaii and alluded to problems there related to marijuana. She questioned why people did not see the concerns with marijuana.

"Cigarettes are bad, opioids are bad, painkillers are bad, but recreational is good? Are you kidding me?" she said, which brought a round of applause from many voters in the Southwick Regional School auditorium.

Town Moderator James N. Putnam took control of the audience and said it was not time for debating marijuana, but to discuss the article.

Ryan Pease and Marcus Phelps, members of the subcommittee that developed the bylaws, told residents this was their opportunity to have some control over marijuana in Southwick.

"If you don't pass this you will be left with the state regulations, so you could have cannabis anywhere," Pease said.

Voters approved the articles with a two-thirds majority vote.

The Marijuana District Overlay map is available at the town clerk's office.

Town Meeting voters also approved several purchases, including $240,000 for a Department of Public Works dump truck and $1.2 million for a ladder truck and pumper truck for the Fire Department.

Also approved were the $23 million town budget and $11 million school budget.
A woman is facing charges after overdosing inside a minivan while her 4-year-old son was in the backseat, police said.

The minivan's windows were rolled up even as temperatures outside rose above 80 degrees, police said.

Sara Donlon was found unconscious in the driver's seat of the 2012 minivan with a hypodermic needle on her lap just after 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to police. The keys were in the ignition of the car, which was parked on Wilson Street in Manchester, New Hampshire.

In the backseat, Donlon's 4-year-old son was passed out, police said in a news release.

Donlon, a 34-year-old from Dracut, was taken out of the minivan and treated with two doses of Narcan, police said. Medical staff assisted the 4-year-old boy.

Police found a small bag of heroin and a small bag of cocaine on Donlon, police said. She was arrested and taken to the hospital.

Donlon's son was medically cleared and placed into the custody of his biological father, police said.

Police said they believe Donlon and her son were inside the minivan with the windows rolled up for at least an hour. Temperatures reached 86 degrees on Tuesday, police said.

Donlon has been released on $1,000 personal recognizance bail and is scheduled to return to the 9th Circuit Court-Manchester on June 6. She is charged with operating under the influence of drugs/alcohol and endangering the welfare of a child.
The chair of Mount Ida College's board of trustees was on the hot seat Wednesday, facing questions and assignments of blame from state senators skeptical of a proposed deal involving UMass acquiring the small private institution.

Flanked by two attorneys representing the college, Carmin Reiss, the board chair, defended the deal, saying it was preferable to the college declaring bankruptcy.

Mount Ida is closing as UMass acquires its 74-acres and the buildings on its Newton, Mass. campus.

Mount Ida's president, Barry Brown, and the college's chief financial officer Jason Potts did not attend the hearing, despite invitations from the Senate's audit and oversight committee.

The chair of the committee, Sen. Kathleen O'Connor Ives, said she wants to convene another hearing and subpoena Brown, as well as other Mount Ida executives who didn't show up.

While state higher education officials are reviewing the deal, there is little they can do to block it, and UMass leaders have repeatedly said Mount Ida would be closing regardless of whether the university system got involved.

The controversial deal has led to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey launching an investigation into whether Mount Ida officials violated their fiduciary responsibilities amid the rush to close up shop and sell the campus.

Healey's office said that while the investigation is underway, they're allowing the UMass Amherst/Mount Ida deal to proceed because otherwise Mount Ida would have to file for bankruptcy, a more devastating outcome.

Asked about Healey's investigation on her way out of the state Senate hearing, Reiss told reporters, "That's a standard review, we welcome it and we're confident that we'll do just fine in that review."

Earlier merger talks with Lasell College, which is also a small private college in Newton, would have saddled Mount Ida with more debt, according to Reiss. Mount Ida was facing a long-developing liquidity crisis, and college executives renewed contact with UMass about a deal, years after first briefly talking to UMass officials in 2014 didn't amount to anything, she said.

Before the failed talks with Lasell, Mount Ida had attempted to implement a turnaround effort and increase enrollment, Reiss said.

Reiss pushed back on state senators who asked whether Mount Ida officials made moves to not disclose that the college was in financial shambles.

"Did we go out and announce, 'Hello, interested students, we're teetering on the brink of insolvency, come on in?'" Reiss said, noting that college's survival depended on increasing enrollment. "No, we didn't do that."

But their audited financial documents were publicly posted, she said.

Her answers didn't satisfy O'Connor Ives, the committee chair.

"She said during this hearing that they purposefully did not disclose to the students, the parents and the faculty that the college was in financial crisis - I'm paraphrasing her - on account of the reality that would make that an inevitability," O'Connor Ives said to reporters.

"So to know and to still continue to accept students while in the backrooms of the board of trustees you know you have debt, you have decaying infrastructure, you have obligations, you have a plan that internally you call a turnaround plan and publicly you call a vision plan, is extremely worrisome," O'Connor Ives said.

Sen. Dean Tran said he was baffled that Mount Ida leaders didn't disclose the full scope of the financial problems to students. "I hope you know that you are as much at fault as the leadership of Mount Ida," he said, directly addressing Reiss.

Earlier in the day, students appeared before the oversight panel and said when they visited campus, they were shown plans for the college's expansion and there was no mention of financial troubles.

Michelle Cunneen, a member of the faculty in the veterinary tech program, echoed students' frustrations.

"We didn't have any idea about the financial constraints," Cunneen told senators.
SPRINGFIELD -- Jurors in the murder trial of Nickolas Lacrosse heard the trial take a different path Wednesday as a defense witness said Lacrosse is not criminally responsible for the fatal stabbing of Mauke.

Neuropsychologist Thomas Deters, of Cambridge, testified Lacrosse was in a dissociative state on Feb. 11, 2015, when he stabbed his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend 32 times on the kitchen floor of her Prentice Street home.

He said Lacrosse remembers going to Mauke's house and arguing with her that day, but then his next memory is standing on a corner outside her house.

Deters, testifying in the Hampden Superior Court trial, said he spent 18 hours with Lacrosse, seven doing tests and 11 interviewing him. He also reviewed school and health records and talked to Lacrosse's mother and a friend of Lacrosse.

Defense lawyer Alan J. Black had deferred his opening statement until the start of the defense case. On Wednesday morning he told jurors they would hear testimony that Lacrosse is not guilty because a mental defect prevented him from forming the necessary intent under the law to commit the crime.

Up until this point in the trial, Black had been using cross-examination to challenge prosecution evidence that showed Lacrosse, 23, killed Mauke.

One of the first questions Assistant District Attorney Mary Sandstrom asked Deters on cross-examination was whether Lacrosse admitted killing Mauke.

Deters said Lacrosse didn't say those words, but Lacrosse "came to the conclusion he likely did" kill the Sabis High School senior.

"He's an intelligent young man," Deters said of Lacrosse.

According to Deters, an "intensely emotional event" can trigger the dissociative state. On Feb. 11, 2015, the event was an argument with Mauke at her home. Deters said the dissociative state started after the verbal argument and ended after the stabbing when Lacrosse was outside.

Lacrosse had three times over the years had short periods of a dissociative state, Deters said. In one, he slapped another teen on a bus; in another, he charged at a man he didn't know when he thought the man was hurting a woman; and in the other one, he became enraged when a relative parked on his family home's lawn.

In each case, Lacrosse remembered what led up to the violence or confrontation, and what came after, but not the acts, Deters said.

He said Lacrosse has a history of depression and other mental health disorders and used alcohol and marijuana excessively. Lacrosse was not under the influence of anything on Feb. 11, 2015, Deters said.

Deters testified Lacrosse said he went to Mauke's house for closure, because he thought she had ended the relationship suddenly in early January. Lacrosse knew she was seeing another man, Deters said.

Sandstrom asked Deters if he watched the videotape of the police interview with Lacrosse the day of the killing in which Lacrosse told a number of lies. He said he watched it, but said Lacrosse was puzzled because he didn't know what happened during his dissociative state.

Black said the prosecution has to prove not only did Lacrosse commit the act charged, but that he had the requisite mental state. "One without the other is not enough," the lawyer said.

The trial in front of Judge Mark D. Mason continues Thursday.
NORTHAMPTON -- A woman accused of lying to authorities about her whereabouts on the night a city man was shot to death and set on fire was trying to provide a "false alibi" for herself and two suspects in the slaying, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Mercedes Diaz-Wright, 22, of Northampton, pleaded not guilty last week to a charge of misleading a police officer. She allegedly lied during an April interview with two state troopers investigating the death of Daniel Cruz.

She was released Wednesday after her bail was reduced to $3,500 cash in a hearing at Hampshire Superior Court.

At the hearing, Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Suhl said Diaz-Wright intentionally misled police about where she was on the night of March 10, when Cruz's body was found.

Diaz-Wright also tried to mislead police regarding "the whereabouts of the two lead suspects in the case, who she claimed she was with," Suhl said.

"It's the theory of the commonwealth that she was attempting to present a false alibi for herself as well as the two lead suspects in the case," Suhl said.

Suhl said evidence -- including surveillance footage -- "contradicts" Diaz-Wright's "version of events" on March 10.

Despite the fact that Diaz-Wright has been in custody since her May 9 arrest, she has still been in contact with one of the suspects, Suhl said. That suspect, in turn, has made "jail calls" to the second suspect, who is already in custody, Suhl said.

Suhl said the second suspect is jailed on charges separate from the Cruz case.

"Since she's been held on this indictment, she has had conversations with the lead suspect about the case itself, including information which was revealed to her during the police conversation after her arrest on May 9, which implicates her in the matter," Suhl said of Diaz-Wright.

Suhl said Diaz-Wright has had conversations with the suspect and others about how bail -- originally set at $10,000 -- might be posted for her.

Judge John Agostini lowered her bail to $3,500 at Wednesday's hearing.

Diaz-Wright was arrested on the same day as another Northampton woman, Alondra Gil, 22. Suhl said Wednesday Gil, who is facing a perjury charge for allegedly lying to a grand jury investigating Cruz's death, could essentially be considered a "co-defendant."

Agostini set Gil's bail at $3,500 at her May 9 arraignment.

The prosecution has repeatedly argued for keeping the women's bail high, due to the fact that at least three other people considered witnesses in the case left the state.

Both Diaz-Wright and Gil are closely "affiliated" with one such witness, a woman who went to North Carolina the morning after Cruz's body was found, Suhl said Wednesday.

"We have reason to believe they are still in communication with one another," Suhl said of Diaz-Wright and the woman who relocated to North Carolina. "We do have concerns that she may attempt to flee down there, as well."

Suhl argued that keeping bail at $10,000 would assure Diaz-Wright would appear at future court dates.

Diaz-Wright's defense attorney, Alfred Chamberland, argued Wednesday that his client did not have the means to post $10,000 bail, calling it "far out of reach."

"She has no income, she's currently unemployed, she has no assets," Chamberland said, deflecting arguments Suhl's arguments that Diaz-Wright's friends and family could come up with the higher bail amount.

Chamberland also claimed Diaz-Wright has been diagnosed with a variety of mental health maladies, including anxiety disorder, depression, ADHD and PTSD.

Cruz's body was found smoldering in a field off Bridge Lane in Hatfield. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide.

The investigation into his death is open, and is being pursued by police as well as a grand jury.
Updated at 11:03 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, 2018 to add video.

HOLYOKE -- Over 75 teachers and supporters urged the City Council Tuesday to help in fighting for more state funding of the public schools and fair compensation of teachers working longer hours.

"We know that the City Council has always answered the call," said Peter McAndrew, president of the Holyoke Teachers Association.

McAndrew said he has been working with Stephen K. Zrike, state-appointed receiver of the Holyoke public schools on strategy to try to secure more state support for the schools.

Council President Todd A. McGee confirmed in addressing the council that Zrike contacted him and said he and McAndrew have been meeting.

Some teachers are working an additional 52 minutes a day and the school year has lengthened for many to 190 days from the previous 183 days, McAndrew said.

Issues include inadequate state reimbursement for special education costs and for charter schools and changes in longevity payments to veteran teachers, he said.

The Council with the teachers still in City Council Chambers went out of order on its agenda and referred this item filed by McGee to the Development and Government Relations Committee (DGR):

"The DG&R committee invite in our state delegation/leaders to address concerns and offer up options on changing the city's formula for State funds to assure a quality education for our students. In doing so, we would need to look closely at Chapter 70 funding as well as charter reimbursement. Clearly, our district is in need of additional resources. The current path is not sustainable."

The union has 350 members, McAndrew said.

Check back with The Republican and MassLive.com for more coverage of the Holyoke public school teachers' appearance at the City Council meeting.
SPRINGFIELD -- Police Commissioner John R. Barbieri is the top-ranking official in a string of officers to receive recent subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury probing suspected police misconduct, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

Reached on Tuesday, City Solicitor Edward Pikula would neither confirm nor deny the court order. Grand jury proceedings are traditionally secret. But, the inquiry has created a rising buzz in law enforcement circles.

"Grand jury proceedings are protected ... and are confidential," Pikula said. "There are exceptions, if someone chooses to talk about it, but they put themselves at risk of being charged with obstruction of justice."

Prosecutors from the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division are reportedly trained on a suspected rogue narcotics unit and a series of events during a single night in 2016.

The latter scenario involves a stolen undercover car that led to controversial interrogations of the young alleged thieves. Those interrogations, captured on video at Palmer's police station, brought an avalanche of embarrassment on the force when they became public.

Springfield Police Officer Gregg A. Bigda, seen on the footage threatening the boys, was suspended for 60 days. Another former detective, Steven Vigneault, resigned over an allegation he kicked one of the teens in the face after the boy was already handcuffed. They were both members of the narcotics unit at the time.

Vigneault has been cooperating with federal investigators for more than a year, according to court records. He denies kicking the suspect.

Barbieri is reportedly among a fresh crop of police witnesses to be called before the federal grand jury in an overarching investigation.

Hailed as a "change agent" by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno since being appointed in 2014, Barbieri has not had an easy tenure. The grand jury subpoena is the latest in a long line of headaches for the commissioner, whose contract expires May 31, 2019.

Sarno's office issued a statement on April 13 regarding a federal investigation into possible civil rights abuses by narcotics detectives.

The U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, Andrew Lelling, and a top official from the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division on that day met with Sarno, Barbieri and other city representatives. Sarno publicly pledged full cooperation.

Barbieri was served with a subpoena not long after the gathering at City Hall -- about two weeks later, according to sources.

But federal investigators' scrutiny of the Police Department began well before that. The FBI signaled its interest in aspects of the department 18 months ago with letters to local law enforcement officials.

Since then, a statewide grand jury in Worcester has begun scrutinizing a 2015 fight outside Nathan Bill's, a popular bar in East Forest Park.

At least four off-duty cops were involved in a brawl, according to police reports, and possibly more in a suspected cover-up, according to court filings in federal lawsuits filed by civilian plaintiffs injured in the fight. All the off-duty officers identified at the bar before the clash refused to speak with investigators, officials have said.

Meanwhile. a federal grand jury in Springfield exploring separate allegations of excessive force and civil rights violations has been ongoing for months.

Department of Justice officials also have told Sarno and other city stakeholders they intended to launch a "pattern-or-practice" review of internal policies.

According to the Justice Department's website, the civil rights division developed the process to "reform serious patterns and practices of excessive force, biased policing and other unconstitutional practices by law enforcement.

"The division has worked in departments as small as six officers and as large as 17,000," the website offers. "During the investigation, the division assesses whether any systemic deficiencies contribute to misconduct or enable it to persist. A critical part of the investigation is hearing directly from community members and police officers."

The process typically takes years, it says, and a report is issued at the end. The civil rights division has launched 25 such investigations since 2009, according to a report issued last year. These include probes in cities such as Baltimore, Cleveland, Newark, New Jersey, and Ferguson, Missouri. None have been launched in Massachusetts before, according to Justice Department records.

The fledgling pattern-or-practice investigation began in Springfield with two Justice Department attorneys and a paralegal reportedly rooting around in the Springfield Police Records Division for hours on a recent Monday, sources said. Bigda was exiled to that office in 2016 after his suspension while a member of the narcotics unit.

Federal grand jury subpoenas have been sporadically issued to lower-ranking police officers for months. Prosecutors have already requested piles of information including cellphone records from narcotics officers, sources have said. Civil rights watchdogs on both the state and federal levels are reportedly working in conjunction with the FBI.

While the results of the state and federal investigations remain to be seen, one former federal prosecutor said that external investigations of internal practices at the Springfield Police Department likely will strain what are supposed to be smooth working relationships with the feds, at a minimum.

"It's a sometimes challenging relationship between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, but something like this can create tensions and make working together even more difficult if not overtly antagonistic," said Springfield attorney John Pucci, a former assistant U.S. attorney who worked on a lengthy 1980s investigation and prosecution of corrupt narcotics detectives in the Philadelphia Police Department.

During an interview, Pucci declined to comment specifically on Springfield-related investigations.
SPRINGFIELD -- A City Council committee is meeting Thursday to discuss Springfield's asthma rates after the city was ranked by a nonprofit foundation as the most challenging place in the nation to live with asthma.

Councilor Jesse Lederman, chairman of the council's Health and Human Services Committee, has scheduled the meeting at 5:30 p.m., at City Hall, to get more information on adult and pediatric asthma rates in Springfield.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, which lists itself as a leading patient advocacy organization, recently released its 2018 Asthma Capitals report that identifies the 100 most challenging places to live with asthma. Springfield was No. 1 on the list followed in order by: Richmond, Virginia; Dayton, Ohio; Philadelphia; and Louisville.

Boston and Worcester were ranked 11th and 12th, respectively.

According to the foundation, cities are ranked based on asthma-related health outcomes: prevalence, emergency room visits and mortality. The report also looks at "risk factors that contribute to the outcomes including poverty, air quality, access to specialists, pollen counts, medicine use, tobacco policies and the rate of uninsured residents," the foundation said.

Lederman said the ranking is the result of the city's high asthma rate and numbers of emergency room visits for asthma attacks.

According to the Pioneer Valley Asthma Coalition, 19 percent of Springfield youth and 18 percent of Springfield's adults suffer from asthma, Lederman said.

"We've made great progress in Springfield in the last decade working to improve air quality and make our community healthier, but more must be done," Lederman said. "This is an issue that impacts many families in our community."

The meeting will include presentations by the Pioneer Valley Asthma Coalition and the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, Lederman said.

The foundation report can be found here.
SPRINGFIELD -- Roberto Isaac almost lost his leg to frostbite, came down with yellow fever and spent most of his life trying to forget the death and destruction he witnessed during World War II -- and his family had no idea.

Isaac died May 3 in Springfield at the age of 93 surrounded by his son, grandchildren and nieces, who knew he had been in the military but did not realize he was a member of the Army's 65th Infantry Regiment, the famed "Borinqueneers."

Like the Tuskegee Airmen and the Navajo Code Talkers, the Borinqueneers were members of a segregated infantry regiment, established in 1899, with members serving in World War I and World War II as well as in Korea. The infantry regiment was disbanded in 1959. After many years of effort by Puerto Rican veterans, former President Barack Obama signed legislation in 2014 granting the regiment the Congressional Gold Medal.

"We were just so shocked because he never talked about his military service," said his niece Blanca Barber, of Springfield. "We knew he had been honorably discharged and that he was a disabled veteran because he had gotten sick during the war, but we had no knowledge of him serving in the infantry."

Isaac's son Robert Isaac was going through some of his father's personal effects when he stumbled upon a small discharge card that his father had told him to keep.

"He gave me this card as I was preparing the funeral and I sent it to my brother, who explained to me that he was a Borinqueneer," Barber said.

Eladio Pagan Jr., who is in the Army National Guard, learned about the Borinqueeers many years ago, but had no idea his uncle was one of them.

"When I realized that he was in the infantry I just got goosebumps," he said through FaceTime from his home in Florida. "I told my sister this man was not just a soldier, he was a hero."

The family then went about securing a place for Roberto Isaac to be buried in the Massachusetts Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Agawam.

"We were not able to honor him during his life, but we wanted him to be buried with honor and to receive the recognition he deserved for fighting for our country," Barber said.

Isaac was just 18 years old and living in Tras Talleres, a neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. The year was 1943 and Isaac was first sent to duty in North Africa and later to France.

"He saw destruction and death, and I'm sure that's why he did not want to talk about it with his family," said Gumersindo Gomez, executive director of the Bilingual Veterans Outreach Center of Massachusetts.

Gomez said Isaac was a client at the center, but never once mentioned that he was part of the infantry.

"Like many of the men, I am sure he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. These men were not only fighting a war, they were also faced with extreme discrimination within the military," Gomez said.

During a small service Tuesday, Gomez pulled out the crest of the 65th Infantry Regiment and asked Isaac's grandson Chauncey Colon to pin it on his grandfather.

Colon said he did not know his grandfather well because Isaac spent most of his life in Puerto Rico, but he was humbled to learn of his military history.

"I honestly just felt very proud," said Colon, who is a private first class in the Army.

Before the funeral service, Colon pinned his uncle with various medals earned during World War II including the American Theater Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Medal with two bronze stars and the World War II Victory Medal for service overseas.

Dressed all in white and standing over his father's casket, Robert Isaac could not find the words to describe the man who raised him as a single father after his wife Olga Issac passed away when Robert was just 3 years old.

He said he will miss his father's presence and his humor.

"He was funny. He was very funny," he said, tearing up as he touched his father's face.

The service was simple, with his son and most of his nine grandchildren present along with nieces and military personnel at the cemetery.

"As you go on in your life, always remember to tell your children and your grandchildren about this man, because he is a legend in the Puerto Rican community and leaves a legacy for your family," Gomez said.

He has sent in Roberto Isaac's paperwork so that his family will receive a Congressional Gold Medal in his name.
Mount Ida College students were an "afterthought" as the small private institution looked for a way to avoid bankruptcy and settled on an acquisition deal with UMass Amherst, Massachusetts state Sen. Anne Gobi charged Wednesday.

Gobi, a Democrat from Spencer, criticized the deal after UMass President Marty Meehan and other university officials testified in front of the Senate's audit and oversight committee at the State House.

The committee also heard from Mount Ida students who said they were blindsided by their college's decision to close and sell its 74 acres to UMass Amherst, which plans to use the buildings there as a base of operations for juniors and seniors seeking internships in Greater Boston.

"There are kids here, they don't get a second chance," Gobi told Meehan. "This is what they wanted to do and the door has been closed on them."

Gobi said Meehan played a part in closing that door, a remark that prompted fierce pushback from Meehan and Gerry Leone, the UMass system's general counsel.

"The notion that UMass had anything to do with Mount Ida closing is unacceptable," Meehan said, reiterating that Mount Ida was set to close whether UMass stepped in or stayed out of the picture.

Bankruptcy was the other option for Mount Ida, according to Meehan. "The only difference would be the physical campus going into receivership and UMass unable to teach out certain specialized programs, since the facilities and equipment we are acquiring in the property transaction is necessary to take on that responsibility," Meehan said in his testimony.

Leone argued that UMass is opening doors for some students by taking on some education programs that would otherwise evaporate. As of earlier this month, 608 Mount Ida students applied to a UMass campus, and 397 have been accepted, according to university officials.

But Gobi said Meehan should be attempting to build up "regional equity" in other parts of the state, promoting manufacturing opportunities for students instead of sending them east for internships.

"We love Boston but there are 350 cities and towns in Massachusetts that have a lot to offer," she said.

When Meehan said UMass Amherst is dedicated to driving the western Massachusetts economy, Gobi fired back, "Not when you're shifting kids out here."

Leone echoed Meehan in saying UMass had nothing to do with Mount Ida closing its doors, but Gobi said investigations, including one helmed by Attorney General Maura Healey's office, are underway, and more information could be revealed.

UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy also appeared before the Senate committee, pointing to the campus's cranberry station in Wareham, the marine research facility in Gloucester and an instructional center in Springfield.

"We view Mount Ida in this same light, as an extension site at which UMass Amherst can help drive the Commonwealth's innovation economy by meeting the workforce needs of Massachusetts employers and engaging in research and development with industries in Greater Boston," he said in his testimony.
Following a year of major announcements for Worcester Regional Airport, officials are hopeful that a third airline offering a fifth destination could be coming to the airport.

The Massport-owned airport once stood abandoned on the top of Tatnuck Hill, with no commercial airlines offering any daily passenger flights.

That changed in 2013 when JetBlue began offering flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando from Worcester Regional Airport.

And two weeks ago, the first JetBlue flight from Worcester Regional Airport to New York took off. In October, daily American Airlines flights to Philadelphia are set to start.

The airport has seen a revitalization along with the ongoing renaissance of dining and development in New England's second-largest city.

City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. said he is hopeful that a third airline and fifth destination could be announced before this summer is over.

"The airport now has soon to be four destinations with two different airlines. I think we're hopeful that before the summer's over we'll have a fifth location with another airline," Augustus said, adding that it shows the level of commitment to the airport from Massport.

Massport officials confirmed that the agency is having conversations with other airlines.

At this point, there is nothing to announce, officials said.

In addition to the flights to Florida, New York and soon to Philadelphia, Rectrix Aviation also offers a 20-minute flight to Cape Cod out of Worcester Regional Airport.

At its peak in 1989, Worcester Regional Airport served more than 340,000 people. Since 2013, more than 500,000 passengers have flown on JetBlue through Worcester Regional Airport.
Is North Korea returning to form?

Sadly, it's beginning to appear that way. Though it shouldn't come as a great surprise, it surely is a real disappointment.

On Tuesday, with less than a month until the planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, the repressive and isolated state got all amped up about Joint military exercises being carried out by the United States and South Korea. It canceled a planned meeting with South Korean officials, and said next month's summit in Singapore could be in peril.

But that was only the beginning.

Just hours later, official pronouncements from North Korea took on something of the state's hyperbolic tone of old.

Using the initials for North Korea, DPRK, a prepared statement from the world's most isolated nation concluded as follows:

"If the Trump administration takes an approach to the DPRK-U.S. summit with sincerity for improved DPRK-U.S. relations, it will receive a deserved response from us. However, if the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit."

As Ronald Reagan might have said: There they go again.

If North Korea is going to start playing a game of bait-and-switch, seeming to offer one thing but then quickly changing course and proffering another, obviously inferior product, the United States must be fully prepared to walk away from the planned summit. Would it be disappointing? Absolutely. But our negotiators cannot shuffle into a meeting with Kim and his team, hat in hand, in a position of weakness.

From the sudden, stunning announcement of a possible Trump-Kim meeting to its recent scheduling, the old realities seemed to have been turned upside-down. Trump, who'd derided Kim as "Little Rocket Man," began to praise him. North Korea released three Americans who'd been imprisoned.

The stage seemed set for something dramatic, and completely unexpected.

Until Tuesday, that is.

North Korea's official statement came just four weeks before the scheduled Trump-Kim summit. Though the State Department said it will continue to plan as though the meeting will occur, there's the very real possibility that, at a minimum, there'll be additional starts and stops, further unanticipated twists and bumps in the road ahead.

Back when Reagan was president and was working on arms-reductions agreements with the Soviet Union, he'd frequently restate his guiding principle: Trust, but verify.

Perhaps the Gipper's saying got mixed up and jumbled in translation to the North Koreans, who are suddenly behaving as though their basic notion is more long these lines:

Mistrust, and terrify.
By Colin A. Young

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, MAY 16, 2018.....The Massachusetts House on Wednesday nearly unanimously approved a bill to support the state's life sciences industry, legislation which hews closely to the $1 billion, ten-year initiative launched by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2007.

The House vote Wednesday coincided with a press conference to tout an upcoming international biotech conference in Boston, which could give Gov. Charlie Baker an opportunity to sign an industry-friendly bill into law at the industry's largest gathering of the year.

The bill (H 4501) provides about $463 million in new capital authorizations for the state Life Sciences Capital Fund, with an emphasis on capital grants to increase diversity and opportunity in the Massachusetts life sciences and biotech industries, and extends for another decade a life sciences tax incentive program currently scheduled to expire at the end of 2018.

"The life sciences sector has become an integral part of this state's dynamic economy. This may be considered a life sciences bill but it transcends far beyond that into biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, data analytics, digital health and even construction," Rep. Joseph Wagner, who co-chairs the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, said Wednesday.

Among the $462.97 million in new capital authorization in the bill is $150 million carved out for investments in research and facilities throughout the University of Massachusetts. Within the proposed spending is a $47 million earmark for UMass Amherst, a $20 million earmark for UMass Boston, a $21.7 million carveout for UMass Dartmouth, and a $50 million earmark for a joint neuroscience proposal between UMass Lowell and the UMass Medical School in Worcester. Additional carveouts would drive mobile health work at UMass Medical and cell and gene therapy work at UMass Medical and a MassBiologics facility in Fall River.

The bill passed the House on a 147-3 vote, with Republican Reps. Nicholas Boldyga, Marc Lombardo and James Lyons casting the three dissenting votes.

Outlining the bill on the House floor Wednesday afternoon, Wagner said the legislation "builds on" the 10-year, $1 billion life sciences investment bill that Patrick proposed in 2007 and which became law in 2008.

"By any measure, the enactment of legislation 10 years ago has provided a sustained economic vitality here in the commonwealth that we can grow," Wagner said. He added, "By any reasonable measure, the bill we enacted 10 years ago has been a success and we should continue that effort."

Wagner said 80 projects around Massachusetts have benefitted from the first round of funding, that schools have received more than $16.3 million in STEM-related grants and that 11 different tax incentive programs have resulted in nearly 9,000 new jobs.

The House's passage of the life sciences bill came on the same day that Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash and others gathered to preview the 2018 BIO International Convention, which Boston will host from June 4 through June 7. Organizers say the convention will generate over $33 million in economic impact to the Boston area.

If the Senate follows the House's lead and shepherds the life sciences bill through its chamber by the end of the month, the timing could allow Baker to sign the bill into law at the BIO convention, which is expected to draw 16,000 attendees from 74 countries and will feature 1,800 exhibiting companies.

Baker proposed a five-year, $500 million bill in June 2017 to basically extend the life sciences law, and the very next day flew to California to take part in the 2017 International BIO Conference.

The BIO International Convention, hosted by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, was also held in Boston in 2007 when Gov. Patrick introduced the 10-year, $1 billion life sciences investment bill that later became law.
The state's marijuana oversight board awarded Kirby Mastrangelo priority to license her marijuana business under an "economic empowerment" program, because Mastrangelo plans to employ people who have been disproportionately impacted by marijuana enforcement.

But when Mastrangelo took her business plan to a town manager recently, she was rebuffed.

"(The town manager) told me your priority status means nothing with us," Mastrangelo said. "They were in discussions with large scale operators, and this probably wasn't the place for me."

Massachusetts state law is unique because it requires state regulators to ensure that minority communities and people with drug arrests -- those who have been disproportionately impacted by marijuana enforcement -- are able to participate in the legal marijuana industry. The Cannabis Control Commission has been giving priority licensing to "economic empowerment" applicants, which lets them apply for a license sooner and have their applications rise to the top of the pile for consideration.

But practically, advocates for minority communities say state approval means nothing if businesses cannot get local approval from cities and towns. So far, that has proven difficult.

"Even though the state views my model as a priority, most cities and towns I contacted simply do not," Mastrangelo said.

Mastrangelo told her story Wednesday to a Cannabis Control Commission advisory board subcommittee on market participation, which is tasked with making recommendations to the commission on how to include women, minority and veteran-owned businesses and local agriculture in the marijuana industry.

Members of the board said Mastrangelo's experience is not unusual. Economic empowerment applicants may have gotten state priority approval, but many are floundering. They are not yet getting any technical assistance from the state, although a program is being set up. Many struggle with basic tasks like setting up a bank account. Some cannot get phone calls returned from municipal officials.

"We've all encountered folks who are trying to move forward or people who run into roadblocks," said subcommittee chairwoman Shanel Lindsay. "Municipalities need guidance from the commission that's explicit when it comes to what the equity program is, what it means, that it should be a priority at the city and town level."

Ross Bradshaw, a marijuana entrepreneur from Worcester who has economic empowerment status, said he has seen "little to no interest" among city and town officials in helping economic empowerment applicants. Either they do not know about the program or, Bradshaw said, "The unfortunate reality is they don't care."

Before it can open, a marijuana business needs a host community agreement with the city or town where it is located.

Bradshaw said he is not aware of any municipalities that prioritize licensing for economic empowerment applicants. "Without buy-in from cities and towns, what we're trying to attempt here in terms of creating an equitable industry is irrelevant," Bradshaw told the advisory board.

Bradshaw worried that with a number of municipalities capping retail licenses, by the time economic empowerment applicants are ready to apply, the licenses will be gone. "Typically, how it works in low-income minority communities is when opportunity comes, it's usually too late," Ross said.

Advisory board member Kim Napoli said one problem is some municipalities see host agreements as "a money grab."

"Even operators that have a lot of capital are finding themselves at the mercy of towns holding over their head a community host agreement to soak them for as much as they can get," Napoli said. "Economic empowerment applicants can't complete with that."

Geoff Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, said he has not talked to cities and towns about economic empowerment. But he said municipalities are still learning about the new law and industry.

"This is an emerging marketplace with lots of unknowns and new wrinkles and aspects that everyone is coming up to speed on," Beckwith said. "I know communities are very concerned about avoiding the appearance of preferential treatment for any category of applicant."

Beckwith said there needs to be a dialogue between state regulators and municipalities about how the economic empowerment program impacts cities and towns.

"Cities and towns are obviously interested in doing the best job they can in an emerging marketplace with rules that are just coming up online for implementation," Beckwith said.

Beckwith said municipalities are far from the only roadblock for fledgling business owners who sometimes have never run a business, do not have access to capital or have not operated in a regulated marketplace.

Advocates for minority businesses agree that there are other roadblocks. Bradshaw said there should be more state-sponsored technical assistance for economic empowerment applicants.

"Now, we have a number of well-financed and well-educated companies in terms of cannabis who know how to effectively navigate municipalities and federal laws that are now competing with economic empowerment applicants who are just starting to put their toes into the water and understand the industry," Bradshaw said.

Advisory board member Horace Small, executive director of the Union of Minority Neighborhoods, said, "I've been inundated in the community with phone calls and messages saying people got pre-approved and don't know what they're pre-approved for. They have no one to contact to find out how to go forward."

Small said the state needs to take longer before opening the legal marijuana market. Other states have taken three to four years to open regulated markets. "People of color and people who have been hurt (by marijuana enforcement) have been screwed by this system," Small said.

Small said the "poor black and brown kids busted over a joint" were the people the equity provision was meant to help. Instead, he said, "what's confronting them is chaos."

Henry Thomas, an advisory board member and president of the Urban League of Springfield, said there is "a perpetual cloud of uncertainty around access and equity issues associated with implementation of the legislation."

"There are question after question, how do I get in, how do I get a job in this space, how can I become an entrepreneur?" Thomas said. "I think the commission has been wholly inadequate and insufficient in getting information out to the general public."

The advisory board is recommending that the Cannabis Control Commission issue guidelines to municipalities that explain the law's equity provisions and recommend that municipalities create their own equity programs to prioritize economic empowerment license applicants.

The board is recommending that the commission hold public briefing sessions and create a multilingual website for economic empowerment applicants, which would include things like banking opportunities and a list of municipal bans and moratoriums. The advisory board is recommending better communication between the Cannabis Control Commission and the board, after members complained that the commission provided them with too little information.

The Cannabis Control Commission recently hired a director of community outreach. Executive Director Shawn Collins said the commission appreciates the feedback from the advisory committee.

"We remain committed to promoting participation from individuals and communities disproportionately impacted by marijuana prohibition within the adult use cannabis industry, and are implementing initiatives and programs that meet those objectives," Collins said in a statement. "We will continue listening to all constituents as well as the Cannabis Advisory Board and encourage collaboration as we work together to implement a safe, equitable, and effective adult use cannabis industry in Massachusetts."
U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, expressed frustration Wednesday over FEMA's decision to not offer Disaster Housing Assistance Program to Puerto Rican families displaced by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, offering that the federal government owes these evacuees better.

The senators, who urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency last month to work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in offering the program to help hurricane survivors, continued to raise concerns about the number of evacuees seeking long-term housing solutions.

They further pledged to continue pressing the issue on Capitol Hill and working with families in Massachusetts who were impacted by last year's storms.

"FEMA's response is frustrating. We owe our fellow U.S. citizens displaced by the hurricanes much better," the senators said in a statement. "We're actively working on legislative solutions to address FEMA's inadequate response and to provide longer-term housing solutions to evacuees. And we are continuing to work directly to help families in Massachusetts who are affected."

Warren and Markey, whose offices have repeatedly called on FEMA to extend shelter assistance deadlines in recent months, asked the agency's administrator, William "Brock" Long, in an April 20 letter to immediately enter an agreement with HUD "to stand up the Disaster Housing Assistance Program and address the medium- and longer-term housing needs" of Puerto Rican evacuees.

The senators contended that while conditions in Puerto Rico have improved since the September storms, "there is still tremendous need on the island." They added that many evacuees lack paperwork needed to show they own their homes, or plan not to return out of fear that the island is unprepared for the upcoming hurricane season.

The Democrats argued that HUD's Disaster Housing Assistance Program, which provides subsidies to help families pay rent, put down security deposits or pay utilities, "is specifically designed to address the medium- and longer-term housing needs of survivors of natural disasters."

"Both Republican and Democratic presidential administrations have identified HUD as the appropriate agency to handle the long-term housing needs of victims of natural disasters," they wrote. "It was used in response to Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Sandy. No congressional action is required -- FEMA and HUD can and should immediately begin to work together to stand up the DHAP program."

Despite pleas from the senators and others, FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Byrne told Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello Nevares Tuesday that it would not implement DHAP for the island's recovery efforts.

"Instead of DHAP, both the U.S. Federal Emergency Management agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have offered multiple housing solutions that are better able to meet the current housing needs of impacted survivors across Puerto Rico," he wrote in a letter.

Byrne noted that FEMA's Individuals and Households Program, which offers financial housing assistance and direct housing assistance, has obligated more than $1.2 billion in assistance, including $593 million in housing assistance for survivors. Puerto Rico, he added, will receive $19.9 billion in HUD's Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery, which will help cover home construction and repairs.

Evacuees who relocated in the continental U.S., meanwhile, can utilize FEMA's Immediate Disaster Case Management program in developing their permanent housing and recovery plans, Byrne said.

"Both FEMA and HUD continue working together and with other partners to provide the most effective and efficient housing solutions that can meet current needs across Puerto Rico," he wrote.

FEMA announced earlier this month that it would extend the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program through June 30 to give evacuees using the benefit 60 days to solidify their long-term housing plans.

Federal officials, who noted that this will be the final extension of the program for those impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, said FEMA will further offer families living in the continental United States under the shelter assistance benefit transportation back to Puerto Rico.

About 2,300 families remained in TSA-participating hotel rooms across more than 30 states and Puerto Rico, including 380 in Massachusetts alone as of May 3, according to FEMA.
Employers like EY and IBM are now hiring workers without college degrees

Companies often use a bachelors degree requirement as shorthand for a variety of soft skills. But the tight labor market is forcing them to broaden their talent pools.

By Gwen Moran

https://www.fastcompany.com/40565547/why-some-companies-are-dropping-degree-requirements-in-hiring
Senator Passes Bipartisan Resolution to Guarantee Access to Worlds Greatest Source of Information

U.S. Senator Jon Tester issued the following statement after voting for legislation to protect net neutrality:

"Without this legislation big corporations can block Montanans from accessing the worlds greatest source of information. When Washington bureaucrats repealed net neutrality, they threatened Montanas students, small business owners, and farmers. This bill will restore a free and open internet, putting businesses, classrooms, and health care just a click away."

Testers bipartisan resolution will void the Federal Communications Commissions decision to repeal net neutrality, reinstating rules to keep corporations from throttling websites and imposing unnecessary fees.

Todays vote also advances Testers #ConnectMT initiative https://www.tester.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=4147 , which seeks to connect folks across Big Sky Countryboth online and in personby investing in Montanas roads, bridges, broadband, wifi, cellular and landline infrastructures.

Testers resolution passed the Senate 52-47 and will now go to the House of Representatives for a vote.
The gaping chasm between reality and unreality is exemplified by recent contrasting statements about journalism from two veteran reporters. On the one side we have Jeremy Bowen, the BBCs Middle East editor, who enjoys a public image of principled honesty and a supposedly fierce commitment to news balance and impartiality. But, when he was challenged recently on Twitter about the blatant bias in BBC News reporting, he responded just as one would expect of a well-rewarded, high-profile employee of the national broadcaster:

We are the best source of decent, impartial reportage anywhere in the world.

As Noam Chomsky has observed of elite power and allied corporate journalists:

Heaven must be full to overflowing, if the masters of self-adulation are to be taken at their word. (Chomsky, Year 501, Verso, 1993, p.20)

In reality, as hundreds of media alerts, and several of our books attest, and also the work of many others, Bowens assertion could not be further from the truth.

By contrast, consider a recent interview with renowned journalist and documentary filmmaker John Pilger on mainstream media coverage of Syria, Salisbury, Yemen and Korea. He said:

Ive never known journalism to be so distorted in order to serve this propaganda [] What were seeing is the most intense campaign of propaganda at least since the build-up to the Iraq war in 2003.

Pilger often makes a specific point of including BBC News in his scathing criticism:

Why has so much journalism succumbed to propaganda? Why are censorship and distortion standard practice? Why is the BBC so often a mouthpiece of rapacious power?

In what follows, we itemise a range of important issues where current mainstream reporting is not simply poor or weak; but systematically skewed in the interests of Western state-corporate power.

It is important to grasp that this is not about the so-called failure of corporate journalism. Rather, this is a reminder that corporate journalism is performing exactly as it should. As Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky noted when introducing their propaganda model of the media in Manufacturing Consent, published thirty years ago:

The mass media serve as a system for communicating messages and symbols to the general populace. It is their function to amuse, entertain, and inform, and to inculcate individuals with the values, beliefs, and codes of behavior that will integrate them into the institutional structures of the larger society. In a world of concentrated wealth and major conflicts of class interest, to fulfill this role requires systematic propaganda. (Herman and Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent, Vintage, 1988/1994, p. 1; our emphasis)

1. Israelis Deliberately Killing Palestinians, Including Children

A recent media alert highlighted the mass killing and wounding of Palestinians in Gaza, including children, by Israeli armed forces in what the media often describe as clashes. Before the latest major massacre on May 14 (see below), Israeli forces had already killed over 50 Palestinian protesters and injured over 5000, including 1700 by live fire, during Great March of Return protests that began on March 30. UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk condemned Israels actions as violations of international law.

On April 21, an Israeli general confirmed in a radio interview that even children have been shot deliberately under clear and specific orders. United Nations peace process envoy Nickolay Mladenov declared the targeting of children outrageous.

In a sane world, such an appalling Israeli policy would be major headline news. Our searches revealed not a single mainstream report about it in the days following the Israeli generals comments. We asked senior BBC News editors and journalists to point us to the BBC News headlines and follow-up coverage on this revelation. BBC chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet was the only one to respond. And that was after we observed that she had previously reported in 2013 that Syrian children had been targeted by snipers. What about Palestinian children targeted by Israeli forces? She replied:

Thank you for message. Am involved in another story now but will forward to colleagues working in the region now.

Predictably, there was no follow-up on BBC News, as far as we could see. We need only imagine the global outrage if Palestinian snipers were found to be deliberately targeting Israeli children to gauge the current level of media silence.

Even more mass killings of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers have occurred since. On May 14, on the day that the US controversially opened its new embassy in Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers killed and wounded huge numbers of Palestinians. By the evening, the UN noted that 55 had been killed, including six children. 2,771 people were reported injured, including 1,359 by live ammunition, with 130 people in a critical condition. By the following day, the death toll had risen to 61, including an eight-month-old baby who died from tear gas inhalation.

All day long, BBC News disgraced itself with headline after headline on the top page of its website masking the truth. Despite weeks of public outrage at previous biased reporting of Gaza protests, BBC News was still using the Israeli-approved word clashes to describe the deliberate mass killing of Palestinians.

Compare with the Guardian website which, for once, did not mince its words about Israels crimes: Israeli troops kill dozens of Palestinians. Would that really have been too difficult for someone at BBC News to type out? Clearly so, and no surprise given that the BBC routinely trembles in fear before the pro-Israel lobby. Why else would BBC News choose Dozens die as US opens Jerusalem embassy as a headline, masking the fact that Israeli troops had massacred civilians? To be fair to the BBC, the Guardian print edition of May 15 was equally as bad, featuring the headline, Israel: Trumps new embassy opens  and dozens are killed.

By the end of the day, the top headline on the BBC News website was: Israel defends Gaza action as 55 killed. As ever, the Israeli perspective is given prominence, even as it commits abhorrent crimes against civilians. The massacre of unarmed civilians was merely an action, and the identity of the people murdered by the Israeli army was obscured  perhaps a mix of Israelis and Palestinians had been killed? In fact, there were no Israeli casualties.

On the flagship BBC News at Ten, graphics and headlines proclaimed, Gaza Clashes, an abomination used by the BBC instead of Gaza Massacre. The heart-breaking reality behind the lie of clashes could be seen in the anguish of a Palestinian father crying in farewell to his little boy:

Oh people, my son

The following day (May 15), the BBCs truth-mangling headline read:

Gaza braced for further violent protests

A more honest headline would have been:

Gaza civilians braced for a further Israeli massacre

A glimmer of hope for sanity was seen when, following public outrage, The New York Times changed its headline on an article from Palestinians died in protest to Israeli soldiers killed dozens of Palestinians. As Twitter user @FalafelDad observed:

media accountability is NECESSARY and can be achieved.

2. Fact-Checking Trumps Iran Deal Speech

When Donald Trump announced last week that the US was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, analysis by Now This News website revealed in a short video that, in his speech:

Trump averaged one false claim every 83 seconds.

For example, Trump claimed:

The deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and  over time  reach the brink of a nuclear breakout.

As the video pointed out:

False. The deal forced Iran to give up all weapons-grade uranium and barred it from producing more.

Trump continued:

The deal lifted crippling economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for very weak limits on the regimes nuclear activity.

And in the real world?

Wrong. The deal gave inspectors unrestricted access to all Iranian nuclear sites and suspicious facilities.

And so on.

In contrast, BBC News at Ten essentially took Trumps speech at face value. Our challenge to senior BBC editors and correspondents to actually fact-check Trumps assertions was met with the usual silence.

In an online piece, Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence and diplomatic correspondent, did go so far as to say:

The inconvenient truth for Donald Trump is that, as far as it goes, the nuclear deal was working. Despite this, Mr Trump presented it in stark and frankly erroneous terms  for leaving out things that it was never supposed to cover in the first place.

But two lines couched in rather vague and non-specific terms is scant compensation for flagship BBC News television reporting that is little more than stenography. Senior editors and journalists seem to believe that their job is to tell the public what our leaders say, and not to scrutinise claims made. This is galling; all the more so when dangerous rhetoric, making war more likely, goes unchallenged. But then, as John Pilger once wrote, corporate journalists are:

the essential foot soldiers in any network devoted to power and propaganda.

3. Douma And The Salisbury Attack

There is so much that could be said on Douma following our recent two-part media alert. Note, for instance, the corporate medias response to a press conference at the headquarters of the global chemical weapons watchdog OPCW in the Hague on April 26. A number of Syrians, including children, gave their version of events in Douma, casting serious doubt on the official Western narrative of a chemical weapons attack that provided the pretext for missile attacks by the US, the UK and France on April 14. Mainstream media dutifully headlined the scathing dismissal by Western powers of the Russia-organised press conference as nothing more than a crude propaganda exercise and an obscene masquerade.

Meanwhile, the corporate media blanked the assessment of Scott Ritter, the UN weapons inspector vindicated in his detailed appraisal that Iraq had been fundamentally disarmed of WMD before the 2003 war. Last month, interviewer Dennis Bernstein of Flashpoints Radio asked Ritter:

Isnt it also the case that there were problems with the allegations concerning Syria using chemical weapons in 2013 and then again in 2015? I believe The New York Times had to retract their 2013 story.

Ritter replied:

They put out a story about thousands of people dying, claiming that it was definitely done by the Syrian government. It turned out later that the number of deaths was far lower and that the weapons systems used were probably in the possession of the rebels. It was a case of the rebels staging a chemical attack in order to get the world to intervene on their behalf.

He continued:

A similar scenario unfolded last year when the Syrian government dropped two or three bombs on a village and suddenly there were reports that there was sarin nerve agent and chlorine gas wafting through the village, killing scores of people. Videotapes were taken of dead and dying and suffering people which prompted Trump to intervene. Inspectors never went to the site. Instead they relied upon evidence collected by the rebels.

Ritter expanded on this vital point:

As a weapons inspector, I can tell you that chain of custody of any samples that are to be used in the investigation is an absolute. You have to be at the site when it is collected, it has to be certified to be in your possession until the laboratory. Any break in the chain of custody makes that evidence useless for a legitimate investigation. So we have evidence collected by the rebels. They videotaped themselves carrying out the inspection, wearing training suits that would not have protected them at all from chemical weapons! Like almost everything having to do with these rebels, this was a staged event, an act of theater.

Ritter then turned to the US/UK/France missile attack on Syria on April 14:

We bombed three targets, a research facility in Damascus and two bunker facilities in western Syria. It was claimed that all three targets were involved with a Syrian chemical weapons program. But the Syria weapons program was verified to be disarmed. So what chemical weapons program are we talking about? Then US officials said that one of these sites stored sarin nerve agent and chemical production equipment. That is a very specific statement. Now, if Syria was verified to be disarmed last year, with all this material eliminated, what are they talking about? What evidence do they have that any of this material exists? They just make it up. [Emphasis in original]

Serious questions also remain regarding the official story on the Skripal poison attack in Salisbury; not least, why the rebranded D-Notice committee has issued not just one, but two notices in an attempt to shut down aspects of media coverage.

As ever, the views of experts and witnesses whose testimony accords with the Western narrative are given heavy coverage in the corporate media; while those whose testimony runs counter to that narrative tend to be either dismissed or simply ignored. As Noam Chomsky once observed:

Under whats sometimes been called brainwashing under freedom, the critics, or at least, the responsible critics make a major contribution to the cause by bounding the debate within certain acceptable limits  thats why theyre tolerated, and in fact even honored. (Quoted, Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky, edited by Peter R. Mitchell and John Schoeffel, The New Press, New York, 2002, p. 13)

4. Todays McCarthyism

As noted earlier, the intense campaign of propaganda described by John Pilger is severely distorting what passes for journalism. A constant target of this distortion is Russia, in a grotesque echo of Cold War propaganda. From Moscow, the BBCs Steve Rosenberg plays the required role, recently commenting on the inauguration ceremony following Russian president Putins re-election:

The symbolism and the message couldnt be clearer. Putin, the modern tsar. Loved by his people.

Putin and Russia are forever portrayed as flexing their military muscles and representing a threat to the West, not least by BBC News. It is notable that a similar snooty, doom-mongering tone are absent when UK state occasions, or military exercises, are reported.

Alex Thomson of Channel 4 News responded to us on Twitter:

You will find Putin has a little more power than the Queen by the way. Just a tad

We replied:

UK churnalism endlessly drools over our dear leaders. Remember the Blair adulation? And Obama? But thats okay, because theyre good guys, not like Putin.

Thomson followed up with:

I dont see much drooling. And neither Blair nor Obama routinely liquidate opposition/journalists as happens under Putins Kremlin, unarguably.

Our response:

Because you dont want to see it. But you can see Putins crimes. Can you also see that Blair and Obama destroyed entire countries [Iraq, Libya], also unarguably? Can you see that the state-corporate system they served is ferociously violent, exploitative and criminal?

Thomson did not answer, other than to request to be untagged from an exchange he had initiated, following a further critical response from another tweeter.

Meanwhile, the increasingly neocon Guardian plastered on its front page, not just one, but three, pieces of anti-Russia propaganda:

The Guardian, once regarded by many on the left as the vanguard of power-challenging journalism, was clearly pushing the red scare agenda hard, in line with UK government priorities.

The big Revealed piece was written by Patrick Wintour, the papers diplomatic editor. The main message, which could have come straight from a government press release, was this:

The UK will use a series of international summits this year to call for a comprehensive strategy to combat Russian disinformation and urge a rethink over traditional diplomatic dialogue with Moscow, following the Kremlins aggressive campaign of denials over the use of chemical weapons in the UK and Syria.

Former Guardian journalist Jonathan Cook was rightly critical in a blog piece:

When I trained as a journalist, we reserved a Revealed or an Exposed for those special occasions when we were able to bring to the reader information those in power did not want known. These were the rare moments when as journalists we could hold our heads high and claim to be monitoring the centres of power, to be fulfilling our sacred duty as the fourth estate.

Cook continued:

But todays Guardians exclusive story Revealed: UKs push to strengthen anti-Russia alliance is doing none of this. Nothing the powerful would want hidden from us is being revealed. No one had to seek out classified documents or speak to a whistleblower to bring us this revelation. Everyone in this story  the journalist Patrick Wintour, an anonymous Whitehall official, and the named politicians and think-tank wonks  is safely in the same self-congratulatory club, promoting a barely veiled government policy: to renew the Cold War against Russia.

The author of the second piece on how Russia fights propaganda war was, ironically, Luke Harding, the papers former Moscow-based correspondent who regularly churned out pro-West propaganda in that role. Former UK diplomat Craig Murray describes Harding as MI6s most important media conduit (after [BBC security correspondent] Frank Gardner). The pinpoint demolition of Harding by Aaron Mate of The Real News Network last year is a must-watch.

A later Guardian piece by Amanda Meade, Guardian Australias media correspondent, actually contained this line:

RT is a powerful PR arm of the Russian government which is used as a weapon in the global information war.

When did the Guardian ever write the following line?

The BBC is a powerful PR arm of the British government which is used as a weapon in the global information war.

As Caitlin Johnstone rightly notes, any discussion of Russian disinformation is invalid if it sweeps under the carpet previous massive Western propaganda campaigns; not least that leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Those questioning the official Western narratives on Russia and Syria have been subjected to an appalling McCarthyite campaign of vilification and intimidation; in large part initiated by The Times and followed up by others, including Guardian columnist George Monbiot and Huffington Post. This has led to the late rearrangement of a planned conference in Leeds, titled Media on Trial, after the city council pulled the plug on allowing Leeds City Museum to be used as the venue. A report on the events cancellation, written by Chris York, a senior editor at HuffPost UK, smeared the speakers, including Professors Tim Hayward and Piers Robinson, as pro-Assad. Indeed, York has been relentless in attacking the academics as pro-Assad.

As for George Monbiot, the Guardians long-time resident dissident, his subservience to the official narrative on Russia and Syria was starkly exposed by journalist Peter Hitchens in recent exchanges on Twitter. Hitchens had previously published a detailed piece on his blog titled, Who Gassed Whom in Syria? We dont Know. Please Dont be Rushed into War.

The Twitter exchange is lengthy and not archived in a single thread, as far as we are aware. But as an indicator of Monbiots inability to respond to Hitchens, consider this discussion on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons(OPCW):

Monbiot:

The OPCW/JIM report on Khan Shaykhun [in 2017] presented a mountain of evidence for a chemical weapons attack by the Assad government

Hitchens:

1. The report is based on a study that breaks the OPCWs own stated 2013 rule: No assessment without visiting the site. But the OPCW never visited the site. It is full of anonymous judgements of likelihood, phrases such as appeared to be and highly likely

Followed up by:

2. Sorry to put it like this George (but not very) but any proper journalist knows that appears to be; and highly likely are phrases used by people who would have loved to say is, but havent the facts which would allow them to do so.

And:

3. Id also say that in a long career I have learned to be sceptical of opinions convenient to the person presenting them, originating from unnamed and unidentified sources, and of people with firm views about events they did not themselves witness.

After Monbiot had liked a tweet smearing Hitchens as a chemical weapons denier/Assad-Putin stooge, together with Monbiots clear inability to properly respond to reasonable questions from Hitchens about supposed incontrovertible evidence of Assads guilt, Hitchens concluded:

I have been dismayed and disappointed by the behaviour of @GeorgeMonbiot on this issue, where he has preferred smear to rational, fact-based debate. What has happened to radicalism in the west, when prominent left-wingers behave like this?

Indeed. Although, when it comes to UK foreign policy, far from being a left-winger, Monbiot has consistently aligned himself with dubious neocon and interventionist voices for some considerable time.

Concluding Remarks

It may have taken several years, but Guardian columnist Owen Jones has come to realise something vital about the mainstream media which, to his credit, he has been willing to share:

The main thing Ive learned from working in the British media is that much of it is a cult. Afflicted by a suffocating groupthink, intolerant of critics, hounds internal dissenters, full of people who made it because of connections and/or personal background rather than merit.

As Ian Sinclair pointed out in the Morning Star:

the indignant responses [from corporate journalists]  perfectly illustrating Joness argument  came thick and fast.

The response from Deborah Haynes, Times defence editor, was typical when she proudly declared:

No-one tells me what to think

US writer and media critic Michael Parenti had the perfect response for this recurring facile boast from corporate journalists:

You say what you like because they like what you say.

In other words, journalists are filtered for reliability; only those who say, write and even think the right things are able to reach senior positions in journalism. The consequences for genuine truth-telling journalism are horrendous, as the above examples show.

DC & DE
Visitors view pictures of Marx, among others, at the same exhibition that provides a comprehensive look at the life and work of the German philosopher at the National Museum of China. [Photo by Chen Fenglin/For China Daily]

As events are being held to mark the bicentenary of Karl Marx's birth, The Power of Truth, an exhibition in Beijing, looks at various facets of his life. Lin Qi reports.

Could a high school student's paper be an insightful one? In 1835, teachers at the Trier High School, in then Kingdom of Prussia (now Germany), received such a piece from one of the graduates-to-be.

In this graduation composition titled Youths' Considerations in Choosing Occupations, the writer expressed an ambition for a job serving the people.

He said if one chose a lofty career seeking the best for mankind, then, he would not be overwhelmed with heavy responsibilities, as he was making a sacrifice for the benefit of all people.

The composition earned its author, a precocious schoolboy named Karl Marx (1818-83), good remarks from the examiner who said his composition was "rich in ideas, showing a deep understanding of things".

It proves, after nearly 200 years, that Marx was not trading words for high marks, as he truly lived up to his high expectations for a fruitful life.

In his prime, he was considered an important philosopher, political theorist and revolutionary socialist.

His thoughts on communism have been put to practice around the world, and became the foundation of several communist states in the 20th century.

His name evolved to be an expression of a theory (Marxism).

Now, celebratory events are being held to mark the bicentenary of Marx's birth, especially in China where he is highly regarded.
President Tran Dai Quang (R) receives Lao Deputy Minister of Public Security Kongthong Phongvichit (Photo: VNA)



The Vietnamese State leader lauded Laos achievements in all fields, including its stable political situation, economic development, improved living conditions and enhanced position in the world arena.

He praised the Public Security Ministries of Vietnam and Laos for maintaining high-level security cooperation conferences, along with meetings, thematic conferences and personnel training affiliation.

Highlighting the traditional solidarity of Vietnam and Laos, President Tran Dai Quang lauded the precious support of Laos during the past struggle for independence and current national construction and defence of Vietnam.

He declared that the Party, State and Peoples Public Security Force of Vietnam see the partnership with Laos as among key factors to maintain the leadership of the Party and State of Vietnam and Laos to successfully fulfil targets in reform, ensuring a peaceful and wealthy life of both Vietnamese and Lao people.

Both President Tran Dai Quang and Kongthong Phongvichit agreed that the public security forces of the two countries should improve their coordination in implementing policies of the two Parties and States in safeguarding national security and social order and safety in each country.

The two forces should promote their cooperation to stay active in foiling all schemes to harm the national security of each country and separate the solidarity of the two nations.

They concurred that the forces should timely deal with arising problems related to security and order of each country, especially those in free migration and undocumented marriage along shared border, as well as drug trafficking across the border.

President Tran Dai Quang asked the two forces to enhance coordination in personnel training, technology, anti-terrorism and cyber crimes, while supporting each other at regional and international forums on criminal prevention and control, especially fighting hi-tech, environmental crimes and other non-traditional crimes.

For his part, Kongthong Phongvichit briefed his host on the partnership between public security forces of both sides, including major plans in their cooperation for the future.

He affirmed that the Laos Public Security Ministry treasures the assistance of Vietnams Public Security Ministry, especially support in material and technical equipment.

He also pledged to strengthen ties with the Vietnamese side, thus contributing to preserving the Laos-Vietnam special relations./.
Vietnamese Foreign Ministrys spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang. (Source: VNA)



Hang made the statement in Hanoi on May 15th while answering reporters question regarding Vietnams reaction to increasing conflicts in the Gaza Strip between Israeli security forces and Palestinian people.

Vietnam calls on the concerned parties to exercise restraint, handle conflicts through peaceful measures and create favourable conditions for negotiations as well as international efforts to reach comprehensive, equitable and sustainable solutions, ensuring legitimate interests of the parties, and regional peace and stability, the spokesperson said.

Earlier, at the open debate of the UN Security Council on April 26th, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, head of Vietnams Permanent Mission to the United Nations, also expressed Vietnams concern about the current Middle East situation and called on the UN Security Council to uphold its important role in encouraging the resumption of peace talks between the parties.

She stressed the need for all parties to respect international humanitarian law, stop any act of hostility, incitement and violence, to ensure unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance./.
Ms. Truong My Hoa granted a certificate recognizing the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Association in Australia as a collective member of the club (Photo: VNA)

The meeting, which was organized by the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Association in Australia, was attended by Ms. Truong My Hoa, former Vice State President and Chairwoman of the club For beloved Hoang Sa - Truong Sa.

At the meeting, the participants spent a minute to commemorate the 64 soldiers who sacrificed their lives bravely in the naval battle to protect Gac Ma and the sacred sovereignty over the sea and island of Vietnam in 1988.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Tran Ba Phuc, member of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee and Chairman of the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Association in Australia, said the overseas Vietnamese community pays much attention to Vietnams seas, islands and territorial sovereignty.

He called on the overseas Vietnamese community in Australia and around the world to stand side by side with people at home to become a firm base for soldiers who protect the nations seas and islands day and night.

At the event, the participants also saw a documentary film about achievements the club has achieved after three years of operation.

Ms. Truong My Hoa highly appreciated the precious and significant contributions the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Association in Australia, a collective member of the club, and individual members, who are businessmen, overseas Vietnamese people and student in Australia, has shared difficulties with people and soldiers on duty on islands.

On this occasion, she also granted a certificate recognizing the Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Association in Australia as a collective member of the club.

At the meeting, guests also donated AUD2,000 to the club./.
Ambassador Doan Xuan Hung offered flowers at the memorial site (Photo: VNA)

The activity aims to mark the 128th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh.

The memorial site is located in the campus of former Kathe-Kollwitz-Heim school, which was called Moritzburg school. It was built right after Uncle Ho visited the school 61 years ago.

Ambassador Doan Xuan Hung reviewed moving stories of President Ho Chi Minh during his first official visit to Germany in 1957. On this occasion, in spite of a heavy working schedule, President Ho Chi Minh still spent time to visit Kathe-Kollwitz-Heim school, where many excellent Vietnamese students were sent to study since 1955. President Ho Chi Minh talked with and encouraged the students to try to study to contribute to the construction of the nation.

The ambassador stressed that sending the excellent Vietnamese students to Germany showed the great attention of the Party and Vietnamese Government, especially President Ho Chi Minh, to train the young generation, the future generation of the country, as well as build good relations between Vietnam and Germany.

He hoped that the memorial site will be a destination for the overseas Vietnamese community and German friends. Therefore, they will see the hallmarks of the friendship between the two countries President Ho Chi Minh fostered.

In 2015, Mr. Vo Van Long, General Director of Thang Long Company in Germany, restored the memorial site.

For the overseas Vietnamese community in Germany, this was not only a significant act, but also showed love and respect for the leader of the nation and further deepened the sustainable symbol for the friendship between the peoples of the two countries./.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago in Beijing, capital of China, May 15, 2018. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping Tuesday called on China, and Trinidad and Tobago to enhance the synergy of their development strategies and plans.

Xi made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago.

"China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with Trinidad and Tobago under the Belt and Road Initiative, and help promote its socio-economic development," he said.

Xi said he appreciated the long-term contribution made by Rowley and the People's National Movement (PNM) in developing relations with China.

He said China was comprehensively deepening reform and opening wider to the outside world.

"While realizing its own development, China is willing to pursue common development with other countries, following the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration," Xi said.

China is committed to working with other countries to promote the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity, he said.

In this historical process, China is willing to build a comprehensive cooperative partnership with Caribbean countries in line with the principle of mutual respect, equality and common development, Xi said

"Trinidad and Tobago is a major country in the Caribbean region and is an important partner of China in the region," he said, noting that the two countries share similar positions and views in many aspects.

"Under the new situation, the two sides should work together to achieve new development in relations at the bilateral, regional and multilateral level," Xi said.

The president called on the two sides to "enhance alignment of development strategies and increase contacts at all levels so as to deepen mutual understanding and trust."

"It is necessary to strengthen cultural exchanges so that the bilateral friendship can become more deeply rooted in the people," Xi said.

He suggested both sides maintain close communication and coordination on major global issues such as climate change and the United Nation affairs so as to safeguard the common interests of both countries as well as developing countries.

"China will continue to speak for Caribbean countries including Trinidad and Tobago on multilateral occasions and hopes that Trinidad and Tobago will play a positive role in promoting China's cooperation with the Caribbean and Latin American countries" Xi said.

Rowley said President Xi's successful visit to Trinidad and Tobago in 2013 had laid a solid foundation for the long-term development of bilateral ties.

He expressed appreciation for China's development achievements, noting that Trinidad and Tobago also has its development dreams and hopes to enhance cooperation with China.

As early as 1806, the first group of Chinese people arrived in Trinidad and Tobago via the maritime silk road, he said.

"In the new era, Trinidad and Tobago is willing to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi, expand trade and investment cooperation as well as cultural exchanges, to help boost the development of relations between China and the Caribbean and Latin American countries," Rowley said.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
ANN ARBOR, MI - As he approached the finish line and realized his journey was coming to its climax, Kyle Bailey couldn't help but smile.

After biking for 19 days, covering 1,400 miles through seven states, the 33-year-old Port Huron native and quadruple transplant survivor had finally finished his ride from Ann Arbor to Orlando, Florida on Monday, May 14.

As part of his effort to help others get a second chance at life, like he did, Bailey rode to raise awareness and money for organ donations.

"It really hasn't hit me yet what I did," he said. "I won't see results until social media picks up and six months down the line and we start seeing an effect on organ donation numbers. If it does pick up, then my (journey) did what it needed to do."

Bailey departed from Ann Arbor on April 27 and rode through Ohio and West Virginia before going through the Carolinas, Georgia and then Florida. Bailey said his muscles ached during the trip, but he managed to stay hydrated.

People from across the country followed him as he posted social media feeds and had a GPS tracking his every move.

Bailey said several organ donation recipients reached out to him and even met up with him along the way to share their stories. One 54-year-old woman from Kentucky reached out and told him she was one of the few six-organ transplant survivors in the country.

"She loved following us on social media and loved 100 percent what we were about," he said. "We had great fans and media following us. People loved that they could follow us. We were honored to meet them and speak with them and listen to their stories."

While riding behind a bus driven by his friend Todd Hensel, 57, a 5-organ transplant survivor, the two also made contact with local hospitals along the way and were asked to speak about their cause.

"In West Virginia, (the hospital staff) was just in shock wondering what we were doing standing there as a five- and four-organ transplant (survivors)," Bailey said. "As much as we want the unregistered people to become registered organ donors, we want to show that good things can happen and that your hospital can do it as much as any other hospital."

Bailey was hospitalized at the University of Michigan in 2010 and waited nine months before receiving a double-lung transplant.

In 2015, he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver due to years of medication to preserve his lungs. In 2016, his name came up on the organ-donor list once again and he was given a new liver and kidney.

Bailey said he weighed only 75 pounds after surgery and has worked to get his weight and body back to normal.

In 2012, Bailey ran across Michigan from Lexington to Muskegon in four days and got 56,000 people to register as organ donors, he said.

After his latest challenge, he hopes to have raised over $100,000, with a goal of inspiring 500,000 new organ donors.

He also wanted to show what someone with a second shot at life is capable of achieving, while life to the fullest.

"My donor family is amazed at the things I've been able to do with my donor's lungs," Bailey said. "Who wouldn't want to give their organs to someone like that?"

While he is planning to rest when he returns to Michigan later this week, Bailey already has his sights set on his next big challenge.

"Stay tuned for Kyle Bailey," he said. "I'm going to do something crazier and bigger."

For more information or to donate, visit www.KyleBailey.org.
BEAVER TWP, MI -- Beaver Township has drafted and passed an ordinance that officials with DTE Energy say ultimately prevents the utility from planting a wind farm project in the rural Bay County community.

The decision comes after the community voiced their concerns about property value, wildlife, proximity to neighboring property lines and physical safety.

"The safety welfare and well being of the community has to be my first concern," said Beaver Township Supervisor Steve Gray.

The ordinance includes a 2,000-foot setback from roads -- four times the height of a turbine -- and "extremely low" sound limits, DTE officials argue.

"Beaver Township set a sound limit that was so low that it basically would not allow any turbine in any one mile by one mile section. The reason why that's a challenge to us, is because wind energy is a permitted,legal use of agricultural land in Michigan," said Matt Wagner, manager of renewable energy development for DTE.

On Monday, May 14, the Beaver Township Board of Trustees passed an ordinance that regulates wind turbines, with four votes in favor of the ordinance and one abstained vote. Gray said the wind farm project was proposed for a highly residential area of the township, which has a population of under 3,000, according to the U.S. Census.

DTE says the ordinance all but prevents the development of wind parks in the community.

"We are disappointed for the Beaver Township land owners, businesses and community that stood to benefit in many ways, including increased tax revenue and job creation," Cindy Hecht, a DTE spokeswoman, said in an email to MLive.

Gray, the township's supervisor, described the ordinance as "strong," with "tough setbacks."

About 80 people attended Monday's meeting and only two were in favor of a wind park being developed, Gray said. Hecht, in an email, said those against the wind project only represent a small portion of the community.

More than 250 landowners in Bay County have signed on for wind energy, which equates to 28,000 acres, Wagner said.

He said a big push of opposition comes from outside the community such as opposition groups that try to convince residents that renewable energy is not good for the community.

"These are things that happen in communities, and our intention is to stay the course and we're going to continue to build a network of informed land owners, residents and stakeholders who support wind energy," Wagner said.

DTE is still exploring other municipalities in Bay County for opportunities to start a wind farm, Wagner said. The company plans to install 50-60 turbines in Bay County, Wagner said.

More than 20 wind farms have been developed in rural communities in the Thumb and across the state in areas like Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac, Saginaw, Bay, Gratiot and Isabella counties.
HOLLAND, MI -- Elsa Prince Broekhuizen, the mother of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and of Blackwater founder Erik Prince, is donating $1 million to the city of Holland's renovation of its Civic Center.

The city of Holland announced the donation Wednesday at the Civic Center, where construction is ongoing to expand the 1950s-era gymnasium and bring the facility into the 21st century.

The $16.5 million project will be complete this fall, according to city officials. The city is financing most of the work with a $10 million, 20-year bond that it issued in December 2016.

Elsa Prince Broekhuizen

Wednesday a public fundraising campaign was launched for the project at CivicCenterPlace.com, with a goal of $2.9 million. Bricks can also be purchased and engraved, for placement at the building's new main entrance.

The project includes a new lobby with a two-story glass facade, new entry, replacement of the seating in the gymnasium, air conditioning and new bathrooms. The basement -- which is prone to flooding -- will be filled in.

Work began on the project in 2017.

The work caps years of planning, including a failed 1999 regional millage vote, and multiple smaller efforts to modernize the building that was built in 1954.

"As we work to finish this project, we are grateful to Elsa for this wonderful gift," said Mayor Nancy DeBoer. "Edgar and Elsa's commitment to our community is legendary. Without their belief that Holland's downtown could be a special place, none of our progress would have been possible."

Prince Broekhuizen, a daughter of Dutch immigrants and widow of Prince Machine Corp. founder Edgar Prince, has served on the boards of the Acton Institute, Calvin College, Family Research Council, Focus on the Family and the Holland/Zeeland Community Foundation. She's also chairwoman of Lumir Corp., which owns about 25 percent of downtown Holland's business district.

Prince Broekhuizen's donation will be used for improvements to the outdoor marketplace. She joins a growing list of donors to the project.

After studying and analyzing possible updates for the Civic Center for several decades, Holland city officials launched into this most recent effort to renovate the building early 2015 after the family of a manufacturing executive and Hope College Athlete gifted $2 million to the project. The building will be named after the couple: George and Lucile Heeringa.

Since the $2 million Heeringa donation was announced in 2015, the city has garnered $1 million from Haworth, half of which is furniture. A total of $450,000 in additional private donations has been raised so far.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A man who posed as an ambulance medic for an evening and helped with patients -- the latest in a long history of fraud and making false statements -- has been sentenced to nine months in jail.

Anthony Mario Fortuna, 42, was sentenced Tuesday, May 15 in Kent County Circuit Court for impersonating a medical services employee.

Fortuna on Jan. 19 received permission to be on a "ride along" in an American Medical Response ambulance.

Police said he was an acquaintance of a staff member.

However, Fortuna told workers he was a former AMR employee in New York. He also somehow had access to an AMR uniform that he wore to the ride-along.

According to Judge Donald Johnston, Fortuna "started an IV on one patient and administered meds to perhaps some others."

Grand Rapids police said that throughout the ride-along, Fortuna acted as though he was a paramedic and helped with the loading and off-loading of patients.

Police said that a later investigation showed that AMR had no record of any past employment for Fortuna.

Fortuna is no stranger to falsehoods.

He was sentenced to five years in federal prison in 2013 for falsely warning of plots to blow up the Gerald R. Ford Federal Building and the Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert. Fortuna was released in late September, 2017, a Bureau of Prisons database shows.

He also has an earlier federal conviction for making false statements about an alleged murder-for-hire.

Johnston noted that Fortuna's past is filled with a "fair amount of flim-flammery" and recited a criminal record that includes forgery, shoplifting, petty larceny, impersonating a public employee, defrauding an innkeeper, credit card fraud and reporting a false alarm.

Fortuna appeared in court Tuesday in a wheelchair and indicated he has a heart condition and is on a transplant list.

He apologized for his behavior and said he was "totally out of line."

At the time of the January offense, Fortuna was on federal probation and is awaiting the possibility of more incarceration in federal court.
Fire danger remains extremely high throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Firefighters with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources issued a reminder to the public on Wednesday, May 16, warning residents across the U.P. to be cautious with fire. Weather conditions suitable for wildfires have heightened fire danger across the Upper Peninsula.

All areas west of a line from the Huron Mountains south to Stephenson in Menominee County are expected to experience extreme fire danger today.

Very high fire danger is expected at least through Saturday, and possibly beyond, depending upon the significance of rainfall forecast for Saturday night.

The remainder of the U.P., east of the line, will experience very high fire danger.

During this time of year, most wildfires are caused by humans burning debris. Residents should refrain from doing so until fire danger diminishes.
The 332 victims of Larry Nassar who have filed lawsuits so far could each get between $250,000 and $2.5 million from the $500 million settlement with Michigan State University announced today, said one attorney involved in the case.

"A rough range is $250,000 to $2.5 million, somewhere around that," said David Mittleman, a lawyer with ChurchWyble/Grewal Law, an Okemos firm that represents 111 Nassar victims.

The settlement is the largest ever for a university for a sexual-assault case, dwarfing the $109 million paid by Penn State University to at least 33 victims in the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

The settlement includes $425 million for current plaintiffs and $75 million for future claimants.

MSU is expected to put the money into a qualified settlement fund, Mittleman said. A fund administrator will be selected by the plaintiffs' attorneys to distribute the money based on individual claims. It is unclear how Michigan State will pay the settlements.

"There will probably be a point system," based on criteria such as number of times the abuse occurred, the nature of the abuse and whether the victim was a minor, Mittleman said.

The payout process to victims is likely to occur fairly soon, said Stephen Drew, a Grand Rapids attorney whose firm represents 135 plaintiffs.

"My sense is it will take months, not years," he said.

Nassar, who is currently serving a 60-year federal prison sentence, was a longtime MSU sports-medicine doctor who pleaded guilty to molesting patients for years under the guise of medical treatment.

Nassar also served as team doctor for U.S. gymnasts at four Olympic games, and his victims have included a number of former Olympians.

Legal fees and expenses also will be paid by the fund. Mittleman and others involved in the case declined to say how much will go to the nine Michigan law firms and the California firm representing Nassar victims.

Michigan allows lawyers in personal injury cases to charge a third of the total award plus expenses, and California law allows a contingency fee of up to 40 percent of the total award. At least 10 plaintiffs filed their suit in California.

The plaintiffs still have lawsuits pending against USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic Committee, Twistars gymnastics center in metro Lansing and a number of individuals associated with USAG and Twistars.

"USA Gymnastics had the opportunity to participate" in this settlement, but declined, said James White, an Okemos attorney who represents 46 Nassar plaintiffs.

If and when a settlement is reached with USAG and USOC, that money would be added to the settlement fund. "It would go into the same pot," Mittleman said.

He called it "extraordinary" that a settlement was reached so quickly, considering the number of plaintiffs and the complexity of the case. The first Nassar lawsuits were filed in fall 2016, shortly after Nassar was fired from MSU.

"For something this complex and dealing with an institution the size of MSU, it was very fast," Mittleman said. "I would call it extraordinary."

Certainly a driving factor, he said, was the public attention generated by the case, particularly in January when many victims publicly testified at Nassar's sentencing hearing.

"I'm going to give MSU the benefit of the doubt and say they wanted to make a statement on the way this should be handled if, God forbids, it ever happens again," Mittleman said.

Drew said that he commends Michigan State "for doing what they needed to do."

He said the amount of the award "sends a message across the country that sexual assault is a serious issue."
Servers and bartenders make signs protesting the One Fair Wage ballot petition Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at Lansing Brewing Company in Lansing.

A ballot proposal advocating for a minimum wage increase for all Michigan employees has some in the restaurant industry concerned for their livelihoods.

Servers and bartenders from throughout the state gathered at Lansing Brewing Company in Lansing Tuesday to advocate against the One Fair Wage ballot initiative currently being circulated for petition signatures.

The ballot proposal needs 252,523 valid signatures from voters to appear on the ballot and would raise the minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2022. In addition, the minimum wage for tipped workers like waiters would rise until it was also $12 per hour by 2024.

Michigan last crafted a plan to raise its minimum wage in 2014, implementing a series of gradual increases ending at $9.25 for hourly workers and $3.52 for tipped workers in 2018.

The concern among tipped workers who are protesting the proposal is that a wage hike could actually decrease their income over time by eliminating the tip credit and undermining existing tipping culture.

"They come into our house, our state, and try to change something that isn't broken," said Danielle Smith, who works as a bartender and server trainer at Buffalo Wild Wings. "We want to keep a system we didn't ask to be fixed."

One Fair Wage organizers disagree with that assessment. Alicia Renee Farris, One Fair Wage's Michigan campaign chair, said the initiative retains workers' rights to tips while giving tipped employees a raise. She said areas with a standard wage have had similar tipping levels after the wage hike took place.

"We're talking $12, with tips on top," she said. "Those tips aren't predicated on what people are making."

She added the initiative is meant as a minimum wage hike for everyone, not just those in the service industry: "We don't believe that anyone who works a full time job should have to live in poverty."

Daniel Tucker, a bartender who works at Lansing Brewing Company, doesn't think an increased minimum wage would make him more money. He said the current system gives him freedom to make well above the minimum wage, and allows him lateral movement if he thinks he can make more money on tips elsewhere.

The effort to change the tip credit system would bring him to a "lower, controlled wage" where he'd have less flexibility and lower pay, Tucker said.

"If they wanted to get us up to minimum wage, then why would I or anyone in my position work Friday until 2 a.m., Saturday until 2 a.m., giving up all those chunks of hours of your life, when I could do the same thing for the same pay at a 9-5 like a normal person?" he said.

"We can see the writing on the wall," he continued. "If you're coming in here to rock our boat to advocate for any change, then it's pretty clear you're out here to get our tipping system, which is how we thrive."

The tipped workers who gathered in Lansing this week were supported by the organization Restaurant Workers of America, whose members have fought to preserve or implement a tip credit in other states throughout the U.S.

Jennifer Schellenberg, president of Restaurant Workers of America, said the group is not opposed to a minimum wage increase for everyone else, but instead want their pay with tipped income to stay the same. She said areas that have eliminated the tip credit have seen increased automation or service counters, or businesses closing due to the added cost.

"We would really love to see (a minimum wage increase) for our back of house and support staff - that's where we need equity to the restaurant industry," Schellenberg said. But making tipped workers a minimum wage position "brings us from being well-paid professionals to minimum wage employees."

"It destroys careers," she continued. "Our guests want us to do well, and when they see something without any prior knowledge of the tip credit saying, 'do you want to give bartenders a full minimum wage?' they're not going to understand the unintended consequences."

One Fair Wage's deadline for collecting signatures is May 31. Farris said she's confident the group will meet that deadline.
JACKSON, MI - More than 40 percent of the local public roads in Summit and Spring Arbor townships are slated for repair this year.

Roughly 48.5 miles of Summit Township roads and 19.5 miles of Spring Arbor Township roads will be improved in 2018, after the Jackson County Board of Commissioners approved $14.3 million in construction contracts on Tuesday, May 15.

Jackson County pays for 30 percent of the cost, while the townships cover 70 percent of the work in their area. Here's how the $14.3 million is divided among the entities:

Summit: $7.44 million

Jackson County: $4.29 million

Spring Arbor: $2.55 million

Both townships had millages approved by voters last year to fund the fixing of local public roads. The first road work funded from the millages started in 2017.

Summit Township's millage is for 2.83 mills over 16 years and is estimated to collect $22.54 million. Spring Arbor's millage is for 3.9 mills over 15 years and is estimated to collect $8.6 million.

Construction fixes for the roads vary from resurfacing to reconstruction. To see the specific roads and treatments planned, click here for Summit Township and here for Spring Arbor Township.

Click here for a map of Summit Township roads to be treated, click here for a map of Spring Arbor Township plans.

The Summit Township contract was awarded to Rieth-Reily Construction and the Spring Arbor Township contract was awarded to Michigan Paving and Materials.

Bonds issued for fairgrounds event center

The issuance of $4 million in bonds - in part for a new county convention center - was also approved Tuesday by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

The project is on pace to break ground the week after the Jackson County Fair in August, County Administrator/Controller Mike Overton said. Designs have the 30,000-to 35,000-square-foot building on the southeast corner of the fairgrounds.

American 1 Credit Union has pledged $4 million to the project - which costs $6 million. Half of the county's bonds issued will go to infrastructure improvements at the fairgrounds, including removing the horse-racing track.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- Even while she sits at seat of power in Kalamazoo County, Board Chair Stephanie Moore said she faces racism and sexism.

"I have encountered attitudes and practices that can be interpreted as racist, sexist, and oppressive," Moore said Tuesday. "I've personally experienced attitudes of individuals who were my equals and yet they perceived themselves as my superiors because of their own individual lack of cultural humility and because they've been socialized to think as such."

Moore's comments referenced a Monday, May 14 MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette story about a former county attorney who said she was fired over a civil rights complaint. The African-American board chair did not specifically comment on the complaint, but said the county has a broader problem in not promoting diversity and inclusion in its top positions.

At a Tuesday board meeting, Moore said remaining silent does nothing to keep the county accountable to advancing racial equity, though it'd be the politically safe move.

Commissioner Julie Rodgers said it is inappropriate for anyone on the board to talk with the media about personnel matters.

Four days after Kalamazoo County assistant corporation counsel Amber Beebe told her bosses she intended to file a civil rights complaint, Beebe was terminated for workplace misconduct and violating county policies.

Documents obtained by MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette through the Freedom of Information Act show Beebe, who is African-American, said the county trumped up a reason to fire her. According to a termination notice, Beebe was fired for workplace misconduct and violating county policies, though she denied this in documents.

Beebe filed a grievance and civil rights complaint alleging discrimination based on her race and disability status. Moore recused herself from signing the county's denial of Beebe's grievance, which was signed by Vice Chair Dale Shugars.

Shugars declined to comment on the situation Tuesday.

Commissioner Kevin Wordelman asked Administrator Tracie Moored and Corporation Counsel Elizabeth White to bring the board up to speed on the situation. He learned about the personnel matter from the MLive story.

"We deserve to know what's going on and I feel like we've been kept at arm's length," he said.

Moore said she has faced a different set of standards and expectations than previous board chairs. She became the first African-American chair in the county's history this year.

Strick Strickland, president of the Metropolitan Kalamazoo Branch of the NAACP, said there are obvious disparities with how county employees of color are treated. Those who rise to power are often slapped back down, he said.

"The amount of people who have had the misfortune of either being discharged or reprimanded -- when white individuals that work within our county make mistakes many times those things are dealt with quietly and in a less aggressive fashion," Strickland said. "I think it's detestable that people would be upset with Moore as the chair of the commission to not speak out on a broader scope of things."

The board chair shared a few thoughts, from a prepared statement, regarding the county's commitment to address systemic inequities through an equity task force.

Moore said she remains committed to tear down oppressive systems that create inequity in the community. Her "constructive criticism" of county processes and policies is meant to hold elected leaders and county officials accountable to be better, she said.

"We cannot pay lip-service to the ideals of change and growth while simultaneously throwing rocks and hiding our hands," Moore said.

An equity task force was created in 2017 to change the organizational culture of Kalamazoo County government. It was part of a resolution to address the disparity between black and white infant deaths in the county.

The board chair, Vice Chair Dale Shugars, the county administrator and the human resources director participated in a three-day health equity and social justice training.

Last month, the county passed a resolution vowing to become a trauma informed, resilient community. Moore said it was an outcome of the focus on equity.

The resolution is intended to shift the understanding of how toxic stress and trauma can impact public health. It also deploys the equity task force to present recommendations on how to improve the community's ability to bounce back from misfortune.

The first report is due at the end of 2018, with annual reports to follow. There are more than 20 members from different sectors of the community.

"This work is not for the weak or timid at heart or for those who desire status quo over growth," she said. "I remain optimistic that if we spend less time conspiring and complaining about what is said and instead focus on what we do, we can and will be the change this county needs and deserves."
KALAMAZOO, MI -- During an update on Kalamazoo County emergency and disaster relief services, Sheriff Rick Fuller said he needs more money for the understaffed department.

Emergency Planner Pat Wright is the department's lone full-time employee, supported by a part-time worker and volunteers. He said Tuesday that the day to day needs of the office cannot be met, and needs at least three full-time employees.

Fuller said he is trying to determine if a deputy emergency planner is needed and what the overall cost of expanding the office would be. He plans to make a funding request to the Board of Commissioners when its sets next year's budget.

The sheriff remembers a time when there was a single retired Michigan State Police trooper who worked on emergency management from the basement of the sheriff's office. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, the federal government stepped up resources to train local units of government.

Five people worked out of the office from 2004-2012, but funds from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declined from $3 million to $800,000, Wright said.

Wright reviews 200 emergency management plans for local businesses, hospitals, industrial facilities and government buildings each year. They cover everything from active shooter situations, natural disasters, chemical spills and fires.

He has five unfinished emergency plans that have been sitting on his desk, but recent flooding diverted Wright's attention.

"A lot of things we used to do, we can't do anymore," Wright said. "(I) have to tell more people I just don't have the time."

Wright said he is still working on securing state reimbursements for money spent to mitigate the February flood, caused by a historic swell of the Kalamazoo River. The flood caused $2.5 million in damage to homes and personal property, according to a county assessment.

Fuller said the office needs more people to fully prepare for future floods and other disasters.

Fuller said the Federal Emergency Management Association is preparing to distribute $10 billion to nonprofit organizations across the country. Kalamazoo County's emergency management department will need to be involved in the grant process.

In April, Gov. Rick Snyder released a school safety proposal that seeks $24 million for improvements to school safety. It also calls on schools to develop safety plans, which include elements such as behavioral health, student reporting, emergency response and building safety requirements.

Fuller expects emergency management departments to have a hand in developing those plans.

"We know that our federal government and state government have recognized the changes in our world and are trying to address them," Fuller said. "They are going to put more emphasis on the work of emergency managers or sheriff's offices in the county."

Commissioner Julie Rogers said Wright is an unsung hero who does a lot of work behind the scenes but is put under the microscope when flooding events occur.

Wright is preparing for possible flooding this week.

An estimated 5 inches of rain that fell during the first part of this week is moving downstream and could cause minor flooding Thursday evening. Free sandbags were made available Wednesday afternoon.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- With new commercial growth along M-43 planned for the future, the Michigan Department of Transportation is seeking public feedback to improve the corridor.

MDOT is holding an open house on May 23 to gather feedback on a corridor analysis of M-43 (West Main Street) between 10th Street and Drake Road in Kalamazoo. There are no road projects drawn up yet, but the discussion could provide future insight to develop roadway and operations improvements as several nearby developments move forward.

The meeting will be held from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, May 23 at the Oshtemo Charter Township Office on 7275 W. Main St.

MDOT is keeping an eye on future projects connected to a potential $100 million, 140-acre mixed-use development.

Last year, AVB, Inc. announced plans to build four new restaurants, three hotels, and a cluster of retail stores just north of West Main Street, along U.S. 131. near U.S. 131 and West Main Street.

It would be accessible by Maple Hill Drive, which runs north from Main Street, and an extension of the drive. Croyden Avenue, which runs west from North Drake Road is likely to provide east-west access, according to a development plan submitted to Oshtemo Township.

On the west side of U.S. 131, a brownfield redevelopment plan was approved for the former Holiday Lanes Bowling Alley at 2747 S. 11th St.

The 30,000-square-foot building and attached Holiday Inn building will come under Delta Hotels by Marriott management.

Maps of the M-43 corridor area will be available for guests to mark with comments, and stakeholders will be asked to provide input on their experiences with issues along the corridor.

There will be some conceptual ideas presented to help guide stakeholders who attend.

Accommodations can be made for persons with disabilities and limited English speaking ability. Large print materials, auxiliary aids or the services of interpreters, signers, or readers available upon request.

Call (517) 373-9534 to request at least seven days before the meeting.
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump says the U.S. has not received any official notice from North Korea that the country is going to back out of a planned summit between Trump and leader Kim Jung Un in June.

"We haven't been notified at all" about the threat, Trump said as he welcomed the president of Uzbekistan to the White House, before adding "We haven't seen anything. We haven't heard anything. We will see what happens."

The Associated Press reports North Korea threatened earlier in the day to scrap the historic summit between Trump and Kim because the U.S. is working with the South Korean military on exercises that the North has long claimed are an invasion rehearsal.

Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said preparations for the June 12 summit are ongoing despite the threat from North Korea.

Sanders went on to say Trump is "ready for very tough negotiations," adding that "if they want to meet, we'll be ready and if they don't that's OK."

Trump has aid in the past that one his main goals in the proposed summit is for North Korea to agree to denuclearize its weapons supply. Kim has said he is open to that idea, but would want concessions from the U.S. as well.
TIANJIN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers gathered at the second World Intelligence Congress in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Wednesday to explore the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

The three-day conference, which kicked off on Wednesday, focuses on new development and policies in AI and gathers participants including tech firms like Baidu, Alibaba, JD.com, Microsoft, Huawei, and iFlytek.

The congress includes forums, exhibitions, and competitions for unmanned cars and drones. The Tianjin municipal government, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and Ministry of Science and Technology are among the organizers of the events.

Lin Nianxiu, deputy director of NDRC, said AI is the most dynamic technological field in the world and the Chinese government highly values the development of AI. He said China should seize opportunities to raise innovation capabilities in deep learning, smart algorithms and chips, modernize industry with AI technology, and expand opening-up and cooperation with overseas partners.

Wan Gang, chairman of China Association for Science and Technology, said at the opening ceremony that Chinese companies are world leaders in image recognition, voice translation, and behavioral analysis.

Remarkable achievements have been made in intelligent robotics, unmanned shops, machine translation, shared and self-driving vehicles. There are wide applications in the fields of city planning, smart transport, social governance, health, agriculture, and national security, he said.

"China has advantages in the speed of AI development and its wide applications, but our weak points are in the depth of basic research and originality," he said.

He called for strengthening basic research and more input in developing core technology.

Last July, the State Council, China's cabinet, issued a plan on new generation AI. The plan said the AI industry should be a major new growth engine and have improved people's lives by 2020. It set the target of China becoming a major center and world leader for AI innovation by 2030.

[ Editor: Xueying ]
The delegation will perform random checks on the performance of the nine recommendations in Vietnams coastal provinces and cities, then evaluate the countrys efforts and results and decide whether they have met the ECs requirements, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam.

At a working session with representatives from the Directorate of Fisheries on May 14, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong affirmed that Vietnam has been active in implementing the recommendations to ensure fisheries operate in a responsible and sustainable way.

Contents mentioned in the recommendations were included in the revised Law on fisheries, which will come into effect in 2019, Cuong added, stressing that this is one of the biggest steps that Vietnam has taken so far in its efforts to build a sustainable and responsible fisheries industry and improve the incomes of local fishermen.

He affirmed that departments under the MARD will work with the EC delegation in the spirit of highest responsibility, transparency and publicity, focusing on clarifying what has been done by Vietnam so that the EC can verify the results.

It is necessary to show the achievements made by the country in this effort, while listening to the EUs suggestions, towards devising a specific action programme to overcome shortcomings in the coming time, he noted.

On October 23, 2017, the EC issued a "yellow card" warning to Vietnam after the country failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in the fight against IUU fishing worldwide. Though the measure was considered a warning, which would not technically affect the EC trade policy, the Vietnamese fishing industry was concerned that the yellow card could seriously harm the reputation of Vietnamese seafood worldwide, leading to weakened sales.

The recommendations included a revision of the legal framework to ensure compliance with international and regional rules applicable to the conservation and management of fishery resources, ensuring the effective implementation and enforcement of the countrys revised laws, and strengthening the effective implementation of international rules and management measures.

According to ECs requirement, the Vietnamese seafood sector had to implement the nine recommendations in the six months from October 23, 2017, to April 23, 2018.

The EC also wanted Vietnam to issue sanctions and increase the level of sanctions against IUU fishing, which should be written into the revised Law on Fisheries, and give concrete evidence proving Vietnams efforts in the fight against IUU fishing.

On April 20, Vietnam submitted a report to the EC documenting its efforts to address IUU fishing.
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May 16, 2018 North Korea May Cancel Summit Over Bolton's 'Absurd' Demands - Updated Updated below

--- The Trump administration thought it was an easy path in its negotiations with North Korea. Trump was euphoric when North Korea released three U.S. prisoners and proudly announced the June 12 summit with Kim Jong-un in Singapore where North Korea would agree to give up all its nuclear weapons and nuclear development programs. Trump would get a Nobel peace prize and all would be well. This was a serious miscalculation based on a lack of understanding. It misread each and every statement North Korea made. The Trump administration has no ambassador in South Korea, the most experienced North Korea expert at the State Department left in disgust. The National Security Council is run by a maniac who had sabotaged earlier agreements with North Korea and wants to do it again. North Korea's overarching aim is to gain enough security to cut its military expenses and to then use its resources for economic development. The method to achieve peace with the U.S. was progress in its nuclear weapons program. Each time a milestone was reached in the nuclear field North Korea sought talks with South Korea and the United States. It offered some concessions - to stop or slow its progress in its development of nuclear warheads and missile - in exchange for a peace agreement and economic support. Each time a deal was made the U.S. did not stick to its commitment. The promised oil supplies were not delivered, the civilian nuclear reactors the U.S. promised were not build. Each time an agreement failed North Korea started the next phase of its nuclear weapons program up to the next milestone. Last year it finally reached the apex. It tested a thermonuclear device, the ultimate destructive weapon. It launched an intercontinental missile that can carry such a bomb to the continental United States. North Korea is now a full fledged nuclear state. After this achievement North Korea was again ready to negotiate. When Donald Trump came into office promising that he would not condone a nuclear weapon capable North Korea that could threaten the United States. He launched a "maximum pressure" campaign to take away North Korea's nuclear weapons. The UN security council put strong sanctions on North Korea. North Korea was already ready to negotiate. It were not the sanctions that brought it to the table. It was its new status as a nuclear power. The Trump administration never understood that. It believed that its "maximum pressure" campaign brought North Korea to offer "complete denuclearization". North Korea used that wording but it was meant as an aspirational aim for the whole world, not a unilateral disarmament of its new capabilities. The Trump administration did not get it - or did not want to get it. This was partly out of stupidity and lack of knowledge, it was partly mischievous: Trump and others are presenting this process as a route that leads to North Koreas disarmament  even though Kim has said nothing that deviates from statements that every North Korean leader has made. And in our collective self-delusion, we have a surprising cheerleader: national security advisor John Bolton. It is worth asking why Bolton is busy giving interviews in which he raises hopes for a complete elimination of North Koreas nuclear weapons that can occur in a matter of months. He has repeatedly called for a Libya style deal  one in which the United States simply shows up and collects the weapons and supporting infrastructure.

...

This is madness. There is no reason to think that Kim has any intention of agreeing to such a thing.

...

Bolton isnt suddenly naive. Hes working an angle. And that angle is almost certainly misaligning the presidents expectations. Bolton wont try to kill diplomacy by opposing it. Rather hell kill it by making the perfect the enemy of the good. By raising the prospects of a Libya-style surrender, the much more modest settlement offered by Kim looks sad by comparison. This is a very cynical  and dangerous  game that Bolton and others are playing. A side effect of the false belief that "maximum pressure" worked against North Korea is the Trump administration's belief that the same will work against Iran. It is why it aborted the nuclear agreement with Iran: The Trump administration is convinced it has an opening for a nuclear deal with North Korea because of its maximum pressure campaign. They call it the North Korea scenario, the European official said. Squeeze the North Koreans. Squeeze the Iranians  and they will do the same thing as Kim Jong-un  surrender. When the CIA chief, now Secretary of State, Pompeo came to North Korea on May 10 to prepare further negotiations, the North Korean side warned that Washington was wrong in its thinking: Once they arrived, Pompeo met for about an hour with Kim Yong Chol, discussing the Trump-Kim summit and Pompeo's schedule, before Kim hosted a luncheon on the hotel's 39th floor, where he formally welcomed the Americans.

...

Kim then told the Americans that "we have perfected our nuclear capability," adding that "this [meeting] is not the result of sanctions that have been imposed from outside." One condition North Korea had asked for at the beginning of the negotiation cycle was a freeze of 'strategic' military exercises by South Korea and the U.S. in exchange for a freeze of nuclear and missile tests by North Korea. This was understood by both sides. The condition had held for a while but a few days ago the U.S. and South Korea announced a new exercise: SEOUL, May 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will begin massive combined air force drills this week, officials here said Thursday, in an apparent move to strengthen their hand ahead of denuclearization talks with North Korea. The two-week Max Thunder exercise will begin on Friday, involving some 100 warplanes, including eight F-22 radar-evading fighters as well as an unspecified number of B-52 bombers and F-15K jets, the officials said. It is the first time that the allies have decided to deploy eight F-22 jets to a combined exercise. Observers said the planned show of formidable air power appears aimed at further pressuring the North to give up its nuclear ambitions. F-22 stealth fighter and B-52 are nuclear capable and thus strategic assets. Incorporating them in an exercise breaks the previous understanding. In response to the exercise North Korea canceled high level talks with South Korea: The North's Korean Central News Agency said the Max Thunder drills between the South Korean and U.S. air forces are a rehearsal for invasion of the North and a provocation amid warming inter-Korean ties.

...

"This exercise targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula," the KCNA report said. "The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities." The State Department as well as the Pentagon were seemingly unaware that the exercise would have such consequences. North Korea feels cheated. It has stopped its missile and nuclear tests. It is dismantling its "northern test site" for nuclear weapons. It pardoned three prisoners and let them leave to the States. It held several rounds of hopeful talks with South Korea and the United States. Why does it now have to endure more pressure? Why should it allow the U.S. and South Korea to breach the agreement of test freeze in exchange for exercise freeze? Trump thought he had already won. Finally North Korea is setting him straight. It will not give up its weapons under threat only to get smashed like other countries which made such mistakes: Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan made clear that the communist regime is not interested in any nuclear talks in which it is coerced into giving up its nuclear arsenal, according to Pyongyang's state news agency KCNA.

...

Kim expressed displeasure with the U.S. bringing up previous denuclearization methods, including the one used for Libya. The full statement singled out the 'repugnant' John Bolton: High-ranking officials of the White House and the Department of State including Bolton, White House national security adviser, are letting loose the assertions of so-called Libya mode of nuclear abandonment, "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization", "total decommissioning of nuclear weapons, missiles, biochemical weapons". etc, while talking about formula of "abandoning nuclear weapons first, compensating afterwards". This is not an expression of intention to address the issue through dialogue.

...

It is absolutely absurd to dare compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya which had been at the initial stage of nuclear development. We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him. If the Trump administration fails to recall the lessons learned from the past when the DPRK-U.S. talks had to undergo twists and setbacks owing to the likes of Bolton and turns its ear to the advice of quasi-"patriots" who insist on Libya mode and the like, prospects of upcoming DPRK-U.S. summit and overall DPRK-U.S. relations will be crystal clear. We have already stated our intention for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States. Trump's Noble peace prize is drifting away ... If Trump really wants the June 12 meeting with Kim Jong-un in Singapore and an agreement he will have to stop Bolton from making overarching demands. Secretary of State Pompeo will have to issue some conciliatory statements. The Pentagon, which dislikes peace talks that may diminish its position in South Korea, will have to end its provocative "strategic" maneuvers. There is no military alternative to further talks. The nuclear armed North Korea is allied with the nuclear armed China. Any attack on North Korea might cause a mushroom cloud raising over Washington DC. Risking that is irresponsible.

---

UPDATE The North Korean protests helped on both points. The U.S. military exercise was dialed back and the White House disowned the Libya disarmament concept that Bolton introduced to sabotage the talks. Trump really wants that Nobel. The "strategic assets" - i.e. nuclear capable bombers - North Korea lamented about have now been withdrawn from the current U.S.-South Korean military exercise: Contrary to the original plan, nuclear-capable U.S. B-52 bombers will not participate in the ongoing combined air drills between South Korea and the United States, a military source here said Wednesday. "In the Max Thunder exercise that began on Friday, the U.S. F-22 stealth fighters have already participated, while the B-52 has yet to join," the source said on condition of anonymity. "B-52 will not take part in the exercise, which runs through May 25."

...

The South Korean defense ministry also formally confirmed B-52's absence from the exercise. In a related move, Moon Chung-in, a special security adviser to President Moon Jae-in, said in a lecture at the National Assembly that the decision was made at an emergency meeting between Defense Minister Song Young-moo and Gen. Vincent Brooks, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea. The nuclear bombers were clearly a threat to North Korea and their taking part was in breach of the silent agreement that a freeze of nuclear testing by North Korea would be honored with a freeze of strategic maneuvers by South Korea and the U.S.. North Korea's second complain was about John Bolton's demand of immediate full disarmament. This morning the White House downplayed that Libya disarmament scenario that Bolton promoted during Sunday's talkshows: Referring to the Libya comparison, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday that she hadn't "seen that as part of any discussions so I'm not aware that that's a model that we're using. "I haven't seen that that's a specific thing. I know that that comment was made. There's not a cookie cutter model on how this would work." She continued, "This is the President Trump model. He's going to run this the way he sees fit. We're 100% confident, as we've said many times before, as I'm sure you're all aware, he's the best negotiator and we're very confident on that front." The White House folded quite fast. I see that as a sign that it really wants a deal. North Korea may further insist that the 'repugnant' John Bolton does not take part in the June 12 summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. It would surely be helpful if he would be left out of any and all Korea negotiations. Posted by b on May 16, 2018 at 11:18 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
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Works on display include 30 paintings by 15 members the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, painted during a field trip to the northern province of Ha Giang which was held by the association last month.

The paintings featured the natural landscapes, people and daily lives of the local Ha Giang residents.

In addition, nine foreign artists from Myanmar, Turkey, the Philippines, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia and Thailand also brought 10 paintings to the event.

The exhibition is held to highlight the beauty and diversity of watercolour material, while providing an opportunity for the participating artists to exchange experience with each other.

The event will run until May 26 at Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, 218A Pasteur Street, Ward 6, District 3.
Deputy PM Dam made the suggestion while hosting a reception in Hanoi on May 15 for an APICTA delegation, led by its Chairman Stan Singh, who have been on a working visit to Vietnam.

In recent years, the Vietnamese Government has mobilized different resources to foster the development and application of IT in all spheres in a bid to step up the countrys socio-economic development, improve the business environment and enhance the national competitiveness edge, he said.

The hosting of the APICTA Awards in 2019 will serve as a chance for Vietnam to introduce its IT development and facilitate partnerships between domestic businesses and international partners, Dam said.

Vietnams IT enterprises will also have an opportunity to promote and affirm the quality of their products and services at the APICTA Awards, the Deputy PM added.

Therefore, the Government of Vietnam will create optimal conditions for the Vietnam Software and IT Service Association (VINASA) and relevant agencies to well prepare for the important event, he stressed.

APICTA Chairman Stan Singh briefed Deputy PM Dam about his working session with leaders of the Ministry of Information and Communications, which focused on solutions to strengthen bilateral cooperation, foster the development and innovation of ICT in Asia Pacific and a plan to organise the APICTA Awards in Vietnam next year.

The awards are designed to honour outstanding products, software solutions, IT and startups of APICTA members.

The two sides also discussed the adding of prizes for products and solutions related to e-government, e-administration, smart city, and smart agriculture.

APICTA is an alliance of national IT organisations representing their respective economy to build, enhance a network to promote IT, promote technology innovations, capability and adoption and encourage the development of indigenous IT solutions to the global market.

The alliance now has 16 member-economies include Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Japan, Macao (China), Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Vietnam participated in APICTA in 2016. The VINASA brought the best Vietnamese IT products and services to the APICTA Awards two years ago. The APICTA Awards 2018 will be held in Chinas Guangzhou province in October.
Deputy PM Minh hailed the Ambassadors efforts in promoting Vietnam  Spain ties during her first year of tenure.

Both sides have worked closely together at multilateral forums and international organisations. Spain is now Vietnams major trade partner in the European Union with two-way trade of US$ 3.1 billion last year.

The Deputy PM believed that Maria Jesus will actively partner with Vietnamese ministries and agencies to reinforce Vietnam  Spain relations as well as Vietnam  EU ties.

The host wished that the Spanish government and ambassador would take measures to push forward bilateral trade and investment, especially in clean technology, renewable energy, and environment.

The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, ministries and agencies will create favourable conditions for the ambassador to fulfill assigned tasks, he said.

Maria Jesus, for her part, affirmed that Spain always treasures strengthening ties with Vietnam and wished to launch cooperation mechanisms to continue deepening bilateral strategic partnership.

She pledged to do her best to cultivate bilateral friendship as well as Vietnam  EU ties during her tenure.

According to her, Spanish firms are interested in Vietnamese market, focusing on renewable energy and infrastructure.

Spain will push forward the implementation of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between Vietnam and the EU, the signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement to open up new prospects in bilateral trade and investment in the near future.
Hundreds of 2018 Michigan Technological University graduates started new jobs this week. Four of them took a detour to the State Capitol to share their Senior Design projectan underwater utility corridor spanning the Straits of Mackinacwith Michigan lawmakers.

The corridor, a 21-foot-diameter, 4.5-mile tunnel that would house utility lines that cross the Straits, was this year's senior capstone project for 13 civil engineering and three construction management graduates. The four students representing the group presented the project to the state's 15-member Pipeline Safety Advisory Board at its quarterly meeting on Monday morning. They made a second presentation, to the joint meeting of the Senate Committee on Transportation and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing on Tuesday morning. Officials were impressed by both the concept and the students.

"I thought it important the Legislature hear that there are real alternatives for spanning the Straits with the utilities that are critical to the well-being of the Upper Peninsulaalternatives that are environmentally safe and may be economically viable," said Senate Transportation Chair Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, whose home district encompasses the UP. "I was all the more eager that the Legislature be made aware of these findings to showcase why Michigan Tech is renowned throughout the world for the exceptional quality of the education it offers studentsquality that was evident to my colleagues through the detailed, thorough, thoughtful and articulate analysis students presented."

Senator Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth, transportation committee vice chair and acting chair for Tuesday's session, said he's intrigued by the design concept. Michigan is capable of managing very big projects and our economic and environmental future looks bright if this concept can become a reality. The students from Michigan Tech prove, once again, that some of the world's smartest people are Michiganders.

Tech grads, with industry advisor Jim Morrison, present their findings at the State Capitol. (Senate Communications photo)

Prast says the pipeline advisory board had questions about the team's design and depth of research, and were struck by the relevance of the project. "One of the questions that wasnt technical that stood out was, 'What is the part of the project that scares you the most?'," says Prast. "Aaron accurately replied, 'Getting four different utility companies to work together and cohabitate this utility tunnel.'"

The Line 5 pipeline garners the headlines. But it's one of many utilities that cross the Straits, the wind-and-current-complicated body of water between Great Lakes Michigan and Huron spanning Michigan's Lower and Upper Peninsulas. Phone, natural gas and electrical lines could be housed in the tunnel, accessed by a non-emitting electric locomotive-style vehicle. In an emergency, the tunnel portal and the tunnel itself are designed to accommodate a conventional vehicle. The team's design encompasses existing utilities currently running across the Straits and leaves room for future expansion.

Capping Off a Michigan Tech Education

Senior Design projects at Michigan Tech, also known as capstones, are treated more like a first job than a final course. Civil engineering and construction management capstone advisor Mike Drewyor, a professor of practice in the School of Technology and the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, required students to turn in timesheets and wade through red tape, like Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and the permitting process required to site and construct a tunnel. Students work directly with industry advisors.

"The idea is to quit thinking like a student and start thinking like an engineer," says Drewyor. Students have worked on major pieces of important projects over the years. This year is especially memorable, though. "We couldn't have picked a project more timely or interesting," he says.

"It felt like we were truly working on a project, not just to fill a class credit, but also to contribute to society and add a solution to a very real and contested problem." Team member and 2018 graduate, Michael Prast

Tunnel Vision

A cross-section of the proposed tunnel, which would be sited west of the Mackinac Bridge. (Senior Design team image)

Michigan Tech students worked in four teams of four, each operating under the direction of Drewyor and engineering consultant Jim Morrison, the fellow Michigan Tech alumnus who came up with the idea for the project.

The UP Precision team handled everything above ground, including property, easements and facilities.

The Horizons team addressed geology, from studying bedrock borings from Mackinac Bridge construction to current core samples. "These students aren't geologists. They learned a lot," says Drewyor.

The Tunnel X team optimized a tunnel cross-section, designing safety, ventilation, lighting, electrical and communications and vehicle access.

The Made Consultants team investigated vertical shafts, elevators and stairs before designing an entry portal to provide optimal access.

A tunnel proposal isn't newthe State previously considered a smaller diameter corridor, which prompted Morrison and the group to explore the possibilities of a larger, more adaptable infrastructure. The advantages of the student-designed concept: easy access in a single corridor that can be controlled, shielded and contained in the event of an accident.

The group worked together on an overall schedule and budget summary. The estimated construction price tag is $570 million, excluding overhead like engineering and permitting costs.

The tunnel project group with faculty and industry advisors. (Senior Design team photo)

Big ideas for a one-semester project. Much remains to be studied, but the hope is that the presentation opens up constructive dialogue about possibilities. Drewyor says students learn to look at projects objectively; pros and cons are part of the analysis. "Engineering is always a choice among alternatives. You need to explore all the alternatives."

Prast says controversy didn't factor into the group's presentation or work. "We were not there to pick a side, but instead to present an alternative to the well-known issue of pipelines, not just Line 5 leaking into the Straits."

In January 2018, the State hired Michigan Tech to lead state universities in an independent risk analysis of the Line 5 Straits Pipelines. The project is directed by Guy Meadows, Robbins Professor of Sustainable Marine Engineering and director of the Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Tech. The capstone project is not related to this endeavor.





About the Faculty Advisor Mike Drewyor, PE, PS Faculty Profile

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, the University offers more than 125 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee (PCC) and head of the PCCs Commission for Communication and Education, Vo Van Thuong, attended and chaired the conference.

Addressing the conference, member of the Party Central Committee Son Minh Thang, who is Secretary of the Party Committee for Central Agencies Block, stressed that the implementation of the Politburo's Directive No. 05 over the last two years has been closely coordinated with Resolution No.4 on Party building and rectification set by the 12th Party Central Committee.

In the near future, the Party Committee of the Central Agencies Block has defined four breakthroughs to continue the effective implementation of Directive No.05. That is, to promote pioneering, exemplary cadres, party members, especially the head of party committees, agencies, and units; to improve the quality of the party cell and the effectiveness of ideological work in the Party and the public relations in state agencies, while also improving the effectiveness of coordination between Party committees and the leaders of agencies and units in the performance of political tasks and personnel work.

Politburo member Thuong stressed that President Ho Chi Minhs thoughts and moral example are a great and valuable spiritual asset of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the nation.

He also praised the exemplary role played by cadres and Party members in making the campaign more substantive and effective in selecting capable and moral individuals for Party organisations.

He also asked the Party Committee of the Central Agencies Block to continue effectively promoting the campaign in the coming years through more practical and detailed measures.
BRUSSELS (AP)  Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to speak with leaders of the European parliament next week about the data protection scandal that has engulfed his company  but might avoid a public testimony like the one he endured in the U.S.

The EU and British parliaments have been calling for Zuckerberg to submit to an on-air grilling since it emerged earlier this year that a company, political consultants Cambridge Analytica, had been allowed to misuse the data of millions of Facebook users.

While Zuckerberg testified last month to the U.S. Congress, he had long been noncommittal on his appearance in Europe, sending his chief technical officer to speak to the British parliament and delaying confirmation of any visit to Brussels.

On Wednesday, EU Parliament President Antonio Tajani confirmed that Zuckerberg "will be in Brussels as soon as possible, hopefully already next week" and would meet with parliamentary leaders and an expert on civil liberties and justice.

That suggests he will avoid an uncomfortable public appearance and instead meet only with the legislature's top brass behind closed doors.

Facebook came away largely unscathed from Zuckerberg's testimony to the U.S. Congress in April. Shares in the company even rose after his appearance. And several of the U.S. lawmakers often appeared to fail to grasp the technical details of Facebook's operations and data privacy.

He might get tougher questions in Brussels, where an assertive new European data protection law comes into effect on May 25. The law will give Facebook's millions of European users more control over what companies can do with what they post, search and click.

Yet the question of whether Zuckerberg should explain himself publicly remains a point of contention.

The president of the ALDE liberal group, Guy Verhofstadt already said he would not attend the meeting if it was behind closed doors. "It must be a public hearing - why not a Facebook Live," he asked in a Tweet.

Tajani said that simply showing up to explain himself was already a good move. "It is a step in the right direction towards restoring confidence," he said. "Our citizens deserve a full and detailed explanation."

On Monday, Zuckerberg will also attend a meeting organized by French President Emmanuel Macron aimed at pressuring tech giants to use their global influence for public good.

Zuckerberg's EU visit will be his first since a whistleblower alleged that Cambridge Analytica improperly harvested information from over 50 million Facebook accounts to help Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election. Cambridge says none of the Facebook data was used in the Trump campaign, and Facebook is investigating.

Damian Collins, the head of the U.K. parliament's media committee, has said he hopes Zuckerberg would take advantage of his trip to Europe next week to visit London and testify there as well.

Zuckerberg has so far declined to appear, to the British lawmakers' annoyance. Collins warned Zuckerberg last month that if he does not come voluntarily, he could be issued a formal summons, which would force him to appear before the parliament when he next enters the U.K.

___

Angela Charlton in Paris, Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LONDON (AP)  The question of whether Meghan Markle's father will walk his daughter down the aisle to marry Britain's Prince Harry or attend the wedding persisted Wednesday as royal representatives remained tight-lipped on possible changes to the program.

Harry's press office declined to comment on a celebrity news website's report that Thomas Markle, 73, needed a heart procedure and would not be well enough to fly to England.

The uncertainty over his health and attendance at Saturday's wedding came from comments TMZ said the father made exclusively to the site. His condition has not been independently confirmed.

Thomas Markle, a retired Hollywood cinematographer who lives in Mexico, told TMZ he would receive a stent and other treatment for blocked coronary arteries on Wednesday morning.

Stent procedures done on a non-emergency basis typically do not require long hospital stays, but the recovery guidance likely would rule out a lengthy plane trip to England right after surgery.

The bride's parents divorced when she was a child. Her mother, Doria Ragland, is traveling from Los Angeles to England for the wedding and is scheduled to ride with her daughter to St. George's Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle before the ceremony.

Ragland is also scheduled to visit with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Prince William and his wife, Kate, and other senior royals this week. Thomas Markle also had been expected to spend the days before the wedding meeting the queen and other members of his daughter's future family.

The palace has not announced any alternative plans for Thomas Markle's role of accompanying his daughter through the chapel to meet the groom. An official announcement is expected if it's confirmed that he will not be making it to the wedding.

Some estranged members of Meghan Markle's extended family have arrived in Britain, but did not receive invitations to the wedding.

Concerns about Thomas Markle's health overshadowed Wednesday's announcements of the bridesmaids and page boys who will take part in the ceremony.

The list include William and Kate's two older children: Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 3.

It is a repeat performance for the two, who were a page boy and bridesmaid when Kate's sister, Pippa Middleton, married last year.

The other bridesmaids are Harry's goddaughters, 2-year-old Zalie Warren and 3-year-old Florence van Cutsem, and Markle's goddaughters: Remi and Rylan Litt, ages 6 and 7 respectively, and 4-year-old Ivy Mulroney.

Besides Prince George, the page boys are Harry's godson, 6-year-old Jasper Dyer, and 7-year-old twin brothers Brian and John Mulroney.

The three Mulroney siblings are the children of Markle's close friend, stylist Jessica Mulroney, and are the grandchildren of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

Some devoted fans of Harry and Markle are already gathering at prime viewing points just outside the imposing walls of Windsor Castle, even though the wedding is three days away.

A few carried signs wishing the soon-to-be newlyweds well, and some carried U.S. flags in honor of Markle's American roots.

Windsor officials have warned the public that huge crowds are expected in the town on Saturday. Many roads will be closed off and extra security procedures will be put into effect.

___

For complete AP royal wedding coverage, visit https://apnews.com/tag/Royalweddings

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  Malaysian police spent hours early Thursday searching former Prime Minister Najib Razak's house, reportedly part of a money-laundering investigation linked to a state investment fund that is being investigated abroad.

More than a dozen police vehicles arrived at Najib's house late Wednesday shortly after he returned home from prayers at a nearby mosque, fueling speculation that he may be arrested after new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned that he could be charged soon over the 1MDB fund fiasco.

Commercial crime director Amar Singh Ishar Singh told media that police were searching for evidence in an ongoing probe and that it was being carried out at five locations. He declined to give details. Police officials couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

National Bernama news agency cited sources as saying police were searching for documents related to 1MDB and that raids occurred simultaneously at the prime minister's office, the official residence and an upscale condominium in the city.

Mahathir has not yet moved into the prime minister's office or residence. He reopened a probe into the 1MDB scandal after his alliance won a stunning election victory last week, ousting Najib and ending the National Front's 60-year grip on power. Najib started the fund in 2009 and U.S. investigators say at least $4.5 billion was stolen and laundered by Najib's associates, some of which landed in his bank account.

Najib's lawyer Harpal Singh Grewal told reporters outside the house early Thursday that police didn't seize any incriminating documents, just several boxes of personal possessions including handbags and clothing.

He said that Najib and his family cooperated with police during the search, which was believed to have been done under the anti-money laundering law. He said Najib hasn't been called in for questioning. It's unclear if the search had ended.

On Wednesday, Mahathir said the government will make arrests as soon as there is clear evidence and reiterated that there will be "no deal" for Najib in the scandal.

Mahathir, 92, said an initial investigation showed the scale of wrongdoing by Najib's administration was more serious than expected.

He said he has met with ousted Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail, who said he had been preparing to file criminal charges against Najib when he was abruptly removed in 2015. Gani led an investigation by multiple agencies into the scandal at the time, which was later closed after Najib was cleared of wrongdoing.

Mahathir said the government will seek to retrieve billions of dollars laundered from 1MDB to repay government debts that have piled up over the years.

"The focus on corruption is important because we need to get back money which is still in Switzerland, the U.S., Singapore and maybe Luxembourg. For this, we will contact the governments of the countries to recover the money there," Mahathir said.

"The money belongs to Malaysia and it came from 1MDB. We will appeal for the money to be returned to Malaysia."

He said the government is also committed to repaying any debts linked to the fund that it has guaranteed.

Najib and his wife have been barred from leaving Malaysia. The government has also told the current attorney general, who cleared Najib of wrongdoing in 2016, to go on leave, and has relieved the country's treasury chief, who is also the 1MDB chairman.

Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years until in 2003, emerged from retirement to join hands with former political foes to oust Najib amid anger over the 1MDB scandal. He said his new government is also seeking to cut wastage in the government, including possibly axing 17,000 political appointees.

The Finance Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that a 6 percent goods and services tax introduced by Najib in 2016 to boost government revenues will be abolished June 1. The tax has been blamed for raising the cost of living and has angered many Malaysians.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LONDON (AP)  Divorce has bedeviled Britain's royal family for centuries.

It has created problems not only when Prince Charles and Princess Diana ended their marriage in the most bitter fashion in 1996 but also when other royals  Princess Margaret  fell in love with people who had been divorced and could not marry them for that reason.

The British monarch also serves as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, which historically refused to bless the unions of anyone with a living ex-spouse. The church softened its position in 2002 to allow divorced individuals to remarry under "exceptional circumstances."

In 1936, drama over a divorced American woman led King Edward VIII to abdicate the throne because of his determination to marry her.

In contrast, in 2018, Prince Harry's plan to marry divorced American actress Meghan Markle is being met with ... a shrug.

Here's a look at royals and divorces:

HENRY VIII AND HIS SIX WIVES

Henry VIII's desire to divorce his first wife was central to his reign. He tried but failed to gain the pope's approval to annul his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, then broke with the Catholic Church. In 1533 the marriage was declared invalid, freeing Henry to marry again.

He eventually married six times and divorced twice. Two of his wives were beheaded; one died shortly after childbirth; one died in detention, and the two others outlived Henry, who died in 1547.

___

THE LAST TIME A SENIOR ROYAL MARRIED A DIVORCED AMERICAN

King Edward VIII provoked one of the greatest crises to face the modern British monarchy when he proposed to Wallis Simpson shortly after he ascended to the throne in 1936.

She was an American who had been divorced once and was in the process of divorcing her second husband. Given the tenor of the time, the marriage was deemed politically and socially unacceptable for the man who would head the Church of England.

Edward finally decided he had to choose between marrying the woman he wanted to spend his life with and his position as king. He chose love  and stepped down after one of the briefest reigns in British history.

___

TRUE LOVE DENIED DUE TO DIVORCE: PRINCESS MARGARET

Group Captain Peter Townsend was a World War II flying ace, an aide to King George VI  and devilishly handsome. He was also, unfortunately, divorced when he fell in love with Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II.

The romance  Townsend proposed marriage, and Margaret was inclined to accept  put the young queen in a difficult position, given the social atmosphere of the time and her role as head of the Church of England, which did not allow divorced people to re-marry in the Church if the former spouse was still alive.

The British government sought to discourage the marriage, and Margaret eventually buckled in 1955, saying she had decided not to marry Townsend.

She eventually married Antony Armstrong-Jones, who became Lord Snowdon. The couple had two children  but divorced in 1978 after 18 years together.

The queen had been reluctant to approve her sister's marriage to a divorced man but  in a more tolerant era  has given her royal consent to the marriage of Harry and Markle.

Royal historian Hugo Vickers says Markle might have been found unsuitable in Margaret's time on several counts: She is divorced, with an ex-husband still alive; at age 36 she is older than the 33-year-old Harry, and she comes from a biracial background.

"It would have been probably terribly difficult for her to have married into the royal family in the 1950s, when I think any of the things that I mentioned might have been in a way played against her, but times move on," said Vickers.

___

PRINCE CHARLES AND CAMILLA: THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGING

By the time Prince Charles married Camilla Parker-Bowles in 2005, Britain's social climate had changed to the point that the divorced heir to the throne could marry a divorced woman who had long been his lover. But the couple did not marry in a church, choosing instead a civil ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall, which is outside the grounds of Windsor Castle.

In another compromise, Charles' mother, the queen, did not attend the ceremony, at least in part because of her role as the head of the Church of England, which frowns on divorce. But she and her husband Prince Philip did attend a formal church blessing of the marriage after the ceremony.

Charles and Camilla also tried to soothe public sympathies for his first wife, the late Princess Diana, by saying Camilla would not take the title of queen when Charles becomes king. Instead she is known as the Duchess of Cornwall.

In all, three of the queen's four children  Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew  have been divorced.

___

NEW ERA FOR HARRY

All of these concerns have faded away as Harry prepares to marry the divorced Markle on Saturday.

Not only will the couple wed in St. George's Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle, but the ceremony will be performed by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who leads the Church of England and the Anglican Communion worldwide.

"Times have moved on a lot and the royal family has moved on with them," said Kim Darroch, Britain's ambassador to the United States. "The Church has moved on as well and there are a lot of features of modern life that would have been difficult to imagine 50 years ago."

___

For complete AP royal wedding coverage, visit https://apnews.com/tag/Royalweddings

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
ORLANDO, Fla.  Universal Orlando's latest Halloween Horror Nights reveal is a fan favorite.

Universal unveils 3rd Halloween Horror Nights house

Latest house based on cult film 'Trick 'r Treat'

Characters make sure guests know the rules of the holiday

The theme park announced a new haunted house based on the film "Trick 'r Treat" for this year's event.

This is the second year "Trick 'r Treat" has gotten the Horror Nights treatment. Last year, the film inspired a scare zone.

This year, Sam and his fellow trick-or-treaters from the cult film will make sure you know all the rules of the holiday -- and what happens if you break the rules.

"Trick 'r Treat" is the third house Universal has revealed for this year's Horror Nights so far -- the other two will be based on the Netflix series "Stranger Things," and a house based on an original zombie-themed story, called "Dead Exposure: Patient Zero."

Halloween Horror Nights is a separate ticketed event at Universal Orlando, running select nights from Sept. 14 to Nov. 3.

From now through June 6, visitors can buy one night Sunday through Friday and get a second night free. Head to the Halloween Horror Nights website for details.
At their meetings, both sides applauded the development of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership across various fields, including in national defence and security, and the cooperation in regional and international matters of shared concern.

They highlighted the visit to the US by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in May 2017 and US President Donald Trumps visit to Vietnam in November the same year, as well as the recent visits by the two countries defence ministers.

Colonel Harris and the academys leaders briefed Ambassador Vinh on the USAFAs international cooperation programmes in the fields of training and research, including exchanges of students for both short and long terms.

Apart from national defence, the academy also has strengths in other spheres such as information technology, cyber security, administration, mechanics, international relations, and languages, they said.

The hosts revealed that the academy is working to build a suitable cooperation programme with Vietnam and is scheduled to send a delegation of students to the country and several other Southeast Asian nations for information, language and cultural exchanges over this summer.

Ambassador Vinh expressed his hope that Vietnam and the US will promote their comprehensive partnership, including collaboration in training and capacity building in national defence and security. The diplomat also shared Vietnams viewpoints on a number of regional and international issues.

Established in 1954 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the USAFA is one of the five major military academies of the US (along with the United States Military, Naval, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine Academies), with 4,200 students under 29 departments. The USAFA has developed a range of international cooperation programmes with its partners, including many countries in Asia and ASEAN.
ORLANDO, Fla.  Prosecutors in Orange and Osceola counties will no longer request bail be set for people charged with minor offenses.

Nonviolent people accused of minor offenses can be released from jail

State Attorney's Office will no longer request bail be set

Affects Orange, Osceola counties

READ: The new bond policy from the State Attorney's Office (PDF)

State Attorney Aramis Ayala announced Wednesday that if a person is not a threat to the community or a flight risk, bail won't be necessary and the person should be released on their own recognizance.

Such crimes include:

Possession of cannabis less than 20 grams

Possession of drug paraphernalia

Driving with a suspended license

No valid driver's license

Attaching tag not assigned to a vehicle

No vehicle registration

Disorderly intoxication/conduct

Panhandling

Loitering

The new rule won't be advocated for crimes associated with domestic violence, stalking, firearms and dangerous felonies, the State Attorney said.

Ayala said the new rule is in keeping with Florida law, saying the law calls for "a presumption in favor of release on nonmonetary conditions" for nondangerous offenses.

The announcement appears to have the support of Chief Judge Fred Lauten, who said in the news release, "There is a national movement toward nonmonetary bond. One of the issues with monetary release is it benefits the wealthy while it is an impediment to people with lesser means."

Ayala said the Orange County Jail holds an average of 2,360 people a day. Of those, 1,806, or about 77 percent, are awaiting trial. Ayala said many of those cannot afford to post bond.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The fight to smoke medical marijuana made its way to a Tallahassee courtroom today. Attorney John Morgan, who helped bankroll the medical marijuana constitutional amendment push, is suing the state.

Morgan: "No smoke is a joke."

Lawmakers insist banning smoke protects public health

Judge could take days, weeks to issue ruling

Leon County circuit court Judge Karen Gievers heard testimony Wednesday challenging the state's ban on smoking cannabis.

Shortly after voters overwhelmingly approved medical marijuana, lawmakers passed a law banning smoking it. Medical cannabis is only available in oil, edible, tincture and vape form.

Morgan's response to the law? "No smoke is a joke."

Cathy Jordan was one of two medical marijuana patients who testified before the judge. Jordan, who has had ALS since 1986, told the court that smoking the plant is the only effective way for her to use it as medicine.

Ive tried other ways. Vaping makes me gag, Jordan testified.

The Manatee County woman has battled ALS for 32 years. She says smoking marijuana is the only way to dry up excessive saliva that she otherwise chokes on.

It also helps my muscles relax, gives me an appetite and helps with depression, Jordan told the judge.

Morgan watched in court today as Jordan was testifying.

If I was Pam Bondi or I was Rick Scott, I would take a look at this woman today and I would say 'enough is enough,' said Morgan. Lets stop the politics and let these people live.

But lawyers for the state argued that lawmakers have every right to ban smoking.

These provisions [in the constitutional amendment] highlight that the state has a role in setting parameters governing medical use, argued Rachel Nordby with the Florida Attorney Generals Office.

The state also argued that inhaling smoke is unhealthy, so by banning smoke, lawmakers are protecting public health.

It could takes several days or weeks for Gievers to issue a ruling.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
The drone, manufactured by Viettel Aerospace Institute, weighs 26 kilograms and can fly at speeds of 80-120 kilometres at a maximum altitude of 3,000 metres with an operating radius of 50 kilometres for up to three hours.

Equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors, the vehicle can monitor at both day and night, transmitting full HD images to the ground control system in real time.

The drone can operate in conditions with wind speeds of less than 38 kilometres per hour.

In the test flight, the UAV was flown to monitor the Nui Ong forest area, about 40 kilometres from the control station.

From an altitude of 1,200 metres, the drone could observe a large area of forest, detect five spots, where there is fire, as well as many zones of suspicious and abnormal activities and transmit their exact coordinates to the control station.

Senior Colonel Than Hoang Ha said that the drone can take off and land on a makeshift runway, or take off from a launcher and land with a catcher, therefore it is very easy to deploy the drone in areas with complex terrain.

Members of the UAV control team

Team members are preparing for the drone to take off

IMAGE 3: The drone takes off from a launcher.

IMAGE 4: The drone is landed using a catcher net.

IMAGE 5: The images are transmitted to the control station in real time.

IMAGE 6: The test flight was attended by leaders of Binh Thuan province and relevant agencies.
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The Australian Government, through its Vietnam-Australia Human Resource Development Partnership (Aus4Skills), a component of the Australia-Vietnam Development Cooperation Programme (Aus4Vietnam), launched the training course in Hanoi on May 15, under the framework of a seminar on enhancing gender equal outcomes in development initiatives that opened this morning.

Speaking at the seminar, Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women's Union, emphasised that gender equality and promoting women's participation in development are always a priority for each country. Vietnam has made great strides in building a legal framework for implementing gender equality. As a result, the nation has witnessed significant progress in gender equality, with the National Assembly's female deputies accounting for 26.8%, and having the first ever National Assembly Chairwomen, along with three female Politburo members, females with tertiary level education at 46.6%, and a stable female participation rate in the labour market at 48-49%.

However, according to Ha, there are still big issues related to gender equality in Vietnam, such as limited gender-based legal documents, the high proportion of female workers in the informal sector, and issues of violence, abuse and a wide income gap between men and women.

Ha expressed her hope that Vietnamese officials joining the course would apply the skills and knowledge shared to advance gender equality in Vietnam, thus bringing about socio-economic benefits through the increased participation of women in the economy.

The course aims to promote Australias support for Vietnam in encouraging gender equality and achieving the goals under its National Strategy for Gender Equality during 2011-2020. The strategys main objectives are supporting women in leadership, economic empowerment and women's safety, which are also priorities of the Australian Government.

Australia's support is implemented through two main approaches, including the Gender Equality Strategy for Vietnam launched by the Australian Government in 2016, requiring all Australian governmental agencies in Vietnam to carry out and report on their activities related to promoting gender equality in Vietnam; and secondly, Australia has set a target that women would benefit substantially from Aus4Vietnam's aid investments in all areas.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Craig Chittick, said that gender equality and women's empowerment are an important facet of the partnership between Australia and Vietnam. The economic and social benefits of empowering women to their full potential are vast and greater economic integration will benefit all. This is especially true when Vietnam is a regional leader in the participation of women in the labour force and in education, the diplomat affirmed.

After six days on a pre-course course in Vietnam, trainees will take further training in Australia for two weeks to explore modern methods and techniques to integrate gender equality effectively into their projects. Upon returning to Vietnam, trainees are expected to apply their new knowledge and experience of gender mainstreaming in the programmes they undertake.

The course is part of the Aus4Vietnam programme, which consists of six components, including Aus4Equality, Aus4Innovation, Aus4Reform, Aus4Skills, Aus4Transport, and Aus4Water. Under the Aus4Equality alone, Australia has committed to provide US$35 million in support for women in leadership, empowerment, and gender equality in Vietnam during 2017-2022.
Littleton Courier Littleton Co Op celebrates nine years as part of the community

by Justin Roshak

The Littleton Food Co Op celebrated its ninth anniversary last Saturday, affording an opportunity to reflect on the origins, development, and prospects for the institution, which overlooks Littleton from its commanding heights on the Union Street hill. (Photo by Justin Roshak) (click for larger version) LITTLETONThe Food Co Op celebrated its ninth anniversary last Saturday, affording an opportunity to reflect on the origins, development, and prospects for the institution, which overlooks Littleton from its commanding heights on the Union Street hill.



The Co-Op's leadership has been unusually consistent; many key leaders have been with the organization since the beginning.



Rodney Mitton, started as the Co-Op's first produce manager, and helped organize annual vendors' meetings. According to Mitton, the Co-Op buys from some 300 separate vendors in New Hampshire and Vermontthe first year, growers came to them, allowing them to sell, for example, local spinach in March. The Co-Op buys about $2 million in local products every year.



Mitton attributed the Co-Op's rapid growth to a strong leadership team with "the right people," especially those with savvy financial skills.



The Co-Op employs 90 people, and sells about $11 million every year. Employees start at $10.50 per hour, well above state minimum wage, which may explain why people stick with the organization, and why it has managed to grow so quickly. It would seem that well-paid workers are loyal, hard workers.



The annual winter-time vendor coordination sessions have grown and become key to the Co-Op's supply chain. The produce manager and vendors hash out who will grow what, and how muchon the whole, it works out fairly well, says Brian Labonte, current produce manager, who started out nine years ago as a dairy clerk. He pointed out that, although they are competitors, all the vendors share an interest in the success of the Co-Op, which keeps everyone on fairly civil behavior. He also draws a line against aggressive under-cutting.



"My goal is for no one to low-ball anyone else," he explained.



He said he was surprised by how well the hundreds of independent-minded Yankee farmers got along.



Growers and vendors have grown alongside the Co-Op, adding employees to accommodate growing demand and reliable purchases. Many suppliers have become certified organic, which typically means higher prices, although the Co-Op maintains itself as a "hybrid," and sells both organic and conventional products. That allows them to market to the whole community, Mitton said; many all-organic co-ops are transitioning to a hybrid model, which is both more profitable and egalitarian.



In the beginning, Littleon Co-Op leadership worked closely with the Hanover Co Op to learn from its experiences. The Co-Op has also benefited from a strong leadership team which represents many different, though often deeply local, perspectives.



Jessy Smith grew up in Littleton, studied graphic design in New York City, and returned home to work in marketing.



He joined the Co-Op in the last year, and said, "I've never worked anywhere where the people care as much as they do here."



Financially, the Co-Op supercharged its growth with several hundred thousand dollars in member loans when it was first built, with some individual members lending as much as $30,000. They have since been paid back with interest. Further member investment has spurred further expansion, and helped to secure millions in federal grants; community development authorities are very keen on project with clearly-demonstrated local buy-in.



At present, the Co-Op is adjusting to its recent two-fold expansion, but it is reported that conversations are ongoing about a potential second site. Those familiar with the discussions say such an ancillary location would be located well beyond the Littleton site's coverage area, so Bethlehem, Lisbon, and Franconia are unlikely to be chosen. LITTLETONThe Food Co Op celebrated its ninth anniversary last Saturday, affording an opportunity to reflect on the origins, development, and prospects for the institution, which overlooks Littleton from its commanding heights on the Union Street hill.The Co-Op's leadership has been unusually consistent; many key leaders have been with the organization since the beginning.Rodney Mitton, started as the Co-Op's first produce manager, and helped organize annual vendors' meetings. According to Mitton, the Co-Op buys from some 300 separate vendors in New Hampshire and Vermontthe first year, growers came to them, allowing them to sell, for example, local spinach in March. The Co-Op buys about $2 million in local products every year.Mitton attributed the Co-Op's rapid growth to a strong leadership team with "the right people," especially those with savvy financial skills.The Co-Op employs 90 people, and sells about $11 million every year. Employees start at $10.50 per hour, well above state minimum wage, which may explain why people stick with the organization, and why it has managed to grow so quickly. It would seem that well-paid workers are loyal, hard workers.The annual winter-time vendor coordination sessions have grown and become key to the Co-Op's supply chain. The produce manager and vendors hash out who will grow what, and how muchon the whole, it works out fairly well, says Brian Labonte, current produce manager, who started out nine years ago as a dairy clerk. He pointed out that, although they are competitors, all the vendors share an interest in the success of the Co-Op, which keeps everyone on fairly civil behavior. He also draws a line against aggressive under-cutting."My goal is for no one to low-ball anyone else," he explained.He said he was surprised by how well the hundreds of independent-minded Yankee farmers got along.Growers and vendors have grown alongside the Co-Op, adding employees to accommodate growing demand and reliable purchases. Many suppliers have become certified organic, which typically means higher prices, although the Co-Op maintains itself as a "hybrid," and sells both organic and conventional products. That allows them to market to the whole community, Mitton said; many all-organic co-ops are transitioning to a hybrid model, which is both more profitable and egalitarian.In the beginning, Littleon Co-Op leadership worked closely with the Hanover Co Op to learn from its experiences. The Co-Op has also benefited from a strong leadership team which represents many different, though often deeply local, perspectives.Jessy Smith grew up in Littleton, studied graphic design in New York City, and returned home to work in marketing.He joined the Co-Op in the last year, and said, "I've never worked anywhere where the people care as much as they do here."Financially, the Co-Op supercharged its growth with several hundred thousand dollars in member loans when it was first built, with some individual members lending as much as $30,000. They have since been paid back with interest. Further member investment has spurred further expansion, and helped to secure millions in federal grants; community development authorities are very keen on project with clearly-demonstrated local buy-in.At present, the Co-Op is adjusting to its recent two-fold expansion, but it is reported that conversations are ongoing about a potential second site. Those familiar with the discussions say such an ancillary location would be located well beyond the Littleton site's coverage area, so Bethlehem, Lisbon, and Franconia are unlikely to be chosen.

Littleton Courier LRH modifies visitor policy Haverhill selectmen to consider airport safety solutions Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has been conducted following President Trumps recognition of the shrine as the capital of Israel in December 2017. The head of the White House affirmed that he had implemented Washingtons policy commitments. However, in fact, the decision by President Trump goes against the Middle East policy of the previous US administrations. As the Middle East peace talks have been frozen since 2014, the international community is worried that the US move could add fuel to the fire, sparking a new spiral of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, while inflaming the unrest in the occupied West Bank and on the Gaza Strip border, where the Israeli military has been stepping up its crackdown on Palestinian protesters over the past few years.

The US administration declared that the embassy move did not aim to prejudge Jerusalems final borders. However, most other countries agreed that the status of Jerusalem, a sacred land for Jews, Muslims, and Christians, should be identified in a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, saying that the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem would harm any deals of such kind, as the Palestinians have always insisted on establishing an independent state with its capital of East Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Senior White House Advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin applaud during the dedication ceremony. (Photo: Reuters)

The absence of most of the diplomats that were invited to the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem suggests that there must not be consensus among countries on this issue. Israel invited 86 ambassadors and diplomatic representatives to attend the event, but only 33 representatives confirmed their attendance, including delegates from Guatemala and Paraguay, which will follow the US in opening their embassies in Jerusalem later this month. There is a rift within the European Union (EU) over Trumps Jerusalem move. Notably, attending the Israeli Foreign Ministry gathering were only representatives from Hungary, Romania, and the Czech Republic, but there were none from the western EU states. The EU mission in Israel tweeted that the bloc would respect the international consensus on Jerusalem, including on the location of their diplomatic representations until the final status of Jerusalem is resolved. Some other countries, including Japan and Iran, voiced their concern that the USs embassy relocation in Israel could increase tensions in the Middle East, or make the stagnant peace process in the region even more difficult. Tokyo took note of Washingtons pledge that the issue of Jerusalems status should be resolved between the concerned parties. The Arab League also summoned an extraordinary meeting in protest of the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem.

A delegation of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in the US criticised that the US administration has chosen Israels exclusive claims of the sacred city with many religions. Meanwhile, approximately one million Palestinians planned to launch the largest rally ever in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on May 14, coinciding with Israels 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Jewish state, to protest the US launch of its embassy in Jerusalem. The protests lasted until today (May 15), the Nakba Day (or Catastrophe) as called by the Palestinians, as 70 years ago, more than 700,000 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes or be axed after Israel announced the establishment of the Jewish state on May 14. Since March 30, a large majority of Palestinians have taken part in demonstrations as part of the Great March of Return, aiming to claim repatriation rights and fundamental rights, and oppose Israels blockade of the Gaza coastal land over the past 12 years. The clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers have left 49 Palestinians dead and over 8,000 wounded.

The international community has been promoting diplomatic efforts to cool down the current tension between Israel and the Palestinians, and to stop a possible outbreak of a new conflict in the Middle East. The Middle East peace ship can only be restarted through dialogues on the basis of the two-state solution, in which the independent Palestinian state lives in peace and security with Israel, with the pre-1967 borderline.
Meredith News Mount Washington shakedown cruise marks official start of tourist season

by Thomas Beeler

Editor of The Granite State News Editor of The Granite State News write the author

Gov. Chris Sununu spoke at the start of the M/S Mount Washington shakedown cruise last Thursday, May 3. The cruise marked the start of the New Hampshire tourist season promotion by the Division of Travel and Tourism. (Photo by Thomas Beeler) (click for larger version) CENTER HARBOR  Last Thursday, the M/S Mount Washington held its first shakedown cruise in several years, taking an hour cruise out of The Weirs to The Broads and back, returning just in time to avoid a spring rainstorm.



Until 2010, the Mount Washington held a special cruise as soon as Ice Out, the date when ice has cleared off Lake Winnipesaukee enough to allow the cruise ship to reach all of its five ports (Meredith, Center Harbor, Wolfeboro, Alton and The Weirs). This year, ice-out was declared on Thursday, April 26, at 5:40 p.m.



The purpose of the cruise was to make sure its WWII-vintage engines were working properly after six months of storage at Center Harbor, according to Capt. Jim Morash. After the engines were replaced in 2010, such cruises were no longer necessary.



Addressing passengers before the cruise began, Morash gave credit for reviving the annual cruise to Gov. Chris Sununu, who wanted it to mark the beginning of the tourist and boating season in New Hampshire. The cruise this year included not only state officials and area selectmen  as in the earlier shakedown cruises  but also leaders of the state's tourism industry.



Sununu himself was present to announce officially the start of the tourism season, introduce the key members of the new Department of Business and Economic Affairs, and to emphasize that increasing tourism is a major focus of his state economic development plan. He also stressed that bringing more tourists into the northern half of the state was a key goal. As the manager of Waterville Valley, he felt that the state should do more to increase the flow of visitors to the lakes and White Mountains, and his goal was to focus the state's development efforts on that.



Following the governor, Taylor Caswell of Hollis spoke. He is the first Commissioner of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs. Victoria Cimino, director of Travel and Tourism, also spoke.



The Department was formed last year by Gov. Sununu by separating out the divisions of Economic Development and Travel and Tourism from the Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED). (The other two divisions of DRED, Forest and Lands and Parks and Recreation, were merged with the Division of Cultural Resources to form the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.)



Cimino said "summer is the perfect time to explore northern New Hampshire" and tourism, second largest industry in the state, is enjoying a surge of interest and visitors. She said room & meals tax revenues were up $12 million or 5 percent this year. This year 3.4 million visitors are expected to spend nearly $2 billion in the state, she said, and all signs point to a record-breaking summer, aided by an advertising campaign that starts on May 7. The campaign will include television commercials and billboards as well as social media. Spending on the campaign will be up 17 percent. All expenditure decisions will be based on data, Cimino concluded.



Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, who represents the northern half of the state on the five-member council, spoke from personal experience speaking with his constituents of the importance of tourism to the North Country.



Amy Landers, executive director of the Lakes Region Tourism Association, reported 335,000 more visitors, a 2.77 percent increase. Memorial Day weekend (May 25-27), is expected to draw 650,000 out-of-state travelers and generate more than $120 million in spending. Landers said that 10,000 people are employed in tourism in the Lakes Region.



She then pointed out the large number of attractions in the state that draw visitors, including Wolfeboro's Wright Museum and Tamworth's Remick Country Doctor Museum and Farm. This year the White Mountain National Forest will celebrate its 100th anniversary and the town of Meredith will celebrate its 250th.



Landers said her association has also seen an increase in destination weddings and family get-togethers.



Before the cruise got underway, Morash took the opportunity to honor Capt. Bruce Campbell, who retired in 2017 after serving Mount Washington Cruises in a wide range of capacities since 1969.



"Bruce held just about every position on the boat," Morash said before presenting him with a plaque and large watch.



During the cruise, Sununu made himself available for questions and suggestions and even took the wheel of the ship briefly (under the close supervision on Capt. Morash) when it reached The Broads, before turning around and returning to The Weirs. CENTER HARBOR  Last Thursday, the M/S Mount Washington held its first shakedown cruise in several years, taking an hour cruise out of The Weirs to The Broads and back, returning just in time to avoid a spring rainstorm.Until 2010, the Mount Washington held a special cruise as soon as Ice Out, the date when ice has cleared off Lake Winnipesaukee enough to allow the cruise ship to reach all of its five ports (Meredith, Center Harbor, Wolfeboro, Alton and The Weirs). This year, ice-out was declared on Thursday, April 26, at 5:40 p.m.The purpose of the cruise was to make sure its WWII-vintage engines were working properly after six months of storage at Center Harbor, according to Capt. Jim Morash. After the engines were replaced in 2010, such cruises were no longer necessary.Addressing passengers before the cruise began, Morash gave credit for reviving the annual cruise to Gov. Chris Sununu, who wanted it to mark the beginning of the tourist and boating season in New Hampshire. The cruise this year included not only state officials and area selectmen  as in the earlier shakedown cruises  but also leaders of the state's tourism industry.Sununu himself was present to announce officially the start of the tourism season, introduce the key members of the new Department of Business and Economic Affairs, and to emphasize that increasing tourism is a major focus of his state economic development plan. He also stressed that bringing more tourists into the northern half of the state was a key goal. As the manager of Waterville Valley, he felt that the state should do more to increase the flow of visitors to the lakes and White Mountains, and his goal was to focus the state's development efforts on that.Following the governor, Taylor Caswell of Hollis spoke. He is the first Commissioner of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs. Victoria Cimino, director of Travel and Tourism, also spoke.The Department was formed last year by Gov. Sununu by separating out the divisions of Economic Development and Travel and Tourism from the Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED). (The other two divisions of DRED, Forest and Lands and Parks and Recreation, were merged with the Division of Cultural Resources to form the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.)Cimino said "summer is the perfect time to explore northern New Hampshire" and tourism, second largest industry in the state, is enjoying a surge of interest and visitors. She said room & meals tax revenues were up $12 million or 5 percent this year. This year 3.4 million visitors are expected to spend nearly $2 billion in the state, she said, and all signs point to a record-breaking summer, aided by an advertising campaign that starts on May 7. The campaign will include television commercials and billboards as well as social media. Spending on the campaign will be up 17 percent. All expenditure decisions will be based on data, Cimino concluded.Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, who represents the northern half of the state on the five-member council, spoke from personal experience speaking with his constituents of the importance of tourism to the North Country.Amy Landers, executive director of the Lakes Region Tourism Association, reported 335,000 more visitors, a 2.77 percent increase. Memorial Day weekend (May 25-27), is expected to draw 650,000 out-of-state travelers and generate more than $120 million in spending. Landers said that 10,000 people are employed in tourism in the Lakes Region.She then pointed out the large number of attractions in the state that draw visitors, including Wolfeboro's Wright Museum and Tamworth's Remick Country Doctor Museum and Farm. This year the White Mountain National Forest will celebrate its 100th anniversary and the town of Meredith will celebrate its 250th.Landers said her association has also seen an increase in destination weddings and family get-togethers.Before the cruise got underway, Morash took the opportunity to honor Capt. Bruce Campbell, who retired in 2017 after serving Mount Washington Cruises in a wide range of capacities since 1969."Bruce held just about every position on the boat," Morash said before presenting him with a plaque and large watch.During the cruise, Sununu made himself available for questions and suggestions and even took the wheel of the ship briefly (under the close supervision on Capt. Morash) when it reached The Broads, before turning around and returning to The Weirs.


Plymouth Record Enterprise Festival teaches students from throughout the state the importance of clean drinking water

by Donna Rhodes write the author

Fourth grade students from Lyme, Plymouth and New Hampton elementary school took home this year's top honors in a state wide Water Poetry Competition. (Photo by Donna Rhodes) (click for larger version) PLYMOUTH  Fourth grade students from all across New Hampshire were invited to take part in the 26th Annual New Hampshire Drinking Water Festival and Fourth Grade State Water Science Fair, which was hosted this year by the Town of Plymouth.



As part of the event, presented by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, students were challenged to present projects related to water, compose poetry about water, and take part in many fun and educational activities at River Front Park.



While projects by the students were on display in the upper level of the Plymouth Senior Center on May 9, dozens of information booths and activity centers were also available along both the entrance to the center and adjacent amphitheater as well, where clear water from the Pemigewasset River appropriately flowed by.



Several divisions of DES took part in the all day event that also celebrated National Clean Water Week; each presenting information and activities that relate to water impacted topics in the state.



Making their way from booth to booth, students learned, in a fun fashion, about water tension, heard about animals who rely on clean water, and even got to experiment a bit when they were challenged to see how many drops of water a penny could hold.



"Water drops love to hang out and hold onto each other," one DES representative informed them as they dabbed water onto the coins.



The Dam Bureau also had some fun with the boys and girls, letting them know that "dam" is not a bad word- it's a structure meant to block water. Students were invited to make paper cups out of water to see how structures can stop water from flowing from one place to another and learned the positive side of that as well.



"Dams have many benefits. They help with flood control, create recreational activities, promote wildlife and fish populations, and can even produce electricity," they were told.



A bit of chemistry came into play when students learned about arsenic, a naturally occurring substance in bedrock that can be found in well water and a rain barrel helped show ways water can be "recycled" when it falls from the sky.



The Designated Rivers Program also invited children to learn about the good and bad things that can happen along a river and how human actions can affect wildlife who depend on clean water. Amoskeag Fishways also added a bit of a creepy, crawly element to the day.



"We brought some actual live macro-invertebrates so the kids could learn what they (the insects) can tell us about the health of a waterway," staff members said.



And perhaps most fun of all was the booth where the fourth graders got to taste water samples from four New Hampshire municipalities then vote for which tasted the best.



At lunch time the students all moved to the Flying Monkey Performance Center for a bite to eat, then enjoyed a mini-concert by a musician from Earth Jam who the students really enjoyed.



"That was awesome! I loved the concert. It was so good," said one Plymouth Elementary School student.



Following the concert awards for the day were presented for not only the science fair projects but a special Water Poetry competition as well, which encompassed more than 50 entries from schools around the state. On hand to present the awards was WMUR Channel 9 Meteorologist Hayley LaPoint.



As LaPoint called out the names of the top four winners, the students joined her on the stage to not only accept their awards but to read their winning poetry. While Reese Kenney of Lyme took First Place, the Plymouth and Newfound area schools finished strong in the competition, too. Collaborating in their efforts, Joshua York, Keegan Ingram of New Hampton Community School won Honorable Mention. Aidan Freitas, Blaine Hiltz and Logan Libby from Plymouth Elementary School took home Third Place honors, and PES classmates Amanda Ahern, Avery Tuttle-Wilcox, and Addy Allain, came in Second Place.



In the Water Science Fair, the southern part of the state dominated the competition this time around with Alaria Clauss of Keene awarded First Place honors, Jack Quarry of Keene came in Second Place, and Ashton Foreman of Harrisville finished in Third Place. Honorable Mentions this year went to Emma Petrovich of Keene and Rylee Donovan from Manchester.



Results of the blind water sampling challenge were also revealed during the ceremonies. This year Keene topped the list with the fourth grade judges, but Plymouth fared well, too, beating out Concord and Manchester in what turned out to be an otherwise tightly contested competition.



Plymouth Elementary School Principal Julie Flynn was excited about the day's events and grateful that this year's traveling Water Science Fair was held right in their community.



"We love this. It's right up our alley, learning about the environment in an authentic way. It's been so engaging for our kids," Flynn said.



Flynn also expressed her gratitude to the Plymouth Water Commission, which worked hard to bring the event to Plymouth this year.



PES fourth graders agreed on the success of the day, but each for different reasons. Some liked learning about water erosion, some liked the many activities they could take part in, the insects were "cool" a few said, but all agreed that they learned why it is not a good practice to throw trash in rivers, streams and ponds.



One student summed it all up though by saying, "Pretty much, it was a great day." PLYMOUTH  Fourth grade students from all across New Hampshire were invited to take part in the 26th Annual New Hampshire Drinking Water Festival and Fourth Grade State Water Science Fair, which was hosted this year by the Town of Plymouth.As part of the event, presented by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, students were challenged to present projects related to water, compose poetry about water, and take part in many fun and educational activities at River Front Park.While projects by the students were on display in the upper level of the Plymouth Senior Center on May 9, dozens of information booths and activity centers were also available along both the entrance to the center and adjacent amphitheater as well, where clear water from the Pemigewasset River appropriately flowed by.Several divisions of DES took part in the all day event that also celebrated National Clean Water Week; each presenting information and activities that relate to water impacted topics in the state.Making their way from booth to booth, students learned, in a fun fashion, about water tension, heard about animals who rely on clean water, and even got to experiment a bit when they were challenged to see how many drops of water a penny could hold."Water drops love to hang out and hold onto each other," one DES representative informed them as they dabbed water onto the coins.The Dam Bureau also had some fun with the boys and girls, letting them know that "dam" is not a bad word- it's a structure meant to block water. Students were invited to make paper cups out of water to see how structures can stop water from flowing from one place to another and learned the positive side of that as well."Dams have many benefits. They help with flood control, create recreational activities, promote wildlife and fish populations, and can even produce electricity," they were told.A bit of chemistry came into play when students learned about arsenic, a naturally occurring substance in bedrock that can be found in well water and a rain barrel helped show ways water can be "recycled" when it falls from the sky.The Designated Rivers Program also invited children to learn about the good and bad things that can happen along a river and how human actions can affect wildlife who depend on clean water. Amoskeag Fishways also added a bit of a creepy, crawly element to the day."We brought some actual live macro-invertebrates so the kids could learn what they (the insects) can tell us about the health of a waterway," staff members said.And perhaps most fun of all was the booth where the fourth graders got to taste water samples from four New Hampshire municipalities then vote for which tasted the best.At lunch time the students all moved to the Flying Monkey Performance Center for a bite to eat, then enjoyed a mini-concert by a musician from Earth Jam who the students really enjoyed."That was awesome! I loved the concert. It was so good," said one Plymouth Elementary School student.Following the concert awards for the day were presented for not only the science fair projects but a special Water Poetry competition as well, which encompassed more than 50 entries from schools around the state. On hand to present the awards was WMUR Channel 9 Meteorologist Hayley LaPoint.As LaPoint called out the names of the top four winners, the students joined her on the stage to not only accept their awards but to read their winning poetry. While Reese Kenney of Lyme took First Place, the Plymouth and Newfound area schools finished strong in the competition, too. Collaborating in their efforts, Joshua York, Keegan Ingram of New Hampton Community School won Honorable Mention. Aidan Freitas, Blaine Hiltz and Logan Libby from Plymouth Elementary School took home Third Place honors, and PES classmates Amanda Ahern, Avery Tuttle-Wilcox, and Addy Allain, came in Second Place.In the Water Science Fair, the southern part of the state dominated the competition this time around with Alaria Clauss of Keene awarded First Place honors, Jack Quarry of Keene came in Second Place, and Ashton Foreman of Harrisville finished in Third Place. Honorable Mentions this year went to Emma Petrovich of Keene and Rylee Donovan from Manchester.Results of the blind water sampling challenge were also revealed during the ceremonies. This year Keene topped the list with the fourth grade judges, but Plymouth fared well, too, beating out Concord and Manchester in what turned out to be an otherwise tightly contested competition.Plymouth Elementary School Principal Julie Flynn was excited about the day's events and grateful that this year's traveling Water Science Fair was held right in their community."We love this. It's right up our alley, learning about the environment in an authentic way. It's been so engaging for our kids," Flynn said.Flynn also expressed her gratitude to the Plymouth Water Commission, which worked hard to bring the event to Plymouth this year.PES fourth graders agreed on the success of the day, but each for different reasons. Some liked learning about water erosion, some liked the many activities they could take part in, the insects were "cool" a few said, but all agreed that they learned why it is not a good practice to throw trash in rivers, streams and ponds.One student summed it all up though by saying, "Pretty much, it was a great day."

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Plymouth Record Enterprise NHEC union employees remain on strike

PLYMOUTH  Eighty-three of New Hampshire Electric Cooperative's (NHEC) 200 employees remain on strike. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union #1837 went on strike on May 3 after nearly 20 negotiating sessions with NHEC management failed to result in a new contract. The contract expired on April 30.



Prior to the strike, NHEC assured the union committee that management would not lock out union employees when the contract expired. A lockout occurs when management refuses to allow union employees to work. It is different than a strike because during a strike, striking employees choose not to work, even though they have the option to continue working without a contract while negotiations continue. NHEC's union employees chose not to continue working. Although a federal mediator has been engaged and continues to meet with both sides, an agreement has not been reached and union workers remain out on strike. Contract line crews have been brought in to help maintain operations for NHEC and its members.



At issue is pension and 401k benefits for union employees. The union requested that the company offer union employees the same 401k and pension benefits as non-union employees. The company responded to the union's request by proposing pension and 401k benefits at the same level as non-union employees, including senior management. The proposal represents a dramatic increase in pension and 401k benefits for union employees. Despite the generous proposal, the union objects to language in the company's proposal that it be able to make the same changes to the pension plan at the same time changes are made to the pension plan for non-union employees. The intent of the company's proposal is to maintain the same level of pension and 401k benefits for union and non-union employees.



NHEC provides a comprehensive benefits package to all employees. A 1st Class Line Worker for NHEC makes an annual base salary of $81,057; plus an average of $6,547 for on-call pay for a total of approximately $87,604 annually. Line workers also frequently earn overtime. On average, in 2017, an NHEC Line Worker earned $30,000 in overtime. In addition to their wages, NHEC Line Workers receive a comprehensive benefits package, which on average costs NHEC $54,676 to provide. For a Line Worker at NHEC the Total Compensation and Benefit Package is approximately $172,280.



NHEC's union benefit package includes:



 Personal Time  five paid personal days



 Holiday Pay  eight paid holidays



 Vacation  12-26 paid vacation days based on years of service



 Sick leave  12 paid sick days



 Health coverage (including dental and vision)  85 percent paid by NHEC; 15 percent paid by the employee



 Defined Benefit Pension Plan  fully paid by NHEC; based on a multiplying factor, annual salary and number of years of service.



 401k Retirement Plan  Percentage match by NHEC



 Accidental, Death and Dismemberment Insurance  paid by NHEC



 Life insurance  NHEC pays for coverage equal to two (2) times annual salary



NHEC has posted a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on its Web site to inform members and the public about the union strike. Any new developments in the contract negotiations will also be posted online at



NHEC is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving 84,000 homes and businesses in New Hampshire. PLYMOUTH  Eighty-three of New Hampshire Electric Cooperative's (NHEC) 200 employees remain on strike. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union #1837 went on strike on May 3 after nearly 20 negotiating sessions with NHEC management failed to result in a new contract. The contract expired on April 30.Prior to the strike, NHEC assured the union committee that management would not lock out union employees when the contract expired. A lockout occurs when management refuses to allow union employees to work. It is different than a strike because during a strike, striking employees choose not to work, even though they have the option to continue working without a contract while negotiations continue. NHEC's union employees chose not to continue working. Although a federal mediator has been engaged and continues to meet with both sides, an agreement has not been reached and union workers remain out on strike. Contract line crews have been brought in to help maintain operations for NHEC and its members.At issue is pension and 401k benefits for union employees. The union requested that the company offer union employees the same 401k and pension benefits as non-union employees. The company responded to the union's request by proposing pension and 401k benefits at the same level as non-union employees, including senior management. The proposal represents a dramatic increase in pension and 401k benefits for union employees. Despite the generous proposal, the union objects to language in the company's proposal that it be able to make the same changes to the pension plan at the same time changes are made to the pension plan for non-union employees. The intent of the company's proposal is to maintain the same level of pension and 401k benefits for union and non-union employees.NHEC provides a comprehensive benefits package to all employees. A 1st Class Line Worker for NHEC makes an annual base salary of $81,057; plus an average of $6,547 for on-call pay for a total of approximately $87,604 annually. Line workers also frequently earn overtime. On average, in 2017, an NHEC Line Worker earned $30,000 in overtime. In addition to their wages, NHEC Line Workers receive a comprehensive benefits package, which on average costs NHEC $54,676 to provide. For a Line Worker at NHEC the Total Compensation and Benefit Package is approximately $172,280.NHEC's union benefit package includes: Personal Time  five paid personal days Holiday Pay  eight paid holidays Vacation  12-26 paid vacation days based on years of service Sick leave  12 paid sick days Health coverage (including dental and vision)  85 percent paid by NHEC; 15 percent paid by the employee Defined Benefit Pension Plan  fully paid by NHEC; based on a multiplying factor, annual salary and number of years of service. 401k Retirement Plan  Percentage match by NHEC Accidental, Death and Dismemberment Insurance  paid by NHEC Life insurance  NHEC pays for coverage equal to two (2) times annual salaryNHEC has posted a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on its Web site to inform members and the public about the union strike. Any new developments in the contract negotiations will also be posted online at www.nhec.com NHEC is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving 84,000 homes and businesses in New Hampshire.

Plymouth Record Enterprise Ashland library celebrates 150th anniversary Bobcats rally past Kennett for big Friday night win Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Winnisquam Echo Belmont Middle School recognized by state for Excellence in Education

by Donna Rhodes write the author

Belmont Middle School's staff and students were thrilled to learn they were selected as the 2018 Middle School of the Year. Making the presentation to them were representatives of the New Hampshire Excellence in Education Awards Program and McDonald's Corporation, a 25-year sponsor of the "EDie" awards. (Photo by Donna Rhodes) (click for larger version) BELMONT  The 2017-18 school year has certainly been one to remember at Belmont Middle School. The celebrations began in September when BMS was one of only four schools in New Hampshire to be awarded a National Blue Ribbon Award as an Exemplary High Performing School, but the accolades didn't stop there. Next up was a special recognition for Principal Aaron Pope, who was named the New Hampshire Association of School Principals' Middle School Principal of the Year.



Capping it all off last week, BMS was recognized by the New Hampshire Excellence in Education Awards Program as Middle School of the Year.



Presenting the award to the school's staff and student body was Dorene Decibus, who was joined by fellow members of the "EDie" awards committee Bryan Belanger, Jessica Richardson and Annie Collacchi.



Decibus said the committee paid a visit to BMS back in March when they were considering candidate schools and they liked what they saw- hardworking teachers who were engaged in their teaching and students who were empowered as a result of those efforts.



"It didn't take us long to realize that Belmont Middle School was the Middle School of the Year You now have bragging rights," she said.



Joining the EDie committee on Thursday morning was Larry Johnston, the Brand Ambassador for McDonald's, a major sponsor for the state's annual educational awards program. The 2017-18 school year, he said, marks 25 years of their partnership and he told the excited crowd, "They (the selection committee) obviously had wonderful judgment in selecting such a wonderful school!"



Johnston topped off his congratulations with the presentation of a check for $2,000 from McDonald's to be used in future educational endeavors at the school.



Principal Aaron Pope's first duty as head of the New Hampshire Middle School of the Year was to then ring the ceremonial EDie Bell. Soon the school will also receive their own engraved brass bell to commemorate their distinction this year.



"Everybody worked really hard at this," he said with pride, as he also took a moment to thank the teachers and staff who prepared for the selection committee's visit in March.



Pope then cued the music and as the sounds of Kool and the Gang's 1980s hit song "Celebrate" filled the gym, teachers, staff and students alike all danced.



"This is a great honor," Pope said afterward. "The students and staff worked really hard and it's so nice to see all that hard work pay off. There was a lot of time and effort put into the curriculum, the building and everything that goes on here. It's just a great place to be and it's been a great year."



Pope added that the recognitions BMS has received in the 2017-18 school year are all wonderful but he and the staff will not rest on their laurels.



"We're not going to stop presenting challenges to our students, whether that's here at the middle school, in high school or in life," he said. BELMONT  The 2017-18 school year has certainly been one to remember at Belmont Middle School. The celebrations began in September when BMS was one of only four schools in New Hampshire to be awarded a National Blue Ribbon Award as an Exemplary High Performing School, but the accolades didn't stop there. Next up was a special recognition for Principal Aaron Pope, who was named the New Hampshire Association of School Principals' Middle School Principal of the Year.Capping it all off last week, BMS was recognized by the New Hampshire Excellence in Education Awards Program as Middle School of the Year.Presenting the award to the school's staff and student body was Dorene Decibus, who was joined by fellow members of the "EDie" awards committee Bryan Belanger, Jessica Richardson and Annie Collacchi.Decibus said the committee paid a visit to BMS back in March when they were considering candidate schools and they liked what they saw- hardworking teachers who were engaged in their teaching and students who were empowered as a result of those efforts."It didn't take us long to realize that Belmont Middle School was the Middle School of the Year You now have bragging rights," she said.Joining the EDie committee on Thursday morning was Larry Johnston, the Brand Ambassador for McDonald's, a major sponsor for the state's annual educational awards program. The 2017-18 school year, he said, marks 25 years of their partnership and he told the excited crowd, "They (the selection committee) obviously had wonderful judgment in selecting such a wonderful school!"Johnston topped off his congratulations with the presentation of a check for $2,000 from McDonald's to be used in future educational endeavors at the school.Principal Aaron Pope's first duty as head of the New Hampshire Middle School of the Year was to then ring the ceremonial EDie Bell. Soon the school will also receive their own engraved brass bell to commemorate their distinction this year."Everybody worked really hard at this," he said with pride, as he also took a moment to thank the teachers and staff who prepared for the selection committee's visit in March.Pope then cued the music and as the sounds of Kool and the Gang's 1980s hit song "Celebrate" filled the gym, teachers, staff and students alike all danced."This is a great honor," Pope said afterward. "The students and staff worked really hard and it's so nice to see all that hard work pay off. There was a lot of time and effort put into the curriculum, the building and everything that goes on here. It's just a great place to be and it's been a great year."Pope added that the recognitions BMS has received in the 2017-18 school year are all wonderful but he and the staff will not rest on their laurels."We're not going to stop presenting challenges to our students, whether that's here at the middle school, in high school or in life," he said.


By Online Desk

The Karnataka power tussle turned into a midnight courtroom battle in the capital as the Supreme Court heard a petition by the Congress-JD(S) combine challenging Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision to invite BJP's B S Yeddyurappa to form the government. The Congress termed the move to form a BJP government in Karnataka as "illegal and against the law and Constitution".

CJI Dipak Misra agreed to a midnight hearing as the Congress-JD(S) said Yeddyurappa's swearing in as the state's 23rd Chief Minister was taking place as early as 9 AM today and there was very little time left for it. Lawyers Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Tushar Mehta, Mukul Rohatgi argued for the Congress-JD(S), the union government and the BJP, respectively.

The three-judge SC bench pushed the matter to 10:30 am on Friday after a three-and-a-half hour pre-dawn hearing. It refused to stay BSY's oath-taking and directed him to produce the letter written to the Governor on May 15 where he staked his claim to form government. The petition will be taken up for later hearing and it shall depend on the outcome of the case, it said.

The petition by Congress-JD(S) contended that despite presenting the list of 116 MLAs, governor Vala has invited the BJP which has 104 MLAs to form the government and has given relatively longer time of 15 days to prove the majority on the floor of the House, alleging that it will promote horse trading and poaching of their MLAs. [Read full report HERE]
By PTI

VARANASI: A portion of an under-construction flyover near the railway station here collapsed today killing at least 18 persons while more were feared trapped under the debris, officials said.

Eighteen bodies have been recovered from the Varanasi flyover collapse site, UP Relief Commissioner Sanjay Kumar told PTI in Lucknow.

"It is feared that several people are buried under the rubble," an official said, adding rescue teams were at spot to rescue those trapped.

Some vehicles, including a bus, were crushed in the collapse, they said. At least three persons had been rescued, a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) official said.

The Uttar Pradesh Bridge Construction Corporation was constructing the 2261-metre-long bridge at a cost of Rs 129 crore, officials said. The span which fell today was laid barely three months ago, they added.

READ | Varanasi flyover collapse: Rajnath Singh takes stock of situation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha, and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the deaths. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya rushed to the spot, an official spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the opposition targeted the state government over the tragedy in the "top-priority constituency of the country".

#UttarPradesh CM Yogi Adityanath meets the victims of Varanasi under-construction flyover collapse incident at Kabir Chaura Hospital pic.twitter.com/HVKuRMjBcB  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 15, 2018

Chief Minister Adityanath set up a three-member committee to probe the flyover collapse. Adityanath also announced a Rs five lakh ex-gratia to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs two lakh to the seriously injured, an official said.

Rescue operation being carried out for a man trapped under an under-construction flyover that collapsed in Varanasi on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)

The chief minister also directed the district administration and PWD officials to take all necessary steps for relief and rescue operations.

"Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi. I pray that the injured recover soon. Spoke to officials and asked them to ensure all possible support to those affected," Modi tweeted.

In another tweet, the prime minister said he had spoken to Adityanath. "The UP Government is monitoring the situation very closely and is working on the ground to assist the affected," he said.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Governor Ram Naik too condoled the deaths.

Opposition Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav attacked the state government over the incident.

"This is the reality of development in the top-priority constituency of the country. The ministers of the state used to visit this district for regular inspections. Is this incident an accident or result of corruption? This should be told to the people of Varanasi by the state government," the SP chief said.

Yadav appealed to his party workers to cooperate with the administration in relief and rescue. The incident should be probed "honestly", he demanded.
By AFP

GAZA CITY: Palestinians were gathering Tuesday for fresh protests along the Gaza border, a day after Israeli forces killed dozens there as the US embassy opened in Jerusalem on what was the conflict's bloodiest day in years.

Palestinians on Tuesday marked the Nakba, or "catastrophe", commemorating the more than 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled in the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation.

VIEW PHOTOS Israeli forces kill over 50 Palestine protestors at Gaza border as anger mounts over US embassy opening in Jerusalem

It came a day after the United States transferred its Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem in a move that infuriated the Palestinians and was widely condemned.

Most of the 60 Gazans killed Monday were shot by Israeli snipers, Gaza's health ministry said.

The toll included a baby who died from tear gas inhalation along with eight children under the age of 16, the ministry said.

At least 2,400 others were wounded in the bloodiest day in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the 2014 Gaza war.

Some funerals were held on Monday, while others were taking place Tuesday.

Hundreds of people took part in the funeral of Yazan Tubasi, 23, killed east of Gaza City.

His father Ibrahim, 50, said his son had a boy aged one year and three months.

"I am happy that my son is a martyr," he said, though he was crying uncontrollably. "He is among dozens who died for the sake of Palestine and Jerusalem."

Small numbers of protesters began returning to the border area on Tuesday, with larger crowds expected later.

In the West Bank, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas declared a general strike on Tuesday after accusing Israel of "massacres".

Protests and clashes -

On Monday, tens of thousands had gathered near the border in protest while smaller numbers of stone-throwing Palestinians approached the fence and sought to break through, with Israeli snipers positioned on the other side.

The death toll led to strong condemnation from rights groups and concern from a range of countries.

But the United States, which blamed Hamas, blocked the adoption of a UN Security Council statement that would have called for an independent probe into the violence, diplomats said.

Despite the bloodshed, the embassy inauguration went ahead as planned in Jerusalem, attended by a Washington delegation that included US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both White House aides.

Israel's military said 40,000 Palestinians had taken part in the protests and clashes.

It said its aircraft had targeted 11 Hamas sites and tanks fired at "two terror posts belonging to Hamas", accusing the Palestinian Islamist movement of opening fire towards Israeli forces.

Israel says its action is necessary to stop infiltrations of the border fence and claims that Hamas, which runs the blockaded Gaza Strip, uses the protests as cover to carry out violence.

But French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the "violence of the Israeli armed forces against the protesters" while EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said "we expect all to act with utmost restraint to avoid further loss of life".

Britain's minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, acknowledged "Israel's right to defend its borders" but also said "the large volume of live fire is extremely concerning".

"We continue to implore Israel to show greater restraint," he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of "state terror" and "genocide".

Turkey also said it was recalling its ambassadors to the United States and Israel "for consultations", while South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel "until further notice".

In Dublin, Ireland summoned Israel's ambassador to protest.

The UN rights office said it seemed any Palestinian protesting in Gaza, regardless of whether they pose an imminent threat, is "liable" to be killed by Israeli forces.

China called for restraint, "especially" from Israel.

'Rioters' at the border -

At least 114 Palestinians have been killed in a campaign of protests along the Gaza border since March 30, the vast majority by Israeli snipers during clashes.

Only one Israeli soldier has been reported wounded during that time.

On Monday, the army said "many rioters" tried to breach the border fence and "approximately 10 explosive devices and several firebombs were used to target the security fence and (Israeli) troops". It said shots were also fired at soldiers.

The embassy inauguration followed Trump's December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community.

Jerusalem's status is perhaps the thorniest issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

International consensus has been that the city's status must be negotiated between the two sides, but Trump broke with that to global outrage.

He has argued that it helps make peace possible by taking Jerusalem "off the table", but many have noted he has not announced any concessions in return from Israel.

Beyond the disputed nature of Jerusalem, the date of the embassy move was also key. May 14 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel.
The meeting has been called for by Saudi Arabia and it is expected to discuss possible ways to confront the recent US relocation of its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, MENA quoted a diplomatic source as saying.

The meeting will be preceded by a preparatory meeting at the level of permanent representatives of Arab member states, according to the source.

Washington inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, amid protests of tens of thousands of Palestinians at the Israeli borders with the besieged Gaza Strip, which left at least 63 dead and around 2,800 wounded.

The Israeli aggression against unarmed Gazans has been met with regional and international outrage.

The protests coincided with the 70th anniversary of Israel's declaration of independence, one day before the Palestinian "Nakba (Catastrophe) Day," which marks the expulsion of some 750,000 Palestinians from their homes to become refugees in 1948.

The international community holds Israel responsible for the deadlock of the peace process with the Palestinians due to its settlement expansion policy on occupied Palestinian territories.

The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital city in the light of the UN-proposed two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders.

Meanwhile, Turkey will host an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on May 18 over Israeli violence on the Gaza border, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced on May 15.

Yildirim has invited his counterparts from five countries, Bangladesh, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar and Algeria, to join the emergency summit by phone, state-run Anadolu Agency reported citing the Turkish Prime Ministry.
[File Photo: VCG]

PYONGYANG/WASHINGTON, May 16 -- In view of the recently provocative acts such as the Republic of Korea (ROK)-U.S. joint military drills, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has no choice but to suspend high-level talks with the ROK planned for Wednesday, the official KCNA said on Wednesday.

The state media also said the United States should think twice about the fate of the planned DPRK-U.S. summit.

Shortly after the report, the U.S. State Department said it was continuing to plan for the summit between President Donald Trump and the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

The United States has not heard anything directly from Pyongyang or Seoul that would change the arrangements, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing in Washington.

The KCNA said that the "2018 Max Thunder" joint air combat exercise involves over 100 warplanes including "B-52" strategic bomber and "F-22 Raptor" stealth fighter, and is aimed at launching pre-emptive strikes against the DPRK as well as taking control of the airspace.

The exercise, which runs from May 11 till May 25, is a "blatant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula," the report said.
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Reporter

Noelle McGee is a Danville-based reporter at The News-Gazette. Her email is nmcgee@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@n_mcgee).
Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
A cracked vase, made during China's Qing Dynasty (AD 1644-1912), was auctioned off for 87,000 (approx. $117,000) in the UK, according to the Daily Mail on May 13, 2018.

A cracked antique vase from the Qing Dynasty was sold for 87,000. [Photo: VCG]

The final auction price has come as a great surprise to the vase's previous owner, who had intended to donate the piece to a charity store. 83-year-old Anne Beck inherited the ornately decorated but partially cracked vase from her grandfather. Neither she nor her grandfather had tried to repair it, which had been sitting in Beck's garage for 11 years.

As Beck thought the vase had become too damaged, she planned to drop it off at a charity store. On her way there, she stopped at an auctioneer's valuation event and was persuaded to put the item up for sale.

A cracked antique vase from the Qing Dynasty was sold for 87,000. [Photo: VCG]

The vase was initially advertised on the website of Eastbourne Auctions with an estimated price of between 90 and 120. However, it was eventually sold to a Germany-based Chinese buyer for 87,000 with all fees included.

The vase dates back to the 18th century and was made for Emperor Qianlong. Experts said it could have fetched up to 500 million if it hadn't been damaged.
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is very concerned about the incident in which a Hong Kong television station cameraman was handcuffed and taken away by police in Beijing.

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung made the statement today to the media, emphasising the Government attaches great importance to the safety of journalists.

We are very concerned about the safety of our reporters, actually carrying out their duties, anytime, anywhere.

He said the HKSAR Governments office in Beijing has been instructed to assist the journalists concerned and call on relevant departments to address the matter as soon as possible.

Mr Cheung said the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of the State Council is already mediating in the case and is working to establish the facts.
A delegation of North Korean officials arrived in Beijing on Monday to tour the capital and study reform, opening-up and economic development in the second such bilateral exchange within a week following Pyongyang's vow to focus its energies on the economy and give up nuclear weapons.

At the invitation of the International Department of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China, a friendship visiting group of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) arrived on Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a daily briefing on Tuesday.

The group was seeking to see China's reform and opening-up achievements and learn about "domestic economic development," Lu said.

The group was being led by Pak Thae-song, a member of the political bureau and vice chairman of the WPK Central Committee, the Korean Central News Agency reported.

"North Korea's economic development is in a crucial period, as are its relations with China," Lu Chao, a research fellow at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. "As Pyongyang shows more determination and actions toward peaceful development, Beijing will provide all necessary assistance to its neighbor.

"Although it can gain abundant experience from China, North Korea is unlikely to fully copy China's model. The country needs a pattern that suits itself," he said.

Lu did not reveal the duration of the tour or the planned stops. Chinese observers said the route might include representative cities like Shenzhen and Zhuhai in South China's Guangdong Province.

As China's first special economic zone after reform and opening-up was launched in 1978, Shenzhen has transformed from a fishing village to a metropolis with the third-biggest GDP on the Chinese mainland.

A North Korean special economic zone could pilot a legal and administrative system for foreign investment that differs with other regions of the country in a safe but efficient way of attracting foreign capital, Lu said.

Compared to South Korea, China's experience is more practical for North Korea as the two countries' political systems are more similar, he said.

The official trip comes after a delegation led by Chinese Ambassador Li Jinjun visited Sinuiju, capital of North Pyongan Province, on Friday and Saturday, when the North Korean side said it expected further joint exchanges and cooperation with China's Liaoning Province, the Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday.
US top aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co. (Boeing) Tuesday called as "a landmark decision" a ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) determining that the European Union (EU) has provided billions of US dollars in subsidies to European aircraft maker Airbus.

Boeing said the WTO has found that the EU has failed to honor multiple previous rulings and provided more than "22 billion dollars of illegal subsidies" to its business archrival Airbus.

"After examining this case for more than a decade, the WTO has determined the EU must end its unfair business practices and remedy the ongoing harm caused by the illegal subsidies," Boeing said.

The latest WTO ruling on the decade-old case, which was initiated in 2006, ends the dispute and clears the way for the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to seek remedies in the form of tariffs against European exports to the United States, Boeing said.

The United States has accused European governments of providing favorable loans to Airbus for its A380 superjumbo and the A350 long-range jet that compete with Boeing's 747 jumbo jet and 787 Dreamliner, respectively.

The United States can now take steps to establish the level of sanctions it can impose on European exports under WTO rules.

Boeing said the United States is expected to levy billions of retaliatory tariffs on the European exports, possibly the largest ever, which could come as early as 2019.

"Today's final ruling sends a clear message: disregard for the rules and illegal subsidies is not tolerated. The commercial success of products and services should be driven by their merits and not by market-distorting actions," said Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing chairman, president and CEO.
DPRK says may "reconsider" top level meeting with U.S.

PYONGYANG, May 16 -- A senior official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Wednesday said the country may reconsider a scheduled DPRK-U.S. top level meeting.

DPRK has earlier cancelled a ministerial level meeting with South Korea to protest an on-going U.S.-South Korea joint military drill.

US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet the DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore.

Related:

DPRK says to suspend high-level talks with ROK over ROK-U.S. drills

In view of the recently provocative acts such as the Republic of Korea (ROK)-U.S. joint military drills, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has no choice but to suspend high-level talks with the ROK planned for Wednesday, the official KCNA said on Wednesday.
(Xinhua File Photo)

With Kenya and Papua New Guinea as its newest approved applicants, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has now expanded its membership to 86.

The two prospective members will officially join the bank once they complete the required domestic processes and deposit their first capital installment with the bank.

Kenya is the sixth African country to have joined the AIIB. As was reported by Kenyas newspaper Business Daily Africa, the move is expected to open a new channel for cheaper financing of Nairobis huge spending requirements.

According to Henry Rotich, the Finance Minister of Kenya, the country is facing a funding deficit of $180 billion in infrastructure each year based on conservative estimates. Joining AIIB would be a wise choice for African countries as the bank would strive to improve their infrastructure, a Kenyan economist told Peoples Daily during an interview.

Wilson Kamau, head of Africa Governance Institute (Kenya Chapter) believes that Kenya is communicating to China that We are with you for the long haul. The gains that Kenya has made because of Chinese assistance have been massive, he stressed, adding that its a benefit Kenya could not have gained from Western partners.

A report released by Ipsos, a global market research and consulting firm, showed that 34% of the interviewees in Kenya consider the China-Kenya tie as the countrys most important bilateral relationship.

Papua New Guinea is the latest Oceanian country to join the AIIB following New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands and Vanuatu. As the largest developing country in the Oceanian region, Papua New Guinea also sees a large funding gap in its infrastructure despite sound development over the past few years.

The country joining the AIIB is seen as major progress that will definitely play a vital role in accelerating its construction of infrastructure, said Peter Drysdale, a professor from Australian National University.

Drysdale believes its a smart move for the country to join AIIB, because it can both introduce capital to build high-standard infrastructure and integrate domestic and international resources to tap into the potential of its national economy.

AIIB was established with the purpose of developing infrastructures in Asia, but non-regional investment is also allowed by its policies.
(Newser)  Lenora Williams was, as Roanoke.com puts it, "something of an institution" in Radford, Va., where she had been the school system's director of food services for years before dying late last year at age 61. After her death, students remembered her kindness and school employees praised her cooking and dedication. But now, city authorities have revealed that Williams allegedly embezzled $261,295.24 from Radford City Schools over a period of 10 years, WSET reports. In 2010, cafeteria staff had a meeting with school administrators to discuss the possibility that Williams was mismanaging money, but concerns were dismissed and police were not contacted. (The school system says the meeting was about other concerns, not money.) In October 2017, administrators discovered irregularities, contacted law enforcement, and started an investigation that revealed hundreds of unauthorized purchases made from an account Williams had controlled and supervised.

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The probe found that Williams allegedly made unapproved debit card charges from the account at Amazon, Walmart, grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, resorts, and other stores, as well as used the card to pay her utility and tax bills; she also allegedly wrote unapproved checks from the account and took money from cafeteria money deposits, WSLS reports. She allegedly did so by falsifying audit reports, inflating numbers in order to take funds from the government's free and reduced lunch program, and taking money from student meal plans. In announcing the allegations, the Radford City Commonwealth's Attorney called out the ignored 2010 warning as well as "negligent record management, lackadaisical security measures, and careless accounting efforts." In a statement, the school says it is "taking all reasonable steps to recover the funds misappropriated by our former employee and ... implementing necessary changes in procedures to help prevent such theft in the future." (Read more embezzlement stories.)
(Newser)  Special counsel Robert Mueller was working within his authority when he brought charges against President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, a federal judge in Washington ruled Tuesday. The decision was a setback for Manafort in his defense against charges of money-laundering conspiracy, false statements and acting as an unregistered foreign agent related to his Ukrainian political work. Manafort had argued that Mueller had exceeded his authority because the case was unrelated to Russian election interference. But US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson disagreed, the AP reports. Citing Manafort's years of work in Ukraine, his prominent role on the Trump campaign and his publicized connections to Russian figures, Jackson said it was "logical and appropriate" for Mueller's team to scrutinize him as part of their investigation into Russian election meddling and possible coordination with Trump associates.

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In her 37-page ruling, Jackson went through a point-by-point rejection of Manafort's arguments, including his contention that Mueller had been given a "blank check" to investigate anything "he may stumble across." Jackson said Justice Department regulations allow for a "broad grant of authority" for special counsels. And regardless, she wrote, it was clear that Mueller had been specifically authorized to investigate not only Manafort's possible links to Russia but also his Ukrainian business. Jackson had previously thrown out a civil case Manafort brought challenging Mueller's authority. Her decision Tuesday allows one of two criminal cases against Manafort to proceed. In addition to the Washington indictment, Manafort also faces charges in Virginia of bank fraud and tax evasion. None of the charges against Manafort involve crimes related to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

(Read more Paul Manafort stories.)
(Newser)  The relationship between Julian Assange and his hosts has soured, but in happier times Ecuador spent millions of dollars on a spy operation to protect the WikiLeaks founder after he fled to the country's London embassy in 2012, according to documents seen by the Guardian. The documents show that "Operation Guest," with the approval of former President Rafael Correa, spent an average of $66,000 a month for security and intelligence-gathering on behalf of Assange. An international security company, based in a $3,800-a-month apartment opposite the building housing the embassy, was hired to monitor Assange's visitors as well as embassy staff and the British police stationed outside the building.

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The security team was also tasked with looking at different options for Assange's escape. Sources tell the Guardian that while senior figures in Ecuador's government knew about the Assange project, it was years before the country's ambassador to the UK found out about it. Email exchanges seen by the Guardian also show that Quito spent at least $180,000 in efforts to improve Assange's public image and media strategy. But some of the security team's findings angered Ecuador: In 2014, they allegedly discovered that Assange had hacked his way past the embassy's firewall and had intercepted the personal and official communications of staff members, the Times of London reports. (Assange is no longer wanted in Sweden, but he will still be arrested if he leaves the embassy.)
(Newser)  After four months of painstaking work, police in Toronto have completed their search of the apartment of the man believed to be the city's worst-ever serial killer. Police say at least two forensic officers have been at Bruce McArthur's 19th-floor apartment every day since mid-January, looking for evidence to link him to the eight murders he's been charged with. "You can imagine when you open the door to that place, you're proceeding inch by inch going into the premises, literally, examining every square inch," Detective Sgt. Hank Idsinga tells the CBC. He says investigators took 18,000 photos of the unit, seized 1,800 pieces of evidence, and are now "proud but tired."

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Police haven't released many details on where McArthur, a 66-year-old landscaper, is believed to have killed his victims, though at least one may have been murdered in the apartment as early as 2010, the Toronto Star reports. Idsinga says that since the investigation encompassed the entire unit, officers had to very slowly work from the front entrance inward to avoid contaminating the space. Investigators are also working outdoors: McArthur is believed to have buried the remains of some of his victims in concrete planters around the city. Police say now that the weather is warmer, they're using cadaver dogs to investigate around 100 properties linked to McArthur, based on his list of clients. (Sources say police found a man tied to a bed when they arrested McArthur in January.)
(Newser)  Archaeologists who've spent five years digging up an ancient city in Iraq's Kurdistan region have finally learned its nameand it's legendary. Mardaman, once the capital of a Mesopotamian province and its own independent kingdom, is believed to have begun as early as 4,800 years ago and is cited in sources dating to the Akkadian Empire, the first empire in history, report Smithsonian and Heritage Daily. Archaeologists from Germany's University of Tubingen, however, didn't know the site they were working on top of until last year, when they discovered 92 cuneiform tablets inside a vessel covered in clay while excavating a ruined palace in Bassetki. Deciphered from Assyrian, the 3,250-year-old tablets identify the city as Mardaman, then an important commercial hub in the Middle Assyrian Empire, connected by trading routes to Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Syria, reports Live Science.

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It was also the administrative seat of an unknown Assyrian province, headed by governor Assur-nasir, per the tablets, which date to the time the palace was destroyed. "All of a sudden it became clear that our excavations had found an Assyrian governor's palace," lead researcher Peter Pfalzner says in a statement. While it isn't clear why the palace was destroyedMardaman was repeatedly razed and rebuiltthe tablets appear to have been purposefully hidden afterward. "Perhaps the information [contained] was meant to be protected and preserved for posterity," says Pfalzner. He adds the tablets, revealing Assur-nasir's "administrative and commercial affairs," show the city "achieved a final significance as a Middle Assyrian governor's seat" after its heyday between 1900BC and 1700BC, though it would keep flourishing for perhaps another 800 years, per Live Science. (An extraordinary find was made in a Pompeii bath house.)
(Newser)  Recent elections haven't always been kind to President Trump's preferred candidates, but two of them scored big wins on Tuesday night. Rep. Lou Barletta cruised to victory in Pennsylvania and will seek to unseat Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in November, the AP reports. "The media said that Donald Trump could not win in Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania put Donald Trump in the White House, Barletta told supporters. "They say I cant beat Bob Casey, and Im going to beat Bob Casey." In Nebraska, Republican Sen. Deb Fischer defeated four GOP primary challengers and is expected to defeat Democratic candidate Jane Raybould to win re-election. In other races:

Double loss for Saccone. In Pennsylvania, where there is a new, court-ordered congressional map, Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone chalked up his second loss of the year, CNN reports. Saccone, who lost a closely watched House special election to Conor Lamb in March, lost the GOP primary in the redrawn 14th District to state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler.

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A good night for Democratic women . Pennsylvania's congressional delegation is currently all-male, but that is likely to change this fall, Politico reports. Democratic women had a strong showing in the state's Tuesday primaries, with Susan Wild defeating five male opponents in the race for the seat formerly held by Rep. Charlie Dent. At least three other Democratic women won the primaries for seats the party is heavily favored to win in November.

. Pennsylvania's congressional delegation is currently all-male, but that is likely to change this fall, Politico reports. Democratic women had a strong showing in the state's Tuesday primaries, with Susan Wild defeating five male opponents in the race for the seat formerly held by Rep. Charlie Dent. At least three other Democratic women won the primaries for seats the party is heavily favored to win in November. A tight race in Idaho . Rep. Raul Labrador of the conservative House Freedom Caucus lost the Republican primary for governor to Lt. Gov. Brad Little, the Washington Post reports. In November, Little will face Democratic candidate Paulette Jordan, who will become the country's first Native American governor if she wins.

. Rep. Raul Labrador of the conservative House Freedom Caucus lost the Republican primary for governor to Lt. Gov. Brad Little, the Washington Post reports. In November, Little will face Democratic candidate Paulette Jordan, who will become the country's first Native American governor if she wins. Best of 10 in Oregon . Moderate Republican Knute Buehler defeated nine other candidates, including two conservative frontrunners, to become the party's nominee for governor, the Oregonian reports. He will face Democratic Gov. Kate Brown this fall.

. Moderate Republican Knute Buehler defeated nine other candidates, including two conservative frontrunners, to become the party's nominee for governor, the Oregonian reports. He will face Democratic Gov. Kate Brown this fall. Historic win in Pennsylvania . John Fetterman, the mayor of Braddock, defeated incumbent Mike Stack and three other candidates to win the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. Stack is the first sitting lieutenant governor to lose a primary in the state.

. John Fetterman, the mayor of Braddock, defeated incumbent Mike Stack and three other candidates to win the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. Stack is the first sitting lieutenant governor to lose a primary in the state. No shocks for House incumbents. Politico notes that unlike last week, when North Carolina Rep. Mike Pittingen lost his GOP primary race, all the House incumbents involved secured renomination Tuesday night.

(Read more Election 2018 stories.)
(Newser)  North Korea is ratcheting up its threatsand potentially inching away from the table. After canceling high-level talks with South Korea planned for Wednesday and warning the US it could cancel Kim Jong Un's meeting with President Trump over joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, another wrinkle. The Guardian reports Pyongyang is adding to the list of things that could imperil the planned June 12 summit: A statement released by KCNA on Wednesday says the North would bow out if the US maintains its "one-sided demand for us to give up our nukes." The report quotes first vice minister of foreign affairs Kim Kye Gwan, and the New York Times has the statement in full. More on what it says, and reaction to it:

The statement references the "so-called Libya mode of nuclear abandonment" on more than one occasion, saying US comments about complete denuclearization amount to "a manifestation of awfully sinister move to impose on our dignified state the destiny of Libya or Iraq which had been collapsed due to yielding the whole of their countries to big powers. ... It is absolutely absurd to dare compare [North Korea], a nuclear weapon state, to Libya which had been at the initial state of nuclear development."

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Time addresses the Libya angle, explaining the fact that Moammar Gadhafi "was toppled with US backing despite acquiescing to demands to denuclearize has long been a thorn in US efforts to reach a deal with North Koreaone likely sharpened by Trump's recent decision to nix a hard-fought denuclearization deal with Iran."

Reuters notes the statement also offered harsh words about US national security adviser John Bolton, who has been promoting a Libya-style denuclearization. "We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," it read, with Reuters recalling North Korea having called Bolton "human scum" when he worked for the Bush administration.

At the Times, Gerry Mullany sees "a pattern by the unpredictable regime," and outlines five other times when North Korea "did a sudden about-face." Read them here.

A senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists offers his take to the Guardian: "The North Koreans know how to make an explicit threat. By their standards, this is pretty circumspect. It could very well be a play for additional leverage or to see how the Trump team reacts."

At Time, Korea expert Professor Stephan Haggard echoes that but sees a second possibility: That Kim has "gotten cold feetthey just want an out."

As for the South, Yonhap reports South Korea Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "held emergency phone talks Wednesday in a show of solidarity against North Korea's renewed brinkmanship." The Guardian reports the joint US-South Korean military exercises, codenamed Max Thunder, started Friday and will continue.

(Read more North Korea stories.)
(Newser)  The school resource officer widely criticized for his response to the Feb. 14 Parkland shooting is now the target of abuse over his six-figure pension. Scot Peterson, 55, who retired a week after 17 people died in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as he stood outside, began receiving a monthly state pension of $8,702.35 in April, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Over a year, the payments add up to $104,428.20, a few thousand dollars more than Peterson made in his last of 32 years as a Broward County sheriff's deputy, per the Miami Herald. "This guy is a disgrace," says Andrew Pollack, who's suing Peterson over his daughter's death in the shooting. "This infuriates me in ways people cannot comprehend," adds Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was also killed. She "would still be alive if this person did his job."

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Peterson, who is to receive the payments until his death, has claimed he took up a "tactical position" outside the school, believing the shots weren't originating inside. However, he's heard on a recording identifying shots as coming from a school building. The police response to the shooting is under review by a state commission, but a March letter from Florida's Department of Management Services notes the sheriff's office and state attorney haven't indicated "any charges or other circumstances" to warrant withholding the pension payments. They do not account for health benefits and are based on years worked and the average of Peterson's five highest-paid fiscal years, per the Sun Sentinel. Records show Peterson earned a base salary of $75,673.72 last year. With overtime and other compensation, his earnings totaled $101,879.03. (Read more Parkland school shooting stories.)
(Newser)  An awful first in the US: death by exploding vape pen. Former CNBC television producer Tallmadge D'Elia, 38, was found dead in a burning bedroom in his home in St. Petersburg, Fla., on May 5 as a result of what the Pinellas County medical examiner now says was an exploding vape pen. D'Elia, who was found with two parts of the electronic cigarette lodged in his cranium, died of a "projectile wound" to his head but also suffered burns to 80% of his body, an autopsy reads, per WTSP and the Tampa Bay Times. It concluded the death was accidental. Though such explosions are uncommon, there were 200 in the US between 2000 and 2016, WFTV reported in advance of the autopsy. According to FEMA, this is the first e-cigarette death in the US. Other users have lost teeth and suffered burns after similar explosions.

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The FDA, which shares tips to avoid such explosions, notes "the exact causes of such incidents are not yet clear," though some evidence points to "battery-related issues." The agency and the CDC recommend using vape pens with safety features, including those designed to prevent battery overheating, and keeping batteries away from metal objects like coins and keys. The vape pen used by DElia, a Smok-E Mountain Mech Works "mod"Vapes.com notes vape mods are modified e-cigarettes or vape pens that "can have built-in batteries and come with atomizer tanks while others need additional parts to function"did not have safety features, reports WFTS. Claiming its devices do not explode, a rep for the maker tells the outlet he suspects something went wrong with the atomizer or battery, noting copycat batteries are an issue. (Read more vaping stories.)
Thousands of Yemenis protest against U.S. embassy opening in Jerusalem

Protesters shout slogans during a protest in Sanaa, Yemen, on May 15, 2018. Thousands of Yemenis went to the streets in Sanaa on Tuesday to protest against the United States opening its embassy in Jerusalem. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)

SANAA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Yemenis went to the streets in the capital Sanaa on Tuesday to protest against the United States opening its embassy in Jerusalem.

The protesters gathered in Bab al-Yemen Square in downtown Sanaa, while shouting slogans against the United States' decision of opening its embassy in Jerusalem.

"I came here to show my strong protest against the United States' decision of opening its embassy in Jerusalem," said 22-year-old university student Faris Abdulrahman.

"We insist that al-Quds (Jerusalem) is the capital city of Palestine...forever," Abdulrahman said.

On Monday, the United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem, triggering deadly clashes along the Israeli-Palestinian border, in which at least 61 Palestinians were reportedly killed and over 1,771 wounded.

Backed by the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been leading a devastating war in Yemen since March 2015 to roll back Iranian-allied Houthi rebels and restore Saudi-backed exiled Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into power.

Protesters shout slogans during a protest in Sanaa, Yemen, on May 15, 2018. Thousands of Yemenis went to the streets in Sanaa on Tuesday to protest against the United States opening its embassy in Jerusalem. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)
(Newser)  "These materials, taken in their entirety, provide the most complete public picture of the events surrounding the meeting to date," said Sen. Chuck Grassley in a statement Wednesday morning, per the BBC. Their entirety is a substantial one: The Senate Judiciary Committee released 2,500 pages of testimony and exhibits related to the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump's son and others with a Russian attorneya meeting that's been a focus of Robert Mueller's probe. Music promoter Rob Goldstone testified that he told Donald Trump Jr. via email that Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya had dirt on Hillary Clinton because his client, Russian pop star and developer Emin Agalarov, had been adamant about securing the meeting and because he was told Veselnitskaya was both "well connected" and had "damaging material," reports the Washington Post. Some initial takeaways:

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Goldstone testified that he thought Veselnitskaya would reveal a "smoking gun," and that he was "embarrassed and apologetic," as the Post puts it, when it became clear she was offering no such information and instead wanted to discuss the Magnitsky Act. The Post characterizes Trump Jr. as testifying about his disappointment in the meeting's course as well.

NPR points out that Trump Jr. repeated what he told the House Intelligence Committee: that he spoke with someone who phoned him via a blocked number around when the meeting was being planned; he couldn't recall who. NPR sees this as "the second suggestion in congressional documents thus far that Trump Jr. may have talked with his father" about the meeting, as others have said Trump had a blocked number.

Politico zeros in on the coordination by Trump Jr.'s lawyer to get the public statements of those who were at the meeting to sync up. The documents show Alan Futerfas emailed Goldstone a statement, writing, "If you feel comfortable with this statement and are comfortable saying nothing more, at least for the time being, that would be our preference." Goldstone forwarded the statement to Agalarov and a Russian executive who was also in attendance.

(Read more Donald Trump Jr. stories.)
(Newser)  Gina Haspel won the endorsement of the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday, with the panel voting 10-5 to advance her nomination as CIA director to the full Senate. Haspel, who would be the first woman to lead the Central Intelligence Agency and the second person to lead the agency after being undercover her entire career, was a controversial pick by President Trump thanks to her role in the CIA's controversial post-9/11 "enhanced" interrogation program, per ABC News. But at least five Democrats in the Senate have said they will back her, "all but assuring" she'll be confirmed, per the Wall Street Journal. Republican Senate leaders want to hold the vote this week, but it could get pushed to next week. (Read more Gina Haspel stories.)
(Newser)  A recently expelled student in Illinois is in custody after he opened fire near the gym of his former school, where seniors at Dixon High were gathered for graduation practice, at around 8am Wednesday. The schools resource officer, Mark Dallas, saw the armed suspect and confronted him; the suspect allegedly fired on him several times, the AP reports. Dallas chased the suspect away and returned fire; the suspect was shot, but no one else, including Dallas, was injured, the Chicago Tribune reports. Multiple sources have identified the alleged shooter as Matt Milby, 19, reports Sauk Valley Media. He received non-life-threatening injuries.

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The Dixon police chief credited Dallas with saving "countless lives." "We're lucky the officer was there," said City Administrator Danny Langloss, the father of a student who was in the gym. Dixon Mayor Liandro Arellanno Jr. expressed gratitude for the outcome and praised the officer. A lot of things went right today when a great many of them could have (gone) wrong," he said. "Things could have gone much worse. Dixon Police Department created the resource officer position in 2000 to help prevent this type of occurrence. Per USA Today, agents from the ATFs Chicago and Rockford, Ill., offices have been sent to Dixon to assist with the investigation. (Read more school shooting stories.)
(Newser)  The Senate has voted to kill a Federal Communications Commission rule that repealed the Obama administration's ban on internet providers blocking or slowing down certain content. Back in December, in an effort to deregulate the internet, the FCC repealed "net neutrality" rules that ensured equal treatment for all web traffic. The Obama-era rule prevented providers such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from interfering with internet traffic and favoring their own sites and apps. Three Republicans joined with Democrats in voting to repeal the FCC rule that is scheduled to go into effect next month, the AP reports. The final vote was 52-47.

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Telecommunications companies lobbied hard to overturn net neutrality, and critics, including the Trump administration, said over-regulation was stifling innovation. CNN says the measure to reinstate net neutrality will now "be sent to the GOP-led House, where it'll likely go nowhere," noting that Trump isn't likely to back it either. Still, the AP notes, Democrats see their effort as something that will energize young voters who value unfettered access to the internet.

(Read more net neutrality stories.)
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Photo from Bejing Youth Daily

A cuckoo named Flappy, who holds the record of flying 6,500 kilometers in 6 days, is now predicted to be in the sky above Myanmar, before arriving in China to complete his annual roundtrip from China to Africa.

Flappys movements have been tracked since May 2016 as part of the Beijing Cuckoo Project, in which he and four other cuckoos were tagged with sensors to show their route from northern China.

The project was launched by Beijing Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Center, the British Trust for Ornithology and Bird Watch China, with the aim of learning the migration pattern of cuckoos.

During the 2016-2017 migration, the sensors indicated that Flappy along with only one companion returned to Beijing. Not long after they arrived in China, the tracking signal on the other bird stopped responding.

Flappy flies to spend winter in Africa, and then flies back in the spring. Watchers say the main reason for his willingness to travel such a great distance is food, caterpillars in particular.

Beijing has an affluent supply of caterpillars in summer, but in autumn and winter the food supplies are scarce, so the birds have to travel southward until they arrive in Africa where lots of the larvae can be found even during winter, said the project co-founder Terry Townshend.

Now Flappy is flying nonstop towards Beijing as the temperature there rises. He can fly up to 80 miles per hour, which is determined by wind speed and direction.

Townshend disclosed that the bird was above Myanmar on May 14, while 19 hours before that, he had been tracked above northern India. His speed had propelled him across the 60th and 61th country borders since he had last been watched.

Surprisingly, throughout this journey that covers two continents, the bird barely rests. When above the sea, he could fly two or three days nonstop, eating no food, Townshend said.

The birds long-distance trip has caught the attention of Chinese internet users and triggered discussions on how the bird can fly across the ocean without rest, and that he has had to deal with a cold snap this year. Flappy has earned the title of the bravest adventurer.

Some net users hope to see more traveling cuckoos. As for that, Townshend said no more cuckoos are planned to be tracked this year, but he hopes next year in other regions of China more cuckoos can be involved in the project.

He believes there are other birds that can fly further than Flappy.

Shi Yang, a member of the project, said the data collected so far will be conducive to further research on the birds.

For Townshend, Flappys story has promoted how these brave birds travel half way round the globe to visit us, and what we can do to help protect their habitats.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has issued a presidential decree pardoning 332 jailed individuals including youths and those with health problems.

Those pardoned include Andrew Nassef, a member of the leftist under-construction Bread and Freedom Party, who was serving a five-year sentence for propagating for the committing of terror acts.

Islam Marei, a leading member of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party (ESDP), who was serving a three-year sentence on financing terrorism charges, is among those pardoned, a source in the ESDP told Ahram Online.

Under the Egyptian constitution, the president can issue pardon decrees for prisoners who have been handed final court rulings that cannot be appealed.

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New Delhi:

The political battle in Karnataka intensified on Wednesday with both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress-JD-S coalition trying to form the government after the southern state gave a fractured mandate in the Assembly elections.

The BJP emerged as the single largest party in a hung house, whereas the Congress won 78 seats to remain second. The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) was number three with 38 seats.

However, the twist in the Karnataka tale came when the Congress joined hands with the JD-S and staked claim to form the government in a bid to keep the BJP out of power.

The BJP, being the single largest party, cried foul and went to the Governor to stake claim to form the government. With two sets of contenders staking claims to form the government in the state, the ball was now in Governor Vajubhai Valaas court.

A LIVE Updates:

# 03:39 AM:A Justice SA Bobde said, "we do not know what kind of majority BS Yeddyurappa has claimed. Unless we see that letter of support, we cannot speculate", while hearing the petition filed by Congress & JD(S) challenging Karnataka Governor's decision

# 03:35 AM:A "Swearing-in ceremony can be held day after tomorrow," Abhishek Manu Singhvi in hearing of plea filed by Cong & JD(S) challenging Karnataka Governor's decision

# 03:35 AM:A "Where is the letter of the Governor in which he invited BJP to form the government," three-judge bench asked petitioner's lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi while hearing the petition filed by Cong & JD(S) challenging Karnataka Governor's decision

# 02:38 AM: Congress, JD(S) Coalition have been formed after the poll results and BJP is the largest party: Supreme Court

# 02:34 AM:A It's unheard that a party is given 15 days time to prove its majority from 104 to the magical number(112). Giving permission to form the govt to someone who is having 104 seats as compared to the other group that is having 116, is adding insult to injury: Abhishek Manu Singhvi

# 02:31 AM: BJP has just 104 MLAs in support and the Governor has invited BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa to form the government. It is completely unconstitutional: Abhishek Manu Singhvi in hearing of plea filed by Cong & JD(S) challenging Karnataka Governor's decision

# 02:30 AM:A Y'day, Congress legislature party passed a resolution supporting JD(S). HD Kumaraswamy submitted 37 MLAs signatures to the Governor, supporting Congress: Abhishek Manu Singhvi in hearing of plea filed by Cong & JD(S) challenging Karnataka Governor's decision

# 02:25 AM: We have 117 MLAs, so how will the BJP prove its majority?: Abhishek Manu Singhvi

# 02:22 AM: Whenever there is a coalition majority, they have been invited to form the government despite having a largest party: Abhishek Manu Singvi

# 02:20 AM: Attorney General KK Venugopal reaches the Supreme Court

# 02: 15 AM:A Court may pass an order declaring order of Governor inviting BS Yeddyurappa to form govt as unconstitutional & quash the same,or, pass direction to Guv to invite alliance of INC & JD(S) which has support of more than 112 MLAs to form govt: Congress & JD(S) in plea to SC

# 02:00 AM:A Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Congress & JD(S), Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta for Union govt & former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi for BJP, in hearing of the petition filed by Cong & JD(S) challenging Karnataka Governor's decision

# 01:55 AM:A Guv has discretion to call largest party & he has done so. If single largest party won't be able to form govt,other party will be called. In case of Goa elections,single largest party Congress had not presented its side, that's the difference: Mukul Rohatgi

# 01:48 AM:A Assistant Solicitor General Tushar Mehta representing the Union.

# 01:45 AM:A Supreme Court begins hearing petition by Congress, JD(S) challenging the swearing-in of BJP's BS YeddyurappaA

# 01:30 AM:A Irrespective of merits, very gracious of SC to fix hearing at 145 pm at ct no 2. Shows justice never sleeps & accessibility is 24x7, where merits so demand. Which apex court in world allows such accessibility? - Abhishek Singhvi

# 01:20 AM:A Three-judge bench of Justice AK Sikri, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice SA Bobde to hear Congress & JD(S) petition challenging Karnataka Governor's decision at 1:45 am

Three-judge bench of Justice AK Sikri, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Gobde to hear Congress & JD(S) petition challenging Karnataka Governor's decision at 1:45 am #KarnatakaElections a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

# 12:08 PM:A BJP has 104 seats,how will they prove majority on floor, even if they get some independent MLAs?Only way out is to bring Cong & JD(S) MLAs with them,either by using muscle power or buying MLAs. We have filed a petition urging Guv to give us a chance: Javed, lawyer, JD(S) & Congress

# 11:45 PM:A The Congress-JDS petition has just got filed before the SC Registrar in SC. After examining the petition for defects, Registrar will go to meet CJI Dipak Misra, as a Master of roaster CJIA alone has power to set up a bench, subject to availability of SC judges, at midnight.

# 11:35 PM:A JD(S)' HD Kumaraswamy arrives at Eagleton Resort in Bengaluru where Congress and JD(S) MLAs are staying.

JD(S)' HD Kumaraswamy arrives at Eagleton Resort in #Bengaluru where Congress and JD(S) MLAs are staying #KarnatakaElections pic.twitter.com/G0EZJFuwUZ a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

# 11:29 PM:A Bengaluru: Security deployed at the residence of BJP's BS Yeddyurappa, ahead of his swearing-in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka tomorrow

Bengaluru: Security deployed at the residence of BJP's BS Yeddyurappa, ahead of his swearing-in as the Chief Minister of #Karnataka tomorrow pic.twitter.com/BOTG4m6hek a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

# 10:50 PM:A The Congress has approached Supreme Court Chief Justice Dipak Misra for an urgent hearing over Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala inviting BJP legislative party leader BS Yeddyurappa to form goverment.A

# 10:35 PM:A People's goodwill, people's votes both are on BJP's favour. The Congress party is trying to rob the mandate. In Karnataka, we'll run a majority government and we will run it by the blessings of public: Ravi Shankar Prasad

# 10:30 PM:A We will use all legal & constitutional rights available to us. Hum janta ki adaalat mein jaayenge: Randeep Surjewala, CongressA

A # 10:20 PM:A By giving 15 days time (to prove majority) Governor is encouraging horse-trading by BJP leaders, this is unconstitutional. We will discuss the future plan: HD Kumarasway, JD(S) on Karnataka Governor's invite to BJP to form government

# 10:10 PM:A We want to ask Amit Shah ji that if two parties cannot come together in post poll coalition, then how did you form govts in Goa & Manipur by superseding single largest party? Guv has shamed his office: Randeep Surjewala, Cong in Delhi

# 9:52 PM:A The party that blew up the constitution to shambles is teaching us the constitution, the party that imposed President rule the most number of times is giving us lessons: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in Delhi

# 9:50 PM:A Tomorrow BS Yeddyurappa will be taking oath (as CM of Karnataka) alone, after proving majority cabinet will be sworn in: Murlidhar Rao, BJP

# 9:40 PM:A Karnataka Governor's letter inviting BJP's BS Yeddyurappa to form government.

Karnataka Governor's letter inviting BJP's BS Yeddyurappa to form government. #KarnatakaElectionResults2018 pic.twitter.com/EafBULC7nr a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

# 9:35 PM :A Governor has invited BS Yeddyurappa to form govt, official communication has been received, Guv gave 15 days to prove majority, oath to take place at 9 am tomorrow: Basavaraj Bommai, BJP

# 8:57 PM:A BJP deletes a tweet soon after claiming that BS Yeddyurappa will take oath as CM of Karnataka on Thursday.

#BJP deleted this tweet soon after claiming that BS Yeddyurappa will take oath as CM of Karnataka on Thursday pic.twitter.com/tQ37b0D3BX a News Nation (@NewsNationTV) May 16, 2018

# 8:45 PM:A What is standing in way of the Governor from extending invitation to leader of the alliance (HD Kumaraswamy), who clearly demonstrated that he commands the support of the majority: P.Chidambaram

# 8:40 PM:A Governor holds an exalted constitutional office, he shouldn't walk on a perilous path which is illegal,he's bound by SC judgement,bound to invite leader of alliance which is presented to him as an alliance that commands maturity of members in legislative assembly: P Chidambaram

# 08:35 PM:A Congress & JD(S) clearly establish majority yet Governor hasn't taken decision to invite Shri Kumaraswamy to form govt. We heard Governor may have invited BS Yeddyurappa but since it is not confirmed we are proceeding on basis that Governor has not decided to invite anyone: P Chidambaram

# 08:30 PM:A Governor has officially invited BS Yeddyurappa to form the government in Karnataka. Yeddyurappa to take oath at 09:30 am on Thursday, as per sources.

# 06:00 PM:A Governor has assured that he will take action as per the Constitution. We have full faith in him that he will not do injustice. We have our numbers, not not even a single member has moved out. We will not allow any such thing to happen: DK Shivakumar, Congress

#05:40 PM:A JDS workers protest against BJP outside Governor house in Bengaluru

JDS workers protest against BJP outside Governor house in Bengaluru #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/w0lWO0dmTd a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

#04:50 PM:A Bengaluru: HD Kumaraswamy leads delegation to Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Vajubhai Vala

Bengaluru: HD Kumaraswamy leads delegation to Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Vajubhai Vala pic.twitter.com/V37JgYIG6I a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

# 04:30 PM:A Bengaluru: Congress MLAs to leave for Raj Bhavan from Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office

Bengaluru: Congress MLAs to leave for Raj Bhavan from Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office. #KarnatakaElectionResults2018 pic.twitter.com/QGlO8JvOfB a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

#03:30 PM: Governor can't go against Constitution:A Stealing of MLAs shouldn't be allowed. No Governor can go against Constitution. We can't tell you whom we'll approach & whom not. At this juncture, we've complete faith in Guv that he'll go by Constitution & not party politics: Ghulam Nabi Azad

#03:15 PM: Congress-JD-S waiting for Governor's call:A Since 12-12.30 pm we are seeking an appointment with Governor so they can handover our two letters, 1 of legislator party of Congress another of legislator party of JD(S). We haven't received any message from Governor so far. We are waiting eagerly: Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress

#02:40 PM:A Since 12-12.30 pm we are seeking an appointment with Governor so they can handover our two letters, 1 of legislator party of Congress another of legislator party of JD(S). We haven't received any message from Governor so far. We are waiting eagerly: Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress

#02:30 PM:A Signatures of JDS and Congress MLAs being taken in support of HD Kumaraswamy. The document will be submitted to the Governor later today.

Signatures of JDS and Congress MLAs being taken in support of HD Kumaraswamy. The document will be submitted to the Governor later today. #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/Ivm6wPpvqA a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

#02:15 PM:A No question of asking for anything (on reports that he wants to be Deputy CM). Our priority right now is to have a secular government. All the 78 MLAs are together: DK Shivkumar, Congress.

No question of asking for anything (on reports that he wants to be Deputy CM). Our priority right now is to have a secular government. All the 78 MLAs are together: DK Shivkumar, Congress. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/60UjGcurEm a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

#01:55 PM:A 100 crore figureA imaginary: "Rs 100 crore figure is not only imaginary but it is what Congress-JDS do politics through. We are going by rules, we have submitted our claim to the Governor, are confident of forming the govt," Prakash Javadekar said.

#01:54 PM: Poaching charges false, BJP hits back:A They are leveling baseless charges against BJP. Poaching&horse trading is not done by BJP, Congress is famous for it. Their own MLAs are not happy with their alliance: Prakash Javadekar

#01:25 PM:A Kumaraswamy denies meeting Javadekar: "This is a bogus news. No Javadekar, no BJP leader has met me till now," he said.

#01:10 PM: Committed Congressperson, MLA tells BJP: "They (BJP) keep on calling but we don't bother about it. I have clearly asked them not to call me. I am a committed Congressperson.They have been doing this from long time. This is their job," says TD Rajegowda, Congress MLA

#12:40 PM: Going with Congress to remove black spot from my father's career: "I have been offered from both sides. I am not saying this loosely. There's a black spot on my father's career because of my decision to go with the BJP in 2004 & 2005. So God has given me the opportunity to remove this black spot. So I am going with Congress," says Kumaraswamy.

#12:35 PM: BJP offering Rs 100 crore to JD-S MLAs:A HD Kumaraswamy, while addressing a press conference, alleged thatA BJP was offeringA Rs 100 crore each to JD-S MLAs. "Where is this black money coming from? They are supposedly the servers of poor people and they are offering money today. Where are the income tax officials?" he asked.

#11:45 AM: BSY hopes for Governor's call to form a government: "The party has chosen me. I have given the letter to the Governor & he will call me, that is what I am hoping. He told me that he will take an appropriate decision. I'll inform you after I receive a letter from Governor," says BS Yeddyurappa.

#11:15 AM: Yeddyurappa heads to Raj Bhavan: BSA Yeddyurappa has been elected as BJP'sA legislative party leader. He is now heading to Governor's house to stake claim to form the government.A

#11:05 AM: BREAKING NEWS:A JD(S)' MLAs Raja Venkatappa Nayaka and Venkata Rao Nadagouda are missing from the JD(S) legislative party meeting which is going on in a hotel in Bengaluru.

#10: 45 AM: Congress claims BJP poaching MLAs:A They (BJP) are poaching our MLAs, we know that. Every day there is a lot of pressure. But it not so easy because two parties have the necessary number. People are watching this: DK Shivakumar, Congress

#10:38 AM: BJP to stake claim today: During the legislature party meeting the leader will be elected. From there we will go to Raj Bhavan immediately. We will claim to form the govt. Most probably we will ask the Governor to give us time tomorrow: BS Yeddyurappa, BJP

During the legislature party meeting the leader will be elected. From there we will go to Raj Bhavan immediately. We will claim to form the govt. Most probably we will ask the Governor to give us time tomorrow: BS Yeddyurappa, BJP #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/jYywOtFSG9 a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

#10:35 AM: Won't allow Congress backdoor entry:A People want BJP govt & we will make it. Anyone can create unnatural tensions, but people of Karnataka are with us. After meeting, we will take necessary steps. This attempt made by Congress to make a backdoor entry is not appreciated: Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister

# 10:30 AM: JD-S won't switch sides:A We have already decided to go with Congress. That's the reason we called Janta Dal (Secular) Legislature Party meeting. There is no question of taking any other decision: HD Kumaraswamy, JD(S)

#10:20 AM: BJP trying horse trading?A I got a call from the BJP leaders. They said come to us & we'll give a ministry to you. We'll make you a minister. But, I'm going to stay here. HD Kumaraswamy is our Chief Minister:A Amaregouda Linganagouda Patil Bayyapur, Congress

I got a call from the BJP leaders. They said come to us & we'll give a ministry to you. We'll make you a minister. But, I'm going to stay here. HD Kumaraswamy is our Chief Minister: Amaregouda Linganagouda Patil Bayyapur, Congress. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/BIJYZHV7P7 a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

#10:10 AM: BJP 100 per cent sure of forming the government:A There is no doubt we will form govt, 100% we'll do that. Wait and watch. Results came out only yesterday. It has been only a day. See what can happen in Karnataka in a day: KS Eshwarappa , BJP

There is no doubt we will form govt, 100% we'll do that. Wait and watch. Results came out only yesterday. It has been only a day. See what can happen in Karnataka in a day: KS Eshwarappa , BJP #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/X5IDtvkat5 a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

#10:05 AM:A Congress lawmakers to meet shortly:A The Congress will hold a party legislative meeting shortly in Bengaluru. MLAs are arriving at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office. Earlier there were reports that there is a rift between Congress MLAs. However, Siddaramaiah, who resigned as chief minister last evening, said, "All the Congress MLAs are intact. Nobody is missing. We are confident of forming the government."

Bengaluru: All India Congress Committee General Secretary & MP, KC Venugopal and other Congress MLAs arriving at Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office for party legislative meting. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/95fHQla0Yc a ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

#09:55 AM:A Who says what (BJP): Being the single largest party Governor should invite us to form the government.A I am going to be elected as party leader at 10:30 am in BJP legislative party meeting. After that all MLAs are going to meet the Governor to request him to allow BJP to form govt. Now the ball is in the court of the Governor. We will do as he decides," says BS Yeddyurappa.

#09:50 AM: Who says what (Congress): "We expect Karnataka governor to invite JD (S)-Cong coalition which has a clear majority to form the government in the state. As per constitutional and legal provisions, the governor has no option but to invite the coalition," says Congress's Randeep Surjewala.

#09:40 AM: Who stands where in the number game: The Congress won 78 seats and the JD-S has 38 seats. So the coalition now has 78+38= 116 seats. The magical number required to form a government is 112. So Congress-JD-S coalition has enough numbers to form a stable government. The BJP, which is the single largest party has 104 seats. The party is at least 8 seats short of the majority.A

# 09:30 AM: Hello and welcome to the News Nation Live Updates on Karnataka Election results. The Karnataka battle has become more interesting after the state gave a fractured mandate. With the BJP being the single largest party in a hung house, everybody was hoping that BS Yeddyurappa will return to powerA after seven years. However, a twist came in the tale of Yeddyurappa and the Congress extended its support to the JD-S in a bid to keep the BJP out of power. Both the BJP and the Congress-JD-S coalition staked claims to form a government in the state and now the ball is in Governor's court. Stick with us for all the live action and latest updates on KarnatakaA CM race.
New Delhi:

Vicky Kaushal, who was last seen in Meghna Gulzar's Raazi, is basking the success of the movie. The actor had played the role of Pakistani officer in Raazi opposite Alia Bhatt and has won applauds for his performance in the movie.

Indeed, Vicky is beaming with happiness over the success of Raazi and has asserted that it has made his birthday special.

The promising actor has turned 30 on May 16 and can't stop gushing about the Alia Bhatt-starrer.

"Raazi has made my birthday special and I want to thank the people who have seen it and are showering us with so much love," Vicky told DNA.

Certainly, it was expected that the birthday boy will have a grand celebration for his big day.

However, contrary to the expectations, Vicky is likely to have a working birthday.

Reportedly, the Zubaan actor is currently busy working on his next movie Uri and has been attending several workshops for the same.

Talking about the same, Vicky told DNA, "I am working. I will be taking off for Serbia in the next 10 days to shoot for my next film, Uri. Im attending some workshops for it. Today, Ill be doing a five-hour workshop. Then I might catch up with the Raazi team and meet the media to thank them".

Apart from Uri, Vicky will also be seen in Sanjay Dutt's biopic Sanju and Manmarziyaan.

Looks like it is going to be a busy year for Vicky Kaushal.

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New Delhi:

Narendra Modi-led NDA government on Wednesday directed security forces not to launch anti-terrorists operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Centre asks Security Forces not to launch operations in Jammu & Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan, Ministry of Home Affairs tweeted.

The ministry said that the decision to halt operations was taken to help the peace-loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment.

The ministry, however, said that the security would reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

Reacting to Centres move, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh and all the parties who helped reach consensus towards the decision.

I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire & would like to thank Narendra Modi ji and Rajnath Singh ji for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders & parties who participated in the All Party Meeting & helped build consensus towards this announcement. Mufti tweeted.

The chief minister hoped that the decision would pave a way for the peaceful and amicable environment in the state.

The month of Ramadan is a harbinger of peace & such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful & amicable environment for a sustained dialogue, she said in a series of tweets.

Earlier, Mufti had demanded a unilateral ceasefire by the security forces during Ramzan and Amarnath yatra in the valley.

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Bengaluru:

The kissa kursi ka was well played out in Karnataka on with BJP chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa calling on Governor Vajubhai Vala to stake claim amid buzz that he could be sworn in on , sparking off intense fightback from the Janata Dal-Secular and the Congress.



Yeddyurappa and union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and other senior leaders from Delhi called on the governor and sought two days time to form a stable government, and in the meanwhile attempt to cobble up the numbers.



Amid the buzz that the governor could invite Yeddyurappa to have the first shot at government formation, accepting his plea that he was the leader of the largest single party (formally elected at BJP MLAs meet here on morning), the Congress upped the ante. It has declared that it will move the Supreme Court if Yeddyurappa was given the first chance to form the government, citing a plethora of past court rulings and also citing the Congress, JD (S) numbers  116 that it rightfully deserved to form the government.



In fact, recently in Goa, Manipur and Mizoram the post-poll alliance featuring the BJP was invited to form the government instead of the Congress that was the largest single party. The Congress is also toying with the idea of parading its MLAs in front of the governor and if the governor was proving difficult, to go to Delhi and present the MLAs before the President.

But all eyes are on the governor as to what decision he takes. For the present, he has not indicated anything about his decision. Raj Bhavan sources confirmed that a delegation of BJP had met him on and submitted pleas and documents of support of 104 BJP MLAs and one independent MLA. Besides, the BJP delegation also tried to impress upon the governor that it had the numbers and it will prove its majority on the floor of the house.

But Congress leader question from where the BJP will get the numbers? Unless the BJP indulges in horse trading and attempted to break the Janata Dal (S) and Congress with monetary allurements and bribes in the form of ministerial berths, it cannot get the numbers at all, said senior Karnataka Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy.



The Congress MLAs meeting held on endorsed the decision to tie up with Janata Dal and back Kumaraswamy as the chief minister. Four MLAs of the Congress were missing but the party leaders asserted that they were on their way to Bangalore and that they would reach in time for the MLAs parade before the governor.



As fast-paced political developments continued, the Karnataka Political League is living up to its promise of high drama and action. There is talk of moving the MLAs to resorts to protect them from predatory BJP moves.



Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy charged that the BJP was offering Rs 100 crore per MLA and a cabinet berth to cross over.



The BJP can try all it can, but not even one MLA will go, Kumaraswamy told a media conference at which his party leaders also indicated that he will call on governor to stake claim again, citing the numbers that were with him.



The Congress and the JD (S) together have 116 members, three members over and above the magic number of 113 in a 224-member assembly. For the present though the elections were held for 222 seats on , as polling in one constituency was countermanded and one had to be postponed due to the death of a BJP candidate.



Javadekar refuted charges of horse-trading and bribery levelled by Janata Dal (S) leader HD Kumaraswamy and said the BJP did not believe in bribery or horse trading. It was all in the imagination in the minds of the Congress and JD (S) leaders, he said, and declared that the BJP had the requisite numbers.



Some Congress and JD (S) MLAs are unhappy with the post-poll tie-up between their two parties, Javadekar said, hinting that the BJP was gaining its confidence about the numbers as it was hoping to wean away from the JD(S) and the Congress.
New Delhi:

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Valas invitation to BJP legislature party leader BS Yeddyurappa to form the next government brings to an end round one of the tug-of-war between the BJP on one side and Congress-Janata Dal (S) combine on the other for control of the crucial southern state.

It triggers off a fresh tussle for Yeddurappa to cobble a majority which he lacks because his party fell short of the half-way mark in the state assembly by eight seats in the recent elections and for JD (S) leader HD Kumaraswamy to establish through legal process that he was the legitimate claimant in the light of his party having entered into a post-poll arrangement with the Congress or for the two parties to defeat the BJP on the floor of the Assembly.

The net result would be that the uncertainty in Karnataka would continue for the next few days.

The irony is that there is no established clear principle that lays down who should get the Governors nod firstthe leader of the single largest party or the leader of a post-poll alliance that claims to have crossed the half-way mark by dint of the alliance.

Had the Congress and the Janata Dal (S) been pre-poll partners, there would have been no ambiguity. But the two parties fought the elections tooth and nail and came together in what can be called an expedient and arguably an opportunistic alliance for the sake of grabbing power.

In the last meeting that leaders of the Congress-JD (S) alliance had on Wednesday afternoon with the Governor, they offered to parade the legislators of the two parties before him to prove their strength. But this was rejected by Governor Vala who pointed out that which of the legislators were with them must instead be proved on the floor of the Assembly.

There is indeed case law and precedents on both sides for the BJP and for the Congress-JD (S) combine--- and it had to be left to the Governors discretion exercised in his wisdom. There was an influential body of opinion---leading jurists like Harish Salve and Soli Sorabjee and constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap, among others, that opined that inviting the leader of the single largest group was the right course for the Governor. But some weighty jurists thought otherwise.

Those who believe that the Congress-JD (S) combine should have been given first shot at power say the Governors chosen course of inviting Yeddyurappa would encourage horse-trading and therefore should have been eschewed.

However, can one deny convincingly that the tie-up between the Congress and the JD (S) was not the result of a below the carpet underhand deal with a hidden agenda that was dubious?

Presumably, the Supreme Court which has been approached by the Congress party to deliver a speedy interim or permanent verdict would lay down some principles, but as things stand, it is a blind alley. Apparently, the Congress plea to the Chief Justice of India to decide on a war footing has not been favoured by the apex court, or so it seems, at least until going to press.

Yeddyurappas camp says there are victors in Congress ranks who are unhappy with the partys alliance with the JD (S) and would rather go with the BJP. This is claimed to be especially true of Lingayat caste legislators since JD (S) leader Kumaraswamy is a Vokkaliga and the two castes do not see eye to eye.

The real test of claims and counter-claims would, however, be the floor of the assembly when Yeddyurappa faces a test of confidence. The battlelines are indeed drawn and the crucial next round is being much anticipated. This is, however, on the assumption that the apex court would not intervene and change the process in the meantime.
New Delhi:

In the year 2018, astronomers stumbled upon a fascinating finding: Thousands of black holes likely to exist near the center of our galaxy.

The X-ray images which were captured that enabled this discovery werent from some state-of-the-art new telescope. Nor were they even recently taken  some of the data was collected nearly 20 years ago.

Discoveries like this will only become more common, as the era of big data changes how science is done. Astronomers are gathering an exponentially greater amount of data every day  so much that it will take years to uncover all the hidden signals buried in the archives.

Sixty years ago, the typical astronomer worked largely in a small team. They likely had access to a respectably large ground-based optical telescope at their home institution.

These observations were largely confined to optical wavelengths  more or less what the eye can see. That meant they missed signals from a host of astrophysical sources, which can emit non-visible radiation from very low-frequency radio all the way up to high-energy gamma rays. For the most part, if you wanted to do astronomy, you had to be an academic or eccentric rich person with access to a good telescope.

Old data was stored in the form of photographic plates or published catalogs. But accessing archives from other observatories could be difficult  and it was virtually impossible for amateur astronomers.

Today, there are observatories that cover the entire electromagnetic spectrum. No longer operated by single institutions, these state-of-the-art observatories are usually launched by space agencies and are often joint efforts involving many countries.

With the coming of the digital age, almost all data are publicly available shortly after they are obtained. This makes astronomy very democratic  anyone who wants to can reanalyse almost any data set that makes the news. (You too can look at the Chandra data that led to the discovery of thousands of black holes!

These observatories generate a staggering amount of data. For example, the Hubble Space Telescope, operating since 1990, has made over 1.3 million observations and transmits around 20 GB of raw data every week, which is impressive for a telescope first designed in the 1970s. The Atacama Large Millimeter Array in Chile now anticipates adding 2 TB of data to its archives everyday.

The archives of astronomical data are already impressively large. But things are about to explode.

Each generation of observatories are usually at least ten times more sensitive than the previous, either because of improved technology or because the mission is simply larger. Depending on how long a new mission runs, it can detect hundreds of times more astronomical sources than previous missions at that wavelength.

For example, compare the early EGRET gamma ray observatory, which flew in the 1990s, to NASAs flagship mission Fermi, which turns 10 this year. EGRET detected only about 190 gamma ray sources in the sky. Fermi has seen over 5,000.

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, an optical telescope currently under construction in Chile, will image the entire sky every few nights. It will be so sensitive that it will generate 10 million alerts per night on new or transient sources, leading to a catalog of over 15 petabytes after 10 years.

The Square Kilometre Array, when completed in 2020, will be the most sensitive telescope in the world, capable of detecting airport radar stations of alien civilizations up to 50 light-years away. In just one year of activity, it will generate more data than the entire internet.

These ambitious projects will test scientists ability to handle data. Images will need to be automatically processed  meaning that the data will need to be reduced down to a manageable size or transformed into a finished product. The new observatories are pushing the envelope of computational power, requiring facilities capable of processing hundreds of terabytes per day.

The resulting archives  all publicly searchable  will contain 1 million times more information that what can be stored on your typical 1 TB backup disk.

The data deluge will make astronomy become a more collaborative and open science than ever before. Thanks to internet archives, robust learning communities and new outreach initiatives, citizens can now participate in science. For example, with the computer program Einstein@Home, anyone can use their computers idle time to help search for gravitational waves from colliding black holes.

Its an exciting time for scientists, too. Astronomers like myself often study physical phenomena on timescales so wildly beyond the typical human lifetime that watching them in real-time just isnt going to happen. Events like a typical galaxy merger  which is exactly what it sounds like  can take hundreds of millions of years. All we can capture is a snapshot, like a single still frame from a video of a car accident.

However, there are some phenomena that occur on shorter timescales, taking just a few decades, years or even seconds. Thats how scientists discovered those thousands of black holes in the new study. Its also how they recently realised that the X-ray emission from the center of a nearby dwarf galaxy has been fading since first detected in the 1990s. These new discoveries suggest that more will be found in archival data spanning decades.

A black-hole-powered jet of hot gas in the giant elliptical galaxy M87. Credit: NASA, ESA, E. Meyer, W. Sparks, J. Biretta, J. Anderson, S.T. Sohn, and R. van der Marel (STScI), C. Norman (Johns Hopkins University), and M. Nakamura (Academia Sinica)

In my own work, I use Hubble archives to make jets, high-speed plasma ejected in beams from black holes. I used over 400 raw images spanning 13 years to make a movie of the jet in nearby galaxy M87. That movie showed, for the first time, the twisting motions of the plasma, suggesting that the jet has a helical structure.

This kind of work was only possible because other observers, for other purposes, just happened to capture images of the source I was interested in, back when I was in kindergarten. As astronomical images become larger, higher resolution and ever more sensitive, this kind of research will become the norm.

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After more than 12 hours of non-stop talks in Addis Ababa, Egypt's ministers of foreign affairs and irrigation, along with the country's intelligence chief, reached on Wednesday morning an agreement with their Ethiopian and Sudanese counterparts on the next steps to reconcile their views on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced.

The meeting between the nine officials was an attempt to break the deadlock in recent talks over the technical study conducted by a French firm on the potential effect of the Ethiopian dam on Nile downstream countries.

Egypt has repeatedly voiced concerns that the rate of filling the resevoirs of the GERD could reduce its share of Nile water, which Ethiopia denies.

During the negotiations, the parties agreed to five new points and renewed their commitment to the earlier Declaration of Principles on the GERD, which was signed in Khartoum in March 2015.

Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said on Twitter on Wednesday that "Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia signed a ministerial meeting outcome document wherein the [parties] agreed to send their comments on the initial technical report to the [French] technical consultancy firm [which issued it], hold a tripartite summit meeting every six months, found a joint-investment fund and establish an independent scientific group to reconcile their differing views on the dam."

The three countries agreed that each can submit their comments or inquiries to the firm via email without any attempt to influence its findings.

One week after the firm sends its responses, a tripartite meeting will be held in Cairo in the presence of firm representatives to discuss the responses.

That meeting will be followed by another tripartite meeting with firm representatives in Cairo on 18-19 July.

The last meeting between the leaders of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia was held in January on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa.

The three sides also agreed on Wednesday to establish a joint scientific study group to ensure equitable water sharing and utilisation.

Each of the three countries will nominate five representatives to the study group, which will assess the parties' cooperation frameworks so as to avert harm to any country's share of resources.

The study group will deliver its reports on 15 August to the three countries' ministers of irrigation, who, in turn, will present on them at a future tripartite summit in the presence of the consultancy firm.

Finally, the parties agreed to found a joint investment fund to facilitate infrastructure development in the three countries.

Cairo will invite high-ranking officials for a 3 July meeting to discuss the framework for that fund and will relay the results of that meeting to the Sudanese and Ethiopian leaders.

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Manama : Bahrains effort to boost clean energy use was hailed by a top United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) official. UNIDO Director-General Lee Yong Director, on the sidelines of the Vienna Forum on Sustainable Energy, appreciated Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza for the steps taken by Bahrain to keep pace with global developments and achieving the highest quality and sustainability levels in line with UNIDOs standards.

Mr Yong also conveyed his greetings to His Majesty the King, recalling his meeting during his recent visit to Bahrain. Dr Mirza conveyed to the director general Bahrains keenness to enhance the existing co-operation between Bahrain and UNIDO. The minister briefed the director general on Bahrains experience in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors and the priority given by the government to encourage utilization of clean energy to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development.

Dr Mirza said his participation in the forum comes in preparation for Bahrain taking part in the national voluntary audit report in New York in July. The minister also addressed the importance of renewable energy efficiency and its impact on Bahrain. This, he said, supports the diversification of the economy and creates employment opportunities in new sectors.
Manama : Doctors around the world have warned of inbreeding caused by consanguineous marriages in the past few decades, as they say it could result into serious outcomes, such as the delivery of children with mental and physical disabilities and malformations.

AbdAli AbdulKareem, a Bahraini father of three mentally-challenged children, says consanguineous marriages within many generations in his family have turned out to be a curse on his three children and has made their lives miserable. AbdAli told Tribune that his children, two daughters (14, 18 years old) and a 24-year-old son, suffer from slight intellectual disability since birth. He says inbreeding is the main cause of his childrens illness.

But thats not the childrens only ordeal, as he told that the three of them developed a rare genetic disease that causes gradual loss of sight. The Muharraq resident explained that both the son and the elder daughter have completely lost their eyesight, adding that his younger daughter is now beginning to lose the ability to see.

All doctors who examined the three said the same thing. My children are diagnosed with a rare hereditary disease that effects the retina and there is no known cure for it.

Misery

In March 2012, AbdAli lost a 19-yearold son to cancer. He said his son was the only healthy among his children and was a 12th standard student at the time he died.

The boy would suffer from a strange pain at the back of his neck and was later diagnosed with a spinal tumor by doctors at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC), few weeks after paying several useless visits to private hospitals.

The boy received chemotherapy at the oncology department at SMC for around six months. AbdAli said he took him to Turkey, where he underwent an operation in the upper discs of the spine. But the boy passed away two months after returning to Bahrain.

Everything happened quickly. The boy was three months away from graduating from high school and continuing his studies. He died eight months after the tumor was discovered, AbdAli said.The man said, after reminiscing for a moment, He was helping us take care of his siblings. He used to feed, clean and walk his brother around. Myself and his mum felt bad for him sometimes, as he was deprived of living an ordinary life, similar to children of his

age. We also think sometimes that God chose to end his misery and that its the time for him to rest. AbdAli worked as a hotel laundry supervisor and was paid BD450 a month. He retired soon after his sons sad demise, as taking care of the three children alone became a difficult task for his wife.

Im retired now and receive BD300 pension. BD185 is deducted by the bank and the remaining goes for the electricity and water services, telephone bills and other expenses. We receive a monthly allowance of BD100 from Labour and Social Development Ministry for each one of our disabled children.

All of our time is dedicated to caring for them. Theyre dependent on us, especially the two older children. We hired a housemaid to help us care for them, but she couldnt tolerate the situation and eventually escaped. Even friends and relatives are avoiding us now, the man said while describing their unhappy situation.

I need a house

The Bahraini pleaded to the authorities to provide him with a house suitable for people with special needs. He explained that he was earlier given a housing loan of BD10, 000, which he used to buy the house they live in now within one of the old neighbourhoods of Muharraq.

AbdAli says the three-storey house, located in one of the alleys in Freej Station neighbourhood, besides the old Muharraq Market (Suq), is old, narrow and unsuitable for his childrens condition.

Each of the top floors consists of one bedroom, where my children sleep. Climbing up and down the stairs without hurting themselves is almost impossible.

They need us to help them at all times. Plus, walking them for long distance to reach the car, which we park outside the narrow alley we live at, is exhausting. We need a house thats more suitable for people with special needs, AbdAli explained. He added, I hope Housing Ministry will give me a one-storey house in one of the housing projects built in Muharraq or the surrounding villages and towns. My financial situations are tough, but I hope they can evaluate our house, maybe sell it, and use the amount as a down payment for a unit in one of the government housing projects.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said during the fifth edition of the National Youth Conference that anyone who wishes to participate in the country's political life must have a comprehensive understanding of Egypt's political and economic landscape.

The first session of this edition of the youth conference, which kicked off in Cairo on Thursday, is titled 'The Youth's Vision for the Egyptian Political Scene.' The session included a discussion among youth representatives on the prospects of the youth becoming more active in political life as well as the future of political parties in the country.

Al-Ahram journalist Amira El-Adly stressed during a presentation at the conference on the importance of spreading political awareness among youth.

El-Adly called for more efforts at universities to increase young people's political awareness, saying the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organisation formed its base by reaching out to university students.

During the conference, National Council for Human Rights member Mohamed Abdel-Aziz thanked President El-Sisi for pardoning on Thursday a number of prisoners, which includes young people and individuals with health problems.

Abdel-Aziz also said that terrorist organisations exploit the "prisoners file" in Egypt to spread negative propaganda against the country.

The Egyptian president also approved a proposal to launch a committee tasked with facilitating direct communication between Egypt's youth and the executive authority.

El-Sisi stressed that a comprehensive image must be kept in mind when addressing the country's problems.

The president also described political life in Egypt during the past 10 years as "rapidly accelerating and developing."

The president cautioned of good intentions that may lead to bad results, especially in light of the challenges currently faced by the state.

"We have seen in many countries how noble and good intentions have ended up with very bad outcomes," El-Sisi said, stressing the necessity of preserving state institutions.

On the recent presidential elections, El-Sisi thanked his sole contender Moussa Mostafa Moussa, affirming that the political opposition is part of Egypt's political life and is a partner in facing challenges such as extremism.

The president also spoke about the country's upcoming municipal elections, saying they have been delayed several times due to the drafting of legislations that were awaiting approval to ensure that they are in line with the constitution.

El-Sisi called for holding the municipal elections as soon as possible, urging Egyptians to choose the right representatives for the sake of their country.

The president opened on Wednesday the fifth youth forum in Cairo with wide participation from political figures and parties, civil society groups and youth representatives.

The conference's agenda comprises three sessions.

The second session  'The Vision of the Egyptian State for the Upcoming Four Years'  will involve an analysis of the latest presidential elections.

The third session will be titled 'Ask the President,' where El-Sisi will answer a variety of questions submitted by citizens over the past few days to the president through an online forum.

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Despite advances in treatment, the number of newly confirmed cases of HIV in Japan has remained flat for the past decade, a sign that misconceptions about the disease are making progress towards eradication difficult.

"The stigma around HIV is the reason that we can't end it. In many places, people are still afraid of HIV or afraid of people living with HIV. We need to be clear that that idea is old, that is 30 years old," said Owen Ryan, executive director of the International AIDS Society, on a recent visit to Japan.

Ryan, whose group of doctors, nurses and researchers is working to eliminate AIDS, called for more self-testing in Japan, saying, "In Japan, the key is finding (those) who aren't tested." "When people know their HIV status, they tend to go get treatment. So self-testing is important," he stressed.

Japan is the fifth-largest donor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, an effort it helped establish. The fund is the largest multi-government funder of HIV programs, more than 4 billion dollars a year, according to Ryan.

In spite of Japan's efforts on the international front, newly infected HIV sufferers at home totaled 1,407 in 2017, slightly lower than the previous year, with a third showing symptoms that indicate they may have progressed to the third stage of the disease, known as AIDS, preliminary data by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare showed. In 2016, the number was 1,440, up from 1,434 in 2015.

The latest data also reported three cases of mother-to-child infections, the first case of multiple infections in three years, prompting the government to call on pregnant mothers to make sure they get health checkups.

In the fight against AIDS, the ministry started a subsidy program from April in some municipal areas in Japan where workers will be able to be tested for HIV for free as part of their health examinations. Public health centers nationwide also offer free, anonymous HIV testing but only do so on weekdays.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi reiterated that the decision by the US to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would lead to instability in the region.

"We have said that this issue would have negative ramifications on Arab and Islamic public opinion, leading to disenchantment, instability and repercussions on the Palestinian cause," El-Sisi, who voiced concerns over relocating the US embassy to Jerusalem in a phone call with Trump last December, said at the National Youth Conference held in Cairo on Wednesday.

In remarks broadcast live on TV, El-Sisi called on Palestinians and Israelis to work towards putting an end to the recent bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, after Israeli forces killed 61 Palestinians near the Gaza-Israeli border on Monday during protests against the moving of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

The Palestinian casualties in Gaza was the worst in years.

El-Sisi said the Palestinians should make sure "that protest and expression of their rejection of the decision do not lead them to measures that result in the fall of more victims."

The president added that the Israelis must "understand that the reactions of the Palestinians to the issue are legitimate," while urging Israelis to be "very careful" with the lives of Palestinians.

The president said that Cairo is doing all it can to improve the situation for the Palestinians.

Egypt has been in contact with the Palestinian and Israeli sides to help end the bloodshed, has kept its border crossing with Gaza open and has been providing ambulances and medicine to the Palestinians in an effort to "alleviate the impact of the situation in the [Gaza] Strip," El-Sisi said.

"We cannot do more than this, the president said, adding that Egypt makes statements that help resolve the situation, not complicate matters.

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Ahead of 2019 presidential and general elections, the All Progressives Congress, APC, is in search of very strong and high-profiled personalities in the opposition political party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to join its folds with the aim at ensuring that it wins in the six geo-political zones of the country.The latest of such personalities being sought after by the APC is the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, PDP, Enugu West, who has been in the Senate since May 2003.APC is wooing him to dump his party, the PDP, with the assurance that he would be given the presidential ticket for 2023 when the position would then be zoned to the South East at the expiration of the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari who is re-contesting in 2019.According to the APC, with Ekweremadu in APC and becoming the presidential candidate in 2023 from the South East, there would then be the much desired stability in the country.Speaking yesterday at plenary while eulogizing the Deputy Senate President at 56, Senate Majority leader, Ahmad Lawan, APC, Yobe North who described Ekweremadu as an asset in Nigeria at large and the South East in particular, however pleaded with him to see through the misty, woolly environment and take what he termed, the right decision, adding that he must not stay to rust and waste away in the PDP.Senator Lawan who noted that he was speaking on behalf of others said, On behalf of myself, even though without consulting our colleagues here, I am sure all the senators here are with me on this, we pray for many more terms and returns of this day and of course, I will use this opportunity to urge Senator Ike Ekweremadu to see through the mist; this woolly environment and take the right decision.You are an asset; dont stay and rust away or waste away. I am inviting you to consider joining the numerous leaders and elders of the south east who understood that Nigeria needs the commitment of people like you.Nigeria needs the unity of everybody to make it better for the masses of this country; Nigeria needs stability and I want to say clearly that you are going to fit in perfectly well. 2023 is here (for you) for the taking.Earlier, while congratulating the Deputy Senate President, Ekweremadu who marked his 56the birthday last Saturday, Lawan said, I congratulate the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu,my neighbour and my boss on his 56th birthday. I want to say that this is a congratulation to commitment, dedication and devotion. Mr. President, our brother here, as far as I can remember, is the longest serving presiding officer in the National Assembly.Senator Ike Ekweremadu has been a very loyal and committed deputy president of the senate. First to the Senate President then, Senator David Mark, he excelled in filling the gaps. Whenever there was need for him to come in and preside, all of us in the sixth and seventh senate and in fact, in this current senate, we had to look for our helmets because definitely, skills and speed will come into play.We members of the National Assembly, the parliamentarians are the ones to make the parliament or the legislature worthy of its name and be respected. We can do that through committing ourselves to our work and we have a very good example in the deputy president of the senate who has done that for so many years.
Nigerians have taken to social media to express their reservations over a campaign lapel of President Muammadu Buhai donned by Ibrahim Magu,...

Nigerians have taken to social media to express their reservations over a campaign lapel of President Muammadu Buhai donned by Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Magu had the lapel on him when he appeared on a programme on Channels Television on Tuesday.





Reacting to Magus action, a Twitter user @OlaniranMichae8, described the anti-graft czar as the first sacred cow.





However, @monsurbj, another Twitter user, justified Magus act, saying since he is not an official of the Independent Nation Electoral Commission (INEC), he is entitled to support, campaign and vote for any candidate he chose to.





Below are other reactions:

Magu is the first sacred cow. If people are hounded into detention for investigation to be conducted. Is it not normal for Magu to be in detention so the allegation around him can be investigated. Pls tell Magu talk is cheap  Olaniran Michael (@OlaniranMichae8) May 15, 2018

Is Magu an @inecnigeria official... Don't forget he (Magu) has the right to support, campaign and vote for any candidate he chose to.... May 15, 2018

Ibrahim Magu supposedly of an Independent anti-corruption body called EFCC was on Channels this morning with Buhari's re-election lapel on his suit. How did we come to such a sorry pass in this country?  Citizen Journalist (@dezmonds01) May 15, 2018

The EFCC chairman wearing a Buhari re-election campaign emblem compromises the integrity & independence of the body. EFCC and its personnel must remain apolitical and non partisan. If the President is interested in building strong institutions, Ibrahim Magu should be fired. pic.twitter.com/b3DpLYdj3x May 15, 2018





This is unacceptable and unfortunate. Ibrahim Magu, Acting Chairman of EFCC; a supposedly independent institution of government, wearing a chest badge of Buhari on Channels TV this morning, typifies the hypocrisy of the Buhari-led administration.This is unacceptable and unfortunate. pic.twitter.com/VykupiANgk May 15, 2018

@sunrisedailynow

Little things like this erode people's confidence in the EFCC What is PMB's badge doing on Magu's jacket @officialEFCC Little things like this erode people's confidence in the EFCC May 15, 2018





And y'all tell me this agency is neutral?



Jokes First, Ibrahim Magu attended at an #IStandWithBuhari rally, now he's appearing on @channelstv with a re-elect Buhari lapel pin.And y'all tell me this agency is neutral?Jokes pic.twitter.com/QKN2qd3RkI May 15, 2018

@officialEFCC is not the private property of @NGRPresident @MBuhari the head of the agency wearing a Buhari lapel compromises his independence. The loyalty of heads of agencies is to the constitution of Nigeria and the acts establishing them. Magu is bringing EFCC into disrepute pic.twitter.com/C09MWk45KR May 15, 2018

Magu leads an institution that must not be partisan nor be seen to be so. Technically, he should be able to arrest even Buhari if the need arises, after his presidency. Wearing that pin is a compromise of his need to be non-partisan and fair to all. He is wrong! https://t.co/Pu8QOZr1Bk May 15, 2018

EFCC Chairman Magu wearing a lapel of PMB's re-election bid goes beyond the rationale, that he is the president's hatchet man. That's simplistic and patronising. It's a grievous dent on Nigeria's democracy threatening its existence with a gradual slide into a monarchy by default.  Olugbenga Adebanjo (@ojuriblog) May 15, 2018





That emblem on his lapel is a Buhari re-election campaign material - and this is supposed to be a public servant of an independent anti-corruption body.



Lat time this happened was under Abacha - and we know how it ended. Ibrahim Magu this morning on a Channels TV programme:That emblem on his lapel is a Buhari re-election campaign material - and this is supposed to be a public servant of an independent anti-corruption body.Lat time this happened was under Abacha - and we know how it ended. pic.twitter.com/BhvPTMQBjL May 15, 2018

Magu is trying to educate Nigerians on corruption, it sounds funny when we all the circumstances surrounding his position today. Oga @NGRSenate and DSS have not cleared you yet... May 15, 2018

Meanwhile, Reno Omokri, ex-aide to former president Goodluck Jonathan, has asked Buhari to sack Magu if he must restore the confidence of Nigerians in the security agencies.





He asked the national assembly to reject budgetary allocation to EFCC as long as the president retains Magu as the head.





He also asked the lawmakers to refuse the confirmation of Magu as the substantive chairman of the EFCC.





President Buhari Should Sack Ibrahim Magu In Order to Restore Confidence in the Neutrality of Nigerias Civil Service and Security Agencies, Omokri said.





Not since the dark days of General Sani Abacha have Nigerians seen this type of disturbing behaviour.





The action by Ibrahim Magu, went against the ethics and principles of the Nigerian civil service as well as the service rules for military and police personnel.





Nigerian Civil servants are mandated by law to be politically neutral in order that all civil servants can render unbiased and loyal service to any government that comes to power legitimately, irrespective of the political party that produced such a government.





That being the case, how can President Muhammadu Buhari, who swore on the Quran to abide by the Constitution of Nigeria which produced our civil service, stand idly by while his political appointee brazenly and with impunity goes against domestic and international law as well as the principles of natural justice?





If President Muhammadu Buhari fails to discipline Ibrahim Magu, as is expected, I call on the National Assembly, in keeping with the doctrine of checks and balances, not to confirm Mr. Magu as substantive Chairman of the EFCC and refuse to provide budgetary provision for the agency while he remains as acting chairman.





Now, with Chairman Magus behaviour, I am vindicated. The EFCC is fighting a war on the opposition and not a war on corruption.
The Federal Government, on Wednesday, asked a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Maitama to revoke the bail it granted to Senator Dino Melaye.FG based its application on the absence of the embattled lawmaker in court for the commencement of hearing on a two-count criminal charge the office of the Attorney General of the Federation preferred against him.Melaye who is representing Kogi West Senatorial District, was on March 1, docked before the court over allegation that information he gave to the Nigerian Police Force about an assassination attempt on his life on 15 April 2017, was false.He was in the charge marked CR/106/18, alleged to had falsely incriminated the Chief of Staff to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Mr. Edward Onoja David, in the said assassination attempt.According to the charge dated January 31, 2018, it was in the course of investigation that police discovered that Melaye was attempting to frame-up some persons with his claim.Melaye was said to have told Abubakar, a son of a former governor of Kogi State in a telephone conversation how he framed Edward Onoja David in the assassination attempt.Meanwhile, when the case came up for hearing on Wednesday, government lawyer, Mr. Labaran Shuaibu, applied for Melayes bail to be revoked since he was not in court for his trial.Alternatively, the prosecution said the court should summon the person that stood surety for him to appear and show cause why he should not be committed to prison for the absence of the defendant.My lord the defendant was granted bail by this court and the case was adjourned till today for hearing, but he is not present in court.The fact is that he was granted bail and he perfected the conditions and was released, whatever he may have done afterwards is not the business of this court.In the circumstance my lord, we shall be applying for this court to order the surety to the defendant to come and show cause. Otherwise, we shall be compelled to ask that the bail be revoked, Shuaibu added.He told the court that FG has lined up four witnesses that will testify against Melaye.Nevertheless, the defence counsel, Mr. Ricky Tarfa, SAN, accused FG of concealing the true facts and circumstances of the case to the court.My lord I expected the prosecution to be more forthright by laying the facts bare before this court.After the last proceeding, the defendant has been charged before different courts. One in Abuja granted him bail, but immediately he was released, he was taken on a stretcher to Lokoja the following day and charged before a Magistrate Court.That court refused him bail. However, an application was made before a High Court in Lokoja which took into consideration the facts of the case and ordered that the defendant should be taken into Police custody for proper medical care pending the determination of his bail application.His bail application before that court was adjourned till today for ruling, Tarfa submitted.He maintained that FGs request for his clients bail to be revoked would amount to persecution, insisting that such application could only be made when there is no explanation as to whereabouts of the defendant.Tarfa said he was ready to produce the high court order that remanded Melaye in police custody.After she had listened to both parties, trial Justice Olasumbo Goodluck agreed with the prosecution that accepting the narration from Melayes counsel would amount to receiving evidence from the bar.She said the defence lawyer ought to know the proper thing to do if his client was indisposed to attend his trial.Even the explanation itself should be properly brought before this court because you dont know how far this case can go. It is either you bring the said court papers or it will be tidier for the surety to come and show cause as he guaranteed the physical attendance of the defendant in court for his trial.Stressing that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, made provisions on how criminal trials should be conducted in the absence of a defendant, Justice Goodluck subsequently adjourned the case till Thursday.The defence counsel is to take appropriate steps to explain the absence of the defendant, the court held.It will be recalled that the court had shortly after Melaye pleaded not guilty to the charge, granted him bail to the tune of N100, 000, even as he was ordered to produce a surety that must be a civil servant not below grade level 14.The court held that the surety must be in the Federal Civil Service and must prove that he is resident within the Federal Capital Territory.In count one of the charge, Melaye was accused of deliberately giving false information to the police to frame Governor Bellos Chief of Staff as the mastermind of the assassination attempt on him at his hometown in Ayetoro-Gbede in Kogi State in April last year.He was in the second count, accused of making false statement of facts in a phone conversation with Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, a son of the late former governor of Kogi State, Abubakar Audu, with the intention of tarnishing Davids reputation.FG maintained that the offence allegedly committed by Melaye was punishable under sections 140 and 393 of the Peal Code Law, Cap. 89, Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963.The offence attracts a maximum of two years imprisonment with an option N40 upon conviction of the defendant.One of the charges read: That you, Senator Dino Melaye, male, of the Senate, National Assembly, Three Arms Zone, Abuja, on or about the month of April 2017 at the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court in the cause of an investigation into the alleged assassination attempt on you, sometimes in April 2017, you gave information to the police stating that one Mr. Edward Onoja David (Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kogi State) did mastermind the attack with intent to convict him for the offence which statement you either knew or believe to be false and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 140 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89, Laws of Northern Nigeria, 1963.
Fresh protests were expected Tuesday a day after Israeli occupying forces killed 61 Palestinians during clashes and protests along the Gaza border against the US embassy opening in Jerusalem in the conflict's bloodiest day in years.

Palestinians on Tuesday mark the Nakba, or "catastrophe," commemorating the more than 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled in the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation.

It comes a day after the United States transferred its Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem in a move that infuriated the Palestinians and was widely condemned.

Most of the 61 Palestinians in Gazan who died Monday were shot by Israeli snipers, Gaza's health ministry said.

The toll included a baby who died from tear gas inhalation along with eight children under the age of 16, the ministry said.

At least 2,400 others were wounded in the bloodiest day in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the 2014 Gaza war.

Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya vowed protests in Gaza would continue on Tuesday.

Hamas's armed wing and other militant groups "will not prolong their silence over the crimes of the occupation", he said.

In the West Bank, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas declared a general strike on Tuesday after accusing Israel of "massacres".

On Monday, tens of thousands had gathered near the border in protest while smaller numbers of stone-throwing Palestinians approached the fence and sought to break through, with Israeli snipers positioned on the other side.

The death toll led to strong condemnation from rights groups and concern from a range of countries.

But the United States blocked the adoption of a UN Security Council statement that would have called for an independent probe into the violence, diplomats at the United Nations said.

Despite the violence, the embassy inauguration went on as planned in Jerusalem, attended by a Washington delegation that included US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both White House aides.

Trump addressed the gathering by video.

"Our greatest hope is for peace," he said, despite the Palestinian anger the move has provoked.

Israel's military said 40,000 Palestinians had taken part in the protests and clashes.

It said its aircraft had targeted 11 Hamas sites and tanks fired at "two terror posts belonging to Hamas", accusing the Palestinian Islamist movement of opening fire towards Israeli forces.

Israel says its action is necessary to stop infiltrations of the border fence and claims that Hamas, which runs the blockaded Gaza Strip, uses the protests as cover to carry out violence.

The White House also blamed Hamas for the violence.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the "violence of the Israeli armed forces against the protesters" as several countries urged restraint.

Britain's minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt acknowledged "Israel's right to defend its borders" but also said "the large volume of live fire is extremely concerning".

"We continue to implore Israel to show greater restraint," he said.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said "we expect all to act with utmost restraint to avoid further loss of life".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of "state terror" and "genocide."

Turkey also said it was recalling its ambassadors to the United States and Israel "for consultations," while South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel "until further notice".

At least 113 Palestinians have been killed in a campaign of protests along the Gaza border since March 30, the vast majority by Israeli snipers during clashes.

Only one Israeli soldier has been reported wounded during that time.

On Monday, the army said "many rioters" tried to breach the border fence and "approximately 10 explosive devices and several firebombs were used to target the security fence and (Israeli) troops". It said shots were also fired at the soldiers.

The embassy inauguration followed Trump's December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community.

Jerusalem's status is perhaps the thorniest issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

International consensus has been that the city's status must be negotiated between the two sides, but Trump broke with that to global outrage.

He has argued that it helps make peace possible by taking Jerusalem "off the table", but many have noted he has not announced any concessions in return from Israel.

Beyond the disputed nature of Jerusalem, the date of the embassy move was also key. May 14 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

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President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a total of N10 billion for rebuilding villages and communities including farmlands that were att...

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a total of N10 billion for rebuilding villages and communities including farmlands that were attacked in Benue and other affected States.Vice President Yemi Osibanjo disclosed this at Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs) in Abagena, near Makurdi Benue state .The Vice president is on two day officer visit to Makurdi.He said the President Muhammadu Buhari is much concerned that those displace should go back to camp immediately.He stated further that the government of Nigeria has a duty to protect the people and assured that Buharis led federal government will protect every Nigeria . I want you to have hope and confidence and most importantly to also know that we are not doing you a favour by promising to provide you with security, a place to live and school for our children, it is your right as citizens of this country. Osibanjo said.In his brief remark Governor Samuel Ortom commended President Buhari and Osibanjo for their concern over the plight of the displaced .
The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, on Wednesday, declined to stay execution of the judgment that nullified the suspension of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege by the Senate.Justice Nnamdi Dimgba rejected the application which was jointly filed by the Senate and its President, Dr. Bukola Saraki who were 1st and 2nd defendants in the suit Omo-Ageges filed to challenge his suspension from attending plenary for 90 legislative days.The court held that the application, along with the notice of appeal that was attached to it, were misdirected, saying it was not targeted at the May 10 verdict that nullified Omo-Ageges suspension.Specifically, Justice Dimgba noted that the defendants, in their motion, erroneously sought for stay of execution of judgment they claimed granted all the reliefs that were sought before the court by the plaintiff.He said the true position of things was that the court had after it rejected reliefs one to seven in Omo-Ageges suit, granted an ominibus prayer that urged it to make any order it deemed fit in the circumstance of the case.Consequently, Justice Dimgba held that the motion was not anchored on any cognizable judgment that was delivered by his court, saying he therefore could not grant an order for stay of execution as prayed by the defendants.The Senate and Saraki had through their lawyer, Mr. Mahmoud Magaji, SAN, prayed the court to suspend omo-Ageges resumption pending hearing and determination of an appeal they filed to challenge his recall.It will be recalled that the high court had in its judgment, held that the reason the Senate adduced for suspending Omo-Agege was unconstitutional.The court noted that the Ethics and Privileges Committee of the Senate recommended that Omo-Agege should be suspended to punish him for instituting legal action against the legislative house.Justice Dimgba held that while the Senate has the powers to sanction its erring members to protect its integrity, he said no institution or authority has the powers to deny any citizen his right of access to the court.Besides, the Judge noted that whereas sections 67(4) of the Senate Standing Rules 2014 and section 21(2) of the Legislative Houses Powers and Privileges Act, okayed the suspension of any erring lawmakers for 14 legislative days, the Senate went ahead and handed Omo-Agege 90 days suspension.The suspension of the plaintiff for 90 days is ultra-vires of powers of the 1st defendant (Senate), the court held, adding that any suspension of member of the Senate such exceeds 14 days is null and void and unconstitutional.The court ordered the Senate to recall the plaintiff immediately and equally pay him any salary or allowance that accrued to him within the period he was illegally suspended.Earlier, the court dismissed Omo-Ageges claim that he was denied fair hearing by the Senate Committee, stressing that documents before the court showed that the plaintiff was afforded the opportunity to be heard.The court equally dismissed preliminary objections the Senate and Saraki filed to challenge its jurisdiction to hear the suit.Justice Dimgba said the court has powers under section 4(8) of the 1999 constitution to intervene in affairs of the Senate, whether internal or external, when it acts beyond its powers or in breach of the constitution.Senator Omo-Agege who is representing Delta Central Senatorial district had in his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/314/2018, prayed the court to quash his suspension and declare that he was illegally barred from attending plenary at the Senate.Aside the Senate and Saraki, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, was equally cited as a defendant in the suit.He had among other things, prayed the court for, A declaration that the 1st and 2nd defendants referral of the plaintiff to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions for trial for expressing his opinion on the purport of a Section of the Electoral Act N0. 6, 2010 (Amendment) Bill 2017 is an act calculated to interfere with or likely to constitute a breach of the plaintiffs fundamental human right to freedom of expression without interference as guaranteed by Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 [as amended] and Article 9(2) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Right (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 LFN, 2004.A declaration that the description of the plaintiffs expression of his opinion on the purport of a Section of the Electoral Act No.6, 2010 (Amendment) Bill 2017 in the 1st defendants Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, 20th February, 2018 as malicious, unfounded and aimed at smearing the reputation of the Senate as an Institution, makes the allegation against the plaintiff [which was referred to the Senate Committee on Ethic, Privileges and Public Petitions] offence[s] under the provisions of Section 24(a) and or 24(c) of the Legislative Powers and Privileges Act Cap L12 LFN 2004 and therefore cognizable only by court of competent jurisdiction as, provided by Section 36(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 [as amended].Likewise, An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their servants, agents, privies, officers or otherwise howsoever from interfering with the plaintiffs rights and or privileges as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or and preventing him from entering or remaining within the precinct or Chamber of the Senate or National Assembly or attempting to forcibly remove him from the chamber or precinct of the National Assembly or in any way impeding or undermining the plaintiffs ability to function as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
A pro-Iranian cleric who has been in Nigerian custody since 2015 after clashes between troops and his followers made a rare public appear...

A pro-Iranian cleric who has been in Nigerian custody since 2015 after clashes between troops and his followers made a rare public appearance in court on Tuesday to face criminal charges.Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife were brought from Nigerias capital of Abuja to the Kaduna State High Court to face charges including culpable homicide and unlawful assembly.It is only the second time the leader of the Shiite Muslim Islamic Movement of Nigeria has been seen in public after being taken into custody.Despite court orders that he should be freed, Zakzaky has been detained since December 2015 when the bloody clashes broke out in the northern city of Zaria.His health has been fading and if you had an opportunity to see him today it is obvious and clear, Zakzakys lawyer Maxwell Kyon told AFP.He needed a stick to get around, Kyon said, adding that Zakzakys eyesight was poor.His wife, she walks with a stick, she was shot severely on her leg.Kyon said that this was the first time he had been able to talk to Zakzaky after the court ordered the cleric should have access to his legal team.We were only able to speak with him and his wife for a period of five to ten minutes, Kyon said.The courtroom was guarded by soldiers and members of the public and media were not allowed inside, according to IMN spokesman.Zakzaky was supposed to formally be charged but because other defendants were not present the case was adjourned until June 21, said Dari Bayero, director of public prosecution for Kaduna State.We couldnt go on because the other defendants havent been served, said Bayero.He (Zakzaky) was asked to be kept in custody of the state security service, Bayero said.Zakzaky, who is in his mid-sixties and has lost the sight of one eye following the 2015 clashes, has been at loggerheads with Nigerias secular authorities for years because of his call for an Iranian-style Islamic revolution.His supporters have held a series of protests in Nigerias capital of Abuja in recent weeks to demand his release and have had a series of standoffs with police.Rights groups have accused Nigerias military of killing more than 300 IMN supporters and burying them in mass graves during the 2015 confrontation, a charge the military strongly denies.(AFP)
As the strike action of Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) enters its fourth week, partially paralysing activities in government hospitals across the country, the Ekiti State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has said that hospitals in the state are open and doctors available for the health care needs of the people of the state.The NMA said doctors are working as much as possible in the face of the present situation.The NMA, in a statement in Ado Ekiti, on Wednesday, said doctors are not on strike and are available in all health institutions in the state to attend to their health needs, despite the ongoing strike by the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU).In the statement signed by the NMA chairman in the state, Dr Sunday Omoya and the secretary, Dr Kenneth Onyebuilo, the doctors said the current situation in our health sector requires urgent attention to end the unhealthy rivalry and practices alien to international standards.Ekiti NMA however condemned what it said was the illegal and unethical practice of locking up government properties such as hospital equipment and department offices during industrial actions, and requested that the heads of all institutions should immediately address the issue and the government at various levels should take actions to prevent the recurrence of such in the future.The doctors explained that they were not opposed to improved welfare for allied medical professionals, saying it is however important to state that this must not be done contrary to international best practices.Ekiti NMA, while reacting to the ongoing strike by the JOHESU, noted that a professional should request for remuneration not only because of the sector it operates but also because of the responsibilities and expectations bestowed on it.They argued that a course of study cannot be assessed based on the duration of the course only but also by the requirements for intake, content and curriculum of the programme, and further contended that to reduce the difference between medical doctors and allied medical professionals to the duration of their courses in the university is mischievous and unreasonable.The doctors declared that relativity is sacrosanct and not negotiable, pointing out that to suggest that after some years of practice the pay of all health workers from a particular level should be the same is unimaginable.
A committee set up by the Federal Government to investigate the recent revelation that ahead of the 2015 general election a Nigerian bill...

A committee set up by the Federal Government to investigate the recent revelation that ahead of the 2015 general election a Nigerian billionaire and supporter of former President Goodluck Jonathan, paid 2m to Cambridge Analytica, to hack into the medical records of President Muhammadu Buhari, then candidate of the All Progressives Congress, had demanded more information from some countries.It was learnt on Monday that the committee had written to the United Kingdom and the United States of America over the matter.The committee was set up to probe the report that suggested that the consulting firm that combines data mining, brokerage and analysis with strategic communication for electoral process manipulated Nigerias 2007 elections by organising campaigns to weaken the chances of opposition parties.The government set up the in-house committee to investigate whether the firms work for the then ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, in 2007 and 2015 general election campaigns broke the laws of the country or infringed on the rights of other parties and their candidates.Depending on the outcome, the Federal Government is considering appointing a special investigator and possibly start criminal prosecution by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).A top Presidency official familiar with the committees work told our correspondent on condition of anonymity on Monday about the panels communication with the UK and the US.He said, You will recall that when the news broke, the government set up what we called an in-house committee to investigate the matter.The last I heard about that committee was that they have written to the US and the UK for more information on what happened.I am yet to find out if those countries have responded and the stage which the committee is now.When contacted on the matter, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, promised to find out the latest on the matter on his return to Abuja after President Muhammadu Buharis ongoing two-day visit to Jigawa State.Shehu had earlier said although he had not been briefed on the issue, it was the right of Nigerians for the PDP, Facebook and Cambridge Analytical to explain their roles in the matter.The presidential spokesman had said that a proper investigation would reveal if there were correlations between the violence that had characterised past elections in the country and the revelation.He had said, Nigerians deserve answers immediately from the PDP administration, Facebook and Cambridge Analytica on how and why they improperly obtained and used data to interfere in Nigerian elections.An investigation should help to determine if there is a linkage between the various killings and maimings that have characterised our elections since 2007 and the misinformation activities of the Cambridge Analytica data flows.Such investigations will also help President Buhari to achieve his wish to leave a legacy of improved elections.A former employee of Cambridge Analytica, Christopher Wylie, had revealed to British lawmakers how an Israeli spy firm Black Cube was engaged to hack Buharis data to get access to his medical records.He had alleged that Cambridge Analytica utilised the services of an Israeli private intelligence firm, Black Cube, to hack Buharis data.Cambridge Analytica had earlier been hired by an unnamed Nigerian billionaire to support the re-election of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election in which Buhari was his main challenger.According to reports, SCL Elections, a public relations firm that later became Cambridge Analytica, manipulated Nigerias 2007 elections by organising campaigns to weaken the chances of opposition parties.As part of its engagement, the company organised anti-election rallies to demoralise opposition supporters from voting in the elections, which saw the emergence of Umaru YarAdua as Nigerias president.The Cambridge Analytica team came up with a video to portray Buhari as a leader who would enforce Sharia Law in Nigeria with the intention to sway the minds of millions of Nigerians and vote for the PDP candidate.The Cambridge Analytica and Facebook were focus of an inquiry into data and politics by the British Information Commissioners Office, the United States Special Counsel Robert Mueller and, separately, the UK Electoral Commission is also investigating what role Cambridge Analytica played in the EU referendum.
Deputy National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Engineer Emmanuel Agbo has dismissed the recent visit to Benue State by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as an after-thought and an attempt to swing the peoples votes in the 2019 general elections.Agbo who stated this yesterday in Abuja noted that the Vice President did not consider it necessary to visit the state when scores of people were killed by suspected herdsmen, adding that his denigration of the immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan was most unfortunate.The visit of the Vice President, Professor Osinbajo to Benue State, particularly to Abagana, Gbajimba and Anyii Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp is a political attempt at window dressing the already damaged image of President Muhammadu Buharis administration and an insult to the grieving people of Benue State.Osinbajo did not visit the people of Benue when two priests and seventeen parishioners were killed, neither does he agree that the herdsmen who killed 73 Christians in the state are terrorists. It is pathetic that while Osinbajo speaks loudly against former President Goodluck Jonathan and the opposition, he remained voiceless until our people were made refugees in their own land.Osinbajos promise during his visit to the Internally Displaced Persons' camps in the state that President Buhari has approved a total of N10 billion for the rehabilitation of communities affected by violent attacks in parts of the country further shows that the federal government is totally disconnected from the people. This shameless act affirms that Buharis administration fail to realize that money cannot replace or buy back the lives lost to the reckless slaughter of innocent citizens by extremists.By this dishonest act, the Buhari administration has only added insult to the injury of Benue people. The government which promised N50 billion for states that donated land for Fulani herdsmen in the name of colony unfortunately has only N10 billion for all those internally displaced farmers that cut across more than 13 states in the country, he said.He described Osinbajos outing as an act of desperation to remain relevant in the political scheme of things saying, since the news of the cabals plan to pick a new running mate for Buhari ahead of the 2019 presidential election became public knowledge, Osinbajo has since shown a level of desperation that casts a doubt publicly over his professed Christian faith.
The death toll of Nigerians killed in South Africa has continued to climb with two young Nigerians being the latest victims. The News A...

The death toll of Nigerians killed in South Africa has continued to climb with two young Nigerians being the latest victims.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the latest killings bring the number of Nigerians killed in the former apartheid enclave since February, 2016 to 118.Up to 800,000 Nigerians, mostly young people, reside in South Africa, according to unofficial estimates.Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Union in South Africa Mr. Habib Miller told NAN in a telephone interview that two additional Nigerians were killed in South Africa in the past eight days.Miller, who spoke from Pretoria, South Africa, identified the latest victims as Francis Ochuba, a native of Ngodo community in the Umnneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.He named the other victim as Chidi Ibebuike, a native of Uturu in the Isikwuato Local Government Area also in Abia State.Ochuba, a property owner, was shot dead alongside his estate agent, a female South African on May 5. They were shot dead as they visited the tenant occupying Ochubas house to collect rent.The incident occurred in Central Johannesburg and Ibebuike was shot dead at the entrance to his house at Hazyview in Mpumalanga on May 13.Ibebuikes car was subsequently, snatched by yet-to-be identified gunmen.Nigeria Union Chairman in Mpumalanga Province Mr. Amadi and other compatriots have reported the incident to the South African police authorities and investigation is underway.Miller said the latest killings came on the heels of the murder of ThankGod Okoro, a native of Ogbaku in the Agwu Local Government Area of Enugu State on April 9 and that of Clement Nwaogu, a native of Njikoka in Anambra State on April 22.He noted that Okoro was reportedly shot dead by a member of the South African Police Flying Squad at Florida in Johannesburg. Nwaogu was burnt alive by a mob in Rustenburg in the North West Province.The spokesman said a violent group in Rustenburg had earlier given Nigerians notice to vacate the area or get killed.He said since the order was issued, there had been numerous cases of Nigerians being kidnapped with ransom paid to their abductors.The incessant looting and killings in the area, prompted 14 Nigerians to protest the injustice and the lack of police protection from the South African Police.The 14 Nigerians were attested and had been detained since January 21 in Rustenburg.The extra-judicial killing of Nigerians in South Africa is, however, a stark contrast to the general goodwill and protection South Africans and their businesses enjoy in Nigeria.There has been no record of looting of South African businesses in Nigeria.While South African companies transfer billions of dollars in profit made from doing business in Nigeria, Nigerians in South Africa are sending body bags of murdered breadwinners back home to Nigeria to dejected families, Miller said.
Turkey has told the Israeli consul general in Istanbul to leave the country temporarily, state media said Wednesday, the latest of a series of tit-for-tat expulsions in a growing crisis over Israel's deadly firing on Palestinians on the Gaza border.

The Turkish foreign ministry has told the consul to leave Turkey "for a period of time", the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

Turkey had already withdrawn its ambassador in Tel Aviv for consultations and told the Israeli ambassador to Ankara to leave, while Israel ordered the Turkish consul in Jerusalem to leave for an unspecified period of time.

The row, which on Tuesday saw President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu exchange bitter jibes on Twitter, threatens a 2016 deal on normalising ties after a long-running crisis.

Turkey has expressed outrage over the killing by Israeli forces on Monday of 60 Palestinians on the Gaza border and also blamed tensions on the US decision to move its embassy for Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

Erdogan will on Friday host an emergency summit meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul which he has said will send a "strong message to the world" on the issue.

The 2016 reconciliation deal ended a dispute over the May 2010 deadly storming of a Turkish ship by Israeli commandos that saw relations downgraded.

That deal was strongly backed by the United States, which was keen to see Israel make up with one of its very few key Muslim partners.

But Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, has never shied away from criticism of Israel even as ministers pressed energy cooperation between the two sides.

Erdogan this week has accused Israel of "genocide" and told Netanyahu he is leading an "apartheid state" while having the "blood of Palestinians" on his hands.

Netanyahu meanwhile told Erdogan that as a leading supporter of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas "there's no doubt he's an expert on terror and slaughter".

In a tweet titled "Reminder to Netanyahu", Erdogan then denied that Hamas is a terror group, saying it is a "resistance movement that defends the Palestinian homeland against an occupying power".

After talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday, Erdogan warned that history "will not forgive" Israel or the United States for moving the American embassy to Jerusalem in defiance of the Islamic world.

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A man who was sentenced to 85 years in prison for shooting two Egg Harbor Township police officers during a 2006 incident turned to the federal courts for help after his appeals in state court failed.

A federal district court has rejected Christopher H. Blank's bid for relief and the earliest he will see freedom is the year 2078, just months after his 100th birthday.







Blank, 39, was a passenger in a car driven by his girlfriend on July 13, 2006, when Egg Harbor Township Officer Christopher Leary stopped the vehicle just after midnight. When Leary learned Blank was wanted on a warrant for theft, he called for backup and Officer Clear Costantino arrived on the scene.

As Leary tried to handcuff Blank, the man broke free and ran toward a nearby vacant house. In the yard of that home, Blank struggled with the officers. He pulled the gun from Costantino's holster and shot the officer in the abdomen and thigh. Another round grazed her left leg.

He shot Leary in the chest, but the officer's bulletproof vest protected him from serious injury. Costantino, who also wore a vest, wasn't as lucky and required surgery for her injuries.

Officer William Loder confronted Blank a short time later and ordered him to drop the gun. Blank fired at the officer instead, but missed. Loder returned fire and wounded Blank in the arm.

The gunman ran off and was captured hours later with the help of a police K-9. Blank began "fighting and punching the dog," according to court testimony, and he received a serious bite in the process.

A jury found him guilty of attempted murder, assault and related charges and he was sentenced to 85 years in 2008. He's been appealing the case ever since, and in seeking relief at the federal level claimed his trial counsel was ineffective and that the judge in his case had made multiple errors.

Atlantic County First Assistant Prosecutor Mario C. Formica expressed relief that Blank will remain in prison.

"We are also pleased that this ruling represents justice for the three police officers involved who were savagely attacked," he said in a statement. "As society's first line of defense, police officers are often times victims of violence, too."

Egg Harbor Township police officials declined to comment on this latest court development.

Ten years ago, when Blank was sentenced, Costantino cried as she urged the judge to hand down the maximum penalty. She left the department after the shooting and said in court that the experience had left her emotionally scarred. Leary said the incident left his wife and kids worried for his safety on the job.

Of the three officers, Leary is the only one still with the department.

Blank is currently serving his time in New Jersey State Prison.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips.
UPDATE: Candle blamed for fire that killed woman, 83, during storm outage

A woman died after she was pulled from a house fire Tuesday night in Waldwick, authorities said.

The fire began about 6:40 p.m. in a home on Van Court, according to members of the Waldwick Fire Department. Fire Department Chief Michael Ferrara said he did not know if the fire was related to Tuesday's storm.

"It's still under investigation," Ferrara said, declining to release further details.

Waldwick police said they received multiple calls reporting the three-alarm fire.

"At this time we can confirm one fatality," said police Chief Mark Messner, adding more information would be released after an investigation.

The house was severely damaged and the fire took about 90 minutes to extinguish, the fire department reported on social media.

Firefighters from Midland Park, Hawthorne, Franklin Lakes, Allendale, Mahwah, Upper Saddle River and Ho-Ho-Kus and members of the Bergen County Sheriff's Office responded.

Our hearts go out to the family of last night's fire victim and all those affected by the fire.  Waldwick Chamber (@WaldwickC) May 16, 2018

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The driver of a minivan was seriously injured Wednesday morning in a crash involving a school bus full of students in Burlington County, police said.

The school bus driver and students were not injured in the 6:30 a.m. crash on Route 72 in Woodland Township, according to the New Jersey State Police.

The minivan driver was taken to Cooper University Hospital, police said. Parts of Route 72 were closed during the crash cleanup. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Caitlyn Stulpin may be reached at cstulpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitstulpin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Q. When might it be better for a married couple to file separately? Must a couple file the New Jersey state return the same way they do the federal return? If one spouse has too high an income to receive the New Jersey pension exclusion but the other spouse would qualify, would it make sense to file separately?

-- Trying to save

A. Let's run through all your questions.

First, the instructions to the 2017 New Jersey 1040 tax return say: "In general, you must use the same filing status on your New Jersey return as you do for federal purposes."

So if you file jointly with your spouse on your federal return, you are required to file jointly on your New Jersey tax return, said Bernie Kiely, a certified financial planner and certified public accountant with Kiely Capital Management in Morristown.

Same goes if you file Married Filing Separately.

"Married Filing Separately is not the same as filing as a single person," Kiely said. "Married people cannot file as a single person. The rules and tax rates are very different for Married Filing Separately and filing as a single person."

So when does it pay for a married couple to file their state taxes separately?

Kiely said there are two deductions that are limited by your income.

The first is the medical expense deduction.

"This deduction is limited to the amount that exceeds two percent of your income," Kiely said. "So if one of the couple has significant medical expenses and lower income, it might pay to file separately."

The second deduction is the pension exclusion.

Kiely said the pension exclusion allows you to deduct your pension and/or other income if you are over 62 and your total income for the year was $100,000 or less. If your income is over $100,000 the exclusion is not phased out -- it is simply gone.

The exclusion is scheduled to increase over the next few years until it reaches $100,000 for those Mailing Filing Jointly.

But here's the rub: The exclusion for those Married Filing Separately is half of what can be taken by couples who file jointly -- but the $100,000 income limitation remains the same.

Kiely offered this example: Let's assume a married couple known as C is made up of person A and person B. In 2017, person A had $50,000 in income and person B had $125,000 for a total of $175,000. They are both over 62, but because their combined income exceeds $100,000, they were not eligible for the $40,000 pension exclusion. As a result their combined state income tax was $7,105.

Now let us assume they filed separately. Person A's income is less than $100,000 so A is entitled to exclude $20,000 which reduced his taxable income to $30,000. Please note that A was entitled to $20,000 exclusion -- not $40,000.

This results in A's married filing separately tax to be $455. Person B's income is $125,000 which makes her ineligible for the pension exclusion. Person B's married filing separately tax is $5,836.

The combined married filing separately tax is $6,291 -- $814 savings.

Kiely said before you file separately, be sure to do the math. Calculate your tax both ways before you decide.

"A final reminder: if you file jointly you cannot amend your return to file separately," he said. "If you file separately, you can later amend your return to file jointly."

Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com.

Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.com's weekly e-newsletter.
Over the years I have written about more than a few digital comics -- works intended as digital releases, not the reproduction of paper issues in a digital format.

Given my preference for hard-copy reading material, I tend to miss a lot of digital comics. Every once in a while, though, I find one worth reading, but if that doesn't happen, there is always the chance a series will garner enough attention that a publishing company will pick it up for physical release. This past Free Comic Day saw the release of the first printed issue of just such a book, and the week after that, Image re-released the first issue of Brian K. Vaughn, Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vincente's "Barrier" in a special hard-copy edition.

Those of you, like me, who were unfamiliar with the original digital version of "Barrier," still available at www.panelsyndicate.com, will find the first issue a shock. From its hefty page count to its landscape orientation to the bilingual nature of the story, there is very little about "Barrier" that is mundane. All of it is lovingly presented, though, in a beautiful package.

The story follows two people -- Liddy and Oscar -- whose lives have an unlikely crossing by the end of the first issue.

Liddy is a Texas rancher whose home sits right on the border, making it prime territory for illegal crossings. She isn't concerned with people looking for work, but traffickers are another matter -- one she assumes she is dealing with when her ranch hand finds the skinned head of one of their horses.

Jumping the border ourselves, readers land in Honduras following the story of Oscar as he makes the dangerous trek to America with the help of coyotes. Oscar's story is in Spanish, and while it is tempting if you don't know Spanish to reach out to online translation services to understand the dialogue, it isn't necessary; you'll be able to follow the story.

The whole thing starts off and moves us along with the assumption and presentation of a story about the border and the world we live in. We are set up to assume we are reading a story about crossing barriers of communication and culture to come to a new understanding of where we all stand. Then, the last page comes and the team behind "Barrier" throws us a curve ball like none other.

Of course, none of this changes the deeper meaning that can be seen in "Barrier"; it just makes the whole thing much more different than anyone might expect.

Altogether the series is only five issues long and Image is planning on releasing the series on a weekly basis so the out-of-this world ending of the first issue will be resolved soon enough. That's if you want to read in hardcopy, of course. If you can't wait and don't mind reading it online, you can head over to www.panelsyndicate.com and read the whole thing right now.

I'll be doing that sure enough after the thrill of the first issue, but I'll still buy the whole thing at my local comic shop just to appreciate the presentation.

WILLIAM KULESA can be reached at jjournalcomicbox@gmail.com.
BAYONNE -- A 48-year-old city man faces weapons charges after brandishing a starter pistol inside a local convenience store, authorities said.

At 6 a.m. on Sunday, Tyrone A. Baskin, 48, of West 29th Street, walked into the 7-Eleven convenience store at the corner of 20th Street and Avenue C and began fidgeting with a weapon, a female employee of the store told authorities.

The woman told police that Baskin approached the counter and took out what appeared to be a black handgun, manipulated the slide of the firearm as if to chamber a round, and then put the firearm into his jacket pocket, authorities said.

He then left the store without buying anything, cops said, adding that the 20-year-old reported Baskin did not threaten her with with the weapon.

Responding officers found Baskin at the corner of 21st Street and Broadway, but could not find a weapon on his person, authorities said.

While interviewing him, the 48-year-old showed signs that he was under the influence, police said. Police did not arrest him but sent him to hospital, authorities said.

A short while later, while officers were filing a report of the incident, Baskin arrived at police headquarters after being released from the hospital and told the responding officers he wanted to show them where the gun was, police said.

Baskin led officers to a "patch of lawn" at the base of a light pole in the area of the store and showed them he had buried a .85mm blank firing pistol under a layer of mulch, police said.

He was subsequently arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. Baskin was also charged with certain persons not to possess a weapon, police said, due to a history of violent crime.

In February 2014 -- at the same 7-Eleven -- Baskin was arrested after he allegedly pulled a knife on a customer for being told he was "backing up the line," according to a previous report.

Corey W. McDonald may be reached at cmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @coreymacc. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY -- A Brooklyn man was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday for causing the death of a 23-year-old woman who was a passenger on his motorcycle when he crashed inside the Lincoln Tunnel in 2016.

"I truly apologize to the family," said Peter McDaniel, 38, who pleaded guilty in April to the vehicular homicide of 23-year-old Yennifer Blanco-Liz of Brooklyn. Authorities said he was going 70 miles per hour when he crashed near the mouth of the tunnel in Weehawken.

"Jennifer was not just some stranger to me. She is someone I went to medical school with for three semesters."

But he began rambling about factors he thought could have saved Blanco-Liz's life and eventually, Hudson County Superior Court Judge Patrick Arre cut him off saying "I don't want to hear about German helmets. Do you have anything else to say?" McDaniel said he was done.

McDaniel and Blanco-Liz were thrown from the bike in the 3 a.m. crash. Both suffered injuries and were hospitalized, Port Authority police said at the time.

McDaniel's father, Vernon Wilson told the victim's family today that he prays for them. He asked Arre to take into consideration that the death was not intentional.

Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Erica Bertuzzi noted that McDaniel has a prior conviction for a gun offense and when the crash occurred, he was on parole for aggravated assault. She told Arre there was a need to deter McDaniel and others and asked the judge to abide by the plea deal.

The victim's father, Miguel Blanco, spoke tearfully at the sentencing saying that his daughter would be alive if McDaniel had not violated his parole by traveling to New Jersey on the day of the crash. He held up pictures of his daughter's children for the judge and McDaniel's family to see.

"Today it's me but tomorrow it's someone else," said Blanco, adding that people on parole should be on electronic monitoring to ensure they do not violate their parole. "I ask the court to do something about the problem."

The speed limit in the Lincoln Tunnel is 35 mph. McDaniel cautioned motorcycle riders to drive safely, saying it could save lives.

Before sentencing McDaniel, Arre said "This is a contract plea which I hesitated even accepting, so the records clear, but I will abide by the plea deal." He sentenced McDaniel to five years and he must serve 85 percent of the term before becoming eligible for parole. Arre also fined McDaniel $20,000.

McDaniel has 592 days jail credit which will be applied to his sentence.
Jersey City's underfunded public-school system could see a major boost under a plan devised by state Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham.

Cunningham, D-Jersey City, has proposed a 1 percent payroll tax on Jersey City businesses, with the revenue intended for the 29,000-student school district. The tax would mirror one in Newark that brings in about $48 million annually.

The plan, which was introduced in the state Legislature on Monday, comes amid rising panic locally that the school district may lose a significant amount of state financial aid and grumbling statewide about the amount of state funding Jersey City schools receive. The district's $660 million budget is funded with $414 million in state aid while Jersey City taxpayers kick in $124 million.

The district's overall budget is about $100 million less than what the state calls an "adequacy budget," the amount the state believes it would cost to provide a "thorough and efficient education" to every pupil. Local taxpayers pay about $200 million less than the district's "local fair share," the amount the state says local taxpayers can afford to pay for their schools.

There's nothing in the introduced legislation (S-2581) that refers to schools, but Cunningham said it will be amended. Sen. President Stephen Sweeney, a frequent critic of the amount of state aid Jersey City receives, supports the legislation, a Sweeney spokesman said.

Cunningham could not say how much the tax would rake in, but she said it "would be enough to take care of the woes in our school system."

The plan would allow any New Jersey municipality with a population over 200,000  only Newark, which already has a payroll tax, and Jersey City apply  to levy the payroll tax. The city would be allowed to exempt wages from Jersey City residents.

It is the second tax plan under consideration that would affect Jersey City. The city has also proposed a new tax that would fund local arts (state lawmakers and voters must approve that proposal). Businesses in six districts citywide already pay an additional tax to fund special improvement districts.

A request for comment from a Jersey City spokeswoman was not returned.

"The proposed payroll tax is a unique and creative work around to help fully fund Jersey City schools," Jersey City Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas said in a statement. "We are hopeful the state Legislature will come to an agreement and help us to extend the constitutionally mandated thorough and efficient education."

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY  Polish President Andrzej Duda stopped at Exchange Place on Wednesday as Jersey City and the region's Polish community remained locked in a fight over the city's plan to relocate the Katyn monument.

Duda and his entourage met with Mayor Steve Fulop and his entourage under a tent set up near the statue, which commemorates the massacre of over 20,000 Polish people during World War II.

The visit lasted a few minutes. Duda arrived by car, chatted with Fulop, placed a wreath on the monument and left.

The Polish president did not speak to the press, but Fulop described his conversation with Duda as "fairly straight-forward" and "spontaneous."

"He said, I'd prefer for it to stay here but if it's not possible it needs to be in a place that's respected and dignified," Fulop said.

Duda is on a pre-planned visit to the region on United Nations business. He visited the statue in 2016.

A Jersey City official who saw the president and mayor's interaction described it as awkward.

Fulop, 41, gave Duda a small replica of the Katyn statue and a Jersey City flag. Duda, 46, gave Fulop a book with some history of the 1940 massacre that inspired the monument, which was unveiled in 1991.

The city sparked the trans-Atlantic row when it revealed it wanted to move the 34-foot monument to make way for a $5 million new park at Exchange Place. The Polish ambassador to the United States and the country's consul general in New York initially resisted any effort to move the statue but announced a compromise with Fulop on Monday: the city will put the statue to the foot of York Street, one block south of its current location, and create a new park with the monument as its centerpiece.

The resolution has not pleased everyone.

Councilman Rich Boggiano, who wants the statue to remain, called the ambassador a "piece of s***" for agreeing with the city's plan to move it. A request for comment from a spokesman for the ambassador was not returned.

Two groups of protesters were gathered at Exchange Place for Duda's visit. They were kept by barriers from getting more than about 20 feet from the tent where the Jersey City and Polish officials were gathered to avoid the rain. Some chanted "Shame" when Duda left the area. A police officer ordered a protester holding a banner addressed to Duda  it read in part, "Where is your honor and dignity?"  to move farther away from the crowd.

"If he doesn't move, lock him up," another officer yelled.

An officer escorted the man west toward Montgomery Street.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, D-West New York, announced today that he introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to recognize memorials and monuments to the Katyn massacre.

"It is my hope that these memorials and monuments dedicated to this atrocity continue to stand for generations to come in New Jersey and across the globe," said Sires, who is feuding with Fulop over plans to unseat County Executive Tom DeGise.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
A group of middle school students from Jersey City won big bucks for a science project aimed at protecting bodies of water from synthetic clothing material.

Plastic Elastic 3.0, a six-student team from Christa McAuliffe School 28, took home the $30,000 grand prize in the Lexus Eco Challenge, a national scholarship competition for teenagers in grades 6 through 12 from across the country.

The team was one of 16 middle school contingents nationally to win an initial $10,000 prize for creating practical solutions to environmental problems.

Plastic Elastic 3.0 produced a prototype filter for laundry machines designed to keep synthetic microfibers of clothing from traveling into bodies of water.

In the Final Challenge, the team conducted repeated tests on the filter in the hope of getting it installed at local laundromats. The eighth-graders also experimented with their device to see if it could catch glitter, a microplastic that also presents an environmental threat, from cosmetics and crafts.

The team members -- Gabriella Martinez, Albania Cruz, Karys Sunga, Camila Nunez, Ariana Sanchez, and Sharon Calderon -- will split $20,000 in scholarship money, while the school will be awarded $7,000. The team's teacher advisers, Malissa Yabut and Robert O'Donnell, will split $3,000.

Sponsored by Scholastic, the national competition awards $500,000 in scholarships and prize money each year.

Meanwhile, another team from School 28 -- the eight-student Styro-Terminators -- was one of four middle school groups from across the country to earn $15,000 first-place prizes in this year's Final Challenge.

Their project examined the ecological dangers posed by Styrofoam.

The seventh-grade students -- Giovanna Tejada, Layla Sanchez, Michaela Garrett, Sajoud Saleh, Juver Nuesi, Briana Zapet, Jennifer Hoffer, and Kayla Allen --will split $10,000 in scholarship money, while School 28 will receive $3,000 in winnings. Yabut and O'Donnell will split the remaining $2,000.

The Styro-Terminators were also one of 16 middle school teams from across the United States to win an initial $10,000 prize and qualify for the Final Challenge and a shot at the $30,000 grand prize.
The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold a special session on Friday to discuss "the deteriorating human rights situation" in the Palestinian Territories, after Israeli occupation forces killed 61 Palestinians and injured hundreds on Monday.

"The special session is being convened per an official request submitted this evening by Palestine and the United Arab Emirates," on behalf of the rights council's Arab Group and has so far received support from 26 states, a spokesman for the Geneva-based body said Tuesday.

Friday's special session will begin at 0800 GMT Friday in Geneva to consider "the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem," the spokesman said in a statement.

The support of at least a third of the 47 members of the UN Rights Body -- 16 or more nations -- is required to call such a session.

The initiative has already received support from Angola, Burundi, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela

Observer states Bahrain, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kuwait, Maldives, Oman, Tajikistan and Turkey have also lent their support.

It will be the 28th special session of the council. The most recent one was held last year to discuss the situation in Myanmar.

The UN Human Rights Council's announcement came as Israel faces mounting international pressure amid calls for an independent probe into the 60 Palestinian deaths.

Protests and sporadic violence flared again on the Gaza border on Tuesday, though they were far fewer in number than the previous day, with two Palestinians killed by Israeli fire, Gaza's health ministry said.

The killings overshadowed the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem, relocated from Tel Aviv in fulfilment of a campaign promise by US President Donald Trump, whose daughter Ivanka attended the inaugural ceremony.

The UN Security Council in New York held an emergency meeting Tuesday on the violence in Gaza, with Kuwait preparing a draft resolution to protect Palestinian civilians and the United States defending ally Israel's use of "restraint".

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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A Piscataway cop who punched a handcuffed man in the back of his police cruiser earlier this year has cut a deal in to avoid prison and potentially still get his pension.

Todd Ritter, 54, of Millstone (Monmouth County), who was facing charges of tampering with public records, falsifying and tampering with records and assault, will get non-custodial probation, eliminating any possibility of jail time, after accepting a plea deal from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

Piscataway officer Todd Ritter, 54, of Millstone (Monmouth County)

Ritter pleaded guilty Tuesday to falsifying records and a reduced charge of simple assault before Superior Court Judge Joseph Rea and a courtroom filled with other of police officers, family and friends.

The deal will also force Ritter to forfeit his position in the department after nearly 22 years on the job and bar him from holding any public positions in the future.

In exchange for the deal, though, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office will not take a position when his pension review goes before the state board.

"(The state) will not petition the board to not give him his pension, but we will work with them to provide evidence," Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Christine D'Elia said.

As the room emptied in the afternoon following a brief hearing, one of the women called the event "a travesty of justice" but would not say who she was or how she knew Ritter. The group of people declined to comment.

The February encounter between Ritter and Isiah Benbow occurred after the 19-year-old was arrested on obstruction and resisting charges. Benbow was thrashing in the backseat of the cruiser kicking the glass between the front and back seats, yelling at and eventually threatening Ritter, according to the police video from the car.

"You think it's funny?" Benbow asks in the recording after telling the story of his arrest. "He got mad because I said something, and he gone and slammed me. ... I said I can't breathe, then he threatened and said he was going to f--- me up and everything."

"I'm gonna break it," Benbow yells. "... Why you gotta lie? ... I'm gonna kill all you all (expletive), watch!"

Ritter then gets out of the car, opens the back door and punches Benbow in the face.

The officer, who had been suspended without pay after the incident, admitted Tuesday that he lied on his police report in which he said the man had kicked him in the groin.

In the video of the encounter, Ritter says to one of the other officers afterward "This a--hole just kicked me in the nuts."

"He's lying! I swear to God, he's lying! He punched me in my face!" Benbow yells.

"Shut up," Ritter responds as he wrestles the man out of the cruiser.

Benbow was yelling that he'd been roughed up when he was arrested. A cell phone video obtained by NJ Advance Media corroborated some of his narrative in which he said that Ritter's partner, officer Christopher Mahaley, slammed him to the ground and threatened him.

The cell phone video also showing Ritter trying to pick the 19-year-old up by his hair, but dropped him when he's about halfway up.

Ritter, who had applied for pre-trial intervention, withdrew his application as part of the plea deal.

His sentencing is set for July 6.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at 732-372-2078 or at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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A former municipal fire inspector who leveraged his father's murder conviction and alleged mob ties to shake down a developer, admitted to extortion on Tuesday after his victim recorded several threatening conversations and boasts about his own mob involvement.

Billy Donnerstag, 49, of Hackettstown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion before federal judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark on Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced.

Donnerstag, a former fire inspector for Middlesex borough, schemed with Kenvil resident Joseph Martinelli to extort money from the owner of a real estate development and construction company after Martinelli had regrets over a property sold to the developer.

Martinelli pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion in March.

Around May 2007, Martinelli requested early payment on a property that he was planning to sell to the developer for $2 million. The developer agreed to pay early, but at a discount, and the two agreed to a sale of the property for about $1.6 million, court documents show.

In December 2016, Donnerstag began showing up to the property claiming he was there to conduct a fire inspection. He also began making calls to the developer, making threats and saying the developer didn't pay enough for the property.

I'm "not somebody who's in the Yellow Pages," Donnerstag told the victim, according to his federal indictment. He also described himself to the victim as "the guy that you don't want to see" and "a problem for you right now."

In one recorded phone call with Donnerstag, when the victim explained that the property had been sold legally and that Martinelli had agreed to the terms,

Donnerstag replied: "if you were in front of me right now, you'd be on the floor. OK? Cause I don't talk -- I don't get talked to like that. You don't know who I am."

Donnerstag later told the victim his father is Gerald Donnerstag, a mob associate who was convicted of a murder in the 1970s in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Martinelli claimed that Billy Donnerstag would not leave the developer alone until he paid $60,000.

"The guys in New York I know, when they need something taken care of, they don't get involved," Martinelli told the developer, speaking about Donnerstag. "They call him."

The developer, cooperating with the FBI, met several times with each man, and ultimately handed over $15,000 in cash that the men had extorted. The transactions and other threatening conversations were recorded.

The maximum penalty for conspiracy to commit extortion is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Donnerstag is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 25, and Martinelli's is scheduled for June 12.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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From his perch as chief executive officer of Constellation Healthcare Technologies, prosecutors say, Parmjit "Paul" Parmar was able to amass real estate holdings whose value reached into the tens of millions.

In addition to a sprawling mansion in Colts Neck, the U.S. Attorney's Office said the 48-year-old was able to use company profits to purchase two luxury apartments in New York City with views of the Hudson, and a condo in the city's Financial District.

On Wednesday, that all came crashing down as FBI agents arrested the former CEO on charges he and two other company officials fraudulently inflated Constellation's market value, bilking a private investment firm and other banks for more than $300 million as they sought to take the company private.

Along with Parmar, who has been charged with securities fraud and conspiring to commit securities fraud, investigators have obtained warrants for the arrest of Sotirios "Sam" Zaharis, the company's former chief financial officer, and Ravi Chivukula, a former executive director at the company.

Parmar was expected to appear before a federal magistrate in Newark on Wednesday afternoon. It was not immediately clear whether he had retained an attorney who could comment on the charges.

Prosecutors said Zaharis, of Weehawken, and Chivukula, of Freehold, had not yet been arrested as of Wednesday afternoon.

Constellation is identified in a criminal complaint only as Company A, but Parmar's troubled leadership of the company has been well-documented in the financial press.

Constellation and its affiliated companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, with its new management writing in a bankruptcy court affidavit that forensic accountants had discovered many of Constellation's purported subsidiaries were fictional sham companies created by Parmar, Zaharis and Chivukula.

All three men resigned or were fired from the company when the scheme was discovered in September 2017, according to federal authorities.

Prosecutors said the fake companies were the targets of sham acquisitions pitched by the trio to potential investors, whose funds were then used both for purposes that had nothing to do with the acquisitions and to further the misrepresentation the companies had their own revenue.

Government attorneys said that Parmar and his co-conspirators also had used millions in company funds to avoid foreclosure of his $27.3 million mortgage for the Colts Neck mansion, as well as to purchase the New York apartments.

In addition to the criminal charges against the three men, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement that it was expecting to file a civil complaint today seeking forfeiture of all four properties.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Ten airport workers in Dallas who thought they were making easy money by placing crystal methamphetamine on flights to Newark and other destinations have been arrested in a federal drug sting.

Beginning in 2016, the group used their positions at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to bypass security and place a substance that they believed was meth on flights, authorities said.

They allegedly had 145 pounds of the fake meth supplied by undercover federal agents transported to various domestic destinations -- about 101 pounds of which went to Newark. At least one flight carrying the counterfeit drug went to Phoenix while another landed in Charlotte, North Carolina.

All were arrested Monday and indicted on a count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Texas' Northern District said in a statement Tuesday.

The men began meeting with undercover agents in 2016 and each airport worker received fees between $1,500 and $2,000 per kilogram to make sure what they believed was real meth got onto commercial planes.

They received half their payment up front and half when the plane touched down in New Jersey or the other destinations.

The luggage with the fake meth was retrieved by federal agents when the flights arrived. At least one worker had said he would transport firearms on commercial flights but it's not clear if that actually was done, authorities said.

The counterfeit meth was flown to New Jersey on at least five occasions, according to the federal complaint:

Sept. 30, 2016 on American Airlines flight 952

Nov. 11, 2016 on American Airlines flight 952

May 25, 2017 on American Airlines flight 1229

June 28, 2017 on an unspecified airline and flight

Aug. 3, 2017 on an unspecified airline and flight

Charged are:

Nelson Pabon, 47

Jean Loui Vargas-Malave, 28

Juan Camacho Melendez, 22

Ruben Benitez-Matienzo, 45

Jose Luis Gaston-Rolon, 24

Joshua Israel Pagan Zapata, 21

Domingo Villafane Martinez, III, 30

Luis Javier Collazo Rosado, 21

Michael Lnu, 23

Cristian David Cruz-Rodriguez, 23

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Michael A. Hall Jr. was no noob when it came to robbing GameStop stores. He was caught doing it 10 years ago and served time in prison.

Last year, he decided to try his luck again, but the result was the same.

He lost.

Michael A. Hall Jr.

The 35-year-old Glassboro man has pleaded guilty to robbing eight GameStop locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania during a two-month spree last year.

He faces more than 27 years in prison when he's sentenced Aug. 15.

Department of Corrections records indicate Hall was released from prison in March 2017. Months later, he picked up where he left off.

In November, he robbed GameStops in Deptford, Turnersville, Delran, Clementon and Mt. Laurel. He displayed a firearm during the Mt. Laurel robbery, according to a federal complaint. He then crossed the river to rob Pennsylvania GameStops in Philadelphia, Levittown and Folsom in December.

It was a familiar pattern.

In 2008, police arrested Hall and a cousin on charges that they robbed eight South Jersey stores, including six GameStops and two convenience stores, at gunpoint, making off with thousands of dollars in games and equipment.

When it came to the 2008 GameStop robberies, the heists were well-planned, authorities said.

"They would pick out certain games they wanted," said Evesham Detective Sgt. David Covely. "They would take the cell phones, the store phones ... It wasn't a spur of the moment thing. It was planned. They knew what they wanted."

The robberies became more brazen, Covely said at the time, with some committed during daylight hours. A victim was pistol-whipped during one incident, he said.

With assistance from the U.S. Marshal's, the cousins were arrested in March 2008.

On Dec. 20 of last year, it was game over once again for Hall.

He was arrested a day after the Folsom job and authorities seized $5,600 in cash, handguns, ammunition and enough video games and gaming gear to open his own store.

Titles recovered included Grand Theft Auto 5, Assassins Creed, Minecraft and Rainbow Six Siege.

While a news account of one of the crimes described two robbers, court documents make no mention of an accomplice.

Under the plea agreement, Hall has agreed to make restitution to his victims.

He is currently jailed at Burlington County Detention Center while he awaits sentencing.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips.
A day after severe thunderstorms pummeled the state, thousands of customers of Jersey Central Power & Light Co. remained in the dark, sparking widespread outrage by many who questioned why it repeatedly takes the utility so long to get the lights back on.

JCP&L said utility crews may not get them all back into service until Thursday evening.

"There was a great deal of damage, which brought down lots of trees, lines and poles," said JCP&L spokesman Ron Morano.

Hey @JCP_L how can something like this happen again?

How can @PSEGdelivers have double your clients and only have 8900 customers without power?  Brian Healy (@bnh14) May 16, 2018

As many as 108,000 customers of the utility were without power at the height of the storm and as of Wednesday afternoon, 38,000 people still could not turn on their lights.

The worst of the damage was centered in Morris County, where 14,825 customers had no electricity as of 2 p.m., and Sussex County, where another 15,622 customers were affected.

JCP&L has come under fire in the past for the pace of getting power back to customers in the wake of big weather events and many were again getting fed up with the delay on Wednesday.

I did. I also informed them that weve been without power since 430 yesterday and have a disabled person in the house with the machine that requires electricity to help her breathe.



Your representative hung up on me.  Viking Dan (@EirulLeinad) May 16, 2018

Earlier this year, a big nor'easter tore through its service territory, knocking out thousands of customers--when the company's service territory got slammed again by a snowstorm. Gov. Phil Murphy later ordered a state investigation into how New Jersey utility companies responded to the winter storms.

JCP&L is often particularly susceptible to outages because there are many trees and wooded areas throughout its service territory, and falling branches are the most common cause for blackouts.

The company serves 1.1 million customers in Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.

Public Service Electric & Gas Co., the state's largest utility with more than 2.2 million electric customers, reported 5,467 people had not power on Wednesday afternoon, with the largest number of outages in Essex County.

@GovMurphy You did a hell of a job getting through to @JCP_L and their storm power restoration process. I know it was a bad storm, but a restoration estimate of May 18th?? Pitiful.  Kevin H.  (@kevola) May 16, 2018

Morano said the JP&L has 1,400 linemen and other crews working to bring service back, and hopes to get the majority of people back by 11:30 p.m. on Thursday.

"When you do restoration work like this, it's meticulous and you have to do it safely," he said.

Keep track of power outages, from the major utility companies as they happen across the state using the N.J. Outage Tracker below

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Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The remains of a U.S. Army veteran who went missing in New Jersey nearly 11 years ago were discovered Tuesday by an engineering crew working in a wooded and swampy area in Ocean County.

Human remains belonging to William Schmidbauer, a U.S. Army veteran missing since 2007, were found Tuesday in Manchester. (Manchester police)

The engineering crew initially found a skull and investigators later located nearby additional remains identified as those of William Schmidbauer, of Manchester.

The skull was found in what police described as a heavily-overgrown area along the banks of a stream known as the Ridgeway Branch. The location is about 1.5 miles from Schmidbauer's home.

His wife reported him missing from their home on Sept. 23, 2007. Manchester police announced the discovery of his remains in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

The Ocean County Sheriff's Office and prosector's office teamed with Manchester police on Tuesday to excavate the area and also found Schmidbauer's wallet containing his personal identification, wrist watch and a pocket knife.

Authorities don't suspect foul play, but a State Police forensic anthropologist will further examine the remains.

Schmidbauer, then 64, disappeared from the home on Robin Street in the Cedar Glen West section of town he shared with his wife.

In the months after the 20-year Army veteran vanished, investigators conducted countless searches, at times using scuba divers and K9 units. Police quads, off-road vehicles, kayaks and thermal imaging cameras as well as tracking and cadaver dogs have also been used in an attempt find Schmidbauer.

Authorities also conducted periodic searches in the years that followed. The most recent search was last year.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A 25-year-old man, already locked up on drug dealing allegations, was charged with providing the lethal doses of heroin and fentanyl that killed two Berkeley Township residents earlier this year.

Cody Lessing.

James Tice Jr., 28, and Keith Tandberg, 45, both overdosed within hours of each other on Feb. 25 at two separate locations in Berkeley, according to a joint statement from Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato and Berkeley police Chief Karin DiMichele.

Tice and Tandberg, authorities said, were killed from a combination of heroin and fentanyl, a synthetic opioid much more powerful than heroin causing spikes in overdose numbers throughout the state.

An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and the Ocean County Sheriff's Department would determine Cody Lessing, 25, sold them the fatal doses, the statement said.

Tice was a carpenter who worked in the Ocean County area and loved to ride all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes. He is survived by his girlfriend Kayla Bunn, as well as is dog Ally, his obituary said.

Tandberg was a Ridgewood native who worked as a computer technician, and at the Berkeley Island Marina in Bayville, his obituary said.

Lessing, also of Berkeley Township, has had brushes with law enforcement in the past, including multiple arrests for drug possession, court records show.

At the age of 19, he was arrested for shooting a 10-year-old and an 11-year-old in the face with a pellet gun.

In November 2017, Lessing was arrested in Manchester after officers found 495 bags of heroin in his car. The heroin had a street value of more than $3,400, according to police.

The statement for the most recent arrest says Lessing was arrested on drug offenses on Feb. 25, 2018, the same day Tice and Tandberg were found dead.

While in jail for those offenses, investigators charged Lessing Tuesday with two counts of strict liability for drug-induced death, two counts of manslaughter and possessing and distributing heroin and fentanyl, authorities said.

"(The) OCPO will continue to lead the way in developing Strict Liability/Drug-Induced Death cases," Coronato said in the statement. "It's critical during this opiate crisis we take strong punitive measures against dealers bringing death to those fighting addiction."

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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President Donald Trump's pick to be the next director of the CIA has toughened her public stance against harsh interrogation.

"With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken," Gina Haspel said in written answers to more than 60 questions released by the Senate intelligence committee.

Haspel, who was involved in supervising a secret CIA detention site in Thailand, wrote that she had learned "hard lessons since 9/11."

Her nomination has sparked debate over brutal interrogation practices, which many critics amount to torture.

After the September 11 terror attacks, then-President George W. Bush's interrogation and detention program used waterboarding and other brutal tactics on detainees.

Trump has said the country should consider resuming harsh interrogation techniques.

Haspel testified at a Senate hearing that torture does not work as an interrogation technique and that, as director, her strong "moral compass" would ensure she did not carry out any administrative directive she found objectionable.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, who was beaten as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, has urged colleagues to reject the nominee over her past role in CIA interrogations. McCain said her role "in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge torture's immorality is disqualifying."

Do you think the interrogation tactics following 9/11 were the right move at the time?

Vote in our informal and unscientific poll and tell us why in the comments.

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By Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

Justice in the American system often means banishment through incarceration, parole, probation, or the sex offender registry. Millions are condemned, never to return to our communities, or never to return whole. And for those who do return, we make sure the mark of their worst mistake follows - most just a Google search or background check away from never hearing back from a prospective landlord or employer.

Those who commit crimes as children are not immune from this monstrous system of state control. And like the rest of our criminal justice system, children of color bear the brunt of extreme sentences, despite the fact that black and white children commit most offenses at similar rates.

But the tide is turning. Slowly.

"We're witnessing a moment that is not so much a 180 degree change as it is a 360 degree circling back," Marsha Levick, Deputy Director and Chief Counsel of the Juvenile Law Center recently told me. "When the juvenile justice system was first established in the United States in 1899, the impetus was the intuitive understanding that we needed to treat children who commit crimes differently than we treat adults."

In recent years the U.S. Supreme Court has carved out a ceiling of punishment for people who commit crimes as children. They can no longer be executed, automatically sentenced to life without parole, or sentenced to life without parole at all in non-homicide cases, thanks to court rulings made between 2005 and 2012. And those who were sentenced automatically to life without parole are now eligible for resentencing, thanks to a 2016 decision.

Sentencing children to spend all or most of their lives in prison runs counter to the volumes of research that show the transient nature of adolescence. Brain imaging scans have shown that youth are more impulsive than adults, and that the brain is not fully developed until the age of 25. In fact, the United States is the only country in the world that sentences children to die in prison.

For thousands of children who were condemned to die in prison, they now may have the opportunity to be free because of the Supreme Court's decisions.

One of those eligible for resentencing is Joe, who was sentenced to life without parole for a murder he committed when he was 14. (As Joe has an active legal case, his name and identifying details have been changed.) Joe's story is shared in my documentary play, "Life, Death, Life Again: Children Sentenced to Die In Prison," which will be performed on May 17 at Passage Theatre at the Mill Hill Playhouse in Trenton.

Joe's home was plagued by instability and abuse. When Joe was four or five years old, his father went to prison for molesting Joe's sister. His mother, he told me, was loving but had a temper.

In ninth grade Joe got into an argument with a friend, who threw a soda at him.

"I left the school, trying to walk away from the whole thing. I really didn't want to fight with him," said Joe. "I stole a car to joyride. I drove around, just to clear my head a little bit."

A rehearsal of the the documentary play, "Life, Death, Life Again: Children Sentenced to Die In Prison," which delves into the lives of imprisoned children looking for a second chance. The play will be performed on May 17 at Passage Theatre at the Mill Hill Playhouse in Trenton. (Photo by coLAB Arts)

Joe crashed the car and fled the scene. Fearing he would be sentenced to two years in a juvenile detention facility, he decided to go on the run. He broke into a home and saw a car in the garage.

"I kind of got fixated on the car like, 'Dang, I can use this to try to get away,'" said Joe.

He picked up a gun he found in the house and walked around. Then, he saw the homeowner. She said she was going to call the police.

"My first response was to shoot. I shot her," he told me "I was crying. I told her I was sorry."

After Joe's arrest, he was tried as an adult and sentenced to die in prison.

"The hardest part was being away from my family, being away from the people I love," Joe said. "Over the years that kind of got easier. I guess you get used to something. It's like, like losing a limb, eventually you get used to it. You get to walking and moving around like you were born that way."

His incarceration has made Joe a stranger to his family.

"Sometimes it feels like the distance between us becomes irreversible," said Joe. "You're the one just sitting on the sidelines watching it cause you're in here while everybody lives and dies and grows old and you're still in the same place, in exactly the same circumstances."

Joe is now volunteering in a program where he mentors versions of himself from about two decades ago -- at-risk youth who visit the prison. He hopes to continue this work, one day, outside the prison walls.

"I want to use every opportunity to make amends for my actions for what I've done to [the victim] and her family," he wrote me. "I have caused so much pain, and that's not who I am."

Joe is not the child he was at fourteen - and neither are most people who cause harm as children, explains the Juvenile Law Center's Levick.

"The odds are wildly in their favor that they will change, they will be rehabilitated, and they will transform with growth and maturity," she said. "So we need to ask ourselves: what is the purpose of our justice system, and what does justice look like?"

Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg is the playwright of the documentary play, "Life, Death, Life Again: Children Sentenced to Die In Prison." The play is a verbatim theater piece that shares the stories of people sentenced to die in prison for violent crimes committed as children and a victim's grandson who chose to lead with forgiveness. She is the communications director for the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. The views expressed represent her own.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called for an end to the violence on the Gaza border during a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said.

The leaders discussed "the mass protest actions on Palestinian territories" and expressed "serious concern over the deaths of a large number of participants," the Kremlin said in a statement.

During the conversation, "the Russian side stressed the importance of renouncing violence (and) the need to establish a productive talks process with the aim of seeking mutually acceptable outcomes based on the relevant UN resolutions," the Kremlin added.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow that it was "blasphemous" to call dozens of "peaceful" protesters killed on the Gaza border by Israeli forces "terrorists".

"I cannot agree with the fact that dozens of peaceful civilians, including children and infants, who were killed in these incidents were terrorists. This is a blasphemous statement," Lavrov said.

Protests that took place on Monday after the United States moved its embassy in Jerusalem saw more than 60 Palestinian killed and thousands injured by Israeli fire. Gaza's rulers Hamas said that most were its members.

Those killed included a baby who died from tear gas inhalation along with eight children under the age of 16.

Lavrov stressed the need for dialogue on the status of Jerusalem, saying that "this topic cannot be a matter for unilateral decisions" and requires "direct dialogue between the leadership of Israel and Palestine."

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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The

U.S.

Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights investigation at New Jersey's only women's prison, where at least seven staff members have been criminally accused of

.

Officials at the state Department of Corrections announced they had spoken with representatives from the civil rights unit at the

U.S.

Attorney's Office in Newark and were cooperating with the investigation.

"We are trusted with the responsibility of protecting our inmate population and will implement the necessary and appropriate reforms to ensure the safety and security of the offenders in our care," said acting Commissioner Marcus Hicks in a statement.

The federal probe marks the fourth formal inquiry into conditions at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. The Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office has been criminally investigating officers there since 2016, and the state Attorney General's Office last year hired an outside law firm to conduct an internal investigation.

State lawmakers also held a hearing in January to examine the spike in cases of alleged inmate abuse, which corrections officials declined to attend.

Hicks and representatives from the state Attorney General's Office discussed the civil rights investigation with federal officials in a phone conference on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the corrections department.

"In the end, we all share the same objectives: to ensure safe, lawful and appropriate conditions of confinement at Edna Mahan, and to identify and resolve any issues that may be working against that effort," Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement. "My office will be at the table throughout the process, providing legal support to the Department of Corrections in order to assist them in fully cooperating with the

DOJ

civil investigation."

The prison was the subject of a series of NJ Advance Media reports last year showing the problems identified by prosecutors and internal investigators were more serious than publicly acknowledged by corrections officials.



Two staff members -- an officer and a civilian employee -- have already pleaded guilty to charges they sexually abused inmates and a third was convicted at trial last week.

It's unclear how long federal authorities have been investigating the prison. Michael Campion, the head of the

U.S.

Attorney's Civil Rights Unit in Newark, began reaching out to prison reform advocates last October seeking information about the facility, according to an e-mail obtained by NJ Advance Media.

Campion was one of the federal officials on the call with corrections officials Tuesday.

A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito declined to comment.

Barbara Clark, a former inmate at Edna Mahan who is now suing the state over her treatment by an officer who was fired over abuse claims but never prosecuted, said she was pleased with the news that federal officials were intervening.

"They're paying attention," she told NJ Advance Media. "Maybe officers are, hopefully by now, starting to think twice about what they're doing inside to the girls who have no control over the situation."

The civil rights inquiry will focus on "the institution's ability to protect prisoners from sexual abuse" and will "determine whether there are systemic violations of the

U.S.

Constitution" at the prison, according to the corrections department.

The announcement came just hours before corrections officials were scheduled to testify in front of an Assembly budget hearing, where they were expected to face questions from lawmakers about the department's handling of the issue.

A key state Senate committee on Monday advanced a series of bills aimed at cracking down on sexual abuse behind bars, citing NJ Advance Media's reporting on Edna Mahan.
WASHINGTON -- Former Celgene Corp. executive Bob Hugin would see his pay drop by 99.6 percent if he was elected to the U.S. Senate, according to his personal financial disclosure report.

Hugin, who is seeking the Republican nomination against U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., received $46.9 million, including salary, bonuses and stock options. He would be paid $174,000 as a senator, though he has said he will not accept the salary.

He also received $1.3 million as a member of the board of two corporations, Medicines Co. and Danaher Corp.. He left both positions in February. He took in $160,338 in deferred compensation from JPMorgan Chase & Co., where he was a managing director prior to joining Celgene.

And he won $52,061 in prizes in fishing tournaments sponsored by the New Jersey Outdoor Environmental Alliance Environmental Projects and South Jersey Marina.

Hugin filed his report in advance of the June 5 Republican primary, where he faces businessman Brian Goldberg. Candidates disclose their holdings in ranges. He earlier released some recent income tax returns.

He reported a net worth of at least $84.4 million, which would make him the richest member of the New Jersey congressional delegation. More than $50 million of that was in Celgene stock.

He also had at least $5 million in deferred compensation from Celgene and between $500,000 and $1 million from JPMorgan.

Spokeswoman Megan Piwowar said Hugin will put his assets in a blind trust, restrict his holdings to investment and mutual funds rather than individual stocks, and not have information about his investments.

"Bob has already announced he will work to raise the ethical standards in

Congress," Piwowar said.

Neither Goldberg, who unsuccessfully sought the GOP Senate nomination in 2014, nor Menendez's primary opponent, community newspaper publisher Lisa McCormick, filed their required disclosure forms.

Menendez files his disclosures every May 15 as a member of the Senate. Last year, he reported a net worth of at least $300,000.

He was "severely admonished" by the Senate Ethics Committee in April for, among other things, failing to report gifts he received from a friend and campaign donor, Dr. Salomon Melgen. Menendez had intervened on Melgen's behalf with federal agencies.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
FROM LOUVRE TO LAMBERTVILLE

By Janet Purcell

Mimosa from Dinard by Elena Bogatyr

It's not often a gallery in Lambertville has an exhibition of works by a living artist who has exhibited in Le Salon des Beaux Arts in the Louvre and the Grand Palace of the Champs Elysees in Paris. I venture to say it has never happened in that quaint little river town. But it is happening now at the DeBogat/Belenikin Fine Art Gallery at 5 Lambert Lane, right there on the river's edge where there are 63 still life and landscape paintings by internationally recognized artist Elena Bogatyr currently on display.

Highlighting the collection is "Mimosa from Dinard," a 40-by-32-inch oil that is fresh from being exhibited at the royal palace of the Louvre Museum in Paris. Ildico Karvalis, who curated the exhibit, translates the artist's comment that this painting, as well as "Mimosa from St. Tropez" celebrate the return of spring.

In "Mimosa from Dinard" Bogatyr suggests a field of the flowers in the distance but draws our attention to those right up close. It is as if you are standing with her where they grow. Green twigs and leaves are interspersed in the soft-edged profusion of gold and yellow blooms.

Ildico Karvalis stresses that Bogatyr never works from a photograph, but always from nature and quotes the artist, "She says to me 'If you work from a photo, the air will not be in it.'"

And you do feel that breath of air in all of Bogatyr's landscapes, florals, and, surprisingly, even in her floral still life paintings. "Mimosa from St. Tropez" brings the freshness of more gold and yellow mimosas indoors. They fill a blue and white china pitcher with sunlit abandon while a sprinkling of leaves and petals lie in the reflection on a shiny tabletop.

Related in translation by Karvalis and on her website, www.LouvreArtist.com, Bogatyr says, "My childhood passed in a country of harsh winters. I only saw the tiny twigs of the mimosa tree in spring. Now for 30 years I have been living on the banks of the English Channel where huge mimosas are covered with thick blossoms every spring. These are my strongest impressions as an artist. They are my favorite subject. To me they are a symbol of the annual revival of life, the power of the sun's light, wealth, joy, unconditional love."

The beauty of nature fills the walls in the DeBogat/Belenikin Fine Art Gallery. There's a vast field carpeted with violet, blue and lavender wildflowers that give way to spring green grasses and trees. There are pink and blue hydrangea bushes proliferating up the side of an old stone building. There are white peonies that fill a canvas and a pair of beached sailboats perhaps waiting for the tide to change.

In another painting, Bogatyr takes up a hill of orange poppies growing in yellow and green grasses to a red-roofed brown building, some trees and the suggestion of a village at the ridge line with lavender mountains in the far distance. And then she shows us some of those orange poppies filling a glass bowl in casual arrangement, their buds drooping as poppy buds do and orange petals scattered around the glass bowl that is shining with sapphire blue light.

Since 1998 Bogatyr has crossed and re-crossed the Emerald Coast for color, light, following seasonal cycles. Ildico Karvalis says Bogatyr sometimes drives over 1,000 km (approximately 620 miles) a day to find the right landscape to paint.

On the gallery wall, surrounded by flowers, landscapes and coastal scenes, is a charming painting of roosters strutting in the sunlight and white chickens pecking the ground around an old brown barn. Karvalis translates Botatyr's story: "For many years I went to Burgundy. There was a farm with cocks nearby, more than 100 cocks simply living for the joy of the owner who was a vegetarian. I never saw a bigger farm in my life. There is a shed and everything remained there, as it was before the war, and a lot of roosters, well a few roosters and chickens." She says she lured them to come close with sweet buns and cookies. "...for the sketch, I needed to see them so near me and see their eyes. And no one was aloud to eat those cookies."

As if boats, landscapes, flowers and chickens aren't enough, there are a number of still lifes of fruits on display painted in the style of the old masters. There's a copper bowl of cherries, an overturned plate with oyster shells and a cut and peeled lemon, a few yellow pears and a peach standing in a delicious-looking puddle of their own juices, a pomegranate, and a still life with two lemons and a stem and leaf in a blue bowl surrounded by two other whole lemons and one that is partially peeled.

To say this entire exhibit is museum quality would be an understatement. The gallery is not large and all the framed paintings are displayed salon style. When you enter you are quite literally surrounded by fine art.

Having been honored by many prestigious awards such as the Vermeil Medal of the Academy of Arts-Science-Literature in Paris, Bogatyr's works are in private collections in the United States, France, Japan, Ukraine, Russia, Cuba, Luxembourg, Curacao, Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, and Egypt.

According to Karvalis, the first time Elena Bogatyr arrived in Lambertville she fell in love with the little town. "All the little shops, the galleries, the river--from the Seine to the Delaware. From the Louvre to Lambertville, right?"

Yes, right. Elena Bogatyr will be enjoying Lambertville again. She will be present at the opening reception Friday, May 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. where there will be cocktails, light refreshments, live music, and 67 works of fine art. She will also be present in the gallery

Saturday and Sunday during regular business hours before she returns to Paris.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: From Louvre to Lambertville, Paintings by Elena Bogatyr

WHERE: DeBogat/Belenikin Fine Art Gallery, 5 Lambert Lane, Lambertville

WHEN: Through May, 2019. Hours, Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Weekdays by appointment. Opening reception, Friday,May 18, 6-9 p.m.

CONTACT: 609-397-5855. www.DeBogat.com. www.LouvreArtist.com

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The Union Township School District is facing the possibility of massive layoffs as it is facing a $5.9 million budget deficit.

Superintendent Gregory Tatum announced last week in a statement to the community that "a reduction in staff is imminent," due to the deficit in the budget.

The Board of Education was required to send out notices to staff members that their contracts for the upcoming school year may not be renewed, according to School Board President Vito Nufrio. About 200 staff members received notices, he said.

The district currently employs 1,200 people, 590 which are teachers, according to the district website.

In the statement, Tatum estimated that approximately 49 teachers will be laid off, with the rest of the staff reductions being non-instructional.

"The feeling out there that we are cutting 200 staff members, is not the case," Tatum said at a school board meeting Tuesday night.

"We don't want to lose anyone if we can help it."

The majority of notices were given out to non-tenured teachers, according to Nufrio.

Nufrio said he hoped to receive a recommendation by the Superintendent's office on the number of staff they can invite back by the school board's June meeting.

"I'm hopeful that these people won't go through the summer wondering if they are coming back or not," Nufrio said, "I know getting these notices is devastating."

The board cited multiple reasons for the budget deficit, including rising special education expenses, salary raises, and health care costs, among other causes. At an April 26 meeting, the board passed a $133 million dollar budget, and said it is continuing to analyze the budget in order to determine the number of staff members they can re-hire for the 2018-2019 school year.

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau has a new name and brand. Starting Wednesday (May 16), the bureau will be known as New Orleans & Company, an update meant to unify and represent the thousands of workers who run local hotels, restaurants and attractions, industry officials say.

Stephen Perry, president and CEO of New Orleans & Company, joined fellow tourism leaders and members of the New Orleans City Council to unveil the new name and logo. The event, held at the House of Blues in the French Quarter, was followed by a second-line with tourism workers and a celebratory champagne toast.

Perry noted the former CVB had sought to update its brand before Hurricane Katrina, but found itself with other priorities after the storm. Today, the nearly 60-year-old organization has "a name for a new generation" entering the industry, he said. Perry said tourism employs more than 100,000 people in New Orleans in addition to generating billions of dollars in local tax revenue, supporting 43 percent of the city's budget by the group's estimate.

"It takes all of us to make this gigantic, multibillion-dollar industry work," Perry said, noting the "company" in New Orleans & Company is meant to embody that mindset.

Along with a new name, New Orleans & Company presented a new logo that they hope will be a rallying symbol for tourism workers -- an ampersand stylized to look like a brass horn. Attendees at Wednesday's event were given handkerchiefs, T-shirts and tote bags printed with the design.

The rebranding comes as the city's reliance on tourism and the kind of jobs the industry creates receives increased scrutiny. An April report by The Data Center was especially critical, acknowledging that while the industry is a major employer -- with a workforce that is half black men and women -- "it is not providing family-sustaining wages to many families in New Orleans."

The average tourism worker earns $34,220 a year on average, including tips, a factor that contributes to the poverty and racial inequity pervasive in the city, according to the report.

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In a statement, New Orleans & Company said its goal is to maintain the "virtuous cycle" between the businesses and attractions that make up the tourism industry, the visitors who are patrons, and the city's residents.

During his talk, Perry had a different take, describing an industry where dishwashers and housekeepers can become department managers and hotel general managers. Opportunity and upward mobility is there for those who seek it, he said.

"This is about access and opportunity and that's what we're committed to," Perry said, adding the former CVB recently raised the minimum wage for its own workers to $10.50 an hour.

The new brand is the latest in a series of changes as tourism officials work to make New Orleans more competitive with other larger destinations.

The former CVB recently combined resources with the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp., which oversees how the city is marketed across the country, to develop a single tourism website meant to look better and be easier for visitors to navigate.

The group also hired a third-party consultant to count the total number of tourists who came to New Orleans in 2017, a departure from previous years when it worked with tourism researchers at the University of New Orleans. The move, Perry and others said, was intended to align New Orleans' statistics with other top destinations such as New York and Orlando, Fla.

New Orleans follows other cities in rebranding its convention and visitors bureau. In 2011, Orlando's CVB changed its name to Visit Orlando and redesigned its brand. Chicago's tourism marketing entity is called Choose Chicago. New Orleans' new brand is similar to NYC & Company, which is New York City's tourism marketing entity.
About 30 hospitality industry workers crashed Tuesday's (May 15) meeting of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp., demanding better treatment for employees of hotels, restaurants and tourism-oriented businesses, Gambit reported. They interrupted the meeting held on the second floor of Manning's restaurant on Fulton Street.

The city-backed NOTMC teams with the industry-supported New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (now known as New Orleans & Company) to promote the city to guests. Each room night at a local hotel is assessed a 13 percent occupancy tax that goes, in part, to fund the tourism marketing agency.

Demonstrators said that money should be used to build a free health care clinic for industry employees, according to reporter Kat Stromquist. NOTMC members were told about a restaurant worker who is critically ill because she can't afford health insurance.

Gavrielle Gemma, an organizer with the New Orleans Workers Group, said Wednesday's demonstration was the "beginning of a movement that's going to hold this city accountable."

NOTMC President Mark Romig told Gambit he was "very open" to meeting with the groups involved in the demonstration to discuss their concerns.

Read the entire Gambit story.
Plaquemines Parish authorities arrested 22 people and continue searching for six more as part of an undercover narcotics investigation, Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Gerald "Jerry" Turlich Jr. announced Tuesday (May 15).

The arrests, made during a five-day sweep that began April 23, involved various drug-related charges, including possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, an assortment of prescription medication and marijuana.

Narcotics agents used search warrants and "proactive traffic enforcement" to make the arrests and remove illegal drugs from the streets, according to Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Chaun Domingue.

Three of those arrested were booked on federal drug charges through a partnership between the Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

"The dedication displayed during the course of this extensive investigation is a testament of our commitment to keep Plaquemines safe," Turlich said in a Tuesday news release.

The following people are wanted by authorities in connection to the drug sweep: Brandon Thompson, 30, of Harvey; Jeremy Sylve, 41, of Gretna; Francisco Hurtado, 45, of Los Fresnos, Texas; and Ryan Tapp, 28, Tom Ledet, 29, and Teka LaFrance, 47, all of New Orleans.

Those arrested during the operation range in age from 19 to 61. Most hail from Buras, Belle Chasse, Boothville and Port Sulphur, all in Plaquemines Parish, but a couple of those arrested live in New Orleans and one lives in Houston. For the full list of names, visit the Sheriff's Office Facebook page.

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the six wanted people is asked to call the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff's Office at 504-564-2525 or 911.
A 38-year-old man was hospitalized and then arrested Tuesday (May 16) after New Orleans police say he carjacked someone in Algiers shortly before he kicked in the door of his ex-girlfriend's apartment in Little Woods and threatened her and her sister with a gun. Police say he fired a shot into the hallway wall of his ex's apartment from either an assault rifle or at least one other gun he was carrying.

The armed carjacking was reported about 9:35 a.m. in the 3500 block of General Meyer Avenue. The break-in was reported 37 minutes later in the 9600 block of Hayne Boulevard, a preliminary NOPD report states. No one was shot at the Hayne Boulevard apartment, NOPD spokeswoman Ambria Washington said, and Leroy Garrett was apprehended a few blocks away by an off-duty NOPD officer.

The SUV Garrett was in when he was arrested, a blue Ford Explorer, was the same one he carjacked from Algiers, NOPD Officer Reginald Koeller wrote in a warrant application.

Washington said EMS took Garrett to a hospital after he was apprehended because he was found to be "exhibiting disoriented behavior on the scene." He was treated, Washington said, for "possible drug intake."

Garrett was later booked on charges of carjacking, domestic abuse aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, attempted second-degree kidnapping, armed robbery with a firearm, two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated criminal damage to property, illegal use of a weapon and illegal carrying of weapons, court records show. Orleans Parish Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell on Wednesday appointed the Orleans Public Defender's Office to represent him and set his bond at $235,000, according to online court records. The public defender's office generally does not comment on open cases.

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Orleans Parish Assistant District Attorney Michael Henn on Wednesday requested a mental competency hearing for Garrett after his defense attorney raised issues about a possible mental illness. A competency hearing was scheduled for May 31 in Cantrell's court.

During the Algiers carjacking, a preliminary NOPD report states, Garrett approached a 63-year-old woman, produced a gun and tried to take her vehicle. He then "decided not to take the vehicle," the report states, and instead walked inside a nearby business. He then exited the business, the report states, and went up to a 53-year-old man, "produced his weapon and demanded his keys." The man complied, the report states, and Garrett fled in the man's SUV.

A warrant for Garrett's arrest details the break-in at his ex-girlfriend's apartment. It states police believe Garrett struck the apartment's front door with an assault rifle then kicked in the door. His ex-girlfriend and her sister, one of whom was pregnant, Washington said, locked themselves in a bathroom while the sister's boyfriend locked himself in a bedroom, the warrant states.

Garrett set the assault rifle on the floor and kicked in the bathroom door, police say, at which point the sister's boyfriend fled to get help. Once in the bathroom, the warrant states, Garrett, who was then armed with a handgun, "began waving the firearm at the victims while demanding" his ex-girlfriend's cellphone. She gave the phone to him, the warrant states, and Garrett picked up his rifle and fled in the blue Ford Explorer police say he had carjacked earlier.

An off-duty officer, who was flagged down about the break-in, apprehended Garrett after pulling him over in the 10800 block of Hayne boulevard, the warrant states, and Garrett surrendered. A search of the SUV resulting in confiscation of the four firearms.
The lawyer for a man on trial for two armed robberies and the murder of Domino's delivery driver Richard "Chris" Yeager told a jury Tuesday (May 15) that Shane Hughes was not an active participant in those crimes, and data from his ankle monitor would show Hughes was leaving the scene at the time they were committed.

Prosecutors say Hughes, 20, and Rendell Brown beat and robbed a woman at gunpoint in her driveway on Newcomb Boulevard on Sept. 20, 2014, and then stole her 2008 Volvo.

The next night, prosecutors said the two robbed Yeager, a 35-year-old French Quarter DJ, after he delivered a pizza in the 2800 block of St. Louis Street in Mid-City. They shot him 10 times and stole his car, prosecutors said.

They were 16 at the time.

Brown, 19, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of armed robbery and one count of manslaughter, and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

In opening statements, defense attorney John Fuller said Hughes knew Brown for only a few days at the time of the robberies and shooting. He did not deny Hughes was present at the scene of the crimes, but said Hughes tried to distance himself from his co-defendant.

"The last thing I want to suggest is somehow this boy is innocent in the sense of a newborn baby," Fuller said. "He's not. It's abundantly clear he makes terrible decisions. But that does not make him an armed robber."

Assistant District Attorney Sarah Dawkins said even if Hughes did not have the gun or pull the trigger, he's still guilty.

"He's not an accessory after the murder, not a kid who made a bad decision, he's an armed robber," Dawkins said. "If you are a participant in an armed robbery, you are as guilty as the other participants in that armed robbery."

Hughes was walking with Brown and another person on Newcomb Boulevard minutes before the woman was robbed on Sept. 20, Fuller said. But data from his ankle monitor showed Hughes was a "distance away" from the driveway where the woman was pistol whipped and beaten, Fuller said.

The victim, who testified Tuesday, said she recognized Hughes as the teen who kicked her in a photographic lineup an NOPD officer presented to her on Oct. 2, 2014. She said Brown was the one with the gun who pistol whipped her.

The woman also said she recognized Hughes in the courtroom.

Fuller said he believed the woman recognized Hughes, but suggested she recognized him because she saw him moments before the robbery walking near her driveway - not because he kicked her.

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She disagreed, telling Fuller, "I know that he was one of them. I know that with absolute certainty."

Evidence presented Tuesday showed data from both Brown's and Hughes' ankle monitors placed them near the woman's house on Newcomb Boulevard at the time of the crime.

Fuller said Hughes "made a horrible decision" the next day, on Sept. 21, 2014, when he decided to hang out with Brown again.

"If he was on trial for stupidity, it would be a unanimous guilty (verdict)," Fuller said.

Fuller said data from Hughes' ankle monitor showed he was hanging out around St. Louis Street at the time Yeager was killed. But just like the night before, Fuller said the data showed he was "going in another direction, like he's clearly separating himself" from Brown, whose ankle monitor also placed him at the scene.

That doesn't make him guilty of armed robbery or murder, Fuller suggested. That doesn't even make him guilty of being a principle to armed robbery or murder because he was running away from the crime, Fuller said.

Dawkins played Hughes' Sept. 22 interview with NOPD investigators for the jury. Hughes said in the interview that he was in the area where Yeager was killed, and that he saw the pizza man get shot.

Fuller said jurors will also hear evidence that Hughes' DNA was found inside Yeager's car. That shows Hughes drove the car at some point after Yeager was killed, he said.

"That is almost unforgivable in its callousness," Fuller said.

He said the district attorney's office should have charged Hughes with being in possession of a stolen vehicle, and accessory after the fact to second-degree murder.

"I ask that you acquit him of what the state of Louisiana has elected to charge him with because he's not guilty of it," Fuller said. "The proof of that will be right before you."

Testimony is expected to resume Wednesday.
North Korea threw next month's summit between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump into doubt on Wednesday, threatening weeks of diplomatic progress by saying it may reconsider if Washington insists it unilaterally gives up its nuclear weapons.

The North's official KCNA news agency said earlier Pyongyang had called off high-level talks with Seoul, which had been due on Wednesday, in the first sign of trouble after months of warming ties.

Citing first vice minister of foreign affairs Kim Kye Gwan, KCNA later said the fate of the unprecedented US -North Korea summit, as well as bilateral relations, "would be clear" if the United States spoke of a "Libya-style" denuclearisation for the North.

"If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-US summit," Kim Kye Gwan said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The United States was still hopeful about the summit, scheduled for Singapore on June 12, but also prepared for a tough negotiation process, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

"We're still hopeful that the meeting will take place and we'll continue down that path, but at the same time we've been prepared that these could be tough negotiations," Sanders said in an interview with Fox News.

"The president is ready if the meeting takes place. If it doesn't, we'll continue the maximum pressure campaign that's been ongoing."

Vice Minister Kim specifically criticised US national security adviser John Bolton, who has called for North Korea to quickly give up its nuclear arsenal in a deal that mirrors Libya's abandonment of its weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea clashed with Bolton when he worked under the Bush administration, calling him "human scum" and a "bloodsucker".

"We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," Kim said.

The North Korean statement, as well its cancellation of the talks with the South due to US-South Korean military exercises, mark a dramatic reversal in tone from recent months when both sides embraced efforts to negotiate.

North Korea had announced it would publicly shut its nuclear test site next week.

'Threats And Blackmail'

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States would agree to lift sanctions on North Korea if it agreed to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons programme.

However, Kim Kye Gwan's statement appeared to reject that, saying North Korea would never give up its nuclear programme in exchange for trade with the United States.

"We have already stated our intention for denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearisation is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States," Kim said.

North Korea has always defended its nuclear and missile programmes as a necessary deterrent against perceived aggression by the United States, which keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea has long said it is open to eventually giving up its nuclear arsenal if the United States withdraws its troops from South Korea and ends its nuclear umbrella security alliance with Seoul, though South Korean officials have said the North may be willing to compromise.

The United States has insisted on complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantling of North Koreas nuclear weapons and the facilities needed to build the weapons as soon as possible.

Asian stock markets dipped after North Korea called off the talks with the South. Cancellation of the Singapore summit could see tension flare again even as investors worry about China-US trade friction.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa spoke to Pompeo by telephone and discussed North Korea's postponement of the talks with the South, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Pompeo told Kang Washington would continue to make preparations for the US-North Korea summit, bearing in mind the recent action by North Korea, it said.

Kim Kye Gwan's statement came hours after North Korea pulled out of talks with the South after denouncing the US-South Korean "Max Thunder" air combat drills, which it said involved US stealth fighters, B-52 bombers and "nuclear assets", as a provocation.

American stealth F-22 fighters were spotted in South Korea earlier in May, but a spokesman for the US military command in South Korea said no B-52s were scheduled to take part in the drills.

A South Korean defence ministry official said the drills would go on as planned and were not aimed at any third party.

'Miserable Fate'

Cancellation of the summit, the first meeting between a serving US president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to what would be the biggest diplomatic achievement of Trump's presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for success even as many analysts have been sceptical about the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Korea's willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that it says can hit the United States.

Kim Kye Gwan derided as "absurd" Bolton's suggestion that discussions with North Korea should be similar to those that led to components of Libya's nuclear program being shipped to the United States in 2004.

"(The) world knows too well that our country is neither Libya nor Iraq which have met miserable fate," Kim said.

He said North Korea was a nuclear weapon state while Libya had been at the initial stage of nuclear development.

A US government expert on North Korea said Kim Jong Un may also be trying to gauge whether Trump was willing to walk away from the meeting.

Joshua Pollack, of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said Pyongyang appeared irritated by the US administration's vow to maintain sanctions in spite of North Korean concessions.

"The North Koreans want a change in tone from the US, and at least so far, they're not hearing one," he said.

The doubt thrown over the summit comes a week after Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, under which Tehran curbed its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of most international sanctions.

China said on Wednesday all parties "should show goodwill and avoid mutual provocation" to create a conducive atmosphere for denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula.

The North-South talks had been due to focus on plans to implement a declaration that emerged from an inter-Korea summit last month, including promises to formally end the Korean War and pursue "complete denuclearisation".

South Korea described the North's decision as "regrettable".

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A man was punched in the face and robbed of his wallet by someone who had offered to buy him drinks at a French Quarter bar early Wednesday, New Orleans police said.

The simple robbery was reported about 2:25 a.m. near the intersection of St. Louis and Dauphine streets.

A preliminary NOPD report states an unknown man approached a 26-year-old man and "offered to buy him shots at a bar." Once they reached the door of the bar, the report states, the unknown man "punched the victim in his face and took his wallet out the victim's pocket," before fleeing.

No other information was available.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact NOPD's 8th District at 504-658-6080 or Crimestoppers at 5004-822-1111.
A St. John the Baptist Parish man faces at least 10 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday (May 10) in a methamphetamine-trafficking scheme, according to U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans' office.

Brad Blank, 42, of Garyville was convicted of conspiring to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, law-enforcement agents found the drugs in Blank's home and vehicle while executing a search warrant last October.

As agents approached to conduct a search on his home on Oct. 11, 2017, Blank tried to flee while also throwing methamphetamine out of his vehicle window, court documents state. Officers captured Blank and found several grams of methamphetamine that Blank had pitched out of the window. They found "additional small amounts" of the drug inside of his vehicle, according to court records.

Inside Blank's home, agents recovered 113 grams of methamphetamine split among 12 bags, 42 grams of marijuana and a digital scale, "among other evidence and contraband."

According to court documents, Blank confessed to possessing the meth found in his home, in his vehicle--and thrown from his vehicle--and admitted to having 14 grams of methamphetamine in his car before agents approached.

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Blank told investigators that he had gotten the drugs from Thorne "Gucci" Brown of Gramercy, from whom he had been buying about one pound of meth per week.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office investigated the case. Blank was charged in a bill of information filed in March.

Brown and codefendant Edwin "Pete" Watson of LaPlace, both in their 30s, were charged separately from Blank in a federal indictment handed up Jan. 26.

Brown and Watson are accused of distributing and conspiring to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine and at least 500 grams of a substance containing methamphetamine. The conspiracy began at a point before October 2017 and continued to about Jan. 25 of this year, the indictment alleges.

Blank's sentencing is set for Aug. 16 before U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon. He faces 10 years to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million and at least five years of supervised release, Evans' office said.

Brown and Watson are scheduled for trial later in August, court records show.
Relatives have finalized the funeral plans for Keeven Robinson, the Metairie man who died of asphyxiation during a struggle with Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office detectives.

The funeral will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday (May 19) at Marine & Mt. Moriah Church, 3034 Andover St., Jefferson, according to Hester Hilliard, the attorney representing Robinson's family.

Robinson, 22, stopped breathing after a chase and struggle with sheriff's office detectives who were conducting an undercover drug investigation in Shrewsbury on May 10. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Jefferson Parish coroner's office determined Robinson's death was a homicide by compressional asphyxiation. Forensic pathologists noted significant trauma to his neck.

The sheriff's office opened a joint-criminal investigation into Robinson's death with the Louisiana State Police and the FBI's Civil Rights Task Force. The four detectives have been reassigned to administrative duties during the investigation, according to Sheriff Joseph Lopinto.

A GoFundMe account has been established to help relatives cover the costs of burial. Those who wish to donate may do so at www.gofundme.com/justiceburial-expenses
The NOPD arrested a 35-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a girl who is his relative, according to court records.

Detectives learned on May 10 that Richard James sexually assaulted the girl in an Algiers apartment the night before. The night of May 9, the girl's mother heard a "commotion" downstairs, according to a warrant for James' arrest.

When the mother descended the stairs, she saw the girl standing alone in the room partially clothed. The mother told investigators James' cellphone was in the room and had pornographic material displayed.

The girl initially denied being touched sexually, but, once James had left the house, she told her mother James had attempted to rape her and to coax her into performing oral sex, the warrant said. James denied the allegations to detectives and maintained he was in the bathroom the entire time before the girl's mother walked downstairs, the warrant said.

NOPD arrested James on Tuesday (May 14) on charges of indecent behavior with a juvenile and attempted first degree rape. He is being held at Orleans Justice Center on $25,000 bond related to the first charge and $75,000 bond related to the second.
Second-line clubs "do not stand for senseless violence."

That was the message from Ed Buckner, president of the Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club, who held a news conference two days after a man was fatally shot at the end of the group's annual Mother's Day second line on Sunday (May 13).

Buckner went on to say that second-lines are meant to be joyous events, and those who organize and participate in them are "heartbroken" when violence breaks out at the events, but said they will not be deterred from the tradition.

Buckner announced during the news conference the group will host the 7th Ward Community Festival for the second time, in hopes to "bring some healing" to those affected by violence in New Orleans.

The festival will be held in August, Buckner said, under the bridge at the intersection of St. Bernard Avenue and Lafreniere Street, the same location where 35-year-old Herbert Foster was killed Sunday afternoon.

"Our parades are planned for the community to have a spiritual day. ... I'm sorry to my community, I'm sorry to my city, but I pray that we can stand together," Buckner said, calling festival a chance to do so.

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"This is New Orleans, Louisiana. We have a unique culture, of music and of joyful dancing, that happens nowhere else in the world. We cannot tolerate [gun violence] anymore," Buckner said. "We do not stand for young men bearing arms against one another. We are not that type of organization, we will not be that type of organization."

Buckner went on to urge anyone who knows who the shooter is to come forward and tell police, noting someone in the large crowd must have seen what happened.

Darren West, Foster's cousin, also spoke during the news conference. He described his cousin as a caring man, who would do anything to help his family and friends. Foster was the father five children, West said, and his 15-year-old son was in the crowd when Foster was killed.

West also said the shooting had "nothing to do with the second-line" and said his cousin's death was the result of a dispute over a woman.

Foster's death was not the first time tragedy struck the club's Mother's Day parade. Five years ago, a shooting broke out during the second-line, injuring 19 people including two children. Although no one died that day, Deborah Cotton, a 52-year-old New Orleans culture blogger, died last year due to the injuries she sustained in the shooting.

Two gunmen later pleaded guilty to charges related to the shooting.
St. John the Baptist Parish district Judge Jeff Perillioux, the target of a State Police investigation into allegations of sexual assault, has taken a leave of absence effective Wednesday (May 16).

Retired district Judge Mary Hotard Becnel, who formerly held the Division B seat, has been appointed by the State Supreme court as ad hoc judge for that division. Hotard Becnel is assigned from May 16 to June 30, according to the State Supreme court assignment form.

Perilloux's office sent a memo to public officials in St. John Parish regarding his leave of absence and Becnel's appointment.

Perilloux said in a statement issued Wednesday that he requested the leave in order to address the allegations and to protect the "integrity of the judiciary and the functions of the court," but that he stands by his previous statements that he has done nothing wrong.

"I again state that I categorically, unequivocally and emphatically deny any wrongdoing, and my faith in the law and the justice system leaves me confident that in the end, justice will prevail and I will be exonerated," Perilloux said. "I respectfully ask that the citizens of St. John the Baptist Parish and elsewhere withhold judgment until all of the facts are fully presented and the matter has been concluded."

Perilloux said last week he planned to stay on the bench despite allegations that he inappropriately touched a 15-year-old girl last year. Perilloux said last week he had not been contacted by State Police about an investigation.

A spokeswoman for state Attorney General Jeff Landry's office confirmed last week that the agency is preparing to present a case to a grand jury based on the State Police investigation.

Ruth Wisher, spokeswoman for Landry's office, declined to comment on the nature of the investigation or say when it was turned over to the attorney general.

Perilloux is also a target of a Florida investigation that involves a complaint lodged last July. Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Michele Nicholson said she could only confirm that a complaint of child abuse and/or neglect had been filed July 15, 2017. Nicholson said the could not provide anymore details because of an "active investigation" into the complaint.

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Read Perilloux's full statement below.

--

STATEMENT OF JUDGE JEFF PERILLOUX, DIVISION B, 40TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT

I CONTACTED THE LOUISIANA STATE SUPREME COURT AND REQUESTED A LEAVE OF ABSENCE FROM MY POSITION AS JUDGE OF DIVISION B IN THE 40TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE ALLEGATIONS MADE AGAINST ME, AND TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE JUDICIARY AND THE FUNCTIONS OF THE COURT.

HOWEVER, I AGAIN STATE THAT I CATEGORICALLY, UNEQUIVOCALLY AND EMPHATICALLY DENY ANY WRONGDOING, AND MY FAITH IN THE LAW AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM LEAVES ME CONFIDENT THAT IN THE END, JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL AND I WILL BE EXONERATED.

I RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT THE CITIZENS OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH AND ELSEWHERE WITHHOLD JUDGMENT UNTIL ALL OF THE FACTS ARE FULY PRESENTED AND THE MATTER HAS BEEN CONCLUDED.

SINCERELY,

JEFF PERILLOUX
The Orleans Parish School Board on Thursday (May 17) is set to consider a resolution that would place a three-year moratorium on awarding industrial property tax exemptions. School Board member Ben Kleban, who is sponsoring the resolution, is questioning whether the tax exemptions are worth the money that is given up in exchange for economic development.

The exemptions shield companies from having to pay local property taxes, sometimes for as long as 10 years.

According to Kleban's resolution, the "intent of the Industrial Tax Exemption program is to create jobs and stimulate the economy, recipient companies of industrial tax exemptions in Orleans Parish promised to create over 4,500 jobs since 2000, but the actual change in jobs was a net decline of 76 jobs."

The school system's tax exemptions in 2017 totaled $3 million, which could have been used for education programs, Kleban said Tuesday during the board's finance committee meeting.

After the three years the school system would evaluate the impact of the moratorium, Kleban said.

The money saved during the three-year period could be used to help fund start-up costs for an early childhood pilot programs that target students from birth to 3-years old, Kleban suggested.

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Knowing the academic struggles of many Orleans Parish students, "how can I support taking away funds," Kleban said referring to the tax exemptions.

But other board members didn't appear in favor of the resolution and said it wasn't needed since the School Board already has the authority to review each request for a tax exemption for approval or rejection.

That right of refusal is a recently granted authority for local taxing agencies that was given via executive order by Gov. John Bel Edwards in 2016.

Prior to that, tax exemptions decision was made at the state level and was granted practically automatically, according to Broderick Bagert, a spokesman for the advocacy group Together Louisiana who has analyzed the state's practice and spoke in favor of the resolution.

A representative for the New Orleans Business Alliance asked the School Board to defer voting on the measure and to give the group an opportunity to present findings to the group.

The committee chose to forward the resolution to the full board for consideration without a recommendation.
After more than a year of watching a foreign pest eat through thousands of acres of south Louisiana marshland, government leaders now appear ready to spend some serious money to fight the problem.

More than $1 million in state and federal funding is headed to the Louisiana State University AgCenter to help stop the die-off of roseau cane, a critically important wetland grass under attack from tiny Asian insects known as scales. The money, which has not yet been finalized, would be in addition to a recent federal appropriation aimed at expanding the AgCenter's roseau recovery plan. The appropriation, initially thought to be $500,000, will be trimmed down to $425,000 by the time it reaches the AgCenter in September. The money first passes through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will skim off $75,000 for itself.

"It's basically an administrative fee," said said Hampton Grunewald, the AgCenter's government relations director.

About $600,000 of the $1 million in new funds would come out of the U.S. House of Representatives' 2019 Agricultural Appropriations Bill. It's unclear when the bill will be approved. Funding wouldn't be available until sometime next year.

The Louisiana Legislature plans to chip in about $426,000 from the state's general fund via the supplemental funding bill. The bill has passed the House and Senate but is undergoing final negotiations on several amendments, Grunewald said.

Grunewald said he's confident both funding sources will come through. The money would boost efforts to track the scale's spread and test various solutions, including insecticides and replanting marshes with other native plants. The AgCenter will also explore other possible factors contributing to the die-off. Scientists say soil toxins, water level changes and diseases may have weakened the roseau, making it more susceptible to insect attacks.

The scale was first identified in April 2017 after several reports that an unknown bug had killed large stands in Plaquemines Parish south of Venice. It's unclear how or when the scale arrived in Louisiana.

"We had total ignorance about this (scale) a year ago," AgCenter biologist Rodrigo Diaz said on Wednesday. "It's a massive ecological problem we're trying to understand."

AgCenter scientists crafted a research and response plan but spent months looking for funding, eventually scraping together just $300,000 from the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and other sources. The AgCenter chipped in about $400,000 from its own budget, but the combined funding wasn't nearly enough to halt or even properly track the scale's spread.

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Added up, the money now in hand and the money to come would top $2.15 million.

Why is money streaming in now?

"Awareness," Grunewald said. "There's awareness now that this is a potential threat to agriculture, (river) navigation and coastal marshes. It wasn't a problem two years ago, but there is a sense now that it is a problem."

In March, the state declared an emergency quarantine in the hopes of preventing the insect's spread to sorghum, sugar cane and other crops that share characteristics with roseau. The insect has not attacked any crops, but there are fears it will seek a new food source after most of the roseau is consumed.

At last check, the scale was attacking roseau in at least 11 parishes, including marshes around New Orleans and Baton Rouge. It has also been confirmed in Mississippi and East Texas.

The mouth of the Mississippi has been hit the hardest. Roseau is the dominant plant species in what's known as the Bird's Foot Delta, but all of its stands are now dead or dying. The loss of roseau will speed an already rapid rate of erosion, imperiling coastal communities, bird and fish habitat and shipping channels. Roseau also protects the hundreds of oil wells, pipelines and other infrastructure from waves and storms. Wildlife and Fisheries officials worry that the loss of roseau will lead to more frequent oil spills in the sensitive delta environment.

It's unclear how much time or money will be needed to halt the scale or determine whether the roseau die-off is linked to other ecological problems. Diaz, the AgCenter biologist, says the added funding broadens several research and response efforts, increasing the likelihood that answers - and hopefully solutions - will come sooner than later.

"We're finally taking a multi-disciplinary approach to this problem," he said.

Tristan Baurick covers Louisiana's coastal environment for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: tbaurick@nola.com * Twitter: @tristanbaurick * Facebook: Tristan Baurick and Louisiana Coastal Watch.
Mid-City rejoice! The 13th annual Bayou Boogaloo, a three-day music, arts and food fest takes place May 18 to 20 on the balmy banks of Bayou St. John from Dumaine Street to Toulouse Street, more or less.

It is an amphibious festival, with many attendees floating on the silvery bayou waters in canoes, kayaks, inflatable rafts and other more questionable homemade craft. Beholding the chaotic Mid-City merchant marine maneuvers while sipping an adult beverage can be reason enough to attend the event.

As reported elsewhere on NOLA.com, there's been an update:

The Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo, which takes place Friday-Sunday (May 18-20) has changed its mind about that whole admission price thing. Previously it had announced it would charge $5 after 3 p.m. on Fridays and $10 on Saturdays and Sundays. Nevermind.

"The festival announced Free Until 3 as a way to offset the costs of the bands, infrastructure, security and other necessary items. Even though the festival will now be free, Festival goers will have the option to support Bayou Boogaloo by making a donation at the gate to Friends of Bayou St. John, if they desire,'' a press release for the festival says.

For a neighborhood party, the music lineup is nothing short of magnificent. To experience Meters monster Leo Nocentelli playing "Fire on the Bayou" on the bayou (which he simply MUST DO) is something most funk fans across the globe can only dream of. Look for further recommendations made by NOLA.com's music authority (OK, some long-haired old dude who's been to too many concerts) in the lineup below.

Friday (May 18)

Friends of Bayou St. John Orleans Stage

Mainline - 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Port Orleans Dumaine Stage

*Pinettes Brass Band -- 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. (This is the Friday show not to miss. The Pinettes melt me when they do "Valerie," and if New Orleans had an official song, it should be "Ain't No City Like the One I'm From." No doubt. C U there.)

Urban South Lafitte Stage

DJ Nice Rack -- 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Saturday (May 19)

Friends of Bayou St. John Orleans Stage

La Tran-K -- 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Port Orleans Dumaine Stage

Caren Green -- 11 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.

Urban South Lafitte Stage

Sierra Green & The Soul Machine -- 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Sunday (May 20th)

Friends of Bayou St. John Orleans Stage

Corey Ledet & his Zydeco Band - Noon to 1:10 p.m.

Port Orleans Dumaine Stage

Arrianne Keelen -- 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Urban South Lafitte Stage

Michelle Baker & Bahkti Caravan -- 11 a.m. to Noon

Doug MacCash has the best job in the world, covering art, music, and culture in New Orleans. Contact him via email at dmaccash@nola.com. Follow him on Twitter at Doug MacCash and on Facebook at Douglas James MacCash. As always, please add your point of view to the comment stream.
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to meet with European Parliament members to answer questions after a data harvesting scandal, a top official said on Wednesday.

Senior lawmakers have "agreed that Mark Zuckerberg should come clarify issues related to the use of personal data in a meeting with representatives of the European Parliament," the parliament's leader Antonio Tajani said in a statement, adding the meeting could take place "as early as next week".

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Cops and senior prank week don't usually go well together. But a police department in Wisconsin is praising some of its town's high school seniors for what it's calling "one of the best senior pranks that Cumberland High School has seen."

In a post to its Facebook page acknowledging the prank this week, the Cumberland Police Department included photos of a white, four-door sedan that appears to have crashed into a building at the high school -- and right outside the principal's office, no less.

Upon closer inspection, however, it proves to be an admirably ambitious hoax.

In reality, the students hung a circular piece of black tarp on a brick wall to simulate a hole -- "Road Runner"-style -- and then positioned the back half of a bisected car to make it look as if it had crashed through the wall, with only its rear end sticking out of the building. To complete the illusion, the students strategically scattered bricks around the faux wreck and cordoned the whole thing off with yellow caution tape.

Even the Cumberland School District had to tip its hats to the Class of 2018, with a posting to its Facebook page on Monday (May 14) reading, "Nice work seniors! You had everyone a little nervous this morning! ... The best part? This prank included absolutely no damage at all to school property, which is why police singled it out."
The Senate voted 52-47 on Wednesday (May 16) for net neutrality, seeking to uphold an Obama-era regulatory ruling that President Donald Trump's Federal Communications Commission has decided to kill. Louisiana's Republican senators split, with Bill Cassidy opposed to rolling back the Trump administration policy and John Kennedy favoring a return to the previous rule.

Backers of net neutrality, mostly Democrats, see the former FCC rule from President Barack Obama's administration as pro-consumer: It forbids internet service providers to block or slow certain websites or to accept payment for faster service. Opponents say the rule hinders competition.

"I don't support government regulations stifling internet innovation," Cassidy said. "Obama's internet overreach did not make the internet what is it today; American innovation did. Congress should end [its] partisan back and forth and find a solution that gives internet users long-term protection without inhibiting innovation online."

The Senate vote is officially an expression of disapproval of the FCC's current position. To change the status quo, the House and Trump would have to agree with the Senate, which seems unlikely in the current political climate.

Kennedy was heavily lobbied on the issue and professed as late as Tuesday to be undecided. Net neutrality supporters have been holding regular demonstrations outside his New Orleans office.

He was one of only three Republican senators to vote for net neutrality. The others were Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

"There are certain values that need to be preserved with respect to the internet," Kennedy said after the vote. "They include no illegal censorship, no throttling and no discrimination.

"Nearly 20 percent of all Americans and 22 percent of all Louisianians have one choice for an internet service provider [that] can deliver adequate upload and download speeds. Basically, they don't have a choice.

"The vote came down to one thing and one thing only: How much do you trust your cable company? I want to be able to trust everyone, but I believe verification is necessary for a free and open internet. I also believe in love, but I still own a handgun."

. . . . . . .

Drew Broach covers Jefferson Parish politics and Louisiana interests in Congress, plus other odds and ends, for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: dbroach@nola.com. Facebook: Drew Broach TP. Twitter: drewbroach1. Google+: Drew Broach.
Some restaurants will give you grief for wearing a hat inside. The Cheesecake Factory hasn't typically been one of them. But that wasn't the case for man dining on Mother's Day with his girlfriend's family at a Miami location.

Eugenior Joseph says he was harassed and threatened by restaurant employees because he was wearing hat bearing President Donald Trump's campaign slogan: "Make America Great Again," Fox News reports.

Joseph, 22, said two employees were saying they would knock off his cap and making other threatening gestures. Workers also came out of kitchen to shout and boo at him when he and his girlfriend were returning to their table from the bathroom, he said.

"I just ignored it, but I could tell it bothered my girlfriend. It was just completely wrong," Joseph told Fox News in an interview Wednesday (May 16).

In response to the matter, The Cheesecake Factory issued a statement saying it was disappointed in the behavior of its employees and two had been fired as a result of how Joseph was treated. Joseph said there were more employees involved in the incident.

Watch the Fox News interview with Joseph below
A controversial proposal to build a 103-home subdivision on property at the Abita Quail Farm is now dead.

Developer Jack Menheim said Wednesday (May 16) he and his partners in the venture discontinued their efforts shortly after a large crowd of opponents turned out at the April meeting of the Abita Springs Board of Aldermen.

On Tuesday night, the demise of the proposal became official when no board member moved to take a vote on property owner John d'Hemecourt's request for a rezoning for the project.

"It's basically dead," Mayor Greg Lemons said.

d'Hemecourt sought a rezoning of about 44 acres surrounding his Quail Farm event venue along Louisiana 435. The proposed Abita Quail Farm Trace would have included the homes as well as a commercial component.

d'Hemecourt said he and his wife planned to sell the acreage to the developers while continuing to own and operate the event venue and surrounding property.

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But citizens living in and near Abita Springs turned out in force last month to oppose the plan, arguing it was too dense for the rural area and would adversely impact traffic and drainage.

Citizens spoke against the project again Tuesday night. The proposed ordinance to rezone the land to a Planned Unit Development designation died when none of the aldermen moved to bring it up for a vote.

Mendheim, the developer from Folsom, said he did not attend the meeting. "We just didn't feel that it was in our best interest to continue to pursue it."

He said he is still in discussions with d'Hemecourt to determine if there are any alternative plans to be considered for the land.

"We hoped it would have been something that would have been accepted and welcomed by the town," Mendheim said. "But we understand . . . this is a process. You got to go through it, and sometimes you're successful and sometimes you're not.

That's part of the business of being a developer."
Bailor Wells, 10, wants to go to Harvard University, where she plans to major in political science before attending law school. And becoming president one day.

Her drawing of a whale could help with those goals.

It was selected by judges as the Louisiana finalist in the annual Doodles 4 Google contest, where young artists from across the United States created doodles of what inspires them. Google representatives delivered the news May 8 at an assembly at Lake Harbor Middle School, where Wells is in fourth grade.

If the drawing is selected as the contest's national winner - through an online voting process that ends May 18 - Wells will get a $30,000 college scholarship, a $50,000 Technology package for her school, a trip to Google Headquarters in California, Google hardware and fun Googley swag. Her doodle will be featured on the Google homepage for an entire day.

Even placement as one of the other four national finalists would earn Wells a $5,000 college scholarship, a trip to Google Headquarters, the hardware and the swag.

Entitled "It's a Whale's Life," Wells explained in the statement accompanying the drawing that it was inspired by her favorite family vacation: going to the beach.

"While playing in the waves with my toes in the sand, I always start thinking about what lies in the rest of the deep ocean," she wrote. "The colors and marine life are so interesting to me!"

Yet by phone after school, she explained the drawing has significance beyond depicting just a fun day by the ocean. It also was influenced by her mother's recounting of a whale that washed up on a beach in Spain. Scientists discovered it had belly was full of plastic.

"I said 'well, why are these people dumping their trash into the ocean?' People may say 'Hey I'll take your trash for you' and along the way they are just dumping it in the ocean, which I think is cruel," said Wells, who found out about Doodles 4 Google from her Talented Art teacher, Christina Grush.

"When I found out that the grand prize was $30,000 I really wanted to win it so I could get that scholarship money to go toward Harvard," she said. "That's my goal."

Wells has participated in the Talented Art program since second grade, encouraged to apply for it after a drawing she did in first grade at Marigny Elementary was selected as the yearbook cover.

She enjoys drawings in pencil and using prismacolor pencils. "It's a Whale's Life," which shows a whale deep in the ocean with Google scrolled across its back, was done in prismacolor and watercolors.

"Neither my husband nor I can draw a stick figure, so we have no idea where this comes from," Wells' mom, Michelle, said of her daughter's artistic abilities.

Wells is Lake Harbor's fourth winner in the Doodles 4 Google contest and the fifth St. Tammany Parish School System student to win the honor. To vote for her drawing in the grades 4-5 category, visit https://doodles.google.com/d4g/vote.html.

Fontainebleau High

Online voting helped a group of Talented Art students at Fontainebleau High School become one of the top five finalists in the nation in the 2018 Vans' Custom Culture art contest.

This is the second year in a row FHS has been a top five finalist. Last year, they were flown to Los Angeles, where they placed third based on online voting. "This year (Vans) took away the trip but raised the prize money for all the schools, which is pretty awesome for everyone," said Jessica Danby, who teaches the students in her Talented Arts Program Visual Art II and Visual Art IV classes.

The team of 14 students worked after school and on weekends for 27 days, designing two shoes with their interpretations of the contest's "Local Flavor" and "Off the Wall" themes.

The 10th to 12th graders - Shawn Anderson, Nathan Berard, Mia Berube, Chloe Best, Chase Bacal, Caitlin Canning, Melinda Jacob, Ansley Jensen, Bella Kondas, Avery Erwin, Lauren Mader, Jack Menard, Kyrsten Pellegrin and Chris Vega - dubbed themselves the Shoe Krewe.

After viewing the other finalists' designs last year, the students challenged themselves to create something never seen before: a sculptural shoe that is also wearable. That's how they came up with the "Sole Mate," a sailboat, and "Lacey," an air-boat, for the "Local Flavor" designs.

"The way the air-boat is and the way the sailboat is, they could literally take the shoes out of the structure and just have these beautiful landscapes that are painted with the wood grain and the alligator," Danby said.

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Their "Off the Wall" design features characters - based on ones Vega constantly draws and carved from balsa foam - painting the shoes with a prism design. Some of them start to get silly: one dumps paint on another, and one opens up the shoe to reveal the interior.

"They all have these little details," Danby said of the figures. "We were trying really hard not to do anything that had been seen before."

Vans and its contest sponsors - Journeys, Yoobi, Laguna College of Art + Design and Americans for the Art - picked the top 50 schools out of the 500 who entered.

Then voters took to their computers and mobile devices to decide the finalists.

The Shoe Krewe will find out May 16 if Vans and their sponsors chose them for the top prize: $75,000 from the California shoe company that must be used for the arts program and related activities. If FHS is one of the other four finalists, they'll get $10,000.

"We tried so hard to get top five, and when you are top five you think 'is this real?'," Danby said.

Should they win the top prize, that money will go a long way in helping the school's art department. But Danby has plans to make it go further. "My ideal plan would be to spread the impact around as much as possible to create more community building through arts activities and art education," she said.

Wealth of Talent

This spring, other high school students have been recognized in local and statewide art contests, proving that St. Tammany Parish's wealth of artistic talent includes not only the professional artists who live and work here, but many of its young people.

In March, Consuelo Garcia, a junior at Covington High School, got $750 in scholarship money when she earned third place among the six juniors in the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts' 2018 Scholarship Art Contest for her painting entitled "The Rat's Trap."

The annual contest was started by noted Louisiana artist, the late George Rodrigue, and awards scholarship money to juniors and seniors. More than 650 high school students from across Louisiana submitted original works of art interpreting this year theme: "Monsters, Myths, and Legends." The other finalists, including 10 seniors, were awarded $44,500 in scholarship funds in addition to Garcia.

Tracy Mashaw, a student at Lakeshore High School in Mandeville, won $7,500 in scholarship money when she took first prize in the annual Rau for Art scholarship competition.

Sponsored by M.S. Rau Antiques, the contest is open to students in grades 10 to 12 in Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles and St. Tammany parishes. The theme this year was "300 Plus: Onwards & Upwards." Mashaw interpreted it with a painting entitled "The Growth of a City," also earning $500 for her school's art department in addition to her scholarship money.

The contest's seven finalists included four other St. Tammany Parish school students: Emily Reiners, of Lakeshore High School, Alexis Strain and Caitlin Canning, of Fontainebleau High School, and Bailey Johns, of Northshore High School.

Another North Shore student was honored this spring for her performing arts abilities. A dance choreographed by Georgia Krieger of Mandeville was included in Ballet Apetrei's evening performances during the Regional Dance America Southwest Region festival March 14 to 17 in Dallas.

Members of Ballet Apetrei, St. Tammany's only pre-professional non-profit ballet company, attended the festival to hone their skills, perform for their peers and seek dance scholarships. Each evening, the companies in attendance perform for each other.

Krieger, a senior at St. Scholastica Academy and company dancer with Ballet Apetrei, choreographed "Brimming Disparity," a contemporary dance en pointe. It was the first time one of Ballet Apetrei's students had a piece that she choreographed as part of the evening performances.

"Each piece that is performed was auditioned before a judge months before the event, so that the complete evening of performances is collection of the best pieces that each company has to offer," said Kadee Krieger, Georgia's mother.

On the Horizon

Call to artists for STAA's 53rd National Juried Artists Exhibition, better known as the Summer Show, July 14 to Aug. 18. The opening reception July 14 from 6 to 9 p.m. will include artists' awards presentation at 7 p.m. Submission deadline is May 16.

Sarah Bonnette is a freelance writer on Louisiana arts and culture. She may be contacted at sgbonnette@gmail.com.
A Louisiana congressman is pushing a bill that would, for the first time, quantify the number of police officers on school campuses across the U.S.

The House this week passed U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins' bill that directs the U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Secretary of Education to compile data on how many of the nation's nearly 100,000 public schools have "resource'' officers. Resource officers are trained law-enforcement officers, usually armed, who help provide campus security.

Higgins' bill, which still must go before the U.S. Senate, comes at a time when schools in Louisiana and across the nation are grappling with campus security issues in the wake of the deadly mass shooting in February at a high school in Parkland, Fla.

In St. Tammany Parish, for instance, a School Board committee has recommended the district pony up some $4 million annually to hire resource officers and mental health providers for each of the district's 55 campuses. Armed resource officers who work for the parish's various law enforcement agencies already are on site at 14 schools. The committee's resource officer and mental health provider recommendation comes to the St. Tammany Parish School Board Thursday night (May 17) for discussion and possible adoption.

In Lafayette Parish, meanwhile, the School Board recently said it wanted to triple the number of resource officers in the district's schools, said Andrew David, a spokesman for Higgins.

Higgins, R-Port Barre, has also supported other measures either approved by or making their way through the House that deal with finding funding for resource officers, David said.

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"These resources should be directed where they're most needed,'' David said.

Which, he added, is where the assessment in Higgins' bill comes in.

Seventeen students and staff members died in the mass shooting Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., near Miami. Since then, school and law enforcement officials across the country have studied their campus safety procedures.

In St. Tammany, where numerous students called for tougher gun laws and more secure schools during a "March for Our Lives'' event following the Florida shooting, the school district created a group of board members, administrators, parents and teachers to discuss campus safety. In addition to the hiring of a resource officer for each campus, the group has recommended the district hire mental health providers for each school and require all students were uniforms.

The current uniform policy allows parents to vote on uniforms at each school every four years. Currently six of the district's 55 schools schools do not require uniforms.

The St. Tammany Parish School Board committee also approved the school uniform policy change. It too will come before the board Thursday.
This time last year, Deb Cotton, a writer and fierce criminal justice reform advocate, who had been shot in the 2013 Mother's Day second-line parade shooting, was honored as one of Avodah's 2018 Partners in Justice. In what turned out to be Deb's last public appearance before succumbing to injuries sustained in that event, she implored the Jewish community in New Orleans to stay on the front lines of restorative justice work and strip New Orleans of the dishonorable title of the incarceration capital of the world.

"My mother's Jewish and my father's Black, and those two cultures give me my fortitude, my gasoline, my perspective...One of the Jewish tenets that I live my life by is tikkun olam, repairing the world. And if I do anything else before I leave here, I need to have made my presence felt and do my piece to repair the world. It's always the right time to do the right thing. There is no point in waiting. We've got these opportunities now."

Deb's words continue to echo in our hearts and minds, and as the only Jewish domestic social justice organization in New Orleans, Avodah has committed to working with the leading local organizations focused on criminal justice and poverty. Over the past 10 years we've served more than 30,000 people living in poverty here in the New Orleans area. However, during this time, we've also seen incarceration rates rise by more than 300 percent. Research has shown that if not for the rise in incarceration, the number of people in poverty would fall by as much as 20 percent. The need is clear, the call is clear. The time to pick up Deb's charge and push for restorative justice has come.

On Thursday, May 17, Avodah will be gathering again to celebrate our first decade in New Orleans and those who helped us reach this milestone: Fran Lake, Josh Lichtman, and Dana Keren, as well as all of our prior Partners in Justice, including Deb. In advance of our celebration, we are cognizant that our role in ensuring justice for all people has never been more urgent.

Deb's voice was prophetic, and it's up to us to carry on her work, to come together across our differences, and work in solidarity for a stronger, better, more just New Orleans. We welcome you as partners. Visit https://avodah.net/lightingthewaynola/to join us.

Dani Levine

New Orleans Director and Assistant Director of National Programming for Avodah
People convicted of a felony can vote in Louisiana after they leave prison, but only if they aren't in the state's custody -- which includes former inmates who are on probation or parole.

That finally could be changing, though. The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee agreed Monday (May 14) to send House Bill 265 to the full Senate. The legislation by Rep. Patricia Smith, a Baton Rouge Democrat, would allow ex-felons who are on parole or probation to register to vote after being out of prison for five years. They would have to provide documentation that they have abided by the terms of their release and haven't been locked up again for a felony during that five years.

The bill has already passed the House, so it is one step from final passage. That would be a major victory for Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) and other advocates, who have worked for years to remove the voting prohibition.

"This shows the value of showing up," said Norris Henderson, executive director of VOTE, who founded the group while he was in Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. "We built a coalition, and the people we brought in brought in more people, more organizations, more political leaders. This final vote was a credit to the hard work of so many people, especially Representative Smith," he said in a written statement after the House vote May 10.

It took three votes this session to get the bill out of the House. And the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee first rejected a motion to kill the legislation Monday before voting in favor of the bill. Now the full Senate should pass it.

The change would fit with the sentencing reforms the Legislature passed in 2017, which included more probation options and enhanced re-entry services for ex-inmates. The aim of the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Act is to reduce the number of people in prison, particularly for nonviolent crimes, and to provide more support services in communities.

It is a smart approach. The long sentences Louisiana handed out for minor crimes hasn't made the state safer, it has only made us the world leader in incarceration. And it has unnecessarily fractured families and left them poorer.

Finding ways to help and encourage former inmates to stay out of prison is an important part of reform.

Whalen Gibbs, a former assistant secretary for the Louisiana Department of Corrections, argued in an April opinion piece for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune that restoring the right to vote is one way to do that. "Not only is it morally right to give people a second chance, but voting helps meet our goal of successful reentry to the community after incarceration," he said. The American Probation and Parole Association has found that former inmates who are allowed to vote are less likely to commit another offense, he said.

There is broad support for the change, including the probation and parole association, the Louisiana Council of Bishops and Louisianans for Prison Alternatives.

VOTE also is a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the restrictions on voting for ex-offenders as unconstitutional. That case, which is expected to be heard by the Louisiana Supreme Court later this year, will go forward because HB 265 won't lift every prohibition.

But the legislation would make an important change for potentially thousands of people who are on probation and parole.

"Voting is one of the most important duties a citizen can have. When people can cast that vote, it makes them feel like equal members of society," Mr. Gibbs said. "That feeling of wholeness, of truly having a voice, is a powerful tool for equality and integration that makes our democracy better."

Being allowed to participate in that process is an essential piece of rehabilitation.
Dennis Edwards, who died in the custody of the Orleans Parish jail in December, wasn't even being held for a felony. Edwards, 41, had been booked with misdemeanor charges of theft, simple criminal damage to property and criminal trespassing. He was expected to cough up $4,500 or, alternately, $520 to give to a bail bonds service to get out.

The weekend story from my colleague Emily Lane was primarily about Natalie Henderson, a nurse at the jail who says she was fired after she complained that her supervisor had ignored her warning that Edwards needed to be rushed to a hospital. That complaint and her complaints about inmates regularly grabbing at her as she dispensed medicine led to her wrongful termination, Henderson claims in a lawsuit.

Because the jail has been so poorly managed and because so many people have died there or soon after they were rushed from there to the hospital, we have ample reason to believe Henderson's story. It's easy to believe that insufficient attention was given to Edwards' medical distress and that insufficient attention was given to her complaints of inmates grabbing at her as she tried to work.

But as we're thinking about Henderson's claims that her supervisor didn't take Edwards' plight seriously enough, we should also be asking ourselves what might be a less obvious question: Why was Edwards being held at the jail in the first place?

It's not as easy as reciting the crimes an officer says he committed. Because -- as radical as this might sound in New Orleans -- being accused of a crime should not be enough reason by itself to languish in a jail cell. We are told that we live in a country where an arrestee is presumed innocent until proved guilty; however, we have developed an incredibly high tolerance for arrestees being confined to jail cells until their families can scratch up the cash for their release.

Was Edwards a danger to the public? The New Orleans Police Department promised to soon release the police report explaining the details of his arrest. But even without those details we know that Edwards wasn't booked with a felony but with three misdemeanors. That's not to say that everybody booked with a felony is a danger to the public who should be incarcerated before trial, but it is to say that Edwards was booked with relatively minor offenses, and he was being held in jail for his inability to come up with a few hundred dollars.

In January 2017, the New Orleans City Council passed a law that was intended to keep our jail mostly free of alleged misdemeanor offenders. But there are some exceptions, including criminal damage to property and criminal trespassing, both crimes Edwards was said to have committed.

That doesn't mean, of course, that Magistrate Court Judge Harry Cantrell had to set Edwards' bail at $4,500. He could have set it far lower. He could have set it at $1. But he didn't.

Flozell Daniels, CEO of Foundation for Louisiana and the co-author of a report about the New Orleans bail system for The Data Center, said in a phone conversation Tuesday, "It's just a stupid system." Even people who don't want to admit how racist the bail system is should have to admit that it's stupid, he said.

But more than that, he said, it's a dangerous system "because people's lives are at risk at one of the most dangerous jails in America." And even if they don't die, Daniels said, they are vulnerable to being raped or physically assaulted.

Not because they've been deemed dangerous, but because they don't have the money to pay for their freedom.

If they would be let go if they had more money, then it's clear that their poverty is being treated as a greater offense than whatever crime they are said to have committed.

There may be some people who insist that it would have been dangerous to let Edwards out. Would it have been any less dangerous if Edwards' family had been able to put together $520?

Though Edwards' detention is all the more questionable because he'd been booked with misdemeanors, in The Data Center report, Daniels and co-authors Benjamin Weber and Jon Wool of the Vera Institute question the bail system more generally, that is, the system that holds accused felons in prison for their inability to pay for their freedom.

"It is possible for New Orleans to have a system of pretrial release and detention that promotes both community safety and the commitment to freedom for people who are presumed innocent and does so in a way that does not target poor black people," they write. "It cannot be done, however, under a system of money bail."

We should stop pretending that it can.

Dennis Edwards died in jail because -- to hear a nurse tell it -- his medical distress wasn't taken seriously. But more fundamentally, Edwards died in jail for lack of money.

Jarvis DeBerry is deputy opinions editor for NOLA.COM | The Times-Picayune. He can be reached at jdeberry@nola.com or at twitter.com/jarvisdeberry.
Former German ambassador to Egypt lectures on Naguib Mahfouz Literature at the Cultural Office of the Egyptian Embassy in Berlin

The Cultural Office of the Egyptian Embassy in Berlin organised a seminar on the literature of Naguib Mahfouz at the embassy in Cairo.

Former German ambassador to Egypt Bernd Erbel presented major works by Naguib Mahfouz through an in-depth reading of his novels.

Erbel also showcased the places where the events of Mahfouz's novels took place through a collection of photographs taken by the former ambassador during his time in Egypt, especially in the Mamluk area in Cairo.

During his lecture, Erbel said that the international writer and Nobel laureate was able to brilliantly pass on Egyptian and Arab literature to the world  although he travelled abroad only three times  through his honest reflection on Egyptian society and its transformations.

Ambassador of Egypt in Berlin Bader Abdel-Aati opened the lecture with a speech where he praised Ambassador Erbel and his role in further strengthening relations between Egypt and Germany, adding that he was one of the most successful German ambassadors to work in Egypt because he understood Egyptian society, loved it and deeply studied its history.

"The lecture is especially important because it deals with the literature of Naguib Mahfouz, who is undoubtedly the 'legitimate father' of the Arabic novel. He expressed the truth about the developments in Egyptian society in different historical stages, and Mahfouz's literature concerns not only Egypt or the Arab world, but humanity as a whole," he added.

The lecture was heavily attended by Germans who are interested in Egyptian literature and civilisation, as well as a number of ambassadors accredited in Berlin.

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The "fiscal cliff" turns out to be more of an escarpment. Not a mole hill by any means, but also not the edge of the Grand Canyon. And it is virtual certainty that we will not see elderly residents wheeled from nursing homes and left at the curb come July 1.

It also is not true that Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has thwarted feasible Republican proposals to balance the budget through cuts and savings just because he is hellbent on raising taxes and forcing lawmakers to break their "read my lips" pledges.

The budgets produced by the Republican-controlled House and Senate so far either cut health care spending into the bone -- including Medicaid for those nursing home residents -- or preserve it by reducing most other state agencies by about 25 percent.

Lawmakers who believe that either of those budget approaches is the right thing to do should absolutely resist any attempts to raise taxes and take ownership of what the budget cuts produce in the real world.

But we know that isn't going to happen. Instead, legislators are going to convene in a special session next week and approve some sort of tax increase or "revenue enhancement" to fill what appears to be something like a $648 million shortfall. There isn't anyone saying that additional revenue isn't needed to fix the current problem before the new budget kicks in.

It will be the sixth special session that Edwards has called since taking office in January 2016, all of them geared to addressing financial and budget issues.

Some more temporary taxes will be passed. Some lawmakers will even try to spin the idea that renewing some of those taxes at a lower rate is actually to a tax cut. That's the "Alice in Wonderland" character of the current budget deliberations.

Edwards will seek to take credit for keeping grandma at the rest home and Republicans will boast of how they held out against Edwards' long enough that the "fiscal cliff" was eroded by half of its original $1 billion estimate.

And any honest debate over fixing Louisiana's budget problems -- spending and revenue -- will be put off until at least 2020, given that 2019 is an election year when what little is left of sensible, serious discussion is put on hold in favor attack ads and overheated rhetoric. (Yes, it's already started but it's going to get worse.)

The governor gets his national media coverage and local lawmakers circulate their rebuttals on Youtube. No need to actually talk to each other.

In the meantime, residents, businesses and families are left to cope with uncertainties, the state's credit ratings take a hit and people start wondering why we live here at all.

The governor was wrong to send eviction notices to the elderly and disabled. The "liberal media" is wrong to throw around terms like "fiscal cliff" and overreact to stories of a budget apocalypse. The "conservative media" is wrong to paint this as a battle between a "tax and spend liberal" governor and a "fiscally responsible" GOP Legislature and make everything an "us against them" war. The Republican leadership is wrong for refusing to engage in a real discussion on tax and budget overhaul until they have one of their own in the Governor's Mansion.

If two wrongs don't make a right, it's not hard to see how far things have veered off the track.

The citizens of Louisiana need a real discussion about state spending, tax structure, the size of government, the strength of our education programs, the needs of the most vulnerable, the best environment for businesses to grow and thrive.

When are we going to have that? I'm not holding my breath.

Tim Morris is an opinions columnist at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. He can be reached at tmorris@nola.com. Follow him on Twitter @tmorris504.
Are you a woman in Louisiana interested in joining a respectful online conversation with women from around the country who have different political opinions, experiences and backgrounds?

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and Spaceship Media are hosting a moderated conversation in a closed Facebook group that will bring together women of all political stripes, from conservative to libertarian to liberal.

The conversation, The Many: A Conversation Across Divides, is supported by journalists and librarians who supply research to inform the group's discussions. It is moderated and is also off the record, but journalists are permitted to ask participants for permission to interview and quote them.

Spaceship Media is a journalism organization that has conducted similar conversations since the 2016 general election, including between supporters of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and about immigration, agriculture and education. Its mission is to reduce polarization, build communities and restore trust in media. The Many will run through the November midterm elections. There are no time or participation commitments.

The Many will run at least through the November midterms. If you're interested in being a part of a civil, respectful conversation with women of all political stripes you can sign up here.

We are interested in voices from across the political spectrum.

Please share with friends and family who you think might like to join.

The Many Call-Out from Spaceship Media on Vimeo.
Thirteen of Louisianas 20 traditional casinos have applied to handle sports wagering  the other seven are expected to apply before the Jan. 1 deadline  and the first applicants are close to being able to start booking bets on baseball, football
To comply with new state school safety mandates, the city of Cape Coral will hire 23 police officers to cover district and city charter campuses.

Start-up costs are expected to be about $2.2 million total for personnel, equipment and vehicles for this budget year and next, with recurring costs expected to be about $737,000 annually after that.

The Lee County School District will pay a 50 percent share of the personnel cost for 22 officers and one sergeant up to $50,000 per SRO, using Safe School Allocation funds.

Cape Coral City Councils action on Monday for the 2018-19 school year comes in the wake of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners decision to provide SRO funding for public schools in unincorporated areas only. Those resource officers are provided by the Lee County Sheriffs Office, which bumped up its presence on all public school campuses throughout Lee County after Gov. Rick Scott signed Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act in March which requires all schools to have at least one SRO on duty.

The city of Cape Coral had an SRO program prior to severe budgetary cutbacks made during the real estate collapse. A return to a city-run program eliminated in 2010, as opposed to Sheriffs Office-provided personnel, has advantages, Councilmember Rick Williams said.

Its better to have our police in schools so we can build relationships. I was excited about this even before I came onto council, he said. Our top charge is public safety; if were required, we have to do it. Easiest bill Ive ever had.

CCPD officials confirmed it is a mandate, not an option.

We got in very early in talking to the school district to assist in any way possible. Were at a point where we have to provide an officer, not want to, said Dana Coston, police spokesperson. Chief David Newlan has made no secret that his goal was to have Cape Coral officers protecting Cape Coral students. We were hoping for a more phased roll-out but circumstances are what they are.

City and district officials said they are on the same page.

The safety of our children is our No. 1 priority and this is a community effort, said School Superintendent Greg Adkins, whose children have attended Cape Coral schools.

Council approved the funding of the 23 police vehicles, $1.2 million, for this fiscal year before more expensive newer models come out in the fall.

In other business:

The city made some changes to the meeting schedule. City Council will hold a special meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, to introduce the Bimini Basin mooring field ordinance. The regular workshop will take place after that at 4:30 p.m., with the subject being the state of finances at the Cape Coral Charter School System.

Christopher Spiro of the Horizon Council gave a presentation to council on how it went back to blocking and tackling in regards to what it does to help bring business to town, by reaching out to develop lines of communications with businesses, government entities and community partners in relation to economic development.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) has become the ninth financial institution in Uganda to offer insurance policies to their customers and the general public through bancassurance.

The bank recently received its license from the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA). It joins dfcu, Barclays, NC bank, Orient, Diamond Trust bank, Stanbic, Bank of Africa and Finance Trust. Banks were allowed to offer insurance services after the amendment of the Financial Institutions Act, 2016.

Joseph Balikuddembe,(L) and Bernard Obel during the handover of the bancassurance licence

Unveiling UBA in this role to the press at IRA offices in Kampala, the authoritys acting director for operations, Benard Obel, said if more banks can sell insurance products; it will increase insurance penetration, which stands at 0.73 per cent in Uganda as of 2016.

Bancassurance is the selling of insurance products through banks distribution channels. Banks leverage their extensive customer base and wide geographical spread and many branches.

Bancassurance is one of the ways used for the distribution of insurance products through a banks branch network. As you are already aware, there is demand for simple insurance products in Uganda due to the huge and largely untapped emerging markets, Obel said.

Obel said having banks as insurers will instill confidence and trust in the public, subsequently attracting more people into the insurance fold and given the branch networks banks have, they will be able to reach more people.

Worldwide insurers have been successfully leveraging bancassurance to gain a foothold in the markets with low insurance penetration and limited distribution channels, he said.

Joseph Balikuddembe, the executive director, Business at UBA, explained that through collaboration with a range of main insurance companies, UBA will offer varieties of insurance, including life assurance and general insurance.

We are targeting to work with insurance companies but for now we are starting with Sanlam Insurance (Life), UAP- Old Mutual, ICEA and Jubilee, among others, that will come on board, he said.

Balikuddembe said insurance products to be offered include life products like endowments, children education plan, credit life and Keyman Assurance.

Other packages for non-life are motor insurance, fire and related perils, traders comprehensive packages, personal accidents and home insurance.

justuslyatuu08@gmail.com
Supreme Mufti Sheikh Kasule Ndirangwa has spoken about the special significance of fasting in the Islamic faith as Muslims in Uganda prepare to begin Ramadan tomorrow, Thursday on May 17.

Ndirangwa told The Observer recently that when Muslims fast, they get closer to God and also become more compassionate to those in need. He said Ramadan is a special month since Allah made al-Qadr (the night of power) in this month.

A mother being helped carry her Ramadhan food package donated by Hear Uganda

On the night of Al-Qadr, people pray the whole night asking God for rewards and forgiveness of their sins, Ndirangwa said.

This month Allah opens the gates of paradise and closes the gates of hell, and also chains up the devils. And every night Allah has people whom he redeems from fire or hell.

During this period Muslims are expected to learn patience, repentance, discipline and sacrifice. This years 30-day fasting period will end with Eid al Fitr on or about June 16, depending on the sighting of the moon.

Hajji Nsereko Mutumba, public relations officer at Uganda Muslim Supreme Council appealed to fellow Muslims to repent, pay sadaq, read the Quran, help the poor and widows during this Ramadan.

I advise women also to dress well during this month for rewards from Allah, he said.

Ahmad Sentamu , the head communications Hear Uganda said, they are going to donate about 1,500 packages of food worth about Shs 100m to the poor in different parts of the country since donation is the best worship during Ramadan.

Its our responsibility as Muslims to rescue others during Ramadan. This is why as part of our relief aid operation; we distribute food packs as fitar meals throughout the month of Ramadan, he said.

Sentamu said, they donate food items to mostly desperate people which include widows, orphans, people with disabilities, the poor, old people, refugees and helpless.

The food packages they donate include 10kgs of maize flour, 5kgs of rice, 2 litres of cooking oil, 2kgs of wheat flour, 10kgs of sugar and salt.

Among the beneficiaries is Sheikh Jamil Bukenya of Mengo Kisenyi in Kampala, says the food package will save them from buying expensive food during Ramadan and they fast with one heart.

I thank Allah for this food package since I was scared of how to feed my family during this holy month. May Allah reward the people donated to us, he said.

Hajji Jaffer Senganda, the president Muslim Center for Justice and Law, advised Muslims to donate food to others during Ramadan especially those in villages who are very poor.

Lets help people in villages with food because they fast but have nothing eat while breaking the fast. People should also avoid zina (adultery) during Ramadan, he said.

zuraneetah2015@gmail.com
The latest that has blown the hair off my head is cactus. Yes, cactus.

That ugly-as-sin plant  some call it a flower  has joined celery, mululuuza, hibiscus, cucumber, kale, cabbage, sweet potatoes, name it, in the blenders, in the search for good health and perfect skin.

Juicing has for the last few years been all the rage in Uganda, especially among the women, so much so that juice bars such as Kwenu Juice and Salad bar are making good money off selling detox juices, fruit salads and such.

I generally dont like attaching a prescription to foods I love. For example, I love eating steamed beetroot, until someone pops up and starts reeling off dosages, benefits and styles of eating the beetroot. My subconscious automatically then locks that food out.

But recently after a particularly naughty weekend of irresponsible eating (read, food without dosages and blenders), I felt guilty and bloated; so, I clicked on the Jumia food app.

I looked up Kwenus juice list and settled for the Toxin Flush  a blend of spinach, lemon, ginger, apple and cucumber at Shs 10,000  in the hope of coercing some of the nastiness of unhealthy eating from my system.

Within the hour, my green concoction had arrived and I sipped on it forever. I guess seasoned juicers would call that yummy.

Me? My mind could not go past the fact that I was drinking my spinach and cucumbers

When I was later whining about drinking my vegetables, my sister told me to stop fussing; after all, she was drinking her flowers!

Going by her lovely, flawless skin, I am eying the neighbours cactus wearily. Should I, shouldnt I? It reportedly fights cancer and bad cholesterol.

It is either that, or the cabbage/sweet potato blend that is all the rage in weight loss, detox and healing a myriad of diseases. And smells horrible.

Sigh! When did we stop eating for the sake of enjoying good food!?

carol@observer.ug
United Nations peacekeepers in South Sudan are negotiating for the release of eight World Vision staff abducted by rebel fighters in Yambio in Western Equatoria State.



Among the eight is Ambrose Ola, the prime minister of Acholi cultural institution in northern Uganda. They were abducted two days ago while on a field trip to Yangiri rural community in Gbudue State, several kilometres outside Yambio township.

The eight were abducted from Yambio, South Sudan

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnap but it is believed the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in Opposition (SPLA-IO) has the abductees. A journalist in Yambio township told URN on condition of anonymity that "the eight staff of World Vision South Sudan abducted two days ago are still being held in unknown location"He said Yambio State governor dispatched UN peacekeepers in the area to Gbudue rural community where the abduction took place to secure the release of the eight through negotiation with SPLA-IO, who are believed to be holding them.He said it's now understood that the Ugandans are being held in company of 21 other South Sudanese with whom they are trekking with and carrying looted items in the bushes. According to the journalist, the situation of the abductees remains unclear, adding that a Catholic priest was shot and killed two weeks ago in similar attack.Emmanuel Ochora Lagedo, the deputy prime minister of Ker Kwaro Acholi, says the institution has also contacted "organizations and state institutions in South Sudan to secure the release of the prime minister".Lagedo says Ola has been working in Yambio for the last two weeks consulting on peace building. He says they are hopeful that the prime minister will be released.There are many rebel groups operating in Yambio including the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in Opposition, Arrow Boys and pockets of former South Sudan Nationa Liberation Movement (SSNLM) fighters.In 2016, the SSNLM signed a peace agreement with the South Sudan government and is now reintegrating its ranks into the national army - the Sudan People's Army.
By December this year, government will have procured four aircraft as efforts to revive the defunct Uganda Airlines take shape.

According to Works and Transport minister Eng Monica Ntege Azuba the four aircraft of Bombardier will have 80-100 passenger chauffeur capacity. The aircraft will arrive and start flying by December, she said.

A 100-seater Bombardier regional aircraft

"Were starting with four aircrafts and these are Bombardier aircraft. The sitting capacity is 80 to 100 passengers. They are produced by Bombardier which is from Canada. We had a team and it has done studies and a business plan was made - it was found that it would be viable. What I have to tell you is that when youre in the airline business, you dont plan on making profits as soon as you you start. So according to the business plan well break even after 4-5 years." said Azuba.



According to Azuba, government will later purchase two Airbus A330 series 800 wide - twin engine propeller aircraft. These will have a 300 sitting capacity each. She said government has already paid a commitment fee of $1.2 million to the Canada-based Bombardier manufacturer and France-based Airbus manufacturer.



Addressing journalists on the NRM manifesto implementation at Uganda National Roads Authority offices in Kyambogo - Kampala, Azuba said government has done a feasibility study and business plan indicating that revamping Uganda Airlines, which was grounded in 2002, will be a viable venture.



However, Azuba said government is cognisant of the fact that they won't make profits in the airline business from the first day. She said government will be innovative after venturing into the airline business by looking beyond passengers and cargo transport.

"When youre starting an airline, you dont get funds from passengers only. You have to be innovative, you have ground handling, you have catering services, you have maintenance and all those that fall under the airline. There are other subsidiaries that you have to create and that will come in and these are the ones that support the airline to make sure that it remains in operational and profitable." she added.



She added that the airline will be fully owned by government but will later sell shares to release the pressure from the national coffers.



"These four airlines will be in operation from November-December and the details as to where theyre going to fly, I dont have the details off hand [but] definitely within the region and that includes Kenya and all other countries we have bilateral agreements with." said Azuba.



Revamping Uganda Airlines was atop of President Yoweri Museveni's must do list after 2016 presidential elections. Inaugurating a cabinet in October 2016, Museveni directed the line ministry to commence work on the task.



"The ministry of Works and Transport is directed to conclude discussions with the investors that can help us to start a national airline.



Museveni argued that "a national airline would help us save $420 million per year that Ugandans spend on travel. The national airline will also create jobs and career opportunities for our children who train as pilots at Soroti Flying School."
President Museveni, whose attitude has made us suspect he is Ugandas promoter of foreign interests since independence, was quoted by the media labeling Ugandan doctors enemies.

What surprised patriotic Ugandans most is that instead of addressing their pressing needs, the president chose to import Cuban doctors at a cost higher than what our own were demanding.

This is the same Museveni whose lifestyle maintenance has bled Uganda to near collapse. Recently, it was reported that Shs 225 billion will be spent on Musevenis presidency in the 2018/19 budget in spite of his catastrophic performance which has led to a record 83 per cent youth unemployment.

What annoys most is that such utterances come from a president who lacks legitimacy given the way he came to power, the questionable elections he uses to maintain it.

For heavens sake, if Uganda happens to be in need of foreign expertise, our greatest need is in the top political leadership which has failed Ugandans at every turn.

This world is full of great leaders who have led their resource-poor countries into economic and political greatness in a very short time.

Other than wasting our time, why dont we import such leaders to help us out of the doldrums so we can pay our doctors handsomely?

One of the greatest philosophical saying is that behind every problem, there is a leadership problem. Jesus Christ said when the blind lead the blind, they all fall into a pit.

Museveni-led NRM has done a lot to humiliate and demoralize Ugandans before foreigners. When will this end?



Kennedy Kabonge

kennedykabongek@yahoo.co.uk.



The West should mind its business



The recent suggestion by Paul Williams, a UK legislator, that our president is stifling the development of Uganda courtesy of his longevity in power, is one controversial scenario that has aroused divergent opinion.

I dont object to the argument that African issues ought to be left to Africans alone. However, to advise is never bad except where it is a command for which it ceases to be advice. Longevity in power is not healthy even when progress is still evident.

It creates residue unemployment of good ideas such that the latter lacks marginal productivity in an already politically stale milieu.

I dont believe there can be efficacy of new ideas tabled along the same rusted platform. No!

This is equivalent to new wine placed in old bottles. There is need to reshuffle the entire system ideally and practically, but not consolidating the same failed ideas over and over again. Its only a fool who does the same thing oftentimes expecting varying results.

Lets exercise our sovereignty enshrined in article 2 of the Constitution while other concerned bodies respect the sovereignty of the masses through regular free and fair elections and referenda.



Innocent Ahimbisibwe,

innopianist4@gmail.com.



Let us remain security-conscious



The security atmosphere today is scary. We walk with fear knowing that even our immediate neighbor is a potential criminal.

This was not the case five years ago! Individuals have lost their sense of humanity, demanding ransom for life, which leaves wondering whether we have failed to reason.

Since when did money become the equivalent of a life? What we need to know is that the police are doing their best.

Recently as deputy spokesperson of police, Patrick Onyango, was addressing the media; you could tell he was speaking as a concerned citizen. Police and its sister agencies are doing everything in their power to contain the situation amidst other prevailing circumstances.

It all goes down to us as individuals and families to instill love and kindness into our children, and be security conscious without losing hope in humanity.

Just because one case has not turned out the way we expected doesnt mean the system is not working.



Jackie Rebecca Mayega,

jackie.mayega@gmail.com.



Govt should take over labor exportation



Uganda joined the rest of the world to celebrate the International Labour day in Sembabule district.

One of the issues raised was labour exportation and how Uganda can protect its emmigrant workers while gaining as a country.

Currently, over 120,000 Ugandans work in the Middle East. These contribute over $500 million annually to Ugandas global annual remittance, which is at $1.37 billion.

In 2005, parliament passed a law on labour externalization through the ministry of Gender to ensure Ugandans who work overseas go through licensed companies and to specific countries.

There is already progress by government through agreements with labour-importing countries. There is also a digital export system where the workers welfare can be monitored.

However, government needs to come out strongly as the sole exporter of labour by securing contracts between Uganda and respective labour-importing countries.

This will protect Ugandans because in case of any misunderstanding, the countries could easily deal with each other, unlike private companies.

For a long time, there have been cases of torture, rape, unpaid wages and confinement. In 2017, over 48 deaths were reported, and 35 of these were suicide cases. It was discovered that most of the victims worked for private homes, while others went under unlicensed companies.

The challenge with private contracts is that it might not be easy to monitor the worker and dictate working conditions.

Many desperate Ugandans have been conned by unlicensed companies who export them without clear guidelines and contracts. This leaves their safety at the mercy of their employees.

Therefore, if government takes over labour exportation, people will be more confident.



Natasha Mariam,

natashamariam17@gmail.com.



letters@observer.ug
A woman who recently gave birth at a clinic in Miso, Japan, recently posted a series of photos of the food she was served there, and they make it look like she had her baby in a Michelin star restaurant.

When talking about hospital food, most people use phrases like barely edible or tasteless or hard to stomach, but Japan is proof that hospital food doesnt have to be disgusting. Imgur user jenkinsinjapan, who was recently checked into a small OB-GYN clinic in Miso for childbirth, shared some photos of the various dishes she had to put up with there and they look mouthwatering.

Photo: jenkinsinjapan/Imgur

The woman wrote that because her c-section wasnt planned, she was served the hospitals standard food course, which included pancakes, french toast, seafood and pasta, all so nicely served that they could put many high-class restaurants to shame.

Photo: jenkinsinjapan/Imgur

My c-section wasnt planned so the food I got wasnt really pre-surgery food. I couldnt eat most of it anyway! jenkinsinjapan wrote. The meals werent specifically for people in labour. Im not sure pregnancy food restrictions still apply when the baby is on its way out!

Photo: jenkinsinjapan/Imgur

Jenkinsinjapan made it clear that this was a little privately owned OB-GYN clinic but that the costs were mostly covered by standard insurance.

Photo: jenkinsinjapan/Imgur

I paid some extra but what I paid was pretty standard for most hospitals in the area, she added.

Photo: jenkinsinjapan/Imgur

While it would be unfair to project this exact standard for all hospitals and clinics in Japan, Japanese healthcare institutions are famous for the quality of their food. Last year, a similar Imgur post featuring photos of dishes served at a different hospital in Japan also went viral, and Japanese news website Grape reports that Japanese people frequently consider the quality of the food when selecting a hospital.

Photo: jenkinsinjapan/Imgur

These are only a few if the scrumptious dishes jenkinsinjapan enjoyed during her time at the Japanese clinic in Miso. For more, check out her album on Imgur.
A French family barely escaped with their lives after exiting their car not once but twice to photograph the full-grown cheetahs at a safari park in the Netherlands.

The first thing visitors are told when visiting a drive-through safari park is to never, under any circumstances, leave their vehicles. Failing to follow this most important rule can lead to serious injury or even death from the wild predators roaming the grounds. But that risk was apparently not considerable enough to deter a French family visiting the Beekse Bergen safari park, in southern Netherlands, from getting out of their car with their small children, just so they could snap better pictures of the cheetahs roaming around.

Photo: video screengrab

A video that has been doing the rounds online this week shows the family of five- two women and three young children  pulling their car over and getting out to photograph a group of cheetahs lying in the grass only a few feet away. At first, the animals seem to completely ignore the tourists, who eventually get back in their car and continue the tour down a dirt road.

The video cuts as the French tourists drive of, only to resume with one of the cheetahs they had photographed earlier sprinting towards something. That something is the same group of clueless tourists who had once again exited their car in order to get better snaps of the incredibly fast predators. This time, the cheetahs not only notice them, but surround and prepare to attack them as they would any other prey.

One of the women realizes the danger and quickly gets into the car, as does one of the children, but the other woman, who happens to be carrying a small child in her arms, doesnt seem too bothered. She just casually walks toward the car, shooing the animals away with her hand. Believe it or not, they all makes it back to the car unscathed, which I consider nothing short of a miracle, under the circumstances.



A spokesman for the Beekse Bergen safari park confirmed the authenticity of the video shot by other tourists, and added that the park instructs visitors to never leave their vehicles and warns them about the dangers of interacting with wild animals.

We inform visitors about the risks in several languages throughout the park, the spokesperson told NOS Radio.

Niels de Wildt, the parks manager said that one of the reasons the clueless family escaped unscathed was that the cheetahs are on a food schedule, so they were not particularly hungry at the time. However, people shouldnt forget that these are unpredictable predators that can bring down small antelopes.



These people have been incredibly lucky, de Wildt said.

Dutch news website VK Mag suggested introducing mandatory IQ tests for anyone wanting to visit the park, which, considering the stupidity of this incident, actually seems reasonable.


C.L. Conroy

Public Relations Global Network elected C.L. Conroy president at its bi-annual meeting in Toronto. Conroy is president and CEO of Miami, Florida-based The Conroy Martinez Group. Christina Rytter, managing director and founder of Copenhagen, Denmark-based Scandinavian Communications, assumes the role of immediate past president and chair of the advisory board. Other officers named include: president-elect Aaron Blank, president/CEO of Seattle-based The Fearey Group; secretary Leeza Hoyt, president of Los Angeles-based The Hoyt Organization; and Sean Dowdall, general manager and chief marketing officer of San Francisco-based Landis Communications, Inc., who will serve as treasurer. PRGNs three-day meeting also included break-out sessions on the #metoo movement, promoting news literacy in the age of fake news and creating a safe workplace for employees.



Matt Kellogg

HSBC has appointed Matt Kellogg senior vice president, public affairs, based in Washington, D.C. Kellogg joins HSBC after serving at the U.S. Treasury as deputy assistant secretary, banking and finance, office of legislative affairs. Previously, he was senior policy advisor and counsel to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), general counsel at the Independent Petroleum Association of America and legislative assistant to Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY). At HSBC, he will be responsible for coordinating prudential bank regulatory activity in the United States as part of HSBCs global public policy and government relations team, and will advocate on behalf of HSBC with policy makers and elected officials.



Daphne Wang

Bully Pulpit Interactive has hired Daphne Wang to help manage the firms corporate communication capabilities as well as oversee clients and accounts in corporate reputation and public affairs. Wang comes to BPI from APCO Worldwide where she was senior director and head of key clients, leading large-scale, integrated global communications and corporate reputation programs for such clients as BlackBerry, GE, Mars, McCormick, the Near East Foundation, PepsiCo, RISE and Suntory. Before that, she managed communications and media campaigns for public affairs and consumer goods clients at Rogers Finn Partners.




Rene Henry

Official Washington and Corporate America are killing the truth. Even worse, society is condoning their untruthful behavior. Lies have become so common that lying is becoming accepted behavior.

The Trump Administration even added new words to our vocabulary: fake news and alternative facts. Former White House communications director Hope Hicks told a Congressional committee she told white lies. To me, the truth is the truth and always will be. And a lie is a lie is a lie. Period.

The Fact Checker blog of the Washington Post reported that in just his first 466 days in office, president Donald Trump made 3,001 false or misleading claims. They didnt report the number made by his staff.

In 2007, the Supreme Court of the State of Washington even made it legal for politicians to lie. In its 5-4 decision, the court ruled that the First Amendment protects political campaign lies. Why should I believe any Washington politicians?

The FBI is the federal enforcer. The FBI can lie to you but anyone who lies to a federal agent faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Martha Stewart and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich were sent to prison for doing so.

Ive been lied to by companies, organizations, institutions and individuals.

One lie or embellishment that I hear over and over from people in Corporate America is, I work in the office of the president. Ive reported directly to several presidents during my career and always had an adjacent office. So, when someone tells me I work in the office of the president, should I assume s/he is physically located a few steps away from the head of the company?

No. More often than not today that person has been given a glorified title and may be working hundreds or thousands of miles away from the president.

I dont know when this ridiculous and absurd claim of working in the president's office began, but it's clear that the claimants are not exactly an arm's length away from the chief. It's misleading, unethical, deceitful and a lie to say so.

I recently requested a current channel listing from Directv. I then learned that parent company AT&T follows the office of the president charade.

Before being acquired by AT&T, I only needed to email my request to customer service at Directv. Since AT&T discontinued the email address, I had to call a toll-free number. After failing to get help, I asked for the name of the president of Directv.

I next wrote to Michael Viola, AT&Ts senior VP of investor relations asking him this same question. No one from his office responded, but Diana Pon called and said she was in the office of the president.

She refused to give me the name of the head of Directv saying Employment information, contact information and addresses are considered proprietary.

I asked her to walk over to the desk of the executive assistant for Randall Stephenson, AT&Ts chairman/president/CEO, and ask him or her if this was public information.

I also asked to be connected with the head of PR to assist with this article. Pon never got back to me, I still have not received my channel listings, but did get an email saying my Directv charges would increase next month!

It's hard to believe that someone in Violas office didn't just respond. Instead, my request was elevated to the presidents office. I wrote him again and questioned his management practices. This time Violas gatekeeper directed my letter to one of Pons colleagues in the office of the president, Augustin Juarez. I was back to square one.

I get some of my best material for books and commentaries from personal experience. I doubt if Pon or Juarez with their superfluous titles have much contact with Stephenson. As a writer, I often rely on company presidents and their assistants for information. AT&T is doing a disservice to so many honest and transparent companies.

Last week AT&Ts Stephenson said it was a big mistake to hire Trump attorney Michael Cohen as a political consultant for $600,000. Does he have any idea how many people work in his office and is it a big mistake if they say they do?

I love what my friend Kevin McCauley recently wrote as editor-in-chief of Jack ODwyers Newsletter, the preeminent publication in public relations: My grandmother used to threaten that shed wash my mouth out with soap if I ever lied. The White House could use a shipment of soap right about now. I would add to send a case or two as well to AT&T.

It is time now for companies to eliminate all misleading and deceptive practices, be transparent and always tell the truth. No company has anything to gain by having an employee say I work in the office of the president when the employee does not.

Ethics. Honesty. Integrity. Truth. Corporate America CEOs need to get back to the basics.

***

Rene A. Henry lives in Seattle and is the author of 10 books including Customer Service: The Cornerstone of Success which is available from Amazon in paperback, on Kindle and as an audio book. Many of his articles and commentaries and information on his books are on www.renehenry.com.


Joan Bertin

Hugh M. Hefner Foundation will present its 2018 First Amendment Awards on June 4 at the Newseum in Washington D.C. This years Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Joan E. Bertin, longtime executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship. The other award winners are: Simon Tam, leader of the Asian-American rock band, The Slants, which fought a seven-year battle to defend their right to register the bands trademark; cultural critic and author of Unwanted Advances: Sexual Paranoia Comes to Campus Laura Kipnis; Allison Stanger, a liberal Professor of International Politics and Economics at Middlebury College who defended the right of conservative social scientist Charles Murray to speak on campus; and Jamie Kalven, an independent journalist who broke the story of the fatal 2014 police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in Chicago and subsequently resisted a subpoena demanding he reveal his source. The HMH Awards honor distinguished individuals whose actions support the First Amendment, and year after year we continue to celebrate renowned and unique cases of citizens going above and beyond to utilize this right, says Christie Hefner, chairman of the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards.

Institute for Public Relations is accepting nominations for the 2018 IPR Annual Awards through June 15. The awards will be given out at a dinner to be held on Nov. 28 at New Yorks Roosevelt Hotel. Nominations can be submitted at info@instituteforpr.org for the Alexander Hamilton Medal, given to an individual who has made major lifetime contributions to the practice of PR; the Jack Felton Medal For Lifetime Achievement, awarded for making use of research, measurement and evaluation in corporate communication and public relations practice; and the Pathfinder Award, which recognizes an original program of published scholarly research towards the advancement of PR. For more information and the criteria for each of award, go to IPRs website.

The Publicity Club of New York is holding a luncheon on June 20 that will feature several reporters and editors sharing their insights on the healthcare media beat. Speakers set to appear include Axios healthcare business reporter Bob Herman, Bloomberg News healthcare reporter Zachary Tracer, NBC-News medical and health reporter Lauren Dunn, STAT First Opinion editor Patrick Skerrett and Wall Street Journal consumer health columnist Sumathi Reddy. The luncheon will be held from 12-2 p.m. at Lubin House, Syracuse University, 11 E. 61st St. For more information, or to register, go to https://publicityclub.org/pcny-presents-the-healthcare-media-beat/



Gayle Mestel

Gayle Mestel, CEO of Carlsbad, CA-based CCS/PR, has received the Anthony Vigil Award for Staying Power from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The award, which honors small businesses for their success and longevity, is named for Anthony Vigil, a former deputy district director in the SBAs San Diego district office who retired after 45 years of service. CCS, which specializes in case study writing services, public relations and customer reference program management, was founded in 1966 by Bob Fisher, a former reporter for the New York Herald Tribune. Mestel has been with the agency for 37 years and has served as its president and CEO since 2010.
Opalesque Industry Update - Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today announces that it raised more than US$800 million for its first infrastructure fund dedicated to the US and other OECD American countries. The fund marks Ardian's continued expansion into the American market. The fundraising, which was completed in less than six months, attracted a substantial number of North American institutional investors within a diversified global mix that also included commitments from European and Asian pension funds, insurance companies and other institutions. This successful fundraising confirms the continued regional appetite for Ardian's infrastructure investment and asset management strategies. The fund will provide investors with opportunities to invest in high-quality US and other OECD American essential infrastructure assets in the transport and energy sectors. The team will leverage on its international network of industrial partners, construction companies and infrastructure operators, while continuing its successful approach of developing long-term constructive relationships with local stakeholders, communities and regulators. Ardian has made significant inroads into the North America market over the past six months and has already completed its first two investments with this fund. It has partnered with Transatlantic Power Holdings (TPH) to create a renewables platform, Skyline Renewables, and acquire Whirlwind, a 60MW windfarm in Texas. Ardian also previously announced its acquisition of LBC Tank Terminals, a global operator of bulk liquid storage facilities with a significant US presence. It most recently announced the appointment of US energy industry veteran, Mark Voccola, beginning August 2018. Mark will co-lead the US infrastructure activities alongside Stefano Mion, Managing Director, who relocated from Milan to New York to spearhead the team's US development. Two other team members will join Ardian Infrastructure during the summer in New York. Mathias Burghardt, Member of the Executive Committee and Head of Ardian Infrastructure said: "The successful fundraising of Ardian Americas Infrastructure Fund IV confirms investor confidence in Ardian's deal pipeline, global reach and focus on value creation, all factors which particularly resonate in the American market. We see an opportunity in the US infrastructure middle market, which remains insufficiently served and offers a higher risk return proposition. We will also be leveraging proprietary deal flow stemming from our global industrial partners doing business in the Americas." Ardian is already a leading European infrastructure manager with $9 billion of assets managed or advised, targeting essential infrastructure assets across Europe working alongside Ardian's major industrial partners. The portfolio includes a number of high profile investments among others: 2i Aeroporti, the largest airport platform in Italy; Ascendi, the second largest Portuguese motorway network; and SPMR & Geosel, the French strategic oil transportation and storage companies.
Opalesque Industry Update - Tages Capital LLP ('Tages') is pleased to announce the first closing of Tages Emerging Opportunities II, a new closed-end fund focused exclusively on providing seeding and acceleration capital to emerging hedge fund managers in exchange for an economic participation in their business. The fund has received US$203 million in initial capital commitments from a strong group of institutional investors across Europe and Asia, with a notable participation from large insurance companies. It will now remain open to receive additional commitments for up to one year. The fund's strategy of seeding or accelerating a concentrated portfolio of hedge fund managers generates returns from a diversified combination of underlying fund investment performance and the economic firm interests received from these managers, at no additional cost, in exchange for making an early stage fund investment. The strategy benefits from Tages' ability to identify world-class hedge fund managers and business builders, and to provide valuable fund capital and expertise to enable these managers generate successful growth. While active across several segments of alternatives investing more broadly, Tages has become a leading global provider of seed and acceleration capital to emerging alternative fund managers. The firm has been one of the most active seed investors globally over the past 5 years, having invested over US$900m across 19 funds. The new fund is the second vintage of Tages' dedicated seeding program and follows the end of the first vintage's investment period in September 2017. Separately, Tages also manages a vehicle dedicated to UCITS seeding. Jamie Kermisch, Chief Executive Officer at Tages Capital, said: "We are delighted with the response to our new fund raising in an area of our business where we are recognised as a global leader. The quality of the institutional investors that have supported this first close is a strong confirmation of the differentiated strategy and return profile, as well as our ability to source and develop excellent emerging manager talent. As we look to further grow the amount of capital commitments over the next months, this fund will allow Tages to remain a valuable source of committed capital for emerging hedge funds worldwide." Mark de Klerk, Head of Seeding Strategies at Tages Capital, said: " We are very excited about the seeding and acceleration opportunities in our pipeline today. With the scarcity of dedicated seed capital available, we are in a fantastic position to leverage off our deep research, operational due diligence and advisory capabilities to identify and select highly talented best-in-class managers. With the resurgence of asset flows back into the emerging manager segment, we believe this is a great time to enhance hedge fund returns via access to what remains a high margin industry, as we help a manager to scale up their business."
By Kevin Kasowski

This week's election may set a record for low voter turnout. In 2014, our last non-Presidential primary, turnout was an underwhelming 33 percent.

This isn't democracy or "majority rules." This is a farce.

Voter apathy isn't driving this sad trend. It's that the two main political parties are strangling true democracy.

Our primary elections for governor, the legislature and Congress are closed to 31 percent of registered voters who, like me, are not affiliated with a political party. We can only vote on non-partisan county and city races, judges and ballot measures -- and there were no statewide ballot measures this year.

Sure, I voted, but I found myself wondering why?

The partisan stranglehold on democracy goes deeper. On the May ballot, only one of 16 State Senate "races" gave both Democrat and Republican voters an actual choice. Democrats got a choice in only six other races. Republicans zero. In four races, Republicans didn't field a candidate.

What's the point of all this? In the vast majority of contests, party leaders have already - behind the scenes - effectively voted for us by anointing their own candidate.

Many other qualified citizens care about our state. But anyone who understands the system knows the two main political parties and their fundraising "machines" are so strong that running against "their" candidate is hopeless.

I say that if the two main parties want to use state election resources to help them decide a handful of contested races, they should at least help pay the costs of maintaining this farce.

Better yet, open primaries - like our current city, county and Metro races - would give non-affiliated voters a chance to help choose candidates for Congress, Oregon Governor and the legislature. Anyone winning 50 percent or more of the vote wins. If no one does, the top two face off in a fall election. Unfortunately, both political parties have protected their stranglehold on democracy by persuading their voters to turn down ballot measures allowing this option.

The courts have rejected campaign finance reform and term limits, which would also breathe new life into our democratic system.

So, if you are a Republican or Democrat who cares about democracy and want to make primary elections more than a farce, here is one simple thing you can do: quit! Like more than 800,000 other Oregonians, change your party status to non-affiliated. We already outnumber Republicans. Add in voters registered to third parties (e.g., Independent, Green, etc.) and the number surpasses Democrats.

In other words, unaffiliated and third-party voters (who also have few or no choices on primary ballots) are already the single largest voting bloc! The more of us, the more elected officials will feel freer to vote on the merits of issues and what their constituents want -- not the party bosses. And as parties lose the ability to "deliver" voters, well-funded special interests will be less able to manipulate the system.

Think about it: Nothing in our Constitution or Declaration of Independence says that two political parties should have this much control. We've done it to ourselves by opting to join one party or the other.

Join this movement! Go to sos.oregon.gov, click on Voting and Elections, and follow the instructions. You'll need your driver's license number to confirm your identify but the five minutes it takes is a great first step toward restoring true democracy!

-- Kevin Kasowski lives in West Linn.
Isn't the purpose of naming a building after a person not only to honor the person, but to inspire the community, and in this case, the students who go to school there?

Being a graduate of Franklin High School, I was proud to be called a Quaker. I think Franklin parents Lisa Zuniga and Mia Pisano and the Portland School Board had too much time on their hands when they decided to give Quakers the boot ("Portland School Board finds Quaker mascot name discriminatory," May 9). I always thought using the Quaker name was out of respect for a fine, extremely talented historical figure. Why else would our yearbooks be called the Almanac?

Other than Benjamin Franklin, the only thing I ever associate with "Quaker" is Quaker Oats, and I'd say the guy in the old fashioned hat on the box looks a lot like Franklin, too. I ate Quaker Oats most mornings before school without ever wondering if that friendly fellow went to the Quaker church. What now? Will Zuniga and Pisano go after our hot cereal, next? Here's hoping the oats lawyers are more rational thinkers than the members of the Portland School Board.

-- Judie Quinlin Bunch, Talent

Franklin Class of 1957
Knute Buehler on Tuesday showed a moderate Republican can win the Oregon gubernatorial primary in the age of Donald Trump.

Buehler, a Bend physician and legislator, handily beat back challenges by Sam Carpenter and Greg Wooldridge, his two more conservative rivals. In partial returns late Tuesday, Buehler had collected 47 percent of votes cast compared to 30 percent for Carpenter and 18 percent for Wooldridge.

"Buehler convinced mainstream conservative Republicans that maybe he's the only one (from his party) who can win in November," said Gary Conkling, a Portland-based communications and political consultant. "He positioned himself as a moderate."

Buehler spent most of the primary season attacking the Democratic incumbent, Gov. Kate Brown, and portraying himself as a moderate and a mainstream candidate. He enjoys a huge financial edge over his rivals, thanks to the backing of Phil Knight, several Oregon timber companies or their executives and other wealthy benefactors.

Buehler raised more than $3.4 million. Wooldridge, a former Navy jet pilot who entered the race late, raised nearly $300,000. Carpenter raised $235,000.

About three weeks ago, Buehler changed direction, took his focus off Brown and went after Carpenter, a Bend telecommunications entrepreneur. Buehler said a history of federal and state tax liens against Carpenter and his company made him an unfit candidate.

Observers and opponents said the Buehler camp was alarmed by polls that showed Carpenter narrowing the gap.

Carpenter said he came under attack because his unapologetic brand of conservatism appealed to the invisible army of Trump supporters.

Next up is the general election in November, pitting Buehler against Brown.

Hundreds of people squeezed into Buehler's victory party at the McMenamins Old Church and Pub in Wilsonville. Buehler challenged Brown to participate in 10 debates around the state between now and November.

Buehler's moderate pitch may not win over many Democrats, Conkling said. But Brown is vulnerable with independents, some of whom are eager for a change. "He's kept up a steady drumbeat knocking down the incumbent," Conkling said. "He's talked about management, the turnover, the questionable policy choices. I think he's been doing it long enough and relatively effectively that he'll at least be in the conversation in November."

Buehler has been likened to Chris Dudley, the former Portland Trail Blazer who ran for governor in 2010 on a moderate plank. Like Dudley, Buehler is a pro-choice social moderate and a fiscal conservative. He has vowed not to sign a single spending bill as governor until he gets a substantive bill to reform Oregon's underfunded public pension fund.

Ben Unger, the fiery outgoing executive director of the progressive political group, Our Oregon, said the primary was a disaster for Buehler. "The fact that Buehler had to spend all his money to beat a bunch of nobodies tells us all we need to know about this candidate," Unger said. "I don't know anyone who's excited about Knute Buehler."

Others argue that Buehler has a shot.

"It was close, but no cigar for Dudley," said Pat McCormick, a Portland communications consultant. But Buehler may be another story. Buehler has considerably more political credibility than Dudley, having served as a state legislator for four years.

"He's the Republican candidate who has a chance to win even in a state as blue as Oregon," McCormick said. "He's viewed as a guy who can finally loosen the Democrats' hold on the governor's mansion."

The battle lines were forming even before the Tuesday primary vote count was final. A coalition of women's groups scheduled a gathering Wednesday to challenge Buehler's record on reproductive rights. Buehler has said his proudest moment in politics was his 2015 bill that provided women access to prescription birth control without having to visit a doctor.

-- Jeff Manning
Anna Reed/Statesman-Journal via AP

By Hillary Borrud and Ted Sickinger

The Oregonian/OregonLIve

Oregons liberal Democrats notched key wins Tuesday in legislative primaries that focused on such hot-button issues as housing affordability and the states public pension crisis.

With the Legislature likely to consider proposals on tax increases, public pension reform and greenhouse gas emissions next year, the constituencies that support and oppose those plans  businesses, public employee unions and environmentalists  poured money into certain primary contests.

The vote also set the stage in a couple of swing districts that are likely to be intensely contested in Novembers general election, as Democrats attempt to win a supermajority and Republicans do their best to block them. Democrats need to pick up just one seat in the House and Senate to achieve the three-fifths supermajority necessary to pass bills raising revenue without Republican support.

Tuesdays primaries included 16 seats up for grabs in the Senate, with five Democrats running unopposed. All 60 seats were up in the House, with seven Republicans and 24 Democrats running unopposed.

SENATE DISTRICT 24

This East Portland district was one of the most closely watched and high-spending races in the May primary, with civil rights attorney Shemia Fagan handing a decisive defeat to five-term Democratic incumbent Rod Monroe. Fagan won 62 percent to Monroes 25 percent. Kayse Jama, a 43-year-old Somali immigrant and community organizer collected 13 percent of the vote.

Monroe, 75, a five-term senator, was vulnerable because the race centered on housing. The owner of a 51-unit apartment complex in East Portland, Monroe alienated tenant advocates and fellow Democrats last year when he opposed a bill that would have restricted evictions and allowed some rent controls.

Monroe spent heavily to defend his seat, raising nearly $385,000 -- much of it from the real estate industry -- and spent most of it. A group largely funded by the real estate industry also raised more than $360,000 and spent much of it on polling in support of Monroe and advertising against Fagan.

That wasnt enough to fend off Fagan, who moved into Monroe's Senate district last year. The Happy Valley resident has raised $310,000, with big contributions from the state's public employee unions and the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association. The recently formed political action committee A Progressive Voice for Oregon also paid for advertising against Monroe, although the committee funded mostly by trial lawyers and public employee unions did not disclose the purpose of most of its $66,000 in reported spending.

Fagan made affordable housing her top priority and said she would put an end to no-cause evictions and allow cities to enact rent controls.

Don't Edit

Beth Nakamura | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Sen. Peter Courtney, center, stands on the Senate Floor during the 2018 session.

SENATE DISTRICT 11

Senate President Peter Courtney, a Salem Democrat, faced his first primary challenger in 20 years. Though Courtney handily beat Joyce Judy -- 65 percent to 35 percent -- the race put the state's longest-serving current lawmaker and most-tenured Senate president in the position of defending his record against attacks by Judy and other more liberal Democrats.

SENATE DISTRICT 3

This is poised to be a pivotal race in the general election, potentially giving Democrats the additional position needed to achieve a supermajority in the Senate. It opened up after Republican Sen. Alan DeBoer decided not to seek reelection.

Democrats had four candidates: community services nonprofit employee Kevin Stine, television producer Jeff Golden, behavioral health administrator Athena Goldberg and physician Julian Bell. Golden had a decisive lead Tuesday evening, with 52 percent of the vote. Athena Goldberg trailed with 36 percent.

On the Republican side, technology company founder and CEO Jessica Gomez claimed victory with 54 percent of the vote, over certified public accountant Curt Ankerberg's 46 percent. Gomez also worked as one of DeBoer's legislative aides.

HOUSE DISTRICT 32

This Democratic primary was likely the most-watched House race among political insiders. It pitted Tim Josi, a full-time Tillamook County Commissioner backed by outgoing Rep. Deborah Boone, against two rivals running to the left of Josi. Child welfare worker Tiffiny Mitchell, who moved to Oregon from Utah about three years ago, led with 39 percent Tuesday night and Josi had 31 percent. John Orr, who splits his time between part-time jobs as a municipal court judge and biomass energy contractor, followed with 30 percent.

A central issue in the race was whether public employees should begin contributing to the public pension fund. Orr and Mitchell said the state should not require public employees to contribute. Josi said the state should consider requiring employees to put money into the fund, but said he remains undecided on the issue.

Don't Edit

Courtesy of Selma Pierce

HOUSE DISTRICT 20

Selma Pierce, a retired dentist from Salem, was recruited by House leadership to challenge the potentially vulnerable Democratic incumbent, Paul Evans. She easily bested her opponent in the Republican primary, garnering 61 percent of ballots versus Kevin Chambers 39 percent.

Pierce, the wife of former gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce, is a longtime volunteer in the Salem area and says she'll prioritize improving graduation rates and vocational education; providing more robust services to those suffering mental health issues; and private sector affordable housing solutions.

This is a swing district some consider to be the closest in the state. Democrats have only a 3.6 percentage point registration margin and Evans, an Air Force veteran and Western Oregon University professor, eked out a victory by less than 2,000 votes in 2016.

HOUSE DISTRICT 52

Democrats have long set their sights on this district, and the departure of former Rep. Mark Johnson last year to take a short-lived job leading a business group put the seat in play.

On the Republican side, Rep. Jeffrey Helfrich -- who was selected by county commissioners to serve the remainder of Johnson's term -- was the clear winner with 98 percent of the vote.

Democrats fielded educator and environmental activist Aurora del Val, who fought the Nestle water bottling proposal, and academic adviser Anna Williams. Del Val withdrew from the race earlier this year but was still on the ballot. Williams held a large lead with 77 percent over del Val's 22 percent.

HOUSE DISTRICT 26

Gun control was a central issue in this Republican primary. Incumbent Rich Vial garnered 70 percent of the vote, easily beating challenger Daniel Laschober. Laschober entered the race after Vial and two other House Republicans joined Democrats to pass a law broadening an existing ban on people owning guns because of domestic violence or stalking convictions. Vial is a lawyer and Laschober is a software and finance consultant.

-- Hillary Borrud

hborrud@oregonian.com

503-294-4034; @hborrud

- Ted Sickinger

tsickinger@oregonian.com

503-221-8505; @tedsickinger
Voters picked longtime urban planner and former Clackamas County chairwoman Lynn Peterson to lead the Metro Council.

She'll join newcomer Juan Carlos Gonzalez of Hillsboro on the council. A race for a seat representing much of Clackamas County was still undecided in early returns.

The seven-member Metro Council oversees a regional government agency responsible for land-use planning and other programs.

Peterson, of Lake Oswego, held a commanding 78 percent to 21 percent lead over opponent Michael Langley, who did not actively campaign. She'll take the place of Tom Hughes, who served the maximum two consecutive terms.

It was unclear if Betty Dominguez of Oak Grove, who was appointed to the District 2 seat representing much of Clackamas County earlier this year, would have a chance to keep the seat.

Lake Oswego City Councilor Joe Buck, who won 38 percent of the vote in early returns, appeared headed for a runoff with either Christine Lewis of West Linn, at 22 percent, or Dominguez, at 20 percent.

Gonzalez, a nonprofit executive, beat opponent Dana Carstensen, a Metro employee, 55 percent to 44 percent to represent District 4, which also includes Forest Grove, Cornelius and parts of Beaverton.

Shirley Craddick of Gresham was re-elected to the District 1 seat after running unopposed. She represents much of east Multnomah County, as well as Damascus and Boring.

Peterson and Gonzalez won't take office until January, after the Metro Council has made a key decision on whether to expand the urban growth boundary and make more rural land available for development.

They will also sit out the council's decision on whether to refer to voters a $516.5 million bond measure to fund affordable housing projects.

Voters also easily re-elected Metro's auditor, Brian Evans, who ran unopposed.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus
Washington County voters on Tuesday elected a longtime child abuse prosecutor as district attorney, the culmination of a race that saw an unprecedented influx of cash, questions about outside funding, a proliferation of TV ads and a debate about criminal justice in Oregon.

Kevin Barton, 40, a chief deputy district attorney in the county, defeated former Polk County prosecutor and Beaverton criminal defense attorney Max Wall, 40, in a decisive vote. Barton captured 70 percent of the vote in early returns compared to Wall's 30 percent.

Barton will replace Bob Hermann, who was first elected in 1999.

Barton said he is honored and humbled by voters support.

I am really honored that the voters put their faith in me to continue to work in the DAs office and take on this leadership role, he said.

Wall campaigned on a platform that emphasized drug treatment over incarceration, but his message about reforming Washington Countys tough-on-crime reputation was overshadowed by persistent questions about who funded his campaign.

Combined, the candidates raised about $892,300, according to the latest campaign finance filings. Wall has raised $541,832, with $375,000 from the Oregon Law and Justice political action committee run by a woman with ties to billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

Whether Soros or someone else funded the campaign remains unclear. A political consultant for Wall said she was told Soros is not behind the PAC but she did not know who was. Wall refused to answer questions from reporters about who provided the money.

Wall late Tuesday issued a statement saying he entered the race to start a debate about how to keep our communities safe, use our taxpayer dollars more wisely, and do justice the right way and to ensure our District Attorney goes through an election, not a coronation."

The race was historic by Oregon standards. District attorney races are typically sleepy affairs often involving a candidate who has risen through the ranks of the office. But advocates eager to reshape Oregons approach to criminal justice saw the Washington County race as an opportunity to elect a prosecutor friendly to their agenda.

-- Noelle Crombie

503-276-7184

@noellecrombie
A proposal to rename Southwest Stark Street in downtown Portland for Harvey Milk, the gay rights leader who was assassinated in San Francisco in 1978, moved one step closer to reality.

Portland's Planning & Sustainability Commission unanimously approved the plan Tuesday to rename a 13-block stretch of Stark after Milk. The proposal heads to the City Council for a hearing and vote June 14.

The Stark section from Burnside Street to Naito Parkway was once a hub of gay nightlife and culture in Portland. In recent years, it's transformed into a string of shopping and dining spots.

A coalition of Portland LGBTQ advocates, allies, business owners, and former governors Barbara Roberts and Ted Kulongoski have pushed to rename the area for the gay rights icon.

The group said renaming the street is a way Portland can show its commitment to equity and inclusion, despite the fact many of the businesses that once lined the epicenter of gay culture in Portland are no longer there.

"Only a handful of these remain on SW Stark," they wrote in documents to the city, "but renaming this street after LGBTQ hero Harvey Milk will commemorate the cultural/historical significance of this street to the LGBTQ community for generations to come."

Supporters were required to get 2,500 signatures to support the plan, and the City Council in February agreed to waive rules that prohibited renaming only sections of a street. New street signs would cost an estimated $6,700. The Milk Street signs would stand alongside the old signs for five years.

Portland's auditor mailed a survey to more than 560 property owners and occupants at businesses on or abutting Southwest Stark. Only 114 responded and 40 percent supported the plan.

Lisa Schroeder, the owner of Mother's Bistro on Stark, told the commissioners Monday the survey results are not reflective of neighborhood sentiment. She said 32 out of 45 business owners surveyed approved the change.

Cameron Whitten told commissioners he came out as queer late in his adulthood, and leaders like Milk were "never talked or taught about."

"I see this as a no-brainer," he said.

San Diego and Salt Lake City have renamed streets for Milk in recent years, and in 2014 he became the first open LGBTQ activist featured on a U.S. postage stamp.

Milk moved to San Francisco in 1972 and was active in civil rights movements there. He was one of the first openly gay Americans to be elected to a public office when he was voted onto the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. He was assassinated in 1978.

Portland does plan to honor local gay rights leaders or former businesses in some way on the thoroughfare, but those plans have yet to be finalized.

Stacy Brewster, Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman's communications director, told the commission the city is in the early stages of finalizing how to honor locals.

"It could be murals, it could be rainbow crosswalks," he said, or it could be a broader designation to honor the district's history similar to Chicago's Boystown area.

Update: This story has been updated. Whitten come out queer in his late adulthood. A previous version of this story stated otherwise.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
Three years after Hillsboro shelved plans to offer its own internet service, the city has changed its mind and plans to go ahead with the project.

Hillsboro plans to extend an existing, city-owned fiber-optic network to serve residents and businesses. The city says it can offer superfast internet connections for about $50 a month - or as little as $10 a month for low-income residents. Hillsboro expects service will be available in some areas as soon as next spring.

Pending City Council approval at the end of the month, Hillsboro would allocate $4 million next year, and another $4 million in each of the subsequent five years, to begin a fiber buildout. City officials say a citywide system could take a decade to complete.

"This helps bring internet access to all homes in Hillsboro," said Mayor Steve Callaway. A retired principal, Callaway said it's especially important to him that children throughout the community have internet access at home.

Consultants the city hired in 2015 recommended against building a residential fiber network, estimating a full buildout would cost $66 million and be only "marginally" viable. After conducting a survey, consultants estimated 28 percent of residents would use the service.

City officials say there have been important changes since then.

For one, plans to develop 8,000 homes in South Hillsboro create an opportunity to build a brand-new system in a new community that could eventually house 20,000.

And Hillsboro officials look to the experience of other small communities, including a project in Longmont, Colorado, where they say half of residents signed up for the municipal service. Hillsboro now estimates 36 percent of its residents would subscribe to the city service, a number officials call "conservative."

Several smaller Oregon communities have experimented with public internet service, including Ashland, Sandy, Monmouth, Independence and Sherwood. Some services appear to be operating steadily but others have endured years of financial problems.

No Oregon community of Hillsboro's size (population 105,000) has tried municipal internet, though several have considered it.

Portland gave public internet a serious look in 2007 but ruled out building its own network after projections put the price tag at nearly a half-billion dollars. In 2016, Lake Oswego voters rejected a plan to bring public internet service to one of Oregon's wealthiest communities.

Hillsboro says it plans to start by running fiber to the Southwest Hillsboro/Shute Par area, a relatively low-income neighborhood. Hillsboro says it hopes public internet service could help establish a more equitable community.

South Hillsboro would also be part of next year's buildout, running fiber directly into brand-new houses. That's less expensive than connecting an existing neighborhood.

At $50 a month for a gigabit connection (a gigabit is 1,000 megabits per second, 40 times faster than the federal broadband standard), Hillsboro's service would be on par with prices Comcast and Frontier Communications offer for service less than 10 percent as fast.

"The community is best served by expanded access and options," said Hillsboro City Council member Anthony Martin.

-- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699
Kathleen "Amina" Deady stood in front of a pastry counter in Riverside, California, holding a key fob and wearing a veil across her face.

Only her eyes peeked through the veil. In Islam, it is called a niqab, though the man standing in front of Deady at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on Friday had other words for it.

"Is this Halloween or something?" he asked Deady, leaning in toward her and scowling as she began to record on her phone.

Behind the counter, two baristas looked up with concern.

"Why did you say that?" Deady asked the man, still quiet and cheerful in her tone.

"Why wouldn't I?" the man replied, and looked back toward the register.

Deady asked him again: "Why would you say that?"

"Because I want to."

"Why? What's wrong with me?"

"You tell me what's wrong with you."

"Do you know I'm a Muslim?" she asked.

The man looked back at her. "Yeah, I do."

It was around this point that other customers scattered around the coffee shop took notice. Barry Landau, a self-described regular, would later tell KTLA that he had often noticed Deady in the shop - usually reading.

"Books about cardiology and such," Landau said. He figured Deady was studying to be a doctor, but on Friday, he told the station, he paid more attention to the man in a T-shirt yelling at her.

"It upset me," Landau recalled. "Any time you see people explicitly hating people, it's shocking."

Deady, however, stood her ground and continued to record.

"What's your problem with me?" she asked the man, who has not been publicly identified.

"I don't like it, how's that?" the man replied, snapping his head close to the camera and gritting his teeth. "I don't like your religion. It says to kill me, and I don't want to be killed by you. How's that?"

"Have you read the Koran?" Deady asked.

"I've read enough of it to know," the man replied. He was holding a $10 bill out to baristas behind the counter, but no one took it.

Now the conversation was flowing along the lines of many others that have taken place in the United States, in an age of rising anti-Muslim rhetoric.

The man's comment partially echoed the words of President Donald Trump, who as a candidate once said without evidence, "Islam hates us."

When Deady asked the man why he thought she wanted to kill him, he didn't reply. He might have been referring to a Koran verse that is often distorted by those who insist Islam wants a war on unbelievers.

The man was ignoring (or unaware of) verses that explicitly forbid murder - such as "if any one killed a person, it would be as if he killed the whole mankind," as a Muslim language arts teacher once explained in The Washington Post.

Deady, who The Post was not able to interview before publication, then asked the man: "Are you a Christian?"

He was silent for a moment.

Still, no one behind the counter would take his money.

"Absolutely," he finally said.

"Let's talk about your Bible," Deady said. "Do you know in your Bible, Jesus says to bring the people who don't believe, to kill them?"

She may have been referring to a parable in the Book of Luke, in which case it is was a nobleman - not Jesus - who said, "Those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them, bring them here and kill them in front of me."

In any case, the vast majority of Christians, like the vast majority of Muslims, do not cite their faith to justify murder.

But it was far too late for reconciliation at the Coffee Bean by now.

The man shoved a hand in Deady's camera lens. He didn't want to talk. She began to yell, "You are committing hate speech!"

A barista reached across the pastry counter and tried to physically separate the two, to not much effect.

Across the room, Landau recalled to KTLA, a "radical Christian" woman with whom he was acquainted began to scream at Deady. So Landau chose a side, and was heard in the video screaming and cursing at the man: "Get out of here! Get out of here! . . . Racist!"

The man began to swear, too, and two workers behind the counter appeared to be consulting with each other before Deady's camera briefly cut off. A sort of interlude.

"The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf(r) is fully committed to ensuring the wellness and safety of its customers, team members and business," the chain later wrote to Newsweek, after Deady's video had gone viral. "We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to discrimination of any kind, and have the right to refuse service to any person who makes customers or team members feel endangered in any way."

This statement went some way toward explaining the final scene in Deady's video.

She turned her camera back after several minutes had apparently passed - as the man once again stood before the cash register, now holding a small takeout container in his hand.

"Who's the manager here?" he asked.

"I'm the supervisor on duty," said a woman behind the counter.

She gave the man her name, and smiled uncertainly as Deady asked from behind the camera:

"Why are you not serving him?"

The supervisor tugged distractedly at a plastic glove on her hand.

"Because he's disrupting a public space," she replied, and glanced up to watch the man storm out the front door.

"And being really racist," the supervisor added, when he was gone.

There was no more yelling now. In her video, which would be viewed by 2 million people on Twitter and make news across the United States in coming days, Deady nodded at the supervisor.

"Thank you," she said, and panned the camera once more around the Coffee Bean, where everyone seemed to have returned to their own business.

--The Washington Post
Special Counsel Robert Mueller prevailed Tuesday when a judge turned down a request by former Trump campaign Chairman Paul Manafort to dismiss a federal indictment accusing him of money laundering and working as an unregistered foreign agent.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Mueller didn't overstep his authority by charging Manafort with crimes unrelated to Russian election interference as defense lawyers claim. A dismissal would have been a blow to Mueller as he faces political attacks by President Donald Trump, congressional Republicans and conservative media. The ruling clears the way for a trial in September.

Jackson said the Manafort prosecution falls squarely within the mandate of Mueller, whose May 2017 appointment order directs him to investigate links or coordination between Russia and people associated with Trump's campaign. The charges against Manafort relate to his decade of work as a political consultant to Ukrainian politicians.

"Manafort was, at one time, not merely 'associated with' but the chairman of the presidential campaign and his work on behalf of the Russian-backed Ukrainian national party and connections to other Russian figures are matters of public record," Jackson wrote. "It was logical and appropriate for investigators tasked with the investigation of 'any links' between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign to direct their attention to him."

Beyond investigating links between Russia and Trump's campaign, Mueller is also charged with pursuing "any matter that arose or may arise directly" from his collusion probe. Jackson said that even if the Manafort case didn't arise from links to Russia, and instead was a matter that arose from that investigation, the indictment should stand.

Kevin Downing, Manafort's lawyer, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling. Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, declined to comment.

Manafort faces a separate trial set for July 10 in Alexandria, Virginia. The judge there is weighing a similar request to dismiss a tax- and bank-fraud case against him.

(c) 2018, Bloomberg * This story was written by David Voreacos and Andrew Harris.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A California judge on Tuesday threw out a 2016 state law allowing the terminally ill to end their lives, ruling it was unconstitutionally approved by the Legislature.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia said lawmakers acted illegally in passing the law during a special session devoted to other topics, said lawyers for supporters and opponents. He did not address the legal issue of whether it was proper to allow people to take their own lives, and gave the state attorney general five days to appeal.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.

The Life Legal Defense Foundation, American Academy of Medical Ethics and several physicians challenged the law, which allows adults to obtain a prescription for life-ending drugs if a doctor has determined they have six months or less to live. The plaintiffs say the law lacks safeguards to protect against abuse.

California health officials reported that 111 terminally ill people took drugs to end their lives in the first six months after the law went into effect June 9, 2016, and made the option legal in the nation's most populous state. Oregon was the first to provide the option in 1997. It also is allowed in Washington, Vermont, Colorado, Hawaii and Washington D.C.

Compassion & Choices, a national organization that advocated for the law, estimated that in its first year 504 Californians requested prescriptions for medical aid in dying, but had no further update Tuesday. The next report on how many people took the drugs is due in July.

"Our supporters, they've frankly expressed shock at this outcome. They're disappointed that this end of life option could be taken away," said John Kappos, an attorney representing Compassion & Choices.

Alexandra Snyder, an attorney and executive director of Life Legal Defense Foundation, said the judge ruled that lawmakers effectively "hijacked" a special legislative session that was called to address access to medical care and used it to pass their bill.

"Access to health care has no relationship to assisted suicide," she said, saying it set a dangerous precedent that undermines the legislative process.

Opponents have argued that hastening death is morally wrong, puts terminally ill patients at risk for coerced death by loved ones and could become a way out for people who are uninsured or fearful of high medical bills.

Democratic Sen. Bill Monning of Carmel, who carried the original legislation, said the bill was properly considered in the special session and followed "every rule of transparency and openness." Lawmakers could try to pass it again if the law ultimately is rejected by the courts, he said.

So far, he said, there has been "not a single report of malfeasance or problems."

Kelly Davis' 41-year-old sister, Betsy Davis, was one of the first to use the law as she was dying of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, that slowly robbed her of her ability to use her muscles including to swallow and communicate. She held a two-day party in Ojai to celebrate the end of her life with about two-dozen friends, giving away her possessions and ordering her favorite foods.

"I keep thinking of all the people who are facing a terminal illness and they're considering the use of this law, and they're in limbo right now and this right might be taken away from them," Davis said. "It gave her back control of her life, it let her die on her own terms and if this had happened leading up to her death or when she thought she'd be able to use the law, she would have been devastated."

The state's attorney general's office said in court papers that medical professionals have the right to refuse to prescribe and dispense the drugs. Under the law, the terminally ill person must be able to self-administer the drugs.

-- Don Thompson
SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge in California on Tuesday struck down the city of Oakland's ban on coal shipments at a proposed cargo terminal, siding with a developer who wants to use the site to transport Utah coal to Asia.

In a scathing ruling, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco said the information the city relied on to conclude that coal operations would pose a substantial health or safety danger to the public was "riddled with inaccuracies" and "faulty analyses, to the point that no reliable conclusion about health or safety dangers could be drawn from it."

The decision cheered coal proponents while opponents said they would continue to fight for cleaner air. Oakland is reviewing its options and may appeal, said Justin Berton, a spokesman for Mayor Libby Schaaf.

The issue over coal has rocked then San Francisco Bay Area city that is environmentally friendly but also economically depressed in spots.

City leaders approved construction of a rail and marine terminal in 2013 as part of a larger makeover of an Army base that was shuttered in 1999. The $250 million project in west Oakland is expected to bring thousands of jobs to a historically African-American neighborhood that is among the poorest and most polluted in the region.

Oakland officials said coal was never mentioned as a possibility but lawyers for developers said city officials always knew there would be a mix of goods, including coal.

Concerned about pollution caused by coal dust, the city moved in 2016 to ban shipments of coal and petroleum coke, a solid derived from oil refining. The decision came after Utah lawmakers approved a $53 million investment to help ship the state's coal through Oakland to Asia.

Utah Sen. David Hinkins, a Republican who represents coal-producing counties, applauded the decision on Tuesday. "It would be good for my little depressed area," he said.

Many Utah mines are now shipping through Mexico to reach markets in Japan and Korea, as the U.S. market wanes, but a California shipping point would be closer and less expensive, he said.

Utah's $53 million would still be on the table, pending a committee approval, he said.

The government-watchdog group Alliance for a Better Utah, meanwhile, said they were disappointed in the ruling, and said the public money would be better spent on local water systems or fire trucks rather than the port.

In a statement, Schaaf vowed to continue the fight. Alex Katz, chief of staff to Oakland's city attorney, said they will discuss options with the City Council.

One of the developers of the project is Phil Tagami, a close friend of California Gov. and former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown. The governor's environmental efforts have made him a global leader in the fight against climate change, but he hasn't spoken out publicly against the project.

Chhabria agreed with attorneys for developers that the city relied on a flawed analysis to justify its ban. As an example, he said the city failed to factor in covers on the coal-carrying rail cars in its emissions estimates for the project.

It also had no meaningful assessment of how emissions would affect air quality in Oakland, he said.

The city's opposition to coal operations appeared to stem largely from concerns about global warming, but it was "facially ridiculous to suggest that this one operation resulting in the consumption of coal in other countries will, in the grand scheme of things, pose a substantial global warming-related danger to people in Oakland," the judge said.

-- Janie Har
Updated: 12:16 p.m.

If you are about to marry one of the princes of England, suddenly all your distant relatives want a piece of that sweet royal spotlight.

Take, for example, Meghan Markle's half-brother's son, Tyler Dooley, 25, of Grants Pass, who is using the upcoming nuptials of his half-aunt to sell a cannabis strain he is calling: "Markle Sparkle."

Tyler Dooley

The strain, a Sativa hybrid, "makes you feel positive, happy, and energetic," according to Leafbuyer.com.

"It is uplifting and has been known to create a tingling body sensation of numbness," the website adds.

Markle Sparkle is a hybrid of three strains: Blue City Diesel, Blueberry Northern Lights and a "third secret strain" that will be revealed when Markle Sparkle is launched June 2 at the High Times Cannabis Cup Northern California.

That's right: Though Dooley is "a licensed medical marijuana grower in Grants Pass, Oregon who is legally growing the special strain of marijuana in honor of his aunt," according to a press release from Leafbuyer.com, the strain will first be available in California.

A spokesperson for Leafbuyer.com said over email Wednesday that Dooley is looking for an Oregon distributor for his royal strain.

"It could be for sale in Oregon within the next few weeks if all goes well," she added.

Markle Sparkle is grown in Grants Pass and in Northern California.

While Dooley is using his connection to almost-royalty for marketing purposes, it seems clear that his part of the family is not very close to the future probably duchess and will not be attending the wedding.

Dooley's dad, Thomas Markle Jr., recently sent a letter to Prince Harry saying, "As more time passes to your royal wedding, it became very clear that this is the biggest mistake in royal wedding history."

In the letter he called his younger half-sister a "jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage," adding: "Not to mention, to top it off, she doesn't invite her own family and instead invites complete strangers to the wedding, 'who does that.'"

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker
Hey, Taylor Swift, thank you for making an Ashland mom cry tears of joy on Mother's Day by meeting her son, whom you inspired to walk.

Luke Hogan Laurenson, 13, was born with cerebral palsy and although he's been listening to your songs forever, your "Shake It Off" got him up from his wheelchair and dancing to your beat last year.

SHAKE IT OFF FOR LUKE SHAKE IT OFF FOR LUKE Please l Support l Donate l Share @ https://www.gofundme.com/shake-it-off-for-luke #ShakeItOffForLuke #AshlandOregon #AshlandFire Posted by Gabriel Al-Rifai on Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Incredible, right? Don't believe me. Ask the Ashland firefighters who saw it happen. Or just

.

Doctors told Luke's mom that walking for him was not possible, let along dancing. He shook it off.

Your song became his personal anthem. He first started swaying to it while sitting on the floor. Then he found the strength to bounce a little on his knees. In December 2016, the brave boy born with dystonic quadriplegia cerebral palsy walked a few steps.

And in January 2017, he danced for the very first time all by himself.

Having the independence to do these things on his own has improved his self esteem, said his mom, Jane Hogan. If he's having a bad day or a setback, she said, he reminds himself to shake it off.

Jane Hogan said Luke had been deprived of oxygen before or during his birth. His damaged nervous system can't produce the relaxation neurotransmitter GABA. Your music helps him manage his stress.

Luke, a seventh grader at Ashland Middle School, is like many of your fans. He has your posters, calendars and birthday-gift DVDs. But his one dream was to meet you. And he did.

As his mom explained, "In the wee hours of the morning on Mother's Day, my heart-filled boy met his idol Taylor Swift, thanks to the Dream Factory of Oregon," a group that grants wishes to critically and chronically ill children like Luke.

The nonprofit and others made it possible for Luke, his mom and his big sister, Julia Hogan Laurenson, to attend your concert in Santa Clara, California on Saturday, May 12. Luke and his sister were also invited to share a private booth with your parents, Andrea and Scott Swift.

After the show, Luke and his family were waiting with two dozen of your fans in what you call the Rep Room (an ode to your Reputation Tour). When you arrived, you greeted Luke with the words: "My mom says I will love you!" You knelt down to be face-to-face with him as he sat in his wheelchair and you sweetly asked if you could put your arm around him.

"What a profound gift this will be for both my children as they move forward in their lives," Jane Hogan posted on her Facebook page. "They now know deep in their bones that #DreamsComeTrue."

Kasi Grzebielski of the Dream Factory of Oregon, said, "We were nervous about it happening, then we were thrilled that it wasn't just a 'shake your hand and move on' moment, but a very special meeting."

Later, Jane Hogan said, "Meeting Taylor Swift and having her be so incredibly nice to Luke will likely have a pretty profound impact on him."

This year is challenging for Luke, since he continues to need medical treatments. He and his mom drive to the San Francisco area every other month. He has homework, too. "He has had to emphasize his academics much more this year, so it's impacted him a bit physically," said his mom.

To help out, actors just released a fun, fundraiser video titled "Oregon Shakespeare Festival Shake It Off for Luke."

The video is posted on the fundraising site You Caring to raise money to pay for uninsured medical expenses including a mini robot to help feed him.

Luke's mom wrote on the You Caring campaign page: "Truthfully, I would rather do almost anything in the world other than ask for help. But I have an amazing son who has shown that his brain can heal."

So far, the campaign has raised almost half of its $34,000 goal.

Social experts estimate that each time his video is shared, it could raise $37 for his treatments.

Taylor Nation, can you help share?

Family friend Gabriel Al-Rifai volunteered to create the video shot at the fire station and on the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Allen Elizabethan stage. In the videos, firefighters, actors and kids are dancing with Luke to your lyrics:

I never miss a beat, I'm lightning on my feet

I'm dancing on my own, I make the moves up as I go

It's like I got this music in my mind

Saying it's gonna be alright

 Janet Eastman



jeastman@oregonian.com

503-799-8739

@janeteastman




If you've been feeling a "Grimm"-size hole in your TV life since the series set and filmed in Portland ended last year, take heart. David Giuntoli, who starred for six seasons as Portland's most supernaturally gifted police detective, is coming back to TV.

Giuntoli is one of the stars of "A Million Little Things," an ensemble drama that will air at 10 p.m. Wednesday nights on ABC, starting in the fall 2018 TV season. The series is about a group of friends whose lives are shaken up when one of them commits suicide. The title is derived from the saying that friendship is a million little things.

The show has already evoked comparisons to the movie, "The Big Chill" and the hit drama, "This Is Us," which focuses not on any high-concept premise, but on everyday struggles and triumphs.

In other words, it doesn't look like Giuntoli will be racing through the woods hunting for Wesen bad guys in this one.

Set in Boston, "A Million Little Things" has a solid cast that also includes Ron Livingston (who's busy, since he also stars in the recently renewed Audience Network series, "Loudermilk"); James Roday ("Psych"); Romany Malco ("Blunt Talk"); Allison Miller ("13 Reasons Why"); Christina Moses ("The Originals"); Christina Ochoa ("Valor"); Stephanie Szostak ("Satisfaction"); and Lizzy Greene.

D.J. Nash, whose previous credits include "Up All Night" and "Bent," created the series.

On Twitter, Giuntoli's wife, and former "Grimm" costar, Bitsie Tulloch, shared news of ABC picking up "A Million Little Things" to series:

Yay!!! Davids pilot #AMillionLittleThings is going to series on @abc . If you all, like me, are fans of This Is Us, you will also LOVE this show. It is ALL HEART. And soul.  So happy for the cast & crew who get to make this wonderful show. #proudwife https://t.co/9UIA8ffIwM pic.twitter.com/fX1PM04vDB  Elizabeth Tulloch (@BitsieTulloch) May 9, 2018

-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com

503-221-8227

@Kristiturnquist
Morning Briefing: Donald Trump Summit with North Korea Is Falling Apart; Women Dominate in Primaries

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | May 16, 2018 |

 OK, lets start with the biggie: North Korea has canceled high-level talks with South Korea over their refusal to end military exercises with the United States, putting into jeopardy the planned summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. North Korea is saying that they will not give up nuclear weapons unilaterally, which I feel like was the point of this summit. I guess Trump thought he could bribe the North Koreans into giving up nuclear weapons with economic incentives, but thats apparently a no-go:

#breaking Kim Kye Gwan, North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The US is talking about giving us economic rewards and benefits when we give up nuclear weapons. We have never built economies expecting things from the U.S. and will never do such a deal in the future.  Will Ripley (@willripleyCNN) May 16, 2018

BREAKING: KCNA says North Korea will "reconsider" summit with Trump if U.S. insists on it giving up nuclear program, says it will never give up its nuclear program in exchange for economic trade with the United States  Josh Smith (@joshjonsmith) May 16, 2018



So, well see, I guess.

Sarah Sanders seems to be lowering expectations.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on North Korea statement: "We're ready to meet and if it happens, that's great and if it doesn't we'll see what happens." https://t.co/C01APsj6lP  Josh Smith (@joshjonsmith) May 16, 2018



 In that same part of the world, it appears that China straight-up bribed Donald Trump. Last month, the White House sanctioned the Chinese telecom giant ZTE, and members of the CIA, FBI, and NSA all spoke out forcefully against ZTE, including FBI director Christopher Wray. Trump and the White House were completely opposed to ZTE and then 

President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2018

Where did that come from? Why the sudden change? How do you explain that? Oh 

A mere 72 hours after the Chinese government agreed to put a half-billion dollars into an Indonesian project that will personally enrich Donald Trump, the president ordered a bailout for a Chinese-government-owned cellphone maker.

Oh, yeah. That tracks.

I guess if North Korea wants sanctions against it lifted and wants to keep its nuclear weapons, all it needs to do is build a Trump Tower in Pyongyang.

 Meanwhile, this is some nefarious bullshit: Trump plans to enact regulations requiring that people work in exchange for Medicaid, housing aid and food assistance, but the work requirement will be gerrymandered into counties with below an 8.5 percent unemployment rate, and you know who gets screwed by that? Black people. Rural counties (populated with predominantly white people) with an unemployment rate above 8.5 percent will be exempt, but in those counties where the suburbs lower the overall unemployment rate (places like Detroit and Flint, Michigan), the work requirement will be enacted. And guess who lives predominantly in places like Detroit and Flint, Michigan? You guessed right.

 Meanwhile, the White Houses attempts to curb leaks from within continues to prove futile, despite a new policy in which staffers are required to leave their phones in a locker every morning and constant sweeps by officials searching for phones inside the White House, with John Kelly threatening to fire anyone who is caught with a personal device. Im sure that doesnt generate any hostility and suspicion, and Im sure that no one channels that hostility and suspicion into leaks to reporters. You want to stop leaks and cultivate loyalty? Give them someone who inspires loyalty instead of a President who uses threats to keep his employees in line. The reason why staffers leak is because they dont like their fucking boss.

 Finally, there were primaries in four states last night, and the take home? A lot of women won, and a lot of women are going to the Capitol in November.

Most undeniable pattern of last nights Dem primaries is that women tended to win whether they were running to the left or the right of their male opponents.  Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) May 16, 2018

 Would You Call that Unguarded Moment Between Ryan Seacrest and Katy Perry Awkward? Or Creepy? | 'Bohemian Rhapsody' To Play Down Freddie Mercury's Queerness 

Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.
Buckman Announces North America Freight Price Increase

The widely-publicized driver shortage along with other factors, such as the new electronic logging device rule, are causing a significant increase in freight rates.

May 16, 2018 - Specialty chemical producer Buckman today announced that it will implement a $0.02 to 0.04/pound price increase on all products sold and delivered to customers in North America, effective July 1.

The change is being driven by limited capacity, a shortage of drivers, new freight regulations and rising cost of fuel.

The widely-publicized driver shortage along with other factors, such as the new electronic logging device rule, are causing a significant increase in freight rates, said Jim Doan, President/COO of Buckman North America.

We have worked diligently to find the best solution to alleviate the effect of these issues, but unfortunately Buckman can no longer absorb all of these higher freight costs.

Buckman is a privately-held, global specialty chemical company with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. To learn more, please visit: www.buckman.com .

SOURCE: Buckman
Earlier this week, when the United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, tensions between Israel and Palestine led to the death of at least 58 Palestinians and the injury of more than 2,700.

Related | 58 Palestinians Killed And 2,700 Injured By Israeli Forces During Protests

In light of such horrific violence, 23-year-old model Gigi Hadid joined countless other celebrities including Judd Apatow, Morgan Freeman, and Ava DuVernay to voice her sadness and shock over the unjust violence inflicted on so many Palestinians.





Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, posted and underlined parts of an Al Jezeera news post that detailed the number of people who died this week. She also reposted a graphic originally posted by Lina Hadid that discussed how many Palestinians were originally displaced when Israel was created.

The model went on to clarify that she loved people regardless of religion and race, and that she wants people in Israel and Palestine to coexist, but that recent events indicated a great amount of greed.



Because of the backlash she faced for her posts, Hadid ultimately wrote that she's going to keep her opinions to herself from now on and that, "social media is one of the most frustrating & twisted things."

Related | Bella Hadid Like You've Never Seen Her Before



Gigi's sister, Bella Hadid, spoke out in support of Palestine a few months ago when President Trump first announced that he would be moving the embassy to Jerusalem, writing, "Watching the news and seeing the pain of the Palestinian people makes me cry for the many many generations of Palestine. Seeing the sadness of my father, cousins, and Palestinian family are feeling for our Palestinian ancestors make this even harder to write." She also marched in a protest outside the United States Embassy in London a few days later.

Image via BFA


In a moment of protest (and likely pain) Kristen Stewart rebelled against the Cannes Film Festival red carpet dress code, which requires all women to wear heels when attending premieres, and removed her black Christian Louboutin stilettos in front of paparazzi.

Related | Kristen Stewart Gazing At Cate Blanchett Is a Big Mood

Women have famously been turned away from screenings when attempting to hit the carpet with flats on, most memorably at Carol, the overtly feminist film about queer women finding love in the early 1950s. Needless to say, it's both a bizarre and very problematic rule.

At the debut of Spike Lee's BlackkKlansman (which received a 10-minute standing ovation, by the way), Stewart proceeded to pull off her bloody shoes and pad up the stairs, barefoot.

This is not the first time Stewart has addressed the policy in public, in 2016 she demanded that things change immediately.

"It has become really obvious that if [a man and I] were walking the red carpet together and someone stopped me and said, 'Excuse me, young lady, you're not wearing heels. You cannot come in.' Then [I'm going to say], 'Neither is my friend. Does he have to wear heels?' It can work both ways," she said. "It's just like you simply cannot ask me to do something that you are not asking him. I get the black-tie thing but you should be able to do either version  flats or heels."

Emily Blunt also called out Cannes the year prior, "I think everyone should wear flats, to be honest," she told a reporter. "We shouldn't wear high heels anymore. That's just my point of view. I prefer to wear Converse sneakers."

Photos via Getty


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EU's Tough Choice: Analysts Say Staying In Iran Deal Is An Option If...

05/16/18

By Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL

European officials eager to salvage 2-year-old nuclear curbs on Iran are said to be exploring ways to ensure Tehran's continued participation following the U.S. decision to abandon the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA), under which Tehran limited sensitive nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Shuttle diplomacy is under way, with face-to-face talks taking place among senior diplomats from some of the non-U.S. signatories to the deal, which include Iran, the European Union, Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia.

EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini has said that Brussels is determined to preserve the JCPOA, and Iranian President Hassan Rohani has signaled that Tehran will continue to participate, for the time being.

Analysts who spoke to RFE/RL suggested that a combination of legal, financial, and political steps by European countries could allow them to continue to extend Iran the benefits of the accord, including trade and investment.

Legal Steps

President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that the United States would abandon the deal and reimpose tough sanctions lifted as part of the nuclear accord.

Foreign companies have 90 days to comply with U.S. sanctions or face penalties.

So if their aim is to salvage the deal, EU countries presumably need to protect their companies from so-called secondary sanctions, which allow Washington to take action against individuals or companies that are doing business with sanctioned countries.

"One needs to be present in the U.S. economy to have a stake in the U.S. market in order for the sanctions to be effective," says Riccardo Alcaro, coordinator of research at Italy's Institute of International Affairs (IAI). "But given the fact that most European banks and major companies and a lot of medium-size enterprises do have a stake in the U.S. economy and are involved in the financial market, it is very difficult not to become the target of U.S. regulations."

Alcaro suggests that EU governments could deploy the "blocking statute" that was originally crafted in 1996 in response to U.S. sanctions against Cuba, to shield EU companies from U.S. sanctions and pressure.

"The blocking regulation makes it illegal for EU companies to comply with laws with extraterritorial application," Alcaro says.

It proved to be a successful deterrent in the Cuban case, he says, adding that the European pushback eventually prompted President Bill Clinton's administration to back down.

But in order to be reused, Alcaro says the blocking regulation needs to be amended.

"Basically, the blocking regulation would impose fines on EU companies and banks, which would thus face the dual risk of being sanctioned by the Americans if they do business with Iran and be sanctioned by the EU if they don't," Alcaro says.

Carnegie Europe senior fellow Pierre Vimont, a former French ambassador to Washington, agrees and says that such adjustments impose obstacles of their own. "In order to [amend the blocking regulation], you need to get the agreement of all 28 [EU] member states, and that may take some time," Vimont tells RFE/RL.

European countries could also take retaliatory steps such as a "clawback" clause, as described recently by the International Crisis Group (ICG), an NGO, allowing for the recovery of damages incurred for alleged sanctions violations through tariffs on U.S. exports to the EU.

In a similar vein, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire on May 11 proposed creating a European body that would have the same kind of powers that the U.S. Justice Department has to punish foreign companies for their trade practices. He cited the European Union's need to defend its "economic sovereignty" when it comes to the right to trade with Iran.

Financial Measures

Other European tactics could include specifically financial steps aimed at underscoring the delineation between doing business with Europe as opposed to the United States.

They might include, for instance, boosting ties between the Iranian Central Bank and European central banks.



Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei



Naysan Rafati, an Iran analyst with ICG, says there are numerous ways that EU countries can enhance banking connections with Iran and offer European companies protection on a multilateral basis. He cites "increasing credit lines to Tehran, working with European investment banks to facilitate loans, [or] working with development agencies trying to find euros denominated [to] minimize the impact of U.S. secondary sanctions."

Rafati notes that several European countries have already taken individual steps to facilitate trade with Iran. "For example, the Italians issued a credit line under Invitalia; the French have announced that they will be issuing a credit line under Bpifrance; the Danes have been issuing a credit line," he says

Then he adds, "The question is whether Trump's decision will give them a push towards adopting more systematic, continental-level measures."

Political Moves

Alcaro and other analysts say EU countries might also engage in political actions in conjunction with any possible legal or financial steps, with the intention of raising pressure on the United States and encouraging Washington to make some concessions.

He suggests that these could take the form of "a public-diplomacy campaign in the United States aimed at those people in the U.S. administration, the Congress, the media, and the public...who doubt the wisdom of Trump's decision to make it clear that applying sanctions against the companies of allied countries doing legitimate business because the president had withdrawn the United States from a deal that the Europeans are also party to without a justification would be considered by the Europeans a serious breach of inter-ally solidarity and a betrayal of their security interests."

He speculates that a staunch European effort could even prompt U.S. officials to give EU companies some leeway for limited business with Iran.

Difficult Road, Limited Time

For now, Iran has pledged to adhere to its commitments under the nuclear deal.

But hard-line elements from the country's supreme leader on down appear to be putting pressure on Rohani.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly expressed doubts last week that EU countries would deliver on their promises, and he challenged them to offer Iran guarantees.

A member of the influential Assembly Of Experts, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, told worshipers in a May 11 sermon in Tehran bluntly that "these European signatories [to the nuclear deal] also cannot be trusted," adding, "Iran's enemies cannot be trusted."



Trump & Iranian hardliners are united in tearing up JCPOA

cartoon by Mjtaba Heidarpanah, Iranian daily Ghanoon



Lawmaker Hossein Naghavi Hosseini said Tehran had given the European Union 60 days to guarantee the implementation of the nuclear deal, citing a meeting attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, one of Iran's chief negotiators in the nuclear talks.

Vimont says time is of the essence -- "Europeans have to decide quickly" -- if the deal is to be kept alive.

Alcaro warns that Europeans may not be in position to invest as much in Iran as they would like. But at the same time, he says, European countries could make it clear to Iran that remaining in the deal would still be in Tehran's interests.

"In terms of economic return, I'm not entirely sure even this would be enough for Iran," Alcaro says, "but it certainly would win Iran's trust. And the Iranians may calculate that given the costs of risks associated with resuming the nuclear program, staying in the deal, keeping the moral high ground, keeping the United States isolated, seizing on the gap between Europe and America is still in Iran's best interest."

Vimont characterizes the U.S. effort as effectively pursuing an "economic embargo" against Iran, which might thoroughly test European resolve either way.

"[They could] refuse to go along with the U.S., which is what many of them have said already, and therefore they need to organize themselves accordingly -- but then, for them, it is admitting that they are now, at least on the economic side of this whole story, on for a confrontation with America," Vimont says.

"Would all 28 member states agree on such a course? That's the real question."



About the author:



Golnaz Esfandiari is a senior correspondent with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. She can be reached at esfandiarig@rferl.org
US Blacklisting Of Iran's Central Bank Chief Meant To Derail Nuclear Deal Talks: Tehran

05/16/18

Source: Press TV

Tehran has strongly condemned Washington for imposing sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran's chief over a week after the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, saying such moves are meant to derail the ongoing negotiations to save the now six-party agreement.



Valiollah Seif, the governor of Iran's Central Bank

artwork by Bozorgmehr Hosseinpur

The US Treasury Department named Valiollah Seif and another senior official in Iran's Central Bank as "specially designated global terrorists" for allegedly assisting Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).



Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin accused Seif of covertly funneling money on behalf of the IRGC's Quds Force through Iraq-based Al Bilad Islamic Bank to support Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement.



The new bans have drawn a strong condemnation from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, with its spokesman Bahram Qassemi describing them as "the continuation of the US government's inappropriate behavior and hostile policies, which have targeted the Iranian nation over the past decades in various forms."



"These hostile policies have failed and will fail to bring any achievement for the US, and will rather make the Iranian nation and government more determined, patient and resilient than ever in their efforts to counter America's anti-Iran measures," he added.



The blacklisting of Seif, which coincided with the start of negotiations among the remaining parties to the Iran deal, reveals Washington's failure to achieve its "pre-planned objectives" against the Islamic Republic.



Through its destructive measures, the US government is now making attempts to negatively affect a decision by Tehran and its five other partners - France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China - on the future of the nuclear deal without the United States.



The latest anti-Iran sanctions follow President Donald Trump's announcement on May 8 of the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran deal. Trump also vowed to reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.



Days later, the US Treasury sanctioned six Iranian individuals and three entities for allegedly operating a currency exchange network that transferred millions of US dollars to the IRGC's Quds Force.



All the remaining signatories censured Washington's pullout, saying they would stay committed to the landmark accord and work to find ways to keep the deal in place.



Soon afterwards, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif kicked off a diplomatic tour of Beijing, Moscow and Brussels for talks on ways to protect the deal and see if Iran's interests could be protected with the US gone.



Tehran has said it would make a decision on its future role in the JCPOA in the coming weeks following negotiations with the other sides.



In Brussels, Zarif said Wednesday that the Iran-EU talks on the JCPOA had kicked off to a "good start."



"All agreed that much remains to be done in coming weeks to practically guarantee economic benefits for Iranian people," tweeted Zarif



The EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also reiterated the bloc's determination to keep the deal in place, adding that the remaining parties had agreed to find practical solutions in the weeks to come, including continuing to sell Iran's oil and gas products, maintaining effective banking transactions and protecting European investments in the Iranian market.
Deputy Communications Minister George Andah has described former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Asiama as a "disgrace" to his "profession", following comments by the latter regarding government's launch of the first phase of the mobile money interoperability system.



Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on Thursday, May 10, 2018, launched the cross-network mobile money transactions system in Ghana.



Prior to that, at the University of Cape Coast when he spoke at the schools Institutional Advancement Lecture last year, Dr Bawumia reportedly said: There were many people who were offering similar solutions, but thankfully the BoG in collaboration with GhIPSS has finally been able to solve this problem and the interoperability system for Ghana will be launched next month.



What is even more remarkable about what has happened is that, again, a lot of people were quoting billions of dollars and it became an issue of public debate, but by the way, this system has now been built for less than $4 million dollars.



But days after the launch, the former Deputy Governor of the BoG rebuffed claims that the interoperability contract awarded under the Mahama administration was overpriced.



At a press conference in Accra, Dr Asiama stressed that the new system launched by the Vice-President, is different in scope from the original contract; hence the disparity in the contract.



Interestingly, eventhough he conceded not having seen the scope of the current system launched by the Veep, the former deputy BoG Governor insisted it might not be as comprehensive as was envisaged under the original contract.



I am out of office and I cannot say what is being done now but if I look at the details and scope of work in the original contract as stated here, it goes far beyond what was launched last week....It is like comparing antelope and an elephantI am not sure the price will be same he said.



Contributing to a panel discussion on the subject on Peace FM's Kokrokoo, George Andah asked Dr. Asiama to "go back and get his facts right. Hes become a bit of a disgrace to himself and the profession"



To him, the former BOG Governor is a big liar and is somehow used by his "paymasters" to "hes confusing the good people of Ghana".



"Hes telling lies...Hes trying to confuse the good people of Ghana. Hes being used for something like thisHe cannot be doing on his own.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
Some 160,000 people have fled their homes in Cameroon's English-speaking region since 2016, AFP news agency says, quoting a report by the UN.



"The majority of the displaced have fled into the bush with little to survive on" says the report by the UN's humanitarian agency.



The report also said that about 20,000 people had crossed to neighbouring Nigeria, a number 14,000 short of what Nigeria's State Emergency Management Agency (Sema) estimates, AFP adds.



The current crisis in the Anglophone north-west and south-west regions was sparked by a growing feeling of discrimination.



English speakers say they are excluded from top civil service jobs and that government documents are often only published in French, even though English is also an official language.



An armed separatist group has been pushing for an independent state called Ambazonia.



The group has been accused of kidnapping officials and other French-speaking Cameroonians, while the army is accused of abuses and burning houses.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A Ghanaian man is leading a campaign to bring The Gambia's former leader Yahya Jammeh to justice over the murder of 55 migrants who were mistaken for coup plotters.



Martin Kyere leapt from the pick-up truck into the darkness. Bullets whistled around him as he ran for his life through the thick Gambian forest. He fell. He picked himself up. He dodged the soldiers' searchlight.



He promised himself not to rest until Mr Jammeh was brought to justice.



Thirteen years later and now living in his native Ghana, Mr Kyere is the key witness in an international effort to bring The Gambia's former president to trial for what was probably the single largest mass killing during the 22-year reign of terror.



Meanwhile, Mr Jammeh has lived in Equatorial Guinea since January 2017. He went into exile there under a regionally-brokered deal after losing the December 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow.



Travelling to Europe



Mr Kyere is the only known survivor out of 56 West Africans - most of them Ghanaian and Nigerian - who were murdered in The Gambia on or around 22 July 2005.



''It is my mission, on behalf of my friends, we want justice,'' Mr Kyere, now aged 37, told the BBC in his home town in central Ghana.



In 2005, Mr Kyere, by selling shoes in Ghana and Ivory Coast, had saved up money to travel to Senegal and onwards to Europe.



He boarded a pirogue in Senegal's capital Dakar. It ran out of fuel and came ashore in The Gambia. The travellers were arrested, detained for a week in The Gambia's capital Banjul, and beaten.



''When we asked the police officers why we were there, they just said the orders came from above. For a long time we thought we would just be deported.''



But the migrants were handed over to ''the junglers'' - paramilitaries whose torture and killings had helped keep Mr Jammeh in power since he grabbed it on 22 July 1994.



Some people believe that in the run-up to the 22 July ''revolution'' commemorations, the migrants were thought by the paranoid regime to be mercenaries, acting on behalf of coup plotters.



US lawyer Reed Brody



Mr Kyere recounts their final journey in meticulous detail: ''Eight of us were loaded into the pick-up. They used one rope to tie four people, each with his hands on his back.



''A Nigerian who was a Muslim, began to pray "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest). This annoyed them. They sliced his back with a cutlass. He never raised his head again.



''The pick-up drove deeper and deeper into the forest. One of us complained of pain in his arm. A soldier slashed his other arm with the cutlass and said 'which is more painful?' Now the pick-up was full of blood. We all knew we were going to die and we tried to release ourselves.''



Mr Kyere succeeded: ''The others said 'go and tell the world what Jammeh has done to us'. I jumped from the pick-up and I heard a voice - 'who is that?' - but I did not look back. I was running. The bullets passed over me.



''I heard the screams in Twi, ''awurade gye yen'' (Oh God save us), and the gunshots followed - so I realised the guys had been killed.''



Mr Kyere staggered through the forest. He hid from people for fear of being re-arrested.



After several days, he asked for help in a village. He was shown the way to the Senegalese border.



Mr Kyere eventually travelled back to Ghana, sought help from the authorities and set about travelling, with few means, hundreds of kilometres around his country to track down the relatives of his lost comrades. He has found 25 families so far, including that of Peter Mensah who left behind his wife and three children.



If Mr Jammeh is to be tried, lawyers will have to win his extradition from Equatorial Guinea.



'Rogue elements'



Reed Brody, legal counsel for campaign group Human Rights Watch, which is supporting Mr Kyere's campaign along with Trial International, says Ghana would be an ideal country for the trial because it has a strong justice system and provisions to prosecute people for the ''enforced disappearance'' of Ghanaian citizens anywhere in the world.



''We are presenting evidence that approximately 44 Ghanaian citizens were killed by a death squad that took its orders from Jammeh,'' said the US lawyer.



''The only previous official investigation concluded that the migrants were probably killed by 'rogue elements' acting on their own.



"Since the fall of Mr Jammeh, we have been able to interview 30 former officials, 11 of whom were directly involved, and it is clear that the migrants were not killed by rogue elements but by the 'junglers' who took their orders directly from Jammeh.''



However, a 2009 joint investigation by the United Nations and the West African regional group, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), concluded that Mr Jammeh and his government were not to blame for ordering the killings and that "rogue elements" in the security services were responsible.



The Gambia returned six bodies to Ghana, and paid $500,000 (420,000) to cover burial and other costs. Most of the remaining bodies have never been found.



Mr Brody advised victims of former Chadian ruler Hissene Habre, who is a serving a life sentence in Senegal for atrocities committed during his eight-year rule. He is determined to ensure that Mr Jammeh also stands trial.



Mr Brody says if Mr Kyere's case is heard in Ghana this would embolden a nascent campaign for justice by more than 1,000 of the Jammeh regime's victims in The Gambia.



But he cautions that ''the legal and security conditions do not exist'' for a trial in The Gambia at the moment.



Mr Kyere is a gentle-mannered, outwardly unassuming man, who still sells shoes. But when he opens his mouth to speak, his voice is like a thunder box for justice.



He does not feel guilt for being the only known survivor.



''I am alive for a reason and that reason is to obtain justice - to know one day why Yahya Jammeh grabbed us and decided to kill us in an unlawful way.''

Source: Graphic.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The wife of the Asantehene, Lady Julia, has urged managers of Advanced Diagnostic and Heart Centre to make their services available to the less privileged and children in the Ghanaian society.



The health facility managed and operated by Euracare, a member of the CFAO Group, offers international high-level health services with a key focus on patient care and outcome.



The CFAO Group, a global player in both the automotive and pharmaceutical industries, set up Euracare to provide Ghanaians with a world-class medical service they have too often had to obtain overseas.



The project has created a cutting-edge technological platform enabling Ghanaians and Diasporan surgeons to conduct minimally-invasive procedures in the fields of neurological, gastrointestinal, orthopaedic, vascular and urological surgeries.



At a colourful ceremony attended by former President John Kufuor and other dignitaries to officially commission the project in Accra, Lady Julia said without good medical care, the country may lose its human capital and urged the working class especially to patronize the services of Euracare.



She, however, made two three appeals: I wish to encourage Euracare to consider extending their services to others parts of the country especially Kumasi my home region, also make your services available to the less privileged and children needing special care as part of your social responsibility programmes.









On his part, the Euracare Director of Medical Services, Aymeric Erouart, praised the tireless effort of Dr Lesley Opoku and Dr Worlanyo Kudzo Seneadza for their role in the establishment of Euracare in Ghana.



According to him, the facility exists to offer world-class medical attention to Ghanaian.



He urged health authorities especially the countrys teaching hospitals to collaborate with the facility in dealing with complex neurological, gastrointestinal, orthopaedic, vascular and urological surgeries.

Source: Myjoyonline.com









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Some soldiers in the Tamale metropolis on Wednesday descended on police personnel and beat them for arresting their colleague following a complaint of assault.



Packed in three military vehicles and armed, the soldiers moved to town from their base, and unleashed their anger on any police officer who was spotted in town.



They moved to various banks in the Tamale metropolis and assaulted police personnel who were on duty, reports Graphic Online's Northern Region correspondent, Samuel Duodu.



They even went to the Northern Regional Police Commander's residence and assaulted a policeman on duty.



Duodu reported that the soldiers armed to the teeth in three military vehicles went around the various banks in the Tamale metropolis to assault policemen on duty at the various points.



The incident started from the Bank of Ghana premises where the angry soldiers assaulted the policemen. They later moved to the ADB Bank and assaulted the policeman on duty there," he said.



The policeman on guard duty at the main branch of the ADB Bank was also beaten up and sustained a head injury. He was rushed to the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH).



According to Duodu, a total of eight police officers were attacked in the process.



The soldiers were reportedly angry because, a police investigator with the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), following a complaint of assault, which he was investigating had arrested the suspect [soldier], put him in handcuffs and was processing him for court.



When word went round the military barracks about the incident, the soldiers mobilised their colleagues and stormed town to avenge the said arrest.



According to our reporter, the incident has created a tension in Tamale as some police officers are arming themselves to face the soldiers in the attack said to have happened around 1pm on Wednesday.



The Northern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has convened an emergency security meeting following the incident.



Why the soldiers attacked the police

Briefing Graphic Online, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mr Emmanuel Holortu in charge of DOVVSU in Tamale said the said soldier, Eric Darko, a corporal with the Airforce, owns a taxicab, which he gave to one Alhassan, a taxi driver.



Alhassan is said to have failed to account for a days sales of Gh35.



On May 1, 2018, Corporal Eric Darko traced the taxi driver to a Tamale suburb and allegedly assaulted the driver after some exchanges and an explanation that he was not working that day because it was a holiday.



The matter was reported to DOVVSU and Corporal Darko was invited as part of investigations.



Accompanied by a Lieutenant, Corporal Darko reported to the police on May 8 and was granted a police enquiry bail to report on Wednesday May 16, 2018.



Charged with assault



Corporal Darko and the complainant, Alhassan reported at DOVVSU, Wednesday morning.



After interrogation, the police investigator told Corporal Darko that he has been charged with assault and was to be processed for court today.



According to DSP Holortu, the Corporal Darko was subsequently put in handcuffs and he requested to be allowed to make a phone call but took to his heels in the process whilst still in handcuffs and was pursued by the police.



With the help of some civilians, the police managed to re-arrest him and whilst he was being escorted back to the police station, they came across a team of soldiers who were on guard duties at the Bank of Ghana premises.



The soldiers reportedly intervened and collected the keys to the handcuffs from the police and assaulted them.



They sent word to the barracks and more soldiers stormed town to assault the police officers.



The soldiers were said to have fired warning shots in the process.

Source: Graphic.com









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The Minority in Parliament has expressed reservation about the benefits that the country is to derive from four double taxation agreements (DTAs) Ghana is entering into with four other countries.



According to the Minority Members of Parliament(MPs), the DTAs between Ghana and Czech Republic, the Kingdom of Morocco, Mauritius and Singapore, which were laid in Parliament Tuesday May 14, 2018, would not help advance the cause of Ghana.



Speaking to journalists moments after the Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei had laid the agreements in Parliament for approval, the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee and Minority Spokesperson on Finance, Mr Cassiel Ato Forson, said the laying of the four DTAs in a day was unprecedented in the history of Ghana's Parliament.



He said the Minority in Parliament was at a loss as to why the government should lay four DTAs in a day.



The DTAs between Ghana and Czech Republic, the Kingdom of Morocco, Mauritius and Singapore, are for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and on capital gains.



No mutual benefits



Mr Forson said DTAs were for mutual benefits, but indicated that on the face of the current DTAs, they did not offer any benefits for Ghana.



He said it was important for the government to establish the quantum of trade in the four countries vis-a-vis the level of trade in Ghana before going into the agreement.



Mr Forson said the Minority would scrutinise the agreements, and indicated that if it turned out that the agreements were not in the interest of Ghana, it would oppose them.

Source: Graphic.com









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It has emerged that former President Jerry John Rawlings did not attend the conference of former metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) who served under the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.



According to a source, he did not want to share a platform with immediate past President John Dramani Mahama.



DAILY GUIDE has been informed that the whole programme, organized by the former MMDCEs, appeared to have been sponsored by the camp of former President Mahama as part of his so-called unity walk strategy; and as a result, Mr. Rawlings  founder of the NDC  was not fully convinced about the motive and so was being tactful in the scheme of things.



Although the opposition party is yet to open nominations for presidential hopefuls towards the 2020 elections, Mr. Mahama  who sent the NDC crashing out of power in 2016  has hit the ground running with his unity walkstrategy.



He said he is yet to declare whether he will become the NDC flagbearer and give the presidency a third shot, but his fiery speeches were reminiscent of a candidate in a campaign mood.



DAILY GUIDE has learnt that the ex-president is expected to announce his candidature in the last lap of the unity walk, which has been described as Mahama walk in the Volta Region.



Mr. Rawlings was invited to speak at a solidarity meetingat Mensvic Hotel in Accra last Saturday, but sources say he allegedly refused to show up and rather asked one of his longtime NDC allies, Samuel Nuamah-Donkor, to represent him.



In an apparent show of indifference, Mr. Rawlings, who was initially prepared to attend the event, refused to step at the venue of the meeting after being informed that Mr. Mahama was attending, the source claimed. It added, He (Rawlings) subsequently reluctantly nominated Mr. Samuel Nuamah Donkor to read a speech on his behalf after he was prevailed upon by his handlers.



Mr Rawlings similarly ignored Mr. Mahama at the first State of the Nation Address delivered by President Akufo-Addo in Parliament, and only offered a cold handshake at the commemoration of the silver jubilee of the 4th Republic at the Black Star Square in Accra.



The source indicated that it appeared the partys founder had not forgiven Mr. Mahama and some of his henchmen for the apparent trashy treatment they meted out to him and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, during Mahamas presidency.



President Rawlings has not hidden his intention to call for a new direction for the NDC since he said the Mills/Mahama government lost the moral high ground and accused them, especially, Mr. Mahama and his appointees, of being corrupt.



In 2016, he told the NDC at a congress that he was waiting to take the party back and re-organize it by January 2017, suggesting that he did not think the then ruling NDC was going to win the December 2016 general election, and it indeed happened.



In the speech read on his behalf at the MMDCEs conference, the NDC founder said, among other things that, even if the opposition NDC is keeping the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government on its toes, it is failing woefully to put its house in order ahead of the 2020 general election and beyond.



Mr. Rawlings said recent happenings in the NDC were showing that the party he founded is heavily divided and until they resolve their differences, they cant win power.



According to him, the party is not unified, not in touch with the grassroots and did not inspire confidence in the electorate during the run-up to the last election and called on the party to re-embrace its core values of truth, integrity, probity and accountability.





Source: Daily Guide









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UPDATE: Slain Pa. teacher's ex-fiance says he has 'nothing to hide' in baffling killing

The western Pennsylvania teacher gunned down in a hail of 10 bullets outside her mother's home Sunday likely knew her killer and her death was a "crime of passion."

These are the early conclusions of investigators in Aliquippa, Beaver County, Pa., where several layers of law enforcement are probing Sunday night's shooting death of suspended cyber teacher Rachael DelTondo, age 33.

KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh is reporting Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier as saying investigators now believe DelTondo knew her assailant, and that the evidence will show her murder was "a crime of passion."

However, Lozier won't say if police have a suspect. But it is not for a lack of looking:

"We could not be taking this more seriously. We had a young woman, 33-years-old, shot to death on the driveway of her mother's house on Mother's Day evening," Lozier told KDKA.

"We are working with every resource we have. We're getting video cameras, we are downloading information, we are interviewing witnesses. We are doing everything we can."

As WTAE-TV reports, DelTondo was suspended in November from the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, after the anonymous leak of an Aliquippa police report from 2016 that said she had been found in a parked car with a 17-year-old former male student. No charges were ever filed.

KDKA cites sources saying the alleged police leak about DelTondo also prompted a Pa. state police investigation of the Aliquippa Police, with DelTondo cooperating.

"It's shameful that this woman was painted with a police report that had been written that did not result in criminal charges," Lozier told WTAE. "There was a personal vendetta against her at the time."

Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School CEO Brian Hayden released the following statement, as reported by WTAE:

"We were saddened to learn of the tragic death of Rachel DelTondo, apparently the result of a violent incident in the city of Aliquippa. We have no additional information beyond what is being reported by local media. We express our sympathy to her family and coworkers and will support them in any way possible in the weeks and months ahead as they mourn her passing."

DelTondo was gunned down after returning home late Sunday night from an ice cream shop. The hail of as many as 10 bullets erupted as Rachael DelTondo stepped onto the driveway of her mother's Buchanan Street home.

She died in the driveway.
You know those stories where a celebrity accepts a fan's request to go to their high school prom?

This story is slightly different.

"I was having trouble finding a date," said 17 year old Carlisle High School senior Allison Closs. "So I decided to buy one."

Closs, an aspiring filmmaker, floated the idea to several of her friends before the May 11 prom, held at the Carlisle Army War College. But most of them thought she was joking.

"I did tell a few friends I was doing it prior, but not many because I really wanted it to be a big surprise," she said. "I don't think they actually thought I would go through with it."

But Closs quickly narrowed down the list of potential celebrity stand-ins once she started looking at which ones were available for sale on Amazon.com.

"Bill Nye the Science Guy was one consideration," she said. "But for many of them, I would need to get them custom made. I'm not about that money life."

Closs eventually decided on actor Danny DeVito, partly due to a running gag of a similar cardboard cutout appearing on YouTuber PewDiePie's videos, but also because she is a fan.

"I think he's hilarious, so yeah," she said. "'Matilda', definitely. 'Hercules'. I love him in 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia'. I don't think there was anyone at the dance who didn't know who Danny DeVito is."

After ordering her copy of the cutout from what she described as a "surprisingly large variety" available on Amazon -- deciding against one where Mr. DeVito was wearing Crocs and appeared to be crying -- Closs then attached him to a small wheeled scooter for transportation. DeVito's wardrobe was completed with a tie, boutonniere, and leash with which Closs could pull him around.

The couple had to skip dinner and photos beforehand, as Closs had appointments for her hair and nails, but they did document their departure for Closs' YouTube channel.

Upon their arrival to the prom, Closs said, "everyone was staring and laughing."

"The reception was very positive," she said. "There were a few judgmental souls there, but the vast majority thought it was very funny. Faculty had a few jokes about it. When I went up to give my ticket, they asked one for Danny also."

While Danny DeVito, at 73 years of age, is slightly above the Carlisle High School age limit for prom, Closs said that he eventually won over the naysayers.

"My principal was a little skeptical at first," she said. "But Danny brought everyone together, man."

Beyond just making a splash at prom, Closs and DeVito drew attention from the Associated Press, Time and even the Twitter account of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia."

Frank > any other date https://t.co/SHWlBr1bkj  It's Always Sunny (@alwayssunny) May 12, 2018

"It's been amazing," Closs said. "I knew it would get some coverage. I'm a very hopeful person, so I hoped it would go big, but I didn't really expect it to. So this was a very pleasant surprise."

And while she's already overjoyed at the attention, Closs wouldn't mind if this stunt resulted in her meeting the actual Danny DeVito.

"I actually do have an end goal," she admitted. "Maybe if I went on 'Ellen', Danny Devito would show up there. I'd be like, 'woah Danny DeVito, what are you doing here?' I know that's kind of a stretch, but that's the hope right now! But I'd settle for a nice tweet. That would be more than all right by me!"
Two female candidates will face off in November for the 28th District state Senate seat formerly held by Scott Wagner, according to unofficial results in York County.

Republican Kristin Phillips-Hill and Democrat Judith Higgins will vie in November in a district that reportedly has never had a woman elected.

Phillips-Hill received 65.2 percent of the Republican vote, and Republican opponent Julie Wheeler, 34.8 percent.

On the Democratic side, Judith Higgins received 57.3 percent, and challenger Shawn Mauck logged 42.7 percent.

In another primary election campaign in York County - the 92nd state House race - another woman, incumbent Dawn Keefer, was the GOP nominee, and will face a female opponent in the fall - Shanna Danielson.

And in the 30th District state Senate race, state Rep. Judith Ward will face Democrat Emily Best in the fall.

The 28th District seat was open due to Scott Wagner's gubernatorial campaign. The district, composed of part of York County, has been in Republican hands since 1995.

Phillips-Hill, who has been a state representative since 2015, campaigned on fiscal responsibility and common-sense political reform. She advocates responsible budgets and making Pennsylvania more business-friendly by reforming business taxes and regulations.

Republican Julie Wheeler, a general manager for GE, ran on a pro-life, pro-gun and pro-smaller government platform, and promised to represent the values of York County.

She advocated lower taxes and smaller government, and said she would defend gun rights and protect pro-life values.

Democrat Judith Higgins, an adjunct instructor, veteran and former school board member, was the nominee over Shawn Mauck, who is West York mayor.

Higgins campaigned on addressing property tax reform and the disparity in educational funding; creating educational and training opportunities for displaced workers and young graduates to ensure the labor force has skills that employers need; health care for all residents.

Mauck said he ran to ensure his community is represented and for transparency in government. He described himself as conservative yet progressive, depending on the issue, said he helped avoid tax increases and streamlined the budget in West York.
Several black members of a local alumni sorority are upset after they said a state police trooper stopped them and asked for identification while they were cleaning up trash along Interstate 83 last week.

The incident took place the morning of May 12, along Interstate 83 in Harrisburg, between the 13th and 19th street exits, but that's about all the two sides agree occurred.

Shawna Naomi Harrell, an attorney from Hershey and the Harrisburg chapter president of the historically black Sigma Gamma Rho, took to Facebook shortly after the encounter, explaining that she and her sisters were decked out in the sorority colors of royal blue and gold, along a stretch of the interstate they have adopted.

One woman posted a picture on Twitter of some of the members standing near the sign.

"We are on the side of the road with your (police car) behind ours with your lights flashing, drawing attention to us in a negative way and all we were trying to do (was) serve the community. I just had to walk away. At that point the trooper couldn't and didn't say anything," she said in the post.

Harrell said the experience almost brought her to tears.

The post has since been deleted, but copies have appeared on social media.

Also in the deleted post, Harrell said the trooper told the women "you guys are doing great work."

Angry doesnt begin to describe how I feel right now. Im so glad they werent hurt or further harassed, but this has to stop! You want us to do good things in the community, but you harass us while were doing it. Unbelievable, and yet... #SGRhoStrong  https://t.co/JED6YsUAKb  Sho (@ShoStanback) May 12, 2018

The local sorority chapter and the national headquarters of the sorority issued statements claiming the trooper who responded to the call "assumed the women were fighting."

"What is unfortunate, according to the sorority members present, the trooper responded to a call that women were fighting along the highway. Additionally, the trooper was unaware that many African American sororities and fraternities continue active engagement beyond their college years and many actually join as professional adults," the national statement says.

In a written statement, Ryan Tarkowski, communications director for the state police, said the trooper considered the incident a "pedestrians along the highway" call.

He added that it is a common practice for troopers to assist pedestrians along busy highways such as I-83, "to ensure their safety as well as the safety of other drivers in the area."

And he said it is not uncommon for motorists to contact police when they see people on the side of a highway, "where typically pedestrians are not supposed to travel by foot."

"The state police did not intend to inconvenience the volunteers, who had every right to be there, and we commend them for their efforts to help beautify Pennsylvania's highways," Tarkowski said in a statement.

The local incident comes on the heels of high profile incidents at Yale University and a Starbucks in Philadelphia and a golf course in York County.
Minutes after his friend was shot outside a corner grocery store in Philadelphia, 17-year-old Dontia Patterson was at his side.

Patterson lived just down the street, and on that day - Jan. 11, 2007 - he told police that he ran outside into his front yard after he heard three or four shots ring out. His neighbor pointed to the body lying on the ground outside the store and asked Patterson if that was his friend. Running closer, Patterson could see that it was, he told police. He started yelling, "Oh, my God! Is he dead? Is he dead?" as a witness soon described to police, according to court documents.

Within hours, Patterson would be in the back of a police car. Within months, he would be charged with his friend Antwine Jackson's murder. And within two years - after two trials, due to a hung jury in the first - he would be convicted and sentenced to life without parole.

He was convicted based largely on eyewitness identification from two men who were 40 yards away at the time of the shooting. They did not know Patterson. Their description of what the killer was wearing did not match what Patterson was wearing, according to court records. There was no motive established by the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. There was no physical evidence connecting Patterson to the crime.

But there was plenty of evidence withheld - and now the same district attorney's office that sent Patterson away for life is eviscerating its own former prosecutors because of it. Patterson, "in all likelihood," is an innocent man, the DA's office wrote in an extraordinary motion filed Tuesday.

In the motion, Anthony Voci, supervisor of the DA's homicide unit, said the former prosecutors brought an "illogical" case against Patterson that was "so lacking in integrity" that they could not have won it if all the evidence they withheld had been exposed.

He said his office will not seek to try Patterson for murder a third time and moved to drop all charges. Should a judge sign off on the motion Wednesday, Patterson will be a free man after 11 years behind bars.

"Patterson's conviction is an egregious example of police and prosecutorial misconduct in hiding evidence helpful to the defense that the U.S. Constitution and the Pennsylvania Constitution require to be revealed to the defense before trial," Voci wrote. "The constitutional requirements police and prosecution ignored in Patterson's case are crucial. They protect the innocent and re-direct the entire criminal justice system to investigate further to pursue the guilty, all of which protects the public.

"Prosecution that deliberately violates these constitutional rights is not law enforcement in any sense," Voci wrote. "It is a violation of the law."

Patterson's conviction was vacated in February on the grounds of ineffective trial counsel after the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and law firm Cozen O'Connor filed a post-conviction writ. In 134 pages, it detailed how the murder investigation went wrong and all of the exculpatory evidence that was excluded from his trial.

The Philly DA's office notes in its motion that police had significant evidence pointing to two other men as the perpetrators of Antwine Jackson's murder - two men who had a legitimate motive to kill him and who very likely escaped justice, the DA's office said. But for whatever reason, police and prosecutors did not adequately pursue these leads, Voci wrote.

In a "white paper" police drafted the day after Jackson's murder, cops described information from a confidential informant who told them Jackson's murder "was the result of an ongoing battle over the drug corner" in the neighborhood where Jackson was shot. The suspected killer was identified along with the location where he fled and hid. The paper identified the suspect but that suspect was not Patterson. Additional people interviewed by police backed up the information contained in the white paper, according to court documents.

In addition, the store owner who knew Patterson well insisted to police that he saw the shooter come into his store just before killing Jackson outside. Again, the store owner said that shooter was not Patterson.

But Patterson's defense attorney, again for unknown reasons, did not call the store owner as a witness.

Instead, the case presented to the jury was built on flimsy eyewitness ID and spotty, inconsistent statements from two witnesses and an off-duty cop, who was Patterson's neighbor and had every reason to dislike him, the DA's office said.

The cop's granddaughter had a relationship with Patterson that the DA's office said caused tremendous strife within the family, which also was not disclosed to the jury. The officer said she recognized Patterson's "walk" in the grainy surveillance video during Patterson's second trial. She admitted she couldn't see his face, however.

The two men who claimed they did were more than 100 feet away from the scene.

First, the two men told police they saw the killer run away, wearing all black. Minutes later, they said they saw Patterson run up to Jackson after the shooting, distraught. But Patterson was wearing beige pants and a brown shirt, with no shoes and white socks when he arrived at Jackson's side, the men told police. They said he must have changed his clothes.

One of the men testified: "Well, I heard him first. He was like, 'Who did this? Somebody did this. It was a set-up' - stuff like that. And then we saw him - we looked at each other and said, 'That's the guy who shot him.'"

Based on this evidence, Voci wrote in the motion that the prosecution's theory was simply "illogical."

"Killers do not usually remain or return to the scene of the crime," Voci wrote. "They do not usually cry out for their victims while possible witnesses and police approach. Even the two identification witnesses who observed the shooting from far away oddly claimed that Patterson must have left after the shooting, then changed clothes before returning to the crime scene.

"Although Patterson was tried twice," Voci wrote, "neither jury heard the truth."

The Pennsylvania Innocence Project celebrated the DA's office motion to drop the charges against Patterson in a statement, saying that he is ready to get back to work to help his family. His only involvement in this entire crime, the Innocence Project said, was "acting to comfort his dying friend."

The attorneys included a statement from Patterson, who said that he was sorry for Jackson's family and the fact that they may have to relive what happened to their loved one. But he was grateful for justice in the case.

"I'm just so grateful that finally, after all these years, someone listened to me," Patterson said. "Since I was 17 I've been saying I'm innocent, and every day since my arrest. I didn't kill my friend."

(c) 2018, The Washington Post. Story by Meagan Flynn
Democrats and Republicans turned out at the polls Tuesday to select their respective party's nominees for several state Senate and House seats representing central Pennsylvania counties.

Here's a quick look at the results of those races as of late Tuesday:

28th state Senate District: Two women won their parties' nominations and will face off in November for the seat formerly held by Scott Wagner

30th state Senate District: Republican State Rep. Judith Ward of Hollidaysburg received 73.36 percent of the vote, fending off a challenge from Daniel Kiss.

92nd House District: Republican incumbent Dawn Keefer fended off challenges from two GOP candidates to secure her party's nomination.

93rd House District: Mike Jones trounced his opponent to win the Republican nomination to represent this York County seat.

105th House District: Andrew Lewis won the Republican nomination to the seat, receiving about two-thirds of the votes cast.

106th House District: Democrats chose Jill Linta to run against the Republican incumbent Rep. Thomas Mehaffie in the fall.

193rd House District: This race was too close to call, with unofficial vote totals giving Barry Cockley just a 1-vote lead over rival Torren Ecker.

199th House District: In the end, it came down to absentee ballots, but when they were counted, it appeared Cumberland Valley School Board member Barbara Gleim had edged out Middlesex Township lawyer Jason Kelso.
The chess pieces have fallen into place.

The results of Tuesday's closely watched primary election set up fights for control of Congress and the Pennsylvania Governor's Mansion that will play out on a grand and expensive scale this fall.

Despite a threat of rain and reports of low turn-out, candidates left no stone unturned and no hand un-shook as they canvassed for votes.

The high-stakes Congressional primaries, the first under a new map imposed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court earlier this year, held plenty of potential for drama, as voters unfamiliar with both new district lines and their candidate choices headed to the polls.

For Democrats and Republicans alike, Tuesday's intra-party contests were as much about the individual races and their regional peculiarities, as they were a fight over what former President George H.W. Bush called "the vision thing."

For Democrats, the primaries were a test of whether the progressive vision embodied by the Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 insurgent candidacy, or the pragmatic progressivism of newly elected U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, would carry the day.

And, finally, would Tuesday's election, indeed, turn out to be the year of the woman that many observers predicted?

In key contests, Democratic primary voters chose both the Sanders path and put women on the fall ballot.

For Republicans, it was a question of whether candidates would run in the footsteps of President Donald Trump, who carried the state by 44,000 votes in 2016, or would they embrace a more moderate, suburban Republicanism?

"The thing to look at ... is where the enthusiasm is, and where it is against," said Dan Fee, a Democratic consultant from Philadelphia. "If it is against Scott Wagner, and if it is for Democratic candidates, this is going to be an incredibly bad year for Pennsylvania Republicans."

Democrats are "trying to out anti-Trump each other, while Republicans are lining up almost universally behind the president," Christopher Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, told the Pennsylvania Cable Network recently.

But, Borick was quick to add, that support could come back to bite Republicans in this fall's general election campaign.

National Democrats need to flip about two-dozen seats to retake control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the fall. At least four of those seats are in Pennsylvania, reinforcing, and then underlining, the state's Keystone status in the country's political firmament.

According to one report, the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee has booked $11.6 million in advertising this fall in the hugely expensive Philadelphia and Pittsburgh broadcast markets in an attempt to head-off the much heralded "blue wave."

Democrats got a large part of their answer in the candidacy of Braddock, Pa. Mayor John Fetterman, who was declared the winner in an unusual primary for lieutenant governor, ousting incumbent Lt. Gov. Mike Stack.

Fetterman moved to the front of a field of well-qualified candidates, including former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Nina Ahmad, who stepped up after Stack's standing plummeted in the wake of published reports that he berated and mistreated his staff.

Republicans, meanwhile, presented a more complicated picture, explicitly embracing Trumpism in a pair of key U.S. House races.

In the race for United States Senate, U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, a Trump stalwart, prevailed over state Rep. Jim Christiana, R-Beaver. Unofficial tallies showed Christiana made a stronger than expected showing with little money or organization.

Barletta, of Hazleton, who shares Trump's hawkish views on immigration and terrorism, will face Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a fellow northeastern Pennsylvanian, in the fall.

In a trio of key congressional contests in the Philadelphia suburbs that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016, Democratic candidates emerged well-positioned for the fall.

In Bucks County's First District, unofficial tallies showed philanthropist Scott Wallace defeating veteran Rachel Reddick in their fight to challenge first-term GOP U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, in a seat that Democrats have eyed for a takeover.

A political action committee tied to U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., is expected to spend more than $1 million defending Fitzpatrick this fall, according to one published report.

In Montgomery County's new 4th District, state Rep. Madeleine Dean was declared the winner of a three-candidate Democratic field. The winner faces Republican Dan David in the fall.

In the Delaware County-based 5th District, Mary Gay Scanlon was declared the winner, edging out a large field of Democratic candidates. She'll face Republican Pearl Kim in the fall.

In Chester County's 6th District, a pro forma contest meant that Democrat Chrissy Houlahan will face Republican Greg McCauley in a race she's favored to win.

The seat went vacant with this spring's abrupt retirement announcement by GOP U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, who'd grown tired of Trumpian chaos in Washington.

One of the evening's more closely watched contests was the Lehigh Valley's new 7th Congressional District, where six Democrats were vying for a chance to take the seat formerly held by Republican U.S Rep. Charlie Dent.

Progressive groups, led by by NextGen America, backed by progressive billionaire Tom Steyer, launched an effort to turn back the candidacy of Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli.

Morganelli, earned the ire of progressives with his hardline on immigration and a Tweet where he attempted to ingratiate himself with the Trump White House.

Shortly before 11 p.m., unofficial tallies showed former Allentown City solicitor Susan Wild at the head of the pack. The Allentown Morning Call reported that Wild was "on her way" to capturing the nomination, but the race remained too close to call.

Morganelli told The Call he phoned Wild to congratulate her on an apparent victory around 10:35 p.m. on Tuesday night, the newspaper reported. The race for the Republican nomination was neck-and-neck, the newspaper reported.

In western Pennsylvania's new 14th Congressional District, state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler defeated state Rep. Rick Saccone in a seat that had been redrawn to favor Republicans, The Post-Gazette reported.

Saccone ran and lost to Conor Lamb in a closely watched special election in March.

It's going to be quite a fall campaign.
(Editor's Note: This editorial originally appeared in The Washington Post)

When most people think of discrimination in the United States, they correctly think of its victims as members of racial minorities, or women, or people with disabilities. The American Sugar Alliance, however, applies the concept more broadly than that, to encompass even large-scale cane growers.

Or so it appears from the advertising campaign the lobbying group has just launched, which casts this class of business operators among the marginalized.

A full-page ad in last Wednesday's Wall Street Journal featured a picture of two Louisiana sugar planters and the words: "Excluding us from loans available to other crops isn't 'modest reform,' it's discriminatory. Don't cut sugar farmers out of the Farm Bill. Oppose harmful amendments."

What's really going on here? As it does every half-decade or so, the House of Representatives is debating the legislative monstrosity known as the farm bill, a compendium of subsidies for commodity producers whose redeeming feature is that most of it, in dollar terms, supports separate nutritional programs for the poor. (These seemingly unrelated matters get bundled in one bill because of a political bargain between the representatives of urban consumers and rural producers, but that's another story.)

And once again, reformers are targeting the mix of import controls, price targets and other market interventions that essentially try to guarantee profitability for cane growers in the Deep South and sugar-beet producers in the Great Plains.

The big selling point of the sugar program is that it corrects for other countries' market manipulations and doesn't cost taxpayers a dime.

The latter point is mostly true - but only because the program's impact takes the form of higher prices, which means fewer jobs in sugar-using industries in the United States and bigger grocery bills for consumers.

There is no free candy bar. However, in fiscal 2013, the sugar program did incur a $280 million cost to the government; prices for sugar fell below the "support price" to which government-guaranteed sugar loans were pegged. The Agriculture Department ended up with the collateral: tons and tons of sugar that it had to sell at a loss.

Bipartisan reform legislation sponsored by Reps. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., and Danny Davis, D-Ill., which is about to be introduced as an amendment to the farm bill when it reaches the House floor next week, would not repeal this wasteful program. The current version of the legislation would limit it, in particular by requiring the sugar industry to repay the government if and when the loan program operates at a loss.

This is what the American Sugar Alliance considers "discriminatory," because other commodities, such as cotton and corn, would not face a similar condition on their loans. Note: These arguments are being floated in the context of a farm bill that may impose tighter work requirements for poor people to get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

In the crazy farm-bill world of guaranteed benefits for agribusiness - sorry, a safety net for farmers - this thinking makes a perverse sort of sense, we admit. In all other ways, the notion that every agribusiness sector has a right to the same taxpayer-backed aid is pretty much as grotesque as the sugar program itself.
The popular, progressive and tattooed mayor of Braddock, John Fetterman, pulled off a stunning victory Tuesday night, beating four Democratic opponents for the nomination for lieutenant governor, including the embattled incumbent Mike Stack.

Fetterman was one of four Democratic challengers who jumped into the race against Stack after Stack became vulnerable from a series of scandals last year and a chilly relationship with the governor during his first term.

John Fetterman, mayor of Braddock, Pa., talks to a reporter on the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in 2017. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Fetterman trounced the competition by claiming more than 40 percent of the votes, with 75 percent of the precincts reporting.

The Associated Press called the race a win for Fetterman at 10:23 p.m.

His closest competitor was Nina Ahmad who had 22 percent of the votes. Stack was looking to possibly finish fourth out of five candidates.

Fitting with Fetterman's down-to-earth persona, he watched the election results come in Tuesday night in an unadorned "blackbox" theater located beneath a restored car dealership. The dealership has been turned into a home where Fetterman, his wife and three children live.

The competition in the Democratic primary was unprecedented against a sitting incumbent seeking a second term, political experts have said. The interesting personalities who joined the race transformed what could have been a sleepy primary into one of the state's most interesting races.

Notably, Gov. Tom Wolf never endorsed a candidate in the primary.

The win means Fetterman will campaign and compete on a ticket with Wolf in the fall election against the Republican nominees.

The 6-foot 8-inch tall Fetterman barged onto the broader political scene in Pennsylvania in 2016 when he ran for the U.S Senate, losing to Katie McGinty. But he won his hometown of Allegheny County in that election and performed well in nearby counties even though he was outspent 15 to 1 and he said the party was working against him.

This time around, Fetterman told reporters "that's not the case."

In fact, he got the endorsement and support of former U.S. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who stumped in Pennsylvania for Fetterman earlier this month. Fetterman has been a longtime supporter of Sanders.

Like Sanders, Fetterman inspired a fervor in his supporters that was hard for other candidates to match. Many of Fetterman's supporters posted enthusiastic comments on social media Tuesday, including one man who said on Twitter: "A brutal GI virus wasn't enough to keep me from voting in today's #PAPrimary particularly pushing that button for @JohnFetterman."

Political consultants predicted Fetterman could find a path to win the nomination if he locked down Western Pennsylvania voters, where they are prone to support local candidates, and "Bernie-crats" across the state.

As it turned out, Fetterman owned Allegheny County, dominated the Western half of the state and claimed counties in Central Pa. as well for his victory.

Also potentially helping Fetterman was the campaign of political newcomer Nina Ahmad, who peeled away important Philadelphia votes that may have otherwise gone to Stack, who also hails from Philly.

The campaign in recent months had been considered a three-way slugfest with Stack, Fetterman and Amhad having six-figure war chests and potential paths to the nomination.

Ahmad joined the race late but displayed an organized campaign quickly by gathering more than 4,000 signatures to get on the ballot within eight days.

Other candidates in the race included Kathi Cozzone, a Chester County Commissioner, who raised more than $60,000 and Ray Sosa, a banker/insurance broker from Montgomery County, who's campaign finances had a negative balance in recent months.

Fetterman has served as the mayor of one of Pennsylvania's poorest towns since 2006, after he won a crowded primary by a single vote. He has since won reelection twice.

During his campaign for lieutenant governor, Fetterman noted he had drawn donations from thousands of individual donors, a "broad base" of support that he could wield to help Wolf get re-elected.

He also claimed to be the most progressive person to ever run for executive office in the state. He has promised to fight the opioid crisis and voiced support for equality, environmental protection, gay rights, immigration and marijuana legalization, but has been criticized for supporting natural gas "fracking," in his city to preserve jobs.

He told an audience at a Democratic debate in February that natural gas was a "bridge" or stepping stone to renewable energy sources and that some poor communities that aren't very far along with "green technologies," so making an abrupt switch could "leave them behind."

Democrats started piling into the lieutenant governor's race last year after a scandal forced Stack to publicly apologize for berating state workers assigned to his taxpayer-paid mansion and police security team. Specifically, Stack reportedly verbally abused state police officers who did not agree with his requests to travel to events with lights and sirens activated.

Gov. Wolf ordered an investigation but hasn't publicly released the report.

The lieutenant governor's relationship with the governor dictates the power of the LG's role, according to political experts. Without the support of the governor, the job can be largely ceremonial even though it pays an annual salary of $160,000, the highest in the nation.

The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, sometimes serving as a tie-breaker, and as chair of the board of pardons and parole, making recommendations to the governor.

The lieutenant governor also is just a heartbeat away from the state's top job. There have been two prior lieutenant governors ascend to the governorship in the Commonwealth's history.

If Wolf and Fetterman prevail in the fall election, Fetterman has said he would not live in the lieutenant governor's mansion at Fort Indiantown Gap.

I was the first candidate to say I would not occupy the home," Fetterman said at a debate in March. "The expenses are outrageous and inappropriate ... We will not be living in a mansion. We will not have servants, not on the taxpayers' dime. We'd find a home in Harrisburg, but not cost the taxpayers any money. It's an extravagance the state of Pennsylvania can do without."
It wasn't the scandals that toppled incumbent Lt. Gov. Mike Stack.

Instead, his campaign spokesman said, it simply was the geography of the candidates competing for his job.

John Fetterman, the mayor of Braddock, was the only candidate on the Democratic lieutenant governor's ballot from Western Pennsylvania, in a state where voters like to support their hometown candidates, said Marty Marks, spokesman for Stack.

John Fetterman

Stack, meanwhile, was competing against three challengers from the same Eastern region near his hometown of Philadelphia.

Stack, who was seeking the opportunity for a second term, came in fourth place out of five candidates during Tuesday's Democratic primary.

Pennsylvania is among the few states that puts the hometown counties of candidates on the ballot, Marks said, allowing voters to potentially choose candidates based on geography.

"We benefitted from it four years ago," Marks said, when the situation was reversed and Stack was the only candidate from the east side of the state. "But we didn't this time."

Also working against Stack, Marks said, was that Gov. Tom Wolf's campaign people were helping Fetterman's campaign and telling people to vote for Fetterman.

Wolf never gave a public endorsement in the race.

Fetterman, for his part, said he was humbled and grateful for the support he received from voters. He ended up with more than 38 percent of the vote, with about 95 percent of precincts reporting.

"I'm overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude," he said. "I think our message of every community matters, and every place matters, resonated. We made a point to get to every county we could."

Fetterman said he "thinks the world of Gov Tom Wolf," and is proud to be his partner going into the fall election.

Fetterman has served as mayor of Braddock since 2006. He said he loves all the communities across Pennsylvania and his campaign in the primary tried to communicate that.

"I like to think that resonated with voters," he said.

With 95 percent of precincts reporting, Fetterman had garnered more than 278,000 votes.

When Stack won the Democratic primary in 2014, Stack collected more than 351,000 votes for nearly 47 percent of the vote.

Political newcomer Nina Ahmad, of Philadelphia, joined the race late this year but with a war chest of about $800,000, which helped to propel her to a second-place finish in the Democratic primary with more than 23 percent of the votes.

Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone surprised some people with a strong showing in third place, with more than 18 percent of the vote. She was the first name that appeared on the ballot, which carries an advantage, but had only raised about $62,000.

Stack, meanwhile, had to settle for less than 17 percent of the votes, even though he had amassed nearly $1 million for the primary race. The only candidate he beat was Montgomery County businessman Roy Sosa, who finished with just more than three percent of the vote.

Stack's campaign spokesman, Marks, said it takes $3 million to run a competitive statewide race, especially when geography is working against a candidate.

The loss was the first time a sitting lieutenant governor had lost in a primary, according to the Associated Press

But Marks said they weren't shocked by the results.

"It wasn't terribly unexpected," he said. "It was a question of geography."

Stack had already made his peace with voters about the series of negative headlines last year, Marks said, including reports that he had berated state employees assigned to his mansion and security detail. The general voting public, however, was not that attuned to all the developments last year or in the campaign, he said.

"In the end, Mike Stack overcame all that," Marks said.

Now, Stack is looking to his future after his term ends later this year.

"He's going to continue to be a leader in some capacity," Marks said. "It's in his DNA."
It looks like Pennsylvania's Democratic voters turned to a set of female candidates to lead the resistance to President Donald J. Trump in the battle for the U.S. House of Representatives this year.

Women candidates won primary battles across the Philadelphia suburbs and were installed as early favorites in general election contests covering Montgomery, Delaware and Chester counties.

State Rep. Madeleine Dean crushed her rivals in the 4th District, anchored in Montgomery County. Philadelphia attorney Mary Gay Scanlon held a big lead in a 10-candidate scrum for the 5th, which is based in Delaware County.

In the Lehigh Valley, Allentown attorney Susan Wild edged longtime Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli, who had been attacked as not Democrat enough given his past tough stands on issues like illegal immigration.

Wild will face Lehigh County Commissioner Marty Nothstein in what should be a tight race to succeed former U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, the veteran Republican lawmaker who abruptly left office this month with six months to go in his term.

Nothstein had edged slightly ahead in unofficial in the GOP primary for the new 7th District.

All told, five women won contested Democratic primaries in Pennsylvania Tuesday. Another Democratic woman, Chrissy Houlahan, was unopposed in the Democratic-leaning 6th District, covering Chester County.

The only outlier to the womens' resistance theme in the southeast was in the 1st District based in Bucks County, where millionaire Scott Wallace won a clear victory in the Democratic primary over attorney Rachel Reddick, and will face off against Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.

At this moment, Democrats appear to have real shots to flip the 4th, 5th and 6th Districts into the Democratic column this year and they expect to be competitive in the 1st and 7th.

It makes Pennsylvania, as predicted, a critical player in the race for majority control of the U.S. House of Representatives this year.

Elsewhere in the state, two incumbent Congressmen prepared for a tough face-off in the fall.

Democrat U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and Republican U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus won their respecitve primaries for the new 17th District in Allegheny and Beaver counties.

Republicans have an opportunity to flip a seat, too.

Democrat Rep. Matthew Cartwright may face a stiff challenge from Republican investment banker John Chrin in the 8th District in northeastern Pennsylvania.

This bounty of changes is the direct result of a forced redistricting imposed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in February. The court imposed a new map following a hotly-contested suit alleging GOP gerrymandering of the state's 18 Congressional districts to the point where voters' voices in some districts had been rendered unequal.

The court's map - along with a handful of sex scandals and early retirements - dramatically changed the Congressional battlefield. It left the state with more primary candidates in the hunt Tuesday than at any point since 1984.

In the day's other noteworthy races:

* Dematologist Dr. John Joyce (21.9 percent) used a massive airwave advantage to eek out a narrow victory over state Sen. John Eichelberger, R-Blair County, (19.7 percent) and state Rep. Steve Bloom, R-Carlisle, (18.3 percent) in the sprawling 13th District.

Joyce won an eight-way GOP primary that, in a normal year, would be expected to be decisive in determining the replacement for the retiring U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster.

* State Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, a Republican from Allegheny County, defeated State Rep. Rick Saccone, also a Republican from Allegheny County, in a primary for the new 14th district in the far southwest corner of the state.

This race was remarkable because there was no incumbent and neither of the GOP candidates live in its borders at this point.

Reschenthaler will face former auto company exective Democrat Bibiana Boerio in the general election.

* Retired Army officer-turned Lutheran pastor George Scott narrowly outpolled 26-year-old Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson to earn the right to face U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in the new 10th District, covering the Capitol region.

The district has a smaller GOP edge than Perry has enjoyed in the past and Republicans aren't about to let themselves be surprised. But the national Democratic Party may watch for opportunities here based on early polling and how other races shake out.

* Former state Revenue Secretary Dan Meuser cruised to a relatively easy Republican primary win in the seat that covers most of the territory now represented by U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, who is running for the Senate.

Meuser goes into the general election as a clear favorite in the new 9th District, which leans heavily Republican.

* Republican Lloyd Smucker cruised to an easy victory against Chet Beiler in the new 11th District, which includes all of Lancaster County and part of York County. Smucker won the GOP primary by more than 16 percentage points.

The tough campaign, a rematch of the 2016 GOP primary, is noteworthy because Smucker and Beiler are cousins. They graduated in the same class at Lancaster Mennonite High School. Smucker will face Democrat Jessica King in the fall. King ran without opposition in the primary.
Pennsylvania voters decided that the road to the governor's office will go through York County as they picked Sen. Scott Wagner to challenge Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's bid for a second term.

Wagner bested his opponents, both of Allegheny County, in a three-way race in Tuesday's primary by sweeping up victories primarily in the central and northwestern portions of the state. He beat his closest rival, political newcomer Paul Mango, 45 percent to 37 percent with 99.5 percent of precincts reporting, according to the Department of State.

The third candidate and another political novice, Laura Ellsworth, came away with 19 percent of the vote.

Ellsworth failed to win the majority of the votes in any county while Wagner won 43 counties and Mango won 24. Mango's biggest margin of victory coming from Bucks and Allegheny counties.

Wagner cast himself as Pennsylvania's version of President Trump with his blunt talk and appeal to blue-collar workers. He focused his message heavily on cutting waste in government and moving toward zero-based budgeting.

With the primary win under his belt, Wagner will now focus his energies on making Wolf, 69, who was uncontested for Democratic nomination, the second one-term governor in modern state history.

He set the stage for what appears likely to be a costly and heated campaign in his victory speech by taking shots at Wolf, portraying him as not focusing enough attention on veterans, being beholden to special interests, and finding ways for government to take more of people's paychecks. He appealed to Democrats and independent voters to get behind him and his call to eliminate property taxes.

"The people of Pennsylvania can and should have a governor who's on their side. Someone who's a lot like them and I'm a lot like all of you and I'm like a lot of Pennsylvanians," said Wagner, the 62-year-old president and owner of Penn Waste trash hauling service.

Wolf's campaign manager Jeff Sheridan issued a statement on Tuesday evening, saying Wagner is not on their side "and his record of obstruction makes clear he will take Pennsylvania backward."

Sheridan called Wagner "the very worst of Harrisburg" and said he has "been standing in the way of progress and blocking efforts to change Harrisburg and help Pennsylvania families. There's no greater example of Wagner's obstructionist tactics than his opposition to the severance tax."

Wolf, who like Wagner is also millionaire businessman, starts his post-primary re-election campaign with $14 million in bank. Wagner, who spent $12 million on his primary campaign, headed into May with $2.2 million in the bank.

The Republican primary campaign was described by longtime political observer G. Terry Madonna as the most brutal in modern history. It was primarily an attack ad on Wagner's character by Mango's campaign that drew that description. During the primary, Mango said the governor's race would be over by Memorial Day if Wagner won the GOP nomination.

However, on Tuesday evening, Mango credited Wagner for running a spirited campaign and called on the "people of faith, our veterans, our working class" who supported him to "remain focused on the most important goal which is to defeat Gov. Tom Wolf in November of this year. We all need to come together to do that. So please join me in doing that."

In her concession speech, Ellsworth told her campaign supporters gathered in Pittsburgh that she set out to focus on people, not politics and to "act with civility and decency and I am proud to stand before you tonight and tell you we did exactly what we set out to do."

Unlike Mango, she didn't call for Republicans to rally behind the party nominee but instead, challenged whoever wins the governor's race to "to ask yourself in your heart what you can bring to the table and then bring it to the table and let's make Pennsylvania be the state that it deserves to be."

*This story has been updated to include the latest election results.
A welder works in a factory in Quebec City, Tuesday, February 28, 2012. Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 1.4 per cent to $57.1 billion in March, with gains in 72 per cent of the industries monitored.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Royal memorabilia on sale near Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, Friday, May 11, 2018. All roads seem to lead to Windsor Castle, a magnificent fortress perched high on a hill topped by the royal standard when the queen is in residence. It is here Ai a favoured royal playground since William the Conqueror built the first structure here in 1070 Ai that the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will take place. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Bloc Quebecois leadership candidate Martine Ouellet smiles as she arrives at a news conference, Tuesday, March 14, 2017 in Quebec City. The youth wing of the Bloc Quebecois has become the latest group to withdraw its support for embattled leader Martine Ouellet, declaring Wednesday she's not the one to bring the crumbling sovereigntist party together again. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Alexandre Taillefer delivers a statement after being presented by Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard as the Liberal party's campaign president for the fall election during a news conference Tuesday, May 15, 2018 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Ontario Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne, right, talks with Michael McCarthy, centre, CEO, of MHI Canada Aerospace Inc., a subsidiary of Japan-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as they look in the the haul of an airplane during a campaign stop at the plants facility in Mississauga, Ont., on Wednesday, May 16, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Boats are seen in Snook's Arm, N.L. in this undated handout photo. A growing number of Newfoundland and Labrador outports are making it a wrenching choice to resettle. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Edwin Neeleman *MANDATORY CREDIT*
FILE - In this April 8, 1994 file photo, Seattle police officers investigate the home of Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain, after he was found dead earlier that day in Seattle. The Washington State Court of Appeals has ruled that photographs from the scene of CobainAos death will not be released publicly. KING5-TV reports the court ruled Tuesday, May 15, 2018, that the photographs are exempt from Washington stateAos Public Records Act and releasing the photos would Auviolate the Cobain familyAos due process rights under the 14th Amendment.Au (AP Photo/Robert Sorbo, File)
Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor Scott Wagner, left, speaks to Springfield Township Treasurer Margaret Young as he arrives at a polling station Tuesday, May 15, 2018, in Springfield, Pa. Republican voters are deciding between three candidates to challenge Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who is uncontested in his primary to seek a second term in November. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)
Officers move into position following an attack at the regional police headquarters in Pekanbaru, Riau province, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Indonesian police on Wednesday shot dead sword-wielding men who attacked the police headquarters in Sumatra, killing one officer, the latest in a spate of militant attacks across the Muslim-majority country. (AP Photo/Akbari)
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., right, Republican primary candidate for U.S. Senate, greets supporters during a lunch gathering, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, in Scranton, Pa. During Pennsylvania's Tuesday, May 15, 2018, primary election, Republican Party voters in the state will select Barletta or Pennsylvania state Rep. Jim Christiana as their nominee to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey's re-election bid. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2018 file photo, T.I. attends the Roc Nation pre-Grammy brunch in New York. Police say rapper T.I. has been arrested for disorderly conduct and public drunkenness as he tried to enter his gated community outside Atlanta. Henry County Police Deputy Mike Ireland said T.I. was arrested around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 16, after he got into an argument with a security guard. Media reports say the rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, lost his key and the guard wouldnAot let him into the community. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
Malaysia's reformist icon Anwar Ibrahim waves from a vehicle as he leaves the National Palace after meeting the king in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Anwar has been freed from custody after receiving a pardon from the king, paving the way for a political comeback following his alliance's stunning election victory. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
FILE - In this April 9, 2018, file photo, National Security Adviser John Bolton listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington. After announcing early Wednesday that it was pulling out of high-level talks with Seoul because of a new round of U.S.-South Korea military exercises, the North took aim at Bolton and said it might have to reconsider whether to proceed with the summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because it doubts how seriously Washington actually wants peaceful dialogue. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman answers questions during a federal, provincial and territorial health ministers' meeting in Toronto on Tuesday, October 18, 2016. Alberta's abortion clinic bill has moved one step closer to being passed following a debate session that saw opposition United Conservatives walk out of the chamber en masse five more times to avoid casting a vote. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Pirate offense sputters in loss The downpour of rain that drenched Pirate Field in the fourth quarter was probably an accurate representation of just how Perryville football coach Brent Roth and his team felt following the game.The 

Indians have fun in shutout victory over Bayless St. Vincent football coach Tim Schumer said that his team had a lot of fun on Friday night. The Indians scored early and often, then dominated on defense as they shutout Bayless 59-0 
Oil companies should develop Guyana's local capacity for services needed now  Chatham House

By Kaieter News



GEORGETOWN

Petroleumworld 05 14 2018 Emerging oil producers like Guyana, should not hesitate to ensure that oil companies develop local capacity for the goods and services needed now.



This piece of advice was passed on to Guyana since 2016 by Chatham House. This London-based organization has given support to private sector, civil society bodies, and its member states, on the most significant developments in international affairs as well as on how to manage certain sectors efficiently.



Being passionate about the importance of local content, Chatham House advised that Governments should require foreign oil companies to invest in developing local capacity in goods and services for which the petroleum sector has an immediate need, or preferably, in those that have dual use' applications and can also be used in other sectors of the economy.



The London-based body said that Governments should collaborate with companies to develop training and hiring programmes to ensure that they are well integrated into the petroleum projects' life cycle and into the national local content strategy.



Chatham House said it is particularly important for developing economies to devise petroleum-sector policies that maximize national development. For this purpose, it opined that governments must have clear local content objectives, which are set within a broader national vision.



It said, For instance, they should strategically target which skills and supply chains to develop. Governments should identify the sector's expected needs and assess the potential of the resource base. Foreign oil companies can assist with providing data from their forward plans.



Chatham House continued, Governments should assess national capabilities in order to identify strategic targets for national development.



At the same time, governments should enact capacity-building plans to ensure that domestic producers are capable of supplying the skills, goods and services that the oil companies require. For maximum impact on the economy, these efforts should be strategic and grounded in a thorough understanding of the local context.



The Organization added, Preference should be given to skills that can benefit other sectors of the economy. Governments should then adopt a simple monitoring and reporting system to ensure progress is made in achieving national development goals.



The body noted that the Government should carefully designed local content policies that address the sector's needs and are adapted to national capabilities that will be mutually beneficial. Petroleumworld.com



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Oil dips Wednesday on signs of ample supply despite OPEC cuts, Iran sanctions

By Henning Gloystein



SINGAPORE

Petroleumworld 05 16 2018

Oil prices fell on Wednesday, weighed down by ample supplies despite ongoing output cuts by producer cartel OPEC and looming U.S. sanctions against major crude exporter Iran.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 were at $78.23 per barrel at 0445 GMT, down 20 cents, or 0.3 percent, from their last close.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $71.08 a barrel, down 23 cents, or 0.3 percent, from their last settlement.

Despite the dips, both financial oil benchmarks remained close to their November 2014 highs of $79.47 and $71.92 a barrel respectively, reached the previous day.

But there are signs in physical crude markets that may give pause to financial investors.

There are also signs that oil production will rise, especially at majors like ExxonMobil ( XOM ), Royal Dutch Shell ( RDSa.L ), Chevron ( CVX.N ), BP ( BP.L ) and Total ( TOTF.PA ).

Aggregate production - both actual and projected - is growing for the majors, S&P Global Ratings said in a report published on Tuesday.

Spot crude oil cargo prices are at their steepest discounts to futures prices in years as sellers are struggling to find buyers for West African, Russian and Kazakh cargoes, while pipeline bottlenecks trap supply in west Texas and Canada.

The bottleneck in North America likely contributed to a 4.9 million barrel rise in U.S. crude oil inventories, to 435.6 million barrels, that the private American Petroleum Institute reported on Tuesday.

The API inventory data in the U.S. fits with ... a topping pattern  or at least a decent pause  for oil prices at the moment, said Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at futures brokerage AxiTrader.

Official U.S. government fuel storage data is due for release by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) later on Wednesday.

We expect the EIA report to display bearish results amidst higher rig counts and production levels in the U.S., said Singapore-based brokerage Phillip Futures.

Despite Wednesday's dips and some indicators implying the financial oil has overshot physical oil, overall crude market conditions have tightened since 2017 when the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) started to withhold supplies to push up oil prices.

With renewed U.S. sanctions looming against OPEC-member Iran and oil demand strong, analysts said crude markets will likely remain tight for much of the year.

Stronger oil prices are also spilling into other markets.

A rising oil price brings upside price risk to all commodities, Morgan Stanley said in a note to clients this week.



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Guyana must decide on oil money, spend, save absence of direction, rules can lead to chaos  Chatham House

By Kaieter News



GEORGETOWN

Petroleumworld 05 16 2018 Billions of dollars in oil money will soon be flowing Guyana's way. But if the local authorities do not decide soon, what percentage of it should be saved and what should be invested, then chaos would surely be the end result.



This salient piece of advice was passed on to Guyana by Chatham House. The London-based body has been assisting Guyana in getting fundamental systems and policies in order for the proper management of its looming oil resources.



In its meeting last year, Chatham House met with several of Guyana's officials.



The London-based body observed from those discussions that there was great uncertainty on the correct balance between consuming and saving petroleum revenues.



It said, Some participants argued that most of it should be saved for future generations.



Others argued that significant amounts should also be used to increase public spending on priority areas like infrastructure and education.



This debate illustrates the need to be clear about fiscal rules and savings frameworks, as well as to explain the reasons for these rules regularly to the public.



Chatham House stated too that in Timor-Leste and Nigeria, the respective Ministries of Finance chose to save a significant portion of its oil money.



It noted, however, that those agencies also explained every month to stakeholders, the importance of that fiscal rule and why they were not spending more.



Additionally, Chatham House delivered a presentation to local officials, that examined profits made from a large oilfield and the impact of spending those volatile revenues on a small economy.



Chatham House said that the negative impacts demonstrated the necessity to de-link these revenues from public spending.



The organization outlined that there are numerous fiscal rules that can be used to this end.



One of these rules it said, is to spend based on structural income rather than on the volatile actual income. Chatham House noted that structural income or permanent fiscal revenues can be determined by using the long-term average price for the commodity and save any revenues over that price.



It said that Governments can spend their savings when revenue flows fall below the long-term price.



There are different ways to estimate the long-term price and none is perfect, but they do give a structure to the savings decision.



Chatham House said, too, that Governments should also identify windfalls as transitory or permanent price surges, and remain conservative in making this assessment. Petroleumworld.com



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ExxonMobil charging Guyana nine times more than its partner CNOOC/NEXEN for admin

By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell



GEORGETOWN

Petroleumworld 05 16 2018 There are several disparities highlighted in the way Esso Exploration and Petroleum Guyana Limited (EEPGL) handles its financials when compared to its partner, CNOOC/NEXEN.



For one, both subsidiaries have borrowed monies from their parent companies to fund their operations. However, in its financial statement, CNOOC was keen to point out that no interest is being charged on the sum.



CNOOC said, The Branch owes the company, for advances to fund the Branch's exploration activity. The amount due to the company is unsecured, non-interest bearing, and has no fixed terms of repayment.



However, EEPGL, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, failed to be that explicit. All that company said was that it received a loan. No mention was made of whether or not interest has to be paid. In any case, Guyana will have to stand the bill of any interest accumulated.



The disparities go further. The total debt of EEPGL in 2016 was $76.8B of which approximately $60B was incurred in 2016. This was pointed out by Christopher Ram in recent writings.



Ram noted that general and administrative costs for EEPGL were stated at $2.1B (This is $2.1B Guyana dollars and not US, as was inadvertently stated in yesterday's article.)



Now, it is interesting to note that the $2.1B represents administrative costs only.



Expenses falling under administrative costs would include payments of accounting staff, rental of buildings, consulting expenses, corporate management (the salaries of EEPGL's executives), legal payments, office supplies and utility payments. Administrative cost would not include anything directly related to exploration or drilling operations.



Ram was concerned about the fact that EEPGL gave no breakdown of how it spent over $2.1B on administrative costs.



He noted, Except for legal and professional fees of $168M, there is no breakdown of this huge amount and one will have to speculate whether or not any interest cost is included in this amount. Interest could account for why the amount is so high.



On the other hand, CNOOC incurred far less in administrative costs.

Ram noted that CNOOC only incurred $230M in general and administrative expenses and its overall cost is $52B.



Ram said, This huge gap cannot be explained by the relative scale of the operations of the two companies. In other words, the two companies' operations are not large enough to reflect the gaps in costs.



The Chartered Accountant said that having witnessed the recklessness with which the Government and Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman blindly accepted a whopping US$460 million as pre-contract costs, and, how tolerant they have been of the refusal of one of the Contractors to meet its statutory obligations with respect to the annual filing of returns and accounts, it would be wishful thinking to believe that the Government will get serious with the three contractors.



Ram noted that three years after the announcement of the discovery of petroleum, Trotman and the Government have not been able to take a single action in relation to the emerging sector, pass a single piece of legislation or call out a single oil company.



In the process, they have shown themselves wholly lacking in managing a petroleum economy and the country's relationship with the three oil companies. The Guyana Revenue Authority has its work cut out. The country is in for a rough ride.



Hess Guyana Exploration Guyana Limited (Hess), which is the third partner operating the Stabroek Block, has not filed annual returns since its registration in 2014. Petroleumworld.com



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Guyana's Petroleum Commission bill to be revised with World Bank-guidelines



By Demerarawaves



GEORGETOWN

Petroleumworld 05 16 2018

Guyana's proposed Petroleum Commission legislation might be further revised or replaced altogether following more expert recommendations under the auspices of a World Bank-funded project, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman said Tuesday.

It is now one year since the Petroleum Commission Bill was tabled in the 65-seat National Assembly, and Trotman said since then the World Bank has asked Guyana to put a brake on going forward to allow for an overhauled or new draft.

They have committed to providing an expert to do the redraft. They had provided comments but the actual redraft is what is needed now and the intention is to have the bill back before the House, either a complete redraft or a new bill by June of this year, said the Minister of Natural Resources shortly after meeting with World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean, Tahseen Sayed Khan

The legal expert, he said, is expected in Guyana in the coming weeks to work on the inputs on the current draft that were received in February.

Well-placed government sources have told Demerara Waves Online News that government would not be granting more oil concessions until the relevant legislation is passed and the Ministry of the Presidency's Department of Energy is established.

The World Bank is providing a US$20 million loan to finance institutional capacity building for the oil and gas sector. Government and the World Bank are said to be working out arrangements to pay the expert who would incorporate comments on the existing Bill into statutory language.

The Natural Resources Minister said a workshop was held on Monday with the ministers to brainstorm the idea of the Department of Energy and how it could be framed to accompany the Petroleum Commission Bill. The energy Task Force includes Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan; Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson; Minister of Natural Resources, Trotman, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan; Minister of Public Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry and Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally.

When established, the Department of Energy would be responsible negotiating oil contracts and the issuance of licences among other duties. Key among those was the proposal by Trotman in his document that all policy matters, including, but not limited to, the negotiating and entering into contracts, and issuing of licences for exploration and production.

Trotman explained that all the recommendations have been incorporated into a new Petroleum Commission Bill, paving the way for the World Bank to formulate a matrix and tried to synthesize them into one workable draft. The aim, he said, is to share the revised draft with stakeholders, the Guyana Bar Association, the various oil association, critics and the general public through its website and national consultations.

The Minister of Natural Resources has in the past said he had identified the need for more opposition and civil society representation on the proposed Petroleum Commission which would take over responsibility for the oil and gas sector from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.

Meanwhile, government's second draft Local Content Policy is now available for public comment as part of another round of public consultation.

Trotman said he has asked ExxonMobil to release the latest statistics on the number of companies- estimated at more than 300 or 400 companies. I don't know why Exxon has not released this a lot of people are benefiting in this country already, he said.

Guyana is set to become the Caribbean's largest oil producer in 2020 when ExxonMobil begins commercial oil production from its Liza field located more than 100 miles off the coast.

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Green penny finally drops for Australia's oil and gas industry: Russell

By Clyde Russell



ADELAIDE

Petroleumworld 05 16 2018

How can Australia's oil and gas industry, on the cusp of becoming the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), have failed so comprehensively in the public relations battle against environmental activists?

This was the question posed by Kevin Gallagher, chief executive of Santos Ltd, the country's No. 2 oil and gas producer, to the annual conference of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association.

It's taken several years, but the country's LNG producers have finally realised there is mounting public anger against their industry, and they are very much on the back foot when it comes to telling what they believe is a positive story.

The public relations problems for the industry have been brewing for several years, but have been greatly exacerbated in the past year by a combination of factors.

These include sharply higher natural gas prices for domestic consumers and a well-orchestrated campaign by green activists against the industry.

This environmental campaign attacks the industry on several levels, from claiming that onshore natural gas production is unsafe and will damage farmland, to articulating that the rise of Australia's LNG export industry has raised prices and starved domestic consumers of supply, to drawing a direct link between natural gas production and climate change.

Not all of these arguments stand up to scrutiny, but the industry has been slow to realise that relying on reasoned and science-based arguments when its opponents are using populism and fear and outrage is a losing position.

What the industry has taken too long to realise is that in the court of public opinion it doesn't matter that 13 different government inquiries have found that extracting natural gas is safe as long as it is properly regulated, if the populace believes the scare-mongering of activists and farmers.

A refusal to engage has cost the industry credibility, and rebuilding a public image of LNG producers as a valuable contributor to society will take time, despite the $200 billion the industry has invested over the past decade to build eight new LNG projects.

Zoe Yujnovich, chairwoman of Royal Dutch Shell's operations in Australia and also of APPEA, told the conference the industry was well received and respected in the largely remote communities where its operations are located, but vilified and distrusted in Australia's large cities.

So, a question we must answer is: Why is there such a gulf in perception from the regional areas where we operate to the commentators and activists of the inner city who rely on our products? she said.

TIME TO ENGAGE

Yujnovich said the industry has been unwilling to engage in conversations with other Australians, and when it has, it has chosen to avoid challenging or confrontational dialogue.

In effect, the industry has sat in its ivory tower, believing that science backs its positions and that its products provide the energy the community needs.

It's this sort of disengagement that has allowed the industry to be tarred with the narrative that it doesn't contribute its fair share of taxes, that it is sending Australians' natural resources offshore for its own profit, and that it is responsible for surging domestic prices for natural gas and electricity.

There is an element of truth to the pricing argument against the industry, insofar as the establishment of three LNG export plants on the east coast in Queensland state has effectively linked the domestic natural gas price to Asian LNG prices.

Instead of recognising the issue, the industry pushed back against government plans to ensure that domestic gas supply needs were met before the demands of the LNG plants.

The industry has also been largely ineffectual in lobbying the various state and territory governments to open up more onshore exploration areas and end bans that have been imposed.

The Australian states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania all have some form of ban or restriction on natural gas exploration and production, and the Northern Territory just lifted a ban on hydraulic fracturing after a government inquiry found the risks could be managed.

There are several steps the Australian natural gas industry can take to improve its public image and rebuild trust.

The first is to cooperate with each other to ensure the domestic market is well supplied at prices that will allow industrial companies to continue to be competitive, thus preventing them from shifting operations offshore.

The second is to ensure that governments realise that increasing supply is a key way of delivering cheaper prices.

And the third is to do more than just engage communities where they operate, but also to talk to people in the cities as to what the industry actually delivers, and what it can't.

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Middle East is "explosive" France says, disagrees with U.S. policy

By Reuters



PARIS

Petroleumworld 05 16 2018

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday described the situation in the Middle East as explosive and criticised the United States for unilateral acts in the region and Israel for what he said was an unjustified level of violence.

Thousands of Gaza residents turned out on Tuesday for the funerals of Palestinians killed by Israeli troops a day earlier, in the bloodiest day for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict.

The situation in the Middle East is explosive, violence is doing the talking, war could loom, Le Drian told lawmakers in parliament.

We are committed to the security of Israel but Israel's security cannot justify this level of violence, he said.

Monday's violence on the border took place as the United States opened its new embassy in Jerusalem.

We have disagreements with the United States, Le Drian said, referring both to the U.S policy on Iran and to the embassy move.

We (also) have a disagreement about the method. Because in both cases the United States decided to act unilaterally, he said.

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Cuba could help broker gov't-opposition dialogue in Venezuela - EU

By Reuters



HAVANA

Petroleumworld 05 16 2018

The European Union's top diplomat said on Tuesday Communist-run Cuba could help broker fresh dialogue between the government and opposition in Venezuela, despite Havana's frequent assurances the crisis afflicting its leftist ally was a sovereign matter.

Federica Mogherini made the comments at a news conference in Brussels after hosting the EU's first joint council with Cuba since the bloc dropped all sanctions on the island and agreed on a political framework within which to strengthen ties.

The EU has said it is now Cuba's top trade and investment partner, and arguably plays a bigger role than traditional allies like Venezuela or Russia as the island implements market reforms to its centrally-planned economy.

Analysts say the EU has also taken advantage of U.S. indifference or a diplomatic vacuum, as the Trump administration backtracks on a fragile detente with Cuba.

I personally believe that Cuba could play a positive role in trying to avoid further negative developments (in Venezuela) and trying to re-open and negotiate a political solution and dialogue, Mogherini told joint news conference with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

Venezuela will hold a presidential election on May 20 that the opposition coalition is boycotting, saying it is a farce intended to legitimize a dictatorship led by President Nicolas Maduro.

The Lima Group of largely Latin American nations on Monday urged the Venezuelan government to suspend the vote, calling the process illegitimate and lacking in credibility.

Cuba has played the role of broker in several disputes in recent years, notably hosting peace talks between the Colombian government and Marxist rebel groups it has been at war with for five decades.

The Cuban government has stood steadfast by Venezuela, denouncing foreign interference in its internal affairs, despite a sharp decline in subsidized Venezuelan oil shipments amid the OPEC nation's economic crisis.

The EU has sent several high-level delegations to Cuba this year. First Mogherini visited, then a delegation from the European Investment Bank.

The bloc signed on Tuesday an agreement with Cuba to invest 18 million euros to help its achieve its ambitious goals in terms of developing renewable energy on the island.

The EU has said it will sign cooperation agreements worth 49 million euros in total.

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The central bank said in a notice in the government's daily gazette that the new unit would design and issue guidelines on information security for the country's banks, which are supervised by the central bank.

Central bank Governor Alejandro Diaz de Leon said on Monday that the country had seen an unprecedented attack on payment system connections and that he hoped that measures being taken would stop future incidents.

The attack on Mexican banks is similar to one of the biggest-ever known cyber heists, when thieves stole $81 million from Bangladesh's central bank in 2016, said Fermin Gonzalez, head of forensic services at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Mexico.

Perhaps, some financial institutions perceived the attacks in Bangladesh as something very distant, he said, adding that some Mexican banks may not have invested in sufficient security measures.

But criminals look for vulnerability and once they see it they are going to exploit it.

The central bank has not identified which banks were hit by the cyber attack or detailed how much thieves were able to wire out to bogus accounts in other banks.

A source close to the government's investigation said more than 300 million had been siphoned out of banks, but it was not clear how much had subsequently been taken out in cash withdrawals.

Bank Grupo Financiero Banorte ( GFNORTEO.MX ) said on Tuesday it does not expect the attack to hit financial results.

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Reporting by Stefanie Eschenbacher and Michael O'Boyle, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien from Reuters.



reuters.com / 05 15 2018



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Repsol moving into an clean energy company, ending pursuit of oil growth



Spanish company said to propose limits on output, reserve life. Oil majors are growing more cautious about long-term demand. - Play Video - Repsol is giving up on growing its oil and gas business. Bloomberg's Will Kennedy reports

By Rodrigo Orihuela



MADRID

Petroleumworld 05 16 2018

Repsol SA will no longer seek growth for its oil and gas business in preparation for the global transition to cleaner energy, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The Spanish energy company is the first of its peers to make such a move. It illustrates how the industry's strategic decisions are starting to be influenced by emissions curbs, electric cars and renewable energy, which have stoked questions about the strength of long-term demand.

Repsol will unveil an updated business plan next month that limits oil and gas output to current levels and ensures it keeps no more than about eight years of reserves on its books, the person said, asking not to be identified because the information isn't public. That would be a shorter reserve life than most of its peers, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The objective in our current business plan is to maintain production stable" at around 700,000 to 750,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, Kristian Rix, a spokesman for Repsol, said by phone.

Wind and Solar

Repsol has already said it wants to become known as an energy company, rather than an oil producer. At the annual shareholders meeting last week, Chairman Antonio Brufau devoted a significant chunk of his speech at the event to talk about climate change.

Don't have any doubt that we are fully committed to the fight against climate change," Brufau told shareholders at the May 11 meeting in Madrid. Wind and solar are already very competitive energy" and in the future electric cars will also become a part of Repsol's business, he said.

Even if the company forswears growth in its hydrocarbon business, Repsol would remain a major producer of oil and gas. It pumped an average of 727,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day in the first quarter, the most since 2012, with gas accounting for 63 percent of the total. It continues to explore for new fields in order to replenish reserves, replacing 93 percent of what was produced in 2017 and 124 percent the previous year.

Repsol is actively seeking to enter the renewable energy market. In recent months, it held talks with clean-energy producers including Renovalia and X-Elio, though no deals have been announced.

Industry Shift

Other European oil majors are taking similar steps. Royal Dutch Shell Plc is building refueling stations for hydrogen and electric vehicles and acquired an electricity supplier. Norway's Statoil ASA plans to drop the fossil fuel from its name, calling itself Equinor as it develops floating wind farms in addition to oil and gas fields.

Proceeds from the sale of Repsol's stake in Gas Natural SDG SA will also play a central part in the energy transition. Chief Financial Officer Miguel Martinez said this month that about a third of the 3.8 billion euros ($4.5 billion) generated from the deal will go for oil and gas exploration and production, a third to downstream -- most likely chemicals -- and a third to new businesses such as renewable energy.

In the first quarter, 77 percent of the company's 586 million euros of capital expenditures went into upstream and 23 percent to downstream. Like the rest of the industry, Repsol has been restraining spending to withstand a three-year price slump. While crude has climbed this month to the highest since 2014 due to geopolitical tensions, most companies remain focused on keeping down costs rather than boosting investment.

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As Venezuelans suffer, Maduro's PDVSA buys foreign oil to subsidize Cuba

Oscar B. Castillo/The New Yorker



Venezuela, a Failing State .

By Marianna Parraga and Jeanne Liendo



HOUSTON

Petroleumworld 05 16 2018

Venezuela's state-run oil firm PDVSA has bought nearly $440 million worth of foreign crude and shipped it directly to Cuba on friendly credit terms - and often at a loss, according to internal company documents reviewed by Reuters.

The shipments are the first documented instances of the OPEC nation buying crude to supply regional allies instead of selling them oil from its own vast reserves.

Venezuela made the discounted deliveries, which have not been previously reported, despite its dire need for foreign currency to bolster its collapsing economy and to import food and medicine amid widespread shortages.

The open-market oil purchases to subsidize one of Venezuela's few remaining allies underscores its increasing global isolation and the disintegration of its energy sector under socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

The purchases came as Venezuela's crude production hit a 33-year low in the first quarter - down 28 percent in 12 months. Its refineries are operating at a third of capacity, and its workers are resigning by the thousands.

Venezuela's falling exports, rising imports With its own oil production falling fast, OPEC member Venezuela has been buying foreign crude to continue supplying political allies such as Cuba with oil on friendly credit terms and in exchange for goods and services instead of the cash it desperately needs. In 2017, the Venezuela's state-run oil firm PDVSA bought 180,250 barrels per day of crude and refined products and reshipped a portion of it to regional allies.

*Includes 3,187 boepd of lubricants

Note: Petrocaribe, ALBA and CEA members in 2017 included Nicaragua, Haiti, El Salvador, Belize, Jamaica, Grenada, Antigua & Barbuda, St Vincent & the Granadines, St Kitts & Nevis, Dominica and Dominican Republic

Sources: PDVSA's annual reports; PDVSA's internal data; Venezuela's Central Bank and Ecoanalitica

By Travis Hartman | REUTERS GRAPHICS

PDVSA bought the crude for up to $12 per barrel more than it priced the same oil when it shipped to Cuba, according to prices on internal documents reviewed by Reuters. But Cuba may never pay cash for the cargoes because Venezuela has long accepted goods and services from Cuba in return for oil under a pact signed in 2000 by late presidents Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro.

PDVSA, the Venezuela government and the Cuba government did not respond to requests for comment.

Venezuela's government has previously said it only imports oil to blend with its own tar-like crude to improve quality and create an exportable product, or to feed its refinery in Curacao. But hundreds of PDSVA documents examined by Reuters detailing imports and exports, dated from January 2017 to May of this year, show the company is now buying crude at market prices to deliver to allies - in shipments that never pass through Venezuela.

The subsidized deliveries are aimed at maintaining political support from Cuba, one of a dwindling group of Venezuela allies, according to diplomats, politicians and PDVSA executives.

Maduro is giving away everything he can because these countries' backing, especially from Cuba, is all the political support he has left, said a former top Venezuelan government official who declined to be identified.

Caracas has come under increasing international pressure as the United States, the European Union and Canada have sanctioned Venezuela for what they see as Maduro's attempts to cement a dictatorship.

As Venezuela spends on oil imports, it has imported less of everything else its citizens desperately need. Venezuela's spending on non-oil imports plunged from nearly $46 billion in 2011 to $6 billion in 2017, according Venezuela Central Bank data and Ecoanalitica, a Caracas-based economic research organization.

The oil PDVSA procured for Cuba was Russian Urals crude, the documents show, a variety well-suited for Cuban refineries constructed from Soviet-era equipment.

PDVSA bought the crude from Chinese, Russian and Swiss firms  not for cash, but a pledge that PDVSA would deliver other oil shipments later, the documents show.

That adds to Venezuela's already towering debts of oil to state-owned firms in Russia and China, which together have extended Venezuela's government more than $60 billion in oil-for-loan deals that have propped up its budget amid declining exports and lower oil prices.

It's nonsense to import oil to keep subsidized exports flowing, said Ecoanalitica President Asdrubal Oliveros.

PETRO-DIPLOMACY

Venezuela's socialist government has long used oil for domestic and international political ends, subsidizing goods and services at home and currying favor across the region with oil deliveries on generous terms.

Venezuela's oil supply arrangements have helped soften international political censure of Maduro's government.

The Organization of American States (OAS), which includes most Western Hemisphere nations, last year took up a motion seeking to pressure Venezuela to hold free elections, liberate political prisoners and declare a humanitarian crisis.

The effort was defeated when 12 countries that have received regular oil shipments from Venezuela in recent years - about a third of the OAS membership - opposed it or refused to vote. Eventually, the OAS passed a watered-down motion urging free and fair elections.

Venezuela has avoided formal OAS condemnation thanks to the support of the bloc of Caribbean nations that have benefited from its subsidized oil and development programs for years, said Michael Fitzpatrick, deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, said on April 30 during a talk at the Atlantic Council, a foreign policy think tank in Washington.

Most of those countries are members of Venezuela's Petrocaribe trade pact, launched in 2005, which has granted up to 16 Caribbean and Central American states with oil supplies on favorable terms.

OAS President Luis Almagro declined to comment through press office representative Monica Reyes.

El Salvador's Economy Minister, Luz Estrella Rodriguez, said Petrocaribe and other pacts promoted by Venezuela had played an important role in her country's development.

Our country is very grateful, she said. The government of El Salvador, of course, is a friend and an ally of the Venezuelan government.

El Salvador refused to vote last year on the OAS motion to condemn Venezuela.

Venezuela also supplied fuel last year to Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Dominica, the documents show.

In total, members of oil trade pacts with Venezuela last year received at least 103,000 bpd of crude and refined products from PDVSA, the documents show, or about 6 percent of Venezuela's exports.

FALLING OUTPUT, SHRINKING IMPORTS

The falling output of Venezuela's refineries has also left the country increasingly dependent on fuel imports to meet domestic consumption.

The internal PDVSA data reviewed by Reuters shows Venezuela last year purchased some 180,000 barrels per day of foreign crude and refined products from PetroChina, Rosneft, Lukoil, Reliance Industries and other suppliers, 17 percent more than in 2016.

Those companies did not respond to requests for comment.

The purchases totaled more $4 billion, according to PDVSA records.

Last year, total oil-industry purchases, including equipment and services, consumed 45 percent of Venezuela's total import spending, up from 13 percent in 2011, Ecoanalitica data shows. Energy imports totaled $5.4 billion out of $11.9 billion.

The resulting scarcity of food, medicine and employment has caused thousands of citizens to flee Venezuela. The pay of PDVSA workers now can't cover the barest essentials because of the collapse of its currency, the bolivar.

A worker's salary is not even enough for a box of eggs, said Hector Bertis, a PDVSA worker and union leader. We go to the bank, and they give us 10,000 bolivars - less than what a transportation fare costs.

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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.
Democratic Gov. Wolf, left, and Republican state Sen. Scott Wagner now go head to head in the general election. Read more

I know they're both 60-something rich white guys from rural York County, which normally would offer as much interest/excitement as a tag-team game of canasta in somebody's suburban basement rec room.

Without pretzels.

But hold on. Fact is, Gov. Wolf, who was unopposed in Tuesday's Democratic primary, and Republican primary winner Scott Wagner couldn't be more dissimilar.

And, trust me, they don't like each other.

I'm talking night and day, up and down, hot and cold, or any opposites of your choice, especially (weather-wise) calm and stormy.

Politically and personally, these dudes are different.

>>READ MORE: Trump-style trash magnate Scott Wagner wins GOP nomination for Pa. governor

The differences will be central to their campaigns. And that should make it easy for voters come fall. We're looking at a nuance-free election.

Wolf's a liberal Democrat, and just about everything that goes with that. After taking office in 2015, he was labeled on Huffington Post as America's "most liberal governor."

Wagner's a conservative Republican, and most of what goes with that, but in a populist Trump way, emphasizing anger against big government regulation, taxes and spending. He was and is a Trump supporter. Expect Trump to stump for him. Though not in Philadelphia.

Wolf's a professorial Ph.D, Ivy-educated, wealthy due to a family business in kitchen cabinets. Wagner doesn't hold a college degree, grew up on a farm and built wealth through his trash and trucking companies.

>>READ MORE: With 5 women's wins, Pa.'s all-male congressional delegation may be ending

Get used to lines such as, "I'm gonna take out the garbage in Harrisburg."

Wolf tends toward quiet, reasoned debate, some say just too softly. Wagner's given to in-your-face brashness, some say often too harshly.

National nonpartisan punditry from the likes of the University of Virginia's Larry Sabato and Inside Election's Nathan Gonzales and Stuart Rothenberg says the race is likely or leaning Wolf. State polling also gives Wolf an edge.

So, the question becomes: Can Wagner, who spent a bundle to win his primary, give Wolf a run for his money, of which Wolf has raised a bundle?

It would seem a long shot.

Even many hardcore state Republicans privately predict Wolf's reelection. He's got incumbency, can tout progress in liquor and pension reform, a gift ban and increased education funding. He's done little to anger or even annoy voters, unless you're not a fan of his push for taxes, or the hand he had in how the state got new congressional maps.

(The D.C.-based political newspaper and website the Hill tagged Wolf "the map-maker," naming him one of "10 governors shaping the future of politics.")

There's also an expected Democratic wave thanks to angst over President Trump. Though whether such a wave crashes anywhere in the state beyond the Southeast remains to be seen.

Clearly, Wagner uses the Trump model that worked here in 2016. And he can seek to enthuse Republicans by arguing that a hard-charging GOP governor, coupled with what's likely to still be a GOP legislature, can push conservative dreams on tax policy, right-to-work, school choice, death penalty, guns and abortion into state law.

>>READ MORE: Pa. primary results reflect national fight for control of Congress: It's a referendum on Trump

Also, and importantly, Wagner has a work ethic and political instincts that serve him well. He was opposed by his party in 2014, when he won a state Senate seat as a write-in candidate  an unprecedented win in Pennsylvania. This year, he was endorsed by his party for governor. Both due to focused, high-energy effort.

But he also gets a little wacky. He sparred, for example, with a political tracker at a campaign event last year. And he's suggested climate change could be caused by the "warm bodies" of Earth's population as the Earth moves closer to the sun.

The Wolf campaign could well jump on TV early with a Wagner in-his-own-words ad in an effort to dampen GOP hopes and tamp down Wagner's fundraising.

Still, it would be a mistake to take Wagner lightly or doubt his counter-punch. Which means, really, the race could be better than canasta in somebody's suburban basement.
Nurse Jody Smith-Stalletti (left) simulates how a patient would use Temples nitrous system. With her are ob-gyn Laura Goetzl (center) and nurse Sylvia Jordan (right). Read more

Nitrous oxide, the "laughing gas" used in many dental offices, is catching on in labor and delivery.

Actually, nitrous is making a comeback in U.S. maternity circles. It has remained a staple of childbirth in Canada, Australia, and Britain  Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (the former Kate Middleton), who welcomed her third royal baby, Louis Arthur Charles, last month, reportedly has used it. But it basically disappeared in the United States in the 1970s. American women preferred to be numbed below the waist with epidural anesthesia, or at least that became the gold standard for pain relief.

Now, an estimated 500 U.S. hospitals and birthing centers offer nitrous  up from a handful less than a decade ago, according to Porter Instrument in Hatfield, maker of the leading nitrous oxide system.

Midwives and others behind this resurgence emphasize that laughing gas is not anesthesia, unlike epidurals or the other routine aid, opioid painkillers. When nitrous is mixed 50-50 with oxygen and inhaled through a face mask, it makes many women  not all  feel less anxious, more relaxed, and better able to deal with suffering. The gas works by increasing pleasure-signaling brain chemicals such as dopamine.

"In labor, half of the pain is feeling out of control," said obstetrician-gynecologist Laura Goetzl, director of maternal-fetal medicine at Temple University Hospital, which began offering nitrous last month. "Patients have been uniformly positive about having a choice. Some really liked it, some didn't."

"It doesn't take the pain away, but it creates a feeling of euphoria," said midwife Julie Cristol, clinical director of Lifecycle WomanCare and the Birth Center in Bryn Mawr, which blazed the local trail by adding nitrous 13 months ago.

Holy Redeemer Hospital in Meadowbrook also began offering laughing gas for labor last August.

Nitrous has numerous advantages, proponents say. It's simple for the woman to self-administer, takes effect in less than a minute, and wears off just as quickly when she removes the mask and resumes breathing air from the room. It's also safe for the baby, doesn't slow down labor, and can be used at any point  including after the baby's debut if a vaginal tear needs repair.

Indifferent to the agony

Labor pain is no laughing matter, but women who use nitrous offer some funny reviews on blogs.

"I felt the contractions and pain, but felt like I didn't really care," Gemma James wrote on momshood.com. "If they had said they wanted to cut my leg off, I would probably have agreed  well, perhaps not really."

"If your pain is at 100, [nitrous] makes it about a 98, so mainly a distraction," wrote a woman on babycenter.com. "But it worked well for me."

Annette Fisher, 36, of Philadelphia, also used the word "distraction" to describe her use of nitrous last month at Temple. Like many women who start with the gas, she opted for an epidural when her pain intensified.

The advantage, she said, was feeling fully aware of the birth of her daughter Amor  not doped up or groggy as with her first two births.

"I didn't want the narcotic; it basically knocks out the experience," Fisher said. "The gas was very helpful."

Midwives began championing the reintroduction of nitrous about a decade ago. The American Society of Anesthesiologists and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists don't have official positions on its use.

"As midwives, we're always looking for low-tech options, and there aren't many for women in labor," said certified nurse midwife Judith Bishop, an emeritus professor of ob-gyn at the University of California, San Francisco, who has promoted nitrous.

A reassuring safety record

Nitrous comes with some caveats. It can cause nausea and dizziness. It also interacts with vitamin B12, so women with a deficiency of the nutrient shouldn't use the gas, Goetzl said.

But studies  and generations of use worldwide  have not found complications or long-term problems.

Using nitrous to relieve labor pain "is safe for the mother, fetus, and neonate," Judith Rooks, a certified nurse midwife and former government epidemiologist, concluded in a medical literature review published in 2011.

Ironically, about the same time, the only company then making a labor nitrous system folded. Part of the $5,000 system is a machine that scavenges any nitrous from the patient's exhalation so other people in the room aren't exposed to the gas. The set-up also has a disposable face mask and tube.

"We acquired the rights [to the system] and brought it back in 2013," said Michael Civitello, a Porter Instrument salesman.

Since then, two other manufacturers have joined the growing market. While the Philadelphia area is a tiny part of that market so far, several more maternity hospitals are considering nitrous, Civitello said.

Bishop, the San Francisco midwife, said, "I think some hospitals see it as a marketing tool, so if the neighboring hospital has it, they'd better have it."

Insurance plans, however, generally don't cover it. The Birth Center in Bryn Mawr charges patients $25 to try nitrous, and $250 to use it at will during labor. Temple and Holy Redeemer do not charge patients.

"We essentially give it away for free," Goetzl said. "It's really just because you want women to be happier and have higher satisfaction."
For the second time in less than a month, a family has gone to court to challenge Children's Hospital of Philadelphia over its efforts to take a child off life support.

Anna and Jonathan Auyeung, the parents of Jayden Auyeung, filed for a temporary restraining order in Common Pleas Court on Wednesday, their child's 10th birthday. The Edison, N.J., boy, who suffers from a genetic motor neuron disease, couldn't breathe after a mucus plug developed in his throat while he was at home on May 4, his mother said. Despite efforts to revive him, he had to be taken to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., where he was placed on life support. Two days later he was transferred to CHOP, which had treated him for years.

CHOP declined to comment.

The family wants to take Jayden to a hospital or long-term-care facility in New Jersey, but has not found a facility to accept him, said Anna Auyeung.

In Pennsylvania and most states, a diagnosis of brain death is enough to declare someone legally dead, meaning he or she can be taken off life support. New Jersey lawmakers years ago enacted a religious exemption: If the family's faith dictates that a patient is alive so long as the cardiovascular system is functioning, then a physician cannot declare the person dead based on brain death alone.

The Auyeung case is similar to that of Areen Chakrabarti, 14, who has been on life support since arriving at CHOP on April 14. He suffered smoke inhalation and severe brain injury during a fire in the family's Bordentown home. The hospital sought to remove the boy from a ventilator and other life-sustaining treatment against his mother's wishes. The case is pending a decision by the court.

"This goes to show you that there needs to be policy changes in the state of Pennsylvania, not only with CHOP," said Christopher Bagnato, attorney in both cases.

"What we hope for is a change in death criteria, procedures, and protocol, because they must see that there are issues with the policies that are in place right now," said Bagnato.

Jayden suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease that affects the part of the nervous system that controls voluntary muscle movement. The severity of the condition, and the age at which it is evident, can vary widely.

A week after Jayden was admitted to CHOP, doctors asked the parents if they would agree to terminate the child's life support. The family was told that on Thursday a neurological test would be performed and that if tests confirm Jayden is "brain dead," the hospital would seek to remove life support without the parents' consent, according to court documents.

His mother does not accept that there is no hope of her son's recovering.

"When we touch him or talk to him, he moves his finger and moves his leg and moves his mouth," Anna Auyeung said, but she was told not to see these as positive signs. "Doctors said it was spinal reflex," she said.

The family is citing religious reasons in the court petition. Jayden and his father are Catholic, Anna Auyeung said, and she is Buddhist.

In December 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of nusinersen, known by the brand name Spinraza, for the treatment of SMA. The drug can slow, stop, or reverse symptoms, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

"Gene therapy will be coming out soon," Auyeung said.

Jayden has been undergoing treatment at CHOP every four months for his genetic conditions and was improving so much, his mother said, that doctors told her he would have a "long, full life."

When Jayden was born, his family took him to one doctor after another. After he was diagnosed with SMA at 9 months, doctors said to "take him home and love him," his mother said. "I did the opposite," she said, explaining that she fought for her child then and will continue to do so.

"He is a bright little boy," she said. "The spinal muscular atrophy has nothing to do with his brain or intelligence."

Jayden goes to school, has lots of friends, plays music at his church, and speaks Chinese, she said.

"He has a happy and full life," Anna Auyeung said. "And there is a bright future ahead of him."
Left to right: Holly Alden, Anne-Charlotte Windal, and Marla Ryan are the nominees for Destination Materinitys board by dissident shareholders. Read more

Destination Maternity faces plenty of drama next Wednesday at its annual shareholder meeting  including vocal activist shareholders, two slates of directors up for election, and a stock price that everyone is hoping will crack $3 a share after years of dismal performance.

Kenosis Capital, an investment fund headed by Peter O'Malley, and Nathan Miller of NGM Capital are two investors asking other Destination shareholders to vote in a clean slate of four new directors at the beleaguered maternity and baby clothing retailer. Together, the dissident investors hold roughly 9 percent of Destination Maternity, or about 14.6 million shares.

Last fall, Destination Maternity had done battle with French shareholder and competitor Orchestra, and after a bitter proxy battle, gave it a seat on the board. Roughly six months later, Destination Maternity's stock hasn't budged much from where it was, and investors Miller and O'Malley are putting forth four new directors, including three women: Holly N. Alden, cofounder of Skullcandy with her husband, Rick Alden; Anne-Charlotte Windal, a former Wall Street retail analyst with Bernstein Research, and Marla A. Ryan, a 25-year retail executive most recently with Land's End.

Company management is asking shareholders to vote against the new slate and keep the incumbent board. That includes Pierre-Andre Mestre, recently appointed director, who is chairman of the largest stockholder, French retailer Orchestra; Peter Longo, Barry Erdos, and Melissa Payner-Gregor, the interim CEO.

The vote will take place next Wednesday at the company's Moorestown headquarters at 9:15 a.m., according to public filings.

Two additional outside consultants also disagree: ISS recommended that shareholders vote in a split board at Destination Maternity (including two management board member candidates and two outside board candidates) while Glass-Lewis recommended voting with management's slate.

Amid the drama, Destination Maternity has the opportunity to pick up business from the now-defunct Babies R Us, and take its place as the dominant retailer to expectant mothers and new parents, said Trip Miller, managing partner at Gullane Capital in Memphis. Miller, no relation to Nathan Miller, said his fund Gullane Capital owns roughly 3 percent of Destination Maternity stock, or just over 467,000 shares.

"We bought the stock starting at $2.38 a share starting last year," said Miller of Gullane.

"We think it can double in five to 10 years, and it's a business than can make between $20 million and $30 million" in EBIDTA, or earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes, and amortization, annually. "With the right team in place, it could be a $10 stock or more, but not with current management in place," he added. His firm will vote with the activists for a completely new board of directors.

"We would not be happy with a split board," said Gullane's Miller.

"We'd like to see a clear direction. The people who got the company into this mess shouldn't be the ones getting us out. Like Wynn Resorts, our largest holding, Destination needs a larger female representation on the board."

Destination Maternity shares have dropped from more than $30 a share in 2013 to just under $3 a share currently.

Dissident shareholders O'Malley and Nathan Miller declined to comment, but on May 3 they issued a news release outlining their plans: "Our nominees will seek to implement our strategic plan. We believe our turnaround plan, which seeks to improve margins by rationalizing inventory and cutting wasteful spending," can increase cash flow by approximately $40 million, net income by approximately $30 million, and incremental earning per share by up to $2.

"We believe that Destination Maternity has tremendous potential  as evidenced by our collective ownership of almost 9 percent of the company's stock. With our nominees on the board of directors, we believe we can end and reverse the company's decline with our turnaround plan and meaningfully improve the value of the company's shares," the statement said.

In its latest news release, the company urged shareholders to vote its slate, citing "product extensions into baby soft and hard goods, capitalizing on the immediate opportunity in the market created by the Toys R Us / Babies R Us bankruptcy."

"There has been a lot of change already. We're in a good place right now," said one Destination Maternity executive who requested anonymity, adding "we're always open to offers that would maximize shareholder value, but we have a strategy that's a winner. No one's interested in a bargain sale."

Among the candidates for new board members, Holly Alden, the cofounder of SkullCandy, currently runs the Alden Charitable Foundation, which supports the Holly House, a transitional home for families fleeing polygamy, and the Encircle house in Provo, Utah, supporting LGBT youth.

Marla Ryan worked as senior vice president of retail at Land's End, and before that spent years in retail, including the Gap, Brooks Brothers, J. Crew, and American Eagle, according to Bloomberg.

Currently, the maternity clothing and retailer's board is made up entirely of men  apart from the interim CEO.

ISS agreed with shareholders Ketosis and NGM partly, saying they had "made a persuasive case that additional change at the board level is warranted."

However, ISS recommended shareholders should vote for Marla Ryan and Anne-Charlotte Windal, rather than all four of the dissident shareholders' slate.
The Voorhees Township Committee has voted to use eminent domain in hope of putting much of the former Echelon Mall in the hands of a new owner, in an attempt to revitalize the property.

Committee members voted unanimously Monday to designate parts of Voorhees Town Center as "condemnation redevelopment areas," meaning the township can go to court to force the sale of the largely vacant mall, the Camden Courier-Post reported.

The Camden County property is among 43 malls acquired by Great Neck, N.Y.-based Namdar Realty Group since 2012, making it the biggest buyer of the retail centers during the period.

Many of those properties have been beset by allegations of shoddy maintenance, including claims of leaky roofs, broken electrical systems, and a roach infestation at a Florida mall that prompted a lawsuit against the company.

Voorhees Township officials have characterized the move toward seizing the mall as a reaction to alleged maintenance lapses that have resulted in rising vacancies.

Mario DiNatale, the township's director of community and business development, told the Courier-Post that the committee expects to hear proposals from three developers on new uses for the property.

Elliot Nassim, chief executive of Namdar partner Mason Asset Management, who handles media queries for both companies, did not immediately respond to an email Tuesday seeking comment.

He previously disputed characterizations of Namdar's relationship with Voorhees Township as antagonistic, saying the two sides are working closely to redevelop the property.

Namdar bought the property in 2015 from Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust.
An attack ad in a state House race is notable in how bluntly it plays on Old Philly vs. New Philly themes Read more

It wouldn't be Election Day in Philadelphia if there wasn't a last-minute negative ad on the streets.

South Philly voters recently received a pair of mailers slamming Democrat Elizabeth Fiedler, a former WHYY reporter running in a contentious four-way primary for state representative.

They said Fiedler "went district shopping" and "doesn't know us." They also said Fiedler "decided she wanted to run for office, so she moved from North Philly to a State Rep district in Center City in 2016  months later, Fiedler rented out her new house and signed a lease in South Philly."

Fiedler called the ads "false" and "said such "negative attacks stop so many great community leaders from running for office."

Fiedler's campaign said that she never lived in Center City, and that she moved to South Philly in 2014. She has lived in Philadelphia since 2003, her team said, and spent 10 years in North Philly.

Fiedler's campaign said she does rent her home.

The ads are notable in how bluntly they play on Old Philly vs. New Philly themes.

Fiedler is running in the 184th District, a rapidly gentrifying area that includes the East Passyunk Crossing and Pennsport areas. She has campaigned on Medicare-for-All, and has the support of the teachers' union and Our Revolution, a group formed out of Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign.

The 184th's incumbent legislator, State Rep. Bill Keller, is retiring at the end of the year and supporting Jonathan "J.R." Rowan to succeed him. Rowan, a state Senate aide and ward leader, has received major financial support from the city's electricians union. Rowan's campaign has highlighted his Philly roots and his promise to continue "Bill Keller's work to expand the port."

The anti-Fiedler ads were paid for by Friends of Ward 39B, according to a disclosure on the mailers. The Democratic leader of that ward is Matthew Myers, who is Rowan's uncle as well as the brother of Michael "Ozzie" Myers, a former congressman convicted of bribery.

Myers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Rowan campaign doubled down on the message in the ad.

"There is no record of Fiedler living in South Philly before 2016, when she bought a house outside the district and then decided to rent another house 10 blocks away," said Dave Mellet, a spokesman for the Rowan team. "When she realized the district she lived in was too tough to win, she rented a new house before the paint finished drying."

Criticizing the mailers, Fiedler also touched on the Old Philly vs. New Philly trope, albeit more subtly than the ads. "My neighbors and the residents behind the thousands of South Philly doors I've knocked on say the same thing: The system isn't working for us and we're tired of politics as usual," she said.

A private poll conducted in early April showed Fiedler ahead in the 184th District primary.

Also running in the Democratic contest are attorney Tom Wyatt and former police detective Nicholas DiDonato.
Well, the bullies got one thing right.

They used to taunt Richard "Tre" Jenkins by calling him "Harvard," a dig at the bookworm whose smarts made him a constant target.

And come September, that's where Jenkins will be  on a full ride.

How you like him now, bullies?

I adored the disarmingly humble 18-year-old after spending a few hours with him at Girard College, the boarding school he attends in North Philly and where he is this year's valedictorian.

For people who don't know much about the first-through-12th boarding school  and, I admit, I didn't, despite its being around since 1848  it would be easy to assume that Jenkins and other students who attend the picture-postcard place live in a 43-acre bubble.

But this is a full-scholarship school for students who come from single-parent families with limited financial resources, and as we stood on the steps of Founders Hall, its huge marble columns casting afternoon shadows around us, Jenkins talked about life beyond the stone walls that surround the school.

Jenkins' mom, Quiana McLaughlin, moved from Philadelphia when he was in elementary school partly because of the violence in their neighborhoods. She and his younger brothers recently left Philly again to North Carolina for similar reasons.

Jenkins recalled moving a lot when he was a kid, first to Tennessee and then to Florida, where his mother would pay for motels when she could and then turn to shelters when she couldn't.

He doesn't like to talk about those times; he's fiercely protective of his mother, but he concedes that his desire to go to Harvard University and find a way to combat poverty has a lot to do with his experiences as a child:

Saving half of a TV dinner in case there wasn't more food later.

Walking down one shelter's long, scary  at least to a young boy  hallway to the showers only to discover there was just cold water.

"My last memory of Florida is walking for miles on a highway with a TV that my dad had gotten me for Christmas in both my hands, while my mom pushed the stroller and some other stuff," he said.

"It was a bad time."

Through it all, books became his constant companion, starting with A Series of Unfortunate Events, which taught him words that he thrilled to incorporate into conversations but that bullies used against him.

He learned early how and when to downplay his smarts, at least in front of other kids.

But never in front of his mother, who always stressed the importance of education and who always found a way to make sure her son had what he needed for school, even if it meant tracking down free book-bag giveaways. (For the record, she never doubted for a second that he'd get into Harvard. "I was not surprised," she said.)

And never in front of friends at his second home at Mighty Writers, an organization that works with students to improve their writing.

When he stopped by the West Philly office last week to share his news, program director Khalia Robinson didn't immediately grasp the meaning behind the crimson Harvard sweatshirt he wore.

When she did, she screamed. "I was so excited."

Crazy to think that Jenkins almost didn't apply.

"There's a lot of places I didn't think possible  including Harvard," he admitted. "I don't know, I guess I just thought: I'm black. And I'm not that smart.'"

But then the email from the admissions office landed.

Now, he realizes it was a generic mail sent to many graduating seniors. But at the time, he took it as a sign. If they thought enough to send him an email, he recalled, laughing, he must have a shot.

He applied. But not before seeing if financial aid was an option. Many of the schools he got into, he couldn't afford with the limited help they offered. He was thrilled to see that Harvard pays 100 percent of tuition for students from households that earn less than $65,000 a year. (His godfather also started a GoFundMe page to give him some money through college.)

Jenkins was on a school trip in Paris on the big day. He kept refreshing the admissions office portal, barely able to breathe as he waited.

And then 

"Dear Richard,

Congratulations! I am delighted to inform you that the Committee on Admissions has admitted you to the Harvard Class of 2022."

He jumped and screamed and made all the calls, starting with his mother.

But only on the flight back did it all finally sink in. "It's been such a crazy road here," he said.

He cried.

Harvard, here he comes.
U.S. President's daughter Ivanka Trump and Senior White House Advisor Jared Kushner, arrive for the opening ceremony of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, Monday, May 14, 2018. Amid deadly clashes along the Israeli-Palestinian border, President Donald Trump's top aides and supporters on Monday celebrated the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem as a campaign promised fulfilled. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) Read more

"Jerusalem celebratesand Gaza bleeds  a surreal 24 hours," read the headline in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Indeed, there was something surreal about scenes of the celebration of the U.S. embassy's move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, headed by first son-in-law Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, simultaneously with the Gaza carnage  where tens of thousands of Palestinians marched on the fence separating them from Israel and 60 were shot dead.

By surreal, I'm not just referring to the blessing of the ceremony by two U.S. evangelical pastors, John Hagee and Robert Jeffress, who have preached that Hitler was part of God's plan and that Jews will go to hell unless they convert.

The most surreal element was the willful blindness of Donald Trump in deciding, in order to please his evangelical base, to move the embassy now. The decision ensured that Kushner's long-awaited plan for Israel-Palestinian peace was dead before arrival. It also reinforced the Israeli government's short-sighted failure to address a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which practically guaranteed that Monday's bloodshed would occur.

There was good reason why previous U.S. presidents chose not to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. No one questions the location of Israel's historic capital in Jerusalem, which has been holy to Jews for millennia. But at least 38 percent of Jerusalem's population is Palestinian, as are whole neighborhoods in East Jerusalem.

The fate of Jerusalem has always been the most sensitive issue in peace talks. When the United Nations recognized Israel in 1948, it gave Jerusalem a special status; every peace plan since has called for negotiations over the final status of the city  meaning Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem would become the Palestinian capital, and the two sides would work out control of the holy sites.

>> READ MORE: I'm heading for Jerusalem to see impact of Trump | Trudy Rubin

By unilaterally changing this formula, Trump doomed future peace negotiations. Despite White House claims that the embassy move doesn't preclude talks over Jerusalem's boundaries, the Israeli government and right-wing parliamentarians are moving to ensure that the entire city remains in Israel's hands.

Leaks of the Kushner plan indicate that it calls for a Palestinian "capital" to be located in a West Bank suburb; Trump has said that Jerusalem is now "off the table" for talks. This is why the Palestinian Authority now refuses to accept the United States as a peace mediator.

"When you have zero hope, it makes the atmosphere more conducive to violence," says Israeli lawyer Danny Seidemann, a renowned expert on Jerusalem and founder of Terrestrial Jerusalem, an NGO that works toward resolving the Jerusalem question.

Standing with Seidemann on Mount Scopus, looking over the city, during a recent visit I saw how a ring of Jewish suburbs built around its perimeter has almost cut Jerusalem off from the Palestinian West Bank. I also saw how small enclaves of radical Jewish settlers, some funded by right-wing U.S. groups, are moving into Arab neighborhoods and aggressively trying to expand their presence at the expense of Arab residents.

"Jerusalem is more contested than ever before," Seidemann told me. "We are in an acute state of disequilibrium, which can only correct itself with political progress [on renewed peace talks] or an outbreak of violence."

The embassy move may please some Trump backers (mega-donor and right-wing Jewish activist Sheldon Adelson was at the celebration). But it ensures that Israeli-Palestinian tensions will grow worse.

Which brings us to Gaza. Trump's unquestioning embrace of Benjamin Netanyahu seems to have bolstered Netanyahu's indifference to Gaza. How else to explain the Israeli leader's failure to take any action to prevent the bloodbath this week, which was widely expected?

>> READ MORE: Why Trump's Jerusalem stance rules out his 'ultimate' Mideast deal

The White House and Kushner blamed the violence entirely on Hamas, the political movement that controls the strip and encouraged the demonstrations. But this tiny strip, around 5 by 25 miles in size and crammed with 1.8 million people, is blockaded by Israel. Its borders and exits into Israel (and one to Egypt) are shut tight, which means no exports and no work. Unemployment is around 60 percent, electricity sporadic, and 90 percent of the drinking water is not potable. Under such circumstances, with all hope of peace talks gone, why wouldn't young men rush the security fence?

Proposals to ease the humanitarian disaster in Gaza have been rejected in Jerusalem. "Netanyahu has resisted all suggestions by the defense establishment for changes in the [Gaza] status quo," I was told by Nimrod Novik, a leader of Commanders for Israel's Security (a network of 280 retired Israeli generals) and a fellow of the Israel Policy Forum. "He is concerned that his opposition on the right will seize on it to brand him 'soft on Hamas.'"

In other words, Netanyahu's domestic politics in Israel plus Trump's domestic politics have created a situation where more Palestinian violence is almost certain. Gaza conditions are dismal, and Palestinians see no hope for improvement.

At the Jerusalem ceremony, Kushner said the move would start "a journey to peace." He added, "The United States is prepared to support a peace agreement in every way we can." Given the realities in Jerusalem and Gaza, both statements were surreal.
You can stop arguing. The actual word that has spawned millions of arguments this week? It is laurel.

But fear not. People who hear yanny (whatever that means) on a short recording that's all over the internet are not losing their minds.

Several factors appear to be driving this viral debate of the moment, according to audiologists at Salus University and Main Line Health. Among them is the ability to hear high-pitched sounds, which varies widely from person to person and generally declines with age. But first, the backstory for those who have no idea what we're talking about.

Roland Szabo, an 18-year-old from Lawrenceville, Ga., and a friend were experimenting a few days ago with the automated voice on vocabulary.com that pronounces any word out loud, according to the New York Times. They typed in laurel, and Szabo indeed heard that word. But the friend heard yanny, according to TMZ.com.

Szabo made what he concedes is a low-quality recording of the clip and posted it on Reddit. It then was tweeted by Cloe Feldman, a 20-year-old Floridian who shares fashion and lifestyle tips via social media. A viral storm ensued, recalling the infamous blue dress optical illusion of 2015.

Some hear laurel. Others hear yanny. Still others say they can hear it both ways.

It may depend on a person's ability to hear high-pitched sounds, said Lindsay Bondurant, director of the Pennsylvania Ear Institute of Salus, in Elkins Park.

Any spoken word is made up of a variety of sounds at different pitches, or frequencies. Even though the original recording is of the word laurel, someone who hears high frequencies especially well may be picking up on higher-pitched components of that word that sound nothing like it  almost as if one were to turn the treble way up on a stereo or mp3 player, she said.

Evidently, there is a higher-pitched "yeh"-like sound hidden somewhere near the beginning of the word laurel (at least in this viral recording), along with an "ee"-like sound near the end  but these higher-pitched sounds are not readily audible for everyone. Likewise, hearing the clip on speakers or headphones with rich bass might skew the sound toward laurel.

The low quality of the recording does not help, she added.

"It's certainly been the talk of the audiology community for the past 24 hours or so," Bondurant said.

Catherine Marino, director of the Audiology and Hearing Aid Center at Main Line Health's Riddle Hospital, agreed that people who are better at hearing lower-pitched sounds may be more likely to hear laurel.

A person's tendency to hear one word or the other could mean a hearing deficiency in the higher or lower frequencies, but no one should draw that conclusion without a professional examination, Marino said.

But given that the ability to hear higher-pitched sounds can decline with age, it is possible that older people are more likely to hear laurel, said Salus University's Bondurant.

Indeed, in an informal survey of 20 employees at the Inquirer, Daily News, and Philly.com, the average age of those who heard yanny was 29, while the average age for hearing laurel was 37. A triumph of grizzled experience over callow youth?

Then again, Bondurant played the clip for her 7-year-old son. The verdict?

"He immediately said laurel."

But why? Perhaps because the frequencies contained within the two words, though different, are pretty close, said Marino, the Riddle audiologist. The consonants in the two words  r, l, and n  all have a frequency of about 500 hertz, she said.

With a muddy recording such as this one, a listener has to guess at what is being said. So part of the reason people hear one word or the other may lie in how their brain processes and interprets sound, she said.

Marino said her own experience, like that of the 7-year-old, defied the supposed trend  but in the opposite direction. She has a mild hearing loss in the higher-frequency range, yet heard yanny.

"I can't hear laurel to save my life," the audiologist said. "I can't even make it sound like laurel in my head."
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa., Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, talks to supporters in Hazleton after winning the Republican primary on Tuesday. Read more

Until recently, few people saw U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta as a potential Senate candidate.

A Republican who represented a conservative, blue-collar district sprawling from near Scranton southwest to Harrisburg, Barletta was mostly known for his hard-line stands on illegal immigration as the mayor of Hazleton. He came from a small media market, didn't raise much campaign money, and had few of the moderating touches usually needed for a Republican to win statewide.

Then Donald Trump happened.

Now, Barletta  one of Trump's most vocal supporters  is the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate, pitching himself as the ally Trump needs to advance his agenda and aiming to follow the president's unusual path to victory.

In his primary victory speech Tuesday night in Hazleton, Barletta explicitly asked Trump supporters to lift him to an upset that would mirror the president's stunner in 2016.

"If you were a Democrat or independent that voted for Donald Trump, you cannot vote for Bob Casey, who's going to stop every single thing that you voted for," Barletta said, referring to the state's incumbent Democrat.

Trump, in turn, tweeted his congratulations Wednesday morning.

"He will be a great Senator," the president wrote in part. "Lou is a friend of mine and a special guy, he will very much help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Trump fired another blast in the afternoon, hammering Casey as a "do-nothing Senator who only shows up at election time."

Barletta's rise reflects how the GOP in Pennsylvania has embraced Trump and his base, and is trying to chart a new route to winning, discarding an old formula that called for appealing to suburban moderates.

"It's hard to find another Senate candidate in the country as close to Trump as Barletta is," said Terry Madonna, a pollster at Franklin & Marshall College. "It's going to be a classic referendum on Trump."

For years, Pennsylvania Republicans running tough statewide races tried a balancing act: Be conservative enough to attract GOP voters in more rural and blue-collar parts of the state, while showing enough centrist appeal to win swing voters in the vote-rich Philadelphia suburbs, said Alan Novak, the former GOP state chairman from Chester County.

"That's different now," Novak said.

Sen. Pat Toomey squeaked out a victory with the old method in 2016. But in the same election, Trump went a different way: He got wiped out in the southeastern suburbs but rolled up huge margins in the rural northeast, central, and southwestern parts of the state, enough to become the first Republican presidential candidate to win Pennsylvania since 1988.

Along the way, Barletta was one of Trump's most loyal supporters. As he and U.S. Rep. Tom Marino toured the state, Trump dubbed them "thunder and lightning." In return visits the president has talked up Barletta's candidacy and taken aim at Casey.

Yet members of both parties questioned whether Barletta  or anyone besides Trump  can travel the same path to victory.

"That's a very, very, very far stretch," said T.J. Rooney, a former Democratic state chairman. "Whether you like the president or hate the president, one thing is clear: There's only one Donald Trump."

Democrats argue that Casey, with his Scranton roots, can appeal to the working-class voters who fueled Trump. And they point out that suburban voters have responded to Trump's victory by coming out even more strongly against Republicans in local elections in 2017 and a southwestern Pennsylvania special election in 2018, in some cases handing Democrats seats they haven't won in decades. If that continues, Barletta might have to outdo Trump in rural areas.

But suburban voters, Rooney said, vote more reliably than the kind of "nontraditional, crossover" voters Trump won.

"You have to dig a lot deeper" to win them in large numbers, Rooney said.

Barletta is also short on resources in an expensive state. He had $1.3 million in his campaign fund as of April 25, compared with nearly $10 million for Casey.

Barletta appears to be hoping that Trump's support, and the overall stakes for the Senate, will attract big spending from outside political groups to close the fund-raising gap. But Republican donors have a bevy of races to choose from, including ones in places like West Virginia and North Dakota that look far more competitive, and less expensive.

Recent polls from Muhlenberg College and Franklin & Marshall both found Casey leading by double digits. And while Barletta allies argue that Casey's numbers are soft, Madonna noted that the senator has won statewide races five times, usually by huge margins.

Unlike past Republican candidates, Barletta has made few appeals to the center.

One mailing to supporters warned of "violent, criminal aliens." When he has visited the Philadelphia area, it has been to talk about his support for soft-focus bills to protect animals. (His website also features a tongue-in-cheek endorsement from his golden retriever, Reilly.) John Brabender, Barletta's media consultant, said the candidate will expand his appeal once the campaign begins telling voters about his blue-collar roots.

Casey, meanwhile, has added a more combative edge to his mild persona, sharply criticizing Trump on nearly every issue  though offering cautious praise for the president's stand on trade.

"This election will be a choice between a candidate who fights for working families and a candidate who fights for the corporate interests that stack the deck against them," Casey campaign manager M.E. Smith said in a statement Tuesday night. "Bob Casey has spent his life fighting for Pennsylvania's workers, seniors, and middle-class families."

Barletta, in his primary celebration Tuesday night, touted the stock-market gains and low unemployment under the president and, with a Trumpian flourish, vowed to pull off the same kind of upset.

"The media said that Donald Trump could not win in Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania sent Donald Trump to the White House," Barletta said. "Now they're saying that I'm not going to beat Bob Casey, and we're going to beat Bob Casey."
HAZLETON, Pa.  Trump loyalists propelled one of their own onto the U.S. Senate ballot Tuesday, but Lou Barletta is going to need more than that reliable constituency to win in November in a state where the president's approval rating is hovering around 40 percent.

He hitched his political wagon to President Trump's three years ago and there's no turning back now, not that he would. Barletta is among his first and staunchest supporters.

The four-term congressman from Hazleton handily defeated State Rep. Jim Christiana of Beaver in the Republican primary. Now he'll face incumbent Democrat Bob Casey.

He celebrated his win with friends and supporters who packed into the Pines Eatery for snacks, drinks, and camaraderie.

His victory surprised no one, least of all Barletta, who wasted little energy campaigning against Christiana. Launched on Sunday, his first televised campaign ad attacked Casey, not Christiana.

Barletta raised almost $3 million to Christiana's $274,000 but spent little of it on the primary, which he appeared to view as a small hurdle on the track toward November.

Christiana, 34, who spent the last decade as a state representative, won large portions of the western part of the state, but not enough to beat Barletta, who carried the central and eastern parts, where the former Hazleton mayor is well-known.

"Barletta is going to try to make this race about Casey, and Casey is going to try to make it about Trump. If the president's numbers stay where they are now, he's going to be a real drag on  Barletta, but if the president has a successful year and his numbers rebound, Barletta could win this race," said Chris Borick, a pollster and political scientist at Muhlenberg College.

Short of that, Casey is in good shape to hold onto his seat, Borick said.

Expect Barletta to try to tie Casey to Senate liberals like Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, whose policies are too far left for many Pennsylvania moderates. He won't be able to rely on the same strategies that Trump used to carry the state in 2016 because Casey can't be demonized the way Hillary Clinton was.

Casey campaign manager M.E. Smith framed the match-up as "a choice between a candidate who fights for working families and a candidate who fights for the corporate interests that stack the deck against them.  It will be a choice between a candidate who stands up to President Trump when he's wrong and a candidate who believes President Trump can do no wrong."

Barletta and Republicans like him across the country are taking a different tack than Democrats did in 2014 when, aware that the president's party tends to lose seats in midterms, they distanced themselves from Barack Obama.

That hasn't happened in this race, where Trump recorded a campaign robocall over the weekend for Barletta. "There is zero distance" between the president and the congressman, Borick said. "He has in many ways become the proxy for President Trump."

That makes Tuesday's primary a harbinger for other Trump-aligned candidates across the country.

"Trump has not been particularly successful in translating his own popularity with his base to voters from that base for other candidates," said University of Pittsburgh political scientist Kristin Kanthak. She pointed to the losses of special election candidates Rick Saccone in Pennsylvania and Luther Strange in Alabama.
Seen from the Betsy Ross Bridge, lightning strikes flash over Port Richmond and Bridesburg. The storms also stirred up the Atlantic. Read more

That line of powerful thunderstorms not only knocked out power to more than 30,000 customers in the Philadelphia area, but it stirred up the Atlantic Ocean sufficiently Tuesday night to generate a "meteotsunami."

"It's not very common," said Sarah Johnson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, "and it's still not a well-understood phenomenon."

So just what are these things?

Unlike the disastrous seismic-driven tsunamis, these are waves set off by sudden changes in water levels wrought by radical changes in air pressure  or the weight of air  over the ocean.

In Tuesday's swiftly moving squall line, air rose rapidly, said Jim Eberwine, erstwhile marine forecaster at the Mount Holly office who now lives at the Shore, and that's why the storms were so strong.

Thunderstorms occur when rapidly rising air cools and condenses.

The updrafts lower the weight of the air at the surface, and this can agitate the ocean surface dramatically. The updrafts Tuesday were prodigious, Eberwine said, with cloud tops reaching above 60,000 feet from New England to the Mason-Dixon line. Such cloud heights are more typical of Tornado Alley, he said.

Near the Atlantic City surf, the water level suddenly dropped 1.3 feet between 9:45 and 10:15 p.m., Johnson said, and then jumped back up several inches, similar to a plunging action.

The weather service knew it was coming since it had been alerted by the National Tsunami Warning Center, which had detected a disturbance about 130 miles offshore, Johnson said.

At 8:54 p.m., the weather service issued a statement saying, "Air pressure sensor and tidal-gauge readings in and near the coastal waters indicate that a weather-generated tsunami has been triggered by the line of thunderstorms as it moved over the ocean."

The net result was hardly catastrophic, Johnson and Eberwine said, and it probably had little effect on any flooding. And unless your local media outlet informed you that the Shore had experienced a meteotsunami, you wouldn't have felt a thing.

Tide levels were elevated anyway because of the astronomical effect of the new moon, Eberwine said. Said Johnson, "You wouldn't have noticed it unless you were at the Shore or in a boat."

But a similar event occurring on a summer afternoon when bathers and boaters were in the water would pose a serious hazard since it creates dangerous currents.

In 2013, a tsunami-like wave swept three people off a jetty on Barnegat Inlet.

No new tsunamis or meteotsunamis are in the forecast, but the weather service says that by the end of the week, from 2 to 5 inches of rain could have fallen on the region. Expect flood watches.
HARRISBURG  A Republican state senator and trash hauling magnate whose style and substance often draws comparisons to President Trump snagged the chance to challenge Gov. Wolf this fall for the state's top job.

Sen. Scott Wagner of York County won Tuesday's primary fight for the Republican nomination for governor, edging out former health-care consultant Paul Mango and Pittsburgh lawyer Laura Ellsworth in what had shaped up to be an expensive and bruising race.

Tuesday's outcome sets the stage for a showdown in the fall between two millionaires from the Central Pennsylvania town of York: a mild-mannered governor with an Ivy League pedigree and an unabashedly progressive agenda; and the sometimes brash and unpredictable Wagner, who has made slashing taxes and government regulations a cornerstone of his campaign.

>>READ MORE: Pennsylvania voters face a governor's race with starkly different candidates | John Baer

"This governor, Tom Wolf, has been nothing short of a disappointment for anyone who isn't filling up his campaign coffers," Wagner said in his victory speech Tuesday night, setting the tone for the coming fight.

As the crowd whooped and cheered, he added: "Help is on the way."

Wolf's campaign, in a statement, was quick to fire back, calling Wagner "the very worst of Harrisburg."

Political analysts say a Wolf-Wagner match-up could rank in the state's fund-raising book of records. In the primary alone, Wagner spent more than $12 million  including $3.3 million of his own money  and had $2.2 million more on hand at the end of April.

Wolf, who was unopposed Tuesday, already has more than $14 million in his campaign bank account, and that number is expected to grow swiftly now that the primary is over. The 2014 race for governor topped a record-smashing $82 million in spending between the primary and the general elections.

As in 2014, the political stakes are high.

>>READ MORE: Pa. primary results reflect national fight for control of Congress: It's a referendum on Trump

Wolf is seeking to avoid the fate of his Republican predecessor, Tom Corbett, who became the first governor in modern Pennsylvania history to lose a bid for reelection. And Wolf's first term has had its share of difficult moments, including the historic budget impasse with the Republican-controlled legislature in his first year in office, making him vulnerable to attacks on his governing style and substance.

Wagner too, has been no stranger to criticism.

In the closing months of the primary, Wagner, who was a landlord and a bail bondsman during his career, was attacked in a television ad by Mango's campaign for being a slumlord, a polluter, a "sleazy" bail bondsman, and a bad father  allegations that Wagner said were a sign of Mango's desperate campaign.

Wagner, who founded York-based Penn Waste Inc. in 2000, has also been singled out for his unwillingness to divest from his businesses  which are regulated by the state  or place them in a blind trust if he were to become governor.

Still, the Republican senator has also been alternately mocked and cheered on for his brash style, which once landed him in a highly publicized dispute with a political operative tracking his campaign.

Wagner, who won the endorsement of the state GOP, has said he wants to focus on reining in government spending and scaling back what he believes are overly burdensome government regulations that hamper business and economic development. Touting his experience running trash and trucking operations, he has frequently discussed the concept of "zero-based budgeting," the idea that government, like a business, must justify the need for every expense.

On some social issues, Wagner has been more moderate. Although he has voted for further abortion restrictions and said he would reverse Wolf's moratorium on executions, he has also bucked many in his party to advocate for a bump in the state's minimum wage (albeit far smaller than what most Democrats, including Wolf, want) and to support legislation to extend the state's anti-discrimination laws in employment and housing to the LGBT community.

>>READ MORE: With 5 women's wins, Pa.'s all-male congressional delegation may be ending

Wolf is expected to run on his track record of working  albeit with bumps along the way  with a Republican-controlled legislature to increase funding for public education, legalize medical marijuana, relax the state's onetime monopoly on the sale of wine, and change pension benefits for future state and public school employees. He instituted a gift ban for members of his administration, began posting his cabinet's expenses online, and has been one of the Capitol's most vocal supporters of the #metoo movement.

In their concession speeches last night both Mango and Ellsworth urged Republicans to rally behind Wagner.

"The most important goal is to defeat Tom Wolf," Mango told his supporters.

Said Ellsworth: "We set out nine months ago now to bring a different kind of voice to politics, to focus on people, not politics, to take on all of the forces of the machine and everything else that is out there, and add to the civility and decency. And I'm proud to stand before you tonight and say we did exactly what we set out to do."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporters Julian Routh and Gary Rotstein contributed to this article.
Vera Dugan, 18 months, holds on tight to Bridget Huffman while she holds her son Drew Huffman, 20 months, as they all go into the voting booth together in the auditorium of South Philadelphia High School on May 15, 2018. Nazim Karacaa is holding open the blue curtain. Read more

From the union halls of South Philadelphia to the rolling hills of the city's collar counties, a steady stream of voters cast ballots in Tuesday's primary elections with change on their minds.

Democrats spoke of righting what they viewed as a national error in the 2016 presidential election. Their GOP counterparts also sounded the change theme  but with different notes.

"This is the time we're going to have to come out to make up for two years ago," Scott Lohbauer, 34, a Democrat, said outside the East Passyunk Community Center. "It's nice to be part of a blue wave."

But President Trump wasn't the sole source of frustration. Another common theme running through Democratic voters' comments was a desire for diversity. In a year when women held multiple ballot positions, voters looked to see those names become permanent fixtures.

"I'm a big proponent of not having a bloc of homogeneous people in office," said Matt Kircher, his gaze fixed on his son and daughter as they ran in the grass outside the community center on a May day that felt more like July. "I want people who aren't afraid to work with the other side."

Kircher, 37, said he personally sat down with two of the people he voted for, Elizabeth Fiedler and Molly Sheehan, hashing out the change he wishes to see in his neighborhood and beyond.

>>READ MORE : Live updates on polling places, turnout and candidates across the region

Voter attention was focused on the crowded congressional races  particularly the 10-person Democrat ticket in the Fifth District.

Official numbers won't be available for at least a few days, Robert Torres, the acting secretary of the Department of State, said Tuesday night. Historically, he added, turnout for midterm congressional elections statewide has ranged from 18 to 25 percent, and he expected this one to fall within those figures.

Turnout "doesn't appear to be very heavy," Terry Madonna, election expert at Franklin and Marshall College. As steamy as some of them have been, "congressional races typically aren't big draws," he said.

"On the Democratic side, there are some signs of enthusiasm, brought on by antipathy to President Trump, anticipation of a good general-election year for Democrats nationwide, and optimism about the composition of the new congressional districts in Pennsylvania," said Michael Hagen, a Temple University political science professor.

"On the other hand, the absence of competition at the top of the ticket has reduced the visibility of the Democratic primary," he added.

The Republicans did have a marquee race  the often acrimonious contest for the gubernatorial nomination among attorney Laura Ellsworth, businessman Paul Mango, and State Sen. Scott Wagner, all seeking to challenge Gov. Wolf in November. GOP voters also said they were looking for change.

"I want to continue to see the change in our government," said Roger Scarborough, 56, the owner of an electrical company that bears his name, who voted in Croydon, Bucks County. "More conservative, I want to get government out of everything. I'm kind of fed up with how Democrats have been behaving." He said he was seeing some progress.

So, too, was Joanne McMahon, who said she cast votes Tuesday for Tommy Tomlinson for state Senate and Wagner in the gubernatorial primary.

McMahon, 50, called Trump a "chauvinist pig" and a "misogynist." But she says she voted for him in 2016 and she believes he keeps his promises.

>>READ MORE: Is this primary election Pennsylvania's oddest ever?

Voters from both parties expressed another frustration in common: The legions of people who chose not to participate in the primary.

Lisa Hecht, 46, became a naturalized citizen two years ago, after living in Philadelphia on a green card. The native Canadian said she was moved to exercise her new constitutional right after watching so many of her peers take it for granted.

"There are issues I care about, especially immigrant reform, that I want to be given attention," she said early Tuesday as she walked out of the Francis Scott Key School, at Eighth and Wolf Streets. "I knew 2016 would be an important election, regardless of who won. And I knew once Obama left office, I would want my voice heard."

For others, primary voting was a steady habit, if not one given a little more urgency.

Bob McGill, 55, of Morton, Delaware County, parked his work truck long enough to cast a midday ballot at the fire hall in nearby Folsom.

"What I'm seeing going on, what's in the news about jobs being lost, it upsets me," he said. "We've got to start local, if we're going to start somewhere. We need to put people in office that we think will look out for us."

Not far away, in South Philly, Joe DeLullo made an early morning walk to Mastery Charter's Thomas Campus with Sonny, his white Maltese, to cast his vote.

>>READ MORE: What to watch for in Pa. primary election results

"We only have one voice, and if we don't use it, no one hears us," he said. The Democrat, 65, declined to say whom he and his loyal voting mate cast a ballot for, but said labor issues are important for him.

"I care about Social Security and how we treat the elderly," he said. "And as far as health insurance goes, there has to be a ceiling for these premiums I've been paying for my family."

DeLullo, who said he has "strongly disliked" Trump since 1985, said the president won "because too many people stayed home."

"I've always voted in primaries," said Louise Petrone, a Haverford Republican married to a "lifelong Democrat." Their marriage, she joked, proves that the parties can get along after all. "So few people vote, you can work to create your own voting bloc."

Petrone hoped her vote could help "pull the Republican Party back."

"When I was growing up, the GOP was the sensible party, but something happened and they got fanatical," Petrone, 56, said. "We like fixing roads, and we like reasonable tax policy. We're pro-business, but not at the expense of the future."
New carbon filters that removed PFOS and PFOA from a contaminated well in Horsham were installed in March. Read more

Aides to President Trump's embattled EPA administrator attempted to stop publication of a study into water contamination near military bases nationwide, including former naval bases in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, according to a published report.

The study would show that the chemicals  known as PFOA and PFOS  are dangerous to humans in much smaller quantities than the Environmental Protection Agency has previously said, Politico reported this week.

Tens of thousands of residents nationwide, including some across Philadelphia's suburbs, have had their drinking-water supplies tested based on the "safe" level the EPA set for consumption of contaminated water. Some have been drinking water laced with the chemical at the levels believed to be acceptable under the EPA standard.

When a Trump administration aide said the report would cause a "public relations nightmare," aides to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and the White House sought to block the study from being made public, according to EPA emails released to the Union of Concerned Scientists under the Freedom of Information Act.

"The public, media, and congressional reaction to these numbers is going to be huge," one unidentified White House aide wrote in a January email, according to Politico. "The impact to EPA and [the Defense Department] is going to be extremely painful."

The study, conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, still has not been published.

Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) on Tuesday said that if the Politico report is true, "the White House should stop blocking the release of this health study. People in Bucks and Montgomery Counties as well as areas across the country deserve to know the health risks their families have been exposed to."

In Bucks and Montgomery Counties, more than 70,000 residents who lived near former naval bases had tainted drinking water. More than 130 with private wells near Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey were also contaminated.

All of them have had their water tested based on the EPA's current guidelines.

After the contamination was made public, the military agreed to provide filters for public drinking wells  but only if they contained levels of the chemical above the EPA advisory, which they did for some local private well owners. In Warminster, Warrington, and Horsham, the towns changed public water systems to ensure there were no chemicals in their drinking water. Switching water systems, however, caused residents' water bills to increase. And other public wells still contained lower levels of the contaminants, which residents said they feared would affect their health.

Veterans and former civilian employees of the bases  which were mostly closed before the contamination was discovered  have also expressed concern about the chemicals.

Nationwide, 564 public or private drinking water systems near military bases had contamination above the EPA advisory level as of August, the military said in a recent report.

The Department of Defense is in the process of testing nearly 400 military bases and has found contamination at dozens, as first reported by the Inquirer and Daily News in April 2017 and acknowledged publicly by the military for the first time in a March report this year.

PFOA and PFOS are not among chemicals regulated by the EPA; the agency called its OK-to-drink level a guideline. Some scientists, however, have consistently said that levels within that guideline may also be harmful to human health.

The White House referred questions about the issue to the Department of Health and Human Services, Politico said, which confirmed that the study has no scheduled release date. The EPA responded to Politico's report by saying the agency was trying to "ensure" that the response from the federal government was "uniform."
In this Feb. 18, 1985 file photo, Prince performs at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Read more

Roots co-founder Questlove will lead an orchestral tribute tour of Prince hits this fall, but if Philly fans want to see it, they're going to have to travel to the run's closest stop in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Dubbed "4U: A Symphonic Celebration of Prince," the tour kicks off Sept. 6 at New Brunswick's State Theatre before hitting more than 30 other US dates through late October. There is no Philadelphia date currently scheduled.

What gives, Questo?

Questlove, a Philly native, partnered with Prince's estate for the tour, which will recreate the musician's tracks with the backing of the Wolf Trap Orchestra, as well as several vocalists. According to the tour's website, sets will include "many of [Prince's] greatest hits alongside lesser known gems." Questlove will not perform.

The Roots percussionist is, however, a noted Prince fan, having shown his love for the musician's work on The Tonight Show, as well as well as hosting a Prince-themed DJ set following Prince's death in 2016. In June that year, he also reviewed and rated every Prince release on Warner Brothers Records. As curator, he picked the songs for the tour.

In addition to the performance, the tour will also feature never-before-seen videos and photos provided by the Prince Estate. Tour dates are below:

9/6  New Brunswick, NJ  State Theatre

9/8  Washington, DC  Wolftrap

9/9  Richmond, VA  Altria Theatre

9/11  Norfolk, VA  Chrysler Hall

9/12  Charlotte, NC  Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre

9/13  Raleigh, NC  Red Hat Amphitheatre

9/14  Asheville, NC  Cellular Center

9/15  Atlanta, GA  Verizon Amphitheatre

9/19  Buffalo, NY  Buffalo Center for the Arts

9/20  Brooklyn, NY  Kings Theatre

9/21  Binghamton, NY  Anderson Center

9/22  Lynn, MA  Lynn Memorial Hall

9/24  Cincinnati, OH  Taft Theatre

9/25  Columbus, OH  Ohio Theatre

9/26  Nashville, TN  Jackson Hall (TPAC)

9/27  Nashville, TN  Jackson Hall (TPAC)

9/28  Detroit, MI  Fox Theatre

9/29  Cleveland, OH  State Theatre

9/30  Chicago, IL  Chicago Theatre

10/2  Huntsville, AL  Von Braun Center

10/3  Gainesville, FL  O'Connell Center

10/4  Ft. Lauderdale, FL  Broward Center

10/5  Tampa, FL  Sun Dome

10/6  Jacksonville, FL  Florida Theatre

10/7  Orlando, FL  Dr. Phillips Center

10/10  Grand Rapids, MI  20 Monroe

10/11  Milwaukee, WI  Riverside Theatre

10/12  Louisville, KY  The Palace

10/13  Indianapolis, IN  Murat Theatre

10/14  St. Louis, MO  Fox Theatre

10/16  Midland, TX  Wagner Noel

10/17  Dallas, TX  Music Factory

10/18  Houston, TX  Smart Financial Centre

10/19  San Antonio, TX  Majestic Theater

10/21  Kansas City, MO  Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland
Tenacious D members Kyle Gass, left, and Jack Black, right, appear in 2006s Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny. Read more

This fall, Philadelphia is going to get the D. Tenacious D, that is.

Actor Jack Black and his musical cohort Kyle Gass are bringing their act to Philly's Fillmore on Nov. 8 as part of their first tour in five years. The comedy rock duo, known for hits like "Wonderboy" and "Tribute," last played Philly at Festival Pier in 2012 as part of their "Rize of the Fenix" tour.

Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday via Tenacious D's website. A pre-sale is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, which guests can access with the password "HOPE.". Tickets are priced at $50.

In addition to announcing their tour, Tenacious D also released an animated teaser video in which they claimed to be "hard at work" on a followup to 2012's Rize of the Fenix. A release date has not yet been determined, but the band said that it "probably" come out sometime this year.

Tenacious D may also be heading back to the silver screen, as Jack Black told the crowd at Atlanta's Shaky Knees Festival earlier this month. Black indicated that the band is working on a sequel to their 2006 film, The Pick of Destiny. According to Billboard, the film could be released in October.

"We've been working on it for years," Black told Kerrang! in an interview this month. "It's a post-apocalyptic musical comedy that's an animated series that no one wanted in Hollywood, but we're making it anyway."

The tour kicks off Nov. 3 in Brooklyn New York before making its way to Philadelphia on Nov. 8. Fans in Pittsburgh can expect a stop on Nov. 9, the day following the band's Philly show. The full list of dates is below:

11/3  Brooklyn, NY  Kings Theatre

11/5  Boston, MA  House of Blues

11/7  Washington, DC  The Anthem

11/8  Philadelphia, PA  The Fillmore

11/9  Pittsburgh, PA  Stage AE

11/10  Columbus, OH  Express Live! Indoor Pavilion

11/12  Detroit, MI  The Fillmore

11/13  Chicago, IL  Riviera Theatre
Philadelphia's hottest protest is Tuesdays with Toomey  still protesting Trumpism and a certain junior senator from Pennsylvania long after the naysayers predicted they would have packed up their angry signs and gone home.

This place has everything  a drag queen billionaire "Rebekah Mercer" sweating in heels and a thick fur coat, and a green "Swamp Queen" lobbyist who stuffed Monopoly dollars in her canvas money bag as she channel answers to questions from the molded Big Giant Head of a faux Sen. Pat Toomey.

And on Tuesday it even had something else: Birthday cake.

It's been a year and a half (that's 78 Tuesdays, if you still believe in science, or at least math) since some dazed and disgruntled survivors of the 2016 election  keeping in touch on pro-Hillary Clinton websites like Pantsuit Nation  decided they had to find a positive outlet for their political grief. The idea they came up with  bringing their weekly concerns to the office of a Republican senator who'd been elected with what proved to be an empty promise to stand up, on occasion, to President Trump  has kept several dozen of them together through rain and snow and now this wicked hot May afternoon.

The only thing that's been missing, largely, has been  the flesh-and-blood Pat Toomey. (His staff, which met more actively with the protesters in the early weeks, now sends someone down to listen and gather any cards and messages at the end of the protests at the 2nd and Chestnut office, according to the senator's spokesman Steve Kelly, adding that the senator met with selected protesters a half-dozen times last year.) About six bored-looking members of the police Civil Affairs Unit or unformed cops paid half-attention to this remarkably non-threatening group  sprinkled liberally with retirees and disability-rights activists, about two dozen in all.

"We'll be here every single week until he"  Toomey, that is  "speaks with us or until he leaves office," Vashti Bandy, the green-skinned, blonde fright-wigged "Swamp Queen," told me, before adding quickly, "probably when he leaves office." Which  assuming he doesn't run for re-election and win  would be January 2023, which, measured in Trump Years, is eternity plus one.

I spent Primary Day at the Tuesdays with Toomey birthday-and-a-half bash because a) it was more fun, and definitely more cake, than hanging out at a polling place and b) I was trying to get a sense of where the so-called Trump Resistance is really at, on such a critical day in Pennsylvania, where the election results fueled Democratic dreams of gaining a half-dozen or so seats in the magically redistricted Keystone State. That would make us the keystone, as it were, of the Dems' bigger scheme to re-take the U.S. House in January 2019, to call "check" on creeping Trumpism, and maybe even impeach The Donald if things really go South.

Any political momentum that the Democratic primary winners feel going into November's life-or-death midterms owes a gigantic debt to people like the stalwarts of Tuesdays with Toomey, who kept the flame of progressive hope flickering during the darkest months right after Trump was elected.

In early 2017, members of Tuesdays with Toomey and a network of Resistance groups like the Indivisible chapters that popped up around the Philadelphia region educated the newly energized about Trump's travel ban, the fate of the immigrant "Dreamers," and the push to repeal Obamacare  and took to the street to demand action.

This Tuesday, the mood was lighter  less political rally than performance art, as several attendees in mock Met Gala finery mocked Toomey's wealthy campaign donors.

"It's family, it's persistent, and it's not going away," said Mike Hisey, a 55-year-old retail manager and artist, kicking off his "Rebekah Mercer" heels. (He also shows up at GOP rallies dressed as Melania Trump or Kellyanne Conway "until they kick me out.") Added Hisey: "And we educate people, and we get people to vote  but we have fun with it."

Yet, amid the laughter, there's a glass-still-half-empty feel that permeates the Trump resistance. A large sign at the rally  "Sen. Toomey, 2689 Days Without a Town Hall in Philly"  is a reminder that the senator hasn't budged on the core demand for public town meetings (though he did hold a restricted, ticketholders-only event in Bethlehem).

The idea of reminding Toomey that he ran in 2016 as a moderate who might occasionally buck Trump seems to have only pushed the senator farther right, as he spearheaded the huge tax cut that largely benefited corporations and the wealthy and is now pushing a plan to gut regulations. The dreamed-for Democratic Congress that took a stutter-step forward on Primary Day would still be seven long months away  plenty of time for Trump to stir up more Middle East chaos, separate more immigrant kids from their parents, and further erode faith in democracy.

For someone like Sylvia Metzler, a retired Philadelphia nurse practitioner who's 80 and has been protesting various injustices for a half century, time is of the essence. She stood up and told the rally about how she was arrested on Monday in Harrisburg, at an event hailing the Poor People's Campaign. "Today I had a tooth pulled," she said. "Tomorrow, I'm getting arrested again!"  at a Philadelphia march calling for an assault weapons ban.

Afterwards, I asked her if the Trump Resistance is moving fast enough to take on Trump. Her vehemence was surprising. "Hell no!" she exclaimed, "because we need more people. I don't think there's a critical mass yet, but we're building for it." Meanwhile, "I just saw in this morning's paper that Trump's approval rating is going up."

A few minutes earlier, the Tuesdays with Toomey-ers had broken into song. "Give my regards to Toomey," they sang. "I'm sure he thought we'd all go away." Their words floated toward the closed windows of the senator's office, competing for bandwidth with blare of car radios and SEPTA buses chugging down Chestnut Street.

Nevertheless, they persisted.

Note: This column was updated with information from Toomey spokesman Steve Kelly on interactions with protesters.
Fourth Congressional District candidate Madeleine Dean is greeted by her older brother Bob Dean (right) and longtime friend Rabbi Larry Sernovitz at her primary watch party on Tuesday. Read more

At least six women on Tuesday captured their parties' congressional nominations in Pennsylvania, virtually guaranteeing that a woman will break into the state's all-male U.S. House delegation in November.

A record number of women are running for Congress across the country, and they vied for seats in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Lehigh, and Lancaster Counties. Pennsylvania's Democratic primary for the Fifth District had more women running in it  six  than any other House nomination contest in the country.

Democrats Mary Gay Scanlon, Madeleine Dean, Chrissy Houlahan, Jess King in Lancaster County, and Susan Wild in Lehigh County, as well as Republican Pearl Kim, were among the nominees.

>> READ MORE: Analysis: Pennsylvania primary results reflect both sides of the Trump divide

Scanlon, an attorney with Ballard Spahr, won a 10-candidate race based in Delaware County and South Philadelphia. With considerable financial support from her law firm, she defeated two candidates who were bankrolled by super PACs.

4th District

Dean, a state representative from Abington, won the Democratic primary in Montgomery County's new congressional district over former Congressman Joe Hoeffel and gun-control advocate Shira Goodman.

"I'm looking at the faces in this room," Dean told supporters at a union hall in Fort Washington. "I'm just taken and I can't believe it."

Dean had the financial support of organized labor and EMILY's List, a group that works to elect Democratic women who favor abortion rights. In a television ad, Dean pitched herself to voters as a "mother, educator," and "progressive reformer" who would "protect our health care from Trump."

Citing the gender imbalance reflected in the state's delegation, she said: "No wonder Congress is a mess."

Some Montgomery County Democrats had hoped Hoeffel would drop out of the race, saying he had run for office time and again but wasn't an effective legislator. He disputed that and said healthy competition would make the Democratic nominee a stronger candidate.

1st District

Democrat Scott Wallace, a self-funded millionaire, won the party's primary for the Bucks County-based First District. With 68 percent of precincts reporting, he had a double-digit lead over Rachel Reddick, a young mother and Navy veteran.

In the GOP primary for the First District, U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick won the nomination, besting opponent Dean Malik, who campaigned on supporting President Trump.

The general election in the swing district will be one of the most closely watched races in the nation as Democrats try to flip the U.S. House of Representatives from red to blue.

The race is also expected to be expensive. While it will be welcome news to the Democratic Party that Wallace has plenty of cash to spend on the race if he wins  his wealth is estimated to be at more than $100 million  it will likely be used against him by the Fitzpatrick campaign. Reddick argued the multimillionaire was out of touch with the district.

Wallace, however, had the backing of the Bucks County Democratic Committee and other powerful county Democrats. And while this was his first campaign, he is the grandson of former Vice President Henry A. Wallace. Wallace also worked on the staff of two U.S. Senate committees early in his career.

5th District

Scanlon, an attorney and member of the Wallingford-Swarthmore school board, received a plurality of the votes in the crowded Democratic contest for Pennsylvania's Fifth District, with of 94 percent of the precincts reporting, according to unofficial returns.

>> READ MORE: 'The women have arrived' with Pa. congressional primary wins, as the old boys get a wake-up call | Maria Panaritis

She will face Kim, who was uncontested in the GOP nomination, in the general election.

The Fifth District Democratic primary was the most expensive in the region. The candidates and outside groups have spent at least $4.1 million, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission. However, candidates have only reported spending through April 25. If they spend all the money they've raised since then, that figure will increase to about $5.5 million.

The race for the Fifth attracted more female candidates than any other any congressional district in the country.

Some Delaware County Democrats worried that the numerous suburban candidates would divide the vote and hand the seat to a city candidate.

Scanlon's opponents included longtime suburban State Rep. Greg Vitali and former deputy mayor and South Philadelphian Rich Lazer. A super PAC for Lazer spent nearly $1 million on TV ads, and Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed him.

2nd and 3rd Districts

In Philadelphia, incumbent U.S. Reps. Brendan Boyle and Dwight Evans both won their primaries, as expected.

They will run against Republicans David Torres and Brian Leib, respectively, in the general election.

A key turning point in the primary campaign came in February, when the state Supreme Court ruled that the congressional map was an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander drawn to benefit Republicans.

The high court, in a controversial 5-2 decision, tossed the map and drew a new one with the help of an expert consultant. As a result: Democrats' chances improved in areas where they were already competing, and their prospects expanded to new territory.

Staff Writer Katie Park contributed to this article.
Brother Amin Abdul Aziz, a member of the moon sighting committee of the Majlis Ash Shura, an association of area mosques and imams, stands at 69th and Walnut Streets where Aziz had planned to look for the new moon that marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, but thunderstorms upended the annual ritual. Read more

For the world's 1.8 billion Muslims, planning for the opening day of Ramadan, the holy month of prayer and fasting, isn't as easy as consulting a calendar.

Every year, the start date is determined by a scientific prediction of when the slender crescent of the new moon will appear in the evening sky. According to the astronomical calculation for 2018  in Islam, the year 1439  the observance was to begin Tuesday at sunset, with the first fasting day on Wednesday.

Many Muslims, however, insist on seeing it with their own eyes before they believe it.

In an annual ritual, a trio of area Muslim leaders  Brother Amin Abdul Aziz and Imams Muhammad Abdur-Razzaq Miller and Yahya A. Latif  fan out across the region to spots affording the best view of the ascendant silver sliver. They've gazed at the sky from a parking lot in Upper Darby, the old Sears Tower in Northeast Philadelphia, a bridge in North Philadelphia, and a mosque in Coatesville.

If and when the moon appears, they spread the word to their local community of 10,000 Muslims that Ramadan has arrived.

"The Prophet Muhammad said when you spot the moon, you start the month," said Aziz, 70, a member for more than 35 years of the moon-sighting committee for the Majlis Ash Shura of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, an advisory council of area imams and mosques. "So we are following the moon in our town, our time zone."

This year, though, science and the moon-sighters didn't see eye-to-eye. On Tuesday evening in Philadelphia, lightning and drenching rains kept the committee from venturing out at all. "There were no moons available," Aziz lamented.

The problem, however, spanned the globe, as Tuesday was a bust in most Muslim population centers. Storm clouds and dust shrouded the moon even in Saudi Arabia, home to Mecca, the faith's holiest site. There was no choice but to quickly reset the holiday start for Wednesday evening, with the fast beginning on Thursday.

It was the last possible moment for Ramadan to begin. On the Islamic calendar, months are either 29 or 30 days, Aziz explained. The last day of Sha'ban, the month prior to Ramadan, began either Monday or Tuesday evening. With no moon-sighting on Tuesday, Ramadan had to start on Wednesday evening.

But there were exceptions.

The Fiqh Council of North America, which interprets Islamic law, puts its faith in science. It stuck to the mathematical calculation that the holiday began Tuesday evening.

Still, Zulfiqar Ali Shah, its secretary-general, traveled to the big island of Hawaii to view the moon that night because optimal sighting conditions were expected to be in the Pacific. The moon was scheduled to set about 37 minutes after the sun went down, providing the longest viewing time, Shah said. But once he reached the top of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the island, bad weather prevented him and his three-person team from glimpsing the moon.

"We tried our best," Shah said, adding that another scientist representing the Fiqh Council did spot the moon Tuesday in Southern California.

Ideally a unifying celebration in the Islamic world, Ramadan marks the month in which the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have received the first revelation of the Quran from the angel Gabriel.

When followers begin the observance on varying dates, there "is a reason for some consternation," said Zain Abdullah, an associate professor of religion at Temple University. "You want to start on the same day and end on the same day so you can celebrate together."

Ramadan is the ninth of 12 months on the Islamic calendar, which has 354 days and is based on the lunar cycle. The start dates for the months fluctuate annually according to the moon.

"This is the [reason] that the tradition of actual moon-sighting with the naked eye became part and parcel with the Islamic faith," Shah said. "Muslims have been doing this for the last 14 centuries to make sure they worship in the proper sacred timings."

At the Gracious Center of Learning and Enrichment Activities mosque in Cherry Hill, the community relies on a combination of methods, Imam John Starling said.

Community leaders consider science to help predict potential Ramadan start dates, which are used to guide local moon-sighting committees. The mosque also considers international reports of moon sightings from Far Eastern countries that would typically see the new moon before the West does.

Immigrant Muslims often call relatives still living in their home countries for word on when the holiday begins. But Starling said he likes the local moon-sighting method because it democratizes the process.

"One of the things I find beautiful in our faith is that it's accessible to everyone," he said, "and the visual moon-sighting is something that everyone can do."

More than 30 years ago, Aziz began studying the phases of the moon because he wanted to bring expertise to the sighting process. He took an astronomy course at the University of Pennsylvania and boned up at the Franklin Institute. His committee now trains younger Muslims who want to carry on the tradition.

"Their eyesight," fellow member Latif said, "is better."
Nancy Gordon, 75, is a retired insurance agent and even she can't figure out how much her medications will cost through her Medicare Part D plan. She was shocked  and angry  to find that one medication she takes to treat atrial fibrillation, would be cheaper paid for in cash. Read more

Nancy Gordon is a retired insurance agent, fluent in health-care industry jargon, and even she can't make sense of the prices she pays for prescription drugs.

Last year, a three-month supply of Eliquis, which prevents blood clots, cost from $116 to $466 through her Medicare Part D prescription plan.

The 75-year-old Philadelphia resident was thrilled to discover a website that compares cash prices. Then she learned how much she was overpaying for another medication to treat her irregular heartbeat.

"It shouldn't be like this; it really shouldn't," Gordon said. "It's no wonder people can't figure any of this out."

Americans face high, confusing, and widely varying drug costs because of many factors. But there's one idea advocates are latching onto  and it even got an endorsement from President Trump last week.

"Gag clauses" that forbid pharmacists from telling consumers when they could save money by paying cash instead of their insurance copay have been part of some contracts between pharmacies and the companies that manage prescription drug programs for insurance plans. The largest of these pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, insist that their contracts do not have gag clauses, and that their members are offered the lowest available price.

But contracts are considered proprietary legal documents, not to be made public. Even a contract template of Express Scripts, among the largest PBMs, with a plan sponsor was removed from the website of media organization Axios after the company complained of copyright infringement.

A typical pharmacist may deal with several different PBMs, each with different rules, and the uncertainty about gag clauses can contribute to fear of running afoul of a powerful corporation.

"Part of it is, we don't know" what's in the contracts, said Patricia Epple, CEO of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association. "All of it is done under the guise of, 'This is proprietary information.'"

Eliminating gag rules is a small step toward price transparency that dozens of states are pursuing.

Pennsylvania's legislation, sponsored by State Sen. Don White (R., Indiana), aims to hold drug manufacturers, insurers and others in the supply chain accountable for prices by increasing reporting requirements, and includes a ban on gag clauses.

During his long-awaited speech on drug costs last week, Trump suggested banning gag clauses in pharmacy contracts, giving a national platform to an issue that states have been grappling with quietly for some time.

He also made a few digs at PBMs, calling them "middlemen," though he had no specific plans to rein in an industry that touches the lives of nearly all insured Americans.

>>READ MORE: A night of pain sent them to the ER. A surprise bill from the doctor added to the misery.

Rising drug costs, plus spikes in prices for commonly prescribed medications  the allergy rescue medicine EpiPen can cost more than $500, compared with $57 a decade ago  have raised debate about what PBMs actually contribute to controlling consumer prices.

Pharmacists and patient advocates long have offered anecdotes about consumers overpaying for medicines, and a University of Southern California study produced evidence to back up the claims.

Researchers compared 9.5 million pharmacy claims to the average price commercial insurers paid to pharmacies. In 23 percent of cases, members' co-pay exceeded the insurer's cost. In those cases, consumers covered not only the cost of their medication, but also an average of $7 extra that went to the insurer or pharmacy benefit manager, said Karen Van Nuys, a professor at USC's Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, who led the study.

"The term co-payment suggests [consumers are] sharing the payment," Van Nuys said. "The phenomenon we've just documented is that, actually, you're not sharing the burden."

Though it will take much more than banning gag clauses to rein in the $375 billion spent on prescription drugs every year, it's a starting point, advocates  including pharmacist groups  said.

"It's easy to understand," said Josh Archambault, a senior fellow with the Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida-based public policy think tank. "The solution, too, feels really easy."

Two of the largest PBMs, Express Scripts and CVS Caremark, say they don't use gag clauses.

Both said that their members are charged the cash price for their medication if it's cheaper than their plan's negotiated rate, and that they support more transparent prices  and anti-gag-clause legislation.

"We've always worked to ensure our members have access to the lowest-cost drug options and provide them with tools to obtain the information they need to make the most cost-effective medication decisions," said Jennifer Luddy, a spokeswoman for Express Scripts, in an email.

>>READ MORE: How having health insurance spiked her hospital bill by $400.

Yet without a clear ban on gag clauses in contracts, the size and power of PBMs can have a chilling effect on pharmacists, said David Hyman, a law professor at Georgetown University.

Contracts are complex, change frequently, and may vary from one PBM to the next. Rather than risk losing a contract that controls part of their business, pharmacists may be inclined to keep quiet, he said.

"The power dynamics here are an important factor in why pharmacists are agitating for anti-gag legislation," Hyman said.

For many consumers, especially people like Gordon who spend thousands of dollars a year on medicines, pharmacists are important sources of information.

Gordon has the internet access and know-how to research prices, now that she has discovered how important it is to do so. But what about others who can't do this work, she asked. "How could they figure it out?" she wondered. "How badly are they being ripped off?"

Share your own experience  and what you paid  at Philly Price Check or by emailing healthcosts@philly.com. Or leave a voicemail message at 215-854-2500 describing the billing issue you would like to share.
It's been nearly a year since the murders of four young men on a Bucks County farm captured the attention of the region and nation

On Wednesday, Cosmo DiNardo, the 21-year-old Bensalem resident accused in the murders, pleaded guilty to killing and burying Thomas Meo, Mark Sturgis, Dean Finocchiaro, and Jimi Patrick. His cousin and accused co-conspirator in three of the murders, Sean Kratz, 21 of Philadelphia, rejected a plea deal, opting to head to trial.

>> READ MORE: Cosmo DiNardo pleads guilty to killing four men in Bucks; Sean Kratz rejects deal, opts for trial

As the weeks-long search for the bodies continued last summer, more and more questions arose. While some remain unanswered, many grisly details about the crimes have surfaced since last year. Here's a look at six of the most shocking things to know about the bizarre case that gripped the area.

1. Luring their victims with marijuana deals

The murders allegedly began with the promise of drugs. Cosmo DiNardo is said to have lured the four to his parents' property  a sprawling 90-acre farm in Solebury Township  to sell them marijuana.

>> READ MORE: Drugs and deception: How police say Cosmo DiNardo and cousin Sean Kratz killed four men

DiNardo told investigators that he first picked up Patrick, 19, of Newtown Township, to sell him the drug before shooting him and burying his body on the farm. DiNardo and Kratz then planned to sell Finocchiaro, 19, of Middletown Township, weed, but allegedly shot him in a barn on the property instead. Another purported marijuana deal also led to the deaths of Meo, 21, of Plumstead Township, and Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg.

2. Disposing the bodies in the pig roaster

Some of the most shocking details to arise from the murders were how the cousins allegedly disposed of their victims' bodies. Outlined in affidavits filed for their arrests, the pair described burning some of their victims and burying them 12 feet underground in a metal tank they referred to as "the pig roaster."

>> READ MORE: Confessions reveal grisly details of cousins' Bucks County killing spree

DiNardo allegedly used a backhoe to dig a six-foot-deep ditch where he buried Patrick, who was discovered "up on top of a mountain" and away from the common grave where the other three were found.

3. A nearly two-week search

Authorities spent nearly two weeks on the vast stretch of land looking for evidence and the bodies in the sweltering July heat.

"Simply losing a loved one is overwhelming," Gregg Shore, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew D. Weintraub's top deputy, said last summer. "What they've had to do, sitting through 96 painstaking hours at a site where weather conditions were awful at times, to see whether their loved ones are in the ground, that has been an overwhelming experience for them."

>> READ MORE: Timeline: Cosmo DiNardo's troubled past, the search for his victims and the criminal case

The use of cadaver dogs also helped investigators pick up the scent of human remains 12 feet below ground.

4. Social media rumors; DiNardos alarming postings

The case had a number of social media strains.

After the young men were reported missing but before the arrests, speculation about the disappearances raged on social media, fueling rumors and outright falsehoods. One early rumor linked a Bensalem man who had been arrested the previous month for beating up another township man near Temple University with the disappearances of the four. The assault suspect, it went, was a Facebook friend of one of the victims. The false story soon spread that the missing men were witnesses in the assault case.

After DiNardo's arrest, focus shifted to his postings on Facebook. Instagram and Snapchat, including a photo with a crazed look in his eyes while holding a handgun, that hinted at his unraveling.

"I am a savage no explanation needed," he posted on Facebook seven months before the killings.

He also bragged about selling marijuana and sought women  sometimes aggressively and with vulgar language  in frequent posts asking for people to hang out with him or bemoaning his lack of dates. In their responses, women suggested he was a loser.

5. The role of DiNardos parents: A playland for criminal activities

While DiNardo's parents, Antonio and Sandra, had no direct role in the killings, the victims' families have alleged they provided him with a "playland" for his criminal activities and allowed him access to weapons despite documented mental health issues  which included an involuntary commitment to a mental health facility and a ban from both his high school and a college he briefly attended.

>> READ MORE: Cosmo DiNardo was known to police, banned from Arcadia U.

The "playland" was the farm property owned by the parents and where DiNardo killed the young men and used backhoe belonging to the family construction business. They have not been criminally charged. Lawsuits by the victims' families against the parents and their business are pending.

6. A questionable past: Bans from campuses, gun charge

The 21-year-old suspect was reportedly unwelcome at two schools he attended because of his behavior.

DiNardo, a graduate of Holy Ghost Prep, a private Catholic prep school in Bensalem, was escorted and banned from campus after showing up uninvited to an open house, where he was loud and disorderly.

DiNardo attended Arcadia University for a semester in the fall of 2015 but sought to re-enroll a year later. However, he was banned from the campus after he had "verbal interactions with members of the university community" that made some uncomfortable, a source told the Inquirer and Daily News last July.

A gun charge against DiNardo was dismissed in May 2017. Though, that wasn't his only run-in with the law before he became the major suspect in the Bucks slayings. Bensalem police had 40 encounters with DiNardo since 2011, most of which were nonviolent.
The parents of Cosmo DiNardo (left and center) walk down the hallway of the Bucks County Justice Center on Wednesday. Read more

The scene repeats again and again in Aimee King's mind. She sees her son Mark Sturgis in his last moments on an upper Bucks County farm last July.

"I hear the bullets. I watch the shock in his face as he falls to his knees in slow motion. I watch his eyes, once sparkling with youthful joy, turn wide-eyed with terror. Sometimes I hear a scream," King said Wednesday in a Doylestown courtroom.

King and the parents of three other young men arrived in the morning at the Bucks County Courthouse expecting closure in one of the region's more haunting recent crimes: the gruesome murders and burial of their sons on that remote Solebury Township tract.

They didn't get it. Hours after the lead defendant, Cosmo DiNardo, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four life terms in prison for the killings, his cousin and alleged co-conspirator, Sean Kratz, balked at his own chance for a plea deal.

>>READ MORE: Timeline: Cosmo DiNardo's troubled past, the search for his victims and the criminal case

Kratz's last-minute change of heart not only stunned the families, but appeared to shock his attorneys. And it left prosecutors pledging to move ahead with a death-penalty trial at which DiNardo could become a central witness.

"We're undaunted as we continue to seek justice," District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said.

The unexpected turn of events came after DiNardo, 21, of Bensalem, accepted responsibility for his part in the July deaths of Sturgis, Thomas C. Meo, Dean A. Finocchiaro, and Jimi Patrick.

On three separate trips, he lured the young men to his family's property with a pledge to sell them marijuana, but instead shot them and buried them in makeshift graves. Their disappearances, and the discovery of their bodies after a multi-day search, drew a national spotlight.

Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, DiNardo showed little emotion in pleading guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, along with charges of robbery, abuse of corpse, possession of an instrument of crime, and possession of a weapon. "I just want the poor families to know that I am so sorry, and that if there was anything I could do to take back what occurred on those days, I would," he said.

But Judge Jeffrey L. Finley told him his words sounded insincere and false.

"I have no doubt in my mind that should the day ever come that you should find yourself released into the community and had an opportunity to kill again, you would do it," the judge said, imposing the consecutive life terms. "To you, human lives are disposable. They have no value."

The victims' relatives filled several rows of the courtroom. Some sobbed loudly as a prosecutor read the facts of the case during DiNardo's plea hearing, then stood before the judge to describe their lingering pain and lash out at their sons' killer.

"Fing piece of s," said Thomas Meo's mother, Melissa Fratanduono-Meo, as she turned and looked DiNardo in the eyes. "It's taking me everything not to fing kill you right now."

Jimi Patrick's grandmother Sharon Patrick, who said she had raised him because his mother has mental health problems, asked DiNardo to say a prayer every morning in prison.

"Please pray for me," she said, "that someday I'll be able to forgive you for what you did to our dear Jimi."

Sturgis' mother said the pain was indescribable.

"My heartache transcends language itself," King told the judge. "How do I describe emotional pain so strong, so intense, so all-consuming that it manifests as actual physical pain?"

>>READ MORE: Drugs and deception: How police say Cosmo DiNardo and cousin Sean Kratz killed four men

Finocchiaro's father, Anthony Finocchiaro, directed his fury at DiNardo: "I pray that Dean's spirit haunts you the rest of your miserable life."

After the hearing, DiNardo's lawyers told reporters that they hoped everyone involved could find closure.

"What's lost in all this is that he [DiNardo] has family as well," said lawyer Michael Parlow. "Cousins, sisters, brothers, mother and father are here. It's tragic for everyone."

Prosecutors had always reserved the right to seek the death penalty against both men.

But the guilty plea upheld a deal DiNardo made with them last summer, after they found the first three bodies on the Solebury property. In exchange for a promise that they would not seek capital punishment, he confessed to the murders and told investigators where to find Patrick's body.

The young men all were from the region, and through different paths had come to know DiNardo, a college dropout who developed a reputation around his lower Bucks community for dealing drugs and talking tough. He also had documented mental health issues, which included an involuntary commitment and banishment from two local schools.

On July 5, DiNardo picked up Patrick in Newtown, where he lived with his grandparents, and drove him to the Solebury property under the guise of selling him four pounds of marijuana.

Two days later, he lured Finocchiaro, 19, of Middletown Township, and said he and Kratz initially planned to rob him. That night, he arranged for Meo, 21, of Plumstead Township, and his friend Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg, to come to the property. After being shot, those last three victims were burned in an oil tank and buried in a 12-foot grave dug with a backhoe.

Days passed before investigators found that site and charged DiNardo. As part of his deal, DiNardo also identified Kratz as a co-conspirator in three of the murders.

Kratz  who investigators said once described the killings as a "massacre"  had no such deal with prosecutors until recently. Last month, he gave prosecutors video-recorded statements about the case, and the paperwork for his plea had been signed in advance of Wednesday's hearing. The agreement called for him to plead guilty in three of the murders in return for a 59- to 118-year prison sentence.

It was not known why Kratz suddenly backed out of the deal. One of his lawyers, Niels Erickson Jr., had predicted earlier this week that Wednesday's hearing would be the "final" proceeding in the case.

>>READ MORE: Lured victims, 'pig roaster' and other grisly details to emerge from the Bucks County slayings

As the deal appeared to be collapsing, Weintraub said Erickson and co-counsel Craig Penglase gave him permission to speak directly with Kratz in a bid to persuade him to reconsider. "He was resolute," the district attorney said. "I was incredibly disappointed, but that's his right."

The defense lawyers weren't available for comment after the hearing. Finley did not set a trial date.

But the district attorney said Kratz's statements can become key evidence against him at trial, and DiNardo could end up as a key witness for the prosecution.

"We believe [Kratz] made a confession," Weintraub said, "and that confession was made knowingly and willingly."

The families of all four victims have filed wrongful-death lawsuits, blaming not only DiNardo and Kratz but also DiNardo's parents, Sandra and Antonio.

One attorney said the elder DiNardos gave their son a "playland for illegal acts." Bensalem police said officers had encountered DiNardo 40 times, 14 of which were in the year before the killings.

Two mental health professionals who examined DiNardo in recent months determined that he would have been unable to use a criminal insanity defense, DiNardo's lawyer Fortunato Perri noted during the hearing. But speaking with reporters after the proceeding, Perri suggested that DiNardo's mental state was a factor.

"Mental illness is real, mental illness is sad, and sometimes it can be tragic," he said.

The district attorney, however, said Wednesday that DiNardo appeared to get a thrill out of killing.

"For whatever reason he had, he killed Jimi Patrick, and after that he liked it," Weintraub said. "He became a maneater, so to speak."
Mary Gay Scanlon, at her victory party in Swarthmore, won the Democratic nomination in Pennsylvanias newly configured Fifth District. Her race is among several which have Democrats encouraged about their fall prospects. Read more

The most crowded primary in Pennsylvania for Congress has a winner: Mary Gay Scanlon.

Scanlon, an attorney and member of the Wallingford-Swarthmore school board, received a plurality of the votes in the crowded Democratic contest for Pennsylvania's Fifth District, with of 94 percent of the precincts reporting, according to unofficial returns.

The race for the Fifth, which includes all of Delaware County and parts of South Philadelphia and Montgomery County, attracted more female candidates than any other any congressional district in the country.

>> READ MORE: Women win party nods in Pa. primary elections for U.S. House

Scanlon, a Delaware County resident, faced four men as well, including longtime suburban State Rep. Greg Vitali and former deputy mayor and South Philadelphian Rich Lazer. A super PAC for Lazer spent nearly $1 million on TV ads, and Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed him.

There are currently no women in Pennsylvania's delegation in the U.S. House, and they comprise 19 percent of the state legislature. Scanlon, who leads the pro-bono program at the powerhouse law firm Ballard Spahr, said recently at a meet-and-greet that "Afghanistan is 19 percent."

Scanlon's campaign highlighted her support for gun control and expanded pre-K, as well as her experience as a lawyer for disabled students and refugees.

In an interview, Scanlon said she ran for Congress to "continue doing that work" and "because just all of that work feels like it's under attack with this administration."

>> READ MORE: Former WHYY reporter Elizabeth Fiedler beats Johnny Doc ally on his turf

The primary is the most expensive in the region. The candidates and outside groups have spent at least $4.1 million, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission. However, candidates have only reported spending through April 25. If they spend all the money they've raised since then, that figure will increase to about $5.5 million.

That would make the race among the most expensive in the country, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Former Gov. Ed Rendell and Comcast senior executive vice president David L. Cohen were among Scanlon's major supporters. The Inquirer editorial board endorsed her, and a major chunk of her campaign donations came from Ballard Spahr attorneys.

The new Fifth District includes parts of the old First and Seventh districts. U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan, the incumbent in the Seventh, announced in January that he would not run for reelection after it was revealed that he used tax dollars to settle a sexual harassment claim from an ex-aide. The congressman in the First District, Philadelphia Democratic Party leader Bob Brady, also did not seek reelection.

The Cook Political Report rates Pennsylvania's new Fifth District as "likely Democratic."

Scanlon will face Republican Pearl Kim, who ran unopposed in the primary, in the general election.
Elizabeth Fiedler, a former WHYY reporter, won the Democratic primary for a state House seat in South Philadelphia. Read more

Elizabeth Fiedler, a former WHYY reporter, won a contentious Democratic primary for a state House seat in South Philadelphia, in the back yard of a major city power player.

The first-time candidate said, "The message is clear: Across South Philadelphia, people are tired of politics as usual."

Fiedler campaigned on Medicare-for-all and received endorsements from several city unions; the Democratic Socialists of America's local chapter; and Our Revolution, a group formed out of Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 campaign.

>> READ MORE: Women win party nods in Pa. primary elections for U.S. House

Fiedler bested Jonathan Rowan, a state Senate aide who received significant financial support from the city's powerful Electricians union, in the primary for the 184th District. The rapidly gentrifying district includes Pennsport, the home neighborhood of John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty, leader of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

That 184th District's incumbent legislator, Bill Keller, also backed Rowan.

Fiedler received more than 50 percent of the vote in the four-way primary, according to unofficial results, with Rowan receiving nearly 37 percent. Along with Rowan, attorney Tom Wyatt and former police Detective Nicholas DiDonato also ran for the seat.

"The campaign shows that a working person can run for office with a people-powered campaign based on strong values and win," Fiedler said in a statement. "I am so proud of the campaign we ran and the movement we built."

>> READ MORE: Mary Gay Scanlon wins Democratic U.S. House primary in Pa. 5

A last-minute attack ad said Fiedler, who is originally from Bloomsburg, Pa., said she "doesn't know us" and "went district shopping." Fiedler said she has lived in the city since 2003.

The anti-Fiedler ads were paid for by Friends of Ward 39B, according to a disclosure on the mailers. The Democratic leader of that ward is Matthew Myers, who is Rowan's uncle as well as the brother of Michael "Ozzie" Myers, a former congressman convicted of bribery.

Fiedler, 37, said "movement candidates won tonight across the state" and "tonight is a victory for working people."

Amanda McIllmurray, a spokeswoman for the Fiedler campaign, added that Reclaim Philadelphia, an organization formed by former staffers of Bernie Sanders' presidential bid, "played an instrumental role" in the former journalist's victory.

Two candidates supported by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Democratic Socialists, Sara Innamorato and Summer Lee, also won Democratic primaries for seats in the Pennsylvania House. They beat Dom and Paul Costa, members of a powerful Democratic political family.
HARRISBURG  Philadelphia Democrat Mike Stack III became the first lieutenant governor in modern Pennsylvania history to lose reelection in a primary.

Stack was dealt a crushing defeat in Tuesday's election, falling to Braddock Mayor John Fetterman in one of the most hotly contested primaries for lieutenant governor. Four Democrats, including Nina Ahmad, a onetime deputy mayor to Mayor Kenney, had vied to knock Stack out of the job.

Unofficial vote counts showed Fetterman drawing nearly 40 percent of the vote, with Stack getting less than half as much.

>>READ MORE: Scott Wagner wins Pa. Republican primary election for governor

With the loss, Stack, who hails from an entrenched political family in Philadelphia, will make the history books: A sitting lieutenant governor has not lost a primary election since state law changed nearly a half-century ago to permit the holder of the office to serve two terms.

Fetterman  a 6-foot-8, goateed mayor who became a favorite of liberals when he ran two years ago for U.S. Senate  will now run alongside Gov. Wolf as a ticket in the fall election.

"Wow," Fetterman told the crowd during his election party victory speech Tuesday night, where he was greeted with thunderous applause, adding: "I want to take our message of `all places matter'" to the general election.

Fetterman bills himself as a progressive, which he has said means he will champion "evidence-based public policies that benefit the most people possible." He was endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and various progressive groups.

Among Republicans, Lower Merion real-estate executive Jeff Bartos easily edged out his three primary contenders to snag the nomination for lieutenant governor. Bartos will run on a ticket with Sen. Scott Wagner of York County, who on Tuesday won a three-way race to snag the GOP nomination for governor.

For both major parties, the primary was crowded with challengers seeking to become the state's second-in-command, which political insiders often jest is the best job in the Capitol. The position comes with a $163,672 annual salary and a 2,400-square-foot mansion funded by taxpayers, yet it involves only a fraction of the work and stress that comes with the governor's office.

>>READ MORE: Pennsylvania voters face a governor's race with starkly different candidates | John Baer

Among Democrats, aside from Ahmad and Fetterman, Stack faced challenges from Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone and Montgomery County banker and insurance agent Ray Sosa.

On the Republican side, Bartos topped Diana Irey Vaughan, a longtime Washington County commissioner; Kathy Coder, a Republican State Committee member from Allegheny County; and Marguerite "Peg" Luksik, from Cambria County.

In running for a second term, Stack, a former state senator, had fought against the lingering stain of last year's allegations that he and his wife, Tonya, had verbally abused staffers who worked at the taxpayer-funded residence, as well as the State Police detail assigned to protect them.

In an unusual step, Wolf had ordered Inspector General Bruce Beemer's office to launch an investigation into the matter, and deliver a report on its findings. Amid the inquiry, Wolf took the unprecedented step of yanking Stack's State Police protection and sharply scaled back staff at the lieutenant governor's residence. Soon after, Tonya Stack began seeking in-patient treatment for a mental-health issue, Stack's office confirmed.

In the end, the governor decided to shield the Inspector General's report from the public.

In campaigning for reelection, Stack avoided discussing the controversy surrounding his treatment of employees. Instead, he touted his experience as an elected official, including his nearly four years as lieutenant governor and 13 more years representing Northeast Philadelphia in the Senate.

>>READ MORE: With 5 women's wins, Pa.'s all-male congressional delegation may be ending

Stack had also attempted to showcase his office's launch of the Pathway to Pardons program, which aims to help former offenders learn how to clear their criminal records and ease their path to employment, as well as his work to streamline the often long and complicated process of obtaining a pardon.

But nearly all of Stack's opponents had run on a platform of making the office relevant again. The duties of the lieutenant governor include presiding over the state Senate (and casting the tie-breaking vote, if necessary) and chairing the Board of Pardons. The lieutenant governor also would take over running the state if the governor were to die in office, or, as happened in the case of former Republican Gov. Tom Ridge, leave for another position.

Stack's opponents had said they wanted to expand on those duties, and work closely with the governor's office to champion issues important to the administration.

Stack campaign manager Marty Marks said Stack was taking the loss "completely in stride."

"His words to me tonight were, 'This is not the first time I've lost an election,'" said Marks, adding of Stack: "He is a leader and he will continue to be a leader.  Mike Stack can't help himself  this is what he does, and he will continue to do it."

Stack and Wolf's icy relationship was one of the worst-kept secrets in the Capitol. The two rarely appeared at events together and never jointly pushed policy issues. During the primary, Wolf stayed neutral.

>>READ MORE: Pa. primary results reflect national fight for control of Congress: It's a referendum on Trump

Despite reports of their estrangement, Stack's campaign had said the lieutenant governor supported Wolf's policies and reelection.

But a group of Republican state senators is seeking to change the way lieutenant governors run in primaries. They are pushing a measure that would allow gubernatorial candidates to choose their running mates. As it stands now, governors and lieutenant governors run separately in primary elections and become a ticket only in the general election.

The bill was spurred, in part, by the estranged relationship between Wolf and Stack.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Andrew Goldstein contributed to this article.
State Rep. Madeleine Dean celebrates her Democratic primary win in the newly drawn Fourth Congressional District, at her headquarters in Fort Washington. Read more

State Rep. Madeleine Dean won the Democratic primary in Montgomery County's new congressional district Tuesday, increasing the chances that at least one woman will break into Pennsylvania's all-male delegation.

Dean will face Republican Dan David, founder of an equities markets research firm called GeoInvesting, in November's general election. David was uncontested in the GOP primary.

Prognosticators consider the seat in the Fourth Congressional District a safe Democratic pickup. Hillary Clinton would have carried the newly drawn district  imposed by the state Supreme Court in February  by nearly 20 percentage points over Donald Trump in 2016.

Dean, 58, of Abington, had the financial support of organized labor and Emily's List, a group that works to elect Democratic women who favor abortion rights. She defeated former congressman Joe Hoeffel and gun-control advocate Shira Goodman.

"No wonder Congress is a mess," she said in a television ad during the primary campaign.

Hoeffel, a former three-term congressman, had argued that his experience would help Democrats fight President Trump.

Some Montgomery County Democrats had hoped Hoeffel would drop out of the race, saying he had run for office time and again but wasn't an effective legislator. He disputed that charge and said healthy competition would make the Democratic nominee a stronger candidate.
New Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, Braddock mayor John Fetterman, meets the top of the ticket, Gov. Wolf, at a diner in Manchester, Pa. Wednesday. Read more

MANCHESTER, Pa.  Sen. Scott Wagner had barely wrapped up his victory speech as the newly minted Republican nominee for governor in Tuesday's primary when the volleys began.

"Scott Wagner is the very worst of Harrisburg," screamed the headline in a statement by Gov. Wolf's campaign.

As the Democratic governor prepared to meet up for lunch Wednesday with his new running mate, Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, at a diner near his home in York County, the barrage continued. A fund-raising appeal by Wolf"s campaign featured a video portraying Wagner as beholden to gas drillers and stitching together some of Wagner's more divisive statements, including his now-infamous exchange with a political operative tracking his campaign.

The Republican Governors Association on Wednesday tweeted out a 15-second digital ad calling Wolf a "tax hiker who sat on the sidelines while Pennsylvania was almost brought to the brink of bankruptcy."

That bare-knuckled tone so soon out of the gate is bound to permeate the next six months of campaigning as Wolf and Wagner square off in what is expected to be a bruising and expensive race.

Wagner, a state senator and trash-hauling magnate who often draws comparisons to President Trump, will be running as a ticket with Lower Merion real estate executive Jeff Bartos, who on Tuesday won the Republican primary for lieutenant governor.

Like Wolf, Wagner is a millionaire from York County who can reach into his own pocket to help bankroll his campaign. He has said that if elected governor, his first priority would be to tear apart the state budget to justify every penny in state spending. He also has said he would whack government regulations that he believes put a stranglehold on business and economic development.

But unlike Wolf, whose erudite style often draws comparisons to a university professor, Wagner can be blunt and bombastic.

Although Wagner kept a low profile Wednesday, eschewing public events, he has spent much of the last year accusing Wolf of overtaxing and overspending.

In a statement Wednesday, Wagner's campaign accused Wolf of "getting down in the gutter" on the opening day of the race, alleging that the governor was turning to negative rhetoric because he had no record to run on.

"We understand that resorting to negative, personal attacks is his only play, because he certainly can't run on getting anything done," said Wagner's campaign manager, Jason High.

Wolf, meanwhile, embraced the spotlight. He set aside a part of the day Wednesday to meet Fetterman for lunch at the Manchester Cafe  a small restaurant nestled into a shopping strip in York County, where both men grew up.

After a tuna melt with Greek salad (Wolf) and a Reuben sandwich with french fries (Fetterman), the two men presented a unified front, with Fetterman speaking almost as often as Wolf and occasionally interjecting to answer questions on his own.

"I want to be clear: Gov. Wolf is going to be just fine on his own record," Fetterman said. "I'm honored to be a part of the ticket and, if there is a small way I can contribute, I'm happy to do that."

He said he would envision his role as that of a "subordinate to the governor" and expressed a willingness to work with him.

Wolf, meanwhile, said he wanted to build a relationship with Fetterman based on "mutual respect and trust."

Asked about current Lt. Gov. Mike Stack, Wolf, whose relationship with Stack has been chilly for years, was polite but also quick to point out he's looking forward to working with someone else.

"I think he was lieutenant governor," Wolf said about Stack. "Actually, I think this is a good time to thank him for his service to Pennsylvania, and I think I'm looking forward to working with a new lieutenant governor in the years to come."
Scott Wallace, First District Democratic congressional candidate, with his wife, Christy, greets his supporters after his primary victory over opponent Rachel Reddick. Read more

Pennsylvania's primary results Tuesday night reflected both sides of the energy stirred by President Trump.

Democrats rallied behind suburban women in several high-profile races critical to their hopes of taking control of the U.S. House this fall  nominating exactly the kind of candidates that Democrats are relying on nationally to help them win a foothold on power in Congress.

Pennsylvania Republicans, meanwhile, doubled down on Trump's 2016 success in the Keystone State  tapping statewide nominees who in style, tone, and priorities show the party has wrapped its arms around Trump.

Delaware County's Mary Gay Scanlon, Montgomery County's Madeleine Dean and the Lehigh Valley's Susan Wild all won Democratic primaries in key House races, and Chester County's Chrissy Houlahan walked to her nomination unopposed. With Scanlon and Dean running in deep blue districts, and Houlahan also favored in a more competitive race, Pennsylvania is poised to send at least one woman, and maybe more, to Congress for the first time in four years. (Republicans also nominated a woman, Pearl Kim, to run against Scanlon in the Fifth District, all-but assuring a woman will win that race in a strongly Democratic district.)

>> READ MORE: Primary election winners and losers

They all represent the types of candidates that Democrats hope can swing the House their way: women from affluent, educated suburbs where the president has polled poorly, and fared badly even while running up big margins in other parts of Pennsylvania in 2016.

EMILY's List, the progressive political group that supports Democratic women, hailed the victories. Of Dean, the group said: "The women and working families of this district will be well-served by a champion like Madeleine, which is why we are so proud to stand with her and congratulate her tonight."

>> READ MORE: Women win party nods in Pa. primary elections for U.S. House

Several such districts in the Philadelphia region  from Delaware County to the Lehigh Valley  are central to Democrats' hopes to gaining the 23 seats they need to build a House majority, thanks to a wide-open congressional map and wave of Republican retirements.

But Republicans sent their own messages: In their U.S. Senate primary, the GOP nominated U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, a hard-liner on illegal immigration who boasts of his close ties to the president. And for governor, the party chose a brash and confrontational businessman, State Sen. Scott Wagner, reflecting how deeply Trump has left his imprint on the party.

Their victories signaled a stark shift away from old Republican methods in Pennsylvania, which typically focused on trying to appeal to moderate swing voters.

Consider that in November 2016, Sen. Pat Toomey refused to endorse Trump until hours before the polls closed after spending millions depicting himself as an independent champion of compromise.

At the time, many Republican insiders thought their best Senate nominee for 2018 might have been U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan, who had a moderate profile that served him well in Delaware County. But Meehan became a casualty of another unexpected wave: He was essentially pushed from office after revelations of a sexual-harassment settlement.

The nominations for Dean, Scanlon, and Wild were no sure things  all prevailed in tough primary races.

At least one suburban woman, however, fell short. Bucks County's Rachel Reddick lost to Scott Wallace in the First District, another one where Democrats hope to flip a GOP-held seat, this one held by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.

The voting came in a year of political upheaval, driven by a suburban backlash against Trump, a wave of retirements (mostly by Republicans), and new congressional districts that drastically altered the political terrain. In all, seven of Pennsylvania's 18 congressional districts will have new representatives next year.

For most of the state, Tuesday was their first chance to participate in a federal election since Trump's 2016 victory, and across Pennsylvania it was the first test of the state's new congressional lines, drawn by the state Supreme Court to overturn what it ruled was an unconstitutional imbalance favoring Republicans.

The results: competitive Democratic battles for several seats that now heavily favor their party, and crowded Republican races to replace the likes of Barletta and Bill Shuster in deep red territory.

Democrats, meanwhile, had a wider ideological split in some races, most notably in the Lehigh Valley's Seventh District, which had something for nearly every slice of the party. Northampton District Attorney John Morganelli hoped his more moderate stances could appeal to voters in the closely divided swing district, home to the recently resigned centrist Republican Charlie Dent. But his conservative stances on immigration and abortion worried much of the Democratic base. Liberal champion Bernie Sanders and the Congressional Black Caucus endorsed Greg Edwards, while the Democratic women's group EMILY's List was behind the eventual winner, Wild.

On the Republican side, Olympic gold medalist Marty Northstein and former Lehigh County Commissioner Dean Browning were also locked in a tight contest. On paper, the district looks like a competitive one in November, so the right nominee for either party could make the difference.

While Trump acolytes fared well, Democratic candidates backed by Sanders had mixed showings. John Fetterman, the liberal Braddock mayor running for lieutenant governor, won his party's nomination.

But the Sanders-backed Philadelphian Rich Lazer finished third, in a district based mostly in Delaware County, and Edwards, in the Lehigh Valley, also fell short.

The outcomes are likely to resonate well beyond Pennsylvania when voters decide whom to support for the House  and which party to empower  this November.
Philadelphia voters on Tuesday appear to have approved proposed amendments to the City Charter on police oversight, schools, and sexual-harassment policy, with more than 80 percent of the precincts counted.

The approval of Question 1 requires that City Council appropriate at least $500,000 a year to run the Police Advisory Commission, an agency that provides civilian oversight of the police department, investigating its policies and practices. Funding for the board has fluctuated over the years.

The approval of Question 2 grants Council power to approve new members of the Board of Education selected by the administration. The question was said to be misleading because it asked voters "if they want to "restore local control" of schools. That has already happened, with the state authorizing the disbanding of the School Reform Commission and replacing it with a local board.

The approval of Question 3 requires that the city give all of its employees sexual-harassment training.

Currently, such training is required for rank-and-file city employees only when a supervisor decides it is necessary. The new legislation would establish a standard that mandatory training take place every one to three years.

Separately, City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart is examining the city's sexual-harassment policies. A spokeswoman for Rhynhart said that audit, expected to be released by June, will likely include a recommendation of mandatory "high-quality" sexual-harassment training. Experts say that such training is effective at deterring workplace harassment if properly designed.

All Philadelphia voters, regardless of political party, were eligible to vote on the ballot questions.
U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans Read more

U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans beat back a primary challenge Tuesday and is heavily favored to win reelection to his Philadelphia congressional seat.

Evans will face Republican Bryan Leib in November's general election. Leib ran unopposed in Tuesday's GOP primary.

Evans, who defeated Pastor Kevin Johnson in the Democratic primary Tuesday, is seeking a second term. Two years ago he defeated former longtime U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, who was under indictment on corruption charges. Fattah was later convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Editors Note: This story was revised to correct candidate Bryan Leib's name
It appears that the Rebuild program is in danger of becoming a colossal bait and switch  at least when it comes to workforce diversity.

The program, which Mayor Kenney promised would spend $500 million to refurbish parks, recreation centers, and library branches while creating more work opportunities for black and brown Philadelphians, who are traditionally frozen out of construction jobs, is on hold for now. And the deal to put more black and brown people on the workforce is on hold, too.

The Kenney administration and John Dougherty, who runs the Philadelphia Building Trades Council, an association of construction unions, had promised that up to 45 percent of Rebuild jobs would go to the disadvantaged (that's political speak for blacks, browns, and women).

Legislation was in Council, a memorandum of understanding was signed  and though Rebuild funding was on hold pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging the legality of the beverage tax, which is supposed to fund the program  the city was ready to move forward.

But things got testy when Council demanded that the deal include robust enforcement measures to make sure unions and contractors stuck to the promises of workforce diversity. In a town where black and brown people have been largely excluded from city-funded construction, with no real consequences, that appeared to be a bridge too far. At least that's how City Council President Darrell Clarke tells it.

"The members of Council wanted to have some language inserted in there that would ensure there was some level of enforcement," Clarke told me in a radio interview on Praise 107.9 FM. "As with anything, a document can say what it says, but if there is no enforcement in terms of compliance with that document, then it doesn't mean anything."

As Council was preparing to hold another hearing on the matter, it received a letter from the mayor saying he no longer wanted to participate in the process, Clarke said.

"He wanted us to repeal the Rebuild legislation and wanted to go a different direction," Clarke said. "I'm somewhat perplexed. Actually I'm very perplexed. I don't understand why that was done. But, apparently, based on the letter, there was some concerns about the timing."

The timing issue is tied to the beverage tax, which specifically targets the soda industry with a 1.5-cent-per-ounce tax on soda distributors. The money from that tax is supposed to pay for pre-K, the Rebuild program, and several other city budget items. But the tax is being challenged in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and there's no way to know if it will still be in place when it is time to move forward on Rebuild.

The Kenney administration says Rebuild needs to start now, and has proposed taking money out of the city's capital budget to do so.

I asked the Mayor's Office to clarify why they want to move forward despite the uncertainty of the beverage tax's fate.

"Philadelphians have been waiting for almost two years for Rebuild," Kenney said in a statement. "During that time, my administration has worked with City Council and the building trades to develop a robust approach to diversity and inclusion with Rebuild, including two unprecedented commitments from the building trades to boost diversity within their ranks. Now that we have those commitments in place, it's time to start investing the money that's been sitting unspent while parks, recreation centers, and libraries are on the brink of closure."

That all sounds wonderful, but I'm with Clarke on this.

We've seen promises of inclusion from the Building Trades Council before, but the reality is its member unions are largely male, white, and suburban. With the exception of a few large projects, those unions, and the contractors they provide labor to, have frozen black and brown people out of city-funded projects.

It's so bad that in fiscal year 2015, 44 percent of city-funded projects with diversity plans (known as Economic Opportunity Plans) included no minorities at all. And in fiscal year 2016, a whopping 63 percent of small, city-funded construction projects had no people of color or women on the workforce, while 42 percent of the workers in midrange city-funded construction projects were all white and male.

That's unacceptable. And while the Kenney administration says the city already has the power to enforce diversity goals by withholding payment, terminating a contract, or recommending that contractors be barred from doing future work for the city, this almost never happens.

So, yes, I want every possible weapon in place to make sure Philadelphia's largely white and male building trades  and the contractors who use their workers  do not continue their pattern of excluding women and people of color.

If that means doing more to prevent the old bait and switch, so be it.

In a city where black and brown people make up the majority of the population, there can be no other choice.
New Jersey is one of only 13 states that requires hair braiders to obtain a cosmetologist license to work. Read more

Legislators in both the New Jersey Assembly and Senate introduced bills in April that would exempt hair braiders from having to obtain a cosmetology license. While this may seem like just another mundane order of business in Trenton, it's actually very encouraging. Leaders of all political stripes are honing in on the damage done when states go too far in regulating who can and cannot work in certain professions.

New Jersey is one of only 13 states that requires hair braiders to obtain a cosmetologist license to work. Perhaps more important, aspiring hair braiders must complete 1,200 hours of approved instruction in cosmetology and hair styling. Not one of those 1,200 hours includes training in hair braiding, however. The new proposal would remove the state's licensing requirements and instead simply mandate that all hair-braiding shops register with the state.

Occupational licensing today affects nearly one in four American workers. Although licensing makes sense in some specific professions to protect the public from harm, it's difficult to justify for hair braiders. Why require them to jump through arbitrary hoops that have nothing to do with the practice of their craft?

Pennsylvania and New York allow hair braiders to obtain a specialty license  one that requires training in hair braiding rather than unrelated skills. In Delaware, hair braiders are allowed to work without a license.

Would deregulating hair braiding be beneficial? In a new working paper published by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, I (and co-author Catherine Konieczny) estimate the economic effects of Virginia's decision to do just that in 2012.

Between 2012 and 2014, the number of small beauty shops in Virginia increased by more than 8 percent. This growth is higher than bordering states of Kentucky and West Virginia  two states that required hair braiders to obtain a cosmetology license. Today, both states have removed this requirement.

Occupational licensing makes it more expensive for aspiring entrepreneurs to start a new business. In New Jersey, tuition to attend beauty school may cost as much as $20,000 (including the mandatory purchase of a training kit) for a 10-month program. This barrier may be too great for many aspiring hair braiders to overcome.

What does the public gain from forcing hair braiders to complete these mandatory requirements? It is hard to believe that it improves public safety in any way  especially when, again, the required training may not include even a single hour of instruction in hair braiding.

What is very clear, though, is that citizens in New Jersey have fewer beauty shops to choose from thanks to the regulations. And less competition means fewer choices and higher prices for New Jersey consumers.

So, who does benefit from these laws? There are at least two groups: currently licensed cosmetologists and people who have a stake in established beauty schools. Already-licensed cosmetologists don't have to compete with potential hair braiders who don't have the time or money for the required training. Beauty schools get more business from aspiring hair braiders, who must complete seemingly unnecessary education. Both are in position to charge higher prices.

Occupational licensing reform is not and should not be a partisan issue. The sponsors of the NewJersey bills are all Democrats, and plenty of Republicans support the idea. The Obama White House released a report urging state lawmakers to reconsider the costs and benefits of occupational licensing laws. The secretary of labor in the Trump White House agrees. Several states enacted reform last year, including New Hampshire and South Dakota.

There are not many things these days that all of us can agree on. A careful reconsideration of occupational licensing requirements for hair braiders in New Jersey, however, appears to be one of them.

Dr. Edward Timmons is an associate professor of economics at St. Francis University and director of the Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation.
About a month ago, NASA quietly released a congressionally mandated report re-thinking the agency's approach to human spaceflight in low-Earth orbit, or LEO. NASA is currently the primary sponsor of the International Space Station, shelling out between $3 to $4 billion each year for operations and transportation costs. The White House and NASA want to change that, envisioning NASA as just one of many participants in a thriving economy where humans live, work, and play in LEO.

Essentially, NASA can't afford to operate the ISS while also working to establish a presence on and around the Moon. The White House's most recent NASA budget request proposes to "end direct U.S. financial support for the International Space Station (ISS) in 2025, after which NASA would rely on commercial partners for its LEO research and technology demonstration requirements."

What savings this will generate, and whether they will be enough to significantly increase human activity beyond LEO, isn't clear. This is just the first step of a larger, pending debate.

The report is officially called the International Space Station Transition Report, and it's a bit of a slog to read. There are dense passages re-hashing the same point multiple times, and a liberal use of passive voice. NASA never does somethingit is proposing. The report doesn't actually say what's going to happen; it lays out a set of "transition principles," promising to define a full strategy later. This transition/strategy delineation, along with the waffly grammar, doesn't exactly fill you with confidence that things are going to smoothly.

The transition principles are ambitious: NASA wants to create a new humans-in-LEO market, and then become the non-primary customer for that new market. The market must meet a laundry list of extensive requirements set by NASA and other federal users. It must be profitable for private companies, but cost NASA less than what it currently takes to run the ISS.

Oh, and all of this must be in place by 2025less than seven years from now. Can NASA pull that off without yielding on cost, schedule, or both?

If you prefer your space takes in audio form, don't miss the most recent Planetary Radio Space Policy Edition podcast, which tackles the same subject!

The general plan

NASA is considering two options when it comes to transitioning away from its current space station model.

Option 1: A private company takes over U.S. ISS operations

Before the end of fiscal year 2018, NASA will collect ideas from companies interested in taking over ISS operations, according to the transition report. It's unclear exactly which station components this would encompass.

I asked two people with experience working on the ISS program to weigh in on this idea (neither were not authorized to speak on the record, so I have withheld their identities). One person pointed out that private companies like Boeing, Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, and historically, United Space Alliance, already provide ISS operations support. Privately employed flight controllers work alongside their NASA counterparts. Therefore, the biggest transitional challenge might be paperwork-related.

"What I could see being a problem are the procedures and flight rules and other documents used on console that were developed under certain contracts along with NASAwhat happens to them?" the person said. "That I don't know."

But would such a switch save any money?

"I won't say it can't be done," another person told me. "The question iswhat do you scale back? Something has to scale back or you have to fundamentally change the concept of how the ISS operates."

Out of the $3 to $4 billion spent on the ISS each year, more than half of that is due to transportation costsand that's unlikely to change. In fact, a recent report by NASA's Office of Inspector General showed transportation costs are actually rising.

Of the $1.5 billion spent on actual ISS operations, where can a private company recoup costs? Shedding any ISS capability inevitably comes with trade-offs. One example: NASA keeps spare ISS parts both in space and on the ground, and employs experts who diagnose things that break (NASA also sends broken components back to Earth). That's expensive, so perhaps a private company could do without that practice. But what happens the next time something goes belly-up?

For facilities, would a company build its own control center, or use existing ones in Houston, Huntsville, Tokyo, Montreal, and Munich? What about astronaut training facilities? Maybe a private company could do without spacewalks. But that might not save NASA much money; the agency still needs to retain its spacewalking capabilities and training facilities for future deep space missions.

For the sake of argument, let's imagine that a private company could shave 30 percent off of annual ISS operations costsa cost savings of $450 million per year. But is that really enough for NASA to get to the Moon?

Option 2: A private company sets up a new station

Though a private company could construct an entirely new, standalone station, a more likely scenario is a company building the core of such a station at the ISS. There, private modules could be test-driven, and NASA and the company can work out operational bugs. In 2025, the company could detach the modules and use them to form a new station, possibly with some existing ISS modules. All of the station's modules are certified to last through 2028, and some may last even longerthough components inside those modules are certainly expected to break.

There are multiple options for adding new modules to the station. An example of how this would work is the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, a testbed module that was added to the station in 2016. But NASA has been stalled on the question of how to handle future BEAM-like activities since then, even after issuing an information request for companies wanting to use ISS ports. The transition report says "the agency has been assessing the policy, programmatic, and technical impacts of implementing a commercial module on the ISS."

Will NASA make a decision soon? In reporting on private space stations in the past, I've spoken with two companiesAxiom Space and Bigelow Aerospacewho are very interested in developing ISS-ready modules. Both have implied they're ready to fly, if NASA would just give them the opportunity.

The requirements

No matter what a new space station in LEO actually looks like, NASA has a laundry list of things it must be able to do:

Host current, and possibly new, international partners

Host NASA astronauts for short and long-term crewed expeditions

Accommodate new life support and environmental monitoring systems for real-world, long-duration tests

Serve as a research laboratory for NASA, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and the National Institutes of Health

Host research including, but not limited to: plant, microbial, animal, and human biology, fundamental physics, cryogenics and heat transfer, combustion, materials science, medicine, manufacturing, biomedical and communications demonstrations

Host astrophysics, space science and Earth science experiments (this would seem to mean exterior-mounted experiments)

That's a lot of requirements! Keep in mind this list doesn't cover the needs of any other customer besides NASAand that NASA isn't even supposed to be the primary customer.

The market

While NASA is good at spaceflight, it's not as sure-footed when it comes to businessespecially when being tasked to create an entirely new commercial market (has NASA ever been directly tasked with doing so?). The agency's commercial cargo and crew programs were successful, but they didn't really create new markets; rather, they serve the existing ISS transportation market. SpaceX leveraged its dominance in that market to capture a large share of another existing market: launches.

The report gets a little existential about NASA's new market-creation role, listing this premise as one of the "challenges" to commercializing LEO: "Government acceptance of the premise that commerce has value."

That's a loaded, ideological premise! Value for whom? NASA? Taxpayers? Businesses? The report doesn't say, but to keep it simple, let's look at commerce as value for NASA and taxpayers. That value would presumably come in the form of lower costs and increased capabilities.

Cost is, by far, the biggest question mark. To what degree will NASA subsidize this new market, while still reducing the agency's overall LEO funding burden? That will depend on how profitable a private space station is.

The only company to have flown private space station hardware, Bigelow, is unsure enough about profits that they're currently conducting a large-scale study on the topic:

"This subject has had ambiguity for many years," the company's operational arm said in a February press release. "BSO [Bigelow Space Operations] will be spending millions of dollars this year to establish concrete answers."

Existing studies have been wildly incongruent, betraying the market uncertainty of private space stations. Axiom Space sponsored a report that found a potential market of about $4 billion annually by the time the ISS retires in 2025. But a 2017 study conducted by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, cited in the ISS transition report, found late 2020s revenues ranging between just $455 million and $1.2 billion per year. That same report estimates costs between $463 million and $2.3 billion. These estimates also assume very rosy scenarios for launch costs, where human and cargo costs are approximately 75 percent less than current prices.

The implication? There are far more scenarios than not in which a private space station is a losing business idea.

"Venture capitalists interviewed for the project noted that the projections of revenues and costs are so uncertain that they would have little interest in financing a space station until projected revenues show signs of actually materializing," the report said.

The takeaway

In theory, NASA won't have to figure all this out on its own. The report mentions a working group consisting of NASA, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Commerce, and others. This working group will ostensibly come up with policy recommendations to help enable the humans-in-LEO market.

That's a good start, but it relies on the premise that a few regulatory tweaks are all that's needed to grow the small amount of commercial activity currently taking place aboard the ISS into a blossoming new commercial market. NASA only has one chance to get this right. A botched transition could destabilize the human spaceflight program as it focuses on returning to the Moon for the first time in half a century.

Casey Dreier contributed to this story.
President Trump called the family of slain NYPD officer Miosotis Familia to the stage during his speech Tuesday at 37th Annual Peace Officers Memorial Service.

President Donald Trump gave a rambling but emotional speech praising fallen law enforcement officers and their families during the 37th Annual Peace Officers Memorial Service.

Speaking from the steps of the White House, Trump spoke of his strong support for law enforcement and pledged that he nor America would forget the sacrifices of officers who died protecting the public and the survivors they left behind.

He said the fallen officers are among the bravest of Americans to ever live. They did not flinch. They did not falter. They faced down evil.

Throughout much of Trumps speech he spoke to the children and family members of fallen officers. He spoke directly to several families in attendance, including:

* The family of Lt. Aaron Allan of the Southport (IN) Police Department. Allan was killed in July 2017 when he was shot responding to a vehicle accident. Trump spoke of how well loved and respected Allan was in his community for both his service as an officer and his charity work for children in need.

* The family of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer Charleston Hartfield. Hartfield was killed trying to help the wounded and direct people to safety during the October 2017 Las Vegas Concert Massacre. He was off duty when he was killed. He gave his life so that countless others may live, Trump said.

* The family of Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez. Martinez was found dead in a culvert near Van Horn, TX, in November 2017. The cause of death remains a mystery, though the FBI has said it was not homicide. Martinez partner was injured in the same incident but has not been able to tell investigators what happened. Trump said Martinez unselfish love of country is an inspiration to all Americans.

After honoring these officers and their survivors, Trump spoke about the tragedy of officers being ambushed and killed just for wearing a uniform. He said he has ordered the Department of Justice to do everything possible to defend the lives of police officers.

The discussion of officers killed in ambush led to the most emotional moments of the speech. In what appeared to be an unplanned move, the President called the family of slain NYPD officer Miosotis Familia to the speakers stage. Familia was ambushed in her police vehicle and killed in July 2017.

The three children of the slain NYPD officer and her 92-year-old mother appeared stunned as Trump shook their hands, hugged them, kissed them on their cheeks, and praised their loved one for her dedication to serving the people of New York. Trump admitted that as a New Yorker the NYPD is near and dear to his heart.

Ending his speech, Trump asked all the families of the fallen who were in attendance to stand. He told them that the loss of their loved ones was a loss for all Americans. America lost incredible heroes. They will endure forever in our hearts, he said.David Griffith
The man who shot a Virginia police officer in the head five years ago will ask the court for his freedom next month.

Alexandria police Officer Peter Laboy was on motorcycle patrol in Old Town Feb. 27, 2013, when he tried to pull over a taxi driver wanted for suspicious activity. The suspect  Kashif Bashir  shot Laboy in the head. Bashir led police on a chase before he crashed and was arrested in the Mt. Vernon area.

But Bashir, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, was found not guilty by reason of insanity after trial evidence showed a voice in his head commanded him to shoot Laboy, NBC Washington reports.

A long scar crossing Laboys head is the most outward sign of the shooting, but despite his miraculous recovery, hes angry that while he still struggles with the lasting effects of a traumatic brain injury, Bashir will seek conditional release.
School resource officer Mark Dallas of the Dixon (IL) Police Department is being credited with saving lives today by stopping a school shooting. (Photo: Provided to WQAD)

An Illinois school resource officer is being credited with stopping what could have been a school massacre today by engaging and shooting the suspect.

The incident happened at Dixon High School in Dixon, IL. The SRO has been identified as Officer Mark Dallas of the Dixon Police Department.

A 19-year-old suspect was wounded in the shooting. Officials say he was hit in the shoulder and the injury appears to be non-life threatening.

It appears the suspect, who was recently expelled from the school, was planning on attacking his former classmates as they rehearsed for a graduation ceremony.

Dixon Police say the suspect fired several shots near the school gym, where seniors were gathered for a graduation walk-through. He then exited the building and began to run. He shot at Officer Dallas as he was confronted. Officer Dallas returned fire and struck Milby in the shoulder. No students or staff were injured in the incident, WQAD reports.

I could not be more proud of the police officer and the way he responded to the situation. With shots ringing out through the hallways of the school, he charged towards the suspect and confronted him, head on, Dixon Police Chief Steven Howell said. Because of his heroic actions, countless lives were saved. We are forever indebted to him for his service and his bravery.
A Minnesota State Patrol trooper continues to recover from multiple broken bones after a speeding car hit his patrol vehicle head on in a crash in Lakeville, MN, Tuesday afternoon.

From his hospital bed Wednesday, Sgt. Mike Krukowski, 35, thanked the public for all its support.

Sgt. Mike Krukowski was injured when another vehicle struck his patrol vehicle head on in a crash. Photo: Minnesota State Patrol/Twitter

"Hey everyone. Thank you for your prayers and support and (I'm) looking forward to getting out of the hospital and -- it'll be a bit of a journey but on the way to recovery," he said in the video published on social media Wednesday afternoon. A tweet from the Minnesota State Patrol says he has a broken arm and broken bones in his feet. He's undergone at least one surgery.

The crash happened late Tuesday afternoon on a frontage road off Interstate 35, reports KARE.

The Minnesota State Patrol reports a 2012 Chrysler 200 was speeding northbound on I-35 when it veered off the road to the right, went through the freeway fence, and struck Trooper Krukowski's vehicle head-on.

The state patrol originally tweeted the trooper was "pinned" and had to be "extricated" from his vehicle. (Photo: KARE screenshot)

The driver of the car, a 29-year-old Lakeville man, was airlifted to North Memorial Hospital with serious injuries. His latest condition was unknown as of Wednesday afternoon.
Pacifica, CA, police officer Joseph Gomez received a lifesaving award this week for his actions at the YouTube shooting. (Photo: Pacifica PD)

A Pacifica, CA, police officer who responded to the shooting at YouTube headquarters in April has been honored for his heroic actions that saved a gunshot victims life.

At Tuesday nights Pacifica City Council meeting, Officer Joseph Gomez was presented with the Departmental Life Saving Medal for his actions during the attack on April 3.

Three people were shot and injured in the attack at YouTubes headquarters.

Officer Gomez responded to the shooting and discovered one of the victims suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest and back, the police department said.

Gomez gave first aid to the victim and dressed the wounds until medics arrived to take the victim to a hospital for treatment, police said. His quick actions at the scene were credited with saving the victims life.

The three victims, a man and two women, all survived the attack, CBS San Francisco reports.
WASECA, Minn.  Students left Farmamerica earlier this month wearing strawberry DNA around their necks and contemplating new career possibilities related to agriculture.

A partnership between Farm America and Junior Achievement is helping students from four area middle schools plan their future professions and realize farming isnt the only option in the agriculture industry.

Junior Achievement taps community volunteers to teach young people about financial, college and career planning. The organization brought its middle school career development program to Farmamerica and added an "agriculture twist," said Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest District Manager Laura Heyne.

All the volunteer teachers work in agriculture-related fields and tell the visitors about their jobs. Students also take breaks from the regular curriculum to try agriculture-related science experiments.

The partnership was piloted with students from Waseca last year. This year it expanded to also include Maple River, Medford and Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton.

As Medford students were led through the career exploration exercises, there was no pressure to chose a career in a high-demand agriculture industry.

"Never feel theres a job you cant do. The skys the limit," volunteer Kathy Guse, who is coordinator of Farm Camp Minnesota, told a table of female students.

The students were encouraged to consider applying their interests and skills in an agriculture-related opportunity they hadnt thought about before.

"Were here to help provide them the skills and insights they need to plan their careers and to help them see there are opportunities for their future in agriculture," said volunteer Katie Boone, organizational development director for TLP Co.

"We want students to see as many different career paths as possible before they write off agriculture as an obscure industry with nothing to offer them," said Farmamerica Executive Director Jessica Rollins.

The experiments taught students about soil erosion and plant DNA.

Volunteer Kristin Krell, who does marketing for Environmental Tillage Systems, led an activity demonstrating how grass and cover crops reduce water erosion.

Students also extracted DNA from strawberries with the help of Becca Habinck, lab manager at Guardian Energy, and Joel Dorn, account manager for Pioneer Seed. Students went home with a memento of this experiment: vials of DNA were turned into necklaces.

Dorn said he hoped students also went home with a basic understanding of DNA, its role in plant breeding and a realization that plant science is among many potential agriculture-related career fields.

Medford seventh-grader Nic Hill said the event made him realize the trades in which he is interested, including manufacturing, engineering and welding, could be used in the agricultural realm.

Classmate Reagan Sutherland said she was surprised by how many professions have potential applications in multiple sectors, including but not limited to agriculture.
WASHINGTON  With the threat of tariffs and counter-tariffs between Washington and Beijing looming, Chinese buyers are canceling orders for U.S. soybeans, a trend that could deal a blow to American farmers if it continues.

Beijing has included soybeans on a list of $50 billion of U.S. exports on which it has said it would impose 25 percent tariffs if the United States follows through on its threats to impose the same level of tariffs on the same value of Chinese goods. The U.S. tariffs could kick in later this month; China would likely retaliate soon after.

It can take a month or more for soybean shipments to travel from the U.S. to China. Any soybeans on their way to China now could be hit by the tariff by the time they arrive.

"The Chinese arent willing to buy U.S. soybeans with a 25 percent tax hanging over their head," said Dan Basse, president of AgResource, an agricultural research and advisory firm. "You just dont want the risk."

China typically buys most of its soybeans from South American nations such as Brazil and Argentina during spring and early summer. It shifts to U.S. soybeans in the fall. As a result, for now, the cutbacks from the United States are relatively small.

But should they persist, it could cause real pain to U.S. farmers. Roughly 60 percent of U.S. soybeans are shipped to China.

There might also be a political impact: Three of the top five soybean-exporting states  Iowa, Indiana and Nebraska  voted for President Donald Trump in 2016.

Illinois, the top soybean exporter, and Minnesota, the third-largest, backed Hillary Clinton.

Basse said that it has been roughly three weeks since China has made any major soybean purchases, an unusually long delay.

Some Chinese buyers might be showing support for their government in the trade dispute by turning away U.S. soybeans, Basse said. The dispute may also make it seem too risky to buy from the United States over the long run.

"The United States could lose the reliable supplier label that weve had these many years," Basse said.

Data from the U.S. government data show that sales of soybeans have fallen from about 255,000 metric tons in the first week of April, when the trade dispute began, to just 7,900 in the week that ended April 26.

Cancellations have also jumped, to more than 140,000 metric tons in the week ending April 26. In the same week last year, there were no canceled sales at all.

Some analysts argue that the shifts arent yet particularly significant.

"These numbers were talking about are pretty minor," said John Baize, an economist for the U.S. Soybean Export Council.

The U.S. ships about 35 million metric tons of soybeans to China a year, Baize said. China usually imports about 100 million tons a year and cant import enough from other countries, he said, to abandon the United States as a source.

"Wheres China going to buy its beans?" Baize asked.
This morning the Senate Judiciary Committee released 2500 pages of hearing transcripts and related material on the infamous Trump Tower meeting of the Trump braintrust with Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016. The material is all accessible online here.

I havent read the documents. Based on the first-take news accounts, however, Im going to go out on a limb and say I infer there is nothing in them to refute President Trumps denial of collusion in purported Russian efforts to assist in his election. I should think that would be the lede in the stories, but one must extract the point from reading between the lineslike readers of Pravda in the old Soviet Union, as a matter of fact.

The Wall Street Journal story on the release of the transcripts offers no news other than the release of the transcripts and an ominous statement of the meetings alleged purpose (A Senate committee on Wednesday released thousands of pages of testimony concerning a 2016 meeting between representatives of Donald Trump and a group of Russians who promised incriminating information about his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton).

Politico extracts the botched public relations about the meeting once revealed (Attorneys for Donald Trump Jr. sought to coordinate public statements for attendees of a June 2016 meeting between a Kremlin-connected lawyer and top Trump campaign aides after news broke of the controversial sitdown, according to transcripts released Wednesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee).

Perhaps these stories are just placeholders for the reporters until they are able to take a closer look at the transcripts, but I find my inference confirmed by the committee Democrats statement on the release (summarized and quoted by Politico):

The judiciary panels 10 Democrats, in their joint response to the transcript release, noted that interviews turned up signs of dejection among the Trump allies present about the meetings lack of more coherent negative material on Clinton. Goldstone described Kushner as somewhat agitated and infuriate[d] during the meetings presentation by Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. The committees staff interviews reveal that top Trump campaign officials were frustrated and angry that the meeting did not produce enough damaging information on their opponent, the 10 Judiciary Committee Democrats, led by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, wrote in their statement. Their efforts to conceal the meeting and its true purpose are consistent with a larger pattern of false statements about the Trump campaigns relationship with Russia.

Feinsteins statement also has to be read as we might that of a muckety-muck of the old Soviet Union.

UPDATE: The New York Times has now posted its story on the documents and related 22-page report. Im embedding the report below via Scribd so that readers can see it for themselves. It appears to me that one also needs to read between the lines of this document to understand it properly.

Preliminary Findings by Scott Johnson on Scribd
Earlier today, President Trump met with a group of Republican senators. This is how the Associated Press headlines its story on the meeting: GOP senators lunch with Trump, dont bring up McCain remark. The AP story begins:

President Donald Trump appeared to be in a good mood Tuesday when he met privately with Senate Republicans, buoyed by primary election results and talks with North Korea, and bypassing any serious discussion of high-profile trouble spots in the administration. Senators did not ask about a White House aides crass remark of ailing GOP Sen. John McCain. They did not bring up special counsel Robert Muellers probe into Russian election interference.

Got that? The AP thinks the most important thing about the meeting is the topics that didnt come up, because there was no reason why they should. Indeed, if you read far enough, you get Senator Corkers response when he was asked by a reporter about the McCain comment:

Thats not what we do in these meetings, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told reporters. No one would have ever brought up something like that.

Nevertheless, the AP insists that the most important fact about the meeting is a topic that was irrelevant to the meeting. The reporter adds:

But much like when Trump was headed to the GOP Senate lunch to talk policy in October 2017, the White House agenda was eclipsed by another story.

That story being the White House aides comment about McCain. But how did that week-old story eclipse the presidents agenda? It evidently didnt; in fact, it wasnt even discussed. It is only in the mind of the APs Democratic Party reporter that there is any connection between the aides reference to McCain and todays meeting.

But thats the APs story, and theyre sticking to it.
The latest news out of California is that the state has actually achieved a budget surplus that is billions larger than expected$3.8 billion more than forecast back in January. Good times for the spend-happy state legislature, and the next Democratic governor who will love to be able to pass out goodies upon taking office next January. As the Sacramento Bee comments: Its an irresistible pot of money for lawmakers who want to bolster programs for the homeless, higher education and lower-income families.

What can account for this bounty? Is this evidence that the California blue state model works? As is well known, California is experiencing significant out-migration, and it has been going on for over a decadethe first period since the Gold Rush in 1849. Now Ive joked that California is not sending its best to other states: were sending hipsters, trust fund brats, Silicon Valley and Hollywood trash, and some, I assume, are good people.

But what do we really about who is moving out and who is moving in? A new report on migration from a left-of-center outfit, Next 10, is very revealing: middle class and low income people are moving out of California in droves, while upper income people and fancy professionals are moving in. Here are the general numbers:

California experienced negative net domestic migration of 1,090,600 from 2006 to 2016. In other words, 1,090,600 more people moved out of California to other states than moved in from other states.

Have a close look at the income gradations in this chart:

What you can clearly see is that low income and working class households are moving out, while upper income people are moving in. And since Californias income tax system is skewed to upper incomes, this is one reason why state revenues are holding up so well. That very think slice of high income people depicted in the last several years of this chart provide a disproportionate share of state income tax revenue.

A second pass at the data shows that the people moving out are also less educatedin other words, the kind of working class people Hillary calls deplorable or not dynamic and forward-looking:

The report doesnt shrink from noting the role of the high cost of housingand the scarcity of new housing construction:

Despite negative net domestic migration, California is continuing to attract new residents, individuals coming to California are primarily concentrated in high-wage occupations, which enable them to better absorb the states high cost of living. The majority of Californias outbound migrants tend to earn less than $30,000 annually. . .

Migration trends also show that the middle class is being priced out of the state. . . High housing costs have made California an increasingly difficult place for lower-income residents with less education to maintain their quality of life, while many middle-income residents are having trouble moving from renting to homeownership. . . It appears that Californias high cost of living and housing costs, particularly for middle- and lower-income residents, play a large role in decisions to move into or out of the state. This is in contrast to Texas, which has been able to accommodate workers at all income levels. On net, over 423,000 residents who earn less than $30,000 left the Golden State, while Texas experienced a net increase of 358,000 in that same income bracket. The report notes that California is simply not building enough housing. This comparison to Florida is especially telling:

The Census Bureau estimates that for all of 2017, roughly 112,000 housing permits were issued in California, making it the best year in a decade in terms of permit volumes. In other words, seven and a half years after the Great Recession and into the third longest expansion in United States history, the State permitted roughly the same number of hous- ing units as it did in 1998, when it had 6.5 million fewer residents. California is permitting roughly the same number of housing units as Florida. From 1992 to 2017, data from the Census Bureau show that Florida has issued more residential permits than California in all but three years during that 25-year period. This means that California, which has, on aver- age, 18 million more residents, is building slightly less housing than Florida.

Finally, even these liberals cant help but note that the states revenue system is vulnerable to the income cycles of the very rich:
We continue our observance of the week of Charles  Charles Kesler, editor of the Claremont Review of Books and recipient of one of this years Bradley Prizes last night in Washington, DC  with the second preview from the new (Spring) issue of the magazine that is hot off the press. Buy an annual subscription including immediate online access here for the modest price of $19.95. It is an invaluable magazine for those of us who love trustworthy essays on, and reviews of books about, politics, history, literature, and culture.

The new issue features the essay/review The Vietnam War revisited by Mackubin Thomas Owens. It is a retrospective occasioned by the Ken Burns documentary history of the war. Mac is himself a Marine Corps veteran of the war, though Burns was somehow unable to find a vet like Mac who is proud of his service. Mac served as an infantry platoon officer and company commander in 1968-1969. He was wounded twice and awarded the Silver Star.

Mac is a scholar and a gentleman. He recently retired as Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval War College in Newport. At the War College he specialized in the planning of US strategy and forces, especially naval and power projection forces; the political economy of national security; national security organization; strategic geography; and American civil-military relations. He is at present Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia and editor of FPRIs quarterly journal, Orbis.

Mac introduces his essay this way:

Though North Vietnam defeated and absorbed South Vietnam 43 years ago, Americans remain divided over their role in that country, as responses to last years ten-part PBS documentary, The Vietnam War, made clear. A veteran proud of my service in Vietnam, I watched the seriespurportedly an even-handed examination of the warand saw one more rendition of the antiwar case, made by those who didnt even acknowledge the existence of counter-arguments. he series, produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, has several problems. First, it isnt really about the war. At the end of the program, the producers tell us, The Vietnam War was a tragedy, one they call immeasurable and irredeemable. Still, meaning can be found in the individual stories. Second, the documentary downplays the patriotism of those who fought. Contrary to Burns, Novick, and most interpretations, the U.S. military in Vietnam was not an army of unwilling draftees, in which minorities were seriously overrepresented. In fact, two thirds of those who servedand 73% of those who diedwere volunteers. Third, Burns and Novick do not do justice to the wars purposes, which were serious despite the flawed strategy to achieve them. Vietnams geographic position and cultural strengths made it, as historian David Halberstam wrote years ago, one of only five or six nations in the world that is truly vital to U.S. interests. Fourth, The Vietnam War persists in describing the conflict as a civil war. But as surely as North Korea invaded South Korea, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese and their American supporters have consistently dismissed American scholars, such as the late Douglas Pike, who long ago stated this fact. But in 1983, Vo Nguyen Giap and Vo Bam, North Vietnams chief strategists during the war, admitted that the countrys Communist Party decided in 1959 to begin the armed struggle against the Saigon government. The North Vietnamese subsequently built the Ho Chi Minh trails to move men and supplies to South Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia, violating those countries neutrality. These events, long before American combat units came to Vietnam in 1965, confirm the U.S. justification for its action in Vietnam. But by far the biggest problem with the PBS series is that it ignores much of the revisionist scholarship that casts the Vietnam war in a different light. These interpretations contend that the United States, far from being destined to lose the war, had a number of opportunities to win it.

I am grateful to be able to bring Macs essay to the attention of Power Line readers (whole thing here).
Steven Schmidt, the Republican strategist, says that President Trump has blood on his hands for moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Former CIA director John Brennan seems to agree.

Its true that the same day the new U.S. embassy opened in Jerusalem, Israeli forces killed approximately 60 Palestinians who were part of a mob engaged in violent acts and trying to breach a border fence. But to blame the deaths on Trumps decision regarding the embassy ignores both facts and logic.

First, as Nikki Haley said at the U.N., the Hamas terrorist organization has been inciting violence for years, long before the United States decided to move our embassy.

Second, blaming the embassy decision ignores the fact that the events of May 14 were part of an extended protest that apparently had nothing to do with the U.S. embassy. (As I understand it, the protest was planned before Trump announced his decision to move the embassy).

The month of May marks the 70th anniversary of the state of Israel. To protest Israels founding  in other words, to protest the existence of the Jewish state  Hamas organized a Great March of Return. It was to last from the Palestinian Land Day on March 30 to Nakba Day on May 15.

The protests were violent at times. For example, in April protesters began lighting massive fires with burning tires. They also began launching fire kites into Israel to set fields aflame.

At times, they also charged the border fence. Backed by burning tires, Molotov cocktails, and slingshots, protesters assaulted the fence and attempted to cut it. They did so expecting to be shot, most likely in the legs. Ambulance teams and medics were deployed to treat and remove the injured.

These protests led to deaths well before May 14, the day the embassy opened. On opening day of the protests, for example, at least 17 Palestinians were killed and more than a thousand wounded.

May 14 was even bloodier. But it also came at the end of the Great March of Return. It was, more or less, closing day.

Would there have been fewer deaths if the U.S. embassy hadnt opened that day? Possibly, but I dont assume there would have been. The nearly two months of protests were always building towards this sort of grand finale. And remember, Hamas was protesting Israel, not the location of the U.S. embassy.

However, lets assume for the sake of argument that fewer Palestinians would have died on May 14 if the U.S. hadnt moved its embassy. It would still be absurd to blame the U.S. for those extra deaths.

The U.S. isnt required, and cant be expected, to base foreign policy decisions on whether they will cause Palestinians to burn tires, throw Molotov cocktails, and charge a border fence. There is no thugs veto over American foreign policy.

Blame for the May 14 deaths lies with Hamas and those it incited or duped into violent conduct. If particular members of Israels defense force used excessive force, they would also shoulder blame. Blaming the U.S. or its president is ludicrous.

Be that as it may, the U.S. took a hit as a result of the grim events on the Gaza border. The juxtaposition of celebrations in Jerusalem featuring glamorous Ivanka Trump with Palestinians being killed in Gaza doesnt sit well, and not just with John Brennan. Even some who are relatively sympathetic to Israel dont like it.

But life goes on. Israel likely will keep moving from strength to strength and Gaza will remain a hellhole.

PR victories are nice. But when they are founded on the death of your people and you have nothing else to offer them, what have you actually won?
Salah Bardawil, a senior Hamas official and spokesman for the terrorist group, said earlier today that 50 of the 62 people who have been killed at the Israel-Gaza border in recent days were Hamas members. No doubt of the mostly peaceful variety, as CNN likes to put it.

One of the Palestinians who stormed the border wall was captured yesterday by the IDF and talked, on camera, about how Hamas organizes demonstrations like the violent attacks that are now going on:

BREAKING: Hamas terrorist who reached the border fence between Gaza and Israel caught on camera explaining how Hamas forces civilians to participate in violence against Israel #HamasLied pic.twitter.com/gYF954ufWc  IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) May 16, 2018

The Trump administration deserves credit for not falling for Hamass tired tactics. On Monday, Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah conducted a press briefing in place of Sarah Sanders. The reporters were persistent in pushing an anti-Israel and anti-U.S. line, but Shah did very well:

Q Raj, at the same time there was a celebratory air in Jerusalem as the U.S. was moving its embassy, in the south of Israel, along the border with Gaza, there was a lot of violence that resulted in more than 41 people losing their lives. Is the President concerned about the demonstrations there and Israels response to people trying to climb over the fence? MR. SHAH: Well, were aware of the reports of continued violence in Gaza today. The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas. Hamas is intentionally and cynically provoking this response. And as the Secretary of State said, Israel has the right to defend itself.

***

Q Hi, Raj. The death toll is over 50 in Gaza. Is the U.S. calling on Israel to use restraint in dealing with these protests? MR. SHAH: Well, we believe that Hamas is responsible for these tragic deaths; that their rather cynical exploitation of the situation is whats leading to these deaths. And we want them to stop. Q So theres no burden on Israel to do something to, sort of, rein it in? MR. SHAH: No, we think that we shouldnt lose sight of the fact that Hamas is the one that, frankly, bear responsibility for the dire situation right now in Gaza. Q Lastly, Raj, how does this  the United States had been wanting to put out a peace plan. How does todays situation hurt that? MR. SHAH: I dont think it hurts the peace plan. The peace plan will be introduced at the appropriate time. But what today is about is following through on what the President promised and believes. And its also a recognition of reality. I think weve, for decades, walked on eggshells, pretending that Jerusalem isnt the capital of Israel when it obviously is. And this is just a recognition of reality.

***

Q If I can, very quickly, the French Foreign Minister, Raj, said about whats taking place in Gaza  he urged Israeli authorities to exercise discretion and restraint. So to be clear, does the U.S. not agree with the French that Israeli authorities should exercise discretion and restraint? MR. SHAH: We believe that Hamas is responsible for whats going on. Q So theres no responsibility beyond that on the Israeli authorities? Kill at will? MR. SHAH: What Im saying is that we believe that Hamas, as an organization, is engaged in cynical action thats leading to these deaths.

Kill at will. A classic of the White House briefing room.

Q Raj, on the issue of peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, when was the last time the White House reached out to Palestinian leadership? And will  given the high numbers of casualties, Palestinians calling what has happened today a massacre, will the White House be reaching out? MR. SHAH: Well, I dont honestly have an answer for you on that. Ill get back to you. Q Okay. Can I just follow up then? MR. SHAH: Sure. Q Jared Kushner, in his speech, pointed a finger at the Palestinians, saying they were responsible for provoking violence. But given the fact that its only Palestinians who are being killed, should Israel not shoulder some of the blame?

This is known technically as a non sequitur.

MR. SHAH: Well, as I said earlier, we believe Hamas bears the responsibility. Look, this is a propaganda attempt. I mean, this is a gruesome and unfortunate propaganda attempt. I think the Israeli government has spent weeks trying to handle this without violence, and we find it very unfortunate. Q But people were throwing rocks 50 meters from the wall and were faced with sniper attack. I mean, is the White House in denial of the split-screen reality thats occurring? MR. SHAH: Again, we believe that Hamas is responsible for this.

My only additional comment is: thank goodness for the border wall.
Smoking remains an enormous public health problem in the U.S. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in this country. According to some studies, more than half of longtime smokers will die from smoking-related complications. David Abrams, a professor at New York Universitys College of Global Public Health, estimates that 1,300 people die from smoking every day.

E-cigarettes offer a partial solution to this perennial health crisis. They deliver the nicotine that attracts people to cigarettes (and addicts them), but not the tar and other carcinogens that kill them. They say people smoke for the nicotine, but die from the tar. A method that supplies nicotine the way cigarettes do without the tar etc. represents a life-saving breakthrough.

How life-saving? A recent study by a team of Georgetown University cancer researchers concluded that 6.6 American lives million lives could be saved (that is 6.6 million Americans would live substantially longer) if ten percent of American smokers switched to e-cigarettes every year for the next ten years. Using a more pessimistic set of assumptions, the study put the number of lives saved at 1.6 million. (According to Sally Satel of AEI, writing in the Wall Street Journal, two million Americans have already quit smoking thanks to e-cigarettes).

The modern Democratic party has never been the friend of the tobacco industry or of smoking. Thus, I would have expected leading Democrats to be receptive to e-cigarettes.

No such luck. It turns out that top Democrats like Sens. Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin are leading the charge against this breakthrough.

They base their opposition on the problem of teenage vaping. Vaping refers to how e-cigarettes are consumed. A thumbnail-size cartridge called a pod, filled with juice containing a cigarette packs worth of nicotine, is inserted into a small vaporizer. (The juice is flavored, e.g. mango, peppermint, cucumber). Then, one inhales.

Vaping apparently has become quite popular among teenagers. The phenomenon is also called juuling, after JUUL, by far the leading company in the e-cigarette business.

Vaping will hook teenagers on nicotine, just as smoking always has. And it will hook some teenagers who would not otherwise have been hooked (because they would not have taken up smoking).

Popular though vaping has become, those who advance it as an argument against e-cigarettes may be exaggerating the phenomenon. AEIs Sally Satel cites the 2017 Monitoring the Future survey, which found that almost 1 in 5 high school seniors reported getting drunk within the previous month, while 22.9% used cannabis during the same time frame. Only 11% said they had vaped. Two major government surveys show that regular e-cigarette use by people who have never smoked is under 1%, Satel adds.

In any event, teenagers hooked by vaping will not suffer the severe, deadly health effects produced by cigarettes. Addiction is never good, but it does not, in itself, constitute a health crisis. Many Americans are addicted to caffeine and/or sugar.

Moreover, there should be ways to combat teenage vaping. The sale of e-cigarettes to teenagers is illegal. A crack-down on such sales would be good starting point.

Recently, the FDA announced one. It will conduct a large-scale, undercover nationwide blitz to crack down on the sale of e-cigarettesspecifically juul productsto minors. Warning letters have been issued to forty retailers.

The FDA also sent a public letter had also been sent to JUUL, requesting every internal document pertaining to the companys marketing strategy, product design, and health, toxicological, behavioral, and physiologic effects, including appeal or addictive potential for youth. JUUL itself has pledged $30 million to fight underage vaping.

Here we see what seems like the most sensible approach to the e-cigarette issue. Market vapes to adult smokers while vigorously enforcing age restrictions.

Its possible that age restrictions cannot be enforced with much success. And even if they are, the problem of addicting extra people to nicotine extends beyond the teenage years.

But the benefits of getting adults to stop smoking cigarettes overwhelm the drawbacks of addicting extra people to nicotine, it seems to me. The Georgetown study that found 1.6 to 6.6 American lives saved by e-cigarettes took into account both harm from e-cigarettes and amount of youth uptake in nicotine consumption.

I agree with Satel that overheated worries about youth vaping are threatening to obscure the massive potential benefits to the nations 38 million cigarette smokers. I also agree with Michael Siegel, a preventive-medicine physician who worked in epidemiology at the C.D.C. before joining Boston Universitys School of Public Health. He worries:

We will look back at this moment and see that we had this unbelievable discovery, this technology that had the potential to put the final nail in the coffin in cigarette smoking in this countryand because of this ideology that nicotine itself should be prohibited, that anything that looks like smoking is bad, we will squander this opportunity, and well have gone back to where we were.

We will if Schumer, Durbin, and like-minded liberal Democrats have their way.
The suicide of the university proceeds apace:

Item 1 comes from Hiram College in Ohio, which maygasp!shrink some tenured faculty positions:

Last December, Hiram College wrote to alumni to assure them that an ongoing academic redesign of the 168-year-old liberal arts college, led by President Lori Varlotta, would proceed in an orderly fashion. Foreign language, philosophy and religious studies programs may take the worst hits. Everybody is scared to death, one faculty member said. The morale has just sunk to the pits.

Item 2 comes from our pals at crazy Evergreen State College in Washington:

Evergreen State College has announced that it is planning to cut $5.9 million from its budget in an effort to offset a rapidly declining enrollment rate. The cuts were outlined by President George Bridges in a May 8 memo to the Board of Trustees, and are accompanied by plans to raise various student fees by hundreds of dollars, The Olympian reported last week. . . According to a report released by an Independent External Review Panel in April, the college is expecting a decline in applications for the Fall 2018 semester of up to 20 percent, compounding the 4.5 percent decrease in Fall 2017, compared to Fall 2016. Further declines in applications (possibly by as much as 20%) and enrollments are expected for the Fall of 2018 based on current year-to-year data, the report noted. This condition, and the revenue shortfall it will create, will present Evergreen with significant financial challenges that will not be short-lived.

Couldnt happen to a more deserving bunch of idiots.

Item 3 comes from the American Historical Association, which is trying to gloss over the plummeting number of academic job openings for the ranks of history Ph.D students coming on the market. But just take a look at this chart of job trends over the last 40 years:

Heres a suggestion: how about teaching history, instead of constant oppression narratives?
Visit of the President of the Republic of Poland and the First Lady to the Archives of the Polish Army Veterans` Association in America (1 / 26)

US-visiting President Andrzej Duda and First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda on Wednesday visited the Archive of the Polish Army Veterans' Association in America.

Next they met with representatives of Jewish organisations. "There was unanimous agreement that those who want Polish-Jewish relations to be positive today have the great responsibility of avoiding the radical attitudes that have been lately coming to the fore on both sides," Chief of the Cabinet of the President Krzysztof Szczerski told.

Later, President Duda had lunch with the members of the UN Eastern Europe Group.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Presidential Couple laid flowers at the Katyn monument in Jersey City, which commemorates 22,000 Polish POWs mass-executed by the Soviets in April and May 1940 in west Russia's Katyn Forest.

The visit, to last until Sunday, will include the President's participation in a UN Security Council debate and meetings with the Polish diaspora in Chicago.

PRESS PROGRAMME >>>

In connection with Poland taking over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council on 1 May, the Polish President will lead a high-level open debate on the role of international law in maintaining international peace and security, at the New York United Nations headquarters. During the debate, which will begin on Thursday, President Duda is scheduled to deliver a speech. See also: President Duda to chair Thursday UN Security Council open debate

On Friday in Chicago, Andrzej Duda will meet with Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. Then the Presidential Couple will visit the Polish Museum of America, and also lay flowers at the Katyn Monument, as well as at the Smolensk Commemorative Plaque at St. Adalbert Cemetery in Niles. In the afternoon, at the Art Institute, the President will meet the mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel.

On Friday evening, the President will visit the base of the Illinois National Guard in Kankakee, where he will meet with American soldiers of Polish descent.

On Saturday, the President and the First Lady will meet representatives of the Polish diaspora living in the United States. The president is also scheduled to give a speech. According to Adam Kwiatkowski, the presidents aide, President Duda will hand out state decorations. He will also give out souvenir diplomas to Polish schools.

The Presidential Couple returns home on Sunday evening. (PAP/AW/KG)
HYDERABAD and KHARAGPUR, India, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Excelra Knowledge Solutions (http://www.excelra.com), a leading global bio-informatics Company and IIT-Kharagpur, announce a multi-year collaboration aimed at accelerating research in Drug Repurposing. The alliance will leverage diverse skill-sets and domain expertise of the two partners and integrate Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML) technology in Excelra's Drug Repurposing engine.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/692189/Excelra_Logo.jpg )



With mounting costs involved in drug development, Drug Repurposing is seen as a rapidly evolving field aimed at identifying new therapeutic uses of pre-existing or failed drugs. Excelra's proprietary Global Repurposing Integrated platform (GRIP) is driven by a rich proprietary database combining over 40 public data sources with in-house developed curated databases and various algorithms. The team of scientists from Excelra and IIT-Kharagpur will use publicly available ontologies and Excelra databases with Drug-Disease-Target relationships for training NLP and ML algorithms. These algorithms will be instrumental in extracting biologically relevant information from different data sources and building a scientific rationale for a novel therapeutic potential of a drug.

"We are thrilled to partner with a prestigious institution like IIT-Kharagpur reputed for its talent pool. The technical prowess at IIT-Kharagpur and the pharma analytics expertise at Excelra will give a tremendous boost to Drug Repurposing. This is an innovative approach that will accelerate research and enhance the opportunity to promote drug discovery and development," said Dr. Nandu Gattu, Vice President, Pharma Analytics, Excelra.

"Academia-industry collaborations are becoming increasingly important for dissipation of knowledge and promotion of entrepreneurship. NLP and ML are being used extensively for text analytics to understand contextual inference of the extracted information. We are glad to partner with Excelra in the pursuit of bringing more drugs into the market by significantly cutting down development costs and time," said Prof. Sudeshna Sarkar, Head, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Kharagpur and PI of the Project.

About Excelra:

Excelra (http://www.excelra.com) is a leading global Biopharma Data and Analytics company. Its roots spun-out of GVKBio, one of Asia's top Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO). Excelra focuses on scientific data curation and analytics services for the Biopharma industry. With over 15 years of high-fidelity curation engine, Excelra has created valuable data assets from drug chemistry (for medicinal drug discovery scientists) to biomarkers (for translational biologists) and clinical outcomes (for pharmacometricians and clinical developers). The analytics team, which is driven by top-notch scientific talent (PhDs and above), is continuously engaged in science consulting for custom projects in computational chemistry and biology, bioinformatics, drug-repurposing and life science software development.

Excelra has developed proprietary databases for Structure Activity Relationships (GOSTAR), Biomarkers (GOBIOM) and Clinical Trials Outcome (CTOD). The Pharma Analytics unit within Excelra has a strong focus on data analytics across the Pharma value chain, right from Discovery to Commercialization.

About IIT-K:

IIT Kharagpur is one of India's premier academic and research institutes for engineering established in 1951. It is recognized as an institute of national importance by the Indian government and offers a number of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. IIT-Kharagpur, with its multi-disciplinary research areas, is ranked among the top technical institutes in the country.

Media Contact:

Urvi Mehta

[email protected]

+91-965-2672200

Head, Marketing Communications

Excela Knowledge Solutions

SOURCE Excelra Knowledge Solutions and IIT-Kharagpur
BANGALORE, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

360 Degree Approach towards Fire Safety at both theory and practical Level

The increasing number of fire in educational properties has alarmed Orchids The International School to take that extra step towards educating and preparing students for a Fire Emergency both theoretically and practically. This school is one of the renowned schools in Bangalore, which has taken an extra conscious step towards educating not only the students but the entire teaching and non-teaching staff. Prevention begins with education, at Orchids The International School; the Fire Safety Drills are conducted at regular intervals. Unlike any other schools, all the students of K1 and K2 are also involved in the Fire Safety Drills and training them what to do when they see any smoke coming out.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/692249/Fire_safety_drills_orchids_school.jpg )



A Fire Drill is a method of practicing how the building would be evacuated in the event of a fire. At Orchids, they carry out 2 drills every year that is followed by regular inspection of Fire Extinguisher and other tools used for Fire Safety. They have their own school fire safety calendar and guidelines, which have to be followed strictly by each and every branch.

To manage a classroom is a difficult task, but can become extremely difficult during chaotic situations like fire and other disaster drills. Although school fire drill can seem like more hassle than they are worth, they are very important to practice sessions. These drills teach students how to react and behave when a fire emergency occurs.

Some of the key factors that the school keeps in mind while conducting fire safety classes:

Conduct expected and unexpected yearly school fire drills in which everyone participates

Campus Incharge inspects the fire equipment weekly once

Regular inspection of stairways, doors, and windows to ensure that is unblocked and working properly

Train students on how to respond to fire alarm during a school fire drill

Aware of the exact locations of the fire protection system, fire alarm pull stations and sprinklers.

Every room has the map showing the Emergency Exits

Pair students with specific needs to adult or classmate for extra assistance

Predetermined location where students know to meet after exit from the building

Have a roster to ensure the students are accounted for

Capt. Ramesh Raju, Disaster Management Training Officer, Bangalore, said, "We have conducted the Fire Safety Drills all across the branches and have got a very positive response from students as well as the administration. This has helped us to upgrade our securities-related management and system regularly to meet maximum satisfaction at every level."

Kavita Chatterjee, The Principal, Orchids The International School, Mumbai, said, "We are very conscious about the safety of students and staff and dedicated for the same. The Fire Drill conducted at our school includes on-campus and off-campus precaution guideline that is set at par with industry standards to meet accurate efficiency during Emergency of fire."

Umesh Kumar, student, Bangalore said, "The fire safety drills that are conducted at our premises, I am very fond of that and love the way our instructors teach the different levels such as evacuation, relocation, shelter-in-place, lock-down, lock-out in detailed yet in fun way."

About Us

Founded in the year 2002, 'Orchids The International School' , is distinguished by its unique approach towards learning and its commitment to provide quality education. They are following both traditional and contemporary practices to measure student's performance at par with quality education standards. The highly competent and experienced faculty is dedicatedly working to strengthen the curriculum and learning programs. This will bring out the best in every student and empower each one to excel.

Quick Facts

Founded in 2002

Working on 5 pillars- Academics Excellence, Safe Campus, Personal Attentions, Holistic Development, Best-in-class Infrastructure

19 International Schools

Presence across 4 Cities - Mumbai , Pune , Bengaluru and Hyderabad

, , Bengaluru and 2,000+ Teachers

17,000+ Students

Media Contact:

Prudhvi Raj

[email protected]

+91-9513987393

Orchids The International School



SOURCE Orchids The International School
HYDERABAD, India, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Express Distribution and Supply Chain major Gati Ltd. has partnered with GI certified Haleem specialist Pista House to make Hyderabadi Haleem available in selected cities across India. Gati is the first company to introduce this offering and continues its service of delivering this delicacy for more than a decade.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/591143/GATI_Logo.jpg )



The pre-bookings have already started on http://www.gaticonnect.com and deliveries are scheduled to commence from 18th May. The preparation of Haleem goes on till early in the morning. Once ready it is packed in air tight and highly hygienic containers and airlifted for delivery from Pista House, Hyderabad to different cities across India. The packaging provided by Pista House complemented by Gati's same day delivery, ensures that Haleem remains fresh with its taste intact till it is consumed in the night. In addition to Haleem, Gaticonnect is also offering Biryani and Qubbani ka Meetha during the Ramzan season.

Over the years, Pista House has acquired a prestige for its specialized Haleem with the Hyderabadi zing and is made with pure meat and ghee along with the right choices and mix of spices, wheat and dry fruits. Pista House has the honour of being the first Authorised User of registered Geographical Indicator #193, Hyderabadi Haleem.

This service is currently available in selected areas in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad on a daily basis, to Coimbatore, Vishakhapatnam, Greater Noida, Noida, Gurgaon twice a week and to Ghaziabad, Gr. Noida, Noida, Lucknow, Kolkata, Varanasi, Jaipur, Bhubaneshwar, Nagpur, Cochin and Goa - once a week. The box of Haleem is priced at Rs.849 for 1kg. It is also available in 5kg family pack at Rs. 3,949 and 10kg jumbo pack at Rs. 7,449. A special limited offer is available for all online orders by using coupon code "SPECIAL50" (Rs. 50 Off on Every 1,000 Spent). The orders can be placed by logging on to http://www.gaticonnect.com.

About Gati Ltd.:

Gati Limited (http://www.gati.com) is a pioneer and leader in Express Distribution and Supply Chain Solutions in India and delivers over six million packages a month. Gati started in 1989 as a cargo management company and expanded to serving complex business solutions in Air & Surface Distribution, e-commerce logistics, Warehousing, Freight Forwarding and Cold Chain. Gati has now grown into an organization with more than 5,000 business partners and a network reach of 672 out of total 676 districts in India. Gati has a 5,000 plus fleet, including refrigerated vehicles and world-class warehousing facilities across India. Gati has a strong market presence in the Asia-Pacific region and South Asian countries. Gati has offices in India, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Nepal and Thailand.

About Gaticonnect:

Gaticonnect (www.gaticonnect.com ) is Gatis e-commerce website with an exclusive range of products from across the country like Hyderabads Haleem & Biryani, Agra Pethas, Ooty Chocolates, Kesar from Kashmir, Kinnaur Apple, Peanuts from Baruch, Chikki from Lonavala and a wide range of local handicrafts, decor, eateries, etc. delivered in no time at your doorstep anywhere in India. The products are sourced from reputed and niche merchants (to keep the authenticity and flavor intact) to provide the product quality and aesthetic packaging. The reliable logistic delivery assures the quality and authenticity of the products reach, at the right time for gifting occasions, events and festivities.



Media Contact:

Dharmesh Meena

[email protected]

+91-7337383727

Head - Marketing & Corporate Communications

Gati Limited



SOURCE Gati Limited
MUMBAI, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

At, DOT, the recently concluded education conclave, Ajit Rangnekar, the former dean of Indian School of Business and Director General of Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad, pointed out how examinations such as IIT-JEE and CAT were killing the creativity amongst the students. Talking about School of Accelerated Learning, he mentioned how new and alternative systems of learning which focus on lifelong learning will be the need of the hour. He emphasised on blended and hybrid model of delivery being the future of education.

The panel, which Rangnekar was a part of, saw Neha Barjatya, Chief Internet Saathi of Google; T-Hub's founder Srinivas Kollipara and LinkedIN head of alliances for India and South Asia, Sachin Kapor, second speak about nurturing India's demographic dividend with education.

The event was hosted by School of Accelerated Learning, in an attempt to get together all the stakeholders of an individual's education lifecycle. According to the founders, Varsha Bhambhani, Raj Desai, and Pratik Agarwal, the conclave aimed to kick start a dialogue on the direction forward for the learner in today's world and how the education systems can facilitate this.

In a first-of-kind, DOT saw rich perspective from policy makers, academic stalwarts, corporate heads, ecosystem enablers, and the investor community. The discussion revolved around how India needs to reimagine its education system in order to become the superpower in the information age people live in.

The conclave heard from Rajiv Kumar, the Corporate Vice President of the India offices of Microsoft, on his personal experiences with Satya Nadella, Steve Balmer, and Bill Gates, and how the workplace taught him what traditional education currently lacks.

Another panel reiterated the need of skills such as creativity, collaboration, communication along with technical and computational expertise. Pradeep Desu, Head of Recruiting of Uber India and South Asia, raised the need of accelerated programs that deliver the above agenda along with the latest tech education, if engineers are to face the glooming fear of automation.

The very same panel also heard views from Ramesh Loganathan, the former Chief of Innovation of Telangana State and Head Innovation at IIIT-Hyderabad, who mentioned how fundamentally the learners need to become self sufficient over time. He also emphasised on how universities must let go of their fixation with salary figures and rather focus on providing opportunities to students where they can learn and grow.

The Director of Skilling from Ernst & Young, Prashant Sinha, and former CIO of Omnicom Media Group, Avinash Jhangiani, concurred these views from their perspectives.

Ryan Bennett, the India General Manager of WeWork, the world's biggest co-working space venture, spoke about how enablers such as them promote and support alternate education programs in other countries to enable lifelong learning.

The 1st DOT also hosted an all female panel to highlight the importance of equitable participation of both genders in the field of technology and how can education organisations act as catalysts to enable this. The discussion saw senior directors and leaders from some of the biggest technology MNCs in the world. Bhanu Mudhireddy from IBM, Sowjanya Chalamkuri from GE Digital, Dr. Shanta Thoutam from T-Hub, and Ritu Chawla, from UTC, all lauded the efforts of programs such as the School of Accelerated Learning to participate with Women Who Code to push subsided tech education for female students.

The entire discussion comes in the wake of a possible emergence of a new solution for the Indian education woes. The speakers collectively pushed the vision of programs such as that of SOAL and came out in full support for the school's initiative.

Image: (https://schoolofacceleratedlearning.com/1stdot/dotmontage.jpg)

About SOAL :

School of Accelerated Learning builds hybrid learning spaces which are powered by their proprietary behaviour engineering platform. While the spaces serve as the epicentre for creation and collaboration, the platform facilitates collective feedback to progress a student through their learning journey.

The school deliberately moves away from the traditional classroom model, to deliver a more holistic experience for the students, while leveraging technology and the data it collects each day through its platform, to engage the student. Overall, this makes the learners more prone to self reflection and they tend to learn by themselves with a structured approach.

Currently the School offers a Product Engineering program, and will soon launch the same in Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain as well. It is the programming bootcamp reimagnined to produce more optimal computer science graduates. Learning full-stack product development along with essential skills of collaboration, creation and communication, gives the students the edge to go lead the tech of the future. The programs are co-created with inputs from all the stakeholders, that impact an individual's professional career such as corporates, academia, policy makers and the ecosystem enablers.

You can request to apply for the program on this link: Request to Apply Here

Media Contact :

Pratik Agarwal

[email protected]

+91-9833088830

Co-founder, School of Accelerated Learning







SOURCE School of Accelerated Learning
First event in Tokyo, May 31 2018

DUBLIN, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- UBiqube, the leading innovator in the field of vendor and domain-agnostic orchestration technologies today announces the launch of the OpenMSA DevDays, a series of hands-on training sessions for members of the OpenMSA Community. OpenMSA DevDays are free educational events for engineers from Service Provider organizations, system integration firms, and to Enterprise IT staff, who come together for hands-on learning sessions and demonstrations helping them develop their own multi-vendor and multi-domain orchestration skills and solutions.

The first event takes place May 31st, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. Register here for the OpenMSA DevDay Tokyo.

All OpenMSA DevDays are free of charge, and are an opportunity for community members to learn about the latest in orchestration design, while also exchanging knowledge and best practices with their community peers. The OpenMSA DevDays series will continue with events to be held in Europe, Asia, and in the United States later in 2018.

The OpenMSA Community is aimed at fostering innovation around orchestration and automation of networking and security technologies without any vendor lock-in, dependency or domain restriction. Hybrid networking architectures with legacy hardware and SDN and NFV based solution will be orchestrated as one. Domains, from WAN to LAN, from networking, to security, to IoT, will be crossed by one single tailor-made automation process.

The OpenMSA software is made available at no charge for community developers and can be downloaded on www.openmsa.co. The related open source development modules are made available on Github.

About

UBiqube is a global software supplier, providing vendor neutral, multi-domain end-to-end network and security orchestration solutions to service providers and large and medium enterprises. Leading the digitalization of the networking industry, UBiqube developed the MSActivator, a DevOps enabled open framework for the design, automation, and orchestration of services over hybrid communication infrastructures (legacy, SDN/NFV/IoT).

UBiqube is headquartered in Dublin, with offices in France, India, UAE, Japan, and Silicon Valley, USA. For more information, visit www.ubiqube.com.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/690315/openmsa_Logo.jpg

Related Links

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SOURCE UBiqube
"This is a very difficult time for our boys and me but also for our Young Living family," said Mary Young. "Sharing the amazing benefits of essential oils with people around the world was a passion that Gary and I shared. It's why we built Young Living. To continue that mission and carry that legacy into the future, in recent years we have been recruiting and developing a truly world-class executive team. Gary had the utmost confidence in Jared to lead our talented team and was at peace that the company is well-positioned to follow the path he envisioned."

The undisputed leader of the global essential oil movement, Young spent 35 years studying the benefits and perfecting the extraction of essential oils, while building a billion-dollar global business designed to share what he deemed "the gift" of essential oils with millions of people.

Described as a "modern pioneer," Young was part innovator and part historian. His pursuit of wellness discoveries was rooted in ancient practices as he sought to unlock and share the benefits bestowed by essential oils from herbs, plants, and trees. His research would take him to the remote corners of the Earth and often back in time to better understand the many wellness-supporting benefits of natural essential oils overlooked by modern society.

After learning about essential oils in the 1980s, Young journeyed to France, where he studied and learned everything he could about essential oilsfrom how the plants were grown and distilled to the wellness benefits of the oils produced.

Upon his return to the United States, he planted a field of lavender behind his office in Spokane, Washington, from seeds he acquired while in France and started his farm in St. Maries, Idaho, in 1992. Gary began planting different aromatic crops in his desire to understand growth, cultivation, and oil extraction. He built two small distillers for his first extractions at the farm and then in 1994 built his first stainless steel stationary steam distillery. He wanted to teach and educate, so he decided to start Young Living Essential Oils in 1993 and incorporated it in 1994 in Utah.

It was Young's passion for quality, dedication to the company's customers, and innovation in pioneering the essential oils movements that has propelled Young Living from a small company almost 25 years ago to a global enterprise with more than 16 corporate and partner farms, over 3,000 employees, and well over 4 million customers all over the world today.

"Young Living will continue to honor Gary's life's work of sharing essential oils and their benefits with people around the world," said Jared Turner. "Over the years, he and I have had many discussions about his vision for the future of the company, and we are determined to follow the path that he set forward for Young Living."

Young created a purpose-driven culture for his company, one that's motivated by a desire to serve the global community and to inspire employees and customers around the world.

Through the D. Gary Young, Young Living Foundation, the company's members and employees travel around the world to work hand-in-hand with local communities. One of Young's proudest accomplishments was building the Young Living Academy, a school in Chongon, Ecuador, for children of this rural community at the edge of the jungle and for the children of the employees who worked at the farm.

The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. MT, on Friday, May 18, at the Whispering Springs Lavender Farm and Distillery, one of Gary's favorite spots in the world. The farm is located at 3700 Old Highway 91, Mona, UT 84645.

A viewing will be held at the farm before the funeral from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. MT.

Young Living will also announce plans for a ceremony to honor the life of its founder.

Donations in Young's honor can be made to the D. Gary Young, Young Living Foundation to continue his life's work of serving the global community.

About Young Living Essential Oils

Young Living Essential Oils, LC, is the world leader in essential oils, with a strict Seed to Seal program that produces pure essential oil products for every individual, family, and lifestyle. This process ensures that all products are genuine, free of synthetic chemicals, and pure. This commitment stems from the company's more than 24 years of stewardship toward the earth and its people. For more information, visit YoungLiving.com.

Media Contact:

For media inquiries, please contact prinquiries@youngliving.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/691906/Young_Living_Essential_Oils_Gary_Young.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/323110/Young_Living_Essential_Oils_Logo.jpg

Related Links

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SOURCE Young Living Essential Oils
Oil Prices At $79/b, Russian Ruble Still Weak. Why?

On Tuesday, May 15th, Brent oil reached $79/b. Strange as it may seem, the Russian Ruble hasnt reacted to this so far, even though this always has been a positive sign for Russias national economy and currency heavily reliant on crude oil prices. Moreover, the currency has been going slightly down for a while despite being backed by higher oil prices.

The ICE Brent futures for July delivery exceeded $79/b. this is the first time since November 2014 that oil prices have gone that high. However, back then, this was a bearish cycle. During the period of September 2014 through January 2015, it dropped from $100/b all the way down to $50/b.

In the meantime, the Russian Ruble has been going down for a while. Earlier today, the U.S. Dollar got a bit stronger against the Russian Ruble  62,13 RUB per 1 USD. Yet, this is not something extraordinary. Crude oil has been setting new local highs for a couple of weeks. The Russian Ruble has been indifferent to these positive changes in the global market of crude oil, which seems strange. Its interesting to note that over the last 12 months, crude oil has gone up in value by 80%. Still, the Russian Ruble has been around 60 RUB/USD.

By the way, back in 2014, when a barrel of Brent oil cost roughly the same as today, the exchange rate used to be at 45 RUB/USD, which means the Rubble used to be much stronger than its today.

According to Finanz, the Russian national currency has been deliberately devalued by the Russian Ministry of Finance. This means that todays Russian currency depends on the MinFins currency manipulations rather than oil prices. The government has been heavily buying all the foreign currency profits from selling crude oil above $40/b. The total inflow of foreign currency from oil exports increased by $16,7bn in Q1 2018 as opposed to Q1 2017. The MinFin has taken 80% of it. Simply put, this a controlled devaluation of the Russian Ruble. Those funds are used to prevent the Russian currency from getting stronger. As a result, the Russian budget gets an unseen surplus (there was no such surplus even when crude oil cost 100 dollars per barrel), Finam experts say. Thats why Grand Capital experts assume that the Russian Rubble wont strengthen a lot (the exchange rate wont go below $58/b) even if oil prices remain at $80/b for a long time.

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Bitcoin Goes Down, Getting Closer to 8000 USD/BTC

Earlier today, the worlds first and most expensive crypto currency was going down while continuing the downtrend seen a day before. According to CoinMarketCap, the BTC exchange rate dropped below 8300USD/BTC, though it recovered a bit later on. Over the last 24 hours, the currency lost more than 5% of its dollar value.

Experts say that the Bitcoin exchange rate is now getting closer to 7900-8100 USD/BTC area of support. If the exchange rate decides to test the support area, it may well have a hard time overcoming it right away.

However, the bearish scenario  the one promising a move down below 8000 USD/BTC  is obviously not the only viable scenario for the BTC market. Apparently, if the news background improves and turns bullish, this may well change the situation.

In particular, there is an annual cryptocurrency conference. Its called Consensus. Its currently taking place in New York. The results of the conference (if positive) may eventually back the entire global market of digital currencies. One again, some good news may reverse the situation and bring the BTC exchange rate back to 8800-9600 USD/BTC  the price range the exchange rate used to stay in early May when every other expert was expecting a move above 10000 USD/BTC in a matter of weeks or even days. Now that the situation has changed, they are not in a hurry to specify when the cryptocurrency conquers the resistance level.









You are free to discuss this article here: forum for traders and investors
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Assurety joins UPU Our firm is committed to the business transformation of the postal and parcel logistics industry.

Assurety Consulting, Inc., a Virginia-based consultancy to the postal industry, is now an associate member of the Universal Postal Union's .POST project, helping to lead development of the primary forum for secure global communications platform in the postal industry.

Formed 145 years ago in 1874, the UPU is the primary forum for cooperation between national posts and mailing organizations, working to ensure a truly universal network of up-to-date products and services.

The UPUs .POST initiative establishes a top-level domain (TLD) for the postal industry and centers around the development of a global network of electronic postal services. The .POST TLD is controlled by the UPU and is intended for use as a secure, interoperable space where electronic services like identity management, payments, retail, and advertising mail can interact at a global level.

The .POST TLD counts 49 countries among its membership, but its development and growth are stewarded by five associate members including Assurety Consulting. Assuretys deep experience as a partner to the USPS and Idealliance and in the development of key digital platforms and governance related to the Mail.dat and Mail.XML mailing standards uniquely poises the company to accelerate .POSTs globally important mission.

In addition, the international nature of Assuretys business (with offices in Washington DC, Toronto, Casablanca, Kuala Lumpur, Karachi, and Dubai) will position the company as a liaison between government and commercial stakeholders at the global level.

"Our firm is committed to the business transformation of the Postal and Parcel logistics industry," explained Assurety CEO Shariq Mirza. "In our decades of work with commercial mailers, the USPS, logistics, marketing, and communications organizations, and emerging posts around the world, the central theme has been governance, strategy development, and strategy optimization through digital transformation and digital innovation. We are the post and parcel data experts and UPU's .POST is a natural place for us to continue this focus."

As digital and electronic services continue to grow in importance to consumers and the postal industry, mailers, posts, and industry alliances all seek to maximize opportunities and develop new standards of digital communication. Assurety Consultings .POST Associate Membership reflects a legacy of investment in and development of technological standards for the benefit of the entire post and parcel community.

Visit the online portals of Assurety Consulting and the UPU for developments concerning .POST and progress toward a globally unified mailing industry.

Assurety Consulting has served as a consultant to the USPS, Ideallaince, logistics, marketing, and communications organizations and emerging posts around the world. As postal and parcel data experts, the Assurety team specializes in governance, strategy development and strategy optimization through digital transformation and digital innovation. Assurety was recognized by the US Smithsonian Postal Museum for its significant contributions to the postal ecosystem in the United States.
Robert K. Jenner, JENNER Law

Veteran trial attorney, Robert K. Jenner, has announced the opening of the Jenner Law Firm - a boutique firm focused on representing individuals injured by defective prescription drugs and medical devices, as well as by general negligence.

Representing people who have been injured by the negligence of pharmaceutical and medical device companies is the cornerstone of what we do, said Jenner. In addition to this complex trial practice, our team will continue to represent people who have suffered catastrophic injuries from reckless corporate conduct.

Jenner, who is joined by a team of experienced professionals, has more than 33 years of experience litigating cases in state and federal court. He currently holds leadership positions in several federal multi-district litigation (MDL) matters, including: In Re Smith & Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) Hip Implant Product Liability Litigation; In Re Zofran (Ondansetron) Products Liability Litigation; In Re: Skechers Toning Shoe Products Liability Litigation; and in the state court consolidation, In Re Consolidated Fresenius Cases, Superior Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Our team promises to provide our clients the best legal experience available  with an enhanced emphasis on personal attention, communication and trust, Jenner said. In addition, we promise our referring counsel the most in-depth analysis of the cases we are investigating, and proactive status updates about how our litigations are progressing.

Jenner is a past president of the Maryland Association for Justice, and a repeated recipient of the Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year Award (Plaintiff - Mass Torts) for Baltimore.

About Jenner Law Firm

Jenner Law represents consumers nationwide with its substantial experience in complex cases. The Firm goes deeper into investigating the causes of injuries and identifying the responsible parties. Given his experience, including almost two decades as the head of the Mass Tort Division at Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC (JJS), federal and state court judges have repeatedly selected Rob Jenner to lead teams of attorneys against some of the nations most powerful drug and device companies. Among his many accolades, Rob Jenner has been consistently recognized by Best Lawyers since 2005; Lawyer of the Year, and, in 2017, was named as one of Americas 50 Most Influential Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers. For more information, visit http://www.jennerlawfirm.com
Beyond Coincidence: An Astonishing Preview of Jesus: a remarkable book that draws parallels between Joseph of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New. Beyond Coincidence: An Astonishing Preview of Jesus is the creation of published author Randy Vaughan, a married father of three adult children living in Starkville, Mississippi, with a passion for evangelism, apologetics, and encouraging others in the faith.

Vaughan writes about Jesuss ministry and the parallel with Joseph, Consider the astounding similarity. Joseph was a despised, rejected, and betrayed Jew who ultimately became the very one to whom his betrayers had to come in order to have any hope of survival. This included the very ones who had betrayed him!

In the same way, all countries (peoples) must once again come to a despised, rejected, and betrayed Jew in order to have any hope of eternal life. Likewise, just as with Joseph, this also applies to the very ones who betrayed Jesus!

Just as Joseph accepted even his own betrayers when they had humbled themselves, repented of their sin, and asked forgiveness, so Jesus does also. All that is necessary is for the individual to be willing.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Randy Vaughans new book is a sparkling reminder that sometimes things do go beyond coincidences, bordering on the impossible, in such a way that can only point to Gods hand at work.

Meticulous and awe-inspiring, Vaughan pulls heavily from Scripture to draw conclusions that will reinvigorate believers and challenge skeptics.

View a synopsis of Beyond Coincidence: An Astonishing Preview of Jesus on YouTube.

Consumers can purchaseBeyond Coincidence: An Astonishing Preview of Jesus at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Beyond Coincidence: An Astonishing Preview of Jesus, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Past News Releases RSS

Sensys America, a leading provider of advanced technology for traffic safety enforcement, is proud to announce the City of Crestview, Florida has signed a contract to implement a new red light camera photo enforcement program.

Sensys Americas traffic enforcement technology is saving lives every day by changing drivers behavior and decreasing red light running. Accidents from red light running are the most preventable accident, while T-bone crashes from red light running can cause the most injury and deaths.

The city council signed a contract for red light systems to be located at dangerous intersections throughout the City of Crestview.

Sensys America also provides red light camera enforcement in the Panhandle cities of Gulf Breeze and Midway, Florida. The cost-neutral advanced technology is not only saving lives in these cities but also providing law enforcement with investigative tools to catch criminals.

Were excited to welcome Crestview as our newest red light camera enforcement program in Florida. Weve seen the success this red light camera technology has had in other cities and we look forward to making the streets of Crestview safer for its citizens and visitors, said Carlos Lofstedt, President and CEO of Sensys America.

About Sensys America

Sensys America provides the most tested and widely used photo enforcement systems in the world with advanced technology for traffic safety and a commitment to reducing fatalities to zero. Sensys America, is a privately held company headquartered in Orlando, Florida with a US client base that includes customers in Florida, Tennessee, Rhode Island, and Washington State. Sensys team of photo enforcement experts provides decades of combined experience developing, installing and operating photo red light and speed programs in the United States and throughout the World.

For more information about Sensys America visit http://www.sensysamerica.net
Unimarkets extensive knowledge of the spend process and requirements for higher education made them a perfect fit for NYMCs needs. - Claudette Killian, purchasing manager at NYMC and assistant director of procurement services for Touro

Unimarket, the leading provider of simple and easy-to-use software to bring all your procurement into one place, today announced that New York Medical College, a private health sciences college based in Westchester County, New York, recently completed the implementation of Unimarkets cloud-based Source-to-Settle (S2S) solution, more than doubling the educational institutions number of catalog suppliers and enabling the college to have significantly greater control over its annual spend and procurement processes.

Designed to meet the unique needs of colleges, universities and higher education institutions, Unimarkets cloud-based procurement software provides New York Medical College with a full suite of integrated source-to-settle solutions, including sourcing, contracts, procurement, invoicing, supplier marketplace and expenses. The implementation was part of Unimarkets wider roll-out of a source-to-settle solution for the Touro College and University System (Touro), which includes New York Medical College.

New York Medical College previously used an alternative eProcurement system, but were seeking a replacement due to the existing solutions high cost and lack of real-time integration with NYMCs Banner 9 by Ellucian finance system, said Claudette Killian, purchasing manager at NYMC and assistant director of procurement services for Touro.

We were immediately impressed with the way Unimarket works to tailor their software to what the customer is asking for, Killian said. Unimarkets extensive knowledge of the spend process and requirements for higher education made them a perfect fit for NYMCs needs.

After a thorough evaluation process that included a requirements review of leading procurement platforms, New York Medical College selected Unimarket in July 2017, and within just four months, working collaboratively with the cloud-based software makers professional services and implementation team, officially launched the procurement system campus-wide in December 2017.

Unimarkets easy-to-use platform and its dedicated customer service team have given NYMC new capabilities, more than doubled its catalog suppliers and increased control over spend, Killian said.

While we had eProcurement software before, whats different with Unimarket is that were actually using the software to its full capabilities, Killian said. The reason behind that is Unimarkets supportive team, which has been with us every step of the implementation process. As a result, New York Medical College has increased visibility of our process and are now on the path to being more strategic with our spend.

Were thrilled to go live with our source-to-settle solution for New York Medical College, said Darren Blakely, President Unimarket North America. Our work with the college demonstrates a leading principle at Unimarket: we take service in software-as-a-service to heart. Our commitment to providing New York Medical College with high-quality customer service resulted in a smooth implementation over a short time that had immediate cost-savings and results.

About Unimarket

Unimarkets user-friendly, cloud-based procurement system brings spend management into one place in a simple, easy-to-use solution. With more than 10 years in procurement and a multitude of higher education, government, banking and healthcare customers across the globe, Unimarket understands what customers need and how to best get them to their goals.

Unimarket provides sourcing, contracts, procurement, invoicing, payments, expenses and a growing supplier marketplace on a unified SaaS platform. This efficient, user-friendly technology brings together buyers with suppliers, streamlines the procurement process and delivers real value.

Unimarket is more than just its innovative procurement technology; the company aims to provide software that users love to work with and to be the company that customers love to do business with. Find out how Unimarket can make your procurement process easier at http://www.unimarket.com.

About New York Medical College

Founded in 1860, NYMC is one of the oldest and largest health sciences colleges in the country with more than 1,400 students, 1,300 residents and clinical fellows, nearly 3,000 faculty members, and 19,000 living alumni. The College, which joined the Touro College and University System in 2011, is located in Westchester County, New York, and offers degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, the School of Health Sciences and Practice, a School of Dental Medicine and a School of Nursing. NYMC provides a wide variety of clinical training opportunities for students, residents, and practitioners. For more information, visit http://www.nymc.edu.

Contact:

For more information, contact Unimarket at 888.868.5929 or info(at)unimarket(dot)com.

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Li Min/China Daily

Editor's note: A "US-Taiwan defense sector forum" was held in Kaohsiung on Thursday amid the US Congress' review of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act which aims to "strengthen US-Taiwan military exchanges". Three experts share their views with China Daily's Yao Yuxin on how such "exchanges" undermine the Three Joint Communiques and will sour Sino-US ties. Excerpts follow:

Blatant interference in China's internal affairs

Yan Anlin, a researcher at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies

It is the quality, not the quantity, of the weapons and arms technology that Washington sells to Taiwan that is especially worrying.

At a time of uncertain Sino-US relations owing to the two countries' trade and geopolitical frictions, that the US may transfer submarine technology to the island is a sign that it could sell more advanced arms to Taiwan. This, along with the upgrading of the "Taiwan Travel Act" in March that allows mutual visits of officials at all levels between Washington and Taipei, is a disturbing sign of the US' interference in China's internal affairs. Moreover, there are fears that the United States could even sell F-35 jets to the island.

Since the Donald Trump administration sees Beijing as a strategic rival and does not want Washington to lose its global supremacy, the US administration is unlikely to alter the existing framework of the Taiwan Relations Act to terminate arms sales to Taipei in accordance with the Sino-US Joint Communique of Aug 17, 1982. And that's why, despite its repeated assertion that Taiwan is an inalienable part of one China, the US keeps taking provocative actions against China.

So Beijing should be prepared to reunite the island with the motherland, by force if needed, while trying to improve cross-Straits relations.

Move serves US strategy to contain China's rise

Zhao Xiaozhuo, a researcher at the PLA Academy of Military Science

Washington's weapon sales and technology transfer to the island are a politically and strategically motivated move, not a pure economic activity, as it serves the US' strategy of containing China's rise and maintaining the status quo across the Straitsas opposed to reunification of the island with the motherland.

The US is selling Taiwan weapons and technologies that are very expensive. In addition, the sales of such weapons and technologies are not one-off transactions. Since they require a series of after-sales maintenance, including supply of spare parts, upgrading and training for the island's personnel, they give the US the opportunity to be perennially involved in Taiwan's "combative affairs".

The US claims its Taiwan Relations Act, which has governed US arms sales since 1979, is "superior" to the Sino-US Joint Communique of Aug 17, 1982, in which the US declared its intent to gradually reduce its sale of arms to Taiwan. Although such arguments are baseless, it is difficult to make the US change its practice.

Therefore, China should avoid confrontations and, instead, make more efforts to bridge the gap with the US in terms of economic and military power, so that it is in a better position to bargain with the US to protect its national interests.

US won't cross redline by upgrading sales

Zhu Songling, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies of Beijing Union University

As the Chinese mainland holds military supremacy over Taiwan, many worry the US may sell more sophisticated arms and technologies to the island. In fact, arms sales are more of a signal to boost confidence of "pro-independence forces" and then use them as a counterbalance against Beijing's rising economic and strategic prowess.

However, since Washington can always control its arms sales to Taiwan, the Trump administration is unlikely to cross the redline and push the US into a possible regional conflict just to protect Taiwan.

But Washington will not stop violating the Sino-US Joint Communique of Aug 17, 1982, until the big gap between US and Chinese militaries is narrowed.
Soliant, a leading specialty healthcare staffing provider and part of Adecco Group, announced today that its Bilingual Therapies unit will be hosting the 18th annual Bilingual Symposium in Las Vegas, NV from July 19-21, 2018.

The Bilingual Symposium unites practicing bilingual and monolingual speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in a three-day event that explores topics surrounding language diversity in schools. As the only American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA)-approved CEU provider conference of its kind, it focuses solely on how bilingual and monolingual SLPs can better serve the needs of bilingual children.

The Symposium features multiple sessions conducted by renowned speech-language professionals in small and interactive learning spaces. This years agenda will feature sessions in the following language diversity topics:



Connecting the Dots in the Education of English Learners: Challenges and Opportunities for Bilingual Speech Pathologists, by Alba Ortiz, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Professional Learning Communities: Bilingual and Monolingual Speech Pathologists Working Together to Serve English Learners, by Alba Ortiz, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Language Exposure and Oral Language Development in Bilingual Children, by Perla Gamez, PhD, Assistant Professor, Loyola University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Maximizing Cognitive, Behavioral, and Language Success for Students Living in Poverty, by Phuong Palafox, M.S., CCC-SLP, Bilinguistics, Austin, TX

Intervention Strategies For Enhancing the Phonological Systems of Bilingual Children with Highly Unintelligible Speech, by Raul Prezas, Ph.D. CCC-SLP, Associate Professor, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX

Assessment with CLD/Dual Language Learners: How to Use Processing and Learning Tasks, by Connie Summers, Ph.D., CCC-SLPs, Associate Professor, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX

Aside from informational sessions and networking opportunities with fellow SLPs, the Bilingual Symposium also provides up to 1.2 ASHA CEUs for each attendee. The event will be hosted at the luxurious Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa in Henderson, NV. Registrations are now being accepted at http://www.bilingualsymposium.com until July 6, 2018.

Bilingual Therapies is a leading provider of bilingual speech-language pathology, offering bilingual speech therapists job opportunities in school districts in diverse communities across North America. For more information about Bilingual Therapies and the Bilingual Symposium, please visit http://www.bilingualtherapies.com.

About Soliant

Soliant, an Adecco Group company, is a leading provider of specialized healthcare staffing services to hospitals, schools, and other healthcare providers. By supplying traveling healthcare professionals on both temporary and direct hire assignments, Soliant delivers comprehensive healthcare staffing services across the United States. Soliants Most Beautiful Hospitals contest recognizes outstanding hospitals for their commitment to growing and improving their campuses and outpatient facilities. Soliant's teams of professionals are qualified to fill physician, nursing, therapy, pharmacy, healthcare IT, advanced practice, telehealth, special education, and other healthcare positions.
Bloomfire, a knowledge sharing company, today announced the newest addition to its Insights Platform, the News Hub. Bloomfires newest offering helps market research and insights teams monitor industry news, competitors, and consumer trends.

The Bloomfire Insights Platform was purpose-built for insights teams as their hub for curated insights and research. Combining the latest news to the platform provides business stakeholders with all of the information they need to turn insights into action.

Customer insights teams are the core of many enterprises today -- and their goal is to become more proactive, delivering value at the front end of the decision making process, says Mark Hammer, COO at Bloomfire. To do that, they require a platform that monitors news important to the enterprise as well as a platform that allows them to house, curate, and make their research and insights easily searchable. The combined News Hub and Bloomfire Insights Platform solution gives this power to insights teams -- and to the enterprise."

Bloomfire works with some of the worlds leading insights teams, including Conagra Brands, Southwest Airlines, Capital One, FedEx, and Anthem Inc. Tim Miller, Senior Director of Shopper Insights at Conagra Brands, says the company chose Bloomfire because they needed a way to share information and knowledge with agility and accuracy across the organization. Bloomfire made that possible in an intuitive way.

The Bloomfire Insights Platform combines an intuitive interface with a powerful artificial intelligence-driven search engine. Bloomfire uses artificial intelligence to deepen user engagement and save time through features such as automatic tagging of content that is uploaded to the platform and content recommendations based on user search history.

The problem of knowledge sharing is big  and expensive. According to McKinsey, employees spend about 20% of their day searching for the information they need to do their jobs. If a company of 500 people uses Bloomfire and cuts this time in half, they will save $2,750,000 a year in productivity gains  simply by reducing the time spent searching for information.

About Bloomfire

We recognize that in most organizations, knowledge is siloed. Information and research sits unshared on servers and laptops across the organization  and in the minds of the people that are a part of it. Bloomfire exists to organize knowledge and expertise and make it accessible and shareable with the people that need it most. The company's easy-to-use, cloud-based Knowledge Sharing Platform and Insights Platform are used by hundreds of thousands of employees at leading companies for empowering sales and marketing, customer service, insights, and employees. For more information or to schedule a demo, visit http://www.bloomfire.com.
More than 400 prime contractors, subcontractors, military officials, contracting officers and defense agencies gathered in Norfolk to discuss the mission and contracting priorities of the U.S. Navy. The Navy Contracting Summit, hosted by the Defense Leadership Forum, was held May 7th and 8th at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott.

Congressman Bobby Scott (D), 3rd Congressional District, Virginia, opened the 5th annual Summit on Monday morning with an address on the impact of the U.S. Navy on Norfolk. Companies across industries shared best practices along with strategic presentations that addressed contracting procedures for businesses.

Congressman Scott Taylor (R), 2nd Congressional District, Virginia, led with a keynote address on the newly passed $700 billion defense budget where he emphasized the need to identify new defense solutions from industry.

"We need a revolution of thinking from the private sector to empower our country with innovative, new defense and homeland security solutions," said Congressman Taylor.

The Summit included more than 57 exhibitors, matchmaking sessions and additional speakers from the General Services Administration, NAVIFOR, MARCORSYSCOM, NAVSEA, NAVFAC, NSWC, SBA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and more.

We attended the Summit for the first time this year and I can't stress enough how great of an opportunity it was," said Arnab Chatterjee, a Summit attendee from Digital Transitions, Inc. "The quality of speakers and matchmaking sponsors were the best we've seen at any conference we've attended. The Defense Leadership Forum was really able to bring together key decision-makers and provide us with an opportunity to showcase our capabilities.

The 2019 Navy Contracting Summit will again be in downtown Norfolk. For more information on additional Defense Leadership Forum summits, visit http://www.defenseleadershipforum.org
By demonstrating we are PCI DSS compliant and audit-ready, it validates, for our customers, that we can securely host their environments in our top-tier colocation facilities. It also clearly establishes we have the ability to meet specific cloud and managed services deliverables.

OneNeck IT Solutions has completed the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) version 3.2 Level 1 service provider validation.

The PCI Security Standards Council requires all merchants who outsource the transmission, processing or storage of payment card data to a third-party to verify the provider adheres to the standard. OneNeck proactively requested the assessment of their colocation services, undergoing close scrutiny of their top-tier data centers in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon and Wisconsin.

This validation offers customers assurance that we have the security controls in place to protect their data, said Dave Flynn SVP of Operations and Engineering at OneNeck. By demonstrating we are PCI DSS compliant and audit-ready, it validates, for our customers, that we can securely host their environments in our top-tier colocation facilities. It also clearly establishes we have the ability to meet specific cloud and managed services deliverables in compliance with other PCI controls.

The PCI DSS assessment was performed by Schellman & Company, Inc., an independent CPA firm with extensive IT service provider experience. Securing PCI DSS validation follows recent news that OneNeck in compliant with the SSAE 18 examination and HIPAA and HITECH compliance attestation.

OneNeck now turns its attention toward the new PCI regulations that took effect on January 31, 2018. We are aggressively pursuing avenues to meet or exceed the new 2018 PCI controls testing, Flynn stated. In addition, we will be including the testing of PCI controls governing the logical access and configuration management of our physical access systems in the 2018 audit cycle.

In addition to managing and operating top tier data centers, OneNeck also offers a full suite of hybrid IT solutions tailored to provide high-touch customer service and enterprise-class IT solutions including cloud and hosting solutions, managed services, enterprise application management, professional services and IT hardware and software. For more information, visit oneneck.com.

OneNeck IT Solutions LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc., employs nearly 550 people throughout the U.S. The company offers hybrid IT solutions including cloud and hosting solutions, managed services, enterprise application management, advanced IT services, hardware and local connectivity via top-tier data centers in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon and Wisconsin. OneNeck's team of technology professionals manage secure, world-class, hybrid IT infrastructures and applications for businesses around the country. Visit oneneck.com.

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. [NYSE: TDS], a Fortune 1000 company, provides wireless; cable and wireline broadband, TV and voice; and hosted and managed services to more than six million customers nationwide through its businesses U.S. Cellular, TDS Telecom, OneNeck IT Solutions, and TDS Broadband Service. In 2018, TDS was recognized in Forbes list of Americas Best Employers for Diversity. The TDS family of companies, which includes OneNeck, is listed at 190 out of 250 top employers in the U.S. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Chicago, TDS employs more than 9,900 people. Visit tdsinc.com.
Listings show up in our property search platform, which includes map and list view. With the launch of the new listings platform, landlords will now find everything they need to manage their properties in one convenient place: app.rentler.com.

Over the past five years, Rentler has focused on building tools to improve the rental relationship between landlords and tenants, including: listings, applications, screenings, and payments. Now, the Rentler team is ready to announce an improved listings platform for both landlords and tenants. Some of the benefits include:

Improved Applications + Screenings. Landlords now have the option to require a comprehensive credit and background screening when they create a listing. When tenants apply online, they will instantly be asked to complete the screening as a soft inquiry so it doesnt hurt their credit score.

Upload videos to show off rental spaces. Potential applicants can get a better feel for a rental through home tours, promo videos, and more.

Easier to communicate with prospective renters. New conversations are displayed up front and landlords can respond quickly through email or Rentler Pro.

In addition to these new listings features, Rentler has also been working towards a fully developed tool suite, where all the features you love live in one application environment. With the launch of the new listings platform, landlords will now find everything they need to manage their properties in one convenient place: app.rentler.com.

About Rentler

Rentler was created to help seamlessly connect landlords and tenants all over the nation through an online platform. Based in Salt Lake City, Rentler was founded in 2012 and has now reached over 1.3 million users in over 3,000 cities across the United States. They offer secure applications and screenings for rental listings, online rental payments, and the most up-to-date search results. For more information, visit http://www.rentler.com.
Seabased buoys being installed for wave energy park We have long wrestled with limited energy supply and high prices throughout the Caribbean. Seabaseds Ocean Wave Energy Solution is not only the most efficient in the market, but it is also the most sustainable and economical.

Bermuda General Agency Ltd. (BGA Ltd.) of Hamilton, Bermuda, has signed an agreement with Seabased AB of Lysekil, Sweden, to purchase two 20 MW wave energy parks in the Caribbean. Seabased designs and installs offshore parks that convert ocean waves to electricity for the grid. Feasibility studies of the Caribbean project will begin on several islands this summer, and phase one is expected to be operational by the fall of 2019.

We have long wrestled with limited energy supply and very high prices throughout the Caribbean, said Wendall Brown, CEO and Chairman of BGA Ltd. We have relied primarily on fossil fuels which damage our environment and threaten our childrens future. Recognizing the vast energy resource represented in the waves that roll onto our beaches every day, I have researched every opportunity to harness this energy. Seabaseds Ocean Wave Energy Solution is not only the most efficient in the market, but it is also the most sustainable and economical.

Phase one of the first 20 MW is a 5 MW pilot in the Bahamas. Brown says many islands are competing to be among the first to have wave parks. According to the agreement, Seabased will design, manufacture, install and manage the maintenance of the wave parks.

BGA and its leadership are very forward-thinking and committed to protecting the environment of the Caribbean, said Seabased CEO ivind Magnussen. We believe that Seabaseds technology, which has been developed over two decades, with 100+ unique patents, is a perfect option for islands like those in the Caribbean with desirable wave climates and a high need for energy. Yet it takes people with vision to help really bring wave energy into its proper place among renewables - BGA and its supporter, the Bank of Butterfield & Son, have that vision.

The permitting process has already begun in several Caribbean jurisdictions, making the Caribbean islands pioneers in bringing wave energy forward. Seabased is currently developing a 100 MW wave park in Ghana and has signed agreements to build wave parks in the Canary Islands and Sri Lanka. The company is also raising funds through the Nordic crowdfunding platform Invesdor through 19 May, in order to achieve a sufficient number of shareholders required for an anticipated IPO later in the year.

More than 40 million people live in the Caribbean region, which comprises dozens of islands stretching out over an area of 1.063 million square miles. Each year that population nearly doubles as tourists descend on the area, known for its natural beauty and history. Historically, the Caribbean has relied on fossil fuels such as diesel, but the area is becoming increasingly committed to finding renewable solutions to its energy needs.

About Bermuda General Agency Ltd. (BGA Ltd):

Founded in 1922, BGA Wholesale Distributor supplies a full range of wholesale service to virtually every supermarket, drug store, hotel and guesthouse in Bermuda. BGAs product mix is diverse and includes some of the most reputable brands in the world, including Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Cadbury, Clorox, Gilette, Heinz, Johnson & Johnson, Kelloggs, Procter & Gamble, and Pfizer. This agreement marks the companys first venture in renewables.

Seabased is a global leader in the growing wave energy market with a patented turnkey technology that delivers renewable energy from ocean waves straight to the grid. Founded by noted Swedish scientist and inventor Mats Leijon, Seabased counts Fortum and the Swedish Energy Agency among its partners.



For more information:

Marcelle Askew, VP Communications and Special Projects

marcelle(at)seabased.com

+4791386100

Oivind Magnussen, Chief Executive Officer

oivind(at)seabased.com

+4799260880
The Franchise Show, presented by Allstate, is pleased to be taking place at NRG Park, May 19 & 20, 2018. The Show is the perfect venue for attendees to find their best opportunity to attain prosperity and success by taking the first step to becoming a business owner. Many entrepreneurs dream of starting their own business and every year thousands of Americans consider franchising as a way to make it happen. Visitors have the chance to speak directly with representatives from proven, successful franchises. Full-time franchises and part-time business opportunities are available across Texas. The show plays a critical role in helping people find the business thats right for them.

Franchising gives people the opportunity to start a business without feeling overwhelmed and alone. They have the support system of a company behind them with training, marketing and in most cases a proven brand, said Fred Cox, president, National Event Management, which produces the Franchise Show.

The event features companies that are household names such as Allstate, Mooyah, Honest 1 Auto Care, Hungry Howies, Great Harvest, and Benjamin Moore. The exhibitors at the show offer a variety of industries from traditional retail stores and restaurants to fitness, home services, education and printing. The Show is also an excellent venue to discover new franchises and business opportunities to take advantage of being involved from the early stages of growth.

The Franchise Show successfully hosts thousands of attendees across North America every year, with the hope of helping each one become their own boss. Its important to be able to meet and speak with representatives from the companies at the event because it gives you a better understanding of the culture of a company and gives you a better indication of whether or not a company complements your specific personality, says Mr. Cox. The opportunity to speak directly with representatives from the hottest franchises as well as industry experts make this event a must attend for anyone considering owning a small business or looking to grow their already established business.

The show is a significant source of information for people looking to open their own business and research franchising in depth. Visitors may attend free daily seminars given by industry experts including lawyers, financial specialists and franchise experts that have information that entrepreneurs need to know to start and grow a business. Seminar topics include: 5 Lessons I Learned in My First Year as a Small Business Owner, Franchising 101: The What, Why, and How of Franchise Ownership, How to Use Your 401K to Finance Your Business Start-up. For a full schedule of free seminars please visit http://www.houstonfranchiseshow.com.

The Franchise Show

Dates: Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20

Time: Saturday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: NRG Park

One NRG Park,

Houston, Texas 77054

Admission: $8 at the door

For more info: http://www.houstonfranchiseshow.com

Contact Information



For media accreditation and more information, contact:

Lisa Spodek, Director of Marketing

1-800-891-4859 ext. 225

lspodek(at)nationalevent.com
Our solutions leverage artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to help clients identify, assess and mitigate risk.

Safe Banking Systems, a provider of anti-money laundering and compliance solutions, today announced that it received a FinTech ADVANCE award from the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) in recognition of the companys contribution to moving the financial industry forward through innovation. Awards were presented at the FinTech South conference held in Atlanta, May 7-8, 2018.

The second annual TAG FinTech ADVANCE awards recognize technology companies that have revenues, an existing client base and can demonstrate tangible results through innovation. Safe Banking Systems commitment to combating financial crime through innovative technologies such as those used in its flagship offering, SAFE Advanced Solutions Visual Intelligence Platform, contributed to the companys win.

Money launderers, fraudsters and other bad actors have become astute at using the banking system to hide their ill-gotten gains, putting the financial and reputational assets of institutions at risk, said David Schiffer, President & CEO of Safe Banking Systems. Our solutions leverage artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to help clients identify, assess and mitigate these risks. We are honored to be among the six companies recognized by TAG for the value our innovative solutions bring to the financial industry.

Safe Banking Systems develops and markets its anti-money laundering and compliance solutions from its New York headquarters and a recently expanded development and operations center near Atlanta, reflecting the companys recognition of Georgia as a major player in the growth of the technology industry.

Editors Notes

About Safe Banking Systems

Safe Banking Systems provides innovative anti-money laundering and compliance solutions that enable institutions to identify, assess and manage risk across the enterprise. By reaching across business silos, SBS combats financial crime and finds the bad guys. SBS AML solutions solve key Know Your Customer, Customer Due Diligence and Enhanced Due Diligence issues. The patented risk ranking methodology and probability scoring in SAFE Advanced Solutions Visual Intelligence Platform builds on SBS award-winning technology to bring greater intelligence for entity resolution to clients worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.safe-banking.com.
This event provides a unique opportunity to tour the two model homes before they are open to the public.

Heritage at Pennington, a brand new community of Townhomes and Villas in Mercer County, New Jersey will be hosting a Sneak Peek Tour event for VIPs on Saturday, May 19th and Sunday, May 20th from 11am-4pm. Fully furnished models are expected to arrive early Summer 2018. This event provides a unique opportunity to tour the two model homes before they are open to the public. The community is nestled in a quaint corner of Pennington, New Jersey, located within walking distance to downtown shops and restaurants, and is a part of the highly rated Hopewell Valley Regional School District.

Paul Csik, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for American Properties Realty, Inc. said, We have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of our two furnished models and we are very excited to offer this special opportunity to tour the models prior to their Grand Opening. Heritage at Pennington offers four home designs to choose from and up to 2,500 sq. ft. of living space. Townhomes have a Master Up Suite and feature 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, and a 1-car garage, while Villa homes, with a unique Master Down Suite, feature 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, and a 2-car garage. Additionally, all homes feature 9 ft. ceilings on the first and second floor, open layouts, designer finishes, granite countertops, and 42 maple kitchen cabinets. The community is conveniently located close to Route 31 and I-95 with easy access to the NJ Turnpike, I-295, and Route 1. Homes are priced from the mid $400s.

Please call (609)-559-5904 for event details.

Sales Office is located open daily 10am-5pm. Located at 106 Straube Center Boulevard, Suite 2100, Pennington, NJ 08534

(GPS Address: 105 West Franklin Avenue)

*About American Properties Realty, Inc.

American Properties Realty, Inc., A Licensed Real Estate Broker, continues its proud 40-year tradition of introducing award winning communities that provide excellent quality, convenient locations and affordable pricing for New Jersey homebuyers. The Principals of American Properties Realty, Inc., have been involved in the creation of residences ranging from luxurious estate homes to master planned communities of apartments, condominiums, townhomes and single family homes. Visit http://www.americanproperties.net to find a community thats right for you!
"The Maine Beer Box is a unique and prominent symbol of the collaborative spirit of Maine, and American craft brewers. This is an excitingopportunity and homage to our heritage which showcases how far craft beer has comein Maine in the last few decades."

Maine Brewers are proud to announce the United Kingdom as the next partners of their Global Brewers Trade project and second international destination of the Maine Beer Box.

Carrying forward an international, collaborative project launched last year, brewers from across the state will fill the Maine Beer Box with fresh craft beer and send it aboard a freighter ship to Leeds, England where Maine breweries will be featured at the 7th annual Leeds International Beer Festival (LIBF) in September.

For decades, American brewers have looked to European and British brewers for inspiration. Now, brewers around the world have their sights set on New England as the hotbed of global brewing innovation - and Maine is leading that charge, while also giving their brewers the chance to continue to find new inspiration overseas.

The Maine Beer Box - a custom-built, 12-meter long, refrigerated shipping container, complete with 78 beer taps on the side and a fully self-contained, C02 draft system was built for exactly this purpose.

After global beer lovers get a taste of Maine beer at the Leeds International Beer Festival, brewers from across the United Kingdom will load the Maine Beer Box with their own craft beer and ship it back across the North Atlantic to Portland, Maine where beer from regions across the United Kingdom will be featured at the Guilds Winter Session Beer Festival in November, thereby completing the global brewers trade.

"We are thrilled that the Maine Brewers' Guild have chosen Leeds International Beer Festival as the U.K. destination for the Maine Beer Box. With the shared aspiration of promoting and supporting breweries and beer making in our own parts of the world, the Maine Beer Box will be an incredible, and exciting addition to the 7th LIBF," said John Kelly, event organizer for LIBF. "The Festival is also proud to act as a platform and host this reciprocal initiative.

Part marketing, part goodwill trade mission, and part economic development initiative, the project involves breweries of all sizes, from each area of Maine. Many of the brewers will travel with their beer to the United Kingdom, where they will meet with local brewers, share their craft and pour beer side-by-side at the festival.

"The American craft beer industry would not be where it is today without brewers from the United Kingdom," said Sean Sullivan, executive director of the Maine Brewers Guild. "The Maine Beer Box is a unique and prominent symbol of the collaborative spirit of Maine, and American craft brewers. This is an exciting opportunity and homage to our heritage which showcases how far craft beer has come in Maine in the last few decades."

As credence to Maine as the home of craft beer in the Eastern US, Sullivan pointed to the founder of New Englands first microbrewery  David Geary of D.L. Geary Brewing Co. who began selling his beer in 1986. D.L. went directly to the U.K. for research and training as a brewmaster in 1984 where he was aided by the 14th Lord of Traquair  Peter Maxwell Stuart  a Scottish nobleman and brewer who provided introductions for David to learn the craft from brewers around the U.K. While David Geary has now retired and new owners took over Gearys last year, Maines craft beer industry has thrived, and Maine is now consistently recognized as one of the top destinations for craft beer tourists in the U.S., with a recent study showing it has the third highest number of breweries per capita in the country.

The Maine Beer Box is believed to be the largest mobile kegerator ever built, and can bring craft beer anywhere in the world, by land or by sea. The initiative is intended to facilitate a global exchange of beer, brewing knowledge, and camaraderie between Maine brewers and brewers from ports across the North Atlantic that are served by Eimskips shipping fleet.

Eimskip and the Maine Brewers Guild (MBG) launched this first-of-its-kind project in 2017, trading beer with brewers from Iceland and hosting the largest beer festival in Icelandic history last June. Eimskip, an Icelandic-based shipping company has its North American headquarters in Portland, Maine, and will be helping MBG ship the Beer Box into its Immingham port.

Tickets, news and updates about this years Leeds International Beer Festival can be found at http://www.leedsbeer.com. More information on the Maine Beer Box can be found at http://bit.ly/mainebbox.

About Maine Brewers Guild

Maine Brewers Guild is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the craft beer industry in Maine. Since 1986, Maine has been at the forefront of the craft beer movement. As of April 2018, Maine is home to over 115 breweries and is consistently recognized as one of the best destinations in the USA for beer tourists. Learn more at http://www.mainebrewersguild.org
President Donald Trump and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Koreas top leader Kim Jong-un are planned to meet on June 12, 2018. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON  The United States said on Tuesday it was moving ahead with preparations for a much-anticipated summit next month between President Donald Trump and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Koreas top leader Kim Jong-un, after Pyongyang appeared to cast doubt over the event.

"We will continue to plan the meeting," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters, adding that Washington had received "no notification" of a position change by the DPRK.

DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency called joint US-ROK military exercises a "provocation" and said Pyongyang had no choice but to suspend the talks.

The state media also said the United States should think twice about the fate of the DPRK-US summit.

The DPRK-ROK meeting was due to focus on plans to implement a declaration that emerged from an April 27 inter-Korea summit, including promises to formally end the Korean War and pursue "complete denuclearization", the ROK's unification ministry, which handles ties with the DPRK, said on Tuesday.
Michael G. Manolios, M.D.

NY Top Docs has recently reviewed and approved Michael G. Manolios, M.D. of Advantage Care Physicians for 2018. Dr. Manolios specializes in Interventional Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disease. Practicing in Staten Island, New York, Dr. Manolios provides a wide array of cardiovascular services.

Dr. Manolios went to Athens University Medical School, completed his internship at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, and completed his residency at both Mount Sinai School of Medicine and St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital. Dr. Manolios then completed his fellowship at the University of Connecticut.

Currently, Dr. Manolios is affiliated with Richmond University Medical Center and Staten Island University Hospital.

To learn more about this NY Top Doc, please click here: https://nytopdocs.com/doctors/drmichaelmanolios/

---

About Us

NY Top Docs is a comprehensive, trusted and exclusive healthcare resource featuring reviewed and approved Top Doctors and Dentists in New York online in an easy to use format. NY Top Docs only reviews and approves providers based on merit after they have been extensively vetted.

NY Top Docs is a division of USA Top Docs which allows patients to meet providers online before making their appointment.

For more information, e-mail us at info@NYTopDocs.com and/or visit http://www.NYTopDocs.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Memphis Wood Fire Grills, the worlds leading manufacturer of high-end wood pellet grills, is excited to accept their latest award. The worlds largest and most popular outdoor cooking resource, Amazingribs.com, has awarded the Memphis Elite grill the 2018 Pitmaster Award for Best Luxury Smoker just in time for grilling season.

This is the fourth year that the Memphis Elite Pellet Grill has landed itself on the Amazingribs.com Best Luxury Grills & Smokers list. Memphis Wood Fire Grills is honored to be recognized by Meathead Goldwyn, creator of AmazingRibs.com, who proclaimed that the grill is one of the best cookers Ive ever had the pleasure to use.

We are once again, very honored, to be selected by AmazingRibs.com as the Best Luxury Smoker for 2018. As a leading resource for BBQ and grilling product reviews, recipes and all things BBQ, we appreciate the recognition of our quality pellet grills made here in the U.S.A, states Sharla Wagy, GM Memphis Grills. Wagy continues, In addition to our grill cart versions, Memphis Grills is the only line of built-in pellet grills, performing at temperatures from 180 to 700 degrees, and allowing the most flexibility of any grill on the market today. This flexibility allows grill masters to do everything from smoking a brisket to searing steaks, as well roasting a turkey or baking bread.

First introducing a line of high-end pellet grills in 2010, Memphis Wood Fire Grills is a premium pellet grill brand with an international presence in the United States, Canada, and Europe. At Memphis, we strive for versatility and a superior outdoor cooking experience. Referred to as the Tesla of Pellet Grills by author and PBS Host Steven Raichlen, Memphis Grills combine professional cooking equipment with the Intelligent Temperature Control WiFi system to create the ultimate grill that cooks, smokes, sears, and bakes.
We are excited about the new tax system and the early results we are seeing. This system gives employers more access to their accounts and is easy to navigate," said Jamie Suber, DEW assistant executive director who heads the Unemployment Insurance division

Sagitec Solutions, a leader in developing software for the Unemployment Insurance (UI) industry, is excited to announce the successful implementation of a fully cloud-hosted UI Tax system for the state of South Carolina using Microsoft Azure. This is the first true cloud implementation of a UI tax system in the nation.

On March 26, 2018, Sagitec and the project team from the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) successfully implemented a modernized UI Tax system.

The implementation has been extremely successful in transitioning DEW into a customer-centric, self-service UI tax administration agency. David Minkkinen - Sagitecs Senior Partner, who over the course of his career has implemented 5 modernized UI Tax systems  stated, Throughout the course of the project our objective was to improve business process efficiency and transition employers and third party agents to use self-service processes in the new UI tax self-service portal; we have achieved those objectives with this implementation."

We are excited about the new tax system and the early results we are seeing. This system gives employers more access to their accounts and is easy to navigate, said Jamie Suber, DEW assistant executive director who heads the Unemployment Insurance division. It was a pleasure partnering with Sagitec in the implementation of this system that gives South Carolina businesses a state-of-the-art self-service portal in which to file their wage reports and contributions. The system will ensure South Carolina and its businesses stay in compliance with federal regulations.

DEW required a comprehensive, modern, UI Tax system to replace a legacy tax system and integrate with its UI benefits system to streamline UI business processes making these processes more efficient and improving overall data accuracy. The implementation of Sagitecs Cloud-Hosted Neosurance solution  one that serves over 105,000 employers, over 1,700 third-party agents, and approximately 100 internal staff users, provides a modern UI Tax solution for DEW. The first quarter of 2017 was processed in the new system achieving significant results. In the first quarter of implementation, the following results were achieved:



Achieved a 97% self-service adoption rate for employer wage reporting significantly reducing paper-based wage filings. During the first quarter of implementation, over 90,000 employers submitted wage detail records through the employer tax portal by the reporting deadline.

Achieved 98% self-service adoption rate for employer registrations.

Achieved an 86% self-service adoption rate for employer account updates.

Implemented electronic payment processing (ACH debit/credit) replacing paper checks. Over 90% of tax payments were processed using electronic payment processes virtually eliminating paper checks in the first quarter of implementation.

Neosurance is a comprehensive Unemployment Insurance tax and benefits solution that is helping agencies improve customer service and deliver faster, more accurate benefit payments and tax collections. Sagitec partnered with Microsoft Azure Government to implement the UI tax system in the cloud for DEW using a true cloud hosted provider. Sagitec and Microsoft have been partners for over 14 years, and Sagitec was awarded Microsofts State and Local Government Partner of the year in August 2016. In addition, Sagitec was recently recognized among the 20 most promising Azure Solution Providers of 2017 by CIOReview.

About Sagitec Solutions:

Sagitec Solutions is a global technology company serving numerous unemployment insurance agencies in the United States. Their fully integrated, web-based unemployment insurance tax and benefits solution meets the majority of UI business requirements straight out-of-the-box, while also being extremely flexible to accommodate unique business rules and requirements. In addition to serving the unemployment insurance industry, Sagitec also designs and delivers software solutions for the public pension market and healthcare and life sciences industries. With deep industry experience in software implementation and systems integration, project management, consulting, hosting and software support, Sagitec is a partner clients can trust to deliver mission-critical IT projects. For more information, visit http://www.sagitec.com.

About DEW:

The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) is putting South Carolinians to work. The agency invests in building a pipeline of quality workers, matches workers with jobs, and is a bridge for individuals who find themselves out of work for no fault of their own. This promotes financial stability and economic prosperity for employers, individuals, and communities. DEW is dedicated to advancing South Carolina through services that meet the needs of the states businesses, job seekers and those looking to advance their careers.
EAST, Miami, the first U.S. property for Swire Hotels, has partnered with Red Nose Day USA to fundraise and help grow awareness for the global charity that seeks to end child poverty

EAST, Miami, a hotel and residences within Brickell City Centre, has announced their first nonprofit partnership with Red Nose Day USA. The charity partner was unveiled in April at the 2018 Mercedes Benz Corporate Run in Downtown Miami, where EAST, Miamis team sported red noses and t-shirts featuring the charitys official logo.

The Brickell lifestyle hotel seeks to raise donations for the child-focused organization, which aims to better the lives of children in the neediest communities in the US and the poorest communities in the world. Partner charities of Red Nose Day include Boys & Girls Clubs of America; charity: water; Childrens Health Fund; Covenant House; Feeding America; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; UnidosUS; Save the Children and The Global Fund. EAST, Miami has launched an online fundraiser link to garner monetary contributions to Red Nose Day USA.

EAST, Miami will also host the official Red Nose Day USA Miami viewing party on Thursday, May 24, with proceeds from the evenings silent auction directly benefiting Red Nose Day USA. The event will screen the official Red Nose Day programming on NBC, and donations will be accepted throughout the evening to support the nonprofit.

EAST, Miami is the only hotel to officially support Red Nose Day USA, and joins an impressive roster of celebrities and brands in support of the cause such as Julia Roberts, Ed Sheeran, Mindy Kaling, Whoopi Goldberg, Nicole Richie, British Airways, Paypal, Aquafresh, and more.

Visit the EAST, Miami donation page and make your tax-deductible donation here. High-res images are available at the link here.

About EAST, Miami

EAST, Miami is Swire Hotels first venture into North America, following the openings of EAST in Hong Kong and Beijing. Created for unconventional travelers looking for a fun and relaxing place to stay, EAST, Miami offers distinctive experiences for those seeking innovation, style, and personalized service. EAST, Miami offers 352 guest rooms to include eight suites and 89 one, two and three-bedroom residence suites (fully equipped apartments with kitchen, laundry facilities and full access to the amenities and services of the hotel). Guests can expect keyless entry, paperless check-in and check-out, a native app with locally curated insights and travel tips, art exhibits, health and wellness programing and array of other happenings to make them feel totally at EAST. The hotel boasts its signature restaurant Quinto La Huella; a poolside bar & lounge and a rooftop destination bar called Sugar; 20,000 square-feet of meeting and banquet rooms with bay and city views; a 20,000 square-foot outdoor pool deck (with four different pools) which can be used for private events; a lobby cafe and bar, Domain, and a 24-hour fitness center. Located at 788 Brickell Plaza, Miami, Florida 33131, the hotel is centrally located within a 15-minute drive from the Miami International Airport, and situated on top of Brickell City Centre  conveniently connected to popular districts such as Wynwood, the Design District, and South Beach. For reservations please email reservations(at)east-miami(dot)com or call 305-712-7000. For more information, please visit http://www.east-miami.com/.

About Red Nose Day USA

Red Nose Day is a fundraising campaign run by the non-profit organization Comic Relief Inc., a registered U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity. Red Nose Day launched in the US in 2015, dedicated to ending child poverty, both in the US and in some of the poorest communities in the world. The money raised by Red Nose Day in the US has benefited programs for children and young people in all 50 states and in 34 countries internationally. Globally, Red Nose Day has raised over $1 billion since its launch in the UK in 1988. Every year millions of Americans buy Red Noses at their local Walgreens, come together in their communities, workplaces, and schools to fundraise, and tune in for a special night celebrating Red Nose Day on NBC  all to help end child poverty. This year, Red Nose Day is on May 24.
An online vote open to everyone runs until June 3rd at https://popular-prize.epo.org/.

The European Patent Office (EPO) today announced that voting is now open for its 2018 European Inventor Award Popular Prize. Members of the public are invited to cast their vote for their favorite inventor from among the 15 finalists of whom four are based in the U.S. The winner will be announced when the EPO presents this years award at a ceremony in Paris on June 7th. The ceremony will be broadcast live on Innovation TV as well as on the EPO's Facebook page.

The European Inventor Award is presented annually by the EPO. While the winners of the awards five categories, Industry, Research, Non-EPO countries, Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and Lifetime achievement, are selected by an international jury, the public alone decides who takes home the Popular Prize.

VOTING IS EASY!

An online vote open to everyone runs until June 3rd at https://popular-prize.epo.org/. All 15 finalists and their inventions are presented on the EPO website, so the public can pick their favorite. All participating voters will be entered into a drawing to win one of 25 I Lock IT smart bicycle locks operated via low-energy Bluetooth technology. One vote can be cast every 24-hours until the closing date.

This years finalists come from 13 countries: Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the United States. They include six women inventors -- four of whom are lead inventors -- making this year the strongest for women inventors since the European Inventor Award was launched in 2006.

15 OUTSTANDING INVENTORS COMPETING FOR THE POPULAR PRIZE

In the Non-EPO countries category, which includes the U.S. and Canada, the finalists vying for the publics vote have made tremendous advances in clean energy generation, augmented reality technology, and the management of heart disease. Stephen Dewar (Canada), Philip Watts (U.S./Canada) and Frank Fish (U.S.) patented efficient wind turbine blades inspired by the fins of whales. U.S.-based inventor and Microsoft software engineer Alex Kipman developed mixed-reality data glasses known as the Microsoft HoloLens. And U.S. chemical engineer and inventor Esther Sans Takeuchi perfected long-lasting, compact batteries to power tiny, implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs).

In the Industry category, finalists cover such diverse areas as semiconductors, building toys, and transportation. Dutch engineer Erik Loopstra and Dutch-Russian physicist Vadim Banine and team invented a next-generation microchip manufacturing technology. A Danish team, including Gaute Munch and Erik Hansen, created programmable LEGO robot construction kits. And French experts Agnes Poulbot and Jacques Barraud developed self-regenerating tires for heavy vehicles.

In the category Research, contenders have made an impact on medical diagnostics, restorative medicine, and biochemistry. German biophysicist Jens Frahm has made pioneering contributions that brought magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) into clinical practice. The British husband-and-wife research team of Eileen Ingham and John Fisher CBE invented "biological scaffolds" that have improved patient outcomes in regenerative medicine. And a Polish team including Jacek Jemielity, Joanna Kowalska, and Edward Darzynkiewicz created stable messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) compounds, opening up new approaches for cancer treatments.

In the Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) category, the candidates have pioneered water-conserving showers, multi-purpose adhesives, and next-generation synthetic fibres. Swedish industrial designer Mehrdad Mahdjoubi invented a resource-conserving closed-loop shower originally developed for NASA's space programme. Irish product designer Jane ni Dhulchaointigh and her team formulated multi-purpose glue that can repair and customise everyday objects. And German biochemist Thomas Scheibel developed a new fiber based on ultra-strong, artificial spider silk.

And finally, in the Lifetime achievement category, the finalists include Swiss physicist Ursula Keller, who has developed the leading technology behind ultra-fast lasers in numerous industrial and medical applications; prolific French inventor and entrepreneur Jacques Lewiner, who has hundreds of inventions to his name including smoke alarms, medical sensors, and internet connections; and Danish wind power pioneer Henrik Stiesdal, who has built a legacy of contributions to wind turbine blade design and green energy.

More information about the Popular Prize is available at: https://popular-prize.epo.org/

ABOUT THE EUROPEAN INVENTOR AWARD

The European Inventor Award is one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes. Launched by the EPO in 2006, it honors individual inventors and teams of inventors whose pioneering work provides answers to some of the biggest challenges of our times. The winners are selected by an independent jury consisting of international authorities in the fields of business, politics, science, academia and research, who examine the proposals in terms of their contribution towards technical progress, social development, economic prosperity and job creation in Europe. The general public decides on the winner of the Popular Prize. The 2018 award ceremony will take place on 7 June 2018 in Paris, Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

ABOUT THE EPO

With a staff of approximately 7,000, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO's centralized patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 44 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people. The EPO is also the world's leading authority in patent information and patent searching.

MEDIA RESOURCES

Additional information, photos and videos about the European Inventor Award 2018 can be found in the EPO Media Centre. Smart TV users can download our "Innovation TV" app and watch videos about all finalists on their TV screen.

Twitter | EPO Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube
President & CEO Joe Martore accepting the SECAF award for Small Business Mentor / Partner of the Year CALIBRE has been, and continues to be, committed to building strong relationships with small business partners and providing them with the resources to develop their capabilities and corporate infrastructure.

CALIBRE Systems, Inc. (CALIBRE) announced it was named the Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum (SECAF) Small Business Mentor / Partner of the Year at the 2018 SECAF Awards Gala. The Small Business Mentor / Partner of the Year award recognizes a large business that has demonstrated its ability to establish and support mentorships, teaming, partnerships, and other beneficial programs for small businesses.

It is an honor to be recognized by such a respected organization as SECAF, said CALIBRE President & CEO Joe Martore. CALIBRE has been, and continues to be, committed to building strong relationships with small business partners and providing them with the resources to develop their capabilities and corporate infrastructure.

As a result of mentor-protege programs, the federal government and companies such as CALIBRE have access to a stronger base of government contractors that are primed for success on government contracts and subcontracts. For example, the mentor-protege efforts of the CALIBRE and Yorktown Systems employees have helped Yorktown win federal contracts and grow from $10 million three years ago to over $75 million last year.

About CALIBRE

CALIBRE is an employee-owned management consulting and information technology solutions company supporting government and industry. CALIBRE delivers enduring solutions that solve management, technology, and program challenges in the areas of financial performance and logistics; health and information management; human capital training and management; and infrastructure, engineering, and environment.

About The Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum

The Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum (SECAF) enables the small and emerging government contractor to achieve maximum growth rates in a highly competitive marketplace. Providing members with business resources, access to influencers and government agencies, and advocacy opportunities and education, SECAF is an important resource for a growing company. SECAF also serves the medium to large government contractors, providing invaluable introductions to specialized small businesses that enable the overall contracting community to work successfully in tandem. For more information, visit http://www.secaf.org.

For more information about CALIBRE, please visit http://www.calibresys.com.

Contact: Craig College, Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer

Telephone: 703.797.8733

E-mail: Craig.College(at)calibresys(dot)com
Muconatur contains four plants known to have antitussive and anti-inflammatory effects to alleviate the respiratory tract and excess mucus to help soothe airways. Muconatur contains eucalyptus, sundew, horehound and marshmallow to soothe the respiratory system, including the bronchial tube. These plants have antitussive properties and help with mucus lining.

El Naturalista, a company with more than 50 years of experience producing health and wellness supplements, now offers its all-natural Digestnatur, Hair and Nails, Muconatur, Tranquinatur and Venatur for purchase on online retailer RonnieColemanNutrition.com.

Phytotherapy is the healthcare philosophy behind El Naturalistas herbal supplements, utilizing the nutrition readily found in plants and herbs. RonnieColemanNutrition.com is to receive encapsulated phytotherapy products that demonstrate the power of plants, herbs and natural medicines.

Our greatest strength lies in the safety of plants and herbs, which carry no side effects, El Naturalista President Ruben Calvo said. Rather than taking a pill manufactured with unknown chemicals synthesized in a lab, try taking something natural and good for the whole body. Too many doctors look to address one specific issue without considering a drugs effects on the rest of the body. El Naturalista uses healthcare techniques grounded in consciousness of the environment and body acting as a whole.

El Naturalista products are derived from plants and safe for all ages. The plants are processed using non-synthetic techniques in a state-of-the-art laboratory.

Muconatur contains four plants known to have antitussive and anti-inflammatory effects to alleviate the respiratory tract and excess mucus to help soothe airways.

Muconatur contains eucalyptus, sundew, horehound and marshmallow to soothe the respiratory system, including the bronchial tube, Calvo said. These plants have antitussive properties and help with mucus lining. Synthetic, mucus-related medicines may be popular but theyre not nearly as good for the body. Allopathic mucus remedies can cause digestive issues, such as stomach pain and nausea, dizziness and headaches. Muconatur, on the other hand, is perfectly safe to use and does not have these side effects.

Digesnatur uses herbs to provide mucilage to the intestine, aiding in the digestive process. Hair and Nails is used to strengthen nails and maintain youthful hair and skin through a formula of vitamins B6, B12, folate, iron, zinc and more.

Tranquinatur uses traditional plants to relieve anxiety, promote rest and tranquility, including black horehound, hawthorn, orange blossom valerian and passion flower. Venatur also includes traditional herbs to help with circulation, aimed at helping reduce the appearance of varicose veins.

For more information on El Naturalista supplements, visit http://www.elnaturalista.es/en/. The site is available in English, Spanish, French and Dutch languages.
North America's largest event dedicated to the practice of building historicallyinspired new construction using large timbers, connected with traditional joinery. The Guild Conferences are special knowledge sharing and networking events that leave one saturated with knowledge, inspirationally fulfilled, and superbly energized

The annual Timber Framers Guild west coast conference will educate and celebrate the practice of timber framing with professionals and enthusiasts alike. 30-year supporting member company, New Energy Works Timberframers, will be sharing knowledge across platforms in several presentations to attendees of the Mount Hood event, June 1 through June 3.

These annual Guild Conferences are special knowledge sharing and networking events. An abundance of information in open communication settings leaves one saturated with knowledge, inspirationally fulfilled, and superbly energized, explains Jonathan Orpin, TFG Board Member and Founder of New Energy Works.

The conference offers educational seminars by numerous experts covering the full breadth of this industry. Also taking place during the conference weekend: demonstrations, a trade show, auctions, and other events. New Energy Works team members will be presenting:



Friday, June 1st: 11 am, Sean Berman, Lead Timber Frame Engineer, presenting with other experts: Visible Steel in Timber Framing, Case Studies

Friday, June 1st: 3:45 pm, Darren Watson, Timber Frame Shop Foreman, presenting Tool Sharpening Skills

Saturday, June 2nd: 2:15 pm, Mike Westgard, Timber Framer, presenting Timber Finishes

Sunday, June 3rd: New Energy Works Founder Jonathan Orpin with author Gary Rogoski, presenting Maker v Manager, The Personal Challenge of Fulfillment in Our Work

In honor of the mountain (Mt.Hood) Sean Berman, New Energy Works Lead Timber Frame Engineer in Portland, ORand avid outdoor enthusiastwill lead a group to summiting, returning in time for the start of the conference weekend. Additionally, Pioneer Millworks, sister company to New Energy Works, will be hosting the Axe Throwing event during the conference.

Theres still time to sign up for the conference! Professionals and enthusiasts are encouraged to join the conference to be held at the Timberline Lodge in Mt. Hood Oregon, June 1st  June 3rd, 2018.

About the Conference:

The Timber Framers Guild Conference is North America's largest event dedicated to the practice of building historicallyinspired new construction using environmentally responsible techniques and large timbers for framing, connected with traditional joinery. Drawing several hundred professionals from a variety of disciplines, the TFG Conference is the only arena where architects, engineers, artisans, contractors, designers, building owners, and preservationists gather to learn about the resources, skills, and knowledge necessary to build timber framed buildings. The Guild is committed to developing high-quality learning activities in accordance with national criteria for continuing education credits in a variety of professions, including Learning Units through the American Institute of Architects. Learn more about becoming a guild member.

About New Energy Works:

New Energy Works designs and builds environmentally responsible timber frames across the USA from their New York and Oregon facilities. The company offers Timber Framing (design, engineering, manufacturing, build), Enclosure Systems, Fine Woodworking, Recycled and Sustainable wood products. New Energy Works has LEED AP staff members, is a member of the US Green Building Council, and is FSC Certified.
REDCOM's integration with Klas Telecom hardware revolutionizes what it means to be low SWaP at the tactical edge. The Voyager 8 is the ideal platform for our software, enabling us to deliver secure call control capabilities to organizations requiring a resilient small form factor comms package.

REDCOM Laboratories, Inc., the leading supplier of tactical edge communications systems, is pleased to announce it will be a part of the Klas Telecom booth (#1318) at SOFIC 2018 in Tampa, FL, May 21-24, 2018.

At the show, REDCOM will be exhibiting the latest versions of its military-grade virtualized call control software, Sigma Core, running on the Klas Telecom Voyager 8 hardware platform. The award-winning Voyager 8 is a carbon fiber, airline carry-on-size transit case system that meets military standards for ruggedization. It features a nested, uninterruptable power supply (UPS) built into the chassis that houses, powers, and charges the various route, switch, server, and other networking modules contained within. With REDCOM Sigma Core software integrated into the Voyager 8, REDCOM and Klas Telecom can deliver dramatically improved interoperable communications capabilities for tactical, expeditionary, and Special Operations Forces.

REDCOM's integration with Klas Telecom hardware revolutionizes what it means to be low SWaP at the tactical edge, said Mike Sweeney, Vice President of Government Strategy at REDCOM. The Voyager 8 is the ideal platform for our Sigma Core software, enabling us to deliver powerful and secure call control capabilities to organizations requiring a resilient small form factor comms package.

Sigma Core enables intuitive and flexible software-based call control with a rich set of UC functions, including VoIP, point-to-point video, XMPP with presence, unified messaging, and secure conferencing. Installed on the Voyager 8, REDCOM Sigma Core can function as an easily-deployable stand-alone Local Session Controller (LSC) or as an adjunct to an existing Enterprise Session Controller (ESC) to deliver advanced voice services such as transcoding and conferencing for red and black networks.

REDCOM will also be showcasing Sigma Client, the companys secure mobile app for Windows and Android. The app features full preemption controls and Push-to-Talk for instantaneous voice communication via IP. Show attendees are encouraged to visit the REDCOM kiosk within the Klas Telecom booth (#1318) for a live demo of Sigma Core and Sigma Client.

About REDCOM

REDCOM Laboratories, Inc. is a woman-owned small business that specializes in the design and manufacture of advanced tactical and strategic communications solutions with a focus on security, reliability, and interoperability. REDCOM's MIL-spec products are optimized for low size, weight, and power (SWaP), making them the ideal communications core for denied environments or deployments to the tactical edge. The companys latest innovation, Sigma Core, is a military-grade software platform that delivers robust call control, media handling, and encrypted communications. REDCOMs customers include all branches of the military, government agencies, emergency responders, integrators, and enterprises. For additional information, please visit the REDCOM website at http://www.redcom.com.

About Klas Telecom

Klas Telecom is an engineering and design company with over 25 years of experience developing innovative communications solutions for the network edge. Klas Telecom delivers secure connectivity to remote and austere environments where low size, weight, power and ruggedization are required. The company specializes in integrating enterprise networking capabilities from global IT leaders with in-house hardware and software platforms designed to meet market demands and the most stringent environmental requirements. Klas Telecom leverages the latest technology to stay on the forefront of the deployable communications industry. Klas Telecom operates in the public safety, transportation and U.S. and international government and defense markets. The company employs staff across four offices located in Washington, DC; Herndon, VA; Tampa, FL; and Dublin, Ireland.
"This is great news for us and for those that believe in our platform."

Digitex Futures is proud to announce the DGTX token will be listed on three exchanges: OOOBTC, Exrates, and Radex. Crypto traders can now trade with BTC and ETH pairs.

In the first 24 hours that DGTX has been live on ExRates, there has been over $170k and 8 million in DGTX tokens trading. Unlike some companies whose ICO is followed by months of silence, the Digitex Futures team has been charting the progress of their platform with a steady stream of video updates and social media posts.

Those interested in trading DGTX can do so right now on ExRates.me, where the token is paired with ETH. On May 21, BTC paired trading will be available on the OOOBTC exchange, and for those who want to stay decentralised, the token will also be listed the same day on Radex which offers zero fees and ETH paired trading.

During their ICO, Digitex Futures sold out in 17 minutes raising $5.2m. The DGTX token was created for the upcoming Digitex Futures Exchange Platform. The platform will be the first exchange on which traders will be able to make short-term speculation on the price of Bitcoin and Ether against the US dollar, and not have to pay commission on the transaction fees. This will allow traders to make rapid, small-profit trades, something that is not possible in todays market.

Adam Todd, CEO said: This is great news for us and for those that believe in our platform. The fact that the ICO sold out so quickly meant that we had thousands of people who wanted to purchase but didnt manage to get tokens in the 17-minute window. We still get requests from people desperate to purchase DGTX, and this is great news for them because now they can buy them on three different exchanges.

Alongside the news of the exchange, Digitex Futures have announced a news Blog and discussion Forum. The news blog is already full of articles explaining the crypto world, futures trading, and includes many tutorials and educational guides.

Todd continues: I couldnt be prouder of the Digitex Futures Team. There is so much activity and the team really cares about the platform and every one of them is working to make it a success. We have some superstars coding the platform in Dublin and theyre doing amazing things. We have a thriving community, and I hope that everyone who is interested in DGTX sees how hard we are working and how much we believe in this product. I want everyone who is interested in crypto and trading to read the news blog and join the community. We want to hear what you think.

Please join the DGTX crypto community at our Forum: https://community.digitexfutures.com/

Read and learn about the crypto world and DGTX at our news Blog: https://blog.digitexfutures.com/

Trade DTGX on exrates.me / ooobtc.com / radex.ai.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/digitexfutures

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/DigitexFutures/

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/DigitexFutures/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitexfutures/

About Digitex Ltd

Digitex Ltd is an International Business Company (IBC) located in the Republic of Seychelles. Founded by a former futures-trader and betting-exchange trader, Digitex has developed a revolutionary new token issuance revenue model for sustainably operating a futures-exchange without charging any transaction fees on trades and uses the blockchain for decentralized accounts and governance. Visit digitexfutures.com.

About ExRates

ExRates has a 30m dollar daily trading volume, with web, iOS and Android interfaces for easy and secure trading. Supporting multiple languages, many currencies, and 24/7 chat, ExRates offer minimum commission, maximum security and easy usability. Visit Exrates.me.

About OOOBTC

OOOBTC operates the largest volume digital asset exchange in the world, based out of Singapore. Providing traders with reliable and quality services, they can trade any of the OOOBTC currency pairs free with ease. Through leading technology OOOBTC aims to build the largest market for digital assets ever. Visit OOOBTC.com.

About Radex

The brand new zero fee decentralized exchange for the Ethereum ERC223 token standard. Radex is a part of Rados, a collection of services for cryptocurrency owners and traders. Their mission is to build necessary tools that make working with cryptocurrencies easy - and help with global cryptocurrency adoption as a result. Visit radex.ai.
China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) has reached a consensus with the defense sector to further improve the market entry mechanism for military products, a senior official said.

Repeated problems experienced by private companies should be resolved through the military-civilian integration mechanism, and the SASTIND will actively build an exchange platform as well as pilot projects to greatly improve the efficiency of private companies undertaking military product manufacturing, said Long Hongshan, chief engineer with SASTIND, People's Daily reported on Monday.

At present, private enterprises account for more than two-thirds of the companies that have licenses for scientific research and production of weapons and equipment, and some are playing an increasingly important role in state-of-the-art technologies like micro and small-scale unmanned systems, said the report.

In addition, more than 2,000 aviation technologies have been developed in the national economy, it said.

However, China's military-civilian integration has not yet reached a profound level, and it still encounters structural and policy problems, Long said. Currently, ideas and policies haven't kept up with the integration process, and resource sharing has not reached a desirable level.

It's too difficult for private companies to produce military products, said the owner of one private firm, noting that it is hard to understand military enterprises' product requirements due to obstructed channels of communication.

The central government's steering role should be brought into full play in boosting military-civilian integration.
Zenoti was the clear choice as the technology partner PROSE needed to bring the brand to life.

Zenoti, a leading salon management software provider, announced today a partnership with PROSE, the healthy and enriching hand and foot care brand, to power its innovative, mobile-first guest experience.

Founded in late 2017 by former Massage Envy President and CEO David Crisalli, PROSE was created to inspire an elegant and wellness-centric lifestyle that brings healthy and beautiful relief to hands and feet. Now operating two boutiques in Arizona, the PROSE transformative hand and foot services can be experienced through its cutting-edge boutique design, world-class products and personalized approach.

The Phoenix and Scottsdale boutiques are the beginning for PROSE. A health and wellness industry leader, Crisalli plans to replicate his past success by thoughtfully growing the business through franchising. PROSE was designed with franchisees at the center of the leadership model, so the companys technology platform required rapid scaling and franchise growth support while simultaneously creating a mobile-first, elevated guest experience.

Before choosing Zenoti, Crisalli leveraged his deep experience with many other technology providers. When members and guests arrive at PROSE, their experience is mobile from check-in to checkout. PROSE curators move freely through the boutique using iPads to check guests in, create guest invoices and process their payments during checkout.

Zenotis mobile platform is easy-to-learn, can reduce training time and allows the team to focus on building deeper connections with their guests. Plus, it offers guests on-demand access to the brand with a mobile app and online booking capabilities.

We set out to reinvent the hand and foot experience, and a big part of that focused on technology to simplify the process. Zenoti was the clear choice as the technology partner PROSE needed to bring the brand to life, said Crisalli. We are continuously working with the Zenoti team to innovate and create a better experience for our guests, team members and our franchisees.

PROSE also offers a flexible, risk-free membership program to its guests, allowing men, women and children access to services at discounted prices. Going above and beyond a POS system, Zenotis membership program software creates personalized experiences for members that touch every aspect of their visit, including check-ins, checkouts, payments and more.

Were thrilled to partner with Dave and the PROSE team to provide the technology foundation they need to make their mobile-first, elevated customer experience a reality, said Sudheer Koneru, CEO at Zenoti.

About Zenoti

Zenoti provides an all-in-one, cloud-based software solution for the spa, salon and med spa industry. The Zenoti platform is engineered for reliability and scale, harnessing the power of enterprise-level technology for businesses of all sizes.

Zenoti powers thousands of spas and salons in over 50 countries. Zenoti allows users to seamlessly manage every aspect of the business in a comprehensive mobile solution: online appointment bookings, PoS, CRM, employee management, inventory management, built-in marketing programs and more. Zenoti helps clients streamline their systems and reduce costs, while simultaneously improving customer retention and spending.

To learn more about Zenoti, visit https://www.zenoti.com/.

About PROSE

Headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., PROSE has innovated and transformed the traditional nail salon into a thoughtfully inspired boutique experience. Created to elevate the member and guest experience in all aspects, PROSE is more than just manicure and pedicure maintenance  its hand and foot poetry.

With world-class products and exceptional services focused on delighting these two hard-working parts of the body, PROSE Artists expertly deliver delightful consistency in a sophisticated environment. Through its risk-free and affordable membership program, PROSE carefully considers each guests needs and routine by providing personalized services and convenient booking capabilities online and with the mobile app. The brand also focuses on industry leadership and elevating the profession of Artists and their important work by creating a healthy culture that rewards and respects their artisanal talents.

To learn more about PROSE, visit http://www.myprose.com.
The Texas Instruments (TI) Foundation, Educate Texas and the Richardson Independent School District (RISD) announced today they will partner to create a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) feeder pattern within the Lloyd V. Berkner High School attendance zone, which includes 16 schools serving more than 10,000 students from 80 different countries. The TI Foundation will give $4.6 million over the next three years to Educate Texas, the public-private initiative of Communities Foundation of Texas, to work with RISD to implement a STEM for All concept. The intent is to reshape the teaching and learning of these subjects across all grade levels to better prepare students from pre-K through 12th grade within the Berkner feeder schools for postsecondary and workforce success.

The TI Foundation has a long history of investing to improve STEM education in North Texas, said Andy Smith, Executive Director of the TI Foundation. This latest effort builds upon prior grants for a district-wide STEM model in Lancaster schools made in 2012-2018. The Lancaster model has transformed the way STEM subjects are taught and learned across an entire district and has improved math and science scores in a district comprised largely of economically disadvantaged students. With the Berkner High School feeder pattern, we now have an opportunity to scale a proven concept to a larger district with a growing mix of under-represented students.

Berkner High School received its Texas-STEM (T-STEM) designation in 2007 when it put into practice its STEM Academy, a program within the high school that established the base for the feeder pattern vision. The school currently offers three STEM career strands for students: engineering robotics; aeronautical engineering; and biotechnology. This new grant makes possible two new strands, cybersecurity and STEM management, which will be introduced into the system next school year. The STEM for All mission reflects RISDs commitment to prepare students for careers of tomorrow by embedding STEM concepts and experiences in their learning journey, from pre-kindergarten through high school graduation.

RISD is committed to changing the culture within the Berkner feeder pattern through STEM-infused curriculum that ensures academic rigor, student engagement and relevancy across the entire pre-K-12 curriculum, said Jeannie Stone, Ed.D., superintendent of RISD. STEM is not something we do, its who we are, which is why RISD strives to inspire our students from their very first day of school to explore and cultivate their interests to pursue a career pathway through a STEM culture.

While the grant has the long-term aim of creating a stronger skilled STEM workforce for North Texas, the near-term goal over the next three years will be focused on helping RISD build and implement the STEM for All concept in the classroom. This includes:



Teacher professional development that focuses on project-based STEM training and is supported by dedicated STEM coaches, as well as the opportunity for a masters degree.

Greater student engagement and relevancy through project-based learning as well as extra-curricular STEM clubs, competitions, and STEM-based community engagement and outreach.

A rigorous, contextual-based curriculum and instruction that centers on college-and career-readiness that will increase opportunities for accelerated learning options, such as Advanced Placement (AP) courses and dual-credit coursework.

The grant will also help the district to work with post-secondary education partners in business and industry to ensure relevancy and sustainability of the concept. There will be numerous measures to evaluate component outcomes, such as an increase in the number of teachers who obtain advanced degrees in STEM and who continue to work in the Berkner High School feeder pattern; student passing rates of STEM subjects in State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests and narrowing achievement gaps in STEM subjects among student sub-groups, such as by gender and ethnicity; and increasing the number of AP courses offered by the STEM Academy within Berkner, accompanied by increased passing rates of AP STEM exams.

"When we began to work with the TI Foundation and Lancaster ISD in 2012 to create a STEM district, we expected the successes and outcomes of LISD to serve as a rigorous STEM learning and teaching model that could be scaled to other Texas school districts, said George Tang, managing director of Educate Texas. Were thrilled that the original expectation is now being realized with Richardson ISD. This opportunity allows us to extend our impact to the lives of 10,000-plus students and ultimately inspire and prepare them for great futures.

Because of the success of the Lancaster ISD STEM district, the TI Foundation and Educate Texas worked together over the past year to assess candidates from other north Texas districts to extend the concept. After a competitive grant proposal process, RISD was selected based on the strong commitment of its superintendent, school board and the Richardson Chamber of Commerce, as well as the opportunity to execute on the concept through a larger school districts feeder pattern comprised of largely under-represented students.

About Educate Texas

Launched in 2004 as Texas High School Project, Educate Texas, a public-private initiative of Communities Foundation of Texas, is dedicated to ensuring Texas students have the guidance and resources needed to graduate high school ready for college and career success. We bring together key organizations committed to improving education in Texas, working with school districts, community colleges, technical schools and regional universities to implement programs and practices promoting postsecondary readiness, access and success for all students. Educate Texas public-private partners include: the Texas Education Agency, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Governor's Office, Texas Legislature, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, The Meadows Foundation, and Greater Texas Foundation. For more information, please visit: edtx.org.

About Richardson ISD

Richardson ISD has been a leading school district in Texas since its establishment in 1854. Covering more than 43 square miles, its 54 schools span the cities of Richardson, Dallas and Garland. Traditions of excellence, high parent expectations and exceptional community support have all contributed to the districts consistent academic success. RISDs mission is to serve and prepare each of its more than 39,000 students for their global futures. For more information, please visit risd.org.

About the Texas Instruments Foundation

The Texas Instruments Foundation, founded in 1964, is a non-profit organization solely funded by Texas Instruments providing philanthropic support for educational and charitable purposes primarily in the communities where TI operates. Committed to supporting educational excellence, the foundation works to create measurable, replicable programs and initiatives. The focus is on providing knowledge, skills and programs to improve STEM education and increase the percentage of high school graduates who are math and science capable. More information can be found at ti.com/giving.

Advanced Placement is a registered trademark of the College Board.
Michael Convertino Joins the Board of Directors for Leading Cybersecurity Firm GreyCastle Security. The broad array of services and expertise GreyCastle Security has made it well regarded across the information security space. I'm excited about joining the board and helping the company expand those services and to grow rapidly."

GreyCastle Security, the industry's leading provider of cybersecurity risk assessment, mitigation and certification readiness services, has appointed renowned cybersecurity expert Michael Convertino to its board of directors.

Convertino brings with him more than 20 years of industry experience, both in the public and private sectors. He joined the United States Air Force in the late 1990s and led numerous cybersecurity programs, eventually retiring in 2011 as the Commander of the 318th Information Operations Group. During his time in the military, Convertino was influential in protecting U.S. national security, as he commanded a team of 600 cyber telecommunications, communications, signals intelligence and information operations personnel, developing cyber capabilities for the Department of Defense. He also crafted the standards for the rapid sharing of electronic intelligence, immediately following the 9/11 attacks.

Later in his career, Convertino joined Microsoft as a senior director, before moving to CrowdStrike as chief information security officer (CISO). He joined Seattle, Washington-based F5 Networks in 2016, as the companys first CISO and is now VP, Technology, Security Products.

GreyCastle Security Board Chairman Dan Kalil said, When it comes to cybersecurity knowledge, experience and credentials, Michael is truly one of a kind and at the top. We were fortunate to have worked with Michael during his time with the Air Force and are honored that he has joined our board and that we will be working together once again.

Convertino holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and masters degrees in management and information systems from Webster University. He also earned a masters degree in international studies from the United States Air Force.

The broad array of services and expertise GreyCastle Security has made it well regarded across the information security space, said Convertino. I'm excited about joining the board and helping the company expand those services and to grow rapidly."

About GreyCastle Security

GreyCastle Security is the industrys leading provider of cybersecurity risk assessment, advisory and mitigation services. The company was established to help organizations establish effective cybersecurity programs, minimize the impact of security incidents and simplify compliance. GreyCastle Security has clients throughout North America, specializing in cybersecurity for healthcare, higher education, financial services, technology and critical infrastructure.

GreyCastle Security's revolutionary approach to service delivery completely eliminates an organization's need to recruit and retain new cybersecurity personnel. Our award-winning cybersecurity programs are delivered continuously and managed proactively by certified experts, including risk assessment, awareness, vulnerability assessment, penetration testing and incident response.
Logo With increasing computerization, connected devices, and the growing amounts of electronic data being collected and stored, it is more important than ever to think about your companys cybersecurity defenses

USDM Life Sciences, the leading risk management, technological innovation and business process optimization firm for life sciences, announces a live online workshop with Michael Ambrose and Brian McCole.



What: Live Workshop  How to Avoid Data Breaches and Improve Cybersecurity in Life Sciences

When: Thursday, May 24 at 11am PT / 2pm ET / 6pm GMT

Who: Michael Ambrose, VP of Laboratory and Manufacturing Services at USDM Life Sciences, and Brian McCole, VP of Quality Initiatives at USDM Life Sciences.

Where: Register Here

With increasing computerization, connected devices, and the growing amounts of electronic data being collected and stored, it is more important than ever to think about your companys cybersecurity defenses, said Michael Ambrose, VP of Laboratory and Manufacturing Services at USDM Life Sciences. We look forward to discussing best practices for life sciences companies to expand and improve upon their cybersecurity programs.

70% of life sciences companies dealt with data breaches last year alone. The responsibility for cybersecurity does not fall solely on your network firewalls but spans all layers and areas of your organization. Learn how to improve cybersecurity beyond network defenses to ensure your company is effectively defending against threats to enterprise systems and medical devices.

The discussion will include:



What is required to establish a comprehensive and risk-based product SDLC (including cyber vulnerabilities).

Product Security Model for portfolio-wide cybersecurity enables companies to better address cybersecurity vulnerabilities and exploits.

How to implement enterprise-wide business processes to better manage and protect your organization and its high-value information assets.

Live Q & A session

Michael Ambrose is the Vice President of Laboratory and Manufacturing Services at USDM Life Sciences. Michael has over 33 years of Life Sciences industry, specializing in strategic IT and GxP compliance consulting (13 years in industry,19+ years as a consultant) focused on the delivery of practical and efficient IT solutions and compliance initiatives at the department, site and global level.

Brian McCole is the Vice President of Quality Initiatives at USDM Life Sciences. Brian is a highly experienced professional with a 25-year track record of assisting quality-regulated companies define, develop, and achieve their compliance goals. He also has experience with business process improvement, change management, medical device security, and implementing the leading governance supporting technologies deployed in the life sciences industry.

Register for the workshop or watch the recorded session here.

About USDM Life Sciences:

USDM Life Sciences is a global life science and healthcare services company, providing strategy and compliant technology solutions to regulated industries. If you work in Life Sciences or Healthcare, partnering with USDM Life Sciences makes it easy to accelerate innovation and maximize productivity. USDM Life Sciences only focuses on regulated industries and has built trusted partnerships with the most innovative technology companies in the world, and boast a staff of industry leading experts in the areas of technology and compliance. USDM Life Sciences is doing business as USDM Europe GmbH in Germany.
TAWANI Enterprises restructure allows for improved profitability and more flexibility to invest in community preservation and economic development. Each day our innkeepers go the extra mile and give 110 percent. They are passionate, engaged and devoted, while upholding high standards of professionalism, integrity and leadership.

TAWANI Enterprises, Inc., an organization specializing in the development, investment, management and preservation of real estate properties, today announced a restructuring to its hospitality division, Stone Heritage Collection. The restructuring primarily affects the companys bed and breakfast operations.

TAWANI is exploring the potential sale of these beautiful and meticulously restored homes, which are now the location of Stone Terrace Bed and Breakfast,1622 Forest Place, and Stone Porch by the Lake,300 Church Street, at the end of the year. All reservations will be honored at both Stone Terrace and Stone Porch through December 31, 2018 and we will be working with all guests who may have reservations after December 31, 2018, individually.

While TAWANI plans to continue operations at Lang House and Emil Bach House, it is restructuring pricing and business opportunities for both businesses. Currently, The Emil Bach House is Chicagos only Frank Lloyd Wright private vacation home and venue rental. TAWANI will still maintain its partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, offering tours and events. Lang House, located directly next door to the Emil Bach House at 7421 N. Sheridan Rd, is a bed and breakfast set in a Four-Square Prairie-style mansion that was built in 1919.

Mayne Stage, located at 1328 West Morse Avenue on Chicagos north side, and Lincoln Way Inn, located in the heart of the Midwest, on the historic Lincoln Highway, will continue to operate within the Stone Heritage Collection.

The change is a result of an internal evaluation and external review of the companys hospitality business. TAWANI periodically reviews and revises its business strategy accordingly to reflect changing conditions in the marketplace and identifies opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability.

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude and appreciation to our partners and innkeepers of our Evanston and Chicago bed and breakfast properties for their hard work, superior customer service and enormous commitment to TAWANI, said Colonel (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Retired), CEO of TAWANI Enterprises. Each day our innkeepers go the extra mile and give 110 percent. They are passionate, engaged and devoted, while upholding high standards of professionalism, integrity and leadership. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

As TAWANI implements the new restructure, the company already has strong leaders in place who are dedicated to further growing the Stone Heritage Collection. Carmen Korleski will continue to serve as director of hospitality operations at TAWANI. Lisa Ayres will continue as innkeeper and partner of Lincoln Way Inn and Lauren Ivancevic will remain as manager of Mayne Stage.

Its a symbolic milestone for TAWANI. We are thankful to each of our innkeepers and partners for their award-winning dedication to customer service and for helping us offer exceptional lodging and event experiences. said Mary F. Parthe, Chief of Staff and Chief Investment officer at TAWANI.

Todays announcement is the latest example of TAWANIs proactive and strategic approach to improving business. For more information about TAWANI or to book a reservation at a Stone Heritage Collection property, please visit http://tawanienterprises.com.

About TAWANI Enterprises

TAWANI Enterprises, headquartered in Chicago, specializes in the development, investment, management and preservation of real estate properties in the Chicago area. The company represents a diversified portfolio of iconic brands, such as the Stone Heritage Collection, TAWANIs hospitality arm of thoughtfully designed lodgin __title__ ]g and event spaces, the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, the TAWANI Foundation and the Pritzker Military Foundation. Properties under the Stone Heritage Collection include Stone Terrace, Stone Porch by the Lake, Lang House, The Emil Bach House, Mayne Stage and The Lincoln Way Inn. For more information, visit http://www.tawanienterprises.com.
Republic Metals Corporation is proud to be among the first Good Delivery Refiners in the world to receive the Responsible Silver Certificate from the London Bullion Market Association... This achievement is a testament to Republic Metals exemplary due diligence in its supply chain practices.

Republic Metals Corporation is proud to be among the first Good Delivery Refiners in the world to receive the Responsible Silver Certificate from the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA).

In early March, Republic Metals Corporations sourcing process was audited and found to be in compliance with the new LBMA Responsible Silver Guidance and the existing Gold Guidance. The LBMA officially awarded Republic Metals with the Responsible Silver Certificate, and recertified its Responsible Gold Certification on Monday, April 30th. This achievement is a testament to Republic Metals Corporations exemplary due diligence in its supply chain practices.

The Responsible Silver and Responsible Gold Certifications, provide our downstream clients with additional assurance that all silver and gold bearing the Republic Metals Corporation logo, is responsibly sourced and conflict-free, promoting the protection of human rights for all. Republic will continue to improve and build upon its high standards of supply chain due diligence to combat money laundering and terrorist financing., said Rich Lani, Compliance Director of Republic Metals Corporation.

The new Responsible Silver Guidance is based on the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. It unifies and solidifies existing standards for supply chain due diligence in pursuance of the responsible sourcing of silver.

Click to see the Responsible Silver and Responsible Gold Certificates.

About Republic Metals Corporation

Headquartered in Miami, Republic Metals was established in 1980 and has since grown to become one of the largest and most respected primary precious metals refineries in the world. Throughout its illustrious history, Republic Metals has displayed excellence in precious metals refining and minting in a manner that is considered environmentally friendly, as demonstrated through its long-standing ISO14001 registration. Republic Metals currently holds listings on the LBMA, Shanghai Gold Exchange, and COMEX with recognitions from the Responsible Jewellery Council and Conflict Free Smelter Initiative. As an LBMA-designated Responsible Gold and Silver Party, all business conducted by Republic Metals is performed in accordance with its stringent Patriot Act compliance and supply chain policies.

For more information, please visit http://www.republicmetalscorp.com.

To read or download as a PDF please visit this link
COMPUTEX TAIPEI offers a platform to meet with current and potential customers to share how we can help their businesses thrive in even the most tumultuous and complex markets.

Smith, a global distributor of electronic components and semiconductors, today announces its upcoming exhibition at COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2018, a leading international gathering of electronics industry professionals. Smith will showcase the sourcing and inventory management solutions it offers OEMs, ODMs, and EMS providers in this dynamic market.

Smith representatives will be on-hand in booth N1110 to demonstrate the companys sourcing capabilities and its broad array of customizable supply chain and inventory management options. They will also highlight Smiths resources for global and localized support and intensive quality assurance.

COMPUTEX TAIPEI offers a platform to meet with current and potential customers to share how we can help their businesses thrive in even the most tumultuous and complex markets, said Margo Evans, Smith's Vice President of Marketing. We look forward to the chance to show how our expert service and support capabilities deliver success in the evolving Asian and global marketplaces.

To attend the show, please visit the COMPUTEX TAIPEI registration page.

WHAT: COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2018

WHEN: Tuesday, June 5, 2018 - Saturday, June 9, 2018

WHERE: Smith Exhibition Showcase

Booth N1110 in the International Exhibitors Area, Nangang 4F

Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1

No. 1, Jingmao 2nd Road, Nangang District, Taipei City 11568, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

About Smith

Founded in 1984, Smith sources, manages, and distributes the electronic components that go into everything from mobile phones and computers to appliances and directional drilling systems. In 16 cities around the world, from Silicon Valley to Seoul, Smiths legion of employees communicates in 50 different languages and dialects and buys and sells components 24 hours per day, with global annual sales of $1.5 billion. Smith is always moving: helping manufacturers navigate market shifts; customizing supply chain solutions; testing components using cutting-edge technology. With testing and logistics hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam, Smiths processes focus on critical issues, from quality management to counterfeit prevention and environmental safety. Smiths operations, purchasing, and sales worldwide are seamlessly integrated with the companys global IT infrastructure, offering real-time inventory and logistics visibility anywhere in the world. Smith is the leading independent distributor of electronic components and ranks number eight among all global distributors. Smiths Intelligent Distribution model adapts to ever-changing demands by providing reliable global electronics sourcing and logistics, regardless of distribution channel or locale. For more information, please visit https://www.smithweb.com, or, to reach a Smith representative 24 hours a day, please call +1 713.430.3000.

###

For more information, contact:

Margo Evans

Smith, VP of Marketing

+1 713.430.3966

mevans@nfsmith.com
Burger 21 St. Pete Exterior We are excited to be in St. Petersburg, and its amazing food scene

Burger 21, a fast casual, better burger chain, is excited to announce the opening of its newest corporate owned location in St. Petersburg, Florida. Located at 3201 4th Street N, fans of the Tampa based Burger 21 can expect to see many of the classic Burger 21 crave-able burgers and shakes, and some new items that will only be available at the St. Petersburg location.

Chef Mike Remes has developed a menu that sets itself apart from the competition with its unique, chef-crafted 100% certified angus beef, seafood, chicken, and gluten-friendly gourmet burger creations, hand-crafted signature shakes, hand-breaded buttermilk chicken tenders and fresh salads. Highlights on St. Petersburg menu include the all new Chili Cheese Crunch burger, the Spicy Tuna burger, and the much talked about vegan plant based Impossible burger. The St. Petersburg Burger 21 will also offer our full sauce bar with Burger 21s original, house-made signature sauces.

The restaurants beverage options will include freshly squeezed lemonade, Kahwa cold brew coffee, Kombucha tea, hand-crafted flavored teas, fountain and non-carbonated drinks, plus a selection of craft beer and wine.

We are excited to be in St. Petersburg, and its amazing food scene, said Mark Johnston, founder and owner of Burger 21. The Northeast neighborhood is a great community and we are looking forward to being a part of it. Everyone has been very helpful and positive during our construction phase, and we are looking forward to paying that back with some great hospitality, burgers, and shakes.

Everyone in the neighborhood is invited to the Official Grand Opening of Burger 21 on Monday, June 4th 2018. The doors will open at 11am with a ribbon cutting by the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, and the first 50 guests to eat lunch with Burger 21 will receive Burger 21 giveaways. Burger 21 will also be celebrating their opening on social media, where Facebook fans have the chance to win $21 gift cards.

The opening of the Burger 21 restaurant is another example of the continued investment by Burger 21 in its home base of the Tampa Bay area. The location will be run by General Manager Jonniene Moritz, who has been with the brand for three years and believes the St. Petersburg location will allow Burger 21 to further immerse itself in the Tampa Bay Area as a local favorite.

Highlights of Burger 21 St. Petersburg include:



50 new team members hired in St. Petersburg

Approximately 1950 square feet

Seating for 48 customers inside the restaurant

Patio with seating for 35 customers

Exclusive Burger 21 menu items

With the opening of the St. Petersburg location, Burger 21 will have 23 restaurants open and more than 3 franchised locations set to open across the country in 2018.

The St. Petersburg Burger 21 is located at 3201 4th Street N, St. Petersburg, Florida 33704.

About Burger 21

Burger 21 was born with the idea of 21 of the best burger flavor combinations imaginable. You could say Burger 21 is obsessed with delicious burgers. What makes Burger 21s chef-crafted burgers so delicious is the commitment to quality and the highest level of ingredients. Burger 21s goal is to create a neighborhood spot where friends, families, and coworkers can come together and eat food that just tastes good. With more than 21 burger varieties featuring chicken, turkey, seafood, veggie and beef, a Burger 21 burger is like nothing youve ever tasted.

Recognition for Burger 21 includes being named one of the 10 best franchises to buy in 2017, winning the Better Burger category of the Franchise Times Zor Awards. The brand has also been named Entrepreneur Magazines Top New Franchises and Restaurant Business 50 Fastest-Growing Small Restaurant Chains of 2016. Additionally, the company has been ranked on Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers for the last five consecutive years, while Burger 21 Founder and President Mark Johnston was acknowledged as one of Fast Casuals Top 25 People of 2014 for his strategic leadership in the brands growth and development. Burger 21 also was named one of QSRs Best Franchise Deals of 2014.

For more information on Burger 21, please visit Burger21.com and follow Burger 21 on Facebook and Instagram.
The St. Mary Clean Energy Center is only one of our projects where PENETRON crystalline waterproofing helps enable an industrial process that has a benefit to our environment. Thats a win for Cleco Energy and their overall sustainability footprint.

This months inauguration of the new St. Mary Clean Energy Center in Franklin, LA, showcases a facility that produces electricity without increasing greenhouse gas emissions through a heat recovery process. Located in an extremely wet climate, PENETRON crystalline technology was used to ensure a durable and waterproof foundation for the plant.

Cleco Power, an electric utility company based in Pineville, Louisiana, completed construction of a waste heat recovery energy plant adjacent to a Cabot Chemical plant, a carbon black (a result of the incomplete combustion of heavy petroleum products) facility on the Louisiana Gulf Coast in Franklin, near the Intracoastal Waterway. The new power plant, St. Mary Clean Energy Center, will generate 50-megawatts of electricity by capturing the Cabot plants waste heat from exhaust gases, which will power the new utility's turbine generators  all without increasing emissions, including carbon.

Sodden Environment Demands Crystalline Solution

The electricity produced by the St. Mary facility will be enough to light up 17,000 homes, with zero associated emissions, says Robbyn Cooper, Investor & Public Relations Manager at Cleco Power. This is a huge accomplishment for any utility.

Confronted with a construction site very close to the Intercostal Highway in Louisiana and a correspondingly high-water table, the project engineers looked to Baldwin Ready-Mix for a solution for the below-grade (5-6 foot depth) concrete structures. Baldwin, a Penetron partner, suggested a concrete mix treated with PENETRON ADMIX SB, an integral crystalline admixture.

Ensuring an Impermeable Matrix

PENETRON ADMIX has been proven to be an effective long-term solution in many similar projects along the Gulf Coast, including not only energy plants, but also wastewater treatment plants and manufacturing facilities, explains Christopher Chen, Director of The Penetron Group. The concrete structures in all these projects are exposed to harsh environments, but the crystalline technology of the PENETRON ADMIX ensures the matrix remains impermeable.

Using the pre-measured soluble bags, Baldwin Ready Mix added PENETRON ADMIX SB to over 1,000 cubic yards (765 m3) of concrete that was poured for the foundation of the energy plant.

Substantially Extending the Concrete Life Cycle

Water and waterborne chemicals penetrate concrete mainly through capillary absorption and hydrostatic pressure. Adding PENETRON ADMIX unleashes a catalytic reaction to moisture in the concrete that generates a non-soluble crystalline formation throughout pores and voids and permanently seals the concrete against any penetration of water or liquids from any direction. This protects the concrete from deterioration, substantially extending the life of the treated concrete structure.

The St. Mary Clean Energy Center is only one of our projects where PENETRON crystalline waterproofing helps enable an industrial process that has a benefit to our environment, says Mr. Chen. Thats a win for Cleco Energy and their overall sustainability footprint.

The Penetron Group is a leading manufacturer of specialty construction products for concrete waterproofing, concrete repairs and floor preparation systems. The Group operates through a global network, offering support to the design and construction community through its regional offices, representatives and distribution channels.

For more information on PENETRON waterproofing solutions, please visit penetron(dot)com or Facebook(dot)com/ThePenetronGroup, email CRDept(at)penetron(dot)com, or contact the Corporate Relations Department at 631-941-9700.
Teton Reflections by internationally known artist Dennis Ziemienski will be featured on the 2018 Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival posters, always a popular collectible from the annual event. "As 2018 is increasingly being called the year of the woman, we think the confident cowgirl featured in Teton Reflections may resonate with festivalgoers."

A confident and captivating cowgirl riding her trusted steed, stops for a drink and gazes into the distance with Jackson Holes Grand Teton as her backdrop in the aptly titled Teton Reflections, just announced as the featured artwork for the 34th annual Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival. The 54-by-42-inch oil on linen painting by artist Dennis Ziemienski will appear on 2018 posters for the premier Rocky Mountain West cultural event set to take place Sept. 5  16, 2018, in Jackson, Wyoming. The painting itself will be on display at Jacksons historical Wort Hotel until it is auctioned off on Saturday, Sept. 15, following the QuickDraw event on Town Square.

Were thrilled to announce Dennis Ziemienskis Teton Reflections as our featured artwork for the 2018 Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, says Maureen Murphy, Director of Special Events for the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce. We love Denniss real yet somewhat nostalgic depiction of the West; and as 2018 is increasingly being called the year of the woman, we think the confident cowgirl featured in Teton Reflections may resonate with festivalgoers on that level as well.

The 2018 featured artist Dennis Ziemienski is no stranger to his work being seen by the masses. A San Francisco native who lives and works in Glen Ellen, California, Ziemienski is known for his stylized modernist portrayal of classic Western themes. His poster-like images in oil have won numerous awards, graced book covers and been commissioned by clients from Levi-Strauss to The New York Times to Super Bowl XXIX.

Growing up in California in the 1950s, Ziemienski witnessed the West firsthand during a period in time he likes to call the Old West after the Old West, as railroads, automobiles, motels and rodeos began to dominate the Western landscape. Those juxtapositions of classic cowboy life with the increasing influence of Modernism fascinate Ziemienski. You dont see a lot of paintings of cowboys sitting in Model T Fords, but they did  and right alongside their horses, he says. I like that period of time because it hasnt been well recorded.

Featured artist Dennis Ziemienski will be on hand to sign 2018 Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival posters showcasing his Teton Reflections image on Wednesday, Sept. 12, at the Altamira Fine Art Gallery. The original oil painting will be available for purchase at auction following the QuickDraw event on Town Square, Saturday, Sept. 15.

The Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival posters are a popular commemoration of this unique event created 34 years ago to extend the summer season for travelers and to celebrate the spectacular artwork of nationally and internationally acclaimed artists inspired by the areas history, wildlife and landscape. Though many have sold out, limited quantities of past iconic festival posters dating back to 1987 are available for sale on the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce website at https://www.jacksonholechamber.com/events-calendar/fall-arts-festival/fall-arts-festival-posters/.

From art walks, live auctions, gallery events, and food and wine tastings, to plein air painting and sculpting and remarkable home and ranch tours, the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival offers guests more than 50 culturally rich events to choose from over the course of 11 days in September, many of them free.

About the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival:

Conveniently located just 20 minutes from the Jackson Hole Airport, Jackson, Wyo., is served by major airlines including Delta, United, American and SkyWest. Reservation information for Jacksons numerous hotels, as well as a complete schedule of Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival events taking place Sept. 5 -16, 2018, may be found at https://www.jacksonholechamber.com/events-calendar/fall-arts-festival/ For additional information, contact Maureen Murphy at Jackson Hole Chamber, 307.733.3316.

Media Contact: Amy Stark, Word PR + Marketing, amy(at)wordprmarketing.com, 307.734.5335
British defense secretary Gavin Williamson announced an investment on Monday of 3.4 billion U.S. dollars to give the country's nuclear submarines a major boost.

Most of the new funding -- more than 2 billion dollars -- will be spent on building a seventh Astute hunter-killer submarine for the Royal Navy.

The new sub will be called Agincourt, and is the sixth vessel in the Royal Navy to be named after the Battle of Agincourt of 1415, Williamson said.

Another 1.3 billion dollars will go to the second phase of construction for Britain's four nuclear-armed Dreadnought submarines.

The Ministry of Defense (MOD) said the work will sustain around 8,000 jobs.

Williamson announced the projects during a visit Monday to shipyard of the defense, security and aerospace company BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria.

"This multi-billion-dollar investment in our nuclear submarines shows our unwavering commitment to keeping the UK safe and secure from intensifying threats," Williamson said.

"Agincourt will complete the Royal Navy's seven-strong fleet of hunter-killer attack subs, the most powerful to ever enter British service, whilst our nuclear deterrent is the ultimate defense against the most extreme dangers we could possibly face."

"Not only is this a massive boost for our armed forces, but it's huge for Barrow, the heart of sub-building in this country."

Williamson made the announcement during a ceremony, which also opened a new 140 million dollar submarine construction building at the factory in Barrow.

The new facility will be used to outfit and test each section of the new Dreadnought submarines.
In designing the FOC, we combined best practices from the military, government, and industry to achieve a generational leap in facility design, sophisticated technology and utilization, creating the largest and most advanced fleet operations center in the industry.

Constant Technologies, the global leader in mission critical operations centers and audiovisual systems integration, announces that it has completed a world-class Fleet Operations Center (FOC) for Carnival Cruise Lines headquarters in Miami, Florida.

Unveiled at a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 10, 2018, with interactive demonstrations of the centers capabilities, the 35,000 square foot space is custom-designed for hands-on, around-the-clock monitoring and support of the lines 26 cruise ships. Seating over 100 operators, the FOC also has the ability to monitor all nine Carnival Corporation lines and 104-ship fleet, which is the largest in the cruise industry.

The facility, which is the first of its kind in South Florida as well as the largest and most advanced FOC in the world, supports the work of cross-functional teams, including technical, nautical, port and guest operations, environmental operations and compliance, occupational safety, technical services, and other key areas.

Brad Righi, President of Constant Technologies, said: The project was truly unique in the sheer magnitude of user groups needing to collaborate and react to live information. As a systems integrator, our team considered all technical and architectural factors to achieve optimal awareness and allow Carnivals Operation Staff the ability to respond rapidly to any situation."

The systems integration for the FOC space includes a 74 ft video wall made up of 57 LED panels with a composite resolution of 17280x3240. There are also multiple conference rooms in the facility linked to the main LED video wall via video monitors to be utilized by support teams in the event of an incident.

Christine Duffy, President of Carnival Cruise Lines, said: In designing the FOC, we combined best practices from the military, government, and industry to achieve a generational leap in facility design, sophisticated technology and utilization, creating the largest and most advanced fleet operations center in the industry. Duffy added, Nothing is more important than the safety of our guests and crew, and this new facility enhances our already comprehensive approach to safety and operational excellence.

To further facilitate collaboration and to provide a turnkey solution, Constant Technologies contributed custom, ergonomic adjustable height command center consoles. Seating arranged in open pods organized by Carnivals ship classes promote collaboration, integration and streamlined communication between these and other departments.

Tom Sheeran, Senior Vice President of Constant Technologies, created the conceptual design and managed the Carnival FOC project. This FOC is special in that it encompasses an entire collaborative floor versus a single room. Everything from the furniture, spatial layout, break-out areas, and technology centers around collaboration, situational awareness, monitoring and efficiency among the different teams and user groups, said Sheeran. I envision that Carnival will set the standard for Fleet Operations in their industry when introducing this FOC.

Constants collaboration with Carnival also included custom programming for their video wall control system. Benjamin Watkins, Vice President of Technical Engineering at Constant, said: Carnival needed a system to visualize a high volume of data for a diverse set of teams in their Fleet Operations. Constant has developed a custom integrated technology platform that provides a powerful and scalable environment that seamlessly fits into the workflow of the FOC. Sophisticated capabilities are no good if operators cannot access them when they are needed, so Carnival's FOC is built to make leveraging them simple and intuitive. From daily operations to critical events, the operators focus on their core tasks instead of the mediating technology.

The FOC and custom software designed by Carnival enable the cruise line to have a birds eye view of their fleet, monitoring nautical operations and safety; procedural optimization and efficiency; and sustainability including fuel and energy usage. The FOC brings together real-time information for decision making. Integrated shoreside teams support our shipboard officers to act quickly and decisively while significantly increasing the operational efficiency of our ships, said Gus Antorcha, Carnival Cruise Lines chief operating officer.

Carnivals new Miami FOC is the third and largest in Carnival Corporations global FOC network, which includes facilities in Seattle, Washington, and Hamburg, Germany.

Concluded Righi: Teaming with Carnival was truly a pleasure from start to finish. My team worked with some terrific and talented people to achieve the new standard in Fleet Operation Centers. Everyone involved should be very proud of their accomplishment every time they step into this work environment.

About Constant Technologies:

Constant Technologies, Inc. is a premier mission critical systems integrator providing customized audiovisual integration and console furniture solutions worldwide. With over three decades of experience, Constants team has experience with sensitive environments in both the public and private sectors and has implemented turnkey solutions all over the globe. Constant designs, installs, and services projects of all scopes to create solutions with the highest levels of security, aesthetics, and functionality in mind.
ChamberChoice Award From networking events to further build their professional skills, to attending speaker luncheons across a variety of platforms, Office Sign Company encourages team and skill-building opportunities.

Office Sign Company of Fargo, North Dakota recently received the 2018 ChamberChoice Award for Young Professionals Best Place to Work.

Office Sign Company (OSC) is a global, e-commerce signage company which specializes in the manufacturing of interior office signs, conference room signs, name badges, and more. This company is made up of 45 employees across a range of departments, skills, and demographics. The YP Best Place to Work award recognizes businesses that employ young professionals under the age of 35, and furthermore support young professional development.

Out of the 45 employees within OSC, almost two-thirds are professionals under the age of thirty-five. Office Sign Company welcomes a variety of skill-building opportunities for their employees. From networking events to further build their professional skills, to attending speaker luncheons across a variety of platforms, OSC encourages team and skill-building opportunities.

Aside from professional development opportunities, OSC is recognized for their workplace culture and employee first mindset. For more information regarding Office Sign Company and their workplace, find them on social media and reference their website.
Utilimaster van featuring the Volta Power System Our systems can provide true job site idle elimination, saving fuel and depreciation of the vehicle while providing a better experience for the user and customer, said Jack Johnson, Co-Founder of Volta Power Systems.

Volta Power Systems has partnered with Utilimaster, a go-to-market brand of Spartan Fleet Vehicles and Services, a business unit of Spartan Motors, Inc., to provide a complete lithium ion system for their full-line of fleet vehicles. Voltas complete advanced energy systems solve anti-idling concerns by utilizing automotive grade lithium ion technology to produce auxiliary power in Utilimaster vehicles.

Utilimaster builds and upfits a variety of vehicles including walk-in vans, truck bodies, and cargo vans. Their vehicles serve customers in the parcel delivery, food and beverage, utility, linen and laundry, and retail markets.

A Volta solution provides the right balance of advanced energy storage for the best cost and return, said Jack Johnson, Co-Founder of Volta Power Systems. Our systems can provide true job site idle elimination, saving fuel and depreciation of the vehicle while providing a better experience for the user and customer.

The system creates a true idle mitigation solution for any jobsite or work vehicle without compromising performance and in most cases increasing performance over traditional solutions.

Were always looking for ways to make work more efficient for our fleet customers. The Volta system will provide our customers with greater flexibility, since Volta generator systems can be applied to any Utilimaster vehicle without adding specialized, vehicle-specific costs, said Tom Ninneman, President, Spartan Fleet Vehicles and Services.

The system is controlled by a single button with an analog gauge to view available energy at a glance.

We designed our system to be powerful enough to run almost any tool for an extended period of time, said Bill Cavanagh, co-founder Volta Power Systems. With a 58V compressor, end users can even run the vehicle air conditioning for hours without idling.

The complete system includes an alternator, inverter, storage pack, A/C compressor, control system, and all necessary wiring.

-The energy storage pack is customizable for each application based on power needs ranging between 3kWh to over 100kWh.

-The Volta alternator is one of the strongest on the market and offers a range of 6,000W up to 22,000W.

-The Volta Pure Sine inverter allows 30 amps of power at all times.

Utilimaster recently exhibited their Ford Transit utility upfit, which featured the Volta system at NTEAs The Work Truck Show, in March. They displayed the vehicle again at the NAFA Institute and Expo in Anaheim, CA, April 24-27.

About Volta Power Systems

Founded in 2014, Volta Power Systems provides safe, powerful and simple lithium ion energy storage solutions for small to mid-size businesses. RV, marine and specialty vehicle OEMs trust Volta to deliver leading-edge power systems that enhance the lifestyle, freedom and comfort of their end users.

For more information visit: https://voltapowersystems.com/
Elizabeth Ebi - Founder, CEO Futureview Group After 20 years, we remain one of the best because of our willingness to evolve and adapt to the changes surrounding us.

Mrs. Elizabeth Ebi, Managing Director and CEO of Futureview Group, has been appointed as a member of the Board of Fellows of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS). Started in 1990 and formerly known as the Nigerian Institute of Stockbrokers, the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers is the first and only professional body in Nigeria that provides professional qualifications for Stockbrokers, Financial & Investment Analysts, Portfolio & Funds Managers, and Securities Dealers.

Mrs. Ebi holds a first-class B.Sc. degree in Business/Health Administration from New York University and an MBA from the George Washington University, USA. She has over 37 years experience in finance and investment management and is also the first female stockbroker licensed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as well as the first ever female founder and Managing Director of an Investment bank in Nigeria. She was appointed Director of Assurance Bank by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and has been an Independent Non-Executive Director of PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc since 2008.

Since its inception in 1993, Futureview has earned several awards and recognitions and has remained one of the leading traders by volume on the floor of the Exchange since 2001. In a 2014 feature on Globenewswire, Mrs. Ebi stated that she founded Futureview with a vision of being the leading investment banking firm in the world, despite being a Nigerian-based company. After 20 years, we remain one of the best because of our willingness to evolve and adapt to the changes surrounding us. says Mrs. Ebi in another interview with World Finance. Futureview made history in 2003, when they were one of the only two Stockbrokers/Financial Advisers appointed by the Federal Government of Nigeria to advise on the issue of the first N150 billion bond to the public.

Mrs. Ebis appointment by the CIS is definitely well-deserved, given her numerous achievements.

Other Members of the Board of Fellows of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers are:

Mr. Olutola O. Mobolurin, FCS - Chairman

Mr. Henry T. Olayemi, FCS

Mr. Chike E. Nwanze, FCS

Mr. Oladipo A. Aina, FCS

Mr. Oladipo O. Williams, FCS

Mr. Mike A. Itegboje, FCS

Mr. Murtala A. Olushekun, FCS

Mr. Ibrahim B. Bello, FCS

Mrs. Emeka C. Madubuike, FCS

Mr. Oluwaseyi E. Abe, FCS - President/Chairman of Council (Visitor)

Mr. Adedeji D. Ajadi, ACS - Secretary.
No other platform in the world provides the personalized market intelligence that Knowledge Store delivers, said Shelly Singh, chief operation officer at MarketsandMarkets.

MarketsandMarkets, the worlds largest revenue impact research and advisory firm focused exclusively on emerging, high-growth niche markets, today announced new enhancements to its market intelligence platform, Knowledge Store. The interactive, cloud-based market intelligence platform now hosts the largest repository of premium insights on more than 30,000 high-growth niche segments worldwide. With more than 70 percent of the research exclusive to MarketsandMarkets clients, Knowledge Store enables C-level executives and business leaders to gain competitive advantage while capitalizing on new and emerging opportunities in real time.

At MarketsandMarkets, our focus has always been to support our clients with their revenue decisions and to find new opportunities for growth, said Sandeep Sugla, founder and CEO of MarketsandMarkets. Knowledge Store fulfills this mission by providing the most comprehensive competitive intelligence available. The platform is continuously being updated based on new research, emerging markets and insight from our clients, and we look forward to rolling out additional features and functionality later this year.

According to The Conference Boards C-suite Challenge 2018 report, creating new business models because of disruptive technologies was the second biggest concern for the C-suite, followed by volatility in cash-flow and new competitors globally. By blending artificial and analyst intelligence with machine learning, Knowledge Store connects the dots across different industries, segments and companies, enabling users to understand the interplay between different markets rather than looking at individual markets in isolation. This unique ecosystem approach enables users to identify emerging areas of revenue for themselves - as well as their clients - in the form of new technologies, applications, geographies and customer groups.

Our partnership with MarketsandMarkets was inevitable, providing us with differentiated research and advisory that is unique to MarketsandMarkets offering. They provide us with strategic insight into the connected technology market that we play in, said Soumya Nair, marketing insights director at Kerry. Knowledge Stores competitive intelligence tools enable us to devise long-term strategic growth plans and differentiate ourselves in a crowded marketplace.

Key new features and updates to Knowledge Store include:



Insight on the interconnectedness of mega and industry trends across all major segments

Interactive dashboard capabilities to easily view and download customized reports, tables and figures

Competitive intelligence on users customers, peers and competitors across different high growth markets

Company comparison functionality to evaluate the high growth market portfolio of different companies

Personalized growth opportunities in markets where a user currently doesnt have a significant presence

No other platform in the world provides the personalized market intelligence that Knowledge Store delivers, said Shelly Singh, chief operation officer at MarketsandMarkets. Feedback from our customers, including Fortune 500 companies, has been extremely positive and its rewarding to hear how Knowledge Store is helping to drive growth in todays hyper-competitive environment.

More than 100 companies around the world rely on Knowledge Store to identify new revenue opportunities and gain competitive advantage. With the latest insights, news and analysis on every major industry, Knowledge Store provides the most relevant, personalized intelligence to impact revenue growth.

For more information about Knowledge Store, visit https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Knowledgestore.asp.

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B competitive intelligence research on high-growth emerging niche markets that will impact future revenue mix of 70-80 percent of companies worldwide. Following its unique Growth Engagement Model (GEM), MarketsandMarkets helps clients identify new opportunities, most important customers and sources of incremental revenues for both the clients and their competitors as well as develop "attack, avoid and defend" strategies. With more than 850 fulltime analysts and subject matter experts (SMEs), the company serves more than 5,000 corporate clients worldwide, including 80 percent of global Fortune 2,000 companies. Its global headquarters is located in Pune, India, and the U.S. headquarters is in Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ or follow on Twitter @MarketsandMarkets.
3595-4 Inland Empire Boulevard Suite 200, Ontario, CA 91764 "This also gives us the bandwidth to continue to hire as we have been consistently one of the fastest growing Registered Investment Advisory firms in the US. -Gabriel Shahin

Falcon Wealth Planning (https://falconwealthplanning.com) has been on a streak of success over the past 9 months. From reaching $100,000,000 in Assets Under Management to nearly doubling their workforce size, Falcon Wealth is running at full steam to their goals. In the morning hours of early May, Falcon Wealth moved to a much bigger space, with plenty of room to grow. This has been a long-standing goal for Falcon Wealth and it looks like that plan has finally come to fruition.

We are excited to move into a building to call our home, Gabriel Shahin comments. This gives us instant credibility to own a building where our branding will be cemented in the Inland Empire area for years to come.

Their new office is less than a mile away from their old office, which is still located in Ontario, California, only minutes away from Ontario International Airport, a stones throw from Interstate 10 freeway, and walking distance from Citizens Bank Arena. The building received a new facelift, with the Falcon Wealth Planning name and logo proudly sitting at the top of the building.

One of Falcon Wealths many goals is to increase their presence and footprint in the Inland Empire. Currently, there is plenty of room for Falcon Wealth to grow to achieve that goal. This also gives us the bandwidth to continue to hire as we have been consistently one of the fastest growing Registered Investment Advisory firms in the US. Gabriel adds.

With new employees joining their ranks by the end of this quarter, and the intention to keep growing to double annually, their 18-foot conference table will be fully occupied in no time.

About Falcon Wealth Planning

Falcon Wealth Planning is a full service Financial Planning Firm (https://falconwealthplanning.com) which is designed to help clients achieve their financial goals while controlling their taxes, fees, and the risk they take on their investments. We specialize in comprehensive financial planning. We are a FEE ONLY Registered Investment Advisor that specializes in tax efficient retirement income and helping our clients achieve their financial goals.
We are constantly working on the toughest challenges in wireless power and developing intellectual property that produces innovative systems for customers through improved performance, reduced sizes and improved cost. ~ Jacob Babcock, CEO, NuCurrent

NuCurrent, an industry leader in wireless power systems and technology development, announces the granting of six patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The new patents focus on improving the performance and reducing the size of wireless power antennas, and further strengthen the international intellectual property position of NuCurrent by bringing the company to over 75 patents granted or pending worldwide.

The granted patents provide performance and form factor advantages for wireless power systems that require multiple wireless protocols and/or a reduced bill-of-materials (BOM) cost. For example, NuCurrent can combine Qi, AirFuel and NFC coils all onto one substrate and utilize common turns and connections to reduce the overall footprint of the printed circuit board (PCB) while simultaneously enhancing performance.

Wireless charging has already arrived in mobile devices with Apple, Samsung and others selecting the Qi standard. This technology also has broad applicability in other segments including automotive, consumer devices, IoT, medical, handheld computing, robotics and beyond, which is why continuous innovation is necessary, said Jacob Babcock, CEO, NuCurrent. As power levels increase and device sizes shrink, NuCurrent continues to be at the forefront of innovation  with these newly granted patents as the latest examples. We are constantly working on the toughest challenges in wireless power and developing intellectual property that produces innovative systems for customers through improved performance, reduced sizes and improved cost.

NuCurrents newly granted patents complement its growing IP portfolio that includes its multi-layer-multi-turn (MLMT) technology, which produces the worlds thinnest and most efficient antennas for wireless power transfer. This technology  which is part of the companys NuIQ Technology Platform  is designed to develop efficient wireless power systems in a variety of product categories including smartphones, wearable devices, and industrial computing devices. With the NuIQ Platform, engineers and product managers can streamline wireless power systems development through industry-leading magnetics, hyper-accurate hardware simulators, precision firmware controls, and turnkey system modules.

To learn more about NuCurrent, please contact info@nucurrent.com or visit http://nucurrent.com.

About NuCurrent

NuCurrent delivers breakthrough wireless power solutions to product teams through its expertise in wireless power technologies and full-system integration. The companys NuIQ Technology Platform includes its patented MLMT antennas  which are the industrys thinnest and most efficient (highest Q)  along with proprietary software that accelerates successful wireless power solution development through advanced hardware simulation and firmware control. NuCurrents engineering team applies these core technologies in partnership with client product teams to produce complete wireless power solutions on the Qi and Airfuel Standards and within closed, proprietary systems. Founded in 2009, the venture-backed, Chicago-based company has over 75 patents granted or pending worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.nucurrent.com and follow us on Twitter at @NuCurrentTweets.
Cambridge Semantics Logo

Cambridge Semantics, the leading provider of a universal semantic layer for big data management and connected data analytics solutions, today announced that its Anzo Smart Data Lake and AnzoGraph database products were named as 2018 SIIA CODiE Awards finalists in the Best Big Data Tools & Platform and Best Emerging Technology categories. Finalists represent the best products, technologies, and services in software, information and business technology.

Cambridge Semantics Anzo Smart Data Lake 4.0 launched in October 2017 to great acclaim and AnzoGraph, which launched in February 2018, is a native graph-based parallel query database engine designed for interactive analysis of diverse data. AnzoGraph can query and analyze trillions of relationships and run 111x faster than its nearest competitor. A free preview online version is available on AWS.

We are once again honored that the SIAA CODiE awards have recognized the truly innovative products and solutions we are delivering to our clients. Anzo Smart Data Lake has emerged as the only data source to dashboard product capable of delivering a comprehensive and trusted view of enterprise data, said Alok Prasad, president of Cambridge Semantics. AnzoGraph has been deployed as a part of the Anzo Smart Data Lake at several Fortune 500 companies, and as the solution matures and becomes field proven, were proud to deploy it as a standalone graph-based big data product capable of delivering analytic processing never thought possible.

Data-intensive industries can use Anzo Smart Data Lake and AnzoGraph as an essential analytic offering to drive quicker access to business insights. These include sophisticated feature sets for training or operationalizing machine learning algorithms in industries for drug discovery, pharmacovigilance, fraud analytics, and risk analytics, among others.

The 2018 CODiE Award finalists are some of the most innovative, high-impact products in the market. We are happy to recognize these products and the power they have to transform the future of how we do business, said Ken Wasch, President of SIIA.

The SIIA CODiE Awards are the premier awards for the software and information industries and have been recognizing product excellence for over 30 years. The awards offer 91 categories that are organized by industry focus of education technology and business technology.

Anzo Smart Data Lake and AnzoGraph were honored as two of 167 finalists across the 52 business technology categories. Winners will be announced during the Business Technology CODiE Award Celebration at the SIIA Annual Conference & CODiE Awards, June 12 in San Francisco. Details about each finalist are listed at http://www.siia.net/codie/Finalists

AnzoGraph is available for a free preview at https://www.cambridgesemantics.com/product/anzograph/.

About Cambridge Semantics

Cambridge Semantics Inc., The Smart Data Company, is a big data management and enterprise analytics software company that offers a universal semantic layer to connect and bring meaning to all enterprise data. Its software, the Anzo Smart Data Lake, allows IT departments and their business users to semantically link, analyze and manage diverse data whether internal or external, structured or unstructured, with speed, at big data scales and at the fraction of the implementation costs of using traditional approaches.

Cambridge Semantics is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

For more information visit http://www.cambridgesemantics.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter: @CamSemantics.

About the SIIA CODiE Awards

The SIIA CODiE Awards is the only peer-reviewed program to showcase business and education technologys finest products and services. Since 1986, thousands of products, services and solutions have been recognized for achieving excellence. For more information, visit siia.net/CODiE.
Alpine Start Foods Reimagines Everyday Coffee Favorites As Premium Flavors

Alpine Start Foods, leaders of premium instant coffee that actually tastes good, added two new flavors, Coconut Creamer Latte and Dirty Chai Latte, to its instant coffee line today. The new flavors join the brands instant favorite, Original Blend, which disrupted the instant coffee category with refined taste and on-the-go innovation just one year ago. To celebrate the additions, Alpine Start Foods will rebrand the entire line with a new logo and bright, colorful packaging reflecting the personalities of each flavor.

The Coconut Creamer Latte and Dirty Chai Latte offer a fresh spin on everyday favorites, making them convenient, affordable, and delicious. The Coconut Creamer Latte, 100% Colombian Arabica coffee blended with non-dairy coconut creamer, transforms into a rich, creamy latte with just hot water. The Dirty Chai Latte also features 100% Colombian Arabica coffee blended with traditional Chai spices, black tea and soy milk and can dissolve in hot or cold liquids.

All Alpine Start Foods products are designed for coffee-lovers on-the-go with a single-serve sachet that holds high quality, full-flavored, instant coffee made from 100% high-altitude, Colombian Arabica beans. Drinkers rip, pour, stir and sip - anytime, anyplace. Each flavor package design has its own personality; illustrated by Los Angeles based artist, Alvaro Ilizarbe, the flavors celebrate the vibrancy of diverse coffee drinkers everywhere. The three flavors are available at https://alpinestartfoods.com/ and select retailers, Amazon, REI, Whole Foods, and H-E-B at $8.99 MSRP.

As a professional climber and adventure athlete, I am always traveling and exploring different culinary experiences, said Matt Segal, co-founder of Alpine Start Foods. I was very inspired by exotic spices and seasonings, and decided to pair them with my cup of instant coffee. This allowed us to capture the spice of traveling in these new blends.

The growing instant coffee category is redefining how folks are experiencing coffeeinstant isnt a bad word anymore,  said Alex Hanifin, CEO and co-founder of Alpine Start Foods. With these new flavors, we turn instant coffee into an instant coffee shop - no machine, no long lines, no extra products. Theres now something for every type of coffee drinker with Alpine Start.

For more information about Alpine Start Foods and to purchase the new products, please visit:

https://alpinestartfoods.com/

About Alpine Start Foods:

Alpine Start is a premium brand of instant coffee for everyday adventures  born out of a desire to make a great tasting, affordable cup of coffee that can be prepared anywhere. Founded in 2016 by Matt Segal and Alex Hanifin, the brand has quickly gained national distribution in key grocery and sporting goods retailers like REI and Whole Foods by offering an innovative solution to an old problem. Alpine Start is available in an Original Blend, Coconut Creamer Latte and Dirty Chai Latte. For more information, please visit: https://alpinestartfoods.com

Media Contact:

Kelsey Cycan

kelsey(at)harmonica.co
1 oz Silver Buffalo Bar Obverse Republic Metals Corporation announces the arrival of its newest product, the 1 Oz Silver Buffalo Bar. Inspired by the Buffalo Nickel, the new bar adds a modern twist to an American classic design.

Republic Metals Corporation announces the arrival of its newest product, the 1 Oz Silver Buffalo Bar. Inspired by the Buffalo Nickel, the new bar adds a modern twist to an American classic design.

We looked at the current product offerings for 1oz silvers bars in the market and quickly realized there was an opportunity for us to put our own contemporary spin on popular designs that people love. Buyers of the 1 oz silver buffalo bar can expect the same great quality found in all of Republic Metals products. Said Drew Bloomberg, Director of Sales for Precious Metals Products at Republic Metals Corporation.

The obverse of the bar features the familiar American Buffalo standing against a background of slanted, crisscrossing lines that accentuate the bars contemporary style. The bars weight and purity are inscribed on a mirror-like finish that is set above and below the Buffalo.

The bar's reverse features the iconic Native American Indian head against a mirror-like finish, while a slanted, crisscrossing line pattern is visible above and below. The inscription Liberty is seen directly above the Indian head while the RMC mintmark is situated below. Bearing the RMC mintmark, the 1oz silver buffalo bar is IRA approved.

Click here to view the 1oz Silver Buffalo Bar.

About Republic Metals Corporation

Headquartered in Miami, Republic Metals was established in 1980 and has since grown to become one of the largest and most respected primary precious metals refineries in the world. Throughout its illustrious history, Republic Metals has displayed excellence in precious metals refining and minting in a manner that is considered environmentally friendly, as demonstrated through its long-standing ISO14001 registration. Republic Metals currently holds listings on the LBMA, Shanghai Gold Exchange, and COMEX with recognitions from the Responsible Jewellery Council and Conflict Free Smelter Initiative. As an LBMA-designated Responsible Gold and Silver Party, all business conducted by Republic Metals is performed in accordance with its stringent Patriot Act compliance and supply chain policies.

For more information, please visit http://www.republicmetalscorp.com.
China's ongoing trade talks with the US are not only aimed at achieving reciprocal outcomes but are also meant to safeguard the multilateral trade system, experts said.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He began his five-day visit to the US on Tuesday where he will meet with US trade officials, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who had led a trade delegation to China for talks on tariffs earlier this month.

"The Chinese government hopes to forge joint efforts with the US to arrive at positive and constructive outcomes from this round of consultations on Sino-US economic and trade issues," Liu Jianying, an associate research fellow at the Ministry of Commerce's Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Issues like a trade imbalance, market access and intellectual property rights protection will be tackled during Liu's visit, the research fellow predicted.

Liu's visit could help relieve the recent Sino-US trade tension, said Zhuang Rui, deputy dean of the Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics' Institute of International Economics.

Zhuang said she expects reciprocal outcomes that will benefit companies and consumers on both sides.

"Aside from benefiting businesses in both countries, the Chinese government's efforts to talk with the US will also help safeguard the entire global multilateral trading system," Zhuang told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The stable economic growth of the two largest economies plays a vital role in promoting trade in the global market, and the world benefits from trade growth, Zhuang said.

Properly addressing economic and trade issues between China and the US will also contribute to the stability and development of the economy in the Asia-Pacific region, she said.

Urgent issues

As the Chinese vice premier begins his trip to the US for further trade negotiations, US officials have offered different accounts of the trade friction.

The US wants China to provide a timetable on how it will open up its markets to US exports, as the two countries are still "very far apart" on resolving trade issues, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad.

Although problems persist, positive signs are gradually appearing as the two countries resort to consultations instead of threatening to impose tariffs, said Dong Yan, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of World Economics and Politics.

One of the issues which is likely to be addressed during the talks is US sanctions against Chinese telecommunications company ZTE, Dong said.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was quoted by Reuters on Monday as saying the US will look at whether there are other ways to deal with ZTE's "violations of US sanctions law."

Dong noted that another issue which needs to be resolved is the US trade representative's plan to hold hearings on US tariffs on Chinese goods. Last month, the US proposed tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese products under Section 301 of the US Trade Act.

Chinese officials could also introduce China's opening-up policies to US officials during the trade talks in hopes that the two countries could continue to pursue cooperation in technology and innovation sectors, Dong said.

China has made great efforts and will continue to open its market to foreign investors, Zhuang said, stressing that "China's opening-up is not a compromise due to US pressure." China has its own pace for opening up its market to the world, she said.

The Chinese government will hold the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai from November 5 to 10. Commerce Minister Zhong Shan said at a meeting in March that the expo is a significant step for China in opening up its markets to foreign investors.
The Alelo Workplace Coach Although there are many exaggerated claims surrounding AI in education and training these days, most applications are just scratching the surface of what is possible.

Alelo has launched a webinar series on the future of artificial intelligence in education and professional training.

The webinars will cover how AI-based learning systems are closing critical skill gaps in the global workforce; why educators should welcome instead of fight AI-based learning methods; and how AI is enabling data-driven learning ecosystems. The webinars are designed to help ed-tech innovators, investors and industry practitioners get past the hype and understand AI's true potential.

Seminar speakers will include Alelo experts and other thought leaders from the global community of artificial intelligence in education who will share their expert views on the transformational effect that AI is already having on the multi-trillion-dollar global training and education market.

The timing of the webinars is important because artificial intelligence is already enabling dramatic, measurable improvements in education and professional training by providing learners with immersive personalized experiences, empowering teachers to be more effective, and giving administrators predictive analytics to achieve superior outcomes. AI also significantly increases access for learners and lowers costs, and helps overcome some of the most persistent skill gaps in the global workforce. When the education and training industry takes full advantage of this new technology, the impact will be profound -- as much as the adoption of compulsory education was in the 19th century.

Dr. Lewis Johnson, CEO of Alelo, explains the webinars' goals, Its important to provide a clear understanding of the true transformative potential of this new technology. Although there are many exaggerated claims surrounding AI in education and training these days, most applications are just scratching the surface of what is possible. Meanwhile, we hear concerns that AI may replace educators and eliminate their jobs. We want educators to understand how artificial intelligence supports students outside of the classroom, reduces drudgery and overwork, and makes the profession of education more rewarding.

The first webinar in the series will look at how artificial intelligence is being used to overcome critical skill gaps in the global workforce by helping learners acquire new skills faster and apply them effectively in real-world situations. Future webinars will look at how educators can make best use of AI, how AI is spurring the development of data-driven learning, digital learning ecosystems, and how it will fundamentally transform the global educational industry. The series will offer insights to investors interested in funding the development of innovations in education.

For more information or to register for the webinars, visit The Future of AI in Education and Training.

ABOUT ALELO INC.

Alelo creates learning solutions that help people acquire new skills and apply them when it counts, changing the way people communicate. The company has been delivering game-based solutions for learning communication skills using virtual role-play technology since 2003 when it spun out as a DARPA-funded research project from the University of Southern California. Alelo applies its virtual role-play to language and culture learning, communication skills, and other soft skills. Alelos cloud-based Enskill learning platform is in use in over 20 countries. alelo.com
The Lighthouse, the parent company of Crescent Harbor is celebrating its 46th anniversary.

Were excited to celebrate this great milestone, a milestone which would not be possible without our customers around the world, said Tim Fossett, president and spokesman for Crescent Harbor Lighting.

The Lighthouse, a family owned lighting company, was founded in 1972. The company specializes in a high-touch customer service approach to retailing lighting fixtures, ceiling fans and other related items.

Fossett noted that from the beginning, The Lighthouse, set out to exceed customer satisfaction by providing high quality products that enrich the lives of everyone.

The Lighthouse is in its second generation of ownership. The company opened Crescent Harbor to share its unique Maine lighting tastes with the rest of the world.

We have endured many economic cycles and ups and downs and continued to grow our business because of excellent customer service, fair pricing, and a commitment to our word, said Fossett.

Fossett went on to stress that the company believes it is a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to maintain and grow a business as longstanding as it has.

While some days are better than others, the journey has been extremely rewarding, Fossett said. It is such an opportunity to run a business such as ours and be a great corporate citizen.

Its a joy to be able to be in the lighting industry for as long as we have, Fossett said. Many businesses have come and gone, and we consider it a blessing to still be here serving our customers.

In addition, we are truly dedicated to growing our business to offer quality careers to the good people of Southern Maine.

For more information, please visit crescentharbor.com/about-us and blog.crescentharbor.com.

About Crescent Harbor Lighting

Crescent Harbor Lighting is the online arm of The Lighthouse, a family-owned lighting company founded in 1972.

The company specializes in a high-touch customer service approach to retailing lighting fixtures, ceiling fans and other related items.

Contact Details:

Tim Fossett

President

88 York Street

US Route One

Kennebunk, Maine, 04043

Toll Free Phone: 1-888-355-9525

Local Phone: 1-207-985-3535

Fax: 1-207-985-4569

Source: Crescent Harbor Lighting

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In 2013, Carter Davis was a veteran struggling to make the transition back into civilian life after returning home from active duty. Davis is hardly alone; in fact, recent reports indicate that on average, 22 veterans commits suicide every day. Suffering from depression, identity loss and the aftermath of a divorce, Davis nearly became a statistic himself. Instead, he got a membership at his local gym and experienced firsthand the benefits that fitness can provide. Shortly thereafter, he founded Lift for the 22, a national 501(c)(3) organization that gives one-year gym memberships to veterans through partnerships with fitness companies.

Workout Anytime, a 160-unit, 24-hour fitness franchise, partnered with Lift for the 22 in November 2015. The brand is co-owned by a veteran, John Quattrocchi, who served in the Air Force from 1966 to 1971, where he achieved the highest rank possible.

During the month of May, Workout Anytime will sell special-edition Lift for the 22 t-shirts in all of its 160-plus locations throughout the country and will donate 20 percent of the proceeds to the cause. In addition, the brand will feature a 22-pushup challenge on its social media channels, encouraging members and friends of members to participate in the challenge to spread the word about the Lift for the 22 organization. Several franchise owners are hosting special local Lift for the 22 events to honor veterans in their local communities.

Weve been involved with Carter and Lift for the 22 for three years, and it has been unquestionably one of the most purpose-driven initiatives weve been associated with, said Mark de Gorter, chief operating officer of Workout Anytime. In addition to coordinating both local and national fundraising efforts throughout the year, each of our clubs is committed to donating 22 memberships per year to veterans. This adds up to more than 3,500 memberships, a value of more than $1 million in free memberships for our veteran heroes. Our partnership with Lift for the 22 is one of many ways that our franchisees make an impact in their local communities and we are eager to continue our support of this admirable cause.

The brand plans to open 50 locations in 2018 and will donate another 1,100 memberships to veterans around the country.

Workout Anytime has been a key partner in allowing us to help veterans in need on a national level. We went from having one location in Beaverton, Oregon, to having 160 gyms around the nation almost overnight, said Dennis Wright, co-founder of Lift for the 22. Because of Workout Anytime, Lift for the 22 now has partnerships with more than 300 gyms nationwide, and we hope to have 400 by the end of 2018.

Veterans interested in a free membership to WORKOUT ANYTIME must apply through Lift For The 22 at http://www.liftforthe22.org.

ABOUT WORKOUT ANYTIME

Atlanta-based Workout Anytime is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week fitness concept with 150 units across the U.S. Founded by fitness veterans John Quattrocchi and Steve Strickland, the company was formed to provide members with first-class fitness facilities at the lowest cost possible, while delivering a profitable and affordable business model to franchisees. Built on the founders motto of, think big, keep it simple and do it with integrity, Workout Anytime is preparing for significant expansion into new territories by providing opportunities to business-minded entrepreneurs. Franchise opportunities are available and more information can be found on http://workoutanytime.com/.
We're familiar with Upstate South Carolina and look forward to serving this community.

Cellular Sales, the largest independent Verizon Wireless retailer by volume, announces expansion in South Carolina with a new store opening in Clemson.

The store can be found at 1106 Tiger Blvd. Cellular Sales welcomed customers to the new Clemson store on March 23.

The Clemson location is a full-service store for Verizon Wireless products and services. It offers the newest 4G/LTE smartphones, devices and tablets and customers can visit the store to pay their bill or receive a personalized rate plan analysis.

Were excited to expand our footprint to the Clemson area, said Cellular Sales Regional Director Scott Love. Were familiar with Upstate South Carolina and look forward to serving this community.

Cellular Sales has been named to Inc. Magazines Inc. 5000 as one of the nations fastest growing privately owned retailers nine of the past 10 years, something only 0.5 percent of companies that make the list achieve. Placing an emphasis on customer service, Cellular Sales has grown from a single store in Knoxville, Tenn., to a national retailer with 690 stores across 39 states.

Putting the customer first has served us well as a business model, said Cellular Sales Regional Sales Director Don White. Were thrilled to welcome customers to our store Clemson.

Cellular Sales seeks to hire motivated sales professionals with a passion for customer service to work at its Clemson store. Those interested in applying may contact Cellular Sales Recruiter Chris Canavan at (912) 312-3798 or chris.canavan(at)cellularsales.com.

About Cellular Sales

Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., Cellular Sales was founded in 1993 and has been named by Inc. Magazine as one of the nations fastest-growing privately owned retailers for nine of the past 10 years. The company currently employs 7,200 people and operates 690 stores nationwide. Job seekers may visit jobs.cellularsales.com. For more information on the company, visit cellularsales.com.
Kolons CPI is a flexible polyimide film that is completely colorless and can be mass produced in rolls up to 1,500 mmnearly 5 feetwide. (photo courtesy of Kolon Industries, Inc.)

Kolon Industries, Inc., a leader in South Korea for industrial materials, films for electronics, chemicals and fashion, is proud to announce they will be awarded the Display Component of the Year Award for their Colorless Polyimide (CPI) film at the 2018 Display Industry Awards (DIAs). Presented by the Society for Information Display (SID), the 2018 DIAs recognize innovative display products, components and applications that hold the most promise for shaping the future of the global industry.

Our Colorless Polyimide film is contributing to the realization and advancement of a new era of flexible displays by enabling the commercialization of high-quality products with new capabilities. We are very pleased to receive this recognition from SID, said Kolon Industries vice president Dr. Chung-Seock Kang.

Kolon succeeded in making a fully transparent colorless polyimide. Conventional polyimide films are yellow in color, preventing their use in general-purpose displays. Kolons CPI is the first available wide-roll film to enable flexible, foldable, and rollable devices, creating a wide range of new possibilities and significantly impacting a multi-billion-dollar market. Not only can Kolons flexible CPI replace glass for cover windows, but it can replace all glass components in display devices or substrates for touchscreens and the thin-film transistors used in flat-panel displays.

This flexible, foldable display material is now being mass produced, which means more device manufacturers will have access to it , explained Laura Schoppe, president of technology transfer consultancy Fuentek. The consulting firm used its expertise in intellectual property management to introduce Kolons technology to key industry influencers across the globe. Kolon deserves this award for their hard work in changing device displays as we know them today.

Kolon Industries is currently the only company that can mass produce colorless polyimide film. Kolons CPI is built with a patented, high heat resistant, optically and mechanically superior material. Its benefits offer the potential to revolutionize flexible displays, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), consumer devices and other transparent flexible electronics. The technology offers optical transparency of 90 percent, over 6GPa modulus, 2H surface hardness, superior folding properties, roll-to-roll processing capabilities, has a smooth surface finish and is tunable with various functional treatments. Kolons roll-to-roll process will also create significant cost savings for display manufactures by eliminating the need for Capex as part of glass processing.

The SID Display Industry Awards recognize the best display products or applications introduced to the market during the previous calendar year," noted Wei Chen, SIDs Display Industry Awards Committee Chairman. We are proud to award Kolon Industries, Inc., a 2018 Display Component of the Year honor for its Colorless Polyimide. We commend the companys ongoing commitment to innovation and to helping shape the future of display performance and solutions.

For more information on Kolons CPI and to discuss possible applications for it, please visit booth 235 at Display Week 2018 in Los Angeles or visit http://bit.ly/kolonCPI.

IMAGES

High-resolution images are available for downloading at http://bit.ly/KolonCPIphotos

About Kolon Industries, Inc.

Since the first nylon production in Korea in 1957, Kolon Industries, Inc., has made a significant contribution to national economic growth. Focusing on four major business divisionsindustrial materials, chemicals, films/electronic materials and fashionthe company has become a leader in each industry. Kolon industries is now globalizing its businesses of automotive materials, advanced materials, optical films, chemical and fashion industries by increasing investment in high-value products.

About Fuentek, LLC

Fuentek, LLC, is a technology transfer consultancy that serves as a trusted advisor to innovation organizations in academia, industry and government around the world. From intellectual property management to marketing and communications to strategic solutions, Fuentek helps clients achieve their technology transfer and R&D commercialization goals. Fuentek also provides training workshops and webinars and is frequently tapped as an expert in industry articles and seminars. Led by Laura A. Schoppe, who founded the company in 2001, the Fuentek consulting team offers a combination of technical expertise and business experience as well as award-winning writers and designers.

About the DIA

The Display Industry Awards (DIA) are the most prestigious awards in the display industry. Each year since 1995, SIDs international awards committeecomprising a distinguished panel of display luminarieshas honored the most innovative display products, components, and applications with the greatest promise of shaping the future of the display industry. This years DIAs will be presented at the SID International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition, also known as Display Week 2018the premier international gathering of scientists, engineers, manufacturers and users in the field of electronic information displays. Display Week 2018 will be held in May in Los Angeles, California. For more information on the DIAs or Display Week 2018, please visit: http://www.displayweek.org or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter @DisplayWeek, hashtag #DisplayWeek18.

About SID

The Society of Information Display (SID) is the only professional organization focused on the display industry. In fact, by exclusively focusing on the advancement of electronic-display technology, SID provides a unique platform for industry collaboration, communication and training in all related technologies while showcasing the industry's best new products. With more than 6,000 members worldwide, the organizations members are professionals in the technical and business disciplines that relate to display research, design, manufacturing, applications, marketing and sales. To promote industry and academic technology development, while also educating consumers on the importance of displays, SID hosts more than 10 conferences a year, including Display Week, which brings industry and academia all under one roof to showcase technology that will shape the future. SIDs global headquarters are located at 1475 S. Bascom Ave., Ste. 114, Campbell, CA 95008. For more information, visit http://www.sid.org.
PacStar, a leading developer and reseller of advanced communications solutions, announced that it was named Technology Company of the Year for Growth by the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) as part of the 2018 Oregon Technology Awards. These awards celebrate excellence and achievement within the regions vibrant technology community. The Growth award category recognizes the strongest, most consistent growth for an Oregon-based technology company over the past three years.

This is truly an honor for PacStar and reflects the hard work and professional excellence of all of our employees. PacStar strives to deliver quality products and outstanding customer service to our customers with mission critical communications requirements, said Peggy Miller, CEO, PacStar. This award recognizes the level of excellence that we have achieved and our companys strong growth over the past few years which has included multiple multimillion dollar contract wins from the U.S. Marine Corps Networking-On-The-Move (NOTM) program and the U.S. Army Transportable Tactical Command Communications (T2C2) program. I am so proud of our PacStar team and am personally appreciative of each and every one of our employees who made this recognition possible.

Now in its 34th year, the Oregon Technology Awards recognized the states best companies thriving in technology by presenting awards in a number of categories. Awards include Technology Company of the Year, Influential Technology Company Not Headquartered in Oregon, Most Disruptive Technology and, new in 2018, Peoples Choice Award.

"PacStar is an excellent example of a company headquartered in Oregon with a great track record of strong growth and offering quality products to its customers around the world. Oregons technology community continues to thrive and mature, and the companies honored by our awards are building the future of our state, said Skip Newberry, TAO President and CEO. It is an honor to celebrate the leaders making an impact and the companies elevating the states technology economy.

The winners of the 2018 Oregon Technology Awards were selected from a wide spectrum of industries within the various award categories. The awards ceremony hosted more than 600 attendees, including entrepreneurs and tech professionals from across the region and around the globe.

About Pacstar

Pacific Star Communications, Inc. (PacStar) is a leading technology-based systems integrator that delivers advanced, reliable and interoperable tactical and enterprise communications systems to the military, federal, state and local government agencies, as well as emergency responders. The companys patented IQ-Core Software and hardware technology and integration/installation services provide secure, command, control and communications systems  particularly in remote or infrastructure starved areas. In addition, PacStars unified and tactical network communications systems are ideally suited for commercial sector organizations with mission-critical, complex communications requirements. For additional information, please visit http://www.pacstar.com
Spur Whiskey blends just the right balance of Alpine Distillings Double Gold & Gold Medal-winning Travelers Rest Single Malt Whiskey and a Kentucky Bourbon.

Whiskey enthusiasts have honored Alpine Distillings Spur Whiskey with a 2018 Drammie Award for Most Innovative New Whiskey Release in 2017. The annual International Drammie Awards sends out a call for nominations to ForWhiskyLovers.com email subscribers, members of whiskey clubs, and the general whiskey-consuming public. After nominations are closed, the top five nominations for each category are posted on ForWhiskeyLovers.com, and voting then commences to select the category winners. The Drammie Awards have become among the most important and prestigious means of recognition for those in the whiskey industry.

This award is especially gratifying because we are being recognized by actual whiskey drinkers and enthusiasts. As a Kentuckian, the responsibility of Bourbon stewardship is important. Finding a way to innovate a flavor profile that so many people enjoy is deeply satisfying, comments Rob Sergent, Distiller and Founder of Alpine Distilling. We know the market is crowded with many excellent products, giving individuals seemingly unlimited choices in what to consume, so earning this award from hundreds of worldwide whiskey enthusiasts is quite an honor.

This year, ForWhiskeyLovers.com received more than 300 nominations for its 25 Drammie Award categories, with 2,000-plus people from around the world casting their votes for the finalists.

In 2017, Alpine Spur Whiskey was inspired by The Spur Bar & Grill, a classic and popular establishment on Park Citys Historic Main Street. Spur Whiskey blends just the right balance of Alpine Distillings Double Gold & Gold Medal-winning Travelers Rest Single Malt Whiskey and a Kentucky Bourbon. The French Oak-aged single malt has a banana, mocha note finish with a vanilla spice, while the Bourbon contributes corn sweetness and American Oak brown flavors with subtle rye spice. This blend creates a spirit that excels as a sipping whiskey or in classic American cocktails.

Alpine Spur Whiskey is available by the bottle at the distillery, in Utah State Liquor Stores, online at ForWhiskeyLovers.com, and through distribution partners in New York, New Jersey, New Orleans, and California.

As a young distillery, Alpine Distilling is pleased to add this Drammie Award to its collection of Awards  Preserve Liqueur (SIP Awards -Platinum medal, 2016), Lafayette Spiced Flavored Bourbon (SIP Awards- Gold medal, 2016), Travelers Rest Single Malt Whiskey (50 Best -Double -Gold, 2018; SIP Awards -Gold medal, 2017), and Persistent Vodka (SIP Awards - Silver medal, 2017).

For Whiskey Lovers is the largest online retailer of whiskey in the United States, shipping spirits to 29 countries and 35 states.

For more info, visit http://www.alpinedistilling.com.

ABOUT ALPINE DISTILLING

Founded in 2016, Alpine Distilling is an award-winning craft distillery based in Park City, Utah. We produce the highest quality premium spirits for the active, creative, and mindful individuals who are drawn to the mountain lifestyle. All products are certified Kosher. As a socially conscious brand, Alpine Distilling is pleased to donate a portion of proceeds to benefit local non-profits. More information is available at http://www.alpinedistilling.com.
Drink One for Dane 2018 We are excited to donate more than $1.3 million to the MDA this year in the fight against ALS.

Friday, May 11, more than 300 Dutch Bros locations across seven states celebrated the 12th Drink One For Dane day by raising a record-breaking $1,351,780 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The annual event honors Dane Boersma, who co-founded Dutch Bros with his brother, Travis, in 1992 and passed away from ALS in 2009. Thanks to an outpouring of love and support from customers, Dutch Bros surpassed its $1 million goal for the day and has now raised $4.8 million in total for the MDA.

Surrounded by his Dutch Bros family at the original location in Grants Pass, Travis Boersma said, Its hard to believe that all this time has passed, and here we are on the biggest fundraising day in Dutch Bros history Today is an opportunity not only to raise funds, but to give gratitude and respect to all the people who have suffered at the hands of this disease.

In 2005, Dane Boersma was diagnosed with ALS. In 2007, Dutch Bros held its inaugural Drink One For Dane fundraiser. Back then, with only 100 locations, the goals were simple - to raise awareness and help support other individuals and families affected by this incurable disease. In 2009, the Boersma family lost Dane the wiseman to ALS, but carried on with the campaign as a testament to the massive impact he had on the people he encountered. Today, the heart and mission of the fundraiser are stronger than ever, even for those who never met Dane - find a cure and put an end to ALS.

To so many people he was a selfless leader and a symbol for all that we do, every good cause we rally around, said Brant Boersma about his father, Dane. To me, I was just lucky enough to call him dad. I know he'd be proud of everything his family, company and community have accomplished."

Proceeds from Drink One For Dane benefit the MDA, the worlds leader in the fight against muscle-debilitating diseases, including ALS. ALS is an unforgiving disease that affects the parts of the nervous system that control muscle movement. Although victims maintain their awareness, they are increasingly unable to control speaking, breathing or moving. Research continues into understanding the root cause of the disease, which remains a mystery, and finding a cure. Time is of the essence, as those who are diagnosed typically succumb to the disease within three to five years.

We are truly grateful for the ongoing commitment Dutch Bros has demonstrated in helping MDA with its mission to find a cure for ALS," said MDA president and CEO Lynn O'Connor Vos. With Travis leadership and dedication, the enthusiasm of the employees at over 300 Dutch Bros locations and the many thousands of customers that drank one for Dane, MDA continues to be the leader in funding research to find treatments and cures to give everyone diagnosed with ALS a fighting chance."

About Dutch Bros

Dutch Bros Coffee is the countrys largest privately held, drive-thru coffee company, with more than 300 locations and 9,000 employees in seven states. Headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, where it was founded in 1992 by Dane and Travis Boersma, brothers of Dutch descent. Dutch Bros serves specialty coffee, smoothies, freezes, teas, a private-label Dutch Bros Blue Rebel energy drink and nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee. Its rich, proprietary coffee blend is handcrafted from start to finish: each ingredient is measured, every process timed and each cup perfected.

With a mission to serve as a role model in the community and commitment to doing the right thing, Dutch Bros donates more than $2 million annually to nonprofit organizations and local causes selected by local owner-operators. To learn more about Dutch Bros, visit http://www.dutchbros.com, like Dutch Bros Coffee on Facebook or follow @DutchBros on Twitter.

FOR MEDIA ONLY

Contact: Angi Veek / 541.660.1521 / pr(at)dutchbros.com
Before contact with Europeans, the Potawatomi in Michiana cultivated wild rice, tapped sugar maple trees, harvested berries, and grew vegetables

This month, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is bringing a mobile native farmers market to the area. On Tuesday, May 22, from 5:30  8 p.m. at the Pokagon Community Center, located at 27043 Potawatomi Trail in Dowagiac, Dan Cornelius from the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) and members of the Pokagon Bands food sovereignty committee will host an evening of indigenous food with a wide variety of native foods on display and available for purchase.

This community event includes a tasting of heirloom and indigenous foods at 6 p.m., followed by a presentation on food sovereignty. Cornelius and the IAC aid Indian tribes and native farmers, ranchers and food producers. They operate the mobile farmers market to expand producers market access and increase availability of fresh, healthy, and traditional foods to tribal communities.

Before contact with Europeans, the Potawatomi in Michiana cultivated wild rice, tapped sugar maple trees, harvested berries, and grew vegetables, said Gary Morseau, Chair of the Pokagon Band food sovereignty committee. Many of those traditions and food varieties were lost over the next centuries, but now the Pokagon Band is starting to reclaim its food sovereignty. Efforts include prepping its agricultural land for organic farming, promoting indigenous foods at tribal events and reviving maple sugar and wild rice production on Pokagon land.

About The Intertribal Agriculture Council

The Intertribal Agriculture Council was founded in 1987 to pursue and promote the conservation, development, and use of tribal agricultural resources for the betterment of native people. It works on behalf of individual Indian producers and tribal enterprises.

About The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994. The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care and cultural preservation for its approximately 5,000 citizens. The Pokagon Bands ten-county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana. Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, Mich., with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind. In 2007, it opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011 and Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013. Four Winds South Bend opened January 16, 2018. It owns and operates a variety of businesses via Mno-Bmadsen, the tribes non-gaming investment enterprise. More information is available at http://www.pokagonband-nsn.gov, http://www.fourwindscasino.com and http://www.mno-bmadsen.com.
DIJIBOUTI, May 16 (ChinaMil) -- The guided-missile frigate Xuzhou of the 29th escort taskforce of the PLA Navy arrived at the Port of Djibouti on Monday, for five days of rest and replenishment.

The Chinese frigate will be replenished with vegetables, fruits and other necessities and have its equipment checked and maintained.

Since taking over the mission of escorting merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somali coast from the 28th Chinese naval escort taskforce on May 2, the 29th taskforce has provided escort for seven merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden.
As a comprehensive regional organization with extensive influence, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has played an important role in preserving regional stability and prosperity and set an example for the new-type international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation.

In particular, the SCO always prioritizes maintaining regional security and stability and has made great achievements in security cooperation, not only creating a good environment for win-win cooperation among countries in the region, but also setting an example for building the community of shared destiny for mankind.

Actively practice new security outlook

The SCO is a new-type regional cooperation mechanism created after the Cold War. Its predecessor, the Shanghai Five, started with China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan making arrangements for military mutual trust and mutual disarmament in the border area.

From the very beginning, the Shanghai Five was committed to eliminating the security hazards left from the Cold War period, and creating the new security thinking characterized by "promoting security through cooperation and solving international disputes through dialogue". Later it expanded the cooperation to maintaining regional security and stability to great success.

Since it was established 17 years ago, the SCO has adhered to the principles of openness, transparency and not targeting any third party. It stresses partnership rather than alliance among the member states, doesn't seek to form military and political alliance, and firmly opposes the Cold War mindset and power politics. These emphases make it an important force for maintaining regional stability.

The SCO advocates the new security outlook of "commonness, comprehensiveness, cooperation and sustainability", and enriches the new model of international relations centered on "partnership rather than alliance" initiated by China and Russia, and offers a new regional cooperation model featuring common advocacy, priority for security and mutually beneficial coordination.

In face of the complicated changes in the international and regional security situation, the SCO upholds respect for the United Nation's authority and the internationally acknowledged standard of international laws, opposes "violence for violence" and the zero-sum game, supports its member states' efforts to safeguard their security interests, and objects to foreign forces' interfering in the internal affairs of small and weak countries. The SCO endorses the Central Asian nuclear-free-zone, and has taken an active part in advancing national reconciliation and reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Set up an effective security platform

The SCO member states have signed the Shanghai Convention against Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, Counter-Terrorism Convention, Anti-Extremism Convention, agreement on countering drug smuggling, and annual plans for cooperation among the defense departments and militaries.

It has also activated a range of meeting mechanisms, such as defense ministers' meetings, secretary of security meetings, public security (internal affairs) ministers' meetings and border defense leaders' meetings.

The SCO was one of the first international organizations to recognize the harm of international terrorism and announced its counter-terrorism stance. In 2004, the SCO Regional Counter-Terrorism Structure (RCTS) was formed in Tashkent, which established a complete database of terrorists and terrorist organizations, organized anti-terrorism drills, and shared intelligence among the member states.

The SCO also created military cultural brands such as the series of "Peaceful Mission" military exercises and the "Fanfare for Peace" military music festival, making positive contributions to maintaining regional security and stability.

In 2018, the SCO will continue to hold "Peaceful Mission" multilateral drills in order to effectively deter the terrorist forces and extremist organizations both inside and outside the region.

The SCO has continuously expanded the scope of security cooperation. In addition to dealing with all kinds of non-traditional security threats and advocating joint law enforcement, it also pays close attention to new issues such as information security, energy security, ecological security and financial security and carries out cooperation in those areas.

Strong guarantee for regional cooperation

Security is the foundation for development. After China put forth the "Belt and Road Initiative", the SCO became an important platform for relevant countries to realize strategic alignment. President Xi Jinping called to create a "peaceful Silk Road", which set higher requirements on the SCO's security cooperation.

In the process of aligning China's Belt and Road Initiative with Russia's Greater Eurasian Partnership and Kazakhstan's Bright Road program, the SCO member states deepened security cooperation, practiced the new security outlook, and moved to build a security governance model with Asian characteristics.

Standing at a new historical starting point, the SCO members will all uphold the idea of a "community of shared destiny", treat each other as equals, help each other, and share weal and woe together in a bid to create a jointly built and shared security landscape.

The member states will stick to the "Shanghai Spirit", strengthen practical cooperation in high-level exchanges, joint drills, military culture, education and training, improve the security cooperation system, and enhance the organization's ability to fend off realistic threats, so as to make due contributions to lasting peace and prosperity in the region.

By Sun Zhuangzhi at the SCO Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2018 8:00 pm

You never think its going to happen to you.

At 62, Gary Nisbet found himself in a situation he never imagined he would land in.

An artist with a prolific past, Nisbet was living day-to-day with health complications and an injury that prevented him from continuing work in a job he held.

One day, he googled, Artists who died penniless.

The list was extensive, and included greats like Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh, Gauguin and Vermeer.

My spirits were lifted, he said.

That was in the winter of 2017.

Its spring now, and Nisbet, now 63, has a new home, and a new career allowing him to return to teaching and curating art shows.

Hes living at the temporary housing venture Bayside Housing in Port Hadlock, and is an artist in residence at Baysides partner organization, the Old Alcohol Plant inn.

Its my rebirth, Nisbet said. Its my renaissance.

OAP

As its artist in residence, Nisbet is also guiding the Old Alcohol Plant, known as OAP, through its own artistic renaissance.

OAP reopened last year in March, after being shuttered in 2011, and operates under a name that refers to its history as a manufacturer of ethyl alcohol in the 1900s.

Today, its primary mission is to support Bayside, which provides housing and services to people in need as they improve their quality of life. OAP also aims to create what owner Gary Keister calls a rural community art venue.

We hope to create an inclusive community art space where art and artists, of various forms, are put into direct contact with the community, Keister said.

Nisbet first showed his work at the grand opening March 17, 2017 along with fellow local artist and friend Stephen Yates. Since then, the gallery has hosted shows and workshops, including a show with Michael Adams  son of photographer Ansel Adams  whose own father built OAP in 1909.

Now that he is the official artist in residence, Nisbet will help OAP become a recognized art haven.

With Garys experience and connections in the art world, his presence will accelerate the growth towards our objective, Keister said.

Nisbet cannot say enough about his new home.

Its a very healing sort of presence here, he said. The karma (here) is really good; I call it good karma cove.

A TEACHER

Nisbet will act as both show curator, event organizer and workshop teacher.

Our long range idea is for this to be a destination workshop, with people coming from all over the country, Nisbet said. This is a perfect location for it. Its a quiet park  its a beautiful building.

A workshop Nisbet currently is leading this week and next focuses on what he calls collage painting.

He is guiding students through the process of creating their own visual art using personal collage materials, and learning techniques such as metallic leaf, crackle finishes and painting.

Nisbet, who in the past taught weekly classes at Port Townsend School of the Arts, said he likes the short, intense workshop style OAP offers

Hes also excited to help ammeter artists break through barriers discover their talent.

He recalled one story from a past teaching gig.

A woman, 84, told a story about how, when she was a student and had painted a picture of an apple tree in school, her teacher put a black X over the art, because she hadnt included any apples on the tree.

That one moment just completely froze this woman, Nisbet said. I hope to break through that.

CURATOR

One show Nisbet is particularly looking forward to, called An American Tune, is set for Oct. 15 through Dec. 31, with an opening reception Nov. 4.

Its timing, just before the midterm elections, is significant.

The show will feature a series by Nisbet called The Presidents of The United States of America, a Work in Progress, which explores how the presidency is being redefined in the country.

I had started this series in 2016 after a conversation with my son on why I wasnt getting involved, he said. His question just made me think about it.

Nisbet showed the first 20 or so pieces in the series at Northwind Art Center early last year, and was afterward nominated for an Artist Trust award. To be nominated was a wonderful thing, he said.

Nisbet noted in their day, presidential portraits were recognizable icons. (They were) printed everywhere from handkerchiefs to teaspoons, and posters to postage stamps, Nisbet said.

In my presidential portraits ... (I) combine paint and collage techniques to play off the exalted tradition of presidential portraiture in general. Surfaces can be recycled board, fabric, canvas or even cardboard.

The show will also include Homestead, photographs of California Homestead buildings by California photographer Michelle de Lancey Swoish, and Making art, Making Music, photographs by Seattle photographer Don Milgate.

RESTORATION

Nisbet contemplates the words he used to describe his new phase in life  rebirth and renaissance.

While noting he uses them with a dash of humor, he is reminded of his own artistic beginnings.

At 19, Nisbet was apprenticed at an art restoration company, A.T. Heinsbergen Company.

He worked on projects at historical landmark buildings around the state  including at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle and Carnegie Hall in New York  scraping through layers of paint and metallic leaf; working through accumulated history and legacy.

Then, he restored art.

Now, hes restoring an artist  himself.

I like the idea that I am working on my own restoration, Nisbet said.
Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2018 8:00 pm

Graffiti on The Go: Bumper stickers are a good barometer of the local social climate. PT is a good example.

I have a preference for funny ones. Weird ones will do, too, like the one a friend spotted on I-5: Better Dead Than Bald. I also like Shave the Whales, because its both funny AND odd.

One bumper sticker Ive never understood: Were Spending Our Kids Inheritance (even if true, why would anyone want to broadcast this?).

Recently, Ive been cruising our local parking lots (is this what police call a car prowl?), looking for interesting stickers. Not surprisingly, I didnt find any for Herr Conditioner (Trump). But, I was once warned to remove my Obama sticker before I headed to Idaho. Good call.

The classic Port Townsend bumper sticker, of course, is Were All Here Because Were Not All There. Someone thought that was clever. Some, obviously, still do.

A guy I know here, Lee, has so many political bumper stickers (e.g., Impeach Trump) stuck to his truck it probably lowers his gas mileage.

So, a few I spotted on my parking-lot patrol here that stand out:

 My Cat Is Smarter Than Your Student (me-OW!)

 Caution. Driver Singing.

 I Kissed a Werewolf  And I Liked It!

 Horn Broken, Watch For Finger (surprisingly, I spotted this one in the Co-Op parking lot).

 A nice antidote to the annoying Baby on Board sticker (this espied at Safeway): Adults on Board. We Want to Live, Too.

 I Drive a Stick.

 Keep Portland Weird (Being the hipster capital of the world not good enough?)

 Lets Be Roundup Free in JeffCo (bad news for cowboys?).

 My Kid Has More Chromosomes Than Your Kid

Two of the cleverest:

 Im So Gay I Cant Even Drive Straight (Try telling THAT to a cop).

 If You Can Read This, Im Not Impressed ... Most People Can Read.

My favorite, one you could apply to some locals we know:

 The Fact That No One Understands You Doesnt Mean Youre An Artist

MOMS THE WORD: Whoever heard of a laundromat, of all things, getting five-star reviews on Yelp? Well, Moms Laundromat, down on Washington near the boatyard, does. This place should never, er, fold. An especially lighter touch: Framed displays of lost socks, organized ... by year! It feels homey, one customer tells me. That it does. And, in how many laundromats can you find copies of The New Yorker? Or an animatronic fortune-telling booth occupied by Zoltar the Magnificent from Tom Hanks Big?

A CLOSE SHAVE: Ive volunteered at the Visitors Center for about 10 years. Its usually quite enjoyable, meeting folks from around the country and the world, places I sometimes know, having grown up the son of a much-travelled career Army officer. Several out-of-staters I see each week want info on PT as a place to retire or relocate.

One visitor even used Google Earth to show me his neighborhood down in Tasmania. Crikey!

Most of the visitors who come in are delightful.

But, one day, this 60ish guy shambles in, blathers on and on. I try politely to ease him toward the door. I have other visitors to help. Hey, Im workin here!

After about an hour, the guy calmly pulls an electric razor from his pocket, shaves, and empties the whiskers out onto the desk. And strolls out.

A few sandwiches short of a picnic?

Occams razor says yes.

PT resident Bill Mann has written humor columns for USA Today and CBS MarketWatch. Hes always looking for funny people and funny items. Newsmann9@gmail.com
Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2018 8:00 pm

At the corner of Taylor and Water streets in downtown Port Townsend, there sits a bench. Today the bench is decorated with flowers and a sculpture in honor of Alyssa Reed, who frequently slept there.

A few years ago, there was a picture in the Leader of a homeless individual sleeping on this same bench. That was Alyssa. A local artist made a sculpture of drift wood and a small wrapped cocoon that captured Alyssa's vulnerable self against the tides of life. It's also on the bench as part of the memorial.

Alyssa was one of our own. She grew up in the community and was a Boiler Room youth. She was a musician who loved to sing and play guitar. And she was good at it. When she was a teenager, she was in a fire in an RV that burned her hands; and the smoke she inhaled almost destroyed her voice. But she kept on playing and singing in spite of the pain and trauma.

She was also a client of Discovery Behavioral Health since way back when it was still known as Jefferson Mental Health. She was served at various times by DSHS, OlyCAP, the Justice System, the Fairgrounds Campground, and Jefferson Healthcare. They all were supposed to be her "support network."

But she fell through the cracks.

On Friday, the Kitsap County courts released her to her family. She went to stay with some "friends" for the weekend. She was all set to enter an inpatient drug treatment program on Monday.

May 10, her body is at Harrison Hospital where they will be withdrawing life support and transplanting her vital organs to other patients. Her strong heart. Her lungs. Her very physical being...

How many times have we, good citizens of Port Townsend, walked past or ignored homeless individuals sitting on the benches or gathering at the Park and Ride. How many times have our various agencies said, "Not our job"?

The city and county declared a "Housing Emergency" in order to pass a levy. The levy failed, but the emergency still exists. The Comprehensive Plan adopted the concept of "Housing First" in which it has been proven again and again that once individuals with mental illnesses or drug addiction or physical frailties have access to stable supportive housing, they can recover and become fully participating citizens in our community, rather than costing thousands of dollars for ER, jail, or court costs at the public expense.

We have money for roads and improvements that will bring tourists to town and to our vacation rentals. But the development/infrastructure costs of building affordable housing units for our workforce, seniors, young adults, and Section 8 subsidized families is so exorbitant that we can't afford to build neighborhoods of tiny homes or multi-family units that serve these members of our community.

Workers turn down good jobs  teachers, pharmacists, mental health social workers  because they can't find affordable housing.

Our social service agencies are unable to place those most needing housing into affordable or subsidized units because they simply don't exist in Jefferson County. Even those with housing vouchers, including Vets, are unable to find affordable housing units here.

So some of our own youth and young adults, like Alyssa, sleep on our park benches or tents or old RV's parked on the streets until they are rousted out.

Rest in Peace, Alyssa. But for those of us serving, governing, living and working in Jefferson County, may we know no peace until all of our people are housed and we have truly addressed the Housing Emergency in our home town.
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Local newspapers quoted company sources saying Aliko Dangote, the owner of Dangote Cement and the richest man in Africa is expected to arrive in Addis Ababa on Thursday, May 17, 2018.

Kamra and two more Ethiopians, a driver and a secretary, were shot dead in the restive city of Oromia on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, local sources told .

Our community is devastated; Oboo Gallatta (a local name given to Kamra) was like a father to many of us, a source who preferred to remain anonymous told Ethiopia newspaper.

Security forces are currently pursuing the assailants.

Dangote Cement is located in West Shewa Zone of the Oromia regional state, in Ada Berga District, Mugher Town, 85km west of Addis Abeba.

Aliko Dangote had on Thursday, June 4, 2015, launched a $500 million cement plant in Ethiopia with the expectation to initially produce 2.5 million tonnes of cement a year.

Few years after, the company and the country's local administration - Oromia states East Shewa Zone  had argued over taking control of some of the cement making business in the region. The issue almost caused Dangote to shut its operations in Ethiopia in 2017.
The musician in a latest post has revealed that Shatta Michy does not respect and has shown that towards her mother after she tried to settle the problem they are facing in their relationship.

READ MORE: Mzbel is home and recovering after beach accident

In the said audio, a woman believed to be the mother of Shatta Michy is heard saying:

Im very tired, I have done my best as a mother, if she wants to mess up, thats her own problem, if she doesnt respect her mother, thats her life."

Shatta Wale and Shatta Michy have separated over a month now and Ghanaians still don't know the real reason for their breakup.

Shatta Wale had claimed that Michy had chased him with a knife in their house. Michy has also accused Wale of abusing her physically.
According to the source, Bisa Kdei was trespassing on the property of the American government without permission.

He states, Bisa Kdei was on set shooting the music video for Asew off his Highlife Konnect album in a white community, but can't confirm if they had a permit or not.

As to what triggered the alarm, the source says there were a lot of blacks on set shooting in that particular white community and he believes one of the neighbors called the police for such trespassing

We tried reaching the management who are currently with Bisa Kdei in the States but to no avail.

However one of his promoters informed us he cant speak about the issue until he gets hold of Bisa Kdei himself.

We checked the Snapchat of Bisa Kdei and it seems he had posted a video saying, "Ive been caught by the police".

Video below.
The woman who reportedly has a 2-month-old baby was flogged at a police station in Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum after the court found her guilty of violating the northern African countrys law on marriage which required that she secured her fathers full approval for the marriage.

Already, the womans husband is currently serving a two year prison term for the same offence after he was found to be in breach of the laws of the land by obviously harbouring the woman whose father had not sanctioned their union.

The unnamed womans lawyer, Azza Mohamed Ahmed who was apparently happy that his client has now gained her freedom is quoted as saying she has completed her six months in jail and today (Tuesday) she was flogged 75 times.

READ MORE: Man receives 5 strokes of cane for wrongly divorcing his wife

Azza Mohamed Ahmed told AFP news that after his client defied her fathers order not to marry her choice of man she and the man then got married and lived together for a year.

Her family then filed a case against her, accusing her of living with a man illegitimately and of having sex outside of marriage, Ahmed added.

He said today her punishment is complete, and she has now been released and is free to live with her husband when he returns from prison.

This case comes just days after a 19-year-old Noura Hussein from the same Sudan was sentenced to life imprisonment after she was found guilty of killing a man who had tried to rape her.

Reports say the deceased was Noura Husseins own cousin who her father had been forcing her to marry since she was 16 years old.
There is a fierce competition especially between the female celebrities to win best-dressed celebrities or earn the enviable title, Slay Queen.

After carefully comparing some photos on social media, Ghanaian actress, Benedicta Gafah, is presumably imitating her colleague, Nana Akua Addo, Ghanas celebrated fashion icon.

READ ALSO: These Zylofon actors were among the worst dressed on the red carpet

This came to notice after the fashion duo stunning appearances on the red carpet.

Could it be a possible style inspiration or a move to reach the milestone Nana Akua has set for herself in the fashion industry?

Well, whatever the reason may be; it is obvious Nana Akua Addo can only be imitated but never duplicated.

It is never wrong to copy the style of another, but why take the risk of a possible comparison especially when whoever wore it first stunned millions and also in your circles. That is why nothing beats originality.

1. Costume number one

The glitz style awards red carpet got better last year, 2016 the moment the slay empress, Nana Akua shined her lights on whatever was worse with her beautiful diamond encrusted stones like never seen before.

Nana Akua Addo changed the scope of the red carpet in Ghana that very moment and also broke the Internet. She literally brought MET GALA, CANNES Film Festival, and the Oscar ambiance to the awards.

Benedicta Gafah drove that way at the Ghana Movie Awards this year but tried to play safe by twisting the style a bit and turning hers into a jumpsuit.

Either way, the first name that came to mind when we saw Benedicta Gafah's dress on the red carpet was Nana Akua Addo look alike.

READ ALSO: Zynell Zuh versus Nana Akua Addo

2. Costume Two

Nana Akua Addo did Ghana proud on the red carpet at the 2017 AMVCA awards in a dazzling gold garment and lived the fantasy of the Disney princess, Cinderella. At that point, we knew she made another iconic appearance.

Benedicta Gafah, however, tried to steal our attention with her gold ball-gown at the recently held 2017 Golden Movie Awards. After careful observation of Rafah's impressive look, we realized she channeled Nana Addos magnificent style to the 2017 AMVCA awards.

3. Costume number three

Nana Akua made another big fashion statement as a pacesetter she is at the 2017 BET awards in what looked like chandelier inspired gown.
Mahama in a statement on his Facebook wall to wish Muslims well in the Holy Month of fasting said the country should be concerned about issues relating to HIV and Tramadol abuse.

"Just as Ramadan epitomises endurance, discipline and moral uprightness, let us as adults, opinion leaders and religious leaders, take the responsibility to inculcate these values in our youth.

"Reports of HIV & AIDS infection cases and the recent, not unconnected, surge of Tramadol abuse  what some have termed the silent ebola,  among the youth should be a matter of concern to all.

"Therefore as we pray, let us also commit to working harder on counseling our young people about their life choices and also provide treatment support for all who may be in need," he added.

Tramadol is an oral tablet and a prescription medication used to treat moderate to severe pain.

Tramadol abuse, according to medical experts, functions like heroin and can cause psychotic problems as well as damage vital organs in the human body.

Mahama adding his voice on the abuse of the drug further called for adequate counseling and treatment for persons who require such services.

"Therefore as we pray, let us also commit to working harder on counselling our young people about their life choices and also provide treatment support for all who may be in need," he noted.

Below is the full statement:

As the new crescent moon heralds the holy month of Ramadan, I extend my heartiest wishes to all Muslims in Ghana and the over 1.8 billion adherents of the faith across the world.

The Eid is a period that brings together families, communities and indeed, the entire nation for contemplation and the observance of pious prayer to the Almighty. It enjoins us to reflect on the mercies of Allah, to forgive one another, and be compassionate and serviceable to each other.

I am proud to have observed over the years that our nation derives her strength from our unity in diversity. This uniquely Ghanaian identity the world has come to appreciate finds expression in the peaceful and joyous manner in which people of different faiths join hands with our Muslim brothers and sisters to actively participate in Ramadan.

This is why we must do all that we can to remain united with a shared purpose aimed solely at the attainment of our nations progress.

It means looking out to guard against people who profit from dividing us; it means guarding against self-centered politicians whose utterances highlight our differences rather than what we have in common as a people; it means protecting our young people from militant and terror groups who through fake religious teachings may indoctrinate and recruit our youth to commit crimes.

Just as Ramadan epitomises endurance, discipline and moral uprightness, let us as adults, opinion leaders and religious leaders, take the responsibility to inculcate these values in our youth.

Reports of HIV & AIDS infection cases and the recent, not unconnected, surge of Tramadol abuse  what some have termed the silent ebola,  among the youth should be a matter of concern to all.

Therefore as we pray, let us also commit to working harder on counselling our young people about their life choices and also provide treatment support for all who may be in need.

May Allah accept our humble supplications and May He visit prosperity on our land.
Cynthia Lamptey said this when she appeared before Parliaments Vetting Committee to be questioned for the position she has been nominated for.

She said If I should face something of that sort I will resign because I wasnt put there just for a cosmetic sake. I was put there to work.

READ ALSO: Samira Bawumia voted for the first time in 2008

I cannot be a puppet over there, she stressed.

Lamptey will be deputy to veteran lawyer Martin Amidu if she sails through vetting at Parliament. This means the 2 will be reunited after working together at the Attorney Generals Department when the latter was the minister under the Mills administration.

As the countrys chief prosecutor, Lamptey handled several high-profile prosecutions including the case of the alleged stealing of GhC86.9 million by an Executive Director of the National Service Scheme and the criminal prosecution of Alfred Agbesi Woyome.

She said that she was ready to perform all assignments given to her by Amidu in order to ensure the success of the office if she is approved by Parliament.

She explained that because they have worked together before, it is easier to work with Amidu again at the new anti-graft agency.

Thankfully I worked with him when he was deputy attorney general and when he became attorney general too I worked with him. He is a workaholic so if he gives you work and you do it that is it. I wouldnt sit here and go to an office where I will be given work and I wouldnt do it. Because one day when he is not there, the work comes to you as the deputy. So I will do everything that Im asked to do, she said.
In an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, Mrs Bawumia said she would rather prefer to be judged on what impact she making with the position she occupies than what she wears.

I wish it wouldnt be the preoccupationbecause I do a lot of work that I will rather highlight. I mean if a woman is dressing well there shouldnt be anything wrong with that. I think we should own our beauty and also make a difference, she said.

READ ALSO: Samira Bawumia voted for the first time in 2008

She also noted that her choice of wardrobe is also promoting the business for those who make them and that is something that excites her.

Sometimes I wear clothes and those who made it for me, their business booms and Im happy for them because Im also promoting their industry.

After President Akufo-Addo was inaugurated on January 7, 2016, Mr Bawumia has been an attraction at many public events with her fashion.

Some people admire her fashion sense while others criticise her for choosing clothes that do not reflect her religious leanings as a Muslim and her position as the wife of the Vice President.

But Mrs Bawumia said such comments only bother her when they tend to spite her. She added that she is more concerned about what her close circle has to say about what she is wearing.
He said he will ensure that the party stays in office for over forty years.

Addressing journalists, he said the party will not rule Ghana for eight years but will govern for so many years.

"We are not looking at eight years, we are not looking at 16 years, we are looking beyond 40 years, we want the NPP to stay in power for 40 years in order to implement good policies for Ghanaians," he added.

The party opened nominations last week ahead of its National Delegates Conference scheduled for July 7, 2018.

The postponement was due to the clash with Ramadan, which is likely to be celebrated that day.

Several party stalwarts have already picked up their nomination forms.
On Tuesday, May 15, 2018, angry members of the group, Kandahar Boys raided the offices of the Highways Authority accusing officials of awarding contracts to their political opponents.

The youth, according to reports did not understand why the contract for the Daboya stretch of road will be awarded to a contractor in the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The group besieged the offices of the GHA, and scattered papers after they were told the officer in charge was not around.

But in a statement copied to Pulse.com.gh signed by Sulley Sambian, he said claims as contained in some media reports are completely false, misleading and a deliberate attempt by some faceless persons to unnecessarily incite the public against the innocent group.

According to him, his outfit has cross-checked with both leaders of the group and the managers of Ghana Highway Authority have both denied the reports.

"The attention of the Northern Regional Executive Committee of the New Patriotic Party has been drawn to news trending on social media and some media houses about vandalization of the Northern Regional Office of the Ghana Highway Authority by the Kandahar Boys.

"We wish to state in clear terms that no such acts of vandalism occurred at the regional office of Ghana Highway Authority or anywhere near the precincts of the said Authority. The story should, therefore, be deservedly ignored.

"We have spoken to both the Kandahar Boys and the Regional Manager of the Ghana Highway Authority who have since denied the report," he added.

He, however, charged Ghanaians to treat the reports with the contempt it deserves.
He explained that this practice puts a lot of pressure on the politicians and reduces the development rate of the country.

He said such excessive demands on Ministers causes fear and as such, many of them avoid visiting their homes and constituents.

Ministers and MPs are not able to go to their constituencies because they know there will be a queue waiting for them for personal demands. Indeed, we may have voted for his party, they have their own responsibilities as ministers so if a minister is welcomed with all these all the time, he will not want to set foot in his home or constituency and this may hinder development.

Nana Panyin Yena IV was speaking when the Minister for Railway Development, Joe Ghartey, who is also the Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan paid a courtesy call on him.

In Ghana, many constituents demand financial help from the MPs for their needs. However, the MPs often complain that this puts pressure on them financially.

The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Joseph Osei Owusu in 2017 appealed to Ghanaian to reduce their financial demands of Ministers and MPs since the situation is overburdening them.
The newspaper said Ecuador employed an international security company and undercover agents to monitor his visitors, embassy staff and even the British police at the embassy in London's luxury Knightsbridge area.

It estimated the budget spent on the operation, referred to initially as "Operation Guest" and later "Operation Hotel" at $5.0 million (4.2 million euros).

The snooping was initially intended to protect Assange from the risk of being taken away by British police but later became a full-blown spying operation.

The operation had the support of then Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa, the paper reported, adding that it has since been wound down under the country's new leader Lenin Moreno who took power last year.

The security team recorded Assange's daily activities and his interactions with embassy staff and visitors, including fellow hackers, activists and lawyers.

They stayed in a rented flat near the embassy at a cost of 2,800 a month, the paper said.

Hacked the embassy network?

The paper also cited documents showing that Assange hacked the communications system within the embassy and had his own satellite internet access.

"By penetrating the embassy's firewall, Assange was able to access and intercept the official and personal communications of staff," the paper said.

WikiLeaks denied Assange had hacked the network.

Ecuador has moved to shut off internet access for Assange in recent months by installing a jammer to prevent him from accessing email and has restricted the number of visitors he can receive.

Assange took refuge in the diplomatic mission in 2012 after a British judge ruled he should be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault there.

Assange claims the accusations were politically motivated and could lead to him being extradited to the United States to face imprisonment over WikiLeaks' publication of secret US military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010.

Sweden dropped its investigation last year, but British authorities say they still want to arrest him for breaching his bail conditions.
The fresh violence in Gaza on Monday, when Israel's army killed 60 Palestinians during protests, came as the United States formally moved its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

A fervent advocate of Palestinian cause, Erdogan on Tuesday accused Israel of "state terror" and "genocide" over the killings.

The Turkish leader will on Friday host a summit of the world's main pan-Islamic body the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.

On Wednesday, Erdogan also said the Gaza bloodshed showed "the United Nations has collapsed".

Turkey has withdrawn its ambassador in Tel Aviv for consultations and told Israel's ambassador to Ankara to leave, also for an unspecified period of time.
But UN human rights officials assailed Israel for its use of firepower against the protesters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the Jewish state's right to defend its border, but faced a growing international outcry for its use of live fire against the Palestinian protesters. The United States, however, blamed the militant Hamas group that administers Gaza for setting off the protests and blocked a United Nations Security Council statement calling for an investigation of the Palestinian deaths.

New protests broke out along the Gaza border with Israel and in the West Bank, with demonstrators hurling rocks at the Israelis and setting fires as Israeli forces fired tear gas in response. But the number of protesters appeared to number in the hundreds at several locations, substantially smaller than the 40,000 who demonstrated along the Gaza border Monday in opposition to the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem less than 100 km away. At least two Palestinian's were reported killed on Tuesday.

Many of the mourners waved Palestinian flags and some called for revenge against Israel for the 60 who were killed and the 2,700 wounded on Monday. Mourners walking to two funerals in southern Gaza shouted, "With souls and blood we redeem you martyrs!"

Thousands of Palestinian mourners rallied in Gaza Tuesday at funerals for the first of dozens of protesters killed in border clashes with Israeli security forces, an assault UN human rights officials condemned as "appalling."

Michael Lynk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said in a statement, "This blatant excessive use of force by Israel -- 'an eye for an eyelash' -- must end, and there must be true accountability for those in military and political command who have ordered or allowed this force to be once again employed at the Gaza fence."

The UN human rights office said, "It seems anyone is liable to be shot dead or injured: women, children, press, first responders, bystanders, and at almost any point up to 700 meters from the fence."

Numerous governments called for an independent investigation of Monday's carnage. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel linked the violence to the U.S. moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, even as most governments with diplomatic ties to Israel have kept their embassies in Tel Aviv and condemned the U.S. action ordered by President Donald Trump.

Michel described the Israeli response to the protests "unacceptable violence," saying "there is a clear lack of proportionality and we are asking for an international investigation."

Ireland's foreign ministry summoned the Israel ambassador to Dublin to express its "shock and dismay" at the bloodshed along the Gaza border, while South Africa recalled its ambassador from Israel.

Germany called for an independent investigation, saying the violence "concerns us greatly and it's terrible that so many people lost their lives, including minors." But government spokesman Steffen Seibert also blamed Hamas, saying it was "trying to escalate the violence. That is cynical."

Turkey lowered its flags to half-mast to mark three days of mourning and said it was willing to take in wounded Palestinians. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of "state terror" and "genocide." But Netanyahu rebuked the Turkish leader, saying, "Erdogan is one of the biggest supporters of Hamas, so there's no doubt he's an expert on terror and slaughter. I'd suggest he doesn't preach morality to us."

Netanyahu said on Twitter Monday every country is obligated to defend its borders. "The Hamas terrorist organization declares it intends to destroy Israel and sends thousands to breach the border fence in order to achieve this goal. We will continue to act with determination to protect our sovereignty and citizens," he said.

Monday's clashes occurred as U.S. and Israeli officials celebrated the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Along with rejecting the U.S. Embassy move, Palestinians are protesting to mark the anniversary of what they call the "nakba" or "catastrophe" in reference to the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who were expelled or fled during the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the Israeli actions "massacres."
The 28 leaders will also discuss the deaths of dozens of Palestinians in Gaza after Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, in another move that the Europeans had strongly opposed.

Trump has effectively hijacked the agenda of the meeting in Bulgaria, which was originally meant to discuss ties with the Balkans, amid the worst rift in transatlantic relations since the 2003 Iraq war.

EU President Donald Tusk said the leaders in Sofia would "reflect on recent global developments, in particular following President Trump's announcements on Iran and trade as well as the latest, dramatic events in Gaza."

Their discussions on Iran will come a day after Tehran's foreign minister held talks in Brussels with his British, French and German counterparts in a bid to salvage the deal that Trump has pulled out of.

"I would like our debate to reconfirm without any doubt that as long as Iran respects the provisions of the deal, the EU will also respect it," Tusk said in a letter to the leaders.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron will "present their assessment of the situation" to their colleagues, he said.

Mogherini and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker will outline to the leaders what measures the bloc could take to shield its now substantial economic interests in Iran, Tusk added.

European diplomats have sought to play down expectations of Tuesday's meeting, stressing the enormous challenge of finding a way around US sanctions punishing foreign businesses trading with Iran, which have global reach.

'Stick to our guns'

"We are not in panic here and we are not under extreme time pressure," a senior EU official said.

The European Union insists the deal is working but Trump pulled out saying that it was the "worst" possible agreement.

On Trump's decision to impose tariffs on European and Chinese steel and aluminium, a move the EU has warned could spark a trade war, Tusk urged the leaders to keep a unified front.

"I will propose we stick to our guns," Tusk said.

Behind their message of unity and firmness, some member states seem open to tolerating limited quotas from the United States on metals imports while others want a harder line, diplomats said.

The violence in Gaza will also be on the agenda as it was "linked to the bigger question of the consequences of the decisions of Donald Trump," an EU official said.

The EU has called for "utmost restraint" after Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians during clashes and protests along the Gaza border against the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, the conflict's bloodiest day in years.

But there are divisions over the embassy move within the EU itself, with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania having recently blocked an EU statement slamming the US decision.

Wednesday's dinner will be followed by a summit where the EU leaders will meet their counterparts from the Balkan nations of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia.
Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels or knowing anything about that payment but his new lawyer Rudy Giuliani has acknowledged the US president had in fact reimbursed Cohen for the payoff.

Last week, Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti wrote on Twitter that Novartis and US telecoms giant AT&T had used the services of Cohen's firm Essential Consultants -- the same company used to make the payment to Daniels.

Cohen is currently under investigation for accepting payment from companies and others seeking access to the White House, as well as for the payment to Daniels, who says she had an affair with Trump around a decade ago.

The FBI on Monday raided the offices of Cohen, a move that Trump angrily denounced as a "disgrace" and "whole new level of unfairness".

On May 9, Novartis said it had signed a one-year contract for $100,000 a month with the firm in February 2017, seeking advice on the new administration's public health policy.

"Novartis believed that Michael Cohen could advise the company as to how the Trump administration might approach certain US healthcare policy matters, including the Affordable Care Act," Novartis said.

Following a meeting with Cohen, the company determined that he and his firm would in fact not be able to provide the services it sought, it explained.

Scandal in Greece

However, the contract could not immediately be terminated and Novartis had to wait until the full $1.2 million had been paid to Cohen's company.

AT&T, which has acknowledged paying some $600,000 to Cohen and was also named by Daniels' lawyer, has also said it was a "big mistake" and a "serious misjudgement" to hire Trump's lawyer, even as it maintained its actions were legal.

On Wednesday, Novartis's general counsel Feliz R. Ehrat apologised for making the deal in the first place.

"Although the contract was legally in order, it was an error. As a co-signatory with our former CEO, I take personal responsibility to bring the public debate on this matter to an end," Ehrat said in a statement issued by the firm.

Ehrat will be replaced starting from June 1 by Shannon Thyme Klinger, who is currently Novartis's ethics, risk and compliance officer.

Novartis has also insisted that its CEO Vas Narasimhan was "in no way involved" with the agreement with Cohen's firm, which predated the start of his term.

The shake-up follows a spate of trouble for the pharmaceutical behemoth in Greece, where the firm is accused of making illicit payouts to decision-makers and doctors between 2006 and 2015 to secure inflated prices for its products even though cheaper alternatives were available.
The group of 82 released videos on Wednesday of themselves reading excerpts of Liu Xia's poetry as part of a campaign for her freedom.

They included Nobel literature prize laureate JM Coetzee, Pulitzer prize-winning novelist Chabon, American novelist Auster and Chinese-born writers Hu Ping and Ma Jian.

Hosseini, author of "The Kite Runner", said in a statement: "As artists who are free to speak (we) must do so on behalf of other artists whose voices are being stifled."

Liu Xia faces daily restrictions on movement and surveillance, although Chinese authorities maintain she is free.

Her friends told AFP she is taking medication for depression and has suffered heart problems and fainting.

Liu Xiaobo, a veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, died last year while serving an 11-year jail sentence for "subversion", making him the first Nobel laureate to die in custody since the era of Nazi Germany.

The campaign for the widow's release came two weeks after reports emerged that Liu had told a friend she was ready to "die at home" in protest at her continuing detention.

Suzanne Nossel, PEN America executive director, said: "Liu Xia's cry for freedom resonates around the world and rebukes the Chinese government's hollow claim that she is free."

The video campaign was jointly organised by PEN America and Amnesty International.

Diplomats from the French, German, Canadian, British and European Union embassies tried to visit her at her Beijing apartment last Friday amid growing concerns about her psychological health.

But security guards prevented them from seeing her and China's foreign ministry later warned foreigners not to interfere.

"Liu Xia is a Chinese citizen. The relevant departments of the Chinese government of course protect her rights according to Chinese law," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Monday.

The German embassy offered in April to help her travel to Germany but the move did not take place, according to Chinese writer Liao Yiwu, who is close to Liu Xia.
For now, though, Hamas appears keen to capitalize on a wave of international condemnation of Israels tactics. Late Tuesday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh turned up at the main protest camp near Gaza City. He was mobbed by hundreds of people who, moments earlier, had been flinging stones at Israeli soldiers and dodging tear gas canisters fired from drones.

We dont want peaceful protests, we want rockets fired, they chanted. Revenge, Revenge!

Haniyeh smiled and clenched his fists in the air, but was vague about the groups next step.

The Great Return protests and the raids on the border by our youth are proof that we have confused the enemy, he said. We will continue with the protests, and it is the Palestinian people who will decide the situation on the ground.

The mosque loudspeakers that rallied Gaza residents to the protests Monday were largely silent Tuesday, and the crowds were much smaller. Two people were killed by Israeli gunfire, the Health Ministry of Gaza said, a huge drop from Monday.

Arab countries and other critics, including the United Nations human rights body, accused Israel of employing excessive force against unarmed protesters.

South Africa and Turkey recalled their ambassadors to Israel. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey exchanged heated words on Twitter with the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. Among Western countries only President Emmanuel Macron of France directly assailed Israels actions.

The United States, though, staunchly defended Israels actions. At the United Nations, Ambassador Nikki Haley denounced what she called the double standard other nations applied to Israel. Who among us would accept this type of activity on your border? she asked. No country, she said, acted with more restraint than Israel.

The protests on Monday were triggered partly by anger at the American decision to formally relocate the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. But Tuesday was a more significant historical milestone for most Palestinians as it marked the 70th anniversary of what they call the Nakba, or Catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee their homes in what is now Israel.

Abeer Shabka, who stumbled through a cloud of tear gas with her 15-year-old daughter, Yasmine, on Tuesday afternoon, said the Nakba had driven her to risk Israeli gunfire. As her eyes streamed with tears and she struggled to find her breath, Shabka said that her familys ancestral home was in Jaffa, 40 miles to the northeast.

We want to go back to our lands, she said.

At the Shifa hospital, relatives clustered around the beds of dozens of young men with leg wounds. In all, about 1,700 were hospitalized with various wounds, according to Palestinian officials. Mariam as-Sahar stood over her son, Adnan, 18, a high school student who had been shot in the knee by an Israeli sniper as he sat in a field a few hundred feet from the fence.

Concern etched Sahars face as her son winced in pain, but like many in the crowded wards, her tone was calm. The Israelis also shell people in their houses, she said. So even if he had not gone to the march, he could have been targeted at home.

The wounded mans father said their family had been displaced from the town of Gea, 10 miles north of the penitentiary-like building that marks the main portals between Gaza and Israel. He last visited the area in 1982, he said, at a time when Gazans could still travel into Israel without permission. The Israelis are settlers who have raped our land, he said. How long will their rule last?

Muhammad Haniyeh, a nephew of the Hamas leader, warned that the group could easily return to violence if the international sympathy of recent days did not lead to an easing of the 11-year-old Israeli blockade of the territory.

We cannot be patient for much longer after all these deaths, he said. If the world does not intervene, I do not think that Hamas can remain silent, and our armed resistance will respond.

For now, he said, the protests would continue every Friday.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
The Nigerian parliament on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, made history by removing the regulatory lapses and bottlenecks for opening businesses, with the passage of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA). The repealing of the Company Act is seen as the biggest business reform bill in Nigeria in over 28 years.

The Bill was sponsored by the embattled senator, Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central Senatorial District).

Bukola Saraki, president of the Senate said the passage of the repeal and re-enactment of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) is a significant milestone in the legislative agenda.

This is by far the most far-reaching legislation ever passed by any legislature in the country.

CAMA is a pro-business law. Its passage will show the world that 'Nigeria is ready for business.' By passing this Bill, the 8th Senate has shown that it has the audacity to move Nigerian businesses into a new era of development, Saraki explained.

If approved and signed into law by the president, the company Act will create a new form of legal identity for businesses in Nigeria, Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), which is expected to increase foreign investment and enable Nigerian register their businesses online.

Here are few highlights of the re-enacted Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA)

1. It will make Nigerias business environment as competitive as its counterparts around the world  The new Bill seeks to improve companies chances of attracting much-needed investment since there are no provisions in the Bill which enable shareholders/potential shareholders have access to funds which in turn enable them to invest in such companies.

2. With CAMA, one person can now open and run a company - good for start-ups and young entrepreneurs  unlike before that regulation required two or more people.

3. It promotes the use of technology in the registration of businesses.

4. CAMA removes all the unnecessary regulatory provisions for small companies

5. It reduces the minimum share capital for companies and start-up in Nigeria. In the new Bill, a company can reduce its share capital, if a special resolution to that effect is passed, without the burden of applying to the court for a confirmation of the reduction.

6. It ensures that Nigerians can now register their businesses from anywhere in the country through the e-registration system.

7. The creates a new form of legal entity  Limited Liability Company - this combines the organizational flexibility and tax status of a partnership with limited liability for its members.

Bismarck Rewane, MD of Financial Derivatives said: The re-enactment of the CAMA will make the ease of doing business in Nigeria to be much more convenient, and this further compliments the efforts by the ease of doing business committee championed by Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice president of Nigeria.

Ease of Doing Business: Nigeria ranked 130 out of 190 economies on the Starting a Business indicator

The amendment of the Act is coming at a time Nigeria was ranked 145th out of 190 economies in the 2018 World Bank Doing Business (WBDB) Ranking Index.

One of the indicators of the WBDB is the relative ease or difficulty in establishing and running a business in Nigeria.

In this regard, Nigeria is ranked on the Starting a Business indicator as 130 out of 190 economies and for the first time was also recognised as one of the top ten (10) most improved economies in the world.
The third edition of the mining week is expected to take place between October 15 and October 17, 2018, with the theme: Nigeria Mining Week; Enabling and Promoting Global Mining Practises Through Good Governance and Resources Mobilisation, in Abuja, the nation's capital.

The event will provide a unique opportunity for sponsors, exhibitors, delegates and attendees to dialogue between government and players in the industry.

Alhaji Shehu Sani, president of the Nigerian Miners Association, revealed in Abuja on Monday, May 14, 2018, that for the first time, this years mining week will feature a mentorship programme, where genuine young miners would be paired with established miners for grooming.

According to Sani, Our expectation this year is for the Nigerian Mining Week to be a one-stop shop for all miners, vendors, suppliers and all kinds of stakeholders to dialogue.

Also READ: Here is a list of the 10 biggest economies in Africa

He observed that at the third annual mining week, we expect a critical assessment of the industry, progress, challenges and alignment of the global mining industry.

Nigeria Mining Week

The event is organised by Miners Association of Nigeria in partnership with PwC. Nigeria Mining Week is an annual meeting place for every mining stakeholder in Nigeria and aboard, It is seen as the vehicle for driving the industry forward and ensuring that the transformation of the industry happens.

Recently, Oyo state governor, Governor Abiola Ajimobi applauded the central government for its strategic intervention through the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF) capable of propelling the countrys economic growth.
Taxify is currently in the eye of a storm as riders from the different parts of Nigeria are complaining about the multiple charge on ride fares.

The riders, who have taken to Twitter to express their disapproval, claim the transportation network company is defrauding riders, who have attached their electronic debit cards to their Taxify account.

This is coming barely five months after Taxify was in the news over the alleged molestation of popular On-Air Presenter, Shola Dorcas Fapson, by one its driver, the e-hailing company is back in the news.

At least, four Twitter users have taken their handle to narrate their experiences while calling on Taxify to rectify the anomaly.

Taxify responds to aggrieved riders on Twitter

In its response to one of the aggrieved riders, the Taxify handle noted that the company is deeply concerned about the riders complaints and are working to rectify the situation.

We are deeply concerned about this. Our payment partner has confirmed that these funds were charged and reserved due to a technical error. Reserved funds are usually released within a week, but they are working to resolve all urgently. We kindly apologise for all inconveniences, the handle replied a rider.

In another reply, the Taxify handle apologised for the double charge while assuring the rider that the management is aware of the incidence and its treating with all urgency.

Hello Ekems, thank you for bringing this to us. We apologize for this inconvenience; please be aware that we are treating this as a matter of urgency. DM? the Taxify handle tweeted.

Taxify's official statement

Business Insider Sub-Saharan Africa reached out to Taxify for a statement.

"Over the weekend one of the banks used by a few of our riders experienced an ongoing technical error where fund reservations were initiated but manifested in the form of multiple debits. Typically, these reservations are reversed within the week, but they are currently looking for solutions to ensure that all affected cases get attended to as quickly as possible," said Uche Okafor, City Manager at Taxify (Lagos).

He added that "While many of reported cases have turned out to be spam SMSs that mirror debits but dont actually affect balances, we are handling each report on a case by case basis.
Users across the globe have been receiving notifications about it popping up on their mobile phones and in emails requiring them to update their privacy policies.

In Nigeria, the likes of Facebook., Instagram, LinkedIn, Gmail etc. have been notifying users to update their account privacy.

This month, were updating our Privacy Policy to make it easier for you to understand what information we collect and why we collect it. Weve also taken steps to improve our Privacy Checkup and other controls we provide to safeguard your data and protect your privacy.

Nothing is changing about your current settings or how your information is processed. Rather, weve improved the way we describe our practises and how we explain the options you have to update, manage, export, and delete your data

Were making these updates as new data protection regulations come into effect in the European Union, and were taking the opportunity to make improvements for Google users around the world, a privacy policy statement from Google reads.

The driving force behind this change is Europes new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), which has been approved since 2016 goes into effect on May 25, 2018.

What is General Data Protection Regulations?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679 is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union.

It also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU. The GDPR aims primarily to give control to citizens and residents over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU.

Why is it so important for Africa, Nigeria?

Companies in Africa doing business with the EU are also expected to assess their data processing practises in line with Europes new data rules.

Also, most of these giant tech companies are offshore of the international community and one application apply to other, only that they may not receive the big hammer when the law is broke locally.

What should you do?

- Go to the settings page

- Adjust your account to your purpose and rules of engagement

- You can also delete your account.

In March 2018, Facebook, the social networking site, overhauled its privacy settings and other important tools to make it easier to find for users and control.
1. Fasting is compulsory for ALL Muslims

A lot of people think that fasting during the Holy Month is obligatory for all Muslims. While this may be true, this does not apply to everyone.

Young children, the physically or mentally ill, elderly, menstruating women, pregnant or breastfeeding mothers and travelers are exempted from fasting.

However, Shabbir Hassan, a Hafidh (someone who has memorized the entire Quran), tells BBC that there are still ways for these exempted groups to get the same spiritual benefits as others.

He says, "If it is a short-term illness that they know they'll recover from - they would be able to make up their fasts on other days. If it is a long-term condition and they can't make up the fast, then they can perform fidyah - a small donation that you pay per day - which you give to feed a poor family. The sum for the UK is between 4 and 5."

ALSO READ: 10 misconceptions Nigerians have about Muslims

2. You can not brush your teeth while fasting

For some reason, there is a misconception that brushing one's teeth while fasting breaks the fast. According to several scholars, this is not the case.

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, explains: "It is absolutely fine to brush one's teeth in the morning with toothpaste while fasting so long as one takes care not to swallow the paste.

"It is reported in the traditions that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was seen brushing his teeth quite a number of times during the day while he was fasting. Toothpaste is not intended for consumption. Fast is only broken when it goes directly into our system."

3. Breaking your fast with a lot of food is allowed
After the measures secured their first reading, Kremlin official Alexander Sinenko said the Russian government supports the parliamentary response to the sanctions aimed at punishing Moscow for its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and other "malign activities." U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the measures last month.

Refusing to supply services or do business with Russian oligarchs or companies sanctioned by the U.S. would be punishable by up to four years in prison, under the proposed legislation. The proposed measures have prompted investor alarm and opened up the prospect of a tit-for-tat cycle of retaliation.

One measure would empower the Kremlin to impose sweeping "counter-sanctions" in response. Another would make it a criminal offense to observe sanctions imposed by the U.S. on Russia or to provide any information or advice on the punitive action.

Russian lawmakers Tuesday unanimously approved, in first readings, legislation to retaliate against the United States and other Western countries for last month's imposition by Washington of sanctions on some of Russia's biggest companies and business people.

 'Absolutely Unfriendly'

"The U.S. sanctions are of an absolutely unfriendly type," said Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma. "They affected over 400 Russian companies and about 200 citizens of our country. We are granting broad powers to our president and government to protect our country, our economy and workplaces."

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev last month pledged that the Kremlin would help companies targeted by U.S. sanctions. The proposed legislation would halt all cooperation with the U.S. in the nuclear, missile and aircraft-building spheres and introduces restrictions on various American imports. The proposed measures also allow Russian companies to produce various goods copyrighted in the West.

Initially, Russian lawmakers said they would impose restrictions on a wide range of specific goods and services from the United States, including medicine and agricultural products; but, in the draft legislation approved Tuesday, language that targeted specific goods to soften the impact on Russian consumers and industries was removed.

 Small Impact Expected

The U.S. is Russia's fourth-largest trading partner, and imports of American goods totaled $12.7 billion last year. Cars, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment were among the top items. Russian exports to the U.S. totaled $17 billion in 2017.

The Russian retaliation would have negligible impact on the U.S., given trade flows are insignificant as far as America is concerned, but the retaliation envisaged would exacerbate already highly fraught U.S.-Russian relations, which analysts describe as being at their lowest point since the Cold War.

The U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia in April, targeting two dozen Kremlin insiders and oligarchs close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, have proven to have had a greater impact on Russia than had been expected, say analysts. But they're doing nothing at this stage in turning ordinary Russians against the Kremlin or undermining the Russian leader's overall popularity, if recent polling data is accurate.

The ruble suffered its worst week in four years in the immediate wake of the April 6 announcement of new sanctions on 24 extremely wealthy Russians and 14 companies.

 'Game-Changer'

When the West imposed its first sanctions on Russia, following Moscow's annexation of Crimea and fomenting separatism in eastern Ukraine, the effect was limited, according to analyst Nigel Gould-Davies of Britain's Chatham House research group, and Russia found ways to adapt.

"But America's latest financial sanctions, announced on April 6, are a game-changer," he argued in a recent commentary, noting the latest sanctions have created bigger uncertainty.

"No one knows who might be targeted next," he continued. "Russia faces a new systemic risk: expectations about U.S. sanctions are now as important as the oil price for assessing its prospects."

The British government is starting the process of introducing legislation that will block Russian oligarchs and officials linked to human rights abuses from doing business in the country and buying property in Britain.

 Russia-Crimea Link

As Russian lawmakers debated the retaliatory measures, President Putin opened a controversial bridge linking southern Russia and the Crimean peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Before driving an orange truck on the 19-kilometer bridge that cost $3.6 billion to build, Putin told construction workers (and reporters): "I want to sincerely congratulate you with this remarkable, festive and, in the full sense of the word, historic day."

"Even under the Tsar, people were dreaming of building this bridge," he said, in reference to Russia's last Tsar, Nicholas II, who had wanted to span a bridge across the Kerch Strait. In the 1930s, Communist autocrat Joseph Stalin also had proposed a Kerch Strait bridge.

Ukraine condemned the opening. "The Russian occupying powers, which have temporarily occupied Crimea, are continuing to act outside international law," said Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman.


This has been confirmed by the official Saudi news agency SPA, the top religious authority in Egypt, the Mufti, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority.

So ahead of the start of the Holy Month, here is everything you to know:

What exactly is Ramadan?

The word itself comes from the Arabic root ramida or ar-ramad, which means "scorching heat" or "dryness." As the name implies, it is a period of abstinence and spiritual growth.

Starting on Thursday, Muslims all over the world will welcome the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. This month of Ramadan is regarded as the holiest month of them all.

This is because God revealed the first chapters of the Quran, Islam's sacred text, to the Prophet Muhammad during this period. Chapter 2, Verse 185 of the Holy Book states: "The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran; a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the criterion (of right and wrong).

"And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, a number of other days. Allah desires for you ease; He desires not hardship for you; and that you should complete the period, and that you should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that perhaps you may be thankful."

Muslims believe that the first verses of the Quran were revealed on a night known as the Laylat al-Qadr or the "Night of Power" in English. This night is said to be better than one thousand months.

It is also believed that the gates of hell are closed and gates of heaven are open during this month.

Fun Fact: The starting date changes every year. This is because it depends on when the moon is spotted.

ALSO READ: 5 apps that will make Ramadan better for you

What do Muslims do during Ramadan?

During this month, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. This is after taking a meal called suhur before sunrise. The fast is broken with a meal called iftar.

Reading the Quran is encouraged, along with charity, prayers, performing extra prayers in the evening called tarawih and a seclusion known as i'tikaf.

In general, Muslims are expected to abstain from sexual activity, smoking, jealousy, anger, other negative thoughts as they practice self-control, purification, in order to get closer to Allah.

Fasting is obligatory for all Muslims except the mentally disabled, elderly, ill people, pregnant or lactating women, women in their menstrual period and young children.

What happens next?

Ramadan ends when the crescent moon is sighted. This is marked with the Eid al-Fitr celebration, which falls on the first day of the following month.
This plan for the corps members was made known on Wednesday, May 16, 2018 by the Chairman of Senate Committee on Health, Lanre Tejuoso while contributing to a motion sponsored by Andrew Uchendu.

According to Premium Times, Uchendu lamented the insensitivity of officials of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) towards corps members who fall sick during the three weeks orientation.

To buttress his points, the lawmaker cited two corps members who died at NYSC camp.

Uchendu made reference to Hilda Amadi who died at the NYSC camp in Yipkata, Kwara State during the corps members three-week orientation course

He also made reference to a graduate of Oil and Gas Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt was said to have slumped and died on April 26.

The corps member reportedly died after she suffered a bone fracture during a morning drill on Monday, April 23, 2018.

However, Tejuoso said that the one percent of the Consolidate Revenue Fund (CRF) will ensure that youth corpers are covered by health insurance.

I want to refer to the budget that we are passing today; that the issue of youth corpers in Nigeria is well highlighted.

The introduction of the one per cent of the consolidated revenue fund that is going to be introduced in this new budget will ensure that all the youth corpers are covered by the health insurance.

At events like this, you dont need to rely on the doctors in camp. Any youth corper will be entitled to go to any hospital in the location in the local government that is covered by health insurance.

So this kind of incident wont repeat itself. The solution is included in this new budget that all the 300,000 youth corpers, every year, will be covered by the health insurance,

NYSC increses corps members allowance

Recall that the NYAC management recently announced an increase in local and transportation allowances of corps members.

The Scheme's Director, Press and Publications Mrs Adenike Adeyemi announced the increase in the corps members' transportation and local allowances in a statement.
The Minister of State for Education, Anthony Anwukah made this known at a two-day retreat for governing councils of federal universities in Abuja.

According to Premium Times, Anwukah said the one-year training is being considered for fresh graduates because many university graduates were not good enough to be employed by industries.

He said the training is similar to the one-year training being undertaken by law and medical students.

Law students attend Law School for one year before going for NYSC and medical students go for one year Housemanship before they are allowed to practice fully, so it will be necessary for other courses to also go through this process, Mr Anwukah said.

The Lagos Business School can also serve as a one-year after-school training.
The businessman took to his Instagram page on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, where he shared photos of his visit to the chairman, Ibrahim Magu on the occasion of the opening of the commission's new building and they both looked happy to be in each other's presence.

"In truth, the fight against corruption has been intensified in Nigeria with the commissioning of this gigantic architectural masterpiece by President Mohammadu Buhari yesterday. The new EFCC headquarters in Abuja has one of the best state of the arts security facilities in Africa and am humbled to be one of the invited special guests who witnessed this historical ceremony.

"Indeed, "the fight against corruption is the duty of every citizen. If you see something, say something and EFCC will do something". Obviously, no one can pull down a man with the GRACE of God! Congratulations @officialefcc," he captioned the photo.

Tonto Dikeh and Churchill Oladunni call each other out on Instagram

A few days ago, Tonto Dikeh and her ex-husband, Churchill Oladunni spent the day calling each other out on Instagram. Remember the story of the vendor had called out Churchill Oladunni for allegedly owing them and absconding with their appliances from the home he once rented from them in Ghana, well the businessman took to his Instagram page on Friday, May 11, 2018, to clear the air on the allegation.
The actress, who was popular for her role in the "Omoge Campus" movie, passed away in Canada on May 15, 2018.

According to the AGN President, Emeka Rollas, Abimbola's death came at a time when the movie industry was beginning to make great impact on society.

It is so sad to see such a budding talent go to waste at a time she could have positively touched many lives through her acting skills, Rollas said to the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday, May 16.

He said that the guild had lost some of its members to death caused by various illnesses.

Advising actors to take their health seriously, Rollas encouraged AGN members to take advantage of the Life Insurance Scheme.

It is not possible to totally guide against death, but the scheme will serve as a platform to prepare members from being caught unawares by the cold hands of death, he said.

Also speaking on her death, the Vice President, AGN, South West chapter, Tope Babayemi, said, this is another sad loss to the movie industry and it is high time we began to take our health seriously."

God gives and God takes. She was a great actress and her fans will miss her greatly, he added.

Aisha Abimbola's acting career

Abimbola shot into limelight with her role in the Bola Igida movie, "Omoge Campus."

Her other movies and TV series include Papa Ajasco, "No Pain, No Gain," "Awerijaye," "So Wrong So Right" and "Tomi Teje."

Ambimbola was formerly married to Victor Ibrahim. They got married in 2005 and had two beautiful children together.

Other celebrities who have mourned the actress include Toyin Aimakhu, Adeniyi Johnson, Kunle Afod among others.
Aiyedogbon, approached the Court, seeking N10 billion as damages in a defamation suit instituted against controversial Lagos lawyer, Emeka Ugwuonye, who accused him of murdering his wife.

Testifying before Justice Peter Kekemeke of the FCT High Court, Aiyedogbon said he was away in Istanbul, Turkey when his daughter Juliet, called him over the phone to inform him of his estranged wifes disappearance in May, 2016.

He said that upon returning to Nigeria, he made great efforts to find his former wife.

I asked my daughter to report the matter at the and she also wrote a petition to the Commisoner of Police which he followed up immediately he returned to Nigeria, he said.

Aiyedogbons counsel, Tony Ogbulafor had tendered a DVD containing a video of Ugwuronye, founder of Due Process Advocate group on facebook, telling the public that Aiyedogbon killed his wife, Charity.

When asked if there he had any conflict over a property with his missing wife, he and his estranged wife were shareholders in Charvid Nigerian Limited.

I did not have a personal conflict with his estranged wife but she only sought for the dissolution of the said company.

We were married for 26 years and separated in May 29, 2014 while she was declared missing in May 2016.

Mr Ugwuronye could not produce any evidence that I murdered my former wife. I filed this suit against the defendant for him to present to the court his overwhelming evidence of why he called me a murderer, he said.
The conditions that are inciting many to leave in droves have been the same for years. Despite massive oil wealth, basic conveniences are lacking. The gap between the rich and the poor is as wide as ever, so much that commentators have posited that the Nigerian middle-class is actually a myth.

Amenities like education and electricity are hampered by poor infrastructure, deep-rooted corruption and inadequate funding.

The present administration has been adjudged sub-par by most of the public, even as it is expected to win coming elections, thanks to the President's strong following in his northern base.

The perpetuity of Nigeria's problems has left most Nigerians with little belief that things can get better. While the lower class have storified the Libya Route to Italy and Europe, wealthier Nigerians prefer the conventional channels to Western countries.

For many, like Ezekiel, a 41-year old manager at a media company, Quartz reports, it is a matter of giving their children opportunities that Nigeria's outdated educational system will not afford them.

In recent times, Canada has usurped the United Kingdom and Trump's America to become the destination of choice for most economic immigrants from Nigeria.

There is good reason for this. Canada has an ageing population. To offset the imbalance and increase the workforce, the country created an Express Entry system for skilled workers in 2015.

Factors like the applicant's age, education level, proficiency in languages and work experience are used to consider their eligibility for the program. The application process typically takes about 6 months and successful participants get a permanent residence permit.

ALSO READ: Africans in Israel are painting their faces white to avoid deportation

In the last few years, the number of Nigerians who have applied successfully has increased more than tenfold. And it seems like the trend will continue. Canada has no cap on the number of people who can apply and the program is open throughout the year.

The opportunity is still very present; Canada hopes to admit 85,000 skilled migrants by 2020; in the first two years, over 43000 applicants have been admitted, yet not everyone takes what most Nigerians see as a simple, legal route.

Nigerians, and people of other nationalities, armed with their visitor visas to the United States, are crossing from upstate New York through the Canadian border into the province of Quebec to seek asylum.

Last year, 5,575 Nigerians sought asylum in Canada; records state that in the first three months of 2018, more than half of the 5,000 asylums seekers who crossed the Canadian border were Nigerians.

The anti-immigrant stance suggested by last year's Brexit vote and the tough rhetoric of Donald Trump's America have left many Nigerians with the understanding that they are not so welcome in two of the top choices for economic migrants in the past. Canada, on the other hand, has continuously sent the message that it will welcome those fleeing persecution, terror and war, regardless of their faith.

This clear attitude towards those fleeing poor socio-economic conditions and conservative oppression has led many Nigerians to seek asylum with claims of persecution by Boko Haram terrorists and sexual orientation.

In the last few months, however, the numbers have increased exponentially; for example, 68% of Nigerian seeking asylum claimed to be bisexual compared to an average of 12% for other nationals. It has led to suspicions that these claims may be fabricated. To check the number of asylum applications, Canada recently asked the United States to be stricter with awarding visitor visas to Nigerians.

Applying for asylum doesn't carry any guarantees of entry. The cost of getting into the United States on a visitor visa and crossing the border is quite steep.

Applicants for the Express Entry program also have to cover heavy costs. The basic application fee costs 800 dollars.

As with most of these programs, applicants also need to prove that they can provide for themselves; a requirement which they satisfy by showing evidence of funds ranging from 9000 dollars to 25000 dollars, depending on how many people are entering the country, as individuals or a family.

The IELTS, a test of proficiency in the English Language which all applicants must take, costs 75,000 naira per sitting.

Despite these costly requirements, many of those who have made it there, like Tobi, an I.T specialist who originally moved to Ottawa to get a master's degree, are intent on getting through "the difficult initial process of finding your feet".

Most of them are certain that it is a one-way trip and if as long as they have a choice in the matter, they are in Canada to stay for good.

This trend of emigration from Nigeria to countries like Canada is reminiscent of another very similar chapter in Nigeria's history.

In the 1980s, young Nigerians, intellectuals, skilled workers and entire families left the country in droves to flee harsh economic conditions and repressive military government.

As with then, many are convinced that there is no way forward.
Ogbeche of Karmo by police station was convicted on a count charge of theft.

The convict had admitted committing the offence and urged the court to temper justice with mercy as he did not know what came over him.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Ifeoma Ukahga, had told the court that one Esther Suleiman, of Idu, reported the matter at the Karmo Police Station on May 8.

She said the convict came to their hotel, Professor Suite, located at Idu, and stole one DVD player valued at N10, 000.

During police investigation, he confessed to the crime and begged for forgiveness.
Buratai gave the assurance while addressing 250 officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry, who are in course at Kachia in Kaduna State.

The News Agency of Nigeria report that, the army chief was on operational visit to the school and other army facilities in the area.

The measure put in place in tackling security challenges across the country are yielding positive results.

The Nigerian army remain committed to protecting the territorial integrity of the country.

He assured the troops of the Armys commitment towards providing operational facilities of international standard as well as conducive environment for enhanced professionalism.

Buratai charged instructors to impart the desired training to the troops, and called on officers and men of the corps to uphold high standards of discipline.

Also the army chief, paid a courtsey visit to the paramount ruler of Kachia, Agom Adara, Dr Maiwada Galadima.

He commended Kachia community for the warm hospitality it has accorded Army formations in the area over the years.

Buratai explained that the warm relationship that has existed between the Army and the community is commendable, and solicited for more support and cooperation towards ensuring lasting peace in the state.

He expressed delight to the chiefdom for preserving plots of land belonging to the Nigerian Army and urged the traditional ruler to look into the issue of encroachment in some areas.

Responding, the Agom Adara, Dr Galadima, commend the Army chief for identifying with the chiefdom.

ALSO READ: Buratai offers 5 Benue youths automatic recruitment

The paramount ruler attributed the peace currently enjoyed in the chiefdom to the presence of army formations in the area, assuring the Army chief that no land belonging to the Army was encroached upon.
The Anne Frank House Museum said at a presentation that it, and several Dutch historical institutes, were able to reproduce the lost pages after years of study by shining a light through them and photographing them in high resolution.

Dutch museums on Tuesday published two pages of Anne Frank's diary that had previously been hidden behind a layer of sticky brown paper.

The Jewish teenager apparently covered up the pages because she worried that other people in her hideout would read them, as they contain a series of dirty jokes and her thoughts on sex education, said Ronald Leopold, director of Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.

Frank and her family hid from the Nazis in a secret annex in a house in Amsterdam during World War II but were discovered in 1944.

She died aged 15 at Bergen-Belson concentration camp in 1945. Her diary was published two years later and has been read worldwide and translated into at least 60 languages.
The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Kwara State Ministry of Justice, Jimoh Mumini, made the reservation known after an emergency Security Council meeting chaired by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed on Wednesday at the Government house in Ilorin.

Jimoh noted that the offence for which the suspects were arrested are state offences which should ideally be tried under the laws of the State.

Jimoh said that even though the representative of the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command, Aminu Pai Saleh disclosed that the four suspects were transferred to Abuja for further investigation, the state Ministry of Justice has successfully prosecuted suspected cultists and killers at the State High Court under the penal code.

'Speed up investigation'

The DPP therefore urged the police to speed up their investigation and return the suspects to Kwara so as to commence trial as done by the Ministry of Justice with regards to similar offences and offenders in the past.

Also, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Government House, Mr Daniel Ogungbe noted that the concern of the state government was based on the urgency with which the suspects were transferred to Abuja.

He noted that the suspects should have been tried in the State rather than being transferred to the federal capital and expressed hope that the investigation and trial will not be hijacked for political purposes.

Cult briefings

Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Communication, Dr Muyideen Akorede noted that the council received briefing on cult related violence in the State and the outcome of the recent Ward and Local Government Congress of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the State.
The Commissioner for Housing, Mr Gbolahan Lawal, disclosed this on Wednesday at the on going Ministerial Briefing to commemorate Gov. Akinwunmi Ambodes third year in office.

Gbolahan said the joint venture partnership was under a housing programme tagged Lagos Affordable Public Housing (LAPH) initiative.

He said it was introduced by the government to inject private funds into the provision of houses, to enable the state bridge the gap in the housing deficit, put at three million.

The commissioner said by this initiative, the state intended to provide 20,000 housing units over a period of four years spanning 2017-2020.

This initiative is implemented through a joint venture arrangement between the State and the private investor/Joint Venture Partner.

Under this initiative, the state provides land, the documentation in terms of permits, approvals, registration of documents and stamping as its own contribution to the joint venture.

The joint venture partner provides funds and construction expertise as its contribution.

In line with the investment policy of the government and for the purpose of creating an investment data base, title to the project site is vested in IBILE Holdings Ltd., the investment agency of the state government.

The agency will in turn grant a deed of sublease of the unexpired residue of its interest to the special purpose vehicle/project company to be incorporated for the purpose of execution and management of the project, he said.

According to him, the special purpose vehicle/project Company is made up of both parties, and the shareholding will be based on the value of the equity contribution of the parties.

Under the joint venture arrangement, Gbolahan said that the Ikota and Ogmbo scheme would deliver 3,300 housing units being developed by Multi-Purpose Infrastructure Development Construction Limited.

He said that the Ibeshe and Owutu scheme that would deliver 3,000 housing units was being developed by Affordable Mass Housing Company Limited.

Other joint venture partnership arrangements include the Igbogbo Housing Scheme, being developed by M-Bridge Ltd.,to deliver 416 housing units.

Also, the Ijora-Badiya. scheme, being developed by Brains and Hammers Limited, will deliver 771 housing units.

He said the Imota, Ayobo and Idale scheme, by Echostone Management Corp, had 2,000 housing units.

In Ilamoye-Isolo and Abijo Scheme, a 2,464 housing units scheme is being developed by Baden Moyet Nigeria Limited/Lemine Investment Group.

Also, the Abule Ado housing scheme being developed by Tact Urban Infrastructure Development will deliver 2,126 housing units.

Gbolahan said that the government had als continued to implement the rent-to-own and rental housing policies.

He said these were aimed at making housing more readily affordable and accessible to residents.

Lawal said that the policies were particularly targeted at low and middle income earners in both the formal and informal sectors.

He said that, as post-construction management of housing estates remained a challenge, the government had engaged facility managers to overcome the problem.

The commissioner said that the Ministry also continued the Master Craftmans project which was aimed at addressing the dearth of skilled workforce.

He said these affected masons, carpenters, steel fabricators, plumbers, electricians, painters, joiners and tillers.
Dogara stated this at the inauguration of the new headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

President Muhammadu Buhari, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha were amongst guests who joined the EFCC acting chairman, Ibrahim Magu, at the event.

As a representative of history, a prophet cried to God that there was no pure prophet any more, that they had all bent their knees to baal, he said.

God replied this prophet that He had reserved in that city thousands who had not bent their knees to baal. There are millions of Nigerians who have not bent their knees to the god of corruption, that fact I must emphasize, he added.

Describing the event as a fulfilment of a long desire added that visiting the former head office of the EFCC for the first time would make people feel the fight against corruption was a joke.

Dogara maintained that it was through the support of the National Assembly that funds were put together to complete the institution.

He admonished the officials of EFCC to be steadfast in their fight against corruption.

We expect that the officers of the EFCC should be angels, that is not a misplaced expectation, except for the reminder that angel live in heaven, they dont live in hell, he said.

We have the active responsibility, and should take measures to insulate men and the staff of this agency from temptations, that is by ensuring a practical means of engagement and service for them.
Chairman of the Senate committee on appropriation, Danjuma Goje, presented the budget to the upper legislative chamber at plenary on Tuesday, May 15, 2018.

Details in the report indicates that the National Assembly increased the 2018 budget from N8.6 trillion to N9.120 trillion.

Senate President Bukola Saraki had assured President Buhari of the passage of the 2018 appropriation bill during their visit to the villa.

Similarly, Senate spokesman Sabi Abdullahi, said the 2018 budget would be passed on Wednesday, May 16, 2018.

The National Assembly had blamed the delay in the passage of the 2018 budget on the failure of some heads of government agencies and parastatals to show up for their defence.

Some heads of agencies had accused some Senators of requesting for bribes.
Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, on Thursday, May 10, 2018, ordered that the Senator shouldbe immediately re-instated.

He also nullified the Senate's decision to suspend him for 90 legislative days.

Justice Dimgba in his ruling, also said that the Senate can only suspend an erring lawmaker for 14 legislative days.

Omo-Ageges offence

The Senate on Thursday, April 12, 2018,suspended Delta state Senator for 90 legislative days.

Omo-Agege and nine other Senators staged a walkout after the Senate passed the electoral amendment bill, which they had opposed.

He had alleged that the bill was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking on the recent development, Omo-Ageges lawyer confirmed the news to Premium Times.

The Senators media aide, Efe Duku also said Justice Nnamdi Dimgba refused the application on the chief ground that, strictly speaking, there is no appeal against his decision nullifying the suspension. That the appeal before him is against the reliefs of the plaintiff that is: Senator Omo-Agege which were not granted not granted by the court. In the circumstance, he held that the application lacked merit and struck same out.
Speaking at plenary on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, Saraki said some cultists whose investigation had been completed and awaiting prosecution have been ordered to be transferred to Abuja by IGP Idris.

The Senate President said the Kwara state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, disclosed the happenings to him on Tuesday night.

Saraki described the news as an act of desperation and intimidation capable of undermining the Nigerian democracy.

His words: Last night, my state governor, revealed to me an information at his disposal that a group of suspects who have been arrested in our state for cultism, whose investigation has been completed and were about to be under prosecution under the state law on the advise of DPP and the ministry of justice, all of a sudden been ordered to be transferred to Abuja this morning.

The information reaching him from the commissioner of police is that they have been directed by the IGP to bring them to Abuja. With the information that he has, they would find how to alter their statement already made in Ilorin and try and implicate the state government and particularly myself. I felt that as we speak now, these suspects are already here in Abuja.

These acts I dont know whether to call it desperation or intimidation, all actions to undermine our democracy, a recipe for anarchy because we are doing our work by asking officials to obey the law, due process and subject themselves to constituted authority. I think it is important, I think this dangerous development, to your attention, country and the international authority of the impunity we are undergoing in this country and the danger to our democracy," he added.

ALSO READ: Speaker tears IGP apart after meeting Buhari at the Villa

I know the gravity of the issue that is why I am bringing it to your attention and to continue to let our colleagues and the world know presently the danger we are going with and the levels of the rascality that is going on with some of these actions. I have brought it to your attention and we must continue to play our own role in doing what we believe in the course of our duty.

It is very unfortunate but that it the information I have as of now, the President of the Senate said.

The Senate resolved to set up an eight-man committee to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari to intimate him on the matter.

The delegation would consist of the Senate President, the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan; the Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye; and the Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Mr Ibrahim Abdulkadir, Zonal Information Officer, of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Borno, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He told NAN in Maiduguri that the incident occurred around 1:30 pm.

He said that the bomber detonated his Improvised Explosive Device (IED), at a military check point killing the victims.

Malam Bello Danbatta, the spokesperson of the Civilian JTF, said he lost four of his men including the leader of the task force in Konduga.

Danbatta described the loss as shocking and said that many of his members had lost their lives fighting Boko Haram.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army on Tuesday said it neutralised six Boko Haram members during its clearance operations at Gashigar, Borno.

ALSO READ: NAF Special Forces foil suicide bombing attempt at University of Maiduguri

Brig. Gen. Texas Chukwu, the Director Army Public Relations, who disclosed this in a statement, said some of the terrorists were wounded, while weapons were recovered during the encounter.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) observed that the council elections were conducted using electronic voting machines in the state.

This is the first time a state has adopted the use of electronic machines to conduct elections in Nigeria.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting which was held behind closed door at the Presidential Villa, El-Rufai said he also used the opportunity to welcome the president from his recent trips to America and London.

On the use of electronic voting machines during last Saturday local government election in Kaduna state, the governor recommended the adoption of e-voting in future elections at both federal and state levels as panacea to election frauds in the country.

He expressed the readiness of the Kaduna state government to give out the machines on mutually acceptable terms to those state governments that were yet to conduct local government elections in their states.

Absolutely, I recommend it highly to everyone, I have already offered to my colleagues state governors that are yet to conduct local government elections that they can come to Kaduna and we can give them the machines on mutually acceptable terms.

All you will need is to change the software, it will have the logo of the state and the number of parties active in the state, they can use it. It is easy.

At federal level, I will recommend it as well because with the card reader and the electronic voting machine, the era of rigging elections is almost over and I think that is when people will have confidence in the process and will come out enmass to vote for their leaders.

Having said that, I know we have been working on this for about one year before we got to where we are. Although it is possible for INEC to do it, it will be logistically difficult.

But nothing stops them from trying if the resources are available. Because, the machines have already been manufactured, the designs are there, you only need to place the orders to the Chinese and Im sure they will deliver them in no time.

El-Rufai also dismissed the assertion that the use of e-voting was against the Electoral Act, saying that, I dont agree with that.

There is an amendment to the Electoral Act that President Jonathan signed a few days before he left office which legitimize the use of the card reader and other electronic systems for voting.

So, in my view the current Electoral Act has provision for the electoral voting.

But, that is not even what we used in Kaduna. In Kaduna, we enacted our own electoral law that made provision for the electronic voting machine and card reader, everything was totally legitimized and passed by our State House of Assembly and I think every state can do the same, he said.

He added that the current legal framework allowed the use of electronic voting machines.

ALSO READ: El-Rufai performs ground breaking for 600 mass housing units

The governor also dismissed the assertion that Buharis electoral value would diminish if the aggrieved members of the new PDP should pulled out of the ruling APC government.

He said: I dont agree and I want to go back to 2003. What are we talking about? Who are these new PDP people that are threatening? This is Kwara, Kano, Sokoto, Adamawa, Rivers but I dont think Amaechi is part of them.

So lets take these four states, go back to 2003 and check. Buhari then under ANPP won in all these four states. Go back to 2007, Buhari won in these four states. Even when Shakarau was running as a presidential candidate in 2011, Buhari defeated him in Kano.

And, I have no doubt in my mind that even if the people threatening to leave, leave, it will have absolutely no impact on the presidential elections, the president will win Sokoto, Kwara and Adamawa easily.

Kano is already in the bag, I mean if you saw the crowd that welcome the president without the former governor Kwankwaso, Kano has always been the presidents base.

To me that is not the issue, the issue is that they have written, they have expressed grievances, some of the grievances are legitimate and should be looked into.
Armed police officers had shut down the House of Assembly complex on Monday, May 14, 2018, to prevent the impeachment of the speaker after 21 members signed to remove him.

According to a statement by the state's Commissioner of Information, Muhammad Garba, Governor Ganduje met with the warring factions on Tuesday, May 15, to reconcile them.

As a result of the success of the meeting, the Assembly complex will be reopened on Thursday, May 17.

Garba said, "Following the reconciliation which brought the crisis to an end, the Assembly will reopen on Thursday to further consolidate the resolutions reached at the meeting.

"The reconciliation meeting was held late on Tuesday at the Government House between representatives of the two feuding factions and Governor Abdullahi Ganduje who intervened to resolve the crisis in the interest of peace and democratic development of the state. The meeting was held in a matured and responsible manner."

In the wake of Monday's sealing of the complex, Ata ordered the suspension of all House activities until after the Eid-El Kabir festivities and said that only God will determine whether the impeachment move against him succeeds or fails.
When lawmakers resumed work hours later, they were politely told to head back home.

Reports say the police officers and NSCDC operatives arrived the House of Assembly in 10 trucks before proceeding to seal off all entry points.

What exactly happened?

Pulse has been told that a host of lawmakers in the Kano parliament are not happy with Speaker of the House, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata and want him impeached.

Ata has been accused of incompetence and failure to carry everyone along.

Ata has also been accused of a failure to pursue the interests of lawmakers.

He narrowly escaped impeachment a few months ago.

21 legislators have signed the current Ata impeachment form. That means only six other signatures are now required to remove the Speaker.

All other principal officers of the House have been voted out as well.

Speaker knows he'll be impeached

ChannelsTV reports that the Speaker has accepted his fate and knows he is only days away from being impeached.

However, a defiant Ata told the press that only God can unseat him.

"In anything in life, there is starting point and the end. If Allah has designed it that my time is off, nobody will extend it by a second. And if it is not time, nobody can remove me from office, that is my belief.

"My happiness is that I didnt steal anybody's money. So, if today, they remove me from office, I will leave. I have a constituency that I am representing. But nobody will accuse me of stealing", the Speaker said.

Police spokesperson in Kano, SP Magaji Musa Majia confirmed the development to the press.

According to Majia, the deployment of the police personnel to the Assembly was necessary to maintain peace in the complex.

He said, We deployed our men to the Assembly to ensure that nobody disrupts the peace.

We need peace in the State and therefore we will not allow anybody to tamper with existing peace and harmony being enjoyed by the people in the State.
The U.S. considered some 20 scenarios for military action against North Korea last year, when relations were at a nadir in the wake of the North's nuclear tests and missile launches, a senior government official here said Tuesday.

The official told reporters he had a long talk last October with an associate from the CIA's Korea Mission Center, a division that deals with the North Korean nuclear issue.

"At the time, I was surprised to hear that the 'military options' Washington was talking about were not an empty threat by American hardliners but actual preparations," he said.

"What surprised me most was that such a thing was discussed in detail."

"I'd thought of military options as things like the bombing of the Yongbyon nuclear facilities or a decapitation strike against North Korean leaders. But I heard that 20-odd military scenarios were under discussion over how to carry them out and how to react to each response from Pyongyang," he added.

The KMC was launched in May last year at the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump. It has a staff of 600 to 700, and its chief is "so trusted by Trump that he has an office in the White House," according to the official.

The KMC chief reportedly accompanied U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on his two recent trips to Pyongyang.

"The KMC chief met Maeng Kyong-il, the deputy director of North Korea's United Front Department, in February, when U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was here to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. They arranged a recent meeting between Pompeo and Kim Yong-chol, the director of the United Front Department," the official said.


Senator Anyanwu stated this on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, while contributing to an allegation raised by Senate President Bukola Saraki of a plot to frame him in a case involving four cultists.

Anyanwu who chairs the Senate committee on ethics and privileges said the events of the past few months was a testimony of his earlier assertion in February 2018.

These were his words: If this matter has to do with the President of the Senate, then all of us are in trouble. I remember I said this that from February, all for us should be prepared, one after the other, it has come to that point.

Im looking at a situation where we dont look at geo-political zones, we look for crack people who can do a forensic investigation and bring it to the public domain so that Nigerians can understand the prosecution we are going through now.

As it stands, I can assure you, some of us have been earmarked for destruction just because we speak out but as far as Im concerned, its only one bullet and one life, he added.

Similarly, Senator Isa Misau urged his colleagues to be prepared for the attacks from state agencies.

The Police is just being used as face for this, there are other security organisations behind what is happening. And all this thing is about 2019 election.

I want all of you to be prepared because they are coming for all of us one by one, he added.
Kinder Morgan, whose investors will meet later in the day on the issue, had given a May 31 deadline to clear up political uncertainty surrounding the project.

"We are prepared to indemnify the project against any financial loss that derives from (British Columbia) Premier John Horgan's attempts to delay or obstruct the project," Finance Minister Bill Morneau told a news conference.

"If Kinder Morgan decides at some stage not to proceed with TMX, the indemnification against financial loss would still be in place for another party who might wish to take over the project," he said.

The finance minister declined to provide details of its proposal.

Ottawa approved in 2016 the Can$7.4 billion (US$5.8 billion) twinning of the pipeline originally built in 1953 to move 890,000 barrels of oil per day from landlocked Alberta to the Pacific tidewater, for shipping to new overseas markets.

In exchange for a new 1,150-kilometer (715-mile) conduit that would allow Alberta to diversify its markets and get a better price for its resources, the province agreed to impose curbs to carbon emissions on its oil sands, which is the largest single pollution emitter in Canada and key to the nation meeting its Paris climate target.

But British Columbia's new social democratic government recently joined environmental activists' fight against the pipeline, provoking an Alberta boycott of its wines and threats to devastate the British Columbia economy by restricting oil and gas supplies to its neighbor.

Opponents of TMX are concerned about the risk of oil spills along Canada's pristine Pacific coast impacting fisheries and tourism.

The row reached a boiling point last month with nearly 200 protestors arrested, and concerns raised that British Columbia's opposition to TMX risked provoking a constitutional crisis and was scaring away international investors.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau interupted a three-country trip to Peru, France and Britain to return home to try to mediate the disagreement.
Kyrylo Vyshynsky, a dual Ukrainian-Russian national who works for Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti, was detained in Kiev on Tuesday where officials said he would be charged with treason for his "subversive" reporting to justify Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea.

They also said Vyshynsky later collaborated with separatist groups in eastern Ukraine, where a conflict that broke out following Crimea's seizure has cost some 10,000 lives.

The court in the southern city of Kherson, where Vyshynsky was expected to be transferred, said it had not yet received his case and a hearing may not take place until Thursday.

Zakharova accused Ukrainian authorities of a "repressive" policy against the media and expressed Russia's "indignation at the brutal violations of the freedom of the press in Ukraine".

Vyshynsky's arrest came just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin opened a bridge providing the first direct road connection from southern Russia to the Crimean peninsula.
"Nothing has happened with ZTE except as it pertains to the larger trade deal," Trump said on Twitter.

"China has seen our demands. There has been no folding as the media would love people to believe. The meetings haven't even started yet!"

Trump's remarks followed an AFP report last week that a Chinese state enterprise was pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into an Indonesian real estate development linked to the American president's business empire, prompting questions of possible quid-pro-quo for ZTE.

Trump's latest Twitter salvo comes at a delicate moment for US trade policy, as the United States works on several fronts to resolve disputes with major trading partners.

ZTE was fined $1.2 billion in March 2017 but last month it was hit with a steeper sanction, prohibiting US firms from supplying it with needed parts after the Commerce Department found the company had lied multiple times and failed to take actions against employees responsible for sanctions violations on Iran and North Korea.

The company faced collapse as a result and Trump said Sunday he and Chinese President Xi Jinping were exploring ways to get the company "back into business fast."

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross also said Monday the US was looking at "alternative remedies" for the April sanctions.

A Chinese delegation was due to hold talks in Washington this week, with both sides threatening to impose massive tariffs on each other's exports.
CA has vehemently denied exploiting data obtained from up to 87 million Facebook users for Donald Trump's presidential campaign, claiming it deleted data obtained in breach of the social network's terms of service.

The company announced early this month it was closing and would file for bankruptcy in Britain and the United States, saying it had been "vilified" by the "numerous unfounded accusations."

US investors have sought to speak with banks that have handled the company's business, the Times said, citing an American official and others familiar with the investigation as saying the probe appears to focus on CA's finances and how it obtained and used personal data from Facebook.

One of the prosecutors involved in the inquiry is Brian Kidd, assistant chief of the Justice Department's securities and financial fraud division, with the help of at least one agent who investigates cybercrime for the FBI.

Kidd traveled to London with another Justice Department prosecutor and an FBI agent this month to interview ex-CA employee Christopher Wylie, according to the Times.

"I can confirm that I've been contacted by the FBI and the Department of Justice, and answered preliminary questions," Wylie told the newspaper. "We plan to meet again to provide substantive answers to the investigators."
"The president is ready if the meeting takes place. And if it doesn't, we will continue the maximum pressure campaign that has been ongoing."

The North warned it may back out of the high-level summit -- set for June 12 in Singapore -- if the United States pressures it to relinquish its nuclear arsenal.

"If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue," first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan said in a statement carried by state media.

China, North Korea's sole major ally, voiced "hope" the meeting would still go ahead.

In recent weeks Kim has twice met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pyongyang has announced it will destroy its nuclear testing site next week.
Odinga made the rare confession while speaking at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom where he gave a speech on the unity process that he has championed alongside President Kenyatta.

Odinga was, however, optimistic that the unity deal would materialise and serve as a good example for other African countries that have struggled with divisive politics.

It is our hope that the handshake could inspire other African nations struggling with problems similar to those of Kenya.

"There will be opposition and resistance because the issues we want to tackle go to the core of how Kenya has been run over the past five decades, he stated.

President Kenyatta has also in the recent accused some unnamed persons of undermining the unity deal.
Tucumcari has a new city manager.

Britt Lusk, 38, who was the director of administrative services for Hobbs, was named Tucumcaris new city manager Thursday on a unanimous city commission vote.

His salary will be $82,500 per year.

Lusk was hired on a strictly at-will basis, according to his one-year contract with the city. He began his duties on Monday, according to the contract, which is good through May 14, 2019.

In comments at Thursdays commission meeting, Lusk said in Tucumcari he sees not a city but a community.

Lusk has a master of public administration degree from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas and a bachelors degree in psychology from Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas.

Lusk has worked at his position in Hobbs since 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile. Previously he held positions in Abilene, Texas, including youth and family director for the YMCA and human resources director for New Horizons, a foster care, adoption and counseling center for children.

Lusk and his wife Yvonne have two boys.

Mark Martinez has served as interim city manager since March 15, and with Lusks arrival has returned to his position as project manager with the citys community development department.

Martinez filled in for the job after former City Manager Jared Langenegger left the position on March 14 after announcing his resignation.
For the first time in the recorded history of Quay County, the number of registered Republican voters is higher than the registered Democrats in an election, according to Quay County Clerk Ellen White.

White said at the end of books closing for the 2018 Primary Election, in May 8, the registered number of Republicans is 2408 and Democrats are 2400. She said as far back as records could be researched, this is the first time in Quay County history the Republican voters outnumber the Democrat voters.

White said Quay County has 5934 total registered voters with 1126 ineligible for the primary because on not declaring a major party.

White said a reason for the change could be the contested local races on the Republican ballot for the upcoming June 5 Primary. She said the number of candidates running for the local postitions has sparked a higher interest from voters in this election.

The following races are all in the GOP primary:

Public Regulations Commissioner

 Jefferson L. Byrd

 Jerry W. Partin

County Magistrate Judge

 Timothy James OQuinn

 Patricia J. Lopez

 Paula J. Chacon

County Commissioner District 3

 Franklin D. McCasland

 Bryan M. Rinestine

White said early voting is ongoing at the County Clerks Office, at this time, 202 people have cast early ballots  137 Republicans and 65 Democrats. She said 12 voters have requested absentee ballots by mail  nine for Republicans and three for Democrats.

The last day to early vote is on June 2 at the County Clerks Office.
How do you know youre reading news and not propaganda?

If it sounds too good or evil to be true, its probably propaganda.

If it is important and urgent, youre probably going to see it in more than one publication or broadcast medium. Luckily, online media makes that easy, these days.

You have to be careful when perhaps the best funded and most easily accessed current information outlets are almost unashamedly putting out propaganda and calling it journalism.

Unfortunately, this is also a time when even the most reliable of our bastions of serious news demonstrate a vendetta against our current president.

Old-line media are trumpeting an apparently grave threat against Republicans and an almost-certain reversal of Republican majorities in the U.S. House and Senate in races this year.

They cite President Donald Trumps apparent unpopularity in the polls. His approval percentages are in the 40s, the old-line media keep saying.

If thats true, why are Republican candidates campaigning on their loyalty to the president, and why does it seem to be working for them, except when they are criminally neglectful mining executives and pedophiles?

I really dont see the Democratic landslides that the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post are predicting.

In fact, its hard to find credible Democratic party candidates on the national level.

And where is that story?

Trump and the Republicans have now become the party of our blue-collar workforce. He has said he will bring back better times for them.

Hes working on it in his own way, whether or not it is succeeding, and that should be acknowledged.

It would be refreshing to read more non-disparaging news coverage of the developments that resulted in Trumps election and more uncritical acknowledgment of Trumps continued favor in the nations midsection.

That is, more statements that merely acknowledge the facts of Trumps ascendancy without the next paragraphs that begin, But, this loyalty overlooks... Or This loyalty persists despite...

Yes, the other side belongs in news stories, but not presented in a way that obviously gives the other version more credibility.

The old-line media even seem to be looking for ways to belittle the possible monumental achievement of bringing peace and stability to the Korean peninsula.

A mountain that seems to have collapsed because of nuclear tests might have more to do with North Koreas willingness to talk than Trumps schoolboy taunts.

Trumps belligerence, however, may have played a role in what may become a peaceful agreement to disagree between the two Koreas. Maybe you have to act like a thug to deal with one.

This should be acknowledged without the but that inevitably follows.

I am not a Trump supporter, but I am a supporter of a free and open press.

I worry, however, when pure propaganda acquires more credibility among key audiences than reporting based on factuality and an honest effort to measure urgency and importance.

My concern is heightened when I see old-line media seemingly rising to the bait of fake news bellowing by abandoning any semblance of objectivity in their determination of what is news about an antagonistic president and how it should be reported.

Steve Hansen writes about our life and times from his perspective of a retired Tucumcari journalist. Contact him at:

stevenmhansen

@plateautel.net
The U.S. is demanding that international experts are allowed to inspect North Korea's nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, North Hamgyong Province, which is about to be shut down.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promised during last month's summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in to shut down the test site and invited the international press.

The U.S. is now demanding the inclusion of experts among the audience after criticism that any shutdown in the absence of experts would be meaningless.

A White House official told Voice of America on condition of anonymity on Tuesday that the U.S. welcomes the shutdown but believes the process requires inspections and complete verification.

Katina Adams, a spokeswoman for the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said, "A permanent and irreversible closure that can be inspected and fully accounted for is a key step in the denuclearization" of North Korea.
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Japan once again insists on a flimsy territorial claim to Korea's Dokdo islets in a new diplomatic Blue Book published Tuesday.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono briefed the Cabinet on the new annual foreign policy report.

The Blue Book claims that Dokdo belongs to Japan and Korea occupies it illegally.

On the issue of naming the waters between Korea and Japan, which Korea calls the East Sea, the report argues, "The only internationally established name is the Sea of Japan, and Korea's opposition is baseless."

A phrase that described South Korea as "the most important country that shares strategic benefits with Japan" has been deleted.
Ombudsman Moskalkova seeks to transfer pilot Yaroshenko from U.S. to Russia

 RAPSI

09:51 16/05/2018

MOSCOW, May 16 (RAPSI) - Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova has sent U.S authorities a request to transfer pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko convicted of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine to Russia for serving his sentence, the ombudsmans press office has told RAPSI.

Moskalkova has prepared a letter to the U.S. Prosecutor Generals Office. Moreover, she has forwarded a similar request to the bodies supervising American penal system, the statement reads. In her request, the human rights commissioner also described Yaroshenkos health condition and asked to grant him medical aid and relevant conditions of confinement.

According to the ombudsman, the problem is complicated by the fact that Russia and the United States do not have a prisoner transfer agreement. However, the issue may be settled in line with the principle of reciprocity, the press service quoted Moskalkova as having said.

Konstantin Yaroshenko was arrested in Liberia on May 28, 2010 and flown to the United States soon afterwards. On September 7, 2011, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for colluding to smuggle cocaine into the United States. He was caught after replying to an advertisement posted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents who claimed they were selling a cargo plane for $1.

He is serving his term in the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey.

It was reported in February 2014 that Yaroshenko experienced strong migraine headaches and heart pain, which could be symptoms of a possible heart attack. Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern over the pilots health and pledged to continue working to ensure respect of his rights in the United States.

In May 2016, a U.S. court dismissed his appeal for retrial. Russias Foreign Ministry said this is evidence that Yaroshenkos conviction was politically influenced.

In April 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump refused to pardon Yaroshenko.
Moscow terror attack plotters receive long prison terms

 RIA Novosti, Andrey Stenin

11:56 16/05/2018

MOSCOW, May 16 (RAPSI, Nikita Shiryayev)  The Moscow District Military Court on Wednesday sentenced four men to prison terms ranging from 15 to 18 years for plotting a terror attack in Moscow, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.

Viktor Fedorovich received 18 years, Khismatulla Naimov and Tamerlan Tsechoyev were sentenced 16 years each, Abror Khaidarov was given 15 years. They were found guilty of preparing a terrorist act, ammunition trafficking and illegal production of explosives.

A prosecutor on Monday demanded prison terms varying from 16 to 18 years for the defendants.

According to investigators, the defendants are members of a terrorist group which planned to commit terror attacks in Moscow by the order of leaders of the Islamic State terrorist organization banned in Russia.

Naimov and Fedorovich have pleaded guilty to all charges, Tsechoyev has pleaded guilty only to storage and sale of arms.




Russian tycoon Ismailov accuses Rosbalt news agency of libel

 RIA Novosti, Said Tsarnayev

10:59 16/05/2018

MOSCOW, May 16 (RAPSI) - Russian businessman Telman Ismailov charged in absentia with murder and illegal arms trafficking has lodged a 1-million-ruble defamation lawsuit ($16,000) against Rosbalt new agency, the spokesperson of Moscows Presnensky District Court Aleksey Chernikov has told RAPSI.

In his claim Ismailov says that the media outlet published 7 articles containing intentionally false information about him and abusive language.

The businessman demands to collect 900,000 rubles from the news agency and 100,000 rubles from an author of articles. Moreover, he seeks refutation of statements written in the articles and declaration of them contradicting the reality.

In March 2017, Ismailov was declared bankrupt. In December 2017, the businessman was charged in absentia with murder and illegal arms trafficking. He was also put on the international wanted list.

According to investigators, Ismailov organized the murder of businessman Vladimir Savkin and founder of Lublino-Motors auto service centre Yury Brylev in May 2016. In preparing the crime Ismailov, investigators believe, was assisted by his brothers Rafik and Vagif Ismailovs, whereas the murder was allegedly committed by Mekhman Kerimov, who pleaded guilty. Rafik Ismailov and Kerimov were placed in detention, Telman and Vagif Ismailovs were arrested in absentia by a court decision.

The businessman could face life imprisonment if convicted.

Telman Ismailov, who controls AST Group, is one of Russias richest men. In 2009, he clashed with law enforcement authorities over the Cherkizovsky outdoor market, which evolved from a mere flea market into an industrial-scale distribution hub for Chinese imports during the oil boom. The market was closed after sanitary authorities found major violations.
U.S. authorities refuse to transfer convicted pilot Yaroshenko to Russian prison

 Konstantin Yaroshenko's defense

13:34 16/05/2018

MOSCOW, May 16 (RAPSI)  The United States authorities have denied a request filed by Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova seeking to transfer pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko convicted of conspiracy to smuggle cocaine to Russia for serving his sentence, the ombudsmans press service has told RAPSI.

Earlier, Moskalkova forwarded petitions to the U.S. Prosecutor Generals Office and state bodies supervising American penal system. In her request, the human rights commissioner also described poor health condition of Yaroshenko and asked to grant him medical aid and relevant conditions of confinement.

In April, the ombudsman said that U.S. President Donald Trump refused to pardon the pilot.

Konstantin Yaroshenko was arrested in Liberia on May 28, 2010 and flown to the United States soon afterwards. On September 7, 2011, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for colluding to smuggle cocaine into the United States. He was caught after replying to an advertisement posted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents who claimed they were selling a cargo plane for $1.

He is serving his term in the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey.

It was reported in February 2014 that Yaroshenko experienced strong migraine headaches and heart pain, which could be symptoms of a possible heart attack. Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern over the pilots health and pledged to continue working to ensure respect of his rights in the United States.

In May 2016, a U.S. court dismissed his appeal for retrial. Russias Foreign Ministry said this is evidence that Yaroshenkos conviction was politically influenced.




A former U.S. State Department chief nuclear negotiator has dismissed Washington's demand for "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" of North Korea as wildly unrealistic.

Robert Gallucci, who negotiated a nuclear deal with Pyongyang in 1994, was speaking at a seminar hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"I don't see anything as irreversible. I think the use of the word, which is supposed to convey a permanence, is unfortunately misleading," Voice of America quoted him as saying.

"As a matter of fact, my most important point on this is that you can never take away from North Korea its latent, recess capability to build nuclear weapons."

He said it is impossible to verify the denuclearization process completely.


Detention extended for two former high-ranking investigators

 RAPSI

15:32 16/05/2018

MOSCOW, May 16 (RAPSI)  The Moscow City Court has extended detention of two former high-ranking investigators General Denis Nikandrov and Alexander Lamonov in a bribery case, the courts press service has told RAPSI.

Former First Deputy Head of the Investigative Committees Moscow Directorate, General Denis Nikandrov will stay detained until June 19, while Alexander Lamonov, former Deputy of ex-chief of the Investigative Committees Internal Security Directorate Mikhail Maksimenko, will remain in jail until July 19.

Nikandrov, Maksimenko, and his deputy Lamonov have been arrested and detained as part of a case over extortion of 8 million rubles (about $138,000 at the current exchange rate) that involved an alleged gang leader Zakhariy Kalashov. In addition, investigators believe that they extorted 10 million rubles (about $170,000) from a head of a large joint-stock company. The defendants denied their communications with Kalashov.

On April 20, Maksimenko was found guilty of taking two bribes. The defendant was also fined 165 million rubles ($2.8 million).

According to prosecutors, in 2016, Maksimenko and his accomplice received $500,000 bribe for help with one of criminal cases. He was also charged with taking $50,000 bribe in 2015 for organizing unlawful criminal prosecution of law enforcement officers in the interests of a bribe-giver.
Russias ombudsman backs initiative to fast track commutation of criminal penalties

 RIA Novosti, Anton Denisov

12:32 16/05/2018

MOSCOW, May 16 (RAPSI)  Tatiana Moskalkova, Russias Human Rights Commissioner, has backed an initiative of the Justice Ministry to amend the national Criminal Code in a way subjecting mitigation of criminal penalties to fast track procedures, the ombudsmans official website reads on Wednesday.

The bill envisages a shorter prison term to be served before imprisonment could be substituted with compulsory community service. According to the authors of the proposed amendments, the new regulation is to aid in correction of offenders and prevention of repeated violations.

The new initiative of the Justice Ministry is timely and is worth of every kind of assistance, Moskalkovas statement reads. Any measure aimed at faster socialization of former prisoners inspires respect and sympathy for the cause, the ombudsman has noted.

Earlier, Moskalkova has called for more liberal calculation of time detainees spend during investigations and court hearings, the same being applied to those sentenced to terms in penal colonies and settlements. She has also urged the development of a bill envisaging imperative release of seriously ill convicts on medical grounds.
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Earlier this week, the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), published an entry on their website which contained a notice that the Department of State and the Department of Commerce have each issued a Proposed Rule to amend the regulations pertaining to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). These proposed changes have been eagerly awaited by the firearms community for a number of years.

ITAR has plagued manufacturers and gunsmiths for years with its crushing fees, burdensome restrictions, and general confusion as to who it applies. As with everything in the gun world, rumors and bad information permeate even the highest levels and has resulted in individuals placing themselves in potentially perilous situations.

In order to protect US defense and military technology, Congress passed the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) in 1976. The AECA gave the President the authority to regulate the import of defense articles and defense services. Along with that authority came confusing regulations (in the form of ITAR), high registration fees, and burdensome restrictions.

Proposed Amendments to ITAR

The Department of State is engaged in an effort to revise the U.S. Munitions List [USML] so that its scope is limited to those defense articles that provide the United States with a critical military or intelligence advantage or, in the case of weapons, are inherently for military end use.

The USML is a list of articles, services, and related technologies that have been designated defense related and require compliance with ITAR. A number of the items in the first category (Firearms, Close Assault Weapons, and Combat Shotguns) do not meet the newly proposed standard. Further, a large number are available for purchase in retail settings both in the United States and overseas.

The major proposed change to Category I includes the removal of non-automatic and semi-automatic firearms to caliber .50 (including all their parts, components, accessories, and attachments specifically designed for them). However, fully automatic firearms, fully automatic shotguns and silencers (and specifically designed parts and components) will continue to be subjected to ITAR. Interestingly, the proposal also designates that manufacturers of magazines which hold more than fifty (50) rounds will still be required to comply with ITAR. The Proposed Rule also implements changes to Categories II and III.

Proposed Amendments to the EAR

Even with the proposed removal of items from ITAR, it does not mean they will not be subject to regulation. The Department of Commerce has issued a Proposed Rule which would incorporate the items being removed from the purview of ITAR.

However, unlike ITAR, there is no registration or fee requirement to be able to produce items which are controlled. Provided the proposed rules are adopted, a manufacturer wishing to export any of the items which would be controlled by the EAR would still need to acquire the appropriate licenses to do so.

Once the Proposed Rules are published in the Federal Register, the public will have 45 days to submit comments. After the notice and comment period, the agencies will likely publish final rules and a date for implementation.

It appears that smaller manufacturers of firearms and gunsmiths will see some relief from the burdensome obligations of ITAR. However, the boutique silencer manufacturers will still need to pay their ITAR registration (a hefty $2,500 each year) along with ensuring their compliance with the often confusing requirements.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam Kraut is a firearms law attorney practicing in southeastern PA and across the country federally. He hosts The Legal Brief, a show dedicated to crushing the various myths and misinformation around various areas of the gun world and The Gun Collective Podcast. He was also the general manager of a gun store in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
The participants shared their views on the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore on June 12, ranging from optimistic to pessimistic. Some of the unattributed points are excerpted below.

Other participants included Joseph Yun, a former special representative for North Korea policy at the U.S. State Department, and Evans Revere of the Brookings Institution, another ex-State Department official. Bruce Klingner at the Heritage Institution, Sue Mi Terry at CSIS and Jung Pak at the Brookings Institution also took part. Both used to spy on North Korea for the CIA.

Held under Chatham House rules, the debate allowed experts to address their views without revealing the identities of speakers in the minutes.

Two dozen international security experts gathered at the Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul on Tuesday for a debate on the denuclearization of North Korea.

 "What kind of agreement could come out of Singapore? A ceasefire agreement and a denuclearization pledge could be the first step, and then we may see North Korea allowing inspections of its nuclear facilities in the early stages of a nuclear freeze. We may see the start of negotiations over a peace framework. U.S. President Donald Trump could boast that he did something nobody had ever done."

 "What objective evidence do we have that the North Korean leader has decided to scrap his nuclear arsenal? Other than announcements by Cheong Wa Dae, we cannot find any evidence of that. Kim Jong-un declared his country a 'nuclear-armed state' at the Workers Party meeting in April and is trying to act as a nuclear power."

 "There is no telling what will happen. We are in uncharted waters. We may be shocked by the outcome of the summit. If Kim comes in with a bold agreement, we could have a real eye-opening, jaw-dropping agreement."

 "Kim won't be able to deceive the U.S. on such a large scale. There is no reason why we may not see another 'Gorbachev moment' being reprised in Singapore. Just as Gorbachev led reforms in the former Soviet Union, Kim could have made such a strategic decision."

 "The U.S.-North Korea summit could produce very positive or very negative results. That's why we need to hedge. Negative results will heighten tensions for a prolonged period of time. Positive results also require policy planning. We might need to be ready to 'snap back North Korea with reimplementation of sanction if it does not denuclearize, as well as making backup plans in the event that Kim resumes nuclear weapons development."

 "Kim will try to hold on to his nuclear weapons for as long as possible, so a deadline must be included in any agreement that comes out of the U.S.-North Korea summit. An agreement without a deadline is meaningless."

 "In late 2017, North Korea boasted that it produced a missile capable of reaching the continental U.S. But the effects of international sanctions became evident after China took part in earnest last year and it became necessary to ease those sanctions. Contrary to his big talk, Kim may have grown genuinely afraid of a preemptive U.S. strike."

 "We need to focus on the fact that Kim embraced dialogue after announcing in December of last year that the North was now a nuclear-armed state. The young North Korean leader is thinking about his position 30 to 40 years from now. Kim knows that economic development will be impossible without a nuclear agreement. Now denuclearization doesn't mean as much as it did three years ago. He could rebuild the nuclear arsenal at any time now."
'We have often heard the mythical argument that patents block access to life-saving drugs, but only 5% of medicines from multinational companies are under patent protection in India...'

'Where these patented products are beyond the reach of Indian patients, the companies have programmes to facilitate access to their drugs, for free or for a fraction of the price,' points out Ranjana Smetacek, former director general, Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India.



IMAGE: Patients queue up to meet the doctor at a hospital in India. Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters

Two years ago, the Union Cabinet approved a new intellectual property rights (IPR) policy that was to draw up the road map for intellectual property protection in India.

The objective was to unveil a 'Creative India, Innovative India'.

The initiative envisioned an India where creativity and innovation would be incentivised by IPR for the benefit of all.

It envisioned advancements across science and technology, arts and culture, traditional knowledge and modern technology.

It envisioned a nation where knowledge would drive development and knowledge owned would eventually become knowledge shared.

This is a lofty and admirable vision, but where are we on realising it?

Most certainly, the national IPR policy was also intended to create a robust IP regime as a critical step towards a stronger and more competitive economy.

It was meant to 'nurture the IP culture and address all facets of the IP system including legal, administrative and enforcement infrastructure, human resources, institutional support system and international dimensions'.

It was ultimately meant to bring about an IP environment that would 'foster predictability, clarity and transparency in the entire IP regime in order to provide a secure and stable climate for stimulating inventions and creations'.

We have made some progress on the seven objectives laid down in the IPR policy and extending across the gamut of patents, trademarks, copyrights and designs.

We have taken actions to increase public awareness, commissioned technology and innovation support centres, and instituted training programmes in several states.

However, there is much we still need to do: Strengthening the legislative framework to respect intellectual property; improving the enforcement and adjudicatory mechanisms that deal with infringements; supporting the generation and commercialisation of innovation; developing human capital to bolster our capacity for research and skill-building.

It is important that we recognise IP as a value creator for India, a nation with consistent growth, a highly educated workforce and established research institutions.

To extend Make in India to 'Develop in India' and 'Innovate in India', we must build the country's capability for innovation through IP creation, protection, and commercialisation.

A robust IP environment will certainly have a positive impact on the Indian economy and encourage foreign direct investment.

In the pharmaceutical sector, we need a holistic approach that balances the need for innovation with the necessity for more accessible medicines, within a robust IP environment.

There are still numerous unmet medical needs in numerous areas of medicine and, without patent protection, research would come to a halt.

There is no question that we must work towards increasing access to medicines, but there must be a return on investment for innovators to justify investing in new medicines.

The protection of intellectual property will help bring new solutions for treating patients suffering from critical and rare diseases and new medicines to save and improve lives.

We have often heard the mythical argument that patents block access to life-saving drugs, but only five per cent of medicines from multinational companies are under patent protection in India.

Where these patented products are beyond the reach of Indian patients, the companies have programmes to facilitate access to their drugs, for free or for a fraction of the price.

The biggest barrier to access is the inability to pay out-of-pocket and the lack of insurance cover.

In this context, the Ayushman Bharat initiative is truly commendable, with its ambitious National Health Protection Scheme that intends meaningful health insurance cover for the 40 per cent of India's population most in need.

State governments and the pharmaceutical industry could work together on effective drug procurement and distribution models, to meet health care goals and help address the challenges of health care access in India.

Pro-innovation policies and increased access to medicines can go hand-in-hand for the benefit of patients.

A thoughtful assessment of the IP system needs to be made and legal flexibilities used judiciously, for humanitarian non-commercial use in treating diseases that are epidemic or communicable, with compulsory licensing being invoked only as a rare exception in rare circumstances.

We can all agree that ongoing innovation is critical to meeting patients' increasing health needs, particularly in the context of evolving health care systems around the world.

India, as a leader among emerging markets, must favour an innovative environment that supports research and the development of new medicines, within India and globally.

A strong IPR regime would allow our country to realise its true potential and make major contributions toward tackling health challenges both domestically and around the world.

We need to do more, more quickly.

Ranjana Smetacek is a life sciences consultant and former director general, Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India
India largely exports block frozen shrimp to Vietnam for reprocessing and forward shipment to its customer countries like China, EU, Japan and USA.

In order to discourage imports to the US, the Donald Trump administration has imposed a non-tariff barrier by including shrimps in the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) which may hurt exports from India.

The US is the largest market for USD five billion Indian seafood sector.

Earlier US imposed anti-dumping duty. Although this duty on India was not high, India was exporting shrimp to US via Vietnam which was facing steel hike in anti-dumping from India.

Even EU had said that India should monitor primary production of shrimp before exporting to EU.

SIMP requires traceability information on imported seafood from point of capture to point of first sale in the US in order to thwart Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activity. SIMP will come into effect from January 1, 2019.

Inclusion of shrimp in the SIMP has come a double whammy for the Indian exporters as US has recently enhanced the raised the anti-dumping duty (preliminary) by 25.39 per cent for Vietnam from 4.8 per cent last year.

India largely exports block frozen shrimp to Vietnam for reprocessing and forward shipment to its customer countries like China, EU, Japan and USA.

Indian exporters are already battling with the lower international shrimp prices due to the glut supply.

"SIMP is a kind of the non-tariff barrier on the shrimp exporters. USA being the largest market for Indian exports, the exports is likely to hit.

"The move of the Trump administration may be to provide the domestic players a level playing field. SIMP will discourage new exporters for making ways to the US," said an exporter.

In recent years, Indian seafood exports have been driven by shrimps, revenue from which grew at 21 per cent and 31 per cent in fiscals 2017 and 2018.

According to Crisil, the US, the world's leading seafood importer, accounted for 31 per cent of India's exports last fiscal, and for 28 per cent of Vietnam's.

Over the past five years, Indian seafood exports to the US have clocked 26 per cent CAGR.

The US is also is the largest importer of Indian shrimps. Last year, 27 per cent of US shrimp imports were from India.

It is also a significant export market for Vietnam, which is the second-largest export destination for India - as 28 per cent of India's exports are directed to Vietnam and 17 per cent of Vietnam's exports are directed to the US.

Hence, any change in trade policies by the US, concerning India or Vietnam, could impact Indian exports, the report of the rating agency said.

Crisil has predicted that US shrimp export realisations (in dollar terms), that account for 70 per cent of export value, are expected to fall 10 per cent in fiscal 2019 due to increased production of Vannamei shrimps in India and other key exporting countries, and slower offtake from the US.

Families in US shrimp communities across the Gulf and South Atlantic are elated that our senators added traceability and real scrutiny of imported shrimp to the Omnibus Appropriations legislation.

Even though shrimp is the largest imported seafood product, it was left out of a December 2016 traceability program that included most other species, said David Veal, executive director of the American Shrimp Processor Association (ASPA).

Photograph: Hans Deryk/Reuters
The low fares will come with a discernible sea-change in service quality and minus the luxury which comes as an essential part of any long-haul travel

IMAGE: Skuli Mogensen, CEO of WOW air, poses with cabin crew members during a delivery ceremony of his first Airbus A321neo, . Photograph: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters

Chances are that you have never heard about Wow Air or its founder Skuli Mogensen. But now is the time to stand up and take notice.

Mogensen is famous for saying that a day will come when airlines will pay their passengers to fly.

His airline is not exactly doing that, but its offering a deal thats unheard of in the aviation world. In December, Wow will launch the cheapest return flight from India to East Coast (US) at Rs 27,000 - this is less than half of the next cheapest flight.

If you find a cheaper flight than this, I will pay the difference, Mogensen has said.

The Iceland-based airline, one of the leading players in the burgeoning low cost long haul market, plans to exploit Irelands favourable geographical location and connect national capital Delhi via its hub in Reykjavik to 14 North American and multiple European destinations including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto.

A Wow Air flight will take off from Delhi early morning; take about 11 hours to reach Reykjavic and another six hours to Washington after a two and a half hour layover, posing a fierce challenge to Gulf airlines which have wrestled a major share of Indias West-bound traffic with cheaper fare and convenient onward connecting flights via Dubai, Abu Dhabi.

If you look at flights from India to North America, they fly directly above Iceland which means our hub at Reykjavik has a superior connecting time than Dubai or Amsterdam.

"We will provide the fastest connecting flight, our aim is to make Iceland the Dubai of North, says Mogensen.

However, theres a catch. The low fares will come with a discernible sea-change in service quality and minus the luxury which comes as an essential part of any long-haul travel.

So, any food or drink will come at a price. A cup of coffee or tea can be bought for $2.71 and a medium-sized chicken sandwich for $10.49.

Also, Wow flyers will have to travel really light as for anything beside one piece of small carry-on bag the airline will charge you extra.

The aircraft will be more densely packed with 365 seats, implying less legspace.

Our target segment is a customer for whom it is not acceptable to waste money, Mogensen said.

I would say that such airlines always open up a totally new segment of market. Look at Air Deccan or IndiGo--they created a complete new segment of travellers.

"Similarly, the traditional Indian flyer to USA may stick with the established carriers but in a country as large as India, this will have takers who may be taking a tougher flight so that they can spend doing some extra things on their holiday, said Manoj Chacko, chief executive of SOTC Business Travel.
'With two nuclear neighbours, how likely is it for our armed forces to battle in a contaminated environment that could include nuclear, biological or chemical attacks by the adversary?'

'Are we prepared for the threat?'

Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd) explains the meaning and significance of Operation Vijay Prahar.



IMAGE: Braving temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius and sand storms, troops from the Indian Army's Jaipur-based South Western Command conducted drills to fight in all contingencies including a nuclear weapon environment in Rajasthan's Mahajan field firing ranges during Vijay Prahar, a military exercise which began on May 1 and ended on Wednesday, May 9.

In the scorching heat of the Rajasthan desert, the Indian Army's South Western Command exercised its Strike Corps to race at full gallop to capture/threaten objectives deep inside enemy territory, during the 1st/2nd week of May 2018.

The entire exercise was conducted under a nuclear overhang.

With two nuclear neighbours, how likely is it for our armed forces to battle in a contaminated environment that could include nuclear, biological or chemical attacks by the adversary?

Are we prepared for the threat?

Let's begin with the bigger threat from the lesser adversary -- Pakistan.

The Chinese have a more responsible government. Beijing does not undertake nuclear sabre-rattling every other day.

Pakistan rattles its nuclear sabre when it encounters reverses in the proxy war it has initiated, like, for instance, after the surgical strikes by Indian commandos on terrorist camps stretched across the Line of Control.

Pakistan does not have a nuclear doctrine per se. However its leadership -- both military and political -- make enough statements to define the basic tenets.

The Pakistani approach is almost entirely India centric. The most defining aspect of the Pakistan nuclear doctrine is it does not have a 'No First Use' clause.

Pakistan has carefully omitted a 'No First Use' clause to enhance the deterrence value of its nuclear arsenal by holding onto the option of being the first to press the nuclear button.

However, the conceptual framework of the Pakistani doctrine is not exactly minimum nuclear deterrence. There could have been no requirement for building a stockpile of 110 to 130 nuclear warheads, as estimated, had Pakistan opted for minimum deterrence.

Pakistan's build-up of its nuclear capability has been influenced by the growing asymmetry of its conventional capabilities vis-a-vis India.

It has increased the size of its atomic arsenal and pursued the ability to undertake a second strike over the years.

This has been done even though the Pakistani strategic objective today is apparently not winning a war against India, but deterring aggression and denying India a major military victory.

What continues to haunt the Pakistani psyche is the dismemberment of the erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, in 1971.

Beyond the Indian conventional build-up, Pakistan has been more than concerned with India's Cold Start doctrine that if successfully executed could result in multiple armour thrusts into its areas.

The Indian focus on ballistic missile defence capabilities also has Pakistan worried.

Even if Pakistan were to initiate a nuclear exchange, the Indian capability to negate Pakistan's first strike provides India with a rationale to employ its nuclear arsenal.

Pakistan's inability to penetrate the Indian ballistic missile defence shield will leave Indian resources intact to undertake such a task.

Pakistan has hence gone in for a large variety of delivery means.

The Babur land attack Cruise missile has a range of 750 km. The Raad air delivered cruise missile has a range of 350 km.

Pakistan has also gone in for the Hatf IX (Nasr) SRBM. Pakistan also has the 2,750 km Shaheen III missile.

Pakistan is also focused on developing multiple re-entry warheads to beat the Indian ballistic missile defence shield.

The Nasr is primarily designed to strike the armoured pincers the Indian Cold Start philosophy contemplates.

In such an eventuality, as these pincers maneuver forward into Pakistan and achieve success both in their breadth and depth of penetration within Pakistani territory, the spearheads of these pincers, or bottlenecks along their approaches could be targeted.

Such attacks launched within Pakistani territory could raise the issue of legitimacy of an Indian nuclear response in their areas.

These attacks, categorised as counter-force targeting, also entail difficulties in delegation of authority to operational commanders to use a weapon system that has huge strategic ramifications.

For the Indians, it would involve either stopping in their tracks or follow up elements bypassing the contaminated area to further depths with the attendant risk of facing follow on attacks.

The Pakistanis will also need to carry out multiple attacks on successful Indian thrusts which will require co-ordination at the strategic level, real time situational awareness, a fully networked environment with the national command centre being able to conduct target analysis and selection.

Notwithstanding these options, the shock and awe effects could be enough to stop the Indian advance and look for other alternatives, including the exercise of a nuclear option.



IMAGE: The Indian Army is confident of continuing its offensive even after a tactical nuclear, chemical or biological attack by the adversary, South Western Army Commander Lieutenant General Cherish Mathson said after Operation Vijay Prahar ended.

When the impact of such strikes by Pakistan are analysed, the effect of the use of tactical nuclear weapons is really quite minimal, given the dispersion of combat elements that the Indian forces would practice with the nuclear overhang being there.

Further, the Indians will protect their troops and equipment with necessary measures to include both clothing and hardening of equipment to minimise casualties.

The international furore that would follow would also disallow the Pakistani ruling elite, including its military leadership, to continue in power.

All told, Pakistan's exercise of its nuclear option at any stage does not hold any dividends for its ruling elite; in effect, it would be their demise for certain.

If the nuclear threat from our northern neighbour is evaluated, it is far lower on the scales.

China has the conventional capability to blunt Indian counter-offensives in Tibet. Our capabilities allow us a successful defensive stance with limited success to either side, sectorally.

The raising of a strike corps by the Indians, or rewiring additional strike resources meant for the plains for operations in the mountains, does not create an overwhelming strategic imbalance in our favour in the mountains.

In the mountains, using nuclear, biological and chemical weapons is also more difficult, with weather conditions being more unpredictable, crest lines in the vicinity and tunneling effects along the valleys.

Ionising radiation can be stopped by ridge lines and thermal radiation will be similarly affected. However, blast effects could be channelised through valleys and be even reflected back by nearby crest lines.

The Indian armed forces have been enhancing their capabilities at fighting in an NBC (nuclear, biological or chemical) environment for decades now.

The preparations have involved developing of operational concepts, practicing these in various exercises, and procurement of equipment that enhances survivability of both man and machine while operating in an NBC environment.

The Indians are also well on their way to survive a first strike with a triad capability involving launch of attacks from land, air and under-sea platforms.

In terms of ballistic missile reach, India's Agni 5 gives it a range of 5,000 km which makes the entire Chinese mainland vulnerable. The Chinese nuclear capability is much higher. However, its focus is not India, but the American and European continents.

The other threat that emerges from Pakistan is the feasibility of NBC weapons being used without proper authorisation.

Post a point when Indian armed forces would have penetrated into Pakistan, Islamabad will have ordered mobilisation and deployment of its NBC assets.

In peace time the warheads are stored with their parts in different areas. However, the warheads would be mated with delivery means and made ready for use during operations.

It is a fact that a substantial percentage of Pakistani army officers are radicalised. The possibility of someone with the necessary access playing truant has to be a part of the Indian calculus.

The issue of jihadis getting hold of Pakistan's NBC arsenal is also an area of grave concern, and an issue by itself.

For the Pakistanis to be bleeding their exchequer for further accumulation of nuclear warheads and missile systems is hardly a sensible approach.

Not adopting a 'No First Use' policy, along with minimum nuclear deterrence, is adequate wherewithal.

India would have to factor in the probability of crossing the Pakistani threshold if it decides that its armoured pincers strike deep in that country.

However, the Pakistani leadership, including its military top brass, would lose their hold on the country by using nuclear weapons.

The global response would be to immediately change the regime on account of its extreme immaturity. It is an aspect that surely the Pakistani military and political leadership understands clearly.
'Voters did not turn up in large numbers in Bangalore."

'If more voters of Bangalore had come to vote, we would definitely have reached the magic figure.'

IMAGE: BJP workers celebrate the party's strong showing in the Karnataka assembly election. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak / PTI Photo

Till the afternoon of May 15, with leads in 112 to 115 seats, it was believed the Bharatiya Janata Party was going to rule Karnataka.

But the party fell short of a majority and the Congress and Janata Dal-Secular, which fought the elections separately, decided to form an alliance and stake a claim to form the government.

On Wednesday, May 16, JD-S leader H D Kumaraswamy alleged that the BJP was trying to buy out his MLAs for Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) each.

So are we going to see what we witnessed in Tamil Nadu following J Jayalalithaa's death, with MLAs being smuggled into resorts before the floor test?

Who will Karnataka's governor call first, the single largest party (the BJP) or the post-poll alliance (the Congress-JD-S)?

"The Congress game plan is only to keep the BJP out of power," BJP Spokesperson Sudesh Verma tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.

Till Tuesday afternoon, it was perceived that the BJP was winning a majority in Karnataka. Ministers Nirmala Sitharman and Ravi Shankar Prasad even distributed laddoos.

Was the final results unexpected for the party?

Yes, it was unexpected.

We feel this happened because voters did not turn up in large numbers in Bangalore.

If more voters of Bangalore had come to vote, we would definitely have reached the magic figure.

Still, we are the winners. We are the single largest party.

We are only very few seats short of a majority. There is an increase of 64 seats for the BJP (from the 2013 election).

What will happen now? Will the governor call BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa to form the government or the Congress and JD-S alliance which has the majority?

The mandate is against the Congress. It was not an anti-BJP vote.

The Congress won 78 seats which means it has lost 44 seats compared to 2013.

So you feel the BJP has won a moral victory to rule Karnataka?

Not only moral victory, but we are only a few seats short of a majority.

Don't forget, three by-elections are going to take place. You cannot say the mandate is not for the BJP.

The difference between the BJP and Congress is huge.

So, we feel the Congress should not subvert the mandate and try to paint it as anti-BJP.

We were not the ruling party. When the vote is against you, you should sit out.

The Congress game plan is only to keep the BJP out of power.

What happened in Goa, Meghalaya and Manipur where the Congress was the single largest party...

If we had done something wrong or the governor had done something wrong, they would have gone to court.

Are you saying what the BJP did in Goa was right?

What happened in Goa was the Congress was the single largest party, but they did not take the initiative to form the government.

Rahul Gandhi did not even talk to the parties that went to meet him.

In the meantime, we formed a formidable alliance and staked a claim before the Congress.

The governor had only one claim.

Just because you are the single largest party does not mean that the governor would call you; you have to stake your claim.

Here in Karnataka also, Yeddyurappaji has staked his claim to form the government.

When the governor asks him to prove his majority on the floor of the House, where is he going to get the 6 or 7 MLAs from? Are you going to poach them from the other parties?

MLAs are not commodities that can be bought in the market. They will act according to their conscience.

You should remember that a majority on the floor of the House is important and not the overall majority.

If you recall, P V Narasimha Rao ran a government for so many years even when he was short of a majority.

There is nothing called a minority government. He ruled because he was not voted out in Parliament.

So, on the floor of the assembly, if Yeddyurappaji could prove his majority, he will be able to rule the state.

You feel he will be able to prove his majority on the floor of the House?

I don't know. If you look at the probability, we have more chances of proving the majority than the other two parties.

How?

The Congress fought the JD-S in the elections, but a few hours after the results were out, they joined hands with it to prevent the BJP from coming to power.

It cannot be done, as the mandate is against the Congress.

The JD-S, while fighting the Congress, said it was the Congress that destroyed Karnataka.

Now, are they not joining hands with the same Congress? It is against the mandate.

There is speculation that some Lingayat leaders in the Congress are not happy with the alliance and may support Yeddyurappa. Is there any truth in this?

I do not know. We are confident that we will be invited by the governor as we are the single largest party and we are only short of a majority by a few seats.

We will be able to prove our majority on the floor of the House.

Before the election, media reports suggested that there was no anti-incumbency and it was advantage Congress.

When did you get the signal that change was happening?

I don't agree that there was no anti-incumbency.

From day one, we knew we had the advantage because our party president had already travelled several kilometres before the campaign started.

He had already done booth level meetings with the karyakarthas.

He understood that the mood of the people was for change.

But many media people have this anti-BJP bias and they want to see the Congress win.

Siddaramaiah created an impression that he delivered good governance. Nobody from the media asked him questions like why did 3,800 farmers commit suicide? Why has Bangalore has come to a standstill?

Where have the lakes gone? Why was the rice supplied to poor people so bad?

Only we asked. We strongly felt there was anti-incumbency and the people were not happy.

In many cases, the state did not utilise the funds given to the state.

Do you feel the media did not understand the mood of the people?

We have fought many elections and there is a strong feeling among us that in all the elections, they (the media) paint a bad picture of the BJP and a good picture of the Congress and they do it intentionally.

There are many people who think the impression created by the media is true.

These floating voters matter a lot in closely contested elections where even 1% can make a difference.

Which was the turning point, according to you? Was it when Siddaramaiah tried to give religious status to the Lingayats or when Narendra D Modi started campaigning?

He tried to divide the Lingayats because they were scared of Yeddyurappaji's popularity.

Their game plan did not work at all because Lingayats understood that the Congress was trying to divide Hindus.

The truth is people have become more aspirational now because of Narendra D Modi's development-based politics.

Now they want better roads and better conditions to live.

For that, they look up to the BJP because of what we are doing in the BJP-ruled states.

Modiji's schemes like Ujjwala, Mudra, Jan Dhan Yojna, etc have benefited the poor in Karnataka.

Yeddyurappa's image is not clean. And the BJP talks about working against corruption.

Was it because the party felt he was needed to bring the Lingayat votes that he was projected as chief minister?

This is the impression that has been created by the media. When Yeddyurappaji was exonerated by the high court, why did it take two-and-a-half years for the Congress to go to the Supreme Court?

Why did they file an appeal just before the elections? If they had filed the appeal earlier, he would have been exonerated before the elections.

So is the case with the Reddy brothers. Janardhan Reddy is fighting the cases, and we have nothing do with him. Are they not eligible to contest?

If I commit a murder, will you call my brother also a murderer?

When these (Reddy) brothers have already contested and there was no case against them, why should we deny them tickets?

You can't have two yardsticks for the Congress and the BJP.

When Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each in the Rs 5,000 crore National Herald case, they can campaign, but the Reddy brothers can't.

Do you feel there are chances of Karnataka going to the polls again?

We will have to see. The BJP is in a position to form a stable and formidable government as the people of Karnataka have given the BJP the mandate to rule.
'The Congress must honour the mandate. The mandate is clearly for the BJP.'

IMAGE: BJP workers pour milk on cut-outs of Prime Minister Narendra D Modi and B S Yeddyurappa -- the party's chief ministerial candidate -- outside the state party headquarters in Bengaluru, May 15,l 2018. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/ PTI Photo

As Karnataka throws up a fractured mandate, the governor's role becomes crucial.

With both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal-Secular -- the latter party with Congress support -- staking a claim to form the government in Bengaluru, it remains to be seen whom Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala will invite first to prove a majority in the 224-member assembly.

"The governor's office under the BJP has become a BJP party office," Professor Faizan Mustafa, vice chancellor, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, tells Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

What must the governor do in Karnataka?

I feel the Congress must honour the mandate. The mandate is clearly for the BJP.

Constitutionally speaking, the governor has options.

If you see the recent past, the governor did not invite the single largest party in Manipur, Goa and Meghalaya (to form the government).

Now if he does not do that in Karnataka and calls the BJP to form the government, it will be called double standards.

Vajubhai Vala, Karnataka's governor, has been through and through a BJP person. He was with Narendra D Modi for many years in Gujarat.

If we have to consider the impartiality of the office of governor where there is an alliance of a majority (the Congress and JD-S) then the governor will have to go with that.

But I would still say the Congress and the JD-S are not doing great service to democracy (by staking a claim to form the government).

The Congress had criticised what happened in Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya. In an ideal situation they should not repeat those mistakes.

The BJP is short of a majority by eight seats.

What is the principle! A group which has a majority has to be invited.

If these two parties (the Congress and JD-S) have the numbers, then the governor will have a limited choice.

And if he delays it, the way the Tamil Nadu governor did not allow (V K) Sasikala to be sworn in, it will show a partisan attitude on the governor's behalf.

Politically speaking, this alliance of the Congress and JD-S does not show Indian democracy in good taste.

Both parties were fighting against each other. And just to exclude the BJP they formed an alliance.

It will not be considered a holy alliance.

,

I think it is not right because clearly the people of Karnataka want a BJP government.

They are saying the Congress vote share is more than that of the BJP and the collective vote share of the Congress and the JD-S is far more than that of the BJP.

But in the system we have, seats count and not vote share.

Technically speaking, the governor has a limited option.

If two parties together have crossed the half way mark, then he has to invite (them).

The Congress should also be criticised for stitching such an alliance.

Now, we are fighting in politics like we do in a war.

Let them form an alliance, but I am disappointed with it.

What does the Constitution say? Who should the governor invite to form the government?

The Constitution does not say who will be appointed prime minister or chief minister.

Even about the PM it is not written clearly in Articles 73 or 74, which say the PM will be appointed by the President and the governor will appoint the CM.

And we follow convention, which is if there is a clear majority for one party, then there is no discretion.

Even post-poll alliances can be taken into account. There has been all kinds of good traditions.

When the Congress under Rajiv Gandhi got 194 seats in 1989, he did not form the government. He said the people voted him out as they did not give him 272 seats to form the government.

This kind of high moral ground is to be taken and such traditions must be followed by the Congress.

But then there have been instances of parties coming together to form a majority after the election and go to the governor.

They say, well, we have the numbers, invite us.

But what does the Constitution say? Does it say that the single largest party which is short of a majority must be given a chance to form the government?

The Constitution does not say anything like that. It does not say that the leader of the majority party will be invited.

It leaves it to the discretion of the governor to appoint the chief minister.

And the convention is that the governor asks the chief minister to prove his majority in the House.

If it is a clear simple majority, then there is no hurry, but in a tight situation like this, the governor may say okay, I give you one week or four days to prove your majority.

The Constitution does not mention even words like 'majority' or 'single largest party'. These words were not there in the Constitution.

In fact, the word 'party' came into the Constitution only in 1985 with (the anti-) defection law. That was the 52nd Amendment.

British parliamentary convention says the governor should appoint a person who has a clear majority.

If there is no clear majority, then maybe the single largest party or a group of people (different parties) who have come to form the majority.

Why did we not mention such things in our Constitution like the British did?

In the Constituent Assembly, it was suggested that the chief minister and prime minister should be elected by the newly elected House.

The governors and the President of India will have no say in it.

Let the new assembly meet after oath taking. The first agenda should be to elect the leader of the House. That would have been best.

Initially, the Constitution provided for an elected governor and now we have nominated governors who work largely as agents of the central government.

Congress governors were puppets and BJP governors are worse than those of the Congress.

As a student of the Constitution, I feel disappointed as whatever bad things the Congress was doing, the BJP has started doing the same.

The BJP stooped low in recent elections in Goa, Meghalaya and Manipur.

The Congress, rather than taking a position based on values by respecting the mandate, is coming up with this unholy alliance.

How will the BJP form a government? They don't have the numbers.

That is okay. They don't have the numbers, but what is happening now is that the Congress and the JD-S have come together to stake a claim.

In an ideal situation, there should have been no alliance and the BJP should have been allowed to form the government and prove its majority. That is not happening.

The governor did not meet the JD-S leaders when they wanted to meet him.

That is what I am saying. The governor's office under the BJP has become a BJP party office, which is sad. This was our criticism about Congress governors. They were taking diktats from the Centre.

Now if the BJP behaves the same way, they are not a party with a difference.

Ideally, the governor must show courtesy and meet the leaders of the newly elected party.

If he does not invite them and gives a chance to the BJP and allows defections, sale and purchase of MLAs and some MLAs resign, then that will be a further onslaught on the Constitution.

Ideally, the single largest party should be allowed to form the government. These people should not have formed this alliance.

Still, they have formed an alliance and have the numbers. The governor should invite them.

If the Congress and JD-S had a pre-poll alliance, should the governor have invited them to form the government?

Then it would have been easier. I think it was (then President Dr) Shankar Dayal Sharma who said I will take a pre-poll alliance into account and not a post-poll alliance.

So you have all kind of contradictory precedents.

Once the number is there, whether it is a pre-poll or post-poll alliance, you don't have much of a choice because you cannot prevent a legislature from voting this way or that way in favour or against the government.

Any government that enjoys a majority has to be sworn in.

My expectation is that Karnataka will have elections within a year again.

Whichever government is formed, it will not survive for long.

Along with the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, you will see Karnataka assembly elections too.

Is democracy all about grabbing power?

That is a very sad thing. Democracy means government by choice. Allow people to make reasonable choices.

The way we are polarising elections by bringing in religion and caste to elections, it is weakening Indian democracy.

(Look at) the way we are bringing the Indian Army into elections. Reference to the armed forces must not come in election campaigns.
The verdict ends the legal battle over Ewha's illicit admission of Choi's daughter, which revealed Choi's murky connection to Park and snowballed into a scandal that brought the entire government down.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a two-year prison sentence for former Ewha Womans University president Choi Kyung-hee and a three-year term for ex-President Park Geun-hye's confidante Choi Soon-sil.

The top court also upheld the sentences of other Ewha faculty who connived in finagling the rules so Choi's daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, could be admitted despite her dismal academic record.

They are also banned from teaching at university for five years after their release. Since they are mostly in their late 50s or early 60s, this effectively ends their academic careers.

Chung herself got off scot-free amid rumors of a plea bargain. Chung fully cooperated with prosecutors and testified against her mother.

When the trial ended, mother and daughter spoke for the first time in a year and six months since Chung was extradited from Denmark, where she had been hiding.

Until then Chung had been barred from visiting her mother since they were deemed to have been accomplices in their various crimes.

They reportedly spoke about their health and other personal matters for 10 minutes.
HAL will build each Su-30 at just Rs 4.25 billion.

The IAF is paying Rs 11.25 billion per Rafale, excluding the price of weapons and logistics.

Ajai Shukla reports.

With the Sukhoi-30MKI fighter -- the backbone of the air force fleet -- nearing the end of its production run, its manufacturer, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, is taking up a case to build 40 more.

If the defence ministry accepts HAL's proposal, the inventory of the Russian fighter would be enhanced from the planned 272 to 312.

With HAL offering to price the additional Su-30s at just Rs 4.25 billion, the fighter will be barely one-third the cost of the Rafale.

According to an analysis, the Indian Air Force is paying Rs 11.25 billion per Rafale, excluding the price of weapons and logistics.

HAL Chairman T Suvarna Raju said: "We will offer a very competitive price. Since 2010, we have been delivering the Su-30 at Rs 4.25 billion. We can deliver another three squadrons at that same price."

So, the IAF will pay Rs 170 billion for 40 additional Su-30s.

However, that would involve buying the fighters in ready-to-assemble kits from Russia and putting them together in Nashik.

"HAL has already absorbed the technology for building and supporting the Su-30s. Now, the aim is to build those three new squadrons as quickly, and as cheaply, as possible," said Raju.

Rationalising the proposal for 40 additional Su-30s, Raju said they were needed to carry the BrahMos air-launched cruise missile.

"We are required to modify 40-odd Su-30s to carry the BrahMos ALCM. Instead of upgrading older fighters, with a shorter residual lifespan, it would be better to build three more squadrons of Sukhois with the capability to carry BrahMos missiles," Raju explained.

The air-launched version of the BrahMos has been downsized to 8 metres and 2,560 kgs.

Even so, mounting it on a Su-30 requires reinforcing the aircraft's underbelly and installing a heavy-duty mounting station.

After years of development, the BrahMos was successfully test-fired from a Su-30 in November.

Ministry sources indicate a proposal to build more Su-30s would be considered positively, given the shortfall of IAF fighter squadrons.

HAL is currently building the last 23 Su-30s of the 272 it was mandated to build.

The IAF's first 50 Su-30s were built in Russia.

Even as HAL Nashik builds the last Su-30s on order, HAL and Sukhoi have negotiated the upgrade of the Sukhoi fleet.

HAL officials said they wanted to be the lead agency, but Sukhoi has indicated it wanted a 50 per cent share in this lucrative contract to upgrade the fighter's avionics, including radar, glass cockpit displays, electronic warfare systems, warning systems and jammers.

"The IAF has already frozen its upgrade requirements. We are now waiting for the commercial proposal from Russia," said Raju.

HAL estimates an avionics upgrade for the Su-30 would cost upwards of Rs 1 billion per aircraft, placing the cost of upgrading 312 fighters at Rs 312 billion.

Officials said the upgrade would have two distinct parts. In Phase I, Sukhoi would take over some IAF Su-30s and use them as prototypes to install and certify new-generation avionics and weapons upgrades.

HAL would install those upgrades in the entire fleet.

Phase II, which would involve India-specific enhancements, would be designed and developed by HAL and also incorporated onto the fighter by HAL.
Pyongyang cited the ongoing military exercise between the US and South Korea as a reason behind the move.

Taking strong exception to the military exercises between Seoul and Washington, North Korea cancelled a high-level meeting with South Korea and threatened to scrap the historic meeting between its leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, even as the United States maintained it was going ahead with the summit preparations.

Uncertainty looms larger over the June 12 summit between Trump and Kim in Singapore after North Koreas Korean Central News Agency released a statement in this regards hours before the two Koreas were to meet at a border village on Wednesday. The two countries expected to discuss ways to implement their leaders recent agreements to reduce military tensions along their heavily fortified border and improve their overall ties.

The statement that comes after a brief hiatus in the war of words between Trump and Kim is likely to mar efforts towards building a denuclearised Korean Peninsula.

The White House said it would independently look at what Pyongyang has said. The State Department said it was going ahead with preparations for the summit as planned earlier.

In a statement attributable to KCNA, Pyongyang cited the ongoing military exercise between the US and South Korea as a reason behind the move.

The joint exercise is a reflection of the invariable stand of the US and South Korea to persist in the maximum pressure and sanctions against the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, it said.

In a related development, North Korea also cancelled its May 16 talks with the South.

We cannot but take a step of suspending the North-South high-level talks scheduled on May 16 under the prevailing seriously awful situation that a mad-cap North-targeted war and confrontation racket are being kicked up in South Korea, KCNA said.

North Korea held the South Korean authorities wholly accountable for the scuttled North-South talks and unease in the North-South relations.

The US will have to think twice about the fate of the DPRK-US summit now on high agenda before a provocative military racket against the DPRK in league with the south Korean authorities, the statement said.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the US is aware of the media reports in this regard.

The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies, Sanders said.

The State Department said it is continuing with the preparations for the summit and there has been no word from North Korea on the ongoing exercises.

State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said Kim had previously indicated he understood the need and purpose of the US continuing its long-planned joint exercises with South Korea.

We have not heard anything from that government or the Government of South Korea to indicate that we would not continue conducting these exercises or that we would not continue planning for our meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un next month, she told reporters at her daily news conference.

According to Colonel Rob Manning, the Pentagon Spokesperson, South Korea Republic and US military forces are currently engaged in the recurring, annual ROK-US drills, to include exercises Foal Eagle 2018 and Max Thunder 2018.

These defensive exercises are part of the ROK-US Alliances routine, annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness, he said.

The purpose of the training is to enhance the ROK-US Alliances ability to defend the ROK and enhance interoperability and readiness. While we will not discuss specifics, the defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed, Manning said.

The State Department refuted the allegations that these exercises are provocative in nature.

Theyre certainly not provocative. These are things that we do all around the world with many of our partners and allies. These are things that have occurred for decades and decades, Nauert said.

At the same time, she ruled out the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reaching out to the North Koreans in this regard.

I dont think hes picking up the phone and begging anybody to do anything at this point. We are operating under the idea and the notion that the presidents meeting is going forward with Chairman Kim next month, Nauert said in response to a question.
In first high-level visit to North Korea from India in two decades, Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh was in Pyongyang on Wednesday where he held talks with several leaders including Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on key issues and raised New Delhi's concerns over nuclear proliferation .

The two-day visit came less than a month before the proposed summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and is seen as an effort to reach out to Pyongyang.

In the meetings, the Ministry of External Affairs said, the North Korean side provided an 'overview' of some of the recent developments in the Korean Peninsula while Singh conveyed India's concerns over proliferation linkages of North Korea with India's neighbourhood, seen as a clear reference to Pakistan.

The North Korean leaders emphasized that as a friendly country, Pyongyang will never allow any action that would create concerns for India's security, said the Ministry of External Affairs.

India has been consistently raising the issue of North Korea's possible proliferation linkages with Pakistan and had even demanded a probe into it.

The MEA said Singh reiterated India's support to the joint peace initiative by leadership of both North Korea and South Korea, saying it was encouraging both sides in their efforts towards establishment of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

This is the first ministerial level visit from India to North Korea after a gap of almost 20 years. India and North Korea established formal diplomatic relations in 1973. The current year marks the 45th year of establishment of diplomatic relations.

Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in signed a joint statement following a historic summit aimed at improving ties between the two countries.

After the summit, Kim became the first North Korean leader to step into South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953. India had welcomed the peace initiatives.

The MEA said Singh's visit to Pyongyang, which began on Tuesday, was at the invitation of North Korean government.

During the visit, Singh held discussions with Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong Dae, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Minister of Culture Pak Chun Nam and Vice Foreign Minister Choe Hui Chol.

The MEA said a range of bilateral issues covering political, regional, economic, educational and cultural cooperation figured in the talks.

Singh's visit came amidst a threat by Pyongyang to cancel the June 12 summit between Kim and Trump if Washington insists on pushing it 'into a corner' on nuclear disarmament.

The US, however, said it is proceeding with the preparations for the summit.
For the father of the Chennai youth killed in stonethrowing in Srinagar, questions and memories are all that remain.

A Ganesh Nadar reports.

Photographs: A Ganesh Nadar / Rediff.com IMAGE: A banner in Avadi pays tribute to R Thirumani, the 25-year-old Chennai native who was killed in stone throwing in Srinagar on May 7, 2018.

"We have never been on a family tour. This was our first tour and I lost my youngest son," Rajavelu, who works in the Defence Ordinance factory at Avadi, Chennai, could not hold back his tears.

On May 7, his 25-year-old son, R Thirumani, who was visiting Kashmir as a tourist, was killed when a mob went on the rampage near Narbal on the outskirts of Srinagar and resorted to stone-throwing.

Thirumani, who was hit on the head by a stone, was taken to a hospital at Soura where he succumbed to his injuries.

When I visited his home in Karimadu Anna Nagar, a village on the outskirts of Chennai, the only sign of something miss was the presence of two television news network vehicles parked outside.

The house stands bright in otherwise staid surroundings, but that was the extent of it.

Inside, there was gloom and sorrow, with women seated on the floor lamenting the loss of a young life for no fault of his.

For the family, the Kashmir holiday was to be a memorable one, as they had never seen snow before.

A travel agency in Avadi had announced a tour and some 40 people from the area decided to go on it.

Of Rajavelu's three children -- two sons and a daughter -- his younger son Thirumani chose to go.

"I was planning to look for a groom for my daughter after this holiday," Rajavelu could not hold back his tears.

Thirumani, a commerce graduate, worked in Chennai. He was a quiet boy, not prone to speaking too much either at home or in the office.

"I checked his horoscope a few months ago, all was well, so I cannot understand why this happened. What do we have to do with the Kashmir problem? How does stoning us help their cause?" Questions to which none of the three assembled journalists had an answer to.

The tourists were met at the airport by five SUVs, and they were soon on their way.

Soon they realised they were in the midst of stone-throwing and everyone in the vehicle ducked.

When there was a lull Thirumani raised his head a little to look outside when a big stone hit him squarely on the head, near his eyes.

"They were men between 20 and 40 years of age, all of them tall and hefty. I will remember them all my life," Rajavelu recalls.

Seeing a group of policemen on the way the tourists stopped the vehicle and were immediately taken them to the nearest primary health centre where they realised the medical staff couldn't halt the blood flow.

The policemen then took Thirumani to a better equipped hospital in an ambulance. "There they stopped the bleeding, X-rays and scans were done. The doctor said there was nothing to worry as his brain and eyes were not damaged."

In the evening the doctors left, with the nurses staying behind, Rajavelu, below, says, "At 8 pm he was dead."

"I have not burnt my son, I have only buried him," says the grief-stricken father. "I am ready to exhume the body to learn the truth."

And the bitter memories come flooding back to him, in the form of questions and statements.

"There was no post-mortem, they just gave us his body. Even here no one suggested a post-mortem."

"Mehbooba Mufti, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, met me, but the defence minister, who is a Tamil, did not bother. And I thought the army is taking care of Kashmir," says Rajavelu.

"BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan came here, but kept shouting for a garland. When it did not come, she gave interviews to the TV channels and left. Why did she come here then?"

"I noticed that the police cars in Kashmir have steel grills to protect their windows. If the police need protection, don't we need it too? Why can't they have grills on tourist cars?"

"If the situation was tense and the locality was volatile, why did the police not stop us from going through that area? They could have told us there is danger there and we should take another route. Why was the area not cordoned off?"

"We went there like any other tourists and left our son behind. Why did this happen? They are saying this has never happened before. We too have never gone on a tour before this."

"The central and state governments have announced compensation. I don't want that money. If they really want to help us, they should give government jobs to my other children."

"You know, he clicked so many pictures in Kashmir on his Samsung mobile phone. But we can't see them as we don't know how to unlock his phone."

"My wife also got hurt in the neck in the stone-throwing and got stitches. When we came back here we went to a local hospital where the doctor told us, 'They have used plastic thread to stitch her and the stitches are far apart. We normally use such far apart stitches after post-mortem to stitch together a dead body'."

A middle class family planned to see heaven on earth. What they didn't bargain for was it turning into a trip to hell.
Oracle said the downsizing came at the orders of headquarters and it is "negotiating possible wage hikes" with workers.

Kim said this prompted some workers to quit and try to rejoin the company to get better pay. On top of that, Oracle has been downsizing since last year, shifting its focus from servers to the cloud, which resulted in the loss of around 200 jobs. More than 100 claim that they were shown the door against their will.

They are holding a protest rally in front of Oracle Korea's offices in Samseong-dong, Seoul. Kim Chul-soo, the head of Oracle's labor union, said, "Most of the 1,000 employees have not had a pay raise since they joined the company in 2009. A section director who joined the company in 2009 earns just W2.3 million a month, while a worker who was hired later makes W4 million a month" (US$1=W1,075).

Workers at U.S. computer technology company Oracle's Korean branch launched a general strike on Wednesday demanding higher wages and job security. A vote by unionized workers last week showed 96 percent supported a strike.

The strike exposes the ugly underbelly of what it is like to work for a foreign company that was once praised for its modern approach and strict adherence to the nine-to-five workday. In reality, workers often find themselves anxious for their jobs and little better off than cyber-serfs.

One IT industry source said, "Most foreign IT companies have key operations like R&D based overseas and only the marketing operations are based in Korea. As a result, poor results or a shift in the main area of business results in downsizing and layoff pressures."

The Korean operations of global IT companies whose earnings have waned face a similar predicament. Microsoft realigned its main business structure from software to cloud and has been downsizing its workforce since last year. Workers formed a labor union in July last year in an attempt to stem job losses, but around 50 were fired.

"As soon as an employee is hired, he or she faces immediate pressure to generate earnings and suffers extreme stress," a Microsoft Korea staffer said.

Hewlett Packard Korea let 400 workers go over the last three years, 120 of them last year. Kim Yong-hwan, head of the labor union, said, "There are around 20 more workers who have been placed on standby."

At IBM Korea, which once boasted a staff of 2,700, the workforce has shrunk to 1,500. The company started an early retirement scheme in March to get rid of workers.

One person who worked for IBM for 20 years said, "After earnings growth slowed considerably since 2010, an order was issued to each department to lay off a set number of workers. Staff were assigned to do marketing on companies that lack buying power or were dispatched to call centers."

Such measures would have drawn a huge public outcry if they were committed by a Korean company. Moreover, foreign companies are not obligated to reveal their earnings figures, wages and dividends since they usually operate as limited-liability firms. They take advantage of this rule to transfer the money they earn in Korea to headquarters while failing to pay proper taxes in Korea.

Oracle Korea was slapped with a W300 billion penalty tax last year for transferring domestic earnings to headquarters overseas. It denies the allegations and has filed a lawsuit.

The National Tax Service believes the branch transferred W2 trillion to headquarters from 2008 to 2014. The union at Oracle Korea said, "All of the profits generated from Korea are sent to headquarters in the U.S. Workers in Korea are being denied their rightful compensation because of this opaque management style."

The heads of the Korean operations of Apple, Google and Facebook appeared in a National Assembly hearing last year and were unable to tell lawmakers how much their companies earn in Korea.

Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes and other foreign luxury labels are also guilty of such practices at their Korean offices. Unionized workers at Chanel Korea, which consists of around 300 sales staff, went to work in T-shirts displaying slogans saying "higher wages" and "more staff" instead of their uniforms in March and April.

Chanel Korea's labor union claims that 70 percent of its members earn less than minimum wage and do not benefit from pay-scale increases according to their experience.

The strike ended in April with management agreeing to raise the base wage and relocating workers. But the controversy over how foreign luxury companies treat Korean staff despite massive profits here still lingers.


Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Title African Union Model Law for the Implementation of the African Union Convention for the Protection of and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons in Africa

Publication Date 12 April 2018

Other Languages / Attachments French

Cite as National Legislative Bodies / National Authorities, African Union Model Law for the Implementation of the African Union Convention for the Protection of and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, 12 April 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5afc3a494.html [accessed 9 October 2021]

Comments The AU Model Law on Internal Displacement was adopted by the African Union Summit in January 2018.
Denver, CO -- (ReleaseWire) -- 05/16/2018 --Many people may not want to believe the FBI is capable of violating the law, but there is plenty of evidence showing Denver FBI agents and the Colorado U.S. Attorney's Office conspired together (likely on behalf of a competitor) to take down a small Colorado technology company and its executives to steal its valuable criminal investigations software, which threatened to disrupt the status quo of billion dollar defense contractors and system integrators winning post-9/11 federal law enforcement technology modernization contracts. The Denver FBI and Colorado U.S. Attorney's Office would be called upon to manufacture a criminal case to ruin the company and/or steal its software for a competitor who would then sell it to the FBI. The software was called CILC (pronounced "silk"), an acronym for Case Investigative Life Cycle, which was developed by the Colorado Springs-based IRP Solutions Corporation.



After 9/11, FBI Director Robert Mueller was under pressure to replace the FBI's outdated case management system, which the congressional 9/11 commission found contributed to information sharing failures that allowed Al Qaeda to carry out the 9/11 attacks that killed 3000 Americans. Congress gave the FBI $400 million dollars for the Virtual Case Files (VCF) case management modernization project which failed and was declared "unfit for use" in the summer of 2004. By the fall of 2004, Mueller was made aware of CILC by the Department of Homeland Security who had been vetting CILC for nearly a year and half and found it was the only case management software that could support the modernization needs of the FBI and DHS.



On October 28, 2004, at the request of DHS, four senior FBI technology officials attended a demonstration of CILC as part of the joint DHS/DOJ Federal Investigative Case Management System (FICMS) initiative whose goal was to find a single commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) case management solution that could be used by all federal agencies to modernize their case management systems, thereby making it easier to share information and collaborate on a common technology platform.



After the demonstration FBI officials expressed satisfaction and interest in CILC. DHS was so impressed, that on December 1, 2004, they requested and received a $100 million quote from IRP for two CILC modules. On February 3, 2005, one of those FBI attendees, supervisory special agent Melissa McRae, is documented saying CILC was "suitable" to support investigative operations in an FBI field office. Coincidentally (or maybe not), on the same day, Mueller told Congress the FBI was going to purchase a COTS case management software product and would have that product working within a year. Just six days later, on February 9, 2005, twenty-two FBI agents armed with guns and a search warrant conducted a SWAT-style raid on IRP Solutions offices and spent 13 hours imaging every single desktop, laptop and server computer in the building.



Why were they there and how was the FBI able to obtain a search warrant at a company where there was no criminal activity and where former FBI agents from the Denver field office were on staff for a year? Certainly, IRP executives wouldn't be involved in criminal activity with federal agents working for them. The government decided they would take down the small, minority-owned IRP using their unpaid debts to staffing companies. Since having corporate debt is not a crime, Denver officials lied about IRP being a bogus business whose African-American executives were not only incapable of developing world-class case management software but were pretending to have software to defraud staffing companies out of money. The government scheme started with an FBI agent lying on an affidavit to fraudulently obtained a search warrant to gain access to IRP computers.



The FBI search warrant affidavit shows that Colorado Springs FBI agent John W. Smith falsely claimed that IRP was a "purported" software development company and suggested CILC was sham law enforcement software being used by IRP executives to misrepresent their contractual relationships with large law enforcement agencies (DHS, NYPD) for the purpose of wooing staffing companies into entering into agreements to providing temporary labor to work on the fake CILC software.



Smith's suggestion is absurd not only given McRae's statement received six days before the raid, but also because Smith had received a January 18, 2005 letter (http://bit.ly/2hS2JNX) from retired ICE agent Gary Hillberry, who, speaking on behalf of himself and two other retired FBI agents who were working as independent contractors at IRP, said "We decided IRP Solutions had a viable product and appeared to be moving forward to acquire state and federal law enforcement contracts." Furthermore, Smith had knowledge that CILC had been nationally featured in 2003 and 2004 in Law Enforcement Technology magazine (http://bit.ly/2xspI9D) and Police magazine (http://bit.ly/2JwdCPm) and received high praise from many other law enforcement agencies around the country.



"The warrant cited the seizure of financial records, but the real intention seemed to be the imaging of the IRP computers that contained anything related to IRP's CILC software," said Dr. Alan Bean, Executive Director of Friends of Justice, who conducted a six-month investigation into the case. Two weeks after the raid, a business consulting firm contacted IRP executives seeking to purchase the company on behalf of an undisclosed third-party. When the execs persisted in knowing who the third party was, the consulting firm wouldn't divulge and finally backed off.



Former federal appeals judge H. Lee Sarokin, who reviewed the facts and evidence of the case, including trial records, told the Washington Post that the FBI's claims about IRP and CILC being a scam "defies reality" and that "all the proof in the case goes the other way." Furthermore, "attempting to scam law enforcement agencies as their sole customer, seems an unlikely target," noted Sarokin, especially when the men "left their jobs to create the software, hired former FBI and immigration agents as consultants and made no profit from the [alleged] scheme," added Sarokin. The IRP executives were "indicted and imprisoned for failing to pay corporate bills," said Sarokin.



Washington Post article - http://www.wapo.st/29jXqSC



By 2009, there was no indictment and IRP's COO David Banks was successful in winning two contracts from Philadelphia's Police Department (PPD) and Inspector General's office. "Establishing the viability of their product would immediately catch the attention of other jurisdictions and lead to additional orders, cash flow and the ability to discharge the company's debt," said Dr. Bean. Furthermore it "would have derailed the government's case," added Bean. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Kirsch wasn't going to let that happen and scuttled the deal by making a phone call to Philly officials to tell them an indictment was coming. Director of Information Technology for PPD told the FBI "PPD was very close to having the (CILC) product installed prior to discovery of the IRP investigation." (See email communications between IRP and Philly officials at (http://bit.ly/2fOxbEJ)



What did Mueller know about CILC and was he aware of the Denver FBI office's rogue actions? Could he have been involved? It's certainly reasonable to conclude that Mueller was briefed on CILC by his chief information officer after four officials from his office expressed satisfaction with CILC's capabilities. The timing of McRae's statement, Mueller's promise to have COTS software within a year and the offer to buy IRP certainly indicates the conspiracy to takedown IRP may have been planned at a higher level even if Mueller was unaware. It appears the head of the Denver field office was in the dark about the IRP case when he sent a letter to a staffing company six months after the raid, stating the matter would "best be handled civilly." (See letter at http://bit.ly/2ibF7Qp)



Judge Sarokin sent a letter to President Obama asking him to grant clemency for the IRP executives, but Obama refused to give justice to these men. Obama can't claim he didn't know because Sarokin's letter was emailed to his senior aide Roy Austin. In the past weeks, A Just Cause sent a request for a pardon to President Trump at the White House for five IRP executives who remain imprisoned at a Florence, Colorado federal prison camp for six years and counting. (See http://bit.ly/2JImAZp). Four congressmen also sent a letter to the DOJ asking for an investigation into the government misconduct on November 1, 2017 but have not received a response. (See letter at http://bit.ly/2HuvgTc)
Chongming and ECNU join hands to develop a world-class ecological island

From:Shine | 2018-05-15 14:29

East China Normal University signed an agreement with the government of Chongming District on Monday to deepen cooperation in building Chongming into a world-class ecological island and promoting the universitys capacity in academic education and research.

"The signing of the agreement marks a milestone for the development of both parties' development and our cooperation," said Tang Hailong, Party chief of Chongming District.

According to the agreement, the two parties will bring the universitys strength in international cooperation to the island to build up an international ecological institute in Chongming for the promotion of innovation of ecological technologies.

The university and the government will also jointly set up several other institutions, including a natural resource assessment and development center and a field scientific observation and research station for the Yangtze River Delta wetland ecosystem.

They are expected to provide support for thecomprehensive protection and administration of local natural resources, and the long-term observation and research of ecosystems in forests, wetlands, rivers, lakes and farmland.

In the education area, the two parties will cooperate in cultivating teachers, researching on teaching, building up internship bases for students and drafting plans to promote the establishment of a modern, international and balanced educational system. With strong strength in basic education resources, the university will help improve education quality in local schools.

The two sides will also enhance the training ofofficials and mutual communication. The university will create bases on the island for education, internships and innovation for students and post-doctoral researchers, which is expected to both improve the education quality of the university and prepare professionals for Chongming.

The university also signed contracts to launch cooperation with Chongming High School, the districts water authorities, the environment protection bureau, the science and technology commission and educational authorities.
William Pierce (c. 1740  December 10, 1789) was an army officer during the American Revolutionary War and a member of the United States Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Little is known about Pierces early life or background. He was born in York County, Virginia in 1753. He served in the Continental Army through most of the War of Independence. He was commissioned a captain in the 1st Continental Artillery Regiment on November 30, 1776. Due to failing health, he left the artillery to serve as an aide-de-camp to General John Sullivan during Sullivans expedition against the Iroquois in 1779.

He returned to Virginia and attended the College of William and Mary, but in December 1780 he became an aide-de-camp to General Nathanael Greene. He served with Greene throughout the tumultuous southern campaign, and was recognized by Congress for his bravery at the Battle of Eutaw Springs on September 8, 1781. He received brevet promotion to major at the end of the war.

After his military service, Pierce sought to establish himself as a merchant in the Caribbean. He eventually settled in Savannah, Georgia, and partnered with fellow officers Richard Call and Anthony Walton White. In 1783, he married Charlotte Fenwick, the daughter of a wealthy South Carolina planter, with whom he had a son, noted author William Leigh Pierce.

Pierce represented Chatham County in the Georgia State Legislature, which in 1786 elected him to the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention the following year. At the Convention he kept notes on the proceedings and, more importantly, wrote character sketches of his fellow delegates. It is these sketches for which he is remembered. Pierce left the Convention in July to attend business matters and did not sign the Constitution.

Pierce had business troubles and substantial debts, and sought but did not receive appointment to a position in the federal government. He was unsuccessful in a bid for the United States House of Representatives in 1789. He was an original member and vice president of the Georgia chapter of the Society of the Cincinnati, and served as a trustee of the Chatham County Academy until his death on December 10, 1789.

Source(s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Pierce_(politician)
Kathmandu, May 16

The Janakpur-Ayodhya direct bus service, which was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Friday, has stopped operating for an indefinite period.

According to officials at the concerned authorities, the bus was inaugurated without completing the necessary procedures and it will take at least six months to resume the service.

The bus service was halted as the route linking the Ramayan Circuit has not been finalised.

Few technical procedures including route, fare, and bus stop among others are yet to be decided for the bus to operate on a regular basis, informs Keshav Sharma, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.

Officials from both Nepal and India will be holding a joint meeting to make decisions on the issues, adds Sharma.

According to the Ministry, the inauguration of the bus service was symbolic as the premiers of both the countries rarely get time to visit each other and the recent visit of Modi to Janakpur was the right time for the launch.

Prime Minister Oli recently informed that Janakpur, Dhanushadham, and Triveni will be linked with the Circuit.

The distance between Janakpur and Ayodhya is 544 kilometres and will take around 10 hours to travel.
Kathmandu, May 6

The main opposition party Nepali Congress has warned of obstructing House procedures if the ruling parties fail to address its demand about the House of Representatives regulations.

The party has been arguing that the regulations should not include any provision of suspending lawmakers; but the ruling parties including CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre have proposed suspending lawmakers whenever they face criminal charges.

Following the warning, the regulations could not be presented in the House meeting today. It was supposed to be put to vote for a decision today.

Nobody can be suspended till the court convicts the accused. Why is the UML reiterating the same thing over and over? We are doubting their intention, Congress lawmaker told the House of Representatives meeting today, If the go for voting, we will show them the true colour of Nepali Congress as an opposition.
Kathmandu, May 16

The Province 3 government has expressed its interest in proposed Kathmandu-Hetaunda road tunnel project that would connect the federal capital with the provincial capital after the ambitious plan could not materialise from the private sector.

The Provinces Chief Minister Dor Mani Poudel says his government wants to take the plan ahead as a provincial pride project.

He says the project will be on priority as the government will table its annual budget statement for next fiscal year, adding, The project will be complete within my tenure.

Earlier, the federal government had assigned Nepal Purbadhar Bikas Company Limited for the construction. Though the initial deadline for completion was 2017 January, nothing has been done so far.

An official at the Provincial Ministry of Physical Infrastructure says the government is planning to summon the company to discuss how it plans to move ahead with the project.

The assigned company should not get the project stuck. It has to pull out if it cannot so that the provincial government can begin its works, the official says, This project is very important for us.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Image credit: Forevermark

Kirtilals, a highly reputed jewellery retailer and manufacturer in South India has strengthened its association with Forevermark by launching the brand at its jewellery store in Kochi.Celebrating this partnership, Suraj Shantakumar, Director  Business Strategy, Kirtilals said, We are extremely honoured and humbled to have been partners with Forevermark over the years at various locations across South India. We pride ourselves in providing the purest form of jewellery and with Forevermarks assurance through a certified grading report we are able to deliver our promise to our customers. We look forward to offering our patrons in Kochi the best there is in diamond jewellery.Sachin Jain, President, Forevermark India said, Kirtilals has been our trusted partners for over 6 years and we are delighted to associate with them yet again as we launch this jewellery store in Kochi. It is a partnership that we have cherished and we look forward to a long-standing relationship with them.At the Kirtilals store, Forevermark has created a black room enclosure where a 7-carat Forevermark diamond is on display. A special laser light is passed through the centre of this spectacular diamond to showcase its brilliance.
CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, will hold its 2018 annual congress in Bogota, Colombia, October 15-17, with pre-congress meetings beginning on October 13.

The congress will be hosted by Fedesmeraldas, the National Federation of Emeralds of Colombia, which this year will be a celebrating the 20th anniversary of its founding. Immediately prior to the event, from October 12 to 14, Fedesmeraldas will also host the second edition of the World Emerald Symposium, which CIBJO Congress participants are encouraged to attend.

The main venue for the CIBJO Congress will be the Grand Hyatt Bogota, which is located in the heart of Ciudad Empresarial Sarmiento Angulo, the city's commercial district.

CIBJO Congresses serve as the official gathering place for the World Jewellery Confederation's Assembly of Delegates, and also are the venue for the annual meetings of CIBJO's sectoral commissions, where amendments can be introduced to the organisation's definitive directories of international industry standards for diamonds, coloured stones, pearls, gem labs, precious metals and coral, known as the Blue Books.

This is the second time that a CIBJO Congress will have been held in South America, with the first having taken place in Salvador, Brazil, in 2015. As Latin America's fourth largest economy, Colombia is synonymous with the fine emerald sector, which is anchored by a mining industry that has functioned uninterrupted since the rule of the Incas, and archaeological evidence indicates that gemstones were already being mined in the area more than 3,000 years ago. The country also has substantial gold reserves, and is a producer of silver and platinum. Bogota, its capital and primary business hub, is home to an emerald sorting, cutting and trade centre, as well as a growing jewellery industry and trade.

"In so many respects, Colombia represents both the past and the future of our industry," said Gaetano Cavalieri, CIBJO President. "It has been associated with the very finest of gemstones for centuries, but from a business perspective has still only scratched the surface of its potential, with studies indicating that about 80 percent of its vast emerald reserves still remain under the ground. The country's government and gemstone industry are committed to a programme that involves formalising the status of its artisanal and smaller-scale miners, enabling them to access the international markets, and so realize our business community's potential of being a force for sustainable economic and social development".

A dedicated CIBJO Congress 2018 website will be launched shortly.

Alex Shishlo, Editor of the Rough&Polished European Bureau in Brussels


AAR

Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), has announced his upcoming retirement from the organization in early 2019.

Hambergers announcement comes after more than 20 years of service, making him the longest-tenured head of the 84-year-old association. He has concentrated for more than four decades on the nations transportation policies, improving infrastructure and enhancing the U.S. rail network, AAR said.

It has been a privilege to help one of Americas vital industries  freight rail  navigate through a period when the fundamentals of Washington, the economy and our industry have evolved, Hamberger said. From protecting the economic framework that revitalized Americas railroads to clearing the path to developing and deploying new safety technologies, I am extremely proud of the work we have done together over the last two decades, none of which would have been possible without the leadership of our members and the hard work of AARs dedicated staff.

Hamberger said he is confident that his successor will position the industry to meet future challenges.

With safety and investments at all-time highs, AARs new leader will play a significant role in advancing a flourishing, transformational industry that drives the nations economy, Hamberger added.

The association has selected executive search firm Korn Ferry to lead the search for Hambergers successor.

Ed Hamberger has been a forceful advocate for freight railroads and will leave behind a powerful legacy in Washington and in the industry, said Jim Squires, Chair and Chairman of the AAR Board of Directors and president and CEO of Norfolk Southern Railway. Ed helped expand and strengthen our industrys voice on transportation, infrastructure and technology in Washington, and I look forward to the AAR continuing to be a powerful voice.

The association also called Hamberger one of the most effective transportation policy advocates in the United States, noting that he was was called to testify before Congress as head of the AAR more than 85 times.

Before he joined the association, Hamberger worked for more than 20 years at executive and legislative levels, including as the assistant secretary of governmental affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation and as the general counsel at the National Transportation Policy Study Commission.
Nordstrom Rack President apologized to three young black kids, after store employees at a Nordstrom Rack in Brentwood, Missouri called the police after suspecting them to shoplifters.

Mekhi Lee, Dirone Taylor and Eric Rogers II were shopping for prom clothes at the store last week. They noticed that several employees were following them in the store.

After leaving the store the three were approached by police officials who told them that store workers suspected them to be shoplifting. However, after an enquiry at the scene, the police concluded that no theft had occurred and let the three teens go without charges.

Geevy Thomas, the president of Nordstrom Rack, flew to St. Louis to personally apologize to the teens and their families.

A similar incident happened last month at a Starbucks in Philadelphia, when cops arrested two black men after a store manager called police to arrest them for "trespassing."

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
(Agencia CMA Latam) - Ibovespa, the benchmark stock market index in Brazil, fell 0.12% to 85,130.42 points Tuesday. Stocks fell amid a wave of risk aversion caused by higher US Treasury yields, but Petrobras shares tracked oil prices and ended higher (PETR3 +3.51%)

"The Ibovespa could have fallen much more. The U.S. [stock] market is very heavy and Treasury [rates] are rising, but Petrobras held the index [steady] after the transfer of rights story," said Terra Investimentos analyst Christian Lupinacci.

Earlier, "Valor EconOmico," a local newspaper, reported on a deal between the company and the government in which Petrobras would receive 2 billion barrels as compensation from the Brazilian government to settle the "transfer of rights" issue.

Petrobras said that discussions between the firm and the government about the "transfer of rights" are ongoing. The Brazilian government endorsed Petrobras statement.

Vale shares also ended higher (VALE3 +0,70%), tracking iron ore prices abroad, while Natura shares (NATU3 +5,21%) had the best performance, still reflecting the company's first-quarter results. Qualicorp (QUAL3 -6,08%) fell after MSCI decided to remove the company from the MSCI Brazil index.

According to Guide Investimentos analyst Rafael Passos, investors in Brazil will keep monitoring news from abroad that could change the monetary policy trajectory in the United States. Markets are also in standby mode before the Brazilian central bank monetary policy decision, which will be announced Wednesday.

by Agencia CMA Latam

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Economic News

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While reporting its first-quarter financial results today, department store chain Macy's, Inc. (M) raised its earnings and sales outlook for fiscal 2018.

For fiscal 2018, Macy's now expects adjusted earnings per share of $3.75 to $3.95, excluding anticipated settlement charges related to the company's defined benefit plans as well as impairment and other costs. This reflects an increase of 20 cents compared to the prior guidance.

Total full-year sales are now expected to range from a 1 percent decline to a 0.5 percent increase.

Comparable sales for the year on an owned plus licensed basis are now expected to increase between 1 and 2 percent. Comparable sales on an owned basis are expected to be 20 to 30 basis points below comparable sales on an owned plus licensed basis.

Earlier, Macy's forecast fiscal 2018 adjusted earnings per share of $3.55 to $3.75, excluding anticipated settlement charges related to the company's defined benefit plans.

The company had previously projected comparable sales on both an owned and an owned plus licensed basis to be flat to up 1 percent, and total sales to be down between 0.5 percent and 2 percent.

On average, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect earnings of $3.61 per share for the year on revenues of $24.73 billion. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

Regarding it's in China, Macy's said it has come to a mutual agreement to end the joint venture with Fung Retailing Limited. Macy's will remain active on Alibaba's e-commerce platform TMall, as well as social media channels.

The Macy's e-commerce team in San Francisco will manage the ongoing China business with operational support from Fung Omni in Shanghai.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Canadian stocks are poised for a subdued session Wednesday amid geopolitical tensions and signs that the rally in crude oil prices may lose steam.

North Korea has threatened to cancel talks with the U.S. if President Trump insists on de-nuclearization. The Hermit Kingdom has already cancelled high level talks with South Korea.

Yesterday, U.S. stocks tanked but Canada's TSX Composite Index inched higher to extend strong recent gains.

In corporate news, shareholders have approved Hydro One's (H.TO) executive pay plan.

Marijuana major Canopy Growth Corp. (WEED.TO) has applied to have its stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Conifex Timber (CFF.TO) will buy large sawmills in Florida and Arkansas.

Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ) reported earnings of $43.38 million in Q1 vs. -$13.33 million in the same period last year.

Crude oil futures were lower this morning after the IEA cut its forecast for global demand growth to 1.4 million barrels per day for 2018, from a previous estimate of 1.5 million bpd.

WTI light sweet oil was down 30 cents at $71.09 a barrel. Still, energy stocks should hold recent gains as prices remain near 4-year highs.

Industry group the American Petroleum Institute reported Tuesday that U.S. crude supplies rose by nearly 4.9 million barrels for the week ended May 11. However, there was a decline of 3.4 million barrels in gasoline stockpiles.

Canada's manufacturing sales rose 1.4% to $57.1 billion in March. Higher sales at primary metal, aerospace product and parts, fabricated metal product, and the other transportation equipment industries were mostly responsible for the increase.

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Market Analysis
A Federal court in Manhattan has indicted the founders of a cryptocurrency-related start up company for defrauding investors in the name of unregistered securities.

Florida residents Sohrab Sharma, 27, Raymond Trapani, 27, and Robert Farkas, 31, were arrested last month based on criminal complaints filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Southern District of New York.

They were charged with committing securities and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to induce victims to invest millions of dollars' worth of digital funds for the purchase of unregistered securities, in the form of digital currency tokens issued by Centra Tech, through material misrepresentations and omissions.

Following their arrests, FBI seized 91,000 Ether units raised from victims as part of the charged scheme in an ICO. The U.S. Department of Justice said the seized digital currency is worth more than $60 million.

Robert Khuzami, Attorney for the United States, said, "As alleged, the defendants conspired to capitalize on investor interest in the burgeoning cryptocurrency market. They allegedly made false claims about their product and about relationships they had with credible financial institutions, even creating a fictitious Centra Tech CEO. Whether traditional or cutting-edge, investment vehicles can't legally be peddled with falsehoods and lies."

The startup company called Centra Tech issued a debit card named "Centra Card," misleading card holders that they can spend various types of cryptocurrency to make purchases at any establishment that accepts Visa or Mastercard payment cards.

In July 2017, Centra Tech began soliciting investors to purchase unregistered securities, in the form of digital tokens issued by the company, through an ICO.

They falsely represented that Centra Tech had an experienced executive team and "had formed partnerships with Bancorp, Visa, and Mastercard to issue Centra Card licensed by Visa or Mastercard." They also represented that the company "had money transmitter and other licenses in 38 states, among other claims.

Based on these claims, victims provided millions of dollars' worth of digital funds in investments for the purchase of Centra Tech tokens, DOJ says.

The Department of Justice found that statements made by the three to secure these investments were false.

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Economic News

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Two Republican candidates that President Donald Trump supported in their U.S. Senate primaries have won.

Lou Barletta in Pennsylvania and Deb Fischer in Nebraska comfortably won their first hurdle for the Senate.

Rep Barletta and State Rep. Jim Christiana were in contention to get GOP ticket to challenge two-term Democratic Senator Bob Casey in Pennsylvania.

Fischer won the Republican nomination to fight Democratic Party's Jane Raybould defeating four candidates from his party.

Fischer, who is seeking re-election in Nebraska, is considered as the strong favorite.

Trump commended both the winners on Twitter Wednesday morning.

"Congratulations to Deb Fischer. The people of Nebraska have seen what a great job she is doing - and it showed up at the ballot box," he tweeted.

Trump had more words to congratulate Lou Barletta, whom he described as his friend and a special guy, who will "very much help Make America Great Again." "He will be a great Senator and will represent his people well - like they haven't been represented in many years," he added.

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Political News
North Korea has threatened to cancel an historic meeting between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, but White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has said the administrations remains hopeful the meeting will take place.

Sanders said in an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday that the tough talk from North Korea is not "out of the ordinary," adding that Trump remains "ready to meet."

"We're still hopeful that the meeting will take place and we'll continue down that path," Sanders said. "We've been prepared that these could be tough negotiations."

"The president is ready if the meeting takes place," she added. "And if it doesn't, we'll continue the maximum pressure campaign that's been ongoing."

The comments from Sanders came after the state-run Korean Central News Agency suggested North Korea would reconsider the meeting due in part to comments from U.S. officials.

"If the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit," said North Korean First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Kye Gwan.

Kim pointed to "unbridled remarks" by U.S. officials such as National Security Adviser John Bolton calling on North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons first and be compensated afterward.

The statement from Kim came after North Korea canceled high-level talks with South Korea planned for Wednesday over U.S.-South Korean military drills.

Sanders has sought to downplay the comments from Bolton, who indicated the administration was looking at the "Libya model" as an example of how to move forward in negotiations with North Korea.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's decision to give up his nuclear weapons program led to the lifting of U.S. sanctions, although the dictator was later overthrown and killed by rebels backed by Washington.

While Sanders acknowledged Bolton's comment, she argued there is not a "cookie-cutter model on how this works."

"This is the President Trump model. He's going to run this the way he sees fit," Sanders said. "We're 100 percent confident, as we've said many times before, as I'm sure you're all aware, he's the best negotiator and we're very confident on that front."

In a post on Twitter last Thursday, Trump revealed the planned meeting with Kim Jong Un would be held in Singapore on Tuesday, June 12th.

Trump predicted that the meeting with Kim would be a "very big success" and said the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula would be his "proudest achievement."

The president previously referred to Kim as a "maniac" and a "madman," but described the repressive dictator as being "very open" and "honorable" in remarks last month.

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Business News
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Wednesday released thousands of pages of documents related to the panel's inquiry into a meeting between senior members of President Donald Trump's campaign and Russians.

Grassley noted in a statement that the committee has been working to get to the bottom of what actually happened since the June 2016 meeting was revealed.

"Americans rightly have many questions about this meeting, and today, we are releasing the transcripts and exhibits from interviews we've conducted to allow the public to know what we know," Grassley said.

"These materials, taken in their entirety, provide the most complete public picture of the events surrounding the meeting to date," he added. "Americans can now review this unfiltered information and arrive at their own conclusions."

The materials purportedly do not contain any groundbreaking new information but do provide additional details about the controversial meeting.

Meanwhile, Democrats on the committee argued that the full story about the meeting is still unknown, as the transcripts are of interviews with just five of the eight participants.

Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., noted that the interviews did reveal that top Trump campaign officials were frustrated and angry that the meeting did not produce enough damaging information on Hillary Clinton.

Feinstein said committee Democrats have sought to conduct a robust and independent investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, but claimed there are more questions than answers given the lack of cooperation by many of the individuals involved.

"The investigation has yet to be completed and dozens of witnesses' testimony as well as critical documents have yet to be obtained," Feinstein said.

She added, "In addition, without the cooperation of Republicans and the ability to subpoena witnesses, much of the truth remains hidden."

The transcripts, written statements and exhibits from the committee's inquiry are available here.

(Photo: Gage Skidmore)

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Political News
Gina Haspel's nomination as CIA Director was approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee in a closed-door hearing on Wednesday, clearing the way for her to be confirmed as the first female to lead the agency.

Members of the committee voted 10 to 5 to advance Haspel's nomination, with Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Virg., and Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.V., joining with Republicans to favorably report her nomination to the full Senate.

The vote came after Haspel sent a letter to Warner on Monday claiming she now believes the CIA should not have undertaken its enhanced interrogation program.

"While I won't condemn those that made these hard calls, and I have noted the valuable intelligence collected, the program ultimately did damage to our officers and our standing in the world," Haspel wrote.

"With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior Agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken," she added. "The United States must be an example to the rest of the world, and I support that."

Haspel faced criticism for failing to speak out forcefully enough against enhanced interrogations, which she oversaw as chief of a CIA black site in Thailand.

In a statement, Warner said he believes Haspel is someone who will stand up to President Donald Trump if "ordered to do something illegal or immoral - like a return to torture."

Democratic Senators Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., and Bill Nelson, D-Fla., have also expressed support for Haspel.

Subsequently, Haspel's nomination is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate as early as Thursday despite opposition from Republican Senators Rand Paul, R-Ken., and John McCain, R-Ariz.

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Political News
(Agencia CMA Latam) - The Brazilian economic activity index (IBC-Br) fell 0.74% in March from February - its third consecutive monthly decline, according to seasonally-adjusted data from the country's central bank. The result was worse than market forecasts of a 0.20% decline.

Compared to March 2017, the IBC-Br fell an unadjusted 0.66% - a surprising decline, since analysts forecast a 0.30% increase. In the first quarter, the index fell 0.13% from the last three months of 2017 and rose 0.86% compared to the first quarter of last year.

by Agencia CMA Latam

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Report: 3 civilians killed, 7 injured in 24 Saud-led airstrikes, ground attacks over 24 hours [16/May/2018] br>SANAA, May 16 (Saba)  Three civilians were killed and seven injured, including a child and women, when the US-Backed Saudi-led aggression coalition launched 24 airstrike, missile and artillery attacks targeted several districts of Yemens provinces over the past 24 hours, according to reports combined by Saba News Agency on Wednesday.



In Saada province, three civilians were killed and two injured in 3 airstrikes targeted two cars in Kutaf district.



Also in Saada, three women were injured in two airstrikes hit a civilians home in Sharawa area of Baqem district.



Also in Bagem, five airstrikes were waged on Aal-Zamah area and an airstrike on Bani-Moath area of Sehar district.



Meanwhile, a child was injured and many sheep were killed in artillery and missile shelling targeted Munabih district as well as Artillery and missile shelling targeted several areas of Razih and Baqem districts.



Furthermore,a civilian, from Razih district, was injured by the fire of Saudi border guards.



In Sanaa province, the warplane of aggression waged a strike on a gas station in Quladh area of Bani-Mater district, causing material damage.



In Hodeidah province, the warplanes launched five strikes on Jah area of Bait-Faqih district, and three airstrikes on Kilo-16 area of Hali district.



In Marib province, four Saudi-led aggression coalition airstrikes targeted Serwah district.



Writing by Sameera Hassn

Saba
Report: Saudi army, its militias inflicted heavy losses over 24 hours [16/May/2018] br>

SANAA, May 16 (Saba) -The Rocketry and artillery forces of the Yemen army and popular committees targeted sites and gatherings of the Saudi army and its mercenaries during the past 24 hours, causing loss of lives and equipment on the combat front, according to military reports combined by Saba News Agency on Wednesday.



In southern Saudi province of Jizan, rocketry force or the army and committees fired a ballistic missile, Bader-1, toward King Faisal military base.



In Saudi border province of Najran, a military vehicle was smashed in the west of Sudais by artillery shelling and a 14.5 caliber was destroyed by a guided missile in Shurfa.



Also in Najran, two Saudi soldiers were sniped in east of Shurfa and west of Sudais, while artillery and missile shelling targeted gatherings of Saudi soldiers and their militias in west of Sudais site.



In Ajasher desert of Najran, a Saudi-paid mercenaries military vehicle was destroyed, and a mercenary was killed in Boqea front by the fires of Yemen army and popular committees.



In Asir border province, artillery and missile shells were fired toward mercenaries gatherings in Sood hills in front of Alab border crossing.



In Taiz province, a mercenaries infiltration was repelled in Kadaha front of Maafer district, killing and wounding dozens.



Also in Taiz, two armored and a military vehicle were damaged by guided missiles in west coast front, killing all their crews, while a mercenary was killed by the army and committees fires in west coast.



In Yemen province of Jawf, a missile, Zilzal_2, were fired toward militias gatherings in Ghail district, causing direct casualties.



Also in Jawf, the army and committees attacked sites of mercenaries in Ham area of Mutun district, killing dozens of the mercenaries..



In Marib province, two of Saudi-paid mercenaries were killed and three injured by the fires of the army and committees in Serwah front.



In Bayda province, two military vehicles were damaged in Natea front.



In Sanaa province, a Saudi-paid mercenary were killed in Nehm front by Yemen armys fires.







Writing by Sameera Hassn









Saba
President addresses Yemeni people on occasion of Ramadan [16/May/2018] br>

SANAA, May 16 (Saba)  President of the Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat delivered on Wednesday a speech, addressing the Yemeni people on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.



In his speech, the president expressed his congratulations to the Yemeni people and to the Arab and Islamic nations on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan.



"We are in the fourth year of the epic legendary steadfastness of Yemeni people against the tyranny and criminality forces, in the forefront of which is US-backed Saudi regime," the president said.



The steadfastness and confrontation is the only choice for the Yemeni people to achieve their freedom, he added.



The president noted that the Islamic nations is facing serious dangers and challenges that are not hidden.



"Everyone is aware of the nature of the US-Zionist expansionist projects, not the last of which is the storming and desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Zionist settlers amid a humiliating silence of the Arab regimes," al-Mashat said.



The president praised the Palestinian movement in its uprising against American-Zionist projects and the US embassy relocation to (al-Quds) Jerusalem.



The president strongly condemned the crimes of occupation, Judaization and murder committed by the U.S. and the Zionist entity in Palestine, expressing support to all options of the Palestinians in resisting and confronting the Zionist occupation.



He called on Yemeni people to confront the misleading campaigns carried out by the enemy to target their identity, culture, and values.



The president confirmed that the Yemeni political leadership will continue to extend a hand to a just and honorable peace.



"We are rejecting the options of surrender and humiliation, regardless of the length of the battle and the size of sacrifices", he added.



BA





Saba


The BJP's Chief Ministerial face, B.S. Yeddyurappa, on Wednesday staked claim to form the new government in Karnataka. "We have staked claim to form the government as the single largest party with 104 newly elected legislators," Yeddyurappa told reporters here after meeting Governor Vajubhai R. Vala at Raj Bhavan.



Earlier in the day, the new Bharatiya Janata Party lawmakers unanimously elected Yeddyurappa as their legislative party leader.



"I have requested the Governor to allow me to take oath as the Chief Minister at the earliest and the Governor said he would take an appropriate decision soon," Yeddyurappa said.



Of the 222 constituencies where polling was held on May 12, the BJP won in 104 seats, while the Congress won in 78 and JD-S won in 38 seats, along with its ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), throwing up a hung assembly in the state.



The BJP is still eight short of the 112-halfway mark needed for a simple majority.



In a related development, the party's legislator from Rajajinagar in the city's northwest suburb told reporters that the Congress was "shameless" to extend support to the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) after its leaders, including party President Rahul Gandhi and state unit chief G. Parameshwara accused the regional party of being the 'B-team' of the BJP.



"Shocking to see a defeated Congress falling head over heels to extend unconditional support to the JD-S after dubbing it BJP's B-team," Kumar told reporters outside Raj Bhavan.



On Tuesday, the Congress had extended its unconditional support to the JD-S to form a government in the state.




Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala on Wednesday invited BJP's legislature party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa to form the government and take oath as the Chief Minister of the state on Thursday.

"I invite you to form the government and be sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka," said Vala in a letter to Yeddyurappa, released by the party's state unit here.



Party's spokesman Vamanacharya told IANS that Yeddyurappa would oath on Thursday ' title=' take oath on Thursday '>take oath on Thursday at 9.00 a.m in the "Glass House" at Raj Bhavan in the city centre amid tight security.



"Only Yeddyurappa will take oath and form the cabinet after proving majority within 15 days, as directed by the Governor," said Vamanacharya.

Vala's invitation was in response to Yeddyurappa's letter earlier in the day, in which he informed the former that he was elected as the BJP legislature party leader in the southern state.



"I may also direct you to seek a vote of confidence on the floor of the House showing that you command the confidence of the House within 15 days from the date of the assumption of office as the Chief Minister of the state," said Vala in the letter.



The Governor has invited party's leaders and its newly-elected legislators to the swearing-in ceremony.



Yeddyurappa, 75, was elected for the 8th time from the Shikaripura assembly segment in Shivamogga district of Malnad region on May 12 when polling was held in 222 constituencies across the state. Results were declared on Tuesday.



Although the BJP emerged as the single-largest party winning 104 seats, it fell short of 8 seats from the 112-halfway mark in the lower House, in which the Congress trailed behind with 78 wins and the regional outfit Janata Dal-S (JD-S) 37 seats.



This is second time Yeddyurappa takes oath as the state's Chief Minister, a decade after he became the BJP's first Chief Minister in south India in May 2008 when the party came to power first time in Karnataka.



The dominant Lingayat leader, however, was forced to resign three years later in July 2011 by the party's high command after the state's anti-graft watchdog (Lokayukta)'s investigation report named him in the multi-crore mining scam that rocked the state for over a decade from 2001-2010.
District Court Judge, Alalatoa Rosella Papalii, was troubled by a potential miscarriage of justice in the case of a man accused of giving false information with the intention of misleading a Police Officer in the execution of his duties.

The case in question involved one Walker Seiuli. It was quashed and dismissed as it was in violation of the statute of limitations.

This is what Judge Alalatoa said in her written ruling. Seiuli was represented by lawyer, Leiataua Jerry Brunt. According to Judge Alalatoa on 15 August 2017, Seiuli through Defence Counsel pleaded not guilty to a charge alleging that on 13 September 2013, he gave false information to Constable Viane Faletoese with the intention of misleading him in the execution of his duties.

The matter came for hearing on 5 April 2018, however, Defence Counsel entered Seiulis change of plea.

He also requested if the matter could proceed to sentence. Prosecution were ready to deliver the summary of facts orally.

Judge Alalatoa accepted the change of plea and proceeded to hear from Prosecution who confirmed the maximum penalty for the offence was three months imprisonment.

Naturally, I was troubled about this being aware of the time limitation for filing of charges relating to offences with a maximum imprisonment term of three months.

I also noted from the information that the alleged offending took place on 19 September 2013. The information was laid on 22 July 2017, pointed out the District Court Judge.

Judge Alalatoa enquired with prosecution if they were aware of the statutory limitation provision for filing certain charges in the Criminal Procedure Act 2016.

She recalled the case and took the Counsels attention to s16 C.P.A. and that on her reading of the Act and applying that to the information laid out in 2017 that it was out of time, unless Prosecution could rely on subsection (2) to persuade her otherwise.

I also enquired with the Prosecution if the alleged date of the offending remained the same, and they confirmed this.

It was also explained that it was only in July 2017 when Seiuli was re-interviewed by Police that it was discovered he allegedly gave false information in September 2013, hence the late filing of the charge.

Prosecution conceded the charge was caught by s16 C.P.A. but they put forth that the Court can take this into account as a factor in mitigation.

For the defence, Mr Brunt indicated he was going to address this in mitigation as well. I must say this approach does not sit well with me, noted Judge Alalatoa.

ANALYSIS

According to Judge Alalatoa under Section 16 C.P.A. it is crystal clear from the information that the incident leading to the offence allegedly took place on 19 September 2013.

The charge here was not laid until 22 July 2017 some 3 years and 10 months later after the alleged incident. 

Whatever the explanation for the delay, the fact of the matter is, according to s16 CPA, this charge should have been filed by 20 September 2014 which is precisely a year after the incident.

Both Defence Counsel and Prosecution seem to be of the view that I can take this into account as a factor in mitigation. I do not favour this at all.

I am bothered by a bigger concern of whether it is in the interest of justice that Seiuli be sentenced at all on this charge which was filed way out of time and in clear contravention of s16 C.P.A.

I am also mindful that Seiuli had denied the charge right through but it was at the last hour that Counsel informed of the change of plea.

Perhaps if defence counsel had cast his mind to this issue, it would have become apparent that a change of plea would not have been appropriate rather an application to quash the information should have been put forth.

For the Prosecution, they should have considered withdrawing the charge rather than insisting on proceeding to sentence and suggesting using this as a mitigating factor.

For my part, I cannot close my mind to the fact that there is a statutory provision dictating the time limit from which Police should file a charge of this nature.

It should have been complied with. It is not the job of the Court to ascertain when to lay any information against an accused. That is strictly the Prosecutions job. But it is my job to see to it that justice prevails, stated Judge Alalatoa.

The District Court Judge noted that section 16 CPA is there for a reason.

The policy in my view is to ensure the prompt prosecution of criminal charges and spare the defendant from the burden of having to defend a charge(s) after memories may have faded and possibility of evidence being tampered or lost.

I venture further to say it also goes to the Constitutional right of an accused under Article 9(4) (a) to be informed promptly of the nature and cause of the charge against that person.

This Court has inherent powers to ensure its processes are not used as an instrument of oppression or otherwise abused. It is the same powers which enable it to act effectively within its criminal jurisdiction. In addition, this Court also has statutory powers under s66 District Court Act 2016 to quash information where there has been a miscarriage of justice, stated Judge Alalatoa.

She referred to what may be deemed as a miscarriage of justice has been traversed authoritatively in cases such as Meredith Ainuu Lawyers v Muagututagata Peter Ah Him.

This was an appeal from the District Court on a private prosecution for contempt of Court. The learned C.J. Sapolu there stated that a miscarriage of justice would occur if the defect, irregularity or want of form has caused the defendant prejudice or has resulted in an abuse of process.

What tantamount to an abuse of process is also settled law.

I reiterate the legal proceeding here was brought outside of the time limited by s16. It should have never gotten this far.

In my view, the fact that it even got to this stage is in itself an abuse of process that is prejudicial to Seiuli who has had to appear in Court a number of times to answer to this out of time charge.

Perhaps with some due diligence (as in checking the law), the charge might not have been brought thereby avoiding it being in the criminal system for 8 months.

But even when the statutory limitation was discovered this morning, Prosecution still persisted with it.

In my view the conduct of the Prosecution of this charge does offend the Courts sense of justice and propriety and strikes at the publics confidence in the Courts processes.[5] So there is an abuse of process.

Ultimately, there will also be a miscarriage of justice if I am to even entertain sentencing Seiuli in the clear knowledge the charge is statute barred.

Judge Alalatoa concluded that the Court has the power to end proceedings where justice requires and where there is an abuse of process.

For the reasons canvassed here, the information against Seiuli is therefore dismissed and or quashed.
A group of eight from New Zealand loves their island getaway in Samoa.

It is the first time for the lot to visit Samoa and they arrived on Sunday. However, some of them have been to some Pacific Islands before.

It seems to be more commercialised than Rarotonga. We did not have a lot of time to explore, but from what we saw so far its perfect, Kirsty Murihod said.

In Samoa there are bigger and higher buildings and a lot of greenery in town. We will be going around more to explore the island.

The Dear Tourist team met the group walking along the streets of Apia.

We are here for a quiet holiday and relax. It seems to be a good place for that, Phillip Lee said.

Meeting locals is an important part of their experience.

The people weve met here have been really friendly. Its interesting to have a conversation with them, Phillip said.

They told us how it is in the villages, which is fascinating.

The group plans to visit a village before they leave next week Monday.

We are planning to go to a culture evening, the fiafia night, Kirsty shared.

We havent had the opportunity yet to try the local food, so we definitely are going to have some.

They all agreed that Samoa could do with some street signs improvement.

There have been no street signs anywhere. Despite that, the service we had was really good.

Tropical fruits, people, nature and climate have been some of the highlights of their trip so far.

I will definitely go home and recommend Samoa as a holiday destination and maybe come back again or even go to another Pacific Island, Kirsty said.
Meet Debbie Watson and Kerrie Norynberg from Brisbane, Australia.

The two friends, who have been travelling together a couple of times, arrived in Samoa last week Sunday.

Why not? It is not far away from Australia and we only got a week off. It seems to be a nice spot for a trip, Debbie said when asked why they came to Samoa.

It is their first time in Samoa.

From the moment we got to the airport, the people have been really helpful.

It was excellent walking through the airport, really smooth, straight in there, everything worked, Debbie shared.

There have been people singing in the hall. The driver picked us up and even stopped at a shop for us, Kerry added.

Debbie has already visited Vanuatu and Fiji.

In Fiji, I spent more time in the resort. Here, I really enjoy getting out and seeing all the waterfalls and the beaches, it has been beautiful, she said.

People here are much friendlier, much more beautiful. The people seemed to be more open here, Debbie said.

Kerrie on the other hand has never visited any Pacific Island but has been to Bali and Indonesia.

It is much cleaner here compared to Bali and very laid back. We would not take a car to drive around in Bali, it is crazy the traffic over there. Just really relaxed here, she said.

The Dear Tourist team met them at the market near the bus station.

We drove to the west side of the island yesterday (Monday) and today (yesterday) we are doing the east side. We did not realise it was a public holiday yesterday (Monday), Kerrie added.

We came to the markets and nothing was open. So we struggled to find something to eat yesterday, Debbie said.

They are staying at the Saletoga Sands Resort.

Everyone we met has been really friendly. It has been really great, Kerrie said.

Debbie added: I really like it because some places you travel everyone hustles you to buy stuff. It is really nice here, everyone is laid back and we can enjoy it more. The people wave at us down the road, which is really nice.

It is impressive how clean it is.

Kerrie shared: The colours around the roads, all the plants, it is amazing. I was really surprised how proud the people are of their land and they make it nice to impress, it is gorgeous.

The food was delicious. Tomorrow (today) we are going to the culture night and definitely try some local food. We did not have the opportunity to eat local food.

They will leave the island next week Saturday.

We told some of our friends to come to Samoa. We promote it on our Facebook pages. I do not know anybody else who has been to Samoa.
It is that time of the year again where hundreds of members of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa head to Malua for their annual conference, with subcommittee meetings starting on Monday.

One of the issues on the agenda is the taxing of church ministers, an issue the elders agreed to elaborate on at this years main conference to start next week Monday.

The pre-meetings have already started where hundreds of members of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa have been attending this week.

This years theme is The Spirit of Wisdom in Languages.

Yesterday, the yearly procession started with the women, where about 200 wives of elderly deacons and Ministers and pensioner mothers gathered at the Malua hall to discuss several issues before the subcommittee conference that begins today.

According to the conference programme, aside from evening services, today is the Mafuataga Tinas Annual Service.

The subcommittees for the finance will meet on Friday and Saturday is the annual Graduation of Malua Theological students as well as the Youth Service.
Tributes are being shared widely on social media this week for one of Samoas first FM radio broadcasters.

Maposua Rudolf Keil, who was also a renowned businessman, died in Samoa on Sunday, aged 83.

The New Zealand Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio said his friendship with Maposua began back in Samoa, during a time of political protest.

He said it was a huge loss for not only family, but the Samoan community as well.

The Keil family is a large family with many genealogical connections both in Samoa, New Zealand the US as well as other parts of the Pacific. Hes somebody that is known and hes recognised as somebody who served our wider community, Aupito said.

Radio Polynesia, which is owned by Maposua and his family, had recently bought the commercial TV3 station in a joint venture with a local business partner. This is what Aupito wrote:

I will always cherish Maposuas generosity when he allowed myself, Matatumua Maimoana and members of the Samoa All Peoples Party to use your office space and your radio station to promote our campaign messages leading up to Samoas 1996 general elections.

I recall despite the threats from some quarters, and though Maposua was not aligned to S.A.P.P. politically, he supported our right to be heard through a free media.

He supported the need to have open and transparent debates on political issues that mattered to people. At that time it was to do with constitutional changes related to the term of the Controller & Chief Auditors role, the need to raise the Minimum Wage, and our challenge to independent candidates to come clean and reveal to voters which side they had already committed to, and stop pretending to be independents. I shall never forget his kindness and generosity and his love for Samoa. My sympathies and condolences to your extended family.
Government and N.G.O. representatives were invited on board the Golden Bear Marine Training ship for a tour and a presentation about ballast water treatment.

Science Coordinator, Stephen Loiacono spoke about the innovative ballast water treatment project that is occurring on the ship and shared about the innovative ways that the U.S. is protecting marine biodiversity by not potentially discharging foreign marine species into local waters.

According to Mr. Loiacono, the world is headed towards where a ship will be ineffective if it doesnt have one of these systems most of the countries that trade partially on using the ocean, recognise the economic damage it faces with ballasting and that eventually restrictions will be put in place to protect countries from ships that do not have the technology integrated onboard their ships.

Mr. Loiacono said ballast treatment is an important environment issue facing countries as international trade becomes more complex and frequent. When a large ship is trading, they have to pull in water into their hulls to balance the boat and keep the ship buoyant and riding right. However, when a ship is in a foreign port and it needs to load on cargo that weighs millions of tonnes  it needs to discharge water or else it will sink. The environmental issue is that millions of foreign invasive species are discharged into another foreign sea.

When a ship sails to a port and its bringing cargo along, its discharging water that water typically comes from a foreign body of water and with that is all the bacteria and viruses, fish and all the organisms that were pulled into the hull originally. In the case with the Black Sea, weve seen invasive species completely wipe out fisheries, billion dollar collapse in anchovy fishery and it put entire businesses out of business."

Its one of those things where you dont have to be an environmentalist to realise how important that is. Fortunately, we have been doing this for a very long time these are microscopic organisms and they are essentially invisible to us unless you start looking for them."

Its something that we have known about thats been going on for quite some time now. Its something that we are all aggressively trying to tackle right now, its not just one country, the global community now recognises that this is an incredibly costly and important environmental issue to tackle.

Like most countries in the Pacific, Samoa has a strategy in place and is working towards completing the activities which ideally would result in our country being able to ratify the convention.

It was good to have this information that we never heard before and it is really eye opening. I did not know about this procedure or that we had a strategy in place about this important issue of ballast water treating. I am a little surprised that this information about a strategy has not been disclosed or looked at carefully from our side, Fauono Sina Mualia of Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (S.R.O.S.) said.

At S.R.O.S we are a testing facility so I think we should all be working together on this and information needs to be disseminated to the relevant parties who will inevitably be working together on this. Its quite important because as you heard in the information session, organisms brought into our waters from foreign waters could possibly wipe out the marine life in our waters.

Registrar of Vessels for Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure (M.W.T.I.), Makerita Atonio was interested in making connections with the training facility for future assistance and advice sharing.

There is a ballast water convention at I.M.O., which we are looking to ratify but we are looking at every facet of the strategy in order to weigh out our options and see which is the best outcome for our country, said Ms. Atonio.

Its very useful to have the Golden Bear Training ship here because we can see what kind of treatment plants should be on any vessel in order to help limit the amount of invasive species coming into our waters. In terms of the I.M.O. ballast water convention, the areas that the Ministry or Works, Transport and Infrastructure are concerned with are the safety and security of maritime environment from ships operations in relation to ballased water.

Representatives from South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, S.R.O.S., Ministry of Fisheries, M.W.T.I. and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment toured the ship. Officials from the Golden Bear Training facility reciprocated with a visit the S.R.O.S. headquarters and testing labs.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Most of the protesters killed this week by Israeli fire along the border with the Gaza Strip were members of Hamas, the militant group said Wednesday, an assertion that deepens the starkly different narratives on both sides over the deaths.

Israel, which has faced blistering international criticism over its response, is likely to latch on to the remarks to bolster its claims that Hamas has used the weekly border protests as cover to stage attacks.

But human rights groups say the identity of slain protesters, including a possible affiliation to a militant group, is irrelevant if they were unarmed and did not pose an immediate threat to the lives of soldiers when they were shot.

In an interview with Baladna TV, a private Palestinian news outlet that broadcasts via Facebook, senior Hamas official Salah Bardawil said 50 out of the nearly 60 protesters killed Monday were Hamas members, with the others being "from the people."

Bardawil did not elaborate on the nature of their membership in the group and his claim could not be independently verified. It was unclear if the protesters he was referring to were militants or civilian supporters of the Islamic group, which rules Gaza and opposes Israel's existence.

The affiliation may matter little to those who have deemed Israel's response to the protests to be heavy-handed.

For Israel, it was enough to cement its narrative.

"It was clear to Israel and now it is clear to the whole world that there was no popular protest. This was an organized mob of terrorists organized by Hamas," said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had tallied similar numbers to Hamas and "won't let those who call for our destruction to breach our borders and to threaten our communities."

In response to the uproar over his remarks, Bardawil later said in a statement that Israel was "legitimizing the killing of Palestinians just because they are Palestinians or just because they are Hamas, even if they were unarmed and defending their dignity and rights."

Organizers say the wave of border protests is meant in large part to break a decade-old blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt and pressure Israel to ease its restrictions. Since the Hamas-led protests began March 30, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,500 wounded by live fire, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Palestinian officials say the vast majority of the casualties have been unarmed protesters. One Israeli soldier has been wounded.

The weekly protests peaked on Monday when about 40,000 Gaza residents descended on the border area. As in previous demonstrations, smaller groups of protesters broke away and moved closer to the border fence, burning tires, throwing stones or hurling firebombs. Some tried to attack the border fence.

Israeli snipers, perched behind sand berms, opened fire from the other side of the fence, killing 59 Palestinians and wounding hundreds.

Images of the protesters being whisked away in stretchers amid the tear gas contrasted sharply Monday with jubilant scenes of the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem by a high-powered American delegation and Israeli leaders. Hardly a mention was made of the border violence, only about an hour's drive away.

The Israeli army has defended its actions. It points to the violent history of Hamas, says there have been shootings and bombing attacks against its forces, and fears a mass border breach.

On Tuesday, the army released a video that appeared to show protesters detonating several explosions near the border. It also said its forces had killed a squad of Hamas gunmen who opened fire at troops.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said 14 of those killed Monday were actively involved in carrying out attacks.

Omar Shakir, the local director for Human Rights Watch, said that under international law, Israel cannot use lethal force against unarmed protesters, regardless of their identity or possible affiliation with a militant group.

"These individuals that were killed, regardless of their affiliation or membership, were engaged in a demonstration in which they did not pose an immediate threat to life and were gunned down, and that's what's relevant," Shakir said.

Israel says it uses live fire only as a last resort. Snipers are supposed to aim at protesters' legs and can shoot only with approval from a commander.

However, some protesters were shot while standing dozens of meters (yards) from the border fence or, in one case, while running way, according to video and witness accounts. At least nine of those killed were minors, including a 14-year-old boy who was taking cover from tear gas when he was shot last month.

Hamas' statement comes at a moment when Israel finds itself largely isolated over its response to the protests.

Countries have summoned and recalled ambassadors, the U.N. has issued condemnations and some have called for an investigation of Israel's actions. The Palestinians held a one-day general strike and called for three days of mourning for the victims.

The U.S. was among the few countries that came to Israel's defense, backing its right to protect its border on the same day that it countered international disapproval of moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Palestinians, who seek east Jerusalem as capital of their hoped-for state and vehemently oppose the U.S. move, recalled their ambassadors to four European countries that had supported it.

On Wednesday, Guatemala followed the U.S. lead, festively opening its new Jerusalem mission with Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales saying his country was bringing a message of "love, peace and fraternity" to Israel. Paraguay said it also will move its embassy to Jerusalem. Romania, the Czech Republic and Honduras have said they are considering doing the same.
BEIJING (AP)  China on Wednesday urged ally North Korea not to cancel a historic summit between its leader, Kim Jong Un, and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The call came as President Xi Jinping met with a delegation from North Korea's ruling Worker's Party, at which he expressed support for the North's avowed new emphasis on economic development, along with improving relations with South Korea.

"We support the improvement of North-South (Korean) relations, the promotion of dialogue between North Korea and the U.S., denuclearization on the peninsula and North Korea's development of its economy," Xi was quoted as saying by state broadcaster CCTV.

Neither CCTV nor the official Xinhua News Agency said whether the Kim-Trump summit was discussed.

At a daily briefing, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said North Korea and the U.S. should ensure the summit proceeds as planned and yields "substantial outcomes."

"Only in this way can we consolidate the alleviation of the situation and maintain peace and stability in the region," Lu said.

Kim and Trump are due to meet in Singapore on June 12, but North Korea on Wednesday threatened to withdraw, saying it has no interest in a "one-sided" meeting meant to pressure it into abandoning its nuclear weapons.

North Korea's warning came hours after it abruptly canceled a high-level meeting with South Korea to protest U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

China has called for the building of mutual trust through the suspension of large-scale U.S. and South Korean war games in return for a halt of the North's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests.

Xi has met twice with Kim over the past two months in what is seen as an attempt to ensure China's interests are upheld in any negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea.

Analysts said North Korea's threat to scuttle the summit is likely an attempt to gain leverage over Washington, which has demanded the North immediately and irreversibly cease its nuclear weapons program.

In his meeting with Xi last week, Kim registered his desire for Chinese support in the talks, particularly his call for a "phased and synchronous" approach to denuclearization, as opposed to Trump's demand for an immediate end to its nuclear program.

China is North Korea's most important economic partner and has long sought to convince it to follow Beijing's path of enacting free market reforms while maintaining tight single-party rule.

At his meeting with Xi, the leader of the North Korean delegation, Pak Thae Song, said he had been entrusted with consolidating recent agreements between Kim and Xi as well as studying China's model of economic development and "reform and opening."

"We will play an active role in carrying out our party's new strategic line of prioritizing economic development," Pak, a vice chairman of the Workers' Party Central Committee, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

China-North Korea relations appear to have outwardly improved following Kim's March visit to Beijing  his first trip abroad since taking power six years ago.

However, China's strict enforcement of United Nations economic sanctions are believed to have brought economic pain to the North, which suffers from chronic food insecurity and a shortage of fuel and foreign exchange to buy needed imports.
With its beaches and great weather, it would seem that San Diego wouldnt need any help getting workers to move here.

However, some local business leaders say attracting talent in the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, world can be a challenge when competing with Silicon Valley and other well-known innovation hubs.

To help attract talented workers, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. launched a campaign last week that it says employers can use for recruitment. The program includes a website and downloadable materials that serve as a one-stop shop for employers looking to sell the region to a prospective worker.

Weve heard from more than one (human resources) person, more than one talent recruiter, that they need our help, said Lauree Sahba, chief operations officer for the EDC. They need us to raise the visibility of San Diego.

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The toolkits materials emphasize studies that put San Diego in a good light.

Reports include Robert Half Technology listing San Diego as the No.1 city where technology hiring would increase the most in the first half of 2018; A 2013 article from a Forbes contributor that said San Diego was the No. 2 most inventive city in the world (based on number of patents compared to number of residents); No. 3 strongest life sciences cluster in 2017 in the state, said a report from the California Life Sciences Association.

Materials avoid mentioning housing costs, which have continued to rise and could be a downside to relocation. San Diego Countys median home price hit its highest point ever in March, $550,000, increasing 6.8 percent in a year.

Sahba said the point of the campaign is to promote the regions attributes. She also said San Diego is cheaper than other places workers might be looking, such as the San Francisco Bay Area, where the median price of a single-family home was $1.6 million in March, said Paragon Real Estate Group.

We know we are competing with places that are not inexpensive, she said.

Workers in the STEM fields  especially in their 30s and 40s  usually have more money than the average San Diego homebuyer, said Gary Kent, a real estate agent who works in La Jolla, Pacific Beach and Clairemont.

They tend to make good money, so they can afford San Diego, he said.

Mike Krenn, president of the San Diego Venture Group, said the main issue with recruiting workers here is some potential employees worry that if they lose their job at, for instance, Qualcomm, that there will be no where to go after. Also, many have spouses and they worry that they wont have as many options if they move for a job.

Some of that is just marketing and perception, which is why we like (the EDC campaign), he said. Some of it is just trying to dispel the notion that it is just Qualcomm here and nobody else.

EDC materials pitch cities based on fun attributes, including Oceanside as a Northern beach town for younger professionals and La Jolla as a beachy burb for families.

Sahba said the $1 million campaign started in 2017 and so far the EDC has raised about $550,000 to pay for it. She said that is far less than what has been spent in other areas to recruit workers, and the EDC is relying on mainly companies to pay for it  not government agencies or foundations.

Some companies that have contributed to the campaign are Chase Bank, Viasat, Qualcomm, Cleantech San Diego, Kaiser Permanente, Sudberry Properties and Carrier Johnson + Culture.

Professional opportunities are played up as much as the beaches, such as Qualcomms work on 5G technology, Illuminas quest to lower the cost to sequence the human genome, and researchers at Scripps Research Institute working on ways to eradicate the Ebola virus.

San Diego-based recruiter Bob Watkins, owner of R.J. Watkins & Co., said it would be great if the region could produce workers with in-demand skills. He said if it was up to him, every single elementary school in San Diego County would have a computer coding class. But, for now, much of his work is looking outside the region.

The opportunities are incredible, we just need to go out and find the people, he said.

Of course, employers are encouraged by the EDC to play up the livability of the San Diego region, including access to good public schools, walkable neighborhoods, trendy coffee shops, pet friendly restaurants and parks, the FRED (Free Ride Everywhere Downtown) program and two international airports.

A website aimed directly at potential workers has also been launched, SanDiegoLifeChanging.org, that showcases the citys art scene, beer culture and outdoor adventures. It has an interactive map of tech, life science and lifestyle companies.

In San Diego, we work for and create cool companies that believe in changing the world, says the websites Work section.

Employers looking for materials can sign up on the website and get a 13-page booklet that highlights the regions strong points. Companies can also download photos of life around San Diego  including pictures of surfboards and craft beer  as well as get industry profile sheets, videos and other multimedia.

This isnt the first time San Diegos leaders have made efforts to attract talented workers.

This year, the nonprofit Cyber Center of Excellence stepped up efforts, along with industry leaders and the academic community, to expand apprenticeships and recruiting efforts to keep more well-trained graduates in the area.

In late 2016, San Diego opened a small satellite office in San Francisco to try and get Silicon Valley money. The idea was the space was would be used for San Diego startups to secure venture capital from Bay Area firms.

Business

phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar

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The Senate on Wednesday narrowly advanced a Democratic-led attempt to retain net neutrality regulations, the first step in a long shot bid to keep the online traffic rules on the federal books before their repeal takes effect in June.

The effort, which has built momentum in recent weeks, also is intended to elevate net neutrality as a political issue in the fall elections.

Supporters portrayed themselves as defenders of the rights of Americans to unfettered access to the internet by keeping protections in place that they said would prevent telecommunications companies from serving as gatekeepers for online content.

This issue presents a stark contrast: Are you on the side of the large internet and cable companies, or are you on the side of the average American family? said Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).

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This is our chance, our best chance, to make sure the internet stays accessible and affordable for all Americans, he said as the debate began.

But most Republicans opposed the effort, saying the regulations were potentially too onerous and Democrats were trying to use the issue for partisan gains in November.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) called it a highly politicized campaign that was filled with fear-mongering hypotheticals, misdirection and outright false claims.

The measure, approved by a 52-47 vote, would void a decision made in December by the Republican majority of the Federal Communications Commission to scrap the regulations established in 2015 by the agency when Democrats controlled it during the Obama administration.

The repeal takes effect June 11.

All 47 Democrats voted to keep the rules in place. They were joined by the two independents who usually vote with them, Sens. Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, as well as three Republicans  Susan Collins of Maine, John Kennedy of Louisiana and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Collins announced her support in January, but Kennedy and Murkowski had been undecided. They were the focus of heavy lobbying by net neutrality supporters in recent days in hopes of having a stronger bipartisan vote.

Neither tipped a hand until they voted a few hours earlier Wednesday to move the measure past a procedural hurdle. Murkowski spent about 30 minutes on the Senate floor discussing that procedural vote with key Republicans and Democrats before making her decision.

Net neutrality supporters are using a legislative tactic, the Congressional Review Act, that allows lawmakers to block an action taken by a federal agency with a simple majority vote in the House and Senate and the presidents approval. The measure cannot be filibustered in the Senate.

But the effort faces an uphill battle in the House, where Republicans have a larger majority, and at the White House, where President Trump would be expected to veto the measure.

The net neutrality rules prohibit internet service providers from selling faster delivery of certain data, slowing speeds for specific content and blocking or otherwise discriminating against any legal material.

The regulations are strongly supported by liberals and online companies including Amazon, Netflix, Facebook and Google and dozens of smaller web-based companies.

Republicans said the regulations threaten heavy-handed government intrusion that would stifle innovation on the internet. Telecommunications companies oppose the regulations.

Polls also have showed strong public backing for net neutrality. Democrats think the fight to restore the rules could be a political winner during Novembers congressional midterm elections even if the effort is unsuccessful because it will force Republicans to vote against reinstating the rules.

That was evident Wednesday as Democrats paraded to the Senate floor to give speeches in support of net neutrality while most Republicans were silent on the matter.

We will take a stand to protect our online economy, or we will say goodbye to the internet as we know it, said Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the leader of the Senate effort.

He and other supporters of the rules argue that they will prevent AT&T Inc., Comcast Corp. and other internet service providers from acting as gatekeepers for Americans online access.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday that the solution was for lawmakers to draft net neutrality legislation that would safeguard consumers but still prevent regulators from stifling innovation.

But Democrats have already made clear that the resolution today is about the elections in November, McConnell said before the debate began. They know they wont ultimately be successful, but they want to campaign on their desire to add new regulations to the internet. This resolution takes us in the wrong direction, and we should reject it.

A major objection about the rules was the FCCs decision to classify broadband as a more highly regulated utility-like service under Title 2 of federal telecommunications law.

Although the FCC exempted internet service providers from many aspects of that tougher oversight, such as rate regulation, opponents of the 2015 net neutrality rules said it opened the door to onerous federal regulation.

Such an approach would curb the necessary investment and infrastructure improvements that are critical for connecting more Americans to high-speed broadband and enabling wider internet access, especially in poor and rural areas, the leaders of three leading internet service provider trade groups  the NCTA, CTIA and USTelecom  wrote to Senate leaders on Tuesday.

Thune has been pushing for bipartisan legislation, a draft of which he proposed in 2015, that would give the FCC limited authority to enforce net neutrality protections.

Why arent we debating a bipartisan bill instead of a partisan resolution? he asked. Well, some on the other side of the aisle reached the cynical conclusion that exploiting concern about the internet outweighed the value of working with Republicans to pass net neutrality protections.

In a video message after the vote, Murkowski said she did not support the FCCs 2015 regulatory approach to net neutrality. But she said she voted for the measure so that we can reset the discussion and really move beyond the politics at play and get a legislative fix.

Supporters of net neutrality regulations said they hoped the stronger-than-expected Senate vote would provide momentum as the fight to retain the existing regulations moves to the House.

A House companion to the Senate measure, by Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), has 162 co-sponsors, all Democrats. Even if it got the support of all 193 House Democrats, it would need the support of more than two dozen Republicans to pass.

Doyle said Wednesday he was starting a push to collect the 218 signatures necessary on a so-called discharge petition to force a vote over the objections of the chambers GOP leaders.

Doyle said the pressure will be on Republicans because Democrats were going to tell Americans to call their representatives to ask if they have signed the discharge petition.

And I will bet you each and every one of their opponents in the upcoming November election is going to ask them if theyre on that discharge petition too, he said.

Joining with joyous Democrats after the vote, Schumer declared, We consider this one of the major issues of the 2018 campaign.

Net neutrality supporters note that 15 Republicans crossed the aisle in March 2017 on another internet issue. They voted to uphold FCC broadband privacy regulations that Republicans repealed using the Congressional Review Act. But net neutrality regulations are much more widely opposed by Republicans.

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) was among the Republicans who voted with Democrats on the privacy regulations. But in 2015, the day after the FCC enacted the net neutrality rules, McClintock went to the House floor and blasted the agency as imposing leftist ideology on the internet.

jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com

Twitter: @JimPuzzanghera

UPDATES:

1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Rep. Mike Doyle and additional comments from Sen. Charles E. Schumer.

1:10 p.m.: This article was updated with the final Senate vote and additional details.

This article was originally published at 11:20 a.m.
After failing multiple times to reach consensus on how to regulate short-term vacation rentals, the San Diego City Council will convene in July to weigh a compromise plan crafted by Mayor Kevin Faulconers office.

No details have yet emerged on what sort of regulations Faulconer will be proposing but his office confirmed that a council hearing date has been set for July 16.

The mayors office intervened late last year after a compromise plan that many thought would gain majority support on the council fell apart amid disagreements over exactly who would and would not be allowed rent out entire homes on a short-term basis.

While a proposed ordinance from the mayors office has been completed, it is currently being reviewed by the city attorneys office, said Christina Chadwick, a spokeswoman for Faulconer. Once that legal review has been completed, the public will have a chance to weigh in before the scheduled hearing, she added.

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Faulconers office has spent the last several months meeting with stakeholders on both sides of the contentious issue, as well as select council members, in hopes of putting together rules that a majority of the council will support. Multiple hours-long hearings over the last three years have yielded often emotional debate but no resolution of an issue that has dogged many similarly sized cities across the country.

We have been laser focused on areas of commonality and bringing everyone to the table, Chadwick said. There has been enough common ground to develop a proposal that we believe will earn the support of the City Council majority and finally get a compromise across the finish line.

Increasingly, more cities are restricting rentals popularized by online platforms like Airbnb to only those homes where the host is the primary resident. Earlier this month, the Los Angeles City Council, which also has been wrestling with vacation rentals the last few years, backed a set of proposed rules that would allow residents to host nightly rentals only in their own homes.

San Diego council members appear to favor allowing homeowners to rent out their entire residences on a short-term basis but have been divided on the question of permitting more than one short-term rental per owner or allowing the rental of investment properties.

Other issues to be decided cover the questions of imposing minimum-night stays and whether there will be a cap on how many days out of the year homes can be rented out on a short-term basis.

Our goal has always been to propose a permit-based system and charge cost-recoverable fees for permit administration and enforcement. The city also plans to add additional staff positions to handle enforcement so that the city can increase its responsiveness to calls on nuisance properties, Chadwick said.

Although the city attorneys office has concluded that rentals for periods of less than 30 days are illegal in San Diego because they are not identified anywhere in the municipal code, city officials are not enforcing that, choosing to await the adoption of formal regulations.

Pressure has been building to clamp down on vacation rentals as home sharing has proliferated in many neighborhoods. Residents complain that rotating cycles of vacationers disrupt their once quiet streets, while vacation rental hosts say that platforms like Airbnb and HomeAway provide them extra revenue to help meet their financial obligations.

Increasingly, though, critics, including some council members, have argued that the nightly rentals are exacerbating the citys housing crisis by taking units off the market that could be used for long-term housing.

Pacific Beach resident Ronan Gray, who has long pushed for the abolition of what he calls mini hotels, said he is not hopeful the mayors office will offer a proposal to his liking.

Were saying just enforce the law, we have a housing crisis, dont allow these in our neighborhoods, said Gray, who leads the group Save San Diego Neighborhoods. We still see friends and neighbors (who are renters) lose their homes to short term rentals.

Short-term rental host John Anderson says he wonders if the council will act at all given that there are open council seats that will not necessarily be decided in the June primary.

In San Diego we have a strong and long history of short term rentals and were tourist-focused, said Anderson, a North Park resident who rents out a couple of granny flats as short-term rentals. I think thats why you havent had action yet because its hard to get rid of 60 years of rentals.

The mayors office had hoped to bring a compromise plan to the council earlier than July but the proposed regulations have taken longer, in part, because of the need to arrive at a plan that will not go down to defeat as in previous efforts.

This is a complex issue with differing views on both sides and Mayor Faulconer has been aggressive in pushing forward with a compromise that can win support from the City Council, Chadwick explained. Weve pushed aggressive timelines because we want to give the community clear rules on this issue. We are also focused on getting the proposal right by doing a thorough internal and legal vetting because a rushed proposal wont help anyone.

Business

lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-2251

Twitter: @loriweisberg
Welcoming a robot into her family was never Maxine Duncans idea of a support aide in her older years. But this winter, she and her partner, Herbert Yarbrough, signed up to test a telepresence robot in their retirement community, the Heritage Downtown, in Walnut Creek, Calif. Their new pal has a screen for a head and scuttles around on wheels. The lure was being able to connect more easily with their families via video calls.

The couple were immediately smitten. They have named the robot Jimmy.

Its an easy name to remember, said Ms. Duncan, 86, a former real estate broker. And Mr. Yarbrough, 89, takes the robot on the elevator to pick up breakfast downstairs.

We want to keep up on technology, said Ms. Duncan, who covets a self-driving car. A lot of older people are isolated from people and ideas. Now were on the cutting edge.

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Rosie, the robot from The Jetsons, has arrived.

Early adopters like Ms. Duncan are on the front lines of testing new technologies that some experts say are set to upend a few of the constants of retirement. Eager not to be left behind, retirement communities are increasingly serving as testing grounds that vet winners and losers.

Some tools that can help older adults are already mass-market consumer items, like Amazons personal assistant, Alexa. Other inventions, such as virtual reality technologies and robotic limbs, are still in their early days but could soon provide more freedom, resources and constant care to retirees.

Some technologists see the most promise in the social dimensions. For too long, technology has been chasing problems rather than trying to delight human beings, said Joseph Coughlin, director of the AgeLab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Where are the devices that help us learn and expand our horizons? he said.

Virtual reality, for example, can entertain, educate and engage us, he said. Its for young and old alike, Mr. Coughlin said. And its enjoyed, not needed. Thats the high ground. These devices will especially help augment the adult childs caregiver role, he added.

Thuc Vu, co-founder of OhmniLabs, helped invent the robot Ohmni that is now Ms. Duncan and Mr. Yarbroughs companion.

Dr. Vu, who has a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford, sees consumer robotics as the next big technology wave. Theres a huge senior population, but isolation and loneliness is still common, he said. And were also running out of caregivers, since most of them are getting older.

The OhmniLabs robot was designed with the techno-averse in mind and requires limited computer knowledge. Its connected to Wi-Fi and operated remotely. In its next iteration, the company is working on training the robot to pick up objects. In five years, it will be able to wash dishes, do laundry and clean the house, Dr. Vu said.

This year, OhmniLabs robots will be offered by a consumer health firm, Home Care Assistance, to retirement communities and people aging in place. The yearly cost is about 20 percent of the cost, on average, of hiring full-time caregivers, according to Lily Sarafan, chief executive of Home Care Assistance.

In five to seven years, caregiving will shift, Ms. Sarafan said. And a lot of home automation will become more mainstream.

Digital health means more attention to senior care, said Ms. Sarafan, who is an active tech investor and a mentor at StartX. Otherwise, aging is a huge challenge, she added.

Brookdale Senior Living, which has over 1,000 residential communities, is also aggressively testing new technology. Its Entrepreneur in Residence program invites start-ups into its communities for short stays to test new gadgets. They include smart-medication devices, virtual reality and family connection apps.

Older adults at Brookdale are eager to offer feedback, said Andrew Smith, the companys director of strategy and innovation. And entrepreneurs also get firsthand experiences with an aging population that has to adapt to their ideas.

Technology will change the way people age in America, Mr. Smith said. Its going to drive every dimension of health or social isolation. Nursing homes were once where youd go to die.

Some devices miss their mark. Brookdale residents tested a body dryer, which is widely used at amusement parks to dry people after a ride. But no one would come near it, he said.

Virtual reality, however, has touched residents hearts. Seniors were weeping to see their old homes again, Mr. Smith said.

Virtual reality rejuvenated life for Abdus Shakur, 67, who lives in a Brookdale residence in Quincy, Mass. A classically trained chef, Mr. Shakur opted to take a virtual trip to a Creole restaurant in Berlin, where he once worked.

By wearing the V.R. headset, he could check out the current menu and look at the restaurants colorful redesign.

Mr. Shakur also took virtual trips to beaches in the Caribbean, where he felt the sand under his feet and saw schools of fish under water.

I felt like I was right there, said Mr. Shakur, who has a bad heart and doesnt travel as much as he used to. It gives you so much hope. I can sit in my living room and go all over the world.

Mr. Shakurs headset was developed by Rendever, after a co-founders mother-in-laws dementia led to communication problems.

So were using V.R. as a mechanism to enhance life, said Dennis Lally, C.E.O. and co-founder of Rendever, an M.I.T. company based in Boston. The founders spent hundreds of hours living with residents in Massachusetts to understand their needs, and a crucial lesson was that they often talked about travel.

Sensory stimulation is important, Mr. Lally said. And V.R. creates a sense of wonder for the world again. Taking people back in time can even prompt more memories in people with cognitive impairments.

Changing ideas about aging are also affecting how products are branded, said Stephen Johnston, co-founder of the technology accelerator Aging2.0. Some, however, still have a learning curve, such as one start-up that used the word grandparent in its name. But not every older person is a grandparent, Mr. Johnston said.

Front Porch, which operates retirement communities in California, has been one of the most actively involved in trying out the devices, he said.

The companys Center for Technology Innovation and Wellbeing has tested many products and has been able to provide feedback to inventors and marketers on what works. A robot baby seal named Paro, for example, helped people with dementia communicate, while virtual reality that stimulates the mind worked well, too.

This year, Front Porch will test ride-sharing services and Amazon Echo as part of the internet of things that can operate smart devices. Echo can reach people who are visually impaired, said Davis Park, director of the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing. And it can be interactive. Its a form of companionship.

Front Porch residents have also tested another Silicon Valley invention: the AlterG Bionic Leg, a wearable rehabilitation robotic device that is therapeutic.

Sara Carter, 82, who has had knee replacements and lives in a Front Porch community called Sunny View, tried the bionic leg. After walking back and forth with it, she said it was a useful tool.

Im interested in technology that helps people, said Ms. Carter, who doesnt own a smartphone. The bionic leg, which was later altered to be lighter and fit better, is now on the market.

Retirement communities can be the perfect proving grounds for such devices that will help an aging population, officials say.

There has been a big problem with asking seniors about these products, Mr. Park said. Were a bridge.
PHOTO: GFWC Contemporary Women of North County held its annual New Member Get-Together and welcomed new members, including Terry Webb, Carole Mason, Lily Hazelton, Susan Walsh, Anna Ellenbogen and Lynn Clayton. The clubs membership team discussed community service goals. The nonprofit volunteer group supports community service efforts in North County and focuses on helping women, children and the military. New members include (front row, from left): Kathleen King, Marianne Valencia, Terry Webb; (middle row) Carole Mason, Marianne Furtado and (back row) Ann Lygas, Claudia Giardina, Pam Irwin, Lily Hazelton, Susan Walsh, Anna Ellenbogen and Lynn Clayton. Visit cwonc.org.

CARLSBAD

Paddle pull cleanup Saturday at lagoon

Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation holds a Paddle Pull & Sweep Clean-up from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at California Watersports, 4215 Harrison St. Proceeds benefit the Foundations educational programs. Highlights include STEM-related educational activities and Rubber Ducky Derby. The $45 package includes board, lunch, opportunity drawing and T-shirt; $30 for members. Bring your own board or kayak or participate on foot for free. Sponsors are sought for military participants; email lisa@aguahedionda.org. Register at aguahedionda.org or call (760) 804-1969.

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Learn about the Road Scholar program

The Carlsbad Senior Center will offer a free seminar on How to Become a Road Scholar from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Friday for adults ages 50 and older at 799 Pine Ave. Learn about opportunities for learning and exploration through behind-the-scenes access with this nonprofit travel group, formerly known as Elderhostel. There will be a question-and-answer period. Call (760) 602-4650.

Smart Driver program for seniors offered

The Carlsbad Senior Center hosts the AARP Smart Driver program from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday and May 24 at 799 Pine Ave. The class emphasizes how to adjust your driving in response to aging and may reduce your insurance premiums. Each two-class session costs $15 for AARP members, $20 for nonmembers. Registration required, (760) 602-4650.

ENCINITAS

Cruise Nights take off

The 19th annual Encinitas Cruise Nights, with vintage cars and live music, take off at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Thursdays opener features Little Guys Street Rods, the Shelby Club, North County Cruisers and, at Charlies Foreign Car lot, the Mercedes Benz Club. Three music venues will host LAE and Friends, Linda Berry and John January and the UpShots. F Street, G Street and H Street will be partially closed. Classic and vintage car drivers can park along South Coast Highway 101 and in adjacent parking lots, or cruise down the main street. The free series, sponsored by OReilly Auto Parts, is held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the third Thursdays of May through September. Visit visitencinitas.org or call (760) 943-1950.

Music by the Sea concert at library

A concert featuring Music by the Sea: Aves Quartet is at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Encinitas Library, 540 Cornish Drive. The performance features Benjamin Mitchell, clarinet; Benjamin Hoffman, violin; Juliette Herlin, cello, and Irene Kim, piano. Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra founder and clarinetist Benjamin Mitchell is joined by fellow instrumentalists trained at some of the worlds leading music schools, including Londons Royal Academy of Music, The Juilliard School and Peabody Conservatory. They will perform Bela Bartoks Contrasts, Paul Moravecs Tempest Fantasy and other works. Tickets are $14 at encinitas.tix.com or at the door. Visit benjaminmitchellclarinet.com.

Hutchins Consort performs Friday

The Hutchins Consort presents a concert titled Mountain Men and Montunos at 8 p.m. Friday at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 890 Balour Drive, exploring the connection between Appalachian music and the music of Cuba. Tickets: $15-$35. Visit hutchinsconsort.org.

OCEANSIDE

MiraCosta College

puts on dance concert

MiraCosta Colleges Dance Department presents, Dance Break 2018, a faculty and student choreographed dance concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the MiraCosta College Theatre, Bldg. 2000, 1 Barnard Drive. General admission is $15; seniors/staff, $12; students, $10. Seating is reserved. Children younger than 5 are not admitted to dance performances. Tickets are at miracosta.edu/buytix or call (760) 795-6815.

Fruit growers group

to gather Friday

The North San Diego County Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers meets from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday featuring guest speaker Dr. Gary Bender who will give a presentation on longans, lychees and more. The meeting is at MiraCosta College, Oceanside Campus, 1 Barnard Drive, in the Student Center, Building 3450, 2nd floor, Aztlan rooms A&B. Parking in lot 3B/3C. No permit needed Friday evenings. The public is welcome. Call (760) 806-6678.

VISTA

Self-defense, Zentangle classes for seniors

Free programs will be offered for adults ages 50 and older at the Vista Library as part of Older Americans Month in May. On Thursday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., a class on Practical Self-Defense for Older Adults will be led by Burdette Streeter II, who has taught karate, jujutsu, and self-defense. On May 23, from 1:30 to 3 p.m., certified Zentangle instructor Janet Masey will present a Zentangle Hummingbird art class. Registration for this class is required at the library, 700 Eucalyptus Ave. or (760) 643-5100.

Class on smartphones

The Gloria McClellan Center will host a free smartphone class 10 a.m. Fridayat 1400 Vale Terrace Drive. The class for intermediate users will focus on navigating smart home devices. Registration is required at (760)643-5281 or gmacvista.com.

Spirits of the Adobe Tour is Friday

Take a hands-on paranormal tour of the historic Rancho Buena Vista Adobe on Friday. Two tours are offered at either 7 p.m. or 9:30 p.m. For ages 18 and older. Cost is $25 per person. Call (760) 643-5275.

LINDA MCINTOSH U-T

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including photos to

northcounty@

sduniontribune.com
San Diego Ballet artistic director Javier Velasco distinguishes his company with repertoire that maintains its classical integrity, but dips a toe shoe in musical theater, jazz and Latin genres.

His adventurous programming, such as the return of this weekends A Night of Jazz and Dance, seeks to engage a wider audience with live music performed by an impressive roster of internationally renowned musicians, a returning ballerina and a sneak peek of his new season.

When Velasco choreographs to jazz, he directs the company to tune in to the underlying structure of the music.

But like jazz, which emphasizes improvisation, he also encourages his dancers to take a chance by extending a line, for example, or by embracing and responding to every aspect of the performance.

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Its not just a dialogue between the dancer and the audience, Velasco explains. Its a dialogue between the dancer and everything in the performance, whether its costumes or music. You have to open yourself and be sensitive to external stimuli so they empower you and make what is happening immediate. The dance is choreographed, but within that, I allow them to go further. When they do that, they are in the moment.

Resident composer and seasoned sax great Charles McPherson will play his poignant, commissioned work Reflections and Hope, and considering that his daughter, Camille McPherson, is a principal dancer, attendees can witness two emotionally connected professionals intent on doing their best for the audience and for each other, a surefire performance enhancer.

Last year, Grammy Award-winning pianist Kamau Kenyatta attended A Night of Jazz and Dance and became inspired, so Velasco commissioned him to compose a new work for this years show.

Kamau bought into the idea that we were here to give him an opportunity to stretch his wings and create something for dancers as opposed to something that will just be listened to, Velasco says. He came back with a wonderful piece.

Kenyatta, a University of California San Diego adjunct professor, will play the premiere of Cityscapes  A Tour in Sound and Motion as San Diego Ballet performs, accompanied by a four-piece ensemble.

A Night of Jazz and Dance will also feature ballerina Chelsy Meiss Fain. She last performed with San Diego Ballet in 2009 for the premiere of Velascos Romeo & Juliet, then left to accept a first soloist position for The National Ballet of Canada.

A break in Fains schedule allows her to return to perform for the Saturday show, so Velasco choreographed a solo and a pas de deux in her honor. Shell perform to a Gershwin suite, arranged by McPherson with accompaniment by a live trio.

Javier is one of the most creative minds I have worked with, Fain says. He understands the music and idea of each ballet he creates. I really admire that his choreographic style is his own. To me, it embodies a jazz-like quality and is relatable with the vibe of San Diego. I always feel very feminine and natural when dancing his work. His pieces are always a challenge and he never chooses the easiest step option. Its always a dancers ambition to give Javier what hes asking for. Its part of the respect we have for the art form and the faith we have in his vision for the piece.

A Night of Jazz and Dance has another surprise: a preview of the upcoming seasons The Jungle Book, a family-friendly story ballet introduced with a pas de deux between Shere Khan, the tiger, and Kaa, the snake.

Tigers and snakes and jazz music  its a different approach from the traditions associated with classical ballet repertoire, but Velasco makes those combinations carefully and deliberately.

When Im creating something, Im working with the material that I have, Velasco explains. If you are a sculptor, you deal with clay differently than you deal with wood. My medium is ballet dancers  Im not going to try to make a ballet dancer look like a hip-hop dancer. Theyve been working at ballet for years and years. But each dancer is unique and has different qualities. When Im listening to jazz or salsa or spoken word, I pick the dancer that will say what I want, and that will be the voice for that particular work.

A Night of Jazz and Dance

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday

Where: Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, downtown

Tickets: $35-$50 (senior, military and student discounts available)

Phone: (619) 544-1000

Online: lyceumevents.org

Manna is a freelance writer.
Margarita Zavala, an independent Mexican presidential candidate and former first lady, said Wednesday that she was dropping out of the July 1 presidential race.

A former congresswoman with the center-right National Action Party, Zavala broke with that party in October after a public spat with its chairman, Ricardo Anaya, who went on to claim the partys nomination.

As an independent candidate, Zavala struggled to attract widespread support, in part because of the unpopular national security policies of her husband, Felipe Calderon, who served as president from 2006 to 2012. Calderons decision to send tens of thousands of soldiers into the streets to fight powerful drug cartels has been blamed for fueling Mexicos ongoing violence, which last year claimed a record-breaking 29,159 homicide victims.

In a May 2 poll conducted by the Reforma newspaper, just 3% of respondents supported Zavala, far fewer than the 48% who said they would vote for front-runner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the leftist National Regeneration Movement.

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Anaya was in second place in the poll with 30%, Jose Antonio Meade of the governing Institutional Revolutionary Party was third with 17%, and independent candidate Jaime El Bronco Rodriguez was fifth with 2%.

In a television interview announcing her withdrawal, Zavala said she wanted to free her supporters to make the decision they need to make in this difficult race.

Zavalas exit fueled widespread speculation that she might endorse Anaya, who, despite their bad blood, is the candidate with whom she is ideologically most aligned.

But a member of Zavalas campaign said Wednesday that was unlikely. Shes not throwing her support behind any candidate, said the campaign member, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Whether or not she actually endorses Anaya, Zavalas departure from the race could help him gain slightly on Lopez Obrador, political analysts said. Investors seem to think so: The peso jumped Wednesday on their hope that Zavalas decision would help Anaya or Meade, both of whom, like Zavala, support several recent market-driven changes to Mexicos economy that Lopez Obrador has threatened to roll back.

But Carlos Bravo Regidor, a professor at CIDE, a public research center in Mexico City, said Zavalas dropping out wouldnt do much to bolster the candidacies of others.

I dont think it will render Anaya much more competitive, Bravo said. What Anaya needs is to grow, but also for Lopez Obrador to fall, and so far hes not falling.

When youre that much behind, 3% more of the vote doesnt really cut it, Bravo said.

Zavalas exit comes several days before the second of three televised debates among the candidates. Sundays event will be held in Tijuana, a city beset by rising violent crime, and where it was likely, analysts said, that Zavala would have faced tough questions about her husbands drug war strategy.

Along with electing a new president, Mexican voters in a month and a half will also choose 500 members of the Chamber of Deputies and 128 members of the Senate, as well as a slew of local representatives.

UPDATES:

2:30 p.m.: This article was updated with background information and comments from Carlos Bravo Regidor.

This article was originally published at 11:25 a.m.
Spicing up a meal is something that makes many of us uncomfortable. Like spicing up your sex life, its just not something your mother taught you how to do. While I wont approach the latter, I will say that spicing up your meals is not only virtuous but also healthy and delicious.

First you must dispel any preconceived notion that spicing up foods just means making it hotter. Heat is only one characteristic of spice; you can cool, sweeten and embitter dishes with spices. Unlike many spicy sauces that can suffocate a foods flavor, spices allow you to gradually flavor a meal, step by delicate step. Indeed, spices allure us with their fragrance, taste and texture.

Although there are thousands of spices, most of us get by just fine with a dozen or so. Which dozen you use depends upon how frequently you cook and which types of food you make. For instance, I cant imagine not having coriander and garam masala in my kitchen, but you might rely more heavily on cinnamon and saffron.

Whether youre a spice novice or devotee, there is always opportunity to explore the stimulating world of spices. If, for example, you like heat in your dishes and rely upon cayenne pepper or chili powder, consider hot and tangy aleppo pepper or spicy and bitter berbere. If you rely heavily on warm and spicy nutmeg in your baked goods, consider soothing yet spicy cardamom or warm and woodsy star anise.

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Below are five spices that will help you enliven savory and sweet dishes in myriad ways. Some, like dukkah, are voguish, while others like fennel seed are more traditional, but all are worth inviting into your kitchen.

Cardamom

Made from the pods of seeds of various plants in the ginger family, cardamom is an elegantly perfumed spice used extensively in Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines as well as in many baked goods.

Taste: herbal, spicy, warm, lemony

Ideal for: Baked goods such as cakes, muffins, scones and cookies as well as rice dishes, curries, puddings, yogurt, coffee and spiced drinks.

Try this: Cardamom-Pecan Crumb Cake

Dukkah

This widely used Egyptian spice blend made from a mixture of spices, including coriander and cumin, seeds (usually sesame) and nuts (usually hazelnuts) will transform humble foods such as hummus and scrambled eggs into something memorable.

Taste: nutty, earthy, spicy, toasty

Ideal for: Middle Eastern dishes, olive oil dip for dunking various types of bread, avocado toast, egg dishes, yogurt dips, roasted vegetables, meat rubs, soups and stews and salads.

Try this: Dukkah Spiced Spring Vegetable Omelet With Feta

Fennel seeds

This Mediterranean spice known for its distinctive mild licorice flavor, intense aroma and beneficial digestive properties is used commonly in both savory and sweet dishes ranging from tomato sauce to cookies.

Taste: mild licorice, peppery, spicy, herbal

Ideal for: Meat rubs, tomato sauce, soups and stews, pickling juice, bean dips, spice blends, biscuits, quick breads, flatbreads and crackers.

Try this: Port Poached Figs With Fennel and Orange

Sumac

Nope. Not the poisonous kind that tortures you with itch. Sumac is derived from the sumac bush  its brilliant red berries are ground into a zesty, tart spice that is used predominantly in Middle Eastern dishes.

Taste: lemony, tangy, sour, acidic

Ideal for: Seafood, yogurt dips, vinaigrettes, savory whole grain salads, fruit salads, leafy salads, roasted and grilled vegetables and avocado toast.

Try this: Zaatar Encrusted Wahoo Atop Sauteed Swiss Chard and Butter Beans With Sumac Yogurt

Zaatar Encrusted Wahoo Atop Sauteed Swiss Chard and Butter Beans With Sumac Yogurt. (Anita L. Arambula / U-T )

Zaatar

This beloved, versatile and ancient Middle Eastern spice blend made from dried thyme, sesame seeds and sumac (a lemony Arabic spice) has suddenly become the spice of choice in trendy restaurants, eateries and cookbooks across the globe.

Taste: nutty, herbal, woodsy

Ideal for: Dips such as hummus or whipped goat cheese, meat and seafood rubs, grilled meats, seafood, vegetables, egg dishes, flatbreads, rice and whole-grain dishes.

Try this: Zaatar Encrusted Wahoo Atop Sauteed Swiss Chard and Butter Beans With Sumac Yogurt

Whether you try one of these recipes, purchase a new spice or even try an unfamiliar dish the next time youre dining out, I hope youll take a chance to spice things up. And, remember, Mom will approve.

A sprinkling of facts about spices

Tips for buying, storing and cooking with dried spices:

Ideal for: Specialty food markets, natural food stores; online at www.penzeys.com and www.thespicehouse.com.

Check bottles for packaging or use-by dates. If not labeled, then mark the date of purchase on your bottle. Most spices will last for 1 year, after which they lose their fragrance and potency.

Store in a cool, dark place, especially if they come in clear glass containers.

Whole spices last longer than pre-ground (up to several years) and can be ground with either a mortar and pestle or an electric grinder.

Add dried spices early in the cooking process and fresh herbs and spices toward the end.

Dukkah Spiced Spring Vegetable Omelet With Feta

Even the humblest of eggs, from scrambles to omelets, are suddenly elevated when spiked with earthy, toasty dukkah.

Makes 1 omelet

Vegetables:

1 teaspoon olive oil

4 to 5 asparagus stalks, tough ends removed, sliced on the diagonal in 1-inch pieces

 cup shelled English peas

1 packed cup leafy greens of your choice, such as spinach, Swiss chard, or arugula

1 teaspoon dukkah

A couple of pinches of cayenne pepper

Eggs:

2 large or extra large eggs

1 teaspoon dukkah

1 teaspoon olive oil

 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese

2 to 3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped

Optional garnishes:

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Crumbled feta cheese

In a small skillet over medium high, warm 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add asparagus and cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Add peas and leafy greens and cook for 3 minutes or until greens begin to wilt. Add dukkah and cayenne pepper and stir well. Transfer to a plate.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs and dukkah.

In the same skillet over medium-low heat, warm olive oil, tilting the pan so it coats the surface. Add the beaten eggs. Using a rubber spatula, gently push the eggs away from the pans edges toward the center. As the eggs cook, tilt the pan to help move the uncooked eggs to the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the eggs are softly set (they should still look wet, not dry) and the bottom is lightly browned. Sprinkle the feta over the eggs and top with the cooked vegetables and parsley. Fold half the omelet over the filling and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Slide onto a plate. Garnish with chopped parsley and feta cheese, if desired.

Zaatar Encrusted Wahoo Atop Sauteed Swiss Chard and Butter Beans With Sumac Yogurt

If you cant find wahoo, any mild, flaky white fish such as halibut, sea bass or tilapia would work as well. Any fish will pop with flavor when encrusted with this nutty and woodsy zaatar. Do be sure to dip the fish in the tangy and cooling sumac yogurt.

Makes 4 servings

Swiss chard:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely minced

 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 bunches Swiss chard, thick center stems removed, and sliced crosswise into -inch thick slices

1 (14.5-ounce) can butter beans, drained and rinsed

The juice of 1 small lemon

Several shakes of salt

Fish:

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Four (4- to 6-ounce) fillets of wahoo or other flaky, white fish of your choice, such as halibut, sea bass or tilapia

1/3 cup zaatar

 teaspoon cayenne pepper

A few shakes of salt

Yogurt:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

4 teaspoons sumac

The juice of 1 small lemon

A couple of pinches of salt

For the chard: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sliced chard and cook 3 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Add drained butter beans, lemon juice and salt; lower to medium-low heat and cook until the chard is softened but still dark green. Remove from heat.

For the fish: Drizzle both sides of fish fillets with 1 tablespoons olive oil (reserve remaining 1 tablespoons olive oil for sauteing). Place zaatar, cayenne pepper and salt in a small plate. Dredge oil-coated fish fillets in the zaatar mix, coating all sides.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat remaining 1 tablespoons olive oil. Add fish fillets and cook 5 to 6 minutes; flip and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until browned on the outside and opaque on the inside.

For the yogurt: Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

To serve, divide greens and beans among four plates and top each with a fish filet. Serve yogurt on the side for dipping.

Port Poached Figs With Fennel and Orange

This is a go-to recipe of mine for just about any type of entertaining. Heres why: Its an ideal appetizer served with crackers, toast and nuts and makes a sweet companion to a meat and cheese board. It also functions as a dessert when spooned atop vanilla ice cream or gelato and is delicious with creamy cheese like brie for dessert.

Serves 6 to 8

 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 (12-ounce) package dried figs, tips removed, and cut into quarters

 cup port wine

The zest of 1 orange (about 1 teaspoons)

The juice of 1 orange (about 1/3 cup)

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

A couple of pinches of salt

1 tablespoon honey

In a small pan over medium heat, cook fennel seeds until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add figs, wine, orange zest, orange juice, cinnamon, salt and honey, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened. Remove from heat and cool. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Cardamom-Pecan Crumb Cake

As this cake bakes, it will perfume your home with the soothing, warm fragrances of cinnamon and nutmeg. Be sure to enjoy a slice with a mug of piping hot strong coffee. This recipe is slightly adapted from the recipe Classic Diner Crumb Cake from the cookbook Cake, I Love You by Jill OConnor (Chronicle Books, 2017). OConnor is a San Diego-based food writer who contributes regularly to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Serves 12

Crumb topping

2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

 teaspoon baking powder

 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup chopped unsalted pecans

Cake batter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cardamom

 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly ground

1 teaspoon baking powder

 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Confectioners sugar for sprinkling

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

To make the topping: In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Add the melted butter and pecans, and stir with a fork until the butter is absorbed and the mixture is crumbly. To get big, chunky pieces, grab handfuls of crumbs and compress them together, then break these larger nuggets into slightly smaller pieces to scatter over the batter before baking. Set aside.

To make the cake: Sift together the flour, cardamom, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then beat in the vanilla and sour cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Using your hands, sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter, making sure some of the larger clumps remain as you go and covering the top completely. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the crumb topping is firm. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Cut into squares and serve. The cake will keep, tightly covered at room temperature, for up to 2 days.

Russo is a San Diego freelance food writer and cookbook author.
Around San Diego County, a hot, salty, buttered controversy has popped up.

Should hardware stores offer free bags of freshly popped popcorn?

While that may look like a warm, welcoming treat, free popcorn is a threat to public health  or so argue county officials. Last month, health inspectors raided La Jollas Meanley & Son Hardware, warning that its old-fashioned red popcorn machine is a germy outlaw.

They explained we didnt have the proper permits, said Bob Meanley, whose shop had handed out 30 to 40 bags every day for about 25 years.

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To comply with the 1984 California Uniform Retail Food Facility Law, Meanley & Son would need to install a three-basin sink to clean and sterilize the popcorn popper. Also required: regular inspections, just like a restaurant.

Meanley declined and instead rolled the offending machine into storage. Thus ended a tradition he had started 25 years ago.

I hate to take away something that our customers really like, said Meanley, whose grandparents founded the hardware store in 1948. On the other hand, this whole thing has made me more aware of our liability.

While closely associated with movie theaters, popcorn is also tightly linked to neighborhood purveyors of hammers and screwdrivers. The connection is seen in shops from Cambridge, Mass. (Tags Ace Hardware) to Lakeside (Paytons True Value Hardware).

The little kids get a kick out of it, said Dianne El-Hajj, co-owner of Paytons, where the free treat has been a staple since 1997. They come in for the popcorn and dad comes in for the tools.

The county Department of Environmental Health, for its part, has a long tradition of cracking down on these scofflaws. Three years ago, inspectors cited Encinitas Crown Ace Hardware and San Carlos True Value Hardware.

The Health Department came in, said San Carlos True Value manager Danielle Matheny, and told us if we wanted to continue giving away free popcorn and coffee wed have to install a bigger vent system, a bigger and better sink in the break room  a lot of rules and restrictions they put on us.

In both Encinitas and San Carlos, the stores dropped the practice. Inspectors so far have ignored Paytons, but El-Hajj figures its just a matter of time.

I feel sad, she said, that some of the old traditions we have become so regulated.

Bob Meanley in his familys La Jolla hardware store, now without its customary free popcorn. I hate to take away something that our customers really like, he said. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune )

Grimy fingers

At the oily heart of this tale, theres a hard kernel of concern. Food-borne illnesses annually sicken an estimated 48 million Americans, leading to 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.

Food poisoning, the Department of Environmental Health warned, is just one potential problem with free popcorn.

Potential health hazards include but are not limited to risk of foodborne illness, cross contamination, improper storage of equipment and foods, unsanitary equipment, and vermin, a department statement maintained. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, cross contamination of food through unclean equipment and improper food handling or hand washing are major contributors to foodborne illness.

Yet, none of the hardware store proprietors contacted for this story had heard of customers falling ill after partaking of popcorn.

Still, some worry that this is unsanitary.

We had a customer complain, said Martin Lopez, a salesman at Hillcrest Ace Hardware, which abandoned free popcorn a few years ago. I guess it was because people were not wearing gloves. Anybody could stick their hands in there and take the popcorn.

Meanley & Sons fate was sealed with an anonymous tip phoned into the authorities. Employees popped the corn, but the rest of the operation was self-serve, with a scoop and bags set out for patrons. The tipster claimed some folks stuck their bare, potentially grimy, fingers into the machine, plucking out crunchy handfuls.

On a recent afternoon, though, the focus was less on public health than on the publics loss.

Because one guy complained, said Joe Guiney, a regular customer at Meanley & Son, it was ruined for everyone else.

People are very upset, said Cathy Jones, head cashier at Meanley & Son. Even if they didnt eat the popcorn, they appreciated the aroma.

End of an era

Hardware stores arent alone in seeing the customer-pleasing potential of free popcorn. When Rough Draft opened in Miramar in 2012, the brewerys owner sought  and obtained  official clearance.

I called the health department and said, Hey, wed like to serve popcorn but we dont have a kitchen, said Jeff Silver, Rough Drafts owner and brewer.

They said, We dont really consider popcorn food, so youre fine.

Rough Draft now has a kitchen, and the popcorn machine has been transferred to the brewerys pub on the UC San Diego campus. The machine is still popping, but for a price.

Our days of free popcorn, Silver said, are over.

Mor Furniture for Less four outlets across the county all offer free popcorn. But this chain obtained the proper health certificates and posts its A rating, like a restaurant.

San Diego libraries, too, sometimes offer free popcorn at in-house movie screenings, a practice that has gone unquestioned.

We have not been contacted by anybody either way, said Shaun Briley, manager of the La Jolla/Riford library branch. How about we have everybody sign a waiver?

Briley paused. Then he said, That was a joke.

How about the end of the free popcorn era? Is that a joke, too?

People say, Youve got to be kidding, said Meanley & Son cashier Jones.
Commanders are calling it the year of change for Navy medicine but Rear Adm. Paul D. Pearigen is excited about what the reforms promise, especially for submariners.

The commander of San Diego-based Navy Medicine West, a health network thats concentrated in the Pacific Rim but extends globally from Peru to Egypt and Vietnam, Pearigen sees 2018 as a transition from the way the armed forces traditionally treated patients to one based more on hiking readiness in deploying units and ships.

This is really about the transition of management and administration of the military treatment facilities, all those hospitals across the Navy, Army and Air Force, from the services medical departments to the Defense Health Agency , Pearigen told members of the San Diego Military Advisory Council during a Wednesday address at Naval Base Point Loma.

Called DHA by the troops, its a joint agency thats consolidating the business and clinical wings of the Army, Air Force and Navy medical services.

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By Oct. 1, its supposed to release new policy guidelines that increasingly shift key portions of retiree and family heathcare to DHA along with control of more than 400 hospitals and clinics now run by the military services.

The plan is to provide better but cheaper care and the agency already manages the Tricare medical program for retirees and families of the troops, not to mention Walter Reed National Military Medicine Center in Maryland and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia.

That helps Navy to deliver more direct care to sailors and Marines, like what Pearigen is providing to the submariners.

Pearigens command is pairing mental health treatment teams with submarine squadrons to make the medical professionals  many of them civilians  organic to the boats, becoming almost like the rest of the crew.

The psychologists, social workers and other mental and behavioral health specialists will learn the unique culture of the submarine fleet but unlike similar teams on aircraft carriers and surface warships theyll likely never deploy for long underwater tours.

They might go out on some local patrols to get to know the environment and to get to know the sailors, but theyre not deploying with them, Pearigen told the San Diego Union-Tribune after his address.

Pearigen foresees them riding on the boats for short visits and greeting sailors along the piers to sniff out problems as they arise instead instead of forcing submariners to leave their boats or the waterfront to attend clinics, which is how the military traditionally has treated them.

Their mantra is close, quick and known  stationed inside or near a sub squardon, providing services within a week and with the care delivered by people the sailors already trust.

That concept isnt new to the Navy  carriers have used a similar model for two decades  but it is for the underwater fleet.

When the flattops adopted it, commanders saw emergency evacuations drop by 85 percent and administrative separations for misbehavior plummet by 93 percent.

A starter program in a Norfolk squadron in 2013 cut unplanned losses from 22 annually to only two by 2016, according to the Hawaii-based Submarine Force Pacific.

Worldwide the Navy counts 85 attack, ballistic or guided-missile subarines on station, at sea or under construction.

Were embedding them now in Marine units and special operations settings as well now, too, said Pearigen.

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cprine@sduniontribune.com
A Camp Pendleton Marine conspired with another service member to steal hundreds of dollars worth of brass ammunition casing.

Lance Cpl. Blake E. Vonarx of Weapons and Field Training Battalion for Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy, wrongful disposition of government property and larceny on April 24.

He was sentenced to five months confinement, reduction to the rank of private and a bad-conduct discharge.

A Minnesota native, Vonarx enlisted in the Marine Corps in mid-2013 and was a trained infantryman. His decorations included the National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

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Authorities had accused him of violating nine specifications of military law, according to charge sheet records released to The San Diego Union-Tribune under the federal Freedom of Information Act.

Vonarx pleaded to conspiring with another unnamed Marine to collect and then sell the brass casings expended at Camp Pendletons Edson Range, a pattern of misconduct that Vonarx began in February last year and continued through November, according to the documents.

Edson Range is where boot camp recruits in San Diego travel to learn basic Marine Corps marksmanship with their M16A4 service rifles.

After a platoon shoots, the range is littered with brass 5.56mm cartridges. Recruits usually collect the spent debris off the ground so the Corps can sell the scrap metal later.

Not only did Vonarx retrieve and steal the brass, but he unlawfully entered the ranges buildings that stored waste materials and  when detected  deleted text messages outlining his plot in an effort to fool investigators, authorities claimed.

Marine officials have not estimated the value of the metal allegedly stolen from the range, indicating in court documents only that it amounted to more than $500 in government property, large enough to trigger larceny and other charges.

Stealing and selling brass casings to recyclers can be a lucrative crime. In 2016, a federal jury found recycler John Vescuso guilty of theft of government property and conspiracy to sell $555,640 worth of shell casings collected at Camp Pendleton between 2010 and 2012.

He relied on a civilian employee at the base, Cecil Garr, to retrieve the spent metal from Camp Pendletons School of Infantry hazardous materials lot.

Vescuso drew a 33-month prison term and Garr was put on probation, according to federal court documents.

In 2010, Marine Lance Cpl. Sean Bradley pleaded guilty to stealing truckloads of spent casings from Edson Range between 2008 and 2009, netting nearly $31,000. He received a nine-month sentence and a bad-conduct discharge.

In 2014, Sgt. Alroy Anthony Simmonds, a Marine reservist, pleaded guilty to stealing and selling $56,021 worth of spent brass casings and steel ammo boxes from Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, according to federal court documents.

Like Vonarx, Simmonds had been assigned to the bases recruit training section. His thefts began in 2011 and continued for two more years before he was apprehended.

He was sentenced to six months in prison, with credit for time served during his pretrial detention, and ordered to repay the government for the stolen scrap.

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cprine@sduniontribune.com
A Los Angeles police officer has been accused of assaulting another officers 13-year-old daughter in her bedroom while staying in their home, officials said.

Kenneth Louis Collard, 51, was charged with three counts of committing a lewd act upon a child and one count of sexual penetration by a foreign object, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.

The alleged assault occurred at Collards friends home, where he was staying April 4 after an evening of socializing.

At the end of the night, Collard was encouraged not to drive back to his Riverside home and to instead stay with the friend  also an LAPD officer  in Torrance, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.

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In the middle of the night, prosecutors said, Collard entered the girls bedroom and assaulted her. Torrance police launched an investigation, which included the analysis of forensic evidence.

In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Protective League board of directors said it was sickened by the repugnant allegations.

If they are true he should be prosecuted as forcefully as possible, the board said. As police officers, we are sworn to protect the innocent, not to exploit them. There is absolutely no room in law enforcement or society for anyone who commits such acts, especially on a child.

The LAPD also issued a statement after Collards arrest, saying the department is aware of this arrest and has begun a personnel investigation.

If the accusations are true, this officer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and will face severe repercussions in regards to his employment as well.

Prosecutors are recommending Collards bail be set at $400,000.

Collard is a 20-plus-year officer who was assigned to the West L.A. station. He has been placed on paid administrative leave.

If convicted, he faces a maximum of 32 years in state prison.

Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com | Twitter: @AleneTchek

james.queally@latimes.com | Twitter: @JamesQueallyLAT

UPDATES:

9:20 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from the LAPD.

5:05 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from the Los Angeles Police Protective League board of directors and additional details about the investigation.

4:05 p.m.: This article was updated with more details about the allegations.

This article was originally published at 3:40 p.m.
A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of marijuana Tuesday night after a multicar crash killed three in Fremont.

The collision, which involved five vehicles, occurred around 9:30 p.m. on the northbound I-880 near Stevenson Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol. Three people were killed when they were ejected from an Escalade  a woman, a teen and a child.

Five other people, four of whom are juveniles, were injured in the crash.

The driver suspected of triggering the crash has been identified as Dang Nguyen Hai Tran, of San Jose, according to authorities.

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The names of the victims have not been released.

Since the legalization of recreational marijuana in California earlier this year, law enforcement officials have been grappling with how to identify drivers who are under the drugs influence.

Policing marijuana-induced DUIs isnt as easy as arresting and prosecuting drunk drivers.

Similar to other states that have legalized pot, California now relies on drug recognition experts  police officers trained during a two-week course to conduct cognitive tests and notice other physical signs of drug-related impairment during a motor vehicle stop  to make the initial determination that a driver is under the influence.

A bill proposed in the state Senate last month calls for a one-year driving suspension for any motorist under 21 caught with marijuana in his or her system.

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia
The hepatitis A outbreak may have receded, but its impact continues to reverberate.

A legislative committee in Sacramento on Wednesday is scheduled to consider launching an audit of how local governments here handled the deadly crisis, which hit the homeless particularly hard.

The mere request for the review earlier this month triggered a harsh round of finger-pointing in San Diego. The same thing happened when the county released its own after-action report on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the temporary bridge tent shelters erected during the outbreak helped get some people off the street, but continue to draw millions of dollars that could be used for permanent housing, which many believe should be the priority.

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The city Housing Commissions budget includes almost $13 million for the homeless, mostly for the tents but also for a homeless storage facility and housing navigation center. Thats on top of the $6.5 million from the commissions permanent housing fund approved late last year to operate the tents.

The county report last week sought to assess what went right and what didnt in the response to the hepatitis crisis. The report summarized mostly familiar developments and came up with nearly two dozen recommendations.

Key among them, according to Paul Sisson of The San Diego Union-Tribune, were calls for closer coordination between county and city governments, better vaccine coverage for homeless and drug-using residents and more prompt use of volunteer nurses.

The county spent some $12.5 million on the public health crisis as of April, according to the report.

The reports release sparked renewed recriminations between San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez and county Supervisor Dianne Jacob.

The two initially tangled in early May after Assemblyman Todd Gloria, a former San Diego City Council member and interim mayor, asked the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to order an examination of how the outbreak was handled.

Although we are currently seeing great leadership at the city of San Diego with tackling homelessness and the housing crisis, its important to remember that the county grand jury in 2010 called on city leaders to address the growing homeless population, including the need for more public restrooms and sanitizing streets and sidewalks, Jacob said in an email to the Union-Tribune.

If state leaders want to look at where this crisis originated, that would be a good start.

Alvarez shot back, saying the county government was so culpable for the hepatitis crisis the state should take it over.

You have got to be kidding, he said on Twitter.. ...the County should be placed in receivership by the state for malpractice and ineptitude in dealing with health and human services. Term limits is the best thing that has happened to the Board of Supes.

Alvarez, who is running for supervisor in 2020 but not in Jacobs district, doubled-down on his criticism after the county report.

The Hepatitis A epidemic occurred because homelessness is a problem, he said in a statement on Thursday. This report makes it clear that the County still doesnt get it. At the same time homelessness exploded in San Diego, the County sat on millions of dollars in reserves that were supposed to be used for mental health. Until the county takes its health and human services responsibility seriously, it will be impossible to reduce homelessness in San Diego.

Jacob, who is termed out in 2020, wasnt about to let that go: Maybe Councilmember Alvarez should spend more time on ways to combat homelessness and affordable housing than sounding off on a report that he clearly doesnt understand. The report isnt intended to document the hundreds of millions of dollars the county spends on addressing housing, mental health and substance abuse.

Alvarez tripled-down the next day in an opinion column he co-authored with homeless advocate Michael McConnell titled County Leaders Need to Own Up to Their Hepatitis A Failures, published by the Voice of San Diego.

The tension between the city and county over who may have dropped the ball simmered just below the surface during the hepatitis crisis. A key point of contention was why there were delays in installing hand-washing stations around the city.

Both the city and county were widely criticized as the outbreak mushroomed into a crisis that killed 20 people and sickened nearly 600. While the homeless were the hardest hit, the disease spread beyond the streets of downtown San Diego where many congregated.

Everybody, it seemed, was affected. Tens of thousands of people from all walks of life rushed to get vaccinated. Those that didnt couldnt escape the news coverage, or the sight of people lining up for shots at pop-up clinics, or emergency crews power-washing sidewalks and public areas. The story was picked up nationally, giving San Diego a big dose of bad publicity.

Local officials finally were able to get their arms around the crisis, and the outbreaks intensity eased late last year. The county ended the official emergency in January, though some cases flared up, particularly in North County. A lot of people said good riddance to that chapter in San Diego history and moved on. Those who died didnt, and the hundreds who became infected likely will never forget.

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There will be plenty of discussion on homelessness and hepatitis in the days, weeks and months to come. Results from the annual point-in-time homeless count in January are expected soon. In 2017, the survey tallied 9,116 homeless people across the county, including 5,621 who were unsheltered.

After participating in the count during the cold predawn hours on Jan. 26 of this year, some of the volunteers said they didnt encounter as many homeless people as they thought they would in downtown San Diego. Some attributed that to the new tent shelters and the citys more aggressive enforcement against sidewalk encampments. If, for whatever reason, the overall tally is less than last year, that might complicate a years-long narrative that homelessness in the region is getting worse.

Meanwhile, theres plenty of fuel coming for more fireworks over whos to blame for the hepatitis crisis. If the legislative audit is approved, it may take 12 months to 18 months to complete, according to an official in Sacramento.

(UPDATE: California State Auditor Elaine M. Howle said on Wednesday the report would take five months, saying shed use other reports to guide her investigation.)

The fuse could be lit much sooner. A county grand jury report on the response to the outbreak is expected to be released publicly on Thursday. The city is conducting its own analysis with the report due in July.

That could make for a hot summer.
A judge this week ordered a North County babysitter and her boyfriend to face trial on charges involving molestation of four girls in the babysitters care, including a developmentally delayed 7-year-old who was unable to tell anyone what was happening to her.

The other alleged victims include a child who was 2- or 3-years-old when she was molested, and another 3-year-old girl, Deputy District Attorney Jodi Breton said Tuesday.

At the end of a preliminary hearing, Vista Superior Court Judge Richard Monroy on Monday ordered Brittney Mae Lyon and Samuel Cabrera, both 24, to face trial on 35 charges, including conspiracy to molest and conspiracy to kidnap for the purposes of molestation. They each face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

Incidents involving each of the four girls were recorded, which ultimately helped authorities identify the other victims.

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When Lyon and Cabrera were first arraigned in July 2016, Breton said the two had been friends since high school. During the preliminary hearing, evidence indicated that Lyon told authorities that Cabrera initially convinced her to take cameras into gyms and store dressing rooms and secretly videotape women while they were changing.

That progressed into Cabrera asking Lyon to bringing children to his home so he could molest them, the prosecutor said of evidence at the preliminary hearing, which started Thursday and ended Monday. Lyon is accused of providing victims to Cabrera, in some instances helping undress them and participating in the molestation.

Initially, authorities only knew of two suspected victims, who were 7 years old at the time and didnt know each other. One lived in Escondido, the other in Oceanside.

One of those two girls is on the autism spectrum. Her mother testified last week that the girl was nonverbal and unable to communicate what had happened to her.

Further investigation led authorities to uncover footage of the two youngest victims.

After news of Lyons arrest in 2016, the parents of one of the youngest victims recognized Lyon as their daughters babysitter and contacted police. Authorities showed them a photo, and the parents identified the girl in the image as their daughter, according to the prosecutor.

Police were able to track down the parents of the other young victim from an address on a piece of mail seen in one of the videos, Breton said. The parents were able to identify their daughter and the interior of their home in a photo shown to them by police. They also confirmed that Lyon was a caregiver for their daughter.

Lyons is accused of molesting the two youngest victims and allowing Cabrera into each home to molest the girls, Breton said of evidence presented at the preliminary hearing.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
A Vista sex offender with websites that encourage girls to send nude modeling photos was arrested last week after investigators say he contacted a 10-year-old girl on Instagram and later sent lewd photos, according to a complaint filed Friday.

Brian Keller Sietman, 60, who was convicted in 2011 of annoying/molesting a minor, is accused of sending the Northern California girl a message on April 5. The message said Hi Sexy! and asked her to call him at a phone number, according to the complaint filed in San Diego federal court.

Brian Sietman (California Megans Law )

Sietmans Instagram profile  which also uses a different spelling of his last name  suggests he is some kind of modeling agent: #FreshFilmFaces Model Contest here! Quaifing (sic) models will be moved to Hollywood Ca!

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Two websites linked from his Instagram make a harder sell, telling girls to send their nude selfies: No need to be 18! No need for parents permission! The websites also promise to move the girls to Hollywood or Orange County, and that girls could spend all their time at the beach instead of working.

The sites include several photos of women and girls in bikinis, lingerie and some nudes.

Law enforcement in Northern California reported the Instagram message to the San Diego County Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force, and a sheriffs detective posed as the girl and began to chat with Sietman, the complaint says.

The undercover detective told Sietman she was only 12 and asked if she was still allowed to send pictures, and Sietman responded: Why would you get in trouble girls your age send me pictures everyday.

According to the complaint, Sietman first asked for her to pose on her bed in her cheerleader uniform and pressed her to share her full name and the school she attended. A few weeks later he said he wanted to meet her for a private project and sent her a photo of male genitals and a selfie and told her wanted to have sex with her, the complaint states.

The reality is that you can send me a million pics and no one will ever know Because I am cool, he texted, according to the complaint.

Task force officers searched his home on May 3 and found a cellphone with the text conversation, authorities said.

Sietman is charged with attempting to transfer obscene matter to a minor. A hearing is set for Thursday to determine if he should be released on bond.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
Add the State of California to the growing number of organizations that will scrutinize San Diegos response to the 2017 hepatitis A emergency that killed 20 of the regions most vulnerable residents.

On Wednesday, the Legislatures joint audit committee directed state Auditor Elaine Howle to investigate how the countys public health department and the City of San Diego handled the outbreak.

At last count, the virus had infected 588 people across the region, primarily the homeless and drug users, and is among the largest outbreaks of the liver-wasting disease seen nationwide in decades.

The decision comes just one week after the county government released its own 200-page after-action report and a day before the San Diego County Grand Jury is expected to release its own report.

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The City of San Diego has also said it will produce its own after-action report on the outbreak this summer.

And the California Department of Public Health said Wednesday it would conduct an internal review to look for successes and areas for improvement in our outbreak response activities and support of local health departments.

Faced with the prospect of so much scrutiny already in the works, Assemblywoman and audit committee member Catharine Baker, R-Dublin, wondered whether the auditor should get involved or wait until all the other reports are finished.

Assemblyman Todd Gloria of San Diego, who requested the audit, noted that a lot of finger-pointing happened as the county and city were trying to bring their hepatitis A-fighting efforts together last year. An outside review, he said, would bring with it a feeling of independence.

The state is a third-party independent reviewer of this, Gloria said. It is not either of the actors that were involved in the immediate response and, I think, as a result, has heightened credibility that can help really bring out the lessons learned that are important.

Howle said that the employees from her office who visit San Diego to conduct the audit will be directed to read all of the other documents produced by other organizations before they begin doing their own interviews.

We would want to look at that information, look at the support behind it, so that we arent duplicating effort thats already been done but look at it with a critical eye, Howle said. Any of this information will be helpful to us and, hopefully, to the extent we can rely on that information, itll cut back the number of hours we have to invest and how much this audit will cost.

She added that the audit would examine a wide range of factors from what criteria were used to determine the increase in the number of cases to whether local agencies followed established protocols and legal requirements.

Another question, one that others have posed in recent months, is whether the county could have done some things sooner  rather than this emergency being declared in September of 2017.

The state auditor estimated that her examination will take about five months and 2,200 hours of staff time.

Though the largest number of cases by far were in San Diego County, the outbreak spread far beyond local borders with linked cases popping up as far north as Santa Cruz County and in several other states. That spread seemed to give Baker, whose home is in the Bay Area, pause. While certain facts and patterns may seem obvious in hindsight, she said, she understands that public health crises can be unpredictable while theyre unfolding in real time.

I will look forward to the report knowing that hindsight is 20/20, Baker said. Hopefully, Ill never have to ask for something like this in the Bay Area, because well learn from this.

Neither the county nor the city opposed the audit, but each had its own representative on hand to make it clear they arent going along without protest because they do not think they did anything wrong.

Representing the county, Sacramento lobbyist Jim Gross noted that many in the public health community from outside the state have praised the local action which, for the county, included spending an estimated $12.5 million and vaccinating more than 120,000 people.

We sense some skepticism regarding the countys response to the crisis, Gross said. The fact is, the county has been lauded nationally for its efforts. We will continue to learn from this, but we dont want anybody to assume that this wasnt the most robust effort that complied with all of its obligations.

Lobbyist Moira Topp, who represented the city of San Diego, added: We feel quite proud of what we did, knowing full well that we can learn from it and probably a whole lot of others can learn from it.

Only one public speaker, public health nurse Nancy Weathers, addressed the committee Wednesday. She said she participated on vaccination foot teams that were instrumental in the months-long effort to get as many San Diego County homeless residents vaccinated as possible. Weathers said she felt unprotected while doing that work in coastal North County.

None of the law enforcement that we went out with could believe that we were sent out without any kind of guard or presence of law enforcement ... The nurses went out in our scrubbs, carrying our kits full of syringes and medical supplies. I think a safety protocol for the county is the least we can expect in order to have some sort of assurances we wont be placed in harms way, Weathers said.

Michael Workman, director of the countys communications office, said that nurses were always part of homeless outreach teams, which include armed law enforcement personnel, adding that the county never sent nurses out to homeless encampments alone.

Nurse vaccination foot teams did, he added, approach homeless residents sans law enforcement accompaniment at public locations such as transit stations, city sidewalks and parks.

Foot team nurse training, Workman said, stressed never going into situations where they felt unsafe and nurses, he said, were provided protective equipment such as gloves, safety whistles and biohazard waste containers.

Health Playlist On Now Video: Why aren't Americans getting flu shots? 0:37 On Now Video: Leaders urge public to help extinguish hepatitis outbreak On Now San Diego starts cleansing sidewalks, streets to combat hepatitis A On Now Video: Scripps to shutter its hospice service On Now Video: Scripps La Jolla hospitals nab top local spot in annual hospital rankings On Now Video: Does a parent's Alzheimer's doom their children? On Now Video: Vaccine can prevent human papillomavirus, which can cause cancer 0:31 On Now 23 local doctors have already faced state discipline in 2017 0:48 On Now EpiPen recall expands On Now Kids can add years to your life

paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1850

Twitter: @paulsisson
Adding to recent widespread leadership changes, Palomar Health is suddenly looking to replace one of seven elected directors. It also is considering giving permanent status to its interim chief executive officer.

Joy Gorzeman, chair of the Palomar Health Board of Directors, resigned effective May 2 for unspecified personal reasons, according to a letter she sent to colleagues and board secretary Ray McCune on April 26.

Gorzeman, a respected nurse and health care educator with more than 40 years of experience working in a wide range of medical roles, declined by email Tuesday afternoon to elaborate on the reasons for her departure. Elected in 2016 to her first four-year term on the governing board of the Palomar Health district, she would have been up for re-election in 2020.

Hospital director Dara Czerwonka, who was appointed by her colleagues to serve as chair upon Gorzemans departure, said during a regular monthly board meeting Monday that the board will appoint a community member to temporarily fill the seat until the November election. At that time, the remaining two years of Gorzemans term will appear on the ballot alongside the four other board seats that would normally be up for renewal this year.

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Members of the public who wish to apply to be considered by the board for temporary appointment until the election should send a cover letter and resume to nancy.wood@palomarhealth.org no later than 4 p.m. Monday, May 21. Applicants should make sure they state their qualifications and reasons theyre applying.

For more information on board member responsibilities and time commitments, visit bit.ly/Palomarboard.

The board will interview candidates during a public meeting on May 29 and plans to take immediate action.

We hope to make a decision immediately following the interviews at the public session, Czerwonka said.

The news came as Palomar navigates a rough patch, reorganizing staff to handle budget difficulties while simultaneously responding to a series of government safety inspections that have repeatedly stated that Palomar Medical Center Escondido has been out of compliance with several Medicare conditions of participation.

Czerwonka said Monday night that inspectors have recently revisited Palomar and the organization is awaiting a fresh round of survey results.

Meanwhile, a search has been underway for a new permanent chief executive since the retirement of Robert Hemker, Palomars former CEO, in November of 2017. Since then, Diane Hansen, formerly Palomars vice president, has served as interim chief executive while a committee conducts a nationwide search.

At Mondays meeting the board, at Czerwonkas prompting, suspended the search, deciding instead to pursue a two-year contract that would remove the interim from Hansens title.

Czerwonka cited Hansens recent responses to government safety surveys, management changes, labor negotiations and successful efforts to refinance Palomars debt as proof that she has earned the boards confidence.

The immediate impact of these changes has not been lost on this board, and it seems, at this point at least, that the organization is on a more solid footing for progress moving forward, Czerwonka said.

Though not on the agenda, the impending closure of the Palomar Health Sleep Center also got the boards attention Monday after Dr. Pegah Mashayekhi, a sleep and internal medicine specialist, pleaded during the meetings public comments period to delay the shut down which, accoring to a post on Palomars website, is set for May 31.

Mashayekhi said that many Medi-Cal patients and some of those with health management organization insurance will end up traveling as far away as Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa to undergo inpatient sleep studies because closer options do not accept those types of coverage.

I hope you guys are thinking more about quality of care and less about cutting costs, Mashayekhi said.

Hansen said the closure was caused by regulatory challenges but did not elaborate Monday night.

We dont take any of these decisions lightly. They are business decisions, yes, but they also impact our community, and we do understand that, Hansen said.

The Palomar Sleep Center on Craven Road in San Marcos has two overnight beds where patients can be monitored by professionals, a process that can be necessary in diagnosing a range of conditions from narcolepsy to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The closure notice posted by Palomar lists two private alternative centers in Escondido, but it was not clear Tuesday afternoon whether either or both offer the same range of services and accept the same types of insurance that the Palomar Sleep Center on Craven Road in San Marcos does.

Derryl Acosta, a spokesperson for Palomar Health, said in an email Tuesday afternoon that: It is likely some patients will have to drive out of North County for a sleep study, depending on their insurance.

In addition to Grossmont, Palomar recommends three other hospital-based programs at UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest, Scripps Green Hospital in Torrey Pines and Sharp Memorial Hospital near Kearny Mesa.

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paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

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Twitter: @paulsisson
A woman was killed in an explosion that rocked an Aliso Viejo medical office building Tuesday afternoon that officials said appears to have been intentionally set.

Authorities called the explosion suspicious but did not reveal many further details. Both federal and local investigators were on the scene.

At least one person died inside the building and three others were injured, said Tony Bommarito, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority. The explosion occurred about 1:10 p.m.

Were trying to determine if a vehicle was involved or if it was an accident or inside the building, said Orange County Sheriffs spokeswoman Carrie Braun.

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Bommarito said the countys bomb squad and hazardous materials team were preparing to search the building. He said officials had cleared all the buildings but had not determined if a gas leak caused the explosion.

Orange County Sheriffs Cmdr. Dave Sawyer said it was too early to determine whether the explosion was a bombing, and that investigators were interviewing the three victims who had been transported to hospitals.

The explosion shook the two-story building so forcefully that employees at neighboring businesses thought it was an earthquake. Some stepped outside anticipating more shaking.

Andrew Dyjak, the owner of a massage business inside the building at 11 Mareblu, said he realized it wasnt an earthquake when he got outside and saw the devastation.

There was one part of the building that was destroyed, like really destroyed, he said. No windows, glass, and we noticed a small fire.

Glass was everywhere and part of the buildings walls looked damaged, Dyjak said.

For sure we are closing for the day, he said. I dont think anybody is planning on going back. And they probably have to check the structure.

Besides Dyjaks business, the building also housed at least one chiropractic office and a medical practice, he said.

Laguna Niguel retiree Judith Hoel was sitting in a dental chair inside the Ocean Valley Dental Center across the street from the building, about to get her teeth cleaned, when she heard a huge boom and the clinic shook.

Its terrible to say, but I hoped it was an accident and not something that would be worse, she said. Its a frightening world today.

More than 30 bystanders stood across the street from the building Tuesday afternoon, snapping selfies and posting updates on social media. Several dozen employees who worked in the medical complex sat in grassy areas facing the office.

Rows of emergency vehicles blocked the streets as a helicopter hovered overhead.

Augustine Tolar had been driving to lunch along Moulton Parkway, passing Oso Parkway, when the explosion caused him to stop.

I knew right away there would be a fatality. No way in hell could someone survive that big of a hit, said the customer service clerk from Laguna Niguel.

The Associated Press quoted a federal official as saying the blast may have come from a package.

Times staff writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report.

javier.panzar@latimes.com

Twitter: @jpanzar

joseph.serna@latimes.com

Twitter: @JosephSerna

anh.do@latimes.com

Twitter: @newsterrier
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James Shaw Jr., center, wipes tears away during a news conference on the Waffle House shooting on April 22, 2018 in Nashville, Tenn. Shaw wrestled the gun from the suspect. To Shaws right is Nashville Metro Mayor David Briley and to his left is FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew Espenshade.

(Wade Payne / The Tennessean)
Advertising in San Diego campaigns for candidates and ballot measures will more conspicuously identify who is paying for the ads under new policies approved by the City Council this week.

Many of the new policies, which amend the citys Election Campaign Control Ordinance, are required under a new state transparency law, AB 249, approved last fall after several years of debate.

Some of the new city policies, however, go beyond the new state law, which took effect Jan. 1.

Those include requiring candidates to disclose when they pay for their own ads, and requiring identification of donors giving at least $10,000, which is more aggressive than the $50,000 threshold used by the state.

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The new state policies the city is adopting create more stringent rules on the size and placement and specifics of how a disclosure is made on a campaign advertisement.

For example, on TV ads the disclosure of who paid for the ad must take up a certain percentage of the screen, and print ads must highlight donor names by putting them inside a box.

The rules also govern formatting details such as background color, what can be underlined and a prohibition against using all capital letters.

The goal of the new policies is to provide the public information about who is funding ads, which may influence who they vote for and whether they vote for or against ballot measures.

The council unanimously approved all of the policy changes on Tuesday.

Based on recommendations from the citys Ethics Commission, the council veered from the state on whether candidates must disclose when they pay for their own ads.

The state law doesnt require such disclosures, which is based on the perception its already clear to voters when a candidate is paying for his own ad. But the Ethics Commission disagrees.

City candidates have been required to include paid for by disclosures on ads they buy themselves since 2005, and the policies approved on Tuesday continue that requirement.

The new state law requires that committees formed to support or oppose candidates or ballot measures identify their top three donors of $50,000 or more.

In contrast, the city will continue its five-year-old policy of requiring identification of a committees top two donors of $10,000 or more.

The council also added a further requirement that ads paid for by committees say funding details at www.sandiego.gov/donors. That website will list all donors of at least $10,000, not just the top two required in the ad.

The Ethics Commission says $10,000 is a more prudent threshold than $50,000, because donations of less than $50,000 can have a significant effect on a local election.

The city policy veers from state law in another notable way: the city wont enforce donor disclosures on social media posts, emails and text communications.

The reasoning by the Ethics Commission is that such communication is relatively cheap, which makes disclosures less important, and that regulations on such communication would be hard to enforce.

If somebody really wanted to ghost a website or an email account, it would be very difficult for the commission to ascertain exactly who was responsible, said Stacey Fulhorst, the commissions executive director.

Because the city wont enforce the state rules on social media posts, complaints can be submitted to the states Fair Political Practices Commission for potential enforcement, Fulhorst said.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
The San Diego County Democratic Party has sent a letter to its local sub-groups  known as clubs  warning them that they should not circulate or repeat allegations made against party leaders in a resolution passed by one of the clubs.

The San Diego Democrats for Equality, one of the smaller organizations, passed the Resolution in Support of Justice for the Martin Luther King Jr. Democratic Club on April 19. Other clubs are considering the resolution, which takes issue with seating for members of the MLK club at the partys annual dinner April 7.

The partys memo, sent May 11, warns local clubs that the party has contacted a defamation lawyer in response to the resolution, which has no factual basis.

Because of this, repeating the information or circulating the information could have unforeseen consequences to the clubs or for the presidents or club proponents themselves, the memo states.

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It is recommended, generally speaking, that clubs try not to place themselves in harms way by adopting documents that attack as egregiously and harmfully as this document does, especially without any investigation or outreach to those attacked, the memo said.

Party Chairwoman Jessica Hayes did not respond to a request for comment.

The resolution in question attacks Hayes and her predecessor, Francine Busby, claiming that they unfairly treated members of the MLK club at the groups 38th annual fundraiser, the Roosevelt Dinner, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. In particular, one of the MLK clubs executive board members, Tasha Williamson, was treated unfairly, the resolution says.

Williamson did not return a call seeking comment.

The MLK clubs members expected to be seated at a table in the front of the banquet hall in order to watch one of their members receive an honor. Some attendees planned to hold a silent protest against sexual misconduct and gave party leaders advance notice of their intentions. The resolution claims that Hayes retaliated by reassigning the MLK club members to a table in the back of the ballroom.

The unequal treatment made it nearly impossible for those attendees to feel they are full, welcome, equal and valued activists, the resolution said.

The resolution demands that the party refund MLK club members who attended the dinner, offer a public apology and a written personal apology to Williamson as well as the club as a whole for being treated in a manner unequal to other clubs and reminiscent of the days of Rosa Parks and Jim Crow laws.

Busby, in an email, said that MLK club members purchased five seats  not a full table  and were always assigned to a table in the rear of the banquet room.

It was never moved, Busby said by email. In fact, it had one of the best locations of any club table in the hall. This narrative that the table was moved is absolutely false and seems to be based on inaccurate assumptions.

The silent protest described in the resolution consisted of Williamson holding a sign that said, I believe the women. Others wore buttons showing a large pair of red lips saying, I will not be quiet.

Busby said that there have been protests at previous Roosevelt Dinners, but they have always been held outside the banquet hall.

According to the resolution, Busby pushed the sign down and threatened to have Williamson escorted out of the dinner. Busby said the account is untrue but did not elaborate.

Hayes said in an April interview that the MLK clubs account is 100 percent false. She said that MLK club members were not promised the best seats in the banquet hall since those coveted spots are always reserved for the partys biggest donors.

She gave varying accounts about where the club members were seated  at one point she said they were in the middle of the ballroom and another time she said they were assigned to the back  and said that she wasnt concerned about the silent protest against sexual misconduct.

I didnt care about this woman holding up a sign in the back of the room. This whole thing is crazy. This whole thing, man, its really concerning, she said.

At least one club, the San Diego Democrats for Equality  a group that advocates for LGBT rights  has passed the resolution, and its president, Will Rodriguez-Kennedy, said the executive boards memo was inappropriate.

Give them the money back, and give them an apology, and let them speak and lets move on, he said by phone. And instead, they decided to issue a threat, and that doesnt help de-escalate the situation. If anything, it inflames it.

He said he has personally spoken with Hayes and Busby and advised them to refund the money, apologize, and give the MLK club a chance to speak. It would not only help resolve the disagreement, but it would amount to good customer service to amend wrongs with a group that feels mistreated, Rodriguez-Kennedy said.

Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1841
Rick Shea, who represents District 5 on the San Diego County Board of Education, is seeking re-election in June against Cheryl James-Ward, a former NASA Jet Propulsion Lab engineer who teaches at San Diego State University.

Shea, 73, lives in Encinitas and is formerly the special assistant to the county superintendent/administrative services officer. Before that, he worked as a juvenile court teacher.

He was appointed in 2015 to fill a vacant seat on the board and kept the position by winning the November 2016 election by 726 votes out of more than 226,300 cast.

It was one of the most expensive county board races in history, bringing in at least a million dollars in contributions that pitted charter school advocates against teachers unions.

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Shea, who was backed by teachers unions in 2016, said contributions have been modest this time around and hes eager to start another term.

I think people see now that Im a rational person, and Im not going to vote a certain way because of money, Shea said. My goal is just to do whats best for kids.

His opponent for the District 5 seat, which represents the countys northwestern coast and some inland areas, is 55-year-old James-Ward of San Diego, who teaches at San Diego State University and leads academic innovation for e3 Civic High School, a local charter school with a technological focus.

As a current educator with more than 25 years of experience, James-Ward said she is more qualified to bring technological advancements to San Diego schools than Shea, who retired in 2004.

Technology and how its used in education has changed dramatically, James-Ward said. San Diego can be a model for the world. I think that I am the most qualified to get us there.

Shea said his retirement date doesnt and shouldnt minimize the decades of experience he has in education.

Ive spent my entire career advocating and working for children. Thats all Ive ever done, Shea said. My experience is life-long experience and it is always being updated.

Shea added that he regularly attends seminars and training sessions to stay up to date on the latest technology, and as the current trustee, is more privy to whats working in the district.

Im actually in the district seeing whats going on, whats working best, and whats winning awards, Shea said. I am very much up on latest educational trends and what it takes for our students to succeed.

James-Ward is the wife of Randy Ward, former San Diego County Office of Education superintendent who resigned in 2016 after being placed on leave for allegedly abusing district finances.

Ward has not been criminally charged for any wrongdoing. A lawsuit, filed by the California Taxpayers Action Network against Ward and former assistant superintendent of business services Lora Duzyk, accuses the two administrators of awarding themselves illegal pay raises, self-dealing, conflicts of interests and misuse of public funds, among other things.

Court records show the suit is ongoing in San Diego Superior Court. A civil jury trial has been set for June 8.

The County Office of Education, which employs about 1,120 people, provides curriculum support and financial oversight for the regions 42 school districts. If elected, board members serve a four-year term and receive a monthly stipend of $563 along with medical, dental vision and life insurance while on the board. The agency has an annual budget of $571 million.

The board of education positions are non-partisan. Shea is a registered Democrat and James-Ward is registered with no party preference, according to voter records.

Board members, with their role reviewing petitions for countywide charters and deciding on appeals from charters rejected by their local districts, have been seen as increasingly important in the effort to expand charters, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars being poured into previous races.

According to Steven Baratte, a spokesman for the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA), school board candidates up for election in June have yet to receive the organizations support.

The district seats held by board president Guadalupe Gonzalez, and trustees Mark Powell and Paulette Donnellon are not up for election.

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When Sheriff Bill Gore looks ahead at the next four years, the biggest challenges he sees facing his department are familiar ones.

There is still work to be done to better serve the countys jail population, which, at about 6,000 inmates a day, is one of the biggest in the country, Gore said. The department needs to continue to develop progressive approaches to mental health and homelessness.

The agency will also need to work closely with other law enforcement agencies to continue to combat the opioid crisis and to implement new state immigration regulations.

The sheriff said he feels hes already helped the department achieve meaningful progress on these issues. And he wants to continue that work by being re-elected to the top spot at the countys largest local law enforcement agency.

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Bill Gore

Age: 70

Home: San Diego

Notable endorsements: Deputy Sheriffs Association of San Diego County, San Diego County Police Chiefs & Sheriffs Association, San Diego Deputy District Attorneys Association, the County Board of Supervisors, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Senator Toni Atkins

Campaign funds between Jan. and April: $66,676

Gore, who was appointed sheriff in 2009 and elected in 2010, is being challenged by Commander Dave Myers, a 33-year veteran of the Sheriffs Department. The candidate who gets more than half of the vote in the June 5 primary will be elected to a four-year term.

The race quickly grew contentious, with Myers saying Gore retaliated against him for daring to run against his boss. The commander said he was stripped of his leadership duties, under the guise of a new assignment, and had his office relocated to a broom closet.

Gore said the assignment  to help transition the departments crime lab to an office building in Kearny Mesa  was an important one, but added that Myers behavior during the campaign contributed to his decision. Gore suggested Myers had weaponized information presented during command staff meetings  a claim the commander denies.

The two have spent months trading barbs, with Myers criticizing Gore on a number of fronts. Hes said Gore failed to outfit deputies in courthouses and jails with body-worn cameras. Hes suggested Gore dragged his feet when responding to accusations that one of his deputies groped more than a dozen women.

Hes also said Gore hasnt done enough to promote diversity in the departments ranks, particularly among top leaders, or combat homophobia among deputies.

Gore has pushed back against many of those accusations, offering his own assessment of Myers. Gore has said one of his biggest strengths is the ability to work with others to get things done  a skill he feels his opponent lacks.

Working with your federal, state and local partners and not constantly being in turf battles  I think thats one of my strongest suits and one of the things Im most proud of, Gore said.

Before becoming sheriff, Gore spent 32 years with the FBI, rising to the position of assistant director. As a federal agent, he helped establish the regions first Joint Terrorism Task Force and cyber crime squad. He also helped establish the San Diego Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory  one of the first of its kind in the country.

As sheriff, he said hes most proud of helping manage how his department and the county responded to major changes in the way criminal justice is handled in California, including public safety realignment and Proposition 47.

Realignment, which took effect in October 2011, aimed to reduce the states prison population by allowing people convicted of nonviolent, non-sexual and non-serious crimes to be sentenced to county jail instead of state prison. Proposition 47 reduced penalties for some low-level nonviolent crimes, including simple drug possession and petty theft, from felonies to misdemeanors.

Gore said before the change, jails used to be predominately filled with offenders who had committed misdemeanor crimes.

Now, all but the most serious offenders go to a local jail instead of state prison, he said. Thats led to longer stays, a more sophisticated criminal, if you will, and exacerbated the mental health problems in our facilities.

Gore said by working with other law enforcement partners, the region was able to come up with an approach that focused on equipping inmates with the assistance theyd need to be successful after they were released, reducing the chance that theyd be jailed in the future.

That included a concerted effort to address mental health issues. Gore said about a third of local jail inmates take drugs to treat mental illness.

Its making us the largest provider of mental health beds in San Diego County, he said. Thats challenging, but were rising to that challenge. Were making a lot of adjustments and weve improved dramatically how we house the mentally ill in our facilities.

Myers has criticized the sheriffs response to the treatment of prisoners, including the number of inmate deaths, claiming Gore waited until news reports brought the issue to light before making changes.

In 2013, CityBeat reported that the average mortality rate in San Diego County jails over six years was the highest among Californias 10 largest lockups.

According to a recent report from the Disability Rights California, there were 17 inmate suicides between 2014 and 2016. Since Jan. 1, 2017, there have been two.

The improvement comes after the department brought on additional mental health clinicians, introduced enhanced observation units, where suicidal inmates could be closely monitored as an alternative to safety cells and trained all deputies who works in jails in psychiatric emergency response techniques.

Gore said mental health isnt an issue thats unique to jails, but one that touches communities across the county, including the homeless population.

He said while homelessness is not a crime, transients who suffer from mental illness and substance abuse issues may find themselves behind bars if they dont receive the services they need.

Were trying to take a progressive approach to that in the sheriffs jurisdiction by working with our partners in health and human services, and our homeless outreach teams and community partners to reach out to the homeless in our community, Gore said.

Gore also spoke of his commitment to data-driven policing  illustrated by his investment in dozens of criminal analysts, the successful deployment of body-worn cameras to all patrol deputies, the development of a regional records management system that has been embraced by many other departments in the county, and historically low crime rates as testaments of his leadership abilities.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
As his nomination to become ambassador to the Bahamas stretches into its second year following reports of a misogynistic culture at one of his companies, San Diego hotelier Doug Manchester has hired a lobbyist to assist him with the Senate confirmation process.

On April 6 Christian Whiton of Banner Public Affairs registered as a lobbyist for Manchesters business and reported confirmation as the only issue hed be involved with. Two days earlier a Bahamian website reported that Manchesters appointment was on the rocks and that another businessman, William Douglass, was being considered for the diplomatic post.

Manchester, the previous owner of the Union-Tribune, did not return a request for comment for this article, but he previously denied that his appointment was in jeopardy, or that Douglass was being considered.

Theres no truth to that at all that I know of. I checked it out a long time ago, Manchester said in an April 6 interview.

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He said that his appointment by President Donald Trump was just moving slowly.

Everything is just being held up, and we just continue to do whatever we can to adhere to whats required, and I am looking forward to being an ambassador, he said. A request with Banner Public Affairs for an interview with Whiton was not returned. A former State Department official, Whiton also previously worked on Trumps transition team and was a media advisor to former Secretary Rex Tillerson and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley during their nomination processes.

In February the Union-Tribune and the Washington Post reported about the culture at the Union-Tribune under Manchesters ownership. Manchester was not personally accused of sexual harassment, but acknowledged that there were problems under his leadership.

Doug Manchester apologizes to any uncomfortable or demeaned employees 

When I was chairman of the U-T San Diego, I became aware of egregious mistakes made by staff members, Manchester wrote in an email sent to Trump and others ahead of the publication of the reports. When they were brought to my attention, I immediately took appropriate action.

Without citing any sources, even anonymous ones, Bahamas Press reported last month that Trump was considering rescinding Manchesters nomination in favor of Douglass.

The White House announced Manchesters appointment on May 15, 2017 in a statement that described the businessman as a leading industrialist with accomplishments on a national and international scale in several industries.

Manchester testified before two members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during an August confirmation hearing, but the committee did not approve the nomination before the Senate adjourned its session last year. As such, Manchesters and other pending nominations were returned to the White House. Trump re-nominated Manchester in early January.

Manchester has not worked in government before. He and his wife each gave $454,800 in support of Trumps 2016 candidacy. Manchester also helped organize fundraisers for the now-president, as well as a rally at the San Diego Convention Center.

Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1841
One person was hit when multiple gunshots were fired Tuesday evening in a neighborhood near Escondidos north end,

The shooting was reported shortly before 9 p.m. on Hubbard Avenue, west of North Ash Street, Escondido police Lt. Kevin Toth said. The area is near a water tower.

Toth said the victim was an adult male who was in critical condition when he arrived at the hospital.

The shooter is not in custody. Toth said officers were looking into a report of a red car seen leaving the area.

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No further information was immediately available.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT

UPDATES:

11:05 p.m.: This story was updated with additional information. It was originally published at 9:50 p.m.
Firefighters rescued two dogs from a burning home in the Shelltown neighborhood of Southeast San Diego Tuesday after two residents ran out of the house, San Diego Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Steve Salaz said.

When firefighters arrived, there was smoke and fire showing from the back of the building, Salaz told OnScene.TV. The occupants got out.

One firefighter broke through the metal exterior door of the home on Gamma Street, near S. 39th Street, shortly after noon. The firefighter found the small dogs and removed them from the building. The dogs appeared uninjured in video from OnScene.TV.

No injuries were reported.

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Firefighters were able to douse the fire quickly, but two bedrooms were destroyed, and the blaze had spread to the attic. The rest of the home had smoke damage, Salaz said. An estimate of the total damage was not available.

A house adjacent to the burning home was briefly threatened but was not damaged, Salaz said. The cause of the fire has not been determined and is under investigation.

The American Red Cross is assisting the two residents, who were displaced.

rob.krier@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-2241

Twitter: @sdutKrier
A San Diego hiker died earlier this week when he slipped on ice and snow and fell over a cliff at Sequoia National Park, park officials said Tuesday.

Anton Dokov, 29, fell from what is known as the Watchtower section of the Lakes Trail, toward Pear Lake, according to a news release from the park. The fall was reported Sunday.

Rangers tried to reach him that day, but dangerous snow and ice conditions forced them to turn around. They found his body the following day, but complexity and technical aspects of the recovery hampered efforts.

Park rangers were finally able to reach Dokovs body Tuesday and take it to the Ash Mountain Helibase, park officials said. His body will be turned over to the Tulare County Coroners office.

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Park officials warned that winter conditions still exist at higher elevations, and they advise that extreme caution is necessary.

Although were getting warmer weather in the valley, conditions at higher elevations are still very cold with snow and ice. Even the most experienced hikers with the best gear can encounter challenges in these conditions, U.S. Park Ranger Chris Trotter said in the news release.

Dokovs death was the second reported since May 5 at the national park in the Sierra Nevada range. On that day, friends of a 29-year-old New Jersey man attempting to summit Mount Whitney reported him missing. That same day, two climbers reported finding two ice axes and what appeared to be a blood trail leading to a body between 1,500 to 2,000 feet below the axes.

Rangers recovered the body of the fallen climber the following day.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
A Paradise Hills woman missing since Monday morning was found and reunited with her family on Wednesday, police said.

Miriam Williamson, 49, was reported missing after she left her home on foot early Monday morning, seemingly going for a walk, and failed to return, San Diego police Lt. Matt Dobbs said.

She was considered at-risk because of mental health concerns and had gone missing previously, when she ended up in a hospital, unable to provide her own name.

Police did not disclose the circumstances surrounding her discovery, but at 5:45 a.m., Detective Shelly Luna said Williamson has been located and reunited with family.
One man was arraigned and a second man was arrested Tuesday in last weeks double homicide at Mountain View Recreation Center, for which they might face the death penalty.

Shannon Bryant, 29, pleaded not guilty in San Diego Superior Court to two counts of murder with allegations that the crimes were committed for the benefit of a gang and that he was a felon in possession of ammunition.

Elliot Williams, 28, had been jailed since his arrest on May 7 on suspicion of violating the terms of his post-release community supervision. He was rebooked Tuesday on the same murder and gang counts that Bryant faces.

They are accused in the May 6 fatal shooting of Tony Jackson, 33, and Robert Brown, 37, outside the San Diego neighborhood recreation center in the middle of a Sunday afternoon.

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Deputy District Attorney Ted Fiorito said out of court that Williams and Bryant could face the death penalty because of the gang allegations attached to the two murder charges. His office has not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty, he said.

During Bryants arraignment, Fiorito said the two defendants went hunting for Tony Jackson on May 6.

He said Williams and Jackson got into a confrontation on Ocean View Boulevard about noon. Just past 1 p.m., Bryants car started circling the Mountain View rec center, four times over the next 20 minutes.

The car stopped at the rec center, and, the prosecutor said, Williams shot Jackson as well as Brown, who was nearby.

He said investigators later traced Bryants movements by pinging his cellphone.

An hour after the shooting, Bryant texted Williams a news account of the double homicide, and said Williams should delete his message, the prosecutor said.

Ammunition matching what was used in the shooting was later found in Bryants residence, Fiorito said.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune

Twitter: @pdrepard
The San Diego City Council voted during closed session Tuesday to join an amicus brief being prepared by cities and counties to support Californias so-called sanctuary state law in the face of a Trump administration lawsuit against it.

The measure passed 5-2. Council members Lorie Zapf and Mark Kersey voted against participating. Councilmen Chris Cate and Scott Sherman werent present.

San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium Chairwoman Lilian Serrano praised the action.

San Diegos decision to stand for California values and join the fight against Trumps harmful lawsuit sends a powerful message that San Diego is committed to valuing and protecting all of its residents, no matter where they come from, and treating them with dignity and compassion,' she said.

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Californias so-called sanctuary state law has been hotly debated in recent months.

SB 54 limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Supporters of the law believe it makes immigrants who are living in the country illegally more likely to report crime and cooperate in law-enforcement investigations. But opponents say it stifles federal efforts to detain criminals.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 in April to file an amicus brief to join the U.S. Justice Departments lawsuit against the sanctuary policies that went into effect in January. The deadline to file such a brief has passed, so the county will only be able to take action if and when the case goes to a higher court for appeal.
The defamation and fraud lawsuit against Bessmon Ben Kalasho has taken some unusual turns in recent days, even as the first-term El Cajon councilman promotes his nascent campaign for mayor of his adopted hometown.

In a ruling late last month, Judge Timothy B. Taylor ordered Kalasho to pay $30,000 in attorney fees to Lina Charry, a San Diego lawyer who accused Kalasho of creating a fake social-media profile to defame her.

According to the lawsuit filed last year, Kalasho and his wife spread a rumor online that Charry had been seen performing a sex act in public.They also allegedly conducted a fraudulent online poll that named Charry as the worst attorney in San Diego.

The allegations came after Charry prevailed in an earlier unrelated lawsuit.

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Meanwhile, the lawyer who represents other plaintiffs in the defamation case, is asking Judge Taylor to order Kalasho to personally appear in court within 30 days to explain why he and his attorneys failed to respond to or comply with a series of previous orders from the court.

There has been no meaningful cooperation from the defendants with regard to discovery in this matter, lawyer Jimmie Parker wrote in a motion filed Wednesday.

The same motion notes that Kalashos attorney of record, Stephen Liosi, in March accused his client of reneging on $4,000 in legal fees and threatened to file a second lawsuit for fraud against the councilmember.

Im not the least bit surprised, as your fraudulent action taken against me speaks volumes about you, as does the pending lawsuit against you and your wife, Liosi wrote to Kalasho in the March email, which was copied to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Neither Kalasho or Liosi responded to requests for comment on Wednesday.

Kalasho, who was elected to the El Cajon City Council in November 2016, was sued last year by Charry, the 3 Brothers Taco Shop and two former participants in the Miss Middle East Beauty Pageant USA event presented by Kalashos for-profit chamber of commerce.

Charrys claims were later removed from the original suit and litigated separately

The complaint accused Kalasho and his wife, Jessica Kalasho, of creating fake social-media profiles to disparage the defendants in different ways. Kalasho denied the allegations and filed a countersuit that was later dismissed.

Tawfiq had been named Miss Middle East USA and promised $2,000 and related prizes, the lawsuit stated. But instead of the promised awards, she received an employment contract with unreasonable and onerous terms, the complaint added.

After Tawfiq confronted the Kalashos, photos with her likeness on the bodies of nude women began appearing online, the suit said. In court filings, Parker said documents prove the pictures were posted from a Los Angeles area home when Jessica Kalasho was visiting.

The Mexican restaurant began receiving negative online reviews in 2016, after the owners declined to let Kalasho post a campaign sign in the dining room, the lawsuit alleged.

And Kargar, who also competed in the beauty pageant, accused Kalasho of improperly commenting on her physical appearance and offering to name her the winner if she joined him in his hotel room, the lawsuit said.

Parker said Kalashos failure to fully comply with court orders is not the only roadblock he encountered during the litigation.

Earlier this year, Parker accused Kalasho of hiding his assets ahead of what could be an unfavorable verdict. He cited two documents filed with the county late last year showing a $500,000 loan against Kalashos home and a rental property Kalasho owned in Santee being transferred to an entity called 9422 Pryor Drive Trust.

The trustee for that entity is Maximilian Von Ayers, a person whose name does not appear in several large public databases or San Diego County court files. Kalasho and his wife repeatedly appear on an Instagram account promoting a German shepherd puppy named Zoltan Von Ayers.

El Cajon voters will choose a new mayor in November, although the campaign has yet to begin in earnest. Kalasho, who was born in Iraq and emigrated to the United States as a boy, has told friends and supporters that he is running.

The fraud trial is scheduled for August, although that date could get pushed back.

Watchdog Videos On Now Sexual misconduct accusers worry deputy is being protected 6:16 On Now City funded $2-million waterfront bathroom 1:26 On Now Public water district charges customer for legal work, response to records request On Now Video: Tiny homes won't be reused amid housing, homeless crisis On Now Attorney General seeks documentation for Miss Middle East On Now Rep. Hunter probe covers possible fraud On Now Video: SDG&E delaying solar credit for some low-income housing tenants On Now Video: Former San Diego Junior Theatre teacher sentenced for sex with teen girl 0:24 On Now Video: Shelter volunteers believe they were fired for finding a dog a home 0:49 On Now McKamey Manor is leaving San Diego 3:35

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald
Effluent from Tijuanas broken sewage system coming ashore in the United States has become a routine part of life on San Diego Countys southern coast. Its why parts of the Imperial Beach shoreline were closed more than five months a year in each of 2015, 2016 and 2017, and why dozens of Border Patrol agents have been sickened by exposure to the muck.

It is this ugly history  and the sluggish reaction to it by the International Boundary and Water Commission, a joint U.S.-Mexico agency that oversees water treaties  that demands state and federal leaders respond with a sense of urgency. It appears that this has finally registered in Sacramento. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is backing the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Boards plan to sue the federal government for violations of the Clean Water Act in 60 days unless it begins to address the sewage crisis. After the Trump administration failed to respond to their concerns, the cities of Imperial Beach and Chula Vista and the Port of San Diego filed a lawsuit against the federal government in March over the same issues.

Instead of defending itself from local lawsuits, the federal government would be better served by working with Mexico to fix the sewage infrastructure problems driving this crisis, without delay. For one thing, the Trump administration should follow up on the remarks of Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray, who told a San Diego audience in March that his government had set aside funds to repair a sewage line that collapsed early last year. Its unclear whether this is a commitment to address all the needed and costly sewage repairs in the Tijuana area, but Videgarays remarks were promising.

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David versus Goliath cartoon struck a chord

Re Israel then and now (May 16): I was shocked, but heartened by Steve Breens courageous editorial cartoon. Too often Americas news media uses false equivalency when reporting on the tragic events happening between Israel and Palestine. The reporting, even from PBS and NPR, is so heavily weighted in favor of the Israeli narrative, that the American people are not accurately informed.

I am an American veteran who served three tours of duty in a combat zone, and I took it upon myself to travel to Israel and Palestine to seek the truth for myself. I spent nearly three months there, and what I witnessed was the daily brutality, denigration and humiliation of the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupation forces.

The failure of the American media to present this tragedy reminds me of an African proverb, Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.

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Thank you Steve Breen, for speaking truth to power.

Rodney Devereux

Del Mar

Related: Palestinian protests: Breens Israel cartoon missed the point

Its easy to understand why Steve Breen was a awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

In a 5-by-6- inch space, in your May 16 edition his political cartoon described what is perhaps the core issue in the Middle East, i.e., the change of spirit that occurs when the subjugated acquire power and rule the new subjugated .

Somewhere in Heaven Herblock and Conrad are celebrating while exclaiming " by God we still have a political cartoonist down there " .

Thanks to the UT for continually publishing his works.

Frank Ferrone

El Cajon

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San Francisco, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/15/2018 -- In the recent times, the global market for chilled beam systems has been reporting a significant rise in its valuation. The rising demand for energy efficient buildings and the increasing need for enhanced occupant thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and floor-to-floor space saving is boosting the growth of this market considerably. However, the dearth of consumer awareness about these systems and high initial cost associated with them may hamper the market in the near future.



This market study is an analytical research of the performance of the global market for chilled beam system in past and during the period from 2018 to 2028. The research especially emphasize on the driving forces, growth barriers, challenges, opportunities, and the prominent trends in this market in order to determine its future status.



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Global Chilled Beam System Market  Key Trends and Opportunities



The rising need for energy conservation in a number of home applications is propelling the global market for chilled beam systems, considerably. However, the complex nature of the trade-off between temperature and latent load, to prevent condensation over the beams, may limit the usage of these systems in the years to come, reflecting negatively on the global market. However, the augmenting awareness about the benefits that these systems offer, such as low noise levels and good indoor air quality may support the market in registering a steady rise over the near future.



Global Chilled Beam System Market  Market Potential



The key market players are focusing aggressively on collaborations and partnerships with an aim to increase their reach as well as market size in various regions, which is likely to translate into a high growth of the worldwide market for chilled beam systems over the next few years. The increasing frequency of new product launches and upgradation made in the existing products are also projected to supplement the global market in the years to come.



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Global Chilled Beam System Market  Regional Outlook



On the basis of the geography, the worldwide market for chilled beam system registers its presence mainly across Latin America, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Latin America is dominated by Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. North America has its leading domestic markets in the U.S. and Canada. Japan, China, and India has acquired the most prominent position in Asia Pacific market for chilled beam system and the Middle East and Africa market is led by North Africa, GCC, and Southern Africa. Europe features the U.K., France, and Germany as its key domestic markets.



Global Chilled Beam System Market  Competitive Analysis



The global market for chilled beam system has been demonstrating a highly competitive vendor landscape. The presence of a large pool of players has intensified the degree of competition between them. Swegon AB (Sweden), Trox GmbH (Germany), Flakt Woods Group SA (Switzerland), Ftf Group Climate (U.S.), Caverion Corp. (Finland), Lindab AB (Sweden), Dadanco Pty Ltd. (Australia), Halton Group (Finland), Systemair AB (Sweden), and Titus Hvac (U.S.) are some of the key vendors of chilled beam systems across the world. New players constantly entering the market is likely to intensify the competition further in the near future.



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About TMR Research

TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in today's supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients' conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/15/2018 -- The global flexitanks market was valued at around US$ 330 Mn in 2017 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of over 14% from 2018 to 2026, according to a new report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) titled 'Flexitanks Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2018?"2026.' Flexitanks are bags made up of polymer material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. designed to carry and transport large quantities of liquids ranging from 10,000 liters to 30,000 liters. When transporting bulk quantities of liquids, flexitanks are considered for transportation in a standard 20-feet container, which can carry a maximum quantity of 24,000 liters using one flexitank. Currently, flexitanks are primarily employed for transportation of food grade liquids such as wine, fruit juices, edible oils, etc.



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Increase in Demand for Edible Liquids



Population across the globe has been rising significantly in the last few decades. Increase in population is one of the major reasons for the rise in demand for edible liquids and the corresponding surge in their production and exports. Wine, fruit juices, edible oil, sweeteners, and water are some of the liquids that are primarily exported in flexitanks. Countries in Europe such as Italy, Spain, Germany, and France are among the key producers and exporters of wine across the globe. Moreover, countries such as the U.S., China, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile are some of the prominent producers of wine. Production of wine increased in Australia, Argentina, Portugal, Brazil, and Hungary in 2017 compared to the previous year. Countries in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia are among the major producers and exporters of edible oil. Production of vegetable oil in countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Brazil rose significantly in 2017 from that in the previous year, due to the increase in consumption.



China and the U.S. are among the prominent exporters of water for drinking and for usage in beverages. Risk of leakage of cargo in flexitanks is higher than that in other bulk packaging carriers. Flexitanks are made up of polyethylene or polypropylene, due to which chances of damage to flexitank material is high due to improper or careless handling during loading/unloading. This is one of the major factors restraining the flexitanks market as a small leakage may result in huge loss of cargo and related monetary losses. Loss of cargo due to leakage is one of the major concerns during the export of liquids. These incidents primarily occur due to adoption of improper ways of installation and loading in flexitanks. Fitting operations should ideally be carried out by a person or organization having technical expertise and knowhow about flexitanks. Thus, flexitank manufacturers have the opportunity to forward integrate their operations and provide fitting services of flexitanks in containers. Several existing players have integrated operations with respect to flexitank manufacturing and fitting services.



Multilayer Flexitanks, Single-use Flexitanks, Polyethylene, and Food Grade Liquids Anticipated to be the Dominant Segments during the Forecast Period



In terms of product, the multilayer flexitanks segment has gained a significant share of the flexitanks market in the last few years and the trend is likely to continue during the forecast period. Multilayer flexitanks are made up of several layers of polyethylene, covered with an outer protective layer of polypropylene. They are highly flexible and strong, thus making them secure to carry a large quantity of liquids. Single-use flexitanks are highly preferred these days, as they eliminate the extra effort of cleaning when using reusable flexitanks. Polyethylene holds a major share, by weight, in the overall construction of a multilayer flexitank. LLDPE is a type of polyethylene that is significantly employed for manufacturing polyethylene layers. Flexitanks are employed to transport edible liquids such as vegetable oils, fruit juices, wine, etc. Food grade liquids held a major share of the flexitanks market in 2017.



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Asia Pacific and Europe among the Major Consumers of Flexitanks



In terms of revenue and volume, Asia Pacific held a prominent share of more than 40% of the global flexitanks market in 2017. Asia Pacific is experiencing major economic and infrastructural development in developing countries such as China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia. This can be attributed to the rapid industrialization in the region, due to which the contribution of the region in the global trade for industrial liquids and non-hazardous chemicals such as lubricants, paints, inks etc. has increased significantly in the past few years. Also, the region is one of the leading global suppliers of edibles liquids such as vegetable oils, water, sweeteners, aerated beverages, etc. Europe is one of the leading producers and exporters of wine. Wine is one of the highly transported liquids using flexitanks. Around 30% of the global wine transport is carried out using flexitanks. Europe is the second major consumers of flexitanks after Asia Pacific. Both regions are anticipated to register a significant expansion during the forecast period.



Moderately Consolidated Market for Flexitanks with the Top Few Players Accounting for More than 50% of the Market



The global flexitanks market is a moderately consolidated market with the top players accounting for more than 50% of market share. Key players in the flexitanks market are Trans Ocean Bulk Logistics Ltd., Braid Logistics UK, Trust Flexitanks, and Qingdao Global Flexitank Logistics, etc. Players in the flexitanks market are continuously engaging in the expansion of their respective production capacities, looking at the rising potential offered by the market. In 2018, Qingdao Hengxin Plastic increased its flexitanks production capacity to 200,000 units. The company has been manufacturing flexitanks for more than a decade. It sold about 100,000 units of flexitanks in 2017. In June 2017, Environmental Packaging Technologies (EPT) began expansion of its manufacturing facility in Zeeland, Michigan, the U.S. due to increased customer demand. In April 2016, Rishi FIBC Pvt. Ltd. expanded by developing a 180,000 sq. ft., full-fledged campus for production of flexitanks along with bulk packaging products in Mysore, Karnataka, India.



About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.



Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/16/2018 -- Transparency Market Research has released a new market report titled "Greenhouse Film Market (By Thickness  <100 microns, 101 - 150 microns, >150 microns; Resin Type  LDPE, EVA/EBA, LLDPE, PVC, Others; Application  Vegetables, Flowers & Ornamental, Fruits; Region  North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20172025". According to the report, the global greenhouse film market is projected to be worth US$ 6,900 Mn by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 8.1% from 2017 to 2025. Greenhouse film covers the frame of a greenhouse where crops are cultivated. It defends the crops from extreme temperatures, diseases and pests, and provides them with suitable growing conditions.



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Increase in adoption of greenhouse cultivation for high yield of crops is boosting the demand for greenhouse films



Temperature plays a crucial role in greenhouse cultivation. Climatic conditions such as fluctuating temperatures, humidity, wind, rain, and snow affect the yield of crops. Excess or lack in any of these conditions can have a negative impact on crops. Greenhouse films covering greenhouse structures help in cultivation of crops at a time of the year when they cannot be grown outdoors. However, greenhouse cultivation involves additional investment such as heating system in greenhouses during winter, labor cost, etc. Additional resources required for greenhouse cultivation include heating and ventilating systems for balancing temperatures, pollination, electricity, and water. Government of various countries are encouraging farmers to adopt greenhouse farming, thereby boosting the demand for greenhouse films. Governments of India, Canada, Poland, etc. are providing subsidies to farmers for greenhouse farming, electricity, heating system in greenhouses, etc.



The global greenhouse film market can be segmented based on resin type, thickness, and applications. On the basis of resin type, the greenhouse film market can be divided into low-density polyethylene (LDPE), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or ethylene butyl acrylate (EBA), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and others. Other resins include polycarbonate and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The LDPE resin segment constituted the dominant share of the greenhouse film market, in terms of volume and revenue, in 2016. In terms of thickness, the global greenhouse film market can be classified into greenhouse films <100 microns, 101 microns - 150 microns, and >150 microns. Greenhouse films with thickness more than 150 microns accounted for a major share of the greenhouse film market in 2016. The trend is expected to continue during the forecast period. Applications of greenhouse films include vegetables, flowers & ornamental, and fruits cultivation. Greenhouse films were primarily used for vegetable cultivation in 2016. The trend is anticipated to continue during the forecast period.



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Asia Pacific anticipated to dominate the greenhouse film market by 2025



In terms of revenue, Asia Pacific led the greenhouse film market in 2016 and is expected to continue its dominance during the forecast period. The region is expected to witness a healthy growth in greenhouse cultivation. China accounted for a major share of the greenhouse film in Asia Pacific owing to the increase in adoption of greenhouse farming. Asia Pacific was followed by Europe which has a mature greenhouse film market. Spain, Italy, and Poland were the major consumers of greenhouse film in Europe in 2016. Other key consumers of greenhouse film in Europe are the Netherlands, Greece, and France. The U.S. dominated the greenhouse film market in North America in 2016 with nearly equal consumption of greenhouse film for cultivation of vegetables and flowers. The U.S. was followed by Canada in terms of demand for greenhouse films in 2016. The trend is expected to continue during the forecast period. In Latin America, Mexico and Brazil were the major markets for greenhouse film in 2016. These countries are expected to retain their position in the market during the forecast period.



Middle East & Africa is considered a lucrative market for greenhouse films owing to the rise in adoption of greenhouse cultivation and increase in awareness about greenhouse technology in Israel, Turkey, and Iran. The greenhouse film market in the region is expected to expand at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. Turkey accounted for a major share of the greenhouse film market in Middle East & Africa in 2016 and is anticipated to retain its dominance during the forecast period.



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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/16/2018 -- The global non-small cell lung cancer therapeutics market is characterized by many players operating in the industry, but Genentech, a Roche company has been identified as the leader in 2014 accounting for 36% of the revenue share, by Transparency Market Research (TMR). Some of the other players in the market include: Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca plc, Celgene Corporation, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis AG, Pfizer, Inc., and Eli Lilly and Company. There exists a moderate competition among existing players, which comprise both branded and generic companies. Players are adopting the strategy of expanding their geographical presence so as to gain more market shares and penetrate further in the industry. The development of innovative and effective drugs is one of the major objectives of players, with a view to gain a stronger foothold in the market.



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The global market for non-small cell lung cancer therapeutics is expected to be worth US$15.1 bn by 2023. On the basis of geography, Asia Pacific will emerge as the most lucrative regional market on account of growing awareness about cancer and increasing number of government projects supporting lung cancer treatment. On the basis of drugs, the angiogenesis inhibitor segment is estimated to lead on account of the efficacious nature of this drug and rise in the adoption of targeted therapy in the U.S., Japan, and European markets, says TMR. The angiogenesis inhibitor segment is predicted to be worth US$ 2,020.4 mn by 2023.



Continuous Efforts by Market Players Leading to Rich Pipeline of Drugs



The presence of geriatric population is a key factor driving the growth of the market. The prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle is also boosting the growth of the global non-small cell lung cancer therapeutics market. The global non-small cell lung cancer therapeutics market is driven by the high investments made by market players in research and development as well as their continuous efforts in developing innovative products. "There exists a rich pipeline, thanks to the efforts by market players and support received from governments across the globe," states a TMR analyst. Introduction of new drugs is propelling the market's growth. For instance, in October 2016, the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Alecensa (alectinib), a drug developed by Genentech to treat ALK-positive NSCLC as a first-line treatment. The drug has been approved in the U.S., Israel, Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, South Korea, and Kuwait.



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Market's Growth Hampered by the Presence of Many Drugs are in Early Stage Pipeline



According to the report, the global non-small cell lung cancer therapeutics market faces a few challenges which will hamper the growth of this market. The development of many drugs is at an early stage pipeline. The resistance to targeted therapies is another challenge. The delay in drug approval will also be a cause of obstruction to the growth of the global non-small cell lung cancer therapeutics market. Thus, despite the efficacy of non-small cell lung cancer therapeutic drugs, the market will face many challenges.



About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.



Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.



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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/16/2018 -- Photocatalytic coating products is a result of photocatalysis reaction. Photocatalysis is the acceleration of a photoreaction in the presence of a catalyst. In catalyzed photolysis, light is absorbed by an adsorbed substrate. In photo-generated catalysis, the photocatalytic activity (PCA) depends on the ability of the catalyst to create electronhole pairs, which generate free radicals that are able to undergo secondary reactions. A common application is electrolysis of water molecules by titanium dioxide (TiO2). A photocatalytic coating is capable of maintaining itself on the surface on which it is applied and get rid of the dirt accumulated on the surface on its own.



When photocatalytic coatings are exposed to any ultraviolet (UV) light source such as the sun, their oxidative property decomposes the organic substances such as microbes present on their surface. Hydrophilic nature of the coating causes the water that comes in contact with it to form an even layer, thereby allowing the dust and dirt accumulated on the surface to wash away. These two properties of photocatalytic coatings create the 'self-cleaning' effect.



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Photocatalytic Coatings Market: Dynamics & Trends



In recent years, 'self-cleaning' coatings using photocatalytic titanium dioxide (TiO2) have gained considerable attention. With the assistance of a little UV light from a fluorescence source or sunlight, TiO2 offers two unique properties: (a) high oxidation power, and (b) super- hydrophilicity.



High oxidation power can be employed to kill bacteria attached on a wall or remove foul smell from stains in a toilet (TiO2-coated tiles and TiO2-coated glass are commercially available). Super-hydrophilic property can allow dirt and stains to get easily washed away with water or by rainfall when photocatalytic coatings are applied on exterior surfaces. However, due to its high photoreactivity, a TiO2 coating cannot be applied directly onto an organic paint surface. It may attack the paint surface, causing the 'paint-chalking phenomenon'. This factor has limited the use of TiO2 coatings.



Reduction in use of TiO2 coatings is an effective technique that provides an inorganicorganic layer between the painted surface and the TiO2 coating to avoid the effect of paint-chalking. This interlayer functions as a binder for TiO2 particles and a barrier to prevent the damage of substrate caused by the photocatalytic reaction. With this approach, continuous and sustained self-cleaning effect can be attained on the surface of painted panels. For a building without photocatalytic coatings, physical cleaning (usually using strong detergents or high-pressure water jets) is required. It can cause damage to the building material. The same material when treated with photocatalytic self-cleaning coatings can last longer. This naturally leads to low maintenance costs.



Photocatalytic Coatings Market: Segmentation



The photocatalytic coatings market can be divided by application (commercial buildings, residential buildings, heritage buildings/structures, and educational institutions) and by region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa).



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Photocatalytic Coatings Market: Region-wise Outlook



The global market for photocatalytic coatings is expanding at a significant rate. The market in Asia Pacific, especially in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and China is expanding at a rapid pace. Considerable growth of the market in Middle East & Africa is expected during the forecast period, owing to overall economic development of the region and high demand for electronic products, textiles, automobiles, and plastics in the region.



Photocatalytic Coatings Market: Key Players



Key players operating in the global photocatalytic coatings market include Alpha Coatings, Photocatalytic Coatings Ltd., GP Asbestos, Saint-Gobain, and International Coatings Company.



About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.



Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/16/2018 -- Propanil is a chemical known for its use as herbicide, primarily on paddy crop. Propanil is a contact herbicide which is usually applied to the foliage and plant parts above the ground. Propanil also acts as a selective herbicide, which cause no damage to rice, but might damage other plants or crops. It is a compound which helps to inhibit and neutralize the growth of unwanted weed in paddy fields. The main application for propanil is as herbicide, where it competes with chemicals such as butachlor, thiobencarb and 2,4-D among others. It is generally applied in the form of an aqueous spray or suspension. Propanil functions by inhibiting the growth of weeds, which hamper the quality of rice crop. Propanil acts by building up a toxic substance inside the weeds, which eventually kills the plant.



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Herbicides are in high demand in the agriculture sector, as it is essential to protect crops from fungal infections, which often weaken and stunt the growth of crops. Application of herbicides of crops ensures higher yield by neutralizing the threat posed by growth of weeds. Propanil market is a subset of herbicide market and its growth dynamics are related to the growth of herbicides market. The primary driver of the herbicide market is the demand for higher food production amidst growing global population and diversified food preferences.



The main crop types which account for the majority of propanil use is paddy. Rice crop has experienced high demand growth with increasing population especially in Asia Pacific region and Sub-Saharan Africa. In order to comply with the high demand, farmers across the world have adopted various methods to increase yield and profitability. Higher use of propanil is one of the many measures undertaken to improve food quality and yield.



Although herbicides are extremely important for the growth of healthy plant, it has certain restraints. Propanil being a selective herbicide, is safe to use in paddy. However in some cases it might destroy paddy as well. Propanil is moderately toxic in nature, however the extent of precaution required to prevent environmental toxification is yet to be determined. Prolonged dermal exposure leads to skin irritation. However, the toxicity of propanil is lower than most of its counterparts, which provides an incentive to growth for the chemical. Propanils growth is restricted to use in paddy fields and are not useful for other crops.



The demand for propanil base herbicide is highest in Asia Pacific region followed by Latin America, Africa, North America and Europe. The market is also expected to exhibit highest growth from Asia Pacific and Latin America regions in the near future owing to increased investment in agriculture and high demand for rice in this region. Rice being one of the main staple food across the world, generates high demand for propanil herbicide.



The top countries by rice produce are China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Brazil and Japan. China is the largest manufacturer of propanil herbicide. Almost 75% of China's produce are exported. High capacity addition is prevalent in China on the back of rising overseas demand for the chemical.



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Some of the major companies operating in the propanil market are Bayer CropScience, SinoHarvest, Kenvos Biotech Co. Ltd., Willwood USA, and Westrade Guatemala S.A. among many others.
Pune, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/15/2018 -- Prenatal diagnostics is used for testing the fetus before birth to determine certain hereditary disorders, for instance, Down's syndrome, hereditary sicknesses, chromosome abnormalities, neural tube defects, and other conditions. If high-risk is identified with the birth of a child, it can be assisted by conducting hereditary testing, common testing, and screening. The United States prenatal diagnostic market was valued at USD 527.5 Mn in 2017 and is expected to reach US$ 1,429.5 Mn by 2022.



Prenatal Diagnostic Market by Test Type (Prenatest, Verify, Visibility, Harmony, InformaSeq, MaterniT21 PLUS, NIFTY, Panorama, Others); by End-Use (Hospitals, Clinics, Others)  United States Insights, Growth, Size, Comparative Analysis, Trends and Forecast, 2018-2026 .



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The author of the report analyzed that the United States Prenatal Diagnostic Market accounted for US$ 527.5 million in 2017. The current focus in prenatal genetic testing and evaluation is on the identification of pathological conditions associated with clinically defined diseases caused by sequence variation in genomic DNA. Prenatal diagnostic procedures have been developed to detect birth defects in utero.



The report provides both, subjective and quantitative research of the market, as well as integrates worthy insights into the rational scenario and favored development methods adopted by the key contenders. The report also offers extensive research on the key players in this market and detailed insights on the competitiveness of these players. The key business strategies such as M&A, affiliations, collaborations, and contracts adopted by the major players are also recognized and analyzed in the United States prenatal diagnostic market report.



MaterniT21 PLUS Anticipated to be the Dominant Segment During the Forecast Period, 2018-2026

MaterniT21 PLUS is a non-invasive test which requires only a blood sample, and can be performed as early as 9 weeks' gestation. It detects chromosomal abnormalities for chromosomes 21, 18, 13 in singleton and higher order multiple pregnancies, as well as fetal gender. It is the most technologically advanced non-invasive prenatal test commercially available for detecting fetal chromosomal abnormalities and holds the largest market share in U.S.



NIPT Screening Technologies to Drive the Market in United States

The rapid integration of NIPT into routine prenatal care is encouraging major ethical concerns on the responsible implementation and process of informed decision-making. MaterniT21 PLUS emerged as first NIPT and was introduced in October 2011. It is expected to have far-reaching impact on the delivery of optimized prenatal care, with the best possible outcome for both mother and baby.



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United States Prenatal Diagnostic is Fragmented with the Presence of Regional Players

United States Prenatal Diagnostic market are Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Eurofins NTD, LLC, Abbott Laboratories, Hologic Inc., Illumina, Inc., Natera, Inc., PerkinElmer, Inc., Sequenom, Inc., Ariosa Diagnostics, Inc., and Ravgen. Inc. amongst others.



Illumina, Inc. and Natera, Inc. entered into a three-year agreement whereby Illumina supplied Natera with the HiSeq 2500 sequencing system and associated consumables for performing the non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) Panorama. Illumina is completely focused enabling the rapid growth of NIPT and the broader reproductive health market with technology, products, and FDA-approved in vitro diagnostic systems.



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Prenatal Diagnostic Market  By Type

Prenatest, Verify

Visibility

Harmony

InformaSeq

MaterniT21 PLUS

NIFTY

Panorama

Others)



Prenatal Diagnostic Market  By End-Use

Hospitals

Clinics

Others
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/16/2018 -- The smart education and learning market in the ASEAN region is rising due to government initiatives towards digitizing education, increasing use of smartphones and tablets, internet penetration and developed information and communication (ICT) infrastructure. Virtual reality-infused classrooms and cloud-based smart education and learning solutions are gaining heightened popularity in the region and are becoming a standard across many educational institutions in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.



Transparency Market Research estimates that the ASEAN smart education and learning market holds immense growth potential in the near future. The market is expected to exhibit a remarkable 19.7% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2020. If the prediction holds true, the market is expected to rise from US$36.84 bn to US$88.97 bn by 2020.



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The ASEAN smart education and learning market has been segmented on the basis of delivery model into classroom-based, desktop/mobile-based and simulation-based solutions. Among these, the desktop/mobile-based segment was the leading segment, occupying approximately 67% of the market share in 2015. It is also expected to remain the leading segment throughout the forecast period.



However, the segment is expected to lose prominence to the simulation-based delivery model in terms of the rate of growth over the period between 2016 and 2020. The segment is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 21% over the said period. This up-and-coming segment will, however, still be able to occupy a very small share in the market pie owing to the dominance of desktop/mobile-based and classroom-based smart education and learning solutions. The segment of classroom-based solutions is projected to see a decline in its share in the overall market by the end of the forecast period owing to the rising demand for simulation-based smart education and learning solutions.



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The ASEAN smart education and learning market has been examined for seven regions: Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Rest of ASEAN (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Brunei). Malaysia currently leads the ASEAN smart education and learning market, accounting for a dominant share of 36.9% in 2015. The highly developed state of the information and communication technology (ICT) and vast penetration of smartphones have bolstered the Malaysia market for smart education and learning.



Furthermore, government initiatives toward promoting the use of technology in education have resulted in the increased use of smartphones and desktops in delivering smart education to learners in the country. The market for in Malaysia is projected to remain the dominant regional market in the ASEAN smart education and learning market throughout the forecast period as well. Malaysia, along with Indonesia, is also expected to be one the most promising regions in terms of rate of growth of the smart education and learning market over the next few years. Both the countries are projected to exhibit a 20.3% CAGR over the forecast period.



The launch of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) has bolstered the demand for English language courses in Indonesia. Additionally, high smartphone penetration and government initiatives towards delivering digitized education have further added to the growing market revenues in the smart education sector in Indonesia.



The key market players operating in the ASEAN smart education and learning market include Blackboard, Inc., Educomp Solutions Ltd., Cisco Systems Inc., Adobe Corporation, Scholastic Corporation, Smart Technologies Inc., NIIT Ltd., Saba Software Inc., Scholastic Inc., and Extramarks Education Pvt., Ltd.
Ninety-two cruises will be offered across three ships, with 41 maiden calls, 303 late-night stays, 170 overnight stays and 40 country-intensive voyages.

New packages with Micato Safaris

New 'Land and Sea' packages were developed with Micato Safaris, a luxury safari outfitter.

Also starting in 2020, Azamara will offer a more inclusive stateroom category, Veranda Plus. Benefits for the higher fare include Internet minutes, one night of specialty dining, priority embarkation and more.

'The addition of our third ship, the Azamara Pursuit, has allowed us to expand our footprint across all seven continents, bringing guests to new destinations, new experiences and new opportunities,' Azamara president and CEO Larry Pimentel said.

Game drives, wine, Zulu culture

Azamara will be expanding its global coverage by calling in South Africa and elsewhere on the African continent for the first time. Each voyage will offer immersive land programs that take travelers to the heart of Zulu culture, South Africas most famous wine region and beyond. The cruises can be paired with with pre-/post- Micato Safaris trips.

For example, on a five-night 'Kruger to Cape' program participants meet the Micato team in Johannesburg to explore the noted Kruger game reserve and visit the Western Cape, known for world-class wines and top-quality restaurants. A five-night 'Wild Wonders of the World' post-cruise program visits Victoria Falls (with an optional helicopter tour) and includes a dawn game drive through Botswanas Chobe Game Reserve.

Immersive shore excursions include a flight past Mount Kilimanjaro and over the Great Rift Valley to Kenyas Masai Mara game reserve, where participants spend the night at the Neptune Mara Rianta Luxury Camp on the Mara River. In South Africa, on a day trip to Shakalanda living monument of Zulu culturetravelers will be met by a Zulu guide who leads them through the village. Participants will learn how to make a sword and shield as well as build a traditional Zulu 'beehive' grass hut.

French Polynesia and Hawaii

Azamara's 2020 itineraries also feature an 18-night maiden voyage to French Polynesia and Hawaii (Maui, Oahu and Hilo). Sample land experiences include joining a marine biologist in Moorea for an ecotourism and research project on wild dolphins and, in Maui, an underwater exploration aboard a submarine past the Brig Carthaginian, a sunken ship that acts as an artificial reef.

Nearly half of Azamaras 2020 itineraries include country-intensive voyages, including to Ireland, Scotland, Denmark and South Africa.

Three ships to meet in Koper

For the first time, Azamaras three sister ships will meet on Oct. 8, 2020 in Koper, Slovenia, where the cruise line will host a grand 'AzAmazing Evening' in port before the vessels sail together to Venice.

On Feb. 20, 2020, Azamara Quest will embark on the line's second world journey, from Cape Town to Southampton.

And the 'Triple Tour' is a 42-night voyage starting May 26, 2020, from Athens to Copenhagen, allowing passengers to sail on all three ships.
Hosted by the Port of Lisbon Authority and supported by MedCruise and Cruise Lines International Association, the event will take place from September 19-20 and feature a showcase exhibition, conference and a full networking programme.

150 cruise line executives expected

To date, 29 of the anticipated 150 cruise line executives have already confirmed attendance at this key industry event, including from AIDA Cruises, Azamara, Carnival UK, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Mystic Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Sea Cloud, Silversea, TUI Cruises and Viking Ocean Cruises.

In addition, more than 70 ports from around the globe are expected to exhibit at the event which will also see the 53rd General Assembly of MedCruise take place on September 21.

APL president Lidia Sequeira stated: To host this prestigious event is recognition of the work we have been doing in the cruise sector for many years. The hope is that this event will give an important boost to the local and national economy of this sector, especially now that Lisbon is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to welcome all the cruise ships and their guests.

Opportunity to see Lisbon's new cruise terminal

As part of the two day cruise event, attendees will be able to visit the Lisbon Cruise Terminal, which opened late in 2017. Lisbon Cruise Port, operator of the cruise facilities in the Portuguese capital and part of Global Ports Holding, invested approximately 22m in a new terminal building. The terminal is served by a 1,490mtr quay.

Seatrade Cruise Med is held biennially and this year is hosted by the Port of Lisbon Authority with principal sponsor and supporter MedCruise (the Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports), of which Lisbon has been a member since 2000. Principal regional sponsors include Republica Portuguesa-Mar, Lisboa Camara Municipal, Turismo de Portugal, Turismo de Lisboa and Lisbon Cruise Port. Sponsors include Gibraltar Tourist Board and Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services. Supporters include CLIA and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association. Mercy Ships is the Seatrade Cruise Med Chosen Charity.
The Indonesian President accompanied by the Minister of Industry, Airlangga Hartarto, the Minister of Trade, Enggartiasto Lukita, the Minister of Transportation, Budi Karya Sumadi, and the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, Rini Soemarno, met with local staff from CMA CGM and crew of 9,365 teu CMA CGM Tage which was berthed at the terminal.

The vessel is deployed on the companys JAX service between Southeast Asia and the US West Coast, with CMA CGM being the only shipping line to offer a direct service from Indonesia to the US West Coast. The majority of cargo to and from Indonesia for the long haul trades is transhipped via neighbouring Singapore or Malaysia.

The Indonesian President highlighted the importance of the transpacific trade and the major role played by CMA CGM in Indonesia.

The CMA CGM services carries export cargoes such as footwear, garment, tyres, electronic goods and frozen seafood to the US, reducing the transit times for exporters.
Sanguinetti is former ceo of the Gibraltar Port Authority, where he successfully reversed a downward trend in vessel traffic and activity through a series of wide-reaching initiatives, and previously he served as Commodore in the Royal Navy. He is also a Younger Brother of Trinity House, a Yachtmaster Offshore and a recipient of the French OBE equivalent (Croix de la Valeur Militaire).

I am delighted to be appointed to this prestigious role at a time when shipping is so central to the political agenda, commented Sanguinetti. The UK Chamber has a long and proud heritage at the heart of the shipping community. The best way to honour its past is to build an exciting future, and I am hugely ambitious both for the organisation and the industry as a whole.

Chamber president Sir Michael Bibby praised the new chief executives distinguished track record of service to the industry, both in a civilian and military context, adding that his leading role in developing Gibraltars Brexit contingency plan will stand him in excellent stead as the UK Chamber seeks to strengthen its role as a leading voice of British industry.

Sanguinetti takes over from Guy Platten, who is moving on to become the secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping, replacing the retiring Peter Hinchliffe in summer 2018.
The original building from 1882 on the left with the 1898 addition on the right Doug Coombe

From the moment Maggie Brandt and Steve Pierce stepped foot inside First Congregational United Church of Christ in downtown Ypsilanti, they knew they wanted to repurpose the 130-year-old building as a new kind of community space.

Brandt remembers being instantly captivated by the illuminated stained glass windows in the church sanctuary. When she smelled the mold caused by leaks in the roof, she knew something had to be done soon to prevent the old church from falling into total disrepair. First Congregational put the building up for sale in 2007 because it had become too hard to maintain. Even though it clearly needed a lot of work, Brandt found it difficult to feign disinterest in the building.

She and Pierce, her husband, recently purchased First Congregational, 218 N. Adams St., a year after they first stepped foot inside the building with a vague interest in buying it. They plan to transform the building into an event venue called Ypsilanti Performance Space, or "the YPSI" for short. The venue will host concerts, weddings, and other special events. Individuals and groups will be able to rent a concert hall, reception hall, conference room, or the building's basement for their own purposes. The YPSI will organize and execute some of its own events as well.

Pierce and Brandt drew inspiration from The Old Church Concert Hall in Portland, Ore., a 136-year-old church that was saved from demolition and transformed into a music venue in the 1960s.

"I had this idea that maybe we could continue the legacy of what First Congregational has been doing for 135 years here, and that is a place of gathering," Pierce says. "Its worked well for 135 years and I started thinking, Well, why should we change that?"

Pierce and Brandt purchased the property at the beginning of April through their new business entity called Save Old Buildings, LLC. They made a conscious decision to establish the business as a for-profit because it will require them to contribute to city services by paying taxes.

"I think if youre going to have something thats going to contribute to the community, it needs to contribute in all ways, and one of the ways is to help support city services," Pierce says. "So that was a big deal for us to put this back on the tax rolls."

The YPSI isn't the couple's first foray into historic preservation, but it's certainly their most ambitious. Shortly after they moved to Ypsi in 1999, Brandt and Pierce bought two historic buildings, the Kresge building and the Glover House, which hadn't been well-maintained by their previous owners. The YPSI is their sixth historic preservation project, three of which have involved putting a building back on the city's tax rolls.

The YPSI's property consists of two conjoined buildings and a parking lot. One building, known as "north hall" and constructed in the late 1800s, will continue to feature most of the church's original fixtures, including the stained glass windows, pews, and organ.

The north hall sanctuary will be converted into a concert hall that will seat up to 250 people. Its reception hall and basement can be used for additional space during events held in the concert hall, or to hold their own standalone events. Since the building is in need of extensive repair, especially on the roof, the YPSI's concert hall, reception hall, and basement likely won't be ready to host events for at least a year.

The newer building, known as "the annex" and constructed in the late 1980s, consists of a conference room, office space, and bathrooms, which have already been renovated. Mackmiller Manchester PLLC law firm has settled into three of the four rentable offices. The other office is still available for rent at $495 per month. The conference room, which holds 60 people, will be available to book this month at $75 an hour.

The YPSI will host its first event on May 16, when Dave Strenski of SolarYpsi will give a presentation on solar power in the conference room. Pierce plans to work with Strenski to install solar panels on the annex's roof.

Yen Azzaro, who's been helping with behind-the-scenes work at the YPSI, thinks the venue's seating capacity hits "the sweet spot" Ypsi has been lacking, since most of the city's existing venues are significantly smaller or larger. She points out that Riverside Arts Center seats about 130 people, while Pease Auditorium seats about 1,500.

Since the YPSI is nestled in a residential neighborhood near downtown, Azzaro believes the venue's seats could be filled every night if its variety of offerings attracts enough residents. She wants the YPSI to stimulate a cultural atmosphere that encourages people to drop in and see what's happening on any given night.

"I think its really important that there are venues in Ypsi and places for people to gather and listen to music," Azzaro says. "But in terms of the depth of experience, I think that were really hoping this space will fill this kind of cultural phenomenon that hasnt happened."

Numerous community members have stopped by the YPSI to find out what's going on, share ideas, express excitement, and offer a helping hand. People have offered to connect Pierce to experts who can restore the building's organ and stained glass windows. He's met couples who were married in the church anywhere from five years to five decades ago. And he's received interest from musical acts, including Measure for Measure and RFD Boys, that want to be among the first to perform in the concert hall.

"All that buzz is all going on right here in Ypsilanti and people are just walking off the street saying, 'I want to be a part of this,'" Pierce says.

Local musician John Delcamp has hopped on the bandwagon and says he's been "building up some sweat equity" a few times a week by helping out with various tasks around the YPSI. He's excited about the new venue because it will encourage an atmosphere in which the audience actively listens. Delcamp thinks the YPSI has the potential to help musicians not just in Ypsi, but across southeast Michigan, because they need places to perform and opportunities to get paid.

"Weve gone through periods where there hasnt really been any place to play much in Ypsi. They sort of come and go," Delcamp says. "To have something thats more of a permanent nature, I think theres a great potential for that and Im really looking forward to seeing this come to fruition."

Delcamp would like to create a variety show featuring local musicians, tentatively titled the Grand Ole Ypsi, once the YPSI opens. He would like to see it have the success of similar endeavors like Austin City Limits or A Prairie Home Companion.

Pierce plans to partner with other local venues and businesses, like Grove Studios, to contribute to the synergy surrounding the area's music scene. He also wants to get students involved by welcoming classes and summer camps for field trips and inviting school bands, orchestras, and choirs to perform.

Anyone who wants to get involved in the YPSI can get in touch by visiting www.ypsi.org, calling (734) 252-YPSI, or stopping by the building when the doors are open.

"We just want to open the doors and get people to start seeing the space and seeing the vision," Pierce says.

Brianna Kelly is the project manager for On the Ground Ypsi and an Ypsilanti resident. She has worked for The Associated Press and has freelanced for The Detroit News and Crain's Detroit Business.

All photos by

Doug Coombe
After five years serving Michigan's entrepreneurial community as associate director of the Michigan Venture Capital Association (MVCA), Emily Heintz is becoming an entrepreneur herself.

Heintz's Ann Arbor-based company, EntryPoint, was established in March with a mission to advance entrepreneurship in Michigan. At the MVCA, Heintz led the development of the organization's annual research report. She hopes to use that same data-driven approach at EntryPoint to help economic development organizations and the startup community develop programs to support Michigan entrepreneurs through public engagement and research.

"I do a lot of analysis on the entrepreneurial community in the Midwest and want to help foundations and economic organizations craft the most meaningful programs and, long term, raise capital and run further programs that work more directly with the entrepreneurial community," she says.

Heintz says her previous work analyzing Michigan's entrepreneurial ecosystem has found many strengths, but also capital and talent gaps. Her work with EntryPoint will address those weak areas.

Heintz has built a network of partners who will assist her through their positions on EntryPoint's advisory board, including representatives of tech firms like Duo Security and numerous local venture capital firms.

"I've worked with most of them 10 years now in various capacities and they are invaluable resources in the type of work I want to put my energy toward," Heintz says. "All these people are really focused toward building a really inclusive entrepreneurial community and ensuring access to capital for entrepreneurs."

She says her initial role will be as a "connector of people and organizations," helping economic development organizations find capital and talent resources. She'll also help connect established companies to startups who can help those established companies "stay on the cutting edge of technology." One of her first projects with EntryPoint will be advising Invest Detroit Ventures on how best to structure the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition it sponsors.

Heintz says startups do have funding options, but there is an especial lack of series A funding in Michigan.

"Companies can scale up to a certain point, but help attracting the capital they need to grow, particularly in Michigan, is critical," she says.

Heintz says a main reason she decided to launch EntryPoint was that she was seeing excitement, momentum, and growth in Michigan's venture capital community.

"We've really built up great infrastructure for companies and investors," she says. "Now is not the time to take the foot off the gas pedal. Michigan needs a data-driven approach, and we need to be very intentional about the way we grow the entrepreneurial community in the Midwest over the next five to 10 years."

Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and editor in Ypsilanti Township. You may reach her at sarahrigg1@gmail.com.
Press Release

May 16, 2018 Drilon cites Angara's influence in his political, professional career Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon paid tribute to his friend and colleague of almost 50 years, the late Senate President Edgardo Angara, whom he described as a "major influence" in his professional and political life. "Ed's passing came as a shock to me as I'm sure it did to most of us here today. When I first heard the news, it felt like the rug was pulled out from under my feet," Drilon recalled. Drilon was with Angara in Tagaytay together with their friends and colleagues hours before the latter died on Sunday. "I am privileged to have known him, to have laughed, walked and worked with him. It is not easy to bid him farewell, but I find comfort in the thought that his was a life well-lived. In his lifetime, he enriched many lives, including mine," Drilon said in his eulogy. Even at the ripe age of 83, Drilon said that Angara still had so many plans for his country, which led him to kid that he needed 100 more years and live up to 183 years old to ensure they all came to fruition. Drilon said that Ed was many things to him, admitting that it would be impossible to summarize his friendship and the memories he had shared with Angara for almost 50 years in a short speech. "Ed was a jewel of a friend - a man who had my highest respect and admiration. It is not a secret that he was a major influence in my professional and political life," he said. Drilon recalled that it was Angara who invited him to join ACCRA law, a law firm that Angara put up along with prominent lawyers. "We were not only fraternity brothers, we also worked together - from ACCRA to the Senate - and shared countless milestones," he said. "It was Ed who invited me to join ACCRA. He convinced me that since ACCRA was a new firm then, it would offer bigger opportunities for me," he recalled. "As Ed promised, working in ACCRA was indeed an excellent career move." He recalled that when he was first elected senator in 1995, there was a change of leadership in the Senate, with Angara, who was then Senate President, being replaced by Sen. Neptali Gonzales. "With nary a thought of my nascent political career, I threw my full support to Ed," said Drilon, saying that it caused him to lose a committee chairmanship. He then joined the opposition group in the Senate, called the Conscience Bloc, along with Senators Angara, Ople, Tatad, Flavier, and Macapagal-Arroyo. Drilon also supported Angara when he ran for Vice President in 1998 under Erap Estrada. "Our friendship transcended political colors and affiliations, even if sometimes, we found ourselves opposing each other and sitting in opposite political fences. Once he even tried to depose me as Senate President. But, the friendship remained," Drilon said. Drilon said it would be difficult to fill the void that the death of the former Senate President, whose sterling accomplishments in the fields of politics, public service, law, and the academe cemented his niche in the nation's life and history. "The impact of the laws he authored, such as the Free High School Act, the Senior Citizen's Act, PHILHEALTH Act and many more, will be deeply felt and appreciated by generations of Filipinos," he said. "His journey on earth was marked by his courage and determination to pursue his vision for our country, as well as his deep reservoir of ideas on how to uplift the lives of our countrymen," he continued. "Our country may have lost one of its brilliant minds and illustrious sons, but I am certain that Ed's legacy is cradled in the bosom of a grateful nation," he concluded.
Press Release

May 16, 2018 Eulogy of Senator Franklin M. Drilon

Necrological ceremony for the late Senator Edgardo J. Angara



A QUINTESSENTIAL PUBLIC SERVANT Mrs. Gloria Angara, Sen. Sonny Angara, and members of the Angara family, my esteemed colleagues, friends, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Today, we honor Edgardo Javier Angara, and his extraordinary life and work that inspired countless men and women, even as we extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Baby, and children Anna, Sonny, Katya and Alex. But we cannot deny that the passing of this gentleman, who made an indelible mark in this great institution, has left us all with a void that is so difficult to fill. Ed's passing came as a shock to me as I'm sure it did to most of us here today. When I first heard the news, it felt like the rug was pulled out from under my feet. Ed and I had breakfast at Hong Kong Shangri-La Hotel two Sundays ago. And, last Saturday, I am one of the last people who saw Ed and enjoyed his company just hours before he quietly passed on. After attending the 46thanniversary of ACCRA Law at Tagaytay Highlands last Saturday, Ed hosted a merienda cenaat his house in Tagaytay. He was in a jovial mood and seemed to be in good health - and talked animatedly about his life away from politics. He even showed us his Art House, where he planned to put on display his memorabilia. Even at the ripe age of 83, he had so many plans for his country, which led me to kid that he needed 100 more years and live up to 183 years old to ensure they all came to fruition. Little did I know that his earthly journey would soon come to an end. But still I am grateful that he shared his time, or whatever was left of it, with us. Summarizing my friendship of almost 50 years with Ed in a short speech is impossible as we have collected many memories - too many to recall each one of them. Ed was many things to me. We were not only fraternity brothers, we also worked together - from ACCRA to the Senate - and shared countless milestones. I was even there at the baptismal of his son, Sen. Sonny Angara. It is hard to pick out my best memory of our friendship that spans several decades. Ed was a jewel of a friend - a man who had my highest respect and admiration. It is not a secret that he was a major influence in my professional and political life. It was Ed who invited me to join ACCRA. He convinced me that since ACCRA was a new firm then, it would offer bigger opportunities for me. ACCRA was then looking for someone who was in labor practice. Even before they recruited me, they had asked for my advice in some labor cases they were handling. As Ed promised, working in ACCRA was indeed an excellent career move. Barely a few months after my election to the Senate in 1995, there was a change of leadership. Ed, who was then Senate President, was replaced by Neptali Gonzales. With nary a thought of my nascent political career, I threw my full support to Ed. For standing by him, I was left with no Committee to handle. But it was all worth it. I then joined the opposition group in the Senate, called the Conscience Bloc, along with Senators Angara, Ople, Tatad, Flavier, and Macapagal-Arroyo. I gave the same unstinting support to Ed when he ran for Vice President in 1998 under Erap Estrada. Our friendship transcended political colors and affiliations, even if sometimes, we found ourselves opposing each other and sitting in opposite political fences. Once he even tried to depose me as Senate President. But, the friendship remained. Leaders and politicians come and go. But only a few would leave deep footprints on the sands of time because of their enormous contribution to nation building and to the betterment of humanity. Ed's sterling accomplishments in the fields of politics, public service, law, and the academe cemented his niche in our nation's life and history. The impact of the laws he authored, such as theFree High School Act,the Senior Citizen's Act, PHILHEALTH Act and many more, will be deeply felt and appreciated by generations of Filipinos. His journey on earth was marked by his courage and determination to pursue his vision for our country, as well as his deep reservoir of ideas on how to uplift the lives of our countrymen. I am privileged to have known him, to have laughed, walked and worked with him. It is not easy to bid him farewell, but I find comfort in the thought that his was a life well-lived. In his lifetime, he enriched many lives, including mine. To Gloria, Anna, Sonny, Katya and Alex, you lost a great husband and an amazing father. I lost a dear friend and highly esteemed colleague. Our country may have lost one of its brilliant minds and illustrious sons, but I am certain that Ed's legacy is cradled in the bosom of a grateful nation. While we would all prefer that he remained with us, Senator Ed Angara belongs to the ages now. And this is how I would like to envision our dear Edong now--in peace and at rest, but still strong and sure, and watching over us with a curious but satisfied grin. While all that we have left now are our fond memories, we can rest in the fact that his was a life well-lived. Today, we come to express our sympathy, respect, and affection for Ed and his loved ones, and share their loss and pain. Just like a heavy load, grief that is shared loses its sting, and dissipates among loving friends and family. It dissipates because each will carry away with us - not the burden of grief - but pleasant and wonderful memories of Ed. It is soothing and healing to realize that Ed has touched the lives of so many, where he has sown so much good will and affection. So, let us spread Ed's loving memory and good deeds, to honor him, and to help ease our shared pain of losing a dear friend and colleague. PaalamEd. Thank you for the gift of friendship. Rest in eternal peace. May God's face shine upon your soul, the family you left behind, and the Philippines that you so dearly loved.
Press Release

May 16, 2018 Gatchalian urges Senate to pass SIM Card Registration Act Senator Win Gatchalian on Wednesday urged the Senate to prioritize the passage of the SIM Card Registration Act after the House of Representatives approved its own version (House Bill No. 7233) earlier this week. "The House has done its part. Now it's up to the Senate to pass the bill and get it on the President's desk for signature," said Gatchalian, the author of Senate Bill No. 203 (also known as the the SIM Card Registration Act). The senator said he expects the bill to sail through the Senate, where it already enjoys strong support. As early as 2016, seven versions of the bill had already been authored by ten senators: Gatchalian, Ejercito, Gordon, Lacson, Legarda, Pacquiao, Sotto, Villanueva, Villar, and Zubiri. The seven bills were referred to the Senate committees on public services and trade, respectively, where they remain pending up to now. "I hope we can pass this law in time for the May 2019 elections. It will help us clamp down on voter intimidation and violence that is facilitated through the widespread availability of unregistered prepaid SIM cards," the senator said. Senate Bill No. 203, filed by Gatchalian as one of his priority bills on June 30, 2016, would require buyers of prepaid SIM cards to present a valid photo ID upon purchase for registration purposes. Meanwhile, current owners of prepaid SIM cards would be required to register their mobile numbers under their name within 180 days from the law's effective date. Active prepaid SIM cards which are not registered within the 180-day period would be automatically scheduled for deactivation. However, Gatchalian assured the public that their cellular information would still be kept private in accordance with the constitutional right to privacy and applicable laws.
Press Release

May 16, 2018 HIV-AIDS Policy Bill hurdles second reading in the Senate PASAY CITY - A bill that seeks to replace the 20-year-old law on the government's response to the HIV-AIDS epidemic in the country was approved on second reading by the Senate on Wednesday . "Our current response on the HIV-AIDS epidemic is borne out of the need to update an old law", Hontiveros said. The Senator said that new developments in prevention and treatment are available and must be maximized by the government. "We can no longer rely on this two-decades-old law to adequately address our dire situation", she urged. Senate Bill No. 1390 or the HIV-AIDS Policy Bill, sponsored by Hontiveros and Committee on Health Chairperson Sen. JV Ejercito, seeks to repeal Republic Act 8504 of 1998 and promises to address the rising incidence of HIV and AIDS in the country by creating a national multi-sectoral strategy. Hontiveros said that engaging persons living with HIV and affected sectors such as young people and men having sex with men (MSM) will make the effort inclusive and effective. "The continuing struggle against HIV is real", Sen. Hontiveros said citing data that the Philippines has the highest HIV infection rate in Asia-Pacific. In the past six years, the country has registered a 140% increase in HIV infection, according to the United Nations. Most of the news cases are young people. Reports point to 31 new cases a day with 80% of which are 15-30 years old. "This is our way of updating the government framework on HIV-AIDS. We need a scientific, medical, human rights-based and inclusive policy to fully address the problem", the Akbayan Senator added. The bill also seeks to allocate more funds on HIV prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The bill will mandate an up-to-date education about HIV and AIDS in schools, communities, workplaces and vulnerable areas. In December last year, the House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading their own version of the bill. The Senate version will be taken up for third and final reading after three days. After which, both chambers of Congress will convene to finalize the said bill for ratification and transmittal to the President for his signature into law. "The public can look forward to a new policy on the government's HIV-AIDS response. I thank my colleagues in the Senate for their support on this", the Senator expressed. "It is urgent that we reverse the tide of the HIV-AIDS epidemic", Hontiveros concluded.
Press Release

May 16, 2018 Senate pays tribute to former Senator Angara Two former presidents as well as current and former senators paid tribute to the late Senator Edgardo Angara during the necrological rites held at the Philippine Senate in Pasay City Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Angara passed away last Sunday at the age of 83. Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III presented Senate Resolution No. 105 to the Angara family expressing the Senate's sympathy and condolences on the death of the former senator. The resolution recognized Angara's achievements as a public servant, statesman, educator, lawyer and senator from 1987-1992; 1992-1998; 2001-2007 and 2007-2013. In his eulogy, Pimentel said that the life of the late senator was never idle. He served his mission to end without wasting his time. "Senator Ed Angara's achievements should inspire us in our works. We should all look up to him as a paragon of what a senator of our republic should be," Pimentel said. " As a lawmaker, the laws he authored, sponsored or supported made a significant impact in the fields of education, health, social welfare, agriculture, good governance, energy, environment, and even cultural arts," he added. Former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, who was the first to speak among Angara's friends and colleagues, lamented the senator's death and praised his achievements as a legislator and as an educator who changed many Filipino lives for the better. "We have lost a public servant of the highest integrity, a legislator with compassion and an intellectual with a heart for the poor and a champion of education," Estrada said. Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called Angara a "giant among legal luminaries, an accomplished educator and a skillful and principled public servant." Arroyo said Angara was a young delegate at the Constitutional Convention in 1971 when her father, then the president of the Convention, identified Angara as one of the young turks who was destined for a bright political future. "He wore so many hats, and he wore them well. Today, in these halls of the Senate, where Ed and I and many of us here spent six fulfilling years together, let me give a grateful send-off to the public servant who to me, was a kind and mild-mannered mentor," Arroyo said. Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto said Angara had authored so many laws after Edsa I that if they were to be indexed by authorship, like the bible, it would be voluminous. He said Angara authored so many education laws that they require a different catalogue. "Not only were his laws many, they were meritorious. Today, they are valued as national assets. Each of the law that was polished by his wisdom has been improving the lives of those who benefit from it," Recto said. "He believed that any child can go as far and as fast as his education can take him," Recto added. Senate Majority Leader Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said Angara opened the doors of the classrooms to all Filipinos, knowing that a good education is the greater equalizer of chances and opportunities. "He was an architect and engineer of many social institutions, laying the foundations on which stand the pillars of the nation's laws on health, education, social justice, culture and arts," Sotto said. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who was with Angara the day before he passed away, said the demise of his friend came as a shock to him. "When I first heard the news, it felt like the rug was pulled out from under my feet. Ed and I had breakfast at Hong Kong Shangri-La hotel two Sundays ago and last Saturday, I was one of the last people who saw Ed and enjoyed his company just hours before he quietly passed on," Drilon said. "Ed hosted a merienda cena at his house in Tagaytay. He was in a jovial mood and seemed to be in good health - and talked animatedly about his life away from politics. He even showed us his Art House, where he planned to put on display his memorabilia. Ed was a jewel of a friend - a man who had my highest respect and admiration. It is not a secret that he was a major influence in my professional and political life," according to Drilon. Former Senate President Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel, Jr., father of current Senate President Koko Pimentel, said Angara wanted the Filipinos to realize, especially the poor and marginalized, that education can take them away from poverty and the dehumanizing effects of degradation. Former Senator Pia Cayetano, who was pretty close to Angara since she was a child, gave an emotional eulogy to the "tito" she missed. She said that over the years it "no longer surprised her that so many of the legislation she worked on were also his pet bills." She said Angara was happy that they shared the same interest and invited her to attend meetings with experts in the field. "Our common interest went beyond the work in the Senate. He'd always say that I was like a daughter to him," an emotional Cayetano told the audience at the plenary hall. Senator Sonny Angara thanked his father's friends and colleagues for paying their last respects to his father. He said his father love the Senate and loved its people as well as treasured the time he spent in the Upper Chamber. "He said the Senate is like being on a high promontory in the Philippines with an unobstructed view. He called them the best years of his life and the relationships he formed and time he spent here (Senate.) Salamat po sa lahat ng tributes. We learned so much and everything you said is like a golden memory that we will treasure for as long as we live," Angara said.
Press Release

May 16, 2018 Senate approves Innovative Startup Act The Senate today passed on third and final reading a measure which aims to give business entrepreneurs a better chance of succeeding in the industry by providing them with tax breaks and other forms of assistance. Senate Bill No. 1532, authored by Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV, was approved with 18 affirmative votes, no negative vote, and zero abstention. The measure seeks to support innovative startups through financial subsidies like tax breaks and grants, easier business registration procedures and technical assistance and training programs. "These are startups that provide unique and relevant solutions to our problems, from daily hassles, like finding a taxi during rush hour, to improving the delivery of healthcare, providing support for our farmers, and addressing unemployment," Aquino said. "Let's take this opportunity to empower our innovators and entrepreneurs with a heart for nation-building," Aquino added. According to Aquino, the measure will allow innovative startups to enjoy exemption from fees and charges for the use of equipment, facilities and other services from government agencies such as testing and fabrication facilities. "These benefits and incentives will be provided by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and/or the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) under an Innovative Startup Development Program," Aquino said. Under the bill, the benefits will include: (1) waived application fees; (2) Refund of fees for the permits and certificates; and (3) Expedited processing of permits and certificates. The measure also includes a provision for Ten Billion-Peso Innovative Startup Venture Fund that entrepreneurs can apply for. This fund will be administered by the Department of Science and Technology. Other benefits include research and development grants, exemption from fees and charges, exemption from fees and charges levied by the national government agencies for the use of equipment, facilities, or services availed by the innovative startup, access to applicable benefits and incentives provided by the Intellectual Property of the Philippines; and Subsidy for Visa application, renewal, or extension of foreign owners, employees, and/or investors of an innovative startup and support service provider, and exemption from the alien employment permit. (Yvonne Almiranez)
Press Release

May 16, 2018 Eulogy for former Senate President Edgardo J. Angara

By Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto Call a politician productive and it would be dismissed as a hyperbole. But use it to describe Ed Angara and it comes off as an understatement. Ed's output of laws is encyclopedic. And the records of this institution will bear me out that such is no exaggeration. So much so that if the laws passed after EDSA 1 will be indexed by authorship, like the Bible, the Book of Edong will be the most voluminous. Not only are these laws many; they are meritorious. Today, they are valued as national assets. Unfortunately for him, laws one had crafted cannot be reported as assets in one's SALN, otherwise he would have been the richest senator in history. Ed was never a one-issue lawmaker, but a multidisciplinary one. And each of the laws that was polished to brilliance by his wisdom has been improving the lives of those who benefit from it. Because of Ed, Filipinos are born to this world covered with medical insurance, and are sent off to eternal life with discounted services. In between, they can be enrolled in free kindergarten, thanks to him. And high school became universal through a landmark law of his. The laws on education he authored were so many that they require a separate catalogue. He passionately believed that any child, like the promdi from Baler that he was, can go as far and as fast in life as his education can take him. His "Ang gara ng kinabukasan kung may pinag-aralan" was not just his campaign slogan; it was his fighting faith which became the nation's mission. I once joked to him that not one of the laws he had authored is immune to change, but this timeless slogan he had coined will never be repealed. He also turned this chamber into a classroom. The time he spent here became a teaching moment, not only for the country, but more so for his colleagues, because in the absence of a school for lawmaking, the next best thing were the free tutorials which he generously imparted whenever he was speaking on the floor. While education was his banner advocacy, he was just as prolific, as proficient and as passionate in crafting laws aimed at helping the troubled and the distressed, or give hope to those with promise and potential. And the way Ed argued these, without being disagreeable, betrayed a first-rate mind that was neither constricted by partisanship, nor prone to propaganda. One day he can be discussing banking terms in boardroom-speak and the next day he can be explaining fertilizer formula in the lingua franca of the magsasaka. One minute he will be fielding questions on pensions with the skill of an actuarian and the next hour he will be lecturing on the Spanish rule like a tenured historian. He can dissect the fine print of the law he had read up with the same ease that he can describe the brush strokes of the art he owned. Yet he was able to amass a trove of laws, and thrive in policymaking, in a manner that seems to violate every canon in today's playbook of politics. He was a workhorse in a stable - in a Senate - of showhorses. Where the rule is to strut and prance before the public, he plodded on in silence, away from TV camera lights. He never tallied "likes", neither did he fuss over "shares". He was more concerned with the fine print of the law than the size of headlines he never chased. If there was one thing he relentlessly pursued, it was a record of selfless service and a score of laws - unlike today, when the race is on who can post the most number of selfies. Polite and courteous, he fought great causes - without having to utter a single curse in public as he saw no need to punctuate the point he was making with coarseness. At a time when speeches are measured by loudness, not logic, he spoke calmly and ditched oratory. In fact, his spiels bordered on the bland, but what he lacked in bombast, he made up through powerful arguments which were impossible to ignore. At a time when trolls force politicians to merely say what everybody believes, but in a loud voice, he had the courage to defy the wisdom of the crowd with views which may not be popular but right. At a time when debates are viewed as a chance to simply parade the supremacy of one's position, he, on the other hand, genuinely saw them as an opportunity to enrich the end product through a discussion that generates light than heat. At a time when winner-take-all seems to be the norm, he conceded when he was wrong and sought consensus to break stalemates, for he believed that progress was a product of give-and-take. He knew when to stand ground and when to seek common ground. And that is what the nation will miss about Ed the most, the man at the center, because only those who seek the middle ground will be able to operate the fulcrum that moves things, balances interests and prevents deadlock, as what he had masterfully done. There is another facet of the man worth remembering and emulating, and that is to respect divergence in beliefs, value the contribution of the opposition, and harness contrarian views in improving policy. My dear friends: Since he ended his quarter-of-a-century of hard labor in this chamber five years ago, I would still bump into him in different places, and every time we meet, I would tease him as the Elder Angara, and refer to his son, Sonny, as the Better Angara. And like a homeroom teacher, I would proceed to dutifully report to him how the Better Angara had been faring great in his old haunts, and hearing this he would, without fail, break into a smile, followed by a glint in his eye that could only mean fatherly pride. And perhaps in his ledger of life's work, having raised children who can better your best is an accomplishment greater than leaving a world that is better than when you have found it. Seated here, ladies and gentlemen, are Ed's children and apos whom he and Gloria raised well, and who have become his grandest achievement, as well as his greatest source of joy. Godspeed, Ed. You have fought the good fight. Rest well, and we would know that you have been taken into God's good graces if one day we will receive a communique from heaven that the 10 Commandments have been amended to become 20, for such can only be a handiwork of yours.
Press Release

May 16, 2018 Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri Eulogy for Senator Edgardo Angara How do I put into words to describe the life of an exceptional educator, a prolific and hardworking lawmaker, a true renaissance man, a cultural heritage protector and one of the country's greatest statesman? I know many of you here today would describe his different career paths as University of the Philippines (UP) President, a distinguished lawyer who founded one of the top law offices of the country, producing several political heavyweights such as Sen. Drilon, Sen. Gordon, the late Sen. Cayetano and Sen. Raul Roco, to name a few. Many of us know him as former distinguished Senate President, Former Secretary of Agriculture, and most recently, as our country's top diplomat, representing us at the European Union. One thing for sure is that whatever post he held, he did so with distinction and with exemplary performance. He was, without a doubt, one of the most intelligent persons I had ever met and had the extreme honor to work with. Given the chance, he could have been one of the finest presidents our country could have ever had. Many of you know him as SEJA. I simply called him, Tito Ed, my mentor and one of my two father figures that I look up to here in the Senate - the other being Senator Richard Gordon. That is why in 2009, one of my most difficult moments as a majority leader was when Tito Ed and Tito Dick had a heated argument in the session floor due to the insistence of Tito Dick wanting to give friendly interpolation to the bill being defended by SEJA at that time. I remember Sen. Angara telling me, "Bakit pa magtatanong si Dick?", considering the fact that they were close. And knowing the legendary tempers of Sen. Ed and Sen. Dick, they were going at each other in no time. Of course, as Majority Floor Leader, I quickly suspended session and let their tempers cool off. Unfortunately, their little spat turned their friendship into indignant displeasure and resentment. Not minding each other for several days, and even weeks to come. That was a stressful time for me as my two tatays were at odds with one another. So I reached into my trove of diplomatic skills and one afternoon, on our way to lunch, I spoke to Tito Ed inside his car and said to him that "Malungkot si Tito Dick dahil hindi na daw kayo nag-uusap." This softened his heart and he then replied, "Is that so?" He said to me, "Eh alam mo naman Migs, mahal ko yang si Dick at dapat magtulungan kami kaysa mag debate. Sige, kakausapin ko siya mamaya." I then immediately sought out Sen. Gordon to tell him, "Ninong, kausap ko si Tito Ed kanina and he told me that mahal ka naman niya at hindi na dapat kayo makipag debate." With this, Tito Dick then told me, "Really? Eh, masyadong mainit ang ulo niyo but sige, I'll talk to him later." That afternoon session became one of the most memorable sessions of my senate career, not because for the first time I saw an Upsilonian hug a Sigma Roan, but because I saw two great senate statesmen bury the hatchet not just for the good of the senate but for the good of their friendship. Friendship meant a lot to Tito Ed. When I entered the senate for the first time in 2007 as a neophyte, he immediately took me in and mentored me on the ins and outs of this hallowed institution. He taught me almost all I know as a legislator in this upper chamber. Although I was already a nine year veteran of the House of Representatives, he nonetheless taught me that it was completely different here in the senate. How each one of the senators were unique and to an extent, independent, hence the moniker, Independent Republic. How important it was to have a block, hence the start of our Triumvirate with Senator Gordon. But most of all, he always told me to focus on passing important pieces of landmark legislation that would make the most impact for the country. He would always tell me not to waste energy picking fights, engaging in endless investigations, or dwell on controversies. He always said, "Migs, the quality of the legislation that you will sponsor and pass will be the one that defines you." And to the this day, I religiously practice his mantra of hard work, dedication and having laser focus when it comes to the passing of landmark legislation. That's the Angara way. While others would love to hog the limelight by creating conflict and controversy, Sen. Angara would be mostly standing up on the floor, day after day, until the late hours of the night, sponsoring measures such as the; - Free High School Act

- Creation of the Commission for Higher Education

- TESDA Act

- AFMA

- Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act

- Procurement Reform Act

- Senior Citizens Act

- National Health Insurance Act (or Philhealth Act)

- Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE)

- Laws creating the National Museum, NCCA. As well as my favorites, which I am honored that we co-sponsored together such as the RE (Renewable Energy) Law and the MINDA Law. He authored so much high impact landmark pieces of legislation for our nation. That is the Angara way. In closing, I just want to finally share what he would confide in me in our several trips together, as he made me his favorite travelling companion during official missions abroad. He would confide in me that one of his biggest regrets is that he didn't spend as much time with his family. On how he wished he was there more often for his children growing up, rather than always being so focused on work. To you Sonny, he loved you very much and he was so proud of you. And in a way, these last few years, he tried to make up for it by spending more time with his apos and taking them to trips to make up for lost time serving our people. Truly, he loved his family, he loved his country, but most of all, he loved this institution. Last Thursday, out of the blue, he sent me text message to ask, "Migs, how is our beloved Senate?" Showing genuine concern and love for the hallowed institution he spent close to 3 decades of his life in. All I can say, Tito Ed, is it has been an honor to have worked beside you and be mentored by you in the Senate. I am what I am here today because of what you taught me and the impact you have created in my life. I will forever be grateful and will miss you terribly. So long Sen. Ed Angara, one of the true great statesman of our country.
BREAKING: South Korean news agency: North Korea threatens to cancel U.S. summit over South Korea-U.S. military drills.  The Associated Press (@AP) May 15, 2018

North Korea is rapidly moving the goal posts for next month's summit between leader Kim Jong Un and [Donald] Trump, saying the United States must stop insisting it "unilaterally" abandon its nuclear program and stop talking about a Libya-style solution to the standoff.



The latest warning, delivered by former North Korean nuclear negotiator Kim Gye Gwan on Wednesday, fits Pyongyang's well-established pattern of raising the stakes in negotiations by threatening to walk out if it doesn't get its way.



...If the Trump administration approaches the summit "with sincerity" for improved relations, "it will receive a deserved response from us," Kim Gye Gwan, now vice foreign minister, said in a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday.



"However, if the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit," he said, using the abbreviation for North Korea's official name. He also questioned the sequencing of denuclearization first, compensation second.



...Trump and his top aides, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, have repeatedly said that the United States wants the "complete verifiable irreversible denuclearization of North Korea"  a high standard that Pyongyang has previously balked at.



Bolton, known for his sharply hawkish views, has said that North Korea must commit to a disarmament similar to "Libya 2004." He was undersecretary of state for arms control in 2004, when Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi agreed to give up its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.



But this is not a tempting model for North Korea. Seven years after surrendering his nuclear program, Gaddafi was overthrown, then brutally killed by opponents of his regime.

Remember when everyone (not everyone) was congratulating Donald Trump for ending hostilities between North Korea and South Korea, and everyone (not everyone) was pretending that it suddenly didn't matter that the Trump administration had decimated the State Department and were wholly unprepared for the sensitive diplomatic mission that meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un would be, because everyone (not everyone) was inexplicably also pretending that Trump and Kim are reasonable people who keep their word?Yeah. Well. First this happened:Which should have been entirely expected by anyone who's been paying the slightest bit of attention to how Kim operates.Naturally, it was only a matter of time before the other shoe dropped.Anna Fifield at the Washington Post: North Korea Expands Threat to Cancel Trump-Kim Summit, Saying It Won't Be Pushed to Abandon Its Nukes There is much more at the link.This is indeed "not a tempting model for North Korea," especially when Trump has just reneged on the Iran deal, signaling that the United States' word is garbage.But neither party in this summit are actually interested in the ostensible goal of the summit, anyway. Kim wants legitimacy  an objective to which he's gotten closer care of Trump even agreeing to the summit, irrespective of whether it now happens. Trump and Bolton want an excuse to launch a preemptive strike on North Korea  as does Mike Pence Kim wants Trump to keep demanding denuclearization, so he can have an excuse to walk away from the summit. Trump wants Kim to walk away from the summit, so he can have an excuse for war.That isn't diplomacy. It's amateur gamesmanship from two of the most erratic, unreliable, egomaniacal, dangerous leaders on the planet.How embarrassing for anyone covering this mess who indulged the absurd pretense that it could ever be anything else.
Media group Stuff will cut 24 jobs when it closes 15 community and rural titles in its shift to digital, after failing to find buyers for the publications.

In February, Australian parent Fairfax Media announced Stuff would close 35 percent of its New Zealand print titles this year as the Australian group pursues a digital strategy for the kiwi unit. As of April 22, half of Stuff's revenue came from its top five mastheads, which includes The Dominion Post, The Press and the Sunday Star-Times, while non-print revenue accounted for 17 percent, from 5 percent just four years ago.

Stuff confirmed today that it will close South Island community titles the South Canterbury Herald; Waitaki Herald; Selwyn and Ashburton Outlook; Invercargill Eye; Queenstown Mirror; and NewsLink in Gore. It will also cut motoring advertising publication Auto Xtra, lifestyle magazines Admire Nelson and Admire Marlborough; and its group of NZ Farmer publications, which it gave away for free. Those include NZ Farmer; NZ Dairy Farmer; Waikato Farmer; Central District Farmer; Canterbury Farmer; and the Otago Southland Farmer.

Closing the rural titles means nine editorial staff and six commercial staff will lose their jobs, while Stuff will maintain three editorial staff to provide online content which will also be used in its major newspapers' farming sections. The closure of the community titles means five editorial and four sales staff will lose their jobs, while Stuff will keep two editorial staff in Queenstown.

"The continuation of the NZ Farmer digital section means we can still provide a daily news and advertising platform for the many rural Kiwis that will continue to look to Stuff for their farming news," said chief executive Sinead Boucher. "It will also allow us to build on both our audience and digital strategy."

Stuff has sold Avenues to Twenty Seven Publishers, who will continue to publish Avenues as a monthly title, distributed via The Press, it said. It is still trying to sell the Clutha Leader and the Kaikoura Star, and if it does not, it has previously said the publications will be closed by the end of the year.

The company attempted to merge with New Zealand Herald owner NZME, but was blocked by the Commerce Commission over fears the resulting public interest loss of media diversity outweighed the economic benefits of the deal.

That decision was upheld by the High Court, although the media companies have since sought leave to contest that decision in the Court of Appeal. In March, the two said they will renegotiate the terms of their merger if they successfully appeal the High Court's rejection of their deal.

(BusinessDesk)

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Sky Network Television was the best performer, up 4.5 percent to $2.31. Spark New Zealand gained 1.1 percent to $3.57 and Mercury New Zealand rose 1 percent to $3.14.

Outside the benchmark index, TeamTalk rose 2.2 percent to 92 cents. The Wellington-based telecommunications minnow has sold its remaining 30 percent stake in rural broadband division Farmside to Vodafone New Zealand for $3 million after the country's biggest mobile operator exercised an option to mop up the rest of the business.

On the Unlisted platform, PharmaZen was unchanged at 7 cents. The Christchurch-based manufacturer of plant and animal-based health supplements is forecasting a 44 percent increase in sales this year to $10.5 million and a jump in earnings as it brings a new plant online.

(BusinessDesk)

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A major union in the finance, retail, manufacturing and industrial space has come out fighting for low-paid staff expected to work for nothing. This follows an Employment Court decision last week that furniture and appliance store chain Smiths City must pay workers for time spent in pre-work meetings.

Following the decision, workers in sectors including finance, health and education, as well as other retailers, have come forward to say the practice of not paying staff for extra time spent doing their job is rife.

First Union, which covers workers in the retail, finance, transport logistics and manufacturing sectors says it has received 1,500 complaints over the last 48 hours through a public survey. Of these, 30 percent claim they have been required by their employer to work without pay. More complaints have come through the union's 0800 number.

Retail, finance and commerce secretary Tali Williams says First Union will be working with companies over the coming weeks to ensure employees aren't asked to work without pay.

Some may find themselves in court.

Those who do not comply with the law may face legal action from our members who feel they have been short-changed.

Williams says many retail workers are on low wages already and can't afford to work for free. If someone is on minimum wage it effectively means theyre not only being paid below the minimum wage, but are missing out on around $800 a year, so this is a big issue for these workers.

The practice is happening right across the work spectrum. Contact centre workers asked to arrive early to boot up their systems, shop workers expected to cash-up or tidy the store after closing time, nurses and aged care workers having to do patient handovers outside their shift hours, childcare staff expected to be at staff meetings they aren't paid for.

The Employment Court ruled on Friday that Christchurch-based Smiths City had to pay staff for pre-work meetings, and ordered the company to cough up six years' of backpay for the 15-minute meetings for low paid staff. For a minimum wage employee working full time, this could add up to a bonus of almost $5000.

Smiths City argued the meetings were voluntary and had contested a Labour Inspectorate notice two years ago that by not paying staff who attended pre-work meetings it failed to meet minimum wage obligations.

First Union national organiser, finance, Stephen Parry said bank staff are often expected to stay behind at the end of their day to finish work, particularly back-office tasks they havent been able to get to. And at many contact centres in the finance and other sectors, workers are expected to clear backlogs of calls at the end of the day - even when their shift is finished. Some call centres expect staff to arrive at work 10-15 minutes early to boot up their IT systems and be call-ready at the beginning of their shift.

These practices vary from employer to employer, and often sit in a grey area where workers complete unpaid work because of pressure from their workload and/or understaffing, rather than an explicit instruction from their employer, Parry said.

He said the union welcomes the renewed attention the Smiths City case has brought to the issue.

Labour Inspectorate regional manager Loua Ward said if the activity is integral to the employees role, and there is an expectation to attend, that counts as work, and employees should be paid for it.

"Employers should not pass the cost of doing business onto their employees. Employees must be paid for all the work they do, and this includes handover times, briefings, and in some situations, the travel time to and from a work site."

First Union spokesperson Tali Williams said the situation is rife in the retail sector. Williams told Radio NZ that the union has received a large number of messages and reports from members since the Employment Court decision was announced late last week, saying they too were expected to attend pre-work meetings and do store cash-up sessions they weren't paid for.

"It's possibly even wider than we imagined, even going to the finance sector as well," Williams said on Morning Report.

Stores mentioned in the story included Rebel Sport, Briscoes and Noel Leeming. Shoe shop chain Hannahs has admitted it doesn't pay staff for overtime after stores close.

But the decision has ramification beyond the retail and finance sectors.

For example workers in early childhood education centres, particularly in the private sector, are often expected to do planning, meetings and professional development outside their paid hours, sometimes at weekends.

Virginia Oakly, the early childhood representative on the national executive of education union NZEI, said unpaid work is added ECE teachers and staff sometimes arent even earning minimum wage.

Were really stretched as professionals, but were dedicated to the children and are going to do whatever it takes to keep our centre operating. And that includes things like fundraising, working bees and planning outside hours. But its not fair that it should have to be that way.

The worst cases tend to involve private and commercial daycare centres where there are low hourly rates of pay, especially for unqualified teachers, Oakly said. And staff are often worried about complaining.

One centre manager approached about this issue brushed it off as company policy and the staff member was too intimidated to take it further."

Oakly said NZEIs legal team will be looking at the ruling to determine any impact it may have on the unions members.

The Smiths City case will likely result in more members contacting us to complain. Well continue to approach employers about their legal responsibilities and hopefully this case will prompt more of them to do the right thing by their staff  both before and after we ask them to.

Cee Paynel is industrial services manager for the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO), and understands all too well the situation for nurses and aged care workers both in the public and the private sector. She said the Smiths City decision is important.

Its become routine in many workplaces that you get off shifts late because of workloads, or that employers have expectations staff will come in to do training in their own time, Paynel said. Ive dealt with situations where companies want staff to come to a fire briefing [but not get paid]. Its still work.

Many contracts allow for workers to be paid overtime and Paynel said she would encourage people to put in claims. But this isnt the case everywhere.

This [judgment] is a good outcome, Paynel said. Its reinforcing to New Zealanders as a whole you dont have to work for free. People will be saying, Hang on, this is happening in my workplace. Im doing things like training and staff meeting in my own time.

Paynel said the law is there and her union has never got to the stage where its had to resort to legal action to enforce overtime payments. But the Smiths City case makes it even clearer.

First Union's Stephen Parry agrees. The Union has been systematically addressing this issue through both collective bargaining and the application of the existing availability provisions in the Employment Relations Act, he said. While the Smiths City decision will not be directly applicable to most instances of unpaid labour in the finance sector, we welcome the renewed attention that the case has brought to the issue.

(BusinessDesk)

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Rakon shares gained 7.5 percent after the high-tech components maker returned to a full year profit, benefiting from growth in its core markets and some non-recurring gains.

The Auckland-based company posted a profit of $10 million in the 12 months ended March 31 versus a loss of $13.6 million in the prior year. Underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation more than tripled to $12.1 million from $4.0 million and met guidance of between $10.7 million and $12.7 million. The shares rose 1.5 cents to 21 cents.

Rakon managing director Brent Robinson said the company - which designs and manufactures advanced frequency control and timing products - achieved growth in two of its three core markets: space and defence and global positioning, which contributed to a 7 percent increase in total revenue. Sales rose to $101.1 million from $94.7 million.

While revenue was flat revenue in its core market of telecommunications on a US dollar currency basis, margins had improved, he said. "The technology and solution design requirements for next-generation 5G telecommunication networks and applications is becoming clearer, with Rakon well positioned with its product and technology offering," Robinson said.

The bottom line result includes several non-recurring gains, including a gain from the sale of property in France of $2.1 million, with cash proceeds of $4.5 million, a gain from the partial sale of shares in Thinxtra of $1.9 million, with cash proceeds of $3.2 million. It also saw a net dilution gain on Thinxtra shares of $4.8 million, resulting from an equity accounted net asset gain following Thinxtras successful capital raising.

Robinson said the company achieved "solid progress" regarding manufacturing partnerships and platforms. Since the March 31 balance date, it has completed a buy-out of 51 percent of the shares of Centum Rakon India for US$5.5 million.

The acquisition of Centum Rakon India is a pivotal strategic decision that gives us the opportunity to grow profits. Having total ownership and full decision-making control means that we can leverage the benefits that this established low-cost manufacturing platform offers," he said.

Rakon also moved from having net debt of $4.5 million to holding a $7.4 million cash surplus at the balance date, which allowed it to complete the acquisition of Centum Rakon India from its own resources.

The company also said that chair Bryan Mogridge will retire at the 2018 annual shareholders meeting. He had previously signalled plans to retire before his next re-election, and will be replaced by Bruce Irvine, who will seek re-election at the meeting.

(BusinessDesk)

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The Meat Workers Union says changes to New Zealand's employment law would let them prevent Talleys-owned meat processor Affco from barring unions and taking bargaining to court, a tactic which costs the workers' advocate half a million dollars a year in legal fees.

The Employment Relations Amendment Bill, which is currently being heard by a parliamentary select committee, would drop changes made by the previous government to key minimum standards and protections for employees, including restricting the use of 90-day trials to employers with fewer than 20 employees, and would strengthen collective bargaining and union rights in the workplace.

The union and Affco have been tied up in the courts for years, with the meat processor the first company to apply for an end to bargaining under legislative changes introduced in 2015 which let firms opt out of multi-employer agreements and removed the duty under good faith bargaining for both sides to reach a deal. Affco mounted continuous legal challenges but was rejected by every court, with the Supreme Court finding in September that the meat processor unlawfully locked out meat workers when collective bargaining was taking place.

Since 2012, the litigation has cost the union about $500,000 per year, the union's director of organising Darien Fenton told the select committee this morning.

"We're up against a $300 million company, and we don't believe they should have the competitive advantage of treating their workers the way they do. It undercuts everybody, it creates a race to the bottom."

Fenton said the new bill wasn't radical legislation, just re-setting to previous conditions and removing an uneven playing field. She rejected claims the bill will lead to further strikes, saying the meat industry hadn't had a strike since 1999, and "the only radical industrial action we've seen in the meat industry in the last 10 years has been the unlawful lockouts by Affco Talleys, and there's been several of them."

"In the rest of the meat industry we have good relationships. We have collective agreements right across the industry, we have thousands of members, we have regular negotiations and we haven't had a strike in years," Fenton said.

"The union has had to spend a lot of members' resources - and these are not wealthy members, these are people working seasonal jobs out in small towns who are lucky sometimes if they get to work six months in the year. We've had to use their funds to mount a legal defence against one company. You might like to ask a question about why that is."

Last week, Affco made a submission to the select committee, in which it opposed the bill, saying it "takes away employer flexibility, seeks to force common provisions and terms and conditions on all parties, excessively complicates the process for determining a new employees terms and conditions, undermines health and safety obligations and otherwise hinders efficiency, productivity and the employees own working success."

National Party MP Scott Simpson said Affco had told the committee the industry had seen a "rapid rate of automation" over the past 10 or 20 years, and if the bill is passed, they may automate further to continue to deliver returns to shareholders.

However, the union's national secretary Graham Cooke denied there had been rapid automation so far and said automation wasn't that simple in the meat industry, though accepted it will eventually happen.

Cooke said Affco was the only company in the industry to restrict union access, and union density in all Affco plants had dropped to 10 percent by last year from 95 percent in 2010.

The select committee's report on the bill is due by Aug. 1, after which it will have its second reading.

(BusinessDesk)

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#MLB Rays' Choi Ji-man homers in ALDS loss to Red Sox Tampa Bay Rays' first baseman Choi Ji-man has hit his fourth career postseason home run, though it came in a crushing loss to the Boston Red Sox at home. Choi blasted a solo hom...
Of the 222 assembly seats for which polling took place, the BJP bagged 104. An Independent lawmaker offered his support to the party this morning, taking the tally to 105. While the Congress won in 78 constituencies, the JD(S) and its pre-poll ally BSP have 38 seats.

: Karnataka was a hotbed of political negotiations, secret huddles and brave faces on Wednesday, the day after the fractured Assembly result made it clear it would be a long and debatable way to government formation.

After being heavily outnumbered by the BJP during the counting of votes yesterday, the Congress showed political dexterity and struck a deal with the JD(S). The party has offered unconditional support to a government headed by JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy.

The BJP contends that it should be allowed to form the government as it is the single largest party. The Congress disputes the claim, citing the precedent set by the BJP in Goa and Manipur last year. In both states, the Congress had emerged the single largest party but the BJP cobbled up alliances and was invited to form the government.

The ball is now in the court of Governor Vajubhai Vala who can weigh the possibility of which party or combine can form a stable government before he takes the final call. Mr Vala can also consult legal and constitutional experts.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island mom charged with manslaughter in her baby girl's overdose death had previously left powerful drugs in reach of her other daughter, who also ingested them as a toddler, authorities allege.

But that child survived.

One-year-old Bianca Abdul did not.

"She knew the dangers because her older daughter, when she was Bianca's age, got a hold of pills and had to be rushed to the hospital, but she survived," said Assistant District Attorney Rhiannon La Tour about the 2005 incident.

Leila Wade, 39, was indicted Tuesday on charges of second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and misdemeanor counts of child endangerment and reckless endangerment.

She was arraigned in state Supreme Court, St. George, and pleaded not guilty through her attorney Mark J. Fonte.

Justice Stephen J. Rooney set bail at $150,000 bond/$75,000 cash.

"A tragic consequence of the opioid epidemic has been the impact it has had on the most innocent of victims on Staten Island," said District Attorney Michael E. McMahon in a statement. "This negligence and dangerous behavior is unacceptable for any adult, but especially a parent."

Authorities said baby Bianca died of acute intoxication after ingesting multiple pills comprised of morphine and valium in her mother's Midland Beach home last year.

Wade allegedly left her prescription pills around the house, including among Bianca's toys and near where she slept.

"The level of morphine would have been lethal for an adult," La Tour said. "She left the pills around despite her knowledge of the risk."

The defense argues Wade is a victim of domestic violence and was prescribed the pills after a head injury put her in a coma 10 years ago. Wade, an NYU graduate and former dental hygienist, has been officially declared disabled, Fonte said.

"The infant was crawling on the floor and accidentally ingested one pill that was inadvertently dropped," Fonte said during the proceeding.

Prosecutors said Wade, garbed in black pants and shirt, has refused mental health and addiction services. Fonte asked that his client be placed on suicide watch while she is incarcerated.

Wade's older daughter is in foster care, prosecutors said.

BREAKING: Mother of baby found dead in Midland Beach home led out of 120 Precinct Posted by Staten Island Advance on Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Authorities responded just after 8 a.m. March 20, 2017, to Wade's home on Moreland Street, where they observed an unconscious and unresponsive 1-year-old, police said.

Emergency medical personnel transported the child to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

In October, it was determined by the city's medical examiner that Bianca died as a result of a drug overdose.

The child died as a result of acute intoxication caused by the combined effects of morphine and diazepam, an anti-anxiety medication similar to Valium, according to the office of the city's medical examiner.

"No words to express how I feel daily, weekly, missing Bianca," said Joseph Abdul, Bianca's father. "I'm glad and happy justice is finally being served."

"I only got seven visitations with her," he added. "I had a dad's instinct something wasn't right."

Struggling through tears, Wade told an Advance reporter in April that she feared her baby had ingested an Embeda, a mix of morphine and naltrexone, which was prescribed to her by a local doctor. She said the child might have picked it up off the floor, after it had been dropped by accident.

"That amount, for a 15-pound baby, you're going to sleep," she said. "You're going to sleep with no pain ... there's no crying out, it's an immediate..."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With summer around the corner, McDonald's owner/operators in New York expect to hire approximately 9,000 restaurant employees.

This includes Staten Island's eight McDonald's, which will be actively recruiting new employees, said a company spokesperson.

The fast-food eatery is particularly trying to attract job seekers who are also pursuing their education to take advantage of McDonald's Archways to Opportunity program, which offers college tuition assistance to employees and decreases hours for those seeking a high school diploma.

"As McDonald's franchisees, we are thrilled that more of our employees will now be able to take advantage of these education programs," said Paul Hendel, a New York-based owner/operator and president of the New York Tri-State McDonald's Owner/Operators Association.

"Whether an employee chooses to stay with McDonald's or move on to another chapter in their career, we are proud to offer educational assistance to help them reach that next step. It is all part of our ongoing commitment to being America's best first job," he added.

EDUCATION PROGRAM



McDonald's recently announced that it is allocating $150 million over five years to its global Archways to Opportunity education program.

This investment will provide nearly 400,000 U.S. restaurant employees with an opportunity to earn a high school diploma, receive upfront tuition assistance for college courses, access academic advising courses and learn English as a second language.

Additionally, eligible crew will have access to $2,500 per year in tuition assistance, up from $700 per year, and eligible managers will have access to $3,000 per year, up from $1,050.

$1.4M IN TUITION ASSISTANCE

Since the program launched in 2015, more than 1,200 New York McDonald's restaurant employees have been awarded nearly $1.4 million in tuition assistance. The latest changes to the program will allow many more employees to take advantage of the program.

Archways to Opportunity has awarded more than $21 million in high school and college tuition assistance as part of the company's journey to build a better McDonald's. More than half of the hires at company-owned restaurants are projected to be between the ages of 16 to 24 years old, and for many, it is their first job.

Job seekers can visit McDonalds.com/careers to learn more and apply.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The agreement between the New York Wheel and its former contractor finalized in court Wednesday allows the developer to hire a new company to finish the project.

The plan to build the observation wheel on the St. George waterfront has been stalled for nearly one year. Problems began when the Holland-based Mammoet-Starneth walked off the job on May 26, 2017. The company was subsequently fired by the Wheel.

Mammoet-Starneth filed for bankruptcy in December. After failing to come to an agreement during mediation in March, both the NY Wheel and Mammoet-Starneth have been in court trying to hash out a deal.

On Wednesday, Judge Shelber Silverstein signed an agreement in Delaware Bankruptcy Court that allows the New York Wheel 120 days to get the project to build a 630-foot-high observation wheel on the St. George restarted, according to court documents.

"The New York Wheel is pleased to have been able to reach this agreement with the debtors and the Mammoet entities. It facilitates not only the ability to complete the Wheel, but also the Debtor's consensual exit from chapter 11," said the NY Wheel in a written statement to the Advance.

A spokesperson for Mammoet-Starneth wasn't immediately available for comment.

PAVING WAY TO HIRE NEW CONTRACTOR



The agreement allows the Wheel to move forward with hiring a new contractor to finish the project, according to court records.

"The New York Wheel is committed to the development and completion of the project, and the revitalization of the Staten Island waterfront destination that it will promote. The settlement paves the way for the Wheel to continue to finalize its financing arrangements, and arrangements with a new contractor, American Bridge, the builder of the new Tappan Zee Bridge, and ARUP, a world-class, global engineering firm, and complete construction," said the NY Wheel.

"Both American Bridge and ARUP have experience in building observation Wheels of this type having been involved in similar wheels in London and Las Vegas. The New York Wheel has also already commenced discussions with the suppliers that will be necessary for completion of the project," the Wheel added.

120-DAY STANDSTILL

The agreement allows both parties to enter a 120-day standstill period, extending through Sept. 5. The NY Wheel can terminate the deal at any time before the 120 days are up if it can't obtain financing, court documents say.

In addition, the agreement dismisses the lawsuit the NY Wheel filed against Mammoet-Starneth for breach of contract.

FINANCING NEEDED

While the NY Wheel told the Advance $400 million of the $580 million allotted for the project through private investors was already spent when the project was indefinitely delayed last spring, it's unclear how much financing is needed for the project to continue.

Since this is a privately-funded project, the NY Wheel has no obligation to disclose how much financing is needed for the tourist attraction to come to fruition.

In 2015, former NY Wheel CEO Rich Marin told the Advance the project was fueled by $195 million in senior debt from the Highbridge Strategies hedge fund unit of JPMorgan Chase, $111 million in equity, and $174 million from CanAm Enterprises as part of a federal green card program known as EB-5.

The lawyer for CanAm Enterprises didn't return several calls from the Advance about the latest development in the NY Wheel saga.

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CITY HALL -- As the city and district attorneys in Manhattan and Brooklyn are moving toward easing the way they enforce marijuana laws, the Island's District Attorney Michael McMahon has declined to take a position on the issue.

On Tuesday, Mayor de Blasio announced the New York City Police Department will reform its marijuana enforcement policy within 30 days.

The announcement came as the mayor and the NYPD has come under fire for racial bias in marijuana arrests.

Last year, 86 percent of people arrested for low-level marijuana possession in the city were black and Hispanic, while less than 9 percent of those arrested were white, according to figures from the City Council.

The NYPD claims the majority of marijuana arrests occur in areas where it receives high volumes of 911 and 311 complaints.

However, police data proves otherwise -- including on Staten Island.

NUMBERS SHOW ARREST DISPARITY ON ISLAND

In the heavily minority and immigrant populated 120th Precinct, of the 287 calls made to 311 and 911 related to marijuana the same number of arrests were made, according to data provided by the NYPD to the City Council.

Meanwhile, of the 179 marijuana related calls placed in the 121 Precinct, 94 arrests were made; of the 138 calls in the 122 Precinct, only 12 arrests were made; and of the 61 calls in the 123 Precinct, only 36 arrests were made, according to the data.

At a press conference at City Hall Tuesday, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Rev. Al Sharpton also slammed the NYPD for its racial bias in arrests.

"When people's lives are being upended for carrying a small amount of pot, something is wrong in our criminal justice system," Johnson said. "When people are being forced to miss work or miss out on time with their family over a low level marijuana arrest, something is very wrong with our public policy. Whites, blacks, and Hispanics all smoke pot at the same rate, so why are so many more people of color being arrested?"

DAs TAKE A STAND

Starting Aug. 1, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said Tuesday his office would decline to prosecute people arrested for smoking or possessing small amounts of marijuana. Vance's office said the move could reduce Manhattan marijuana prosecutions from about 5,000 per year to about 200 per year -- a 96 percent reduction.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez also announced Tuesday he would expand his office's efforts to not prosecute marijuana cases.

When asked whether he would support reforming marijuana enforcement laws and was in favor of not prosecuting low level marijuana cases, the Island's DA said he would withhold comment until the NYPD completed its 30-day policy review.

"I am looking forward to working with the NYPD and Mayor to be part of this discussion to ensure fairness in our justice system," McMahon said in a statement. "Although I can envision a New York where C summonses are appropriate in certain marijuana cases, I will reserve commenting further until after the NYPD's 30-day working group is complete."

"At the same time, I took an oath to uphold the laws of the state of New York, and ultimately, this is an issue that should be decided in a more thoughtful and comprehensive way by the state Legislature, and not as a rushed reaction to the top news headlines of the day. There are many tangential issues related to public safety and quality of life that should be considered in this discussion before any decisions are made," he continued.

NYPD 30-DAY WORKING GROUP

On Tuesday NYPD Commissioner James O'Neil announced the department would put together a 30-day working group to review its marijuana enforcement.

"The NYPD will review our practices to ensure enforcement is consistent with the values of fairness and trust at the root of Neighborhood Policing," O'Neil said in a statement. "The NYPD has no interest in arresting New Yorkers for marijuana offenses when those arrests have no impact on public safety. The Working Group will review possession and public smoking of marijuana to address public concerns in the fairest way possible, while also promoting public safety and quality of life for all New Yorkers."
North Korea threatens to cancel US summit



Seoul, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2018



North Korea threatened Wednesday to cancel the forthcoming summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, accusing the US administration of trying to force it "into a corner" on unilateral nuclear disarmament.

In an angrily worded statement, Pyongyang insisted it would abandon the high-level meeting, set for June 12, if Washington sought to pressure it into giving up its atomic arsenal.

"If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue," first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan said in a statement carried by state media.

In that case, he added, Pyongyang would have to "reconsider" its participation at next month's summit in Singapore.

The North's weaponry is expected to be top of the agenda at the historic talks, but Pyongyang has long insisted it needs the weapons to defend itself against invasion by the US.

Kim tore into Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton for drawing parallels between North Korea and Libya.

After giving up his atomic programme, Libyan leader Moamer Khadafi was killed in an uprising backed by NATO bombing.

"It is absolutely absurd to dare compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya which had been at the initial stage of nuclear development," he said, using the initials of North Korea's official name.

"We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him."

Washington is pressing for its complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation. But so far the North has not given any public indication of what concessions it is offering, beyond euphemistic commitments to denuclearisation of the "Korean peninsula".

Pyongyang had "made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearisation is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States", minister Kim said.

In the past, Pyongyang has demanded the withdrawal of US troops stationed in the South, and an end to Washington's nuclear umbrella over its security ally.

Minister Kim also dismissed offers by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for US economic aid if the North denuclearises.

"We have never had any expectation of US support in carrying out our economic construction and will not at all make such a deal in future," he said.



- Tightrope diplomacy -



In recent weeks, as well as an eye-catching summit with the South's leader last month in the Demilitarized Zone, Kim has twice met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pyongyang has announced it will destroy its nuclear testing site next week.

China, North Korea's sole major ally, on Wednesday expressed "hope" the meeting would still go ahead.

Analysts said Pyongyang appeared to be trying to redefine the terms of the debate.

"It's a diplomatic tactic," Kim Hyun-wook, professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, told AFP, calling it "brinkmanship to change the US position".

"It looks like Kim Jong Un was pushed into accepting US demands for 'denuclearisation-first' but is now trying to change its position after normalising North Korea-China relations and securing economic assistance," he added.

"The classic North Korean tightrope diplomacy between the US and China has begun."

US officials have repeatedly claimed credit for Washington's "maximum pressure" policy for bringing Pyongyang to the negotiating table.

Joshua Pollack of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies said Pyongyang had been irritated by the "triumphalist tone".

"The North Koreans aren't happy with what they're seeing and hearing," he said. "There is still a yawning gulf between expectations for diplomacy in Pyongyang and Washington, DC."



- Thunderstruck -



KCNA also denounced the Max Thunder joint military exercises being held between the US and South Korea as a "rude and wicked provocation", and Seoul said it had received a message cancelling planned high-level talks "indefinitely".

The two-week drills started last Friday and involves some 100 aircraft from the two allies, including F-22 stealth fighter jets.

Pyongyang's move was "regrettable", said unification ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun, adding it "contradicts the fundamental spirit and purpose of the Panmunjom Declaration".

Hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War stopped with a ceasefire, leaving the two halves of the peninsula divided by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and still technically at war.

The North has spent decades developing its nuclear arsenal and missiles capable of reaching the US, earning itself multiple rounds of UN Security Council resolutions, while Trump and Kim traded personal insults and threats of war last year.

Relations underwent a sudden turnaround as Moon used February's Winter Olympics in the South to broker talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

Washington said it will continue to plan next month's meeting, with State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert telling reporters it had received "no notification" of a position change by North Korea.

The exercises were "not provocative" and would continue, she added.
Page Content

The World Bank Group recently organized a training on the 'New Procurement Regulations for Investment Project Financing (IPF) Borrowers' within the Caribbean region. The training was held in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic from May 8, to May 11, 2018.





The Netherlands established the recovery Trust Fund for Sint Maarten following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. The World Bank Group was designated by the Netherlands as the Trust Fund manager. This means that Sint Maarten will utilize World Bank procedures for the procurement of goods, services and works financed through the Trust Fund.





In light of this, three (3) Civil Servants of the Interim Recovery Committee (IRC Committee), that will be tasked with the execution of procurement according to World Bank procedures, attended the training on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten.





The training was conducted by World Bank Group Procurement specialists, with the following objectives:





 Implementation of the first two years of the Banks Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, based on experience of the borrowers with emphasis on how the Regulations have been applied in the Caribbean.





 Explore the new instruments introduced by the Regulations, including the Project Procurement Strategy for Development (PPSD) and the procurement plan.





 Learn about the specific aspects of conducting procurement under the Regulations.





 Preview about the Banks new IT platform for procurement.





Approximately sixty (60) delegates were in attendance, representing the Caribbean Region, Latin America, along with member states of Caribbean intergovernmental organizations such as Caribbean Communities (CARICOM) Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).





During the training, the Sint Maarten team utilized the opportunity to gather specific information and best practices related to the Sint Maarten recovery Trust Fund.





Photo caption  From left to right: Thijn Laurensse, Procurement Specialist, Interim Recovery Committee, Tytania Archangel, Procurement Support & Olivia Lake, Procurement Specialist, Interim Recovery Committee.




Page Content

The Court of Guardianship of St. Maarten and UNICEF will be hosting a three-day Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) training on Friday May 18th, Monday 21st, and Tuesday 22nd from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm at the University of St. Maarten (USM).





The CPiE training stems from the post-disaster needs assessments UNICEF conducted shortly after Hurricane Irma in September and October last year. The Child Protection assessment findings revealed the need for child protection to be mainstreamed and strengthened across the disaster management system in preparation for possible future disasters and the need to increase the understanding of Child Protection in Emergencies among key stakeholders in disaster response.





The objectives of the training are as follows:





1. To introduce the key concepts on protecting children from future disasters





2. To explore the global Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS) and situate them in the context of Sint Maarten





3. The development of a concrete action plan to improve childrens protection through their emergency preparedness by each participant/participating institution or department.





The Child Protection Working Groups Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Emergencies handbook will also be made available to all the participants during the training.





Photo caption L-R  Rodney Richardson-Policy Advisor Prime Ministers Cabinet, Joanna Wedge, UNICEF Child Protection in Emergencies-training/consultant, Prime Minister/Acting Minister of Justice Leona Romeo-Marlin, Richelda Rodriguez Emmanuel-Director of the Court of Guardianship, Anna Kroon-UNICEF Child Protection-specialist.




CAYHILL:--- The St Maarten medical center Pediatric ward has received new patient monitoring devices. The provision of the devices was made possible by the generosity of the AFAS Foundation. The AFAS Foundation is part of AFAS, a company based in the Netherlands specialized in software development for different industries. AFAS Foundation supports projects within healthcare, education and society around the world by provision of necessary funding.

The foundation provided the SMMC with 12 devices, both mobile and wall mounted. The new patient monitoring equipment was distributed by the Andar International, a Caribbean provider of world-class medical products and services. An Andar representative technician was on hand for the device set-up and software training of the pediatric staff. Mr. Pim Steinmeijer, director of AFAS Caribbean, visited the hospital and was able to observe the monitors in use within the Pediatric ward.

Up-to-date patient monitoring is vital when working in a pediatric environment as children, with their smaller and more fragile frames require accurate monitoring. The new devices provide improved monitoring capabilities for the pediatric ward staff and its patients. In addition, the advanced software capabilities of the new devices provide more functions and vivid imagery. The devices, which are made by Japanese manufacturer, Nihon Khon are equipped with the newest monitoring software. The monitoring software is said to be able to improve patient safety and outcome by better helping to identify deteriorating condition earlier. This can help with clinical intervention.

The St. Maarten Medical Center is very appreciative to the AFAS Foundation for their generous donation. The addition of new equipment in the pediatric ward is part of SMMCs continued commitment to provide better health care close to home.
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Republic TV, India's leading English-language news channel has announced its foray into the North American continent by way of having its linear programming content aired nationally in Canada on a 24 hour licensed Canadian news service of Asian Television Network.

Founded by journalist Arnab Goswami, Republic TV is the newest entrant to the English news space in India. Breaking records with 52 percent market share in its first week of broadcast it is now the de-facto leader in the genre.

Republic TV has a diverse schedule of shows including The Debate which airs every day except Saturday, from 9-11pm, and a weekly interview show, Nation Wants to Know  both hosted by Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, alongside news shows focusing on the biggest news incident of the day, called 'Burning Question' among others. Additional shows include Patriot, with Major Gaurav Arya, where viewers are taken into the barracks of the armed forces and R. Glitz, which showcases the latest news from Bollywood, among others.

Asian Television Network (ATN) is one of Canada's Pioneer Multi-Cultural Broadcasters and is a long established Canadian Media company that has grown in stature along with the fast expanding ethnic population in Canada. ATN has a state of the art Digital broadcast center with multiple studios, several non-linear edit suites; multiple camera crews with a special emphasis on local Canadian programming and is currently one of the largest producers of multicultural content in Canada. ATN operates a South Asian Radio Service on Satellite Radio across The United States and Canada. Some ATN content is also available on any Bell mobile phone that supports video.

Commenting on the launch, Dr. Shan Chandrasekar, founder, President & CEO of Asian Television Network said, "We are excited to have Republic TV's High-Quality Programming available through ATN's Canadian Licensed Platforms. Since Republic TV's launch in India, it has had a large share of voice in the Indian news space. With their compelling Content, we hope to reach the large South Asian diaspora in this part of the globe and make the network more holistic."

Republic TV CEO, Vikas Khanchandani, said: "North America contributes a huge faction of the digital viewership of Republic. With such high demand, we are heartened that the Canadian market will soon be able to consume the channel directly on their TV screens and that Priya and her team will be offering advertisers, the most impactful news media platform to discerning audiences in the region."
Almost a quarter-of-a-million girls younger than five die in India every year due to neglect resulting from society's preference for sons, a gender discrimination study has found.

This was over and above those aborted simply for being female, researchers wrote in The Lancet medical journal.

"Gender-based discrimination towards girls doesn't simply prevent them from being born, it may also precipitate the death of those who are born," said study co-author Christophe Guilmoto of the Paris Descartes University.

"Gender equity is not only about rights to education, employment or political representation, it is also about caring, vaccination, and nutrition of girls, and ultimately survival."

Guilmoto and a team used population data from 46 countries to calculate how many infant girls would have died in a society where there was no discrimination impact, and how many died in reality.

The difference, about 19 deaths out of every 1,000 girls born between 2000 and 2005, was ascribed to the effects of gender bias.

This amounted to about 239,000 deaths per year or 2.4 million over a decade.

"Around 22 percent of the overall mortality burden of females under five (in India) is therefore due to gender bias," the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) a research institute based in Austria, said in a statement.

The problem was most pronounced in northern India, the researchers found, with states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, accounting for two-thirds of the excess deaths.

Hardest hit were poor, rural, farming regions with low education levels, high population densities, and high birth rates.

"As the regional estimates of excess deaths of girls demonstrate, any intervention to reduce the discrimination against girls in food and healthcare allocation should, therefore, target in priority regions... where poverty, low social development, and patriarchal institutions persist and investments (in) girls are limited," said co-author Nandita Saikia of IIASA.

It is the first time that the number of excess deaths amongst girls under five in India was studied at the district level, showing specific geographic patterns of excess female mortality across Indias 640 districts.

The worst affected areas were all rural, agricultural areas with lower levels of education, high population densities, low socioeconomic development and high levels of fertility. The researchers said that many deaths of females under five are partly down to unwanted childbearing and subsequent neglect.

Higher levels of female literacy and employment in more modern industries were linked to lower levels of excess mortality in females under five.

As the regional estimates of excess deaths of girls demonstrate, any intervention to reduce the discrimination against girls in food and healthcare allocation should, therefore, target in priority regions of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh where poverty, low social development, and patriarchal institutions persist and investments on girls are limited, said Saikia.

Saikia added, The sustained fertility decline currently observed in North India is likely to lead to a reduction in postnatal discrimination. Unless son preference diminishes, lower fertility, however, might bring about a rise in gender-biased sex selection as was observed 20 years ago in Western India. This reinforces the need to address directly the issue of gender discrimination in addition to encouraging social and economic development for its benefits on Indian women.

Interestingly, the results did not coincide with areas with known skewed sex ratios at birth, such as Punjab, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. Co-researcher Christophe Guilmoto said that for too long, the focus was on prenatal sex selection.

Gender-based discrimination towards girls doesnt simply prevent them from being born, it may also precipitate the death of those who are born, he said. Gender equity is not only about rights to education, employment or political representation. It is also about care, vaccination, and nutrition of girls, and ultimately survival.

Saikia noted that if there were no excess female deaths in India, the country could have achieved its Millennium Development Goal target on child mortality, of 42 deaths per 1,000 births, very easily.

Discrimination towards the girl child is not justified. There is a need to change the mentality. Rather than discriminating against them, it is necessary to raise their value through education and self-dependence, concluded Saikia.In all, 29 out of 35 states in India had overall excess mortality in girls under five, and all states and territories bar two had at least one district with excess mortality. However, the level varied.
US Senate votes to restore 'net neutrality' rules



Washington, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2018



The US Senate voted Wednesday to restore so-called "net neutrality" rules aimed at requiring all online data to be treated equally, the latest step in a years-long battle on internet regulation.

The 52-47 vote is likely to be symbolic, however, since the measure faces an uphill battle in the House of Representatives and would need enough lawmaker support to overturn a probable presidential veto.

The vote marked the latest step in a contentious fight over rules governing online access over the past decade including court challenges and various moves by regulators.

In December, the Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 along party lines to reverse a 2015 order which established net neutrality and which itself had faced court challenges and intense partisan debate.

In the Senate, three Republicans joined Democrats in the vote under the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to overturn a regulatory body.

FCC chairman Ajit Pai, appointed by President Donald Trump, has argued that the 2015 rules were "heavy-handed" and failed to take into account the rapidly changing landscape for online services and were discouraging investment in advanced networks.

Net neutrality backers have argued that clear rules are needed to prevent internet service providers from blocking or throttling services or websites for competitive reasons.

Some activists fear internet service providers will seek to extract higher fees from services that are heavy data users, like Netflix or other streaming services, with these costs passed on to consumers.

The battle has been largely along party lines, and has also been split with large tech firms supporting neutrality and telecom operators backing more flexible rules.

Although the Senate vote may not succeed in restoring neutrality rules, backers said it would allow voters to know where their lawmakers stand.

Democratic Senator Ed Markey said on Twitter the vote would "show the American people who sides with them, and who sides with the powerful special interests and corporate donors who are thriving under the @realDonaldTrump administration."

Ferras Vinh of the Center for Democracy & Technology, a digital rights group, welcomed the vote.

"Without net neutrality protections, internet service providers will have an explicit license to block, slow, or levy tolls on content, which will limit choices for internet users and suffocate small businesses looking to enter the market," Vinh said.

"These protections are the guiding principles of the open internet, facilitating innovation and enabling the spread of new ideas."

But USTelecom, an industry group representing major broadband carriers, expressed disappointment.

"This vote throws into reverse our shared goal of maintaining an open, thriving internet," said association president Jonathan Spalter.

"Consumers want permanent, comprehensive online protections, not half measures or election-year posturing from our representatives in Congress."

rl/it













FCC - FOMENTO DE CONSTRUCCIONES Y CONTRATAS SA
EU launches economic plan to save Iran nuclear deal



Brussels, May 15 (AFP) May 15, 2018



The European Union on Tuesday launched work on a nine-point economic plan to keep the Iran nuclear deal alive after the abrupt withdrawal of the United States.

Europe is scrambling to come up with ways to persuade Iran to stick with the landmark 2015 agreement despite US President Donald Trump ditching it a week ago.

Tehran has warned it is prepared to resume "industrial-scale" uranium enrichment "without any restrictions" unless Europe can provide solid guarantees that it can maintain the economic benefits it gained from the nuclear agreement despite Washington reimposing sanctions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany -- the three European signatories to pact -- in Brussels on the last leg of a whirlwind diplomatic tour that also took in Russia and China, the two other signatory nations.

Mogherini said EU experts were aiming to come up with concrete proposals in the coming weeks on nine key issues including ensuring Iran could sell its oil and gas products and have access to international finance.

"I believe it's a good start. We're not there, we're beginning the process," Zarif told reporters after the talks.

But he warned that Tehran expected to see progress towards the guarantees it wants "within the next few weeks".

Mogherini acknowledged the enormous challenge of finding a way around US sanctions punishing businesses trading with Iran, which apply all around the world.

"We know it's a difficult task but we are detemined to do it and we have started to work to put in place measures that help ensure this happens," she told reporters.

EU experts have already started work on measures to get round US sanctions on Iran, Mogherini said.

Their efforts focus on nine key areas including maintaining economic ties with Iran, continuing Iran's ability to sell oil and gas products and protecting EU companies doing business in Iran.

The EU is also looking at how it could develop special financing vehicles for doing business with Iran.



- 'Respect the deal' -



The European Union insists the deal is working, pointing to repeated UN inspections verifying the Islamic republic's compliance with its side of the bargain.

EU leaders aim to show a united front on preserving the Iran deal when they meet for a pre-summit dinner in Sofia on Wednesday, European Council President Donald Tusk said.

"I would like our debate to reconfirm without any doubt that as long as Iran respects the provisions of the deal, the EU will also respect it," Tusk said in a letter to the leaders on the eve of the summit.

European firms, especially those from France and Germany, rushed to invest in Iran following the 2015 accord, under which Tehran agreed to freeze its nuclear programme in return for an end to punishing international sanctions.

German exports to Iran totalled nearly 3.0 billion euros in 2017, while French exports soared from 562 million euros in 2015 to 1.5 billion in 2017 and oil giant Total has pledged to invest some $5 billion in the South Pars gas field.



- 'No illusion' -



When he quit the deal last week, US President Donald Trump gave businesses a maximum of six months to wind up operations in Iran or face swingeing penalties under American sanctions.

"We have to be realistic about the electrified rail, the live wire of American extra-territoriality and how that can serve as a deterrent to business," said British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

French President Emmanuel Macron held phone talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, and the Kremlin said they had "confirmed Russia and France's commitment to make the deal work".

Washington has long complained that the nuclear deal does nothing to stop Iran's ballistic missile programme or its interference in conflicts across the Middle East from Syria to Yemen.

On Sunday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington still wants to work with Europe to counter Iran's "malign behaviour" and was working hard to thrash out a more wide-ranging deal with its European partners.

But Mogherini cast doubt on the idea on Tuesday, saying the deal "doesn't need to be changed, modified or have any addition".

"We're not talking about annexes or modifications of the agreement at all, we're talking about setting up concrete measures" to preserve the deal, Mogherini said.

pdw/dl
US officials look to house migrant kids on military bases: report



Washington, May 15 (AFP) May 15, 2018



Trump administration officials plan to visit four US military installations to see if they could be used to house migrant children, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The move comes after US Attorney General Jeff Sessions last week warned that people who enter the United States unlawfully with children will have them taken away.

Citing an email notification to the Pentagon from the Department of Health and Human Services, which provides minors with foster care, the Post said officials will inspect four bases in Arkansas and Texas to see if they would be suitable for child shelters.

Neither the Pentagon nor HHS immediately responded to requests for comment.

According to the Post, unaccompanied minors under 18 who arrive at the border would be housed on the bases, along with children who have been separated from their parents.

The email seen by the Post said the site visits are preliminary, and that no decisions have yet been made.

During a border visit to Arizona and California last week, Sessions warned that anyone attempting to bring a child into the US would be prosecuted and would likely be separated from the minor.

"If you don't want your child separated, then don't bring them across the border illegally. It's not our fault that somebody does that," Sessions said.

According to an HHS official who spoke to the Post, the agency's facilities for children are at 91 percent capacity. The crackdown by President Donald Trump's administration could see its centers overflow.

The Democratic National Committee has denounced Sessions's comments and the Trump administration's immigration policy as an "affront to our values as a nation."

In July 2014, the US was confronted with a spike in Central American children crossing its border, with an influx of 60,000 minors.

At the peak of the crisis, former president Barack Obama's administration used bases in California, Oklahoma and Texas to shelter thousands of children, the Post reported.
National Guard role expanding on border: US Homeland chief



Washington, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2018



The role of US National Guard troops sent to the Mexican border is being expanded, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said on Tuesday.

Nielsen told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that 1,600 Guard members are currently on the frontier, a number that will next rise to 2,200 as their duties expand.

"Originally we were focused on border patrol support but now we've extended it," with troops also supporting ports of entry as well as intelligence and analysis, Nielsen said.

"It's a huge force multiplier," she said.

US President Donald Trump, who has cracked down on illegal immigration, said in April he would send thousands of National Guard soldiers to the southern border, where they could remain until his promised border wall is constructed.

Trump's order could eventually see around 4,000 Guardsmen -- under the control of their respective state governors -- along the border, which spans four US states.
EU's Tusk hits out at Trump's 'capricious assertiveness'



Sofia, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2018



EU chief Donald Tusk hit out at US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, accusing Washington of "capricious assertiveness" in abandoning the Iran nuclear deal and imposing trade tariffs on Europe.

"Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think with friends like that who needs enemies," Tusk told reporters in the Bulgarian capital Sofia before EU leaders met to discuss a "united front" on Trump.

"But frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful to President Trump, because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realise that if you need a helping hand you will find one at the end of your arm," the European Council president added.

The 28 European Union leaders are meeting for dinner on the eve of a summit to discuss closer ties with the Western Balkans, but tensions with Trump have hijacked the agenda.

European ministers met with a top Iranian official in Brussels on Tuesday in a bid to save the Iranian nuclear accord after Trump decided to pull out. Meanwhile the EU is still trying to win exemptions from tariffs on steel and aluminium exports.

In a scathing attack, former Polish prime minister Tusk compared the Trump administration with Europe's long-time adversaries, Moscow and Beijing.

"Besides the traditional political challenges such as the rise of China or the aggressive stance of Russia, we are witnessing today a new phenomenon: the capricious assertiveness of the American administration," Tusk said.

He called for more unity in the divided EU -- which is set to lose Britain as a member next year -- to face the growing challenges.

"I have no doubt that in the new global game, Europe will either be one of the major players, or a pawn. This is the only real alternative."
Turkish 'coup' officers 'afraid' to stay in Greece: lawyers



Athens, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2018



Eight Turkish officers who fled to Greece following the failed 2016 army coup are now "afraid" to stay and want to leave the country, their lawyers said Wednesday.

"They are afraid of staying in Greece" because of possible capture by Turkish state agents, law professor Nikos Alivizatos, a member of the defence team, told a news conference.

If granted access and travel documents, they will seek to relocate to another EU country or elsewhere, he said.

Two of the eight men -- whom Ankara wants to extradite as 'terrorists' - have been granted asylum.

The Greek state has contested the ruling, and the country's top administrative court is to decide on the issue soon.

The case is awkward for Athens, which relies on Turkey's assistance in stemming huge migratory and refugee flows from crossing the Aegean.

A further complication arose in March, when Turkish forces arrested two Greek soldiers who crossed the border whilst allegedly lost in the fog.

They have been incarcerated for the past two months. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month floated the idea of an exchange, which was flatly rejected by his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

Greece's Supreme Court has ruled that the eight Turkish soldiers will not be extradited, arguing that they would not have a fair trial at home.

The refusal of other EU countries such as Germany and the Netherlands to extradite Turkish diplomats and officers also caused problems in their relations with Turkey, said Vassilis Papadopoulos, legal coordinator of the Greek council for refugees.

Ankara says the soldiers are part of the movement led by Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blames for masterminding the coup attempt.

The men deny involvement in the coup bid.
Israel targets Hamas position after Gaza gunfire



Jerusalem, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2018



An Israeli tank fired at a Hamas position in northern Gaza on Wednesday, the army said, after militants in the Palestinian enclave shot at soldiers.

The exchange of fire east of Jabalia came after weeks of mass protests and clashes on the Gaza border, which peaked on Monday when some 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces. Protests since then have dwindled.

In response to the gunfire, Israeli troops "targeted a military post belonging to the Hamas terror organisation with tank fire," the army said in a statement, noting no soldiers were wounded.

A Palestinian security source in Gaza confirmed the target was a Hamas observation point, saying the Israeli attack resulted in no injuries.

Palestinians have held demonstrations on the border since March 30 for what they call the right of return. Monday's protests were also against the move of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

During the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948, more than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes.

The protests have peaked on Fridays, with the numbers of demonstrators ranging from thousands to tens of thousands.

Small groups have approached the border fence, throwing stones, burning tyres and hurling Molotov cocktails. Some have tried to break through the fence.

Israel has faced international criticism over its use of live fire, but insists its actions are necessary to defend the border and stop mass infiltrations from the Palestinian enclave, which is run by Islamist movement Hamas.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman called Hamas leadership "a bunch of cannibals that treat their children as ammunition."

Speaking at an army base near the Gaza border, Lieberman said the goal of Hamas was "to remove the siege (over Gaza) but not to build their economy or create coexistence," he said, referring to the Israeli blockade of the strip.

He argued their aims were rather "to smuggle arms, continue building their military force and create another upgraded Hezbollah model," referring to the armed Lebanese group.

Israel and militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008.
Israel targets Hamas position after Gaza gunfire



Jerusalem, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2018



An Israeli tank fired at a Hamas position in northern Gaza on Wednesday after militants in the Palestinian enclave shot at soldiers, the army said.

The exchange of fire east of Jabalia came after weeks of mass protests and clashes on the Gaza border, which peaked on Monday when some 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces. Protests since then have dwindled.

In response to the gunfire, Israeli troops "targeted a military post belonging to the Hamas terror organisation with tank fire," the army said in a statement, noting no soldiers were wounded.

A Palestinian security source in Gaza confirmed the target was a Hamas observation point, saying the Israeli attack resulted in no injuries.

In a separate incident, bullets from a heavy machine gun fired in Gaza hit a house in nearby Israeli town Sderot, causing damage but no injuries, police said.

The army said the incident was "serious" and they considered "terror group Hamas responsible for anything taking place in and from Gaza."

Palestinians have held demonstrations on the border since March 30 for what they call the right of return. Monday's protests were also against the move of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

During the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948, more than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes.

The protests have peaked on Fridays, with the numbers of demonstrators ranging from thousands to tens of thousands.

Small groups have approached the border fence, throwing stones, burning tyres and hurling Molotov cocktails. Some have tried to break through the fence.

Israel has faced international criticism over its use of live fire, but insists its actions are necessary to defend the border and stop mass infiltrations from the Palestinian enclave, which is run by Islamist movement Hamas.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman called Hamas leadership "a bunch of cannibals that treat their children as ammunition."

Speaking at an army base near the Gaza border, Lieberman said the goal of Hamas was "to remove the siege (over Gaza) but not to build their economy or create coexistence," he said, referring to the Israeli blockade of the strip.

He argued their aims were rather "to smuggle arms, continue building their military force and create another upgraded Hezbollah model," referring to the armed Lebanese group.

Israel and militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008.
Trump says 'we'll see' as North Korea threatens to cancel summit



Washington, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2018



US President Donald Trump sounded a note of caution Wednesday about his much-vaunted summit with Kim Jong Un, saying "we'll see" after Pyongyang threatened to cancel.

Trump said the US government had not received any official word of a change in plans for the June 12 meeting in Singapore.

"We haven't been notified at all. We'll have to see," Trump said in the Oval Office.

"We haven't seen anything. We haven't heard anything. We will see what happens. Whatever it is, it is."

After weeks of warm words and diplomatic backslapping, Pyongyang abruptly threatened to pull out Tuesday, over US demands for "unilateral nuclear abandonment."

In an angrily worded statement, the North warned "if the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue."

The statement was attributed to first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan and carried by state media KCNA.

In that case, he added, Pyongyang would have to "reconsider" its participation at next month's summit in Singapore.

The first vice foreign minister also tore into Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton for drawing parallels between North Korea and Libya, calling the comparison "absolutely absurd."

"We do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," he said of Bolton.

Bolton has pushed the idea of a deal with North Korea like that reached with Libya's Moamer Kadhafi, who agreed in 2003 to the elimination of his country's nuclear program and chemical weapons arsenal to gain sanctions relief.

After giving up his atomic program, Kadhafi was killed in 2011 in an uprising backed by NATO bombing.



- A plea from China -



Experts have not been surprised by the sudden about face, expecting bumps in the road as tough issues to be discussed in the meeting come into sharper focus.

Washington is pressing for North Korea's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. But so far, the North has given no public indication of what it is offering, beyond a broad commitment to denuclearization of the "Korean peninsula."

Pyongyang "made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States," the North Korean minister said.

In the past, Pyongyang has demanded the withdrawal of US troops stationed in the South, and an end to Washington's nuclear umbrella over its ally.

China, North Korea's sole major ally, called for the summit to go ahead.

"The situation on the peninsula has eased up, which is worth cherishing," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing.

Minister Kim also dismissed offers by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for US economic aid if the North denuclearizes.

"We have never had any expectation of US support in carrying out our economic construction and will not at all make such a deal in future," he said.

The White House said plans for the summit were moving ahead.

"The president is ready if the meeting takes place. And if it doesn't, we will continue the maximum pressure campaign that has been ongoing," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

- Tightrope diplomacy -



The North Korean warning follows a weeks-long charm offensive that has seen Kim Jong Un hold a historic summit with the South's president and meet twice with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Pyongyang also raised hopes ahead of the US summit by announcing it will destroy its nuclear testing site next week.

Analysts said Pyongyang appeared to be trying to redefine the terms of the debate.

"It's a diplomatic tactic," Kim Hyun-wook, professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, told AFP, calling it "brinkmanship to change the US position."

"It looks like Kim Jong Un was pushed into accepting US demands for 'denuclearization-first' but is now trying to change its position after normalizing North Korea-China relations and securing economic assistance," he added.

"The classic North Korean tightrope diplomacy between the US and China has begun."

US officials have repeatedly claimed credit for Washington's "maximum pressure" policy for bringing Pyongyang to the negotiating table.

Joshua Pollack of the Middlebury Institute for International Studies said Pyongyang had been irritated by the "triumphalist tone."

"The North Koreans aren't happy with what they're seeing and hearing," he said. "There is still a yawning gulf between expectations for diplomacy in Pyongyang and Washington, DC."



- Thunderstruck -



KCNA also denounced the Max Thunder joint military exercises being held between the US and South Korea as a "rude and wicked provocation," and Seoul said it had received a message cancelling planned high-level talks "indefinitely."

The two-week drills started last Friday and involves some 100 aircraft from the two allies, including F-22 stealth fighter jets.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters it had received "no notification" of a position change by North Korea on next month's meeting.

The exercises were "not provocative" and would continue, she added.

burs-arb/jm
Israel targets Hamas positions after Gaza gunfire



Jerusalem, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2018



Israeli tanks fired at three Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after gunfire from the Palestinian enclave targeted soldiers, the army said.

The exchanges of fire came after weeks of mass protests and clashes on the Gaza border, which peaked on Monday when some 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces. Protests since then have dwindled.

Following the first shots fired at Israeli soldiers from northern Gaza, troops "targeted a military post belonging to the Hamas terror organisation with tank fire," the army said in a statement.

A Palestinian security source in Gaza said the target was a Hamas observation point, but that the Israeli attack resulted in no injuries.

Later in the day, gunfire from southern Gaza targeted Israeli troops, in response to which a tank targeted two Hamas "military posts" in the same region.

No Israeli soldiers were wounded in either case.

In a separate incident, bullets from a heavy machinegun fired in Gaza hit a house in nearby Israeli town Sderot, causing damage but no injuries, police said.

The army said the incident was "serious" and they considered "terror group Hamas responsible for anything taking place in and from Gaza."

Palestinians have held demonstrations on the border since March 30 for what they call the right of return. Monday's protests were also against the move of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

During the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948, more than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes.

The protests have peaked on Fridays, with the numbers of demonstrators ranging from thousands to tens of thousands.

Small groups have approached the border fence, throwing stones, burning tyres and hurling Molotov cocktails. Some have tried to break through the fence.

Israel has faced international criticism over its use of live fire, but insists its actions are necessary to defend the border and stop mass infiltrations from the Palestinian enclave, which is run by Islamist movement Hamas.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman called Hamas leadership "a bunch of cannibals that treat their children as ammunition."

Speaking at an army base near the Gaza border, Lieberman said the goal of Hamas was "to remove the siege (over Gaza) but not to build their economy or create coexistence," he said, referring to the Israeli blockade of the strip.

He argued their aims were rather "to smuggle arms, continue building their military force and create another upgraded Hezbollah model," referring to the armed Lebanese group.

Israel and militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008.
TERENCE J SIGAMONY



ISLAMABAD: The Islam-abad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday admitted a writ petition for regular hearing which sought courts orders to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to initiate legal proceedings against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his anti-Pakistan statements.



A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq conducted hearing of this matter and admitted the petition for regular hearing and issued notices to the respondents.



Petitioners Rai Tajamul Hussain Advocate and Fahad Bin Sadaqat moved the court through their counsel Babar Awan Advocate and cited Director General (DG) Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), former PM Nawaz Sharif, chairman Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA) and chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) as respondents.



The petitioners stated in their petition that on May 3, while appearing before the NAB court, Nawaz Sharif threatened the state institutions as well as nation at large to disclose state secrets which he came to know as the prime minister.



They added that the former prime minister is annoyed with all the state institutions after being removed and hit by consequences of the Panama Papers case. They maintained that it is a public fact that Nawaz was unable to defend himself before the apex court in corruption charges as he failed to give any proof of source of income or money trail for the laundered money.



The petitioners alleged, thereafter, the former prime minister, being sponsored by federal government and the Punjab government, is using facilities and resources of state to promote his anti-state agenda under different banners and styles.



They maintained that on May 11, Nawaz gave an interview aimed at maligning the prime security institution of the country.



The petitioners said that the above-noted interview was celebrated by highly inimical and arch rival country, India, and it was taken as confession by and on behalf of Pakistani state, admitting its involvement in terrorist acts occurring in Mumbai.



They continued that it is another public fact that according to media reports, Nawaz Sharif and his family brought Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, business tycoon Sajan Jandal, RAW chief and a number of Indian workers for the business concerns of Sharif family without observing legal and codal formalities of immigration and visa laws for which FIA is duty-bound to enforce the writ of the state but due to massive influence of the respondent, FIA had failed so far to enforce the law of land and adhere to the Constitutional dictates under Article 4, 5, 8, 9 and 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan.



According to the petition, the act of Nawaz amounts to provoking the enemies of Pakistan to take coercive measures against the state of Pakistan. Therefore, they prayed to the court to direct FIA to initiate legal proceedings against Nawaz Sharif and register a case against him.



He requested the court that the chairman PEMRA may be directed to ensure that the anti-state speeches and remarks of Nawaz Sharif defaming the high esteemed institutions are not live aired in any manner whatsoever on electronic media. The petitioner further requested the court that the chairman PTA may be directed to remove entire anti-state and anti-institutions speeches from social media.




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English15/05/2018

SRNA News Roundup /III/ - May 15, 2018





REPUBLIKA SRPSKA



BIJELJINA - Families of the 59 soldiers killed in the Tuzla Convoy cannot pay their respects to the victims even 26 years after the crime by Muslim paramilitary troops or light candles at the place of their killing in the Federation of BiH, says Miodrag Vujanovic, the brother of a killed soldier.



BANJALUKA - Republika Srpska Minister of Finance Zoran Tegeltija says the revised budget for this year has increased the budget framework, which is the result of a growth in original income.



BANJALUKA - Minister of Health and Social Welfare Dragan Bogdanic says that the right to personal disability allowance will be applied starting July 1 and that the relevant legislation will be amended until the end of the year.



DERVENTA - Director of the Srpska Civil Protection Administration Mile Medjed and Mayor of Derventa Milorad Simic on Tuesday discussed the state of protection and rescue in the local community and possibilities of improving the civil protection system.



BANJALUKA - Mayor of Banjaluka Igor Radojicic opened a reconstructed local road and a secondary water supply network in the village of Kadina Voda in the local community of Pavici on Tuesday. The total value of the works is BAM111,000.



TREBINJE - Construction of a rainwater collector in the Nova Street in Zasad Polje in Trebinje has finished. It will allow rainwater from the settlements of Hrupjela and Zasad to drain into the Trebisnjica River, head of the city department of spatial planning Marko Rikalo confirmed to Srna.



BANJALUKA - Spring at the Museum, an event reflecting the diversity of creative abilities of pupils and building awareness of material and non-material cultural heritage, opened at the Museum of Republika Srpska on Tuesday.



BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA



SARAJEVO - The Joint Defence and Security Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday passed the bill on amendments to the Law on Service in the BiH Armed Forces, which refers to the length of service of professional soldiers. It was proposed by the Council of Ministers.



SARAJEVO - Sredoje Novic, head of the Serb Caucus in the BiH House of Peoples, considers the Council of Ministers the most responsible for the situation where two amendments to the BiH Criminal Procedure Code have been submitted to the parliament for consideration.



BRCKO - The Government of Republika Srpska and Government of the Brcko District on Tuesday signed an agreement on the mutual settlement of obligations and relations concerning the apartments of fallen veterans built in the settlement of Ilicka.



SERBIA



BELGRADE - Visiting Dusseldorf on Tuesday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic voiced expectations that even more German investors will come to Serbia, adding that trade with the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia is around EUR620 million.



BELGRADE - Serbian and US officials signed two agreements in Belgrade on Tuesday facilitating additional American support of USD22 million for building business competitiveness and rule of law in Serbia.



BELGRADE - The first session of the Committee on Cooperation between the Serbian Assembly and Chinas National Congress dedicated to the improvement of parliamentary cooperation between the two countries took place in Belgrade on Tuesday.



BELGRADE - Dragan Elcic, the Dean of the Belgrade Academy of Arts, was awarded the Golden Badge by the Cultural and Educational Association of Serbia for his long-lasting contribution to cultural activities and many years of selfless and dedicated work. /end/ds
California Judge Overturns Assisted Suicide

Contact: Margie Shealy, Christian Medical & Dental Associations, 888-230-2637, 423-341-4254 mobile, margie.shealy@cmda.org



BRISTOL, Tenn., May 16, 2018 /Standard Newswire/ -- The nation's largest faith-based organization, the 19,000-member Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA, www.cmda.org), today hailed a California judge's ruling in its lawsuit against assisted suicide in California.



"Just as assisted suicide contravenes the Hippocratic oath, the judge found that the California legislature contravened the state constitution," stated CMDA CEO Dr. David Stevens. "Assisted suicide is not healthcare, it has no role in the healing arts of medicine, and it is dangerous for patients, medicine and society."



Legislator sponsors of the End of Life Option Act had introduced the bill in a special session of the legislature convened by Governor Jerry Brown to address Medicaid funding shortfalls, services for the disabled and in-home health support services. Life Legal Defense Foundation attorneys who represent the American Academy of Medical Ethics, (www.ethicalhealthcare.org) CMDA's state public policy arm, in the lawsuit appeared in court yesterday to argue that the Act is not related or even incidental to the stated purpose of the special session.



Riverside Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia agreed, ruling on May 15 that "the End of Life Option Act, which decriminalizes physician-assisted suicide, does not fall within the scope of access to healthcare services," and that it "is not a matter of health care funding."



"The legislature's unconstitutional maneuvers that corrupted the legislative process parallel the way assisted suicide corrupts the core healing mission of medicine.



"Depressed patients can easily fall prey to the temptation to give up on life. Those who have a financial interest in a patient's deathinsurers, the government, greedy heirscan wield lethal pressure against the elderly and infirm. Millions of Americans, including many teenagers, who feel vulnerable to thoughts of suicide hear a message from the government that suicide is legal, that it is a good thing for society to endorse.



"We need government to promote the value of life, to support compassionate end-of-life care measures, and to empower doctors to aggressively treat painnot to legalize ways to end patients' lives or save money by cutting healthcare short near the end of life," Dr. Stevens said.


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Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a 70-page decision yesterday in CAA v. FDA, largely ruling against the cigar industry groups that brought the legal challenge to the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) regulation of premium cigars and other tobacco products.

The Cigar Association of America, International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, and Cigar Rights of America filed the legal challenge last year claiming the FDAs move to extend tobacco regulations to cigars and other tobacco products violated the Administrative Procedures Act, as well as the First and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution.

The one win for the industry groups relates to pipe tobacco. The Obama-appointed judge found the FDA was arbitrary and capricious when it designated tobacco retailers who blend pipe tobaccos in-store as domestic manufacturers under that Tobacco Control Act. That issue was remanded back to the FDA for further consideration.

The judge rejected claims that the FDA violated the Administrative Procedures Act when enacting the deeming rule, putting cigars under the Tobacco Control Act. He also rejected claims that the large cigar warning labels violate the Constitutional rights of cigar manufacturers who were required by the law to put health warnings on products and advertisements for cigars. (The picture above is of required warning labels in France, which are only slightly larger and more colorful than what is required under the FDA.)

Although the judge noted the basic unfairness of enforcing the warning labels and associated costs while the FDA was reconsidering the regulations and may soon change them, he ultimately deferred to the agencys authority.

Judge Mehtas decision can (and very likely will) be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. An adverse ruling by a three-judge panel of that court could then be petitioned for review en banc by the full court, after which the U.S. Supreme Court could be asked to review that decision.

Analysis

Legal precedent is stacked against those challenging executive agency rules. The Chevron Doctrine gives wide deference to executive branch agencies when it comes to interpreting the law. As a result, an agency like the FDA gets the benefit of the doubt in the eyes of federal courts when it comes to interpreting the limits of its authority.

The good news is, in addition to a likely appeal, this isnt the only legal challenge to the FDA rules. A lawsuit filed by Global Premium Cigars in Florida includes additional claims that the FDAs actions violate the Regulatory Flexibility Act, designed to protect small businesses from over-burdensome regulations. And an additional lawsuit brought by El Cubano Cigars and the Texas Cigar Merchants Association in Texas challenges the regulations including the warning label requirements.

If any of the various appellate courts split on an issue, it increases the likelihood the U.S. Supreme Court could weigh in on the issue. Although the odds are still long, legal experts believe there is an increasing skepticism on the Supreme Court for the deference afforded executive branch agencies under the Chevron Doctrine.

Ultimately, though, the best hope for stopping FDA regulations of cigars remains outside the courts. Short term, the FDAs restarted rulemaking process could provide relief for the cigar industry, as the Trump-appointed FDA commissioner has already initiated a new direction for tobacco regulations.

The more fundamental, if difficult, solution is to repeal the FDAs authority over premium cigars. Once the FDA was granted the power in 2009 to extend its authority over cigars, it was inevitable that eventually the agency would exercise that power.

Back in 2009, some in the cigar industry werent particularly worried about the FDAs new powers over tobacco because the laws primary target was cigarettes. While it may have been true that cigarettes were the primary target, it was short-sited to think FDA regulation wouldnt eventually expand to cigars.

Cigar maker Steve Saka provided his reaction to yesterdays ruling in a Facebook post: Basically the court is saying that what the FDA is doing is wrong and unjust, but legal This is a byproduct of an inept Congress that lacks the moral fortitude to fix the colossal mistake they created and bureaucracy run amok. It is beyond frustrating and infuriating.

In short, if youre looking for someone to blame for yesterdays ruling, dont focus on the judge, but on the Congress that authorized the FDAs regulation of cigars in the first place. And dont forget: Todays Congress still has the power to repeal it.

Patrick S



photo credit: Stogie Guys
While the Syrian government is close to winning the seven year long civil war there are still substantial rebel forces that will not surrender. The most formidable rebel bastion is in northwest Syria where Idlib province, on the Turkish border, is largely controlled by rebels.

Aside from sealing their border the Turks are not interested in Idlib and leaving to the Assad forces to take back control of the province. Turkey has established forces on the Syrian side of the border and built several watch towers and stationed border guards on both sides of the border.

With pro-rebel population of about two million, Idlib is the last major stronghold for rebels. That would require support from Russian airpower and Iranian mercenary ground forces. At the moment Iran is distracted with Israel. Fortunately the rebels in Idlib are not united. Some are ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and some are FSA (allied with the Turks). While weapons and reinforcements are no longer getting into Idlib from Turkey, food and other essential supplies are and the Turks can cut that off if any of the Idlib rebels cause problems. Meanwhile Turkey is using that access to supplies to gain the cooperation of more rebel groups. The Turks may never get much cooperation from ISIL, but ISIL is a minority in Idlib and hated by all other rebels. Assad forces still carry out some airstrikes against Idlib targets and use artillery as well but keep their troops out.

There are still some pockets of rebel control north of Aleppo. Some of them the Turks might decide to clear of rebels but as long as none of these rebels block access to key (to the Assads) roads or attack Assad controlled areas, they will be left alone, for now.

East of Idlib the border area is largely controlled by the Turks or the Kurds. The Assads may have to eventually declare these areas autonomous and make deals with the Turks and Americans to guarantee that autonomy. The Turkish controlled security zone in Syria, along the Turkish border, is controlled mainly by a Turkey supported rebel coalition currently called the National Army. Before that it had been the FSA (Free Syrian Army) but as the FSA attracted more rebel allies it decided to adopt a new name and make it clear that it was an ally of Turkey and a Syrian force. With about 30,000 fighters the National Army is not as united as the Kurdish led SDF (which has a lot of Arab, Christian and other minority factions) nor does the National Army have a long record of successful cooperation with the Americans. National Army wants peace and, like the SDF, is willing to make a deal with the Assads as long as its Turkish ally agrees.

The Kurdish (SDF) controlled northeast has been autonomous for over five years. The SDF has always had American support and Assad cannot expect to take out the SDF by force. Negotiation is another matter and the SDF has always been willing to talk. So are the Turks. Unfortunately the Turks and Americans dont get along well at the moment but that might change.

There are several pockets of rebel controlled territory in the south along the borders with Israel and Jordan. There are also some rebels near the American special operations base of Tanf, on the Syrian side of the Iraqi border and near the Jordan border. The American forces have the support of some Syrian Sunni tribes that are not friendly to the Assads. In addition the Americans have some allies on the Iraqi side of the border from other Sunni Arab tribes. Iran has assisted (with its mercenaries) Assad forces in trying to eliminate the Tanf base but these effort have failed. The Americans have too much airpower and too much aerial and ground surveillance around Tanf. The U.S. has declared a free fire zone that means any Assad/Iranian forces getting within 30 kilometers of Tanf are automatically attacked. Iranian and Assad forces no longer test this free fire zone. They know it works. But west of Tanf there are a lot of rebel held border areas that the Assad forces can regain control of most. Most of the efforts here are directed at rebels on the Israeli border and Iranian mercenaries (mainly Hezbollah) have been helping out.

The remaining rebel held areas around the capital (Damascus) are mainly left to Assad forces, with some Russian air strikes.

The Assads need foreign assistance, especially from Russia and Iran, to regain all the remaining rebel held areas and at the moment Iran is distracted by its failed efforts to threaten Israel. Russia has backed away from Iran when it comes to Israel and the Turks give Iran verbal encouragement and not much else.

Israel Sets Conditions

Russia is trying to dissuade Israel and its Western allies from attacking more Syrian targets, especially those that harm the many Iranians and Iranian mercenaries supporting the Syrian forces. Russia also does not want to put its high tech weapons to the test because so far these electronic and anti-aircraft systems have proved ineffective against Israeli attacks and probably wont do much better against the Americans. This is bad for business, as Russia has been touting the combat experience in Syria to get more sales for their new stuff. It would also be disastrous for Russian diplomacy which has presented Russia as a powerful and technically advanced ally for Syria, Iran and Turkey. Although Russia talks tough against Israel and the Americans it does not want to take that any further, nor does it want to appear like Russia is backing off. Russia is in an embarrassing situation and not getting much sympathy from anyone, not even Russians back in Russia.

The February incident in Syria where over 200 Russian military contractors died when they tried to seize a small base in eastern Syria containing American troops did not trigger calls for revenge among Russians. Instead the attitude was that these guys took a chance to make a lot of money and it didnt w0rk out. There are a lot of dangerous jobs in Russia that pay well to compensate for the risk. Those who do that work are opportunists, not patriots. So the government has to go easy in Ukraine and Syria. Israel seems more aware of this than most Middle Eastern powers. That is partly because Israel has a large Russian minority, courtesy of a lot of Russian Jews coming to Israel since the 1980s and keeping in touch with folks back home.

Another aftereffect of the 200 contractor deaths was Russia revealing how many Russian military personnel have served in Syria since mid-2015. It was 48,000, and that includes army, navy and air force. Not included are contractors, who are civilians, even if they took on some of the most dangerous jobs and suffered more casualties than the military personnel. Out of those 48,000 Russian military personnel who have been in Syria (some for less than a day, few for more than six months) only about 60 have died in combat so far. There have been half as many military contractors serving in Syria and they have suffered nearly 500 dead. No official numbers of military contractor fatalities have been released but Russian volunteer organizations have tried to keep track of the funerals or other indications of young men dying in Syria and it is clear that being a military contractor is a lot more dangerous. The point here is that there are still some Russians willing to take dangerous combat jobs but there are not enough them to maintain the million man military Russian leaders want.

Iran

Iranians are angry with their government over how foreign affairs have been mismanaged, especially in Syria. The major complaint is how much the government has been spending on the war in Syria since 2012. Long before Israeli agents made off with details of the Iranian nuclear program there were Iranians collecting data on what the Syria war was costing Iran. The government downplayed the cost and declared the Iranian presence in Syria as a religious duty and a crucial step in the effort to destroy Israel. But now most Iranians understand that Syria was costing Iran $10-20 billion a year, which is about twice what the government spends to help the poorest Iranians (which happens to include a majority of Iranians). Irans religious leaders know this is why the late 2017 nationwide demonstrations included many groups that had long supported the religious dictatorship but were not in opposition because their leaders were making it clear that the welfare of the Iranian people, including those who long supported the clerics, was less important than propping up a murderous dictator in Syria who happened to be Shia. Then there was the issue of blaming all misfortunes on Israel or the Americans. The United States has always been a popular place to most Iranians and many still would move to America if they could get out of Iran. The Internet makes it easy for the Iranian-Americans to let the folks back in the old country what the U.S. (the Great Satan according the Iranian clerics) is really like. There are still mandatory death to America demonstrations in Iran but all concerned have noted that most Iranians just go through the motions and would rather go to America than stand around shouting Death to America.

Until recently the Iranian government preferred to retaliate against Israel indirectly. Iran has long used foreign proxies (like Hezbollah, Hamas or other non-Iranian Islamic terrorists) to attack Israel. Iran does not have modern weapons (because of decades of sanctions) and Iranian leaders are smart enough to realize that Iran itself trying to attack Israel would most likely result in another humiliating Iranian defeat. Israel has anti-missile defenses against Iranian ballistic missiles. Yet Iran has enough of these missiles to attempt a saturation attack on Israel using explosive or chemical warheads. Iran could also use a dirty warhead by adding radioactive material to a high explosive warhead. A few of these missiles landing in Israel, especially in a major urban area, would be a great propaganda victory. But Israel also has ballistic missiles (armed with nuclear warheads) and, worse, hundreds of modern fighter-bombers that could hit two key economic targets using smart bombs. These two targets are Kharg Island, in the Persian Gulf. This is the main export facility for 90 percent of oil and gas exports) Income from these exports pay for over a third of the government budget and these facilities cannot be rebuilt quickly. The other economic target is Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. This is the main container port handling some 90 percent of containers bringing in foreign goods, like items needed to repair damage to Kharg Island. Bandar Abbas is where all the modern tech and consumer goods arrive. Shutting down Bandar Abbas for months, or more, would be quickly felt by most Iranians. With Arab states between Israel and Iran now allowing Israeli airstrikes free passage, the Israeli air strikes are certain to succeed and inflict major damage.

If a dirty bomb or chemical warhead were used Iran would be portrayed as the evil (and ineffective) aggressor while Israel hits Iran where it hurts most. The Iranian religious dictatorship is under a lot of pressure to provide some relief for years of poverty and unemployment. The 2015 treaty that lifted sanctions was supposed to help but it didnt. Instead the government spends billions on the war in Syria. That effort has not yet improved Iranian capabilities when it comes to destroying Israel. Thats because the Assad government forces (including most of the 50,000 Iranian mercenaries in Syria) are still busy with the remaining rebels. In Lebanon the Iranian financed Hezbollah is not very enthusiastic about going to war with Israel. Thats because the few million Lebanese Shia that are the main support for Hezbollah are unhappy with the thousands of Lebanese Shia who have been killed or crippled fighting in Syria. Iran insisted that Hezbollah send forces to Syria in 2012 and even though Iran was paying combat bonuses, death benefits and for extended medical care, the Lebanese Shia were, in general, unhappy about the losses suffered from fighting in an Iranian war. Israel has told Lebanon and Hezbollah that a repeat of the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel would result in even heavier losses for Hezbollah and Lebanon. Hezbollah leaders pretend to be unafraid but the opinion polls in Lebanon say otherwise.

So as humiliated as the Iranian rulers are by the latest Israeli efforts (grabbing all those nuclear documents in January and regularly bombing weapons shipments to Syria and defeating any Iranian missile attacks on Israel) they understand Iranian options are not promising. Given the growing popular opposition the religious dictatorship is facing inside Iran, another major defeat inflicted by Israel is not an attractive option. New ideas are being sought and retaliation is not yet ruled out but retaliation is seen as a move that would make things worse for Iran.

The May 10th Israeli air strikes against Iranian bases in Syria was followed by Israel telling the Assad government that if the Assads could persuade Iran to withdraw from Syria Israel would be willing to recognize the Assad government. Unfortunately the Assads are very dependent on Iranian case, military support and over 50,000 Iranian supplied mercenaries. In Syria, Iran is stronger than the Assads, something the Iranians do not publicize but that the Assads are well aware of. In the wake of the Israeli air strikes Israeli leaders believe that Iran wont try any major moves against Israel, not for a while. The situation back in Iran is decidedly anti-Iranian leaders (the religious dictatorship) and much less concerned about any Israeli threat.

More Embarrassing Iranian Generosity

Iran is financing a resettlement operation in Syria that brings in Shia families from Lebanon, Afghanistan and elsewhere to replace the third of the Syrian population that fled the country during the civil war. Nearly all these refugees were Sunni Arabs and the Assads (who are Shia) dont want them back. The non-Sunni refugees are largely men trying to avoid being conscripted into the Assad military. These men (and some women and children who left with then) can return and are waiting for the civil war to end before doing so. The Assads will not take and Sunni Arabs back and the Lebanese Hezbollah are supervising a resettlement program by bringing in Shia Arab Lebanese attracted by the offer of free land and housing. Actually the buildings may have suffered some war damage but are repairable. Hezbollah fighters are actively preventing Syrian Sunnis from returning and reoccupying their land and homes. Some Sunni Arabs are resettled in Syria, as the Turks allowing Sunni Arabs driven from Damascus suburbs allowed to take over homes and other property that belonged to Kurds recently driven from Afrin near the Turkish border. The Assad military only conscripts loyal (to Assad) Syrians and that usually excludes Sunni Arabs, who were over 75 percent of the population in 2011. Another aspect of this resettlement program is that the Turks are willing to participate as long as the Turks can select who will be in charge of the new communities in Turkish controlled border areas. In Afrin this includes a pro-Turk Syrian Islamic radical rebel group selected to administer much of the resettlements around Afrin. Since many of those resettled there are Christians or Yazidi these non-Moslems are expected to live under Sharia (Islamic) law. That is just another reason for the Syrian Kurds to resist the Turks.

ISIL End Game

The American campaign against ISIL in Iraq and Syria continues, especially the intelligence collection and air strikes. American forces in Syria and Iraq work with their local counterparts to search for and attack remaining ISIL personnel and a lot of this action is taking place close to the Syrian border. The SDF (Kurdish led Syrian Defense Force rebels) are handling the ground operations against two known areas in eastern Syria (Deir Zor province) where ISIL is known to occupy two areas in the Jazeera desert. Much of eastern Syria is desert, interspersed by some river valleys and oases. The Jazeera desert, because of its proximity to the Iraqi border, has always been a favorite hideout for smugglers and, since 2003, for Islamic terrorists operating against targets in Iraq. Now that is reversed with American aircraft (and recon satellites) monitoring the area for targets. These are hit by American and Iraqi warplanes and the SDF coordinates its operations with the Iraqis to prevent any friendly fire. ISIL leader and founder Abu Bakr al Baghdadi is believed hiding in one of these Jazeera desert enclaves, apparently close enough (within 30 kilometers) of the Syrian border to quickly move (or try to) into Iraq is it appears his exact location becomes known to the SDF or the Assads.

The American anti-ISIL coalition still carries out several air strikes a day (in Iraq and Syria) and these are often against major targets. The Iraqi airstrikes are infrequent but since April they have been happening, in cooperation with the coalition aircraft that normally control airspace in that part of Syria. ISIL no longer controls any territory in Iraq but Syria is another matter with several remote areas in Syria known to be under ISIL control. The Americans work their own intelligence sources to find and attack targets. After that some data is shared with the Iraqi government (not too dependable), the SDF Kurds in Syria (more reliable) and some Western allies.

ISIL considers itself strongest in Iraq and Syria where there are still a lot of Sunni Arabs who feel oppressed by the local government (in both cases governments dominated by Shia Arabs). ISIL also declared victory over the Americans because the United States has announced (more than once) that it is leaving Iraq and Syria once ISIL is eliminated. ISIL interprets that to mean the Americans are declaring victory and running away no matter how many ISIL are still active in Iraq and Syria.

Turkey

Turkey reports that in the last month their forces in northwest Syria had neutralized (killed or captured) another 250 terrorists (Kurds, their Arab allies and some ISIL and other Islamic terrorist fighters). This brings the total of those neutralized in the last four months to about 4,500. This is all about the Turkish ground operations to take the city of Afrin that began on January 20th. So far the 6,000 or so Turkish soldiers lost 52 dead and the three times more numerous FSA rebels who are allied with the Turks. Most of the troops involved in this operation are from FSA, who are believed to have suffered several hundred dead so far. The Turk/FSA forces finally captured Afrin on March 18th. Now the force is preparing to advance east, to the Euphrates River. But further advances have apparently been suspended until the June 24th elections take place in Turkey. Those elections will decide if current Turkish president Erdogan has the authority to escalate the fighting in Syria.

Currently Turkey asserts that it will pursue PKK and PYD Kurds into Syria or Iraq without asking permission from the governments of either country. This annoys the Iraqi government but at the moment it is considered preferable not to oppose the Turks. There is still no Assad government control on the Syrian side of the border. That degree of control is coming but currently independent factions (SDF in in northern Syria, Iranian mercenaries further south) more or less control the Syrian side. But the Assads can still grant permission to Iraqi forces to cross the border when it comes to dealing with mutual foes like ISIL.

May 14, 2018: In the Damascus suburbs fighting continues between the army and rebels that still control a number of neighborhoods. In the last month about 500 soldiers and rebels have died. While the losses are about even the rebels are usually surrounded and cut off from supplies or reinforcements. The rebels are not all surrendering as the Assads had hoped and the military commanders are trying to keep their losses down in order to maintain morale. The Syrian troops, for the first time since 2011, sense victory. It is easier to recruit and there are fewer desertions. The Assad troops are still not as bold as some of the Iranian mercenaries but the Syrians are better trained and more professional. Clearing all the rebel strongholds from around Damascus is a big deal because the existence of these enclaves was always a reminded that the Assads were facing up uprising by a majority (over two-thirds) of Syrian. The Assads were saved by the inability of the rebels to unite and since 2012 the rebels have spent more effort fighting each other than the government.

One example of this outside Damascus is the Yarmouk neighborhood. This used to be the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria and long the headquarters for Palestinian nationalist or terror groups the Assads offered sanctuary to. The 2011 rebellion split the Syrian Palestinians, many (most, it turned out) backed the rebels while a many of the more extremist Palestinians sided with the Assads. Now there are few Palestinians left in Yarmouk, or Syria. ISIL still controls about five percent of Syrian territory, including several of the remaining pockets of resistance outside Damascus, including Yarmouk. There are still hundreds of diehard Islamic terrorist rebels holding most of Yarmouk, which will soon be+ cleared of resistance and is unlikely to be a Palestinian neighborhood again.

While this final battle for Yarmouk was going on an Arab-Israeli journalist had an article published that once more pointed out how most of the international media pays more attention to the weekly casualties Gaza Palestinians suffer while trying to force their way into Israel than to the much more numerous Palestinian losses elsewhere in areas where the Palestinians are just trying to survive. These same media outlets have generally ignored the larger number of Palestinians being killed in Syria as the Syrian army frequently attacked the Yarmouk refugee camp outside Damascus. In 2011, when the Syrian rebellion began Yarmouk (population 160,000) was the largest Palestinian community in Syria, holding about 30 percent of the Palestinians in Syria. Hamas got involved in the fighting between Palestinians loyal to the camp leadership (a Palestinian terrorist organization, which has long enjoyed the support of the Assads) and Palestinians who support the Syrian rebels. Hamas realized that if the rebels won, and during the first two years of the rebellion it looked like they would, Hamas would be driven out unless pro-rebel Palestinians take control of Palestinian refugee camps (which are actually separate towns or neighborhoods occupied and run by Palestinians.) Hamas had long received support from the Assads. But under pressure from major donors (oil-rich Sunni Arabs) Hamas turned on the Iran-backed Assads. In early 2012 Hamas moved its headquarters out of Syria and openly denounced the Assaads. Hamas apparently also told the Syrian Palestinians to oppose Assad if they wanted Hamas and other Arab states to persuade the new rebel government to allow loyal Palestinians to remain and avoid retribution. The 600,000 Palestinians in Syria were 1.7 percent of the Syrian population back then. By 2018 Yarmouk was largely empty of Palestinians, most having fled the constant air, artillery and ground attacks by the Assads. Far more Palestinians have been killed by the Assads in Syria since 2011 than died in Israel (including Gaza and West Bank). Most of the Palestinians killed in Israel were trying to kill Israelis. Arab journalists who are not Israeli citizens generally do not report the Palestinian situation in Syria unless they want to risk considerable backlash and risk of jail or worse.

May 12, 2018: In eastern Syria Iraqi ground forces have crossed the border and are, in cooperation with the SDF, attacking groups of ISIL personnel operating in Deir Zor province. This operation apparently succeeded in capturing five known ISIL leaders and killing 40 ISIL members. This was apparently done in cooperation with the SDF and the Americans.

Iraqi warplanes have carried out a few air strikes against ISIL targets in Syria but the Iraqi ground forces are something the Iraqi government has said it would not send to Syria. The exception is apparently because there are some key ISIL personnel involved and the SDF needed more manpower to deal with the situation. The Iraqis are particularly eager to shut down ISIL activity on the Syrian side of the border because Syria has become something of a refuge for ISIL forces that mainly carry out attacks on the Iraqi side of the border.

May 11, 2018: A Russian official quietly let it be known that Russia was not going to deliver S-300 Air Defense systems to anyone in Syria. Israel has been publicly and privately urging Russia to institute such a ban and now the ban is official. Israel has apparently made it clear, during the recent exchange of fire with Iranian forces in Syria, that the Israelis have the upper hand in terms of tech and military capabilities. Russia needed that demonstration so they could maintain their good relationship with Iran while also refusing to deliver S-300 systems to the Assads. This was something the Iranians wanted and were willing to pay for. But the Russians were not willing to lose the good relationship they had long (actually since the beginning in 1948) had with Israel. Nor were the Russians willing to risk having the S-300 defeated by Israeli SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) tactics and equipment. The Iranians may be willing to underestimate the Israelis, but the Russians prefer to be more realistic.

In the east (Deir Zor province) someone fired artillery and mortar shells at American supported SDF rebels who were moving to take part in an operation against some of the remaining ISIL forces in the area. No one took credit for the attack on the SDF and the Americans are trying to find out who did it.

May 10, 2018: In Syria IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) commanders have gone on the offensive against Israel and early today launched at least twenty rockets at Israeli targets in the Golan Heights. Hezbollah later declared that these rockets hit a number of Israeli military targets but in fact most of the missiles landed on the Syrian side of the border. The Iron Dome batteries stationed in the area destroyed the four rockets that were headed for military bases or other populated areas in Golan. In response Israeli air and missile strikes against Iranian targets in Syria began and will continue until the Iranian threat in Syria is eliminated. That may take a while as the IRGC and Quds Force have established a presence in many parts of Assad controlled Syria as well as in southern Lebanon. One of the Israeli attacks against an Iranian base outside Damascus killed at least eight Iranians as even more non-Iranians. These losses (which are reported in Iran as martyrs and celebrated as defenders of Iran against American and Israeli aggression) dont always create the desired effect in Iran. More and more Iranians see the IRGC and Quds Force as a bunch of thugs who are looking out for themselves and not the Iranian people. The Israelis appear well aware of this attitude and seem to have gone after all (at least fifty) the IRGC/Quds targets them have identified in Syria. Israel made it clear it could keep doing this beyond just what was hit today. Israel also announced that it would go after (kill) Basher Assad himself if any Iranian missile attack hit Tel Aviv (the administrative capital of Israel as opposed to Jerusalem, the official capital and home of many Moslems and Islamic holy places and thus not the best target for an Iranian missile attack).

The Iranian internal tensions have been growing for years and are now becoming more public because of problems in Syria. The late 2017 nationwide Iranian anti-government demonstrations came as a shock to many senior Iranian officials, but was no surprise to ordinary Iranians. The increased tensions over the 2015 sanctions treaty, the nuclear program and the failure of the Iranian government to deliver on anything (the economy, the destruction of Israel and the United States or anything else). The IRGC casualties in Syria will not necessarily cause Iranians to back their government. Israel believes all these attacks on IRGC facilities in Syria will destroy months of IRGC efforts to build an Iranian military presence in Syria. Replacing all these losses will be expensive and that cost will not be popular with most Iranians either. By attacking so many targets in a few hours Israel is also seeking to intimidate the IRGC, who thought they were hiding their presence in many of these locations.

Russia later reported (thanks to their extensive air defense radar coverage of western Syria) that Israel appeared to have used 23 fighter-bombers to launch 60 air-to-ground missiles or smart bombs. In addition Israel appears to have used ten ground launched missiles (probably the Delilah missile, which is usually launched from aircraft). Delilah is one of several loitering missiles Israel has developed. These can search for a target, with a human controller approving a target via a datalink, which also provides video of hits on targets, which Israel sometimes releases to the media. This was the case with the latest airstrikes, which destroyed many Syrian air defense systems (S-200 and Pantsir).

May 6, 2018: Iraqi warplanes carried out more airstrikes against ISIL targets on the Syrian side of the border.

May 2, 2018: Representatives from Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian Kurdish groups met in Iran to hear Iranian proposals for how it would be more beneficial to accept Iranian support instead of the American backing Kurds have come to prefer. The Kurds cannot ignore the Iranians but apparently still prefer the Americans.

April 29, 2018: Israeli warplanes attacked a Syrian base near Aleppo containing a large number of Iranian missiles that had recently been flown in from Iran to the Hama airport. The presence of these missiles was obvious because of the intensity of the secondary explosions as the Israel missiles detonated some of the much larger Iranian missiles which set off a chain reaction and a series of explosions so large that it registered as a mild (2.6 on the Richter scale) earthquake on sensors as far away as Europe. All these explosions killed 40 people, including 18 Iranians and 22 Iranian mercenaries. Another 60 people were wounded. At least 13 buildings, including some large warehouses, were destroyed or heavily damaged. The next day satellite photos were released showing the extent (considerable) of the damage (massive). In response of the attack the Israeli parliament voted to give the prime minister to declare war because it was obvious Iran was supporting preparations for another attack on Israel by Hezbollah and Iranian mercenaries in Syria.

April 28, 2018: In the south (Golan Heights) Hezbollah forces again fought with Syrian rebels near the Israeli border. Hezbollah and the Syrian army have been pushing Syrian rebels away from the border for over a year now. The fighting today continued over the weekend and on the 30th resulted in a stray mortar shell landing in Israel. There was return fire, as is often the case, especially when Hezbollah is involved.

April 23, 2018: Israeli defense officials have repeated warnings to Russia about delivering S-300 anti-aircraft systems to the Syrian government. Iran already has some S-300 systems. Israeli opposition is something the Russians have to take seriously. The Israelis recognize that the S-300 is a modern system that have impressive capabilities. What is not said is that Israel can defeat the S-300 but would prefer not to do so in Syria. That would expose some of the techniques Israel has developed to deal with the S-300 and enable Russia to create and install S-300 upgrades that would force Israel to develop new countermeasures. That would take time and meanwhile S-300 systems in Iran would be more dangerous to Israeli warplanes. But in the midst of all this Russian would be taking a hit as well because if the Israelis demonstrated in Syria that the S-300 could be defeated it would be much more difficult for Russia to sell these systems to export customers.

April 22, 2018: For the first time since October 2017 ISIL issued an official statement via the Internet. This one informed members and supporters about the new ISIL strategy. No surprises in that as the message repeated the call for ISIL members to return home, if possible, and organize terror attacks there. The primary ISIL targets are the apostate governments of Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Gaza (Hamas) and the West Bank (Fatah). In addition the Taliban of Afghanistan is the main target in Afghanistan because the local ISIL branch competes with the Taliban to control drug smuggling routes that provide large amounts of cash that ISIL in Afghanistan needs to survive. For Israel the main ISIL message is that ISIL will not bother with Israel until it has overthrown the current apostate Moslem governments in the Middle East. So for the moment ISIL is admitting that Israel is not worth the effort (without saying carrying out attacks in Israel has proved to be nearly impossible). Syria, on the other hand, is worth some effort, as is Iraq.

April 20, 2018: In a continuing effort to discredit claims that Russian air defense systems failed in Syria a Russian official revealed that Russia had told the Americans where Russian forces were in the area where the missile attack was aimed and the American, British and French missiles avoided the Russian forces. This has been the agreement with Russia in Syria for years. The Americans have observed this protocol although the Russians have violated it a few times. Meanwhile American military analysts are openly claiming that the Russian air defense systems did not perform and the Russians want to counter this any way they can.

April 19, 2018: Iraqi warplanes carried out airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria in coordination with the Assad government. These airstrikes continue but Iraq refuses to allow any ground forces (especially pro-Iran PMF units) to enter Syria.

April 18, 2018: Israel (quietly) and Saudi Arabia (openly) are trying to persuade the Americans to keep their troops in Syria. The U.S. recently announced that withdrawing American troops was a possibility although it appears all this has more to do with negotiations with Turkey over a number of issues, like membership in NATO and relations with the EU (European Union) and America. There is also little enthusiasm in the United States for continued American troop presence in Syria. The popular attitude is that Syria and Iraq are regional problems. The U.S. helped to destroy ISIL and that effort continues around the world. The U.S. remains committed to the defense of Israel and any Arab states who agree with that, but permanently stationing troops in the Middle East is very unpopular with Americans.
In early 2018 Belarus delivered four MiG-29 fighters to Serbia. Belarus is retiring all its MiG-29s and selling or giving them away. The four free Belarus MiG-29s going to Serbia will be subject to the same upgrade costs and terms as the six free MiG-29s Serbia already received from Russia. This has caused a lot of bad feelings (towards Russia) in Serbia but its the best deal cash-poor Serbia can obtain at the moment. In short, if you get a free MiG-29 you can only get upgrades, at inflated prices, from Russian firms. Thats the kind of support military aircraft operators try to avoid.

This mess became clear in October 2017 when, after a year of negotiations over terms, Russia began delivering free military equipment to Serbia. The most visible items were the six MiG-29 fighters that were supposed to arrive in March 2017 but delays were experienced. At first, there was no explanation for the delays but it was believed to be all about the terms of the gift (which includes 60 armored vehicles and various other items). This deal was meant to save Serbia a lot of money but the Russians wanted the Serbs to pay for upgrades to bring these MiG-29s up to the latest standards. The actual costs for this was not announced but it was revealed that Russia was financing the upgrade deal. Once the MiGs arrive the upgrades can be scheduled and completed sometime in the unspecified future. If this all sounds rather murky and mysterious, that is normal for the Balkans and especially for the many dealings Serbia and Russia have endured since the 19th century. Both countries remain aware that this relationship played a key role in triggering World War I in 1914 and ever since Russian aid and protection has always cost more than Serbia expected.

The MiG-29 saga also goes way back. Serbia got its first MiG-29s (four of them) in the early 1990s when Yugoslavia came apart as a side effect of the collapse of communist rule in East Europe and Russia. At the time Russia told Serbia that it would provide more free or cheap MiG-29s but never did. There was always money (Russia was broke) or political (the West objected to sending more weapons to an unstable area) reasons for Russia not sending Serbia the promised military aid. But in 2016 Russia was making a big deal about keeping an old promise. Thats how Russia diplomacy works in the Balkans.

This deal was not a sudden decision. In late 2014 the Russian president sent some essential supplies to Serbia, as a personal gift, to put some of Serbias MiG-21 and MiG-29 aircraft back in service. The essential supplies consisted of special batteries the MiGs required to operate. Why did the Serbs lack batteries? Therein lies an interesting tale.

Serbian Air Force officials knew in 2013 that they had to obtain additional batteries and asked the Defense Ministry to order them. This was done, but not before someone in the Defense Ministry noted that India offered the same batteries (manufactured for their own MiGs and for export) at a third of what the Russians (the usual supplier) charged. So Serbia ordered from India. Russia found out and demanded that Serbia cancel that order or else Russia would withhold MiG parts and maintenance services only Russia could provide. Serbia protested but was reminded that in 1999 Russia was the only major power that had backed them when they sought, in vain, to prevent their Kosovo province from becoming an independent state (something NATO supported). The Serbs felt they owned their big brother something and gave in. However, the Serbs pointed out that money was short and it would be a while before they could scrape together the funds to pay for the pricey Russian batteries.

While all this was going on the air force ran out of batteries. Thus by mid-2014 the Serbian air force revealed that none of its combat aircraft (26 MiG-21s, four MiG-29s and 18 J-22s) were available for duty because the Defense Ministry was having problems finding enough cash to buy batteries for the aircraft.

Serbia doesnt have much of an air force, to begin with and the cost of maintenance has been a struggle just to take care of basics. By late 2014 the air force insisted that three MiG-21s and three MiG-29s were available for emergency service but no one had seen any of them flying for months. Some of the older aircraft have been out of action for so long that it would take a major refurbishment to get them back into the air. Most of the non-combat aircraft are also grounded because of maintenance problems also related to procurement costs.

At first, it was believed that the battery situation was clearly another example of the Defense Ministry procurement bureaucracy getting in the way. In the past, the procurement bureaucrats had been involved in some situations where the troops complained of a torturous and lengthy process for ordering equipment. There were even cases where the procurement bureaucrats seemed to ignore how delays in obtaining parts or supplies would impact equipment readiness. But in this case, the procurement officials were trying to save some money so that more critical parts or maintenance supplies could also be purchased. Russia, as it has often done to others in the past, gets very disruptive and threatening when anyone seeks to buy MiG parts or services from anyone but Russia.

Normally all this procurement politics is classified as state secrets but word on the battery fiasco got out because of the high handed behavior of the Russians. Thus, in this case, there were no calls for an investigation to find and prosecute the spy who made this item public. Russia tried to break the deadlock and portray itself as the good guy by donating some of the needed batteries. But many other batteries must be bought at the usual price, which is three times what the Indians charge. Buy Russian, or else and never forget who your Big Brother is.

Mindful of the ill will generated by all this the 2016 MiG-29 deal was accompanied by the donation of 60 used armored vehicles (30 T-72 tanks and 30 BRDM-2 wheeled reconnaissance vehicles). Many Serbs withheld their thanks until Russia actually delivered. Similar situations regularly occur elsewhere in the Balkans. For example in October 2017 Bulgarian pilots refused to fly their MiG-29s because of safety issues. India has had similar problems and in some cases, especially since 1991, some buyers demand, and got, a money back if not satisfied clause in the purchase contract. That clause has been exercised a few times, often in the case of MiG-29s. In early 2018 Russia made another peace offering; providing $2.5 million to pay for MiG-29 flight training. Serbia thanked Russia but has not forgotten.

These were not isolated examples of poor Russian support. It even occurs for equipment purchased for the Russian armed forces. Even with the Russian government able to directly threaten managers of Russian firms providing substandard support to Russian customers, there is no quick or more affordable fix. China has noticed this and has developed a reputation for providing more prompt, affordable and responsive support for equipment similar (or nearly identical to the Russian original) Chinese armored vehicles, aircraft and so on. This has not motivated the Russians to change their ways.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Scrap dealer Adam Weitsman has jobs for Feher Rubbish Removal workers who found themselves suddenly unemployed when trash hauler unexpected shut down last week.

Weitsman, owner of Upstate Shredding, said he has 70 open positions for drivers, mechanics and administrative personnel in Syracuse and Owego and is looking to hire former Feher workers.

He said he just bought 62 brand new trucks for his expanding scrap metal processing business and needs drivers and mechanics for them.

Some of the 62 new trucks that Upstate Shredding recently purchased for its growing scrap metal processing business.

Ex-Feher workers can apply for the jobs by calling (607) 687-7777 and asking for Weitsman.

"We thought we could help," said Weitsman. "The whole idea is to get people back to work right away."

Weitsman's company is the East Coast's largest privately held scrap metal processor. It employs more than 400 people at 17 scrapyards in New York and Pennsylvania, including one in Geddes in Onondaga County.

Syracuse-based Feher went out of business last week, putting its 90 employees out of work. The company's demise left many of its tens of thousands of customers in Central New York and the Rochester area scrambling to find replacement trash haulers.

Solvay Bank is suing Feher, saying it owes at least $2.8 million to the bank, workers, the state and others. The state has moved to recover more than $1.4 million that it says the company owes workers for back wages, plus penalties and interest.

Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
New York state has moved to recover more than $1.4 million that the state says is owed Feher Rubbish Removal workers for back wages, plus penalties and interest, according to court documents.

The state Department of Labor filed the paperwork to try to prevent the trash hauler from getting any money paid by Feher customers, the court filings show.

The state has started an investigation to determine if Feher owes money to its employees and how much, the court papers show. The court papers are part of a filing by Solvay Bank to try to recover money the bank says the trash hauler owes the bank.

The lawsuit by the bank estimates that Feher owes $2.8 million to the bank, workers, the state and others.

The state asked the town of Salina to withhold paying the trash company $1,238,330. The state is also seeking $170,048 from the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority| City of Utica.

Feher Rubbish Removal, the second-largest trash hauler in Onondaga County, employed about 90 people and served tens of thousands of customers in Central New York and the Rochester region.

The state Labor Department declined comment on the Feher, saying only it is an open investigation.

Municipalities, business and residents who contracted with Feher scrambled for coverage when the company closed. All towns and villages in Onondaga County that used Feher for municipal service have found another hauler.

Homeowners in other communities and businesses across the region have also had to find another trash hauler.

Several other trash haulers and other employers have reached out to hire former Feher employees.

Dale Pemberton, former CEO of Feher who said he was let go two weeks ago when he was going to announce the impending closing, said he has helped numerous employees find work.

Jake Schroo, who has worked for both the Syracuse and Geneva divisions of Feher, said the company owes him about $1,000 after taxes for eight days of work. He has not received a paycheck for those days.

Schroo said he didn't miss a day of work as Pemberton helped get him a job with another waste hauler.

"I know the owner tried to save the company,'' Schroo said.

Schroo said he was going to report to work early Thursday morning in Geneva when another employee told him not to bother coming in because the company couldn't dump the trash anywhere because Feher hadn't paid its fees.

Schroo said while he'd really like to get his back wages, he is grateful he has another job.
Shad D. Goldthwait

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A former Central New York man serving 20 years for rape and other sex crimes has been linked to a 2002 cold case, according to Onondaga County Sheriff Gene Conway.

Shad D. Goldthwait, 37, has been accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl near a Bear Road apartment complex in the town of Clay in 2002, Conway said.

Goldthwait was charged with first-degree sodomy on May 8, Conway said Wednesday morning at a news conference.

Goldthwait was living in Florida in 2015 when he was charged with raping two young children in Oswego County from 2002 to 2009. The female victims were younger than 11 years old at the time.

He was sentenced to 20 years for the crimes, Conway said. He is an inmate at Attica Correctional Facility, according to state records.

Goldthwait's DNA was used to link him to the town of Clay sexually assault, Conway said.

Check Syracuse.com for more on this developing story.
Shad D. Goldthwait

CLAY, N.Y. -- A stranger lured a child away from a Clay apartment she called home into a patch of woods in 2002.

Then, when they entered the woods behind the Bear Road complex, the stranger sexually assaulted the 10-year-old girl, the sheriff said.

The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office investigators searched for the girl's attacker. They carefully collected the DNA evidence left on the girl's clothes. But after spending hundreds of hours investigating, detectives could not find a suspect.

For over a decade, the case remained cold.

That changed, Conway said, when the suspect was convicted of assaulting two more children.

The suspect, Shad D. Goldthwait, then a Florida resident, was arrested at Syracuse Hancock International Airport by the New York State Police in August 2015. He was charged with raping two girls in Oswego County between 2002 -- the same year as the Clay attack -- and 2009.

The Oswego County crimes were similar to the Clay attack, Conway said: One of the victims was under 11 when she was abused.

"This is extremely disturbing," Onondaga County Sheriff Eugene Conway said at a news conference Wednesday. "We're talking about children."

Goldthwait cried as he pleaded guilty to first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child in Oswego County in May 2016, reported The Palladium Times.

A month later, Goldthwait was sentenced to spend 20 years in prison. He was also ordered to submit his DNA.

His DNA was his downfall. Goldthwait's DNA soon came back as a match for another sex crime: The unsolved Bear Road attack in 2002.

Goldthwait -- who was 21 at the time of the attack -- lived in the Bear Road apartment complex with a relative when the girl was assaulted, Conway said. Until the DNA match, he said Goldthwait was not considered a suspect.

Conway said detectives spent time carefully working on the case, knowing Goldthwait would be stuck in the Attica Correctional Facility for decades. Last week, they were ready to close the cold case.

Goldthwait, now 37, has been charged with first-degree sodomy. He is being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center.

The victim -- now grown -- no longer lives in New York. But she was told about the arrest.

"She's made statements to the detectives that she's relieved," the sheriff said.

Detective Bill Root started investigating the attack in 2005. He spent years revisiting and working to crack the case.

"It always sticks with you," he said.

The sheriff's office looked at similar, unsolved sex crimes to see if Goldthwait was the culprit, said Capt. Dan Brogan.

No local connections were found, Brogan said. But he said investigators plan to explore whether Goldthwait can be linked to cold cases in other counties or states.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Syracuse man was driven to Upstate University Hospital with a gunshot wound in his left thigh, according to Syracuse police.

Officers responded to the hospital and found the 38-year-old man with what appears to be non-life threatening injuries, police said.

The man told officers the shooting happened on the 500 block of Avery Avenue, police said.

The shooting is still being investigated, but police have no suspect information, police said.

Police ask that anyone with information call the Syracuse Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division at 315-442-5222. All calls are confidential. Anonymous tips can be sent through the SPD Tips app.
Syracuse, NY -- Steven Brady, a former vice president at Upstate Medical University, pleaded guilty today to falsifying business records.

His plea satisfied another charge of grand larceny. Brady will be required to repay $60,000.

Brady admitted using his power to set up an unauthorized benefits account for himself and others.

Brady stepped down from the medical university in 2013 amid a state investigation. That led to an investigation by the state Inspector General's Office, who then turned over info to the state Attorney General's Office for prosecution.

Brady agreed to cooperate with the AG's office against others in an ongoing investigation.

If Brady does cooperate, his plea could be withdrawn and he would face no further punishment. If he doesn't, he could face up to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison.

Brady left Upstate in 2013 a week after Dr. David Smith, Upstate's former president, resigned. Smith stepped down after being accused of padding his pay.

SUNY audits show $1.4 million from Upstate's chief administrative officer fund was used inappropriately to set up deferred compensation plans for Smith, Brady and Wanda Thompson, a former Upstate senior vice president.

The deferred compensation plans were set up through MedBest Medical Management Inc., a nonprofit Upstate affiliate. Brady served as executive director of MedBest.

A SUNY audit showed MedBest's board did not discuss or vote on the deferred compensation plans, but Brady signed resolutions adopting the plans.

The plans were subsequently dissolved and the $1.4 million returned to Upstate's chief administrative officer fund in 2014 after Smith's departure, according to the audit.

SUNY officials have said Smith, Brady and Thompson did not collect any money from the plans.

It was not said in court today how authorities came to the $60,000 restitution figure that Brady must repay.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A documentary filmmaker, a Haitian-born infectious disease doctor and the Onondaga Nation's faithkeeper will speak to Upstate Medical University students Sunday at graduation ceremonies.

Degrees will be presented to 462 students in four separate ceremonies at the John H. Mulroy Civic Center, 800 S. State St., Syracuse.

Filmmaker Carolyn Jones, a graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, will speak to College of Nursing graduates. Her work has focused on people living with AIDS, women artisans supporting entire communities and nurses on the front lines of the healthcare system.

Dr. Jean William Pape will address graduates of the College of Medicine and the College of Graduate Studies. He has provided leadership for the care of patients with AIDS, diarrhea, tuberculosis and cholera in Haiti and around the globe. Pape, who was born in Haiti, is a professor at Cornell University's medical school in New York City.

Onondaga Nation Faithkeeper Tracy Shenandoah will speak to graduates of the College of Health Professions and the College of Medicine. Shenandoah is a spiritual and ceremonial leader of the Onondaga Nation and the Iroquois Confederacy of Upstate New York.
Ed Michalenko is supervisor of the town of DeWitt.



By Ed Michalenko | Special to Syracuse.com



Regarding DeWitt Town Councilor Kerin Rigney's commentary "The suburban case for the community grid" (Jan. 29, 2018), my view -- and that of majority of the DeWitt Town Board -- is that we oppose any plan that eliminates the north-south connection of Interstate 81 through the city of Syracuse. It is our considered opinion that converting Interstate 481 into I-81 will be detrimental to DeWitt neighborhoods, and our community as a whole, due to significantly increased air and noise pollution, as well as increased traffic on I-481 and also on our secondary town roads. Please see a copy of the Town Board resolution outlining our position at http://www.townofdewitt.com/documents/1279.pdf.



The Town Board and I are unclear as to why the New York State Department of Transportation has embarked down the path of an I-481 conversion without conducting a regional transportation study. Surely a project of such magnitude, impact, and cost -- not to mention the daily disruption for commuters -- demands an in-depth study?



Three primary options have been looked at to date: a tunnel, a community grid and a depressed highway. I personally advocate a "Hybrid Community Grid" approach which would allow the Community Grid option, but would also maintain the north-south I-81 connection through the city of Syracuse. Further, an innovatively designed Hybrid Community Grid could work with a depressed highway, an elevated highway, or even a tunnel.



Many assert the tunnel option is too expensive. Given the significant economic challenges our region faces, they cite additional tax dollars could be better spent on other needed infrastructure. However, any project would be largely paid for with federal tax dollars. And why hasn't there been any discussion of a regional mass transit system that would relieve pressure on our highways? Why not light rail transit?



A mass transit system would also address our very serious poverty issue, providing affordable transportation for low wage earners and helping the jobless get to available jobs outside of their local area.



The depressed highway option has distinct advantages. It would require rebuilding Syracuse's underground utilities and public infrastructure, which is sorely needed. A depressed highway could accommodate the community grid by incorporating "shelves," with street-level traffic extending over the depressed highway like the Grand Central Parkway in Queens, New York. The elevated highway option also presents advantages: It doesn't have to look like our existing highway; it could take a different route through the city, constructed at a different height, and could allow for the community grid as well as buildings and green space underneath.



An innovative elevated highway design could be architecturally unique, visually appealing or even iconic. Combining infrastructure with public open space like the Presidio in San Francisco is not only aesthetically pleasing, it can become a tourist attraction and often supports increased real estate values.



Further, while highways are unappealing and often look alike, bridges can be used to create identity, establish a sense of place. Bridges often "brand" a city. If we envision the 1.5 mile section through Syracuse as a bridge, that section of highway could be a unique landmark, even architecturally iconic and help define the city's skyline, as does the Carrier Dome, the Crouse Hospital clock tower, AXA and the State Tower Building. Likewise, the argument that a modern I-81 requires more space is weak. In fact, the footprint could actually be smaller, yet safe and conforming to highway standards and guidelines by stacking both the northbound and southbound lanes over one another.



Additionally, many arguments for the I-481 conversion are based on the assumption nearly all commuters are headed downtown. What's missing from that equation is everyone who crosses downtown in their daily travels, including city residents. Those who live south and work north, at places like Crouse-Hinds, Destiny, Salina Meadows, etc. -- and those who live north and work south, at places like Community Hospital, Onondaga Community College, Loretto, etc. -- will experience rush-hour delays and downtown congestion at the street level as they navigate city streets rather than the safer and faster divided highway.



Another critical misconception is that everyone stays in the workplace for eight hours. That has never been less true. With the new "gig" economy, more workers are mobile throughout the day. The ability to travel quickly and efficiently is critical for postal carriers, delivery, repair and medical services, students, IT and maintenance workers, vendors and suppliers. Many scoff that the added 5 to 10 minutes per commute is nominal; but there are those whose workweek will expand -- and costs will increase -- due to hours of lost productivity. Further, the proliferation of internet purchasing necessitates the transportation of goods and services be dependable and rapid. Adopting a plan that works against the demands of e-commerce would be a mistake, especially in trying to attract and recruit new business to the region.



As far as I- 81 being an environmental justice issue for Southside neighborhoods, commuters coming from the south destined for the hospitals, Syracuse University or downtown will still be traveling the same approach; the community grid is not likely to provide relief. Any new housing along the grid, just as that comprising the "downtown housing renaissance," will likely gentrify the neighborhood and price it beyond that which would benefit the underserved communities of the Southside.



As president of the Onondaga Environmental Institute, recipient of several Southside environmental justice grants, member of the Urban Jobs Task Force and friend to many Southside activists, what is "shameful" is that the disenfranchised are being fronted to dissuade the I-81 position with no real plan to actually benefit Southside residents.



As a steward of my community, I continue to strongly oppose I-481 becoming I-81.



CNY's problem isn't a lack of jobs, it's a lack of workers: Mitchell Patterson
Republican Bob Antonacci on Wednesday became the first candidate to secure a third-party ballot line in the race for the 50th Senate District seat left open by the retirement of John DeFrancisco.

The Independence Party of New York said it would back Antonacci over at least three other Republican and Democratic rivals who have declared as candidates in the race.

Antonacci, 53, the three-term Onondaga County comptroller, formally launched his campaign for the Republican nomination in the 50th Senate District on Monday.

Frank MacKay, chairman of the state Independence Party, said in a statement that the party was impressed with Antonacci's record as comptroller.

"Bob Antonacci has proven himself to be an independent voice for Central New York's hardworking taxpayers and families," MacKay said, "who will be a strong leader for our entire state. Frankly, he's just the kind of state senator we need in Albany."

The endorsement could help build momentum for Antonacci's campaign with Republican committee members. He is competing for the GOP designation with Syracuse Common Council member Joe Carni and Van Buren Town Board member Rick Zaccaria.

A fourth Republican, former Syracuse councilor Rick Guy, has expressed interest in the seat but has not declared as a candidate with the Onondaga County Republican Committee, said Tom Dadey, the committee chairman.

GOP committee members plan to meet May 24 to designate candidates for state and local races, Dadey said.

Democrats in the 50th Senate District have designated John W. Mannion, a West Genesee High School biology teacher, as their candidate.

The 50th Senate District will be an open seat in November for the second time in 52 years because DeFrancisco, R-DeWitt, decided to retire after suspending his campaign for governor. DeFrancisco has represented the district for 25 years.

Antonacci, a lawyer and certified public accountant, has more than $115,000 in his campaign account. He was the GOP's pick for state comptroller in 2014, but lost to Democrat Tom DiNapoli.

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
President Donald Trump backed two successful U.S. Senate nominees in Pennsylvania and Nebraska, which were among four states holding primaries Tuesday.

The primaries began to settle swing state Pennsylvania's chaotic congressional landscape after a court fight ended with redrawn districts just three months ago. Amid the redistricting, Republican Rick Saccone recorded his second loss in two months in two U.S. House districts.

Among the more unusual results of Tuesday's primaries was the loss by Pennsylvania's Democratic lieutenant governor, Mike Stack, who was ousted by mayor John Fetterman.

Oregon and Idaho also held primary elections.

Here's a look at some of the most interesting races:

___

TRUMP'S PICKS PREVAIL

Two of the president's favored candidates, Lou Barletta in Pennsylvania and Deb Fischer in Nebraska, won their U.S. Senate primaries.

Barletta, currently a congressman, was heavily favored over state Rep. Jim Christiana to become the Republican challenger for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is seeking a third term in November.

Barletta was a Trump supporter before the 2016 presidential nomination was settled. Trump asked Barletta to run for Senate, and the president is expected to visit Pennsylvania to campaign for him. The president also recorded telephone calls last weekend backing Barletta "fully, strongly and proudly."

Fischer, the incumbent, defeated four GOP challengers and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska. Her Democratic opponent is Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould.

Early Tuesday afternoon, Trump tweeted: "Nebraska - make sure you get out to the polls and VOTE for Deb Fischer today!"

Last week, Trump urged GOP Senate primary voters to support Rep. Jim Renacci in the Ohio Senate and oppose former coal company executive Don Blankenship in West Virginia. Renacci won and Blankenship lost.

___

IN IDAHO GOVERNOR'S RACE, A DEMOCRATIC FIRST

When former state Rep. Paulette Jordan, 38, won her primary, she became the first woman to be the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in Idaho. If she wins the general election, Jordan, a member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, would not only be the first woman to serve as Idaho governor but also the first Native American woman to serve in that position in any state.

But she faces a difficult race: Idaho hasn't elected a Democratic governor since 1990, and the Republican Party now controls a supermajority on all federal, state and legislative seats.

Lt. Gov. Brad Little, 64, a rancher who has spent the past 16 years in elected office, secured the GOP nomination. He's the pick of Republican Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, who decided not to seek a fourth term.

___

WOMEN RULE IN REDRAWN DISTRICTS

Pennsylvania could send at least three women Congress next year, breaking the all-male hold on the state's 18-member U.S. House delegation.

Mary Gay Scanlon won a 10-way Democratic primary and Madeleine Dean won a three-way Democratic primary on Tuesday night for two suburban Philadelphia seats that are likely to flip to Democrats following a court-ordered redrawing of the state's congressional district boundaries.

Meanwhile, Chrissy Houlahan is the uncontested Democratic nominee for another suburban Philadelphia seat where she's heavily favored in November.

Women won contested Democratic primaries in three other seats in Pennsylvania, although two of those seats are in solidly Republican districts and another is considered a toss-up in November.

___

INCUMBENT LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR FALLS

Mike Stack became the first holder of the Pennsylvania lieutenant's office to lose in a primary election.

John Fetterman, the Braddock mayor, won the five-way Democratic Party primary race for lieutenant governor Tuesday, meaning he will run on a ticket with Gov. Tom Wolf in the fall. Pennsylvania first started allowing lieutenant governors to serve a second term in the 1970s.

Fetterman had made a failed bid in 2016 for the U.S. Senate.

Stack, a former Philadelphia state senator, has had a chilly relationship with Wolf in their first term together.

Wolf last year ordered an investigation into the treatment of state employees by Stack and his wife and stripped Stack of state police protection.

___

SECOND LOSS IN TWO MONTHS FOR SACCONE

Pennsylvania state Rep. Rick Saccone, who lost a special election two months ago to Democrat Conor Lamb for a congressional seat, has now lost a two-way Republican primary for a different U.S. House seat.

Saccone lost Tuesday's 14th Congressional District primary election to state Sen. Guy Reschenthaler for the open seat in a heavily Republican, newly drawn district.

In March, Lamb narrowly beat Saccone in a district that President Donald Trump won in 2016 by about 20 percentage points. The president campaigned in the district twice and sent several tweets on Saccone's behalf. The White House later contended that it was Lamb who had had embraced the president's policies and vision.

___

POLITICAL NEWCOMER WINS IN NEBRASKA

Social worker and political newcomer Kara Eastman has won the Democratic nomination for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District.

Eastman defeated former Rep. Brad Ashford in Tuesday's primary election with a campaign that cast her as a champion of liberal ideals, including supporting a single-payer health care system.

Eastman contrasted herself against Ashford, a centrist and former Republican who focused on his legislative experience and willingness to work with conservatives.

She will now face Rep. Don Bacon, a first-term Republican who defeated Ashford in the 2016 election.

Ashford had been the first Democrat in two decades to win the district, which encompasses much of the Omaha metro area. Although Omaha's strong Democratic core is balanced out by more conservative suburbs, the district gives Democrats a fighting chance of capturing a congressional seat in a state that is otherwise overwhelmingly Republican.

___

OREGON CHOOSES GOP CANDIDATE AMONG 10 GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFULS

State Rep. Knute Buehler has emerged from a crowded primary to capture the Republican nomination for Oregon governor.

Buehler, who ran for secretary of state in 2012, was the most centrist of the Republican front-runners. He was among 10 GOP candidates in the primary.

However, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown remains the favorite to win in November. Brown became governor in 2015 upon the resignation of Gov. John Kitzhaber following an ethics scandal, and she won a special election in 2016.

Oregon is among eight states where Democrats control the governorship and both houses of the state legislature. Voters who identify as Democrats also outnumber their Republican counterparts by more than 9 percentage points.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. hasn't been notified about North Korea's threat to cancel his planned summit with Kim Jong Un next month.

North Korea threatened earlier in the day to scrap the historic summit between Trump and Kim, saying it has no interest in a "one-sided" affair meant to pressure the North to abandon its nuclear weapons. Trump maintained that he'll still insist on the country's denuclearization should the summit go on.

"We haven't been notified at all" about the threat, Trump said as he welcomed the president of Uzbekistan to the White House.

He added: "We haven't seen anything. We haven't heard anything. We will see what happens."

The warning from North Korea's first vice foreign minister came after the country abruptly canceled a high-level meeting with South Korea to protest U.S.-South Korean military exercises that the North has long claimed are an invasion rehearsal.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders said earlier Wednesday that preparations for the summit were ongoing despite the cancellation threat and that Trump is "hopeful" the meeting will still take place.

"If it doesn't we'll continue the maximum pressure campaign that's been ongoing," she told Fox & Friends.

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said he is concerned that talks are "really being oversimplified" by the White House.

"This is not a like condo deal where two people sit down and hash out a number of outstanding issues and then they say 'Well, some lawyers can write it up,'" he said.
School districts across state held their annual budget votes and school board elections on Tuesday.

In Central New York, 44 districts held votes.

We will start reporting results for Central New York as soon as they are available.

We will keep updating the results as they become available.

Some returns are in from Madison County. We expect other results about 9:15 p.m.
May 16--The Erie County Water Authority ranked eighth worst among the 88 largest water providers in the country on a customer satisfaction report by J.D. Power.

The Water Authority's ranking has fallen each year for the last three years that J.D. Power has conducted the water utility customer survey.

Among major water providers in the Northeast, the ECWA ranked third from last, unlike Monroe County, which tied for first place with Boston.

"It's well below the national average," said Andrew Heath, senior director of the utility practice at J.D. Power, a private company that provides rankings, consumer insights, consulting, data and analytics.

Heath said the Erie County Water Authority's rankings were reasonably high in 2016, compared with other water providers, but they have fallen every year since. On a scale of 1000, the authority received a ranking of 719 in 2016, compared with only 669 now.

The average for all 18 major water utility companies in the Northeast region for this year was 709.

Robert J. Lichtenthal Jr., deputy director of the authority, said the survey was done without any involvement from the Water Authority. He questioned how the data was collected, given that water users in the City of Buffalo and other individual municipalities throughout the county are not serviced by the Erie County Water Authority.

"This was done independent of us," he said. "Without being able to match it up with what we look at and know, I put it in the category of opinion versus fact."

J.D. Power ranks Water Authority among worst for customer satisfaction https://t.co/S7OHjYBCxF  The Buffalo News (@TheBuffaloNews) May 16, 2018

Heath said J.D. Power surveyed more than 300 residential water authority customers and used ZIP code information to help ensure the customers contacted fell under the ECWA umbrella.

They also asked customers to verify the authority's name and logo. Even so, Heath acknowledged there was a chance some respondents may have been confused about their water provider, though Heath said Buffalo ZIP codes were excluded.

The Erie County Water Authority received particularly poor marks in the areas of communication, meaning information customers heard from the Water Authority, as well as about the authority, from outside sources; conservation, including how the organization manages water and helps customers conserve water; and price.

The authority has faced extensive public criticism and news coverage over the past year regarding its political leadership and hiring practices, and bad publicity for its Sturgeon Point water main break last summer. The authority also kept residential water bills stable in 2017, but raised them for 2018.

The J.D. Power findings suggest that these may be contributing factors to the water authority's diminished 2018 ranking.

"In many ways, it's all perception, but that perception is based on what's going on in reality," Heath said.

Lichtenthal said the Water Authority has no way of verifying J.D. Power's data, since the survey details are only available to paying clients.

The authority conducted its own customer survey of 600 ratepayers in December 2014, which found the "overall perceptions of the ECWA for the quality of water, safety and reliability are exceptional," the ECWA report stated. Customer service also received high marks.

The overall opinion of the water authority in the 2014 study, conducted by Barry Zeplowitz and Associates, was 83 percent.

According to J.D. Power, the authority's weakest spots aren't in the areas of water safety, which continues to meet the water quality standards of the Environmental Protection Agency. Instead, weak spots appear to be more tied to matters of public perception and cost, though all categories appear to have suffered, dropping the water authority's score well below the national average.

"Even just two years ago, the first time we did the study, that was not the case," Heath said.

He added that on the upside, the Northeast is generally blessed with access to high-quality water, unlike other parts of the country.

Lichtenthal defended the costs of residential water bills, saying the rising costs are common to many water providers struggling with aging infrastructure.

He said roughly a third of residential ratepayers pay only the quarterly minimum charge.

"I don't think I've ever read an article nationally, regarding the price of water, where the price of water is going down," he said. "I don't think we're outliers with what's going on nationally."

- By Sandra Tan, The Buffalo News, N.Y.
May 16--Panasonic is looking to hire another 80 workers at its portion of the Tesla solar panel factory.

The company, which began making solar modules at the sprawling RiverBend factory late last summer, is continuing to expand its production of the solar cells that are used in solar panels, a spokesman said. Each solar module is a grouping of several solar cells.

Panasonic, which had more than 300 people working at the factory by the end of last year, said most of the new hires will be for production workers for its solar cell manufacturing operations.

"We will have some machine technician positions and a few engineers in there as well," said Terry VanEpps, Panasonic's talent acquisition manager in Buffalo.

To find workers for its growing operations, Panasonic is holding a career fair from 5 to 8 p.m. on June 13 in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

The job fair, which follows similar sessions that drew long lines of applicants this summer and dozens more candidates in December, will include a company presentation and interviews during sessions that will begin every 30 minutes, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Panasonic ramping up hiring at RiverBend with 80 new positions https://t.co/om3LgPLzGv  The Buffalo News (@TheBuffaloNews) May 16, 2018

Panasonic, which has openings listed for eight types of jobs on its website, said it is seeking production and manufacturing operators for its solar cell and solar panel production lines, along with electrical and mechanical technicians and process engineers.

Candidates can register for the job fair and upload a resume in advance.

The Panasonic job fair follows a series of information sessions that Tesla held last month as it starts making its solar roofing panels at the Buffalo factory. The solar roof, which looks like a conventional roof but has solar cells inside, is expected to be Tesla's main product at its portion of the RiverBend factory, which was built and equipped by the state with $750 million in taxpayer money as the centerpiece project of the Buffalo Billion.

While Tesla said it has started making its solar roof in Buffalo, it has not provided any details on how many have been produced. The company, in a letter to shareholders earlier this month, said it expects production of its new solar roofing panels at its Buffalo gigafactory to "accelerate significantly" during the second half of the year.

The company views the solar roof as a key product that will help increase its solar installations and open the door to a new group of potential customers.

Tesla previously has said total employment at the Buffalo factory now exceeds 500 people, but most of that is from Panasonic.

The ramp of the solar roof comes as Tesla's solar energy installations dropped to their lowest level in more than four years during the first quarter. It installed 76 megawatts of solar energy generating capacity -- a little more than half of the 150 megawatts of generating capacity it installed during the first quarter of last year.

Tesla said the decline, which has been going on ever since the company acquired SolarCity in November 2016, is part of a "strategic decision" to move away from door-to-door sales, de-emphasize less profitable commercial solar projects and put more of a focus on cash sales to consumers, rather than the no-money-down leasing models that SolarCity used.

- By David Robinson, The Buffalo News, N.Y.
The Cardiff Giant is removed from the ground on "Stubb" Newell's farm outside Syracuse, N.Y.

On May 18, 1948, after 79 years of wandering the United States, the Cardiff Giant, also known as "America's Greatest Hoax," finally made it back home to Upstate New York.

The "petrified man," who measured over 10 feet tall and weighed 2,990 pounds was purchased by the New York State Historical Association and was put on permanent exhibition at the Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown.

The Museum, which opened in 1944 with 5,000 historic tools and objects from New York's farming past was the perfect home for the Cardiff Giant.

"The Farmers' Museum seeks to portray every aspect of rural life in this state and the Cardiff Giant created one of the greatest sensations ever known on a New York State farm," the "Otsego Farmer" wrote.

The newspaper said the story of the Giant was one of the most interesting in the folk history of the United States.

He was discovered by well diggers on "Stubb" Newell's farm on Oct. 16, 1869 in the small hamlet of Cardiff, not far from Syracuse.

The stone man's body was contorted, as if he had died in great pain.

The discovery created an immediate rush to the farm and "Stubb" took adavantage, charging 50 cents for a look. Within an hour he had collected $100.

Ministers, scientists and educators proclaimed the Giant was the greatest marvel ever discovered.

New York State Geologist James Hall thought it was a statue, probably sculpted before Native Americans settled in the region. A Yale resident graduate thought it was of Phoenician origin and said he found ancient inscriptions on it.

Reflecting the religious beliefs of the day, some thought it was a petrified human being and pointed at a Biblical phrase "There were giants in the earth in those days" (Genesis 6:4) as proof.

Despite some cries that it was fake, led by Cornell University's first president, Andrew White, smart business men bought an interest in the Giant and made a fortune. (P.T. Barnum offered $150,000 for it and was refused.)

But three months after the "greatest exhumation of the age," a pamphlet called "The Cardiff Giant Humbug" was published.

It proved that George Hull, "Stubb" Newell's" brother-in-law, purchased a five-ton block of gypsum in Fort Dodge, Iowa, allegedly for a barrel of beer, and had it carved in Chicago. (A special kind of wire brush was used to make pores and sulphuric acid was used to create an "aged" look.)

It was then secretly shipped to Cardiff and buried, until it was "discovered" a year later.

People did not seem to care they had been tricked. From Cardiff the Giant went on tour: to Syracuse, Albany, New York and Boston.

A poster advertises the display of the Cardiff Giant. After being discovered in 1869, the Giant was seen by more than six million people.

"It is said that more than 6 million people have paid to see the gigantic fraud that fooled some of the wisest men of their time," a newspaper reported in 1948.

After the excitement died down, the Giant was kept mainly in storage at Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

For more than 40 years it made only a few random appearances, including the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901.

In 1913, it was bought by a resident of Fort Dodge, Iowa for $10,000 and put on display.

The New York State Fair in 1935 borrowed it, before it was purchased by "Look" magazine founder and publisher Gardner Cowles, of Des Moines.

Cowles displayed it in his basement rumpus room as a coffee table. The walls displayed posters from the Giants many earlier exhibitions.

The New York State Historical Association made efforts to purchase the Giant for the opening of its new Farmers' Museum and was finally successful in 1948.

On May 19 the Giant's display was opened for the public following a mock funeral, with it lying in an open grave on the museum grounds.

The news of his arrival in Cooperstown was carried in more than 500 newspapers across the country and the Farmers' Museum saw a bump in attendance.

"It is appropriate that this American belly laugh in stone, the greatest sensation ever known on a New York farm, should end its days at the Farmers' Museum," James Taylor Dunn, the association's librarian, wrote.

This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle: Email | 315-427-3958.
Candidates named in city and school elections

With the passing of the filing deadline for the upcoming city and school election, several area governing bodies including the City of Tama and ...
Right on the heels of its NES Classic restock announcement, Nintendo is apparently also releasing a variant of the Famicom Mini. Unlike the 2016 classic rerelease, this one will come with 20 classic games that were based on Weekly Shonen Jump manga series.

For the uninitiated, the Famicom is the original Japanese version of the NES, first released in 1983. The special edition console will mark the 50th anniversary of Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, which prints beloved serials including One Piece, Boruto, and others.

Among the included titles are Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, and Fist of the North Star. Most of the titles are very old school, which is perfect for those famished for nostalgia. The console will cost JPY 7,980  or about $73  as Kotaku reports.

Nintendo already released a Famicom Mini back in 2016, loaded with mostly the same games as the NES Classic Edition. The console came with controllers hardwired to the console itself, similar to the original design.

You Can't Buy This Famicom Mini

The manga edition Famicom Mini will be released in Japan this July 7. Considering hardly any Americans are familiar to the manga magazine it pays tribute to, it's easy to say Nintendo won't be bringing to console stateside. Avid collectors who want it will have to rely on eBay or other overseas shipping services to acquire one. Nintendo also hasn't confirmed just how many units it plans to produce.

Special NES Classic Editions?

That said, this could be the beginning of special retro rereleases. Perhaps at some point Nintendo will also release themed NES Classic Edition variants that include far more games than just 30, but that's highly unlikely. Even more unlikely is the notion of NES Classic Edition that can be expanded with more games via downloading. Sure, gamers have found a way to hack the system and put half of the entire NES library on the device, but it would be nice if Nintendo just allowed for that to happen.

The NES Classic Edition is scheduled to hit retail stores again come June 29 following stock problems and recurring shortages. Upon its release in 2016 the console became a massive hit, and part of why it's so hard to find was because Nintendo had failed to anticipate just how many people would want to buy one. The company later apologized for the stock issues and promised to produce more units. It also released the SNES Classic Edition a year later, much to the excitement of fans.

Rumors say it's planning to release a classic version of the Nintendo 64 next.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
What really causes polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)? Millions of women all over the world are affected by the condition, and researchers may have finally found the cause and treatment for it.

Cause Of PCOS Revealed

In the United States, as many as 5 million women are affected by PCOS, but its actual cause has eluded the medicine world even if it was first described by Italian physician Antonio Vallisneri as early as 1721. Now, researchers believe that they have found what really causes the condition.

Researchers of the new study published in the journal Nature Medicine measured the hormone levels of pregnant women with and without PCOS, and found that pregnant women who have PCOS have 30 percent higher levels of an anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) than normal. As PCOS can be hereditary, researchers tested to see whether such high levels of AMH in the womb could result in the fetus to have the same condition.

To test this, researchers injected pregnant mice with high levels of AMH and followed the development of their offspring postnatally. What they found was the offspring of the mice injected with high levels of AMH eventually developed excess testosterone and other PCOS symptoms such as late puberty, fewer offspring, and infrequent ovulation.

Researchers surmise that this could be why it has been so difficult to find the specific cause of PCOS, as it was being passed from mother to daughter via hormones while still inside the womb.

Possible Cure Being Tested

With a new way of looking at PCOS, researchers also thought up a possible treatment for the condition in the form of cetrorelix, an IVF drug that's used to control women's hormones. Amazingly, when the mice with PCOS were treated with cetrorelix, they stopped exhibiting the symptoms of the condition.

As such, researchers are hoping to test cetrorelix on women with PCOS by the end of the year. This way, normal ovulation may be restored, and pregnancy rates in these women may rise. So far, it has been observed that women with PCOS tend to get pregnant more easily in their late 30s and early 40s, possibly because AMH declines with age.

Leading Cause Of Infertility

PCOS is the leading cause of infertility among women worldwide. It is marked by a group of symptoms that affect the process of ovulation, but its main features are the presence of growths in the ovary, high levels of male hormones, and irregular or skipped menstrual periods. In this condition, the ovary or ovaries develop multiple fluid-filled sacs that contain immature eggs that do not mature for ovulation.

PCOS affects between 2.2 and 26.7 percent of women in their childbearing years. In fact, many women may be living with PCOS and not even know it. But apart from the condition's effects on fertility, PCOS may also contribute to health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.

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Plans for a 3-mile downtown-LSU tram have now morphed into a 10-mile express bus route between the university and a future north Baton Rouge hub near the site of the old Earl K. Long Hospital.

In February, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced she would not continue with efforts to build a streetcar along Nicholson Drive as her predecessor Kip Holden had sought. Rather, she promised a system of bus rapid transit  or BRT  that could serve a larger number of East Baton Rouge residents.

+3 BR no longer pursuing downtown-LSU tram, will instead focus on express buses, mayor says Baton Rouge is no longer pursuing the downtown-LSU tram and will instead focus on working with the Capital Area Transit System on improving ex

The Capital Area Transit System already had plans to build BRT routes down Plank Road and Florida Boulevard. The mayor decided the new project should also be overseen by CATS, whose board chairman, Jim Brandt, announced the proposed route during Tuesday's board meeting.

The new plan is to run an express route starting at LSU, up Nicholson to Government Street near the River Center, then east to 22nd Street a few blocks from Baton Rouge Magnet High, then north onto Plank Road and finally concluding near its interchange with Airline Highway. Brandt estimated the total cost would run between $40 million and $50 million.

The CATS board took no vote Tuesday. Brandt said authorities are still addressing a few concerns, but he wanted everyone to be in the loop.

Broome's staff referred questions to Chris Tyson, head of the Redevelopment Authority. Tyson said his agency will be working closely on the project to find blighted properties along the corridor that can be upgraded to provide more housing and commercial activity close to public transportation. The effort will be to "redefine the urban core," he said.

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The first matter will be to convince the federal government to lend support to the BRT project as they had the tram. The city-parish received a grant to perform the environmental study for the tram, and when it was concluded in 2016 the Metro Council pledged $10 million to build the streetcar, said consultant Bryan Jones, associate vice president at the firm HNTB.

+5 All aboard! Baton Rouge Metro Council gives go-ahead to $10 million bond for tram to LSU The East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council pledged support Wednesday for a $10 million bond for the envisioned tram linking downtown and LSU as

The Federal Transit Administration accepted the tram project, allowing the city-parish to receive matching funds for the work. The bus line will have to be vetted again  especially the areas that weren't on the original route  though Jones said there's precedent for the FTA to switch the mode of transportation, and leaders were optimistic they could get approval.

Brandt expects decision to come down "in a matter of months." In the meantime, he and CATS CEO Bill Deville said they will be working on the Plank BRT route. They hope to hire a planner to design the platforms at the board's next meeting, then the new electric buses will arrive by the end of the year, and if all goes according to plan the route should be ready by next March or April, they said. However, they noted they've got to coordinate with the new, longer route that would connect to Plank, which could impact the timeline.

BRT lines are different than regular bus routes. In addition to making fewer stops, their platforms have more amenities, and operators are required to have a bus arrive at each stop at least once every 15 minutes. There's been discussion of giving the buses signal priority so they don't wind up sitting at red lights, and Deville has said he'd like to see more BRT routes throughout the city, with smaller vehicles, bikeshare or Ubers available to help riders make the last leg home.
An East Baton Rouge Parish landowner wants Ascension and Iberville parishes to compensate him for losses he says he incurred as a result of emergency steps taken in August 2016 to alleviate flooding in the Spanish Lake area.

The parishes dug trenches through portions of Alligator Bayou/Manchac Road, and Ascension also installed portable pumps to allow flood water inside the 17,000-acre swamp basin to drain more quickly across the elevated road into Bayou Manchac.

+6 Cut made in Alligator Bayou Road to relieve flooding; see drone video of digging operation BAYOU MANCHAC  Brown, murky water flooding homes in Ascension and Iberville parishes flowed with ease out of Bluff Swamp Tuesday afternoon, f

In a new lawsuit, Dennis Caruso alleges those actions flooded his 124 acres in East Baton Rouge Parish across the bayou from Iberville and Ascension parishes and near the road cuts. They also caused severe land erosion and destruction of heavy construction equipment, a doublewide trailer, an ATV, truck, bulkhead, shed and hardwood trees on the site, Caruso's suit alleges.

Michael Ricci, a plaintiff's attorney for Caruso, declined to comment Tuesday on the lawsuit.

Caruso, who filed his suit May 8 in the 19th Judicial District Court, alleges the road cuts and other measures flooded his property at 9939 Manchac Road near St. Gabriel for at least six months, depriving him of the use of his land.

Caruso, who now resides in New Orleans, isn't disputing that the parishes had the power to take the emergency actions but says they amounted to a taking by the government for which he is due compensation under the state constitution.

In the days after the historic August 2016 storm and flooding, parish officials in Ascension and Iberville announced they would be digging out sections of Alligator Bayou/Manchac Road to allow water to escape the Spanish Lake area and the next-door Bluff Swamp. Ascension also used portable pumps to move water from the basin to Manchac.

The elevated road runs parallel to Bayou Manchac and acts as a sort of dam that holds back water draining northeast from the huge basin toward Manchac. Typically, two small floodgates underneath the road control drainage from the swamp to Manchac. Each parish controls one of the floodgates.

But as the floodwaters rose in August 2016, water from Manchac flowed actually south over the elevated road for three days, filling the basin, authorities said at the time.

Ascension officials then blamed that flooding on runoff from Baton Rouge's growing southern areas. The runoff was backing up, upstream, into Manchac and the swamp basin, the officials claimed. Major drainage bayous for south Baton Rouge empty in Manchac just downstream from where the road was overtopped.

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Ascension and Iberville officials had said at the time it could take months to drain the basin through the floodgates, leaving homeowners in the Ridge Road and Bayou Paul areas stranded and unable to return.

But once cuts were made in the road, portable pumps were installed and the floodgates were opened, it alleviated the situation for those residents.

Iberville Parish President Mitch Ourso estimated at the time that 1.6 billion gallons of water had flowed through the various outlets from the basin and into Manchac in a 24-hour period.

At the time, Iberville Parish engineers estimated rain from the August 2016 storm and resulting backwater flooding had sent as much as 17 billion gallons of water flowing into the swamp basin.

Well before floods in Spanish Lake and Bluff Swamp, Ascension, Iberville eyed important fix For more than a decade, officials in Ascension and Iberville parishes have sought ways to speed the flow of water in and out of the Spanish La

Since the flood, Ascension has been working on plans for a major upgrade to its drainage structures for Bluff Swamp, while Iberville has been upgrading its floodgate at Alligator Bayou for the Spanish Lake area.

But Caruso claims in his lawsuit that Iberville has failed to install a 300-foot-long bulkhead on his property that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers required the parish to build for the permit for the new flood control infrastructure.

Caruso is seeking compensation for his losses and for attorney's fees and costs with legal interest.

Matassa: Hazard mitigation dollars will focus toward drainage projects, 'bang for our buck' GONZALES  Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa said Thursday that parish leaders will direct $33 million in new federal hazard mitigation

In addition to Ourso, the defendants named in the suit, in their public roles, are Iberville Parish Council President Matthew Jewell, Iberville Public Works Director Mark Miglacio, Ascension Parish Council Chairman Bill Dawson, Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa and former Ascension Public Works Director Bill Roux.

Kyle Gautreau, communications director for Ascension government, declined to comment Wednesday on potential or pending legislation. Iberville Parish did not return a call for comment by deadline Wednesday.
GONZALES  The Ascension Parish School Board approved a resolution supporting an industrial tax exemption for the German-based VEGA company, which is considering building an instrumentation manufacturing plant in Geismar.

Earlier this month, Kate MacArthur, chief executive officer of the Ascension Economic Development Corp., told School Board members that the plant, a $9.3 million capital investment, would create 40 jobs with a payroll of $2.2 million.

MacArthur said the VEGA plant would generate $1.7 million to the parish in property taxes and sales taxes over the 30-year life of the facility, with $766,000 of that going to the School Board.

The resolution the School Board approved Tuesday would grant property-tax exemptions for VEGA under the following guidelines: 100 percent exemption for five years if construction costs are $7.4 million and above; 95 percent exemption for five years if those costs are $6 million to $7.4 million; and 90 percent exemption for five years if construction costs are below $6 million.

After the initial five years of the tax exemption, the plant would receive an 80 percent exemption from property taxes for three years.

MacArthur said after her presentation Tuesday that the Parish Council will vote on the VEGA proposal at its May 17 meeting. She also said Sheriff Jeff Wiley signed off on the tax exemption. All three agencies are now required to approve such tax exemptions for the state agrees to them.

VEGA, German company seeking tax exemption, hopes to turn Gulf Coast site into global hub GONZALES  VEGA, a German industrial instrumentation manufacturer, hopes its proposed new U.S. Gulf Coast facility would eventually become a m

Also on Tuesday, the board honored outstanding support personnel who give their "time and talents beyond the call of duty."

Support personnel include a number of job categories, such as custodian, bus driver, secretary, school nurse, clerk and paraprofessional.

"Those that directly serve and those that indirectly serve are making quality experiences for our children," Superintendent David Alexander said.

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Outstanding Support Personnel of the Year awards for 2017-18 were presented to honorees chosen by each school in the district. Overall winners at the primary, middle and high school levels were also named.

Named overall winners were Kellie Nickens, Spanish Lake Primary, in-school suspensions presider; Allison Norman, Dutchtown Middle, paraprofessional, and Tracy Bourgeois, East Ascension High School, secretary.

In addition to the overall winners named above, other individual school winners were:

PRIMARY

Darlene White, Ascension Head Start, paraprofessional; PatrinaScott, G.W. Carver Primary, paraprofessional; Abby Barbour, Central Primary, paraprofessional; Kim Dawson, Donaldsonville Primary, paraprofessional; Sandy Harry, Duplessis Primary, facility manager; Laurie Bastin, Dutchtown Primary, secretary; Adrien Lambert, Galvez Primary, paraprofessional; Marlene Fuller, Gonzales Primary, paraprofessional; Laci LeBlanc, Lakeside Primary, in-school suspensions presider; Deon Mickin, Lowery Elementary, paraprofessional; Lynette LaCombe, Oak Grove Primary, paraprofessional; Peggy Kern, Pecan Grove Primary, secretary; Annie Andry, Prairieville Primary, secretary; Trish Little, Sorrento Primary, school nurse; and April Galtier, St. Amant Primary, in-school suspensions presider.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Carolyn Goodwin, Central Middle, custodian; Melissa Gonzales, Galvez Middle, secretary; Alicia Johnson, Gonzales Middle, secretary; Frankie Hood, Lake Elementary, bus driver; Andrea Landry, Lowery Middle, guidance clerk; Ashley Boyer, Prairieville Middle, library clerk; and Anita Cann, St. Amant Middle, paraprofessional.

HIGH SCHOOL

Shelita Dunham, APPLe Digital Academy, custodian; Calice Babin, Donaldsonville High, custodian; Julie Diez, Dutchtown High, secretary; and Janet Mackay, St. Amant High, custodian.
Baton Rouge is on pace Thursday to set its second heat record this week.

The mercury climbed to 96 degrees on Tuesday, a new record. Thursday's forecast calls for a high of 93, the same as the high recorded on May 17, 1988, the current record-holder.

Lafayette, meanwhile, tied the record high on Sunday and crushed its record high on Wednesday by 5 degrees, clocking in at 95 degrees. The National Weather Service predicts the city will set a new record high temperature three out of the next four days.

Around Baton Rouge, temperatures have risen into the 90s for days, and meteorologists expect them to stay there for several more.

While the weather may be unpleasant, it isn't quite as bad as 1922, when the heat rose into triple digits on four consecutive days back when the readings were taken near the confluence of the Port Allen Lock and the Mississippi River. They're measured at the Baton Rouge Metro Airport now.

Only one day this month  the fifth  has been cooler than the historical average in Baton Rouge, said NWS meteorologist Robert Ricks.

Besides the heat, officials worry about ozone buildup, which occurs when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic chemicals interact with the abundant sunlight.

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+2 Baton Rouge region, entire state now in line with national air pollution standards Baton Rouge has long struggled to get its air quality in line with national standards, but the ozone concentration around the city has finally

Parishes around New Orleans have been put on alert throughout the month. So far only a small portion of the River Parishes have officially been measured as unhealthy for sensitive groups by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Even then, it was only on one day  May 8  though portions of southwest Louisiana have fared worse.

The stable, high-pressure system that has been hanging over the region prevents convection, which allows moisture and chemicals to rise into the atmosphere, diluting their concentrations, said state climatologist Barry Keim.

"The pollutants are just building up," he said.

There's some good news and bad news on the horizon. Temperatures are expected to drop in the coming days, and the Weather Service even predicts a 30 percent chance of storms Thursday.

As more humidity comes in from the Gulf of Mexico, it will help bring temperatures down, but it will also make the air muggier, Ricks said. So it may actually feel hotter than it has in the past week.

A tropical low disturbance pushing in from the Florida Panhandle should also help destabilize the high-pressure system that's been hanging over the region, Keim said.

The climate further west is even more stable than it is around Baton Rouge right now, he said. The Dallas and Houston areas have had much higher ozone rates. Generally, Texas and Louisiana's air pollution may make it hard for children, the elderly and people with lung issues to breathe, but on at least one occasion this month a region around Houston had air that could have been harmful even to healthy adults.
Homeowners must complete an initial survey by July 20 to qualify for grant funding through the federally-funded Restore Louisiana Homeowner Assistance program that was created after historic floods swept much of the state in 2016.

More than $284 million has been awarded to nearly 11,000 homeowners through the $1.3 billion program from homes that suffered flood damage.

But Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration says many more may qualify for funding. It's encouraging all flood-affected homeowners to complete the survey to get their information to the program as more funding comes online, even if they do not believe they will qualify for aid or have already completed repairs.

+2 U.S. House again passes Louisiana-backed federal flood-recovery overhaul; fate rests in Senate WASHINGTON  A raft of changes to federal disaster policy, including a number directly affecting those hit by the 2016 Louisiana floods, are n

+6 New federal funding could jump start Comite River Diversion Canal 'much sooner,' Gov. Edwards says Work on the Comite River Diversion Canal could get started in the near future, with funding coming either from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer

"We want to help as many as possible, but we need you to take that first step, especially as the new deadline quickly approaches," Edwards said in a statement Wednesday. "We are still awaiting clarification from the federal government on the duplication of benefits issue and should it favor the program, that will mean additional assistance, but we cant include those who have not completed the initial survey. This is why its imperative for those homeowners who have not completed it to do so immediately.

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The state has received more than $1.7 billion from Congress to aid recovery from the floods that affected thousands of families. The bulk of the money, about $1.3 billion, has been designated to go toward homeowner rebuilding assistance. The state has continued to push for federal changes to policies that have prohibited some homeowners from qualifying.

Through the Restore Louisiana program, homeowners can receive reimbursements for work already completed on their houses or go through the program to begin work with a contractor.

People can apply online at restore.la.gov or by phone at (866) 735-2001. Phone applications can be submitted 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Housing Assistance Centers in Lafayette, Hammond, Monroe and Baton Rouge are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the state is continuing to hold outreach efforts to assist with the application process.
House Republicans are urging Gov. John Bel Edwards to allow the Legislature to again take up previously rejected spending cap and program audi
Two state lawmakers got into a fist fight in a downtown Baton Rouge bar just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, both admitted hours later in their respe
Legislation that would criminalize abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy is going to the governors desk after the Senate approved Wednesday morning changes made to the bill in the House.

Sen. John Milkovich, who sponsored Senate Bill 181, said the House changes reduced the penalties, which he didnt agree with, but asked his colleagues to approve in order to move the measure along. It passed 24-1.

Strict abortion ban closer to reality in Louisiana; these are the next steps Louisiana is one step closer to having one of the nation's most restrictive anti-abortion laws, with a proposed ban on abortions after 15 week

Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat who supports abortion restrictions, said Wednesday on his monthly radio show that he will likely sign the 15-week abortion ban into law. "That is still my inclination. I am pro-life," he said.

Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast estimates that 94 percent of abortions in Louisiana take place before 15 weeks.

The ban would only go into effect if a court upholds Mississippi's similar 15-week ban, a contingency added largely out of legal cost concerns.

Louisiana, which tends to be among states with the tightest restrictions on abortion access, currently prohibits abortion after 20 weeks.

Louisiana could pass nation's most restrictive abortion law Louisiana is on the path to adopting one of the nation's most restrictive anti-abortion laws, as a proposed ban on abortions after 15 weeks of

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Under SB181, anyone who performs an abortion after the 15-week period could face up to 2 years in prison and a $1,000 fine.

When Mississippi enacted a 15-week abortion ban in March, it was the strictest in the country. That states law has been challenged and the U.S. District Court suspended enforcement until the litigation is decided.

Senators also approved, on a vote of 24-5, a resolution asking Attorney General Jeff Landry to support the Mississippi law.

Earlier this month Iowa enacted a law that forbid abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which usually happens around six weeks. That law also has been challenged in court.

How Senators voted on Senate Bill 181 final passage:

In favor of banning abortion after 15 weeks (24): Sens Alario, Allain, Appel, Barrow, Boudreaux, Claitor, Cortez, Donahue, Erdey, Fannin, Hewitt, Johns, Long, Luneau, Martiny, Milkovich, Mills, Mizell, Peacock, Perry, Riser, G. Smith, Walsworth and Ward.

Voting against SB181 (1): Sen. Morrell.

Not voting (14): Sens. Bishop, Carter, Chabert, Colomb, Gatti, LaFleur, Lambert, Morrish, Peterson, Price, J. Smith, Tarver, Thompson and White.
Republicans on the Louisiana House and Governmental Affairs Committee huddle on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, during debate on legislation that would allow convicted felons the right to vote five years after being released from prison. From left to right is Reps. Steve Pugh, of Ponchatoula; Lance Harris, of Alexander; Jay Morris III, of Monroe; John Schroder Sr., of Covington; and Gregory Miller, of Norco.
Sometimes traveling can inspire you to live a little differently back home. And sometimes, a visitor can help you see your own home in a new way. That was the case when a mentor and old master came to town recently.

I realized that through my life, I carried in my heart and on my palate the food I grew up eating, said Dario Cecchini, the famous butcher of Tuscany, spreading his hands above the pig and cow he had just butchered and would soon help cook at Dickie Brennans Steakhouse.

Cecchini was speaking in his native Italian while his wife Kim translated. But the meat of the message needed no interpretation for this New Orleans crowd.

Food is heritage. Food traditions matter, and for more than their own sake. Traditions connect us to each other and our past. It is also completely in our hands to forge new traditions and bring others back from extinction, so that traditions have a pulse and a future.

Tradition is nothing but innovation that turned out well, Cecchini said at another point in his amiable, ambling talk and demonstration of the butchers craft.

He was in New Orleans last week for a unique exchange. Richard Brennan III, the son of Dickie Brennan, recently completed an internship at Cecchinis butcher shop and restaurants in the tiny village of Panzano, Italy. Now back home and working at his own familys restaurants, hes chomping to transfer that experience.

Cecchini, the mentor, came to visit his protege and he did what he does when he travels these days  he put on a show.

Between quoting from Dante and methodically turning a side of beef into something that looked like a St. Josephs altar of meat, he shared stories of food traditions from his home village, from his family and of his own much more recent making. For instance, his quest to elevate the beef shank led to a marrow-braised, rosemary-trussed holiday-worthy centerpiece.

"And the ugly ducking becomes the swan," the butcher exclaimed.

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Cecchini has achieved fame in the food world not as the face of a restaurant empire or the star of a cooking show but as impresario for preserving Old World artisan ways and adding new chapters through their intentional pursuit.

The particulars are rooted in his homeland, like the huge bistecca Fiorentina, the regal Tuscan T-bone he cleaved in front of the crowd. But his approach, the guiding spirit behind it, should resonate for people who recognize and value their own food heritage.

What he said, quoted above, about carrying a legacy of food in his heart and on his palate could have come from the mouth of any Louisiana food lover mindful of the journey that created what they enjoy every day.

I grew up around humble people who carried with them the experience of centuries, Cecchini said. I feel comfortable in this world. But what I really feel is that it has fallen on my shoulders to tell the stories of people who are no longer with us ... stories that have nearly been lost.

Its hard not to envy Italians when they speak of the centuries fueling their incomparably rich food heritage. But then, its hard to think of anywhere else so rich in New World food heritage as our own home in New Orleans and Louisiana.

What else can people rediscover, revive and reinterpret here with such an approach? If this generation brings its vitality to the stories of the past here, what else can we bring to the plate?
The level of college enrollment among recent public-school graduates inched up in New Orleans last year but dipped slightly in Jefferson Parish.

In New Orleans, about 61 percent of the Class of 2017 enrolled in college the first fall after their high school graduation, compared to the 59 percent of high school seniors who had done so the year before, officials said Tuesday.

In Jefferson, about 52 percent of last years graduating class enrolled in college in fall 2017, compared to the 54 percent of seniors who did so the previous year.

St. Tammany, which had the highest college-going rate in the region, remained stagnant at 67 percent.

St. Charles Parish went from 66 percent to 67 percent, Plaquemines increased from 60 percent to 62 percent and St. John shot up to 63 percent from 56 percent the prior year.

St. Bernard Parish, meanwhile, went from 60 percent to only half its high school graduates enrolling quickly in college in 2017.

All parishes save St. Bernard and Jefferson outpaced the states college enrollment rate, 58 percent in 2017. That figure was up just a point over 2016.

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National figures werent available Tuesday, though the state in 2016 trailed the nation by 13 points.

Rather than focus much on the rate, state education officials emphasized Tuesday the number of seniors who have gone on to enroll quickly in college, which has risen in the past few years. That increase  an additional 500 students in 2017  presents a rosier image for the state.

Meanwhile, the state Recovery School District, which will relinquish the control it has since right after Hurricane Katrina of most New Orleans students this July, trumpeted a modest 110 student increase along with the citys 61 percent rate.

That rate outpaces the state and represents an increase over the prior year. The city also has moved up to the 18th spot in the states rankings for college-going students, out of 69 school systems statewide, officials said.

The RSD attributed the rate rise in part to new opportunities schools have offered high schoolers, such as expanded access to the ACT and more opportunities to earn college credit.

The college enrollment data comes a week after the release of high school graduation rates for public schools in the New Orleans area and the state. Similarly, results for the New Orleans area were a mixed bag, with a modest increase for New Orleans, a dip for Jefferson and no change for St. Tammany.

The states grad rate was a record 78 percent.
LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE: A dozen students from St. Paul's School in Covington and three from First Baptist Christian School in Slidell were finalists at their grade levels in the Letters about Literature contest held by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana. This year, 562 students in grades four through 12 wrote letters to authors, living or dead, to explain how their work changed the students' way of thinking. The winners will be recognized at the Louisiana Book Festival on Nov. 10 in Baton Rouge. The finalists from St. Paul's are Ray Bulliard's students Christian Allison, Clayton Bannon, Wesley Coles, Ryan Daly, Joshua Diaz, Panashe Kazingizi, Christian Kramer, Garrett Louterbach, Ethan Plauche, Max Salvant, Michael Slimming and Brady Talley. The finalists from First Baptist were Skylar Vetter, Jae'Da Burke and Reagan McVay.

MADISONVILLE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL: The Home Bank Helps Giving Fund has granted $2,000 to Madisonville Junior High School to finance its Shoveling for Seniors project. So far, the students have planted 50 azalea bushes and three oak trees and are putting out benches for seniors to enjoy when visiting the park. The Home Bank Helps Giving Fund is funded and run by Home Bank employees on the north shore.

CHEERLEADER SUMMER CAMP: Registration is open for the Fontainebleau High School Cheerleader Kiddie Camp for ages 4 and up. The camp will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. July 30 to Aug. 3 in the gym, 100 Bulldog Drive, Mandeville. The cost is $100. Mail the fee to FHS Cheerleaders Attn: Lisa Sharp, 100 Bulldog Drive, Mandeville, LA 70147. For information, email Sharp at lisa.sharp@stpsb.org.
SLIDELL AUTISM SUPPORT GROUP: Strengthening Outcomes with Autism Resources will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 16, in the community outreach center on the second floor of the Slidell Memorial Hospital Wellness Pavilion, 501 Robert Blvd. For information, call Anne Galiano at (504) 812-9548.

WOMEN WARRIORS: Breast cancer patients, survivors and caregivers will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, in the first-floor conference room of the Slidell Memorial Hospital Founders Building, 1150 Robert Blvd. For information, call (985) 280-6611.

CANCER SUPPORT GROUP: People living with cancer and their caregivers will meet at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, in the second-floor chapel of the Slidell Memorial Hospital Regional Cancer Center, 1120 Robert Blvd. Remote participation is possible by calling (985) 280-8958 at 1 p.m. on group day.

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT: A bereavement support group will meet at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 17, in the second-floor chapel at the Slidell Memorial Hospital Regional Cancer Center, 1120 Robert Blvd. For information, call (985) 280-6612.

LAMAZE CHILDBIRTH CLASS: Relaxation and breathing techniques for natural childbirth, signs and symptoms of labor and postpartum care will be discussed during a Lamaze childbirth class from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, May 17, in the Magnolia Room of Lakeview Regional Medical Center, 95 Judge Tanner Blvd., Covington. Bring a pillow and blanket. To reserve a spot, call (985) 867-3900 or visit lakeviewregional.com.

EYE HEALTH: Dr. Ha Ninh will discuss the signs of common eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration during a free Lunch & Learn program at 11:30 a.m. Friday, May 18, in the first-floor conference room of the Slidell Memorial Hospital Founders Building, 1150 Robert Blvd., Slidell. To register, call (985) 280-2657.

BIG BROTHER, BIG SISTER IN SLIDELL: A free Big Brother, Big Sister class for children ages 3-10 will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, May 19, in the Florida Avenue conference room at Slidell Memorial Hospital, 1025 Florida Ave. Children will learn safe ways to interact and care for their familys new baby, practice diapering and make a special gift for the new baby. To register, call (985) 280-2657 or visit slidellmemorial.org.

NAMI WALK: A 5K walk benefiting the St. Tammany Parish affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will be held at 10 a.m. May 19 on the Mandeville lakefront. For information, visit namiwalks.org.

PREPARING FOR CHILDBIRTH: When to come to the hospital, pain management and complications in pregnancy are among the topics that will be discussed during a childbirth preparation program from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, May 21, in the Magnolia Room of Lakeview Regional Medical Center, 95 Judge Tanner Blvd., Covington. To register, call (985) 867-3900 or visit lakeviewregional.com.

YOGA FOR CANCER PATIENTS: Patricia Hart conducts free yoga classes for cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mondays on the second floor of the Slidell Memorial Hospital Wellness Pavilion, 501 Robert Blvd. Slidell. The next class will be May 21. Wear loose-fitting clothing; mats are available for use. Registration and a medical release are required. For information, call Hart at (985) 707-4961.

TOTAL JOINT CLASS: A physical therapist, surgical nurse, case manager and orthopedic nurse will discuss preoperative and postoperative care for patients undergoing total joint replacement surgery at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, in the Pelican Room of Lakeview Regional Medical Center, 95 Judge Tanner Blvd., Covington. To register, call (985) 867-3900 or visit www.lakeviewregional.com.

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CAREGIVER SUPPORT: The Council on Aging for St. Tammany Parish caregiver support program lets those caring for people with Alzheimer's, dementia or other age-related illnesses share their struggles and successes, guided by an experienced facilitator. Sessions are scheduled at:

Slidell Senior Center, 610 Cousin St., from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month; the next sessions will be June 5 and June 19.

Covington Senior Center, 500 Theard St., from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month; the next sessions will be May 22 and June 12.

For information, call (504) 339-1757.

MALL WALKERS: North Shore Square Mall, 150 Northshore Blvd., Slidell, will open for walkers at 7 a.m. Wednesday, May 23, through a partnership with Slidell Memorial Hospital, to encourage people to walk with the advantages of mall security, air conditioning and water fountains. For information, call (985) 280-8529.

FIT AS A FIREFIGHTER: Children ages 8-12 who would like to learn about a healthy, active lifestyle may benefit from the Fit as a Firefighter nutrition and fitness summer camp to be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 4-8 at the St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 1 Training Academy, 34780 S. Range Road, Slidell. Registration packets are available at SlidellMemorial.org/fitasafirefighter. The fee is $125. For information, call (985) 280-8529.

COMMUNITY CPR CLASS: A class covering adult, pediatric and infant CPR will be presented from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 31, in the Magnolia Room at Lakeview Regional Medical Center, 95 Judge Tanner Blvd., Covington. Participants will view a DVD and a demonstration on a mannequin. To register, call (985) 867-3900 or visit www.lakeviewregional.com.

BETTER BREATHERS CLUB: The Better Breathers Club, a program of the American Lung Association, meets from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month in the Magnolia Room of Lakeview Regional Medical Center, 95 Judge Tanner Blvd., Covington. The next meeting will be June 14. The club is meant for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as their caregivers. To register, visit lakeviewregional.com or call (985) 867-3900.

GIRL TALK: Girls ages 9-13 will learn about the physical, social and emotional changes of puberty during the Girl Talk session from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 17, in the first-floor conference room of the Slidell Memorial Hospital Founders Building, 1150 Robert Blvd., Slidell. Presenters will include pediatrician Alice LeBreton and dermatologist Taylor Hilton. Teens must be accompanied by an adult. The fee is $15 per family. To register, call (985) 280-2657 or visit slidellmemorial.org.

CHILD SAFETY SEAT INSPECTIONS: The St. Tammany Parenting Center is scheduling appointments for free inspections of child safety seats. Call (985) 898-4435. Inspections also are held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday at the Louisiana State Police Troop L headquarters, 2600 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville. Walk-ins are accepted, but appointments are appreciated. For information on the State Police program, call (985) 893-6250 or email greg.marchand@la.gov.

BABY AND ME TOBACCO-FREE: Slidell Memorial Hospital is holding smoking-cessation programs for expectant mothers on Mondays and Wednesdays by appointment. For information or to request an application, call Ashlee Menke at (504) 733-5539.

GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS: Gamblers Anonymous meets several times a week throughout the New Orleans area. Gamblers Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experiences, strength and hope with one another that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from a gambling problem. For information, call (855) 222-5542 or visit gamblersanonymous.org.
LEADERSHIP LSU: Three students from St. Tammany Parish are among 32 students in the Class of 2018 for Leadership LSU, an annual spring program coordinated by LSU Campus Life on behalf of the LSU Office of the Dean of Students. Members of the class participated in bi-weekly seminars about adaptive leadership throughout the spring semester. The St. Tammany participants were:

Eric Boudet, of Covington, senior, marketing with a concentration in advertising

Gabrielle Hanley, of Slidell, junior, nutrition and food sciences with a concentration in dietetics

Meg Robinson, of Lacombe, senior, industrial engineering.

NORTHSHORE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Registration is open for summer and fall 2018 courses at Northshore Technical Community College. Classes will be offered at campuses in Lacombe, Hammond, Bogalusa and Greensburg; at the Connect to Success program at Southeastern Louisiana University; and at the Livingston Literacy Center in Walker. Day, evening, weekend and online courses are available. Summer classes start June 4, and fall classes will begin Aug. 16. New students must apply online at www.northshorecollege.edu. Applying is free. For information, call the Connect to Success Office at (985) 549-5142.

WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE NETHERLANDS: Students from Northshore Technical Community College recently spent 10 days studying water management in the Netherlands along with students from Delgado Community College, Fletcher Technical Community College and Nunez Community College. The trip was led by Northshore Technical Community College faculty member Adam Meier; students from NTCC were Sam Carambat, Kelly Costanza, and Amal Khamees. The eight students studied strategies, structures and organizations used by the Dutch to sustain long-term solutions to water-management challenges, an issue of critical importance in south Louisiana. The program was made possible through a partnership between Greater New Orleans Inc. and the Council on International Educational Exchange.

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY NURSING AND HEALTH SCIENCES: Five students from St. Tammany Parish were recognized recently during the honors convocation of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. The St. Tammany honorees are:

Alan Amato, Madisonville, Evelyn Davis Award

Amanda Da Costa, Covington, Pyburn Award for Outstanding Senior in Family and Consumer Sciences

Rebecca Claire Frey, Covington, Academic Honors

Katelyn Jeans, Covington, Emma LaDew Memorial Fund in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Monica McConnell, Slidell, Title IV E Child Welfare Recipient.

SLU COLLEGE OF EDUCATION: Bridget Price, of Mandeville, was honored as the outstanding graduate in middle-school education at the Southeastern Louisiana University College of Education's honors convocation May 3. Recognition also went to Payton Bryant of Luling, who received the Outstanding Elementary Education Student Teacher Award; and to Abbie Manuel, of Luling, who was honored as the outstanding graduate in English education.

WILLIAM CAREY UNIVERSITY: Brianna Andrews, of Slidell, is one of 33 members recently inducted into the Mississippi Beta chapter of Alpha Chi National College Honor Society at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Membership is limited to no more than 10 percent of the junior, senior and graduate class members. Carey students must have at least a 3.70-grade point average on the 4.0 scale to qualify for membership.
PENTECOST SERVICE: One in the Spirit, a celebration of the birthday of the church on Pentecost Sunday, will be at the 5 p.m. Mass on May 20 at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 1050 Robert Blvd., Slidell. The multicultural, multilingual liturgy will begin with a procession of saints to represent the many cultures in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The Mass will be followed by a multicultural potluck dinner in the church Evangelization Center. Those planning to bring food to share should call the church office at (985) 643-6124.

MISSION DAY: The missionary ministry of Pentecost Baptist Church, 36138 Shady Lane, Slidell, will have its annual day at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 20. The guest church for the program will be Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church of Mandeville, led by the Rev. James Winston. The pastor of Pentecost Baptist is Gary Wood.

OPIOID EPIDEMIC PRESENTATION: Heather Gernold, who works with the Florida Parishes Human Services Authority to get people into treatment for opioid addiction, will give a free presentation from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, in Room 11 of the Parish Center at Mary Queen of Peace Church, 1501 W. Causeway Approach, Mandeville. For information, call (985) 626-7905.

CHRIST GOSPEL CHURCH: The Mothers and Daughters Tea at Christ Gospel Church of Slidell had a tropical theme, with decor featuring palm trees and leis. The food included a variety of sandwiches, cookies, cakes, chips and candies, and choice of hot or cold tea served in antique cups and saucers. Everyone had an opportunity to share their ideas of a perfect way to relax.

SCRIPTURE STUDY: "Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible" by Jeff Cavins and Sarah Christmyer will be the focus of a Scripture study from noon to 2 p.m. Thursdays, June 7-28, in the Upper Room at St. Peter Catholic Church, 318 S. Jefferson Ave., Covington. The materials fee is $25. To register, visit stpeterparish.com/summer-study by May 24.

MOST HOLY TRINITY: St. Joseph Altar donations from Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Covington were recently distributed to the following agencies: Family Promise, Louisiana Coalition Against Human Trafficking, Northshore Catholic Charities, Northshore Food Bank and The Samaritan Center.

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FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI: St. Peter Catholic will celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi with Mass and a Eucharistic Procession at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, June 3, at the church, 125 E. 19th Ave., Covington. For those unable to process, the special litanies will be prayed in the church. For information, call the St. Peter rectory at (985) 892-2422.

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH ARTS CAMP: Registration is open for the Growing with God arts camp for children from kindergarten through fifth grade, which will be from 9 a.m. to noon June 4-8 at Christ Episcopal Church, 1534 Seventh St., Slidell. There is a $20 materials fee for one child and $10 for each additional child, with a $30 cap per family; some scholarships are available. To register, visit www.christchurchslidell.net or call the church office at (985) 643-4531.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL IN SLIDELL: "Game On: Gearing Up for Life's Big Game" will be the theme for the vacation Bible school for children from age 4 to sixth grade at Calvary Baptist Church, 1615 Old Spanish Trail, Slidell. Program hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to noon June 4-8. There is no charge.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL IN COVINGTON: Marvelous Mystery: The Mass Comes Alive" will be the theme for the vacation Bible school for ages 5 through fourth grade at St. Peter Catholic Church, 125 E. 19th Ave., Covington. Program hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to noon June 4-8. The cost of the program is $35 per child, with a family cap of $75. To register, visit www.stpeterparish.com. For information or to volunteer, contact the Office of Religious Education at (985) 893-2446 or ore@stpeterparish.com.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL IN SLIDELL: "Fruit of the Spirit" will be the theme for the vacation Bible school from 9 a.m. to noon June 25-29 at First Christian ChurchDisciples of Christ, 102 Christian Lane, Slidell. To register, call (985) 285-1751.
A St. John the Baptist Parish judge under investigation in two states for the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl has taken a leave of absence.

Judge Jeff Perilloux of 40th Judicial District Court informed court officials in a memo that he would be on leave beginning Wednesday.

The judge made no mention in his memo of a State Police investigation into his conduct, but the announcement from court officials came days after Attorney General Jeff Landry's office scheduled a date to present evidence against Perilloux to a grand jury.

That panel is expected to consider criminal charges against the judge on June 25.

Perilloux did not take the bench Wednesday morning, though he appeared to be in his office. An assistant said the judge declined to speak to a reporter.

His predecessor, retired Judge Mary Hotard Becnel, will handle Perilloux's docket in his absence. Her temporary appointment expires June 30.

The leave of absence marked an about-face from Perilloux's initial decision last week to remain on the bench. He has vowed to spend "every nickel" he has defending himself against allegations that his defense attorney has described as categorically false.

The judge addressed a courtroom full of schoolchildren last week at an annual Law Day event intended to educate children about the court system and promote respect for the law.

The investigation has been going on since a friend of Perilloux's daughter told Louisiana State Police that Perilloux, who is 50, slid his fingers inside her bathing suit bottom during a family trip to Destin, Florida, in July 2017.

She said that when she backed away, the judge repeatedly begged her to let him proceed and told her not to be scared, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation.

Two other girls who were on the Destin trip told detectives that they were there when she emerged crying from the room where the incident took place and told them what she claimed Perilloux had done.

The alleged victim, who was 15 at the time, also described two prior incidents that summer, in St. John Parish, in which she said Perilloux reached over her shoulder and touched her breasts while giving her a massage. In the second instance, she told investigators, Perilloux began "stroking" her breasts.

A friend who was in the room, receiving a massage from the girl at the same time, corroborated that a three-way massage took place but said she couldnt see what Perilloux was doing.

State Police detectives have interviewed several other friends of the judge's daughter, including at least two who said that Perilloux has done things to make them feel uncomfortable, such as patting them on the buttocks.

Investigators also have examined dozens of text messages between Perilloux and the alleged sexual assault victim, along with other affectionate texts he sent to other female friends of his children.

Authorities in Okaloosa County, Florida, conducted a separate investigation last year into the alleged assault in Destin. No charges have been filed, and an Okaloosa Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said Wednesday that the case remains under investigation.

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Perilloux's attorney, David Courcelle, did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday. He said last week that the judge "categorically denies that any improper behavior occurred."

"He's been blindsided by this," Courcelle said. "No one from Louisiana State Police has contacted him."

In a statement released to other news media on Wednesday, Perilloux again denied wrongdoing "unequivocally and emphatically" and said he requested a leave of absence "in order to address the allegations made against me and to protect the integrity of the judiciary and the functions of the court."

The judge had told L'Observateur newspaper last week that he intended to "serve the people who elected me to serve for as long as I am able to do so."

Before his change of heart, Bridget Dinvaut, the St. John district attorney, declined to say whether she thought Perilloux should remain on the bench while a grand jury proceeding hangs over him.

"I have no information to give a qualified answer to that. I'm not aware of the facts, the evidence," Dinvaut said. "This is a State Police and attorney general's investigation."

David Belfield, a New Orleans attorney who has practiced extensively before Perilloux, argued earlier this week that it would be appropriate for the judge to take a voluntary leave "until this thing works itself out." Belfield said the judge should avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

"It's a serious accusation," Belfield said. "He sits in matters involving juveniles. Giving the judge all of the benefit of the doubt, he might just want to take a leave of absence. He wouldn't be admitting any guilt  just removing himself from the process for the time being."

Landry spokeswoman Ruth Wisher declined to say why the attorney general has chosen to convene a grand jury rather than consider filing criminal charges against Perilloux based on the State Police investigation.

I am not going to comment on our process, Wisher said by e-mail.

Only charges for aggravated crimes such as murder and first-degree rape require a grand jury indictment under Louisiana law.

But decisions to take a lesser allegation before a grand jury are not uncommon in sensitive cases involving public officials, where a grand jury  which acts in secrecy  can lend political cover to the prosecutor, whatever the outcome.

Prosecutors control the proceedings before a grand jury, and the target has no right to cross-examine witnesses or be represented in the grand jury room. Grand juries can issue an indictment, reject one or pretermit a case  the equivalent of a hung jury.

Landrys office has chosen to file charges, rather than seek an indictment, in at least one other criminal case involving a public official. It charged St. James Parish School Board member Tyler Jasmin with a felony count alleging he illegally refilled a prescription for hydrocodone at several pharmacies.

That charge, however, came two days after Landry was sworn into office in January 2016. Jasmin would later plead guilty and step down from the board to avoid prison time.

Perilloux served for 12 years as an assistant district attorney in St. John and was also the legal counsel for the parish government before being elected in December 2016 to a seat on the bench.
The defense attorney for indicted former narcotics agent Chad Scott told a federal magistrate Wednesday that he remains "completely in the dark" about several of the charges against Scott. He called on the U.S. Justice Department to offer more details about the misconduct allegations before Scott's scheduled Oct. 1 trial.

The attorney, Matthew Coman, said the indictment against Scott is "fatally flawed" in that it fails, in several of the listed counts, to outline specific crimes Scott is alleged to have committed as the leader of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration task force known for making high-profile drug busts along the Interstate 12 corridor.

Scott, a longtime DEA agent and former Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office deputy, is charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and stealing thousands of dollars in drug money. Federal prosecutors this month added a new count of falsifying government records.

At least three former members of Scott's task force have been indicted in the case, including two former Tangipahoa Parish deputies who have pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Scott has pleaded not guilty to all 11 counts. He has been free on $300,000 bail since his arrest in October. He faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted.

Coman, a former federal prosecutor, told U.S. Magistrate Daniel Knowles III that the government has prevented him from preparing for trial by failing to reveal "exactly what they're charging my client with," particularly when it comes to the charges that Scott swiped cash and property from suspects.

On some of the counts, Coman argued, the Justice Department has essentially said, "When you worked there, you did bad things."

He noted that one of the theft charges involves behavior that occurred sometime between February 2009 and January 2016.

"They've got to put up or shut up," Coman said. "They literally have the temerity, in counts 7, 8 and 9, to say, 'He converted stuff from other people, but we're not going to say what he took or from whom. Go to jail.' "

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Timothy Duree, a federal prosecutor, disputed Coman's claims, saying the government has provided extensive discovery that contains the answers to all of Coman's questions.

"The law is simply not on (Scott's) side," Duree said. "We can't spell out the details any more than we already have."

Knowles said he would take the arguments under advisement. Coman has asked that the judge require the Justice Department to produce a so-called bill of particulars spelling out the charges.

The indictment also includes charges against Rodney P. Gemar, a longtime Hammond police officer who had been assigned to Scott's DEA task force. Gemar faces six counts, including conspiracy and theft of evidence.

The charges stem from a two-year investigation into Scott and his task force, which has been accused of shaking down federal suspects, stealing thousands of dollars in cash during federal raids and selling narcotics through their own informants.

The investigation has affected dozens of federal drug cases in the Eastern District of Louisiana, in part because federal authorities considered the testimony of the indicted agents to be tainted.

Staff writer Faimon A. Roberts III contributed to this report.
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
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Linkedin Patrick Mendis (China Daily/Asia News Network) Beijing, China  Wed, May 16, 2018 07:30 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e4320fb 2 Opinion #China,#Wuhan,#India,#economy,#development,#politics Free

The recent "informal" summit between President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, was historic. It was aimed at "resetting" Sino-Indian relationship, which goes back more than two millenniums.

China and India - the second and seventh-largest economies in the world - represent almost 40 percent of the world population. Each is determined to lead the "Asian Century" to drive the engines of global economic growth, while the United States and Europe remain engaged in the 20th century's outdated game of geopolitics with Russia, especially in the Middle East.

The rapid development and modernization of China has, for example, proven that it can govern its affairs locally and globally with more confidence than what India has accomplished over the years.

With the unprecedented global influence of Beijing's comprehensive power, Washington has tried to revitalize its old "Indo-Pacific" region's "quad" strategy of Asian countries of Australia, Japan and India coming together with the US as a unified force to counter China's rise. Yet Washington's concerted military strategy would work only if the US has the economic maturity to address the increased defense expenditures and the much-needed infrastructure development to "Make America Great Again."

For India, a real alliance with the distant US is currently problematic, especially with the Trump administration. The two populous markets of China and India need each other not only for economic reasons, but also because Beijing and New Delhi have traditionally adhered to the nonalignment principle.

As nonaligned countries, both China and India shared a vision of independent national sovereignty - free of the colonial and Cold War mentalities. As practical men of vision, Xi and Modi agreed to hold "heart-to-heart" talks in Wuhan because of their respective national interests, the fear of external powers, and the pride in their civilizations. The two nations might deepen cooperation in trade and investment, as China has been attracting an increasing number of Indian workers, tourists and students.

The border dispute is a big concern for both countries. But the challenges are being managed as India currently views China as a growing military power, surrounded by smaller nations such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka that are economically aligned with Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. In such a case, India could consider the US as a potential ally to counter China's assertive behavior.

At this point in time, however, the calculus of being anti-China would not serve well for India whose cooperation with China has greater value on the global stage, especially in climate change and sharing of global commons from which the US has pulled away. Given that India has a highly-decentralized governing system with diverse ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups in a noisy democracy, only time will tell whether its, or China's form of governance with centralized leadership, is more effective in the long run.

Indeed, China's diversity of ethnic, linguistic, and religions is similar to that of India's, but it has a different governing model of centralized power. The "China-India reset" could well be a new beginning to transform the most dynamic region into a "pacific" Century of Asia as the power shifts from the West to the East.

The author, a former Rajawali senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, is an associate-in-research of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University as well as a distinguished visiting professor of Asian-Pacific affairs at Shandong University and a senior fellow of the Pangoal Institution.

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This article appeared on the China Daily newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin Ahmad Junaidi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16, 2018 09:17 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e435f50 1 Opinion #commentary,freedom-of-expression,Muslim,terrorism,Islam,radicalism,radical-ideologies,academic-freedom Free

Terror suspects in the suicide bomb attacks in Surabaya had freely learnt intolerant and radical interpretations of Islamic teachings since their youth, according to the testimony of former schoolmates. To fight the extreme ideology and curb hate speech, the government should not ban youths from studying anything. Ironically teachings of murderous hatred are spread freely while liberalism, socialism, communism and atheism are banned or branded haram.



Throughout all the terror attacks in Indonesia, we hear the same response: Denial. Many Muslim leaders, also President Joko Jokowi Widodo, have quickly stated that the latest terror attacks, which so far have killed 25 people and injured dozens, have nothing to do with Islam. Terrorism has no religion, he said.



Agreed. But the terrorists have religion.



One of the suicide bombers, Dita Oeprianto, who led his family to fatal destruction, was a student of the best state-run high school in a complex of four state-run high schools in downtown Surabaya. Intolerance was part of the religious teachings in the extra-curricular activities. In the late 1980s, I was a member of those classes called kerohanian Islam, or rohis, in one of the schools. Regularly the students would invite ustad (religious teachers) who sounded narrow-minded, including their seniors studying in top state-run universities.



Many of those students came from middle-class families with not so strong Islamic backgrounds. Many could not read the Quran fluently, although they later could remember certain verses and teachings, especially that Islam is the true religion and others are fake.



Teachings of Wahabiism and Shiism were favorites among the rohis students at that time. Moderate teachings, like those practiced by Nahdlatul Ulama members, were unpopular. Many of the graduates then entered state universities and became professors, doctors or journalists.



A few became depressed since the teachings urged them to fight friends and even parents who did not share their beliefs in multicultural Surabaya. A few were even treated in mental hospitals. A few others dropped out from university. What became of Dita was thus shocking but not too surprising.



In state universities, such graduates again learned intolerant interpretations of Islamic teachings in full freedom. Student boards in state universities in Sumatra and Java are dominated by students who aspire to an Islamic state of Indonesia. They are either members of Hizbuth Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), the organization recently banned by the government, or youth wing members of the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).



In January 2017, hundreds of those students from various universities gathered at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) in West Java, pledging support for sharia and the caliphate in Indonesia and other countries. You can still watch their oath-taking on Youtube, which the IPB said it did not endorse.



Relatively few students in those state universities are free from Islamist movements. Some join student press activities and others join discussion groups supporting liberal and leftist thoughts  in secret.



Last September, discussions on human rights violations during the 1965 tragedy, held by universities and non-governmental organizations, were broken up by Islamic hardliners or by police under their pressure.



Intolerant teachings do not automatically change people into suicide bombers. It takes a long process until what we saw in Surabaya and other places in the country in the past.



How do we tackle potential suicide bombers? How do we deal with intolerance that justifies violence?

Fight the ideology with other ideologies. Fight the teachings with alternative teachings.



Despite their flaws, deradicalization programs for terrorist convicts should be extended to state-run senior high schools and universities, including teaching institutes and schools supported by Middle East countries, schools which still preach intolerance.



Changing the hearts and minds of extremist Muslim combatants with moderate teachings is nearly impossible.



Those fighters believe suicide bombing is a strategy in jihad, based on their interpretation of the Uhud war led by Prophet Muhammad. They believe suicide frightens infidel enemies, and is not stupid or useless.



Although the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has condemned suicide bombing, it remains heroic for misled youths; while MUIs fatwa, though non-binding, has stated pluralism, secularism and liberalism is haram.



However, youths should not only be taught moderate and tolerant teachings, they should also be given the freedom to search and learn alternative discourses.



Encourage universities to hold scientific, open discussions on liberalism and other isms. Those opposing the discussions should be allowed to rally, but not to disperse the talks.



As part of the learning process, the government should not ban leftist books, nor websites on atheism and sexual minorities  who also bear the brunt of

intolerance.



Let the youth decide whether they want to be pious or disbelieve in heaven. Law enforcers should act against hate speech and step up efforts to prevent terrorism.



Freedom will provide suicide bomber candidates other alternatives than dying for questionable causes while murdering others. Freedom will make them learn how to love life and humanity.

***

The writer is the founder of Sejuk, the Association of Journalists for Diversity.
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Linkedin Muhamad Rofiq (The Jakarta Post) Tempe, Arizona  Wed, May 16, 2018 13:01 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e447b13 3 Opinion Islam,religion,Muslim,radical-ideologies,terrorism,terror-attack Free

Terrorism is a multifaceted issue, triggered by both radical understanding of Islamic teachings and structural determinants. Those two factors are inseparable. We cannot just blame extreme religious paradigms while neglecting structural factors, or vice versa.

First, terrorism stems from erroneous methods of reading the Islamic sacred texts. Terrorists mainly embrace three common fallacious methods.

The first one is a partial or atomistic approach. The Quran, like other canonical texts from other religions, has certain passages often used to sanctify terrorism. Readers should not stop at one of a few scattered verses. Instead, they have to strive to get the comprehensive message of the Quran to avoid the wrong conclusion.

About a dozen Quranic passages strongly denounce the killing of innocent people. Terrorists, unfortunately, embrace the notion that the Quranic verses, as well as the Hadith or Prophets sayings, can be read partially, ignoring the complete picture of the Islamic message.

The second method of reading religious common among extremists is adhering to a literal understanding of Islamic canonical texts and neglecting general objectives of Islamic rulings.

Muslims scholars have agreed there are five objectives of Islam, namely preservation of the soul, religion, intellect, offspring and wealth. Moreover, they also agreed upon a notion that every single passage in the Quran has a ratio legis, a realization of human interest. This notion implies everything that contradicts the achievement of common good should be discarded and considered un-Islamic.

Regrettably, those terrorists lack or dismiss knowledge about the general purpose of Islam and instead rely only upon literal reading. For them killing people is an order from the holy book and thus acceptable -- ignoring the fact that this kind of verse should be understood within its historical context and should be subsumed under the general objective of Islam.

The third misleading method that underpins acts of terror is reading the legal verses of the Quran without consulting any traditionally recognized established authorities. Many terrorists who typically graduated from secular institutions instead of Islamic seminaries formulated discourses entirely foreign to Islamic tradition. In other words, their discourses have no intellectual precedent in Islamic traditions. For instance, the idea that killing innocent people can be justified or that the aims of a state should include establishing an Islamic caliphate -- neither have any grounding in Islamic classical intellectual legacy.

Regrettably, leaders of terrorists reject academic authorities and the sophistication of the legal tradition in Islam, asserting their interpretations have equal or greater authority than those of prominent classical Muslim scholars.

The second factor is structural. In other words, the above misguided paradigms work in tandem with objective circumstances.

The structural factors are also quite complex phenomena. A first major structural factor behind terrorism, although not overtly uttered, is reflected in peoples dissatisfaction with the government. Those terrorists exploit disappointment with government failure to eradicate poverty and economic inequality. This frustration and anger make ordinary people vulnerable to terrorist recruiters and their interpretation of Islam.

Secondly, terrorism also stems from feelings of victimization within an unjust global system. Every day they hear about terrible global facts such as the United States military intervention in several Muslim countries, about autocracy and the absence of freedom in the Middle East, and sectarian conflicts in some Arab countries. These problems summon their empathy and awaken their fury. They feel that they share responsibility as members of the global ummah or Islamic community to overcome those issues.

How can we get rid of terrorism in Indonesia?

In early May, the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Interfaith Dialog and Civilization Affairs successfully held the international Muslim Scholars Summit.

One of the conclusions was that Indonesia should strive to disseminate the concept of Washatiyyah Islam (middle-path Islam). The Summit also suggested this concept is the platform that every Muslim, regardless of their affiliation and stream, should promote.

The concept of Washatiyyah Islam is well entrenched in the Quran. In Surah Al Baqarah (The Cow) verse 143, the Quran characterizes Muslims as a middle community (ummatanwashatan).

What does washatiyyah in this verse refer to?

The Summit determined seven virtues that this term entails. Those virtues are: tawassuth (centering position among various extremist tendencies), itidal (proportional and just behavior), tasamuh (tolerance to differences), shura (consultation to achieve consensus), islah (constructive behavior for common interest), qudwah (good initiation in leading humankind into kindness) and muwathanah (admitting nation-state and respecting citizenship).

These seven virtues have been applied in Indonesian Muslim communities since the early arrival of Islam until the modern period, and are familiar to most Muslims in Indonesia. They need to be revived and disseminated more massively among Indonesian Muslims to lessen the radical voice of those terrorists.

Propagating this concept would have a serious impact on eradicating extremism and terrorism in Indonesia. The government should change their discourse of deradicalization into washatiyyah Islam to more effectively reduce extremist beliefs.

But more importantly, the government definitely should work very hard to address the structural factors that fuels terrorism.

***

Muhamad Rofiq is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Religious Studies at the Arizona State University. He pursued his bachelor on Shariah Islamiyyah at Al-Azhar Universtiy in Cairo and his master from Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta Indonesia on Middle Eastern Studies. He is also a lecturer at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Indonesia. His facebook account is Muhammad Rofiq (https://www.facebook.com/muhammad.rofiq.180)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Mella Jaarsma, a female artist who hails from the Netherlands, has created an installation entitled Binds and Blinds for this years ARTJOG, which is being held at the Jogja National Museum (JNM) until June 4.

She created the artwork to criticize the moral authority that makes the social situation in Indonesia less and less tolerant. Using 650 pictures of navels printed on wooden plates, she created two big cylinders that she hung from the exhibition rooms ceiling.

Among the visitors to Mellas exhibition room was a woman who opened her shirt to show off her navel. Take my picture, please, she told her husband.

For Mella, the navel represents the center of a human being. In order to create the artwork, she asked Indonesians on social media to send pictures of their navels to her.

This is like a monument of humanity. We can see the navel of a newborn baby, navels with scars, navels belonging to adults with big and small bellies, said Mella who is also a co-founder of the Cemeti Art Gallery.

She wants people to contemplate, and at the same time, criticize the social order that is controlled by the moral norms emerging from government regulations, religious and mass organizations. She said such a phenomenon does not just occur in Indonesia, it is becoming a global trend.

Yogyakarta, the heart of ARTJOG, has been witnessing a number of acts of intolerance.

Read also: How Yogyakarta preserves discrimination

Mella said she believes that unless something is done, this moral authority can affect diversity that has been one of Indonesias attractions, a value that made her fall in love with the country. We have to look into ourselves to prevent becoming hypocrites. Why should we judge others?

Celebrating its 11th anniversary this year, ARTJOG 2018 has taken Enlightenment: Toward Various Futures as its theme. The theme opens spaces for the participating artists to create artworks that enlighten people so that they will have the awareness to preserve universal human values, including diversity.

In a mixed-media work entitled Tandure Wis Sumilir (The Plants are Blooming), for example, artist Afdhal presents images of beautiful, fertile agricultural land in five panels, critizing the use of pesticides that threaten biodiversity.

Through his work, the artist reminds people that they are the ones who have instigated intolerant acts and other problems.

It can destroy the whole civilization, he said.

Franziska Fennert from Germany tries to convey Afdhals message by presenting installations entitled Social Synthesis and Power of Synthesis I, II, III. Using various materials such as artificial leather, metal and magnets, Fennert unites different bodies wrapped in skins with a repetition of colors.

She wants to convey a message that humans have to be tolerant about diversity because diverse religions, races, ethnics and thoughts are elements that form societies.

Questioning limit: Visitors take a look at Handiwirman Saputras Toleranintoleransi installation. (JP/Bambang Muryanto)

Artist Handiwirman Saputra tries to open a dialogue about the force to become tolerant that can backfire and turn into intolerance. To describe his concern, Handiwirman created an installation work entitled Toleranintoleransi. He said it was the result of a dialogue about a rubber band that can be flexible following the shape of an object, but at the same time it can also break when it is forced beyond its flexibility.

Handiwirman narrates the message by visually creating rubber bands from fiberglass. Some are big and some are hung until they touch the floor of the exhibition room, following the contours of the room. Some are broken ones attached to the walls or to the air condition units.

Fly me to the sky: A woman looks at an art installation by Kexin Zhang from China, who uses traditional Chinese kites in the artwork. (JP/Bambang Muryanto)

A work by Chinese artist Kexin Zhang reminds us of the importance of deep-rooted cultural identity as reflected by kites with strong control ropes, which prevent them from being cut off and swallowed by the sky because of strong winds.

The artists series of installations were created by adapting three traditional kites from China, namely a new bird-style kite, a new butterfly kite and a new leading centipede kite.

By becoming a kite, Zhang presented an art performance by flying to other cultural heritages such as Borobudur, a pesantren (an Islamic boarding school) in Lasem and a number of temples in Central Java, Malaysia and Thailand. The footages of the performances are also on display at ARTJOG 2018.

A visitor, Nieke Jahja, said by observing some works exhibited at ARTJOG 2018 she learned about the importance of preserving diversity although she added that she found it difficult to understand the curatorial narration of each work she described as complicated.

There should be a forum for the audience to also give their opinion, she said.
The father of American actress Meghan Markle said on Tuesday he could not attend his daughters wedding to Britains Prince Harry on Saturday because he needed a heart procedure.

Thomas Markle, who lives in Mexico, was quoted as telling Los Angeles-based celebrity website TMZ.com that he was scheduled to undergo a heart repair and blockage clearance procedure early on Wednesday morning.

Markle, 73, was due to walk his daughter down the aisle in front of 600 guests including all the senior British royals and a smattering of celebrities.

Markle threw the wedding plans into confusion earlier this week when he said he would not attend the May 19 nuptials because he did not want to embarrass his daughter or the royal family after reports he had staged pictures with a paparazzi photographer for a fee. He also said he had been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack a week ago.

Harry, 33, Queen Elizabeths grandson and the sixth-in-line to the British throne, and Markle, 36, will marry on Saturday at St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle.

On Tuesday, Markle told TMZ that he hated the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle.

But he later said doctors had scheduled surgery on Wednesday morning. They (doctors) will go in and clear blockage, repair damage and put a stent where it is needed, Markle told the website.

Kensington Palace, Harrys office, could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday.

But in a statement issued on Monday it said called Thomas Markles comments a deeply personal moment for Ms Markle.

Read also: Meghan Markle's father not attending royal wedding: Report

She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr Markle in this difficult situation, Kensington Palace said.

The bride-to-bes parents are divorced and while Harry has been pictured with her mother Doria Ragland, 61, there had been speculation about how Thomas Markle, a former lighting director for TV soaps and sitcoms, would feature.

However, Harrys communications secretary told reporters last week he would have an important role and would give away his daughter on the couples big day. He had also been expected to meet the queen, her husband and the other senior members of the Windsor family this week.

Thousands of journalists from across the world are descending on the genteel town of Windsor for the wedding, and Thomas Markle told TMZ earlier this week that the media attention had taken its toll. He said he had been offered up to $100,000 for interviews and been ambushed by paparazzi whose snaps had shown him buying beer and looking dishevelled.

TMZ said he had agreed to the staged pictures, which showed him looking at images of the couple on a computer and being sized up for a suit, because he hoped they would improve his image.

Prince Harry and his elder brother Prince William have both made clear in the past their dislike of the press, fuelled by the death of their mother Princess Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997 as her limousine sped away from chasing paparazzi.

Kensington Palace has limited press access to the ceremony itself and strictly controlled the release of details about the wedding to the media.

If her father does not come, British newspapers suggested that Markles mother, with whom she is spending the night before the ceremony at a nearby luxury hotel, would walk her daughter down the aisle.
Author Tom Wolfe, the acerbic chronicler of American society known for best-selling books "The Right Stuff" and "The Bonfire of the Vanities," has died at the age of 88.

Wolfe's agent Lynn Nesbit said the writer died Monday in a Manhattan hospital, where he was being treated for an infection.

"We are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Tom Wolfe," his publisher Picador said. "He was one of the greats and his words will live on forever."

During a prolific career, Wolfe turned his flamboyant pen and keen eye to pop culture, the hippie movement, the art world, race relations and Wall Street.

But he is perhaps best known for his non-fiction bestseller "The Right Stuff" about the US space program and the original Mercury astronauts.

The 1979 book was made into a Hollywood hit starring Sam Shepard and Ed Harris and made swashbuckling test pilot Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier, a household name.

Wolfe is credited with contributing the phrase "the right stuff" and another from the book, "pushing the envelope," to the American lexicon.

Among those paying tribute to Wolfe on Tuesday was American astronaut Scott Kelly.

"He changed my life, and I am grateful I was able to thank him for the wildly unrealistic dream he gave me as an 18 year old boy," Kelly tweeted. "He was the #RightStuff."

Read also: 'Winds of Winter' not coming in 2018, 'Thrones' author Martin says

'New Journalism'

Wolfe's first book, "The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby," published in 1965, was born out of a collection of articles about the 1960s he wrote for Esquire and New York magazines.

The book became a bestseller and placed Wolfe alongside other figures in the "New Journalism" movement such as Hunter S. Thompson, Gay Talese, Norman Mailer and Truman Capote.

Instead of keeping a distance from their subjects, "New Journalism" practitioners often adopted an unconventional stylistic approach and perspective.

In interviews over the years, Wolfe would fend off criticism of his liberal use of exclamation points.

Wolfe published two bestsellers in 1968 -- "The Pump House Gang" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," for which he spent time with the "Merry Pranksters," a band of LSD-taking traveling hippies led by Ken Kesey, author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

His 1970 book "Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers," examined racial tensions in the United States and lampooned some of the good intentions of New York liberals in awkward detail.

Wolfe's 1975 book about the US art world, "The Painted Word," outraged many artists with its depiction of an insular village.

Wolfe turned to writing novels in the mid-1980s, penning "The Bonfire of the Vanities," a scathing takedown of greed and excess in New York.

Like "The Right Stuff," the book also contributed a phrase -- in this case "master of the universe" -- to the American vocabulary.

"Bonfire" was made into a 1990 film starring Tom Hanks, Melanie Griffith and Bruce Willis.

Read also: Scottish author takes 'Ferrymania' from China to Hollywood

Newspaper reporter beginnings

Another novel, "A Man in Full," was published in 1998 and also made it to the New York Times bestseller list.

More recently, Wolfe wrote "I Am Charlotte Simmons," a 2004 novel about college life, and "Back to Blood," a poorly received 2012 book set in Miami.

Thomas Kennerly Wolfe was born on March 2, 1930 in Richmond, Virginia, where his father was the editor of The Southern Planter, an agricultural magazine.

After earning his undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University, Wolfe obtained a PhD in American studies from Yale University.

Wolfe then began a 10-year career as a newspaper reporter. He joined the Springfield Union in 1956 in Massachusetts before going on to work for The Washington Post and the New York Herald Tribune.

In a 1991 interview with The Paris Review, Wolfe described his newspaper experience as invaluable training for his later fiction and non-fiction pursuits.

"I wouldn't give anything for the years I spent on newspapers because it forces you, it immerses you, in so many different sides of life," he said.

A dapper dresser, Wolfe was known for his trademark white suits, homburg hats and two-tone shoes, a style he would famously self-deprecatingly describe as "neo-pretentious."

Wolfe married Sheila Berger, the artistic director of Harper's magazine, in 1978. They had two children.
UOB Indonesia launched on Tuesday the 2018 UOB Painting of the Year (POY) competition.

The annual art event now includes art workshops for more than 200 underprivileged children.

The first Painting of the Year competition was held in Singapore in 1982 and began in Indonesia in 2011.

UOB Indonesia president director Kevin Lam said art plays an important role in enriching peoples lives while also strengthening community ties.

UOB has consistently supported art development in Southeast Asia through the UOB Painting of the Year competition. We hope to create a positive and sustainable environment, as well as provide the opportunity for Indonesian artists to excel, Lam said in a press statement.

He added that past winners had been invited to share their expertise in this years art workshops.

UOB Indonesia also collaborates with artists and art experts to hold art discussions at Bentara Budaya in Jakarta and the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in West Java.

The competition is now open for registration until Sept. 3. Professional as well as amateur artists are welcome to sign up.

The judges in the competition are contemporary artist Entang Wiharso, art collector Dr. Wiyu Wahono and art writer Bambang Bujono.

Winners of the 2018 UOB Painting of the Year competition will be announced on Oct. 16 in Jakarta, while the finalists work will be exhibited at Building A of the National Gallery of Indonesia from Nov. 8 to 19.

They will be in competition with winners from Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand for the title of UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year.

Winners from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand will also have the chance to enroll in a one-month residency program at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan.

For more information, head to the UOB POYs website. (wng)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16, 2018 15:08 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e44cd3e 1 City North-Jakarta,Immigration-Office,detainment,foreigners Free

The North Jakarta Immigration Office raided on Tuesday an apartment building where 61 foreign nationals reside in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, detaining 24 of the expatriates for further investigation.

The immigration office's head of supervision, Adi Tri Nugroho, said there were indications that the 24 foreigners violated immigration laws and caused trouble to residents of the apartment building.

Three foreigners were found with illicit substances suspected to be narcotics and they are currently being investigated by the relevant agencies, Adi said on Tuesday as reported by kompas.com.

Adi said the office had also received several complaints from residents who claimed the expatriates harassed them by forcefully grabbing their cell phones and making missed calls, thereby obtaining local residents' phone numbers.

Of the 24 expatriates, 20 are Nigerian, one is Gambian, one is Ugandan, one is Senegalese and one is stateless.

Some of them could not show their travel documents while others had overstayed their residence permits, Adi said.

The foreign nationals were suspected to have been involved in cybercrime, he said. The office had confiscated their laptops and cell phones.

Adi said the expatriates would be immediately deported to their home countries.

They chose to reside in the Kelapa Gading apartment complex because of its relatively cheap rent, North Jakarta Immigration Office spokesperson Primadita said, adding that they mostly worked in the cloth-trading business. (ami)
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Linkedin Ahmad Junaidi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16 2018

Terror suspects in the suicide bomb attacks in Surabaya had freely learnt intolerant and radical interpretations of Islamic teachings since their youth, according to the testimony of former schoolmates. To fight the extreme ideology and curb hate speech, the government should not ban youths from studying anything. Ironically teachings of murderous hatred are spread freely while liberalism, socialism, communism and atheism are banned or branded haram.

Throughout all the terror attacks in Indonesia, we hear the same response: Denial. Many Muslim leaders, also President Joko Jokowi Widodo, have quickly stated that the latest terror attacks, which so far have killed 25 people and injured dozens, have nothing to do with Islam. Terrorism has no religion, he said.

Agreed. But the terrorists have religion.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16, 2018 10:03 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e43685e 4 Business DarminNasution,trade-deficit,APRIL,infrastructure-development Free

Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution has said the government will not attempt to curb the high import growth that caused the countrys trade deficit in April, stressing that it indicated positive economic activity.

He said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the construction of infrastructure projects by the government and non-infrastructure projects by the private sector had pushed the import volume up in April because of the increasing need for capital goods and raw materials.

The imports of capital goods and raw materials [for industry] accounted for about 91 percent, while consumption goods only accounted for about 9 percent, said Darmin as quoted by kompas.com.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) on Tuesday announced that Indonesia recorded a US$1.63 billion trade deficit in April due to the significant increase in imports.

Exports were booked at $14.47 billion, an increase of 9.01 percent year-on-year (yoy), while imports jumped by 34.68 percent yoy in April to $16.09 billion.

Darmin said the 9.01 percent export growth was quite high, although it could not balance out the high import growth.

He admitted that the government needed to boost exports, as imports would continue to grow significantly in the coming months as construction continues on both infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects in the country.

The government needs to boost exports to balance the increasing growth in imports. The infrastructure development will continue. Like it or not, imports will continue to grow because we have not produced a number of goods needed for the construction projects, he added. (bbn)
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Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16, 2018 11:58 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e43f515 1 National terrorism,Surabaya-bombings,mako-brimob,#SurabayaBombings,suicide-attack,suicide-bombings,TerrorAttacks,terror-attack Free

The Communications and Information Ministry has intensified its effort to identify and block online content related to radicalism and terrorism in the wake of a series of terror attacks in Surabaya, East Java, and other regions.

I have given the instruction to monitor the content of websites using a crawling method every two hours. Should we find suspicious content, we will block it right away, Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara said after a meeting with representatives of social media platforms on Tuesday.

He further said the crawling was expected to yield results, even if there were few websites with radical content. The government is searching for content that is deemed provocative, promotes terrorism or exacerbates the current state of terror.

The ministry said that, as of Tuesday, it had blocked social media accounts for spreading terror-related content  most of which was posted on 450 Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Some of them were previously identified but we had not yet blocked them because they were still subject to investigations conducted by the police or the BNPT [National Counterterrorism Agency], Rudiantara said.

(Read also: [UPDATED] Surabaya church bombings: What we know so far)

Rudiantara further said the ministry would ask social media platforms to deactivate the accounts after the investigations.

Such a commitment was echoed by representatives of Facebook Indonesia who stated that the platform would follow up on any complaints from users and the ministry regarding negative content.

We have no room for violence, said Facebook Indonesia public policy head Ruben Hattari, who was present at the meeting. He, however, did not provide an exact time frame as to when the blocking would be conducted, saying the platform received many complaints every day.

The online measure will be supported by an artificial intelligence tool that will crawl websites based on keywords. Initially, the government used this tool to stop hoaxes and block pornographic content on the internet. (ebf)
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Linkedin Ramsha Jahangir (Dawn/ANN) Karachi, Pakistan  Thu, May 17, 2018 05:00 1241 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e45e037 2 World #Pakistan,#humanrights,#HumanRightsAbuse,#attack,#threat,#cyberattack Free

uman rights defenders in Pakistan are under threat from a targeted campaign of digital attacks, which has seen social media accounts hacked and computers and mobile phones infected with spyware, a four-month investigation by Amnesty International revealed.

In a new report released on Tuesday titled "Human Rights Under Surveillance: Digital Threats Against Human Rights Defenders in Pakistan", the human rights watchdog revealed how attackers were using fake online identities and social media profiles to ensnare Pakistani human rights defenders online and mark them out for surveillance and cybercrime.

We uncovered an elaborate network of attackers who are using sophisticated and sinister methods to target human rights activists. Attackers use cleverly designed fake profiles to lure activists and then attack their electronic devices with spyware, exposing them to surveillance and fraud and even compromising their physical safety, said Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Director of Global Issues at Amnesty International.

The investigation showed how attackers used fake Facebook and Google login pages to trick their victims into revealing their passwords.

It is already extremely dangerous to be a human rights defender in Pakistan and it is alarming to see how attacks on their work are moving online, he said.

The report highlighted the case of Diep Saeeda, a prominent civil society activist from Lahore. On Dec. 2, 2017, one of her friends, Raza Mehmood Khan, a peace activist who tried to bring people from India and Pakistan together through activities like letter-writing, was subjected to an enforced disappearance.

Saeeda began publicly calling for Razas release, including petitioning the Lahore High Court. Soon after, she began to receive suspicious messages from people claiming to be concerned about Razas well-being, the report found.

As per Amnesty Internationals investigation, a Facebook user who claimed to be an Afghan woman named Sana Halimi  living in Dubai and working for the UN  repeatedly contacted Saeeda via Facebook Messenger, saying that she had information about Raza. The operator of the profile sent her links to files containing malware called StealthAgent which, if opened, would have infected her mobile devices.

The profile  which the human rights watchdog believed was fake  was also used to trick Saeeda into divulging her email address, to which she started receiving emails infected with a Windows spyware commonly known as Crimson.

Amnesty found that several human rights activists in Pakistan have been targeted in this way, sometimes by people claiming to be human rights activists themselves.

Saeeda also received emails claiming to be from staff of the Punjab chief minister. The emails included false details of a supposed upcoming meeting between the provincial ministry of education and her organisation, the Institute for Peace and Secular Studies. In other cases, the attackers pretended to be students looking for guidance and tuition from Saeeda.

Every time I open an email I am now scared. Its getting so bad I am actually not able to carry out my work  my social work is suffering, she told Amnesty.

Amnesty Internationals Technology and Human Rights team was able to trace these attacks to a group of individuals based in Pakistan. The report revealed the network of individuals and companies behind the creation of some of the tools seen in surveillance operations used to target individuals in the country.

Over the past few months, it added, Amnesty had noted with alarm that activists were being subjected to threats, intimidation, violent attacks and enforced disappearances. They included journalists, bloggers, peaceful protesters and other mainstays of civil society.

As an elected member of the UN Human Rights Council, Pakistan has a responsibility to uphold the highest international standards. It has repeatedly vowed to protect human rights activists and criminalise enforced disappearances, but what we are seeing shows they have done nothing on this front while the situation is getting worse, said Sherif Elsayed-Ali.

The Pakistani authorities must immediately order an independent and effective investigation into these attacks, and ensure that human rights defenders are protected both online and off, he added.

Topics :

This article appeared on the Dawn newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16, 2018 11:43 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e43eca2 1 City adultery,police-officers,Jakarta-police Free

The Jakarta Police are investigating an adultery allegation against police officers.

One of our officers reported the allegation on Tuesday. The case has been under investigation by the provost [division], police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono told kompas.com on Wednesday.

Investigative officers, Argo added, would question the police and others over the case before the preliminary trial.

If an act of adultery is proven to have taken place, the trial will determine the kind of crime and [...] punishment that will be charged on them, he said.

The case reportedly was reported by an officer of the Jakarta Police security intelligence unit (Intelkam).

According to the officer, his wife, a police officer at the National Police crimes unit, had committed adultery with another officer at the National Police special crimes detection unit (Tipiter) at a hotel in North Jakarta.

The officer that reported the case told the police that his wife had admitted to committing the alleged act. (vla)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16, 2018 19:15 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e456c5c 1 City vaccination,elementary-schools,kindergartens Free

The Jakarta administration has ruled out compulsory vaccination for kindergarten and elementary school admission, according to a circular letter issued by the Jakarta Education Agency.

Jakarta Education Agency deputy head Bowo Irianto said the decision was taken to make it easy for parents who wanted to enroll their children in kindergartens or elementary schools.

Jakarta has a very varied population, so access to schools must be open wide and in a nondiscriminatory way, Bowo told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Besides, immunizations can be done after the children are enrolled in school, which the citys health facilities will provide, Bowo said.

The circular letter came to attention when a citizen, Widhi Maulana, 32, posted a WhatsApp comment criticizing the decision.

The previous regulation was good to ensure that children are vaccinated, but the administration has changed, he said in his status.

He said that he noticed the circular letter when it was posted at the Penggilingan 1 community health center (Puskesmas) in East Jakartawhile he was trying to get an immunization certificate for his 2-year-old child.

He said that even after seeing the letter he still decided to get the immunization certificate. Perhaps next year they will change the rule again, he told the Post.

Opposition to vaccination among parents has begun to rise, they refuse to vaccinate their children despite the rise in outbreaks of preventable diseases such as diphtheria. (ami)
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16, 2018 13:28 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e448dbe 1 Politics Jokowi,Joko-Widodo,Pramono-Anung,cabinet,OIC,Cabinet-Secretary-Pramono-Anung Free

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has appointed four new expert staff members to his administration through a presidential decree, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung has confirmed.

Two of the four are Adita Irawati, the former corporate communications vice president for state-owned communications firm Telkomsel, and Abdul Ghofar Rozin, the son of Nahdlatul Ulama senior cleric Mohammad Ahmad Sahal Mahfudz.

The two others are Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin, the former commissioner of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission, and Ahmad Erani Yustika, the former director general at the Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministry .

"They have started working and yesterday they coordinated with the state secretary and I because managerial administration [duties] fall under the Cabinet secretary," Pramono said on Tuesday.

Adita's task, he added, was to revamp outdated public relations systems at ministries and state institutions by promoting content-making through social media.

Abdul was appointed to assist the President during domestic religious events, such as when Jokowi meets with ulema on visits to Islamic boarding schools.

Siti, with her background in religious issues and human rights, was assigned to assist Jokowi in international religious issues.

Lastly, Ahmad would assist Jokowi in developing economic policies, given his expertise in village funds, Pramono said.

With the additional members, Jokowi now has 10 expert staff members. The other six are Johan Budi, Ari Dwipayana, Lenis Kogoya, Sukardi Rinakit, Gories Mere and Diaz Hendropriyono. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16, 2018 11:43 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e43dec4 4 Business Jokowi,tanjung-priok,exports Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodo officiated the departure on Tuesday of the first CMA CGM Tage container ship of exports from the Jakarta International Containers Terminal (JICT) at Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta.

The CMA CGM Tage ship, which has a capacity of 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers, will serve direct calls from Jakarta to Los Angeles, the United States.

We loaded the ship with 4,300 TEU containers. It is a large number. With the direct call, the transporting of goods is more efficient, Jokowi said as reported by tribunnews.com.

The ship has a gross Tonnage (TG) of 95.263 and is 347 meters long. It is one of several massive ships that regularly dock at Tanjung Priok port.

The release was also attended by Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto, Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita, State-owned Enterprises Minister Rini Sumarno, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Indonesia Port Corporations (IPC) president director Elvyn G Masassya and CMA CGM chief executive officer Farid Belbouab.

Jokowi said by using the ship, Indonesian products would be more competitive in the international market because transportation costs could be reduced by $300 per container.

Meanwhile, Elvyn said the regular stop of large ships at Tanjung Priok indicated that Indonesia was on the right track to becoming a world maritime axis.

It also indicates that IPC has already been able to manage seaports with the worlds busiest loading and unloading activities, and that are equipped with a sophisticated IT system, he added. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16, 2018 12:14 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e44483f 1 City Jakarta-police,mosque,Knife,arrest Free

An unidentified man was arrested on Tuesday evening for carrying a knife at the Jakarta Polices vehicle registration center (Satpas) in Daan Mogot, West Jakarta.

The man was caught in the Satpas mosque.

"When an officer called out to him, the suspect threw something outside [of the Satpas area]," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.

The officer later followed the direction at which the suspect had gestured and discovered a knife.

The suspect was then taken to the Jakarta Polices General Crime Directorate and the knife confiscated as evidence.

He is still undergoing questioning, Argo added. (fac)
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Linkedin Christine Kim and Josh Smith (Reuters) Seoul, South Korea  Wed, May 16, 2018 16:34 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e451705 2 World #USA,#NorthKorea,#NorthKoreaNuclear,#SouthKorea,#NuclearDisarmament,#trump,#DonaldTrump,#KimJongUn Free

North Korea threw next months unprecedented summit between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump into doubt on Wednesday, threatening weeks of diplomatic progress by saying it may reconsider if Washington insists on pursuing a one-sided denuclearization deal.

The Norths official KCNA news agency said earlier Pyongyang had called off high-level talks with Seoul in the first sign of trouble in what had been warming ties.

Citing first vice minister of foreign affairs Kim Kye-gwan, KCNA later said the fate of the US-North Korea summit, as well as bilateral relations, would be clear if Washington spoke of a Libya-style denuclearization for the North.

If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-US summit, Kim Kye-gwan said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Kim specifically criticized US national security adviser John Bolton, who has called for North Korea to quickly give up its nuclear arsenal in a deal that mirrors Libyas abandonment of its weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea previously clashed with Bolton when he worked under the Bush administration, calling him human scum and a bloodsucker.

We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance toward him, Kim said.

The statements, combined with joint military drills by South Korean and US warplanes, mark a dramatic reversal in tone from recent months when both sides embraced efforts to negotiate.

North Korea had announced it would publicly shut its nuclear test site next week. Trump and Kim are scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States would agree to lift sanctions on North Korea if it agreed to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

However, Kim Kye-gwans statement appeared to reject such an arrangement, saying North Korea would never give up its nuclear program in exchange for economic trade with the United States.

We have already stated our intention for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States, Kim said.

North Korea has always defended its nuclear and missile programs as a necessary deterrent against perceived aggression by the United States, which stations 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Asian stock markets dipped after Pyongyang called off the talks with the South that were set for Wednesday. A cancellation of the June 12 summit in Singapore could see tensions flare again even as investors worry about China-US trade friction.

This will weigh on the Korean reconstruction beneficiaries that have had a strong run on peace and even reunification hopes recently, JPMorgan analysts wrote in a note.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa spoke to Pompeo by telephone on Wednesday and discussed North Koreas postponement of the talks with the South, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Pompeo told Kang that Washington would continue to make preparations for the US-North Korea summit, bearing in mind the recent action by North Korea, it said.

Kim Kye-gwans statement came only hours after North Korea denounced the US-South Korean military exercises as a provocation and pulled out of the talks with the South.

An earlier KCNA report angrily attacked the Max Thunder air combat drills, which it said involved US stealth fighters and B-52 bombers.

American stealth F-22 fighters were spotted in South Korea earlier in May ahead of the exercises, but a spokesman for the US military command in South Korea said that no B-52s were scheduled to take part in the drills.

Neither B-52s or B-1B bombers were present at last years Max Thunder drills, according to a South Korean defence ministry official.

Any cancellation of the June 12 summit in Singapore, the first meeting between a serving US president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to what would be the biggest diplomatic achievement of Trumps presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for a successful meeting even as many analysts have been skeptical about the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Koreas willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that it says can hit the United States.

Kim Kye-gwan singled out comments by Bolton.

[The] World knows too well that our country is neither Libya nor Iraq which have met miserable fate, Kim said. It is absolutely absurd to dare compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya which had been at the initial stage of nuclear development.

Kim Jong Uns latest move could be aimed at testing Trumps willingness to make concessions ahead of the summit, which is to be preceded by a visit to Washington next week by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

A US government expert on North Korea said Kim may also be trying to gauge whether Trump is willing to walk away from the meeting.

Joshua Pollack, of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said Pyongyang appeared irritated by the US administrations vow to maintain sanctions in spite of North Korean concessions.

The North Koreans want a change in tone from the US, and at least so far, theyre not hearing one, he said.

The doubt thrown over the Kim-Trump summit comes a week after Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, under which Tehran curbed its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of most international sanctions.

China said on Wednesday all parties should demonstrate goodwill and sincerity to create a conducive atmosphere for denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.

The Max Thunder drills would go on as planned and were not aimed at attacking a third party, the Souths defense ministry said. KCNA called the air drills a provocation that went against the trend of warming ties.

Kim Jong Un had said previously that he understands the need and the utility of the United States and the Republic of Korea continuing in its joint exercises, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing.

KCNA said North Korea was suspending Wednesdays ministerial-level meeting, which was to focus on plans to implement the inter-Korea summit declaration, including promises to formally end the Korean War and pursue complete denuclearization.

South Korea described the Norths decision as regrettable.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16, 2018 16:25 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e450218 1 City Tangerang,terrorist-group,arrest,attack Free

Officers from the Tangerang Police and the National Polices Densus 88 counterterrorism squad arrested three men suspected of being members of a terrorist group and detained a woman as a witness in raids in two separate locations in Tangerang, Banten, on Wednesday.

We have arrested three men at two crime scenes and detained a woman as a witness, Tangerang Police chief Harry Kurniawan said on Wednesday as reported by kompas.com.

He said the two locations were located 1 kilometer apart. The first raid was made on Jl. Gempol in Pinang, Tangerang.

The second was in Kunciran Indah, some 1 kilometer away from the first scene, Harry said.

He said there was no exchange of gunfire or any explosions during the arrest of the suspected terrorists.

Harry declined to reveal the identity of the three suspects. Their names will be revealed at the National Police headquarters, Harry said. (ami)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Surabaya  Wed, May 16, 2018 11:45 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e43f230 1 National #SurabayaBombings,terror-attack,bombing-plot,bombings,security,East-Java Free

Counterterrorism squad Densus 88 raided on Tuesday evening the residences of terror suspects believed to be linked to the recent bombings in Surabaya and Sidoarjo, East Java. One suspect was killed during the raid, while two families comprising nine people were detained for further questioning.

The police sought to apprehend Dedy Sulistiantono at his residence on Jl. Sikatan IV, Tandes, Surabaya. He is the younger brother of terror suspect Anton Ferdiantono whose wife and eldest son were killed after a bomb went off prematurely at his low-cost apartment in Wonocolo, Sidoarjo. Dedy, however, was shot dead after resisting arrest by attacking the officers with a knife.

We have detained [Dedys] wife and four children [for further investigation], East Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Frans Barung Mangera said, referring to Dedys wife Suyanti, 34, and their children, DNS, 14, AISP, 10, HA, 7, and NN, 5.

Later in the evening, Densus 88 also raided the house of terror suspect Ilham Fauzan on Jl. Abdul Waham in Pakis, Surabaya. Ilham had been arrested earlier in Sidoarjo. Police detained Fauzans wife and two children.

Police discovered in their preliminary investigations that the suspects behind the string of bombings in Surabaya and Sidoarjo had involved family members in the suicide attacks. Alleged suicide bomber Dita Oeprianto's family of six died in Sundays church attacks. Of Anton's family of six, three died and three survived the explosion at the Wonocolo apartment. On Monday morning, a third family attacked the Surabaya Police headquarters in another suicide bombing. The familys 8-year-old daughter survived the attack and was taken to hospital. (dmr)
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Thu, May 17, 2018 03:31 1241 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e45cb6f 1 National Densus-88,terror-attack,terrorism,#SurabayaBombings,#MakoBrimobRiot,Medan,church-attack Free

Counterterrorism squad Densus 88, with the assistance of North Sumatra Police personnel, have arrested a number of terror suspects in several locations in North Sumatra, including the provincial capital of Medan, following the church attacks in Surabaya.

North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw confirmed the arrests, including one in Tanjung Balai city on Tuesday, where security personnel shot one suspect dead and injured another for resisting arrest.

Meanwhile, Densus 88 personnel arrested at least two other suspects in Medan, who were identified as 28-year-old ojek driver MYR and 38-year-old milk seller SL, on the same day. A suspect identified as W reportedly fled during an attempted arrest.

All suspects have been taken to the North Sumatra Polices Mobile Brigade headquarters and put under heavy guard of police personnel.

The police, however, had yet to publish the number and names of suspects as of Wednesday evening. We are still investigating it, North Sumatra Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Tatan Dirsan Atmaja said.

Since the suicide bombings on three churches in East Javas Surabaya, police personnel have arrested a number of terror suspects across the country, namely 13 in East Java, two in South Sumatras Palembang, one in Riaus Pekanbaru and three in Bantens Tangerang. The police have also shot dead several others including four in Pekanbaru. (kuk)
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) The Semarang, Central Java  Wed, May 16, 2018 12:26 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e445516 1 National radicalism,radical-ideologies,radical-movement,radical-group,Unnes,Semarang-State-University,terrorism Free

Leaders and lecturers of Semarang State University (Unnes) signed on Tuesday an integrity pact in their effort to stop the spread of radical teachings on campus.

Unnes Rector Fathur Rokhman said the integrity pact was part of a commitment from all teachers and students to make the university free from corruption, drug abuse and radicalism.

We will dismiss lecturers found guilty of breaching the pact and for civil servants, we will return them back to the state. For students who violate this commitment, we will send them back to their parents, said Fathur in Semarang on Tuesday.

He made the statement in response to the dismissal of a dean and three lecturers of a notable state university in East Java as they were found guilty of spreading radical teachings.

Fathur said Unnes would entrust the handling of academic members suspected to have spread radical teachings to the police.

We are developing educational characteristics here based on Pancasila, nationalism and state-defense principles. For us, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia [NKRI] is unquestionable. We have four pillars we adhere to. They comprise Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, the NKRI and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika [Unity in Diversity], said Fathur.

To prevent the spread of radicalism, the universitys school of law opened an antiterrorism clinic to strengthen dialogue between students and their colleagues and lecturers. (ebf)
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Linkedin Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru  Wed, May 16, 2018 18:50 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e454f28 1 National Riau,terrorism,terror-attack,National-Police Free

Slain traffic police officer Second Insp. Auzar, who died after an attack on Riau Police headquarters on Wednesday, was known as a religious man who also taught children to read the Quran, friends say.



"He was a good man," Auzar's friend, Asril Darma -- who is also the Riau National Broadcasting Commission head -- said after learning about Auzar's death.

Asril added that Auzar was the type of person who easily befriended people.

Read also: Four suspects shot dead in Riau police attack, one officer dies



"He was also pious. He often recited the call to prayer at the Al Falah Mosque on Jl. Surabaya and at the Hikmah Mosque on Jl. Sewu," he added.



Second Insp. Ade, a member of the Riau Police's public relations division, echoed Asril's comments, saying that Auzar was a devout Muslim.



"He was one of the people who most often performed the voluntary prayer at the Al Adil Mosque at police headquarters," Ade said. He added that Auzar would also often lead the prayers as an imam at the mosque and would often be asked to recite prayers at police events.



He also taught children to read the Quran at his local mosque in the Sail subdistrict of Pekanbaru.



Auzar had just finished performing a prayer when the attack occurred. As he exited the mosque, he saw a car speed towards the police headquarters' gate and tried to block it as other police officers were chasing after it.



The car crashed into him, causing severe injuries. He was rushed to the Riau Police Hospital for treatment but his life could not be saved. (kmt/evi)
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Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16, 2018 10:08 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e437316 1 Politics Bengkulu,South-Bengkulu,South-Bengkulu-regent,corruption,bribery,bribery-case,graft,graft-suspect,KPK Free

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) apprehended a regional head in Bengkulu over his alleged involvement in a graft case during an operation on Tuesday evening.

Four people were arrested in the operation in Bengkulu: a regent, a member of the regents family, a government employee and a businessperson. Investigators seized around Rp 100 million [US$7,090] in cash during the arrest, KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said on Tuesday.

He added that the implicated individuals were arrested in the middle of an alleged illicit transaction regarding a botched infrastructure project. The antigraft body refused to reveal further details regarding the operation, saying investigators were still working on the case in the field.

Reports have indicated that the implicated regent is South Bengkulu Regent Dirwan Mahmud. He was reportedly arrested by graft busters along with his wife.

Bengkulu has been red-flagged by the antigraft body as a region prone to corruption, as graft busters have conducted at least three operations to arrest graft-implicated state officials in the province.

In September, the KPK arrested a judge at the Bengkulu Corruption Court, Dewi Suryana, for allegedly accepting unlawful gifts. Three months prior to the arrest, graft busters apprehended Bengkulu governor Ridwan Mukti and his wife, Lily Martiani Maddari, for alleged bribery  only days after investigators nabbed Bengkulu Prosecutors Office official Parlin Purba in a separate bribery case. (ebf)
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Linkedin Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Surabaya  Wed, May 16 2018

For peace: A member of the Peoples Alliance Against Terrorism hands out flowers to police officers in Caturmuka, Bali, on Tuesday. They urged the government to pass antiterrorism bills. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono)

While counterterrorism squad Densus 88 presses ahead with a crackdown on suspected terrorists in East Java and beyond, city life in Surabaya has returned to normal after a string of terrorist attacks in the provincial capital and the neighboring regency of Sidoarjo.

The East Java Police have revoked the citys highest alert status while instructing lower-level police offices to remain vigilant and maintain security monitoring in their respective areas.
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang, Central Java  Wed, May 16, 2018 19:55 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e458768 1 National Surabaya-bombings,SurabayaBombings,US-government,US-deputy-ambassador,Erin-McKee Free

The US government is ready to provide the Indonesian government with assistance in its investigation into a string of suicide bomb attacks in East Java on Sunday and Monday, which left 25 people dead and at least 41 others injured, an envoy has said.

US deputy ambassador to Indonesia Erin McKee told reporters on Wednesday that the US was strongly opposed to terrorism and stood with the Indonesian people and government in eradicating terrorism.

She was speaking after attending the handover ceremony of eight AH-64E Apache attack helicopters at Ahmad Yani Air Force Base in Semarang, Central Java. The Indonesian government bought the eight helicopters worth US$41 million each from the US government.

McKee said all US government institutions were ready to help Indonesia.

The deputy ambassador further stated the US condemned the suicide bomb attacks that hit three churches in Surabaya and expressed her sympathy for the victims.

Despite the terror attacks, she said, the government would not prohibit US citizens from visiting Indonesia. Our consulate in Surabaya and the US Embassy in Jakarta are still open, said McKee. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, May 16, 2018 12:55 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e4470d4 1 World US-Secretary-of-State,Mike-Pompeo,ramadhan,Ramadhan-2018,#Ramadhan2018,Muslim Free

As a new moon marks the start of the holy month of Ramadhan, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo conveyed a message to Muslims in the US and around the world.

On behalf of the US Department of State, I offer best wishes to Muslims around the world for a peaceful and blessed Ramadhan, Pompeo said in a statement released by the US Embassy in Jakarta on Wednesday.

For those observing this month, Pompeo said, Ramadhan was a time of reverence, generosity and spiritual introspection.

Ramadhan is also a cherished time of community, often spent reconnecting with family and friends. It calls Muslims to come together to give charitably to the less fortunate, he said.

Muslims in the US and around the world made valuable contributions to their societies every day, and millions would honor this month in a special way with acts of service and giving back to their neighbors, Pompeo said.

In recognition of this, every year, US embassies and consulates around the world hosted Ramadhan activities that brought together Muslims and people of other faiths who were committed to the shared goal of fostering peace, stability and prosperity, he said.

These conversations and collaborations were the core strengths of US diplomacy, paving the way for stronger communities through partnerships and respect for diversity, said Pompeo.

As the holy month begins, I wish all those celebrating a very happy and prosperous Ramadhan Kareem. (ebf)
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Linkedin Anisah Shukry and Andrea Tan (Bloomberg) Kuala Lumpur  Wed, May 16, 2018 17:05 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e452ffa 2 SE Asia #Malaysia,#MalaysiaFundScandal,#Mahathir,#MahathirMohamad,#1MDB,#corruption Free

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said more wrongdoing occurred at state fund 1MDB than was publicly known, as he accelerates efforts to reopen a probe into the scandal-plagued company and the actions of his predecessor.

The government will reach out to authorities in Switzerland, the US, Singapore and other jurisdictions as it attempts to recover funds that were diverted from 1MDB, Mahathir told reporters on Wednesday.

A declassified Auditor General report on Tuesday did not bring massive surprises, and did not mention former premier Najib Razak by name. But it showed investigators expressed widespread concern about anomalies in 1MDBs accounts, and said officers acted on investments against or without full knowledge of the board of directors on several occasions.

"The main issue is of corruption, particularly 1MDB as well as the money that was embezzled by the previous government," Mahathir said. "I have been briefed by the police and the auditor general and it is very clear that there were more wrongdoings committed than what was known by the public and me."

1MDB, set up in 2009 to fund domestic infrastructure projects and whose advisory board Najib once chaired, didnt submit management accounts for the year ended March 2015 and bank statements from foreign financial institutions. The audit team said it couldnt access computers, notebooks and servers at 1MDB for the purpose of crosschecking and analyzing its findings.

"Overall, corporate governance and internal controls in 1MDB were less than satisfactory, the summary said. Some actions by 1MDBs management and decisions by the board of directors were carried out in a manner that wasnt proper."

The audit report on 1MDB had been protected since 2016 by the Official Secrets Act. Mahathirs move to release it comes as he seeks to tighten the net around Najib, whom he defeated in an election last week, and other officials over the multi-billion dollar scandal surrounding the funds actions dating back some years. Mahathir has barred Najib from leaving Malaysia in the meantime.

There is an aggressive push by the new administration to reopen criminal investigations on 1MDB against the former PM as well as other individuals, said Nizam Ismail, head of regulatory practice at RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP in Singapore. If there are new transaction trails being uncovered in Malaysia, this could impact financial institutions which had been involved in the money flows, in Singapore, Switzerland and beyond.

Mahathir, who was once Najibs mentor and ally and who is back in power after a prior stint as premier from 1981 to 2003, accused him repeatedly on the campaign trail of being a "thief" over alleged graft at 1MDB. Najib has denied any wrongdoing and was cleared by the attorney general at the time, while the fund has repeatedly denied any misconduct.

The 1MDB scandal spawned global probes as investigators tracked a money trail stretching from Switzerland to Singapore and the US. The Department of Justice alleges that US$3.5 billion from the fund went missing.

Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho has been ordered by a US court to turn over his $250 million yacht "Equanimity" to the US authorities who plan to sail it from Indonesia and sell it in the US. The yacht is among more than $1.5 billion in assets that the US claims Low and his accomplices acquired with money they siphoned from 1MDB.

The declassified report found, among others things, that 1MDB used 288 million ringgit (US$73 million) of government funds to pay interest on its debt, which went against the monies original purpose. 1MDB raised 3.98 billion ringgit from domestic debt and sukuk issuance, of which only 246 million ringgit was invested in two property projects, while 2.16 billion ringgit was advanced to the company. 1MDB said in March all its funds are fully accounted for.

Swiss prosecutors said Tuesday they wanted to start talks with investigators in Malaysia as soon as possible to better coordinate various criminal probes into the sprawling case.

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland is very much interested in renewing dialogue with the competent authorities in Malaysia and favors an exchange between partnering authorities at their earliest convenience, it said in an email.

Singapore authorities also weighed in. The city-state has cooperated extensively with their Malaysian counterparts on past requests on the matter and is ready to extend further assistance, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Commercial Affairs Department said in an email early Wednesday.

Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber has been publicly critical of the lack of cooperation his team of prosecutors got from Najibs government. Singapore has punished banks over lapses related to 1MDB, seized assets and jailed bankers over the scandal.
A British Airways flight will celebrate Britains royal wedding on Saturday by flying to Canada with crew who are all named Harry or Meghan.

Harry, 33, Queen Elizabeths grandson and the sixth-in-line to the British throne, and Meghan Markle, 36, will marry on Saturday at St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle, in a ceremony set to attract huge attention around the world.

British Airways said the flight from London Heathrow to Toronto, the city where Markle used to live and where the pair made their first public appearance together, will be staffed by two Harrys, seven Megans and one Meghan, and flown by Senior First Officer Harry Blake.

BA customer Service Manager Megan Horsley will lead the onboard crew and said the specially-staffed flight was a fitting homage but admitted it would have its drawbacks.

Read also: Washington cupcake shop offers taste of royal wedding

Ive flown with another Megan once or twice before, but never seven so we might have to all call each other by our surnames during this very special flight, she said.

Companies like BA are seeking a slice of the action as wedding fever builds ahead of the big day, when thousands of royal fans are expected to descend on Windsor.

BA also said any passengers named Harry, Meghan or Megan flying on Saturday will be allowed to use its first-class lounge and all customers on the day will be given lemon and elderflower Victoria sponges, the same flavor as the royal couples wedding cake.

Wedding highlights will also be available to watch on flights from the day after, BA said, as well as Suits, the TV series where Markle made her name, and documentaries on the couple and Windsor Castle.
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Linkedin Zou Shuo (China Daily/Asia News Network)  Wed, May 16, 2018 21:08 1242 a7124a1e87885b91d244660f9e45a26b 2 News Education,students,school,study,success Free

A degree from a university overseas was once regarded as the calling card for better employment opportunities. However, graduates returning to China are now realizing that studying abroad no longer guarantees a well-paid job.

Many are disappointed with the relatively low salaries and less competitive positions they are being offered as a result of the rising numbers of returnees and a surge in graduates from domestic institutions in recent years.

The bad news for them is that competition is set to become even more cutthroat because China's universities are expected to produce a record 8.2 million graduates this year, according to the Ministry of Education.

A recent report released by the Center for China and Globalization, a think tank in Beijing, shows that about 45 percent of graduate returnees are earning less than 6,000 yuan ($945) a month, while 23 percent make between 6,000 and 8,000 yuan.

The salaries are chicken feed compared with the high cost of overseas study, which has risen to an average 300,000 yuan per annum as foreign universities look to earn extra revenue from international students, the report said.

However, experts believe overseas education should not be viewed purely from the perspective of return on investment, because the experience can help students develop valuable, nonacademic skills.

Alternative approach

When Guo Shuai, 26, saw the Disney movie High School Musical as a middle school student, he became determined to study in the United States.

Unlike the high-pressure, test-oriented school system with which he was familiar, the movie presented an alternative: a carefree atmosphere where students were independent and free to speak their minds, and enjoyed a wide range of social activities.

So, when he graduated from Zhengzhou University in Henan province in June 2015, Guo did not hesitate to move to Fort Hays State University in Kansas to study for a master's in business administration.

When he arrived, though, his rosy image of the US faded a little; the schedule at the university was much more intense than he had expected, and he found it difficult to blend in and make friends. Moreover, in addition to mid-term and final exams, set papers and tests were scheduled throughout the semester.

Read also: Essay: Should we study abroad?

"I was almost fully occupied with the heavy workload at school, so I did not have much time to apply for internships," he said.

When he returned to China, Guo found that his overseas degree did not make him stand out in the competitive job market.

"Since I had not applied for internships in the United States, the only thing that made me valuable to employers was my language skills."

He spent more than three months unemployed before securing a job as a translator at a financial company in Shanghai, earning about 8,000 yuan a month.

Jiang Yuqiong, 25, had also harbored a dream of studying abroad since childhood, looking to broaden her horizons and see the world. She also hoped that an overseas degree would give her an edge in the domestic job market.

However, when she finished a master's in accounting and finance at Durham University in the United Kingdom last year, she discovered that her qualification actually made her less competitive than graduates from schools in China.

She applied to the auditing departments at the "Big Four" accountancy firmsKPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and Ernst & Youngbut didn't receive any replies, let alone job offers.

"In my opinion, the big four prefer students with bachelor's degrees for those jobs because they can pay them less," she said.

After spending the "longest" four months doubting her abilities and the value of her education, Jiang finally landed a job as a consultant at a multinational management company in Shanghai, earning more than 10,000 yuan a month.

Read also: Why pursuing a master's degree abroad is important

Heavy cost

Neither Guo nor Jiang regrets studying overseas, despite the heavy financial burdenGuo paid 400,000 yuan for his two-year program, while Jiang's 12 months of study cost 300,000 yuanbecause they hoped the experience would help them earn decent salaries in their first jobs.

However, for Liu Zeyang, overseas study came at a much higher cost.

In 2013, Liu quit his studies at Wuhan University during his sophomore year, because he felt the school was not offering him the quality of education he had expected.

He persuaded his parents to send him to the US to attend a pre-university language school. Following that, he moved to the University of Maryland where he majored in finance, a field his family thought would help him secure a good job.

To help fund his studies, his parents sold a property they owned and gave him more than 1 million yuan.

"Knowing that my parents had sold the property, my feelings were complicated; I told myself that I must study hard to repay their sacrifice," the 24-year-old said.

However, he was not interested in finance and found the course too demanding and stressful.

"After three semesters at the university, I applied to postpone my graduation and returned to Beijing last year."

After he returned, Liu worked for two startups, but he quit his jobs to start a business selling healthy meals to people who want to lose weight.

Read also: Dispelling 10 myths about studying in the US

A growing trend

Xiong Bingqi, deputy director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute in Beijing, said China's economic growth and rising household incomes mean more parents are willing to send their children overseas to study.

"Going abroad to study is no longer just for the elite," he said.

According to a survey of 6,217 people who plan to study overseas, conducted by Vision Overseas Consulting Co and Kantar Millward Brown, the students' main objectives are to broaden their horizons and gain a wide range of experience.

The survey found that 73 percent of respondents plan to return to China after graduation, while 40 percent simply want to enhance their resumes.

Ministry of Education data show that in 2007, only 44,000 people returned to China after studying overseas, but last year, the number had risen to 480,900.

However, the number of people choosing to study abroad during the same period only rose from 144,000 to 608,400, according to the ministry.

Shi Yan, of the Chivast Education International consultancy in Beijing, said more people are returning to China because they are finding it difficult to land jobs overseas and the domestic employment market is more appealing.

However, she added that one of the biggest obstacles to securing a job is that they miss the prime job-seeking season.

"In China, the job-seeking season for graduates starts in October or November, which is when most employers start accepting resumes and doing interviews," she said.

"However, most Chinese students studying overseas will only graduate and be ready to apply for jobs in May."

Zhao Hongxue, a senior human resources expert at Huicai International Management Consulting in Beijing, said finding a job has not been easy in recent years because of the rising number of students graduating from domestic universities.

The deeper talent pool means businesses are now paying more attention to the personalities and abilities of prospective employees, regardless of academic status or family background, and irrespective of whether they are domestic students, graduates returning from overseas or expats, she said.

However, overseas study still provides returnees with one advantage, according to Zhaotheir experience tends to make them more independent and equips them with a global mindset and better communication skills, which are all important for future promotion opportunities.

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This article appeared on the China Daily newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
Never complain, never explain: so said Benjamin Disraeli of the trials of public life, a mantra adopted by the British Royal family.

A post shared by Harry Meghan Daily (@harry_meghan_daily) on May 15, 2018 at 10:50am PDT

Thats all well and good, but it leaves us with many questions, especially with the imminent nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Whilst the brides dress is traditionally only seen on the day, the secrecy surrounding the Royal wedding means that we dont even have a firm idea over who might be designing the dress, let alone any of the details about it.

With only a few days left to go, heres everything we think we might but probably don't know about Meghans dress!

It probably wont be like Rachel Zanes

A post shared by missmeganmarkle_style (@miss.meganmarkle) on May 8, 2018 at 4:03pm PDT

Meghan has already played the bride once this year, when her Suits character Rachel Zane finally married Mike Ross.

This dress was first seen in 2016 when the couples wedding was called off at short notice, and at the time Meghan told Glamour magazine, It's not my personal style, because I'm a lot more relaxed than Rachel but I love that I got to play dress up in this gown.

A strong hint that her style is more laid-back - but then she probably wasn't envisaging a Royal wedding back then, so all bets are OFF!

She might wear a tiara

A post shared by Royals_tea (@royals_tea) on May 13, 2018 at 10:05am PDT

Lots of brides wear tiaras these days, but they probably wont be like anything Meghan wears.

This will be the first time Meghan is permitted to wear a tiara, as it is traditionally only married Royal women who do so.

If she does wear a tiara, it will be one loaned to her from the Royal collection, but there is no guarantee: the Queen Mother didnt wear one when she married the future King George VI in 1923.

It might not be bigger than Kate Middletons

A post shared by Kate @Lex and Sullivan (@lexandsullivan) on May 15, 2018 at 9:19am PDT

People usually want their weddings to be bigger and better than the last one they attended, but apparently Meghan is less keen.

According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, Meghans dress wont cost as much as the Duchess of Cambridges which came in at a reported 150,000 in 2011.

Given that the Duchess is ranked more highly than Meghan, this may be so, whilst having Williams wife as an ally is probably a savvy move.

Even so... if the bride cant upstage a future queen on a wedding day, when can she?

It will probably have sleeves

A post shared by FASHION.STYLE_DAWN (@fashion.style_dawn) on May 5, 2018 at 9:47am PDT

No matter how fashionable strapless and cold-shoulder dresses are, Royal brides almost always have sleeves.

Princess Grace of Monacos dress is often seen as the gold standard, and bears more than a passing resemblance to the Duchess of Cambridges and the Queens.

Churches often request that brides have their shoulders covered anyway, and as Meghans wedding will be presided over by the highest ranking Church of England bishop, the Archbishop of Canterbury, shell probably follow tradition.

It might look like this wedding dress

A post shared by Max Osboine (@a.girl.named.max) on May 4, 2018 at 6:08pm PDT

Whilst Meghan might have dismissed her characters dress, she has shown interest in some others, most notably Carolyn Bessette-Kennedys from her marriage to John F Kennedy Jr in 1996 which she has described as goals.

This is quite a departure from the full-skirted dresses favoured by Royal brides from Zara Phillips to Diana, Princess of Wales, and were not sure it would be given the seal of approval by the Queen.

Speaking of which...

It has probably already been seen by the Queen

A post shared by Couture And Royal Outfits (@coutureandroyals) on Apr 22, 2018 at 9:27am PDT

Whilst most brides get to keep the dress under wraps from all but the closest of friends and relatives, Royal brides have a reputation to uphold.

Reportedly, the Queen gave Catherine Middletons dress the green-light three weeks before her 2011 wedding, and had previously been given a sneak-peek of Autumn Kellys gown ahead of her marriage to Peter Phillips in 2008.

We can therefore expect that Harry's grandmother has given her approval to whatever Meghan does wear.

It will probably be light-coloured

A post shared by Catherine Duchess of Cambridge (@kate_duchessofcambridge_russia) on Apr 9, 2018 at 1:00pm PDT

Until 1840, Royal brides wore dresses of all colours, flaunting their wealth and status. Then Queen Victoria chose a white gown for her marriage to Prince Albert, and a trend was born.

Royal brides ever since have tended towards the whites and ivories. However, Meghan might follow in the footsteps of another divorcee, the Duchess of Cornwall, who opted for a blue and gold coat and chiffon dress in 2005 when she married Prince Charles.

It could be designed by Ralph and Russo

A post shared by Meghan Markle Style (@marklestyle) on Dec 21, 2017 at 6:10am PST

Ralph and Russo, a London-based design house, has become the favourite to design Meghans dress in recent weeks, following the dress she wore in the engagement photos.

Featuring a sheer bodice and elaborate skirt, the dress cost over 50,000 and Meghan looked incredible in it.

However, the name of the designer wont be released until seconds before we see the gown for ourselves, and there are still plenty of other names in the hat, from Christopher Bailey to Stella McCartney.

There could be two dresses

A post shared by Case-se (@totravel_) on May 12, 2018 at 3:24am PDT

Meghan might not even have to make a decision, as its rumoured that she will have two wedding dresses.

Given the very different events taking place on Saturday, from the very formal service at St Georges Chapel to the much-more relaxed evening reception at Frogmore House, it would probably be difficult to dress appropriately for both.

Its a precedent set by previous Royal brides. In 2005, the Duchess of Cornwall chose one outfit for her registry office ceremony and another for the church blessing, whilst the Duchess of Cambridge had one dress for the Westminster Abbey formalities and another for the evening reception.

To find out the truth about the dress, make sure youre glued to the TV Saturday afternoon!
Cambridge professor Priyamvada Gopal published racist hate mail that she had received at work.



The letter called Gopal a 'deeply unpleasant,' 'stupid ' and a 'disgrace' to the university. The sender also used the n-word in the letter.

There's something especially delicious about being called a Bigoted Niggar who should Go back To Bongo Bongo Land. pic.twitter.com/56BKG8g5k3  Priyamvada Gopal (@PriyamvadaGopal) 7 May 2018

After reporting the incident to Cambridge administrators, it was revealed that these letters were not an isolated incident and that there had been other similar mail sent to the college.

'The response was that, oh, yeah, they too had received even longer vile communications about me but had decided was best to ignore,' her tweet read.

Gopal said that the university did not inform her about these messages and did not respond to them in any way.

According to Gopal, she often receives hate mail after she writes about race or empire in a public setting. She tweeted other letters that she had received.

Behold, an English racist's hate mail, from 8 Farage Way in Suffolk, remarkable for relatively few grammar/spelling mistakes. Also contains all the tropes in one handy document. pic.twitter.com/yzP7DzAjlT  Priyamvada Gopal (@PriyamvadaGopal) 7 May 2018

The first letter told Gopal to relocate 'to India where you obtained your education - all the different Castes should keep you busy.'

The second letter was also racially-charged and attacked Gopal's views on empire and race.

It read, 'if we are so terrible, why stay? After all, you could return to your origins and assist your own folk, as any decent person would.'

The letters also included fake addresses and some were sent anonymously and were signed 'from one British citizen.'

Gopal's use of social media to discuss issues of race and colonialism has been widespread. The professor was criticised in an article by the Daily Mail last month, where the writer called her a "prolific Internet troll."

800 signatures She took to Twitter to fight back against this classification, and many students and colleagues at Cambridge expressed their support for her. Additionally, the statement of support for her elicited more than

While the college released a statement reiterating its belief in Gopal's right to freedom of speech, Gopal and others were critical of the fact that the institution did not publicly support her content.

Cambridge's lack of response to the latest hate mail is following this pattern, according to many on Gopal's Twitter page.
The new regulation aims to prevent housing from being let exclusively to tourists following complaints that short-term rentals are driving rent prices up. The rise of peer-peer renting platforms such as Airbnb and HomeAway over the past decade has struck up much debate as to whether this new form of holidaying is a positive phenomenon or has detrimental effects on local people and businesses. But are these changes proposed by Madrids council excessive?

Anti-tourism graffiti in Madrid's Plaza Dos de Mayo. Image credit: Fiona Govan

Different restrictions are to be applied to four different zones, with Madrids central district most affected. This includes the popular Chueca, Sol, Lavapies and Malasana neighbourhoods that welcome thousands of tourists every year. Tourist flats will no longer be allowed to be rented out for more than 90 days in a year. Other criteria state that tourist flats in the central area will require a separate entrance to the street than permanent residents. This would rule out all but a few of the ground floor properties in the city, given that Madrid's structural make-up consists mainly of apartment blocks, rather than houses.

Image credit: RubyGoes, via Flikr.

The new legislation has been announced in a climate that is becoming increasingly aware of the effects of mass tourism. While tourism provides 11% of Spains economic output, the benefits do not necessarily outweigh the negative consequences, according to many locals. Valencia, the largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona, announced similar measures earlier in the week in a bid to tackle the growing tourism problem. Palma de Mallorca similarly banned all unlicensed tourist flats in the city in February this year following rising local complaints. These actions taken by local governments across Spain will please locals who have complained about disrespectful tourist behaviour and attitudes. But in the long run, will these changes discourage tourists from travelling to Spain to the detriment of Spains economy?
With that in mind, we're going to share the five best Greek islands to visit this summer. Plan ahead and find the island that best suits you!Crete is one of the biggest Greek islands, so if you're going to visit make sure you spend at least a few days, maybe even a week there. There is so much to do and see. From incredible beaches, interesting history to delectable food. If you are in Rethymno, then definitely make time for the Fortezza, the views are stunning and it's just an incredibly cool place. If you like the outdoors and are a big history buff, then Crete is definitely somewhere you should consider adding to your island hopping list.If you're feeling a little more flush then Santorini is the place for you. It's quite small, and a perfect pit stop on your island hopping adventure. You could soak up the whole island in a matter of two days! Don't miss the sunset at Oia, but be warned: if you walk down to the port at Fira, you will have to walk all the way back up the hundreds of steps and avoid straying donkeys! Remember to stock up on bottled water: the island does not have safe drinking water from the taps.If you're wanting more of a party vibe, then Mykonos is the place to be. It has the best nightlife and clubs in all of Greece and is also a well-known paradise for the LGBTQ+ community looking for safe and fun nightclubs. If you and your friends are looking to blow off some steam during the night and enjoy sandy beaches and watersports during the day, then Mykonos is the place for you.If you're looking for an island to visit with your family, then Naxos is the best place for you, as it has many family-friendly hotels. It is quite a large island, and best explored on by car, particularly on a flying visit. Equally, if you are wanting to do a student backpacking holiday, then hiking is a great way to see the island. It also has many beautiful beaches for you to relax on.If you're looking to unwind in peace and quiet, look no further than Folegrandos. It has lots of winding paths all around the island if you like hiking and it is one of the lesser-known islands, so it won't be as packed with tourists as the other islands. It's not so good if you're wanting all the tourist amenities you might get on one of the bigger islands, but if you are truly wanting to get away and enjoy some solitude, then Folegrandos has some beautiful villages, great food, pretty untouched beaches and most importantly is far away from anyone!
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Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2018 5:47 am

A report recently released by the National Park Service shows that 8.4 million visitors traveled to national parks in Washington last year and contributed significantly to the states economy.

According to the report, those travelers spent $562 million in Washington in 2017 as part of their visits to national parks. The report also found that national parks operations support more than 6,500 jobs, for a cumulative influx of $677 million to the state economy.

The national parks of Washington state attract visitors from across the country and around the world, said Martha Lee, acting regional director for the National Park Services Pacific West Region, in a press release. Whether they are out for an afternoon, a school field trip, or a month-long family vacation, visitors come to have a great experience, and end up spending a little money along the way. This new report shows that national park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy  returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service  and a big factor in our states economy as well, a result we can all support.

In Washington there are 15 national parks, including Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park. Olympic National Park is the 13th most visited park in the nation, generating some $279 million in economic contributions. At Mount Rainier National Park, 1.4 million visitors contributed $63.5 million to the economy. Other federal lands in Washington include Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, North Cascades National Park Complex, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

The peer reviewed study was conducted by economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas of the U.S. Geological Survey, and Lynne Koontz of the National Park Service. The report stated that across the country $18.2 billion of direct spending can be attributed to 330 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park each year. That spending is thought to support 306,000 jobs nationally, with 255,900 of those jobs located in gateway communities, like Packwood, Morton, and Mineral in East Lewis County. The report states that the cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy equates to $35.8 billion.

Overnight accomodations accounted for the largest percentage of economic output with $5.5 billion in spending and 49,000 jobs. Restaurants received the next greatest influx with $3.7 billion in economic output to local gateway economies and 60,500 jobs.

According to the 2017 report, visitors spent 32.9 percent of their money on hotels, motels, or camping spots. Food and beverage expenses accounted for 27.5 percent of visitor spending while gas and oil accounted for 12.1 percent of spending. Souvenirs and other expenses accounted for 10.1 percent of visitor spending, admission and fees took up 10 percent of visitor spending and local transportation accounted for 7.5 percent of spending by national park tourists.

Additional information from the report can be found online atnps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm.
Its really important for people to acknowledge that mental health is a real thing and just because you cant see it doesnt mean its not there, said WICA Community Worker Amanda Duskes who shared a deeply personal story to honour Mental Health Week.


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Local farmers pray for bountiful harvest This year, local farmers have not had to deal with dry weather causing havoc on their crops. The Farm Bureau hosted its annual Blessing of the Harvest Breakfast September 30 at the Burke County Office Park. Local farmers gather for fellowship and prayer every year before they begin their harvest...

Exchange Club fair opens Tuesday Next Tuesday, the Waynesboro Exchange Club continues years of fair fun when the gates to this years event officially open. On the heels of last years cancellation due to the COVID 19 pandemic, attendance during the 2021 event is imperative. We really need the community to come support our fair,...

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DPH reports breakthrough case numbers The Georgia Department of Public Health reported data on COVID-19 breakthrough cases through October 5. Out of more than 4,900,000 vaccinated Georgians, slightly more than 60,000 have tested positive for the virus. There have been 648 deaths of vaccinated individuals. People 65 years and older accounted for 25.8% of breakthrough...
A top Russian diplomat has dismissed the U.S. probe into possible collusion between the Donald Trump campaign and Russia as anti-Russian hysteria and warned that it is hurting ties between the two countries.

In February, special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russians over a plot to disrupt the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The indictment said several people associated with a Russian troll farm ran a hidden social media campaign aimed in part at helping Trump defeat Hillary Clinton.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told The Associated Press Tuesday he has no information about how far Muellers team has advanced but warned that the investigation itself, which he dismissed as a product of anti-Russian hysteria, hurts bilateral ties.

Ryabkov added, however, that Moscow remains open to dialogue with the U.S.

(AP)
Special counsel Robert Mueller was working within his authority when he brought charges against President Donald Trumps former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, a federal judge in Washington ruled Tuesday.

The decision was a setback for Manafort in his defense against charges of money-laundering conspiracy, false statements and acting as an unregistered foreign agent related to his Ukrainian political work. Manafort had argued that Mueller had exceeded his authority because the case was unrelated to Russian election interference.

But U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson disagreed.

Citing Manaforts years of work in Ukraine, his prominent role on the Trump campaign and his publicized connections to Russian figures, Jackson said it was logical and appropriate for Muellers team to scrutinize him as part of their investigation into Russian election meddling and possible coordination with Trump associates.

Given what was being said publicly, the Special Counsel would have been remiss to ignore such an obvious potential link between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, Jackson wrote.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsels office, declined to comment on the ruling. Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni said, Paul Manafort maintains his innocence and looks forward to prevailing in this matter.

In her 37-page ruling, Jackson went through a point-by-point rejection of Manaforts arguments, including his contention that Mueller had been given a blank check to investigate anything he may stumble across.

Jackson said Justice Department regulations allow for a broad grant of authority for special counsels. And regardless, she wrote, it was clear that Mueller had been specifically authorized to investigate not only Manaforts possible links to Russia but also his Ukrainian business.

She cited an August 2017 memo by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that prosecutors had filed in the case. The memo shows Rosenstein specifically authorized Mueller to investigate payments Manafort received from the Ukrainian government before and during the tenure of then-President Viktor Yanukovych, who was one of Manaforts clients.

Jackson had previously thrown out a civil case Manafort brought challenging Muellers authority. Her decision Tuesday allows one of two criminal cases against Manafort to proceed.

In addition to the Washington indictment, Manafort also faces charges in Virginia of bank fraud and tax evasion. The Virginia indictment accuses him of hiding tens of millions of dollars he earned advising pro-Russia politicians in Ukraine from 2006 through 2015. It also accuses him of fraudulently obtaining millions in loans from financial institutions including while he worked for the Trump campaign.

None of the charges against Manafort involve crimes related to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. Manafort has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.

Manafort has filed a similar motion to dismiss his charges in Virginia. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III has yet to rule on it. Ellis had previously grilled Muellers team on whether the case was within his mandate and questioned whether they brought the case to get Manafort to testify against Trump.

(AP)
At an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council Tuesday, United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley denied the violence in Gaza Monday had anything to do with the U.S. opening up its new embassy in Jerusalem.

Rather, the violence comes from those who reject the existence of the state of Israel in any location, Haley said. The location of the embassy has no bearing on the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, or the resolution of contested borders.  It does not undermine the prospects for peace in any way.

Haley placed the blame for the violence, in which at least 60 people were killed according to Gazas health ministry, squarely on Hamas terrorists, backed by Iran.

Haley attempted to move attention to Iran throughout her remarks, chastising the Security Council for not focusing more on Irans destabilizing activities in the region. That is violence that should occupy our attention, too, Haley said.

While other representatives condemned the killing of Palestinians by live fire in the strongest terms, Haley merely said, We are all concerned about violence in the Middle East. The United States deplores the loss of human life.

Haley went further than other Trump administration officials in talking about whether Israel should show restraint. Until Tuesday, White House deputy press Security Raj Shah and a State Department spokesperson both agreed Israel has a right to defend itself, but would not say whether Israel has a responsibility to act with restraint.

But Haley claimed Israels response to protestors has indeed been restrained, saying no country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has.

MORE: Haley walked out before the Palestinian ambassador spoke at this morning's UN Security Council session. https://t.co/oPi24TDoLe pic.twitter.com/wxQIt4K7x6  ABC News (@ABC) May 15, 2018

Nickolay Mladenov, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process, began the session with a markedly different tone, calling Mondays events a tragedy for the Palestinians.

Who can find the words to console the mother of a child that has been killed? Who? Mladenov asked. He called on Israel to protect their borders proportionally, and to investigate every incident that causes loss of life. He also said the international community must step in to prevent war in the region.

Kuwait called for the emergency session Monday, and also proposed a draft statement that would have called for an independent investigation into the deadly violence. But the United States blocked the adoption of the statement, according to a UN Security Council diplomat.

We regret the Security Council was unable to adopt the draft statement, Kuwaits Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said.

(AP)
In advance of the return of the Embassy of Guatemala to Jerusalem, the city has illuminated the Old City walls with flags of Guatemala, Israel, and the US and a message thanking President Jimmy Morales Cabrera of Guatemala.

Jerusalem Mayor Barkat released a statement saying:

Guatemalan Embassy, welcome home! Ahead of the inauguration of the embassy, we have illuminated the walls of the Old City with the flags of Guatemala and Israel. I thank President Jimmy Morales Cabrera of Guatemala for his courageous decision and am honored that we will be opening the embassy in the capital of Israel tomorrow.

I call upon other countries to join the United States and Guatemala  do the right thing and bring your embassies to the Jerusalem, our eternal capital!

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The attached cartoon by Patrick Chappatte was published in the New York Times on Monday evening, titled As U.S. Embassy Moves, Dozens Die in Gaza.

Take note on the bottom left corner, where the Jew has a long hook nose, reminiscent of Germany, 1930s style.

60 protestors were killed and at least 1200 wounded in violent riots at the Gaza border.

An IDF spokesman said protesters carried out concerted, coordinated attacks on the border fence separating Gaza from Israel, causing significant damage.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus also told The Associated Press that Hamas militants disguised as protesters tried to infiltrate, and there were at least three instances of armed Hamas gunmen trying to carry out attacks.

Critics accuse the publication of ignoring Hamas angle in coverage of Mideast violence. Fox News media analyst Howard Kurtz weighs in:


(VIDEO & PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Guatemala festively opened its new embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming the second country to do so after the United States, and giving Israel a diplomatic boost as it faces international criticism for the deadly violence on the Gaza border.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales dedicated the embassy just two days after a high-powered American delegation also marked the transfer of its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was fitting since Guatemala also followed the U.S. to be the second country to recognize Israel 70 years ago.

You were always among the first, he said at the ceremony. We remember our friends and Guatemala is our friend, then and now.

We welcome the opening of the embassy in Jerusalem. Thank you my friend. We stood here six months ago and I told you Let us open an embassy here and you have done so. I very much appreciate it. #GuatemalaEnJerusalen pic.twitter.com/O52sBfkoKt  PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 16, 2018

President Donald Trump announced his decision in December to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and move the American embassy there, triggering a joyous reaction from Netanyahus government.

PM Netanyahu at dedication ceremony of the Embassy of Guatemala in Jerusalem:

This is the beginning of something extraordinary, or I would say, the re-beginning of something extraordinary, which is the relationship between Guatemala and Israel. https://t.co/73lDdqKhRZ pic.twitter.com/UpTgbrlIk1  PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 16, 2018

The embassy move added fuel to the weekly Palestinian protests in Gaza demanding the right of return to Israel and the lifting of a decade-old naval blockade.

They culminated Monday when the Gaza Health Agency claimed that Israel killed nearly 60 Palestinians in clashes along the border.

The Gaza protesters set tires ablaze, sending up thick plumes of black smoke, and hurled firebombs and stones toward Israeli troops across the border. The Israeli military, which has come under international criticism for firing on unarmed protesters, said Hamas militants tried to carry out bombing and shooting attacks under the cover of the protests and released video of protesters ripping away parts of the barbed-wire border fence. The military said 14 of those killed Monday were actively involved in carrying out attacks.

PM Netanyahu: Thank you @jimmymoralesgt. Welcome to Jerusalem, welcome to Israel, and one more thing, one more thing: because I want a few streets to be named for Israel in Guatemala my next trip to Latin America goes through Guatemala. Thank you, with your kind invitation. pic.twitter.com/lpr25Uk2fF  PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 16, 2018

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel did everything it could to prevent civilian casualties but that Gazas Hamas rulers were to blame for using them as human shields.

The Hamas leadership is a group of cannibals who treat their children as armament, he said during a visit to a military base in southern Israel. They have rocket armament, personal armament and another kind of armament  their children and women.

Since the Hamas-led protests began on March 30, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,500 wounded by live fire, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Palestinian officials say the vast majority of the casualties have been unarmed protesters.

The heavy death toll Monday, along with hundreds of wounded, made it by far the bloodiest day of cross-border violence since a devastating 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. It also triggered a diplomatic backlash against Israel.

The U.N. Security Council held a special session that began with a moment of silence for the Palestinians who were killed. In Geneva, the U.N. human rights office said Israel has repeatedly violated international norms by using deadly live fire to repel protesters.

Turkey expelled Israels ambassador and consul general and several European countries summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their foreign ministries for questioning and called for an international investigation.

The diplomatic spat with Turkey intensifed after what Israel called the humiliating treatment of its ambassador, who was subjected to a severe security screening upon his departure from the airport in Istanbul. The event was intentionally captured by Turkish media. In response, Israel has summoned a top Turkish diplomat to be reprimanded.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long been a fierce critic of Israel and dramatically ratcheted up his rhetoric this week over Gaza and the U.S. embassy move. Netanyahu retorted that a man whose hands are drenched in the blood of countless Kurdish civilians in Turkey and Syria is the last one who can preach to us about military ethics.

At the same time, Israel has found other nations following the U.S. lead and rallying to its defense. Besides Guatemala, Paraguay says it will also relocate its embassy to Jerusalem and Romania, the Czech Republic and Honduras have said they are considering doing the same.

At Wednesdays ceremony, Morales said his country was bringing a message of love, peace and fraternity to Israel. The Guatemalan Congress recently passed a law marking May 14 as Israel-Guatemala Friendship Day.

Marking the move, the Jerusalem municipality illuminated the walls of the Old City walls late Tuesday with flags of Guatemala, Israel and the United States and a message thanking Morales.

(AP)
Watch it: Vulnerable pensioners are being tricked into buying expensive jewellery and handing it over to criminals

Vulnerable pensioners are being tricked into buying expensive jewellery and handing it over to criminals posing as policemen in a terrifying new scam.

In one case seen by Money Mail, a 79-year-old man lost more than 50,000 after fraudsters fooled him into buying two Rolex watches, which they then collected from his home in Lincolnshire.

The criminals had convinced the man he was helping with a police investigation into counterfeit jewellery, and had promised him the money would be reimbursed.

The victim's bank, Santander, initially refused to cover his losses because he had authorised the payments  but refunded 25,000 after Money Mail intervened.

The Rolex scam is the latest version of a ruse known as 'courier fraud'. Con artists typically pose as a bank or the police to convince victims their account has been compromised.

The bank customer is told that in order to safeguard their money, they must withdraw a large amount of cash and give this to a courier who will be sent to their home.

Sometimes they are told to give their bank card and PIN to the courier instead. There were 911 reports of courier fraud between October 2015 and September 2017, according to figures from the City of London Police.

But experts warn the true number of victims could be even higher as many people are too embarrassed to come forward.

The majority of incidents involved victims handing over cash and bank cards. But police say they are now hearing from people who have been tricked into buying expensive jewellery and watches.

Henry Peters, a retired Post Office and shop owner from Lincolnshire, lost most of his life savings after being called out of the blue in March by a trickster claiming to be from Scotland Yard.

The caller told him someone had tried to use his Santander bank card to buy a 500 laptop in London, but that the bank had blocked the transaction after suspecting it was fraudulent.

After Henry confirmed he had not made the purchase, the caller said he was now going to transfer him to someone in the fraud squad, as they needed his help with an investigation.

Alert Over Fake Energy Bill Scam Warning: EDF customers have been targeted in a bill scam Energy customers are being asked to pay fake fuel bills in scam emails that claim to come from EDF. In one case, seen by Money Mail, a reader who used to be an EDF customer was asked to pay 2,978. The fraudulent email demands prompt payment and encourages the reader to click on a link to view the invoice. The sender appears to be EDF Energy  but in fact the message comes from an unrelated Yahoo email address operated by con artists. If you receive the fake bill, do NOT click on this link. An EDF spokesman says: We never request customers personal information or seek to take payments through email. There is advice on our website to help identify fraudulent contact.

A fake police inspector, who called himself Sergeant Woodley, came on the line and said he had reason to believe that a local jewellery store was selling counterfeit Rolex watches and asked if Henry would be willing to help bring the culprits to justice.

Keen to help protect innocent shoppers, Henry agreed and was told he needed to visit a jewellery store around 30 miles from where he lived and purchase a Rolex watch costing about 25,000.

The conman suggested he invent a back-story before buying such an expensive piece of jewellery  such as telling the shopkeeper it was a present for his grandson's graduation.

He was also warned to keep his mobile on him because he might need to call Santander to confirm the unusual payment if his card was declined.

Henry was assured that the 25,550 would be put back in his account immediately. Once he had the watch, Henry was told, he should call Sergeant Woodley and read out the serial number and model number of the watch.

When he did this, the fake police officer told him the watch was a counterfeit and that he would send a courier to Henry's home to collect it. Henry says: 'The inspector inferred that someone in the jewellery shop was involved and said they had been making frequent trips to China.

Confidence trick: The Rolex scam is a type of crime known as Courier fraud in which con artists typically pose as a bank or the police to convince victims their account has been compromised

'The whole time I was in the store I kept looking around at people, genuinely worried that they were buying fraudulent goods without realising.'

After buying the watch, Henry received a call to say the funds had been put back in his account.

He called the bank to make sure. He says he got the impression that the money had been returned, although Santander says Henry did not ask specifically about the balance of his account.

The fraudsters then sent a courier to his bungalow, where he lives alone, late that night to collect the watch.

The next day he received another call from the supposed Sergeant Woodley thanking him for his co-operation and asking if he would do them 'a massive favour' by buying another watch. So Henry went back to the jewellers.

To avoid raising suspicion, he told the shop staff that his son had seen the watch and given his father the money to buy one for himself as well.

After paying 25,050 for the watch, Henry called in the serial number, as before, and was told that it, too, was a counterfeit.

The fraudsters sent a courier that day for the watch and told him the money would be back in his account within 24 hours. But when Henry checked his balance the next day he discovered 50,600 was missing.

He immediately called Scotland Yard which could find no trace of a Sergeant Woodley. When he rang his bank, Santander said they couldn't cover his loss because he had made the purchases.

And because he no longer had the Rolex watches, he couldn't get a refund from the shop.

This scam may sound far-fetched, but criminals such as the fake Sergeant Woodley can be convincing. James Daley, of Fairer Finance, says: 'These scams are incredibly sophisticated and the perpetrators are very persuasive. Even the most switched-on of people can be caught out.

'Pensioners are often targeted because they are more likely to have money in the bank and are at home to answer the phone call. They can also be more trusting.'

Henry, who has two sons in their 40s and whose name Money Mail has changed to protect his identity, says: 'I feel like the biggest fool on earth. I can't believe I told all those lies to the jewellery store, thinking I was helping Rolex and their customers.'

A spokesman for Santander says: 'When Mr Peters contacted Santander after purchasing the first watch, the limited information he provided did not raise suspicion with our call handlers.

'But on review, we consider that the call could have been handled better. Taking account of this, we have decided to reimburse Mr Johnson for the second payment as a gesture of goodwill.'

Inspector Jo Reeves, head of cyber crime for Lincolnshire Police, says: 'As part of our investigation we have been completing work with jewellers and Rolex, the watch maker, to ensure that should these watches appear for sale, we are made aware.'

After alerting Rolex to the scam, the firm refused to comment on the case, saying only that it was sorry it had happened.

v.bischoff@dailymail.co.uk
The boss of scandal-hit Volkswagen has been given a major motor industry award for achieving record sales of VW cars despite global controversy over the dieselgate emissions row.

German car boss Dr Herbert Diess, newly appointed chief executive of the Volkswagen Group after nearly three years running its VW cars division, was handed a gong for his impact on Volkswagens success over the past 12 months in delivering a record year for sales.

The award presented by Autocar  the worlds longest running motoring magazine  was given to the person it believed had 'made the biggest impact on their company's success over the past year.

Award winner: Newly-appointed Volkswagen AG CEO Dr Herbert Diess was handed an Autocar Award for his impact on car maker's success over the past 12 months in delivering a record year for sales

It comes just days after reports that Dr Diess travelled to the United States to testify to authorities there about the car-makers emissions cheating scandal.

Germanys Bild newspaper said he spoke with representatives of the US Justice Department and the FBI.

Industry experts have marvelled at how sales at Volkswagen - the worlds biggest car maker - have actually accelerated in the wake of the scandal which appears not to have dented the popularity of its vehicles in the two years since it erupted.

Volkswagen Group, which also includes Porsche, Skoda, Audi and SEAT, sold a record 10.7million vehicles in 2017  up 4.3 per cent on the previous year.

The Autocar award to Dr Diess was one of a series made during a special ceremony attended by motor industry bosses at a glitzy event held at Silverstone racing circuit.

In April this year Austrian-born Diess, 60, was named as the new chief executive for the entire Volkswagen Group which also includes luxury brands Lamborghini, Bugatti and Britains Bentley.

Dr Diess had previously been head of Volkswagens car division, having joined the VW group from BMW in July 2015

Dr Diess had previously been head of Volkswagens car division, having joined the VW group from BMW in July 2015, just two months before the dieselgate scandal broke in September 2015.

Autocar said: 'The Editors Award went to Herbert Diess, chief executive of the Volkswagen Group, for his impact in his previous role on Volkswagens success over the past year, delivering a record year for sales in 2017.'

Taking over the top job at the parent Volkswagen Group last month, Diess replaced incumbent Matthias Mueller.

He in turn had been appointed to replace Martin Winterkorn, 70, who resigned from the top job five days after the scale of VWs deception over emissions became clear.

Earlier this month Winterkorn was charged by US prosecutors in Detroit who issued an arrest warrant against him for allegedly conspiring to mislead regulators over its efforts to cheat the emissions tests of its diesel vehicles  the ninth person to be prosecuted in relation to the scandal.

Former Volkswagen AG CEOs Martin Winterkorn (left) and Matthias Mueller (right)

Diess will become a huge figure for Volkswagen as it brings a range of new electrified vehicles to the market

Two who pleaded guilty are serving time in prison.

In March 2017 Volkswagen pleaded guilty to criminal charges that it deceived US regulators by installing so-called cheat devices to make its diesel cars appear cleaner than they really were.

At the heart of the scandal is Volkswagens falsification of emissions data on its diesel vehicles which made them appear cleaner than they are.

The deception was exposed by researchers in the US and sparked a world-wide scandal.

Some 11 million cars worldwide including VWs, Audis , SEAT and Skoda cars - were fitted with the software including 1.2 million in the UK.

It has led to law suits in the USA where senior VW executive Oliver Schmidt was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for evading US clean-air laws, and where VW has spent nearly 30million in criminal damages and compensating US drivers.

However VW in the UK Volkswagen has not admitted wrong-doing and is resisting claims for compensation as consumers prepare a class action claim.

After studying automotive engineering in Munich and a spell with Bosch in Stuttgart, Dr Diess joined BMW in 1996 and rose swiftly through the ranks.

He was responsible for running the then BMW-owned Longbridge plant in Birmingham and the retained Oxford factory from 2000 to 2003 for the launch of the new MINI hatchback in 2001.

He joined the BMW board in 2007 where he gained a reputation as a cost killer before his move to Volkswagen was announced in December 2014 ahead of his arrival in July 2015.
A friend and I travelled to Antigua with Virgin Holidays and chose to fly Premium Economy so we would have more legroom.

On the morning of our return journey, we received a text saying that the flight was cancelled and that we had been booked on a BA flight instead.

But when we arrived at the airport, we were told that there were no premium seats available.

Later, we received a letter from the Virgin rep saying we would be refunded 75 per cent of our fare home.

I thought this would be straightforward, but Virgin Holidays said it was waiting for information from Virgin Atlantic.

After several more phone calls, we were finally offered a refund of 75.10 each  far less than what was originally promised.

Mrs J. C., Dorset.

Air rage: Virgin Holidays failed to properly refund a premium economy customer when they cancelled his flight and switched him onto a BA jet instead

You began chasing your money in early October, soon after returning from your holiday. Three months later, in mid-January, you wrote to me.

I sent your letter to Virgin Holidays and spent several more weeks poking and prodding with very little response.

I began to wonder if it was hoping that if it ignored us for long enough we might go away  not what one might expect from the Virgin brand.

Then, finally, at the beginning of this month, I heard back. Apparently, there was some miscommunication between Virgin Holidays and Virgin Atlantic.

As per the letter you were sent, customers who are downgraded are entitled to a 75 per cent refund of the fare and taxes.

So, since the overall cost of your return leg was 194.50 plus 149.30 tax, your refund should be 257.85 each.

In total, you and your friend are entitled to 515.70, rather than the 150.20 you were offered. Virgin has agreed to refund the difference.

You Have Your Say Every week, Money Mail receives hundreds of your letters and emails about our stories. Here are some of the best from our report on whether the rollout of smart energy meters is a good or bad thing: There is no logic to the concerns over gas explosions and fires. Surely the same could happen with an old-style meter. Smart or dumb shouldnt make a difference if a meter is fitted properly. T. L., London. We are thinking of installing a smart meter in our holiday let. It would be really useful to get automatic meter readings when we are not there and have an idea of how much gas and electricity is being used by guests. W. G., London. I think its unfair that we all have to pay for smart meters through our tariffs whether we want to have one fitted or not. If Im sure that I dont want one, why should I be forced to fund other peoples preferences? S. K., Great Yarmouth. I believe if something isnt broken, dont fix it. Im very concerned about smart meters and think theyre the thin edge of the wedge. Once installed, providers could charge more for using energy at different times of the day. This will ultimately penalise working people who can only put on a wash in the evenings or at weekends. E. R., Sunderland. Concerns over hacking and health sound far-fetched to me. Its like contactless cards again; at first people are wary of new technology, but give it a few years and everyone will be using it. H. S., Bristol. I take issue with the way companies constantly push them on customers. A. L., Woking. Smart meters serve a purpose for families with teenagers who play video games night and day, or people who leave on lights and heating. But many people are able to manage their energy usage easily without. T. B., Uxbridge.

In late winter during a bad storm, the wind lifted my garage roof and dislodged block work, which landed on my car causing damage to the paintwork.

I arranged for the repair via my insurer, Direct Line, but now my premium has increased by 200. I am confused because I thought I had no-claims protection.

I called and was told the no-claims protection is for the discount and not the premium.

Direct Line agreed to change the record of the incident from accident to weather damage and says it paid out 1,900 including labour. But the garage told me it did not put any parts into the car, and the bill it sent was for 1,029.

Mrs A. F., Essex.

This business of premiums rising despite people having a protected no-claims bonus is a perennial gripe.

Insurance firms argue customers are protecting only the discount they get on the initial premium.

However, it is clear customers regard it as something quite different and believe they are protecting the premium itself.

It is something both the insurance industry and regulator need to look at because, whether deliberately or inadvertently, customers are being misled.

Direct Line confirmed to me that no-claims discount protection does not stop the premium changing when the company alters its view of the risk because the claim has been made.

Why it should feel the risk involved in insuring your car has increased after an accident caused by high winds is beyond me.

Surely, if anything, the risk would drop after the owner of the building has had it repaired.

Direct Line further says the garage provided you with incorrect figures. After first costing the repair with no new parts, the garage contacted the insurer for authorisation to use parts which were required after all.

But Direct Line has admitted the figure is still incorrect and it will adjust this.

However, it says your premium has been affected only by the fact that you have made a claim, not by the final figure. In other words, your only option is to tough it out and seek cheaper cover next year.

>Find out more about how to cut your premiums, read our ten top tips to cheaper car insurance guide

Straight To The Point I receive a 2,000-a-year war pension as I was injured while serving in the Forces. Is it taxable? T. P., London. War pensions are not taxable. However, regular Forces pensions are taxed at normal income-tax rates. *** My carer topped up my EE mobile phone with 25 credit at the local Co-op two months ago, but Ive just tried it and theres no money left and the phone has been blocked. Can you help?

G. L., Essex. EE cant explain what went wrong and says your account is still active. It apologises for the confusion and has credited your account with 25 as a goodwill gesture. *** I held a large number of shares in Woolworths Group plc when it went under. Clearing out old paperwork, I have found my certificates and would like to know if these are worth keeping. Is there any chance of them being worth anything, or should I just destroy them? N. R., Essex. Woolworths was finally dissolved in 2015 and, as a shareholder, you would have been on the share register and contacted  numerous times, no doubt  about anything you were owed. I asked Tim Cockerill, of stockbroker Rowan Dartington, if there is anything you can do now. He says: Sadly, the certificates no longer hold any value. You could chuck them out  or another idea might be to frame and keep them as your own slice of British retail history. *** My insurance company moved me into rented accommodation between August 2014 and February 2015 while work was carried out on my home. Since then, Scottish Power has sent me bills ranging from 800 to 2,600 and I cant seem to resolve the matter. J. F., Milngavie, Scotland. Your case was referred to the Energy Ombudsman, which asked Scottish Power to provide the opening and closing meter readings it had used to calculate your bill for that seven-month period. These readings confirm that you owe slightly more than 2,000. Scottish Power has set up a payment plan of 43 a month for the next four years to clear the debt.

Our main property is worth around 700,000. If we leave it to our two children soon, can we/they avoid inheritance tax?

As we understand it (assuming a standard rate of 40 per cent) they would have to pay 280,000 IHT. Can we avoid this?

Mr and Mrs E. M., Berks.

Such a simple question. So many implications! There is no way to give a complete answer based on the information you have provided  your wording implies you have another home tucked up your sleeve.

But first the basic facts. Each of you has a 325,000 IHT-free allowance, known as the nil-rate band, making a total of 650,000.

In addition, there is the main residence allowance, currently 125,000 each, which brings you to a total of 900,000 of IHT-free assets, assuming your main residence is left to your children (or other direct descendants).

This allowance reaches 175,000 in April 2020, so as long as one of you survives, you could leave 1 million of assets free of IHT.

Your question implies your assets are greater than this. Perhaps you are considering giving your home to your children and continuing to live in it? In that case, you would be considered to retain an interest in the home, so it could trigger IHT and capital gains tax implications.

Clever dodges using trusts were stamped out by Gordon Brown when he was chancellor.

If you gave the home to them now, moved out and had no further interest in it, then it should drop out of your estate completely after seven years.

If you both die before seven years is up, the first 650,000 would be set against your nil-rate bands, assuming the house is jointly owned. If you die after three years, the tax on the top 50,000 would reduce each year from an initial 20,000 to zero.

Again, there could be capital gains tax implications  and you would have lost control of a valuable asset. I urge you strongly to take professional advice from an accountant or a solicitor specialising in estate planning.
Lidl and Aldi could be forced to reveal details of the inner workings of their growing empires as part of the investigation into Sainsbury's merger with Asda.

Pressure is mounting on the German discounters to reveal precise details of sales at individual stores, company structures and the amount of tax paid in UK as they continue to eat into the market share of the Big Four supermarkets.

The growth of the budget supermarket chains, which account for more than one in eight sales, were one of the key motivators for Sainsbury's bid to take over Asda.

Company secrets: Pressure is mounting on Lidl and Aldi to reveal details of sales at individual stores, company structures and tax paid in UK

Now it has emerged that the German firms could be forced to divulge financial information never revealed before when the competition watchdog probes the 14.1billion tie-up between Sainsbury's and Asda.

Aldi and Lidl have seen huge growth during the past decade and their discount model has been responsible for driving down prices at giants such as Tesco  which previously had been able to use its market share to dictate terms.

Over the past five years, the Big Four  Tesco, Sainsbury's Asda and Morrisons  have seen their market share slashed from 76.3 per cent to 70 per cent.

About two in every three households shopped with at least one of the German discount chains in the 12 weeks to March, according to the latest data.

Last year Lidl revealed a 1.5billion expansion plan which will see it open 60 shops a year, while Aldi wants to open stores in every town and city in the UK.

For Asda and Sainsbury's to get the green light to merge from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), they may be forced to close or sell stores in areas where it could hurt competition, potentially pushing up prices for customers.

The number of stores they will have to give up depends on whether the CMA considers Lidl and Aldi as competitors or only factor in so-called 'Big Four' rivals Tesco and Morrisons.

If Lidl and Aldi are deemed to be competitors, the CMA could use its powers to demand more financial details.

Lidl has never revealed how much tax it pays in the UK. Aldi is generally considered to be the more transparent of the two and paid 49.3million in tax on profits of 214.7million in 2016  its latest accounts available.

It is understood both Aldi and Lidl are willing to co-operate with the CMA.

Neither Lidl, Aldi, Sainsbury's nor Asda wanted to comment.
Burberry has posted a 5 per cent increase in bottom-line global profits as it battles to get its finances back on track.

With its adjusted full year profit expectations slightly higher than expected, the group also said it planned to buy back a further 150million worth of its shares.

But, in its full-year preliminary results, the retailer, which is in the throes of a transformation programme under new chief executive Marco Gobbettii and designer Riccardo Tisci, said UK sales only saw 'low single digit' growth over the year.

New era: Burberry has posted a 5 per cent increase in bottom-line global profits as it battles to get its finances back on track

The luxury retailer's share price is up 2.29 per cent or 41.25p to 1,844.75p.

For the year to 31 March, pre-tax profits came in at 413million, while total revenues dipped 1 per cent to 2.7billion.

In a bid to cut costs and streamline its operations, Burberry closed 20 stores over the year, with seven closed during the last week of its financial year.

The group said it had managed to make 64million worth of cost savings in the last year. By the end of next year the group aims to make cost savings of 100million.

Marco Gobbettii said: 'In a year of transition, we are pleased with our performance as we began to execute our strategy.

'While the task of transforming Burberry is still before us, the first steps we implemented to re-energise our brand are showing promising early signs.'

Closures: In a bid to cut costs and streamline its operations, Burberry closed 20 stores over the year

Recent trading was dragged lower by falling UK sales in the final six months as the group failed to match the previous year's impressive performance, when sales surged thanks to a spending spree by overseas shoppers taking advantage of the weak pound.

Sales across the group's Continental Europe operations fell amid 'softer' spending by tourists, while its market in the Middle East remained 'challenging, impacted by the macro-environment.'

Overall, however, the group's results showed signs of a bounce-back after a tough previous year, when profits slumped by 21 per cent after being hit by weak wholesale trading in the US.

Burberry said popular products from its lines in the last year included the 'car coat' and 'tropical gabardine.'

With plans to transform its leather accessories ranges, the retailer has signed a deal with longstanding Italian partner CF&P to 'create a centre of excellence' for leather goods. The group's new handbag collection is being launched this Spring.
The number of new retail jobs coming to the market dropped by almost a third since the start of the year, in a sign that 'tougher times' may lie ahead, new data show.

The retail sector saw the biggest decline in new advertised jobs, which are down 31 per cent, recruiting firm Reed said today as it noted a 'dramatic' slowdown in the jobs market overall.

The data come ahead of the latest official unemployment figures from the Office for National Statistics due to be published today.

Retail jobs: They dropped by almost a third since the start of the year, recruiting firm Reed said

'The jobs market has slowed dramatically since the beginning of the year. It's possible that seasonality has led to a disjointed period for UK businesses,' said James Reed, chairman of Reed Recruitment.

'As Easter fell earlier in 2018, it's likely that holidays will have impacted growth, reflected in a marginal reduction in the number of new jobs being advertised at the end of the quarter.'

The company also noted declines in new jobs offered by energy firms, estate agents as well as leisure and tourism firms.

'We've witnessed declines in key sectors such as retail, energy and estate agency. This is a clear warning sign that tougher times may lie ahead for the jobs market,' Reed added.

The report comes as many High Street retailers such as Carpetright, Mothercare, New Look and House of Fraser have announced store closures as they struggle with falling sales.

A separate report warned that employers were finding it harder to recruit suitably skilled workers.

A survey of 1,000 employers by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the Adecco Group showed growth in demand for workers.

Gerwyn Davies, of the CIPD, said: 'Employers looking to expand their workforces are likely to face growing headwinds as organisations find it more difficult to source the people and skills they need.

'This may explain why wage pressures are starting to increase following a prolonged period of relatively subdued pay growth.'

Lat month's labour market figures showed a record 32.2million people in work, with unemployment standing at 1.4million, the lowest for more than a decade.
Shyster bosses at failed construction giant Carillion were too busy stuffing their mouths with gold to take proper care of the company, a devastating report has found.

Directors are to blame for the collapse of the government contractor, which wildly pursued growth and misrepresented its finances, according to an excoriating MPs report.

The business and work and pensions select committees also questioned whether directors of the firm were involved in wrongful trading. Former chairman Philip Green was mocked for interpreting his role as that of cheerleader-in-chief, while ex-finance chief Richard Adam came under fire as the architect of the firms aggressive accounting policies.

Former chairman Philip Green (left) was mocked for interpreting his role as that of cheerleader-in-chief, while ex-finance chief Richard Adam (right) came under fire as the architect of the firms aggressive accounting policies

The damning inquiry report also slams the feeble response of regulators supposed to keep tabs on the company, and calls for major regulatory reform. In the report, based on interviews and evidence from Carillion directors, shareholders, banks and regulators, the committees:

Accuse the firm of running an unsustainable dash for cash on the back of mounting debt;

Claim Carillions accounts were systematically manipulated to make optimistic assessments of revenue, in defiance of internal controls;

Say KPMG was complicit in directors increasingly fantastical figures as it failed to be sceptical during its 19 years as auditor during which it earned 29 million;

Accuse Carillion of treating suppliers with contempt by quibbling over bills and paying late;

Say key regulators the Financial Reporting Council and the Pensions Regulator were united in their feebleness and timidity.

The MPs warned that the fate of Carillion, which employed 58,000 people around the world, could be repeated soon. Work and pensions committee chairman Frank Field said the board were too busy stuffing their mouths with gold to show any concern for the welfare of their workforce or their pensioners.

He added: This is a disgraceful example of how much of our capitalism is allowed to operate, waved through by a cosy club of auditors, conflicted at every turn.

Government urgently needs to come to Parliament with radical reforms to our creaking system of corporate accountability. British industry is too important to be left in the hands of the likes of the shysters at the top of Carillion.

Carillion collapsed into compulsory liquidation in January 15 with debts of more than 5 billion, including a pensions deficit of nearly 1 billion and with only 29 million cash in the bank.

More than 2,200 workers have been made redundant in the UKs biggest corporate failure in more than a decade. Many of Carillions 30,000 suppliers are expected to get back a fraction of the 2 billion thought to be owed, while the 27,000 members of the pension scheme will also be paid less.

The collapse has come under particular scrutiny because of the firms rapid deterioration from March last year, when its accounts were signed off with a clean bill of health by KPMG. By July, it had written off 854 million, causing shares to nose-dive.

MPs found the firms failure to turn a profit from key contracts was masked for a long time by a continuing stream of new work, and by accounting practices that precluded an accurate assessment of the state of these contracts.

They said Richard Howson, 49, who was boss of the firm from 2012 until July 2017, was part of the problem, not the solution

They paid out ever-increasing dividends, creating the impression of a healthy and successful company, MPs found. The firm went into freefall after an announcement owning up to its problems to the stock market in July, slashing its value from more than 2 billion to 90 million in a few months.

Fiasco almost cost me my home Andy Bradley was forced to lay off ten employees Days after Carillion went bust, Andy Bradley was forced to lay off ten employees amid fears the business he had nurtured for 20 years would collapse. The 58-year-old managing director of horticultural services company Flora-tec in Cambridge even considered selling his family home to cover the costs he faced. His company, which had branches in Hertfordshire, Surrey, Birmingham, Chester and Leeds, was owed more than 800,000 by the Wolverhampton-based construction contractor for landscaping work. Although Mr Bradleys business is stabilising he is still hundreds of thousands of pounds out of pocket and said Carillion executives should be held to account over the scandal. He said: Weve managed to trade out of the losses of Carillion and weve actually been recruiting some people back into the business. Some of them are people that we had laid off and some of them are new people. Were in a much better place. Its a scandal and they need to be held to account. When businesses like that appear to fall into the hands of people who dont act in the best interest of shareholders or the supply chain, lessons need to be learned. I just try hard not to think about the money now. Advertisement

MPs said board members did not give the impression that they were acutely conscious of the wide range of legal duties they had.

They said Richard Howson, 49, who was boss of the firm from 2012 until July 2017, was part of the problem, not the solution.

They added: His misguided self-assurance obscured an apparent lack of interest in, or understanding of, essential detail, or any recognition that Carillion was a business crying out for challenge and reform. They described Mr Adam, 60, finance director between 2007 and 2016, as the dominant personality in the finance department, noting how he got out at the right time and sold all his shares before the price collapsed. They praised his ultimate successor Emma Mercer, saying she had been willing to speak the truth.

MPs said ex-chairman Mr Green, 65, interpreted his role as to be an unquestioning optimist, an outlook he maintained in a delusional, upbeat assessment of the companys prospects only days before it began its public decline.

Mr Howson and Mr Adam have rejected appeals to give back bonuses they received from the firm. Mr Howson earned 1.5 million during 2016 including a 245,000 bonus while Mr Adam was paid 1 million including a 140,000 bonus. The inquiry said bosses sought to blame everyone but themselves for the destruction that they caused.

Mr Green said much of the report did not accurately reflect the true picture, adding: The board always sought to make decisions on the best available information and with the best professional advice; furthermore we always strived to act in the interests of the company and all its stakeholders.
MBABANE  The year 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Since

tal organisations, indigenous people and local communities and individuals alike.

The convention on Biological Diversity was inspired by the world communitys growing commitment to sustainable development. From 1988 to 1992 began the intergovernmental negotiations that started the preparations and development of an international legal instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.



This work culminated on May 22, 1992 with the Nairobi Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The convention was opened for signature on June 5, 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Rio Earth Summit).



It remained open for signature until June 4, 1993, by which time it had received 168 signatures. The Convention entered into force on December 29, 1993, which was 90 days after the 30th ratification.



The first session of the Conference of the Parties was scheduled for November 28  December 9, 1994 in the Bahamas. To date, with 196 Parties, the convention has near universal participation among countries.



The 25th anniversary of the convention presents a unique opportunity to highlight the achievements of its objectives at global and national levels. The results are considerable;
MBABANE  If my people nominate me for this years National Elections I will gladly accept.

These were words spoken by local gospel superstar Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane.



For the past two terms, he has been attending the nomination process and each time he was nominated he would decline to take part.

However, this year is a different year for Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane.

The artist has indicated that if it happens that the people of his constituency decide to nominate him, he will not have a problem of standing.



Emazulu asavumile, sekuyakhanya (The heavens have agreed and all is bright), said Simelane when asked if he would stand for the elections this year.



He said in the past two terms, he had not been standing because he felt he was not ready to serve the people in that regard and that he needed to grow.



It should be clear that I am ready to serve my people if they still see me fit to do so, he said.

Simelane went on to urge the youth to participate in the elections, saying it would to benefit the countrys growth.

The youth must learn to exercise patience and go and register despite the long queues. This is a very important task and their input towards building a better nation is needed, he added.



On the other hand, Simelane has registered to take part through casting a vote for the forthcoming National Elections.

Simelane, who is the founder and leader of Mduduzi Nezinceku Zamagagwugawu, took 10 minutes of his time yesterday morning to register.



He registered three days after the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) opened the registration process.

Gawuzela, as he is famously known, did this at KaMkhweli, Siphofaneni. Soon after the process he was given a card confirming him that he had registered and was eligible to vote or to be voted for.
MANZINI  Your best friend today can be your worst enemy tomorrow.



This adage holds true for former Kwaluseni Member of Parliament (MP) Sibusiso Mabhanisi Dlamini and police officer Sandile Dlamini, who assisted him to win the 2008 national elections. The relationship between the two has gone sour such that yesterday, the former legislator asked the Royal Swaziland Police (RSP) Service to remove the officer from the Kwaluseni registration centre.



In fact, the former MP has asked the senior officers at Matsapha Police Station to find another Inkhundla where they could deploy the law enforcer because he believed there could be conflict of interest, yet he was expected to remain neutral.



When narrating his arguments to the senior police officers, the former MP said the law enforcer was his former campaign manager (galajane) when he joined the elections race in 2008, which he won after the officer supported him with campaigning T-shirts among other things. He said things changed in 2013 when the ex-legislator was campaigning to retain his position, as the officer jumped to support his rival.



Coincidentally, in 2016, the law enforcer became one of the arresting officers in his case of theft with false pretence, where it was alleged that he stole a sum of E35 000 from Minister of Tinkhundla Administration and Development Mduduzi Small Joe Dlamini.

The former MP said he had made an honest application to the officers superiors at Matsapha Police Station, but if they failed to remove and deploy him to another constituency, he would definitely run to the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) for their intervention.



When justifying his move, the ex-legislator said he believed that coming across the law enforcer during the course of the elections could result in having an unfair voting process, yet it was expected to be free and fair.



Meanwhile, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Khulani Mamba confirmed the matter. He said it was being handled by the station commanders office.
MBABANE  The Kingdom of Eswatini is set to become a second home for Zambia President, Edgar Lungu.

The president is allegedly set to build a mansion worth millions at Nkonyeni area.



This newspaper has gathered that the mansion would be built on Lot 225 of Farm Nkonyeni III, which is situated past Sidvokodvo area in the Manzini Region.

Already, Zambian newspapers have gone to town reporting about the mansion with opposition parties questioning it and demanding to know how he acquired the land.



An architectural plan of the structure has also been leaked and it reveals that it was allegedly done by a company known as Architects International, whose business premises are situated in Mbabane.



The copies of the drawing, which are already circulating on different social media platforms and online newspapers, reveal that the revisions of the drawings were done in November last year.



According to the Zambian newspapers, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Dora Siliya confirmed on Monday that Lungu owned land in the country which she alleged was given to him by authorities.

The Diggers News and the Zambia Online alleged that during a press briefing at her office on Monday, Siliya who is also Petauke Central Member of Parliament, said it was normal for a president to own land in a foreign country.

These are normal practices when the president travels, that various gifts are given in various forms. In this case it was land that was given to the president. This land was processed and given to the president in title. So there is nothing sinister about that because I do know now that people like to create stories even when there are no stories, the newspaper quoted Siliya as having allegedly stated.

She was further quoted as having said the president was awarded the gift and that it was processed for him by virtue of his status and that it was given to him even on title deed land.

It has been alleged that the house for the president would cost about US$3.9m.

Despite the Zambian government alleging that the land was a gift, documents sourced from the Deeds Registry public information centre reveal that the area in question is one of around 90 plots which are under the ownership of Inyatsi Properties Limited.

According to the deeds files, the area where the plot is situated was initially owned by Rudolph Investments (Proprietary) Limited.

The plot itself is measuring 4105 square metres and was approved by the surveyor general on March 12, 2009.

A deed of transfer was then processed last year through S.V. Mdladla & Associates and Inyatsi Properties Limited lawfully acquired the plots from Rudolph Investments.

An effort was made to get a comment from Architects International which, however, requested not to say anything on the matter.

Unfortunately, for ethical reasons, we are unable to comment on matters relating to our clients businesses, said Richard Magnus on behalf of the company.


Knowlarity Buys Sunoray for AI, SMB Customers

By Paula Bernier - Executive Editor, TMC

Knowlarity Communications Pvt has bought Sunoray Solutions. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The deal gives Knowlarity access to the Mumbai-based companys artificial intelligence and machine learning products. It also expands the Singapore-based cloud telephony service provider customer base, adding Sunorays small and medium customers.

An AI revolution is underway right now, but I believe it needs to be complemented with a design revolution, said Jim Guszcza, chief data scientist at Deloitte Consulting LLP, as quoted in a Wall Street Journal piece. We dont want to ascribe to AI algorithms more intelligence than is really there. They may be smarter than humans at certain tasks, but more generally we need to make sure algorithms are designed to help us, not do an end run around our common sense.

IDC estimates that by 2019, 40 percent of digital transformation initiatives will use AI services. It adds that by 2021, 75 percent of enterprise applications will use AI.

Gartner in April released a new report saying that global business value derived from artificial intelligence is projected to total $1.2 trillion in 2018, an increase of 70 percent from 2017. AI-derived business value is forecast to reach $3.9 trillion in 2022. And an Accenture survey projects 85 percent of business executives plan to invest in AI over the next three years with most of the investments focused on revenue-critical business processes.

From predictions, recommendations, and advice to automated customer service agents and intelligent process automation, AI is changing the face of how we interact with computer systems, IDC says.

Gupta and Pallav Pandey created Knowlarity in 2009. It provides cloud-based communications solutions including calling, conferencing, fax, and receptionist offerings.

Rahul Arora and Sumontro Roy established Sunoray Solutions four years ago. The company sells cloud telephony and CRM solutions.

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Edited by Maurice Nagle
INTRODUCTION For 60 years, a Tyrannosaurus rex stood tall in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, its ancient bones posed awkwardly erect, more like a sharp-toothed kangaroo than a tyrant lizard king.



The display made sense to paleontologists when it was erected. But science has changed and so, in response, has the Carnegie. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania museum this month will complete a massive renovation of its dinosaur exhibitthe third-largest in the United States. Over the last three years, skeletons large and small have been disassembled, cleaned, and rearticulated into poses that reflect current theory. And to pique the imaginations of young dinosaur lovers, the skeletons are arranged to suggest predator-versus-prey storylines. To be sure, the stars of the $36 million restoration are the Carnegies renowned collection of fossils. But the supporting players, unnoticed and yet essential to the drama on the museum floor, are the steel armatures that encase them. With the opening of the completed Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibit, this month, the once-towering T. rex will be seen crouching low, neck practically parallel to the ground, ready for a Cretaceous period showdown with another T. rex (Figure 1). Over in the Jurassic section, which opened with the exhibits first phase in November, the stately Apatosaurus cranes its long neck gracefully backward, (Figure 2) facing a predator that seems to be closing in (Figure 3).



To be sure, the stars of the $36 million restoration are the Carnegies renowned collection of fossils. But the supporting players, unnoticed and yet essential to the drama on the museum floor, are the steel armatures that encase them. The handcrafted frameworks allow the T. rex to crouch low, ready to fight. They raise the Diplodocus tail off the ground and support its unwieldy neck. And yet, the general public is unlikely to appreciate this one-of-a-kind hardware. That, says Matt Lamanna, the museums assistant curator of vertebrate paleontology, is the sign of expert dinosaur mounting. There is such attention to detail that a lot of people dont even see the armatures. Thats the beauty of it, he said. DECONSTRUCTING DINOSAURS MEDIA AND VIDEOS

Video 1. The rearticulated Diplodocus and Apatosaurus.

Video 2. The Diplodocus and Apatosaurus amaze early museum goers.

Video 3. The Allosaurus head is removed from the original exhibit. Before he ever accepted the job overhauling the Carnegies fossils, Phil Fraley, founder of Phil Fraley Productions, was well aware of the museums legendary dinosaur hall. Their collection is actually the best collection in the world of Sauropod dinosaurs, he said. For me it was a dream come true to be able to work with the Carnegie Museum on this collection. This from a man whod worked on such high-profile projects as the dinosaur hall restoration at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the installation of Tyrannosaurus Sue at the Field Museum in Chicago.



The Pittsburgh exhibit would be his companys largest yet. The Carnegie update would more than triple the size of the museums dinosaur hall, grouping the fossils according to the period in which they lived, surrounding them with an approximation of the plant life of that time, and posing the bones to reflect new thoughts on dinosaur biomechanics. This would be the largest renovation since the museum opened in 1895, and Fraley was eager to be a part of it. Of course, the primary goal was to make the skeletons more scientifically accurate. Science is sort of a successive approximation of the truth, Lamanna said. The truth as it was known when the T. rexs upright posture was determined is different than the truth of today. Another goal, though, was to imply action with enough color and drama to enthrall modern-day museum goers. That was where the art of metalworking was essential. When molded expertly, the steel framework brings an organic quality to the fossils, Fraley said. Really, what an armature is doing is replacing all the tendons and ligamentsthe soft tissue that used to hold the animal together, he said.



The ten skeletons Fraleys team would work on had their own armatures already, and some had been standing for 100 years. That made the first step in the projectdismantling the existing structures for shipment to Fraleys New Jersey workshopa slow-going affair. The oldest specimens, the Diplodocus carnegii and Apatosaurus Louisae, both date back to the early 1900s. (See the sidebar for details on the early days of the Carnegie exhibit.) Really, what an armature is doing is replacing all the tendons and ligamentsthe soft tissue that used to hold the animal together... Among the concerns at the outset were the safety of workersthe pelvic bones of those large specimens weigh more than 3,000 lb, Fraley said. And they had to worry about protecting the specimens as well, lifting the bones without stressing them. He had no idea until the work was begun the condition of either the metal or the fossils, and there were some surprises.



The armatures for the Diplodocus and the Apatosaurus were really underbuilt, Fraley said. Over the decades shifting occurred. Two vertical supports under the pectoral girdle and the shoulder of the Apatosaurus, meant to share the weight of the structure equally, had spread over the years, three and a half inches in each direction. They were no longer plumb, Fraley said. They were going in opposite directions.



The separation was caused by a combination of the weight of the specimen and the likelihood that the skeleton was moved at some point without people taking proper precautions to stabilize it. In addition, during the disarticulation of the Apatosaurus, Fraleys team found that metal plates that had been bolted onto the pelvis had stress fractures in two places. That was a pretty dangerous situation for the specimen, Fraley said. Had there been a sudden jolt that would have caused this to move in one particular direction, there was a high probability that it would have broken, and with potentially disastrous consequences, he added. ANDREW CARNEGIE--BUILDING A LEGACY IN STEEL AND STONE Thanks to the passion for paleontology of its wealthy namesake, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History displays more fossilized dinosaur bones than any other museum in the United States except the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The museums current status as a leader in paleontology began in 1898, when Andrew Carnegie organized the museums first dinosaur expedition to Wyoming. Carnegie, the Pittsburgh industrialist whose name is emblazoned on cultural centers such as libraries and performance halls well beyond the Pittsburgh borders, had earned his fortune in the steel industry when he set his mind to adding dinosaurs to his namesake museum. According to the museum, he learned that archeologists had discovered some ancient bones in Wyoming, and promptly sent a team to the area. In 1899 they discovered the toe bone of an unknown creature, and when the full skeleton was collected and returned to Pittsburgh, the museums paleontologist named it Diplodocus Carnegii, after Carnegie.



The find became the first of several holotypesthe original specimen of a speciesin the Carnegie collection. Carnegies team a few years later unearthed a trove of Jurassic-era bones in Utah and sent the bones back to Pittsburgh for identification, preservation, mounting, and finally display to the public. Among the finds were Apatosaurus louisae, the holotype of that species, Camarasaurus, Stegosaurus, Dryosaurus, the Camptosaurus holotype, and Allosaurus. In 1941, the museum continued its tradition of acquiring prized specimens by purchasing the Tyrannosaurus rex holotype. The Cretaceous period carnivore stood alone in the dinosaur hall since then, but in June will be joined by another T. rex, this one a cast rather than original fossil.



When Carnegie began collecting dinosaur skeletons, their display was a relatively new art in the early 20th century, said Phil Fraley, whose company recently remounted ten of the museums dinosaurs. At that point in time paleontology was in its infancy as a science, he said. But Carnegies newly assembled team of preparators did a long-lasting job of shaping steel to fit the bones (Figures AD) and they used a top quality steel, said project manager Larry Lee.



We did a metallurgical analysis of it and found it was an excellent mild steel, he said. We were able to TIG-weld with it, bend it, drill it, and tap into itit had excellent qualities. They used excellent iron in their castings. We really lucked out. For that reason, some of the oldest mounts were able to be reused and built upon, Lee said.



Damage was also caused by what Project Manager Larry Lee described as metallurgical mistakes. In particular, a galvanic effect resulted from welds of cast steel to cast bronze. It kind of diseased those metals, he said. Lee found evidence of those poorly planned welds in the T. rex and the Allosaurus, where bronze was used in the underside of some vertebrae to create a seat that would hold the bone in position.



The bronze-steel welds held up, Lee noted, but the metal was deteriorated. Needless to say, no bronze mounts were used when Fraleys company reconstructed the dinosaurs. Instead, new steel cradles were made individually to fit each vertebra of the dinosaurs. And, in Lamannas eyes, those cradles were more than steel supports. Each cradle is a customized work of art that keeps the specimen safe, he said. 21st CENTURY DINOSAURS There may have been flaws in some of the original dinosaur mounts, but there was also a level of artistry that surprised Fraley and Lee. On the Apatosaurus and Diplodocus, in particular, the armatures were unique, Lee said, made of cast steel underneath the vertebra to create a support system.



Lee first worked with Fraley in the 1990s at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. There, Lee said, the vertebrae were supported not by cast steel but instead a series of saddles fitted onto a horizontal steel round. Each of the saddles was created to hold a vertebra, Lee said. At the Carnegie, later dinosaur armatures were similarly constructed.



Those early castings were so unique that Fraley reused them in the new display. We couldn't do a better job than what they had done in casting those ourselves, he said. In some ways it was our way of recognizing and appreciating the work that all these men a hundred years ago had done on the specimen. They were part of that specimens history, and were now a part of that specimens history. A BONA FIDE HIDDEN METALS CRAFT Lees background was in sculpture, particularly lost wax bronze casting and metal sculpting, when he turned his talents to dinosaur armatures. As he explored the workshops of the American Museum, he found remnants of the craftsmen who came before him. I discovered this whole tradition of metal mount-making for dinosaurs. It included casting and blacksmithing, machining, all kinds of bending, all kinds of metal work. I discovered this bona fide hidden metals crafta tradition that started with the folks at the Carnegie and at the American Museum at the turn of the 20th century. Each cradle is a customized work of art that keeps the specimen safe, Remounting dinosaurs at the Fraley studios extends that tradition (Figures 46). Once the skeletons have been painstakingly disassembled, the bones are stripped of all adhesives, paints, and shellacs layered on over the years to hide fl aws. Then, for the larger pieces, such as femurs, the artisans make a cast so they can use those shapes without damaging the actual bones. The steel armatures are shaped while hot on the cast. For the smaller pieces, Lee said, Its a process of bending steel with heat, then cooling the steel, and then checking it to see how close it is to the shape we want to achieve. Its rather painstaking: heating, bending, cooling, and comparing, and on and on, to make these custom fittings. Its a process akin to jewelry making. You take a precious stone and make a setting for itthats what were doing. Maureen Byko is managing editor of JOM.
BECAUSE ELECTIONS DON'T COUNT IN KANSAS CITY . . . A SHADY PRIVATE MAIL-IN BALLOT PERSISTS DESPITE COMPLAINTS OF VOTER SUPPRESSION!!!

Meanwhile, our blog community notes that there have been increasing shut downs & a few violent hobo dust-ups aboard this controversial mode of transit.

Lets' not forget,Nevertheless . . .Sadly, local media have refused to challenge this scheme and instead tout an upcoming music festival.Mainstream news also doesn't report thatproving that the toy train is a just a prop for alleged 25 MILLION Kansas City visitors every year.Here's a sneak peek:Whilst Westport biz fights this transit effort and, there really is not stopping this taxpayer subsidized promotional effort that's probablyNevertheless, Kansas City news reports good times rather than the very real debate about gerrymandering and the subversion of local Democracy.You decide . . .
Jury convicts Texas man of $19 million fraud scheme; Conspirators impersonated Cerner Corporation

is one of many horrific phrases touted on social media.Here's why that doesn't work and relevant highlights from a recent case prosecutor by the U.S. Attorney's Office Of Western Missouri:A Texas man was convicted by a federal trial jury today of his role in an elaborate, multi-million-dollar fraud scheme in which conspirators impersonated North Kansas City-based Cerner Corporation in business and legal activities.Criminal conduct involved perjured testimony, doctored trial exhibits, a manipulated multi-million dollar civil verdict, the use of fake people with fake email accounts, impersonated companies, fake business documents and a phalanx of over 70 entities with more than 50 bank accounts.In order to impersonate Cerner Corporation, Conspirators created a fake Cerner business entity for a similarly-named company, Cerner, LLC. Conspirators opened a fake Cerner bank account, registered a fake Cerner Internet domain and leased virtual office space for a fake Cerner address in Kansas City, Mo. They created fictitious employees from Cerner Corporation  including both fictitious identities and impersonating actual employees  to communicate with others. Conspirators fabricated documents, price quotes, agreements and invoices, which were all made to appear to be authentic Cerner Corporation documents, when they were not.Conspirators impersonated Cerner Corporation in the fraudulent sale of a purported newly developed MRI system to Dallas Medical Center (DMC), which paid over $1 million to what they believed was Cerner Corporation, but which turned out to be nothing more than one of THE DEFENDANT'S shell companies.In addition to impersonating Cerner Corporation, conspirators used additional e-mail accounts to impersonate business entities and physicians in order to send communications designed to manipulate others in business transactions.Additionally, conspirators solicited investments using fabricated communications and documents from entities they created, including the entity created to impersonate Cerner Corporation. Those misrepresentations included false financial documents, altered MRI images and false claims that used MRI systems were newly developed technology. Conspirators solicited millions of dollars in investments from physicians and other investors.Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., deliberated for about two hours before returning the guilty verdict#################
An extended drought after the destruction of Nestors Palace in Pylos is likely to have brought an end to the Mycenaean civilization in the western Peloponnese. That conclusion was reached after analysis of a stalactite from a cave in the area that provided a clear picture about the climatic conditions in the eastern Mediterranean in the Late Bronze Age, Greek daily Kathimerini reports.

The study was carried out by researchers Martin Finne and Karin Holmgren of the Navarino Environmental Observatory (NEO) in collaboration with archaeologist Shari Stocker. NEO is the product of a collaboration between Stockholm University, the Academy of Athens and TEMES SA, the company behind the Costa Navarino resort.

The researchers reached their conclusions from the analysis of a stalactite from a cave on the islet of Schiza just off the Peloponnesian coast. By studying the layers of the stalactite, the team was able to establish the climatic conditions that existed in the region from around 1200 to 1180 BC with a high degree of precision.

The goal was to establish the climatic conditions that existed during the period when the palace was destroyed, as the predominant theory is that this was triggered in large part by a preceding period of drought. The new research adds complexity to that theory. While the researchers discovered that about 20-80 years before the destruction of the palace there was indeed a dry period, this lasted no longer than 20 years. However, a much more profound period of drought  lasting about a century  occurred after the palaces destruction.

Evidently the centralized administrative system controlled by the palace could survive a relatively short-term dry period and remain in control. Some 50 years later, nevertheless, when the pronounced period of aridity started to develop, the system would crumble, the researchers write in their paper presenting their results.

The period of drought nearly 3,200 years [ago] could have contributed to the destabilization of the political and economic order. Increased aridity could have led to reduced agricultural output affecting the finely tuned economic system of a society that was close to, or already, overextended, rattling the very foundations of the fragile palatial economy.

The researchers believe that the long drought following the palaces destruction led to the end of the Mycenaean way of life in Pylos, as agricultural surpluses were eliminated, thus making it difficult for social elites to re-form and for the palatial system to be re-established.

While they admit that the collapse of the Minoan civilization cannot be attributed to one single factor, the researchers conclude that climate change was certainly a critical component.

About the Mycanean civilization

Mycenaean Greece (or Mycenaean civilization) was the last phase of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece, spanning the period from approximately 16001100 BC. It represents the first advanced civilization in mainland Greece, with its palatial states, urban organization, works of art and writing system. Among the centers of power that emerged, the most notable were those of Pylos, Tiryns, Midea in the Peloponnese, Orchomenos, Thebes, Athens in Central Greece and Iolcos in Thessaly. The most prominent site was Mycenae, in Argolid, after which the culture of this era is named. Mycenaean and Mycenaean-influenced settlements also appeared in Epirus, Macedonia, on islands in the Aegean Sea, on the coast of Asia Minor, the Levant, Cyprus and Italy.

The Mycenaean Greeks introduced several innovations in the fields of engineering, architecture and military infrastructure, while trade over vast areas of the Mediterranean was essential for the Mycenaean economy. Their syllabic script, the Linear B, offers the first written records of the Greek language and their religion already included several deities that can also be found in the Olympic Pantheon. Mycenaean Greece was dominated by a warrior elite society and consisted of a network of palace states that developed rigid hierarchical, political, social and economic systems. At the head of this society was the king, known as wanax.

Mycenaean Greece perished with the collapse of Bronze Age culture in the eastern Mediterranean, to be followed by the so-called Greek Dark Ages, a recordless transitional period leading to Archaic Greece where significant shifts occurred from palace-centralized to de-centralized forms of socio-economic organization (including the extensive use of iron). Various theories have been proposed for the end of this civilization, among them the Dorian invasion or activities connected to the "Sea Peoples". Additional theories such as natural disasters and climatic changes have been also suggested. The Mycenaean period became the historical setting of much ancient Greek literature and mythology, including the Trojan Epic Cycle.

Grace Circle B at Mycenae Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: K beard License: CC-BY-SA





Initial decline of Mycanean Greece

In c. 1250 BC, the first wave of destruction apparently occurred in various centers of mainland Greece for reasons that cannot be identified by archaeologists. In Boeotia, Thebes was burned to the ground, around that year or slightly later. Nearby Orchomenos shared the same fate, while the Boeotian fortifications of Gla were deserted. In the Peloponnese, a number of buildings surrounding the citadel of Mycenae were attacked and burned.

These incidents appear to have prompted the massive strengthening and expansion of the fortifications in various sites. In some cases, arrangements were also made for the creation of subterranean passages which led to underground cisterns. Tiryns, Midea and Athens expanded their defences with new cyclopean-style walls. The extension program in Mycenae almost doubled the fortified area of the citadel. To this phase of extension belongs the impressive Lion Gate, the main entrance into the Mycenaean acropolis.

It appears that after this first wave of destruction a short-lived revival of Mycenaean culture followed. Mycenaean Greece continues to be mentioned in international affairs, particularly in Hittite records. In c. 1220 BC, the king of Ahhiyawa is again reported to have been involved in an anti-Hittite uprising in western Anatolia. Another contemporary Hittite account reports that Ahhiyawan ships should avoid Assyrian-controlled harbors, as part of a trade embargo imposed on Assyria. In general, in the second half of 13th century BC, trade was in decline in the Eastern Mediterranean, most probably due to the unstable political environment there.[62]

The final collapse of Mycanean civilization

None of the defence measures appear to have prevented the final destruction and collapse of the Mycenaean states. A second destruction struck Mycenae in ca. 1190 BC or shortly thereafter. This event marked the end of Mycenae as a major power. The site was then reoccupied, but on a smaller scale. The palace of Pylos, in the southwestern Peloponnese, was destroyed in c. 1180 BC. The Linear B archives found there, preserved by the heat of the fire that destroyed the palace, mention hasty defence preparations due to an imminent attack without giving any detail about the attacking force.

As a result of this turmoil, specific regions in mainland Greece witnessed a dramatic population decrease, especially Boeotia, Argolis and Messenia. Mycenaean refugees migrated to Cyprus and the Levantine coast.[64] Nevertheless, other regions on the edge of the Mycenaean world prospered, such as the Ionian islands, the northwestern Peloponnese, parts of Attica and a number of Aegean islands.[59] The acropolis of Athens, oddly, appears to have avoided destruction.

The Grave Circle A, and the main entrance of the citadel (left), at Mycenae Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Andreas Trepte License: CC-BY-SA





Hypotheses for the collapse

The reasons for the end of the Mycenaean culture have been hotly debated among scholars. At present, there is no satisfactory explanation for the collapse of the Mycenaean palace systems. The two most common theories are population movement and internal conflict. The first attributes the destruction of Mycenaean sites to invaders.

The hypothesis of a Dorian invasion, known as such in Ancient Greek tradition, that led to the end of Mycenaean Greece, is supported by sporadic archaeological evidence such as new types of burials, in particular cist graves, and the use of a new dialect of Greek, the Doric one. It appears that the Dorians moved southward gradually over a number of years and devastated the territory, until they managed to establish themselves in the Mycenaean centers. A new type of ceramic also appeared, called "Barbarian Ware" because it was attributed to invaders from the north. On the other hand, the collapse of Mycenaean Greece coincides with the activity of the Sea Peoples in the Eastern Mediterranean. They caused widespread destruction in Anatolia and the Levant and were finally defeated by Pharaoh Ramesses III in c. 1175 BC. One of the ethnic groups that comprised these people were the Eqwesh, a name that appears to be linked with the Ahhiyawa of the Hittite inscriptions.

Alternative scenarios propose that the fall of Mycenaean Greece was a result of internal disturbances which led to internecine warfare among the Mycenaean states or civil unrest in a number of states, as a result of the strict hierarchical social system and the ideology of the wanax. In general, due to the obscure archaeological picture in 12th-11th century BC Greece, there is a continuing controversy among scholars over whether the impoverished societies that succeeded the Mycenaean palatial states were newcomers or populations that already resided in Mycenaean Greece. Recent archaeological findings tend to favor the latter scenario. Additional theories, concerning natural factors, such as climate change, droughts or earthquakes have also been proposed. The period following the end of Mycenaean Greece, c. 1100-800 BC, is generally termed the "Greek Dark Ages".
The costs of climate change are risingDebate about reducing Canadas greenhouse gas emissions frequently references the costs of different policy choices going forward. There is comparatively little debate about the current and expected economic costs of climate change. Policy debate and decisions need to recognize that there is a cost to doing little or nothing to curb emissions.Real and rising costs are now being felt in two key areas: the economic and financial impact of increasingly severe weather, and the impact on public infrastructure.Climate change is already having a significant effect on the property and casualty-insurance industry, with immediate business implications for insurers and their clients. More frequent extreme weather events have increased the level of weather-related insurance claims for floods, forest fires and other catastrophic events, globally and locally. For example, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reports that annual losses from overland flooding have grown to more than US$40-billion annually in recent years; more flood events occurred in 2010-13 than in the whole decade of the 1980s.Canadian insurers are now facing claims on natural catastrophes  floods, forest fires and other extreme weather events  of approximately $1-billion annually, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. This amount has grown from $400-million annually in previous decades. Claims are expected to continue to increase, as is damage to personal property and public assets. This aggregate number does not include smaller events that are not considered catastrophic (an event with total claims less than $25-million), so the full impact of climate change on Canadian insurers and clients is likely understated.Similarly, there has been a related dramatic rise in government funding and liabilities owing to flood damage and other catastrophic events. In Canada, annual liabilities of the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA)  managed by the federal and provincial governments  have risen steadily. These costs increased from around $100-million annually two decades ago to $500-million in 2009-10; they reached a current high of $2-billion in 2013-14. The Parliamentary Budget Office projected that annual DFAA liabilities would average $902-million over five years, of which $673-million would be for floods. Based on recent and repeated flooding, those estimates may prove to be conservative.The federal government and private insurers are now engaged in discussions, along with other stakeholders, with the aim of enhancing access to affordable flood-insurance coverage for most Canadians. Improving private-sector flood-insurance coverage across Canada would help to share flood risk across many insured parties, and should presumably reduce the pressure on governments to act as the de facto flood insurer of last resort.
With the weather improving, summer is finally on the horizon. That means hotels, restaurants and attractions in tourist hotspots across the world are preparing themselves for a lucrative holiday season. In the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis, Greece had one industry that contributed to the country remaining afloat. According to a report announced by the OECD, tourism made up 6% of Greeces GDP based on data from 2016. Tourism certainly makes a difference through job creation at community level but it also provides a significant contribution to some major economies. Some countries tend to feel the impact of tourism more than others and according to a recent OECD report, Spain in particular gets a healthy boost from holidaymakers every year. In 2017, 82 million tourists were lured to Spain by its warm climate, excellent beaches, vibrant culture and efficient transportation network. That makes it the second most visited country worldwide and according to the Spanish government, they spent an impressive 87 million.

It comes as little surprise that tourism is major aspect of the Spanish economy, judging by those numbers. Entitled OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2018, the research found that tourism accounted for 11 percent of Spains GDP in 2016. Tourism is also important in neighboring Portugal where it accounted to 9.2 percent of GDP that same year. In countries like Germany and Japan where the economy is more geared towards the industry and service sector, tourisms impact is not felt as strongly. It accounted for 3.9 percent of Germanys GDP in 2016 while in Japan it was 1.9 percent. In the United States, it contributed to 2.7 percent of GDP in 2016.

Source: statista

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
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Bahrain authorities have announced the opening of the second phase of Jasra Interchange Project, which is aimed at smoothening the traffic from Shaikh Isa bin Salman Highway towards the causeway on to the south.



The BD1.63-million ($4.29 million) project is being funded by Kuwait, as part of the Gulf Development Programme, reported BNA, citing the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning statement.



This opening is expected to increase the capacity of the interchange to 120,000 vehicles per day and thus reduce waiting time by 45 per cent in comparison with the past situation, it added.



Minister Essam bin Abdullah Khalaf said the project included opening of a new route to carry traffic from Shaikh Isa bin Salman Highway towards the causeway on to the south along Wali Al Ahad Highway towards Hamala and Dhalaa.



The interchange will be free on all directions, necessitating closure of the traffic signal at the causeway, he noted.



The project also included constructing a roundabout to connect Mazari Avenue to Shaikh Isa bin Salman Highway.



Traffic coming from Hamala and Jasra will be able to enter along Shaikh Isa bin Salman Highway heading towards Manama without the need to use the causeway, said the BNA report.



The roundabout will also enable access to Hamala and Jasra for traffic coming from King Fahad Causeway, without the need to use the interchange, it added.
More than 10,000 industry professionals from across the globe are expected to take part in the upcoming Global Health Exhibition, a premier healthcare networking platform in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.



Launched by Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, the organisers of Arab Health, in collaboration with XS Conferences and Exhibitions, the event will take place from September 10 to 12 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center.



Over 500 Saudi-based and international exhibiting companies will showcase the latest advances in health services, pharmaceuticals, training and education, and medical device technologies.



Peter Hall, president, Informa Middle East said: "Diminishing market access barriers for foreign investment, coupled with huge investment in healthcare infrastructure, has positioned Saudi Arabia as a top-tier market for medical device manufacturers, services providers, and dealers and distributers from across the globe.



Through the launch of Global Health Exhibition, companies now have an opportunity to promote their products and services to a whole new audience of buyers and make significant inroads into the Saudi market."



As the largest and fastest growing healthcare market in the region, healthcare spend in the Kingdom is estimated to reach $40 billion by 2020. Currently, 87 of the 150 major healthcare infrastructure projects in the GCC due for completion in 2021 are in Saudi Arabia.



Meshal Al Rubiaan Ministry of Health spokesman said: "The objectives set out by the 'National Transformation Program 2020', part of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, has enabled the Ministry to cultivate a favourable atmosphere to attract private healthcare providers and investors from abroad. We will continue to work closely with our strategic partners to support important economic trade platforms such as Global Health Exhibition that promote and facilitate the achievement of that vision."



The exhibition will also attract world-class leaders and experts in the healthcare industry to support our objective to share knowledge and experience.



Over the three-day event, the exhibition will also offer multi-disciplinary congress that aims to build world-class healthcare practices and standards for the Kingdom. The conference programme will have specific focuses on Healthcare Transformation, Healthcare Investment & Finance, Technology & Innovation, Public Health and eHealth.



"The Global Health Exhibition congress is a key component of the event as it aims to delve deeper into worldwide advancements and best practices in healthcare industry with an emphasis on the Vision 2030 to identify the immense opportunities represented for healthcare advancements in Saudi Arabia, said Adel Abdel Shakor, CEO of XS Conferences and Exhibitions.



From emerging health disruptive and innovative trend, to the impactful change at the public health and policy level, the congress will explore ways to transform and adopt current healthcare landscape for better utilise existing system's capacity and capabilities in the hospitals and healthcare centres, and enhance the quality of preventive and therapeutic healthcare services," he added.- TradeArabia News Service
Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Corpetrolsa Group of Guayaquil, Ecuador, for the supply of three tugs.



The deal includes one Stan Tug 1205 and two Stan Tugs 1606. The tugs will be operated by Corpetrolsa subsidiary DLEN to support its bunkering operation, said a statement from the company.



Corpetrolsa Group operates its own fleet of tankers in the 2,000 to 7,000 DWT range and the three new tugs will be used to assist them in the Ecuadorean ports of Esmeraldas and La Libertad, it said.



The vessels were already in stock at Damen Shipyards Gorinchem and will be supplied in their standard format without modifications.



In all, the time from first contact to the signing of contract was no more than two months, with the delivery of the vessels to just an additional two months, it added.



Vicente Bustos, general manager, Corpetrolsa Group, said: These are the first tugs that we have owned, and we chose Damen as our supplier based on their strong reputation in the world of tugs.



Also the quality is good, the price is right, and they will provide a safe operating environment for our employees, he said.



As we previously hired tug service providers to manoeuvre our tankers this deal will actually save us money in the long term, he added.



Marnix Brouwer, sales manager Latin America, Damen Shipyards Group, said: This has been a very quick and amiable process that began with an online enquiry and it has been a pleasure to work with Corpetrolsa Group and to be able to meet their needs in such a timely fashion.



We look forward to supporting them in the development of their business in the future, he said.



Bustos added: Ecuador is modernising rapidly as a country, and in order to do this we need the best technology to the highest standards available.



These new tugs will be in tune with that drive to achieve our goals, he concluded.  TradeArabia News Service
Honeywell has opened a state-of-the-art customer experience centre (CEC) at its office in Mina Abdullah in southern Kuwait, which aims at giving local customers, trainees and students a deeper understanding of Honeywell products and solutions.



The centre will in particular support Honeywell Connected Plant technology, for oil and gas facilities and refineries, said a statement.



Honeywell Connected Plant is a suite of applications that delivers higher levels of safety, reliability, efficiency and profitability. These proven industry solutions are based on decades of domain knowledge and controls experience. They turn data into actionable insight so industrial manufacturers can optimize operations, predict plant failures and eliminate unplanned downtime. This new level of consistent high performance makes every day the best day of production.



The opening event was attended by senior energy industry executives who experienced how Honeywell leverages the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and connected technologies to increase safety, reliability, efficiency, and profitability across the sector, it said.



The launch of the CEC reflects the companys strategic commitment to the development and advancement of key industries in Kuwait and allows visitors to see, touch and experience a variety of technologies, it added.



Together with the Honeywell Automation College in the same location, the facility provides a wide range of training on automation technologies for upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas environments, and uses real case studies to facilitate learning, said a statement.



The Automation College has been delivering global training capabilities in Kuwait through more than 300 courses specifically designed to address the challenges and future requirements of local power and water, oil and gas, and automation industries.



George Bou Mitri, president of Honeywell Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, said: This innovative facility  the first of its kind in Kuwait  is designed to develop the knowledge of industry workers on critical oil and gas technologies, trends and solutions, while supporting key national initiatives such as Kuwaiti Vision 2035 and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporations 2030 Strategy.



Honeywell has had a presence in Kuwait for over 50 years, and we are proud to open this facility to further support our customers and play our part in expanding and growing the oil and gas sector in Kuwait, he added.



The CEC showcases the latest connected technologies for the oil and gas market, including Honeywell Connected Plant technologies, process control solutions such as the Experion Orion console, as well as fire, gas detection and cyber security solutions, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
An oil company lying?This is absurd.John Ivison: On Trans Mountain, Morneau has called Kinder Morgan's bluffWhen it comes to spending public money, governments are generally more emptor than caveat.So who can blame Kinder Morgan for trying to upsell Ottawa on the Trans Mountain pipeline? Simply put, Justin Trudeau needs it more than does Richard Kinder, who didnt become the richest man in Houston by missing an opportunity to sell into a buyers market.In a three-hour meeting in Texas last week, Steve Kean, Kinder Morgans CEO, is said to have played hardball with Canadian finance minister Bill Morneau.The conclusion Morneau and his advisers reached is that Kinder Morgan is trying to back the federal government into a corner so they can sell Trans Mountain to Ottawa for a price well above its market value.This explains Morneaus announcement Wednesday morning that the federal government will backstop the project with a full indemnity from losses that are politically motivated  which means that if the pipelines operator loses money because B.C. Premier John Horgans actions create opposition to its construction, Ottawa will give them that money back. (Its not clear what might happen with losses stemming from Indigenous protests. Are they politically motivated?)Crucially, Morneau said that if Kinder Morgan still isnt satisfied, the feds will make that indemnity transferable to others who might be willing to take on the project.We think plenty of investors would be interested in taking on this project, especially knowing that the federal government believes it is in the best interests of Canadians and is willing to provide indemnity to make sure it gets built, he said.
G Parthasarthy

G Parthasarthy

FOREIGN visitors to Beijing, visit the historic Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. It was a new and interesting experience recently, to meet and interact with Communist Party think tanks like the China Reform Forum and training establishments like its Central Party School in Beijing, which was founded in 1933. Mao was one of the founder members of the Party School, which was shut down during his Cultural Revolution, before it was revived in 1977. A Politburo Member heads this school to train Party activists. The China Reform Forum, is made up of academics and scholars, apart from former generals and envoys  all with close Communist Party affiliations.

The dominant role of the Communist Party is evident everywhere. Within the Party school, Mao receives deference but the focus is largely on the transformation brought about by Deng Xiao Ping. This led to unparalleled economic growth, with increasing Chinese economic, political and military influence across Asia and indeed, globally. One cannot but be impressed by China's rapidly growing technological and industrial base and its construction capabilities, which now make it highly competitive and sought after, for construction of roads, bridges, dams and cities. Moreover, after decades, China has a leader in Xi Jinping, who has eliminated virtually all opposition and challenges to his leadership. The era of collective leadership is over, as Xi exercises firm control over the Party, government and army. Unlike his predecessors, he regularly visits the Party School.

President Xi's personal invitation to Prime Minister Modi to spend two days in his hometown should be seen in the context of the fact that Xi has welcomed no other foreign leader, to his hometown, in this fashion. At the same time, one should bear in mind that the Chinese do not make such gestures without careful thought and consideration. Does XI, therefore, see Mr Modi as a long-term counterpart in India? More importantly, just how does India figure in Chinas calculations? The Chinese have consistently sought to undermine India's quest for influence across its Indian Ocean neighbourhood. Beijing now focuses increasingly on undermining India's position in its own backyard, in the sub-continent. It has looked with concern at Indias growing ties with ASEAN and views its ties with Japan and US with suspicion. Beijing has equipped Pakistan's armed forces, strengthened that countrys nuclear and missile arsenal and acquired a naval base in Gwadar. It has also shielded Pakistan from charges of sponsoring terrorism, while opposing Indian ambitions for securing Permanent Membership of the Security Council.

International pressures are causing China to think afresh on its relations with India, which have been seriously clouded by periodic intrusions of its army. The most serious of these pressures on China come from the Trump Administration, which has threatened to impose import barriers on an estimated $ 500 billion of Chinese exports, unless China takes action to correct the trade imbalance. China is also concerned about the possible outcome of the forthcoming talks between Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un. Any rapprochement could impair China's dominant influence in the neighbouring Korean Peninsula. China is also evidently realising that its much touted Belt and Road is increasingly seen as lacking transparency and being exploitative, not only by the US, Japan and India, but also by European Powers and a number of aid recipients, including Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Chinas stated desire to build bridges with India has to be seen in the light of these developments. Moreover, Beijing's intrusion in Doklam is seen globally as an embarrassing setback for China. New Delhi has, therefore, opted to explore possibilities for reducing tensions on its eastern and northern borders with China. The existing confidence building measures along the borders can be used to ensure that a faceoff between the opposing sides is ended immediately, by mutual disengagement, instead of leading to prolonged standoffs and confrontations. India should, however, combine these steps with continuing discussions on resolving the border issue through demarcation of the Line of Actual Control and through the provisions of the 2005 Agreement between Prime Ministers containing the provisions for reaching a border settlement. These provisions provide that the border should lie along well defined and easily identifiable natural geographical features and that the due interests of settled populations in the border areas will be safeguarded. There will necessarily be some exchanges of disputed territories bereft of populations, which is inevitable.

India will have to press China hard to secure market access in areas like pharmaceuticals and agricultural products. The balance of trade can also be addressed by agreements to promote Chinese investments in joint ventures in consumer electronics and other areas where current imports are unnecessary and unsustainable. Moreover, given China's geopolitical ambitions, New Delhi should have no hesitation in reaching out to partners like the US, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, France, Germany and UK to balance growing Chinese power, across the Indo-Pacific Region. China has continuously backed political favourites who are not necessarily well disposed towards India, in South Asia. Like Pakistan, China has been close to Begum Khaleda Zia and her Islamist pro-Pakistani supporters in Bangladesh. It would be interesting to study Chinese moves, during forthcoming elections in Bangladesh.

We would be well advised to stop bragging about our readiness to fight a two front war. While testifying before the Parliamentary Committee on Defence, the Army's Vice Chief noted that 65 per cent of the army arsenal is obsolete, adding: The force lacks the artillery, missiles and helicopters that will enable it to fight on two fronts. Even existing deficiencies in the import of ammunition are yet to be met. Only 31 of the sanctioned 45 squadrons of the Air Force are in service. At a time when Chinese defence and economic capabilities required augmentation and upgrading, over two decades ago, Deng Xiao Ping wisely advised his countrymen to: Hide our capabilities and bide our time.
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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.


editorial@tribune.com

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 16

Seventeen years after a unilateral ceasefire by the Centre failed to yield results in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Army on Wednesday walked into a similar situation where it cannot initiate operations but can respond to attempts by terrorists.

An Army source said: Our concerns have been met. Army can retaliate in case of an attack on them and also respond to any attack on the civilian population.

Sources said the search and destroy operations (SADO) and the cordon and search operations (CASO) would be reduced, or ceased during the month of Ramzan.

The Army will still have troops out on area domination as convoys for winter stocking in Ladakh and Siachen are already moving through the Valley. Also, convoys carrying soldiers proceeding on leave need security cover.

Within the Army, there is an assessment that this period will be used by various terror groups to rest, recuperate and reorganise both manpower and weapons. These groups are currently suffering from lack of leadership and funds, besides poor coordination. Security forces are in an advantageous position now.

Three terror groups  Hizbul Mujahideen, LeT and JeM  are active in J&K. These tanzeems (organisations) are headless at the moment with their top commanders neutralised by the security forces over the past one year or so, officials said. Can this advantage be lost, is the question.

Last Sunday, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said the Army has to firmly handle any form of terrorism that threatens peace and harmony in the state. The intensity of operations has kept terrorists on the run and nearly 65 of them have been killed in the first four months alone this year. As many as 29 armed forces personnel have been killed in 55 terror strikes.

The LoC has witnessed 863 ceasefire violations by Pakistan and 48 infiltration attempts by terrorists, of which 24 have been successful. In November 2000, the then Vajpayee government had announced ceasefire  Non-Initiation of Combat Operations (NICO). But terrorists attacked the Srinagar airport, stormed then CM Farooq Abdullahs rally. NICO was called off in May 2001.
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 16

Endorsing the demand put forth by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, the Centre on Wednesday asked the security forces not to launch anti-terror operations in the troubled state during the holy month of Ramzan.

The move is seen as a bid to create an atmosphere of peace in the restive Valley and incidentally, the announcement comes two days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the decision had been taken to help the peace-loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment. It, however, went on to add that the security forces reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people, as the move is not a concession to militants and there will be no lowering of guard during this period.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, in a Twitter post, said, It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror. He added that the government expects everyone to cooperate in this initiative and help the Muslim brothers and sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully.

The announcement comes a week after Mehbooba Mufti had said that the Centre should consider a unilateral ceasefire in the state starting from Ramzan till the completion of the Amarnath Yatra in August. The fasting month of Ramzan is likely to start on Thursday.

Lashkar: Truce no option, favour negotiations

Srinagar: Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba said ceasefire is no option and no thought can be given on such compromise. In a mailed statement to local news agency KNS, Lashkar chief Mahmood Shah said the outfit is in favour of negotiations but the talks of negotiations in presence of armed occupational forces are lies. TNS
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Bengaluru, May 16

Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and the Congress piled their lawmakers into waiting buses on Wednesday to meet Karnataka's Governor Vajubhai Vala at Raj Bhavan, as the race to form state government hots up.

Congress and the JD (S) submited their letter endorsing a Congress-JD (S) government with former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy at the helm.

"We have the numbers," JD (S) leader Kumaraswamy said to the press after meeting the Governor. "We have submitted a list of 117 MLAs to governor and requested him to consider our claim. He promised to go by the Constitution."

Earlier in the day, JD (S) leader Kumaraswamy accused the BJP of offering Rs 100 crore each and cabinet posts to its newly elected legislators in a desperate attempt to form a government in Karnataka.

Horse-trading

Later in the day, Karnataka's outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of encouraging horse-trading to lure Congress and JD-S legislators to their party for forming the government after the May 12 assembly election gave a fractured mandate.

"Modi and Shah are supporting BJP leaders in horse-trading to poach legislators of our party and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) to prevent us from forming the next government in the state," Siddaramaiah told the media here.

Asserting that the party would not allow the BJP to form a government in the state at any cost, Siddaramaiah said none of the Congress legislators were missing or likely to defect to the BJP.

"We have a plan to safeguard our MLAs, who are together and will not join the BJP, which has 8 less seats for the 112-halfway mark and prove majority," Siddaramaiah said.

The allegations were promptly dismissed by the BJP, with Union Minister Prakash Javadekar dubbing them as "imaginary".

"This (talk of) Rs 100 crore, Rs 200 crore is imaginary. The BJP is not doing this. We are not in the habit of practising horse-trading. This is the kind of politics the JD(S) and Congress do. We are going by the rule book and we will form the government," Javadekar said.

"We have extended our support to the JD-S to form the new government, with its state leader H.D. Kumaraswamy as chief minister. As we have the numbers (117), Governor Vajubhai R. Vala should call our alliance first than the BJP, which does not have the required numbers," pointed out Siddaramaiah.

Both the post-poll alliance partners met Vala on Tuesday evening and staked claim to form the new government in the southern state.

Outgoing power minister and Congress winner DK Shivakumar said the party's legislators were intact and none were ready to switch over to the BJP.

Karnataka threw up a hung House in Assembly elections held on Saturday. Of the 222 Assembly segments, the BJP won 104, Congress 78 and JD-S 38, including one by its ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Although the BJP emerged as the single largest party, the Congress quickly reached out to JD (S) and staked claim to form government with Kumaraswamy at the helm.  Agencies



Live Updates

6:15 pm: The allegations that Siddaramaiah made on PM Modi that that latter has allowed 'horse trading' in Karnataka is condemnable, false, irresponsible and baseless: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

5:45 pm: Meeting with Governor ends. "We have the numbers," Kumaraswamy says. Says, "Governor promised to consider into our claim."

5:22 pm: JD (S) workers protest against BJP outside Governor's house in Bengaluru.

5:00 pm: JD (S) MLAs at Raj Bhawan. HD Kumaraswamy leads delegation to Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Vajubhai Vala.

4:45 pm: JD (S) taking signed letter to Governor Vajubhai Vala, say news reports. Letter contains endorsement from Congress, and JD (S) lawmakers.

4:30 pm: Congress MLAs to leave for Raj Bhavan from Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office.

415 pm: Congress-JDS claim support of 118 MLAs, to meet governor at 5 pm: TV reports

3:45 pm: BJP's Ananth Kumar, Dharmendra Pradhan, JP Nadda and Muralidhar Rao after meeting BS Yedyurappa at his residence

3:30 pm: Stealing of MLAs shouldn't be allowed. No Guv can go against Constitution. We can't tell you whom we'll approach & whom not (sic). At this juncture we've complete faith in Guv that he'll go by Constitution & not party politics: Ghulam Nabi Azad on if Congress will go for a legal option

3:25 pm: If Congress-JD(S) are not invited by the Governor, MLAs will sit on a 'dharna' outside Raj Bhawan from tomorrow. MPs may also join them: Sources

Read
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 15

In a sign of deepening farm distress, four debt-ridden farmers allegedly committed suicide in different parts of the district over the past 24 hours.

Jagraj Singh (50) of Dhingar village near Rampura Phul ended his life by allegedly consuming a poisonous substance. Village sarpanch Harbans Singh said the deceased had gone to his farm last night where he took the step. He owned two acres of land and had a debt of Rs 3 lakh. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Budh Singh of Maiserkhana village allegedly committed suicide by consuming pesticide at his agricultural field this afternoon. He was rushed to a private hospital in Maur Mandi where he breathed his last, his family said. Farmer leader Darshan Singh said he owned two acres of land and had a debt of Rs 6 lakh, which he owed to a bank and a commission agent.

Another farmer, Paramjeet Singh, ended his life at Sidhana village by allegedly hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his house, his relatives said. He owned a small piece of land and had a debt of Rs 2 lakh. He used to eke out his livelihood by transporting goods. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Amritpal Singh of Dayalpura Mirza village allegedly consumed a poisonous substance at his field. He had a debt of Rs 5 lakh, of which he had paid back Rs 1 lakh.
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 16

Results of the Karnataka Assembly polls have once again brought the focus back on the controversial role of governors who have often been criticised for acting as agents of the ruling party at the Centre, instead of judiciously exercising the discretion vested in him under the Constitution.

The BJP got 104 seats in the 224-member Houseeight short of the magic figure of 112. Of the 222 seats that went to polls, Congress could win only 78 seats while JD (S) managed to get 38 seats with its pre-poll ally BSP.

Amid allegations of horse-trading, both BJP and post-poll alliance of JD (S) and Congress have met Governor Vajubhai Vala staked claim to form government. There are reports that some Congress and JD (S) MLAs might defect and help the BJP cross the halfway mark.

Since no single party or pre-poll alliance has got majority in the House, the governors role assumes significance in exploring the possibility of government formation.

Under the Constitution, governors do have discretion in many cases, including formation of government and sending reports recommending Presidents rule.

According to Article 163 (1) of the Constitution: There shall be a Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions, except in so far as he is by or under this Constitution required to exercise his functions or any of them in his discretion.

Further Article 163(2) says: If any question arises whether any matter is or is not a matter as respects which the Governor is by or under this Constitution required to act in his discretion, the decision of the Governor in his discretion shall be final, and the validity of anything done by the Governor shall not be called in question on the ground that he ought or ought not to have acted in his discretion.

Article 164(1) says, The Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister, and the Ministers shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor.

The discretion vested in governors under Article 163 stands on a different footing compared to his powers under Article 356 to recommend imposition of Presidents rule in a state.

To check the abuse of Article 356, the Supreme Court ruled in 1994 in SR Bommais case that courts can question the material behind the satisfaction of the President regarding breakdown of constitutional machinery. Further, in January 2006, while declaring the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly null and void, the Supreme Court held that the governor's report could not be accepted as gospel truth and must be verified by the council of ministers before being used as the basis for imposing President's rule.

While the Supreme Court has put fetters on his powers under Article 356, the discretion regarding formation of government still gives him leeway, which has often been exercised in a manner that raises questions political morality and law.

During the Constituent Assembly debates, BR Ambedkar had favoured giving certain amount of discretion to the governor as he felt such a provision was not an infringement of responsible government.

But governors, irrespective of the ruling dispensation at the Centre that appointed him, have often behaved like New Delhis agents. In the 1980s, parties aggrieved by a governors decisions used to parade MLAs before the President and the Press. Now, they have started what has been termed as resort politics.

Generally, governors have invited the leader of the single largest party in the House to form government. But after the 2017 Goa Assembly polls, Governor Mridula Sinha invited the BJP legislature party leader Manohar Parrikar. BJP had won only 13 seats in the 40-member House. The Congresswhich had emerged as the single largest party with 17 seatswas ignored.

The Supreme Court said the issue could be resolved by a simple direction to hold a floor test at the earliest. It said the governor had discretionary powers. Also, the Congress had not demonstrated its numbers before him.

One thing needs to be understood clearly i.e. defection or horse-trading is essentially a political problem and with best of their intentions courts cant provide a legal solution to it. There must be scope for politics to play out and find solutions to political problems in its own inimitable way. The best possible way is to ask the new CMwhosoever he may beto prove majority on the floor of the House within a specific timeframe, leaving no scope for horse-trading.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Ranchi, May 16

RJD president Lalu Prasad was on Wednesday granted release order by trial courts from jail in accordance with the Jharkhand High Courts verdict providing him provisional bail in all three cases of fodder scam on medical grounds.

The release order had been granted in all three cases of fodder scam in which Prasad had been convicted, his lawyer Prabhat Kumar told PTI.

While Special CBI court Judge Shivpal Singh granted release order to Prasad in two cases--RC 64A/96 (Chaibasa treasury) and RC 38A/96 (Dumka)--the CBI court of Judge SS Prasad provided the release permission in case number RC 68A/96 (Chaibasa), he said.

Kumar said they completed the formalities of signing bond and submitting sureties of Rs 50,000 each in the three cases to get the release order.

The release order had gone to the jail authorities so that Prasad could be allowed to go out of the prison, he said.

The lawyer said the bail in the three fodder scam cases would be effective from the day he is released from the jail.

RJD general secretary and MLA Bhola Yadav, who is camping at Ranchi, told PTI that they are planning to go to Patna by an evening flight after completing release formalities at the Birsa Munda prison, Hotwar.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation court had convicted Prasad on January 24 in the case RC-68A/96 related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.62 crore from the Chaibasa treasury and sentenced him to five years of imprisonment.

The RJD chief was convicted in the RC64A/96 case in connection with fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar Treasury in the 1990s. He was awarded 3.5 years sentence in the case on December 23 last year.

The CBI court had held Prasad guilty in the case RC 38 A/96 pertaining to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from Dumka treasury in the early 1990s.

Authorities at the Birsa Mundal jail in Ranchi had separately given him a three-day parole on May 10 to attend his elder son Tej Pratap Yadavs wedding on May 12 in Patna.

Travel time was not included in the parole duration and Prasad returned to the prison on May 14, a day after his parole ended.

After returning to the jail, the RJD chief had to wait till Wednesday to get the release order from trial courts after the HC order granting him six-week provisional bail last week on medical grounds reached there.

The 69-year-old former chief minister of Bihar is suffering from diabetes, blood pressure, kidney problems and other ailments.

Bhola Yadav said that after returning to Patna, Prasad would go to Delhi, Mumbai and other places for specialised treatment during the privisional bail period.

The RJD supremo has been in jail since December 23 after being convicted in the Deoghar treasury case and sentenced to jail for three-and-a-half years. He was later convicted in the Chaibasa treasury case and sent to prison for five years and the Dumka treasury case and sentenced for 14 years.

The over Rs 900-crore fodder scam cases are related to the illegal withdrawal of money from government treasury by the animal husbandry department in undivided Bihar in the 1990s when Prasad was the chief minister. PTI
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Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 16

The Supreme Court Collegium which met here on Wednesday again failed to take a final call on the controversial proposal to elevate Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice KM Joseph to the top court despite unanimously agreeing in principle to reiterate his name.

Led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, the top five judges of the Supreme Court met here after the court hours but could not decide to send Justice Josephs name back to the government as they failed to agree on other names to be sent along with the Uttarakhand Chief Justice to fill the existing seven vacancies, sources said. Four more SC judges are due to retire this year.

Other names considered for elevation to the top court included Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee (parent HC Calcutta), Gujarat High Court Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy (parent HC Telangana and Andhra Pradesh) and Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari (parent HC Rajasthan), they said, adding names of some other chief justices were also under consideration in view of the concept of fair representation.

This is the third time in a row that the Collegium, which also included Justice J Chelameswar, Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph, has deferred a decision on the controversial proposal to elevate Justice KM Joseph that has turned out to be bone of contention between the government and the judiciary.

Earlier, the Collegium had met on May 2 and May 11 and decided to defer a decision on Justice Josephs appointment. Unlike the last two occasions, the Collegiums resolution had not been released on the courts website.

While agreeing in principle on Justice Josephs elevation, the Collegium members had on May 11 decided to meet on May 16 as they felt the said reiteration (of Justice KM Josephs name) should also be accompanied by the recommendation of the names of Chief Justices of (other) High Courts for elevation as Judges of the Supreme Court, for which detailed discussion is required.

The government had last month returned Justice Josephs name. It had raised the issue of fair regional representation and questioned his seniority, saying he stood at serial No. 45 in the combined seniority of high court judges on all-India basis. There were 11 high court chief justices senior to him, it had said.

Joseph was appointed a permanent judge of the Kerala High Court on October 14, 2004, and went on to become Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice on July 31, 2014. He headed a bench that quashed the Centres decision to impose Presidents rule in Uttarakhand in 2016.

His name was recommended by the Collegium along with that of senior counsel Indu Malhotra in January this year. But the government sent back his file to the Collegium and went ahead with appointment of Malhotra who took oath as a Supreme Court Judge on April 27.

Under the law on judicial appointments laid down by Constitution Bench verdicts of the Supreme Court, the government can ask the Collegium to reconsider its recommendation; but if the latter reiterates its recommendation it would be binding on the former.

But the Collegiums failure to reach a final decision on Justice KM Josephs elevation to the top court is indicative of lack of unanimity among the top five judges. Things are likey to get more complicated as judges would go on vacation after May 18 and Justice J Chelameswar would retire on June 22. He will be replaced by Justice AK Sikri.
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Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi/Bengaluru, May 17

The three-judge bench of the Supreme Court has refused to stay the swearing-in of BJPs BS Yeddyurappa as Karnataka Chief Minister at 9 am on Thursday.

Updates

--- The Bench, headed by Justice AK Sikri, says the swearing-in will be subject to outcome of the case. But AM Singhvi is still insisting that swearing be deferred by 10-12 hours.

--- The SC says it will issue notice and hear all parties and then decide the Congress-JD(S) petition.

--- More than 20 minutes after SC said: "We are not going to stop the swearing-in," arguments are still on.

--- Justice Sikri asks about the number of days needed to prove majority. Rohatgi says it can be decided later.

--- Rohatgi recalls midnight hearing on Yakub Memon's hanging; says this case should not have been heard like this. He was then Attorney General.

--- Rohatgi counters Singhvi's arguments, says in Goa, Congress didn't stake claim in 2017.

--- Justice SA Bobde to Singhvi: If the lone MLA of a party is made Chief Minister by Governor, that Chief Minister can be injuncted by the Court from functioning.

--- SC dictating order: Justice Sikri says no to stopping BSY's swearing-in.

--- But BSY's fate will depend on the outcome of the Congress-JD(S) petition.

--- SC issues notice to parties, asks AG to get the letters issued by the Governor inviting BSY to take oath.

--- Further hearing at 10.30 am on Friday, May 18.

With the Karnataka power tussle turning into a midnight courtroom battle, the Supreme Court said the general trend of its past judgments was not to restrain the Governor. The apex court also asked could it restrain the Governor from inviting a party to form the government, to which senior lawyer and Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said the Supreme Court had done so in the past.

The court said was it not a convention that the single largest party got invited by the Governor to form government and prove majority. The three-judge Bench, comprising justices AK Sikri, SA Bobde and Ashok Bhushan, said they were wondering whether the Supreme Court could restrain the Governor, which might lead to constitutional vacuum in the state.

With Singhvi arguing that the Constitution gave immunity to the Governor only for discharge of duties, the Bench asked whether he wanted the court to scrutinise discretion of the Governor when it did not have the letter given to Governor Vala that was the basis for inviting the BJP to form the government.

Singhvi told the Bench, constituted by CJI Dipak Misra to hear the matter, that the Governor had negated democracy by not calling the alliance commanding majority in Karnataka. It is the biggest licence to poaching if the Governor gives 15 days to BJP to prove majority as in earlier such cases 48 hours were given by the SC, Singhvi said.

He said the BJP had 104 MLAs and the Governor invited Yeddyurappa to form government in unconstitutional manner, even as JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy along with the Congress has 116 MLAs supporting him.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the BJP and Yeddyurappa, said no injunction could be issued to the Governor. This is the second time that the Supreme Court is holding an overnight hearing. The first was in July 2015 when the top court held a 90-minute hearing in the middle of the night to hear a last-minute petition against the execution of Yakub Memon for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

In the evening when reports surfaced that the Karnataka Governor had invited the BJP to form government in the state, a belligerent Congress moved the SC seeking an urgent hearing on the matter against what it called was an illegality and unconstitutionality.

Singhvi sought an urgent hearing either on Wednesday night or before 9 am on Thursday ahead of Yeddyurappa taking oath as the CM. Post-midnight, the SC agreed to hear the Congress petition at 1.45 am. The Congress-JD(S) petition maintained that the BJP may be the single largest party but with 104 MLAs, it did not have the numbers needed to prove majority in the Assembly with an effective strength of 222. The Congress and the JD(S) have argued that their post-poll coalition of 116 MLAs had the majority and, therefore, the first right to form the government, something the Governor "had denied unconstitutionally".

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala earlier said: The Governor has denigrated his office, trampled upon the Constitution, abused the law and acted as a BJP puppet. He has no right to be in the chair any longer.

We have already given a letter to the Governor who has conducted an encounter on the Constitution today at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. He can't do this. This is illegal, he said.

The 2006 SC judgment says, If a political party with the support of other political parties or other MLAs stakes claim to form the government and satisfy the Governor about its majority to form a stable government, the Governor cannot refuse formation of the government and override the majority claim because of his subjective assessment that the majority was cobbled by illegal and unethical means. No such power has been vested with the Governor. Such a power would be against the democratic principles of majority rule. The Governor is not an autocratic political ombudsman. If such a power is vested in the Governor and/or President, the consequences can be horrendous.

The Congress used the March 2017 judgment of the SC to make its point. This judgment upheld the Goa Governors order calling the BJP-led post-poll coalition to form the government in the state on grounds that it had the majority numbers. This even as the BJP had just 12 MLAs and the Congress 18.

The Congress urgency in the matter stemmed from its Goa experience where it acted much later to attempt preventing government formation by the BJP. The SC had then rejected the Congress plea and rapped it for loss of time in the matter saying it could have agitated earlier. This explained the urgency in Congress affairs today.

Late on Wednesday evening, Governor Vala invited BJPs BS Yeddyurappa to form the government, giving him 15 days to prove majority, even as the Congress cried foul. The oath-taking was scheduled for 9 am in Bengaluru on Thursday.

The decision to invite Yeddyurappa capped a day of intense jockeying for power and allegations by the Congress of bribery and horse-trading against the BJP and PM Modi. A joint delegation of the Congress and JD(S) leaders had earlier called on the Governor, submitted a list of MLAs from both parties and staked claim to form government. They had brought a large number of newly elected members in buses to be paraded before the Governor, who were stopped outside the Raj Bhavan gates. Only the leaders were allowed in.

The groupings CM candidate, HD Kumaraswamy, outgoing CM Siddaramaiah and KPCC president G Parameshwara were among those who met the Governor. Parameshwara said they had submitted a list with signatures of 117 elected members and urged the Governor to invite Kumaraswamy to form a government since they had a clear majority.

State BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa, accompanied by party leaders, too met the Governor and asked to be invited as leader of the single largest party. The BJP has won 104 seats, eight short of simple majority in the 222-member Assembly, with elections in two seats being deferred. All three parties convened their respective legislature party meetings in the morning. While the JD(S) and the BJP elected Kumaraswamy and Yeddyurappa as their party leaders, the Congress resolved to support the JD(S) government headed by Kumaraswamy.

There was some anxiety in both camps as eight of the Congress 78 legislators and two of the JD(S)s 37 could not be reached for signatures. Later, they were reportedly able to get the signatures of seven. An Independent has reportedly decided to go with the BJP. With PTI inputs

After day of slugfest, battle reaches SC in wee hours

8 pm: News surfaces that Karnataka Governor has invited BJP to form government in state

10 pm: Congress media head Randeep Surjewala confirms Governor has invited BJP despite the saffron party not having majority, says Congress will explore all legal options

10.31 pm: Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi moves joint Cong-JD(S) petition in SC against Governors office, seeks urgent hearing

12.25 am: SC Registrar Ravinder Maithani reaches Chief Justice of India Dipak Misras house to discuss listing of the Congress petition

1.17 am: SC agrees to hear the Congress petition at 1.45 am, Singhvi tweets development

1.45 am: Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to represent BJP in hearing

2.06 am: Attorney General KK Venugopal arrives at SC; ASG Maninder Singh joins the team of lawyers for the Centre

2.11 am: SC Bench comprising Justices AK Sikri, SA Bobde and Ashok Bhushan begins hearing in court number-6
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, May 16

Officially 18 people were confirmed to have died in Varanasi when two 50-ft concrete beams came crashing down off 40-ft-high pillars of an under-construction flyover in front of Cantonment railway station in Varanasi on Tuesday evening.

However, on Wednesday the state government released a list of 15 dead, including those identified and unidentified.

Eleven persons have officially been confirmed to have suffered injuries in the accident.

While two patients were released after treatment three are under treatment at the Shri Shiv Prasad Gupta Divisional hospital at Kabir Chaura and five at the Trauma Centre of Sir Sunderlal Hospital at Benaras Hindu University (BHU) and one person has been admitted to a private hospital in Varanasi.

Unofficially the number of those injured in the accident is much higher and said to be around more than two dozen.

The three-member investigation team set up by the state government is already at the accident site in front of the Cantonment railway station working since Wednesday morning.

CM Yogi had set up the three-member panel headed by the Commissioner Agriculture Production Raj Pratap Singh, including two members--Chief Engineer UP Department of Irrigation Bhupender Sharma and Project Manager UP Jal Nigam Rajesh Mittal immediately after the accident.

The panel is expected to investigate the incident, fix responsibility and propose action against those found negligent leading to the tragedy. A detailed report is expected to be presented for the chief ministers perusal within 48 hours.

The accident occurred at around 5.30 pm during peak traffic time on a Mangal which sees more than normal rush on the streets of Varanasi, the city famous for the Sankat Mochan temple dedicated to Hanuman.

Miraculously, three people have been rescued alive during the relief operation being carried out by 7 NDRF teams of around 325 men, said Relief Commissioner Sanjay Kumar.

Heavy duty cranes capable of lifting 200 ton had reached the accident site three hours after the accident.

According to the state government press release, one minibus, two cars, two Bolero jeeps and one tempo were crushed under the debris.

However, eyewitnesses claim that besides the minibus at least five cars and more than two dozen two-wheelers have been crushed under the two beams that fell off while being placed on the pillars.

Taking preliminary action the Uttar Pradesh government has suspended four officials of the Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation Limited.

The suspended officials are Chief Project Manager HC Tiwari, project manager KR Sudan, Assistant Engineer Rajendra Singh and Junior Engineer Lal Chand.

Deputy chief minister and PWD minister KP Maurya, who had rushed to Varanasi on Tuesday evening, has announced the setting up of a Setu Suraksha (Bridge Safety) Cell.

The 2,261-metre flyover was being constructed by the UPBCL at a cost of Rs 129 crore in Prime Minister Narendra Modis parliamentary constituency. More than half of the work had been completed.

Speaking to the media at the Varanasi Circuit House, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assured of more punitive action against the guilty once the three-member probe panel submitted its report within 48 hours.

Reaching Varanasi after midnight, Yogi visited the injured at the Kabir Chaura divisional hospital and BHUs Trauma Centre. He has assured of free treatment to all the injured.

Earlier, Yogi had announced Rs 5 lakh as ex gratia payment to the kin of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh each to the injured.
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Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 16

Minister of State for External Affairs Gen VK Singh is on a two-day unannounced visit to Pyongyang in North Korea (DPRK).

VK Singh, who travelled to Pyongyang from China, is the first Indian minister in two decades to pay an official visit to the hermit kingdom.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi as Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting was the last Indian minister to visit North Korea in September 1998 to attend the 6th Pyongyang film festival.

India and DPRK established formal diplomatic relations on December 10, 1973. During the visit, MoS Singh held discussions with Kim Yong Dae, Vice President of Presidium of the Supreme Peoples Assembly, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Minister of Culture Pak Chun Nam and Choe Hui Chol, Vice Foreign Minister of DPRK.

The MEA in its formal statement said the interactions took place on a range of issues covering political, regional, economic, educational and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

The quiet Indian ministerial visit comes on a day when North Korea pulled out of scheduled Inter Korean talks at Panmunjom village citing the ongoing US-South Korea (ROK) joint military drills called Max Thunder.

This has also cast a shadow on the summit talks between North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump scheduled for June 12 in Singapore with tensions building up over key contentious issue of DPRKs denuclearisation.

In his meetings Gen Singh encouraged the two Koreas for their efforts towards establishment of peace and prosperity on the Peninsula.

The MoS highlighted the threat from nuclear proliferation, in particular Indias concerns in the context of the proliferation linkages with Indias neighbourhood. The DPRK side emphasised that as a friendly country DPRK will never allow any action that would create concerns for Indias security, underlined the MEA in its statement alluding to the nuclear proliferation and AQ Khan network existing in Pakistan.

In the past many years, India maintained diplomatic ties with DPRK, including a functional embassy even as the US-led West imposed tough sanctions on it for the regimes illicit nuclear programme.

India has over the years also extended humanitarian assistance to DPRK faced with food shortages due to natural calamities.

However, Delhi banned all trade with the Kim regime barring food and medicine since April this year.

The two sides decided to explore possibilities of cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including vocational education, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, promotion of Yoga and traditional medicines, said the MEA.

During the visit of former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to India, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in response to a query about possible American pressure to snap ties with DPRK said, I told secretary Tillerson that embassies of some of your friendly countries should remain there so that some channels of communication remain open. Many times, you may have the need to talka mutual dialogue may be required to resolve some issues.

Recently appointed 2004 batch IFS (Indian Foreign Service) officer Atul Gotsurve presented his credentials as Indian Ambassador to Pyongyang just ahead of Gen Singhs visit.
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

New Delhi, May 16

The BJP's Chief Ministerial face, BS Yeddyurappa, on Wednesday staked claim to form the new government in Karnataka.

"We have staked claim to form the government as the single largest party with 104 newly elected legislators," Yeddyurappa told reporters here after meeting Governor Vajubhai R. Vala at Raj Bhavan.

Earlier in the day, the new Bharatiya Janata Party lawmakers unanimously elected Yeddyurappa as their legislative party leader.

"I have requested the Governor to allow me to take oath as the Chief Minister at the earliest and the Governor said he would take an appropriate decision soon," Yeddyurappa said.

Meanwhile, JD(S) MLAs Raja Venkatappa Nayaka and Venkata Rao Nadagouda went missing from the JD(S) legislative partymeeting, which was held in a hotel in Bengaluru.

Senior Karnataka BJP leader KS Eshwarappa said their party was in touch with some Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs as they hope to stitch together a majority to form the government in the state.

There is no doubt we will form govt, 100% we'll do that. Wait and watch. Results came out only yesterday. It has been only a day. See what can happen in Karnataka in a day: KS Eshwarappa , BJP #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/X5IDtvkat5  ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

Earlier on Wednesday, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that JD(S) has all faith in their MLAs and nobody is going to go away, let BJP try, whatever they want to.

Azad said, "The BJP may be the single-largest party, but it doesn't have the numbers and the Governor cannot take sides. Can a person who is there to save the Constitution, destroy it too? The Governor has to cut all its previous associations, be it BJP or RSS.

All the Congress MLAs are intact. Nobody is missing. We are confident of forming the government: Siddaramaiah, Congress after reaching the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office for party legislative meeting. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/kaPgKaUeag  ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

Bharatiya Janata Party national vice-president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said that he is confident that Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala will respect the party's position as the single-largest one and invite it to form the government.

Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said, All the Congress MLAs are intact. Nobody is missing. We are confident of forming the government.

The Congress on being asked if their MLAs in Karnataka would be shifted somewhere else, DK Shivakumar, said, Yes, definitely there is a plan. We have to safeguard our MLAs.

He said, They (BJP) are poaching our MLAs, we know that. There is a lot of pressure. But it not that easy as the two parties, Congress and the JD (S), have the necessary numbers. People are watching this.

They (BJP) are poaching our MLAs, we know that. Everyday there is a lot of pressure. But it not so easy because two parties have the necessary number. People are watching this: DK Shivakumar, Congress #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/ByrMuW2o9X  ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

Ramalinga Reddy, another Congress leader, said: BJP is trying hard to get our MLAs. They don't believe in democracy, BJP just wants power. All the people are happy, nobody is unhappy here. Agencies
editorial@tribune.com

Vishav Bharti

tribune news service

Chandigarh, May 15

This time too, the Punjab Government celebrated the birth anniversary of revolutionary Sukhdev on May 15, a date proved incorrect by historians.

For the fifth consecutive year, despite knowing the correct date which is February 19, the government organised a state-level function in Ludhiana on Tuesday.

The issue of the incorrect birth date was first raised in 2012 by the Martyr Sukhdev Memorial Committee, Ludhiana. The committee, which was instrumental in locating the martyrs ancestral house and conducting research on his life, had submitted a representation to the then Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal. The committee said the date was based on presumptions.

The case was substantiated on the basis of historical records made available by Chandigarh-based historian Prof Malwinder Jit Singh Waraich.

He had traced his correct birth date from the result gazette of Panjab University, Lahore. As per the matriculation and school-leaving certificate (examination 1922) of Sanatan Dharam High School, Lyallpur, Sukhdev was born on February 19, 1907.

Following this, the government referred the case to the Department of Information and Public Relations. The department asked the committee to get an undertaking from any surviving family member or a relative of the martyr confirming that they did not have any objection to change of the date from May 15 to February 19.

Ludhiana-based Bharat Bhushan Thapar, who claims himself to be the nephew of the martyr, sent a representation to the Public Relations Department, saying they did not have any evidence which could confirm the martyrs birth date. May 15 was based on hearsay. Since a new certified document confirming the correct birth date is available, the date should be changed to February 19, he wrote to the government.

After a series of meetings and a string of communication, the department officials agreed to correct the birthday of the martyr in their records, said Prof Waraich.

However, its been six years, even the government has changed, but the department has refused to pay heed to the mistake. Professor Waraich termed it unfortunate, saying it was nothing but pure inertia in the department.

Anindita Mitra, Director, Department of Information and Public Relations, said she was not aware of the issue. Since now it has been brought to our knowledge, we will verify the records and take corrective measures, she added.
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Chandigarh, May 16

The BSF and Punjab Police Special Task Force (STF) arrested two people and seized over 10 kg of heroin, which they had allegedly hidden in Ferozepur district near India-Pakistan border, officials said on Wednesday.

A search operation was carried out after the two accused told their interrogators that they had hidden the contraband drug in Border Out Post (BOP) Gatti Hayat area, a BSF official said.

Seven packets of heroin, weighing 10.5 kg, were dug out of a field between the international boundary and border security fence, he added.  PTI
vermaajay1968@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 16

Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul has underlined a need for a thorough study on 52 tremors felt by certain hill districts of Uttarkhand in the past three years in the aftermath of massive Nepal earthquake.

The Governor was addressing the inaugural session of the three-day national seminar on Earth System Science with Special Reference to Himalaya on Wednesday that is part of Golden Jubilee celebrations of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun.

In the aftermath of massive Nepal earthquake, 52 tremors particularly in the hill districts of Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Pithoragarh have been felt in the last three years. This need to be studied thoroughly as it is important to know of its long run repercussions, he said. He also suggested adoption of techniques of construction that would minimise the effects of earthquakes.

Asserting that past historical records say that Uttarakhand region was bestowed with enormous mineral wealth, he called upon scientists engaged in study of earth sciences to conduct surveys in districts like Pithoragarh that could have resources like copper, silver and even gold. He said even old gazetteers mention about mineral deposits in places like Joshimath.

The Governor also called for judicious utilisation of water. We need to adopt agricultural techniques that use less water. It is important that water is utilized properly and no wastage of water should be allowed, he said.

He also favoured a comprehensive scientific study of glaciers. It was believed that the melting of glaciers was due to global warming. This should be studied. Also, the effects of forest fires on glaciers should be studied, he added.

Earlier, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geologys Director Dr Meera Tiwari informed the gathering about the rich history of the institute. He said it was matter of honour that the institute was celebrating its Golden Jubilee in the current year.

A large number of researches and scientists from across the country are taking part in the conference.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Dhaka, May 16

Bangladeshs former prime minister Khaleda Zia was on Wednesday granted bail by the countrys Supreme Court in a graft case, according to a media report.

The Bangladeshs apex court has upheld the High Courts March bail order for the 72-year-old Zia, also the chief of the main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), bbdnews24 reported.

The High Court will now resolve by July 31 Zias appeal that sought to overturn her conviction and a five-year jail term in the Zia Orphanage Trust case, it said.

The BNP chief was jailed for five years on February 8 over the embezzlement of 21 million taka (about USD 250,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust, named after her husband late Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler-turned-politician.

The High Court had on March 12 granted an interim bail to Zia.

Later, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the government challenged the High Court order, taking their appeals to the Appellate Division. PTI
harinder@tribunemail.com

Berlin, May 16

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday to discuss the explosive global issues of Iran, Syria and Ukraine amid a deepening US-European crisis of confidence. This years first face-to-face talks between the veteran leaders, who speak each others languages, comes as European powers are scrambling to preserve the Iran deal which US President Donald Trump abandoned last week.

For Merkel, the main objective in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi will be to seek pragmatic dialogue with Putin, despite their yawning political differences, in the quest to preserve the landmark 2015 agreement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on a whirlwind global diplomatic tour, Tuesday welcomed as a good start talks with his French, British and German counterparts in Brussels but insisted on continued economic benefits for Iran.  AFP
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Seoul, May 16

North Korea threw next months summit between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump into doubt on Wednesday, threatening weeks of diplomatic progress by saying it may reconsider if Washington insists it unilaterally gives up its nuclear weapons.

The Norths official KCNA news agency said earlier Pyongyang had called off high-level talks with Seoul, which had been due on Wednesday, in the first sign of trouble after months of warming ties.

Citing first vice-minister of foreign affairs Kim Kye Gwan, KCNA later said the fate of the unprecedented US-North Korea summit, as well as bilateral relations, would be clear if the United States spoke of a Libya-style denuclearisation for the North.

If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-US summit, Kim Kye Gwan said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Trump and Kim are scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12.

The vice minister specifically criticised US national security adviser John Bolton, who has called for North Korea to quickly give up its nuclear arsenal in a deal that mirrors Libyas abandonment of its weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea clashed with Bolton when he worked under the Bush administration, calling him human scum and a bloodsucker.

We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him, vice minister Kim said.

The North Korean statement, as well its cancellation of the talks with the South due to US-South Korean military exercises, mark a dramatic reversal in tone from recent months when both sides embraced efforts to negotiate.

North Korea had announced it would publicly shut its nuclear test site next week.

Threats and blackmail

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States would agree to lift sanctions on North Korea if it agreed to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons programme.

However, Kim Kye Gwans statement appeared to reject that, saying North Korea would never give up its nuclear programme in exchange for trade with the United States.

We have already stated our intention for denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearisation is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States, Kim said.

North Korea has always defended its nuclear and missile programmes as a necessary deterrent against perceived aggression by the United States, which keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea has long said it is open to eventually giving up its nuclear arsenal if the United States withdraws its troops from South Korea and ends its nuclear umbrella security alliance with Seoul, though South Korean officials have said the North may be willing to compromise.

The United States has insisted on complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantling of North Koreas nuclear weapons and the facilities needed to build the weapons as soon as possible.

Asian stock markets dipped after North Korea called off the talks with the South. Cancellation of the Singapore summit could see tension flare again even as investors worry about China-US trade friction.

This will weigh on the Korean reconstruction beneficiaries that have had a strong run on peace and even reunification hopes recently, JPMorgan analysts wrote in a note.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa spoke to Pompeo by telephone and discussed North Koreas postponement of the talks with the South, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Pompeo told Kang Washington would continue to make preparations for the U.S-North Korea summit, bearing in mind the recent action by North Korea, it said.

Kim Kye Gwans statement came only hours after North Korea denounced the US-South Korean military exercises as a provocation and pulled out of the talks with the South.

Earlier KCNA denounced the Max Thunder air combat drills, which it said involved US stealth fighters, B-52 bombers and nuclear assets.

American stealth F-22 fighters were spotted in South Korea earlier in May, but a spokesman for the US military command in South Korea said no B-52s were scheduled to take part in the drills.

Neither B-52s or B-1B bombers were present at last years Max Thunder drills, according to a South Korean defence ministry official. The drills would go on as planned and were not aimed at any third party, the ministry said.

Miserable fate

Cancellation of the first meeting between a serving US president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to what would be the biggest diplomatic achievement of Trumps presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for success even as many analysts have been sceptical about the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Koreas willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that it says can hit the United States.

Kim Kye Gwan derided Boltons suggestion that discussions with North Korea should be similar to those that led to components of Libyas nuclear program being shipped to the United States in 2004.

(The) World knows too well that our country is neither Libya nor Iraq which have met miserable fate, Kim said.

It is absolutely absurd to dare compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya which had been at the initial stage of nuclear development.

The outburst could be aimed at testing Trumps willingness to make concessions ahead of the summit, which is to be preceded by a visit to Washington next week by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

A US government expert on North Korea said Kim Jong Un may also be trying to gauge whether Trump is willing to walk away from the meeting.

Joshua Pollack, of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said Pyongyang appeared irritated by the US administrations vow to maintain sanctions in spite of North Korean concessions.

The North Koreans want a change in tone from the US, and at least so far, theyre not hearing one, he said.

The doubt thrown over the summit comes a week after Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, under which Tehran curbed its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of most international sanctions.

China said on Wednesday all parties should show goodwill and avoid mutual provocation to create a conducive atmosphere for denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in comments to a visiting North Korean delegation, said China supported North Koreas efforts to develop its economy, improve relations with the South and its dialogue with the United States, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The North-South talks had been due to focus on plans to implement a declaration that emerged from an inter-Korea summit last month, including promises to formally end the Korean War and pursue complete denuclearisation.

South Korea described the Norths decision as regrettable. Reuters
gspannu7@gmail.com

Los Angeles, May 16

As Hollywood studios unleash their summer blockbusters into theaters, Netflix Inc is trying to give film buffs a reason to stay home.

The streaming service is on track to release at least 86 Netflix original films in 2018, the company told Reuters. That exceeds the scheduled output of the top four traditional studios combined, as well as Netflixs previous record of 61 films last year.

The aggressive strategy is aimed in part at addressing complaints that the services movie library is stale, an issue likely to be exacerbated by Walt Disney Cos decision to stop supplying Netflix with new films for its US customers in 2019. Buying movies from other studios also has become more expensive as streaming competition has intensified.

Having more of its own films is paying off, Netflix said.

The company told Reuters that the 33 Netflix films released so far this year have been watched more than 300 million times by more than 80 million account holders worldwide. Thats an average audience of more than 9 million viewers per film.

Executives said the large number of movies is a response to the wide range of tastes they are trying to satisfy, and that data they collect on subscriber viewing habits provides insight that helps them choose movies.

Fifty-five percent of Netflixs 125 million customers live outside the United States, and the company is counting on foreign markets to drive future growth.

Its art and science, said Ian Bricke, who oversees Netflixs independent film licensing and production.

Our global audience is more and more diverse. We are constantly learning and trying to get smarter.

SPENDING SPREE

The company would not say how much it is spending on its film push, but it has budgeted $8 billion for programming in 2018, a figure that includes original TV series and films as well as content licensed from others.

The heavy spending will lead to negative free cash flow of up to $4 billion this year, the company has said. Investors have so far endorsed the strategy as Netflix subscriber rolls keep booming, sending shares soaring 70 percent this year to $326.13.

The Netflix film slate features everything from low-budget family fare to higher-brow independent dramas such as last years Mudbound, which earned four Oscar nominations, and an expensive mobster tale due out next year starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.

About one-third of Netflix viewership is for movies, company executives have said, while the rest is for television offerings, including the companys highly acclaimed original series such as House of Cards and Stranger Things.

The critical reception for Netflix original films has been mixed, and some prominent directors balk at the idea of making movies that will be seen mainly on the small screen.

My entire life has been spent trying to give audiences something in a large, large forum, Steven Spielberg told Reuters.

I love the whole feeling of social interaction outside. You leave your house, you park your car, you go somewhere. Those are the kinds of audiences I like to talk to.

Unlike traditional studios, which have increasingly focused resources on expensive action spectacles and sequels, Netflix is producing and acquiring movies across genres, from teen dramas and romantic comedies to horror flicks and sci-fi adventures.

At least 17 of this years Netflix films will be in languages other than English, including French, Arabic, Hungarian, Japanese and Russian. Eight or more will be in Spanish.

The company has promised more big-budget films like 2017s Will Smith action flick Bright, with former Universal Pictures executive Scott Stuber leading that effort.  Reuters
After 32 years of service to Tyler County, Mike Britton has officially decided to retire. Britton has been the maintenance personnel/janitor for Tyler Countys offices, including the courthouse.

Britton explained he has seen a lot during his service to the county. He mentioned, when he first started his career, Gary Keller had just started his term as sheriff.

Britton chuckled, while noting, Ive seen a few sheriffs in my day.

Britton also recollected the old county jailhouse that used to house prisoners. Britton would utilize some of the inmates to help him with his duties.

They were willing to do anything to get out and help you. Britton continued, I had a lot of fun with those guys and got a lot of work out of them.

Now that Britton is retired he will be spending a good bit of time in South Carolina, approximately 20 minutes from the beach. He will be renting an apartment for a while unless he decides to stay permanently. Britton said he is tired of the cold weather that West Virginia has to offer and is ready to put his toes in the sand. Britton stated he will miss the family that he leaves behind, but he will be back for visits. He added he has made several friends in his time at the courthouse.

He also wanted to thank the county commissioners, They have treated me very good and have given me everything that I need.

Britton will continue to do odd-jobs on the side. He enjoys painting homes in his free time, so he will continue to do so in South Carolina to keep from getting bored.
GENEVA  The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, shared his warmest wishes for all observing the holy month of Ramadan, which begins today, urging action on behalf of millions of forcibly displaced people worldwide.

Through our reflection, we come to recognize that while words may reassure, it is only through action that we can truly see tangible change, he said.

We continue to live in extremely complex times where violence is multiplied, conflicts are protracted and tens of millions of people are forcibly uprooted or on the move. This has created unprecedented levels of human suffering and desperation.

Together, we are powerful beyond measure.

Millions of people like you and I are living in a constant state of conflict, insecurity and persecution. Their loved ones torn from them under inexplicable circumstances. Think of civilians in Syria or Yemen. Think of the plight of the Rohingyas in Myanmar, Bangladesh and the other countries to which they have fled.

Grandi said that action can come in various forms, including showing charity towards our fellow humans; a kind gesture to reaffirm a persons dignity, and advocacy to give a voice for those in situations beyond their control.

For those uprooted from their homes, he said, hope remains a catalyst for survival  pushing them to achieve and contribute to their futures and that of their communities. Their resilience inspires us and reminds us that all contributions, big or small, can have an impact.

To those who continue to show compassion and empathy and embody the true values of humanity: I am moved by your solidarity, generosity and hospitality, he said. Together, we are powerful beyond measure.
GLO.ACT facilitates implementation of SOM Protocol in the Kyrgyz Republic

Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic - 16 May 2018 - The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants ( GLO.ACT) organized, from 9-13 April 2018, a legal assessment mission to analyze whether Kyrgyz national legislation is compliant with the United Nations Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air supplementing the Untied Nations Transnational Organized Crime Convention ( UNTOC). The assessment mission included bilateral meetings with relevant government bodies, focus group discussions with representatives of international community and civil society organizations working in the area combating trafficking in persons (TIP) and the smuggling of migrants (SOM), as well as site visits to a hotline information office and consultative center set up by the Kyrgyz State Migration Service. Based on the results of the legal assessment, a set of recommendations will be developed to strengthen the national legal framework on SOM with a view to bringing it in line with the SOM Protocol.

In terms of context, it is important to note that the Kyrgyz Republic is a transit county and, to a lesser extent, an origin and destination country for SOM. It is a transit country for migrants coming in via air from Iraq, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka on their way to Gulf countries and into Europe, as well as via land from Tajikistan to Russia. It is a destination country for migrants coming from China, frequently using fraudulent documents, and it is an origin country for Kyrgyz migrants heading to Turkey. These are migrants who cannot obtain work visas in Russia and Kazakhstan.

In terms of policies, the Kyrgyz Republic has had various migration-related policies in place since 2004. It was one of the first Central Asian countries that ratified the UNTOC and its Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air in 2003. In addition, the Kyrgyz Republic is a State Party to a number of relevant conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO). On a national level, the International Migration Act, the Internal Migration Act, the Refugees Act, the Domestic Labour Migration Act, and relevant articles in the criminal code and the criminal procedure code of the Kyrgyz Republic serve as a normative basis for SOM. However, the criminal code does not have provisions criminalizing SOM for the purpose of getting material or other benefits and for producing, purchasing, providing or possessing fraudulent travel or identity documents for irregular entry of migrants. No liability is established to provide for the possibility of irregularly staying in the country for the purpose of getting financial or other benefits. What is considered in the legislation, however, is the "organization of irregular migration".

Taking into consideration that no legal assessment on SOM has been conducted in over 10 years, GLO.ACT facilitated this assessment with broad participation by different government stakeholders, international community and civil society organizations. The discussions centered around the existing legal framework on SOM and also provided introductory sessions on the definition of SOM according to the SOM Protocol.

Speaking during one of the focus group discussions, Ms. Kaana Aidarkul, Director of Association of Women in Security Sector said, "It is very crucial to strengthen the capacity of government stakeholders and civil society organizations to understand the phenomena of migrant smuggling through basic training sessions and awareness raising campaigns."

Preliminary findings of the legal assessment showed that the Kyrgyz government has taken action to implement some of the provisions of the UN Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants. However, there is no definition in the law on SOM, and there is no dedicated smuggling offence in the criminal code. Moreover, there is no systemized inter-agency cooperation that could lead to more strict enforcement of the law and prevention of SOM and TIP, particularly in the context of repatriation of Kyrgyz nationals working abroad. And finally, there is very low awareness and understanding of the phenomena of SOM in the Kyrgyz Republic, in particular its links to other forms of organized crime, and research has thus far focused only on migration issues. Following this assessment, UNODC, under the framework of GLO.ACT, will continue to provide training on the proper interpretation of SOM in the context of national legislation and strengthen the capacity of criminal justice practitioners.

The Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) is a four-year (2015-2019), 11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT aims to provide assistance to governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine. GLO.ACT works with the 13 countries to plan and implement strategic national counter-trafficking and counter smuggling efforts through a prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships approach. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including providing assistance to victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.

For more information, please contact:

Madina Sarieva

madina.sarieva@un.org

www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/

Email: glo.act@un.org

Twitter: @glo_act
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Community Meeting for Enhancing Work with Native Americans in Riverton

A subcommittee of the University of Wyomings Native American Affairs Advisory Committee will hold a listening session Thursday, May 17, in Riverton to help UW enhance its work with Native Americans in the region.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Cottonwood Conference Room at the Wind River Casino. Following the listening session, a free roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy dinner will be provided.

The listening session is free and open to the public.

UW President Laurie Nichols has charged the subcommittee with generating a five-year strategic plan to boost the universitys work with Native Americans. The listening session is to gain input from the Wind River reservation community.

The Native American Affairs Strategic Plan will augment and support Breaking Through 2017-2022: A Strategic Plan for the University of Wyoming.

Some of the questions to be addressed at the session are:

-- What are the most important priorities for UW to build partnerships with Native American communities and tribes? Does UW do enough to engage these groups?

-- Does UW provide Native American students with an education that ultimately enables them to enrich the tribal communities of which they are a part? How might UW improve in this area?

-- What are the most important things UW should prioritize for recruiting and retaining Native American students?

-- How significant are financial constraints in preventing Native American students from attending UW? How might UW improve in this area?

-- What do other higher education institutions do better than UW in (a) building partnerships with Native American communities and tribes, and (b) recruiting and retaining Native American students?

-- What would it take for UW to become a national leader among higher education institutions in its relations with Native American communities and tribes?

The Native American Affairs Advisory strategic planning subcommittee community meeting will be led by UW students Colleen Friday, Taryn Jim and Christie Wildcat. The community meeting also will be an opportunity to thank past officers of Keepers of the Fire -- UWs Native student group -- and introduce the newly elected officers to the community.

Individuals wishing to offer comments or suggestions, but unable to attend the listening session, are encouraged to email any subcommittee member. All comments will be considered anonymous unless the respondent requests association with the comment.

For more information, email James Trosper, the UW director of both the Native American Education, Research and Cultural Center and the High Plains American Indian Research Institute, at jtrosper@uwyo.edu.
Becamex IDC's My Phuoc 4 project. Photo: tienphong.vn

Empty promises

According to tienphong.vn, numerous people complained that Becamex IDC is delaying handing over the land use right certificates of apartments at the My Phuoc 4 urban area project to customers.

Notably, according to a customer, in 2012 Becamex IDC put on sale apartments in My Phuoc 4 urban area project. At the time, the investor affirmed that after customers paid off the apartment price according to the contract, Becamex IDC would hand over the land use right certificate.

However, nearly six years since then, the firm has yet to do good on its promise.

Along with the money spent on buying the apartments in the projects, customers also wasted massive amounts of money on transportation between cities to deal with the conflict.

The firm has yet to show the slightest intention to co-operate with customers to resolve the incident. Notably, numerous customers arrived to Becamex IDCs office to meet the Board of Directors, however, the receptionists refused to set up a meeting.

The My Phuoc 4 urban area project was considered a key project of Binh Duong province. According to the plan, the project would meet Singaporean standards and include high-end apartments, a shopping centre, a park, schools, and a hospital. However, according to tienphong.vns reporter, to date, the project is still in limbo.

Unmarketable IPO

Becamex IDC reported two failed auctions, showing the unattractiveness of its shares among investors.

According to information published on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange, at the second auction, only four investors bought 5.1 million shares. Becamex IDC earned VND158 billion ($6.96 million) in proceeds.

Thereby, after the two auctions, Becamex IDC has only sold 24 million shares, equalling 7.7 per cent of the offered volume.

Earlier on December 1, Becamex IDC put 311.2 million shares, equalling 23.6 per cent of its charter capital, on sale at its initial public offering (IPO). As a result, 149 of 158 registered investors won in the bidding with the highest and lowest buying prices of VND40,000 ($1.76) and VND31,000 ($1.37) per share.

After the bidding, Becamex IDC only acquired VND587.7 billion ($25.87 million) from selling 18.9 million shares or 6 per cent of the offered share volume.

The reason behind so many shares being unmarketable was the corporations apathy in communications as well as in publishing information about its IPO.

Ambitions to become industrial and logistics developer

On May 15, Becamex IDC released that it entered into co-operation with Warburg Pincus, the leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing, to establish a joint venture in Vietnam, BW Industrial Development JSC, with 70 per cent held by Warburg Pincus.

Having an initial investment of over $200 million, the joint venture bought eight projects with the total area of more than 200 hectares in five cities and provinces, namely Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Haiphong, Hai Duong, and Bac Ninh.

The joint venture combines the strength and experience of its joint venture partners and is committed to building the leading national real estate platform and become an industrial park and logistics rental property developer.

Becamex IDC is considered one of Vietnams leading property developers, owning 28 subsidiaries and joint ventures in the areas of securities, finance, insurance, banking, construction, trading, real estate, services, telecommunication-information technology, concrete production, construction materials, mining, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and education, with a charter capital of approximately VND5.5 trillion ($242.1 million).

Becamex IDC currently manages six industrial parks, however, the revenue and profit from these IPs are still limited. In the first quarter of this year, the firm earned VND1.91 trillion ($83.88 million) in revenue and VND483.6 billion ($21.2 million) in after-tax profit. However, it still reported an accumulated loss of VND147 billion ($6.45 million).
The recruitment launch

With its dual career programme, CBAM is committed to bringing skilled Vietnamese workers into a more regionally and internationally integrated economy.

The dual vocational training programme in Germany is considered an opportunity for Vietnamese youth aged 18-27 to access quality German education. Not only will they be equipped with specialised German foundations and specialised knowledge, the programme is free of charge, both for theoretical and practical purposes.

In addition, trainees are entitled to other benefits during the training period in Germany including basic salary, health insurance, unemployment insurance, and retirement insurance during the entire course of apprenticeship.

The training programme consists of three stages. Stage 1 is German training for B2.1 certificate in Vietnam. Stage 2 includes specialised German training in Germany and Stage 3 is paid vocational training in Germany. The major in dual vocational training programme in Germany selected by CBAM and SBH is Hospitality. This profession is in high demand in Germany and Europe.

This is also a programme to support young people with clear career orientations. In particular, the dual vocational training programme in Germany was first developed by the German in Europe and has been very successful. Vietnamese people tend to place emphasis on the degree and I hope that the programme can help change this mindset," said Do Thi Kim Lien, South African Consul in Ho Chi Minh City and the principal of CBAM.

According to Vu Tien Loc, chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), with the strong impacts of Industry 4.0, vocational training should be shortened with proper approaches to meet business demands.

On this occasion, Lien donated 200 bicycles to underprivileged students in the northern province of Phu Tho.

SBH brings modern vocational training model to Vietnam SBH, a non-governmental education and non-profit corporation from Germany, and College of Business Administration and Management (CBAM) have signed a co-operation agreement on "double occupation" ...

Germany extends hand on vocational training Vietnam and Germany are boosting bilateral training co-operation according to an agreement signed between the Ministry of Planning and Investment and Germanys Ministry of Economic ...
Contemporary Con Mai Ban Hung Ca (The Legends Live On) will be staged at HCM City Opera House on May 19 to celebrate the 128th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh.- Photo courtesy of HBSO

The show will open with composer Nguyen Manh Duy Linhs latest symphony Huyen Thoai Mua Xuan (Legend of the Spring), which will be performed by the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO).

Linh studied composing at Magnitogorsk State Conservatory in Russia from 2000 and graduated in 2008 with a Master of Arts degree.

In 2007, he won the Best Composer prize at the 4th International Festival of Music in Chelyabinsk in Russia for his concerto for violin and chamber orchestra.

Linhs compositions have been performed by famous Vietnamese and foreign soloists like Bui Cong Duy and Sergei Sivolgin.

He has also composed music for HBSOs ballets, HCM City Televisions serials and a few movies.

In 2013, he won the Best Composer award at the Golden Kite Film Festival for his score for the movie Duong Dua (The Race).

He now works as a manager of the performing arts department and a stage manager at HBSO, and as a lecturer at the HCM City Conservatory of Music.

The show will continue with the ballet Con Mai Ban Hung Ca, which portrays soldiers and people in Southern Vietnam in the resistance war against the Americans.

The play was choreographed by Peoples Artists Vu Viet Cuong and Kim Quy, and their students Phuc Hung and Phuc Hai. Its music was composed by Meritorious Artist Tran Vuong Thach

Cuong and Quy have made a great contributions to the development of HBSO and the countrys dance sector.

Hung and Hai have choreographed many contemporary ballets, such as Ru Dem (Night Lullaby), Cham Tay Vao Qua Khu (Touching the Past) and Nhung Manh Ghep Cua Giac Mo (Dream Puzzles). All have received high praise from critics and audiences.

The 60-minute ballet will feature HBSOs dancers and orchestra.

The show will begin at 8pm at 7 Lam Son Square in District 1. Tickets are available at the venue and at www.ticketbox.vn.
Cutting the ribbon at Deep C HP II Industrial Zone

The ceremony was attended by Geert BourgeoisMinister-President of Flanders and Flemish Minister for Foreign Policy and Immovable Heritage, Jehanne RoccasAmbassador of Belgium in Vietnam, Nguyen Van TungChairman of the Haiphong Peoples Committee, and Do Nhat Hoangdirector of the Foreign Investment Agency, Ministry of Planning and Investment, and representatives of diplomatic corps and local authorities.

DEEP C HP II was initiated following the success of DEEP C HP I (Dinh Vu Industrial Zone), which was established in 1997 and is now home to over 70 projects from all over the world with a total investment of over $3 billion.

These include big corporations like Bridgestone (Japan), Chevron (America), Knauf (Germany), C.Steinweg (Netherlands), Shin-Etsu (Japan), JX Nippon Oil & Energy (Japan), Idemitsu (Japan), You-Tech (Korea), PVOil (Vietnam), and Petrolimex (Vietnam).

DEEP C HP II will enjoy the same logistics advantages thanks to its direct connection to ports, airports, and highways and offer the same economic zone tax incentives and reliable utilities and infrastructure as DEEP C HP I. DEEP C HP II targets general, heavy, and light industries, and the supporting industry with a view to improving supply chains and the added value of Vietnamese products.

During the ceremony, DEEP C HP II welcomed its three first clients from South Korea: Pantra Corporation (rubber part production plant), Pyeong Hwa Automotive (automotive parts), and Suhil Company (raw materials for optical cables). The total area of the three projects is 20ha.

Both projects are located in Haiphong, the epicenter of intermodal transportation for the north. The city houses the biggest deep-sea port in the north, modern highways connecting to Hanoi, Quang Ninh, and China, as well as coastal provinces, and easy linkages to two international airports.

Tung confirmed that Deep C Industrial Complex is a long-term partner who always strives to provide the best quality, setting the standards for other industrial zones in Haiphong. The zone contributed to 20 per cent of FDI in Haiphong and has created thousands of jobs for workers in the Red River Delta.

Deep C Industrial Complex is the biggest Flemish/Belgian-invested project in Vietnam, and the Minister-President of Flanders was happy to witness the know-how sharing between the two countries that encourages green and sustainable economic development.

At the ceremony, DEEP C signed a Memorandum of Understanding with KDDI, the second largest telecommunication services provider in Japan. KDDI Vietnam and DEEP C will develop Internet of Things (IoT) solutions via fiber and wireless infrastructure in DEEP C II, enhancing the efficiency of management and operation utilities.

On the same day, DEEP C signed a Contract of Share Transfer with Vietnam Electrical Engineering Equipment JSC (Gelex) on joining and becoming a shareholder of Dinh Vu Industrial Zone JSCthe investors of the Deep C I and II projects.

Gelex is a leading manufacturer of electrical equipment with involvement in real estate, logistics, renewable energy development, and financial investment.
The Dutch government is phasing out the use of anti-virus software made by Russian firm Kaspersky Lab AFP/Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV

The Dutch Justice and Security ministry said in a statement on late Monday (May 15) the decision had been taken as a "precautionary measure" in order "to guarantee national security".

But Kaspersky Lab, whose anti-virus software is installed on some 400 million computers worldwide, said on Tuesday it was "very disappointed" by the move.

The firm, which is suspected by US authorities of helping the Kremlin's espionage efforts, also announced Tuesday that it was moving its core infrastructure and operations to Switzerland.

"Our new centre in Switzerland will strengthen the proven integrity of Kaspersky Lab's products, (and) significantly improve the resilience of our IT infrastructure to any trust risk - even theoretical ones," the Russian company said in a statement.

Last year, the US federal government removed Kaspersky from its list of approved vendors, weeks after senior US intelligence agency and law enforcement officials expressed concerns about the safety of its software.

The Netherlands fears Kaspersky's anti-virus software is "deep in systems" and any abuse could "pose a major security risk."

Dutch officials also voiced concern that under Russian law companies such as Kaspersky are "required to cooperate with the Russian government".

But the company hit back saying "Kaspersky Lab has never helped, nor will help, any government in the world with its cyber espionage or offensive cyber efforts" and adding it was "being treated as guilty merely due to geopolitical issues."

It said it would try to arrange a meeting soon with the Dutch coordinator for security and counterterrorism to discuss the situation.

Dutch intelligence officials have increasingly warned however that they fear the Kremlin is trying to hack into Dutch companies and manipulate elections here.

"Russia has an active offensive cyber programme focusing on the Netherlands and vital Dutch interests," the ministry warned, adding it had therefore concluded there was a risk of "digital espionage and sabotage."
Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said that over the past few years it has become an established viewpoint that economic growth has been largely depending on FDI, and that Vietnam is now home to two smaller economiesthe domestically-invested economy and the FDI-based economy.

This stance is to some extent reasonable, but there should be no worries about it, because FDI is an indispensable part of the economy, especially given Vietnams market-based economy and international economic integration efforts, Dung said at yesterdays dialogue with the business community in Vietnam, which was co-organised by Investors Magazine and KPMG.

FDI has been playing a crucial role in Vietnams growth over the past 30 years as a big trailblazer for the economy. FDI can be likened to a bee that has been both sucking honey and pollinating the economy, the minister stressed. Vietnam will continue attracting more FDI, but selectively. High-quality FDI will be prioritised in attraction.

According to Minister Dung, currently, FDI has been positively changing the economy. Specifically, it has contributed 12-25 per cent of Vietnams total development capital in 1991-2017. Also, FDI currently accounts for over 50 per cent of the economys total industrial production value and 70 per cent of the total export turnover. FDI currently generates employment for over four million people directly and millions of others indirectly in Vietnam.

However, Dung said, the issue now is to improve the competitiveness of Vietnamese enterprises, so that they can catch up with foreign enterprises. If this is done, the two types of enterprises can both be harnessed to power the economy and the development gap between them can be narrowed.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) will introduce new policies to combine these two types of enterprises for a more sustainable growth path, Dung said.

During his meetings with leaders of foreign countries and global firms and investors, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc always praises FDI for its very important role in Vietnams socioeconomic development.

We are building a government of integrity in service of the public and enterprises. We will continue developing a more business-friendly climate in favour of all enterprises and investors. Your successes in Vietnam are also our successes, Phuc said at his meeting last week with Minister-President of Flanders Geert Bourgeois and 80 firms from the Flanders region in Hanoi.

The firms are seeking investment opportunities in Vietnam in the sector of logistics, education, transportation, and especially agriculture.

Phuc repeated this message during his meetings with Koh Dong-Jin, president and co-CEO of South Koreas Samsung Electronics, late last month, and with T. Kakiuchi, president and CEO of Japans Mitsubishi Group, in late March, as well as with Hwang Kag Gyu, vice chairman of South Koreas Lotte Group, in early March.

Aaron Batten, country economist from the Asian Development Banks Vietnam Resident Mission, told VIR that FDI will continue serving as the key driver of the economy this year.

Vietnams strong growth over the last decade has been propelled by closer integration into the global economy and by an increasing market orientation in economic policy, as well as the growth of domestic private enterprises. Free trade agreements (FTAs), culminating in accession to the World Trade Organization in 2007, have also helped to trigger a sharp increase in FDI and portfolio capital flows, Batten said.

Future FDI prospects are bright thanks to the recovering local production and Vietnams participation in many FTAs, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Vietnam-Korea FTA, the Vietnam-Eurasian Union FTA, and the Vietnam-EU FTA. Vietnam and nine ASEAN nations also established the ASEAN Community. All of these trade blocs will bring more FDI to Vietnam.

FDI disbursement hit a record of $17.5 billion last year, and $5.1 billion in this years first four months.

The figure is expected to reach the new record of $19 billion this year, Nguyen Mai, chairman of Vietnam Association of Foreign Invested Enterprises, told VIR.

According to MPI, as of April 20, 2018, Vietnam attracted 25,524 FDI projects, with the total registered capital of $321.25 billion.
A design of Tan Vien Luxury International Tourist Resort project in Ba Vi District. Photo Diaocvietonline.vn

Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, vice chairman of the municipal Peoples Council who headed an inspection team in the two districts on Thursday, said that once violations were found, they should be reported immediately to the citys Peoples Committee for withdrawal.

He also asked the two districts to clarify the responsibilities of local authorities concerning land management violations.

The local authorities were requested to strengthen the information dissemination work so that people know about projects that are underway and can supervise them, ensuring the transparency.

Tuan ordered concerned agencies to collect proposals from districts, review the lands origin and submitted a report to the municipal Peoples Committee on revoking violating projects which have been delayed for a long time and are causing public concern.

Over the past few years city authorities had conducted inspections, reclaimed land and handed it over to other investors if original investors were not capable. However, he admitted that many non-State Budget projects were behind schedule for various reasons.

According to Nguyen Dinh Dan, vice chairman of Ba Vi Districts People Committee, the district has five projects which havent been implemented due to obstacles in land clearance.

For example, nearly 204ha of land has been allocated for the first phase of Yen Ky Cemetery expansion project by the municipal Peoples Committee since February 2011, but it has not yet begun construction as only 72ha of land has so far been cleared.

Regarding Tan Vien Luxury International Tourist Resort project, nearly 160ha has been cleared for the project but it failed to complete adjustments to the master plan. The districts Peoples Committee has proposed the city authority review the investors competence. If the investor was found not competent, the project would be handed over to others, he said.

Similar problems also occurred in Hoai Duc District. The district has 31 projects which use non-State budget investment. Despite the fact that land has been allocated for land clearance work, the projects have been delayed for a long time because of investors incompetence.
Banks will try to increase charter capital this year

Last month, the annual general shareholders meeting (AGM) of privately-held Kienlong Bank approved the plan to raise charter capital to VND3.236 trillion ($143 million) from the current VND3 trillion ($133 million) through issuing additional stocks to existing shareholders.

The entire capital from the stock issuance will be used to enrich the banks fixed assets, expanding its operation network and supplementing capital sources for investment activities.

The AGM of another private bankVietBankin March 2018 adopted the banks restructuring plan and envisaged bringing its ticker to the unlisted public company market (UPCoM).

The AGM also approved the plan to raise the banks charter capital by an additional VND1 trillion ($44.4 million).

Accordingly, this year VietBank will add more than VND1.007 trillion ($44.7 million) through selling stocks to the public and employees.

According to chairman Duong Ngoc Hoa, VietBank is set to raise its charter capital by VND500 billion ($22.2 million) in the near term, and put the ticker on UPCoM. The bank will debut on the southern bourse (HoSE) by 2020.

Nguyen Ngoc Toan, chairman of Ho Chi Minh City-based Nam A Bank, said that the bank recently submitted the shareholders its plan to raise charter capital from VND3.021 trillion ($134 million) to VND5 trillion ($222 million) through stock issuance to existing shareholders, its employees, and the public.

Nam A Bank aims to raise VND906 billion ($40.2 million) from existing shareholders, more than VND45 billion ($2 million) from employees, and about VND695 billion ($30.8 million) from the public through stock issuance.

Besides, the bank will issue stocks to pay dividend to shareholders at a ratio of 11 per cent, with the total raised sum of VND332 billion ($14.7 million).

In light of Vietnams draft plan on economic restructuring in 2016-2020, 70 per cent of local commercial banks must reach Basel II standards by 2020.

In the case of Hanoi-based VietA Bank, after many years of failing to realise its capital hike plan, the banks investment into PG Bank in the second half of 2017, which has just merged with commercial lender HDBank, has grabbed investors attention.

Accordingly, VietA Bank has reportedly spent VND150 billion ($6.6 million) on buying 4.16 per cent of PG Banks charter capital.

If it retained the stake in PG Bank, after the M&A deal, VietA Bank would possess 7.75 million HDBank shares. The investment promises to bring the bank upbeat returns.

Vietnams draft plan on economic restructuring in 2016-2020, which was compiled by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and is soliciting public comments, has set forth the target to accelerate the restructuring of the banking sector.

One of the set goals is that 70 per cent of local commercial banks must reach Basel II standards by 2020.

As of now, of the 10 banks in the central bank (SBV)s pilot scheme, only Ho Chi Minh City-based Orient Commercial Bank (OCB) has announced having reached Basel II standards in capital and risk management.
Thu Thiem New Urban Area in District 2 is planned to be a modern residence and a commercial, financial and service centre of HCM City. The ambitious project involves relocating thousands of households, and a number of them have expressed discontent with the Governments compensation or resettlement schemes, causing prolonged disputes and delaying the progress of the project. - Photo zing.vn

The order was made during yesterday meeting in Hanoi chaired by the Government leader, and attended by the deputy prime ministers Truong Hoa Binh and Trinh Dinh Dung, showing the administrations commitment to resolve land disputes that were bound to emerge during the countrys course of fast development.

At the meeting, PM Phuc said the project Thu Thiem, envisioned to be a modern urban centre of the southern metropolis HCM City, was approved in 1996 by the then Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet.

The mega-project necessitated massive land clearance that saw displacement of thousands of households in the originally poverty-ridden swampland.

However, due to HCM Citys efforts and the positive support from the majority of the affected households, land clearance progress had currently reached 99 per cent, said PM Phuc.

We must look directly at the truths, if what weve done are right then continue to persistently explain yourselves and convince people, if there are mistakes, then I expect full commitment and resolution to correct them, all in serving of the citys development and peoples lives, he said.

The Government leader expressed appreciation towards the households who have willingly co-operated with the authorities on the development of the project.

PM Phuc stressed the importance of ensuring stable living conditions for the resettled households, and that the development of the city must not come at the expense of these households.

During the land clearance progress, however, the local authorities had made mistakes in terms of planning, land management, document storage and failed to effectively settle citizens complaints, leading to prolonged land disputes, he said.

The ultimate responsibility lies in the ministries and agencies involved, especially HCM Citys authorities, PM Phuc said.

He also asked the settlement of disputes must be in line with existing laws, respecting and protecting the legitimate rights of the citizens, investors, and the State, as well as ensuring harmonious interests between the parties involved.

PM Phuc also asked for utmost transparency during dispute settlement  the authorities need to investigate every development of the case, listen attentively to the peoples concerns and feedback, and strive towards full consensus towards a final solution.

If there are indeed faults on the authorities part, they have to stake out a clear timeline to address these issues.

The Government Inspectorate was also asked to review and clarify the peoples complaints over compensation or resettlement living issues during the land reclamation process, and a report to the Prime Minister is expected before July 15.

The ministries of environment and natural resources, construction, justice and the HCM City Peoples Committee all have the responsibility to closely work with the Government Inspectorate and support their investigation into peoples complaints.

Local authorities were also asked to cater to households who have relinquished their land but havent received living arrangements in resettlement housing, or households who have had their land taken by force that are still without a stable living condition.

Covering a total area of 657 hectares, the Thu Thiem new urban area is located on a peninsula in HCM Citys District 2, which faces downtown District 1 across Saigon River.

The proposed financial district and mixed-use urban area of HCM City is set to become the largest inner-city development in Southeast Asia.

To develop such a project, it took more than 10 years for site clearance of most of Thu Thiem peninsula, with as many as 15,000 households being resettled.

In a document sent to the Prime Minister in 2015, the city authorities said total costs in the new urban area for clearance compensation and resettlement, technical infrastructure, and loan interest had reached more than VN29 trillion (US$1.27 billion).
Shinhan Bank CEO Shin Dong Min addressing the handing over ceremony in Duc Hoa district

Be with underprivileged students on their study journey

This is the fifth consecutive year when Shinhan Bank holds the Charity Bike Run, a community event where Shinhan Bank offer disadvantaged students with means of transport for their upcoming school year.

The highlight of this activity was that Shinhan Bank staff took their turn to ride these bicycles themselves from a designed location to meet with these students at another assigned point, around 6 kilometers far from the starting location.

The direct involvement of Shinhan Bank staff was for them to make individual contributions together with the bank to bring joys to these children.

On Shinhan Banks 2018 Charity Bike Run, 70 new bikes was given to unprivileged students at a primary school in Duc Hoa district and 90 new bikes was given to students at Tan Cuong commune, Vinh Phuc.

These bikes valued totally at nearly VND 400 million ($17,560) were awarded at warmly and friendly ceremonies at Duc Hoa Culture Centre and office of Peoples Committee of Tan Cuong Commune.

Sustainable development commitment devoted for local communities

Shin Dong Min, CEO of Shinhan Bank, said about this activity, Giving bikes to underprivileged students on Charity Bike Run Day is one of our annual meaningful corporate social responsibility activities. We hope that with each bike granted in this program will fuel the energy and encouragement to another student to keep going on his/her study journey.

Some of the students receiving the new bikes in Tan Cuong commune

Also at the ceremony, a 5th grade student at Nguyen Van Phu Primary School, Duc Hoa district, shared, I have ridden my grandmothers old bike to go to school. It is too old and often broke down. My new high school is around 7 kilometers far from my home and I was too worried about how I could go to school. Fortunately, you supported me a new bike and I am very happy. Just a few months from now for me to begin new school year but with this new bike, I can go to school faster and less tiring than normal.

Shinhan Banks corporate social responsibility efforts focus on the support of the local communities where the Bank locates. Besides Charity Bike Run, Shinhan Bank has hold other annual charity projects for underprivileged people in rural areas every Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival. Shinhan Bank hopes to sustain and expand similar efforts in the future to improve the lives of more disadvantaged people in our community.

The students of Tan Cuong commune received 90 new bikes

Shinhan Bank is under Shinhan Financial Group (SFG)  one of the Big Four in Korea. SFG is also listed on Korea Exchange (KRX) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In two consecutive years, 2016 and 2017, Shinhan Bank had hornor to be in the list of Top 50 Safest Banks in the world, released by Global Finance.

After over 25 years of sustainable development in Vietnam, Shinhan Bank completed the acquisition over ANZ Vietnam Banks retail banking services in Vietnam. By April 2018, Shinhan Bank has 30 branches and transaction offices nationwide, continuing to hold the position as the largest foreign bank in Vietnam currently.
Klavs B. Nielsen, managing director of DK Engineering and the representative of Hoganas Bjuf in Vietnam, addressing the seminar

The two input factors making up the largest costs in cement production, coal and power, are on upward trends, while domestic demand has slowed down which significantly impacts the sales plans of manufacturing units. Additionally, labour productivity is still much lower than in other countries in the region, and tightened environmental control has put additional pressure on the cement industry.

Technical solutions forimproving cement plants performance is the theme of the seminar held by DK Marketing Limited and Solari Group in Hanoi. Experts of Swedens Hoganas Group, a world-leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of smart refractory solutions, and LNVT Company under Sinoma International Engineering Co., Ltd., aworld famous for solutions to improve and increase the capacity of the mills and equipment for cement plants, attended the seminar.

Pereric Hoberg, Swedish Ambassador speaking at the seminar

Representatives of state agencies, such as the Enterprise Reform Department of the Government Office, the Building Materials Department of the Ministry of Construction, the Agency for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialisation Development of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and over 30 cement producers in Vietnam, attended the event.

PerericHoberg, Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam, in his opening speech highly appreciated the co-operation between Vietnam and Sweden, particularly in the private enterprise arena.

During the last 50 years, Sweden faced many challenges in the process of economic restructuring and initiating innovations for its heavy industry. Thus, thecountry is ready to share lessons learnt with Vietnam in applying the latest technologies to improve the cement sectors performance.

Ake Eriksson, managing director at Hoganas Bjuf Asia-Pacific Sdn., Bhd., introducing smart solutions

Decision No.1488/QD-TTg dated August 29, 2011 ratifying Vietnams cement industry development plan in the period of 2011-2020 with vision to 2030 focuses on improving and maximising capacity. The cement industry is facing with several issues of high power consumption, and it is necessary to invest and upgrade available production lines.

Ake Eriksson, managing director at HoganasBjuf Asia-Pacific Sdn., Bhd., introduced his companys refractory products and installation design options. The solutions of HoganasBjuf have contributed to raising profit of cement plants across 70 countries worldwide.

Hans Joergen Nielsen, director of LNVT Company, sharing solutions to upgrade vertical mills and separation systems

At the seminar, Hans Joergen Nielsen, director of LNVT Company, talked about solutions to upgrade vertical mills and separation systems, which their modifications were successfully made to raise the capacity of nearly 800 systems by 10-15 per cent in 60 countries. The coal mill capacity of Chinfon Cement Plant in Haiphong has been improved from 21.4 to 27 tonnes per hour.

Nguyen Quang Cung, chairman of the Vietnam National Cement Association

Nguyen Quang Cung, chairman of the Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA), said that the theme of the seminar befits the current times, and solutions put forward by the experts are very practical and novel. He also highly appreciated the study of real conditions and the application of modern technical solutions to improve performance.

The representatives of over 30 Vietnamese cement plants paid attention to solutions put forward. Many questions were raised and received reasonable answers. They also shared their own experiences to allow other plants to learn.

LNVT Company has upgraded the mill system of Chifon Cement Plant (Haiphong) to improve its performance

In order to reduce production costs, improve the quality of output, and protect the environment, the application of technical solutions on kilns and mills is the most basic path that most plants has already been taken by most of the plants. These solutions also contribute to the green and sustainable development of the cement industry.
Defendants at the court (Source: VNA)

The trial was delayed on May 7 due to the absence of a number of concerned people and lawyers.

The defendants include Bui Manh Quoc, born in 1986, residing in the northern province of Bac Ninh, Director of the Tram Anh Water Treatment Co. Ltd, who was prosecuted for unintentionally causing deaths.

The others are Tran Van Son, residing in Hoa Binh city, an official of the medical material and equipment division of the Hoa Binh General Hospital; and Hoang Cong Luong, residing in Hoa Binh city, a doctor of the Department of Intensive Care of the Hoa Binh General Hospital. Both Son and Luong were prosecuted for lacking responsibility causing serious consequences.

Former Director of the Hoa Binh General Hospital Truong Quy Duong was absent from the trial.

On May 29, 2017, 18 patients suffered from symptoms of anaphylactic shock like breathing difficulty, sudden blood pressure fall, stomach ache and vomiting while receiving kidney dialysis at the kidney dialysis division of the Hoa Binh General Hospitals Department of Intensive Care. Eight of the patients died in this incident.

According to the indictment of the provincial Peoples Procuracy, Quoc directly repaired and maintained the Reverse Osmosis (RO) filter system of dialysis machines.

During the process, however, the machines water supply tubes were not purified carefully, leaving chemical residue. After pasteurisation of the RO filter system, Quoc did not check quality of water samples before handing the system over to the hospital. He was charged with unintentionally causing deaths.

28-year-old Son, who was in charge of checking and supervising the replacement and maintenance of the filter system, failed to complete his assigned tasks.

Nephrologist Luong, 32, allowed the dialysis treatment to commence without checking water quality.

Both Son and Luong were charged with lacking responsibility causing serious consequences.

The court is scheduled to last until May 18, 2018.
The UN Security Council gathers during a meeting at UN Headquarters in New York. (HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP)

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday (May 15) on the violence in Gaza, with Kuwait preparing a draft resolution to protect Palestinian civilians and the United States defending ally Israel's use of "restraint."

The talks opened at UN headquarters in New York with a moment of silence for the 60 Palestinians who died on Monday, the majority killed by Israeli fire, in the bloodiest day in Gaza since 2014.

The deaths overshadowed the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem, relocated from Tel Aviv in fulfillment of a campaign promise by US President Donald Trump, whose daughter Ivanka attended the inaugural ceremony.

The embassy move, which dramatically underscored US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, infuriated the Palestinians and was widely criticised, but on Tuesday the Security Council proved unable, once again, to reach consensus.

Arab ambassadors appeared jointly before reporters to call for an investigation into Israel's "crimes" and for the protection of the Palestinian people.

Kuwait, the only Arab nation with a current seat on the Security Council, said it would circulate a draft resolution on "providing international protection to the Palestinian people."

Kuwaiti ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi said the draft would be circulated "most probably tomorrow." Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said negotiations would then begin to try to get the resolution adopted.

But while Britain and Germany are among those backing an independent investigation, the United States on Monday blocked the adoption of a UN statement that would have called for an independent probe.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley on Tuesday launched a stinging attack on Iranian aggression in the Middle East, deploring a "double standard," condemning Hamas provocation and said ally Israel had acted with restraint.

EUROPEANS UNITE

"No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has," Haley told the council. "In fact the records of several countries here today suggest they would be much less restrained."

To suggest that the violence had anything to do with the relocation of the US embassy was a smoke screen, she said.

"The Hamas terrorist organization has been inciting violence for years, long before the United States decided to move our embassy," she said. "Make no mistake, Hamas is pleased with the results from yesterday," she added.

"The United States deplores the loss of human life," she said.

Britain, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden - the five European nations on the council - joined Belgium, Germany and Italy in a statement calling on Israel to "refrain from excessive use of force" and on Hamas "to avoid provocation" and ensure that protests remain non violent.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, briefed the Security Council by video link from Jerusalem.

"This cycle of violence in Gaza needs to end," he said. "I have repeatedly called on all to exercise restraint, for all necessary steps to avoid an escalation of violence and for all incidents to be fully investigated."

Israel lays the blame squarely with Hamas, accusing Gaza's Islamist rulers of war crimes. Its ambassador urged the Security Council to condemn the faction.

"Only then will justice be served," Danny Danon told reporters. Israel, he said, regretted "every casualty."

"How many Palestinians have to die before you take action" implored the Palestinian envoy. "Why are we the exception? Why are you paralysed?" he asked the Council.
At Hoa Lu historical - cultural relic site (Source: VNA)

He told the media on May 15 in response to a group of Chinese tourists wearing T-shirts featuring the illicit nine-dash line map that suggests Chinas groundless territorial claims in the East Sea while entering Nha Trang city, the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.

It was not until they passed immigration procedures that authorities realised their clothes featured the map.

Tuan urged localities to direct tourists, inbound and outbound travel agencies abide by legal regulations, preventing similar occurrences and impacts on tourism cooperation between the two countries.

He took the occasion to ask tour operators to learn from the lesson and better monitor visitors.

In 2014, a Chinese couple were caught attempting to bring bundles of world maps showing the illicit nine-dash line into Vietnam through Moc Bai border gate in the southern province of Tay Ninh.

The nine-dash line is a widely rejected cow tongue-shaped line illegally created by China to claim its sovereignty over about 80 percent of the East Sea, including Vietnams Paracel (Hoang Sa) and Spratly (Truong Sa) archipelagoes.

Vietnam has consistently rejected Chinas territorial claims as they are not based on any legal foundation and violate the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Patricia Pat A. Baustian age 93, of Alexandria died on Thursday, October 7, 2021, at Knute Nelson. A Celebration of Life Service will be held 10:30 AM on Saturday, October 16, 2021, at United Methodist Church in Alexandria. Visitation will be held for one prior to the service at the church.
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PROVIDENCE, R.I., May 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Smithfield Foods, Inc. and BJs Wholesale Club joined forces to donate more than 38,000 pounds of protein to The Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Smithfields contribution was part of the companys 2018 Helping Hungry Homes donation tour. Now in the programs 10th year, Helping Hungry Homes is Smithfields signature hunger-relief initiative focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure. The donation, equivalent to more than 154,000 servings, will help families fight hunger across Rhode Island.



At The Rhode Island Community Food Bank, our mission is to improve the quality of life for all Rhode Islanders by advancing solutions to resolve hunger, said Andrew Schiff, CEO of The Rhode Island Community Food Bank. This large-scale protein donation from Smithfield Foods is greatly appreciated and will help the food-insecure individuals in our community.

Smithfield and BJs representatives presented the donation to The Rhode Island Community Food Bank at an event at the food bank this morning. Members of all three organizations discussed food insecurity in the local community and the significance of this donation in helping the nearly one in eight individuals who face hunger each day in Rhode Island.

This is the 21st large scale protein donation made by Smithfield to food banks across the country during its 2018 Helping Hungry Homes tour. Since the programs inception in 2008, Smithfield has provided more than 100 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts, and community outreach programs nationwide.

By partnering with organizations such as The Rhode Island Community Food Bank and BJs Wholesale Club we will make progress towards eliminating food insecurity for our neighbors in need, said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. We are hopeful that this donation will inspire others to support this cause and their local community.

For more information about Smithfield Foods Helping Hungry Homes initiative and a list of upcoming donation events, visit helpinghungryhomes.com.

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 The Rhode Island Community Food Bank

The Rhode Island Community Food Bank distributes food to 57,000 struggling Rhode Islanders each month through a statewide network of 155 member agencies including food pantries, meal sites, shelters, youth programs and senior centers. The Food Bank solicits food donations from the public and from the food industry, including supermarkets, food manufacturers and growers. To keep up with the high demand for food assistance, the Food Bank also acquires food at low cost from wholesalers. This year, the Food Bank distributed 9.5 million pounds of food. The Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, the nations largest domestic hunger-relief organization. For more information, visit www.rifoodbank.org.

About BJs Wholesale Club

Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ's is the leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The company currently operates 215 clubs and 134 BJ's Gas locations in 16 states. BJ's provides a one-stop shopping destination filled with top-quality, leading brands, including its exclusive Wellsley Farms and Berkley Jensen brands, along with USDA Choice meats, premium produce and delicious organics, many in supermarket sizes. BJ's is also the only major membership warehouse club to accept all manufacturers' coupons.

Visit www.BJs.com, and for exclusive content find us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

BJ's is wholly owned by affiliates of Leonard Green & Partners, CVC Capital Partners and its management team.

Media Contacts:

Dalton Agency for Smithfield

Jana Beasley

(904) 534-8568

jbeasley@daltonagency.com The Rhode Island Community Food Bank

Hugh C. Minor IV

(401) 230-1674

hminor@rifoodbank.org BJs Wholesale Club

Jennie Hardin

(774) 512-6978

jhardin@bjs.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/ac3ac983-48e7-4f19-ad54-7a6041f3f706
St Marys First School Musical Instruments Competition

Children at St Marys First School have been exploring how sound is made during their music lessons and have learned how to reduce, reuse and recycle during school assemblies.

To put this knowledge into practice Mrs Clinton, the schools music teacher, decided to organise a competition on Making Musical Instruments from Recycled and Reused Materials. The successful competition saw 172 entries and a winner was chosen from every year group.

Minister for Education and Environment, John Cortes visited the school to present the prizes to the winners, and viewed the instruments together with Mrs Clinton and the St Marys Head teacher Jessica Sanguinetti.

The winners were: Clara Pereira Rodrigues (Reception year), Jaxson Devine (Year1), Amelie Dies Homatyano (Year2) and Molly Sacramento and Isaac Eveleigh (Year3). All the participating children received a certificate.

Minister John Cortes said, This has been a tremendous way of increasing awareness in the children of the problem of waste through an understanding of music and how musical instruments work. The display was impressive and the commitment of the teachers, children, and the support of parents and grandparents was so evident. They must all be congratulated.
Well Person Unit at PCC to Include Comprehensive Sexual Health Service

The Ministry of Health and the Gibraltar Health Authority have announced the introduction of a comprehensive Sexual Health Service to provide a confidential and non-judgmental service. This new centralised service will allow patients access to an experienced and professional source of advice to help them make informed choices for their family planning.

In a statement released today, the Health Ministry explains 'There is no doubt that this key service is very much needed and the GHA are dedicated to providing the best level and quality of service in this respect. As such, this service will be launched as part of an overall Well Person Unit, which will also include Well Man and Well Woman services to improve health and wellbeing in our community. The Well Person Unit will open during Sexual Health Week in September 2018.'

A very experienced expert in the field and local GP has been engaged to establish the new service. Her role will be to work with all local services and bring their expertise together in this one Unit. Advice and guidance will be sought from the Education Department and local schools and youth groups to create teaching programs for young people to help them make balanced and informed future life choices. The direction of the Director of Public Health, the Health Promotion Department and Infection Control Departments have guided the Units core services based on their own long and considered experience. The Nursing Department will advise on staffing and daily operational needs.

Many challenges have been encountered in the background work for this service, in particular, proposing and designing a Unit that deals in a difficult and sensitive area of medicine. Persons requiring any of these services will be attending the Well Person Unit at the Primary Care Centre, which encompasses various Clinics, including; Well Man and Well Woman Screening Clinics, as well as Sexual Health and Family Planning. This means that any person attending can do so knowing that their presence within the Unit will not indicate the reasons for their visit. In addition to this, meticulous consideration was taken concerning processing of test results. The anonymisation of test requests and results means only the GHAs Medical Director, the Deputy Medical Director and a patients clinician will be able to identify the name of the patient in question.

'Sexual health is a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction, or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence.'

Director of Primary Care, Dr Krishna Rawal commented: This is a service that has been long awaited, much discussed and extensively planned. The support of Minister Costa has been the pivotal point that has turned this idea in to a reality and for that I am hugely grateful. The benefit to our community will be enormous, not only straight away but as an investment in our families, our youth and our future. I would like to personally thank my excellent Clinical Nurse Manager Suzanne Romero who has dedicated so many hours to this amazing project and whose expertise and experience have been invaluable.

Minister for Health, Care and Justice, the Honourable Neil F. Costa MP said: The creation of this Unit will be one of the best examples of the collaboration between patient groups and clinicians. For Gibraltar, this will be an entirely new service, but many of the elements are already being provided at separate locations and by different teams. To bring them together will create a comprehensive and streamlined service that will develop and grow, and fill a well-needed gap in our health care provision. I am truly grateful to all of our highly dedicated health professionals who have been involved in the creation of this important service, and have succeeded in overcoming various challenges along the way. Mr Nathan Lightbody and Ms Sandra Netto of the Infection Control Unit, members of the Health Promotion Unit, the Hospital Pharmacy, the Prescribing Unit and the Pathology Department, along with the Youth Services and Department of Education have all contributed towards this project. I wish to sincerely thank them all for their excellent work.
Bill Cosby leaving court on April 12, 2018. Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images

After being found guilty last month of three felony counts for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in his home in 2004, Bill Cosby will be sentenced on September 24 and 25, according to a new court order issued today by Judge Steven ONeill at the Montgomery County Courthouse outside of Philadelphia. Typically, sentencing occurs within a 90-day window from the date the verdict is announced.

Cosby, who turns 81 in July, faces up to ten years on each of the three counts hes been charged with for a maximum of 30 years in prison. While many legal experts predict its unlikely the elderly comedian will be sentenced to the maximum of three decades behind bars, Cosby will need to serve at least some mandatory time, even if it ends up being house arrest due to his legal blindness.

Depending on what the judge decides, Cosby is likely to be sent directly to jail following the September hearings, probably the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Eagleville, PA, or a state prison within the commonwealth.

The comedian is presently being evaluated by the court to determine his state of physical and mental health, and if he poses a risk to society. His lifetime of social work and philanthropic efforts will also be taken into consideration by the court upon sentencing. During the last few weeks, Cosby has been stripped of many honorary degrees, and his famous sitcom The Cosby Show has been pulled from syndication.

Cosby is currently under house arrest on a $1 million bond, during which time he must wear a GPS tracking device. Cosby is not allowed to leave his home except for medical appointments and to meet with his lawyers. If he would need to leave the state, his travel must be arranged in advance and approved by the court. Cosbys passport was revoked when he was found guilty after prosecutors cited concerns that he may be a flight risk.

Initially, the DA in this controversial case asked that Cosby be remanded to prison immediately following the guilty verdict. Judge ONeill decided against it, opting instead to allow the comedian to await sentencing at his mansion due to his age and poor health.

During the two-day sentencing, its expected that witnesses will be permitted to give statements either for or against Cosby. There is no word on how many potential victims and accusers will be able to give their statements, or whether members of Cosbys family will also appear at the hearing. Pennsylvania law allows Cosby to make a statement on his own behalf even though he did not testify in either of his two criminal trials.

Its expected that his legal team will appeal the guilty verdict, and they have 10 days from sentencing in Pennsylvania to do so. Cosby also faces several civil trials in California starting this summer.
Noe. Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Im so used to bad reviews, Gaspar Noe told me yesterday, on a rooftop in Cannes. He wasnt lamenting their existence, though: I really enjoy them when theyre very mean! Ive always wanted to make a poster out of my bad reviews and frame it.

To tout his new film Climax, Noe essentially did just that. The one-sheet for the movie features a picture of the 54-year-old director with a demonic smile on his face and ticks off Noes other taboo-pushing projects like a harrowing walk down memory lane. You despised I Stand Alone, the poster taunts, referencing Noes incest-laden debut. You hated Irreversible, it adds, and many critics certainly did, thanks to the movies scenes of graphic rape and violence. Then, after sneering at the squares who panned his last two projects  the hallucinogenic Enter the Void and the pornographic Love  the poster throws down the gauntlet: Now try Climax.

Heres the twist: This past week at the Cannes Film Festival, after the press finally got the chance to sample Climax  a wild horror musical where a dance troupes spiked drinks cause them to turn on one another  the critics actually went gaga for it. Noe, a natural-born provocateur, had somehow made a crowd-pleasing hit. They said its like a Busby Berkeley movie directed by Pasolini, or Fame directed by the Marquis de Sade, said Noe. He shook his head, not yet used to all the acclaim. I expected a worse response than my previous movies, he admitted. The last movie I did had 85 percent negative press. On this one, I said, I hope I get 90.

Climax came together quickly after a friend, the dancer Lea Vlamos, invited Noe to a voguing ball in Paris last summer. The energy was so happening, so crazy, said Noe. Ive never been to a party or a club that I enjoyed as much. The director found himself inspired by all the young dancers, and after meeting the well-connected DJ Kiddy Smile, Noe was introduced to even more. Noe had been contemplating another film project at the time  something shamanistic, he said  and decided to adapt his idea to suit a group of dancers for a down-and-dirty project he could shoot in no more than two weeks.

Off a one-page outline, he enticed The Mummy star Sofia Boutella to topline the film. Boutella, a former dancer, convinced Noe to hire Nina McNeely to choreograph Climax  a decision that paid off in spades, since the films first, extended dance sequence is an all-time marvel. Once the other dancers were hired, Noe gave free rein to them to improvise even, though none of them but Boutella had ever acted onscreen before.

I was always asking them to bring their own ideas because people are never better than when they are doing it their own way, said Noe. It was very fun to create the movie like a collective. I was asking every actor, Who do you want to kiss? Who do you want to fuck? Originally, I told Sofia her character would cheat, and I asked her, Who do you want to play your lover? She picked the guy, and I said, Who do you want to be the other man, the friend that you kiss in front of your lover to make him suffer? And she said, Id rather have a girl.

Noe set the film in the mid-1990s, a time when many of the dancers in the film had not yet been born. Some of them are 18! he said, flabbergasted. Most of the others were 21, 22. Still, he was amused to usher his young cast into a pre-iPhone era. I still cant get used to a smartphone, said Noe. Theres something I really dislike about it, but for a new generation, life without smartphones never existed.

Noe will be counting on that generation to embrace Climax, and hell have significant help: The hip distributor A24 picked up his movie this week after its gangbusters Croisette debut. Im happy that the movies probably going to be commercial, said Noe. It was not meant to be, but my only commercial success ever was Irreversible, and that wasnt meant to be commercial, either.

In the meantime, Noe has been enjoying a surprisingly stress-free Cannes. He threw a raucous beach party for his cast, but was too timid to join most of them on the dance floor: I love dancing, but Im so impressed by these people that I cant, he said. The only thing I can do better than them is holding the camera. Noe also took in the most controversial film of the festival: Lars von Triers ultraviolent, button-pushing serial-killer tale The House That Jack Built. Naturally, he was a fan.

I thought it was so funny! said Noe. He has a very cold humor, but I enjoyed it so much. Its like a Todd Solondz movie, so dark. All the sadistic scenes were so funny that people were staring at me because I couldnt stop laughing.

As Noe recalled how angry von Triers film made his fellow moviegoers, he grinned. Whether it was a smile born from empathy or envy, I couldnt tell.
Photo: Frans Schellekens/Redferns

One of the first things I thought about when I heard that Glenn Branca had died from throat cancer at the age of 69 earlier this week, is the sound that the electric guitar makes when feeding back uncontrollably  and about what the person cradling that screaming guitar may be liable to do next.

Many people, when confronted with the metallic squall of an electrical signal making its boisterous return back from the point of amplification, try to extinguish it. Back when America was supposedly great, this desire to reestablish a quieter, more organized sound space was commonly regarded as normal. But much of the last five decades in music  popular, definitely; art, more than most high-brow institutions admit  has been determined by subverting technology. And one of the remaining, defining soundtracks of the so-called American century is the incomplete survey of such unholy dins made by the products of once-legendary manufacturers such as Fender and Marshall squaring off in deafening, high-pitched battles.

Which is why the image that cracked open my head was not that of a hand reaching for a volume control, but of numerous bodies rushing toward the amp to further instigate the cacophony  or maybe to control it, not for the purpose of suppression, but of deliverance. The identity of the perpetrators changing continuously  the noise setting them all free.

It is my understanding that Glenn Branca  one of the handsomely scruffy members of New Yorks legendary art downtown of the 1970s and 80s, child of two musical liberation theologies (John Cage minimalism and CBGBs punk rock), who wrote his name in the canon by composing symphonies which featured anywhere from a few to a shitload of amplified six-string instruments  recoiled at the idea of being known as the guitar guy. He had a point.

Instead, Branca was an ideas guy with a sense of charismatic, puritanical independence formed not only by the fires of the creative revolts he immersed himself in, but by the social and economic constraints that guided the increasingly colossal act of his creation. The dramatic scale of the work kept building, and his stature as chain-smoking champion sage of the citys experimental music codified into an essential New York story, but Brancas anti-Establishment streak never allowed him to climax uptown.

Though guitars feature prominently in every single one of his works  from the fuel-injected Ramones-like romp of the short-lived rock group, Theoretical Girls, to the 16th and last (?) symphony he premiered during his lifetime (subtitled, Orgasm)  they were merely conduits, not meant to be played either unaccompanied or with virtuosity. As with many works of 20th-century art that embraced the reductive notion that less could be much much more  even when less meant a hundred guitars  Brancas blowouts contained the appearance of ragged democracy, a sense of collectivism, advocating a lack of technique that seemed to evolve into a kind of technique itself.

When experienced live, his long pieces especially became a kind of fever dream come to life, in which the right progression, if executed with enough force and volume, by enough people, could indeed work to lift you out of the bodily confines and set you free. You start hearing choirs singing, Branca told Robert Barry at The Quietus a few years ago, and thats kind of what Im after. Of course that sort of spiritual definition is too limiting; and so, somewhat wisely, he added, Actually, depending on where you put your attention  everybody in the audience is really hearing something very different.

The expression of that sort of freedom is a powerful narcotic. Even if you are not an immigrant kid whose formative art years were overseen by a materfamilias rooted in the musicological and literary wings of a totalitarian state with a cultural legacy that pitted proletarian social realism against the classical romanticism of the overeducated. Both equally hopeless; I was/am.

The America I found myself slouching towards in 1976 contained the promise of another way forward  as well as a set of myths Ive been struggling to unspool ever since. At the time, it didnt matter that I had no idea I was landing in a New York seized by revolution; my attention to possibility was already becoming radicalized from seeing the size of a Cadillac and of the World Trade Center, from watching Julius Erving fly through the air, from tasting a kiwi fruit, and from hearing Saturday Night Fever and Chuck Berry pump out of the radio. All real-life monuments to the imagination.

Of the senses, it was sound that best helped map this imagined future, providing kinship in navigating the journey that began at freedom from and headed towards freedom to. After an ensuing decade-plus of crisscrossing daydream nations and traversing diamond seas  because, of course, I only learned about Glenns work from interviews with Sonic Youth members whod met in his Ensemble in the early 80s (Neutral, Brancas label, also put out their first records, as well as the first Swans album)  arriving at one of his performances (sometime around 95 or 96, at the Kitchen) seemed like the most obvious thing in the world. Which now, considering all the circumstantial pomp, amplified drang and living mass that goes into bringing one together, seems a little odd. I plugged right in. Its largesse and scope returned me right back to the 7-year-old whod just seen his first skyscrapers  the very towers Branca would bring a hundred guitars to for a performance in the summer of 2001, before planes knocked them down.

Aging has required extricating the liberties Id once attributed to America in Brancas work from it. Without a doubt, theyre still in the DNA of all his pieces, but the lusters worn off Americas contribution; the purpose and the process of her dreams are more shadowy. Certainly America doesnt imagine as big as she used to. In fact, the whole notion of grand thinking has changed as well  should we even bother, with the planet dying and all? So have the tools with which to try to make them come true.

Branca seems to have intuited this. In 2016, before a Red Bull Music Academy gig that staged three of his symphonies, he gave a somewhat grumpy interview, declaring that, the Grand Epic is over. At first, he seemed only to be burying New Yorks cultural heyday, but he soon widened the casket  there will never be another John Coltrane. There will never be another Allen Ginsberg  even getting in a dig about the people [who] just want to go to discos. The quote had a lion in winter quality to it, yet the funeral he was describing was of the cult of the great man, not of a culture-at-large, a culture he helped create and whose progress he continues to inspire. It may never have been as democratic as advertised, but the power and range of its feedback has only grown.
Excerpt from the cover of Ms. Marvel No. 3. Photo: Marvel Entertainment/Jamie McKelvie/Matt Wilson

In the past decade, two Marvel Comics characters have been breakout sensations: Deadpool and Ms. Marvel. The former has already seen his renown translated to the wider world via the silver screen, with a monster-hit film under his mercenarys belt and a sequel on the way this weekend. The latter character hasnt yet made the leap to the cineplex, but thats likely to change in the not-so-distant future  and some familiar names want in on the action.

But before we get to all that, youre probably asking yourself, who is Ms. Marvel? Well, Ms. Marvel was once the alter ego of a character named Carol Danvers, who has Superman-esque powers and has been punching around the Marvel universe since the late 1960s. In 2012, Marvels leadership saw fit to have Carol adopt the name Captain Marvel, a title previously held by multiple meta-human figures. (She still goes by that name, and will star in a movie that bears it next year.) For a few years, Ms. Marvel was a defunct moniker. Then, along came Sana Amanat.

A Pakistani-American from New Jersey, Amanat had been an editor at Marvel since 2009. In a conversation with fellow editor Steve Wacker, Amanat concocted the notion of a superhero with a similar background to her own. They reached out to writer (and practicing Muslim) G. Willow Wilson and artist Adrian Alphona, and, as a result of the quartets efforts, a new character was born: Kamala Khan. She was to be a teenage Muslim, Pakistani-American hero from Jersey City, and she made her debut in 2014. Shes whats called an Inhuman (yes, like the terrible canceled TV series), and her unique genetic makeup allows her to heal quickly and grow and shrink at will. Her starring series, Ms. Marvel, was an unexpected smash, with the first issue going to print run after print run and the collected edition of the first story line becoming a best seller. Shes become a staple of Marvels printed output, with her Wilson-penned solo title dishing out consistently engrossing monthly tales of city-saving and teenage introspection.

Of course, the true sign of a superheros success these days is getting into a major motion picture. Fans have clamored for a big-screen Kamala for years, and it looks like their wish may soon be granted. A few days ago, Marvel Studios grand pooh-bah Kevin Feige told the BBC, Ms. Marvel, which is another character in the comic books, the Muslim hero who is inspired by Captain Marvel, is definitely sort of in the works. We have plans for that once we introduce Captain Marvel. Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will know that a Captain Marvel movie has been in the works for years (now starring Oscar-winner Brie Larson as the titular heroine) and that it was recently teased at the end of Infinity War.

Marvel is planning to do Miss Marvel after Captain Marvel yall



Muslims. Prepare to finally be represented. pic.twitter.com/SKFofLDmBt  R A D  (@StaarksHeart) May 12, 2018

A couple of days later, perhaps inspired by this news, Riz Ahmed  himself of Pakistani descent  took to Twitter to state for the record that he wants to write a Ms. Marvel movie. But he doesnt want to do it alone  he tagged fellow people of South Asian descent Kumail Nanjiani and Mindy Kaling as potential co-scribes.

So when do @MarvelStudios want me @mindykaling @kumailn to get started on the MsMarvel screenplay ?  Riz Ahmed (@rizmc) May 16, 2018

Amanat was intrigued.

Matters escalated when Kaling popped in to say that, not only was she game, shes an avid reader of the source material.

Riz! I am obsessed with this comic book, Ive read them all. I love Kamala Khan. https://t.co/f3PevhfUzv  Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) May 16, 2018

Wilson, upon seeing this commotion, was overwhelmed.

I may have fainted.  https://t.co/OJd8MuOt4R  G. of House Ibuprofen, First of Her Name (@GWillowWilson) May 16, 2018

Ahmed responded by saying hed be willing to take a back seat to the creative direction of Wilson and Amanat.

P.S. if we bamboozled then into commissioning us we would just hand the pen over to @GWillowWilson on the sly OBVIOUSLY, let her and @MiniB622 call all the shots  https://t.co/tVaKeJeC7i  Riz Ahmed (@rizmc) May 16, 2018

But Wilson said the Hollywood types should feel free to take the lead.

No no--Sana and I would be HONORED if Riz and Mindy wanted to screenwrite anything involving Ms Marvel. Superheroes are collaborative efforts. They never belong to a single person. Riz would bring experiences+talents to the project that I could not. I would be delighted. https://t.co/mVOtgpJMIz  G. of House Ibuprofen, First of Her Name (@GWillowWilson) May 16, 2018

Okay, so, obviously, people in the geekosphere are losing their minds over all of this. Its certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that Feige and his people are paying attention and might be intrigued. But even if a movie doesnt work out, a comics project might come to pass. Amanat first raised the possibility.

Kaling seemed up for it.

Shes incredible! Just want to support her any way I can!  Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) May 16, 2018

And a meeting was offered.

We sooo appreciate it! If youre in NY come to @marvel so we can show you what we have in store!  sana amanat (@MiniB622) May 16, 2018

As of now, Nanjiani has yet to weigh in. Could all of this materialize into something? Nerds wouldnt be crazy to embiggen their expectations.
Photo: Maya Robinson/Vulture

When Todd Haynes was working on Safe, the 1995 film starring Julianne Moore as a housewife who becomes increasingly allergic to the world around her, he expressed frustration over the classification of gay cinema. It wasnt that he felt the category was pigeonholing, like some might today, but rather that it should be more exacting. People define gay cinema solely by content: if there are gay characters in it, its a gay film, he said in an interview in the spring 1993 issue of Film Quarterly. Heterosexuality to me is a structure as much as it is a content. It is an imposed structure that goes along with the patriarchal, dominant structure that constrains and defines society. If homosexuality is the opposite or the counter-sexual activity to that, he asked, then what kind of a structure would it be?

The critique would apply to any number of films from the past decade that are nominally LGBT in content, but not queer in structure. Weve entered a boom time for LGBT film, and the movies released in the past decade boast a mainstream appeal, with straight actors now more than ever willing to play an LGBT character. There have been Oscar-validated prestige pictures (Milk, The Kids Are All Right, The Dallas Buyers Club, Call Me by Your Name), and corresponding flops (Stonewall, Freeheld), indie films (Princess Cyd, Tangerine), and commercial middlebrow ones (Love, Simon). While these films vary in intent, provenance, and quality, they encapsulate a similar catholic spirit: rather than assert difference, they point out similarities. They apply salve instead of salt. Theyre safe, often boring, and sentimental, following familiar emotional arcs to tell a universal story. In short, were in a movie moment defined by the political sensibility of the gay-marriage movement.

Depending on your viewpoint, the legalization of gay marriage is either the greatest recent civil-rights victory or a myopic apportionment of rights. It was a beloved cause for progressives, but a philosophically conservative one. The rhetoric  love is love (is love is love)  was generic and effective, suggesting that the only thing that separates gay people from straight ones was semantics. More and more Americans [have] come to understand what this is all about is a simple proposition: Who do you love? thenVice-President Joe Biden said a few years before the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide in 2013, ten years after it become the prevailing LGBT issue. I think Will and Grace did more to educate the American public more than almost anything anybody has done so far. People fear that which is different. Now theyre beginning to understand.

The political language around sameness  that they are just like us  moved out of the ballot box and into film. Part of this is a rhetorical strategy to sell movies to a heterosexual public. Luca Guadagnino has called Call Me by Your Name a family film; Rachel Weisz called Disobedience, her recent passion project about a lesbian relationship in an Orthodox Jewish community in London, a universal story. Alia Shawkat, the star and writer of Duck Butter, a movie about a 24-hour relationship between two women, emphasized the importance of normalization. Eventually I want to get to the point where were watching movies and the storys not about the fact that theyre gay, or about the fact that theyre black, or about the fact that theyre trans  they just are. And were just watching that persons life, she told Vulture. Thats how it becomes more normalized.

Beyond discourse, the question of what makes a film queer has become subsumed by aesthetics and narratives that display a straight gaze. The most egregious example is one of the most recent: Love, Simon, a gay bildungsroman whose political and moral center is that its protagonist Simon is Not That Kind of Gay. Simon is a blandly handsome high-school teenager (Nick Robinson) who spends much of the film assuring the (hetero) audience that hes just like them. For the most part, my life is totally normal, he says in the expository voice-over. He lives in a big two-story house; his parents are played by L.L.Bean catalogue models Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel; he gets a car with a big red ribbon on it for his birthday like a holiday car commercial. Im just like you except I have one huge-ass secret, he says. Nobody knows Im gay.

So what kind of gay is he not? Well, hes certainly not like the only out gay student at his school named Ethan, a black femme student (Clark Moore) who delivers many of the movies only jokes. In a scene where a couple of jocks are bullying Ethan, Simon remarks, I wish Ethan wouldnt make it so easy for them. When Ethan and Simon finally talk in the end, rather than have Ethan push back against just how good Simon has it, the film whiffs and has Ethan act as a sympathetic shoulder to lean on. Ethan remains a patsy, offering reassurance rather than resistance to the implicit assumption that Simon is relatable precisely because hes white, masculine, and upper-middle class. The gravest injustice in Love, Simon is that a gay white boy couldnt have grown up like a straight white boy.

Its easy to castigate Love, Simon, but its the middlebrow iteration of a widespread sensibility that trades in sentimentality as a way to render LGBT people sympathetic. Prestige pictures go a step further, populating their stories with dying, saintlike queers who cut themselves open and offer up their tragedy for our moral edification, whether its Julianne Moore as the terminally ill Laurel Hester in Freeheld or David Frances uncomfortable fixation on Marsha P. Johnsons death in the documentary The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson. (Its no accident that death comes before life in the title.) The Oscar-winning Dallas Buyers Club chose to tell the story of the AIDS crisis through a homophobic straight white man Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), who realizes the error of his ways after he becomes HIV-positive. It isnt until the end, after Rayon (Jared Leto), a drug-addicted trans woman, bequeaths him with largesse before she dies, that he too understands community. Her death sanctifies him and, in turn, the viewer who might harbor similar biases.

These are meek films that ask for both forgiveness and permission to exist. Think of the softness of Call Me by Your Name  a beautiful but anemic film that lacks the straight-into-your-veins immediacy of the original novel by Andre Aciman. When it comes to sex between the two protagonists, the teenage Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and grad student Oliver (Armie Hammer), Call Me by Your Name is practically demure. In the moment when Oliver and Elio have sex for the first time, the camera pans to look outside the window. When the pair arrive in Rome on a couples getaway, they get to the hotel room and start roughhousing as though they havent been having sex in secret for the past three weeks. The film stopped short, as though fearful of what might be considered prurient or in bad taste.

Its no surprise, then, that weve seen a slew of biopics in recent years: movies that eschew the darkly sexual, depraved, or fraught aspects of biography in favor of empowerment. Gay films have become more concerned with the process of canonization, and the biopic is a favorite vehicle through which to legitimize historical figures, as Gus Van Sants Milk did with San Francisco politician Harvey Milk or The Imitation Game did with British WWII code-cracker Alan Turing. The 2017 Billie Jean King biopic Battle of the Sexes sanitized the complicated and disturbing aspects of Kings relationship with Marilyn Barnett to turn her into an equal-rights hero. Then theres Roland Emmerichs 2015 film Stonewall, which went so far as to whitewash history by creating a fictional protagonist  a young, white male character named Danny (Jeremy Irvine)  who moves to New York from the Midwest to throw the first brick during the Stonewall riots of 1969. Hes the surrogate through which we meet the real-life, historical figures of color, including Marsha P. Johnson (Otoja Abit) and Sylvia Rivera, who becomes a composite character named Ray (Jonny Beauchamp).

If LGBT films today are framed by gay marriage, then the queer films of Hayness day, in the late 80s and early 90s, were defined by the AIDS crisis. The worlds of activism, art, experimental film, and cheap New York City rent collided to create a fertile time the film critic B. Ruby Rich named New Queer Cinema. New Queer Cinema had punch and swagger; it was acerbic, witty, subversive, and campy, spanning a vast range of aesthetics, genres, and histories, led by a group of filmmakers and artists that eventually included Haynes, Van Sant, Jennie Livingston, Isaac Julien, Sadie Benning, Marlon Riggs, Cheryl Dunye, and many others. Most importantly, they didnt care about approval or acceptance. Film scholar Michele Aaron wrote that the defining feature of New Queer Cinema was an attitude of defiance  whether it was the HIV-positive cop-killers on the run in Gregg Arakis The Living End or the homicidal couple that consecrates their self-sanctioned marriage by murdering a child in Tom Kalins Swoon, these were filmmakers who found liberation by embracing the margins. They were bold, sexy, dangerous, and depraved  radical in both content and form. Instead of running away from the accusation that queers were deviants, degenerates, and criminals, NQC films embraced it. When the Gay Liberation Front called out Perverts of the world unite! it was NQC that heard that call.

A still from Isaac Juliens black-and-white elegy Looking for Langston. Photo: Bfi/Sankofa Film/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

In fact, much of what made New Queer Cinema so transgressive is how it reimagined history in joyous, sometimes twisted ways. There are singing anuses in John Greysons musical Zero Patience, a historical corrective about Gaetan Dugas, the Canadian flight attendant who had been vilified by the media and scientific community as patient zero of the AIDS crisis. Cheryl Dunyes The Watermelon Woman created a fictional queer black actress named Fae Richards as a way to reimagine classic Hollywood. Derek Jarmans exquisite Edward II, an adaptation of the Christopher Marlowe history play, makes King Edward II and Piers Gavestons relationship the central narrative. And Isaac Juliens Looking for Langston (1989), a nonnarrative film about Langston Hughes, mixes archival footage with fiction to build a genealogy of queer black men beginning with the Harlem Renaissance, moving to James Baldwin and then the present. All of these films search in-between the lines of the historical record, for the people that history forgot. Even today, they ask: Who keeps the historical record?

Related Stories A Beginners Guide to New Queer Cinema

Its dismaying, then, to see that subversion erode over time. Perhaps portending its ultimate demise, Hayness Poison won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 1991, while Jennie Livingstons documentary about the Harlem ball scene, Paris Is Burning, won the documentary prize. Hollywood seized upon the burgeoning market for LGBT cinema (think Philadelphia and In & Out), and by 1999, New York Times described the films at the New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival as giddy gay lite. What was once queer and fringe had been gentrified into something more easily categorizable, consumable, and thus marketable.

This isnt to say that a queer sensibility  something subversive, punk, and anti-authoritarian  has vanished. Queerness, by nature, is hard to define, and equally hard to stamp out. There have certainly been queer films in the intervening years, including But Im a Cheerleader and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. More recently, you can see it in BPM, Robin Campillos expansive film about ACT UP in the early 90s in Paris, where love for community, and a symphony of voices arguing, protesting, and fucking fill the film; its in the liminality of Moonlight, where what often resonates are the things left unsaid; its in the wildness of The Ornithologist, the brashness of Xavier Dolan films, the claustrophobia of the aforementioned Duck Butter, and the films of Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Cui Zien. You may notice that many of these werent made within the Hollywood machinery. And if this years Cannes Film Festival lineup is any indication, queer foreign films will continue to lead the charge, with the Kenyan coming-of-age story Rafiki, the Argentinian murder-twink film The Angel, and a slew of French films including Gaspar Noes dance-horror movie Climax, Sauvage, Knife + Heart, and Sorry Angel. Meanwhile, in America, coming up we have The Miseducation of Cameron Post (think a humorless But Im a Cheerleader); Ideal Home, a comedy where Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan play a wealthy couple suddenly raising a kid; the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody starring Rami Malek that has already been accused of hetwashing; and a Love, Simon look-alike, Alex Strangelove.

Hollywood liberalism and the marketplace have converged to create an environment where being the first is confused with innovation, when actually, its just evidence that gay people can be commercially viable, too. While the AIDS crisis produced a rupture that galvanized art and activism, today were in a paradigm where a cadre of gay men and women are a part of the Establishment, and there is a greater compulsion to work within channels of power rather than outside of them. The era of gay marriage has created a profound complacency and misunderstanding that the biggest fight has been won; in fact, its only further obscured real and present dangers. In the U.S., there is still no robust, federal anti-discrimination law; theres an alarming HIV epidemic among queer black people, homelessness, and ongoing violence against trans people. There is a pervasive sense that if you are not white and powerful, you will be left to die. We need to recover a cinematic language that captures the exigencies of queer American life, its skin and smoke, thickness and fragility. We need a queer cinema that thinks beyond the limits of commercial tribalism, beauty, and wealth, and toward new, imagined futures. We need a queer cinema that fights back.
Roseanne Netflix & Pill Season 10 Episode 8 Editors Rating 5 stars * * * * *  Previous Next  Photo: Adam Rose/ABC

Roseanne and Dan have been married for 45 years, and their celebration includes a family dinner at Beckys workplace, La Casita Bonita. Summing up the precarious financial situation the entire Conner clan is in, its Dan who whips out his credit card to pay for his own anniversary meal.

In a bright spot, his adult children suggest he might get rewards points for the credit purchase. When he checks, he finds there are enough points (thanks largely to the consolidation of other credit debt onto this card) for a one-night stay at a local mid-range hotel, with enough left over for a freebie that has Dan ready to literally lick his phone screen: a HoneyBaked Ham.

But in a story that the Roseanne reboot continues to drive home, being poor doesnt mean just a lack of opportunities; it can mean not having the resources to take advantage of the opportunities that do pop up. Roseanne and Dan arrive at the Radford Suites, and are promptly greeted by a front desk agent who assesses them and assumes their reservation is a rewards points comp.

The Conners are undeterred by the snotty supposition, but after poking some well-deserved fun at the clerks news about the reservations complimentary access to the 24-hour business center (Capital idea, Dan says, looking at his watch. I need to fax a copy of my ass to our associates in Singapore), things turn sour. Though the room is free, the hotel  like every hotel in the world, the clerk sarcastically points out, and, okay, fair point, dude  requires a credit card to check the Conners in. Dan pulls out that trusty piece of plastic that brought him and Rosie there, but when its declined, the Conners suffer the indignity of the clerks attitude and not being able to enjoy the night that wasnt even truly free to begin with.

Side rant: The Conners earned those points by spending their hard-earned cash. Who hasnt used rewards points, coupons, or discount codes, only to have, at some time, encountered a customer service representative who tried to make you feel bad about it? As if the right to good service belongs only to those who dont use, or dont need, those perks. As if the Conners wouldnt be fools if they didnt take advantage of the rewards points and discounts. Rant over, and we now return to our regularly scheduled recap.

Dan and Roseanne return home and make the best of another bad situation  its what they do  with a little help from a bottle of cheap Champagne Becky gifted them (stole for them?) from La Casita Bonita. Theres also that ham to enjoy, and theyre having a giddy, Mexican hoochaided evening, until Roseanne cant stop laughing, or trying to nosh on Dans leg. Shed almost had to cancel their plans earlier in the day, because of intense pain in her knee, and a lack of meds to help deal with it. Nearly half a bottle of her pills were missing, in fact, sending Jackie into police mode as she questioned Darlene and Harris.

But as shes sitting on the Conner living room floor with Dan, laughing uncontrollably and trying to take a bite out of his leg, he realizes something is wrong. A couple of glasses of alcohol wouldnt have her acting like this. When he presses her about it, in her uninhibited state, she reveals a big secret: Shes been hiding a stash of pills.

She wakes up the next day  the next afternoon  and Dan confronts her with the three bottles of pain meds he found. Theyre prescriptions shes gotten from other people. Dan had planned on using his back problems to obtain another prescription, for Roseanne (whos two weeks away from a refill of her own), but now, all he wants to know is how big her pill problem is.

Roseannes in an incredible amount of pain  the previous nights extra doses have worn off  and she tells Dan this is her way of coping. She needs surgery, but they dont have the $3,000 deductible needed to schedule it, and thats how the thing she used to deal with her problem has become another problem. When Dan tries to sympathize by mentioning his back pain, Roseanne tells him its not the same.

I got these pills because Im going to be dealing with this for a long time, Roseanne says. And when your back goes out, you lay on the couch for two weeks, and I wait on you hand and foot. You know what happens when my knee hurts? I do the cleaning, the shopping, the cooking 

He says hell take care of the household chores. And hell do whatever he has to do to get that $3,000. Anything is better than his wife of 45 years overdosing. Dan goes for a walk to clear his head, pill bottles in his pocket. He tells Roseanne hell dole out to her one pill every six hours, as the prescriptions (for other people) were written.

When he leaves, Roseanne goes for her own relief, an ice bag from the freezer. She puts it on her knee, then opens it up, to make sure her last secret stash of pain meds is still tucked away in a plastic bag inside.

Couch Surfing

 None of the Conner siblings can afford to treat their parents to dinner, but things might be looking up for Darlene and Becky. Family friend Crystal is retiring from her job as a cocktail waitress at the local casino, and she can choose her replacement. Becky wants the job; Darlene doesnt. But Dan points out that, because it includes full benefits, Darlene owes it to her kids to take it. That means Beckys still stuck at La Casita Bonita, but Darlene pays her back for allowing Darlene to take the gig: She does the research to find a nearby college where Becky can get financial aid to earn a degree in hotel and restaurant management at night or online, and Darlene gives her sister the first peek at her in her embarrassing, skimpy casino waitress costume.

 Darlene offers to babysit the kids while Dan and Roseanne have their hotel night. Its not babysitting when theyre yours! Roseanne reminds her.

 Darlene, looking at the themed waitress outfits Becky and Crystal have to wear: I didnt know exactly when the womens movement would end, but now seems like a pretty good time to call it.

 Darlene objects to the riverboat whore vibe of Crystals uniform. Dan: You know who wasnt too good to wear that dress? One Mr. Bugs Bunny.

 Yet another example of the comedy brilliance of Laurie Metcalf: Becky calls Mark and Mary baby birds when she has them open their mouths for a helping from the Reddi-wip can. When she turns to her aunt, Jackie has her head back, her mouth wide open, and is flapping her arms at her side.

 Radford is a nod to the address where Roseanne is filmed in Los Angeles.
The two best friends that anybody could have. Photo: Jerome Delay/AFP/Getty Images

Its all been leading up to this. Since the beginning of its final season, The Americans has been teasing us about an upcoming summit, and this week, its finally here: In The Summit, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev will visit Washington, D.C., for three days of face-to-face meetings with U.S. president Ronald Reagan. (Spoiler alert: They both survive.) As Vultures official history explainer, Ill fill you in on exactly what you need to know about the 1987 conference.

Okay. So I know theres a summit and its a big deal, but I havent quite grokked exactly whats at stake.

Everythings at stake! This is the Cold War  nuclear devastation, mutually assured destruction, the president going head-to-head with the leader of the Soviet Union in a high-stakes game of international diplomacy!

Yes, Im watching The Americans, I know about the Cold War.

Okay, Ill calm down now. The summit everyone keeps talking about is the Washington summit of December 1987. It was the first time a Soviet leader had visited Washington since Leonid Brezhnev stopped by in 1973, and the third such meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev, after the Geneva summit of 1985, and the Reykjavik summit of 1986, both of which conveniently happened during The Americans inter-season time jump.

What happened in those?

In one sense, not much: The parties were unable to agree on new arms-reduction deals  though they came very close in Reykjavik  with one particular sticking point being the Strategic Defense Initiative, Reagans proposed system to shoot down nuclear missiles before they hit their targets. (The Soviets feared that if the SDI worked, America would be less squeamish about launching nukes unprovoked.) But even though the two sides didnt come to any agreements in the first summits, the fact that they were sitting down and talking was, in retrospect, a major step forward, as each superpower learned that the other was prepared to negotiate in good faith.

I know about Reagan, but Im not the worlds biggest Gorbachev expert. Whats his deal?

Lets talk about Gorby, the man who, though he didnt know it at the time, would be the last head of the Soviet Union. He came to power in 1985, after the three previous General Secretaries had all died in quick succession. (Its nothing fishy, they were just old.) He was a generation younger than his predecessors, and he seemed to see the structural problems in the Soviet Union more clearly. He introduced the principles of glasnost  freeing dissidents, relaxing censorship, and allowing more public criticism of the regime  and perestroika moving the economy toward something he called market socialism.

I get it, you paid attention in high school.

Wait, Im almost done! Anyway, these reforms took on their own momentum, and Gorbachev soon found himself riding a wave that many others in the Politburo were inclined to resist. In real life, Soviet hard-liners didnt hire the former star of Felicity to work against him, but they wouldve if they couldve.

So, what does history tell us is going to happen at this summit?

The trust that was built up during the first two summits will pay off in Washington, where the two leaders warmed up enough to call each other by their first names. Reagan also retired his evil empire rhetoric for the occasion, and Gorbachev remarked later that he was encouraged by the friendly atmosphere, even enthusiasm to some degree, with which strait-laced Washington met us.

That sounds nice. Did they actually agree on anything?

Yes! The talks resulted in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which called for the elimination of the short- and medium-range nuclear missiles each side had pointing at the other in Europe. The treaty was based on a plan Reagan had introduced back in 1981, and as Tony Judt writes in Postwar, it constituted Soviet acceptance that a nuclear war in Europe was unwinnable. Declassified documents later showed that Gorbachev had been willing to go even further, but the Reagan White House was unwilling and unable to match his concessions.

Why was Gorbachev so willing to concede so much?

It all comes back to glasnost and perestroika. Gorbachev was so focused on the Soviet Unions domestic problems that, in the international sphere, he wasnt so much concerned about getting the best deal as he was about getting any deal that would clear the table and allow him to cut down military spending. As Judt puts it, though typical Cold War logic held that any win for U.S. was a loss for the Soviets, for Gorbachev, securing a more stable international environment was a victory in itself.

In the show, the Soviet military is worried Gorbachev will abandon Dead Hand in the negotiations. Did he?

He did not. By all indications the U.S. did not learn about Dead Hand, also called Perimeter, until the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 90s. Even some Soviets say they were in the dark about it; Gorbachevs top nuclear negotiator told Wired in 2009 that he had had no idea the program existed. (Although he would say that, wouldnt he.) One more fun fact: It possibly still exists!

Last question: What kind of secret spy stuff is Elizabeth going to get up to while Gorbachevs in town?

Thats unclear, though the preview above indicates there will be a whole bunch of cloak-and-dagger-ing. However, shell have a lot to contend with  as the Washington Post reported at the time, Gorbachev was the citys most shielded visitor, with a level of security so tight that the Soviet leader would see less of Washington than the typical tourist from Akron. A Secret Service spokesman called the summit a logistical nightmare, with more that 150 KGB agents joining thousands of U.S. agents in securing the city. Getting past all that is going to take Elizabeth Jenningss most powerful wig.
Photo: A24

Somethings amiss with the young women of Los Angeles, as the case has been as long as people have been making movies about Movietown. But its much easier to notice in the Los Angeles of David Robert Mitchells Under the Silver Lake, and not just because the city seems to be almost entirely populated by headshot-armed 1825-year-olds looking to make it big. Theres a kind of florid defensiveness to their styling; everyones doing the superficial most while keeping their personalities pliable and agreeable and casting-friendly. Meanwhile, their outfits  wide-brimmed hats, abstract face paint, dresses of gold brocade and PVC expressly meant to draw the eye and keep everything else out  grow up around them like hackles.

Lost among them is Andrew Garfield as Sam, an apparently unemployed loser, perpetually stoned and looking in dire need of a shower, yet still somehow able to get it on occasion. Its not clear what Sam is doing in L.A. or what he intended to be doing, but when we meet him he spends most of his time masturbating, playing Nintendo, looking for encoded messages in old VHSes and pop-culture ephemera, and spying on his female neighbors. Hes living a shitpic copy-of-a-copy of The Long Goodbye; hes Philip Marlowe if Philip Marlowe spent way more time on Reddit.

Between this paranoid slacker and the metropolis of strenuously effortful women and a select few powerful men that surround him, Mitchell has crafted a deliberately overwrought mystery that almost feels like a work of interpretive (to put it mildly) anthropology. We follow Sam almost exclusively as he wanders from party to baroquely alienating party, uncovering the hidden secrets he always suspected were there in the fabric of the city and the pop culture it produces, gaining access to underground lairs and impenetrable fortresses. If this sounds a little familiar, then yes  this is a kind of stoned Angeleno Ready Player One. But it does Spielbergs film one better by actually building a world  also a dysfunctional, demographically skewed and extremely male-gaze-driven one  and, on some level, trying to understand how it wound up this way.

Sams adventure starts when his neighbor, Sarah (Riley Keough) disappears seemingly overnight, her apartment vacant. He barely knew her, but they share a kiss the night before her disappearance, and he becomes obsessed with figuring out what happened to her. Theres plenty to be suspicious about, including a roving girl gang led by Zosia Mamet that he catches snooping around the vacant apartment, the simultaneous disappearance of a billionaire mogul, a roving dog-killer, and a cultlike goth band with a ubiquitous earworm of a song. It must all be connected, right?

Maybe. Sams not the most reliable pair of eyes to peer through, and his propensity for manic conspiracy theories drives away at least a couple people in his life. Like select works of Thomas Pynchon or David Lynch (both of whom Under the Silver Lake is heavily indebted to, while for the most part remaining a product of its generation) you kind of wade in knowing the water is teeming with red herrings, and that some of the mysteries will remain mysteries. Like any conspiracy theorist, you sense that landing on an actually airtight unified theory would almost spoil the fun for Mitchell. People who hate Los Angeles  its supposed superficiality, its flakiness, its permanently unknowable foggy corners, its refusal to finish a sentence without a question mark  will likely be driven bonkers.

But perhaps, theyll be right to. I kept coming back to the women in this extremely boy-driven movie  Mitchell suspects that theyre all on one big conveyor belt to be chewed up and spit out by Hollywood, or if theyre lucky, locked away in the dungeons of the rich and powerful. Its a rather pedestrian imagining for an otherwise admirably cuckoo film  you keep hoping for Mitchell to land on something weirder, more radical. Theyre the wallpaper of the film, set dressing and Greek chorus, and pretty soon the commentary on how Hollywood uses women as decoration outweighs the fact that Mitchells just repeating the cycle  albeit with better-than-average outfits. After all the rabbit holes and secret codes and hidden messages, Under the Silver Lake is just sad its not getting laid. But if that doesnt sound like a movie for our time, I dont know what does.
TORONTO, May 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blockchain Power Trust (Blockchain Power or the Trust) (TSXV:BPWR.UN) today released its audited financial results for the year ended December 31, 2017. All amounts in this release are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.



Highlights

Produced 75,865 MW hours ( MWh ) of energy for the year ended December 31, 2017, generating revenue of $12.3 million with $3.2 million from the sale of electricity and $9.1 million from the sale of green certificates.

) of energy for the year ended December 31, 2017, generating revenue of $12.3 million with $3.2 million from the sale of electricity and $9.1 million from the sale of green certificates. In December 2017, the Trust closed the acquisition of OMV Petrom Wind Power SRL ( OMV ), a wind park located in Dobrogea County, Romania, for net consideration of $30.7 million.

), a wind park located in Dobrogea County, Romania, for net consideration of $30.7 million. Total energy production of 173,699 MWh from the Trusts energy projects for the year including pre-acquisition production from OMV.

In 2017, the Trust earned an operating margin (revenues less operating expenses) of $8.5 million, an increase of 44% over 2016 where operating margin was $5.9 million (see reconciliation of operating margin under Non-GAAP Measures described at the end of this press release).

In December 2017, the board approved changing the name of the Trust to Blockchain Power Trust, which was effected in January 2018.

In January 2018, the Trust closed a $43.2 million private placement, redeemed all of its outstanding $31.4 million principal amount of 7.5% unsecured convertible debentures, and repaid principal, accumulated interest and fees on certain promissory notes, bridge loans, and other liabilities in the aggregate amount of $10.7 million with units of the Trust.

J. Colter Eadie, Chief Executive Officer of Blockchain Power commented, We are very pleased with what we accomplished in 2017 and year-to-date with the Trust. With the addition of the OMV wind project at the end of 2017 and completion of our financing in January, we have approximately doubled our power generation capacity and at the same time materially reduced our indebtedness. We now have a platform to integrate cryptocurrency mining as part of our strategy in an effort to maximize the value received for the power we generate. We have also commenced the installation of the recently acquired cryptocurrency mining assets with an aggregate hashpower of 27.8 PH/s which is expected to be fully commissioned shortly.

For further information please contact:

Ravi Sood

Chairman

+1 647-987-7663

rsood@blockchainpower.com J. Colter Eadie

Chief Executive Officer

+351 938 810 979

jceadie@blockchainpower.com Betty Soares

Chief Financial Officer

+1 416-803-6760

bsoares@blockchainpower.com

About Blockchain Power Trust

The Trust, through its direct and indirect subsidiaries in Canada, the Netherlands and Romania, acquires interests in renewable energy, blockchain and cryptocurrency related assets in Romania, other countries in Europe and abroad that can provide stable cash flow to the Trust and a suitable risk-adjusted return on investment. The Trust seeks to provide investors with long-term, stable value creation, while preserving the capital value of its investment portfolio through investment in a range of operational green energy, blockchain and cryptocurrency related assets. The Trust intends to qualify as a mutual fund trust under the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the Tax Act). The Trust will not be a SIFT trust (as defined in the Tax Act), provided that the Trust complies at all times with its investment restriction which precludes the Trust from holding any non-portfolio property (as defined in the Tax Act). All material information about the Trust may be found under the Trusts issuer profile at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release contain forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as anticipates, plans, proposes, estimates, intends, expects, believes, may and will. The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by the Trust. Details of the risk factors relating to Blockchain Power and its business are discussed under the heading Business Risks and Uncertainties in Blockchain Powers annual managements discussion & analysis dated May 15, 2018, a copy of which is available on Blockchain Powers SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Most of these factors are outside the control of the Trust. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, Blockchain Power expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSXV nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NON-GAAP MEASURES

The Trust has included certain non-GAAP measures to supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are presented in accordance with IFRS, including operating margin.

Operating margin is calculated as cost of sales from revenues as follows:

For the year ended December 31, December 31, 2017 2016 Total revenue $ 12,311,039 $ 8,697,279 Less: Cost of sales excluding depreciation 3,833,781 2,807,618 Operating margin $ 8,477,258 $ 5,889,661

The Trust believes that operating margin, together with measures determined in accordance with IFRS, provide investors with an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Trust. Non-GAAP financial measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore they may not be comparable to similar measures employed by other entities. The data is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Management's determination of the components of non-GAAP and additional measures are evaluated on a periodic basis influenced by new items and transactions, a review of investor uses and new regulations as applicable. Any changes to the measures are duly noted and retrospectively applied as applicable.
A scene from the Homo section of Todd Hayness Poison. Photo: Bronze Eye/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

If youre wondering where the queer is in cinema these days, youre better off looking to the past. Writing in The Village Voice in 1992, the film critic B. Ruby Rich named the wild, provocative, sexy slate of films by queer filmmakers New Queer Cinema. The label stuck, and would eventually get expanded by film historians and queer theorists to describe a movement that was stylistically experimental, rich, and above all, defiant. Historically, New Queer Cinema was inextricably tied to the AIDS crisis and the activism and community that formed out of it; its filmmaking made by and for people who were on the margins. But to say that these films are serious and somber would be a complete misunderstanding: Theyre often funny, sharp, and incredibly alive.

Its difficult to access some of these films now. Many of them are available on Kanopy, which you can stream for free (!) with a library card, or other subscription-based niche streaming sites like Fandor and FilmStruck. Some you can buy via iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play. (You can also do the tried-and-true method of Googling it and find some other streams.) This following list of NQC films is by no means comprehensive, but think of it as a starter guide into a wider world of queer cinema.

Born in Flames (1983), Lizzie Borden

Stream on Kanopy, Fandor

Before the queer cinema boom, there was Born in Flames by Lizzie Borden, a radical, independent film that imagined a revolution within a revolution when theres a feminist uprising a decade after the Social Democratic War of Liberation. The catalyst for the plot begins when a black feminist leader dies in police custody, galvanizing various feminist factions. Made on a budget of $70,000, the movie is a bit like bricolage, with a number of contemporary resonances, from radio agitprop to shades of Afrofuturism. (Fun fact: Kathryn Bigelow is in it!)

Mala Noche (1986), Gus Van Sant

Stream on Kanopy, FilmStruck

Gus Van Sant would later make big feature films like Milk, about the life and assassination of Harvey Milk, but his first feature, Mala Noche, was an exploration of desire through the eyes of a young white store clerk named Walt and his obsession with a young undocumented immigrant named Johnny. The film, shot in black and white on 16mm film, contains many of the early Van Sant fixations that viewers would later see get refined in My Own Private Idaho, including male hustlers, illegality, and class.

Chinese Characters (1986), Richard Fung

Richard Fung would go on to make a number of videos about gay desire and AIDS, including the lovely Sea in the Blood (2000) and a fascinating PSA for safe sex through the Gay Mens Health Crisis called Steam Clean (1990), but this early film asks still-pressing questions about the nature of gay desire when its mediated via pornographic images of white men. The video defies genre, mixing documentary with performance art and archival footage to explore the tensions of being a gay Asian man looking at porn.

Looking for Langston (1989), Isaac Julien

Isaac Julien would make a more commercial film during the peak of NQC called Young Soul Rebels (1991), but this short film, a tribute to the life and work of Langston Hughes, is a beautiful and vibrant elegy. Julien creates a lineage of queer black ancestors for himself, starting with Hughes in the Harlem Renaissance through to James Baldwin and Essex Hemphill, Hilton Als, and his contemporaries. The film moves like the poetry it recites, playing with the gaze and how various eyes look upon the black male body.

Tongues Untied (1989), Marlon Riggs

Stream on Kanopy

The heart of Marlon Riggss essayistic film is the question of whether desire is a political act. Guided by the writer Joseph Beams statement, Black men loving black men is the revolutionary act, Riggs goes through his own complicated journey of homophobia from other black people, and then racism in the gay community, to find a community of queer black people. There are playful interludes interspersed throughout the film, including a dating hotline where he searches for a BGA (Black Gay Activist).

Poison (1991), Todd Haynes

Stream on Fandor

Poison, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 1991, is one of the marquee films that Rich pinpointed as a watershed of New Queer Cinema. Each of the films three parts tell a story about ostracism, violence, and marginality: the bullied child who allegedly flies away after shooting his father in order to save his mother (Hero), a brilliant scientist who accidentally ingests his own serum to become the leper sex killer (Horror), and a sexual relationship between two men in a prison (Homo). While Haynes would go on to make prestige pictures like Far From Heaven and Carol, this is his work at its most explicitly political and experimental.

Paris Is Burning (1991), Jennie Livingston

Stream on Netflix

While Paris Is Burning has raised questions around narrative ownership (whether Jennie Livingston, a former Yale student, should be making a documentary about a group she isnt a part of), its undoubtedly one of the most important (by virtue of being one of the few) historical documents of the New York City ball scene, and its impossible not to become transfixed by the strength, elegance, and tragedy of the world where queer communities build kinship around art and identity. Dorian Corey, Venus Xtravaganza, Willi Ninja, and everyone else will always be remembered as legendary children.

The Living End (1992), Gregg Araki

Stream on Kanopy, Sundance Now

What a romp! Araki made this nihilistic road-trip movie on a shoestring budget of $20,000. The Living End follows Luke, a sexy homicidal drifter who (like Araki) has a distaste for T-shirts, and Jon, an uptight film critic in Los Angeles. Both are HIV-positive, and as their relationship unfolds, they tussle over Jons instinct to be a respectable gay, and Lukes admittedly more alluring impulse to fuck the police and ride off to nowhere.

Swoon (1992), Tom Kalin

Shot beautifully like a black-and-white Calvin Klein ad, Tom Kalin fictionalizes the Leopold and Loeb murder case: The wealthy Chicago lovers kill a 14-year-old boy named Bobby Franks because they want to see if they are smart enough to do it. Unlike Alfred Hitchcocks retelling of the murder in Rope, Kalins version is more interested in their relationship as lovers  he even has the two wed each other in an abandoned house before committing the crime. The murder is more a play of power between them, with Loeb weaponizing sex as a way to control Leopold.

Edward II (1992), Derek Jarman

Theres a scene in Edward II where the king and his doomed lover, Piers Gaveston, dance together in pajamas as Annie Lennox sings Evry Time We Say Goodbye. That pretty much encapsulates the deliberately anachronistic sensibility of this Christopher Marlowe adaptation filmed in dark, lush colors. It builds a bridge of historical queerness to the then-present-day fight against the AIDS epidemic and an indifferent government. Oh, and theres Tilda Swinton in pearls.

Rock Hudsons Home Movies (1992), Mark Rappaport

Stream on YouTube (free), Amazon Prime

If Laura Mulvey taught us what the male gaze was, New Queer Cinema was about showing viewers what the queer gaze was. Rock Hudsons Home Movies is a documentary made up of glances and innuendos from Rock Hudsons oeuvre, showing us how this dashing, leading man of the Hollywood Golden Age was a closeted gay man.

Fast Trip, Long Drop (1993), Gregg Bordowitz

Gregg Bordowitz, a member of ACT UP, the radical AIDS advocacy organization, made this film, which, like many of the other NQC films, mixes genres: there are satirical news elements (Andrea Fraser plays a character named Charity Hope-Tolerance) with archival footage from protests, appropriated footage of Evel Knievel stunts, video diaries, and a fascinating conversation with his parents about why he decided to come out as gay, even though he has been in relationships with both men and women.

Zero Patience (1993), John Greyson

Stream on YouTube

This musical by John Greyson tells a reimagined history of Gaetan Dugas, the real-life Canadian flight attendant who had been dubbed patient zero of the AIDS epidemic by the media and scientists. Zero Patience allows Dugas to clear his name while also resurrecting the ghost of Sir Richard Burton, who is on a quest to demonize him. And the movie has an excellent John Waters tribute, with singing anuses.

The Watermelon Woman (1996), Cheryl Dunye

Stream on Kanopy

The Watermelon Woman coalesced much of the video work Cheryl Dunye had been making earlier in the decade in the form of what she would call Dunyementary, a self-reflexive style of documentary. The Watermelon Woman would continue to play with reality and fiction, with the protagonist, Cheryl (played by Dunye), tracking down the history of an early film star known as the Watermelon Woman, who she later learns is a lesbian actor by the name of Fae Richards.

MURDER and murder (1996), Yvonne Rainer

Known for her experimental filmmaking and choreography, Yvonne Rainer made a narrative film  one thats still formally challenging compared to commercial films of its time  of a late-in-life lesbian named Doris who suffers from neuroses and breast cancer. Her partner, Mildred, a queer academic, tells the story of their romance as older women. Rainer also makes appearances throughout the film in a tux, going on rants about smug homophobic parents while showing her bare chest with a mastectomy scar.
A death investigation in Florence is now a homicide, and police are asking for the community's help.

Florence police told WAAY 31 that 26 year old Jose D'Leon was found dead in his home near the University of North Alabama on May second.

One of D'Leon's friends found him dead inside his home in the historic part of Florence. Police are being tight lipped on how D'Leon died because they say that is a crucial part in their investigation. We do know he was a native of Vermont and had only lived in the area for about two years.

"The whole place was just lit up with activity and I asked them what was goign on and they said y our neighbor has passed away," Sara Moseley told us. She lives right behind the house Jose D'Leon lived in, she says it's shocking to know his death is now a homiceide, she had only seen him come and go a few times.

"It's very upsetting. It's very distrubing and I am one of several neighbors in the community that are super upset about it," Moseley added.

Florence police told us they cannot release meany details right now surrounding the death of D'Leon but they believe he was dead for about 24 hours before a friend found him in his home on May 2nd.

"He worked some part time jobs here and there. We're still trying to track down some of those," Florence police Sergeant Greg Cobb told WAAY 31. The police said D'Leon wasn't from the area and kept to himself, which is making their case more difficult to work.

"We've been told by neighbors and other friends and family that he was a homebody if you will," Sergeant Cobb told us.

Florence police say it could take months to get the complete autopsy results back because of backlog at the state forensics lab.
BRENT, Ala. (AP) - Authorities say a prisoner stabbed another inmate to death at an Alabama prison.

Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Bob Horton said in a statement that an inmate fatally stabbed 35-year-old Jeveria Odess McCall at a housing area at Bibb Correctional Facility on Tuesday evening. McCall was hospitalized and later died.

Twenty-nine-year-old Keandre Derrod Houston is charged in McCall's death. Horton said officials recovered a makeshift knife believed to be used in the stabbing.

News outlets report McCall was serving a 20-year sentence on a 2013 first-degree robbery conviction. Houston is serving a life sentence for a 2011 murder conviction.

It's unclear whether Houston has a lawyer.

The prison is about 55 miles southwest of Birmingham.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
An investigation revealed a beloved lunch lady at a Virginia school embezzled more than $260,000 before her death last year, WSET-TV in Roanoke reported.

Lenora Williams directed food services at Radford High School for years before she passed away late last year at the age of 61.

It was only after her death that major financial discrepancies were discovered in an account supervised by Williams.

An investigation by Virginia State Police revealed that in the past 10 years $173,366.24 of unapproved charges were made on a debit card from the account, $11,804.84 in unapproved checks written from the account, and $76,123.66 was missing from cafeteria money deposits for a grand total of $261,295.24.

Receipts for the debit card purchases revealed Williams used the card to pay for groceries, utilities, taxes, gasoline, and even purchases on Amazon.

WSET referenced investigators when they reported she "embezzled by falsifying audit reports, taking money from student meal plans, and inflating numbers for the free and reduced lunch program."

The investigation revealed employee concerns brought to administration who dismissed them. It also revealed no other district employees were involved in the embezzlement.
Madison County School officials held its first Merge Day event at Sparkman Middle School Tuesday, as some elementary school students get ready to graduate to middle school.

Fifth graders from Madison Cross Roads Elementary School and Harvest Elementary School came together for a day of activities. Students from the two elementary schools will be feeding into Sparkman Middle School in the upcoming school year.

The event is an effort to get students from different elementary schools to merge into one before the next school year.

"Transition is always an issue, and middle school's kind of a scary place," said Russ O'Rear, Sparkman Middle School principal. "We wanted to do something to allow kids to come in and just have a fun day, kind of ease some fears and get to know some people."

Tuesday's event included small group activities and talks with middle school students. Fifth graders also left painted handprints on the wall inside Sparkman Middle School, and ended the day with a color run.
YouTube star Nicole Arbour is receiving backlash on social media after posting a feminist remake of a video that portrayed an artist idea of the black experience in America.

The original video of Childish Gambino's music video, "This is America," explores visual references to racism and violence in the United States.

Actor Donald Glover, whose musical stage name is Childish Gambino, received more than 30 million views on YouTube in 48 hours.

Arbour, a Canadian YouTuber, dancer and choreographer, shot her video in a similar way.

Her message-women's experiences- and dubbed her version as the "Women's Edit."

The Canadian star faced backlash and was slammed for co-opting the video. Many expressed feelings of her being racially insensitive, deeming her version as "white feminism."

This is not a womens edit, wrote one social media user. This is a WHITE woman's edit. If you cannot see the difference, youre a s feminist and a hack.

You truly didnt understand This Is America if your thought process was let me make a WHITE womens edit version, another Twitter user wrote. Please delete and apologize for this atrocity.

Arbour shortly disabled the video's comments, and released an explantion on her twitter rather than an apology.

I thought it best to respond to the misinterpretation of my video here to clarify openly, she wrote. The purpose of my rendition was to honor the spirit of the video which absolutely moved me, by adding my and many womens life experiences and truths to the brave and brutal truths expressed in the original.

The YouTuber also explained that the video was created with "every intention of bringing a light to women's experiences" such as shaming mothers for breast feeding in a common place, date rape, labels, and harassment.

Arbour went on to say that the video was a thought in cheek to give additional glory to what I believe is the most impactful piece of art in recent years.

The 32-year-old explains she understands why people would wrongly portray the video as a white vs. black thing, but that was not her intent. She also added that she is "so sick" of people being mad over slavery.

In 2015, Arbour received criticism for another video called "Dear Fat People" and was claimed as "fat-shaming." Despite the backlash received, and defended herself by saying "fat-shamming is not a thing" and that it was not made to offend people."

No comment has been made by Glover about the YouTuber's video.
Full pipeline of late stage assets with blockbuster potential





Positioned to deliver sales growth and margin expansion through 2022





Pipeline depth in key therapeutic areas and building new, distinctive platform capabilities





Alcon returning to a position of strength as the world's leading eye care devices company



Basel, May 16, 2018 - Today Novartis holds its annual Meet Novartis Management event at its global headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, giving investors and analysts the opportunity to meet with key executives across the company in six separate breakout sessions. The meeting provides a deeper view into the company's strategy for sustainable value creation, and addresses investors' questions via an open Q&A format.

"We would like to thank all our investors for their commitment to our company. We are excited and confident that our portfolio of novel medicines, together with our strategy to become a more focused medicines company, will result in sustainable top and bottom line growth. We also have made mistakes recently and the world rightly expects more from a leading healthcare company. Our new executive team and I have a deep commitment to ensure we always operate with the highest integrity and sound judgment and will work hard to rebuild lasting trust with society," said Novartis CEO, Vas Narasimhan M.D.

For the Innovative Medicines Pharmaceuticals business unit, management highlights Cosentyx and Entresto, as well as 10 potential blockbuster launches in the next three years including Aimovig, BAF312 and RTH258. Cosentyx has taken NBRx leadership in Rheumatology (PsA and AS) where IL-17A has shown strong lasting efficacy and a favorable safety profile. Head-to-head superiority trials of Cosentyx vs. adalimumab in PsA and AS are ongoing. Entresto sales have continued to build with a growing body of evidence showing Entresto helps patients live longer and have a better quality of life.

The Innovative Medicines Oncology business unit returned to growth with sales +6% (cc) in Q1 2018, driven by Tafinlar + Mekinist, Promacta and Jakavi. Three new potential blockbuster launches, Kisqali, Kymriah and Lutathera, are expected to further drive growth in the mid-term. Oncology is expected to have 15 major filings and 13 approvals in 2018 and sizable filing opportunities in 2019, including SEG101 and PDR001 + Tafinlar + Mekinist.

In Sandoz, management highlights continued leadership in biosimilars and plans for major launches in the US and Europe. Despite continuing US pricing pressure, globally, the Sandoz gross margin is improving, driven by an increased focus on higher-margin portfolio segments and geographies, as well as productivity. In the US, Sandoz is optimizing the portfolio through targeted pruning and learning from recent setbacks. Outside the US, growth continues across regions and Sandoz is the market leader in Europe.

In Alcon, management highlights the actions that have returned the business to growth and improved margins. Alcon is the global market leader in eye care devices, with leading global sales positions in the growing Surgical and Vision Care markets. With continued innovation, investment and improved operations, Alcon expects to return to long-term, sustainable growth with margins in line with industry peers. The strategic review is on track with action not expected before the first half of 2019.

Novartis has a strong track record of R&D excellence, including being #1 in US/EU approvals over the last 10 years. The Global Drug Development (GDD) team provides insight into the full pipeline of late stage assets with blockbuster potential. These late stage assets are followed up with a strong and diverse set of emerging phase II assets from the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR). Novartis is building new platform capabilities in advanced therapies and leveraging internal and external innovation to build and accelerate our pipeline.

In closing, Group management reiterates the overall strategy. We have taken steps to focus the company and our capital in areas where we have the key ingredients to lead. We announced the sale of our stake in the Consumer Healthcare JV to GSK and invested more in gene therapy and oncology. We are positioned to deliver sales growth and margin expansion through 2022, driven by our key in-market products, our full late-stage pipeline and ongoing productivity efforts. We are working to capture the potential of digital technologies in every function. We have pipeline depth in our key therapeutic areas, and are building new, distinctive platform capabilities for the future. Novartis management is focused on driving our strategy and sustainable growth.

For background slides and webcast (audio only) please refer to the following link: http://www.novartis.com/investors/event-calendar/index.shtml

The background slide decks will be available on Wednesday May 16, 2018 at 7:15 am CET.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that can generally be identified by words such as "strategy," "pipeline," "potential," "positioned to," "building," "commitment," "excited," "confident," "will," "ongoing," "expected," "plans," "optimizing," "continues," "expects," "strategic review," "on track," "emerging," "to build and accelerate," "working to," "future," "sustainable," or similar expressions, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential new products, potential new indications for existing products, or regarding potential future revenues from any such products; or regarding potential future sales or earnings of Novartis; or regarding the potential outcome of the strategic review being undertaken to maximize shareholder value of the Alcon Division; or regarding the potential financial or other impact of the significant acquisitions and reorganizations of recent years; or regarding potential future sales or earnings of the Novartis Group or any of its divisions or potential shareholder returns; or by discussions of strategy, plans, expectations or intentions. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward looking statements. There can be no guarantee that any new products will be approved for sale in any market, or that any new indications will be approved for any existing products in any market, or that any approvals which are obtained will be obtained at any particular time, or that any such products will achieve any particular revenue levels. Neither can there be any guarantee that the strategic review being undertaken to maximize shareholder value of the Alcon Division will reach any particular results, or at any particular time, or that the result of the strategic review will in fact maximize shareholder value. Neither can there be any guarantee that Novartis will be able to realize any of the potential strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities as a result of the significant acquisitions and reorganizations of recent years. Neither can there be any guarantee that shareholders will achieve any particular level of shareholder returns. Nor can there be any guarantee that the Group, or any of its divisions, will be commercially successful in the future, or achieve any particular credit rating or financial results. In particular, our expectations could be affected by, among other things: global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally, including potential regulatory actions or delays with respect to the development of the products described in this release; the potential that the strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities expected from the proposed acquisition of AveXis, Inc. may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the successful integration of AveXis into the Novartis Group subsequent to the closing of the transaction and the timing of such integration; potential adverse reactions to the proposed transaction by customers, suppliers or strategic partners; dependence on key AveXis personnel and customers; the potential that the strategic benefits, synergies or opportunities expected from the significant acquisitions and reorganizations of recent years may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the inherent uncertainties involved in predicting shareholder returns; the uncertainties inherent in the research and development of new healthcare products, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection, including the ultimate extent of the impact on Novartis of the loss of patent protection and exclusivity on key products which commenced in prior years and will continue this year; safety, quality or manufacturing issues; uncertainties regarding actual or potential legal proceedings, including, among others, actual or potential product liability litigation, litigation and investigations regarding sales and marketing practices, intellectual property disputes and government investigations generally; uncertainties involved in the development or adoption of potentially transformational technologies and business models; general political and economic conditions, including uncertainties regarding the effects of ongoing instability in various parts of the world; uncertainties regarding future global exchange rates; uncertainties regarding future demand for our products; and uncertainties regarding potential significant breaches of data security or data privacy, or disruptions of our information technology systems; and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2017, the Group achieved net sales of USD 49.1 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 124,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.

###

Novartis Media Relations

Central media line: +41 61 324 2200

E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com

Eric Althoff

Novartis Global Media Relations

+41 61 324 7999 (direct)

+41 79 593 4202 (mobile)

eric.althoff@novartis.com Antonio Ligi

Novartis Global External Communications

+41 61 324 1374 (office)

+41 79 723 3681 (mobile)

antonio.ligi@novartis.com

Novartis Investor Relations

Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944

E-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com
16 May 2018

Acron Sets Up a Company in Brazil

Acron Group, one of the leading vertically integrated mineral fertiliser producers in Russia and worldwide, has set up a subsidiary Acron Brasil Ltda. in San Paulo, Brazil, to deeper penetrate the market, provide comprehensive service to customers in Brazil and promote sales of its own and third-party products.

Dmitry Khabrat, Acron's Vice President Overseas, commented:

"Latin America is the largest sales market for our products. Total mineral fertiliser sales to Latin American countries in 2017 alone exceeded 1.3 million tonnes. Brazil is the key outlet for ammonium nitrate and NPK produced by Acron. The Group has broad interests and long-standing reliable partners in this country. Opening a company in Brazil is another step towards stronger positions on this stably growing fertiliser market. We intend to pursue a strategy for increasing and diversifying sales to all key countries in Latin America".

Media contacts:

Sergey Dorofeev

Anastasiya Gromova

Tatiana Smirnova

Public Relations

Phone: +7 (495) 777-08-65 (ext. 5196)

Investor contacts:

Ilya Popov

Investor Relations

Phone: +7 (495) 745-77-45 (ext. 5252)

Background Information

Acron Group is a leading vertically integrated mineral fertiliser producer in Russia and globally, with chemical production facilities in Veliky Novgorod (Acron) and the Smolensk region (Dorogobuzh). The Group owns and operates a phosphate mine in Murmansk region (North-Western Phosphorous Company, NWPC) and is implementing a potash development project in Perm Krai (Verkhnekamsk Potash Company, VPC). It has a wholly owned transportation and logistics infrastructure, including three Baltic port terminals and distribution networks in Russia and China. Acron's subsidiary, North Atlantic Potash Inc. (NAP), holds mining licenses for 13 parcels of the potassium salt deposit at Prairie Evaporite, Saskatchewan, Canada. Acron also holds a minority stake (19.8%) in Polish Grupa Azoty S.A., one of the largest chemical producers in Europe.

In 2017, the Group sold 7.3 million tonnes of various products to 65 countries, with Russia, Brazil, Europe and the United States as key markets.

In 2017, the Group posted consolidated IFRS revenue of RUB 94,342 million (USD 1,617 million) and net profit of RUB 14,260 million (USD 244 million). Acron's shares are on the Level 1 quotation list of the Moscow Exchange and its global depositary receipts are traded at the London Stock Exchange (ticker AKRN). Acron employs approximately 11,000 people.

For more information about Acron Group, please visit www.acron.ru/en.
English French

(Paris) - Next June 27th and 28th, 2018, CF&B Communication is organizing the 14th edition of the Paris European 'MidCap Event' Spring, where selected Midcaps travelling to European financial capitals will make a stop in Paris to meet the attending institutional investors.

For two days, the top managers of listed companies from Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy Poland and Spain, will present fund managers with their activity and perspectives in pre-organized one-to-one meetings.

80 listed companies, as well as about 150 institutional investors are expected to attend this event.

Four European stock exchanges will partner the event and support companies of small and medium capitalization from their markets: BOLSA DE MADRID, BUDAPEST STOCK EXCHANGE, DEUTSCHE BORSE CASH MARKET and WARSAW STOCK EXCHANGE

INTERMONTE (Milan) is the main Partner Broker in this edition.

Registration is free for investors.

The next events organized by CF&B Communication in 2018 include: the Paris Large & MidCap Event on October 8th and 9th, the Madrid European 'Midcap Event' on November 14th and the Geneva European 'Midcap Event' on December 4th and 5th.

For further information and queries, please contact Caroline BADER - c.bader@cfbcom.fr
FORM 8.5 (EPT/NON-RI)

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY AN

EXEMPT PRINCIPAL TRADER WITHOUT RECOGNISED INTERMEDIARY ("RI") STATUS (OR WHERE RI STATUS IS NOT APPLICABLE)

Rule 8.5 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Name of exempt principal trader: HSBC Securities (South Africa) (Pty) Limited (b) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Sibanye Gold Ltd (c) Name of the party to the offer with which exempt principal trader is connected: Sibanye Gold Ltd (d) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 15-May-2018 (e) In addition to the company in 1(b) above, is the exempt principal trader making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" YES - Lonmin plc.





2. POSITIONS OF THE EXEMPT PRINCIPAL TRADER

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(b), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:







Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



2,735,610 0.121 4,875,205 0.215 (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell: TOTAL:



2,735,610 0.121 4,875,205 0.215

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE EXEMPT PRINCIPAL TRADER

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(b), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchases/ sales



Total number of securities Highest price per unit paid/received (ZAR) Lowest price per unit paid/received (ZAR)

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit

(ZAR)



Ordinary Shares



Swap







Increasing a Short Position



2,633,680



875.000 c



Ordinary Shares



Swap







Increasing a Short Position



56,044



878.060 c

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit





(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable)

4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the exempt principal trader making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"









(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the exempt principal trader making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"









(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? No





Date of disclosure: 16-May-2018 Contact name: Sukant Roy Telephone number: 0207 088 2000

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Extended Stay America, Inc. (ESA) and its paired-share REIT, ESH Hospitality, Inc. (ESH), (collectively, the Company) (NYSE:STAY) today announced that Christopher N. Dekle has been appointed to serve as the next General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of both companies, effective June 1, 2018.



Mr. Dekle, 46, joined the Company in 2005 and has since served in positions of increasing responsibility including Corporate Counsel, Assistant General Counsel, General Counsel and Vice President, and most recently as Deputy General Counsel, Vice President and Assistant Secretary. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Dekle was General Counsel for Employers Life Insurance Corporation. From 1997 to 2003, Mr. Dekle was in private practice.

Mr. Dekle succeeds John R. Dent, who has been commuting to Charlotte since his appointment in January 2015. Mr. Dent will return to private practice in the Washington D.C. area, where he will remain available to the Company and its Boards of Directors on an ongoing basis.

Jonathan Halkyard, President and Chief Executive Officer of ESA and ESH, said, Few if any persons have the depth of institutional knowledge about Extended Stay America that Christopher Dekle has amassed over the past thirteen years, and no one is more qualified to take the helm as the Companys chief legal officer. With Christophers appointment, we continue to fill our executive ranks with exceptionally talented individuals with deep understanding of our core business, serving the extended stay guest.

Mr. Dekle said, Id like to thank Jonathan and the Boards of Directors for appointing me as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Im excited and honored to take the reins as our ESA 2.0 initiatives gain steam with asset sales, franchising, and new development. It is a transformative time for the Company as we continue seeking ways to maximize value for our shareholders.

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Statements related to, among other things, future financial performance and execution of the Companys ESA 2.0 initiatives, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Companys actual results or performance to differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements, possibly materially. For a description of factors that may cause the Companys actual results or performance to differ from projected results or performance implied by forward-looking statements, please review the information under the headings Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors included in the Companys combined annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 27, 2018 and other documents of the Company on file with or furnished to the SEC. Any forward-looking statements made in this release are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by the Company will be realized or, even if substantially realized, will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company, its business or operations. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. We caution you that actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted by the Companys forward-looking statements.

About Extended Stay America

Extended Stay America, Inc. (ESA) is the largest integrated hotel owner/operator in North America. Its subsidiary, ESH Hospitality, Inc. (ESH), is the largest lodging REIT in North America by unit and room count, with 598 hotels and approximately 66,000 rooms in the U.S. ESA manages all of ESHs hotel properties in addition to 27 Extended Stay America branded hotels for third parties, providing over 8,000 jobs at Extended Stay America hotels and corporate headquarters. Extended Stay America is the leading brand in the mid-priced extended stay segment, with approximately twice as many rooms as its nearest competitor. Visit www.esa.com for more information.

Contacts

Investors: Media:

Rob Ballew Terry Atkins

(980) 345-1546 (980) 345-1648

investorrelations@esa.com tatkins@esa.com
Winnipeg, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On May 17, Frontier CollegeCanadas original literacy organizationhosts the National Forum on Literacy and Health. The panel of experts from the fields of health and education will discuss how increased literacy has a direct effect on accessing, understanding, and managing health information for people across Canada. The forum will be held in Winnipeg and is sponsored by Great-West Life, London Life, and Canada Life, who have supported Frontier Colleges literacy programs since 1995 and is the founding sponsor of the National Forum.





For many people, low literacy can act as a barrier to good health and well-being. The stigma surrounding low literacy, and medical systems and practices that assume strong literacy skills, can seriously impact a persons ability to find and use the health services and products they need. In some situations, low literacy can be a life-or-death matter. Research by the Public Health Agency of Canada shows that, among other factors, literacy is a determinant of health, and that people with low literacy levels are much more likely to experience poor health. (Click here for research)

A recent Environics survey looking at attitudes about literacy revealed 90 per cent of Canadians agree that strong literacy skills are essential to attaining a high quality of life. However, fewer people surveyed (40 per cent) made the connection that poor literacy skills have an adverse effect on peoples physical health.

At Frontier College, we see first-hand that strengthening peoples literacy skills is an effective, low-cost way to improve health and well-being for both individuals and communities, says Stephen Faul, President and CEO, Frontier College. We are hosting the forum to educate and demonstrate how increased literacy can help a persons self-care and that of their families, which has significant impact on the health of our country.

Literacy is an essential skill for lifelong workplace, family and community health and happiness, says Stefan Kristjanson, President and Chief Operating Officer, Canada, Great-West Life. We believe people who develop their literacy skills are equipping themselves to become more resilient in the face of challenges and more productive members of their communities, and were pleased to support Frontier College as they work to improve the well-being of Canadians by building a culture of improved literacy.

The forum is free to attend. Simultaneous conferences will be held in Whitehorse, Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay, Toronto, and Halifax. It will be live streamed in its entirety via https://www1.webcastcanada.ca/stream/registration/literacyandhealth518.php.

Questions for the panel are welcome via email literacy@frontiercollege.ca and on twitter @frontiercollege.

Date and Time:

Thursday, May 17, 11:30 a.m.  1:00 p.m. CDT (Registration opens at 11:00 a.m.)

Location:

Radisson Hotel Downtown Winnipeg, 288 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg

Who:

Zahra Al Moussa

Arabic teacher and journalist



Stephen Faul

President & CEO, Frontier College



Alika Lafontaine

Medical Lead, Aboriginal Health Program (North Zone), Alberta Health Services



Andre Picard

Health Columnist, The Globe and Mail



Denise Widmeyer

Leader, Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety

Moderated by Dave Angus, VP, Chamber Relations at Johnston Group

-30-

About Frontier College

Frontier College is a national charitable literacy organization, established in 1899 on the belief that literacy is a right. We work collaboratively with community-based agencies across Canada to provide targeted, innovative literacy and numeracy support for the most vulnerable Canadians. In 2017, 31,000 children, youth, and adults participated in our free programs in more than 150 communities throughout the country. For more information about Frontier College, visit www.frontiercollege.ca and follow Frontier College on twitter: @frontiercollege

About Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life

Together, Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life help to build a brighter future for communities by providing financial support focused on education, health and wellness, arts, social services and community development. As an Imagine Caring Company, supporting the principles of corporate citizenship and benchmarks for community investment established by Imagine Canada, they contribute at least one per cent of average pre-tax profits in support of the communities where their employees live and work. In 2017, the companies contributed $13.5 million to communities. To learn more visit www.greatwestlife.com
Toronto, ON, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Its no secret that Canadians who are Deaf or hard of hearing face greater societal barriers than those who are hearing. Despite these challenges, thousands of Canadians are working everyday to break down these barriers and improve access and inclusion for everyone.

To recognize the remarkable contributions and accomplishments of these individuals, the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) is proud to launch its latest awareness and fundraising campaign: Breaking Barriers for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Canadians.

Breaking down barriers is what we strive to do everyday at CHS, says Julia Dumanian, CEO of the Canadian Hearing Society. But the stories we hear from individuals, young and old, from coast to coast to coast, who take it upon themselves to make an impact by improving their lives and the lives of others are truly inspiring and are worthy of recognition. We hope that by sharing these stories we inspire others to act.

The Breaking Barriers for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Canadians campaign consists of a photo and video voting contest with a national awareness and fundraising campaign that runs from May 11 to June 22, 2018. The initiative is an opportunity for Canadians to share their personal stories describing how they are breaking down barriers for Deaf and hard of hearing Canadians.

Participants enter the contest by submitting a photo with their personal story in writing or in video format. Once entered, participants will share their story allowing Canadians to vote and donate in support of the CHS National Scholarship Program.

The top three individuals who receive the most public votes over the 6-week contest will win fantastic prizes courtesy of Enginess. Each week, participants, voters and donors will also have a chance to win spot prizes, including gift cards from Amazon.ca.

We are proud to support CHS and the Breaking Barriers for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Canadians Campaign, says Oren Shapiro, VP, Operations. At Enginess, we are passionate about giving back and believe all Canadians should have equal access. Its an honour to shine a light on individuals from across Canada who are doing their part to break down barriers in their communities.

Share your story and enter the contest or vote for your favorite story today at: www.chs.ca/BreakingBarriers.

For more information on CHS fundraising activities please visit: www.chs.ca/ways-to-give.

-30-

About the National Scholarship Program

CHS National Scholarship Program is uniquely inclusive of Deaf and hard of hearing students. Selection criteria are based on community involvement, character references, and a demonstrated commitment to transform the lives of Deaf and hard of hearing Canadians  and not on grades or individual student performance indicators. $3,000 (full-time) and $1,000 (part-time) scholarships are available for undergraduate and graduate students, including mature students attending any accredited institution inside or outside of Canada.

About the Canadian Hearing Society

Trusted since 1940, the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) provides industry-leading products, programs and services to people who are Deaf and hard of hearing to ensure barrier-free communication access and increased quality of life. As the largest independent, registered non-profit organization of its kind in Canada, CHS experts advises other organizations and all levels of government on creating more accessible environments. To learn more, visit www.chs.ca.

About Enginess

Enginess is a Toronto-based digital consultancy. We help our clients realize the potential of digital technology. We shape strategies for business processes and deliver solutions that enhance customer experience, improve efficiencies, generate new market opportunities, and redefine value creation for industries. We consult, analyze, and design user experiences that exemplify your business requirements, user needs, and industry demands. We also perform implementation, focusing on system and information architecture, usability and programming, all with an eye to achieving better business outcomes. Over the past 18 years, weve built a strong reputation for consistently delivering high-quality customer service, and for our ability to handle complex digital strategy and development assignments. For more information about Enginess, please visit www.enginess.io.
The 75th WCO Fellowship Programme, intended for Spanish-speakers, was launched in Brussels on Monday 14 May 2018.

This Programme forms part of the WCOs work to develop the management capacities of Member administrations in support of Customs Reform and Modernization programmes. It is designed to provide promising young managers from Member administrations with access to and further familiarization with WCO and international standards, tools and instruments, but also with training in supervisory and management techniques, so as to help them carry out reform and modernization within their respective administrations in a dynamic and sustainable manner.

This latest Programme brings together 9 participants who were welcomed on the 14th by Mrs. Brenda Mundia, Deputy Director Capacity Building, World Customs Organization. This introduction serves as a prelude to a round-table session with Mr. Ricardo Trevino, Deputy Secretary General, to a series of conferences given by WCO experts, as well as to the seven-day Leadership and Management Development Workshop, facilitated by two experts from Canada and the WCO.

The participants will remain at WCO Headquarters until 8 June in order to prepare an in-depth study on a technical subject of their choice, under the supervision of a WCO tutor, and to make recommendations to their respective administrations for possible subsequent implementation. Lastly the participants will spend a fortnight in one of the Programmes partner Administrations (the Republic of Korea or Japan) to round off their study trip.

The Spanish-speaking Fellowship Programme is funded by the Customs Administrations of Japan and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance of the Republic of Korea.

List of countries participating in the 75th Fellowship Programme: Angola, Argentina, Belize, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru and Uruguay.
A sub-regional SAFE Framework and Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Workshop, hosted by Papua New Guinea Customs and funded by the Korean Customs Co-operation Fund (CCF/Korea), was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from 7 to 10 May 2018.

The event was attended by 22 representatives from Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga Customs, as well as by Customs officers from the Australian Border Force who supported the Workshop by sharing their experiences.

The Workshop was opened by Mr. Benjamin Sine, Assistant Commissioner Enforcement, Papua New Guinea, who emphasized that changes in the international trade environment were inevitable and that being left behind was not an option, adding that the Pacific Islands had a bright future with lots of opportunities that ought to be seized.

The Workshop is the first of its kind organized for the Pacific Islands. The participating Customs administrations were very interested in learning about the process of how to implement a Trusted Trader Programme in line with Standard 3.32 of the WCO Revised Kyoto Convention General Annex Transitional Standards on Authorized Persons, Article 7.7 of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, and the SAFE Framework AEO Programme.

The four-day Workshop provided a platform for acquiring knowledge and know-how on the different aspects of all the relevant schemes, as well as giving an insight into how to manage the knowledge acquired at this event for the benefit of the region. The Workshop also offered a forum for dynamic discussions on the best way forward.
LAS VEGAS, NV, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- International Spirits and Beverage Group Inc. (a Nevada Corporation) (OTCPK:ISBG) is excited to announce to its loyal shareholders that it has finalized its 2016 and 2017 audits as promised. This arduous task took longer than anticipated at a much higher cost than initially thought but puts ISBG on a path for success in 2018. The completion of the audit will allow us to attract capital at much more favorable rates than in the past. It also gave us the leverage we needed to push the maturity of most of our outstanding convertible debt into 2019 with options to repurchase it at a discount prior to conversion and we had 20k in debt forgiven over that last couple weeks.



Alonzo Pierce, Chairman of ISBG, said, It has been my goal from the beginning to be a world class producer of spirits that consumers love and demand. We had a very successful proof of concept with our production of Besado Platinum premium infused Tequila at Caribbean Distillers in Auburndale, Florida. This gave us the ability to negotiate favorable terms with our suppliers in Mexico to launch our Reposado and Anejo products direct from Mexican distillers as required by law. We are currently building a plan utilizing some of our previous funding partners that stuck by us through the tough times to solidify our financial position without the use of additional convertible debt. We believe this will provide us with the ability to focus on our business without the additional pressures that that debt creates.

International Spirits and Beverage Group, Inc. has also secured distribution in Georgia, a brand building market, for Besado. We believe that this expansion along with the recent acquisition of RWB Americas Vodka will be the catalyst to improved performance within our supply chain networks and also give us additional security with compliance and regulatory agencies. Additional experienced sales staff, larger national accounts, and reliable distillers and bottlers will help set us on a course for long-term success. We will continue our promotional initiatives that we launched in 2017 and will be making many new exciting announcements over the coming months that will drive both top line revenues and bottom line profits.

I will lead the company forward with renewed vigor and will be announcing additional advisors and board members in the near future. These announcements will accompany our additional plans for potential line extensions or joint venture projects. The RTD market is exploding and we have been testing several different potential formulations that may be announced over the next quarters, continued Pierce.

About ISBG: ISBG is a Nevada-based alcoholic beverage company specializing in the development, marketing and global sales of innovative wine and spirits brands. The Company's expertise lies in the strategic development and aggressive early growth of its brands and establishing these brands as viable and profitable. ISBG intends to build its own brands while seeking out individual acquisition candidates to continue to develop its pipeline of new brands into the ISBG portfolio. For more information visit: www.isbg.global

Forward Looking Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology including "could", "may", "will", "should", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential" and the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. While these forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business, actual results will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates, predictions, projections, assumptions or other future performance suggested in this report. Except as required by applicable law, we do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements so as to conform these statements to actual results. Investors should refer to the risks disclosed in the Company's reports filed from time to time with OTC Markets (www.otcmarkets.com).




PETERBOROUGH, Ontario, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Monday of this week, precedent was set when a 32-year-old Peterborough man was convicted of animal cruelty under the Ontario SPCA Act.



On May 14, 2018, Deep Bista pled guilty in a Peterborough Provincial Offences Court to three counts of causing an animal to be in distress. He was sentenced by the Justice of the Peace to a lifetime ban on owning, having custody or care of, or living with an animal. He must also serve 90 days in jail for each count, served consecutively, which is a sentence that has never been seen before in the Peterborough community.

On September 13, 2017, Ontario SPCA officers with the Peterborough Humane Society executed a warrant after it received video footage of a man beating a dog in a stairwell of an apartment building on three separate occasions. The dog was removed for its safety and taken into the care of the Peterborough Humane Society.

This is a great day, states Shawn Morey, Executive Director of the Peterborough Humane Society. This outcome is a result of the outstanding work of our officers on staff working closely in relationship with our Ontario SPCA affiliate officer. I am very proud of the hard work that has been done by our team as a whole in pressing for the rights of not just this dog, but animals in our community.

Behaviour like this will not be tolerated and there will be consequences, says Alison Green, Senior Inspector, Ontario SPCA. There is absolutely no excuse for abusing or neglecting an animal.

This collaborative effort is but one example of the great work being done by the team at the Peterborough Humane Society.

To report animal cruelty, call the Ontario SPCAs province-wide animal cruelty hotline at 310-SPCA (7722).

About the Ontario SPCA



Since 1919, when Ontario's first animal welfare legislation was proclaimed, the Ontario SPCA, with the help of its Communities, has been entrusted to maintain and enforce animal welfare legislation. The Act provides Ontario SPCA agents and inspectors with police powers to do so.

The Ontario SPCA provides leadership in animal welfare innovations, including introducing high-volume spay/neuter services to Ontario and opening the Provincial Education & Animal Centre

About the Peterborough Humane Society:

The Peterborough Humane Society advocates for the welfare of animals by improving their lives, alleviating suffering, rescuing, providing shelter, healing, facilitating adoption and reducing pet overpopulation. The organization cares for approximately 2,000 lost, injured, abandoned or abused animals each year. Supported by a dedicated team of volunteers and donations from corporations, foundations and the local community, the Peterborough Humane Society has been proud to enhance the lives of animals in the region since 1941. To learn more visit: www.peterboroughhumanesociety.ca

Charitable Business Number RR0001 11925 1056




CHALK RIVER, Ontario, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Canadas premier nuclear science and technology organization, is pleased to announce that it has cut the ribbon on its National Innovation Centre for Cybersecurity at Knowledge Park in Fredericton, NB, officially opening the doors on a brand new, multi-million dollar research facility that represents a major addition to Canadas national cyber security capabilities. A number of local dignitaries and elected officials joined the Honourable Brian Gallant, Premier of New Brunswick, to celebrate the new centre, which joins a growing list of facilities and investments that are transforming the province into a cyber security research and innovation hub.

With the support of the Province of New Brunswick and Opportunities New Brunswick, CNL also announced that it would be adding up to 24 new highly-skilled employees to work at the centre in the next five years, and will invest over $3 million in new equipment and infrastructure upgrades. CNL has identified cyber security research as one of seven strategic initiatives the company plans to pursue as part of its Long-Term Strategy, an ambitious 10-year plan which will position the organization as a global leader in nuclear science and technology.

The security of industrial control systems has become a major priority for all industries, including nuclear, and now represents a multi-billion dollar worldwide market, commented Mark Lesinski, CNLs President and CEO. To ensure the integrity and security of these systems, organizations must have access to state-of-the-art facilities where they can test them in controlled environments. Today, CNL opened a new facility that offers customers this capability, with the full support of our world-leading experts in industrial control systems and security.

While there is a large commercial industry catering to the cyber security of business and information technology systems, the cyber security of industrial control systems has been widely overlooked. Yet, this critical sector has shown vulnerabilities, with recent attacks on the Ukraine power grid in 2015 and 2016, a German steel mill in 2014, and the well-known Stuxnet attack in 2010. With its proficiency in this area, CNL is well positioned to fill this void, and to expand its capabilities into more conventional industries.

The new centre will provide CNL with the ability to simulate an operating facility in its entirety, then introduce almost any variable a researcher chooses. This will allow CNL to test how the security systems of entire operations respond to anything from a full scale cyber-attack, to a simple software upgrade. With this capability, CNL can help customers find vulnerabilities in their security systems before they become an issue, and without having to disrupt the operation of their facility.

Every year, the instruments, controls, and monitors that keep Canadas most valuable energy assets running smoothly become more automated, added Lesinski. This transformation offers tremendous benefits to Canadians, but it also presents new risks to the countrys energy grid and other major infrastructure. CNLs National Innovation Centre for Cyber Security can help organizations address these vulnerabilities, ensuring the critical facilities and systems that drive the Canadian economy are properly protected.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is very pleased to be supporting CNLs National Innovation Centre for Cyber Security, added Richard Sexton, President & CEO of AECL. We are investing in new infrastructure, and building the research and development capabilities to support the needs of the federal government and industry. By bringing together expertise, funding and capabilities, we are supporting Canadas objective to ensure the security and prosperity of Canadians and our infrastructure.

A key element to the growth of CNL will be the Province of New Brunswicks vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem, which has grown into a world-class cybersecurity cluster of world-leading experts, academics and international companies, providing CNL with collaboration and partnership opportunities to grow its cyber security businesses. CNL has maintained research and development facilities for real-time plant display and control systems since the 1980s. Evolving with technology, CNL has adapted and developed cutting edge cyber security technologies and practices, most recently developing and commercializing a safety-qualified plant display system for mission critical applications that has installations in nuclear power plants internationally.

For more information on CNL, including its capabilities in cyber security, please visit www.cnl.ca.

About CNL

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories is a world leader in nuclear science and technology offering unique capabilities and solutions across a wide range of industries. Actively involved with industry-driven research and development in nuclear, transportation, clean technology, energy, defence, security and life sciences, we provide solutions to keep these sectors competitive internationally.

With ongoing investments in new facilities and a focused mandate, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories is well positioned for the future. A new performance standard reinforced with a strong safety culture underscores every activity.

For more information on the complete range of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories services, please visit www.cnl.ca or contact communications@cnl.ca.



Contact:

Patrick Quinn

Director, Corporate Communications

CNL, 1-866-886-2325

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/228f5521-e41a-43a0-a005-0b2328eec0ab
First published at The Nassau Institute...

Recent events are somewhat discouraging which I can only conclude will bring about the termination of the Bahamas as an Offshore Financial Centre and place even more emphasis on Tourism as the main and only driver of the Bahamas Economy.

For many years The Bahamas has promoted itself as an offshore financial centre which saw numerous banks establish a physical presence here. The banks in turn created employment opportunities at all levels especially for Bahamians. This employment created had a significant trickle down impact on the local economy which in turn diversified our dependence on tourism. The amount of diversification was never confirmed by hard facts but on a best guess basis was somewhere between 15%  20% of GDP.

All was fine until the OECD, EU, FATF and IMF bodies decided offshore financial centers were expanding too quickly and needed to be curtailed if not destroyed. The most well-known of the foregoing  the OECD is at best an oxymoron. How can a group of theocrats operating under the label of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development take every opportunity to destroy The Bahamas offshore industry? I am of course referring to the recent blacklisting of the Bahamas.

The Bahamas Government was shocked by this action and is now trying to actively yield to the OECD/EU forces in order to be de-listed. From learning about the mandate that this group was demanding the resultant blacklisting should not have come as a surprise. Initially we were only exempt due to Hurricane Matthew!

For many years The Bahamas has boasted itself as an Independent nation and as such claimed it had an advantage over the other regional island centres such as Cayman, British Virgin Islands, Barbados etc., This has turned out to be a false belief and now the small Island nation of The Bahamas can no longer stand tall and proud and is being compelled to bow to the demands of the OECD/EU/FATF/IMF groups.

At this early stage there are discussions that (a) the Bahamas will have to introduce taxation  possibly corporate tax as opposed to individual tax and (b) to disclose the names of the ultimate beneficial owners of the various offshore structures. If the Bahamas Government plans to fulfill these objectives it will result in major changes to our current laws. From what we have learned any proposal of taxation has to specifically disavow any form of ring-fencing  i.e. favouring a targeted group. Consequently one has to assume that one of the significant elements of the offshore structures = International Business Companies (IBCs) will have to be removed as a vehicle of choice. The IBC Act makes provision for such a company to be exempt from all forms of taxation for a period of twenty (20) years. As IBCs will no longer allowed to be ring-fenced it simply means that the IBC Act will have to be annulled. This will mean that IBCs will only be allowed to continue in the BVI & Cayman etc but not The Bahamas . Secondly the House recently passed a bill to create a Register of the ultimate beneficial owners of all offshore structures  i.e. IBCs and regular Companies in addition to trusts, foundations, partnerships etc., The Government has downplayed this requirement by stating that this information is to be retained in The Bahamas and will not to be divulged to other countries similar to the automatic exchange of information that applies to other information.

What has prompted this requirement other than a demand of the aforementioned groups? What is really behind the purpose? Why is it not possible for the licensees to have this information on their respective files as they do now and agree to disclose when there is good and sufficient reason?

Giving information to a Regulator or Government Department is inviting a disaster. What Government body or Regulator in the Bahamas has the means to secure this information  i.e. prevent hacking  a worldwide phenomenon? Furthermore it is known that Government employees tend to be on a lower pay-scale than their commercial counterparts. Such a situation automatically leads to the rather obvious situation of a government employee (disgruntled or not) seeking to harvest this information and sell it to the highest bidder. To the best of my knowledge the Government does not have provisions in place that restrict and prevent such an act by a rogue employee . This is not a fairy tale it has happened before in other jurisdictions.

Another recent enactment taken by The Bahamas Government relates to the automatic exchange of information which is scheduled to apply to multi-national companies whereby full disclosure of information will relate to all operating activities undertaken in the jurisdiction. This information relates to a topic labelled BEPS (business erosion and profit shifting) whereby a business is established in a jurisdiction for the purpose of either reducing its tax liability on its global operations and/or incurring costs to minimize its ultimate profit. Such practices have been ongoing for some considerable time throughout all areas of the World. Last year there was much focus on Apple, Starbucks, Google, Walmart establishing companies in various jurisdictions to significantly reduce their tax liabilities  all very legal. The problem however was not one of legality but of morality. As a result changes are being considered to prevent a continuance of this practice as it is deemed to be providing some countries from their considered share of tax revenue. The Bahamas Government has already stepped-up-to-the -plate and signed up for meeting the OECDs initial phase of being amenable to providing the information to the home countries of the parent corporation.

I have had the opportunity of attending meetings on these topics which have been presented through the Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) in conjunction with Government Officials. Although these presentations were to allow an expression of views no debating ever took place as the representatives of Government had already made the decision and were telling the practitioners/licensees what to expect. This is most unfortunate, and with the utmost respect the Government does not know or understand the offshore business. Like many occasions over the years no Government ever accepts local input. The only way to have any measure of success is to bring in experts from other parts of the World  usually as far away from the Bahamas as possible. This is most disrespectful to the pool of Bahamian intellect that is locally available but as stated above it continues to be the same story i.e. that the Bahamas Government knows best.

Already some parties have published their views in the press some of which are duplicated in this communication. Hopefully sufficient information will be presented to make Government think again about the steps and consequences they are taking.

It has also been put forward that on this occasion it is time for The Bahamas to consider an alternative approach. Recently a Government Minister stated that we have little input as a small Island Nation. However as we are not the only jurisdiction affected by the OECD/EU/FATF/IMF mandates why do we try to go it alone? Why not expand our role to that of the Caribbean Region (which for this purpose is defined as being from Bermuda to Trinidad and Tobago). This should help prevent us from being viewed as unimportant due to our Island size, if we present ourselves as a much larger and visible area which the OECD and others cannot easily ignore. The respected Sir Ronald Sanders has been an advocate of this strategy for some time.

Failure for The Bahamas Government to listen will surely result in the demise of the financial sector  which has already been advised that one cannot do business as we did in the 70s. I have been around long enough to know how business was conducted in the 70s and believe me those business practices have died a long time ago. At the moment we still have an offshore financial sector which has modified its business practices along the way. We still have some offshore banking services even though the number of licensees has been reduced significantly and could become dramatically worse when Barbados tackles its blacklisting issues. However implementation of the proposed Government changes will lead to the erosion of the Bahamas financial sector resulting in an even bigger reliance on Tourism. Is this really what the Bahamas wants  i.e. lose its diversity of contributions to the countrys GDP?

In my opinion it is time for the Bahamas to work along as part of a Caribbean Group and see if we can get the attention of the OECD et al and maybe they will then listen.

Sincerely,

Fair and Balanced
By May. 16, 2018

The City is hosting a reception for the public to a meet and greet

the four finalists for the position of Paducah City Manager. The reception will be held in the lobby of the Julian Carroll Convention Center

on Monday, May 21 from 5:15 until 6:45 pm.

On May 21 and 22, the four finalists will be in Paducah. In addition to the Monday evening reception with the public, the candidates will be participating in face-to-face interviews with the Paducah Board of Commissioners, touring the city, and meeting with Department Directors.

In January, the Paducah Board of Commissioners selected Strategic Government Resources (SGR) of Keller, Texas to conduct and assist in a nationwide search for the recruitment and selection of Paducahs next City Manager. At this time, SGR is continuing the vetting process on these candidates including a psychometric assessment, a thorough media search, and a rigorous background investigation.





The four candidates under consideration to serve as Paducahs next City Manager are as follows (in alphabetical order):

James (Jim) Arndt has more than 14 years of local government experience and spent an additional six years as a police officer and three years serving in the United States Army. He currently serves the City of Effingham, Illinois, where he has worked as their City Administrator for the past eight years. He has also been the Administrator for the City of St. Clair, Missouri and the Village of Union City, Ohio. Arndt holds a Masters Degree in Political Science and a Bachelors Degree in General Studies, both from Eastern Illinois University, and is an International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Credentialed Manager.





James (Jim) Halasz has been the County Administrator for Halifax County, Virginia for the past six years, and before that he spent twelve years serving as the Deputy City Manager for the City of Staunton, Virginia. In total he has more than 28 years of local government experience in addition to four years of experience working for Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee. Halasz holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Michigan State University and a Bachelors Degree from Siena Heights College.





Cole ODonnell has more than 20 years of local government experience. He most recently served the City of Dixon, Illinois as City Manager. Before that, he was the City Administrator for the City of East Moline, Illinois for five years and the City Administrator for the City of Algona, Iowa for almost 12 years. ODonnell is a graduate of Iowa State University and holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelors Degree in Political Science. He also is an ICMA Credentialed Manager.





James (Mark) Rooney also has an accomplished background with more than 22 years of local government experience and a distinguished career in the United States Army. He most recently served as Village Manager for the Villages of Carpentersville and Wheeling, Illinois, and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring from duty in 2014. Rooney holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics and History from the University of Nebraska, is a Graduate of Command & General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and is also an ICMA Credentialed Manager.





Using the assistance of SGR, the City of Paducah advertised for City Manager applicants through April 13 which resulted in an applicant pool of 32 candidates from 17 states. On April 17, the Paducah Board of Commissioners met with SGR Senior Vice President Doug Thomas to review the applicants. That process narrowed the candidate pool to ten semifinalists. Those candidates then completed a comprehensive questionnaire, online video interviews, an applicant Predictive Index Assessment, and additional application materials. On May 9, the Paducah Board of Commissioners narrowed the field to the four finalists listed above.





Parks & Recreation Director Mark Thompson has been serving as Interim City Manager since January 13.



PADUCAH, KY -
No. 16 Kentucky hosts LSU, looking to remain unbeaten
By Paul Schaumburg May. 15, 2018 | 08:50 PM | PADUCAH, KY

St. Paul Lutheran Church of Paducah will celebrate its sesquicentennial Pentecost Sunday, May 20, highlighting the founding of the congregation on Pentecost Sunday in 1868.

"When our church is mentioned, many people in the area think of our beautiful stone sanctuary and stained glass windows at 21st and Kentucky, not far from Baptist Health hospital," said Paul Schaumburg. He is a lifelong member whose family through Ulrich Beyer, was one of 17 founding families of the congregation and the only original family with descendants still members of the congregation.

"Others remember when we had two pastors, who each served the congregation for 33 years apiece in succession," he continued. "A large number of people here attended our kindergarten between 1962 and 1980. So, even though Lutherans are a minority Christian denomination in western Kentucky, our church has a good relationship with the community."

The Rev. David Appold has served St. Paul for nearly four years, the first two in a dual pastorate with the Rev. Corey Aker and for nearly two years as the sole pastor of the church. A native of Michigan and the son of a pastor, he said the congregation is a member of the Lutheran Church  Missouri Synod, a theologically conservative church that preaches Christ and Him crucified, as St. Paul himself states it in his New Testament epistles.

"Lutherans around the world and many other Christians as well just celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Reformation this past Oct. 31," Appold explained. "What was so exciting for the Reformers continues to bear fruit throughout the world. Our congregation has been a faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the past 150 years and by God's grace we plan to continue that until our Lord returns."

As for the church's location in Paducah, "If it weren't for ice floes on the Ohio River here when my ancestors arrived after coming up the Mississippi, they would have travelled on by boat to Darmstadt, Indiana, where they had relatives," Schaumburg said. "Instead, the founders, who made their living as orchard growers, found in the spring that the fruit cuttings they'd brought from Bavaria blossomed and grew, so they stayed in Paducah and McCracken County. Besides Ulrich Beyer, another relative of the same family line was George Schmidt, a founder of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in 1856. Beyers and Schmidts and their descendants have grown apples and peaches here ever since that time the river froze."

Schaumburg wrote and narrated a video fellow church member Mike Legendre produced recounting the church's history. The congregation will view it at Sunday's celebration.

Two prominent called church workers also will attend. "We're happy that the Rev. Paul Donner will deliver the sermon Sunday," Appold said. "Many members still remember him very well. His ministry here lasted more than 33 years and included many highlights. Another called church worker returning is the Rev. Alan Muck. He served here as a director of Christian education for several years, accepted a similar position elsewhere, and eventually earned a divinity degree at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and was ordained as a pastor in Christian ministry."

St. Paul Lutheran Church, 211 S. 21st St., Paducah, welcome all interested to participate in worship services, held each Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Adult Bible class and children's Sunday School are held at 9:30 a.m. To learn more, phone (270) 442-8343 or log on to the church's website at www.stpaulpaducah.org.
The Associated Press

By The Associated Press

By The Associated Press May. 15, 2018 | 09:02 PM | LAKE CITY, KY

The Army has identified a soldier who died in a western Kentucky boating accident.

Pfc. Juwan Richardson of Gordon, Alabama, went missing Friday at Kentucky Lake in Golden Pond. His body was found Monday.

Richardson was with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, at Fort Campbell. He was a petroleum supply specialist.

He joined the Army in 2016 and arrived at Fort Campbell last year.

Richardson's battalion commander, Lt. Col. Matthew Adamczyk, said Richardson's positive attitude and work ethic will be missed.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.
PROPOSED LAW CENTER AND FIRING RANGE PLANS SUSPENDED BY COMMISSIONERS UNTIL DECEMBER

UNTIL SHERIFF-ELECT GRIFFIN TAKES OFFICE IN DECEMBER

In a budget workshop Wednesday morning, county commissioners suspended planning for the proposed law enforcement center and outdoor firing rangenear Saluda for the Henderson County Sheriffs Department. That suspension is reportedly in effect until December...when Sheriff-elect Lowell Griffin will be sworn in and will take office.

According to the Times-News, without much discussion and during that budget workshop meeting with no public comment, the board passed as part of the consent agenda a move to halt the purchase of land on Macedonia Road.

December 2018 will bring a change in the Sheriffs Administration, which may bring with it different priorities and strategies, the agenda item for Wednesdays meeting reads. Due to the length of the process associated with the proposed Law Enforcement Training Center, staff recommends the process be suspended pending review by the incoming Sheriff.

The consent agenda passed unanimously, to the applause of dozens in the room, part of a large contingent of county residents who have remained consistently opposed to the site of the proposed training center, speaking out against its impact on the community, environment and economy in the area.

County Manager Steve Wyatt said last week that May 23 marks the property purchase deadline, and without action by that time, the county will essentially have walked away from the site which would at that time go back on the open market.

That center and firing range was strongly opposed by the Town of Saluda, by Polk County commissioners, and by residents, property owners and others in the Macedonia Road area where the center has been proposed to be located.

That proposed center and firing range was also a major issue in the recent sheriffs election, and is considered to be a factor in the defeat of incumbent Sheriff Charlie McDonald and the win of challenger Lowell Griffin.

Sheriff-elect Griffin told WHKP.com News he wants to go back to the drawing board and consider any plans for such a center.

A year ago, county commissioners committed over $20 million for the proposed center and controversial outdoor firing range...to be paid for with a full penny of the countys property tax rate every year for the next 20 years. That drew sharp opposition from citizens and taxpayers, and plans for the center were in the process of being scaled back.

About four locations, ranging from Blue Ridge Community College to Pinnacle Mountain to Saluda and Tuxedo/Green River were proposed for the center and all were opposed by residents and property owners in those areas.

Sheriff-elect Griffin told WHKP.com News during the sheriffs campaign that her would prefer the bulk of that money be used for school safety.
NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CityBlock Capital is announcing NYCQ, a $20 million tokenized venture fund for investment into top New York City startups. The company will source capital globally and allocate it to proven local investors with track records of profitable exits. NYCQ is the first of three CityQ security tokens that the company plans to offer this year.



Were addressing two major trends in venture capital as securities become digitized on the blockchain, said Rob Nance, Managing Partner of CityBlock. Startups are seeking access to capital markets earlier in their life-cycles through token offerings, and theres increased demand for liquidity among institutional investors. We believe the greatest opportunity for large returns in venture will be at the pre-seed and seed stage. Allocations in these deals are often given to local investors that have access to prime deal flow through relationships. The company plans to announce their NYCQ investment partners on June 15.

In addition to the capital raised by CityQ tokens, CityBlock provides its investment partners with legal, back-office and fund administration. As a professional in this ecosystem since 2005, I noticed that fundraising, administration and legal require too much time and money for micro-VCs. This inevitably means less resources for vetting and supporting founders at the critical early stages, said Jon Avidor, Managing Partner of CityBlock and co-founder of Startup.law, a leading startup law practice in New York City. CityBlocks service platform creates more opportunity for our investment partners to scale their impact across portfolio companies and drive greater returns.

With the launch of more CityQ tokens, CityBlock will encourage cooperation among its network of investment partners through shared incentives. When the CityBlock team first approached me about this project, I immediately understood the opportunity, said Kwame Anku, Founding Principal of Black Angel Tech Fund and adviser to CityBlock Capital. Throughout my career Ive experienced the impact of a strong investor network, whether its for sourcing capital or providing introductions, and Im excited to work with CityBlock on building the future of community-driven venture capital.

CityBlocks commitment to venture capital innovation includes developing a global investor network focused on closing the gender and racial funding gaps that are hindering the VC industry today. Im pleased to be advising CityBlock Capital on the economic opportunities generated by empowering underestimated groups, said Arlan Hamilton, Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital. Many are advocating for blockchain technology as a solution for correcting institutional biases in our governing and financial systems. I'm working with CityBlock to ensure venture capital is equally impacted.

CityBlock Capital has partnered with Securitize on their token sales and will list CityQ tokens on AirSwap. CityBlock Capital is a strategic partner for attracting liquidity as we begin to work with registered broker-dealers to introduce security tokens into the AirSwap marketplace, said Rob Paone of AirSwap. CityBlocks success equates to our success in developing markets around this highly desirable asset-class.

Additional CityBlock Capital advisers include Anthony Pompliano (Morgan Creek Blockchain Capital), Carlos Domingo (Securitize / SPiCE VC) and Kevin White (Genesis Block Capital).

To learn more about CityBlock Capital visit: www.cityblockcapital.com

To learn more about security tokens visit: The Official Guide to Tokenized Securities by Anthony Pompliano

ABOUT THE TEAM

Rob Nance - Managing Partner

Rob is managing partner of Edgewater Equity, an early stage venture capital fund based in New York City. Edgewater deploys capital thematically across early-stage companies investing in the enabling technology of networks and the application of material science to consumer products that havent seen innovation in multiple decades. He manages a portfolio of early-stage companies around the globe. Rob also advises a diverse group of operating businesses that range from restaurants to medical cannabis dispensaries. Rob holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Winthrop University and Master of Science of Law in International Taxation from Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Jon Avidor - Managing Partner

Jon is co-founder of World Trade Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm in New York. He has worked with innovators and investors from Silicon Valley to New York and Tel Aviv since 2005. Jon also founded Startup.Law, and previously practiced law at Sullivan & Cromwell (NYC) and Goodwin Procter (Silicon Valley). He is best-known for representation of clients selling companies to LinkedIn, PayPal and Intel, and has been counsel to Goldman Sachs and Khosla Ventures. Jon holds a JD-MBA from Northwestern/Kellogg and is licensed to practice law in New York and California.

Media contact:

Max Goldstein

co-founder / COO

max@cityblockcapital.com




Hexis has now finalised training dates for Brisbane. Ian Parsonson, CEO of Hexis Australia stated that the company has set a cap of four people per day for all courses except for the Chrome Wrap Course where 8 people can be accommodated.





The courses will take place at Hexiss new facility at Yatala, approximately half way between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Ian also announced that the company has newly qualified trainers who will be assisting participants to achieve the most out of the days. We will be running a one off Advanced Chrome Wrapping day where customers can use the new Skintac Super Chrome Gloss and Satin range to perfect their skill set in the application of this product, he said.



June is Vehicle Wrap application and July is Bodyfence application



We will also be running Hexis Australia training at Eastern Creek Race Way at the beginning of July dates to be confirmed.



All participants receive a Hexis goodie bag, framed certificate and lunch and morning tea provided.

The dates are as follows

Hexis Training - June / July Dates  QLD

Essentials Wrap Course: 25th - 26th June Advanced Chrome Wrap Course: 27th June

Essentials Wrap Course: 28th - 29th June



Advanced Wrap Day: 25th July

Bodyfence Course: 26th July

Bodyfence Course: 27th July

Hexis Australia

www.hexis.com.au
SAN DIEGO, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A person is more likely ready to seek help when he is immersed in drug addiction. Sad part is, many people die because they do not know how to find the right rehabilitation and detoxification centers. These establishments are the places where drug addiction treated as a disease can reach full recovery, but what happens when the person wants to be rehabilitated yet wanted to bring his pet with him? There are only a few pet friendly drug rehabs. RehabsThatAllowPets.com is a comprehensive website dedicated in providing the best information for pet friendly rehab centers.



A self-determination is needed to start the process of drug rehab. If you do not want any treatment, chances are youre going to stop going to treatment after a while, and your condition will worsen. Pets increase motivation for the addicted individual to stay on the rehabilitation process. Allowing pets to be around the addicted individual serves as their companion and a stress reliever; the process of getting rehabilitated is stressful enough for the patient.

If you face some kind of addiction to drugs and does not know how to find a pet friendly rehab, please follow these steps.

The first step you can take to find a good pet friendly drug rehab. If looking for a pet friendly drug rehab center is too complicated for you, you may contact RehabsThatAllowPets.com and their drug rehab counselors are going to assess the situation and provide the best options you can have.

To find a quick a center, you can go to your local health center (or hospital). These centers serve as first aid in medical treatment of drug addiction (if it is an overdose or if the condition of the addict is very serious), in other situations, your local health center will recommend a clinical drug rehab nearby though unfortunately, these clinics wont be able to cater pets.

Kevin Leonard

Organization: RehabsThatAllowPets.com

Address: 402 West Broadway, #400, San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 888-325-2454

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/4c2ffe6c-96ec-477a-9489-736e1ca4d0b3




By: Paige Cline The hills are still green for the most part, but a little[Read More]
HOUSTON, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In its latest national report, Transwestern revealed that the U.S. office market showed continued growth over the first three months of 2018 as vacancy remained stable for the sixth consecutive quarter. Direct and overall (sublet) vacancy ended the quarter at 9.7 and 10.3 percent, respectively.



Overall, 22 of the 48 Transwestern reporting markets registered improvements in office direct vacancy while 30 of the markets recorded increases in overall vacancy (direct and sublet) over the period.



Although well below both three- and five-year running quarterly averages, net absorption in the office sector for the first quarter of 2018 slightly outpaced the five-year average first-quarter performance of 14 million square feet, said Stuart Showers, Director of Research for Transwesterns Houston office. As a result, average asking rental rates continued to climb at a modest pace.



For office space, the first-quarter national average asking rental rate of $25.66 per square foot marked the 20th consecutive quarterly increase.



Continued restraint in the development of new office product helped the sector. After cresting at 147.6 million square feet a year ago, the construction pipeline has begun to recede with early 2018 marking the fourth straight quarter of declines. New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington, D.C., and Seattle led the 141.1 million square feet of new construction starts in first quarter 2018



When examining vacancy and rent growth by market, we see a number of metros still in a stage of recovery or market correction for a variety of reasons, Showers said. But these are more than offset by metros we consider stabilized or peak performers.



Download the national office market report at: http://twurls.com/1q18-us-office



ABOUT TRANSWESTERN

Transwestern is a privately held real estate firm of collaborative entrepreneurs who deliver a higher level of personalized service  the Transwestern Experience. Specializing in Agency Leasing, Tenant Advisory, Capital Markets, Asset Services and Research, our fully integrated global enterprise adds value for investors, owners and occupiers of all commercial property types. We leverage market insights and operational expertise from members of the Transwestern family of companies specializing in development, real estate investment management and research. Based in Houston, Transwestern has 35 U.S. offices and assists clients through more than 211 offices in 36 countries as part of a strategic alliance with BNP Paribas Real Estate. Experience Extraordinary at transwestern.com and @Transwestern.

Attachment
REGINA, Saskatchewan, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Information Services Corporation (TSX:ISV) (ISC or the Company) today announced the voting results from its annual general meeting of shareholders (the Meeting) held on May 16, 2018 in Regina, Saskatchewan.



A total of 12,406,615 Class A Limited Voting Shares were represented at the Meeting, being 70.89 per cent of the Company's issued and outstanding Class A Limited Voting Shares. Shareholders voted in favour of all matters brought before the Meeting, including the appointment of Deloitte LLP as auditor for the ensuing year and the election of its Board of Directors.

Director Voting

The following three members of the Board were appointed by the Lieutenant Governor In Council of the Province of Saskatchewan in lieu of Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan (CIC) voting its shares on any resolution to elect directors, as provided for in The Information Services Corporation Act: Joel Douglas Teal, Thomas Christiansen and Douglas Allen Emsley.

Detailed results of the ballot vote for the election of the remaining seven directors are provided in the table below:

Nominee Votes For % Votes For Withheld % Votes Withheld Karyn A. Brooks 6,971,440 99.85 10,175 0.15 Anthony Robert Guglielmin 6,975,940 99.92 5,675 0.08 William Scott Musgrave 6,975,865 99.92 5,750 0.08 Iraj Pourian 6,931,681 99.28 49,934 0.72 Laurie Powers 6,888,105 98.66 93,510 1.34 Heather Ross 6,975,840 99.92 5,775 0.08 Dion E. Tchorzewski 6,970,865 99.85 10,750 0.15

The Company has filed a report of the results of resolutions voted on at the Meeting on www.sedar.com .

About ISC

Headquartered in Canada, ISC is the leading provider of registry and information management services for public data and records. Throughout our history we have delivered value to our clients by providing solutions to manage, secure and administer information through our Registry Operations, Services and Technology Solutions segments. ISC is focused on sustaining its core business while pursuing new growth opportunities. The Class A Shares of ISC trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ISV.

Investor Contact

Jonathan Hackshaw

Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications

306-798-2136

investor.relations@isc.ca
TORONTO, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Last night at the 33rd annual Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance Leadership Awards Gala, Reformulary Group received the TELUS Outstanding Product Achievement Award for DrugFinder, a consumer tool that gives Canadians access to independent and expert research on prescription drugs.



DrugFinder was built as an educational tool to address gaps in prescription drug coverage. There are many Canadians who cannot afford to pay for their medication because they lack prescription drug coverage altogether or have inadequate coverage and cannot cover the cost of their medication. With DrugFinder, patients can search prescription drugs to see if what theyve been prescribed is preferred by the expert panel  meaning that the drug provides the best combination of clinical and cost-effectiveness. DrugFinder also gives Canadians access to recommended  or preferred  alternatives for drugs that are considered non-preferred.

With DrugFinder, we want to empower Canadians to take control of their health, said Helen Stevenson, founder and CEO of Reformulary Group. We are incredibly proud of this recognition and will continue to help educate patients and empower them to make smart drug choices and take control of their health.

The TELUS Outstanding Product Award recognizes a Canadian organization for a technology engineering development or solution that has resulted in a world-class M-Health product and has enhanced Canadas international reputation for healthcare innovation and excellence. In the shift from physician-focused, disease oriented and hospital-based care to consumer-driven wellness, DrugFinder puts power in the hands of the patient.

How it works

DrugFinder is an online tool that searches the Reformulary, a list of drugs reviewed and handpicked by clinical experts. Users can search by drug name or medical condition, and look up if there is an alternative drug that works just as well. Users can also keep track of their medications in DrugFinders virtual Medicine Cabinet and sign up for alerts about alternative drugs available and new drugs on the market, as well as other health-related information.

Recently, Reformulary Group trained Alexa to enhance the DrugFinder user experience. By asking questions into an Alexa-enabled device like the Amazon Echo, Alexa will respond to the patients inquiries. Users can ask questions such as, Are there better options for Drug X? Or, What is the generic of Drug X?

DrugFinder Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIuNH6FC6Cw

DrugFinder is a trusted, credible tool for all Canadians to help them make smart drug choices:

Companies that subscribe to the Reformulary achieve significant savings and a more sustainable future

People who pay out-of-pocket for drugs can make smart drug choices that consider cost

Parents, caregivers, and seniors can keep track of the familys drugs with the virtual Medicine Cabinet

About Reformulary Group



Reformulary Group is a healthcare company, founded in Toronto in 2011. The Companys most notable innovation is its proprietary formulary  the Reformulary  which it sells on a subscription basis to Canadian employers. The Reformulary is curated based on the trusted advice of an independent panel of doctors and pharmacists. Reformulary Group CEO, Helen Stevenson started the company in 2011. The former Executive Officer, Ontario Public Drug Programs, and Assistant Deputy Minister of Health, Stevenson and her team saved Ontario taxpayers $1.5 billion. Plans powered by Reformulary achieve significant savings and through the DrugFinder app, help people make smart drug choices and take control of their health.

www.reformulary.com

Media Contact:

Alex Cerelli, MAVERICK

O: 416.640.5525 x 238

M: 905.864.5530

E: alexc@wearemaverick.com
Stills for the footage captured from the undercover investigation at Carden Circus. Tigers in cages, tigers being trained, and tigers being performed and abused.
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It took orders from three judges to prod him into action, but Scott Walker finally scheduled two special elections. The June 12 elections for a state Senate seat in northeast Wisconsin and an Assembly seat in the center of the state will provide evidence of how well the so-called blue wave is holding up in Wisconsin.

Financial background versus personhood promoter

The Democrats in both races have been endorsed by the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters and the Human Right Campaign.

In Senate District 1, Democrat Caleb Frostman hopes to win a seat that became vacant last December when Walker tapped former Sen. Frank Lasee to join his administration. Lasee became administrator of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Developments Workers Compensation Division.

A former telemarketing supervisor and longtime office holder, Lasee won his last bid for election in 2014 by 25 percentage points, despite residing far outside the district, which is composed of Brown, Door, Kewaunee and Calumet Counties.

Lasees wife and six daughters live in Racine County. Democrats tried to disqualify him from the ballot, claiming his actual residence was with his family.

But the Government Accountability Board said to let the voters decide. (Walker later shut down the board because he said it was biased against Republicans. The board was composed of six nonpartisan former judges selected by the governor.)

Frostman has a decent chance of pulling off a victory on. June 12. The district voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, but Donald Trump prevailed in 2016. Trumps victory margin in SD-1, however, was less than it was in Wisconsins 10th Senate District, where Democrat Patty Schachtner scored a solid upset in a January special election. And, in April, Democratic-backed Supreme Court candidate Rebecca Dallet won the district.

Remarks made by Walker after Schachtners victory suggest it was the outcome of her race that spooked him into postponing further special elections.

Although the candidates elected in June will have to run again in November and there are no legislative sessions scheduled for the rest of the year, Walker seemed to fear that additional Democratic upsets would lend momentum to a gathering blue wave in the state.

With Frostman, Democrats have a stronger and much more relatable candidate than Republicans. Last night, GOP primary voters in SD-10 chose state Rep. Andre Jacque to run against him. Jacque is regarded as something of a nut job on both sides of the aisle. Republican leaders supported his opponent, businessman Alex Renard Andre, in the primary.

Jacque won the obscure race with 52 percent of fewer than 10,000 votes cast, even though Republicans had invested heavily in Renard, helping him to raise $43,679 in April.

Jacque opposes abortion under any circumstances, as well as hormonal contraception and the use of fetal tissue in medical research. Hes best known for pushing a bill declaring fertilized eggs as persons under the law. Even Wisconsin Right to Life rejected that idea.

Anti-choice voters, however, are among the most reliable and motivated voting blocs in low-profile elections, and their turnout on June 12 could drag Jacque across the finish line.

Frostman, on the other hand, seems tailor-made for the district. His website features a picture of him in a Packers hoodie, gleaming for the camera as he shows off his catch from a fishing expedition.

It doesnt get more Wisconsin than that.

A native of Green Bay, Frostman has a strong financial background. He was vice president of commercial real estate for US Bank in Minneapolis before returning home to Wisconsin in 2016 to serve as executive director of the Door County Economic Development Corp.

Frostman told the Door County Pulse that he first came to understand the effect of legislation on peoples lives when a dejected fraternity brother at UW-Madison came out to him as gay after voters in the state banned same-sex marriage. The young man showed Frostman scars from a suicide attempt.

That was probably what turned me to paying closer attention, Frostman told the Pulse. It wasnt that I had a harsh outlook. I just wasnt aware. Being a straight white due, I had no idea what other folks had to go through. Hurtful legislation affects people. I never forgot that.

Frostman is endorsed by the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters and the Human Rights Campaign.

Karate school owner versus Ph.D. holder

GOP voters in Assembly District 42, where the other June 12 special election is slated, chose karate school owner and Lodi Town Board Member Jon Plumer in a four-man race for the nomination. He will face Democrat nominee Ann Groves Lloyd at the polls on June 12.

AD-42 is a heavily gerrymandered district which, on the map, resembles a particularly elaborate puzzle piece. Its a largely rural area located in the central southern part of the state.

Most of the district lies in Columbia County, which is part of the Madison media market.

The Assembly seat became vacant when Republican Keith Ripp resigned last December to become an assistant deputy secretary with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection.

Again, the Democrat in the race has a plausible path to victory.

Although Hillary Clinton only got 46 percent of the vote in the 2016 presidential race, Columbia County supported Dallet by a 56 percent to 44 percent margin.

Plumer came under attack from Democrats in early April for allegedly avoiding being labeled a Republican.

Although hes not well known outside the district, Plumer has a positive public profile in Lodis business community. In addition to his position on the Towne Board, hes a past president of the Lodi and Lake Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce.

Plumer conceivably could face backlash from other Republicans who say the race was rigged by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. He made it clear that the party establishment was behind Plumer, and he tried persuading the other GOP candidates to drop out of the race.

Vos is under fire for spending $4,300 to charter a plane to Ohio in February 2017 for a Republican strategy meeting. While there, Vos attended a meeting with his close personal friend Cliff Rosenberger, who has since resigned as Ohio Assembly Speaker due to an ongoing FBI corruption probe.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the trip occurred four months after a Republican campaign donor tied to Rosenberger donated $15,000 to a committee controlled by Vos.

Lloyd apparently enters the race free of such baggage. Born and raised on her familys farm, she has an ebullient personality thats made her a popular alder on the Lodi Common Council.

She holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration.

One of Lloyds chief policy interests is education. In her jobs as UW-Madison director of career services and associate dean for student academic affairs, Lloyd saw firsthand that there is no better on-ramp to the middle class than a quality education, she says on her website.

On the site, she also expresses pride in her grandfather and great-uncle who served in their state government on the Progressive ticket.

Another area of great interest for Lloyd is clean water, and she has a particularly clever and engaging ad on the subject on YouTube. Like Frostman, shes been endorsed by both the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters and the Human Rights Campaign. Shes also backed by Emilys List.
English Icelandic

The interim financial report for Syn hf. for the first quarter of 2018, was approved by the company's Board of Directors and CEO at a board meeting on 16. May 2018.

At the company's Annual General Meeting in March, it was agreed to change the company's name from Fjarskipti hf. to Syn hf. In December 2017, the company purchased certain assets and operations of 365 milar hf., and the effect of this is can be seen in the comparison of amounts between years. One-off items regarding the acquisition affected the quarter's results and the adjusted results are shown below. The one-off items consist of several different items connected with the purchase.

 Income in the first quarter of 2018 amounted to ISK 5,304 million, an increase of 69% from the previous year.

 The quarter's EBITDA amounted to ISK 718 million, the same as the previous year. The adjusted EBITDA, in accordance with the above, amounted to ISK 833 million, an 11% increase from the previous year.

 Profits in the period amounted to ISK 56 million, a decrease of 72% from the previous year. The period's adjusted profits amounted to ISK 150 million, a 33% increase when compared to the same period of the previous year.

 Profits per share were 0.20.

 The adjusted EBITDA, in accordance with the above, amounted to ISK 522 million, a 61% increase from the previous year.

 EBITDA outlook for 2018 is estimated at ISK 4,000-4,400 million from regular operations. The estimated investment ratio is unchanged at 8-10% of income.

Stefan Sigursson, CEO:

"It is pleasing to see the merged company's first quarter show a revenue increase of 69%, which exceeds expectations. The first step of the merger has been to ensure the transfer of the company's customers and revenue, which has been successful so far, despite the heavy workload associated with integration. The quarter's costs are high, as no synergies are realized yet. Merger costs were however considerable during the quarter, as well as depreciation and financial expenses following the increase in balance sheet. The plan for the year is to lower the costs of the merged company, with synergies increasing steadily throughout the year. The company still plans to achieve syngergies amounting to ISK 1,000-1,100 within 18 months, i.e. approximately 60% of the total EBITDA increase plan for the purchase. The plans that the merged company will have an EBITDA of over ISK 5 billion in 2020 are unchanged.

The merged company, under the name Syn, is a telecommunications and media company offering broad services. According to a new report by the PTA, the company had the second largest market share in the mobile market (32.8%), broadband (37.1%) and IPTV (47.4%) at year-end 2017.

The first months of the merger have been postive, and the merger should be fruitful for all stakeholders. In addition to the estimated EBITDA of over ISK 5 billion in 2020, the employees will be joined under one roof during the year, in the company's new headquarters at Suurlandsbraut 8-10. For consumers, the price of television subscription packages decreased whilst other packages were expanded. These changes have been part of the planning regarding the purchase from the beginning and are therefore included in the prospects of the merged company. By doing this, we aim to press forward and give more people the chance to subscribe to high-quality Icelandic and international TV programming and live sports," says Stefan Sigursson, CEO of Syn.
TORONTO, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Datametrex AI Limited (the Company or Datametrex) (TSXV:DM) (FSE:D4G) is pleased to announce that Nexalogy Environics, one of its wholly owned subsidiaries, was chosen by the Bolo Program to assist in the amplification of police requests for the publics assistance on priority most wanted cases.



The Bolo Program is a breakthrough initiative leveraging social media and technology to ensure citizens are on the lookout for Canadas most wanted, so they can report sightings and submit tips to help the police arrest them. Bolo, which stands for Be On The Lookout, is a commonly-used term in the law enforcement community to designate an individual who is actively wanted.

Bolo Program Objectives

Contribute to the police solving major cases

Make sure most wanted individuals face justice

Bring closure to crime victims

Boost public participation in public safety

The Bolo Program is an initiative of the Stephan Cretier Foundation, a charity organization established in 2006. Additional information on the Bolo Program is available at www.boloprogram.org.

Datametrex is thrilled to share this development. We are proud of the work our team at Nexalogy is doing and even more so when our solutions are part of a program that helps make our communities safer. This announcement further demonstrates how Nexalogys solutions can be a powerful tool in unlocking insights from social media data, said Jeff Stevens, President & COO of the Company.

About Nexalogy

Nexalogy AI solutions unlock valuable insights from social media data. Through its proprietary semantic clustering algorithms, it provides insights and analysis that are not available through traditional business intelligence technology. This technology makes data more relevant and is the missing link in providing actionable social media intelligence to governments and organizations all over the world.

About the Company

Datametrex AI Limited is a technology focused company with exposure to four exciting verticals. Big Data, collecting data from retail point of sales environment. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning through its wholly owned subsidiary, Nexalogy (www.nexalogy.com). Implementing Blockchain technology for secure Data Transfers through its joint venture company, Graph Blockchain (www.graphblockchain.com). Industrial scale Cryptocurrency Mining through its wholly owned subsidiary, Ronin Blockchain Corp (www.roninblockchain.com).

Additional information on Datametrex is available at: www.datametrex.com

To stay informed about Datametrex, please join our Investor Group on 8020 Connect http://bit.ly/2fPUNwF for all upcoming news releases, articles comments and questions.

For further information, please contact:

Jeffrey Stevens  President & COO

Phone: (647) 400-8494

Email: jstevens@datametrex.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 release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding the timing and completion of any blockchain related activities as the subsidiary is newly incorporated and has no current operations. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance or results, since it involves risks and uncertainties. There is no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements. Some of the factors on which the forward-looking statements are premised include (but are not limited to) the lack of material changes to general economic, market and business conditions. Except as required by law, the Corporation does not assume and expressly renounces any obligation to update any forward-looking information, which is only applicable on the date on which it is given.
FRANKFORT - Over 500 students from around the area got a chance to learn about a career in agriculture, but what are our youth interested in on the farm?

Farming for your future is a chance for kids to learn about all aspects of the agriculture business, and Frankfort High School student Logan Doolen realizes its changing.

"Were learning about mainly agriculture and how its like evolving."

Technology is playing a big role in that evolution. Drones are being used in a number of applications, and thats peaking the interest of many youth even if theyre not interested in the farming industry.

"The technology on a farm is better because its more productive, and thats the way the worlds going so we got to change with it."

Precision Farming Specialist Erick Haas explains how that type of technology is saving the farmer money.

"You take your typical farmer whos got a thousand acres, and hes out spreading fertilizer, if hes overlapping 10-15 feet because he doesnt know where he just was, thats a lot of wasted time, fuel, and product. So this technology can get that overlap down to one inch, and thats going to be the immediate savings for all the farmers out there."

Poland Central School student Hadyn Weakley is realizing the importance of her studies and how that knowledge can be applied to the changing technologies.

"It actually isnt really just you going to math and learning geometry. That youre actually learning things that youre going to use in your skill. Youre learning skills that youre going to be using in the real world. Thats what you want to do in life."

The goal here is to get the kids interested in a career in farming, but Mohawk Dairy Farmer Jeff Weeks thinks these kids need to be careful about their career choices.

"I would tell young kids now to get more into the AG business side more than the dairy or livestock. I mean if you want to raise a herd of beef go right ahead. That will be easier than trying to find a milk market."

The hands-on access to the exhibits gave these students the ability to help them decide if the ag business is right for them.
NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on the aftermath of powerful storms that pounded areas of the Northeast (all times local):

12:45 p.m.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says two people are dead and about 157,000 power outages are reported following the ferocious wind, rain and hail storm that bore down on New York's lower Hudson Valley.

Cuomo said Wednesday that falling trees in Newburgh claimed the lives of an 11-year-old girl in a parked car and a woman who was driving.

The National Weather Service is investigating whether any tornadoes occurred Tuesday. Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. reported 78 mph wind gusts and about 1,000 lighting strikes per hour.

Thousands of utility workers were working feverishly to restore power. Putnam County grappled with 144 closed roads.

Cuomo, a Democrat, said there could be federal assistance, depending on the extent of the damage.

___

11:15 a.m.

The National Weather Service says powerful thunderstorms created a small weather generated tsunami off the New Jersey coast.

Known as a meteotsunami, it resulted in fluctuating water levels for several hours Tuesday. But there were no reports of damage from the event.

The abnormally high tides were reported in areas from Perth Amboy in New Jersey to Delaware's Fenwick Island.

Officials say meteotsunamis are driven by air-pressure disturbances often associated with fast-moving weather events, such as severe thunderstorms, squalls, and other storm fronts. Most meteotsunamis are too small to notice.

___

7:50 a.m.

The cleanup is underway throughout the Northeast a day after powerful storms pounded the region with torrential rain and marble-sized hail, leaving at least three people dead and hundreds of thousands of customers without power.

Connecticut officials said a man was killed Tuesday when a tree fell on his truck in New Fairfield, and in Danbury, a man who had taken refuge to escape the storm was killed when a tree fell on his truck. An 11-year-old New York girl was killed when a large tree toppled onto the car she was in.

The storms downed trees and power lines across the region. Several lightning strikes led to structure fires in New Jersey and Massachusetts. Roads in many towns were impassible and some schools canceled classes on Wednesday due to the damage.

Airlines also canceled and delayed flights in and out of the region.
A bankruptcy judge has given Tops Friendly Markets permission to close its underperforming stores.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York approved the request by Tops to close its underperforming stores and to hold closing sales before shutting them down.

In an April court filing, Tops said the vast majority of its 169 stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont are profitable, but a few have consistently underperformed.

On May 10, the motion outlining the procedures was approved by the court, but as of now there is no timeline for when those closures will occur.

According to Syracuse.com, Tops reportedly has more than $720 million in debt.

Locally, there are Tops stores in Boonville, Camden, Rome, Cooperstown, Canastota, Chittenango and Lowville.
PHILADELPHIA, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wrinkl, the actionable group messaging platform that brings clarity and productivity back to collaboration, was awarded MediaPosts 2018 Appy Award in the Messaging category. A panel of industry experts led the judging process naming Wrinkl the winner.



The Messaging class of the Appy Awards included apps created for person-to-person and/or group communications. Wrinkls innovative features reduce clutter, distill whats important, and provide the tools to act on itall without leaving the conversation. By integrating the immediacy of group messaging with the durability of email, Wrinkl decreases fragmented communications in the workplace across multiple messaging applications, while also creating a system of record for companies.

Wrinkl is honored to be recognized by MediaPost for design of its innovative platform addressing the deficiencies of group chat for business use, says Wrinkl co-founder and CEO, Marc Cohen. By eliminating the noise, clutter, triviality and perishability plaguing competing platforms, Wrinkl makes group messaging a truly productive tool for workplace collaboration.

MediaPost's Appy Awards honor creativity and excellence in app design. Celebrating its 21st Anniversary, MediaPost Communications has been and is at the forefront of the ever-changing digital marketplace. It is the largest and most influential media, marketing and advertising site providing news, blogs, and directories to help our community of more than 150,000 members better plan and buy both traditional and online advertising.

Wrinkl is accessible via desktop and is available to download in Google Play and Apples App Store.

For more information, please visit www.wrinkl.com. To schedule a demo, contact us at info@wrinkl.com.

About Wrinkl

Wrinkl is the actionable group messaging platform that brings clarity and productivity back to collaboration. Our cloud-based communications software combines an easy-to-use group chat interface with a suite of native messaging tools designed to get work done and create a system of record. Wrinkl provides businesses with a messaging solution that reduces clutter, distills whats important, and supplies the tools to act on itall without leaving the conversation. With Wrinkl, conversation is actionnot distraction. For a more in-depth look, visit us at www.wrinkl.com and @Wrinklme.

Media Contact

Richard Krueger

TallGrass Public Relations

richard.krueger@tallgrasspr.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/9b59c085-a22d-46ce-81b9-4db803cece7c
San Diego, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- San Diego, May 16, 2018: Morning person (plural morning people) (idiomatic) A person who wakes up, without difficulty, early each morning and is alert and active during the first part of the day.

Hornblower Cruises is adding a new time on their traditional San Diego daytime harbor cruise starting May 26th, by featuring an early option for those visitors who are up and at em and ready to start their San Diego adventure with an 8:45 am departure. Sightseeing cruises depart conveniently from Pier 2 at the foot of Broadway Street downtown. Hornblower is sweetening the deal with free coffee to those who want to try this first cruise of the day!*

This is the big change to the san Diegos popular harbor tour sightseeing schedule which hasnt changed much in over 25 years.

Were answering a huge demand for an early cruise from both our European and east coast visitors still on their time zones and from individuals compressing their SD experience into only a few days to fit in all the sights says Kelly Johnson, Public Cruise Manager for Hornblower Cruises in San Diego. With our new 8:45 early cruise, guests can enjoy a spin around San Diego Bay and then have plenty of time left in their day to head over to USS Midway, and have time for the Zoo or SeaWorld, commented Rebecca Milkey, Director of Marketing, Hornblower Cruises & Events.

What is the allure of this new cruise?

Morning light! San Diegos beautiful bay has been photographed millions of times at sunset and during the day, but have you see the city after dawn? Photo buffs will love the interesting light and shadows.

Free coffee! Enough said. Almost everyone loves a cup of coffee early in the morning. We are giving it away on the first one hour harbor tour of the day, Fri. Sat., and Sun. all summer long.

Coffee Cocktail Anyone? For just five bucks adding a little alcohol to your favorite fresh-brew is a great way to make your harbor cruise a party. The Hornblower Snack Bar will feature Liqueurs And Cordialsshots to make your beverage into a satisfying hot coffee cocktail. Think Baileys Coffee or Irish coffee with whiskey, a Nutty Irishman with Frangelico, Kentucky Coffee with Wild Turkey, French Connection with Cognac or Kahlua and Coffee.

7 Things Morning People do Differently: an interesting read!

On Friday - Sunday from May 26 - September 30, one-hour south-bound cruises begin at 8:45am and continue through the usual daily schedule. The one-hour San Diego harbor cruises sail daily at 10:00am, 11:15am, 12:30pm, 1:45pm, 3:00pm and 4:15pm. Guests also have the option to choose a two-hour cruise to see and learn about the entire San Diego Bay.

Highlights include views of seabirds, sea lions and more than fifty San Diego landmarks such as the Star of India, submarines, aircraft carriers, North Island Air Station, and the Point Loma Lighthouse. Tickets are $27.00 for adults and half price for children ages 3-12 years, while infants under 3 cruise FREE. This is one of the lowest attraction tickets in all San Diego!

Discounts are available on all cruises for children, groups, seniors, AAA card holders and military personnel. Hornblower Cruises ticket booth is located at Pier 2, 970 North Harbor Drive and visitors can buy tickets or make reservations online at www.hornblower.com or call 619-686-8715 or outside San Diego 1-800 ON THE BAY. Convenient parking is available next door at USS Midway for $10 per car.



Testimonial: In early August of last year, my wife and I toured San Diego for the very first time.Part of that experience was at the San Diego Harbor piers. I must say that our cruise was perfect! The ship was spotless, the captain provided us with a continuous narrative of each and every coastal feature for both the north and south sections of the bay. We cruised up and under the Coronado Bridge and close to many of the US Navys ship works. We found this vessel to be great in so many ways; the number of passengers was controlled to the extent that we did not feel crowded nor unsafe at any time. The vessel was handled in a smooth, safe manner which contributed to our total enjoyment. Additionally, we felt that the cost of this cruise was very fair. Our thanks to the captain and crew as our cruise will always be a part of our memory along with the other sights we took in while visiting San Diego. Mr. & Mrs. Ken DeFilippo

Hornblower Cruises & Events celebrates over 36 years of providing cruises and charters in California. The premiere charter company operates a total of 37 vessels throughout California that sail from San Francisco, Berkeley, Marina del Rey, Long Beach, Newport Beach and San Diego. In addition to private charters and public cruises, the company hosts special celebration cruises on all holidays, Fourth of July, New Years Eve, and Valentines Day. For more information regarding any of the Hornblower cruises or private events, please call (619) 686-8700.








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SAN MATEO, Calif., May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adherium (ASX:ADR), an award-winning digital health company that improves medication adherence, patient outcomes and engagement, today announced the launch of the Hailie global brand to connect people with asthma and COPD to better care. The launch is a rebrand of the existing Smartinhaler brand, and includes the free Hailie app, an asthma and COPD tracking solution available on both iOS and Android, ultimately setting the stage for availability of Hailie sensors to consumers in the U.S.



The Hailie brand supports the Companys acceleration to meet commercial demand, as patients seek the benefits of connected technology to manage their health.

With more and more patients leveraging technology for not just tracking fitness but overall health, we want to give them a personified brand like Hailie that they can identify with, said Vik Panda, Adheriums VP of Marketing. Hailie is your asthma and COPD sidekick, always there to support you and help you manage your condition.

Adherium believes health technology should be easy to use and it strives to make the Hailie solution effortless for anybody managing chronic respiratory symptoms, and it has the clinical history to support this.

Were extremely excited to announce the Hailie brand. It encompasses the worlds most clinically proven asthma and COPD medication adherence solution and represents an evolution of our business, said Arik Anderson, CEO of Adherium. Our technology, which is supported by 15 years of research and development, will soon be available directly to patients for the first time ever in the U.S.

Adheriums technology has garnered a wide body of clinical evidence, having been featured in 72 peer-reviewed journals to date. Additionally, more than 100,000 inhaler sensors have been distributed globally.

Adheriums Hailie solution is designed to help patients achieve better adherence. It does this by tracking medication use and reminding the user with helpful nudges when its time to take doses. People who live with asthma or COPD gain the tools to better manage their condition with their physician, empowering them to take control of their health.

As part of the comprehensive Hailie solution, Adherium is also launching a portal for healthcare professionals and clinicians (go.hailie.com) that uses Bluetooth wireless technology to provide data collection and reporting from Hailie sensors. This platform will support engagement between healthcare professionals and patients by enabling sharing and monitoring of patient inhaler usage.

You can follow Hailie on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

About Adherium

Adherium is a provider of digital health solutions and a global leader in connected respiratory medical devices, with over 100,000 devices distributed globally. The Company develops, manufactures and supplies patients, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers and contract research organizations with the broadest range of connected medical devices for respiratory medications. The devices and accompanying technology address sub-optimal medication use and strive to improve health outcomes in chronic disease. Adherium is headquartered in the U.S., and operates globally from bases in the U.S., Europe and Australasia. Learn more at adherium.com.

Inquiries

Vik Panda, Adherium

Email: vikp@adherium.com

Media

Chris Gale, Greentarget

Phone: 646.695.2883

Email: cgale@greentarget.com

Investors

Leigh Salvo, Gilmartin Group

Phone: 415.937.5404

Email: leigh@gilmartinir.com
Rosatom expands overseas links with new agreements

16 May 2018

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Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear corporation, yesterday signed a series of agreements with overseas companies during the Atomexpo conference and exhibition being held this week in Sochi, Russia. The agreements, with Chile, China, Cuba, Finland, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Spain and Zambia, include the engineering and medical sectors, among others.

Signing of the MoU between Rusatom Service, JSC VPO ZAES and DEKRA Finland Oy (Image: Rosatom)

Rosatom and Chile's Atomic Energy Commission have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of education and personnel training for Chile's nuclear energy industry, while Rusatom Automated Control Systems, a Rosatom subsidiary, and China Techenergy, a division of China General Nuclear Power Corp, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation covering projects in Russia, China and third countries.

Rosatom and Cuba's Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Strategic Partnership on the development and use of irradiation technologies. Areas of cooperation include a project to develop a multi-purpose training centre based on a gamma-radiation facility in the Mariel Special Economic Development Zone.

Rusatom Service has signed a trilateral MoU on cooperation in the field of nuclear infrastructure and personnel training with JSC VPO ZAES and DEKRA Finland Oy, and another with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd and Saanio&Riekkola Oy. Rusatom Service provides services for the maintenance and repair of nuclear power plants that operate VVER-type reactors outside Russia.

An MoU signed between the Rusatom International Network and the Association of the Hungarian Atomic Forum concerns the Paks II nuclear power plant construction project in Hungary. It aims to strengthen Russian-Hungarian relations through the exchange of information and cooperation in sourcing local expertise for the Paks II project.

Rusatom Healthcare and Shar Parto Iranian have signed an agreement to create a network of irradiation centres in Iran. The facilities, equipped with electron accelerators and gamma ray units, will be used to provide commercial services to sterilize pharmaceutical, cosmetic and medical products, as well as food products.

Rosatom's engineering division, Atomenergomash, has signed an MoU with the Italian mechanical engineering and critical process equipment manufacturing company Belleli Energy CPE. The document covers the engineering, manufacturing and supply of critical process equipment primarily for oil and gas markets in Russia and abroad.

Science and Innovations, another Rosatom subsidiary, and the National Nuclear Centre of Kazakhstan have signed a memorandum on scientific and technical cooperation, including improving the safety of nuclear reactors, creating and improving the characteristics of reactor fuel, testing of fuel for research reactors, and the exchange of scientific and technical information.

Rosatom MENA, Rosatom's regional centre for the Middle East and North Africa, and Saudi Arabia-based Sumou Holding Company have signed an MoU covering the infrastructure security systems, construction, isotope and wind turbine sectors in Saudi Arabia.

Rusatom International Network and IDOM Consulting, Engineering, Architecture of Spain have signed an MoU on expanding their collaboration in the maintenance and modernisation of nuclear power plants, as well as the service and construction of nuclear research facilities, nuclear fuel cycle at back-end stage, decommissioning, and the supply of Rosatom equipment for nuclear and thermal power plants.

Rosatom and the Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electric Power of Sudan have signed a Memorandum on Cooperation in nuclear personnel training and an agreement on fostering positive public opinion towards nuclear energy in Sudan.

Rosatom and the Serbian government have signed a document on the principles of Russian-Serbian cooperation in the field of innovation and technological development with the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Rosatom and Zambia have signed a general contract for the construction of a Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology aimed at ensuring a wide application of radiation technologies in medicine, industry and agriculture.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

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Perry scraps completion of US MOX facility

16 May 2018

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US Energy Secretary Rick Perry has written to Congress informing it that he has effectively ended the project to construct a mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The facility, about 70% complete, was intended to dispose of 34 tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium by turning it into fuel for commercial nuclear reactors.

The MFFF facility, pictured in January 2016 (Image: Areva)

Work started on the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) in 2007, with a 2016 start-up envisaged. Although based on France's Melox MOX facility, the US project has presented many first-of-a-kind challenges and in 2012 the US Government Accountability Office suggested it would likely not start up before 2019 and cost at least USD7.7 billion, far above original estimate of USD4.9 billion.

The project has seen progressive cuts to its funding, with only USD320 million requested for the facility in the 2014 budget, reflecting a slowing down of construction and associated activities as the Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) embarked on a review of its plutonium disposition strategy. The project was placed on cold standby after being effectively cut out of the DOE's Fiscal Year 2015 budget request. President Obama's Fiscal Year 2017 budget proposal, issued in February 2016, called for the termination of the MOX project.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission signed an order on 13 November 2014 extending the completion deadline for the MFFF by ten years, to March 2025, at the request of its builder, Shaw Areva MOX services. It issued the original ten-year construction licence in March 2005.

In a 10 May letter to Senate and House of Representative committee leaders, Perry said he was executing a waiver included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 to end construction of the MFFF. The facility was being built as part of a 2000 agreement with Russia whereby each country would dispose of 34 tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium. Russia - which had agreed to dispose of the material in fast reactors - suspended the agreement in October 2016.

"I can confirm that the Department is committed to removing plutonium from South Carolina intended to be disposed of in the MOX facility," Perry said. "We are currently processing plutonium in South Carolina for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and intend to continue to do so."

He said the DOE will now pursue the "dilute and dispose" option for disposing of the 34 tonnes of plutonium. Under this option the Savannah River Site facility would be used to dilute plutonium and dispose of it at WIPP.

"I certify that the remaining lifecycle cost of the dilute and dispose approach will be less than approximately half of the estimated remaining lifecycle cost of the MOX fuel programme," Perry said. "The Department's independent cost estimate concluded that the remaining dilute and dispose lifecycle cost is USD19.9 billion. The Department estimated the remaining lifecycle cost of the MOX fuel programme to be USD49.4 billion."

Perry said the DOE will work with authorities in New Mexico "to address the capacity issues related to the receipt of the full 34 tonnes at WIPP". The DOE is also "exploring whether any of the plutonium currently in South Carolina can be moved elsewhere for programmatic uses", he added.

A joint statement issued the same day by Ellen Lord, under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, and Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, DOE under secretary and NNSA administrator, said: "An evolving and uncertain geopolitical landscape calls for the United States to recapitalise its defence plutonium capabilities." They propose the MFFF be repurposed for the production of plutonium pits, the core of nuclear weapons.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

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Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO with Mostafa Terrab, OCP Group Chairman and CEO.

ABU DHABI, UAE: The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and OCP Group of Morocco (OCP) have agreed to explore the phased creation of new global fertilizers joint venture. In a move that will accelerate the execution of both ADNOC and OCPs international strategies.

The proposed joint venture will build on both companies competitive advantages, namely ADNOCs world-scale sulphur production, ammonia and gas expertise, and shipping and logistics network, and OCPs access to large phosphate resources, its century-long fertilizers know-how and its marketing network, to develop a new global fertilizers producer.

The proposed partnership will comprise two fertilizer production hubs, one in the UAE and one in Morocco (utilizing both existing and new assets), giving the proposed joint venture global market reach.

This proposed project extends the partnership already established through the existing long-term sulphur offtake agreement that was announced by the two firms in December 2017. The two companies will work on developing capabilities that will support this venture, as they expand their partnership, leveraging their respective strengths and building their human capital.

The agreement aligns with ADNOCs announced plans to increase production by at least 50 percent from its current levels of 7 million tons a year, as it looks to increase gas production by tapping into vast gas caps and scaling up sour gas production.

OCP has engaged in a large-scale development program that will enable it to capture its fair share of growing demand for fertilizers. The first phase of this program was completed this year and has brought the groups existing fertilizer capacity to 12 million tons, and rock export capacity to over 18 million tons.

The proposed joint venture with OCP illustrates ADNOCs intent to maximize the value of all our resources, as we grow our downstream business, diversify our product range and increase revenues. The agreement builds on the expanded partnership model we announced last year, as we open our entire value chain to reliable, value-adding, long-term partners, who can complement our capabilities and resources, and enhance our market access, said Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO.

This collaboration between our companies brings together the worlds largest phosphate reserves and the worlds largest sulphur production capacity and it represents an unprecedented alliance in the industry, providing the partners with a world-class integrated asset base and complementary geographic locations. We view this new partnership as a unique opportunity, in line with our global strategy, that will contribute to our ability to serve growing demand for fertilizers worldwide, added Mostafa Terrab, OCP Group Chairman and CEO.

 Worldofchemicals News
TORONTO, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Maricann Group Inc. (CSE:MARI) (FRANKFURT:75M) (OTCQB:MRRCF) (Maricann or the Company), is pleased to announce that it has entered into a non-binding LOI to acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding shares of Medican Holdings Ltd (Medican) of the Republic of Malta. Medican Research Group, a subsidiary of Medican, is one of six companies approved to receive a license in Malta. This license will give Maricann the ability to import, extract, manufacture finished dose products, and distribute cannabis for medical purposes within Malta and the European Union. Pursuant to the terms of the letter of intent, if the transaction is completed, Maricann will pay USD$10.1MM comprised of USD$7.6MM in common shares with a deemed price of not less than $2.35, and USD$2.5MM in cash.



Completion of the acquisition remains subject to completion of due diligence, obtaining applicable regulatory approvals and negotiation of the definitive agreements.

If completed, the acquisition of Medican is expected to advance the Companys efforts in the import of raw materials and whole plant extracts from Canada to Malta for advanced post processing to create pure cannabis distillates, allowing for true pharmaceutical manufacturing. Commercial production of distillates (THC, CBD, CBG and conversion for CBN) in Malta, which Maricann will then manufacture into finished dose products using its proprietary VesiSorb drug delivery technology, is a key development for the Company as it advances the timeline for delivery of its full suite of products to the European market (where legal). The products (described below) have been developed by Source One in conjunction with VesiFact and made available to Maricann.

The Source One/Vesisorb Product Suite includes:

Water Soluble Powder

Topical Lotion Formulations

Sprays & Tinctures

Functional Drinks & Beverages, and;

SoftGel & Liquid Filled Capsules.

As we transition our pharmaceutical business to Europe, the Government of Malta and Malta Enterprise have been engaged in understanding the requirements of our business for success and the need to move to true pharmaceutical production; combining active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) with excipients to create true pharmaceutical cannabis. Malta possesses key talent who are trained in finished dose manufacturing, and has an existing base of pharmaceutical production that we will expect to engage as we move forward. We also plan to import API from our Haxxon operation in Switzerland, providing multiple sources of product to ensure robust product supply, stated Ben Ward, CEO.

About Maricann Group Inc.

Maricann is a vertically integrated producer and distributor of marijuana for medical purposes. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Burlington, Ontario, Canada and Munich, Germany, with production facilities in Langton, Ontario where it operates a medicinal cannabis cultivation, extraction, formulation and distribution business under federal licence from the Government of Canada. The Company also has production operations in Dresden, Saxony, Germany and Regensdorf, Switzerland. Maricann is currently undertaking an expansion of its cultivation and support facilities in Canada in a 942,000 sq. ft. (87,515 sq. m) and will continue to pursue new opportunities in Europe.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release includes forward-looking information and statements, which may include, but are not limited to, information and statements regarding or inferring the future business, operations, financial performance, prospects, and other plans, intentions, expectations, estimates, and beliefs of the Company. Such statements include statements regarding the proposed acquisition of Medican and its plans with respect to such acquisition. Forward-looking information and statements involve and are subject to assumptions and known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual events, results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future events, results, performance, and achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information and statements herein. Although the Company believes that any forward-looking information and statements herein are reasonable, in light of the use of assumptions and the significant risks and uncertainties inherent in such information and statements, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, and accordingly readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance upon such forward-looking information and statements. Any forward-looking information and statements herein are made as of the date hereof, and except as required by applicable laws, the Company assumes no obligation and disclaims any intention to update or revise any forward-looking information and statements herein or to update the reasons that actual events or results could or do differ from those projected in any forward looking information and statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

For more information about Maricann, please visit our website at www.maricann.com

CONTACT INFORMATION

Investor Relations

Graham Farrell

Director of Investor Relations

graham@maricann.com

647-643-7665



Corporate Headquarters (Canada)

Maricann Group Inc. (Toronto)

845 Harrington Court, Unit 3

Burlington Ontario L7N 3P3

Canada

289-288-6274



European Headquarters (Germany)

Maricann GmbH

Thierschstrasse 3, 80538 Munchen, Deutschland
Coleg Cambria students create new app for mental health charity Mind

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, May 16th, 2018

Students at Coleg Cambria have helped create an app that aims to benefit individuals with mental health issues.

IT learners at the college have been working closely with North East Wales Mind charity as part of their Welsh Baccalaureate to design and develop an app for young people to access and find support as part of their community challenge.

The project was an opportunity to support a charity whilst being able to develop their technical skills and work on a real-life problem using what they have learnt in college.

Berni Durham-Jones, Workplace Wellbeing Manager at North East Wales Mind said: Its been really worthwhile working with Coleg Cambria in partnership on this project.

It will hopefully make a difference to individuals with mental health issues enabling them to access the app and find support and guidance to help them.

The students led the project and based it on youngsters, so the app is relevant to their age group.

This has been a fantastic opportunity for our students added IT tutor Simon Prince.

Creating the app has given them new skills whilst also helping North East Wales Mind in an area where there isnt much available for youngsters.

I am very proud of all the learners who have been involved and very much hope that the app will benefit many who have mental health issues.

Equality and Diversity Co-Ordinator at Coleg Cambria, Elane Roberts added: This is a fantastic project and the students have done a great job. I would like to thank North East Wales Mind for giving the students this wonderful opportunity to put into practice their IT skills.
Phone box set alight in arson attack

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, May 16th, 2018

A phone box has been damaged following an arson attack last night.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service were called to the fire in Gwenfro, Caia Park, at 11:50pm on Tuesday 15th May.

One crew from Wrexham attended the incident and one hose reel jet was used to extinguish the blaze.

A spokesperson for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service told us the fire was deliberate ignition and was started by a quantity of rubbish set alight in the phone box.
DENVER, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RLH Corporation (NYSE:RLH) announced today the sale of Red Lion Hotel Templins on the River in Post Falls, Idaho for $9.25 million. The hotel marks the seventh of 11 hotels being marketed for sale previously disclosed in October 2017. Red Lion Hotel Templins on the River, along with all other sold hotels, has signed a franchise license agreement to retain their Red Lion brand.



RLH Corporations total loss on the sale is expected to be approximately $0.3 million, and $6.7 million of the proceeds of the sale was used for debt repayment at the closing. Together with the other six previously announced sales, RLH Corporations gain on sales is approximately $16.2 million.

We have made great strides in becoming an asset light company, said RLH Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Mount. With seven hotels sold so far in 2018, we have been able to repay the long-term debt relating to those assets and increase cash reserves and debt capacity to fund growth of our franchise business.

Red Lion Hotel Templins on the River accounted for $4.3 million in revenue on an annual basis in 2017. The hotels adjusted EBITDA on consolidated reporting was $1.0 million and RLH Corporations share of the adjusted EBITDA was approximately $0.5 million for 2017. This impact does not take into account the previously announced corporate overhead adjustments to reduce operating costs.

To learn more about franchising with RLH Corporation, visit franchise.rlhco.com. We dont wait for the future. We create it.

About RLH Corporation

Red Lion Hotels Corporation is an innovative hotel company doing business as RLH Corporation and focuses on the franchising, management and ownership of upscale, midscale and economy hotels. The company focuses on maximizing return on invested capital for hotel owners across North America through relevant brands, industry-leading technology and forward-thinking services. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.rlhco.com.

Social Media:

www.Facebook.com/myhellorewards

www.Twitter.com/myhellorewards

www.Instagram.com/myhellorewards

www.Linkedin.com/company/rlhco

Investor Relations Contact:

Amy Koch

O: 509-777-6417

investorrelations@rlhco.com

Media Contact:

Dan Schacter

Director, Social Engagement and Public Relations

509-777-6222

dan.schacter@rlhco.com
In the face of growing transatlantic tensions, trade war, military rearmament, rapid technological change, massive social cuts and growing resistance among workers, the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) is stepping up its collaboration with the government. That is the quintessence of the DGB Congress, which took place on Sunday in Berlin.

Every four years, several hundred union officials gather, calling their meeting a Parliament of Labour. Representatives of the government and the various political parties are always invited. But this year, the alliance between the trade unions and the government was particularly pronounced. The federal president, the chancellor, the finance minister and vice chancellor, the labour minister and the families minister, as well as leading representatives of almost all parties, appeared at the DGB congress.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke immediately after the welcome address of DGB leader Reiner Hoffmann. He began by saying, We live amid great upheavals. Certainties that seemed irrefutable a few years ago are beginning to waver. Since the Brexit vote in 2016, and especially since the US elections, the world is hardly recognizable, he said. Uncertainty, retreat into nationalism, populism are spreading everywhere.

The consequences of these changes had to be discussed at the trade union conference, he declared. The central questions were: Is the centre of our society stable? Does social cohesion remainbetween the wealthy and those on low-incomes, between city and country, east and west? Can we reverse the trend of societies polarizing? And if so, how?

Steinmeier then focused on a question that, as he said, had the potential to amplify the centrifugal forces in our societytechnological change.

Digitization and all the waves of technical progress had been developing ever faster. They deeply affect all areas of life. He knew the worries and fears about the effects of this development in the factories.

However, he did not share the doomsday scenarios that are often disseminated. The claim that half of all jobs were at risk was exaggerated.

Nevertheless, there was no denying that technological change was having a massive impact on the world of work. The trade unions and government had to make great efforts to shape this development in the interest of employees.

On Monday, Reiner Hoffmann put the same question at the centre of his keynote speech. Digitalisation was rapidly driving social change, he said.

The smartphone has been on the market for only a few yearsand it has changed our social life in unimaginable ways. In business, artificial intelligence and machine learning were being developed. The Internet of Things meant that everything should be networked with everything else: Smart robots in factories or care robots in hospitals and nursing homes. Online commerce, service platforms for cleaning, driving or deliveries.

All this was changing working conditions from the ground up, he said. Digital crowd and click workers, without any labour or social protection and often paid terribly, should no longer be tolerated, he declared.

The fear of the socially explosive power of a fast-growing digital day-labour force was unmistakable in his speech. Again and again, he appealed to the government and the European Union to create a legal framework to better control this development.

But while the DGB leader justifies his call for closer collaboration with the government with a barrage of phrases about the social design and humanization of the world of work, in reality, something completely different is taking place. The unions are closing ranks with the government to stifle any resistance in the factories against low wages, rising workloads and job losses.

Technological progress is creating unprecedented opportunities to overcome poverty, raise living standards, improve care for the sick and the elderly, and to invest billions in education and culture. But under capitalism, the opposite happens. Modern technologies are used to increase exploitation and drive up profits, while at the same time exacerbating the global battle for markets and resourcesultimately, as in the Middle East, with the use of military force.

In this conflict, the DGB and its component trade unions stand fully on the side of the capitalists and their government. They act as company police, intimidating workers and developing their own rationalization plans. VW works council head Bernd Osterloh, one of the most powerful and highest-paid union princes of Germany, recently told business daily Handelsblatt that he regarded it as his task to streamline the corporate structure in order to improve synergies and increase the efficiency and international competitiveness of Europes largest car company.

The DGB also collaborates closely with the government politically. It supports the return of militarism and the establishment of a police state that ultimately targets the working class.

Hoffmanns lament over growing social tensions and the drastic deterioration of working conditions cannot hide the fact that these conditions were created by a government with which the unions have been collaborating closely for years. Who led the Labour Ministry over the past few years if not the Social Democratic Party (SPD), whose executive and committees include Hoffmann and a large number of DGB functionaries? Who passed the Hartz laws attacking welfare and labour rights, imposed low-wage labour and thereby created the conditions for the growing army semi-employed workers?

The DGB campaigned for the grand coalition of the Social Democrats and Christian Democrats in the months leading up to the formation of the new government, even though its foreign and domestic policies make it the most right-wing administration since the Nazi era. At the DGB Congress, this reactionary policy became clearly visible. The DGB supports military rearmament, the social cuts necessary to pay for this and all measures strengthening the competitiveness of the German economy.

When DGB boss Hoffmann welcomed the federal president on Sunday, he recalled that in his former role as foreign minister, Steinmeier had spoken of the fact that the world was out of joint and Germany had to shoulder more responsibility. At that time, Steinmeier had established a Foreign Ministry websiteReview 2014to promote Germanys great power politics, which advocated more foreign missions of the Bundeswehr (German armed forces), amongst other things.

The authors of this site also included DGB boss Hoffmann, who was fully behind military rearmament. His predecessor too, Michael Sommer, had maintained close contact with the Bundeswehr. At that time, in a joint declaration by the trade unions and the Bundeswehr, the DGB had, in all seriousness, claimed that the unions and the Bundeswehr were both part of the peace movement. A short time later, the DGB participated in the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Bundeswehr.

The so-called unitary collective bargaining law, passed by the government almost three years ago, serves to suppress resistance in the factories. Then-labour minister and now SPD party leader Andrea Nahles, in collaboration with Hoffmann, drafted the law, which undermines workers constitutionally enshrined rights.

The unitary collective bargaining law limits the right to strike and the right to freedom of association. It grants the DGB a monopoly in collective bargaining, making it a form of compulsory union, similar to the German labour front under the Nazis. Since the DGB unions have been collaborating very closely with the employers and the government for years, while at the same time exercising great influence on companies and administrations through their works council members and shop stewards, the law aims to suppress any resistance or independent movement of workers.

The DGB congress in Berlin makes clear how consciously the trade unions act as a fifth column of government and capital against the working class.
TORONTO, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mandalay Resources Corporation ("Mandalay" or the "Company") (TSX:MND) is pleased to announce the results of its Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders (the Meeting) held today in Toronto, Ontario. All of the resolutions presented at the meeting were approved by the shareholders, with the votes cast by proxy representing 79.15% of the total shares outstanding as of the proxy cut-off date, May 14, 2018.



Election of Directors

As announced on May 14, 2018, Mark Sander has resigned as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and also withdrew as a candidate for re-election to the board. As a result, the number of directors was fixed at five members and each of the five nominees listed in the Companys management information circular dated April 13, 2018 (the Circular) other than Dr. Sander were re-elected to the Companys Board of Directors. Abraham Jonker remains the lead independent director and Bradford Mills continues as the Chair. The vote was conducted by a show of hands. Results of the votes cast by proxy are set out below.

Motion Votes Cast by Proxy For % For Votes Cast by Proxy Withheld % Withheld Abraham Jonker 335,371,548 99.31 2,317,679 0.69 Amy Freedman 337,026,707 99.80 662,519 0.20 Bradford A. Mills 337,244,097 99.87 445,130 0.13 Peter R. Jones 337,242,347 99.87 446,880 0.13 Robert Doyle 337,214,347 99.86 474,880 0.14

Appointment of Auditors

Ernst & Young LLP was appointed as the auditor of the Company to hold office until the close of the next Annual Meeting of the Shareholders, or until their successor is otherwise appointed, and the directors were authorized to fix the auditors remuneration. The vote was conducted by a show of hands. Results of the votes cast by proxy are set out below.

Motions Votes Cast by Proxy For % For Votes Cast by Proxy Withheld % Withheld Appointment of Auditors 357,150,854 99.98 79,965 0.02

Shareholder Rights Plan

The resolution to ratify the Companys amended and restated shareholder rights plan was approved. The vote was conducted by a show of hands. Results of the votes cast by proxy are set out below.

Motions Votes Cast by Proxy For % For Votes Cast Against % Withheld Shareholder Rights Plan 317,439,258 94.00 20,249,969 6.00

Advance Notice Policy

The resolution to ratify the Companys amended and restated advance notice policy was approved. The vote was conducted by a show of hands. Results of the votes cast by proxy are set out below.

Motions Votes Cast by Proxy For % For Votes Cast Against % Withheld Advance Notice Policy 337,527,824 99.95 161,403 0.05

ESTMA Report

The Company has filed its Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act Report for the year ended December 31, 2017. The Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act Report can be accessed on the Companys website at www.mandalayresources.com.

Appointment of Director

As noted above, as a result of Dr. Sander not standing for re-election as a director, at the conclusion of the Meeting, the Companys Board of Directors subsequently appointed Dominic Duffy, Mandalays new President and Chief Executive Officer, as a director, restoring the size of the Board of Directors to six directors.

For Further Information

Dominic Duffy

President and Chief Executive Officer

Greg DiTomaso

Director of Investor Relations

About Mandalay Resources Corporation

Mandalay Resources is a Canadian-based natural resource company with producing assets in Australia and Sweden, and care and maintenance and development projects in Chile. The Company is focused on executing a roll-up strategy, creating critical mass by aggregating advanced or in production gold, copper, silver and antimony projects in Australia, the Americas, and Europe to generate near-term cash flow and shareholder value.
Indias pro-big business, Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government recently expanded fixed-term employmenta form of contract-work under which employers can fire workers at willto all sectors of the economy.

Hitherto, fixed-term employment had been restricted to the textile industry.

Under the fixed-term designation, Indian businesses can hire workers on a non-permanent basis, for any length of time of their choosing, whether for days, months, years, or the duration of a project. However, the fixed-term appellation is a complete misnomer, since an employer can terminate a workers contract at any time, claiming changed business conditions, and the laid-off worker is entitled to no severance pay or compensation whatsoever.

The BJP government implemented this sweeping regressive change to Indias labour laws by fiat in mid-March. Bypassing parliament, it issued a notification in the government Gazette that Fixed Term Employment has now been introduced irrespective of the industry, thereby amending the Industrial Employment (Standing Order) Act, 1946.

Indian big business has hailed this change and with good reason, since it fulfills one of their major demands. For years Indian and foreign investors have been complaining about labour law restrictions on the laying off of workers. Now in one fell swoop they have been provided a mechanism under which all future hires can be dismissed at will and without having to provide any financial compensation, even if they break the fixed term or the laid-off workers have been in their employ for years.

The rightwing Economic Times hailed the change, saying it would enhance Indias ranking in the World Banks ease-of-doing-business rankings and attract investment.

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) President Rashesh Shah joined Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and other government spokesmen in perversely touting this measure, which is aimed at enhancing employer-power and gutting any semblance of job security, as a boost to employment. Since the provisions under the existing labour laws did not provide such flexibility, said the FCCI head, industry had inhibitions in engaging extra labour to discharge timely commitments like export orders. The amendment will certainly remove this hurdle and employment generation will receive an impetus in the coming months.

In pitching his Make in India campaign to big business, Indian Prime Minister and reputed Hindu strongman Narendra Modi has boasted about his governments devotion to boosting investor profits and the huge wage differential that now exists between India and China, where industrial workers earn on average at least four times more than their Indian counterparts.

But fearing a popular outcry, the BJP government has tried, however implausibly, to promote the expansion of fixed-term employment to all sectors of Indias economy as a pro-worker measure. In addition to claiming that labour flexibility will boost employment, it has made much of the fact that companies can now hire workers on short-term contracts without having to use outside labour-contractors and that workers hired on fixed-term contracts are supposed to receive the same wages and, on a pro-rata basis, the same benefits (except severance benefits) as permanent employees.

These claims are completely spurious. First, the government has not prohibited employers from using labour-contractors and temporary work-agencies to hire temp or casual workers and pay them wage and benefits far below those paid their regular workers; it has simply broadened employers options for hiring workers who can be easily dispensed with. Second, the Indian Labour Ministry is notorious for failing to enforce minimum wage, health and safety and other work standards, making the legal guarantees of equal pay essentially meaningless.

The trade unions, including the BJP-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (Indian Workers Union), have all condemned the regulatory change. But the unions will mount no serious struggle against itjust as they have sabotaged any resistance to the proliferation of contract-labour across industry, including in the still large state-owned sector.

The unions biggest complaints have been that they were not properly consulted and that the government ran roughshod over democracy in using a gazette-notification to effectively put an end to permanent employment.

The latter is of course true. As for the unions complaints about lack of consultation, not only do they underscore their eagerness to collaborate with the BJP government. They are disingenuous.

The unions in fact knew long in advance that the government was preparing such a measure. Several of them, including the BMS and the Congress Party-affiliated Indian National Trades Union Congress or INTUC, presented a joint submission with employer groups to the government about the impending expansion of term-employment through the Industry-Trade Union Dialogue Forum.

This forum was set up with the support of the previous Congress Party-led government, to foster union-management cooperation and suppress working class resistance in the aftermath of the state-employer offensive against the Maruti Suzuki workers. That offensive climaxed with the purging of the entire workforce at Maruti-Suzukis Manesar, Haryana car assembly plant, which had emerged as a center of resistance to precarious cheap-labour jobs, and the imprisonment for life of 13 workers on frame-up murder charges. The thirteen included the entire elected leadership of the newly-formed Maruti Suzuki Workers Union.

Both of the principal Stalinist-led labour federationsthe Communist Party of India (Marxist)-affiliated Center of Indian Trade Unions and the Communist Party of Indias All-India Trades Union Congressare founding members of the Industry-Trade Union Dialogue Forum and continue to participate in it. However, they stopped participating in the forums discussions on term employment for fear of being identified with so reactionary a measure.

I attended one meeting initially, but then I decided not to go as I found it to be an employer-centric platform, CITU General-Secretary Tapan Sen told the Business Standard.

The Stalinists are well aware that there is seething discontent in the working class. While the corporate media and political establishment celebrate Indias purported economic rise, the mass of the population confronts mass poverty and harrowing economic insecurity.

The top 1 percent of Indias population appropriates almost a quarter of all income and owns 60 percent of the countrys total wealth. Meanwhile, the governments most recent Annual Employment & Unemployment Report, that for 2013-14, found no more than 16.5 percent of Indias workers are in non-precarious type employment, earning a regular wage or salary.

Over the past decade-and-a-half, the Stalinist unions and parliamentary parties have routinely called one-day national protest strikes against the ruling elites neo-liberal agenda. But they themselves have played a decisive role in implementing this agenda. The Stalinists have propped up a succession of rightwing governments in parliament, implemented what they themselves call pro-investor policies in the states where the Left Front has held office, and systematically isolated and sabotaged worker struggles.

The Stalinists real attitude toward the growing resistance in the working class is exemplified by their complete abandonment of the jailed Maruti Suzuki workers.

On April 2, the Stalinist-led CITU and 15 other unions held a one-day general strike in the southern Indian-state of Kerala to protest the new fire-at-will regulation. The protest was actively supported by Keralas state government, which is led by the Stalinist Communist Party of India (Marxist).

According to press reports, the strike paralyzed economic activity and transport in the state. But while workers opposition was genuine, on the part of the Stalinists the strike was a political stunt aimed at boosting their tattered left credentials.

Only days later, at its triennial national congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM voted to remove all obstacles to forming an electoral alliance with the Congress Party, till recently the Indian bourgeoisies preferred party of government, in the 2019 national elections.

Big business, meanwhile, is urging the BJP government to press forward with its plans to further dismantle what little protections exist for Indian workers, in the name of streamlining several dozen national labour laws into just four. In its bi-annual world economic outlook, released last month, the IMF urged Indias government to further ease labour market rigidities.

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May 14, 2018, the day the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out the systematic massacre of over 60 unarmed men, women, and children, will live in infamy. For hours on end, Israeli forces fired thousands of rounds of live ammunition at unarmed Palestinian demonstrators, injuring more than 3,000 people and killing eight children, the youngest of whom was just eight months old.

As Palestinians buried their dead Tuesday, Israel continued its massacre, injuring scores and killing one. In the course of the past seven weeks, the IDF has shot approximately 6,000 people with live rounds and thousands more with rubber bullets and tear gas. Over that period, some 109 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli sharpshooters, who have been filmed cheering at every headshot.

Within the Israeli political establishment, the massacre has prompted not horrified self-reflection and inquiries into how a state supposedly founded in response to the Holocaust could carry out actions worthy of the Nazis, but rather the open language of genocide.

The IDF has enough bullets for everyone, said Avi Dichter, a chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset, in response to the massacre.

Both the language and actions of Tel Aviv give the distinct impression that large sections of the Israeli state and military would not hesitate to implement, in the language of the 1930s, a final solution to the Palestinian question.

But the reaction of the imperialist powers, which have all issued statements supporting Israels right to defend itself, has internationalized this crime. By giving legitimacy to Israels massacre, the imperialist powers have made themselves complicit in it.

In a speech reminiscent of the shameless and blatant lying that characterized international relations in the Nazi period, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley declared, No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has.

She painted the massacre as the fault of the Palestinians themselves, supposedly working in conjunction with Iran. In recent days, Hamas terrorists, backed by Iran, have incited attacks against Israeli security forces and infrastructure, she said.

Haleys statements, while particularly vile, were of a piece with the declarations of other imperialist governments. Without exception, every official statement included a variant of the phase used by Israels murderous prime minister to justify the mowing down of unarmed Palestinian civilians: Israel has the right to defend itself.

The German Foreign Ministry, while expressing its concern about the use of live rounds against peaceful protesters, declared that the right to peaceful protest must not be abused by the Palestinian leaders, who, it implied, used the demonstrations as a pretext to deploy violence.

Those who wield power in the Gaza Strip must renounce violence and the Palestinian Authority must once again be in control in Gaza, the Foreign Ministry added.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May echoed these sentiments, declaring, We are concerned that extremist elements within Gaza may be seeking to hijack peaceful protests to further their own objectives.

French President Emanuel Macron, who went further in criticizing Israels actions than other leaders, reaffirmed his commitment to the security of Israel.

Within the United States, the entire political establishment lined up behind the Israeli massacre. Even as Israel was slaughtering protesters, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer declared, In a long overdue move, we have moved our embassy to Jerusalem I sponsored legislation to do this two decades ago, and I applaud President Trump for doing it.

Bernie Sanders, the leader of the supposed left wing of the Democratic Party, held a town hall discussion Monday on the Middle East featuring a panel of pro-war State Department figures.

Lara Friedman, a former US diplomat, declared that Hamass actions give Israel "a sometimes legitimate, sometimes not legitimate excuse to say this, all terrorism, this is an act of war, and under the laws of war we have the right to use lethal force against unarmed people, who are near the fence, which if they were to damage that fence and breach it they could come into Israel and be a threat to us.

Rather than denouncing such a statement as a monstrous justification for a horrible war crime, Sanders praised Friedmans expertise on Israel, which he said she knows upside down, sideways.

The argument that the murder of Palestinian civilians was effectively a legitimate, if overly aggressive, form of self-defense on the part of the Israelis permeated both the reporting and commentary in the American press. In an article heavily promoted on Google News, the Washington Post declared the protests appeared to have a more violent edge than in previous weeks. Some young men brought knives and fence cutters Israeli snipers were determined not to allow a breach.

The New York Times, in an editorial on the massacre, declared, Israel has every right to defend its borders, including the boundary with Gaza. It added, Led too long by men who were corrupt or violent or both, the Palestinians have failed and failed again to make their own best efforts toward peace. Even now, Gazans are undermining their own cause by resorting to violence, rather than keeping their protests strictly peaceful.

What utter hypocrisy! This is a newspaper that has justified war after war on the grounds that civilians either were, or might be, in danger. What has happened to the principle, used to justify countless regime-change operations, bombings and wars, of the responsibility to protect civilian life?

Seven years ago, the New York Times justified the US-backed regime-change operation in Libya on the grounds that, Unless some way is found to stop him, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya will slaughter hundreds or even thousands of his own people in his desperation to hang on to power.

The newspaper mustered all of its canned moral outrage, deploying a phalanx of columnists, including David Brooks and Nicholas Kristof, to make the case that the very threat of hundreds of civilian deaths justified a bombing campaign that ended up destroying an entire society. Where is their outrage over the massacre in Gaza?

There is no greater demonstration of the principle spelled out by Friedrich Engels that morality has always been class morality. The moral outrage of the New York Times is deployed only in the service of the interests of American imperialism.

Fifty-eight years ago, on March 21, 1960, the Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa, in which forces of the apartheid regime shot dead 69 unarmed demonstrators, was met with international outrage and revulsion. The event marked a turning point in the history of South Africa, setting in motion a colossal radicalization of the masses throughout the African continent. It was the beginning of the end of the apartheid regime.

In that period, amid an upsurge of the masses, the oppressed countries of Africa, Asia and the Middle East were undergoing decolonization. Now, recolonization is the order of the day. All of the imperial powers are once again salivating over the carve-up of the Middle East. Israel forms the linchpin of the US-led offensive against Iran, and, as Haley argued, the defense of Israels war crimes in Gaza is inseparable from countering Irans destabilizing presence in the region.

There are more than tactical questions at stake. The wars involved in the neocolonial carve-up of the Middle East will be inseparable from mass murder, and even genocide. All of the imperialist powers can envision themselves, in the near future, carrying out similar massacres of restive and subject populations in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Marxists have always seen in foreign policy the concentrated expression of domestic class relations. The mass murder of unarmed Palestinians today will become the mass murder of striking American workers tomorrow.

After all, if Israels actions are justified, would not US forces deployed on the Mexican border be justified in opening fire on refugees walking toward US territory? Would the European border police not be justified in sinking boats of migrants fleeing to Europe?

The answer to both of these questions would obviously be "yes." The universal defense of Israels actions makes clear that the imperialist powers have adopted the mass murder of unarmed civilians as a legitimate policy tool.
On May 10, the South Korean government finalized a deal with automaker General Motors (GM) to maintain operations within the country through the imposition of a restructure that will slash workers jobs, wages and conditions. The agreement was facilitated by a sellout rammed through by the Korean Metal Workers Union (KMWU) at the end of April.

The company announced that a rescue plan includes a Korea Development Bank (KDB) bailout of $750 million and additional investment of $6.4 billion from GM. In addition, GM will convert $2.8 billion of debt into equity.

The company also pledged to maintain its current 77 percent stake in GM Korea for five years and keep at least a 35 percent stake for an additional five years after 2023. The KDB owns 17 percent of shares.

GM will introduce two new vehicle models at its Bupyeong facilities and its Changwon plant in 2019 and 2022. However, the Gunsan factory will still be shut down. The threat of a GM pullout from South Korea was raised when the company announced the closure in February.

The workforce at the remaining plants will continue to be restructured, including through 2,600 job cuts imposed under a voluntary retirement plan. The company is seeking to slash labor costs by $400$500 million across the board.

In a separate agreement, GM will also move its Asia-Pacific headquarters to South Korea from Singapore, which had been effectively shuttered since its pullout from Australia. The new facility will cover operations in South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Burma, and India.

The GM deal could have only gone forward with agreement from the KMWU, which reached a sellout agreement with management on April 23.

Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon stated that a precondition [for government support] is that an agreement must be reached on sharing the pain between labor and management in line with restructuring principles and on a management normalization plan that is sustainable in the long term. Despite the euphemism about sharing the pain, the brunt of the deal will fall on the workers. The government of President Moon Jae-in, which is imposing the cuts has been promoted by the trade unions as a pro-worker alternative to previous president Park Geun-hye.

The union isolated GM workers from others it nominally represents, both within and outside the auto industry. The KMWU reached a similar sellout deal with STX Offshore and Shipbuilding earlier in April that set a template for the GM betrayal.

Within GM, the KMWU divided regular and irregular employees, the latter of which are easily fired and work for significantly less pay for the same job.

GM Korea union members voted to accept the deal a few days after it was struck, under threat of mass job cuts among the remaining 13,000 factory workers. A wage freeze will be imposed upon the workers while they will also be forced to give up their bonuses this year. Welfare benefits including education subsidies and holiday and travel allowances will also be suspended.

Management agreed to extend its voluntary retirement scheme to 680 workers at the Gunsan plant who refused to accept it the first time around. However, as of last week, only 30 workers had chosen to accept the offer. Another 300 will be moved to other GM Korea plants. The remaining 350 workers will be forced to accept a three-year leave of absence.

The workers will supposedly receive a stipend from the government of 1.8 million won ($1,671) monthly for the first six months and then 2.25 million won ($2,100) each month for the next two and half years to be paid jointly by GM Korea and the KMWU.

Workers union dues will be used to pay those on leave to reduce the impact to the company. Regardless, two million won is hardly enough for a single person to support themselves in South Korea, let alone those who have families. However, there is no guarantee that the workers will be hired back after three years or that they will not simply be fired before then.

The irregular workers union at GM Korea staged a protest Monday during GMs press conference announcing the stabilization deal. More than 10 members of the union, which is separate from the KMWU union representing regular workers, entered the press conference and silently stood to the side, leading to its postponement.

Union leader Hwang Ho-in plaintively stated: We are sorry for the fuss, but we also wanted to hear what the normalization plan will be and what will happen to our future. There are more than 2,000 irregular workers at GM Korea, 300 of which have already been fired via text message.

The KMWUs posturing as a militant union was just for show. The union made clear after the Gunsan plant closure announcement that it was willing to impose a sell-out.

GM Korea union branch leader Im Han-taek said on February 20: If the company unveils a concrete plan on new models and export volume, the labor union is ready to yield. In other words, jobs, wages, and working conditions would all be on the chopping block.

The KMWU is the largest union within the umbrella labor organization, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). The KCTU is similarly portrayed as militant, especially by the pseudo-left which promotes union betrayals as victories and promotes the fraud that all that is required is a more militant leadership.

From its inception in the 1990s, the KCTU has been a nationalist, pro-capitalist organization that has served as an appendage of the Democrats and has sought to prevent any political struggle against the government of the day.

This has been the case whether under Democrat or conservative governments. For instance, the KCTU terminated a major rail workers strike in 2013 under the right-wing administration of Park Geun-hye. The union federation did everything it could during the mass protests against Park in 2016-2017 to prevent the emergence of a movement of the working class against the profit system and all of its defenders, and to promote the Democrats and Moon Jae-in.

The KMWU sellout will have an impact on workers at other companies beyond the auto industry. They will be expected to surrender their own wages and benefits in the name of remaining competitive.

Workers can place no faith in the unions, which will again be called upon to enforce the company and government demands. They must turn to the international working class, which is moving into open confrontation with big business and the governments that represent it in the United States, France and around the world.
A 2017 USA Today report found that up to three times more immigrants have died crossing the US-Mexico border than officially recorded by the US Border Patrol.

Last years report shed light on an issue which has been deliberately concealed by the US government and won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism. Following on that report this week, an investigation by CNN has revealed the extent of the neglect on part of the federal agency.

Citing records from the last 16 years, CNN identified at least 564 migrant deaths in the border region beyond the Border Patrols official count of 5,984 over the same period, with more than half of the deaths occurring within the last four years. The deaths were identified through a review of federal, state and local records, and interviews with medical examiners, pathologists, sheriffs and justices of the peace along the border.

The data collected was still incomplete, indicating the death toll could be much higher. Obtaining a thorough count is complicated by the fact that no single governmental, academic, or non-profit entity tracks the number of deaths beyond those recorded by the Border Patrol and no efforts are made by state governments to comprehensively track migrant deaths in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, the four states which border Mexico.

In fact, the number of uncounted deaths in the past five years surpasses official estimates by anywhere from 25 percent to 300 percent in the border states. Many migrant deaths in Texas are never counted, meaning there is no well-grounded estimate of the death toll. According to local authorities, many of those who die crossing into Texas are simply buried in mass graves and therefore go uncounted.

The obscene death toll is a direct result of policies carried out by Democratic and Republican administrations over the last three decades. In the 1990s both the federal government and border states implemented measures meant to make the journey from Mexico to the US deadlier. As if the deserts between the two countries werent hazardous enough, fascistic paramilitary forces have deployed to the border and walls have been erected in urban areas that have forced migrants to take deadlier routes.

Beginning in 1993, Democratic President Bill Clinton implemented programs which concentrated manpower in key urban crossing points in an attempt to deter immigrants with a show of force. Under his successor, Republican President George W. Bush, fortifying US borders became a key element of the anti-democratic crackdown at home following the September 11 attacks, and was accompanied by a wave of xenophobia.

The Obama administration subsequently deported more immigrants than any administration in US history. Building on the framework erected by his predecessors Trump has directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to round up immigrants in ways reminiscent of the Gestapo raids of Nazi Germany, and has also revoked the protected status of hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the US, as well as DACA recipients.

The CNN report found that the Border Patrol makes little effort in recording the number of deaths beyond those that its agents physically encounter. The Border Patrol never asks local officials for death counts and does not include other deaths reported by landowners or others to local law enforcement. The agency tells Congress that it reaches out to local authorities, but its own agents and supervisors interviewed by CNN state otherwise.

A 2006 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the number of migrant deaths doubled from 1995-2005, and criticized the Border Patrols lackluster efforts to prevent and record deaths. In response, the Border Patrol stated it would increase efforts to communicate with local officials, but this never happened. This indicates a long-term practice of disregard for immigrant lives on part of the federal government.

In many areas, local officials are the only ones willing to make an active attempt to measure the scope of migrant deaths. In Arizona, local officials and volunteers search some of the most hazardous crossing regions and often have to wait for federal approval to do so. From September 2016 to September 2017, the Border Patrol reported 72 migrant deaths in the Tucson area. The Pima County Medical Examiner, along with volunteers, counted more than double that number, 149.

Texas, which shares a 1,241-mile border with Mexico, has become the busiest and deadliest crossing point. The true number of deaths in the Rio Grande valley is vastly under-recorded. Geography plays a role, since finding bodies in the desert is difficult. As CNN noted, it is likely that there are many sets of remains which are scattered by scavenging animals or washed away in heavy rains, and will never be discovered.

Furthermore, much of the responsibility of recording migrant deaths falls on border counties, which are some of the poorest in the nation and consequently have limited resources. Of the 21 Texas counties nearest the border, only four employ their own medical examiners. CNN spoke with 37 justices of the peace across 22 Texas counties at or near the border and only five said they keep track of migrant deaths.

Local human rights groups that offer what assistance they can to migrants crossing the desert, such as setting up water stations and performing search and rescue missions, have been subjected to harassment and detention by the Border Patrol.

This willful neglect on part of the authorities only aims to prevent Americans from seeing the true extent of US crimes at the border. The deaths of migrants are not accidents, but murders for which the US government is responsible. Immigrants attempting to flee their home countries because of violence and poverty caused in large part by US imperialism are intentionally being placed in harms way. The resulting atrocities are reflective of the anti-immigrant and anti-worker policy of the entire American ruling class.
Four attackers armed with samurai swords targeted a police station in western Indonesia on Wednesday morning, killing at least one officer, police said.

The individuals crashed a vehicle into the entrance of the Riau province police headquarters in Pekanbaru, on the island of Sumatra, and began attacking officers, national police spokesman Setyo Wasisto said. Police shot and killed the four suspected terrorists, he added.

The attackers were members of a terror group called the Indonesian Islamic State, which is affiliated with ISIS, Wasisto said.

The driver of the van then attempted to the flee the scene, hitting and killing one police officer, he added. Two police officers and one local journalist were also injured in the attack.

Wasisto said the driver was apprehended and was being detained at Riau Police Precinct. Police found the van not far from the location of the attack and searched it for possible explosive materials.

The attack is the latest in a series of attacks in the country. On Sunday, a radicalized family carried out three suicide bombings on Christian churches in the East Java city of Surabaya, claiming 10 lives and injuring more than 40 other people.

Later that day, an explosion killed a mother and her teenage daughter in a housing complex in a suburb of the city before the father of the family, spotted by police holding a detonator, was shot and killed.

The Sunday attacks were followed by another suicide bombing involving a family, this time on a Surabaya police station Monday morning.

Four members of that family were killed in that attack, which wounded 10 people. All three incidents involved the children of the three families, who knew each other and studied the Quran together, police said Tuesday.

Indonesia National Police Chief Tito Karnavian told reporters Monday that officers were working on the assumption that the attacks followed a directive from ISIS central command to avenge the imprisonment of former leaders of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, an Indonesian jihadi group that supports ISIS.
Five days after a 19-year-old Sudanese woman was sentenced to death for killing the man she was forced to marry, her lawyer was forced to cancel a news conference amid an intensifying campaign of intimidation, activists told CNN.

Noura Hussein was imprisoned in Omdurman, Sudan, last year after fatally stabbing her husband, who she says raped her as his relatives held her down.

On Wednesday, Sudanese security forces came to the office of Hussein's lead attorney, Adil Mohamed Al-Imam, just hours before he was due to brief the media on the latest developments in the case, activists said.

"The National Intelligence Security Services 'NISS' banned the press conference and ordered Noura's defense team to cancel it," Nahid Gabralla, director of SEEMA, a non-governmental organization working with victims and survivors of gender-based violence in the capital, Khartoum, said in a statement.

Women's rights activist Amal Habani, coordinator of No Oppression Against Women Initiative Sudan, also confirmed that security forces came to Al-Imam's office Wednesday morning. Both Habani and and Gabralla were in touch with Al-Imam on Wednesday.

The Sudanese government has not responded to CNN requests for comment on the lawyer or the underlying case.

Activists and local journalists say it's the latest effort to prevent the media from reporting on the case and to intimidate Hussein's defense team. Her case has shone a spotlight on the issues of forced marriage and marital rape in Sudan, where the legal age of marriage is only 10 and marital rape is legal.

Her lawyers have until May 25 to appeal.

Activist: Hussein 'is still strong'

Gabralla last saw Hussein two days ago when she visited her at the women's prison in Omdurman.

"This is the first time I saw her after the sentence. She was wearing a long dress and shackles," Gabralla told CNN. "It is very hard for her. She was crying, but she is still strong and happy that people are supporting her case."

In Omdurman women's prison, a tight-knit sisterhood has formed around Hussein. Activists who have visited her there say that other inmates have rallied around her.

A group of activists trying to visit Hussein in prison were turned away on Tuesday, Amnesty International's Sudan researcher, Ahmed Elzobier, told CNN.

"There is a lot of pressure on the government, now that the EU, UN Women, and other agencies have issued a very strong statement," Elzobier said. "But unusually they (Sudanese government) have not issued a response. They're keeping their heads down amid all the exposure."

The European Union Delegation issued a statement on Hussein's case on Tuesday underlining their opposition to the death penalty and forced marriage. Amnesty International is petitioning for the Sudanese government to repeal the death penalty against Hussein, and allow her a retrial.

The harrowing details of Hussein's case have set social media and WhatsApp ablaze in Sudan. And in recent days the case has captured international attention with the hashtags #JusticeforNoura and #SaveNoura. Thousands of people have shared a change.org petition.

Forced to marry at 15, Hussein ran away from home and sought refuge with her aunt for three years. She was tricked into returning by her father, who handed her over to her husband's family.

After Hussein refused to consummate the marriage, her husband's relatives held her down while he raped her. "His brother and two cousins tried to reason with her, when she refused she was slapped and ordered into the room. One held her chest and head, the others held her legs," Al-Imam, her lawyer, told CNN last week.

A day later her husband tried to rape her again, and she stabbed him to death. When she went to her parents for support, they turned her in to the police.

Al-Imam said last week that the case has challenged societal expectations in Sudan that wives should submit to their husbands.

But it has also highlighted gaps in Sudan's national law, Elzobier said. "The good thing about this case is it brings up a lot of laws that need to change -- specifically rape and child marriage laws."

Gabralla agreed: "In my work I've seen other cases like this. The suffering of Sudanese women is happening all the time. But the case of Noura is different. She stood for her rights."
The clock is ticking for 19-year-old Noura Hussein. Last Thursday, Hussein, who was forced into marriage at age 15, was sentenced to death in a courtroom in Omdurman, Sudan. Hussein stabbed and killed her husband when he tried to rape her.

At the court hearing, the husband's family refused to forgive Hussein or accept blood money, a legal option that would have allowed Hussein to go free. The judge imposed the death penalty, giving her lawyer two weeks to file an appeal. Hussein's lawyer says he is facing an intimidation campaign allegedly waged by Sudan's National Intelligence Security Service, which does not like the attention the case is garnering.

Hussein's case, and the ghastly punishment imposed on a woman whose only crime was defending herself against rape, has since gone viral under the hashtag #JusticeForNoura. A Change.org petition has over half a million signatures, and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Equality Now have issued statements demanding a pardon. Much of this activism highlights the fact that Sudan does not criminalize marital rape and that the outcome in Hussein's case would have been less unjust had she been elsewhere.

But this is untrue.

The United States regularly imposes long prison sentences on women accused of killing the men who physically, emotionally and psychologically abused them. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, up to 90% of women in prison who were convicted of killing men had been abused by them. Nor are they always spared the death penalty that hangs over Hussein's head. A 2012 study found that of the 61 women serving time on death rows in various states, one-fifth had been convicted of killing an intimate partner.

Marital rape, while criminalized in the United States, also remains a vastly under-reported and under-prosecuted crime. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 14% of American women will be raped by their husbands. Despite this, the coalition says, an alarming number of Americans do not believe marital rape is even rape.

Nor are these tales from an America that existed long ago. On the very day that Hussein was sentenced in Sudan, the state of Ohio charged Claudia Hoerig with the murder of her husband, after she confessed to killing him because she claims she was tired of mental and sexual abuse. (Her husband's family and friends deny there was any abuse.) She is being held in jail on $10 million bond. If she is convicted, and many scores of women who kill their abusers are indeed convicted by a jury of their peers, her only way out would be to hope for a pardon from the governor of Ohio.

Things were not always quite so bad for the Noura Husseins of the United States. There was a time when it looked like they were on the cusp of a legal revolution. In 1979, Dr. Lenore Walker first put forth Battered Woman Syndrome as a theory underscoring the particular effects that domestic violence has on a woman's psyche. Called as an expert witness in Ibn-Tamas v. United States, a case in which a wife was accused of killing her husband, Walker testified that the accused did indeed exhibit symptoms similar to the 110 women she had studied, highlighting the feelings of helplessness and fear that push women to stay in abusive relationships.

The case was the first in which a jury was permitted to consider expert testimony of what an abuse victim believed to be true and the question of why a woman would kill rather than simply leave. While Hussein was literally "forced" to marry, women suffering Battered Woman Syndrome experience implicit terror that prevents them from leaving.

But critics were already champing at the bit, eager to shred the battered woman defense. No sooner than it was permitted as evidence in the Ibn-Tamas case, critics cast the admission of such testimony as an open encouragement to violent self-help. Exonerating women on the basis of Battered Woman Syndrome was, they argued, equal to telling all women with violent intimate partners that it was OK to take the law into their own hands and kill their abusers without fear of punishment. To women who wanted to kill, it was an avenue of getting away with murder -- with just a bit of pretense at being abused.

The exact number of women serving time in US prisons for killing their abusive partners is unknown (the prison service does not collect data on this), but the critics of Battered Woman Syndrome have won a partial victory. While most state courts in the United States permit some evidence of Battered Woman Syndrome today, all sorts of restrictions and limitations have been tacked on to the issue and its treatment state-to-state is far from uniform.

In Indiana, for example, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that evidence of Battered Woman Syndrome could only be admitted as part of an insanity defense. To be an abused woman who kills in Indiana, then, is to be a completely crazy woman. If Hussein's case was tried under this law, she would have to prove she was insane at the moment she stabbed her husband. Success or exoneration in that scenario would likely still require her to be treated at a psychiatric facility for a considerable amount of time.

The #JusticeforNoura hashtag has attracted attention and ire because of its draconian details and likely because it imagines misogyny as a faraway crime, its egregiousness a special species of Sudanese and Islamic laws. Many assume that a young woman like Hussein would never face such a fate in the United States, which is imagined as far different from Sudan, which, in the words of Yasmeen Hassan from Equality Now, "is an extremely patriarchal place and gender norms are very strongly enforced."

So, it seems, is the United States. American juries and judges, far from Sudan and not subject to Islamic law, regularly paint abused women as scheming assassins, their actions motivated by money or anger, rather than helplessness.

Hussein deserves more than a hashtag -- she deserves justice and a transnational and intersectional movement underscoring that it is not just Sudanese men or Muslim men or African men who impose draconian and cruel punishments on women. Hussein's sisters in American prisons are also condemned because they were brave enough to save themselves. They sit and wait, just like she does, for pardons or clemency or the fruition of some feminist awakening that will save them.

In Sudan, Hussein faces death. In the United States, she would likely face a lifetime in jail. The world, it appears, has little room for women who refuse to submit.
WASHINGTON, Ind. (WTHI) - For years the Washington Fraternal Order of Police have memorialized those who have fallen in the line of duty. But this year's ceremony added a heavier weight as they honor one of their own.

The memorial honors police and firefighters who have been killed in the line of duty in 2017. The event specifically recognizes those who have fallen in the state of Indiana.

members of the community, as well as surrounding schools, paid tribute to those officers.

This year's ceremony hit home for locals. That's as the name of Kendall Murphy was read and a plaque was given to his family.

Murphy was a volunteer firefighter. He was killed last November while responding to a car accident.

Washington Indiana FOP president Keith Hinderliter says it was important for his officers to honor their colleague in this way.

Hinderliter says, "We just wanted to give them that. Present that to them here in front of everybody. Just as a small, small token of our appreciation. We can never fully repay what he's done for us. But it's the best we can do to try to remember him and honor the family."
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - A fun holiday tradition will be a little safer thanks to a grant.

On Tuesday, Miracle on 7th Street received $6,000 from the group "Guys Who Give."

This money will be used to buy lighted roadblocks and barriers for the yearly event.

The goal is to help keep cars away from the crowd.

"Last year we had two or three instances where people ran through the barriers on Wabash and Ohio, and it's just taking too much of a chance if one of those get caught up in one of the tents," event director Terre Hogan said.

Miracle on 7th Street is a holiday festival in downtown Terre Haute.

It normally happens in early December.
Iowa City, Iowa, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- La Petite Academy is proud to honor teacher Bailee Reiter from its Iowa City, Iowa school location as this years recipient of the companys highly coveted Lisa Miskimins Mentorship Award. Reiter was chosen from more than 18,000 early education teachers nationwide from La Petite Academy and its sister schools in Learning Care Group  Childtime, Tutor Time, The Childrens Courtyard, Everbrook Academy, Creative Kids Learning Centers, and Montessori Unlimited.





This mentorship award was established in the name of Lisa Miskimins, Senior Vice President of Operations  an outstanding leader and advisor to many in the early childhood education industry. With this distinction, each year, the company recognizes a teacher who shows remarkable leadership attributes and an ability to guide others to perform at their best.

A Team Lead, Lead Toddler Teacher, and Safety Captain, Reiter continues to be an exemplary role model and mentor for new hires and seasoned staff members alike. She provides invaluable guidance to assist others in further sharpening their skills and developing proficiency with company processes. She demonstrates one of the greatest hallmarks of a gifted leader: the ability to recognize and encourage leadership traits in others.

Bailee is a wonderful teacher who consistently goes above and beyond to help her colleagues achieve their full potential, said Jodi Johnson, Divisional Vice President at La Petite Academy. Shes passionate about guiding her peers in further honing their skills, encouraging their ongoing education and advancing their professional development. We deeply appreciate everything she does to inspire excellence and promote lifelong learning.

La Petite Academy  A Great Place to Start

La Petite Academy provides comprehensive early education and care services for infants through Kindergartners. Unlike traditional daycare, the La Petite Academy education provides a strong curriculum in a safe, stimulating environment to create meaningful learning experiences for children every day.

With La Petite Academys proprietary School Readiness Pathway, families can choose the educational programs that best meet their childs needs. Teachers stimulate problem-solving and critical thinking skills, developing unique and individualized lesson plans to address childrens abilities, strengths, and needs. Parents can be assured their childs learning goals are being met, thanks to an exclusive data-driven process that links individualized observation with assessment and lesson planning. For more information, visit www.lapetite.com

About La Petite Academy

La Petite Academy is a leader in early childhood education, with nearly 450 schools throughout the United States. Headquartered in Novi, Mich., it is part of the Learning Care Group portfolio of schools offering early education and care to children ages 6 weeks to 12 years. La Petite Academy provides engaging learning experiences through active exploration and discovery. Its proprietary School Readiness Pathway supports the development of the academic and social skills needed for a smooth transition to elementary school. For more information, please visit www.lapetite.com

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MUNCIE, Ind. (AP)  Authorities say a nurse at a central Indiana hospital sexually assaulted a woman three times while she was a patient under his care.

Twenty-eight-year-old Nathaniel Abraham Mosco of Hartford City was formally charged Monday with felony sexual battery. An initial hearing has not been scheduled and online court records dont list an attorney who could speak on Moscos behalf.

The Star Press reports Mosco was arrested in January after the woman told police he fondled her on three occasions at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie.

The woman is reportedly in her 70s. She told investigators that before two of the alleged assaults, Mosco gave her pain medication she had not requested.

Indianas licensing database indicated that an emergency suspension of Moscos nursing license was issued in early February.

___
The Chinese government is leveraging billions of dollars in debts to gain political leverage with developing countries across Asia and the Pacific, a new report presented to the US State Department claims.

The independent report, written by a pair of Harvard University scholars, identified 16 countries targeted by the Chinese government for "debtbook diplomacy, " with Pakistan, Djibouti and Sri Lanka identified as being most vulnerable.

According to the report, in some cases the huge debts grow to a size too large to pay back, allowing Beijing to leverage the loans to "acquire strategic assets or political influence over debtor nations."

This could allow the Chinese government to extend its influence across the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, encircling India and Australia as well as helping to consolidate its position in the South China Sea, the report said.

Last month, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he viewed "with great concern" any foreign military bases being built in the South Pacific, following reports Beijing was in talks with Vanuatu to host Chinese forces.

According to the new report, Vanuatu, just 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) off Australia's coast, has taken at least $270 million in Chinese loans in the past decade, worth 35% of its GDP. Both China and Vanuatu have strongly denied there were ever discussions over a PLA military presence on the island.

There is also concern in Washington that China is poised to gain control of a major commercial port in Djibouti, where the US and China have military bases.

A US State Department official told CNN Tuesday it encouraged China to promote and uphold internationally accepted best practices in infrastructure development and funding.

"We need to ensure recipients have options that allow them to retain their sovereignty and future control of their economies," the official said.

'Subsidiaries of China'

According to the report, there are a number of ways in which Beijing and state-owned enterprises leverage debt to help China's strategic aims.

In one case, infrastructure built with Chinese loans, has then been leased back to Chinese interests to pay off the original debt.

In 2017, an unprofitable Sri Lankan port built with billion-dollar loans from Beijing was leased to Chinese state-owned firms for 99 years to help repay the country's debts.

The report's co-author Sam Parker said there were concerns these ports could be used by Chinese naval vessels once they were under state control. "There's definitely the potential where they can have it go from commercial, to occasional visit, to logistics, to humanitarian and then maybe finally a military base," he said.

In the Pacific, nations such as Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Tonga all owe the Chinese government billions of dollars in loans, encircling US allies Australia and New Zealand.

Meanwhile report co-author and Harvard scholar Gabrielle Chefitz said Beijing has used infrastructure incentives in the South China Sea to help break any broad opposition to the Chinese government's territorial ambitions in the contested sea.

Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans is quoted in the report saying Laos and Cambodia, each of which has borrowed more than $5 billion, are now "wholly owned subsidiaries of China."

The US State Department will be briefed on the report in the near future. But both authors said there appeared to be nothing the United States could do to offset China's growing advantage.

"The US government isn't going to throw 1 trillion dollars at this problem. It's not going to absorb the debt of our private sector companies and it won't be able to focus the entire government in one effort for 20, 30 or 50 years as China is able to do," Chefitz said.

At his daily press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said China's foreign policy was based on "mutual respect and win-win cooperation."

"As for other parties, they shouldn't be presumptuous based on their own views -- nor should they assume economic cooperation between developing countries always have ulterior political motives," he said.

Motives unknown

Many of the loans are being given out as part of China's signature Belt and Road infrastructure program, which gives loans to developing nations to fund ports, railways and other initiatives across Asia, Europe and Africa.

Chefitz said the loans under the Belt and Road plan, as well as China's other development grants, take a very different form to previous US programs such as the Marshall Plan.

"The Marshall plan was largely grants whereas China is giving this money and expecting something in return," she told CNN.

"And because of the relationship between the state and these companies, it's able to get returns which aren't wholly economic, which are strategic in nature ... like a veto in ASEAN, like a port, or a vote at the United Nations."

But Merriden Varrall, director at the Lowy Institute's East Asia Program director, told CNN there was still a lack of evidence as to how China was utilizing its loans around the region.

"Nobody knows what China's motives are, presumably they're not simply altruistic, Australia's interests in providing aid and investment are certainly not purely altruistic either," she said.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WTVA) - Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is denying an accusation that she's a lesbian.

In a tweet, she described the accusation as a disgusting lie being pushed by a paid left wing liberal political operative.



The Republican governor is referring to Democratic State Rep. Patricia Todd, the state's only openly gay lawmaker.

Todd posted on social media that someone needs to out Ivey already, that she had heard for years that Ivey's gay.

All this comes as Ivey is running for a full term as governor.
HOUSTON, Miss. (WTVA) - An employee in Houston celebrated 50 years on the job.

David Nelson has worked at Leggett and Platt much of his life. A celebration was held Tuesday for his commitment.

He started at the company when he was 17 years old. He began working on a conveyor belt and has held many positions since then. He currently serves as the company's branch manager.

"I came here May 15, 1968, as a 17-year-old and today I'm 67," he said. "I really came at a time with no fanfare and it would be fine with me not to have any fanfare today."

However, his coworkers wouldn't let this slip away.

"Leggett and Platt's been good to me. I have no reason to leave," he continued.
HOUSTON, Miss. (WTVA) - This time last year, residents in Houston saw smoke rise in the air and through their neighborhoods as a nearby facility burned.

Leggett and Platt's storage facility, filled with poly foam, caught fire this time last year. No one was injured in the blaze.

Scene from May 2017 Scene from May 2017

It took crews hours to tame the blaze and smoke.

Houston Fire Chief Jonathan Blankenship said when his firefighters pulled up to the blaze, the sky was black.

Schools with the Houston School District let out early due to the smoke.

"That's hopefully a career fire, one of the largest," Blankenship said. "So we don't want to top that one."
NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WTVA) - An arrest has been made in connection to the death of a woman last year in Noxubee County.

The Noxubee County Sheriff's Department confirms the arrest of Allen Bell, 36, for murder.



Nikita Nicole Wilson Nikita Nicole Wilson

He's accused of murdering his wife, Nikita Nicole Wilson, 30, last summer. Her body was found on Aug. 22, 2017, in a ravine along Butler Road in Noxubee County.

The Choctaw woman was reported missing July 11, 2017, from the Pearl River community in Kemper County.

At the time, officials say she died from blunt force trauma.

She was a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Bell is also a member of the tribe.

Bell's bond was set at $250,000.

This is a developing story.
Data demonstrate GC4419 reduced duration, incidence and severity of radiation-induced severe oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer



Abstract selected for 2018 Best of ASCO program

MALVERN, Penn., May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Galera Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing drugs targeting oxygen metabolic pathways with the potential to transform cancer radiotherapy, today announced that data from its Phase 2b clinical trial of GC4419 for severe oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer will be presented during an oral abstract session at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, to be held June 1-5, 2018 in Chicago. GC4419 is a highly selective and potent small molecule dismutase mimetic that rapidly converts superoxide to hydrogen peroxide and oxygen.

Presentation details are as follows:

Title: Results of a randomized, placebo (PBO) controlled, double-blind P2b trial of GC4419 (avasopasem manganese) to reduce duration, incidence and severity and delay onset of severe radiation-related oral mucositis (SOM) in patients (pts) with locally advanced squamous cell cancer of the oral cavity (OC) or oropharynx (OP)

Abstract Number: 6006

Oral Abstract Session: Head and Neck Cancer

Date / Time / Location: June 3, 2018 / 10-10:12 a.m. CDT / McCormick Place E451

Presenter: Carryn M. Anderson, MD, Radiation Oncologist, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

The abstract has also been selected for inclusion in the 2018 Best of ASCO program, which aims to increase global access to cutting-edge science by condensing highlights from ASCOs Annual Meeting into a two-day program to be held this summer.

For information about the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting, please visit https://am.asco.org/.

About GC4419

GC4419 is a highly selective and potent small molecule dismutase mimetic that closely mimics the activity of human superoxide dismutase enzymes. GC4419 works to reduce elevated levels of superoxide caused by radiation therapy by rapidly converting superoxide to hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. Left untreated, elevated superoxide can damage noncancerous tissues and lead to debilitating side effects, including oral mucositis (OM), which can limit the anti-tumor efficacy of radiation therapy. Conversion of elevated superoxide to hydrogen peroxide, which is selectively more toxic to cancer cells, can also enhance the effect of radiation on tumors, particularly with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), which produces high levels of superoxide.

GC4419 has been studied in patients with head and neck cancer, GC4419s lead indication, for its ability to reduce the duration, incidence and severity of radiation-induced severe oral mucositis (SOM). Results from Galeras 223-patient, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2b clinical trial demonstrated GC4419s ability to dramatically reduce the duration of SOM from 19 days to 1.5 days (92 percent), the incidence of SOM through completion of radiation by 34 percent and the severity of patients OM by 47 percent, while demonstrating acceptable safety when added to a standard radiotherapy regimen. In addition, in multiple preclinical studies, GC4419 demonstrated an increased tumor response to radiation therapy while preventing toxicity in normal tissue.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to GC4419 for the reduction of the duration, incidence and severity of SOM induced by radiation therapy with or without systemic therapy. The FDA also granted Fast Track designation to GC4419 for the reduction of the severity and incidence of radiation and chemotherapy-induced OM.

About Galera Therapeutics

Galera Therapeutics, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing novel therapeutics targeting oxygen metabolic pathways with the potential to transform how radiation therapy is used in patients with cancer. Galeras lead product candidate is GC4419, a highly selective and potent small molecule superoxide dismutase enzyme mimetic that rapidly converts superoxide to hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. GC4419 achieved positive results in a Phase 2b clinical trial, which demonstrated its ability to reduce the duration, incidence and severity of radiation-induced severe oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer, its lead indication. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Fast Track and Breakthrough Therapy designations to GC4419. Galera is headquartered in Malvern, PA. For more information, visit www.galeratx.com.

Media Contact:

Annie Starr

6 Degrees

973-768-2170

astarr@6degreespr.com
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - Leon County circuit judge Karen Gievers heard arguments Wednesday in a challenge to a 2017 law that bans patients from smoking medical marijuana.

Challengers say the smoking ban violates a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana, while supporters contend that smoking is a health hazard.

The prohibition on smoking was included in a state law passed last year aimed at implementing the amendment.

However, John Morgan, the Orlando trial lawyer who largely bankrolled what was known as Amendment 2 and initiated the lawsuit, is among those who maintain that the smoking ban runs afoul of the Constitution.

Enough is enough. Lets stop the politics," said Morgan. "Lets let these people live their final years with dignity.

The duty of the state is to facilitate the safe availability of medical marijuana, not to restrict particular types of medical marijuana which they chose, like smokable, said Attorney John Mills.

However, Senior Assistant Attorney General Karen Brodeen argues that lawmakers enacted the prohibition largely to protect the public from the ill effects of smoking.

Smoking should never be a rout of administration for any medicinal product," said Brodeen. "In fact, the FDA has not approved any medicine to be delivered through the smoking form.

Smoking is a crude delivery system that delivers harmful substances. It is associated with various respiratory symptoms," Brodeen continued. "It contains many of the same toxins as does tobacco smoke.

In a separate marijuana-related lawsuit, Gievers telegraphed how she is likely to rule in the smokeable pot case.

Gievers last month gave the go-ahead to Tampa strip-club owner Joe Redner to grow his own marijuana for use in juicing. The 77-year-old Redners doctors ordered the juicing treatment to keep his lung cancer in remission.

The state has appealed Gievers decision in the Redner lawsuit, and Redner has asked the Florida Supreme Court to weigh in on the case.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi launched a comprehensive lawsuit Tuesday aimed at punishing several major drug manufacturers and distributors, contending they were responsible for pain and destruction and a surge in opioid overdose deaths.

Florida filed its lawsuit the same day that five other states sued pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, the maker of oxycontin, and accused the company of using deceptive marketing to boost drug sales that fueled opioid deaths.

But Floridas lawsuit, filed in a state court in Pasco County, targets four other drug companies along with Purdue Pharma as well as companies that distribute drugs. It alleges that drug companies misrepresented the dangers of opioid drugs and that distributors were negligent in allowing large numbers of drugs to be sold to the public. An estimated 15 Floridians die each day due to opioids.

This crisis is by far the worst I have ever seen, said Bondi, who was a prosecutor before she was elected statewide in 2010. Its time the defendants paid for the pain and destruction they have caused.

The lawsuit accuses the companies of racketeering and violating the states deceptive practices law. It also alleges that drug manufacturers used front groups and paid experts to tout the drugs as a use for chronic pain. Bondi did not put a dollar figure on what the state wants to recover but said it could be in the billions.

Purdue, based in Stamford, Connecticut, said it would vigorously deny the claims and defend itself.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A woman is facing criminal charges after police say she lied about being kidnapped at gunpoint and held prisoner by her ex-boyfriend in Tallahassee.

Gladys Perkins was arrested on Monday and charged with giving a false report to law enforcement.

According to a complaint document, Perkins came into the Tallahassee Police Department on February 7, 2018 and explained that she had seen her ex-boyfriend on Feb. 1 at the Walmart on Apalachee Parkway.

She told police that her ex held her at gunpoint and forced her to drive to his apartment. Once there, Perkins said he ex assaulted her and forced her inside where he held her captive for two days. During that time, Perkins told police that her ex had starved her and brutally beat her.

On Feb. 4, Perkins said that she called her fiance who convinced her ex that he was at her grandmother's home in Havana.

The ex forced Perkins to drive there while Perkins' fiance called the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office to report the kidnapping. However, according to Perkins, the ex refused to let the deputy talk to anyone, so the deputy left.

The next day, Perkins said she convinced her ex that she was ill and needed to go to a clinic. Once there, she snuck out of a back door and called a friend to pick her up.

Once back in Tampa with her fiance, Perkins called the Tampa Police Department to report the kidnapping but she was advised to report the incident in Tallahassee.

Investigators note that Perkins did not look injured, despite saying that her ex brutally beat her multiple times.

However, an investigation revealed that Perkins had been willingly texting her ex since January. In fact, on Feb. 1, evidence showed that Perkins picked up her ex from his attorney's office and after, the two spent several days together.

In a sworn interview, the ex said that he and Perkins went to the clinic on Feb. 5 because he had gotten ill.

On the way there, they were arguing about Perkins being engaged, so the ex ended his relationship with her. When the ex came out from the clinic, Perkins was gone and had gone back to her fiance.

The ex also provided paperwork of the clinic visit to police.

Documents go on to note that Perkins also filed two separate injunctions related to the incident.

One of them was filed on Feb. 5 against her fiance because he was physically and verbally violent to her during a break up on Jan. 17.

The other was filed against her ex on Feb. 7 for assaulting her and threatening her family. In this injunction, Perkins failed to mention being kidnapped.

After a lengthy investigation, police determined that Perkins had falsely accused her ex of kidnapping her and "completely fabricated a report to police" that could've imprisoned her ex for the rest of his life had he been convicted.

Based on the findings, a warrant was issued for Perkins arrest on March 31. She was taken into custody on Monday and has since gotten out on a $1,000 bond.
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL (WFTV/CNN)  A woman was somehow able to wrestle an AK-47 from a robber who threatened her family.

She said everything went blank when she made the dangerous, split-second decision.

"Hey, it's either my life or I'm going to fight for it, so I fought," said the woman, who asked to be referred by her nickname, "Trigger"  which she got because of her passion for collecting guns.

She was fighting to save not only her own life, but also to protect her 13-year-old son and ex-wife.

"I went blank. I had no feeling. I wasn't scared. I wasn't brave. I was just - it's go time. Do or die," Trigger said.

Early Saturday morning, Trigger left her gun in her car when she went back inside the apartment to grab her cellphone.

"I heard like a boom, boom, boom. People coming up the stairs. Then I heard her screaming, 'Lock yourselves in the room, they're coming, they got guns!'" Trigger said.

So, Trigger found herself unarmed with two armed men surrounding her and her family.

"When I seen the barrel of the gun, I swear it felt like a movie," Trigger said.

Trigger made a split-second decision and tried to wrestle the AK-47 away from the suspect.

"I noticed that the guy started getting nervous  his fingers getting crazy on the trigger," Trigger said. "And I just disarmed it. I just completely took out the magazine from the AK."

They struggled over the gun and the two men eventually ran out with one firing shots at Trigger's ex-wife on his way out.

Luckily, no one was hurt.

Police chased and arrested 30-year-old Angel Delgado Santiago and 17-year-old Jorge Montanez.

Video from Altamonte Springs Police shows the takedown of the two men who police said pointed guns at the family.

Trigger said she believes she was targeted because of her gun collection.

"They just didn't know I was going to fight back. That's what they didn't know," Trigger said.

After the tense encounter, Trigger now plans to have her licensed gun on her at all times.

Copyright 2018 WFTV via CNN. All rights reserved.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (RNN) - A fiery blast from a vape pen killed a man earlier this month, authorities said.

Tallmadge D'Elia, 38, died May 5 in a house fire with about 80 percent of his body burned. Injuries to his face suggested that the vape pen exploded.

Bill Pellan, director of Investigations at the Pinellas County Medical Examiner's Office, confirmed the report to WFTS.

The autopsy showed that two pieces of the vape pen became projectiles in the explosion, with the mouthpiece lodging in D'Elia's brain, WPLG reported.

Between January 2009 and December 2016, there were 95 reported incidents of explosions and fire involving an electronic cigarette, resulting in 133 injuries, 38 of which were severe, the U.S. Fire Administration said.

Experts fault the lithium ion batteries used in e-cigarettes.

"No other consumer product places a battery with a known explosion hazard such as this in such close proximity to vital areas of the human body," the U.S. Fire Administration said. "While the failure rate of the lithium-ion batteries is very small, the consequences of a failure, as we have seen, can be severe and life-altering for the consumer."

The FDA offers the following safety advice:

Use vapes with safety features, including protection against overcharging.

Keep your vape covered, preventing it from contacting loose change in your pocket.

Charge it using the charger that came with the vape, not your phone or tablet charger.

Don't let your vape charged unattended or overnight.

Replace the batteries if they get damaged or wet.

Copyright 2018 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Hurricane season starts on June 1, but you should start preparing now.

To help get you prepared, the City of Tallahassee, Leon County Government and the Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross will be hosting the 4th annual Build Your Bucket disaster preparedness expo on Saturday, June 2.

This years Build Your Bucket will be a family-friendly expo with demonstrations, information and exhibits. The first 800 households will receive a free disaster preparedness bucket and critical starter supplies.

There will be four bucket pick-up stations in Building 2 at the fairgrounds. After picking up a bucket, attendees will visit exhibitors at their own pace to collect supplies and learn about local resources for surviving and recovering from any disaster.

More than 30 community response groups will also be in attendance to provide valuable information and supplies.

The event is also offering special workshops for children.

Red Cross will host Pillowcase Project workshops during the expo in the meeting room of Building 2 at 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Using three steps, Learn, Practice and Share, children will learn how to stay safe in an emergency in a 45-minute session. Children who participate receive their own preparedness toolkit, which includes a My Preparedness Workbook.

Lastly, the expo will feature a Touch-a-Truck area for residents to get familiar with the variety of vehicles used during emergency response.

The expo will run from 9 a.m. to noon at the North Florida Fairgrounds (441 Paul Russell Road). Gates will open at 8:30 a.m.

Attendees should use the Monroe Street entrance to the fairgrounds.

Parking is free and will be available on the northwest portion of the property. Handicap parking will be available adjacent to Building 2. Parking attendants will be on hand to help direct traffic.

Expo details can be found at https://adobe.ly/2Ikfca5 or by checking out the event on Facebook.

For more information about local preparedness and resources, visit the Leon County Emergency Information Portal at www.LeonCountyFL.gov/EI and the City of Tallahassee Public Safety page atTalgov.com. During a disaster, information is also posted to both agencies Twitter accounts, @LeonCounty and @COTNews.
CALGARY, Alberta, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd. (TSX-V:FLY) (OTCQX:FLYLF) (the Company or FLYHT), the leading provider of real-time data streaming and communication technologies in the aerospace industry, has reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018.



FLYHT is very pleased with the increasing AFIRS Hardware sales, which increased 46% over the same quarter last year, stated Thomas R. Schmutz, Chief Executive Officer of FLYHT. We believe this trend of increasing hardware sales will yield increasing Software as a Service revenues over time as the equipment is installed and the software services are enabled. As expected, Licensing revenues for the quarter were down significantly from last year, but were consistent with the forecast we have received.

In tandem with adopting the requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 15, the Company re-assessed its revenue categories to isolate licensing from other parts purchases, to establish one category for all hardware sales, and to rename revenue from recurring voice and data services.

Software as a Service (SaaS) is the recurring revenue from customers usage of data they receive from AFIRS and use of functions such as the satellite phone. These revenues are recognized from invoices based on actual customer usage each month.

is the recurring revenue from customers usage of data they receive from AFIRS and use of functions such as the satellite phone. These revenues are recognized from invoices based on actual customer usage each month. AFIRS Hardware includes the income from AFIRS hardware sales and related parts required to install the unit, spare AFIRS units, spare installation parts, and Underfloor Stowage Units.

includes the income from AFIRS hardware sales and related parts required to install the unit, spare AFIRS units, spare installation parts, and Underfloor Stowage Units. Licensing includes sales of modems with a related manufacturing license fee.

includes sales of modems with a related manufacturing license fee. Technical Services includes all labour driven services offered by the Company, including repairs and other expertise.

First Quarter financial results include:

Revenue of $3,318,311, which represents a 12.3% decrease from the first quarter of 2017, including:

 SaaS of $1,043,030, a decrease of $111,443 or 9.7% over the first quarter of 2017.

 AFIRS Hardware of $1,566,270, an increase of $496,206 or 46.4% over the first quarter of 2017. Revenue was recognized on 31 installation kits in Q1 2018 compared to 11 in the first quarter of 2017.

 Licensing of $626,962, a decrease of $86,489 or 58.9% compared to the first quarter of 2017.

 Technical Services of $82,049, an increase of $48,918 or 147.7% over the first quarter of 2017.

 SaaS of $1,043,030, a decrease of $111,443 or 9.7% over the first quarter of 2017.  AFIRS Hardware of $1,566,270, an increase of $496,206 or 46.4% over the first quarter of 2017. Revenue was recognized on 31 installation kits in Q1 2018 compared to 11 in the first quarter of 2017.  Licensing of $626,962, a decrease of $86,489 or 58.9% compared to the first quarter of 2017.  Technical Services of $82,049, an increase of $48,918 or 147.7% over the first quarter of 2017. Gross profit was 59.9% of revenue compared to 68.7% for the first quarter of 2017.

Operating expenses totalled $2,509,882 in Q1 2018, an increase of $115,410 over Q1 2017, including:

 Distribution expenses increased 3.8% to $1,240,609 due primarily to an increase in bad debt reserve, less a decrease in marketing expenses.

 Administration expenses decreased 16.9% to $530,037 compared to the first quarter of 2017.

 Research and development expenses were $739,236, or 31.7% higher than in the same quarter of 2017, due mainly to increased staffing effort involved in R&D activities.

 Distribution expenses increased 3.8% to $1,240,609 due primarily to an increase in bad debt reserve, less a decrease in marketing expenses.  Administration expenses decreased 16.9% to $530,037 compared to the first quarter of 2017.  Research and development expenses were $739,236, or 31.7% higher than in the same quarter of 2017, due mainly to increased staffing effort involved in R&D activities. Net loss of $582,375 was a reversal of $701,779 over the first quarter of 2017s net income of $119,404.

EBITDA 1 of negative $487,431 in the quarter compared to positive $224,220 in the same quarter of 2017.

of negative $487,431 in the quarter compared to positive $224,220 in the same quarter of 2017. The balance of $838,560 in Customer deposits at quarter end was an increase of $137,004 over Q1 2017 but a decrease of $849,411 from Q4 2017, as many deposits received in Q4 were applied to Q1 2018 customer shipments.

Detailed information in FLYHTs 2018 First Quarter Report containing the CEOs Message, Management Discussion and Analysis and Financial Statements has been posted to the Companys website and can be accessed at http://flyht.com/financial-reports/. The MD&A and Financial Statements have also been filed with SEDAR and will be accessible at www.sedar.com.

FLYHT will host a live conference call to discuss first quarter results on Thursday, May 17, 2018 at 7 am MDT (9 am EDT, 6 am PDT). The conference call will include a brief presentation about FLYHTs first quarter results followed by a question and answer period with management.

To access the conference call by phone within Canada and the U.S.A., the toll-free number is 1-800-319-4610. Outside Canada and the U.S.A., dial 1-604-638-5340. (Callers should dial in five to 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time).

Management will accept questions by telephone and e-mail. Individuals wishing to ask a question during the call, can do so by pressing *1. Questions can be emailed in advance or during the conference call to investors@flyht.com.

An archive of the conference call will be posted on the Presentations and Webcasts section of FLYHTs website as soon as it is available from the conference call provider. http://flyht.com/presentation-and-webcast/

About FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd.

FLYHTs mission is to improve aviation safety, efficiency and profitability (located in Calgary, Canada; publicly traded as: FLY:TSX.V; FLYLF:OTCQX). Airlines, leasing companies, fractional owners and original equipment manufacturers have installed the Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRSTM) on their aircraft to capture, process and stream aircraft data with real-time alerts. AFIRS sends this information through satellite networks to the UpTimeTM cloud-based data center, which provides aircraft operators with direct insight into the operational status and health of their aircraft and enables them to take corrective action to maintain the highest standard of operational control.

_________________________________

1 EBITDA: defined as earnings before interest, income tax, depreciation and amortization (a non-GAAP financial measure).

Contact Information

FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd.

Alana Forbes

Chief Financial Officer

403-291-7437

aforbes@flyht.com

Adelaide Capital Markets Inc.

Deborah Honig

647-203-8793

deborah@adelaidecapital.ca



Join us on social media!

www.facebook.com/flyht

www.twitter.com/flyhtcorp

www.slideshare.net/flyhtcorp

www.youtube.com/flyhtcorp

www.flyht.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 release.
WORLAND  The Washakie County Commission met for their mid-May meeting on Tuesday, and voted to maintain current salaries for elected county officials, citing overall state budget woes as a reason to not consider raises at this time.

According to Wyoming statute, the board of county commissioners of each county shall meet not later than June 1, every four years, for the purpose of setting salaries. The salaries shall not be changed during the term of each official for whom a salary is determined.

In other business, the commission opened bids for 5-cubic yards of gravel, to be spread on Lower Nowood Road. At press time bids were still being reviewed by county planner David Anderson.

The Public Health Department reported that staff nurses attended Healthy You training in April, which teaches management for sufferers of chronic conditions. The department will offer a six-week course on the subject to county patients this summer.

The department also reported that the health fair for county employees will be on June 15, and notices will be sent by email.

Youth Alternatives reported that they received a $51,000 TANF grant (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). The grant traditionally helps fund a variety of projects in Washakie County, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Worland Youth Learning Center and the after-school program in Ten Sleep.

The county also approved two special malt beverage permits for the Big Horn Bar in Ten Sleep to provide beer sales at the Beauty and Beast and Fourth of July rodeos in Ten Sleep.

FIREWORKS

County Fire Warden Chris Kocher presented the 2018 Wildfire Firefighting Operating Plan, which was approved by the commission, and reported that county agencies were reaching a consensus on dates to use the Worland gravel pit for fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend.

The commission voted to approve use of the gravel pit for fireworks, between June 30 and July 4, with a final date to be determined at a later date.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 01:14:23|Editor: Yurou

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Protesters shout slogans during a protest in Sanaa, Yemen, on May 15, 2018. Thousands of Yemenis went to the streets in Sanaa on Tuesday to protest against the United States opening its embassy in Jerusalem. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)

SANAA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Yemenis went to the streets in the capital Sanaa on Tuesday to protest against the United States opening its embassy in Jerusalem.

The protesters gathered in Bab al-Yemen Square in downtown Sanaa, while shouting slogans against the United States' decision of opening its embassy in Jerusalem.

"I came here to show my strong protest against the United States' decision of opening its embassy in Jerusalem," said 22-year-old university student Faris Abdulrahman.

"We insist that al-Quds (Jerusalem) is the capital city of Palestine...forever," Abdulrahman said.

On Monday, the United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem, triggering deadly clashes along the Israeli-Palestinian border, in which at least 61 Palestinians were reportedly killed and over 1,771 wounded.

Backed by the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been leading a devastating war in Yemen since March 2015 to roll back Iranian-allied Houthi rebels and restore Saudi-backed exiled Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into power.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 01:49:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A Swedish envoy on Tuesday called upon the international community to make efforts to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of Israel and Palestine.

Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on "the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question," Swedish UN Ambassador Olof Skoog said that "a way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of both states, in line with relevant UN resolutions."

"The position of Sweden and the whole European Union on the status of Jerusalem as a final status issue is clear and will not change. All three Abrahamic religions Judaism, Islam and Christianity, have strong bonds to Jerusalem that must be preserved," he said.

Speaking of the current situation in Gaza, Skoog said that "we are appalled by the violence that we have witnessed in Gaza since March 30, and in particular the sharp escalation yesterday (Monday). The number killed was the highest in a single day since the beginning of the protests. Indeed, it was the bloodiest day since the last conflict in Gaza in 2014."

Skoog urged Israel to "fully respect the right to peaceful protest, protect civilians and ensure that the use of force, and other measures taken, are strictly proportional."

"Lethal use of force should be exercised with maximum restraint, and only as a last resort," he said.

"We urge all parties to act with the utmost restraint to avoid further loss of life and to protect civilians, particularly children. This means never making children the target of violence as well as not putting children in harm's way or encouraging them to participate in violence," he added.

All parties must take immediate steps to de-escalate and this Council has a responsibility to actively promote such efforts, he said.

At the request of Kuwait, a public briefing of the Security Council was convened under the agenda item "the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question." The meeting was being held in response to Monday's violence in Gaza, which had led to the deaths of more than 50 Palestinians at the hands of Israeli security forces.
TORONTO, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HARTE GOLD CORP. (Harte Gold or the Company) (TSX:HRT) (OTC:HRTFF) (Frankfurt:H4O) is pleased to announce its results for the three months ended March 31, 2018.



Stephen G. Roman, President and CEO of Harte Gold commented, Harte Gold has had a very productive start to 2018. The Company tripled its mineral resource estimate, arranged a debt financing solution that fully funds the Sugar Zone Project to production, delivered a Preliminary Economic Assessment with significantly improved project economics and signed an Impact Benefits Agreement with Pic Mobert First Nation. The Companys focus now is on achieving commercial production, targeted for Q3 2018 and continuing aggressive infill and expansion drill programs, expected to improve grade and add resources.

HIGHLIGHTS

P&E Mining Consultants Inc. (P&E) completed an updated National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) Mineral Resource Estimate, announced February 15, 2018, based on drilling to December 8, 2017 and summarized as follows:



Indicated Resources: 714,200 ounces of contained gold at a grade of 8.52 g/t; and Inferred Resources: 760,800 ounces of contained gold at a grade of 6.59 g/t. Mineralization at the Sugar and Middle Zones is continuous. Inferred Resource grades were conservatively calculated due to wide spaced drilling.





On May 3, 2018, the Company released an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA), undertaken by P&E, based on a mine plan of 540 tpd increasing to 1,400 tpd. Highlights include:



80,700 ounces of average gold production at a C1 cash cost of US$507/oz. and AISC of US$708/oz., over an 11 year mine life. 904,000 ounces of life-of-mine (LOM) gold production, from potentially mineable mineralization, incorporating approximately two-thirds of the combined Indicated and Inferred Resource. Pre-Tax NPV 5% of C$344 million (50% IRR) at US$1,250/oz Au, which increases to C$425 million (60% IRR) at US$1,350/oz Au. C$58 million of capex remains to be spent in 2018 (as of March 31, 2018) on process plant completion, surface infrastructure and underground development, of which C$36 million is to be spent on the process plant and surface infrastructure. Multiple opportunities identified to potentially improve project economics, including infill drilling of existing Inferred Resources to convert additional material into the Mine Plan, and potential resource growth outside of the existing resource shell.





Overall project development advancing rapidly towards production:



Processing plant over 80% complete, completion scheduled for end of June. Power line construction is well underway, completion scheduled for early July. Redpath Canada Limited appointed as contract miner for the first 24 months of operations. 40,000 tonnes of development ore stockpiled on surface, providing initial feed for the process plant. 79,000 tonnes of stope material readily accessible by completed underground development.

US$70 million financing announced on May 3, 2018, which provides funding for remaining 2018 capex, start-up of operations, working capital, exploration and corporate costs.

Impact Benefits Agreement (IBA) signed with the proximal First Nations Band; Pic Mobert First Nation.

Aggressive infill and exploration drill program continued in Q1 2018, with 27,605 meters of drilling completed: Infill drilling of Sugar and Middle Zones are delivering good results which should positively impact resource classification and grade. Assays returned from the Middle Zone include 21.16 g/t over 4.78 meters in hole WZ-18-142 and 16.46 g/t over 6.55 meters in hole WZ-18-138. Drilling has led to the new Footwall Zone discovery, approximately 50 meters into the footwall of the Middle Zone area. Hole WZ-18-129 returned 5.41 g/t over 7.66 meters including a high grade core of 14.80 g/t over 2.12 meters. Drilling at the Wolf Zone confirmed mineralization north of the Gabbro intrusion. Hole WZ-18-151 returned 3.04 g/t over 6.07 meters, including a high grade core of 8.87 g/t over 1.87 meters.

Overall land position increased to 83,850 hectares.

OUTLOOK

Target closing the US$70 million financing by the end of May.

Receipt of all outstanding permits to begin mining operations are expected in June.

Process plant commissioning scheduled to commence in July; targeting declaration of commercial production in Q4 2018.

Drill programs will continue to focus on infill and expansion drilling: Middle Zone drilling is focused on upgrading Inferred Resources to the Indicated Resource category and increasing the grade, delineating the Footwall Zone and extending the deposit at depth. The Wolf Zone continues to be evaluated as additional drill results are received. High potential exploration targets have been identified, including the Eagle Zone and Highway Zone. Field work, including geochemical analysis, mapping and surface and downhole geophysics will begin in June to define additional new targets for drilling.



PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT

P&E was retained to complete a PEA for the Sugar Zone and Middle Zone deposits (see press release dated May 3, 2019). The PEA envisions a 540 tpd mine plan increasing to 1,400 tpd in year 2021. The Mineral Resource incorporated into the PEA is based on the NI 43-101 resource, effective February 15, 2018. Approximately 534,000 ounces of the Mineral Resource Estimate were excluded from the PEA mine plan due to drill density.

The Company has recognized several opportunities to further enhance value at the Sugar Zone Project by increasing drill density to improve head grade, adding resources to the mine plan by conversion of existing Mineral Resources from the Inferred to Indicated category, growing the property wide resource base, as well as optimizing mine scheduling to reduce mining cost.

The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. There is no certainty that PEA results will be realized. Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.

FINANCING

On May 3, 2018, the Company announced a US$70 million financing package which fully funds capital cost, start-up and working capital requirements. The financing is comprised of a US$50 million secured debt facility from Sprott Private Resource Lending (Collector) L.P. (Sprott) and US$20 million secured subordinated facility from Appian Natural Resources Fund (Appian). Closing of both facilities is in May. For further details on the financing, please see press release dated May 3, 2018.

Benefits of the financing package include:

Provides immediate liquidity to fund the completion of construction.

Flexible principal and interest schedule to support the ramp-up of operations.

No equity commitment.

No hedging requirement, cash flow sweep or debt service reserve account.

No off-take or royalty agreements.

No commitment to draw the full US$70 million.

IMPACT BENEFITS AGREEMENT

On May 2, 2018, the Company announced it signed an IBA with Pic Mobert First Nation (PMFN). The IBA applies to mines that may be developed on the 83,850 hectare Sugar Zone property and provides a framework within which Harte Gold and PMFN will continue to work together during the production phase of the Sugar Zone Mine. Please see press release dated May 2, 2018 for key IBA terms.

EXPLORATION AND EVALUATION EXPENDITURES

In Q1 2018, 15,970 meters were drilled at the Sugar Zone, 4,998 meters were drilled at the Wolf Zone and 6,637 meters were drilled at other regional targets. Drilling in Q1 2018 is currently not factored into the NI 43-101 resource estimate and will be additive to any future updates. The following image illustrates key near mine drill results returned to-date. Please see press release dated March 19, 2018 for further detail.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/49714605-f6e6-49d9-9a66-2c45573c316f

FINANCIAL CONDITION, LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

For the quarter ended March 31, 2018, the Companys cash and cash equivalent position decreased to $5,470,198 from $24,789,164 at December 31, 2017. Cash was largely used to fund the processing plant construction and exploration costs.

On May 3, the Company announced debt financing of US$70 million which is expected to close at the end of May. With this financing, the Company expects to have sufficient funds to complete budgeted 2018 expenditures, including:

Remaining capex for completion of the process plant, surface infrastructure and underground development.

Start-up of operations, working capital and corporate costs.

Currently planned exploration expenditures.

In the event of an increase in planned levels of exploration or other expenditures, the Company may need to seek additional financing, either by way of equity or debt. While the Company has been successful in raising funds to date, there can be no assurance that such funds will be available to the Company on terms that it finds acceptable.

QA/QC Statement

The Company has implemented a quality assurance and control (QA/QC) program to ensure sampling and analysis of mine and exploration work is conducted in accordance with industry standards. Drill core is sawn in half with one half of the core shipped to Actlabs Laboratories located in Thunder Bay, ON, while the other half is retained at the Companys core facilities in White River, ON, for future verification. Certified reference standards and blanks are inserted into the sample stream on a regular interval basis and monitored as part of the QA/QC program. Gold analysis is performed by fire assay using atomic absorption, gravimetric or pulp metallic finish. The Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared in compliance with NI 43-101 guidelines.

Qualified Persons and NI 43-101 Disclosure

Robert Kusins, P. Geo., Harte Golds Senior Mineral Resource geologist, is the Companys Qualified Person and has prepared, supervised the preparation, or approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release.

Independent Qualified Person, Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., FEC, CET of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release.

About Harte Gold Corp.

Harte Gold Corp. is focused on the exploration and development of its 100% owned Sugar Zone Property where it has recently completed a 70,000 tonne Advanced Exploration Bulk Sample at the Sugar Zone Deposit and mined 30,000 tonnes under its Phase I Commercial Production Permit. The Sugar Zone Property is located 80 kilometers east of the Hemlo Gold Camp. Using a 3 g/t Au cut-off, the Mineral Resource Estimate dated February 15, 2018 contains an Indicated Mineral Resource Estimate of 2,607,000 tonnes grading 8.52 g/t for 714,200 ounces of contained gold and an Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate of 3,590,000 tonnes, grading 6.59 g/t for 760,800 ounces of contained gold. Harte Gold also holds the Stoughton-Abitibi property located on the Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone, east of Timmins, Ontario, and adjacent to the Holloway Gold Mine.

For further information, please contact:

Stephen G. Roman

President and CEO

Tel: 416-368-0999

Email: sgr@hartegold.com

Shawn Howarth

Vice President, Corporate Development

Tel: 416-368-0999

E-mail: sh@hartegold.com

This press release contains forward-looking information under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to completion of any financings; Harte Golds development potential and timetable of its operating, development and exploration assets; Harte Golds ability to raise additional funds necessary; the future price of gold; the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources; conclusions of economic evaluation; the realization of mineral reserve estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future production, development and exploration; costs of future activities; capital and operating expenditures; success of exploration activities; mining or processing issues; currency exchange rates; government regulation of mining operations; and environmental and permitting risks. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". All information contained in this news release, other than statements of current and historical fact, is forward looking information. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Harte Gold to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to those risks described in the annual information form of Harte Gold and in its public documents filed on SEDAR from time to time.

Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Although management of Harte Gold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Harte Gold does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Readers should also review the risks and uncertainties sections of Harte Golds annual and interim MD&As.

The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.




Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 02:59:53|Editor: Yurou

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Palestinians carry an injured man during clashes with Israeli troops near the Gaza-Israel border, east of Gaza City, on May 15, 2018. Some 4,000 Palestinians Tuesday participated in the protests along the Gaza Strip border at five locations, said the Israeli army. The protests marked the "Nakba Day," which means catastrophe, referring to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the war surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948. (Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Some 4,000 Palestinians Tuesday participated in the protests along the Gaza Strip border at five locations, said the Israeli army.

Tuesday's protests marked the "Nakba Day," which means catastrophe, referring to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the war surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948.

Israeli media reported that during the "Nakba Day" protests, two Palestinians were killed and over 160 others injured.

On Monday, about 40,000 Palestinians took part in demonstration along the Gaza border and clashed with Israeli troops. The Hamas-run health ministry sources said since Monday, at least 62 Palestinians were killed and more than 2,700 injured during protests at the security fence against the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement issued on Tuesday that Palestinians threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at soldiers, and burned tires at the border with the intention of igniting fires in Israel and harming Israeli forces.

The IDF troops responded to the riot with dispersal means and fired live rounds selectively, said the Israeli army.

The Palestinian Authority news site Wafa reported that both private and public sector institutions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip observed a general strike on Tuesday for the "Nakba Day."

"Violent riots" took place in 14 locations throughout Judea and Samaria, with the participation of about 700 Palestinians, said the Israeli army.
MOSCOW, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A Moscow court on Tuesday sentenced Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny to 30 days in custody for organizing unauthorized rallies in Russian cities on May 5 and offering resistance during his detention.

"They have announced the verdict of 30 days and the trial still continues. They are preparing another sentence," Navalny said in his Twitter account.

He was reportedly subject to the sentence for repeatedly violating established rules of organizing public events.

In addition, the Moscow City Court later sentenced Navalny to administrative arrest of 15 days for offering resistance to the police during his detention at the rally, Interfax news agency reported.

Nevertheless, the court specified that the two terms of arrest Navalny was sentenced to do not add up and they both started on Tuesday, which means he will remain in custody for a total of 30 days.

The opposition leader said on Twitter that he would continue to go out to the streets and express his opinions "as many times as necessary."

Navalny was detained during a rally in central Moscow two days before the inauguration of Vladimir Putin as Russian president, but was later released pending trial.

Around 300 people were detained along with Navalny during that rally and another 200 were detained in St. Petersburg during another rally held by his supporters, according to local police departments.

Russian media reported that the number of people detained during rallies in Russian cities on the eve of the inauguration reached up to 1,000.
LONDON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The Scottish parliament on Tuesday refused to give its consent to Britain's key Brexit legislation -- EU Withdrawal Bill.

MSPs (Members of the Scottish Parliament) rejected the British government's bill by 93 votes to 30.

The governing party at Holyrood, the Scottish Nationalists Party (SNP), won backing from Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens MSPs to inflict the blow to British Prime Minister Theresa May's government.

The vote meant SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon's move to oppose proposals on post-Brexit power sharing was passed by the Scottish parliament, which fears May's current proposals would restrict its powers.

At the heart of the day's vote are fears among many Scottish politicians that a key section of May's legislation dealing with the return of devolved powers from the European Union after Brexit represents a "power grab" by Westminster.

Scottish Brexit minister Mike Russell told MSPs they needed to defend the progress which has been made in the 20 years of devolution.

"It is the job of MSPs to ensure that progress on devolution made over 20 years is not cast aside because of a Brexit which Scotland did not vote for and which can only be damaging to our country," he said.

He told MSPs: "Today the challenge of Brexit, or rather the challenge of the proposed power grab by the UK government under the guise of delivering Brexit, puts our devolved settlement at risk."

Political commentators said although the vote is not binding on May's government, it presents the British prime minister with the dilemma of either imposing a power-sharing plan on Holyrood, or attempting to avert a crisis by putting forward concessions.

Scottish Conservative constitution spokesman Adam Tomkins denied there was a power grab, describing today's Holyrood decision as baffling. Tomkins said in Wales, where there is also a devolved government, the administration has backed a deal.

The Scotsman newspaper commented: "The vote takes the UK into uncharted constitutional territory marking the first time that Holyrood has knocked back legislation that Westminster intends to press ahead with anyway."

The Guardian newspaper said Conservative Party sources suggested May is likely to push the legislation through the House of Commons without Scottish parliament's consent.

The EU Withdrawal Bill aims to transfer all existing European legislation into domestic British law and is regarded as one of the most important pieces of Brexit legislation.

The Scottish parliament and Westminster have been at loggerheads for months over how to manage EU powers that will return to Britain after Brexit, including over state aid for industry, genetically modified crops policy, fishing quotas and farm subsidies, after ministers in London made a series of concessions brokered by the Scottish Conservatives.

Both sides agree those policies should operate uniformly across Britain. May's government says it will consult the Scottish parliament on all changes to those policies, trying to seek agreement, while Sturgeon has decided that consultation is not enough, and insists that her government should be given the legal power to block any changes it disagrees with.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 05:40:42|Editor: Liangyu

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Cai Qi (R), a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, meets with Britain's Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, in London, Britain, May 14, 2018. Cai Qi on Tuesday wrapped up his five-day trip to Britain. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

LONDON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Cai Qi, a member of Political Bureau of Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Tuesday wrapped up his five-day trip to Britain.

Cai, also secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, said during his trip that the Sino-British cooperation is faced with new opportunities.

China stands ready to work with the British side to implement the important consensus reached by the two countries' leaders, strengthen the high-level exchanges, boost strategic mutual trust and promote the pragmatic cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, Cai said.

The senior CPC official said that China is willing to strengthen the inter-party exchanges between the two countries and also deepen Beijing's cooperation with Britain.

During his visit, Cai met with Britain's Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, the Duke of York Prince Andrew, the Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as well as London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

The British side said the cooperation between the two countries is extensive and has huge potential. They spoke highly of China's recent pledge to further open to the outside world and are willing to promote the exchanges and communication between the two sides in different levels.

They said that London stands ready to strengthen its cooperation with Beijing in areas including economic and trade and people to people exchanges.

Cai, during his stay in Britain, also visited London's Highgate Cemetery to pay tribute to Karl Marx who was buried there, and witnessed the signing of contracts of the bilateral cooperation in economic and trade as well as science and technology areas.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 07:29:26|Editor: Yurou

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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO), delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the 2nd AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 15, 2018. The 2nd AI for Good Global Summit, which kicked off in Geneva Tuesday, is looking for concrete artificial intelligence (AI) projects that can accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the head of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Zhao Houlin announced at the opening ceremony. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)
PYONGYANG/WASHINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- In view of recent provocative acts such as the Republic of Korea (ROK)-U.S. joint military exercises, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has no choice but to suspend high-level talks with the ROK, the official KCNA news agency said on Wednesday.

The state media also said the United States should think twice about the fate of the planned DPRK-U.S. summit.

Shortly after the report, the U.S. State Department said it was continuing to prepare for the summit between President Donald Trump and the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

The United States has not heard anything directly from Pyongyang or Seoul that would change the arrangements, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing in Washington.

The U.S. side needs to verify the KCNA's report, she said. "We've received no formal or even informal notification of anything."

"We've seen some pretty good indications from them so far," she said, citing the DPRK's release of three American detainees last week. "So they have taken some steps in the right direction ... I think those are all good signs."

The KCNA said that the "2018 Max Thunder" joint air combat exercise involving over 100 warplanes including "B-52" strategic bombers and "F-22 Raptor" stealth fighters is aimed at launching pre-emptive strikes against the DPRK as well as taking control of the airspace.

The Korean version of the KCNA report called the drill an act of "playing with fire," saying that it is a "blatant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula."

The report said the north and south had reached an agreement on making joint efforts to defuse the military tensions on the peninsula and ease the danger of war "and the U.S. also fully supported it."

"However, even before the ink of the historic April 27 Declaration got dry, the South Korean authorities and the U.S. started such a drill against the DPRK, reacting to all peace-loving efforts and good intentions which the DPRK has shown with rude and wicked provocation," the report said.

The high-level talks planned for Wednesday were expected to discuss ways to enforce the Panmunjom Declaration, Seoul's unification ministry said Tuesday.

The Panmunjom Declaration was announced on April 27 after the third inter-Korean summit between ROK President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim, agreeing to complete denuclearization and the alteration of the current armistice agreement to a peace treaty by the end of this year.

"The South Korean authorities should be held wholly accountable for the scuttled north-south high-level talks and the difficulties and obstacles in the way of the north-south relations," the KCNA report said.

The DPRK will "closely watch the ensuing behavior" of the United States and the South Korean authorities, it added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 07:41:09|Editor: Yurou

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NEW YORK, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Oil prices settled higher on Tuesday as uncertainties remain due to U.S. sanctions on Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced last week that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, a landmark international agreement signed in 2015.

In a televised speech, Trump announced the exit, adding he will not sign the waiver of nuke-related sanctions against Iran.

The oil market retained support from the concerns over U.S. sanctions on Iran as traders bet it would reduce global crude supplies.

In a monthly oil market report released on Monday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) raised its forecast for global oil demand in 2018, expecting the world to consume 98.85 million barrels a day, 1.65 million barrels a day higher than last year.

The data from OPEC also showed that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) commercial oil stocks in March fell by 12.7 million barrels from previous month to nearly 2.83 billion barrels.

Experts pointed out geopolitical concerns, tightening product inventories and robust demand would continue to provide support for prices.

The West Texas Intermediate for June delivery was up 35 U.S. cents to settle at 71.31 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for July delivery rose 20 cents to close at 78.43 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.
Chinese Consul General in Houston Li Qiangmin speaks at the third U.S.-China Innovation and Investment Summit in Houston, the United States, on May 15, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Liwei)

HOUSTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The third U.S.-China Innovation and Investment Summit (UCIS) has brought another wave of technology and innovation investment to Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States.

More than 500 participants from the two countries, including entrepreneurs and investors, are meeting here on Monday and Tuesday, exchanging views and looking for opportunities in the fields of innovation and technology.

As the honorary guest city of this year's summit, Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu Province of China, has actively participated in the event, hoping to attract more U.S. entrepreneurs to the city. In recent years, Suzhou has made great efforts to implement innovation-driven developing strategy and improve the environment of innovation and entrepreneurship.

The comprehensive power of technological advancement has ranked the first in the eastern Chinese province for nine years in succession.

During an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Liu Qing, president of Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute, said a biomedical innovation center is to be built in Houston to facilitate companies from both countries.

"The center will help American companies find investment, market and partners, and help Chinese companies seek business opportunities in the U.S.," Liu said.

Peking University Science Park Vice President Wang Guocheng told Xinhua the summit focuses on mature American businesses that have been established for two to three years and that have good prospect of marketization.

"I believe this kind of position is accurate. These businesses need China's market, and they need something potential from the Chinese development to help them grow," he said.

He believed the summit also serves the Chinese companies that want to develop and transform.

"We would like to assist those businesses to reach that goal through coordinating some projects and providing them accurate services," he said, adding "I think both Americans and Chinese need our good market services and local teams to help them in this matter."

Innovation and technological cooperation have played an active role in Sino-U.S. relations, provided a platform for bilateral cooperation, Chinese Consul General in Houston Li Qiangmin told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Li pointed out that innovation is the soul of a company's development. Without innovation, the development of the company will be difficult to sustain. Many American companies have a history of innovation and development and are worthy of learning from China in many aspects.

He stressed that Sino-U.S. cooperation in science and technology has played an important role in promoting the healthy and smooth development of bilateral relations. At the same time, it has brought tangible benefits to the peoples of the two countries.

Supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and Chinese Consulate General in Houston, UCIS is cohosted by China Science and Technology Exchange Center (CSTEC) and U.S. China Innovation Alliance (UCIA).

UCIS provides a unique opportunity for U.S. companies to connect with investors, strategic partners, leading incubators/accelerators, and professional services firms from China.

It aims to facilitate collaboration between innovative technology companies, venture capitalists, private equity, startup accelerators and incubators.

It is also expected to help Chinese investors access and invest in the best-in-class technologies and products located in the United States, as well as help U.S.-based technology companies source investors and partners that can help them to access the Chinese market.

UCIS was listed as the one of the key programs in the science and technology area for the first U.S.-China Social and Cultural Dialogue (SCD) which was co-chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong in 2017.

U.S. and Chinese leaders launched the SCD in April 2017, pledging to expand mutually beneficial cooperation and manage differences on the basis of mutual respect.

This year's summit, or UCIS 2018, brings together more than 500 participants, including over 200 representatives of industry-leading enterprises, investment firms and innovative companies from China, and 200 representatives of innovative technology companies from the United States that are seeking cross-border opportunities across a range of focused industries.

The two-day conference features a range of events, including "INNOSTARS" preliminary competitions, innovation forums, B2B matchmaking, company exhibits, as well as satellite activities.

The meeting covers six areas in science, health and technological innovations, including advanced manufacturing, health care and biotechnology, new energy and new materials, environmental protection technology, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, information and communication technology.

In addition to B2B matchmaking, the meeting will feature a China-U.S. innovation investment connection forum, a China-U.S. international medical investment and cooperation forum, a China-U.S. innovation and investment promotional meeting, and a medical device innovation and docking forum.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 09:41:27|Editor: Xiang Bo

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People gather at the site where an under-construction flyover collapsed in Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh, India, on May 15, 2018. At least 16 people were killed and many others trapped Tuesday after an under-construction flyover collapsed in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. (Xinhua)

by Peerzada Arshad Hamid

NEW DELHI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 18 people have been killed and many others feared trapped after an under-construction flyover collapsed on Tuesday in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

Six people have been pulled out alive from the debris and were admitted in hospital.

The flyover collapsed at cantonment area in Varanasi district, about 306 km southeast of Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.

"So far 18 bodies have been retrieved from the debris. Six people were pulled out alive and are undergoing treatment in hospital," a local government official told Xinhua. "We are carrying out the rescue work and heavy machinery has been pressed into service to move the concrete."

Officials fear the death toll may go up.

A senior government official Arvind Kumar told media the final figures were awaited as the rescue work was yet to be completed.

Officials said a portion of an under-construction flyover collapsed after two of its pillars collapsed bringing a huge slab of concrete down, crushing vehicles and people under it.

Eyewitnesses said those trapped are said to be laborers, bystanders and some pedestrians.

Five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed to lead the rescue operations. Dozens of policemen are also present at the spot to allow rescuers to carry out work without interference of people.

Eight cranes besides earth movers are being used to try to lift the debris.

Officials said gas cutters are being used to cut the steel and pull out trapped survivors on priority.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief and directed the administration to speed up rescue operation.

Adityanath's office has also announced a compensation of 7,322 U.S. dollars to each family that lost member in the accident, while 2,928 U.S. dollars would be given to each of injured in the tragedy.

The state-run broadcaster All India Radio said Adityanath has set up a three-member committee to probe the flyover collapse and asked it to submit its report within 48 hours.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed sadness over the loss of lives in the accident.

"Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi. I pray that the injured recover soon. Spoke to officials and asked them to ensure all possible support to those affected," an official statement quoted Modi as saying.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 09:51:35|Editor: Yurou

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UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov on Tuesday condemned the latest round of violence in Gaza.

Briefing the Security Council, Mladenov said that Monday was "a day of tragedy" for the people in Gaza, referring to the bloody clashes near the border fence with Israel.

"There are no other words with which to describe what actually happened. There is no justification for the killing. There is no excuse. It serves no one. It certainly does not serve the cause of peace," said Mladenov via video teleconference from Jerusalem.

"I call on all to join me in condemning in the strongest possible terms the actions that have led to the loss of many lives in Gaza," he said.

At least 60 Palestinians, including six children, were reportedly killed and more than 1,300 others were reportedly injured by live ammunition and rubber bullets, he said. One Israeli soldier was wounded.

The death toll makes Monday the bloodiest day in Gaza since the conflict of 2014, he said.

Israel has a responsibility to calibrate its use of force, to not use lethal forces, except as a last resort under imminent threat of death or serious injury, he said.

It must protect its borders, but it must do so proportionally and investigate every incident that has led to a loss of human life, he added.

At the same time, Hamas, which has controlled Gaza for more than a decade, must not use the protests as cover to attempt to place bombs at the border fence and create provocations, he said, adding that Hamas operatives must not hide among the demonstrators and risk the lives of civilians.

On Monday, an estimated 35,000 people participated in demonstrations in Gaza and hundreds of people in the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Nablus, and East Jerusalem, as part of the "Great March of Return" as well as in protest of the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, he said.

While no fatalities were reported in the West Bank, where limited clashes took place between demonstrators and Israeli security forces at several checkpoints, the situation in Gaza deteriorated throughout the day, particularly along the perimeter fence, said Mladenov.

Tens of thousands of people in Gaza have been protesting for over six weeks. Since the beginning of protests on March 30, more than 100 people have been killed, including 13 children.

"These people want their voices heard," Mladenov said, adding that "their anger, if not channelled in a constructive manner, will lead to more destruction and suffering."

The United Nations is working with Israel and the Palestinian National Authority to bring in life-saving assistance despite the destruction and extensive damage to the crossing, he said.

The cycle of violence in Gaza needs to end, said Mladenov.

"The international community must step in and prevent war, we need to move forward quickly and effectively on all projects that we have discussed for months and months to solve the energy, water and health crisis of the population," he said.

"We must collectively call on all to refrain from unilateral measures that only steer us away from a peace process and instead work to end the occupation and advance the goal of a just and sustainable peace, culminating ultimately in two states, Israel and Palestine, ... living side by side in peace, security and prosperity," said Mladenov.
Ottawa, Ontario, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The following letter was sent today to the leaders of Ontario's four largest political parties:



Re: Ontario's Aviation Fuel Tax

In 2014 the Government of Ontario made the decision to phase in a 148% increase to Ontarios aviation fuel tax. Now at 6.7 cents per litre, Ontario has the highest provincial aviation fuel tax in the country  more than double the aviation fuel tax in any other province, and it applies to all flights: domestic, international and transborder.

Given the close proximity of large population centers to the US border, this tax exacerbates the competitive issues that our industry faces as a result proximity to lower cost US jurisdictions.

The Conference Board of Canada reported in 2012 that over 5 million Canadians chose to fly through U.S. airports rather than Canadian ones  depriving Canadian businesses of customers, removing tax revenue from our system, and  given the ongoing conversations around carbon pricing  contributing to emissions leakage.

Statistics Canada reports that base domestic airfares in Canada today are at their lowest point in six years, and yet travellers do enjoy the benefits because of government taxes and third-party fees.

Air travel remains the only viable way for millions of Canadians to visit family, travel for work, or to explore our vast country. Given the demographics of air travel today, Ontarios punitive aviation fuel tax amounts to a tax on the middle class.

We believe that there is no better time to discuss serious issues than an election. Our question to you: If your party forms the next government, will it roll back the 2014 aviation fuel tax increase and lower the cost of air travel for all Ontarians?

We look forward to your response.



Massimo Bergamini

President and CEO

NATIONAL AIRLINES COUNCIL OF CANADA




YANGON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar government has returned some 120 acres (48.6 hectares) more of farmland, confiscated by the Ministry of Defense, to 53 farmers in Myittha, Mandalay region, Myanmar News Agency reported Wednesday.

A ceremony to return the lands was held on Tuesday in Myittha, attended by Second Vice President U Henry Van Thio, who is also chairman of the Central Committee for Scrutinizing Confiscated Farmlands.

U Henry Van Thio urged the institutions concerned to continue to release the farmland they have confiscated as part of efforts for the development of the agricultural sector, on which more than 70 percent of the rural population depends for their livelihood.

He also urged the farmers not only to grow crops for domestic food sufficiency but also to plant marketable crops for export after their confiscated lands are returned.

Myanmar government has been taking measures to return seized land to farmers, the original owners, considering that the farmland is their lives.

As of March this year, hundreds of hectares of confiscated lands in Yangon, Mandalay and Ayeyawaddy regions as well as in Shan and Kayin states and Nay Pyi Taw Council area were handed back to their original owners.

During the tenure of the former government, private companies and government departments were allowed to confiscate land, including farmland, in accordance with the 2012 Farmland Law under the pretext of urbanization and industrialization, which brought about land dispute between the government, landowners and investors.

More than one month after taking office in April 2016, the new government voiced commitment to the speedy resolution of farmland confiscation issue and the prompt return of land to their lawful owners.
LOS ANGELES, May 15 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and three others were injured on Tuesday in an explosion at an office building in the U.S. state of California, authorities said.

The explosion occurred on the first floor of a medical building at 11 Mareblu in Aliso Viejo in Orange County around 1:10 p.m. local time (2010 GMT), prompting a large-scale response by fire and sheriff's officials.

"We have not determined what caused the blast," said Carrie Braun, a Public Information Officer at Orange County Sheriff's Department.

"The investigation is ongoing," Braun told Xinhua by telephone.

All nearby buildings including a preschool were evacuated by officials in the wake of the explosion.

FBI spokesman Mike Gifford said the cause of the explosion is still unknown and the agency has sent resources to help with the investigation, which is being led by Orange County Sheriff's Department, local news outlet City News Service reported.

Unconfirmed initial witness reports said that the blast may have been a gas explosion, but Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Tony Bommarito was quoted as saying by City News Service that it is rare for such gas-fueled blast to occur in a commercial building.
VIENTIANE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Places of cultural interest is the top attractions for people visiting Laos, while the capital Vientiane tops the list of places visited by foreign tourists, local daily Vientiane Times on Wednesday quoted a 2017 statistics report as saying.

The Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism carried out a survey among 2,591 international visitors from April to December 2017 at Wattay International Airport and the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge in Lao capital Vientiane, and in northern ancient town Luang Prabang and the southern province of Champassak.

Of those surveyed, 67 percent said they were interested in cultural sites, while 65 percent said they were primarily attracted to areas of natural beauty.

The survey also showed that 73 percent of all tourists arrived in Laos by land and some 26 percent of visitors arrived by air, with those in the 20-29 age group comprising 29 percent.

Of those surveyed, 60 percent said they stayed in hotels during their holiday.

The 2017 statistics report issued by the department also analysed visitor preference for destination within Laos.

More than 1.3 million foreign tourists said they visited Vientiane, followed by Champassak province in the south which attracted over 831,000 visitors, while Savannakhet province in the central drew over 724,000 people. Luang Prabang in the north ranked sixth with over 472,000 visitors. Hilly Xaysomboun province in central Laos was the least visited place by foreign tourists, with just 15,000 saying they planned to go there.

Meanwhile, domestic tourists mostly visited Champassak province with over 479,000 people saying that was their main destination. Next on the list was Vientiane province with over 353,000 visitors followed by Savannakhet province with over 341,000 visitors. Remote Xekong province in the south attracted the smallest number of Lao tourists with just over 10,000 people paying a visit.

The report also showed that Thai nationals topped visitor numbers with over 1.7 million, followed by the Vietnamese with over 891,000. There were over 639,000 Chinese visitors.

Laos hopes to receive 5 million tourists during Visit Laos Year 2018. According to the report, more than 3.8 million tourists visited Laos in 2017, generating revenue of more than 648 million U.S. dollars.

During the first three months of this year, more than 1 million tourists entered Laos.
People gather at the site where an under-construction flyover collapsed in Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh, India, on May 15, 2018. (Xinhua/Stringer)

by Peerzada Arshad Hamid

NEW DELHI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 18 people have been killed and many others feared trapped after an under-construction flyover collapsed on Tuesday in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

Six people have been pulled out alive from the debris and were admitted in hospital.

The flyover collapsed at cantonment area in Varanasi district, about 306 km southeast of Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.

"So far 18 bodies have been retrieved from the debris. Six people were pulled out alive and are undergoing treatment in hospital," a local government official told Xinhua. "We are carrying out the rescue work and heavy machinery has been pressed into service to move the concrete."

Officials fear the death toll may go up.

A senior government official Arvind Kumar told media the final figures were awaited as the rescue work was yet to be completed.

Officials said a portion of an under-construction flyover collapsed after two of its pillars collapsed bringing a huge slab of concrete down, crushing vehicles and people under it.

Eyewitnesses said those trapped are said to be laborers, bystanders and some pedestrians.

Five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed to lead the rescue operations. Dozens of policemen are also present at the spot to allow rescuers to carry out work without interference of people.

Eight cranes besides earth movers are being used to try to lift the debris.

Officials said gas cutters are being used to cut the steel and pull out trapped survivors on priority.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief and directed the administration to speed up rescue operation.

Adityanath's office has also announced a compensation of 7,322 U.S. dollars to each family that lost member in the accident, while 2,928 U.S. dollars would be given to each of injured in the tragedy.

The state-run broadcaster All India Radio said Adityanath has set up a three-member committee to probe the flyover collapse and asked it to submit its report within 48 hours.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed sadness over the loss of lives in the accident.

"Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi. I pray that the injured recover soon. Spoke to officials and asked them to ensure all possible support to those affected," an official statement quoted Modi as saying.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 10:59:24|Editor: Liangyu

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Zhang Changqing, an exhibitor of the Ministry of Public Security of China, introduces a genetic analyzer during the China International Exhibition on Police Equipment in Beijing, capital of China, May 15, 2018. Over 500 exhibitors from home and abroad took part in the exhibition from May 15 to 18. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 10:51:48|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon speaks to media in Seoul, capital of South Korea, on May 16, 2018. South Korea on Wednesday expressed regrets over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s decision to suspend the scheduled high-level inter-Korean talks. (Xinhua/NEWSIS)

SEOUL, May 16 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Wednesday expressed regrets over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s decision to suspend the scheduled high-level inter-Korean talks.

Seoul's unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs said in a statement that it was regrettable for the DPRK to unilaterally delay the senior-level inter-Korean dialogue, which the two sides agreed to hold on Wednesday.

The statement said the delay was against the spirit of the Panmunjom Declaration, which was announced on April 27 after the third inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

The DPRK agreed Tuesday to hold high-level talks with South Korea Wednesday at the border village of Panmunjom to discuss ways to enforce the Panmunjom Declaration, but it suspended the talks before dawn citing the ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint air maneuvers.

The two-week "Max Thunder" joint air combat exercise kicked off on May 11, mobilizing about 100 aircrafts including eight F-22 stealth fighter jets as well as F-15Ks and F-16s.

The DPRK's Korean Central News Agency reported that "F-22 Raptor" radar-evading warplanes and "B-52" strategic bombers, mobilized to the South Korea-U.S. joint annual air drills, are aimed at launching pre-emptive strikes against the DPRK as well as taking control of the airspace.

To develop sustainable inter-Korean relations and build permanent peace via the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration, the South Korean government will take necessary measures through close consultations among relevant ministries, the statement said.
JAKARTA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Three militants launched a strike on the police headquarters in Riau province of Indonesia on Wednesday and one attacker was shot dead, national police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said.

The militants rampantly shot the police office located on Sudirman street of Pekanbaru, the provincial capital at 09:00 a.m. Jakarta time (0200 GMT) and they also used knives to stabbed police personnel.

"One terrorist was dead," said Iqbal.

The attack follows a series of terrorist attacks in the country, including the riot in a jail in Indonesia's capital last week, suicide bombings in three churches on Sunday in Surabaya city, the provincial capital of East Java and a suicide bombing in the police headquarters in the city, leaving at least 28 dead with dozens injured.
PYONGYANG, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Wednesday said the country may reconsider a scheduled DPRK-U.S. top level meeting.

DPRK has earlier cancelled a ministerial level meeting with South Korea to protest an on-going U.S.-South Korea joint military drill.

US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet the DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore.
SEOUL, May 16 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a phone conversation over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s suspension of the planned high-level inter-Korean talks, Seoul's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

At the request of Pompeo, Kang had talks over phone to exchange opinion about issues of mutual concern including the DPRK's delay of the scheduled senior-level dialogue between the two Koreas.

The unscheduled phone conversation came as Pyongyang unilaterally suspended the high-level inter-Korean dialogue, which the two sides agreed Tuesday to hold Wednesday at the border village of Panmunjom to discuss ways to implement the Panmunjom Declaration.

The DPRK suspended the inter-Korean talks before dawn citing the ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint air maneuvers.

The two-week "Max Thunder" joint air combat exercise kicked off on May 11, mobilizing about 100 aircrafts including eight F-22 stealth fighter jets as well as F-15Ks and F-16s.

The DPRK's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that "F-22 Raptor" radar-evading warplanes and "B-52" strategic bombers, mobilized to the South Korea-U.S. joint annual air drills, are aimed at launching pre-emptive strikes against the DPRK as well as taking control of the airspace.

The Korean version of the KCNA report called the drill an act of "playing with fire," saying that it is a "blatant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula."

For the air drills, hosted by South Korea's Air Force Operations Command and the U.S. 7th Air Force, the U.S. F-22 stealth fighters have already participated while the B-52 had yet to join, according to an unnamed source cited by Yonhap news agency.

Seoul's unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs expressed regret over the suspended talks, saying it was against the spirit of the Panmunjom Declaration, which was announced after the third inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un on April 27.

Moon and Kim agreed to complete denuclearization and the turn of the current armistice agreement into a peace treaty by the end of this year. The Korean Peninsula remains technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended with armistice.

During the phone conversation, the South Korean foreign minister explained to Pompeo about Seoul's position that it had a firm will to sincerely enforce the Panmunjom Declaration and planned to urge Pyongyang to rapidly come to the dialogue table for peace and prosperity on the peninsula.

Pompeo told Kang that the U.S. side will continue preparations for the upcoming DPRK-U.S. summit, scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, while being cautious about Pyongyang's delay of the inter-Korean dialogue.

The two sides agreed to continue close cooperation to achieve the complete denuclearization and settle peace on the peninsula through a successful DPRK-U.S. summit based on outcomes from the April 27 inter-Korean summit.

The South Korean unification ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that inter-Korean talks should continue to be held to discuss issues that were raised by the DPRK.

To develop sustainable inter-Korean relations and build permanent peace via the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration, the South Korean government will take necessary measures through close consultations among relevant ministries, the statement said.

Seoul's defense ministry said in a separate statement that the joint South Korea-U.S. air drills will be conducted as scheduled as the exercises are just aimed at improving pilots' capability, not at exercising operation plans for attacks.

The ministry said the F-22 stealth fighters came to South Korea last year. But it was unusual for such a high number of F-22 Raptors to be mobilized amid thawing ties between the two Koreas.
JAKARTA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Three militants were shot dead and another was injured in an attack on the police headquarters in Riau province of Indonesia on Wednesday, the provincial police said.

Police chief of Riau province Inspector General Nandang said a total of eight militants with a white minivan launched the attacks on the police headquarters.

The police shot four out of the eight attackers and three of the four were killed while the remaining five terrorists escaped, Beritasatu TV quoted the police chief as saying.

The police are hunting for the militants, according to the police chief.

The militants rampantly shot the police office located on Sudirman street of Pekanbaru, the provincial capital at 09:00 a.m. Jakarta time and they also used swords to stab police personnel, national police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said.

The attack come days after a series of terrorist strikes in Indonesia, including suicide bombings in three churches on Sunday in Surabaya city, the provincial capital of East Java and a suicide bombing at the police headquarters in the city, which left at least 25 people dead and dozens of others injured.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 12:37:09|Editor: Xiang Bo

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WASHINGTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy and Vice Premier Liu He arrived in Washington on Tuesday afternoon for economic and trade consultations with the U.S. side at the invitation of the U.S. government.

Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chief of the Chinese side of the China-U.S. comprehensive economic dialogue, leads a delegation whose members come from major economic sectors of the Chinese government.

The delegation members include Governor of the People's Bank of China Yi Gang, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission Ning Jizhe, Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs Liao Min, Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Luo Wen, Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Jun, as well as Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy International Trade Representative Wang Shouwen.

Before the delegation's arrival, a Chinese working group arrived in the United States last week and engaged in intense consultations with the U.S. side.
Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (Center), Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Nicholas W. Yang (first right), Secretary for Innovation and Technology Bureau of HKSAR, Huang Wei (second left), Vice Minister of Science and Technology of China, Huang Liuquan (sencond right), Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Tan Tieniu (first left), Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the central government in the HKSAR pose for a group photo at the Forum on Mainland-Hong Kong Cooperation in Innovation and Technology in Hong Kong, May 15, 2018. (Xinhua/Lu Xiaowei)

HONG KONG, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of funding, totalling 22 million Chinese yuan (about 3.51 million U.S. dollars), from China's central government to support research institutions in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is already in place, an official from the Liaison Office of the Central Government of China in the HKSAR said here Tuesday.

Tan Tieniu, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the central government in the HKSAR, said at the Forum on Mainland-Hong Kong Cooperation in Innovation and Technology that Hong Kong has set up a total of 16 Partner State Key Laboratories and six Hong Kong Branches of Chinese National Engineering Research Centers.

These institutions have received a total of 22 million yuan of science and technology funding from the Central Government, Tan said.

The forum, held by the HKSAR government, discussed new opportunities brought about by opening up of the funding for application by higher education institutions and research institutions in Hong Kong. This new regulation was announced by the central government on Monday.

Huang Wei, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, said that to support the development of Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology hub, the Ministry of Science and Technology will press ahead with the cooperation between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong in the area of scientific research, and further improvement of the system for Hong Kong scientists to participate in national science and technology projects.

HKSAR Chief Executive Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said as local research will be funded by the science and technology funding from the central government, this will foster technological co-operation between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

The forum was attended by more than 100 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), and representatives of the HKSAR government and the technology sector.(1 U.S. dollar equals 6.27 yuan)
JAKARTA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A family involved in recent suicide attacks in Indonesia had prohibited their children from school and society and instilled them with radical ideologies, police said on Tuesday.

The family of six killed at least 13 people, including themselves, by bombing three churches in Surabaya on Sunday, while another militant family of five blew themselves up Monday at a local police station, killing four of the family and two others and wounding 10 people, Reuters reported.

"These children have been indoctrinated by their parents. It seems they did not interact much with others," East Java Police Chief Mahfud Arifin told reporters.

The families often gathered at the house of Dita Upriarto, the father who led his family in the church attacks, to learn how to make bombs, The Jakarta Post quoted Mahfud as saying.

They also showed their children movies of violent jihad to teach them radical ideologies, Mahfud added.

Children of the families were told by their parents to say they received education at home had anyone asked, the police chief said.

A terrorist suspect, aged between 39 to 41, was killed in an exchange of gunfire with an anti-terror police squad in Surabaya's Tandes district on Tuesday afternoon, according to a spokesperson of East Java Police Headquarters.

The killing was among a series of anti-terror crackdowns in the aftermath of the series of deadly attacks.

In addition, Indonesia police are hunting for a man, identified as Abu Bakar who was the "teacher" of Dita Upriarto.

"He was the teacher of Dita. The efforts to track and pursue him were progressing at present. Let's hope he can be arrested," Mahfud said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 12:57:11|Editor: zh

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Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (C) takes a ride on a new Orange Line train manufactured by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) at Wellington Yard in Medford, a residential and industrial suburb of Boston, the United States, on May 15, 2018. New subway cars designed and manufactured by CRRC are undergoing tests and will be ready to take passengers in Boston by the end of 2018, said local officials on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

BOSTON, the United States, May 15 (Xinhua) -- New subway cars designed and manufactured by a Chinese company are undergoing tests and will be ready to take passengers in Boston by the end of 2018, said local officials on Tuesday.

A set of four cars made an appearance on the test track at Wellington Yard in Medford, a residential and industrial suburb of Boston, when Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker took a ride on the train while Stephanie Pollack, secretary of Massachusetts Transportation Department, introduced the new features of the vehicles.

The cars were the first four of 152 cars to serve the Orange Line in Boston. Each car needs about 500 hours of burn-in test before officially taking passengers on board, according to Pollack.

The secretary said once the cars are all delivered, passengers of the Orange Line will be able to have trains come every four and a half minutes during rush hour instead of every six or seven minutes currently, which will increase the number of commuters the line can carry in one hour by about 40 percent.

The new features of the vehicles include gap mitigation devices, additional passenger emergency intercoms, wider side door openings, automatic passenger counters and closed circuit cameras.

Baker said the train cars he toured signaled the first step in the delivery of all the new cars, which will gradually replace the nearly 40-year-old cars presently serving Boston lines.

These new cars are part of a contract between Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC).

According to the contract, the CRRC will also design and manufacture 252 new cars for Boston Red Line subway. The vehicles for both lines are worth a billion U.S. dollars.

CRRC Vice President Jia Bo told Xinhua that most of the new cars will be assembled in the Chinese company's plant in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Construction of the plant, spreading over 204,000 square feet (about 18,952 square meters) and equipped with a 2,240-foot (683-meter) dynamic test track and a staging/storage area, was completed in April.

The factory has brought not only new cars, but also job opportunities to Boston.

"We currently employ 156 local workers in our factory. That's more than what we have promised," said Jia, who added that the factory will probably be hiring 260 local workers by the end of 2021.
KATHMANDU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A cargo plane of Makalu Airlines has gone missing in the mid-western region of Nepal since Wednesday morning, authorities confirmed.

The plane with two crew members on board took off from Surkhet at 6:12 a.m. local time and was heading to Humla district headquarters Simikot.

"The cargo plane was scheduled to land at 6:55 am at Simikot. But it went out of contact just few minutes before the landing," an official at Tribhuvan International Airport told Xinhua.

The pilot and the co-pilot were the only two persons onboard the aircraft.

Humla is one of the most remote and isolated districts in Karnali region of Nepal, which borders China. The district is accessible only through small aircrafts, while it is the last district of the country to be connected by road.

According to officials, helicopters have been mobilized for searching the cargo plane.
PYONGYANG, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said early Wednesday that it would suspend high-level talks with South Korea infinitely and threatened to withdraw from a scheduled meeting with the United States over an ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise.

The announcement came ahead of the expected meeting between DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump on June 12 in Singapore.

"The South Korean authorities, together with the United States, has been staging the largest-ever '2018 Max Thunder' joint air drill throughout South Korea since May 11 in a bid to make a preemptive air strike at the DPRK and win the air," said the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

This is a deliberate challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration jointly issued by Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in and another demonstration of "maximum pressure and sanctions" policy of the United States and South Korea towards the DPRK, said the KCNA.

Pyongyang decides to suspend "the north-south high-level talks scheduled on May 16 under the prevailing seriously awful situation that a mad-cap north-targeted war and confrontation racket are being kicked up in South Korea," it said.

The KCNA also called on Washington to "think twice about the fate of" the scheduled summit between Kim and Trump.

"The United States will have to think twice about the fate of the DPRK-U.S. summit now on a high agenda before a provocative military racket against the DPRK in league with the South Korean authorities," it said.

The two-week drill involves over 100 aircraft including B-52 strategic nuclear bombers and F-22 Raptor stealth fighters.

"The DPRK-targeted drill across South Korea is an undisguised challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and a deliberate military provocation to the trend of the favorably developing situation on the Korean Peninsula," it added.

Kim and Moon held a landmark summit in the truce village Panmunjom on April 27, with both sides pledging to make joint efforts to defuse the acute military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and substantially ease the danger of war so as to usher in a new era of peace.

The DPRK announced Saturday that it will hold a ceremony for the dismantling of its nuclear test site on May 23-25, taking a step forward towards the denuclearization of the peninsula.

The DPRK and South Korea were due to hold their ministerial-level talks on Wednesday at Panmunjom on the implementation of the joint declaration to improve inter-Korean relations and increase exchanges between the two sides.

The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it was continuing to prepare for the summit between Trump and Kim.

The United States has not heard anything directly from Pyongyang or Seoul that would change the arrangements, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing in Washington.

The U.S. side needs to verify the KCNA's report, she said. "We've received no formal or even informal notification of anything."

"We've seen some pretty good indications from them so far," she said, citing the DPRK's release of three American detainees last week. "So they have taken some steps in the right direction ... I think those are all good signs."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 13:22:16|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China's economic planning agency approved 15 fixed-asset investment (FAI) projects with combined investment totaling 51.7 billion yuan (about 8.1 billion U.S. dollars) in April.

The projects were mainly in social service programs and high-tech industries, Meng Wei, spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press briefing on Wednesday.

Data showed that China's FAI rose 7 percent in the first four months of the year, down from 7.5 percent for January-March and marking growth deceleration for two consecutive months.

Infrastructure investment increased 12.4 percent year on year for January-April, slightly down from 13 percent in the first three months.

The government attributed the slowdown to efforts to regulate the public-private partnerships (PPP) program and financing activities of local governments.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Liu Aihua, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics, said infrastructure investment would maintain stable and sustainable growth in the long term as China remains the world's largest developing country and there has been huge potential in expanding infrastructure investment.

FAI includes capital spent on infrastructure, property, machinery, and other physical assets.
WASHINGTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The United States said Tuesday that it will continue to prepare for the meeting between President Donald Trump and the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, despite a warning from Pyongyang to withdraw from the talk.

The DPRK's state media said early Wednesday that Pyongyang would suspend high-level talks with South Korea infinitely and threatened to withdraw from a scheduled meeting with the United States over an ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the joint military drill that started on May 11 is provocative.

Later, a senior DPRK foreign ministry official said in a statement carried by the KCNA that if the United States insists on pressuring the DPRK to abandon its nuclear arsenal in its dialogue with Pyongyang, the DPRK is not interested and has to reconsider the meeting in the near future.

In a press briefing, U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said the United States will "absolutely" continue to "go ahead and plan the meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un" slated for June 12 in Singapore.

She also noted that the U.S. side needs to verify the KCNA's report and "get additional information on that."

"But we're going forward in planning our meetings next month," she said. "We are operating under the idea and the notion that the president's meeting is going forward with Chairman -- with Chairman Kim next month."

"We've seen some pretty good indications from them so far," she said, citing the DPRK's release of three American detainees last week. "So they have taken some steps in the right direction ... I think those are all good signs."

Nauert said Washington has not heard of anything from the DPRK or South Korea to cancel the military exercises or the Kim-Trump meeting.

"What we have to go on is what Kim Jong Un had said before, that he understands and appreciates the importance to the United States of having these joint exercises, the Republic of Korea has as well," she said. "We've received no formal or even informal notification of anything."

Later, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders also made an announcement.

"We are aware of the South Korean media report. The United States will look at what North Korea (DPRK) has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies," she added.

Trump tweeted last week that he will meet with Kim in June, after the country released three detained U.S. citizens who had been taken back by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit to Pyongyang.

"The South Korean authorities, together with the United States, has been staging the largest-ever '2018 Max Thunder' joint air drill throughout South Korea since May 11 in a bid to make a preemptive air strike at the DPRK and win the air," the KCNA said.

"The United States will have to think twice about the fate of the DPRK-U.S. summit now on a high agenda before a provocative military racket against the DPRK in league with the South Korean authorities," it said.

The two-week drill involves over 100 aircraft including B-52 strategic nuclear bombers and F-22 Raptor stealth fighters.

"It is stunning that the DPRK canceled the meeting with South Korea. It is an ominous development because it signals some breakdown in discussions between the two countries," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

"It is important that this situation not escalate quickly and end up in a much more serious disagreement," he added.
HOUSTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The latest U.S. manufacturing and trade statistics, released on Tuesday, show that business inventories for March hit 1.93 trillion U.S. dollars, level with last month's data.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, manufacturers' and trade inventories, adjusted for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were estimated at an end-of-month level of 1,929.6 billion dollars, virtually unchanged from February 2018, but 3.8 percent percent up from that in March 2017.

The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers' shipments for March, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at 1,438.3 billion dollars, up 0.5 percent from February 2018 and 6.4 percent from March 2017.

The total business inventories/sales ratio based on seasonally adjusted data at the end of March was 1.34. The March 2017 ratio was 1.38.
CANBERRA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Minister for Education has urged parents and schools to support the controversial National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), as primary-school students are sitting examination.

Simon Birmingham said on Tuesday that the NAPLAN tests, which assess the reading, writing and numeracy skills of students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9, create a solid base for evaluation.

The assessments are carried out in schools across Australia and aim to identify whether students meet levels which "provide the critical foundation for learning," according to the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

The education minister's plea came after the New South Wales (NSW) and Australian Capital Territory (ACT) governments criticised NAPLAN because of the sense of competition promoted by the tests, and called for them to be abolished.

ACT Education Minister, Yvette Berry, told Australian: "What we're hearing in the ACT, what it is causing, is this kind of high stakes testing.

"Schools are marketing themselves against each other... and I hope ministers across the country are working towards an improved assessment tool and putting an end to NAPLAN."

But Birmingham dismissed those concerns, saying NAPLAN was just one assessment that occurred at four different times during a child's primary-school education.

"The Australian Parents' Council, the government state school organizations and others all quite recently reaffirmed their support for NAPLAN because they like to see that they get a check at these different junctures of a child's educational experience," he said.
HANOI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam has imported 528,200 completely-built automobiles totaling nearly 11.7 billion U.S. dollars in the 2011-2017 period, including 236,520 under-nine-seat cars worth roughly 3.1 billion U.S. dollars, the General Department of Vietnam Customs said on Wednesday.

Over the past seven years, Vietnam has imported cars mainly from India, Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea.

Thailand and Indonesia are exporting more and more cars to Vietnam because of the elimination of tariffs on completely-built units from Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) member countries in January, local experts said, adding that Vietnam also lowered tax rates on vehicles with engine sizes of 2.0 liters or less.

The local content rates of automobiles made in Thailand and Indonesia are now over 80 percent and 60-70 percent, respectively, while those in Vietnam are 7-10 percent, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In the first four months of this year, Vietnam imported completely-built automobiles such as cars, trucks and buses, and components for assembly totaling nearly 1.2 billion U.S. dollars, down 32.2 percent on-year.
KABUL, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Twenty people have been arrested for alleged drug-related crimes in five Afghan provinces over the past week, authorities said on Wednesday.

"Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) together with Afghan security organs busted 15 drug cases and captured 20 people in Kabul, Kandahar, Jawzjan, Balkh and Nangarhar provinces over the past seven days," the Counter-Narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force of Afghanistan (CJTF) said in a statement.

Among the arrestees were two women and the security forces also confiscated local and foreign currencies from the arrested, totaling around 2,000 U.S. dollars, the statement added.

Among the drugs and materials found from the suspects were 4 kg of heroin, over 114 kg of opium, and 157 kg of hashish, the statement said, adding the CNPA also seized six vehicles, 18 mobile phones from the arrested.

In addition, appellant and primary courts of the Central Narcotics Tribunal of the CJTF have sentenced 16 drug suspects to different ranges imprisonment over the period, the statement said.

Much of the world's opium poppy is cultivated in the militancy-hit country.

In 2017, some 9,000 tons of opium were produced in Afghanistan, particularly in western and southern parts of the country, where the government security forces have little presence, according to official figures.
KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Anwar Ibrahim, former Malaysian deputy prime minister who was jailed for a sodomy verdict, was released on Wednesday after receiving pardon.

Witnessed by a large crowd of reporters and supporters, Anwar walked out of a habitation center where he was receiving treatment recently under custody.

Anwar, 70, wearing a black suit and sporting a smile, waved to his supporters before he boarded a car to go to the royal palace to meet the King.

In a statement, the National Palace said Muhammad V, the ceremonial head of state, or the King, has allowed a full pardon and given an immediate release for Anwar.

The full pardon also allows Anwar to return to politics.

Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998 and later jailed for corruption and sodomy under then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. He was jailed again in 2015 for sodomy as opposition leader. Anwar has denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.

Since 2016, Mahathir and Anwar have joined hand again against the government led by Najib Razak. Their coalition, Pakatan Harapan, won the general election last week.

Mahathir has been sworn in as prime minister and he has also promised to hand over to Anwar.
SYDNEY, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Queensland state is investigating the shooting of a large crocodile in its northern region, following images of the reptile's carcass that were widely circulated on social media, authorities said on Wednesday.

Wildlife officers recovered the remains of a 4.3-meter-long estuarine crocodile late last month and the animal "appeared to have been shot," the state's department of environment and science said in a statement.

Images of the "monster croc" hung up on the banks of a river were posted online before being deleted, local media reported.

Crocodiles are a protected species in the state and those caught killing the reptiles can be fined more than 28,000 Australian dollars (20,925 U.S. dollars). Male estuarine or saltwater crocodiles grow to an average of 3-4 meters long.

The department also reminded members of the public not to approach wild crocodiles, which are commonly found in the northern area and regularly spark concerns about attacks on humans. At least three fatal attacks have been linked to crocodiles in the past two years, according to local media.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 13:42:23|Editor: Yurou

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MEXICO CITY, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A journalist was shot dead near his home on Tuesday in Villahermosa, the capital city of Mexico's southeastern state of Tabasco.

Juan Carlos Huerta, 45, was a host of a local radio news program and a nightly TV news show.

An armed man opened fire at Huerta after he rammed his pickup truck into Huerta's car near the residential complex of Las Hadas in northwestern Villahermosa, Tabasco Prosecutor Fernando Valenzuela said in a statement.

Police and federal agents are searching for the attacker, Valenzuela said.

So far this year, at least three journalists including Huerta have been killed in Mexico.
PYONGYANG, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Wednesday said the country may reconsider a scheduled DPRK-U.S. summit if the United States insists on pressuring DPRK to abandon its nuclear arsenal.

The DPRK had earlier announced a suspension of a ministerial level meeting with South Korea to protest an ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military drill.

The high-level inter-Korean talks are scheduled for Wednesday, and U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore.

The U.S.-South Korea joint drill is a deliberate challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and another demonstration of "maximum pressure and sanctions" policy of the United States and South Korea towards the DPRK, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said early Wednesday.

The two-week drill involves over 100 aircraft including B-52 strategic nuclear bombers and F-22 Raptor stealth fighters.
KABUL, May 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 Taliban militants were killed in an Afghan Special Operations Forces-led airstrike targeting their position in Afghanistan's western province of Farah on Tuesday, the command of special forces said Wednesday.

"Based on a confirmed tip off, an airstrike was conducted in Deh Yak-i-Kalan village in central part of Farah province Tuesday, killing 15 Taliban militants and injuring one other," Operational Coordination Group Afghanistan said in a statement.

On Tuesday, heavy clashes broke out in provincial capital Farah city after hundreds of Taliban launched a coordinated offensive and overran parts of the city, but the militants were evicted by security forces' counter-attack overnight.

The statement came as sporadic clashes were continuing on outskirts Farah city as of early Wednesday.

At least five civilians, 25 soldiers and more than 300 Taliban militants were killed since the clashes broke out, provincial Governor Mohammad Basir Salangi told local media Tolo News TV earlier on Wednesday.

Local military experts believed that the Taliban attacked Farah as they were defeated and failed to take control of southern province of Helmand over the past years.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 13:57:27|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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An Indonesian bomb squad member searches a vehicle for explosives following an attack on a police headquarters in Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia, May 16, 2018. One policeman was killed and 4 militants were shot dead in an attack on a police headquarters in Riau province of Indonesia on Wednesday, police said. (Xinhua/Hadly Vavaldi)

JAKARTA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- One policeman was killed and 4 militants were shot dead in an attack on a police headquarters in Riau province of Indonesia on Wednesday, police said.

A minivan with 4 to 6 people inside intruded the compound of the police headquarters at 09:00 a.m. Jakarta time, but it was stopped by other cars. Suddenly the militants exited the car and immediately stage strikes with swords against policemen, provincial police spokesman Sunarto said.

Two policemen were injured in the sword attacks and another was killed after being hit by the minivan which was trying to escape the compound of the headquarters, he added.

"So far there are 4 perpetrators whom we have shot dead. One of them is being checked by a bomb squad," he was quoted by Kompas TV as saying, referring to a suspected bomb strapped to the militant's body.

A footage showed that a man lying on the ground with a sword next to his body.

State news wires Antara said that two journalists who were at the headquarters were also wounded.

The police earlier disclosed that 8 militants with a white minivan launched the attacks.

The police said they are hunting for the militants escaping the compound.

The attack comes days after a series of terrorist strikes in the country, including suicide bombings in three churches on Sunday in Surabaya city, the provincial capital of East Java and a suicide bombing at the police headquarters in the city, which left at least 25 people dead and dozens of others injured.
SEOUL, May 16 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports of the information and communications technology (ICT) products posted the biggest April figure due to strong global demand for locally-made semiconductors, a government report showed Wednesday.

The ICT exports advanced 10.9 percent over the year to 17.23 billion U.S. dollars in April, marking the biggest-ever April figure, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Outbound shipments of the ICT products kept rising by a double digit for 17 months in a row due mainly to robust demand for semiconductors, of which exports surged 36.6 percent to 9.89 billion dollars.

Exports of computer and peripherals expanded 23.6 percent to 870 million dollars, but mobile phone exports dipped 42.2 percent to 1.05 billion dollars as local manufacturers increased production in overseas factories.

The ICT exports to China, South Korea's biggest trading partner, picked up 25.5 percent to 9.42 billion dollars, but those to Vietnam and the United States shrank 12.3 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively.

Imports in the ICT sector was 8.68 billion dollars in April, sending the industry's trade surplus to 8.55 billion dollars.
KATHMANDU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A cargo aircraft of Makalu Airlines, which had gone missing in mid-western Nepal since Wednesday morning, has been found crashed, authorities confirmed.

The cargo plane with sign 9N-AUJ has been found crashed in Bahunkharka area of Humla district after nearly four hours of missing.

"The aircraft has been crashed while both pilot and co-pilot on board have died. Preparations are underway to airlift their bodies to Kathmandu," Prem Nath Thakur, Spokesperson at Tribhuvan International Airport, told Xinhua.

The plane with two crew members on board had taken off from Surkhet to Humla district headquarters Simikot at 6:12 a.m. local time.

The cargo plane was scheduled to land at 6:55 a.m. at Simikot, but it went out of contact just a few minutes before the landing, according to airport officials.

The pilot and the co-pilot were the only two persons onboard the aircraft.

"We are yet to ascertain the cause of the crash. We will launch the investigation soon," Thakur added.

Humla is one of the most remote and isolated districts in Karnali region of Nepal. The district is accessible only through small aircrafts, while it is the last district of the country to be connected by road.

Wednesday's incident came nearly two month after a US-Bangla aircraft crashed at Nepal's international airport, killing 51 people and injuring over a dozen.
BANFF, Alberta and LAKE LOUISE, Alberta, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enhanced digital and face-to-face resources are rolled out and ready to support increased transit and shuttle services, encourage responsible trip planning and help visitors enjoy their experience in Banff National Park this May Long Weekend and summer season.



Explorethepark.ca provides all the information visitors need to go car-free in Banff and Lake Louise with detailed transit and shuttle route descriptions, frequency and fares. Information is also available for bike rentals, easy to reach walking trails and booking tours. The trip planning tool also helps reduce congestion at popular locations by outlining different times to visit key attractions and promoting lesser known areas. Information about RV access and real-time parking details is also available.

Visitor Centres are another avenue of support for travellers, both digitally and in person, including mobile sites and interpretive displays. Knowledgeable staff and ambassadors can be found at locations on Banff Ave., in the Banff Train Station, in Lake Louise village or by contacting @Banff_Info on Twitter.

Our growing digital and face-to-face presence helps us manage our summer season and promote the wide range of activities and services available. It also provides all the information visitors need to step out of their vehicle and explore Banff and Lake Louise, said Leslie Bruce, president and CEO, Banff and Lake Louise Tourism.

Expanded transit and shuttle services are in place to help visitors experience Banff National Park car-free this summer. After a successful pilot project in 2017, On-It Regional Transit is expanding from 26 to 35 days. Visitors can travel between Banff and Calgary for $10 each way. The bus service will run weekends and holidays starting May 19. Riders arriving in Banff will receive a free transfer to Roam Transit.

Roam is also extending its offering. The towns main local routeswith pick-up and drop-off locations at Banff Hot Springs, Banff Gondola, Rimrock Hotel, Banff Springs Hotel, Bow Falls Viewpoint and Tunnel Mountain Campgroundhave increased frequency. Roam will also be increasing daily buses to Lake Minnewankanow every half-hourand new routes to the Cave & Basin National Historic Site.

Parks Canada will also run shuttles to popular sites including Johnston Canyon, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. This increase in operations supports the average five per cent annual increase in visitation over the last five years.

Working with our partners, we are helping people navigate our most popular season by making sure there are a range of ways to explore the park in a carefree, car-free-way. Were encouraging travelers to walk, bike, book a tour or enjoy public transit and shuttles, said Bruce. We continue to find new ways for visitors to be responsible guests in Banff National Park and leaving cars and their emissions behind is one way visitors can make a positive impact.

Banff & Lake Louise Tourism (BLLT) is a member based, destination marketing organization focused on promoting the places, services, products and attractions of the Town of Banff, the community of Lake Louise and Banff National Park. To achieve this, BLLT work with their members, along with Parks Canada and the destination communities to enhance and improve the visitor experience.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 14:07:34|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Ctrip, China's leading online travel agency, said it has rolled out localized products and services for users in Japan to tap the growing Asian tourism market.

Tourism products in global destinations are available with round-the-clock Japanese language service on Trip.com, a sub-brand of Ctrip.

Ctrip bought U.S. tourism-themed social networking platform Trip.com late last year as part of its efforts to venture overseas and serve global travellers.

Japan is Asia's second largest tourism market and has great business opportunities for Ctrip, said the company's CEO Jane Sun, citing 258-percent year-on-year growth of the number of air tickets issued on its Japanese language version of Ctrip.com in 2017.

Ctrip has also rolled out a global tourism-themed credit card via a partnership with Chinese and Japanese credit card firms.
CANBERRA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- An upgrade to Australia's biggest telescope may allow Australian astronomers to create a clearer picture of the universe, according to leading scientists.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) recently installed a "bionic ear" receiver to the Parkes radio telescope in outback New South Wales, which enabled it to catch a wider range of frequencies in the cosmos, and turn them into electronic signals for astronomers to analyse.

The 1.8 million-U.S. dollar equipment, which was partly funded by Germany's Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has created opportunities for new discoveries, according to the CSIRO.

"Stars and galaxies 'sing' with different voices, some high, some low ... it's like a choir out there," CSIRO astronomer Dr George Hobbs said on Tuesday.

"Until now we've had receivers that heard just one part of the choir at a time. This new one lets us listen to the whole choir at once."

The receiver also creates a level of "multitasking for science."

"The equipment allows for increased efficiency when looking at pulsars and black holes in space," a CSIRO spokeswoman told Xinhua.

"For the first time ever we are able to work on multiple programs at the same time, so our resources are being used in the most effective way possible."

Pulsars are neutron stars that emit radio waves, and scientists monitor these stars in order to determine their mass and level of rotation.

"We'll carry out giant surveys that give us a more complete picture of our place in the universe," CSIRO scientist Jane Kaczmarek said in a statement provided to Xinhua.

"We're also working on ways to cut down the stray radio signals -- radio-frequency interference -- that can hide the cosmic ones we're trying to pick up."

The Parkes radio telescope, one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, has received numerous updates since it was first installed in 1961, and is responsible for discovering most of the known pulsars.
Anwar Ibrahim waves as he leaves a habitation center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Anwar Ibrahim, former Malaysian deputy prime minister who was jailed for a sodomy verdict, was released on Wednesday after receiving pardon.

Witnessed by a large crowd of reporters and supporters, Anwar walked out of a habitation center where he was receiving treatment recently under custody.

Anwar, 70, wearing a black suit and sporting a smile, waved to his supporters before he boarded a car to go to the royal palace to meet the King.

In a statement, the National Palace said Muhammad V, the ceremonial head of state, or the King, has allowed a full pardon and given an immediate release for Anwar.

The full pardon also allows Anwar to return to politics.

Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998 and later jailed for corruption and sodomy under then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. He was jailed again in 2015 for sodomy as opposition leader. Anwar has denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.

Since 2016, Mahathir and Anwar have joined hand again against the government led by Najib Razak. Their coalition, Pakatan Harapan, won the general election last week.

Mahathir has been sworn in as prime minister and he has also promised to hand over to Anwar.
PHNOM PENH, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Wednesday called on the eligible voters to cast their ballots in the forthcoming general election.

"I'd like to appeal to all compatriots and youths to vote on 29th July, 2018," he said in a Facebook post.

The prime minister thanked the people for trusting his leadership and hoped they would continue voting for the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) in order to ensure long-lasting peace and development.

"No any leaders who advise their peoples not to vote, but only ill-willed individuals who want to destroy democracy and people's will can do this," said Hun Sen.

He said that in Europe and the United States, voter turnouts were low, around 30 percent and 40 percent, respectively, but the election results were acceptable, while in Cambodia, the turnout was over 69 percent in the 2013 general election.

Hun Sen's calls and comments came after self-exiled former opposition leader Sam Rainsy and his group repeatedly called for people to boycott the election, giving the reason that the now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was not allowed to participate in the election.

According to the National Election Committee (NEC), five political parties -- the ruling CPP, the royalist Funcinpec Party of Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the Cambodian Youth Party, the Cambodian Nationality Party, and the Khmer National United Party -- had been officially allowed to contest in the upcoming election.

NEC is considering the registration applications by other 15 political parties and the final number of the political parties joining the race will be released on May 21.

Some 8.3 million Cambodian people are eligible to cast their ballots in the upcoming election.

In the 2013 general election, eight political parties joined the race. As a result, the CPP won 68 seats against 55 seats for the then-CNRP in the 123-seat National Assembly.

The CNRP was dissolved on Nov. 16 last year by the Supreme Court after its leader Kem Sokha, Sam Rainsy's successor, was arrested on Sept. 3 last year and charged with "treason" for conspiring with a foreign power in an attempt to overthrow the government.

Sam Rainsy has been living in self-imposed exile in France since 2015 to avoid at least eight-year-prison sentence for defamation and incitement cases.
AYBAK, Afghanistan, May 16 (Xinhua) -- At least eight militants including a senior commander have been killed and 10 others sustained injuries as a clash erupted between security forces and Taliban outfit in Afghanistan's northern Samangan province, over the past 24 hours, police said Wednesday.

The clash flared up after the Taliban insurgents attacked security checkpoints in Surkh Qala area of Roiduab district on Tuesday, police spokesman in the province, Mohammad Munir Rahimi said.

The security forces retaliated, triggering a gun battle, during which Taliban attack were finally repulsed after losing eight fighters and leaving 10 others injured.

Taliban senior commander Mawlawi Alam Mukhlis is also among those killed in the fighting, the official said.

He also confirmed that one security personnel lost his life and another injured in the fighting, saying the security forces would continue to chase militants elsewhere in the troubled province.

Taliban militants who have intensified activities since launching their annual offensive on April 25, haven't commented.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 15:17:48|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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GENEVA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WTO) has called for elimination of industrially-produced trans-fatty acid from the global food supply by 2023.

WTO said Monday that trans fats used in fried foods, baked foods, among others may lead to more than 500,000 cardiovascular and heart disease deaths per year.

Other research published by Canadian researchers in the British Medical Journal in 2015 found that eating artificial trans increase heart disease risk by 21 percent and deaths by 28 percent.

Industrially-produced trans fats are made through the process of adding hydrogen molecules to liquid fats to convert them into solid fats to become partially hydrogenated oils.

Introduced into the food supply in earlier 20th century, the partially hydrogenated oils were welcomed by food companies to produce fried foods and baked goods, among others, since this kind of oil was cheap, easy to use as well as had a long shelf-life.

However, according to WHO, several high-income countries have virtually eliminated industrially-produced trans fats through legally imposed limits on the amount that can be contained in packaged food, or implemented nationwide bans on partially hydrogenated oils. Denmark was the first country to ban trans fats in 2013.

Elimination of industrially-produced trans fats from the global food supply has been identified as one of the priority targets of WHO's strategic plan for 2019-2023.
YANGON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A China-Myanmar trade fair is due to begin in Yangon Thursday, the first time for Myanmar to host such fair, the official Global New Light of Myanmar reported Wednesday.

Aiming at promoting bilateral trade and enhancing economic cooperation between Myanmar and China, the trade fair will be held at Yangon's Myanmar Event Park for three days.

About 200 booths from 103 companies will display building materials, hardware lighting products, food, farming machinery and household utensils.

The trade fair was organized by China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat, Worldex-SingEx Exhibitions (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd and the Myanmar Trade Promotion Organization.

Myanmars export to China reached 4 billion U.S. dollars as of December in fiscal year 2017-2018 which ended in March, its import representing 4.49 billion U.S. dollars during the period, according to the report.
TRIPOLI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Nine militants were killed and more than 10 others injured in clashes between the Libyan eastern-based army and extremists in the eastern city of Darna, medical source said Tuesday.

"The emergency department received nine dead militants and more than 10 injured, ... and the hospital did not receive any more casualties after 19:35 local time (1735 GMT)," a source of Al-Wahda hospital of Darna told Xinhua.

An army spokesman on Tuesday said the army has captured 21 terrorists after making significant progress in the south of the city.

The spokesman also said the arrested terrorists descent from six foreign nationalities, and confirmed that the army is "proceeding with a steady and orderly pace towards the liberation of Darna from terrorism."

The army is launching a military operation to take over Darna from the extremists who control the coastal city.

Since 2015, Darna has been besieged by Haftar's army, which demands that the Shura Council of the Mujahideen in Darna, a coalition of Islamist militias seeking to implement Sharia law in the city, leave. The army accuses the armed group of being loyal to al-Qaida.
MOSCOW, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Moscow on Wednesday urged Washington to demand the release of Russian journalists detained in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quoted by TASS news agency as saying that the U.S. state department should insist on the release of the journalists instead of being lenient to the Ukrainian government.

U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Heather Nauert earlier told reporters that Washington took the raid on journalists in Kiev "very seriously" and called for measures in full compliance with the law.

On Tuesday, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) conducted an operation against the RIA Novosti Ukraine news agency's staff, accusing them of state treason.

Also on Tuesday, Kirill Vyshinsky, a Russian citizen and editor-in-chief of the RIA Novosti Ukraine news agency, was detained near his home in Kiev. The agency's headquarters, its press center and homes of some of employees were also searched.
WASHINGTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. government watchdog said Tuesday that the Pentagon has provided the wrong number of Afghan government troops earlier this month, exaggerating its decline.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in a statement that the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have 313,728 military personnel as of Jan. 31 this year, instead of the 296,409 that the Pentagon reported earlier in May.

It said the Pentagon failed to include the Afghan Border Force in the tally.

"This is the latest in a series of problems SIGAR has faced over the last three quarters with DOD's (Department of Defense) responses to our requests for ANDSF information," the statement said.

"SIGAR respectfully requests the appropriate congressional committees and the secretary of Defense remind all DOD components of their statutory duty to provide accurate and timely data concerning the ANDSF for SIGAR's quarterly reports," it added.

The new number would put the year-on-year drop of the ANDSF at 17,980, instead of 35,999, a number SIGAR said not as serious as previously suggested but also indicated a serious trend in the war-torn country that its government is losing control over the country while the Taliban is extending its influence.


Getting the Inequality We Want



Roland Kupers







AMSTERDAM  Everyone, it seems, is talking about inequality. Media outlets publish article after article on the topic. Politicians include it in their speeches and platforms. Yet, even though economists like Thomas Piketty and Joseph E. Stiglitz have proved, through meticulous research, the causal link between inequality and policy choices, politicians have yet to establish what level of inequality they consider ideal.



Eliminating inequality, after all, is not the point. Too much inequality impedes social mobility, thereby potentially stoking political instability; as Stiglitz has often pointed out, it also tends to lead to weaker economic performance. Yet some amount of inequality is vital to create appropriate incentives, support competition, and provide reasonable rewards. That is why it is important to define what level of inequality is fair, and work actively to achieve it.



Whatever that level is, it seems clear it is lower than the actual level of inequality in much of the world today. Yet, far from establishing  or even debating  a specific target level to which to reduce inequality, politicians continue to allow it to rise. This will change only when policymakers treat inequality more like GDP growth, health care, or climate-change mitigation: as the subject of serious debate and concrete action.



They should start by considering the Gini coefficient, a simple and widely used measure of a countrys income or wealth distribution. Ranging from zero (fully equal) to one (fully unequal), the Gini coefficient is a straightforward mechanism for comparing inequality over time and across countries. While it is not perfect  reducing a countrys distribution of income or wealth to a single number inevitably requires some mathematical shortcuts  it is clear, functional, and broadly accepted.



But the Gini coefficient can be different, depending on what one is measuring: inequality of incomes or assets. These two kinds of inequality are obviously connected: income flows into assets, like a river flows into a lake. But there are key differences, exemplified by the fact that assets are much more unevenly distributed than income.



Globally, asset inequality ranges from 0.55 in Japan to 0.85 in Zimbabwe (notwithstanding questions about the quality of Zimbabwean data). In the developed world, asset inequality is particularly high  0.80  in Denmark, Switzerland, and the United States. It is particularly low  around 0.58  in Ireland, Italy, and Spain.



Income inequality ranges from 0.25 in Iceland to 0.64 in South Africa, though of course the figures differ depending on whether one is considering before- or after-tax income. All countries redistribute some income through taxation, but in vastly different proportions, with more unequal countries, such as the US and the United Kingdom, tending to redistribute more. Redistribution levels are the direct result of policy choices, which typically also reflect cultural and historical factors.



The point is not to get lost in endless comparisons or arcane mathematics, but to underscore that it is possible  and, indeed, necessary  to have a meaningful discussion of inequality, based on concrete figures, with the goal of establishing clear targets. If the right targets are to be selected, the debate must be better informed.



As it stands, surveys show that people tend to believe that inequality is lower than it actually is, but still higher than the level they would consider ideal. This is true in most countries  including in the US, where inequality is among the highest in the world  though there are a few countries, such as Norway, where people have a more realistic view. Correcting these misperceptions will change peoples opinions of redistributive policies.



Moreover, the debate must account for all relevant perspectives. It should be noted, for example, that most economists argue that the ideal level desired by many would undermine economic performance, leaving everyone worse off. So, as with other complex issues, politicians need to balance voter aspirations with expert views. And because political factions will disagree (as they should) voters will be able to have their say as well.



Inequality is not some inevitable, uncontrollable feature of any economy; like the level of redistribution, it is the direct result of policy choices. If it is too high, it is the responsibility of our leaders to choose different policies.





Roland Kupers is an adviser on complexity, resilience, and energy transition, and is associated with the Institute of Advanced Studies in Amsterdam.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 15:47:55|Editor: ZX

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Algerian Minister of Culture Azzedine Mihoubi (front) visits a photo exhibition on the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative in Algiers, Algeria, May 15, 2018. Chinese Embassy in Algeria held here on Tuesday a photo exhibition with the B&R Initiative as its theme. (Xinhua)

ALGIERS, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Embassy in Algeria held here on Tuesday a photo exhibition with the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative as its theme, featuring photographs that display various projects under the initiative in countries along the route of the B&R.

The event is part of a larger exhibition held with the theme of the Road of Silk and Knowledge, which was organized by Algeria's Ministry of Culture and dedicated to the oldest trading route in the world.

Azzedine Mihoubi, Algerian Minister of Culture, and staff members of the Chinese Embassy in Algiers attended the large exhibition, which lauds the contribution made by China to both the old Silk Road and the new Silk Road, or the B&R.

Mihoubi told Xinhua that "the relations between Algeria and China were deep in history... the reviving of the Silk Road project is the reviving of a dream that used to connect many peoples together."

He added that the exhibition "displays two pictures about China, an old China and a modern China that embraces the age of modernity with wonderful cultural achievements."

The exhibition will last for a month, as some artists, authors and writers will exhibit their works and monitor conferences that deal with the subject of the Silk Road and its contribution.

Chinese Ambassador to Algeria Yang Guangyu has revealed that Algiers and Beijing would sign a draft partnership agreement to include Algeria in the Belt and Road Initiative, as the two nations celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of their bilateral ties this year.

"The project aims to establish aerial, sea and special connectivity between the two countries, while launching roads, highways, ports, airports and telecommunication networks, as well as oil and gas pipelines," Yang said.

He noted that the weight of a country should be judged by "its ability to create, build and provide development opportunities," adding that the world is "profoundly changing, and China wants to be a builder of peace in the world."
GHAZNI, Afghanistan, May 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 Afghan soldiers and 44 Taliban militants have been killed after clashes broke out in four districts of eastern province of Ghazni overnight, an army source said Wednesday.

The clashes started after militants launched a massive coordinated attack against security checkpoints in Andar, Gilan, Zana Khan and Jaghato districts around the provincial capital of Ghanzi city after midnight, Gen. Shohuor Gul, commander of army's 203 Tandar based in the region, told Xinhua.

"The brave army soldiers and police fought back the attackers and the initial information showed that 44 Taliban militants, including two divisional Taliban commanders named Mawlawi Furqan and Abdul Salaam, were killed and eight militants were injured," Gul added.

"The sporadic clashes continued until Wednesday morning but the security situation was under control of security forces and normality has returned in the districts," he said.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been on the rampage since the beginning of 2015 when the Afghan security forces assumed full responsibilities of security from the U.S. and NATO troops.

The Taliban militants also intensified attacks against security forces across the country after they launched a yearly rebel offensive on April 25.

On Tuesday, at least five civilians, 25 soldiers and nearly 300 militants were killed after Taliban launched a massive attack against Farah city, capital of western Farah province.
HOUSTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-China Innovation and Investment Summit will lead to a collision of people and ideas in the field of innovation, Chief Development Officer in the U.S. city of Houston Andy Icken told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The third U.S.-China Innovation and Investment Summit wrapped up its two-day meeting on Tuesday in Houston in the state of Texas.

More than 500 participants from China and the United States, including entrepreneurs and investors, met at the conference.

"If you talk to people in the innovation business, they will tell you the most important things are the collision of people and ideas. Whether they be informal or formal. I think events like this leads to the collision of ideas that lead to further discussions down the road," said Icken who visited China five times over the past six year.

"The more we have interactions like this, both of us will prosper and mutually benefit," he added.

The summit featured a range of events, including "INNOSTARS" preliminary competitions, innovation forums, B2B matchmaking, company exhibits, as well as satellite activities.

It not only enabled Chinese entrepreneurs to learn about the development of science and technology in the United States, but also allowed for one-to-one communications with American companies. It also showcased the advantages of different places and cities in China, providing new opportunities for international investment and cooperation.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 16:03:02|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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ADEN, Yemen, May 16 (Xinhua) -- An well-known Yemeni academician was assassinated in her house in the southern port city of Aden before dawn Wednesday, a police official told Xinhua.

Najat Ali Muqbil, dean of the Health Sciences College at Aden University, was killed by a group of masked gunmen in military uniform, who broke into her house in the neighborhood of Enmaa and opened fire with automatic rifiles, the local police source said on condition of anonymity.

Two members of her family also died in the incident, the source added.

Within hours after the shooting, the police sealed off all neighborhood entrances and began a building-by-building search for the killers.

One of the suspects has been arrested and moved to the Criminal Investigation Department for further interrogation, the police official revealed.

Witnesses said medics have transferred the bodies of the dean and her family members to the morgue.

Considered Yemen's temporary capital, Aden is where the Saudi-backed government has been based since 2015.

For the past two years, the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and other terrorist groups, including the Islamic State, have been active in southern Yemen.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since late 2014, when the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The United Nations has listed Yemen as the country of the world's most serious humanitarian crisis, where seven million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera has caused more than 2,000 deaths.
PYONGYANG, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Wednesday the country may reconsider the scheduled U.S.-DPRK summit because of extremely provocative remarks made by American officials.

The DPRK First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan said in a statement that the Trump administration must show sincerity in its desire to meet with the DPRK to improve bilateral relations.

However, if the United States only wants to press the DPRK to abandon its nuclear arsenal, the latter would have to reconsider whether to attend, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying.

The DPRK announced early Wednesday that it would suspend high-level talks with South Korea infinitely and threatened to withdraw from the scheduled meeting with the United States over an ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise.

Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump are scheduled to meet on June 12 in Singapore.

Kim blamed the United States for uttering provocative words against the DPRK weeks before the summit, calling them disappointing.

He said the White House national security advisor John Bolton had even urged the DPRK to abandon its nuclear arsenal first in order to receive benefits on trade, a similar stance previously taken with Libya.

"This is not about solving problems through dialogue, but is intended to replay the tragedy of Libya on the DPRK," he said, adding that Libya "has totally collapsed after handing over its fate to big powers."

"I am not only furious about the U.S. rhetoric but also seriously suspicious of its sincerity to improve relations through dialogue and consultation," said Kim.

He said that the DPRK is not Libya or Iraq, two countries facing a dire reality following attacks by the United States.

"The DPRK has clarified its intention to work for denuclearization on the peninsula and has made statements several times that an end of hostile policies, nuclear threats and intimidation from the United States against the DPRK are preconditions for denuclearization," said Kim.

Referring to the U.S. promise of offering economic compensation and benefits in return for DPRK's denuclearization, the official said that Pyongyang would never consider receiving economic aid from the United States.

Kim's statement was issued after a U.S.-South Korea joint military drill, dubbed "2018 Max Thunder", kicked off throughout South Korea on May 11.

In an earlier report also on Wednesday, KCNA called the joint drill a deliberate challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration issued by Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. He said the drill was another demonstration of the "maximum pressure and sanctions" policy of the United States and South Korea towards the DPRK.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 16:08:03|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China's procuratorates initiated 6,335 public interest litigations in environment and resource protection cases from July 2017 to January this year, according to a report in Wednesday's People's Daily.

Many ecological and environmental cases involved various interested parties, and were complicated and time-consuming, according to the report. The procuratorates have required 1,451 companies to rectify and improve within required period, the report said.

Xiao Wei, spokesperson for the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said the procuratorates have the legal rights to investigate, which enable them to be better on taking evidence through investigation and presenting evidence. With more law professionals, they can initiate lawsuits more efficiently and precisely, and significantly lower judicial costs.

The report also pointed out the difficulties that the procuratorates face during litigations, including a shortage of personnel, lack of all-around prosecutors, and administrative barriers in trans-regional investigations.

China's top legislature passed amendments to the Civil Procedure Law and the Administrative Procedure Law in late June last year, allowing prosecutors nationwide to act as plaintiffs and launch litigations against any act that directly or indirectly compromises public rights and interest.

The amendments, which took effect on July 1, 2017, mainly target offenses related to the environment and resource protection, the use of public lands, public assets protection, and food and drug safety.
MANILA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The two policewomen kidnapped last month by Abu Sayyaf militants had been released, Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde said on Wednesday.

Police Officer Bennie Rose Alvarez and Police Officer Dinah Gumahad were abducted on April 29 along with two others while on their way to Jojo town from a beach in Patikul town, Sulu province of southern Philippines.

The two other hostages were freed last week.

Albayalde told reporters the regional police director in Sulu had confirmed that the two policewomen had indeed been freed.

"They are now with the personnel of (Sulu) Governor Sakur Tan," Albayalde said.

He added the freed policewomen will undergo "medical examination and debriefing."

The Philippine military, which launched a series of offensive to track down the kidnappers over the weekend, has yet to issue a statement.

Abu Sayyaf, a radical Islamist group in the Philippines, often carry out kidnappings, bombings and beheadings in western Mindanao, particularly in their lair in the island provinces of Basilan and Sulu.
WELLINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand has become the first country in the world to roll out nationwide biofouling rules to stop dirty vessels from contaminating the country's waters, Minister of Biosecurity Damien O'Connor said on Wednesday.

"About 90 percent of non-indigenous marine species in New Zealand, such as Mediterranean fan worm, Japanese kelp and Australian droplet tunicate, arrived on international vessels. These incursions harm our aquaculture industries, fisheries and native marine ecosystems," O'Connor said in a statement.

Under the new biofouling rules, operators must prove they've taken appropriate steps to ensure international vessels arrive with a clean hull, he said, adding that the new rules will better protect New Zealand's unique marine environment and other vital industries from biosecurity risk.

"Biosecurity New Zealand officers will take a hard line on vessels that can't provide evidence they meet the rules. Divers will carry out inspections of hulls," O'Connor said, adding that officers will also have the power to direct vessels for cleaning and order the vessel to leave New Zealand if the fouling is severe.

The definition of a clean hull will depend on vessel type and its itinerary, the minister noted, adding the rules are stricter for vessels that are staying in New Zealand for a long time with the intention of visiting a range of ports.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 16:38:08|Editor: Yamei

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Palestinians carry an injured man during clashes with Israeli troops near the Gaza-Israel border, east of Gaza City, on May 15, 2018. Some 4,000 Palestinians Tuesday participated in the protests along the Gaza Strip border at five locations, said the Israeli army. The protests marked the "Nakba Day," which means catastrophe, referring to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the war surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Washington's transfer of its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has resulted in protests along the Gaza Strip border on Monday, leading to the death of at least 63 Palestinians in clashes with the Israeli forces.

The protests coincided with the 70th anniversary of Israel's declaration of independence, a day before what the Palestinians call "Nakba" (Catastrophe), which marks the displacement of some 750,000 Palestinians from their homeland during the Arab-Israeli War in 1948.

Seventy years later, war and conflict continue to ripple across the region, and a peaceful Middle East remains elusive.

PANDORA'S BOX OPENED

In 1948, Israel declared statehood, sparking an eight-month war with a number of Arab states, known as the First Arab-Israeli War.

During the war, Zionist forces took control of the western part of Jerusalem, which is considered the holy city for three major religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

In 1967, Israel swept to victory over its Arab neighbors in the Six Day War, also known as the Third Arab-Israeli War, and took control of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

For years, the Palestinians have been seeking to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital city in light of a UN-proposed two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders.

The 1948 Arab-Israeli War seems to have opened a Pandora's Box of military conflicts in the Middle East. Since then, fighting has been used to solve disputes, relentlessly tearing the region apart.

Over the last 70 years, five Arab-Israeli wars and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts have led to over 80,000 deaths.

In recent decades, clashes in Yemen, Lebanon and Turkey, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War and the Syrian conflict altogether have killed some two million people in the region.

CHAOS CONTINUES

Seven decades after the First Arab-Israeli War, a new Pandora's Box has opened, this time featuring the U.S. relocation of its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear treaty, and the Israeli and Iranian tit-for-tat strikes in Syria.

Observers say that the reckless, aggressive Middle East policy by the Donald Trump administration is set to escalate the already tense situation in the region, which is no different than "pouring oil on the fire."

Washington's transfer of its embassy to Jerusalem completely eliminates the "opportunity for peace between Palestine and Israel," said Libyan researcher and Middle East expert Jalal al-Fitouri.

"The United States must take full responsibility for blindly supporting Israel, especially when it contradicts all international protocols and conventions," said Abdelfattah Mourou, the first vice-president of the Tunisian parliament.

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have not met in four years, with the peace process frozen. After the embassy relocation, which is viewed as a major provocation by the Palestinians and the Arab world, chances for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations seem ever slimmer.

A WAY OUT

Devastated by long-term turbulence and continuous economic downturn, the conflict-ravaged Middle East now craves security, stability, and prosperity more than ever.

After years of frustration, more countries in the region have begun to realize the futility of the Western approach, turning their eyes to the East.

China's proposal of political settlement in the Middle East has gained wide support from the region. The Chinese concept of promoting peace with development, epitomized in the Belt and Road Initiative, has also been warmly received.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described Tuesday what happened in Gaza a day earlier as "a terrible tragedy," saying that "this only shows how important it is to have a political solution."

A combination of a political settlement and economic development is the only way out of the long-run Middle East conundrum, observers say.

"We must collectively call on all to refrain from unilateral measures that only steer us away from a peace process and instead work to end the occupation and advance the goal of a just and sustainable peace, culminating ultimately in two states, Israel and Palestine ... living side by side in peace, security and prosperity," UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said on Tuesday.

The path to peace won't be a stroll in the park. But we have to keep walking.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 16:43:10|Editor: ZX

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Daniel Andrews, Premier of Australia's Victoria state, speaks during the publishing ceremony of the state's China Strategy Progress Report 2018 in Melbourne, Australia, May 14, 2018. Australia's Victoria state has achieved huge success by actively promoting a major strategy to tap China-related development, with some of the 10-year targets met in two years, its Premier Daniel Andrews said. (Xinhua/Gui Qing)

SYDNEY, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Victoria state has achieved huge success by actively promoting a major strategy to tap China-related development, with some of the 10-year targets met in two years, its Premier Daniel Andrews said.

"From a Victorian point of view, our relationship, our friendship and partnership with China has never been stronger, and never been more to us than it does right now," Andrews told Xinhua earlier this week.

The state launched its China Strategy in 2016 and set ambitious growth targets for investment, jobs, trade, tourism, education and other sectors to further strengthen economic and cultural ties with Australia's largest trading partner and create more business opportunities.

Victoria's share of Chinese investment to Australia has risen from 8 percent to 25 percent, exceeding the 10-year target of 20 percent, according to the state's China Strategy Progress Report 2018 published recently.

State exports to China have also increased from 6.5 million Australian dollars (4.86 million U.S. dollars) to 10 billion Australian dollars. Overnight expenditure by Chinese visitors to the state similarly grew from 2.2 billion Australian dollars to 2.7 billion Australian dollars, according to the report.

Chinese students are also heading to Victoria and its capital Melbourne at record levels, with the number of Chinese post-graduate enrolments in the state growing by almost 43 percent in two years to more than 20,000 currently.

"This is perhaps the statistics that I'm most proud of, given how competitive the international education market is," Andrews said.

"That's such a compliment for our educational institutions, to the fact that we are a safe, inclusive, respectful, diverse and welcoming city and state."

Looking back at the two years of gains, Andrews said the most important thing is that Victoria attaches great importance to its relations with China and emphasizes mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit.

"We won't take anything for granted. We value very acutely our partnership, our friendship and the fact that we work together so closely," said Andrews who has been making annual trips to China as premier.

Andrews has also requested his Cabinet members to visit China at least once. In 2017, he was the only leader of an Australian state to be invited to the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing.

Sister-state relationship with China's Jiangsu and Sichuan provinces have brought Victoria and China even closer. Victoria boasts the biggest network of overseas offices of any Australian state, with five offices operating in major cities in China. Melbourne alone has direct flights to 12 major Chinese cities.

The state's impressive gains come amid latest calls by several leading Australian figures in the public and private sector, including former prime minister Kevin Rudd, for the government to improve relations with China, against concerns fueled by Australian media reports and a number of politicians over increasing Chinese development and influence.

"Yes, there are some challenges in the Australia-China relationship at the moment, but I wouldn't overplay that," Andrews said.

"I think we remain very close partners with so much in common and so many opportunities to share together."

Over the next few years, Victoria aims to further strengthen government alliances within China's economic development zones and strive to be Australia's center of excellence for Asian insights and capabilities. It will also continue to build connections through reciprocal partnerships.

To that effect, the state is working with a Chinese company to build the first heart hospital in Australia of its kind to conduct research into cardiac conditions. Other projects include developing new anti-cancer drugs to benefit patients in both countries.

Zhao Jian, consul general of the Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne, has said it is important that the Victorian government and people believe that exchange and cooperation stem from long-term partnership based on mutual respect, understanding and trust.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is on her second day of a two-day trip to New York City, stopping by an "elite yeshiva" for girls on the Upper East Side on Tuesday and visiting a yeshiva in the Rockaways today.

Listen to WNYC's Gwynne Hogan's report on Secretary DeVos's visit to a yeshiva in Queens today:



There are no public school visits on her schedule; NYC's public school system is the largest in the county, with over 1 million NYC students (when previous Education Secretary Arne Duncan made his first appearance in NYC, he visited a charter school and two public schools).

Students are learning about the order of blessings in third grade class at Yeshiva Darchei Torah leading up to arrival of ed secretary #Betsydevos pic.twitter.com/oaNpCZ3uNf  Gwynne Hogan (@GwynneFitz) May 16, 2018

After a number of reports that ultra-Orthodox schooling has been failing students, especially boys, NYC began an investigation into allegations of educational neglect at dozens of yeshivas. The city's probe began in 2015, and some yeshiva critics are asking why it's still ongoing after three yearsa DOE spokesperson told the Times last month that there is no timeline for completion.

Naftuli Moster, an advocate for yeshiva education reform, told Chalkbeat on Tuesday, "The fastest growing Jewish denomination, the Hasidic community, provides little to no secular education to their boys (while most Hasidic girls do get a decent education). We urge Ms. DeVos to visit real Hasidic boys schools as well."

Welcome to NYC Education Secretary @BetsyDeVos! Not visiting any of the 1800 public schools but an Upper East Side yeshiva. Not talking to press. pic.twitter.com/Z6xZONZAqY  Lindsey Christ (@LindseyChrist) May 15, 2018

Education Secretary @BetsyDeVosED left the Manhattan High School for Girls after about four hours. @Azi and I both shouted the same question: when/are you going to visit a NYC public school? DeVos continued to smile and got in the car.  Lindsey Christ (@LindseyChrist) May 15, 2018

Were in the middle of discussing the appropriate order of blessings teacher tells #DeVos as she enters a private school just now. pic.twitter.com/kfPYqy5sX8  Azi (@Azi) May 16, 2018

Betsy DeVos gets schooled on the seven sacred fruits of Israel at a Far Rockaway boys yeshiva Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/kJI88ufSY2  Selim Algar (@Selimalgar) May 16, 2018

A former yeshiva student, Yossi Newfield, described how he felt shortchanged in a recent interview with the NY Post. Noting how his father attended Harvard and became a doctor, he said his experience was vastly different, "If the teacher ... didnt want to teach or was bored, they would put on the same Pinocchio video.

Newfield added, "Its very hard when youre 23 to start learning [multiplication]. Had I learned this at a young age, it would have been second nature."

This looks like fun  #DeVos as she sees vocational training facility pic.twitter.com/UBy5y41bbL  Azi (@Azi) May 16, 2018

Last month, the NY State budget passed with an amendment that, as WNYC reported, some feel waters down current yeshiva standards: "It replaces subject area requirements like 'math' with more general frameworks like 'number sense' to 'solve real world problems.'" Another former yeshiva student "said that he completed his studies at the age of 18 and used the 'Hooked on Phonics' program to learn how to read and write in English, since the language of instruction was in Yiddish."

The Manhattan school was recommended to DeVos by Agudath Israel of America, a NYC-based group that promotes school choice for Jewish communities. Agudath Israel backed her nomination and has reportedly worked with DeVos for years.

Agudath met with DeVos in March 2017, and afterward, she said, "I applaud Agudath Israel for their leadership and commitment to providing their community with access to educational options that meet the academic and religious needs of their families. Agudath is a terrific partner and advocate for their families, and I welcomed today's discussion. I look forward to continuing to work with Agudath Israel of America, the Orthodox Jewish community and all who believe that every child, regardless of where they live or their family's income, should have an equal opportunity to a quality education."

Before the visit to Yeshiva Darchei Torah on Wednesday, DeVos spoke to the Alfred Smith Foundation, which supports Catholic charities. She said, "I know very well there are powerful interests that want to deprive families their God-given freedom. I know that those sycophants of 'the system' have kept legislators here from enacting a common-sense program that would open options to thousands of kids in need."

As I shared this morning: I'm learning it's not popular for someone in my position to point out hard truths - to admit the current system isn't serving every student well. But I didnt take this job to win over editorial boards and trend on social. I took it to serve students.  Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVosED) May 16, 2018

The operating budget for the NYC Department of Education is $24.3 billion, which covers things like pay for administrators and faculty; textbooks and supplies; school buses; heating and cooling; etc. In addition, $1.9 billion is set aside for charter schools and $78 million is for yeshivas and parochial schools. An estimated 57,000 students are enrolled in yeshivas in New York City, the Times reports.

"An investment in public education is an investment in the future of our city and country. Secretary DeVos is welcome to visit NYC public schools and see the phenomenal work were doing in the nations largest school district," a DOE spokesperson told WNYC.

A U.S. Department of Education spokesperson promised DeVos would visit NYC public and charter schools in the future.

Earlier this week, the NY Times reported that members of the U.S. Department of Education were "marginalized, reassigned or instructed to focus on other matters" because they were investigating "possibly fraudulent activities at several large for-profit colleges where top hires of Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, had previously worked."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 16:53:12|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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Anwar Ibrahim (C), former Malaysian deputy prime minister who was jailed for a sodomy verdict, waves as he walks out of a habitation center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 16, 2018. Anwar Ibrahim was released on Wednesday after receiving pardon. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Anwar Ibrahim, former Malaysian deputy prime minister who was jailed for a sodomy verdict, was released on Wednesday after receiving pardon.

Witnessed by a large crowd of reporters and supporters, Anwar walked out of a habitation center where he was receiving treatment recently under custody.

Anwar, 70, wearing a black suit and sporting a smile, waved to his supporters before he boarded a car to go to the royal palace to meet the king.

In a statement, the National Palace said Muhammad V, the ceremonial head of state, or the king, has allowed a full pardon and given an immediate release for Anwar. At a press conference held at his house in the afternoon, Anwar said the pardon was unconditional.

The full pardon also allows Anwar to return to politics.

Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998 and later jailed for corruption and sodomy under then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. He was jailed again in 2015 for sodomy as opposition leader. Anwar has denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.

Since 2016, Mahathir and Anwar have joined hands again against the government led by Najib Razak. Their coalition, Pakatan Harapan, won the general election last week.

Mahathir has been sworn in as prime minister and he has also promised to hand over to Anwar.

At the press conference, Anwar thanked the people of Malaysia, regardless of their race and religion, who "stood by the principles of democracy and freedom" and created a "new dawn for Malaysia."

"They demand change, and it is our duty to ensure this mandate given to Pakatan Harapan would honor those commitments," he said.

Anwar said he is in no hurry to return to politics, but instead, he will travel a lot to some renowned universities, including Harvard and Stanford, to speak about Malaysia's democratic experience.

Recalling his life behind bars, Anwar said the most significant lesson he has learnt in prison is "the value of freedom." "Anyone must not be allowed to undergo the same travesty," he said, adding that such injustice needs to be stopped once for all.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 17:28:22|Editor: Yamei

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BANGKOK, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Tourism Authority of Thailand(TAT) said on Wednesday during a press conference that an Asia music festival will be held on August 18 to August 19 in southern Thai island of Koh Samui in a bid to attract more tourists.

The music festival, coorganized by TAT, Singaporean company IMC Live Group and Koh Samui Municipality, will showcase music acts of different genres and tongues from all across Asia over the weekend.

The event will also showcase Thailand's flavorful music scene.

The festival is a non-ticketed event and festival-goers will be treated to a weekend of solid music performances and enjoy food and beverage options in the fesitival market, the tourism authority said.

Worawit Techasupakura, Secretary to the Thai Minister Of Tourism and Sports, said in the press conference that holding such an event in Koh Samui is consistent with the government's policy to promote tourism in second-tier cities and thus increase local people's income.
CAPE TOWN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) urged the South African government on Wednesday to cut diplomatic ties with Israel over the killing of Palestinian civilians.

"The ANCYL demands that Israel's ambassador to South Africa should be expelled from our country, and the embassy status be downgraded with immediate effect," the ANCYL said in a statement emailed to Xinhua.

This will be a more radical stance that could be taken by the government in solidarity with the people of Palestine, ANCYL national spokesperson Mlondi Mkhize said.

The South African government on Monday announced its decision to recall its ambassador to Israel with immediate effect in protest against Israeli attack in the occupied Gaza Strip.

The decision was made following Israel's deadly attack in the Gaza Strip earlier on Monday when Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians who were protesting against the provocative inauguration of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, killing dozens of Palestinians and injuring many others.

The ANCYL welcomes the government's principled decision to withdraw its ambassador to Israel as a solidarity and comradely gesture in support of the Palestinians, Mkhize said.

"This affirms our standing fraternal relations with the people of Palestine. We reiterate that a two-state solution is best alternative to the ongoing impasse," he said.

The ANCYL calls on South African youth to stand in solidarity with their Palestinian counterpart, and demand that the ANC-led government cuts all diplomatic ties with Israel, Mkhize said.

Other political parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the National Freedom Party (NFP), have also called for tougher action against Israel. They say recalling South Africa's ambassador to Israel is not enough and that Israel's ambassador to South Africa should be sent home.

However, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) and South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) have criticized the government's decision to withdraw the South African ambassador to Israel.

Zev Krengeld of the SAZF said the decision has left them disappointed and upset.

"The government has never ever done this for any other country," he said.

Krengeld said the South African government only chooses their battles when it suits their diplomatic policy.

But in this instance, South Africa chose to "walk away from playing any meaningful role in finding a sorely needed resolution to the conflict."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 17:38:26|Editor: Yamei

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JINAN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- At Qingdao Port in east China's Shandong Province, containers loaded with engine parts are put on ships to travel the Pacific and the Indian oceans, before reaching Nava Sheva Port in India.

The parts, manufactured by China's Wechai Group, are assembled into engines by workers in India. The engines are then delivered to ship factories to power Indian fishing boats.

Wechai Group is located in Shandong's Weifang City and is one of the leading engine makers in China.

"We established a branch in India in 2011, and an engine-making factory there in 2014," said Li Jian, deputy general manager of Wechai's Indian branch. "Currently, our Indian branch has become a leading enterprise in the South Asia market."

Li said that Indian workers and their families appreciate the factory for providing a good working environment and career opportunities.

In addition to India, Wechai has also built a factory in Belarus, which is an observer of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The SCO accounts for over 60 percent of the Eurasian landmass, nearly half of the world's population and over 20 percent of global GDP. Its eight member states are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan. This year's SCO summit will be held in Shandong's Qingdao.

Workers broke ground on the Belarus factory in 2017. Construction is still under way. After completion in November this year, it is expected to churn out 20,000 engines annually.

Chinese companies have increasingly catered to demand in SCO member states and observer states.

In 2016, for example, 2,000 sanitation trucks were exported to Karachi, Pakistan. The trucks were made by Shandong Wuzheng Group Co. Ltd, which specializes in making agricultural vehicles, sanitation trucks and electric vehicles.

"As locals are used to right-hand drive, we specifically designed the vehicles according to their needs, and taking into consideration local weather conditions," said Zhang Xiwen of the company.

The company has also designed cars that can adapt to high altitudes to meet demand in Russia, where they have proved to be popular.

Other products, such as three-wheeled vehicles and agricultural vehicles, are also ready to hit markets in SCO member states.

"Our three-wheeled vehicles are in high demand in Pakistan, and these vehicles will replace donkey carts for logistics," Zhang said. "It seems that more and more China-made vehicles are becoming popular there."
HO CHI MINH CITY, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Several Vietnamese banks have planned to establish consumer finance arms to gain a bigger share of a local market that is expected to annually grow 29 percent to some 44 billion U.S. dollars by 2020, Vietnam News Agency reported Wednesday.

Orient Commercial Bank has planned to either establish a wholly-owned subsidiary with charter capital of 500 billion Vietnamese dong (22 million U.S. dollars) or acquire at least 70 percent in an existing finance company this year.

Asia Commercial Bank wants to set up a finance company with charter capital of 500 billion Vietnamese dong (22 million U.S. dollars). In February, Southeast Asia Commercial Bank acquired Posts and Telecommunications Finance Company for 710 billion Vietnamese dong (nearly 31.3 million U.S. dollars).

After closing deals to buy finance companies, several banks have quickly looked for foreign strategic partners.

After acquiring a finance company in 2015, Techcombank sold it to South Korea's Lotte Card for 1.7 trillion Vietnamese dong (74.9 million U.S. dollars). HDBank sold 49 percent of its stake in HDFinance to Japan's Credit Saison.

An executive of Saigon-Hanoi Commercial Bank (SHB) told local newspaper Dau Tu Chung Khoan (Securities Investment) that after the bank was merged with Vinaconex-Viettel Finance Company and established SHB Finance, whose main business is consumer credit, many companies from Europe, the United States and Japan have shown interest in buying stakes in it.

Among consumer finance companies owned by lenders and not yet sold to foreign firms is VPBank's FE Credit. Last year, FE Credit accounted for 51 percent of VPBank's profit, the main reason why the bank is in no rush to sell it to a foreign firm.

Maritime Bank has also remained silent about looking for a foreign partner since acquiring Vietnam Textile and Garment Finance Joint Stock Company in 2015.

The consumer finance market is expected to boom since consumers are now used to it and realized its convenience, local experts said.

According to estimates by Vietnam's National Financial Supervisory Commission, consumer lending surged 65 percent last year, up from 50.2 percent in 2016.

The ratio of consumer credit to total outstanding loans in the country's banking system was estimated at 18 percent last year, up from 12.3 percent in 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 17:53:30|Editor: Yamei

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DOHA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani and his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim held a phone conversation on Thuesday over the Israeli aggression against Palestinian demonstrators, local media reported Wednesday.

The two leaders called for an emergency Islamic summit to discuss the U.S. embassy relocation to Jerusalem, which undermines future opportunities for any peaceful settlement, and the repercussions of Israel's violence in occupied Palestine, Qatar-based English newspaper Gulf Times said.

They also stressed the need of coordinated efforts between the two countries to protect Palestinians from Israel's attacks.

On Tuesday, Israel expelled the Turkish consul in Jerusalem after Ankara called back its ambassador to Israel and expelled the Israeli ambassador to Turkey.

The Israeli army has killed 62 Palestinians and wounded more than 2,700 others since Monday, when the U.S. moved its embassy to Jerusalem.

On Sunday, fierce clashes broke out at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque between Palestinians and Israeli settlers, who were celebrating the "Jerusalem Day" by marching through the holy city.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 17:58:31|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China will soon unveil and implement the development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to promote mutual beneficial cooperation in the region, China's top economic planner said on Wednesday.

"Related policies are currently being formulated and will be released soon when the work is complete," Meng Wei, spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press briefing.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is one of China's regions of coordinated development, along with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area and the Yangtze Economic Belt.

According to this year's government work report, China will promote mutually beneficial cooperation between the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao in all areas.

At the press briefing, Meng said the construction of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is progressing smoothly. The major tunnel project was completed in February and preparation is currently underway for the official opening.

The 55-kilometer-long bridge, situated in the Lingdingyang waters of the Pearl River Estuary, will be the world's longest sea bridge.

It will slash the travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai from three hours to just 30 minutes, further integrating the cities in the Pearl River Delta.
KABUL, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (NAMA) has welcomed what it said a "reinvigorated efforts" in fighting corruption in Afghanistan, a statement posted on its website said Wednesday.

"The United Nations stands firmly in supporting Afghanistan's reinvigorated efforts to fight corruption," the statement quoted Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-General's special representative for Afghanistan, as saying.

According to the statement, the United Nations has been encouraged by the new efforts brought about in a short time by the Civil Service Commission (CSC), and the increased activity of the Anti-Corruption Justice Center in prosecuting and adjudicating complex administrative corruption cases.

Titled "Afghanistan's Fight against Corruption: From Strategies to Implementation," UNAMA's second anti-corruption report analyses the contributions made by civil society and independent institutions, along with all three branches of government, the executive, the legislative and the judiciary, the statement read.

The organization described Afghanistan's new anti-corruption strategy as a strong tool, but noted that a short-term strategy will have limited impact on the lives of the Afghan people.

"It has become clear that all Afghan institutions, along with all segments of society, must now engage in fighting corruption to rebuild integrity, accountability and transparency in the country, with a long-term agenda," Yamamoto said.

The report said that although many legal and policy reforms have been undertaken, corruption continues to be a substantial obstacle to the long-term peace and prosperity in Afghanistan.

The envoy noted that the organization was confident that the recommendations will be well received and will help Afghanistan in advancing its anti-corruption reform agenda.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 18:13:33|Editor: ZX

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Shen Yueyue, vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and president of the All-China Women's Federation, addresses the opening ceremony of the first Shanghai Cooperation Organization Forum on Women in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Fan Wenjun)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A forum to promote communication among women from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries was held in Beijing on Wednesday.

The first SCO Women's Forum, organized by the All-China Women's Federation, was aimed at increasing exchanges and pushing the development of a community with a shared future for humanity, said Shen Yueyue, president of the federation.

Shen called on participants of the forum to remain true to their original aspirations, advocate the "Shanghai Spirit" of the SCO, deepen practical cooperation, uphold openness and inclusiveness, and strive for common development.

Chinese women are willing to work with women from other member countries to promote the development of the SCO, enhance cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative, safeguard regional security and stability, and promote world peace and prosperity.

The SCO has eight full members: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and India. China will host the SCO summit in the coastal city of Qingdao in June.
MOSCOW, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Russia embassy in the United States said Wednesday that Moscow has the right to build the Crimean Bridge, after Washington condemned its construction and opening over the Kerch Strait.

"Crimea is Russia. We shall not ask for anybody's permission to build transport infrastructure for the sake of Russia's population," the Russian embassy said on Twitter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin officially opened the Crimean Bridge that links southern Russia and Crimea early Tuesday.

The construction of the bridge started in 2015 following the incorporation of Crimea in 2014 and consequent deterioration of relations between Moscow and Kiev.

The 19-km bridge is the largest in Russia built so far and the cost of the project is estimated at around 228 billion rubles (about 3.6 billion U.S. dollars).

The U.S. State Department said in a statement that the bridge was built and launched "without the permission of the government of Ukraine."

It also accused the bridge of impeding navigation by limiting the size of ships that can transit the Kerch Strait; it called on Russia not to hinder marine transportation.
Time to update your historic maps: the boardwalk on Coney Island is now a landmark!

On Tuesday, the Landmark Preservation Commission officially designated the 2.7 mile stretch of waterfront walkway between West 37th Street and Brighton 15th Street. So long as Mayor de Blasio and the City Council sign off on the decisionand it's widely expected that they willthe iconic Riegelmann Boardwalk will become the city's eleventh scenic landmark, joining the ranks of such icons as Central Park and Grand Army Plaza.

"The Coney Island Boardwalk is as much a part of the culture as it is a part of the history of New York City," LPC Commissioner Meenakshi Srinivasan said in a statement. "It is a beloved public space that embodies Coney Island;s democratic spirit and reflects our City's values of tolerance, inclusivity and equity."

Proud and excited to say that our community's long push to secure landmark status for the iconic Coney Island Boardwalk took a huge step forward today as @nyclandmarks unanimously voted in favor of landmark designation. The process now moves to the City Council.  Mark Treyger (@MarkTreyger718) May 15, 2018

"By designating the Riegelmann Boardwalk as a scenic landmark, the Landmarks Preservation Commission is protecting for future generations an institution that defines Brooklyn as a destination unlike anywhere else in the world," added Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

The designation comes after years of lobbying by local residents, who argued the landmark status was necessary to protect the original rainforest-beamed boardwalk from continued Parks Department meddling. In recent years, the department has replaced certain sections of the boardwalk with concrete and plastic beams, which they argue are better for the environment and more storm-resistant.

"I did not anticipate this becoming such an issue with the administration, because many people thought [the boardwalk] was already a landmark," Councilmember Treyger told Gothamist in 2016. "My argument is bigger than concrete versus wood. This is a historic structure."

Tuesday's designation came on the 95th birthday of the boardwalk, and ten days before the opening of a new ride at Luna Park, called the Astro Tower, on May 26th.

You can also celebrate the hard-fought landmarks decision by biking out to Coney Island at 6 a.m. on Friday for a "Summer Blastoff" event with Smash Mouth and CBS-FMS Shannon in the Morning. And if that sounds, uh, terrible, keep in mind that we're exactly one month out from the 36th annual Mermaid Parade.


MAIMANA, Afghanistan, May 16 (Xinhua) -- An Afghan mother and three of her daughters were injured after a mortar fired by Taliban militants struck a house in the country's turbulent northern province of Faryab, an official said Wednesday.

The incident took place on Tuesday night, leaving a mother and three of her daughters injured in the restive Kohistanat district of the province, Sayyed Sarwar Housaini, spokesman of 707 Pamir Police Zone based in the region, told Xinhua.

The injured were shifted to a hospital by security forces but none of the wounded suffered life-threatening injuries.

The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 3,430 civilians were killed and over 7,000 others injured in conflict-related incidents in 2017, according to figures released by the United Nations mission in the country.

The mission has attributed 65 percent of the civilian casualties to the Taliban and other insurgent groups, 20 percent to security forces over the period while 11 percent were attributed to both sides during clashes and the rest 4 percent were caused by other reasons.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 18:18:34|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland will continue to promote the implementation of the 31 preferential policies for Taiwan, An Fengshan, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a press conference Wednesday.

The 31 preferential policies, introduced by the Chinese mainland during the Fifth Straits Forum in southeast China's Xiamen in 2013, cover the fields of legal rights, education, culture, and tourism, and are aimed at improving the lives of all Taiwanese people.

Shanghai Credit Information Services and China Credit Information Service have established a platform where financial institutions on the mainland can search for credit information of enterprises and individuals in Taiwan, allowing Taiwanese enterprises and individuals to obtain finance on the mainland, An said.

East China's Jiangsu Province has been actively supporting applications from Taiwan-funded enterprises for provincial technological projects or to be listed as high-tech enterprises.

So far, nearly 700 Taiwan-funded high-tech enterprises in Jiangsu enjoy a preferential corporate income tax of 15 percent. Two Taiwan-funded enterprises received a total of 9.5 million yuan (1.5 million U.S. dollars) of funding to commercialize research findings, An said.

By April 20, 27 higher learning institutions in central China's Hubei Province had provided a total of 582 teaching jobs for Taiwanese.

In terms of youth entrepreneurship, the 53 cross-Strait entrepreneurship bases and pilot sites nationwide had served nearly 1,900 Taiwan-funded enterprises and teams, and provided internships and jobs for nearly 9,000 Taiwanese youth as of the end of 2017, according to An.

Recently the Taiwan Affairs Office set up 22 new such entrepreneurship bases and pilot sites in 15 provincial-level regions, including Tianjin and Shanghai. This brought the total number of the bases and sites to 75 nationwide.

An also noted other preferential policies regarding financial cooperation across the Strait and policy subsidies for Taiwan-funded enterprises in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
COLOMBO, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka is looking at the possibility of controlling droughts and floods through the use of Chinese technology, local media quoting Minister of Primary Industries and Social Welfare Daya Gamage said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the signing of project agreements under the World Bank's Agriculture Sector Modernization program in the capital, Gamage said the agriculture sector in Sri Lanka could contribute to the country's overall economic growth if it is able to stop droughts and floods just like it is done in China.

He said experts from the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences had already carried out a study on the formation of clouds above Sri Lanka and the findings will be handed over to the government soon.

"Sri Lanka could earn more export revenue from crops such as cinnamon and ginger if such new industries are developed," the minister said.

"We can learn from China," he added.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, speaking at the event, stressed the need for modernizing Sri Lanka's agricultural sector so as to make it a stable industry.

The prime minister added that modernizing rural agriculture is essential as such a growth would help improve the rural economy, which in turn would strengthen the country's economy.

Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Center said in its latest report that over 600,000 people had remained affected by severe droughts in at least 11 districts of the island country due to the shortage of rains.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 18:48:40|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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A Chinese doctor checks eyes' conditions of a patient at Windhoek Central Hospital in Windhoek, Namibia on May 15, 2018. In Namibia and many other developing countries, cataracts are the main cause of blindness. Yet getting a timely surgery to cure the disease is difficult in Namibia, a country with merely six ophthalmologists. This is the main reason why five Chinese doctors and three nurses have visited the African country. In about a week's time starting on Monday, they will conduct some 200 surgeries in Namibia's capital Windhoek and the rural area of Rundu. To go with Feature: Chinese eye surgeons win hearts in Namibia. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)

WINDHOEK, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Lezi Kbamba, a resident in Nambia's Windhoek, excitedly put up a yellow T-shirt wearing a Chinese flag, which he got as a souvenir for undergoing a cataract surgery performed by Chinese doctors.

The guitar artist was trying to express his gratitude to the Chinese who allowed him to "see my audience clearly again." "At the end of the month, I'll hold another music show in Windhoek, and I wish to invite them to be my guests," he said.

The 48-year-old musician hailing from Angola had been troubled by cloudy vision for three months due to a cataract in his right eye. He waited for two weeks before he was chosen as a beneficiary of China's Brightness Action program that offers free cataract surgeries.

In Namibia and many other developing countries, cataracts are the main cause of blindness. Yet getting a timely surgery to cure the disease is difficult in Namibia, a country with merely six ophthalmologists.

This is the main reason why five Chinese doctors and three nurses have visited the African country. In about a week's time starting on Monday, they will conduct some 200 surgeries in Namibia's capital Windhoek and the rural area of Rundu.

On Tuesday, long lines of cataract patients were seen waiting in the ophthalmology department of the Windhoek Central Hospital. Many patients walked with a wooden stick and needed to be assisted into the inspection room.

"The cataract situation is serious here. Many patients are already blind due to a delay in treatment," said Zhang Meifen, an ophthalmologist of the Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) who led the Brightness Action team.

"The hospital kept asking us to add more patients on our operation list due to the huge demand," she said. After all operations are completed, the team will also donate their equipment to Namibia, according to Zhang.

Helena Ndume, a renowned Namibian ophthalmologist and director of the hospital's ophthalmology department, said the country is struggling to deal with its huge number of cataract patients due to the scarcity of eye specialists.

As an awareness campaign is persuading more rural cataract patients to seek timely treatment, Ndume is calling for more support to help Namibia treat the bulging number of patients.

"We are very happy that people from China have come to help us fight this preventable blindness caused by cataracts. We hope they can come back again," she told Xinhua.

The program has been performed in China's many outlying areas, where the cataract surgeries are credited for reducing blindness and poverty rates. In recent years, the country has also taken the program to other developing countries in Asia and Africa.

Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Zhang Yiming praised the program's first stop in Namibia for enhancing the friendship between the two peoples and gaining precious experience for future China-African medical ties.

"Now we know Namibia also has a shortage of neurologists and anesthetists, and we have suggested that the Chinese government send over these kinds of doctors," said Zhang.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 18:53:42|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China applauds New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's remarks on further promoting bilateral ties, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

"China stands ready to work with New Zealand to deepen political mutual trust, expand dialogue, exchanges, and cooperation in various areas, and advance the comprehensive strategic partnership to yield more outcomes, based on the principle of mutual respect, equal footings, and mutual benefits," spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily press briefing.

While addressing the fourth New Zealand China Business Summit on Monday, Ardern said that relationship with China is one of the country's the most important and far-reaching international relationships. "In fact, given our size difference and the geographical distance between us, we really have led the world in many ways by developing a relationship that brings great benefit to both sides," the prime minister said.

New Zealand was among the first countries to acknowledge China's full market economy status as well as the first developed country that concluded a bilateral FTA with China.

"It is obvious that these 'firsts' have brought tangible benefits to the two countries and two peoples," Lu said.
ANKARA, May 16(Xinhua) -- The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday demanded Israel's Consul General in Istanbul to leave the country "for a while" over Israeli violence on the Gaza border.

Turkey also summoned and demanded the Israeli ambassador in Ankara Eitan Naeh to leave the country on Tuesday.

Hours after Ankara's decision, Israel in response ordered the Turkish consul general in Jerusalem Gurcan Turkoglu to leave "for a period of time," the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement.

The Turkish Ambassador to Tel Aviv Kemal Okem has arrived in Ankara after being recalled for consultations on Monday.

The tit-for-tat diplomatic move between two countries came after following indiscriminate violence and killings by Israeli soldiers along the Gaza border, causing new tension on bilateral relations.

Turkey strongly condemned the U.S. for opening its embassy in Jerusalem and Israel for killing Palestinian protestors on the border rallies.

More than 62 Palestinians have been killed and 2,700 others wounded in clashes with Israeli security troops since Monday on the border between Israel and Gaza.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 19:03:44|Editor: ZX

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CHANGSHA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A collection of 1,200-year-old Chinese porcelain returned from Germany went on public display in a museum in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, on Tuesday.

The 162 pieces were part of a shipment of ninth-century porcelain which left China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) onboard an Arab dhow, which later sunk in Indonesia's Java sea.

In 1998, a German salvage company discovered the shipwreck and named it "Batu Hitam." More than 67,000 pieces of porcelain were found in the ship, 85 percent of which were produced at Tongguan Imperial Kiln in Changsha.

On Tuesday, the 162 relics were put on display at a museum built on the original site of the kiln.

The 1,300-year-old imperial kiln site in Changsha became China's first porcelain museum in 1999.

The exhibition of Tongguan Kiln Porcelain Culture covers an area of 6,272 square meters and includes a replica of the sunken boat.

As a major porcelain producer during the Tang Dynasty, the Tongguan Kiln is well-known for the development of a colored glaze technique. Its porcelain products were sought after throughout China and Southeast Asia at that time.

After being salvaged, most of the porcelain was held by Tilman Walterfang, head of the salvage company. In September 2017, the administration office of the kiln in Changsha signed an agreement with Walterfang to return a collection of 162 pieces to China.

The returned relics include ceramics from several ancient kilns in the Chinese provinces of Hunan, Zhejiang, Hebei, Henan, and Guangdong. Experts said they are evidence of China's international porcelain trade during the Tang Dynasty.
RAMALLAH, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) slammed Guatemala for moving embassy to Jerusalem on Wednesday, saying it undermines the two-state solution principle.

"The Guatemalan government has chosen to stand on the wrong side of history, to side with violations of international law and human rights, and to take a hostile step against the Palestinian people and the Arab world," Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the PLO, said in a statement.

Guatemala's justification "reflects its alliance with Israeli occupation and right-wing fundamentalists," the PLO senior official noted.

"Appropriate measures will be taken" in response to this step, he added.

Guatemala is the second country to relocate embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem after the U.S. move on Monday.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales attended the embassy inauguration and met with the Israeli president and prime minister separately.

Last December, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and ordered the relocation of U.S. embassy to the disputed holy city.
MOGADISHU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo and the UN have called for an immediate cessation of hostilities between Somaliland and Puntland forces following intense fighting in the Tukaraq area of the Sool region.

In separate statements, Farmajo and Michael Keating, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, called on warring parties to resolve their differences through dialogue.

Keating urged both sides to engage in dialogue to work towards a ceasefire and political agreement after fighting flared up on Tuesday when heavily armed forces from Somaliland launched an ambush attack on bases manned by Puntland troops.

"It also emphasizes the enormous risks posed by the fighting. These range from the possible displacement of tens of thousands of people -- at a time when humanitarian needs are already outstripping available funds -- to fuelling instability and discord, which support the objectives of violent extremists," said Keating.

He encouraged the authorities of the two regional states of Somalia to urgently seek a peaceful solution to their differences.

The statement comes a day after Puntland threatened to "respond robustly to any attack on either its territory or the people of Puntland."

In his statement, Farmajo called on both Puntland and Somalia to cease hostilities especially during the Holy month of Ramadan.

"The hostilities in Tukaraq must cease immediately, it has already caused death and damage, it is senseless and must stop forthwith and everything should be resolved through negotiation. It is unfortunate, we are bleeding as we prepare to enter the holy month of Ramadan," he said.

The president called on elders from both sides to resolve the differences through negotiations and urged the warring parties to respect the sanctity of life.

There were no exact number of causalities have not yet been released, although Puntland officials said the regional State troops managed to repulse Somaliland troops.

Somaliland army official also said their soldiers had pushed back Puntland forces, claiming victory over the clash.

Tension has been building in Tukaraq in the past three months after Somaliland troops have seized control of the strategic town in January following an incursion against Puntland Defense forces stationed there.

The two regional Somali states have clashed previously since 2002 over control of disputed regions in Northern Somalia.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 19:13:49|Editor: ZX

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HANGZHOU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The east China city of Hangzhou plans to build 50 public battery swap stations and 3,000 charging piles by 2020 to speed up adoption of new energy vehicles (NEVs).

By 2020, residents in the city will be able to find electric vehicle charging facilties within a radius of less than one kilometer.

Currently, Hangzhou has charging networks with a service radius of 2 km in main urban areas and 900 meters in core urban areas.

Hangzhou was one of the first Chinese cities to promote the use of NEVs. Annually, electric vehicles help reduce 15,000 tonnes of fuel consumption and 34,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in the city.
NAIROBI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- More than 5.5 million people have been internally displaced by conflict in sub-Saharan Africa in 2017, a new study released on Wednesday reveals.

The report by Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)'s Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) says that Sub-Saharan Africa, a continent which only makes up 14 percent of the world's population, accounted for nearly half of the 11.8 million people displaced by conflict in 2017.

The Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID 2018) reveals that the Democratic Republic of the Congo was hardest hit, with almost 2.2 million new displacements, more than three worst-affected countries -- South Sudan, Ethiopia and Central African Republic --combined, which together accounted for 2.1 million.

Alexandra Bilak, Director of IDMC, said the scale of this displacement is dishearteningly familiar.

"This report shows why we need a new approach to address the huge costs of internal displacement, not only to individuals, but also to the economy, stability and security of affected countries," Bilak said.

According to the report, almost 15,000 people a day fled within their own their countries to escape conflict and violence.

"Internal displacement often heralds the start of broader crises. While we have seen some useful policy progress since the adoption of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement 20 years ago, it is nowhere near enough to cope with, much less reduce, the scale of the problem," said Bilak.

IDMC said the Boko Haram insurgency, ethnic violence and clashes over diminishing resources led to more than 415,000 new displacements in the Lake Chad Basin, 65 percent of them in Nigeria's north-eastern states.

It recorded 388,000 new displacements associated with conflict and an additional 892,000 due to drought in Somalia.

However, the report says the complex situation in Somalia means that the causes of flight are closely interlinked and hard to disaggregate.

Jan Egeland, NRC's Secretary General, said the staggering number of people forced to flee from their homes due to conflict and violence must serve as an eye opener to all.

"We are getting better at providing emergency aid, but we need to put a lot more effort into preventing displacement, protecting people, and finding long-term solutions," Egeland said.

According to IDMC, storms and floods forced an additional 2.6 million people to flee their homes across the region.

It predicts Sub-Saharan Africa's population growth and urbanization rate to increase in the coming decades, warning that unless this is carefully managed, more people are expected to become displaced by more frequent and intense disasters.

"Without renewed action, we risk failing millions of internally displaced people worldwide, and holding back the development of the countries which host them," Bilak said.

The report says with a unique legal framework in the Kampala Convention, incomparable natural resources and huge economic capital and human potential, Sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to become a global leader in addressing internal displacement associated with both conflict and disasters.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 19:23:51|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- With steady progress in the MSCI's inclusion of Chinese A-shares, China's financial market is improving for global investors looking for opportunities from China's wider opening up.

As recognition of China's financial openness, global index provider MSCI has taken gradual moves to include the A-shares in its index system.

The MSCI said Monday that as the first step of the partial inclusion, 234 companies would be added to the MSCI China Index as well as relevant global and regional composite indexes as of the close of May 31, 2018.

The shares will be added at 2.5 percent of their Foreign Inclusion Factor adjusted market capitalization, representing aggregate weights of 1.26 percent and 0.39 percent, respectively, in the MSCI China Index and the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

The second step of the inclusion will coincide with the August 2018 Quarterly Index Review, when the representation of the FIF-adjusted market capitalization of Chinese A-shares will increase to 5 percent.

The institution's acceptance of A-shares is based on the past achievements of China's reform and opening up.

As early as 2002, China unveiled measures to allow qualified foreign institutional investors to invest in China's securities market within approved quotas. The combined quota has been on constant rise ever since.

A few years later, a similar system was developed to allow qualified domestic institutional investors to invest overseas.

In 2014 and 2016, the Shanghai-Hong Kong and Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect programs were made available to domestic and overseas investors as a more extensive way of financial opening up.

The country has been taking gradual but resolute steps to open up the financial sector to boost the Chinese financial sector's international competitiveness and ability to serve the real economy.

The opening up measures won the MSCI's recognition in June 2017, when the MSCI announced it would partially include large cap China A-shares in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index and the MSCI ACWI Index.

"With the increased liberalization and internationalization of the China market, investors have expressed a clear need for more insight and tools to make better informed investment decisions," said Theodore Niggli, head of MSCI's Asia Pacific index products.

Last month, Chinese central bank governor Yi Gang announced a series of new measures for the financial sector to expand opening up, as China marks the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up policy this year.

The measures include expanding the daily quotas for mainland-Hong Kong stock connect programs and relaxing the shareholding ratio requirement for foreign capital investing in financial companies.

Although the MSCI's A-share inclusion will not become effective before June 1, overseas investment into the A-share market through the stock connect programs has been rising since last month, Ping An Securities said in a research note.

"The value of A-shares in global asset allocation is gradually increasing," the brokerage firm said.

The weekly net inflow of funds from Hong Kong to the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges had been rising for six consecutive weeks since the end of March.

Xie Zhengbin, research director of MSCI Asia Pacific, believes the MSCI inclusion is positive for the A-share market's internationalization, further opening up and improvement of investor structure.

With continuous opening up, "entry of investment from all around the globe will be an irresistible trend," Ping An Securities said.
JAKARTA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The perpetrators in the sword attack on the police headquarters of Indonesia's Riau province on Wednesday have links with the Islamic State (IS), a police officer said.

Four sword-wielding assailants were shot dead with another nabbed, and one police officer was killed in the attack, National Police Spokesman Inspector General Setyo Wasisto said.

The attackers were members of the Negara Islam Indonesia (NII) which is affiliated with the IS group, the spokesman said.

"This group has been loyal to the IS," he told a press conference at the national police headquarters.

During the assault, the militants also wounded two police officers and hurt two journalists, according to him.

A minivan with four to six people onboard intruded the compound of the headquarters at 09:00 a.m. Jakarta time, but it was halted by other cars. The militants then unexpectedly exited the minivan and staged strikes with swords against policemen at the spot, spokesman of provincial police Sunarto said.

Two policemen were injured by the sword attacks and another was killed after being hit by the minivan which was trying to escape from the compound of the headquarters, he added.

Previously Police chief of Riau province Inspector General Nandang said that a total of eight militants with a white minivan staged the attacks.

The militants also rampantly shot at the headquarters, according to national police spokesman Senior Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal.

The attack followed multiple terrorist strikes recently in the country, including the riot in a jail in the capital last week, suicide bombings in three churches on Sunday in Surabaya city, the provincial capital of East Java, and a suicide bombing in the police headquarters in the city, which left at least 28 dead with dozens injured.

The incidents were followed by a series of gunfight between the police and terrorists in the province and North Sumatra province that killed three militants, according to the police.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 19:33:52|Editor: ZX

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Xi Jinping (C, front), general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, meets with a friendship visiting group of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea led by Pak Thae Song, member of the Political Bureau and vice-chairman of the WPK Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, on Wednesday met with a friendship visiting group of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea led by Pak Thae Song, member of the Political Bureau and vice-chairman of the WPK Central Committee.

Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 19:43:54|Editor: ZX

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TAIPEI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A research team in Taiwan has developed a chip with nanoparticles that can detect proteins related to cancer in around half an hour.

The research, led by Jen Chunping from Taiwan's Chung Cheng University, was published recently in the international journal Biomicrofluidics.

Jen said that people with cancer have some specific proteins in their bodies, which are called tumor markers. However, the proteins cannot usually be detected until they are in a large concentration during the middle and later stages of cancer.

The new technology can detect tumor markers in the bloodstream of cancer patients when they are still in the early stages of the disease. Furthermore, cancer screening in general hospitals usually takes at least one day to test different bodily substances, while the chip requires just five microliters of blood or urine.

Jen said that the chip, which took five years to develop, will be fitted into a handheld medical device than can also be used in the detection of other diseases.

Developers are working with a Russian research team on a three-year plan to use similar technology to detect Alzheimer's disease.

The chip works at a low voltage of about 36 volts, so that it can use general-purpose batteries or household electricity to analyze the sample.
A woman and her child stay at the food distribution center in Waaf Dhuug temporary resettlement site, Ethiopia's Somali regional state, May 24, 2017. The Chinese government and the World Food Program (WFP) continue with joint humanitarian aid in the southeastern part of Ethiopia. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The UN World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday hailed Chinese humanitarian contributions to its programs in Ethiopia to support drought-affected people and refugees.

Paul Anthem, Head of Communications, Donor Relations and Reports Unit, WFP Ethiopia, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua said Tuesday that the World Food Programme has been receiving donations from the government of China for the past several years, especially for its relief and nutrition activities.

"The donations usually arrived at critical times when the country was in need of humanitarian assistance and millions required urgent nutritional support," Anthem said.

"The contributions directly benefited the poor who have been suffering from malnutrition," he said.

In four rounds of supports, through bilateral and multilateral channels, China has so far provided an emergency aid to Ethiopia totaling roughly 36.6 million U.S. dollars, making it the third largest food aid contributor in the East Africa country, according to figures from Ethiopia's National Disaster Risk Management Commission.

The World Food Programme has been a major recipient of the humanitarian donation from the government and people of China, according to the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia.

According to Anthem, over the past two years, the Chinese government has donated a total of 14 million dollars to WFP's relief and nutrition activities.

"WFP is always grateful to the Chinese government for its generous donations and stepping in to support the drought response in Ethiopia," he said, adding "Chinese donations have been instrumental in enabling WFP to achieve objectives at the times of the donations."

"It is expected that the Chinese government will continue to support WFP's humanitarian interventions," he said.

The latest humanitarian contribution of China in March this year, which amounts to 6 million U.S. dollars, was used to assist refugees and drought-affected people in Ethiopia, according to WFP.

The 6 million U.S. dollars came shortly after the joint appeal by the two UN agencies, WFP and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), for 80 million dollars to provide food assistance to refugees in Ethiopia, the two UN agencies announced in a joint statement issued early March.

Noting the negative weather conditions that rocked the East African country since 2015, which includes the worst El-Nino induced drought in the past half century, Tan Jian, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, also recently told Xinhua that the contribution is "a testimony of China's solidarity with Ethiopia."

Ethiopia also hosts the second largest number of refugees in Africa, resulting from large influx of refugees to the country due to instability and conflicts in its neighboring countries, mainly South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea.

"China is a member of the international community and is ready and willing to extend our support within our ability. Our support is in the framework of the south-south cooperation," he said.

An estimated 7.9 million people in Ethiopia are currently in need of emergency food assistance, while Ethiopia also hosts more than 900,000 refugees, mainly from Eritrea, South Sudan, Somalia and Sudan.

The Ethiopian government has previously commended Chinese humanitarian support on various occasions.

Mitiku Kassa, Ethiopia's Commissioner for National Disaster Risk Management, in a recent interview with Xinhua said the assistance from the people and government of China "is not forgettable by the government of Ethiopia and the people of Ethiopia."

"I would like to thank the people and government of China for the four rounds of supports to Ethiopia over the last years for the drought response that we are working together," he said.
CAIRO, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi announced Wednesday a presidential pardon for more than 330 imprisoned young people on the eve of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Sisi told a youth conference that a presidential pardon committee provided a list of jailed young people worthy of presidential pardon before he signed his approval.

"We signed approval for the group provided by the committee, including more than 330 prisoners. I hope the interior minister allows these young people to have the pre-fasting meal today at their homes," the Egyptian president said at the fifth youth conference held in Cairo.

The presidential pardon committee was formed as a recommendation of the first youth conference held in late October 2016 in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Sisi similarly pardoned 82 prisoners, mostly university students, in November 2016, and 203 in March 2017.

Thousands have been jailed in Egypt since the country witnessed a state of instability and lack of security, including chaotic protests and clashes, following the military removal of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests.

President Sisi, who led Morsi's ouster as the army chief then, has repeatedly expressed awareness of the presence of wrongfully imprisoned people and promised to work on their release.
JAKARTA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- An anti-terror squad of Indonesian police arrested three militants in the outskirt of the country's capital on Wednesday after a series of suicide assaults in recent days killed 32 people, a police official said.

Two men and one woman were separately captured at two locations, Kunciran Induk and Kunciran Indah villages, police chief in Tanggerang town Senior Commissioner Harry Kurniawan said.

"Three were arrested in two places," he said.

During the arrest, the police seized a flag of the Islamic State (IS) and scores of weapons, Kurniawan was quoted by local media as saying.

The IS was involved in a series attacks in three churches on Sunday in Surabaya city, the provincial capital of East Java and a suicide bombing in the police headquarters in the city on Monday, and a sword-wielding assault in the police headquarters in Riau province on Wednesday.

The attacks totally killed 32 people and wounding dozens of others.

The incidents were also followed by a series of gunfight between the police and terrorists in the province and North Sumatra province that killed three militants, according to the police.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 20:09:01|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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BAGHDAD, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Up to eight people were killed and 31 wounded Wednesday in a suicide bomb attack at a funeral tent near the Iraqi capital Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official told Xinhua.

The attack took place around noon when a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonated himself among many mourners at the funeral tent in Taji area, some 20 km north of Baghdad, Major Hassan Ali said.

"The latest report said that the death toll rose to eight and 31 injured by the suicide bombing," Ali added.

Iraqi security forces sealed off the scene, as ambulances and civilian cars evacuated the killed and wounded people to several nearby hospitals and medical centers, he said.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for such suicide attacks, targeting areas where crowds of people gather, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.

The attack came as Iraqi held its parliamentary elections on May 2, which is the first since the full territorial defeat of Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq in December 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 20:24:05|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The 13th meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Security Council Secretaries will be held in Beijing on May 21-22, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang announced Wednesday.

At the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi, Deputy National Security Adviser of India Rajinder Khanna, Assistant to the President and Secretary of the Security Council of Kazakhstan Nurlan Yermekbayev, Secretary of the Security Council of Kyrgyzstan Damir Sagynbayev, Pakistan's National Security Adviser Naseer Khan Janjua, Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of Tajikistan A.A. Kahharov, Secretary of the Security Council of Uzbekistan Viktor Makhmudov, SCO Secretary General Rashid Alimov and Director of the Executive Committee of SCO's Regional Counter-Terrorist Structure Evgeniy Sysoev will attend the meeting.

The meeting will focus on issues including the regional security situation and priority of security cooperation among the SCO members, Lu said.

It is the first SCO security council secretaries meeting since the organization's enlargement. The primary task is to make political and security preparations for the Qingdao summit, Lu said.

During the meeting, Chinese leaders will meet with the heads of the delegations from participating countries, Lu said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 20:29:07|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday sent condolences to Indonesian President Joko Widodo over the recent deadly terror attacks in East Java province.

Xi said he was shocked to learn the terror attacks occurred in the city of Surabaya, provincial capital of East Java on Sunday and Monday, which have killed at least 12 civilians and injured dozens of others.

On behalf of the Chinese government and the Chinese people, and also in his own name, Xi expressed his deep condolences for those innocent victims who died in attacks. He also expressed his sincere sympathies to the injured and families of the victims.

Noting that terrorism is the common enemy of mankind, Xi said that China strongly opposes all forms of terrorism.

China is willing to work with the international community, including Indonesia, to jointly fight against terrorism and safeguard peace and stability in regions and the world at large.
NEW DELHI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government on Wednesday announced it would halt military operations against militants during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"The centre asks security forces not to launch operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramadan. Decision taken to help the peace-loving Muslims observe Ramadan in a peaceful environment," home minister Rajnath Singh wrote on twitter.

However, Singh said the security forces would retaliate if they came under any militant attack.

"Security forces to reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people," Singh said.

Singh said he expects cooperation from the stakeholders.

"Government expects everyone to cooperate in this initiative and help the Muslim brothers and sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties," Singh said. "It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror."

Indian-controlled Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has welcomed the federal government's move.

Mufti said such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful and amicable environment for a sustained dialogue process.

A guerilla war and separatist movement has been going on in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 20:39:15|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan's current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration should reflect on the island's absence from the World Health Assembly (WHA) for two consecutive years, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said Wednesday.

An Fengshan, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks at a routine news briefing, in response to DPP's attempt to attend the gathering in Geneva this year.

The DPP administration should not mislead the Taiwan public and international community by passing the buck, shifting the focus and resorting to a sentimental approach, An said.

From 2009 to 2016, Taiwan participated in the WHA with observer status as "Chinese Taipei," said An.

This special arrangement was made through cross-Strait consultations under the backdrop of peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and on the foundation that both sides of the Taiwan Strait adhere to the 1992 Consensus, An said.

The DPP administration has been refusing to recognize the 1992 Consensus. Thus, the basis and prerequisite for Taiwan's participation in the assembly no longer exists, An said.

An reiterated that the DPP administration should bear full responsibility for the island's absence from the WHA this year.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 20:44:17|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China, Iran and Panama have signed an investigation report on the sinking of the Iranian oil tanker Sanchi, according to the Ministry of Transport.

On Jan. 6, the Panama-registered oil tanker Sanchi, carrying 136,000 tonnes of light crude oil from Iran, collided with the CF Crystal, a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter, about 300 kilometers east of the Yangtze estuary.

After the collision, Chinese personnel risked their lives to rescue the crew aboard the Sanchi and put out the fire on the tanker. The accident left three crew members dead and 29 missing from the Sanchi, while severely damaging the Hong Kong ship.

After months of scrutiny by a three-country joint investigation group, related parties have reached consensus on the basic facts around the accident, including the properties of Sanchi's cargo, identification of the crew, time of the collision and process of the accident, according to the ministry.

The investigation has been fact-based, legitimate, objective, fair and transparent, offering details on how the accident happened and suggestions on safety management, the ministry said.

Differences remain concerning the direct cause of the accident, according to the report.

In line with the rules on vessel accident investigations by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Chinese investigators found the onus was on Sanchi to make way as both vessels were closing in on a collision course before the accident, and the fact it failed to take the needed action was the direct cause.

Iranian and Panamanian investigators blamed a slight course change by the CF Crystal for causing the accident.

China, which led the investigation, has submitted the investigation report to the IMO.

It was the world's first collision and explosion involving a vessel carrying condensate, an ultra-light crude oil.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 20:49:20|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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TEHRAN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned recent U.S. move for blacklisting the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Valiollah Seif, Press TV reported.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi described the move by Washington as "the continuation of the U.S. government's inappropriate behavior and hostile policies, which have targeted the Iranian nation over the past decades in various forms."

"These hostile policies have failed and will fail to bring any achievement for the United States, and will rather make the Iranian nation and government more determined, patient and resilient than ever in their efforts to counter America's anti-Iran measures," Qasemi said.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department named Valiollah Seif and another senior official in Iran's Central Bank as "specially designated global terrorists" for allegedly assisting Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin accused Seif of covertly funneling money on behalf of the IRGC's Quds Force through Iraq-based Al Bilad Islamic Bank to support Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 20:59:22|Editor: ZX

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MADRID, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Madrid's Teatro Real (El Real) and the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, the major opera houses in Spain and China, have signed an agreement of collaboration to promote cultural exchanges between the two sides.

El Real announced the signing on Wednesday, saying both institutions are working on different projects that aimed at exchanging opera productions, co-producing and broadcasting opera plays.

"The Marriage of Figaro and Madama Butterfly will be broadcasted in 10 Chinese cities within the framework of the third edition of the International Opera Film Festival," said El Real.

The opera film festival, according to El Real, will gather important opera theaters such as the Metropolitan Opera House of New York, the Royal Opera House of London or the Mariinski Theatre of San Petersburg.

The Spanish theatre itself will also broadcast NCPA productions, including Chinese traditional opera, they said.

Within the framework of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Spain, the NPCA, which was opened in 2007, will broadcast the opera Carmen by Bizet, directed by Antonio Gades.

The theatre also reported that nine plays produced by El Real can be seen at the Instituto Cervantes, which promotes Spanish culture around the world, in Shanghai.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 20:59:22|Editor: Yamei

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ULAN BATOR, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Bank of Mongolia announced on Wednesday it purchased over 3.2 tons of gold from legal entities and individuals in the first four months of the year.

This marked a rise of 257.6 kg from the same period last year. As of April, the central bank's average gold price was 102.096 tugrik (42.52 U.S. dollars) per gram, which corresponds to a low rate on the London Metal Exchange, according to the Bank of Mongolia.

It is expected that the gold purchase will increase with the start of the peak of gold mining in August, September and October.

Miners in the country submitted 20.01 tons of gold to the central bank in 2017, contributing 800 million dollars to the state budget.

Annual gold production had not surpassed 20 tons since 2005 when it reached its record high of 25 tons.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 21:09:24|Editor: Yamei

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European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (R) meets with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Brussels, Belgium, May 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

BRUSSELS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday threw his weight behind the European Union (EU) in salvaging the landmark Iran nuclear deal.

"We fully support the efforts the European Union is making in order to rescue the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," Guterres told a joint press conference with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker here.

U.S. President Donald Trump declared on May 8 in a televised speech that the United States would withdraw from the deal. It was signed in July 2015 by Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus the European Union (EU) and Germany.

Trump claimed that the deal failed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons or from supporting terrorism in the region.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 21:09:25|Editor: Yamei

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Syrian boys play on a damaged car in the city of Talbiseh, in the northern countryside of Homs province in central Syria, on May 16, 2018. The last batch of rebels and their families has been evacuated Wednesday out of Syria's central province of Homs, local officials told Xinhua. (Xinhua/Hummam Sheikh Ali)

HOMS, Syria, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The last batch of rebels and their families has been evacuated Wednesday out of Syria's central province of Homs, local officials told Xinhua.

The seventh and final batch of 3,950 rebels and their families was bused out of two major cities and surrounding villages in the northern countryside of Homs on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The evacuation also included rebels in the adjacent southern countryside of Hama Province.

More than 27,000 rebels and their families have left the countrysides of Homs and Hama since the evacuation in these areas started last week.

Hama still has rebel positions in its northern countryside, while Homs is now completely cleared of all rebel groups.

In Homs, the cities of Rastan and Talbiseh were the major strongholds for rebel groups and became the first two areas in the province to fall out of the government control in 2012.

The rebel evacuation, which was under a Russian-mediated deal, is considered a great victory for Syrian government army due to the strategic location of the two cities.

Talbiseh and Rastan are close to the road linking Homs with Hama and Aleppo in northern Syria as well as the rebel-held province of Idlib in northwestern Syria.

Talal Barazi, governor of Homs, told reporters in Rastan that the entire province is now empty of rebels.

"With the liberation of Rastan and Talbiseh and surrounding villages, the entire Homs Province, with all of its areas, has become safe without exceptions," Barazi said.

Rastan and Talbiseh are the links between Homs and Hama and "the return of normal life to these areas is the return of peace and security and thus the return of economic and social capabilities," he added.

The governor noted that Homs has a significant point on the international highway linking Damascus with northern Syria.

"The road from Homs to Hama will be opened in a few days," Barazi noted.

In the two cities, hundreds of people gathered in the squares and streets on Wednesday, welcoming the arrival of the Syrian government forces.

The Syrian flag was also raised on the municipal buildings in both cities by the government law enforcement forces.

The rebels that evacuated Rastan and Talbiseh are those refusing to reconcile with the government, while those agreeing to live under the government control remain in the two areas.

The people in Rastan held posters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian flags, and chanted support of Assad during the ceremony of raising the Syrian flag over the municipal building, which was largely destroyed.

In addition, truckloads of aid were quick to reach the cities, bringing food and cooking gas for the people who had lived under the rebels' control for seven years.

Also on the day, the Syrian army said in a statement that the 1,200 sq km of the countryside of Homs and Hama were liberated.

It said 65 towns were secured after the evacuation of the rebels, who had surrendered their heavy and medium weapons ahead of withdrawal.

"The liberation of the northern countryside of Homs and the southern countryside of Hama is a big achievement as the armed terrorism has been unrooted from these areas in central Syria, which constitutes a crossroad between various Syrian provinces," the army said.

The army also stressed its determination to continue fight against terrorist groups across Syria.

The evacuation deal in the countrysides of Homs and Hama was reached between the rebels and the government on May 1, while the evacuation started on May 8.

The deal is identical to other agreements recently reached in Damascus, which saw the evacuation of rebels from the Eastern Ghouta countryside and the eastern part of the Qalamoun region to Idlib and Jarablus in April.
by Peter Mertz

DENVER, the United States, May 16 (Xinhua) -- River waters are expected to rise again this week as officials in Montana caution that rain will worsen conditions after the Clark Fork River last week hit flooding levels not seen since 1908.

"Rapid snowpack melt and continued warm temperatures will be joined by thunderstorms at the end of this week, and that could make things worse," said Dave Noble from The National Weather Service (NWS) in Missoula.

Wednesday is expected to usher in another round of slow-moving rain showers followed by cooler weather on Thursday, the NWS said.

Missoula sits in the mountainous northwest corner of the state bordering Canada to the north. Noble told Xinhua on Tuesday that heavy winter snows are swelling streams and rivers with icy waters and hazardous debris.

Even 113 miles (190 km) away at the state capital Helena, "water was rising out of the ground," Maggie Truscott from the Helena Campground and RV Park told Xinhua, and that they had canceled reservations till the end of May due to the high water.

"We had an 8-foot-wide (some 2.4 m), 4-foot-deep (some 1.2 m) river flowing though our mobile home park. It caused widespread destruction," said Truscott, as the first wave of record floods hit last week.

By Tuesday, across the northwestern part of the state, waters had receded from record levels, but NWS officials warned residents to "avoid walking or driving through flood waters. Just 6 inches (0.15 m) of moving water can knock you down and 2 feet (0.61 m) of water can sweep your vehicle away."

Floodwaters knocked down power lines near Missoula over the weekend. Northwestern Energy shut off power to the lines, but they remain a danger to anyone using the river, officials said.

By Wednesday, emergency fire and rescue crews had saved a number of stranded residents with no fatalities thus far from the record runoff.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials worried about an environmental disaster.

They were busy warning Missoula Valley residents of water contamination, and assessing a 7-km-long berm that contained the state's largest volume river, the Clark Fork, just 11 miles (18.6 km) northwest of Missoula.

That berm is stopping the river from flooding the former 3,200-acre (12.9 -square km) Smurfit-Stone site, a pulp mill that ran from 1957 to 2010, and was unregulated for many years, leaving 160 acres (0.64 square km) of contaminated soil in its wake.

The Clark Fork River watershed has a drainage area upstream of the old mill site of approximately 9,000 square miles (23309 square km), according to a 1988 study by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Dangerous, cancer-causing dioxins, mercury and other hazardous materials are still contained in soils there, say the EPA and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

The earthen berm holding back the Clark Fork from possible catastrophic contamination of this enormous waste site was inspected by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials again last week and found to be safe, officials reported.

EPA's Sara Sparks told Xinhua that her group has done extensive analysis, and found the 10-feet-high (3.05-m-high) berm to be solid and capable of withstanding the might Clark Fork's rise "by several feet."

"Investigation of the Smurfit-Stone Mill site is ongoing to determine the nature and extent of contamination," EPA's Montana website said.

"We are watching very closely and not worried the water will enter the site," Sparks told Xinhua.

The Clark Fork River is expected to go back up to major flood stage, which is at 13-feet (3.96 m), sometime Thursday afternoon, and is expected to crest at 13.98 feet (4.2 m) sometime Friday night or Saturday morning, the EPA said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, local environmental groups expressed concern that more rain might tip the balance and unleash the Clark Fork into the toxic waste site.

"We want to see stronger enforcement from the agencies in charge of getting this cleaned up." Clark Fork Coalition Director Karen Knudsen told the Missoula on Monday.

Knudsen said a similar scenario played out with the removal of Milltown Dam upstream of Missoula.

Arsenic and copper from historic mining had contaminated the Milltown Reservoir where by 2009 the EPA had drained the reservoir and removed three million tons of contaminated sediment at a site called the largest and most expensive Superfund site in the United States, according to a 2015 EPA study.

The EPA had estimated it would take between 200 and 2000 years to naturally deplete this source of arsenic in Milltown Reservoir sediments, but that after the arsenic was removed the water will be safe to drink within a decade.

The contamination resulted from a massive flood in 1908 that washed 6.6 million cubic yards (84,000 cm) of sediment contaminated with arsenic, lead, zinc, copper, and other metals into the Clark Fork River and ending up in the Milltown Reservoir, according to the EPA.

And while EPA officials are slammed up with Montana's 17 major Superfund cleanup sites, mostly from deadly mining runoff waste, state environmentalists fear more damage may be caused soon.

"Every year, we keep our fingers crossed hoping we're not going to be dealing with a situation like this," Knudsen said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 21:14:28|Editor: Liangyu

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Liu Jieyi, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, meets with representatives of a conference by the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2018. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs chief Wednesday said that the mainland would continue to advance cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, and provide Taiwanese compatriots with more development opportunities.

Liu Jieyi, head of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks while meeting with representatives of a conference by the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland.

Liu called on the association to unite Taiwanese business people to adhere to the one-China principle, resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence," and jointly promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and reunification of the motherland.

The official also spoke of contributions made by the association in uniting and leading Taiwan business people to boost cross-Strait economic cooperation and the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.
MONROVIA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Liberian authorities on Wednesday confirmed 22 deaths have been recorded across the country following the outbreak of Lassa fever since January.

In a statement, the National Public Health Institute of Liberia said the west African country had seen an increase in the outbreak with 81 suspected cases recorded so far.

However, 67 out of the 81 suspected cases tested negative following laboratory examination, according to the statement.

The Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus.

The outbreak has so far occurred in Bong, Margibi, Nimba, and Montserrado -- four counties out of Liberia's 15 counties.

The Liberian health authorities decried the high death rate, saying it was mostly caused by sick people coming to health facilities late for medical examination.

"Although Lassa Fever is not new to Liberia, it is a deadly viral disease that requires urgent attention," the official statement said.

Humans usually become infected with the Lassa virus from exposure to urine or feces of infected mastomys rats. Other than common preventive measures such as washing hands regularly, the World Health Organization has recommended keeping cats.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 21:24:31|Editor: ZX

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LHASA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Tibetans on Wednesday welcomed the first day of the holy month of Saga Dawa, the anniversary of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and Nirvana.

Tibetans believe religious activities such as turning prayer wheels, giving offerings, freeing captive animals, making blessings and showing mercy during this month will bring them more merit than other times of the year.

"I planned to kowtow and turn prayer wheels in the morning," said 41-year-old Dagar in downtown Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

In Lhasa, there are three traditional routes for people to turn prayer wheels.

"I turned prayer wheels at two of the three routes yesterday," said 83-year-old Anilha, while touching her prayer beads.

The city government has set up service centers along one of the routes for the convenience of people who come to turn prayer wheels.

"It is tiring but meaningful to prepare tea and hot water for them," said Tashi Yangjen, a police officer at one service center.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 21:24:31|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (R) meets with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Brussels, Belgium, May 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

BRUSSELS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday threw his weight behind the European Union (EU) in salvaging the landmark Iran nuclear deal.

"We fully support the efforts the European Union is making in order to rescue the JCPOA," said Guterres at a joint press conference with European Commision President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels.

The visiting UN chief made the remarks following separate meetings with Juncker and the college of the European Commission.

Noting "for the first time in many decades the non-proliferation regimes...are put into question," Guterres lamented that "we have the cold war back".

To make matters worse, "there are not today the mechanisms that existed in the past cold war of dialogue, of contact, of control, to make sure that things would not spiral out of control by any kind of incident," Guterres said.

"It is absolutely essential to preserve two things: multilateral governance institutions and the rule of law in international relations," he proclaimed.

Guterres lavished praise on the EU for its role in upholding multilateral regime, vowing that the UN would lend support to the EU to create conditions for a world "in which peace, security, sustainable development and climate action are in the front line of its activities and our common cooperation."

Juncker, for his part, reiterated the EU's resolve to keep the Iran deal alive "because of primary importance for maintaining peace in the region, and also for peace in the whole world."

U.S. President Donald Trump declared on May 8 in a televised speech that the United States would withdraw from the deal, a landmark agreement signed in July 2015 by Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus the European Union (EU) and Germany.

Trump claimed that the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), had failed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons or supporting terrorism in the region.

Under the deal, Iran agreed to freeze its nuclear programs in return for the lifting of most international sanctions.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Iran has so far complied with all of the conditions established under the deal.
ULAN BATOR, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia will allocate a total of 8,605 hectares of land free of charge for families this year, the Mongolian government press office said in a statement Wednesday.

The government will also allocate 30 hectares of land to business people who want to grow potatoes and vegetables.

Last year, 32,000 Mongolians owned 3,443 hectares of land free of charge.

The total land area of Mongolia is 1,564,116 square km. But over half of its three million population live in the capital, Ulan Bator

Those residing in the capital are also able to own land in rural areas for free, according to the Department of Land Privatization Management of the Ulan Bator Property Relations Agency.

According to the law on land allocation, the size of land allocated for ownership for family needs varies depending on location.

Foreign citizens and companies who are not permitted to own land can only use it under definite conditions and terms.
MOGADISHU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Somali President Mohamed Abdullah Farmajo has vowed to speed up law review process to enable the Horn of Africa nation to have a new constitution process ahead of "one-person, one-vote" elections scheduled for 2020.

In speech delivered on his behalf by Speaker of the House of the People, Mohamed Mursal Abdirahman during the closing of a three-day convention in Mogadishu late Tuesday, Farmajo stressed the need to finalize constitutional review process by end of this year.

"We are determined to put to an end the review and finalize Somalia's constitution by the end of 2018," Farmajo said, adding that the process of developing new laws to govern the country and replacing the Provisional Constitution, developed in 2012, had taken too long, noting that it was time Somalia had a new political charter.

He also highlighted that a new constitution would unite the country, protect the rights of its citizens and help bring about political stability.

Though the review timetable expects the new document to be ready by the end of 2019, Farmajo said his government is determined to complete the process earlier, in line with an earlier promise to deliver a new constitution before the end of his four-year term.

The convention was held as the Horn of Africa nation prepares to move towards "one-person, one-vote" elections in 2020/2021 in which the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC) is working to achieve this.

Somalia is currently governed by a Provisional Constitution and the promulgation of a new and permanent constitution is expected before the country holds a "one-person, one-vote election" in 2020.

A statement from the UN mission said Michael Keating, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, praised the Somali government for its efforts in developing a timetable for the new constitution.

"This is a major milestone for Somalia, and I cannot tell you how happy I am to see this day and how proud I am to be the representative of the international community congratulating you on what is happening," Keating said.

The UN envoy added that a successful review process should be approached in the spirit of unity and reconciliation, adding that he would mobilize financial resources from the international community to add to the 3 million U.S. dollars pledged earlier this week by the Federal Government of Somalia to help conclude the process.

"Politically, my colleagues in UN will do their best to provide technical advice and will also do our best to mobilize financial resources," Keating said.

The National Constitutional Convention, which drew more than 350 delegates from all sectors of Somali society, kicks off a review process that will address a number of unresolved constitutional issues, including the future status of Mogadishu and the sharing of powers and resources between the federal government and the Federal Member States.
MOSCOW, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that warships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles will be permanently on duty in the Mediterranean due to persistent terrorist threats from Syria.

"This year, 102 expeditions of ships and submarines are planned," Putin said at a meeting with senior military officials and representatives of the defense industry.

He praised the professionalism and coordination of Russian ships and submarines during military operations in Syria, which had destroyed important facilities and infrastructure used by terrorists.

Russian troops have been participating in the fight against the Islamic State and insurgent groups in Syria since September 2015 at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Putin said the Russian Navy has expanded its presence in the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic and the Asia-Pacific region.

Russia will strengthen the naval component of its strategic nuclear forces and increase the role of the Navy in ensuring nuclear deterrence, he said.

The country will continue to equip the Navy with the latest weapons, means of communications, reconnaissance and target indication systems, Putin said.
MANILA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered on Wednesday the lifting of the total ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte instructed Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello "to totally lift the ban on deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait." He said the move was upon the recommendation of Philippine Special Envoy to Kuwait Abdullah Mama-o.

Roque announced on Tuesday the lifting of the ban for semi-skilled and skilled Filipino workers to Kuwait, adding that some 20,000 Filipino workers are expected to be deployed soon to Kuwait.

The lifting of the total ban paves the way for the deployment of Filipino maids to Kuwait.

The Philippines and Kuwait signed last week a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that provides "legal protection for Filipino maids in the Gulf State."

Roque said on Sunday the Philippines and Kuwait undertake "to uphold ethical recruitment policies, systems, and procedures for the recruitment and employment of domestic workers, subject to the applicable laws and regulations of both parties."

Kuwait is a major labor destination for Filipinos in the Middle East, with over 250,000 currently working there, mostly as domestic helpers.

However, recent incidents of abuses against Filipino maids, where some resulted in deaths, prompted Manila to enforce a deployment ban for Filipino workers earlier this year.

The Philippine government sent a team to Kuwait last week led by Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Bello to mend ties with the Gulf State.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 21:49:38|Editor: ZX

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The recent military exercises performed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) serve as a clear warning to "Taiwan independence" separatists, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said Wednesday.

"'Taiwan independence' is a dead end, which brings nothing but disaster to the island," said An Fengshan, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference.

The PLA has in recent weeks conducted combat drills on the sea. The air force sent fleets of aircraft including bombers and fighter jets to fly around the Taiwan island.

"We have the resolve, confidence, and ability to safeguard our national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and contain 'Taiwan independence' activities in any form," he said, adding that there is "no way out" for separatists.

An said the reunification is an "unstoppable" historical trend and every stubborn separatist will be condemned by society and punished by history.

The spokesperson said the current tense cross-Strait relations are caused by the Democratic Progressive Party administration which does not put a stop to "de-sinicization" and "Taiwan independence" activities and obstructs cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation.

An said such deeds have drawn firm opposition from compatriots from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
PARIS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A 21-year-old radicalized man jailed in a prison in western France escaped on Wednesday from a hospital with the help of accomplices, French press reported.

The escape took place around 8 a.m. local time after the inmate was removed from Brest prison to Morvan Hospital in the city.

"At the descent of the vehicle the man started to run and an officer managed to hit him on the ground but he was able to get up," French radio Europe 1 reported, citing the source of a French syndicat.

"He then got into a car waiting for him on the parking lot with at least two people on board," according to the same source.

The prosecutor's office in Brest has been informed of the investigation, as the authorities are currently searching for the detainee.
HARARE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's airline Proflight announced Wednesday that it will launch a new service between Zimbabwe's capital Harare and Zambia's capital Lusaka in July, its third international route as it expands its regional footprint.

In a statement to Xinhua, the airline said the Lusaka-Harare route, staring on July 9, will not only boost trade and tourism between the neighboring countries but also throughout the entire southern and central African region.

"Proflight is very happy and proud to launch the Lusaka-Harare route to provide easier access to travelers across southern African states," the airline's director of government and industry affairs Philip Lemba said.

He said the new route will increase economic trade and development for various industries for both Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Lemba said Proflight was not worried that the Harare-Lusaka route was well served by international airlines and would commence with an early morning service four times per week.

The early morning service time will be convenient for the business travelers, he said.

Proflight currently flies from its base in Lusaka through regional routes to Lilongwe in Malawi and Durban in South Africa.

Zimbabwe has in recent years witnessed an interest from various airlines that are keen to fly into the country, especially after the completion of the upgrading of Victoria Falls International Airport by a Chinese firm in 2016.

Last week, the Zimbabwe government opened talks with one of the largest airlines in Asia, Qatar Airways, to open a new route between Harare and Doha, Qatar's capital.

The discussion came up at a meeting between Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani during the Zimbabwean leader's official visit to the Asian country.
TUNIS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A Tunisian business official said China should be one of the best trade partners for Tunisian companies in expanding international markets.

The remarks were made by Mohamed Ben Rhouma, president of Tunisian-Chinese Business Council, at an economic forum between the two countries held in the capital Tunis on Tuesday.

"Instead of competitors, Chinese companies are partners," Rhouma said, adding that Chinese firms can enter European markets through Tunisia, which is the first country along the southern coast of the Mediterranean to achieve free trade with the European Union.

In the 1990s, Tunisia signed a free trade agreement with the EU to facilitate economic exchanges between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

He cited the example of possible cooperation in the textile industry, as China boasts technology, funds and a large market, while Tunisia has a cheap labor force and a strategic geographic position.

"We can establish a true partnership by sharing customers and strategic positions," Rhouma noted.

Besides inviting China to invest in the North African country, Tunisian entrepreneurs also hope to export more products into the Chinese market.

Mokhtar Ben Achour, executive manager of an olive oil producing company which entered the Chinese market in 2012, expected to further expand his business in China through thriving e-commerce.

"Thanks to e-commerce, our products have earned good reputation among Chinese consumers," said Achour.

Chiheb Slama, vice president of Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, encouraged economic sectors of both countries to explore cooperation potential and expand mutual investment.

"Chinese know-how in several fields, including technology, gives Tunisian companies enormous potential to enter Chinese and global markets," Slama said.

Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Wang Wenbin underlined China's willingness to invite Tunisia to participate the Belt and Road Initiative.

The initiative, proposed by China in 2013, aims to connect Asia with the Middle East, Africa and Europe through building a trade and infrastructure network along the ancient trade routes.

"The bilateral cooperation should be strengthened in five areas: policy coordination, interconnection of infrastructure, trade facilitation, financial integration as well as mutual understanding," he said.

Wang also invited Tunisian entrepreneurs to take part in the first China International Import Expo slated for November in Shanghai.

The trade between China and Tunisia reached 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, with Chinese imports from Tunisia surging 42 percent.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 22:14:46|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (R) meets with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Brussels, Belgium, May 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

BRUSSELS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday threw his weight behind the European Union (EU) in salvaging the landmark Iran nuclear deal.

"We fully support the efforts the European Union is making in order to rescue the JCPOA," said Guterres at a joint press conference with European Commision President Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels.

The visiting UN chief made the remarks following separate meetings with Juncker and the college of the European Commission.

Noting "for the first time in many decades the non-proliferation regimes...are put into question", Guterres lamented that "we have the cold war back".

To make matters worse, "there are not today the mechanisms that existed in the past cold war of dialogue, of contact, of control, to make sure that things would not spiral out of control by any kind of incident," Guterres said.

"It is absolutely essential to preserve two things: multilateral governance institutions and the rule of law in international relations," he proclaimed.

Guterres lavished praise on the EU for its role in upholding multilateral regime, vowing that the UN would lend support to the EU to create conditions for a world "in which peace, security, sustainable development and climate action are in the front line of its activities and our common cooperation."

Juncker, for his part, reiterated the EU's resolve to keep the Iran deal alive "because of primary importance for maintaining peace in the region, and also for peace in the whole world."

Juncker is set to jet off to Sofia, Bulgaria, for a working dinner with EU leaders on the eve of the EU-Western Balkan summit.

The summit is supposed to be centered on the topic of improving the links between the bloc and the Western Balkans, but U.S. decision to back out of the JCPOA threw a wrench into the EU's plans.

"We would like us this evening to be able to agree on a joint approach based on consensus amongst us all with regard to our relations with the United States and its relations with Iran," he said, referring to how to respond to renewed U.S. sanctions against Iran and foreign firms doing business with the Islamic Republic.

"We do have the means and resources, we will use them, let's not kid ourselves they are only limited resources, but we will make full use of all the means that are available to us," said Juncker.

In lockstep with Juncker, Guterres said: "all I can do is express my wish that these measures are indeed successful."

In the latest development, European Council President Donald Tusk sneered at U.S President Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying "with friends like that who needs enemies."

"Frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful to President Trump. Because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realize that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm," Tusk said in an acid-tongued press statement in Sofia.

U.S. President Trump declared on May 8 in a televised speech that the United States would withdraw from the deal, a landmark agreement signed in July 2015 by Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus the European Union (EU) and Germany.

Trump claimed that the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), had failed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons or supporting terrorism in the region.

Under the deal, Iran agreed to freeze its nuclear programs in return for the lifting of most international sanctions.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Iran has so far complied with all of the conditions established under the deal.
By Tichaona Chifamba

HARARE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Tempers are flaring across Zimbabwe's two major political parties as they choose candidates to contest in forthcoming general elections scheduled for Aug. 21 at the latest.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to proclaim the election date anytime soon as amendments to the Electoral Act have been passed by Parliament and are now before Senate.

The ruling party Zanu-PF and the main opposition party MDC-T faction led by Nelson Chamisa are grappling with complaints of vote rigging and imposition of candidates by senior party officials.

Zanu-PF has had to conduct re-runs in primary elections to choose candidates for Members of Parliament, senators and councilors, while in the MDC-T, the selection of candidates "by consensus" and holding of primary elections in some selected areas have been met with acrimony.

The smaller parties have apparently found it easier to choose candidates by consensus, with the smaller MDC in the current legislature coming up with candidates who will contest under the banner of the MDC Alliance, which is also led by Chamisa.

The People's Democratic Party led by Tendai Biti has also chosen its candidates who will also contest under the MDC Alliance banner.

The People's Rainbow Coalition which is led by former state vice president Joice Mujuru, who was fired from government and Zanu-PF by then President Robert Mugabe in 2014, is yet to come up with candidates amid reports that Mujuru's own National People's Party is failing to come up with political structures in the provinces.

Mujuru wants to contest for the presidency but so far no other candidates for the legislature and local authority elections have been unveiled.

However, the party is said to be preparing to train about 50,000 polling agents during the first week of June.

It remains to be seen if the coalition, which has failed to hold rallies opting for door to door campaigns because of resource constraints, will be able to train such a huge number.

Former MDC-T treasurer-general Elton Mangoma also leads another outfit of small political parties under the Coalition of Democrats (Code) banner but besides indicating that he wants to contest for the presidency, there is nothing much to show for what is happening on the ground.

Mugabe is said to be supporting the New Patriotic Front which is being led in the interim by former minister in his government Ambrose Mutinhiri, but leadership squabbles have hit the fledgling party.

The party is yet to announce its presidential candidate amid speculation that Mutinhiri is merely warming up the chair for a candidate to be unveiled at a later stage.

All in all, about 120 parties have registered with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to contest in the elections, with former cabinet minister Nkosana Moyo also throwing his hat in the ring as leader of the Alliance for People's Agenda.

Among opposition parties, only the smaller faction of the MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe has come up with an election manifesto which pledges to fight corruption and calls for devolution of power to the provinces.

Zanu-PF recently launched its manifesto whose theme is "Unite, fight corruption, develop, re-engage and create jobs."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 22:24:49|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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by Jamal Hashim

BAGHDAD, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A political coalition backed by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr made an advance in the Iraqi parliamentary election that is expected to bring changes to the Gulf state and draw a new political map if his coalition forms the next government.

The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has announced the preliminary results of over 90 percent of votes in Iraq's 18 provinces, which showed Sadr's al-Sa'iroon Coalition was the biggest winner in the country's parliamentary elections held on Saturday.

At the early stage of elections, the prominent cleric set up the al-Sa'iroon Coalition, a cross-sectarian, non-Islamic coalition including Iraq's communist party, nationalist and civil rights groups.

His coalition made a significant gain in the capital Baghdad, which has 71 of the 329 seats of the Iraqi parliament, the most among all Iraqi provinces.

The preliminary figures also showed the Iranian-backed al-Fath Coalition led by Hadi al-Ameri came in the second place, followed by the .al-Nasr Coalition led by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

ANTI-CORRUPTION PUSH

Political analyst Sabah al-Sheikh sees in the results a rise of Iraq's cross-sectarian and nationalist force in the aftermath of a war against the terrorist Islamic State (IS) group, which has displaced a large part of the Sunni community, while the Kurds are marred by disputes as a result of a controversial independence referendum.

"Such results are mainly attributed to the fact the latest elections showed the lowest turnout of about 45 percent in all Iraqi polls since 2003," Sheikh told Xinhua.

Government corruption is another factor to have kept disappointed voters away from polling stations.

Sadr is very popular in the poor Shiite communities mainly in central and southern Iraq. His followers used to hold massive rallies to protest political corruption, and it was his coalition's campaigning pledge to fight corruption.

"It wouldn't be easy for any coalition to defeat deep-rooted corruption," Sheikh said, citing power sharing as a basis for agreements on forming a government.

However, for the first time in years in Iraq, the atmosphere and new faces in politics raise the hope for forming a less-sectarian, more inclusive and accountable government, he said.

Sadr, not a candidate in the elections, is expected to have a strong say in the nomination for Iraq's next prime minister.

"In the Iraqi coalition there is no big winner that can get an absolute majority in the next parliament to form a government. The leading Sa'iroon is expected to garner some 60 seats and the rest take less, therefore it must enter into tough negotiations with other winning coalitions to forge a largest alliance that would form the new government," Sheikh said.

Sheikh believes one scenario is likely: that Sadr's Sa'iroon would work together with Abadi's al-Nasr Coalition to attract other Sunni groups in an effort to build the largest alliance.

IMPACT ON REGIONAL CONFLICTS

Sadr has a reputation for opposing the political influence from both the United States and Iran and is prone to better relations with Arab countries. Meanwhile, he has supported the moderate rule of U.S. ally Abadi.

Political expert Nadhim al-Jubouri believes that things are changing in Iraq and the next government will be different.

"The win of al-Sa'iroon gives a hint that Iraq's upcoming government could be inclusive and headed by someone who is not biased to any of the conflicting parties in the Middle East," Jubouri said.

Sadr has also suggested he serve as a broker and peacemaker in the Middle East, Jubouri said.

In April, Sadr offered mediation to resolve the differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran in order to reduce the impact of their disputes on Iraq as well as the Middle East.

Najib Khalaf, political expert and lecturer with the University of Baghdad, deemed the Iraqi parliamentary election partly as a competition between the United States and Iran in Iraq, which was disrupted by Sadr's gain that reflected a will of the Iraqi voters against both.

"The election results represent a strong national signal that rejects the influences of both the United States and Iran, despite the two being the strongest allies of Iraq," Khalaf said.

Regardless of who becomes the next prime minister, he will have to deal with the U.S. withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear accord. "The next prime minster will be under pressure to keep the balance of Iraq's relations with Washington and Tehran," Khalaf said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 22:34:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TEHRAN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned recent U.S. move for blacklisting the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Valiollah Seif, Press TV reported.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi described the move by Washington as "the continuation of the U.S. government's inappropriate behavior and hostile policies, which have targeted the Iranian nation over the past decades in various forms."

"These hostile policies have failed and will fail to bring any achievement for the United States, and will rather make the Iranian nation and government more determined, patient and resilient than ever in their efforts to counter America's anti-Iran measures," Qasemi said.

The new U.S. imposition of sanctions on Iran also demonstrates United States' failure to achieve its anti-Iran objectives through the unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he said.

After the grave mistake of scrapping the nuclear deal, the United States is now trying to resort to such "destructive moves" in order to undermine the will of the other parties that protect the JCPOA, Qasemi added.

The international reaction to the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal shows how such an illogical move by the U.S. president has damaged the U.S. government's credibility and isolated it, he was also quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

In the meantime, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the move as the "fury of the U.S. administration" over the global disapproval of the U.S. exit from the international Iranian nuclear deal. "The measure has its roots in the anger of the U.S. administration."

On Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department named Valiollah Seif and another senior official in Iran's Central Bank as "specially designated global terrorists" for allegedly assisting Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin accused Seif of covertly funneling money on behalf of the IRGC's Quds Force through Iraq-based Al Bilad Islamic Bank to support Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.

U.S. Treasury also blacklisted Ali Tarzali, assistant director of the CBI's international department, and Aras Habib, chairperson of Iraq-based Al-Bilad Islamic Bank.
KAMPALA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank in its new report has urged Uganda to improve its tax revenue if the east African country is to sustain economic growth.

The Bank in its 11th Uganda Economic Update issued on Tuesday said while the economic growth has rebounded from 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent this financial year 2017/2018, tax collections currently account for 14 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), lower than regional peers, and short of the government's target of 16 percent.

The global financial institution said this low tax collection hinders the country's capacity to finance investments in infrastructure and deliver essential services.

The report said while borrowing from local financial markets and overseas development assistance are important sources of development financing, they are declining steadily and often not sufficient.

The Bank said tax avoidance and evasion, partly resulting from generous tax exemptions to investors, weak tax administration, and a large informal sector (now at 80 percent), pose challenges to increasing revenues.

Figures in the report show that up to 5 percent of GDP is lost annually in tax leakages.

Personal income tax contributes roughly 18 percent of GDP compared to up to 40 percent in developed countries. Value Addition Tax collections amount to 4 percent of GDP, but would rise to 6 percent if there were no exemptions.

The report suggested that the country could widen its tax base by tapping into areas that are outside the tax net, applying tax instruments correctly and fairly, improving efficiency, transparency and accountability in tax administration, and delivering better public services.

"Making more people and firms pay their taxes rests on improving delivery of public services, and requires government to close loopholes and stop doling out discretionary tax exemptions. Citizens are more likely to pay tax if they see public services improve," said Christina Malmberg Calvo, World Bank Country Manager for Uganda.

The Bank said raising awareness of citizen tax obligations and tax spending would lead to greater accountability and improve tax compliance.

"Tax is an important source of domestic revenue for a government, and central to spurring growth and opportunity for Uganda to attain its development goals," said Rachel Sebudde, World Bank senior economist and lead author of the economic update.

"Without it, citizens would not be able to have good roads, or access to quality and affordable health care and education."

According to the economic update, Uganda could raise up to 23 percent of GDP annually if it undertakes tax reforms to reduce leakages, expands the tax base by tapping into hard-to-reach economic activities, and improve efficiency of its revenue administration systems.

"If everyone played their part, total collections would rise dramatically and the country would be able to meet a larger part of its spending obligations, currently met through borrowing," Sebudde said.

Keith Muhakanizi, Secretary to the Treasury said that Uganda has realized the need to raise more domestic revenue through taxes.

"Everyone in Uganda should pay the required tax if the country is to make progress in increasing domestic revenue mobilization," said Muhakanizi, who is also the permanent secretary of Uganda's ministry of finance.

He noted that the country should have a tax regime where politicians and high ranking government officials pay more taxes than the low income earners.

David Bahati, minister of state for finance in charge of planning, said the government is designing a framework paper for increasing domestic revenue collection.

"In the next three years, we expect to be collecting 18 percent tax to GDP," Bahati said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 22:44:58|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TEHRAN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday slammed what he called the "silence" of some Arab states and Islamic countries following the killings of Palestinian protesters by Israel.

It is regretful that some regional Arab countries remained silent over the violence against people who want to claim legitimate rights to their own occupied lands, Rouhani said at a government meeting on Wednesday. "On this land, 'legitimate defense by the Zionists' makes no sense," the president said.

However, "the Palestinians will not give up resistance, as they have not ceased it over the past seven decades," he said.

Besides, "the Zionist regime (of Israel) and the United States cannot separate the Muslims from their land of al-Quds (Jerusalem)," he insisted.

Iran has strongly condemned Israel's violence against Palestinian protesters which came concurrent with the U.S. relocation of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Monday.

Israel launched deadly attack in the Gaza Strip on Monday when Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians who were protesting against the provocative inauguration of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, killing dozens of Palestinians and injuring many others.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 22:49:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Xi Jinping (C), general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, meets with a friendship visiting group of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea led by Pak Thae Song, member of the Political Bureau and vice-chairman of the WPK Central Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, on Wednesday met with a friendship visiting group of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The group was led by Pak Thae Song, member of the Political Bureau and vice-chairman of the WPK Central Committee, and composed of senior provincial and municipal level party officials.

Wang Huning, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting.

Pak extended sincere greetings to Xi from Kim Jong Un, chairman of the WPK and chairman of the DPRK State Affairs Commission. Xi also conveyed his best wishes to Kim via Pak.

"Chairman Kim paid a successful visit to China in March and we had a historic meeting. Last week, Chairman Kim and I met again in Dalian. We had an in-depth exchange of views on major issues of common concern, charting a clear course for the China-DPRK relations in the new era," Xi said.

Xi said the current visit by senior provincial and municipal level party officials of the DPRK was not only the concrete implementation of the important consensus reached between him and Kim, but also an important exchange between the CPC and the WPK.

"This embodies the great importance Chairman Kim and the WPK Central Committee have attached to enhancing exchanges between the two parties and the two countries, and deepening China-DPRK friendly cooperation," Xi said.

He said that he believed both sides would take the occasion of the visit to further advance exchange and cooperation to forge ahead with the China-DPRK friendship.

Xi said that socialism with Chinese characteristics had entered a new era, while the DPRK's socialist development had entered a new historical period.

"China backs the improvement of inter-Korean ties, the advancement of dialogue between the DPRK and the United States, and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Xi said.

"China supports the DPRK in developing its economy and improving its people's livelihood, and supports Chairman Kim in leading the Party and the people of DPRK to take a development path suitable to its own national situation," Xi said.

Xi pledged to strengthen exchanges of experiences in party and state governance in the hope of promoting better development of the two countries' socialist causes.

Calling the visiting officials the "backbone of the DPRK's socialist cause," Xi expressed his wishes that they would score greater achievements in promoting the DPRK's economic and social development under the leadership of Chairman Kim.

Pak said top leaders of the WPK and the CPC carried forward the fine tradition of friendship between the two countries, held historic meetings in succession in a comradely and cordial manner, and promoted bilateral ties to a new stage.

He told Xi that this visiting group, dispatched by Chairman Kim, aimed at implementing the consensus reached by top leaders of the two parties, learning from China's experience in economic development and reform and opening up, playing an active role in implementing the DPRK's new strategic line of concentrating efforts on economic development, and making new contribution to the consolidation of DPRK-China friendship that had been personally enhanced by leaders of the two parties.

Xi took a picture with the WPK visiting group before the meeting.

Ding Xuexiang, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, also attended the meeting.
LONDON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The first of Britain's new fleet of warplanes will arrive at their RAF base early next month, Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson announced Wednesday.

Williamson confirmed the imminent arrival of the F-35 Lightning stealth jets to RAF Marham in Norfolk during an event to mark the 75th anniversary of one of the most famous raids of World War II by the legendary Dambusters.

The new aircraft are due to fly across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States with several air-to-air refueling serials. They will be flown by members of the newly reformed 617 Squadron, the name of the squadron immortalized by the Dambusters mission in 1943 to breach dams in Germany using bouncing bombs.

Williamson said at Wednesday's event: "Just like those Lancasters which played such a vital role in the Second World War, the F-35B Lightning is based on great British design, operating with futuristic technology to adapt to an increasingly dangerous world."

Today's 617 Squadron is currently training with Britain's F-35 Lightning jets in America before they start flying to Britain two months ahead of schedule.

A spokesperson for the MOD said: "The F-35B Lightning, multi-role fighter jet is the first to combine radar evading stealth technology with supersonic speeds and short take-off and vertical landing capability."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 22:49:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ADEN, Yemen, May 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 Houthi rebels were killed and scores of others injured when Yemeni government forces launched a wide-scale military operation to liberate the western coast areas in the past 24 hours, an army commander told Xinhua.

The Yemeni army commander, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the government forces backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continued to make significant progress in the fighting against Houthis in the western coast areas and in Hodeidah province.

He said that helicopters of the UAE armed forces operating in Yemen supported the wide-scale military operation against Houthis.

According to the source, the second brigade of the Republican Guard forces backed by UAE also engaged in the fighting against Houthis and liberated large parts of Hayma district.

Other sources based in the area told Xinhua by phone that intensified aerial and naval bombardment targeted the Houthis in the districts of Zubaid and Jarahi in the Red Sea Coast throughout the day.

On Tuesday, the UAE Armed Forces, as part of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition, carried out "Operation Red Thunder," an all-out assault against the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast.

The UAE media outlets said that the military operation also aims to prevent the Houthis from planting marine mines that threaten the lives of local fishermen and international shipping lines.

Military observers said that the Houthis are facing a mounting pressure and failed to prevent the government forces advancement in the Red Sea coast areas.

The Houthi rebels are losing their grip on the western provinces and their territory is shrinking in a daily basis.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Saudi Arabia leads an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Iran-backed Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The United Nations has listed Yemen as the world's number one humanitarian crisis, with seven million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera causing more than 2,000 deaths.
MOSCOW, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Russia maintains its position that Jerusalem should be the capital of both Israel and Palestine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.

"Specific parameters of the final agreement on the status of Jerusalem should be worked out at direct Palestinian-Israeli talks," Zakharova told a weekly news briefing.

The international community should prevent the parties from taking "dubious, one-sided steps that complicate efforts to create conditions for the implementation of a two-state formula for solving the Palestinian problem," she said.

Jerusalem should be open to the followers of Judaism, Islam and Christianity, Zakharova added.

Mass protests of Palestinians took place in the Gaza Strip on Monday when the U.S embassy was transferred from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

At least 60 Palestinians, including six children, were reportedly killed and more than 1,300 others injured by live ammunition and rubber bullets, said UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov.

Zakharova expressed Moscow's concern over the "dangerous escalation" and extended condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured a quick recovery.

"Reaffirming the Palestinians' right to peaceful protests and condemning the use of military force against civilians, we again call on the parties involved to show restraint and give up steps that provoke additional tension," she said.
SOFIA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Bulgarian government here on Wednesday proposed the purchase of 150 armored vehicles and 16 fighter jets in a bid to modernize the national army.

The 150 armored vehicles would be used for the assembly of three battalion battle groups, the government said in a statement.

The 12-year project with estimated value of 1.464 billion BGN (889 million U.S. dollars), also includes the purchase of systems and additional equipment, as well as training of the staff, the statement said.

Under the project, the 16 jets would be bought in two stages.

During the first stage, which was financially secured with 1.8 billion BGN, no less than eight combat aircraft would be acquired, it said.

This money would cover the acquisition of the aircraft and their weapons, as well as the ground handling, training, and initial integrated logistic support over a period of three years, the statement added.

Bulgaria, a NATO member since 2004, still heavily relies on Soviet-made weapons.
KIEV, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Agricultural trade between Ukraine and the European Union (EU) increased by 22 percent in the first quarter thanks to the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) between the two, authorities said on Wednesday.

In the first three months of this year, agricultural trade totaled about 2.2 billion U.S. dollars, compared to 1.8 billion dollars a year earlier, Ukraine's Institute of Agrarian Economics said in a report.

Ukraine's imports from the EU recorded a 27 percent year-on-year jump to 669 million dollars, while exports were up 15 percent to 1.51 billion dollars, the report said.

Ukraine's top EU trading partners - Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Germany and France - accounted for 72 percent of the total volume.

The latest quarterly figures represent a continued uptrend in agricultural trade between Ukraine and the EU since 2017 when it rose 30 percent to reach 8.1 billion dollars.

The two sides launched their FTA in January 2016, which is expected to gradually remove tariffs on over 90 percent of goods.
Mourners and relatives attend the funeral of of eight-month-old Palestinian infant Laila al-Ghandour, who died after inhaling tear gas during a protest at the Israel-Gaza border in Gaza City, on May 15, 2018. On Monday, Israeli forces shot dead dozens of Palestinians and injured more than 2,000 others in a day-long confrontation along the Gaza strip-Israel border. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar)

by Xinhua writer Wang Jiangang

UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned the massive killing of Palestinians at Gaza Strip's border with Israel, with some members insisting on conducting an independent probe into the big death toll.

CONDEMNATION

At the request of Kuwait, a public briefing of the Security Council was convened under the agenda item "the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question."

The meeting was held in response to Monday's violence in Gaza, which had led to the deaths of at least 60 Palestinians at the hands of Israeli security forces.

Bolivian Ambassador to the United Nations, Sacha Llorenti, pointed out that the situation was not a conflict, but an "occupation," emphasizing that the two sides were painfully unequal in the current colonial equation.

The unilateral decision by the United States to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem had inflamed the situation, he added, recalling that resolution 478 (1980) prohibited such actions.

The United States, which supported the occupying power, was not merely an obstacle to peace, it was now part of the problem, not the solution, he noted.

Nickolay Mladenov, special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, described Monday as a day of tragedy for the people of Gaza.

"My heart weighs heavy today as I begin by expressing my condolences to the families of those killed yesterday and the last six weeks of demonstrations," he said, calling upon all to condemn the actions that had led to the loss of so many lives in the strongest possible terms.

Israel had a responsibility to calibrate its use of force and not to use lethal force except as a last resort, when under imminent threat of death or serious injury, he emphasized.

Reaffirming the right to peaceful protest, the Russian representative said that his country condemned the use of force against civilians.

INVESTIGATION

Karen Pierce, British ambassador to the United Nations, said that "the death toll alone warranted such an inquiry, which should be made public and hold perpetrators to account."

An "independent and transparent investigation" was necessary, including on Israel's use of live fire in such situations and attacks on that country's defense forces.

Riyad Mansour, permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, pointed out that employing such force against civilians could be defined as terrorism.

Rejecting the idea that Palestinians were responsible for their own deaths because they were protesting Israel's actions, he called for a full investigation and questioned why one state had blocked other Council members from demanding independent inquiries into what amounted to a war crime against the Palestinian people.

The United States blocked a Security Council statement drafted Monday that called for an independent investigation into the situation.

Delegates widely condemned the fighting, with Kuwaiti ambassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi expressing regret that the Council had failed to adopt his delegation's Monday draft resolution.

Kuwait would take action in the UN General Assembly to ensure the perpetrators of the killings were held to account. He also called for measures that would offer international protection to the Palestinian people.

TWO-STATE SOLUTION

On the status of Jerusalem, Pierce said it should only be determined through a settlement negotiated by both parties, with the city being "a shared capital of Israel and Palestine."

A political process must now deliver a solution, especially since the situation in Gaza was deteriorating rapidly, she said, asking Mladenov to advance proposals for easing the situation in Gaza, including international support for infrastructure and other needed services.

Joanna Wronecka, permanent representative of Poland to the United Nations, reiterated Poland's commitment to a two-state solution, adding that the future capital of both states must materialize through negotiations.

The status of Jerusalem should assume mutual recognition of historical relations, she said, adding that her country would continue to respect the international consensus on Jerusalem as embodied in resolution 478 (1980) until the city's final status was resolved.

Other delegates defended the two-state formula as the only viable way forward, with Ethiopia's representative underlining that all arguments to the contrary were unrealistic. Ways and means must be found to save the two-state formula premised on dependable security for Israel and the realization of Palestinian national aspirations, he said.

RESTRAINT

"The cycle of violence in Gaza needs to end," Mladenov emphasized.

"The Secretary-General and I have repeatedly called on all to exercise restraint, for all necessary steps to avoid an escalation and for all incidents to be fully investigated," he said.

He said an estimated 35,000 Gazans had participated in demonstrations on Monday, while other Palestinians had marched in the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Nablus and East Jerusalem, speaking out against the relocation of the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

More than 100 people had been killed since the start of the protests on March 30, he said.

Urging the Council to step up efforts in support of a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he called upon all parties to refrain from taking unilateral measures.

They should instead advance the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, of which Gaza was an integral part, living side by side in peace, security and prosperity, he stressed.

Swedish UN Ambassador Olof Skoog urged all parties to act with the utmost restraint to avoid further loss of life and to protect civilians, particularly children.

Emphasizing that the immediate priority must be to defuse the current tensions on the ground, he said all parties must take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation.

Sweden regretted that the press statement proposed by Kuwait could not be adopted and hoped that a way forward on an appropriate public expression could be found.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 23:05:05|Editor: Chengcheng

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GAZA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Israeli army tanks on Wednesday afternoon fired at military facilities in northern and southern Gaza Strip and no injuries have been reported, medical and security sources said.

The sources said that Israeli artillery has fired tanks shells on eastern Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip and eastern Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip, radio stations in Gaza city reported.

The two artillery attacks targeted two military facilities that belong to Gaza militant group, Islamic Hamas movement. The two posts in northern and southern Gaza Strip are close to the border with Israel.

Israeli media has earlier reported that unknown militants from the Gaza Strip fired heavy gunfire from the Gaza Strip on the southern Israeli town of Sderout, where the heavy gunshots had caused light damage to a building in the town.

The Israeli tank fire on the Gaza Strip came one day after the end of what the Palestinians called as "the Great March of Return" which started in March 30 and ended in May 15.

Gaza Health Ministry said that from March 30 to May 15, the Israeli army shot dead 111 Palestinians and wounded more than 10,000 others; around half of them were shot with live ammunitions, the rest had suffered tear gas suffocation.

However, Sallah al-Bardaweel, member of Hamas politburo told Baladna, a local independent TV social media station based in Gaza, that 50 of the 62 killed on May 14 and May 15 are from Hamas and the 12 others are ordinary people.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 23:05:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JINAN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 190 Chinese peacekeepers Wednesday departed Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, for the western African nation of Mali for a one-year UN peacekeeping mission.

The peacekeepers are part of a 395-member team, which is the sixth group to be sent to the country.

The team will take on a number of tasks including providing security services in the task area and treating the wounded.

They will also be tasked with maintenance of roads and airport runways, as well as sanitation and epidemic prevention.

They have taken part in real-combat training since earlier this year.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 23:10:07|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Beijing's new international airport will be completed by the end of the year and meet navigation conditions by September 2019, local authorities said Wednesday.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said construction of the airport was going smoothly. The terminal has been completed, and internal decoration and equipment installation are underway.

A terminal area of 700,000 square meters, four runways and 268 aircraft stands will be added to the Chinese capital once the new airport enters operation. Creative designs for the convenience of passengers have been adopted to shorten the distance between check-in and boarding, and save time for luggage claim, the commission said.

The airport, located 46 kilometers south of downtown Beijing, is designed to take pressure off overcrowded Beijing Capital International Airport in the northeastern suburbs. It will sit at the junction of Beijing's Daxing District and Langfang, a city in Hebei Province.
BERLIN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended plans by her federal government to increase defense spending in Germany on Wednesday.

Speaking during ongoing budgetary consultations in the federal parliament (Bundestag), Merkel hit back at opposition criticism of a scheduled rise in military funding from 38.5 billion euros (45.5 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018 to 41.5 billion euros in 2019.

"This is not a matter of participating in an arms race, but simply ensuring the availability of adequate equipment," the chancellor said, referring to long-standing complaints by the government's official armed forces commissioner.

Following widespread reports of the poor state of the German armed forces, Berlin has a responsibility to provide soldiers with a "much broader range of material and equipment" to ensure they can fulfill their international missions.

Defense spending is currently the second largest item on the German government's 2018 budget, but trails far behind planned labor market and social expenditure (139 billion euros). The appropriate level of military funds has become the subject of heated discussion in the governing grand coalition, with defense minister Ursula von der Leyen demanding a further increase to at least 1.5 percent of annual gross domestic product (GDP) or around 60 billion euros.

Finance minister Olaf Scholz has so far rebuffed such calls by his cabinet colleague, arguing that higher spending does not automatically translate to a better defense strategy.

Even though Germany is set to continue to fall significantly short of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defense spending target of 2.0 percent of GDP, Merkel emphasized on Wednesday that Germany's commitment to responsibilities it shoulders as part of the military alliance remained a priority for Berlin.

"One country alone cannot guarantee security," Merkel told delegates in the federal parliament. While reiterating earlier criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear accord, Merkel however argued that close transatlantic relations in this context retained value regardless of recent disagreements between the European Union (EU) and the Trump administration.
by Eric J. Lyman

ROME, May 16 (Xinhua) -- An apparent turnaround by what has been Europe's most troubled and indebted bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, is one of several indications that Italy's banking sector might finally be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

In 2016, the Italian banking sector was seen as one of the weakest in Europe with almost a fifth of all loans totaling 360 billion euros (400 billion U.S. dollars) classified as problematic. And things did not improve much after that.

A year ago this month, for example, U.S. rating company Fitch predicted that despite some improvement, the high percentage of non-performing loans held by Italian banks could continue to weaken the banking sector for years. Even more recently, an assessment report from Germany's Deutsche Bank identified Italy's "fragile" banking system as one of the economic threats to the European Union (EU).

Now, months later, things are looking much more optimistic.

The big story comes from Monte dei Paschi. Founded in 1472, the bank is the world's oldest continually-operated financial institution and was Italy's third largest bank in terms of assets for years until slipping to eighth place where it now stands.

Monte dei Paschi, at risk of declaring bankruptcy before a massive 8.1-billion-euro bailout from the Italian Treasury, reported a larger-than-expected quarterly profit of nearly 190 million euros this month. The bank's shares, which at one point last year had fallen 98 percent from their all-time peak, shot up 15 percent in a single trading session.

Other banks have also performed well. UniCredit, the country's largest bank, reported its highest-ever quarterly profits, earning 1.1 billion euros in the first quarter of this year, nearly 23 percent more than in the same quarter a year earlier. The country's second largest lender, IntesaSanPaolo, was even more profitable in the first quarter, raking in 1.25 billion euros.

"Italian banks have benefitted from growing strength in the Italian economy, in improving their portfolios to get rid of non-performing loans, and reducing costs," Marina Brogi, an economist with Rome's La Sapienza University, told Xinhua.

Ruggero Bertelli, a bank management professor with the University of Siena, said in an interview that banks should continue to reduce costs and increase profit margins, something that will be easier as the government reduces the national deficit.

But that may not work out. Negotiations for the next government include a 100-billion-euro plan to cut taxes and increase government spending. The two main parties in the talks also say they will ask the European Central Bank (ECB) to forgive 250 billion euros in debt, but that idea is unlikely to gain much traction.

Issues still remain. In its latest rankings, the World Economic Forum places the overall health of Italian banks at number 116 in the world out of the 137 countries ranked, well behind China, India, Nigeria, and Mexico.

But Marcello Messori, a political economist at Rome's LUISS University, said it is probably safe to say the worst is in the past for Italian banks.

"If Italian banks were like a patient, we could say the patient is out of the emergency room and after a period of time, out of the hospital," Messori told Xinhua. "He is at home recovering now, but is still not quite healthy enough to resume a full schedule." (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollars)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 23:20:09|Editor: Liangyu

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Participants attend the 10th U.S.-China CEO and Former Senior Officials' Dialogue in Beijing, capital of China, May 15, 2018. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The 10th dialogue between business leaders and former senior officials from China and the United States closed Wednesday, with attendees having candid exchanges on economic and trade ties between the two countries.

Topics discussed during the two-day meetings included China-U.S. trade friction and policy trends, cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, the digital economy, energy, agriculture and industry.

China-U.S. economic relations are standing at a historic moment, Chinese representatives said, noting that equal and mutually beneficial economic ties were the "ballast stone" of relations between the two countries.

Dialogue and consultation are the only solution to economic and trade problems, while the "zero-sum game," "Cold War mindset" and unilateralism would not work, they said.

China is solving problems in intellectual property rights, market access and the business environment through deepened reform and wider opening, they said.

U.S. representatives said the economic and trade cooperation between the two sides was highly complementary and trade protectionism such as high tariffs would not benefit economic and trade relations.

Both sides should take an active and pragmatic approach and properly solve the current problems, the U.S. representatives said, adding that the U.S. business community would continue to promote trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.

The dialogue, held by the China Center for International Economic Exchanges and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, aims to promote consensus, strengthen strategic mutual trust, and facilitate healthy, stable and sustainable China-U.S. relations.
SOFIA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian government here on Wednesday announced it was seeking a strategic investor for the construction of its unfinished 2,000-megawatt Belene nuclear power plant (NPP).

According to the decision, which has to be approved by the country's parliament, the strategic investor would build the NPP "on a market-based basis and without providing a state guarantee," the Government Information Service said in a statement.

This option would allow the Bulgarian state to cover the costs incurred over the years as well as to ensure the country's energy security in the long term, the statement said.

The Belene NPP was approved in 2005. Russian company Atomstroyexport, an engineering branch of the state-owned Rosatom, won the bid to build this NPP in 2006, but the project was frozen in 2009 and suspended in 2013.

However, Bulgaria so far has paid almost 1.5 billion U.S. dollars for the construction of the Belene NPP site and the manufacturing of its two reactors.

The Balkan country has only one operational NPP. The 2,000-megawatt plant is located at Kozloduy on the Danube River and produces one-third of the national electricity.
Photo taken on May 16, 2018 shows newly appointed ministers taking oath in Khartoum, Sudan. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Monday issued decrees to reshuffle the government, official SUNA news agency reported. (Xinhua/Mohamed Khidir)

KHARTOUM, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Newly appointed ministers in Sudan's government on Wednesday took constitutional oath before Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

Al-Bashir on Monday issued decrees to reshuffle the government with appointment of seven federal ministers, five state ministers and eight state governors.

"The Presidency of the Republic will support the newly appointed ministers to enable them carry out their duties as required," said al-Bashir when addressing the oath taking ceremony.

"This is a great collective responsibility with regard to coming out with Sudan from its crisis and challenges to preserve its stability and security," noted al-Bashir.

The cabinet reshuffle came amid a severe shortage in fuel and foreign currencies in Sudan.
OSLO, May 16 (Xinhua) -- "The sun is shining on Norwegian economy" were the words Aftenposten newspaper used Wednesday when reporting on positive developments of Norway's economy.

According to finance ministry figures for 2018, Norway's sovereign wealth fund was 600 billion kroner (74 billion U.S. dollars) more at year-end than what was expected last autumn.

As a result, a total of 29 billion kroner can be further spent by the ministry before reaching the equivalent of 3 percent of funding, according to the regulations for fund using.

Economic growth in mainland Norway shall rise from 1.9 percent last year to 2.6 percent next year.

The unemployment rate drops from 4.2 percent last year to 3.7 percent next year.

There are several positive factors that supported the Norwegian economy, Aftenposten wrote.

There was moderate wages settlement this year, while oil prices rose up to just under 80 dollars per barrel on Tuesday.

In addition, there was a rapid increase in oil investments, while the Norwegian krone remained weak, despite the increase of oil prices.

Exports growth will rise from 2.2 percent last year to almost 5.0 percent next year, while exports of services will rise even faster, the report said. (1 U.S. dollar = 8.05 kroner)
BERLIN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Germany's water bodies are in a "deplorable state", a study published on Wednesday by environmental organization BUND finds.

According to the study, nine out of 10 rivers and lakes in Germany suffer from ecological pressures created by agriculture, industrial production and water transport. Overall, 92 percent of water bodies are affected by environmental degradation. BUND cited official data compiled by the federal environmental agency (UBA) as the primary source for its research.

The environmental organization argued that a variety of factors were contributing to the worrying situation. In analysis of the state of waters on the basis of 10 individual categories, the intensive use of herbicides and/or pesticides, mining activities and human engineering efforts to make rivers more suitable for river traffic were highlighted as being particularly problematic for German water quality.

Responding to the findings, BUND President Hubert Weigner urged policymakers to take steps to improve the health of Germany's rivers and lakes.

According to Weigner, the study made clear that the government would need to "respond immediately" to save what was left of German waters.

Proposing a first concrete step towards greater environmental responsibility, Wagner called on Berlin as well as the Commission of the European Union (EU) in Brussels to prevent existing regulatory standards from being weakened.

Green party (Gruene) parliamentary faction leader Anton Hofreiter told press on Wednesday that research by BUND should be a "wakeup call" for the government. Hofreiter complained that the study findings demonstrated how "carelessly" Germans treated their rivers and lakes.
VILNIUS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Lithuanian government decided on Wednesday to reorganize Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai (LG), the country's state-run railway company, splitting it into three separate enterprises.

The government approved the amendments to the Railway Transport Code which provides for separation of Lithuanian Railways into three companies, a manager of railroad infrastructure, a carrier of passengers and a carrier of freight.

The three companies will be managed by a holding state-run company LG, Lithuania's Ministry of Transport and Communications said in a statement.

"The decision to implement a new model of LG operations was adopted with respect to the best international expertise. The strategic Lithuanian company will undoubtedly remain in the hands of the state, yet it will become more transparent, financially stable and easier to handle," Rokas Masiulis, Lithuania's minister of transport, was quoted as saying in the statement.

In his words, the reform would depoliticize the enterprise and possibly increase the company's return to the state. However, the minister admitted that the activities of passenger carriage are like to be making a loss.

"The passenger carrier will likely remain loss-making and will have to be covered by other railway operations," Masiulis told reporters.

While drafting the reorganization plan, the government followed an example of commercially successful German Railway reform, the ministry said in a statement.

"The planned changes support our long-term ambition to create a modern and efficient group of companies, oriented at sustainable growth. We plan to further increase the group's competitiveness and implement advanced business management and transparency standards," said Mantas Bartuska, CEO of Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai.

The three enterprises will be established by September 1, 2019, with holding company LG to control 100 percent of each company's stocks. The LG holding company will be 100 percent controlled by Lithuania's state. The reorganized railway group is expected to start operating by December 2019.

The reform and corresponding legislation is yet to be approved by the Lithuanian parliament.

The assets of LG amounted to 2.07 billion euros (2.44 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2017, the company stated on its website.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-16 23:55:22|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TEHRAN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- MTN-Irancell and University of Tehran have signed an agreement to work towards the establishment of a venture capital fund and a startup accelerator, Financial Tribune daily reported on Wednesday.

The document targets the launch and development of an innovation center, alongside providing fledgling knowledge-based firms and startups with financial support.

"Venture capital funds are necessary to the country," as the funds are part of the solution to promoting sustainable finance arrangements in Iran, Iranian Vice President for Science and Technology, Sorena Sattari, said at signing ceremony.

"Irancell is set to build and equip the center, and to provide the necessary infrastructures to render it operational," said MTN-Irancell's CEO Mehdi Qalambor Dezfuli.

On Irancell's future plans, Dezfuli stated that "reaping the benefits of firms, alongside the knowledge and goods produced in the innovation center, financial support of companies and startup teams and forming joint ventures to establish venture capital funds are among our goals."

Mehdi Faqihi, secretary of Information Technology, Communications and Cyberspace Development Council, also highlighted the need for expanding and upgrading the ICT infrastructure to create innovative and technology-based jobs for university graduates.

The agreement takes advantage of Irancell and the university's capacities in "identifying, selecting, developing and supporting" startups and knowledge-based firms that own comprehensive plans or products of high development potential, Faqihi said.

He also expressed the council's readiness to help expedite the certificate-issuance process.

According to the daily, MTN-Irancell, the largest mobile internet service provider in Iran, has previously signed agreements with Iran's Khuzestan Province Governorate, Mashhad Municipality and knowledge-based firms and centers to support startups.

The University of Tehran has also allocated a 3,000-meter site at the College of Engineering to the development of an innovation center and will participate in its management.

Furthermore, the university will facilitate the activities of both the center and the venture capital fund, with the aim of speeding up the scientific and technological growth of startups.
WASHINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists at the Field Museum in Chicago found evidence that a shipwreck off the coast of Indonesia a century older than previously thought, which was revealed by an 800-year-old "made in China" label.

A study published on Wednesday in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, showed that the shipwreck may have occurred earlier than the late 1200s, as early as 1162.

Centuries ago, a ship sank in the Java Sea along the ancient Marine Silk Road. Its wooden hull disintegrated over time, leaving only a treasure trove of cargo. The ship had been carrying thousands of ceramics and luxury goods for trade, and they remained on the ocean floor until the 1980s when the wreck was discovered by fishermen.

The new study showed that the equivalent of a "Made in China" label on a piece of pottery helped archaeologists reevaluate when the ship went down and how it fits in with China's history.

"Initial investigations in the 1990s dated the shipwreck to the mid- to late 13th century, but we've found evidence that it's probably a century older than that," said Lisa Niziolek, an archaeologist at the Field Museum and the paper's lead author.

"Eight hundred years ago, someone put a label on these ceramics that essentially says 'Made in China,' because of the particular place mentioned, we're able to date this shipwreck better," said Niziolek.

The ship was carrying ceramics marked with an inscription that might indicate they were made in Jianning Fu, a government district in China, but after the invasion of the Mongols around 1278, the area was reclassified as Jianning Lu, according to the study.

Niziolek suggested the likelihood of a ship in the later "Jianning Lu" days carrying old pottery with the outdated name is slim.

"There were probably about a hundred thousand pieces of ceramics onboard. It seems unlikely a merchant would have paid to store those for long prior to shipment. They were probably made not long before the ship sank," said Niziolek.

In addition, ceramics weren't the only cargo onboard. The ship was also carrying elephant tusks for use in medicine or art and sweet-smelling resin for use in incense or for caulking ships. Both of these materials were critical to re-dating the wreck.

Scientists can use the amount of C-14 in a sample to determine how old it is. This analysis, known as radiocarbon dating, had been done decades ago and pointed to the shipwreck being about 700-750 years old.

However, analytical techniques have improved, and the scientists wanted to see if the date held. The amount of decayed carbon found in the resins and tusks revealed that the cargo was older than previously thought.

When taken together with the place name inscribed on the ceramics, stylistic analysis of ceramics from known time periods, the researchers concluded that the shipwreck was indeed older than previously thought: somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 years old.

"We had suspected that based on inscriptions on the ceramics and conversations with colleagues in China and Japan, and it was great to have all these different types of data coming together to support it," said Niziolek.

The fact that the Java Sea Shipwreck happened 800 years ago instead of 700 years ago is a big deal for archaeologists.

"This was a time when Chinese merchants became more active in maritime trade, more reliant upon oversea routes than on the overland Silk Road," said Niziolek. "The shipwreck occurred at a time of important transition."

The Java Sea Shipwreck may have carried more than 100,000 ceramics. Of the 12,000 excavated, more than 6,000 are at The Field Museum, and another half of them went to the Indonesian government.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 00:05:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CHENGDU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Sichuan Airlines has carried out an inspection of its aircrafts of the same model as one forced to land after its right-side cockpit window broke Monday.

No problems were found during the inspection, the airline said Wednesday.

Flight 3U8633, operated by Sichuan Airlines, was forced to divert to Chengdu en route from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality to Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said the cockpit window broke as the Airbus A319 flew over Chengdu. The aircrew enacted emergency code 7700 and landed at the Chengdu airport.

An investigation by the CAAC found that the broken window was original, and had no failure or maintenance record since the aircraft entered operation on July 26, 2011.

All crew members and the 119 passengers are safe. Two crew members are still receiving treatment.

An investigation is ongoing.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 00:05:28|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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AMMAN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Jordan is looking forward to benefiting from China's Belt and Road Initiative (B&R Initiative), which will create promising opportunities, Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury has said.

Jordan will greatly benefit from the initiative due to the kingdom's strategic location in the region connecting three continents, Fakhoury told a networking event and reception for the China-aided training programs in Jordan on Tuesday night.

Proposed by China in 2013, the B&R Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which aim at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road.

At the event, Fakhoury also voiced his appreciation of China's support to Jordan at all levels.

The minister noted that China is the largest supporter to Jordan in terms of providing human resources training programs for Jordanians.

He said that the assistance and trainings provided by China to Jordan have improved the capabilities of Jordanians.

Addressing the event, Chinese Ambassador in Amman Pan Weifang said more and more Jordanian officials are going to China to attend seminars and training programs, which have enhanced the bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

Over the past years, nearly 2,000 Jordanian officials and technicians have attended China-aided training programs. In 2017 alone, 305 Jordanians attended such programs in China, Pan said.

In recent years, Jordan has accepted a large number of Syrian refugees, creating a new burden on its economy. China has already provided humanitarian assistance of about 9.4 million U.S. dollars to the refugees in Jordan, the Chinese envoy said.

Meanwhile, China has offered other means of economic aid, including improving its water and sewage services, and building shelters and roads, he said.

China will continue to enhance the China-Jordan strategic partnership, boost bilateral practical cooperation in all fields, and contribute to Jordan's social and economic development, he added.

On the B&R Initiative, Pan said China is willing to work with other developing countries, including Jordan, to build and share the initiative.

"In this context, countries around the world can learn from one another, work together to meet challenges, and build a community of a shared future for mankind... the initiative has been warmly received by the international community," he said.
WASHINGTON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump and his legal team are planning to ratchet up pressure on special counsel Robert Mueller to end the Russia probe at its one-year mark on Thursday, according to Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer.

"We are going to try as best we can to put the message out there that it has been a year, there has been no evidence presented of collusion or obstruction, and it is about time for them to end the investigation," Giuliani said in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday.

"We don't want to signal our action if this doesn't work - we are going to hope they listen to us - but obviously we have a Plan B and C," he added.

Mueller was appointed as special counsel to lead the Russia probe on May 17, 2017, days after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.

The year-long investigation is looking into alleged coordination between the Trump campaign and Moscow, Russian interference with the 2016 U.S. president election, and whether Trump asked Comey to end the probe into former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, among other things that would arise from the investigation.

Trump's lawyers and Mueller's team have been reportedly negotiating over a possible Trump-Mueller sit-down as Trump has said that he's willing to talk to the special counsel if it helps bring an end to the investigation.

Giuliani warned that the encounter could put the president in unnecessary legal jeopardy.

"It is hard to recommend an interview when the questions presented indicate they have no evidence, and it is hard not to get at least the appearance they are attempting to trap him into perjury," Giuliani explained.

Trump, who has recently stepped up attacks against Mueller's probe and his team, has repeatedly denied allegations of collusion between his campaign and the Russians, describing the Russia probe as a "hoax" or a "witch hunt."

Mueller has so far charged over a dozen people, among whom were several Trump campaign associates that have pleaded guilty to various charges stemming from Mueller's investigation. They are all cooperating with prosecutors but none of the charges are directly related to the collusion allegation.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 00:05:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, makes remarks during an inspection of the People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Science on May 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping Wednesday stressed accelerating the development of modern military science, and building high-level military research institutions to support the building of a strong military in the new era.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection of the People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Science.

Noting that military science was an important force in guiding military practices and spearheading transformations, Xi said research should be combat-oriented, meet the needs of the armed forces and be forward-thinking.

He also called for better integration of military theories and technologies, research and practices, as well as military and civilian uses.

"We must continue to enhance the political loyalty of the armed forces, strengthen them through reform and technology, and run them in accordance with law," Xi said.

Visiting the academy's medical research institute, Xi said he was impressed by their achievements.

When calling on several leading military scientists at the academy, Xi encouraged them to make greater contribution to the building of a strong army. He instructed authorities to respect and take good care of experts and develop a team of high-level military researchers.

After hearing a work report by the academy, Xi made an important speech, in which he said more importance should be attached to innovations, calling for innovations in military research, defense technology and the organization model of military research.

"Researchers should work on an advanced theoretical framework for warfare, which fits the unique conditions of the Chinese armed forces and conforms to the rules of modern warfare, in a bid to bring the Marxist military theories in contemporary China to a new stage," he said.

Xi called for accelerated implementation of the strategy of strengthening the armed forces through science and technology, consolidating and strengthening of the advantages in relevant fields, and greater innovation efforts in emerging fields.

He said independent innovation was a strategic base point, calling for breakthroughs in core technologies as early as possible.

Scientific and technological innovations should focus on the need of the war and help enhance the military's combat capability, Xi said.

He also called for reforms to the policies and systems of military science and technology, an open mind and strengthened international exchanges and cooperation in military research.

"The absolute leadership of the CPC over the armed forces should be unwaveringly upheld," Xi said, noting that "the CPC leadership should be observed throughout the whole process and all aspects of military research work."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 00:10:33|Editor: Chengcheng

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TIANJIN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers gathered at the second World Intelligence Congress in north China's Tianjin Municipality Wednesday to explore AI.

The three-day conference, which kicked-off Wednesday, focuses on new development and policies in AI and gathers participants, including tech firms like Baidu, Alibaba, JD.com, Microsoft, Huawei and iFlytek.

The congress includes forums, exhibitions, and competitions for unmanned cars and drones. The Tianjin municipal government, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and Ministry of Science and Technology are among the organizers of the events.

Lin Nianxiu, deputy director of NDRC, said AI was the most dynamic technological field in the world and the Chinese government highly valued the development of AI. He said China should seize opportunities to raise innovation capabilities in deep learning, smart algorithms and chips, modernize industry with AI technology, and expand opening-up and cooperation with overseas partners.

Wan Gang, chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, said at the opening ceremony that Chinese companies were world leaders in image recognition, voice translation and behavioral analysis.

"Remarkable achievements have been made in intelligent robotics, unmanned shops, machine translation, shared and driverless vehicles. There are wide applications in the fields of city planning, smart transport, social governance, health, agriculture and national security," he said.

"China has advantages in the speed of AI development and its wide applications, but our weak points are the depth of basic research and originality," Wan said.

He called for strengthening basic research and more input in developing core technology.

Last July, the State Council issued a plan on new generation AI. According to the plan, the AI industry should be a major new growth engine and have improved people's lives by 2020. It set the target of China becoming a major center and world leader for AI innovation by 2030.

"The evolution of new technology is unstoppable," said Indrajit Banerjee, director of the knowledge societies division of the Communication and Information Sector in UNESCO. By 2030, artificial intelligence is expected to generate 16 trillion U.S. dollars for the world economy.

"Chinese companies are very active in developing AI technology and application, and their contribution to AI will be tremendous," he said.

By the end of 2017, China had over 2,000 companies in AI-related industries, according to Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Experts and entrepreneurs called for more education to nurture the next generation's talent.

More courses on AI should be introduced to middle and elementary schools in China, said Liu Qingfeng, board chairman of iFlytek, a company that leads in voice recognition technology in China.

"We need talent capable of innovation at the source level and to encourage them to pursue science research, otherwise the next generation of breakthroughs will not happen in China," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 00:15:36|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China will further simplify procedures for setting up foreign-invested enterprises (FIE) to promote high-standard liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, the State Council decided at an executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday.

It was decided at the meeting that a single form and one-stop services will be introduced for the business filing and business registration of foreign-invested enterprises. The whole process will be conducted online and free of charge, without the need for paper flows or presence in person. This practice, which will take effect from June 30, is expected to significantly shorten the time required for the FIE-related business processes.

Real-time sharing and coordinated management of FIE-related information will be promoted among the banking, customs, taxation and foreign exchange authorities. Government inspection will also be strengthened to ensure that measures taken will be implemented in full.

In the government work report this year, Li said that procedures for setting up foreign-invested enterprises will be simplified, and business filing and business registration will be processed together in one go.

The premier said at the meeting that consolidating the filing and registration procedures for FIEs is a matter of high significance. He called for all government departments concerned to fully collaborate and coordinate with each other in this process to make things easier for FIEs.

Statistics from the Ministry of Commerce show that over 35,600 foreign-invested enterprises were set up in 2017, up by 27.8 percent year-on-year. And paid-in foreign investment rose 7.9 percent over 2016 and hit a new record high of 877.5 billion yuan (around 140 billion U.S. dollars).

Concrete measures were also adopted at the meeting to establish a uniform e-platform for accessing government services and see that things requiring presence in person will get done in one place, without the need for a second trip.

It was decided at the meeting that an e-platform for accessing inter-connected government services at the national, provincial and city levels will be established. All government services items will be put on this platform unless the laws otherwise stipulate or for confidentiality reasons. The government will stay committed to a unified e-platform for all government services by linking up the separate networks, with few exceptions allowed for separate networks or offline government services. In principle, no individual department will be allowed to set up its independent information system.

Standardized procedures will be laid out, and list of the items requiring presence in person will be released under which single-window services will be provided to save applicants from the need of a second trip.

"Government services are to serve public good, and hence must be universally accessible. Current technologies have made it possible to have many things done online." Li said.

"What's important is to introduce a unified e-platform for all government services by linking up the separate networks. This should especially be the case for the portal websites of central government departments," he said.

It was also decided at the meeting that the procedures for accessing government services will be further simplified. There will be no repeated requirement for materials that can be shared and reused. Related mechanisms will be amended promptly in this respect. Electronic licenses will be more widely introduced, and their reciprocal recognition will be further promoted.

A uniform platform for data sharing and exchange will be established. Agencies that fail to link up government information systems at different levels will lose their eligibility for applying for new projects or funding for technical maintenance.

At least 90 percent of the services items offered by provincial-level authorities and 70 percent by city and county-level authorities will be made accessible online before the end of 2019.

The premier stressed that standardization is the way to go in applying the "Internet Plus government services" model. The regulatory authorities for cyber affairs should step up supervision and oversight.

"Information security should always be a high priority. Efforts must be stepped up to establish the corporate and individual credit systems and a unified and open government services system," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 00:25:38|Editor: Chengcheng

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BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China has seen vigorous development of the on-demand transport market over the past years, spurred by Chinese consumers who lead most countries in digital adoption, according to a survey released by a consulting company Wednesday.

The survey was conducted by Bain & Company on nearly 2,000 urban Chinese consumers last year.

The survey found that 60 percent of respondents increased their mobility frequency between 2014 and 2016. Bike sharing and e-hailing -- ordering car rides electronically from a mobile phone -- were the two most popular mobility solutions.

While bike sharing was used by 73 percent of respondents, e-hailing was used by 62 percent.

A study in Germany and the United States by Bain showed that only 29 percent of Germans had used e-hailing and just 9 percent bike sharing. In America, 23 percent relied on e-hailing and 8 percent used bike sharing.

In 2016, China's e-hailing market increased to about 23 billion U.S. dollars, more than the rest of the world combined. The market is expected to maintain its robust growth, fueled by a 50-billion-dollar investment in the industry from 2014 to 2017.

Part of the growth is due to the popularity of mobile payments in the country. Chinese consumers began paying with mobile phones in earnest in 2014 and the value of mobile payments made in China is 60 times more than in America.

That Chinese consumers were willing to try new mobility options is another factor contributing to the growth of China's mobility market, according to the report.

"Chinese consumers adopt new practices as soon as they are introduced," said Raymond Tsang, partner with Bain & Company. "With technology integration, government support and the emergence of new options, China's mobility industry is likely to continue on its upward trajectory."
ADDIS ABABA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Wednesday its only received 15 percent of the 335.8 million U.S. dollars it needs to meet the needs of refugees in Ethiopia.

In a press statement sent to Xinhua, UNHCR said the funds are needed to meet the basic nutritional needs, as well as the education, health and accommodation needs of refugees in Ethiopia.

The UNHCR has as of April 30 registered 915,073 refugees in Ethiopia, most of whom are housed in refugee camps in six regional states.

Ethiopia currently hosts the second largest refugee population in Africa, next to Uganda. Refugees in Ethiopia primarily come from Eritrea, South Sudan, Somalia and Sudan, according to figures from the Ethiopian government.

Conflict and drought in neighboring countries continues to force people to seek refuge in Ethiopia, which has a long tradition of hosting refugees. In the first fourth months of 2018, Ethiopia received 24,775 refugees.
CHICAGO, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A study of the University of Michigan (UM) and the University of Zurich has connected cheating for financial gain in the lab with misbehavior in school.

The researchers asked 162 middle and high school students from eight classes in two Swiss schools to record results from flipping a coin in a private setting with no observers present. Each time the coin came up as heads, the students got to keep the money.

The researchers then asked teachers to report student behavior in class on three measures: disruptiveness, non-completion of homework and absenteeism.

The result is a great number of students took more coins than statistics suggest should have been possible, and they often were students that misbehaved at school.

Students took nearly 63 percent of the coins in the envelopes, which researchers estimate means that nearly 26 percent were misreported. Female students were more honest than males, and middle school students were more likely than those in high school to cheat.

"A person who claims to have won on every single coin flip has likely cheated as the chance to win 10 coin flips in a row is less than 0.1 percent," said Michel Marechal, an associate professor of economics at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. "The most likely outcome of an honest person is to win every other coin flip, that is, five out of 10."

The researchers found that the level of cheating was positively associated with the three school behaviors. Students who took more than five coins scored 72 percent higher on disruptiveness in class, 69 percent higher on non-completion of homework and 61 percent higher on absenteeism relative as compared to the other students.

The study is scheduled to be published soon in the Economic Journal, said a report from the UM website Wednesday.
ADDIS ABABA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, brought together South Sudanese warring parties to discuss governance and security issues ahead of a new round of peace talks scheduled for May 17.

According to the East African bloc, the consultation session, underway in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa from May 15 to 16, is providing South Sudanese parties with key information to enable them to identify optimal security arrangements, power-sharing options and challenges associated with a Transitional Government of National Unity.

It is "an opportunity for the key representatives of the parties, leading on governance and security issues, to revisit general principles and practices relating to governance and security issues during political transitions," the East African bloc said in a statement.

The IGAD Director of Peace and Security Division, Tewolde Gebremeskel, told representatives of the South Sudanese warring parties that the seminar on governance and security was organized in order to support the parties' deliberations during the HLRF due to start on Thursday.

"In the intervening period between Phase II of the HLRF and today, IGAD Council of Ministers have been engaging with your respective parties in Juba, Addis Ababa, and Pretoria, in order to bridge the gaps in your divergent views on the outstanding substantive issues," Gebremeskel said.

The session on South Sudan's governance system and security situations will be followed by a new High Level Revitalization Forum (HLRF) that aimed to bring peace agreement among the warring parties towards ending the conflict in the world's youngest nation, according to IGAD.

South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 following political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy turned rebel chief Riek Machar led to split within the SPLA, leaving soldiers to fight alongside ethnic lines.

The 2015 peace agreement to end the conflict was weakened after the outbreak of renewed fighting in July 2016 caused the SPLA-in opposition rebel leader Machar to flee the capital.
BERLIN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The German Federal Constitutional Court has launched a new round of deliberations over the legal validity of mandatory fees levied by the government on behalf of public broadcasters on Wednesday.

In the course of the closely-watched case, the court will consider whether an obligatory broadcasting fee paid by all households in Germany is compatible with the country's constitution. The Karlsruhe-based judges have reserved two days to subject the matter to close scrutiny before arriving at a response.

Following a reform of regulations in 2013, German citizens must pay 17.5 euros in monthly broadcasting fees for each legally-occupied apartment. The amount that companies have to pay is derived on the basis of the number of operating sites, company cars and employees.

The judicial process launched by the Federal Constitutional Court on Wednesday comes in response to related complaints formally lodged by three private individuals and the German car rental company Sixt. The plaintiffs argue that the fee is equivalent to a tax and must hence be levied by the federal government, rather than state authorities as is currently the case.

Furthermore, the fee is seen to fall foul of the constitutional principle of equality by the plaintiffs, as German citizens and companies are made to pay regardless of whether, and to what extent, they actually access public broadcasting services.

Sixt has also complained that the system for companies puts businesses with a high number of branches at a commercial disadvantage.

In Germany, the public broadcasters "ARD", "ZDF" and "Deutschlandradio" all rely on the fee as their most important source of revenue. The three media organization received a combined 8 billion euros (9.5 billion U.S. dollars) in funds in 2016.

The public broadcasting fee is enshrined in the German constitution as a means to ensure the independent provision of relevant, non-partisan and high-quality information services to citizens. According to the German law, organizations that are remunerated must in turn offer nation-wide access to their programs and a so-called "basic provision" of several different categories of media programs.

Although German courts have repeatedly defended the existence of a public broadcasting fee as a matter of principle, several opposition parties want to either reduce or completely eliminate the financial transfers.

The Free Democratic Party (FDP) has called for a redefinition of the legal term public broadcasting, while the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has repeatedly demanded a full stop to what they view as "forced funding" for media organizations which are beholden to a liberal worldview.

Additionally, legal experts have questioned in how far a significant widening of broadcasting programs in recent years is compatible with the constitutional "basic provision" clause.

Speaking to the newspaper "ZEIT" the attorney Sascha Giller, who represents several clients in broadcasting fee cases, asked rhetorically why citizens should be "forced to pay" for additional services which they had not requested.

Regardless of the outcome of ongoing court deliberations, many German citizens appear to share Giller's critical view of the current system of public broadcasting funding.

A recent opinion poll by the YouGov institute found that 44 percent of respondents considered the levels of fees to be too high, while 43 percent expressed a desire to be relieved of their payments duty entirely.
KAMPALA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan government on Wednesday said it will talk to South Sudan about the release of a Ugandan who was captured with six other people by unknown gunmen.

Brig. Richard Karemire, Uganda's military spokesperson, told Xinhua by telephone that authorities in Kampala will liaise with their Juba colleagues to ensure the safe release of Ambrose Olaa.

"Our security forces will liaise and exchange any available information with the government of South Sudan that may lead to their quick release," said Karemire.

Unknown gunmen on Tuesday abducted seven people including Olaa while on their way from Tambura to Yambio in South Sudan's, Western Equatoria. The nationality of the other six is not yet known.

"I don't know yet (their whereabouts) but I am also tracing whether our forces have them," Lt. Col. Gabriel Paul Lam, deputy military spokesperson of the Sudan People's Liberation Army In Opposition, told Xinhua in a text message.

Olaa, according to the local Daily Monitor, has been working as a contract consultant on conflict management for the World Bank in the neighboring country.
ADDIS ABABA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- East African countries, gathered under the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), have urged swift actions towards the provision of quality education for refugees.

IGAD member countries, currently holding a two-day meeting on the implementation of the Djibouti Declaration and Plan of Action on Refugee Education from May 15 to 16 in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, have urged swift actions towards the realization of the Djibouti Declaration on access to quality education for refugees in the region.

Fathia Alwan, IGAD's acting Director for Health and Social Development, said that education for refugees is an important element to the mandate of the regional organization charged with responsibility of addressing socio-economic needs of vulnerable communities in the region that include refugees and cross border mobile populations.

The Djibouti Declaration, among other things, passes a strong commitment for IGAD member states and development partners to take collective responsibility to ensure that every refugee, returnee and members of host communities have access to quality education in a safe learning environment without discrimination.

Yasabu Berkneh, Director General for School Improvement Program and Support, under the Ethiopian Ministry of Education, also said during the meeting that education for refugees is a "very important matter that is a critical tool for change."

Berkneh, who noted the large number of refugees, returnees and internally displaced people in the East African region, urged IGAD member states to implement the declaration at national and sub-national levels.

He also called on the development partners to support programs emerging from the plan of action in addition to addressing other social challenges that the region faces.

The plan of action indicated under the Djibouti Declaration called for inclusion of refugees in national education systems, minimum standards and targets, regional mechanism to recognize qualifications and strengthening the capacity of IGAD Secretariat to coordinate the implementation process.
DAR ES SALAAM, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The government of Tanzania is implementing a project to connect key industries in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam with natural gas as source of energy, reducing dependence on erratic electricity.

Subira Mgalu, Deputy Minister for Energy, told the National Assembly on Wednesday in the capital Dodoma that the project was being implemented by the government's petroleum watchdog--the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC).

"The plan is to reduce dependence of electricity as the only source of power for production by the industries," said Mgalu, adding that some of the industries that have started the process to use natural gas were Bahkresa Industries, producers of juices, and Coca-Cola Kwanza.

The official made the remarks as Tanzanian President John Magufuli has promised to turn the country into a middle income industrial economy by 2025.

Tanzania is on the process of implementing a mega hydropower at Stiegler's Gorge along the Rufiji River in the Selous Game Reserve that will produce 2,100 megawatts.

Medard Kalemani, the Minister for Energy, said last month currently the government was building relevant infrastructure that will simplify the implementation of the project.

Kalemani said the Stiegler's Gorge power generation project was expected to completely end the country's power woes and sustain local industries with electricity and sell the surplus outside the country.

Tanzania, with a population of approximately 54 million has just 1,500MW of installed grid capacity.

However, the Stiegler's Gorge project has been a significant concern for many years now due to its potential negative impact on the Selous Game Reserve, a world heritage site renowned for its animal populations and variety of wildlife habitats.
LUSAKA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Wednesday banned health workers from having private jobs in the private sector as it was against their conditions of service.

In an internal memo sent to all supervisors in government health institutions, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Kennedy Malama said all employees in the ministry should not be allowed to engage in multiple services whilst employed by the ministry.

He said the decision was in line with the terms and conditions of their employment.

"The Ministry has noted with concern that public service workers in the health sector, particularly medical personnel, have been engaging themselves in double or multiple employment whilst remaining active civil servants. You are hereby reminded that in accordance with the terms and conditions of service, no officer may draw a salary for more than one post at the same time," he said.

The directive, he said, was with immediate effect and that failure to comply would constitute misconduct and result in disciplinary action.

Among those affected include medical doctors, nurses, midwives, clinical officers, and any other officer employed in the ministry.

Moonlighting is common in Zambia among health workers who, apart from working for the government, also work for private health institutions due to poor working conditions in government.
JUBA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The UN top relief official wrapped up a two-day visit to South Sudan on Wednesday, calling all warring parties to cease hostilities and protect humanitarian workers and civilians.

Mark Lowcock, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, lamented that ordinary persons are now suffering amidst fresh fighting that has displaced tens of thousands of people in multiple locations across the country.

"The conflict in South Sudan is now in its fifth year. Ordinary people are suffering on an unimaginable scale. The peace process has so far produced nothing. The cessation of hostilities is a fiction. The economy has collapsed," Lowcock said in a statement issued at the end of his visit.

Lowcock who arrived in Juba on Tuesday held talks with senior government officials, members of SPLA-in Opposition, humanitarian agencies, and partners. He also visited people affected by the crisis in Juba, Yei Town and Mundu.

"Belligerents use scorched-earth tactics, murder and rape as weapons of war. All these are gross violations of international law. Seven million people need humanitarian assistance in 2018. And things are simply getting worse," he said.

The UN relief official said ending the violence in the world's youngest nation is the first and single most important thing needed to alleviating human suffering in South Sudan.

According to the UN, about 4.3 million people have been displaced, including more than 1.76 million who are internally displaced and about 2.5 million in neighboring countries.

Lowcock said displaced people are more vulnerable to threats to their safety, health and livelihoods. "Despite a multitude of challenges, humanitarians are saving lives and protecting people," said Lowcock.

He said about 7 million people, more than one in two across the country, will need humanitarian assistance in 2018 due to compounding effects of widespread violence and insecurity and a deteriorating economy.

Lowcock, who also met with relief agencies whose staff and operations have been affected by insecurity and paid tribute to the bravery of aid workers across the country, said the humanitarian workers need rapid, safe, unhindered access to all people in need.

"Aid agencies are subject to harassment, extortion, looting, kidnappings, killings, predatory fees and levies and other blockages across the country -- perpetrated by all parties to the conflict," he said.

He described South Sudan as "one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a humanitarian worker as crimes are being committed against aid workers, with apparent impunity.

"There needs to be accountability, and the Government - because it is the Government, and this is a responsibility of Governments everywhere -- has the prime responsibility for that," Lowcock said.

The number of aid workers killed in South Sudan since conflict broke out in December 2013 reached 101 this month, according to the UN.
RABAT, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Morocco strongly condemned on Wednesday the shooting by the Israeli army at participants in peaceful protests along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, killing dozens of Palestinians and wounding thousands others.

Speaking in a press briefing with his Spanish counterpart Alfonso Dastis, the Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said that "Morocco strongly condemns the excessive use of force against unarmed Palestinian civilians" in response to a question on Morocco's position on the latest events in Gaza.

He reaffirmed the kingdom's total rejection of the dangerous behavior that runs counter to the international law and called for peace and ending these unacceptable escalation practices that are worsening the situation.

Morocco deplores the tragic events, which claimed the lives of civilian demonstrators who were peacefully protesting, mainly against the transfer of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, the minister added.

Regarding the issue, the Moroccan minister reaffirmed his country's rejection of this unilateral step that is contrary to international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

He reiterated Morocco's firm commitment to continue working with the U.S. administration to adopt a balanced position that could revive the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis.
LUSAKA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The South African government on Wednesday assured Zambia on the safety of truck travelers traveling to that country following increased attacks.

Six trucks from Zambia were burnt in two separate incidents in South Africa's Kwazulu-Natal and Limpopo provinces in recent weeks, resulting in Zambia authorities raising concerns on the safety of its citizens in South Africa and asking the authorities to do more to quell the attacks.

Zambia's High Commissioner to South Africa Emmanuel Mwamba said South African authorities have assured the truck drivers and transporters traveling to that country of safety.

The Zambian envoy said the assurance was made during a meeting he held with South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, according to a statement released by the Zambian embassy.

Safety measures have been put in place at highways, borders while toll plazas have been secured and have now been given a higher security presence, he added.

Mwamba further said roads and highways international truck drivers use will also benefit from increased police patrols, adding that suspects who burnt Zambian trucks in both incidents have been arrested and arraigned before courts.
By Ronald Ssekandi

KAMPALA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Uganda on Wednesday launched an East African regional agribusiness initiative targeting to boost household incomes of over 100,000 smallholder farmers.

A similar initiative is already running in neighboring Kenya and Rwanda where over 200,000 smallholder farmers are set to benefit.

Julius Wandera Maganda, Uganda's minister of state for East African Community (EAC) affairs, told reporters that the objective of the five year project dubbed Regional East African Community Trade in Staples (REACTS) is to create structured linkages between farmers and the market, both domestic and regional.

As the linkages are being created, the 6 million U.S. dollar project will also strengthen the farmers' capacity to access inputs like seed, fertilizers, agrochemicals, technologies and finance.

The project, according to Maganda, will be run by government in partnership with private sector and civil society organizations like Kilimo Trust and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

Maganda said while Uganda has the capacity to feed the east African region, there are no structured linkages between the small holder farmers and the market.

"This program will directly increase incomes of over 100,000 smallholder farmers by at least 20 percent. Out of these beneficiaries, 40 percent will be women, 30 percent youth," he said.

He noted that at least 120,000 metric tonnes of agricultural products, valued at over 60 million dollars will be traded under structured trade arrangements nationally and across the EAC borders. The EAC economic block brings together six countries namely Uganda Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania.

REACTS is focusing on farmers who are cultivating maize, pulses, rice and potatoes.

FOOD TRADE DECIFIT

Intra-regional trade in agricultural products in the EAC region is still low and is mainly informal. For instance, Kenya and Rwanda always experience an annual deficit of 400,000 metric tonnes and 150,000 metric tonnes of maize respectively and yet Uganda is mostly a surplus producer of maize (137,000 metric tonnes per annum), according to figures by Kilimo Trust.

The organization says the gaps in regional trade are normally bridged by imports from outside the region. For instance, in 2014, the EAC imported 566,662 metric tonnes of maize, 86 percent of which was in form of maize grain and seeds. Kenya alone accounted for 293,073 metric tonnes of imports.

The EAC Food Security Action Plan for 2010-2015, showed that whereas the EAC region had a target to raise the share of intra-regional trade in the total regional market for food products to 30 percent, intra-EAC trade stood at 11 percent in 2015.

Nuhu Hatibu, the Regional Director for AGRA told Xinhua in an interview that the food deficit can be addressed.

He said the REACTS program will among others build market systems that support value addition, aggregation and quality enhancement.

"If we increase value addition even by 10 percent, all that increase will go to the small holder farmer," Hatibu said, noting that through structured trade, there will be transparency which will stop middlemen from taking the entire bulk of the profit.

"Our ambition is for every farmer to know where their products are being sold and how much," he said.

He noted that if all this is implemented successfully, farmers will have more reason to increase their production from subsistence to commercial.

"The farmers we are going to handle need to start smiling because by expanding the reach of their products to different markets, the profitability that they expect to get will expand."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 02:05:58|Editor: Chengcheng

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AMMAN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Wednesday urged the EU to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, which is a prerequisite for attaining peace and stability in the Middle East region, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

The remarks were made by Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at a meeting with ambassadors of EU countries in Amman, where he called for an immediate action to support forming an international committee to investigate the massacre committed by the Israeli forces by killing civilians in Gaza Strip.

The minister said continued crimes by Israel without any international response will lead to a new cycle of violence that will affect the region, Europe and the entire world, stressing that the stability of the Middle East is essential for international stability.

The Israeli practices and the lack of a solution to the conflict worsen the situation and increase despair, which results in more violence and extremism, said the minister.

Safadi called on the international community to shoulder its legal and moral responsibilities to protect the Palestinians from the illegal Israeli measures and aggressions against the Palestinians.

The minister warned against the serious consequences of the Israeli unilateral measures that seek to impose a new reality on the ground, undermine peace efforts and alter the Arabic identity of Jerusalem.

On Jerusalem, Safadi said that Jerusalem is the key to peace and realizing the legitimate rights of the Palestinians is a must for regional peace and stability.

Safadi added that Jordan will exert all its efforts to preserve the holy sites in Jerusalem.

The minister also condemned the U.S. move to relocate its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognize the holy city as the capital of Israel.

He added that Jordan will work along with the Arab countries, the EU and all international partners to achieve peace that is based on the two-state solution in line with the Arab peace initiative and the international legitimacy resolutions.
ADDIS ABABA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government on Wednesday disclosed that it will strictly monitor future foreign trips of officials and their destinations in a bid to ensure public officials' accountability.

The announcement by the state media Ethiopia News Agency (ENA) on Wednesday came a day after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that foreign bank accounts of government officials are under investigation.

Some officials commit more than 10 foreign trips within one year, which he said is "unnecessary," ENA quoted Ahmed as saying during his meeting with high-ranking Ethiopian government officials.

Inappropriate use of power, resource and time was among the issues that the premier gave due priority in his message to officials with the rank of minister and state minister on how to respond to public demands, according to the report.

In addition to the excess travel, there are also officials who stop over to visit some places other than their original destinations, making strong monitoring mechanisms necessary to save the country's resources, the report noted.

After monitoring future foreign trips of officials, unnecessary ones would be canceled so as to save time and minimize cost as well as ensuring transparency and accountability.

Ahmed on Tuesday revealed that his government is investigating public officials who allegedly have illicit foreign bank accounts.

He, however, didn't specifically identify government officials currently under investigation or the names of foreign countries that are collaborating with his government to uncover alleged illicit foreign bank accounts.

The premier, who indicated that countries are collaborating with the Ethiopian government in the investigation, also pledged to disclose investigation result as soon as it is completed.

Ahmed, who was unanimously endorsed by the Ethiopian House People's Representatives as Ethiopia's Prime Minister on April 2, had previously vowed to ensure good governance and fight corruption in one of Africa's fastest growing economy.

Ahmed had also noted the impact of corruption on the East African country's economy, noting that the fight against corruption would be his administration's top priority.

"We have come to learn that it is impossible to combat corruption by merely establishing anti-corruption institutions. I politely ask all of us to do all we can to ensure that Ethiopia won't become a country where one works hard and the other simply snatch it away."

Describing Ethiopia's current situation as both an opportunity and a threat, Ahmed stressed that "we are in the midst of uncertain times. Although there have been achievements, there are also formidable challenges."

Ahmed's premiership of the Eats African country came after recurrent unrests and mass anti-government demonstrations in parts of the country, particularly in Ethiopia's largest Oromia regional state where Ahmed has strong support.
RIGA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Despite the Latvian government's efforts to clamp down on illicit business activity, the Baltic country's shadow economy expanded by 1.3 percentage points last year to 22 percent of GDP, a new study showed.

According to the latest Shadow Economy Index for the Baltic Countries, which was presented during a conference at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga (SSE Riga) on Wednesday, unreported wages made up an estimated 45.4 percent, undeclared income 37.2 percent and illegal employment 17.4 percent of Latvia's shadow economy.

Like in previous years, the highest proportion of unreported activity, 35.2 percent, was recorded in the construction sector. Last year, illicit economic activity also reached 22 percent in retail trade, 20.3 percent in manufacturing and 13 percent in wholesale.

Speaking of unreported pay in the construction sector, experts said that a general collective agreement, which is now being offered to construction firms for signing, is expected to help deal with the problem as the document sets a minimum wage for builders that is higher than the minimum wage in Latvia.

The survey showed that Latvia's Baltic neighbors -- Estonia and Lithuania -- also saw their shadow economy grow in 2017. As compared with 2016, illicit economic activity in Estonia increased by 2.8 percentage points to 18.2 percent of GDP and Lithuania's shadow economy grew 1.7 percentage points to 18.2 percent of GDP. Unreported pay was also cited as the main problem in these countries.

SSE Riga Professor Arnis Sauka, who has been researching shadow economy for years, said in an interview with Latvian public radio on Wednesday that the expansion of the shadow economy was a worrisome trend, because usually strong economic growth causes illicit businesses to shrink, which in Latvia's case had not happened.

Speaking at the SSE Riga conference, Latvian Finance Minister Dana Reizniece-Ozola underlined the importance of people's motivation to pay taxes, arguing that taxpayers need to be sure that their money will be spent effectively and on the right purposes. Furthermore, the authorities have to improve their communication with the public to better explain their decisions, the minister said.

In 2016, the shadow economy accounted for 20.7 percent of Latvia's GDP, down from 21.3 percent in 2015.
VIENNA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Following the controversial opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Palestine on Wednesday recalled its ambassador to Austria, Palestinian Representative Office in Vienna said in a press release.

The Office pointed out in the press release that with the participation of Austrian Ambassador Martin Weiss in an event on the eve of the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, Austria not only defied the requirements of the European Union, but also violated the international law and UN resolutions.

Ambassador Salah Abdel Schafi will leave Vienna on Friday for an indefinite period, it said.

The opening of the U.S. embassy on Monday was accompanied by bloody clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army in Gaza Strip.
ABUJA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen opened fire on three policemen on guard at a construction site in northwest Nigeria early Wednesday and kidnapped a Syrian national, according to local police.

The Syrian national worked as manager of the construction site in a village located in Bodinga area of the northern state of Sokoto, the police said.

The cops died in a local hospital following the attack.

Local sources said the gunmen, numbering four, are yet to make any contact for ransom after taking the Syrian national to an unknown place.

Police spokeswoman Cordelia Nwawe said an investigation had been launched to track down the gunmen.

Abduction is common in Nigeria. The abduction of foreigners and high profile individuals in the country has been on the increase recently.

Last month, a Syrian national based in the northwestern city of Kano was killed, and his son kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

A policeman was also shot dead while trying to prevent gunmen from abducting a German construction engineer in Kano on April 16.
PRAGUE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Czech government decided on Wednesday that it will provide financial contribution of one million euros (about 1.2 million U.S. dollars) for the development of the G5 Sahel joint force, said Prime Minister Andrej Babis.

The joint forces are being formed by five Sahel countries which are Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. It will focus on the fight against terrorism and organized crime on the southern rim of Sahara in North Africa.

Czech government's financial contribution would be paid through the EU African Peace Facility.

According to Jakub Fajnor from Czech Defence Ministry press department, the defence and foreign ministries agreed on the contribution to Sahel forces. The money is likely to be used to purchase bulletproof vests, helmets, sleeping bags, metal detectors, or explosive suits.

Fajnor said the Sahel joint force has the potential to reduce illegal migration from the region.

Czech government said previously that Sahel is becoming a crucial region in terms of security and transit illegal migration both for the EU and the Czech Republic.

Czech soldiers already operated in the region. It has a military unit that is involved in protecting the headquarters of the EU training mission in Mali and in the training of Mali's armed forces.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 02:51:11|Editor: Chengcheng

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French President Emmanuel Macron (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on May 16, 2018. (Xinhua)

PARIS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said the comprehensive strategic partnership between France and China should play a "leading role" amid the current complicated international situation.

Macron made the remarks during his meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Elysee Palace.

France wishes to further strengthen its strategic communication and collaboration with China to maintain multilateralism, said the president.

Macron recalled his visit to China in January, during which he reached consensus with Chinese President Xi Jinping on further developing France-China ties.

The French president urged both countries to propose and implement concrete plans to increase high-level visits, strengthen cooperation in various fields including trade, science and technology and culture, and explore the potential of collaboration on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Wang said China believes that France would make an important strategic partner in implementing the BRI, and that China is willing to work with France to promote multilateralism.

He underlined that China attaches importance to the role of France as a great power, and appreciates France's independent foreign policy.

China is willing to further deepen high-level contacts and mutually beneficial cooperation with France, Wang said, adding that the two countries should safeguard the global system and principles of international relations, and be the "positive voice" in maintaining world peace.

Wang also met with Philippe Etienne, diplomatic adviser to the French president, with whom he discussed bilateral cooperation in various fields under the BRI framework and on other major issues such as climate change.

Wang and Etienne agreed that China and France, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, should strengthen strategic communication and coordination to promote peaceful political solutions to regional issues, and to inject more positivity to the uncertain and unstable international situation.

On the same day, Wang also met with Laurent Fabius, president of the Constitutional Council of France.
NAIROBI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Scientists from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) on Wednesday launched a guide aimed at tapping investment in climate smart agriculture in Africa.

The detailed guide on the status and opportunities for investment in climate smart agriculture in 14 African countries provide, for the first time, a scientific framework to guide future climate smart agriculture financing in the continent.

"Climate smart agriculture practices seek to help farmers adapt to changing weather patterns, while reducing emissions and boosting food security," Evan Girvetz, Senior Scientist at CIAT and project team leader said during a global conference to fast-track adoption of climate-smart strategies in Africa in Nairobi.

Girvetz observed that for many large donors, private sector companies and African governments, investing in African agriculture is still extremely risky.

"Our data and evidence based report aim to reduce that risk, by providing a detailed analysis of the most effective approaches to the sustained adoption of climate smart agriculture from a local to a national level," he added.

The scientist noted that the impacts from climate change on people in Sub-Saharan Africa are expected to be some of the greatest compared to other regions by 2,100, yet the continent currently only receives 5 percent of climate funding.

Ademola Braimoh, the World Bank Coordinator for climate smart agriculture said that large-scale investments in climate-smart agriculture need to be based on solid evidence that provide productivity and climate benefits.

"With the work from CIAT scientists, we are now far better equipped to make financing decisions to climate-proof African agriculture in these countries," Ademola said.

The project focuses on Senegal, Rwanda, Mozambique, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Ethiopia, Cote D'Ivoire, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Benin, Niger and Mali.

It provide a snapshot of the key issues such as climate impacts, climate smart agriculture practices, relevant policies, and financing opportunities for scaling up the promotion and sustained adoption of climate smart agriculture interventions.

The researchers have noted in details policy and investment recommendations based on an analysis of current drivers and constraints to adoption the identified practices.

"There is an insatiable appetite from African governments for up-to-date information on how to implement climate-smart agriculture," Robert Zougmore, Africa Lead on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) said.

He said that the climate smart agriculture profile is being used to inform national climate change plans and programs in Senegal.

"The creation of profiles for three states in Nigeria has been requested by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), demonstrating the high demand for this data West Africa-wide," he added.
NAIROBI, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenya plans to prioritize investment in specialized skills in order to reduce dependence on foreign labor force in the oil sector, a senior government official said Wednesday.

John Munyes, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, told an oil forum in Nairobi that Kenya faces key skills deficiencies in most sectors of the oil industry, especially in the area of geology, pipe fitting, welding, drilling as well as in the operation and repair of heavy equipment.

"We need to up skill our workforce in order to ensure that both local and regional populations benefit from the opportunities created by the oil sector. The shortage has in effect, led to a domination of foreign expertise in technical oil exploration and production skills," Munyes said during the inaugural Morendat Institute of Oil and Gas Conference.

The three-day event brought together experts in oil, gas and extractives from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Australia and Canada to exchange knowledge on key opportunities and pitfalls within the sector.

The main aim of the conference is to enable Kenya to formulate interventions to enhance the capacity of its work force and to exploit emerging opportunities within the oil, gas and extractives sector.

Kenya discovered oil in 2012 and has so far confirmed approximately 750 million barrels of oil in the South Lokichar Basin in Northwest Kenya.

Joe Sang, the Managing Director at Kenya Pipeline Corporation (KPC), said that demand for skilled workers in the oil sector is set to increase given that Kenya plans to expand its pipeline network from 1,300 km to 2,700 km, coupled with the expected deployment of pipelines in Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan.

John Mosonik, the Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, said that Kenya has already signed a Production Agreement with Tullow oil, the firm that discovered the country's oil deposits which will trigger the commencement of the early oil scheme.

Mosonik said that through the early oil scheme, Kenya intends to move between 2,000 and 4,000 barrels of oil per day from the production fields to the coast for export using trucks and rail.

He noted that the crude oil will be stockpiled at the Changamwe Oil refinery which has been converted into a storage facility by KPC until there are sufficient quantities for export.

Mosonik added that full oil production is anticipated to commence around 2021-2022, while French firm Total SA has already committed to invest in the Lokichar-Lamu pipeline, boosting Kenya's efforts to develop its own oil fields and realize its ambition of joining the league of oil exporters.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 03:06:14|Editor: Chengcheng

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GENEVA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Scientists in Switzerland said Wednesday they have developed a small and inexpensive piece of electronic equipment that detects people by smell and could be used in earthquake or avalanche rescue.

Researchers from the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) said in a statement they have developed a very cheap kind of electronic rescue dog.

"Trained rescue dogs are still the best disaster workers, but they are often not immediately available and dog teams have to travel," the scientists wrote.

The device consists of a combination of sensors which can detect acetone, ammonia, isoprene, carbon dioxide and moisture, said the ETH.

These metabolic products are emitted in low concentrations via a person's breath or skin.

Individually, these substances could come from sources other than humans, such as a fire, for example, but the combination of sensors "provides the scientists with a reliable indicator of the presence of people," the ETH wrote.

The sensors have so far only been tested in laboratory conditions, in collaboration with Austrian and Cypriot scientists.

The research team, led by Sotiris Pratsinis, professor of Process Engineering at ETH Zurich, now wants to test the pin-sized device in real life conditions to test its suitability for search and rescue missions.

While electronic devices are already being used during searches after earthquakes, they rely on microphones and cameras which can only locate trapped people who can make themselves either seen or heard beneath the rubble.

The ETH scientists would like to supplement this existing equipment with their newly-developed sensors.

In addition, drones and robots could also be equipped with the device, thus allowing inaccessible and remote areas to be searched for survivors.

Further potential applications of the device could include detecting stowaways and combating human trafficking and people smuggling, said the statement.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 03:16:17|Editor: huaxia

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BANJUL, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Gambia's information minister Demba Ali Jawo said on Wednesday that the West African state is concerned over the ongoing crisis in Palestine that left dozens killed.

"The Gambia government is definitely very much concerned with what is going on Palestine for the very fact that so many people have lost their lives in this period. It is a very big concern to the government," he said.

Jawo said Gambian Vice President Fatoumata Jallow Tambajang would leave for an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), taking place in Turkey on Friday.

"I can assure you that this is the very issue they are going to discuss there because virtually most countries of the world particularly members of the OIC are very much concerned about what is going on in the occupied territories," he said.

Mass protests of Palestinians took place in the Gaza Strip on Monday when the U.S. embassy was transferred from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

At least 60 Palestinians, including six children, were reportedly killed and more than 1,300 others injured by live ammunition and rubber bullets, said UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov. Enditem
DUBLIN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- There is a small number of international terrorist sympathisers in Ireland and they are under close monitor, reported local media RTE on Wednesday quoting police sources.

Addressing an Interpol conference being held here, Michael O'Sullivan, assistant commissioner of Irish National Police and Security Service, said that approximately 30 Irish citizens travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight with the Islamic State group.

Some of these people are dead or missing while others have moved on to other theatres of war, he said, indicating that families and children of these people could be a major issue.

He said that police are concerned about the potential for a lone wolf attack in Ireland and they are working closely with local communities and the threat level in Ireland is moderate.

He also said that there is evidence that terrorist groups are working with organized crime, which has funded attacks in Paris and London in recent years.

He said that Irish police forces are fully prepared for any terror attacks in the country.

He cited two incidents for examples. In one incident where a man was wielding an axe on O'Connel Street in downtown Dublin, police had responded within four minutes, he said, adding in another incident where a man was on a train with an imitation firearm, police disarmed and arrested the man within five minutes.

He did not mention the time of the two incidents.

Interpol is holding an annual European regional conference in Dublin, which kicked off on Tuesday. Police officers from across Europe have participated in the three-day event to share experiences and discuss ways to tackle common security issues in the region.
CAIRO, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday that U.S. move of its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem will have negative consequences on the Palestinian cause.

Sisi's remarks came during a televised speech at a youth conference in the capital Cairo.

The Egyptian president said the U.S. move will lead to a state of instability in the region.

On Monday, the United States moved its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem, six months after U.S. President Donald Trump recognized the city as the capital of Israel.

At least 63 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were killed and about 2,800 wounded over the past two days in confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters against moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, the city the Palestinians want its eastern part as the capital of their future state.

Sisi pointed out that his country is in contact with the Palestinian and Israeli sides to stop the bloodshed.

He added that Egypt frequently opens the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to alleviate the sufferings of the two million people in the coastal enclave, which is ruled by Islamic Hamas movement.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 03:41:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GENEVA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- South Korea has requested dispute consultations with the United States at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regarding U.S. safeguard duties imposed on imports of large residential washers and crystalline silicon photovoltaic products, according to WTO official documents released on Wednesday.

In the requests circulated to WTO members on Wednesday, South Korea claimed that U.S. safeguard measures are inconsistent with a number of provisions under the WTO's Agreement on Safeguards and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

South Korea considered that the United States failed to make a proper determination and to provide a reasoned and adequate explanation of a significant overall impairment in the position of the domestic industry to support its conclusion that the domestic industry was suffering "serious injury or threat of serious injury".

The United States decided in January to impose tariffs of up to 50 percent on imported washers for the next three years, and up to 30 percent on solar cells and modules for the next four years.

South Korea said the U.S. measures affect almost 304 million dollars in washing machine products on which Washington collected 152 million dollars in duties in 2017, and 1.1 billion dollars of solar panel imports which accrued duties to the Americans of 330 million dollars in 2017.

Separately, South Korea had in February issued a complaint at the WTO, challenging the U.S. use of anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duties relating to steel and transformer products.
BERLIN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A tornado struck the area of Viersen in western Germany on Wednesday evening, leaving "a trail of devastation" and at least one person seriously injured, Focus online reported.

The injured person has been hit by thick tree branches. Several roads were blocked by fallen tree branches and a railway line had to be closed, according to Focus online.

In Viersen-Boisheim, houses are so badly damaged that they are temporarily uninhabitable, Focus online quoted local sources as saying, adding that many house roofs were covered and trees tilted.

The tornado struck at around 18:00 local time.
File Photo: A member of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) looks through binoculars from Mount Bental, an observation post in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights near the ceasefire line between Israeland Syria, on Feb. 10, 2018. The Israeli army launched a large-scale attack against the Syrian aerial defense system and Iranian targets in Syria after an Israeli F-16 fighter was hit by missiles from Syria and crashed. (Xinhua/JINI)

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The UN special envoy for the Syria crisis, Staffan de Mistura, on Wednesday called for de-escalation in Syria.

"De-escalation is critical, between both the Syrian and international stakeholders -- both regional and global. We hope that the relevant players can re-establish some overarching 'rules of the road' in that regard," he told the Security Council.

He warned that the recent reports of fighting in Syria involving Israel and Iran were signs of a worrying escalation to a situation not seen in the region since 1973.

De Mistura also expressed concern over the situation in Idlib province. He warned that if Idlib repeats the situation in Eastern Ghouta, it could be much worse.

"We are talking about 110,000 people who have been evacuated to northwestern Syria and Euphrates Shield areas in the past two months. Many are reportedly traumatized and in urgent need of assistance and protection," he told the council via a video teleconference from Geneva.

"If we see a Ghouta scenario in Idlib, this could be six times, I repeat six times, worse, affecting 2.3 million people there, of which half of them are already IDPs (internally displaced persons), who will have nowhere to go because there is no other place to go once they are up there."

De Mistura stressed the importance of reviving the political process, both in terms of the formation of a constitutional committee and also in terms of some initial steps toward establishing a safe, calm and neutral environment.
LONDON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The CEO of one of Britain's biggest aid charities, Oxfam, announced Wednesday he is quitting.

Mark Golding's decision to stand down as chief executive comes after the charity was embroiled in a major sex scandal involving Oxfam workers in Haiti following its devastating earthquake.

He had faced criticism for his handling of the claims that Oxfam aid workers in Haiti in 2011 had used prostitutes.

The Oxfam scandal dominated the British national media for days, and attracted global publicity, but a spokeswoman for the charity said his resignation was "absolutely not to do with his handling" of the crisis.

In February Goldring's deputy, Penny Lawrence, resigned over the charity's handling of the sex scandal which led to the British Charity Commission launching a statutory inquiry into Oxfam.

Goldring said in a statement issued by the charity: "Oxfam has achieved much, bringing humanitarian assistance and new opportunities to millions of people in some of the hardest places on the planet, shining a spotlight on the barriers that trap people in poverty and holding those in power to account for decisions that affect the world's poorest people. I am proud to have played a part in that, but I think the time is coming for a new leader.

"Following the very public exposure of Oxfam's past failings, we have redoubled our efforts to ensure that Oxfam is a safe and respectful place for all who have contact with us. We are now laying strong foundations for recovery. I am personally totally committed to seeing this phase through.

"However, what is important in 2019 and beyond is that Oxfam rebuilds and renews in a way that is most relevant for the future and so continues to help as many people as possible around the world build better lives. I think that this journey will best be led by someone bringing fresh vision and energy and making a long-term commitment to see it through."

Goldring will leave the organisation at the end of this year.

In 2016 Goldring oversaw the biggest annual humanitarian response in Oxfam's history, encompassing the refugee crisis as well as conflicts including Yemen, Syria and South Sudan. During his five years in post he has also overseen the growth of Oxfam's work tackling poverty and its root causes and ensured Oxfam improved its safeguarding practices following sexual abuse by former staff in Haiti in 2011.

Caroline Thomson, chair of Oxfam, said: "It is with great sadness and with thanks for his dedication and leadership that I accepted Mark's decision to stand down.

Thomson said Goldring had faced the test of a lifetime managing the crisis which the charity in February and related to events before he joined.

"He rose to the immense challenge and his leadership has been invaluable through it. It is testament to his integrity and humility that Mark will see through the next few difficult months," she added.
CAIRO, May 16 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian court on Wednesday added 241 members of Wilayat Sinai terrorist group, which is loyal to the Islamic State (IS) group, on terrorist list for five years.

These people face charges of murder and attempted murder against army forces and police personnel in Egypt's North Sinai province, according to official MENA news agency.

They are also accused of forming 43 terror cells and committing 63 terrorist operations in collaboration with other 314 people of the militant group.

The ruling was made by the Cairo Criminal Court, MENA reported.

Wilayat Sinai, meaning Sinai Province, declared loyalty to the IS in 2014.

The group claimed responsibility for dozens of terror attacks across the country that led to the deaths of hundreds of policemen, army personnel and civilians.

Terrorism prevailed in Egypt since the military ousted former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in early July 2013 in response to mass protests against his 12-month reign and his currently outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 04:51:39|Editor: zh

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UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The UN special envoy for the Syria crisis, Staffan de Mistura, on Wednesday called for de-escalation in Syria and the revival of the political process.

"De-escalation is critical, between both the Syrian and international stakeholders -- both regional and global. We hope that the relevant players can re-establish some overarching 'rules of the road' in that regard," he told the Security Council.

He warned that the recent reports of fighting in Syria involving Israel and Iran were signs of a worrying escalation to a situation not seen in the region since 1973.

Although the allegations of the exchange of attacks could not be verified in every aspect, even an incomplete picture demonstrates a troubling trajectory of ever more frequent and ever more intense international confrontation over Syria, something unprecedented since 1973, he said via video teleconference from Geneva.

De Mistura also expressed concern over the situation in rebel-held areas in Idlib province. He warned that if Idlib repeats what has happened in Eastern Ghouta, the consequences would be much worse.

The Syrian government's offensive on the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus resulted in massive displacement of people before government forces recaptured the territory last month.

"We are talking about 110,000 people who have been evacuated to northwestern Syria and Euphrates Shield areas in the past two months. Many are reportedly traumatized and in urgent need of assistance and protection," he told the council.

"If we see a Ghouta scenario in Idlib, this could be six times -- I repeat -- six times worse, affecting 2.3 million people there, of which half of them are already IDPs (internally displaced persons), who will have nowhere to go because there is no other place to go once they are up there."

He also warned that escalation in Idlib or in other areas of the northwest may incur risks not only to Syrian civilians but also to international peace and security, as many of the areas contain external, international forces.

"Conflict there might entail confrontations with those forces, leading us down a slippery slope toward regional, or potential international conflict. Therefore, international discussions on how to prevent this, on de-escalation in particular, are needed and are taking place, but need to be very intense."

Nevertheless, de Mistura said he was encouraged by the latest round of talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana, where the three guarantor countries -- Russia, Iran and Turkey -- engaged themselves actively on "how to avoid the worst-case scenario in Idlib."

De Mistura stressed the importance of reviving the political process, both in terms of the formation of a constitutional committee and in terms of initial steps toward establishing a safe, calm and neutral environment.

"De-escalation is indispensable. This is what the Syrians themselves are telling us. But it is only one of the ingredients necessary to move on the political process. What we also need is to overcome concrete challenges to a meaningful Geneva process to implement (Security Council) Resolution 2254," he said, referring to the December 2015 resolution that calls for a cease-fire and political settlement in Syria.

He said the United Nations stands ready to facilitate discussions on carrying forward the political process, through engagement with the Syrian government, the opposition and the Syrian civil society.

The United Nations believes that there is an urgent need for high-level diplomacy to support de-escalation, avoid miscalculation, and ensure genuine communication about a sustainable end to the conflict, said de Mistura.

He said he was looking with interest at the forthcoming visits to Moscow by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 04:51:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BOGOTA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The government of the Colombian department of Antioquia and the Red Cross issued an alert on Wednesday to four towns' residents to evacuate immediately given the flooding of the Cauca River.

"Please leave the river and its surroundings immediately. In the next few minutes, the water level of the Cauca River (will rise)... Head immediately to meeting points," read the statement posted on social media.

Personnel from the army and national policy were helping to evacuate residences close to the river, after an emergency was declared in the machinery room of the Hidroituango hydroelectric plant.

"There is an evacuation order in these communities. The 'downstream' protocol was activated after a problem presented itself in the machinery room," Carlos Ivan Marquez, director of national disaster risk management, told the press.

On Saturday, authorities evacuated over 200 families as the river burst its banks after a tunnel at Hidroituango unblocked itself because a landslide had clogged it.

The flooding has already destroyed 63 houses, a clinic, an education center and a footbridge.

According to Colombia's minister of mines, German Arce, the state of emergency for the area will remain in place until the situation at the Hidroituango site is stabilized.
BERLIN, May 16 (Xinhua) -- German chemicals producers are increasingly concerned about risks stemming from swelling trade conflicts, Brexit as well as tensions in the Middle East despite a strong performance during the first quarter (Q1) of 2018, a report published on Wednesday by the Association of the Chemicals Industry (VCI) warned.

The VCI report highlighted that gross revenue in the companies it represents grew by 5.7 percent compared to the same period last year, reaching a total of 51.1 billion euros (43.3 billion U.S. dollars) in Q1. At the same time, output increased by 6.7 percent on an annual basis.

While the outlook remained positive for the current year, however, the VCI also drew attention to growing risks which could undermine future growth.

"Most firms are still confident that the upward trend for chemical business will continue throughout this year. Nevertheless, the economic risks have increased," a statement by VCI president Kurt Bock read.

The protectionist policies of the United States, potential political conflicts in the Middle East due to the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear accord, and the uncertain outcome of Brexit negotiations in particular posed serious threats.

The VCI noted among others that an escalating confrontation between Washington and Teheran would place pressure on crude oil prices, making stabilization efforts on behalf of countries represented in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) more likely. Crude oil is a crucial raw ingredient for the German chemicals industry.

Output and chemical prices were also up on a quarterly basis during the first months of 2018, a development which was mainly attributed to strong demand in the chemicals industry's European home market in particular. Looking forward, Germany's third largest industrial sector now expects to achieve annual gross revenue of 204 billion euros (plus 4.5 percent) and witness rise in chemical production by 3.5 percent.

Additionally, early signs of growing headwinds in the German and world economy had already led companies to slow the pace of their new recruiting. German chemicals producer employed 455,000 staff in Q1 according to VCI, marking a slight increase of 0.5 percent compared to the same period last year.
KHARTOUM, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Sudan on Wednesday condemned what it described as "Israeli massacre" of Palestinian civilians who were protesting over the move of U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns, in the strongest terms, the massacre committed by the authorities of the Israeli entity in the Gaza strip against Palestinian civilians coincident with the 70th anniversary of Palestinian Nakba Day and opening of the U.S. embassy in the occupied Jerusalem," said Sudan's Foreign Ministry in a statement.

It urged the international community to live up to its responsibilities towards provision of full protection to the helpless Palestinians.

The statement stressed Sudan's solidarity with the Palestinian people in their just cause and legitimate right in establishing its state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The statement further criticized the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem, describing it as a "flagrant violation" of the international law and the rights of the Palestinian people.

It said the move represents a provocation to humanity and a threat to international peace and security, noting that the move also aborts peaceful settlement talks, top of them the Oslo agreement.

The statement reiterated Sudan's full rejection to any violation of the legal and political status of Jerusalem.
RABAT, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Sudan pledged here Wednesday to give new impetus to bilateral cooperation.

This pledge was made during a meeting between the Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani and Ahmed Saad Omar, Minister in charge of the General Secretariat of the Sudanese Council of Ministers.

The two sides lauded the long-standing relations of friendship between the two countries and the dynamic of bilateral cooperation in the different fields, according to a statement from the PM's office issued following the talks.

This dynamic will be reinforced through a series of cooperation agreements covering different sectors of economic and social development, which will be signed at the next Moroccan-Sudanese Joint Committee, the same source said.

During the talks, the two sides also reviewed cooperation and coordination concerning government action and the organization of trainings for the benefit of specialized executives, the source added.
MEXICO CITY, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Personnel from the Mexican navy seized a boat carrying a shipment of 1.3 tons of cocaine off the Pacific coast in the state of Michoacan, it was announced on Wednesday.

The Ministry of the Navy and Army indicated that soldiers arrested six Mexican nationals and two Ecuadorians during the operation on Tuesday, 166 kilometers southwest of the port of Lazaro Cardenas.

A military plane buzzed the craft and gave the alert for a helicopter and a navy interceptor to converge on the vessel to secure its cargo, said the statement.

"Navy personnel executed a vertical insertion, from the helicopter, aiming to seize the vessel and therefore prevent its presumed criminal action," it read.

The cargo of cocaine, which was packed in 32 containers, is one of the largest hauls captured by the Mexican army in 2018 so far.

Mexico has increased patrols in the Pacific in recent months to fight the smuggling of cocaine, after it was reported that cartels had increased shipments of the drug from Central and South America.

The boats usually abandon the drugs out at sea with tracking devices for acolytes to later recover them and take it to shore, the ministry said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 05:21:49|Editor: Chengcheng

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RIYADH, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Saudi State Security Presidency designated on Wednesday 10 Hezbollah commanders, including its head, on the kingdom's terrorism list, Al Arabiya local news reported.

Along with the U.S. Treasury Department, Saudi Arabia designated Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, as a terrorist sponsor, and other nine Hezbollah commanders on the terror list.

The presidency highlighted that the move meets the approach of the United Nations to tackle terrorism and its financing.

It vowed Saudi Arabia's continuation to cooperate with all alliances of the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center (TFTC) to stop Hezbollah and Iran from destabilizing the region. The assets and bank accounts of the newly listed individuals in Saudi Arabia were frozen.

The TFTC was formed in May 2017 and inaugurated by the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Arab-Islamic-American Summit held in Saudi Arabia last year.
RABAT, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Spanish counterpart Alfonso Dastis hailed Wednesday in Rabat their strong partnership in the areas of trade and security.

Speaking at a press conference following talks between the two ministers, Dastis said partnership between Rabat and Madrid is a "model" to follow for other countries, noting that the two countries have succeeded in establishing a relation of trust and dialogue.

Spain is Morocco's largest trading partner and the kingdom is also an important trading partner for Spain outside the EU, he said.

"It is clear that Morocco is a fundamental partner for the EU," he said, stressing that "the kingdom knows that it can count on Spain to help establish a privileged framework with the EU."

For his part, Bourita praised the constructive and positive role of Spain in strengthening the Morocco-EU partnership.

He deemed as "exemplary" the cooperation between the two countries in the areas of trade, fight against illegal immigration and counter-terrorism.

The cooperation between the security services and the Interior Ministries of the two countries is "a model of inter-regional cooperation," he stated.

Bourita said that his talks with his Spanish counterpart were an opportunity to discuss the means to enhance bilateral relations and to prepare the upcoming events, including the Moroccan-Spanish high-level meeting which will be held very soon.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 05:56:57|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MANAGUA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega on Wednesday presided over the opening of a national dialogue to resolve recent political unrest and deadly protests.

The dialogue between the government, the private sector, opposition groups and nongovernmental organizations is being mediated by Nicaragua's Episcopal Conference (CEN) and held at an archdiocese in western Managua.

Ortega arrived at the meeting accompanied by his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, and his daughters, and a bevy of bodyguards.

Protesters outside the venue yelled at Ortega and his retinue as he arrived, while members of the National Workers Front (FNT), which supports the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front, chanted "Daniel, Daniel, Daniel!"

Ortega told the opening session that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) was invited "to accompany" the dialogue and to send representatives to investigate the violence and allegations of political prisoners or disappeared.

Nicaragua has seen violent protests since April 18, after the government announced changes to the social security system. Those changes have since been revoked, but demonstrations have continued.

Human rights organizations say more than 50 people have been killed in clashes with security forces, some 500 people have been injured, and a large number have been arrested.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-17 06:27:04|Editor: Liangyu

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Cao Jianming (3rd R), vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, meets with Maja Gojkovic (3rd L), Speaker of National Assembly of Serbia, in Belgrade, capital of Serbia, on May 14, 2018. China and Serbia should step up pragmatic cooperation through the Belt and Road initiative and through the "16+1" cooperation mechanism between China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, officials from both sides have agreed. (Xinhua/Wang Huijuan)

BELGRADE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China and Serbia should step up pragmatic cooperation through the Belt and Road initiative and through the "16+1" cooperation mechanism between China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, officials from both sides have agreed.

Cao Jianming, vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, during his visit in Serbia on May 14-16, met with Speaker of National Assembly of Serbia Maja Gojkovic, Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic, and Serbia's Republic Public Prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac.

During the meetings, Cao noted that recent years have seen a high-level development of China-Serbia ties, marked by frequent exchange of high-level visits, solid political mutual trust and fruitful achievements in various areas of cooperation between both countries.

Cao expressed hope that the two sides, within the framework of Belt and Road Initiative and the China-CEE cooperation mechanism, would further align their development strategies, expand pragmatic cooperation and step up exchanges of both countries' legislative bodies, so as to further promote the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

The Serbian side expressed willingness to actively participate in the Belt and Road construction and the "16+1" cooperation and to boost mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields. The Serbian parliament is also ready to deepen exchanges and cooperation with China's National People's Congress with an aim to promote bilateral ties.
Although Hungary (along with the Czech Republic and Romania) vetoed an EU statement condemning the relocation of the US embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem, a pro-government columnist warns that President Trumps move may be responsible for more violence in the region.

A left-wing commentator finds it unwise for the Hungarian government to have sided the US rather than the EU.



In Magyar Idok, Laszlo Szocs describes US President Trumps decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as a risky gamble and a clear expression of support for the Netanyahu governments policies.



Only time will tell if the relocation of the US embassy will be a symbolic gesture alone, or if it will trigger a new wave of violence, Szucs continues. He warns that if the conflict escalates, President Trump will be indirectly responsibility for the turmoil and the deaths.

Nepszavas Gabor Horvath sees the relocation of the US embassy as a symbolic gesture. The left-wing pundit finds it unlikely that the decision will have a major impact on the status quo, but thinks nonetheless that the gesture may trigger violence. In an aside, Horvath finds it unwise for the Hungarian government to side with the US, and resist EU attempts to issue an official complaint on the move of the US embassy.

This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher.

Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online.

Click here to Share Your Story
Every July the city of Veszprem turns into a festival town for a few days, it's a special time when the place is filled with music from morning 'til (late) night.

Besides well-known Hungarian musicians as always, in 2018 there will be no shortage of visiting musicians from around the world, from Scotland to France to South Africa.



Check out the video below to see what happened last year.
Coun Perez reiterates warning to barangay leaders involved in drugs

07 Aug 2017 Hits:37 Comments(0)

Liga ng mga Barangay President, Councilor Jerry Perez yesterday reiterated his warning to all barangay officials from using or selling drugs. Perez said he is closely monitoring the activities of all the barangay officials and vowed sanctions against erring leaders. Aqui gane na mio barangay ya quita ya iyo na puesto cunel dos barangay leaders quien mas temprano ya sale positivo na...
New Delhi: Iceland`s low fare transatlantic airline -- WOW air -- on Tuesday said that it will commence operations between New Delhi and Keflavik airport to multiple destinations in North America at fares starting from Rs 13,499 including taxes.

According to the low fare transatlantic airline, its India operations will commence from December 7, 2018 with five direct flights a week between New Delhi and Keflavik airport "subject to final completion of regulatory formalities".

The airline`s Chief Executive and Founder Skuli Mogensen disclosed to IANS that the airline expects to have around 90 per cent load factor or capacity utilisation for its transatlantic flights from New Delhi via Keflavik airport.

Mogensen said that the airline has studied potential new destinations in India and will reveal its future plans to connect them to Iceland and North America within the next 12 months.

Besides, the airline said that it will offer 4 fare options -- WOW basic, WOW plus, WOW comfy and WOW premium.

A one-way ticket to Iceland, US, Canada and London in the economy category --WOW basic -- will start from Rs 13,499, including taxes, while the business class fares on -- WOW premium -- will be priced from Rs 46,599 onwards including taxes.
New Delhi: The Islamic holy month of Ramzan or Ramadan will begin from May 17, 2018, as the moon has been sighted in various cities of the country. It was first seen in Chennai and now reports suggest that the moon has been sighted in Surat as well.

The sighting of moon ushers the holy month of Ramzan. Meanwhile, the Shahi Imam from Saudi Arabia has officially announced the commencement of the holy month, several reports suggest. The Rozas (fasts) will be observed for a 30-day period which begins from Thursday, May 17, 2018.

Depending on the weather conditions, there might be a delay in moon sighting in other states, reportedly.

Ramzan or Ramadan falls on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and holds a great significance for the Muslim community across the globe. During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims observe fast marking it as a gesture to revere the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief.

According to many beliefs, this annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month lasts for about 2930 days (usually a month) based on the visual sighting of the crescent moon, according to numerous biographical accounts compiled in the hadiths.

Ramadan word has Arabic root ramida or ar-ramad, which means scorching heat or dryness. It is believed that the holy book of Quran was written during this month. Thus, the people practise fasting in this month to purify their souls and seek forgiveness from the Almighty Allah.

All those who are fasting during daytime and are allowed to eat only after sunset. However, there are certain parameters and some are given the relaxation of not keeping the fast the entire day. People who suffer from any illness, or those who are travelling, elderly people, pregnant women and those going through their menstrual cycle are barred from keeping a fast.

Thus, people celebrate the festival lavishly by wearing new clothes, offering Namaz, eating together after sunset and greeting 'Ramazan Mubarak' which completes on the day of Eid!
NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be questioned on Friday in connection with the alleged assault on chief secretary Anshu Prakash in February. A notice has been sent to Kejriwal and the police will examine him on May 18 at 11 am. The CM's private secretary Bibhav Kumar was also questioned in connection with the case last month.

Eleven MLAs have already been questioned in connection with the alleged assault of Prash during a meeting on February 19 at Kejriwal's residence. Kejriwal, his former advisor VK Jain and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia were also present there.

On February 23, a police team had examined the CCTV system installed at the chief minister's residence in the Civil Lines area and seized the hard disk. The forensic report on the hard disk is still awaited.

The Delhi CS had alleged that he was beaten up by AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan and another AAP MLA in the presence of Kejriwal at the CM's residence, where he had been called for a meeting. The incident had led to the filing of an FIR by the CS and the 'March for Dignity', led by Prakash from the Delhi Secretariat to Raj Ghat. It had seen the participation of around 800 officers and employees holding candles in their hands.

Hearing the plea of Prakash challenging a breach of privilege notice issued to him for allegedly skipping a meeting called by the panel, the Delhi High Court had said that the Arvind Kejriwal government should calm their tempers.

The court also sought response of the Centre, AAP government, Lieutenant Governor (LG) and others on Prakash's plea. A single-judge bench of Justice Rajiv Shakdher had issued notices to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Privilege Committee, the Question and Reference Committee, apart from the city government and the LG, while seeking their reply in two weeks.
New Delhi: In a major move on sustainable development, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved National Policy on Biofuels  2018. The National Policy on Biofuels was made by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy during the year 2009.

The Policy categorises biofuels as "Basic Biofuels" viz. First Generation (1G) bioethanol & biodiesel and "Advanced Biofuels" - Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels, Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc. to enable extension of appropriate financial and fiscal incentives under each category, a government release said.

The Policy expands the scope of raw material for ethanol production by allowing use of Sugarcane Juice, Sugar containing materials like Sugar Beet, Sweet Sorghum, Starch containing materials like Corn, Cassava, Damaged food grains like wheat, broken rice, Rotten Potatoes, unfit for human consumption for ethanol production.

With a thrust on Advanced Biofuels, the Policy indicates a viability gap funding scheme for 2G ethanol Bio refineries of Rs 5000 crore in 6 years in addition to additional tax incentives, higher purchase price as compared to 1G biofuels.

The Policy encourages setting up of supply chain mechanisms for biodiesel production from non-edible oilseeds, Used Cooking Oil, short gestation crops.

The policy is aimed at reducing import dependency along with cleaner environment.

The ethanol supply year 2017-18 is likely to see a supply of around 150 crore litres of ethanol which will result in savings of over Rs.4000 crore of forex. For the ethanol supply year 2017-18, there will be lesser emissions of CO2 to the tune of 30 lakh ton, government said.

It is estimated that, one 100klpd bio refinery will require around Rs.800 crore capital investment. At present Oil Marketing Companies are in the process of setting up twelve 2G bio refineries with an investment of around Rs 10,000 crore. Further addition of 2G bio refineries across the Country will spur infrastructural investment in the rural areas, the release said.
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approves corpus of Rs .5,000 crore for setting up of a dedicated Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) with NABARD under Pradhan MantriKrishiSinchayeeYojana (PMKSY).

The allocation of Rs. 2,000 crore and Rs. 3,000 crore will be utilised during 2018-19 and 2019-20 respectively. NABARD will extend the loan to State Governments during this period. Borrowings from NABARD shall be paid back in 7 years including the grace period of two years, a government release said.

The lending rate under MIF has been proposed at 3 percent lower than the cost of raising the fund by NABARD. This cost shall be met from the ongoing scheme of PMKSY-PDMC by amending the existing guidelines. The total financial implication on interest subvention comes to about Rs 750 crore, the release said..

States may access MIF for innovative integrated projects, including projects in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode and also for incentivizing micro irrigation through an additional (top up) subsidy over and above the one available under PMKSY-PDMC Guidelines and for covering additional areas. It should not be a substitute for State's share in PMKSY-PDMC.

The Cabinet also proposed to constitute an Advisory Committee to provide policy direction and ensure effective planning.

With the operation of MIF, it is expected that the States which are lagging behind in adoption of Micro Irrigation would also be encouraged to take advantage of the fund for incentivizing farmers as being done by the good performing States, government said.
New Delhi: India on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the situation in West Asia after over 50 Palestinians were killed in violence in the wake of the United States opening its embassy in Jerusalem.

"India is deeply concerned with continuing tensions on the border between Gaza Strip and Israel where more than 50 Palestinian nationals lost their lives and thousands injured on May 14," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of lives.

"We urge all sides to avoid escalation of the situation so as to create a conducive atmosphere to resume the peace process," the statement said.

The violence earlier this week coincided with the dedication ceremony of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

The transfer of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem had already incensed Palestinians, who claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his country's military action that killed and wounded Palestinians.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called for intensified protests.

The Latin American nation of Guatemala also inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, two days after the US opened its mission in the disputed city.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and Netanyahu cut a blue-and-white ribbon as the official opening of the embassy.

The developments come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two separate visits to Israel and Palestine since last year.

Modi visited Israel in July last year in what was the first-ever prime ministerial visit from India to the West Asian nation.

He then went on a standalone visit to Palestine in February this year in what was again the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to that country.

The visit came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to India in January this year.

India has continuously supported the Palestinian cause at various international fora.

New Delhi had voted in the UN General Assembly in December last year against US President Donald Trump's unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.


New Delhi: The Centre has asked security forces not to launch operations against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan. The Ministry of Home Affairs has said that the decision has been taken to help the "peace-loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment". Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, too, has been informed of the decision by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

However, the Centre has said that the security forces "reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people". Known as Ramzan or Ramadan, the Muslim holy month will start on Thursday.

The Centre asks Security Forces not to launch operations in Jammu & Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan. Decision taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment.

HM Shri @rajnathsingh has informed the Chief Minister, J&K of Centres decision.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

Security Forces to reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

Government expects everyone to cooperate in this initiative and help the Muslim brothers & sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

Welcoming the decision by the Centre, Mufti said, "I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire and would like to thank PM and Home Minister for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders and parties who participated in the All Party Meeting and helped build consensus towards this announcement."

I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire & would like to thank @narendramodi ji & @rajnathsingh ji for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders & parties who participated in the All Party Meeting & helped build consensus towards this announcement. 1/2  Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 16, 2018

The month of Ramadan is a harbinger of peace & such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful & amicable environment for a sustained dialogue. 2/2  Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 16, 2018

Just a few days ago, Mehbooba Mufti had demanded a unilateral ceasefire by the security forces during Ramzan and Amarnath yatra in the state. But the Centre was initially not too keen on offering an olive branch to the terror groups pointing out that the situation in the state was not conducive for a ceasefire and such an exercise undertaken in 2000 had not given the desired results.

Senior government officials had said there was no guarantee that the Pakistan-based terror groups would reciprocate if the Centre agrees to the state government's request for a ceasefire. Recalling the Non Initiation of Combat Operations (NICO), announced by the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000, a senior government functionary said there was a major terror attack at the Srinagar airport during the crucial four-month period 18 years ago and the announcement of such a decision now may be termed as a "weakness" in the current situation in the state.

"Almost all terrorist groups operating in the Valley in 2000 had rejected the government offer. Many still recall that during the four-month period, terrorists were roaming freely in Kashmir. Is there any guarantee that such a situation would not repeat now," the official said requesting anonymity.

Six terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba had attacked the Srinagar airport when the ceasefire was in force in 2000 in which two security personnel and two civilians were killed. All six terrorists were also killed in the retaliatory firing.

Another official described the prevailing situation in Kashmir Valley as "turbulent" where nearly 80 incidents of violence occurred in last four months and civilians were often seen coming out to encounter sites to stage protests with the intention of giving the militants an opportunity to escape.

Under such circumstances, the announcement of a ceasefire may be seen as "weakness" on the part of the government, the official said and cited a series of brazen militant attacks including the killing of eight Amarnath pilgrims in 2017. The official, however, asserted that it would be a political decision and would be taken at the highest level of the government.

After an all-party meeting, Mufti had said that the central government should consider a unilateral ceasefire in the state starting from Ramadan in mid-May till the completion of the Amarnath yatra in August.

"Everyone (all parties) agreed that we should appeal to the Centre to consider a ceasefire like the unilateral ceasefire in (former PM Atal Bihari) Vajpayee's time in Ramadan (later this month) till Amarnath yatra and Eid," she said. Mehbooba said a ceasefire would provide relief to the people and help create a better atmosphere in the state. "The Centre should think on these lines so that the common people get some relief because they are facing many difficulties due to encounters, crackdowns and search operations," she said.

The Valley has witnessed the killing of over 55 militants including at least 27 locals till May 15, 2018.

(With inputs from PTI)
New Delhi: Indore has emerged as the cleanest city in India, followed by Bhopal and Chandigarh in the government's cleanliness survey, Swachh Survekshan 2018. The survey, organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), under the aegis of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), aims to estimate levels of cleanliness across cities in the country.

Indore was the cleanest city in 2017 as well, but that survey was conducted only for around 430 cities. This time it was conducted for around 4,200 cities. The announcement was made by the MoS for Housing Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday. "I've lived in some of the cleanest cities in the world during my long stay abroad and I must tell you that the cleanliness levels in Indore and Bhopal give them a run for their money," he said.

Looking at the way citizens of big winning cities had turned Swachhata into a Jan Andolan, I am not surprised at the results. Congratulations #Indore & #Bhopal for a repeat performance at #1&2. Well done #Chandigarh for coming in 3rd.

Others will surely try & catch up next year. pic.twitter.com/M8PMQRn1QI  Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 16, 2018

A tale of two cities! The way Indore & Bhopal retain the Top-2 spots is a commendable feat. I want to congratulate the citizens, ULBs, Mayors & elected representatives of the two cities & MP CM @ChouhanShivraj for his leadership.

All it takes is a good CM to change the state. pic.twitter.com/0KWXUU1heT  Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 16, 2018

Responding to the minister, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted:

Thank you @HardeepSPuri Ji for the kind words. It is all due to efforts of the people of two cities & the administration. Cleanliness drive has been taken up as a mission by citizens of the state. Efforts like #SwachhSurvekshan2018 enhance spirit of participative governance. https://t.co/o3O5PcZtxc  ShivrajSingh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) May 16, 2018

On the other hand, Jharkhand has been adjudged the best-performing state in the survey, followed by Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. Compared to the previous surveys, this year's exercise allocated substantial weight to the feedback from citizens based on their daily experience. "79% of the respondents from 4,203 cities and town have reported a definite improvement in cleanliness. I would prefer to call these results as citizens verdict on sanitation in urban areas given the scale and eagerness of citizens participation," Puri said.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis also shared his happiness on Twitter:

Great news for Maharashtra again!

Maharashtra bags 10 awards in #SwachhSurvekshan2018 !

Total 4203 ULBs across the Nation got assessed and we bagged maximum awards!

Congratulations Maharashtra!

Maharashtra is also ranked 2nd in the country as best performing State! pic.twitter.com/buXpG0BX6D  Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) May 16, 2018

Some of the other cities in the list are - Ghaziabad is 'fastest mover' city (population 10 lakh), Nagpur is the best city in 'innovation and best practices' (population 10 lakh), Navi Mumbai is the best city in 'solid waste management', Bhiwandi is 'fastest mover' city (population 3-10 lakh), Aligarh is the best city in 'innovation and best practices' (population 3-10 lakh), Mangalore is the best city in 'solid waste management' (population 3-10), New Delhi Municipal Council is the cleanest city (population 1-3 lakh), Greater Mumbai is cleanest state capital/UT, Bhusawal is 'fastest mover' city (population 1-3 lakh) and Kota is the best city in 'citizens feedback' (population 10 lakh), among others.

The names of the worst performing cities would be announced on the day the awards would be presented, Puri said.
Tamil Nadu Plus Two results 2018: The Tamil Nadu Directorate of Government Examinations (DGE) declared the TN Class 12 Board results on its official website tnresults.nic.in on Wednesday morning. The results were announced by state education minister KA Sengottaiyan.

As per emerging reports, the overall pass percentage stood at 91.1 per cent with Virudhnagar emerging as top district scoring 97 per cent. Erode district emerged second with 96.3 per cent while Tiruppur third with 96.1%. A total of 6754 school secured 100% results. Girls outperformed boys once again.

Over 9 Lakh students appeared for the exam this year.

Official websites to check Tamil Nadu HSC +2 Board Results 2018

Here are the websites where you can check the results online:

tnresults.nic.in dge.tn.gov.in dge1.tn.nic.in tnresults.nic.in dge1.tn.nic.in examresults.net indiaresults.com

How to check your TN 12th Board Result 2018

Step 1: Log onto the official website tnresults.nic.in

Step 2: Click on the link Tamil Nadu 12th Result 2018 / Tamil Nadu HSC Result 2018

Step 3: Enter your required details

Step 4: Your result will be displayed on the screen. Candidates are advised to download the same and take a printout for future reference

Beginning this year, the education department will not release topper's name and ranks in an effort to discourage unhealthy competition among students.

For any queries on Tamil Nadu HSC Board Results, candidates can Contact DGE the at directordge.tn.nic.in.

Neither NIC nor the Directorate is responsible for any inadvertent error that may have crept in the results being published on Net. The results published on Net are for immediate information to the examinees. These cannot be treated as original mark sheets, said a notice on the website.
The Union Public Service Commission has announced the final merit list for Combined Defence Services Examination (II) 2017 for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy, and Air Force Academy. The merit list includes the names of candidates who qualified in the written tests and SSB interviews.

A total of 3701 candidates had qualified in the written test for admission to the Indian Military Academy, 2248 for Indian Naval Academy and 914 for Air Force Academy respectively.

In the final merit list, 103 candidates qualified for Indian Military Academy, 69 for Indian Naval Academy, and 20 for Air Force Academy.

Toppers for CDS (II) for Indian Military Academy

1. Vivek Tharkoti

2. Debasis Sarangi

3. Ashish Rai

Toppers for CDS (II) for Indian Naval Academy

1. Debasis Sarangi

2. Ashish Rai

3. Manish Rana

Toppers for CDS (II) for Air Force Academy

1. Debasis Sarangi

2. Ashish Rai

3. Regatte Sai Kiran Reddy

There are some common candidates in the three lists for various courses, said a release from the Centre.

The number of vacancies, as intimated by the Government is 100 for Indian Military Academy [including 13 vacancies reserved for NCC C certificates (Army Wing) holders], 45 for Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala Executive (General Service) [including 06 vacancies reserved for NCC C Certificate holders (Naval Wing)] and 32 for Air Force Academy, Hyderabad, said the release.

The results of Medical examination were not taken into account in preparing these lists.

Verification of date of birth and educational qualifications of these candidates is still under process by the Army Headquarters. The candidature of all these candidates is, therefore, Provisional on this score. Candidates are requested to forward their certificates, in original, in support of Date of Birth/Educational qualification etc. claimed by them, along with Photostat attested copies thereof to Army Headquarters /Naval Headquarters /Air Headquarters, as per their first choice, said the release.

Selected candidates can avail their results also on the UPSC website at upsc.gov.in. However, marks of the candidates will be available on the website after declaration of final result of Officers Training Academy (OTA) for Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2017.
A day after at least 15 people were killed as an under-construction flyover collapse in Varanasi on Tuesday, authorities said on Wednesday that an investigation to ascertain the cause of the mishap is underway. Refusing to divulge any details as of now, an official appointed by the Uttar Pradesh government said that any statement on the same would be made only after all records are checked and investigation is complete.

Raj Pratap Singh, a member of the committee constituted by Yogi Adityanath government to probe the flyover collapse in the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said, I can`t say anything at this moment. Until we complete the investigation, talk to everyone concerned and check all the records, it won`t be right to say anything.

Varanasi district magistrate Yogeshwar Mishra said that all compensation will be given to the victims and their relatives at the earliest. He told news agency ANI, "We are waiting for the findings that will come in investigation. I don't want to comment on anything right now. All compensation will be given to victims soon."

Following the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had announced ex-gratia for the affected families and met the victims at the Kabir Chaura Hospital late Tuesday night.

A portion of the flyover near Varanasi's cantonment area railway station came down on several people - possibly labourers. Several vehicles, including a mini bus, got crushed under the debris. An eyewitness of the incident said, "I was 50 meters away from where a portion of the flyover came down. Everyone around the area panicked and began screaming."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during an address on Karnataka Assembly election results at BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday evening, had expressed grief over the loss of lives in the mishap. The Prime Minister said that he had talked to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the issue and offered all help by the central government.
Lucknow: A large group of Samajwadi Party workers on Tuesday staged a protest at the site where a portion of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi collapsed. Armed with banners and placards, they demanded that the state government finds out what led to the accident which claimed 18 lives.

The SP workers called out the BJP state government and demanded that a high-level probe be constituted to investigate what caused a part of the flyover to come down on Tuesday evening. "So many lives were lost for no reason at all. Was there some sort of mismanagement? The government needs to get to the bottom of it," said one of the protestors.

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath has already announced Rs 5 lakh as compensation for families of those who died in the incident. He had said on Tuesday that he had directed local officials to speed up rescue and relief work. Five teams of NDRF were deployed while hospitals in the area were also put on alert.

Several vehicles trapped underneath the debris were taken out between Tuesday and Wednesday. Eyewitness accounts recounted the horror through Wednesday and said scenes of utter chaos had followed the tragedy.
Kolkata: Repolling in 568 booths across West Bengal from where the State Election Commission (SEC) received complaints of violence during the panchayat poll, began on Wednesday amid tight security. The booths where repolling is being held are spread in all the 20 districts of the state where the rural polls were held on Monday, SEC officials said.

The state government and the police have been asked to make elaborate security arrangements so that the repolling is held in a free and fair manner, they said.

"The repolling started at 7 in the morning and will end at 5 pm. The counting will take place tomorrow (on May 17)," the SEC officials said.

The repolling has been ordered in 10 booths in Hooghly, 28 booths in West Midnapore, 52 booths in Coochbehar, 63 booths in Murshidabad, 60 booths in Nadia, 59 booths in North 24 Parganas, 55 booths in Malda, 73 booths in Uttar Dinajpur and 26 in South 24 Pargans among others, they said.

Aggrieved by the violence that marked the panchayat poll in West Bengal which claimed at least 12 lives and left 43 injured, several candidates who were in the fray had met the SEC officials and demanded the repolling.

Independent candidates too met the SEC officials to request repoll in their seats.

Opposition parties had accused the TMC of "unleashing a reign of terror and destroying democracy". The TMC, however, termed the allegations as "baseless".

Several non-political organisations held sit-ins outside the SEC office yesterday in protest against the violence on the polling day.

The rural polls were held after a protracted legal battle in the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court involving the State Election Commission, the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition parties.
New Delhi: The Haryana government today told the Supreme Court that it would maintain status quo on the supply of Yamuna river water to Delhi till May 21. The apex court asked the Delhi government and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to request Haryana for the maintenance of status quo on water supply and directed Haryana to take an independent decision on the matter.

A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Navin Sinha said the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) should deal with the issue and it would be appropriate if the Delhi government approached the Board. The Delhi government withdrew a plea filed by the DJB in the apex court and said it would approach the Board immediately for release and continuation of drinking water supply from Haryana.

The court was hearing the DJB's plea alleging that Haryana had reduced by one-third the supply of Yamuna water to the national capital, leading to a grave water crisis. "We expect the Board to meet and sort out the matter amicably between Delhi and Haryana," the bench observed.

One of the functions of the UYRB, set up by the Centre in 1995, was to regulate and supply water from all storage sites and barrages up to the Okhla barrage in Delhi, in accordance with the agreements between the governments of the six basin states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.

On May 11, the apex court had slammed the UYRB for not doing their job pertaining to distribution of river water among the beneficiary states and asked it why should the courts do its work. Haryana government had earlier told the top court that it was facing a "huge distress" for water as it was receiving only half the supply from Hathni Kund barrage located in the Yamuna Nagar district. Haryana had, however, said it would continue supplying 150 cusecs of water to Delhi till May 15.

Delhi had earlier said there was a shortfall of 120 cusecs of water of Yamuna river daily for the national capital.

The DJB had contended that Haryana was supplying Delhi only 330 cusecs of water daily as against 450 cusecs a day, which was agreed upon between the state and the Union Territory. It had claimed that due to curtailment in water supply to Wazirabad reservoir, the plant was running at reduced capacity leading to a "grave water crisis" in the city.

The DJB had sought directions from the apex court to Haryana to supply the entire 450 cusec of water per day continuously and daily to the Wazirabad reservoir.
New Delhi: After a day of high-political drama, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala invited BJP's BS Yeddyurappa to form the next government in the state.

Governor Vala sent out a letter inviting Yeddyurappa to take oath as the next CM on Wednesday night. He also asked him to indicate the 'time, date and the place for the swearing-in ceremony.' BJP's Basavaraj Bommai and Murlidhar Rao also confirmed that the letter of invite had indeed been received and that the oath-taking ceremony would take place at 0900hours on Thursday. "Tomorrow (Thursday), BS Yeddyurappa will be taking oath alone. After proving majority, cabinet will be sworn in," Rao told mediapersons.

Karnataka Governor's letter inviting BJP's BS Yeddyurappa to form government. #KarnatakaElectionResults2018 pic.twitter.com/EafBULC7nr  ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

The Governor's decision was met with enormous animosity by Congress and JDS. In a press conference, Congress' RS Surjewala said the 'Governor has shamed his office.'

Congress had offered unconditional support to JDS after the two parties emerged second and third to BJP in Tuesday's counting of votes. The two staked claim to form the government as it had crossed the half-way mark after combining. Through the course of Wednesday, Congress also accused BJP of trying to lure its MLAs by offering crores of money. As a result, Congress MLAs were taken to a resort just outside Bengaluru after HD Kumaraswamy of JDS submitted signed letters of support from all of them to Governor Vala.

Meanwhile, BJP too had staked claim to form government with BS Yeddyurappa meeting Governor Vala twice in two days. It argued that since BJP was the single-largest party, it must be invited to form government. While sources say Congress could approach Supreme Court to contest Governor's decision, the real test now would be for Yeddyurappa to prove majority on the floor of the house - he has fifteen days from Thursday.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday welcomed the Centre's decision to not launch any security operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan.

"I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire and would like to thank PM and Home Minister for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders and parties who participated in the All Party Meeting and helped build consensus towards this announcement," she said in a tweet.

I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire & would like to thank @narendramodi ji & @rajnathsingh ji for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders & parties who participated in the All Party Meeting & helped build consensus towards this announcement. 1/2  Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 16, 2018

The month of Ramadan is a harbinger of peace & such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful & amicable environment for a sustained dialogue. 2/2  Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 16, 2018

National Conference leader and former J&K CM Omar Abdullah too welcomed the Centre's decision. "On the demand of all political parties (except the BJP, which had opposed it) the Centre has announced a unilateral ceasefire. Now if the militants don't respond in kind, they will stand exposed as the true enemies of the people," he said.

On the demand of all political parties (except the BJP, which had opposed it) the Centre has announced a unilateral ceasefire. Now if the militants dont respond in kind they will stand exposed as the true enemies of the people.  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 16, 2018

The Centre has asked security forces not to launch operations in J&K during the holy month of Ramzan. The Ministry of Home Affairs has said that the decision has been taken to help the "peace-loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment". However, the Centre has said that the security forces "reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people".

Just a few days ago, Mufti had demanded a unilateral ceasefire by the security forces during Ramzan and Amarnath yatra in the state. But the Centre was initially not too keen on offering an olive branch to the 'terror groups' pointing out that the situation in the state was not conducive for a ceasefire and such an exercise undertaken in 2000 had not given the desired results.

After an all-party meeting, Mufti had said, "Everyone (all parties) agreed that we should appeal to the Centre to consider a ceasefire like the unilateral ceasefire in (former PM Atal Bihari) Vajpayee's time in Ramadan (later this month) till Amarnath yatra and Eid."

The holy month of Ramzan will start on Thursday.
New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday forfeited deposit in all 29 seats after it failed to make a dent in the Karnataka Assembly Election results 2018.

"We were washed out but I cannot understand why. We got a lot of support but that could not be converted into votes," said Prithvi Reddy, AAP's Karnataka convenor.

Reddy, who took on Congress heavyweight KJ George from the Sarvagnanagar Assembly constituency, got just 1,861 votes, managing a distant second.

Renuka Vishwanathan contesting from Shantinagar was reportedly the only AAP candidate who managed to get more votes than NOTA (None Of The Above).

On Tuesday, Karnataka voters delivered a hung Assembly, with no party reaching the majority mark. The BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 104 seats out of the 222 Karnataka Assembly constituencies. The Congress took the second spot with 78 seats while JDS bagged 37 seats to end a distant third.

Political drama ensued in the evening with Congress and JDS joining hands and claiming a stake on the government that left BJP fuming. The state governor will be meeting BJP's CM candidate Yeddyurapa later on Wednesday. Meanwhile, threatened by the possibility of horse trading, JDS and Congress are reportedly taking steps to ensure the BJP doesn't poach their legislators.

Yogendra Yadav-led Swaraj India also contested from 11 seats in the state. Its Darshan Puttannaiah polled 73,779 votes from Melukote seat, coming second.

"Swaraj India had contested 11 assembly seats in the Karnataka assembly elections 2018. Our candidates have polled a total of 79,400 votes. This is a creditable beginning, better than other new entrants. While we did not win any seat, our candidate and general secretary Darshan Puttannaiah finished second fighting against the money and power of the JD(S) which is a truly encouraging beginning," Swaraj India said in a statement.

The party secured 0.2 per cent of the total vote share.

In 2017, the AAP made attempts to spread itself outside Delhi, where it had scored a stunning victory in 2015 by bagging 67 out of 70 assembly seats.

But barring Punjab, where it emerged as the main opposition party, its performance was disappointing. It drew a blank in Goa and later in Gujarat Assembly polls, where all its 29 candidates lost their deposits.

Candidates in Assembly elections lose deposit if they secure less than one sixth of the valid votes polled in the constituency.

In 2018, the AAP also failed to open an account in Nagaland and Mizoram.

With PTI inputs
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership is going all out to ensure that it forms the government in Karnataka. BJP Karnataka chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa and Human Resources Development Minister Prakash Javadekar have claimed that they will be able to give a stable government in Karnataka after the party emerged as the single largest party in the state Assembly with 104 seats.

Javadekar called the Janata Dal Secular (JDS) the "A team" of Congress and termed their post-poll tie-up an unholy alliance. He added that Congress was in power in Karnataka and the Assembly election results have shown the people in the state do not want the party to form a government. "The people of Karnataka have rejected Congress. They want a BJP government in the state. Congress is forming an unholy alliance with the JDS. Over 60 percent of Karnataka voters have rejected Congress," he said.

He added that BJP will try all legal and constitutional options to ensure the party forms the government in Karnataka. He also hinted that BJP was not averse to making a move to get the JDS on its side when he said that the votes that the HD Deve Gowda-HD Kumaraswamy led party had received were actually against the Congress and so it should not go with the Grand Old Party.

Yeddyurappa said that all the newly elected BJP MLAs will meet in Bengaluru on Wednesday morning and elect the legislative party leader after which he will meet Karnataka Governor Vajubahi Vala for government formation. He added that BJP will seek time till Thursday for government formation.

Javadekar along with Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and JP Nadda will oversee the BJP legislative party meeting at the party office in Bengaluru. The BJP legislative party will elect Yeddyurappa as its leader.

The Congress-JDS-BSP alliance has already announced HD Kumaraswamy as its chief ministerial candidate. The three parties together have 116 MLAs in Karnataka Assembly, which is four more than the halfway mark in the current house.
Karnataka had ended up with a hung Assembly after results were declared on Tuesday for 222 seats which went to polls on May 12. The Congress which came second by winning 78 seats and the Janata Dal Secular (JDS) and its pre-poll ally Bhaujan Samaj Party with 37 and one victories each have come together to stake claim to form the next government in Karnataka. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has 104 MLAs, is accusing the Congress-JDS-BSP combine of going against the verdict and trying to form a government using dirty tricks.

But even as the BJP came on top in terms of the number of seats won, the party is still at the second position when it comes to the vote share. The Congress is the biggest party as far as vote share is concerned and the JDS is third.

According to the Election Commission of India data, the BJP contested in all the 222 seats and secured 36.2 percent of the votes while the Congress had the backing of 38 percent of the electorate. The JDS was preferred by 18.3 percent of the voters and the remaining 7.5 percent votes were cast in favour of other parties, independents and NOTA.

Out of the 222 constituencies for which voting was held and results declared, the Congress and JDS had contested 220 and 201 respectively.

But the BJP vote share has come from the high 43.37 percent in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when the party had won 17 seats out of the 28. The Congress was on the second spot with 41.15 percent of the votes and nine wins while the JDS came third with 11.07 percent vote share and two seats.

Compared to the last Karnataka Assembly elections in 2013, the BJP has seen its vote share almost double. In 2013, the BJP had just 19.89 percent of the votes and 40 wins while the Congress had secured a majority by winning 122 seats and 36.59 percent of the votes. The JDS, too, had 40 seats in its kitty and its vote share too was more than the BJP at 20.19 percent.

In the 2013 elections, BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa had his own outfit which bagged six seats securing a vote share of 9.79 percent. The other smaller parties and independents won in 16 constituencies and had a combined vote share of 13.54 percent.
BENGALURU: Amid the fast-paced political developments a day after Karnataka delivered a fractured-house verdict, BJP Karnataka chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa was elected as the state legislative party leader. The decision was taken during the initial 20 minutes of the legislative party meeting on Wednesday morning.

BJP legislators are now going to meet the Governor, request him to allow BJP to form the government.

Karnataka on Tuesday delivered a hung Assembly, with no party reaching the majority mark. The BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 104 seats out of the 222 Karnataka Assembly constituencies. The Congress took the second spot with 78 seats while JDS bagged 37 seats to sit on the third spot.

Even before the Election Commission declared the full verdict, intense political bargain began within the state. Acting quickly, Congress reached out to JDS, offering Chief Minister's position to HD Kumaraswamy. The two quickly formed an alliance and reached out to Governor Vajubhai Vala, leaving BJP fuming.

The saffron party, which fell short of just eight seats to attain the magic majority number, also refused to budge and met the governor, staking a claim to form the government.

With the Governor yet to announce his decision, Congress booked more than 100 rooms in Bengaluru's Eagleton resort in an effort to stop the Opposition from poaching and horsetrading.

The Congress-JDS-BSP alliance has already announced HD Kumaraswamy as its chief ministerial candidate. The three parties together have 116 MLAs in Karnataka Assembly, which is four more than the halfway mark in the current house.

Meanwhile, Human Resources Development Minister Prakash Javadekar, who reached the state on Tuesday evening, claimed that BJP will be able to give a stable government in Karnataka after the party emerged as the single largest party in the state Assembly with 104 seats.

The people of Karnataka have rejected Congress. They want a BJP government in the state. Congress is forming an unholy alliance with the JDS. Over 60 percent of Karnataka voters have rejected Congress," he said.
Amaregouda Linganagouda Patil Bayyapur, the Congress MLA from Kushtagi in Karnataka, on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to lure him into its camp by offering him not only money but also a ministry in the state government. Linganagouda, who is from the Lingayat community and won by defeating Doddanagouda Hanamagouda Patil of the BJP by over 18,000 votes, claimed that he is going to remain with the Congress and abide by the decision taken by the party leadership.

"I am a Lingayat and there is no issue in supporting the JDS. BJP leaders had phoned me and asked me to join their party. They promised to make me a minister. But I am not going to ditch the Congress and HD Kumaraswamy (Janata Dal Secular leader) is our chief minister," said Linganagouda.

Allegations and counter-allegations have been flowing thick and fast ever since the Karnataka Assembly elections threw up a hung Assembly. The BJP has the largest number of MLAs at 104 but is well short of the halfway mark of 112 to form a government. The Congress and JDS with 78 and 37 MLAs respectively have come together to claim they have the numbers to provide a stable government to Karnataka. The Congress-JDS alliance has the support of one MLA of Bhaujan Samaj Party and the Independent legislator H Nagesh.

Some Congress MLAs from the Lingayat community are said to be upset after their leadership decided to support the JDS and offer the chief minister's post to Kumaraswamy. The BJP, on the other hand, has been accusing the Congress of trying to form government in Karnataka by the back door by entering into a post-poll alliance with the JDS.
BENGALURU: With Karnataka throwing a fractured mandate, confusion prevails over who will form government in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single-largest party, winning 104 seats, the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular stood second and third with wins on 78 and 38 seats respectively. Even before the counting was completed on Tuesday, the Congress offered support to the JDS agreeing to have HD Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister. However, the BJP also met the Governor staking claim to form the government.

Watch the live streaming of Karnataka assembly election results 2018 on Zee News

Stating that HD Kumaraswamy would be the next chief minister of the JD-S-led government supported by the Congress in the state, outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah quashed rumours that a section of MLAs of his party was unhappy over him joining hands with Congress. "We have decided that Kumaraswamy will be the chief minister. We are 117 together," Siddaramaiah said after a meeting between the two parties took place late in the evening.

Karnataka Assembly election results 2018 live: Congress MLA claims BJP approached him, offered a ministerial berth

Asked about reports of dissension among some Congress MLAs over the two parties coming together, Siddaramaiah said: "It's a baseless rumour."

Elections in Karnataka were held at 222 out of 224 seats, on May 12. Elections in two assembly constituencies have been deferred. A party or an alliance needs 112 seats to form the government in Karnataka. As the results of the poll in the state have left the assembly in hung, the final decision will be taken by the Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.

BJP chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa on Tuesday asserted that he will be elected as the party leader. He also added that all the MLAs from the BJP will meet Governor to request him to allow the party to form a government in the state. "At 10:30 am in BJP legislative party meeting, I am going to be elected as party leader. After that, all MLAs are going to meet the Governor to request him to allow BJP to form govt. Now the ball is in the court of the Governor. We will do as he decides," he had said.
BENGALURU: As Karnataka threw a fractured mandate in the assembly, Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday reminded the people of the 'Operation Lotus' that was carried out in 2008. Kumaraswamy claimed that the BJP offered his MLAs Rs 100 crore in bribes to break ranks and back the BJP in forming a government in Karnataka.

"Our MLAs were offered Rs 100 crore by the BJP to break away. I want to know whether this is black or white money. The JDS-Congress combine has 116 MLAs. The BJP is trying to misuse its power being at the Centre and form its government through horsetrading," he said.

Karnataka Assembly government formation live updates

In the 2008 Karnataka Assembly elections, the BJP became the single-largest party but fell short of a majority by just three seats. It eventually formed the government but was accused of indulging in an infamous political manoeuvre code-worded 'Operation Lotus'. BJP's rivals claim "Operation Lotus" was initiated by the then BJP chief minister BS Yeddyurappa where he allegedly gained the support of some opposition party MLAs using money and power.

In 2018, too, the equation is almost similar with the same key players - BJP, Congress and JDS - wrangling for power and Yeddyurappa yet again being at the centrestage.

Claiming that JDS-Congress should be invited by the Governor to form the government, Kumaraswamy said, "without the numbers how can they (BJP) form the government".

He also rejected outright the possibility of forming a coalition government with the BJP. "I am going to meet the governor with the state Congress president and formally stake claim to form the government," he said.

Meanwhile, the BJP has rejected Kumaraswamy's charges terming them "imaginary". "This (talk of) Rs 100 crore, Rs 200 crore is imaginary. The BJP is not doing this. We are not in the habit of practising horsetrading. This is the kind of politics JD(S) and Congress do. We are going by the rule book and we will form the government," Union minister Prakash Javadekar said.

There are reports that the Congress has booked a resort in Bengaluru for its winning MLAs to prevent the BJP from poaching them. The booking has reportedly been done in the Eagleton resort in Bengaluru.

Karnataka delivered a hung Assembly on Tuesday with no party getting a clear majority to form government in the state. While BJP emerged as the single-largest party, winning 104 seats, the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular stood second and third with wins on 78 and 38 seats respectively. Even before full results could come in, intense political parley began with the Congress and the JDS declaring that they would jointly form the government in Karnataka.

However, the single largest party refused to budge, and ultimately both the sides met Governor Vajubhai Vala and staked claims to form the government. As the Governor is yet to give his decision on the issue, its expected to be another day of the race to Vidhan Soudha.
Bollywood actor Uday Chopra is once again in the line of fire on microblogging site Twitter, this time over Karnataka Assembly elections 2018 results. It started when the Dhoom actor posted a tweet citing the political affiliation of Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala. Sharing Vajubhais Wikipedia profile link, the Chopra scion referred to him as BJP guy.

Referring to the hung verdict in Karnataka Assembly elections and the political parleys following it, Uday Chopra tweeted, I just googled the governor of Karnataka. BJP guy and RSS hmmm I guess we all know whats gonna happen.

I just googled the governor of Karnataka https://t.co/5vUFe5Tttq BJP guy and RSS hmmm I guess we all know whats gonna happen  Uday Chopra (@udaychopra) May 15, 2018

Twitterati reacted to the actors tweet mocking him and referring to him as the Rahul Gandhi of Bollywood. Some of them also cited that former President Pranab Mukherjee was also a loyal Congress man before holding the highest office of the country.

Here are some of the reactions:

I just googled Uday Chopra , look what I found... pic.twitter.com/IuXwTBQqb4  Bhrustrated (@AnupamUncl) May 15, 2018

Aajao uday bhai politics me..  PUNekar (@ketanpunekarrr) May 15, 2018

Ye b bollywood ka rahul gandhi hi h  Rajat agarwal (@RajatPitti) May 15, 2018

Why dumbs from Bollywood tweet on politics  Keep Smiling (@upma23) May 15, 2018

There is something common between Rahul Gandhi and Uday Chopda.......... both are failed dynasts.  Deepak Joshi (@AllegedHindu) May 15, 2018

No movie or what.. Aise v who watch ur movie.. Boring  banchha (@banchha) May 15, 2018

Karnataka delivered a hung Assembly on Tuesday with no party getting a clear majority to form government in the state. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single-largest party, winning 104 seats, the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular stood second and third with wins on 78 and 38 seats respectively. Even before full results could come in, intense political parley began with the Congress and the JDS declaring that they would jointly form the government in Karnataka. However, the single largest party refused to budge, and ultimately both the sides met Governor Vajubhai Vala and staked claims to form the government.
New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court against Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's invitation to BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa to form the government in the state. The Congress filed the petition in the apex court registry almost around midnight.

Since swearing in now announced for 9 am on 17/5/18, in a 9 pm invite by governor today to BSY to form Govt, urgency to seek listing in sc tonite is self validating. If sc registry accepts petrs request on basis of petn settled by me and filed tonite, I wl appear and argue tonite  Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) May 16, 2018

Earlier, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala accused the Governor of acting like a 'BJP puppet' and allowing the saffron party to 'manufacture' a majority in 15 days.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah (BJP chief) have sanctioned encounter of the Constitution in the hands of the Governor of Karnataka today. We will use all legal and constitutional rights available to us. We will go to the court of the people," Surjewala said, addressing the press in Delhi.

"The actions of the Governor of Karnataka who acts like a stooge of the BJP are immoral, illegal and unconstitutional. The letter of the Governor clearly establishes that he believes that the BJP and BS Yeddyurappa do not have the requisite majority numbers. We ask Shri Amit Shah and Shri Narendra Modi if two parties cannot come together in a post-poll alliance, how did you form the government in Goa, Meghalaya and Manipur," he added.

Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah have sanctioned encounter of the Constitution in the hands of the Governor of Karnataka today. : @rssurjewala  Congress Live (@INCIndiaLive) May 16, 2018

The actions of the Governor of Karnataka who acts like a stooge of the BJP are immoral, illegal and unconstitutional. : @rssurjewala  Congress Live (@INCIndiaLive) May 16, 2018

We will use all legal & constitutional rights available to us. Hum janta ki adaalat mein jaayenge: Randeep Surjewala, Congress in Delhi on #Karnataka Governor inviting BJP to form govt pic.twitter.com/VbUavA6oxr  ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

Karnataka Governor on Wednesday invited BJP legislature party leader BS Yeddyurappa to form the government in Karnataka. "I invite you (Yeddyurappa) to form the government and be sworn-in as the chief minister of Karnataka," a Raj Bhavan communique said. The Governor has asked the 75-year-old BJP leader to seek a vote of confidence within 15 days of assuming office as the CM.

Toiling hard to control the levers of power in Karnataka, Yeddyurappa and HD Kumaraswamy, the leader of the newly formed JD(S)-Congress alliance had earlier met Vala and staked claim to form the government.

With 104 MLAs in the 224-member Assembly (elections took place for 222 seats), the BJP is the single largest party, while the JD(S)-Congress coalition, formed after the election results were declared, has 116 legislators. It has also claimed support of an independent MLA.

With there being precedents of both, Governors inviting either the leader of the single largest party or that of a post-poll coalition to form the government, Vala, a former RSS-BJP veteran from Gujarat, opted for the former.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Kumaraswamy claimed the BJP had offered his MLAs Rs 100 crore and ministerial berths to break ranks and back the saffron party. The allegations were promptly dismissed by the BJP, with Union minister Prakash Javadekar dubbing them as "imaginary".

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Huawei sub-brand Honor Honor 10 has made its global debut in London. The phone is available exclusively on Flipkart in India, and customers can pre-book the phone starting today.

Honor 10 has been priced at Rs 32,999 for the 6GB + 128GB variant.

The Honor 10 bears notch on the front display, taking que from Huawei's P20 series. The phone has been launched in three colours  black, teal blue and a Twilight colour. The Honor 10 house dual-rear cameras and a 24MP front camera. 3,400 mAh battery.

The phone features a 5.84-inch full-HD LCD display with screen resolution of 1080x2280 pixels and is powered by an octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 970 processor.

Launch Offers

Honor is offering additional Rs 5,000 off as regular exchange value for all Honor smartphones. Additionally Honor is giving Rs 3,000 off over regular exchange value for all other smartphones.

Axis Bank card holders will get 10 percent instant discount on Flipkart. Reliance Jio is offering Rs 1,200 cashback, 100GB additional data, and Rs 3,300 worth of partner vouchers for purchasing the phone.

Honor 10 will also be available on HiHonor.In and will be bundled with great offers including INR 500 coupon on the purchase of the device, Mobikwik supercash up to Rs. 2,000. Users can also try their luck by playing a mobile based game and getting a chance to win a free Honor 10, the company said.

Honor had launched the bezel-less View 10 smartphone with an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled chipset in India in January at Rs 29,999.

The phone with Kirin 970 chipset features AI-powered "Real-Time Scene" and "Object Recognition" technology.

Honor View 10 is equipped with a high-definition 16MP + 20MP dual-lens camera with F/1.8 wide aperture and 2-in-1 PDAF automatic focusing, enabling users to take professional photos. The device supports storage expansion up to 256GB via microSD.

AI-accelerated Microsoft Translator software delivers instantaneous translation without you needing to be online. New Kirin 970's powerful NPU claims to make translation more than 500 per cent faster than other smartphones running the same app.

With IANS Inputs
New Delhi: Hailed as the most beautiful woman on earth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan sizzled at the Cannes red carpet, as all eyes were set on her. The actress made heads turn with her fashion choices this year.

Ash was accompanied by her daughter Aaradhya, who looked super cute in a red frill frock at the French Riviera. The actress recently made her foray into the social media world and debuted on Instagram.

Her latest picture from Cannes will leave you mesmerised. As she concluded her Cannes trip this time, she posted the picture which spoke a thousand words as she beautifully captioned it, Thank you for your Love.

Thank you for your Love A post shared by AishwaryaRaiBachchan (@aishwaryaraibachchan_arb) on May 16, 2018 at 4:58am PDT

Gorgeous isn't it? Well, Ash is a Cannes regular and has been endorsing the beauty and haircare brand Loreal for many years. The 71st Cannes Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cannes. The festival previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from across the world. It is held at Palais des Festivals et des Congres.

This year, many Bollywood beauties have graced the French Riveria. Kangana Ranaut, Deepika Padukone, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Huma Qureshi and Mallika Sherawat left a lasting impression.

Sonam Kapoor made her first red carpet appearance as Mrs Ahuja and she looked stunning in a white Ralph and Russo number.
Several activists who had assembled outside the Yerevan Municipal Building to protest what they label as the uncalled-for destruction of trees in a strip of land between Italy and Beirut streets in downtown Yerevan, forced their way inside later in the day and called on Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan to resign.

Over the course of the day, hundreds of supporters demonstrated outside the building, with police blocking their entrance inside.

The furor over whats happening on a nearby strip of land, once a well-maintained park in Soviet Armenia, erupted yesterday when photos appeared up on the internet yesterday, eliciting concern among many.

The activists proceeded to enter the construction site to see for themselves. Many called on Yerevan Deputy Mayor Davit Ohanyan, who was present, to resign for allowing the destruction of healthy trees, including willows a century old.

The municipality claims that only dead and desiccated trees have been cut in the neglected strip of park and that the entire area is undergoing a much-needed facelift.

Protesters say that based on past experience, the municipality cannot be trusted.

The municipality says that the Vardanyan Family Foundation is underwriting the project to rehab the land behind the Alexander Myasnikyan monument and that the new park will be dedicated to the 2,800th anniversary of the founding of Yerevan.

Avet Martirosyan, who heads the municipalitys environmental department told reporters that the project calls for fountains to be installed and for the planting of new trees, many of expensive variety.

The official claimed that the trees cut down were old and posed a danger. The protesters demanded proof.

The activists lined the municipalitys entrance with green boughs taken from the felled trees, rhetorically asking Mayor Taron Margaryan, Are these withered trees?
Melbourne: Scientists have discovered the fastest-growing black hole known in the universe, describing it as a monster that devours a mass equivalent to our Sun every two days. The astronomers have looked back more than 12 billion years to the early dark ages of the universe when this supermassive black hole was estimated to be the size of about 20 billion suns with a one percent growth rate every one million years.

"This black hole is growing so rapidly that it's shining thousands of times more brightly than an entire galaxy, due to all of the gases it sucks in daily that causes lots of friction and heat," said Christian Wolf from Australian National University (ANU). "If we had this monster sitting at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy, it would appear 10 times brighter than a full moon. It would appear as an incredibly bright pin-point star that would almost wash out all of the stars in the sky," said Wolf.

The energy emitted from this newly discovered supermassive black hole, also known as a quasar, was mostly ultraviolet light but also radiated x-rays. "Again, if this monster was at the centre of the Milky Way it would likely make life on Earth impossible with the huge amounts of x-rays emanating from it," he said.

The SkyMapper telescope at the ANU Siding Spring Observatory detected this light in the near-infrared, as the light waves had red-shifted over the billions of light years to Earth. "As the universe expands, space expands and that stretches the light waves and changes their colour," Wolf said.

"These large and rapidly-growing blackholes are exceedingly rare, and we have been searching for them with SkyMapper for several months now. The European Space Agency's Gaia satellite, which measures tiny motions of celestial objects, helped us find this supermassive black hole," he said.

The Gaia satellite confirmed the object that they had found was sitting still, meaning that it was far away and it was a candidate to be a very large quasar. The discovery of the new supermassive black hole was confirmed using the spectrograph on the ANU 2.3 metre telescope to split colours into spectral lines.

"We don't know how this one grew so large, so quickly in the early days of the Universe," Wolf said. He added that as these kinds of black holes shine, they can be used as beacons to see and study the formation of elements in the early galaxies of the universe. "Scientists can see the shadows of objects in front of the supermassive black hole," he said.

"Fast-growing supermassive black holes also help to clear the fog around them by ionising gases, which makes the universe more transparent," he added. Instruments on very large ground-based telescopes being built over the next decade would be able to directly measure the expansion of the universe using these very bright black holes, Wolf said.
Mumbai: The ninth month in the Islamic calendar is considered holy. Known as Ramzan or Ramadan, the holy month will commence from May 16 in India. During this month, Muslims across the globe observe fast (Sawm) to commemorate the first revelation of the Holy Quran to Prophet Muhammad. The timings related to Ramzan is extremely important. Muslims in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and other countries will look for the crescent moon on Wednesday evening to confirm the start date of Ramadan 2018. The fasting for Ramadan or Ramzan month will begin depending on the moon sighting.

Ramzan is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is observed based on the sighting of the moon according to accounts compiled in the hadith. Adults, expect pregnant women, women in their menstrual cycle, people suffering from illness, the old and those travelling, observe fast. They can consume Suhoor (meal before dawn) and break the fast by having Iftaar (meal post sunset).

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims offer prayers (Salat), recite the Quran and do good deeds. The word Ramadan has Arabic root ramida or ar-ramad meaning scorching heat. The month of Ramadan concludes with Eid al-Fitr, an auspicious day for Muslims across the globe.
Varanasi: All employees and officers of Uttar Pradesh Setu Nigam will donate their one-day salary for victims of Varanasi bridge collapse. The decision has been taken with the agreement of all the engineers and workers of the corporation, as per Zee Media reports.

At least 18 people were killed on Tuesday after a portion of the flyover being built by the state-run corporation collapsed on a busy road in Varanasi as it crushed a mini bus, cars and two-wheelers. The Uttar Pradesh Bridge Construction Corporation was constructing the 2261-metre-long bridge at a cost of Rs 129 crore. The span which fell was laid barely three months ago.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has set up a three-member committee to probe the flyover collapse. He announced a Rs five lakh ex-gratia to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs two lakh to the seriously injured.

An FIR has been registered against concerned officials and contractors under sections 304, 308 and 427.

The state-run corporation, which had once earned kudos bagging projects not only in other states but also in Iraq, Yemen and Nepal, has been at the receiving end recently, a senior official of the PWD department was quoted as saying by PTI. In 2010, the 1086.62 meter Chillgahat bridge connecting Fatehpur with Bundelkhand region, built at the cost of Rs 650 crore, developed cracks within 13 days of the inauguration, he recalled. In 2016, a cavity developed on the Lohia bridge in Lucknow, providing an arterial link between posh and VIP areas on either side of the Gomti river.

(With PTI inputs)
Islamabad: Former chiefs of the Pakistan Army and powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) were today quizzed by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) over their alleged involvement in the 1990 election rigging and distribution of money to politicians.

Former army chief Gen Aslam Beg and former ISI chief Lt Gen Asad Durrani appeared before a FIA committee tasked with the implementation of the Asghar Khan case verdict, according to official sources.

The sources did not share the nature of questions and answers but confirmed that the former top officers were quizzed.

The Supreme Court had last week tasked FIA to implement the court's 2012 verdict.

In 1996, retired Air Marshal Asghar Khan had filed a human rights petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, accusing the ISI of doling out money to a group of politicians including Nawaz Sharif to cobble up an electoral alliance against Pakistan Peoples Party of Benazir Bhutto to defeat her in 1990 elections.

The case had resurfaced recently when a Supreme Court bench expressed dissatisfaction at the lack of progress considering the apex court had in 2012 ordered action against both military officials as well as the politicians who received money from them.

Both Beg and Durrani allegedly played role in bribing the politicians to rig the polls.

Then chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry deciding the case in 2012 ruled that the 1990 elections had been polluted by dishing out Rs 140 million to a particular group of politicians.

He said the purpose was to deprive the people of being represented by their chosen representatives.
Gaza City: A senior member of Gaza's rulers Hamas said on Wednesday that most of the 62 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire during border protests and clashes this week were members of the Islamist group.

Salah Bardawil did not give further details about whether they were members of the group's armed or political wing, or what they were doing at the time they were killed.

"The latest round (Monday and Tuesday), 62 people were killed," he told a Palestinian television show.

"Fifty of the martyrs were Hamas and 12 from the people. How can Hamas reap the fruits if it pays such an expensive price?" Questioned about the figures by the presenter, Bardawil said they were "official numbers".

Hamas spokesman Fawzy Barhoum did not confirm all 50 were members of the Islamist movement.

He told AFP Hamas paid for the funerals for all 50 "whether they are members or supporters of Hamas, or unrelated to the factions."

Bassem Naim, another senior Hamas official, declined to confirm or deny the number but said it was a "large movement and has great popular support".

It was "natural to see members or supporters of Hamas in large numbers" in such a protest, he said, adding that when they were killed they were "participating peacefully" in demonstrations.

Bardawil's statement was highlighted by the Israeli army, which has long argued that Hamas is seeking to use weeks of border protests as cover to carry out attacks.

Israel says its actions on the border are necessary to stop mass infiltrations from the Gaza Strip.

"Take his word for it. This was no peaceful protest," Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said on Twitter.

Palestinians, including Hamas officials, say protesters are being shot while posing no threat to soldiers and there have been international calls for an independent probe into the deaths.

Since protests and clashes began on March 30, 116 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip.

One Israeli soldier has been reported wounded in that time.

Monday left 60 Palestinians dead, the conflict's bloodiest day since a 2014 war. That day's protests coincided with the move of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which has deeply angered the Palestinians, who see the Israeli-annexed eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state.

Hamas, which has controlled Gaza for a decade, is considered a terrorist organisation by Israel, the United States and the European Union. It has fought three wars with Israel since 2008.

The Islamist group won 2006 Palestinian elections but the international community refused to accept the result.

A year later it seized control of Gaza from the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority in a near civil war.
Washington: The United States is still hopeful that an unprecedented summit with North Korea will take place, in spite of a threat by Pyongyang to pull out, but President Donald Trump is prepared for a tough negotiation, the White House said on Wednesday.

North Korea threw the June 12 summit into doubt on Wednesday saying it might not attend if Washington continues to insist that it unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons. North Korea also called off high-level talks with South Korea scheduled for Wednesday, blaming US-South Korean military exercises.

"We`re still hopeful that the meeting will take place and we`ll continue down that path but at the same time we`ve been prepared that these could be tough negotiations," White House spokeswoman Sanders said.

"The president is ready if the meeting takes place," she told Fox News. "If it doesn`t, we`ll continue the maximum pressure campaign that`s been ongoing."

Sanders said the North Korean comments were "not something that is out of the ordinary in these types of operations."

North Korea on Wednesday cast doubt on whether the planned meeting between leader Kim Jong Un and Trump, which is set for Singapore, would be held.

"If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the...summit," said Kim Kye Gwan, North Korea`s first vice minister of foreign affairs.

He specifically criticized US National Security Adviser John Bolton, who has called for North Korea to quickly give up its nuclear arsenal in a deal that would mirror Libya`s abandonment of its program for weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea clashed with Bolton when he worked under the Bush administration, calling him "human scum" and a "bloodsucker".

"We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," Kim the vice minister said.

Sanders appeared reluctant to endorse the Libya model that the outspoken and hawkish Bolton has touted, most recently on US television on Sunday, saying, "I haven`t seen that as part of any discussions, so I`m not aware that that`s a model that we`re using."

Sanders said the model that would be followed in dealing with North Korea was "the President Trump model."

"He`s going to run this the way he sees fit. We`re 100 percent confident...he`s the best negotiator."

Trump himself has yet to respond to the North Korean statements, which a US official said had taken the White House off guard after North Korean leader Kims diplomatic outreach both to the United States and South Korea.

Cancellation of the summit, the first meeting between a serving US president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to what would be the biggest diplomatic achievement of Trump`s presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for success even as many analysts have been sceptical about the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Korea`s willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that it says can hit the United States.

North Korean official Kim Kye Gwan derided as "absurd" Bolton`s suggestion that discussions with North Korea should be similar to those that led to components of Libya`s nuclear program being shipped to the United States in 2004.

"The world knows too well that our country is neither Libya nor Iraq which have met miserable fate," Kim said in an apparent reference to the demises of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and Iraqi former president Saddam Hussein.

He said North Korea was a nuclear weapon state while Libya had been at the initial stage of nuclear development.

The North Korean statements marked a dramatic reversal in tone from recent months when Pyongyang appeared to embrace efforts to negotiate.

North Korea had announced it would publicly shut its nuclear test site next week. On Sunday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would agree to lift sanctions on North Korea if it agreed to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons programme. Pompeo also held out the prospect of U.S. private sector investment.

Kim Kye Gwan`s statement appeared to reject that, saying North Korea would never give up its nuclear program in exchange for trade with the United States.

"We have already stated our intention for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States," Kim said.

North Korea defends its nuclear and missile programmes as a necessary deterrent against perceived aggression by the United States, which keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.

It has long said it is open to eventually giving up its nuclear arsenal if the United States withdraws its troops from South Korea and ends its nuclear umbrella security alliance with Seoul.

The Trump administration has insisted on complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantling of North Koreas nuclear weapons and the facilities needed to build the weapons as soon as possible.

North Korea announced it was pulling out of the talks with the South after denouncing US-South Korean "Max Thunder" air combat drills, which it said involved U.S. stealth fighters, B-52 bombers and "nuclear assets".

American stealth F-22 fighters were spotted in South Korea in May, but the US military command in South Korea said no B-52s were scheduled to take part.

A South Korean defence ministry official said the drills would go on as planned.

Some analysts and U.S. officials believe North Korea may be testing Trumps willingness to soften the US demand for complete denuclearisation.

Dutch UN Ambassador Karel van Oosterom, who chairs the UN Security Council North Korea sanctions committee, said he remained hopeful.

"Anyone who has had anything to do with DPRK in the past 20, 30, 40 years has seen that engaging in the political contact with DPRK is complex," he said. "The road ahead will have bumps, and I think we are hitting one of the bumps at the moment."

The doubt thrown over the summit comes a week after Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, under which Tehran curbed its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of most international sanctions.
North Korea on Wednesday threw into question an unprecedented summit between its leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump scheduled for next month, denouncing military exercises between South Korea and the United States as a provocation and calling off high-level talks with Seoul.

A report on North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency angrily attacked the "Max Thunder" air combat drills, which it said involved US stealth fighters and B-52 bombers, and appeared to mark a break in months of warming ties between North and South Korea and between Pyongyang and Washington.

Any cancellation of the June 12 summit in Singapore, the first meeting between a serving US president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to Trumps efforts to score the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for a successful meeting even as many analysts have been skeptical of the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Koreas willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that now threatens the United States.

The KCNA report called the air drills a "provocation" that went against the trend of warming ties. "This exercise, targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula," KCNA said, referring to a joint statement from an April 27 inter-Korea summit.

"The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities," KCNA said.

A Trump-Kim summit until recently had looked impossible given the insults and threats the two leaders exchanged last year over North Korea`s development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.

"Kim Jong Un had said previously that he understands the need and the utility of the United States and the Republic of Korea continuing in its joint exercises," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing.

"We have not heard anything from that government or the government of South Korea to indicate that we would not continue conducting these exercises or that we would not continue planning for our meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un next month," she said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the United States would examine the North Korean statement "and continue to coordinate closely with our allies."

South Korea`s National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong said in early March, after meeting Kim, that the North Korean leader understood that "routine" joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States would continue in spite of a warming of ties.

This was widely considered to be a major North Korea concession, though Pyongyang never publicly withdrew its long-standing demand for an end to the drills.

Kims latest move could be aimed at testing Trumps willingness to make concessions ahead of the summit, which is due to be preceded by a visit to Washington next week by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

A US government expert on North Korea said Kim may also be trying to gauge whether Trump is willing to walk away from the meeting, which has prompted the presidents supporters to suggest he deserves to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

Any acquiescence by Trump to a North Korean demand for a halt to joint drills would likely undermine South Korean and Japanese trust in his commitment to their security. Kim has also shown a desire to win international approval for his diplomatic outreach, and any sign that he is sabotaging the talks could damage this effort.

SUSPENDED NORTH-SOUTH MEETING

KCNA said North Korea was suspending a ministerial-level North-South meeting, which had been due to be held on Wednesday to focus on plans to implement the inter-Korea summit declaration, including promises to formally end the Korean War and pursue "complete denuclearization".

"The US should make efforts to create an atmosphere for mutual respect and confidence before dialogue, not resorting to a foolish farce that may reverse the good trend created with much effort," KCNA said.

The Pentagon said the May 14-25 Max Thunder exercises were routine and defensive in nature. A spokesman said the exercises would take place at Gwangju air base and would be "at a scale similar to that of the previous years".

Last year, Max Thunder involved about 1,500 US and South Korean personnel flying aircraft including F-16 fighter jets, according to a US Air Force website.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States would agree to lift sanctions on North Korea if it agreed to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program, a move that would create economic prosperity that would rival that of South Korea.

North Korea said on Saturday it would dismantle its nuclear bomb test site some time between May 23 and May 25 to uphold its pledge to cease tests.

Joshua Pollack, of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said Pyongyang appeared irritated by the US administration`s vow to maintain sanctions in spite of North Korean concessions.

"The North Koreans want a change in tone from the US, and at least so far, they`re not hearing one," he said.

A South Korean presidential adviser warned on Tuesday that an incremental North Korean approach to denuclearization would not be acceptable to Trump or the South Korean public.

Bonnie Glaser, of Washington`s Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said Kim may be being influenced by Chinese President Xi Jinping after two recent meetings with the Chinese leader, who has advocated a freeze in North Korea`s nuclear program in return for a freeze in US-South Korean drills.

"The fact this issue is back on the table suggests Xi Jinping may have raised it with Kim, and that Kim is carrying Xis water," she said.
Critics warn that such move would risk greater division in Ukraine and throughout the Orthodox world

Ukrainian officials have petitioned Orthodox Christian leaders to allow them to create a national church independent from Russia  in a bid to end more than 300 years of Moscows influence over religious affairs in their country.

To the plans supporters, this creation of an autocephalous church would be a major step in Kyivs campaign to break free from Russian hegemony.

We see the restoration of neo-imperial ideas in Moscow, said Archbishop Yevstraty Zoria, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, to Euronews.

But critics warn that such a move would risk greater division in Ukraine and throughout the Orthodox world.

Religion is a serious, and somewhat confusing, business in Ukraine. More than two-thirds of the population follows the Orthodox canon, which plays a central role in the countrys public life and self-image.

Ukrainians have three Orthodox churches to choose from (and one denomination, the Greek Catholics, who follow the Eastern liturgy but profess loyalty to the Vatican).

Only one of the Orthodox churches is considered official, however: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, which functions as an autonomous denomination within the Russian Orthodox Church.

This Ukrainian church is self-governing, but shares a prayer community with its mother church in Russia, officials say.

To many patriotic-minded Ukrainians, though, the idea that Moscow has any involvement in Ukraines religious affairs is an anathema. And given the close ties between Russian Orthodoxy and the Kremlin, they believe this translates into political sway as well.

This is a matter of national security and our defenses in a hybrid war, said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Because the Kremlin regards the Russian church as one of the key instruments of influence on Ukraine.

An abundance of churches

The religious ties between the two countries date back more than a thousand years to a time before there was even a Russia or Ukraine to speak of.

Both nations trace their historical heritage back to Kyivan Rus, a medieval state that was centered in Kyiv and, in 988, adopted Christianity, establishing Orthodoxy in the eastern Slavic lands.

Ukrainian territories later became part of the Russian empire and Ukraines church was subordinated to Moscow in the late 17th century.

After the breakup of the Soviet Union, however, the issue of an independent Ukrainian church became front and centre. Some Ukrainian religious leaders broke away from the Moscow Patriarchate and created their own independent body, which they called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate.

In addition, theres also a so-called Ukrainian Autocephalous Church, which was created in the early 20th century but has attracted only a small following.

Neither church is considered canonical or official, however, since no other Orthodox church has recognized them. Moscow Patriarchate officials consider the two institutions schismatic.

This is an artificial division, which has been created by and supported by politicians, said Archbishop Kliment Vecheria, spokesperson of the Moscow Patriarchate. The government needs a church that proclaims its slogans and ideas.

But according to some opinion polls, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate has grown to be the countrys largest denomination, despite its unsanctioned status.

And now, thanks to Ukraines ongoing conflict with Kremlin-supported and supplied separatists in the countrys East, the Kyivan Patriarchate  seen as a homegrown response to Russian encroachment  has watched its number swell further.

A Church of one's own

The movement to create a national Ukrainian church dates back decades, though so far it has failed to move beyond the discussion stage.

In this latest drive, Poroshenko met with Constantinople Patriarch Bartholomew in April and announced that his government would sponsor yet another application for autocephaly.

The idea would be to create a separate national church, which the two breakaway churches, and possibly parts of the Moscow Patriarchate, would join.

The process is complicated, however. Unlike Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy lacks a central leader. Instead, there are a number of individual autocephalous and autonomous churches.

The Patriarch of Constantinople is regarded as the first among equals, and while his opinion carries particular weight, many decisions must be reached unanimously among the sister churches.

Nevertheless, Ukrainian officials anticipate this time a positive decision, which could be delivered before the 1,030-year anniversary of Christianitys arrival to Ukraine at the end of July.

Others are less optimistic.

If the Constantinople Patriarchate didnt decide to recognize the schismatics 10 years ago, then nothing has changed in that time, and this doesnt hold any canonical possibilities for today, said Archbishop Vecheria.

Empire of faith

Some observers believe that the creation of an autocephalous Ukrainian church could throw up a whole new set of complications, which would be enough to convince the Patriarch of Constantinople to once again pass on taking a decision.

This would create the risk of another division in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church  just another configuration, said Lyudmyla Shangina, an expert with the Razumkov Center think tank in Kyiv.

Whats more, she said, the fallout could have not just national, but also geopolitical implications, as it touches on Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey.

Other analysts think this latest push for autocephaly was in its essence a political ploy by Poroshenko, who faces re-election next year. Successful or not, the fact that he tried to create a national church could help bolster his poll figures among the nationalist and religiously minded.

The petitions supporters are not giving up hope yet, though. And even if they fail in this attempt, their goal of a recognized Ukrainian autocephalous church remains alive, if only for the blow it would deal with Russia.

Without control over Ukraine, the Moscow Patriarchate wouldnt be the biggest Orthodox church, said Archbishop Zoria of the Kyivan Patriarchate. And the Russian Church would lose the basis of its vision to be the center of world Orthodoxy.

The situation is comparable to the breakup of the Soviet Union, he added. Without Ukraine, the Soviet Union was no longer a superpower.

Read the original text here.
Kurt Volker, the U.S. Department of the States Special Envoy for Ukraine arrived in Kyiv for a number of meetings. He met with families of Ukrainian hostages, political prisoners and those who went missing due to the Russian aggression in Donbas.

On May 15, the American official visited Donetsk and Luhansk region, talked to Ukrainian soldiers, OSCE observers and local residents.

Earlier, Kurt Volker said that he planned another visit to Ukraine in the middle of May. The diplomat stated that during his visit he intends to go to Donbas. At the same time, he is not ready to say whether he will visit Russia and whether he will conduct any talks with Russian officials.

As it was reported earlier, Kurt Volker demanded Russian and the militants to stop threatening the OSCE observers. This statement was the reaction to the incident which occurred on April 5 near occupied Kremenets near Donetsk. The militants did not allow the OSCE observers launch drones and threatened with a weapon.
Read the original text at Der Spiegel.

Open source

The supply of Russian anti-aircraft missile systems S-400 to Turkey is a real provocation for NATO. Instead of the conventional partner systems adopted within the alliance, Turkey wants to install a missile shield, developed by an increasingly aggressive rival, Russia.

Within NATO, resistance is mounting. The Russian system is allegedly not only incompatible with NATO's technical systems. The alliance fears that with the help of the S-400, Moscow will be able to find the strengths and weaknesses of the fifth-generation F-35 American fighter.

Turkey intends to purchase more than a hundred F-35 fighters for its own air force. It is a billion-dollar deal. However, it is the S-400 system that is considered potentially the most dangerous enemy of the multifunctional fighter, which in the next few years should become the basis of the US Air Force and other countries.

Accordingly, NATO is alarmed too. One NATO diplomat said that even if the deal with the S-400 is delayed, we must think about the reaction right now.

Publicly voiced fears are still mild. The purchase of the S-400 planned by Turkey means "a lot of trouble," US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said in Congress. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed at a meeting of the foreign ministers of NATO member countries that these were only statements about the purchase, but there was no actual treaty.

Internal analysis is more specific. To put it simply, NATO servicemen are cautious about the deliveries of Russian S-400 air defense systems, since, in their opinion, the complexes can become a sort of "Moscow eye" in NATO territory. When using these systems, Turks will depend on Russian aid for several years, and the data obtained during this time can leak into Moscow. In addition, internal sources suggest that with the help of complex software S-400, Russia will be able to collect all the data on the F-35.

Extensive C-400 radar readings can be very useful for studying the weaknesses of F-35 fighters. Air Force experts warn that in this way Russia will be able to study and evaluate the fighters flying through Turkey. Washington does not like the fact that Moscow will be able to closely study the US super-jets, developed for billions of dollars.

However, experts say that stealth technology protects the fighter from the radars of the Russian system. However, Russian SAMs will be able to record onboard radar data, ground communication channels, and radio communications, with the help of which Russia will step by step study and locate allegedly invisible fighters.

Open source

F-35 fighter

For such an armament system as the F-35, stealth technology and data transmission capabilities are of a great importance, so this would be a catastrophe. "We have to protect this science-intensive technology," said Heidi H. Grant, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, last November at an air show in Dubai. According to her, from this point of view, the deal between Turkey and Russia is dangerous.

These fears should spur the American discussion on the sale of the F-35. In late April, three senators from the Republicans introduced a bill to the US Congress. They demand to suspend the deal, as Turkey increasingly moves away from democracy and, for example, does not protect the strategic interests of the US in the Syrian conflict, but pursues its own goals.

In April, a senior US foreign ministry official even declared in the House of Representatives that sanctions could be imposed on Turkey on the basis of a law that provides for sanctions for the purchase of Russian weapons from 2017. Strictly speaking, the United States thereby wanted to punish Russia for the annexation of Crimea.

However, the blockade would have been a rather abrupt step: yet since 1999 Turkey has been one of the nine partners in the F-35 program. In addition, politically, this step would be similar to a vote of no confidence in the NATO partner. Even today, Turkish President Erdogan frankly flirts with Russia and increasingly turns away from NATO. No one can foresee how he will react to another slap from the alliance.

This is probably one more reason why NATO has so far confined itself to cautious threats. Of course, any member of NATO is free to buy weapons, said Chairman of the NATO Military Committee Petr Pavel last November in Washington. According to him, other partners in the alliance are also free in their actions. "Every decision has its consequences," Pavel added.

Markus Becker, Matthias Gebauer
Vandals dig up the mass graves of Jews, separate bones from the ground, stack them in sacks and take them out

Read the original text at 112.ua.

Devastated mass Jewish grave in Nemyriv

About a month ago in Rivne, in Sosonky stow, a mass grave was dug up, in which more than 18 thousand Jews were buried, killed during the Holocaust. This fact drew the attention of the locals; there were several calls to the police. Such an act of vandalism has not been committed for the first time, and the geography of the desecration of graves includes several areas. At the same time, the police in the Rivne region are still checking these facts, criminal proceedings have not yet begun.

"There have been several calls about the illegal digging of the graves. The facts are checked," the press service of the regional police told.

The very fact of such a lengthy verification is illegal, lawyer Maksym Borysov said: "Such information should be immediately entered in the Unified registry of pre-trial investigations and the verification should take place within the framework of criminal proceedings. In turn, the introduction of such statements in the Journal of Single Accounting is illegal, because this act has clear signs of a criminal offense."

"I do not understand what is happening, but the systematic desecration of the mass Jewish graves killed in the Holocaust began in Ukraine," Director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee Eduard Dolinsky wrote on his Facebook page.

And this is not the first time in a month. So, for example, something similar happened in Nemyriv, Vinnytsia region. The mass burial of Jews was also dug out.

However, the police in Nemyriv reacted instantly - "black archaeologists" were detained on the spot. Local residents noticed that suspicious people appeared in the cemetery at night, so the locals called the police. The policeman saw that two unknown people were digging through one of the mass graves. He summoned reinforcements, the vandals were detained. The perpetrators were two residents of Zhytomyr region 50 and 52 years old. They were detained by the police, criminal proceedings were started.

Devastated mass Jewish grave in Nemyriv

"The perpetrators managed to pile up the remains of people in order to take them out in a car left near the cemetery. The Vandals hoped to find some valuable objects there," the police said.

The representative of the Chief Rabbi of Vinnytsia and Vinnytsia region Shaul Horowitz Daniel Erlich told 112.ua, that these perpetrators were real professionals: "They have carefully dug the saps tunnels, like in the mines for coal mining. They used the boards, fixed the ceilings. They took out the bones very carefully, separating them from the ground. Then they put the bones into the sacks. In total, about 200 of such sacks were found inside, which they planned to take away."

In addition, according to Ehrlich, the people have been engaged in vandalism not for the first year: "When the chairman of the community has arrived, he said, that they had the same handwriting as the perpetrators in Pohrebysche did (a mass grave of Jews killed in the Vinnytsia region was dug up in the same way in 2006, - ed.). There are people who have been professionally engaged in vandalism for several years in Nemyriv. We understand that those who have been detained were just the performers and we ask to find those who were the customers, precisely, those who buy these bones."

Erlich could not answer, why somebody needed the bones of the dead Jews. He assumed: "Maybe, they were really looking for some gold, or the bones could be used for some terrible artifacts."

In Nemyriv, the remains of the dead Jews were reburied, but during reburial, it turned out that this was not the only grave buried there.

"There is a great area in Nemyriv, there are about 6 graves, and actually all the mass graves were dug up there," Ehrlich said.

Ministry of Internal Affairs says that any manifestations of anti-Semitism, desecration, and vandalism would be fought at all levels, including the political ones. Minister Avakov repeatedly called such manifestations "cave medieval".

Meanwhile, for more than a month, the police in Rivne region have been checking the allegations of the desecration of the grave in Sosonky. The legislation does not regulate the timing of such check.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or 112.International and its owners.
Read original article at 112.ua

Open source

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine after this published a harsh statement, in which "strongly rejected any insinuations and accusations that the manifestations of anti-Semitism on the territory of our state were allegedly growing." True, President Petro Poroshenko personally wrote a post on his Facebook, in which he directly pointed out at the problem: "I strongly condemn any manifestations of intolerance and anti-Semitism. I consider it unacceptable to bring this shameful phenomenon to Ukraine - as it recently took place during the actions in Lviv and Odesa. " That is, in fact, the president wrote that there is a problem, but the Foreign Ministry is sure that this is all insinuations.



At the same time, Poroshenko promises that "the reaction of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies to such illegal actions will be instantaneous." And the Foreign Ministry is sure that the law enforcement agencies are already "investigating and bringing to justice everyone guilty of such violations."



Our Foreign Ministry notes that according to the Monitoring Group of National Minorities Rights of the Congress of National Communities of Ukraine, no cases of anti-Semitic violence were reported in Ukraine in 2017, and according to the results of the PEW Research Center poll, the level of anti-Semitism in Ukraine is the lowest in Central and Eastern Europe.



On January 21, 2018, on the eve of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Minister for Diaspora Affairs of Israel Naftali Bennet presented the annual report "Anti-Semitism in 2017". The report says that against the backdrop of a decrease in the number of incidents in Eastern Europe, the number of incidents related to anti-Semitism in Ukraine has doubled, in addition, their amount is larger than in other countries of the post-Soviet space. Also, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs of Israel claims that for the second year in a row the greatest number of incidents have been recorded in Ukraine: anti-Semitic propaganda in political discourse, vandalism against Jewish places (cemeteries, memorial places of Holocaust victims and public buildings). The report of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs of Israel also mentions the activities of the Institute of National Memory of Ukraine. They accuse the institution of glorifying some of the national heroes who allegedly took part in the humiliation of the Jewish population.



What are these incidents, which the Israeli Ministry is talking about? Let's see what happened in 2017.



In March, in a group of teenagers in Dnipro meet a rabbi whose name was not disclosed for reasons of confidentiality. They pushed him. The adolescents shouted insults and threats: "All of you have to be killed," "Jews get out of here," and so on. The conflict was confined to a verbal skirmish. The victim appealed to the police, where the case was opened with preliminary qualification "Hooliganism".



In March, unknown vandals desecrated a monument to the victims of the Holocaust on the outskirts of Ternopil, near the village of Petrykiv. With the red paint criminals crossed the Magendavid on the stele and painted double lightning (symbol of the SS).



In March, at the Jewish cemetery in the Odesa region, the vandals broke and turned over monuments to those killed in the Great Patriotic War. In the same month near Odesa, unknown people destroyed a monument in honor of the victims of the Holocaust.



In April, it became known about the desecration of the memorial at the site of mass executions of the Holocaust times near Kostopil (Rivne region). Monument on the same day was cleaned from graffiti by students of the local construction and technology college.



On April 28, in the village of Petrykiv in Ternopil region, unknown persons desecrated a memorial stone on the grave of the Holocaust victims: the sign and wreaths beside it were covered with oil.



In May, an act of vandalism was committed in the Jewish cemetery in Cherkasy. Unknown vandals with the help of a stencil with black paint draw Nazi symbols and the inscription "Tolerance is a weakness."

In June, unknown persons threw a bottle of Molotov cocktail into the wall of the functioning synagogue in Lviv. From the building of the former Jewish community house on the Sholom-Aleikhem Street, 12 memorial tablets disappeared.



In just six months. This list can be continued, there are many such facts. Yes, there is less number of cases of physical violence, but vandalism with the smell of anti-Semitism has grown.



The Ministry for Diaspora Affairs of Israel draws attention to the lack of sufficient political will in Ukraine to counter manifestations of anti-Semitism, which are often described as hooliganism, and not as hate crimes. As a result, the vandals attack several times in a row the same object.



In Ukraine, it is customary to see everything as provocations of the Kremlin. In the statement mentioned above, the Foreign Ministry says this quite harshly: "Such shameful provocations are often inspired by the Kremlin regime, which uses the tools of hybrid aggression to shatter the political situation and once again cast a shadow of anti-Semitism on Ukraine." Thus, in October 2017, the National Police of Ukraine unmasked a coordinated from Russia criminal group that for years committed attacks on places of religious pilgrimage, monuments of architecture and religious buildings, including defiled synagogues," said in a statement.



Perhaps this is true, because we do not catch vandals and bring to justice. However, what about the nationalists who walk on the streets with Nazi signs, bring them to the stadiums, publicly conduct anti-Semitic discussions, bring this shameful phenomenon to Ukrainian politics? The Svoboda Party is the leader in these manifestations. During the marches of nationalists often sound anti-Semitic slogans. For example, on January 1, 2017, during a torchlight procession, a part of the column chanted "Juden  get out!"



And the head of the right-wing Odesa cell of the "Right Sector" Tetyana Soykina on the "March of the Ukrainian order" in Odesa on May 2 of this year stated that Ukraine will belong to "Ukrainians, not Jews": "We believe, we are sure that we will establish in Odesa and Ukraine a true Ukrainian order, Ukraine will belong to Ukrainians, not Jews."



Ukrainian officials also do not disdain such a thing.



The mayor of the Ukrainian town of Skole, Volodymyr Moskal, says that the authorities in Ukraine are "Moscow-Jewish", that 70 to 95% of Jews were in power, analyzes Kabbalah and Torah and concludes that Jewish children are taught from childhood that others are enemies and that Jews want death to them, and if you isolate the 50 richest Jews, then there will be no wars, and that Jews provided Stalin with victory.



Here is the People's Deputy Nadiya Savchenko saying on the air of the TV channel to the whole country: "If the people are talking about this (the Jewish yoke in Ukraine, the viewer's question), then they are telling the truth. And yes, our authorities really have a non-Ukrainian blood ... You can talk about this - what to do with this? You have to think and act!"



And now it became known that the consul of Ukraine in Germany, yes, an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who categorically assured that there is no anti-Semitism in Ukraine, writes in his Facebook: "Jews proclaimed the war against Germany in 1934", "God, punish Jews", "Babi Yar. Not in Moscow in 1941, but in Ukraine in 1918 -1941, "Jews - s**t "(the spelling of the author of the messages is preserved, - Ed).

"This whole wave of anti-Semitism is not accidental, it is a product of years of ignoring the problem at all levels: politicians, society, law enforcement agencies. And not only ignoring, but also artificially downplaying the problem. Also earlier, international Jewish organizations - the World Jewish Congress , The Anti-Defamation League, the National Coalition in Support of the Jews of Eurasia, etc. paid attention to the problem. There was no answer - the politicians did not react, the police did not initiate the case, only after the letter of Congress anti-Semitic acts were condemned by President Poroshenko and Interior Minister Avakov, several criminal cases were opened, "said the director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, Eduard Dolinsky.



Until there will be no responsibility for such incidents, we will continue to crawl into the abyss of the country with cave anti-Semitism.
France condemned the fact that Marignane mayor Eric Le Disse signed the agreement about fraternal relations with Crimea's town of Yevpatoriya - as well as the fact that French citizens joined the opening ceremony of the Kerch Strait bridge. This is the essence of the message by the French Foreign Ministry, released on the website of the authority.

'Our position is clear: the agreement signed by the municipality of Marignane does not reflect the position of the French government. Similarly, the attendance of French officials at the inauguration ceremony is a personal initiative that we regret; it is contrary to international law and the French authorities are not responsible for it', the message says.

The French foreign ministry insists that the construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge will contribute to depriving Ukraine of full access to and use of its internationally recognized territorial waters. The French side confirmed its commitment 'to reestablishing Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders'.

'Calling its borders into question is contrary to international law, including the commitments made by the Russian Federation. It represents a direct threat to international peace and security and has serious repercussions on the international order. That is why the international community, the EU, and France do not recognize Russias annexation of Crimea', the message concludes.
It was reported that the transfer of mass media head Vyshynsky to Kherson takes place

Open source

Harlem Desir, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media has expressed the concern about the searches at the office of Ria News-Ukraine as the OSCE press service reported.

'I express serious concern about this mornings raid on Russian media offices in Kyiv, the arrest of journalists, and the search of journalists homes. I reiterate my call on the authorities to refrain from imposing unnecessary limitations on the work of foreign journalists, which affects the free flow of information and freedom of the media', the message said.

He has emphasized that the fight against propaganda should not contradict the international standards and should not represent the disproportionate interference in the mass media activity.

As we reported the workers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has exposed the network of the media entities controlled by the Russian Federation. The law enforcement bodies held the investigative actions at the office of RIA News-Ukraine.

On May 15, the SBU considered the detention of the head of RIA News Ukraine agencys office.

Kremlin has already responded to the incident and called the actions of the SBU outrageous. Also, Russia promised to assume reciprocal measures. Then, the state sent a protest note over searches at the mass media office.

Later it was reported that the actions of Vyshynsky were preliminarily qualified as the state treason. The same day the SBU reported that Kyrylo Vyshynsky is now officially suspected of state treason.

On May 16, the advocates of Vyshynsky claimed that their client is transferred to Kherson for choosing of the restrictive measure.
The Ukrainian told his lawyer he prepared for this step for two months; by doing so, he demands to release all Ukrainians illegally held in Russia and occupied Crimea

Open source

Ukraine's Oleg Sentsov, illegally held in the Russian prison, has announced a hunger strike. Natalya Kaplan, his sister said that as quoted by Hromadske.org. According to her, this is Oleg's protest against the illegal detention of Ukrainians in Russia and the occupied Crimea; this is how he demands to release them.

Sentsov told his lawyer Dmytro Dinze he prepared his body for this step for two months, and now he is ready. He also wrote the respective appeal, which was later made public. Dinze warned him he could face irrecoverable damage to his health. In turn, Sentsov said he was ready to die if his demands are ignored.

In March, Ukraine's foreign ministry demanded that Russia release Sentsov due to his worsening health conditions.

As it is known, Ukrainian movie director Oleg Sentsov and Crimean activist Oleksandr Kolchenko were detained by the Russian FSB in the annexed Crimea. Both were taken to Russia. Sentsov was charged with preparing a terrorist act in Crimea and sentenced to 20 years in the high-security penal colony. Kolchenko was sentenced to ten-years-long imprisonment.
Heather Nauert has noted that the construction of the bridge affects the navigation

The Embassy of Russia to the US has claimed that Moscow does not intend to ask the permission for the construction of the transport infrastructure as RIA News reported.

'Washington is predictably dissatisfied. But Crimea is Russia. We will not ask anyone the permission for the construction of the transport infrastructure in the interests of the citizens of the Russian regions', the message said.

Earlier the U.S. Department of State has expressed the concern due to the opening of the Kerch Strait Bridge.

Spokeswoman of the State Department Heather Nauert has noted that the construction of the bridge affects the navigation.

She also claimed that the department followed closely the opening ceremony of the bridge and Russia's President Vladimir Putin who drove over it at the truck.

The bridge over Kerch Strait was opened on May 15. Putin at the wheel of Kamaz headed the convoy of the vehicles and cargo equipment that made the first trip over the bridge.

As we reported Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered to sue Russia for the ecological damage brought by the construction of the bridge over Kerch strait in occupied Crimea.

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch expressed confidence that the ongoing construction of the bridge over Kerch Strait could vastly interfere with Ukraines transport connection with international markets.

The Ukrainian side has withdrawn from the treaty with Russia on the construction of the bridge in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea.

The works on the construction have begun in May 2015, regardless the withdrawal.
Oleh Sentsov claimed that he will stop hunger strike only in the case of the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has urged the international community to continue putting pressure on Russia to release all Ukrainian political prisoners. Also, Poroshenko reacted to the decision of Ukraine's political prisoner Oleh Sentsov to go on hunger strike on Facebook.

'I urge the international community to continue putting pressure on Kremlin to return the Ukrainian political prisoners home, to their families as soon as possible. We continue to fight and assume all efforts to release all illegally detained Ukrainians kept at the territory of occupied Crimea, Donbas and in Russia', Poroshenko claimed.

As we reported Oleh Sentsov illegally held in the Russian prison, has announced a hunger strike. Natalya Kaplan, his sister said that.

Sentsov told his lawyer Dmytro Dinze he prepared his body for this step for two months, and now he is ready. He also wrote the respective appeal, which was later made public. Dinze warned him he could face irrecoverable damage to his health. In turn, Sentsov said he was ready to die if his demands are ignored.

As it is known, Ukrainian movie director Oleg Sentsov and Crimean activist Oleksandr Kolchenko were detained by the Russian FSB in the annexed Crimea. Both were taken to Russia. Sentsov was charged with preparing a terrorist act in Crimea and sentenced to 20 years in the high-security penal colony. Kolchenko was sentenced to ten-years-long imprisonment.
Open source

Ukraine's Oleg Sentsov, illegally held in the Russian prison, announced a hunger strike as a protest against sentences for Ukrainian citizens in Russia, is observed by the prison doctors, as the press-office of the Federal Penitentiary Service Regional Office reported.

On May 14 the convicted Sentsov appealed to the administration of a penitentiary facility where he serves the sentence, with the announcement on a hunger strike, the statement says.

The representatives of the Federal Penitentiary Service claim that for now Sentsov is permanently observed by the prison doctors.

His heath condition is satisfactory. Health workers will continue observing Sentsov after he announced hunger strike, and they will also conduct analysis for heath observation, the message says.

Ukraine's Oleg Sentsov, illegally held in the Russian prison, has announced a hunger strike today in the morning.

This way he demands to release all the Ukrainians kept in Russia and annexed Crimea.

As it is known, Ukrainian movie director Oleg Sentsov and Crimean activist Oleksandr Kolchenko were detained by the Russian FSB in the annexed Crimea. Both were taken to Russia. Sentsov was charged with preparing a terrorist act in Crimea and sentenced to 20 years in the high-security penal colony. Kolchenko was sentenced to ten-years-long imprisonment.
Petro Poroshenko, Ukraines President, had a meeting with Kurt Volker, the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine. The parties have discussed the deployment the UN peacekeeping mission on the territory beyond Ukraines control in Donbas, as the press office of Ukraines President reports.

The interlocutors discussed the situation in the Donbas and noted the importance of deploying a UN peacekeeping mission in its occupied part, the message says.

The parties have also stressed the necessity to immediately release Ukrainian hostages.

Important attention was paid to cooperation in the field of security and defense between Ukraine and USA, strengthening of Ukraine's partnership with NATO and energy security issues taking into account the risks caused by the Nord Stream 2, the representatives of the press office of Ukraines President. Earlier, at the meeting with Angel Merkel Petro, the Chancellor of Germany, Poroshenko stated that the deployment of the UN peacekeeping mission in Donbas is caused by the absence of the progress in the peace talks.

As we reported earlier, Poroshenko in his speech at the Munich Security Conference stated that Russia had a chance to show its readiness to the compromise and agree to the peacekeepers on the entire territory of the occupied Donbas. Earlier, Kurt Volker, the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, said that Russias draft resolution, which provides bringing the peacekeepers to Donbas only along the confrontation line is unacceptable for the USA and the UN, as it will not ensure security, but only exacerbate the conflict.

Earlier, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Portugal, Turkey and Finland stated that they were ready to bring the peacekeepers to Donbas.
The document should be considered today by Ukraine's parliament Committee for Human Rights, National Minorities and International Relations

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has withdrawn the draft law that provides the revoking of the Ukrainian citizenship for the participation in so-called Russia's election at the territory of annexed Crimea.

The proper changes dated May 16, 2018.

As we reported the Verkhovna Rada documented presidential bill, which provides depriving of Ukrainian citizenship for voting in the so-called elections in annexed Crimea on April 20.

On March 18, 2018, at the fourth anniversary of the annexation, the election of the president of Russia took place there.

President Putin beat a record of the support, receiving 56.2 million of votes or 76.65 percent of votes, with 99% ballots processed.

Refat Chubarov, the Chairman of Crimean Tatar Mejlis reported on the low turnout in Crimea. According to Russia's Central Election Committee, 1, 079, 531 persons participated in the election.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine recognized the Russian election in Crimea illegal and doubted the legitimacy of the election.
The criminal proceeding is opened in Russia against a citizen of Ukraine, captain of fishing vessel YMK-0041 detained in the Black Sea on May 4 as Interfax-Ukraine reported citing FSB.

'In the result of the events held against the crew members of the YMK-0041 fishing vessel detained on May 4, it was established that the Ukrainian sailors cast the set nets for the fishing of flounder in the exclusive economic zone of Russia and the fishing of this fish is forbidden since the mid of April until the mid of June 2018, in the waters of the Black Sea throughout the territory of the continental shelf', the message said.

The criminal proceeding due to the illegal fishing of the aquatic biological resources made by the person with the abuse of the official position was opened against Ukrainian citizen Novitsky V.V.. The YMK-0041 fishing vessel is arrested.

As we reported on May 4, Ukrainian fishing vessel YMK-0041 (home port Ochakov) was detained on May 4 in the waters of the Black Sea for the illegal catch of the flounder. The personnel consisting of five Ukrainians was taken to Crimea as Russias FSB Border Guard Service claimed.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry expressed the protest against the detention of the Ukrainian boat by FSB and demanded to release the sailors.

The Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea investigates the detention of Ukraine's fishing vessel by Russia.
Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, introduced the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on additional measures for the counterwork against Russias informational aggression in February

Open source

Ukraine will win the media war, as Valentyn Petrov, the Head of Service on Issues of Information Security of the Staff of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the press-office reports.

Let's stop sprinkling ashes upon our heads! We are not losing the information war, in fact, we are winning it, and there are many examples. Volunteers, civil society, and the state are doing everything possible for this", - he stressed.

He also noted that information resources or content should only be banned by a court decision.

Earlier, Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, introduced the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on additional measures for the counterwork against Russias informational aggression. The relevant decree of February 9, 2018 was made public on the Presidents website on Friday.

Earlier, Petro Poroshenko stated that one the most dangerous contemporary problems for Europe is populism and fake news.

As we reported the workers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has exposed the network of the media entities controlled by the Russian Federation. The law enforcement bodies held the investigative actions at the office of RIA News-Ukraine.

On May 15, the SBU considered the detention of the head of RIA News Ukraine agencys office.

Kremlin has already responded to the incident and called the actions of the SBU outrageous. Also, Russia promised to assume reciprocal measures. Then, the state sent a protest note over searches at the mass media office.

Later it was reported that the actions of Vyshynsky were preliminarily qualified as the state treason. The same day the SBU reported that Kyrylo Vyshynsky is now officially suspected of state treason.
Ukraine wants to reframe its approach to resolving the ongoing conflict with Russia. Beginning last month, the military is now in charge of ground operations.



The launch of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) replaced the four-year Anti-Terrorism Operation (ATO) and marks Ukraines shift to a more active defense. President Petro Poroshenko thinks that the new combat operation should more effectively coordinate the defense and security agencies and restore Ukraines territorial integrity in the long run. The move also demonstrates that Poroshenkos administration hasnt abandoned Donbas and is serious about winning it back.



Covering a much larger area from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to the Azov seashore, the JFO is a set of military and legal measures to counter Russian aggression. The joint forces initial priority is to stabilize the situation and stop the unpunished attacks and casualties, according to joint forces commander Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev. The ultimate goal is to liberate the occupied territories.



The JFO was established by a law which redefines Ukraines national security policy toward the Donbas by renaming the conflict in the east Russian armed aggression and the uncontrolled territories as temporarily occupied. Although the law doesnt officially acknowledge the war, it recognizes that Ukraine is fighting Russian regular troops and Kremlin-backed mercenaries, not local separatists.



Countering Russian aggression is a more accurate objective that reflects the reality on the ground, better than the ATO did. The ATO was introduced in April 2014 to avoid declaring martial law, which the transitional government at the time didnt have the authority to do and to hold elections that formed the new internationally-recognized government. With the indispensable help of volunteers, the ATO mobilized Ukraines poorly supplied and underequipped forces at short notice to deter further aggression and liberate about two-thirds of the occupied territory. But it became a misnomer when Russian regular troops intervened, and it outlived itself in duration and scale.



Russias continued military presence in Ukraine, the constant shelling, its use of banned weapons, and its consolidation of forces on the border requires a prompt response by the Ukrainian military. The ATO, which was run by Ukraines Security Service (SBU), hindered that. Actively engaged military forces were nominally subordinated to the SBU, which was impractical. There was uncertainty regarding the chain of command, significantly delaying decision-making. The situation has long required a centralized command.



This has been fixed by transferring the control from the SBU to the Joint Operational Headquarters (JOH) of the Armed Forces under the strategic guidance of the general staff. All military and law enforcement forces involved in the operation are now subordinated to the JOH led by Nayev.



According to Mykola Sunhurovskyi, director of military studies at the Razumkov Center, the new structure should control the armed forces more operational, thus markedly reducing response time, he says. The JOH already reports improvements. The new equipment cuts detection, verification, and response time down from three days to two minutes.



Former President Leonid Kuchma says that the change should bring more order to the frontlines.



Critics though worry that the extended powers (for example, the right to search, detain, use private property, restrict movement in some areas, and even use arms if needed) given to the military contravene Ukraines constitution and can potentially be abused.



Some are puzzled by the intention of the new operation: is it defensive or offensive? The separatists perceive it as Ukraines preparation for advancing. Ukraines Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak rules out a large-scale offensive as a way of retaking the occupied territories but asserts that Ukraine will use its sovereign right to self-defense.



Lt. General Nayev assures that the operation is aimed to establish peace and remove artificial dividing linesnot to fuel the conflict, but to accelerate its completion. But, he says, it also means that Ukraine wont tolerate shootings at Ukraines positionsand will give a rigorous and imminent response to provocations. The new command and control structure and the delivery of Javelin anti-tank missiles were necessary steps in that direction.



Given the obvious imbalance of forces between Ukraine and Russia, the Ukrainian government has focused on diplomacy to coerce the Russian-backed forces to abide by the Minsk Agreements, mainly to ensure the implementation of a full package of security measures. But the key pointsa lasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weaponsnever seem to stick and have been violated constantly.



Will the new approach pave the way for UN peacekeepers and finally break the security impasse that has stalled the Minsk process, or will it lead to an escalation and jeopardize diplomatic talks on the introduction of the UN peacekeeping mission?



Whatever the long-term result, unfortunately the completion of the ATO doesnt mean the end of war in the near termthe situation remains tense. Shootings and casualties are reported daily. Servicemen, volunteers, and locals are pessimistic the new format will bring meaningful change. For them, the war goes on by its own laws.

Read the original text here: http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/what-does-ukraine-s-new-military-approach-toward-the-donbas-mean
The defense of a former president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych in the state treason case has accused Ukraine's Permanent Representative to UN in 2014 Yury Serheev of the disinformation of the world community about the events in Ukraine. Vitaly Serdyuk, Yanukovych's advocate claimed this as Aver Lex reported.

According to the lawyer, on February 24, 2014, Serheev sent the letter addressed to the Chairman of UN Security Council that accompanied the statement of acting president Oleksandr Tyrchynov and asked to read out this document during the planned briefing of OSCE Chairman at the Security Council. The letter provided the information about the self-withdrawal of Yanukovych from the post of the president.

The defense also claims that Yanukovych did not leave the county and did not withdraw himself.

Moreover, according to the lawyer, it was established during the questioning of the witnesses that Oleksandr Turchynov, Arseny Yatsenyuk, and Arsen Avakov knew about the location of the president and that he did not leave the country until February 24, 2014.

'Viktor Yanukovych emphasized in his video-appeal that he continues the work and waits for the response of the international community on the implementation of the Agreement on the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine that was guaranteed by foreign ministers of Poland, France, and Germany. Due to this, on February 22, the president sent the appeals to the countries-guarantors from Donetsk and he demanded them to influence the opposition and support in the restoration of the constitutional order in Ukraine', the defense claimed.

Serdyuk has noted that Yury Serheev conspired with the opposition and 'deliberately committed a forgery'. He did not agree with the statements with then Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara.

'For the deliberate falsification made in collusion of the group of persons led to the catastrophic consequences for Ukraine  anti-constitutional change of the power, lost of the part of the territory, perpetrators the should hold the criminal responsibility. We initiate the bringing to the responsibility of former Ukraine's Permanent Representative to UN Yury Serheev as co-perpetrator for the deliberate forgery and partaking in the coup d'etat.

Yanukovych is charged with state treason, assistance in deliberate actions against Ukraines state border, sovereignty and territorial integrity and assistance in leading the aggressive war against Ukraine.
PRINT | EMAIL | PERMALINK Found Objects Free Upgrade Once again, Nativo Lodge (6000 Pan American East Fwy NE) welcomes the community into the beautiful hotel for the annual Artist Room Open House. This gorgeous lodge offers guests a unique opportunity to closely engage with the work of contemporary Native artists, having commissioned immersive, large-scale pieces for dozens of rooms. This year, 12 new rooms designed by the likes of Jodie Herrera, Colleen Gorman, Leandra Yazzie and Dylan Tenorio are on view. Past artists include Jaque Fragua, Nanibah Chacon and Geraldine Tso, to name just a few of the more than 20. The open house begins at 5pm on Thursday, May 17 as does music by Cloudface.

Plot Twist Deathtrapthe longest running thriller ever on Broadwaymakes its way westerly to land at Aux Dog Theatre in Nob Hill (310 Monte Vista Blvd. NE) for an opening on Friday, May 18. The play, directed here by Colin A. Borden, is well known for an unusual plot structurethe main storyline being a play within the play. The story centers on a struggling playwright who discovers the work of a student which he believes to have enormous potential. The two writers agree to collaborate on the playwhich begins to unfold in unexpected ways. Gasp-inducing just as much as it is funny, Deathtrap is one to catch while it shows at Aux Dog. The play runs until June 10, tickets start at $15 and can be found at auxdogtheatre.org. View in Alibi calendar

Talk the Talk Renowned photographer, writer, lecturer and community organizer Maria Varela visits the National Hispanic Cultural Center (1701 Fourth Street SW) on Sunday, May 20 for the second in a series of lectures on People Powered: New Mexicans and Social Movements, hosted by both the NHCC and Humans of New Mexico Collective. These conversationsfree and open to the publicare held in conjunction with an exhibition at the NHCC of the same name. Addressing topics of economic development in the Southwest, preservation of land and how her photography and other creative work speaks to such, this is vital dialogue to join into. Varela, who was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, speaks at the History & Literary Arts Library beginning at 11am.
For anyone who has always wanted to try flamenco, these classes introduce all the basics taught by Albuquerque native, Leslie Roybal.

For anyone who has always wanted to try flamenco, these classes introduce all the basics. Or, for dancers who want to brush up on technique, this is a great opportunity to work on refining your skills. Students will learn basic movement vocabulary, technique, and short dances.

Taught by Albuquerque Native, Leslie Roybal, recently returned to Burque from New York City!

Leslie has had an extensive career as a performer and dance educator in both the Contemporary Dance and Flamenco ideologies. She is currently the Program Director for Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana in New York City and produces the Flamenco Certamen USA annually which supports the growth and exposure of up-and-coming flamenco artists throughout the United States. Leslie has toured with companies such as Murray Spalding Mandalas, Fred Darsow Dance, Neville Dance Company, The Metropolitan Opera, Pasion y Arte, A Palo Seco Flamenco, Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana and performed regularly in the New York and New Jersey tablaos. She was a scholarship recipient for the NALAC Leadership Institute in 2011, was a pioneering member of the Performers in Transition Fellowship for the BAM Professional Development Program/DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center in 2012, and was named one of 12 national finalists for the 2016 Coors Light Lideres Program in honor of her work as a supporter of the Latino community.
Reel World

Press Time

The New Mexico Humanities Council has joined up with the historic KiMo Theatre to present a film and discussion series titled Fake News: Journalism Goes to Hollywood. The series is hosted by Alibi Film Editor Devin D. OLeary. (Yup, thats me!) Once a month Ill be at the KiMo leading a guest reporter or scholar through a discussion of the topics that each film raises. The hope is to examine the evolving role of the press in democratic societiesas viewed through the lens of Hollywood. Audiences are invited to ask questions and engage in conversation with the guests. The series starts this Sunday, May 20, at 6pm with a screening of the 2017 Academy Award-nominated film The Post. The film looks at female newspaper publisher Key Graham (Meryl Streep) and hard-driving editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), who pushed to publish the Pentagon Papers, classified documents that revealed the US government's 30-year involvement in the Vietnam War. Following the film there will be a discussion with special guests Scott Armstrong, an investigative journalist and former Washington Post reporter, and Megan Kamerick, freelance journalist and host of Morning Edition at KUNM. Admission to these screenings is free to the public, thanks to a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and its generous support of the Democracy and the Informed Citizen Initiative. The Fake News screenings will take place, once a month, through November. Future film screenings include Ace in the Hole (June), Almost Famous (July), Spotlight (August), Salvador (September), Shattered Glass (October) and All the Presidents Men (November). The KiMo is located at 423 Central Ave. NW. For more info go to kimotickets.com.
Letters

Wheels For the Homeless

Dear Alibi,

Suppose communities surrounding yours were using wheels attached to their carts to move themselves and their belongings around, but your community was still using sleds to do the same thing and was either unaware of these wheels or was aware and had chosen not to use them and instead continue building bigger and better sleds.

That is precisely what is happening in Albuquerque in regard to the homeless population. A good number of cities, mostly in western states, have adopted, built and are operating something known as a "homeless campus" where all facilities and services, including various forms of housing, are located. This centralization improves the lives of the homeless, cuts down drastically on the ill-effects on neighborhoods, parks, sidewalks, etc. that homelessness produces and costs less for cities and tax-payers while getting a much better result.

Examples are not hard to find. San Antonio's Haven for Hope was established in 2010 and has had scores of other cities send representatives to study their program. Search Haven for Hope becomes model for other cities, homeless campus plans, or havenforhope.org to see what other cities are doing while Albuquerque is not.

I suggest (and have been doing so with various city officials and others for almost a year) that Albuquerque should do the same thing, only better. A homeless campus, modeled after the best features of other existing facilities, should be built on the edge of town, fenced and regulated, where most facilities and services for the homeless would be located.

This campus, much like a university campus, would teach, train, counsel, aid and assist, diagnose and treat, etc. persons to rise to their highest capabilities and return to society and their own home in whatever way they are able.

The campus would act as a triage center to categorize each person's reason(s) for being homeless, thus being better able to redirect individuals to facilities and programs that would get them the help they need to improve their situation and their lives.

The campus would include an administration building, cafeteria, laundry, dormitories and tents, bathrooms with showers, clinic, counseling and therapy rooms, church, excercise facilities, mailroom, clothing room, library, computer room and whatever else a group of a few hundred persons would need to get back to a normal life.

Most of the facilities could start off as trailers and other forms of quick and temporary structures while more permanent buildings are planned and built.

Maybe one day something major will change in our society and economy that will cause the number of homeless to be greatly reduced. (I suggest a reversal in the ever-shrinkingsince Reaganspread between wages and rents, a major cause of homelessness.)

Until then, and for now, the campus is the wheel and Albuquerque is dragging a sled with one hand and patting themselves on the back with the other.
Newscity

Human Trafficking Training to Improve

A recent case has highlighted the usefulness of a training program for identifying markers of child abuse and human trafficking, leading the state's attorney general's office to announce that they will be expanding the training it provides to school and medical professionals.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that earlier this month, authorities arrested James Stewart for human trafficking, child abuse and promoting prostitution, and Teri Sanchez on child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. According to KRQE, the Albuquerque couple is accused of prostituting their 7-year-old daughter for drugs and drug paraphernalia. Despite multiple brushes with Albuquerque police and the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, the alleged abuse remained unacknowledged until a nurse at the child's school contacted the AG's office to report the case.

In an announcement last week, Attorney General Hector Balderas said the nurse received special training to detect signs of human trafficking. The training has been provided by the AG's office as part of a yearly human trafficking conference since 2015. According to the announcement, last month's case has proven the effectiveness of the training, and it will now be offered to employees at Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces school districts.

Last month's human trafficking case has brought criticism against the CYFD, who reportedly made contact with the family on numerous occasions to investigate complaints made by staff at the child's school. In their reports, CYFD agents claimed to have found nothing to cause concern of abuse. APD's failure to recognize the issue has also been questioned.
The global provider of supply chain solutions makes a strategic move into Central America.



DSV opened the doors of its new office in Panama on Wednesday.

It is a strategic decision to move into Panama. Many of our customers use Panamas free zones to distribute goods to the Central American and Caribbean markets, said Torge Koehnke, executive vice president of the Latin America region for DSV Air & Sea. In addition, Panama is an attractive place to store products and establish distribution to the countries in the region due to the tax benefits available.

Jonas Thoroe is serving as managing director of DSV Air & Sea Panama.

DSV, a global provider of supply chain solutions, has 45,000 employees in more than 80 countries.
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. US President Donald Trump has congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his recent election through a letter sent via the Armenian Embassy in Washington. The letter is dated May 14.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister:

Congratulations on your recent election. I look forward to working with you on the many areas of mutual interest for our two countries, including strengthening trade ties, democratic institutions, and regional security. Progress on fighting corruption, bringing all political parties together, and peacefully solving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will help these efforts and ensure Armenias bright future.

Best wishes to you and the people of Armenia, the letter says.

Nikol Pashinyan was elected Prime Minister by the Armenian parliament on May 8 in the second round of voting.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. State minister of the Republic of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan on May 15 received the students of the Diplomatic School of Armenia led by director, Ambassador Vahe Gabrielyan, the Artsakh ministry told Armenpress.

Arayik Harutyunyan introduced the future diplomats on the main achievements and figures recorded in different sectors of Artsakhs economy over the past years. The state minister said the achievements reached thanks to consistent policy created new opportunities for the formation of stable and predictable economy which in its turn positively affected easing the social tension, as well as improving the demographic figures.

We understand quite well that the existence of strong and protected Artsakh from economic, political and security perspectives in the negotiation process will provide a serious advantage to the Armenian side. In this sense we are making great efforts, and I want to highlight that we have the unconditional support of Armenia and the Diaspora on this matter, Arayik Harutyunyan said.

During the meeting the state minister answered different questions of the students.

School Director Vahe Gabrielyan thanked Arayik Harutyunyan for the warm reception and said during this visit they attached a great importance to getting acquainted with economic programs.

The meeting was also attended by deputy foreign minister of Artsakh Armine Alexanyan.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. North Korea has threatened to abandon planned talks between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in June if Washington insists on pushing it "into a corner" on nuclear disarmament, CNN reports.

A statement published by the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said North Korea would never accept economic assistance from the US in exchange for unilaterally abandoning its nuclear program.

Kim Kye Gwan, North Korea's First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was quoted in the article as saying the US said "it would offer economic compensation and benefit in case we abandon (nuclear weapons)."

"We have never had any expectation of US support in carrying out our economic construction and will not... make such a deal in future," he added.

If the Trump administration was "genuinely committed" to improving ties with Pyongyang, "they will receive a deserving response," Kim Kye Gwan said. "But if they try to push us into a corner and force only unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in that kind of talks and will have to reconsider ... the upcoming summit."

Pyongyang's rhetoric is similar to Trump's own: he said in April that even once parties are at the negotiating table, if talks aren't going the right way, "I will respectfully leave the meeting."

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Foreign ministers of Arab countries will have an emergency meeting on May 17 over the situation in Gaza, according to the Egyptian Al Nasry Al Youm newspaper.

The emergency consultation of the Arab League is being convened at the request of Saudi Arabia, which chaired the latest summit of the organization, sources told the newspaper.

Over 60 Palestinian protesters, including children, have been killed by Israeli gunfire during demonstrations on the day of the US embassy's inauguration in Jerusalem on May 14.

More than 2,700 protesters have been injured in Gaza on what has been the most violent day of the six week long Great March of Return. Those wounded on Monday include 203 children and 78 women, according to the Palestinian healthcare ministry.

The Palestinian government denounced Mondays violence as a terrible massacre perpetrated by the forces of the Israeli occupation, and called for an immediate international intervention to prevent further deaths. A day of national mourning has been declared by the government in Ramallah, to be held Tuesday.

Around 35,000 protesters gathered at the border fence and thousands more within half a mile of the vicinity, according to Israeli Defence Forces.

Clashes have also reportedly broken out between protesters and the Israeli Defense Forces in Bethlehem

Meanwhile, the IDF said Israeli Air Force planes targeted Hamas posts near Jabalya after its soldiers came under fire in the area.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. The situation is calm in Jerusalem, the Armenian community lives with its normal life, Hovnan Baghdasaryan  Chancellor of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, told ARMENPRESS.

The events are taking place in Gaza, it is quite far from Jerusalem, especially from the Armenian district. At this moment I can state that we are living with our daily life in the Armenian district, the situation is calm, we have no problems. We are implementing our weekly plans. Of course, we are concerned over that violence, Hovnan Baghdasaryan said.

As for the possible impact of these developments on the Armenian community, Hovnan Baghdasaryan said the impact can be on the overall society, rather than on the Armenian community separately.

These events may affect the Armenian traders, the business in general which is logical since the Armenian traders are part of the overall society, he said.

He couldnt say for sure what developments the Gaza clashes will lead to. According to him, it depends on how the Israeli police will control these events.

What is happening now is only in Gaza, although some clashes also occurred at the east coast. But its difficult to say what these developments will lead to, whether the Israeli armed forces will be able to control them or not. At the moment the situation is still under control. Of course, both the international community and the local people are concerned over this violence, victims, he said.

Expert on Arabic studies Armen Petrosyan also gave a comment on this matter, but again couldnt say for sure what developments will take place in the Israeli-Palestinian relations.

In any case, I think the tension will gradually decrease since the region is in complex and problematic situation, almost in all conflicts tension is noticed. It seems the states supporting the Palestinians are engaged in their own issues and cannot provide more comprehensive support, Armen Petrosyan added.

According to him, its very important that the ongoing developments over the current issue return to a political stage, but the current developments do not give any positive grounds for that.

The fact that the events in Jerusalem are quite calm gives hope, and the Israeli law enforcement agencies can completely protect the security of Jerusalem apart from the occasional incidents in the Muslim holy sites, the expert on Arabic studies added.

According to Armen Petrosyan, the international community must strictly demand the Israeli authorities to follow the norms of international humanitarian law in their actions against Palestinians. He said Armenia, as a subject of international law, must also somehow raise its voice on this matter.

More than six dozen people have been killed in the clashes between the Israeli troops and Palestinians in Gaza. The clashes launched after the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem. Israel announced that its army has protected the countrys borders.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Turkey has expelled the Israeli Ambassador and the Consul General over the fatal clashes between the Israeli military and Palestinians in Gaza when more than 60 Palestinians were killed.

According to the Turkish Hurriyet newspaper, the Israeli Ambassador was summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry and was told to leave the country. The move prompted Israel to summon the Turkish envoy in their country and demand to temporarily leave the country for negotiations.

Earlier Turkey had recalled its Ambassador from the US for talks.

Over 60 Palestinian protesters, including children, have been killed by Israeli gunfire during demonstrations on the day of the US embassy's inauguration in Jerusalem on May 14.

More than 2,700 protesters have been injured in Gaza on what has been the most violent day of the six week long Great March of Return. Those wounded on Monday include 203 children and 78 women, according to the Palestinian healthcare ministry.

The Palestinian government denounced Mondays violence as a terrible massacre perpetrated by the forces of the Israeli occupation, and called for an immediate international intervention to prevent further deaths. A day of national mourning has been declared by the government in Ramallah, to be held Tuesday.

Around 35,000 protesters gathered at the border fence and thousands more within half a mile of the vicinity, according to Israeli Defence Forces.

Clashes have also reportedly broken out between protesters and the Israeli Defense Forces in Bethlehem

Meanwhile, the IDF said Israeli Air Force planes targeted Hamas posts near Jabalya after its soldiers came under fire in the area.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan described Mondays bloodshed, the deadliest for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict, as genocide and called Israel a terrorist state. The government declared three days of mourning.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Syrian governmental forces have liberated four settlements in the eastern part of Homs from illegal militant groups, RIA Novosti reported.

Russian military police and Syrian governmental forces are jointly enforcing law and order in the liberated areas.

The liberation was enabled by the agreements reached by the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria.

The withdrawal of remaining militants through humanitarian corridors continued in the Er Rastan and al Khuri districts.

In the coming days, all illegal militants  along with their families  will be settled in Idlib.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. The Independent Investigative Body of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which has been investigating the Azerbaijani corruption scandal, made a decision to impose strict sanctions on four lawmakers, including the head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov, the Ukrainian media report.

In addition to Seyidov, sanctions were imposed on former PACE President Pedro Agramunt (Spain), former rapporteur on Ukraine Jordi Xucla (Spain) and Cezar Preda (Romania), head of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE Volodymyr Ariev said on Facebook.

The PACE committee acknowledged that Pedro Agramunt and Jordi Xucla have breached the code of conduct in the matters concerning Azerbaijan, Ariev said, adding that these lawmakers have lost almost all rights of the PACE member, expect from the right to vote and submit resolutions.

Member of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE Oleksiy Honcharenko said the sanctions on Agramunt will be applied for 10 years, those on the remaining three lawmakers  for 2 years.

It is expected PACE will issue an official statement on this matter.

The Council of Europe launched investigation over the corruption scandal at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) involving Azerbaijan.

Some PACE members are accused of doing favors for Azerbaijan.

In particular, there are suspicions that Azerbaijan influenced PACEs rejection of 2013 report: during that time PACE rejected a report by German Social Democrat MP Christoph Strasser, which deplored human rights abuses in Azerbaijan and urged the authorities there to release political prisoners. According to some reports, Azerbaijan offered bribe worth more than 2.5 million USD to one of PACE members Luca Volonte for the report to be rejected.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. A group of desk job officers of military commissariats were protesting against governmental optimization of the institutions outside the government headquarters today in Yerevan.

Alexander Ghazaryan, head of the admissions and applications department, received the demonstrators, heard their complaints and urged them to address the defense ministry.

At the meeting, Mr. Ghazaryan said that the issue is a minister-Prime Minister level matter for discussion.

This issue isnt being solved in this building. I recommend to form a working group and head to the defense ministry where the minister will receive you, he said.

One of the desk officers of a military commissariat said he has been employed at the agency for 20 years, and now he is being fired due to job cuts as part of optimizations. We have our contribution in the army-building, the army was just five years old when we began working, the protester said.

The protesters, administrative officers of more than 10 military commissariats, have been demonstrating outside the governmental headquarters from early morning, demanding a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Under a new law, the management of military commissariats has been shifted from the General Staff to the defense ministry. A planned optimization will reduce the number of military commissariats from 44 to 14, while only 2 from the current 20 employed officers will remain in each agency.

A military commissariat is  local military administrative agency that prepares and executes plans for military mobilization, maintains records on military manpower and economic resources available to the armed forces, provides pre-military training, drafts men for military service, organizes reserves for training, and performs other military functions at the local level. It is similar to a military recruitment office.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras sent a congratulatory letter to Nikol Pashinyan on being elected Prime Minister of Armenia, wishing him success in fulfillment of his duties, the Armenian PMs Office told Armenpress.

Greece and Armenia have strong historical, religious and cultural ties, and our bilateral relations are based on mutual friendship, trust and respect. Over the centuries these ties have strengthened and intensified at difficult moments, which has become a firm base uniting our peoples.

I am confident that during your tenure our bilateral strategic relations will further expand and deepen, and I express our readiness to promote our multifaceted cooperation, including in economic, commercial, cultural and educational spheres, reads the Greek PMs congratulatory letter.

Nikol Pashinyan was elected Prime Minister of Armenia by the Parliament on May 8.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Israeli lawmakers are once again introducing a motion to recognize the Armenian Genocide, this time in an apparent attempt to pressure Turkey amid tensions around the fatal clashes in Gaza.

Zionist Union MP Itzik Shmuly and Likud MP Amir Ohana said they would submit a bill to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The Israeli lawmakers made the comment after Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan verbally attacked Israel, recalled his envoy and said that Israel is an apartheid state that has occupied a defenseless peoples lands for 60+ years, after the fatal Gaza border clashes.

Lawmaker Shmuly said that We wont accept moralizing from the anti-Semitic Turkish butcher who bombs thousands of Kurds in northwest Syria every day, and whose country is responsible for the genocide of the Armenian people and the historic horrors toward the Assyrians, adding later that recognition of the genocide should have happened long ago, according to Jerusalem Post.

MP Ohana argued that the diplomatic reasoning behind not acknowledging the genocide no longer existed, emphasizing that its not too late to do justice. The time has come to officially recognize the terrible injustice done to the Armenians. When Hitler presented Wehrmacht officers with his plan for mass extermination in Poland, including women and children, he soothed the concerns about the worlds reaction by saying who, after all, speaks today of the Armenians? For that reason alone we should have already officially recognized this genocide, according to Jerusalem Post.

Yesh Atid party leader opposition MP Yair Lapid introduced a bill to recognize the Armenian genocide earlier this year, but it was voted down in February, which means it cannot be submitted again until August.

Speaker Yuli Edelstein has called for the parliament to recognize the Armenian genocide, as did his predecessor, President Reuven Rivlin.

A diplomatic source said the situation is very delicate and that the final decision whether to recognize the genocide or not would be Netanyahu's.

Israeli lawmakers are regularly raising the issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide during times of tensions with Turkey  as a way to pressure Ankara.

The relations between Turkey and Israel escalated drastically because of the fatal clashes between Israeli armed forces and Palestinian protesters in Gaza on May 14. More than 60 Palestinians were killed in the clashes.

Turkey and Israel expelled envoys after the incident.

Turkeys president accused Israel for committing genocide. The Turkish government declared a three-day mourning period.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Demonstrators protesting against the logging works in a Yerevan park have entered the City Hall and are demanding to be granted audience with Mayor Taron Margaryan.

The park is facing the City Hall.

Nearly 30 protesters breached into the building and headed upstairs to the Mayors office.

A City Hall official tried to de-escalate the situation, while several others  including police officers  blocked the entrance to the Mayors office.

Deputy Mayor Davit Ohanyan talked to the protesters. He said that problems arent solved this way.

Ohanyan suggested to have a meeting in the press briefing hall with the Chief of Staff and other officials, but the environmentalists insisted on a meeting with the Mayor himself. Activists were claiming that Mayor Margaryan is the one who is responsible for everything.

Ohanyan responded by saying that every branch has an in-charge official at the City Hall. Lets go up now and you will meet with them, he said, adding that afterwards if there will be questions he would invite Mayor Margaryan also.

Prior to entering the City Hall building, the activists brought down construction posters which were installed in the park.

Similar localized demonstrations have been taking place regularly, including a highly publicized protest involving students and parents demanding the resignation of a school principal, and students of the Shirak University seeking the resignation of their rector.

Earlier in the day, a group of military commissariat desk job officers were protesting against job cuts outside the government headquarters. A government official told the protesters to address the defense ministry.

In addition, a group of exmployees of the presently defunct Nairit plant were demonstrating outside the Prime Minister's official residence. Some of them were granted audience to discuss the problem.

Earlier in April, Armenia saw massive demonstrations which subsequently forced PM Sargsyan to resign.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Foreign minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on May 16 received the delegation led by Deputy Speaker of the Parliament (Riksdag) of Sweden Bjorn Soder, the foreign ministry told Armenpress.

Welcoming the guests, the Armenian FM attached importance to the visit of Swedens parliamentary delegation, stating that Sweden is a key partner for Armenia since independence. The FM noted that the inter-parliamentary effective cooperation contributes to further strengthening the inter-state relations.

Bjorn Soder thanked for the reception and also congratulated Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on his appointment, expressing hope that during his tenure the Armenian-Swedish friendly relations will further deepen and expand.

FM Mnatsakanyan introduced the guests on the recent developments in Armenia and the steps of the new government which enjoys the publics support.

The meeting agenda also covered issues relating to strengthening the Armenian-Swedish political dialogue, boosting the commercial ties, the educational-cultural cooperation, the collaboration in the fields of IT, innovations, creative education, as well as expanding the legal framework. The meeting also touched upon the mutual cooperation directions in international platforms.

The Armenian FM thanked for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Swedish Parliament on 2010.

The two officials also attached importance to the signing of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), stating that it will open new cooperation prospects both at the Armenia-EU and the Armenian-Swedish bilateral formats. The sides also highlighted the quick ratification of the CEPA by the Swedish Parliament. The Swedish parliamentarians assured that they will do everything possible to quickly complete the ratification process.

FM Mnatsakanyan also introduced the Swedish parliamentary delegation on the joint efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries aimed at settling the Nagorno Karabakh conflict exclusively through peaceful means.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Pope Francis announced that he is deeply concerned over the escalation of the relations between Palestine and Israel, the new volume of violence in the Middle East, stating that it will never lead to peace, Reuters reports.

I express my great pain for the dead and wounded and I am close in prayer and affection to all those who are suffering, he told tens of thousands of people at his general audience in St. Peters Square.

I repeat that the use of violence never leads to peace. War begets war and violence begets violence, Pope said, calling on all concerned sides to reaffirm their commitments so that dialogue, justice and peace prevail.

More than six dozen people have been killed in the clashes between the Israeli troops and Palestinians in Gaza. The clashes launched after the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem. Israel announced that its army has protected the countrys borders.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Yerevan City Hall has requested law enforcement agencies to take measures for restoring its normal functioning after around 30 demonstrators stormed into the building.

Secretary of the City Hall staff Sergey Makaryan addressed the request to personally Police Chief of Armenia Valery Osipyan.

In the letter, Makaryan noted that an unlawful breach has occurred into a building which is subject to state protection by the police, which obstructed the normal functioning of the City Halls activities.

We are addressing you to take actions to cease the illegal actions and restore the normal activities of the City Hall, the letter said.

Demonstrators protesting against the logging works in a Yerevan park have entered the City Hall and are demanding to be granted audience with Mayor Taron Margaryan.

The park is facing the City Hall.

Nearly 30 protesters breached into the building and headed upstairs to the Mayors office.

A City Hall official tried to de-escalate the situation, while several others  including police officers  blocked the entrance to the Mayors office.

Deputy Mayor Davit Ohanyan talked to the protesters. He said that problems arent solved this way.

Ohanyan suggested to have a meeting in the press briefing hall with the Chief of Staff and other officials, but the environmentalists insisted on a meeting with the Mayor himself. Activists were claiming that Mayor Margaryan is the one who is responsible for everything.

Ohanyan responded by saying that every branch has an in-charge official at the City Hall. Lets go up now and you will meet with them, he said, adding that afterwards if there will be questions he would invite Mayor Margaryan also.

Prior to entering the City Hall building, the activists brought down construction posters which were installed in the park.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government will discuss the issue of sacking Chief of Staff of the Diaspora ministry Firdus Zakaryan. The draft decision is included in the agenda of the upcoming May 17 Cabinet meeting.

New minister of Diaspora Mkhitar Hayrapetyan will present the draft decision.

Zakaryan is serving as Chief of Staff since 2009, a year after the ministry was established.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. First Deputy Mayor of Yerevan Kamo Areyan called on the protesting environmentalists who stormed into the City Hall to leave the building and organize a discussion in the big hall, where Mayor Taron Margaryan will also participate.

Areyan approached the protesters and talked to them, stressing that they are not indifferent towards the issues raised by citizens.

I would really like for this dialogue to happen in a calm atmosphere, in the big hall. Lets sit down, make your arguments, and the Mayor will come and answer your questions in a calm atmosphere. This is our request, he said.

An activist told the first deputy Mayor that the people who entered the building gathered spontaneously and everyone has his/her own stance, therefore he said they will discuss the proposal and notify on further steps.

Demonstrators protesting against the logging works in a Yerevan park have entered the City Hall and are demanding to be granted audience with Mayor Taron Margaryan.

The park is facing the City Hall.

Nearly 30 protesters breached into the building and headed upstairs to the Mayors office.

A City Hall official tried to de-escalate the situation, while several others  including police officers  blocked the entrance to the Mayors office.

Deputy Mayor Davit Ohanyan talked to the protesters. He said that problems arent solved this way.

Ohanyan suggested to have a meeting in the press briefing hall with the Chief of Staff and other officials, but the environmentalists insisted on a meeting with the Mayor himself. Activists were claiming that Mayor Margaryan is the one who is responsible for everything.

Ohanyan responded by saying that every branch has an in-charge official at the City Hall. Lets go up now and you will meet with them, he said, adding that afterwards if there will be questions he would invite Mayor Margaryan also.

Prior to entering the City Hall building, the activists brought down construction posters which were installed in the park.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Defense minister of Armenia Davit Tonoyan on May 16 held a consultation over the complaints of officers of military commissariats, Artsrun Hovhannisyan  spokesman of the defense ministry, said on Facebook, reports Armenpress.

The officers are protesting against the optimization of military commissariats.

The spokesman said the defense minister got acquainted with the issue in-detail and gave instructions to continue the works to implement the optimization concept. At the same time the minister tasked to present him respective proposals and solutions within a week on the issues of providing the staff with jobs, the spokesman said.

Earlier today more than 10 representatives of military commissariats protesting against the optimization of military commissariats gathered outside the governments building demanding a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Head of the citizens admissions and applications department of the government Alexander Ghazaryan received the representatives of military commissariats.

According to the new law on Defense, the management of military commissariats is shifted from the General Staff of the Armed Forces to the defense ministry. As a result of the optimization, the number of 44 military commissariats will be reduced to 14, and only 2 out of the 20 employees will remain in each military commissariat.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has held a meeting with WITSA (World Information Technology and Services Alliance) Chairman Yvonne Chiu and Secretary General James Poisant.

The meeting focused on issues relating to the organization of the upcoming 2019 Yerevan World Congress on Information Technologies-WCIT, the press service of the government said.

The Prime Minister attached importance to hosting the conference and noted that the government will make all efforts to organize and hold it on a high level.

PM Nikol Pashinyan mentioned that the IT branch will be among the governments priorities and he expressed confidence that this sector will become one of the moving forces of the economy.

Pashinyan and Yvonne Chiu agreed to form a joint working group which will begin the preparation works.

Mrs. Chiu stressed that the WITSA is interested in close cooperation with the Armenian government and presented Taiwans practice in organizing the conference.

More than 4500 delegates from nearly 80 countries are expected to participate in the conference which will take place in October of 2019.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan had a phone call with Police Chief of Armenia Valery Osipyan in regard to an earlier incident when about 30 protesters stormed into the capitals City Hall. It wasnt immediately clear which side made the call but the City Hall had earlier asked police to intervene.

The Police Chief said that police are carrying out explanatory work with the demonstrators.

Earlier, demonstrators protesting against the logging works in a Yerevan park have entered the City Hall and were demanding to be granted audience with Mayor Taron Margaryan.

The park is facing the City Hall.

Nearly 30 protesters breached into the building and headed upstairs to the Mayors office.

A City Hall official tried to de-escalate the situation, while several others  including police officers  blocked the entrance to the Mayors office.

Deputy Mayor Davit Ohanyan talked to the protesters. He said that problems arent solved this way.

Ohanyan suggested to have a meeting in the press briefing hall with the Chief of Staff and other officials, but the environmentalists insisted on a meeting with the Mayor himself. Activists were claiming that Mayor Margaryan is the one who is responsible for everything.

Ohanyan responded by saying that every branch has an in-charge official at the City Hall. Lets go up now and you will meet with them, he said, adding that afterwards if there will be questions he would invite Mayor Margaryan also.

Prior to entering the City Hall building, the activists brought down construction posters which were installed in the park.

Yerevan City Hall requested law enforcement agencies to take measures for restoring its normal functioning after around 30 demonstrators stormed into the building.

Secretary of the City Hall staff Sergey Makaryan addressed the request to personally Police Chief of Armenia Valery Osipyan.

In the letter, Makaryan noted that an unlawful breach has occurred into a building which is subject to state protection by the police, which obstructed the normal functioning of the City Halls activities.

We are addressing you to take actions to cease the illegal actions and restore the normal activities of the City Hall, the letter said.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan on May 16 held a meeting with the delegation led by Deputy Speaker of the Parliament (Riksdag) of Sweden Bjorn Soder, the government told Armenpress.

The Swedish MPs congratulated Mher Grigoryan on appointment and wished him success on solving the upcoming issues for the benefit of the Armenian people.

During the meeting the officials also touched upon Armenias domestic political situation. The deputy PM assured that the Armenian government does and will do everything to ensure the countrys socio-economic development. Mher Grigoryan stated that the high level of publicity of the Armenian government also contributes to the effectiveness of the activity.

The Deputy Speaker of the Swedish Parliament highlighted with satisfaction the recent events in Armenia that are an evidence of high-level of democracy. Bjorn Soder said Sweden is ready to develop the Armenian-Swedish bilateral relations in all spheres of mutual interest.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Environmentalist protesters and demonstrators who were rallying outside Yerevan City Hall against the logging of trees in a nearby park and who were demanding the resignation of Mayor Taron Margaryan have blocked Argishti Street  the street which houses the City Hall.

A group of demonstrators began a sit-in in the street and blocked traffic.

Another group of protesters are gathered at the entrance of the City Hall trying to join other activists who had earlier breached into the building.

Police officers have blocked the main entrance of the building.

But not only are protesters at the scene  the Mayors supporters have also gathered outside the City Hall, holding posters saying: Taron is our Mayor.

Alen Simonyan, an opposition City Council member-turned MP, has also arrived at the scene.

Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan had a phone call with Police Chief of Armenia Valery Osipyan in regard to an earlier incident when about 30 protesters stormed into the capitals City Hall. It wasnt immediately clear which side made the call but the City Hall had earlier asked police to intervene.

The Police Chief said that police are carrying out explanatory work with the demonstrators.

Earlier, demonstrators protesting against the logging works in a Yerevan park have entered the City Hall and were demanding to be granted audience with Mayor Taron Margaryan.

The park is facing the City Hall.

Nearly 30 protesters breached into the building and headed upstairs to the Mayors office.

A City Hall official tried to de-escalate the situation, while several others  including police officers  blocked the entrance to the Mayors office.

Deputy Mayor Davit Ohanyan talked to the protesters. He said that problems arent solved this way.

Ohanyan suggested to have a meeting in the press briefing hall with the Chief of Staff and other officials, but the environmentalists insisted on a meeting with the Mayor himself. Activists were claiming that Mayor Margaryan is the one who is responsible for everything.

Ohanyan responded by saying that every branch has an in-charge official at the City Hall. Lets go up now and you will meet with them, he said, adding that afterwards if there will be questions he would invite Mayor Margaryan also.

Prior to entering the City Hall building, the activists brought down construction posters which were installed in the park.

Yerevan City Hall requested law enforcement agencies to take measures for restoring its normal functioning after around 30 demonstrators stormed into the building.

Secretary of the City Hall staff Sergey Makaryan addressed the request to personally Police Chief of Armenia Valery Osipyan.

In the letter, Makaryan noted that an unlawful breach has occurred into a building which is subject to state protection by the police, which obstructed the normal functioning of the City Halls activities.

We are addressing you to take actions to cease the illegal actions and restore the normal activities of the City Hall, the letter said.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. RPA faction MP Artur Gevorgyan says time is needed for assessing the work of new Police Chief Valery Osipyan, reports Armenpress.

During the meeting with reporters in the Parliament, the lawmaker said he is not against the appointment of Valery Osipyan as Police Chief, but added that time is need for assessing his work.

Everything is very calm, peaceful and normal. Let give [him] time, and time will show. A new government has been formed, I want them to succeed and work well, he said.

MP Artur Gevorgyan, who is the son-in-law of former Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan, was asked what the former Police Chief is doing now. The lawmaker said he enjoys his rest.

The Armenian Parliament elected Nikol Pashinyan as Prime Minister on May 8 which was followed by the formation of the new government.

According to the PMs proposal, President Armen Sarkissian signed a decree on relieving Vladimir Gasparyan from the position of the Police Chief. According to another decree, former deputy police chief of Yerevan Valery Osipyan was appointed as Police Chief.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Various demonstrations are underway one after the other outside the Prime Ministers official residence in downtown Yerevan. Protesters are demanding to meet with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

At this moment, a group of desk job officers of military commissariats protesting against governmental optimization of the agencies  which will result in significant job cuts  are rallying outside the office. But protesters also include car importers and cab drivers.

Defense minister Davit Tonoyan has been briefed on the military commissariat issue earlier today. The minister tasked to solve the issue of further employment of those who will be affected by the cuts.

The protesters were first rallying outside the government headquarters in Republic Square, where they were told to address the defense ministry. However, since the defense minister did not grant an audience to the demonstrators, they arrived outside the PMs office.

The cab drivers and car importers on the other hand, began their demonstrations from the Brazil Square. Cab drivers are complaining from the paid parking spots, fines, while importers are protesting customs clearance conditions.

It is noteworthy that employees of the presently defunct Nairit plant were also protesting outside the PMs residence today. Some of the demonstrators were invited in for talks.

To make the picture even more complete, another protest is currently underway outside the Yerevan City Hall. The demonstration seemed to be related to environmental issues but quickly escalated into an anti-Mayor protest.

Another demonstration involved supporters of the jailed 2016 Yerevan hostage crisis gunmen over their trial proceedings.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Arpine Hovhannisyan, head of the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), releases details of the PACE Committee decision to apply sanctions on four lawmakers in connection with the Azerbaijani corruption scandal, Armenpress reports.

Hovhannisyan said on Facebook that the Independent Investigation Body presented its report on corruption discoveries during the PACE April session.

The investigation has been formed based on the findings of the PACE secretariat staff, PACE delegates, testimonies of several ambassadors of CoE member states, international non-governmental organizations and media. The report touches upon the cases of lobbying in PACE, giving bribes by Azerbaijan to the PACE lawmakers. Among those who were engaged in illegal activity are current and former PACE delegates. Based on the disclosures of the report Romanian lawmaker, president of the EPP political group at PACE Cezar Preda submitted his resignation from the head of the group, Arpine Hovhannisyan writes.

Based on the report of the Independent Investigation Body, a respective resolution was adopted at PACE which called on current PACE delegates involved in corruption deals to resign.

The PACE Committee on Rules of Procedure on May 15 has found that four individual members named in the report of the Independent Investigation Body looking into allegations of corruption within the Assembly have seriously breached its Code of Conduct, and ruled that all four should be temporarily deprived of a number of rights in the Assembly  including the right to be appointed or act as a rapporteur, to stand for a number of key posts, or to observe elections.

Following a hearing yesterday in Paris with three of the four members concerned  the fourth had already attended an earlier hearing  the committee decided that the sanctions should apply to former PACE President Pedro Agramunt (Spain, NR) for a period of ten years, and Cezar Florin Preda (Romania, EPP/CD), Samad Seyidov (Azerbaijan, EC) and Jordi Xucla (Spain, ALDE) for a period of two years.

All four, while remaining members of the Assembly with the right to speak, will be banned during these periods from acting as a rapporteur or an election observer, and cannot be Chair or Vice-Chair of any committee or sub-committee, or stand for election as President of the Assembly.

They will not be able to represent the Assembly or its committees at any third-party events, and will also be deprived of the right to address questions to the Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europes executive body.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. The FBI arrested an ethnic Armenian Glendale cop in suspicion of obstruction of justice and providing false testimonies.

As far back as 2015, John Saro Balian, a Glendale narcotics detective, used burner phones to tip off gangsters about upcoming raids, authorities said Tuesday, The Los Angeles Times reported.

John Saro Balian is also suspected of collaborating with other criminals to steal cars, presumably to sell abroad and taking money to hunt someone down.

When confronted by federal agents in four interviews over the last year, authorities say Balian, 45, lied about his ties to the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime in Southern California.

"I'm not [expletive] on anybody's payroll," he told the Los Angeles Police Department and FBI in one interview.

Prosecutors this week charged Balian with one count of making false statements to federal investigators.

"Mr. Balian moved in criminal circles and operated as though he was above the law by repeatedly lying to hide his criminal activity," Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said in a statement. "His alleged actions impeded legitimate investigations into organized violent crime and consequently presented a threat to public safety."

Balian once served as spokesman for the Glendale Police Department, according to Los Angeles Times.

In one incident, Balian allegedly offered an informant and a second man $100,000 to "scare" the bodyguard of an Armenian businessman in Commerce, a request that led to a shooting in July 2016, the Los Angeles Times said.

Federal authorities Tuesday afternoon were searching Balian's Seal Beach home, an FBI spokeswoman said. They were looking for evidence of racketeering, interference with commerce by robbery or extortion, and bribery, according to an affidavit.

The arrested cop was one of five Armenian-American police officers who sued Glendale in 2010, alleging discrimination, retaliation and harassment, according to the Los Angeles Times.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borissov sent a congratulatory letter to Nikol Pashinyan on being elected Prime Minister of Armenia, wishing him health and all the best in his responsible position, the Armenian PMs Office told Armenpress.

"I highly appreciate your efforts aimed at democratic formation of the new government based on national consent and comprehensive dialogue with all concerned sides. The maintenance of political stability and further progress of the process of reforms in Armenia will contribute to the countrys welfare and the stability of the Caucasian region which is of great importance for Europe. I am convinced that the new government will be committed to building a democratic and prosperous Armenia for the benefit of the whole Armenian people.

I welcome Armenias policy to maintain close relations with the European Union and I am confident that when the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) enters into force, which will be soon ratified by the Bulgarian Parliament, will significantly contribute to the implementation of this goal, reads the congratulatory letter.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Armenia to Romania Sergey Minasyan was received by Ms Vasilica Viorica Dancila, Prime Minister of Romania on May 15.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of MFA Armenia, the Prime Minister of Romania handed over a letter addressed to Nikol Pashinyan with congratulations upon his election to the post of Prime Minister of Armenia and expressed her confidence that the Armenian-Romanian relations will be further deepened.

Ambassador Minasyan briefed the Prime Minister of Romania on recent developments in Armenia, assuring that Armenia will not only remain committed to implementation of all its international obligations, but will also take active steps towards raising its international engagement to a new level.

Prime Minister Dancila informed the Armenian Ambassador that the Government of Romania has completed the internal procedures with regards the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and the relevant document has already been forwarded to the Romanian Parliament for ratification.

The Armenian Ambassador commended the balanced approach with regards the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict adopted by Romania in recent years. Prime Minister Dancila assured that this would be a continuous approach, noting that Romania supports the mediation efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship as the only format for a peaceful and sustainable settlement on the basis of principles of international law.

The sides also touched upon the XVII Summit of La Francophonie to be held in Yerevan on October 11-12 this year, noting the importance of the event for Armenia and the Francophone movement.

The interlocutors discussed cooperation in international organizations and touched upon the issues related to bilateral economic relations.

English translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan


YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan assures that there will be no cafes or restaurants in the territory of the park dedicated to the 2800th anniversary of Yerevan after renovation works in the park and it will belong to the residents of Yerevan. In an interview with reporters near the municipality Margaryan underlined that the park had been leased for years, after which the lessee returned it to Yerevan, and the family of the Vardanyans took over the renovation works of the park.

Its already 3 months the renovation works are underway. There will be no cafes or other commercial areas. It will belong to the community. As refers to the cutting down of the trees, the family of the Vardanyans plans adding the green area. If some trees have been cut, be sure much more trees will be planted, ARMENPRESS reports Taron Margaryan as saying.

He also spoke about todays protest in front of Yerevan Municipality, during which the protesters invaded into the City Hall.

I condemn those acts. Its obvious that there was a violation of the law. They invaded the City Hall and tried to interrupt the normal functioning of the Municipality. I call on our law enforcement bodies to cope with this issue. We are independent as a local self-governing body and we implement our projects. We will not tolerate such illegalities, Yerevan Mayor said.

He emphasized that he respects the opinion of Yerevan residents and always took into account the problems raised by them.

English translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan will continue his work as mayor. ARMENPRESS reports referring to the demands of the activists to step down, Taron Margaryan told the reporters that its not accepted in the international practice that a political force tries to exert pressure on elected local self-governing bodies after it comes to power.

We continue our work together with the residents of Yerevan and this year we will mark the 2800th anniversary of Yerevan, Margaryan said.

The activists protesting against the logging of trees in a park near the City Hall invaded the Municipality on May 16 demanding the resignation of Mayor Taron Margaryan. Margaryan condemned the act, calling the law enforcement bodies to cope with the issue.

English translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan
YEREVAN, 16 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 16 May, USD exchange rate is down by 0.73 drams to 483.83 drams. EUR exchange rate is down by 6.78 drams to 571.11 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate is down by 0.09 drams to 7.74 drams. GBP exchange rate is down by 4.71 drams to 651.77 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price is down by 417.54 drams to 20144.36 drams. Silver price is down by 4.04 drams to 255.27 drams. Platinum price is down by 332.73 drams to 14015.5 drams.
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS/ARTSAKHPRESS. Designing works of Stepanakert-Shushi ropeway are in the final stage. Construction works are set to be launched in the near future and by charitable means.

As ArtsakhPress correspondent informs, Artsakh State Minister, Arayik Harutyunyan, said about the above-mentioned on May 16. He said it will serve as means of transportation between Stepanakert and Shushi, and will also boost tourism.

There are plans to have modern rest zone in Shushi, where there will be rich decorations of childrens attractions. A lot of work is being conducted in the tourism sphere to adjust the field of infrastructures service to the location. This will result in the development of Small and Medium Entrepreneurship. It is anticipated that the number of tourists visiting Artsakh will increase along with the days they stay in Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan noted.

English translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan
Three months ago, Jacob Zuma was ousted as president of South Africa, in a humiliating end to his nine-year rule. But he and his supporters seem determined to not go quietly. Zuma reluctantly resigned from office after the ruling ANC party turned against him as his legal troubles and corruption scandals mounted ahead of next year's elections. His forced exit brought an end to a presidency marred by increasing anger over unemployment, poor housing and decrepit services for many poor black communities in post-apartheid South Africa. His successor Cyril Ramaphosa promised a "new dawn" for citizens and foreign investors. But Zuma's shadow is looming large over the Ramaphosa era as his allies launch a fightback within the African National Congress (ANC). "There is bad blood there, and Zuma is feeling betrayed -- it is an open secret," political analyst Somadoda Fikeni from the UNISA university in Pretoria told AFP. Zuma, a Zulu traditionalist from the key province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), has tapped into his homeland support since being dethroned. "He has retreated to his traditional base of KZN -- that's where he may cause the most damage," said Fikeni. "Some of his associates fear that his fall from grace may lead to their own fall -- so, by keeping him strong, they are attempting to bargain" for their own position. - 'Hands off Zuma' - Zuma's most notable public appearance since his resignation was in April in the dock of the High Court in Durban, the capital of KZN, to face corruption charges dating back to before he came to power. He turned the event into a public rally, emerging from court to address several hundred supporters who were singing "Tell us what he has done wrong" and "Hands off Zuma". Zuma told them the charges against him were "politically motivated" -- a defiant speech signalling his determination to extract the maximum political price from the ANC and Ramaphosa for his ousting. KwaZulu-Natal, the largest region of ANC membership in the country, has been a fierce battleground between party factions -- often spilling into violence and even a string of assassinations. "The network of patronage built around Jacob Zuma... is still alive -- and desperate for survival," political commentator Justice Malala wrote this week. "This faction is regrouping... They intend to build an anti-Ramaphosa stronghold in KZN." Zuma, 76, was due to stand down as president at the 2019 elections after serving the maximum two terms. But his apparent plan to ensure protection by positioning his ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as his successor was derailed when she was defeated by Ramaphosa in the December vote for a new party leader. Ramaphosa's narrow victory did not give him complete control of the party. Zuma ally Ace Magashule was elected to the senior role of party secretary-general, while Ramaphosa appointed Dlamini-Zuma as a minister in a compromise gesture. The challenges facing the new president have been underlined by his efforts to force North West province premier Supra Mahumapelo, another Zuma loyalist accused of corruption, from office. Mahumapelo refused to resign, and Ramaphosa took the unprecedented step of taking the provincial administration under central government control. - Avoiding prison - Ahead of elections that could threaten the ANC's hold on power for the first time, Ramaphosa must unite the party -- despite Zuma's manoeuvrings -- and revive its image battered by record unemployment and stagnant growth. Zuma built pockets of loyalty in local ANC branches throughout his years in office, and the threat of him rallying anti-Ramaphosa support presents a tricky test for the new president. The ultimate goal for Zuma is likely to be to retain enough political influence to fend off a jail term as multiple corruption allegations make their way to court. "The prosecuting authorities may be influenced to not prosecute him vigorously," Pierre De Vos, constitutional law expert at the University of Cape Town, told AFP. "But in principle, the support he has shouldn't make any difference whether he will be convicted." Some analysts predict his legal battle could last a decade. For now, Zuma is spending time at his Nkandla homestead in KZN -- a sprawling property where public funds to build a swimming pool and other upgrades led to him being rebuked by the Constitutional Court in 2017. He is also reportedly planning to marry 24-year-old Nonkanyiso Conco, who is 52 years his junior and would become his fifth current wife. Mhlabunzima Memela, a senior ANC figure close to Zuma, dismissed reports of Zuma being involved in factional party battles. "The former president is not contesting anything," he told AFP. Frenemies? Zuma, left, and Ramaphosa shake hands at a farewell cocktail function for Zuma, in a picture released by the South African government
Populist Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr on Tuesday eyed a governing coalition after dealing a blow to both Iranian and US influence with a shock election triumph that upended Iraqi politics. With the last ballots still being counted, however, Tehran and its local allies already appeared to be making a rival push to block the fiery preacher's route to power. Near complete results showed Sadr set to scoop the most seats in parliament after his Marching Towards Reform alliance with Iraq's communists tapped popular anger over corruption and foreign meddling. Rivals called to congratulate him on the victory, his office said, after Iraqis went to the poll Saturday for the country's first election since the defeat of the Islamic State group. The vote -- which saw record high abstentions -- was a slap in the face to the widely reviled elite that has dominated Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. Sadr, who has ruled himself out of becoming prime minister, is looking to be the kingmaker and to cobble together a technocrat government from a dozen parties. But with his alliance falling short of a majority, it will take lengthy wrangling to forge a coalition. Tallies put the Conquest Alliance of pro-Iranian former paramilitary fighters who helped battle IS in second place, followed by incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's bloc. Abadi -- a consensus figure favoured by the US -- had been seen as likely frontrunner after declaring victory over the jihadists five months ago. Sadr rose to prominence in the wake of the US invasion, when his militia fought a bloody insurgency against American troops. After years on the sidelines, he has reinvented himself as a champion of the poor and linked up with secularists to battle corruption. He is one of the few Iraqi politicians opposed to both the presence of American troops and the heavy influence that neighbouring Iran exercises over Iraq. In a surprising move last year, he visited regional Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, as Tehran's rival Riyadh looks to increase its involvement in Iraq. Supporters in the cleric's impoverished Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City -- named after his late ayatollah father -- remain hopeful that his victory could spell improvements. "If we want to change things then the prime minister needs to come from Marching Towards Reform," said resident Salah Jamal, 24. "We have tried all the others," Jamal insisted. "But we have had no results." - Iran seeks rival coalition - The protracted horse-trading ahead comes at a time of high tensions after Washington's withdrawal from a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran and fears of a tug-of-war over Iraq. While Sadr's victory has yet to be confirmed, Iran already appears to convening meetings to try to block him from forming a government. A participant said Qassem Suleimani, the foreign operations chief of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, was in Baghdad to try to broker a coalition among Sadr's Shiite rivals. Suleimani has reportedly called for a union between Abadi's bloc, the Conquest Alliance of former anti-IS commander Ameri and former premier Nuri al-Maliki. Abadi and Maliki are bitter rivals despite coming from the establishment Dawa party that has dominated politics in post-Saddam Iraq. While speculation swirls, the next concrete step remains completing the vote count and firming up the final make-up of Iraq's new 329-seat parliament. Officials on Tuesday announced results for two provinces where disputes had caused delays. The final nationwide tally and exact make-up of the country's next parliament is expected to be released in the coming days. A man rides his scooter past a poster of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr in Sadr City, east of the Iraqi capital, on May 14, 2018 Traffic and an election poster on a road in Sadr City, the impoverished stronghold in northeast Baghdad of Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr
They live in shantytowns that overlook Bogota -- hundreds of families who fled the bloodshed in rural Colombia during decades of civil war for the relative safety of the country's cities. A year and a half after the government signed a peace deal with the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the poor still languish on society's margins. They are the forgotten ones. Jose Pineda lives with his family lives in the ramshackle Ciudad Bolivar slum on the outskirts of Bogota, which seems to hang off the gray, chilly Andes mountainsides. El Ensueno, their neighborhood, is perched at the summit. Most of the people in El Ensueno -- 600 households in all -- are victims of the conflict. Once thrown off their land, they have built shacks here, and constantly fear eviction. Men, women, and children live in cramped conditions. Mud is everywhere. Water trickles down from the mountains above, and power is siphoned off from bootleg connections. If buses ever come, few have the money to afford a ticket. "Colombia is divided between those who have a real house, and those of us who have a shack with a tin roof... those who eat when they want to, and those of us who make do with one meal a day," said the 50-year-old Pineda, a father of three. The country is only just emerging from five decades of war, and even that isn't fully over -- remnants of rebel forces still battle for control of the lucrative drug trade. Those years of conflict exacerbated poverty in Colombia, where the rich-poor divide is among the widest in the world, alongside Haiti and Honduras, according to the World Bank and the United Nations. Nearly eight million people have been displaced by the violence, which has pushed thousands "towards cities, generating pools of misery" on the fringes, Jorge Restrepo, a professor at Javeriana University and author of the study "Conflict and Poverty in Colombia," told AFP. The conflict -- which drew in leftist guerrillas, paramilitary groups and state forces -- left about 260,000 people dead. - Struggle to survive - Pineda fled the country's southeast four years ago, after being brutally interrogated about his alleged ties to the FARC, whose members surrendered their weapons after the peace deal. The group is now a political movement. But now, he is just one of the masses living on the edge. Their fate depends on the ability of Colombia, Latin America's fourth-largest economy, to truly embrace peace and keep violence from reaching urban areas when current President Juan Manuel Santos leaves office. The country will soon elect a new leader, with the first round scheduled for May 27, and the runoff for June 17. Oscar Lezama, a former police officer who fled to Bogota in 2012, lives in El Ensueno with his wife and four children. "The war forced us from the countryside to the city. We have to fight just to have five square meters," said the 48-year-old, his frustration palpable. While the peace deal helped reduce the staggering death toll of 3,000 a year seen during the war, it has also divided Colombians. Some have criticized the amnesty offered to former rebels, who have since been rehabilitated and allowed to enter politics. If Colombia's right-wing wins the presidency, it has pledged to modify the accord. In areas like Ciudad Bolivar, home to 700,000 people, residents are angry that peace did not in any way improve their prospects. Santos's administration, in power since 2010, launched an ambitious program of land restitution, but without specific plans for those forced into the cities. - Fresh violence - Poverty in terms of income in Colombia has decreased from 37.2 percent in 2010 to 26.9 percent in 2017. However, that still means that out of a population of almost 50 million, 13 million are poor. Without "more ambitious programs," poverty will be "a permanent factor fueling violence, and perhaps even a resumption of war," said economist Eduardo Sarmiento. In El Ensueno, armed factions are taking advantage of the power vacuum left by the FARC, with drug dealers targeting schools. Five illegal organizations including the National Liberation Army (ELN) -- the country's last active rebel group -- operate within Ciudad Bolivar, according to Colombia's human rights ombudsman. The violence that persists in several areas could lead to further displacement, fueling poverty, which has become a ticking time bomb in Colombian society. Deysi Garcia, a mother of five children, almost lost her farm in Viota, 90 kilometers (55 miles) from Bogota. Paramilitaries occupied her land, where two bodies were later found. Freed from prison, she succeeded in retaining her coffee plants but must also work as a maid. Her farm, because of its isolated location, cannot turn a profit. "Customers pay very little, and it doesn't cover the cost of production," said the 38-year-old widow. A Colombian boy stands in the El Ensueno neighborhood of the Ciudad Bolivar slum on the edge of Bogota -- 18 months after the government signed a peace deal with FARC rebels, the poor still languish on society's margins A woman holding a baby exits her home in El Ensueno -- there is mud everywhere Jose Pineda fled southeast Colombia four years ago after being brutally interrogated about his alleged ties to the FARC. He now lives in poverty in Ciudad Bolivar Colombian soldiers stand guard at the Ciudad Bolivar slum outside Bogota -- it is home to 700,000 people Many in Ciudad Bolivar live in makeshift homes
The European Union's top official launched a stinging attack Wednesday on President Donald Trump, slamming his "capricious assertiveness" and saying the US leader acted more like an enemy than a friend. EU president Donald Tusk urged leaders meeting in Bulgaria to form a "united European front" against Trump's withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal and his move to impose trade tariffs on Europe. Tusk even compared the US administration to Europe's traditional foes Moscow and Beijing as he launched his broadside before a dinner of the 28 leaders in Sofia where they discussed the issue. "Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think with friends like that, who needs enemies," Tusk told reporters. "But frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful to President Trump, because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realise that if you need a helping hand you will find one at the end of your arm." The transatlantic rift has hijacked the agenda of a summit on Thursday at which the EU leaders will meet their Balkan counterparts in a bid to foster closer ties and keep Russia out of their backyard. European ministers met a top Iranian official in Brussels on Tuesday in a bid to save the Iranian nuclear accord after Trump decided to pull out. Meanwhile the EU is still trying to win exemptions from tariffs on steel and aluminium exports. Tusk called for more unity in the divided EU -- which is set to lose Britain as a member next year -- to face the growing challenges. - 'Capricious assertiveness' - "Besides the traditional political challenges such as the rise of China or the aggressive stance of Russia, we are witnessing today a new phenomenon: the capricious assertiveness of the American administration," Tusk said. "I have no doubt that in the new global game, Europe will either be one of the major players, or a pawn. This is the only real alternative." After the talks, a European source told AFP the leaders agreed on a "united EU approach" on the Iran deal, including continued support for the agreement if Tehran abides by it. They also agreed to "initiate work to protect European companies negatively affected by the US decision," which involves Washington reimposing sanctions on the Iranian nuclear programme. "The EU will continue fighting for a rules-based international system despite recent decisions on climate change, tariffs and Iran," the source said after the leaders met over dinner in Sofia. British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron -- whose countries are the signatories to the Iran deal along with the US, Russia and China, gave their views on the situation to their colleagues, he said. Merkel however said earlier that Europe had no choice but to stick with the ties that have bound it to Washington since World War II. "Despite all the difficulties we have these days, the transatlantic relations are and will remain of outstanding importance," Merkel told the German parliament. - 'Gun at its head' - On Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, a move the EU has warned could spark a trade war, the leaders also presented a united front. They backed plans to offer concessions if the US gives Europe a permanent exemption from the tariffs, but added that the "EU will not negotiate with a gun at its head". Tusk said earlier that it was "absurd to even think that the EU could be a threat to the US" in terms of trade. Behind their message of unity and firmness, some member states seem open to tolerating limited quotas from the United States on metals imports while others want a harder line, diplomats said. The EU leaders were also due to discuss the deaths of dozens of Palestinians in Gaza after Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, in another move that the Europeans had strongly opposed, but there were no details on that discussion. The EU has called for "utmost restraint" after Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians during clashes and protests along the Gaza border against the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, in the conflict's bloodiest day in years. But there are divisions over the embassy move within the EU itself, with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania having recently blocked an EU statement slamming the US decision. Wednesday's dinner will be followed by a summit on Thursday where EU leaders will meet their counterparts from the Balkan nations of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia. Donald Tusk, the European Union's top official, launched a stinging attack ay on President Donald Trump, slamming his "capricious assertiveness" and saying the US leader acted more like an enemy than a friend
Four men who attacked an Indonesian police headquarters with samurai swords were shot dead Wednesday and one officer also died, authorities said, days after a wave of deadly suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group rocked the country. The assault in the city of Pekanbaru on Sumatra island -- also claimed by IS -- saw a group ram their minivan into a gate at the station and then attack officers, police said. Days earlier, two families who belonged to the same religious study group staged suicide bombings at churches and a police station in Surabaya on Java island, Indonesia's second biggest city. The attacks have put Indonesia on edge -- and sparked a string of foreign government travel advisories -- as the world's biggest Muslim-majority country starts the holy fasting month of Ramadan from Thursday. Four attackers were shot dead at the scene Wednesday and another suspect who fled was later arrested, police said. One officer was killed by the speeding vehicle and two others were wounded in the incident, they added. Police said the men belonged to a local extremist group, but not Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which authorities believe was behind the family suicide bombings. Both groups have pledged allegiance to IS, they said. The bloody violence is putting pressure on lawmakers to pass a stalled security law that would give police more power to take pre-emptive action against terror suspects. "I'm outraged and very saddened by these acts carried out by cowards -- they have no humanity," said Pebby Magdalena, who joined a demonstration in Jakarta in support of the bill. Indonesia -- which is set to host the Asian Games in just three months and an IMF-World Bank meeting in Bali in October -- has long struggled with Islamist militancy. Its worst-ever attack was the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, including locals and foreign tourists. - 'Better organised' - Security forces have arrested hundreds of militants during a sustained crackdown since the Bali bombing. Most attacks in recent years have been limited to low-level operations against domestic security forces. But on Sunday, a family of six -- including girls aged nine and 12 -- staged suicide bombings at three churches during morning services in Surabaya, killing 13. All six bombers died, including the mother who was Indonesia's first known female suicide bomber. It was also the first time children had been used in such attacks. A memorial service was held Wednesday for Vincencius Hudojo, 11, and Nathanael Hudojo, 8, two brothers who died after the blast at the Santa Maria Catholic Church on Sunday in Surabaya. Their mother was injured. Services were also held for Martha Djumani, 54, who was killed in the bombing at a Pentecostal church, just a day after she had got engaged. "My sister was always caring towards other people and taught her children to be compassionate," Daud Samari, Djumani's younger brother, told reporters. - Family friends - On Monday members of another family blew themselves up at a police station in Surabaya, wounding 10. The church bombing family were in the same religious study group as the Surabaya police station bombers and a third family believed to be linked to the wave of attacks, authorities said. "They had the same teacher and they regularly met for Koran recital every week," said East Java police chief Machfud Arifin. The coordinated church attack was a sign local extremist groups are becoming more proficient, and it stirs concerns about an uptick in radicalism as hundreds of Indonesians who flocked to fight alongside IS in the Middle East return home. "They were better organised... (it) suggests a higher level of capacity than what we have seen in recent years," said Sidney Jones, director of Jakarta-based Institute of Policy Analysis of Conflict. Dozens of suspects have been rounded up in raids since Sunday's attacks, while several militants, including the number two ranking leader of the Surabaya JAD chapter, had been shot and killed, police said. The church and earlier police station attacks were likely motivated by the arrest of JAD leaders, authorities said. They followed a deadly prison riot staged by Islamist prisoners at a high-security jail near Jakarta last week. Indonesian policemen examine a car used by attackers during an assault on a police headquarters on the island of Sumatra that left one officer dead and two wounded The attacks have put Indonesia on edge as the world's biggest Muslim majority country starts the holy fasting month of Ramadan from Thursday Map locating Pekanbaru, Sumatra, site of an attack on police headquarters Wednesday. Relatives and friends of Martha Djumani attend her funeral in Surabaya
Israel's ambassador to Turkey left the country on Wednesday after being ordered out by Ankara in a growing crisis over the killing by Israeli fire of dozens of Palestinians on the Gaza border that threatens a reconciliation deal. Israeli ambassador Eitan Naeh departed for Tel Aviv via Istanbul airport under the full glare of the Turkish media, who appeared to have been specially invited to film his exit. Naeh has been told by Turkey to stay away for an unspecified period of time. Turkey had already withdrawn its Tel Aviv ambassador for consultations, while Israel ordered the Turkish consul in Jerusalem to leave, also for an unspecified period of time. Turkey's foreign ministry said it also told the Israeli consul general in Istanbul to leave the country "for a period of time". The manner of Naeh's departure angered the Israeli government, with the ambassador filmed going through an extra security check and then sitting alone at the gate. Israel's foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned the Turkish charge d'affaires in Israel to its Jerusalem headquarters for a reprimand over what it called "inappropriate treatment" of the ambassador. In a statement, it said that Naeh was subjected to "a stringent security check in the pre-arranged presence of the Turkish media". The Israeli statement also invited local news teams to film Turkish charge d'affaires Umut Deniz when he arrived at the foreign ministry. - 'Israel's tyranny' - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu have exchanged bitter accusations on Twitter over the row, which threatens a 2016 deal to normalise relations after a crisis over the deadly storming of a Turkish ship by Israeli commandos in 2010. Erdogan lashed out again on Wednesday, slamming what he perceived as international silence and warning the world would be dragged into chaos unless Israel's "tyranny" was stopped. "If the silence on Israel's tyranny continues, the world will rapidly be dragged into a chaos where banditry prevails," he said in Ankara. He added that the Gaza bloodshed showed "the United Nations has collapsed". Turkey has expressed outrage over the killing by Israeli forces on Monday of 60 Palestinians during protests and clashes on the Gaza border, and also blamed rising tensions on the US decision to move its embassy for Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. Ankara also withdrew its ambassador to Washington, Serdar Kilic, for consultations after the bloodshed, which came on the same day the embassy move took place. Kilic arrived back in Ankara on Wednesday afternoon, state media said. Erdogan will on Friday host an emergency summit in Istanbul of the world's main pan-Islamic body the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which he said will send a "strong message to the world". The Turkish leader has engaged in intense telephone diplomacy to drum up support for the summit, speaking to leaders including Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Saudi King Salman, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah. But it remains to be seen which leaders will be present at the meeting, which will immediately be followed by a giant rally called by Erdogan in Istanbul to support the Palestinians. Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdag said Turkey wanted to evacuate wounded Palestinians from Gaza for treatment but had yet to receive the necessary permissions from Egypt or Israel. - 'History won't forgive' - Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, has accused Israel of "genocide" and told Netanyahu he is leading an "apartheid state" while having the "blood of Palestinians" on his hands. Netanyahu described Erdogan as "an expert on terror and slaughter" as a leading supporter of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Erdogan hit back, saying Hamas is a "resistance movement". Meanwhile Netanyahu's son Yair posted on his personal Instagram account the slogan "Fuck Turkey" with the letter "c" turned into the crescent on the Turkish flag, Israeli media including Haaretz reported. The Netanyahu family spokesman put out a statement saying: "Yair Netanyahu is a private person, and his Instagram page is also private." Meanwhile the Turkish presidency said that on a visit to London on Tuesday Erdogan met a delegation of ultra-orthodox Jews from anti-Zionist group Neturei Karta, a very small splinter group on the margins of ultra-Orthodox Jewry. They oppose the existence of a Jewish state before the coming of the Messiah. They had previously met with former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who became notorious for his verbal diatribes against Israel. Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Eitan Naeh holds his luggage at Istanbul Ataturk Airport as he prepares to leave Turkey
Reformist Anwar Ibrahim declared a "new dawn for Malaysia" Wednesday after his release from prison transformed him into a potential prime minister following his alliance's stunning election victory. In scenes that captivated Malaysians, the charismatic 70-year-old returned to the national spotlight after the country's king quashed a widely criticised sodomy conviction that had put Anwar behind bars for three years. To ecstatic cries of "Reformasi!" (Reform) -- Anwar's rallying cry -- he took selfies with his former prison guards and vowed before hundreds of journalists and supporters to support efforts to take the country in a new direction. Anwar said he had forgiven Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who had him imprisoned two decades ago but who took over the opposition alliance and swept to victory last week. The 92-year-old says he will step down in a year or two to make way for Anwar. "Now there is a new dawn for Malaysia," said Anwar, flanked by his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and other members of his political party. "The entire spectrum of Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, have stood by the principles of democracy and freedom. They demand change." Anwar has cast a long shadow over Malaysian politics for decades. He enjoyed a meteoric rise in the now-ousted Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition before a spectacular falling out with his then-boss Mahathir in 1998 that saw Anwar thrown in jail for sodomy and abuse of power. Upon his release in 2004, he joined and revitalised the opposition coalition that finally ousted BN last week under Mahathir's leadership. Anwar's release Wednesday from his second jail term for an unrelated sodomy conviction sets up a tantalising reunion with his nemesis-turned-ally Mahathir. - No grudges - Anwar said his history with Mahathir was water under the bridge, as they shared the same goals of reforming the government and cleaning up a massive corruption scandal involving former prime minister Najib Razak. "Bury the hatchet? It's been a long time already," Anwar said when asked about Mahathir. "I have forgiven him." Anwar indicated that he had no immediate plans to get deeply involved in politics, but would support Mahathir's governing efforts as a "private citizen". Anwar's release caps a remarkable reversal of fortune made possible by the BN's unexpected electoral drubbing a week ago. The former autocrat Mahathir, who headed BN for 22 years until 2003, came out of retirement to lead the disparate opposition to a surprise victory. Many had expected a BN win thanks to its tight hold over the media, government, police and electoral apparatus of the multicultural Muslim-majority nation. But the result laid bare the depth of disgust with former leader Najib, who is implicated in a massive scandal in which billions of dollars were plundered from the state investment fund 1MDB he established. Mahathir has barred Najib from leaving the country pending investigations. - Dizzying change - The BN had ruled since independence in 1957. Anwar's release adds to a dizzying sense of change and is likely to fuel expectations for an entirely new national direction. Xavier Jayakumar, a member of parliament with Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat, called it "a momentous day for all of Malaysia". "The joy is similar to when South Africans celebrated with jubilation after Nelson Mandela was freed," he said. Amnesty International, which had denounced Anwar's imprisonment as politically motivated, called his release a "landmark moment for human rights in the country". UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein warmly welcomed the release and said Malaysia now "has a historic opportunity to ensure the centrality of human rights, rule of law and an independent judiciary". Safuan Awang, 35, who works for a medical supply company and is a member of Anwar's party, rejoiced at the release of "our hero Anwar Ibrahim". "We have been waiting for this for such a long time," he said, expressing confidence that Anwar and Mahathir would work together. "It will help to improve the economy, and improve the situation between different races. It will make the country more peaceful." Anwar's path to leadership remains unclear, however. Only a parliament member can become premier, but Anwar was stripped of his seat in 2015 after his conviction on charges of sodomising a young male aide. That conviction was viewed by many as orchestrated by Najib's government to neutralise Anwar as a political threat. Previously, the charismatic Anwar headed various ministries under Mahathir's tutelage in the 1990s, earning praise as a reformer. He eventually became deputy prime minister and Mahathir's presumed successor. But the two men fell out bitterly, largely over how to respond to the 1997 financial crisis, and unprecedented public protests were triggered when the popular Anwar was jailed. After six years in prison, Anwar's star power helped unite the previously hapless opposition before the latest sodomy charges cast him once again into the political wilderness. Anwar was jailed on a sodomy conviction that his supporters say was cooked up to destroy his political career Anwar shakes hands with a prison officer as he speaks to the media following his release from hospital Anwar removes his tie before speaking to the media as his wife Wan Azizah (bottom R) looks on
A global arms watchdog on Wednesday confirmed that chlorine was "likely used as a chemical weapon" in a February attack on the Syrian town of Saraqeb. A fact-finding mission by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons determined that "chlorine was released from cylinders by mechanical impact in the Al Talil neighbourhood of Saraqeb" on February 4, an OPCW statement said. The team's conclusions were based on finding two cylinders "which were determined as previously containing chlorine." Environmental samples also "demonstrated the unusual presence of chlorine in the local environment," said the organisation, based in The Hague. However, in line with its mandate the watchdog did not say which side in Syria's complex seven-year civil war was responsible for using chlorine. Eleven people had to be treated for breathing difficulties on February 4 after Syrian government raids on the town of Saraqeb, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at the time. Mohammad Ghaleb Tannari, a doctor in a nearby town in Idlib province, also told AFP at the time that his hospital had treated 11 people. "All the cases we received had symptoms consistent with inhaling the toxic chlorine gas, including exhaustion, difficulty breathing, and coughing," he said. The OPCW said its team had interviewed witnesses, and found that a "number of patients at medical facilities shortly after the incident showed signs and symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorine." "I strongly condemn the use of toxic chemicals as weapons by anyone, for any reason, and in any circumstances," said OPCW head Ahmet Uzumcu. "Such acts contradict the unequivocal prohibition against chemical weapons." An OPCW fact-finding team is also currently awaiting the results of its difficult mission to the Syrian town of Douma, after medics and rescuers said 40 people died in a chlorine and sarin attack on April 7. The team exhumed bodies as well as gathering over 100 environmental samples which are being analysed in different OPCW-designated labs. Syria and Russia have accused Syrian volunteer rescue workers of staging the April 7 video footage at the behest of the United States and its allies. A global arms watchdog confirmed that chlorine was "likely used as a chemical weapon" in a February attack on the Syrian town of Saraqeb
Anwar Ibrahim's release from a Malaysian jail on Wednesday paves the way for him to become prime minister, a path from prison to power that has been trodden by some of the most famous leaders of the last century. Anwar was originally jailed 20 years ago by then-premier Mahathir Mohamad, on what supporters insisted were trumped up sodomy charges. He was imprisoned again in 2015 by Najib Razak, the man who was ousted last week in shock polls. The now 92-year-old Mahathir, who came out of retirement to lead the revolution at the ballot box, and who now holds the top job is expected eventually to vacate the prime ministership for the younger man. Here are five other former inmates who emerged from jail to take power: - Nelson Mandela - "No power on earth can stop an oppressed people determined to win their freedom," said Nelson Mandela in 1961, the year before he was convicted for leading the armed struggle for black rights in South Africa. Mandela was sent to the notorious Robben Island penitentiary, where his 27 years behind bars left him the most recognisable face of opposition to apartheid and a rallying figure in the international campaign to isolate Pretoria's white minority government. Released in 1990, Mandela was elected president four years later at the age of 75 in South Africa's first multiracial election. - Aung San Suu Kyi - The daughter of revered independence leader General Aung San, Myanmar's de facto head of state opted in her youth for a quiet family life in Oxford over continuing her father's legacy. But when she returned to Yangon to visit her dying mother in 1988, Suu Kyi was propelled into the national spotlight during a failed national uprising against military rule. She spent 15 of the following 21 years under house arrest. Suu Kyi's party won an emphatic victory during elections in 2015, propelling her to power, but her image as a global democracy icon has been tainted by a military crackdown on Myanmar's stateless Rohingya population that the United Nations has described as "ethnic cleansing". - Jawaharlal Nehru - Jawaharlal Nehru first went to jail in British-ruled India in 1921 after calling for the boycott of a tour by the Prince of Wales. He described his imprisonment as "the greatest pleasure" for allowing a showcase of his opposition to colonial rule. He was to spend nearly a decade behind bars on various charges, often as a result of his involvement with the civil disobedience campaigns of political ally Mahatma Gandhi, who also spent years in prison. Elected the country's first prime minister in 1947 -- a post he held until his death near 17 years later -- Nehru forged the Gandhi-Nehru family dynasty that has dominated Indian politics for most of the decades since. - Vaclav Havel - As a dissident playwright known in his youth for his hard-partying lifestyle, Havel's peripheral involvement in the failed Czechoslovakian uprising of 1968 prompted a lifetime of activism. Havel was blacklisted from the theatre and had various stints in prison before rising to the presidency in the "Velvet Revolution" that toppled the country's sclerotic communist regime. With a love of western music, one of Havel's first acts in office was to invite Frank Zappa and the Rolling Stones to perform in Prague. Both acts had been banned under the regime his government replaced. - Michelle Bachelet - Chile's first female president was introduced to politics by her father, a former government official who died after being tortured in detention following a 1973 military coup. Bachelet herself was later arrested and subjected to torture for her own clandestine political activity. She went into exile in Australia and East Germany before returning to campaign for the restoration of democracy. First elected in 2006 and serving two non-consecutive terms, Bachelet left office this year after easing restrictions on abortion and extending recognition to same sex relationships -- both contentious moves in a conservative country. Anwar was originally jailed 20 years ago by then-premier Mahathir Mohamad, on what supporters insisted were trumped up sodomy charges Released in 1990, Nelson Mandela was elected president four years later at the age of 75 in South Africa's first multiracial election Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi's party won an emphatic victory during elections in 2015, propelling her to power Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, forged the Gandhi-Nehru family dynasty that has dominated Indian politics for most of the decades since As a dissident playwright known in his youth for his hard-partying lifestyle, Vclav Havel's peripheral involvement in the failed Czechoslovakian uprising of 1968 prompted a lifetime of activism First elected in 2006 and serving two non-consecutive terms, Michelle Bachelet left office this year
The Syrian government retook full control of central Syria on Wednesday as rebels and their relatives were evacuated from final pockets of territory still outside the regime's grasp, an AFP correspondent reported. The evacuations from areas straddling the boundary between Homs and Hama provinces came under a deal between rebel factions and the government. Hundreds of people gathered in the centre of the town of Rastan in Homs province to welcome the return of government security forces and attend a flag-raising ceremony on the main square. Nearby towns and villages in the areas of Talbiseh and Al-Hula were also evacuated, the official SANA news agency and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported. "The last convoy of terrorists and their families exits northern Homs province and southern Hama province," SANA reported. The armed factions, which the government systematically refers to as "terrorists", were transferred to Idlib province, which still largely escapes regime control. A total of 34,500 people -- armed men and their families -- were transferred out of the area as part of the deal, according to the Britain-based Observatory. "As of today, there is not one gunman left, no weapons left in the whole of Homs province," the province's governor, Talal Barazai, told AFP in Rastan. Pockets of jihadists from the Islamic State group are however still thought to be active on the province's scarcely-populated far eastern edge. The governor vowed that the Damascus-Hama highway would reopen "in the coming days". With Iranian and Russian support, the Syrian government has reconquered swathes of territory it lost following the outbreak of the conflict in 2011. Government and allied forces have almost finished retaking areas around the capital Damascus that had been held by jihadist and Islamist groups for year. They have yet to seize back a small pocket still controlled by IS in southern Damascus, as well as a large part of the southern Daraa province and much of Idlib, in the northwest. A large part of northern and eastern Syria is controlled by US-backed Kurdish forces who also fought against IS but want a level of autonomy that the regime refuses. More than half of Syria 20-million-plus pre-war population has been displaced by the seven-year-old conflict, which the Observatory says has killed more than 350,000 people. Syrians board buses prior to being evacuated from the rebel-held town of Rastan on May 7, 2018, after rebels and civilians were granted safe passage to a rebel-held part of Aleppo province under a deal with the government
The Trump administration has said it will not sit idly by in the face of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's "dictatorship." But what will it do after Sunday's presidential elections which it has denounced as a "sham"? From more sanctions to a military intervention, analysts consulted by AFP examine the options for the US government: - More sanctions - The United States, which in March 2015 labelled Venezuela "a national security threat," has already imposed sanctions on dozens of officials and companies from the Socialist government in Caracas. Maduro and several other senior government officials have been targeted and accused of corruption or complicity in drug trafficking. President Donald Trump has also banned US entities from buying bonds from the Venezuelan state or from its oil company, PDVSA, and has forbidden any trading in the petro, the new crypto-currency that Venezuela launched to the public in March. "If Maduro wins, as he is expected to, the US government will certainly tighten the screws even more," said David Smilde of the WOLA center for human rights in Washington. Mariano de Alba, a Venezuelan lawyer who specializes in international affairs, said Washington will step up sanctions against Venezuelan government officials, "including their relatives and associates." He said that similar steps would probably be taken by the European Union, Canada and other Latin American countries, at Washington's urging. The US Treasury Department's sanctions list will likely be extended to include Maduro's powerful deputy Diosdado Cabello, said Jason Marczak, director of Latin American studies at the Atlantic Council, an independent think-tank. "Trump will have little choice but to show greater toughness," said Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue which tries to foster democratic governance, after the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said last week it was "time for Maduro to go." - The Conoco effect - An oil embargo seems unlikely in the short term, said de Alba, especially since the US oil giant ConocoPhillips in April won a court order allowing it to seize $2 billion in PDVSA assets under an International Chamber of Commerce arbitration court ruling, a tough blow for Caracas. "The Conoco situation is placing a huge burden on the Maduro government, because no Venezuelan oil tanker can leave to international waters without the threat of being seized," said Marczak. Smilde agreed, but said that before Washington starts a total oil blockade, it can take intermediary measures against the Venezuelan oil sector -- the backbone of the failing economy -- such as putting sanctions on companies that insure Venezuelan tankers. "A more drastic measure -- stopping oil imports from Venezuela -- now appears less likely, since that could exacerbate the country's humanitarian crisis, strengthen Maduro politically, and open the way for deeper Russian and Chinese involvement in Venezuela," said Shifter. But the United States will want to avoid "external factors exacerbating an already incredible humanitarian crisis and causing more people to leave," said Marczak. - The military factor - Can the US military play a role in "restoring democracy" to Venezuela? Trump said last August he was "not going to rule out a military option" in Venezuela. His hawkish tone was applauded by some Venezuelan exiles in Miami. "There is a clear risk of military action on the part of the United States," said Smilde. "Expat Venezuelans have been calling for it for some time, and there are always politicians and officials who are interested in military action." Shifter disagreed. "Although the administration repeatedly says 'all options are on the table,' US military intervention remains highly improbable," he said. Marczak was also skeptical of any US military operations, but did not rule out a post-election deepening of the "disenchantment" felt in the ranks of the Venezuelan armed forces, who would have to decide whether to continue obeying the country's leader. "There's potential for the post-election situation to get even worse," he said. - No 'coherent' policy - Washington is officially pushing moves to exert external pressure in the hopes that it will result in a peaceful internal solution in Venezuela, a strategy set out by Vice President Mike Pence at a meeting of the Organization of American States last week. But Richard Feinberg of the Brookings Institution said there was little evidence of "a coherent, workable policy" on Venezuela in Washington. "I think the Trump administration's rhetoric on Venezuela, as on Cuba, is more oriented toward pleasing the respective exile communities than toward obtaining real results on the ground in those countries," he said. "Any post-May 20 elections reaction will be purely ad hoc and unlikely to have a decisive impact on events," he said. Victoria Gaytan, of the Global Americans working group on inter-American relations, did expect more pressure from Washington after Sunday's polls, not just from Washington but from the international community in general. Measures could include a refusal to acknowledge the election results, more economic sanctions and the denial of visas to Venezuelan officials. "What we can expect to see is a stronger commitment by the international community and from the region," she said. Members of the Bolivarian militias take part in the launching ceremony of the "Plan Republica", the security operation for the presidential election on May 20, in Caracas Venezuelan President and presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro (C) and his wife Cilia Flores (R) attend a rally ahead of Sunday's controversial elections A supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro cheers during a campaign rally ahead of the presidential election which Washington has dismissed as a "sham"
The United Nations Security Council warned Tuesday the lack of progress in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan was a grave threat to international security. The Security Counil issued the warning in a resolution that unanimously extended until mid-November the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei, its peacekeeping mission there. Almost the entire UNISFA contingent of more than 4,800 troops comes from Ethiopia. "The current situation in Abyei and along the border between the Sudan and South Sudan continues to constitute a serious threat to international peace and security," the resolution stated. Peace is fragile in Abyei, an area of about 4,000 square miles (10,500 square kilometers) contested since Sudan split into two countries in 2011. There have been tensions between the Arab Misseriya and Ngok Dinka peoples of the region. Sudan and South Sudan years ago agreed to take steps for setting up an administrative structure for Abyei but the Security Council expressed disappointment in the resolution that "few steps" have been taken in that direction. It equally lamented a lack of progress "to achieve a political resolution to the status of Abyei." Council members urged "the two governments to take all necessary steps to ensure that Abyei is effectively demilitarized, including through disarmament programs as necessary," and urged an end to violence. In November 2015, shelling in Abyei killed a four-year-old girl and a UNISFA peacekeeper. Peacekeeping troops from Ethiopia deployed in the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) patrol in December 2016 the region disputed by Sudan and South Sudan
The UN special envoy to Syria warned Wednesday that a regime assault on the northern rebel-held area of Idlib would be "six times" more destructive than the battle to recapture Ghouta, which fell last month after years of siege. "If we see a Ghouta scenario in Idlib, this could be six times worse, affecting 2.3 million people," Staffan de Mistura told the UN Security Council's monthly meeting on the Syria conflict. De Mistura described what he called the classic Syrian regime tactic of a bombardment of a rebel territory followed by negotiations and then mass evacuations from the defeated area. But the special envoy noted that half of the people in the northern rebel province of Idlib had already fled from other parts of Syria, "and will have nowhere else to go because there is no other place to go." Regime forces recaptured Ghouta from rebels last month after a ferocious offensive that displaced tens of thousands, both to government-controlled zones around Damascus and to opposition-held parts of northern Syria. Nevertheless de Mistura said he was "encouraged" by talks earlier this week in the Kazakh capital Astana on "how to avoid worst-case scenario in Idlib." The latest round of peace talks, which wrapped up on Tuesday, did not however make any concrete progress towards ending the seven-year conflict that has cost 350,000 lives. - Astana talks - The high-level talks ended merely with a declaration by the three main guarantor nations of Russia and Iran -- both of which are allies of the Damascus regime -- and Turkey, which backs rebel groups, that negotiations would resume in July in the Russian city of Sochi, but rebel groups said they would not attend. Since the Astana negotiations opened at the beginning of last year, they have mostly focused on attempts to keep Syrian regime forces and their rebel opponents at arm's length. Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanski, said that the solution to the Syria conflict was "simple: restore the sovereignty of Damascus over its territories." "If you cannot or will not help solve the problem, at least do not stand in our way!" he said in a statement directed at the United States, which did not send a delegation to the latest Astana talks. Shortly before the UN meeting, the Dutch ambassador Karel Van Oosterom told reporters that the main obstacle to resolving the conflict was that "the Syrian government is not engaging." He said that was the message that De Mistura himself had made during a recent meeting of the council. To that end, Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the UN, called on Moscow and Tehran to use their sway to push Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a political rather than military solution to the conflict. "We really need all those with influence on Syria, and that includes Russia and Iran, to encourage them to set aside a military strategy to resolve this conflict and to engage with the United Nations across the board so that we can get back to Geneva and we can get back to a political settlement," she said. "I would urge those Astana progenitors to do what they can to ensure that on the ground the people in Idlib are safe and that we avert a humanitarian catastrophe there," she said. A picture taken on April 30, 2018 in a camp for displaced Syrians from villages and towns around Abu Duhur on the edge of the southern Idlib province, shows children siting next to school bags provided by the UN as they attend classes provided by local teachers to some 300 boys and girls at the camp on the outskirts of the city of Sarmada in northern Idlib. Several weeks of deadly fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels allowed the regime to take control of some 400 villages and towns, as well as the military airport of Abu Duhur last month.
Venezuela's government seized control Tuesday of the South American country's Kellogg subsidiary after it halted operations, President Nicolas Maduro announced. Maduro said the company had been "handed over to the workers" to continue production after the US-based cereals manufacturer said it was ceasing operations. In a statement, the US multinational cited Venezuela's crippling economic crisis as the reason it was ending its operations in the country. "The current economic and social deterioration in the country has now prompted the company to discontinue operations," Kellogg said. Dozens of employees milled around the entrance to the factory in the western city of Maracay after turning up to find a notice informing them of the closure. "What did the revolutionary government do? The labor minister and the economy minister immediately arrived, opened the company and handed it over to the workers, and the company is producing with the industrial working class," said Maduro, who is seeking a second term in elections Sunday. The government has previously taken over the plants of other companies who have left the country. US companies Kimberly-Clark, General Motors and Clorox are among several multinationals to shut down their Venezuela operations in recent years. Brazil's Suramericana de Soplados, which supplied fuel tanks to the Ford Motors and Chrysler vehicle assembly plants in Venezuela, also shuttered. Some, such as Coca-Cola and Colgate, have temporarily suspended or cut back their operations. The Kellogg Company has ended operations in Venezuela, citing the economic crisis, leading President Nicolas Maduro's government to seize control of its subsidiary in the South American country
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called Wednesday for dialogue with Washington similar to that between the US and North Korea, but warned that he will not give in to threats from Donald Trump. "I think that the processes of dialogue between Democratic Republic of Korea and the US government are very positive and could serve as an example" for a rapprochement between Washington and Caracas, Maduro told a news conference in the southern city of Bolivar. However, he noted differences between the tensions between the White House and Venezuela and those between the US and North Korea, as "we do not have nuclear missiles." But the talks with Pyongyang "could serve as an example that the world needs tolerance, dialogue, respect for differences," Maduro said ahead of a campaign event for Sundays election.The early polls are being boycotted by the Venezuelan opposition, and much of the international community has condemned them as illegitimate. Washington has dismissed the vote as a "sham" to keep Maduro in power, and has slapped sanctions on Caracas in a push to isolate the Maduro regime. "I am ready for this to be resolved, with dignity, respect and dialogue, and that US aggression against our sovereign country ceases. Venezuela is a democratic state," the president said. But the socialist leader warned that his government will not give in to the threats of US President Donald Trump, who has not ruled out an oil embargo or "a military option." "Venezuela is not going to surrender to this empire," he said, condemning what he said was a "powerful lobby" of former Venezuelan bankers who are supporting "US aggression against Venezuela." Maduro, the political heir to the late leftist firebrand Hugo Chavez, has presided over an implosion of once wealthy oil producer Venezuela's economy. The South American country is in partial default on its debt and suffers severe shortages of food and medicines despite sitting atop the planet's biggest proven oil reserves. Maduro's government has been printing money as foreign reserves dwindle, and the national currency, the bolivar, has become nearly worthless. Venezuelan President and presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro (L) speaks with his wife Cilia Flores(R) at a rally in Charallave, southeast from Caracas. The United States has called the elections undemocratic
A vast majority of New York school district budgets passed Tuesday, according to an analysis conducted by the state School Boards Association.

In 653 districts, voters approved the spending plans for the 2018-19 school year. There were only 16 budgets defeated by voters. The state School Boards Association didn't have results from seven districts.

The school budgets in each of the nine Cayuga County-area school districts were approved by voters Tuesday.

The total number of budgets approved by voters represents a 97.6 percent success rate. That's down from the 99.3 percent of budgets that passed last year.

Since 1969, the state School Boards Association says the average school budget passage rate has been roughly 86 percent.

"School boards and their leadership teams put together budgets that were fiscally restrained yet response to the needs of their communities," said Timothy Kremer, executive director of the state School Boards Association.
A second Republican has entered the race to succeed state Assemblyman Bob Oaks.

Clyde Mayor Jerry Fremouw is running for state Assembly. He has been involved in politics since 2004, when he was elected village trustee. After a four-year term as a trustee, he successfully ran for mayor. He has been the top executive in the village for nearly a decade.

Fremouw has worked with Oaks, R-Macedon, for several years. When he heard the longtime assemblyman wouldn't seek re-election, he considered a run for state Legislature.

"I just thought it would be a good next step  a way that I could continue to help not just our community but all the communities within the 130th district," he said.

If elected to the state Assembly, Fremouw wants to continue working on some of the same issues that have been priorities for Oaks. His focus will be on economic development, changing the state's Medicaid system, address high water levels along Lake Ontario and secure state funding to fix dilapidated houses.

While Fremouw has lived in Wayne County his entire life, he is familiar with the other parts of the 130th district. The district includes all of Wayne County, the northern towns in Cayuga County and three towns in western Oswego County.
Democratic congressional candidate Dana Balter will kick off a central New York listening tour with a town hall meeting in Auburn this week.

The town hall meeting will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 17, at the Phoenix Building, 2 South St., Auburn. The event is open to the public.

Balter, D-Syracuse, has participated in other public forums and town hall meetings since becoming a candidate for Congress in September. She is vying for the Democratic nomination in the 24th Congressional District. The incumbent is U.S. Rep. John Katko, a Republican.

"For the last seven months, I've been meeting with voters to hear about the issues that matter to them," Balter said in a statement. "Congressman Katko won't hold open forums to meet the voters he represents, but I will. This week in Auburn, I look forward to hearing directly from the people he's ignored."

Katko, R-Camillus, pledged to hold town hall meetings when he first campaigned for Congress in 2014. He has held issue-specific forums during his first and second terms in office, including listening sessions last year in Oswego and Wayne counties on the opioid crisis and agriculture. He also participated in a televised town hall meeting in May 2017.
Onondaga County Comptroller Bob Antonacci has secured his first minor party endorsement in the 50th Senate District race.

The state Independence Party backed Antonacci, a Republican, in the race to succeed retiring state Sen. John DeFrancisco. Antonacci announced his candidacy Monday.

Frank MacKay, chairman of the state Independence Party, said Antonacci has been "an independent voice for central New York's hardworking taxpayers and families."

"Frankly, he's just the kind of state senator we need in Albany," MacKay said.

Antonacci is one of three Republicans running in the 50th Senate District race. The others are Joe Carni, a Syracuse city councilor, and Rick Zaccaria, a Van Buren town board member.

The Democrats have designated John Mannion, a biology teacher at West Genesee High School in Camillus, to run for the seat.

The Independence Party's support provides Antonacci with the backing of the state's largest minor party line. The party, which usually cross-endorses Republican candidates in state legislative races, has 10,257 active voters in the 50th district.
Following an unrelated press event Monday in Onondaga County, Katko said he told House GOP leaders that he wouldn't sign the discharge petition "if you show me something that is going to be coming very soon."

"But if they don't, I'm going to sign it," he said.

Two days later, Katko became the 19th Republican to sign the petition. As of Wednesday afternoon, there are 20 GOP members who have signed the discharge petition. If it's signed by five more Republicans and the entire House Democratic caucus, it will force a vote on the immigration proposals.

There have been discussions about a permanent DACA fix for months after President Donald Trump announced his intent last year to end the Obama-era program unless Congress reached an agreement on a legislative solution.

DACA protects certain immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children from deportation. To be eligible for the program, participants must have came to the U.S. before their 16th birthday, lived in the U.S. since June 2007, completed high school, served in the military or enrolled in school, and have no felony convictions or serious misdemeanor offenses on their record.
May 16, 1993

SARAH STUART, May graduate summa cum laude from Cayuga Community College, is the recipient of one of the nation's most prestigious scholarship awards, the Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholarship.

Chosen as only one of three such scholars in the eastern half of the United States, Stuart will receive $30,000 to be used in her preparation for a degree as a public health physician.
Cayuga County will kick off its shared services initiative with a meeting at 4 p.m. Friday, May 18, at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES in Aurelius.

New York state requires all counties to complete a countywide shared services plan with the intent of generating tax savings through intergovernmental collaboration. The county is in the process of developing its plan and has scheduled five meetings for Cayuga County town and village officials to come discuss what types of shared services already exist, which shared service opportunities to investigate and what has worked in other communities. The meetings are open to the public.

Friday's meeting will be a general introduction to the plan and a discussion about what shared services the county already has. Subsequent meetings will center around highway and public works, assessment, human resources, public safety, courts and procurement.

According to the state's timeline, each county's initial plan is due to its legislative body by Aug. 1. Then, the county will hold public hearings, the county Legislature will vote to approve the plan and it will be submitted to the state no later than Sept. 15.

More information about the county's initiative can be found at the county's website, cayugacounty.us. The state's program is outline at ny.gov/programs/shared-services-initiative.

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Frankie's name will appear on the windshield of Johnson's car, which will feature a patriotic design chosen by Phillips. The special car will be unveiled to the public at the Sennett Lowe's at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, May 17. The car will be in the parking lot until 12:30 p.m. All are welcome to stop by the store to see the car, which Phillips said will feature a design with stars.

"The reason why I picked (the design) is because they say when your loved ones die and you look up in the heavens that the stars are their little holes from heaven looking down on you," Phillips said.

Phillips said many of Frankie's family members and friends from the Army are planning to come see the car, either in Auburn or at the race.

"I'm shocked at the number of people who are really thrilled about having Frankie on the car," she said.

Phillips, along with her partner Greg, daughter Danielle and future son-in-law, will make the trip down to North Carolina to watch the race and meet Johnson, who will wear Frankie's military dog tags during the race. Frankie's wife, Christine, and 9-year-old daughter Sophia are not able to make it to the race, Phillips said. May is a "really difficult time" for the family, Phillips said, so they are looking forward to "something happy and positive for once, in the month of May."
AUBURN  On a cold, December night in 2016, Timothy Oleyourryk was driving back to his Oswego home when, he said, he made a series of "bad decisions."

At around 10 p.m. Dec. 10, Oleyourryk was driving down Old State Road in the town of Sterling, a plow attached to the front of his 2011 Chevy Silverado. He had just finished chaperoning a party for his daughter, and it was snowing hard.

Still, Oleyourryk said, he kept driving  somewhat carelessly given the conditions  and he hit a pedestrian with his plow.

The victim, a 19-year-old man, was walking in the road when he was struck by the plow blade and thrown, Cayuga County Assistant District Attorney Diane Adsit said Tuesday in Cayuga County Court. He suffered a fractured leg and back as well as an injury to his head.

At first, Oleyourryk  who was 47 at the time  stopped and returned to the scene of the accident. However, Adsit said, he then arranged for a passing car to take the teen to the hospital and left.
Last year, billions of gallons of untreated sewage and storm water overflowed into more than 200 waterways in New York, and now the state comptroller is pushing to fix the problem.

According to a recent report from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, in 2017, there were 807 discharge points where partially or wholly untreated wastewater was released into rivers, streams, estuaries and coastal waters. Most large urban areas are served by municipal sewer systems, which mix storm water with wastewater from homes and businesses.

The combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, are often due to antiquated, overwhelmed sewer systems. As such, DiNapoli said the best solution is to separate the sanitary and storm sewers.

Since a full-scale fix would be costly, DiNapoli said communities would rely on state and federal funding. To guide that funding, he suggested the creation of a New York State Capital Asset and Infrastructure Council, which would allow policymakers to prioritize the most pressing projects, including CSO abatement.
"I feel like our youngsters are the best investments in our community," Blair said.

Before casting his vote at Owasco Elementary School, James Paul said he planned on voting against the budget, as he feels the community's property taxes, affected by the district's tax levy, places a burden on senior citizens.

"I didn't hear anyone speaking for the senior citizens," Paul said.

Paul said he planned to vote for the newer candidates, Roblee and Phillips. Roblee had been on the board from 2013-2015 but stepped away before his term ended to focus on pursuing a master's degree. Phillips is an employee of the New York State United Teachers Union.

"(The incumbents have) been in there long enough," Paul said. "Let's get new ideas in there."

Fourteen people will lose their jobs from the 28 position cuts this year. One teaching assistant and 13 teaching aides will be cut. The total 28 spots that will be lost are 15 teacher aides, five general education elementary teachers, five elementary special education teachers, one high school social studies teacher, one elementary music teacher and one teaching assistant.
The volcano was much more aggressive, almost two weeks after it erupted on the island of La Palma, sending gas and ash almost 20,000 feet in
At the start of the year, I outlined several of my priorities for the upcoming legislative session. Making New York more affordable was at the top of my list. To date a number of actions have been taken in Albany to help reach that goal.

The state budget, adopted on-time at the end of March, was one key step. The senate turned back more than $1 billion in onerous tax-and-fee increases proposed by the governor and rejected additional spending hikes pushed by New York City Democrats who run the state assembly.

Now the senate has taken action on a number of bills that will make a real difference in everyones bottom line. The sweeping package of legislation focuses on property taxes, energy costs, unfunded mandates, and other expenses that are driving up the cost of living in New York State.
A Rochester company hoping to build what it calls an environmentally sound energy-producing trash incinerator in Seneca County has run up against strong opposition from area municipalities  and we believe the locals should have the final say on projects such as these.

Currently in New York state, a siting board oversees the permitting process for large electric generating facilities  which can also include projects utilizing wind turbines  and there is a public comment portion built into the process. But, with the benefit of hindsight, many now believe that trash incinerators in particular should be removed from the siting board process.

Among the list of worries expressed from citizens and officeholders from around the region are concerns over air quality and truck traffic. The facility would burn 2,600 tons of trash per day and would require about 450,000 gallons of water being taken from Seneca Lake every day.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo publicly came out against the incinerator on Tuesday, calling the Finger Lakes one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in the state and expressing hope that the siting board will reject the proposal.
LOS ANGELESFindom performer Miss Breton discusses her passion for pets, her personal life and more in this weeks Artist Spotlight, from iWantEmpires iWantBlog.com.

The sultry Miss Breton exposes her true passions when she chats with us in this weeks Artist Spotlight, said James Power, vice president of operations of iWantEmpire, which operates iWantBlog, iWantClips, iWantCustomCips, iWantPhone and iWantFanClub. The striking blonde is one of our fast-rising stars with her teasing personality and controlling clips which accentuate both her power and focus.

Artist Spotlight is iWantEmpires newly-launched feature, giving fans an inside look at trending artists through an interview-style feature that delves into their life and work. The section is promoted extensively on social media as well as on iWantEmpires other websites.

The energetic artist is one of iWantClips newest and most watched, thanks to her love for all things fetish, from foot adoration and ass worship to a passion for lingerie and leather fetishism. To visit her WantClips store, click here.

I used to be a photographer, but I wanted to do something more, she said during the interview. A friend who is on here recommended the site as the company who she has found truly cares the most in taking care of their artists. I joined and never looked back.

As for her personal philosophy as an artist, she said: Be you and rock it. Live out your fantasies whether they sell or not. You have a little nasty in you too so what better place to cater to that side of it? Make clips because you love it and do it for YOU."

To read the full interview, click here or visit iWantBlog.com.

iWantClips offers fans a truly elite experience, featuring a vast variety of talented artists who share their unique style and art to a worldwide audience.

For more information, visit WantEmpire.com.
Gluten-free biscuit manufacturer Northumbrian Fine Foods has been acquired by European own-label firm Biscuit International from CriSeren Foods.

Northumbrian (NFF) produces the Prewetts range of branded products and also supplies own-label gluten-free and milk-free supermarket biscuits. Employing 225 people from its site in the Team Valley in Gateshead, its annual turnover topped 27m in 2017.

Innovation is a key focus of the business, which has launched more than 100 products into retail in the past 12 months.

Senior management at NFF will remain unchanged, and Biscuit International said it would benefit from the teams experience to help drive growth in the European market. NFF senior managers have also invested in Biscuit International equity.

Biscuit International said the deal would give it access to NFFs innovation and production capabilities to tap growth opportunities on the free-from biscuit market. European sales of gluten- and milk-free products have been forecast by Euromonitor to grow 60% in the next five years to 8.7bn.

The European firm, which owns Poult in France, Banketgroep in the Netherlands and A&W in Germany, plans to offer NFF products to new markets in Europe, while reinforcing its presence in the UK and benefiting from NFFs relationship with UK supermarkets and brands. Biscuit International produces biscuits and waffles from 12 factories in Europe. It employs 1,200 people and generated sales of 300m in 2017.

This acquisition is great news for NFF and provides the platform for us to expand into Europe where we see significant opportunities for developing the gluten-free biscuit sector, said NFF managing director Stewart McLelland.

Biscuit International are a forward-thinking business and their plans for NFF will further enhance our position as the UKs number one gluten- and milk-free biscuit manufacturer.

Biscuit International plans to support the future growth of NFF with investment in the operational fabric of the building and the production capabilities.

The European company is owned by French private equity firm Qualium Investissement, the companys management team, and other French and international institutional investors.
Now that it is fully apparent, to all who have the ability to pay some modicum of attention, that Imposter President Biden has extreme cognitive issues, in addition to being an inveterate liar: Can OUR Republic continue with this Executive Office that has completely failed, so many times, on far too many issues here at this early date in this abysmal presidency?

No, Joseph R. Biden is completely unqualified, morally and cognitively, to represent real Americans, and lead this Republic of disparate peoples.

Yes, Joseph R. Biden has started whispering again, even softer now than before; so, I know he still cares, plus, OUR media will soon stop reporting on Afghanistan in favor of OUR Socialist ideals.
It's no shocker that a fan of partisan judicial elections urges North Carolina to maintain its current system for selecting state judges. More surprising? A skeptic of partisan elections also urges caution as lawmakers consider changing the system.The fan and the skeptic both took part in a May 7 judicial selection forum at Campbell Law School in Raleigh. The John Locke Foundation and Western Carolina University's Center for the Study of Free Enterprise co-hosted the panel discussion . Organizers wanted to inform an ongoing debate among lawmakers.As of 2018, the status quo means partisan elections for judges across the state. You'll hear no argument against that system from Chris Bonneau, associate professor of political science at the University of Pittsburgh. For the second time in three months, Bonneau traveled south to tout the benefits of partisan judicial elections. (He offered a similar defense of North Carolina's current system during a Feb. 15 panel discussion sponsored by the Federalist Society.)Bonneau told his Campbell Law School audience.In addition, partisan elections offer the most transparent form of judicial selection, Bonneau said.he said.In addition to transparency and the independent source of authority linked to partisan elections, Bonneau stresses the information provided to voters.Given his endorsement of the current system, it makes sense that Bonneau ended his prepared remarks with a warning.he added.It's easy for Bonneau to argue against major change. The status quo mirrors his policy preferences.It's not as easy to argue against change when you hold significant doubts about the current system. Count among the skeptics Edward Lopez, WCU professor of economics.While moderating the May 7 debate, Lopez stated his concerns. He emphasized academic research and opinion polls focusing on the performance of state legal systems. That includes the systems' reputation within the legal community.Lopez said.Lopez noted that the drop mirrors findings of an academic study cited in his 2010 book, The Pursuit of Justice.Lopez pointed to other research that suggests links between partisan judicial elections and higher levels of government corruption.he said.Elections also appear to have an impact on the size of lawsuit judgments, Lopez said.Despite his obvious concerns about partisan judicial elections, Lopez is not endorsing a quick, large-scale overhaul of the current system. During an interview with Carolina Journal Radio, he emphasized that any consideration of an appointment system would have to take account of factors that could limit judges' independence and accountability.What if lawmakers ultimately decide to stick with elections?he said.Lopez added.That sounds like the warning Bonneau delivered during the panel discussion.Lopez agreed.Lawmakers reconvening Wednesday, May 16, in Raleigh will have plenty of work to do in the coming weeks. They will revise the state budget. They are likely to address school and prison safety concerns. They might approve additional measures related to GenX dumped in the Cape Fear River. Legislative leaders have signaled their interest in finishing these and other major pieces of business by July 4.Does that leave them time for a major overhaul of the state's judicial selection system? Based on the advice of both a fan and a skeptic of the current system, it might make more sense to stick with what we have.
The Beaufort County Board of County Commissioners has managed recently to eclipse a long list of bad decisions. If there were a Nobel Prize for Bad Judgment, Beaufort County Commissioners would have won it each year for the last ten years. Six commissioners, at the May 7th meeting, managed to top the 1.6 million dollars for architect's plans for a jail before they knew how they were going to finance it, located the US Highway 17 bypass at a place that has no value to Beaufort County or the City of Washington, overspent a 33 million dollar school bond issue by 8 million dollars, tried to take over the VOA site with an agreement that said we could never own it but were required to pay for all maintenance and up keep, paid several times the appraised value for land, etc, etc. More recently, they shirked their oversight duty of the Sheriff's budget which resulted in abuse of county property, are spending thousands of dollars defending a law suit that could easily have been settled by simply agreeing to adhere to the law...I could go on and on.For those of us who understand earning interest on money, or who are financial types, or who just have commons sense, get this: The county will borrow 4.4 million dollars to automate water meter reading by radio from transmitters located on your property with receivers on water tanks. Here is the kicker, we will only save $200,000 per year in the cost of reading meters by reducing cutting two jobs and with other supposed savings the total comes to $200,000. What is the return on investment from this expenditure of 4.4 million dollars, plus interest? Or, how long will it take us to break even? The answer is 22 years.From a money management standpoint this is one of the dumbest ideas out there. Look at what the opportunity costs will be. Where could we put that money and get a better return on it. Even if we kept the money in the bank or did nothing we would be ahead. Long term federal bonds are paying 3.25 percent per year. That comes to $143,000. Now, the "savings" are reduced to $57,000.When investing public funds in enterprise (government businesses) projects like this we should get a minimum 10 percent return on investment or a ten-year payback. Usually, getting a 3 to 5 year payback is a no brainer.Simply put, there is no way we will ever get our money out of this. It is a dead expense. That means those who use county water are going to be hit with rate increases.I tried to talk about "pay back," or Return on Investment when this item came up. I am sorry to say that not a single commissioner understood "payback." I bet those of you who are in the business world know what it is. These guys think "pay back" is what they try to do to me when I catch them red handed doing something really dumb.There are a lot of unanswered questions about this system which uses radio signals sent to local relay stations mounted on water tanks and then to the "central command" located in the water department. We've all heard in recent months about hacking of networks. But there was little concern about how secure this network would be. What will prevent the network from being abused? Does this information ever get on the internet? If so, it could be hacked by someone in China or Russia or Nigeria. Without getting too technical, just imagine that they are talking about installing a microphone and camera on your private property. No, the county's equipment would not do that but are we going to be able to keep Bad Guys from hacking into it to do whatever they wish? Our other six commissioners were not concerned about network security.The company that is making money on this is the one who is "consulting" to the county and selling us the goods. Sounds a lot like the consultant we hired who managed to write the specifications on the 911 communications system so his favorite company became the single bidder for 1.8 million dollars while his competitors could to do the job for as little as 1.23 million had the specs been competitive . This was a system that we really did not need anyway. More bad judgment from these commissioners.If there is no profit in it for the Water Fund, why do we need to spend this money?
Oregon School Shooter Sentenced to 112 Years

When a minor commits a crime, there's often a tug-of-war that occurs in society. On one end, people believe criminals should be held accountable for their crimes, especially heinous ones. On the other end, because of their biologically underdeveloped brains, we generally assign less culpability to and have greater hope for the rehabilitation of juveniles.

In 1998, a 15-year-old shot dozens of people, killing four. Now, twenty years later, the state supreme court has affirmed the sentence that will keep him in prison for the rest of his life, though not everyone agrees with that outcome.

Shooter Killed Parents, Students

Kip Kinkel was expelled for bringing a gun to school when he was 15. That same day, he killed both of his parents. The next day, he entered Thurston High School, killing two students and wounding 25 others. He also lunged at a police officer with a knife, begging to be shot. Kinkel was charged with four counts of aggravated murder and 26 counts of attempted murder. After pleading guilty and waiving an insanity defense, the teen was sentenced to nearly 112 years in prison, despite the defense's evidence that Kinkel suffered from a schizoaffective disorder.

Sentencing Upheld on Appeal

Kinkel's attorneys have argued that the sentence amounted to cruel and unusual punishment of a 15-year-old. They also pointed to a 2012 Supreme Court decision ruling mandatory sentences of life without parole (LWOP) for juveniles are unconstitutional (although it concluded LWOP might be acceptable in some juvenile cases). However, both an appeals court and now the Oregon Supreme Court have affirmed the lower court's sentence.

The state's highest court reasoned that, "Given the nature and the number of the crimes that petitioner committed, we are hard pressed to say that his aggregate sentence is constitutionally disproportionate even taking his youth into account." The opinion also said that Kinkel's crimes would reflect an "irretrievably depraved character" had they been committed by an adult.

Dissent Expressed Hope for Rehabilitation

Justice James Egan wrote the lone dissent regarding Kinkel's sentencing, arguing that the evidence showed the teen's disregard for human life at the time of the school shooting was a temporary product of his mental disorder. "Those crimes were committed by a child with a treatable mental disorder," he said. "They do not show irreparable corruption."

If you've been accused of a crime, it's vital to speak with an experienced defense attorney as soon as possible to protect your rights and build a solid defense strategy early on.

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Federal investigators believe a man who once worked for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency is responsible for last year's massive leak of Top Secret CIA hacking tools, court documents reveal.

The suspect has been named as Joshua Adam Schulte, 29, who lived in New York, and is now in federal jail in Manhattannot for the hack, but on child pornography charges.

Chat log found on Joshua Schulte's computer  feds say he's discussing how to keep child porn secret. I'm more interested in the CIA coder's comment about how encryption can be broken. Feds didn't need to break the encryption on his computer. They found password on his cellphone pic.twitter.com/eoRuQAnPhm  Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) May 15, 2018

The government has filed no charges against Schulte in connection with the CIA leak. It's not clear why.

In court, Schulte's lawyer Jacob Kaplan said the FBI suspects his client was behind the leak of some 8,000 CIA documents to WikiLeaks in March, 2017.

"The FBI believed that Mr. Schulte was involved in that leak," said Kaplan, according to a transcript of a Jan. 8, 2018 hearing published by NBC News.

"As part of their investigation, they obtained numerous search warrants for Mr. Schulte's phone, for his computers, and other items, in order to establish the connection between Mr. Schulte and the WikiLeaks leak."

Shane Harris at the Washington Post, which where today's news on this story broke:

Joshua Adam Schulte, who worked for a CIA group that designs computer code to spy on foreign adversaries, is believed to have provided the agency's top-secret information to WikiLeaks, federal prosecutors acknowledged in a hearing in January. The anti-secrecy group published the code under the label "Vault 7" in March 2017. It was one of the most significant leaks in the CIA's history, exposing secret cyberweapons and spying techniques that might be used against the United States, according to current and former intelligence officials. Some argued that the Vault 7 disclosures could cause more damage to American intelligence efforts than those by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. He revealed extraordinary details about the capabilities of the United States to spy on computers and phones around the world, but the Vault 7 leaks showed how such spying is actually done, the current and former officials argued. Schulte's connection to the leak investigation has not been previously reported.

A man who identified himself to NBC News as Schulte's brother Jason told a reporter that "what the government is doing to him is wrong. They are screwing him over."

From Charlie Savage's report at the NYT:

Court papers quote messages from Mr. Schulte that suggest he was aware of the encrypted images of children being molested by adults on his computer, though he advised one user, "Just don't put anything too illegal on there." In September, Mr. Schulte was released on the condition that he not leave New York City, where he lived with a cousin, and keep off computers. He was jailed in December after prosecutors found evidence that he had violated those rules, and he has been held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan since then. He has posted on Facebook under a pseudonym a series of essays critical of the criminal justice system. It is unclear why, more than a year after he was arrested, he has not been charged or cleared in connection with Vault 7.

And a series of observations on the case from Wired News reporter Kim Zetter:

WikiLeaks published Vault 7 leaks from the CIA in March 2017. Joshua Schulte, the former CIA worker whom the WaPo says is suspected of leaking the docs to WikiLeaks, left CIA in Nov. 2016. WaPo story says search of Schulte's apt and computer uncovered no evidence of leaks pic.twitter.com/x0fnpzKyge  Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) May 15, 2018

To recap: Schulte is labeled disgruntled worker by CIA after filing report about incompetence at CIA. Feds search his computer/home, find no evidence of leaks but do find child porn on server he hosted for file trading (common for file-trading servers) https://t.co/0TyXQ8Y7yj https://t.co/hT8kTf8ooa  Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) May 15, 2018

When WikiLeaks published Vault 7 CIA leaks, they wrote "The archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive." Schulte wasn't a contractor  Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) May 15, 2018

Schulte, according to the WaPo, was technically a former CIA hacker. He was a coder who worked for a CIA group that designed the agency's digital spy tools. If Schulte is the WL source, WL didn't do him any favors by describing the leaker as a former gov hacker. https://t.co/iBtKrIyl9g  Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) May 15, 2018

WikiLeaks published the Vault 7 CIA leaks on March 7. According to court documents filed in the case against Joshua Schulte (the former CIA employee) the feds got a search warrant for his home on March 13  Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) May 15, 2018

On or about March 15, 2017, members of FBI searched the Residence. During the course of that search, law enforcement officers recovered, among other things, multiple computers, servers, and other portable electronic storage devices, including SCHULTE's personal desktop computer https://t.co/X610rzId0M  Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) May 15, 2018

During the course of reviewing the Desktop Computer, CACS agents encountered a volume of files in an encrypted container, approximately 54 GB in size (the "Encrypted Container") https://t.co/WX5aPDtk0z  Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) May 15, 2018

The feds were able to "defeat the encryption used to protect the Encrypted Container by entering passwords recovered from a cellular telephone belonging to JOSHUA ADAM SCHULTE" https://t.co/J5l46rrpDJ  Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) May 15, 2018

They found more than 10,000 files, images and videos, organized in folders, some of which are titled "downloads," "new," "kids," "old," "other," and "young" "13yo in bath" and "llyr old" that also contain child pornography. https://t.co/p39RDSEYC0  Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) May 15, 2018

Sorry, I'm not going to post the court document for the Joshua Schulte case  it's too graphic in describing the child porn the feds found.  Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) May 15, 2018
Earlier this month, Parliament sternly warned Mark Zuckerberg that if they continued to ignore their polite requests for him to testify, they'd issue a "summons" that could result in his being dragged to Westminster in chains the next time he set foot in the UK.



Now, Zuck has told them, again, to go fuck themselves.



At the end of an 18-page letter sent to the DCMS committee yesterday  in which Facebook's UK head of public policy, Rebecca Stimson, provides a point-by-point response to the almost 40 questions the committee said had not been adequately addressed by CTO Mike Schroepfer in a prior hearing last month  Facebook professes itself disappointed that the CTO's grilling was not deemed sufficient by the committee. "While Mark Zuckerberg has no plans to meet with the Committee or travel to the UK at the present time, we fully recognize the seriousness of these issues and remain committed to providing any additional information required for their enquiry into fake news," she adds.



Letter from Facebook to DCMS

Zuckerberg again snubs UK parliament over call to testify [Natasha Lomas/Tech Crunch]
The US Senate has just voted in favor of REVERSING the #NetNeutrality rollback which Trump FCC chairman, Ajit Pai put in place. This is a major win for the internet, Net Neutrality, and the American people.

BREAKING: We just won the vote in the Senate on #NetNeutrality. Thanks to everyone for pushing so hard. We have more work to do but this is an excellent beginning.  Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) May 16, 2018

#NetNeutrality 52 votes in the Senate to restore Net Neutrality! Time to declare victory ! Onward to the house  Tim Wu (@superwuster) May 16, 2018

The House still has to vote, and it's a long shot. Trump can veto. But our courts could overrule that.

You can re-watch the vote here [CSPAN].

Senate and House Democratic response, below.

Single most valuable thing from today's #NetNeutrality vote is seeing who's bought and paid for.  ???? ?????? (@xeni) May 16, 2018

Interesting Louisiana Republican Senator @SenJohnKennedy just voted with Senate Dems in favor of restoring net neutrality. https://t.co/UJqY0pqbCk  Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) May 16, 2018

Thune on the politics of the net neutrality CRA vote: "We are having a fake argument," John Thune, the Republican of South Dakota, said about the vote. He said the Senate "is going no where, my colleagues on the other side know that."  CeciliaKang (@ceciliakang) May 16, 2018

HISTORIC: Senators are voting right now on the #NetNeutrality CRA resolution. As of today, we'll have an official record of which lawmakers are on the side of big corporate ISPs when it comes to our digital civil rights. A huge moment for the future of the internet. #REDALERT pic.twitter.com/yJkdAUN66t  Free Press (@freepress) May 16, 2018

Kennedy votes yes on resolution to maintain net neutrality rules  Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) May 16, 2018

another Republican in addition to Collins of Maine https://t.co/LNgDcy6Ov7  CeciliaKang (@ceciliakang) May 16, 2018

The Senate vote is rolling in as we speak (watch: https://t.co/yhadmYog6i). This is going to be an excruciatingly close vote Don't stop reminding your lawmakers that #NetNeutrality is NOT a partisan issue. 86% of Americans oppose the FCC repeal! https://t.co/VkoZiZdHEd pic.twitter.com/A2Cbr90yhP  Fight for the Future (@fightfortheftr) May 16, 2018

Democrats spent a great deal of effort securing Kennedy's vote. A Democratic aide tells me that Markey and Kennedy have met and spoken on numerous occasions and their staffs have been in "constant communication." #netneutrality  Brian Fung (@b_fung) May 16, 2018
The Senate Judiciary Committee believes NRA leadership were likely tools evil enough to have been a channel for funneling illegal foreign money into Trump's 2016 campaign.

More interesting to me: are Americans who maintain 'gun ownership is insurance against the US Government' now unwitting Russian insurgents?

Via the Daily Beast:


Nurses picketed The Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital And Trauma Center (AKA "Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital") and covered up Zuckerberg's name on the hospital sign, citing concerns that patients would not trust a hospital that was associated with someone with such a long rap-sheet for privacy violations.



The nurses are also worried that Facebook might use Zuckerberg's relationship with the hospital to try to obtain data on its patients. They pointed to a CNBC report about how Facebook quietly tried to pursue data-sharing arrangements with other hospitals.

The CNBC report didn't specifically cite any contact between the company and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. In a statement at the time, Facebook said the hospital data-sharing initiative didn't progress past the "planning stage."

"We are in charge of keeping our most vulnerable people private and protected  Now people wonder, 'How much is my privacy protected at a hospital with that name on it?'" Heater Ali, an employee at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, told The New York Times.
Securus is the widely abused location-tracking tool that exploits a loophole in privacy law to allow police to extract realtime and historical cellphone location data without a warrant or any accountability.



Such a tool has enormous power for abuse by criminals as well as dirty cops: it's a stalker-rapist's best friend, an all-clear system for housebreakers, and the perfect snoop for blackmailers and voyeurs. So let's hope they've got really good security!

A hacker has provided Motherboard's Joseph Cox with login credentials for Securus. The hacker says it was very easy to obtain these, because Securus has really bad security.



The hacker who breached Securus provided Motherboard with several internal company files. A spreadsheet allegedly from a database marked "police" includes over 2,800 usernames, email addresses, phone numbers, and hashed passwords and security questions of Securus users, stretching from 2011 up to this year. A hash is a cryptographic representation of a piece of data, meaning a company doesn't need to store the password itself. But the hashes themselves were created using the notoriously weak MD5 algorithm, meaning attackers could learn a user's real password in many cases. Indeed, some of the passwords have seemingly been cracked and included in the spreadsheet. It is not immediately clear if the hacker that provided the data to Motherboard cracked these alleged passwords or if Securus stored them this way itself. Most of the users in the spreadsheet are from US government bodies, including sheriff departments, local counties, and city law enforcement. Impacted cities include Minneapolis, Phoenix, Indianapolis, and many others. The data also includes Securus staff members, as well as users with personal email addresses that aren't explicitly linked to a particular government department.

Hacker Breaches Securus, the Company That Helps Cops Track Phones Across the US [Joseph Cox/Motherboard]
News / National

by Staff reporter

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Mashonaland East has pulled out of the MDC Alliance and resolved to field its own candidates in the coming elections.The provincial executive is disgruntled that none of its members in the area were allocated seats in the seven-member MDC Alliance to contest in this year's elections.Former Marondera mayor, Farai Nyandoro confirmed the new development saying he had since been confirmed by the province to contest for the Marondera Central seat on a PDP ticket.Last weekend, Caston Matewu from the MDC-T was selected to represent the Alliance in the elections expected to be held in July.In Murewa South, the PDP district executive met on Tuesday this week and resolved to nominate by consensus a candidate who would represent the party in the parliamentary election and select 12 candidates to contest all the 12 local council seats in the area.Similar developments in the PDP are reported to be taking place in other districts in Mashonaland East.However, the decision comes after the PDP national executive has since completed the party's candidate confirmation process for the local council and parliamentary elections with party leader Tendai Biti set to contest as the MP for Harare East on an MDC Alliance ticket.Biti lost the same seat in 2015 after he and several other MPs were recalled from the MDC-T for forming a splinter faction of the MDC T. He was later to be elected president of the PDP.
News / National

by Byo24News Reporter

The High Court of Zimbabwe has ruled unconstitutional the declaration by Chiefs Council president that traditional leaders are appendages of the ruling Zanu PF party.The Election Resource Centre dragged Chiefs Council president Fortune Charumbira, the National Council of Chiefs, the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing seeking an order to compel them to uphold the constitution which dictates that traditional leaders should remain apolitical."The remarks made the first respondent on 28 October 2017 on the occasion of the Annual Conference of the Chiefs Council and on 13 January 2018, to the effect that traditional leaders have been supporting and must continue to support Zanu PF and its presidential candidate at the forthcoming 2018 elections be and is hereby declared to be in contravention of the Constitution of Zimbabwe."Judge Justice Phiri made the ruling on Wednesday morning following failure to enter into defense by the respondents.He ordered Chiefs Council president Fortune Charumbira to retract his statements on both public and private media houses with national circulation as well the national broadcaster.The court also order the Minister of local government, public works and national housing to institute disciplinary proceedings against Charumbira.Justice Phiri also ruled that the NCC and the parent ministry ensure that section 287 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe is observed.Section 287 stipulates that "an Act of Parliament must provide for the establishment of procedures of an Integrity and Ethics Committee of Chiefs.Godfrey Mupanga of Mupanga Bhatasara Attorney represented ERC.
News / National

by Byo24News Reporter

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) on Wednesday strongly condemned the killing of Palestinians in Gaza by Israeli armed forces."The Southern African Development Community (SADC) condemns in the strongest terms possible the violent aggression carried out by Israeli armed forces along the Gaza border, which has led civilians' death," SADC Executive Secretary Dr Stergomena Tax shared on the microblogging site, twitter.Palestinians marched to the fence of Gaza border and close to 60 people were killed when Israeli forces opened fire, leaving at least 2 700 also injured.The death toll is the highest in the Gaza strip since the launch Operation Protective Edge in 2014.The demonstrations took place at 13 different locations along the fence with Palestinians throwing stones, Molotov cocktail and other explosive devices at the Israeli troops.Monday violence broke out as the United States of America opened its Israeli embassy in Jerusalem, a move that enraged the Palestinians.Palestinians claim East Jerusalem is part of their territory.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

Commissioners from the electoral management body, ZEC have unanimously agreed that it is unconstitutional to political parties to be part of the ballot papers procurement process.Following loud clamours by opposition parties to be included in the process, ZEC commissioners met in Harare today to discuss the matter.ZEC Chairperson, Justice Priscillah Chigumba said the outcome of the meeting was unanimous."It was agreed that allowing that to happen would be in violation of the constitution and also impinges on the independence of the electoral body," she said.However, the commissioners also unanimously agreed to consider allowing political parties to observe the printing process.According to Justice Chigumba ZEC will now engage other stakeholders to come up with modalities of how this can be achieved.
Opinion / Columnist

The Editor,On 18 April 2018, Tendai Biti was quoted as saying, "Zimbabwe's elections scheduled to take place this year will be the most important in a generation and critical to restoring democracy and economic growth in the southern African nation that has been dominated by one party since independence in 1980"Barely a month later, Job Sakala boasted that, ".. and only yesterday he lied that he had contracted a disease that now makes him as light as a coloured after Operation Restore Legacy when it is clear that he used Ambi"This is very difficult for me to write because many people will consider Sakala their hero but to me this is the worst politician Zimbabweans will ever see. The above utterances set back the march to freedom by decades. As Biti said, the upcoming elections are the most important in a generation and there must be zero room for personal attacks. This must be an election for ideas not trivial stupid utterances that do not bring any value to Zimbabwe.In life, for every force, there is a counter force. A force dominates because there is a weak or no counter force. With such pronunciations from Sakala, my heart bleeds for Zimbabwe. This is as trivial and as stupid as it can go!Zimbabwean people are waiting to hear just one pronunciation of how MDC is planning to address the decay in the country; just one. People like me don't want to be told about the problems that I already see for myself, why tell me that there are potholes? What I want to hear is the opposition's plan to fix potholes not to tell me that there are potholes.I care less about VP Chiwengwa's looks; I care for his well-being. He said it himself, he is sick. That is his health and he did not have to share such private information but as a civil servant, a public figure, he did what he thought was important. Now jumps in the opportunists, blasting our VP for doing the right thing.I have bad news for the opposition today; without critical self-appraisal, their quest for winning elections will remain a pipe dream. To Mr. Biti, if ever you saw a silver line of defeating Zanu-PF, I have bad news for you; your alliance is the most hopeless this country has ever seen; it is filled with closet dictators and tyrannies that are worse that those currently at the helm of Zanu-PF.Most of the leaders in the MDC alliance are wooden, senile, and out of touch with reality home and abroad. People like Sakala have spewed the same hatred for years without getting any traction; is that not the definition of stupidity?I truly ask the government to pay attention to the activities of these malcontents. They raise people's hopes with insults and falsehoods and when they eventually fail as is obvious, youthful malcontents might think the best way is going into the bush as rebels. This is something that has happened in many other countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Egypt, Tunisia etc.What type of ideology or political platform can an opposition that does not agree on its leadership bring to the country? President Mnangagwa is busy drawing rules for transition to democracy; why not concentrating your efforts into ensuring that his rules are fair and just and are creating a level playing field?Can the opposition tell me their understanding of what they find imperative for a free and fair election?Sincerely,Sam Wezhira
A St. John's biotech company says it's gathered material that proves the province's Health Research Ethics Authority is "a disaster" and it's calling on the provincial government to step in and reform it.

Sequence Bio wants to look at the genetic makeup of people in Newfoundland and Labrador to find new treatments for common illnesses but lately it's been doing a different sort of research.

After having two, multi-million dollar research proposals rejected by the ethics board, the company started asking questions.

"We've had a very frustrating experience with our initial applications. It didn't seem right. It was inconsistent with what our colleagues were experiencing across the country," said Sequence Bio's CEO Chris Gardner.

"We decided to dig further and what we have uncovered has been quite shocking,"

Board 'obstructive'

Through an access to information request Sequence Bio obtained a letter from a Newfoundland and Labrador pediatric oncologist, whose name has been redacted, saying the ethics board "has been obstructive' and its decisions are limiting treatment options for children with cancer.

Sequence Bio has also released a letter from researcher and family doctor Dennis O'Keefe, who describes himself as "an active medical researcher in Newfoundland and Labrador for over 25 years"

"If you speak to most clinical trial sponsors they will tell you that they are not bringing any new clinical trials to this province because the Health Ethics Research Board are impossible to deal with," wrote O'Keefe.

"[The board's] lack of respect and consideration for the people and patients of this province is shameful."

Different experience elsewhere

This winter Sequence Bio hired a new chief scientific officer, Michael Phillips, who has worked with health research ethics boards in both Quebec and Ireland.

"Usually my interactions have been very collaborative. I find that the HREB's have always worked with me and that they have always wanted to find solutions to issues that they have brought up," he said.

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"My experience since I have been in Newfoundland and Labrador has been that the HREB here is out of sync with the rest of the country and they aren't working with the researchers in a collaborative fashion. Honestly, right now, I think that the current HREB in this province is broken."

Sequence Bio said it is calling for a solution on behalf of frustrated researchers, and wants Health Minister John Haggie to step in.

"When a system like this is broken for which his department is fully responsible for it's up to them to fix it," said Gardner.

He said the province should bring in an experienced, independent research regulator, at least until the current board is reformed.

Health minister not committing to change

Haggie, meanwhile, isn't convinced there is a problem that needs to be fixed.

He said it's common for researchers to complain about ethics board decisions in many jurisdictions but he isn't dismissing Sequence Bio's concerns without taking a look at the documents the company has compiled.

"I don't know what the problem is specifically and until then I can't really get staff to advise me on what the options are for solutions," said Haggie.

"So I'm sorry to sound vague but this binder has arrived and it needs to be looked at."

Sequence Bio is also taking legal action against the ethics board, asking the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court to order the board to to follow provincial legislation.

The case is back in court June 6.
A 14-month investigation by CBC Edmonton into a controversial private health foundation has been named as one of eight finalists for the prestigious 2017 Michener Award for public-service journalism.

In their investigative project, Private Health, Public Risk?, CBC investigative journalists Charles Rusnell and Jennie Russell revealed serious irregularities involving grants to Pure North, the private alternative-health foundation of wealthy Calgary oilman Allan Markin.

The investigation revealed that in 2013, Alberta's then-health minister Fred Horne approved a $10-million grant to Pure North to expand its unproven alternative-health program to thousands of seniors.

Internal government documents showed Horne made the decision against the advice of ministry officials who had determined the Pure North program, which features high doses of vitamin D, was not adequately supported by science, could not prove the incredible health and economic benefits it claimed, and could cause adverse health effects in participants.

In 2016, Alberta Health gave Pure North $4.2-million to fund a nurse-practitioner clinic as part of a pilot project. Health Minister Sarah Hoffman insisted Pure North was not allowed to offer any alternative treatments at the clinic.

Hoffman cancelled funding to the clinic the same day CBC revealed a 74-year-old woman had been prescribed a high dose of vitamin D at the clinic. Pure North claims it was allowed to offer the treatment, and says its program is safe, effective, and supported by credible science.

The auditor general also conducted an investigation into the grants to Pure North and confirmed much of CBC's reporting.

Rusnell and Russell say they are honoured to be nominated and they praised the many sources who came forward with information that was critical to their investigation.

"This investigation would never have been done; this information would never have been revealed if someone had not contacted us," Russell said Tuesday in an interview with CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.

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"Journalism matters and investigative journalism matters now more than ever," she said.

The Michener Award was founded in 1970 by the late Roland Michener when he was Canada's governor general. It honours excellence in public-service journalism.

The judges' decisions are heavily influenced by the degree of public benefit generated by the print, broadcast, and online entries submitted for consideration.

The award is presented to news organizations rather than to individual journalists.

Other nominees for the 2017 award include Cogeco Media, Global News, the Toronto Star and the Vancouver Sun. The Globe and Mail is nominated for three investigations.

Gov. Gen. Julie Payette will host the Michener Awards ceremony at Rideau Hall on June 12.

The Pure North investigation is also nominated for the Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism, in the large-media category. The award recognizes news organizations that embody exemplary journalism that impacts positively the communities they serve.

The CJF award will be presented in Toronto on June 14.
Starting tomorrow, many people who live in the Halifax region will be able to order their groceries online and have them delivered to their door in as little as one hour.

Loblaws, Canada's largest grocer, made the announcement in a news release on Tuesday. It indicated earlier this month it was expanding its partnership with California-based delivery company Instacart.

The service was launched in 11 markets, including Toronto and Vancouver, last year.

According to the companies, people in the following areas are eligible for home delivery: Halifax, Dartmouth, Burnside, Middle Sackville, Upper Sackville, Lower Sackville, Lakeview, Clayton Park, Cole Harbour, Armdale and Spryfield.

Carol Delatorre, a customer of Loblaws supermarket chain Superstore, said she rarely shops online but thinks it's a great option for others.

"I think it's a great option for people. Myself, I don't like to use it. I like to come in because I'm a really picky shopper, I like to do my own shopping," she said.

To use the service, shoppers will visit www.instacart.ca or open the mobile app on their phones. After selecting the city and store, people can then add items to their virtual cart and schedule a delivery window from one hour up to five days.

According to Instacart's website, the delivery fee is usually $7.99 for orders of $35 or more, but will be reduced to $3.99 at the outset. There are also membership options for those who plan to use the service regularly.

Superstore customer Comfort Tebiri said she can see the appeal of home delivery.

"I think it's good," Tebiri said. "Maybe you're busy at work, you can just shop and come for it and it's quick and easy."

Some locations already offer "click-and-collect" shopping, which allows customers to order groceries online and pick them up while parked in dedicated parking spots.

Heather Hardiman said she has had more difficulty finding parking since that service begin last year.

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"One day I had to drive around three times just to get a parking spot," she said. "That doesn't make it convenient for me to go shopping and I'm not interested in someone picking out my fruit and veggies, I'll do it myself."

Two weeks ago, Loblaws said it was expanding the grocery delivery service to regions such as Halifax, Regina and Montreal.

Canadian grocers have recently started to focus heavily on their e-commerce offerings, including home delivery options, after retail titan Amazon acquired Whole Foods Market and its Canadian locations last year.

E-commerce encounters

Sylvain Charlebois, food distribution and policy professor at Dalhousie University, said Canadians are buying around one per cent of their food online and that the market is "highly underdeveloped."

But he is optimistic about where the market is heading.

"If you engage the consumer and you keep them active and part of the process, I think it could actually make a difference," said Charlebois.

He said national retailers like Loblaws and Sobeys are aiming to increase their virtual footprint in order to stay competitive.

"The Amazon effect is really forcing grocers to think differently about the consumer," says Charlebois.

Providing the convenience of offering online and/or home delivery is what has made online retailers like Amazon such a huge competitor for grocers.

"I think the incentive is about being the first mover. Loblaws has been pretty clear over the last year or so that they wanted to blanket the Canadian market, they want to deploy very aggressive strategies to beat Amazon," said Charlebois.
By Michelle Martin and Madeline Chambers BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Angela Merkel on Wednesday defended the Iran nuclear deal following its rejection by Washington, arguing the pact is the best way to tackle concerns about Tehran's role in Syria and its ballistic missile program. In a wide-ranging policy speech to the Bundestag lower house of parliament, the chancellor of 12-1/2 years addressed a range of individual issues from euro zone reform to digitalization and defense, without laying out a cohesive strategic vision. A multilateral approach, including towards Iran, is the only option, said Merkel, who with other European powers is struggling to keep alive the nuclear deal without the United States. Merkel described the deal as "everything other than ideal", but argued that international nuclear authorities said Iran was sticking to its commitments. "This does not mean we are happy about everything Iran is doing, we have to talk about its role in Syria, its ballistic missile program, other issues, but the question is whether you can talk better if you terminate an agreement or if you stay in it," Merkel told lawmakers. "We say you can talk better if you remain in it," she added. Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the 2016 pact between Iran and six world powers which lifted most international sanctions in return for Tehran curbing its nuclear program, under the surveillance of the U.N. nuclear watchdog. "Despite all the difficulties that we have these days, the transatlantic relationship is and remains paramount," Merkel, whose fourth term atop a coalition started in March after her conservatives made big losses in a Sept. vote, told lawmakers. "But these transatlantic relationships also must be able to deal with differences of opinion." EURO ZONE BACKSTOP Merkel also called for a strengthening of the euro zone and threw her weight behind proposals from her Social Democrat Finance Minister Olaf Scholz to transform the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) fund, into a facility to wind down bad banks. Merkel and Scholz are at odds with French President Emmanuel Macron over his more radical ideas to create a separate euro zone budget, appoint a finance minister and convert the bloc's ESM emergency rescue fund into a European monetary fund. Merkel, adamant that Germans will not take on greater risks, said that individual members must take responsibility for themselves within a currency union. She also said she supported developing the ESM "to give it tasks that come close to those of a international monetary fund". "I agree that when a lot of progress has been made on reducing risks nationally, we can have a common backstop and this common backstop could be domiciled in the ESM, as the finance minister said yesterday," said Merkel. Scholz had on Tuesday suggested the ESM become a common backstop as long as risks in national banks' balance sheets were reduced first. This is a smaller step than Macron wants. He aims to turn it into a preventative fund to help members facing short-term financial problems. Both leaders have said they will reach agreement before a summit in Brussels on June 28-29. In a lively debate, the parliamentary leader of the far-right opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, was scolded by Bundestag President Wolfgang Schaeuble for discriminating against women wearing headscarves in her speech. "Burkas, headscarf girls, knifemen who live off benefits and other good-for nothings will not secure our prosperity, economic growth and above all the welfare state," Weidel had said to boos from other lawmakers. She also quoted Czech President Milos Zeman: "If you live in a country where you are punished for fishing without a license but not for illegally crossing a border, then you are fully justified in saying the country is ruled by idiots." (Additional reporting by Paul CarrelWriting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Paul Carrel and Janet Lawrence, William Maclean)
Alberta premier ready 'to turn off the taps' if pipeline issue not settled soon

Alberta has passed legislation giving the province's energy minister the power to choke off gasoline shipments to British Columbia if that province continues to throw up barriers to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Bill 12 passed late Wednesday afternoon in the Alberta Legislature. David Swann, the Liberal for Calgary-Mountain View, was the only member of the legislature to vote against it.

Earlier Wednesday, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley used her strongest language yet about her intentions for the law, stating she was prepared to use it on short notice, if required.

"Albertans, British Columbians and all Canadians should understand that if the path forward for the pipeline through B.C. is not settled soon, I am ready and prepared to turn off the taps," she said.

Vancouver drivers are currently paying about $1.57 per litre for gasoline, and blocking shipments could push prices even higher, putting political pressure on B.C. Premier John Horgan.

Asked when she planned to take action, Notley declined to reveal details.

"With the greatest of respect, I'm not going to spell out the exact schedule and the exact steps," she said.

B.C. to mount legal challenge

In response, B.C. Attorney General David Eby sent a letter to Alberta Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley Wednesday urging the government to hold off proclaiming Bill 12 until a judge can determine its constitutionality.

"In the absence of such a commitment, I intend to instruct counsel to bring an action challenging its constitutional validity in the courts of Alberta," Eby wrote.

Notley also responded to an announcement Wednesday morning by federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau that Ottawa is willing to compensate backers of the Trans Mountain pipeline project for any financial losses due to political obstruction.

Morneau said Canada is willing to write Kinder Morgan  or whoever steps up to the plate  a cheque to ensure the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion gets built.

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Notley ready to 'do whatever is necessary'

Notley said she remains confident construction will resume this summer. She said she speaks to Morneau every day, and Alberta officials are involved in the talks with Kinder Morgan.

The premier suggested different scenarios are at play.

"If framework one doesn't work, there may well be a framework two," she said.

Asked if her government is still willing to purchase the project, Notley said she will "do whatever is necessary" to get construction underway this summer.

Morneau's comments came just hours before Kinder Morgan Canada's stakeholders met in Calgary. The incentive offer comes two weeks before the company's potential drop-dead date.

Kinder Morgan has threatened to abandon the project if a clear path forward isn't reached by May 31.

Morneau consulted with senior officials in the Alberta government and Kinder Morgan CEO Steve Kean Tuesday night.

Last month, Kinder Morgan stopped all non-essential spending on its $7.4-billion project after a months-long standoff between the British Columbia and Alberta governments.

B.C. has been working to block the pipeline for environmental reasons over Alberta's objections.

The expansion would add a second pipeline along Kinder Morgan's existing pipeline route to carry diluted bitumen from Alberta to the B.C. coast for export on tankers.
Once in line for the British throne, Prince Alexander is now a royal without a kingdom

He has been a crown prince his entire life, turning grey as he waits his turn to take the throne.

As a fixture of the extended British royal family, he's been there for all the big milestones, including, of course, the royal weddings.

He, too, is a descendant of Queen Victoria, but unlike Prince Charles  his friend and distant cousin  Prince Alexander of Serbia calls Queen Elizabeth his godmother.

And unlike Charles, Alexander isn't guaranteed to eventually rule his kingdom. Officially, that kingdom no longer exists.

The complicated life of Crown Prince Alexander  son of the last king of Yugoslavia  is removed and yet in some ways, parallel to that of Prince Charles.

The 72-year-old Alexander was once in line to the British throne, though quite low on the list  and he forfeited that birthright after his first marriage, to a Roman Catholic.

While the 69-year-old Charles is the next in line in a royal family watched and admired around the world  and has lived accordingly  Alexander worked and lived in exile for most of his years, paying his own bills, taking out a mortgage and serving in the British army.

He eventually returned to live in Belgrade in 2000, on a mission largely unknown outside Serbia to restore the monarchy and the titles his father never gave up.

Both Alexander and Charles are getting on in years and both are presiding as the next royal generation marks its own milestones with fanfare. Last year, Alexander celebrated the wedding of his son Philip, the first Serbian royal wedding held there since 1922. Then in February came the first male heir born in Serbia in 90 years. Prince Alexander announced the news in a Facebook post.

Alexander and Charles also have some key history in common. Both their stories began in London, and though in different ways, their lives were also shaped by the Queen.

"She's a great example to the world," said Prince Alexander in a wide-ranging interview at the royal palace in Belgrade. "The most advanced social countries in the world are constitutional monarchies."

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But in a year when the Windsors celebrate the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, putting the family again in the spotlight, in Belgrade, Alexander's family is still waiting for theirs, trapped in a royal limbo.

'Enemy of the state' at age 2

The disruption in the Yugoslav monarchy began when Alexander's father, King Peter, left Yugoslavia in 1941 ahead of a German invasion. He settled in London to wait, where he married and later had a child.

On July 17, 1945, then-prime minister Winston Churchill declared Room 212 at Claridge's hotel in London Yugoslav territory so that Alexander could eventually become the official heir to the throne.

The crown prince, whose full name is Alexander Karadjordjevic, was christened later that year at Westminster Abbey, with Queen Elizabeth acting as his godmother. It was the start of a close relationship that involved frequent invitations to family occasions big and small, including Prince Charles' and later, Prince William's wedding.

Now back to live in his father's royal palace in Belgrade, the crown prince told CBC his story.

"I wasn't allowed to visit this place because I was [declared] an enemy of the state at the age of two," he said, in a comfortable British accent. "It's terrible to be an exile. My father suffered dramatically. He thought he was going to come home tomorrow. But it didn't happen, because the communists took over."

Communist Yugoslavia under Josip Broz Tito banished the monarchy, stripped the family of citizenship and banned them from returning home. Tito ruled from the White Palace until he died in 1980.

King Peter died and was buried in the U.S. in 1970. In 2013, Prince Alexander won the right to repatriate his father's body to Serbia to be buried in the royal mausoleum.

'You can learn from the past'

Now, at the royal compound, which is regularly opened to tourists, signs still remain of the tumultuous communist presence in the years between the Second World War and 1992  they include an etching of a star on a granite column, the defacing of a religious image and a bullet hole in the fresco of Jesus on the domed ceiling of the chapel on the premises.

While restoring the palace, Prince Alexander decided against removing that evidence, saying only dictators try to alter history. "I don't think you can ever erase the past. You can learn from the past and move ahead and create good moments."

The kingdom itself is in the past, and has since broken up into several states. After the revolution that unseated former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, the Serbian government allowed the royal family to return to live in and use the palaces.

But Serbia has not reinstated the monarchy, and thus Alexander and his family have not yet reclaimed their place at the helm of Serbian society.

Alexander said Serbia  a halting democracy drifting again toward nationalism and increasingly under Russian influence  could benefit from the "continuity, stability and unity provided" by a monarch. He said it should have been done years ago.

But "the people have to decide."

Unsurprisingly, the crown prince and his Greek wife, Crown Princess Katherine, dismiss suggestions that monarchies are outdated.

Katherine called her husband "the king of peace," pointing to his role in bringing leaders from all the country's faiths together for the first time in 2001.

"He brought democracy a country needs a unifying factor, which is what he became after this incredible conflict," she said.

"It's like having the same parents all your life  it is just the way it is."

Life in the White Palace

Life for Serbia's royals now revolves around their compound, which contains two palaces built by Alexander's predecessors. The palaces have become central again in capturing the public's imagination and telling the royal story.

The couple lives in one of the palaces and use the other, the White Palace, for meetings and official functions, including the visit from Prince Charles in 2016.

The palace also hosted the reception after the lavish wedding of Prince Philip and his wife, Danica, last year. The couple borrowed heavily from past royal weddings, including wearing velvet crowns. Their wedding was broadcast live in Serbia, sparking renewed interest in the family.

It also attracted its fair share of media attention, including in Britain, where the couple met. They shared the details with Vogue magazine.

It may have been a smaller affair, but the effect for the family is no different than that of Prince Harry's wedding: it was a boost for the royal family and to its popularity.

"It's wonderful and we feel that this will be one more joy for the UK and all those who believe in the British monarchy," said Princess Katherine. It's one more instance of "good news," she said, "and this is what keeps things going."

Presumably they will be attending Harry's wedding on Saturday, but out of respect for the soon-to-be-married couple, they would not say whether they were invited.

The birth of a new member for both families this year is also seen as a shot in the arm.

"He's a beautiful little boy and we're very happy that he was born here," said Prince Alexander of his first grandson, Stefan.

Charitable work

Without official duties, the Serbian royal couple focuses on charity, including raising money to purchase equipment for health facilities. The princess's charity has a Toronto branch that recently raised enough money to purchase a new delivery table for a local Belgrade hospital.

The couple meet with hundreds of orphans twice a year  at Christmas and at Easter. The children are treated to a show and handed gifts by the princes themselves, to briefly behold the magic of royalty.

For Crown Prince Alexander, his family's palaces could hardly be put to better use.

"It means a lot that the palace is being used for something good, that it becomes a tradition."

When engaging with the public at events like this, Alexander and Katherine are truly treated like royalty. It's not unusual at such events to hear someone say, "Long live the king."

All the pieces are in place for their official return, said Prince Alexander  even a flag with a royal coat of arms on it. "All we're missing is the monarchy."
Wearing a head scarf and suit, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an appearance at Gurdwara Millwoods in southeast Edmonton Monday.

Hundreds packed the temple to witness the brief event with Trudeau, who did not make any public statements. He gave a food bank donation, was presented with a kirpan  a ceremonial dagger worn by Sikhs  and served food to attendees.

The visit comes while closed-door talks on the Trans Mountain pipeline between Kinder Morgan and the federal and provincial governments continue.

'Be among smiling faces'

It's not lost on John Soroski, assistant professor of political science at MacEwan University, that Trudeau keeps coming back to Mill Woods.

It's the riding of federal Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, who won the seat by 92 votes in the 2015 federal election, after a judicial recount.

"The Liberals have very few ridings in Alberta as it is," Soroski said. "The government's handling of pipeline issues implies they're probably not likely to increase that. So you really want to try to hang on to whatever you've got."

It's a chance for Trudeau to be in the spotlight for things other than the pipeline, like his "close connection with the Sikh community," he explained.

"That's an opportunity for him to be in Alberta, to have smiling faces around instead of people angrily asking questions about the federal government's support or non-support of the pipeline," Soroski said.

"It's a good start to your visit if you can be among smiling faces because you'll be among less smiling faces later on."

Trudeau's most recent visit to the Edmonton area was in February. The visit included a town hall at MacEwan and a game of pickleball at the Mill Woods Senior and Multicultural Centre.

Monday's visit is "out of the blue," said Faron Ellis, research chair of the Citizen Society Research Lab at Lethbridge College.

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"The particular dilemma for this prime minister is coming to Alberta at this time of great sensitivity in federal-provincial relations with many Albertans feeling they're on the losing end, if not being snubbed, being outright ignored are their issues," Ellis said.

Albertans want to hear more than campaign rhetoric and platitudes, especially when the clock is ticking on the Trans Mountain pipeline with Kinder Morgan's May 31 deadline, Ellis said.

"Coming here, doing some campaigning is all good and well, and completely legitimate. Coming here without addressing some of the expectations, or some of the grievances, and having something reasonably substantive to say  particularly on Trans Mountain  is a trip fraught with considerable perils."

Trudeau's Alberta visit continues Tuesday, with infrastructure announcements scheduled in Edmonton and Calgary.
The first stage of major renovations at Nova Scotia's largest jail is nearing completion, but the union representing correctional officers is worried about their safety.

The north unit at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Centre in the Burnside Industrial Park in Dartmouth has been undergoing a $6.8-million renovation to convert the cell block to a direct supervision model.

A reinforced desk has been constructed right on the floor of a day room that will eventually house up to 62 inmates. They will have direct contact with the guards working at that desk.

Direct supervision model

"It reduces the number of incidents or conflicts that exist on any given day room in any given correctional facility in Canada," Supt. Tim Carroll said of the changes. "It reduces the severity of those conflicts and it reduces the duration of those conflicts."

But the president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union disagrees. Jason MacLean was a correctional officer for 22 years.

"Ultimately, direct supervision in Nova Scotia I don't believe will work," MacLean said. "This is a conversation I've been having with the minister of justice as well."

Resources not there, union says

MacLean said the model works in jurisdictions where there are emergency response teams and other supports ready to respond immediately to any problem that might develop. He said Nova Scotia doesn't have the resources to provide that support.

MacLean said it was only at the insistence of the union that a door was installed behind the guard desk to ensure correctional staff had an escape route for emergencies.

Carroll said "there is always a risk" in a correctional environment.

"We are not working at Chapters. We are mitigating the risk. We do everything we can to reduce the risk."

'It makes it safer'

Carroll and other jail supervisors said the direct supervision model lessens the possibility of conflict with inmates because the guards in the day room build up a rapport with the people they're guarding.

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"It makes it safer and it makes the staff approachable, a source of information for anything that the inmate might need," said Jim Hayman, a 27-year veteran corrections officer and a trainer who's instructed other corrections staff on the direct supervision model.

"We don't do the intermittent rounds in direct supervision," Hayman said. "We're in there for active and continuous supervision."

When tensions do spill over, however, Carroll said the jail is prepared. He said the first line of defence is for staff to try to regain control of the situation simply by talking to the inmates.

Tasers, pepper balls, body scanners

If that fails, he said staff are trained and ready to deploy Tasers and pepper balls to contain the situation. Pepper balls are capsules of the same ingredient as pepper spray and can be dropped into the day room to subdue any uprising.

"Correctional services takes safety of all staff, correctional officers, managers and support staff very seriously," Carroll said. "We do everything we can to ensure their safety yet recognizing we're working in an unsafe environment."

The jail is also installing two body scanners.

The devices will be used to take X-ray images of any inmates entering the facility to prevent them from smuggling in any contraband. Authorities claim the devices have been successful at intercepting up to 98 per cent of contraband in other jurisdictions.

The scanners will also be installed at the provincial jails in Yarmouth, Cape Breton and Pictou at a cost of $198,000 each. That cost includes training for staff.

Once work is complete on the north unit, renovations will begin on the west unit, which is the other part of the jail housing men.

As the newest of the four provincial jails, the direct supervision model was incorporated into the Northeast Nova Scotia Correctional Centre in Pictou when it was being built. No decision has been made yet on when or if similar changes will be implemented at the other two provincial jails.
By Allison Lampert and Jess Macy Yu MONTREAL, TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's foreign ministry has asked Air Canada for a "speedy correction" following the airline's decision to list Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, as a part of China on its booking website, according to a statement from the ministry on Tuesday. As recently as last week, the airline's website entries for Taiwan did not mention China, according to checks made by Reuters, and it was not clear when the change was made. Self-ruled Taiwan is claimed by Beijing as Chinese territory, and has become one of China's most sensitive issues and a potential military flashpoint. China has been pressuring airlines around the world, including U.S. carriers, to refer to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as part of China. Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said the carrier's "policy is to comply with all requirements in all worldwide jurisdictions to which we fly." Air Canada is currently negotiating a joint venture with Air China <601111.SS> which the Canadian carrier has previously said is expected to be completed in the spring. Representatives of Japan Airlines <9201.T>, All Nippon Airways, Australia's Qantas Airways and Korean Air Lines <003490.KS> said recently they all received a letter from China requesting changes to their sites' references to Taiwan. The four carriers had not revised their websites as of Tuesday, according to checks made by Reuters. Air Canada did not say whether it had received the letter from China. Earlier this month, the United States, embroiled in a trade dispute with China, dismissed the country's efforts as a way to "impose its political views on American citizens and private companies." Taiwan's foreign ministry said it was "deeply concerned" about Air Canada's move to refer to Taiwan as part of China on the website. "Our representative office in Canada has already protested to Air Canada and expressed our government's solemn concern and has demanded a speedy correction," the ministry's statement said. Canada has separate deals for air services with Taiwan and China. A spokeswoman for Transport Canada said by email on Tuesday the department had not received any requests from Air Canada for changes to Canadian policy on Taiwan, or for changes to the Canada-Taiwan air transport agreement. (Reporting By Allison Lampert in Montreal and Jess Macy Yu in Taipei; Additional reporting by Jamie Freed in Singapore, Byron Kaye in Sydney, Haejin Cho in Seoul and Minami Funakoshi in Tokyo; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
By Mostafa Salem AL-OUR, EGYPT (Reuters) - Tears mixed with joy on Tuesday as the remains of 20 Christians were laid to rest in Egypt's Minya province more than three years after they were kidnapped and beheaded in Libya in an attack that provoked rare Egyptian air strikes. The return of the bodies of 20 Egyptian Copts has brought families in rural Egypt a chance for some closure after years in mourning with little hope of having the bodies of their loved ones being recovered for burial. "Everyone stood beside the martyr that belongs to him and cried a little, but they were tears of longing, nothing more," said Bishri Ibrahim, father of Kerolos, one of the victims, at the funeral service at a church in the village of al-Our in Minya province, where they were all laid to rest. "But we are happy and joyful that they have returned to the village. This is a blessing for the country and to all Copts all over the world," he added. Thirteen of the 21 Libya victims came from al-Our, a rural town of around 10,000 people south of Cairo. President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi ordered the Church, named The Church of the Martyrs of Faith and Homeland, to be built soon after the incident and dedicated in their memory. Sisi also ordered a wave of air strikes on the Islamic State's militant bases in Libya. The remains of the victims, who were flown from Libya about a private jet to Cairo on Monday night, were placed inside cylinder-shaped containers covered in velvet cloth with the names of each victim and interred under the church altar. Families said the burial place would be opened as a shrine for visitors. The victims had been among the many poor Egyptians who risked their lives to find work in the lawless chaos of Libya following the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and civil war. A video posted by Islamic State in January 2015 showed 21 people -- 20 Egyptian Copts and one Ghanaian Christian -- lined up on a Libyan beach in orange jumpsuits before they were executed. "I wanted to see Milad come back from Libya on his feet after his struggle and hard work to earn a living in a harsh life abroad," 55-year-old Zaki Hanna, the father of one of the victims. "But thanks be to God, he died a hero, did not beg anyone to spare his life and he and his brothers, the martyrs, did not abandon their faith or homeland." Bashir Estephanos, whose two younger brothers were killed by Islamic State in Libya, said all Christians in al-Our village had been praying for the past three years for the bodies of the "martyrs" to be found. Libyan authorities recovered the bodies in October after the area where they were buried was recaptured from the militant Islamist group. "Our prayers were answered, so thanks be to God from the bottom of our hearts," he said, speaking before the bodies arrived in the village. The head of the Coptic Church in Egypt, Pope Tawadros II, was at the airport to receive the remains when they arrived in Cairo on Monday night. (Reporting by Mostafa Salem; writing by Sami Aboudi; editing by Richard Balmforth)
Russian President Vladimir Putin looked set to be the first to cross the controversial multibillion bridge linking Russia to Crimeabut a cat seems to have beaten him to it.

Putin drove across the newly built bridge to Crimeaa territory Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014to officially open its road lanes for car traffic. His truck led about a dozen others from Russias Krasnodar region to Crimea, as TV cameras showed Putin to be the first to make the 12-mile trip, as he inspected the construction that will continue until next year.

But a local feline gave his seal of approval a full day before the Russian leader, after apparently making the journey by foot.

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First to run the 19 kilometers [12 miles]. Everything is ready! Mostik the cat, a mascot for the bridge builders, posted on Instagram on Monday. Tomorrow I am ceremonially opening the bridge with the builders and the president. And starting May 16th you can come yourselves.

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Mostik, named after the Russian diminutive word for bridge, has served as a mascot for builders on the Russian side of the bridge in Krasnodar since 2015, when the projects press desk began posting photos on his behalf. Images of Mostik napping on construction equipment, playing on the beach and exploring the site have received thousands of shares in Russia. Builders have even given Mostik a small hard hat for his appearances on Russias main TV channels.

05_15_Putin_cat

Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin/Reuters

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The cat has become the cuddly symbol of an otherwise deeply controversial project embodying Russia's annexation of Crimea. Putin painted the opening as a historic triumph, decades in the making, saying bridging the Kerch Strait was the subject of many plans made in Soviet times, and the desire for the bridge went back at least a century, to imperial times.

Putin made no mention of Crimeas recent history and the events of 2014, when Russian forces stormed public buildings in the peninsula during a time of civil unrest in Ukraines capital Kiev. While protesters in Kievousted a Ukrainian government that had U-turned on a lucrative trade deal because of pressure from Moscow, Russian forces took Crimea under their own jurisdiction.

The Kremlin has dismissed opposition from a majority of states at the United Nations, who argue that Crimea is legally part of Ukraine, pointing to a snap referendum that Russian forces held less than two months after taking control of the territory.

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The Russian government commissioned the bridge between Krasnodar region and Crimea shortly after and Arkady Rotenberg, a close friend of Putin s, received the contract to build it. Initial estimates for the rail and road bridge name the price at over a billion dollars but independent estimates since claim the cost is closer to $4-5 billion.

Besides protesting the annexation and projects that cement Russian control over Crimea, Ukraine is also preparing a lawsuit over a secondary effect of the bridge. Its sealing of the Kerch strait that connects the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea means ships sailing from three other Ukrainian regions need Russias permission to cross into international European waters.

The annexation of Crimea, a territory many Soviet soldiers died protecting in World War Two, has become a major source of pride for Russians. It ranks ahead of the Soviet Unions triumph in sending the first man into space as well as Russias contributions to world literature, in the eyes of many Russians, according to independent pollster Levada Center.

Putins popularity surged after the annexation and remained high despite drops in real income, a plummeting currency, stagnating economy and worsening social services.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
The Pastor's Pastor Rev Dr Rowland Croucher founder of John Mark Ministries which specialises in Christian theological research and ministry to Ministers and especially to those who are scarred and heart-injured.

Rowland poses this vital question - What would Jesus do? There are some thing we all need to reminded of when discussing Jesus. He was no push over. He dealt with the money changers. He dealt with the Pharisees and the religious leaders of the day without fear nor favour. He handled lies and half truths and petty politics like no other before him. He exercised an authority whereupon all marvelled. He went to the Cross, a most horrible form of death.

When Rowland Croucher discusses his question  What would Jesus do - also think on these things.

Rowland Croucher asks  What would Jesus do

Part 2 - the first part looked at who is Jesus (hyperlink)

So whats he asking us to do? Simple: Follow me.

What does that mean? In the Gospel of John, he gives his followers a mandate: As the Father has sent me, so Im sending you (John chapter 20 verse 21). In other words: what you have seen me do, you do!

Whats that? At the beginning of Jesus' public ministry (Luke chapter 4 verse 18), he gives us a dot-point summary: he came to offer Good news to the poor, freedom for captives, sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to release people from their debts. Whatever inhibits our well-being, Jesus offers to bring healing in those areas

And thats what were to do. Indeed at the final judgement (Matthew chapter 25 verses 37-38), well be asked how we went with all that. Jesus today is hungry needing food; thirsty, needing clean water; a stranger needing our hospitality; or naked needing clothes; sick, or in prison, needing our help

So, what do we do? And where do we start?

We begin with a commitment to follow Jesus. We invite Jesus into our life, and Jesus Spirit helps sort us out in terms of the collected baggage, guilt and shame thats accumulated there.

And our motto, our watch-word, is the same as Jesus Great Commandment: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and your neighbour as yourself (Luke chapter 10 verses 27-28). Jesus hearers had a Yes, but question about that: Who is my neighbour? Not easy.

When Serbs are slaughtering Muslims who is my neighbour? When Tutsis are being killed by Hutus, who is my neighbour? When hundreds of thousands are being slaughtered by radical Islamists in Syria and Iraq, who is my neighbour? Jesus parable of the Good Samaritan answers this very clearly: my neighbour is someone  anyone  who needs my help and Im in a position to offer it.

And before we rush off to help everyone, and in the process get spattered all over the wall of needfulness we do what Jesus suggested when the needs are so numerous and so great: The harvest is plentiful so  what? PRAY (Luke chapter 10 verse 2).

And prayer is so important that we develop a relationship in the stillness and quietness of a desert rather than rushing around wearing ourselves out. Speaking of TED talks, I note this week that theres one titled Were all trying to be multi-taskers. Its good for nothing! All of Gods best leaders, best people, regularly spend time in deserts, as Jesus did.

Then  LISTEN. A true friend is someone who listens to you and to God at the same time. But dont get too addicted to helping others. Ive met many people who get a buzz out of needing to be needed Thoreau suggested If you see someone coming towards you with the obvious intent of doing you good, run for your life. Or C S Lewis: She went around doing good: you could tell those she wanted to help by their hunted look!

Work with others to alleviate the needs of the marginalised. Dave Andrews tells a terrific story about some squatters in Brisbane who were constantly harassed by the police. Because they camped illegally, of course the police had to keep moving them on. Solution: Bricks through the police station windows. Dave had another suggestion: invite the police for coffee, and talk about it. Eventually the Council and State Government found some ways to accommodate these homeless people legally. [4]

Dave signed his book when he kindly gave me a copy: To Rowland Croucher, with the prayer that you will not only keep the faith, but also the love that is at the heart of our faith.

And, if youre able, speak truth to power. Jesus did this especially with the Jewish religious and political authorities (though some have thought he was a bit soft on Rome but thats a discussion for another day). An excellent book to whet your appetite: Peter McKinnons The Songs of Jesse Adams - about what Jesus might have done if he were to come to Melbourne a generation ago. [5]

Conclusion

So doing what Jesus did helps answer the greatest existential questions I face about my life: Who am I? Do I have worth? What am I supposed to be doing with the one life Im given?

Its simple, really: Follow Jesus. Do what Jesus did. If you try to save your life youll lose it. John Stott, one of my mentors, puts it like this: 'If you insist on living for yourself, youll lose yourself. But if youre prepared to lose yourself and give yourself away in love for God and your fellow human beings, then in that moment of complete abandon, when you think you have lost everything, the miracle happens and you find yourself. [6]

And St Pauls excellent summary:

So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lovers life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. (Philippians chapter 1 verses 9-11 ).

References

[4] Dave Andrews, Can You Hear the Heartbeat: A Challenge to Care the Way Jesus Cared pp. 112 ff. Dave was in the media recently because of his excellent ministry 'Befriending Muslims'.

[5] Peter McKinnon, The Songs of Jesse Adams, Acorn 2014. For my review, visit http://www.jmm.org.au/articles/33782.htm

[6] John Stott, Why I am a Christian, 2013, p. 97

Rowland Croucher is an Australian Baptist pastor (as was also his wife Jan before she passed away nearly a year ago). He's authored ten books and will soon see his latest published in the next month or so:('Questions & Responses: the 50 toughest questions pastors and counsellors are asked').
This is the story of the ministry tour of Rev Dr Stephen Mbogo, International Team Leader/CEO African Enterprise and Ben Campbell, Executive Director AE Australasia.

In a time where people are increasingly feeling disillusioned by threats to Christian freedom and growth, Rev Dr Mbogo comes to Australia with a message of hope of the great power of God in bringing 98,000 people to Christ in Sub Saharan African through the ministry of African Enterprise (AE) last year.

On Sunday 29th April, the African Enterprise ministry tour commenced in Perth Western Australia, to encourage a supporting, mission-hearted Baptist church with news of the impact that they have made in Ethiopia through the student discipleship program run by AE Team Leader Mel Mesfin.

This discipleship program, which aims to impact 20,000 secondary and tertiary students every year with bible and ministry training, is a church partnered program running through July-August in 100 cities in Ethiopia. In a country ravaged by civil unrest and state of emergency conditions, AE aims to shape new generations of young people to ensure a strong and healthy church in the future.

On Wednesday 2nd May, Stephen spoke with the Christian Media and Arts annual conference in the Gold Coast, about how AE engages African media with the Christian story during mission periods in Africa. The AE mission, which aims to bring thousands of people to Christ every year throughout Sub Saharan Africa and the North, has many significant testimonies of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that can be shared in both mainstream and Christian media.

In subsequent weeks, Stephen has preached at churches in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as in many homes of supporters. Topics have ranged from the training of pastors, reaching the Muslim north, discipleship of new believers and the various development programs that are in place to support the major 10 African missions.

The key message to the Australian community is be encouraged! The Lord is powerfully at work in Africa thanks to the prayers and support of His people here in Australia. God will triumph over all evil, and please pray that the Lord would open the heart of everyone in Australia to hear Gods message of salvation and His reconciling love through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The ministry of African Enterprise has been in place for 57 years in Africa and 40 years in Australia. Ben Campbell is the Executive Director of Australasia, and works closely with the African teams and supporters here in Australia to see many more thousands transformed by the grace of God every year in Africa. There are also many encouraging testimonies of Australians coming to Christ through the evangelistic work of many AE leaders over these 40 years. More details of the missions ahead can be found on africanenterprise.com.au. If you have a heart for Africa, please keep us in your prayers and support.
WEDNESDAY, May 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- A dual-drug approach after a "mini-stroke" might maximize a person's odds of avoiding a more major stroke in the months after, research shows.

Minor strokes and events known as "transient ischemic attacks" (TIA), or mini-strokes, are warning signs that people have an up to 15 percent chance of having a more severe stroke during the next three months, explained a team from the University of Texas at Austin.

However, the new study found that taking low-dose aspirin along with the clot-preventing drug Plavix (clopidogrel) after such events appeared to reduce the risk of major stroke over the next 90 days.

"The study gives us solid evidence that we can use this drug combination to prevent strokes in the highest-risk people," study lead author Dr. Clay Johnston said in a university news release. He's dean and professor of neurology at the university's Dell Medical School.

As the researchers explained, minor strokes cause only mild symptoms, and mini-strokes are caused by a temporary blockage in a blood vessel in the brain. This blockage typically dislodges or dissolves on its own, alleviating any symptoms, the study's authors explained.

The American Stroke Association reports that more than one-third of U.S. adults have had a transient ischemic attack/mini-stroke.

But how can patients help ward off an even bigger stroke in the weeks to come?

To find out, Johnston's team tracked the benefits of Plavix for those who've had a minor stroke or a mini-stroke.

Plavix helps prevent the blood from clotting by blocking the function of platelets. This drug is often given to people who've had a heart attack or have peripheral artery disease in order to prevent strokes and other heart-related events.

The study included nearly 4,900 adults from 10 countries. Those who took Plavix plus daily low-dose aspirin had a 25 percent lower risk of a major stroke, heart attack or death from blood clots three months after their mini-stroke, compared to those who only took aspirin.

The researchers noted there was a slightly higher risk of hemorrhage in the Plavix-aspirin group. Since these bleeding events are usually reversible, the researchers concluded that for most patients, the benefit of the combination therapy outweighs the risks.

Overall, 33 major hemorrhages occurred among the large group of patients studied. Of those, "more than half involved the gastrointestinal tract, and none of them was fatal," said study co-author Dr. J. Donald Easton in the news release. He's professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.

"These largely preventable or treatable bleeding complications of the treatment have to be balanced against the benefit of avoiding disabling strokes," Easton said.

The study was published May 16 in The New England Journal of Medicine, to coincide with its presentation at the European Stroke Organization Conference, in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Two experts in stroke care who read over the findings agreed the approach has merit.

"The data learned from the study will have a major impact in clinical medicine around the world and will help prevent debilitating and fatal strokes in people that previously experienced mini-strokes and stroke-like symptoms," said Dr. Rafael Alexander Ortiz. He directs neuro-endovascular surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Dr. Anand Patel is a vascular neurologist at Northwell Health's Neuroscience Institute in Manhasset, N.Y. He noted that a 2013 study, conducted in China, also found that a two-drug combo beat the use of either aspirin or Plavix alone in cutting stroke risk in these cases.

The new trial further supports the notion that "aggressive early treatment of these patients with combined aspirin and [Plavix] can significantly reduce this risk," Patel said. "In my opinion, this trial will change our approach to stroke prevention."

More information

The American Stroke Association provides more information on stroke prevention.
WEDNESDAY, May 16, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- A new virus found in pigs may pose a threat to people, new research suggests.

Researchers found the virus was able to infect cultured human cells and cells of other species in a lab. The discovery is raising concerns about a potentially dangerous outbreak in the United States.

The pig virus, known as Porcine deltacoronavirus, was first identified in China in 2012. It was found in pigs but it was not associated with disease.

Two years later, it was discovered in the United States during an outbreak of diarrhea among pigs in Ohio. Since then, it's been detected in other countries. Young pigs infected with the virus develop severe diarrhea and vomiting that can be deadly.

To date, no human cases of the disease have been reported. But scientists are worried that the virus could infect people due to its similarity to the viruses responsible for the outbreaks of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome).

"Before it was found in pigs -- including in the Ohio outbreak -- it had only been found in various birds," said the study's senior author, Linda Saif, a professor of veterinary preventive medicine who's with Ohio State University's Food Animal Health Research Program. "We're very concerned about emerging coronaviruses and worry about the harm they can do to animals and their potential to jump to humans."

The ability of a virus to jump between species depends on its ability to find receptors on the cells of people or animals, explained the study's lead researcher, Scott Kenney.

"A receptor is like a lock in the door. If the virus can pick the lock, it can get into the cell and potentially infect the host," said Kenney in a university news release. He's an assistant professor of veterinary preventive medicine at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

To investigate the pig virus' potential to jump to other species, researchers at Ohio State and Utrecht University in the Netherlands honed in on a particular cellular receptor called aminopeptidase N.

The study, published online this week in the journal PNAS, showed the virus could bind to the receptor in human cells, and to cells from cats and chickens.

However, these were cells cultured in a lab setting.

The researchers added that their findings don't prove that the pig virus can cause disease in other species. "But that's something we obviously want to know," Saif said.

The team plans to continue its investigation, looking for antibodies in human blood that would indicate that the pig virus may have already infected people.

"We now know for sure that [the pig virus] can bind to and enter cells of humans and birds," Saif said. "Our next step is to look at susceptibility -- can sick pigs transmit their virus to chickens, or vice versa, and to humans?"

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides more information on how diseases spread between animals and people.
Pune

The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Singapore government for drawing up a development plan for PMRDA region spread over an area of 7,246 sqkm.



PMRDA Commissioner Kiran Gitte said that the MoU will be signed on May 16 in Mumbai with officials from the Singapore government. Consultants from Singapore will be appointed for drawing up the DP of PMR region.



The government decided to appoint Singapore town planners after doubts were raised over the efficacy of state town planners. Union Road Transport Minister Gadkari in an interaction with PMRDA officials had said that urban planners in the state lacked expertise.

According to Gitte, officials from Singapore will work closely with PMRDA authorities for 10 months and ready the development plan, which will be an economic development plan unlike the land use plan developed by town planners in the state. "A 50-year development plan for the region will be drawn up by consultants from the Singapore government and all aspects will be looked into," said Gitte.



Earlier, the Singapore consultants had worked in Andhra Pradesh capital Amravati on similar lines.



The Chief Minister had earlier visited Singapore and met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to draw investment for Pune's development.



For this project, 60% of the cost will be borne by PMRDA and the rest by the Singapore government. The DP project is estimated to cost between Rs 10-15 crore.

Nisha Nambiar, Economic Times, Pune
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Taipei, May 16, 2018The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Chinese authorities to stop harassing and detaining journalists and to explain why they detained and injured a cameraperson reporting on a human rights lawyers court hearing.

Security forces in Beijing today around 9:30 a.m. detained Chui Chun-ming, a cameraperson for the Hong Kong broadcaster Now TV, as he prepared to film a Now TV Beijing correspondents interview with lawyer Xie Yanyi, according to Chuis employer and the Hong Kong Apple Daily. Security forces also detained Xie, according to the same reports.

China needs to stop harassing journalists who are just doing their jobs and also stop harassing interview subjects who have every right to talk to journalists, said Steven Butler, CPJs Asia program coordinator, in Washington, D.C. Authorities should take disciplinary action against the officers who roughed up and detained Chiu Chun-ming without justification.

The officer who answered CPJs call to the Dongcheng Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and did not give his name said he did not know about the case and could not provide any details.

Chui told Now TV that he and his colleague Li Tongyin were preparing to interview Xie when police asked the two journalists for their press credentials and that they complied. The cameraperson said police then asked Chui to see his credentials a second time and officers then refused to return the credentials.

When I tried to reason with police, our interviewee [Xie] quickly grabbed my permit from behind the officer and gave it back to me, Chui told Now TV.

At least five police officers then shoved Chui to the ground where they handcuffed him and then dragged him to a vehicle, according to a video Now TV released on its website after Chuis arrest and an article from the same broadcaster.

During his detention, Chuis handcuffs were removed and he made a short video, which Now TV later posted on its website, showing his injuries, including a bleeding forehead and bruises on his hands and knees.

Security forces held Chui for two hours, and the journalist was made to sign a letter of repentance saying he regretted his actions before he was released and his press permit was returned, according to news reports and Now TV news departments vice director, Kan Hok-hei.

According to the same reports, the journalist was taken to a hospital after his release.

The broadcaster released a statement during Chuis detention calling for his immediate release and demanding an explanation from police. We are extremely angry about how our camera crew was treated by authorities, the statement said.

Xies wife Yuan Shanshan told the South China Morning Post that security forces handcuffed Xie after he grabbed Chuis press credentials, beat him, and dragged him into another police car after he tried to prevent the officers from taking the reporter.

Xie told CPJ approximately one hour after his release that that he was in police custody until 6:30 p.m. and suffered minor neck injuries.

According to Now TV and the Apple Daily, the interview with Xie was supposed to take place before the lawyer was set to appear at a hearing at the Beijing Lawyers Association. According to a May 4 notice from the association, the hearing was in relation to Xies alleged violation of the attorneys code of conduct that the association said he committed while representing a practitioner of Falun Gong, a religious movement that is persecuted by the Chinese government.

Xie is among many lawyers persecuted in the 709 crackdown, that began on July 9, 2015 and during which Chinese authorities arrested approximately 300 lawyers nationwide.

CPJ research shows that the crackdown on human rights lawyers has deprived some jailed journalists of legal representation.
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New York, May 16, 2018The Committee to Protect Journalists will release its report, On the table: Why now is the time to sway Rouhani to meet his promises for press freedom in Iran, on May 24, 2018. CPJ will mark the launch of the report with a panel discussion in Brussels.

The report finds that while President Hassan Rouhani sought re-election on the promise of a more open Iran, challenges persist for the press, as hardliners in the judiciary and other powerful institutions jail journalists, block websites, and maintain a climate of fear with harassment and surveillance. As President Trumps administration takes a hostile stance toward Iran and Rouhani looks to European leaders to shore up international support, Irans lack of press freedom and other lapses in human rights could be a lynchpin.

A panel, hosted by MEP Marietje Schaake, will discuss the reports findings. Speakers include Sherif Mansour, CPJs Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, and Mahsa Alimardani, Article 19 researcher for freedom of expression and digital rights in Iran.

WHAT: Report release and panel discussion for, On the table: Why now is the time to sway Rouhani to meet his promises for press freedom in Iran.

WHEN: May 24, 2018, 10 a.m. Central European Summer Time (0800 GMT)

WHERE: European Parliament, Altiero Spinelli building (ASP), Room A5G1

Brussels, Belgium

###

CPJ is an independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide

Note to Editors:

Embargoed copies of the report are available upon request. To request a copy of the report or for information about the panel discussion, email [email protected]

[EDITORS NOTE: This media advisory has been updated to correct the launch time and details of the people scheduled to speak on the panel.]


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Berlin, May 16, 2018The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Slovak authorities to respect the confidentiality of journalistic sources. Slovak police in Bratislava yesterday seized the mobile phone of Czech investigative reporter Pavla Holcova while questioning her for their investigation into the murder of her colleague, Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak, and his girlfriend, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) reported.

Holcova, who runs the OCCRP-affiliated Czech Center for Investigative Reporting, told CPJ today that Slovakias National Crime Agency invited her to Bratislava for questioning and that during the course of her eight-hour interrogation, she was shown the Slovak special prosecutors order to give authorities her phone or face a fine of 1,650 euros. The journalist gave them her phone, but turned it off and refused to provide access codes, Holcova said.

Holcova had been working with Kuciak on behalf of OCCRP when he and his girlfriend were found shot to death on February 25, 2018.

The investigation into Jan Kuciaks murder should aim to protect the confidentiality of journalists sources, said CPJ European Union Representative Tom Gibson in Brussels. We call on Slovak authorities to immediately return Pavla Holcovas phone and to demonstrate that the investigation will be conducted effectively and professionally.

Speaking with the Slovak news website Aktuality, the spokesperson for the prosecutors office, Jana Tokolyova, said that Holcova acted voluntarily when handing over her phone.
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The Committee to Protect Journalists joined a coalition of 11 other international press freedom and human rights advocacy groups, in calling on U.S. Congress to require lasting human rights protection in Uzbekistan during President Shavkat Mirziyoyevs first official visit to the U.S. on May 16 and 17.

Mirziyoyevs meeting with President Donald Trump on May 16 comes at a time when the Uzbek government has taken positive steps to improve human rights, but Mirziyoyev needs to ensure sustainable, structural improvements, the joint statement, led by Human Rights Watch, said.

Since taking office in September 2016, Mirziyoyev has ordered the release of over two dozen political prisoners, including journalists. Since the May 7 release of journalist Bobomurod Abdullaev and blogger Hayot Nasriddinov, there are no journalists in Uzbek jails for the first time in two decades, according to CPJ research. The government relaxed some restrictions on freedom of expression and permitted a U.S. journalist to report in Uzbekistan.

We commend President Mirziyoyev on the release of all imprisoned journalists in Uzbekistan and call on him to continue his reforms by allowing all Uzbek journalists forced into exile after the 2005 Andijan crisis to return home and resume working without fear of retaliation, said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova. We urge U.S. leaders meeting with the Uzbek president this week to prioritize this issue.

The joint statement urged members of Congress to raise the need for continued improvements to rights during Mirziyoyevs White House visit.

To read the joint statement click here.
India: Hands over five Sri Lankan fishermen to Lankan Navy

May 16,2018 | Source: The Sunday Leader

India handed over five Sri Lankan fishermen to the Sri Lankan Navy at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The five Sri Lankan fishermen who were arrested by the Indian Coast Guard for trespassing into the Indian territorial waters, were released form Indian custody with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Navy and Coast Guard Department on Tuesday (May 15), the Navy media unit said.



The repatriation of fishermen took place at the IMBL north of Kankesanthurei. Sri Lanka Coast Guards Fast Attack Craft CG 402 and the Indian Coast Guard Ship Ameya were deployed for this mission. The released fishermen were escorted by the Navy and Coast Guard to the Kankesanthurei harbour and were handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries in Jaffna.
There are still many countries in which being gay can attract the death penalty for engaging in same-sex sexual relations. Of these countries, all are located in Central Africa or in the Middle East.

There are the countries places on earth that have specific laws which call for the death penalty of those who are found to have engaged in homosexual acts.





Afghanistan





Men could face execution but are more likely to receive long prison sentences. No executions are known to have been handed out since the end of the Taliban rule.





Brunei*





Gay men in Brunei could be stoned or given 10 years in prison if found guilty of homosexual acts.





Iran





In Iran, gay men can be lashed up to 74 times for "immature men" and the death penalty for mature men of sound mind - and where the acts were consenting. Women can be lashed 50 times and can face the death penalty after their 4th conviction.





Mauritania





Homosexuality is against the law in Mauritania and could attract the death penalty, however, there have been no public executions since 1987.





Qatar





In Qatar, gay men may face execution if they are Muslim otherwise men can face fines and a prison sentence which lasts 7 years.





Saudi Arabia





A 2nd conviction of homosexuality in Saudi Arabia will land a death penalty. For the 1st offence, men can face fines, castration, flogging, prison and torture.





Sudan





Homosexuality has been illegal in Sudan since 1899. Death penalty occurs on the 3rd offence for men and 4 offences for women.





Yemen





Married men can expect to be stoned to death if caught having same-sex relations. Unmarried men will receive 100 lashes or 1-year imprisonment.





Libya





Gay men could face death in Libya.





Nigeria





Homosexuality is illegal in some states of Nigeria and could attract the death penalty. These states include: Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara





Somalia





Homosexuality is illegal in Somalia and could attract a death penalty. Islamic courts have sentenced men to their deaths using Sharia law as their legal basis.





Syria





The actual penalty that gay men should face for homosexual acts is a prison for up to 3 years, however, due to the rise in ISIS a highly advertised death awaits those found guilty of engaging in same-sex sexual acts.





Iraq





Despite homosexuality not being illegal in Iraq, there have been reported executions of gay men in ISIS-controlled areas.









* Brunei is a Sovereign state and not a country. There are some countries where although capital punishment might not be constitutionally ratified there are cases where gay people have been killed because of their sexuality.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
TALLAHASSEE  If elected governor, Chris King said Tuesday, he would fight to outlaw capital punishment and refuse to sign death warrants.





An underdog candidate in a crowded primary with three other Democrats, King of Winter Park released his plans to end the death penalty as part of a broader set of criminal justice reforms.





As governor, King said he will seek to repeal the death penalty legislatively and work with Cabinet members to commute death sentences to life in prison. Both options would likely face fierce resistance in a GOP-dominated Legislature and a Cabinet that has had one Democratic member in 20 years.





But King also said he would refuse to sign death warrants  essentially putting a moratorium on capital punishment in Florida as long as he held office.





Other criminal justice reform proposals proposed by King include legalizing marijuana, setting a goal of reducing incarceration rates by 50 percent in 10 years by eliminating mandatory minimums for non-violent offenders, ending contracts with private prison companies and putting more money toward education and criminal justice programs.





Florida needs fresh ideas and new leadership to reform its broken criminal justice system, King said. Turning the tide means reforming a system that needlessly criminalizes tens of thousands of nonviolent men and women in Florida. I reject the conventional politics of just seeking incremental change  weve got to fight for bold, progressive ideas to make our justice system fair while keeping Floridians safe.





Despite support among Gov. Rick Scott and fellow Republican legislative leaders, the politics of the death penalty has undergone a significant shift in the past two years.





In January 2016 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Floridas capital punishment laws, which allowed a judge to make the final sentence upon the recommendation of a jury, were unconstitutional. The decision sent the case back to the Florida Supreme Court, which found in October 2016 that a unanimous jury was required to issue a death sentence.





The murky status put a de facto moratorium on capital punishment while the case made its way through the courts. Still, Scott has signed 27 death warrants, the most of any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, including four since the October 2016 ruling.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
A group of volunteers replant dozens of mangrove propagules in a field near the village of Amboanio, Melaky Region in Madagascar, on April 24, 2018. (Photo: AFP)

Hunched over the soil, Malagasy villagers work feverishly -- deft fingers planting stalks of mangrove to replace the swathes destroyed for firewood and building material.

In just two decades, Madagascar lost about a fifth of its mangrove forest area, exposing its coastline to the ocean's ravages and shrinking the nursery grounds of crabs and shrimp -- two key exports. With sea levels forecast to rise further due to global warming, coastal villagers are rushing to try and undo the damage, with the help of conservation group WWF.

"The ocean keeps rising and rising, and it takes everything with it," lamented 36-year-old crab fisherman Clement Joseph Rabenandrasana, who travelled several kilometres (miles) from his home in Beanjavilo to Amboanio on the island's west coast to volunteer in a two-day reforestation drive.

Amboanio is a hamlet of about 50 people in the Melaky region, heavily dependent on aquaculture. "The mangrove protects us," said Rabenandrasana, while conceding that: "I used to harvest mangrove for money" to augment a humble crabbing income which averages about 50-80 euros ($60-96) a month.

Rabenandrasana and others on the Indian Ocean island used to sell mangrove wood for construction beams, and used it themselves for cooking and heating, and to construct shelters. "We realised too late the importance of this ecosystem," said Eric Ramanitra of WWF, driving the project to sensitise locals to the mangrove's indispensable role.

'I didn't know'

Found in the world's tropical and subtropical regions in more than 120 countries, mangroves serve not only as fish nurseries, but also filter water and shield coastal areas from the force of waves whipped up by cyclones. "I didn't know that fish lay their eggs in the mangrove," said Samuel Razafimamonjy, 59, another volunteer.

Mangroves also absorb and store large amounts of carbon dioxide -- one of the greenhouse gases driving planet warming. The WWF project helps people replant the mangrove forests and to take charge of managing and protecting the valuable resource in a country rife with political turmoil and corruption. "Today, there are dedicated zones where the local community has to give consent for harvesting, and a limit is imposed on the size of plants" that can be taken, said Ramanitra.

But the WWF also had to find ways to compensate for mangrove sales that locals such as Rabenandrasana willingly sacrificed. Rabenandrasana nets crabs from a small boat in canals among the mangroves near his home village. He has now learnt to take only those larger than 10 centimetres (four inches), and throw back juveniles and egg-carrying females so as to counter overfishing.

Bigger crabs are sold for a better price, and Rabenandrasana has seen his take quadruple while helping preserve the crab stock for the future.

Extreme climate

Research published in the journal Remote Sensing in 2016 said Madagascar hosts about two percent of the world's mangroves, with eight endemic species. Mangrove plants can range from small shrubs to tall trees tens of metres high.

Satellite maps revealed that the island lost about 21 percent, or some 57,350 hectares (141,655 acres) of mangrove between 1990 and 2010, the study found. What remains is threatened by sea level rise, and massive sand dumps from rivers upstream disrupting the fragile balance of fresh and salt water the ecosystem needs to flourish.

With so much protection from the deeply-anchored mangrove roots lost already, river water lifts sand from the banks and transports it all the way to the ocean via the mangrove in a visible, red stream of silt. There is reason for concern: Madagascar was already one of 15 countries in the world most affected by extreme climate events between 1997 and 2016, according to environmental watchdog Germanwatch.

Globally, mangroves are estimated to be declining at a rate of about one- to two percent per year, said the 2016 study. The main causes are conversion of mangrove forests for purposes of agriculture or aquaculture, overextraction of wood, and upstream erosion. Natural phenomena such as tropical storms and rising ocean temperatures and sea levels also contributed, said the study, "the impacts of which are expected to continue to increase based on current climate change projections."
BJP MLA Suresh Kumar tweeted, 'B S Yeddyurappa will be sworn in as Chief Minister of the state at Raj Bhavan tomorrow at 9:30 am on Thursday'; he later deleted it. (Photo: File)

Bengaluru: Karnataka was a hotbed of political negotiations, secret huddles and brave faces on Wednesday, the day after the fractured Assembly result made it clear it would be a long and debatable way to government formation.

It is now Governor Vajubhai Valas call on who he will invite to form the state government in Karnataka. The BJP -- as the single-largest party -- and new friends Congress-JD(S) have both staked claim on the throne.

Missing MLAs are nothing new in Indian politics and true to form, five reportedly have gone missing since Wednesday morning  three from the Congress and two from the JD(S). There are other allegations of clandestine offers of ministership and money -- JD(S) chief H D Kumaraswamy alleged his MLAs have been offered Rs 100 crore each by the BJP to switch -- to shore up the magic number of 112 required to form government in Karnataka.

Here are live updates of what is happening in Karnataka today:

09:51 pm: Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "The party that blew up the constitution to shambles is teaching us the constitution, the party that imposed President rule the most number of times is giving us lessons."

09:48 pm: "Tomorrow B S Yeddyurappa will be taking oath (as CM of Karnataka) alone, after proving majority cabinet will be sworn in," BJP leader Muralidhar Rao said.

09:37 pm: News agency ANI tweets Karnataka Governor's letter inviting BJP's B S Yeddyurappa to form government.

Karnataka Governor's letter inviting BJP's BS Yeddyurappa to form government. #KarnatakaElectionResults2018 pic.twitter.com/EafBULC7nr  ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

09:33 pm: BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai said, "Governor has invited B S Yeddyurappa to form government. Official communication has been received. Governor has given 15 days to prove majority and oath will take place at 9 am tomorrow (Thursday)."

09:25 pm: Karnataka BJPs official twitter handle reposts that B S Yeddyurappa will be sworn in as chief minister tomorrow. However, the time has been changed from 9:30 am to 9 am.

The moment that crores of Kannadigas are awaiting is here.



Sri @BSYBJP will take oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka tomorrow morning at 9.00 AM at Raj Bhavan.



The movement to build our Suvarna Karnataka has started. #CMBSY  BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) May 16, 2018

08:54 pm: Bengaluru: BJP Karnataka in-charge Prakash Javadekar shows victory symbol on being asked if Governor has sent a letter inviting BJP to form government.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

08:45 pm: Congress MLAs arrive at Eagleton Resort near Bengaluru.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

08:41 pm: BJP MLA Suresh Kumar also deletes tweet announcing Yeddyurappa's oath-taking ceremony.

08:40 pm: Karnataka BJP deletes tweets announcing Yeddyurappas swearing-in as CM.

08:39 pm: "If the Governor invites anyone but Kumaraswamy (to form government in Karnataka) he is supporting and encouraging poaching (of MLAs)," Chidambaram said.

08:38 pm: "Where are you taking this country, one wonders ? Someone was offered Rs 3 Cr, someone Rs 5 Cr & someone Rs 100 Cr, anybody walking on the road has a price," H D Kumaraswamy said.

08:37 pm: "What is standing in way of the Governor from extending invitation to leader of the alliance (H D Kumaraswamy), who clearly demonstrated that he commands the support of the majority," Chidambaram asked.

08:36 pm: "Governor holds an exalted constitutional office, he shouldn't walk on a perilous path which is illegal. He's bound by Supreme Court judgement, bound to invite leader of alliance which is presented to him as an alliance that commands maturity of members in legislative assembly," P Chidambaram added.

08:35 pm: "Congress and JD(S) clearly establish majority yet Governor hasn't taken decision to invite Shri Kumaraswamy to form government. We heard Governor may have invited B S Yeddyurappa but since it is not confirmed we are proceeding on basis that Governor has not decided to invite anyone," Congress leader P Chidambaram said.

08:32 pm: Karnataka BJPs official twitter handle said BS Yeddyurappa to be sworn in as chief minister tomorrow at 9:30 am.

(Photo: screengrab)

07:58 pm: BJP MLA Suresh Kumar, in a tweet, said, "B S Yeddyurappa will be sworn in as Chief Minister of the state at Raj Bhavan tomorrow at 9:30 am on Thursday." He further urged people to join and participate in the event.

,   .    ..    .       .  Sureshkumar (@nimmasuresh) May 16, 2018

07:46 pm: "Hotel or wherever we go, MLAs will stay together and discuss things. Congress is compelled to keep its MLAs together because of the horse-trading that is going on," Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said in Bengaluru.

07:44 pm: Bengaluru: Congress MLAs leave from Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

07:01 pm: When asked to comment on Siddaramaiah, Outgoing Karnataka Assembly Speaker and Congress leader K B Koliwad said, "He thinks he is the boss of the party, the party has suffered because of his arrogant behaviour. He is not a true Congressman. Many people have this view of him but don't express it."

06:36 pm: BJP MPs Shobha Karandlaje, G M Siddeshwara and P C Mohan write to Home minister Rajnath Singh stating, ''We have every reason to believe that Karnataka govt is misusing its power and tapping our mobile phones. This is clear violation of our fundamental right to privacy."

06:12 pm: "The allegations that Siddaramaiah made on PM Modi that that latter has allowed 'horse trading' in Karnataka is condemnable, false, irresponsible and baseless," Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

05:58 pm: "Governor has assured that he will take action as per the Constitution. We have full faith in him that he will not do injustice. We have our numbers, not not even a single member has moved out. We will not allow any such thing to happen," Congress leader D K Shivakumar said.

05:44 pm: "The Governor assured us that he will abide by the constitution and give his decision. All MLAs are safely kept. We are fighting. Let us see what happens," Kumaraswamy added.

05:43 pm: Following the meeting with the Governor, H D Kumaraswamy said, "We have met the governor and have submitted the necessary documents which show that we have the numbers required to form the government. We have requested the Governor to consider our claim to form the next government."

05:30 pm: Congress and JD (S) leaders meet Governor Vajubhai Vala and submitted a list claiming support of 117 MLAs with a plea to consider their claim for government formation.

05:15 pm: JD(S) workers protest against BJP outside Governor house in Bengaluru

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

04:48 pm: Bengaluru: H D Kumaraswamy leads delegation to Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Vajubhai Vala.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

04:32 pm: Bengaluru: Congress MLAs leave for Raj Bhavan from Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

03:48 pm: BJP's Ananth Kumar, Dharmendra Pradhan, JP Nadda and Muralidhar Rao met B S Yedyurappa at his residence in Bengaluru.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

03:45 pm: JD(S) and Congress to meet Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala at 5 pm, reports ANI

03:30 pm: "If Congress-JD(S) are not invited by the Governor then the MLAs will sit on a 'dharna' outside Raj Bhawan from tomorrow. MPs may also join them" news agency ANI sources said.

03:18 pm: When asked if the Congress will go for a legal option, Azad said, "Stealing of MLAs shouldn't be allowed. No Governor can go against the Constitution. We can't tell you whom we will approach and whom not. At this juncture, we've complete faith in Governor that he will go by the Constitution and not party politics."

03:17 pm Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "Since 12-12:30 pm we are seeking appointment with Governor so that we can handover our two letters. First of legislator party of Congress and another of legislator party of JD(S). We haven't received any message from the Governor so far. We are waiting eagerly."

02:41 pm: Signatures of JDS and Congress MLAs being taken in support of HD Kumaraswamy. The document will be submitted to the Governor later today.

(Photo: ANI/Twitter)

02:27 pm: "We have 117 MLAs, Governor has to give opportunity to us (JDS-Congress combine) to form government," Siddaramaiah said.

02:25 pm: Outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi of encouraging horse-trading.

02:08 pm: "No question of asking for anything (on reports that he wants to be Deputy CM). Our priority right now is to have a secular government. All the 78 MLAs are together," Congress leader D K Shivakumar said.

02:06 pm: On reports of some Congress MLAs missing from the legislative assembly meeting at Karnataka Party Congress Committee office in Bengaluru, Congress leader G Parameshwara said, "All the MLAs are intact. Some of the MLAs came late because they came in a special flight from Bidar."

01:51 pm: "Rs 100 crore figure is not only imaginary but it is what Congress-JDS do politics through. We are going by the rules, we have submitted our claim to the Governor and are confident of forming the government," Javadekar added.

01:50 pm: On horse-trading allegations, Karnataka BJP in-charge Prakash Javadekar said, "They are leveling baseless charges against BJP. Poaching and horse trading is not done by the BJP, Congress is famous for it. Their own MLAs are not happy with their alliance."

01:40 pm: Congress party, in its tweet, said '''With the 'mining mafia' on its side, the BJP appears intent on orchestrating an "Operation Kamala" redux in Karnataka. This brazen tactic of capturing power is a travesty of democracy."

With the 'mining mafia' on its side, the BJP appears intent on orchestrating an "Operation Kamala" redux in Karnataka. This brazen tactic of capturing power is a travesty of democracy. #BJPChor100Crore pic.twitter.com/ZlPvVsTbuq  Congress (@INCIndia) May 16, 2018

01:15 pm: "They (BJP) keep on calling but we don't bother about it. I have clearly asked them not to call me. I am a committed Congress person.They have been doing this from long time. This is their job," says Congress MLA T D Rajegowda when asked if the BJP had approached him.

01:02 pm: On being asked again if he had met BJP Karnataka in-charge Prakash Javadekar, H D Kumaraswamy said, "This is a bogus news. No Javadekar, no BJP leader has met me till now."

12:55 pm: "We will meet the Governor once again with state Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President. There is no question of unconditional support. We will run the government smoothly with the Congress," says H D Kumaraswamy.

12:50 pm: On being asked if he has met BJP Karnataka in-charge Prakash Javadekar, H D Kumaraswamy said, Who is Javadekar? Who is that gentleman? He said it was not necessary for him to meet anyone.

12:42 pm: On reports of poaching, H D Kumaraswamy said, Forget 'Operation Kamal' being successful, there are people who are ready to leave BJP and come with us. If you try to poach one from ours, we'll do the same and take double from you. I'm also telling the Governor to not take any decision which encourages horse-trading.

12:38 pm: BJP's Ashwamedha Yatra started in the North, the horses have been stopped in Karnataka. This verdict is to stop the Ashwamedha Yatra, H D Kuamaraswamy.

12:35 pm: I have been offered from both sides (Congress and BJP). I am not saying this loosely. There's a black spot on my father's career because of my decision to go with the BJP in 2004 and 2005. So God has given me an opportunity to remove this black spot. So, I am going with the Congress, H D Kuamaraswamy.

12:27 pm: Talking to the media after being elected the JD(S) legislative party leader, H D Kumaraswamy said, "JD(S) MLAs are being offered Rs 100 crore each. Where is this black money coming from? They (BJP) are supposedly the servers of poor people and they are offering money today. Where are the income tax officials?"

12:12 pm: "When it comes to proving the majority, party has to show numbers, we will do that for sure. I can't speak openly but we will definitely prove the majority. It is BJP who was given the mandate by people," says Bhagwanth Khuba.

12:03 pm: H D Kumaraswamy chosen as legislative party leader in a meeting of the JD(S) MLAs in Bengaluru.

11:47 am: "The party has chosen me. I have given the letter to the Governor and he will call me, that is what I am hoping. He told me that he will take an appropriate decision. I'll inform you after I receive letter from Governor," B S Yeddyurappa.

11:43 am: H D Kumaraswamy will be the chief minister and there will be a coalition government. That is the only truth. People want him to be the CM. These kind of mechanistion will happen but the fact is that H D Kumaraswamy will be CM. We won't be influenced by anyone, says JD(S) leader A Manjunath.

11:40 am: 66 of 78 MLAs reached for Congress legislative meeting at Karnataka Party Congress Committee office in Bengaluru.

11:35 am: "We have to protect the verdict of the people. They (BJP) are doing bad politics. We don't have to stoop down to their level. We are 118 in number number, we don't want anyone. No body has called me to the resort," says Congress' N A Harris.

11:26 am: We are all together. All this is false news. In fact there are 6 BJP people, who are touch with us, Congress M B Patil.

11:05 am: JD(S)' MLAs Raja Venkatappa Nayaka and Venkata Rao Nadagouda are missing from the JD(S) legislative party meeting which is underway in a hotel in Bengaluru.

10:50 am: JD(S) legislative party meeting begins in Bengaluru

10:49 am: Governor is obliged to call the largest party, which is BJP. He should call BJP leader asking him if he can form the government. If he says he can't, governor will then call the second party and if he says he can form the government the governor should give him time to prove the majority, former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi.

10:43 am: We are the single largest party. You have seen how the Congress and the JD(S) were fighting, six months back. Now, they want to come together and form the government, Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda.

10:40 am: We have already decided to go with the Congress. That's the reason we called Janta Dal (Secular) Legislature Party meeting. There is no question of taking any other decision, H D Kumaraswamy.

10:35 am: People want BJP government and we will make it. Anyone can create unnatural tensions, but the people of Karnataka are with us. After meeting, we will take necessary steps. The attempt made by Congress to make a backdoor entry is not appreciated, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar.

10:33 am: During the legislature party meeting the leader will be elected. From there we will go to Raj Bhavan immediately. We will claim to form the government. Most probably we will ask the Governor to give us time tomorrow, BJPs chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa.

10:10 am: I don't know what they (BJP) are offering but they are trying to call our people, but they are not responding. We are all together, no one can touch our party. Our party MLAs are loyal to the party, JD(S) leader Saravana said.

10:07 am: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, JD(S) has all the faith in their MLAs. Nobody is going to go away. Let BJP try, whatever they want to.

10:03 am: JD(S) and Congress have the numbers. I hope, the governor will discharge his constitutional duties and invite H D Kumaraswamy to talk. If BJP puts pressure on the governor, it will be the death of Democracy, says JD(S) leader Danish Ali.

09:55 am: We believe in all our MLAs. BJP is trying hard to get them. They don't believe in democracy, BJP just wants power. All the people are happy, nobody is unhappy here, says Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy.

09:45 am: Outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, All Congress MLAs are together. Nobody is missing. We are confident of forming the government.

09:43 am: Yes definitely there is a plan. We have to safeguard our MLAs, We will let you know what is the plan, Congress leader D K Shivakumar said. He added, They (BJP) are poaching our MLAs, we know that. Everyday there is a lot of pressure. But it not so easy because two parties have the necessary number. People are watching this.

09:20 am: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "The single largest party doesn't have the numbers. BJP has 104, we (Congress and JDS) have 117. Governor cannot take sides. Can a person who is there to save constitution, destroy it too? The Governor has to cut all its previous associations, be it BJP or RSS."

09:13 am: "Political scenario will unfold in next 2-3 days. It depends on development in political parties. As of now, we aren't approaching any individuals but politics is art of possibility," BJP's Basavaraj Bommai.

09:07 am: "I got a call from the BJP leaders. They said come to us and we'll give a ministry to you. We'll make you a minister. But, I'm going to stay here. H D Kumaraswamy is our Chief Minister," said Congress leader Amaregouda Linganagouda Patil Bayyapur.

08:59 am: There is no doubt we will form government, 100 per cent we'll do that. Wait and watch. Results came out only yesterday. It has been only a day. See what can happen in Karnataka in a day, says BJPs K S Eshwarappa.
Ukraine's direct losses from Kerch bridge construction estimated at US$19 mln per year

At the same time, indirect losses are estimated at billions of hryvnias.

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Americans rejoiced at the release last week of three U.S. citizens imprisoned in North Korea.

The White House referred to the prisoners release as a victory for the world. President Donald Trump, who greeted the three men when they arrived in the United States said, The fact that we were able to get them out so soon was really a tribute to a lot of things, including a certain process thats taking place right now.

Plans are being laid for the historic summit between the President and Kim Jong-un scheduled for June 12 in Singapore. Mr. Trump praised Kim for letting the men out before the summit begins; the White House called it a gesture of good will.

President Trump said he believes Kim wants to do something and bring [North Korea] into the real world. . .Well see what happens.

U.S. officials have said that President Trump is meeting Kim with his eyes wide open and that the complete, verifiable, irreversible, denuclearization of North Korea is what the United States requires, fully cognizant of North Koreas past failures to live up to its promises to do just that. This time, until that goal is reached, stringent economic sanctions on North Korea, referred to as the maximum pressure campaign, will continue.

White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said, If the North Korean regime made the critical strategic decision to get out of the weapons of mass destruction business, then we have a chance for progress.

Secretary of State Pompeo declared that if Kim Jong-Un provides what the United States is demanding, the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of North Korea, the United States will provide security assurances and sanctions relief. However, he noted, This is going to have to be different and big and special. Its something that has never been undertaken before. If were going to get to this historic outcome, both sides have to be prepared to take truly historic measures to achieve it.

Secretary of State Pompeo added, There is a great deal of work to be done between our two countries between now and then to set the stage for a successful summit in Singapore.
The latest class of Lao public health workers supported by the United States Government graduated from the Field Epidemiology Training Program in Vientiane on April 30.

Associate Professor Dr. Bounkong Syhavong, Minister of Health for the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, commonly known as Laos, presented graduation certificates to the trainees at a ceremony also attended by Michael Kleine, Charge dAffaires of the U.S. Embassy, Dr. Shin Young-soo, World Health Organization, or WHO, Regional Director for the Western Pacific, and Dr. Juliet Fleischl, WHO Representative to Laos.

The Field Epidemiology Training, or FET, Program in Laos was initiated in 2009 and has trained more than 70 health workers, who returned to their home provinces and implemented the latest techniques in detection, investigation and response to known and emerging health threats across all 18 provinces of Laos.

The program empowered health officials at all levels to use evidence-based approaches for decision making in response to disease outbreaks in recent years, a process that is further strengthened as each new cohort of FET Program graduates complete the training and return to their field assignments.

FET graduates are recognized by senior public health officials at national and provincial levels for their technical competencies to support evidence-based decision making, said Michael Kleine, U.S. Charge dAffaires to Laos.

One important factor in the programs effectiveness has been the participation of medical experts from a variety of ministries, which shows the interconnected ways that health threats can be detected and investigated regardless of whether evidence of a new threat first appears in a local health clinic, at a border crossing or police station, or in an agricultural market where animals might show the first signs of an emerging threat.

This is the ninth cohort of FET graduates supported by the U.S. government, said U.S. Embassy Charge dAffaires Kleine. This program clearly demonstrates our commitment to the Lao-U.S Comprehensive Partnership and our support for building stronger ties between our two countries as Laos works to achieve its sustainable development goals.
The Energy and Coal Industry Ministry of Ukraine and the Energy Community have held negotiations where they discussed public service obligations (PSO) on the gas market, unbundling of companies and some other issues, Deputy Energy Minister Natalia Boiko has said.

"Today we jointly with Ihor Nasalyk discussed the important issues, the settlement of which separates us from the full implementation of the large block of European integration liabilities, with the Energy Community and stakeholders for over two hours," she wrote on her Facebook page on Tuesday.

Energy Community Secretariat Director Janez Kopac headed the delegation of the European Community.

As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine extended the public service obligations (PSO) to sell natural gas for the needs of households and heat supply companies at the reduced price until the end of May 2018.
A citizen of Ukraine Volodymyr Balukh, illegally convicted in the occupied Crimea, began to take food in order to avoid forced feeding.

"On the 25th day of the hunger strike, after consulting with the Archbishop of the Crimean Kliment, in order to maximally make impossible the likelihood of forcible feeding and unauthorized use of medical means for the preservation of the body, and so as not to cause irreparable grief to my relatives, I decided to switch over to another protest regime. Since that day, I daily use two glasses of oatmeal, 50-70 g of breadcrumbs and I drink tea with honey," Balukh said in an open address to Ukrainians, a photocopy of which the website of the Crimean human rights group made public.

He noted that he started the hunger strike on March 14, when an illegal verdict on the trumped-up case against him came into effect. Balukh explained that the hunger strike was "a manifestation of his personal contempt for the occupation regime."

The political prisoner noted that he was beaten, morally mocked, and his personal belongings were stolen. Despite the fact that Balukh managed to achieve transfer to a separate cell, "provocations and moral pressure ... only intensified," the appeal says.

"Only God knows how long this balancing at the zero mark will continue, but at present other methods of exposing the essence of the processes that take place in the occupied Ukrainian Crimea are inaccessible to me," Balukh wrote.

As reported, Ukrainian farmer Balukh was arrested on December 8, 2016 in his house in the village of Crimea temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation. Russian authorities Serebrianka of Rozdolne district 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.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) did not allow comedian Danila Poperechny, who on May 18 was supposed to perform with a concert in Kyiv, to enter the country and banned him from entering Ukraine for a period of three years. "Poperechny has been banned from entering Ukraine since April 12, 2018 for 3 years," the SBU told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Tuesday morning.

However, the Civil Movement 'Vdsch' (Rebuff) said on Facebook that the reason was the anti-Ukrainian position of the artist. It is noted that the blogger was caught in support of Russian politics in Ukraine, in particular, the occupation of Crimea.
The Supreme Court has refused to open the proceedings on the request of the business structure regarding the review of court decisions on the return to the state ownership of land plots on Mykhailivska Street and Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv, where a park of Heavenly Hundred is planned to be created.

"Having checked the applicant's arguments and examined the materials attached to the motion regarding the incorrect application of the same substantive law by the court of cassation, the panel of judges of the Supreme Court concluded that these arguments are unfounded and refused to open proceedings on this case," the prosecutor's office of Kyiv said on Tuesday.

The decision is final, comes into force from the moment it is signed by the judges and is not subject to an appeal.

As reported, on December 1, 2016, the Economic Court of Kyiv, in the suit of the capital's prosecutor's office, returned to the state ownership these land plots with a total area of 0.55 hectares and a value of UAH 30 million.

The Kyiv Economic Court of Appeal, by a resolution dated May 23, 2017 and the Supreme Economic Court of Ukraine, by a decision dated August 2, 2017, left the judgment of the first instance unchanged.
Mobile communications operators could ensure coverage of 98% of the Ukrainian population with services without attracting subsidies from the state if the technology neutrality principle (the possibility of launching any mobile communications technology in any frequencies) for the 900 MHz band is introduced, Kyivstar President Peter Chernyshov has said.

He tilted at the initiative of public joint-stock company Ukrtelecom to start the program of cutting the digital gap in the regions on his Facebook page.

"Ukrtelecom today published its plan for Internetization of villages. What does it need to implement it? UAH 3 billion of government money. With the government money and own money, it promises to give the Internet to the villages where 6 million people live - but more then 2.28 million Ukrainians will remain without access to the Internet, which is very much. And more - fiber will be drawn to schools, village councils and hospitals, but not to people's homes," the head of the country's largest mobile operator said.

He also said that mobile operators can provide communication services to 98% of the country's population, for which they need the introduction of the technology neutrality principle in particular, in the 900 MHz band.

"Mobile operators do not ask for money from the country, but, on the contrary, they will pay for the frequencies themselves at an auction! They will build the network and provide almost all residents of Ukraine with high-speed mobile good-quality Internet quickly and inexpensively - as in a fairy tale. Oh, right! Not only schools and rural councils (after all, pulling fiber to each house in the village is expensive) would have the Internet, every smartphone owner would have it," Chernyshov said.

According to him, mobile operators are ready for the auction for the 900MHz band, after receiving a license for which mobile communication standard 3G and 4G will appear in villages.

In turn, Director for corporate communications of PJSC Ukrtelecom Myhailo Shuranov in comments to the post of Chernyshov said that mobile Internet would not be able to replace a fixed-line one.

"The customer experience of using 3G and 4G networks shows that the speed of access is catastrophically falling, when the network is loaded, and the volumes of fixed-line and mobile traffic are not comparable. By the way, for the 3G-4G (mobile communication) tower it is still necessary to lay optic fiber. It is a good promise, but it is hard to believe," he said.

Director for Mass Market Segment at Ukrtelecom Denys Zakharenko also commented on Kyivstar's statement, noting that Ukrtelecom's proposal takes into account the laying of the network, including the homes of rural residents.

"Peter, optical fiber will be laid to people's homes, too, "not only to schools/village councils." Without a mass connection of the population, it is impossible to cut the digital gap in society. It is taken into account in the estimate of the project - otherwise it would be 50% less. A person who told you that this is not part of the project, he misinformed you," Zakharenko said.
Ukrainian citizen Oleh Sentsov, who was convicted for terrorism in Russia, has gone on hunger strike, according to a report posted on the website Hromadske, citing Sentsov's cousin Natalia Kaplan.

"I, Oleh Sentsov, a citizen of Ukraine, who was illegally convicted by a Russian court and who is in a penal colony in Labytnangi, went on a timeless hunger strike on May 14, 2018. The only condition for its halt is the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners who are on the territory of Russia," Sentsov said in a statement, a scanned copy of which was published by the media outlet.

According to the media outlet, Sentsov has told his lawyer he had been preparing for this step for two months, refusing to take food brought for him from outside and "physically preparing the body."

In regard of this incident, the defense lawyer said he does not rule out that Sentsov may be ordered to undergo a forced psychiatric evaluation and may be force-fed.

The Northern Caucasus District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Sentsov, who was detained in Crimea in 2014, to 20 years in a high-security penal colony in August 2015 for an attempt to create a terrorist community in Crimea.

Sentsov is serving his sentence in a high-security correctional facility known as Bely Medved (White Bear) in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District.
etro Poroshenko Bloc member Iryna Friz has announced the subversive activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in the east of the country and called on law enforcement agencies to look at this issue more closely.

"Today the church of the Moscow Patriarchate, in the face of day, is playing the role of the "fifth column" in the East. I am convinced that such actions should receive an adequate response from law enforcement bodies, in particular the SBU, for subversive activities against our state, which is aimed at splitting society and discrediting authorities," the press service of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc quoted Friz as saying.

The MP claims that the priests of the UOC (MP) "openly call for a rebellion against the Ukrainian authorities."

"The priests of the Moscow Patriarchate disgrace Ukraine's aspirations for the local church, except that they don't anathematize all those who started this process," she said.

The MP urged the Security Service of Ukraine to pay more attention to the activation of the "subversive activities" of the clergy of the UOC (MP) in the east of Ukraine, because, in her statement, besides appeals not to support and oppose the Ukrainian authorities, they distribute leaflets with provocative and manipulative content.
The subgroups of the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine (TCG) are holding meetings in Minsk.

"Subgroups of the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine are holding their meetings in Minsk," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on Twitter.

The TCG has four subgroups focused on political, economic, humanitarian, and security affairs.
Russian-led forces have mounted 45 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas in the past day, with one Ukrainian serviceman reported as killed in action (KIA), another two as wounded in action (WIA), the press center for the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has reported.

"Russian-led forces mounted 45 attacks, using heavy weapons 17 times. At about 06:00 on May 15, again ignoring the norms of international humanitarian law, the invaders opened fire from 82mm mortars at the village of Novhorodske," the JFO press center said on Facebook on Wednesday morning.

Areas near the villages of Troyitske and Novozvanivka were hot spots in the Luhansk sector.

In the Donetsk sector, units of Ukraine's Joint Forces conducted active defensive operations near the villages of Travneve, Zaitseve, Zalizne, Verkhniotoretske, and Pisky.

"According to intelligence data, the enemy lost two fighters over the past day, while three others were wounded. It is reported the invaders received an adequate response near the villages of Talakivka and Shyrokyne in the Mariupol sector," the message reads.
British Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Alan Duncan considers Russia's opening of the Kerch Bridge to the Crimean Peninsula without Kyiv's consent yet another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and stressed concern over violations of human rights on the peninsula.

"Crimea is part of Ukraine, and its annexation by Russia is a breach of international law. The opening of this bridge represents yet another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, and a further example of Russia's reckless behavior. We continue to work with partners to oppose the annexation, including by maintaining a robust package of sanctions," the official website of the UK's government quoted the minister as saying.

Duncan said the UK also remains deeply concerned by the human rights situation in Crimea, where it can be seen the systematic persecution of minority groups and of those who voice their opposition to Russia's illegal annexation of the territory.

"We call again for Russia to release all Ukrainian political prisoners held in Crimea and in Russia, and to allow unrestrained access for international human rights monitoring bodies to the peninsula," he added.

As was reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the opening of motor traffic along the Kerch bridge (19 km in length) on May 15. This bridge will connect the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in March 2014, with mainland Russia by motor and railway overpasses.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that Ukraine would consistently defend its positions in international courts despite Russia's attempts to legalize the temporary occupation of the peninsula.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said that Russia would be held liable for the illegal construction of the bridge.

Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin called the bridge a "road to nowhere."
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin will raise the issue of Ukrainian political prisoners at a meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Denmark on May 17-18, Ukraine's permanent representative to the Council of Europe Dmytro Kuleba has said.

"A ministerial meeting of the Council of Europe will take place in Denmark on May 17-18. The protection of rights and the release of our hostages in Russia and the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas will be one of the key topics during the meetings of Pavlo Klimkin at this event," Kuleba wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.

At the same time, the Ukrainian permanent representative, commenting on the decision of Ukrainian political prisoner Oleh Sentsov, who went on a hunger strike on May 14, said: "The act is not of despair, but of force."

"The Council of Europe and other international players can and should do more. We will not be tire of insisting on this until all our political prisoners return home," added Kuleba.

Earlier on Wednesday, the web publication Hromadske said with reference to Sentsov's cousin Natalia Kaplan that Sentsov had declared a hunger strike.

"I, Oleh Sentsov, a citizen of Ukraine, who was illegally convicted by a Russian court and who is in a penal colony in Labytnangi, went on a timeless hunger strike on May 14, 2018. The only condition for its halt is the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners who are on the territory of Russia," Sentsov said in a statement, a scanned copy of which was published by the media outlet.

According to the media outlet, Sentsov has told his lawyer he had been preparing for this step for two months, refusing to take food brought for him from outside and "physically preparing the body."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called on the international community to continue putting pressure on Moscow after Ukrainian citizen Oleh Sentsov convicted in Russia on terrorism charges had declared an open-ended hunger strike.

As reported, the Northern Caucasus District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Sentsov, who was detained in Crimea in 2014, to 20 years in a high-security penitentiary in August 2015 for an attempt to create a terrorist community in Crimea.

Sentsov is serving his sentence in a high-security correctional facility known as Bely Medved (Polar Bear) in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District.

Ukraine, the international community has repeatedly called on the Russian Federation to release the illegally convicted Sentsov.
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krainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has said that he does not intend to take part in the upcoming presidential election.

"I'm probably the only non-presidential candidate from a large circle of my acquaintances. It's a well-thought-out decision. From the very beginning of my work here, despite various conversations, I'm certainly not a presidential candidate," he said in an exclusive interview with Interfax- Ukraine.

Speaking about the upcoming election, Lutsenko called it "symbolic."

"Exactly one hundred years ago, Ukraine was in almost the same situation... A small group of people tried to build the country at that time, and a huge mass of people, heated by the fifth column of the Kremlin, home-grown radicals and useful idiots, simply destroyed the UPR. Then millions of Ukrainians were killed. We must remember this lesson if we want to be a successful country," he said.

According to Lutsenko, his role in the election is "to restrain himself and not start giving direct estimates to populists."

"I will try to say only one thing. Let them support those who build the country, not those who criticize everything and make endless unrealizable promises," he said.

The next presidential election in Ukraine will be held in 2019.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has withdrawn from the Verkhovna Rada a draft law (No. 8297) on amendments to the law of Ukraine on citizenship concerning improvement of certain clauses.

According to the website of the Ukrainian parliament, the bill was withdrawn on May 16, 2018.

As reported, on April 19, 2018, the Ukrainian president tabled in parliament a draft law (No. 8297) introducing amendments to the law of Ukraine on citizenship.

Among other things, it foresees that the acquisition of citizenship of the Russian Federation as a result of unlawful and unfair acts in the territories temporarily occupied by the Russian administration and the self-proclaimed authorities controlled by Russia is not considered a voluntary acquisition of foreign nationality and therefore is not a reason for the loss of Ukrainian citizenship.

However, the grounds for the loss of citizenship of Ukraine will be the implementation of the electoral or other rights granted by foreign citizenship, or the performance of the obligations envisaged by foreign citizenship, which can be confirmed by the data of public registers of state authorities, local governments of foreign states and information on official websites and in official publications.

The basis for the loss of Ukrainian nationality will also be the use of a passport of another country when crossing the border of Ukraine, which is recorded by an official of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine or another state body.

At the same time, the draft law proposes clarifying the procedure for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship and abandoning foreign citizenship.
U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker has met with Ukrainian parliamentarians in Kyiv to discuss topical issues related to Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, Samopomich faction deputy Olena Sotnyk has told Interfax-Ukraine.

"These were representatives of all factions without exception, two representatives from each faction. The format was simple enough. Volker asked them to express their position and vision on the current situation in Donbas, which is under Russian aggression, and how each faction sees a future solution [to this situation]," she said on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Sotnyk, in the second part of the meeting each faction was given the opportunity to ask questions to Volker.

She said that the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada at the meeting had been represented by First Deputy Parliament Speaker Iryna Gerashchenko.

At the same time, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy also met with Volker.

"I met with Special Representative of the U.S. Department of State for Ukraine Kurt Volker. I thanked [the U.S.] for the support of Ukraine and the provision of lethal defensive weapons. We discussed the situation in Donbas and legislative plans of the Verkhovna Rada," Parubiy wrote on Twitter on Wednesday, publishing several photos from the meeting, which was also attended by U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.
U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker met with families of hostages, political prisoners and missing persons in Kyiv on Wednesday and discussed with parliamentarians the prospect of introducing peacekeepers to Donbas and the United States' assistance in matters of security, First Deputy Speaker of Ukraine's Parliament Iryna Gerashchenko has said.

"Members of different [parliamentary] factions and groups met with the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker as part of the informal Minsk parliamentary platform. Today, he has exchanged views with the lawmakers on prospects for a peacekeeping mission in Donbas, on the work of checkpoints, challenges that internally displaced persons are facing, as well as environmental issues," Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook.

She said that the discussion also focused on reforms, work on the laws on the anti-corruption court and national security, de-mining, preparations for the Ukraine-NATO summit, U.S. assistance in security and defense issues, provision of weapons, and others.

"Donbas and Crimea, human rights violations in the occupied areas, the search for the missing, the release of hostages and political prisoners remain key. (...) He also met with families of hostages, political prisoners and missing persons," she added.
In the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and dwindling hopes the agreement can be salvaged with the help of European powers, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who oversaw preparations for the initial talks, is trying to distance himself from the deal, which is now widely seen as a failure in Iran.

Ahmadinejad published a letter May 11 saying at first he opposed the nuclear talks between his country and the P5+1 group of world powersthe U.S., UK, France, China, Russia, and Germany, which began in Oman in 2014 under President Hassan Rouhani.

When the negotiations with the United States were supposed to start in Oman, I said at a meeting with the senior officials of the country that at a time when the enemy assumes it has the upper hand and the sanctions have been effective, talks will harm the country, Ahmadinejad wrote, claiming he had favored waiting six more months in order to improve the countrys economic situation by implementing his economic policy and enter the negotiations in a stronger position.

I even declared that I was ready to offer my family as collateral, and if my plans were not successful, you can execute myself and my family, Ahmadinejad said, adding that his proposal was rejected by some officials and branches of government.

However, the foreign minister at the time, Aliakbar Salehi, has previously said in interviews that Ahmadinejad neither obstructed nor encouraged the talks with Washington, but merely warned they could be dangerous if they fail. He has also said that the preparations for the talks, which started toward the end of Ahmadinejads presidency, took place with the full endorsement of the Supreme Leader, who has also begun distancing himself from the deal.

Ahmadinejad, a man famous for his extreme, apocalyptic ideas and despised by many traditional Shiite scholars, was once a favorite of the Supreme Leader. On many occasions Khamenei praised him as an honest man who genuinely serves his country. He even alienated some of his close allies and powerful clerics such as the former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani by siding with some of Ahmadinejads more radical positions.

In his second term as president, however, Ahmadinejad began to assert his independence from Khamenei, which strained their relationship. The peak of tensions between the two came in May 2011 when Ahmadinejad fired his Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi, a decision that was overruled by Khamenei. Moslehi was reinstated and Ahmadinejad refused to go to work for 10 days in protest.

These types of power struggles, along with the fact that Ahmadinejads controversial 2009 reelection had sparked the Green Movement, which brought the regime to the brink of collapse, led the Supreme Leader to oppose Ahmadinejads candidacy in the 2017 presidential election. The former president threw his hat in the ring anyway, but was disqualified by the Guardian Council, a clerical body loyal to Khamenei and in charge with vetting candidates.

Since then, Ahmadinejad has been increasingly critical of the Supreme Leader. The discord between the former allies escalated recently when two of Ahmadinejads former deputies, Hamid Baghaei and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei were arrested on corruption charges. Baghaei has been ordered to pay $11 million and sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Mashaei is awaiting his trial.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

Trend:

The OSCE monitoring held on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia on May 15 passed without incidents, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said May 16.

The monitoring was under the mandate of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative in Azerbaijans Khojavend district.

On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring was held by Mikhail Olaru and Martin Schuster, field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative.

On the Azerbaijani territories, occupied and controlled by Armenian armed forces, the monitoring will be held by Ognyen Yovic, Gennady Petrica and Simon Tiller, who are field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic for a visit May 16.

President Aliyev was welcomed by Chairman of the Supreme Assembly of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Vasif Talibov.

A guard of honor was lined up for the president at the Nakhchivan International Airport.

President Aliyev met with members of the government of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the inauguration of the Nakhchivan city water purification facility complex.

Chairman of the Supreme Assembly of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Vasif Talibov informed the head of state about the complex.

The service area of the facility covers the city of Nakhchivan, Garakhanbayli, Garachuk, Bulgan, Hajiniyyat, Tumbul villages, and Shikhmahmud and Khalilli villages in Babak district.

The complex has a capacity of 32,000 cubic meters per day or 370 liters per second.

The implementation of the project will allow to irrigate 500 hectares of soil.

President Ilham Aliyev launched the complex.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

Trend:

As part of his visit to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of the 480-seat secondary school No 6 in Garakhanbayli administrative district in the Nakhchivan city.

The head of state cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the school and then viewed conditions created here.

The three-storey school has two computer rooms, three classrooms supplied with the electronic boards, physics, chemistry and biology laboratories, two chess classes, military room, 24 general classrooms, teachers' rooms and gym. The school is supplied with all the necessary equipment.

President Aliyev also met with the teaching staff and representatives of the general public there.
"Joy and pleasure are as real as pain and sorrow and one must learn what they have to teach. . . ." -- Sean Russell, from Gatherer of Clouds"If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." -- Helyn D. Goldenberg"I love you and I'm not afraid." -- Evanescence, "My Last Breath"If I hear not allowed much oftener, said Sam, Im going to get angry. -- J.R.R. Tolkien, from Lord of the Rings
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

Trend:

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the opening of a new building of Nakhchivan Teachers Institute.

The head of state cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the building.

Chairman of the Supreme Assembly of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic Vasif Talibov informed President Ilham Aliyev that the six-story building has 23 auditoriums. The building features four computer rooms, 16 rooms supplied with the electronic boards, library, reading as well as the electronic reading rooms, painting and sculpture workshops. Fine arts, geography, music, military, medical, Azerbaijani language, higher mathematics and computer rooms are supplied with all the necessary equipment.

State-of-the-art facilities were installed in the gym. There are a 132-seat and 20-seat two conference halls in the building.

After touring the building, President Ilham Aliyev met with the teaching staff and representatives of the general public and posed for photographs together with them.
Details added (first version posted on 16:46)

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

The decision by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) should be assessed as another double standard attitude towards Azerbaijan, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliamentary Committee for International and Inter-Parliamentary Relations, Head of the Azerbaijani Delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov said in Baku May 16.

He was commenting on the decision of the PACE Committee on Rules of Procedure to impose sanctions on four PACE members.

Seyidov said Azerbaijan has constructive cooperation with various structures of the Council of Europe.

But it doesnt mean that there are no double standards towards Azerbaijan in the Council of Europe, he added. "We have witnessed this repeatedly. The decision made yesterday must be seen as another double standards attitude."

In his letter to the Council of Europe's leadership, Seyidov said there is no reason for taking such actions against Azerbaijan.

He also noted the biased attitude towards Azerbaijan and regarded the decision as an aid to anti-Azerbaijan forces.

Seyidov added that such actions are connected with the establishment of a special investigation body in PACE.

"We expressed our opinion in connection with the establishment of this investigation body and said that one of the highest principles of the PACE is the rule of law," he said. One cannot blame anyone without conducting a legal procedure.

Most adopted documents on Azerbaijan are negative, while documents on Armenia are positive, he said.

Seyidov expressed surprise at the fact that there are positive responses towards Armenia, although there are such events in Armenia when people get rid of the regime.

"A UK parliamentarian said it is wrong to include Azerbaijan in this report because if there is no investigation in other countries, it is unfair to include Azerbaijan there, he said. Nevertheless, the parliamentarian's proposal was not adopted."

Following the hearings in Paris on May 15, the PACE Committee on Rules of Procedure decided that sanctions should apply to four PACE members - Pedro Agramunt (Spain) for a period of 10 years, Cezar Florin Preda (Romania), Samad Seyidov (Azerbaijan) and Jordi Xucla (Spain) for a period of two years.

All four, while remaining members of the Assembly with the right to speak, will be banned during these periods from acting as rapporteurs or election observers, and cannot be chairs or vice-chairs of any committees or sub-committees, or stand for election as president of the Assembly.

They will be unable to represent the Assembly or its committees at any third-party events.
Details added (first version posted on 17:56)

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

Some forces, including the Armenian lobby, are trying to detach Azerbaijan from the Council of Europe, Chairman of the Azerbaijani Parliamentary Committee for International and Inter-Parliamentary Relations, Head of the Azerbaijani Delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov said in Baku May 16.

Seyidov added that these forces will be unable to influence Azerbaijans activity in the Council of Europe.

Armenia and the forces supporting it are at a disadvantage in relation to Azerbaijan on international arena and therefore they resort to other tactics, he said.

"We raise questions about the realities of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, include the issue of Armenia's occupation policy to the agenda, stress the importance of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and international laws, which create difficulties for Armenia," Seyidov added.

By imposing sanctions on the Azerbaijani delegation, they think to create negative image of Azerbaijan, he said. Not only the Armenian lobby, but also the forces that do not want the development of Azerbaijan play a role here."

Seyidov added that Azerbaijan has very good relations with Europe, but the forces, which are not interested in such relations want to counteract that.

The head of the Azerbaijani delegation stressed that Azerbaijan will not leave PACE and will spread the realities of Azerbaijan via PACE.

Following the hearings in Paris on May 15, the PACE Committee on Rules of Procedure decided that sanctions should apply to four PACE members Pedro Agramunt (Spain) for a period of 10 years, Cezar Florin Preda (Romania), Samad Seyidov (Azerbaijan) and Jordi Xucla (Spain) for a period of two years.

All four, while remaining members of the Assembly with the right to speak, will be banned during these periods from acting as rapporteurs or election observers, and cannot be chairs or vice-chairs of any committees or sub-committees, or stand for election as president of the Assembly.

They will be unable to represent the Assembly or its committees at any third-party events.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

Trend:

The National Confederation of Entrepreneurs Organizations of the Azerbaijan Republic (AEC) in cooperation with EY organized two training sessions for entrepreneurs, entitled Practical Aspects of Applying Double Tax Treaties in Azerbaijan: challenges faced by taxpayers in 2017-2018 after the introduction of new regulations and Business and Assets Valuation, on 10-11 May 2018.

The training was led by EY Tax Senior Manager Ulvi Yusifov and EY TAS Senior Jahangir Safarov.

On the first day of the training the presentations and discussions covered tax treaties, their structure and practical aspects of applying them. Further, training participants interest was addressed in greater detail by citing examples from recent cases.

On the second day of the training session, Business and Assets Valuation, Jahangir focused on the methods and approaches applied for valuation of businesses. He continued with a detailed focus on the Market, Income and Cost approaches.

Ulvi commented: The training was successful in view of the participants interest, positive comments and the professional approach of AEC. I hope this cooperation between EY Azerbaijan and AEC will be long-lasting and productive.

EY Azerbaijan was delighted at the cooperation with AEC and would like to thank all participants for their effective involvement!

About AEC

AEC is a non-profit, self-governing public union aimed at social objectives to strengthen the business environment in Azerbaijan. It coordinates on a voluntary basis the activities of both legal and physical entities undertaking entrepreneurial activity irrespective of their business type and legal structure (excluding state funded organizations). It helps them to find new partners domestically and overseas, protects their legal and economic rights, and fosters a healthy business climate.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and economies around the world. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In doing so, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients, and for our communities.

EY works together with companies across the CIS and assists them in realizing their business goals. 4,500 professionals work at 20 CIS offices (in Baku, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Togliatti, Vladivostok, Almaty, Astana, Bishkek, Kyiv, Tashkent, Tbilisi, Minsk, and other locations).

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

EY in Azerbaijan

EY made a major commitment to the development of Azerbaijan and the region by opening the office in Baku 24 years ago. Today, in addition to being the leading audit and consulting firm in Azerbaijan, we are the leading professional services firm in the region. As a result of our experience and competence, we have been able to assist both domestic and international companies as well as state-owned entities to develop and manage the challenges of the international economy.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

Trend:

By the order of the Minister of Education Jeyhun Bayramov, Anar Rzayev has been appointed as a pro-rector of UNEC on International Relations and Programs.

Anar Yashar oghlu Rzayev was born in 1973. He got his bachelors education at Khazar University. He won the ACTP student exchange contest in Baku, then in Moscow and continued his education at Utica College of Syracuse University of New York state, in the USA.

The associated professor A.Rzayev was the director of the UNEC International School of Economics until this position.

Within the period of his administration, the International School of Economics was known as the most popular faculty among the school graduates prepared on the II specialty group. Within 2 years, year after year, the applicants who had got 700 points at the admission exams chose the International School of Economics. In 2017/18-th academic year, 17 of the 23 young people awarded the Presidential scholarship for the II specialty group are getting the education in English at the UNEC International Economic School.

A.Rzayev is the associated professor of the International Economics (English speaking) chair at the UNEC. He is fluent in the Azerbaijan, English, Russian and persian languages.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

The joint Azerbaijani-Australian educational centers may be set up in Baku, Nizami Jafarov, founder and director of the Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce in Australia, told Trend May 16.

The Chamber of Commerce together with leading universities of Australia and Azerbaijan discuss the possibilities of cooperation between the two countries in the field of education, he said.

"Presently, we are discussing several options for cooperation, he said. The educational centers created jointly with Australian universities may be established in Azerbaijan or special campuses may be set up at local universities."

Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

Azerbaijan's "Procurement and Supply of Food Products" OJSC seeks to expand the geography of export, Deputy Chairman of the OJSC Khalig Mammadov told Trend.

He said that the company plans to begin exporting food products to Arab countries, as well as to Central Asia.

"The company mainly exports the procured products to Russia, but we continue to develop new export directions. Presently, we are negotiating with the UAE, Qatar and other Arab countries. There is a need for Azerbaijani products in these countries. The problem is political conflicts in the region, which affects export. We also intend to increase exports to the countries of Central Asia. For example, Turkmenistan imported large volumes of onion from Azerbaijan in 2017. This is the success of our exporters, but, I think that such export operations should be performed more appropriately. We also consider export of Azerbaijani goods to South Korea, but here it is necessary to solve the problem of the certification of products," Mammadov said.

Mammadov noted that further development of the priority export directions depends on the need for Azerbaijani products.

"Why Azerbaijan is exporting most of its food to Russia? Because, Russia is a traditional market for us, and there is a need for Azerbaijani products in Russia. The factor of sanctions imposed on Russia also matters. To increase the demand for Azerbaijani products in other countries, we first of all need to improve the quality of our products. In addition, it is necessary to comply with the standards for packaging and packing. Compliance with these conditions will allow us to significantly expand the export geography," he said.

In 2017, the company exported food products worth 54.9 million manats.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed an order establishing the Open Joint Stock Company "Procurement and Supply of Food Products" in April 2016.

(1.7 manats = 1 USD on May 16)

Subscribers of Trend News Agency can read this and other exclusive materials before they are published in open access.

More information on Trends news products can be found here.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

Azerbaijan needs to revise the tariffs for compulsory MTPL - motor third party liability insurance, said the Chairman of the Azerbaijan Insurers Association (AIA) Mustafa Abbasbeyli in an interview with Trend.

He said, it is a question of not universal increase of rates, but their differentiation.

"We think it is time to revise the rates for compulsory motor third party liability insurance. At the same time, we propose not just to increase tariffs, but to differentiate them so that tariffs in large cities differ from those in the rest of the country. If the loss ratio is considered, it is much higher in large cities. Russia already uses such a system of differentiation of tariffs, and we propose to use this experience in Azerbaijan," Abbasbeyli said.

Abbasbeyli noted that if it is decided to differentiate MTPL tariffs, the system applied in compulsory insurance of real estate could be used.

"I think the tariffs in Baku should be 20 percent higher. Something similar is used in the tariffs for compulsory insurance of real estate, where the insured property is divided on a territorial basis - real estates located in Baku, located in Ganja, Sumgayit and Nakhchivan, and real estates located in other cities. We propose to raise tariffs by 20 percent in Baku, by 10 percent in Ganja, Sumgayit and Nakhchivan, and to keep them unchanged in other places," he said.

After the entry into force of the law "On compulsory types of insurance" (in December 2011), the basic cost of the MTPL insurance policy was 50 manats, and it is applied to vehicles with engine capacity up to 1,500 cubic centimeters. As the engine capacity increases (from 1,500 to 5,000 cubic centimeters), the coefficients from 1.5 to 5 are applied to the cost.

Thus, if a new system of differentiated tariffs is adopted, the basic cost of the MTPL insurance policy will be 60 manats in Baku, and 55 manats in Ganja, Sumqayit and Nakhchivan. In other regions, the cost of the policy will not change.

Previously, the insurance premium for all passenger cars was 10 manats.

There are 21 insurance companies operating in Azerbaijan.

The official exchange rate for May 16 is 1.7 AZN/USD.

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_Mammadov

Subscribers of Trend News Agency can read this and other exclusive materials before they are published in open access.

More information on Trends news products can be found here.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Uzbekistan may change the regulation for duty-free regulation of goods, purchased in foreign online shops, Uzbek media reported on May 16.

The changes are provided by the draft of the presidential decree On measures to ensure control and registration of goods entering the territory of Uzbekistan for individual entities through international post and courier shipments, which is currently being considered.

The State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan proposes to set the limit for individual duty-free goods import at $1,000 and 30 kilograms in three months.

Citizens of Uzbekistan are currently eligible to get up to $1,000 worth goods in one calendar month without paying additional duties.

The State Customs Committee is also planning to implement a unified customs fee of 30 percent of the part of cost exceeding $1,000 limit. E.g., if cost of a good is $1,200, 30 percent of $200 will have to be paid.

The Committee is also going to implement a $5 fee for every kilogram of weight exceeding $30 limit. E.g., additional $25 will have to be paid for a shipment weighing 35 kilograms, even if its cost is less than $1,000.

The proposed changes to the regulations caused active discussion in social networks. People noted that the changes will lead to decrease of foreign online purchases, which were becoming increasingly popular in Uzbekistan. The online shops became highly popular due to the prices there being considerably lower than in Uzbekistan.

Reasoning of the State Customs Committee is also understandable though. Numerous groups appeared in social networks offering citizens of Uzbekistan to buy various goods from foreign online shops only by sending links to the item being sold and making 30-50 percent of the payment in advance.

Such groups often involve relatives and friends when ordering goods from online shops to bypass customs limits, thus violating the regulations.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

Trend:

Companies of Russias Altai Krai region are interested in increasing supplies of food, agricultural machinery and special equipment to Azerbaijan, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian region Viktor Meshcheryakov said.

He was speaking at a meeting with the temporary charge daffaires of the Russian Federation in Azerbaijan Oleg Murashev and Russias Trade Representative in Azerbaijan Eldar Tlyabichev in the Russian Embassy in Azerbaijan, according to a message on the website of the government of Russias Altai Krai region.

Presently, the delegation of the Altai Krai region is in Baku. The delegation includes heads of 13 companies representing five types of economic activity, as well as members of the government.

The delegation arrived in Baku to participate in the WorldFood Azerbaijan, Caspian Agro and IpackCaspian exhibitions.

Meshcheryakov said that presently, the foreign trade turnover of the Altai Krai region is $1.5 billion, only $8.5 million, or 0.21 percent of which accounts for Azerbaijan.

Therefore, we came to expand our ties and increase export supplies, Meshcheryakov added.

The Altai cluster of agricultural machinery, which includes 28 companies, is ready to supply modern equipment for the agricultural sector of Azerbaijan, and this was also noted during the conversation with Oleg Murashev and Eldar Tlyabichev.

The leadership of the delegation of the Altai Krai region also held a working meeting in Azerbaijans Economy Ministry, during which the Azerbaijani side confirmed intention to increase the volume of trade turnover with the Russian region.
Please call your State Representative and State Senator and tell them to vote against legislation repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion ...
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Ilkin Shafiyev  Trend:

Azerbaijans agriculture sector has reached a new level of development thanks to the reforms carried out in the country, Agriculture Minister Inam Karimov said at the opening of WorldFood Azerbaijan, Caspian Agro and IpackCaspian exhibitions in Baku on May 16.

"Significant success in the field of agricultural development has been achieved as a result of the growth of socio-economic indicators in this sector. It is encouraging that the competitiveness of goods produced in Azerbaijan is growing, and the export potential is expanding," Karimov said.

The minister further said that priority areas for the agriculture development are provision of high yields, increasing the competitiveness of local products, and ensuring food security.

"The main principles of work are proximity to farmers and application of the innovations," the minister noted.

WorldFood Azerbaijan 2018, the 24th Azerbaijan International Food Industry exhibition, has today kicked off at Baku Expo Center. The organizers of the three-day event are Iteca Caspian and ITE Group.

The exhibitors from more than 20 countries, including Belarus, Latvia, Greece, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Italy, take part in the event. The business program of the exhibition also stipulates holding of bilateral meetings, in which food suppliers and representatives of local retail chains will take part. A "showcase of novelties" will be organized at the exhibition for the first time. The participants will demonstrate their new products, not yet available on the market.

Caspian International Packaging, Tare, Label and Printing IPACK Caspian 2018 exhibition take place alongside WorldFood Azerbaijan. The Ipack Caspian 2018 exhibitors include a number of companies from many other countries.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyev
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

The National Bank of Uzbekistan and the China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation Sinosure signed a $400-million framework agreement on cooperation in Tashkent on May 15, the press service of the Uzbek bank stated on May 16.

The agreement stipulates provision of insurance coverage by Sinosure to contracts for supply of high-tech equipment produced in China to Uzbekistan in light industry, construction materials production, agriculture, including fruit and vegetable processing and other spheres.

Sinosure will provide insurance support to projects implemented by Chinese companies in Uzbekistan, financed through the National Bank of Uzbekistan.

The insurance coverage of Sinosure will help financing these supplies both from the financial institutions of China and other foreign banks. It will also provide an opportunity to reduce the interest rate for the recipients of loans.

China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (Sinosure) is a state-owned insurance company in China, founded in 2001. The goal of Sinosure is to support the export of Chinese goods, as well as foreign investments of Chinese companies through the insurance of export credits and investments.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Ilkin Shafiyev  Trend:

Goygol Sharab OJSC, a producer of alcoholic beverages and drinking water in Azerbaijan, plans to enter the markets of China, Latvia, Belarus and Ukraine, Chairman of Goygol Sharab OJSC Supervisory Board Mammad Akhundov said on the sidelines of WorldFood Azerbaijan 2018 in Baku on May 16.

He said that today, the company's only export market is Russian.

"Previously, the "Magnit" retail network was our partner in Russia. However, we did not agree on some issues, so the operation was halted. Now, we are negotiating with three new Russian partners, as well as companies from China. In addition, samples of our products were sent to Azerbaijan Trade Houses in Minsk, Riga and Kiev," Akhundov said.

He said that the company plans to increase production.

"To this end, we began reconstruction work at our plant, which is expected to be completed in three months, " he said.

The Goygol Wine Plant was founded in 1860. Goygol Sharab OJSC is the legal successor of this enterprise. Last year, the company produced more than 16 million bottles, while in 2016 this figure was 15 million bottles.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyev
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

Nazim Samadov has been appointed head of the Apparatus of Azerbaijans Taxes Ministry, according to information obtained by Trend.

Previously, Samadov served as Azerbaijans deputy minister of culture and tourism.

Nigar Alimova, former head of the Apparatus of Azerbaijans Taxes Ministry, has been appointed head of the recently created Department for Work with Documents and Consideration of Applications from Citizens.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_Mammadov
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is committed to continuing to support the diversification of Azerbaijans economy by helping to mobilize the power of the private sector, Jan van Bilsen, IFC Regional Manager for the South Caucasus, told Trend May 16.

He noted that the continued investment climate and regulatory reforms are important to build the confidence of investors to invest in the private sector and contribute to economic diversification.

Recent developments, including the drop in oil prices in 2014, have made it clear that many countries of the region, including Azerbaijan, need to move to a different growth model, relying less on state resources and more on the private sector, said van Bilsen.

"That means that new sources of growth must be tapped into. Many governments recognize this and are taking steps in that direction. One of the key drivers to accelerating and sustaining progress is making the private sector the main driver of growth."

Van Bilsen noted that the IFC particularly welcomes the governments strong focus on improving infrastructure and enhancing connectivity within the country and internationally.

"IFC is ready to work in infrastructure in Azerbaijan, for example in energy, waste management and transport, as long as there is interest in opening these areas to the private sector. Given our vast global experience in structuring public-private partnership projects in various sectors, IFC is ready to support the government in attracting private investment for selected public infrastructure through PPP transaction advisory support. This can help lower the fiscal burden and improve effectiveness and efficiency of public investment and assets," van Bilsen said.

The regional manager added that IFC is also open to investing in competitive businesses that are transparent and well managed in various productive sectors, including but not limited to export-oriented industries to help the country generate alternative sources of foreign exchange.

Azerbaijan became a member of the International Finance Corporation in 1995. Since the beginning of cooperation, IFC has allocated more than $500 million for projects in Azerbaijan covering financial services, infrastructure and production.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_Mammadov
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Azad Hasanli - Trend:

Azerbaijan and Australia are discussing new agriculture projects, the founder and director of the Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce in Australia, Nizami Jafarov, told Trend May 16.

Jafarov said since the end of last year the companies of the two countries have been discussing a project on supply of pomegranate juice from Azerbaijan to Australia. Jafarov noted that Australia has a great interest in this product given the competitive [compared to Australian] prices for Azerbaijani products.

"Australia is also interested in buying Azerbaijani spices, such as saffron, as well as rearing new breeds of cattle," Jafarov added.

As for Azerbaijan, said Jafarov, the country is interested in the technology of shock freezing of fruits and berries. This year, he continued, also the supply of Australian wine from Perth to Azerbaijan was started for the first time.

"Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Australia is developing on an upward line. Last year's visit to Azerbaijan by an Australian trade mission, which included representatives of more than 30 companies, is an example of such development. Of course, trade relations between the two countries leave much to be desired, but we have great potential, despite the fact that both countries are far from each other," the director of the Chamber of Commerce said.

According to the data published by the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, trade turnover with Australia in 2017 amounted to $5.5 million. Almost the entire amount fell on the import of Australian products.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

Trend:

A delegation of the Network Manager Operations Centre - NMOC, headed by Joe Sultana, Director of the Centre, paid a working visit to Baku May 16, press service of Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC said in a statement.

During the visit, the guests got acquainted with Azerbaijani civil aviation facilities, including Azeraeronavigation Air Traffic Control Department and the new airport complex of the Heydar Aliyev International Airport (Terminal 1), which recently received a maximum rating of 5 Stars from Skytrax audit company.

The new Airspace Supervision & Efficiency Center (ASEC), which is the key point in air traffic flow managment palanning aroused great interest of NMOC managment. Thanks to this Center, Azerbaijan plays the role of strategic partner of Eurocontrol in planning of air traffic flows.

On the same day, a meeting was held between President of Azerbaijan Airlines Jahangir Askerov and the Director of NMOC Joe Sultana. According to Jahangir Askerov, as a result of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyevs successful consistent policy, over the past decade Azerbaijans role as a transit state has significantly increased. This development is also observed in the overflights of aircraft through the airspace Azerbaijan.

At the meeting it was noted that today Azerbaijans civil aviation uses state of the art technologies , including air navigation facilities. Annually over 90 thousand transit flights are carried out over the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In turn, Joe Sultana highly assessed the achievements of Azerbaijans civil aviation. He noted that the strategic location and high level of air navigation provision makes Azerbaijan attractive for the European organization in filed of air traffic flow planning and it will increase the number of transit flights between Europe and Asia in the coming years.

It should be noted that European Commission nominated NMOC (EUROCONTROL) as the Network Manager of Europe , the coordination of slots at European airports and the management of air traffic flows over the territory of 41 European countries  members of Eurocontrol, as well as Morocco and Azerbaijan. NMOC plans and controls over 27,000 flights every day and over 1 million flights per year.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

In the first quarter of 2018, Russias Gazprom supplied 797 million cubic meters of gas to Azerbaijan, according to a quarterly report of Gazprom.

In 2017, Azerbaijan imported 349 million cubic meters of Russian gas.

Previously, Gazprom Export LLC and Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR agreed on resuming natural gas deliveries to Azerbaijan. The relevant contract was signed in Moscow on Nov. 21, 2017. The deliveries will be carried out starting from Nov. 22, 2017.

Under the contract, it is planned to deliver 1.6 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Azerbaijani market in general.

SOCAR reported that the gas will be pumped into underground gas storages for its further use in processing, or for domestic needs. If there is a need, some volumes can be directed for export. These supplies will also allow SOCAR to check the capacity of its underground gas storage facilities.

Earlier, Gazproms Board of Directors decided to open a representative office in Azerbaijan.

There are two gas storage facilities  Kalmaz and Garadagh  in Azerbaijan. Capacity of Azerbaijans underground gas storage facilities allow to store more than 3.5 billion cubic meters of gas.

In October 2009, Gazprom Export LLC and SOCAR signed a medium-term contract to deliver gas from Azerbaijan in 2010-2015 through the Shirvanovka point at the Russian-Azerbaijani border. During the period, 5.4 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas were bought.

In 2015, a subsidiary of Gazprom Export LLC, Gazprom Schweiz AG, carried out deliveries to Azerbaijan Methanol Company (AzMeCo). Under the contract, 107.4 billion cubic meters of gas were delivered.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @MTsurkovTrend
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Equinor ASA (OSE: EQNR, NYSE: STO), the new name of Statoil ASA, was approved by the annual general meeting on May 15, said a message from the company.



Reportedly, the new name has now been registered in the Norwegian register of business enterprises (Foretaksregisteret).



The company's shares will from 16 May 2018 (inclusive) be quoted on Oslo Brs with the new name and the new ticker EQNR.



Implementation date for the new ticker EQNR for the company's American Depository Receipts (ADRs) on New York Stock Exchange is expected to be 17 May 2018 at the earliest.

The company is a shareholder of the project for development of Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of oil fields (7.27 percent) and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (8.71 percent) in Azerbaijan. The company is also negotiating with the Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR to develop Karabakh oil field and the promising structures of Ashrafi and Dan Ulduzu.

The average production by the company in Azerbaijan in 2017 stood at 50,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, May 16

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

An OSCE-supported regional workshop on promoting border management and security was held in Ashgabat, the OSCE said in a statement.



The workshop brought together border security officials from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as experts from the OSCE and various UN agencies.

The regional workshop aimed to promote the regional cross-border cooperation through the exchange of best practices and discussions of international and regional legal and policy framework documents pertaining to border security and management.



In her opening remarks, Ambassador Natalya Drozd, head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat, mentioned that the exchange of views and experiences between experts and the border guard officers on border security issues contributes to a better understanding of the many factors affecting state border security.



She noted that the OSCE stands ready to enhance regional and cross-border cooperation to further strengthen border security and facilitate the cross-border flow of legitimate goods and services.

As noted by the participants of the workshop, the state borders of the countries in the region are not uniform and the methods to ensure border security are also diverse. Nevertheless, it was strongly emphasized that active regional and cross-border cooperation is essential to effectively address the existing and emerging border security-related challenges and threats.



The workshop was organized within the framework of an extra-budgetary project of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat funded by the government of Japan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived with the first official visit to the United States on May 15 at the invitation of President Donald Trump, the press service of the presidential administration of Uzbekistan stated on May 16.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev was met at the Joint Base Andrews in Washington D.C. by the US government officials.

Both sides pay great attention to the upcoming high-level talks. The US Administration called the visit of the president of Uzbekistan historical.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev will meet with Donald Trump at the White House on May 16. Face-to-face talks are to be held first, then in an expanded format.

Mirziyoyev will meet with the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of Defense James Mattis, congressmen and senators, the president of the World Bank to discuss development of cooperation.

Following the results of the official visit, the heads of state are planning to adopt a joint statement, as well as to sign over 40 documents.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Fikret Dolukhanov - Trend:

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with President of the United States of America Donald Trump in the White House on May 16, the press service of the Uzbek president stated.



According to the statement, after the photographing ceremony, a conversation took place between the heads of state in the Oval Office.



Donald Trump greeted Shavkat Mirziyoyev with his first official visit and noted that Uzbekistan is an important state and a strategic partner for the United States.



"The authority of Uzbekistan is growing. It is an honor for us to meet with you in the White House," the US president said.



Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed gratitude for the invitation and emphasized that the US is consistent in its support to Uzbekistan.



"Relations between our countries have risen to a new level after the presidential elections in Uzbekistan and the US. The Joint Statement adopted today, titled 'Uzbekistan and the United States of America: the beginning of a new era of strategic partnership', speaks for itself and demonstrates our long-term aspirations," the president of Uzbekistan said .



This meeting is especially significant considering it is taking place in a new political environment, as both Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Donald Trump almost simultaneously took office as president.



Uzbekistan and the US exchanged visits of delegations on various levels. The heads of state met in May 2017 in Riyadh and in September in New York. During a telephone conversation in December 2017, Donald Trump invited Shavkat Mirziyoyev to pay an official visit to the United States.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Tehran, Iran, May 16

By Kamyar Eghbalnejad - Trend:

The US decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal would have little impact on Irans oil industry, Reza Khalili, deputy director for Non-Industrial Operation of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), said.

The US withdrawal would not impose serious impact on Iran's oil industry, as the total oil industry in the country had already anticipated all the arrangements, Khalili told Trend.

Currently Iran has capability, knowledge and specialists who have the ability to carry on the specialized tasks in the oil industry, he added.

The US President Donald Trump announced May 8 that the United States walks away from the accord reached in 2015 between Tehran and the six world powers. Trump also announced that the Washington re-imposes the "highest level of economic sanctions" on the Islamic Republic.

Khalili said that the United States did not cooperate with Iran before, so today no new action has taken place, adding that the exit from the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) would not have such serious effect on the Iranian oil industry.

"In the field of oil exploration and export development, other countries except the United States are cooperating with us," the official said.

"There are European and Asian countries in this field that we could corporate with them, as the past and of course we have good teams of experts to undertake projects in oil and gas sector," he added.

Iranian experts are able to increase the countrys oil and gas production in joint fields with neighbouring countries, Khalili said.

Developing joint oil fields, in particular the West Karoun block, in the southwestern province of Khuzestan,  which is shared with Iraq is a high priority for Irans administration.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

Trend:

Irans President Hassan Rouhani called for imposing pressure on the US for violating the nuclear deal reached between Tehran and the six world powers in 2015.

Rouhani made the remarks at a session of the cabinet of ministers on May 16, the official website of the president announced.

Today the US has violated the international regulations and should be put under pressure for that, Rouhani said referring to Washington withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA aka nuclear deal).

The US, not Iran violated the international laws, its commitments under the deal and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, Rouhani said.

The resolution, passed 20 July 2015, endorses the JCPOA, set out an inspection process and schedule while also preparing for the removal of United Nations sanctions against Iran.

On May 8, the US President Donald Trump announced that Washington walks away from the nuclear accord. Trump also announced that the US re-imposes the "highest level of economic sanctions" on the Islamic Republic.

Iran said it will not continue the implementation of the JCPOA without receiving enough guarantees from three European countries, including the UK, France, and Germany.

Rouhani said that there are still grounds and opportunities regarding the JCOPA which can be studied and negotiated.

He added that the Islamic Republic would not give up under pressure, sanctions or threats.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Umid Niayesh - Trend:

Iranian MP, Nader Ghazipour criticized certain cultural discrimination against the Turkic people in the country.

Ghazipour, who represents Urmia electoral district in Iran's parliament, in an open session of the parliament May 16 criticized lack of countrywide TV for 40 million Turkic people in Iran, the Iranian media outlets reported.

He made the remarks while questioning the Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi Amiri over distribution of the newspaper of the Tehran Municipality across the country, which, according to the MP, imposes serious impact on local newspapers.

We, 40 million Turkic people in Iran, do not have a nationwide newspaper, the MP said.

He further called for respecting the rights of Turkic people, who make the majority of population in the country.

In recent months, various Azerbaijani MPs have requested for implementation of the Article 15 of the Islamic republic Constitution and education in mother language.

Iranian politicians have brought the issue to agenda time-by-time in recent years, in particular in election campaigns.

Last month, during a provincial visit to East Azerbaijan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for promoting Azerbaijani language.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

Trend:

Brussels now realizes openly that the geopolitical interests of the US and the European Union are not always compatible, Dr. David Criekemans, an expert in geopolitics and international politics and assistant professor at the University of Antwerp said in an interview with Azernews.

He was commenting on the consequences for the US-European relations following US President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal.

He recalled that French president Macron recently tried to change Trump's mind by proposing to encompass the JCPOA in a wider agreement concerning Iran's rocket program and its increasing regional activities in countries such as Syria.

France and Germany seek to trade with this emerging power. Companies such as Renault and Airbus have been queuing in line for the past couple of months. Many European countries see Iran as a reliable ally for the future, Dr. Criekemans noted.

Moreover, in todays world, natural gas is gaining more and more recognition and can become a bridge fuel towards a renewable energy future.

The expert stressed that the Islamic Republic disposes of large supplies of natural gas.

Europe can also forge new economic connections with Iran. France has been exceptionally successful in doing so for the last years. Total managed to broker a 4.8 billion dollar contract for exploiting natural gas fields in southern Iran. Renault even signed a 780 million dollar deal for manufacturing 300.000 cars by 2023. Royal Dutch Shell is also said to invest in the Iranian energy sector, he added.

Above all, Iran has signed contracts for airplanes worth billions of dollars with both the European Airbus and the American Boeing, according to Dr. Criekemans.

Once ten to fifteen percent of components in such planes are American in origin, as they are in the case of Airbus, Trumps new anticipated extraterritorial fines may also hit the European airplane builder. A European-Iranian economic cooperation would be very efficient and profitable, he said.

Europe now has to pursue a diplomatic mission impossible by attempting to sustain the renewed economic ties with Iran, according to the expert.

In the new multipolar world-in-the-making, Washington is no longer seen to be a beacon of stability, Dr. Criekemans believes.

Brussels' new geopolitical strategy will have to consist in conducting a new balance politics with the other 'poles' in the multipolar system, Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, London, etc., he said.

Washington is slowly but certainly being degraded in the minds of European politicians into being only one of these poles, Dr. Criekemans concluded.

On May 8, President Donald Trump announced that the United States walks away from the accord reached in 2015 between Tehran and the six world powers. Trump also announced that the U.S. will re-impose the nuclear-related sanctions on Irans economy and oil exports, which were waived under the JCPOA.

Whilst the sanctions are effective immediately, there is a wind-down period of 90- or 180-days to allow firms to exit any existing agreements they have with Iran. Trump has also hinted that he might impose additional sanctions on top of those which were waived.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council  the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia  plus Germany signed the landmark nuclear deal on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

The agreement limits Irans nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related bans against the Islamic Republic.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

Trend:

The demonstrators demanding the resignation of Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan have broken into the building of the Armenian capital city administration May 16, RIA Novosti reported.

Participants of the action are trying to go to the Mayor's Office. A number of police officers and City Hall employees have blocked the way.

Opponents of the mayor accuse him of inefficient activity and lack of accountability. Participants of the action, in particular, are angry because the trees in a small park near the City Hall have been cut down.

Margaryan is a member of the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia, which passed into opposition after the election of the leader of the Yelq faction Nikol Pashinyan as Prime Minister May 8.
The Georgian Ministry of Justice announced today that Georgian citizens who live abroad will be able to receive ID cards for free and passports for $50, Agenda reports.

"The measure aims to make the election list more precise, the Georgian Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani stated today.

To take advantage of the offer Georgian citizens will have to address Georgian consulates in the countries they live in.

There will be no age-limit for receiving documents.
The Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons believes that chlorine was likely used as a chemical weapon on February 4, in Saraqib, Syrias Idlib province, the OPCW press service said on Wednesday, TASS reports.

"The Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), confirmed in a report released yesterday that chlorine was likely used as a chemical weapon on 4 February 2018 in Saraqib, Idlib Governorate, Syrian Arab Republic," the press service said. "The FFM determined that chlorine was released from cylinders by mechanical impact in the Al Talil neighbourhood of Saraqib. The conclusions are based inter alia on the presence of two cylinders, which were determined as previously containing chlorine; witness testimony; environmental samples that demonstrated the unusual presence of chlorine in the local environment; and the number of patients at medical facilities shortly after the incident who showed signs and symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorine and other toxic chemicals."

Based on this fact, the FFM prepared a report that was distributed among the member states of the Chemical Weapons Convention on Tuesday. The document was also submitted to the Security Council through the UN secretary-general.

OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu resolutely denounced the use of toxic substances as weapons by anyone for any purposes and under any circumstances, saying that such actions directly contradict the strict ban for the use of poisonous substances enshrined in the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The OPCW added that "the FFMs mandate is to determine whether chemical weapons or toxic chemicals as weapons have been used in Syria". "It does not include identifying who is responsible for alleged attacks. Attribution was part of the mandate of the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism, set up by the UN Security Council, which expired in November 2017," the organization said.

State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert reported about the attack with the use of chlorine gas near the city of Saraqib on February 6. She noted then that it was the sixth such case in the last 30 days. Nauert did not provide any other details of the incident and pinned the blame for it on the Syrian government without any evidence.
Egypts President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Wednesday the move of the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem will cause some instability in the region, in his first public comments on the issue, Reuters reported.

Israeli troops shot dead dozens of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border on Monday when the high-profile opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem by President Donald Trumps administration raised tensions to boiling point after weeks of anti-Israeli demonstrations.

On the move of the US Embassy, we have said this issue will have negative repercussions on Arab and Islamic public opinion and lead to a kind of dissatisfaction and some instability, and will have repercussions on the Palestinian cause, Sisi, a US ally, said in televised remarks at a youth conference.

Egypt, the most populous Arab country and longtime mediator in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, has condemned the deaths of Palestinians but avoided direct criticism of the United States following the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem on Monday.

I urge the Israelis to understand that the reactions of Palestinians over this issue are legitimate and that (they) are dealt with in a way that takes great care for the lives of Palestinians.

Israel said Wednesday that Palestinian protests on the Gaza-Israel border have dropped off dramatically, citing what it said were Egyptian efforts to restore calm. Gazas dominant Islamist Hamas movement, has denied any pressure from neighbouring Egypt to scale back the six-week-old demonstrations. (nL5N1SN25L)

Separately, Sisi called for countries to resolve disputes peacefully, citing grave conditions in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

The region cannot withstand any more wars, he said.

Sisi also said more time was needed to resolve a dispute with Addis Ababa over a $4 billion-hydroelectric dam it is building on the Nile. He said he had invited Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to visit Cairo for more talks on the issue.

Negotiations with our brothers in Sudan and Ethiopia will require effort and time from [all sides] so we can come to the terms and reach an understanding that allows us to maintain our share (of the Niles water) and allow them to benefit from the dam for the development that they seek.

Egypt fears the project will reduce waters that run to its fields and reservoirs from the Nile river in Ethiopias highlands and via Sudan.
And everyone - the Rauner wing of the party and the IL GOP Platform wing will be happy and united ...?

SPRINGFIELD - Any chance the conservative wing of the Illinois Republican Party had to take over party leadership next Saturday has been dealt away, with an announcement from the party headquarters Wednesday. Governor Rauner's pick Tim Schneider will remain the IL GOP State Chairman for another four years, and Lake County Chairman Mark Shaw will "co-chair" in a new position on the SCC.

"To ensure that the Illinois Republican Party and the Republican County Chairmens Association work together in an efficient and seamless manner, I am happy to announce that I have appointed Mark as a Co-Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party as well," Schneider said in an email announcement Tuesday night.

"In this new role, Mark will be the primary liaison to our County Chairmen and will take the lead on grassroots engagement, training, and mobilization. To win in November we are going to need a grassroots army to battle the Democrats, and I am confident Mark will get the job done."

In other words, the IL GOP conservatives will return to their worker bee positions in the party apparatus - knocking on doors, making phone calls, canvassing voters - while the IL GOP Rauner-paid staff hive queen bees call the shots and make public policy with no regard whatsoever to the IL GOP Platform.

That's the way many are seeing their "compromise" - one the Rauner Wing was willing to initiate because the conservatives on the SCC were confident they had the votes to elect Mark Shaw as the new party chairman - taking the IL GOP in a direction that simply would not blend well with Governor Rauner's checkbook and piper tunes.

The SCC members that told Illinois Review they were confident that they had the votes for a party leadership upheaval backed off Wednesday.

"Jeanne Ives made a good statement on this agreement this morning. My views are very similar to hers," 17th CD SSC member Stan Bond said Wednesday. "This agreement will give conservatives a stronger voice within the ILGOP and additionally provides the County Chairmen a permanent seat and voice on the partys executive committee which surprisingly they have not had up until now."

So what did Rep. Ives - who post-ILGOP primary holds the party's role of conservative wing leader - say about the IL GOP compromise that Bond liked?

"This is an encouraging about face by Rauner and his surrogates including Tim Schneider who spent the primary campaign ridiculing conservatives and telling us to leave the party," Ives said. "If this compromise elevates the party's conservative base in terms of both policy views and party leadership, that would be good."

But Ives added a qualifier - one that is deserved because the IL GOP leadership such as Pat Brady has publicly demeaned and degraded the conservative wing of the party.



"If this compromise turns out to be the typical surrender Republican Rauner play of buying people off with money and titles, that would not be good," Ives added. "While I'm guardedly optimistic, I'll reserve judgment to see how the deal operates in practice."

It's too bad Mr. Shaw didn't see fit to fight for the takeover of the IL GOP - so that the state's party would reflect the rest of the nation's Republican stance and not continue in the failed Democrat-lite direction its leadership has been pursuing for years.

Those conservatives that hold to conservative principles first and the Republican Party affiliation second have been left with no political home for this election cycle. That's an ugly reality, and one that must be processed.
China supports North Koreas efforts to develop its economy and improve relations with South Korea, state radio on Wednesday quoted President Xi Jinping as saying, Reuters reports.

Xi made the comments to a visiting delegation of officials from North Koreas ruling Workers Party, it added.
European Union leaders will explore options on Wednesday for keeping the Iran nuclear deal alive and shielding their reviving economic cooperation with Tehran after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the pact, Reuters reports.

But the 28 EU leaders are not expected to make any quick decisions during their first meeting on the matter since Trump quit the accord, highlighting how U.S. clout in international trade and finance limits the Europeans scope for action.

I would like our debate to reconfirm without any doubt that as long as Iran respects the provisions of the deal, the EU will also respect it, the chairman of the gathering, Donald Tusk, said before the meeting in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.

The leaders of Britain, France and Germany - the three EU signatories of the 2015 deal, which gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbing its nuclear program but which Trump dismissed as the worst deal ever - will brief their peers.

The head of the blocs executive, Jean-Claude Juncker of the European Commission, will also present options the leaders have to shield European investments in Iran and the slowly-reviving economic cooperation, which many EU states hope to benefit from.

These include protecting European companies dealing with Iran from U.S. sanctions, which in practice would be very difficult, allowing the European Investment Bank to invest there and coordinating euro-denominated credit lines from EU states.

Foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Brussels on that on Tuesday and tasked their experts to come up with measures for a meeting of their deputies in Vienna next week.
Federal prosecutors are investigating a cyber attack on a subsidiary of German energy firm EnBW by unknown hackers last summer, the prosecutors office said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Tuesday that hackers had breached the networks of NetCom BW last summer, but did not gain access to the computer system it uses to control energy supplies. The hack was not publicly disclosed at the time.

Germanys BSI federal cyber agency on Wednesday said it had assessed the incident and that there was no evidence to suggest that the companys operations had been affected.

The Chief Federal Prosecutor has opened a preliminary investigation in connection with the incident, it said, without naming the company involved or providing additional details.

A spokesman for the prosecutors office confirmed the investigation was underway but gave no further details.

A spokeswoman for EnBW confirmed the incident in a statement, but said it was detected early and caused no damage.

Unknown people attacked the telecommunications network of the EnBW subsidiary NetCom. The attackers breached the network by hacking the the portal used by an external service provider and had access to a limited portion of the internet traffic for a period of a few minutes, she said.

No damage was caused as a result, she said, adding that the company immediately notified government authorities.
Seven people are dead and 30 others are feared trapped under the rubble after part of a flyover under construction in the northern Indian city of Varanasi collapsed on Tuesday, a senior police official said.

A 20-meter beam which was being fitted to the flyover collapsed, crushing vehicles and pedestrians, said the official, Amit Kumar.

Seven cranes had been sent to lift the beam and the army had been summoned, Kumar said. He said an investigation into the incident was ongoing but no arrests had been made so far.

Varanasi, the constituency of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is in Indias most populous state Uttar Pradesh and is popular among pilgrims and tourists.

Modi said on Twitter he was extremely saddened by the loss of lives and had asked officials in the state to provide all possible support to those affected.
Vietnams trade ministry said on Wednesday it is considering launching a formal investigation into the takeover of Uber Technologies Southeast Asia business by rival Grab after an initial probe showed the deal would violate antitrust law, Reuters reports.

The ministry had said last month the transaction might be blocked if Uber and Grabs combined market share in Vietnam is over 50 percent, as per the nations law.

Preliminary investigation results showed the economic concentration between Grab and Uber in the Vietnam market has a combined market share of over 50 percent, the ministry said in an statement on its website.

It said after working with the firms, associations and related government authorities, it has found the deal showed signs of violations on economic concentration. The ministry did not say by when it will decide whether to launch a formal probe or not.

Uber [UBER.UL] and Grab announced a deal in March under which Uber will take a 27.5 percent stake in Grab in exchange for its Southeast Asian business. The U.S. company had previously sold operations in China and Russia to local rivals.

Vietnams move expands scrutiny on the deal, which is already being examined for antitrust issues by Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

It is unclear how the deal will be impacted if Vietnam or any of the other countries ultimately conclude the deal hurts competition.

But while rising regulatory scrutiny could complicate the takeover, lawyers and analysts said there is little the authorities can do to stop Uber from simply exiting the region.

Uber and Grab did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comments.
Ecuador's Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces believes it is necessary to resume the dialogue with Britain for settling the issue of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, TASS reports.

"We would like to find a solution for Assange to settle his difficult situation. It goes without saying that the main factor is to ensure the observance of human rights," she said while answering students questions at the Russian Foreign Ministrys Diplomatic Academy in Moscow. "It is necessary to resume the dialogue with Britain on the condition of respect for all norms of international law, state laws and Assanges own right to the freedom of movement.

Assange in 2012 asked Ecuadors embassy in London for asylum in order to avoid extradition to Sweden, which had issued a warrant for his arrest on sexual harassment and rape charges. Assange dismissed the accusations as politically motivated. His worst fear was Sweden might deport him to the United States, where he would face 35 years in prison or capital punishment for publishing secret documents of the Department of State. Since that moment Assange has remained on the premises of the Ecuadoran embassy in London.
Russian Prime Minister will have ten Deputy Prime Ministers, or by one more than in the previous cabinet, according to a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, TASS reports.

Thus, the ten Deputy Prime Ministers will include First Deputy Prime Minister/ Finance Minister, Deputy Prime Minister/ Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian President in the Far-Eastern Federal District, and Deputy Prime Minister/ Chief of the Central Office of the Cabinet.

The president also decreed to supplement the list of Russian government positions endorsed by a relevant presidential decree of January 11, 1995 with another office, that of First Deputy Prime Minister/ Finance Minister.

The previous cabinet that resigned on May 7 after Putin had taken his new office as president had nine deputy prime minister, including one first deputy.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said earlier that acting Finance Minister Anton Siluanov may take the position of First Deputy Prime Minister/ Finance Minister. The office of Deputy Prime Minister/ Chief of the Central Office of the Cabinet may be taken by presidents aide and chief of the Kremlins audit directorate, Konstantin Chuichenko.

A source in the cabinet also said that Medvedev is likely to suggest acting Deputy Prime Minister and Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian President in the Far-Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev continue in his present position.
Prospects for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iran nuclear program were in focus of conversation between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Emmanuel Bonne, a senior official at the French foreign ministry, the Russian foreign ministry said, TASS reports.

"The focus was made on the prospects for the further implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program following the United States withdrawal from it," the ministry said. "The Russian side reiterated its commitment to the deal."

Last week, US President Donald Trump announced Washingtons decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal as it, in his words, leaves Iran a possibility to create a nuclear bomb bypassing all the restrictions. He said another agreement with Iran should be signed.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the deal on Irans nuclear program, was signed between Iran and six international mediators (the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, the United States, and France) on July 14, 2015. On January 16, 2016, the parties to the deal announced beginning of its implementation. Under the deal, Iran undertakes to curb its nuclear activities and place them under total control of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in exchange of abandonment of the sanctions imposed previously by the United Nations Security Council, the European Union and the United States over its nuclear program.
Moscow commends North Koreas decision to dismantle the nuclear test site Punggye-ri in the countrys northeast, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the media on Wednesday, TASS reports.

"We welcome the decision to hold a special ceremony on May 23-25 heralding the dismantling of the North Korean nuclear test site to which journalists from Russia and a number of other countries have been invited," Zakharova said.

Moscow expects a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump scheduled for June 12 in Singapore to be successful, she went on.

"We mark a trend towards the easing of tensions around the Korean Peninsula," the diplomat said. "We welcome the agreement to hold a meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore."

"We expect that the announced event will be successful and consolidate the positive trend of settling the subregional problems," Zakharova stressed.
Sergei Skripal has not forfeited his Russian citizenship, nor did he renounce it and has the right to communicate with the Russian consul, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced at Wednesdays press briefing, TASS reports.

"Sergei Skripal did not lose Russian citizenship and, as we understand, did not renounce it. He has every right to communicate with Russian consuls, just as Russia has every right to communicate with him," she emphasized.

Zakharova stressed that the Russian Foreign Ministry is not satisfied with the statements by British officials about Sergei and Yulia Skripal allegedly refusing to speak to the Russian side and refusing medical help from Russian medical specialists.

"If they [the Skripals] do not need our help, the British side should let them state that in person. Given the current conditions, we have to qualify the situation as forcible detention or even abduction of two of our citizens by British officials. Actions such as these by the UK constitute a serious violation of bilateral agreements," the spokeswoman emphasized. She also noted that Russia would carry on its efforts to establish direct contact with the Skripals via the London embassy.
click to enlarge The collection includes gloves that Lincoln wore to Fords Theater and a hat that has had its provenance questioned.

Shortly after the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation closed a 2007 deal to buy a trove of Lincoln artifacts for $23 million, the nonprofit foundation signed an agreement with the state-owned presidential museum aimed at ensuring relics would be forever in public hands.



Under terms of the agreement between the state and the private foundation, ownership of artifacts purchased with borrowed money would be transferred from the foundation to the institution on an annual basis as the debt was paid down. If, for instance, the foundation whittled the debt by $1 million during a given year, artifacts worth that much were supposed to be given to the museum.

That didnt happen.Instead, the agreement between the state and the foundation went ignored and unenforced until 2012, when the agreement was altered so that the state lost rights to assume ownership of artifacts, even if the loan is paid off. Now, the foundation says that some artifacts might be sold to make good on $9.7 million in debt still owed to a bank with ties to a foundation board member.If the foundation is not able to secure commitments in the very near future to retire most if not all of the remaining $9.7 million debt, it will have no choice but to accelerate the possibility of selling these unique artifacts on the private market, which would likely remove them from public view forever, the foundation said in a May 10 written statement released after behind-the-scenes efforts to secure a state bailout fell short.Artifact sales already have started.Rene Brethorst, the foundations chief operating officer, confirmed that nearly 100 documents, prints, photographs, campaign torches and other artifacts listed in a 2017 filing with the Illinois Secretary of State have been sold. Its not clear how much the foundation received from artifacts listed in the 2017 filing, which memorializes the removal of items from collateral backing a loan used to finance the acquisition of more than 1,500 relics in 2007.Dollar figures alongside each item total more than $86,000 and range from $100 to $15,000 for a single artifact, but its not clear whether the figures represent appraised values, asking prices, sales prices or something else. Brethorst did not provide a figure when asked how much the foundation realized from the sales. In an initial email, Brethorst wrote that the items were sold with ALPLM approval and that they were duplicates of relics already owned by the institution.They were lesser known items and a greater number of them existed not only in the ALPLM collection but in the world, Brethorst wrote. They were all sold to public entities that had an interest in Lincoln. Proceeds, she wrote, were used to pay down debt incurred to acquire the items that were among more than 1,500 purchased in 2007 by the foundation from Louise Taper, a foundation board member. (She did not vote on the purchase.)The saga of the Taper Collection is a classic Illinois tale of insider deals and potential conflicts of interest, with the state now being asked to bail out the foundation or see iconic Lincoln artifacts, some reportedly worth millions of dollars, be sold.The story begins in early 2007, when Taper agreed to sell more than 1,500 artifacts to the foundation for $23 million, plus donate an additional $2 million in relics so that she could claim tax deductions. Both museum and foundation officials were ecstatic.We cannot let this world-class collection of our greatest president slip through our fingers, T. Tolbert Chisum, a foundation board member, wrote to ALPLM officials and fellow foundation board members in the spring of 2007. It is time to bring Mr. Lincoln home!Board members and museum officials often were one and the same.Julie Cellini, for example, was both secretary to the foundation board and chairwoman of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency that ran the museum. Ed Genson, a prominent Chicago attorney, also sat on both boards. Rick Beard, then museum director, was also director of the foundation, which paid him a $71,000 salary in addition to his six-figure state salary.Judging from emails and other documents, it appears the foundation was fully in charge as the 2007 deal to buy Tapers collection was made and the institutions future course was charted. The deal went ahead even though a state-hired appraiser raised questions about provenance and at least one iconic artifact was taken off the table.As initially proposed, the deal was supposed to include a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Lincoln, but that document wasnt included in the final sale. Prior to the purchase, an appraiser hired by the state warned that a stovepipe hat that purportedly belonged to Lincoln -- the single most valuable piece in the collection -- had shaky provenance, and he was proven right: There is no solid proof that the hat ever graced the Great Emancipators head. The appraiser also raised questions about the authenticity of a clock that allegedly came from Lincolns law office in Springfield, as well as a fan that Mary Todd Lincoln reportedly carried with her to Fords Theater. Nonetheless, the deal went full speed ahead.



Wayne Whalen, then foundation chairman, told Illinois Times in 2013 that the foundation was conducting an internal review to address provenance questions after the paper and the Chicago Sun Times reported that the state-hired appraiser had raised issues. The results of that review have not been publicly released. During the past year, Illinois Times twice has asked ALPLM director Alan Lowe whether he has received results of the foundations review. The second time the newspaper asked, ALPLM spokesman Chris Wills said that he would look into the matter. The newspaper last week again asked Wills about the foundations internal review of provenance questions involving the clock and fan. The newspaper has received no response.





That the public institution wouldnt hold the private foundation accountable is nothing new.





When does the museum get the collection?



As the closing date for the 2007 sale drew near, officials with the museum and the foundation discussed what should be included in an agreement spelling out the obligations and rights of each party. At one point, Beard emailed foundation and museum officials working on the purchase, saying that he believed the collection would not be collateralized and so ownership could transfer from the private foundation to the public institution as soon as we wished.



Beard soon sent a second email, saying that he had been mistaken and that an attorney for the foundation had told him that the foundation would retain ownership until the debt was retired. Susan Mogerman, then the ALPLMs chief operating officer, said much the same in an email sent one week later. As I understand it, nothing will be turned over until the entire debt is paid, she wrote.



The Taper sale closed one week later. One week after the sales agreement was signed, Cellini signed an agreement that stated the foundation on an annual basis would turn over artifacts to the museum based on how much debt had been retired during a given year. Acting on behalf of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Cellini signed the agreement even though she is listed as a recipient of Mogermans email sent two weeks earlier stating that nothing would be turned over until the entire debt was paid. Former Gov. Jim Edgar, who was chairman of the foundation, signed on behalf of the private group.



In a recent interview, Edgar said that he cant recall details and so could not say why he signed the agreement that required the foundation to turn over artifacts on an annual basis. Cellini could not be reached for comment.



Beard says he doesnt know why the agreement was signed despite emails showing that key players had decided that the foundation would retain ownership until the entire debt was paid. He speculated that Cellini had the states best interests at heart and so signed the agreement to put artifacts under museum ownership sooner rather than later. It wasnt an arrangement that would upset the foundation, he says. The foundation didnt want to be in the business of owning the collection, Beard recalls. They bought it, but they didnt want any responsibility for it. They didnt want to pay to insure it.



Even as Cellini and Edgar signed the agreement, the foundation was seeking tax-exempt financing via the City of Springfield to fund the purchase, which was costing the foundation $4,000 a day in interest via a bridge loan set up to pay Taper until permanent financing could be arranged. City taxpayers wouldnt be on the hook, but bonds, backed by a bank, would cut the daily interest payment to $2,750. Shortly after the city approved bonding arrangements, the foundation obtained financing through Harris Bank in the fall of 2007.





Nobodys hands are clean



The following year, the public institution descended into turmoil as both Beard and then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich lost their jobs after being arrested, the museum director for shoplifting, the governor for an array of corruption charges that landed him in prison. Board terms on the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency that ran the ALPLM expired, and the board became inactive. Jan Grimes, who took over from Beard as museum director, in 2009 signed a renewal of the agreement that required the foundation to transfer ownership of artifacts on an annual basis, even though no artifacts had been transferred since the agreement was first signed in 2007. Signing on behalf of the foundation was Chisum, who had become chief executive officer and chairman of the foundation. Chisum could not be reached for comment.



Gov. Pat Quinn revived the IHPA board in 2010, eventually replacing Cellini and Genson with members who had no ties to the foundation. And the requirement that the foundation turn over artifacts to the museum each year became an issue.



Under terms of the 2007 bond issue backed by Harris Bank, the foundation was supposed to retire $12 million in debt by the end of 2012. Fundraising hadnt been as successful as hoped, and so the foundation made plans to refinance as the deadline approached. Lake Forest Bank and Trust was the new lender.



The bank is a subsidiary of Wintrust Financial Corp., a corporation where Chisum held the position of managing director of business development. The idea to get financing from a bank with ties to Chisum wasnt new, according to Beard.



Chisum was willing to finance it from the outset, the former ALPLM director recalls. But we thought that was a clear conflict of interest. But youre also paying a (foundation) board member $23 million for a collection. Thats a pretty clear conflict, too. Nobodys hands are clean on this.



Lake Forest wasnt willing to do the deal under the agreement between the foundation and the museum stating that the foundation would transfer artifacts to the museum on an annual basis. The bank also wasnt willing to accept a revised agreement stating that the foundation would transfer ownership to the museum when the debt was retired, according to 2012 correspondence between Richard Astle, an attorney for the foundation, and Garth Madison, counsel for Illinois Historic Preservation that ran the museum.



The foundation does not believe that it can include any statements in theagreement regarding the disposition of the Taper Collection inasmuch as those statements would be troublesome to the bank and would violate its covenant to maintain the collection lien free, Astle wrote in an email to Madison after the IHPA lawyer suggested revising the agreement to acknowledge that ownership would be turned over if the loan was paid off.



And so the IHPA board in 2012 erased language requiring that artifacts be transferred annually. Tony Leone, who was then on the IHPA board, proposed changing the agreement to make clear that artifacts would be transferred to the museum when the foundation paid off the loan, but he was unsuccessful.



This was a racket, Leone says today. They were going to jam it past us, regardless.



On paper, at least, it appears that Lake Forest Bank and Trust is in a better position than Harris Bank, the prior lender. With the collection appraised at $23 million and the bank owed $9.7 million, there seems to be substantial collateral to cover the bank in event of default. The foundations IRS filings indicate that more than $2.4 million in interest has been paid since Lake Forest took over the loan in 2012.



Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Two servicemen were injured as a result of an attack on a military unit in Turkeys Sanliurfa province, according to preliminary information, Turkish media reported May 16.

The attack was committed by the members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorist group. Following the attack, the Turkish Armed Forces launched an armed response operation to neutralize terrorists.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for more than 30 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

The UN and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Israel has suspended the import of agricultural products from Turkey, Turkish media reported on May 16.

Reportedly, such a decision was made by the Israeli Agriculture Ministry, after countries have recalled their ambassadors.

On May 15, Israel's ambassador to Ankara Eitan Na'eh was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, where he was asked to leave the country.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim earlier said Turkey is calling on Muslim countries to reconsider relations with Israel. Yildirim noted that Turkey sharply condemns Israel's actions against Palestinians.

Furthermore, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an emergency meeting in Istanbul regarding Palestine on May 18.

Protest actions are underway in the Gaza Strip amid the 70th anniversary of establishment of Israel and the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

On May 13, Israeli soldiers opened fire at the protesters. According to the latest information, 55 Palestinians were killed in the clashes, more than 2,700 were injured.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkey asked Israel's consul-general in Istanbul, Yossi Levi Safri, to leave the country, Turkish media reported citing sources in the Turkish Foreign Ministry on May 16.

Reportedly, Levi Safri was informed about the issue this morning.

On May 15, Israel's ambassador to Ankara Eitan Na'eh was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, where he was asked to leave the country.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim earlier said Turkey is calling on Muslim countries to reconsider relations with Israel. Yildirim noted that Turkey sharply condemns Israel's actions against Palestinians.

Furthermore, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an emergency meeting in Istanbul regarding Palestine on May 18.

Protest actions are underway in the Gaza Strip amid the 70th anniversary of establishment of Israel and the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

On May 13, Israeli soldiers opened fire at the protesters. According to the latest information, 55 Palestinians were killed in the clashes, more than 2,700 were injured.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Israel's ambassador to Ankara Eitan Na'eh has left Turkey after he was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry on May 15, where he was asked to leave the country, Turkish media reported May 16.

Israel's consul-general in Istanbul, Yossi Levi Sfari, will also leave Turkey today, on May 16, according to the report.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim earlier said Turkey is calling on Muslim countries to reconsider relations with Israel. Yildirim noted that Turkey sharply condemns Israel's actions against Palestinians.

Furthermore, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an emergency meeting in Istanbul regarding Palestine on May 18.

Protest actions are underway in the Gaza Strip amid the 70th anniversary of establishment of Israel and the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

On May 13, Israeli soldiers opened fire at the protesters. According to the latest information, 100 Palestinians were killed in the clashes, more than 2,700 were injured.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Israels suspending import of Turkish agricultural products wont affect Turkey, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock of Turkey Ahmet Esref Fakibaba said, Turkish media reported May 16.

Fakibaba noted that Turkey has access to markets in numerous countries.

"Israel is deeply mistaken if it expects to somehow affect Turkey by suspending the import of Turkish agricultural products," he added.

Israel suspended the import of agricultural products from Turkey on May 16. Reportedly, such a decision was made by the Israeli Agriculture Ministry after the two countries recalled their ambassadors.

On May 15, Israel's ambassador to Ankara Eitan Na'eh was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, where he was asked to leave the country.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim earlier said Turkey is calling on Muslim countries to reconsider relations with Israel. Yildirim noted that Turkey sharply condemns Israel's actions against Palestinians.

Furthermore, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an emergency meeting in Istanbul regarding Palestine on May 18.

Protests are underway in the Gaza Strip amid the 70th anniversary of establishment of Israel and the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

On May 13, Israeli soldiers opened fire at the protesters. According to the latest information, 100 Palestinians were killed in the clashes, more than 2,700 were injured.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will take place June 4 in Washington, Turkish media reported May 16 referring to diplomatic sources.

It is expected to discuss a number of regional issues as part of the meeting.

Pompeo and Cavusoglu met in Brussels on April 27 and discussed the Operation Olive Branch, as well as other issues.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

On Aug. 24, 2016, Turkish Armed Forces, with the support of the Syrian opposition, launched the Euphrates Shield Operation against the IS militants and liberated the city of Jarabulus as well as the city of Al-Bab in northern Syria.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 16

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkish Parliament has sent a letter of an official appeal to US President Donald Trump, Turkish media reported May 16.

The appeal reads that Washington must take into account Turkeys concern regarding Fethullah Gulen, the leader of FETO (Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization), and immediately extradite him to Turkey.

The US shouldnt sacrifice relations with Turkey for the sake of Gulen, according to the appeal.

The Turkish authorities accuse Fethullah Gulen of involvement in an attempted military coup in Turkey.

On July 15 evening, 2016, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed.

The death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at over 250 people, and more than 2,000 people got injured.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
The United States is aware of South Korean media reports that North Korea has canceled planned high-level talks with South Korea, the White House said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
The United States is seeking a trade deal with China, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said as talks between the worlds two economic powerhouses resume in Washington this week, Reuters reports.

Kudlow, speaking in a live interview with Politico news outlet, said he backed U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchins efforts to reach an agreement with Beijing and that both countries must take action.

He is looking for a deal, I support him on that, wholeheartedly, assuming its a good deal. He has my support, Kudlow said, adding that no agreement had been reached yet.

Both sides should try to lower tariffs as much as possible ... and to take down non-tariff barriers wherever they are, he told Politico. Free and open trade, I think thats the solution. I think thats where we are as a group.

His comments come as U.S. President Donald Trumps top trade and economic officials prepare to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He to discuss concerns ranging from intellectual property protections to farm goods to steel capacity.

Trump has long-promised to crack down on China and raised concerns about an all-out trade war after threatening to impose tariffs on up to $150 billion worth of imports from China, prompting Beijing to retaliate.

But he offered an olive branch in calling on U.S. officials to revisit penalties for Chinese company ZTE Corp for flouting U.S. sanctions on trade with Iran and North Korea.

Trade negotiations are continuing with China. They have been making hundreds of billions of dollars a year from the U.S., for many years. Stay tuned! Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

Kudlow told Politico that the United States was not looking for a trade war with China and that it was not clear what action the United States would take toward ZTE.

This weeks meetings follow U.S.-China trade talks in Beijing earlier this month where the two countries failed to reach an agreement on the long list of U.S. demands.

Chinas official Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday that Liu and a delegation including Peoples Bank of China Governor Yi Gang, the deputy head of the state planning agency Ning Jizhe and other officials arrived in Washington on Tuesday.

U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad, who was at the Beijing talks, said earlier on Tuesday the United States wants a timetable on how China will open up its markets to U.S. exports as the two countries are still not close to resolving trade frictions.
KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2018 - 08:30 | World, All

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday his country will remain in an international deal on Tehran's nuclear development if it fully benefits from the pact.

"Iran stays in the JCPOA only if it can fully enjoy its benefits" he said, referring to the deal by its formal name -- the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

"Unfortunately, today the U.S. intends to illegally and illogically generalize its internal laws to other parts of the world, and all countries, including the European Union should stand up to them," Rouhani said.

(Iran President Hassan Rouhani. File photo)

He made the remarks while receiving the letter of credence for Estonia's new nonresident ambassador to Tehran, according to the website of his office.

Rouhani had said Iran will temporarily remain in the 2015 pact to negotiate with the other six parties -- Britain, China, the European Union, France, Germany and Russia -- after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the deal a week ago.

The Iranian leader had also indicated Tehran's readiness to consider restarting its uranium enrichment if negotiations with the other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal fail.

Under the accord struck between Iran and six other nations including the United States under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.
KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2018 - 14:43 | World, All

North Korea on Wednesday threatened to cancel the upcoming summit with the United States by denouncing Washington's call for its denuclearization, while suspending scheduled inter-Korean high-level talks over U.S.-South Korea military drills.

The North's abrupt shift in rhetoric, coming as U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Pyongyang to give up all its nuclear weapons, may suggest North Korea is trying to test Washington in the run-up to the historic summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, planned in Singapore on June 12.

"If the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit," state-run media quoted Kim Kye Gwan, first vice minister of foreign affairs of North Korea, as saying.

DPRK is the acronym of the North's formal name in English, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Kim Kye Gwan is one of the key officials who have long been engaged in negotiations with the United States.

"It is essentially a manifestation of awfully sinister move to impose on our dignified state the destiny of Libya or Iraq which had been collapsed due to yielding the whole of their countries to big powers," the official was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency.

(A U.S. B-52 bomber flanked by fighter jets.)

[File photo]

"I cannot suppress indignation at such moves of the U.S., and harbor doubt about the U.S. sincerity for improved DPRK-U.S. relations through sound dialogue and negotiations," the official added.

On Wednesday, North Korea also cancelled the ministerial-level meeting with South Korea slated for the day, criticizing ongoing joint military drills carried out by Seoul and Washington for undermining a recent inter-Korean thaw.

"The DPRK-targeted drill across south Korea is an undisguised challenge to the Panmunjeom Declaration and a deliberate military provocation to the trend of the favorably developing situation on the Korean Peninsula," KCNA said.

At their summit last month, Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae In issued the Panmunjeom Declaration calling for "complete" denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula as well as efforts to declare a formal end to the 1950-1953 Korean War.

As for the North Korea-U.S. summit, KCNA said Washington "will have to think twice about the fate of the DPRK-U.S. summit now on high agenda before a provocative military racket against the DPRK in league with the south Korean authorities."

Despite Pyongyang's threat to cancel the Trump-Kim meeting, the U.S. State Department said Washington continues to plan for what would be the first U.S.-North Korea summit.

"We will continue to go ahead and plan the meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un," department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said at a press briefing in Washington.

In Seoul, the South Korean Unification Ministry issued a statement calling the North's decision to postpone the ministerial-level meeting scheduled for Wednesday "regrettable." It called on the North to agree to such a meeting promptly.

KCNA said earlier in the day, "We cannot but take a step of suspending the north-south high-level talks scheduled on May 16 under the prevailing seriously awful situation that a mad-cap north-targeted war and confrontation racket are being kicked up in south Korea."

(A F-22 stealth fighter.)

[File Photo]

The ministerial-level meeting was to be held on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjeom to follow up on a series of agreements reached at the April 27 summit between Kim and Moon.

The South's Unification Ministry was informed of the meeting's "indefinite postponement" by the North at 0:30 a.m. local time, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The ministry had said the North Korean delegation would be led by Ri Son Gwon, head of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, while the South Korean side would be represented by Unification Minister Cho Myoung Gyon.

The United States and South Korea began a regular joint air exercise on Friday, reportedly involving about 100 aircraft such as the U.S. Air Force's F-22 stealth fighters and B-52 strategic bombers.

This year's "Max Thunder" training exercise, which runs through May 25, comes after large-scale annual military exercises between the two countries that were held from April into May.

Citing Kim's recent remark that he "understands" the importance to the United States of conducting joint exercises, Nauert said Washington and Seoul are running the exercise as scheduled.

The drills are "certainly not provocative" because they are legal and well-planned, she said.

Nauert added that the United States has been conducting similar exercises with allies and partners around the world for decades.

South Korean media said a record eight F-22s are taking part in the air exercise.

Yonhap, meanwhile, reported Wednesday that Seoul is considering cancelling the participation of B-52 bombers in the joint air force drills, citing a defense source, in an apparent move to take into account Pyongyang's latest announcement.
KYODO NEWS - May 16, 2018 - 18:54 | World, All

Malaysia's jailed opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim was granted a full pardon and freed Wednesday, setting the scene for a revival of his political career after the long-time ruling coalition's landslide election loss last week.

The pardon enables the 70-year-old to run for office immediately and -- once securing a seat in parliament -- to take over the premiership from 92-year-old former nemesis-turned-ally Mahathir Mohamad.

According to a palace statement, King Muhammad V, upon the advice of the Pardon Board, decreed that Anwar be granted a full pardon and released immediately.

Anwar, who had been incarcerated for over three years for a sodomy conviction, walked out a free man from the hospital in Kuala Lumpur where he had been admitted for persistent back pain. He was scheduled to speak at a rally later in the day.

In his maiden press conference from his house, Anwar who accused former Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as being the mastermind behind his 2015 conviction, said the application for pardon was made because "there was a miscarriage of justice."

"We appealed because there was clear conspiracy to condemn me and assassinate my political character," he said.

Ironically, his release was made possible by Mahathir, the very man who as prime minister two decades ago upended Anwar's once-surging political career.

"Previously (people) said I jailed him, so now I freed him," Mahathir told reporters.

Mahathir attended the Pardon Board meeting at the National Palace earlier. He greeted Anwar there when the latter arrived to have an audience with the King Muhammad V after his pardon was confirmed.

In May 9 general election, the Mahathir-led, four-party opposition Alliance of Hope staged a historic upset against the once-mighty National Front coalition, which had ruled the country continuously since independence in 1957.

Before the poll, the alliance, which includes Anwar's People's Justice Party, pledged to seek a royal pardon for Anwar within 100 days of taking office if it won.

Even without the pardon, Anwar was still expected to be freed on June 8 for good behavior after serving two-thirds of his five-year sentence. But even then, Anwar would have been barred from running for office for five years. With the pardon, he can run immediately.

In January, the alliance made a pact that if it won the election, Mahathir would only warm the prime minister's seat while efforts were made to secure a pardon for Anwar.

But before Anwar can become prime minister, he needs to secure a seat in parliament by winning a by-election.

Anwar indicated that he is in no hurry to assume any position in the government, saying he wants to spend time with his family and hit the lecture circuit after receiving numerous invitations from various universities abroad.

He said he supports the government under Mahathir and his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is the deputy prime minister-designate, and told Mahathir this when the latter visited him at hospital recently after the poll.

"I said, 'Look, it's better that you and Azizah and the team continue.' I said I have to travel quite a bit. I have given commitment to a few speaking engagements and I need time and space, and Tun has welcomed the decision. I don't need to serve in the Cabinet for now," Anwar told reporters from his house on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.

Mahathir himself has indicated he will stay on for a year or two only before giving up the reins to Anwar.

Anwar was once Mahathir's deputy, his heir-apparent who enjoyed tremendous power, when he was unceremoniously axed in 1998 and subsequently jailed for six years over his first sodomy and corruption charges.

Anwar, who claimed the charges were orchestrated to stave off a challenge against Mahathir's leadership, responded by rallying the people who took to the streets calling for Mahathir's ouster and for reform.

But now he insists it is all water under the bridge.

"It's a long time already. Why do we want to harp on this...I have forgiven him and he has proven his mettle. He has made sacrifices. He was maligned by media. It's like deja vu...He has now supported the reform agenda. He has facilitated my release. Why should I harbor any malice towards him?" Anwar told reporters.

The first sodomy conviction was overturned in 2004, resulting in Anwar's release from prison, and he then led the opposition to its best-ever showing in the 2008 general election.

But after the opposition broke the ruling coalition's stranglehold on two-thirds of the seats in parliament, Anwar found himself back in court on a second sodomy charge.

Less than a decade later, the latest chapter in Anwar's tortured and tumultuous career began to play out.

Despite the bad blood between them, Mahathir and Anwar turned Malaysian politics on its head by reconciling in 2016 and uniting in a bid to unseat Najib.

Mahathir has accused Najib of rampant corruption over various scandals involving 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a government investment fund that has lost billions of dollars in suspicious circumstances.

Before losing power in the latest election, Najib succeeded in thwarting a government investigation into 1MDB, which is the subject of investigations in other countries including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore.

Within days of taking power, Mahathir banned Najib from leaving Malaysia and reopened a government investigation into the alleged embezzlement of 1MDB money.
The development came a day after the Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction over the state government's action in the case.
Kite expands cell therapy manufacturing in Europe

CAR-T cell therapy specialist Kite Pharma, now part of Gilead Sciences, has expanded its cell therapy manufacturing footprint in Europe. A 117,000 square-foot facility in Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, will be operational by 2020.

Kite's CD19-targeting CAR-T cell therapy axicabtagene ciloleucel, which received FDA approval in October 2017 to treat B cell lymphomas under the brand name Yescarta, is currently under rewiew by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The lease of the Dutch site near the airport is not only part of EU commercialisation but of Kite's global roll out of the second approved autologous CAR-T cell therapy ever, which followed the approval of Novartis Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) in 2017.

This new European manufacturing facility will enable personalised cell therapies to be manufactured in closer geographic proximity to the patients who will receive them, potentially shortening the turnaround time for people who urgently need care, said John Milligan, PhD, Gileads President and CEO.

In addition to the Netherlands facility, Kite has recently purchased a new building in Santa Monica from Astellas Pharma Inc. that will be used for cell therapy research, development and the expansion of clinical manufacturing capabilities, and has leased a 26,000 square-foot facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The Maryland site will support the work of a new Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop adoptive cell therapies targeting patient-specific tumour neoantigens.

The addition of these three new facilities and the expanded CRADA with our research collaborators at the NCI will help us bring cell therapies to more people with cancer around the world, said Alessandro Riva, MD, Gileads Executive Vice President, Oncology Therapeutics & Head, Cell Therapy.

Both, Kite and Novartis have still to proove that autologous CAR-T cell therapies can spend significant amounts of money as manufacturing is extraordinarily costly, lengthy, and complex, which affects treatment prices, and need to become more reproducible. Currently, CAR-T cell therapies only work in blood cancers, the minor part of the cancer therapies market. Several companies are working to make safe autologous and allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies and CAR-Treg cell therapies also available to treat solid tumours.
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Shares in AirAsia Group Bhd fell as much as 10 percent on Monday in the first trading session since Malaysia's election and after its chief Tony Fernandes apologised for endorsing former prime minister Najib Razak in the election.

Najib was ousted by former leader Mahathir Mohamad in a shock election result last week. Najib's Barisan Nasional coalition, which had governed Malaysia since independence in 1957, was booted out of power for the first time.

AirAsia has several airlines in various Asian countries but Malaysia, its home market, is its largest contributor to earnings. In a highly regulated industry where its main rival is state-owned Malaysia Airlines, it relies on government approvals to support its growth plans.

Two days before Wednesday's poll, Fernandes released a video praising Najib and the government's support of the low-cost airline he co-founded. Later that day, Najib posted photos of him and Fernandes standing in front of an AirAsia plane painted with a campaign slogan for Najib's coalition.

"I am sorry for what has gone on. I buckled at the crucial moment in our history," Fernandes said in a video released on Sunday. "It wasn't right and I will forever regret it."

AirAsia shares fell as much as 10 percent on Monday but later recovered slightly, compared with a 0.9 percent fall in the broader Malaysian index.

Fernandes said the video and campaign-themed livery was an effort to appease Najib's government after he came under "intense" pressure in the lead-up to elections for adding extra flights on polling day and refusing to fire a subsidiary's chairman who had expressed support for Mahathir.

AirAsia had announced extra flights and reduced fares to help voters return home to cast ballots.

Fernandes refused to fire Rafidah Aziz, a former minister who was campaigning for Mahathir's coalition, as the chairman of AirAsia X, the long-haul arm of AirAsia.

"As Rafidah's impact and popularity grew, the pressure grew exponentially. It was getting harder and harder to resist the pressure from the prime minister's office," he said.

Story continues

Najib's aides could not be reached for comment.

AirAsia's decision to add more flights on election day added to the pressure from Najib's government, Fernandes said.

The government's challengers criticised the decision to hold the election on a Wednesday, charging that it was an effort to dampen voter turnout and make it harder for Malaysians living away from home, many of whom support the opposition, to vote.

"Within 24 hours, we were summoned by the (regulator) Malaysian Aviation Commission and told to cancel all those flights. That put us again under tremendous pressure," Fernandes said, adding that his airline had added 120 flights.

The Malaysian Aviation Commission said in a statement on its website that it considered Fernandes' claims to be "serious allegations" and it had launched an immediate investigation.

(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi in Kuala Lumpur; additional reporting by Jamie Freed in Singapore; Editing by Michael Perry)
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Third District Court of Appeal Judge Ivan F. Hernadez/photo by J. Albert Diaz

Third District Court of Appeal Judge Ivan F. Hernadez/photo by J. Albert Diaz[/caption] A South Florida appeals court has upheld the constitutionality of a controversial change to the states stand your ground self-defense law, but also might have set the stage for a debate at the Florida Supreme Court about how the change should apply in some cases. The decision Friday by the Third District Court of Appeal in a Miami-Dade County shooting case came a week after another appeals court ruled on similar issues in a Hillsborough County case. The two appellate courts disagreed on a key issue about how judges should carry out the stand your ground change in older cases, a type of legal conflict that can spur the Supreme Court to take up the issue. Both rulings dealt with a move by the Legislature in 2017 to shift a key burden of proof in stand your ground cases from defendants to prosecutors. In the decision Friday, a panel of the Third District Court of Appeal disagreed with a Miami-Dade County circuit judge, who ruled that the legislative change was unconstitutional because it violated the separation of powers. The circuit court ruling was rooted in the Supreme Courts constitutionality authority to set rules of practice and procedure for the court system. The stand your ground law says people are justified in using deadly force and do not have a duty to retreat if they believe it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm. When the defense is successfully raised in pretrial hearings, defendants are granted immunity from prosecution. Before the change was passed last year, the Florida Supreme Court had said defendants had the burden of proof in pretrial hearings to show they should be shielded from prosecution. With backing from groups such as the National Rifle Association, the 2017 change shifted the burden from defendants to prosecutors to prove whether self-defense claims are justified. In Fridays decision, the Third District Court of Appeal said the Legislature did not overstep its constitutional authority in shifting the burden of proof. It said lawmakers have the constitutional authority to enact procedural provisions in statutes that are intertwined with substantive rights. The amendment [to the stand your ground law in 2017] shifts the burden of proof to the prosecution after the defendant has made a prima facie claim of justified use of force, and it requires that the state [prosecutors] meet this burden of proof with clear and convincing evidence, said the decision, written by appeals court Judge Ivan Fernandez and joined by Judges Thomas Logue and Edwin Scales. This is consistent with the well-established legislative practice of passing statutes allocating the burden of proof in judicial proceedings. The decision came in a case in which Tashara Love sought to use the stand your ground law to be shielded from prosecution after a November 2015 altercation outside a Miami-Dade County nightclub. Love shot a man as he was about to hit her daughter, according to the decision. But the appeals court Friday ruled against Love on a key issue, and created a conflict with a May 4 decision by the Second District Court of Appeal in a Hillsborough County case. The issue centers on whether the 2017 shift in the burden of proof should be applied to cases that occurred before the change took effect, an issue known as applying the change retroactively. The Third District Court of Appeal turned down Loves argument that she should be able to use the 2017 change in a stand your ground hearing. Such a hearing had not been held in her case at the time the Legislature approved the change, but the appeals court focused on the law that was in effect at the time of the November 2015 shooting. [We] hold that the [2017] statute did not apply to Loves case because the crime she committed occurred before the amendments effective date, and the statute has no retroactive application, the decision said. But in the Hillsborough County case, a panel of the Second District Court of Appeal said the change should apply retroactively to the case of Tymothy Ray Martin, who was convicted of felony battery in a 2016 altercation involving his girlfriend. Martin had sought to use the stand your ground law to be shielded from prosecution, but a judge denied his request in a pretrial hearing. Martin appealed his conviction, and the appeal was pending when the Legislature and Scott changed the stand your ground law. In ruling that the change should apply retroactively to Martin, the Second District Court of Appeal overturned his conviction and ordered that he receive a new stand your ground hearing under the 2017 law. The Second District panel noted the potential implications of retroactively applying the burden-of-proof change to cases pending in the court system at the time the 2017 law passed, saying it could impact a significant number of criminal proceedings. Also, the appeals court asked the Florida Supreme Court to take up the retroactivity issue, a move known as certifying a question of great public importance to the justices. In Fridays decision, the Third District panel also certified the retroactivity issue to the Supreme Court because of the conflict with the other appellate court. Jim Saunders reports for the News Service of Florida.
YEREVAN, May 8 (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan gathered in the capital on Tuesday in anticipation of a vote in parliament set to install him as prime minister.

The vote follows days of mass protests by Pashinyan's supporters that forced Armenia's veteran leader, Serzh Sarksyan, to step down as prime minister and set the scene for a dramatic change in power in the former Soviet state.

"We made a revolution in our country," said Karine Balayan, a 19-year-old who was wearing a T-shirt bearing Pashinyan's portrait. "The whole world will respect us."

The tumultuous events have been watched warily in Moscow, which sees Armenia as a strategic ally and does not want a change of rulers that pulls it out of its orbit. Moscow has a military base in Armenia. Pashinyan has said he will keep close ties with the Kremlin.

Armenia's ruling Republican Party, closely allied to the ousted Sarksyan, holds the majority in parliament.

In a concession to the strength of the protests, which for a day last week brought the country to a virtual standstill, the party has signalled that it will put its votes behind Pashinyan's candidacy when parliament votes later on Tuesday.

"By the end of the parliamentary session, Armenia will have a prime minister. The Republican Party's votes will go towards making up for any votes missing from the 53 needed for the election of a prime minister," Republican Party lawmaker Samvel Farmanyan said.

Pashinyan, a former journalist who spent time in jail on charges of fomenting unrest, is the only candidate.

His election as prime minister would mark a rupture with the cadre of leaders who since the late 1990s have controlled Armenia, a country of about three million people nestling in mountains between Turkey and Iran.

Crowds of Pashinyan supporters were gathering on Republic Square, in the capital Yerevan, in anticipation of their leader becoming prime minister.

"It's a great day in the history of Armenia...We will live in a free and democratic country," said one of them, Mger Abramyan, a 69-year-old pensioner.

Pashinyan's protest movement was sparked when Sarksyan, barred by the constitution from seeking another term as president, became prime minister instead. Many Armenians saw that as a cynical ploy by Sarskyan and his associates to extend their hold on power.

The protests led by Pashinyan, wearing his trademark camouflage T-shirt and military-style cap, channelled a sense among many Armenians that corruption and cronyism was rife in the ruling elite. (Reporting by Margarita Antidze and Hasmik Mkrtchyan, Writing by Christian Lowe, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Earth is going to come in close contact with an asteroid Tuesday the size of a city block. The asteroid is set to fly by at 6:05 p.m. ET, and will be within 126,419 miles of Earth, roughly half the distance from the Earth to the moon, Weather.com reports.

While we dont typically see astroids fly that close to the Earths surface, its not an uncommon occurrence. NASA says that an asteroid this size come this close to Earth roughly every decade. Still, its a great opportunity for scientists to observe the astroids flight, as well as a great chance for regular people to catch a glimpsethanks to its size and proximity to Earth, it should be visible with just a small telescope.

'Lost' asteroid to pass closely May 15:https://t.co/GReylBTMIr



Asteroid 2010 WC9 will pass at about half the moon's distance, in one of the closest approaches ever observed of an asteroid of this size.



Click in for information about viewing online. pic.twitter.com/QBNXQ036wd  EarthSky (@earthskyscience) May 12, 2018

This is the closest this particular asteroid, known as 2010 WC9, has gotten to Earth in 300 years.

While the asteroid will be fairly close to Earth, the 200-400-foot rock wont be close enough to be seen by the naked eye. If you dont have a telescope and want to snag a look, the Norholt Branch Observatories in London will be live-streaming a telescopic view of the astroids approach on its Facebook page around 7 p.m. ET.
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Michael Avenatti, attorney for Stormy Daniels, leaves the Daniel P. Moynihan Courthouse in Manhattan after a hearing in front of Judge Kimba Wood regarding a search warrant that was executed at the home, hotel and office of Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen. (Photo by David Handschuh/NYLJ)[/caption] An attempt by attorneys for Michael Cohen to keep Michael Avenatti, counsel for adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, out of the legal proceedings around the governments raid on Cohens offices and home last month are legally unsubstantiated and should be denied, according to a filing by Avenatti late Monday. The memorandum of law in support of Avenattis pro hac vice application called the request by McDermott Will & Emery partner Stephen Ryan completely devoid of merit. In his filing last week, Ryan cited Avenattis disclosure of information about his clients dealings with numerous companies shortly after President Donald Trumps election last year as extremely troubling behavior that should lead U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood of the Southern District of New York to deny the pro hac request. Mr. Avenatti has  deliberately distorted information from the records which appear to be in his possession for the purpose of creating a toxic mix of misinformation, Ryan said in his letter to the court. Avenatti previously released a report that allegedly detailed millions of dollars' worth of payments by companies, both U.S.-based and foreign, to Cohen, utilizing a shell company account that Cohen allegedly used to pay hush money to Avenattis client, who goes by the stage name Stormy Daniels. In his filing Monday, Avenatti said that almost all of the information that was released about Cohen ended up being confirmed either by the very companies involved or through public reporting by news outlets. One of those companies, AT&T, had gone so far as to acknowledge the hiring of Cohen was a big mistake, Avenatti noted. That Mr. Cohen may be dismayed that these damaging revelations have come to light and have been proven true does not come remotely close to justifying a denial of Mr. Avenattis right to appear before this court, the filing Monday stated. Avenatti went on to argue that he had a First Amendment right to make public information about Cohen, himself a public figure, in matters that are, without dispute, of the utmost public concern. Furthermore, questions raised by Cohen about the legality of both the possession and distribution of the information about Cohen were moot, Avenatti said, because the laws restricting such disclosures do not apply to third parties. This isnt the first time Avenatti has requested to be admitted to practice in the district, the filing noted. His application to appear in a class action over KPMG tax shelter sales in Arnold V. KPMG was approved by U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty in 2007. Avenatti argues that Cohens opposition ultimately doesnt suggest why the application for admission requirements havent been satisfied. Given the dearth of legal or factual support relating to anything having to do with Mr. Avenattis right to advocate on behalf of his client in this court, Mr. Cohens arguments must be summarily rejected, the memo stated. During a hearing earlier this month, Avenatti told Wood he would seek to have Clifford intervene in the proceedings, stating that potentially privileged communications between her former attorney, Keith Davidson, and Cohen may be among those seized by the government. The request has been held in abeyance by Wood at the request of prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York, pending ongoing discussions between the office and Avenatti. Cohens attorneys did not respond to a request for comment on Avenattis memo.
HONG KONG, May 16 (Reuters) - Beijing Properties said on Wednesday its logistics subsidiary plans to sell its equity interests in properties worth about 6.42 billion yuan ($1.01 billion) to an offshore fund that will be set up with Warburg Pincus-backed ESR Cayman.

The subsidiary, China Logistics Infrastructures, which is 65 percent owned by Beijing Properties, signed the Letter of Intent with logistics real estate developer ESR Cayman on Wednesday.

The capital investment to be made by each partner to the fund and the deal consideration have not been finalised as yet.

"The proposed transactions represent a good opportunity for the group to realize its investment in its logistics property business at a fair and reasonable price," Beijing Properties said in a statement.

The decision comes a day after ESR Cayman, said it received an investment worth $306 million from Chinese online retailer JD.com Inc. The developer said the two companies would cooperate in areas such as property development and fund management.

($1 = 6.3666 Chinese yuan) (Reporting by Clare Jim; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
California might become the first state in the U.S. to require new homes to be built with solar panels, which could hike prices for consumers.

The California Energy Commission is expected to vote on the proposal Wednesday. If approved, it would go into effect in 2020 and apply to any homes or buildings up to three stories. Homes in the shade or otherwise unable to be fitted for installation may be exempted.

The requirement would not require homeowners solar energy to offset energy consumed completely.

Over the near term, requiring solar installations could increase construction costs per home in the state by as much as $30,000. Over the course of about 25 years  or the average solar panel lifespan  the green-energy products could save owners anywhere from $50,000 to $60,000.

Experts, however, worry that those increased short-term costs could hurt residents ability to purchase homes in a state where prices are already heightened. In March, median home prices climbed to an eight-month high of $564,830, up 8.9% from a year earlier, according to the California Association of Realtors. In some counties, such as San Mateo and Santa Clara, the median home price has exceeded $1.4 million.

Even without the latest proposal, home prices across the U.S. are slated to rise this year. The National Association of Realtors and Freddie Mac estimate that median price growth will accelerate by 3.5% in 2018 and in some cases will rise faster than income gains over the coming years.Rising prices are a result of a combination of healthy demand and restricted inventory. As previously reported by FOX Business, a lack of qualified construction workers, regulation and tariffs have led to underbuilding.

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FILE PHOTO: A man walks past a gas station with the logos of the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA in Caracas, Venezuela December 23, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo

By Ernest Scheyder

HOUSTON (Reuters) - U.S. oil producer ConocoPhillips (COP.N) is far from collecting the full value of a $2 billion arbitration award against Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA [PDVSA.UL], Conoco's chief executive said on Tuesday.

Conoco has won court orders allowing the company to begin seizing PDVSA assets in efforts to collect on an award by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) over the 2007 nationalization of its projects in Venezuela.

While Conoco started seizing assets this month, Chief Executive Officer Ryan Lance is telegraphing that the company intends to escalate its campaign against PDVSA across the globe as it works to recoup losses. That threatens to further limit revenue at the state-controlled firm, the single largest moneymaker for the OPEC member.

"It's not close to the $2 billion today, but over time we expect to be able to recover it," Lance said at Conoco's annual shareholder meeting in Houston. "We're just trying to look where all the assets are."

Conoco has filed with courts in the United States, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and throughout the Caribbean in an attempt to begin the legal process of seizing additional PDVSA assets, Lance said.

Conoco on Tuesday moved to seize at least two cargoes of crude and fuel near a terminal operated by PDVSA subsidiary Citgo Petroleum in Aruba, sources told Reuters.

In Asia, PDVSA is co-owner with PetroChina of CV Shipping Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based tanker operator, according to CV Shipping's website. The joint venture has four tankers, each capable of transporting 2 million barrels of oil.

In Europe, PDVSA is a co-owner with Finland's Neste Corp of AB Nynas Petroleum, according to PDVSA's website. The joint venture, which processes about 30,000 barrels of crude per day, operates two United Kingdom refineries.

Conoco has had early success in asset seizures in some Dutch regions of the Caribbean due to specific legal statutes, though other jurisdictions are expected to take longer, Lance said.

Story continues

The moves have disrupted fuel deliveries throughout the Caribbean, much of which depends on PDVSA. Aruba's prime minister, Evelyn Wever-Croes, told journalists on Tuesday that the situation with Conoco in the Caribbean is worrisome.

"We're trying to minimize any impact that this might have on the islands in the Caribbean," Lance said. "We are concerned about putting them in the middle of this thing, between PDVSA and ourselves."

Houston-based Conoco has two other outstanding arbitration awards against PDVSA.

(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Susan Thomas and Grant McCool)
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson with his counterparts from France, Germany, the EU and Iran (Getty)

The Iran nuclear deal is in intensive care but could be nursed back to health within weeks, according to EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini. She announced the EU and Iran have launched expert discussions on measures needed to save the deal thrown into doubt by Donalds Trumps decision to withdraw the US last week.

Mogherini said the talks must be turned into concrete solutions within weeks to save the 2013 agreement, which lifted economic sanctions in return for limits on Irans nuclear programme.

The speed of the process is and has to be fast, Mogherini told a late night press conference.

We talked about the need to do this exercise in the next few weeks.

MORE: European leaders vow to stand-up to Trump bullying and save Iran deal

If we want to save this deal, we know that the sooner we manage to do it the better and the easier it will be.

Mogherini spoke after chairing emergency talks between interested parties in Brussels.

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, as well as his French and German counterparts, met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Brussels.

The group likened the state of the deal to a relative in intensive care, according to Mogherini.

We all want to get him or her out of intensive care as soon as possible, she said.

Speaking as he left the meeting, Zarif said: We are on the right track  a lot will depend on what we can do in next few weeks.

Ministers meeting in Brussels in a bid to save the Iran deal (Getty)

Talks are already underway between the EU and Iran about how to maintain trade amid the reintroduction of US sanctions which could see European companies penalised.

Iran is seeking assurances over the sale of its oil and gas to Europe, as well as its continued ability to access financial services.

The EU wants to ensure exports to Iran, which have exploded since the deal was signed in 2013, can continue.

French exports to Iran doubled last year to 1.5bn, while German exports rose by 400m to 3bn.

MORE: Iran nuclear deal not dead despite US exit

Story continues

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Boris Johnson said he wanted to protect legitimate UK and European businesses, who may want to trade with Iran, who do want to trade with Iran, and who have great plans to do that.

He admitted though that US sanction would serve as a deterrent to businesses.

Mogherini said she couldnt give any legal or economic guarantees to Iran about the continuation of the deal.

But she added: Normally when we work together  committed, determined, with good faith and good will, even in difficult circumstances  we get to good achievements.

Prime Minister Theresa May will be present when talks on the issue continue tomorrow evening at an EU leaders summit in Sofia, Bulgaria.




By Marianna Parraga and Jeanne Liendo HOUSTON (Reuters) - Venezuela's state-run oil firm PDVSA has bought nearly $440 million worth of foreign crude and shipped it directly to Cuba on friendly credit terms - and often at a loss, according to internal company documents reviewed by Reuters. The shipments are the first documented instances of the OPEC nation buying crude to supply regional allies instead of selling them oil from its own vast reserves. Venezuela made the discounted deliveries, which have not been previously reported, despite its dire need for foreign currency to bolster its collapsing economy and to import food and medicine amid widespread shortages. The open-market oil purchases to subsidize one of Venezuela's few remaining allies underscores its increasing global isolation and the disintegration of its energy sector under socialist President Nicolas Maduro. The purchases came as Venezuela's crude production hit a 33-year low in the first quarter - down 28 percent in 12 months. Its refineries are operating at a third of capacity, and its workers are resigning by the thousands. (For a graphic on Venezuela's rising oil imports and falling exports, see: https://tmsnrt.rs/2wHCTUF ) PDVSA bought the crude for up to $12 per barrel more than it priced the same oil when it shipped to Cuba, according to prices on internal documents reviewed by Reuters. But Cuba may never pay cash for the cargoes because Venezuela has long accepted goods and services from Cuba in return for oil under a pact signed in 2000 by late presidents Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro. PDVSA, the Venezuela government and the Cuba government did not respond to requests for comment. Venezuelas government has previously said it only imports oil to blend with its own tar-like crude to improve quality and create an exportable product, or to feed its refinery in Curacao. But hundreds of PDSVA documents examined by Reuters detailing imports and exports, dated from January 2017 to May of this year, show the company is now buying crude at market prices to deliver to allies - in shipments that never pass through Venezuela. The subsidized deliveries are aimed at maintaining political support from Cuba, one of a dwindling group of Venezuela allies, according to diplomats, politicians and PDVSA executives. "Maduro is giving away everything he can because these countries' backing, especially from Cuba, is all the political support he has left," said a former top Venezuelan government official who declined to be identified. Caracas has come under increasing international pressure as the United States, the European Union and Canada have sanctioned Venezuela for what they see as Maduro's attempts to cement a dictatorship. As Venezuela spends on oil imports, it has imported less of everything else its citizens desperately need. Venezuela's spending on non-oil imports plunged from nearly $46 billion in 2011 to $6 billion in 2017, according Venezuela Central Bank data and Ecoanalitica, a Caracas-based economic research organization. The oil PDVSA procured for Cuba was Russian Urals crude, the documents show, a variety well-suited for Cuban refineries constructed from Soviet-era equipment. PDVSA bought the crude from Chinese, Russian and Swiss firms  not for cash, but a pledge that PDVSA would deliver other oil shipments later, the documents show. That adds to Venezuela's already towering debts of oil to state-owned firms in Russia and China, which together have extended Venezuela's government more than $60 billion in oil-for-loan deals that have propped up its budget amid declining exports and lower oil prices. "It's nonsense to import oil to keep subsidized exports flowing," said Ecoanalitica President Asdrubal Oliveros. PETRO-DIPLOMACY Venezuela's socialist government has long used oil for domestic and international political ends, subsidizing goods and services at home and currying favor across the region with oil deliveries on generous terms. Venezuela's oil supply arrangements have helped soften international political censure of Maduro's government. The Organization of American States (OAS), which includes most Western Hemisphere nations, last year took up a motion seeking to pressure Venezuela to hold free elections, liberate political prisoners and declare a humanitarian crisis. The effort was defeated when 12 countries that have received regular oil shipments from Venezuela in recent years - about a third of the OAS membership - opposed it or refused to vote. Eventually, the OAS passed a watered-down motion urging free and fair elections. Venezuela has avoided formal OAS condemnation "thanks to the support of the bloc of Caribbean nations that have benefited from its subsidized oil and development programs for years," said Michael Fitzpatrick, deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, said on April 30 during a talk at the Atlantic Council, a foreign policy think tank in Washington. Most of those countries are members of Venezuela's Petrocaribe trade pact, launched in 2005, which has granted up to 16 Caribbean and Central American states with oil supplies on favorable terms. OAS President Luis Almagro declined to comment through press office representative Monica Reyes. El Salvador's Economy Minister, Luz Estrella Rodriguez, said Petrocaribe and other pacts promoted by Venezuela had played an important role in her country's development. "Our country is very grateful," she said. "The government of El Salvador, of course, is a friend and an ally of the Venezuelan government." El Salvador refused to vote last year on the OAS motion to condemn Venezuela. Venezuela also supplied fuel last year to Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Dominica, the documents show. In total, members of oil trade pacts with Venezuela last year received at least 103,000 bpd of crude and refined products from PDVSA, the documents show, or about 6 percent of Venezuelas exports. FALLING OUTPUT, SHRINKING IMPORTS The falling output of Venezuela's refineries has also left the country increasingly dependent on fuel imports to meet domestic consumption. The internal PDVSA data reviewed by Reuters shows Venezuela last year purchased some 180,000 barrels per day of foreign crude and refined products from PetroChina, Rosneft, Lukoil, Reliance Industries and other suppliers, 17 percent more than in 2016. Those companies did not respond to requests for comment. The purchases totaled more $4 billion, according to PDVSA records. Last year, total oil-industry purchases, including equipment and services, consumed 45 percent of Venezuela's total import spending, up from 13 percent in 2011, Ecoanalitica data shows. Energy imports totaled $5.4 billion out of $11.9 billion. The resulting scarcity of food, medicine and employment has caused thousands of citizens to flee Venezuela. The pay of PDVSA workers now can't cover the barest essentials because of the collapse of its currency, the bolivar. "A worker's salary is not even enough for a box of eggs," said Hector Bertis, a PDVSA worker and union leader. "We go to the bank, and they give us 10,000 bolivars - less than what a transportation fare costs." (Reporting by Marianna Parraga in Houston and Jeanne Liendo in Calgary; additional reporting by Alexandra Ulmer in Washington, Paula Rosales in San Salvador and Gary McWilliams in Houston; Editing by Gary McWilliams, Simon Webb and Brian Thevenot)
(Reuters) - French energy company Total (TOTF.PA) said on Wednesday it may pull out of the Iran South Pars 11 (SP11) energy project in light of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from an international nuclear deal and reinstate sanctions on Tehran.

Following is a list of deals and memoranda of understanding(MoU) that Iran has signed with foreign companies, which could be under threat amid speculation Washington may impose secondary sanctions on firms that continue to work with Tehran.

OIL AND GAS

* Total said on Wednesday it would pull out of the South Pars project and unwind all related operations by Nov. 4 "unless Total is granted a specific project waiver by U.S. authorities with the support of the French and European authorities."

The company had signed the South Pars deal in November 2016, becoming the first oil major to agree a big transaction with Tehran in the wake of the 2015 international nuclear agreement.

Industry sources said in October 2017 that China's top oil and gas company CNPC would consider taking over Total's stake in the project if the French company left.

* Norwegian oil and gas company DNO (DNO.OL) said inNovember 2016 it was the second Western energy company after Total to sign a deal with Iran under which it agreed to study the development of the Changuleh oilfield in western Iran.

* Shell (RDSa.L) signed a provisional deal in December 2016to develop Iranian oil and gas fields South Azadegan, Yadavaranand Kish. But its annual report published in 2017 showed it had bought only three cargoes of Iranian oil since the easing of sanctions, in a sign of the legal difficulties hampering trade.

* South Korea's Daewoo Engineering and Construction (DaewooE&C) signed a MoU in 2015 to carry out construction of an oil refinery in Bandar Jask on the southern coast of Iran.

* Norway's Aker Solutions signed a MoU in May 2016 tomodernise the Iranian oil industry.

* Austria's OMV (OMVV.VI) signed a MoU in May 2016 forprojects in the Zagros area of western Iran and the Fars field in the south. In June 2017, OMV and Russia's Gazprom Neft announced a MoU to work in Iran's oil sector.

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* Italy's Saipem signed MoUs in 2016 to cooperate on Iranian pipeline projects, upgrading of refineries and development of the Tous gas field in the northeastern province of KhorasanRazavi.

* BASF's (BASFn.DE) Wintershall oil and gas exploration arm signed a MoU with the National Iranian Oil Company in April 2016. In February 2017, it said it was in talks about a possible investment in Iran, but no decision was on the cards because of uncertainty over the status of economic sanctions.

* In January 2017, Iran named 29 companies from more than a dozen countries as being allowed to bid for oil and gas projects using a new, less restrictive contract model. The firms included Shell, Total, Italy's Eni (ENI.MI), Malaysia's Petronas [PETR.UL] and Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) and Lukoil (LKOH.MM),as well as companies from China, Austria, Japan and elsewhere.

* Italy's Eni signed an agreement with Iran in June 2017 for feasibility studies to develop an oil field and a gas field.

* India's Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd (ONGC.NS) in late February signed an initial non-binding agreement with an Iranian company to develop the Susangerd oilfield in the south of Iran, a company source said.

* The National Iranian Oil Company signed a deal in March with Russias Zarubezhneft to develop two oilfields in Iran fields, according to SHANA, the news site of the Iranian oilministry.

RENEWABLES

* Norway's Saga Energy signed a 2.5 billion euro (2.2 billion pound) deal in October 2017 to build solar power plants inIran.

AVIATION

* U.S. planemaker Boeing (BA.N) agreed in December 2016 to sell 80 aircraft, including 15 Boeing 777-300ER long-range jets,to IranAir. Last month, Boeing said it had found new homes for jets it hoped to deliver to Iran this year, adding it had no Iranian deliveries scheduled or part of production this year.

* European planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) said in December 2016 it had sealed a deal to sell 100 jets to IranAir. Only three have so far been delivered.

* Iran completed a deal in April 2017 to buy 20 aircraft from European turboprop maker ATR, half-owned by Airbus and Leonardo (LDOF.MI).

* Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) said in April 2017 it was in talks with IranAir to provide catering, maintenance and pilot training.

* Iran's Aseman Airlines agreed in April 2017 to buy 30 Boeing 737 MAX jets.

* Iran's Zagros Airlines signed a MoU in June 2017 to buy 20 Airbus A320 neo and eight A330 neo aircraft.

* Iran Airtour signed a MoU in June 2017 for 45 Airbus A320 neos.

RAILWAYS

* Germany's Siemens (SIEGn.DE) signed a contract in October 2016 to upgrade Iran's railway network. It was also to supply components for 50 diesel-electric locomotives to Iran.

* China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation,signed a 2.2 billion-euro deal in May 2017 with Iran's MAPNA for electrification of a high-speed rail line between Tehran and Mashhad, according to Iran's Financial Tribune newspaper.

* Iran's state rail company and its Italian counterpart, Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) signed a final agreement worth 1.2billion euros in July 2017 to build a high-speed railway between the Iranian cities of Qom and Arak.

* French train maker and manufacturing group Alstom(ALSO.PA) signed a deal in July 2017 for a joint venture to build metro and suburban rail carriages in Iran.

AUTOMOTIVE

* French carmaker PSA (PEUP.PA) had signed Iranian production deals worth 700 million euros ($768 million) by May 2017. PSA said in January it sold 444,600 vehicles in Iran lastyear.

* Germany's Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) said in July 2017 it would start exporting cars to Iran, returning to the market after more than 17 years. But the company said in October 2017 its Spanish arm Seat was no longer looking at the possibility of entering the Iranian car market.

* France's Renault (RENA.PA) said in August 2017 it had signed a joint venture deal in Iran following an initial partnership agreement a year earlier. The new venture included an engineering and purchasing centre to support the development of local suppliers as well as a plant with an initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles a year, supplementing Renault's existing capacity of 200,000 vehicles a year in the country.

* Germany's Mercedes-Benz Trucks (DAIGn.DE) signed a contract with Iran Khodro in September 2017, laying the foundation for resuming distribution of its trucks in Iran.

* Autoneum (AUTON.S), a Swiss maker of sound and heatshields for automobiles, in December 2017 announced a licensing deal for Iranian vehicle supplier Ayegh Khodro Toos to produce carpets, inner dashes and floor insulators for carmakers IranKhodro and PSA, with production due to start in 2019.

BANKING

* Oberbank (OBER.VI) signed a deal with Iran in September2017, enabling it to finance new ventures there and making it one of the first European banks to do so since sanctions were eased.

But major global banks have shied away from handling Iran-related business. Among them is HSBC (HSBA.L), which hassaid it has no intention of doing any new business involving Iran.

HEALTHCARE

Danish insulin supplier Novo Nordisk decided in September 2015 to invest 70 million euros in a factory in Iran, adding 160 staff to the 130 it maintained in the country throughout the sanctions. Medicines were excepted from the sanctions but shipping drugs into the country was troublesome, due to tight curbs on financial transactions and restrictions on technology.

(Compiled by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Arathy S Nair; Editingby Mark Potter)
The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) in Nairobi, Kenya, has proposed the creation of a special unit to handle cryptocurrency related issues.

The unit would include all relevant regulators such as itself and Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), according to Standard Digital. The proposal is included in the Capital Market Soundness Report, Staying the course in a Turbulent World of Increasing Protectionism, released Friday by CMA Chief Executive Paul Muthaura.

There is need for regulators to devise a common approach towards handling issues revolving around cryptocurrencies and Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), the report states. A joint workgroup by financial sector regulators could be put in place to tackle issues around cryptocurrencies and ICOs.

ICOs Banned

The CMO issued a notice in February warning investors against participating in ICOs, noting it has not approved any such offerings. The regulator said all such offerings are unregulated and speculative investments with significant risk exposure.

CBK has taken a similar position, warning the public against bitcoin, which has experienced wide value fluctuations. Bitcoin traded at about $17,000 (Sh1.7 million) early this year before falling to $6,926 (Sh700,000) at the end of March.

This volatility in price fluctuation remains a concern even as regulators seek to strike a balance between managing the risks that accompany innovations and avoiding being an impediment to market-led innovation, CMA noted

Regulators must communicate their willingness to accommodate fintechs to remove the perception that regulators do not appreciate new innovation, the authority noted.

Open To Blockchain

Sheila MMbijjewe, CBK deputy governor, noted earlier this month at the Euromoney East Africa Conference that new technologies like blockchain should be embraced cautiously. She said regulating fintechs should be balanced against encouraging innovation so that the technologys growth does not bring an erosion of public confidence.

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We (CBK) are not the innovators so we cannot move ahead, MMbijjewe said. If we move behind the market, we will have a problem. Essentially, we have to move alongside innovations.

CBK) Governor, Patrick Njoroge also told legislators earlier this month that he had warned all banks warning on the dangers of virtual currencies. In addressing the National Assembly Committee on Finance at Parliament Buildings, he warned banks against dealing in virtual currencies.

In December 2015, CBK issued a notice warning the public against virtual currencies.

Featured image from Shutterstock.



The post Kenyas Regulators Propose Special Unit For Handling Issues on ICOs, Cryptocurrency appeared first on CCN.


A virtual border agent kiosk was developed to interview travelers at airports and border crossings and it can detect deception to flag human security agents.

The U.S., Canada and European Union have tested the technology, and one researcher says it has a deception detection success rate of up to 80 percent, or better than human agents.

The technology relies on sensors and biometrics, and its lie-detection capabilities are based on eye movements or changes in voice, posture and facial gestures.

International travelers could find themselves in the near future talking to a lie-detecting kiosk when they're going through customs at an airport or border crossing. The same technology could be used to provide initial screening of refugees and asylum seekers at busy border crossings.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security funded development of the virtual border agent technology known as the Automated Virtual Agent for Truth Assessments in Real-Time , or AVATAR, about six years ago and pilot tested it at the U.S.-Mexico border on travelers deemed a low risk. Since then, Canada and the European Union tested the robot-like kiosk that uses a virtual agent to ask travelers a series of questions.

Last month, a caravan of migrants from Central Americ a made it to the U.S.-Mexico border, where they sought asylum, but were delayed several days because the port of entry near San Diego had reached full capacity. It's possible that a system such as AVATAR could provide initial screening of asylum seekers and others to help U.S. agents at busy border crossings such as San Diego's San Ysidro.

"The technology has much broader applications potentially," despite most of the funding for the original work coming primarily from the Defense or Homeland Security departments a decade ago, according to Aaron Elkins, one of the developers of the system and an assistant professor at the San Diego State University director of its Artificial Intelligence Lab. He added that AVATAR is not a commercial product yet but could be also used in human resources for screening.

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The U.S.-Mexico border trials with the advanced kiosk took place in Nogales, Ariz., and focused on low-risk travelers. The research team behind the system issued a report after the 2011-12 trials that stated the AVATAR technology had potential uses for processing applications for citizenship, asylum and refugee status and to reduce backlogs.

High levels of accuracy

President Donald Trump 's fiscal 2019 budget request for Homeland Security includes $223 million for "high-priority infrastructure, border security technology improvements," as well as another $210.5 million for hiring new border agents. Last year, federal workers interviewed or screened more than 46,000 refugee applicants and processed nearly 80,000 "credible fear cases."

The AVATAR combines artificial intelligence with various sensors and biometrics that seeks to flag individuals who are untruthful or a potential risk based on eye movements or changes in voice, posture and facial gestures.

"We're always consistently above human accuracy," said Elkins, who worked on the technology with a team of researchers that included the University of Arizona.

According to Elkins, the AVATAR as a deception-detection judge has a success rate of 60 to 75 percent and sometimes up to 80 percent.

"Generally, the accuracy of humans as judges is about 54 to 60 percent at the most," he said. "And that's at our best days. We're not consistent."

The human element

Regardless, Homeland Security appears to be sticking with human agents for the moment and not embracing virtual technology that the EU and Canadian border agencies are still researching. Another advanced border technology, known as iBorderCtrl, is a EU-funded project that aims to increase speed but also reduce "the workload and subjective errors caused by human agents."

A Homeland Security official, who declined to be named, told CNBC the concept for the AVATAR system "was envisioned by researchers to assist human screeners by flagging people exhibiting suspicious or anomalous behavior."

"As the research effort matured, the system was evaluated and tested by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate and DHS operational components in 2012," the official added. "Although the concept was appealing at the time, the research did not mature enough for further consideration or further development."

Elkins, meanwhile, said the funding for the AVATAR system hasn't come from Homeland Security in recent years "because they sort of felt that this is in a different category now and needs to transition."

The technology, which relies on advanced statistics and machine learning, was tested a year and a half ago with the Canadian Border Services Agency, or CBSA, to help agents determine whether a traveler has ulterior motives entering the country and should be questioned further or denied entry.

A report from the CBSA on the AVATAR technology is said to be imminent, but it's unclear whether the agency will proceed the technology beyond the testing phase. CNBC reached out to the Canadian agency for comment, but did not get an immediate response.

Prior to that, the EU border agency known as Frontex helped coordinate and sponsor a field test of the AVATAR system in 2014 at the international arrivals section of an airport in Bucharest, Romania .

People and machines working together

Once the system detects deception, it alerts the human agents to do follow-up interviews.

AVATAR doesn't use your standard polygraph instrument. Instead, people face a kiosk screen and talk to a virtual agent or kiosk fitted with various sensors and biometrics that seeks to flag individuals who are untruthful or signal a potential risk based on eye movements or changes in voice, posture and facial gestures.

"Artificial intelligence has allowed us to use sensors that are non-contact that we can then process the signal in really advanced ways," Elkins said. "We're able to teach computers to learn from some data and actually act intelligently. The science is very mature over the last five or six years."

But the researcher insists the AVATAR technology wasn't developed as a replacement for people.

"We wanted to let people focus on what they do best," he said. "Let the systems do what they do best and kind of try to merge them into the process."

Still, future advancement in artificial intelligence systems may allow the technology to someday supplant various human jobs because the robot-like machines may be seen as more productive and cost effective particularly in screening people.

Elkins believes the AVATAR could potentially get used one day at security checkpoints at airports "to make the screening process faster but also to improve the accuracy."

"It's just a matter of finding the right implementation of where it will be and how it will be used," he said. "There's also a process that would need to occur because you can't just drop the AVATAR into an airport as it exists now because all that would be using an extra step."





More From CNBC


Wednesday, May 16, 2018

What to watch today

On the economic calendar on Wednesday, markets will get April data on housing starts and building permits, which are both expected to decline compared to the prior month, as well as the April industrial production data from the Federal Reserve.

And on the earnings side, notable reports set for Thursday should include Macys (M), Take-Two Interactive (TTWO), Cisco (CSCO), and Jack in the Box (JACK). Earnings out of Macys will be closely watched after the first quarter was something of a disappointment for consumer spending as personal consumption grew just 1.1% to start the year, though Tuesdays data on retail sales indicates better times ahead for retailers.

Read More

Top news

REUTERS/Stephen Lam/File Photo

Investors cut Apple holdings by most since at least 08: Institutional investors havent been this skeptical on Apple Inc. (AAPL) since at least the financial crisis. They reduced their holdings in the iPhone maker by about 153 million shares in the first three months of the year, an analysis of 13F filings showed. Thats the biggest decrease since at least the first quarter of 2008 when Bloomberg started tracking the data. Its also the most among any S&P 500 stock in the first quarter. [Bloomberg]

Japans GDP ends best growth run in decades: Japans economy contracted more than expected at the start of this year, suggesting growth has peaked after the best run of expansion in decades, unwelcome news for a government struggling to get traction for its reflationary policies. The worlds third largest economy shrank by 0.6% on an annualized basis, a much more severe contraction than the median estimate for an annualized 0.2% decline. [Reuters]

Starbucks aims to triple China revenue by 2022: Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) is looking to more than triple its revenue and almost double its store count in China over the next five years, doubling down on the market as traffic growth comes under pressure in the United States. The U.S. coffee chain, which recently raised $7.15 billion in a deal with Nestle SA, aims to have 6,000 stores in the country by the end of 2022. It has around 3,300 stores in 141 cities in China currently. [Reuters]

Story continues

Amazon to give Prime members extra discounts at Whole Foods: Its Prime time at Whole Foods: Amazon (AMZN) is rolling out discounts for Prime members at the organic grocer. The benefits start Wednesday at stores in Florida and will expand nationwide this summer. Prime members will get an additional 10% off sale items and exclusive deals on certain groceries. [AP]

Novartis top lawyer exits in wake of Trump attorney deal: Novartis (NOVN) General Counsel Felix Ehrat will leave the Swiss drugmaker over his role in a $1.2 million contract it struck with the personal lawyer for U.S. President Donald Trump, saying on Wednesday the pact was legal but an error. [Reuters]

For more of the latest news, go to Yahoo Finance

American author and journalist Tom Wolfe, Jr. appears in his living room during an interview about his latest book, The Kingdom of Speech, in New York. Wolfe died at a New York City hospital. He was 88. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

Yahoo Finance Originals

Warren Buffett dumps IBM, boosts stakes in Monsanto and Teva Pharmaceuticals

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Most Netflix users would pay a lot more for their subscription, survey shows

What this years top fund managers are doing to smoke the competition

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Many Americans cite leading a stress-free life and having peace of mind as their personal definition of wealth. That doesnt sound too money-centric on the face of ituntil you consider that money, or specifically the lack of it, is a major source of stress.

Americans dont like to admit that assets can buy happinessjust 11 percent of those surveyed for the second annual Modern Wealth Index from Charles Schwab chose having lots of money as their definition of wealth. But while most respondents selected more high-minded concepts as their keys to contentment, they werent afraid to put a number on what they needed to get there.

To be financially comfortable in America today requires an average of $1.4 million, up from $1.2 million a year ago, according to the survey. The net worth needed to be wealthy? Thats an average $2.4 million, the same as last year in the online survey of 1,000 Americans between age 21 and 75.

There were some heartening signs amid the numbers. While 18 percent defined wealth as being able to afford anything they desired, 17 percent said it was loving relationships with family and friends. That jibes with how Joe Duran, chief executive officer of money manager United Capital, said he likes to think of wealth. After building and selling his first company, I realized that money is nothing more than fuel, he said. It is a resource that lets you have choices, but if you dont think about what you are working for, you will die rich but not live rich. The survey asked people to choose which of the below statements came closest to their personal definition of wealth. When asked about what made respondents feel wealthy in their daily lives, the survey found that spending time with family was most commonly cited, at 62 percent overall. That was followed by what can be the most elusive of things, cited at about the same level across generations: taking time for myself, which came in at 55 percent. Hard to do either of those without some bank, though.

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Lifes little luxuries matter, toobut they are called luxuries for a reason. Having meals out or food delivered made 41 percent of people feel wealthy in their daily lives. Even services such as Netflix, Spotify or Amazon Prime made life feel richer for an overall 33 percentparticularly for millennials, at 44 percent, compared with 29 percent and 23 percent for Generation X and baby boomers, respectively. Write-in comments for what made people feel wealthy included access to healthcare, being able to help close friends and family financially and just waking up in the morning. Only one of those doesnt require moneysort of.

Millennials displayed some youthful optimism when it came to their financial future. Some 64 percent of twenty- and thirty-somethings believe theyll be wealthy (the cash kind) at some point in their lives, compared with 22 percent of boomers. Maybe better financial habits will help that happen, since more millennials than boomers said they regularly rebalance their portfolio49 percent compared with 43 percent, respectively. The same percentage of millennials and boomers, 24 percent, felt very confident about reaching financial goals.

In line with many other surveys put out by financial services firms, the Schwab survey stresses how people who have a written financial plan feel more stable and are more on top of their daily finances. Some 52 percent of boomers, however, said they didnt have a plan because they didnt have enough money to need a plan. People that chose other to explain why they lacked a financial plan wrote in responses such as I have trust issues with financial people, especially after the 2008 crisis and all my information has been compromised by criminals. Not a lot of peace of mind there.

Still, in these troubled times, there is hope. The survey found that the American Dream is not dead, at least the one that dictates that making money is indeed the path to bliss. Some 49 percent of respondents said that saving and investing is the key to wealth, with another 40 percent choosing hard work.

Eleven percent, however, cited luck. Have personal finance questions or lessons to share? Join Money Talks, the new Facebook community from Bloomberg News.
[caption id="attachment_3425" align="alignnone" width="616"]

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the District of Columbia. Photo by Diego M. Radzinschi/The National Law Journal[/caption] A Washington federal judge on Tuesday refused to dismiss the criminal charges against former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, ruling that the indictment falls squarely within the authority given to the special counsel for the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the District of Columbia rejected Manaforts argument that the scope of special counsel Robert Mueller's authority was overly broad. Manafort was indicted in October on charges of financial fraud and violating lobbying disclosure laws by failing to register his past work for the Russia-backed government of Ukraine. "The case did not arise in a vacuum, and the special counsel did not create his own job description," Jackson wrote. "He was appointed to take over an existing investigation, and it appears from the chronology and the written record that the matters contained in the superseding indictment were already a part of the ongoing inquiry that was lawfully transferred to the special counsel by the Department of Justice in May of 2017." Manafort's defense lawyer, former MIller & Chevalier partner Kevin Downing, has stressed that the alleged misconduct predated the 2016 presidential campaign and therefore was outside Mueller's authority. In his bid to dismiss the indictment, Downing took aim at a portion of an order establishing Muellers office that gave the special counsel the power to probe any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation. Jackson said the charges fell within even a separate portion of Muellers authority that Manafort has found "unobjectionable: the order to investigate any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign. Manafort, Jackson said, was not merely associated with President Donald Trump's campaign but served as its chairman for a time. And his past ties to Ukrainian and Russian figures was a matter of public record, she noted. It was logical and appropriate for investigators tasked with the investigation of any links between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign to direct their attention to him, Jackson wrote. "Given what was being said publicly, the special counsel would have been remiss to ignore such an obvious potential link between the Trump campaign and the Russian government," Jackson said in the 37-page opinion. Thus, the indictment falls well within the authority granted to the special counsel to conduct the ongoing investigation." Jackson said the case against Manafort should proceed even if scrutiny of his past activity came about not from the investigation of links to Russian but rather as a matter that arose from that probe. It appeared from the record, the judge said, that the conduct at issue in the indictment was already part of an ongoing U.S. Department of Justice inquiry that was transferred to the special counsel. Jackson's ruling also offered support to the Justice Department regulations that gave rise to Mueller's appointment to lead the Russia investigation. "When it promulgated the regulations, the department anticipated that a special counsel, like any other prosecutor, could become aware of, and could have legitimate reasons to explore, paths that branch out naturally from the original investigation, as well as entirely new and disconnected allegations," Jackson wrote. Those regulations, Jackson said, "place no boundaries on who can be investigated or what charges can be broughtwhat they address is who decides who the prosecutor will be." Manafort is facing separate fraud charges in Alexandria, Virginia, federal court. In that case, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis of the Eastern District of Virginia expressed skepticism earlier this month of the scope of Mueller's authority. Ellis has not yet ruled on Manafort's challenge to the indictment there. Judge Amy Berman Jackson's ruling is posted below: [falcon-embed src="embed_1"] Read more:Russian Business Entity Rips Mueller's Charges as 'Make-Believe'Reed Smith's Russia Work in Mueller Case Gets Closeup in CourtFormer Tax Prosecutor Jay Nanavati in DC Joins Manafort Defense TeamPaul Manafort Boosts Defense, Hiring Epstein Becker & Green's Richard Westling
North Korea abruptly cancelled high-level talks with South Korea scheduled for Wednesday, according to a report by Yonhap News. The North also threatened to cancel the upcoming summit between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, citing ongoing Max Thunder drills between the U.S. and South Korean air forces.

Military drills are a regular complaint by North Korea, which sees them as rehearsals for an invasion.

The news is a reversal of North Koreas recent conciliatory behavior. Just Tuesday morning, the countrys ambassador to the United Nations announced it will join global efforts to ban nuclear weapon tests and analysts reported on Monday that satellite imagery seems to show nuclear test sites being dismantled in an apparent gesture of goodwill.

What This Means For Investors

Without further details, it's hard to say how the markets will react, but so far the news doesnt seem to be cause for concern. The S&P 500 ticked down by less than half a percentage point following the news while the price of gold held flat.

The S&P 500 closed at 2,711.45, down 18 points. The Dow closed at 24,706.41, down 193 points or 0.8 percent.

The VIX did rise about by 3.5 percent to a daily high of 14.95, suggesting some traders were spooked by the news, but the volatility index had been creeping slowly for most of the day prior to the news. Generally, volatility isn't considered a concern until the VIX breaches 20, making Tuesday's level still fairly low.

Investors should continue to watch for the introduction of headline risk as the week progresses, particularly as further news on the Kim-Trump Summit emerges.

Related Links:

Summit Helps, But South Korea Still Faces Regional Tensions

After 65 Years, North And South Korea Will Formally Bring An End To The Korean War

See more from Benzinga

 2018 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
North Korea says it may blow off Trump meeting, and 'sinister' US won't make it give up nukes

North Korea said it will reconsider a June 12 meeting with President Donald Trump if Washington insists on Pyongyang relinquishing nuclear weapons.

Earlier, the isolated state abruptly canceled talks with South Korea in protest over Washington and Seoul's joint military drills.

North Korea on Wednesday injected further uncertainty into plans for a highly anticipated summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump .

In a statement carried by state news agency KCNA , North Korea's First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Kye Gwan said his country will reconsider the historic June 12 meeting if the U.S. insists on Pyongyang relinquishing its nuclear weapons.

The development is the latest sign of possible backtracking by Kim following the ruler's months-long international charm offensive that was widely hoped to clear tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Earlier, the rogue state canceled talks with South Korea and threatened to ditch the June 12 summit in protest over Washington and Seoul's joint military drills.

Wednesday's news "is classic North Korean playbook," said Sean King, senior vice president at consulting firm Park Strategies.

Ongoing peace efforts, which include Kim's summit with South Korean leader Moon Jae-In last month, may "be moving faster than North Korea ever expected and this is sort of their passive-aggressive excuse to get out of it," he continued.

No Libya-style denuclearization

Recent "unbridled remarks" from Washington prior to the June 12 meeting constituted signs of "unjust" behavior, Kim Kye Gwan stated.

Specifically naming National Security Advisor John Bolton , the North Korean minister said U.S. officials are "letting loose the assertions of so-called Libya mode of nuclear abandonment" and discussing a formula of "abandoning nuclear weapons first [and] compensating afterwards."

That amounts to "awfully sinister" moves to impose on North Korea "the destiny of Libya or Iraq, which had been collapsed due to yielding the whole of their countries to big powers," the minister said, stressing that Pyongyang rejects Libya-style denuclearization .

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Libya voluntarily gave up its nuclear ambitions in 2003 in order to get out from under economic sanctions. The country's dictator Moammar Gadhafi was eventually overthrown in a Western-supported coup and killed in 2011.

North Korea considers nuclear weapons equally important as economic growth so "without the nukes as cover, should it ever want to coerce or invade the South again, it really has nothing to bail themselves out," according to King.

Different definitions of the term denuclearization is seen as a major obstacle to negotiations.

For the U.S., the concept entails North Korea giving up its entire nuclear arsenal but Pyongyang may agree to that only if certain conditions are fulfilled, experts warn. Those prerequisites include terminating America's military presence in South Korea as well as ending the U.S. regional nuclear umbrella.

If Kim does withdraw from the June 12 meeting, it wouldn't be the first instance of Pyongyang reversing on its commitments . The isolated state has duped multiple U.S. presidential administrations, each of which has passed the North Korea problem onto the next.

Under a 1994 deal with President Bill Clinton administration, Pyongyang committed to freezing its illicit plutonium weapons program but in 2002, the North once again began operating nuclear facilities.

North Korea will never agree to economic trade with the U.S. in exchange for abandoning nuclear weapons, according to Kim Kye Gwan, who warned that Trump "will be recorded as more tragic and unsuccessful president than his predecessors" if he follows in the steps of previous U.S. leaders.

Watch: How the miserable death of Moammar Gadhafi factors into Kim Jong Un's nuclear ambitions





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Michael Cohen (Photo by David Handschuh)[/caption] Novartis group general counsel Felix Ehrat will step down from the company after taking personal responsibility for a $1.2 million contract with President Donald Trumps personal lawyer Michael Cohen, an agreement he admits was an "error." Ehrat, who has has been group GC of the pharmaceutical giant since 2011, will retire in June, the company said Wednesday. He will be replaced by chief ethics, risk and compliance officer Shannon Thyme Klinger. The Swiss company said last week that it had paid Cohen's company Essential Consultants $1.2 million for health care policy consulting work that he had proved "unable" to do. Novartis said that Ehrat, who is also a member of the company's executive committee, was retiring "in the context of discussions" over the agreement. "Although the contract was legally in order, it was an error," Ehrat said in a statement. "As a co-signatory with our former CEO, I take personal responsibility to bring the public debate on this matter to an end." Under the one-year contract with Essential Consultants, signed in February 2017 shortly after Trump became president, Novartis agreed to pay Cohen $100,000 per month. The company said it had expected that Cohen could advise it on the administrations approach to health care policies such as the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. However, following its initial meeting with Cohen in March 2017, the company realized that he would be unable to provide the services that Novartis had anticipated." But it was unable to break the contract. Both Ehrat and former chief executive Joe Jimenez signed the contract last year. Jimenez left the company last September. Cohen has faced intense scrutiny in recent months following the FBI raid on his offices in New York amid the Mueller probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. He shared office space with Squire Patton Boggs, with which he had formed a strategic alliance in April 2017, a deal that ended last month. Ehrat, the former senior partner and executive chairman of Slaughter and Mays Swiss best friend Baer & Karrer, joined Novartis in October 2011. He had been at the Swiss law firm since 1987 and made partner in 1992, the same year he opened the firms Lugano branch, its first outside Zurich. He was appointed managing partner in 2000 and senior partner in 2003. He has led Novartis' legal team on a number of landmark deals, including the $13 billion sale of a 36.5 percent stake in its consumer health joint venture with pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline last year. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer acted for Novartis on that deal, while Slaughter and May represented GSK. Less than a year after Ehrat joined Novartis, a lineup of firms, including Allen & Overy, Freshfields, Linklaters, Morrison & Foerster, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, White & Case, Hogan Lovells and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, were appointed to the company's legal panel, known as the Novartis Legal Preferred Firm Program. Click here for a 2012 interview with Ehrat.
FILE PHOTO: Swiss drugmaker Novartis' logo is seen at the company's plant in the northern Swiss town of Stein, Switzerland October 23, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

By John Miller

ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis's (NOVN.S) top lawyer quit on Wednesday over a $1.2 million contract he co-signed with U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney, a deal the Swiss drugmaker's ex-CEO also said was a mistake.

The contract with Michael Cohen's Essential Consultants, the same firm used to pay porn star Stormy Daniels, has distracted Novartis's efforts to improve its image after a series of missteps.

Current CEO Vas Narasimhan also said the contract was a major mistake at a meeting with investors in Basel on Wednesday and said Novartis was developing a principles-, not rules-based system to help avert corruption and guide employees' behavior.

"There will always be a way around the rule," Narasimhan told investors. "Whereas if you ask the question, 'Is this the right thing to do, are you comfortable with this being on the front page of the newspaper?'... that's going to help get us to a better place."

Since 2015, Novartis has paid out hundreds of millions in settlements and fines as a result of kickback allegations in South Korea, the United States and China and faces an investigation of alleged bribery in Greece. A trial for another U.S. kickbacks case is scheduled for 2019.

Former Novartis CEO Joe Jimenez, who had co-signed the contract with Cohen's alongside general counsel Felix Ehrat, said there should have been more due diligence and he should have tried to fire Cohen in March 2017.

"We wanted to terminate the contract at that point, but in the end we decided there would be almost-certain litigation," he said. "This was the mistake. We should have just ended our relationship at that point, regardless of what it was going to cost us."

Novartis had been seeking help understanding the Trump administration's thinking and was referred to Cohen by a third party, Jimenez told Reuters. He did not name the person.

U.S. lawmakers have demanded Novartis and AT&T (T.N), which also made payments to Cohen's firm, provide details. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, has initiated an investigation.

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CULTURE SHIFT

Ehrat, Novartis's general counsel since 2011, had been expected to leave within the next 1-1/2 years but now will be done June 1 following his resignation, while Jimenez stepped down on Feb. 1 and was replaced by Narasimhan.

Ehrat, who said he was quitting to take responsibility for the Cohen contract, will be replaced by chief ethics officer Shannon Klinger who Narasimhan elevated to the executive committee this year as he made cultural change a priority. Novartis said she had not been aware of the Cohen contact.

Novartis has also said Narasimhan had nothing to do with the Cohen contract and Chairman Joerg Reinhardt said that the board of directors was not aware of it at the time it was signed.

Narasimhan spent much of the Basel investor meeting reassuring analysts and shareholders that cultural change was a top priority.

Novartis shareholders have urged Narasimhan to exert more "moral influence" over perceived ethical shortcomings that Jimenez in 2016 blamed on a "results-oriented" sales culture and some bad actors. [https://reut.rs/2Ipdn83]

Klinger cited changes to bonus schemes for Novartis's drug sales force that are meant to avoid potential for corruption.

"Any one sales rep can have no more than 40 percent (bonus), so we think that by doing this we have also embedded our values and behaviors for our sales reps," she said.

DRUG PIPELINE

In his presentation to investors, Narasimhan highlighted a dozen medicines in the group's pipeline that Novartis believes have $1-billion-plus annual sales potential, placing it on track to increase sales and expand profit margins through 2022.

The company will also consider pruning struggling operations, including the Sandoz generics unit's U.S. pills business that has been hit by price pressure. It is also reviewing the future of the Alcon eye surgery division, reiterating that this could include a possible spin-off in early 2019.

Priority areas for M&A include cancer medicine, cell and gene therapies, liver disease and digital and data science.

Narasimhan made a big bet on gene therapy with an $8.7 billion deal to buy AveXis (AVXS.O) last month.

But Novartis is unlikely to mimic deals such as Takeda's $62 billion takeover of Shire (SHP.L) that are transforming the pharmaceuticals industry, Chief Financial Officer Harry Kirsch said.

"I don't think there is a domino effect if some others were to merge or acquire large scale, that our hands would be forced in any way," Kirsch told analysts.

(Additional reporting by Ben Hirschler in London; Editing by Michael Shields/Louise Heavens/Alexander Smith/Jane Merriman)
Sichuan Airlines

Stringer/Reuters

A Sichuan Airlines flight that was traveling from Chongqing, China, to the Tibetan capital Lhasa was forced to make an emergency landing in the city of Chengdu after the windshield broke.

The plane's co-pilot was partially sucked out of the window, according to Chinese media reports.

No passengers were hurt, but the pilot who was partially sucked out of the plane had scratches and a wrist sprain. Another crew member also suffered injuries, according to reports.

A co-pilot for Sichuan Airlines flight 3U8633 was partially sucked out of a plane on Monday after one of the front windshields busted open, according to Chinese media reports.

The plane, which was traveling from Chongqing, China, to the Tibetan capital Lhasa, was forced to make an emergency landing in the city of Chengdu after the windshield broke.

No passengers were hurt, but the pilot who was partially sucked out of the plane had scratches and a wrist sprain, according to Chinese media citing the Civil Aviation Administration of China's (CAAC) Southwest Regional Administration. According to the CAAC, another crewmember was also injured, but no other details were shared. There were 119 passengers onboard, and 27 received check-ups after the incident, according to CGTN, a state-run TV network.

No details have been shared about what caused the windshield to break.

The captain of the flight, Liu Chuanjian, told Chinese media that there were no signs that something was wrong with the plane, an Airbus A319, before the incident.

"The incident happened at 7 o'clock. There was no sign before the windshield burst. Just a huge noise. When I looked at the other side, the co-pilot was partially blown out of the aircraft. Luckily, he had the belt buckled up. Many devices were malfunctioned and the plane was jolting strongly. It was very difficult to control," Liu told media, according to CGTN.

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The event is the latest in a string of incidents where windows on plane have broken or been damaged.

Tweet Embed:

//twitter.com/mims/statuses/995846877638639616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Sichuan 3U8633 from Chongqing to Lhasa diverted to Chengdu. Lost one windshield at FL332. Descend to FL240 due to high terrain (@flightradar24 data). Cabin decomp. FCU failure and some parts sucked out. Landded safely with bust tires. One pilot and one cabin crew injured. pic.twitter.com/8aViRZoOE0

On April 17, a Southwest Airlines flight from New York City to Dallas was forced to make an emergency landing after an engine failure sent debris flying into the cabin and busted open a passenger window. The woman sitting next to the window, 43-year-old Jennifer Riordan, was partially sucked out of the broken window and died as a result of her injuries.

In early May, another Southwest Airlines flight traveling from Chicago to Newark, New Jersey, made an emergency landing because the outer layer of a passenger window was cracked.

The NTSB is investigating the incident on April 17 and said that the process could take at least a full year.

NOW WATCH: BlackRock's $1.8 trillion bond chief says Wall Street is looking at the wrong thing when it comes to the yield curve

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SEE ALSO: Another Southwest flight forced to make terrifying emergency landing after cabin loses pressure
Pizza Hut  owned by Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM)  announced that the company has inked a deal with Telepizza to expand the companys global reach.

Pizza Hut

The deal was completed on Wednesday when Pizza Hut signed a franchise agreement with the Madrid-based pizza company. The move will make the former the largest pizza chain in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The move will give Telepizza the responsibility of overseeing close to 1,000 Pizza Huts and contribute to nearly 1,500 of its stores from the companys global units across all markets, including the likes of Spain, Portugal and Switzerland.

InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips

Over a certain period of time, Telepizza will convert all of its stores in Latin America (with the exception of Brazil) and the Caribbean into Pizza Hut stores, according to Milind Pant, the Pizza Hut international president.

Telepizza Group is hoping to open at least 1,300 new stores over the next 10 years, as well as a total of 2,550 new stores over the next 20 years. Most of these store openings will be Pizza Hut locations, including all of its stores in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Latin America amounted to roughly 6% of Pizza Huts total sales in 2017, according to Yum Brands in the companys fiscal first-quarter earnings release. Pizza Hut has been posting weak sales in recent quarters, so the deal will help propel the company forward.

PZZA stock is up 1.4% Wednesday.

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The post Pizza Hut Expands Globally With Telepizza Deal appeared first on InvestorPlace.
Rudolph Rudy Giuliani, the businessman, former mayor of New York City and President Donald Trumps personal lawyer, is worth millions. He made his money consulting for wealthy clients, commanding large speaking fees for public appearances and working as a lawyer in private practice.

Lately, Giuliani cant seem to stay out of the headlines. First, for allegedly obtaining materials from the laptop of Hunter Biden showing that former Vice President Joe Biden met with an advisor to Ukrainian energy company Burisma, where Hunter was a board member  a report that has been questioned by a number of media outlets over its legitimacy. Just a day after The New York Post ran the report about the smoking gun emails, Giuliani made headlines again after his daughter, Caroline, wrote a scathing opinion piece for Vanity Fair about why she disagrees with her fathers politics and urged everyone to vote for Biden in the presidential election. And upon the release of the latest Borat film, Giuliani was in the news once again for a scene in the movie that depicts him with his hands in his pants while in a hotel room with a young female reporter.

The Borat video is a complete fabrication, Giuliani tweeted in response to the controversial scene. I was tucking in my shirt after taking off the recording equipment. At no time before, during, or after the interview was I ever inappropriate.

Regardless of any controversy surrounding Giuliani, theres one fact about him that cant be disputed  hes very, very wealthy. Heres how the lawyer-turned-politician made his millions.

Last updated: Oct. 28, 2020

Rudy Giuliani Net Worth: $45 Million

Giulianis time after serving as the mayor of New York City has proven lucrative as he has channeled that experience into major success as a consultant and paid public speaker. His net worth is estimated to be $45 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

The Source of Giuliani's Wealth

The clearest picture of Giulianis career net worth comes from his 2007 financial disclosure when he was running for the Republican nomination for president. In the disclosure, Giuliani reported assets of between $18.1 million and $70.4 million, a significant jump from the $7,000 in assets he reported to a divorce court during the end of his second marriage in 2001. At the time, Giuliani had reported a salary of $195,000 a year as mayor of New York and was due to a $3 million advance to write two books.

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How did Giuliani go from $3 million to his current net worth? He founded a consulting firm  Giuliani & Company  as his time as mayor was winding down. Giuliani estimated the value of that firm as being between $5 million and $25 million in his 2007 financial disclosure, and the business would take in $100 million over the next five years. Giuliani reported getting paid over $4 million for his work for the firm in 2006 alone. Giuliani continues to work as a consultant in addition to his work as Trumps personal lawyer. In 2019, Reuters reported that he was paid $500,000 for work he did for a company co-founded by the Ukrainian-American businessman Lev Parnas. Parnas was later indicted on multiple charges including conspiracy, false statements and campaign finance violations.

The biggest source of wealth for Giuliani might actually be the fee he commands for speaking engagements, however: upwards of $300,000. Those engagements earned him $11.4 million in payments during 2006 alone for some 124 paid speeches.

Rudy Giuliani Personal and Professional History

Rudy Giuliani was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1944 to an Italian-American family. After graduating from law school at New York University, Giuliani went on to work for the U.S. Attorneys Office and eventually won an appointment as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. He became well known for his role in attacking organized crime in New York City and had so much success that FBI sources indicated mob leaders came close to putting out a contract for his life.

Giuliani would leverage his fame as a successful U.S. attorney  scoring over 4,000 convictions during his time in office with only 25 reversals  into a successful run for mayor of New York City on the Republican ticket in 1993, after narrowly losing in his first run in 1989. He was notable as a law and order mayor who oversaw a reduction in serious crime by over one-third and watched the murder rate drop in half in just his first two years.

Giuliani rose to national prominence after the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, when he was widely viewed as providing stable leadership through an extremely difficult time for the city. He left office at the end of 2001 and attempted to move into national politics, unsuccessfully running for the Senate in 2000 and for the Republican nomination for president in 2008.

Rudy Giuliani's Work as Trump's Lawyer

Giuliani was an early ally of Trump and was even the subject of speculation about a cabinet post during Trumps transition. In April 2018, he was hired to the presidents personal legal team to help defend against the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.

Not long after joining Trumps legal team, Giuliani made waves with a round of television appearances in which he clarified that Trump reimbursed personal lawyer Michael Cohen for Cohens $130,000 payment to adult film actress, director and producer Stormy Daniels.

Giuliani has continued to make waves in this role. In 2019, he found himself in hot water for working with Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas to research Joe and Hunter Bidens dealings in Ukraine. Fruman and Parnas were indicted on a number of charges and were accused of funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal donations from foreign nationals into a Trump-allied super PAC.

In February, federal prosecutors in New York and the Justice Department were both investigating Giulianis own business dealings in Ukraine. In October, The Washinton Post reported that U.S. intelligence agencies had warned the White House that Giuliani was the target of an influence operation by Russian intelligence in which Trump was the intended recipient of the misinformation.

According to Giulianis divorce filing (more on that next), he has been working for the president pro bono.

Rudy Giuliani's Divorce

Giulianis wife of 15 years, Judith, announced in April 2018 that she would be seeking a divorce. This was Giulianis third marriage but only his second divorce. His marriage to Regina Peruggi from 1968 until 1982 was annulled upon discovery that they were second cousins. His second wife was television personality Donna Hanover, from whom he was divorced in 2002.

Giulianis latest split was a messy one  a settlement wasnt reached until over a year later in December 2019. The details of the settlement are confidential, though it was reported that Judith wanted far more than the $42,000 monthly in support he was providing her during their separation, The New York Times reported.

The divorce proceedings also brought to light the Giulianis lavish lifestyle  they spent roughly $230,000 monthly, owned six houses and had 11 country club memberships.

More From GOBankingRates

Gabrielle Olya contributed to the reporting for this article.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: What Is Rudy Giulianis Net Worth?
New SALT Bridge Foundation Reaches Out to Worlds Unbanked





One of the first launches out of the gate at Consensus 2018 is from SALT (Secured Automated Lending Technology) Lending Holdings. The Colorado blockchain-based cash loan provider is launching the SALT Bridge Foundation to create a financial leg up for the estimated two billion unbanked and underbanked people around the world.



SALT (named after salt  historically the first commodity-based money) uses blockchain technology and smart contracts to offer a lending program based on cryptocurrencies as a collateral.

The mission of the SALT Bridge Foundation is to use blockchain technology and cryptocurrency education and lending services to financially empower those without banking services in the developing world.

The SALT Bridge Foundation will provide students with courses in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, and the opportunity to work with nonprofit organizations to implement blockchain technologies in communities around the world.

Describing the foundations mission as creating a bridge to cryptocurrency and the understanding of blockchain, SALT Executive Director Dan Moore said in a release:

Blockchain allows us to truly implement the long-held vision of utilizing technology to improve the economic standing and the autonomy of everyone on this planet. I am honored to lead the Salt Bridge Foundation as we contribute to a greater shared future.

Education and Training

The foundation is already running a pilot project jointly with Denver-based Regis University College of Business and Economics. Students are learning the basics of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies with courses on financial literacy and the benefits of cryptocurrency and blockchain-based financial systems.

In an interview with Bitcoin Magazine, Moore said:

We are working with underbanked students at Regis University to provide financial literacy education and aid to be a part of this amazing experience. We are excited to see this program grow and deepen our partnership with such a respected and influential university.

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He added, The chance to apply what you learn in the classroom to the real world for a meaningful and tangible impact changed my entire perspective and this program provided a natural partnership for the work of the SALT Bridge Foundation.

After completing the course, scholarships enable students in this pilot project to go into the field in Uganda to participate in a social-impact program aimed at improving financial inclusion.

Moore explained why SALT chose Uganda for their first project:

We initially targeted West Africa for a number of reasons: first and foremost, the lack of access to formal financial services results in substantial levels of poverty and with approximately 350 million unbanked adults in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a tremendous need for the opportunities financial inclusion can provide.

He added, We have seen progress through the burgeoning mobile ecosystem, which has demonstrated varying levels of success, and we believe the SALT Bridge Foundation can augment that work.

The foundation also plans to train staff from voluntary and nonprofit organizations in how best to use blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies for donation management.

Providing a Financial Blockchain Platform for the Unbanked

The other component of the foundation involves using the SALT platform by providing access to blockchain-based financial services where traditional systems are out of reach.

Moore told us they will be using SALTs own proprietary lending platform, the Secured Automated Lending Technology platform, which operates a lending marketplace for blockchain-based assets, for the pilot project:

We plan to use the SALT Lending technology to capitalize on the crypto-collateral we provide in our programs; however, we are not committed to any one blockchain and instead will use whatever tools [are] available to us that fit each program. As this technology progresses and we see increased adoption rates, were optimistic about the new possibilities that may become available.

Moore expressed a preference for Bitcoin at this stage of the program, saying:

At this time, we believe that Bitcoin is the most logical cryptocurrency emphasis; however, in the future, we will utilize the tools that will best help us achieve our vision. Much like SALT Lending, we are blockchain agnostic, and our mission and focus is providing opportunity for the financially excluded; therefore, we welcome any future innovation that aids that mission.

Lenders are accredited investors in accordance with SEC federal regulations and have passed SALTs Lending Suitability Test.

The foundation hopes to expand its program to other countries and regions and is also exploring ways that it can more effectively help other foundations use, manage and obtain advantage from cryptocurrency holdings.

We are passionate about the global social impact we can provide in bringing financial inclusion to this region and look forward to showing the world the true value of this technology, concluded Moore.

This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine.
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Reed Smith partner Eric Dubelier. Credit: Diego M. Radzinschi/ National Law Journal [/caption] Tensions escalated Wednesday between the special counsels office and the defense lawyers representing a Russian business charged with interfering in the 2016 presidential election, as the two sides disputed whether a recent phone conversation ended with an abrupt hang-up. During a hearing before U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich of the District of Columbia, special counsel prosecutor Jeannie Rhee said Reed Smith partner Eric Dubelier, a defense lawyer for Concord Management and Consulting LLC, hung up nine minutes into a meet and confer call that was scheduled to last an hour May 11. Dubelier responded that Rhees account was absolutely false, saying that the phone call ended after both sides said they had nothing more to discuss. It is demonstrably false, Dubelier said in court. It didnt happen, he added. She knows it. Immediately after the hearing, Dubelier walked across the courtroom, pointed a finger at Rhee and continued to dispute her version of events. Standing across a desk from Rhee, a visibly upset Dubelier described her account of the events as bullshit. Rhee is among the former Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr lawyers who joined Robert Mueller's prosecution team after his appointment last year. Dubelier declined to comment after the hearing. A spokesman for Mueller's office also declined to comment. The episode underscored the heated nature of the special counsels case against Concord Management and Consulting, which charged 13 Russian individuals and two separate entities with subverting the 2016 election. Prosecutors allege Concord Management helped fund a conspiracy to sow discord into the election. A week earlier, during an arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey, Dubelier appeared to take issue with Rhee revealing that Reed Smith had filed papers with the Treasury Department suggesting that it was representing not only Concord Management but one of the other Russian entities: Concord Catering. Dubelier said it was in and of itself a disturbing fact that the special counsel had access to the submissions, which he described as confidential. He clarified that he was appearing only for Concord Management and entered a not guilty plea on the Russian firms behalf. Wednesdays status hearing came two days after Dubelier and his co-counsel, Reed Smith partner Katherine Seikaly, filed a brief asking to review the legal instructions Mueller's team gave to the grand jury that indicted Concord Management and Consulting. But the request went further than that. The Reed Smith lawyers ridiculed the alleged crime as make-believe and derided the prosecution as having absolutely nothing to do with the special counsels core mandate of investigating coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign. In the court filing, the Reed Smith lawyers said the prosecutors reason for bringing the case is obvious, and is political: to justify his own existence the special counsel has to indict a Russianany Russian. Dubelier and Seikaly are so far the only defense lawyers who have made appearances in the special counsels case against the 16 Russian defendants. The attorneys and the firm have not spoken publicly about the legal services they are providing to Concord Management. On Wednesday, Dubelier said he was agitated by language that grouped Concord Management and Consulting in with the other defendants in the case. He said the 13 Russian individuals were affiliated with another entity, the Internet Research Agency, and noted that Concord Management and Consulting is accused of funding the alleged conspiracy. It appears that were the only ones that are going to show up, he said. Friedrich urged the two sides to meet in person and scheduled a hearing for June 15. Read more:Mueller Is Not Out of Bounds, DC Judge Says in Upholding Manafort ChargesRussian Business Entity Rips Mueller's Charges as 'Make-Believe'Reed Smith's Russia Work in Mueller Case Gets Closeup in CourtReed Smith Team Puts Early Squeeze on Mueller Prosecutors in Russia CaseFormer Tax Prosecutor Jay Nanavati in DC Joins Manafort Defense Team
Tesla crash

South Jordan Police Department via AP

The driver of a Tesla Model S that collided with a fire department vehicle in Utah last week told police that she had Autopilot engaged at the time of the crash.

The South Jordan Police Department told news outlets on Monday that the driver, a 28-year-old woman, had been looking at her phone before the crash, during which the Tesla was traveling at highway speeds.

Tesla says it is cooperating with the investigation.

This is the latest in a series of Tesla crashes in recent months involving the company's semi-autonomous driving Autopilot feature.



The woman driving a Tesla Model S that collided with a fire department vehicle in Utah on Friday told police that Autopilot was engaged at the time, and that she had been using her phone just before impact.

The vehicle was traveling at highway speed, and according to the Associated Press, it had not slowed down before the collision. The driver suffered a broken ankle.

Tesla says it is cooperating with the South Jordan Police Department in Utah in the ongoing investigation. "Tesla has not yet received any data from the car and thus does not know the facts of what occurred, including whether Autopilot was engaged," a company spokesperson told Business Insider via email on Monday.

The electric-car company has taken pains to remind drivers about the limitations of Autopilot  including that the technology cannot drive the vehicle by itself, and that drivers are required to keep their hands on the steering wheel at all times.

Autopilot will initiate multiple warnings that escalate in severity if the driver's hands are not on the steering wheel. If the driver does not respond, Autopilot will disengage automatically.

This is latest in a number of Tesla crashes that have made headlines in recent months. Some of those incidents involved vehicles that had the electric-car company's semi-autonomous driving Autopilot feature engaged.

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A man driving a Model X SUV died after his car hit a highway barrier and caught fire in Mountain View, California.

Two teens traveling in a Model S were killed in Fort Lauderdale earlier this month when their vehicle crashed into a concrete wall and caught fire. It was unclear whether Autopilot was engaged in that incident.

NOW WATCH: BlackRock's $1.8 trillion bond chief shares an epiphany he had that reshaped his entire economic outlook

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SEE ALSO: A Tesla Model S slammed into the back of a fire department truck stopped at a red light in Utah, injuring the driver
TOTAL S.A. TOT recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Oman to develop natural gas resources in Oman. The agreement covers both the upstream and downstream businesses of the company.



TOTAL, along with Royal Dutch Shell Plc. RDS.A, will develop several natural gas discoveries located in the Greater Barik area on onshore Block 6. Shell will be the operator with 75% stake and TOTAL will have 25% interest in these natural gas discoveries. Initial gas production will be 500 million cubic feet per day, with the potential to increase to 1 billion cubic feet.



TOTALs involvement in the above project will increase its production from Oman, which was 37,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (Boe/d) in 2017.



TOTALs Plan



TOTAL has plans to utilize its equity gas entitlement from the Oman project as feedstock to develop a regional hub for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering service to supply LNG as a fuel to marine vessels. A small-scale liquefaction plant will be built in Sohar port and TOTAL will utilize this plant to convert natural gas to LNG.



In addition, TOTAL may benefit from improving natural gas demand in Oman.



Demand for Natural Gas in Oman



A Times of Oman release indicates that demand for natural gas will increase 3% annually for the next seven years from Omans power projects. In addition, the consumption of natural gas is increasing in its industrial projects and Oil fields. Hence, there is increasing demand for natural gas in Omans domestic market.



TOTALs Expansion in Middle East & North Africa



Hydrocarbon deposits in the Middle East & North Africa regions make it one of the richest regions in the globe. No doubt, TOTAL has been systematically expanding its operation and production in this area. In the first quarter of 2018, oil and gas production of TOTAL from this region was 639 kilo barrel of oil equivalent per day, up 20% year over year.



The above growth rate was the largest compared with the growth rate of other regions operated by TOTAL. We expect that the agreement will help the company to further strengthen its position in this region.



Big Players in Middle East



The Middle-East region, as mentioned earlier, is one of the prolific oil and natural gas producing areas. The reserve-rich regions comparatively lower cost of oil and gas production draws the oil and gas companies across the globe to this region. Apart from TOTAL, we find that Exxon Mobil Corporation XOM and Chevron Corporation CVX are also involved in several projects in different countries of the Middle-East region.



Price Movement



In the past six months, TOTALs shares have returned 16.0% compared with the industrys rally of 14.5%.

Story continues





Zacks Rank



TOTAL has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%.



And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation.



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Robert Mueller. Iran. North Korea. Stormy Daniels. These are the issues youll hear about if you flip on the news or hop on Twitter.

But thats not what people in real America care about the most. Several surveys show health care cost and availability are a top concern of voters heading into the November midterm elections, with some key indicators getting worse instead of better. Recent research by Deutsche Bank found that health care has been the most-Googled political topic so far in President Trumps first term, followed by Mueller (the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 elections) and immigration. In an April YouGov/HuffPost poll, health care was the top voter concern, followed by the economy, gun policies and immigration.

Everybody knows why. Soaring costs are an unmitigated worry for many families, even those with good insurance. The average deductible for patients with employer-provided coverage rose 397% from 2006 through 2017, to $1,505, according to the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker. Out-of-pocket spending for people with insurance has risen more than twice as much as wages during the last decade. The cost of health benefits as a portion of total employee compensation has been going up, one reason many economists think wages themselves have been stagnant.

The portion of Americans without health insurance jumped from 10.9% to 12.2% between 2016 and 2017, according to Gallup. That was the biggest rise in the uninsured population in a decade, and it followed several years of sharp declines after the Affordable Care Act went into effect in 2014. Even with the ACA, there are about 28 million Americans who dont have insurance (as of 2016).

Stuck in the middle

One group enduring especially punishing cost increases are those who dont get insurance through an employer and buy it individually, while making too much money to qualify for subsidies under the ACA. These are typically individuals or families with incomes above $100,000 who have virtually no leverage to bargain with insurers, the way big companies do. As Yahoo Finance and others have reported, policies can cost $30,000 a year or more, with additional out-of-pocket costs. Those over 50 seem to pay the most. About 10 million Americans are covered by unsubsidized individual policies.

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President Trumps most prominent effort on health care was last years failed attempt kill to the Affordable Care Act. And theres a chance Republicans in Congress might try again this year. But that wouldnt do anything to help with costs, and it would leave some 20 million people stuck finding other ways to pay for coverage. Many wouldnt, or couldnt.

The GOP tax bill that Trump signed at the end of 2017 will end the ACAs individual mandate requiring everybody to have insurance or assert a legitimate exemption, beginning next year. So people who dont want to pay for insurance will no longer have to. That will save them the cost of premiums, but for some it will backfire, since theyll get hurt or sick and have to come up with thousands to pay for care. Repealing the mandate, meanwhile, could push premiums even higher for people who do want coverage, because those who go without will probably be healthier, leaving behind sicker people costing more to insure.

Trump has also proposed new types of skinny plans that cover limited services, for a lower up-front cost. But many health experts deride such plans as junk insurance that barely even functions as insurance, because they often dont cover the kind of costs that can torpedo family budgets if something goes wrong. And this, too, would probably push premiums higher for those who want comprehensive policies, since, again, it would be healthier people leaving the market for traditional insurance, with sicker, costlier patients remaining.

A bill to restore subsidies gone nowhere

Senators Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, and Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, have been pushing a plan in Congress that would restore some government subsidies for insurers who offer policies under Obamacare and lose money, which ought to stabilize and perhaps lower premiums for people buying individual policies. Trump killed those subsidies last year. Some insurers responded by leaving the ACA markets, while others raised premiums to make up the difference. ACA enrollees are protected against large premium hikes, because the law sets an out-of-pocket maximum, with the rest covered by the government. But people buying individual policies without subsidies have no such protection, which has made them easy targets for price hikes during the last several years.

The Alexander-Murray bill would take some of the pressure off such buyers, perhaps even lowering their premiums. But that bill has essentially died, over the usually fractious issue of taxpayer funding for abortions. So, maybe next year. Or maybe never. There are other bills in Congress that might help bring premiums down, but theyre generally stuck amid partisan do-nothingism. Its a very fixable problem, says economist Sara Collins of the Commonwealth Fund. There are ways to control costs. Its a frustrating political environment to be in.

President Trumps one big initiative in 2018 has been a plan to lower prescription drug prices. But Trump took a pass on the biggest way to do that, which would be pressing for a new law allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices directly with pharmaceutical firmsan approach he used to favor. Instead, Trumps plan calls for a series of smaller moves, such as making drug prices more transparent to consumers and allowing pharmacists to advise patients on cheaper alternatives to drugs theyre prescribed. The plan includes some good ideas, but theyre also the sort of proposals that intensive industry lobbying routinely grinds into dust.

Democrats think theres a void on health care policy that leaves them a big opening in the November midterms, and they could be right. But Democratic proposalsand there are at least five of themall call for an expanded government role in health care, something much of the public is leery about. Theres also the pesky issue of where to get the money for more public funding of health care, at a time when the governments annual deficits are likely to start topping $1 trillion. One Democratic idea is to reverse some of the Trump tax cuts, and use that money for health care. But that would put the Democrats in the position of advocating tax hikes, which is never popular in an election year. Invoking Stormy Daniels is a lot easier.

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By Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday rejected any plan by President Donald Trump to ease restrictions on China's ZTE Corp <000063.SZ>, calling the telecommunications firm a security threat and vowing not to abandon legislation clamping down on the company. Trump on Monday had defended his decision to revisit penalties on ZTE for flouting U.S. sanctions on trade with Iran, in part by saying it was reflective of the larger trade deal the United States is negotiating with China. "I hope the administration does not move forward on this supposed deal I keep reading about," Republican Senator Marco Rubio said. Bilateral talks between the world's two biggest economies resume in Washington this week. The Trump administration is considering an arrangement under which the ban on ZTE would be eased in exchange for elimination of new Chinese tariffs on certain U.S. farm products, including pork, fruits, nuts and ginseng, two people familiar with the proposal said. The potential arrangement was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. "They are basically conducting an all-out assault to steal what we've already developed and use it as the baseline for their development so they can supplant us as the leader in the most important technologies of the 21st century," Rubio said at a Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Asia policy. Trump had taken to Twitter on Sunday with a pledge to help the company, which has suspended its main operations, because the penalties had cost too many jobs in China. It was a departure for a president who often touts "America First" policies. The Commerce Department in April found ZTE had violated a 2017 settlement created after the company violated sanctions on Iran and North Korea, and banned U.S. companies from providing exports to ZTE for seven years. U.S. companies are estimated to provide 25 percent to 30 percent of components used in ZTE's equipment, which includes smartphones and gear to build telecommunications networks. CYBERSNOOPING? The suggestion outraged members of Congress who have been pressing for more restrictions on ZTE. Some U.S. lawmakers have alleged equipment made by ZTE and other Chinese companies could pose a cyber security threat. "Who makes unilateral concessions on the eve of talks after you've spent all this time trying to say, correctly in my view, that the Chinese have ripped off our technology?" Senator Ron Wyden, the senior Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees trade policy, told Reuters. Wyden, who is also on the Intelligence Committee, was one of 32 Senate Democrats who signed a letter on Tuesday accusing Trump of putting China's interests ahead of U.S. jobs and national security. The company has denied wrongdoing. Republican Representative Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said at a Bloomberg event on Tuesday he did not expect lawmakers would seek to remove a ban on ZTE technology from a must-pass annual defense policy bill making its way through Congress. "I confess I dont fully understand the administrations take on this at this point," Thornberry said. "It is not a question to me of economics, it is a question of security." Another Republican, Senator John Kennedy, defended Trump, saying the presidents approach is part of a larger set of negotiations with China. "He didn't get up one day and go, 'I think I'll change my mind on ZTE.' I think its part of a larger issue, and part of a larger set of negotiations," Kennedy told reporters. (Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell and David Lawder; Editing by Chris Sanders and Meredith Mazzilli)
The United States blocked a United Nations (UN) Security Council statement drafted Monday that called for an independent investigation into the deaths of at least 58 Palestinians along the Israeli-Gaza border.

Monday represented the bloodiest day of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since Israel's invasion of Gaza in 2014.

The unrest coincided with the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, a Trump administration directive widely condemned by the international community.

The United States blocked a United Nations (UN) Security Council statement drafted Monday that called for an independent investigation into the deaths of at least 58 Palestinians along the Israeli-Gaza border.

Monday's violence followed several weeks of mass protests in the Israeli-blockaded territory of Gaza, which is governed by militant Islamist group Hamas. The unrest coincided with the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem , a Donald Trump administration directive widely condemned by the international community.

"The Security Council expresses its outrage and sorrow at the killing of Palestinian civilians exercising their right to peaceful protest," a draft of the statement read, which was seen and reported by AFP . "The Security Council calls for an independent and transparent investigation into these actions to ensure accountability."

The U.S. has used its veto power 43 times against UN resolutions concerning Israel.

More than 2,400 people were reported injured as Israeli Defense Forces fired live bullets into crowds of protesters, the majority of whom were unarmed. At least eight children under the age of 16 were killed, according to Palestine's envoy to the UN.

The draft statement also referred to the protests as "peaceful," a clear point of contention between opposing sides in the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called the killings an act of self-defense, blaming the violence on Hamas, which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization. The claim was echoed by the White House.

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"The Hamas terrorist organization declares it intends to destroy Israel and sends thousands to breach the border fence in order to achieve this goal," Netanyahu wrote on Twitter. "We will continue to act with determination to protect our sovereignty and citizens." Since the 1990s, hundreds of Israelis have been killed in terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas.

Jerusalem embassy opening

Monday represented the bloodiest day of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since Operation Protective Edge, Israel's invasion of Gaza in 2014, which was launched in response to Hamas rockets fired across the Israeli border. That conflict saw more than 10,000 Gazans and 70 Israelis killed.

Fighting erupts every few years in the poverty-stricken Gaza Strip, but clashes hit a multi-year high Monday as Ivanka Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin inaugurated the new embassy in Jerusalem, which both Israelis and Palestinians see as their spiritual capital.

Trump in December broke with decades of U.S. foreign policy, declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel and enraging Arab and Muslim communities around the world . Shortly after the announcement, 128 countries voted in a non-binding UN resolution calling on the U.S. to reverse its move.

Broad international consensus does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, and leaves the status of Jerusalem to negotiations. Palestinians envision East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and have been advocating for statehood  sometimes violently  for more than half a century.

Several European leaders on Monday expressed concern over the violence, reiterating their support for a "two-state solution."

Trump pledged the embassy move as part of his campaign, as well as pledging an ambitious plan for Middle East peace, for which Monday's events don't bode well.

But this seems to have been lost on the White House, whose spokesperson Raj Shah said: "The actions today, both the opening of the embassy in Jerusalem and these tragedies in southern Israel, we don't think will impact the peace plan." It was the first time a U.S. official referred to Gaza as "southern Israel."

More than 40 Palestinians had already been killed during six weeks of "right to return" protests culminating on May 15, which for residents of the occupied territories marks the day they lost their land and homes during the establishment of the Israeli state.

Decades of conflict

Some 5 million Palestinian refugees remain eligible for services under the UN Relief Works Agency and qualify as "persons who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict." Some 1.5 million live in 58 recognized Palestine refugee camps across the Levant region, including in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian territory of Gaza was occupied by Israel following the Six-Day War of 1967, which saw the nascent state capture the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Syria's Golan Heights and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. The Sinai was eventually returned to Egypt in 1982. Though Israeli troops left Gaza in 2005, Israel still retains control of Gaza's airspace and coastline, leading the UN to continue referring to it as an occupying power there. The annexations remain controversial, and have continued to affect regional geopolitics to this day.

Gaza's 1.8 million residents live in the small 225 square-mile enclave, making it one of the most densely-populated territories on earth. Thirty-nine percent of the population lives below the poverty line, more than half lack access to reliable electricity, and unemployment stands at 42 percent, according to the UN.





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Amazons AMZN cloud division Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been a key catalyst behind the companys scintillating growth in recent times. In recently concluded first-quarter 2018, AWS revenues surged 48.6% year over year to $5.44 billion primarily driven by expanding customer base.



High performance rate and rapid deploy ability has made AWS tools desirable for small businesses as well as enterprises. Moreover, Amazons continuing investments on infrastructure development globally are aiding growth.



These factors are helping AWS to not only attract new customers but also entice existing customers to expand their usage of Amazons wide range of services across computing, storage, database, analytics, networking, mobile, developer tools, management tools, Internet of Things (IoT), security and enterprise applications.



Telecom giant Verizon Communications VZ is one such existing client which is now expanding AWS usage significantly.



The company will shift 1,000 business-critical apps and database systems to AWS. This will also involve migration of production databases to Amazon Aurora  AWS relational database engine, which also supports open-source MySQL and PostgreSQL databases. Notably, Amazon Aurora continues to be the fastest growing service in the history of AWS.



Amazon.com, Inc. Price and Consensus

Amazon.com, Inc. Price and Consensus | Amazon.com, Inc. Quote

What the Expanded Verizon Deal Signifies?



Notably, Verizon is one of the frontrunners to deploy 5G in the United States. The company recently announced that it will be launching 5G in Los Angeles with the mobile network likely to be deployed late 2018. Sacramento is the first of the three/five cities in which the company is expected to deploy 5G.



Verizons selection of a public cloud provider to migrate its database is likely to prompt other telecom providers to move their workloads to cloud. Moreover, 5G is expected to provide faster connectivity and more cost efficient delivery. This will facilitate faster content download as well as live video streaming, consequently increasing workload exponentially.



We believe a distributed cloud model will be required to address this massive problem and AWS is well-poised to provide a solution. Based on its partnership with Nokia NOK, the company has developed a converged (combining AWS and Nokias networking solutions) offering that will help it to address the needs of next-gen connectivity.



We believe the latest Verizon deal will aid Amazon to rapidly penetrate the telecom market. The increasing workload related to 5G and IoT deployments as well as customer base expansion will drive top-line growth. This will also boost its competitive prowess against Microsoft MSFT, Alphabet GOOGL and Alibaba BABA.



Microsoft Gaining Momentum



Per latest data from Synergy Research, quoted by CNBC, AWS held 33% of the cloud infrastructure market in first-quarter 2018, flat on a year-over-year basis but down sequentially.



Meanwhile, Microsoft was the biggest gainer as market share of Azure increased to 13% from 10% reported in the year-ago quarter. Googles market share also advanced to 6% from 5% reported in the year-ago quarter.



Synergy research stated that Microsoft, Google and Alibaba didnt grow at the expense of Amazon. Instead the companies seized shares from small-to-medium sized cloud operators, who collectively lost market share.



Amazon with market share above 30% continues to dominate, per research firm Canalys data as quoted by CNBC. However, Microsoft has gained rapidly, while Google also experienced modest improvement.



Microsoft Azure is also benefiting from rapid increase in customer base. In the last reported quarter, revenues soared 89% at constant currency on a year-over-year basis. Strong adoption of its Office 365 suite is also anticipated to boost cloud top-line growth, going ahead.



Moreover, Microsoft invested around $3.5 billion in capital expenditures during the quarter, a majority of which was certainly on enhancing the features of cloud business. Data center expansion also continues with Azure now in 50 regions globally, more than any other cloud provider.



Google Cloud continues to gain modestly. Although the company doesnt separately disclose cloud numbers, Alphabets Google other revenues category, which is comprised of the Google Play Store, Google Cloud offerings, and its hardware initiatives, surged 35% to $4.35 billion in the recently concluded the first quarter.



Solid Clientele to Aid Market Share Expansion



Nevertheless, we believe AWS rapidly expanding enterprise clientele that now includes Disney, Expedia, Comcast, GE, Salesforce.com, Workday and Netflix will continue to bolster share in the Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) market.



In the first quarter, AWS added enterprise customers like GoDaddy, Shutterfly, NextGen Healthcare, Amway, and LG Electronics among others. Moreover, AWS launched two Availability Zones ("AZ") and one Local Region in Osaka, Japan during the quarter.



AWS now operates 54 AZ across 18 geographic regions globally. The company plans to open 12 more AZ across four regions (Bahrain, Hong Kong, Sweden) and a second GovCloud Region in the United States by early 2019.



We also note that AWS, which now contributes 11% of Amazons first-quarter revenues, is significantly profitable. Operating income of $1.4 billion was almost 73% of the companys total operating income in the first quarter.



Zacks Rank



Currently, Amazon carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Both Microsoft and Alphabet carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Story continues

Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies

It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%.

And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation.

See Them Free>>



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Nokia Corporation (NOK) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has apologized to the families of victims of an airstrike by the countrys forces that killed dozens -- mostly children -- in a restive province bordering Central Asia last month.

On May 16, Ghani met with the families of the victims, most of whom were students of a religious school in Dasht-e Archi, a rural district of the northern Kunduz Province.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said 36 people, including 30 children, were killed in the April 2 attack by the Afghan Air Force. The organizations investigation made public on May 7 established that 71 more people, mostly children, were also injured.

The Afghan government in general and the Afghan Defense Ministry in particular apologizes to the families of the victims of this attack, Ghani said. The key difference between the government and insurgents is that a legitimate government will always seek forgiveness for mistakes.

The apology followed weeks of official denials. In its initial reaction, Kabul said the airstrikes had targeted senior Taliban leaders, including members of the Taliban leadership council, the Quetta Shura. Afghan officials said fighters from the Taliban special forces or commando unit, formally called the Red Unit, were also killed in the attack.

Even last week, the Afghan Defense Ministry insisted that based on its intelligence reports, 18 important Taliban commanders, including Mawlawi Baryal, a member of the Quetta Shura, were killed in the attack.

Twelve more Taliban commanders were injured in this strike, a statement by the ministry claimed on May 8. Unfortunately, the Taliban used people as a shield. Nine civilians were killed and 55 more were injured in the attack.

UNAMA called on Kabul to conduct a prompt, impartial, and transparent investigation to ensure accountability for perpetrators and make public the findings and measures taken.

Ghani, however, was vague about what exact steps his government would take to address this issue. I have told the defense minister to be very diligent in carrying out airstrikes so we can prevent such incidents, he said.

Civilian casualties in airstrikes have been a major hallmark of the current Afghan war since 2001. The Taliban often portray such casualties as evidence of their claims that foreign and Afghan forces target Afghan civilians.

In a report earlier this year, UNAMA documented 10,453 civilian casualties across Afghanistan last year. These included 3,438 dead and 7,015 wounded.

While the report said that most attacks were caused by insurgent violence, it noted 631 civilian casualties in aerial attacks. These included 295 deaths and 336 injuries.

As part of U.S. President Donald Trumps Afghanistan strategy, NATO and Afghan forces are seeking to increase military pressure on the insurgents. They often rely on airstrikes to target insurgents in the vast countryside. The Afghan Air Force, equipped with Brazilian A-29 Super Tucano combat aircrafts and attack helicopters, is now playing a greater role in the air war.
ISLAMABAD, China has proposed hosting a new round of three-way talks with Pakistan and Afghanistan this month to continue with its diplomatic push in helping the two neighboring countries improve their strained bilateral ties.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing told an unofficial conference of government representatives and experts from the three countries in Islamabad on May 15 that Beijing had initiated the trilateral vice foreign ministers-level dialogue in 2015. He said that since then, several rounds of talks have taken place, with the mission of easing Kabul's tensions with Islamabad and promoting security, counterterrorism and economic cooperation among the three nations.

"So, for this purpose, the Chinese government has proposed to ... hold the next round of the strategic dialogue and also the practical cooperation dialogue at the end of this month in Beijing," Jing announced.

The engagement will further enhance "our sense of common community, our sense of development, our sense of common destiny for the three countries," he added.

The ambassador underscored that without the participation and common development of neighboring countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, Beijing could not achieve development of western China under its global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Major Investments

China is investing billions of dollars in Pakistan to build road, rail and communication infrastructure, power plants and ports to connect the two countries. Beijing has declared the megaproject, known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as the flagship project of BRI.

But both Chinese and Pakistani officials admit a peaceful Afghanistan is vital for promoting mutual and regional economic cooperation.

"Afghanistan, Pakistan occupy the central part, the hub of this initiative. ... Afghanistan is so crucial for the success of this initiative," Jing said.

He praised Islamabad and Kabul for achieving progress in bilateral negotiations hosted by Pakistan on May 14.

Senior foreign ministry officials of the two countries have agreed after months of deliberations to further bilateral engagements under a formal framework for resolving issues straining mutual ties and for promoting a peaceful end to the Afghan war.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also issued its formal reaction to the progress made in this week's talks between the two estranged neighbors.

"We believe that it will help create an enabling environment for the early realization of peace in Afghanistan and contribute to the two sides' efforts to uphold peace and development of their two countries, as well as the whole region," ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.

Trade, Security Talks

Afghan Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal appeared upbeat about Kabul's security and trade-related talks with Islamabad, and said they were on track. He noted that impediments in trade and transit to his landlocked country through Pakistan had been significantly reduced as a result of recent engagements.

Zakhilwal credited an improved environment for the productive talks on May 14, where both sides agreed on the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) framework of dialogue formulated by Islamabad.

"It took us only three hours to finalize [the APAPPS] and inshallah [God willing], we will put it to implementation," the Afghan ambassador said on May 15.

"There is now more direct military-to-military contact. A lot of disputes that arise, now they directly talk to each other and defuse tensions along the Durand Line [Pakistan-Afghanistan border]," Zakhilwal said. He noted that both countries were working on more bilateral high-level visits.

Afghanistan and Pakistan share a nearly 2,600-kilometer, largely porous border. Islamabad has lately started constructing a fence on the frontier to stop terrorist infiltration in either direction, officials say. The plan has fueled tensions and often provokes cross-border skirmishes because Kabul disputes the British early demarcation of 1893.

Pakistan's National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua, acknowledged China's proactive diplomacy was helping to ease regional tensions. He emphasized the need for both countries to separate politics from economic ties.

"Pakistan and Afghanistan should complement each other by becoming a trade corridor. And that is where China is a great help, he told the conference on May 15. Pakistan, Afghanistan, let us value each other. Let us make use of this opportunity. Let's engage ourselves constructively, if not for ourselves, for our children."

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan stem from allegations that the Taliban uses sanctuaries on Pakistani soil to sustain its violent campaign, while Islamabad says fugitive anti-state militants use "ungoverned" Afghan areas to plot terrorist attacks against the country.

Efforts On Taliban

Pakistan's Janjua and China's Jing both praised Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's recent offer of peace talks to the Taliban insurgency. The insurgents have not yet responded, and instead have intensified attacks in Afghanistan.

"It is for the first time ever that such an initiative has been taken that peace has been given a chance. We have not succeeded in Afghanistan because everyone has been investing in the war. This is for the first time that we are talking of peace," Janjua noted.

The Pakistani adviser explained the importance of Afghan peace for his nation: "We all are aware that we have got a war haunting our streets, haunting our children anywhere and everywhere, same as Afghanistan. That's why I say that we are partners in pains and sufferings."

China, Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past two years also have launched a trilateral engagement at the foreign ministers level, and the three sides are scheduled to meet in Kabul for another round of talks later this year.

Beijing is engaged economically in Afghanistan, but its active political involvement in promoting Afghan peace stems from concerns that continued Afghan war and instability will encourage terrorist groups like Islamic State to expand their footprints in the region and ultimately will threaten the restive western Chinese region of Xinjiang.

"This terrorism is a regional problem, and I think a regional problem needed a regional approach to deal with it. So, China, we definitely want to engage Afghanistan, engage Pakistan along with other regional partners in successfully dealing with the challenge of terrorism," Jing said.

-- Reported by the Voice of America
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European grant amounting to 13.9 million, of which 5.7 million for Global Bioenergies

Industry consortium led by Global Bioenergies and bringing together Sekab, Graanul Invest, Neste Engineering Solutions, Repsol, Peab Asfalt, SkyNRG, Ajinomoto Eurolysine, IPSB, TechnipFMC and Linz University

Aim at converting softwood residues into isobutene derivatives for use

in gasoline and jetfuel

Evry (France), 14 May 2018 - Global Bioenergies today announces the start of a

3-year project to demonstrate a new value chain combining its Isobutene process with technologies developed by Sekab and Neste Engineering Solutions, two of Europe's leading technology developers. The aim is to convert currently poorly valorised softwood residues into second generation renewable isobutene for subsequent conversion into gasoline and jetfuel. A 13.9m grant agreement was signed with INEA on behalf of the European commission.

Biomass is frequently considered as an alternative feedstock to fossil oil in order to address the issues of climate change and resources depletion, and also to strengthen energy independence of European nations. However, such substitution is far from trivial and innovative processes are needed to efficiently convert residual biomass into drop-in fuels and chemicals.

The present project, gathering renowned industrialists from various fields, sets the foundations of a first-of-a-kind biorefinery converting residual wood to high performances drop-in renewable gasoline and jetfuel. With an estimated forestry residues potential of about 145 million tons per year, the European Union has the potential to support the deployment of hundreds of such biorefineries.

Peep Pitk, Head of R&D at Graanul Invest declares: "We are thrilled by the opportunity to be part of industrial consortia which focus on softwood residue streams valorisation in novel value chains and end-use markets. We believe it to be important to kick-start the biomaterials market with high sustainability standards, as it will add strong value to the softwood residues on long term basis."

The 11 project partners coming from 8 EU-member States have signed an agreement with the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) which manages the Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy societal challenge of the Horizon 2020 program. INEA's mission is to support the Commission, project promoters and stakeholders by providing expertise and high quality of program management.

The project was selected under the name REWOFUEL (N792104), in the frame of the European HORIZON 2020 program for research and innovation, following a very selective and competitive process led by independent experts.

The objective is to demonstrate the new value chain at cubic meter scale by combining the technologies and know-how of participants as follows:

Residual softwood supply and processing by Graanul Invest AS (Estonia)

Softwood conversion to hydrolysates by Sekab, using its CelluAPP  technology (Sweden),

Hydrolysates fermentation to bio-isobutene by Global Bioenergies (France and Germany),

Bio-isobutene conversion to fuel components by Neste Engineering Solutions (Finland),

Preliminary engineering of a wood-to-isobutene plant and overall integration with a fuel conversion unit by TechnipFMC and IPSB (France),

Evaluation of Gasoline applications by Repsol (Spain)

Evaluation of Jetfuel application by SkyNRG (Netherlands)

Valorisation of the lignin side stream by Peab Asfalt (Sweden)

Valorisation of proteins from the dried killed residual biomass by Ajinomoto Eurolysine (France), and

Assessment of the sustainability and environmental benefits by the Energy Institute at the University of Linz (Austria).

Jonas Markusson, Innovation Manager of SEKAB declares: "The REWOFUEL project has great potential to become an alternative value chain to existing biofuels and to create new uses of European residual forestry resources. All parts of the process - the extraction of sugars from wood, the conversion to bio-isobutene, lignin-based chemicals and the production of gasoline and jefuel - are well developed and are all cutting edge."

Marita Niemela, CTO at Neste Engineering Solutions, declares: "We are very excited in tailoring our next generation NExETHERS and NExOCTANE technologies to wood-derived bio-isobutene in order to demonstrate the production of sustainable 100 % renewable fuel components. We regard this project as a great opportunity for showing how a genuinely synergistic European partnership can bring to the market drop-in high performance fuel components derived from forestry residue materials."

Adriana Orejas, Director of Technology Downstream at Repsol declares: "We promote advanced biofuel research projects that use raw-materials coming from non-food sources which have a high technological content and reduce carbon intensity. At Repsol, we are resolutely committed to sustainability. It is essential to generate value today and in the future to society and, therefore, to our Company."

The program covers a total budget of 19.7 million. Non-refundable grants totalling 13.9 million will be provided by the European Union, with the remainder being contributed by the participants. Global Bioenergies will be the coordinator of the project, and receive funding amounting to 5.7 million. Additionally REWOFUEL will be supported by numerous industrialists including Air France and Safran.

Marc Delcourt, CEO of Global Bioenergies concludes: "While we make progress on our first commercial project based on sugar beet-derived sugars, this new grant from the H2020 program further supports our strategy to diversify the feedstocks usable in our Isobutene process, and thus opens the door to the deployment of our technology in many new geographies."

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 792104

About GLOBAL BIOENERGIES

Global Bioenergies is one of the few companies worldwide, and the only one in Europe, that is developing a process to convert renewable resources into hydrocarbons through fermentation. The Company initially focused its efforts on the production of isobutene, one of the most important petrochemical building blocks that can be converted into fuels, plastics, organic glass and elastomers. Global Bioenergies continues to improve the performance of its process, operates an industrial pilot, has started operations at its demo plant in Germany, and is preparing its first full-scale plant through a joint venture with Cristal Union, named

IBN-One. Global Bioenergies is listed on Alternext, Euronext Paris (FR0011052257 - ALGBE).

Should you like to be kept informed, subscribe to our news feed on

www.global-bioenergies.com

Follow us on Twitter: @GlobalBioenergi

Contact
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Sika AG (the "Issuer" or "Sika") successfully completed the offering (the "Offering") of CHF 1,650 million senior convertible bonds (the "Bonds") due 2025, upsized from the original CHF 1,500 million issue size. Sika intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering mainly to refinance the recently announced acquisition of its own shares from Compagnie de Saint-Gobain and for general corporate purposes.

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The Issuer may call the Bonds at any time on or after the 21st calendar day after the 5th anniversary of the Settlement Date at the relevant net principal amount, if the VWAP of the Shares is at least 130% of the conversion price on at least 20 out of 30 consecutive trading days.

The Bonds will be provisionally allocated to investors participating in today's book building. Such allocation of the Bonds will be subject to a pro-rata reduction relative to the number of advance subscription rights exercised by existing shareholders during the rights exercise period (the "Clawback").

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The Offering of the Bonds consists of a public offering in Switzerland and private placements of Bonds to professional investors only in other jurisdictions. The Bonds will be offered to investors outside the United States of America (the "United States" or "US") in compliance with Regulation S under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and in accordance with applicable securities laws, rules and regulations. The Bonds may not be offered or sold in the United States.

The Settlement of the Offering (the "Settlement Date") is expected to take place on June 5, 2018. Application for the listing and trading of the Bonds according to the Standard for Bonds of the SIX Swiss Exchange will be made.

The Issuer has agreed to a 90-day lock-up period from the Settlement Date.

The Issuer is rated A- (stable outlook) by Standard & Poor's. The Bonds are expected to be rated in line with the Issuer's corporate rating and the Issuer will apply for the Bonds to be rated by S&P.

UBS is acting as Sole Global Coordinator and Sole Bookrunner.

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT BEING ISSUED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (THE "UNITED STATES" OR "U.S.") AND SHOULD NOT BE DISTRIBUTED TO UNITED STATES PERSONS OR PUBLICATIONS WITH A GENERAL CIRCULATION IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OR INVITATION TO SUBSCRIBE FOR OR PURCHASE ANY SECURITIES NOR DOES IT CONSTITUTE A PROSPECTUS WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLES 652A OR 1156 OF THE SWISS CODE OF OBLIGATIONS OR A LISTING PROSPECTUS PURSUANT TO THE LISTING RULES OF THE SIX SWISS EXCHANGE. ANY DECISION TO PURCHASE ANY SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN SHOULD BE SOLELY BASED ON THE RELEVANT PROSPECTUS, which is expected to be published on or around the date hereof by SIKA AG and is available free of charge at UBS AG, Prospectus Library, P.O. Box, CH-8098 Zurich, Switzerland (telephone: +41 44 239 47 03, fax: +41 44 239 69 14 or e-mail: swiss-prospectus@ubs.com). IN ADDITION, NEITHER THE BONDS NOR THE SHARES OF SIKA AG INTO WHICH THE BONDS ARE CONVERTIBLE HAVE BEEN OR WILL BE REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES LAWS AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD OR DELIVERED WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS ABSENT FROM REGISTRATION UNDER OR AN APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES LAWS.

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THIS PUBLICATION MAY CONTAIN SPECIFIC FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, E.G. STATEMENTS INCLUDING TERMS LIKE "BELIEVE", ASSUME", "EXPECT", "FORECAST", "PROJECT", "MAY", "COULD", "MIGHT", "WILL" OR SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS. SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO KNOWN AND UNKNOWN RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES AND OTHER FACTORS WHICH MAY RESULT IN A SUBSTANTIAL DIVERGENCE BETWEEN THE ACTUAL RESULTS, FINANCIAL SITUATION, DEVELOPMENT OR PERFORMANCE OF THE COMPANY AND THOSE EXPLICITLY OR IMPLICITLY PRESUMED IN THESE STATEMENTS. AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THESE UNCERTAINTIES, READERS SHOULD NOT RELY ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. SIKA AG ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY TO UPDATE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS OR TO ADAPT THEM TO FUTURE EVENTS OR DEVELOPMENTS.

CONTACT

Dominik Slappnig

Corporate Communications &

Investor Relations

+41 58 436 68 21

slappnig.dominik@ch.sika.com

SIKA CORPORATE PROFILE

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing and protecting in the building sector and motor vehicle industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 101 countries around the world and manufactures in over 200 factories. Its more than 18,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 6.25 billion in 2017.

The media release can be downloaded from the following link:
TORONTO, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Compass Gold Corp. (TSX-V:CVB) (Compass or the Company) is pleased to announce that its Warrant Holders have exercised approximately 2.3 million warrants from the November 2017 private placement (see News Release dated November 29, 2017), for gross proceeds to the Company of $830,000. These funds will be used to supplement the Companys existing treasury for the ongoing exploration of its Sikasso gold properties located in the prolific greenstone belts of southern Mali.



Commenting on the exercise of the warrants, Company President and CEO, Larry Phillips, said, The exercise of these warrants shows the confidence of our Warrant Holders in the Company and their interest in the exciting results achieved over the first four months of this year. The $830,000, when added to the existing $4 million exploration budget for 2018, gives the Company the financial strength to fund aggressive exploration at Sikasso through to the end of the year and beyond.

All of the 2,000,000 warrants that expired on May 4, 2018 were exercised at a price of $0.35, along with the 84,000 broker warrants, for total proceeds of $750,000. A further 228,571 warrants expiring on May 15, 2018 were exercised at $0.35 for total proceeds of $80,000. The exercise of these warrants brought Compasss total number of shares outstanding to 29,738,522.

About Compass Gold Corp.

Compass, a public company having been incorporated into Ontario, is a Tier 2 issuer on the TSX-V. Through the recent acquisition of MGE and Malian subsidiaries, Compass holds gold exploration permits in Mali that comprise the Sikasso Property. The exploration permits are located in three sites in southern Mali with a combined land holding of 1,179 km2. The Sikasso Property is located in the same region as several other multi-million ounce gold projects, including Morila, Syama, Kalana and Kodieran. The Companys Mali-based technical team, led in the field by Dr. Diallo and under the supervision of Dr. Sandy Archibald, P.Geo, is initiating a new exploration program. They are examining the first of numerous anomalies noted for further investigation in Dr. Archibalds August 2017 National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report on the Sikasso Property, Southern Mali.

Qualified Person

This news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Sandy Archibald, P.Geo, Compasss Technical Director, who is the Qualified Person for the technical information in this news release under National Instrument 43-101 standards.

ForwardLooking Information

This news release contains "forwardlooking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the Companys planned exploration work and management appointments. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forwardlooking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by such information. The statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forwardlooking information except as required by applicable law.

For further information please contact:

Compass Gold Corporation Compass Gold Corporation Larry Phillips  Pres. & CEO Greg Taylor  Dir. Investor Relations & Corporate Communications lphillips@compassgoldcorp.com gtaylor@compassgoldcorp.com T: +1 416-596-0996 X 302 T: +1 416-596-0996 X 301

Website: www.compassgoldcorp.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 RELEASE.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lumina Gold Corp. (TSXV:LUM) (OTC:LUMAF) (the Company or Lumina) is pleased to announce the results of initial prospecting activities at the companys wholly owned Tarqui concessions, where porphyry copper mineralization has been discovered from surface outcrops. The Tarqui 1&2 concessions (4,817 ha) are strategically located in the prolific Zamora Copper-Gold Metallogenic Belt in southeast Ecuador. A new asphalt road cuts across the eastern part of both Tarqui concessions which are approximately 15 kilometres from the town of Gualaquiza.



Preliminary mapping and sampling have defined porphyry style mineralization extending over an area of at least 1 x 1.5 kilometres in the northern part of the Tarqui 1 concession, with other mineralized zones encountered further to the south. Extensive patches of copper oxides and copper silicates were sampled from hydrothermally altered granodiorites and other intrusive rocks assaying up to 1.65% copper. A total of 220 continuous channel samples of surface copper mineralization were extracted, typically as two metre composites over 150 metre long panels. The two panel locations are illustrated in Figure 1. Samples from Panel 1 averaged 0.2% copper, 1.17 g/t silver, 0.05 g/t gold and 12.5 ppm molybdenum over its entire length and includes 10 contiguous meters averaging 0.75% copper, 0.39 g/t silver and 0.01 g/t gold. Panel 2 averaged 0.1% copper, 0.315 g/t silver, 0.01 g/t gold and 6.5 ppm molybdenum over its entire length.

In addition, 211 chip samples were taken over wider areas of the property. Chip samples of silver-rich quartz veins assayed up to 597 g/t silver, 3.6 g/t gold and 0.49% copper. The samples were prepared at the ALS Chemex facility in Quito, Ecuador and assayed at ALS in Vancouver, Canada. Sample duplicates were taken every 20th to 40th sample for a total of 10 laboratory control samples.

Lumina plans to continue bedrock sampling and mapping at Tarqui, augmented by ridge and spur as well as grid-based soil auger sampling. Lumina also plans to conduct Induced Polarization (IP) work at Tarqui in the second half of 2018 using the survey team currently dedicated to the companys Orquideas copper-molybdenum earn-in project with First Quantum Minerals. The resistivity and chargeability data prepared by the IP team will be used to define drill targets at Tarqui.

Summary of Mineralized Rock Chip and Channel Samples from Tarqui 1 (>0.35% Cu)

Sample Number Sample Type Lithology Cu (%) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Mo (ppm) RW649733 Chip Quartz vein 1.65 0.38 12.2 148.0 RW648216 Channel 1m Granodiorite porphyry 1.30 0.02 0.6 6.6 RW648218 Channel 1m Granodiorite porphyry 0.84 0.02 0.4 9.8 RW648215 Channel 1m Granodiorite porphyry 0.70 0.01 0.4 5.5 RW648521 Chip Granodiorite porphyry 0.64 0.03 0.9 285.0 RW649661 Channel 2m Quartz monzonite 0.63 0.01 1.1 55.5 RW648858 Chip Quartz diorite 0.60 0.04 0.8 5.6 RW648575 Channel 1m Granodiorite 0.59 0.07 0.6 18.5 RW649804 Chip Monzonite 0.58 0.01 0.2 4.5 RW649732 Channel 2m Quartz diorite 0.57 0.03 1.3 10.5 RW648566 Chip Granodiorite porphyry 0.55 0.10 2.9 1.8 RW649811 Chip Quartz vein 0.54 0.15 1.8 577.0 RW649730 Channel 2m Quartz diorite 0.52 0.02 0.5 4.2 RW648878 Chip Granodiorite 0.51 0.03 1.0 13.9 RW649737 Chip Quartz vein 0.50 0.93 2.2 15.6 RW648557 Chip Quartz vein 0.49 1.53 597.0 149.0 RW649803 Chip Monzonite 0.49 0.03 0.6 3.8 RW648217 Channel 1m Granodiorite porphyry 0.48 0.01 0.3 1.5 RW648214 Channel 1m Granodiorite porphyry 0.46 0.01 0.3 3.7 RW649729 Channel 2m Quartz monzonite 0.44 0.03 0.5 1.7 RW648529 Grab Quartz monzonite 0.43 0.00 1.0 0.7 RW648556 Chip Quartz vein 0.40 1.93 523.0 119.0 RW648371 Channel 2m Quartz diorite 0.39 0.02 0.5 3.5 RW649801 Chip Monzonite 0.39 0.02 1.0 5.2

Note: An additional 43 samples had copper grades between 0.197% and 0.345%.

About Lumina Gold

Lumina Gold Corp. (TSXV:LUM) is a Vancouver, Canada based precious and base metals exploration and development company focused on gold and copper projects in Ecuador. The Companys Cangrejos Gold-Copper project is located in El Oro Province, southwest Ecuador, and its Condor Gold-Copper project is located in Zamora-Chinchipe Province, southeast Ecuador. The Company also holds a large and highly prospective land package in Ecuador consisting of 135 thousand hectares. The Company has an experienced management team with a successful track record of advancing and monetizing exploration projects.

Further details are available on the Companys website at https://luminagold.com/

LUMINA GOLD CORP. For further information contact: Signed: Marshall Koval Scott Hicks shicks@luminagold.com Marshall Koval, President & CEO, Director T: +1 604 646 1890

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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to plans to continue bedrock sampling, mapping and Induced Polarization work at Tarqui and that the resistivity and chargeability data will be used to define drill targets at Tarqui. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of words such as will, plans or variations of that word and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results will, could or are intended to be taken, occur or be achieved.



With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, the Company has made numerous assumptions including among other things, assumptions about general business and economic conditions, the prices of gold and copper, and anticipated costs and expenditures. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive.



Although management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that a forward-looking statement or information herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. These factors include, but are not limited to: risks associated with the business of the Company; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks relating to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions (including with respect to the tonnage, grade and recoverability of reserves and resources); risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks relating to adverse weather conditions; political risk and social unrest; changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time in the Companys continuous disclosure documents filed with Canadian securities administrators. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

An image accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/5d5c7735-eb1a-48b7-8dd0-11f65242111e
Was Israeli soldier Adam Damkani awarded the medal for bravery after being hit by a pebble launched by a 12-year-old Palestinian boy? No, that's not true. The story about the award for bravery was made up by a satirical website mocking the arms imbalance during the recent Gaza border riots.

It originated in an article published on May 16, 2018 by the Waterford Whispers News that was titled "Israeli Soldier Awarded Medal For Bravery After Being Hit By Pebble" (archived here) which opened:

JUST days after being struck down by a pebble launched from a terrorist 12-year-old Palestinian's catapult, inspirational IDF soldier and Israeli man, Adam Damkani, was awarded the medal for bravery. Injured in a series of clashes at the Israeli border, which is somehow situated in the heart of Palestine, the fallen 23-year-old soldier was rushed to hospital in the hopes of not needing a stitch, where a team of medical experts helped dress his injuries with a band aid. "When we saw the scratch on his head we just had to act immediately," Israeli red cross member Jacob Alterman recalled, "he was visibly upset and was crying profusely, asking for his family members. "We were all a little taken aback at the level of his injury. He even flinched when we tried to clean the abrasion with a cotton bud. Hopefully it won't leave a scar".

The image used in the story is just a random stock photo of an Israeli soldier receiving an insignia:

Officers of the IDF reward the soldier with the insignia at the... Download this Officers Of The Idf Reward The Soldier With The Insignia At The Formation In Engineering Corps Fallen Memorial Monument In Mishmar David Israel picture for editorial use now. And search more of the web's best library of celebrity photos and news images from iStock.

The site Waterford Whispers News has a disclaimer page which reads:

Disclaimer

Waterford Whispers News is a fabricated satirical newspaper and comedy website published by Waterford Whispers News. Waterford Whispers News uses invented names in all its stories, except in cases when public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental.

For that reason alone you should probably never believe anything they publish.

We wrote about waterfordwhispersnews.com before, here are our most recent articles that mention the site:
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New Delhi, May 16 (IBNS): The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved National Policy on Biofuels  2018.

Salient Features:

The Policy categorises biofuels as "Basic Biofuels" viz. First Generation (1G) bioethanol & biodiesel and "Advanced Biofuels" - Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels, Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc. to enable extension of appropriate financial and fiscal incentives under each category.

The Policy expands the scope of raw material for ethanol production by allowing use of Sugarcane Juice, Sugar containing materials like Sugar Beet, Sweet Sorghum, Starch containing materials like Corn, Cassava, Damaged food grains like wheat, broken rice, Rotten Potatoes, unfit for human consumption for ethanol production.

Farmers are at a risk of not getting appropriate price for their produce during the surplus production phase. Taking this into account, the Policy allows use of surplus food grains for production of ethanol for blending with petrol with the approval of National Biofuel Coordination Committee.

With a thrust on Advanced Biofuels, the Policy indicates a viability gap funding scheme for 2G ethanol Bio refineries of Rs.5000 crore in 6 years in addition to additional tax incentives, higher purchase price as compared to 1G biofuels.

The Policy encourages setting up of supply chain mechanisms for biodiesel production from non-edible oilseeds, Used Cooking Oil, short gestation crops.

Roles and responsibilities of all the concerned Ministries/Departments with respect to biofuels has been captured in the Policy document to synergise efforts.
Seoul/Washington, May 16 (IBNS): North Korea has threatened to cancel the upcoming talk between its leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump if the latter unilaterally insists the former gives up nuclear weapons, media reports said on Wednesday.

Kim and Trump are scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12.

As per a CNN news report, a statement published by the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said North Korea would never accept economic assistance from the US in exchange for unilaterally abandoning its nuclear program.

CNN reported that Kim Kye Gwan, North Korea's First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was quoted in the article as saying that the US has said "it would offer economic compensation and benefit in case we abandon (nuclear weapons)."

"We have never had any expectation of US support in carrying out our economic construction and will not... make such a deal in future," he added.

He said the US will get 'deserving response' if it is "genuinely committed" to improving ties with Pyongyang.

"But if they try to push us into a corner and force only unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in that kind of talks and will have to reconsider...the upcoming summit," he said,

North Korea cancels talks with South Korea:

Meanwhile, North Korea has cancelled its high-level talks with South Korea, which was planned to take place on Wednesday.

The country has cited ongoing military exercises between the South and the United States as the reason behind cancelling the meet.

"The North's Korean Central News Agency said the Max Thunder drills between the South Korean and U.S. air forces are a rehearsal for invasion of the North and a provocation amid warming inter-Korean ties," reported South Korea's Yonhap News agency.

Improvement in relationship in recent times:

Relationship between South and North Korea seemed to have improved in recent times with Kim Jong un meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Panmunjom peace village on Apr 27.

The neighbouring leaders shaking hands over the Military Demarcation Line grabbed attention all over the world.

US, Trump and North Korea:

2017 witnessed US President Donald Trump slamming North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as the Asian nation continued to conduct several of its missile tests, teasing world peace and tranquillity and often threatening to trigger a war.

Situation became far tensed when North Korea tested an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) that it said was capable of striking US mainland.

The United Nations Security Council imposed strong new sanctions against the Asian nation after its Nov 29 launch of a nuclear-capable weapon.

Trump and North Korea continued to exchange barbs earlier this year too.

Fresh development in the relationship between North Korea, South Korea and the US began recently when a North Korean delegation was invited to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Trump and Kim agreed to meet on June 12, signalling improved relationship between the two nations.

Three United States nationals were also released by North Korea this month.

The move was appreciated by the United Nations.

The release of three United States nationals by North Korea is another important building block towards peace, said a United Nations human rights expert on Thursday, while urging the release of six South Korean nationals who are still being held.

In a statement reacting to the release of the US citizens, Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN expert on human rights in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) said that he had consistently advocated for the release of these foreign detainees, who were reportedly under arbitrary detention and prevented from enjoying their basic freedoms.

I welcome this important decision of the DPRK Government, the Special Rapporteur continued, which I hope will offer an opportunity to further address human rights and humanitarian concerns, he added.

Kim Sang-duk, known as Tony Kim, Kim Hak Song and Kim Dong-chul were among several foreign nationals arrested in recent years in the country.
The news of a new trial date reiterates threats that had previously been levied against Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family. It also happens to have emerged just ahead of a planned meeting in Brussels between Johnson, his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, and the foreign ministers of the other signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which the US withdrew last week. This has naturally reinvigorated accusations that the Iranian-British woman and other dual nationals are being used as bargaining chips by Iranian authorities.

In April 2016, Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested after she was accused of being involved in a vaguely-identified infiltration network tasked with facilitating the soft overthrow of the Iranian regime. The accusations were never supported with meaningful evidence, but appear to be based in part on her previous affiliation with the British Broadcasting Corporation, whose Persian service is banned by the Iranian government. However Zaghari-Ratcliffe had never worked for the BBC in a journalistic capacity, but was employed by its charitable wing before moving on to similar work for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which employed her at the time of her arrest.

According to IranWire, even some Iranian officials and prison authorities have expressed sympathy for the detainee and have been judged to be sincere by her husband and other advocates in the UK. Following Johnsons visit to Tehran, the head of Evin Prison even indicated that he had cleared Zaghari-Ratcliffe for release, only for the actual release to apparently be obstructed by higher authorities. And as IranWire notes, various reports over the past few months have suggested that this obstruction was motivated at least in part by the UKs failure to settle an outstanding debt related to defense industry sales to the Iranian government prior to the 1979 revolution.

In January 2016, coinciding with the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, four American nationals were released by Iran in exchange for the US releasing or dropping charges against 21 Iranians. The day of their release also saw the Islamic Republic receiving 400 million dollars in cash, ostensibly as the first installment of a 1.7 billion dollar repayment for another pre-revolution debt. This arguably set a precedent for the current pursuit of a similar settlement in exchange for the release of foreign nationals.

As well as motivating the Iranians to reinstate their threat to extend the sentence for Zaghari-Ratcliffe, this goal may also account for the arrest of two more British citizens and one permanent resident of the UK since the middle of March. But such arrests are also part of a much larger ongoing trend, with upwards of 30 dual nationals having been detained since the conclusion of nuclear negotiations. And these arrests defy the specific assurances granted by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the dual nationals would be able to return to their native Iran during his tenure, without fear of reprisal.

Rouhani has also made a range of other promises regarding domestic reforms and the establishment of greater civic freedoms in the Islamic Republic. But according to various human rights organizations and Iranian activist groups, the situation has actually deteriorated in many ways since his election in 2013. As such, the regimes latest actions on the Zaghari-Ratcliffe case are indicative not only of the troubling situation faced by dual nationals but also of the situation faced by Iranians in general.

The practices of Irans judicial and political authorities have impacts not only on prisoners and the falsely accused but also on their families, and this fact has always been a clear feature of the Zaghari-Ratcliffe case. At the time of her arrest, she was traveling with her two-year-old daughter Gabriella, whose passport was subsequently confiscated. Thus, for the past two years, the young girl has been in the care of her Iranian grandparents, unable to return to her father in the UK or to see her mother outside of the context of brief prison visits.

At times, interrogators and prison authorities have reportedly sought to use the prisoners child and family to exert additional pressure on her, as by claiming that her husband was conspiring to have Gabriella taken away. Meanwhile, family members have been told that public advocacy for Zaghari-Ratcliffe would only complicate her case  a warning that is issued to the families of a great many Iranian political prisoners in hopes of limiting public awareness of politically motivated cases.

IranWire indicates that this threat was issued anew to Zaghari-Ratcliffes father after he spoke to the Tehran prosecutors office, seeking clarification of the reports of her new, forthcoming trial. Specifically, the father was advised to minimize media coverage and to avoid telling Richard Ratcliffe about the latest developments in his wifes case. Nonetheless, Zaghari-Ratcliffe herself shared the information in a phone call to her husband, enjoining him to, tell the world; enough of this nonsense.

This is only one of many recent examples of Iranian authorities failure to enforce silence regarding political detentions and human rights violations. But of course this also means that the given case is only one of many instances of such violations. Some of those others are far worse, and some are fatal, but they have prompted significant outcry both internationally and within domestic activist circles.

On Tuesday, Iran Human Rights Monitor reported on new public statements issued by Fatemeh Mulayan, the mother of Sina Ghanbari, who is one of several individuals to have died in detention under suspicious circumstances in the immediate aftermath of mass protests that swept the country in December and January.

Ghanbari was found dead on February 5 and authorities were quick to announce that he had committed suicide. But fellow prisoners observed that he had been severely beaten in the days before his death, and now his mother has confirmed seeing signs of a broken skull and smashed left eye as his body was being hastily buried following its release by prison authorities.

The Iran-HRM report identifies six other individuals by name whose bodies also showed signs of torture despite the government claiming they had committed suicide. It also says that 5,000 people have been arrested in connection with the protests in January. But the National Council of Resistance of Iran has put the arrest figure around 8,000 and has found that at least 14 people were tortured to death in the weeks following the suppression of protests.

The NCRI also issued a report on Tuesday calling attention to the case of Bahman Varmezyar, who was executed in April on the basis of an armed robbery charge even though he had turned himself in for the crime, returned the stolen merchandise, and received forgiveness from the victims. The report explains that Varmezyars family was briefly led to believe that he had been pardoned after his mother and other relatives appealed directly to various authorities.

Though the motive for overturning the supposed pardon cannot be known with certainty, the details of the case point to the possibility that his sentence was implemented partly as a reprisal against the public discussion that was beginning to surround that case in the wake of the familys advocacy. However, this is not to say that silence on their part would have been more effective. Indeed, many of those who avoid speaking to the media about their loved ones nonetheless find that authorities continue to exert pressure on the accused, or delay their cases indefinitely.

In some instances, these delays can result in the death of the accused, even in absence of a death sentence. The denial of medical treatment is a common means of exerting pressure on prisoners in the Iranian judicial system, even in situations where prisoners health concerns are life-threatening. This appears to be the case, for instance, with Afif Naeimi, a prominent Bahai political prisoner who was returned to Rajai Shahr Prison last month.

The CHRI reported on Sunday that his term of imprisonment has technically ended but that the judiciary unlawfully extended his sentence by nine months to make up for his medical furlough. The judiciarys own medical examiners have determined that he requires ongoing, specialized care that cannot be obtained in prison. Naeimi suffers from an enlarged heart muscle and is prone to losing consciousness, putting him in danger of catastrophic accident as well as potentially fatal effects of the illness itself.

Cases like these, whether motivated by revenge against the prisoner, his or her loved ones, or other factors, threaten to inflate the numbers of deceased Iranian prisoners, without actually bolstering countrys execution figures. Even so, Iran continues to maintain the highest per capita rate of executions in the world. Iran-HRM reports that four executions were confirmed as taking place on Monday alone, and Iran Human Rights notes that these were book-ended by hangings that were carried out in public  one on Sunday, and two on Tuesday.

Public executions are clear violations of United Nations human rights standards, and Irans transparent defiance of those standards arguably underscores the threat that ongoing detention poses to dual nationals and other persons with advocates in the international community.
At a ceremony in April, the head of Irans Army, Major-General Abdolrahim Mousavi, said that the Iranian Regime has its hands on the trigger and missiles are ready and will be launched at any moment, according to Irans Tasnim News Agency.

These comments came shortly after Iranian Brigadier-General Hossein Salami threatened Israels annihilation within 25 years.

Given that Donald Trump has since pulled the US out of the flawed Iranian nuclear deal, after intense Israeli lobbying, these statements could even be considered fighting talk.

After all, the Iranian Regime wants all of the benefits of international agreements (i.e. trade deals), but without ending its malign expansionism in the Middle East. Iran has claimed to be happy to cut its ties to the US and Israel, but as their economy freefalls, the mullahs will come to regret that.

It should be noted that the Iranian Regime is no stranger to using inflammatory rhetoric to rile up its supporters, who already believe that Israel and the US are the enemies and subscribe to the notion of a Zionist agenda. Iran has been threatening to destroy Israel since the mullahs stole power in 1979.

Some believe that the Iranian Regime does this in order to show its support for Palestine, which is certainly how the mullahs present it. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini even instituted al-Quds Day, which is described as an annual protest of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

The problem is that this is just a smokescreen, as the Iranian Resistance has been pointing out for nearly four decades. Iran is using these symbolic gestures and anti-Israel threats to portray itself as a defender of Palestine and the Holy Land, in order to integrate itself into the Arab and Muslim world, as most people there are incensed by Israeli violations of Palestinian rights.

Most countries in the region have been fooled by Irans charade at some time or another, but we should all recognise that the mullahs dont care about Palestine in the slightest. If they did, then Iran wouldnt even think to sponsor attacks on Palestinian refugee camps in Iraq or starve en-masse Palestinians in Syria.

Instead, the mullahs fund Palestinian militant groups, like Hamas, who are as morally bankrupt as the Regime itself and force them to praise Iran.

Aside from not actually supporting Palestine, the mullahs have also secretly shared intelligence with Israel about Iraqs nuclear research facility, which was bombed by the Israeli Air Force in 1981 as a result, and taken weapons from Israel during the Iran-Iraq War, even while publically condemning the Jewish state.

Tallha Abdulrazaq wrote on The Arab Weekly: It is surprising to see people falling for Irans theatrics and its lies that manipulate and take advantage of the Palestinians legitimate struggle for self-determination After decades of bluster, Iran has done nothing but talk and people are starting to wake up to the fact that the mullah regime does not care one jot for Palestine.
Indeed, given his constant promises and his reshuffling of the cabinet to include more Iran hawks, it would have been more surprising if hed remained in the deal.

But the question now is, how will Iran react?

The Iranian Regime has certainly been screaming threats over the past eight days, but nothing has yet come to pass.

Mohammed Al-Shaikh, a Saudi writer with al-Jazirah newspaper, wrote on Al Arabiya that he believes this is the beginning of the end for both the Vilayat-e-Faqih regime in Iran and political Islamization, which spreads nothing but terrorism.

He wrote: I have been certain  and I have mentioned this in previous articles  that any theocratic state cannot conform to the conditions of state in the modern times and that the fate of Vilayat al-Faqih state in Iran will collapse and then vanish. I believe that we are now witnessing the beginning of its inevitable end.

This prediction will be welcomed by the Iranian people, who have suffered greatly under the mullahs for nearly 40 years, and the Gulf countries, who are undermined and attack by a Regime that wishes to institute a Shiite Crescent of Iranian power from the Gulf to the Mediterranean.

Syria

The most obvious example of Irans malign interference in other Middle Eastern countries is that of the Syrian Civil War.

The mullahs wanted to prop up the Bashar Assad dictatorship in order to quash any rebellion by the Iranian people and also to Syria into a vassal state, in the same way it did with Iraq.

So they sent in their proxy militias and prolonged the Syrian civil war far past its natural expiration date, causing more death and destruction than ever before.

But the tide is turning, as Israel is striking Iranian command centres in Syria in relation to attacks on Israeli forces in Golan Heights. Shaikh posits that soon Iran will be forced to surrender.

US Sanctions

Trump is re-imposing sanctions on the Iranian Regime that were lifted under the nuclear deal, but importantly they will also affect non-American companies who do business with Iran. This will likely cut the number of businesses willing to trade the terrorist regime and hasten its demise.

The Iranian people are clamouring for regime change and the international community should do all they can to support that.


A group of women marched on a restaurant in the center of Nairobi Tuesday.

The marchers have accused the restaurant of asking a Kenyan woman who was breastfeeding her child to cover up or feed the girl in a restroom. The demonstrators say eateries and other businesses need to support mothers who choose to breastfeed in public spaces.

The women marched from Nairobi's Freedom Corner to parliament, and then to the Olive Restaurant.

It was at this restaurant that 26-year-old Beth Njeri says she was humiliated by one of its workers for breastfeeding her baby.

It was the middle of the day. Njeri went inside the eatery with her 16-month-old daughter, Alyssa, and ordered some food.

Njeri explains what happened.

"My babywas moving, she was trying to stand, she was  moving all around, she said. I took her and started breastfeeding her, so that she can be calm because the order took some time. When I was still feeding her, a lady came and told me to cover up or stop breastfeeding. I stopped breastfeeding, she said, adding that when she asked for another place to feed her child the waitress turned her head to the womens room.

Njeri was angry. She wrote up a description of the incident and left it on her Facebook page. The story soon spread, with mostly women coming to her defense and making plans to attend the march.

Njeri told VOA that she was shocked by the public reaction, but was happy that the incident had launched a nationwide debate about breastfeeding.

"Women should breastfeed anywhere, even in public places, because you cannot choose where the baby will want to breastfeed. It is nature," she said.

Kenya's parliament is considering two bills that would require safe and convenient places for mothers who want to breastfeed their children. Both would require employers to offer special areas for breastfeeding mothers in the workplace.

Nairobi County nutrition official Esther Kwamboka marched in support of the mothers.

She said, "Every public space that holds more than 30 people is supposed to provide a breastfeeding space. We expect our organizations, and all our public spaces in this city to be able to provide breastfeeding spaces for our mothers," she added.

The restaurant published an apology to Njeri on its Facebook page and has appealed for calm.

I'm Susan Shand.

Rael Ombuor reported this story for VOANews.com. Susan Shand adapted the report for VOA Learning English. The editor was George Grow.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

humiliate  v. to make (someone) feel very sorry or foolish

convenient  adj. easy

nutrition  n. eating the right kind of food so you can grow and be healthy
11 hours ago

A growing worry for charities: Tax havens for the rich

A spotlight that has been thrown on how many of the rich and powerful shield their wealth is also intensifying a fear among philanthropy experts: That the tax havens being used by the wealthy will increasingly siphon money away from charitable causes. Wealthy Americans have long sought to use charitable contributions to reduce their tax burdens.

Read Article
When Google released Chrome 66 last month, one of the most notable changes was a restriction on web content that automatically plays audio when you visit a website. Intended to keep your browser from unexpectedly making sounds as you surf the web, the new restriction also had the unintentional impact of casing many web-based games to stop be unplayable in Chrome 66.

Earlier this month Google solicited feedback from developers who had noted the problem in the Chromium issue tracker, and now the company says its temporarily rolling back the feature or at least part of it.

Most web video and audio still wont autoplay, but the company is delaying implementation of the policy for the Web Audio API used by most games, meaning games should work again for a few months.

Google says it plans to re-implement the policy in Chrome 70, which is due to launch in October. That gives developers time to update their code so that web games will work properly in Googles web browser.

While the delay provides a bit of a reprieve for users (and developers), some folks are still worried that the move doesnt go far enough because there are a lot of online games that probably wont ever receive another update either because theyve been abandoned by their developers or because its too much work to make the changes.

That means that when October comes around, some games may work but its likely that many will not, because Google is putting the responsibility of ensuring compatibility on developers rather than ensuring that its web browser is compatible with existing website.s

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Australias prime minister yesterday rejected a former diplomats opinion that the country needs a new foreign minister to thaw relations with China.

Geoff Raby, who was Australias ambassador to Beijing from 2007 to 2011, used a scathing column in The Australian Financial Review newspaper to call for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to be replaced.

Since Australia decided to adopt a policy of strategic mistrust towards China, any resemblance of influence has waned to the point where relations are now in the freezer, wrote Raby, who now owns a business consultancy in Beijing.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull backed Bishop, the deputy leader of his conservative Liberal Party, who has served as foreign minister since 2013.

I was disappointed by that article. Its utterly wrong. Julie Bishop is doing an outstanding job, Turnbull told reporters.

Every time she goes out on the world stage, she makes Australians proud. Shes a formidable foreign minister, a great diplomat and a great colleague, he added.

Raby wrote that Bishop had not visited China, Australias most important trade partner, in more than two years.

She angered China by making the most strident public comments on the South China Sea of any foreign minister and last year, in an utterly bizarre speech in Singapore, said China was not fit for regional leadership, Raby wrote. He was referring to a speech Bishop gave in Singapore in which she said China can reach its full economic potential only by embracing democracy.

The prime minister needs to replace Ms. Bishop with someone better equipped for the demands of the job, Raby added.

Bishop later described Raby as profoundly ignorant  about the level of engagement between Australia and China at present and the state of the relationship.

My Chinese counterpart and I are planning a meeting very shortly, Bishop told Australian Broadcasting Corp., referring to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. So clearly the engagement at the highest levels is continuing.

While Bishop said she has not been to China since February 2016, she noted that Wang and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Australia last year.

Li visited to ask the government to ratify an extradition treaty so that Chinese fugitives from Chinas anti-corruption campaign could no longer use Australia as a safe haven. But the treaty was shelved a week later because it was doomed to be blocked in the Senate over human rights concerns.

Bishop also said she had meetings with Wang on the sidelines of multinational forums including the United Nations General Assembly, East Asia Summit and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Turnbull said last month that there is certainly some tension in the bilateral relationship over his governments proposed legislation to ban foreign interference in Australian politics.

There had been some misunderstandings and mischaracterization of the legislation in the Chinese media, Turnbull told Melbourne Radio 3AW.

A top Australian diplomat told a Senate committee in March that the bilateral relationship was going through complex and difficult issues, but rejected a media report of a diplomatic deep freeze.

Frances Adamson, secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, described The Australian newspapers headline  Cold war: Chinas freeze on ties  as just wrong.

Bishop backed Adamsons assessment at the time.

China protested in December against Turnbulls announcement that Australia will ban foreign interference in its politics  either through espionage or financial donations. The move was motivated largely by Russias alleged involvement in the 2016 U.S. election and Chinas growing influence on the global political landscape.

The Chinese foreign ministry said then that Turnbulls remarks were prejudiced against China and had poisoned the atmosphere of China-Australia relations. AP
China has donated USD10 million to Mozambique to support the current agricultural campaign, the Chinese ambassador to Mozambique said in Boane, near Maputo, during a visit by the chairman of the Standing Committee of the 13th National Peoples Congress of China, Li Zhanshu, to the Mozambique-China Centre for Research and Transfer of Agricultural Technology.

Ambassador Su Jian highlighted agriculture and food security as priority sectors of Chinas support to Mozambique and recalled that five major Chinese companies are present in the country, notably in agriculture, food security, infrastructure and access roads.

Su also said that Chinese companies have made a contribution to developing Mozambique, thereby helping the Mozambican economy to become sustainable.

The ambassador also said that the visit of the chairman of the Standing Committee of the 13th National Peoples Congress of China is of paramount importance, happening at a time when bilateral cooperation has been cemented at the highest level.

The first deputy speaker of the Mozambican parliament, Antonio Amelia, stressed that China has already financed training for more than 50 parliamentary officials in areas such as parliamentary management and information and communication technologies.
The U.S. clothing retailer Gap has apologized for selling T-shirts with what it says was an erroneous map of China in the latest example of corporate kowtowing to Beijing.

Users pointed out that a map printed on the T-shirts omitted territories claimed by China, including parts of southern Tibet, Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Gap issued an apology late Monday on its Weibo account, saying that some T-shirts sold overseas had an erroneous design of Chinas map. The company stated it respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.

We are truly sorry about this unintentional mistake, Gap said, promising to carry out more rigorous reviews in the future.

Gap took action after photos began circulating on Chinese social media of a T-shirt with a map that didnt include Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing regards as Chinese territory. The map also appeared to leave out southern Tibet and the disputed South China Sea, the state-owned Global Times said, adding that it drew hundreds of complaints on Weibo.

The company also said all the shirts in China have been recalled and destroyed. It was unclear if the shirts in all of Gaps markets worldwide would also be destroyed. Company representatives at Gaps Shanghai office could not be reached immediately for comment.

The photos were taken at a Gap shop in Canadas Niagara region, Chinas state-owned Global Times said. It said that the Gap China headquarters in Shanghai told it, The T-shirt in question has not been released in China.

Gap is the latest of several companies that have apologized for perceived slights to Chinas sovereignty.

Delta Air Lines, hotel operator Marriott, fashion brand Zara are among businesses that have apologized to China for referring to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Tibet as countries on websites or promotional material. Mercedes-Benz said sorry for quoting the Dalai Lama on social media. The Tibetan spiritual leader is reviled by Beijing.

The U.S. has started pushing back against Beijing, with the White House condemning Chinas efforts to control how U.S. airlines refer to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as Orwellian nonsense.

The U.S. retailer is the latest international company to offer an open apology for the perceived political slight, following suit with Daimler AGs Mercedes- Benz and Marriott International Inc. It comes after the White House recently blasted Chinas demand that U.S. and other airlines change the way they refer to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as Orwellian nonsense.

China has stepped up its policing of international companies from retailers to airlines to demand they respect the governments position on long-standing territorial disputes from Taiwan to Tibet.

Marriott International, Indetix SA-owned ZARA and Delta Air Lines Inc. all also issued apologies for listing Tibet and Taiwan as nations on their websites earlier this year. Mercedes-Benz also apologized in February for using a quote from the Dalai Lama in a post showcasing a sleek luxury model.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement earlier this month that Chinas demands on airlines for strict guidelines for references to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are part of a growing trend by the Chinese Communist Party to impose its political views on American citizens and private companies. MDT/Agencies
The Muslim family that carried out suicide attacks on three churches in Indonesias second-largest city, killing a dozen people as well as its two young daughters, lived comfortably in an upper-middle class suburb and was on friendly terms with a Christian neighbor.

The coordinated bombings on Sunday, followed on Monday by a suicide attack by another family on police headquarters in Surabaya, have horrified Indonesians who typically see their Muslim-majority country as diverse and tolerant.

Neighbors said there were no signs members of the family were planning the acts of violence that President Joko Jokowi Widodo condemned as barbaric and beyond humanity. They had lived in the leafy Wonorejo Asri residential community since 2010 and had a good income from the fathers business selling herbal medicines, the neighbors said.

According to police, on Sunday morning the two sons, aged 16 and 18, rode a motorcycle into a church courtyard and detonated their explosives. Puji Kuswati, the mother, attacked worshippers at another church with her daughters, aged 8 and 12, who police said were all wearing suicide vests. The father, Dita Oepriarto, detonated a car bomb outside a third church. Police initially gave his name as Dita Futrianto but corrected that based on his national identity card. All six died.

Raith Yunanto, who lives two houses from the family, said they were always welcoming to her, a minority Christian. She said she went shopping with Kuswati at the local market and they often exchanged different types of food and fruit.

There was nothing strange about the family, they were like other devout Muslim families, she said. Their attitude and manner of dress were just like common Muslim people.

Its difficult for us to accept how they can commit such a barbaric act against Christians, Yunanto said. The couple visited me when I gave birth and when my children were sick.

She said she last saw members of the family when the daughters were riding bicycles with other children in front of her house on Saturday afternoon, the day before the bombings.

The eldest son, she said, was seen coming home from school activities wearing a colourful batik shirt thats symbolic of diversity in Indonesia, a country of more than 260 million with dozens of ethnic groups and languages.

Dendri Oemiarti, Oepriartos younger sister, was wracked with grief when she spoke to The Associated Press on Monday and said her elderly parents were in a state of shock.

What he has done has hurt us so deeply, she said as tears flowed down her cheeks.

What thoughts have influenced him? I do not understand. I do not know what changed my good brother to be so sadistic.

Oemiarti said she was very angry when she first heard about the church attacks and that children had been used to carry them out.

I fainted when my sister, Dina, told me that the attack was done by our own brother, she said.

The last time she met her brother and his family was during Ramadan in 2017. She said their lives were busy and they only met about once a year and didnt talk about religion.

Police initially said the family went to Syria to join the Islamic State group but later retracted that statement.

Oepriarto, they said, was the leader of the Surabaya cell of Jemaah Anshorut Daulah, an Indonesian network of extremist groups that is affiliated with IS.

According to police, Oepriarto was friends with the family that carried out Mondays police headquarters bombing and a third family, three members of which died when homemade bombs exploded in their apartment on Sunday night.

The familys nextdoor neighbor, Abi Akbar, said Oepriarto and his sons, Yusuf and Firman, like nearly all Muslim men in the neighborhood, usually attended dawn prayers at an unremarkable local mosque.

But Akbar, 23, also said he had heard older men in the community comment that Oepriarto wasnt a mainstream Indonesian Muslim and objected to secular rituals such as raising the national flag or singing the Indonesian national anthem.

In retrospect, Akbar said, one thing was different at dawn prayers on Sunday. Instead of customarily kissing their fathers hand after prayers, the boys and father hugged for a long time.

They hugged like they were going to be separated, Akbar said. But at that time we were not suspicious of anything because they are a family that is well known and normal.

Just a few hours later Oepriarto and his family and 12 other people were dead. More than 40 were injured.

Kenzi Tapy Gani, a 21-year-old university student who lived near the family, described Oepriatro as a friendly and nice guy.

We really didnt see it coming, he said. Niniek Karmini, Surabaya, AP
Prepare for a higher bid after EDP-Energias de Portugal SA rejected a 9.1 billion euro (USD10.9 billion) offer from Chinas biggest clean-energy company.

The Portuguese utility said yesterday the approach from China Three Gorges Corp. is too low and undervalues the company. EDP shares rose for a second day, having surged above the takeover price in Lisbon on Monday on speculation the bid would be sweetened.

That makes sense. This isnt the type of debt-fueled, private entrepreneur-led overseas acquisition thats drawn Beijings ire. Three Gorges, operator of the worlds biggest hydroelectric dam, is a state-owned company and its target is in line with the countrys ambitions to acquire overseas infrastructure and clean-energy know-how. Whats more, the Chinese company has the capability to improve its offer.

As Ive written before, purchases that advance Beijings strategic objectives, such as projects tied to President Xi Jinpings belt-and-road initiative, wont have any trouble getting approval.

The 3.26 euro per-share offer is just 4.8 percent higher than EDPs closing stock price on Friday, though the shares had run up on speculation that the company was in play. Gas Natural SDG SA of Spain and Engie SA of France had been cited as potential bidders.

The offer from Three Gorges, which is already the largest shareholder in EDP with a 23 percent stake, values the company at 8.9 times enterprise value to Ebitda, higher than the 7.3 times median for its European peers, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Elchin Mammadov.

Granted, its a major deal for China, second in enterprise value only to China National Chemical Corp.s $46 billion acquisition of Syngenta AG.

Still, Three Gorges has been vocal about its expansion plans and its financial position is strong. Its Shanghai-listed unit, China Yangtze Power Co., almost doubled free cash flow to more than $5 billion between 2014 and last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It can also count on funding support from the likes of state-owned policy lender China Development Bank, which has been charged with supporting the belt-and-road initiative.

EDP has much to offer. The Portuguese utility has a bigger global bandwidth, with wind farms in countries including the U.S. and Brazil. Three Gorges also has interests in Brazil, having paid $3.7 billion for hydropower plants in the country in 2013 and acquired further hydro projects from Duke Energy Corp. in 2016. It can expect to wring some cost savings from consolidation.

The U.S., where EDP is the third-largest wind-farm operator by installed capacity, may be the biggest potential stumbling block. Still, even if the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States forces the divestiture of EDPs American wind farms, theres still enough there to justify the interest of Three Gorges, which lacks the Portuguese companys international expertise and its global supply chain spanning developed and emerging markets.

Beijing and Lisbon both appear to want this deal. A moderately more generous offer may be enough for shareholders to join the party. Then only European and U.S. regulators will remain to be convinced. Nisha Gopalan, Bloomberg
Legal groups called on Philippine legislators yesterday to defend their exclusive constitutional power to prosecute and try impeachable officials that they say was usurped by Supreme Court justices who ousted their chief judge last week.

Wearing black arm bands, leaders from legal and human rights groups staged a protest in front of the heavily guarded Supreme Court in Manila, carrying a streamer that read, We dissent, resist authoritarianism, oppose attacks on judicial independence. A protester held up the scales of justice, with a mock sword piercing her white gown.

The protesters said the magistrates 8-6 vote Friday to remove Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno from the 15-member tribunal violated the countrys constitution. They said it robbed the Senate and the House of Representatives of their constitutional power to prosecute and try top officials like Sereno and sparked legal dilemmas. Sereno was ousted for allegedly failing to file statements of assets and liabilities.

It practically castrated the Senate by taking away its power to impeach. Now its a few unelected justices who are deciding which impeachable officials should be removed, human rights lawyer and former House of Representatives member Neri Colmenares told The Associated Press in an interview during the protest. This is one of the worst days and one of the lowest moments not only of the Supreme Court but also as members of Congress.

Jose Manuel Diokno, chairman of the nongovernment Free Legal Assistance Group, said the petition to oust Sereno that was filed by Solicitor-General Jose Calida, called quo warranto, set the judiciary on a collision course with the House and Senate. It pre-empted months of impeachment actions against Sereno in Congress, he said.

The entire House was set to vote on impeachment charges accusing Sereno of corruption, breach of public trust and other serious crimes. Sereno has denied any wrongdoing but President Rodrigo Duterte and his officials said she breached the law prior to her entry in the Supreme Court and should not have been designated chief justice by Dutertes predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, in 2012.

Sereno was ousted by her fellow justices before the House was able to vote on the impeachment charges and send them to the Senate. The Senate was preparing to turn itself into an impeachment court to try Sereno, who has gone on a two-month leave from the court to prepare for her impeachment defense.

Even Dutertes allies in the 24-member Senate did not agree with the ruling that ousted Sereno. Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said Sereno can be removed only by the House and Senate in an impeachment process.

Asked by reporters what steps the Senate would take after the Supreme Court ousted Sereno, Pimentel told them to direct their questions to the House. The Senate is ready. If [charges] are filed, we will constitute ourselves as an impeachment court, Pimentel said. The Senate as an impeachment court is passive. We will wait for action by the House.

In reply to another question, Pimentel said any senator is free to file a resolution against the Supreme Court ruling, which can be used to support any appeal against the Supreme Court decision that booted Sereno. Jim Gomez, Manila, AP
The prosecutor of Sulu Sous case has demanded that the Court of First Instance give a prison sentence to Sulu Sou and Scott Chiang, rather than applying a penalty.

The trial of lawmaker Sulu Sou continued yesterday morning at the Court of First Instance, with three witnesses present at the court to give their testimony. During the afternoon, no witnesses were called, after the defendants lawyers gave up on three witnesses who did not arrive for their testimony during that time, with defending lawyer Jorge Menezes further declaring that all facts had already been clearly testified to by the previous witness.

Following the lawyers request, the trial proceeded with closing statements from the prosecution and the defense. Lawyer Pedro Leal said that great efforts have been made to end Sulu Sous political career, but the court has [had] no role in those efforts.

In the morning session, Alin Lam, member of the New Macau Association (ANM), Kam Sut Leng, president of the ANM, and one volunteer who had participated in the demonstration, then followed Sulu Sou and Scott Chiang to Penha Hill, and were all called to give their testimonies on the events of May 15, 2016.

During his intervention, Alin Lam said it was me [who] temporarily decided to stop at the white tent [Nam Van Nautical Center] and I made a mistake. I made the wrong judgment under the given conditions, therefore the mistake is on me.

According to Lam, he did not hear the police authorities telling the demonstration they were not allowed to stop at the white tent. However, the instruction was included in the documents detailing the route approved by the police authority, when ANM first applied to hold the demonstration.

All three witnesses testimonies noted that Sulu Sou and Scott Chiangs intention of visiting the CEs official residence was to leave their letters in the CEs official residence mailbox, which was unreachable at the time due to the police force blocking all access to it.

While Lam was answering the prosecutors questions, the judge interjected almost a dozen times. The judge posed similar questions to the ones asked by the prosecutor, which was in stark contrast to the previous days of the trial, when lawyer Jorge Menezes experienced interjections from the judge, who accused lawyers of repeatedly asking the same questions to the witnesses.

Nevertheless, after further questions from Jorge Menezes, Lam declared that the police force never prevented the demonstration from stopping at the white tent, and the police also never prevented the group from walking along the road leading to the CE residence.

The police did not mention at all where [we] could not go, said Lam, who also stated he, along with the rest of the group, obeyed the police request to leave the scene immediately after the police issued a verbal warning.

Another witness, Kam Sut Leng, claimed not to have heard any words spoken by police officers which would indicate that the demonstration could not stop at the white tent.

Lam said that the streets near the CEs official residence were all clear of vehicles, which had been barred by the police.

On Monday, witnesses from the police force said they had to manage passing vehicles due to the crowds.

The judge asked Kam whether she knew that letters to government officials must be delivered to the relevant government department.

Kam answered by saying that, in her understanding, people could mail a letter to any address. Kam also said, in reply to the lawyers questions, that she, as well as other people, are free to leave letters in any mailbox.

The testimonies of all the morning witnesses were in alignment in that they did not hear Sulu Sou or Scott Chiang appealing to other people to join them in going to the CEs official residence in order to deliver their letters, nor did they think the transportation was jammed.

In her closing speech about the demonstration lingering in front of Pak Wu parking lot, the prosecutor said even though the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) closed some cases concerning the demonstration, the MP deems that they [Sulu Sou and Scott Chiang] acted provocatively towards the police force and were completely disrespectful towards the verdict of the Court of Final Appeal.

The prosecutor accused the defendants of not informing the relevant government department in advance of the demonstration changing its route.

She further accused the protestors of gathering at Nam Van Nautical Center, which is considered an illegal assembly, as well as of assembling around the Chief Executives official residence.

The prosecutor then said that Sulu Sou and Scott Chiang did not leave the scene after the police issued a verbal warning, emphasizing that the whole procedure consisted [of] an illegal assembly, which goes against the law.

[The behavior of the two suspects] affected other users [of public spaces], and [the suspects] insisted on going up [to the CEs official residence], even after the polices [direction not to], the prosecutor said.

I suggest [the court hand down] a prison sentence, [because] penalties will not have a deterrent effect, the prosecutor said, adding that the police force performed in excellent fashion, [ the police force did a] work worthy of compliment.

Lawyer Jorge Menezes, in his closing speech, stated that evidence had shown that transportation was not affected due to Sulu Sou and Scott Chiangs behavior, and that both obeyed the police order to leave the scene.

In many of Jorge Menezes statements, he pointed out that it was the police forces poor decision to put up barricades that led to all the problems.

Macau is a society ruled by law, not ruled by men. The police force also has to obey the law. [] If the police are regarded as being higher than the citys residents, then it is wrong because everybody is equal. [] This demonstration and assembly law was not meant to restrict the people, but to protect them, [] to protect peoples rights of demonstration and assembly, said Jorge Menezes.

It seems the police force was not cooperative. Their [the police officers] superiors order [to command Sulu Sou and Scott Chiang to leave the relevant place] is not legal. [Macau] enforces the rule of law, [but the police force] restricted the public at the first opportunity it got, which was a wrong decision, the lawyer declared.

In his final statement, lawmaker Sulu Sou noted that communicating with the police force has always been his top priority. However, he said that what had happened was unfortunate because it was avoidable.

There is absolutely no personal interest in me participating in social activities. I hope to expand the publics interests. [] It disappoints me knowing that governmental high officials [are not being held accountable for their responsibilities], said Sou, adding that he will continue supervising the government.

The verdict has been scheduled for May 29.

concerns about rule of law

AFTER HIS trial, Sulu Sou told the media that we are worried about [people] not executing their legal and reasonable civil rights. Sulu Sou remarked he would not comment on the case or the trial. I am always confident, as long as the court [makes] an independent and fair judgment, he said, adding that each side has its own stance and [way of] looking at things. We respect that. The court has the ultimate right to judge.
Ex-Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou was sentenced to four months in jail for leaking details of a criminal investigation while still in office, although the former Kuomintang leader could still avoid jail time by paying a fine or winning on appeal.

Taiwans High Court yesterday found Ma, 67, guilty of violating the Communication Security and Surveillance Act, according to Lin Ruey-bin, high court division chief judge. Ma had been found not guilty of the charges by a Taipei district court last year, a verdict prosecutors appealed. Ma said he would appeal the decision in a statement released by his office after the verdict.

Ma could also avoid time in jail by paying a TWD120,000 (USD4,000) fine, pending approval from prosecutors.

The judge found that Ma had improperly disclosed a wiretapped June 2013 conversation between the former legislative speaker, Wang Jin-pyng, and a Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker who had recently been acquitted of breach-of-trust allegations. Ma accused Wang of pressuring prosecutors not to appeal against the acquittal of the lawmaker, Ker Chien-ming.

While Wang was never indicted for wrongdoing, Ker sought charges against Ma for the leak. The former president was found to have broken the law by discussing details of the call with the then-premier and his deputy secretary general, according to the court.

Ma, who governed from 2008 to 2016 and championed closer ties with China, became Taiwans third consecutive president to face criminal charges after leaving office.

His predecessor, Chen Shui-bian, of the rival Democratic Progressive Party, was granted medical parole in 2015 while serving a 20-year prison sentence following his corruption conviction.

Lee Teng-hui, who oversaw Taiwans transition to direct democracy as president from 1988 to 2000, was found not guilty of money laundering and embezzling government funds in November 2013.

Ma met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015 in what was seen as a watershed moment for relations between the Communist Party and the Nationalists who had fled to Taiwan amid civil war in 1949. MDT/Agencies
President Donald Trump defended his efforts to help a Chinese telecommunications company that violated U.S. sanctions get back into business, fast, despite criticism from Democrats and Republicans that the company poses a national security risk.

ZTE, the large Chinese phone company, buys a big percentage of individual parts from U.S. companies, Trump tweeted yesterday [Macau time]. This is also reflective of the larger trade deal we are negotiating with China and my personal relationship with President Xi.

Trump over the weekend unexpectedly tweeted that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping were working together to give ZTE a way to get back into business, fast, saying too many jobs in China were at stake after the U.S. government cut off access to its American suppliers.

The surprising overture to China marked a dramatic departure from Trumps rhetoric toward China during the campaign, when he said he would no longer allow China of rape our country and steal U.S. jobs.

The U.S. Commerce Department last month blocked ZTE Corp., a major supplier of telecom networks and smartphones based in southern China, from importing American components for seven years. The U.S. accused ZTE of misleading American regulators over sanctions against North Korea and Iran.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said during an appearance at the National Press Club in Washington that ZTE did do some inappropriate things. Theyve admitted to that.

But he added: The question is: Are there alternative remedies to the one that we had originally put forward? And thats the area we will be exploring very, very promptly. He did not say what other options were being discussed.

Trumps unexpected announcement came as the two countries prepared for additional trade talks in Washington this week. Given past vows to stop the flow of U.S. jobs to China and what hes called unfair trade practices, Trumps seeming concern about Chinese jobs was something of a backflip.

The move was panned by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted that it would be crazy to allow ZTE to operate in the U.S. without tighter restrictions.

Problem with ZTE isnt jobs & trade, its national security & espionage, he wrote earlier this week.

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer accused Trump of backing off and doing a 180 on China.

What about jobs in America, Mr. President? What about the millions of jobs that are lost because of what China has done? he asked, adding: Why on earth would President Trump promise to help a Chinese telecom company that has flouted U.S. sanctions and whose practices are a risk to our national security?

At the White House, spokesman Raj Shah said Trumps request for Ross to re-examine the issue was part of a give and take with the Chinese.

Its a significant issue of concern to the Chinese government, you know, and in our bilateral relationship theres a give and take and we discuss these issues, he said. Obviously this is part of a very complex relationship between the United States and China that involves economic issues, national security issues and the like.

Shah also pushed back on the idea that Trump was retreating from his campaign promise to be tough on China.

This president has taken China to task for its unfair trade practices, he said.

ZTE, a company with more than 70,000 employees that has supplied some of the worlds biggest telecom companies, said in early May that it had halted its main operations as a result of U.S. action.

The widening trade dispute between the worlds two biggest economies has taken a toll on both sides. U.S. companies that export to China have had goods held up in Chinas ports. The block on ZTE was a heavy blow for the company but also hurt the U.S. companies it buys from. According to IDC data, ZTE sources more than 40 percent of its components from the U.S., creating a multibillion-dollar revenue stream for suppliers like Qualcomm and Intel.

China objected to ZTEs punishment at trade talks in Beijing this month, and the American delegation agreed to report them to Trump. ZTE has asked the department to suspend the seven-year ban on doing business with U.S. exporters. By cutting off access to U.S. suppliers of essential components such as microchips, the ban threatens ZTEs existence, the company has said.

China welcomed Trumps comments. MDT/AP

Analysis | Bid to help Chinese firm draws fire but raises hopes

A long-running dispute between American regulators and Chinese telecom company ZTE may have handed President Donald Trump some unexpected leverage in avoiding a trade war with Beijing.

The overture came just as Vice Premier Liu He is flying to Washington for talks aimed at heading off a mutually harmful battle between the worlds two biggest economies and just before U.S. companies plan to plead during three days of hearings for a resolution to the dispute.

Trade analysts say it is highly unusual for a president to intercede in a case brought by the Commerce Department and to mix regulatory sanctions with trade negotiations. But they also note that Trumps offer to rescue ZTE, which makes cellphones and other telecommunications equipment, has the potential to clear the way for progress.

Its a way to unlock negotiations, said Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator specializing in Asia and now vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute.

Trumps tweet creates an atmosphere where theres more hope for reaching an agreement on trade, said David Dollar, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former official at the World Bank and the U.S. Treasury Department.

The United States also needs Chinas support as it prepares for talks with North Korea that are intended to persuade the Pyongyang regime to abandon nuclear weapons.

Commerce and ZTE last year settled charges that the Chinese company sold sensitive telecommunications equipment to Iran and North Korea in violation of U.S. sanctions. ZTE agreed to plead guilty and pay about USD1 billion in fines.

Last month, Commerce accused ZTE of violating the agreement and blocked ZTE from importing American components for seven years. The department said ZTE had misled regulators: Instead of disciplining all employees involved in the sanctions violations, Commerce said, ZTE paid some of them full bonuses and then lied about it.

The seven-year ban was tantamount to a death sentence for ZTE.

It was basically going to put them out of business, Dollar said. They rely on American technology.

Last week, the company announced that it was halting operations.

Early this month, a high-level U.S. delegation  including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, top American trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer and White House adviser Peter Navarro  traveled to Beijing to address the trade dispute. There, they heard an outcry about U.S. regulators putting ZTE out of business.

They were a little bit blindsided, said Paul Triolo, a technology specialist at the Eurasia Group consultancy. The Chinese reaction was pretty vociferous.  The U.S. government shooting down the No. 2 telecommunications supplier in China at this sensitive time  it didnt look good.

Now, analysts see the outlines of a potential deal: In return for Trumps lifeline to ZTE, Beijing might agree to buy more U.S. products or take other steps to shrink Americas gaping trade deficit with China  $337 billion last year.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the two countries were in talks about such a potential swap: The U.S. would spare ZTE, and Beijing would drop plans to impose tariffs on U.S. farm products. Neither the White House nor the Commerce Department would comment.

The ZTE case also drives home how entwined the U.S. and Chinese economies are. The Commerce sanctions didnt just imperil ZTE; they also hurt the American companies that sell components to the Chinese company.

And so investors breathed a sigh of relief after Trumps tweet, buying stock Monday in Maynard, Massachusetts-based optical components maker Acacia Communications, which last year collected 30 percent of its revenue from ZTE; San Jose-based optical communications company Oclaro; and Sunnyvale, California-based fiber optic cable manufacturer Finisar.

Still, critics charged that Trump shouldnt have intervened in the legal case against ZTE.

This would be a truly awful deal for the U.S, Derek Scissors, a China specialist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, wrote in a blog post. If the accusations last year and last month are accurate, ZTE violated Iran sanctions, then further attempted to deceive the U.S. government.

Xi would be using barriers against American agriculture to blackmail the Trump administration into accepting ZTEs behavior, Scissors said.

Trump has thrust trade policy to the center of his agenda. In addition to sparring with China, his team is in talks to rewrite the North America Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.

The timing of the NAFTA negotiations is tight: House Speaker Paul Ryan has said Congress must have an agreement by Thursday to have any hope of approving it this year. Paul Wiseman, Washington, AP
Lung transplant patients who showed evidence of alcohol use before their transplants spent more time in the hospital and on the ventilator, according to a study by Loyola University Chicago and Loyola Medicine researchers.

The study by Erin M. Lowery, MD, and colleagues is published in the journal Clinical Transplantation.

The prospective observational study followed 86 lung transplant patients. Thirty-four percent reported they were moderate drinkers before their transplants and 10 percent tested positive for recent alcohol use at the time of their transplants.

Patients showing evidence of recent alcohol use spent 1.5 times longer in the hospital, three times as long on ventilators and nearly three times as long in the intensive care unit, compared with patients who did not have recent alcohol use.

There were no differences in dysfunction of the transplanted lung, although several patients with recent alcohol use had post-transplant kidney injuries, rejection episodes and irregular heartbeats called atrial arrhythmias.

The findings suggest that abstaining from alcohol while waiting for a transplant "may be one additional factor that the patient can control in order to stay heathy and prepared for surgery and potentially optimizing their lung transplant outcome," Dr. Lowery and colleagues wrote.

Loyola's lung transplant program advises patients waiting for lung transplants to abstain from alcohol. Following transplants, patients should continue to abstain to prevent harmful drug interactions.

Previous studies have found that in the general population, alcohol abuse (including binge drinking and heavy drinking) negatively affects the lungs in several ways, including decreased lung function and an increased risk of pneumonia. But there has been little prior research on alcohol use in people with advanced lung disease.

Dr. Lowery is an assistant professor in Loyola Medicine's division of pulmonary and critical care medicine and Loyola University Chicago's Alcohol Research Program. In addition to Dr. Lowery, other co-authors are Meagan Yong and Arala Cohen of the Alcohol Research Program; Cara Joyce, Ph.D., of Loyola University Chicago's department of public health sciences; and Elizabeth J. Kovacs, Ph.D., of the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

The study is titled "Recent alcohol use prolongs hospital length of stay following lung transplant." It was supported by grants from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

For 30 years, Loyola has operated the largest and most successful lung transplant program in Illinois. Loyola has performed more than 900 lung transplants-more than all other Illinois centers combined. Loyola's multidisciplinary team regularly evaluates and successfully performs transplants in patients who have been turned down by other centers in Chicago and surrounding states. Despite taking on more challenging cases, Loyola consistently records outstanding outcomes.

Explore further Lung transplant patients do worse with lungs from heavy drinkers
In this June 3, 2010, file photo, Dr. Steven Birnbaum works with a patient in a CT scanner at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua, N.H. According to a study released on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, less than 2 percent of eligible current and former smokers have sought free lung cancer screening, five years after government and private insurers started paying for it. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File)

Lung cancer screening has proved to be stunningly unpopular. Five years after government and private insurers started paying for it, less than 2 percent of eligible current and former smokers have sought the free scans, researchers report.

The study didn't explore why, but experts say possible explanations include worries about false alarms and follow-up tests, a doctor visit to get the scans covered, fear and denial of the consequences of smoking and little knowledge that screening exists.

"People are not aware that this is a test that can actually save lives," said Dr. Richard Schilsky. "It's not invasive, it's not painful, there's no prep, nothing has to be stuck into any body cavity," so to see so little use "is shocking."

Schilsky is chief medical officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which released the study Wednesday in advance of the group's meeting next month.

Lung cancer is the top cancer killer worldwide, causing 155,000 deaths in the United States each year. It's usually found too late for treatment to succeed.

A big study found that annual low-dose CT scans, a type of X-ray, could find cases sooner and lower the risk of dying of lung cancer by 20 percent for those at highest risk. That's people ages 55 through 79 who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years or the equivalent, such as two packs a day for 15 years.

In 2013, a government task force and others backed screening for such folks. The scans cost $100 to $250 and are free for those who meet the criteria, but people must have a special appointment to discuss risks and benefits with a doctor.

Dr. Danh Pham at the University of Louisville in Kentucky and others got information on how many scans were done from an American College of Radiology registry of all 1,800 sites in the U.S. accredited to perform them. A federal health study was used to estimate how many current and former smokers were eligible.

The results: In 2016, less than 2 percent of 7.6 million eligible smokers were screened. Rates ranged from 1 percent in the West to 3.5 percent in the Northeast.

That's way below the 60 percent to 80 percent rates for breast, colon or cervical cancer screening.

The study was sponsored by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. One study leader has consulted for the company and other cancer drugmakers.

Mary Baroody of Alexandria, Virginia, has had several scans at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital since her husband, Michael, was diagnosed with lung cancer and successfully treated seven years ago. Both are 71 and longtime smokers who quit 15 years ago.

"I'm glad to go do it and I feel good afterward," she said of getting screened. "You get a clean bill of health. What else could you want?"

Her husband said screening "just seems to be a no-brainer" because it can find cancer when it's most treatable.

"I'm living proof, literally, that caught early you can do something about it," he said.

But screening has a dark side: research shows that over three years of annual scans, 40 percent of people will have an abnormal finding that often leads to follow-up tests such as a lung biopsy, and complications of those can be fatal, said Dr. Otis Brawley, the American Cancer Society's chief medical officer.

"I'm committed to telling people the truth and letting people decide for themselves," Brawley said, but added that if he were a candidate for screening, "I don't think I would do it."

Dr. Kenneth Lin, a Georgetown family physician and former staff doctor for the government task force that advised screening, also isn't a fan.

"There's been a lot of skepticism" about its value, and the American Academy of Family Physicians has not endorsed it, Lin said. Many doctors feel the effort is better spent trying to get smokers to quit, he said.

Explore further Panel backs lung cancer screening for some smokers

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Dr. Bradley Johnston of Dal's Department of Community Health & Epidemiology. Credit: Jollymore photo

Hospitalized patients at high risk for C. difficile infectiona species of bacterium with symptoms that range from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of a colonshould be recommended probiotics, says Dr. Bradley Johnston.

An associate professor in the Department of Community Health & Epidemiology at Dalhousie Medical School, Dr. Johnston led a meta-analysis comparing data from 18 clinical trials in nine countries to see if probiotics could prevent C. difficile infection in hospitalized patients.

The infection is most common in hospitals where elderly patients have compromised immune systems and are on antibiotics.

The results, published in April in the peer-reviewed journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology show that certain multi-species probiotics reduce the odds of C. difficile infection by about two-thirdsparticularly among patients on two or more antibiotics.

At the same time, there were no safety concerns with any of the probiotics covered in the study among patients who are not immune-compromised.

"Our results suggest these probiotics are a safe and effective addition to C. difficile-prevention protocols in hospitals," says Dr. Johnston, "particularly among hospitals experiencing an outbreak of C. difficile."

All hospitals in Canada have robust strategies for preventing and managing C. difficile outbreaks, including such measures as isolating patients with suspected cases, intensive cleaning with disinfectant agents, and multi-faceted prevention and containment programs known as "antimicrobial stewardship interventions." Probiotics have rarely been included in any of these measures to date.

"The question is, 'Why don't hospitals use probiotics?' and the answer usually is, 'Well, what probiotic strain or species should we use?'" Dr. Johnston notes. "My answer is that we've done the meta-analysis and found no statistically significant difference across the probiotic species and strains in the studies we analyzed."

Not only is it is better for the patient to prevent the infection in the first place, it is likely cheaper. "Some of the drugs used to treat C. difficile cost upwards of $2,000 to fill a script," says Dr. Johnston, adding, "Probiotics cost from $20 to $40."

What is C. difficile?

C. difficile, short for Clostridium difficile, is a species of spore-forming bacterium.

"Antibiotics are one of the main risk factors for acquiring C. difficile," says Dr. Ian Davis, an assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Dalhousie Medical School, noting its prevalence in hospitals with elderly patients who have compromised immune systems and are on antibiotics. "It's an opportunistic bug. If you are healthy and your intestinal flora is robust, it's unlikely C. difficile will get in and establish itself."

When antibiotics deplete bacterial flora, it creates space for the bacterium to flourish, although not everyone who acquires the organism will develop symptoms.

In 2017, C. difficile infection rates were 5.1 per 10,000 patient days across Canada and 2.39 per 10,000 patient days in Nova Scotia. Death directly attributed to C. difficile infection is in the one-to-two per cent range, occurring most commonly in older people and those compromised by other medical problems.

C. difficile infection is treated with antibiotics. Metronidazole costs tens of dollars, the more effective vancomycin a few hundred dollars, and the newer fidaxomicin about $2,000 per prescription. In rarer cases, people who've had recurring infections in spite of optimal antibiotic treatment have received fecal transplants to eradicate the bacterium.

While C. difficile has been well-controlled in Nova Scotia, the province's health-care system still faces challenges in fighting the infection in an aging population, in educating health-care consumers and providers in the best use of antibiotics and, as this study indicates, in adopting probiotics as a prevention strategyparticularly in those at higher risk.

The role of probiotics

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that can support people's healthin particular, their digestive systems.

"The probiotic products studied have numerous mechanisms of action, including anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-diarrheal, as well as an ability to improve the integrity of the gut lining," says Dr. Johnston, noting that, "Further research is needed to uncover the mechanism for most probiotics."

Probiotics can be taken as a yogurt, in a capsule or as a powder in food or drinks. What's important is choosing the ones that have the most reliable data on efficacy and safety, and getting an effective dose.

Running out to buy yogurt is not the solution. "The probiotic dose is very low among yogurts found in grocery stores and hasn't been studied for the prevention of C. difficile," Dr. Johnston says. "There are higher-dose probiotic products with evidence of efficacy for C. difficile found in some health food stores though."

Many physicians ask their patients to take probiotics if they're entering hospital, but official guidelines by authoritative organizations do not make any such recommendations.

"From my perspective, this information should be offered to high-risk patients and their families," Dr. Johnston says. "Patients are likely to value the potential risk reductions in C. difficile that certain probiotics offer."

Experts estimate it can take 15 to 20 years to change clinical practice, even in the face of solid evidence. "This evidence has been accumulating over the past 15 years, so maybe we're almost there with respect to patients at high risk," Dr. Johnston says.

Detailed analysis provides clear answers

Dr. Johnston's team asked investigators from Sweden, Poland, the U.S., the U.K., Turkey and Chile for access to their raw data. This encompassed 18 randomized trials involving 6,851 study participants, and some of the largest probiotic trials ever conducted.

"Gaining access to the raw data allowed us to conduct a detailed analysis and determine that multi-species probiotics given to patients on two or more antibiotics may have the greatest effect," he says. "Based on our analysis, if you administer certain probiotics to 1,000 high-risk patients, you will prevent 81 cases of C. difficile."

More research is needed to identify those high-risk populations that may benefit most from probioticsfor example, patients known to be colonized with C. difficileand to explore the potential use of probiotics in immune-compromised patients, Dr. Johnston says.

"We have compelling evidence that some probiotics work to prevent C. difficile in certain hospital populations and, moreover, that they're safe among those with normal immune function."

Explore further Probiotics useful in the fight against infection prevention
A blood clot forming in the carotid artery. Credit: copyright American Heart Association

Among people with intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation who are not taking anti-blood-clotting medications, those whose hearts were in abnormal rhythms longer were three times more likely to have strokes or other types of blood clots than those who had abnormal heart rhythms for less time, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study.

Continuous heart monitoring may help physicians identify patients at higher risk and tailor treatments, according to the study published today in JAMA Cardiology.

"In our study, in people with the greatest burden of intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation those with the greatest burden defined as more than 11 percent of the timewere the most likely to experience subsequent strokes or arterial blood clots, even after we controlled for all other important risk factors," said lead author Alan S. Go, MD, director of the Comprehensive Clinical Research Unit within the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.

Both types of atrial fibrillationintermittently recurring and that which occurs 100 percent of the timecan produce irregular and fast heartbeats, or arrhythmias. They affect millions of adults in the United States, and are linked to a higher risk of ischemic strokes and other types of blood clots. Currently, patients with any amount of atrial fibrillation are treated the same as those with chronic atrial fibrillation when it comes to stroke prevention, but whether these groups have an equal risk of strokes and blood clots has been controversial, explained Dr. Go.

The Kaiser Permanente Real-World Heart Monitoring Strategy Evaluation, Treatment Patterns, and Health Metrics in Atrial Fibrillation (known as KP-RHYTHM) study used a non-invasive, continuous electrocardiographic device to gather data on the amount of time people spent in the arrhythmias. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the monitoring device is a lightweight patch that adheres to the upper left chest, recording and storing beat-to-beat information for up to two weeks.

The study analyzed heart rhythm data for 1, 965 adult members of Kaiser Permanente living in California with confirmed intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation and is among the largest to employ continuous, non-invasive heart monitoring. Participants wore the monitoring device continuously for up to 14 days between October 2011 and October 2016 and were not taking anti-blood clotting medications during that time.

Study participants were followed through November 2016 to identify those hospitalized for ischemic stroke or arterial blood clots (thromboembolism) while not taking anti-blood-clotting (anti-coagulation) medications such as warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants.

"This study has the potential to have a major impact on heart care," said senior author Matthew D. Solomon, MD, Ph.D., a cardiologist at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, and adjunct researcher at the Division of Research. "Using new continuous heart-monitoring technology, physicians can identify patients with intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation at greater risk and engage in better-informed shared decision-making around stroke prevention strategies."
The study investigated the long-term adverse health effects of early life exposure to air pollution. Credit: University of Southampton

Research led by the University of Southampton has shown increasing evidence that exposure to air pollution in early life has detrimental long-term health consequences.

The study, published in BMJ Open, found direct geographical correlations between coal consumption in the 1950s and deaths caused by respiratory and cardiovascular disease, as well as certain cancers, in England and Wales over the subsequent six decades.

Led by Professor David Phillips from the Medical Research Council's Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, the University of Southampton worked closely with the University of Portsmouth and the University of Oxford to carry out the research.

The data presented in this study also has implications for the long-term health of the populations of countries that still depend on large amounts of coal for their domestic markets.

This includes newly industrialised countries such as India or China, where coal is a major energy source, and resource-poor countries, where open fires and the consequent exposure of mothers and young children to pollutants is widespread.

Professor Stephen Holgate, Medical Research Council Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton, said: "We have long known that air pollution from the domestic burning of coal throughout the last 250 years has had devastating effects on human health. This is both during severe air pollution episodes during the famous smogs and fogs, but also over the long term with high background exposures, especially effecting the lungs and cardiovascular system.

"With the impending release of the Government's new Air Pollution Plan, these findings emphasise the importance of putting health above any other interests in protecting future generations from the toxic effects of current and unacceptable levels of air pollution in the UK."

The paper, titled 'Evaluating the long-term consequences of air pollution in early life: geographical correlations between coal consumption in 1951/1952 and current mortality in England and Wales', centres on data from the former Ministry of Fuel and Power that recorded the quantities of solid fuels burnt annually between May 1951 and May 1952 in 1,145 different locations.

Studies published in the 1950s and 1960s suggested that there were links between the amounts of coal used in domestic fires with both childhood respiratory disease and many major causes of adult deaths.

By the middle of the 20th century, more than 200 million tonnes of coal were being used per year in England and Wales. The Great Smog of London in 1952 killed an estimated 12 000 people and led to the first UK Clean Air Act being passed in 1956 to reduce coal consumption.

It is not known, however, whether these after effects have persisted. As such, this research is the first project to investigate the long term adverse health effects of early life exposure to air pollution across a period of more than 60 years.

"The Clean Air Act 1956 had a dramatic effect in reducing these avoidable causes of death and chronic illness. What we now have learnt from this study is that pollution exposure of infants and children from King Coal prior to the Clean Air Act is still shortening the lives of people today, more than 60 years later, even when current exposures to particulate pollution were taken into account.

"As well as acute effects, the study emphasises that exposure of pregnant mothers and our children to air pollutants has long term impacts across a person's lifetime."

Explore further Household air pollution linked to cardiovascular disease risk

More information: David I W Phillips et al. Evaluating the long-term consequences of air pollution in early life: geographical correlations between coal consumption in 1951/1952 and current mortality in England and Wales, BMJ Open (2018). Journal information: BMJ Open David I W Phillips et al. Evaluating the long-term consequences of air pollution in early life: geographical correlations between coal consumption in 1951/1952 and current mortality in England and Wales,(2018). DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018231
Dr. Tara Gomes and her team have found that nearly a quarter of all Ontarians newly prescribed opioids received a daily dose exceeding clinical guideline. Credit: St. Michael's Hospital

Nearly a quarter (23.9 per cent) of initial opioid prescriptions in Ontario had a daily dose of more than 50 milligram morphine equivalents (MME), exceeding the suggested dose threshold for opioid prescriptions outlined in North American clinical guidelines, according to a new study from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and St. Michael's Hospital.

"The U.S. and Canadian clinical guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic non-cancer pain suggest that doctors should avoid initiating opioids at daily doses above 50 MME. Our study found that nearly one-quarter of Ontarians taking an opioid for the first time received a daily dose exceeding this threshold, and for certain indications such as knee, hip and shoulder surgeries and Caesarean sections, the dose was even higher," says Dr. Tara Gomes, lead author of the study and a scientist at ICES.

The study, published today in the journal Pain, examined initial opioid prescriptions for more than 650,000 Ontarians from April 2015 to March 2016 and linked each to health administrative data from Ontario's publicly funded health care system.

"Due to concerns about the overprescription of opioids, there is an ongoing need to determine how to resource alternative non-pharmaceutical pain management strategies . In order to do this, we wanted to get a clear picture of the clinical indications associated with opioid initiation and the characteristics of those initial prescriptions," adds Gomes, who is also a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital.

Prescriptions for opioids have increased sharply in the last decade, making Canada the second highest per-capita user of opioids in the world. Furthermore, 1 in 8 Ontarians was dispensed an opioid in 2016, and Ontario has seen a four-fold increase in overdose deaths in the last 25 years, according to earlier research by Gomes.

The researchers grouped the reasons for starting opioids into six clusters: dental pain (23.2 per cent of prescriptions), postsurgical pain (17.4 per cent), musculoskeletal pain (12.0 per cent), trauma-related pain (11.2 per cent), cancer or palliative care (6.5 per cent), and other types of pain (17.7 per cent). Overall, 78,481 (12.0 per cent) of individuals could not be linked to any of the six indications).

The study showed that the dose and duration of initial opioid prescriptions varied considerably by indication. Dental pain accounted for nearly one in four new opioid prescriptions, but these were generally of short duration and low dose. In contrast, one in six new opioid prescriptions were for postsurgical pain, and these patients generally started on higher daily doses (over 40 per cent of them were prescribed more than 50 MME, and for hip and knee surgery at least 25 per cent were prescribed 90 MME or more).

"We know that patients' first opioid prescriptions are critically important. Across all clinical indications, a high percentage of people received daily doses of more than 50MME and prescription lengths exceeding seven days, a combination which has been associated with opioid-related adverse events and long-term opioid use. Given this, we need to think about alternative pain management options. This data can help us understand the types of serviceslike physiotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapythat might be appropriate to help avoid our reliance on opioids for some indications," says Gomes.

Explore further New data: Americans filling far fewer opioid prescriptions

More information: "Clinical indications associated with opioid initiation for pain management in Ontario, Canada: A population-based cohort study," was published in the current issue of Pain. Journal information: Pain "Clinical indications associated with opioid initiation for pain management in Ontario, Canada: A population-based cohort study," was published in the current issue of
In a landmark study, researchers found that patients treated with paramedic oxygen delivery using a newer, more flexible laryngeal breathing tube may have a greater survival rate after sudden cardiac arrest than the traditional intubation breathing tube.

Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the study is the largest of its kind to test oxygen delivery methods used by firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics. The study was presented at the 2018 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana by lead author Henry E. Wang, M.D., M.S., professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

"For over three decades, emergency medical services personnel in the U.S. have performed intubation to deliver oxygen into the lungs of cardiac arrest victims. While identical to techniques used by doctors in the hospital, intubation in the prehospital setting is very difficult and fraught with errors," Wang said. "Our trial showed that cardiac arrest patients treated using the newer and easier laryngeal tube device may have a higher survival rate."

Sudden cardiac arrest, or loss of mechanical activity of the heart, is usually caused by a heart attack. More than 400,000 individuals are treated for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year, with the vast majority occurring at home, according to the American Heart Association. Studies show that only about 10 percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive. Delivery of oxygen to the lungs is a critical part of reviving a patient from cardiac arrest.

The multicenter research studyPragmatic Airway Resuscitation Trialcompared survival rates among 3,000 adults with cardiac arrest treated by paramedic crews from 27 emergency medical services (EMS) agencies from December 2015 to November 2016. Approximately half received the newer laryngeal tube (LT) airway, while the other half received traditional endotracheal intubation. The study (NHLBI grant UH2/UH3-HL125163) was conducted by the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium research network and included the Birmingham, Dallas-Fort Worth, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Portland communities.

Overall, survival was higher in the LT than the standard intubation group. In the LT group, 18.3 percent survived three days in the hospital, while in the intubation group, 15.4 percent survived three days. A total of 10.8 percent in the LT group survived to reach hospital survival, while 8.1 percent in the intubation group reached hospital survival. The proportion of patients surviving with good brain function was also higher for LT than standard intubation.

"This is the first randomized trial to show that a paramedic airway intervention can improve cardiac arrest survival," Wang said. "Based upon these results, use of the newer LT devices could result in more than 10,000 additional lives saved each year."

While additional research is needed to support the study's findings, the researchers believe that the benefits of the newer LT airway are due to its easier technique, leading to better blood flow and oxygen delivery. They are continuing to analyze the data to gain additional insight into the study results.

Explore further National cardiac arrest study of new breathing tube
Metarrestin treatment markedly reduced the number of metastatic tumors in the liver and lung of mice with pancreatic cancer. Credit: K.J. Frankowski et al., Science Translational Medicine (2018)

The death of her mother from ovarian cancer when Dr. Sui Huang was only 12 led to her lifelong scientific pursuit and a new discovery that Huang hopes may eventually prevent other children from suffering such a painful loss.

Huang, a Northwestern Medicine scientist, and colleagues, have used a new approach and discovered a new compound that halts the spread of cancer cells, which is what makes the disease so lethal.

Scientists from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the University of Kansas, the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCAT) and Dr. Chen Wang, a research associate in Huang's lab, worked closely as a team to make this discovery possible.

Huang had already discovered the complex marker that indicates cancer cells' ability to transform into metastasizing "multiple-headed monsters," as she describes them.

In the new study, co-corresponding author Huang and colleagues have found a compound that blows up the monster and significantly reduced metastasis by human prostate, pancreatic and breast cancer transplanted into mice.

Mice treated with the compound, named metarrestin, had fewer metastatic tumors in the lung and liver, and lived longer than mice that did not receive treatment.

The paper will be published May 16 in Science Translational Medicine.

Metarrestin will be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for approval as an investigational drug in the near future, with the goal of launching a clinical trial.

There currently is not a drug aimed at selectively preventing cancer metastasis.

"It's like a dirty bomb against cancer," said Huang, an associate professor of cell and molecular biology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, describing metarrestin's potency against metastasizing cells. "It could potentially result in a better outcome for patients with solid tumor cancers with high potential to spread to other organs."

Why is it important to develop a drug that doesn't just target one gene but multiple factors?

"The metastatic cancer cell is a beast that is nearly entirely different from a normal cell," said Huang, who has been working on this research for 25 years. "Targeting one thing is not sufficient to stop metastatic cancer."

Most of the time the primary cancer tumorwhich can be dealt with by surgery, radiation and chemotherapydoesn't cause death.

"What kills people is when cancer spreads to other organs, such as when breast cancer spreads to the brain, liver, lungs or bones," Huang said.

Metarrestin treatment disassembled PNCs (structures associated with cancer metastasis, green) in mice with pancreas tumors and liver metastasis. Credit: K.J. Frankowski et al., Science Translational Medicine (2018)

The cancer patient survival rate has significantly improved in the last 20 years due to earlier diagnosis and combinational treatments. But the survival of people with metastatic cancer has not changed much.

Metarrestin potentially could be effective as part of combinational therapy after cancer surgery.

"This represents a new strategy for developing anti-cancer drugs," Huang said. "It's seeking one compound that can potentially affect multiple relevant targets that are promoting metastasis."

The marker for metastasis Huang and another scientist discovered in the late 1990s is the complex marker PNC, short for perinucleolar compartment. Its presence in the primary tumor correlates to the tumor's ability to spread and the poor survival of the patients. The higher the PNC level, the worse the prognosis.

Going for total annihilation

For this new study, National Cancer Institute scientists tested 140,000 compounds against PNC, searching for one that caused total annihilation. They finally found a compound and made a large modification to make a more effective one. The new compound, which they named metarrestin, significantly inhibited metastasis in human breast cancer, prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer that had been grafted into mice.

"We wanted to find that magic compound that strikes multiple parts of the monster. It doesn't just hit its head. It hits its claws, its fangs and its tail," Huang said.

Scientists inoculated cancer cell lines originally derived from human pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer into mice organs to generate tissue grafts, called xenografts. These mice were then treated with metarrestin and controls.

With breast cancer, the lung pleural fluid was collected and metastatic cells were isolated and directly inoculated into mice without going through the culture system. This type of tissue graft, called patient derived xenograft, is considered more representative of a human cancer condition.

The doctor becomes a scientist

While Huang's mother's death inspired her to go into medicine, it was an encounter with an 18-year-old boy during her oncology rotation at a Chinese hospital that drove her to become a scientist.

"He was supposed to be the best student in his home town," Huang said. "He had just taken a college entrance exam and got the top score, but he had a high fever."

He was quickly diagnosed with acute lymphoma. There was little Huang or anyone could do. He died in less than a month.

"I felt so useless," Huang said. "After that I felt being a doctor wouldn't help someone like him. I decided to go to graduate school to become a scientist to try to solve the problem."

Explore further Researchers identify compound to prevent breast cancer cells from activating in brain

More information: K.J. Frankowski el al., "Metarrestin, a perinucleolar compartment inhibitor, effectively suppresses metastasis," Science Translational Medicine (2018). Journal information: Science Translational Medicine K.J. Frankowski el al., "Metarrestin, a perinucleolar compartment inhibitor, effectively suppresses metastasis,"(2018). stm.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/  scitranslmed.aap8307

Provided by Northwestern University
SqwidNet has launched its new brand, aligning itself with the dynamic environment the company operates in, said Phathizwe Malinga, acting CEO of SqwidNet.

As a technology solutions and network provider at the edge of innovation, we realised that it was time to refresh our brand, said Malinga.

This includes a new company logo, which is pictured above.

The new brand comes after the resignation of former CEO Reshaad Sha, who left the company to take up the role of CEO at Liquid Telecom South Africa. Sha was also the chief strategy officer at Dark Fibre Africa.

With a fresh leadership team, comes a fresh approach to business, added Malinga.

SqwidNet, in partnership with Sigfox, has rolled out its IoT network across South Africa, and it now covers 83% of the country.

We will continue growing our partner ecosystem to ensure that we can provide businesses in South Africa with IoT solutions, said Malinga.

Now read: Vodacom expects continued data growth in South Africa
Comsol Networks, Verizon, and Samsung are collaborating to launch 5G fixed-wireless trials in South Africa, Comsol CEO Iain Stevenson has stated.

5G represents the next evolution of wireless networking, with potential speeds hundreds of times faster than consumer 4G networks, with extremely low latency and high levels of resilience, said Stevenson.

Trials in the US with Verizon have shown the potential of the 28GHz millimetre spectrum for 5G, he added.

With our access to the lions share of the 28GHz band in South Africa, were excited to work together and accelerate the development of the 5G ecosystem.

In terms of the network infrastructure, Samsung will provide base station technology, the evolved packet core, and customer premises equipment.

Sung Yoon, CEO of Samsung Electronics Africa, said the company is excited to partner with Comsol to demonstrate how important Africa is to the 5G revolution.

Stevenson said the project aims to deliver a wireless service which rivals local fibre offerings by early 2019.

This will be achieved by using the pre-5G proprietary standard from Verizons 5G Technical Forum, which will ultimately be converted into the 5G New Radio (5GNR) standards once they have been confirmed.

The official standards for 5G may only be ratified by the International Telecommunications Union in 2020, however.
Great music and a great cause come together on Sunday, May 20, when vocalist Kellie Fuller teams up with a band for a Swinging Jazz & Blues Organ Concert that benefits the non-profit Tucker Farm Center in Calistoga.

The band includes Wayne De La Cruz on Hammond B3 organ, Larry Vuckovich on Roland Organ, Chris Pimental on guitar and Kent Bryson on drums.

All proceeds from the concert go directly into the general fund that is earmarked for improvements at the Tucker Farm Center, a community center that has served Napa Valley residents for nearly 100 years.

The mix of music covers swinging standards, bebop classics, funky boogaloo as well as Latin/Brazilian selections.

Doors open at 3 p.m. and show time is 4-6 p.m. at the Tucker Farm Center, 1201 Tucker-Summit Road, Calistoga. Tickets are $25 in advance at brownpapertickets.com. A limited number of tickets will be for sale at the door, and refreshments will be available for purchase.

Residents of Napa Valley have enjoyed a long history with the Tucker Farm Center, which has hosted countless educational farm meetings, 4-H Clubs, dances, recitals, plays, fundraisers, baptisms, weddings and other events in service to the community.
Before approving the new rates, the council authorized staff in March to send out public notices informing ratepayers of the proposal, as required under state law established by Proposition 218 in 1996.

That law mandates notices go out at least 45 days prior to a public hearing that seeks a rate increase. City staff said the notices were mailed out March 30.

If more than 50 percent of ratepayers objected to the plan in writing  about 2,600 customers  the council would have been prevented from considering the rate increase.

But the city had received only 65 written objections as of Tuesday nights meeting, according to City Clerk Suellen Johnston.

About half a dozen residents spoke during the hearing to voice their opposition to the plan.

Claudia Ramirez said it wasnt fair to raise rates when the water at times smells bad or is discolored, something American Canyon has long struggled to change.

Why am I being asked to pay for water of lower quality? she asked the council. The taste is not very good.

Hartwig responded to this concern by saying the rate increase would provide funding for the city to make improvements in its water processing and delivery systems.
After a 15-year hiatus, Chaplain Lee Shaw pulled out all the stops for National Peace Officers Memorial Day on Tuesday. A combination of bagpipes, an honor guard, a riderless mount, a poetry reading, a minute of silence, a volley salute and the releasing of doves marked the noon ceremony honoring fallen law enforcement officers in California and across the country.

Law enforcement is not about badges and uniforms, its about taking a stand to preserve the rights of our neighbors and shielding them from danger, Shaw told the crowd at Veterans Memorial Park.

Tuesdays ceremony was just one of many across the United States honoring the 21,541 names engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. In 2017, 129 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty.

Six of those were given a place at the table of honor in Napa. A rose was placed on their settings as each name was called: Officer Keith W. Boyer of the Whittier Police Department, Officer Lucas F. Chellew of California Highway Patrol in South Sacramento, Deputy Jason Allen Garner of Stanislaus County Sheriffs Department, Deputy Robert Rumfelt of Lake County Sheriffs Department and Officer Andrew J. Camilleri, Sr. of CHP in Hayward.

These are mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives  their courage was boundless, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley said before saying the roll call. We must honor the fact that today simply putting on the uniform of a peace officer has  become an act of ultimate courage.

Haley said something notable  something human  about each peace officer lost in California last year. One enjoyed playing the drums, another was known as the baby whisperer, another called his father after every shift. Each one had families, she said. Each one had humanity behind the badge.

Two of the six were CHP officers, said CHP Capt. John Blencowe.

The last CHP officer to be killed while on duty out of Napa was Officer George F. Butler in 1986, Blencowe said. Butler, who was involved in a helicopter accident in Solano County, left behind a wife and daughters.

He will never be forgotten, Blencowe said.

One of Butlers daughters, Jacqueline Shikowitz, was in attendance. Napa Police Lt. Chase Haag presented her with a bouquet.

I think its very important to remember all of our fallen officers throughout the country, just to remind people the sacrifices that are taken, said Shikowitz, who is now an evidence technician with the Napa County Sheriffs Office.

Butler Bridge on Highway 29 over the Napa River is named after Shikowitzs father.

Shaw, who organized the event, said that he stopped putting together the annual memorial because not enough people were coming out to support the agencies. Although many in attendance Tuesday were members of law enforcement or affiliated agencies, Shaw said that he was happy with the way the service turned out. He hopes now that social media is around to promote events like this, that hell be able to do it again next year.

Most of the event was captured on video and is being streamed by the Napa Police on Facebook.

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SANTA ROSA  The Sonoma County District Attorneys Office has charged a Forestville man with the murders of a Midwest couple on a secluded beach near Jenner in 2004.

Shaun Gallon, 39, was charged Friday with killing Lindsay Cutshall, 22, of Ohio, and Jason Allen, 26, of Michigan, around Aug. 18, 2004. The Sonoma County Sheriffs Office had announced his arrest in the case on May 5, 2017.

The Sonoma Coast beach murder charges are included in a first amended complaint that also charges Gallon with the shooting murder of his brother Shamus Michael Gallon, 36, in Forestville on March 24, 2017, and the attempted murder bombing of John Robles and/or Paroneh Level in Guerneville on June 10, 2004.

The complaint states an assault rifle was used in all three slayings. Detectives talked to Gallon after his arrest for his brothers murder, and he told them information only Cutshalls and Allens killer would know, according to the sheriffs office.

Cutshall and Allen were in California working at a Christian youth whitewater rafting camp in El Dorado County in August 2004. They went on a three-day sightseeing trip in Northern California that included a visit to Fish Head Beach near Jenner. Their bodies were found in their sleeping bags on Aug. 18.
Nothing was founded, my kids were placed back with me, she said.

Solano Countys Child Welfare Services department officials did not immediately provide information on details about the visit or other interactions they may have had with members of the household.

Rogers says she home-schooled the children, but the two-story Fairfield, California, home was not registered as a private school and neither were three prior addresses where the family lived in Fairfield and Vallejo, according to the California Department of Education.

California law requires children to be enrolled in public school unless they meet specific exemptions, such as documented attendance at a private school. Parents who teach their own children are required to register with the state, but the state does not approve, monitor or inspect them.

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District had no record that the students attended any school in the district, said Tim Goree, a district spokesman.

Police responding to a missing juvenile report found a home filled with rotted food and human and animal waste, Fairfield Lt. Greg Hurlbut said. Police removed the children and arrested Rogers on suspicion of neglect. She was released after posting $10,000 bail.
Chiu said, however, that rape kits are an importance part of evidence gathering and could connect a perpetrator to multiple crimes.

Natasha Alexenko, a survivor of sexual assault and founder of the Natasha Project, said she was unaware her rape kit went untested for nearly 15 years.

Her perpetrator committed a string of crimes across the nation during that time period and she said she blamed herself for every other victim this monster created.

She said the perpetrator was finally arrested after law enforcement officials tested her rape kit.

I want to be one of the last people that gets up here behind a podium and tells you that ... even though their body was a crime scene, their rape kit sat and collected dust, Alexenko said.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley is sponsoring the legislative package. As a college student, she assisted women at a rape crisis center in Contra Costa County.

She said the rape kit of one victim, untested for several years, was later connected to the Golden State Killer. Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, was arrested in Sacramento on April 24 due to DNA evidence.
President Donald Trump again urged U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for obstructing justice during a Sanctuary City roundtable with California leaders opposed to the pro-immigrant policies Wednesday at the White House.

The comments were a reference to her actions on Feb. 24, when she notified the immigrant community of an impending Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid that ultimately led to the mass detention of at least 232 of the agency's 1,100 intended targets.

"You talk about obstruction of justice, I would recommend that you look at obstruction of justice for the mayor (of Oakland), Jeff," Trump said, suggesting that Schaaf's actions may have constituted a criminal offense, according to a White House press pool report.

Sessions did not immediately respond, according to reporters at the scene.

Trump also claimed that California's sanctuary laws, which limit collaboration between federal immigration authorities and local law enforcement, have "sparked a rebellion."

Schaaf did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president's remarks, but she did make a statement on Twitter about her own activities Wednesday.
But just as it was a mistake to assume that the spread of freedom was inevitable, its also wrong to assume that the spirit of 76 is as passe as the tricorn hats and knee breeches worn by the Founding Fathers.

No one in the world lived in a democracy in the 18th century if defined to mean universal suffrage; today, 39 percent of the worlds population lives in free countries and 24 percent in partially free countries. And wherever you look, you see the struggle for liberty.

On Saturday, more than 10 million Iraqis voted in elections that were competitive and free of violence. Turnout was low, but it was an indication that Iraqs democracywhich appeared to be stillborn in the dark days of the American war, 2003-2007, and again during the Islamic State war, 2014-2017remains alive. The top vote-getter unexpectedly appeared to be an alliance between secularists and followers of Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shiite firebrand who has positioned himself as a foe of corruption and Iranian influence.
The St. Helena Planning Commission rejected an application for a downtown health and beauty shop on Tuesday, citing the questionable reputation of the stores other locations.

With Commissioners David Knudsen and Lester Hardy absent, the commission voted 3-0 to reject the store, directing city staff to return at a future meeting with formal findings of denial.

Green Biotics, which has stores in Florida and La Jolla, had proposed to move into the former Gathered space at 1309B Main St. A written application stated that the store would sell vitamins, supplements, tea, coffee and derma care products.

Commissioners and a few members of the public noted one-star online reviews for the La Jolla store, with customers saying theyd been offered free tea samples as they passed the store, subjected to high-pressure sales tactics once they went inside, and been left frustrated by the stores no-return policy.

Commissioners also talked about the stores expensive products and questioned whether it could meet standards in the General Plan that encourage local-serving businesses that are consistent with St. Helenas community image. No representatives of the store attended Tuesdays hearing.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu announced for establishment of Chief Engineers Office of Hydropower at Tezu.

Addressing a public meeting at Jubilee Ground, the Chief Minister also assured all support for effective functioning of Zonal Hospital.

Responding to public memorandum, Khandu gave positive nod for renaming of Governmentt Higher Secondary School, Tezu to Sobeng Tayang Higher Secondary School.

He also assured to work out for establishment of JNV School there.

On flood protection, the Chief Minister announced Rs 15 crore for flood protection work at Sukha Nallah.

He further promised to have Sunpura Circle Office upgraded to EAC office as this border circle faced boundary issues with Assam.

The Chief Minister asked the Deputy Commissioner to work on necessary formalities for upgradation.

On request from public for new administrative centres at Bekhuliang and Tafragam villages, the Chief Ministers asked the Deputy Commissioner to send proposals.

He also requested the Deputy Commissioner to work on proposals for upgradation of Wakro EAC post to ADC.

Further the Chief Minister informed that the State Government is creating about 1000 posts in civil police for different categories.

State BJP President Tapir Gao, DCM Chowna Mein, WRD Minister Kamlung Mossang and State RD Minister Alo Libang also spoke on the occasion.

The meeting was also attended by Parliamentary Secretaries Nyamar Karbak, PD Sona, Tesam Pongte, Zingnu Namchoom, Gabriel D Wangsu.
Armenia territorial administration and infrastructure minister, India ambassador discuss opportunities for collaboration

President visits Armenia honorary consulate in Veneto region of Italy

Burned body of man, 65, found in Armenia rural community

Armenia MOD: Serviceman wounded at Yeraskh village section of border with Azerbaijan is contract soldier

Turkey detains 6 foreigners on suspicion of espionage

Hraparak.am: Armenia soldier wounded at Yeraskh village section of border with Azerbaijans Nakhchivan

Armenia Constitutional Court finds bill tabled by parliament speaker to be in accordance with Constitution

Opposition MP: Armenia authorities obsessed with false ideas of building dialogue with Turkey, Azerbaijan

Ukrainian tourist, 64, dies suddenly near Armenias Temple of Garni

Artsakh civilian, 55, killed by Azerbaijan sniper (PHOTOS)

UK House of Lords member thanks opposition Armenia Faction in parliament

Modernas Spikevax vaccine against coronavirus is distributed to Armenia polyclinics, mobile points

India FM to visit Armenia for first time in history

Armenia PM condoles with Georgia counterpart

Spain man, 40, found dead in Armenia

October 11 declared a day of mourning in Georgia

Armenian priest continues his religious service at Dadivank Monastery of Artsakh (PHOTOS)

China, US discuss lifting customs duties, sanctions

4 people killed in single-engine plane crash in US

1,331 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia President awarded with highest medal of University of Bologna

Vanetsyan: Armenias Pashinyan, by me, Azerbaijans Aliyev, by his NSS head, had exchanged closed envelopes

Armenia premier, his staff conceal fact of 'operative link' with Azerbaijans Aliyev

Residential building collapses in Georgias Batumi

Chile court considering case against president based on Pandora Papers leaks

Newspaper: Selective investigation being conducted into Armenia criminal case on arms supply

Newspaper: Armenia PM worries about delay in actual 'process' of illegal property confiscation

OSCE Minsk Group: Co-Chairs discussed possible de-escalatory and humanitarian measures

Sergey Markedonov: What axis between Yerevan and Tehran?

Armenia Parliament Speaker: It's very important to be able to turn the page over and establish peace in the region

Legendary Armenian gymnast Albert Azaryan's daughter, teacher Zhanna Azaryan dies from COVID-19

Georgia citizens to hold rally in support of Saakashvili in central Tbilisi on Sunday

Armenia sets up governmental commission for funeral of Ambassador Vigen Chitechyan

Armenia opposition MP: Yerevan, Baku are synchronously working to destroy Armenian statehood

Slovenia Ambassador to Armenia: Armenian-Slovenian economic relations not adequate to existing potential

Cavusoglu: Ukraine has applied to obtain observer status in Turkic Council

Turkey building a wall on border with Iran

Basque Country Parliament, affirming European Parliament's stance, adopts resolution on Armenian POWs

Turkish FM touches upon Armenia-Azerbaijan relations

Armenia FM receives Apostolic Nuncio of Holy See Jose Avelino Bettencourt

Saakashvili's father calls on son to stop hunger strike

Armenian and Belarusian MFAs hold political consultations

Digest: Russia offers 3+3 Caucasus regional platform, more on COVID-19 vaccination in Armenia

Armenia MOD receives Diaspora Armenian benefactors

Armenia Ambassador presents credentials to Turkmenistan President

Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker and Russia Ambassador: We are interested in expansion of cooperation

Armenia finance ministry-European Investment Bank cooperation development directions discussed

One dollar drops below AMD 480 in Armenia

Hague court announces dates for considering petition for Armenian captives return, urgent measures against Azerbaijan

Armenia minister, Rosatom representative discuss cooperation in new sectors for infrastructure development

Armenia PM underscores need for effective investigation of criminal cases on 44-day war circumstances

Armenia MFA: Servants, followers of Armenian Church should have unimpeded access to cathedral in Artsakhs Shushi

Armenia opposition With Honor Faction lawmaker: MPs can be part of any parliamentary delegation

Turkish Armed Forces' 3rd army corps commander visits Nakhchivan

Sergey Markedonov: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not over

Opposition 'Armenia' faction: There is always a threat of war, but it is less likely in the near future

Armenian and Greek competition protection authorities sign Memorandum of Cooperation

Georgia FM comments on possibility of his country joining 3 + 3 format proposal including Armenia

Ruling power MP: Armenia needs to consider, grasp opportunities of 3 + 3 negotiation format

12 new cases of coronavirus reported in Karabakh

FM meets with Sweden ambassador, stresses need for return of all Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

Ukraine MP who penned Armenian Genocide recognition draft decision dies

Azerbaijan organizes another visit to occupied Shushi of Artsakh

Ombudsman in Rome, presents Armenian captives issue to international media

ANCA calls on US Congress to investigate State Department failures related to Armenia, Artsakh

Armenia opposition MP: Tatev bypass road will not resolve all our problems in current situation (PHOTOS)

1,202 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Opposition Armenia bloc challenges, at Constitutional Court, community enlargement law package

Armenia Central Bank chief in Rome, meets with Italy PM

Russia peacekeepers, philanthropists hand warm clothes to Artsakh families

State Department: US, Russia do not want to allow Iran to have nuclear weapons

Newspaper: Armenia state to no longer cover treatment expenses of patients not vaccinated against coronavirus?

Newspaper: Armenia judicial system to be in volatile situation in short time

UN Human Rights Council agrees to appoint special rapporteur on Afghanistan

Russia citizen driver, 52, dies on the spot after his car crashes into truck in Armenia

Launch of Armenian Studies Program announced during Armenia President's visit to Sapienza University

Will Turks be able to enter 26 countries of Schengen Area without visas?

Dinner served in honor of Armenia President and his wife in Italy

Armenian parliamentary standing committee chairman meets with Russia Ambassador

Armenia Ombudsman submits to Pope Francis reports on tortures of Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

Customs Attache: There hasn't been and there is no bias against Armenian drivers at Upper Lars checkpoint

Greece-France defense agreement will allow them to help each other in case of third country's attack

Treatment of coronavirus-infected but unvaccinated people to become paid service in Armenia as of December?

Turkish FM: Turkey's position on supporting Ukraine's "integrity and sovereignty" remains unchanged

Russian peacekeeping forces, charitable organizations provide assistance to boarding school in Karabakh

Zakharova: Moscow proceeds from priority to ensure geopolitical stability in South Caucasus

Armenia President pays tribute at Altar of the Homeland monument at Venice Square in Rome

Turkey, Iran to hold political consultations

Karabakh FM expresses condolences over death of Vigen Chitechyan

Armenia territorial administration and infrastructure minister has new deputy

Armenia Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan receives US Ambassador

Armenia Security Council Secretary, Netherlands Ambassador attach importance to fight against corruption

Digest: Armenian POW returned from Azerbaijan, PACE speaks on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination risks

Armenia and Italy are deepening cooperation in justice sector

Apprehended ARF-D members are released

Armenia high-tech industry minister receives Russia Ambassador

Armenia Embassy in Russia hosts delegation led by Armenian parliamentary speaker

Decisions to arrest Armenia ex-defense minister, arms supplier are appealed

Dollar continues going down in Armenia

Artsakh President to Putin: Your role in process of peaceful, final settlement of Karabakh conflict is invaluable
UK Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday that Britain is Turkeys true friend, but urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to uphold democracy and human rights. Erdogan held talks with May at 10 Downing St. on the final day of a three-day trip to the UK, AP reported.

Kurdish activists and human rights groups rallied outside Mays office before the meeting, condemning Erdogans increasingly autocratic rule.

His government arrested more than 50,000 people following a July 2016 coup attempt, and some 38,000 people still are behind bars for alleged links to the failed overthrow. More than 110,000 people have been purged from government jobs through emergency decrees.

May acknowledged that Turkey faced extraordinary pressures from the failed coup, instability across the border from Syria and from Kurdish terrorism. But she said it was important that Britains fellow NATO member does not lose sight of the values it is seeking to defend.
YEREVAN.  Delivery business is one of the most dynamically developing areas in Armenia. Just as other areas, the delivery business is faced with its own problems and challenges, and the attempts are made to solve them by using modern technological options.

When it comes to the delivery business, the main problem is addresses in Yerevan. The reason for late delivery is confusing addresses.

Armenian News-NEWS.am talked to director of Menu.am company Sevada Baghdyan to clarify how the delivery business is going to address these problems.

Unfortunately, not every building in Yerevan has an address plaque. You know that it is sometimes impossible to guess the sequence of buildings and houses. Our Georgian and Belarus services (Menu.by & Menu.ge), for instance, are using Google Maps application and other GPS services that are rather accurate, and there is not obstacle when it comes to addresses. In Armenia we use the database created by our own, and thanks to our delivery men, the number of accurate addresses increases in our database, he said.

Menu.am plans a number of technological improvements that will cut the average time of delivery to 30 minutes, Baghdyan added. Menu.am will spare no effort to optimize work and make it comfortable for customers.

This year we plan to update and make our site and application more convenient for our customers. The customer will have a chance to find on our website the nearest restaurants and cafes in the shortest possible time. Often customers have no idea where the restaurants are located and do not know whether there is sense to make an order or not, and whether the order will come soon, Menu.am director explained.

He emphasized that customer for whom it is important to get his order as soon as possible will have an opportunity to choose the nearest place, and the delivery time can make around 10-15 minutes, if it is a fast food restaurant.

Logistic system will be reformed, and this will make the whole delivery process more accessible for our customers, and we will be more transparent and competitive, Baghdyan concluded.
Nothing has happened with ZTE except as it pertains to the larger trade deal, US President Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday.

Nothing has happened with ZTE except as it pertains to the larger trade deal. Our country has been losing hundreds of billions of dollars a year with China said Donald Trump, adding We have not seen Chinas demands yet, which should be few in that previous U.S. Administrations have done so poorly in negotiating. China has seen our demands. There has been no folding as the media would love people to believe, the meetings havent even started yet! The U.S. has very little to give, because it has given so much over the years. China has much to give!

Earlier, the US Congress rejected Trumps plan to ease sanctions against ZTE.

The US Department of Commerce prohibited US companies to sell components of the leading Chinese telecommunications equipment supplier ZTE Corp for seven years.

Last year ZTE Corp was found guilty for violating US sanctions by illegally supplying US goods and technology to Iran. The company paid 890 million dollars in fines and penalties.
The White House hopes that the meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will take place despite Pyongyang's threats, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in an interview with Fox News.

Were still hopeful that the meeting will take place and well continue down that path but at the same time weve been prepared that these could be tough negotiations. The president is ready if the meeting takes place. If it doesnt, well continue the maximum pressure campaign thats been ongoing, Reuters reported quoting Sanders.

North Korean summit is scheduled for June 12 in Singapore. Meanwhile, Pyongyang suspended negotiations with Seoul following US-South Korean joint military exercises, calling them a provocation.

Pyongyang said that North Korea will negotiate with the US if Donald Trump is interested not only in solving the nuclear problem, but also in improving relations with Pyongyang.
Home | News | General | Situating Nigerias agricultural potential by Mariam Mohammed (opinion)

Editor's note: Public Relations expert, Mariam Mohammed, writes on the agricultural potentials of Nigeria stressing that the sector holds the key to the sustainable development of the nation, advising the government to key into it.

Read below:

Recently, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, caused a buzz when he was shown visiting his expansive farm showcasing diverse crops including animal husbandry. The import of that media blitz of the speaker's is that the elite clearly understands that agriculture holds the key to sustainable development.

Before Dogara's, we are witnesses to President Muhammadu Buhari showcasing his herd of cattle most times when he is in his hometown of Daura. The cheering news about this is that it is not just the elite that are given to the idea of investing in agriculture. We have entertainers like music star, DBanj, who has commercialized his farm produce with the popular Koko garri, actress Halima Abubakar, veteran actor Yinka Quadri, the jaga-jaga crooner, Eedris Abdulkareem, film producer and actor, Taiwo Hassan amongst a host of others.

In an interview not too long ago, DBanj was quoted as saying: I engage in agriculture personally to encourage millions of African youths who look up to me as a role model. I need to let them know that unlike the old stereotype of farming which was considered as a form of punishment, modern farming on the contrary, is a cool source of employment for many graduates. Agriculture is life and it is everything that we live for. It is the only way forward for us in Africa. There are so many potentials in it and if we could focus on it, the continent can actually feed the rest of the world.

Nothing can be farther from the truth that the value chain in agriculture is immense if properly harnessed.

Lets take the case of former journalist Rotimi Williams who is reputed to own the second largest commercial farm rice in the country. Williams, 35, has a farm that measures 45, 000 hectares in Nasarawa state and employs more than 600 indigenes of the state without counting the spiral effect of the job creation and investment in the area and beyond.

As a country that consumes more than 5 million metric tons of rice every year, with a significant portion from imports, people like Williams are exemplars that with the right policy by government, the countrys quest for self-sufficiency is possible after all.

It is in this regard that the Federal Governments Anchor Borrowers Programme powered by the Central Bank is a vital instrument. The significant aspect of the intervention, which I find compelling, is seeing agriculture as a business driven venture and not simply as a subsistence endeavour.

Therefore, taking the route of business-driven agriculture to the grassroots through the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), by deploying an innovative nation-wide field structure to support 225,000 farmers should be applauded.

Under the Project Monitoring Reporting and Remediation Office (PMRO) with units located in each state and the federal capital, the NIRSAL is realizing its core mandate of making agriculture more attractive for private sector investment by de-risking the agricultural value chain.

Speaking not too long ago on the importance of the PMRO, Managing Director/CEO of NIRSAL, Aliyu Abdulhameed, explained, The PMRO structure is very critical to our operations. Agriculture is a field business. They would act as our eyes to ensure that agricultural projects that we facilitate finance for are executed in line with agreed terms and also serve to extend the reach of our interventions.

Despite all of these, they are people who think that it is still a long road to Uhuru, and rightly so. In a country that even productive ventures are seen as tools for political patronage, there is the urgency by these agencies to demonstrate that they are insulated from the vagaries of politics and the shenanigans of politicians.

Besides this, policy inconsistency is a major drawback. We have seen government rolling back programmes only to reintroduce them either under a new nomenclature or with slight modifications. In a situation where farmers and investors are unsure of the policy of government for a sector that requires medium and long term planning, then there is little hope of getting the right people to show genuine interest and commitment.

While most Nigerians think this government has done well in boosting agricultural entrepreneurship, the new worry centres round President Muhammadu Buharis recent visit to President Donald Trump of the United States.

On many strategic fronts, the visit is a plus and reinforces the vital nature of Nigeria in global affairs, the nagging doubt of what type of agreement was entered into by the president persists.

It is a given that with myriads of security challenges, the country needs the security might of the U.S in tackling the threats of Boko Haram and other existentialist groups but are we counting the cost when there are other alternatives to our common good? In the global agricultural and trade war, countries like Nigeria become pawns in the hands of the major players, therefore, a lot of tact and guile is required if we are to protect our local markets and investors.

Without a doubt, the U.S. and China are in a bitter trade war with agricultural produce at the centre of it. It is known that owing to some Trumps business decisions on Chinese businesses that China is enforcing new tax policies on American agricultural products and to absorb the outcome of the enforcement, President Trump is looking to countries like Nigeria, Argentina and Brazil as buffers.

So to sign a deal that will see U.S. agric produce, which by the way are heavily subsidized, flooding the Nigerian market at a time that America is not buying our crude is to adversely undermine the potential of the efforts of government to not only ensure food security, grow our economy and job creation, but to seriously eat into our forex market.

What government needs to do is to create a buffer of tax exemptions for farmers and other incentives to keep our farmers afloat while seriously tackling the menace of armed banditry and insurgency on farming communities, as well as properly ensure that all imported produce pay the correct tariffs and duties.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NAIJ.com.

Your own opinion articles are welcome at info@corp.naij.com drop an email telling us what you want to write about and why. More details in Naij.coms step-by-step guide for guest contributors.

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Home | News | General | Saraki reacts to passage of Companies and Allied Matters Act

Senate president, Bukola Saraki, has applauded the repeal and re-enactment of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) on Tuesday.

The repeal is the biggest business reform bill in Nigeria in over 28 years.

The act was modified after a clause-by-clause consideration and a voice vote on the report of the Committee on Trade and Investments at plenary.

Saraki wrote on his verified Twitter page: Todays passage of the repeal and re-enactment of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (#CAMA) is a significant milestone in our legislative agenda. This is by far the most far-reaching legislation ever passed by any legislature in our country.

With the passage of #CAMA, we have now put in place a regulatory framework that will promote the ease of doing business in Nigeria and reduce all the unnecessary regulatory hurdles.

#CAMA is a pro-business law. Its passage will show the world that Nigeria is ready for business. By passing this Bill, the 8th Senate has shown that it has the audacity to move Nigerian businesses into a new era of development.

With the passage of #CAMA, we are reshaping Nigeria and we changing how Nigerians do business. I thank my colleagues for reaching another milestone on our legislative agenda that will positively impact the lives of millions of Nigerians.

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Home | News | General | Messi reveals what will happen if Neymar joins Real Madrid

Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi, has said it would be terrible to see Neymar play for their LaLiga rivals, Real Madrid.

Neymar left Barca for Paris Saint-Germain last summer in a world-record  222million deal.

However, the Brazilian is reportedly unhappy with the standard of Ligue 1 and is seeking a return to Spain, to play for Real.

It would be terrible to see Neymar at Real Madrid. He meant a lot to us. Itll be a big blow to the fans, Messi told TYC Sports.

Neymar formed a lethal attacking partnership with Messi and Luis Suarez at the Nou Camp.

The three players were known for their bond on and off the pitch and Messi says he still shares a strong friendship with Suarez.

I have a strong friendship with Suarez. On the pitch, he makes life easier. His movement is great, he runs, he presses. Sometimes he runs one way but then goes another way. It makes it easier for me to play my game as well, he said.

On his own future at the club, Messi added: I dont have to move to another team to prove anything to anyone. Its very difficult for me to leave Barcelona.

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Home | News | General | Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde reveals how the love was so much that she got mobbed in Sierra Leone

- Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, recently traveled to Sierra Leone for the presidential inauguration and was mobbed by star struck fans

- She revealed this on her social media page as she was overwhelmed by the love

Curvaceous screen queen, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, clearly underrated how much love her fans have for her. While in Sierra Leone, she revealed on her social media page that she got mobbed by fans who were all too happy to see her.

The beautiful actress was received by an entourage led by the First Lady, Fatima Jabbe-Bio, who used to be an actress. Omotola who is also a philanthropist, was praised for her works with the UN and also for her fight for Maternal health with Amnesty International in Sierra Leone

She expressed her gratitude for their acknowledgement of her works and also spoke about her love for the country, expressing her optimism that the new president would actualize the dreams of the people.

READ ALSO: Photos of Timaya's expensive cars rock the internet, Mercedes, Lexus, Range Rover are part of the list

Sharing photos from the event, she wrote: "Waoh... #sierraleone! At the Presidents inauguration. I kinda had a taste of two extreme reactions... so much love you are mobbed and so much love you are blown kisses...lol . Congrats again Rtd Brig President Julius maada Bio and First Lady Fatima jabbe Bio. With Liberian president , Mr Goerge Weah"

READ ALSO: Its your fathers mothers bride price that was a waste - Oyo state governor's son, idris Ajimobi attacks blogger for insulting his wife's dressing

Mercy Johnson and her husband were also invited by the Sierra Leone president and his First Lady for the inauguration ceremony.

She took to her social media page to share photos of herself with important dignitaries as they were welcomed into Freetown, Sierra Leon by the First Lady.

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Home | News | General | Ramadan: Ashafa urges Muslims to pray for continued peace, prosperity, harmony of Nigeria

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

As Muslim faithful worldwide commenced the 30 days Ramadan fasting, Senator Gbenga Ashafa has urged all Muslims in the country and diaspora to pray for the continued peace and prosperity of Nigeria, during and after the Holy Month.

Ashafa, representing Lagos East Senatorial District, made the remarks, in a Ramadan message, stated, I join my fellow brothers and sisters of the Islamic faith in welcoming another Holy period of Ramadan. The month of Ramadan is the ninth month in the lunar (Islamic) calendar; in which Almighty Allah instructed all Muslim Faithful to observe a month of fasting.

*Senator Ashafa

In Quran chapter 2 verse 183, Allah prescribed fasting as an obligation for Muslims and tells us the reason at the end which is for us to restrain from evil, learn Gods consciousness and learn to be God fearing.

Ashafa stated further that The period of Ramadan teaches us self control, self restraint, tolerance for one another irrespective of religion or tribe. It is also a month for extreme prayers, love and generosity.

He also urged all Muslim faithful to remember areas that were experiencing pockets of violence across the country in their prayers for the peace and prosperity of the country.

He stated that, While using this period to share love, forgive and reflect spiritually I implore us all to pray for the continued peace and prosperity of our dear country, while also remembering the pockets of violence happening in certain parts of the country. It is my prayer that all our supplications and Ibada throughout this period be acceptable to Almighty Allah.

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Home | World | Africa | Constituents back Majome

HARARE West constituents have vowed to back Jessie Majome after she withdrew from the MDC-T primary elections insisting that she was now throwing her hat into the ring as an independent candidate.

Majome has since received pledges from her constituents who have also said they were prepared to fund her war chest as she faces MDC-T and Zanu PF candidates in the crucial general elections up in a few months.

Political commentator and Harare West constituent Rashweat Mukundu, is one of the key people backing Majome, declaring on his Facebook page that she has his vote.

"I am convinced we Harare westerners have the capacity, both intellectual and resources to retain Jessie Majome as our MP," he said.

Honest Rwodzi another constituent vowed to follow Majome regardless of her party choice in a move that could see MDC-T lose the seat.

"I have some business interests and investments in Harare West which have been made possible through the people's Parliamentarian. The Institutional Consensus in the business community around the area is that we're safer with Jessie. Whatever the ticket Jessie will contest on, we will in unequivocal terms vote for Hon. Jessie Majome," he said.

MDC-T chairman Morgen Komichi said he was due to have a meeting with Majome to go through her concerns before commenting.

Youth secretary for security James Chidhakwa, said the party has respect for Majome, but accused her of being selfish and dishonest.

"Majome is an asset in the party, but the issues she is raising are a bit dishonest. Firstly, she is in the national executive and for her to say that she has no access to information or party cards is dishonest, the national executive makes the rules. Secondly, if she has a good working relation with her constituency that is fine let her be re-elected through the primary elections. As the youth, we also want to play a part in this process and for her to want to close us out is dishonest and selfish," he said.

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Home | World | Africa | Zanu PF reruns trigger more drama

THE second round of the Zanu PF primary elections is heading for another drama after losing aspiring candidates and party supporters dismissed it as a "farce", raising many irregularities and launching a tirade against the party elections commission.

Zanu PF ordered a rerun for a few disputed constituencies, although a number of complaints were raised on the majority of the seats.

Following a recent politburo decision for reruns, many candidates and supporters said they expected a smooth and improved exhibition of internal democracy, but the primaries failed to meet the test.

Party national commissar Engelbert Rugeje said he would formally announce the results.

This came at a time when scores of party supporters thronged the party headquarters demonstrating against the victory of Labour minister Petronella Kagonye and Tendai Savanhu, alleging manipulation of the party's registers and resulting in some of the activists failing to vote.

Zanu PF aspiring candidate and war veterans' spokesperson Douglas Mahiya accused the elections commission of trying to tarnish the image of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose nephew Tongai was reportedly declared the winner.

He said they were meeting the commission to query why Tongai was being considered in Harare South.

Mahiya equated Tongai's involvement as tantamount to creating a dynasty.

"This is not about creating a dynasty here, we are not looking at that. We are not attending to an issue of dynasty here, no, we are not taking that. He is using the name Mnangagwa and he (Tongai) told me that I was his subject," Mahiya said.

"I went to war and fought again to have this new dispensation. He told me I am not a beneficiary, but him, and I can't take that. All candidates are coming here and they are saying let's contest among ourselves, but Tongai must go.

"We have written a petition which is in the hands of the commission as we speak right now, but they are failing to act and otherwise, this commission wants to betray ED so that they will take a wrong decision, which will be blamed on ED. They will not tell me this nonsense. Never! They can't."

Harare provincial chairman Godwills Masimirembwa, however, said elections in the province went on well, although there were isolated skirmishes.

"They (elections) are still ongoing, but generally, we are happy with the process. I can say in all the areas because we haven't received results as yet, but we are hopeful that everything will be finished today. There were skirmishes here and there, just pushing and shoving and there is nothing serious," he said.

More drama unfolded in Mazowe West constituency, where there were reports of voter apathy, as party supporters contested the sole rerun for women's quota.

They said it was improper to only consider irregularities for the women's quota, which, however, affected all the candidates from local government, senatorial and House of Assembly.

In Mazowe West, provincial chairman Kazembe Kazembe was facing stiff competition from other contenders, including Tafadzwa Musarara.

NewsDay was inundated with calls from party supporters who said there was unfairness in the process.

"How can they acknowledge an irregularity in one area when they used the same system on everything? We don't know why we are being denied the opportunity to choose our preferred candidates. We didn't vote, many people didn't because we have lost confidence in the process. We need a complete rerun and that message must be taken seriously," a Zanu PF supporter, who requested anonymity, said.

In Chipinge South constituency, the previous winner, Enock Porusingazi, romped to victory again while in Chipinge Central, the sitting legislator, Raymore Machingura, thumped the provincial vice-chair Dorothy Mabika.

Oliver Mandipaka reportedly lost for the second time to Soul Nzuma, while Joseph Made reportedly lost to Shadreck Chipanga for the senatorial seat.

Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa won the Zanu PF Zvimba South slot, while former Joice Mujuru's National Peoples' Party women's leader Marian Chombo secured her place in Zvimba North.

In Chegutu West, Dexter Nduna won again.

Chiyangwa's rival, Crispen Kadhoza Saidi, disputed the results, citing massive electoral fraud.

Saidi accused Chiyangwa of bribing Zanu PF wards and chairpersons to force people to vote for him and to turn away his known supporters.

"The rerun irregularities were more than when the elections were initially held because Chiyangwa used money to influence the results by giving money to some ward and youth chairpersons in the constituency. I'm appealing for another rerun," Saidi said.

Chiyangwa refused to comment, but warned candidates to avoid being malicious.

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Home | World | Africa | Biti's aides pull out of the MDC Alliance

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Mashonaland East has pulled out of the MDC Alliance and resolved to field its own candidates in the coming elections.

The provincial executive is disgruntled that none of its members in the area were allocated seats in the seven-member MDC Alliance to contest in this year's elections.

Former Marondera mayor, Farai Nyandoro confirmed the new development saying he had since been confirmed by the province to contest for the Marondera Central seat on a PDP ticket.

Last weekend, Caston Matewu from the MDC-T was selected to represent the Alliance in the elections expected to be held in July.

In Murewa South, the PDP district executive met on Tuesday this week and resolved to nominate by consensus a candidate who would represent the party in the parliamentary election and select 12 candidates to contest all the 12 local council seats in the area.

Similar developments in the PDP are reported to be taking place in other districts in Mashonaland East.

However, the decision comes after the PDP national executive has since completed the party's candidate confirmation process for the local council and parliamentary elections with party leader Tendai Biti set to contest as the MP for Harare East on an MDC Alliance ticket.

Biti lost the same seat in 2015 after he and several other MPs were recalled from the MDC-T for forming a splinter faction of the MDC T. He was later to be elected president of the PDP.

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How REAL news exposed FAKE news before fake news claimed the reverse as their own cover up

Fake news has been around for decades, if not a century. Adolf Hitler used fake news posters and his insane eugenics theories before and during WWII to blame the Jews for all of Germanys economic woes. Then there was the massive failure of the Vietnam War, where American media covered up the fact that thousands of American soldiers were being dropped into a meat grinder and into the Agent Orange cancer-causing poison  all to no avail. The media lied profusely and claimed we were winning the war, while covering up all the atrocities as our soldiers came home missing legs, secretly dying of cancer, or in body bags.

Then there was the Gulf War, which served the military industrial war complex, so CNN had to stage their infamous fake news in order to add to the emotional excitement in order to get the American people to support the lies and thus fill politicians pockets with millions. Heres blatant proof, as covered by InfoWars.

Yet, nothing compares to the fake news of recent years, as exposed by truth media and nearly every alternative media website in the nation, where journalists and investigative reporters realized the abysmal depth of deep state corruption, headed up by the absolutely non-transparent Obama Administration (and the Bush Administration before that).

In fact, the war for truth news may be the main reason Trump won the office of POTUS. No politician or political candidate ever called out fake news before that. Not ever. The lies became so widespread and obvious that the majority of voting Americans woke up from the fog of fluoridated tap water, GMO food and toxic flu shots, and realized they needed to vote all the clowns out of office. The lying mass media needed to be dismantled. It worked.

CNN, Washington Post, NY Times, Boston Globe, ABC, NBC, CBS and nearly every major newspaper in America  publish FAKE News Daily

The key to fake news is to quote sources that dont exist, and then have all your affiliates quote each other. Its one big circle jerk that leads to nothing, totally avoiding being discredited, or so they thought. The boondoggle of fake news sources that leads directly nowhere is exactly how the fake Trump-Russia collusion conspiracy has been debunked and dismantled entirely.

The boondoggle of fake news sources that leads directly nowhere is exactly how most Americans realized that most mass shootings are staged by gun control freaks from the perverse Left and purported via mass media using propaganda to stir emotions. Just take the anti-gun sociopath David Hogg for example. His evil agenda is quite obvious.

Yes, real news called out fake news long ago, across the board. The only problem is that fake news is run by filthy rich billionaires, and real news is only run by either semi-wealthy people or basic hard-working Americans who make their decent money off their popular websites, Youtube video fan support, and through crowd-funding. Plus, the big lies are scripted at the top of the news food chain, and find their way to the bottom feeders, where the fake news scavengers (newspapers, magazines and local news TV stations) recycle and regurgitate the propaganda word for word. In fact, the following mind-blowing video shows how local news TV puppet-journalists read the word-for-word-propaganda scripts across the nation. Like they say, repeat any lie enough times and the drugged-up masses will believe it. So many mass media stooges just reading the script, even with the same intonations!

Alternative news like Drudge Report (Zero Hedge), Natural News, InfoWars and WikiLeaks lead the way to exposing the facade

Once fake news was exposed, they were literally screwed. Their ratings plummeted and their favorite socialist candidate for POTUS, and accomplished liar, was about to lose the ultimate and most important election in the history of the United States of America. Had Hitlery Clinton won the presidency, this country right now would look like Venezuela does, have no doubt. The only hope the deranged Leftists had of helping the crumbling, sick, demented and cheating Hillary win the election was if the lying mass media could somehow discredit the truth media that was exposing all of their propaganda.

Then, the fake news CNN themselves met their own demise  POTUS-to-be called them Fake News to their faces in live interviews and press conferences.

Never before in the history of this country has a major public figure called the mass media fake and gotten away with it. Its almost suicidal to try it. Some people have been suicided for trying it, like Democratic insider and whistle-blower Seth Rich.

Today, the leaders of the truth movement are too big to take out. Today, the leaders of the truth movement are too smart to take down.

Extreme censorship of real news begins and ends with CNN, Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter

Today, if you call out fake news, criticize the gun-grabbing Left, call out the propaganda of staged events, point out the blatant lies purported by Google, Wikipedia, the CDC, the FDA, or the New York Times, then you are deprived by them of your revenue sources, advertising, and even banned from the major players on social media. Have no illusions, social media and all TV stations are run by the deep state Pravda extremists who want to destroy America through communist, socialist and tyrannical means. According to the billionaires who run the TV networks, the major newspapers and social media, if you are patriotic and support the Constitution then you are a terrorist and a traitor. According to the insane far Left, if you support your President then you are a racist, bigoted, brainwashed Nazi with no right to state your opinion or the facts at all, ever. You have no right to debate either. Even some celebrities are calling out the Lefts lies and screaming for Americans to think independently!

If you still have a brain that works and you seek the truth, make sure your voice is heard via alternative media and throughout your community, because the boob-tube, the newspapers, and social media are running a massive censorship campaign in an attempt to overthrow the only chance we all have of truth, liberty, and justice for all.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

TruthStreamMedia.com

CDC.news

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

Fox5DC.com

ZeroHedge.com
The AUD is going down again after taking a short break. The RBA meeting minutes did not affect the currency very much, as everything was quite clear beforehand. The Chinese stats were, on the contrary, very influential.

The Chinese government did release multiple important economic indicators on Tuesday. The manufacturing production grew by7% YoY, which exceeded both the expectations and the March data. This figure was actually going down since 2012, so it looks like it is steadily recovering first in 6 years, which is very positive.

This was the only piece of good news for today, though. The major asset investments also grew by 7% YoY, but this is lackluster compared to the previous period. This indicator is very important for the real sector, as it shows the number of funds spent by various businesses, from agriculture and production all the way to finance and administration.

Meanwhile, April retail sales grew by 9.4% YoY, a bit short of the expectations at 10% and the March growth of 10.1%. It is curious that the indicator performed well in the rural sector, but was weak in the cities.

Chinese news has a strong influence on the AUD, as the Celestial Kingdom is still a key partner for Australia. The Chinese economy beat the average expectations in Q1 2018, but the momentum may well fade out by the end of the year, with the growth returning to the official target at 6.5%.

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The AUD selloff this morning did fade out somewhat in the middle of the trading session, but then we have the USD strengthening, and this can affect the Aussie more than some local reactions. AUD/USD was trading at 0.7456, down 0.96% at the time of writing.

Technically, the AUD/USD shows the pair is still under pressure inside a midterm descending channel. 0.7453 may act as a local target for the sellers, with a potential to push the price to the recent low at 0.7407. The intermediate support is at 0.7491, while the resistance is at 0.7568

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This article was written by Dmitriy Gurkovskiy, a Chief Analyst at RoboForex

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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Heres a look at some of the companies the Yahoo Finance team will be watching for you.

Netflix (NFLX) tops our list. A Piper Jaffray survey found Netflix could raise prices to $15 or more and still keep roughly two thirds of its subscribers. The firm conducted the same survey in 2016 and the percentage was less  suggesting Netflix has added more content that consumers value.

Flying coast to coast on Alaska Airlines (ALK) is about to get a little harder. The airline is axing its New York base in September. The move comes as the nations fifth-largest airline relocates pilots and planes to strengthen its West Coast fleet. Right now, Alaska operates five flights a day from JFK to both LAX and San Francisco. Come September, it will be cut to just one or two flights.

Gap (GPS) is under fire, again. This time, the retailer is apologizing for selling T-shirts with an erroneous map of China that didnt include Taiwan. Beijing has long regarded Taiwan as Chinese territory.

Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) is in hot water. Court documents claim employees knew the auto company was cheating on emissions tests and concealed it from regulators, according to the Wall Street Journal. Internal emails allegedly cite workers talking about the use of defeat devices, tech used to manipulate emissions readings. Fiat says it will continue defending claims against it.

Uber says it will no longer force passengers to use arbitration to resolve claims they were sexually assaulted or harassed by drivers. Under new terms, the ride hailing giant will allow riders, drivers, and employees to choose the venue in which they want to pursue their claims.
Grain prices are mixed in early North American trade on Tuesday, with soybeans rebounding following news that China might resume purchases of exports from the United States. Reports say that China is willing in principle to import more U.S. agricultural products in return for Washington smoothing penalties against ZTE. The uncertainty about whether China will continue to buy U.S. soybeans has been weakening the market for several weeks. Wheat has fallen for the last four sessions on expectations of large global supplies and better weather for crops in the U.S. and other regions.

Corn Prices

Corn prices are lower in early North-American trade but have rebounded from session lows. Target resistance on corn is seen near the 10-day moving average at 3.94. Support is seen near the 50-day moving average at 3.85. Momentum has turned negative as the MACD (moving average convergence divergence) index generated a crossover sell signal. This occurs as the MACD line (the 12-day moving average minus the 26-day moving average) crosses below the MACD signal line (the 9-day moving average of the MACD line).

Soybean Prices

Soybean prices are higher climbing 1.8% in early North American trade. Prices closed on their lows on Monday testing support near an upward sloping trend line that comes in near 994. Resistance is seen near the 10-day moving average at 1018. Momentum has turned negative as the MACD (moving average convergence divergence) index generated a crossover sell signal. The MACD histogram is printing in the red with a downward sloping trajectory which points to lower prices.

Wheat Prices

Wheat prices continue to decline and are lower in early trade in North America. Support is seen near an upward sloping trend line that comes in near 4.68. Resistance is seen near the 50-day moving average at 4.82. Resistance is seen near the 10-day moving average at 4.81. Momentum has turned negative as the MACD (moving average convergence divergence) index generated a crossover sell signal. This occurs as the MACD line (the 12-day moving average minus the 26-day moving average) crosses below the MACD signal line (the 9-day moving average of the MACD line).

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This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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Venezuelas oil-backed cryptocurrency, the Petro (PTR), has been surviving thanks to a little-known Russian bank, Evrofinance Mosnarbank, which has recently emerged as the only international financial institution willing to defy the US sanctions against the South American nation.

According to an Associated Press report, early would-be Petro investors who registered with Venezuelas government and downloaded the cryptocurrencys wallet were invited to buy it by wiring a 1,000 (about $1,190) minimum to a government-owned account at Evrofinance. The banks involvement seemingly further ties Russia with the Petros launch.

As covered, reports suggest Russia secretly helped Venezuela launch the oil-backed cryptocurrency, while a Russian official refuted the countrys involvement. Notably, Evrofinances biggest shareholders are two state-controlled Russian banks  sanctioned after Russias annexation of Crimea  and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, as the countrys government purchased a 49% stake in 2011.

As Russias involvement was being discussed, the Russian Association of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain awarded the Venezuelan government the Satoshi Nakamoto prize, as covered by CCN. Russias involvement, according to the Associated Press, may be linked to its relations with the west.

Per Claiborne W. Porter, the former head of the US Justice Departments bank integrity unit, the country is increasingly gaining pariah status with the European Union and the US. Porter stated:

Like kids on the playground, Venezuela and Russia think they are fighting a common bully in U.S. sanctions, so theyre going to try and form a united front.

Historically, Russia has helped Venezuela with billions in debt relief, and is a major investor in the countrys oil industry. It has been a lifeline for Maduro, whos currently on the verge of dealing with more sanctions coming from the Trump administration, if it goes ahead with presidential elections this month.

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Back in March, Trump banned US citizens and residents from buying the oil-backed cryptocurrency, a move that Venezuela claims to have been free publicity that doubled the number of interested investors.

According to the Associated Press, after it inquired Evrofinance on its association with the Petro, all references to it were removed from the Petros wallet, which left interested buyers with no guidance on how to proceed.

The Petros development

While it is unclear how many Petros the Venezuelan government has actually sold, Maduro has touted the cryptocurrencys pre-sale raked in $5 billion. These numbers, as shown, dont add up. Moreover, most foreigners agree that the oil-backed cryptocurrency is of little interest to them, and the century-old think tank Brookings Institute has even stated it undermines legitimate cryptocurrencies

Reports suggest popular cryptocurrency exchanges like Bitfinex have been staying away from it, for fear they would be violating sanctions. According to experts, only criminals would be interested in the Petro. Venezuelan-born computer scientist and cryptocurrency startup consultant Alejandro Machado stated:

An overwhelming majority of ICOs dont deliver on what they promise because their promoters are outright scammers or fall short on technical expertise. In the case of the Venezuelan government, both reasons apply.

Speaking to the Associated Press, the two Russians who reportedly signed agreements with Maduro the help the Petro expand globally distanced themselves from the cryptocurrency with one, Fedor Bogorodskiy, claiming his company immediately ceased working with the project as soon as Trump announced his ban.

Despite its status, Maduro keeps moving the Petro forward. Hes given state-owned institutions a 120-day period to start accepting it as legal tender in all transactions, and is set to create 16 local exchanges where Venezuelans will be able to exchange their depreciating fiat currency for the Petro. As covered, he offered the Indian government a 30% discount on crude oil, if it paid in Petro.

The Venezuelan government has in the past revealed it was working on another cryptocurrency, backed by the countrys gold reserves, the Petro Gold. The move is seen by some as a way to draw in foreign investment and bypass sanctions. Venezuelas moves were even slammed by Bitcoin.com CEO Roger Ver.

Yuri Pripachkin, president of Russias blockchain group, noted that the Kremlin is keeping a close eye on the Petro, but isnt involved in it. Nevertheless, he dismissed the idea that it could be used to fund criminals. He said:

Thats a fairy tale. The most popular currency for terrorists and criminals the world over is the U.S. dollar, not crypto, and nobody is suggesting we ban dollars. This is just an attempt to stop crypto from expanding.

Featured image from Shutterstock.



The post Venezuelas Oil-Backed Crypto Petro Grows Thanks to a Little-Known Russian Bank appeared first on CCN.


A senior role overseeing ideological work at the Chinese armys Hong Kong garrison has been filled, after almost half a year vacant.

Major General Cai Yongzhong has been promoted to political commissar at the garrison. He replaces Lieutenant General Yue Shixin, who was transferred to serve as deputy political commissar at the Southern Theatre Command late last year, according to a statement by the garrison on Tuesday.

The promotion was ordered by President Xi Jinping  who is also the head of the all-powerful Central Military Commission  and announced by the Southern Theatre Command chief, Vice-Admiral Yuan Yubai, during his visit to the Hong Kong garrison.

Cai said that during his three years as the deputy political commissar at the garrison, he deeply felt Hong Kongs important position and role in the nations security and its development strategy, and the strong vitality of the great policy of one country two systems. The major general was referring to the model under which Hong Kong is guaranteed a high degree of autonomy from Beijing.

He also pledged to protect the nations sovereignty, security and development interests and safeguard Hong Kongs stability and prosperity, according to the statement.

Cai, 56, was appointed a member of the partys central commission for discipline inspection in October. He is almost unknown to the general public in Hong Kong and his name appeared more often in media reports of community celebratory events or ceremonies as a guest of honour and representative from the garrison.

Political commissar is a senior position in the army, Hong Kong-based veteran China watcher Johnny Lau Yui-siu said. He is as senior as the commander. A political commissar takes care of the ideological work in the army, while the garrisons commander looks after more the military or combat side of the operation.

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One of the roles of the commissar is to serve as the public relations officer, but that does not mean it is a position to be taken lightly, said the Macau-based military analyst Antony Wong Dong.

A political commissar is in charge of building the political ideology, and sometimes his nod has to be secured even before the commander makes a decision, he said.

This article Chinese army promotes new political commissar at Hong Kong garrison first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
President Duterte during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Peter ONeill of Papua New Guinea at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM) in 2017 (photo by pcoo.gov.ph)

MANILA, Philippines  President Rodrigo Duterte will hold bilateral talks with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter ONeill on Wednesday afternoon, May 16.

Prime Minister ONeill is on a three-day official visit in the Philippines. He arrived in the country on Tuesday, May 15.

President Duterte is expected to host a state banquet for the Prime Minister after their scheduled talks.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday said the visit is an important opportunity for the Philippines to reaffirm and further strengthen the friendly and cooperative ties with Papua New Guinea.

With other similar histories and shared aspirations for greater peace, progress and prosperity for our peoples and region, the Philippine stands ready to work with Papua New Guinea for the mutual benefit and sustainable and inclusive growth of our nations, he said.

Papua New Guinea is this years host and chair of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC.)  Rosalie Coz | UNTV News & Rescue

The post Duterte to hold bilateral talks with Papua New Guinea prime minister appeared first on UNTV News.
Margaret Cho tickles Malaysia's funny bone at first KL show Fellow comedian Rocco Stowe opened for her at her first tour in Malaysia

Margaret Cho was live in Kuala Lumpur last week.

16 May - "Let me twerk for your new government," Margaret Cho said the moment she got on stage. For the past week, Malaysia has been swept with elation over the recent election, so naturally local politics made its way into the comedian's show.

Margaret Cho performed for the first time ever in Malaysia with her "Fresh off the Bloat" tour, held last Friday evening at the HGH Convention Centre.

Her topics of sexual abuse, suicide and drugs aren't exactly daily conversation materials for most Malaysians, but the comedian still held a captive audience who couldn't stop laughing from the moment she showed up and started twerking.

"Can you see me twerk?" She asked. "Maybe not. My butt's flat. You're Asians, you get it. We Asians have flat butts, from too much sitting down and studying."

Margaret Cho trying to twerk for Malaysia's new government.

Being Korean-American, Margaret has plenty to say about being Asian, especially being from one as "savage" (her word, not ours) as Koreans.

"When I was 14, I told my mom I wanted to be a comedian, she said "You should just die"," was one of her examples of how savage her own race can be.

Using comedy to soften the blow of her heavyweight topics, the comedian revealed how she tried committing suicide by hanging before, but as the shower rod started bending from her weight, she thought, "Oh no, I'm too fat to die. I'm gonna need to reach my ideal weight first before trying this again."

"So I'm never gonna try killing myself again," said the comedian. "I'll never reach my ideal weight."

Another heavy topic she dished out that evening was rape, or more specifically being a rape survivor as she was sexually abused for years from a young age by her own uncle. "People are not comfortable when I talk about this," she admitted. "But I want to because I want other rape survivors out there to know that it is okay, we are strong, we are survivors."

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One of the people who are uncomfortable with the topic is understandably her mother, who would tell her to stop talking about it, as her mother puts it: "He already raped your aunty, you're not special." Savage.

Opening act comedian Rocco Stowe warmed up the crowd before introducing Margaret Cho.

Her hour-long show was opened by fellow comedian Rocco Stowe, who dropped a few words of wisdom for the ladies, especially of how not to take misleading photos for their online dating profiles.

Margaret Cho has been busy bringing her "Fresh off the Bloat" tour all over the world, including other places in Asia such as Singapore and Hong Kong, and is now continuing it in the U.S.
Xi Jinping says China can come out of trade war in better shape than US

President Xi Jinping has told the British ambassador to China that the Communist Party has the levers and the country had the resilience to come out of a trade war in better shape than the United States.

The remarks, made at a dinner, were revealed by Barbara Woodward, Britains ambassador to China, and come as Beijing and Washington have held a series of talks aimed at preventing a trade war.

The disputes include US complaints about alleged theft of American intellectual property and Chinas massive trade surplus with America, which the Trump administration says has been created by unfair trading practices.

I was at this small dinner with Xi Jinping earlier this year and he was in studied and quite thoughtful mode about the potential trade war, Woodward said during a speech at the University of Oxford on Tuesday.

He said everyone would lose out, but he felt that the party had the levers and the country had the resilience to come out the other side, in better shape than the US, Woodward said.

She added that while Xi was naturally seeking to influence as well as inform in his comments, her sense was that he believed what he was saying.

Xis speech in April about achieving technological independence from the US, Woodward said, was cut from similar cloth.

The UK envoy described China as politically, economically and globally confident, but added: Overconfident, perhaps.

I think China underestimated the level of frustration that their state capitalist model was building up in different developed markets and in developing markets before that, she said.

Chinas confidence resulted in what Woodward said was the countrys first breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration over Hong Kong.

She did not elaborate, but the British government strongly criticised Chinese law enforcement officers for kidnapping booksellers in 2015 who were physically in Hong Kong but accused of offences on the mainland.

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She also questioned whether other countries would benefit from Beijings Belt and Road Initiative aimed at developing trade and infrastructure ties between China, Central Asia and beyond.

The proof of the pudding, of course, will be in the eating. And the pudding without recipe or ingredients like the community of common destiny or a shared future of mankind or a new model of international relations rightly gives us pause, she said.

Woodward said there were areas where China and Britain could cooperate as the UK negotiates its exit from the European Union. These include climate change, intellectual property and medicine.

Woodward insisted, however, that Britain would not kowtow to China on all issues in the future, nor automatically side with the United States on international issues.

In blunt terms, the UK is not simply going to subcontract its foreign policies to the United States or to China, Woodward said.

Woodward made no mention of human rights issues in her speech, including the case of Liu Xia, the widow of the rights activist and late Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.

She has been held under house arrest since 2010, but has never been charged with any offence. Germany has demanded the Beijing authorities release her.

This article Xi Jinping says China can come out of trade war in better shape than US first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.

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View of the donkey in situ. Credit: Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project

An international team of archaeologists has uncovered the earliest example of the use of a bridle bit with an equid (horse family) in the Near East. The discovery provides first evidence of the use of the bit (mouth piece) to control an animal long before the appearance of the horse in the Near East.

Evidence of the bridle bit was derived from the skeleton of a donkey dating to the Early Bronze Age III (approximately 2700 BCE) found at the excavations of the biblical city Gath (modern Tell es-Safi) of the Philistines, the home of Goliath, located in central Israel. The donkey was laid as a sacrificial offering before the construction of a house in a domestic neighborhood.

The international team, including archaeologists from Bar-Ilan University, the University of Manitoba (St. Paul's College), University of Saskatchewan (St. Thomas More College), Ariel University and Grand Valley State University published their findings today in the journal PLOS ONE.

"This is significant because it demonstrates how early domestic donkeys were controlled, and adds substantially to our knowledge of the history of donkey (Equus asinus) domestication and evolution of riding and equestrian technology. It is also significant that it was discovered on the remains of an early domestic donkey that was sacrificed probably as an offering to protect what we interpret to be a merchant domestic residence uncovered during our excavations," said Prof. Haskel Greenfield, of the University of Manitoba, the paper's lead author.

Vertical aerial view of Area E, where the donkey was found in an Early Bronze Age neighborhood. Credit: Skyview Inc.

"The use of a bridle bit on a donkey during this period is surprising, since it was commonly assumed that donkeys were controlled with nose rings, as depicted in Mesopotamian art," said Prof. Aren Maeir, from Bar-Ilan University's Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology. Prof. Maeir has led the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project since its inception more than 20 years ago. The excavations take place every summer in the Tel Zafit National Park, about halfway between Jerusalem and the coastal city of Ashkelon.

The authors propose that the wear on the tooth of the donkey was made with a soft bit, likely made from rope or wood. "Only later, from the Middle Bronze Age and onward (after 2000 BCE), was it thought that bits, in particular metal bits, were usedfirst with horses that were introduced to the Near East at the time, and subsequently with other equids, such as donkeys," added Maeir. Examples of these later bits were found in Israel at Tel Haror.

The donkey is one of four that were found buried under neighborhood houses, which indicates the importance of the donkey in this societymost likely as a beast of burden used in trade, the researchers said.

In a previously-published study the researchers provided evidence, based on isotopic analyses, that this very donkey was born in Egypt and brought to Canaan sometime during its lifetime. This demonstrates that this animaland most likely otherswas transported over large distances. Using bits allowed donkey herders to control the animals more easily during their transport.

Studies of the dental isotopes from the same donkey demonstrate, as well, that it was born and raised in Egypt and brought to the site only in the last few months of its life, before it was sacrificed and buried beneath the floor of the house as it was being rebuilt. Domestic horses were not yet present in the Near East at that time. As a result, donkeys were not only used as beasts of burden, but also were used to pull and be ridden by the newly emerging elites in these early city-states.

Explore further Genome assembly of donkey reveals clues on how it may have branched from horse

More information: Greenfield HJ, Shai I, Greenfield TL, Arnold ER, Brown A, Eliyahu A, et al. (2018) Earliest evidence for equid bit wear in the ancient Near East: The "ass" from Early Bronze Age Tell es-Safi/Gath, Israel. PLoS ONE 13(5): e0196335. Journal information: PLoS ONE Greenfield HJ, Shai I, Greenfield TL, Arnold ER, Brown A, Eliyahu A, et al. (2018) Earliest evidence for equid bit wear in the ancient Near East: The "ass" from Early Bronze Age Tell es-Safi/Gath, Israel.13(5): e0196335. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0196335
In this Feb. 1, 2018 file photo, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda take part in an AP interview in Kirkland, Wash. Gates' non-profit Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given about $44 million to outside groups over the past two years to help shape new state education plans required under the 2015 law, according to an Associated Press 2018 analysis of its grants. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file)

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates saw an opportunity with a new federal education law that has widespread repercussions for American classrooms.

His non-profit, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has given about $44 million to outside groups over the past two years to help shape new state education plans required under the 2015 law, according to an Associated Press analysis of its grants. The spending paid for research aligned with Gates interests, led to friendly media coverage and even had a hand in writing one state's new education system framework.

The grants illustrate how strategic and immersive the Microsoft founder can be in pursuit of his education reform agenda, quietly wielding national influence over how schools operate. Gates' carefully curated and intersecting web of influence is often invisible but allows his foundation to drive the conversation in support of its vision on how to reshape America's struggling schools systems.

Critics call it meddling by a foundation with vast wealth and resources. The Gates Foundation says it's simply helping states navigate a "tectonic" shift in responsibility for educationfrom the federal government to more local control.

"For 50 states with varying sets of capacities and capabilities and readiness, it was both an opportunity and also a concern that states and partners in those states needed support," said Allan Golston, president of the Gates Foundation's U.S. work.

This Friday, April 27, 2018 photo shows the headquarters of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle. The non-profit foundation has given about $44 million to outside groups over the past two years to help shape new state education plans required under the 2015 law, according to an Associated Press 2018 analysis of its grant database. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

The Gates Foundation spent about $44 million focused on the 2015 federal education law called the Every Student Succeeds Act. The law gives states flexibility to create their own education system framework defining what a "good school" isand in turn states get federal dollars for complying with their own rules.

The law requires academic standards, which means that the backbone for most state education systems is the Common Corea symbol for many critics during the Obama years of federal overreach in schools. Gates was influential in supporting the Common Core academic standards, and now is doing the same as states sort out the best ways to implement their education policies under the 2015 law.

And that is how the world's largest philanthropy works: funding everything from policy work on the ground to broader research and analysis, as well as national advocacy groups, community leaders and media coverage both mainstream and niche.

In Tennessee, a Gates-funded advocacy group had a hand in the state's new education plan, with its leader sitting on an important advising committee. A media outlet given money by Gates to cover the new law then published a story about research funded by Gates. And many Gates-funded groups have become the de facto experts who lead the conversation in local communities, across states and featured nationally.

Gates also dedicated millions of dollars to protect Common Core as the new law unfolded. Patrick McGuinn, an education policy expert and professor at Drew University, said the Every Student Succeeds Act removed the political pressure from the standards despite how politically toxic Common Core has become. The policy idea suggests every child can and should be taught the same things as their peers. "ESSA politically was probably the best thing that could happen to Common Core," McGuinn said.

This Friday, April 27, 2018 photo shows the headquarters of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle. The non-profit foundation has given about $44 million to outside groups over the past two years to help shape new state education plans required under the 2015 law, according to an Associated Press 2018 analysis of its grants. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Some Common Core and Gates critics said they weren't aware of the foundation's interest in the education law or the millions of dollars it has continued to pour into supporting the standards. "They're doing it in a quiet way because they don't want the general public to know they're still meddling in education policy," said Carol Burris of the Network for Public Education.

And long before thousands of fed-up teachers walked out on the job in four unprecedented statewide strikes this year over pay and school conditions, education union officials had rung the alarm bell about Gates' influence.

"They thought they could socially engineer all of public education through a top-down model and that they could reduce education to an algorithm, but kids are not widgets and teachers are not widgets," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. The national teachers union in 2014 famously broke ties with Gates over Common Core after initially supporting the standards.

To be sure, the Seattle-based foundation's education spending is just a small fraction of its philanthropy, which is primarily focused on global health and development. Still, in terms of dollars, it is the top funder of schools reform in the United States. The foundation since 2001 has contributed more than $6 billion toward reshaping American schools, including nearly $300 million on Common Core by some estimates.

The groups receiving the recent ESSA-related grants said the money from Gates and other like-minded philanthropiessuch as the Carnegie Corporation of New York and William and Flora Hewlett foundationswas used to develop expertise in the education law so that they could be a resource to states. Most of those same groups have been funded by Gates in other initiatives, including some of the most prominent Washington-based policy players who developed Common Core in 2009.

In this Sept. 8, 2009, file photo Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates speaks at the "Get Schooled" conference hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Viacom in Los Angeles. Gates' non-profit foundation has given about $44 million to outside groups over the past two years to help shape new state education plans required under the 2015 law, according to an Associated Press 2018 analysis of its grants. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Achieve, Inc., collaborated with local leaders to compile information about new state education plans. Mike Cohen, Achieve's president who helped write Common Core, also had more notable roles in states such as Tennessee and New York.

"Our focus has always been about standards, about helping states set the right expectations for students in terms of what they need to know so that they're prepared for success after high school," said Cohen, who was a member of a local stakeholders group in Tennessee focused on standards and assessments. He also gave a presentation to New York's Board of Regents urging the state to adopt high standards as part of its new education plan.

Tennessee said Cohen had a seat at the table because it sought national experts in addition to state officials, community advocacy groups and traditional and charter schools. Eve Carney, who led the plan's development for the Tennessee Department of Education, said it was impossible to quantify the specific impact of each of the 67 stakeholders across six working groups.

"It's important to have diversity in voice and different points of view, however, the influence of one over the other is not there," Carney said.

Another example of Gates' reach can be found in The 74 Media, Inc., which last year published an exclusive story featuring the analysis of state plans done by the Collaborative for Student Success and quoting an expert voice from the Council of Chief State School Officers. Gates gave all three groups money to work on Every Student Succeeds Act.

In this Dec. 10, 2015 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks before signing the "Every Student Succeeds Act," in Washington. In the two years prior to May 1, 2018, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has spent about $44 million on grants related to the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, according to an Associated Press review of the foundation's grants database. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

The 74 said Gates doesn't influence the direction of their coverage and that the money funded its broader operation. After the AP's inquiry, the education news outlet acknowledged an oversight by updating the nearly year-old story to add a Gates funding disclosure.

Golston said it's necessary to take a multidimensional approach to play at the system-wide level.

"We're thoughtful about the programmatic dimensions and advocacy and communications dimensions. That's just the nature of being in education and we've learned over time that you have to be thoughtful," Golston said.

Explore further Gates, Zuckerberg team up on new education initiative

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Examples of east coast species projections. Credit: Morley et al (2018)

Climate change will force hundreds of ocean fish and invertebrate species, including some of the most economically important to the United States, to move northward, disrupting fisheries in the United States and Canada, a Rutgers University-led study reports.

The study, published today in the journal PLOS ONE, covers the North American continental shelfs on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Previous studies have been global or regional, thus being too large or too small to get a clear picture of the future for North America's fisheries. The species surveyed include finfish, sharks and rays, crustaceans, and squid. Among those most affected are Pacific rockfishes, Atlantic cod and black sea bass.

Fish are sensitive to the temperatures of the water where they live, and as it becomes too warm, populations often shift to where the water temperature is right for them. This process has already begun, though at different rates in different places. As climate change continues and the oceans warm up, the study shows, more species of fish will move north to where the temperature range is habitable for them.

"We've already seen that shifts of a couple of hundred miles in a species' range can disrupt fisheries," said lead author James Morley, a former postdoctoral researcher at Rutgers-New Brunswick. "This study shows that such dislocations will happen all over the continent and on both coasts throughout the 21st century."

"For commercial fishers, this often means longer trips and higher fuel costs," said co-author Malin Pinsky, a professor of ecology, evolution and natural resources at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. "Some species along the U.S. and Canadian Pacific coasts will move as much as 900 miles north from their current habitats."

The researchers used 16 different climate models, each with both a low level of greenhouse gas emissions and a high level, to develop projections for future ocean temperatures around North America. The lower-level emissions scenario is in line with goals set by the Paris Accords, from which President Trump withdrew the United States earlier this year. These climate projections were combined with statistical models of species temperature preference, which were based on bottom-trawl survey data from around the continent. While both high and low emission scenarios project some northward shift, the shifts in species habitat will be two to three times greater under a high emissions future.

Among the northward moving species is the Alaskan king crab. "People in that fishery already travel a long way to catch crabsmany from as far away as Seattleso this may not make a big difference to them in the short term," Pinsky said. "But if you're based in North Carolina, fishing for black sea bass, and you have to travel 300 or 400 extra miles to do it, that's a real problem."

Explore further Distribution of fish on the northeast US shelf influenced by both fishing and climate

More information: Morley JW, Selden RL, Latour RJ, Frolicher TL, Seagraves RJ, Pinsky ML (2018) Projecting shifts in thermal habitat for 686 species on the North American continental shelf. PLoS ONE 13(5): e0196127. Journal information: PLoS ONE Morley JW, Selden RL, Latour RJ, Frolicher TL, Seagraves RJ, Pinsky ML (2018) Projecting shifts in thermal habitat for 686 species on the North American continental shelf.13(5): e0196127. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0196127
Credit: Radboud University

Scientific research commissioned by Natuurmonumenten shows that the number of insects is declining dramatically in the Netherlands. Measurements and analyses in recent decades show a decline of 54 percent (ground beetles) and 72 percent (ground beetles) in nature reserves. This represents a dramatic fall in these groups of insects, which is in line with the results of recent German, French, English and Dutch studies. And this is bad, as it has a huge impact on the cycle of life.

Natuurmonumenten commissioned scientists from Radboud University (Caspar Hallmann, Eelke Jongejans and Hans de Kroon) and EIS (Insect Knowledge Centre) to perform studies on insect trends in the Netherlands. Two long-term studies on insect populations in nature reserves were eligible for analysis: 'De Kaaistoep' and 'Wijster.' An analysis of these two studies shows that the number of ground beetles counted in Wijster (nature reserve in Drenthe) has fallen by 72 percent over the past 22 years. The number of moths in De Kaaistoep (nature reserve in North Brabant) has fallen by 54 percent over 20 years. These two insect groups contain a total of 1,100 species, approximately 6 percent of all insect species that occur in the Netherlands.

The results are significant. The studies used totally different research methods, but both showed a strongly decreasing trend. Director of Natuurmonumenten Marc van den Tweel says, "This means that the results are in line with research by Radboud University that was published at the end of 2017 and which showed that 76 percent of insects have disappeared over the last 27 years."

The number of studies containing ominous reports is rapidly stacking up. Of the 47 butterfly species measured in the Netherlands half have declined since 1992. A French study showed an average decline of 33 percent in bird populations since 2000. And the reason for this: there are not enough insects to feed them.

Decline among all insect groups

In the two Dutch studies, other insect groups were also analysed in detail. In addition to moths and ground beetles, these groups also show a worrying decline. Results show a drop of 64 percent over 20 years (beetles in De Kaaistoep) and 62 percent over 10 years (caddisflies in De Kaaistoep). Only the bug group remains stable. The scientists concluded that, calculated over a period of 27 years, about two thirds of the number of individuals in the insect groups studied have disappeared.

The Dutch Minister Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) recently sent a report to the Lower House that described the Dutch situation with regard to insects. The report states that the long-term decline in insect populations in the Netherlands may possibly be explained by factors related to developments in agriculture. This means intensification of agricultural land use and increased use of nitrogen, phosphorus and pesticides. The fragmentation of natural living areas is also a contributory factor to the decline.

Unsteady ecological basis

The report also states that the German research was carried out using robust methods and that there is still very little data available on insects in the Netherlands. A number of datasets are eligible for a follow-up study because of their high quality. De Kaaistoep and Wijster belong to this group because of their size and accuracy. Van den Tweel: "Following the publication of the German study, Natuurmonumenten commissioned scientists to speed up the analyses, so that we can obtain a clearer picture in the Netherlands too, as there is very little Dutch data available on insect trends. We therefore endorse the call by scientists to set up a national measuring network for insects in order to obtain a broader and more complete picture, also on possible causes and long-term trends. The results from this study highlight how large and serious the problem is in our country. If you realise that this study was carried out in nature reserves  therefore not on agricultural or industrial land or land under development, you dread to think what the situation is like in the rest of our country. Our environment, our ecological basis is collapsing."

Time for action

Van den Tweel says, "Agriculture is one of the main managers of our rural areas. Farming practices have a direct effect on natureplants, animals, soil and water. At the same time the Netherlands makes the most intensive use of crop protection agents of all European countries. This is something that needs to change, we need less chemistry and more biology and innovation. Bulk production aimed at the global market has no long-term future in a small country like ours. The future of our farmers lies in producing quality products for our country and the countries around us. Dutch family businesses must be able to earn a good living from this. This means a more nature-inclusive form of agriculture that can continue to exist in the long term too: simply by making more space for nature in agricultural areas."

Natuurmonumenten is collaborating with farmers, scientists, banks and companies on a national Delta Plan for Biodiversity Recovery. Van den Tweel: "The objective of this plan is ambitious  but it has to be if we want to reverse the tide. A healthy agriculture also means that farmers who work with nature should get an honest price for their product. And this calls for a different approach to our country, our landscape and our agriculture."

Explore further More than 75 percent decrease in total flying insect biomass over 27 years
Credit: Leaflet/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 3.0

The UK and large parts of northern Europe could become windier if global temperatures reach 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, according to a new study.

This has implications for wind energy generation among other things. The results suggest that wind could be a more important source of energy generation than previously thought, with stronger winds across the UK. The research team concludes there could be a 10% increase in UK onshore wind energy generation, which would be sufficient to power the equivalent of an extra 700,000 homes every year based on current installed capacity. The results are relevant for decisions about future investment in onshore wind farms.

To evaluate potential changes in European wind power generation in a 1.5 degrees C warmer world, researchers from British Antarctic Survey, the University of Oxford and the University of Bristol combined data from 282 onshore wind turbines collected over 11 years with climate model data from the HAPPI project.

This study did not consider offshore wind energy generation potential.

Across northern Europe, the results suggest that large areas of Germany, Poland and Lithuania could become more viable for wind power in future. But the biggest increases in wind could be seen in the UKalong with marked seasonal shifts in wind.

Lead author, climate modeller Dr. Scott Hosking at British Antarctic Survey, says:

"In future, nine months of the year could see UK wind turbines generating electricity at levels currently only seen in winter. Future summers could see the largest increase in wind generation. Therefore, wind could provide a greater proportion of the UK's energy mix than has been previously assumed."

Wind power is central to a low carbon economy. In Europe, wind energy currently accounts for 18% of total generating capacity and the European Commission's 2030 energy strategy set a renewables target of at least 27%.

However, wind is also a highly variable energy source. While weather forecasts can help even out short-term differences in supply and demand, governments and industry need more information on longer-term changes in wind.

Signatories of the Paris Agreement have committed to keep global average temperatures to well below 2 degrees C increase from pre-industrial times, with an ambition to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees C.

More information: 'Special Collection: IPCC Special Report on Global warming of 1.5 degrees C' Environmental Research Letters (2018) Journal information: Environmental Research Letters 'Special Collection: IPCC Special Report on Global warming of 1.5 degrees C'(2018)
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Evolution may be responsible for a range of complex traits, including height and waist-to-hip ratio, and diseases such as schizophrenia, research from The University of Queensland shows.

The findings improve understanding of how natural selection shapes human populations, and could lead to better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of complex diseases through an enhanced knowledge of their underlying genetics.

The study, led by Professor Jian Yang from UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience and Queensland Brain Institute, used more than 400,000 genetic samples from African, East Asian and European populations.

"Many human complex traits are concentrated in different populations around the world," Professor Yang said.

"For example, populations in the Northern Hemisphere tend to get taller the further north you go, and European Americans have a lower body mass index (BMI) than African Americans, but higher than Chinese, Indonesians or Thais.

"Environmental factors currently play a role, but most complex traits have a genetic component.

"The question is whether or not these differences are the consequence of natural selection or simply the result of what we call 'genetic drift'  where gene mutations (also called genetic variants) become more or less frequent in a population by chance."

Professor Yang and his colleagues set out to answer the question by testing to see if genetic variants were more differentiated across African, East Asian and European populations than expected under genetic drift.

They looked at a range of complex traits  including height, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio and cholesterol levels  and four common diseases  coronary artery disease, type II diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.

If genetic variants associated with a complex trait resulted from natural selection they should appear more frequently than expected under genetic drift.

The analysis supported this, showing that the genetic variants associated with height, weight-to-hip ratio and schizophrenia were more differentiated than expected by random drift.

The genetic variants expected to affect height were higher in Europeans than Africans and East Asians and were consistent with observed differences between the populations.

"Our research was made possible by the availability of massive banks of genetic information that are being harnessed to shed new light on modifiable health risks that underlie common diseases."

The methods developed in the study, published in Nature Communications, are general and applicable to other complex traits.

Explore further Natural selection still at work in humans

More information: Jing Guo et al. Global genetic differentiation of complex traits shaped by natural selection in humans, Nature Communications (2018). Journal information: Nature Communications Jing Guo et al. Global genetic differentiation of complex traits shaped by natural selection in humans,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04191-y
Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg, pictured in April 2018, will attend a closed-door meeting with the Eurpoean parliament's most senior deputies

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to meet European Parliament members behind closed-doors to answer questions in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a top official said on Wednesday.

Senior lawmakers have "agreed that Mark Zuckerberg should come to clarify issues related to the use of personal data in a meeting with representatives of the European Parliament," the parliament's leader Antonio Tajani said in a statement.

The meeting would take place "as soon as possible, hopefully already next week," Tajani said.

The closed-door meeting with the parliament's most senior deputies will anger European lawmakers who were hoping to give Zuckerberg a grilling similar to his 10-hour interrogation in US Congress last month.

"I will not attend the meeting with Mr Zuckerberg if it's held behind closed doors. It must be a public hearing  why not a Facebook Live?" influential Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt wrote on Twitter.

Zuckerberg is also confirmed to visit French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on May 23, along with other tech leaders, according to the French presidency.

Tajani had invited Zuckerberg, saying the 2.7 million EU citizens affected by the data sharing scandal deserved a full explanation.

In a statement Facebook said it welcomed the chance to meet MEPs and "appreciate the opportunity for dialogue, to listen to their views and show the steps we are taking to better protect people's privacy".

The visit comes as the EU is introducing tough new data protection rules later this month, which Facebook has said it will comply with.

Facebook admitted earlier this month that up to 87 million users may have had their data hijacked by British consultancy Cambridge Analytica, which worked for US President Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign.

The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into effect on May 25, aims to give users more control over how their personal information is stored and used online, with big fines for firms that break the rules.

Zuckerberg, who has repeatedly apologised for the massive data breach, told the US Congress in April that the more stringent EU rules could serve as a rough model globally.

"Facebook users deserve a proper answer to what has happened to their data. We will continue to defend their rights," said MEP Manfred Weber of Germany, one of the parliament group leaders that will meet Zuckerberg.

Explore further EU parliament demands Zuckerberg answer questions in person

 2018 AFP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Professor James Crampton from Victoria University's School of Geography, Environment, and Earth Sciences worked with a research team from GNS Science and the Universities of Wisconsin, California Riverside, and Chicago to examine the fossils of graptoloids, an extinct type of plankton that floated in ancient oceans. They found evidence that regular changes in the Earth's orbit and axis of rotation caused significant changes in both the evolution and extinction rates of these creatures.

"This research is very exciting, because the relationship between these orbital changes and extinction has never been shown before in truly ancient ecosystems," says Professor Crampton. "There's a strong debate in science about the impact on extinction and evolution of environmental change versus interactions between species (such as competition for food). With this study we can provide evidence of the impact of environmental changes on life on Earth. The evolution cycle changes we see occurred relatively soon after the first evolution of complex ecosystems, and during one of the greatest bursts of biodiversity increase in the history of life."

Normally, changes in Earth's orbit would be calculated by astronomers, Professor Crampton says, rather than palaeontologists.

"Astronomers can clearly calculate changes in Earth's orbit about 50 million years into the past, but beyond that point the calculations become impossible due to the effects of what we call chaos theory, which makes the calculations too complex to complete," Professor Crampton says. "But we can see the effects of changes in Earth's orbit in the fossil record, so we can provide information to astronomers that they previously couldn't find out."

Understanding the evolution of plankton is also extremely important to understanding life on Earth today, Professor Crampton says.

"Plankton living in the oceans today absorb a large amount of our CO2 output, keeping it out of the atmosphere," Professor Crampton says. "They are also an important part of the food chain. The evolution and extinction of plankton can have a large effect on marine life."

This research is only the beginning. Professor Crampton and his colleagues now plan to look deeper into the specific causes of extinction.

"We know that changes in Earth's orbit affects extinction and evolution," Professor Crampton says. "What we're missing is the information in the middle  what was happening on Earth as a result of orbital changes that caused extinction or evolution. Other research teams around the world are trying to extract sufficiently detailed information about climate change between 400 and 500 million years ago so that we can figure out exactly what the relationship is between climate changes and the plankton.

"We also want to look more closely at what happens after a species becomes extinct," Professor Crampton says. "We know that when a species becomes extinct a new species will evolve to take the place of the extinct species in an ecosystem, but we don't know how long that takes.

"We're lucky to have such a good fossil record of this group, built up over many years by GNS and the University of California Riverside, because it answers so many questions for us," says Professor Crampton. "With this fossil record we can ask fundamental questions about biodiversity and how life works on Earth."

Explore further New findings on plankton extinctions hold implications for species vulnerability to climate change
Google rebranded its online storage subscription program to Google One Monday and lowered prices, but Amazon still has the best deal for 1 terabyte of storage.

Users of Google Drive's online backup program will still go to drive.google.com to access their files. If they use under 15 GB, Google Drive is still free. The subscription offering, for heavier users, will be called One.

In a blog post, Google said the new One subscription accounts now come with access to e-mail and phone customer help.

Google's new price for 2 terabytes of storage is $9.99 monthly, down from $19.99 monthly. Google also introduced several lower priced tiers, including 100 GB for $1.99 monthly or $2.99 for 200 GB. The changes will be rolled out in the coming weeks.

But consumers looking for just 1 TB of storage at the lowest price might want to shop with Amazon, which offers it for $59.99 yearly. That's lower than the $99 yearly prices from Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive. Neither Apple's iCloud nor Google offer just 1 TB of storage, but a more hefty 2 TB.

Google still offers 15 GB of free storage before moving people to a paid account. The new One name will offer bonuses to subscribers "like credits on Google Play or deals on select hotels found in Google Search," said Google in the blog post.

Online storage in the digital age has become a fact of life for mobile consumers, who are shooting more photos and videos, in higher resolution, than ever before, on devices that max out of room often.

While physical hard drives are more economicalsmall external drives from companies like Western Digital and Seagate sell for around $65 they tend to eventually fail. Online storage is considered a safer backup bet, and consumers can access the files from anymore, whether on mobile, desktop or laptop.

Here's how the rivals compare:

Amazon: $59.99 yearly for 1 TB, or $119 for 2 TB.

Google One: $99 yearly for 2 TB.

Dropbox: $99 yearly for 1 TB

Microsoft: $99 yearly for 1 TB

Apple iCloud: $120 yearly for 2 TB.

2018 USA Today

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Location, location, location. Is Google tracking Android users' whereabouts without their permission?

That's the question lawmakers are asking in the United States, and regulators are investigating in Australia.

Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, and Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, wrote the Federal Trade Commission on Monday, urging it to investigate Google's collection of location data.

"Based on our investigation and public reports on Location History, we have significant reservations about Google's failure to clearly account for how that location data is collected and used by the company," the senators wrote.

They cited a Quartz report in November that showed the company collects location information from Android users even when they have turned off location services, haven't used any apps or even inserted a SIM card.

The senators had earlier asked the company to explain its collection of location data, and were not satisfied by the company's response in January. Among the questions that remain: whether Google actually gives users the right to opt out of location tracking, as the company says it does, and whether Google is being transparent about how it's using location data.

"Google has an intimate understanding of personal lives as they watch their users seek the support of reproductive health services, engage in civic activities, or attend places of religious worship," the senators wrote. "Most consumers do not understand the level, granularity, and reach of Google's data collection."

Google has not returned a request for comment about the senators' letter. When reached Tuesday, the FTC said it had no comment.

In Australia, regulators are investigating how Google is collecting data from Android phonesincluding location informationreportedly after longtime foe Oracle made a presentation to regulators there, repeating media reports that Android phones track location even when location services are turned off.

Like the U.S. senators, Australian regulators question whether consumers have given valid consent for the extent of Google's information collection.

"We are exploring how much consumers know about the use of location data and are working closely with the privacy commissioner," Rod Sims, chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, told the Guardian.

Google has not returned a request for comment about the Australian inquiry.

Explore further Senate panel grills Apple, Google on location data

2018 The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Green crabs on the coast of Maine. Credit: University of Maine

Juvenile soft-shell "steamer" clams are not surviving to adulthood due to high levels of predation, according to Brian Beal, a professor of marine ecology at the University of Maine at Machias and director of research at the nonprofit Downeast Institute (DEI), who partnered with the Maine Clammers Association to conduct the research.

The team discovered that post-settlement mortality of soft-shell clams, Mya arenaria, is as high as 99 percent in southern Maine, putting the state's iconic soft-shell clam fishery in jeopardy unless major changes in resource management occur.

Statewide, clam landings have plummeted in the past 30 years, with 2017 landings the lowest since 1930. During the same time period, seawater temperatures in the Gulf of Maine have risen substantially and winters in the region have become milder. During this period of warming ocean temperatures, populations of invasive green crabs, Carcinus maenas, have increased rapidly in Maine, especially along the southern Maine coast.

DEI's experiments were designed to disentangle the drivers of the clam decline. Six large-scale field experiments, which excluded predators such as green crabs, were deployed in three tidal estuaries in southern Maine over the course of two years. Two of the experiments, conducted in Freeport, were part of the largest intertidal research project in state history.

"These studies reveal just how severe predation on soft-shell clams is," Beal says. "The major predators are invasive green crabs, especially small crabs that feast on juvenile clams. But even native species such as milky ribbon worms are having a significant impact on clam populations.

"Results suggest that current predation rates are so severe that less than 0.01 percent of juvenile clams survive beyond their first year," says Beal. This means that most clams are being killed by predators before they can reach commercial sizes."

The invention and deployment of a "recruitment" box that collects and protects settling clams and other species provided researchers with a previously unseen look at the current productivity of southern Maine's intertidal ecosystem. Analysis of the contents of the recruitment boxes clearly showed that post-settlement mortality, rather than a limited supply of available clam larvae, was the most important factor in current clam populations.

The research was recently published in the April edition of the Journal of Shellfish Research, a publication of the National Shellfisheries Association. It is co-authored by members of the leadership of the Maine Clammers Association.

"These dramatic results indicate that we need to rethink the current shellfish management methods used in Maine, which were invented when seawater temperatures were colder and invasive green crab populations were scarce or absent," says Beal. "These methods no longer work in a warm water environment that is being dominated by voracious shellfish predators.

"Since most scientists predict the warming trend to continue, management efforts need to adapt to present environmental and biological conditions or risk watching the fishery decline to levels that are no longer commercially viable," he says.

The research suggests that new clam management measures need to focus on increasing the survival of juvenile clams that settle on the mud flats. These include instituting a maximum size law to protect the larger clams which produce more spawn and, thus, offer a greater chance for juveniles to survive predation. Similar maximum size laws exist in both the lobster and sea urchin fisheries.

In addition, setting up rolling two- to three-week regional coastal harvesting closures from west to east during late May through early July would allow clams to spawn before being harvested.

"At the same time, certain commonly used 'clam conservation' activities should be abandoned," Beal says. "For example, 'brushing,' which serves to create habitat for green crabs so that any increase in clam settlement results in feeding green crabs, and planting or transplanting clams without adding predator protection are activities that no longer provide the benefits they used to in the current predator-dominated environment."

More information: Brian F. Beal et al. Spatial Variability in Recruitment of an Infaunal Bivalve: Experimental Effects of Predator Exclusion on the Softshell Clam (Mya arenaria L.) along Three Tidal Estuaries in Southern Maine, USA, Journal of Shellfish Research (2018). Brian F. Beal et al. Spatial Variability in Recruitment of an Infaunal Bivalve: Experimental Effects of Predator Exclusion on the Softshell Clam (Mya arenaria L.) along Three Tidal Estuaries in Southern Maine, USA,(2018). DOI: 10.2983/035.037.0101
A hippo pool on the Kenyan reach of Africa's Mara River. These pools concentrate hippo waste that is flushed downriver during heavy rain events. Credit: Christopher Dutton

Ecologists have long known that agricultural and sewage pollution can cause low oxygen conditions and fish kills in rivers. A study published today in Nature Communications reports that hippo waste can have a similar effect in Africa's Mara River, which passes through the world renowned Maasai Mara National Reserve of Kenya, home to more than 4,000 hippos.

Co-author Emma Rosi, a Freshwater Ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, explains, "Together, the Mara's resident hippos add about 8,500 kgor 9.3 tonsof partially digested plant material into the river each day. We were interested in how this massive influx of organic matter and nutrients influenced aquatic life."

Hippos spend their nights grazing in the savanna and their days wallowing in shallow pools to keep cool and escape the sun. As they wallow, they excrete waste, which depletes oxygen from the water as it decomposes. Microbial activity also produces chemicals like ammonium and sulfide, known to be toxic to fish.

"During dry periods, oxygen-poor water accumulates in hippo pools. Periodic intense rains eventually flush the water downstream. This sudden pulse of deoxygenated water can cause temporary hypoxia and fish kills," notes Rosi.

Over three years, the team monitored water chemistry and flow downstream from 171 hippo pools. Of the documented 55 flushing flowsdefined as when rain events increased river flow to twice its normal ratedissolved oxygen concentrations declined during 49 of the events, falling low enough to cause fish kills 13 times.

Hippos observed a remote-controlled boat used to measure water chemistry in hippo pools. Credit: Amanda Subalusky

To understand the mechanisms driving dissolved oxygen crashes, the team undertook multiple experimental approaches. Because hippos are too dangerous to approach, sensors attached to a remote-controlled boat were used to measure water chemistry in hippo pools. To simulate stream flow and understand the effects of oxygen consumption by added hippo waste, experiments were conducted in bathtub-sized artificial streams. The team also manipulated a pool in the Mara to produce an experimental flushing flow.

Two distinct factors were linked to declines in dissolved oxygen. When low-oxygen water from hippo pools mixes with upstream river water, it reduces the river's overall dissolved oxygen concentration. At the same time, hippo pool sediments that are washed out during flushing flows continue to use up oxygen as they decompose downriver.

This research suggests that altering a river's flow regime through dams or water withdrawals could have ecological consequences in African rivers with hippos. Coauthor David Post of Yale University explains, "In the Mara River system, flushing flows are important for cleaning hippo waste out of pools, but the accumulated toxic chemicals and deoxygenated water have severe impacts on aquatic life downstream."

Although periodic fish kills might sound like a bad thing, the team observed that the dead fish provided a food source for scavengers like birds and crocodiles.

Authors Emma Rosi and David Post near a temporary dam, erected during field experiments to simulate flushing flows on hippo pools. Credit: Amanda Subalusky

The study contributes to our understanding of a river system with large hippo populations, which was likely much more common before hippos were eliminated from much of their historical range.

Lead author Christopher Dutton of Yale University explains, "There's this idea that pristine rivers are not supposed to have dissolved oxygen crashes, but we think this is because generations of scientists have studied places that no longer have intact large wildlife populations, whereas the Mara River is unique because it does. This system offers a window into the past and illustrates how ecosystems might have functioned before human impacts."

Explore further Global change may alter the way that hippos shape the environment around them: study
For years, Canadian Indigenous communities were allowed little say in how their cultural representations  artifacts and paintings, for example  were displayed in the country's museums. With few Indigenous curators on staff, museums often kept items taken from communities and displayed them with no regard to permission, context or, in many cases, accuracy.

Taking place in stark contrast to the celebrated exhibits were many public and behind-the-scenes protests seeking more respectful and sensitive representation of Indigenous societies; fewer controversial sponsorships; and, occasionally, the complete overhaul of museums.

In the first analysis of its kind, Visual Arts professor Kirsty Robertson's upcoming book, Tear Gas Epiphanies: Protest, Culture, Museums, traces the history and aftermath of protests, sit-ins and demonstrations in Canadian museums since the 1900s. The work is a culmination of more than a decade's worth of archival research and interviews with protesters and museum officials; it is intended to help Canadians understand a rarely recognized aspect of museum studies and histories.

The provenance of Indigenous artifacts is one striking example.

Archaeologists and anthropologists have had a long history of collecting human remains and artifacts from Indigenous gravesites without permission and displaying them in museums. That practice stopped in the 1970s, a direct result of protests by various Indigenous communities. Since then, many of these remains have been repatriated to their communities.

One defining moment between Indigenous communities and Canada's museums took place before the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Anishinaabe visual artist Rebecca Belmore sat immobile for two hours inside a glass case in minus-22C weather  offering herself as an artifact. Her perch outside the Thunder Bay Art Gallery was in full view of the Olympic torch procession as it travelled west.

Belmore, the Lubicon Cree and Indigenous communities across Canada were protesting Spirit Sings: Artistic Traditions of Canada's First Peoples  an exhibit of 650 Indigenous objects and artifacts  at Calgary's Glenbow Museum. Most pieces had previously been removed from Canada and had been stored in foreign museums. Spirit Sings marked the first time these objects would be returned and celebrated.

The exhibit was meant to showcase Canada as a culturally diverse nation. For the Lubicon Cree in Alberta, reality was far different.

They were living in poverty, crowded into ramshackle houses with no running water  on land that was part of ongoing land claims and was surrounded by hundreds of oil wells owned by multinational oil companies.

That Shell Canada and the provincial and federal governments funded Spirit Sings as a celebration of Canada's welcome of Indigenous people represented "sheer and blatant hypocrisy," Robertson said. "The Lubicon Cree protest was very significant and resulted in some major changes to how Canadian museums operated and changed their ways and attitudes towards Indigenous communities."

In 1994, the federal government formed the Task Force on Museums and First Peoples as a response to Spirit Sings.

Now, for example, museums consult Indigenous communities and work with them when setting up exhibitions about Indigenous culture. Museums are also encouraged to hire Indigenous curators.

Robertson's book also covers protests by settler and minority groups in Canada.

"In Canada, museums have frequently been sites of struggle and negotiation" and have long histories of colonial content that stereotyped or misrepresented a particular group, she noted.

The book also discusses protests by veterans against the Canadian War Museum, actions against homelessness at the Vancouver Art Gallery, interventions by Shoal Lake Nation 40 at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and the Royal Ontario Museum's (ROM) controversial exhibit, Into the Heart of Africa, held in 1989.

The ROM finally apologized for Heart of Africa, only last year. It is currently staging Of Africa, a three-year project with a number of permanent displays and temporary exhibits that showcase Africa's diversity.

While the relationship between Canada's museums and Indigenous communities and minorities has improved during the past several years, Robertson pointed out, "there are still bumps in the road."

Currently, there are still too few Indigenous curators working in Canadian museums.

"Programs that have been established to bring Indigenous communities into museums are often subject to defunding when new governments come in," Robertson said.

Explore further How Australian museums regulate the display of human remains
Prasinohaema prehensicauda is a green-blooded lizard with high concentrations of biliverdin, or a toxic green bile pigment, found in New Guinea. Credit: Chris Austin, LSU.

Green blood is one of the most unusual characteristics in the animal kingdom, but it's the hallmark of a group of lizards in New Guinea. Prasinohaema are green-blooded skinks, or a type of lizard. The muscles, bones and tongues of these lizards appear bright, lime-green due to high levels of biliverdin, or a green bile pigment, which is toxic and causes jaundice. Surprisingly, these lizards remain healthy with levels of green bile that are 40 times higher than the lethal concentration in humans.

"In addition to having the highest concentration of biliverdin recorded for any animal, these lizards have somehow evolved a resistance to bile pigment toxicity. Understanding the underlying physiological changes that have allowed these lizards to remain jaundice-free may translate to non-traditional approaches to specific health problems," said lead author Zachary Rodriguez, a doctoral candidate in LSU Department of Biological Sciences Professor Chris Austin's lab.

Austin has spearheaded many expeditions to the megadiverse island of New Guinea to discover and document reptile and amphibian diversity. Rodriguez, Austin and colleagues investigated the evolutionary history of green blood, which evolved in several species of New Guinea lizards. They examined 51 species of skinks, which included six species with green blood, two of which are species new to science. They discovered that there are four separate lineages of green-blooded lizards, and each likely shared a red-blooded ancestor.

"We were excited by the complex history of these animals and surprised by the breadth of green-blooded lineages across lizards," Rodriguez said. Their results will be published on May 16 in Science Advances.

Field accommodations in Kaironk Village in the highlands of New Guinea's Madang province, which is at about 6,000 feet above sea level. With assistance from local peoples and the Papua New Guinea National Museum, field work in this area of Papua New Guinea has provided valuable tissue samples and voucher specimens for this research. Credit: Chris Austin, LSU.

Green blood likely emerged independently in various lizards, which suggests that green blood may have an adaptive value. Slightly elevated levels of bile pigments in other animals, including insects, fish and frogs, have played potentially positive roles in these animals. Previous studies have shown that bile pigment can act as an antioxidant scavenging free radicals as well as preventing disease during in vitro fertilization. However, the function of green bile pigment in these lizards is still uncertain.

"The green-blooded skinks of New Guinea are fascinating to me as a parasitologist because a similar liver product, bilirubin, is known to be toxic to human malaria parasites. Ongoing work with the Austin lab examines the potential effect of the green blood pigment on malaria and other parasites that infect these lizards," said co-author Susan Perkins, curator and professor at the Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics and the Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History.

Mountains of the Madang Province Highlands in New Guinea where two species of green-blooded lizards live. Credit: Chris Austin, LSU.

The scientists examined DNA samples from 27 green-blooded lizards and 92 closely related red-blooded lizards. They determined that red blood was the most likely ancestral state and that green blood likely evolved four times.

"Our next goal is to identify the genes responsible for green blood," Rodriguez said.

Explore further Lizard bling colour may act as social cue

More information: Z.B. Rodriguez el al., "Multiple origins of green blood in New Guinea lizards," Science Advances (2018). Journal information: Science Advances Z.B. Rodriguez el al., "Multiple origins of green blood in New Guinea lizards,"(2018). advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/5/eaao5017
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

For consumers trying to avoid plastics and go "green," solid body wash sold without packaging seems to be a good alternative to wrapped and bottled soaps. But as an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, points out, it's complicated.

Senior Correspondent Carmen Drahl explains that governments and companies are responding to consumers who are swearing off plastics. In the U.S., plastic microbeads are banned from personal care products, and it's common to run into shopping bag fees and restrictions on plastic utensils. And some companies are eschewing packaging altogether. One of the more unusual examples is solid, package-free body wash that manufacturers solidify with a common ingredient in soap.

But determining whether solid body wash is really a more eco-friendly alternative to conventional soaps is not so easy. Because the products are relatively new, studies are still lacking. What is known is that neither conventional bottled body washes nor bar soaps are completely eco-friendly. Bottled liquid washes take about five times as much energy for formulation and about 20 times as much energy for packaging than bar soaps, according to one study. And the animal and plant fats used to make bar soaps can sometimes be traced back to resource-intensive agricultural practices. Experts suggest that consumers become more knowledgeable by visiting websites that provide information about ingredients that brands use, as well as packaging-reduction initiatives.

Explore further Stemming the tide of ocean plastics

More information: "Solid body wash comes without packaging. But does that make it eco-friendly?," "Solid body wash comes without packaging. But does that make it eco-friendly?," cen.acs.org/environment/sustai  comes-without/96/i20
An artist's view of the PrandtlPlane shows what future commercial aircrafts could look like. Credit: Vittorio C/ University of Pisa, Italy, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Aviation is one of the most environmentally harmful forms of transportation, accounting for 3% of all EU greenhouse gas emissions. But new aircraft designs inspired by the work of an early 20th-century aviation engineer and natural substances such as honeycomb and grass could help to cut the environmental footprint of flying.

With nearly 1 billion passengers taking to European skies in 2016 and the numbers still increasing, the growth in European aviation has been staggering. The effect is that even as many other industries are reducing greenhouse gas emissions through efficiency and new technology, aviation's are on the increase.

One person flying from London to New York and back generates roughly the same level of emissions as one year's home heating for the average European. At the recent Transport Research Arena conference in Vienna, Austria, a high-level event covering all modes of European transport, Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, said avoiding air travel completely was the best option for protecting the environment.

But as Sergio Barbarino, chairman of the Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe (ALICE) responded, that's an unlikely scenario. "We can't just tell people they can't take their holidays in the Canary Islands anymore," he said.

Air travel may be here to stay, but there's no doubt that engineers need to find new ways to make it cleaner and greener. One idea is to radically redesign an aircraft's wing so that it requires significantly less operational fuel, an approach that's currently under development by a project called PARSIFAL.

Father of aerodynamics

For their design, the team sought inspiration from the renowned German aviation engineer Ludwig Prandtl, often considered the father of aerodynamics. In 1924, Prandtl had an idea for a plane with an unusual wing that reduced the drag coefficient and improved the aerodynamic efficiency but the idea was largely ignored at the time.

In the late 1990s, Professor Aldo Frediani of the University of Pisa, Italy, and coordinator of the PARSIFAL project, used mathematics to prove that Prandtl's wing theory was plausible. Prof. Frediani and his team began to work on the design of a new closed-wing airplane based on Prandtl's original concept.

"The theoretical results can be used to define a new configuration, our configuration," he said.

Instead of two separate wings extending either side of the fuselage, our familiar concept of an airplane, the Prandtl-inspired aircraft has one wing which loops and closes back on itself in a closed-wing design with no wingtips. This reduces the amount of drag acting on the aircraft, meaning that less fuel is burned. This is especially important for take-off and landing, as these are the phases of airplane flight that usually guzzle the most fuel and expel most emissions.

"These aircraft will be much more convenient from the point of view of fuel consumption, noise pollution and emissions," said Prof. Frediani.

The team has developed a small model of their plane but the idea is to focus on medium-sized aircraft, with the goal of increasing the number of passengers being transported per flight from around 180 to 310. The researchers estimate that the plane could be in the air in 10-15 years' time, depending on safety checks and the interest of aircraft manufacturers. Their next steps are to refine the aerodynamics, engine position and controls, while the University of Pisa's economics department is working with PARSIFAL to determine the projected economic performance of the aircraft.

"This solution could completely change the air transport of the future," said Prof. Frediani.

Meanwhile, other engineers are taking inspiration from nature to develop 3-D printed aircraft components that could reduce weight by up to 30%. The less a plane weighs, the less fuel is required, resulting in a significant reduction of CO 2 emissions.

Honeycomb structure

Melanie Gralow is a biomimetic design engineer for the Bionic Aircraft project, which is taking the lessons of nature to improve parts for making aeroplanes.

"Thin surfaces or rods tend to deform very easily throughout the manufacturing process," she explained. "You can stiffen them by applying a certain surface structure. The honeycomb structure is one of those bio-inspired structures that can be utilised to stiffen the wall without adding too much weight."

The project also takes inspiration from grass stalks, which are subject to bending loads by the wind in the same way as struts in aircraft components. Bending loads are forces that act upon a structure laterally and hence can result in it bending.

"The stalk is hollow inside and it has a double wall system," said Gralow. "It needs to resist wind forces in nature, but struts in the technical world also have to resist bending. By applying the double-walled system to the struts, we can make them more lightweight, but at the same time just as stiff as they need to be."

To make these intricate, highly-detailed, lightweight parts, the team uses 3-D printers with laser beam technology. Although ideal for small precision work, the researchers say that printing an entire aircraft in this way is still a long way off.

"For now, the goal is really to focus on smaller parts because the build spaces of the current printers are restricted. The biggest commercial printers are about 4050 centimetres in width, so that sets the maximum size limit for current 3-D-printed metal parts," said Gralow.

Explore further Research examines wing shapes to reduce vortex and wake
An expert tastes wine during the 2018 Concours Mondiale de Bruxelles at a hotel resort in Beijing

China's growing thirst for wine has spawned a new crop of connoisseurs, inspired prize-winning domestic producers and even attracted a top international tasting competition.

More than 300 experts from around the world gathered at a luxury hotel in Beijing last weekend to taste 9,000 wines from some 50 countries.

After sniffing, tasting and spitting the various vintages, they recorded their notes on touchscreen tablets for the 25th Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, which awards coveted gold and silver medals that producers can then tag on their bottles.

To avoid any risk of bias the bottles were all wrapped in opaque plastic and the results will be announced later this month.

"Why have we come to China? Because it is the most dynamic market in the world," said Baudouin Havaux, the competition's president.

"In terms of consumption it is incredible, this country is growing at a crazy speed."

The Chinese drink 1.46 billion litres (386 million gallons) of wine per yearon average almost one litre, or more than one bottle, per personaccording to a study by Vinexpo, an organiser of international wine fairs.

China ranks fifth in the world for wine consumption after the US, France, Italy and Germany.

But this figure is expected to increase by 18.5 percent between now and 2021. Over the next five years, China is expected to become the world's second-largest consumer of wine, behind only the US.

"I think gift-giving and status are still the biggest factors" driving wine purchases, said Canadian wine taster Jim Boyce.

"A lot of people also drink red wine because of the perceived health benefits. But there is also a growing niche of consumers who drink wine for taste, for pleasure and for experience."

"People simply have more money now to enjoy something like wine," said the expert who is based in China, where the disposable income of urban Chinese doubled between 2009 and 2016.

Price tags

Wine was more a symbol of "prestige" five years ago, agreed Havaux.

"It was important to leave the price tag on the bottle to show that it is very expensive," Havaux said.

"But young people are beginning to grow interested in the product itself."

More than 300 experts from around the world gathered at a luxury hotel in Beijing last weekend to taste 9,000 wines from some 50 countries

Among them is Kang Yi, a 30-year-old interpreter.

"I discovered wine when I was studying in Paris. Especially rose, champagne and riesling. When I came back to China, I joined a wine-tasting club."

Beijing-based Zhou Hewei, who works in insurance, admitted she used to buy wine for dinner parties "without really knowing much about it".

"Until the day when a friend who had studied wine at university opened a website. She wrote articles about grape varieties, terroirs... I learnt a lot and began to buy more and more bottles."

As a result of this growing passion, China in 2017 imported 750 million litres of foreign wine, according to customs data20 percent up on the previous year. Foreign wines make up 50 percent of all sales in China, according to experts.

Medal winners

"The quality of Chinese wine has been steadily rising for a decade now," said Boyce, who has tasted more than 1,000 Chinese wines since 2005.

"We see the best Chinese wines are winning hundreds of medals overseas. And just overall, I think most people would say they taste a lot better than they did a decade ago."

The arrival of e-commerce has changed the landscape for Chinese wine lovers, Boyce added.

"Ten years ago, Chinese people would probably get their wine at a retail shop, and it would be mostly big Chinese brands and red Bordeaux.

"And then the internet came along, and the smartphone came along, and suddenly consumers had thousands of choices, from lots of countries," he said.

"This put a tremendous amount of pressure on the local companies to get better, because those companies were focused more on marketing than on quality."

Chinese wine producers have responded by gaining more experience, training overseas, and buying in better equipment.

But their production costs remain high, as many are forced to bury their vines in winter to prevent them freezing.

"Lots of wine estates are improving their quality and winning medals in major competitions," said Eva Xie, a Chinese taster and wine critic.

They are making their presence felt at the competition.

"In 2017, 30 percent of Chinese wines tasted at the Concours de Bruxelles were medalists, which is above the average rate of 25 percent," said Havaux. "That is impressive."

Explore further Wine descriptions make people more emotional about wine

 2018 AFP
Researcher Jackob Hgenes at SINTEF Digital is working with drones. However, this one only flies indoors. Credit: Werner Juvik / SINTEF

Developments in technology will leave their mark on Norwegian roads. More advanced IT systems make self-driving cars possible, as well as drones that can deliver parcel post  with built-in intelligence. Hyperloop technology is not just fantasy: this means of transport, based on very low air pressure and induction technology, can become a reality. Test circuits are being planned at several locations.

At first, it is unlikely that the method will be used to transport passengers, but to ship goods such as freshly killed salmon, where speed is important. At least, that's the view of a wide-ranging team of research scientists in many different technical fields at SINTEF.

The SINTEF report "Teknologitrender som pavirker transportsektoren" (Technological trends that affect the transport industry) has been written on behalf of the project group behind the Norwegian National Transport Plan. The time frame extends as far as 2060 and according to the research scientists we will experience radical changes.

These are some of the SINTEF scientists' predictions for the next thirty years:

Digitalisation will become noticeable "everywhere"

More and more vehicles will be fitted with computers which in turn will run advanced software. In addition, sensor technology will be brought into use in more vehicles. According to the researchers this will affect both traffic and our driving habits.

At present, cars contain from 60 to 100 sensors, but researchers believe that a new car in 2020 will be fitted with up to 200 sensors. Data from these sensors can be used both in monitoring the vehicle (for example safety equipment such as ABS brakes) and for maintenance purposes.

This can potentially make travel on Norwegian roads safer: The trend is that more and more data are distributed directly and in real time to the manufacturer of the vehicle and to the operator of the road network. This information can be used in IT-based safety services such as collision avoidance and monitoring the technical status of the road network.

The researchers also predict that more digital systems will mean that we will receive even more data: about everything from energy consumption to driving and movement patterns. As a result, SINTEF is highlighting the need for debate around the future ownership of this mass of data.

The future is electronic  also in new ways

In years to come we will see even more electric vehicles  cars, buses and bicycles  particularly in urban areas. This will affect the electricity supply grid and will in some cases cause local electricity supply problems. Research scientists believe that this will result in an increase in local generation of clean energy, for example using solar cells which are integrated into buildings, or small local wind turbine installations. They also foresee that road vehicles will in future be used more efficiently than at present, because people will increasingly opt for car pooling, especially in towns.

When it comes to transport over longer distances we will also notice increasing electrification, both on water and in the air. There will be more electric ferries and trains, but researchers also expect electrification of the Norwegian aviation industry to take place by 2040.

At present, most people associate the word "induction" with kitchen cookers, but electrical energy transfer by way of contactless induction technology will make its entry on our roads. Inductive charging systems will first appear in stationary charging of electric road vehicles and for charging electric buses at bus stops.

Inductive charging of buses at bus stops has already been demonstrated for more than 15 years in Italy, and similar systems are now being tested by Scania in Sweden. Systems providing stationary charging of electric cars are already on sale in the United States, and most major car manufacturers are now preparing for the integration of such technology into their electric vehicles. A concept for battery charging in electric ferries using high power inductive energy transfer has also been developed in Norway, and is currently being demonstrated in the hybrid ferry "MS Folgefonn" at Stord.

Technology for inductive energy transfer can also be integrated into roadways to charge batteries in moving vehicles. Here, the receiver unit in the vehicle does not have to be stationary for the battery to charge. Various forms of dynamic inductive charging for moving vehicles have already been demonstrated in buses and trains in South Korea, as well as in trams and goods vehicles in Germany.

One of the greatest advantages of inductive energy transmission technology is that there are no parts subject to mechanical wear. It also becomes simpler to automate battery charging when no physical contact is needed. For this reason, researchers believe that inductive battery charging will be used not only in self-driving and autonomous road vehicles, but in time also for charging drones, ships and various types of machinery, among other things.

Hydrogen fuel will be common

While batteries both store energy and provide power directly, the hydrogen system generates electrical power by oxidising hydrogen to produce electricity and water. The energy is stored as hydrogen in a tank, and fuel cells supply power.

High-speed boats and ferries powered by hydrogen are expected to be in use by the end of 2020. The same is expected for trains and goods vehicles for long-distance transport. Hydrogen will also eventually be powering some aircraft.

With the introduction of mass-produced hydrogen-powered cars by Toyota, Honda and Hyundai, among others, in coming years, the regulatory framework and the basic infrastructure for the use of hydrogen in land-based transport will be in place by 2020 in many countries.

Hydrogen is a particularly appropriate fuel for larger vehicles and means of transport, or when needed for long-range transport. This means large passenger and goods vehicles, long-distance buses, lorries, trains and ships.

For maritime use, hydrogen in gaseous form will be less suitable as an energy carrier for the longest journeys and for larger vessels. For such applications, hydrogen will be stored in liquid form. However, for small ships and moderate distances, volume is not a problem, and compressed hydrogen gas can be used. The first tank vessel for transporting liquid hydrogen is already being built in Japan. When completed in 2020 it will transport large amounts of hydrogen from Australia and Brunei to that year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Internet for goods

Goods transport, for example of consumer products, is at present booked complete, from start to finish. Things will be different in the future. There will be a more flexible form of distribution: Researchers envisage that "all" goods will be sent to a large goods terminal where they will be packed and then distributed. This allows us to have an overview of the entire stock and thus plan the best and most efficient way to ship goods from there.

The concept involves fitting the goods with intelligence  which in practice means that a product will carry electronic information about what it is, what transport requirements apply to it and where its destination is. Using this sort of concept, goods can monitor their own shipping and send alarms or notifications in the event of delays. According to the research scientists we can also expect the transport of goods to be more efficient, safer and more environmentally friendly.

Hyperloops and drone taxis

The rise of drones  unmanned airborne vehicles  at sea and on land, has already made its mark in fields like film and TV production and inspection assignments. The technology is becoming increasingly safer and cheaper as a result of increased computing power and a sharp fall in the price of sensors. Scientists predict that autonomous drones and robots will in future carry out complex operations such as maintenance work, both alone and in combination with people.

Drones in the air and on land will contribute to what is known as "first and last-mile delivery"  the first and last legs of a transport chain which often cannot be achieved using shared transport, such as from the post office to your home.

The researchers also foresee that transport in pipelines will in future ease the pressure on roads that are at present overloaded with heavy goods vehicles. Pipeline systems have been used for a long time to transport liquids and gases, but are little used for transporting solid materials. However, St. Olav's Hospital in Trondheim uses internal pipe-borne mail and in Bergen and Stockholm pipes are used in automated refuse collection.

Because traffic volumes are growing, the need is also growing to divert goods transport away from roads. This in turn increases interest in developing a pipeline infrastructure for transporting goods over moderate to long distances. Such systems are being demonstrated and planned for the transport of, among other things, shipping containers (California and Singapore) and for pallet transport (the UK, Germany, Switzerland and others), and are likely to be part of the Norwegian transport network within a few years.

Hyperloop technology based on induction motors and magnetic levitation will probably be commercially available by 2025, most likely for transporting goods that require rapid transport, such as fresh seafood. SINTEF estimates that we can have a Norwegian test circuit ready in 2020, but points out that the Norwegian landscape, with its many mountains and fjords, will present a challenge to large-scale hyperloop development.

Hyperloop technology is now being studied in at least 20 locations around the world, for example in India, Sweden, Finland, France, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the US and Singapore. The first full-scale test installation (DevLoop) is already operating in Las Vegas in the US.

Autonomisation of vehicles and ships

We already have self-driving cars, but user acceptance and new legislation will be necessary before this technology can become widespread. Self-driving vehicles will however become more common and will also pave the way for new usage patterns involving car-pooling and car rental. In the short term, researchers believe that we will see self-driving cars in closed areas, and used, for example, for snow-ploughing at airports.

Technology originating in self-driving cars will in time lead to the automation of excavators and fork lift trucks, among other things. The same will apply to autonomous trains, which are already operating in some urban areas. At sea, self-driving ships will see the light of day quite soon. Ships lend themselves especially well to the technology, being relatively slow-moving and operating in areas providing a certain flexibility as regards the planning of journeys. Because ships are large, investment in autonomous systems will be a relatively small part of the total cost.

Remotely-controlled and autonomous aircraft

As people become more used to and accept unmanned transport, the trend will be towards removing the pilot from the cockpit. Technological development and increased air traffic density will also approach a point at which pilots no longer make a positive contribution to air safety.

In future, traffic at an airport will often be controlled by personnel who are not located at the airport. This will reduce the need for manned control towers. Researchers envisage that several airports will be controlled simultaneously from one location, and that this will result in more efficient instruction and training, as well as a more robust professional community. In principle the technology has been based on the transmission of two-dimensional video images from cameras located around the airport to a control centre in another location. So far, one airport in Switzerland has been certified for operational remote control of traffic from a different location, and Norway will implement the technology at 15 airports in the next couple of years.

New services linked to travel and goods transport

Increasing online shopping means that small deliveries are being made to more and more addresses. In towns this leads to major traffic-related problems and local pollution. Goods transport must therefore be organised in new ways. Distribution centres for goods must be established in towns and must coordinate and optimise all distribution of goods and ensure full delivery vehicles and optimal routing.

This will probably create a need for entirely new services providing support for the travelling public or for goods to be transported. The researchers call this "Mobility as a Service".

The aim is to provide tailor-made systems providing transport in the most efficient and environmentally friendly way possible.

Electrification of transport presents challenges in that the electrical grid may become overloaded when many vehicles are being charged simultaneously. Smart management of charging is needed so that a large number of vehicles can be charged with the existing grid capacity. Charging must be adapted to the periods when the vehicles are to be used, and charging must if possible make use of locally generated, renewable energy.

Digital services involving co-operation and the sharing economy can lead to better resource use and reduce the negative impacts of transport. Cars and private charging stations can be shared and unused space in vehicles can be shared and used for transporting people and goods. Distribution centres for goods will demand collaboration between operators which currently work independently. New business models are a condition for the success of collaboration and the sharing economy.

The transport systems of the future will depend on the collection and exchange of information and data. It is important that personal protection is maintained according to new, strict requirements such as those of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Goods transport and passenger travel will change as a result of new technology such as self-driving cars and drones. New services will arise and transport will be organised in new ways:

New services (which support, for example, Mobility as a Service) will contribute to transport systems which are adapted to the users' needs, as well as to the traffic situation. Users will also be assisted in choosing environmentally friendly transport and in the event of disruptions en route (e.g. delays) they will be given information about alternative means of transport.

Key technologies and the circular economy

While it is not a direct transport trend, because technology is developing so rapidly researchers are highlighting a number of technologies which in one way or another will become prominent in many different parts of the transport sector, such as the development of light but extremely strong materials, nanotechnology and sensor technology, digitalisation and the use of robotics, automation and 3-D printing. 3-D printing is a computerised process in which a three-dimensional product is built up in layers from a raw material consisting of wire, powder or liquid.

3-D printing is primarily a tool used by product designers for rapid design and prototyping, but it is now making an entrance in what are known as distributed manufacturing platforms. This means that manufacture can be moved from large, centralised factories to local workshops and from there to people's homes. This will change both the flow of goods and the demand for transport. 3-D printing can become very important in what is known as the circular economy, which is based on making the best possible use of all resources, for example by producing spare parts, or by repairing things that otherwise would be thrown away.

In a few years' time we may perhaps be able to order spare parts from an IT specialist instead of an auto repair shop, thereby reducing the impact on both our wallets and the environment.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Samsung and Apple return to a San Jose, Calif. district courtroom Monday to resume a patent infringement dispute that dates to 2011. The latest chapter in the longstanding saga is about determining the financial damages Samsung owes Apple for infringing on design patents covering the original iPhone, an outcome that could have a broad impact on intellectual property law.

Here's how we got here.

In December 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the near $400 million judgement that Apple had won over allegations that Samsung copied iPhone-designed features used in its own phones. The sum, based on Samsung's profits from the sale of such phones, had already been whittled down through the courts from $1.05 billion that a jury awarded Apple in 2012. .

The fact that Apple is due financial damages from its South Korean rivalwhich has already paid $548 million to Appleisn't in dispute at this retrial. What the justices effectively did was kick the case back down to the lower courts to have a jury decide how those damages will be calculated.

That's "the big deal as this case moves forward," says Mark McKenna, a professor of law at Notre Dame Law School.

As part of the earlier verdict, it was determined that Samsung infringed on three of Apple's iPhone design patents covering a rectangular front face with rounded edges and a grid of colorful icons on a black screen.

The legal squabble now will turn on what is referred to as the "article of manufacture" and whether in this case the relevant article means the entire phone, or merely design features within the phone that relate to the infringed patents.

The Supreme Court noted the article of manufacturer is "broad enough to embrace both a product sold to a consumer and a component of that product, whether sold separately or not."

Apple has been seeking the full profits attributable to the sales of the infringed phones; Samsung has been arguing for smaller penalties directly related to the value of features impacted by the patents. Samsung hasn't sold the phones in question in more than five years.

Determining the outcome won't be easy for the jury, McKenna says. "The Supreme Court decision struck me as obviously right. But it didn't do anybody a favor by punting on the hard question which is 'how do I identify those circumstances where this is worth less than the whole?'"

The 1887 patent law on which the present case relates to covered design patents back in the day for such items as carpets, wallpapers and oil cloths.

During the earlier trial, Apple lawyer Seth Waxman argued that the design patent referred to "the thing to which the design is applied"meaning the entire smartphone. "Design is not a component," he said.

Samsung's lawyer, Kathleen Sullivan, told the justices. "A smartphone is smart because it contains hundreds of thousands of the technologies that make it work."

At the time, Justice Elena Kagan, seemed to offer something to both sides. She said a Volkswagen Beetle's design is an example of "the thing that makes the product distinctive." But she also added that "the car has to run, and it has to do all the other things that cars do."

Neel Chatterjee, an intellectual property litigator and Silicon Valley-based partner at Goodwin Procter, offers this analogy. A computer without a power cord wouldn't work, he says, but the cord itself is not where the computer derives its primary value.

"Some people could go to court and say without a power cord it wouldn't work so I should get a bigger slice of the overall patent royalties due associated with the device. That's an extreme example. But you can imagine when there are thousands of patents that cover something like a Samsung phone there's going to be a lot of fight about relative importance, and what factors you look to determine their relative importance to value the patent."

The latest trial is expected to last about five days, with the jury to be selected Monday and opening arguments to follow Monday or Tuesday. Neither Apple CEO Tim Cook nor the company's design chief Jony Ive is expected to testify.

2018 USA Today

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The twin satellites of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), active between 2002 and 2016, made detailed measurements of Earth's gravity field, enabling discoveries about gravity and Earth's natural systems. A new study that used GRACE data, coupled with data from other satellites and published reports of human activity, determined global-scale changes in Earth's freshwater supplies. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A new global, satellite-based study of Earth's freshwater distribution found that Earth's wet areas are getting wetter, while dry areas are getting drier. The data suggest that this pattern is due to a variety of factors, including human water management practices, human-caused climate change and natural climate cycles.

The NASA-led research team, which included Hiroko Beaudoing, a faculty specialist at the University of Maryland's Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), used 14 years of observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission to track global trends in freshwater in 34 regions around the world.

The study, published in the May 17, 2018 issue of the journal Nature, also incorporated satellite precipitation data from the ESSIC-led Global Precipitation Climatology Project; Landsat imagery from NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey; irrigation maps; and published reports of human activities related to agriculture, mining and reservoir operations. The study period spans from 2002 to 2016.

"This is the first time we've assessed how freshwater availability is changing, everywhere on Earth, using satellite observations," said Matt Rodell, lead author of the paper and chief of the Hydrological Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "A key goal was to distinguish shifts in terrestrial water storage caused by natural variabilitywet periods and dry periods associated with El Nino and La Nina, for examplefrom trends related to climate change or human impacts, like pumping groundwater out of an aquifer faster than it is replenished."

Freshwater is present in lakes, rivers, soil, snow, groundwater and glacial ice. Its loss in the ice sheets at the polesattributed to climate changehas implications for sea level rise. On land, it is one of Earth's most essential resources for drinking water and irrigation. While some regions' water supplies are relatively stable, others normally experience increases or decreases. But the current study revealed a new and distressing pattern.

"What we are witnessing is major hydrologic change," said co-author James Famiglietti of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "We see, for the first time, a very distinctive pattern of the wet land areas of the world getting wetterthose are the high latitudes and the tropicsand the dry areas in between getting dryer. Embedded within the dry areas we see multiple hotspots resulting from groundwater depletion."

Famiglietti noted that while water loss in some regions is clearly driven by warming climate, such as the melting ice sheets and alpine glaciers, it will take more time before other patterns can be unequivocally attributed to climate change.

"The pattern of wet-getting-wetter, dry-getting-drier is predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change models for the end of the 21st century, but we'll need a much longer dataset to be able to definitively say that climate change is responsible for the emergence of a similar pattern in the GRACE data," Famiglietti said. "However, the current trajectory is certainly cause for concern."

The twin GRACE satellites, launched in 2002 as a joint mission with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), precisely measured the distance between the two satellites to detect changes in Earth's gravity field caused by movements of mass on the planet below. Using this method, GRACE tracked variations in terrestrial water storage on monthly to yearly timescales until its science mission ended in October 2017.

However, the GRACE satellite observations alone couldn't tell Beaudoing, Rodell, Famiglietti and their colleagues what was causing an apparent trend.

"We examined information on precipitation, agriculture and groundwater pumping to find a possible explanation for the trends estimated from GRACE," said Beaudoing, who also has a joint appointment at NASA Goddard.

One of the big causes of groundwater depletion across the board was agriculture, which can be complicated by natural cycles as seen in California, Famiglietti said. Decreases in freshwater caused by the severe drought from 2007 to 2015 were compounded by groundwater withdrawals to support the farms in the state's Central Valley.

Southwestern California lost 4 gigatons of freshwater per year during the same period. A gigaton of water is the equivalent of the mass of water in 400,000 Olympic swimming pools. A majority of California's freshwater comes in the form of rainfall and snow that collects in the Sierra Nevada as snowpack and then is managed through a series of reservoirs as it melts. When natural cycles led to dry years, causing diminished snowpack and surface waters, people relied on groundwater more heavily.

This map depicts a time series of data collected by NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission from 2002 to 2016, showing where freshwater storage was higher (blue) or lower (red) than the average for the 14-year study period. Credit: NASA

Downward trends in freshwater seen in Saudi Arabia also reflect agricultural pressures. From 2002 to 2016, the region lost 6.1 gigatons per year of stored groundwater. Imagery from the Landsat series of satellites shows the growth of irrigated farmland in the arid landscape from 1987 to the present, which explains the increased drawdown.

Natural cycles of rainy and dry years can also cause a trend in the 14-year data record that is unlikely to persist, Rodell said. An example is the western Zambezi basin and Okavango Delta, a vital watering hole for wildlife in northern Botswana. In this region, terrestrial water storage increased at an average rate of 29 gigatons per year from 2002 to 2016. This wet period during the GRACE mission followed at least two decades of dryness. Rodell believes this is a case of natural variability that occurs over decades in this region of Africa.

The researchers found that a combination of natural and human pressures can lead to complex scenarios in some regions. Previously undocumented water declines occurred in northwestern China in Xin Jiang province. This region, about the size of Kansas, is bordered by Kazakhstan to the west and the Taklamakan desert to the south and encompasses the central portion of the Tien Shan Mountains.

Rodell and his colleagues had to piece together multiple factors to explain the disappearance of 5.5 gigatons of terrestrial water storage per year in Xin Jiang Province. Less rainfall was not the culprit. Additions to surface water were also occurring from climate change-induced glacier melt and the pumping of groundwater out of coal mines. But these additions were more than offset by depletions caused by an increase in water consumption for the irrigation of cropland and evaporation of river water from the desert floor.

The successor to GRACE, called GRACE Follow-On, a joint mission with the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), is at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California undergoing final preparations for launch.

The research paper, "Emerging Trends in Global Freshwater Availability," Matthew Rodell, James Famiglietti, David Wiese, J.T. Reager, Hiroko Beaudoing, Felix Landerer and Min-Hui Lo, was published in the journal Nature on May 17, 2018.

Explore further GRACE-FO will help monitor droughts

More information: M. Rodell et al. Emerging trends in global freshwater availability, Nature (2018). Journal information: Nature M. Rodell et al. Emerging trends in global freshwater availability,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0123-1
The plants which produce one of the most popular drinks in the world, coffee, are targeted by a microscopic worm, but scientists are fighting back.

An underestimated problem in coffee farming, the parasite has been found in soil samples across the coffee growing world thanks to a new and quick detection method.

Details of the method are published in the journal Phytopathology and the researchers hope their method will be used to further understand which species live where so growers can take mitigating actions and protect our morning brew.

Around two billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide every day. This supply of coffee beans is challenged by two major nematode species which live in the soil and damage the roots of the coffee plant with no specific symptoms.

The nematodes feed on the plant roots, weakening the plant and ultimately cause yield loss.

They also enjoy banana and black pepper plants, which are often grown alongside coffee providing a rich environment for them to thrive.

A team led by the University of Leeds, working with Nestle agronomists and researchers, as well as international academic colleagues, took soil samples from plantations in Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia. They analysed these samples to identify DNA from the worms and found them at damaging levels wherever they looked.

The problem of nematode worms targeting coffee crops has been previously reported but this is the first molecular-based study to assess plant-parasitic nematodes in coffee fields by sampling multiple crop plants in three major coffee producing countries.

Peter Urwin, Professor of Plant Nematology at Leeds University's Faculty of Biological Sciences said: "We found widespread evidence of these parasites. The exact species vary by country and looking at soil samples, I can tell the difference between Vietnam and Brazil or Indonesia. The sad fact is that wherever we take samples, we find plant-parasitic nematodes which are hugely damaging to coffee crops."

The average coffee plant has a 20 year lifespan and is a significant investment for a farmer. They are sometimes grown alongside banana and black pepper which gives a broader income stream, but may compound the problem. The researchers say one mitigation method could be to separate the crops so if one gets infected the others are not threatened.

Professor Urwin added: "In vineyards, growers often plant pest-resistant but less desirable grapes and then "graft" preferable grape varieties onto the vines to protect against root parasites. Once we have a better picture of which parasites attack which coffee crops and which coffee plants are resistant, this approach could be an option for growers."

The work was carried out by Ph.D. researcher, Christopher Bell. He said: "We were alarmed by the number of parasites we found in our samples and hope our method will be taken up by others so we better understand what we are facing. Ultimately, farmers and growers should benefit from this work and take appropriate mitigating actions."

More information: Christopher A. Bell et al. A High-Throughput Molecular Pipeline Reveals the Diversity in Prevalence and Abundance of Pratylenchus and Meloidogyne Species in Coffee Plantations, Phytopathology (2018). Christopher A. Bell et al. A High-Throughput Molecular Pipeline Reveals the Diversity in Prevalence and Abundance of Pratylenchus and Meloidogyne Species in Coffee Plantations,(2018). DOI: 10.1094/PHYTO-10-17-0343-R
Chinese ceramic bowls in situ at the Java Sea Shipwreck site. Credit: The Field Museum, Anthropology, Photographer Pacific Sea Resources

Centuries ago, a ship sank in the Java Sea off the coast of Indonesia. The wooden hull disintegrated over time, leaving only a treasure trove of cargo. The ship had been carrying thousands of ceramics and luxury goods for trade, and they remained on the ocean floor until the 1980s when the wreck was discovered by fishermen. In the years since, archaeologists have been studying artifacts retrieved from the shipwreck to piece together where the ship was from and when it departed. The equivalent of a "Made in China" label on a piece of pottery helped archaeologists reevaluate when the ship went down and how it fits in with China's history.

"Initial investigations in the 1990s dated the shipwreck to the mid- to late 13th century, but we've found evidence that it's probably a century older than that," says Lisa Niziolek, an archaeologist at the Field Museum in Chicago and lead author of the study in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. "Eight hundred years ago, someone put a label on these ceramics that essentially says 'Made in China'because of the particular place mentioned, we're able to date this shipwreck better."

The ship was carrying ceramics marked with an inscription that might indicate they were made in Jianning Fu, a government district in China. But after the invasion of the Mongols around 1278, the area was reclassified as Jianning Lu. The slight change in the name tipped Niziolek and her colleagues off that the shipwreck may have occurred earlier than the late 1200s, as early as 1162.

Niziolek notes that the likelihood of a ship in the later "Jianning Lu" days carrying old pottery with the outdated name is slim. "There were probably about a hundred thousand pieces of ceramics onboard. It seems unlikely a merchant would have paid to store those for long prior to shipmentthey were probably made not long before the ship sank," says Niziolek.

Video footage of the underwater archaeology expeditions in the 1990s to recover cargo from the shipwreck site. Credit: Pacific Sea Resource, Inc.

Plus, ceramics weren't the only cargo onboard. The ship was also carrying elephant tusks for use in medicine or art and sweet-smelling resin for use in incense or for caulking ships. Both of these materials were critical to re-dating the wreck.

The resins and the tusks come from living things, and all living things contain carbon. A type of carbon atom called C-14 is unstable and decays relatively steadily over time. Scientists can use the amount of C-14 in a sample to determine how old it is. This analysis, known as radiocarbon dating, had been done decades ago and pointed to the shipwreck being about 700-750 years old. However, analytical techniques have improved, and the scientists wanted to see if the date held.

The amount of decayed carbon found in the resins and tusks revealed that the cargo was older than previously thought. When taken together with the place name inscribed on the ceramics, stylistic analysis of ceramics from known time periods, and input from experts overseas, the researchers concluded that the shipwreck was indeed older than previously thoughtsomewhere in the neighborhood of 800 years old.

"When we got the results back and learned that the resin and tusk samples were older than previously thought, we were excited," says Niziolek. "We had suspected that based on inscriptions on the ceramics and conversations with colleagues in China and Japan, and it was great to have all these different types of data coming together to support it."

Ceramic box base from the Java Sea Shipwreck, with a Chinese inscription that mentions a place, Jianning Fu, that dates from AD 1162 to 1278. Credit: (c) The Field Museum, cat. no. 344404. Photographer Gedi Jakovickas

The fact that the Java Sea Shipwreck happened 800 years ago instead of 700 years ago is a big deal for archaeologists.

"This was a time when Chinese merchants became more active in maritime trade, more reliant upon oversea routes than on the overland Silk Road," says Niziolek. "The shipwreck occurred at a time of important transition."

Niziolek also notes the importance of the Java Sea Shipwreck collection. "The salvage company Pacific Sea Resources recovered these artifacts in the 1990s, and they donated them to the Field Museum for education and research. There's often a stigma around doing research with artifacts salvaged by commercial companies, but we've given this collection a home and have been able to do all this research with it. It's really great that we're able to use new technology to re-examine really old materials. These collections have a lot of stories to tell and should not be entirely discounted."

Explore further Ancient shipwreck off Malta leaves 700 BC cargo
Doctoral student Nadine Zumbragel and Professor Dr. Harald Groger are conducting research on organic synthesis using biocatalysts. Credit: Bielefeld University

Penicillin-based antibiotics contain a five-membered hydrocarbon cycle, additionally incorporating a sulfur and a nitrogen atom. Nadine Zumbragel, doctoral student at the Chair of Organic Chemistry I at Bielefeld University, has succeeded in selectively synthesizing this important substructure with different residues on this cycle using a biotechnological method. The targeted design of such structures now enables the preparation of substance libraries of such so-called heterocycles, which can in future be used by the pharmaceutical industry to find new active substances. Besides the Bielefeld chemists, two scientists from the Ruhr-University Bochum were also involved in the studies. The researchers present their findings today (16 May 2018) in the renowned journal Nature Communications with Zumbragel as first author and Professor Dr. Harald Groger, head of the Chair of Organic Chemistry I, as corresponding author.

Recently, in Chemical & Engineering News, antibiotics were described as one of the nine ways chemistry has changed the world. Of particular importance are penicillins, which in turn contain a five-membered hydrocarbon cycle with a sulfur and a nitrogen atom additionally incorporated therein. The selective production of this important substructure, flexibly equipped with different substituents on the cycle, in turn represents a substance library for finding new drug structures. In principle, access to these cyclic structures is conceivable from easily accessible substrates, the so-called 3-thiazolines. The cyclic structure is already pre-formed and "only" one double bond has to be converted into a single bond by means of a reduction.

Although these 3-thiazolines have been known for decades and were first reported in the 1950s, this conversion proved to be synthetically difficult. This is remarkable since a large number of chemical methods are generally available for the reaction type of reduction and have already been successfully used for numerous synthesis purposes. There are several reasons why such "classical chemical" processes proved ineffective in the production of this compound class of five-membered cycles with incorporated sulfur and nitrogen atoms: for instance, strongly reducing processes lead to undesired ring-opening and in other reduction processes with metal catalysts, the sulfur contained in the cycle acts like a catalyst poison. The required selectivity also proved to be an insurmountable hurdle: during reduction, chiral compounds can form, which behave like image and mirror image. For active substances it is important that only one of these forms, so-called enantiomers, is present. Previous methods were able to preserve the ring in the best case, but resulted in only extremely low selectivities.

In her doctoral thesis funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the "Biotechnology 2020+, Next Generation of Biotechnological Processes" funding programme, Nadine Zumbragel has now succeeded for the first time in reducing 3-thiazolines without side reactions to the desired target compounds in a highly selective manner, forming only one enantiomer. For this purpose, she used representatives of the enzyme class of the so-called imine reductases as biocatalysts. Zumbragel explains: "The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly demanding highly enantioselective synthesis methods. One possibility is the use of enzymes as suitable catalysts, which are reaction accelerating molecules in chemical processes."

The researchers also succeeded in extending the reduction method to other sulphur-containing heterocycles, thus developing a platform technology. The applicability of this reduction method has also already been demonstrated by the scientists on an enlarged laboratory scale. "This successful combination of biotechnology and heterocyclic chemistry is a further proof for the potential of enzymes as natural catalysts for use in preparing chemicals," says Groger, who has been conducting research on biocatalytic processes for the synthesis of industrial chemicals with his research group at Bielefeld University since 2011. In cooperation with Professor Dr. Stefan Huber from the Ruhr-University Bochum, who carried out quantum mechanical calculations, it was also possible to rationally reproduce the experimental observations with the aid of computer chemistry. Dr. Christian Merten, likewise from the Ruhr-University Bochum, also combined quantum mechanical calculations with VCD (Vibrational Circular Dichroism) measurements, which enabled the determination of the stereochemical properties of the target compound.

Explore further Researchers systematize the methods for synthesis of azocine-containing systems

More information: Nadine Zumbragel et al. Enantioselective reduction of sulfur-containing cyclic imines through biocatalysis, Nature Communications (2018). Journal information: Nature Communications Nadine Zumbragel et al. Enantioselective reduction of sulfur-containing cyclic imines through biocatalysis,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03841-5
This May 15, 2017, file photo shows British cybersecurity expert Marcus Hutchins during an interview in Ilfracombe, England. Hutchins, accused of creating and distributing malware designed to steal banking passwords, is headed to court Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Milwaukee for a hearing on what evidence may be used in the case. Federal prosecutors in Milwaukee say Hutchins acknowledged in recorded jailhouse phone calls that code he wrote wound up in malware, and they want to introduce that evidence. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

A British cybersecurity expert credited with stopping the worldwide WannaCry computer virus was headed to court Wednesday for a hearing about statements prosecutors say he made in a recorded jailhouse phone call acknowledging that code he wrote wound up in malware.

A grand jury indictment accuses Marcus Hutchins of creating and distributing malware known as Kronos, designed to steal banking passwords. Hutchins, 23, has pleaded not guilty.

Federal prosecutors in Milwaukee want to introduce as evidence statements he made to an unidentified person hours after FBI agents detained him in Las Vegas before he boarded a flight home to England last year. The statements are included in a transcript filed in court Tuesday, on the eve of the hearing where Hutchins will ask for the phone conversation to be suppressed, along with a two-hour FBI interview.

Prosecutors have said Hutchins also made incriminating statements during the FBI interview. His attorneys have argued Hutchins didn't fully understand Miranda warnings because he's a foreigner and was also sleep-deprived after a week partying in Vegas.

Hutchins' arrest last August came as a shock because only four months earlier he was lauded as a cybercrime-fighting hero for finding a "kill switch" to slow the outbreak of the WannaCry virus, which crippled computers worldwide, encrypting files and making them inaccessible unless people paid a ransom ranging from $300 to $600.

Hutchins' attorney Brian Klein did not respond to an email Tuesday seeking comment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Chmelar said he couldn't comment.

In the jailhouse call, which Hutchins was told was being recorded, he said he "used to write malware" years before.

According to the transcript, Hutchins said: "So I wrote code for a guy a while back who then incorporated it into a banking malware, so they have logs of that, and essentially they want to know my part of the banking operation or if I just sold the code onto some guy then they wanted me to, once then found I sold the code to someone, they wanted me to give them his name, and I don't actually know anything about him."

The indictment said the crimes happened between July 2014 and July 2015, but prosecutors have not offered any details about the number of victims. Prosecutors also said in recent court filings that Hutchins is suspected to have sold the Kronos software to someone in Wisconsin and that he "personally delivered" the software to someone in California.

Details of Hutchins' arrest and the crimes he's accused of committing have otherwise been sparseand Hutchins' attorneys have repeatedly criticized prosecutors for it in court documents.

During the jailhouse call, Hutchins also said he repaid a debt of about $5,000 by giving someone logs that had the compiled binary of the code he created for the person who used it for banking malware. He said both happened when he was about 18.

"I knew it was always going to come back," Hutchins said on the call, adding that he didn't "think it would be so soon."

Robert Graham, a computer security expert not connected to the case, warned against concluding that Hutchins had done something wrong simply because his code wound up in malware.

"I'm not saying he didn't cross a legal line somewhere, but the quotes (in the filing) are still consistent with somebody who is a security researcher rather than a malware kingpin," Graham said in a text to The Associated Press.

In addition to computer fraud, the indictment lists five other charges, including attempting to intercept electronic communications and trying to access a computer without authorization. Hutchins faces decades in prison if convicted of all the charges. He has been barred from returning home and has been living in California, where he works as a cybersecurity consultant while awaiting trial.

Explore further British cybersecurity expert faces key hearing in US case

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The Mylodon cave in which the bone analyzed by researchers was collected. Credit: Walter Ferry Dissmann (Creative Commons)

Researchers have uncovered important genomic data from the remains of an ancient giant ground sloth, or Mylodon darwinii, the emblematic creature named after Charles Darwin, whose discovery of fossilized remains in South America is considered to be one of his significant scientific achievements.

Using a bone fragment which dates back nearly 13,000 years, scientists teased out and reconstructed DNA fragments to obtain a high-quality mitochondrial genome and nuclear genomic information. The analysis, they say, proves for the first time that the giant ground slothwhich went extinct approximately 10,000 years agois a close relative of the modern two-fingered sloth, believed to be one of the world's slowest mammals.

The research, published online in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggests the two species diverged from one another approximately 22 million years ago. The much smaller, modern sloth evolved over time to inhabit trees, where it spends virtually its entire life suspended upside down.

"Our study confirms the convergent evolution of the two, tree dwelling modern sloths from two distinct lineages of extinct giant ground sloths," says Hendrik Poinar, a lead author of the study and director of the McMaster Ancient DNA Centre and principal investigator at the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research. "This means tree-living evolved independently, twice, which is remarkable."

Scientists say the sample was exceptionally well-preserved. It was taken from the famous Mylodon Cave in Chile, which derives its name from the numerous remains of ground sloths found inside. The constant cold and dry conditions of the cave have preserved a scientific treasure trove including bones, claws, feces and even large pieces of mummified skin still covered with blond fur.

"The incredible conservation of the bone sample we used in this study offers promising prospects for sequencing the full genome of this extinct species because of the high percentage of DNA that it contains," says Frederic Delsuc, co-author of the paper and Director of Research at the Centre National de Recherche, France.

Evolutionary geneticist Hendrik Poinar, McMaster University. Credit: JD Howell, McMaster University

"This will certainly generate more insights and information into their unique features and ultimate extinction," he says.

These remains found within the exceptional site of Mylodon Cave, in Patagonia, Chile, were the first non-human samples used by scientists in early genetic tests which yielded genuine ancient DNA.

Advances in sequencing technology have led to a deeper understanding of ancient and extinct species, including the Columbian and woolly mammoths, giant lemurs and steppe bison.

Explore further The giant sloth megatherium was a vegetarian

More information: Resolving the phylogenetic position of Darwin's extinct ground sloth (Mylodon darwinii) using mitogenomic and nuclear exon data, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, rspb.royalsocietypublishing.or  .1098/rspb.2018.0214 Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Resolving the phylogenetic position of Darwin's extinct ground sloth (Mylodon darwinii) using mitogenomic and nuclear exon data,
Walmart, long known for its "everyday low prices" mantra and as a place for basics, wants shoppers to think of it as a source for style and upscale fashion as it tries to reach more affluent customers.

The company is launching the Lord & Taylor store on its website in the coming weeks with more than 125 brands like Lucky Brand, Vince Camuto and Tommy Bahama, reflecting its effort to broaden its customer base, drive growth and compete with Amazon.

It's imperative for Walmart to expand beyond its low-income shoppers who are limited in how much they can spend. But the strategy is not with risks. The company needs to court higher-income shoppers while holding true to its core strategy.

Walmart store customers have a median household income of about $48,000, below the $56,000 of its website customers and the $85,000 median income of Amazon shoppers, says Craig Johnson, president of the retail group Customer Growth Partners.

Over the past several months, Walmart has been overhauling its website with an emphasis on fashion and home furnishings. The home goods section, for example, features collections for style categories like modern or bohemian, with layouts that echo the feel of a decorating magazine.

Walmart has also been on an acquisition spree, buying online retailer Jet.com, which appeals to a higher-income shopper, two years ago. And under Jet's founder, Marc Lore, who is now heading up Walmart's U.S. e-commerce business, it has also bought several upscale online clothing brands including Bonobos and ModCloth.

Meanwhile, Walmart says it has been able to attract higher-income shoppers through its personal shopping service that lets online shoppers at about 1,200 stores so far pick up their orders curbside.

But Walmart's partnership with Lord & Taylor, announced last November, marks a new model for the Bentonville, Arkansas-based discounter.

With the launch of the L&T page, Walmart will have its own everyday brands and the premium Lord & Taylor brands. In addition to the items offered by L&T, Walmart.com's broader fashion offerings will highlight watches, luggage and travel, seasonal shops and premium beauty.

Lord & Taylor officials said late last year the arrangement with Walmart allows the chain to attract new customers who are already buying higher-end products on Walmart.com.

"Lord & Taylor is thinking differently about the business, and this is an example of how we are innovating," said a company spokesperson in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

The companies declined to reveal financial details of the partnership.

Explore further Amazon or Walmart? Some retailers are choosing alliances

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Guyana Goldfields Inc. provides exploration and production of gold. It engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, production, and operation of gold mineral properties. The company also owns and operates gold drilling rights. The company was formerly known as Chiboug Copper Company Limited and changed its name to Guyana Goldfields Inc. in January 1995. Guyana Goldfields Inc. was incorporated in 1994 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. As of August 25, 2020, Guyana Goldfields Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group Company Limited.

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Mathew Burciaga is a Santa Maria Times reporter who covers education, agriculture and public safety. Prior to joining the Times, Mathew ran a 114-year-old community newspaper in Wyoming. He owns more than 40 pairs of crazy socks from across the globe.
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'Assault Weapons,' Explained

How a scary name for an arbitrary group of firearms distorts the gun control debate

By Jacob Sullum from June 2018 Edition

James Huberty, a 41-year-old survivalist who had recently lost his job as a security guard, spent the morning of July 18, 1984, at the San Diego Zoo with his wife, Etna, and their two daughters. The family ate lunch at a McDonald's restaurant in the Clairemont neighborhood before returning to their home in San Ysidro. After Etna lay down to rest, Huberty approached her and said, "I want to kiss you goodbye." When she asked him where he was going, he said he was "hunting humans."

Just before 4 p.m., Huberty drove his black Mercury Marquis sedan to a San Ysidro McDonald's, where he used three guns -- a Browning 9mm pistol, a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun, and an Uzi 9mm semi-automatic carbine -- to shoot 40 people. Twenty-one of them died, including an 8-month-old boy and a 9-year-old girl. Seventy-eight minutes after the shooting began, a police sniper killed Huberty with a single shot to the chest.

California Assemblyman Art Agnos, a San Francisco Democrat who would later serve as that city's mayor, cited the San Ysidro massacre as an argument for his 1985 bill banning what he called "assault weapons"-- semi-automatic versions of military firearms, such as the Uzi used by Huberty. Unlike the rifles that soldiers carry, which are capable of automatic or burst fire (i.e., holding down the trigger fires either a continuous stream or a short series of rounds), these civilian models fire just one round per trigger pull. But Agnos thought they should be regulated as strictly as machine guns, which ordinary civilians cannot legally possess in California without a permit that is essentially impossible to obtain.

"The only use for assault weapons is to shoot people," Agnos told the Assembly Public Safety Committee in June 1985. San Jose Police Chief Joseph McNamara concurred. "These are weapons of war," he said. "They are made to kill people, and they are all over California. There is no legitimate use for these. Nobody hunts deer with them."

Thus began a long-running public policy fraud that was revived once again after the attack that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14. .......

This is far from the first time to see explanations regarding ''assault weapons" but this article goes into significant depth from various angles. Of course the difference between full auto capability and semi-auto (better called self-loading) is at the crux of the matter, but also there is the subject of cosmetics - long part of the ignorance shown over and over again. Any enacted ban is only one further step towards continued infringement on rights.

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" " Twins Mark (left) and Scott Kelly. Scientists have designed a comparable experiment involving twins on Mount Everest to determine whether changes in Scott's gene expression were due to space or stress. Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images

You might remember the NASA twins study in which 10 different teams of researchers studied astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent a year aboard the International Space Station in 2015 and 2016, and compared him to his identical twin, fellow astronaut Mark Kelly, who had remained behind on Earth.

Part of that research involved studying and comparing the twins' DNA, and as this Atlantic article details, it created a stir when numerous news outlets misinterpreted the results and reported erroneously that Scott Kelly's DNA had been altered significantly by his time in space. In reality, as this NASA media release explains, Scott Kelly's DNA didn't fundamentally change. But researchers did observe changes in gene expression  that is, how genes react to the environment.

Most of Scott's gene expression returned to normal after he landed back on Earth, but 7 percent of his gene expression didn't revert. As the NASA release notes, that 7 percent difference points to possible longer-term changes in genes related to Kelly's immune system, DNA repair and bone formation networks. The changes might also affect how Kelly's genes respond to hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, and hypercapnia, the condition of having too much carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. (The latter is a potential problem on the ISS, where, as this 2012 study notes, ambient CO2 levels rise above normal atmospheric conditions on Earth, and crews routinely report symptoms such as headaches and lethargy.)

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Space or Stress?

But were the changes in Scott Kelly's gene expression triggered by being in space, or simply the result of an extremely stressful environment? One way to answer that question would be to study mountain climbers at a high elevation, where the rarified atmosphere and low temperatures would contribute to stress, and compare them to twins who remained at a lower elevation.

Christopher Mason, an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City who led the NASA gene expression study, has designed a comparable experiment, involving two climbers, Willie Benegas and Matt Moniz, who have planned an ascent to the summit of Mount Everest in May. According to an account in Science magazine, both climbers have twins who remain at lower elevations  an identical twin for Benegas and a fraternal twin for Moniz  for comparison. (Identical twins share 100 percent of the same genes, while fraternal twins share 50 percent, according to the Michigan State University Twin Registry.)

That's if all takes place as planned. Outside magazine's website reported on May 11 that a regulatory issue in Nepal might interfere with the climb. However, Benegas said in a May 14 email that the ascent was still on, with the two climbers targeting May 20 as the day to reach the summit.

But there is already scientific evidence that venturing into high altitudes on Earth can alter gene expression. Zac Cheviron, an assistant professor at the University of Montana, has been involved in research on the effect of altitude on the deer mouse. That tiny creature has the distinction of having the most extreme altitude range of any North American mammal, from below sea level in Death Valley to mountainsides more than 14,000 feet (4,300 meters) up.

Cheviron  who isn't involved with the Everest study  says that lowlander deer mice, when subjected to simulated high altitude, experience changes in gene expression that affect the structure of their muscles. The changes in expression will cause them to develop more slow-twitch, oxidative muscle fibers, and to grow more blood vessels. Those changes are an acclimation response that enables the mice to cope with the mountain environment, where the thinner air makes it more challenging to supply needed oxygen to muscle tissue.

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Changes Mimic Evolution  To a Point

Gene expression is an extension of physiology, turning genes up and turning them down, because it enhances survival in those conditions, Cheviron explains. "For certain traits, plasticity that's driven by gene expression does seem to mimic adaptation as driven by evolution," he says.

But that's true only to a point, Cheviron emphasizes. Deer mice born on mountains, the descendants of previous generations of mice who've evolved at high altitudes, have a mutation that allows them to express those same genes affecting the muscle fibers and blood vessels at much higher levels than the lowland mice ever could.

"If you take a lowlander and expose them to high altitudes they'll get gene expression to develop more blood vessels," Cheviron says. "But they won't have as many as the highlanders."

Not all gene-expression adaptions that lowlanders make at high altitudes are necessarily good ones, either. As this 2014 Science magazine article details, many Tibetans who live at high altitudes have inherited genes that enable their bodies to use oxygen more efficiently, without having a high number of hemoglobin-laden red blood cells. When a lowlander ventures into the same high places, his or her body will try to cope by making more red blood cells  a change that thickens the blood, making a person more vulnerable to blood clots and strokes.

Now That's Interesting As this 2016 Smithsonian article details, Victorian-era scientist Francis Galton, a half-cousin of Charles Darwin, was one of the first researchers to utilize comparisons between twins for studying which traits were inherited versus which were responses to the environment.
The US president Donald Trump and his administration have shut down the NASAs Carbon Monitoring System that monitors levels of carbon dioxide and methane present in Earths atmosphere. It is shocking to see such a step from the government as CO2 levels are at highest recent history.

System for monitoring carbon

The Trump organizations move to close down the Carbon Monitoring System was first reported by Science. This move will make it harder for countries to have the ability to check that quantities are being met according to the Paris climatic accords. Each country on Earth, with the exception of the US, is a part of the agreement.

Kelly Sims Gallagher, Director of Tufts Universitys Center for International Environment and Resource Policy, revealed to Science that if the emissions arent being measured, nations wont know who is staying faithful to their commitments as indicated by the Paris climatic accords

A representative for NASA told Science that current grants like the Carbon Monitoring System will be permitted to complete but no new research will take its place. NASA cited budget constraints and other research that is prioritized as the reason behind the cancellation. No particular reasons were given for the shutdown of the program.

The Trump organization has been proposing budget cuts to NASAs earth science programs which revolve around environmental change. The last Congressional budget plan didnt have the Carbon Monitoring System included which showed what would happen to the program.

Records of climate change

Its an unexpected time for the Carbon Monitoring System to be killed off from NASA. earlier in May, data demonstrated that carbon dioxide found in Earths climate passed new monthly average of 410.31 parts for each million in the month of April. These discoveries were found by the Scripps CO2 Program.

Measurements were taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. This was the first time when that the monthly average surpassed the threshold of 410 parts per million, It was also the first occasion when that there was a 30 percent expansion in carbon dioxide concentration on the planet.

For a considerable length of time, the worlds concentration of carbon dioxide has been fluctuating between 200 ppm and 280 ppm. Levels skyrocketed after the industrial revolution demonstrating human action is what is driving the rise of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

Information has additionally been assembled from ice cores that contain ancient air bubbles. These air bubbles demonstrate the CO2 levels from the last 800,000 years. The ice centres demonstrate that the CO2 level has always fluctuated however the fluctuation was never higher than 300 ppm before the industrial revolution.
South Korea cryptocurrency

South Korean regulators and officials are likely to relax their approach to regulating cryptocurrencies, starting with classifying them as financial assets.

Theres a July deadline looming for G20 nations after policymakers called for recommendations for regulating cryptocurrencies, seen as financial assets by the economic leaders from the worlds twenty largest economies.

South Koreas regulators, however, have previously classified cryptocurrencies as non-financial assets due to their speculative nature. It is becoming increasingly apparent that Korea is likely to shift its stance with a friendlier policy as the countrys financial watchdog promises to improve things on the regulatory front.

As reported by the Korea Times, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS)  Koreas financial watchdog  acknowledged the G20s unified stance meant that Korea would have to change its policy, stating:

Its almost certain that cryptocurrencies will be classified as assets and the main issue will be centered on how to regulate them properly under the unified frame that will be agreed upon between G-20 nations. Given the current stance [in Korea], this isnt good, but we will step up efforts to improve things.

The statement falls in line with recent remarks from Yoon Suk-heun, the new governor of the FSS, who said that an internal study on cryptocurrencies identified positive aspects that could lead to relaxed regulations in the near future.

Regarding cryptocurrencies, there are some positive aspects FSS chief Yoon said during his ceremonial swear-in last week. Notably, the FSS was the same authority to carry out a ban order that completely curtailed initial coin offerings (ICOs) in the country in September 2017.

These positive developments for the cryptocurrency space come at a time within weeks of a legislative effort by Korean lawmakers who are drafting a bill to legalize the launch of new cryptocurrencies and ICOs in the country.

Featured image from Shutterstock.



The post South Korea Will Focus Positive Aspects of Cryptocurrency, Soften Policy appeared first on CCN.


Ladies and Marvel fans, brace yourselves. Avengers: Infinity War star Chris Hemsworth  who plays the Norse god Thor in the film series  will be in Singapore for a meet-and-greet session at the Marina Bay Sands on 25 May from 6.15pm to 7pm.

Fans can stand a chance to meet the Thunder God by purchasing any 75ml or larger bottle of Hugo Boss fragrance from any of Singapores Sephora stores from 10 to 22 May.

Completed entry forms with the attached valid receipts can dropped into the contest entry boxes at any Sephora store here or at the Hugo Boss Atrium site at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Singapore.

Fifty lucky winners  all of whom must be at least 18 years old  will be announced on 24 May.

Members of the public can also attend the event by getting limited complimentary tickets that will be given out at the Sands Theatre ticketing office from 1pm onwards on 25 May.

Hemsworths meet-and-greet is part of Hugo Boss grand launch for its new store at Marina Bay Sands, which his fellow Avengers actor Sebastian Stan and local Boss ambassador Joseph Schooling are also attending.

The Australian actors upcoming Singapore visit comes following his fellow Avengers stars appearance at a media event at MBS last month.

Hemsworth was last in Singapore in 2016 along with actresses Jessica Chastain and Charlize Theron to promote their film The Huntsman: Winters War.

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Is Dandongs soaring home price the first instalment of the Korean peninsulas peace dividend?

Dandong, the Chinese city bordering North Korea, registered the fastest-rising home prices in April among 70 Chinese cities monitored by the government, as tensions on the Korean peninsula eased.

The 2.4 million-population city in Liaoning Province within easy sight of North Korea across the Yalu River, saw new home prices jump 2 per cent over the previous month, the highest month-on-month increase among 70 closely monitored Chinese cities, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The jump followed North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns visit to Beijing in late March, which appeared to cement warmer relations between both those countries, and North and South Korea.

Rocketing prices? Chinese property speculators hope for peace premium as they move in on North Korea

The leaders of China and North Korea met for the second time in two months on May 8, when Kim stayed overnight in the northerneastern Chinese port city of Dalian  even taking a stroll on a beachfront walkway with President Xi Jinping  which again may well improve Dandong prices in May.

Aprils Dandong home price rises were much bigger than headline official data had suggested, say local agents.

Du Yan from Golden Key, the citys largest agent, said new home prices in the citys new industrial zone bordering North Korea, where the largest supply lies, saw the most marked spike.

Properties facing the Yalu River jumped 3,000-4,000 yuan (US$471) per square metre early in the month to over 6,000 yuan by early May.

The Arc, a high-end residential project in the zone, saw prices soar too, from around 6,000 yuan to nearly 10,000 yuan, she said.

Faced with the sudden growing interest, city authorities have even now cancelled a biannual property trade fair planned this month, and on Monday imposed home-buying restrictions in the city.

Non-local residents will not be allowed to resell new homes within two years of purchase, according to a guideline issued on the municipal governments WeChat account. The authorities will also require higher down payment ratios of at least 50 per cent for buyers applying for mortgages through the housing provident fund outside the city limits.

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The Arc, a high-end residential project in the zone, saw prices soar too, from around 6,000 yuan to nearly 10,000 yuan

Du Yan from Golden Key, Dandongs largest property agent

Most of the non-local buyers are from northeast China provinces, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Beijing and they are typically paying 2-3 million yuan, snapping up four to five units at a time, she added.

Ironically, however, further grey diplomatic clouds have now reformed, after Kim on Tuesday said he had suspended officials talk between the North and South, and threatened to cancel a planned meeting with US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June.

China property investment growth surges to a three-year high, as local governments urge construction ramp up

Du said she was unaware of Tuesdays latest developments, so would not comment on how those might affect Dandong buying volumes and prices. But she did say the buying spree has cooled in recent days, after peaking around May 10.

Another two cities in Hainan, the southern island province blessed with the high-profile title of free-trade zone, saw the next fastest new home price rises, the National Bureau figures show.

Both Haikou, the provincial capital, and Sanya, the tourism hub, saw 1.9 per cent month-on-month rises.

Around 50 cities across China had imposed home buying and selling restrictions up until April, according to top property agent Midland Holdings.

Nationwide, a record 58 cities of the 70 cities reviewed saw month-on-month price rises, a jump from 55 in March and the fastest pace in the past 10 months, despite heavy curbs.

This article Is Dandongs soaring home price the first instalment of the Korean peninsulas peace dividend? first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.

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Ecuador spied on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at its London embassy where he has been living since 2012, initially to support him but things changed after he hacked the mission's computers, the Guardian reported Wednesday. The newspaper said Ecuador employed an international security company and undercover agents to monitor his visitors, embassy staff and even the British police at the embassy in London's luxury Knightsbridge area. It estimated the budget spent on the operation, referred to initially as "Operation Guest" and later "Operation Hotel" at $5.0 million (4.2 million euros). The snooping was initially intended to protect Assange from the risk of being taken away by British police but later became a full-blown spying operation. The operation had the support of then Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa, the paper reported, adding that it has since been wound down under the country's new leader Lenin Moreno who took power last year. The security team recorded Assange's daily activities and his interactions with embassy staff and visitors, including fellow hackers, activists and lawyers. They stayed in a rented flat near the embassy at a cost of 2,800 a month, the paper said. - Hacked the embassy network? - The paper also cited documents showing that Assange hacked the communications system within the embassy and had his own satellite internet access. "By penetrating the embassy's firewall, Assange was able to access and intercept the official and personal communications of staff," the paper said. WikiLeaks denied Assange had hacked the network. Ecuador has moved to shut off internet access for Assange in recent months by installing a jammer to prevent him from accessing email and has restricted the number of visitors he can receive. Assange took refuge in the diplomatic mission in 2012 after a British judge ruled he should be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault there. Assange claims the accusations were politically motivated and could lead to him being extradited to the United States to face imprisonment over WikiLeaks' publication of secret US military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010. Sweden dropped its investigation last year, but British authorities say they still want to arrest him for breaching his bail conditions. Ecuador in December made Assange an Ecuadoran citizen and unsuccessfully tried to register him as a diplomat with immunity as part of its efforts to have him leave the embassy without risk of being detained.
For parental care, locals Seek His Release on Humanitarian groundsSrinagar, May 14(GNS):Five months after his wife was killed in cross firing, Ishfaq Ahmad Wani, a resident of Chowgal Handwara, has been arrested by police on charges of stone pelting, leaving her one-year-old daughter completely without parental care.

Sources said police on Monday arrested Wani from Younsu area of Handwara in north Kashmirs Kupwara district.

Wanis wife Misra Bano died during an encounter on December 11, 2017, that also left three militants dead at Younso village.

Wani was summoned by police post-Chowgal where he was later put behind the bars.

A police officer when contacted told GNS that Wani was held after proper evidence about his involvement in stone pelting in the area.

We have procured a video footage wherein Ishfaq is seen leading the stone-throwing youth, he said.

The residents of the area have expressed serious concern about the detention of Ishfaq saying his infant child and old aged parents are now left with nobody who will take care of them.

The minor girl lost her mother; now she is staying with the absence of her father. Her grandparents are very old. This is heart-wrenching, one of the senior citizens of the village said.

The residents have demanded the immediate release of Ishfaq on humanitarian grounds.

Let his (Ishfaqs) parents come and he would be released after proper counselling, the police officer told GNS. (GNS)
The EU and Cuba signed a renewable energy deal on Tuesday, a step towards normalising relations in defiance of Washington's continuing hardline stance on Havana. As it scrambles to save the Iran nuclear deal after US President Donald Trump ditched it last week, the EU sought to add substance to its landmark cooperation agreement with Cuba, which came into effect in November. EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini has condemned the US economic blockade of the communist island as "obsolete" and "illegal", but under Trump the US has rolled back the rapprochement championed by his predecessor Barack Obama. Mogherini and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla led the first meeting of the EU-Cuba Joint Council in Brussels. The highlight was the signing of an 18 million euro ($21.5 million) project to support Cuba's goal of getting a quarter of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. The EU also plans to finance a food security support programme for the island with a contribution of 19.7 million euros. "Today we celebrate an important step in relations between the EU and Cuba," Mogherini said. "We want to construct a closer relationship based on open and frank dialogue and mutual respect and effective cooperation." Cuba turned a page in its history last month when Miguel Diaz-Canel took over as president after nearly 60 years of rule by revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and then his brother Raul. Havana and Brussels also launched dialogues focusing on five areas including sustainable development, non-proliferation, human rights and unilateral measures. The last section will deal with the US embargo. Havana is hoping the EU will prove to be an ally against Trump. The agreement with Cuba, so far ratified by 13 of the 28 EU member states, can be suspended in case of grave rights abuses. The EU's 28 countries are the main foreign investors in Cuba, mainly in the tourism and building sectors, the EU says. The bloc imported some 470 million euros' worth of Cuban goods in 2017 and exported more than 2.0 billion euros' worth.
The European Union's top official launched a stinging attack Wednesday on President Donald Trump, slamming his "capricious assertiveness" and saying the US leader acted more like an enemy than a friend. EU president Donald Tusk urged leaders meeting in Bulgaria to form a "united European front" against Trump's withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal and his move to impose trade tariffs on Europe. Tusk even compared the US administration to Europe's traditional foes Moscow and Beijing as he launched his broadside before a dinner of the 28 leaders in Sofia where they discussed the issue. "Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think with friends like that, who needs enemies," Tusk told reporters. "But frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful to President Trump, because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realise that if you need a helping hand you will find one at the end of your arm." The transatlantic rift has hijacked the agenda of a summit on Thursday at which the EU leaders will meet their Balkan counterparts in a bid to foster closer ties and keep Russia out of their backyard. European ministers met a top Iranian official in Brussels on Tuesday in a bid to save the Iranian nuclear accord after Trump decided to pull out. Meanwhile the EU is still trying to win exemptions from tariffs on steel and aluminium exports. Tusk called for more unity in the divided EU -- which is set to lose Britain as a member next year -- to face the growing challenges. - 'Capricious assertiveness' - "Besides the traditional political challenges such as the rise of China or the aggressive stance of Russia, we are witnessing today a new phenomenon: the capricious assertiveness of the American administration," Tusk said. "I have no doubt that in the new global game, Europe will either be one of the major players, or a pawn. This is the only real alternative." After the talks, a European source told AFP the leaders agreed on a "united EU approach" on the Iran deal, including continued support for the agreement if Tehran abides by it. They also agreed to "initiate work to protect European companies negatively affected by the US decision," which involves Washington reimposing sanctions on the Iranian nuclear programme. "The EU will continue fighting for a rules-based international system despite recent decisions on climate change, tariffs and Iran," the source said after the leaders met over dinner in Sofia. British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron -- whose countries are the signatories to the Iran deal along with the US, Russia and China, gave their views on the situation to their colleagues, he said. Merkel however said earlier that Europe had no choice but to stick with the ties that have bound it to Washington since World War II. "Despite all the difficulties we have these days, the transatlantic relations are and will remain of outstanding importance," Merkel told the German parliament. - 'Gun at its head' - On Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, a move the EU has warned could spark a trade war, the leaders also presented a united front. They backed plans to offer concessions if the US gives Europe a permanent exemption from the tariffs, but added that the "EU will not negotiate with a gun at its head". Tusk said earlier that it was "absurd to even think that the EU could be a threat to the US" in terms of trade. Behind their message of unity and firmness, some member states seem open to tolerating limited quotas from the United States on metals imports while others want a harder line, diplomats said. The EU leaders were also due to discuss the deaths of dozens of Palestinians in Gaza after Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, in another move that the Europeans had strongly opposed, but there were no details on that discussion. The EU has called for "utmost restraint" after Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians during clashes and protests along the Gaza border against the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, in the conflict's bloodiest day in years. But there are divisions over the embassy move within the EU itself, with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania having recently blocked an EU statement slamming the US decision. Wednesday's dinner will be followed by a summit on Thursday where EU leaders will meet their counterparts from the Balkan nations of Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia.
Indian military operations against rebels in the disputed Kashmir territory were suspended Wednesday in a rare gesture for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The nearly 30-day halt is the first of its kind in Indian-controlled Kashmir for nearly two decades, and follows an escalation of violence in recent months in the Muslim-majority Himalayan region. India has 500,000 troops in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the suspension was to allow a peaceful month of fasting beginning Friday. The decision means Indian troops will stop the pursuit of militants and door-to-door house searches -- but they will still retaliate if attacked, officials said. In a statement, Singh sought the cooperation of "everyone" in the initiative but did not make a direct call for militants to suspend hostilities. There was no immediate response from Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest militant group active in Kashmir, but the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group outrightly rejected the truce offer. "We are in favour of negotiations but the talks of negotiations in presence of armed occupational forces in the region are lies," a LeT spokesman said in a statement to a Kashmir-based news agency. Indian authorities and the Hizbul Mujahideen, whose militants are all from Kashmir, briefly ceased fighting in 2000. However, the three-decade-old conflict has never shown any serious sign of ending. - Near-daily gunfights - Violence escalated after Indian troops killed a top militant commander in a 2016 gunfight that led to months of street protests in which scores of demonstrators were killed. Dozens of young men have since joined militant groups and there are now almost-daily gunfights between armed rebels and Indian soldiers. More than 200 militants and 57 civilians were killed in 2017 after the Indian government launched "Operation All Out", aimed at ending the insurgency in the region. Many of the civilians were killed in protests to stop troops firing on holed-up rebels. More than 70 militants have been killed this year in dozens of gunfights and more than 30 civilians have also died. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who runs the Kashmir government in an alliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, expressed hope that the decision "will create a peaceful and amicable environment for sustained dialogue". Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947. They have fought two wars over the disputed territory. Rebel groups seek independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of arming the rebels, but Islamabad says it only gives diplomatic and moral support. Six civilians were shot dead by government forces in protests over the killing of five militants on May 7, promoting Mufti to appeal for a unilateral ceasefire. India's defence minister and several of Modi's party colleagues have rejected the ceasefire call, saying it will allow militants to reorganise.
Japan's economy slid into reverse for the first time in two years at the beginning of the year, hit by sluggish consumption and a winter cold snap, but analysts predicted the world's third-largest economy would quickly rebound. The economy contracted by 0.2 percent quarter-on-quarter in the January-March period, compared with growth of 0.1 percent at the end of 2017, the Cabinet Office said Wednesday. This brought to an end a series of eight consecutive quarters of growth, a winning streak not seen since the heady days of the "miracle" boom of the 1980s when the Japanese economy ruled the world. The data will come as a blow for the vaunted "Abenomics" policies of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is already under pressure over a series of scandals. But experts said they expected a pause in the growth trend rather than a prolonged downswing. "There were one-off special factors in the January-March period, ranging from stock market sell-offs to higher vegetable prices due to bad weather," said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at Norinchukin. The yen also strengthened against other major currencies on safe-haven buying, clouding the prospects for Japanese exporters. "There are worries about some emerging economy markets but the global economy as a whole is likely to continue its recovery for some more time. (Japan's) GDP will likely come back to positive growth in April-June," Minami told AFP. The economy was stalled by stagnant private consumption, which was flat in the January to March period after an uptick of 0.2 percent in the final quarter of last year. Private residential investment also plunged another 2.1 percent after a 2.7 percent fall in the previous quarter. And exports of goods and services slowed, rising 0.6 percent compared to an increase of 2.2 percent in the previous three months. But despite the broad-based slowdown, Minami said the economy would remain solid. "If you look at the Bank of Japan's 'Tankan' survey released in April, business confidence was unshaken, with corporate investment plans remaining solid," he said. The key survey by the central bank last month showed confidence among Japan's biggest manufacturers had slipped after five quarters of rises but the headline index still remained close to the highest level in over a decade. - 'Modest' recovery - Katsunori Kitakura, lead strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group, also believed the disappointing first quarter figure was "a one-off event, as weak personal consumption coincided with other special factors." "The Japanese economy should see a modest recovery buoyed by the global economy, with exports in particular benefitting from this, helping Japan's GDP revert back to an uptrend from Q2 2018 onwards," he said in a commentary earlier this week. But SMBC Nikko Securities chief market economist Yoshimasa Maruyama warned that private consumption was weak even when the special factors were taken into consideration. Consumers will keep purse strings tight "unless the pace of wage increases shows a clear acceleration", he said in a commentary published ahead of the data release. Abe has launched a pro-spending policy blitz called "Abenomics" since he took office in late 2012, combining ultra-loose monetary policy and fiscal stimulus in a bid to pep up the former Asian economic powerhouse. But consumer spending has remained stubbornly lacklustre, with companies staying stingy on wage hikes despite healthy profits. Nevertheless, wages are finally showing signs of picking up and Minami from Norinchukin said that would feed through into consumer spending in the coming months. Stock market traders appeared to be disappointed by the data, however, with the main Nikkei stock index closing down 0.44 percent.
Malaysia's 92-year-old new leader Mahathir Mohamad said he expects to stay as prime minister for up to two years and vowed not to cut any deals to keep his predecessor out of jail for alleged corruption. Mahathir told the Wall Street Journal he would be in power for one to two years -- before an expected handover to former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is expected to be released on Wednesday after three years in jail on a sodomy conviction. Mahathir -- who ruled Malaysia from 1981-2003 -- came out of retirement to oust scandal-tainted former premier Najib Razak in an astonishing election turnaround last week. Mahathir was asked in an interview by video link whether a deal could be cut with Najib, who is alleged to have overseen the looting of government investment fund 1MDB. "No deal," Mahathir said in the interview, conducted for a business forum organised by the newspaper in Tokyo. Billions of dollars are believed to have been siphoned off from the fund, with most reportedly disappearing overseas, while $681 million also mysteriously appeared in Najib's personal bank accounts in 2013. "We are now in process of getting into details of matters he suppressed in his time," Mahathir said of Najib. Without a deal to help recover the funds, Najib faces the likelihood of prosecution and possible criminal charges. Mahathir has ordered him barred from leaving the country. Anwar, whose sodomy conviction is believed by supporters to have been concocted by Najib to derail the opposition, is expected to be pardoned by the country's king on Wednesday and released. Mahathir has previously said he expects to stay in charge for a period of time, partly to ensure a smooth transition, but has already signalled he would eventually yield to Anwar.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is seen on video conference screen during the Wall Street Journal CEO Conference in Tokyo, Japan May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

By Joseph Sipalan and Linda Sieg

KUALA LUMPUR/TOKYO (Reuters) - New Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday he will remain in office for one or two years and that Anwar Ibrahim, the jailed reformist he had vowed would replace him, will be released on Wednesday.

Mahathir, 92, said he thought that "in a short while" the government could have a case against his predecessor, Najib Razak, who has been dogged by a multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

A four-party alliance driven by Mahathir and Anwar won the general election last week, ousting the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition for the first time in the history of the Southeast Asian nation. Mahathir was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday, making him the world's oldest democratically elected leader.

In "an initial stage, maybe lasting one or two years, I will be the prime minister", Mahathir said, speaking by live video link from Kuala Lumpur to a Wall Street Journal CEO conference in Tokyo.

"I will play a role in the background even when I step down."

The pardons board in Malaysia's capital will meet on Wednesday to discuss Anwar's release and Mahathir said he would be released the same day.

Anwar, 70, is serving a second five-year jail term for sodomy. He and his supporters have said the charges are politically motivated.

A royal pardon would reverse Anwar's conviction and make him eligible to actively participate in politics. He has been in hospital for a few months recovering from a shoulder operation.

During the campaign, Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years in a previous stint from 1981, promised to step aside and make Anwar prime minister once he was pardoned.

But there have been differences between the two over the cabinet formation, and Mahathir made it clear on Tuesday that he was in charge.

"I expect him to play the same role as the leaders of the other three parties. There will be no special powers given except as are given to ministers or deputy ministers or deputy prime ministers," Mahathir said. He added that he would make the final decision about cabinet posts.

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The Wall Street Journal cited what it called audio remarks from Anwar as saying Mahathir should be given time to achieve his objectives.

"I'm not in a rush," Anwar was quoted as saying.

Reuters could not verify the report.

VOLATILE RELATIONSHIP

Mahathir has named just three ministers so far in addition to himself and Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as deputy prime minister.

Anwar's People's Justice Party (PKR), which has the most seats in the alliance, is demanding a proportionate number of posts in the cabinet.

The volatile relationship between Anwar and Mahathir, from friends to foes to allies, has dominated Malaysia's political landscape for more than three decades and is central to the future of the alliance.

When Mahathir was prime minister in the 1990s, Anwar was his deputy and clear heir-apparent.

But in 1998, they disagreed on how to tackle the Asian financial crisis and fell out. Anwar was sacked, and later jailed on charges of sodomy and corruption.

Anwar was freed in 2004 but in 2015, he was jailed again - for five years - for sodomizing a former aide, a charge he and his supporters describe as a politically motivated attempt by Najib to end his career.

In an astonishing U-turn last year, Anwar shook hands with Mahathir and agreed to join forces to oust scandal-tainted Najib.

Mahathir vowed on Monday to investigate any faults that may have been committed by Najib's government and said all ministries had been instructed not to destroy any documents.

Asked if Najib would go to prison, he said: "It all depends on the investigation being made and whether there is a case against him or not. If there is no case, we do not go for detention without trial."

The scandal is being investigated in at least six countries, including Singapore, Switzerland and the United States.

The Swiss attorney general's office said on Tuesday that federal prosecutors were seeking quick talks with Malaysian counterparts on how to press forward with the investigation.

News broke in 2015 that about $700 million allegedly stolen from 1MDB had made its way into Najib's personal bank accounts. Najib has said the deposit was a donation by an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family which had been largely returned.

Najib was cleared of wrongdoing by the attorney general in 2016 but Mahathir has said the official has been asked to go on leave and replaced.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission found evidence in late 2015 that 42 million ringgit ($10.6 million) was transferred from a former subsidiary of 1MDB into an account of Najib, but its recommendation for further investigation was rejected by the attorney general, a member of a panel that reviewed the commission's case files told Reuters.

Najib set up 1MDB in 2009 and previously served as chairman of its advisory board. He and the fund have denied wrongdoing.

Mahathir blocked Najib from leaving the country at the weekend.

(Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Additional reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Connected through borders

Madhes should have used this as an opportunity to reveal its vision on how it seeks to engage with the Indian establishment
Reformist Anwar Ibrahim declared a "new dawn for Malaysia" Wednesday after his release from prison transformed him into a potential prime minister following his alliance's stunning election victory. In scenes that captivated Malaysians, the charismatic 70-year-old returned to the national spotlight after the country's king quashed a widely criticised sodomy conviction that had put Anwar behind bars for three years. To ecstatic cries of "Reformasi!" (Reform) -- Anwar's rallying cry -- he took selfies with his former prison guards and vowed before hundreds of journalists and supporters to support efforts to take the country in a new direction. Anwar said he had forgiven Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who had him imprisoned two decades ago but who took over the opposition alliance and swept to victory last week. The 92-year-old says he will step down in a year or two to make way for Anwar. "Now there is a new dawn for Malaysia," said Anwar, flanked by his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and other members of his political party. "The entire spectrum of Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, have stood by the principles of democracy and freedom. They demand change." Anwar has cast a long shadow over Malaysian politics for decades. He enjoyed a meteoric rise in the now-ousted Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition before a spectacular falling out with his then-boss Mahathir in 1998 that saw Anwar thrown in jail for sodomy and abuse of power. Upon his release in 2004, he joined and revitalised the opposition coalition that finally ousted BN last week under Mahathir's leadership. Anwar's release Wednesday from his second jail term for an unrelated sodomy conviction sets up a tantalising reunion with his nemesis-turned-ally Mahathir. - No grudges - Anwar said his history with Mahathir was water under the bridge, as they shared the same goals of reforming the government and cleaning up a massive corruption scandal involving former prime minister Najib Razak. "Bury the hatchet? It's been a long time already," Anwar said when asked about Mahathir. "I have forgiven him." Anwar indicated that he had no immediate plans to get deeply involved in politics, but would support Mahathir's governing efforts as a "private citizen". Anwar's release caps a remarkable reversal of fortune made possible by the BN's unexpected electoral drubbing a week ago. The former autocrat Mahathir, who headed BN for 22 years until 2003, came out of retirement to lead the disparate opposition to a surprise victory. Many had expected a BN win thanks to its tight hold over the media, government, police and electoral apparatus of the multicultural Muslim-majority nation. But the result laid bare the depth of disgust with former leader Najib, who is implicated in a massive scandal in which billions of dollars were plundered from the state investment fund 1MDB he established. Mahathir has barred Najib from leaving the country pending investigations. - Dizzying change - The BN had ruled since independence in 1957. Anwar's release adds to a dizzying sense of change and is likely to fuel expectations for an entirely new national direction. Xavier Jayakumar, a member of parliament with Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat, called it "a momentous day for all of Malaysia". "The joy is similar to when South Africans celebrated with jubilation after Nelson Mandela was freed," he said. Amnesty International, which had denounced Anwar's imprisonment as politically motivated, called his release a "landmark moment for human rights in the country". UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein warmly welcomed the release and said Malaysia now "has a historic opportunity to ensure the centrality of human rights, rule of law and an independent judiciary". Safuan Awang, 35, who works for a medical supply company and is a member of Anwar's party, rejoiced at the release of "our hero Anwar Ibrahim". "We have been waiting for this for such a long time," he said, expressing confidence that Anwar and Mahathir would work together. "It will help to improve the economy, and improve the situation between different races. It will make the country more peaceful." Anwar's path to leadership remains unclear, however. Only a parliament member can become premier, but Anwar was stripped of his seat in 2015 after his conviction on charges of sodomising a young male aide. That conviction was viewed by many as orchestrated by Najib's government to neutralise Anwar as a political threat. Previously, the charismatic Anwar headed various ministries under Mahathir's tutelage in the 1990s, earning praise as a reformer. He eventually became deputy prime minister and Mahathir's presumed successor. But the two men fell out bitterly, largely over how to respond to the 1997 financial crisis, and unprecedented public protests were triggered when the popular Anwar was jailed. After six years in prison, Anwar's star power helped unite the previously hapless opposition before the latest sodomy charges cast him once again into the political wilderness.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega opened talks on Wednesday with opposition groups in a bid to quell a month of anti-government unrest that has seen more than 50 people killed. The Church-mediated dialogue, which got underway in the capital Managua, involved representatives of university students who are leading the protests against Ortega as well as some from business groups and unions. Ortega told the room that the aim of the talks was to "get past this tragic moment" and restore "peace" to the country, one of Latin America's poorest. He was however interrupted by student representatives calling him a "murderer" and urging "an end to the repression." "We have come to demand you order the immediate halt of the attacks. You're the boss of the paramilitaries, of the troops, of the mobs backing the government," said a leader of the student coalition, Lester Aleman. The unrest was the worst faced by Ortega in his past 11 years as president. The protests were initially triggered by an aborted attempt to reform the near-bankrupt social security system, but quickly morphed into a street movement demanding Ortega's ouster over a range of grievances. Rights groups say at least 58 people were killed, the majority of them protesters. Ortega said Nicaragua's police now have orders to not open fire. He also said that "the deaths were on all sides," not only that of the protesters. Late Wednesday, foreign minister Denis Moncada announced an 11-strong delegation from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights would arrive in Managua on Thursday to observe the situation on the ground. The government had at first rejected such a mission while a parliament-created commission probed the deaths. - Challenge to Ortega's rule - The 72-year-old leader, who previously ruled between 1979 and 1990, is a former leftist Sandinista guerrilla who helped overthrow the US-backed dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza, but who himself has become seen as dictatorial. He has increasingly wielded power jointly with his wife Rosario Murillo, who is both his vice president and chief government spokesperson. Murillo, who attended the talks alongside her husband, said "we came here in good faith" and urged all present "to think of Nicaragua." But student representatives in the room made clear that they want the president and Murillo to step down. They also used the occasion to reject Ortega's portrayal of many of those killed as criminals or vandals. "They were students, not criminals," they yelled. The talks came one day after the most recent clashes between protesters and police, in the northern town of Matagalpa, which has long been under the sway of Ortega's Sandinista Front party. The town's mayor, Sadrach Zeledon, said one person was killed by "right-wing vandalism groups," referring to the demonstrators, who in turn said the victim, Wilber Reyes, was killed in attacks launched by police. The Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights spokesman in the city, German Herrera, told local TV station 100% Noticias that 35 people were injured in the clashes on Tuesday and at least 10 people had been arrested. The same day in Masaya, 30 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of Managua, residents reported harsh repression by riot police, while in the capital, parents and students from private high schools marched to demand justice and freedom. The US embassy in Nicaragua has suspended the processing of non-immigrant visas until further notice, citing the instability. - Concessions - Ortega had accepted the notion of talks in the early days of the crackdown, but they were delayed for weeks. The Church deemed he had not fulfilled conditions under which they could be held -- among them that a regional human rights group be allowed to visit. Ortega made a series of other previous concessions after sharp domestic and international criticism over the use of security forces to put down the protests, and curbs on independent media to report them. Ortega's concessions included abandoning the social security reforms, freeing dozens of arrested protesters, lifting broadcast bans on private TV channels, and offering dialogue. Business leaders, as well as the army, appear to have distanced themselves from Ortega as the protests, and the deadly crackdown, continued. Frustrations have been voiced over corruption, the autocratic style of Ortega and Murillo, limited options to change the country's politics in elections, and the president's control over Congress, the courts, the military and the electoral authority. One of the bishops, Abelardo Meta, said in Wednesday's talks that the clerics had a demand of their own -- "that the police be pulled back to their barracks." "A revolution without arms has started. Here, it's not an army against an army -- it's a population that is unarmed," he said.
By Jeff Mason and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged on Wednesday it was unclear if his summit with North Korea would go ahead after Pyongyang threatened to pull out of the unprecedented meeting, a move that could deny him a potentially major foreign policy achievement.

North Korea threw into doubt the June 12 summit between its leader Kim Jong Un and Trump on Wednesday, saying it might not attend if Washington continues to demand it unilaterally abandon its nuclear arsenal. North Korea also called off talks with South Korea scheduled for Wednesday, blaming U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

"We'll have to see," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if the summit was still on, though he insisted he would not back down from his demand for North Korea's denuclearisation.

"No decision, we haven't been notified at all ... We haven't seen anything, we haven't heard anything," he said.

Trump's muted response was in marked contrast to just a few days ago when he exulted over North Korea's release of three Americans, welcoming them home with praise for Kim and an expression of high hopes that the summit would produce "something very meaningful."

Trump's aides - who, according to one U.S. official, were caught off guard by North Korea's warning - were working on Wednesday to determine whether it was a negotiating ploy by Pyongyang or an attempt to scuttle the summit.

Cancellation of the summit, the first between U.S. and North Korean leaders, would deal a major blow to what would be the biggest diplomatic achievement of Trump's presidency. This comes at a time when his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal has drawn criticism internationally and his move of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem has fuelled deadly violence on the Israel-Gaza border.

Trump has raised expectations for the summit even as many analysts have been sceptical about the chances of bridging the gap because of questions about North Korea's willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that it says can hit the United States.

Story continues

The White House said it was still hopeful the summit would take place, but Trump was prepared for a tough negotiation.

"The president is ready if the meeting takes place," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told Fox News. "If it doesn't, we'll continue the maximum pressure campaign that's been ongoing."

Sanders said the North Korean comments were "not something that is out of the ordinary in these types of operations." Pyongyang has a long history of threatening to walk away from negotiations if it does not get its way.

North Korea's first vice minister of foreign affairs, Kim Kye Gwan, cast doubt on whether the summit, which is set for Singapore, would be held.

He specifically criticized U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, who has called for North Korea to quickly give up its nuclear arsenal in a deal that would mirror Libya's abandonment of its program for weapons of mass destruction.

"If the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the ... summit," he said.

North Korea clashed with Bolton when he worked under the Bush administration.

"We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him," Kim, the vice minister, said.

In an interview with Fox News Radio, Bolton brushed aside the remarks against him and said odds were still in favour of the summit going ahead.

"We are going to do everything we can to come to a successful meeting, but we are not going to back away from the objective of that meeting which is complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of North Korea," he said.

Sanders appeared reluctant to endorse the Libya model that the hawkish Bolton has touted, most recently on U.S. television news programs on Sunday.

She said the model that would be followed was "the President Trump model." "He's going to run this the way he sees fit. We're 100 percent confident ... he's the best negotiator."

"MISERABLE FATE"

Kim Kye Gwan derided as "absurd" Bolton's suggestion that discussions with North Korea should be similar to those that led to components of Libya's nuclear program being shipped to the United States in 2004.

"(The) world knows too well that our country is neither Libya nor Iraq which have met miserable fate," Kim said in an apparent reference to the demises of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and Iraqi former president Saddam Hussein.

He said North Korea was a nuclear weapon state while Libya had been at the initial stage of nuclear development.

The North Korean statements marked a dramatic reversal in tone from recent months.

North Korea had announced it would publicly shut its nuclear test site next week and also improved the mood for a summit by releasing the three detained Americans last week.

Some analysts and U.S. officials believe North Korea may be testing Trumps willingness to soften the U.S. demand for complete denuclearisation for the summit, which has prompted the presidents supporters to suggest he deserves to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

North Korea could also be trying to capitalize on an apparent gap in messaging between Bolton and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Pompeo, who returned from his second visit to Pyongyang last week with the freed Americans, has taken a softer line than Bolton, stressing the economic benefits, possibly including U.S. investment, that could flow to the country if it agrees to denuclearize.

Kim Kye Gwan's statement appeared to reject such promises, saying North Korea would never give up its nuclear program in exchange for trade with the United States.

"We have already stated our intention for denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearisation is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States," Kim said, using the acronym for North Korea's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea defends its nuclear and missile programs as a deterrent against perceived aggression by the United States, which keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

It has long said it is open to eventually giving up its nuclear arsenal if the United States withdraws its troops from South Korea and ends its nuclear umbrella alliance with Seoul.

"This statement targets Bolton, and threatens the administrations entire strategy. Suggests NK has not radically changed its strategy, & econ. inducements will not convince them to denuke," tweeted Abraham Denmark, former U.S. assistant secretary of defence for East Asia.

During his talks with Kim last week, Pompeo dealt more with summit logistics and the fate of the three American detainees instead of focusing on questions such as the two sides differing definitions of denuclearisation," according to U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Pompeo may have wanted to avoid aggravating tensions before Kim ordered the release of the prisoners, who flew home on the diplomats plane.

Pompeo and Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan spoke by phone on Wednesday about the planned summit, the State Department said.

North Korea said it was pulling out of the talks with South Korea after denouncing U.S.-South Korean "Max Thunder" air combat drills, which it said involved U.S. stealth fighters, B-52 bombers and "nuclear assets".

American stealth F-22 fighters were spotted in South Korea in May, but the U.S. military command in South Korea said no B-52s were scheduled to take part.

A South Korean defence ministry official said the drills would go on as planned.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: I hope that in the end common sense will prevail, and the summit will take place and it will be successful."

(Reporting by Josh Smith and Christine Kim in Seoul, Tim Kelly in Tokyo, Philip Wen and Christian Shepherd in Beijing, David Brunnstrom, Phillip Stewart, Tim Ahmann, Matt Spetalnick, Lesley Wroughton and Doina Chiacu in Washington and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Alistair Bell and James Dalgleish)
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures during the change of command ceremony of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines April 18, 2018. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered on Wednesday the "total" lifting of a ban on Filipinos working in Kuwait after the two countries agreed on measures to regulate employment following a diplomatic row over alleged abuse of workers.

The Philippines suspended the deployment of workers to the Gulf state in January after Duterte said the abuse of Filipino domestic helpers by Kuwaiti employers was continuing unchecked and had driven several to suicide.

Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque told reporters the president would give the instruction to the labour secretary after discussions with his special envoy to Kuwait, Abdullah Mama-o, who recommended the action to normalise the situation.

Last month, Kuwait ordered the Philippine ambassador to leave the Gulf state within a week after embassy staff tried to "rescue" Filipino domestic workers amid reports of abuse.

The Philippines has apologised for its actions and both sides worked to repair their relations. They signed a labour pact last week, paving the way for a lifting of the workers' deployment ban this week.

Kuwait has also freed four Filipino nationals who took part in the rescue operations after a high-level delegation went to the Gulf state to repair diplomatic ties.

The foreign ministry said skilled workers had been allowed to return to Kuwait on Tuesday and that the order had now been extended to domestic helpers.

Domestic helpers account for more than 65 percent of the more than 260,000 Filipinos in Kuwait, according to the Philippine foreign ministry.

Foreign workers in many Gulf states are employed under a sponsorship system that gives employers the right to keep their passports and exercise full control over their stay.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have long complained that Gulf states do not properly regulate working conditions for low-income domestic workers and labourers.

They say excessively long hours and insufficient flexibility to change contracts or return home contravene international labour laws and deprive workers of their human rights.

(Reporting By Manuel Mogato; Editing By Gareth Jones)
The Philippines on Wednesday lifted its ban on migrant workers heading to jobs in Kuwait, capping a diplomatic row sparked when a murdered Filipina maid was found in her employer's freezer. The news comes days after Kuwait and the Philippines inked a deal to regulate and protect the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who seek higher-paid employment in the wealthy Gulf state. The spat, simmering for months, reached its lowest point in April when Kuwaiti authorities expelled Manila's envoy over videos showing embassy staff helping Filipino workers flee allegedly abusive bosses in Kuwait. "President (Rodrigo Duterte) directed me to lift the ban totally... both for the domestic and skilled professionals," Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello told AFP. "The president deemed that our overseas workers are protected in Kuwait and he will no longer see incidents of maltreatment, hopefully." Around 262,000 Filipinos work in Kuwait, nearly 60 percent of them domestic workers, according to the Philippine foreign ministry. They are among the millions of its citizens the Philippines has sent to work abroad, seeking salaries they cannot get in their relatively impoverished nation. The money they send back home accounts for about 10 percent of the Philippine economy. - Worker protection guarantees - Duterte in February prohibited workers from heading to Kuwait when domestic helper Joanna Demafelis's corpse was discovered in a freezer in her employer's home. The president lashed out at Kuwait, alleging Arab employers routinely rape Filipina workers, force them to work 21 hours a day and feed them scraps. Relations appeared to recover after a Kuwaiti court sentenced to death in absentia a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife for Demafelis's killing. Following the verdict, Duterte announced plans to visit Kuwait to seal an agreement on workplace safety guarantees for the Filipinos working in the Gulf nation. But after the rescue videos were released by the Philippine foreign ministry and Manila's ambassador was ordered out of Kuwait, relations plunged again. Duterte declared on April 30 that the ban on Filipino workers leaving for the Gulf nation was permanent and urged his citizens to come home if they were being mistreated. Kuwait sought to calm the confrontation a day later, calling it largely the result of a misunderstanding. Tensions quickly cooled and the two nations on Friday reached an agreement on worker protections. "Even our labour diplomacy has improved and our relationship and diplomatic ties are now stronger," Bello said on Wednesday. A copy of the agreement seen by AFP says that workers will be allowed to keep their passports and cellphones -- often confiscated by employers. It stipulates that contract renewals should be approved by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, instead of being automatic. Employers must also provide domestic workers with food, housing, clothing and health insurance, according to the document. The lot of migrant workers is a sensitive issue in the Philippines that gets used domestically for political purposes. The government has for decades hailed overseas workers as modern heroes but advocacy groups have highlighted the social cost of migration, tearing families apart and making Filipinos vulnerable to abuse.
Singapores Primer Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Wednesday (16 May) that he was planning to meet his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad in Malaysia on Saturday. (PHOTOS: Associated Press)

Singapores Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Wednesday (16 May) that he plans to meet his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad in Malaysia this Saturday.

Speaking in Parliament, Lee noted the historic changes in Malaysia following the countrys general election last Wednesday.

In the election, Mahathirs Pakatan Harapan alliance defeated the incumbent Barisan Nasional coalition headed by former prime minister Najib Razak. This marked the countrys first change of government since its independence in 1957.

The two countries have deep historical, economic and people-to-people ties. We hope that Malaysia is stable and prosperous. We have enjoyed good relations with Malaysia (under Najib) and cooperated on major projects that have benefitted both sides, said Lee.

He told the House that he had worked with Mahathir and several members of his team in the past and had completed joint projects with Malaysia, such as the Tuas Second Link, when the 92-year-old was last prime minister.

The 66-year-old Lee said that he also knows 70-year-old veteran Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim well, from the time when they both were deputy prime ministers. Lees comments came after Anwar received a full official pardon for his past convictions and was released from a rehabilitation hospital in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday morning.

The expectations of a new Malaysian government are very high, and I think Dr Mahathir will be very busy in the days to come I look forward to working with him again for mutual benefit, Lee added.

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President Vladimir Putin drew condemnation from the US, Europe and Ukraine on Tuesday after he opened a new bridge linking mainland Russia and Moscow-annexed Crimea by driving a truck across it to the peninsula. Putin dressed in jeans and a casual jacket was shown by Russian state television behind the wheel of a construction truck to drive 19 kilometres (12 miles) across the bridge, which links the Taman peninsula in southern Russia to Ukraine's Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. "I want to sincerely congratulate you with this remarkable, festive and, in the full sense of the word, historic day," Putin told workers upon arrival on the Crimean side of the bridge. "In different historical eras, even under the tsar, people were dreaming of building this bridge," Putin told cheering workers. He was referring to Russia's last tsar, Nicholas II, who first proposed such a bridge, but the outbreak of World War I prevented it going ahead. Another unsuccessful attempt was made in the 1930s under Joseph Stalin. During World War II the occupying Nazis also began building a bridge but abandoned the project. Putin, who was re-elected for a fourth Kremlin term in March extending his long rule, pledged to build more of "such projects" across Russia. The Crimean Bridge overtakes Lisbon's Vasco da Gama Bridge as the longest in Europe. Built at a cost of 228 billion rubles ($3.7 billion), the new structure connects the southern Krasnodar region with the Crimean city of Kerch, spanning a strait between the Black and Azov seas. - Ukraine, Western condemnation - Ukraine, which along with most of the international community has not recognised Russia's annexation of Crimea, condemned the project. "The Russian occupying powers, which have temporarily occupied Crimea, are continuing to act outside international law," Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman told AFP in an interview. Ukraine has also previously complained that the construction has damaged the environment and that larger ships will be unable to get through to its ports on the Azov Sea. The United States said the bridge opening was an attempt to solidify Moscow's "unlawful seizure" of the Ukrainian territory. "Russia's construction of the bridge serves as a reminder of Russia's ongoing willingness to flout international law," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. The European Union also criticised what it called a fresh assault on Ukraine's territorial integrity. "This constitutes another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity by Russia," said a statement by a spokesperson for the office of the European Union's foreign policy service. British Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan said it was "a further example of Russias reckless behaviour". "We continue to work with partners to oppose the annexation, including by maintaining a robust package of sanctions." Meanwhile, Ukraine's security service raided the offices of Russian state media in Kiev and detained one local journalist on suspicions of treason, moves the chief editor of Russia's RT television suggested were linked to the bridge opening. The chief editor of the Kremlin-funded channel, Margarita Simonyan, wrote on Twitter that "Kiev decided to take revenge on us for the Crimean Bridge," after the raids on the offices of RIA Novosti state news agency, which is part of the same media group as RT. - Bridge sanctions - European Union and US sanctions have targeted those involved in building the bridge, principally Putin's close ally, businessman Arkady Rotenberg, whose company Stroygazmontazh won the construction contract. The annexation of the peninsula in 2014 was condemned by Kiev and the West as an illegal land grab but applauded in Russia. The peninsula has been hard to reach from southern Russia with long queues of vehicles often forming to board ferries, which cannot always run in winter storms, so the easiest way across is to fly. Because of blocks imposed by Kiev, in addition to Western sanctions, a large amount of food is currently shipped to the peninsula from Russia, so the bridge will play an important role in reducing the region's reliance on sea transport. The four-lane road bridge is opening ahead of schedule as it was due to be completed in December. Once it opens for traffic on Wednesday, it will be able to carry up to 40,000 cars per day. A railway bridge is not yet finished and has a deadline of the end of 2019. A connecting highway from Kerch to the regional capital of Simferopol is set for completion in 2020. photo-bur-rl/boc
Cut the carbon

Nepal should raise concerns about climate change, and also take action domestically
Afghan commandos and US air strikes have driven the Taliban to the outskirts of Farah city, officials said Wednesday, after a day-long battle to prevent the insurgents from seizing the western provincial capital. "Subdued" fighting was continuing outside the city and Afghan troops were being supported by US airpower and advisers, a NATO spokesman said, while the Afghan army was conducting a clearing operation inside. Some residents were starting to emerge from their homes, though many remained indoors, frightened by the hours of gunfights, airstrikes, and explosions that began overnight Monday to Tuesday. "People are scared but happy there is no more fighting in the city," Bilal, an NGO worker, told AFP. "I can see the people have started going about their business in the city, but government offices are closed." With internet and mobile networks patchy, casualty figures were difficult to verify. Defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish said 11 soldiers had been killed. Previously he and NATO had said "dozens" of Taliban died in the fighting. Farah provincial governor Abdul Basir Salangi and interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish gave far higher tolls. Danish said 300 Taliban had been killed, though Salangi said the 300 figure also included the wounded. Salangi's spokesman, Nasir Mehri, said at least five civilians had been killed, and gave a higher death toll for the security forces of 25. The attack was the latest in a series of attempts by the Taliban to storm urban centres. Farah province, a remote poppy-growing region that borders Iran, has been the scene of intense fighting in recent years, and there have long been fears that its capital is vulnerable. - Troops rushed in - Reinforcements including Afghan special forces were rushed in from Herat and Kandahar as the fighting began late Monday. A spokesman for NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, Lt Col Martin O'Donnell, said the US had carried out drone strikes and had A-10 Thunderbolts in the air over the city as a show of force supporting the Afghan army during the fighting. Aref Rezaee, a spokesman for the 207th Corps, said the Taliban were forced from the city at around midnight, some 24 hours after residents told AFP the initial assault began. But some insurgents are believed to be hiding inside residents' homes, spurring speculation the clearance operation could take some time. "There is fear that once the reinforcements are gone they will come out and launch an attack again," Jamila Amini, a provincial council member, told AFP from inside the city. Many remained apprehensive. "I want to open my shop today but they have planted land mines in some parts of the city," said resident Abdul Samad. Afghan forces, their numbers sapped by killings and desertions, have been struggling nationwide to hold back the resurgent militant group since the withdrawal of NATO combat forces at the end of 2014. The assault is the latest in a series of attempts by the Taliban to capture provincial capitals. Kunduz, Afghanistan's fifth largest city, fell briefly to the Taliban in 2015. The insurgents, along with the Islamic State group, have also stepped up their attacks in the capital Kabul.
Raf Casert

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.- Brexit talks have reached into space, with the European Union and Britain fighting over the rights that London will have to the multi-billion Galileo satellite navigation system and its security-sensitive information.

The EUs Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said that by deciding to leave the bloc, Britain automatically cut its Galileo ties too and could renegotiate them only as a third country under less advantageous conditions.

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Barnier did not address how short those conditions would fall of full EU membership. No decision has been already taken for the future cooperation between the U.K. and Galileo, he told reporters in Brussels. Obviously we will have cooperation between U.K. and Galileo, obviously, as we have for the United States or Norway.

Reduced to a friendly third country at best has angered the British government, which sees it as a negotiating ploy in the protracted Brexit negotiations that face a fall deadline if Britains March 29, 2019 departure date is to proceed smoothly.

British Science Minister Sam Gyimah told the BBC we have helped to develop the Galileo system. We want to be part of the secure elements of the system and we want U.K. industry to be able to bid for contracts on a fair basis.
RAF CASERT |LORNE COOK

Brussels, Belgium.- Major European powers sought Tuesday to keep Iran committed to a deal to prevent it from building a nuclear bomb despite deep misgivings about Tehrans Middle East politics and President Donald Trumps vehement opposition.

The U.S. already pulled out of the pact of the major global powers with Iran and promised tough economic sanctions that could hurt companies in the European Union as well. Instead, the EU nations sought to show Iran on Tuesday they stand by diplomatic commitments.

It left EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany  signatories of the 2015 deal to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons  with their backs against the wall as they prepared for a dinner meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

But the EU officials were hopeful that diplomacy and the promise of economic benefits could keep Iran in the fold of a nuclear deal they see as essential to security.

We will be looking at a package of measures we may be able to devise as Europeans to encourage Iran to stay in, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said. We will look at potential options for supporting continued sanctions relief for Iran to ensure we meet our commitments under the deal.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that it wont be easy, thats clear to all of us. But if we want to stay in this agreement and ensure that Iran stays in this agreement and abides to the terms of the agreement, then we need to talk about this.

Zarif seemed open to the European stance and said he had a very good and constructive initial one-on-one with Mogherini. After an hour-long meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels, Zarif said he believed both sides were on the right track to make sure that the interests of Iran and the non-U.S. partners will be preserved and guaranteed.
Rafael R. Deustua

ROCHESTER, EU.- As we, humans, leave a geological imprint through the waste of our civilization that could be detected within 50 million years or more, past technological civilizations should be detectable by similar traces. That is the concept behind the study published by Gavin Schmidt, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies at NASA and Adam Frank, professor of Astrophysics at the University of Rochester.

Frank came with the concept of looking at the consequences of global warming from an strobiological perspective, that would account for the changes that a civilization brings to a planet and allow findin signs of it millions of years later. When he proposed it to Schmidt, he replied: How do you know were the only time theres been a civilization on our own planet? Frank recalls in a piece he wrote in The Atlantic.

How do you know were the only time theres been a civilization on our own planet?

The concept of ancient advanced civilizations is a dogma of the UFO phenomenon, and began in the 19th century. Atlantis is the most popular, Lemuria and Mu are two other mysterious cultures. Lemuria would be in the Indian Ocean, between Madagascar and India. Phillip Sclater, biologist, propose it existence to explain the fossils of lemurs in Madagascar and India, but no in Africa or Middle East.

It seems logical that a land bridge were there in the past and Sclaters theory approved until plate tectonics theory dismissed submerged continents exist. Nevertheless, occult writers, like Madame Blavatski, have already included Lemuria in their histories, and they do not accept geology concepts.

Mu originated in Yucatan. It is first mentioned in the writings of the amateur archeologist Augustus Le Plongeon, who assured that he found notice of an advanced civilization older than Greece and Egypt translating ancient Mayan texts; the Mesoamerican civilization would be heir of.

Augustus Le Plongeon unearthed a statue in Chichen-Itza and named it Chac-mool. (Internet)

Years later James Churchward would take these and other discovered texts to write about Mu in the 1920s. Schmidt and Frank, however, were looking way back, not a few thousand years, but millions, so long ago that there is no craft evidence left. For example, its impossible to find a city beyond the Quaternary period, 2.6 million years ago, because the oldest surface of the Earth is a part of the Negev desert, which is 1.8 million years old.

Back then, man did not exist, because Homo sapiens emerged 300 thousand years ago, but lets assume that we are not the first technological species. Schmidt and Frank called that race Silurian - after a Dr. Who episode -, thats why they called their research: The Silurian Hypothesis. Although there are many fossils, the possibility that a being ends up in stone is small. Small enough that a civilization that lasted a hundred thousand years might leave no trace.

To find it you must look for indirect evidence, like the fingerprints on a crime scene, but at a global scale. To feed more than seven billion people we are abusing fertilizers and redirecting the planets nitrogen to food production. Archaeologists of the future would find that element in the sediment corresponding to our era. The remnants of ubiquitous electronics and even steroids will also be there in ten million years, also the pulverized plastic that will form a layer in the current ocean floor.

The search in fossils

However, the activity that will leave a larger footprint of our passage through the Earth is the one that threatens us the most: burning fossil fuels. When we do it, the released coal returns to the atmosphere with a distinctive isotope - there are three depending on the type of coal - which llows us to measure how much of the carbon in the air comes from the combustion and its saturation over the years.

All that will add up in the rock layer of our time and those signs are what we should look for to find an ancient civilization. A similar footprint was already found in layers of rock from 56 million years ago, between the Paleocene and Eocene, when the global average temperature was about eight degrees celsius higher than today and summer at the poles had a pleasant 21C. Carbon and oxygen isotopes in that layer are similar to what we - in the Anthropocene period - will leave, but do not reach the quantity and speed with which we have poured fossil carbon into the atmosphere, so it is not evidence of a civilization.

Earth on the Paleocene.

Now, Schmidt and Frank considered a civilization that last 100,000 years so it could be detectable with some ease and even then the footprints can escape if you do not know with certainty what to look for. A civilization that lasted less than that would be almost impossible to detect. The importance of the Silurian Hypothesis is that it help us to understand what we are doing to the planet today and what are the challenges that we face as a nascent civilization.

For example, the need to generate energy and consume resources to build and support a global civilization that, as it progresses and sees consequences such as global warming, looks for energy alternatives that leave a lesser mark. Even so, you can not build a civilization without leaving a mark on the planet.

In the future, these same clues can be traced on other planets. Inventing ancient civilizations can take us to the possible universal laws of the emergence and evolution of biospheres, including the ideal moment for the civilizations emergence.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

INTERNATIONAL.- Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday that Britain is Turkeys true friend, but urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to uphold democracy and human rights. Erdogan held talks with May at 10 Downing St. on the final day of a three-day trip to the U.K. that included an audience with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace and drew protests.

Kurdish activists and human rights groups rallied outside Mays office before the meeting, condemning Erdogans increasingly autocratic rule. His government arrested more than 50,000 people following a July 2016 coup attempt, and some 38,000 people still are behind bars for alleged links to the failed overthrow.

More than 110,000 people have been purged from government jobs through emergency decrees. Among the protesters in London on Tuesday were journalism groups calling for the release of detained media workers. At a news conference with May, Erdogan insisted Turkey had jailed journalists with alleged links to crime and terror activities.

Tambien te puede interesar: Searching for the lost Mu civilization in the geological record

Just because they are journalists, just because they have a (press) card, doesnt mean everything is allowed, he said. A terrorist cannot be a journalist. May acknowledged that Turkey faced extraordinary pressures from the failed coup, instability across the border from Syria and from Kurdish terrorism.

But she said it was important that Britains fellow NATO member does not lose sight of the values it is seeking to defend. That is why today I have underlined to President Erdogan that we want to see democratic values and international human rights obligations upheld, the prime minister said.

Turkey is a key partner for Britain in the fight against Islamic State group militants. The U.K. is also seeking to bolster trade with Turkey after it leaves the European Union in 2019.
Bruno Heller, the creator of Rome and The Mentalist, seems to have found his new niche: making Batman prequels for television. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Gotham showrunner has just sold another such show, Pennyworth, to Epix for a 10-episode, direct-to-series order. Sean Pertwee, who currently plays Alfred Pennyworth on Gotham, is not involved in the production, which will be set in a different universe from Foxs show and explore the backstory of Bruce Waynes longtime butler and companion.

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More specifically, Pennyworth will probe Alfreds origins as a former British SAS soldier who forms a secret company and goes to work with Thomas WayneBruces billionaire fatherin 1960s London. Thats all very well for a drama, but here at Slate, wed prefer an Alfred spinoff that really shows off his wry sense of humor and the ridiculousness of knowing your very wealthy employer spends his nights roaming the streets dressed as a bat. To that end, here are some ideas for Alfred Pennyworthstarring comedies wed like to see:

Wayne Manor

You know, like Downton Abbey, but with superheroes. Upstairs, Master Wayne is trying to foil the Riddlers latest plot. Downstairs, Alfred sniffs disapprovingly as he scrubs blood out of the Batsuit for the billionth time. Call me, Julian Fellowes.

Waiting for Batman

A show in which Alfred is perpetually waiting for Bruce Wayne to arrive back at the manor, which he never quite does before the end of the episode. A good setup for another spinoff, Robincrantz and Gordonstern Are Dead.

Alfie Pennyworth

I refuse to accept that its just a coincidence that Michael Caine has played both Alfie Elkins, the womanizing chauffeur, and Alfred Pennyworth, the respectable butler. Who wouldnt watch a series that accepts the obvious truth that these are in fact, the same person? Alfie Pennyworth: respectable butler by day, vigilante enabler by night, ladies man 24/7.

Alfreds

Like Heathers, except that instead of a high school full of teenage girls named Heather, its a mansion full of butlers named Alfred, all played by the many actors who have some experience in the role. (This would include Pertwee, Caine, Jeremy Irons, Ian Abercrombies ghost, etc.)

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Bonus points if its shot in a reality showstyle format.

ALF(red)

OK, so I havent really thought this one through, but just imagine the poster!

Need I say more?
Loot movie producer Madhav Wagle nabbed with fake Nepali currency

Madhav Wagle, producer of most popular Nepali movie Loot, has been arrested with fake Nepali currency worth Rs 20.52 million on Wednesday.
In 1943, my father was the smartest boy in the world.

The previous year, Joel Kupperman had become a regular contestant on an NBC radio quiz program called Quiz Kids. Quiz Kids was a show where a panel of five children answered difficult questions, many sent in by listeners, and the three who scored the highest were invited back. My father, an adorable 6-year-old with a lisp who could do complicated math in his head, became a national sensation. He was rhapsodized about as a genius of the future, was quoted in newspapers and magazines pronouncing on everything from taxes to war. Female columnists joked about wanting to marry him. Poems were written in his honor, and he played himself in a movie. He was a household name.

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Today a cute kid doing math might be the subject of a YouTube clip that goes viral for a week. My father remained famous for years. While writing a comics memoir, All the Answers, about his bizarre stardom, Ive come to realize that it could only have happened at that point in history; he was uniquely poised to drop into a role that had been prepared for him by certain historical developments.

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One was the discovery of children. Factors including the invention of movies, a decreasing child mortality rate, and the rise of broadcast radio in the 1920s had led to an astonishing realization for society: Children had personalities. They werent just imperfect adults who needed to be ignored until they could behave properly, and they were becoming increasingly less likely to just drop dead, which meant it was safer to like them. They had qualities that were appealing in their own way, the most important of which was cuteness. They could be quite funny sometimes, and were simple and direct. Quiz Kids was designed to showcase this new ideation of children, and my father was a born performer playing himself, cracking up the audience by earnestly contradicting guest stars such as Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and Jimmy Stewart. Theres a comic book from that period called True Comics that ran a banner of their honorary child advisers every issue; my fathers name appeared next to other junior luminaries such as Shirley Temple, Roddy McDowall, and Robert Blake. He and the other Quiz Kids met and were photographed with all kinds of celebrities, politicians, and military heroes, frequently sitting on their laps. They said smart things; they said dumb things; they said adorable things. All were of equal interest.

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The other big event driving both my fathers stardom and the Quiz Kids program was World War II. Quiz Kids was first broadcast in August 1940, and America had entered the war, against a strong degree of public resistance, in December 1941. It was common knowledge by then that the worst things possible were happening to the Jews of Europe. The American people had to be encouraged to believe in the aims of the war, one of which was saving the Jews from extinction. I dont believe it was an accident that Quiz Kids (developed and produced by Louis G. Cowan, himself Jewish and one of the guiding forces behind American WWII radio propaganda) primarily featured Jewish children like my dad. He was bright and likable. You wouldnt want him to die. The program featured refugees and child escapees from the death camps, who described their experiences in detail. It translated Children are adorable into Children need saving. The forces that would condemn children like these to murder and cremation needed to be defeated. The star kids toured endlessly making live appearances, and by the end of the war the show had sold $120 million in war bonds. Quiz Kids made children interesting and then translated that interest into the push for victory.

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After the war, Quiz Kids kept goingthe focus changed to stuff like March of Dimes and teacher-of-the-year contestsbut the urgency was gone, and the programs popularity waned. The producers tried getting younger and cuter kids, but people were gradually losing interest in children. The children are cute market would never completely dry up, of course, but after children had been discovered, the next step was inevitable: the discovery of the teenager. This was a lot more interesting to nearly everybody. Soon teenagers had their own music, rock n roll, and they quickly came to dominate popular culture, nudging pre-adolescents out of the spotlight.

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Quiz Kids lasted into the early age of television, and sadly, my father stayed on it almost until the end. He made regular appearances until he was 16 and suffered intense ridicule from his peers. In adulthood, he so regretted his fame that he sought to completely erase the experience, including hiding the winning personality that had made him famous. For him, being displayed as a child had ruined everything associated with childhood. When I asked him what he felt when he saw other people being touted as child geniuses or prodigies, his answer was succinct: I feel sorry for them.
Cannes announced Lars von Triers auspicious return to the festival after they released their official screening lineup, lending an air of mystery to the auteurs newest film. What was it about The House That Jack Builta movie about a serial killer that sounded at least as provocative if not more so than his previous filmsthat had shifted von Trier from persona non grata to man of the hour? He had been banned from the festival in 2011 after a bizarre press conference for his film Melancholia in which he declared his sympathy for Adolf Hitler. As it turns out, The House That Jack Built is von Trier at his most confessional, at times his most tedious, and in its philosophizing about art and artists and what makes art divine, addresses von Triers past behavior without apologizing for it.

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The House That Jack Built has a structure similar to von Triers 2013 film Nymphomaniac: a manifesto-cum-life-story separated into chapters, with the main characters motivations outlined and explained through factoids and metaphors, like Nazi architecture and the molds that make the best dessert wines and the correct order in which to shoot a family of deer. Rather than being chastened by past controversies, von Trier seems to deliberately jab at the ribs of anyone who was offended by his comments, calling the Stuka dive-bomber the most beautiful airplane ever constructed and praising Nazi Reich Minister Albert Speers love of the beauty of ancient Greek ruins.

At least, thats what his main character does. Matt Dillon plays Jack, a serial killer who, in conversation with a mysterious man named Verge (the names meaning becomes much clearer at the end of the movie), discusses a number of incidents (read: serial murders) in his life that he feels are the most important to him. All but one of them involve horrific, almost comically gory violence against women and children, and he tries, at least a little, to understand why he does what he does. I am constantly being put into these situations, its just not fair, he says after he slips into a womans home and prepares to kill her. Explaining the concept of culling crows to two young boys, he tells them, You are going to determine who you allow to live in your forest, before dispatching them one by one with a hunting rifle. If one is so unfortunate to be born male, one is also born guilty, he opines to another of his victims. If this is meant to be a confessional work from von Trier, at least he has the perspective to know how silly a provocateur sounds when he complains.

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The films premiere made headlines for the number of walkouts it inspiredaround 100, a few critics tweetedfrom guests who were sickened by the amount of violence von Trier has managed to fit into The House That Jack Builts two-plus-hour runtime. Its no more shocking, though, than what weve come to expect from him, and after hearing all the outraged buzz, the press screening the following morning ended up being a little underwhelming. The movie treads a lot of familiar ground, evoking the NBC show Hannibal at a few pointsprobably because Jack is a killer who enjoys reflecting on the philosophy of his past deeds as much as Hannibal Lecter does. A minor member of Hannibals cast makes an appearance in the film, and theres even a structure made out of corpses reminiscent of the gruesome totem pole in one of the shows early episodes, though its meaning is wholly different. Von Trier also indulges a few familiar tropes of the serial killer genre: Jack enjoys discussing his crimes, he displayed violent tendencies as a child, and he considers himself OCD, beset by a cleaning compulsion that makes it difficult for him to leave the scene without wiping away every trace of blood.

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At about the films halfway mark, I found myself growing tired. How much stock should we responsibly put into flawed mens proselytizing about their art, no matter how horrible or offensive it may be? Jacks art is his crimes, and because his crimes are art, they are divine. Von Triers art is his films, and who are we to criticize something that brings him closer to God? Has Cannes invited him back because the festival itself wants to be seen as progressive? Is a film that treats womens bodies as fodder for two men to debate the value of art the way to do this, or is it simply giving room to a director whose provocations have grown tiresome given what has come out in the past year about the industry he works in? Before the films premiere, von Triers producer vowed to stop slapping asses while his company, Zentropa, was undergoing sexual harassment investigations. The musical artist Bjork posted a Facebook status last October in which she scorned an unnamed Danish director who made repeated advances and touched her inappropriately during production on a film (Bjork starred in von Triers 2000 film Dancer in the Dark). Von Trier may be a provocateur, but his brand of provocation seems to be growing stale. Are movies that depict gruesome violence done by men who view themselves as much more interesting than they actually are even a surprise anymore, or are they just more needless goading from figures who find joy in shocking an audience just for the sake of doing so?
If youre still seeking to fill the void that remains after having experienced Sarah Koenigs addictive first season of Serial, HBO just announced an upcoming docuseries that might recapture some of that magic. The Case Against Adnan Syed, a four-hour exploration of the disappearance and murder of Hae Min Lee and her boyfriends subsequent (and potentially wrongful) conviction, will return to the puzzling 1999 crime. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg is helming the project, with an original score from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. HBO describes the film as follows:

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The Case Against Adnan Syed will offer a cinematic look at the life and 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee and conviction of Adnan Syed, from the genesis of their high school relationship, to the original police investigation and trial, through to the current day, when Syed faces a new trial after serving 18 years in jail. With exclusive access to Adnan Syed, his family and his lawyers, director Amy Berg has been closely following their efforts to obtain justice, with the outcome still to be determinedand possibly shaped by the investigation pursued within the series itself.

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If you think that just sounds like Serial for your eyeballs, you might be correct. Still, it will be interesting to see a visual rendering of the case made famous by the This American Life spin-off, especially with Syeds newly vacated conviction and pending retrial. Berg previously tackled wrongful conviction in her West Memphis Three doc West of Memphis. She also received an Oscar nod for Deliver Us from Evil, her documentary on sex abuse cases in the Catholic church, and directed the controversial doc An Open Secret, on sex abuse in Hollywood. A release date for The Case Against Adnan Syed has yet to be announced.
The late Tom Wolfe published four novels in his long career, all of them best-sellers, although each less successful than the one before it. He was a literary celebrity, yet youd be hard-pressed to find any American novelist of consequence who would cite even the most popular of these works, 1987s Bonfire of the Vanities, as a model. Wolfes novels did not, as Slates Jacob Weisberg observed in 1998, found a School of Wolfe. Nevertheless, Wolfe arguably had a significant influence on the fiction of the early 21st century. It just wasnt his novels that did it. Instead, it was an essay he published in Harpers in 1989, Stalking the Billion-Footed Beast.

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Billion-Footed Beast was a self-proclaimed manifesto, and true to his self-aggrandizing nature, Wolfe offered Bonfire of the Vanities as an exemplar of what the contemporary novel ought to be in its very first sentence. The narrative of the essay presents Wolfe the journalist in the 1960s and 70s, dashing from one subcultural hotbed to anotherhippie gatherings in San Francisco, Radical Chic socialites partying with the Black Panthers in New York, astronaut trainees at Cape Canaveraland in each instance being shanghaied into writing a nonfiction account of the scene while thinking that somebody should be writing a novel about all this. Wolfe wanted to write such a novel himself, but it wasnt until 1979, after hed published The Right Stuff, that he finally got down to business. He was amazed that no one had beaten him to it, that there was no big, realist novel about the 1960s on a par with William Thackerays Vanity Fair. Way back in 1973, in the introduction to an anthology titled The New Journalism, Wolfe had predicted that the future of the fictional novel would be in a highly detailed realism based on reporting, a realism more thorough than any currently being attempted, a realism that would portray the individual in intimate and inextricable relation to the society around him.

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This hadnt happened, and Wolfe had some ideas about why. The cultural elites of the literary world, he said, had come to disdain realism and its fans as pathetically bourgeois, and instead had embraced metafictional and other experimental forms in mimicry of European novelists. If not that, then they had chosen K-Mart Realists specializing in short stories about real situations, but very tiny ones, tiny domestic ones, for the most part, usually in lonely Rustic Septic Tank Rural settings. (One of the hallmarks of Wolfes impenetrable self-confidence is that he could accuse other writers of snobbery, then a few sentences later blithely turn around and a produce a clause like that.) This was not an inaccurate assessment of the literary fashions of the day, but fashions are by their nature subject to change. If Wolfe couldnt quite produce the novels that would lastingly satisfy the change in taste he heralded, he was nevertheless prescient in anticipating it, in calling for it, and in inspiring it.

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For an essay that is wrong about so much, Billion-Footed Beast has had a staying power that surely even Wolfe himself did not anticipate.

Seven years later, Jonathan Franzen would publish an essay, Perchance to Dream, also in Harpers, about the state of American fiction. It was as fretful and self-doubting as Wolfes essay was swaggering. Franzen had always believed that putting a novels characters in a dynamic social setting enriched the story that was being told. Like Wolfe, he looked back with yearning at 19th-century novels that did this, but unlike Wolfe, he wasnt so sure it worked anymore. He was depressed about the novels prospects and depressed in general. The novel had been supplanted by TV, movies, journalism, and increasingly, the internet; vital novels were still being produced for engaged readers by women and writers of color, but largely because they and their audiences had been shut out of the mass media. What could he have to add to this? He referred disdainfully to Wolfes essay extolling the social novel as the high-water mark of sublime incomprehension, ignorant of the social novels published at that time and utterly failing to explain why his ideal New Social Novelist should not be writing scripts for Hollywood. Only by abandoning the Wolfian imperative to engage with the chimerical mainstream could Franzen even get moving again on his new novel.

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That book would prove to be Franzens breakout success, The Corrections, in part because readers mistakenly interpreted Perchance to Dream as being more or less what Billion-Footed Beast was: a call for more social novels and the presentation of its author as the person to write them. Franzens essay was a refutation of Wolfe that was read as an echo of him. And the paradoxical follow-up was the flourishing of a new breed of social novels in the late 90s and throughout the first decade or so of the 2000s: The Corrections, David Foster Wallaces Infinite Jest, Zadie Smiths White Teeth, Jeffrey Eugenides Middlesex, Michael Chabons The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Jonathan Lethems The Fortress of Solitude, Junot Diazs The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and Jennifer Egans A Visit From the Goon Squad. The quintessential specimen of the type was a fat book told from multiple viewpoints, set in the present or close to it, incorporating popular culture and current events, and largely realist, with perhaps a touch or two of fabulism.

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Although some of these novelists also wrote celebrated journalism, their novels werent particularly journalistic or reported, as Wolfe had insisted the new social novel should be. Some (Fortress of Solitude, Middlesex, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao) had autobiographical elements. Others, like The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, found neglected pockets of cultural history to illuminate. Some, like Infinite Jest and A Visit From the Goon Squad, were formally adventurous in a way Wolfe probably considered snooty and pretentious. But all of them did what Wolfe had scolded the novelists of the 1980s for not doing, which was to wrestle with and to directly address the ways that the tremendous social changes since the 1960s have affected the inner lives of individuals and their relationships to each other.

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Re-reading Stalking the Billion-Footed Beast three decades later with all these novels in the rearview mirror, is it possible to state that Wolfe ignited this remarkable, exciting explosion? His was an essay that everyone seemed to have read and, in a sense, understood, yet never quite endorsed. He gave voice to an appetite. His imperatives got under novelists skins. They did not end up writing novels like his, or even novels like the work of the dowdy, early 20th-century writers he had the peculiar habit of championing: Sinclair Lewis, James T. Farrell, Pearl S. Buck. But in his nonfiction style, in the manic energy, the wide-eyed astonishment, and the dizzied sensibility of Wolfes essay, you can nevertheless perceive a root of the expansive, even hyperactive mood of the novels to come in the 2000s. The critic James Wood, no fan of this school, dubbed the books hysterical realism. Theres at least a marker or two of Wolfes literary DNA in each of them.

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Literary fashion has inevitably rolled over, and now the social novelwith its presumptions and its grandiosityis out of favor again. Autofiction, an inward-looking genre that adopts the style and approach of memoir and diary, is more on-trend. But its easy to imagine that in a few years autofiction will start to strike readers as claustrophobic and a little dull, that they will again start to hanker for novels that opt for a more panoramic view. (And some writers are still producing them, albeit to somewhat muted acclaim: See Nathan Hills terrific 2016 novel The Nix.) Will critics pull out their faded clipping of Stalking the Billion-Footed Beast once more, as I have on at least three or four occasions over the past 30 years, and look back at what Wolfe called for in the fiction of 1989, and ask themselves if it still applies? While the finer points of Wolfes diktats have come to seem more and more dated (he could be pretty retrograde on matters of race, for example), people still do want to read novels with the ambition he insisted novels should have. For an essay that is wrong about so much, Billion-Footed Beast has had a staying power that surely even Wolfe himself did not anticipate. And that suggests that somewhere underneath its boasting and inaccuracies, its self-serving prescriptions and (ironically) stunted perspective, it was more than a little bit right.
The Republican Party, in service to Donald Trump, has made a joke of everything it claims to believe. It defends secret meetings to get campaign dirt from Russia. It attributes new jobs to the magic of the federal government. It excuses liaisons with a porn star while the cheaters third wife is nursing a newborn.

Now the GOP has found a new way to debase itself. Its recapitulating one of the most comically embarrassing episodes in presidential history: the meaning of is.

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In January 1998, President Bill Clinton testified in a sexual harassment case filed against him by Paula Jones, a former Arkansas state employee. Jones lawyers tried to bring up Monica Lewinsky, a former White House aide, whom they suspected of having an affair with Clinton. Clintons lawyer, Bob Bennett, objected. Counsel is fully aware, said Bennett, that Ms. Lewinsky has filed, has an affidavit, which they are in possession of, saying that there is absolutely no sex of any kind in any manner, shape or form, with President Clinton.

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Clinton sat mutely as Bennett made this misleading statement. Seven months later, under interrogation by the office of the independent counsel, the president defended his silence:

Q: The statement that there was no sex of any kind in any manner, shape or form, with President Clinton was an utterly false statement. Is that correct? Clinton: It depends on what the meaning of the word is is. If theif heif is means is and never has been that is notthat is one thing. If it means there is none, that was a completely true statement.  At the time of the deposition, it had beenthat was well beyond any point of improper contact between me and Ms. Lewinsky.*

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Clinton offered other excuses, too. He said he hadnt been paying attention and wasnt responsible for what Bennett said. He said Bennett hadnt been under oath. He referred questions to Bennett. Youd have to talk to him, Clinton told the prosecutors.

Since then, the meaning of is has become shorthand for creative dishonesty. In 2014, while hosting a Fox News show, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee played video of Clintons testimony to mock him. In 2015, Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway accused Hillary Clinton of using the same trickery. Depends what the meaning of is is, Conway joked. At the 2016 GOP convention, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani ridiculed the former presidents lies. There was nothing to be misunderstood about what Bill Clinton did, said Giuliani, to laughter from convention delegates.

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History had a cruel punchline in store for these Republicans. The meaning of is would return, this time with Trump as the lecher. And to defend Trumps lies, his apologistsGiuliani, Conway, and Huckabees daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sandersare now tying themselves in Clinton-esque knots.

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On March 5, at a White House briefing, a reporter asked Sanders about a $130,000 hush payment made just before 2016 election. The money had gone from Trumps lawyer, Michael Cohen, to Stephanie Clifford, better known in the adult film industry as Stormy Daniels. The reporter asked: Did the president and Michael Cohen talk about this payment at any time during the campaign or thereafter? Sanders replied: Not that Im aware of. Two days later, she told the press corps that she had discussed the matter with Trump. Ive had conversations with the president about this, she said. There was no knowledge of any payments from the president.

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On April 5, reporters followed up with Trump:

Q: Did you know about the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels? Trump: No. No. What else? Q: Then why did Michaelwhy did Michael Cohen make this, if there was no truth to her allegations? Trump: Well, you have to ask Michael Cohen.  Q: And do you know where he got the money to make that payment? Trump: No, I dont know.

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Four days later, the FBI raided Cohens office and seized his records. Cohens lawyers talked to Trumps, and Trumps story changed. On May 2, Giuliani, now serving as Trumps attorney, disclosed that Trump had been reimbursing Cohen for the Daniels payment and other expenses since early 2017.

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This created two problems. First, Sanders had apparently spoken falsely on March 7 when she said, There was no knowledge of any payments from the president. Second, Trump had apparently lied on April 5 when he denied knowing about the payment.

To square these statements with Giulianis disclosure, Trump and his surrogates have adopted Clintons gambit. Theyre disputing the meaning of did. On May 6, Conway went on two Sunday shows to announce that she had breaking news. She said that in a conversation with her on May 5, Trump had explained that when he said, No during the April 5 exchange, he meant, I didnt know about it when the payment occurred. So technically, although Trump had known about the payment for some time, when he answered the did you know? question in the negative on April 5, he wasnt lying.

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Trumps spin on did, like Clintons spin on is, was a ruse. In the April 5 exchange, Trump had lied in response to a present-tense question: Do you know where [Cohen] got the money to make that payment? The president replied: No, I dont know. No. Furthermore, the question initially posed to Sanders on March 5 was whether Trump and Cohen had discussed the payment at any time during the campaign or thereafter. Thats the question that Sanders, on March 7, said she had discussed with Trump. Her responseThere was no knowledge of any payments from the presidentechoes almost perfectly what Clintons lawyer said at the 1998 deposition: There is absolutely no sex of any kind in any manner, shape or form, with President Clinton. Could Sanders statement be true? It depends on what the meaning of the word was was.

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In every way, Trump has emulated Clintons slimiest behavior. He has a pattern of alleged sexual aggressions. He has a gang of henchmen who go around dismissing his accusers. In 2016, Giuliani called Clintons gang the bimbo squad. Now Giuliani leads Trumps bimbo squad. Clintons fixers used affidavits to extract and exploit bogus denials from women. Trumps fixers accomplish the same thing through nondisclosure contracts. A week ago, Giuliani had this egregiously Clintonian exchange with ABCs George Stephanopoulos:

Q: The president does acknowledge meeting Stormy Daniels, correct?  Giuliani: I dont know. I mean, he denies that it happened. She has written a letter denying it. Q: Well, we do have a picture of them together, so thethe president Giuliani: Well, it depends on kind of what you mean by met her. Right?

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Giuliani wouldnt clarify, even in the broadest terms, when Trump had learned about the payment to Daniels. It could have been recently, it could have been a while back, he told Stephanopoulos. Nor did Giuliani care what Trump had said on April 5. He never said it under oath, Giuliani told the Washington Post.

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Its entertaining, in retrospect, to read pious comments from Republicans during the Lewinsky affair. If the president chooses to give a different version of the truth, we should all remind ourselves of one thing: There may be many different political strategies, but theres only one version of the truth. That was Kellyanne Conwayat the time, Kellyanne Fitzpatrickon Good Morning America in 1998. Its just much simpler to recognize what the truth is, said Conway, and share it with the rest of us.

Now that Conway and Giuliani are shilling for the president, things are much more complicated. There are lying bimbos and alternative facts. There are new definitions of did and was. Truth still matters, of course. But it depends what you mean by truth.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez shot down the federal governments efforts to strip Daniel Ramirez Medina of his DACA status. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement had arrested and detained Ramirez last year, then falsely claimed that he was affiliated with a gang and attempted to deport him. He filed suit, alleging that ICE had violated his due process rights. Martinez agreed. His order barred the federal government from voiding Ramirezs DACA status, safeguarding his ability to live and work in the United States legally for the foreseeable future. What may be most remarkable about Martinezs decision, though, is its blunt repudiation of ICEs main claimthat Ramirez is gang-affiliated. The judge did not simply rule against ICE. He accused the agency of lying to a court of law.

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The facts of Ramirezs case are extremely disturbing. In February 2017, shortly after President Donald Trump unleashed immigration agents to amp up arrests and deportations, ICE agents went to Ramirezs fathers house in Seattle to arrest him. (The father is undocumented, and brought Ramirez to the U.S. illegally as a child.) While there, they encountered Ramirez and asked him whether he was legally here. He responded that he wasa truthful statement given his DACA status, which he had renewed the previous May. Yet ICE officers detained him anyway. They took him to a processing center, where, once again, he told them that he had a work permit.

It doesnt matter, an agent responded, because you werent born in this country.

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ICE then interrogated Ramirez, fingerprinted and booked him, confiscated his work permit, sent him to a detention center, and placed him in removal proceedings. It also purported to revoke his DACA status, subjecting him to imminent deportation. Typically, the government may not rescind an individuals DACA status without giving the beneficiary an opportunity to contest its decision. But ICE claimed that Ramirezs DACA benefits could be terminated automatically because he presented an egregious public safety concern due to his alleged gang affiliation. (ICE routinely alleges that Latino immigrants with no indication of gang affiliation are members of a gang in order to detain and deport them.)

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A group of renowned attorneys then stepped in to defend Ramirez, arguing that virtually every action ICE had taken against their client was unlawful. They also alleged that ICEs key claimthat Ramirez is gang-affiliatedwas a complete falsehood. One of his lawyers, Mark Rosenbaum, presented evidence indicating that ICE had doctored Ramirezs statement by erasing words he had written in the pencil provided to make it seem as if he had confessed to being in a gang. (The original statement asserts he has no gang affiliation.) During his initial interrogation, ICE officers asked him five times whether he belonged to a gang, and he repeatedly said no. Instead, he asserted that he had fled California [to Washington] to escape from the gangs.

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There was no reason to doubt Ramirezs story, and good reason to believe it. If he had been in a gang, after all, the government wouldve already known. To renew his DACA status, Ramirez had to undergo two thorough background checks. Neither turned up any evidence of gang affiliation.

To renew his DACA status, Ramirez had to undergo two thorough background checks. Neither turned up any evidence of gang affiliation.

Yet ICE continued to press its case against Ramirez. In immigration court, agents rested their case on one piece of evidence: a tattoo on Ramirezs forearm that consists of a nautical star and the words La PazBCS, which represent his birthplace, the city of La Paz in Baja California Sur. Ramirez repeatedly insisted that this tattoo had nothing to do with any gang. But an ICE agent claimed that his tattoo actually proved he was definitely a gang member because it allegedly looked like the tattoo of the bulldogs gang. (It does not.)

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Two different immigration judges found no indication that Ramirez was gang affiliated or a threat to public safety. Martin Flores, a gang expert who has consulted in more than 700 cases, testified that he had never seen a gang member with a similar tattoo nor would [he] attribute this tattoo to have any gang-related meaning. Another gang expert, Edwina Barvosa, declared that there is no apparent evidence that [Ramirez] has ever been a gang member himself. Carlos Garcia, a Mexican researcher who has studied gangs extensively, stated that this tattoo does not show any gang affiliation. But ICE still insisted that Ramirez was a gang member, and thus eligible for deportation.

Martinez, a George W. Bush appointee, was plainly incensed by the agencys lies. ICEs conclusory findings, he wrote, have been contradicted by experts and other evidence. The government produced no evidence to contradict multiple experts testimony discrediting ICEs bizarre interpretation of Ramirezs tattoo. And its claims are completely contradictory to the governments own previous findings after extensive background checks that were meant to uncover evidence of known or suspected gang association. 

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Most troubling to the Court, Martinez continued, is the continued assertion that Mr. Ramirez is gang-affiliated, despite providing no evidence specific to Mr. Ramirez to the Immigration Court in connection with his administrative proceedings, and offering no evidence to this Court to support its assertions four months later.

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Martinez concluded that ICE had violated Ramirezs rights by depriving him of his constitutionally protected liberty and property interests without due process of law. The judge also found that ICE had violated federal law by stripping Ramirez of his DACA status in an arbitrary and capricious manner without any rational explanation for its decision. Accordingly, he barred the government from terminating Ramirezs DACA benefits, shielding his right to continue living and working in the U.S. And he prohibited the government from asserting, adopting, or relying in any proceedings on any statement or record  purporting to allege or establish that Mr. Ramirez is a gang member, gang affiliated, or a threat to public safety. In other words, he ordered ICE to stop lying.

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This decision marks the second time in recent weeks that a court has found that immigration agents have made misrepresentations to a court. In early May, a New Hampshire judge held that Customs and Border Protection officers had lied about a dragnet it set up in the state, claiming that it was designed to catch undocumented immigrants when it was really meant to catch drug users. Now a federal judge has ruled that ICE essentially slandered a young Dreamer to concoct the pretext necessary to deport him. There will be likely be no consequences for individual ICE agents given their broad immunity from lawsuits. But the courts, it seems, are starting to catch wise: Trumps immigration forces, much like Trump himself, simply cannot be trusted.
Fox News, hotbed of workplace sexual harassment, which has also faced serious accusations about the network discriminating against employees on the basis of race and gender, was bailed out by its parent company 21st Century Fox after it reached a roughly $10 million settlement to resolve discrimination suits brought by 18 current and former employees at the network. The settlements include the class action racial discrimination, filed by staff at the Fox News accounting department and a former co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, who was the only black male anchor at the network.

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Also included in the settlement were the race, gender and pregnancy discrimination lawsuit brought in 2016 by a former reporter for Fox 5, the networks New York affiliate, and a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by a Fox News Radio reporter, according to the New York Times. The roughly $10 million agreement, while still a significant sum, is far less than the more than $60 million that Mr. Wigdor had proposed last summer. At the time, Mr. Wigdor had pointed out how 21st Century Fox had paid $40 million to Mr. Ailes and $25 million to Mr. OReilly, and said, Outside the context of the mediation, any amount under what Ailes and OReilly got in total would be unjust.

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The terms of the settlement stipulated the employees leave the network and not seek future employment there; it also forbids them from disclosing the amount they were paid, but, crucially, does not bar them from telling their own stories publicly. A pair* of suits were not included in the settlement and remain outstanding, including a defamation and racial-discrimination lawsuit, as well as political commentator Scottie Nell Hughes suit that claims she was raped by anchor Charles Payne, who remains on air, and then retaliated against by the network for filing a complaint.
The buildup to the planned June 12 summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un has been thrown into uncertainty, with the North Koreans now threatening to cancel. The statement from North Korea came just hours after it nixed a planned high-level meeting Wednesday between North and South Korean officials at the DMZ. North Korean media says the cancellation was due to a massive joint military exercise called Max Thunder being staged by U.S. and South Korean troops. The North Korean regime despises exercises like this, viewing them as threatening provocations or even rehearsals for an invasion. But still, Max Thunder has been planned for months, and while the U.S. and South Korea did delay planned military exercises during the Winter Olympics, theres been no public discussion of a permanent freeze. This cant have been a surprise.

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That hasnt stopped North Korean first vice foreign minister Kim Kye-gwan from accusing the U.S. of trying to drive us into a corner. In a press statement, Kim said, prior to the DPRK-U.S. summit, unbridled remarks provoking the other side of dialogue are recklessly made in the U.S. and I am totally disappointed as these constitute extremely unjust behavior. He specifically took aim at National Security Adviser John Bolton and his assertions of so-called Libya model of nuclear abandonment.

On @AmbJohnBolton, the latest #DPRK statement declares: we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him. pic.twitter.com/JjSlh2QUZ0  Steve Herman (@W7VOA) May 16, 2018

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In several interviews, Bolton has cited former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafis 2003 decision to abandon his nascent nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief as a model for the complete denuclearization of North Korea.* As Bolton well knows, North Korea has specifically cited the Libya example as a reason why it should pursue a nuclear deterrent: 11 years after giving up his weapons program, Qaddafi was lying dead in a roadside ditch following a Western military intervention. Its hard to imagine a choice of precedent from Bolton that would raise more red flags with the North Koreans.

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Of course, that may be exactly why Bolton cited it. Bolton has advocated pre-emptive military action against North Korea and has sounded highly skeptical about the recent diplomatic opening. In an interview with Radio Free Asia just before Trump hired him, Bolton said he suspected the North Koreans were merely buying time to perfect the last stages of the nuclear weapons program and their ballistic missile program and was skeptical that theyre serious. Unless Kim were willing to commit to complete denuclearization, it could be a very short meeting with Trump, Bolton said. Bolton is smart enough to know that, in spite of his recent overtures, Kim does not actually intend to just hand over his nuclear weapons, at least not right away, and this weeks statements make that abundantly clear.

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Bolton upped the ante again over the weekend, telling CNN that in addition to denuclearization, the talks would encompass North Koreas ballistic missile program, its chemical and biological weapons, and other issues including the abductions of South Korean and Japanese citizens. He suggested the talks could result in North Korea becoming a normal nation, to behave and interact with the rest of the world the way that South Korea does, which could be read in Pyongyang, given Boltons record, as a suggestion of regime change. It was also, as Fred Kaplan points out, at odds with comments made the same day by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggesting that North Korea might be allowed to keep its nuclear weapons if it gets rid of the long-range missiles that could strike the United States.

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So, a national security adviser who seems to view these talks as a dangerous waste of valuable time has been making statements that seem perfectly tailored to either scuttle the talks or make meaningful progress at them impossible. Judging by North Koreas outburst this week, the strategyif thats what it isis working. The White House says it is still hopeful that the meeting will happen, but one might ask why Bolton is the person Trump chose to advise him before he took on this ambitious and highly risky diplomatic project.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a groundbreaking decision in McCoy v. Louisiana affirming that criminal defendants have a constitutional right to maintain their innocence at trial. The case revolves around Robert McCoy, who was charged with the murder of three people in 2008. McCoy insisted that he had not committed the crimes and instructed his lawyer (whom his parents had hired for him) not to concede his guilt. But the attorney conceded anyway, declaring McCoys guilt while asking the jury to spare his life out of mercy. This strategy failed: The jury sentenced McCoy to death. After hiring a new lawyer, he then argued that the conviction must be overturned because his previous attorney had violated his Sixth Amendment right to make his defense.

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In a 63 decision authored by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court ruled in McCoys favor, ensuring that hell get a new trial. Ginsburgs opinion for the court found that McCoys right to autonomy had been violated and that the Sixth Amendment guarantees criminal defendants the autonomy to decide  to assert innocence as their defense. When a client decides to maintain his innocence, she concluded, his lawyer must abide by that objective and may not override it by conceding guilt. (Justice Samuel Alito penned a snarky dissent, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch.)

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Ginsburgs holding relied heavily upon a well-regarded 2010 law review article by Erica Hashimoto, Resurrecting Autonomy: The Criminal Defendants Right to Control the Case. The justice cited the article and drew from it extensively, as did several prominent amicus briefs in the case. Indeed, Ginsburgs opinion in McCoy is essentially a vindication of Resurrecting Autonomys central thesis, writing its arguments into constitutional law. On Tuesday, I spoke with Hashimoto, now a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, about her articles impact on McCoy. Our interview has been edited for clarity.

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Mark Joseph Stern: What inspired you to write Resurrecting Autonomy?

Erica Hashimoto: I originally was worried that the Supreme Court might overrule the right of self-representation, the ability of a criminal defendant to argue her own case in court, so I wrote an article on that right. My work on self-representation led me to wonder why the Constitution would protect that right, and I decided that the animating interest was the autonomy interest. Telling criminal defendants that they had to accept a lawyerparticularly a state-appointed lawyerjust seemed so fundamentally wrong to me. Lawyers get to make some of the decisions along the way, but if a defendant disagrees with those decisions, she should be able to have the case tried the way she wants to. The right of self-representation guarantees that defendants have a voice in the process. Its an important right to recognize, even though most defendants probably shouldnt use it.

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Rightmost criminal defendants should still accept a lawyer. But the principle of autonomy that you described goes beyond self-representation.

A defendant who obtains counsel must still be able to make some of the most basic decisions herself. That includes the right to testify, the right to reject a plea deal and go to trial, and the right to contest guilt. These rights derive from the criminal defendants interest in autonomythey fall squarely in the defendants capacity to choose. The lawyer is there as an adviser. He can say, I think your chances of being acquitted are really low here, and the risks of going to trial are very high. But every defendant is going to weigh that differently.

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How did your work as an assistant federal public defender inform your view here?

There were times when I would not have taken the risks my clients took. But I felt very strongly that it was their right to make those decisions. And sometimes they turned out to be totally right. Also, I do think that people are much better at accepting consequences if those consequences are a result of their own decisions. I served as standby counsel in self-representation cases three times. One of my clients was acquitted at trial. The other two did no worse than they wouldve done had I been representing them. I would help them along the way, particularly with evidentiary objections. But they were bright folks.

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Justice Ginsburgs opinion for the court cites your article and draws from it extensively. Do you think she got it right?

I think she got it exactly right. The opinion recognizes that it is the criminal defendant who gets to make this decision about conceding guilt. If her lawyer believes her client is making a bad decision, the client still gets to make that decision.

The other big part of the opinion says that a lawyers error in overriding her clients affirmative instructions results in an automatic reversal of her conviction. Thats important because otherwise, to get a new trial, the defendant would have to show what she wouldve done differentlyand that she wouldve gotten a different, better outcome than her lawyer got. Thats virtually impossible to show; its a really hard burden.

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What did you make of Justice Alitos dissent?

It surprised me that Justices Thomas and Gorsuch joined the dissent because the right of autonomy and self-representation has originalist roots. At the founding, the default was not having a lawyer in court; the default was people representing themselves. Thats embedded within the Constitution as this idea that its the defendants case to control. Certain decisions have to be given over to the lawyer, like objections at trial, so that the lawyer can actually do her job. But fundamental decisions about which direction the case goesethically and constitutionally, those belong to the defendant.

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How do think you think Justice Antonin Scalia wouldve voted in this case?

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I always worry about trying to project where any particular justice might come out. But I wouldve been surprised had he not joined the majority opinion. Justice Scalia was very adamant that its the defendant who gets to decide if he wants a lawyer, and whether he wants the lawyer to be his voice. This is a case where the lawyer substituted his voice and judgment for the defendant. So I would be surprised if he had come out with the dissent.

To me, Alitos opinion seemed to say: This guy is obviously guilty, so what are we doing here?

And of course, it doesnt matter if the Supreme Court thinks hes guilty or not. Thats why the second part of Justice Ginsburgs opinion was so important. It recognizes that what happened to McCoy was just so fundamentally unfair that he has to be given a new trial.
Over the weekend, the New York Times published an op-ed titled Liberals, Youre Not As Smart As You Think. In it, University of Virginia political science professor Gerard Alexander accuses American liberals of arrogance and warns them against making broad negative generalizations about large swaths of the population. Liberals often dont realize how provocative or inflammatory they can be, he writes. In exercising their power, they regularly not only persuade and attract but also annoy and repel. Alexander cites a few particular examples of recent annoying and repulsive liberal behavior, including comedian Michelle Wolfs performance at the White House Correspondents Dinner, but the heart of the piece is a broad indictment of identity politics as practiced by liberals and the left. Racist is pretty much the most damning label that can be slapped on anyone in America today, which means it should be applied firmly and carefully, Alexander writes. Yet some people have cavalierly leveled the charge against huge numbers of Americansspecifically, the more than 60 million people who voted for Mr. Trump. In their ranks are people who sincerely consider themselves not bigoted, who might be open to reconsidering ways they have done things for years, but who are likely to be put off if they feel smeared before that conversation even takes place.

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The piece was the latest in an unending stream of commentary attributing Democrats electoral misfortunes to conservative cultural backlasha variation on a theme in punditry that was old hat long before Hillary Clinton made the supposed mistake of calling Trump supporters deplorables. Alleged gaffes like that, the story goes, form part of an imperious posture Democrats take on questions of identity politics that alienates simple folk who havent caught up with the progressive consensus on social questions.

Historians will likely take great interest in how the plight of transgender Americans facing a wave of political violence and staggering poverty was framed so casually and easily as the froufrou obsession of wealthy liberal arts students and coastal elites.

This argument has very little to do with the actual state of American public opinion on those questions. Survey data suggests that identity politics as practiced by Democrats and the left has been quite successful and persuasive. Take racial issues, for instance. According to Pew, the percentage of white people in America who believe that the country needs to continue making changes to give blacks equal rights with whites has grown by 18 points since the beginning of the decade. Most of this can be attributed to white Democrats moving left on the question, but the numbers show change on the right as well: The number of Republicans and Republican leaners who believe this has grown by six points to 36 percent over the same period. The percentage of Republicans and Republican leaners who say that racial discrimination is the main reason why many black people cant get ahead these days has also jumped about five points to 14 percent. These are, of course, still small minorities on the right, but given talk about how liberal arrogance and piety have alienated those who disagree with Democrats on racial identity politics into a backlash, one would expect the numbers to show  well, a backlash. Instead, they suggest that postTrayvon Martin, Ferguson, and Black Lives Matter, rhetoric and activism may be working quite well on a broad cross section of Americans.

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Next to race, issues facing transgender Americans are perhaps the next most commonly cited wedge issue splitting sanctimonious Democrats from the rest of the country. Historians will likely take great interest in the question of how the plight of a population facing a wave of violence and staggering poverty was framed so casually and easily as the froufrou obsession of wealthy liberal arts students and coastal elites. In the present, major outlets and voices on both sides of the political divide insist diffidence is sensible.  Gender identity disorder was considered a form of mental illness until recently, Alexander writes, but today anyone hesitant about transgender women using the ladies room is labeled a bigot. In his post-election essay, The End of Identity Liberalism, Columbia professor and author Mark Lilla, a liberal himself, agreed that America is sick and tired of hearing about liberals damn bathrooms. On Monday, Never Trump conservative and U.S. Naval War College professor Tom Nichols warned that messaging about transgender bathrooms may lead to Trumps re-election.

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Comments like this reveal not only a disdain for transgender people, which is obvious enough, but the extent to which a good deal of casual political commentary on cultural politics runs on fumes and folk wisdom. A poll by the Public Religion Research Institute last year found that a majority of Americans oppose laws that would force trans people to use the restrooms that correspond with their birth identities. An Ipsos survey from earlier this year found plurality support for trans people using the bathrooms of their choice along with majority support for increasing trans protections (51 percent). Americans also broadly disagree with conservatives that society has become too permissive of trans identity (50 percent), that trans people are violating cultural norms (54 percent), or that trans people are mentally ill (51 percent). Conservative commentators routinely and intentionally misgender prominent transgender people like Caitlyn Jenner and Chelsea Manninga practice were supposed to imagine captures the feelings of everyday Americans on the issue. A National Review piece titled Laverne Cox Is Not A Woman by Kevin Williamson is characteristic. Regardless of the question of whether he has had his genitals amputated, he wrote. Cox is not a woman, but an effigy of a woman. This kind of antagonism is roundly opposed by most Americans. According to Ipsos, 56 percent say they would refer to a transgender woman with either female or neutral pronouns, and 56 percent also say they would refer to a transgender man with male or neutral pronouns. Empirically, the majority of Americans are closer to the campus left on the issue than they are to Ben Shapiro.

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Importantly, the current discourse about trans people and public restrooms is the product of a wave of right-wing mythmaking and hysteria that began with North Carolina Republicans passing a bill nullifying local ordinances on LGBT rights across the state. This was in response to the passage of a law in Charlotte banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation in public accommodations. Roy Cooper, who refused to defend the law as attorney general, defeated incumbent Republican Pat McCrory in the 2016 gubernatorial election, even as Donald Trump beat Clinton in the state, and the Republican bill was opposed by a solid majority of voters. The fact that a story about Republicans in Raleigh imposing their will on localities that disagreed with them, and then losing an election as a consequence, fed a narrative about Democrats fatally overreaching on identity politics is, in fact, perfectly emblematic of the dynamics animating punditry about the attitudes and dispositions of liberals and the left.

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Political commentators generally take very little interest in thinking through the implications and consequences of arrogance and condescension on the right. How often are Republicans told by centrist surveyors of the cultural scene that they might benefit politically from reaching out to enthusiastically pro-choice young women, that the fire-and-brimstone approach of calling supporters of Planned Parenthood pro-infanticide and symbols of the fall of man might be counterproductive? How much respect for ideological opponents is evinced whenever conservative pundits call the activists of Black Lives Matter thugs and black Democrats dupes? Is the average liberal or leftist in America today more clueless or judgmental about lifestyles different from their own than Republicans who spent years warning that gay marriage and the decriminalization of homosexuality would justify and enable bestiality? Is the average left activist on campus more hostile to dissenting opinions than Ben Shapiro was when he argued that Iraq war critics should be prosecuted for sedition?

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These questions are rarely asked for two reasons. The first is that American political journalists are still wired to view a nonrepresentative subset of white people somewhere out in the middle of the country as baseline Americans who cannot talk down and can only be talked down to. The second is that conservative parts of the country benefit from certain structural advantages within the American political systemnamely the Electoral College and the allocation of senatorsthat both delude conservatives about the extent to which their views are representative of the country and largely prevent them from facing national political consequences for that delusion. This is only problematized by the press every now and then, but the abolition of the Electoral College, statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico, and ending the filibuster will likely be live issues in the 2020 Democratic primary, perhaps prompting overdue conversation about whether this democracy of ours should be made, for the first time, a fair one.

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Conservative parts of the country benefit from certain structural advantages within the American political system that delude conservatives about the extent to which their views are representative of the country.

Until then, liberals and the left will have to figure out how to win against a stacked deck. The consensus of the Alexander-and-Lilla crowd is that liberals must shift away from identity politics to win back disaffected white working-class Democrats who went for Trump. They dont, actually. Obviously, the white, blue-collar former Obama voters who made the difference in swing states that Clinton lost are generally more culturally conservative than the country at large. But the economy remains their top concern, and it has been well established by polling that white working-class voters are supportive of leftward solutions to inequality and economic malaise, like raising the minimum wage and raising taxes on the wealthy. Its entirely plausible that the Democrats could win some defectors back with a bold and easy-to-understand economic platform without changing the substance of their identity political positions. Last year, polling from the think tank Demos and the political consulting firm SKDKnickerbocker even found that more than 40 percent of white working-class Obama-to-Trump voters strongly support an economic agenda that would fix racial disparities in pay, education, healthcare, and housing. Additionally, it is seldom acknowledged that veering away from identity politics to build cultural credibility with Trump voters would, in all probability, depress turnout among minority Democrats, potentially rendering whatever speculative gains might be made among culturally conservative blue-collar whites a wash. A drop in black-voter turnout that has yet to capture the interest and attention of most pundits fixated on white Appalachia demonstrably hurt Clinton in swing states like Florida and Wisconsin. Its generally taken for granted by analysts that Democrats will have a hard time replicating the enthusiasm among black American voters inspired by Barack Obama, but an ambitious economic platform offering a hand to struggling communities could animate many and pique the interest, too, of the general nonvoting population, which we know skews Democratic.

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Such an agenda would dovetail easily with rhetoric casting Trump, a historically unpopular president, and the Republican Party, broadly speaking, as enemies of not only decency but economic justicepowers aligned with the wealthy and big business against everyday Americans trying to make ends meet. Its incredibly hard to imagine what it would be like if liberals inveighed against conservatism the way Republicans inveigh against liberalism and leftismHonestly, Sean Hannity said in an interview last year, I think liberalism has to be defeatedbut Democrats should put their thinking caps on anyway and wave away any fear that a more aggressive approach might make them meaningfully more like their badly behaving opponents. That wont be the case unless, for instance, the Democrats take to systematically kicking reliable Republicans off voting rolls. Politesse is not substantive politics and it has failed the Democrats as political strategy. The partys reward for meeting the demagoguery, hyperbole, and febrile paranoia of the GOP with civility, moderation, and good-faith engagement has been the expansion of Republican hegemony, with conservatives now in control of the White House, the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, and 26 state governments across the country. It is time to stop worrying about how to address the right. It is time to take seriously the project of beating them.
Govt moves to resurrect Nepal Business Forum

The government plans to restructure the Nepal Business Forum in a bid to breathe new life into the dormant institution. Established in 2010 to improve coordination between the government and the private sector, the forum has remained inactive for years.
Manhattans district attorney announced his office would largely stop prosecuting people for possession or smoking marijuana in the borough as part of a broader effort to end the wide racial disparity in marijuana prosecutions. District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said the marijuana prosecutions will halt starting Aug. 1, other than in cases where there is a clear public safety concern, which, he predicts, will reduce the yearly marijuana prosecutions in Manhattan from 5,000 to 200.

The move comes after the New York Times published a damning investigation into the stark discrepancy in how the city handles low-level marijuana offenses. Across the city, black people were arrested on low-level marijuana charges at eight times the rate of white, non-Hispanic people over the past three years, the Times found. Hispanic people were arrested at five times the rate of white people. In Manhattan, the gap is even starker: Black people there were arrested at 15 times the rate of white people. Many of these arrests are individuals or small groups smoking marijuana, for example, in front of their homes or sitting in cars. Overall, over the past several years, some 87 percent of people arrested for marijuana in New York City are black or Hispanic, a proportion that has largely stayed consistent for decades.

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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tasked the NYPD on Tuesday with coming up with a plan writ large to reduce marijuana arrests within 30 days. Previously, de Blasio had largely deferred to state law on marijuana enforcement, but took a more aggressive stance in response to the Times investigation. The N.Y.P.D. will overhaul and reform its policies related to marijuana enforcement in the next 30 days, de Blasio said Tuesday. We must and we will end unnecessary arrests and end disparity in enforcement. Brooklyns district attorney said he would work with police to reduce marijuana prosecutions to a very small number of cases that affect public safety.
Late last week, a group of 16 Republican senators, led by Georgia Sen. David Perdue, sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell asking the leader to make them work longer hours. Citing the slow pace of confirming presidential nominees and an interest in getting next years appropriations bills done on time, the signers said they would be willing to work nights and weekends and forgo the August recess to complete their work.

McConnell hasnt made a decision about canceling August recess, also known as the six-week state work period, just yet. But its an idea that President Trump endorsed over the weekend. The Senate should get funding done before the August break, or NOT GO HOME, he tweeted Saturday afternoon. Wall and Border Security should be included. Also waiting for approval of almost 300 nominations, worst in history. Democrats are doing everything possible to obstruct, all they know how to do. STAY!

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Senate Democrats, as you may have noticed from their lack of signatures on the letter, or a letter of their own, are much cooler to the idea. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, when asked repeatedly whether it might be necessary to cancel the August recess during his Tuesday press conference, reiterated that they have plenty of time to get our work done by the time current appropriations expire at the end of September. Both he and McConnell noted that there appears to be real cooperation between the two sides on the process this time, which would smooth the ability to get each of the 12 appropriations bills done on time rather than through a loaded omnibus packagewhich President Trump has said he wouldnt sign again.

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Why would there be more enthusiasm among Senate Republicans than their Democratic counterparts for staying in session during a planned six-week recess? Some of it is scoring presidential suck-up points, the coin of the realm among Republican legislators. But theres another big issue at play: the Senate map.

Senate Democrats (and the independents who caucus as Democrats) will be defending 26 of the 35 seats up for election this cycle, and the August recess is a critical time for campaigning. McConnell, as a source told CNN, is seriously considering canceling at least some of the recess. The source cited the favorable politics of the move. (Though there are two Republican senators, Nevadas Dean Heller and Texas Ted Cruz, who face serious election challenges this year, they dont seem too nervous about missing their own time, as theyve both signed the letter.)

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The threat of canceling an August recess, even in a non-election year, can move mountains. Though any individual senator can slow the Senatean institution built on consentto a crawl if he or she so desires, the Senate can move quite quickly when the consent is there. Thats what happened after McConnell announced he would cancel the first two weeks of August recess last year. The Senate only ended up staying one additional week, and confirmed a host of additional nominees en bloc at the snap of the leaders fingers.

Many of us encouraged cancelling August recess last year to meet our legislative goals, the Republican senators wrote in their letter to McConnell last week. As a result, the Senate confirmed 77 nominations with no floor debate, a significant concession from the minority party. Our diligence was rewarded with reason, and it can happen again.

It can. Especially in this cycle.
The progressive wing of the Democratic Party scored an upset victory in Tuesdays House primary in Nebraskas 2nd Congressional District.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, nonprofit executive Kara Eastman leads former congressman Brad Ashford 50.9 percent to 49.1 percenta difference of just more than 500 votes. Nebraska law calls for an automatic recount for any race where the margin of victory is 1 percent or less. The eventual Democratic nominee will face Republican Rep. Don Bacon in a general election that was considered a toss-up when Ashford, with strong establishment backing, was the heavy favorite to win the Democratic nomination.

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Its not clear how Eastmans nomination would affect the calculus for November, but the fact that the race could potentially be headed for a recount is remarkable, given Ashfords incumbentlike advantages. He entered the primary as the heavy favorite and quickly secured the support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which was betting that the former one-term congressman could win a rematch with Bacon, two years after Ashford lost by a single percentage point.

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While the campaign was relatively civil, the policy differences between Eastman and Ashford were clear from the start. Eastman presented herself as a proud progressive. She had the backing of groups like the Working Families Party and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and she called for Medicare for all and a full repeal of the GOP tax law.* Ashford, meanwhile, talked up his history of working across the aisle and embraced his image as a pro-business politician, one who supports free trade deals and less government regulation.

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Ashford also had plenty of political baggage from a decadeslong career in politics. He was first elected to the Nebraska Legislature as a Democrat in 1986, but then became a Republican two years later and ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a member of the GOP in 1994. While he eventually returned to the Democratic Party after a stint as an independent, he rarely toed the party line. During his successful 2014 congressional campaign, for instance, he said that he would not have voted for Obamacare.

The following year, his first in Congress, he voted for a GOP-authored Homeland Securityfunding bill that would have undercut the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and for another GOP bill that would have forced President Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. During this campaign, Ashford tried to reframe the funding vote around national security issues and said the pipeline vote was about defending the process.

National Democrats, however, were willing to forgive and forget all that if it meant flipping a congressional seat. They were hoping that Ashfords name recognition and bipartisan cred would give him an edge against Bacon in a district that went for Trump by 2 points in 2016 after going for Mitt Romney by 7 points four years before that. Democratic primary voters, however, appear to have other plans.
Republican congressmen are retiring in near-record numbers, and those who are sticking around are facing the prospects of a blue wave this fall. But the House isnt the only place where Republicans are struggling. Theyre also faring remarkably poorly this year in their bids for higher office.

On Tuesday night, Rep. Raul Labrador lost his campaign to become the Republican nominee for governor of Idaho, making him the fourth sitting GOP congressman to lose a gubernatorial or Senate primary in the first 10 state primaries of the year. The four-term congressman had built a national reputation as a conservative firebrand, with the kind of right-leaning profile that would seem to appeal to a restive base of primary voters. Labrador was the co-founder of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus and had the endorsement of Sen. Ted Cruz. But on Tuesday, he came up 5 percentage points short of Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little, who has served as outgoing-Gov. Butch Otters No. 2 for the past eight years.

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Labrador wont have any trouble finding someone to commiserate with during his final months on Capitol Hill. Three of his fellow Republican colleagues had their dreams of a promotion to the Senate dashed just last week: Reps. Todd Rokita and Luke Messer both fell in Indiana to a wealthy businessman running as an outsider candidate, and Rep. Evan Jenkins went down in West Virginia to the states attorney general. Like Labrador, all three abandoned their House reelection efforts in hopes of something bigger. Like Labrador, all three will now be out in the coldor, more likely, in a warm K Street officewhen the new Congress is sworn in next year.

The early losses are another troubling trend for the GOP, which is betting on House Republicans to win a half-dozen key statewide races this fall at the same time the president has made Washington an even dirtier word among conservatives than it already was. Despite his dismal overall approval rating, Trump still has wide support among Republican voters. The same cant be said for House Republicans, who Trump regularly bashes when it suits him.

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Thats a problem for the Republican Party. Four congressional Republicans are currently running for governor, two of which non-partisan handicappers believe have, at best, even odds of preserving GOP control in those states. Senate Republicans, meanwhile, are betting on a handful of House Republicans to win high-profile races that could decide control of the upper chamber in November.

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Two of thosePennsylvania Rep. Lou Barletta and Ohio Rep. Jim Renaccihave already won their respective primaries. But neither man did so all that resoundingly, despite having the full backing of Donald Trump and going up against little-known challengers. Both Barletta and Renacci will now enter the general as underdogs against politically savvy incumbents.

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In North Dakota, Republicans have recruited Rep. Kevin Cramer to challenge Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp. In Tennessee, Rep. Marsha Blackburn is the presumptive GOP nominee to replace retiring-GOP Sen. Bob Corker. And in Arizona, Rep. Martha McSally is the establishment pick in a heated battle for the chance to replace retiring GOP Sen. Jeff Flake.

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Its McSally that Republicans should be the most terrified about given how her fellow House Republicans have fared in statewide primaries this year. Shes up against two hard-liners in former state Sen. Kelli Ward and disgraced former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, either of which could tank the partys chances in the state this November. Even if she survives that bruising primary, McSallys likely to enter the general wounded against a Democratic congresswoman whos already leading in head-to-head polling.

Republicans voters could very well rally around a House Republican once he or she becomes a Senate nominee, especially when theyre up against a sitting Democratic lawmaker. But given how close those races are expected to be, even the slightest extra headwind could prove decisive.
The Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday was a big night for women in a state whose 20-person congressional delegation currently includes only men. The state has been represented in Congress by just seven women in its historythree of which filled vacancies left when their husbands diedwith at most two serving together at any one time. After this Novembers elections, the currently all-male delegation will include at least one woman, and probably more than one, thanks to a few notable wins in the Democratic primaries.

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Women won the Democratic nominations in both the 5th and 6th districts, which are considered to be two of the most flippable congressional districts in the country. In the 6th, where the Republican representative decided not to seek re-election, Navy veteran and former teacher Chrissy Houlahan ran unopposed as a Womens Marchinspired political outsider. The 5th was a much more heated contest. The seat was left open by GOP Rep. Patrick Meehan, who chose not to run after it was reported that he had settled a sexual harassment suit with taxpayer money. (Incidentally, much of the district is represented in the statehouse by a man who allegedly abused a fellow legislator he dated, making the possibility of a female replacement for Meehan seem seem even sweeter.) In the end, lawyer and school board member Mary Gay Scanlon beat out five women and four men, several of whom were highly qualified and backed by national Democratic stars, including Sen. Bernie Sanders. Scanlons closest competitor, former federal prosecutor Ashley Lunkenheimer, trailed her by more than 13 points. On the Republican side, Pearl Kim ran unopposed, meaning this district will almost certainly elect a female representative come November.

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This race got a bit of press because resistance candidate Molly Sheehan, a scientist and political newcomer, revealed that state Rep. Greg Vitali had asked her to drop out and support him over Scanlon. (She said he would have never asked that of a man; he said he has done so in the past.) Though Vitali was polling in second place earlier this month, Sheehan ended up beating him by just under 1 percentage point, putting him in fifth place. In the end, it would have made just as much sense for Vitali to leave the race and encourage his supporters to vote for Sheehanthough those two groups of voters together still couldnt have beaten Scanlon. The results in this race, where three out of the four candidates with the most votes were women, disproved the theory advanced by some pundits who believed too many women in the race would split the womens vote and leave the Democrats with a male nominee.

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Tuesdays most-watched race was in the 7th District, where GOP Rep. Charlie Dent officially retired last week. Former Allentown solicitor Susan Wild bested anti-abortion district attorney John Morganelli by just over 3 points, with Afro-Latino Greg Edwards, a pastor who was also backed by Sanders, coming in third. For the feminist groups that backed Wild, the primary results were a satisfying climax to a drama-filled campaign. Several weeks before the primary, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put out feelers to see if either Edwards or Wild would consider dropping out of the House race to enter a downballot state senate race instead. When it looked like the DCCC was favoring a white, anti-choice man who has criticized the party for being the de facto party for illegal immigration, the Wild and Edwards camps got mad. The Democratic Partys consultant-driven strategy seems to prefer milquetoast candidates who they believe can appeal to moderate Republicans over progressive candidates of color, a spokesman for the Justice Democrats, a left-wing group, told the Washington Post. This is what systemic racism looks like. Progressive activists, including Womens March co-founder Linda Sarsour, slammed Wild, too, for protecting a police officer who broke the jaw of an unarmed robbery suspect by kicking him in the face.

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Democrats like Wild have a legitimate shot at winning what were once Republican strongholds, after Pennsylvanias congressional districts were redrawn earlier this year by the state Supreme Court, which determined that the previous map was gerrymandered in the GOPs favor. Wilds newly shaped 7th District would have gone for Hillary Clinton by a point; the Cook Political Report currently favors her to win. The 4th District will almost definitely go to a female Democrat, too, after state Rep. Madeleine Dean won the nomination with 73 percent of the vote. Dean was one of three womentwo state representatives and a gun-control advocatewho were already running for the nomination, when former Congressman Joe Hoeffel decided to enter the race in March. He was a latecomer, but his long history in Pennsylvania politics meant he had a lot of name recognition in the state, even though hed left Congress 14 years ago and left public office altogether in 2012. Deans fellow state legislator Mary Jo Daley dropped out to support her, and Hoeffel ended up coming in last place with 11 percent of the vote.

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Earlier this week, I argued that men like Hoeffel, who consider themselves progressives and advocates for womens equality, should stop looking at races with three less-experienced but highly qualified women as opportunities for an easy win or a comeback. If Democrats are serious about getting more women into office, some white men are going to have to decide, as women have for generations, that not every race is theirs to win. Hoeffel didnt end up posing much of a threat to Dean, in part because of Daleys decision to drop out. But for a while, he led the polls, due to his longstanding profile in the district. Now that Dean has won in a landslide, the race is a good case for treating the safest-seeming, best-known, best-polling candidates with some skepticism.

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Thats not to say that the Democratic women Pennsylvania nominated on Tuesday arent solid bets. Most are relatively moderate, as were the male Democrats that won, and many have drawn criticism from advocates on the left. But their successes in an overwhelmingly male-dominated political landscape are a significant shift, especially when paired with the increased likelihood that Democrats will notch some more House victories as a result of the new electoral map. Wilds narrow win over Morganelli was a particularly salient victory for women; putting an anti-choice man in Congress whod deny safety and humanity to immigrantshe argued in a candidate forum that local governments should cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agencieswould do little to safeguard the womens rights under threat today. Wild was able to beat him with the help of major feminist organizations, including EMILYs List and NARAL, which both sent their presidents to campaign with her in the days before the primary. EMILYs List also spent large sums on TV ads and direct mail in support of Wild and against Morganelli. Their efforts were bolstered by NextGenAmericabillionaire Tom Steyers PACand Planned Parenthood. The two organizations teamed up on a six-figure investment for digital ads, mailers, and door-to-door canvassing against Morganelli, targeting pro-choice voters with a special focus on young voters and pro-choice Latino voters.

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Planned Parenthood is trumpeting Wilds win as a testament to the power of all-in feminist organizing. Together, these programs helped make the difference, the organization said in a press release. In April, some polling estimates had Morganelli up over 20 points. Like Hoeffel and Vitali, Morganelli benefited early on from his name recognition. Then, as voters got to know the women running against these menand, in the case of Morganelli, his anti-choice and anti-immigrant viewsthey shifted their support.

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They were helped along by nudges from EMILYs List, which offered funding to Deans campaign in addition to Wilds, helping both women get their names in front of voters. The post-Trump wave of women running for office has inspired many female candidates to leap over initial barriers to declaring a first run for office or a bid for a higher one; the Democratic Party will do what it can to help its female candidates win their general elections in November. Its in the space between, the primaries, where women-focused dollars from groups like EMILYs List do their best work. With better-known Democratic men on the ballot, targeted investments may have the power to turn women from candidates to nominees.
This week, amid protests in Gaza during which Israel has killed at least 60 Palestinians, some of them trying to breach the border fence separating the territory from Israel, the Jewish state is celebrating its 70th birthday. The country is led by Benjamin Netanyahu, arguably the most conservative prime minister in Israeli history, and a close ally of President Trump. Netanyahus political success in Israel has been remarkable; he has been prime minister since 2009 and also served in the position for three years in the 1990s. But his long tenure only raises the question of how he envisions Israels futurein particular, its relationship to a Palestinian population that still does not have its own stateand in which direction he is steering the country. Meanwhile, his hold on power is threatened by several corruption investigations.

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To talk about Netanyahus career and where it is leading Israel, I spoke by phone with Anshel Pfeffer, a senior correspondent and columnist for Haaretz and the author of the new book Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu. During the course of our conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, we discussed how Netanyahu has and hasnt changed over the years, how he defends cozying up to anti-Semitic world leaders, and why he sees the Palestinian issue as a sideshow.

Isaac Chotiner: Do you view Benjamin Netanyahu as an ideologue? Is that a helpful prism through which to analyze him?

Anshel Pfeffer: I think that he is first and foremost an ideologue, yes. He is the rare politician that you can go back 25 years to read a book he wrote that was published in the U.S. in 1993 and you can see how he set his program then. And you can see, in the period in which he was prime minister, him basically fulfilling the program he set out in his book. And even though as a politician he has had to occasionally make compromises and pragmatic moves, and in some cases was not faithful to what he expressed in that book, in the overall picture he has been very faithful in carrying out his ideology.

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What is that ideology?

His ideology is a very basic and bleak understanding of Jewish history. His historical thinking goes back to the destruction of the last Jewish sovereign nation, the Maccabean kingdom at the end of the Second Temple era 2,000 years ago. It was a period of history when Jews failed in their diplomacy with the Roman Empire, and their lack of leadership, lack of cohesion, doomed Jewish sovereignty then. And he sees that as a lesson for today in which the Jews should never be conquered, and should never feel they should make concessions, and should always be very tough in their dealings with neighbors and very canny in their dealings with superpowers. Thats how he sees Israel today.

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You write in the book, The only peace he has been willing to consider is one where Israel bullies the Palestinians into submission. Until that happens, he will continue building walls. Is that the lens through which you view Israels actions this week on the border with Gaza?

Certainly. Netanyahu doesnt think that the Palestinian issue is the major threat or challenge facing Israel. He thinks it is a sideshow of a much larger conflict and confrontation that Israel has been having since the birth of Zionism and the foundation of the state of Israel with the Arab world and with radical Islam. He sees the Palestinians as a cudgel Arabs have been using to beat Israelis over their heads, but not as the core conflict. And he believes that if Israel continues standing tough against the Palestinians, and not conceding any major issues with them, the rest of the worldincluding the Arab worldwill finally grow tired of the Palestinians. And you have to say, now that the Saudis and the Egyptians seemed to have ditched the Palestinian cause and are preferring to make common cause with Israel against Iran, his vision seems to be coming to fruition. What we are seeing now in Gaza is that some of the Palestinians understand what has been happening and are trying to grab back the worlds attention. But the world largely has grown tired of the conflict.

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Netanyahu believes that if Israel continues standing tough against the Palestinians, the rest of the worldincluding the Arab worldwill finally grow tired of them.  Anshel Pfeffer

You said that Netanyahu views the real threat as being radical Islam and the Arab world. And yet Iran, which seems to be Netanyahus main concern, is not an Arab country; we also tend to think of radical Islam as being primarily a Sunni-driven thing, and Iran is a Shiite country that has been horrible in Syria and elsewhere but is also fighting groups like ISIS. And we know radical Sunni groups get funding from places like Saudi Arabia, which Netanyahu has no problem allying with. Are there a lot of contradictions here?

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You can look at it in two ways. You can accuse him of being cynical, and if you look at his speeches and things he wrote over the last 30 years or more, you can see that in the 1980s he spoke mainly about an axis between the Soviet Union and terror organizations and radical Muslim countries. Then after the Soviet Union disintegrated, he was talking more about Iraq, and then after the Iraq war in 2003, when Iraq was no longer a credible military threat, he began talking much more about Iran. You could say it is just Netanyahus cynical way of trying to divert attention away from the Palestinian issue and from Israels role, and trying to make this always something about the West against some big Islamic enemy. Whether its Sunni or Shiite or Arab or Persian, its all the same thing.

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Netanyahu and his supporters would argue that the threat may sometimes change its form, but it has always remained an existential threat to Israel.

Do you buy that?

I dont buy that because I think the world is much more complex than that. As you said, there are so many different alliances and considerations within the Arab world, within the Muslim world. Israel used to be a strategic ally of Iran until the Islamic Revolution. Now Iran is its biggest enemy. The alliances Israel is now forming with the Saudis and the Egyptians could also change over the years and decades. To build Israels strategy on changing alliances is shortsighted, especially when Israel still has 5 million Palestinians living alongside Israelis. And that is an immediate problem for Israel, which Netanyahu insists on marginalizing, while the fact that Israel is keeping most of those Palestinians under military occupation is brutalizing Israeli society and eroding Israeli democracy.

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Netanyahu seems very comfortable with illiberal leaders, whether they be President Trump or Vladimir Putin or Viktor Orban of Hungary, regardless of whether they are anti-Semitic. Is that because he is actually a fundamentally illiberal leader and doesnt have great respect for democratic norms and institutions?

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This is where his ideology and his pragmatism sort of meet. I dont think that fundamentally he is an illiberal democrat like Viktor Orban is. Orban has a whole worldview of illiberal democracy. I think Netanyahu actually prefers a more liberal democracy of the kind that exists, or you could say existed, in the United States.

Now now, we are doing great.

Netanyahus priority is Jewish survival, which he sees as survival of the state of Israel, which means that if a leader shares his worldview, if a leader is prepared to support Israel in its current form, then it doesnt matter that much whether that leader is tainted with anti-Semitism. Viktor Orban has launched an anti-Semitic campaign against George Soros, and the Jewish community in Hungary appealed to the Israeli government to condemn it, and Netanyahu overruled the Israeli ambassador in Hungary when the ambassador issued a condemnation. He demanded the condemnation be rescinded because he values Viktor Orban as an ally more than he values Jewish leadership in Hungary.

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The same is true of the way Netanyahu has never criticized Donald Trump for ignoring or encouraging white supremacy in the United States, and the same way Netanyahu has endorsed Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, despite the fact that Kurzs coalition includes the Freedom Party, which is a barely reformed and barely concealed neo-Nazi party, to the consternation of the Jewish leadership in Vienna. This is a total reversal of what was Israeli policy until very recently. Until recently, when the issue was how to address parties in government tainted by anti-Semitism, the Israeli government always took the lead from the local Jewish community and wouldnt second-guess them. But we are seeing now in Austria, in Hungary, and in some ways the United States, we are seeing that Netanyahu doesnt care anymore what the Jews think. He is just thinking what is best for his own government.

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How much has a green light from the Trump administration changed his behavior?

I dont think it has changed his behavior at all. We saw already under Obama that he pursued the policy he wanted to pursue. He openly confronted the Obama administration and may have paid some sort of price for it, but Obama let him get away with it and even signed a greatly improved military assistance program at the end of his administration.

The green light he is getting now from Trump is mainly useful for him in the domestic sphere to show Israeli voters he gets along well with Washington. I dont see any specific policy that Israel has been doing now since Trumps election that he wasnt doing before. The ideological right wing, which is to the right of NetanyahuNetanyahu is an ally of the settler camp but he doesnt share certain parts of their ideologyhas been calling on him since Trump was elected to extend Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank. Netanyahu doesnt want to do that because he is a status quo guy. He doesnt want to make peace with the Palestinians but he doesnt want to rock the boat too much either. This green light hasnt really changed his policy.

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You started out by saying he is an ideologue, so are you saying his ideology is different than that of many settlers, or is it that he is looking at it through the prism of security?

Its very much to do with security, and its very much to do with the way he sees Israels position vis-a-vis the Palestinians and the wider region. Netanyahu doesnt want to show weakness or be seen as compromising with the Palestinians or other neighbors, and he doesnt feel Israel needs to do so. But the settlers, or at least the ideological religious settlers, see the West Bank as Judea and Samaria, the historical heartland of the Jewish people, and the fact that Israel has never extended its sovereignty farther than east Jerusalem is to them a national humiliation. They are ashamed Israel hasnt done so. Netanyahu looks at it in a much more functional way. He wants Israel to control that area, both for security and force projection. The actual technicalities of whether Israel holds sovereignty or doesnt hold sovereignty are less important to him. Thats not something he is rushing to do. He doesnt want to deal with all the issues it would mean, like whether the Palestinians would get citizenship or how to deal with those rights. For him its a distraction from the bigger picture.

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What do you think his long-term plan is for the region, both in regard to the Palestinians and the Iranians? Is it anything other than the status quo, which looks to many liberals in America like a deteriorating one?

Netanyahu would disagree with the word deterioration. He sees the situation as Israels standing in the region improving. He sees its military advantage over its neighbors increasing, and it has increased partly because Israel is continuing to improve its military technology and partly because the countries around Israel have been consumed by chaos. So there is no real military rival to Israel in the immediately surrounding Middle East, not including Iran. And its economy is growing at a record pace, and the prosperity of Israelis has increased. So he is not seeing a deterioration. And at the same time, he is seeing the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the two main Arab nations, getting closer to Israel over their joint enmity and rivalry with Iran, and the fact that the Saudis and Egyptians are much more prepared to openly disregard the Palestinian issue. So as far as he is concerned, the status quo is improving, and all us liberals and leftists who have been saying for 51 years that the occupation was unsustainable are being proved wrong because it is eminently sustainable. He doesnt address the situation of Palestinian rights or the issue of what it is doing to Israeli society and democracy being a nation that holds another nation in subjugation. Those matters dont really concern him.

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Occasionally he has to deal with something that happens in Gaza, but he believes they are passing episodes where the world will be angry for a few days and then go on to other things.

His long-term plan is to get peace through deterrence, not a peace through compromise, and he believes the Palestinians will tire of demanding their full rights and will accept some very watered-down form of statehood in Gaza and the West Bank.

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How big a threat do you believe the corruption allegations are, and how much do you attribute Netanyahus behavior to the corruption allegations?

I think they are a major threat because the police have gathered, and are still gathering, evidence, a great deal of evidence of very dubious dealings he has had with tycoons and media owners, and he is aware that the current chief of police has surprised him by being a very forensic and determined investigator of his financial dealings. And there is the second threat of whether the attorney general will decide to press charges, and that is a question that is down to the attorney general. We cant predict what he will decide, but it will be very difficult to dismiss the police recommendations. And the question is at that point whether some of his political allies will decide they will not sit in the coalition with the prime minister if he is indicted and hauled into court. So its a major threat.

The much more difficult question is whether this is affecting Netanyahus policies. I cant see any proof it is affecting his policy in security matters. The Israeli campaign against the Iranian presence in Syria and the recent airstrikes is a policy that has been going on for several years and has recently come out into the open in part because the Iranians are doing it more openly and more blatantly. And the same thing goes for the Palestinians. He hasnt budged on the Palestinians for years. He is not suddenly proving intransigent where in the past he was flexible.

The one issue where I would say he has probably changed his policy to appeal more to his right-wing base, because he needs them more now that he is under investigation, is the issue of the deportation of African refugees. Netanyahu had already agreed to a very good deal with the U.N. refugee agency, whereby a large portion of the African refugees in Israel would be resettled in other countries and Israel would have to absorb about 60 percent of them. And he unveiled that deal about a month and a half ago, and there was such a backlash from the right wing that after just a few hours he folded and said he wouldnt go through with the deal and will still try to deport the lot of them. I think that is a sign of him being under pressure with his right-wing base.
The 2010 census found that the U.S. population had reached 308 million people. But it managed to miss a whole lot of others: about 2.1 percent of black Americans and 1.5 percent of Hispanics nationally, together accounting for some 1.5 million people. Young children were among the most undercounted.

Now the U.S. is gearing up for another head count, one that will include some big changes. For one thing, the 2020 census will be the first to use the internet as the primary (and preferred) means of collecting household data. Youll still receive a postcard in the mail, but youll be asked to go online to submit your responses to the short questionnaire, including questions such as the number of people residing at the address and their race. This change could compound some of the problems we saw in 2010, particularly when it comes to including members of minority and poorer communities who may not have internet access. The fact that the 2020 census will for the first time include a question about citizenship status may increase unresponsiveness by some of the same communities.

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But technology could also play a role in solving a dual problem that has long vexed the national head count: knowing where to send those questionnaires in the first place and how to ensure that every household responds.

The census has traditionally derived its data from past surveys. It also cross-checked addresses with local governments through a program known as the Local Update of Census Addresses and used census workers to physically canvas neighborhoods. Despite these measures, the 2010 census seemed to have missed a substantial number of households in some places. In 2011, for example, New York City documented a shortfall of at least 50,000 residents, the result of erroneously assuming a number of housing units to be vacant in selected areas of the city.

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Much of the undercounting is due to the invisibility of certain types of addresses, including those resulting from illegal subdivision of existing buildings, new construction, or unusual living arrangements. Think those living unofficially in the basements of commercial buildings, apartments shared by several families due to high real estate costs though only one family is on the lease, or homeless people shuttling between friends couches and homeless shelters. The Census Bureau has admitted to missing more ethnic and racial minorities disproportionately liv[ing] in hard-to-count circumstances. Because respondents need to have an address recognized by the Census Bureau, vulnerable populations living in unofficial housing are more likely to be missed.

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In addition to traditional methods of address list verification, the 2020 census will try to cut down on missing addresses by cross-checking its address lists with digitally available federal administrative records such as Social Security records, tax data from the IRS, and records from programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. While the cross-check is a positive step, according to the Urban Institute, there is still concern that some vulnerable and hard-to-reach subpopulations may not have the same body or quality of administrative records as other groups. Immigrant groups, Native Americans, and children of color are among the groups traditionally undercounted and also underrepresented in federal records.

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That brings us to the second challenge: nonresponsiveness. The Census Bureau cannot force someone to fill out the questionnaire, but it does try to urge households to answer by using both multiple mailings and in-person visits to addresses believed to be occupied. The trick is that workers assigned to check on unresponsive households in particular neighborhoods will not attempt to make contact if the census systems indicate that the address is vacant. Currently, the only way that the census double-checks whether unresponsive addresses are indeed vacant is by checking against the administrative records databases, which themselves are more likely to miss certain populations living in unusual situations.

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Local knowledge of neighborhoods can help add new or unusual addresses and prompt in-person attempts at reaching those residents. Some local governments like New York City have been active in verifying addresses and investing resources in ensuring a fair count, but other local governments may not be in a position to do so. The opportunity is to leverage a variety of local community records to improve verification; the challenge is how to do so efficiently and transparently.

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Local groups can help the census conduct a more concerted and accurate count by helping them add previously unenumerated addresses and determining whether households are truly vacant or simply not responding. The Census Bureau could allow trusted local organizations with a high degree of knowledge of the communitycivil rights groups, community organizations, local schools, and even religious institutionsin real time to monitor response rates in their neighborhoods. Local groups are likely to have street level knowledge as to whether census workers have missed an unconventional address or families are doubling up. They could even look at, say, whether increased school attendance suggests that a community is growing and thus could use a more robust effort at following up with nonresponses.

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And thats where technology comes in. One option is to use a database that accepts responses from carefully vetted local sources. Such databases could even be piloted to focus on areas at risk of undercounting. For example, local schools might review a list of unresponsive addresses in the neighborhood to see whether they know that some of the students do in fact live in those seemingly empty addresses. Similarly schools could also add any known addresses that do not appear on conventional lists or even whether several families appear to be doubling up at a single address.

A newer option is to use a permissioned blockchain platform rather than a single database. A blockchain is essentially a technology platform that keeps track of multiple independent validations of transactions without relying on a single authority. If we think of a census entry as the beginning of a block, the local groups can validate that its accurate by accepting the block, or can fail to accept it, thus prompting a reverification of the original information.

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In the census case, local community groups could be permissioned to validate information such as one family at XXX address, YYY address is vacant, or even the number of household members. The more entities that validate the census notation, the greater the mathematical probability (and the public confidence) that everyone was accurately counted.

Conversely, a lack of validations could signal that something needs to be recheckedan apparent vacancy might actually have residents, or a particular household may have more members than previously believed. The upshot is focusing census workers efforts at double-checking an address or obtaining a response.

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A pattern of nonvalidations in a particular neighborhood can highlight a more systemic problem, prompting an effort to address it as part of the normal census verification process. Armed with such visibility, we may be better able to fix mistakes before the count is completed, rather than rely on post-census challenges that are difficult to win. While blockchain-based census verification hasnt yet been broadly tested, it holds promise for supporting a more accurate count, and pilots could be run even in time for 2020.

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Why is all of this ultimately so important? The census count determines the number of congressional seats. In 2010, 10 states lost congressional seats, and estimates based on that census predict that another undercount could jeopardize the number of congressional seats representing states including New York, Texas, Arizona, and North Carolina. An undercount also jeopardizes the amount of federal benefits going to a locale. This time, almost $600 billion of federal funding is at stake.

The 2020 census is more technology dependent than ever, raising both concerns and opportunities. The time to prepare is now by supporting access for digitally disenfranchised communities; ensuring sensitive data, particularly citizenship status, is not inappropriately shared; and leveraging technology for better real time accuracy tracking that can help minimize the undercounting that has always been a problem for poorer, minority communities.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to meet with representatives of the European Parliament in Brussels as soon as possible, according to an announcement Wednesday from its president, Antonio Tajani. The meeting could be as early as next week, and the parliament also plans to organize a hearing with Facebook concerning personal data security and the impact of social media on European elections. Tajani wrote, in part, Web giants must be responsible for the content they publish, including blatantly false news and illegal content.

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This announcement comes only two days after Facebook rebuffed the UK parliaments threat to issue a formal summons for Zuckerberg to testify before the Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee. The companys CTO, Mike Schroepfer, appeared before UK lawmakers in April, but the head of the committee found his testimony to be unsatisfactory.

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We were disappointed after providing a very significant amount of information to the Committee at the last hearing the Committee declared our response insufficient, Facebooks head of public policy in the UK wrote in a statement. While Mr. Zuckerberg has no plans to meet with the committee or travel to the UK at the present time we continue to fully recognize the seriousness of these issues and remain committed to working with you to provide any additional relevant information you require for your inquiry into fake news.

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Its unclear why Zuckerberg has agreed to meet with officials in the EU and not the UK. The decision may have to do with the unions new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which grants users with more control over their privacy and personal data. Companies that operate in the EU will have to comply with the regulations by next week. Zuckerberg has agreed to follow the new rules and (perhaps misleadingly) pledged to extend its privacy controls to all users. However, Reuters reported last month that Facebook had moved data processing for international users outside of the EU from Ireland to the U.S., which effectively means that 1.5 billion users wont be covered by GDPR.
The Federal Communications Commission under Chairman Ajit Pai has made a show of its efforts to crack down on robocalls. Ive repeatedly made clear that the FCCs top consumer protection priority is aggressively pursuing the scourge of illegal robocalls, Pai said in a November statement.

He compared the FCCs approach to robocallers to that of an aggressive cop on the beat in July.

In March, he said, Well maintain our strong approach to enforcement against spoofers and scammers, including the over $200 million in fines that we proposed last year.

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Robocalls have been booming in recent years: The screening service YouMail estimates that there were 3.4 billion automated calls made in April, up 900 million per month compared to 2017. The current FCC, for its part, has been taking steps to address the issue when it comes to scams. In November, it issued new regulations allowing phone companies to block calls that come from invalid numbers or show evidence of spoofing, which involves people tricking caller ID to hide their true identities. The commission also adopted a proposal in March to create a database of reassigned numbers so that businesses dont keep calling the wrong people. And just last week, the FCC fined a Miami man named Adrian Abramovich $120 million over a complaint that he made 96 million robocalls in a three-month period.

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Pai has been unsparing in his denunciations of scam calls and has taken concrete steps to crack down on them. Yet he and the FCC have sent mixed signals when it comes to addressing aggressive robocalls from legitimate businesses, which have also been known to harass people with incessant calls.

When Margot Saunders, senior counsel at the National Consumer Law Center, testified before the Senate Commerce Committee last month, she provided a table showing that only two of the top 20 robocallers in the U.S. were scammers, according to YouMail. The rest were from established businesses.

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Of course, robocalls themselves are not illegal and can be extremely useful for emergency notifications, appointment reminders, flight cancellations, and other informational purposes. Yet, some companies that do not advertise scams still make robocalls that annoy and harass consumers. The FCCs approach to those companies will indicate the extent to which its willing to get tough on robocalls. If your phone is ringing all the time and its a debt collector trying to collect either a debt from you or a debt that someone else owes, and they wont stop when you ask them to stop  thats a privacy issue that the FCC should be addressing, said Saunders. Weve raised that with them, but theyre still talking about scams.

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The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is the law that regulates robocalls. Passed in 1991, it dictates that autodialers must have prior consent from consumers to contact them and that consumers have the right to opt out of robocalls. Debt collectors, however, have been known to use robocalls to call their clients relentlessly without permission. Saunders gave a representative case during last months hearing:

Tonya Stevens of Tampa, Florida purchased some appliances from Conns Appliances, Inc., a Texas company, in late 2014. Although she was making her payments, they were not always on time. Nevertheless, over the next fourteen months Conns called Ms. Stevens on her cell phone 1,845 times, over one hundred times a month, often as much as eight or nine times a day. These calls were made despite Ms. Stevens repeated requests that Conns agent stop calling. During one call, she said, I am at my grandmothers death bed, quit calling. Conns position is that once Ms. Stevens provided consent to be called on her cell phone she could never revoke that consent.

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(Conns didnt respond to Slates request for comment.)

Many companies have been accused of similarly harassing debtors with robocalls. The student loan company Navient was subject to 599 communication tactics complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from 2014 to 2017. The complaints, which the bureau has published, include allegations that Navient called one person in excess of 12 times per day, that it called a persons past co-workers, childhood friends, and mother in law, and that it dialed the same number 14 times in a 30 minute period. In a lawsuit outlined in the New York Times, a Florida resident accused Navient of pestering him with more than 2,500 automated calls over a two-year period about federal student loans that had already been forgiven. The suit further claims that Navient called him up to nine times a day.

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A Navient spokesperson would not comment on the suit or specific allegations, but sent a general statement: Navient has a well-established, positive track record of supporting student loan borrowers to succeed in repayment  Calls from student loan servicers are proven, effective methods that help people explore repayment options that can help them avoid default.

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Saunders filed a complaint against Navient to the FCC last year on behalf of a half-dozen consumer protection organizations referencing these cases and asking the commission to take the company to task for allegedly breaking the law. We got no response, she said. When I spoke to them [the FCC] about it, they said theyre not going to do anything about it, which I think is too bad. (An FCC spokesperson told Slate that he could not comment on enforcement matters.)

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Navient and a host of other businesses have in fact filed petitions to the FCC to exempt themselves from limits on the number of calls theyre allowed to make to a consumer per month and the consent requirements. The petitions are currently pending, and consumer advocates are watching to see if the FCC leans toward enforcement or leniency. What Im afraid of is that they are leaning towards not enforcing the law against what they call legitimate callers,  said Saunders.

Monique Michael, a senior director at the Credit Union National Association, which is one of the petitioners, argues that there should be an exemption for robocalls when there is an existing relationship between businesses and customers. The exemption currently applies to landlines, but not to cellphones. Wed like to see an established business relationship exemption for credit union informational calls and text messages for cellphones, said Michael. We dont think you should need a prior express consent threshold for established business relationships, especially in the context of an industry like ours, where the members are the owners.

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Michael pointed to a credit union in Texas that wanted to offer low-cost, short-term lending to people affected by Hurricane Harvey last year, but were unable to because of the TCPA. She said, My concern is the fact that theres this legal remedy that ultimately impacts legitimate businesses in an adverse way and makes them afraid to want to communicate with their customers.

Saunders organization wrote a rebuttal to CUNAs petition, which reads in part, If the information to be imparted by credit unions is so important and valuable to their members, the members will consent to receive iteliminating any necessity for an exemption. Almost 60 million robocalls are now made monthly by financial institutions just to collect consumer debt; allowing credit unions to make calls without consent would add significantly to this number.

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Advocates are also monitoring the FCCs ruling regarding the very definition of autodialers in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. In March, a federal appeals court rolled back an expansion of the definition under the Obama-era FCC in 2015, which had essentially prohibited debt collectors from using autodialers to reach cell phones. The court ruled that the definition, however, was too broad. Pai praised the decision with a statement that read, in part, Im pleased todays ruling does not impact (and, in fact, acknowledges) the current FCCs efforts to combat illegal robocalls and spoofing.

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The reaction isnt surprising. In a vigorous dissent that Pai issued to the FCCs original order to expand the definition in 2015, while he was still a commissioner, he wrote, Rather than focus on the illegal telemarketing calls that consumers really care about, the Order twists the laws words even further to target useful communications between legitimate businesses and their customers. He also argued that while scams and intrusive telemarketers are a problem, trial lawyers have abused the TCPA to file frivolous lawsuits.

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Now that courts have struck down the Obama-era definition, it is up to the current FCC to write a new one. Saunders thinks the court ruling and the rewrite could have three potential outcomes: Onethe FCC could do nothing, in which case the issue of how to define an autodialer will be left to the courts. Twothe FCC could define an autodialer in a very restrictive manner, as has been requested already by the Chamber of Commerce, which would hurt consumers and cause many of the calls that are being made to not be covered by TCPA. Consumers wouldnt be able to stop the calls necessarily. Or threethe FCC could cover autodialers as we believe the law requires them to do and adequately protect consumers from the calls.

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Maureen Mahoney, a policy analyst at Consumers Union, hopes that the FCC pursues the third outcome. We hope that they recognize that theres adequate room in the law to issue a definition that covers existing autodialers, she said. If they issue a narrower definition, it would leave consumers unprotected from millions of unwanted robocalls.

The FCC has announced that it will seek public comment on the new definition and act accordingly. Its possible that the new definition will focus on scams, while largely ignoring the aggressive robocalling behavior of legitimate businessescontinuing Pais focus on only one part of the problem.
Govt seeks contractor for access road works

The government has initiated the process to construct the access road to connect Nepalgunj city with the construction site of the dry port being developed at the customs point.
Slovak jazz award Esprit goes to songstress, public choose jazz/folk ensemble

Songstress and composer Sisa Michalidesova won the Esprit award for The Best Slovak Jazz Album 2017. AMC Trio and Ludova Hudba Stana Balaza (Stano Balaz Folk Music) won the online public vote.

Laureate Sisa Michalidesova (L) and spiritual father of the idea od Esprit Award, Boris Cellar present the award nominees. (Source: TASR)

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Esprit is a competition, already in its 6th year, that selects the best jazz album released in Slovakia, the SITA newswire wrote. Previous laureates include Lukas Oravec Quartet (2016), Sisa Michalidesova and Benito Gonzalez (2015), Juraj Griglak (2014), Lukas Oravec (2013) and Michal Bugala (2012).

A gala ceremony on April 30  celebrated as International Jazz Day  presented the best jazz musicians for 2017, broadcast live from the Bratislava Arena theatre.

AMC Trio (Source: Courtesy of AMC Trio)

The Best Jazz Album for 2017 award went to Sisa Michalidesova for her recording of Chloe, as decided by an international jury of experts. She and two other nominees  Lubomir Gaspar Cimbal Project, and saxophonist Nikolaj Nikitin with pianist Lubos Sramek  performed their works live during the gala evening.

Michalidesova received the main Esprit prize (a statuette by artist Juraj Cutek) from Austrian Radio ORF 1 jazz editor and juror of the Esprit main prize, Johann Kneihs, who in his speech praised the Slovak jazz production.

Vox populi

The AMC Trio and Ludova Hudba Stana Balaza (Stano Balaz Folk Music) with their album Ad Fontes (2017), which combines the world of jazz with Slovak folklore, were chosen as winners by the public via an online vote.

The idea of the Esprit award is to support the creativity of Slovak representatives of jazz, organisers told SITA. The award ceremony is also part of worldwide celebrations of International Jazz Day under UNESCO patronage.

16. May 2018 at 7:05 | Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovska
Imported mangoes pose serious health risks

Local traders are warning customers to think twice before eating mangoes sold at the markets. They are warning that the markets in Tarai districts have already been overrun with imported mangoes from India laced with hazardous chemicals. Local Nepali mangoes are still not yet ready for consumption as it needs another month to ripen.
Makalu Air plane crash: Pilots bodies brought to Kathmandu

The bodies of two pilots, who lost their lives when a Makalu Air cargo aircraft crashed at Simikot Pass in Kharpunath Municipality of Humla on Wednesday morning, have been brought to Kathmandu.
Nepal Communist Party will have 441-member Central Committee

Nepal Communist Party, the party to be formed after the unification of CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre), will have a 441-member Central Committee.
NSU protests against BJP leader Azads anti-nepal comment

The Nepal Students Union (NSU) launched a protest programme on Tuesday against the controversial comment made by Kirti Azad, suspended Indian lawmaker of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a state visit to Nepal.
Pre-monsoon madness

Only through coordinated response can we minimise the damages from natural disasters that hit us every year
Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
Scrap medical colleges that break fee ceiling

Senior Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Govinda KC on Tuesday demanded the government immediately scrap affiliation of medical colleges that charge high fees for MD/MS courses and violate the fee ceiling.
Two Vietnam Airlines pilots responsible for landing an airplane on an under-construction runway at a south-central airport late last month have had their flying licenses temporarily confiscated for investigation, a leader of the national flag carrier said on Tuesday.

The license confiscation was only a preliminary step taken by Vietnam Airlines with regard to the headline-making aviation scandal, when the Vietnam Airlines flight VN-7344, departing from Ho Chi Minh City, touched down on an under-construction runway at Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province on April 29.

The case remains under investigation, pending the final conclusion, and possible penalties, from the CAAV, the Vietnam Airlines official told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Investigators from the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) have found that the flights captain and first officer were mostly to blame for the wrong-runway landing.

Vo Huy Cuong, CAAV deputy chief, confirmed that his authority is still investigating the case, with all relevant factors taken in consideration.

Vietnam Airlines general director Duong Tri Thanh has said at a recent conference that human error accounts for 70-80 percent of aviation safety incidents.

A Vietnam Airlines plane is parked on an under-construction runway at Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province in south-central Vietnam after a wrong landing on April 29, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Earlier this week, the Vietnamese national carrier continued to be hit by yet another incident, when passengers on a flight from Da Nang to Hanoi had to move to another plane twice, and even spent the night at the airport before they could start their trip.

The Vietnam Airlines flight VN-190 was supposed to leave the Da Nang International Airport for Noi Bai International Airport at 8:10 pm on Monday, but it ended up lying on the runway for an hour due to technical problem, according to passengers on board the service.

Passengers were then required to take their belongings to leave the aircraft for the airports terminal, where they had to wait until 2:00 am the next day before being told to move into another plane to start their flight.

I thought the flight was going to depart for real that time, but then all of us [the passengers] were asked to leave the aircraft and return to the waiting room once again, one passenger said.

The passengers had to wait for another two hours before they were asked to board their third aircraft for the flight, which actually took off and landed safely in Hanoi.

Vietnam Airlines promptly confirmed the incident on Tuesday.

A carriers representative said the Boeing 787 initially meant to be used for the service incurred technical problems just before takeoff, prompting the airline to switch to an Airbus A321 plane, with the new departure set at 12:30 am on May 15.

As the Airbus aircraft has smaller capacity, some of the passengers were also arranged to board another flight.

However, as it turned out that the alterative aircraft also failed to meet operating standards, Vietnam Airlines had to ask passengers to continue to wait, according to the representative.

Another Airbus A321 was then deployed for the service, and passengers could only actually board their flight at 4:30 am, and landed in Hanoi at 5:49 am the same day.

A Vietnam Airlines Boeing aircraft is seen in this file photo. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The representative asserted that Vietnam Airlines served the stranded passengers with food, water and blankets at Da Nang airport in pursuance with regulations, and arranged cars to take them to the the city center free of charge upon landing in Hanoi.

Vietnam Airlines also provided compensation and cover accommodation costs for those passengers who had to board another flight, he added.

As of Wednesday afternoon, it remains unclear what technical problem has affected the Vietnam Airlines planes, leaving passengers angry.

The incident added to the long list of aviation scandals hitting Vietnamese airlines in the year to date.

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A Vietnamese consumer finance firm braces itself for an inspection from a state agency following a series of consumer complaints about the company.

Local consumer loan company FE Credit will face an inspection by the State Bank of Vietnam Banking Supervision Agency in 2018 regarding harassing customers, as announced in writing by the state unit.

Founded as Consumer Finance Division of Vietnam Prosperity Joint-Stock Commercial Bank (VPBank), after five years of establishment, FE Credit became an independent company in 2015.

As a non-bank lender, FE Credit does not receive deposits but does make loans to customers for personal use.

Previously, the Department of Competition and Consumer Protection under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) reported continuously receiving complaints from consumers related to the firm.

Many people have complained they had been bombarded with constant phone calls in the last six months at a frequency of almost ten calls a day despite borrowing no money from the company.

The issue went far as some debt collectors of FE Credit even denoted signs of harassment and threatening these people.

It concerns us [the Department of Competition and Consumer Protection] that these forms of harassment are currently affecting citizens everyday life and work, said a representative of the state agency.

After news of the inspection hit the media, FE Credit explained the controversy in a written response on Monday.

According to our procedures, customers will have to declare two people as references in case there is bad debt or overdue debt when completing their loan application, the answer reads.

The company will make calls to those provided contacts to urge repayments."

The wrong phone calls might happen when the references no longer use these phone numbers or have sold them to others, or the numbers were incorrectly input in the beginning.

FE Credit also admitted some of its debt collectors showed inappropriate attitudes over the phone and said that the firm had sent its apologies to those who were disturbed by mistake.

It is now examining its own data to remove the wrong numbers from the system and will report to the State Bank of Vietnam.

Phone call harassment is not the only issue over which the personal finance lender will be inspected.

Around the end of 2017, many consumers, mostly women, also complained to the Department of Competition and Consumer Protection about FE Credit duping them into purchasing the Deaura companys cosmetics set.

A Deaura cosmetics set is seen in this photo. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The set valued at VND40 million (US$1,760) was sold by Deaura, now the Venesa company, in the form of installment payments through loan contracts between the purchasers and FE Credit.

However, the consumers asked to return the products and wanted to cancel the loan agreements with the finance company after thinking that FE Credit was the actual seller, not Deaura, tricking them into becoming its debtors.

The consumer finance agent rushed me to sign the loan agreement without me reading it thoroughly, a consumer said in her complaint sent to the department.

In addition, the lending staff members were also accused of not letting the consumers keep or take copies of the loan contracts, reasoning that they had to be brought back to the company for stamping and would be sent to the consumers by post.

Apparently, low- and average-income earners who want quick money, without having to complete bank procedures or putting up collateral, to buy things are target customers of consumer finance companies like FE Credit.

Borrowers do not need to put anything up as collateral and are only required to prove they are capable of repaying the loans.

It is unknown why there were cases of unqualified customers who had unstable sources of income, but were still paid out by the company.

Indirectly addressing the issue, the firm stated that it gave out the loan product in compliance with regulations.

Our contract template has been registered at the Vietnam Competition Administration Department, the company claimed in the response.

The legal relations between FE Credit and consumers are independent of the correlation between Deaura and consumers, while the loan agreement does not violate any obligations, so the request to cancel the contract is not legitimate.

Even so, FE Credit still supports contract termination where appropriate.

The lender, in return, insisted on reviewing its internal process and handling it severely if there really were such violations as in the complaints.

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SEOUL -- North Korea threw into question next months unprecedented summit between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, denouncing on Wednesday U.S.-South Korean military exercises as a provocation and calling off high-level talks with Seoul.

A report on North Koreas official KCNA angrily attacked the Max Thunder air combat drills, which it said involved U.S. stealth fighters and B-52 bombers, and appeared to mark a break in months of warming ties between North and South Korea and between Pyongyang and Washington.

The Max Thunder drills, aimed at boosting the capability of pilots, would go on as planned and were not aimed at attacking a third party, the Souths defence ministry said.

Any cancellation of the June 12 summit in Singapore, the first meeting between a serving U.S. president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to Trumps efforts to score the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for a successful meeting even as many analysts have been skeptical of the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Koreas willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that it says can hit the United States.

The KCNA report called the air drills a provocation that went against the trend of warming ties.

This exercise, targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula, KCNA said, referring to a joint statement from an April 27 inter-Korea summit.

The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities, KCNA said.

Warming ties

A Trump-Kim summit until recently had looked impossible given the insults and threats the two leaders exchanged last year over North Koreas development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.

Kim Jong Un had said previously that he understands the need and the utility of the United States and the Republic of Korea continuing in its joint exercises, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a briefing.

We have not heard anything from that government or the government of South Korea to indicate that we would not continue conducting these exercises or that we would not continue planning for our meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un next month, she said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the United States would examine the North Korean statement and continue to coordinate closely with our allies.

South Koreas National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong said after meeting Kim in early March that the North Korean leader understood that routine joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States would continue in spite of warming ties.

That was widely considered to be a major North Korea concession, although Pyongyang never publicly withdrew its long-standing demand for an end to the drills.

Kims latest move could be aimed at testing Trumps willingness to make concessions ahead of the summit, which is due to be preceded by a visit to Washington next week by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

A U.S. government expert on North Korea said Kim may also be trying to gauge whether Trump is willing to walk away from the meeting that has prompted the presidents supporters to suggest he deserves to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

Any acquiescence by Trump to a North Korean demand for a halt to joint drills would likely undermine South Korean and Japanese trust in his commitment to their security. Kim has also shown a desire to win international approval for his diplomatic outreach, and any sign that he is sabotaging the talks could damage this effort.

Suspended North-South meeting

KCNA said North Korea was suspending a ministerial-level North-South meeting, which had been due to be held on Wednesday to focus on plans to implement the inter-Korea summit declaration, including promises to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War and pursue complete denuclearization.

The U.S. should make efforts to create an atmosphere for mutual respect and confidence before dialogue, not resorting to a foolish farce that may reverse the good trend created with much effort, it said.

South Korea said the Norths decision to unilaterally postpone the talks was regrettable.

Such action of the North is inconsistent with the fundamental spirit and purpose of the Panmunjeom Declaration agreed by the South and North leaders on April 27, the Souths Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said.

The Pentagon said the May 14-25 Max Thunder exercises were routine and defensive in nature. A spokesman said the exercises would take place at Gwangju air base and would be at a scale similar to that of the previous years.

Last year, Max Thunder involved about 1,500 U.S. and South Korean personnel flying aircraft including F-16 fighter jets, according to a U.S. Air Force website.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States would agree to lift sanctions on North Korea if it agreed to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons program, a move he said would create economic prosperity that would rival that of South Korea.

North Korea said on Saturday it would dismantle its nuclear bomb test site some time between May 23 and May 25 to uphold its pledge to cease tests.

Joshua Pollack, of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said Pyongyang appeared irritated by the U.S. administrations vow to maintain sanctions in spite of North Korean concessions.

The North Koreans want a change in tone from the U.S., and at least so far, theyre not hearing one, he said.

A South Korean presidential adviser warned on Tuesday that an incremental North Korean approach to denuclearization would not be acceptable to Trump or the South Korean public.

Bonnie Glaser, of Washingtons Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said Kim may be being influenced by Chinese President Xi Jinping after two recent meetings with the Chinese leader, who has advocated a freeze in North Koreas nuclear program in return for a freeze in U.S.-South Korean drills.

The fact this issue is back on the table suggests Xi Jinping may have raised it with Kim, and that Kim is carrying Xis water, she said.
Police in the southern province of Dong Nai, which neighbors Ho Chi Minh City, have discovered cattle internal organs treated with chemicals to be used as food, during a recent raid on a local establishment.

Officers found around 20 kilograms of beef visceral organs soaked in bleaching chemicals as they stormed into the internal organ-processing facility in the provincial capital of Bien Hoa, police said on Tuesday.

These organs were intended for sale in the market as fresh products.

The authorities also caught six employees processing 400 kilograms of beef internal organs, including intestines, livers and stomachs, on a dirty floor of the location.

The facilitys owner, Trinh Quang Thai, failed to present documents of the organs origin and business license at the time of the inspection.

The police gave Thai a financial penalty and seized all the above organs for examination.

Thai said that the organs had been bought from slaughterhouses in Dong Nai and were expected to be consumed locally after being chemically processed.

Around 300 kilograms of internal organs are processed every day, the owner added.

Beef organs can be made into pha lau, also known as stewed organ meats or Vietnamese stew with organ meats, a favorite street food in Vietnam.

The dish can be cooked from beef organ meats, including tripe, intestine, heart, thymus, kidney, stomach and lungs, or pork organs, such as intestine and stomach, and pork ears.

Vietnamese people have developed mistrust for food sold at markets as a number of cases with vegetables and meat contaminated with chemicals have been revealed over the past many years.

In 2016, a facility in Dong Nai and another in a central Vietnamese province were landed in financial punishment after they were found immersing bean sprouts in chemical solutions aimed at stimulating their growth and making them bigger and whiter than usual.

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Police investigation has revealed that motorbike thieves took only 13 seconds to fatally attack a group of street guardians in a murder that rocked Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday night.

A press conference regarding the serious case was organized on Tuesday, chaired by Major General Phan Anh Minh, deputy director of the municipal Department of Police.

According to the police official, the incident happened at around 8:30 pm on Sunday in front of a house on Cach Mang Thang 8 Street in District 3.

Two thieves traveling on a Yamaha Exciter was strolling along the street when they spotted a Honda SH scooter parked on the sidewalk.

As they were about to steal the vehicle, a group of seven street knights jumped in and besieged them, before the two fought back with a knife.

Major General Phan Anh Minh (L), deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Police, talks to the press on May 15, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Two street knights were killed and three others seriously injured as a result, while the thieves managed to flee the scene.

Footage extracted from nearby security cameras indicated that the attack lasted for about 13 seconds, Maj. Gen. Minh stated.

Officers from nine districts across the city were mobilized to help with the case.

It was difficult to identify the suspects as the incident happened at night, causing CCTV footage to be blurry, an investigator said.

We were able to see the license plate of their motorbike, but it turned out to be a fake, he added.

The motorbike of the two suspects is confiscated by officers. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Following 12 hours of relentless effort, officers could identify the first prime suspect, 24-year-old Nguyen Hoang Chau Phu, on Monday morning.

The second suspect was later identified as Nguyen Tan Tai, also 24, who was arrested the same night.

At the police station, Phu and Tai admitted that they were the two motorbike thieves, while Tai also claimed he was the one who stabbed the street knights.

Officers have confiscated their Yamaha Exciter, a mobile phone, and a knife.

Police are finalizing the case file to begin legal proceedings against the suspects.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
State 2 urges more funds for Madhes

Lawmakers from Province 2 have urged the government to allocate adequate resources in the upcoming budget for the development of the federal unit comprising eight Tarai districts.
Fans of the 1963 Steve McQueen film The Great Escape will surely want to see the documentary The Great Escape this Sunday arvo on SBS.

BYO motorbike.

Winter, 1944. At the heart of Nazi Germany, 76 pilots  the British, the Canadians, the Norwegian and French, who were held in a prison camp of the Luftwaffe, escaped. The tunnel used for their flight was built in the greatest secrecy, under the nose of the German jailers.

This historical epic, immortalised in 1963 by John Sturges movie The Great Escape with Steve Mac Queen, went round the world. But the real story of these men overtakes by far the fiction imagined by Hollywood. Among the witnesses of this documentary is Jack Lyon, one of the last survivors of this adventure.

Sunday, 20 May at 5.30pm on SBS.
Amongst the US Upfronts this week is the confirmation that Charmed, Magnum PI and Roswell reboots are headed to series, but The Greatest American Hero and Cagney & Lacey are not.

Magnum P.I. for CBS stars Suicide Squads Jay Hernandez, sans Selleck-moustache.

A modern take on the classic series starring Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator in Hawaii.

The CWs Charmed will feature Melonie Diaz, Madeleine Mantock and Sarah Jeffrey who discover that they are three of the most powerful witches of all time.

After the tragic death of their mother, three sisters in a college town are stunned to discover they are witches. Soon this powerful threesome must stand together to fight the everyday and supernatural battles that all modern witches must face: from vanquishing powerful demons to toppling the patriarchy.

The retitled Roswell, New Mexico also produced for The CW features Jeanine Mason, Nathan Parsons, Michael Trevino and Tyler Blackburn.

After reluctantly returning to her tourist-trap hometown of Roswell, New Mexico, the daughter of undocumented immigrants discovers a shocking truth about her teenage crush who is now a police officer: hes an alien who has kept his unearthly abilities hidden his entire life. She protects his secret as the two reconnect and begin to investigate his origins, but when a violent attack and long-standing government cover-up point to a greater alien presence on Earth, the politics of fear and hatred threaten to expose him and destroy their deepening romance.

CBS passed on a reboot of Cagney and Lacey, while ABC passed on the female-led Greatest American Hero.

Murphy Brown is also back for CBS while Roseanne and Will & Grace continue.

Source: TV Line
If you read the online stories, they are bitter rivals:

Karl Stefanovic and Sam Armytage trade barbs in savage radio segment

Sam Armytage Karl Stefanovic trade blows on radio from London.

Sunrises Sam Armytage takes a swipe at rival Todays Karl Stefanovic 

But any barbs were surely all in jest as part of a radio prank by Nova bad boys Fitzy & Wippa.

Both Seven and Nine tell TV Tonight the two are friendly rivals and it was all tongue in cheek. Both are also acquaintances, far from savage opponents, except when it comes to TV ratings and news scoops.

Sunrise & Today teams were both on the same flight from Sydney to London and are even staying at the same hotel. At one stage they even shared the same agent.

No brussels sprouts were thrown in the course of savage segment.
Axed-drama Designated Survivor may yet return with producers eOne reportedly in discussion with Netflix, but talks are said to be preliminary.

While the drama was produced for ABC, Netflix has SVOD rights outside the US and Canada (Hulu has US rights). The Kiefer Sutherland series has performed will in its delayed viewing if not necessarily in Overnight broadcasting.

Designated Survivor also went through four showrunners for its two seasons on the air, and had a deal a place with a fifth to run the show in Season 3. Reports suggest the new executive producer will likely continue if the series gets a third season elsewhere.

Source: Deadline
Miguel Maestre meets Nigella Lawson on The Living Room, plus a visit from Shark Tanks Naomi Simson.

Miguel Maestre hits the kitchen with the queen of home cooking. Ahead of her guest appearance on TENs 10th season of MasterChef Australia, Nigella sits down with Miguel to talk all things food, and whips up one of Nigellas favourite chocolate desserts, with a secret Mediterranean twist.

Dr. Chris Brown travels to the stunning Blue Mountains in NSW, where he takes on the ultimate photo challenge. Armed with his camera, Chris explores the spectacular canyons which have been formed over millions of years.

One of Australias most-loved property flippers, Cherie Barber, is renovating a ramshackle investment property. To keep the house cash flow neutral, she comes up with some cost effective tricks to maximise her rental return. It is not long before Cherie runs into a number of expensive problems, but can some clever thinking keep her within budget?

Shark Tanks Naomi Simson joins Amanda, Miguel, Barry and Chris on the couch, as they pitch their best Hot or Not gadgets.

Friday, 18 May at 7.30pm on TEN.
As part of mental health Awareness Week (MHAW), hundreds of stations across the UK joined together for the first time and simultaneously broadcast the same message. The message, called Mental Health Minute, was created in an attempt to raise awareness of mental health and encourage those who are facing difficulties, or feel they are struggling, to talk about them.

Who took part?

BBC radio stations, Q Radio, Mix 96, and Heat Radio are some of the radio stations which took part in this historic moment. They all shared the one-minute pre-recorded message, comprised of advice by The Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Dame Judi Dench, David Harewood, Lady Gaga, and Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, at 11.59 am today (May 15).

In the broadcast, The Duke of Cambridge highlighted the value of talking things over by saying, "When you talk about something, you have less reason to fear it." The message concluded with Dame Judi Dench saying, "How are you feeling today? Its okay to say." This encourages those listening, to be honest about saying how they are feeling and not hide it.

The message can be listened to in full via this Tweet by Heads Together, shown below.

Listen to & share the #MentalHealthMinute with The Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry @ladygaga @J_Ennis @DavidHarewood & Dame Judi Dench.



It played on +300 UK radio stations in an historic moment to mark #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.



For more: https://t.co/RSeMNzI2oF. pic.twitter.com/qAPSX1Op1A  Heads Together (@heads_together) May 15, 2018

This mornings radio broadcast was in support of Heads Together and eight other charity partners including CALM and Mind.

Heads Together is, according to the charity's website, a Mental health initiative spearheaded by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, which combines a campaign to tackle stigma and change the conversation on mental health with fundraising for a series of innovative new mental health services. In this work, the Royal Princes are seen to continue the compassionate, charitable legacy of their late mother, Princess Diana.

Impact on millions of people

In getting over 300 radio stations of different varieties to take part, the Mental Health Minute initiative will have been heard by millions of listeners of different demographics, interests, and musical taste. This is a really crucial point as mental illness can affect anyone, no matter what their background is.

It is also important to note that if any individuals never experience mental health difficulties themselves, they will most likely have people they know at some point or another who are affected - whether these are friends, family, or work colleagues.

It is great, therefore, that so many people will have had the opportunity to listen to the MHM. Initiatives like this are very much needed to help make people aware, or remind them, that we should look out for each others mental health and be accepting and helpful to those who confide in us.

 We're looking forward to taking part in the @Heads_Together #MentalHealthMinute with other radio stations across the UK tomorrow: https://t.co/ssMdJB8BD4 pic.twitter.com/zRSTXlS1wT  Eagle 70s (@Eagle70s) May 14, 2018

This broadcast is just one of the many events taking place this week as part of the MHAW which runs from 14-20th May.

The week is organised by the Mental Health Foundation and is now in its 17th year. This year the theme of the awareness week is Stress: Are we Coping.
* Merger to create bank with assets of around $77 bln

* First (Other OTC: FSTC - news) major Saudi bank tie-up in two decades

* Merger agreement not yet binding

* Deal should make it easier for RBS (LSE: RBS.L - news) to exit Alawwal stake -sources

* Tie-up comes as kingdom embarks on transformation plan (Adds detail from sources)

By Tom Arnold and Hadeel Al Sayegh

DUBAI, May 16 (Reuters) - Saudi British Bank (SABB) and Alawwal Bank have agreed a merger to create Saudi Arabia's third-biggest lender, in a $5 billion deal that marks the first major banking tie-up in the kingdom in two decades.

The agreement, announced by the two banks on Wednesday but still non-binding, would create a lender with assets of around $77 billion, and is seen strengthening the banking system as Saudi Arabia embarks on a plan to transform its economy and cut its dependence on oil revenues.

SABB is 40 percent owned by HSBC Holdings (Frankfurt: 923893 - news) and Alawwal is 40 percent owned by RBS Holdings NV, a consortium that includes Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which has been trying to reduce its stake for some time. Selling a small stake in a larger merged entity could make it easier for RBS to find a buyer, two sources close to the merger said.

If approved, the merger deal would see SABB acquire smaller peer Alawwal for 18.6 billion riyals ($4.96 billion). The boards of the two banks reached a non-binding agreement on the share exchange ratio, subject to several conditions, the banks said in joint statements to the Saudi Arabian bourse.

"A binding agreement is yet to be entered into between Alawwal Bank and SABB," they said. "Any binding agreement to proceed with the merger will be subject to a number of conditions, including SAMA [the central bank], other regulatory authorities, and the shareholders' approval."

Merger talks began last year but progress had taken longer than expected, partly because the regulatory environment for bank acquisitions in Saudi Arabia is relatively untested. Shareholders were also assessing any potential impact from the kingdoms anti-corruption drive, two sources told Reuters in January.

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RBS, which acquired its stake in Alawwal via its 2007 purchase of ABN Amro, has been looking to sell it for a number of years as it retreats from international operations and tries to bolster its capital base.

Through the consortium, RBS owns about 15 percent of Alawwal. RBS's stake in the new entity will be 5 percent, an RBS source said.

The merger would reduce Alawwal-related risk-weighted assets on RBS's balance sheet from 5.9 billion pounds ($7.95 billion) to just under 1 billion pounds, the RBS source said.

"WIN (Taiwan OTC: 4949.TWO - news) -WIN SITUATION"

The steps still to be agreed in the merger include completion of due diligence and agreement on a number of other commercial issues, SABB and Alawwal said.

It would be the first major Saudi banking tie-up since Saudi American Bank merged with United Saudi Bank in 1999, forming one of the largest local banks at the time.

If everything goes to plan, the process could be completed by the end of 2018, two sources close to the merger said.

" merger would be a win-win situation. It would create the third-largest bank in the kingdom in terms of assets and net profit, which could reach 5.9 billion riyals annually," said Mazen al-Sudairi, head of research at Al Rajhi Capital.

Based on the preliminary agreement, Alawwal shareholders would receive 0.485 SABB shares for each Alawwal share, they said.

Based on the exchange ratio and the closing price of 33.5 riyals ($8.93) per SABB share on Monday, the merger would value each Alawwal share at 16.3 riyals and Alawwal's existing issued ordinary share capital at approximately 18.6 billion riyals, the banks' statement said. This represents a premium of 28.5 percent to the Alawwal share price, the banks said.

The combined entity is valued at a price to book ratio of 1.4 and 14 times price to earnings for the full year of 2018, said Jaap Meijer, managing director and head of equity research at Arqaam Capital in Dubai.

SABB and Alawwal said they did not expect the merger to result in any involuntary layoffs of staff.

($1 = 3.7502 riyals) ($1 = 0.7424 pounds) (Additional reporting by Saeed Azhar in Dubai and Marwa Rashad in Riyadh; Editing by Jason Neely and Susan Fenton)
Storm-hit people forced to live under open sky

Hundreds of families affected by Sunday nights storm are forced to live under open sky in Bardiya, Kailali, Kanchanpur and Dang districts. The storm had blown away the roofs of more than 600 homes in the region.
FILE PHOTO: Angolan President Joao Lourenco inspects a guard of honour on a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Feb. 14, 2018. REUTERS/Kenny Katombe/File Photo

By Stephen Eisenhammer

LUANDA (Reuters) - Angola's sovereign wealth fund has applied to a UK court to order banks to reveal information, another move in its dispute with its former boss, the son of long-serving ex-leader Jose Eduardo dos Santos, and the asset managers hired under him.

President Joao Lourenco, who took over when dos Santos stepped down last year after nearly 40 years in power, has swiftly moved to push aside relatives and allies of dos Santos from positions of power and influence over the economy.

The $5 billion (3.7 billion pounds) sovereign wealth fund has been embroiled in a dispute with its former boss, the ex-president's son Jose Filomeno dos Santos, and the Swiss-based asset manager contracted to invest money for the fund, Quantum Global.

The fund is trying to sack the fund manager, accusing it of mismanagement. Quantum Global denies wrongdoing and says the fund has violated its long-term contractual obligations.

A source directly familiar with the matter told Reuters the sovereign wealth fund had sought a so-called "Norwich Pharmacal order" to oblige banks to share information with the fund, including data about any accounts held in its name or on its behalf.

Such orders, named for a legal case from the 1970s, can be used in British court to force third parties to reveal information.

A hearing was held earlier this month at the Rolls Building, a tribunal in London which deals with international disputes, a separate source said.

Lourenco has vowed to fight graft after taking power last September and has moved against the family of the previous president, firing dos Santos's daughter Isabel from her post as head of the state oil firm Sonangol as well as removing Jose Filomeno from the sovereign wealth fund.

In a separate case, Jose Filomeno dos Santos has been accused by Angolan prosecutors of participating in an attempted fraud of $500 million against the central bank. He denies wrongdoing.

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The sovereign wealth fund has already been granted a global freezing order by a UK court covering funds held under its name or by contracted parties.

Quantum Global, which is led by Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais, a long-term business partner of Jose Filomeno dos Santos, has denounced what it calls "intimidating tactics," saying the money it has under management is accounted for and "has increased under Quantum Globals management".

In a press release dated 11 May, Quantum Global confirmed the sovereign wealth fund had started legal proceedings against it in the UK High Court and that a freezing order had been granted, without giving further details.

On Wednesday, Quantum Global did not immediately provide any additional comment. The sovereign wealth fund did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last month, after a visit by Angolan officials, Mauritius froze bank accounts and suspended business licences linked to QG Investments Africa Management, a firm run by Bastos de Morais and which also invested money on behalf of the sovereign wealth fund.

(Reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer; Editing by Peter Graff)
FILE PHOTO: Steven Maijoor, Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority, attends a policy dialogue during the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong, China January 18, 2016. REUTERS/Bobby Yip/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - It may not be possible for the European Union to legislate in time to avoid disruption in cross-border derivatives contracts in case of no-deal Brexit, a top EU regulator has said.

Steven Maijoor, chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), said it and the bloc's national regulators were monitoring how the derivatives market was readying for a potential "cliff-edge" March departure by Britain from the EU.

The Bank of England has said Britain and the EU need to legislate to ensure continuity in the stockpile cross-border derivatives contracts worth 26 trillion pounds that stretch out beyond Brexit.

Markets alone cannot fully tackle the issue, the BoE said.

Although Britain and the EU have agreed a transition deal to continue applying EU rules in Britain until the end of 2020, it will not be ratified until October. Many in the final sector are concerned it could be derailed by lack of clarity on future UK-Irish border relations.

Maijoor said another major legal uncertainty - over the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill to formally end Britain's EU membership and transpose EU into British law - was also making it hard for EU authorities to intervene to ensure "contract continuity" in derivatives.

"It would be difficult to envisage a public sector intervention without at least EU laws being implemented nationally in the UK," Maijoor told Reuters.

The bill has become a major test of Prime Minister Theresa May's authority, and there is no exact timetable for its final approval.

"Getting EU laws in the UK in place is still uncertain. The best advice to the private sector is to prepare for the unfortunate chance there may not be a transition regime in place," Maijoor said.

The BoE and the European Central Bank are teaming up to keep markets orderly around Brexit Day, though they have no powers to legislate.

Britain's financial sector, the largest in Europe, is looking to what sort of new trading terms it can expect with Europe after 2020, when transition ends.

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The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has said the best bet is a form of the bloc's existing "equivalence" system.

This refers to Brussels granting markets access to foreign banks, insurers, asset managers or clearing houses if their home rules are in line with the bloc's. Barnier has said that, for UK financial firms, it could start during the transition period to save time.

ESMA advises Brussels on granting equivalence and Maijoor said Britain's withdrawal bill also needed to be in place for equivalence determinations.

(Reporting by Huw Jones; editing by John Stonestreet)
By Lin Taylor

LONDON, May 16 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A new "plastic-free" logo launched in Britain on Wednesday will allow shoppers to identify products with plastic packaging, as companies come under growing pressure to use green alternatives.

Eight million tonnes of plastic - bottles, packaging and other waste - are dumped into the ocean every year, killing marine life and entering the human food chain, according to the United Nations.

Growing concern from the public and lawmakers about the damage to the environment means food and drink manufacturers and retailers are under pressure to act on plastic waste.

"We all know the damage our addiction to plastic has caused, we want to do the right thing and buy plastic-free," said Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, the British-based campaign group behind the new label.

"But it is harder than you think, and a clear, no-nonsense label is much needed. Finally, shoppers can be part of the solution not the problem."

British supermarket giant Iceland, Dutch supermarket Ekoplaza, which launched a plastic-free aisle earlier this year, and British tea company teapigs are among the first companies to adopt the label.

Last month, more than 40 companies including Britain's biggest supermarkets, Coca Cola (NYSE: KO - news) , Nestle (Swiss: NESN.VX - news) and Procter & Gamble , signed up to the UK Plastics Pact, pledging to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic packaging by 2025.

In January, privately-owned Iceland became the first British supermarket to promise to eliminate plastic packaging from all of its own-brand products.

"With (Other OTC: WWTH - news) the grocery retail sector accounting for more than 40 percent of plastic packaging in the UK, it's high time that Britain's supermarkets came together to take a lead," said Iceland's managing director Richard Walker in a statement.

In 2015 Britain introduced a charge for plastic bags which has led to an 80 percent reduction in plastic bag use since 2015.

Nearly 200 nations late last year signed a U.N. resolution to eliminate plastic pollution in the sea, a move some hope will pave the way to a legally binding treaty.

(Reporting by Lin Taylor @linnytayls, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters (Dusseldorf: TOC.DU - news) that covers humanitarian issues, conflicts, land and property rights, modern slavery and human trafficking, gender equality, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org to see more stories)
By Daria Sito-Sucic and Dado Ruvic

SARAJEVO/BIHAC (Reuters) - Bosnia is struggling to cope with the arrival of thousands of migrants and refugees, many of whom are sleeping in parks in the capital and other towns as they seek passage into western Europe.

The country's asylum centre has 200 beds and 80 to 150 people have arrived each day this month, Security Minister Dragan Mektic said on Monday.

About 4,000 people from Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Algeria and Afghanistan have entered Bosnia this year compared with 755 in 2017 and up to 1,500 are stuck there. Many have faced perilous journeys.

"I was sent back from Croatia six times," said Omar from Iraq, who arrived in Bosnia with his younger brother after spending two years in Greece. Omar declined to give his last name.

"I must get to Germany because all my family is there," said the 19-year-old, echoing many others who spoke in the empty old building in Bihac near the Croatian border where he stayed.

More than a million migrants came to Europe in 2015. The so-called Balkan route into western Europe via Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia was shut in 2016 when Turkey agreed to stop the flow in return for EU aid and a promise of visa-free travel for its own citizens.

But since autumn, following stricter border controls between Serbia, Hungary and Croatia, smugglers have created a new route from Greece via Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia to Croatia and western Europe.

Migrants stranded in Serbia since 2016 are also increasingly crossing to Bosnia and many Iranians are also taking advantage of a visa-free regime introduced last year between Serbia and Iran.

While the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) expects arrivals to continue on average of 350-400 a week, Adnan Tatarevic from Pomozi.ba, a Sarajevo-based NGO that has helped migrants since January, says the numbers are higher.

"We expect about 50,000 arrivals by the end of the year," Tatarevic told Reuters. International groups helping migrants have urged the government to accommodate people sleeping rough.

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"The longer we wait to put accommodation and everything with it in place, the risk is we are creating ... a mini-humanitarian crisis," said Peter Van Der Auweraert, IOM's western Balkans coordinator. "It has to be done not in two months time but ... next week."

Authorities in Sarajevo and the northwestern town of Bihac asked central government for help, saying they worried about health risks given the warmer weather and deteriorating public hygiene. The two cities are also tourism destinations.

Non-governmental organisations and residents, some of whom became refugees themselves during Bosnia's 1992-95 war, have helped migrants for months but now say they struggle to cope.

Government ministers on Monday pledged to move the migrants to alternative accommodation but warned Bosnia could be forced to close borders unless the migrants can continue their journeys to other EU countries.

(Writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
Belgian clown Kevin Lapeire is accused of murdering his girlfriend in front of her children (CEN)

A celebrity clown who appeared on Belgiums Got Talent has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his girlfriend in front of her three children.

Kevin Lapeire is alleged to have killed a 47-year-old-woman, known only as Caroline D, after tying up her children, aged 12, 15 and 17.

The 31-year-old  one of only five professional clowns in Belgium  broadcast himself live on Facebook during an armed stand-off with police.

Lapeire livestreamed an armed stand-off with police on Facebook (CEN)

The famous clown appeared on Belgiums Got Talent (CEN)

Lapeire allegedly stabbed Caroline to death after they split up in a revenge attack on Sunday  Belgiums Mothers Day.

He was spotted on top of a 13-storey apartment building in Bredene, close to his parents home, on Monday, waving a pistol.

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Footage on Facebook Live showed him throwing a gas canister from the roof, and firing into the sky.

After a four hour stand-off, Lapeire, who regularly performed for sick children at hospitals, surrendered by pulling his jumper over his had while holding his hands up in the air.

The 31-year-old reportedly didnt get along with his girlfriends teenage kids (CEN)

The childrens father told Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws: Its too horrible, especially my children.

The victims body was found in a garage by emergency services on Monday.
The father whose four children with autism were found dead alongside his estranged wife and her parents in an apparent mass murder-suicide in Australia last Friday alleges his wifes father planned the attack for a long time.

Authorities have not publicly revealed a suspect or motive in the shooting of the seven family members, whose bodies were discovered on the familys rural farm in the Australian town of Osmington. But theyve revealed they are focusing their investigation on the grandfather, Peter Miles, who owned guns found at the scene.

Miles and his wife, Cynda, died along with their daughter, Katrina Miles, and Katrinas children Taye, 13; Rylan, 12; Ayre, 10; and Kadyn, 8.

All the kids died peacefully in their beds, the childrens father, Aaron Cockman, said he was told by police, according to his statements at a news conference Sunday, the Reuters news service reports. The youngest, Kadyn, was found in bed with his mother, he said.

Cockman was estranged from Katrina Miles, and said the couples split had prompted Katrina and the kids to move onto her parents property, where Katrinas parents forbade him access to the children.

Katrina Miles and her four children

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[Peter] was like my best friend and I still love who he was, but his mental attitude there are some people you just dont get on the wrong side of  and thats Peter and Cynda, Cockman said.

Aaron Cockman

The anger towards them now is completely gone, he said. Completely gone. I dont feel angry. I feel tremendous sadness for my kids.

Regarding the allegation that Peter Miles may have killed the family and then himself, Cockman said: I think hes thought this through. I think hes been thinking this through for a long time.

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In a separate news conference, Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said, I can only describe [it] as an horrific incident, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Katrina Miles

Katrina Miles lived with her kids in a converted shed on her parents property, The Australian reported. Her mother was well-known for her community involvement in nearby Margaret River, a popular coastal surfing and tourist destination. Her father was a farm maintenance worker.

The incident was widely reported as the worst mass shooting in Australia since 1996, when Martin Bryant killed 35 people and wounded 23 others with a semi-automatic rifle in Port Arthur.

Australian lawmakers responded to the Port Arthur attack by adopting stricter gun laws some credit with reducing mass shootings in the country.
Clarke in Game of Thrones (Credit: HBO)

Emilia Clarke still cant quite believe that Brad Pitt once bid almost 90,000 to watch an episode of Game of Thrones with her.

Back in January, at a fundraiser for Sean Penns charity which provides aid for Haiti, Pitt went up to $120,000 for the opportunity for an audience with Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, the Unburnt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons herself.

However, he was beaten to the prize by the final bidder, who stumped up a staggering $160,000.

A source at the time told Us Weekly: Emilia was covering her mouth and giggling. Leo [DiCaprio] enthusiastically watched the whole auction, turning his head back and forth between Brad and Emilia. [Pitt] laughed hysterically when he gave up and they called him out for it.

Emilia Clarke and Brad Pitt (Credit: Getty Images)

And she still cant quite believe it.

As for the actual screening, she told Yahoo Movies in the US that it has happened and that it was a bit of a surreal evening.

It was good. Yeah, it was the most surreal moment of my entire life.

Of the auction itself, she says: It was the weirdest experience of my entire life. I thought my head was going to explode. I went bright red and couldnt stop smiling. It was amazing. I texted everyone I knew.

After it happened I pretty much called my entire phone book and was like, I just need everyone to know this happened to me.

Who eventually outbid Pitt is not known  they asked to remain anonymous  but it was all for a good cause, with the figure contributing to the $3 million that was raised.

Clarke, meanwhile, will next be seen on screen in Star Wars spin-off Solo: A Star Wars Story, due out across the UK on May 24.

Check out what the critics have had to say about it here

Read more

Harrison Ford on new Solo movie

Remembering Margot Kidder

Solid reviews for Deadpool 2




An international team of researchers has used a powerful X-ray laser to heat room-temperature water to 100,000 degrees Celsius (180,032 Fahrenheit) in less than a trillionth of a second.

The teams experimentswhich are described in a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesproduced an exotic state of water, which may provide new insights into perhaps the most important substance on Earth.

Scientists from the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) and Uppsala University in Sweden used a laser known as the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to shoot extremely intense but incredibly brief pulses of X-rays at a jet of water.

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This rapidly heats the water but the effect is very different to normal boiling, according to Carl Caleman from CFEL.

"Normally, when you heat water, the molecules will just be shaken stronger and stronger, he said in a statement. "Our heating is fundamentally different. The energetic X-rays punch electrons out of the water molecules, thereby destroying the balance of electric charges. So, suddenly the atoms feel a strong repulsive force and start to move violently."

This meant that in less than 75 femtoseconds (75 millionths of a billionth of a second), the water changed state from a liquid to plasmathe fourth fundamental state of matter, that takes the form of an electrically charged gas where the electrons have been removed from the atoms.

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As the water transforms from liquid to plasma, it remains at the density of liquid water because the atoms dont have time to move significantly. In this state, the water exists in a form of matter that cannot be found naturally on Earth.

"It has similar characteristics as some plasmas in the sun and the gas giant Jupiter, but has a lower density, Olof Jonsson from Uppsala University said in the statement. Meanwhile, it is hotter than Earth's core."

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image_thumbnail

Carl Caleman, CFEL/DESY and Uppsala University

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The teams research has cast new light on the properties of water, which are actually very peculiar, featuring many anomalies with regards to its density, heat capacity and thermal conductivity, among other characteristics.

For example, unlike almost any other known substance, water's solid form floats on its liquid form and water ice expands rather than contracting. It also has the highest surface tension of all known liquids. In addition, when it is super-cooled it may exist in two different states simultaneouslyas recent research has demonstrated.

"Water really is an odd liquid, and if it weren't for its peculiar characteristics, many things on Earth wouldn't be as they are, particularly life," Jonsson said.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
BERLIN (Reuters) - German prosecutors brought charges on Tuesday against employees of weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch, whom they accuse of illegally trafficking arms to Mexican federal states to which Berlin has prohibited gun exports.

In 2016, Heckler & Koch, one of the world's best-known gunmakers, said it would no longer sign contracts to supply countries outside of NATO's influence because it had become too difficult to obtain government approval for such deals.

However, the Stuttgart prosecutor's office charged six Heckler & Koch sales employees with violating both the Foreign Trade and the War Weapons Control Acts for delivering rifles and accessories to four Mexican states to which Berlin had prohibited arms exports due to the human rights situation there.

The prosecutor's office said the employees, whom it did not name, made 15 illegal deliveries between 2006 and 2009 and were aware that arms deliveries were sent to these states.

Anti-arms activists consider the Heckler & Koch trial important because they suspect that G36 rifles were used in the 2014 abduction and massacre by a gang of a group of trainee teachers in the southwestern city of Iguala.

German journalist Juergen Graesslin initiated the lawsuit with information he had collected.

"In the fall of 2009, I received a phone call from a Heckler & Koch employee who said 'My company was doing illegal arms trading with the management's knowledge'," Graesslin told Reuters TV.

Graesslin, the head of a campaign named "Outcry - Stop the Arms Trade", and a member of the Peace Cooperative Network, checked the material he received and found it credible.

The German company on Friday said it would collaborate with the investigation.

"Heckler & Koch is aware of its social and legal responsibility. As a result of the incidents, the company has made drastic and extensive changes to prevent such events from occurring in the future," the company said in a statement.

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(Reporting by Reuters TV and Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

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The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has released the husband of an Army chaplain who served two tours in Afghanistan, after the couple filed an appeal to halt an order for his deportation back to Honduras.

Tim Brown, who lives in Sanford, North Carolina, told Newsweek his husband, Sergio Avila Rodriguez had been arrested by ICE agents on Thursdaydespite the couple being given assurances by another agent just over a month ago that Avila Rodriguez would not be arrested as he was the spouse of a military officer.

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Brown said the couple felt "lied to." He said he believed the ICE agent had told him his husband would not face arrest as a "trap" to get Avila Rodriguez to attend the May 10 immigration meeting where he was arrested.

"It was an absolute trap. It was a trap and a lie," Brown said.

After Avila Rodriguez's release from detention on Monday, Brown said in a statement sent to Newsweek that while he is thankful to be able to bring his husband home, "there is still a long way to go."

"Furthermore, there are countless others who are also in need of our help, your help," Brown said. "While this is a huge victory, it is only the beginning for Sergio and others like him," he added.

Brown told Newsweek his experience dealing with ICE after his husband's arrest has inspired him to help others who are fighting to protect their loved ones from deportation.

"I don't take it personally about me serving [with the Army] and all that kind of stuff. I'm just focused on the fact that this is an inhumane process," he said.

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"Imagine this situation where you're at the mercy of a bureaucracy that is massive and an enforcement agency that just goes in and rips families apart and your only recourse is to just sit there," he added.

"I've served 10 years, I've served in two deployments, been to Afghanistan twice. I've done my work," Brown said. "But more than anything, I'm just frustrated we have a system that's so broken."

Read more: U.S. Army chaplain says ICE arrested his husband, despite saying he would be safe from deportation

The Army chaplain said that since his story went public, a number of people have contacted him with similar stories of their loved ones facing deportation. He said he has begun to take down the numbers and information of others who have family members being held in ICE custody, adding that he plans to help them fight to stop their loved ones from being deported.

"ICE has messed with the wrong guy," Brown said. "I am determined and I am an advocate for humanity like they've never dealt with," he added.

"They deal with many people who are impoverished and don't have resources and those people just blend into the scenery," he said. "They don't have a voice. So, I'm telling them give me your information, because it is about Sergio for me, but this is a bigger issue. If we don't continue to speak out about it, nobody is going to do anything."

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Brown, a twice-awarded Bronze Star Medal recipient for his two tours in Afghanistan, said he met Avila Rodriguez three years ago and was immediately interested in him.

The couple got married in January 2017 and had been doing "everything" the couple was told to do in order to secure legal status for Avila Rodriguez.

"We did everything that we were told to do. We paid the money, we got the attorneys," Brown said. "I'm an educated man. I have two master's [degrees]; I'm not stupid. I think very carefully about these things and we checked every box."

ICE Southern Region spokesman Bryan D. Cox confirmed to Newsweek that Avila Rodriguez had been released from custody on Monday afternoon after his husband filed an apeal with the immigration courts.

He said ICE would "await the outcome" of the court's decision before determining "future actions" in Avila Rodriguez's case.

Brown, who founded GOal LGBTQ, an organization aiming to provide support to members of the LGBT community, has said he fears for his husband's safety if he is forced to return to Honduras.

"The LGBTQ issue is unbelievably hostile in Honduras," he said. "It's very hostile to the LGBTQ community."

The Army chaplain added that his husband has not been to Honduras since he fled when he was 7 years old, adding that Avila Rodriguez was brought to the U.S. "unwillingly, of no volition of his own, to the U.S. by his uncle."

"And you want to take him out in shackles? It's unbelievable to me," Brown said, adding: "To his mind, this is home."

This article was first written by Newsweek

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jr express train

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The West Japan Railway Company has apologised after a train in central Japan departed its platform 25 seconds early.

It didn't affect any other travel schedules, but one person missed the train.

Japan is meticulous about punctuality.



A Japanese railway company has issued an official apology after one of its trains departed the station 25 seconds early.

The West Japan Railway Company's apology came after one of its express trains left the platform at Notogawa station in central Japan at 7:11:35 a.m., instead of the scheduled 7:12 a.m., on May 11.

The train conductor misunderstood the departure time and closed the train doors ahead of schedule, according to the company's press release.

The early departure didn't affect any other travel schedules that day, but led to one person missing their train.

"We inconvenienced our customers very much, and we will strive to prevent this from occurring again," JR West said in a statement quoted by the country's Asahi newspaper.

Japan prizes itself on punctuality. Last November, management at the Tokyo-area Tsukuba Express line also apologised for a train leaving 20 seconds early  it had left at 9:43:40 a.m. instead of 9:44 a.m.

According to Casey Baseel, an American blogger living in Japan, this isn't surprising: Many commuters in the country plan their journeys so that they arrive at the train platform just as the cars pull up.

Japan's obsession wtih punctuality has taken a deadly turn in the past, too. In 2005, a commuter train derailed and killed more than 100 people after the driver, running 90 seconds late, sped up.

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Today's Google Doodle celebrates what would have been the 115th birthday of Maria Reiche, a German-born mathematician and archaeologist who dedicated her life to studying the mysterious Nazca Linesa series of giant ancient drawings etched into the sands of the Peruvian desert which depict animals, plants, geometric shapes and human figures.

Reichewho became known as the Lady of the Lineswas born in Dresden in 1903 but emigrated to Peru in 1932 after completing her studies to escape the political situation in her homeland, accepting a job as a governess to the children of the German consul there.

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She first visited the site in 1941, becoming fascinated with the shapeswhich are more than 1,000 years old and extend over 35 miles of the Nazca desert in the south of the country. The lack of wind and rain in the isolated region has kept the drawings well preserved for hundreds of years.

By 1946, she had moved to the desert, spending the next five decades investigating the Lines, determined to unlock the secrets of why and how they were made. In this time, she found, measured and cleaned hundreds of them and even helped the Peruvian government to map them. She proposed various explanations for why the ancient Nazca people may have created the Lines, suggesting they represented some kind of astronomical calendar. (Today the drawings are thought to have served a more ceremonial purpose.)

In addition to her own work, Reiche funded several research projects into the Lines and also became a staunch protector of them, protesting against the government when it planned to dig canals across the site. As the Lines became a major tourist attractionin part, as a result of her tireless advocacyReiche hired security guards to protect them and even became known for chasing off people and vehicles who intruded on the drawings.

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Reiche's determination and passion endeared her to the people of her adopted country and she was granted Peruvian citizenship in 1992, three years before UNESCO declared the Nazca lines a World Heritage Site (she was later awarded a special medal for her contributions to the study of the Lines over the decades). She died in Lima in 1998 from lung cancer at the age of 95. Today the Nazca aiport is named after her.

This article was first written by Newsweek

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Nurses in the UK have supported the legalisation of cannabis (Carlos Osorio/AP)

Nurses in the UK have voted to support the legalisation of cannabis for medical use.

The vote by members of the Royal College of Nursing saw an overwhelming amount of support for lobbying the Government to change the legal status of the drug.

Nurses argued that potent painkillers such as morphine and fentanyl were both legal despite being closely linked to heroin, and that cannabis should therefore be treated in the same regard.

Surely it is better to have patients using cannabis being monitored by health professionals able to pick up on any adverse effects quickly, nurse Tracey Risebrow told the Telegraph.

It is inhumane to have people suffering when there is something that can help We are making criminals out of people who only want to do what is best for their loved ones.

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Specifically, nurses voted in favour of the complete decriminalisation of the drug in all forms including cannabis and cannabis resin.

The latest support from the Royal College of Nursing comes after the Royal College of Physicians last month called for the drug to be decriminalised.

But they were still keen to exercise caution.

The legal status of cannabis and other drugs is a matter for government rather than doctors to decide. Cannabis carries significant mental health risks for some, including psychosis, depression and anxiety, a spokesperson said last month.

We support medical use of NICE approved, cannabis products, following properly conducted independent research Legalisation for recreational and medicinal use should be considered as distinct.
Russia has accused the UK of casting a veil over the case of poisoned spy Sergei Skripal, claiming he is being held against his will.

Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent in Salisbury in March, and have since declined offers of help from their home country of Russia.

But Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says the Skripals are being held in Britain against their will and has claimed the former spy Mr Skripal is still a Russian citizen, despite finding refuge in the UK when he was found to be a double agent.

She said: "We see it as a murder attempt of Russian citizens and huge political provocations and burden of proof lies with UK side. They still refuse to provide consular access saying Yulia does not want to communicate with any Russian representatives while Sergei is a national of UK.

"We would like to see proof that they're refusing and we haven't seen that so far," she added.

"We want to hear them say it to us out loud if they don't want any contact.

"We see it as a forceful containment, that they're being taken by UK state - gross violation of bilateral agreements."

She also said that Britain is continuing to point the finger at Russia without evidence about who was behind the attempted murder of the father and daughter.

She added that Russia will be doing all it can to "disentangle the situation" so the process "will be more transparent so the veil cast by UK will be lifted".

:: 'Miracle' recovery: How Sergei and Yulia Skripal survived the novichok attack

Speaking at a weekly media briefing, Ms Zakharova also commented on Viktoria Skripal, the cousin of Yulia, and her failed attempts to be granted a visa.

She said: "Not long ago they refused to give Viktoria Skripal a visa, they said if she requests a visa again this will be considered.

"But again this is nothing but a lie - Viktoria was refused on a second application without any explanation at all. [It] Completely contradicts statements made by UK government."

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Last week, the country's ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, repeated his claim that Britain had "abducted" the pair as they recovered from the novichok poison attack in Salisbury.

Parts of the cathedral city were cordoned off for weeks as police conducted the investigation, and there have been warnings that "hot spots" of the poison could remain.

They were targeted with up to 100mg of the deadly nerve agent, with the highest concentration of it found on Mr Skripal's front door.

The UK's representative to the United Nations, Karen Pierce, told a meeting in April there was "no plausible alternative explanation than Russian state responsibility for what happened in Salisbury".

She said: "Russia has a proven record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations including on the territory of the United Kingdom.

"No terrorist group or non-state actor would be able to produce this agent in the purity described by the OPCW testing and this is something Russia has acknowledged.

"The Russian state has previously produced novichok and would still be capable of doing so today."

Mr Skripal and his daughter have defied medical odds - he is no longer in a critical condition and she has been discharged from hospital.
Donald Trump has thrown fresh doubt over a planned US summit with North Korea next month, saying "we'll have to see".

The US President's comments came after North Korea threatened to pull out of the first ever summit with the US, planned for 12 June in Singapore.

The North said it has no interest in a summit based on "one-sided" demands to give up its nuclear weapons.

Mr Trump said whatever happens, he will still insist on the denuclearisation of North Korea.

Speaking at the White House at a meeting with the president of Uzbekistan, he said the US has not "heard anything" about threats to cancel the summit.

"We haven't been notified at all," Mr Trump said.

"We haven't seen anything. We haven't heard anything.

"We will see what happens."

:: North v South: A tale of two Koreas

Mr Trump's security adviser John Bolton told Fox News that the odds are still in favour of the summit going ahead.

North Korea's first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan said that if the US "corners us and unilaterally demands we give up nuclear weapons we will no longer have an interest in talks and will have to reconsider whether we will accept the upcoming DPRK-US summit".

His threat came after the North scrapped high-level talks with South Korea hours before they were due to start on Wednesday, blaming the South's military drills with the US, which began on Friday.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said earlier on Wednesday that preparations for the summit were ongoing despite the cancellation of the South Korean talks.

She said Mr Trump is "hopeful" the meeting will still take place.

"If it doesn't we'll continue the maximum pressure campaign that's been ongoing," she told Fox and Friends.

Mr Kim said the fate of the summit and relations between North Korea and the US "would be clear" if Washington spoke of a Libya-style denuclearisation for the North.

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Mr Trump would also remain a "failed president" if he followed in the steps of his predecessors, the statement added.

Mr Kimappeared to be responding to recent comments from Mr Bolton and others suggesting that North Korea should follow the "Libyan model" of nuclear disarmament.

Libya cut its nuclear programme in exchange for the easing of sanctions.

North Korea, however, sees the gruesome death of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 as justification for its own nuclear development amid what it describes as US threats.

If the US-North Korea summit was to be cancelled, it would be frustrating and embarrassing for Mr Trump, who had promised to make it a "very special moment for world peace".

It will also be a blow to optimism inspired by last month's historic meeting between Kim Jong Un and South Korea's leader President Moon Jae-in.

At the meeting, the first between the two countries in 11 years, Mr Kim pledged a "new history".

A joint statement said the two had confirmed their goal of achieving "a nuclear-free Korean peninsula through complete denuclearisation".

The statement did not provide any new specific ideas on how to achieve the objective.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has ordered the Israeli consul general in Istanbul to return to Israel "for some time", a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said on Wednesday, in a diplomatic row that follows the killing of 60 Palestinian protesters by Israeli forces.

Turkey has been among the most vocal critics of the Israeli use of deadly force against protesters at the Gaza border and of the U.S. decision to open its new embassy in Jerusalem.

President Tayyip Erdogan described Monday's bloodshed, the deadliest for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict, as genocide and called Israel a terrorist state. The government declared three days of mourning.

Turkey has expelled Israel's ambassador and recalled its ambassadors from Tel Aviv and Washington. It has called for an emergency meeting of Islamic nations on Friday.

On Wednesday, Israel protested what it called Turkey's "unbecoming treatment" of its expelled ambassador, after the envoy was shown on Turkish media being patted down by airport security in Istanbul in public view.

In response to Ambassador Eitan Naveh's treatment, Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned the Turkish embassy's charge d'affaires.

The Turkish ambassador to Israel was recalled to Ankara for consultations on Monday.

Israel expelled the Turkish consul-general in Jerusalem, and Erdogan exchanged heated words on Twitter with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said the Turkish Consul-General in Jerusalem had been summoned and told to return to Turkey "for consultations for a period of time."

The dispute appears to mark the worst diplomatic crisis between the two regional powers since Israeli marines stormed an aid ship to enforce a naval blockade of Gaza in 2010, killing 10 Turkish activists and prompting a downgrade in diplomatic ties that lasted until 2016.

(Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson arrives in Downing Street, in London, May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

Thomson Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said regime change in Iran was not a policy Britain should pursue and that any change would not necessarily be for the better.

Johnson made the comments in parliament on Tuesday in response to a question about whether he thought John Bolton, the U.S. National Security Advisor, was seeking regime change in Tehran.

"I have to tell you that I do not believe that regime change in Tehran is the objective that we should be seeking," Johnson said.

"We might conceivably achieve regime change at some stage in the near future but I cannot with any confidence say that would be a change for the better because it seems equally plausible to me to imagine that Qasem Soleimani of the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps) could put himself in a very good position to take over from Ayatollah Khamenei for instance."

(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon and Andrew MacAskill; editing by Stephen Addison)

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The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has extended the deadline to submit proposals to conduct a feasibility study and prepare a detailed design of the Tamor Storage Hydro Project since there were very few takers.
After weeks of continuous meetings, the city council of Seattle has decided to impose a tax on the biggest firms based in the city, including Amazon and Starbucks, to raise enough money to face homelessness. Amazon, which is considered the citys largest employer, said that the decision would put future expansions in the region on hold. The city council voted for the tax unanimously, claiming that it will help raise $47 million to face the recent housing affordability problem due to the recent booming economy. Reports by CBS News and the BBC provided all the information used in this article.

Local corporations claim such decisions will decrease the number of jobs. The vice president of Amazon said the firm remains anxious about the future and worries about the hostile approach of the city council when dealing with larger corporations. The vice president also questioned possible growth with the new tax burden. Starbucks accuses the city council of continuous spending and failing with no accountability.

Impact of the tax on Seattles businesses

The tax will be imposed on corporations with more than $20 million in sales annually, roughly $275 annually for each employee. This means it will be imposed on 500 firms, including city-based corporations such as Starbucks and Nordstrom, a department store chain.

It will also have an impact on technology giants such as Google, Apple, and Facebook, having a huge presence in Seattle. Seattles commerce chamber said that such taxes will not fix the problem. Also, Amazon has warned that imposing such tax will risk about 7,000 new jobs. Following the vote, Amazon announced it would build a new office tower as planned.

However, they said that they now are evaluating whether to empty some space in the second office building to move the planned jobs elsewhere.

Big support for the councils decision

The long debate over who is responsible and should solve the housing problem was sparked by Seattles economic growth with booming rent and an increase in homelessness.

Also, advocates claim that the region placed third on the list of the highest number of homeless people in the United States, with a record of 169 homeless deaths last year. Some members of the council were disappointed that they couldnt get the votes needed to score a veto by the city mayor. Advocates say that businesses and corporations, who profited from Seattles prosperity and took part in increasing income inequality, should give back. The mentioned that other cities have imposed similar taxes, and also citing data that shows middle-class housing prices have skyrocketed to $820,000, and that more than 40 percent of renters are considered rent burdened, which means they spend about a third of their salary on housing.

Critics accuse the new tax of threatening the citys economy and driving away many jobs. Council members, who give a proposal on Friday (May 18) out of committee, want firms and corporations to pay about $500 per full-time employee annually.
Military exercises have put pressure on President Trump and Kim Jong-un's June 12 summit in Singapore. North Korea fired off a series of remarks urging the US to tread carefully when dealing with South Korea. North Korea has threatened to cancel the summit because of what they call "provocative military disturbances," according to North Korean officials, and have canceled a meeting with South Korean officials. A report by CNN was used for most of the information presented in this article.

Things were looking up with North and South Korea after the 2018 Winter Olympics when both countries walked side by side to during competitions.

After talks in April between North and South Korea, there seemed to be new hope of possible peace between the two countries that have been at odds for over 70 years after World War II, when the Empire of Japan's 35-year rule ended over Korea in 1945. A groundbreaking summit took place in April when Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in met and were photographed even shaking hands as they finished their talks on what the next steps for peace between the two countries were.

President Trump and 'Max Thunder'

President Trump had been moving mountains when it came to dealing with North Korea, talking about the solution to disarming nuclear weapons and suspending all nuclear tests. North Korean military personnel were even seen on satellite dismantling a nuclear testing site.

The KCNA, or Korean Central News Agency, reported earlier that the "Max Thunder" drills, which were between South Korea and the United States Air Force were a threat to North Korea and as the Korean Central News Agency remarked, "A rehearsal for an invasion of North Korea." The "Max Thunder" drills involved about a thousand United States military persons and approximately 500 South Korean personnel as well.

President Trump and White House officials preparing a statement

President Trump is currently preparing a statement on what the warning, or rather, threat from North Korea means for the United States and how he and the White House officials are prepared to deal with this kind of situation. Anthony Ruggiero told CNN officials that President Trump and other head officials need to stand firm with North Korea and remind them that with the cancellation of the summit, the US will tighten its restrictions on the country. As for the fate of peace between North Korea and South Korea, tensions are high and the situation remains unclear as for now
Lala Kent and Scheana Marie had a falling out earlier this year and while they appear to be okay at the moment, fans are seeing the cracks in their friendship as the "Vanderpump Rules" season six reunion continues to air on Bravo TV. Most recently, while Kent discussed her boyfriend and their relationship, revealing that Randall Emmett often gifts her with items, including "shoes, purses, cars," Scheana seemed to be quite salty and jealous.

"Materialistic things," Scheana muttered under her breath as she rolled her eyes at Kent's revelation. As fans well know, Scheana bragged about her supposedly perfect romance with Robert Parks-Valletta throughout "Vanderpump Rules" season six but the actor seemed uninterested in her on several occasions.

Then, after filming on season six wrapped, he dumped her.

Lala Kent pays for some of her own bills

As soon as Scheana Marie muttered her comment about Lala Kent's relationship, Kent suggested that Scheana was just mad that she didn't have someone in her life that was doing such nice things for her. She then said that when she makes music, the funds come out of her pocket, and while her man does help her with rent, she also foots a portion of the bill herself.

"As far as my cars go, it's like, 'Here's the lease, but you best be payin' insurance,'" she continued.

Lala Kent and Randall Emmett began dating when he was married

In early 2016, Lala Kent and Randall Emmett struck up a relationship with one another, despite the fact that he was still married to his now-ex-wife, Ambyr Childers, with whom he shares two children.

Because of the odd situation, Kent chose to keep her relationship with Emmett away from the "Vanderpump Rules" cameras and didn't even mention him by name until the show's sixth season. Before then, Kent was extremely secretive about who she was dating.

Although Kent has been speaking about her boyfriend on the show for several months, fans shouldn't get their hopes up for a possible cameo from Emmett.

Instead, they should expect for the producer to remain off-screen.

To see more of Lala Kent and her co-stars, including Lisa Vanderpump, James Kennedy, Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright, Katie Maloney, Stassi Schroeder, Tom Schwartz, Ariana Madix, and Tom Sandoval, don't miss the third installment of the three-part "Vanderpump Rules" season six reunion, which continues airing next Monday night, May 21 at 9 PM on Bravo TV.
Fox News commentator and social media star Tomi Lahren has made a name for herself in recent years for her staunch support of Donald Trump and controversial rantings. After her latest tirade criticized illegal immigrants, her own family tree was revealed to include the very thing she has been attacking.

Except the 1930 census says Tomi's 3x great-grandmother had been here for 41 years and still spoke German.



Her 2nd great-grandmother had been here for 10 yrs. Spoke no English.



Her great-grandfather's 1895 baptism from MN? Recorded in Norwegian.#resistancegenealogy #receipts pic.twitter.com/rIySFu6fvL  Jennifer Mendelsohn (@CleverTitleTK) May 13, 2018

Lahren's family tree

During the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump tapped into the world of social media and used his following to create a new style of campaign politics.

With Trump's increased use of platforms like Twitter, his supporters followed in lockstep and became stars in their own right. One name that has been a hard-line Trump supporter is Tomi Lahren, who parlayed her following into a job at Fox News. One area where Lahren and Trump always see eye to eye is on immigration, with the right-wing blonde bombshell recently coming to the defense of Chief of Staff John Kelly who accused many immigrants of not wanting to assimilate into the United States.

One last thing before I shut off my phone:

This is not about playing gotcha.

But as long as people like Lahren continue to push a specious agenda that suggests today's immigrants are somehow wholly different from previous ones, I'll keep showing just how alike they really are.  Jennifer Mendelsohn (@CleverTitleTK) May 13, 2018

In response, author and journalist Jennifer Mendelsohn looked back at census records to find information about Tomi Lahren's family tree and found that some of her relatives came into the United States undocumented, revealing to be exactly what the Fox News commentator is against.

"The 1930 census says Tomi's 3x great-grandmother had been here for 41 years and still spoke German," Mendelsohn tweeted, before pointing out that her great grandmother had been in the United States for a decade and still never learned to speak English. Not stopping there, Mendelsohn added that Tomi Lahren's great-grandfather, Henry Lahren was baptized in 1884, but the information was recorded in Norwegian.

Double down

In her last tweet on the issue, Jennifer Mendelsohn clarified why she did the research and posted it for the public to see. "This is not about playing gotcha," she said, before accusing the Fox News host of pushing a "specious agenda" that unfairly targets current immigrants. "I'll keep showing just how alike they really are," Mendelsohn concluded.

As of press time, Lahren has not issued a rebuttal to the census findings of Mendelsohn.

"Xenophobic Rage Barbie" gets schooled on her family tree https://t.co/LPFqVntuYx  Raw Story (@RawStory) May 13, 2018

Twitter cheers

After Tomi Lahren's family tree was revealed, critics on social media were pleased. "Tomi Lahren, chief snowflake, care to comment on your own family history of immigrants that came here while not speaking any English??? No... I thought so," on tweet read.

@TomiLahren chief snowflake, care to comment on your own family history of immigrants that came here while not speaking any English??? No... I thought so.  Lene (@PatsGirl86) May 13, 2018

@TomiLahren Wanted to make sure you saw this. I love learning about my familys history so Im sure you do too.  Tommi (@tommiogirl) May 13, 2018

"Tomi Lahren, Wanted to make sure you saw this.

I love learning about my familys history so Im sure you do too," a Twitter user wrote. "(TL) will just ignore and pretend this wont be floating around the internet, proving what a white supremacist hypocrite she is. Thanks for doing the work and finding all of this out! Nice job," a social media user added. "

@TomiLahren will just ignore and pretend this wont be floating around the internet, proving what a white supremacist hypocrite she is. Thanks for doing the work and finding all of this out! Nice job  Ruby (@DizzyMissRuby) May 13, 2018

I long for the days when the Lahren family spoke no English.  W.A. Kuemmel (@dogberryjr) May 13, 2018

Trump's stance

Donald Trump started his campaign for president by running on a message of immigration reform.

He quickly came under fire for labeling illegal immigrants as "rapists" and "murderers," which allowed him to tap into a core base of supporters who think the same way that he does. While Tomi Lahren appears to be on board with that line of thinking, her own past reveals that she might want to change her tune.
The Bangladesh Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld bail for opposition leader and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in a corruption case in which she is currently serving a five-year sentence.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order, dismissing the appeals filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission and the government challenging the High Courts bail to Khaleda, bdnews24.com reported.

However, the Supreme Court order will not pave the way for 72-year-old Khaleda to walk out of prison as her lawyers said she was being held behind bars in some other cases also.

BNPs Legal Affairs Secretary Kayser Kamal said that Khaleda is facing 36 cases and has been summoned to appear on June 7 in the Comilla court regarding two cases.

Zia, chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was found guilty on February 8 of embezzling $252,000 in foreign donations for the Zia Orphanage Trust and was sentenced to prison.

She was later granted four months bail by the High Court on March 12. However, the apex court stayed the bail order following two petitions filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission and the government.

In the politically significant Zia Orphanage Trust graft case ahead of the next parliamentary elections slated for early 2019, the court also awarded 10 years jail to five others including Zias son Tarique Rahman, now acting chairman of BNP and living in London, with a fine of $250,000.

On Khaledas freedom from jail, BNP lawyer Moudud Ahmed said that the BNP chief had been made accused in a number of cases pending in the trial court.

We have to try to seek bail in other cases as early as possible. As the Appellate Division upheld the High Court order, it would be easy to get the bail in other cases.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the main motive of the graft case was to malign Khaleda and bar her from the upcoming elections.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas Awami League (AL) party earlier said the Khaleda Zia graft case verdict was totally a matter of the court and the party had nothing to do with it.
Charles Clancy, director of Virginia Techs Hume Center for National Security and Technology and a professor of electrical and computer engineering, offered expert testimony Wednesday in Washington, D.C., before the House Energy and Commerce Committees Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

During the Hearing on Telecommunications, Global Competitiveness, and National Security, Clancy spoke on the need for clear understanding and assessment of supply chains for critical infrastructure related to telecommunications equipment.

An internationally-recognized expert in wireless security and an accomplished academician, Clancy shared his perspectives on the major forces that have reshaped the telecommunications industry in the United States and globally and the realities of cyberthreats that exist within supply chain operations.

Supply chains for telecommunications are complex, said Clancy during his testimony. They include development of intellectual property and standards, fabrication of components and chips, assembly and test of devices, development of software and firmware, acquisition, installation, and management of devices in operational networks, and the data and services that operate over those networks. Competing in a global marketplace drives where and how each portion of this supply chain is executed.

Clancy stated that telecommunications companies need to consider the criticality of each component in their network and the entire supply chain for each product they acquire and provision in their network.

It is financially impossible to eliminate all risk, but supply chain risk needs to be assessed and quantified before it can be effectively managed, Clancy said. The overall trend in cybersecurity away from compliance-based security in favor of risk-based methodologies needs to be extended to supply chain.

Clancys testimony concluded with a recommendation that recurring assessments be performed collaboratively between government and industry that examines each layer of the supply chain, from research and development through operations. He also urged federal government actions to help foster the competitiveness of domestic industry to fill the gap, but with careful consideration given to the impacts on the global marketplace.

As director of Virginia Techs Hume Center, Clancy leads a team of more than 75 faculty and staff who engage 400 students annually in research and experiential learning focused in national security and technology. He is also a leading contributor in developing and expanding Virginia Tech's role in cybersecurity research and education, to include development of the CyberX initiative.

In addition to his Hume Center leadership and academic endeavors, Clancy is a primary stakeholder in Virginia Techs Integrated Security Destination Area (ISDA), which focuses on understanding and fostering global security through technology and social systems that follow ethical principles and promote values of social justice. ISDA faculty work collaboratively to bring a transdisciplinary approach to the complex range of human and systems security challenges.

Prior to joining Virginia Tech in 2010, Clancy spent seven years working for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) in a variety of research, engineering, and operations roles. The majority of his time with the DOD was spent as a researcher with the Laboratory for Telecommunications Sciences, a federal research laboratory at the University of Maryland, where he led government research programs in wireless communications, with an emphasis on software-defined and cognitive radio.
Driven by NASA technology

Two main compute clusters have been teamed to power the institutes large-scale simulation experiments. Shadowfax, the institutes hybrid-core cluster, has been paired with the 606-teraflop Discovery cluster. Previously used for climate simulations by NASA, the Discovery cluster, formerly known as Scalable Unit 8, was donated to the institute by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in 2016.

Previously owned by the NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS) at Goddard Space Flight Center, and used for a variety of climate, Earth, and space science modeling, the Scalable Compute Unit 8 (SCU8) portion of their cluster was donated to the institute in 2016 via the Stevenson-Wydler Act.

Were excited to be able to partner with Virginia Tech and see some of our computing hardware continue its useful life in another dynamic, scientific research environment, said Bruce Pfaff, NCCS lead high-performance computing system engineer and Virginia Tech alumnus. Its fitting that SCU8 from our Discover cluster is now part of the VT Biocomplexity Institutes Discovery cluster and is continuing to support large-scale global modeling.

The new data centers chilled-door technology is unique on the Virginia Tech campus. Chilled-door water cooling is a less expensive, more targeted approach to cooling data center hot spots than forced air or other methods. Connected to Virginia Techs chilled water system, the data center continuously pumps water through a heat exchange system that returns the water to a 2500-gallon underground buffer tank. The cooling system includes many failsafes. During cool to cold weather, the system can take advantage of free cooling provided by a rooftop dry cooler. This reduces the costs and energy required to keep the data center cool during these periods and provides additional redundancy in case of an emergency.

DURIP: An investment in the future

One of the newest projects that will make use of the new data center has been made possible by a grant through the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). This $200,000 grant will enable the institute to acquire a UV 300 from SGI/HPE for high-performance in-memory computing. The system comprises one SGI UV 300 system totaling 9 terabytes (TB) of shared-memory and 216 Intel Xeon Processor E7 v3 cores.

The movement of people, goods, and services across international borders has been steadily growing during the past couple of decades. In tandem, we are witnessing often unpredictable changes in the political, ecological, and environmental landscape across the globe, said research scientist Sandeep Gupta. We need a global perspective on social and epidemiological problems like the spread of disease.

DURIP helps the Network Dynamics and Simulation Science Laboratory develop global-scale social simulations. This significantly reduces turnaround time and propels research growth in this direction.

The extensible, scalable data center provides research with ready access to the high-density compute resources needed to store and interpret large data sets and make them available via web-based portals. Built with an eye toward future expansion, the new data center allows the institutes researchers to set the pace for advanced modeling and simulations.

Tour new facilities at the institute Open House

To celebrate the new data center and new additions to the Genomic Services Center, the institute is hosting an Open House on May 22. Speakers from sponsors Dell and Illumina will join researchers to discuss the latest technologies in the fields of high-performance computing and genomic sequencing.



Registration is open now  meals and an invitation to the post-event reception are included.

Written by Tiffany Trent


Acacia Mining plc, together with its subsidiaries, mines, processes, and sells gold in Africa. The company has three gold mines in north-west Tanzania, including Bulyanhulu, Buzwagi, and North Mara; and a portfolio of exploration projects at various stages of development in Tanzania, Kenya, Burkina Faso, and Mali. It also produces co-products, such as copper and silver. The company was formerly known as African Barrick Gold plc and changed its name to Acacia Mining plc in November 2014. The company was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Acacia Mining plc is a subsidiary of Barrick Gold Corporation.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Thermo Fisher Scientific: 236 Perinton Parkway LLC, 27 Forge Parkway LLC, ABR--Affinity BioReagents, ACI Holdings Inc., ARG Services LLC, ASPEX Corporation, Abgene Inc., Abgene Limited, Acoustic Cytometry Systems Inc., AcroMetrix LLC, Acros Organics B.V.B.A., Advanced Biotechnologies Limited, Advanced Scientifics (ASI), Advanced Scientifics Inc., Advanced Scientifics International Inc., Affymetrix Biotech Participacoes Ltda., Affymetrix Biotech Shanghai Ltd, Affymetrix Inc, Affymetrix Japan K.K., Affymetrix Pte Ltd, Affymetrix UK Ltd, Afora S.A.U., Ahura Scientific, Alchematrix Inc., Alchematrix LLC, Alfa Aesar, Alfa Aesar (China) Chemical Co. 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En espanol | A group of physicians and public health experts recommended this week that families of those with Alzheimers disease or another form of dementia should have a talk about when they should give up their guns.



In an article published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the doctors and experts said they primarily are concerned about the risk of suicide by gun owners with dementia, since the condition itself may be a risk factor. But they also warned that dementia patients might put family members and caregivers at risk by becoming confused and mistaking them for intruders.



To give people in the early stages of dementia some control over the decision, the doctors suggested drawing up an advance directive that sets up a firearm retirement date.



Its not clear exactly how many people with dementia have access to firearms. But based on a study conducted in the late 1990s and more recent data about gun ownership among people 65 and older, they estimated that 40 to 60 percent of dementia patients have guns in their households.

Federal laws don't explicitly prohibit purchases or ownership of firearms by people with dementia, and only two states  Hawaii and Texas  prohibit it, the doctors wrote.



"It's best to have these conversations early and be aware that you have to take action at some point," lead author Marian Betz, M.D., an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said in a press release. "This is not about the government or anyone else seizing guns, but about a family making the best decision for everyone involved."
Gov. Kristi Noem may be raising the white flag in her anti-marijuana crusade
The case is a black eye for the Albuquerque Police Department.

And current and future officers will now be reminded of the case every day.

Albuquerque police, during a ceremony alongside Ashley Browders family on Tuesday, unveiled plaques that will be placed throughout city police buildings. The memorials honor the late 21-year-old killed in a crash with a police officer and serve as a warning for officers.

They are a condition of a settlement between the Browder family and the city that was reached last year. The city also paid $8.5 million  believed to be the largest paid out in a wrongful death/personal injury case in the citys history  and had to incorporate additional training into the academy and put Hows My Driving bumper stickers on police cars to settle a lawsuit brought by the Browder family.

The community  wants nothing more than to support you, we really do, Chuck Browder, Ashleys father, told police cadets during the ceremony. You are going to make mistakes along the way. Always maintain integrity. Own your mistakes. The community will forgive those who take responsibility for their actions. Do not risk your career, your reputation and the integrity of your police department by hiding the truth for self preservation.

Ashley Browder, who was in the National Guard, was killed when former Albuquerque police Sgt. Adam Casaus, off duty and driving a marked patrol unit at over 60 mph, slammed into a car carrying Browder and being driven by her sister Lindsay on Paseo del Norte and Eagle Ranch NW in February 2013.

Investigators concluded that Casaus was speeding west on Paseo and ran a red light. Casaus said that he was chasing a driver he suspected of driving dangerously but witnesses contradicted Casaus claims.

After being fired, Casaus was charged with crimes related to the wreck. He was convicted of a lesser charge of careless driving in 2014 and spent 90 days in jail. The state revoked his law enforcement certification.

It is the missions of the Albuquerque Police Department to preserve the peace and protect our community. Adam Casaus acted contrary to this mission when he drove his duty issued vehicle in an unlawful manner killing Ashley Browder and seriously injuring her sister, Lindsay Browder, the plaque reads. He was terminated from the Albuquerque Police Department, criminally prosecuted, convicted; and served jail time for his misconduct. As law enforcement officers, remember that you have been entrusted to protect and preserve the public safety.

The plaque then pleads with officers to drive responsibly.

The lack of regard for human life on the part of Adam Casaus on the fateful night took away all the dreams and aspirations of an amazing woman, Albuquerque police Chief Michael Geier said at the event, which was attended by cadets, officers, city officials and Ashley Browders friends and family. Her legacy will live on not only on the walls of our facilities, but it should be burned into our hearts and souls.
Almost 45,000 pro-life Christians have submitted comments to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke not to weaken methane pollution standards on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. Why have we become involved? Its simple: we want to protect the unborn, who are disproportionately impacted by the pollution Secretary Zinkes actions will increase if he moves forward with his plan.

As pro-life evangelicals, we have a special concern for the unborn. We want children to be born healthy and unhindered by the ravages of pollution even before they take their first breath. Venting and flaring spew out smog precursors, as well as other toxic pollutants and cancer-causing agents like benzene. Studies have shown that smog, VOCs and air toxins have a disproportionate impact upon life in the womb; for those near production sites the emissions have been linked to birth defects, pre-term births and low-birth-weight babies, who are at greater risk of infant mortality, ADHD and asthma, among other things. More broadly, 84 percent of published medical studies describe health impacts from natural gas infrastructure.

Thats why we oppose Secretary Zinkes weakening of the BLMs methane reduction rule. If it is allowed to do its job it will reduce the waste of natural gas from flaring, venting and leaks from oil and gas production operations on public and Indian lands. And we are not alone; 81 percent of individuals living in western states agree with reducing venting and flaring on public lands, per a January 2017 survey by Colorado College.

In addition to protecting the unborn, as evangelical Christians we want our countrys policies to reflect good resource and financial stewardship. The leaks, venting and flaring of such a valuable national resource are the opposite of good stewardship. A recent report from Taxpayers for Common Sense found that in 2016 over $100 million in royalties to the government were lost. This money could be used to help fund education, or infrastructure, or for tax rebates  just about anything rather than let it disappear in the air.

Secretary Zinkes weakening of the BLM methane standard could cost jobs and delay the implementation of exciting new technologies. Already there are 500 companies that develop, manufacture and sell methane-control technologies in the United States today. Putting people to work and creating new technologies is a much better deal than the over $1 billion worth of methane wasted this decade.

For example, one such methane-control solution is offered by Arizona-based ZHRO Power LLC, which has designed a gas reforming technology that breaks down larger hydrocarbon molecules in the associated gas stream into methane. This solution helps create a fuel that can be used in standard off-the-shelf natural gas engine generators. In effect, harmful smog is turned into something positive. Each unit deployed reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 9,000 metric tons per year over venting and reduces benzene and hazardous chemicals from these practices.

Our goals are to defend our children, make a better America, save tax dollars, create jobs, empower innovation, and be good stewards of all God has created. A strong BLM methane standard helps us achieve these goals. Clearly, modernizing the existing, more-than-30-year-old oil and gas production rules and bringing them in line with technological advances in the industry is whats right for us all. As such, we ask Secretary Zinke to do no harm and leave the BLM methane standard alone. Its that simple.

mitch@creationcare.org
Think back to your first classroom experience. You may recall entering your kindergarten classroom, the smell of crayons, and the bright ABCs hanging on the classroom walls. For many kindergartners across the country, the reality is that many enter without knowing their ABCs or even the names of primary colors. Carlsbad has been no different  until today. Today our youngest scholars are joining the thousands of other New Mexico 4-year olds who will be able to enroll in state-funded pre-kindergarten, otherwise known as pre-K.

The New Mexico pre-K program is a voluntary preschool program created by the Pre-Kindergarten Act of 2005. Children who have reached their fourth birthday by September 1 are eligible to attend.

In my first year as superintendent, I am proud to usher in the era of Carlsbad joining the pre-K club  a non-exclusive group of schools and districts, where all have the opportunity to join. For Carlsbad, this has been several years in the making. This is something that we werent ready for five years ago  but with our partnership with the state and the leadership of our local community, we got there.

And now were ready to soar. More than 350 students can now enroll for the first time in Carlsbad pre-K.

Gov. Susana Martinez, the Legislature and the New Mexico Public Education Department are making a big investment in the tiniest of Carlsbads Cavemen  and investing more than $30 million of taxpayer money this year toward creating or expanding public pre-K classrooms to help provide more of New Mexicos children an opportunity to succeed in life.

Because of the additional investment, last weeks announcement marks the first time that Carlsbad, Silver, Clovis and many others will have pre-K. More of Carlsbads littlest Cavemen will now have the opportunity to participate in the districts pre-K program thanks to an award from the NMPED of more than a million dollars. A million-dollar award is a notable one, and we extend our appreciation to the governor, secretary-designate of Education, and the Legislature for making it happen for our community. This dramatically expands Carlsbads early childhood education capacity  and our community is ready to carry this responsibility forward and grow over time with the highest of quality.

Over the next five years, we should deliver on a plan to grow responsibly to full coverage, based on demand. It wont happen overnight  dont let anyone tell you that it will  but it is possible to grow a program like this with deliberateness and quality.

As has been said, an investment in high-quality pre-K ensures that Carlsbads students are entering kindergarten ready to learn by preparing children to enter school with much-needed emotional, academic and social skills. In addition, children who attend pre-K develop self-regulation skills and gain confidence as they master academic concepts and learn to cooperate with their peers. While there is no substitute for high-quality school leadership, improving teaching and learning, and being data-driven, the extra year of school while the childs brain is still developing certainly helps the cause. Its a small investment  but the return is great.

As the superintendent for the Carlsbad Municipal Schools, I am thrilled about our opportunity to expand a critical component of the Carlsbad education system as we prepare future generations. The research shows less than one in five children reading below grade level in third grade will go on to earn a college degree. A recent study of New Jersey showed children living in poverty who enroll in high-quality pre-K and are now in fifth grade have narrowed the achievement gap. This can work for Carlsbad, too.

With this additional investment in early childhood education, Carlsbad looks to build upon a tradition of innovative and creative solutions that maximize learning for its children. Our doors are open to an even younger group of scholars, and the future is bright.
WASHINGTON  At long last, have they left no sense of decency?

White House official Kelly Sadler, during a meeting Thursday, had this to say about Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for opposing President Trumps CIA nominee over her failure to condemn torture: It doesnt matter, hes dying anyway.

Also Thursday, on Fox Business Network, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney had this to say about the torture of McCain, who was shot down over Hanoi with grievous wounds, but refused release to deny his captors a propaganda victory: Torture worked on John. Thats why they call him Songbird John.'

And three days earlier, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, a Trump cheerleader, declared the terminally ill McCain ridiculous to prefer that Trump, who has belittled McCain and his heroism, not attend his funeral.

Hatch, Sadler, and the host of the Fox Business show have all apologized, as they should. But how did we let partisanship take us to this ugly place?

McCain is still with us, and this is no obituary. But as Trump loyalists besmirch this good man, I thought I would put in writing what I have often thought over the years: John McCain is the single greatest political leader of our time. He is, in a way, not of our time, for his creed  country before self  is unfamiliar to many who serve in office and utterly foreign to the man in charge.

Only once during the nearly quarter of a century Ive been covering politics did I think I could work for a politician, and that politician was McCain. I first got to know him in early 1999, when there were just a few of us driving around New Hampshire with him in an SUV, before the Straight Talk Express rolled. Had he beaten George W. Bush  he surely would have defeated Al Gore  and had he been president on Sept. 11, 2001, I know he would have done great things with the national unity Bush ultimately squandered.

Ive had a closer relationship with McCain than with other politicians. I remember flying with him and Cindy McCain to Phoenix during the 2000 campaign, talking about sports, music, a war buddy  and the issue that defined him: removing the corrupting influence of money from politics. Thats why so many liked him even if they disagreed on the issues: With McCain, everything was going to be on the level.

I believed, perhaps naively, that in the free marketplace of ideas, uncorrupted by special interests, we would usually arrive at a sensible consensus. A generation after Sen. Eugene McCarthy, D-Minn., inspired his Clean for Gene  followers, McCain inspired me.

On my Bush-Gore election ballot, I wrote in McCain. When I saw him later in the Senate, Id greet him as Mr. President.

Hed reply by calling me Mr. Pulitzer. I took pride in 2009, when McCain read aloud a column of mine on the Senate floor and called me one of my favorite columnists. He regretted that a few months later, when I took him to task for momentarily shedding his maverick ways, and he tried to disavow me.

There have been many such moments of disagreement and disappointment: when he put Sarah Palin on his ticket in 2008; when he took a hard-right turn in 2010 to fight off a primary challenge; and when another tough primary in 2016 led him to go easy on Trump.

But the Mac always came back, and never more forcefully than over the past 16 months. In his forthcoming book, he labels unpatriotic the half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems. His single bravest moment may have been earlier, though, when he angered supporters in 2008 by taking the microphone from a woman at a campaign rally who had called Barack Obama an Arab. Said he: No, maam. Hes a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with.

McCain has, in achievement, equaled or surpassed his mentors and models, Barry Goldwater and Mo Udall. Formally launching his 2008 campaign in Prescott, Ariz., where both men had roots, McCain invoked the friendship of these ideological opposites, who taught me to believe that we are Americans first and partisans second.

I was with McCain when he returned to Prescott for his last stop of that campaign. Again invoking Udall and Goldwater, McCain retold Udalls joke about Arizona being the only state where mothers dont tell their children they can grow up to be president.

In Phoenix for a wedding last weekend, I made a pilgrimage north, past the turnoff for Prescott and on to McCains beloved Sedona. Driving and walking among its red-rock hills, I reflected for hours on the man who had so often spoken of that beautiful place, and who so often had been my antidote to cynicism. As I write this, there are tears on my cheeks.

Godspeed, John McCain. You were not to be president, but you are my hero.

Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank. E-mail: danamilbank@washpost.com. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.
These are the Journals recommendations in contested statewide races for lieutenant governor, state auditor and commissioner of public lands in the June 5 primary.

Lieutenant Governor

Rick Miera  Democrat

Rick Miera has been a dedicated public servant for decades, having served as a state representative for 24 years. As a lawmaker, he chaired the House Education and Labor and Human Resources committees, and he co-chaired the Legislative Education Study Committee. He has also been a therapist, drug counselor and behavioral health advocate for more than 40 years. Hes pledging to use that extensive experience to advocate for public education and access to mental health services.

The lieutenant governor has several key responsibilities. The individual holding the post serves as president of the state Senate and steps in as acting governor when the governor is out of state. But the lieutenant governor is also required to serve as New Mexicos ombudsman, essentially the person who advocates for individuals having trouble with another state agency. Miera is eager for the opportunity to be a strong voice of reason to help make our state government more responsive to the people of New Mexico. He promises to work hard to provide constituent services to people throughout the state.

People do not feel theyre being listened to, he told the Journals editorial board. People need to be listened to and feel that their problems are being addressed.

Miera is facing two opponents in the primary. If he prevails, he will face Republican Michelle Garcia Holmes in the November general election.

The Journal endorses Rick Miera for lieutenant governor in the Democratic primary.

State Auditor

Brian Colon  Democrat

Hes never held public office, but Brian Colons education, experience and drive make him a good choice for state auditor. Perhaps more importantly, he understands the important watchdog role the office plays in ferreting out waste, fraud and abuse.

Colon, an attorney, earned a finance degree from New Mexico State University and a law degree from the University of New Mexicos School of Law. He has demonstrated deep commitment to our state through his lengthy list of volunteer work, ranging from Big Brothers Big Sisters to the KiMo Theater Advisory Board.

Col o n says he wants to build on the impressive foundation built by former state auditors Tim Keller and Hector Balderas. That includes such projects as a transparency report on how much taxpayers have forked out on contract buyouts. But hes also practical, realizing its critical the office maintains its core mission of ensuring accountability for every state and local government agency in New Mexico. Colon has one opponent in the primary. If he prevails, he will face Republican Wayne Johnson, who currently holds the position, in the general election.

The Journal endorses Brian Colon for state auditor in the Democratic primary.

Commissioner of Public Lands

George Munoz  Democrat

Its a vital position that oversees 14,000 square miles of state trust lands, leveraging those resources to generate millions of dollars for public schools and other beneficiaries each year.

George Munoz is a Gallup businessman, general contractor, real estate developer, farmer and rancher who has served in the state Legislature for 10 years, playing a key role in such critical legislation as pension reform. If elected land commissioner, he says, he would work aggressively to expand renewable energy projects, and with the Legislature to create a coherent energy policy that leverages wind, solar, and transmission and energy storage to create new revenue streams for the state. Munoz says New Mexico can stabilize its education funding and invest more in early childhood education with the expansion of renewables.

We have the land  we have the wind, and we have the sun; what we dont have is the leadership to make New Mexico the renewable capital of the country, he says.

Munoz is facing two opponents in the primary. The winner will face Republican Patrick Lyons, a member of the Public Regulation Commission and former land commissioner, and Libertarian Michael Lucero, a rancher, in the general election.

The Journal endorses George Munoz for commissioner of public lands in the Democratic primary.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
SANTA FE  Economists for two state agencies on Tuesday questioned the idea of creating a new tax district on Albuquerques West Side, arguing that it could erode state tax revenue.

Supporters of the tax district, in turn, described much of the analysis as prejudiced and incomplete.

The debate surfaced before the state Board of Finance  where board members spent nearly five hours going over an application to establish a tax increment development district in Albuquerque. The district would allow a share of future tax revenue generated there to be diverted to reimburse the developer for building streets and other public infrastructure.

The board held off on making a final decision.

But in reports to the board, economists working separately for the Department of Finance and Administration and the Legislative Finance Committee said the applicant, Western Albuquerque Land Holdings LLC, hadnt proved to their satisfaction that approval of the district would be in the states best interest.

Creation of the district, they said, would divert some tax revenue for use within the district  rather than making it available for basic government services in general  and it might not bring new jobs to New Mexico from outside the state.

But supporters of the proposal assailed the economic analysis  the one conducted by DFA, in particular  as biased and one-sided. The report by legislative analysts wasnt discussed at the meeting.

At stake, supporters said, is a push to lay the groundwork for a major medical center and other job opportunities where theyre desperately needed  west of the Rio Grande in Albuquerque.

Board member Robert Aragon intensely questioned Clinton Turner, chief economist for the Department of Finance and Administration, about his agencys evaluation of the proposal.

I think the analysis is skewed by bias, Aragon said.

He said the proposed development is likely to create jobs and bring needed services to the West Side.

Aragon, an Albuquerque lawyer, also disputed some of the legal analysis offered by the boards own attorney, Sally Malave, an assistant attorney general.

As for the economic analysis, staffers for the Department of Finance and Administration  part of Gov. Susana Martinezs administration  and the Legislative Finance Committee, which analyzes policy proposals for the Legislature, offered similar conclusions.

The DFA analysis said the requested tax district wasnt clearly justified. In other words, Turner said, it wasnt clear the project would create jobs that wouldnt be created otherwise.

In a separate letter, two economists for the LFC said the requested district is not in the best interest of the state.

Pat Rogers, an attorney representing Western Albuquerque Land Holdings, said the company had revised its applications to address the concerns raised by the economists.
SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea on Wednesday threatened to scrap a historic summit next month between its leader, Kim Jong Un, and U.S. President Donald Trump, saying it has no interest in a one-sided affair meant to pressure the North to abandon its nuclear weapons.

The warning by North Koreas first vice foreign minister came hours after the country abruptly canceled a high-level meeting with South Korea to protest U.S.-South Korean military exercises that the North has long claimed are an invasion rehearsal.

The surprise moves appear to cool what had been an unusual flurry of outreach from a country that last year conducted a provocative series of weapons tests that had many fearing the region was on the edge of war. Analysts said its unlikely that North Korea intends to scuttle all diplomacy. More likely, they said, is that it wants to gain leverage ahead of the talks between Kim and Trump, scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

In Washington, Trump said the U.S. hasnt been notified about the North Korean threat.

We havent seen anything. We havent heard anything. We will see what happens, he said as he welcomed the president of Uzbekistan to the White House.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the administration is still hopeful that the summit will take place, and that threats from North Korea to scrap the meeting were something that we fully expected.

She said Trump is ready for very tough negotiations, adding that if they want to meet, well be ready and if they dont thats OK. She said if there is no meeting, the U.S. would continue with the campaign of maximum pressure against the North.

North Korean first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan said in a statement carried by state media that we are no longer interested in a negotiation that will be all about driving us into a corner and making a one-sided demand for us to give up our nukes and this would force us to reconsider whether we would accept the North Korea-U.S. summit meeting.

He criticized recent comments by Trumps top security adviser, John Bolton, and other U.S. officials who have said the North should follow the Libyan model of nuclear disarmament and provide a complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement. He also took issue with U.S. views that the North should fully relinquish its biological and chemical weapons.

Some analysts say bringing up Libya, which dismantled its rudimentary nuclear program in the 2000s in exchange for sanctions relief, jeopardizes progress in negotiations with the North. Kim Jong Un took power weeks after former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafis gruesome death at the hands of rebel forces amid a popular uprising in October 2011. The North has frequently used Gadhafis death to justify its own nuclear development in the face of perceived U.S. threats.

The Norths warning Wednesday fits a past North Korean pattern of raising tensions to bolster its positions ahead of negotiations with Washington and Seoul. But the country also has a long history of scrapping deals with its rivals at the last minute.

In 2013, North Korea abruptly canceled reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War just days before they were scheduled to begin to protest what it called rising animosities ahead of joint drills between Seoul and Washington. In 2012, the North conducted a prohibited long-range rocket launch weeks after it agreed to suspend weapons tests in return for food assistance.

On Wednesday, senior officials from the two Koreas were to sit down at a border village to discuss how to implement their leaders recent agreements to reduce military tensions along their heavily fortified border and improve overall ties. But hours before the meeting was to start, the North informed the South that it would indefinitely suspend the talks, according to Seouls Unification Ministry.

In a pre-dawn dispatch, the Norths official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, called the two-week Max Thunder drills, which began Monday and reportedly include about 100 aircraft, an intended military provocation and an apparent challenge to last months summit between Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, when the leaders met at the border in their countries third summit talks since their formal division in 1948.

The United States must carefully contemplate the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit amid the provocative military ruckus that its causing with South Korean authorities, the North said. Well keenly monitor how the United States and South Korean authorities will react.

Kim Dong-yub, a North Korea expert at Seouls Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the North isnt trying to undermine the Trump-Kim talks. The Norths reaction is more like a complaint over Trumps way of playing the good cop and bad cop game with (Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo and Bolton, he said.

Seouls Unification Ministry, which is responsible for inter-Korean affairs, called North Koreas move regrettable and urged a quick return to talks. The Defense Ministry said the drills with the United States would go on as planned.

Annual military drills between Washington and Seoul have long been a major source of contention between the Koreas, and analysts have wondered whether their continuation would hurt the detente that, since an outreach by Kim in January, has replaced the insults and threats of war. Much larger springtime drills took place last month without the Norths typically fiery condemnation or accompanying weapons tests, though Washington and Seoul toned down those exercises.

The KCNA dispatch said the U.S. aircraft mobilized for the drills include nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and stealth F-22 fighter jets, two of the U.S. military assets it has previously said are aimed at launching nuclear strikes on the North. Seoul has said F-22s are involved in the drills, but has not confirmed whether B-52s are taking part.

In Washington, the U.S. State Department emphasized that Kim had previously indicated he understood the need and purpose of the U.S. continuing its long-planned exercises with South Korea. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the U.S. had not heard anything directly from North or South Korea that would change that.

We will continue to go ahead and plan the meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un, Nauert said.

U.S. Army Col. Rob Manning said the current exercise is part of the U.S. and South Koreas routine, annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness. Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said the purpose of Max Thunder and exercise Foal Eagle  another training event  is to enhance the two nations abilities to operate together to defend South Korea.

The defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed, Manning said.

Washington and Seoul delayed the earlier round of springtime drills because of the North-South diplomacy surrounding Februarys Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the South, which saw Kim send his sister to the opening ceremonies.

Kim told visiting South Korean officials in March that he understands the drills would take place and expressed hope that theyll be modified once the situation on the peninsula stabilizes, according to the South Korean government.

Despite Kims outreach, some experts were skeptical about whether he would completely give up a nuclear program that he had pushed so hard to build. The North previously vowed to continue nuclear development unless the United States pulls its 28,500 troops out of South Korea and withdraws its so-called nuclear umbrella security guarantee to South Korea and Japan as a condition for its nuclear disarmament.

Wednesdays threat could also be targeted at showing a domestic audience that Kim is willing to stand up to Washington. Kim has repeatedly told his people that his nukes are a powerful treasured sword that can smash U.S. hostility.

On Tuesday, South Koreas military said North Korea was moving ahead with plans to close its nuclear test site next week, an assessment backed by U.S. researchers who say satellite images show the North has begun dismantling facilities at the site.

The sites closure was set to come before the Kim-Trump summit, which had been shaping up as a crucial moment in the decades-long push to resolve the nuclear standoff with the North, which is closing in on the ability to viably target the mainland United States with its long-range nuclear-armed missiles.

The U.N. ambassador from the Netherlands, which currently chairs the Security Councils North Korea sanctions committee, said he remained hopeful.

Anyone who has had anything to do with DPRK in the past 20, 30, 40 years has seen that engaging in political contact with DPRK is complex, Ambassador Karel van Oosterom told reporters at the U.N., using the initials of North Koreas formal name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. To say it very simply, the road ahead will have bumps, and I think we are hitting one of the bumps at the moment. I think we are hopeful that the road will lead to the solution we all hope for.

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Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, Lolita Baldor, Josh Lederman and Catherine Lucey in Washington, and Jennifer Peltz at the United Nations contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  Lawyer Rudy Giulianis decision to join President Donald Trumps legal team could backfire on the former New York mayor if potential clients of his international consulting business view him as too erratic and go elsewhere for representation, according to legal experts.

Giuliani has become a lightning rod in the short time hes been in the presidents corner leading an aggressive media blitz to fight back against accusations that could threaten Trumps presidency. Hes stunned Trumps inner circle by making confusing and at times contradictory statements that could trigger even more legal and political headaches for the White House. Giuliani, for example, recently had to backpedal after he was quoted as saying that Trump had denied AT&Ts bid to purchase Time Warner for $85 billion.

Giulianis television appearances do not inspire confidence in his ability as a lawyer or as a public relations professional, said Kathleen Clark, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis. She said she could understand why the powerhouse law firm Greenberg Traurig, where Giuliani worked until last week, would want to distance itself from Giulianis on-air performance.

Norm Eisen, who served as President Barack Obamas special assistant for ethics and government reform, said Giuliani hasnt demonstrated the steady hand that sophisticated legal consumers demand.

It could be good for Giulianis consulting and legal work if he were doing a better job, Eisen said. But no clients are going to be won over by the fact that hes implicated Trump, said Eisen, who chairs the left-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit watchdog group thats frequently challenged Trump for alleged conflicts of interest.

As the public face of Trumps legal team, Giuliani has said he couldnt guarantee that the president wouldnt end up asserting his constitutional right to refuse to answer any questions from special counsel Robert Muellers team investigating Russias election intrusions. Trump suggested during the presidential campaign that innocent people dont take the Fifth Amendment.

The Associated Press last week reported that Trump was angered by Giulianis comments about hush money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels. The president, who has denied the affair with Daniels, was dismayed that Giuliani may have given the impression that other women may have made similar charges of infidelity.

Despite the rough patches, Giuliani seems to be a natural fit for Trump. They are in their 70s, have known each other for decades and share a pugnacious, often over-the-top rhetorical style honed in New York. Giuliani, a former U.S. attorney and presidential candidate, had been expected to join Trumps Cabinet but was passed over the post he most wanted, secretary of state.

But hes now in a position to play a pivotal role for Trump. Successfully steering the president through the Mueller probe could make Giuliani the top contender for attorney general if Trump ever decides to replace Jeff Sessions, said Paul Rosenzweig, a fellow at the R Street Institute and a former legal adviser to Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel in the Whitewater investigation.

Giuliani resigned May 9 from Greenberg Traurig, where hed been a senior adviser and head of its cybersecurity, privacy and crisis management practice since 2016. He initially had taken an unpaid leave of absence, but the firm noted in a statement that his work for Trump is all consuming and lasting longer than anticipated.

Separately, Giuliani has a consulting firm in New York that he founded in 2002 after leaving the mayors office. Giuliani Partners didnt return a request for comment on his status while he assists Trump.

Scott Amey, general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, said Giuliani should adhere to the ethics pledge required of the presidents appointees that bans influence peddling by those joining or leaving government service for terms of one year or much longer.

Access is everything in Washington and Giuliani shouldnt use his position on President Trumps legal team to provide a direct line of communication between his law firms clients and the president or to funnel information back to those clients, Amey said.

Giuliani has never registered with the U.S. government as a lobbyist. He declared in a 2016 New York Times interview that hes never lobbied for any interests, foreign or otherwise. But Giuliani Partners has helped companies on behalf of foreign governments, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. He also advised TransCanada, which sought to build the Keystone XL pipeline, and helped the maker of the painkiller drug OxyContin settle a dispute with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Hes at times represented foreign governments and multinational corporations with interests that diverged from those of the United States. Giuliani traveled to Belgrade to meet with leaders of a Serbian political party once allied with Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic. And his firm received money for supporting the Mujahedin-e Khalq, the Iranian dissident group, even as it was a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization.

Giuliani also is chairman of Giuliani Security & Safety, which offers foreign governments and multinational corporations a full platform of security, investigative and crisis management services, according to the firms web site. Giuliani visited Kharkiv, Ukraine, in November as part of the firms work to help improve security in the city.

Clark, the Washington University law professor, said Giuliani might have been gambling that his increased visibility and access to Trump could attract clients who want the presidents ear.

As long as Giuliani remains in Trumps good graces, those clients might be willing to pay Giuliani for that access to Trump, she said.

___

Contact Richard Lardner on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rplardner
ANTHONY, N.M.  Dozens of students at a southern New Mexico high school are facing allegations that they accessed an online program to change their grades.

KVIA-TV in El Paso, Texas, reports 55 students from Gadsden High School are accused of accessing an online computer program and changing their grades on their online courses.

The school said students in various grades gained access to the access code that allowed them to change grades on curriculum software called Edgenuity. A company spokesman says the students stole a teachers password to log into the program.

Officials say an investigation found that 456 different grades were altered.

The Gadsden Independent School District says five of the 55 students have been suspended, and the others have various options to rectify the coursework.

Officials say the investigation started April 19.
TOKYO  North Korea has a message for U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of next months summit: Dont listen to your new hard-line national security adviser, John Bolton.

After announcing early Wednesday that it was pulling out of high-level talks with Seoul because of a new round of U.S.-South Korean military exercises, the North took aim at Bolton and said it might have to reconsider whether to proceed with the summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because it doubts how seriously Washington actually wants peaceful dialogue.

The moves give the clearest indication yet of North Koreas mindset heading into the summit, scheduled for June 12 in Singapore.

Though North Korea has been for the most part silent about its intentions for the meeting, the announcements underscore two of its biggest concerns  the future of the nearly 30,000 U.S. troops in South Korea and claims coming out of Washington lately that sanctions and Trumps maximum pressure policy are what drove Kim to the negotiating table.

But defanging Bolton, the most militant of Trumps advisers, is now also apparently a major priority.

We do not hide our feeling of repugnance toward him, North Korea said of Bolton in a statement attributed by state-run media to senior Foreign Ministry official Kim Kye Gwan.

A hard-liners hard-liner, Bolton was a key adviser to President George W. Bush when the U.S. tore up a nuclear agreement with North Korea in 2002. The North conducted its first nuclear test four years later. In August, Bolton defended the idea of a preventive military strike against the North, and last month suggested negotiations in 2004 that led to the shipping of nuclear components to the U.S. from Libya under Moammar Gadhafi would be a good model for North Korea as well.

Not surprisingly, North Korea bristles at the mention of Libya.

Gadhafi, who agreed to abandon his fledgling nuclear program, was later deposed after a 42-year reign and was killed in 2011  the year Kim assumed power in North Korea  while his country spiraled into chaos.

North Koreas statement Wednesday did not directly criticize Trump, or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has made two trips to the North to lay the groundwork for the summit. Instead, it stressed that North Korea welcomes Trumps position for ending the deep-rooted hostilities between their countries and concluded that if the Trump administration approaches the summit with a sincere desire to improve relations, the result will be positive.

It warned, however, of a ridiculous comedy if Trump listens to Bolton and quasi-patriots who insist on abandoning nuclear weapons first, compensating afterward.

We have already stated our intention for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and made clear on several occasions that precondition for denuclearization is to put an end to anti-DPRK hostile policy and nuclear threats and blackmail of the United States, the statement said, using the abbreviation for North Koreas official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

But now, the U.S. is miscalculating the magnanimity and broad-minded initiatives of the DPRK as signs of weakness and trying to embellish and advertise as if these are the product of its sanctions and pressure, it added.

North Koreas dual moves Wednesday can be seen as an attempt by Kim to fortify his position.

In an announcement issued hours before the anti-Bolton statement, North Korea said it was pulling out of talks in the Demilitarized Zone that were supposed to be held later Wednesday with senior South Korean officials because of the military maneuvers that began earlier this week.

Annual military drills between Washington and Seoul have long been a major source of contention between the Koreas, but the current exercises, called Max Thunder, are particularly sensitive from North Koreas perspective because they reportedly involve nuclear capable B-52 bombers and F-22 stealth fighters.

The North fears the aircraft could be used to carry out a pre-emptive nuclear attack or a precision strike that would target Kim and his top lieutenants  the kind of thing Bolton advocated publicly before taking his current office.

But Kim has already won one round of bargaining on the military front.

At South Korean President Moon Jae-ins request, Washington agreed to delay the much larger Foal Eagle/Key Resolve drills in the spring because of the North-South diplomacy surrounding Februarys Winter Olympics in South Korea. Kim told visiting South Korean officials in March that he understood the drills would take place but expressed hope that they would be modified once the situation on the Korean Peninsula had stabilized, according to South Koreas government.

North Koreas announcement regarding the talks on Wednesday was in keeping with that position. And by playing the doves against the hawks in Seoul and Washington, it, too, might have been made with Bolton in mind.

___

EDITORS NOTE  Eric Talmadge has been the APs Pyongyang bureau chief since 2013. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter: @EricTalmadge

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This story has been corrected to fix spelling of former Libyan leaders name to Gadhafi.

An AP News Analysis
CHICAGO  At his desk at North Lawndale College Prep High School, Gerald Smith keeps a small calendar that holds unimaginable grief.

In its pages, the dean and student advocate writes the name of each student whos lost a family member, many of them to gun violence. And then he deploys the Peace Warriors  students who have dedicated themselves to easing the violence that pervades their world.

The Warriors seek out their heartbroken classmates. They offer a hug, and a small bag of candy.

Since September, Smith has added more than 160 names to that little book, roughly half the student body at this campus on Chicagos West Side. And that doesnt even include those whose friends have been killed.

We would run out of candy, says Smith, sadly.

It is hard and often anguishing work, keeping the peace. North Lawndales Peace Warriors do it in small and large ways. When invited to Parkland, Florida, after 17 people died in a school shooting there in February, they answered the call  to mourn together and to unite in whats become a national youth movement aimed at stopping gun violence.

Weeks later, Alex King and DAngelo McDade, seniors at North Lawndale, walked onto stage at the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. with fists raised. They marveled at the masses of young people whod joined the fight. Said King: We knew this was going to be in the history books. And for me, it was like, Wow! Im actually being heard.'

They continue to press their solution to urban violence: more jobs and investment in low-income communities like theirs. But thats the long game.

First, the Peace Warriors must survive  and help their peers do the same.

___

Good morning, good morning, good morning!

A small band of Peace Warriors greets students who make their way into the schools main foyer after going through a bag check and metal detector.

This is when the Warriors get a sense of how the day may go and where they may need to step in to maintain calm.

Most everyone is upbeat, though perhaps a little sleepy. A few dance to old-school soul over the sound system, until a young woman arrives, sobbing. Two Peace Warriors rush to embrace her and escort her to the school office, where she can collect herself.

When the group began in 2009, there were just 17 Peace Warriors on the schools two campuses. Back then, that small corps spent much of its time breaking up fights, interrupting nonsense, as they call it. Since then, their ranks have grown to more than 120  and fights have dropped markedly, Smith said.

Now, the Peace Warriors focus more on running peace circles, mediating verbal altercations between students and tense exchanges on social media.

Alexis Willis is among the newest recruits. Like the others, she had to learn the Six Principles of Nonviolence of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. before she could call herself a Peace Warrior.

The civil rights activist lived in the neighborhood in 1966 in an apartment that was just down the street. He chose that location to draw attention to segregation and extreme poverty  issues that persist there even today.

Willis, a freshman who trained in January, likes Kings first principle best: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.

She admits that, as a child, she sometimes solved problems with her fists. But as the level of violence has escalated in her city, and she has matured, she has been drawn to this life, as the Peace Warriors sometimes call their pacifist practice.

Willis says her resolve to help her classmates do better was only solidified when, in April, her beloved 16-year-old cousin, Jaheim Wilson, was shot and killed as he walked with a friend in an alley near his Chicago home.

Nobody thats 16 should have to die, Willis says, quietly.

Less than two weeks after her cousins death, she received her first Peace Warrior shirt with her name and an image of a large hand flashing a peace sign on the back.

When you put on this shirt, you put on a target. People will test you, Smith tells his students when first handing them their shirts.

Indeed, being a Peace Warrior can be a challenge. Some students call them snitches or see them as meddling do-gooders. In recent years, Smith has had a harder time recruiting young men to join the group, unfortunate since they are most often the victims of violence.

Alex King confesses that he first simply joined the group because he wanted to wear the Peace Warrior shirt to school instead of the otherwise required collared white polo. But he soon came to see the group as family.

Speaking at the March for Our Lives, he shared the story of his nephew, Daishawn Moore, also 16, who was gunned down last May.

Through my friends and colleagues, I found help to come up out of a dark place, King told the crowd. Full of rage and sorrow, he had planned to retaliate against his nephews killer, until fellow Peace Warriors talked him out of it: Everyone doesnt have the same resources or support system as I was lucky to have.

The alliance with Parkland unites the North Lawndale students with those from a very different world  wealthy and suburban, a place where shootings are far from the norm.

While students from Parkland and elsewhere are pushing lawmakers for stricter gun regulations, the Peace Warriors have made poverty their target. Among other things, the Peace Warriors want more funding for mental health clinics and schools in low-income neighborhoods. Both have seen cuts in recent years in Chicago.

At North Lawndale College Prep, a charter school that is privately funded, Smith says there once were four counselors, one for each grade. Now there are only two who serve grades nine through 12.

It means that Smith and other staff  and even the Peace Warriors  must pick up some of the slack.

___

On that recent morning, the girl whod arrived at school sobbing walks up to the school security desk, where Smith is tracking late arrivals.

He knows why she wasnt in class. Her boyfriend had just been shot and killed. But why, he asks, is she carrying a bundle of clothing?

Its his clothes, she answers in a monotone before heading down the hallway in a daze.

Smith covers his eyes for a moment, then reveals cheeks wet with tears.

It doesnt matter how many times this happens. Hell never get used to it.

This wasnt work hed planned to do. The reluctant fourth-generation pastor, now 47, ultimately answered the call to work with youth. Now he has a knack, he says, for spotting potential leaders, some of them also reluctant.

A few days later, freshman Robert Cooks sits in the deans office, awaiting a detention slip.

Above Smiths desk in that office, red letters are stuck to the wall  a message where there used to be a clock. Smith never bothered to replace it after a distressed student knocked it down.

This is KAIROS Time, the message reads, using a Greek word that refers to a decisive and opportune moment.

Smith sensed that kind of moment when he accompanied the Peace Warriors to Parkland and later to Washington for the march.

This summer  Chicagos worst time for violence  is another, as he and his students plan sessions to train more Peace Warriors in the neighborhood. Students across the country also plan voter registration drives with an eye on the midterm elections in November. But here, safety must come first.

This summer is critical. Cant wait until next summer. Cant wait until November, Smith says.

As he works in his office, he stops and gazes at Cooks, the dejected freshman, as if hes seeing him with fresh eyes.

Has Cooks ever considered being a Peace Warrior? The teen says he gets in too much trouble.

Peace Warriors arent perfect, Smith tells him. Dont count yourself out. We need some strong young men.

Maybe, just maybe, this is another kairos. One of those critical moments.

Time will tell.

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Martha Irvine, an AP national writer and visual journalist, can be reached at mirvine//twitter.com/irvineap .

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This story has been corrected to show that a student quoted in the story is named Robert Cooks, not Robert Cook.
WASHINGTON  Republicans are pushing for a speedy confirmation vote as early as Thursday after the Senate intelligence committee endorsed President Donald Trumps CIA nominee Gina Haspel to lead the spy agency.

But opponents concerned about Haspels role in CIA covert detention sites after 9/11 could delay a vote by the full Senate until next week.

The committee voted 10-5 in Haspels favor on Wednesday, paving the way for her expected confirmation to become the first woman to lead the CIA. Republicans leaders in the Senate want to hold that vote before the end of the week, but she is opposed by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and some Democrats who could object.

Gina Haspel is one step closer to leading our brave men and women at the CIA, Trump tweeted Wednesday evening. She is exceptionally qualified and the Senate should confirm her immediately. We need her to keep our great country safe! #ConfirmGina.

Haspels nomination has reopened debate about the CIAs now-defunct program of detaining terror suspects overseas at secret lock-ups and trying to get them to talk by subjecting them to sleep deprivation and other harsh interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, which simulates drowning. Haspel supervised one of those detention sites in Thailand, but details of her work there have not been declassified.

Her nomination, however, also was applauded by former top intelligence officials and spy professionals who cited her years of experience at the CIA in mostly undercover posts both in the United States and abroad. She is currently acting CIA director.

During her confirmation hearing last week, Haspel said she doesnt believe torture works as an interrogation technique. That puts her at odds with Trump who has said he believes torture works and that terror suspects should be subjected to waterboarding and worse. Haspel said her strong moral compass would prevent her from carrying out any presidential order she found objectionable.

With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken, according to Haspels written answers to some 60 additional questions from lawmakers. If confirmed as director, I would not allow CIA to engage in the use of enhanced interrogation techniques again.

Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, the Republican chairman of the committee, called Haspel the most qualified person the president could choose to lead the CIA and the most-prepared nominee in the 70-year history of the agency.

She has acted morally, ethically and legally over a distinguished 30-year career and is the right person to lead the agency into an uncertain and challenging future, Burr said.

Five Democrats on the committee voted against Haspel, but two gave her a nod. The committees top-ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, said Haspel would be a strong advocate for the agencys rank-and-file and an independent voice who can and will stand up on behalf of our nations intelligence community.

Most importantly, I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the president if ordered to do something illegal or immoral  like a return to torture.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who has staunchly opposed Haspel, called her nomination one of the most self-serving abuses of power in recent history because Haspel, as acting CIA director, was in a decision-making role in determining what parts of her undercover career were declassified.

Wyden said he would continue to seek the declassification of a Justice Department report about the destruction of more than 90 videotapes showing the harsh interrogation of one terror suspect. Haspel drafted a cable that ordered the tapes destroyed, but the cable was sent by her boss, Jose Rodriguez, who has repeatedly taken responsibility for the order. The Justice Department did not file any criminal charges on the basis of its investigation.

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said the federal prosecutors report about the destruction of the tapes should be shared with the public and the full Senate.

I remain concerned about Ms. Haspels commitment to transparency, Harris said. Ms. Haspels unwillingness to share information regarding the CIAs use of enhanced interrogation techniques was deeply troubling.

Most troubling, however, was Ms. Haspels refusal to provide a clear answer to my question  one I asked four times  on whether or not she believed torture was immoral.
JERUSALEM  Israel celebrated the opening of Guatemalas new embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday as the Palestinians, infuriated by the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to the contested city, recalled their ambassadors to four European countries that had supported the move.

Israel has been buoyed by the new Jerusalem missions, which have infuriated the Palestinians. The opening of the U.S. Embassy on Monday was met with mass protests on the Gaza border, where Israeli troops killed nearly 60 Palestinians, triggering a wave of international condemnation.

The Palestinians, who seek east Jerusalem as capital of their hoped-for state, vehemently oppose the U.S. Embassys relocation from Tel Aviv, seeing it as a one-sided move that invalidates the U.S. as a Mideast peace broker.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said ambassadors to Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria were being called home for consultations after those countries sent envoys to a celebratory event held by Israels Foreign Ministry ahead of the U.S Embassy opening.

The European Union objected to the embassy move, but the four European countries broke with EU policy to attend the celebration.

We highly value our relations with all EU member states. Those relations are based on the commitment to international law, U.N. resolutions and human rights. Therefore we consider the participation in this event a contradiction to such values, said Amal Jadou, a Palestinian Foreign Ministry official.

President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital late last year, upending decades of U.S. policy in a move that was welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but prompted the Palestinians to cut ties with the administration.

Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. Israel considers Jerusalem its undivided capital, but nearly all countries have opted to maintain embassies in Tel Aviv because of the holy citys contested status.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales dedicated the embassy just two days after a high-powered American delegation marked the transfer of the U.S. Embassy.

Netanyahu said it was fitting, noting that Guatemala also followed the U.S. to be the second country to recognize Israel 70 years ago.

You were always among the first, he said at the ceremony. We remember our friends and Guatemala is our friend, then and now.

The embassy move added fuel to weekly Palestinian protests in Gaza demanding the right of refugees to return to Israel and the lifting of a decade-old blockade.

The Israeli military has come under heavy international criticism for firing on unarmed protesters, and faces accusations of using disproportionate force.

Gaza protesters have hurled flaming tires, firebombs and stones toward Israeli troops, and tried to attack the border fence. Israel says Hamas militants have also tried to carry out bombing and shooting attacks under the cover of the protests.

Since the Hamas-led protests began on March 30, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed and more than 2,500 wounded by live fire, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Palestinian officials say the vast majority of the casualties have been unarmed protesters. One Israeli soldier has been wounded.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel did everything it could to prevent civilian casualties but that Gazas Hamas rulers were to blame for using them as human shields.

The Hamas leadership is a group of cannibals who treat their children as armament, he said during a visit to a military base in southern Israel. They have rocket armament, personal armament and another kind of armament  their children and women.

On Tuesday, Israels military allowed eight trucks full of humanitarian aid and medical supplies to enter the Gaza Strip.

But the organizers of the Hamas-led border marches rejected two of the trucks, which had come from Israel, despite widespread shortages of key supplies. They said the Palestinians would not accept medicine from the murderers of our people.

The heavy death toll Monday, along with hundreds of wounded, made it by far the bloodiest day of cross-border violence since a devastating 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. It also triggered a diplomatic backlash against Israel.

The U.N. Security Council held a special session that began with a moment of silence for the Palestinians who were killed. In Geneva, the U.N. human rights office said Israel has repeatedly violated international norms by using deadly live fire to repel protesters.

Turkey expelled Israels ambassador and consul general, and several European countries summoned Israeli ambassadors to their foreign ministries for questioning and called for an international investigation.

At the same time, Israel has found other nations following the U.S. lead and rallying to its defense. Besides Guatemala, Paraguay says it will also relocate its embassy to Jerusalem. Romania, the Czech Republic and Honduras have said they are considering doing the same.

At Wednesdays ceremony, Morales said his country was bringing a message of love, peace and fraternity to Israel. The Guatemalan Congress recently passed a law marking May 14 as Israel-Guatemala Friendship Day.

Marking the move, the Jerusalem municipality illuminated the walls of the Old City late Tuesday with flags of Guatemala, Israel and the United States, and a message thanking Morales.
HOUSTON  Defense attorneys are claiming that court-appointed prosecutors have financial incentives to seek the death penalty against a Jordanian-born man accused in two slayings that authorities allege is driven by his daughters decision to marry a Christian.

Ali Irsans defense team is seeking to remove pro tem prosecutors from the high-profile Houston case before the trial later this month, the Houston Chronicle reported . Irsans lawyers, Allen Tanner and Rudy Duarte, filed a motion this April requesting prosecutors dismissal.

Irsan is facing a capital murder charge in the 2012 shooting death of an Iranian womens rights activist, Gelareh Bagherzadeh. Police allege that Irsan, his wife and his son carried out the killing of Bagherzadeh, 30, near her parents home in Houston.

Irsans wife, Shmou Ali Alrawabdeh, and his son, Nasim Irsan, face murder charges in the Bagherzadeh case.

Prosecutors allege that Irsan also played a role in death of his son-in-law, Coty Beavers, 11 months later.

Authorities have said both slayings were motivated by Irsans ire over his daughter marrying Beavers, a Christian. Bagherzadeh was a Christian convert and friend of Irsans daughter, Nesreen Irsan.

Irsans daughter had a protective order against her father after leaving home in 2011 and marrying Beavers, 28, according to testimony during a hearing on federal fraud charges.

Irsan, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, was sentenced to federal prison in 2015 for scamming the Social Security Administration.

___

Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com
A former Albuquerque Public Schools substitute teacher is accused of giving a sex toy to a teen and smoking weed with students.

According to an APS police report, former Jimmy Carter Middle School sub Claude Carroll, 57, allegedly gave a sex toy to a 14-year-old student as a birthday present.

He also is accused of giving and smoking marijuana with two other students.

Once they got in Mr. Carrolls car, (he) packed a bowl and passed the pipe to them in order to smoke weed with him, the report says.

Carroll was put on unpaid leave in February with the district.

At the time, the district only said, The allegations, that Im aware of at this moment in time, are not violent in nature  and do not involve sexual assault.

APS previously confirmed to the Journal that Carroll resigned effective March 2.

The district could not be reached for additional comment Wednesday from the Journal, including why he wasnt fired.

Bernalillo County District Attorney office spokesman Michael Patrick said the case has been assigned to a prosecutor, but it has not been presented to a grand jury. APS police recommended Carroll be charged with contributing to delinquency to a minor.

The report also says an unidentified person police spoke with was upset with school administration because they knew about Carrolls inappropriate behavior and nothing was done about it.

The previous principal and assistant principal at Jimmy Carter Middle School no longer work at the school and have been reassigned to new roles within the district.

Then-principal Amy Mahr is a district director of AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination, a college readiness program. And former assistant principal Frances Chavez is the assistant principal at Sandia High School.

Up until now, little information was given to the community on this case.

The Journal previously filed requests for information regarding the reassignment, the internal investigation and emails surrounding Mahr and Chavez, but APS declined to release any information, citing Matters of Opinion under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act as the reason.
Baggit, India's most-loved bag and accessories brand, has signed up popular Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor as its brand ambassador. In her new role, as the brand ambassador Kapoor will be associated with Baggit brand for the years 2018 and 2019. The association with Kapoor, a popular youth icon, reflects Baggit's drive towards staying on point with the expectations of today's young millennials and yet retaining relevance with its existing customer base.

Shraddha is one of Bollywoods leading stars and has received both critical and popular acclaim for her choice of films. She is known for her sense of style and her trendsetting looks, much sought-after by today's Gen Next. Baggit's latest collection has been put together by Nina Lekhi, MD & Chief Design Curator, Baggit and mirrors the vibrant personality and joie-de-vivre of its new brand ambassador. Baggit is currently present in 100 cities across India in 52 exclusive Baggit outlets as well as in 1000 plus multi-brand retail doors.

Commenting on the new partnership, Nina Lekhi said, Shraddha is a great fit for Baggit. She personifies Baggits key proposition of beauty with strength. A fashion icon and a powerhouse of talent, Shraddhas vibrant, exciting and vivacious personality makes for a perfect fit with the style and panache that Baggit has become synonymous with. We at Baggit believe in adapting and staying in tune with the changing trends and demands of our customers and our association with Shraddha is a perfect example of this. Baggit and Shraddha together are a power-packed combination for the gen-next customers.

Elaborating on her brand association Kapoor said, My bag is an essential must-have accessory for me. I never leave anywhere without it. And Baggit has just opened a world of amazing designs, colours and strong bags. I love it! I totally love their designs and completely relate to their philosophy of different bag for every different occasion. Its a must-have for today's woman on the go, especially since we tend to carry our world in our handbags. This is exactly what Baggit offers. I am really looking forward to our association.

Baggit's bags have always been a perfect blend of innovation, artistry and international designs which have made them an instant hit among their target audience. An environmentally-conscious vegan brand, Baggit emphasizes on the use of eco-friendly materials as well. With an unbeatable combination of style, strength and durability, Baggit has endeared itself to its customers and has become the go-to brand for today's women.
Following the Cambridge Analytica incident, Facebook has moved to reinforce its commitment to transparency. For this, Facebook has updated its Transparency Report to also include a Community Standards Enforcement Report. Facebook believes that this transparency helps hold governments and the social media platform accountable.

The Community Standards Enforcement Report provides information about Facebooks enforcement efforts between October 2017 and March 2018 in six areas: graphic violence, adult nudity and sexual activity, terrorist propaganda, hate speech, spam and fake accounts.

Earlier this week, Facebook had suspended close to 200 apps on its platform for misusing private user data.

Government requests for account data increased globally by around 4 per cent, compared to the first half of 2017, increasing from 78,890 to 82,341 requests. In the US, government requests remained roughly even at 32,742, of which 62 per cent included a non-disclosure order prohibiting Facebook from notifying the user, which is up from 57 per cent during the first half of 2017. In addition, as a result of transparency updates introduced in the 2016 USA Freedom Act, the US government lifted the non-disclosure orders on 14 National Security Letters (NSLs) we received between 2013 and 2016.

During the second half of 2017, the number of pieces of content Facebook restricted based on local law fell from 28,036 to 14,294. Last cycles figures had been increased primarily by content restrictions in Mexico related to the video of a tragic school shooting.

There were 46 disruptions of Facebook services in 12 countries in the second half of 2017, compared to 52 disruptions in nine countries in the first half. Facebook has expressed its deep concerns on the internet disruptions, which prevent people from communicating with family and friends and also threaten the growth of small businesses.

The report also includes data covering the volume and nature of copyright, trademark and counterfeit reports Facebook received, as well as the amount of content affected by those reports. During this period, on Facebook and Instagram, 2,776,665 pieces of content were taken down based on 373,934 copyright reports; 222,226 pieces of content were taken down based on 61,172 trademark reports; and 459,176 pieces of content were taken down based on 28,680 counterfeit reports.
NetBiz, a leading 360-degree digital performance-driven agency has bagged the digital mandate for Dosti Realty, one of the top real estate builders in Mumbai following a multi-agency pitch. The mandate includes handling the creative strategy and management of the brands digital assets. The mandate will include social media strategy, content marketing, search engine marketing (SEM) and creative strategy across digital platforms. With this win, NetBiz has further strengthened its portfolio in the real estate segment. Netbiz already services leading real estate players such as Omkar Realtors, The Wadhwa Group, Godrej Properties, Kanakia Spaces amongst others.

Commenting on the association, Mr.Nitin Nagpal, CMO, Dosti Realty said, We understand the altering demands and gaining significance of digital platforms in order to connect with our digital savvy consumers. We are extremely happy to partner with NetBiz who will help us in amplifying our online presence across digital platforms. The team at Netbiz understands the long - term vision of the brand, our values and our core business. They have a distinctive approach and with their in-depth understanding of having worked with several brands in the real estate sector, we believe they are the right fit to help us achieve our targets.

We look forward to this partnership and believe that the young dynamic talent pool at Netbiz will not only enhance our image in the marketplace, but will also play a key role in increasing our sales for the upcoming projects at Dosti Realty.

Arvind Jain, CEO, NetBiz, added, We're excited and proud that Dosti Realty has selected NetBiz as the digital Agency on Record (AOR) to build connections with their consumers. The real estate sector has already undergone a change and with the addition of digital, it has not only transformed various business models, but also essentially affected customer experiences. We look forward to elevating this real estate brand to be the top digital brand in its category. The team is working on a tailor-made digital strategy for Dosti Realty and we are confident our efforts will fructify in tangible results for the brand.
RepIndia, one of the largest independent creative digital agencies in the country, announced its appointment as the digital partner for Fortis Healthcare, following a multi-agency pitch. The mandate includes building upon the brands existing digital presence as well as creating new communication channels to enhance brand equity and awareness.

Commenting on the win, Archit Chenoy, Director, RepIndia said, We look forward to partnering with Fortis Healthcare. With a widespread network of over 40 medical facilities in India along with an established global presence, Fortis provides world-class healthcare across a wide range of specialties. Our team is gearing up for the challenges and excitement that are sure to accompany one of the leading healthcare delivery service providers in India. We appreciate the opportunity to create relevant and engaging communication that connects with the audience and grows the Fortis brand.

Jasrita Dhir, Head - Marketing & Branding, Fortis Healthcare said We inhabit a supremely connected real-time world where reputation and equity are changing in a continuous short-time cycle. Digital and social mastery are critical for brands to face these challenges and leverage them to advantage. In this context, the RepIndia team demonstrated their strength and passion right through the process which convinced us that they are the right team to partner with to execute our social media mandate
After being at the helm for nearly a decade, Vittorio Colao is stepping down as CEO of British telecom major Vodafone Group. Taking over the reins will be Group CFO Nick Read.

Colaos exit comes at a crucial time, as Vodafones India operations are close to being merged with Idea Cellular.

Effective October 1, 2018, Vittorio Colao will be succeeded by Group Chief Financial Officer Nick Read, the company said in a statement announcing the succession plan.

At the date of the Groups Annual General Meeting on July 27, 2018, Deputy CFO Margherita Della Valle will succeed Nick Read as Group Chief Financial Officer and will join the board, and Nick Read will become Group Chief Executive-designate, the statement added.

Interestingly, Colaos journey as CEO of Vodafone Plc also coincides with the companys India timeline. He had taken over the reins of Vodafone Plc just after the British company acquired Hutchisons mobile unit in India. His exit comes just ahead of Vodafone Indias merger with Idea Cellular.

Reshaping the group

Over the past 10 years, Colao has been instrumental in reshaping the group and widening its mobile customer base to 536 million, from 269 million, across 25 countries.

Vodafone, which also has 19.7 million broadband users, now has a significant presence in India, Egypt, Turkey and Africa.

Apart from the merger with Idea Cellular, Colao also recently sealed an 18-billion takeover of Liberty Globals German and East European cable companies.

He was also instrumental in Vodafones $130-billion stake sale in Verizon Wireless.

According to industry watchers, his exit comes at a time when Vodafone has repositioned its global ambitions, which will now be driven by Read.

An Italian, Colao (56) had started his career with investment bank Morgan Stanley in London. He has also worked with McKinsey & Co, Omnitel Pronto Italia and Italian publishing company RCS MediaGroup.

Read, who was previously the Groups Chief Executive for the Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific region, joined the Vodafone Group board in April 2014. He has served on the boards of various Vodafone units across emerging markets, including Vodacom Group and Vodafone India.
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1. Yes. There should be absolute certainty that the election was free and fair.

2. Yes. The audit could and should lead to stronger laws governing elections in the state.

3. No. Former President Trump wants the audit to further cast doubt on the 2020 vote.

4. No. Its a waste of money, an attempt by Abbott to gain favor among Trump backers.

5. Unsure. It seems unnecessary but it may provide some worthwhile findings.

Vote

View Results
Right-wing politician Meral Aksener has called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to release their mutual rival Selahattin Demirtas from prison, joining a growing array of voices demanding freedom for the Kurdish politician who is running in the presidential election next month.

Demirtas' ongoing detention has added to broader concerns about whether the June 24 elections, which Erdogan pulled forward by 17 months, will be democratic at a time when the country is under a state of emergency that has allowed the incumbent president to largely rule by decree.

The call by Aksener, who hopes to become Turkeys first female president, followed others from main opposition candidate Muharrem Ince and the small Saadet Partys Temel Karamollaoglu. While their appeals are widely seen as a gesture to win over Kurdish voters, who make up roughly 20% of the electorate, the hawkish Akseners is a bigger gamble, risking a backlash from her nationalist base that views Demirtas and his party with deep suspicion.

Demirtas is still a defendant; a verdict has not been given on his behalf, Aksener told reporters on Tuesday. I would like for a person who has been nominated to comfortably campaign with us under equal conditions.

Demirtas himself filed a legal petition for release this week, arguing his imprisonment violates the Turkish Constitutions guarantee of free and fair elections. His lawyers are optimistic he could be set free soon.

Even ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmaker Aziz Babuscu told CNN Turk he believed Demirtas should be freed, though his remarks sparked anger among Erdogans hard-line supporters and calls for his expulsion from the party.

Akseners comments are the latest sign of uncharacteristic unity from Turkeys fractured opposition since Erdogan called snap elections last month. Constitutional changes narrowly approved in a referendum last year that largely sideline the parliament and transform Erdogans office into a powerful executive post with unprecedented powers will come into effect with the vote.

Akseners Iyi or Good Party has joined a bloc with Inces Republican Peoples Party, Saadet and a tiny fourth party for the parliamentary poll, which will be held simultaneously with the presidential vote. Yet the cooperation only goes so far.

Their alliance left out Demirtas pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), parliaments second-biggest opposition group, much maligned amid a resurgence of violence by the armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade campaign for autonomy that has killed more than 40,000 people.

The HDP remains disappointed it was excluded from the opposition bloc, chairwoman Pervin Buldan told Cumhuriyet. She told another news outlet that Akseners comments were a cynical and improbable ploy to win Kurdish votes.

Erdogan historically attracted about half of Turkey's Kurdish votes, but has swerved hard to the right since a 2016 coup failed to oust him. A military campaign in the Kurdish-dominated province of Afrin in Syria earlier this year stoked nationalist fervor among Turks but left many of his Kurdish supporters disenchanted.

Erdogan, who commands a comfortable lead in the polls, has likened Demirtas to a terrorist, accusing him of collaborating with the outlawed PKK. Demirtas denies the charges.

The former human rights lawyer played a key role in Erdogans project to end the PKK conflict during a 2-year peace process, mediating between the government and the rebels before it collapsed in 2015, unleashing the worst fighting in two decades. Some 3,500 people were killed, according to the International Crisis Group.

Despite the peace effort, Demirtas remained one of Erdogans most outspoken critics for his perceived authoritarianism, challenging him for the presidency in 2014 and, a year later, leading the HDP to a record third-place showing in parliament. That result deprived the AKP of single-party rule for the first time since it swept to power in 2002, and the AKP recaptured full control of the government when Erdogan forced a re-vote a few months later.

Erdogan said this week that he would not stand for a hung parliament nor a divided government in which he wins the presidency but his party loses control of parliament.

We have done our homework well, we are working well and we would not allow a development that will not let the system work, he told Bloomberg television. For matters to develop exactly in the way we planned, I mean Plan A, Plan B, Plan C  of course all of these will happen.

Already, the state of emergency, under which tens of thousands of Erdogans opponents have been jailed and hundreds of media outlets and civil society groups banned, and legislation pushed through by the AKP earlier this year to include unstamped ballots and other controversial measures have cast a shadow over the poll, said Howard Eissenstat, a Turkey researcher at St. Lawrence University and a senior non-resident fellow at the Project on Middle East Democracy.

Recent reforms have made election-day manipulation more likely, but ballot stuffing is not the only basis for determining whether an election is fair, Eissenstat told Al-Monitor, pointing to emergency rule and a de facto media blackout on opposition candidates. There is no question that the election is occurring in unfair and unfree conditions. The question is how blatant this will become.

State broadcaster TRT had dedicated more than 37 hours of airtime to Erdogan and his nationalist allies as of May 6, Hurriyet Daily News reported. TRT broadcast less than 3 hours of combined coverage of opposition parties.

In this climate, allowing Demirtas to leave his prison cell appears remote, said Eissenstat.

Releasing Demirtas would be read as a sign of weakness, of panic, he said. I don't think Demirtas will be released anytime soon and I am doubtful whether it costs Erdogan anything politically. For many voters  including many opposition voters  Demirtas, and the HDP more generally, are simply a PKK front.
Congressional frustration with Turkey has reached a boiling point.

After months of deferring to the Donald Trump administration and forgoing punitive measures for fear of worsening an already sour relationship with a NATO ally, lawmakers are taking matters into their own hands.

House legislators last week attached a provision to a must-pass defense bill that would curtail major arms sales to Turkey over its impending purchase of the S-400 Russian missile defense system. Their Senate counterparts are gearing up to attach an even more severe weapons ban to their version of the bill.

And lawmakers arent stopping there: Several senators are also pushing to sanction senior Turkish officials in retaliation for Ankaras monthslong incarceration of an American pastor. Turkish retaliation against Israel for this weeks bloodshed in Gaza, including Ankaras expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and Turkey's calls for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, have further strained relations with the United States.

What were trying to do is to get the attention of [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., told Al-Monitor. Shaheen is using her seats on the Armed Services Committee and on a foreign aid spending panel to push both measures.

Shaheens counterparts on the House Armed Services Committee advanced a defense authorization bill on May 11 that would ban major defense equipment sales to Turkey until the Trump administration submits a report detailing the state of US-Turkish military and diplomatic relations within 60 days of the bill becoming law.

It will slow down anything going to Turkey, a House staffer told reporters at a briefing before the committee vote. Members are concerned about the S-400.

Turkey signed an accord with Russia to buy the advanced missile defense system last December, raising concerns about security and interoperability with US and other NATO weapons among Defense Department officials and members of Congress. Ankara announced last month that it will receive the missiles in July 2019.

Speaking at a press conference earlier this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he relayed his concerns about the proposed arms sales ban and sanctions proposals to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

I am not obliged to approve decisions taken by an individual country, Cavusoglu told reporters. Therefore, the US attempt to impose sanctions on us is illogical and wrong. I would retaliate.

Congress passed a sanctions bill last year penalizing foreign countries for significant transactions with major Russian defense firms. The State Department lists Almaz-Antey, the Russian firm producing the S-400s, as one of the banned entities that could result in sanctions on buyers such as Turkey.

The House bill notes that the S-400 sale could negatively impact common weapon system development between the United States and Turkey and exacerbate current [NATO] interoperability challenges with respect to common military architecture and information sharing.

The report required by the House bill must include an assessment of Turkeys S-400 purchase, including an assessment of impacts on other United States weapon systems and platforms operated jointly with Turkey. The weapons systems in question include F-35 and F-16 aircraft, Patriot surface-to-air missile systems and several helicopters. The report also requires the Trump administration to identify alternative missile defense systems that Turkey could purchase from the United States or other NATO allies in lieu of Russian S-400s.

Finally, the House is also asking for an assessment of all military activities conducted from Turkeys NATO air base in Incirlik, which has been an integral part of the US-led air campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The Wall Street Journal reported in March that the Defense Department is considering permanent cuts to its forces at Incirlik.

I hope that we can reach some accommodation with the Erdogan administration so that thats not required, Shaheen told Al-Monitor.

Although she wants the United States to remain at Incirlik, Shaheen is going even further in a bid to permanently ban the sale of F-35s to Turkey unless Ankara meets several conditions. Turkey has placed an order to buy more than 100 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, and Turkish media reported last week that the first delivery is expected June 21.

Shaheen teamed up with Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., to introduce the bill. Tillis also sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and they hope to include their legislation as an amendment when the committee debates its version of the annual defense authorization bill next week.

Turkeys strategic decisions regrettably fall more and more out of line with, and at times in contrast to, US interests, Lankford said in a statement upon introducing the bill. These factors make the transfer of sensitive F-35 technology and cutting-edge capabilities to Erdogans regime increasingly risky.

While the F-35 bill does not reference the S-400 sale or Russia by name, it would require the president to certify that Turkey is not seeking to import or purchase defense articles from countries under US sanctions. The certification would have to affirm that Ankara is not exposing NATO assets to hostile actors nor degrading NATO interoperability or the security of NATO member states. The president also would have to certify that Turkey is not wrongfully or unlawfully detaining US citizens  a reference to US citizen Andrew Brunson, a minister whose monthslong detention has provoked congressional ire.

The Turkish government continues to move closer and closer to Russia, as they hold an innocent American pastor, Andrew Brunson, in prison to use him as a pawn in political negotiations, said Lankford.

Turkey arrested Brunson, an evangelical pastor, in October 2016, accusing him of ties to outlawed Kurdish groups and the exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan blames for that years failed coup. Brunson is originally from North Carolina, and Tillis visited Brunson last month to attend his first court hearing. Tillis and Shaheen then led 66 senators in a letter to Erdogan last month protesting Brunsons detention, warning that they would take other measures to secure his release.

In addition to the F-35 ban, Shaheen and Lankford have both vowed to revive efforts to sanction Turkish officials involved in the detention of American citizens by barring their entry into the United States. Both senators sit on the committee overseeing foreign aid spending and have vowed to attach the sanctions as an amendment to the annual spending bill when the panel debates it in June.

Shaheen and Lankford managed to attach a similar amendment to the 2018 spending bill last year, but the language was struck from the final spending package at the request of the Trump administration.
CAIRO  Egypt has yet to pass a law needed to hold local elections, but hundreds of women will not be wallflowers waiting for an invitation to run for office. Thanks to an initiative dubbed The Councils Are Ours, potential candidates will be prepared when the elections are finally held for the first time in eight years.

The Tadwein Gender Research Center's program is designed to support women's participation in local council elections. During a conference at the end of April, the women who received training last year were introduced. So far, the project has groomed 320 women in seven of Egypt's 27 governorates. That might seem like a drop in the bucket  considering the Egyptian Constitution allots a quarter of local councils roughly 64,000 seats to women  but the impetus could increase exponentially.

Training adviser Ahmed Hantish said the project will begin targeting parliamentary seats at a later stage.

Hantish told Al-Monitor the women's education stretches over a year and includes discussions with female decision-makers in parliament such as Nadia Henry and Manal Maher. This could help more women provide input into the pending legislation on local council administration. Parliament has been discussing that legislation for two years, and parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal said it will be issued this year so elections can be held before the end of 2018.

After the January 25 Revolution in 2011, parliamentary and local councils were dissolved. Due to the subsequent absence of a law regulating local administrations, no local councils have been elected for eight years now.

Tadwein executive director Amal Fahmy pointed out that the lack of local councils in Egypt has been a burden on parliament, whose members have been called on to meet demands for services from their constituencies, which is essentially the role of local councils.

Fahmy said Tadwein's program includes awareness campaigns about womens roles and the importance of their participation in local council elections and in the public domain in general. The initiative teaches women how to run independently or as part of a slate, and how to face problems they might encounter in elections  mainly the way society perceives them and their roles within the councils.

Maher told Al-Monitor the project's importance lies in changing communities' attitudes to accept women in elected posts. She noted Egyptian women face prejudice even today, as many people still see their role as being limited to that of housewife. The project includes a number of awareness campaigns to change society's view of women so it can accept that they are able to work in the public sphere like men, she said.

Howaida Ezzat, who before the revolution was a member of the local council in Helwan, on the outskirts of Cairo, ran twice and won once. She has joined the training program.

The program has helped me enhance my skills in the political work in Egypt and my abilities to run in the elections. I ran twice in the local elections. I was banking on my contacts, relatives and neighbors, rather than on a proper political platform, she told Al-Monitor.

Ezzat said that the initiative has provided her with expertise on the role she should play in a local council, and how to participate effectively in local elections, particularly since the political landscape has changed since the revolution. She stressed that after the local council elections, she plans to throw her hat in the ring for the parliamentary elections.

The current Egyptian parliament has the largest representation of women ever, with 14.9% of the seats, according to 2016 statistics from the National Electoral Commission. The Tadwein projects officials hope to achieve at least a similar percentage in local elections once the legislation is approved.

Maher told Al-Monitor the local administration draft law is one of the most-discussed bills in the community, as it was put forth by governors from all Egyptian provinces. She believes it will be impossible to hold local elections in 2018, which means the long-delayed draft will not be needed right away. The next parliament session is slated for October.
In brief remarks about the fate of the nuclear deal, Ali Akbar Velayati, who is serving as foreign policy adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has expressed his doubt about the potential for Iran and Europe to reach an agreement over the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

It is unlikely that negotiations with the Europeans will work out. I hope we reach a result, but how long should we wait to see America applying sanctions against us or lifting the sanctions? We should be self-sufficient, stated Velayati, who is also head of Islamic Azad Universitys board of founders, in a meeting at the university.

Following the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the Iranian government announced that it would remain in the JCPOA if Europe provides guarantees to Tehran that its interests within the deal are secured. On May 15, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini and his British, French and German counterparts in Brussels for talks on how to save the nuclear deal.

Mentioning the heated debates in Iran over the JCPOA and Europes potential role in saving it, Iranian commentator Reza Nasri wrote in the government-run Iran newspaper May 16, Today, the highest Union officials  from [EU Commission President] Jean-Claude Juncker to Mrs. Mogherini, along with the presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers of the top powers of this continent  insist on the necessity of continuing the JCPOA, and sometimes speak of crossing America.

Nasri added, Neither are they theatrical actors who play a role in coordination with Washington, nor do the dynamics of the internal politics of this continent allow them to sacrifice their identity and reputation for [US President Donald] Trump easily. Their stances are serious, reflecting Europe's determination to strengthen its institutions and reviewing the policies of the past and liberation from the domination of the United States and transnational law [secondary sanctions].

Nasri emphasized, It is necessary for the countrys diplomatic apparatus to be given this opportunity  to negotiate with Europe and the related actors. Maybe America's withdrawal from the JCPOA will eventually turn out to [serve Irans interests].

Adopting a diametrically opposite position, Kayhan, the mouthpiece of Tehran's hard-liners, slammed the government over its negotiations with Europe. Its editorial read, [The Europeans] are speaking of preserving the JCPOA, but they are saying at the same time that Iran is destabilizing the region, and therefore we should negotiate. ... [But] what is the negotiation about? It is over the missiles and Irans defense capabilities. This is exactly what Trump sought.

The influential daily went on, If Europe is telling the truth and is worried about the stability of the region, then why dont they stop the Zionist regime from bombing unarmed demonstrators? And why do they approve of these unprecedented crimes through their passivity? Hence, Europes concern about the destabilizing actions of Iran in the region is a plain lie, and our officials shouldnt [trust] these liars. They should know that the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany are liars like Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi has expressed optimism about European airplane manufacturers delivering orders by Iranian airlines.

Akhoundi said May 16, What we expect from Europe is that they act independently of Americas decision and honor their commitments. He added, We should wait until the negotiations of Mr. Zarif with the European Union are over, and then we can give a definitive comment.

Asked about the delivery of new planes, Akhoundi noted, Discussions are in progress, but Im always more interested in news [of contracts] that have been finalized rather than news of [contracts that have yet to be finalized]; therefore, we should wait.

According to Reuters, Iran Air has ordered 100 passenger planes from Airbus, 80 from Boeing and 20 from Franco-Italian ATR. Due to heavy use of American parts in European commercial planes, the reimposition of US sanctions has imposed huge obstacles on these three deals.
The Knesset Committee on Legislation in Israel decided May 6 unanimously to move forward the override clause, a first step before the bill is voted on by the Knesset plenum. If it becomes law, it would be the greatest assault on Israeli democracy in its 70 years of existence.

Ministers from all coalition parties rejected the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to postpone their vote to another date and passed the most severe version of the bill, according to which a decision of the High Court of Justice could be nullified by a vote of 61 out of 120 Knesset members. If the law is passed, there would no longer be any significance to a High Court decision that a certain law is unconstitutional because it disproportionally injures the rights of an individual. In fact, the Knesset would have the right to legislate injurious laws with the knowledge that the High Court does not have the power to annul them.

The override clause is an amendment to the 1992 Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, supposedly allowing the Knesset to nullify High Court decisions. The significance of this power is the potential to gravely harm the rights of minorities in Israel  in other words, the Arabs. The law allows the Knesset  for the first time in Israeli history  to expel a current member with 90 votes. It targets and is employed against Arab parliamentarians, even though the language of the law does not mention Arabs at all.

The grave damage to democracy stems from the following: In Israel, great authority is given to the executive branch (the government). Since it is a parliamentary democracy, there is no government without a majority in the Knesset, and there is no Knesset where the coalition does not set its agenda and supervise its legislation. Most heads of Knesset committees belong to coalition parties, and thus the extent of parliamentary oversight on government activities is very limited. The independence of the judicial branch  alongside the free press  is what ensures the rights of minorities. Democracy in Israel and elsewhere is comprised of two sides: the rule of the majority and the rights of the minority. If the judicial branch is made subservient to a Knesset majority, which reflects the will of the government, democracy would lose the second component.

That Israeli democracy exists is a near miracle. Israel was not wise enough to cancel the draconian orders of the British mandate government in Palestine, which were intended to fight the underground groups that wished to banish it. Just after Israel was established, a state of emergency was declared on May 19, 1948, and this emergency state has not been removed since, even for one day. The Knesset passes, every year, the continuation of the state of emergency for another year or half a year, and it does so automatically, routinely, without anyone in the media asking any questions.

If the government of Israel wishes to use the very wide authority that the state of emergency grants it, and that the British mandates orders allow, it would mean the death of Israeli democracy. Today, the High Court can prevent such a move, if the court concludes that the action damages human rights or minority rights. If the Knesset is allowed to nullify such a ruling with a majority of its members, Israel could no longer call itself a democracy.

According to international indexes, the State of Israel belongs to the category of defective democracies, mostly because it still holds territories it occupied in 1967, and because in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention, it has transferred its own citizens to these territories and allowed them to settle there. But Israel could not even remain in this defective-democracy category if the law is passed.

In contradiction to the commitment outlined in its May 1948 Proclamation of Independence to legislate a constitution by Oct. 1, 1948, it has not done so until today. Israel has no declaration of human rights. Israel is also not subordinate to the European Court of Human Rights.

The Knesset is Israels single legislative chamber; it does not have a second chamber or Senate that could oversee laws passed in the house of representatives. The only element checking its legislation and preventing heavy-handed and damaging legislation is the judiciary. Sometimes proponents of the override clause present examples from other countries where the parliament is allowed to hold a type of dialogue with the judiciary regarding its decisions, but in all these examples, without exception, these are nations with another governing component, of one kind or another, that provides balance and prevents the arbitrariness of the legislature. Removing the Israeli judiciary's authority to nullify laws of the Knesset (something it does rarely) would leave Israeli citizens entirely exposed to decisions that could stem from momentary political needs and deprive them of their domain of freedom, without which democracy remains so only on paper.

The main argument put forward by proponents of the law is that the court damages governance. They claim that government ministers try to implement important policies for the good of the public, to build infrastructure, to shorten processes, to simplify bureaucracy, while the court defends bureaucracy, enables long and convoluted proceedings and does not allow decision-makers to realize their plans.

I admit that as someone who fulfilled many roles in the executive branch  as government secretary, as agency director, as deputy minister and minister  I did not like many court decisions, and I also wished for expedited proceedings in order to implement government policy. But I always knew that the decision was made for good reasons and out of a wish not to hurt the rights of anyone, whether in respect to the environment or the culture of one or another population group that the executive branch did not consider in its eagerness to act. The judiciary ensures governance and does not endanger it.

It has not been legislators who have upheld human rights in Israel, but legal decisions since 1948. But if the legislative branch moves  at the behest of the executive branch  to threaten these rights, there would not be a component of government to defend the public from this threat.
It looks like the current squabbling between Turkey and Israel is more serious than previous rounds of tensions. The violence along the Gaza border fence has brought out the best of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This time, however, he faces a Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is far more belligerent than in the past.

After learning of Israeli soldiers having killed dozens of Palestinians in Gaza on May 14, Ankara recalled its ambassador to Israel for consultations. Later in the day, Erdogan publicy declared Israel a terror state. Netanyahu tweeted in response, Erdogan is among Hamass biggest supporters and there is no doubt that he well understands terrorism and slaughter. I suggest that he not preach morality to us.

Erdogan then took the rhetoric up a notch, tweeting, Netanyahu is the PM of an apartheid state. Netanyahu shot back, A man whose hands are stained with the blood of countless Kurdish citizens in Turkey and Syria is the last one who can preach to us about combat ethics. Erdogan tweeted, Hamas is not a terrorist organization, and the Palestinians are not terrorists. Here, at least, Erdogan had some problems with the facts, as most Western nations consider Hamas a terrorist group.

The dustup was not relegated to verbal sparring. After Netanyahus first response, Ankara ordered the Israeli ambassador to Turkey, Eitan Naeh, to leave within 24 hours. Israel then expelled the Turkish consul in East Jerusalem, who is responsible for relations with the Palestinians. Erdogan countered by expelling the Israeli consul in Istanbul.

Next came the humiliation of Na'eh being body searched at Istanbul Airport in front of local media on May 16. A few hours later, Turkeys charge d'affaires, Umut Deniz, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem and asked to show his ID before being allowed to enter.

As all this unfolded, almost every major political figure in Israel, including Yesh Atids Yair Lapid and the Zionist Camps Avi Gabbay, added fuel to the fire. Lapid called the 2016 Israeli-Turkish reconciliation agreement a diplomatic mistake. Meanwhile in Turkey, opposition parties demanded that Erdogan sever diplomatic relations. It was just another day in the turbulent history of tattered relations between the Muslim Brotherhoods Turkey and the right wing's Israel. The alliance between the two countries belongs to a bygone era, back when Turkey was a secular nation and its army's purpose was to defend the constitution and democracy. No more.

A complicated dilemma is currently unfolding for Israel behind the scenes. The crisis with Turkey publicly erupted with the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident. It took six years and enormous effort, including the intervention of President Barack Obama, before the two sides signed the reconciliation agreement, in June 2016. Israel paid $20 million in reparations to the families of the Turkish citizens killed aboard the ship, while Turkey agreed not to take legal action against the Israeli officers and troops involved in commandeering the boat, which was headed to Gaza on a humanitarian mission. Both countries' ambassadors then returned to their respective posts.

Now there are calls in Israel to stop clinging so desperately to Turkey and to go head to head with Erdogan. The Israeli right openly claims that Erdogan only understands force, while the center left shares this assumption, if only more tacitly. Lapid has called on Israel to recognize the Armenian genocide, something that Israel has never done because of pressure from Ankara and a desire to maintain correct relations. Furthermore, people like former Likud Minister Gideon Saar and Netanyahus former Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser have been calling on Israel to recognize the Kurdish enclave in northern Syria and provide it with support against Erdogan. In other words, they want Israel to be more proactive on behalf of its own interests in the region while striking a blow to Erdogans soft underbelly.

Thus, Netanyahu faces a dilemma. As someone who has spent the last year operating according to the dictates of his electoral base, and who has followed every whim of Education Minister Naftali Bennett in particular and the right in general, Netanyahu has tended to take a more extreme position in his dealings with Erdogan. Netanyahu has never been so comfortable internationally as now, with massive and absolute support from the United States, assistance behind the scenes from many of the Arab states in the Sunni alliance and almost no political alternative to his government at home. It is not at all clear, however, that severing relations with Turkey is the right thing for Israel to do at the moment. To illustrate why, take the case of Saleh al-Arouri, the Hamas figure presumably managing the groups military wing on the West Bank.

Qatar expelled Arouri, so he moved to Jordan, spent time in Lebanon and finally found refuge in Istanbul. Israel has been pressuring Turkey to limit his movement and even expel him, with Israeli intelligence providing evidence of his directing terrorist activities from Turkish territory. According to various intelligence sources, the Turks dragged their feet for a while, but ultimately cooperated. Netanyahu does not want to give Erdogan a reason to turn Turkey into the newest sanctuary state for senior Hamas officials, who have been forced over the past few years from one country to another by Israeli and international pressure.

On the other hand, Turkey has been intensifying its involvement in East Jerusalem affairs and on the Temple Mount, or Haram al-Sharif. While Jordan is supposedly responsible for the activity of the Islamic Waqf, the religious custodian of the Haram al-Sharif, Erdogan is well aware that the Hashemite kingdoms influence has been in steady decline. In other words, he saw a vacuum being created there and began taking advantage of it. The expulsion of the Turkish consul was, therefore, a blow to the Turks and their growing interests in the city and in general.

According to Israeli intelligence, over the past few years Turkey has been pouring millions of dollars into various Islamic organizations active on the Haram al-Sharif in an effort to replace those that Israel declared illegal, like the Murabitoun and the Murabitat. These two groups, allegedly responsible for protecting the Muslim holy sites, organized patrols of men and women to keep Jews from wandering around the area. Once Israel shut them down and removed them from the compound, alternative groups were created to take their place. Some of these groups were initiated and funded by Turkey.

The current assessment is that Netanyahu will not stir the pot but will let the crisis with Turkey die down on its own, until the next time. Even as they expelled Naeh, the Turks quietly insinuated that they were not downgrading relations, but that the ambassador was being asked to leave for a while. Israel is fully aware that Erdogan faces a tough election on June 24. He needs an external villain to help him regain his standing domestically, following the collapse of the Turkish currency and other problems. Given this, it is not clear why Netanyahu is allowing Erdogan to benefit so publicly from the crisis, and at such a low cost, by responding to his provocations. It could be because Netanyahu is also anticipating a new round of elections. This is what it looks like when the highest interests are personal political considerations.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Money that the Palestinian Authority (PA) currently uses to compensate families of those captured, injured or killed in confrontations with Israel would go to Israelis instead under a bill the Israeli parliament is considering.

The Knesset approved the first reading of the bill May 7, and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman pledged to shepherd the legislation swiftly through its required second and third readings. Chief among those calling for the change have been Liberman, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Naftali Bennett.

Israel collects taxes from Palestinians in occupied territories at commercial crossings and ports, keeps 3% and then returns the rest to the PA in the West Bank. Israel's share amounts to about 21 million shekels ($5.9 million) per month. The PLO channels about $300 million of the remainder to compensate the families in the form of monthly salaries. The money also goes to prisoners themselves.

Palestinian taxes cover 80% of the Palestinian government's annual budget, which Al-Monitor estimated in March amounts from $5 billion to $5.8 billion for 2018. The remaining 20% of the budget is covered by grants from foreign countries such as Saudi Arabia.

Israel has long insisted that the compensation amounts to terrorist funding. The Palestinian government contends Israel's interference is piracy.

In its weekly ministerial statement issued May 8, the Palestinian government condemned the Knesset's ratification of the bill's first reading.

A government statement said, The Israeli governments [3%] deduction and withholding policy is rejected altogether, and the Israeli insistence to exploit the funds however it deems fit is unacceptable. This is a flagrant violation of international conventions and charters and a clear violation of Israel's obligations under the signed agreements, specifically the Paris Economic Protocol signed in 1994.

Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the PLO's Executive Committee, told Al-Monitor the PA will not defer to Israeli "blackmail" and will continue to pay salaries to the families. He said that what the PA is doing is a kind of social welfare for those families.

Majdalani said funds that Israel collects on behalf of the PA are revenues Palestinians are entitled to, not a favor Israel is doing them. He also called Israel's proposed deductions financial piracy and a violation of signed bilateral agreements.

Issa Qaraqa, head of the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission of the PA, also told Al-Monitor the Palestinian leadership will continue supporting the families and prisoners. He said that through this draft law, Israel is trying to portray the Palestinian prisoners and those who have died or have been injured as terrorists.

He called on international parliaments and United Nations institutions to reject and condemn the draft law and boycott the Israeli Knesset, which he accused of ratifying racist laws against humanity by depriving the families of social welfare funds.

Nasr Abdel Karim, an economics professor at Birzeit University, told Al-Monitor that Israels deduction of $300 million annually from Palestinian tax revenues would increase the Palestinian budget's fiscal deficit, which is close to $500 million. He pointed out that to compensate for the lost revenue, the government may resort to raising taxes and reducing spending on issues of vital importance to Palestinians, such as paving roads and constructing buildings.

He warned that all of these steps will have a detrimental effect on the Palestinian economy in general and the citizens in particular. Besides pressuring the PA to stop paying the families, Israel intends to cripple the Palestinian economy and prevent any foreseeable growth, he said.

Mohammed Abu Jiyab, editor-in-chief of Al-Eqtesadia newspaper in Gaza, concurred. He told Al-Monitor that to make up for the sudden deficit that would result from that draft law, the government would have to rationalize spending and boost local revenues by imposing more taxes on citizens.

Abu Jiyab did not rule out the prospect that the Palestinian government may increase the amount it deducts from the salaries of government employees in the Gaza Strip to help fill that deficit. He pointed out that to pay the monthly debt owed to the private sector, the Palestinian government used the funds it deducted from the government employees salaries in Gaza. These salaries were slashed by half in March.

It appears the PA will keep paying the salaries of thousands of families of those captured, killed or injured during confrontations with the Israeli army. The salaries are those families' only source of income, and the PA would be committing political suicide if it suspended the funds.
RAMALLAH, West Bank  Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) have reached a deal worth $775 million in which the PA will control delivery of electricity to the West Bank.

Under the 15-year agreement reached May 1, state-owned Israel Electric Corp. (IEC) will sell electricity wholesale to Palestinian Electricity Transmission Co. Ltd. (PETL) through four high-voltage power plants that will be built by the PA and IEC. PETL will own the plants and distribute electricity to the West Bank.

Israel has supplied the West Banks electricity since 1967 through private Palestinian distribution companies obtaining electricity from IEC directly, or through local municipalities via 250 Israeli-owned nodes affiliated with IEC.

Under the agreement, the PA will pay off a debt of 915 million Israeli shekels (about $255 million) to IEC.

The agreement was hailed by both Israeli and Palestinian officials. Hussein al-Sheikh, the head of the General Authority for Civil Affairs who oversaw the signing, said May 1, "The agreement will effectively free the electricity sector from the Israeli control that lasted for decades.

Israeli Minister of Energy Yuval Steinitz stated May 1, With this agreement, we can proceed with the Palestinians to build a modern electricity grid. Steinitz was quoted on the official website of Israels Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.

Al-Jazeera reported May 1 that Shai Babad, the director general at the Israeli Ministry of Finance, stated, "This agreement ushers in a new reality in the sector of energy for the Palestinians, reduces restrictions on power supply, enhances economic stability and introduces a new era for economic relations between the two sides.

Before the agreement, Israel supplied 97% of the West Banks electricity, and monthly consumption ranged from 170 billion shekels to 200 billion shekels ($47 million-$56 million), according to Zafer Melhem, PETL chairman and head of the Palestinian Energy and National Resources Authority.

Melhem, who signed the agreement, told Al-Monitor the deal came after three years of technical talks between the two sides.

Melhem said that pursuant to this agreement, four PETL-affiliated power stations will be built: a Jalamah station in Jenin, a Tarqumiyah station in the southern West Bank, Sarra in the north and a Ramallah station.

Israel will supply electricity to these stations, which will handle distribution for Palestinians, Melhem added. The project will include rehabilitating the transmission grid.

Melhem stressed that through this agreement, Palestinians seek to establish the three elements of any electrical system: generation, transmission and distribution. He added that the agreement will enable the [Palestinian] government to invest in and construct modern electrical transmission grids and minimize reliance on Israelis regarding electrical supply."

He added, "This agreement will allow for energy-generating projects to be connected with the grids as well as with Palestines neighboring Arab countries such as Jordan and Egypt.

The PA has been relying on Jordan to supply Jericho city with medium-pressure electricity. There is a verbal understanding with Jordan to activate and expand this connection to include high-pressure [electricity], which would enable us to buy more energy from Jordan," he added. "The agreement gives us an opportunity to own a transmission and loading grid, which enables us to import electricity from any Jordan-connected country, such as Egypt or Iraq, or from GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries.

The Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority is banking on the Jenin power station to generate 445 megawatts  40% of the electrical consumption in the West Bank, according to Melhem  to minimize reliance on Israel. "We are conducting in-depth studies on constructing a new power station in Hebron, in the southern West Bank," he added.

The agreement doesnt yet include the Gaza Strip despite the energy crisis there, Melhem said. In order for us to take full charge of the electricity issue in Gaza, some financial regulations have to be imposed and the National Consensus Government should be allowed to operate," he said. We need to have control over the electrical system in the Gaza Strip as well as financial liquidity. This wont be possible without remedying the state of the Electricity Distribution Co. in Gaza and enforcing the laws and regulations of the West Bank.

Hamas controls the company, so its financial transactions don't go through the Ramallah government.

The pact will be another factor toward reduced electrical pricing for Palestinians, as electricity will be bought wholesale and per an agreed-upon rate, Melhem said. We are still having discussions with the Israelis over electricity prices, which will result in reducing their rates, but I cant reveal any specifics."

Palestinians are hoping to be able to break the Israeli grip over the electricity sector and implement their own development plans for the next five years. As Melhem stated, If things go as planned, we would have an expanded connection with Jordan and Egypt. We would also be able to establish a Palestinian power station to generate 40% of [the West Bank's] electricity, as well as a modern transmission grid that connects all Palestinian cities and communities.

The Palestinian government said earlier this month it was optimistic about the newly struck agreement with Israel, though Palestinian officials still must make the plan a reality by taking charge of this issue outside of any Israeli influence.
A decade ago, the Gulf Shores City Council gave the green light for a music festival that would take over the shoreline every year on the third weekend in May. Today, that festival has grown to become arguably Alabama's biggest beach party.

Named after the iconic Gulf Shores restaurant that started it all, the Hangout Music Festival (more casually known by festival vets as "Hangout") is Gulf Shore's premier music festival, attracting artists from a wide scope of genres. Since its genesis in 2010, the three-day festival has hosted a long list of notable musicians like Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Stevie Wonder, OutKast, and Paul Simon--just to name a few.

Festival Producer Sean O'Connell, who has worked with the festival since day one, says the concept for Hangout was born out of a marriage of two ideas--attracting a stellar lineup of musical acts and creating a one-of-a-kind resort experience.

"A lot of festivals can feel exhausting at times," O'Connell says. "But this, this is invigorating."

Combining concert and ocean, Hangout creates an environment unlike any other. While waves crash in the background, multiple stages erupt with beats and rhythm. In between sets, festivalgoers have the luxury of going for a dip in the ocean or participating in the myriad of activities the festival sets up along the shoreline--like a giant slip 'n' slide, beach volleyball, or a retro roller rink.

Because Gulf Shores is a resort destination first and foremost, O'Connell says it seemed natural to blend vacation vibes with a concert atmosphere. Instead of standing on hard concrete or soggy grass, Hangout patrons get to feel the warm sand between their toes.

"We're on the beach, and we spend a lot of time, creativity, and dollars to enhance that experience," he says.

Some of that time and money is spent bringing in hundreds of palm trees, large-scale artwork, and tents serving craft beer--all meant to set the stage for an unforgettable weekend in the sun and sand.

Since year one, The Hangout has been known for bringing in country and rock giants like Zac Brown Band, Alison Krauss, and The Black Crowes, as well as hip-hop artists like The Roots and genre-bending John Legend. Some artists--including The Killers, Portugal. The Man, and Alabama native Anderson East--have returned throughout the years as part of a growing list of seasoned Hangout performers.

"I don't book based on genre," O'Connell says. "I don't have a formula of a percentage of rock or a certain percentage of hip-hop bands, but I do think it's important that at any one point, if you're a rock fan, for example, that there's always a rock act that's going to be playing. Because of the number of stages, there will be something for you at any point."

With seven stages throughout the festival grounds--the main stages being "The Hangout Stage" and "The Surf Stage"--this year's festival is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet. Headliners include Kendrick Lamar, The Chainsmokers, The Killers, Halsey, Odesza, and a long list of others. With more than 80 acts total, O'Connell says this year's festival will offer something for music-lovers of every genre. And, even if you don't recognize anyone on the lineup, he says chances are you'll discover an artist that you never knew you loved. It's all a part of the "Hangout magic."

"I look at this year's lineup, and it's so 'in the moment' of what's happening right now, and I'm really excited about it," O'Connell says. "We book the lineup pretty far out, and often the case is that [these musicians] become bigger than life by the time the show comes around."

A few features to look for at this year's festival are a tropical spa, which will offer massages and a blow-dry bar, and "Camp Hangout," a festival favorite that revives all the nostalgia of summer camp with tug of war, s'mores, and other classic camp activities.

Private "beach clubs" also will be sprinkled throughout the grounds, evoking an upscale experience that'll take festivalgoers to another time and place. O'Connell says the goal of Hangout is to allow patrons to get a vacation and concert experience all in one.

"Our interest isn't in just putting up these stages and just playing music," he says. "Our goal is for you to be able to watch your favorite bands with as much comfort as possible."

As organizers prepare for another year, O'Connell muses that if he could only attend one music festival for the rest of his life, he would have no trouble choosing which it would be.

"It's just not like any other show," he says. "We work on this show year-round. We put so much effort into making sure this feels unlike anything else."

Details

This year's Hangout Music Festival will be May 18 through May 20. For more information, visit hangoutmusicfest.com.

--By Sarah Cook | Photos courtesy of Hangout Music Festival

This story appears in Birmingham magazine's May 2018 issue. Subscribe today!
Foreign hackers are probing for secrets about America's missile defenses in the computers that support the long supply chain of parts and services needed to field the system, federal contractors were told in Huntsville this week.

Small businesses were briefed on the growing threat and new requirements for keeping data secure at a conference sponsored by Small Business Programs Office of the federal Missile Defense Agency.

The MDA's mission is to protect the American homeland, American troops in the field and key foreign allies from missile attacks, and it has a major center employing 5,000 workers in Huntsville. Small Business Programs Office Director Lee Rosenberg said the office holds conferences like this for contractors and subcontractors, More than 400 attended.

It's the subcontractors and suppliers that make the system both possible and vulnerable, officials said. Big MDA prime contractors such as Lockheed Martin have hundreds of subcontractors and suppliers, one briefer told a Tuesday session. Data is at risk and under attack in multiple ways and places, and the government is fighting to keep ahead of hackers.

That means controlling where data goes, even data that hasn't been classified. There's an acronym for that, of course, and it's CUI: "Controlled Unclassified Information." Share it only where it's absolutely necessary to be shared, contractors were told.

The government "has a contractual relationship with only the prime contractor," the briefing official said, but it "has limited knowledge of the rest of the supply chain (perhaps only two or three levels down)." Now, the government wants limits on "flowdown" information to subcontractors and more protections on the computer systems and the cloud services they use. One simple example is barring Facebook from work computers.

More complex barriers to hackers include multi-factor authentication of log-on identities, "hardened" systems and continuous monitoring.

The urgency comes from new threats. Most familiar is the North Korean missile threat, but they also include space weapons and "hypersonic" missiles that can travel five times the speed of sound. The urgency to contain these threats was symbolized by a quote from Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Dr. Michael Griffin: "We can either have our existing processes, or we can have preeminence. We cannot have both."

America may soon need a "space-based interceptor," the conference was told, and it definitely considers "space control" a priority for the future. The MDA also wants to research and possibly develop so-called "energy beam" weapons including lasers, particle beams and high-power microwaves.
Timothy George, who was the first and only dean of the Beeson Divinity School since its founding in 1988, said he plans to step down in the spring of 2019.

He will stay on the faculty as a research professor, he said in a statement released today.

Under George's leadership, Beeson was established as the first divinity school at a Baptist college or university in the United States.

The school was named for founding benefactor Ralph Waldo Beeson and his father. Beeson gave what was then the largest gift from a living individual in Samford history to establish the school. George was hired by then-Samford president Thomas E. Corts.

Beeson wanted the school to be both evangelical and interdenominational, training "pastors who can preach."

George oversaw the building of Hodges Chapel, which was dedicated in 1995. He hired the faculty, including eight endowed chairs, which has trained nearly 1,300 Beeson alumni serving in ministry around the world.

Timothy George poses in his office in front of a portrait of theologian John Calvin, in 2005.

"I am grateful to God for calling Beeson Divinity School into being in 1988; for the vision and resources of Ralph Waldo Beeson, our founding benefactor; for wise and supportive university administrators, including the two presidents, five provosts, and four associate deans with whom I have worked; for a superb faculty and faithful staff; and for the host of students who have been formed for a lifetime of ministry in this good community of faith and learning," George said. "I am grateful for donors, advisers and friends who love us and support our work. I am grateful for churches and mission movements who partner with us to advance the work of the gospel in our time."

Michael Hardin, Samford provost and vice president for academic affairs, said he's grateful George will remain at Samford.

"For 30 years, Dr. George has served with great wisdom and distinction as Beeson Divinity's School's first and only dean," Hardin said. "Several weeks ago, he very kindly informed Samford's administration that he was prayerfully considering this next step in his distinguished career. We are grateful for both his continuing leadership and his reassurance that, upon his departure as dean, he will 'just be moving offices' within the school."

Hardin added that details of the search for George's successor will be announced in the fall.

"Thirty years ago, at my installation as the founding dean of Beeson Divinity School, I said that the future of Beeson was as bright as the promises of God," George said. "It still is."
A Hope Hull man is under arrest in Tuscaloosa after police say he robbed a pharmacy at gunpoint.

The incident happened about 7:20 p.m. Saturday at CVS Pharmacy on Veterans Memorial Parkway in Tuscaloosa. Employees told police the man entered the store and told them he was armed.

He asked for multiple controlled substances, but an employee sounded the alarm and the suspect fled. A witness told police the man had gotten into a gray hatchback vehicle as he made his getaway.

Lt. Teena Richards said investigators received a tip about who may have been involved. On Tuesday, they took 36-year-old Stephen Garrett Wynn into custody. He was interviewed and charged with first-degree robbery.

Wynn's bond was set at $60,000.
The family of slain Huffman High School senior Courtlin Arrington on Tuesday filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Birmingham Board of Education and others following her March shooting death inside a classroom.

The suit was filed by attorneys Courtney French and U.W. Clemon on behalf of Tynesha Tatum, the mother of Arrington and her other child who is still at Huffman, named in the suit only as "G.T." The lawyers have previously said school officials should have ensured that the metal detectors were manned and properly working, adding that there was a "false sense of security,'' because Superintendent Lisa Herring had left messages for parents days before the shooting about having metal detectors at school to prevent guns from being on campus.

Classmate Michael Jerome Barber, 17, is charged with reckless manslaughter in her death.

The shooting happened about 3:40 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, in a doorway of a classroom inside the school. The bell had just rung when Arrington and several of her friends were walking out of a classroom.

Police said surveillance footage shows Barber walking through the hallway and encountering two other teenagers. He appeared to show the other boys something in his pocket, but police couldn't tell from the video if Barber was showing a gun. Then, the video shows Barber walk into the doorway of the classroom where the victim was standing and playfully grab another girl's arm.

Arrington and Barber were friends and classmates; but police and family said they had no personal history with one another and had no feuds. Five students witnessed the shooting. They each told police that Barber walked into the doorway and took out his gun to "flash it" around. The gun, a 9mm Highpoint, then went off and struck Arrington in the chest, according to testimony in a Barber's preliminary hearing.

None of the five eyewitnesses said the shooting appeared intentional. One witness told police that Arrington asked to see the gun and Barber was handing it to her when it discharged, but the other witnesses said Arrington and Barber didn't speak to each other. Then, the witnesses said, Barber put up his hood and walked back in the hall. He was putting his gun into the waistband of his pants when the gun went off a second time and struck him in the leg. That part of the incident was captured on video.

When police arrived, they found Arrington unconscious in the classroom. She was taken to UAB Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Barber was found lying injured in the hallway. The gun was to his right, on the floor near a set of lockers. Police took the gun and Barber's backpack and transported him to UAB for medical attention. He was quickly treated and released, and then taken to Birmingham police headquarters for questioning.

The suit, which names as defendants the Birmingham Board of Education, Herring, principal John C. Lyons Jr., and the City of Birmingham, say school officials "willfully, maliciously, and in bad faith, failed and/or refused to secure" the safety of Huffman students by not using the metal detectors in place at the school. "On several occasions prior to (Arrington's death), there had been numerous reports of fights, threats of violence against students and the discovery of weapons in and around the premises of Huffman High School,'' the document states.

The lawsuit alleges metal detectors are still not in use at the school. It asks for a jury trial and unspecified punitive damages.

School officials released this statement Tuesday in response to the suit: "We are aware of the filing of a lawsuit, but are unable to comment on pending litigation. Nevertheless, the Birmingham City Schools system remains deeply saddened by the Huffman High School tragedy, but steadfastly committed to student and staff safety and security."
A north Alabama doctor being sued for wrongful death is accused of prescribing more than 3,600 pills to one woman in under four years, a lawsuit alleges.

Dr. Celia Lloyd-Turney, a physician at Choice Medicine's medical center on Alabama 53 in Madison County, is being sued in the death of Felicia Ann Kelly. The 14-page lawsuit was filed by Maureen Cooper, the administrator of Kelly's estate.

Kelly was 30 years old when she died May 15, 2016. The lawsuit says she died from "mixed drug toxicity," with toxicology tests detecting "fatal levels" of oxycodone and other drugs.

The lawsuit says Lloyd-Turner began treating Kelly in January 2012. Kelly was treated for "alleged anxiety and chronic pain," court documents state.

Between 2012-16, Lloyd-Turney prescribed at least 3,645 oxycodone pills to Kelly, the lawsuit states. During the final 2 1/2 months of Kelly's life, the doctor prescribed at least 582 oxycodone pills, according to the lawsuit.

Lloyd-Turney didn't immediately return a call for comment.

In addition to the oxycodone pain pills, Lloyd-Turney was writing Kelly several other prescriptions, including opioids and benzodiazepines, during that time.

Turner is accused in the lawsuit of excessive prescribing, failure to properly recognize and treat addiction.

The lawsuit, filed in Madison County Circuit Court on Monday, also lists as defendants Star Discount Pharmacy, Inc., Propst Discount Drugs, Inc. and Hazel Green Pharmacy. Representatives of the pharmacies weren't immediately available for comment.

Choice Medicine, the clinic where Lloyd-Turner worked, is named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The company is accused of failing to properly train and supervise its employees, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit accuses each defendant of "negligently, wantonly, recklessly and/or willfully" causing Kelly's death -- either by prescribing or filling the prescriptions.

The lawsuit requests a jury trial.Though the lawsuit doesn't list a specific amount of money, it says the plaintiff wants "an amount adequate to reflect the enormity of (the defendants') wrongful acts" and to "prevent other similar wrongful acts in the future."
One statewide LGBTQ advocacy group called Alabama state Rep. Patricia Todd's social media posts that suggested Gov. Kay Ivey is a lesbian "reckless and unacceptable."

"Outing someone without their permission or against their will is an act of violence," Equality Alabama Executive Director Alex Smith said in a statement. "Representative Todd's comments about Governor Ivey's real or perceived sexual orientation present rumor as fact and are reckless and unacceptable. Engaging in cheap political gossip and taking sucker punches does nothing to serve the LGBTQ community and only works to its detriment."

Todd, who is not seeking re-election to office this year, made this comment on Facebook and Twitter on Tuesday evening: "Will someone out her for God's sake....I have heard for years that she is gay and moved her girlfriend out of her house when she became Gov. I am sick of closeted elected officials."

GLAAD, a media monitoring organization on LGBTQ issues, defines outing as publicly revealing another person's sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. This act is considered inappropriate by a large portion of the LGBTQ community, the group stated.

The Ivey campaign quickly denied Todd's accusation.

"This is a disgusting lie being pushed by a paid liberal political hack," said Debbee Hancock, Ivey campaign spokeswoman. "There is absolutely no truth to it."

Todd's comments were linked to an AL.com story in which Birmingham evangelist and GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Dawson raised questions about grants being given to Free2Be, an Alabama LGBTQ non-profit organization that provided free counseling to victims of violence. The group has ceased operations.

Ivey responded to Dawson by saying she doesn't "agree with the agenda or the values of that organization." She said the grants were federally mandated.

David Dinielli, deputy legal director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said Alabama politicians should quit using the LGBTQ community as "political punching bags."

"The only 'disgusting' thing this dustup lays bare is that our leaders in Alabama, and those who aspire to lead us, continue to use LGBTQ people as political punching bags," he said in a statement. "Our public officials should focus their energy on ending discrimination and ensuring that all people have the same access to supportive schools, healthcare, employment and housing. We must not let this quibble distract us from the fact that Alabama must do more to protect and respect its LGBTQ community."

Destiny Clark, president of Central Alabama Pride, said she understands where Todd's anger was coming from, but she expressed them in the wrong way.

"I don't agree with outing a rumor about Ivey," said Clark, who leads the non-profit that organizes LGBTQ Pride events each year. "I understand the anger and passion where Todd is coming from."

She said it's frustrating to see your community attacked.

Ivey disparaged the gay community in her response to Dawson, Clark said.

"Ivey said she didn't agree with the beliefs or the values of the (LGBTQ) community," she said. "She doesn't have to agree with it, but she doesn't have to bash us in a political forum."

Clark said someone's sexual orientation is "personal. I see this as an attack."

Equality Alabama also criticized Ivey's response to the allegation.

"Governor Ivey's response to Representative Todd is abhorrent," Smith said in a statement. "Instead of taking the high road and simply denying Todd's statement, Governor Ivey doubled down on her anti-LGBTQ sentiments by equating being LGBTQ with being disgusting -- not more than a day after disparaging the values of Free2Be, an organization that received federal funding for crucial anti-bullying programs and mental health programs for victims of violent crimes. Governor Ivey had the chance to recognize the dignity of all Alabamians; unfortunately, she chose to dehumanize those who are LGBTQ.

"The most disappointing part of this whole ordeal is that we are days away from Pride Month, which celebrates the fight for LGBTQ equality and our community's history," Smith said. "We know that coming out is deeply personal and having that agency ripped away, regardless of the reason, is a dangerous and irresponsible practice. LGBTQ people are at a significantly higher risk for hate crimes, sexual assault, homelessness, discrimination, and health risks. Now is the time to come together as a community and renew our fight for fairness and justice."

Updated at 4:33 p.m. with statement from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Anyone who can appreciate the gag "I love you, you're perfect, now change" can get at least a glimpse into the unsettled relationship between Mobile's political leadership and the city's Capital Improvement Plan.

On Tuesday, the Mobile City Council's CIP committee held the latest, but probably not the last, in a series of meetings on the future of the program. It didn't necessarily resolve anything, but it did illustrate that even for a politically popular program that has been a win-win all around, simply maintaining the status quo is virtually impossible.

Back in 2014 the council extended a one-cent sales tax known as "the Penny" and locked most of the revenue to a specific capital improvement spending plan: $3 million a year would go to each of the seven council districts. Since then the money has funded an ongoing wave of road and sidewalk work, drainage upgrades and park improvements. That has been a huge win for council members, who've been able to show that they're steering money to things that tangibly benefit their constituents.

Mayor Sandy Stimpson, then newly elected, opposed the Penny extension, but the CIP has been a positive for his administration as well. Since 2015 he's said that efficiency gains implemented by his administration have guaranteed that the money wasn't wasted on operating expenses. And the mayor's office oversees the city departments responsible for the planning, budgeting, scheduling and contracting of the various CIP projects, meaning it can take credit for program accomplishments as well.

With the Penny due to expire in late 2018, the council began in late 2017 to talk about another extension. Stimpson had by this time begun to advocate for a five-year planning cycle; influenced by that idea, the council approved a five-year Penny extension early this year.

However, that shift toward long-range planning is one of several pressures for change that has caused some chafing on the council. And if council concerns haven't exactly come to a head, they have shown at least the potential to roil discussion of the 2019 CIP and the 2019 city budget.

The idea that CIP delivers a full and unencumbered $3 million to each district is a very appealing idea to council members, some more than others. In reality, some of it goes surveys, studies, consulting and other overhead. Some of it is diverted to certain projects and facilities that are deemed to be of citywide benefit. There's also wariness that more long-range planning means more administration control, and less opportunity for council members to show they are responding directly to constituent priorities.

The biggest bone of contention on Tuesday was a $336,000 contract to out-of-state company Infrastructure Management Services to conduct a citywide pavement inspection and evaluation. At its May 1 meeting, the council had tabled it until May 22, and it was clear Tuesday that some members still had issues with it.

City Engineer Nick Amberger told the council that the company will use specialized equipment to look through the surfaces of Mobile's streets to provide a wealth of data on their structural health. That in turn will give the city a much better basis for getting the most bang from its limited roadwork bucks.

Dianne Irby, the city's executive director of planning and development, said the survey won't just help make decisions, it'll help the city, and council members, explain them to the public.

"If we can't get to every street, which we can't, all the time, because there's limited money," she said, "we want to be able to have a plan so we can tell people when we might be able to get to those streets and why, and to explain what we're doing and how we're using those [CIP] dollars for resurfacing."

City Engineer Nick Amberger said that the most efficient approach is to replenish roads before they fall into disrepair. The survey will help identify where modest spending now can stave off heavier bills later.

"The important thing for the council to understand is, with resurfacing, you typically do not do the worst first," Amberger said. "If you always attack the worst first, you'll never lift your overall program up. You've got to catch some of these roads before they deteriorate."

Problem Number One: Councilman Fred Richardson made clear that he's opposed to money for such studies coming out of his allocation, and that he's not convinced this particular study will save money. The same needs that exist before the study will exist after the study, he said, and it'll cost just as much to fix them.

"Let the record show that I'm not in opposition to conducting this study," said Richardson. "Why can't we take the money from somewhere else? Why we got to go raid our account to pay for the study? ... Let's find another pot of money to give them to do the study.

"Let me just say this," he continued. "You all do not have to calculate in your department, the political fallout. We do. Let me give you a good example. I mail out to the citizens, 'Tell me what streets you want resurfaced,' on a survey, they send them back, I've got my list. Then I have to come back and say, 'Well, the administration made a list and you ain't on it, I'm so sorry.' ... I got a list of priorities based on what the people sent back to me. Then I get you-all's back and none of those streets are on there, and I've got to come back over here and tell them, 'I'm so sorry, the city made a study, see, administration made a study, and your street isn't on it.' I'm saying there is a political side of this too that we have to calculate, if we're wise and want to stay in office."

Some council members were more receptive to the argument by Irby and Amberger that data from the survey would actually help council members address constituent concerns. "This study is not going to repave any streets," said Councilman Joel Daves. "But what it will help is when I have constituents call me, email me, send in my cards saying they want the street in front of their house paved -- and I get a lot of that -- at least it gives me a structure for going back to them and saying 'I understand, but we had every street surveyed and yours fits in here.'"

"You're going to get us run out of office," chided Richardson, laughing.

"Ah, well, that's fine," said Daves, good naturedly. "That's fine. That's fine."

"You'll have the study," put in Councilwoman Bess Rich.

"I'll have the study," said Daves, "and I'll have an objective set of facts to prioritize the streets that we tackle with the very limited funds we have to do streets."

Problem Number Two: Old cement streets, mostly in Midtown, present a thorny infrastructure problem. Everyone agrees they never should have been built on Mobile's far-less-than-rock-solid foundation, and everyone agrees that truly fixing them is a fiendishly expensive proposition that requires rebuilding the road, the roadbed and the antiquated water and sewer lines underneath them. The ballpark figure of a million dollars per block was thrown out more than once in Tuesday's discussions.

If the city avoids fixing the worst first, it risks leaving some citizens feeling they're consigned forever to shattered, tooth-rattling cement roads. That hit home for councilmen C.J. Small and Levon Manzie, though they weren't the only ones to acknowledge the problem.

One case study is Ann Street. Prior to the 2017 election cycle, there'd been something of a standoff over cement streets. The council members whose districts were most afflicted had argued for a temporary, relatively inexpensive fix -- such as milling off the worst high spots and putting fresh asphalt over the broken cement. The administration position was that it was better to wait on a deep fix rather than wasting money on a superficial approach.

The southernmost blocks of Ann Street, one of the bumpiest of the cement roads, were the first to get comprehensive repairs. Then, in June 2017, just ahead of municipal elections, Stimpson, Manzie and Small gathered to triumphantly announce that money had been found for a "Band-Aid" fix of fresh asphalt all the way from Spring Hill Avenue southward across Government Street to Virginia Street. Within days, the Ann Street roller coaster had been tamed.

On Tuesday, Amberger made plain what had never really been a secret to anyone following the discussion: Most of that nice new election-year asphalt on Ann Street isn't going to have a terribly long life span. Amberger made a comparison to a similar stretch of Spring Hill Avenue. In that case, he said, cracks from the underlying damage had begun to work their way through the new asphalt in two years, and to become severe in four. The new asphalt was shot in eight years, rather than the 15 it would have lasted on a solid foundation.

Asked about Ann Street by Small, Amberger said, "That was I think, you'd consider that an exception that really needed to be rebuilt, that was to give some immediate relief on sections of Ann Street. ... What you're going to find with those streets, where we make a conscious decision to pave a concrete street in a failed condition, the asphalt's just not going to last that long."

"I happen to represent several communities with those concrete streets," said Manzie, "and absent doing something conscious, like what was done with Ann Street, and getting seven-eight years' worth of some level of drivability, those citizens will be plagued with ever-increasing, decrepit and deplorable streets with these big craters, these big divots, these big humps and jumps. And to totally rebuild these streets would take two, three, four million dollars."

"You're right, in a lot of cases they will," said Amberger.

Manzie said he'd talked the problem over with constituents. "So the response I've gotten back from them is, 'We want some relief now,'" he said. "I know it'll cost less than doing a complete rebuild. But if they can get seven-eight years of better drivability, I'm all for that and I'm going to be moving in that direction."

The only given, after Tuesday's session, was that the council and administration will have to continue working toward a balance on the future of CIP. That discussion won't just take place in full council sessions and committee meetings: Amberger and Irby referred to an ongoing series of one-on-one meetings with council members about CIP issues.

The fate of the road survey contract remained unclear. Next Tuesday's council session, when it is due to come up for a vote, could provide some sign of just how hard it'll be to maintain a Capital Improvement Plan that all involve cite as a boon to the city.
A west Alabama man who was in ICU last week after he was bitten by a coral snake is now off the ventilator and feeding tube, according to an update from a GoFundMe account created to help cover his medical expenses.

Jeffery Phillips was bitten by a coral snake at his home in Gilbertown nearly two weeks ago and was rushed to Anderson Hospital in Meridian, Mississippi, Mississippi news station WTOK reported.

An update posted on the GoFundMe account Monday said Phillips is making small improvements every day.

"We are grateful that he is alive. He is off the ventilator and the feeding tube. He will be moving to a regular room and then will be transferred to inpatient rehab facilities for extensive long term rehab to relearn everything," the update reads.

"We appreciate all the wonderful prayers and support from everyone. Thank you and god bless each of you."

The vicitim's brother told WTOK he had mistaken the venomous snake as "just a king snake."

As of Wednesday afternoon, nearly $21,000 has been raised to help pay for Phillips' medical expenses, according to the account.

The family has also set up a donation account with Regions Bank. Just mention Phillips' name when making the donation.
The owners of the dogs that killed 24-year-old Emily Colvin in northeast Alabama have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.

Brian Graden

Brian Keith Graden and Melody Ann Graden, were sentenced today in Jackson County Circuit Court, said attorney Jon Blackwell. Blackwell is a partner at the Crumbley, Blackwell, Wisda and Associates law firm, which represented the Gradens.

The Gradens owned the five dogs that mauled Colvin to death on Dec. 7, 2017. Colvin died in front of her Section home on Jackson County Road 121. The attack also injured another woman. The Gradens had been indicted on charges of criminally negligent homicide and four counts each of failure to immunize a dog.

Brian Graden pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, a misdemeanor that's punishable by up to a year in jail, Blackwell said. He was sentenced to one year, split to serve 48 days, including time already served. He is required to complete two years of probation, or face the remainder of the one-year jail sentence.

Melody Graden

Melody Graden pleaded guilty to the four counts of failure to immunize, Blackwell said. She was sentenced to 90 days for each charge. But her jail sentence was suspended pending two years of successful probation.

"Our clients offer their deepest heartfelt sympathies to the family of the victim," Blackwell told AL.com. Colvin's family signed off on the plea agreement, he said.

A judge has already ordered four of the dogs be euthanized. One was shot by lawmen on the day of the attack.

Colvin's death prompted Alabama lawmakers to pass a bill this year that can impose felony charges on owners of dogs that seriously injure or killed someone. The Gradens weren't charged under the new Emily's Law because it was passed after Colvin's death.

Colvin's death came just days after another north Alabama woman was killed in a dog attack. In that case, Tracy Patterson Cornelius, 46, was killed in Marshall County. The owners of the dogs in that attack have been charged with manslaughter, a felony.
Gov. Kay Ivey.

Patricia Todd, Alabama's only openly gay state legislator, posted comments on social media Tuesday night suggesting that Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is gay.

Todd, who is not seeking re-election to office this year, posted the comments on Facebook and Twitter.

The Ivey campaign denied the accusation.

"This is a disgusting lie being pushed by a paid liberal political hack," said Debbee Hancock, Ivey campaign spokeswoman. "There is absolutely no truth to it."

In a follow-up email from AL.com seeking more information about the phrase "paid liberal political hack" in the initial statement by the Ivey campaign, Hancock said of Todd, "She's a professional paid left-wing political activist."

On May 1, Todd was named executive director of One Orlando Alliance -- a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights of LGBTQ individuals and was formed in response to the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting. Todd is scheduled to begin that job on June 1.

AL.com attempted to reach Todd via phone and at her Birmingham home on Tuesday night but she was not available.

On both social media channels, Todd posted the same comment:

"Will someone out her for God's sake....I have heard for years that she is gay and moved her girlfriend out of her house when she became Gov. I am sick of closeted elected officials," Todd wrote on Facebook and Twitter.

The social media posts were made on both Facebook and Twitter at 7:33 p.m. Tuesday.

And on both social media channels, she linked to an AL.com story in which Birmingham evangelist Scott Dawson raised questions about grants being given to an Alabama LGBTQ non-profit organization.

The assertions by Todd, a Democrat, are stunning developments just three weeks before the Republican gubernatorial primary on June 5. Ivey, who became governor on April 10, 2017, after Robert Bentley resigned, is seeking a full term in office and she has three opponents for the GOP nomination.

"I certainly don't agree with the agenda or the values of that organization," Ivey said earlier Tuesday when speaking with reporters in Tuscaloosa about the LGBTQ group Dawson brought to attention.

Ivey, 73, is single and has been divorced twice. She has no children.

Todd served 12 years in the state legislator representing Birmingham before opting not to seek re-election.

In 2015, Todd threatened to reveal state officials who were privately gay. She made the comments in reaction to comments by Republican leaders in the aftermath of a federal court's ruling that a ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

AL.com reporters Mike Cason, Connor Sheets and Kyle Whitmire contributed to this report.

Updated today, May 15, 2018, at 10:22 p.m. with additional quote from Ivey campaign.
A little more than 12 hours after a state legislator suggested she was gay, Gov. Kay Ivey again issued a strong denial on Wednesday morning.

"There's absolutely no truth to it," Ivey said. "It's false. It's wrong."

Ivey posted a statement on the Twitter and Facebook accounts for her campaign to win election to a full term later this year.

The full statement from Ivey:

"This most recent personal attack against me is beyond disgraceful. It's a disgusting lie being pushed by a paid left wing liberal political operative. There is absolutely no truth to it. It's false. It's wrong. It's a bald faced lie. And I'm not gonna let them get away with it. Whether these attacks are malicious or ignorant or both - they represent everything that's wrong with politics today."

State Rep. Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham, and the state's only openly gay lawmaker, rattled Alabama's political landscape when she posted on Twitter and Facebook that "someone needs to out (Ivey) already...I have heard for years that she is gay."

Todd also mentioned a "girlfriend" who moved out of the house when Ivey became governor in April 2017. "I am sick of closeted elected officials," Todd posted on Tuesday.

On Wednesday morning, the settings on Todd's Twitter account had been changed so that only confirmed followers can see her tweets. And the Facebook account on which she posted her comment about Ivey on Tuesday night appears to have been deleted.

Todd is not seeking re-election to the state legislature this year. She has accepted a position as executive director of One Orlando Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights of LGBTQ individuals

The comments by Todd came three weeks before the Republican primary in which Ivey is trying to win the GOP nomination along with three challengers: Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Birmingham evangelist Scott Dawson and state Sen. Bill Hightower.

Ivey's campaign quickly issued a response to Todd's accusation on Tuesday night.

"This is a disgusting lie being pushed by a paid liberal political hack," Debbee Hancock, Ivey campaign spokeswoman, said in an email to AL.com on Tuesday night. "There is absolutely no truth to it."

On Wednesday morning, Todd spoke to Reckon by AL.com columnist John Archibald.

"I hate hypocrites," Todd said in the interview with Archibald, referring to Ivey.

Ivey, 73, has been married and divorced twice and has no children.
The median household income in Alabama is $44,758. It will take more than that - a lot more - to be considered rich, however.

GoBankingRates asked people across the country what level of annual income makes someone rich. The survey included six options: $100,000 or more, $200,000 or more, $500,000 or more, $1 million or more, $5 million or more, or $10 million or more.

Alabamians tied on their responses. Half of those polled said being "rich" required earning at least $500,000; the remainder said it took at least $1 million a year to be wealthy.

On the low end of the scale, people in West Virginia said it only took $100,000 a year to be rich, while those in Washington, D.C. and Kentucky felt $200,000 was enough. Rich will cost you a lot more in Maine, where people said you need at least $10 million to be wealthy. Idaho and Iowa had lofty goals, too - most people though at least $5 million a year was needed to be rich.
An inmate was fatally stabbed at the Bibb Correctional Facility Tuesday, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Jeveria Odess McCall, 35, was fatally stabbed by an inmate in a housing area around 5 p.m. Tuesday, ADOC spokesman Bob Horton said in a statement. McCall was taken to an area hospital, where he later died of his injuries, Horton said.

Witnesses to the stabbing identified Keandre Derrod Houston, 29, as a suspect. Houston was charged with McCall's death, Horton said. Officials recovered a makeshift knife, which they allege was used in the stabbing. No other inmates were injured in the incident.

Keandre Derrod Houston

McCall was serving a 20-year sentence on a 2013 first-degree robbery conviction in Montgomery County. Houston is serving a life sentence for a 2011 murder conviction in Tuscaloosa County.

Bibb Correctional Facility was on lockdown while officials investigated the incident.
A 23-member panel that includes legislators, lawyers, prosecutors, state, county and city officials and others meets for the first time on Thursday to consider changes to the Alabama ethics law.

The Legislature created the Code of Ethics Clarification and Reform Commission during the legislative session that ended in March.

Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, who sponsored the resolution setting up the commission and is a member, said his preference would be a fresh look at the entire law, including a look at what other states are doing.

"My personal opinion is we need to start from scratch," Orr said.

Attorney General Steve Marshall and Ethics Commission Executive Director Tom Albritton will serve as co-chairmen.

Marshall's office drafted a 119-page bill earlier this year to overhaul the ethics law, which was originally written more than 40 years ago and substantially changed in 2010. Marshall said some people covered by the law wanted more clarity in certain areas and that other areas needed to be tighter.

But lawmakers declined to tackle the reforms during what turned out to be an abbreviated election-year session that ended in March.

They did pass one ethics bill on the last day of the session to exempt economic development consultants from a requirement to register as lobbyists with the Ethics Commission unless they seek special incentives for their clients.

Supporters said disclosure requirements for lobbyists could jeopardize the state's efforts to recruit employers who want to keep their project site searches confidential.

Opponents said the exemption created a loophole in the ethics law.

The bill squeaked through the Senate on a 15-14 vote. The lobbying registration exemption will expire in April 2019, so it's likely that will be a topic for the Ethics Clarification and Reform Commission.

The panel is scheduled to report its recommendations to the Legislature by the first day of the 2019 session.
If you're near Gulf Shores and you sensed something peculiar in the air, you're not losing your mind. The time for Hangout Fest is here again, as tens of thousands of eager party people are headed for the Alabama-Florida coastal line for a party unlike any other.

If by any chance, you're one of the many folks embarking on the yearly party pilgrimage, there's a good deal of things you'd likely want to know when you hit the ground.

1. What should you expect from the weather? When you roll into Gulf Shores this weekend, you'll surely be hoping for wonderful, sunny skies throughout the days of the music festival. And hopefully, your hope is enough to change the course of fate. However, the forecast will certainly hold some bad news for you. From Thursday night, when the festival will begin with its Kickoff Party until Monday, when you're likely to be hitting the road or airways, things are shaping up to be a little wet. Here's the full forecast for Gulf Shores, as of Wednesday morning, via the National Weather Service:

Thursday Night:

Friday:

Friday Night:

Saturday:

Saturday Night:

Sunday:

Sunday Night:

Monday:

2. Where should I park? Parking at Hangout Fest can be a tricky venture. Figuring it out last minute can take away major time from all the fun you're surely going to have. So, save yourself a great deal of hassle and plan ahead.

If you're close enough to the festival grounds to walk or bike over, then do so. There are places nearby to chain up a bike, but you won't be so lucky if you opt for skateboards, scooters or any similar modes of transportation. If you're a bit further

For everyone to far to get in on foot or via cycle, there are several homes and businesses offering paid parking nearby. Be advised, though, that prices and availability fluctuate as the festival goes on. While you might find a cheap, convenient space on Thursday night, before the Kickoff Party, chances are, the same spot will only increase in price and decrease in availability in the coming days.

Your best bet, if your hotel or condo is too far away to commute on your own, are the various shuttles provided by Hangout staff. If there isn't a pick-up place directly in front of the place you're planning to lay your head, chances are there will be one nearby. Walk your happy tail over, hop on, and makes some pals while you ride into town. For detailed information on shuttle line locations, maps and passes,

For ADA information,

For beach closures and traffic modifications, visit the Gulf Shores

3. Which acts should I see? Well, friend, we've been through this already. You can certainly have fun flying by the seat of your pants with the festival lineup, checking out whatever configurations of sets you and your friends just happen to roll up on. But, if you need a guided take on which acts you can't afford to miss, I reached out to give you a helping hand back in early April. So, now you've got some cramming to do. However, there have been some modifications to the lineups, such as the news that Big Boi of Outkast will be returning, following unforeseen conflicts with Florida-based hip-hop artist Blackbear. Will Big Boi find a way to reunite with Hangout performers Phantogram as the supergroup Big Grams? They played the festival together as a conglomerate in 2016! We'll just have to see!

4. What should I bring? Well, there's a good question. Pack like you're going to the beach, my friend. Make sure you've got your sunscreen, for sure. Pull out some bug spray. Don't forget to bring a towel. Keep your eyes protected with shades. Wear a hat to keep your top cool. Just make sure you very meticulously examine the list of things NOT to bring.

Once you get your approved items into the festival grounds, you might need some extra help keeping your belongings all in one place. There are lockers available for rent.

5. What should I leave at home? At first glance, the list of items you should leave behind before heading to Hangout might seem particularly daunting. It is worth a gander, though, to make sure you don't have to discard of any personal items you hold near and dear - or, y'know, simply paid for and can't afford to throw away. There are the obvious "no-no" items: No drugs, no outside alcohol, no camping materials, no drones, no laser pointers, no opened cartons of cigarettes, gum, lipgloss, or feminine hygiene products, no glass, no water guns or water balloons or other water-related war-materials, no umbrellas (embrace the rain), no professional audiovisual recording equipment, including DSLRs, radios, walkie-talkies, or speakers, no selfie sticks (even if you look cute as heck), and no flags or flag poles (you'll have to find your fraternity bros with some sort of hand signals or interpretive dance routine). One very important thing to note that is different this year is a NO BACKPACK or PURSE policy, excluding some pre-approved items such as some clear bags and Camelpak styled water canteens. For a detailed list of items to keep stowed away in cars, apartments or your hometown, read the full event FAQ.

6. Can I swim while I'm there? That depends. Did you spring for VIP or Super VIP accommodations? If so, then you might have a poolside view of the main stage or a hot tub in your future. If you didn't, then your only chance to splash may be promotional pop-ups on the beach, such access to the Gulf from the "Corona Beach" or "Monster Energy Beach Club".

7. Is there a place to retrieve my lost belongings? Yep, there's a lost and found at the Hangout Info Boot. But, in the event, you don't realize you've lost something until after the party's over, there's hope. Just e-mail lostandfound@hangoutmusicfest.com.

8. Should I bring a ton of cash inside? That's up to you, big baller. But, there are ATMs inside.

9. How do I handle a medical emergency? If you're feeling a little out of it, or you knock into something and think you're hurt, Hangout organizers recommend alerting security staff. If you can, find your way to the medical tent. It should be one of the first things you locate when you hit the festival ground - just in case!

10. What should I do with my kids? Children under five, get in free with a supervising and ticket holding adult. Only two kids are permitted for free per adult. Anyone older than five will have to by a ticket, as well as be supervised by a ticket-holding adult.

11. Can I take my wristband off and pass it to a friend, if I'm not interested in going on a particular day? Nope. I wouldn't recommend doing that, as the wristbands are virtually no-good once they've been tampered with. Now, if you lose your wristband or something very unfortunate happens to you and/or your wrist, damaging the devices within, there's really nothing that can be done. Per the festival administration: "Wristbands are nontransferable, nonexchangeable and cannot be replaced."

12. What other awesome things can I get into while not listening to music on the festival grounds? It's understandable that you might need the occasional break from so much darned good live music. There's a bewildering amount of activities at your disposal on the festival grounds, at any given moment. There's something for the physically active to do at Camp Hangout. There will be art-installations. There's a wedding chapel for to get fake or real married on the beach. You can smooch a puppy at the puppy kissing booth. There's a roller disco. There's a temporary tattoo parlor. And most importantly, there's always REALLY fantastic food vendors. Check out a sampling of last year's fare.

13. Where do I look to get festival updates on the fly? Hangout has provided a nifty little mobile phone app to help you navigate the entire weekend. Most useful is the ability to activate you wristband from the app. That trusty feature will help you know where you are on the app, as there's GPS capabilities within the program's infrastructure. You'll also receive push notifications for any changes, additions, weather info or exciting pop-ups and promotions. Another cool perk? You can "favorite" the performances you want to see and receive reminders of when and where you gotta be to see everything you want to see!

14. How can I learn more about the nuts and bolts of this whole operation? Back in February, Hangout Director Sean O'Connell granted AL.com an exclusive interview about his expectations for this year's event and all the thoughts that go through the mind of the man who help devise this entire party. Maybe one day you'll have your own music fest. You can hear more about his work here.
Highlands pastor Chris Hodges

I do not claim to be a Bible scholar, but I paid attention enough, for the most part, while sitting in church pews throughout most of my life, to boil God's deepest desires for us into two very simple instructions:

Love Him.

Love others as we want to be loved.

Everything else--including all those Thou Shall Nots we struggle with--pretty much emanates from those two tasks: Love Him. Love others. Period.

"There is no commandment greater than these," concludes Mark 12:31

Embrace and exhibit those instructions every day (especially when, Lord knows, you really want to anything but love some folks) and we're well on our way towards "Well done...".

It gets dicey, though, when we add self into the mix--when we sprinkle them with ego.

It gets downright ugly--or worse--when we add fear and pain.

And, yes, even racism.

When I learned Rev. Michael R. Jordan, the serial contrarian, spotlight-coveting pastor of New Era Baptist church on Birmingham's West End, had posted yet more heat-seeking slogans on the sign outside the church, my inclination was to ignore them.

"Black Folks Need to Stay Out of White Churches," it read on one side.

"White Folks Refused to Be Our Neighbors," it said on the other.

Oh, I searched my Bible to discern any scripture that might support what seemed to be very un-scripture-like sentiments. I'm still looking.

I did find Peter's declaration (Acts 10: 34-35) that "...God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."

And this: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10: 24-25)

Nothing, though, of God telling me to stay out of places of worship where most congregants descended from other nations.

There's been a ton of buzz permeating Birmingham's faith sectors (which encompass pretty much the whole metro region) since Rev. Chris Hodges, pastor of the Church of the Highlands, told his congregation on April 29 that the city's mega of all megachurches was going to seed a new congregation in one of four high-crime neighborhoods.

Hodges said he'd met with mayor Randall Woodfin, who shared four high-crime neighborhoods "keeping me up at night."

"We're going to reach the drug dealers and we'll get the crime to stop," Hodges declared from the pulpit that Sunday. "Come on everybody, we're going to be the local church. I can't wait to report back to the mayor, and he says, 'Great job, hey, let's go over here now. That's what the church should do.'"

It was, I believe, a sincere, yet certainly clunky message that Hodges seemed to be naively unaware would reverberate beyond the walls of Sunday's service.

Indeed African-American pastors where quickly inflamed--at having been unable to garner their own mayoral meeting and perceived insinuations that their own on-going efforts to combat crime in their neighborhoods were little more than filthy rags.

Most of those tensions were assuaged last week when Woodfin convened with black pastors (including some members of the Birmingham Metropolitan Ministers) and laymen, clarified the substance of his meeting with Hodges, heard their concerns and prayed with them. (Rev. Jordan, clearly, was not among them.)

Still, some of their flocks are still on fire, peppering neighbor chats and social media feeds with anger, outrage, and indignation that a "white" church, which does include more than a few African-Americans among its congregation, would dare venture from over the mountain to save inner-city souls.

Of course, we heard no such indignation when the city's largest black churches sprung fourth, when Faith Chapel built its NASA-like campus in Ensley, when my own Sixth Ave Baptist moved into its multi-acre facility in Titusville, when The Worship Center sprouted from Huffman-Derby into Bessemer and Anniston.

We certainly didn't hear, either, it in March when Rev. Mike McClure, Jr., pastor of Rock City Church, which hosts Sunday services on its campus in Forestdale and at the Boutwell Auditorium downtown, had been blessed with the sprawling six-acre facility of the "white" Central Park Church and school in Ensley and planned to open a new campus there next year.

Yet news of Church of the Highlands' possible plans sent some into a near-apoplectic rage. Jordan even launched some sure-to-rile-the-masses rhetoric by describing COH to AL.com as a "slave master church".

Rev. Van Moody, pastor of The Worship Center, is not amused by the divisive rhetoric, but incensed with Jordan's distortion of God's Word.

"I'm embarrassed, disappointed and hurt," he told me. "I question any preacher who uses the gospel to support hate or prejudice, on any side. That is not Jesus. It is a prostitution of the gospel."

Criticism of the COH is rooted in the racial animus and distrust that seems to permeate almost every effort to affect change in our city--animus no doubt justified by the devastating effects of racism on our city over the last several decades, effects that still cripple our schools, our businesses, our families and our neighborhoods.

And threaten, some fear, perhaps the last thriving institution in the black community: our churches.

Churches that have already seen African-Americans from their own neighborhoods traveling miles to attend places like Church of the Highlands.

"But you never see the reverse," said the pastor of one African-American church who preferred not to reveal his name. "In an ideal world, we'd all be worshiping together, but we're not loving in an ideal world."

Well!

Nonetheless, Rev. Jordan's signage rants reflected none of the Christian traits I was ever fed. Nothing about them mirrored the teachings of someone who gave His life to redeem us all, knowing, Lord yes, we'd all need redeeming every day until He comes again.

"The core of our faith is sacrifice," said Rev. Moody. "Jesus gave up his life to save all. We have to sacrifice our egos and agendas in order to raise up our communities and save our people. That is the heart of the gospel."

Nor did those sayings reflect the calling Christians have, as stated in the mission of my former church, Bethesda Baptist Church of New Rochelle (NY): to reach, teach, and motivate people to become genuine followers of Jesus Christ.

Last Sunday, Pastor McClure, Jr, spoke in his sermon of the commitment required of Christians as a demonstration of the love God calls us to express, challenging listeners to not allow "my trouble to affect my commitment." He chided those who committed only "as long as it doesn't involve a sacrifice or inconvenience for me."

Then, he added: "[White churches] put 'love' in a verb. That's why you didn't see your pastor killing Church of the Highlands ... [What it's doing] should be a clarion call to every church in the city... Are you going to be committed?"

Or just mad?

Roy S. Johnson's column appears in The Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register and AL.com. Hit me up at rjohnson@al.com or/and follow me at twitter.com/roysj.
With less than three weeks until the Republican and Democratic primaries, it is becoming clearer than ever that Alabama's voters need to look a layer deeper at the men and women whose names will be on the ballot June 5th.

If you are running for statewide office, you should expect scrutiny, and there's been a fair amount of that. It's easy to pick on the top of the ballot races. But the down ballot and local candidates often fly under the radar.

Like most Alabamians, I am sick and tired of our elected officials not being held to the same standard of accountability as the rest of us. Sometimes it's a case of bad apples, but other times elected officials are simply reacting to the set of incentives they're presented with.

The most glaring example of incentive structures not matching up with what's in Alabama's best interest may be our judicial retirement system.

While serving in the State of Alabama, judges are required to contribute 8.5 percent of their salary to the Judicial Retirement Fund (JRF), but the state matches four times that much by putting in 35.24 percent.

At retirement a former judge, who we must remember is an elected official, can collect up to 75 percent of his or her salary as long as they live. With salaries averaging in the mid $100,000s that's a pretty penny for the Alabama taxpayers who foot the bill.

That's a pretty sweet gig already. But it gets even better.

A 60 year old lawyer looking to maximize his retirement can run for office, and if he stays in office for only 10 years he is entitled to benefits under the law. We "age out" our judges and bar them from running again after age 70.

Do you know anyone else who has this kind of generous retirement virtually guaranteed? Certainly not in the private sector.

Defenders of these types of programs often say that it takes promises of a high salary and benefits to lure the best lawyers away from practice, but I believe we should look at it from a different perspective.

Public service shouldn't be lucrative. It shouldn't be a way to pad your pockets or gain notoriety. And it certainly shouldn't be a fall back plan for those who couldn't cut it in the private sector.

When considering who we cast our ballots for in a few weeks, I hope others will join me in voting for the candidates who are choosing to be servant leaders.

No matter where you are in the state, judges are an underappreciated part of the system. Whether or not you have a direct interaction with the legal system, the judicial branch may have more day-to-day impact on our lives than any other elected officials.

We need high quality judges who are invested in our communities, who care about justice and the rule of law, and who are running for the right reasons--not because it's an easy way to get a cushy retirement.
After a political journey with many gripping twists and turns, Anwar Ibrahim comes back to reclaim his spot in the Malaysian leadership.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Anwar Ibrahim has been freed from prison after receiving a full pardon from the king, the latest twist in a political journey worthy of a Hollywood plot.

Perhaps a film documenting the rise and fall and rise again of Malaysias former deputy prime minister and leader of a movement calling for government reforms would begin in the late 1990s with him entering a courtroom with a black eye, beaten by a police chief.

The sight of a fallen politician against the backdrop of chants of his supporters shouting reformasi  reform in Bahasa  captivated an international audience.

The scene was a turning point for Malaysians, according to Bridget Welsh, an associate professor of political science at the John Cabot University.

It was really a threshold Malaysia had never passed before  it created a lot of response in society, said Welsh, a Malaysian politics expert.

We also saw an expansion and broadening of civil society, and its grown since then. Because the legacy of the Reformasi movement in 1999 is that every single election in Malaysia since then has been about who has been portrayed as the reformer and who is going to bring about change.

Fiercely ambitious politician

Anwar, a man described as a fiercely ambitious politician, had risen from being a student leader in the 1970s to becoming the protege and the right-hand man of Mahathir Mohamad, the then prime minister, in the 1990s.

But the partnership turned sour as the Malaysian economy felt the pressure of a growing Southeast Asian financial crisis in 1997. Differences grew, and Anwars calls for reform threatened the leadership.

The financial crisis triggered an evaluation of the role of the elite and the banking and financial sector, and the role of corruption in the system, said Welsh.

Anwar basically challenged Mahathir to the leadership position within his party, as Mahathir had been in office since 1981.





In September 1998, Anwar was sacked.

His dismissal spurred the Reformasi movement, a series of Anwar-led protests against the Mahathir government, in a country where dissent is suppressed.

He was eventually convicted of sodomy and corruption and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Anwar was released in 2004 when the sodomy charge was partially overturned. But this was just the beginning of a lengthy judicial process that would see him jailed again in 2015  under the rule of Najib Razak  on sodomy charges, which he described as politically motivated.

But according to Lee Hwok Aun Um, from the Institute of South East Asian Studies, locking him away would far from dampen his political career.

Anwar is a man of immense charisma, charm, ambition and tenacity. He is the finest orator of his generation, a great mobiliser. His jail time wins him sympathy and some gravitas for having been persecuted.

In 2007, between his jail terms, Anwar started campaigning for Parti Keadilan Rakyat, a centrist opposition party formally headed by his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

With its reformist stance, it attracted much public support against a government riddled with corruption and cronyism. It also became a key member of a four-party Pakatan Harapan opposition alliance pulled together by Mahathir.

It was instrumental in the challenge against the ruling party in this months elections.

On May 9, with a majority from Parti Keadilan, the coalition headed by Mahathir ended the 60-year rule of Najibs Barisan Nasional.

Mahathir-Anwar combination

For the first time, post-independence Malaysia had a new ruling party.

Analysts said this could not have been done without the Mahathir-Anwar combination, describing it as one of the great ironies of Malaysian history.

Theres been 20 years of bad blood between the two of them, said Terence Gomez, a professor of political economy at the University of Malaya.

It will take time for them to heal the bad relationship they had but they have a common agenda  first was to remove Najib, and now to rebuild Malaysia. In that sense, while there will be problems in that relationship, there is a larger goal for both of them.





Mahathir, 92, has pledged to stay in power only long enough to hand the government over to his former deputy.

Many are watching closely to see whether promises will be kept.

There is a sense of deja vu, as well as concerns that it was this partnership that had created the rigid, corrupt government that had prevailed until the recent elections.

But Gomez said Anwar is unlikely to perpetuate that legacy.

There is an expectation of him to institute the reforms that he said he would bring about once he is in power. And now he is coming out of jail to be a government leader.

That will be expected of him. He has been oppressed himself. He will know the urgent need to bring about these reforms so that there are checks and balances instituted in government too.

Anwars return to the political forefront comes at a time when Malaysians are more informed than ever. Social media and a generation of courageous voters have opened up a discourse once aggressively hushed by the government.

There are many different positions about Anwar  there are those who see him as a political animal; others see him as a reformer; others see him as an important bridge maker, said Welsh, adding however that there was one aspect of Anwar most agreed on.

He is a survivor, notes Welsh.

Hes been jailed, hes been criticised, hes been demonised, but he now has come back in part because of his innate ability  but also in part because of the agenda he represented which is the aspirations that many Malaysians see with Anwar Ibrahim.

So after many gripping twists and turns, a victorious Anwar Ibrahim comes back to reclaim his spot in the Malaysian leadership, a dramatic 20-year journey to fulfil his self-professed destiny.
For seven decades, Palestinians have commemorated the Nakba, or Catastrophe, when the ethnic cleansing of more than 700,000 Palestinians took place along with the destruction of more than 500 villages.

The Nakba commemoration this year marked 70 years of dispossession of the refugees  now numbering in the millions  who are still waiting for their right of return.

The commemoration occurred a day after the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, which triggered protests across the country.

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces killed more than 60 people and wounded thousands of others after opening live fire and shooting tear gas canisters at the protesters.

In the West Bank village of Budrus, residents walked towards the Israeli separation barrier calling for the right of return.

Community organiser Ayed Morrar told Al Jazeera the protest was organised to show support to the people who were killed in cold blood yesterday in the Gaza Strip.

We also protested to refuse the US decision to transfer the embassy to Jerusalem, because Jerusalem is our capital, Morrar said. Our right to return to our homes is still alive, and we will never forget it.

After some Palestinian youth managed to break down parts of the separation barrier, Israeli soldiers began firing tear gas.

Soldiers then entered the village cemetery and began shooting rubber-coated steel bullets at the Palestinian stone-throwers.

In Ramallah, several Palestinians were wounded, including a medic, after the Israeli army fired live ammunition, tear gas, and rubber-coated steel rounds.
I have been going to the Great March of Return in Gaza two to three times a week, ever since it started on March 30. It makes me feel closer to my village of Zarnouqa, which once stood near what used to be the Palestinian city of al-Ramla. Israeli militias ethnically cleansed the area in 1948, expelling tens of thousands of Palestinians, including my parents.

The Great March of Return is the beginning of our long walk to freedom to undo this injustice of 1948.

We march for three reasons. One, we want UN Resolution 194, which calls for the return of all Palestinian refugees to their lands, to be implemented. Two, we want the genocidal siege imposed on Gaza by apartheid Israel to be lifted. Three, we refuse to accept the decision to move the US embassy to occupied Jerusalem.

We, the marchers, belong to all sectors of Palestinian civil society and all spectrums of political organisations. And despite what the Zionist hasbara (propaganda) might have you believe, it wasnt Hamas who made us march.

The National Committee of the March has representatives from all Palestinian political organisations, including Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the National Initiative, among others.

On May 14, I was one of tens of thousands of Gazans who decided to go to the eastern fence lined with Israeli snipers.

Today will be a grand day in Palestinian history! A day all Palestinians, Arabs and freedom-loving people will remember for ages to come! I wrote on my Facebook wall just before I left home that day to drive with my three friends  an academic, a salesman and an activist  to join the march.

There were tens of thousands of people there with us  men, women and children, entire families from all walks of life.





These thousands of people, walking unarmed to the fence to demand their right to return, worried Israel. Its government gave instructions to the soldiers to shoot any civilian trying to trespass.

And so the shooting began as early as nine oclock that morning. I saw women, children, amputees, young men, and elderly get shot, even though they were not trying to trespass. One young man, whose face I will never forget, was shot in the abdomen and never made it to the hospital.

A young woman, whose face was covered with a Palestinian keffiyeh, was shot in the neck but survived. By the end of the day, we lost 60 people, and more than 2,700 were injured.

The most heartbreaking deaths were those of eight-month-old baby Laila El-Ghandour and Fadi Abu Saleh, an amputee who had lost his legs to an Israeli mine. Two of the 60 martyrs were brothers.

And then, I received the news of the martyrdom of my friend Ahmed al-Udini, who left behind a 3-year-old daughter. He was a leftist student activist and after graduation joined the Boycott Divestment Sanctions group in Gaza and worked as a show presenter at the Al-Shaab radio station. He was no terror threat as Israel would have you believe.

As we get ready to bury him and the rest of the dead, we know that we have been abandoned. The bitter reality is that we are alone, beleaguered, under siege, and undesirable even to some of those who are supposed to be our brethren.

For six weeks now, we have faced the onslaught by one of the worlds strongest armies, which possesses hundreds of nuclear warheads, more than 150,000 troops on active duty, Merkava battle tanks, F-16 jets, Apache attack helicopters, gunboats and drones.

When Israel is not sniping us down or bombing us, it exerts great effort to ensure that we live in subhuman conditions under siege in Gaza. We get electricity for only 4 hours a day, 95 percent of our water is undrinkable, and our seriously ill wither away as they wait for months for a permit to get treatment in the West Bank.





As our hospitals, already crippled by the siege, are struggling to cope with the 12,000 injured since March 30, some Arab regimes and a complicit EU are doing absolutely nothing except issuing timid statements. In reality, they have let down the Palestinians for years, and to this day, official international attitudes are a combination of cowardice and hypocrisy.

The international community, the UN, the EU, and Arab leaders have remained largely silent about the atrocities committed by apartheid Israel. Instead, they are asking us to stay quiet in Gaza, the largest open-air concentration camp, so as not to inconvenience the Israeli occupiers.

We are expected to conduct ourselves as house Palestinians, like the house slaves who were grateful to their white masters and who were satisfied to eat the leftovers from their tables. We are required to accept our slow death and show no form of resistance, to accept that if we get shot, then it is our own fault.

As we are burying our dead, we do know that we have only one tenable option. This option does not entail waiting for the UNSC, the EU or the Arab League to convene.

This option is power of the people, the only force capable of facing off with the Israeli military occupation. We have chosen to fight for dignity, a departure from years of self-deception that portrayed slavery under the occupier as a fait accompli.

The result of this decision made by Palestinian civil society and all political forces is the Great March of Return.

The only way forward for us is to follow the same route as the South African struggle. It focused on mobilising the masses on the ground rather than indifferent governments around the world.

What hope could South Africans have had to get help from the likes of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan? It was up to ordinary South Africans and global citizens to reject and resist the crimes committed by the ugly apartheid system.

Our main advantage as Palestinians in this unequal fight is what the late Edward Said called the high moral ground. Our victory at the end will be the inevitable result of our steadfastness that has not wavered despite the feeling that we have been left on our own.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
The Palestinian leadership has no plan of action, no vision to respond to the Israeli political onslaught.

Internal Palestinian politics resembles a swamp, and Ramallah is the murkiest part of it.

These otherwise calm waters were muddied five months ago, when the United States altered its long-standing policy on Jerusalem and local and international political actors reacted accordingly. On May 14, these changes took effect and the US Embassy was moved to a compound in Jerusalem situated on the 1949 armistice line, thus solidifying Israels claim on the whole city.

The ensuing narrative in Palestine has been that the reaction of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to these changes was the strongest in years. It declared it would no longer consider the US a relevant actor in the peace process and called for a series of day of rage protests.

It is naive, however, to suggest that the US is no longer a relevant actor to our fate as Palestinians. I would rather argue that the Palestinian political leadership is the party made irrelevant. And we, the Palestinian people, have been completely sidelined in the decision-making over our future.

Since December, weve been through an endless cycle of reactionary rhetoric without any real vision or stated plan of action. It led many to believe the Palestinian leadership did not intend to change the status quo, despite all the fiery speeches.

In fact, it has taken measures to entrench even further its grip on power over a growingly destitute and desperate Palestinian population living under occupation.

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In mid-March, the already-stalled reconciliation efforts between the PA in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza seemingly hit a dead-end. After an apparent assassination attempt targeted the convoy of Prime Minster Rami Hamdallah and Security Chief Majid Faraj, the PA was quick to blame Hamas for the attack before the dust had settled.

This paved the way for 82-year-old President Mahmoud Abbas to declare new punitive measures, increasing the pressure on the already obstinate Hamas to hand over control of the Strip to the PA.

Then in April, a noticeable change in the West Bank urban landscape was the sudden appearance of banners on roads and public buildings, declaring a Renewal of Loyalty and Support to President Mahmoud Abbas.

The banners, sponsored by a wide variety of families and businesses located in the West Bank, were part of a coordinated act to invent renewed legitimacy for the current PA leadership. As I understood from the representative of one business based in Nablus, families and businesses sponsoring such campaigns receive in exchange certain favours and easier access to public resources.

In late April, the Palestine National Council convened, in absence of official representation from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and some independent political figures. In the view of attendees whom I spoke with, the convening of the council successfully served to consolidate the authority of the current leadership of the Palestinian government in Ramallah.





As of now, no major policy or change in strategy has been announced in response to the major political developments of the past five months.

Meanwhile, weve marked the 70th anniversary of the Nakba (the catastrophe), as the US continues to push for the deal of the century that will strip Palestinians of any rights or claims to their land. All that with the support of Arab states talking about normalisation of relations with Israel. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly went as far as saying, during a meeting with Jewish leaders in New York, that: It is about time the Palestinians take the proposals and agree to come to the negotiations table or shut up and stop complaining.

Israel has continued its illegal activities in the occupied territories unobstructed. Globally, the Israeli states legitimacy seems to be growing. In early May, Alibaba CEO Jack Ma made an important trip to Israel, where he met with a variety of top officials of the Israeli government, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel is one of three countries Alibaba is considering for expansion, according to Ma. Similarly, Tesla CEO Elon Musks visit to Israel in March spurred speculation over possible Tesla investment there in the near future.

And all the while, I see us Palestinians and our so-called leaders running around like headless chickens. Sweeping political developments are coming at us like a storm, and we are not able to keep up or respond. What I said six months ago in an op-ed for Al Jazeera titled Palestinian Authoritys manufacturing of rage is still true: This rage will not protect Jerusalem or secure self-determination for the Palestinian people.

Sixty-two Palestinians were killed in one day in Gaza, as they were trying to exercise their right to peaceful protest and we cannot do anything but despair and mourn.

In the meantime, the PA continues to coordinate with the very Israeli security apparatus that guns down its people, while Hamas obstinately holds on to its forceful control of the Gaza Strip. What both parties may not realise is how lost and hopeless the Palestinian people feel while they squabble over pitiful political issues.

A change in strategy, an admittance of failure, and introduction of new leadership is the only way out of this swamp of desparation we are in. It is time for our leadership to make bold moves. It is time for us to dictate our future and gain a seat on the international stage as a political entity with real authority.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
French president meets West African leaders to support new 5,000-strong force to fight armed groups in the region.

French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Mali for talks with the leaders of five countries across Africas Sahel region to support a new 5,000-strong multinational force to fight armed groups in the area.

Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, which make up so-called G5 Sahel, have pledged to fight al-Qaeda-linked groups and others in the region who have alarmed the international community after launching deadly attacks in recent months on areas that were once considered relatively safe.

Every day we must combat terrorists, thugs, murderers  who we must steadfastly and with determination eradicate together, Macron said on Sunday at the opening of the summit.

In mid-June, the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution welcoming the deployment of the new force with troops contributed by the G5 Sahel countries.

READ MORE: Malis Keita vows to keep fighting terrorist groups

The approval came just days after at least five people were killed in an attack on a Mali resort popular with foreigners.

The Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen group recently claimed responsibility.

France launched an intervention in Mali in 2013 to chase out fighters linked to al-Qaeda who had overtaken key northern cities.

That mission evolved into the current Barkhane deployment launched in 2014 with an expanded mandate for counterterror operations across the Sahel.

Key challenge is funding

Macrons visit comes as al-Qaedas Mali branch released a proof-of-life video of six foreign hostages, including a French woman who was abducted in late 2016 in the northern Malian town of Gao.

A major goal at Sundays meeting will be to find the money necessary to support the new force, which will operate in the region along with a 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, which has become the deadliest in the world, and Frances own 5,000-strong Barkhane military operation.

Al Jazeeras Mohamed Vall, reporting from Malis capital, Bamako, said funding remains the crucial issue of the operations across the Sahel.

There are troops here and theyve been trying to solve the problem of insecurity in the region, but they havent been successful because the funding is at the heart of this situation, he said.

The UN is struggling now with the approach of the US that the UN should reduce its security budget around the world, and that US approach is touching this region.

Funding is the main challenge that could cause this project to fail.

There are at least 12,000 UN peacekeeping troops and 5,000 French troops in Mali [Joe Penney/Reuters]

Macron is expected to announce on Sunday significant support, both financial and in terms of equipment, to the new force.

He is also expected to make the case for extra backing from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States.

The European Union has already pledged 50m ($57.2m).

Serge Michailof, a researcher at the Paris-based IRIS institute, described the EU contribution as a joke in the context of the EUs very deep pockets.

READ MORE: On the road with Nigers peacekeepers in Mali

This force is going to cost $300-400m at the very least, he told the AFP news agency, adding it would be especially difficult for certain nations involved which are already choking on military spending.

Chad President Idriss Deby has said it will be difficult to contribute about 2,000 soldiers to the G5 force while also contributing to the UN peacekeeping mission.

A summit like this is essentially a moment of political mobilisation around the new force, Gilles Yabi, a West African analyst, told the Associated Press news agency.

Efforts to mobilise resources will continue well after the summit, and the actual implementation will take several months.
Anti-racist activists plan to counter a far-right protest at the border against irregular crossings by asylum seekers.

Montreal, Canada  Community activists say they have mobilised to counter efforts by a far-right group to intimidate asylum seekers on the US-Canada border, where thousands of people have entered the province of Quebec from since last year.

A rally in support of refugees and migrants will be held on Saturday at Roxham Road, a popular crossing point on the border, to welcome asylum seekers into the country.

Between January and April this year, more than 7,300 asylum seekers walked across the border into Quebec province without visas.

We believe that Quebec and Canada should be welcoming places for asylum seekers and that we have the resources to welcome them properly, said Aaron Lakoff, from the group Solidarity Across Borders, at a press conference on Wednesday in Montreal.

Lakoff said Saturdays rally also aims to prevent members of a far-right group from intimidating newcomers at the border.

Calling itself an ultra-nationalist group, Storm Alliance has been active in Quebec since 2016 and purports to have about 3,000 members, according to information put out by anti-fascist activists in Montreal.

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The group, which publicly says it doesnt have ties to the far-right, plans to hold its own protest against the irregular entry of asylum seekers into Canada near the border on Saturday as well.

We consider Storm Alliance to be a racist, far-right group [They] will try to go to Roxham Road to sow fear and hatred against refugees, Lakoff said.

We will be there, at Roxham Road, with a clear message to say that we want to open the border and that refugees are welcome.

Thousands arriving

There has been an increase in the number of asylum seekers irregularly crossing the border into Quebec since last year.

A bilateral agreement between the United States and Canada makes it impossible for asylum seekers who are already in the US to apply for asylum in Canada at an official port of entry.

But a loophole in that deal, known as the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), gives asylum seekers the right to have their refugee claim assessed if they are already on Canadian soil.

As a result, thousands of people have walked across the border into Canada since early 2017, nearly all of them immediately telling Canadian officials they wanted to apply for refugee status.

The asylum seekers can stay in Canada while their refugee claim is being processed.

The Safe Third Country Agreement is dangerous; it has actually caused the loss of peoples lives, said Robyn Maynard, a writer and activist based in Montreal, at Wednesdays press conference.

Mavis Otuteye, a Ghanaian citizen, died of hypothermia as she attempted to cross the border into Canada in the winter of 2017. Other asylum seekers have lost fingers to frostbite as they trudged through the snow to get over the border.

Maynard said the crisis isnt that people are crossing borders; the crisis is the human rights abuses that asylum seekers experience, including unjust detention and deportation.

This is the crisis of our time. This is the great injustice of our time, and its very important for Canadians and the Canadian government to recognise this and to act, she said.

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Last year, Canadas federal police, the RCMP, intercepted 20,593 asylum seekers walking across the border without visas, 91.5 percent had entered the country in the French-speaking province of Quebec.

In April alone, the RCMP stopped 2,479 asylum seekers who crossed the border into Quebec irregularly. Thats a 269 percent increase from the same month last year when 672 RCMP interceptions were recorded in the province.

Amid reports the Canadian government sought to amend the agreement, Ottawa said earlier this month it has raised concerns with the US about the situation at the border given what Canada perceives as challenges with the STCA in a modern environment.

Right-wing intimidation

The dual rallies at the border will be held amid renewed fears the border crossings could stoke anti-immigrant sentiment in the country.

Experts also say there has been an uptick in far-right groups operating in Canada.

In its 2017 public report on the threat of terrorism in Canada, Public Safety Canada said right-wing extremism is a growing concern.

While right-wing violence has been sporadic and opportunistic, the deadly attack at a Quebec City mosque in January 2017 is a reminder that attacks perpetrated by those who espouse extreme right-wing views can occur, the report said.

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Earlier this month, a group of researchers, journalists and other experts launched a new group to document and counter the rise of far-right hate groups in Canada. Between 120 and 130 such groups currently operate in the country, one expert said.

This isnt the first time Storm Alliance has organised a protest at the border. A similar rally against asylum seekers crossing into Quebec was held last September.

About 300 members of the group showed up on the Canadian side of the border, media reports said. Many wore sunglasses, caps and bandanas over their faces and waved Quebec flags.

Members of La Meute, an anti-Muslim, far-right group that also operates in Quebec, were also on hand.

They were met by a smaller contingent of anti-fascist activists, and the border was closed for several hours as police sought to keep the two groups apart.

Lakoff said known neo-Nazis participated in the earlier Storm Alliance protest.

This time, he said, he expected a few hundred anti-racist activists to be there to counter the group.

Were going to take the space to make sure that Storm Alliance does not get to go to the border with their racist and hateful message, Lakoff said.

We believe that Quebec and Canada are welcoming societies where refugees are welcome. We will be there with that message. I cant say what they will do on their side, but for us, these are dangerous groups.
With three more pending cases against Zia, opposition leader unlikely to be released from jail right now, lawyers say.

Bangladeshs Supreme Court has granted bail to the countrys former prime minister and leader of the main opposition party, Khaleda Zia, three months after she was imprisoned over a corruption conviction.

The top court upheld an earlier High Court decision in the capital, Dhaka, on Wednesday, granting bail to Zia, who sentenced to five years for fraud.

Lawyers from both sides said the ruling does not necessarily mean Zia, chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), will be released from jail because she has been arrested in connection with three other cases.

The government had appealed a March verdict by the High Court granting her bail for four months.

Zia, who served two terms as prime minister from 1991-96 and again from 2001-2006, was sentenced on February 8 over her alleged embezzlement of funds meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust.

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The court also convicted Tarique Rahman  Zias elder son  and four others of corruption, sentencing each to 10 years in prison.

The six were accused of embezzling over Tk 21 million ($252,000) of a donation to the trust.

The BNP has said its participation in Bangladeshs upcoming elections, scheduled to be held in December, is reliant on the provision of a free and fair vote and Zias release.

Lord Alex Carlile QC, a member of Zias legal team, told Al Jazeera he had not seen any evidence whatsoever that could justify prosecuting the former prime minister, let alone convicting her following a review of all the relevant documents.

I have seen absolutely nothing to suggest that this client has been involved in any fraud, he said earlier this month.
US president says Washington will insist North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons despite threat to pull out of summit.

US President Donald Trump said we will have to see if his planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will go ahead.

Trump told reporters on Wednesday the United States has not been officially notified about North Koreas threat to pull out of the meeting. No decision, we havent been notified at all We havent seen anything; we havent heard anything.

Washington will insist that North Korea give up its nuclear weapons despite the threat to cancel the historic summit, said Trump.

North Korea threw the June 12 Trump-Kim meeting, to be held in Singapore, into doubt, saying it might not attend if the United States continued to demand that it unilaterally abandon its nuclear weapons.

If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the  summit, said a statement by Kim Kye-gwan, North Koreas first vice minister of foreign affairs.





He also derided as absurd comments by Trumps top security adviser John Bolton who suggested discussions with North Korea should be similar to those that led to components of Libyas nuclear programme being shipped to the US in 2004.

North Korea clashed with Bolton when he worked under the administration of former President George W Bush.

We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him, Kim Kye-gwan said.

The White House said it was still hopeful the summit would take place, adding that Trump was prepared for a tough negotiation.

The president is ready if the meeting takes place, Sarah Sanders, the White House spokeswoman, told Fox News. If it doesnt, well continue the maximum pressure campaign thats been ongoing.

Sanders said the North Korean comments were not something that is out of the ordinary in these types of operations.

Robert Kelly, a Koreas analyst from Pusan National University, told Al Jazeera that North Korea might be playing a game of political brinksmanship.

If throwing a temper tantrum three weeks beforehand with these statements today, if that actually gets the North Koreans a better deal because Donald Trump is suddenly scared it might fall through and he makes an offer, thats better, said Kelly.

North Korea defends its nuclear and missile programmes as a necessary deterrent against perceived aggression by the US, which keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea.

It has long said it is open to eventually giving up its nuclear arsenal if the US withdraws its troops from South Korea and ends its nuclear umbrella security alliance with Seoul.
The foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, along with Irans foreign minister, have agreed on a nine-point economic plan to keep the Iran nuclear deal alive.

Meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, the ministers rushed to discuss alternative solutions after US President Donald Trump on May 8 withdrew from the deal and vowed to impose tough economic sanctions against Tehran.

There was awareness of the urgency, Federica Mogherini, the European Unions foreign policy chief, said after the meeting.

Heiko Maas, Germanys foreign minister, acknowledged that the process to resolve the issues surrounding the US withdrawal would not be easy.

If we want to stay in this agreement and ensure that Iran stays in this agreement and abides to the terms of the agreement, then we need to talk about this, he said.

Before the meeting, Boris Johnson, the UKs foreign secretary, said: the UK and our European partners continue to view the nuclear deal as vital for our shared security, and remain fully committed to upholding it.

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Participants in the meeting stated that the strategy is expected to produce practical solutions in the next few weeks by tackling financial concerns such as business, banking transactions and possible interruptions to oil production.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Irans foreign minister, said collaboration with the EU was on the right track.

I believe its a good start. Were not there, were beginning the process, he told journalists after the meeting.

Mogherini confirmed that deputy foreign ministers from the three European nations and Iran would meet in Vienna next week for an experts talk.

The proposals will address nine key financial areas, including maintaining economic ties with Iran, ensuring Irans ability to sell oil and gas products and protecting EU companies doing business in Iran.
Following in US footsteps, Guatemala opens its embassy in Jerusalem, despite international condemnation.

Guatemala has opened its embassy in Jerusalem, following in the footsteps of the United States, which inaugurated its embassy in the city two days prior, in a move that has triggered international condemnation.

Wednesdays development comes amid widespread anger and protests in the occupied Palestinian territories, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, or Catastrophe.

The event marks the day when Israel was created in the midst of a violent campaign that led to the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland.

The inauguration of the Guatemalan embassy, which was attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, also comes amid outrage over the Israeli armys killing of 62 Palestinians protesting in the Gaza Strip on Monday.

Morales said Guatemala was sending a message of love, peace and fraternity to Israel amid praise from Netanyahu.

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Reporting from West Jerusalem, Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcett said that the Guatemalan government claimed it was not pressured by the US to move its embassy.

The obvious calculation, however, that a lot of analysts would point to is that if Guatemala, as many Latin American countries, wants to have a good relationship with this US administration, key to it politically and economically is being as close as possible to Israel, said Fawcett.

Guatemala, the second country to recognise Israel as a state in 1948, has had a long history of military cooperation with Israel. The latter is a major arms supplier to the central American nation.

Paraguay has said that it expects to follow suit and open its embassy in Jerusalem by the end of May. While other countries, including Honduras and the Czech Republic, have expressed interest in moving their embassies to Jerusalem, it remains unclear whether they will do so.

No country recognised Jerusalem as Israels capital until December 2017, when Trump declared it as such, breaking with decades of US policy favouring the division of Jerusalem between Israel and a future Palestinian state.

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Since the 1967 war when Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the international community, as documented in a multitude of United Nations resolutions, supported the establishment of a Palestinian state on the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as the capital.

All embassies to Israel were situated in the commercial capital Tel Aviv, before the US and Guatemalan embassy moves.

The Arab League and the French government condemned the US embassy move as illegal and in contravention of UN Security Council resolutions surrounding the conflict.

The Security Council met in an emergency session on Tuesday to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip.

The US, however, blocked a statement drafted by Kuwait calling for an independent investigation into the killings of Palestinian protesters in Gaza and calling on countries not to station their diplomatic missions in Jerusalem.
Iraqi electoral commission says armed men in Kirkuk are putting pressure on election workers to change results.

Gunmen have laid siege to several polling stations in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, trapping election workers and blocking the vote count four days after a national election.

Riyadh al-Badran, head of the electoral commission, said on Wednesday that the gunmen  whom he did not identify  were putting pressure on the commission to change the election results.

The employees of the commission are in a hostage situation, he told a news conference.

He called on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to protect the election team.

About 90 percent of the votes from Kirkuk, an ethnically-mixed oil province at the heart of a long-running dispute with the Kurds, have been counted, Badran said.

But election workers have been unable to send results from 186 ballot boxes, he said.

The initial results from Kirkuk indicated a win for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), a historical Iraqi Kurdish party, the commission said on Tuesday.

But the Turkmen and Arab communities have disputed those results and called for a recount.

The dispute in Kirkuk, as well as in Kurdish Duhok, where local parties have contested the results, have delayed the final nationwide results.

Badran said that figure should be announced in the next two days.

The Sairoon Alliance of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr appears poised to win Iraqs parliamentary elections. Reports indicate that Sairoon  an alliance between the Sadrist Movement and Iraqs Communist Party  won more than 1.3 million votes, gaining 54 in a 329-seat parliament.

Iran-backed Shia militia chief Hadi al-Amiris Fatah (Conquest) coalition was in second place, while Abadis Nasr (Victory) coalition is in third.

Saturdays election was the first since the defeat of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Turnout fell far short of previous elections with only 44.5 percent of registered voters participating. The turnout was 15 percent lower than in 2014.
Truce will help Muslims observe the holy month of Ramadan in a peaceful environment, Indian home ministry says.

India will suspend all military operations against rebels in Kashmir during the holy month of Ramadan for the first time in nearly two decades.

The move, which comes after months of intense fighting in the disputed Himalayan region, will help peace-loving Muslims observe Ramzan [Ramadan] in a peaceful environment, Indias home ministry said in a series of tweets on Wednesday.

Security Forces to reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

Government expects everyone to cooperate in this initiative and help the Muslim brothers & sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties.   , HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

However, Indian security forces, of which there are an estimated 500,000 in Kashmir, reserve the right to retaliate if attacked, the ministry added.

Mehbooba Mufti, chief minister of the Kashmir government, said on Wednesday he hoped Indias decision will create a peaceful and amicable environment for sustained dialogue.

There was no immediate response from rebel groups.

The move marks the first ceasefire for Ramadan since Indian authorities and Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest rebel group, briefly stopped fighting in 2000.

India and Pakistan both claim the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which has been divided between the two nuclear powers since 1947 across the so-called Line of Control (LoC), in its entirety.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep among Kashmirs mostly Muslim population, a majority of whom either want the Indian-administered portion to become independent or merge with Pakistan.

Rising tensions

Hostilities have flared between security forces and rebel groups in Indian-administered Kashmir during recent months.

More than 270 rebels have been killed in operations led by the Indian army since last year, officials say.

Earlier this month, security forces killed five civilians and five rebels during a gun battle near the city of Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Widespread protests took place across the region following the death of four civilians and one Indian soldier during a gunfight in Kulgam district, almost 100km south of Srinagar, a month ago.

Tens of thousands of people have died in the decades-old conflict.
One officer killed, two wounded after group of men stage attack, claimed by ISIL, on police station in Sumatra island.

Four men armed with samurai swords and firearms have attacked a police station in the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing one officer and wounding two others before being shot dead by security forces.

The attackers targeted officers after ramming a minivan into a gate at the police headquarters in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province, local media said on Wednesday.

A fifth man, who drove the vehicle, was arrested while attempting to escape.

When the car broke through into the Riau police headquarters, it was blocked by policemen, national police spokesman Seyto Wasisto told a televised news conference.

Then four of the men got out from the car and attacked police, he added.

Local journalist Doddy Vladimir, who was at the scene of the attack, said he saw a white Toyota Avanza van hit the headquarters fence at around 9am local time (02:00 GMT).

It was really quick. People wearing masks alighted from a van and stabbed a police officer nearby, Vladimir said, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack, the groups Amaq website said.

Wave of bombings

Indonesia is on high alert after a wave of recent bombings in the countrys second-largest city, Surabaya.

On Monday, a suicide bomb attack outside a police building, carried out by one family and claimed by ISIL, killed at least 10 people.





The bombing followed separate attacks on three churches, also carried out by one family, in the same city. At least 13 people were killed.

Police suspected Sundays attacks on the churches were carried out by a cell of the ISIL-inspired group Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD).

Just hours after the church bombings, a further three people in another family were killed and two wounded when another bomb exploded at an apartment complex about 30km from Surabaya.

That blast appeared to have been an accidental detonation that killed a mother and her 17-year-old child who was not identified, police said.

Police in Indonesia have raided several houses and killed several people in a nationwide hunt for more possible bombers.
Iran, Russia prevent directors from attending Cannes

Jafar Panahi hasnt been able to leave Iran since 2010, and Kirill Serebrennikov was arrested by the Russian government before the festival.
Former deputy prime minister arrives at the royal palace to meet with king after being released from prison.

Malaysias former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been released from prison after receiving a full pardon from the king on Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference after being freed following the royal pardon, he thanked the Malaysian people for standing by the principles of democracy and freedom.

Now there is a new dawn for Malaysia. I must thank the people of Malaysia. Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Iban; the entire spectrum of our Malaysians, regardless of race and religion 

They demand change and it is our duty now to ensure that this mandate given to Pakatan Harapan [political alliance] will honour this commitment, the politician added.

Anwar, who was initially scheduled to be released on Tuesday, walked out of the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital, where he was temporarily confined after a surgery, and later arrived at the residence of the king, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V.

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An image published by the Malaysian news agency Bernama showed Anwar, 70, greeting newly elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, his ally-turned-foe-turned-ally.

Another image showed the king welcoming Anwar and his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the deputy prime minister-designate.

Earlier, Mahathir arrived at the royal palace for the royal pardons board meeting to discuss Anwars release.

The question for Malaysia now is how Anwar will get along with Mahathir and what role he will play in the new government.

Anwars party, PKR, holds 48 seats of the 113 seats won by the Pakatan Harapan alliance on Wednesday, and he is widely tipped to succeed Mahathir once he steps down from office.

Ketua Umum PKR @anwaribrahim kini berada di Istana Negara pic.twitter.com/6XDFSwN973  BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom) May 16, 2018

In 2015, Anwar was jailed for five years after being accused of sodomy, a charge he described as a politically motivated attempt by then Prime Minister Najib Razak to end his career.

Sodomy is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia, where the offence carries a jail term of up to 20 years.





Under Malaysian law, unless he is pardoned by the king, Anwar would be disqualified for five years from running for office after his release.

Anwar was also imprisoned for six years after being overthrown as Mahathirs deputy prime minister in 1998 on earlier charges of sodomising his former family driver and abusing his power.

He was freed in 2004 after Malaysias top court quashed that sodomy conviction.

Anwar previously had a falling out with Mahathir after he criticised some of his policies.

But his party eventually formed an alliance with Mahathir to take on Najibs United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) for the election on Wednesday.

In recent weeks, Mahathir acknowledged the suffering of Anwar and his family.

I know how Anwar feels. It was during my administration that he was sent to [prison]. It is not easy for him to accept me and shake my hand, The Malaysia Insight quoted Mahathir as saying.

And its not just Anwar but his family as well who felt pressure when he was jailed. They suffered for 20 years.

Anwars pardon paves the way for his political comeback, following his alliances stunning election victory.

The reformist icon added it was the duty of his political party Pakatan Harapan to honour its commitment to the people and deliver their demands.

The most significant lesson one can learn from prison life is the value of freedom. When you are incarcerated you realise what is the meaning and significance of freedom.

No one, not Anwar, or  anyone must be allowed to undergo the same travesty that has befallen any individual. I happened to be known, I happened to be supported by many people. But we must stop this once and for all, and it is our duty, and our duty particularly in Pakatan Harapan to end this.
Thousands of supporters gathered to listen to Ibrahim who was sentenced in 2015 to a five-year term for sodomy.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Several thousand supporters of de-facto PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim gathered at the headquarters of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysias for his first public address since his release earlier on Wednesday.

Anwar, who had spent the past two decades in and out of prison on what were alleged to be politically motivated charges, was been granted a full royal pardon by the Malaysian Agong (king).

Cheering as they gathered, supporters began gathering before 10pm at Padang Timur, in front of Amcorp Mall, with Anwar himself arriving shortly after to address the crowd.

He is free at last. After 20 years it is finally over, said Rosnee Othman, a 53-year-old businessman from Penang told Al Jazeera.

We know there are problems and challenges, but for now we have what we have been fighting for-BN has fallen, and Anwar is free.

Speaking to an ecstatic crowd, Anwar told the people what they had been longing to hear:

Where would I be without you? It is because of you I have been set free. If Najib had won, I would be on my way back to prison.

Enough of oppression, enough of corruption. Malaysia has entered into a new era.

Anwar thanked Mahathir Mohamad for his contribution to Pakatans victory.

Anwar had been released on Wednesday following the granting of a full royal pardon, paving the way for Mahathirs former enemy turned political ally to eventually take over as prime minister.

He had an audience with the king an hour later to convey his gratitude then returned to his home in Segambut before arriving tonight to address supporters.

Civil servant Siti Amalina, 28, said she had come from Putrajaya with other family members to hear him speak.

We were cautious before when talking about politics, but with his (Anwar) release, we are free to speak our minds.

I came to hear first hand the promise of change that Pakatan (opposition coalition) has been talking about  I came to hear it directly from him, she added.

Another audience member, 64-year-old Lee Sim Kuan from Pahang, was more guarded, expressing concern over how quickly the new government would be able to bring much-needed reforms.

We have Tun Mahathir, we have Anwar, and there are other big names working on the same side now.

I happy like everyone else here but I hope that they will put any differences aside and work for the countrys benefit.

We fought too hard to get here, and the whole country will be disappointed if things do not go smoothly, he said.
Nakba this year marked 70 years of dispossession with millions of refugees still waiting for their right of return.

Nakba Day is when Palestinians commemorate the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian cities and towns by Zionist paramilitaries in 1948. About 750,000 people were forcibly expelled from historical Palestine.

Annual protests marking the Nakba, or Catastrophe, when the state of Israel was established on May 15, 1948, took place across the occupied territories on Tuesday.

Rallies, which have been ongoing since March 30, call for the right of return of Palestinian refugees to the homes and villages they were forced out of decades ago.

Since last month, the Israeli army has killed 111 Palestinians, and more than 12,000 have been wounded drawing outrage and international condemnation.
Spokesman for investor Ahmed al-Rumaihi says he attended meetings with officials of Trumps team in 2016.

Qatari investor Ahmed al-Rumaihi has confirmed he attended meetings in Trump Tower in December 2016 following social media posts claiming he met US President Donald Trumps former attorney, Michael Cohen.

A spokesperson for Sport Trinity, a company al-Rumaihi co-owns, told CNN: Mr al-Rumaihi was at Trump Tower on December 12, 2016. He was there in his then role as head of Qatar Investments, an internal division of QIA [Qatari Investment Authority], to accompany the Qatari delegation that was meeting with Trump transition officials on that date.

He did not participate in any meetings with Michael Flynn [former US national security advisor], and his involvement in the meetings on that date was limited, the spokesperson added.





Jassim al-Thani, media attache at the Qatari embassy in Washington, DC, said in a statement the meetings with the incoming administration in December 2016 were to discuss many critical areas, including regional security, military cooperation, counterterrorism, and economic partnership.

He said al-Rumaihi was present at Trump Tower but did not participate in any meetings with the government delegation.

He did not say who was in the meetings that al-Rumaihi attended, or what was discussed, but a person familiar with the Qatari delegation meetings at Trump Tower told CNN that Cohen popped in during one meeting.

Al-Rumaihis statement was released after a series of tweets by Michael Avenatti, lawyer for adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against Trump and Cohen, who claimed the Qatari investor had met both Cohen and Flynn.

Why was Ahmed Al-Rumaihi meeting with Michael Cohen and Michael Flynn in December 2016 and why did Mr. Al-Rumaihi later brag about bribing administration officials according to a sworn declaration filed in court?  Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) May 13, 2018

Avenatti posted screenshots of a Trump Tower lobby video feed from December 12, 2016, where Cohen  who is currently under criminal investigation  appears to be entering and leaving Trump Tower with al-Rumaihi.

In a series of interviews, Avenatti raised questions about why Cohen appeared to have been involved with Qatari nationals visiting Trump Tower after the election.

At this time, Michael Cohen has no position in the transition team in the new administration, hes not a registered lobbyist, hes not a registered foreign agent, said Avenatti.

He ultimately doesnt have any role in the administration. Hes not a foreign dignitary, hes not addressed with meeting foreign dignitaries in connection with the new administration. So, Don [Trump], whats he doing?

In April 2017, the FBI raided Cohens office and residence after receiving a referral from special prosecutor Robert Mueller, who is investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Key panel confirms Gina Haspel despite criticism over ties to torture programme used by CIA on terror suspects.

A key US Senate panel has approved President Donald Trumps nominee to head the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Gina Haspel, paving the way for her confirmation to lead the spy agency.

The Senate Intelligence Committee voted 10-5 behind closed doors to approve her nomination on Wednesday.

Despite criticism of her ties to the CIAs former enhanced interrogation programme for terror suspects in the years after the September 11 attacks, Haspel is expected to become the agencys first female director.

Senator Richard Burr, the committees Republican chairman, said in a statement that Haspel is the best person to lead the CIA, saying she has acted morally, ethically, and legally during her career.





Haspel, a 33-year CIA veteran, is currently its acting director.

She faces what will likely be a close confirmation vote in the full Senate.

That is in part because she was the CIA chief of station in Thailand in 2002, where the agency ran one of its secret black prisons where suspected al-Qaeda detainees were interrogated using methods that included waterboarding, a form of simulated drowning widely considered torture.

The vote could occur before the end of the week.

Operations officer

The Senate Intelligence Committees top-ranking Democrat, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, and four other Democrats expressed support for Haspel.

As director of the CIA, Gina Haspel will be the first operations officer in more than five decades to lead the agency, Warner said in a statement.

Most importantly, I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the president if ordered to do something illegal or immoral  like a return to torture, he said.

She needs a majority to be confirmed in the 100-member Senate, which Republicans control 51-49.

During her confirmation hearing on May 9, Haspel said the CIA would not resume the programme and allow torture, even if she was ordered to do so by the president.

Trump vowed as a candidate to resume waterboarding and promised techniques a hell of a lot worse.

Terrible message

Earlier on Wednesday, Gerald Staberock, secretary-general of the World Organization Against Torture, said Haspels confirmation would send a terrible message by the US that torture is not a crime.

Usually it should bring you to prison, but not into heading the countrys key intelligence office, Staberock told Al Jazeera.

Its a message to everybody in the CIA and the security apparatus that you can make a career while you torture people.

When Haspel visits other parts of the world she will have zero authority to speak out against abuse and torture, Staberock added.
Described as a The Baroness with a Brush, the artist is hailed for her distinctive Art Deco style.

Described as a The Baroness with a Brush, Tamara Lempicka is hailed for her distinctive Art Deco style.

Lempicka would be celebrating her birthday on May 16. In her honour, Google is changing its logo in 14 countries.

This is her story:

Russian Revolution

Born Maria Gorska in Warsaw, Poland, in 1898, Lempickas love for art started at an early stage.

Her father was a Russian lawyer, her mother a Polish socialite. She went to boarding school in Lausanne, Switzerland.

As a young child, in 1911, she spent a summer in Italy with her grandmother, who inspired her love for great Italian Renaissance painters, which would define the rest of her life.

Upon her parents divorce in 1916, she was sent to live with her aunt in Russia, where she met her future husband, prominent lawyer Tadeusz Lempicki, and married him in 1917 when she was 19.

The same year, the Russian Revolution started. Her husband was arrested in the middle of the night by the Bolsheviks.

After releasing him from prison, Lempicka and her husband fled. They found refuge in Paris.

A refugee

The artist arrived in Paris at the height of post-cubism. In Paris, she reinvented herself as Tamara de Lempicka a name that had direct aristocratic pretensions.

The artist was a refugee in the city, her daughter Kizette was born in Paris, adding to their financial burden, and making Tamara determined to make money from her art.

She began her formal art training under French painters Maurice Denis and Andre Lhote.

Lhote was her most influential mentor as his style  often referred to as soft cubism  is detectable in Lempickas style.

She became prominent in Paris bohemian art scene, her paintings merging late cubist and neoclassical techniques to create a metal-like visual style that was her own.

My goal is never to copy, Lempicka reportedly said. Instead, she sought to create a new style, clear luminous colours.

My goal is never to copy Lempicka

Early success

By the mid-1920s, Lempickas portraits were being exhibited in Paris salons.

In 1927 Lempicka painted one of her best-known works: Autoportrait (Lempicka in a green Bugatti), for the cover of German fashion magazine Die Dame.

The portrait celebrates the independence of women and is one of the best-known examples of Art Deco portrait painting.

In the same year, she received her first prize at the Exposition Internationale des Beaux-Arts for the painting Kizette on the Balcony, a portrait of her daughter.

In 1928 she divorced her husband; in 1933 she married Raoul Kuffner, a baron of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and art collector.

She placed a high value on working, famously saying: There are no miracles, there is only what you make.

Escaping war

In Paris, Lempicka recognised the early signs of a second world war. She and her husband, Baron Kuffner, decided to leave France and move to Hollywood, California.
Trump assistant Victoria Coates on Israel-Palestine peace deal

Coates said the solution to be reached is up to Palestine and Israel.
Trumps ultimate deal for Middle East peace overseen by Kushner

Various proposals on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been leaked to the public, but the White House insists the details have yet to be finalised.
Expulsion is latest development in strained relations as Ankara criticises killing of more than 60 Palestinians in Gaza.

Turkeys foreign ministry has asked Israels consul-general in Istanbul to leave the country for some time, after Israeli forces killed more than 60 Palestinians during protests in the Gaza Strip.

On Tuesday, the ministry made a similar call to Israels ambassador to Ankara, which received a reciprocal response from Israel on the same day.

Israel protested on Wednesday over what it called Turkeys unbecoming treatment of its expelled ambassador, after the envoy was shown on Turkish media undergoing an airport security pat-down in public view.

In response to Ambassador Eitan Navehs treatment, Israels foreign ministry said in a statement that it summoned the Turkish embassys charge daffaires.

Naveh had only been in his post since December 2016, after a reconciliation deal earlier that year ended a dispute over the May 2010 deadly storming of a Turkish ship by Israeli commandos that saw relations downgraded for more than half a decade.

Ankara has been a vocal critic of the Israeli violence against Palestinians in Gaza and the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.

Heightened rhetoric

On Monday, Israeli forces killed more than 60 Palestinian protesters in Gaza, as tens of thousands of people rallied as part of the Great March of Return and against the US embassy move, which overturned decades of US foreign policy.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, currently on a visit to Britain, had on Monday stepped up his rhetoric, accusing Israel of state terror and genocide over the killings.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back at Erdogan, with a tweeted jibe in Hebrew that as a leading supporter of Hamas theres no doubt hes an expert on terror and slaughter.

Responding on Twitter in English on Tuesday, Erdogan said: Netanyahu is the PM of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenceless peoples lands for 60+ yrs in violation of UN resolutions.

He has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and cant cover up crimes by attacking Turkey, he added.
UKs Prime Minister Theresa May is eager to strike a post-Brexit free trade deal with Turkey.

By
UN urges international help for South Sudan civil war victims

Head of UNOCHA says aid organisations need security support and coordination with the government to be able to do a better job.
Announcing the United States' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, President Donald Trump described the agreement with Iran as "the worst" agreement ever negotiated. A short trip through history reveals that it may not be "the worst," but certainly is not the first of this nature.

"History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce," famously said Karl Marx. He proved to be wrong. History keeps repeating itself as tragedy after tragedy because we stubbornly refuse to learn from it.

British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli returned from Berlin in 1878 stating, "I have returned from Germany with peace for our time." That peace ended with World War I. Sixty years later, another British statesman Neville Chamberlain proclaimed "peace for our time" after signing an agreement with Hitler in Munich in 1938. The agreement was praised and celebrated in Europe and across the Atlantic. In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, President Franklin Roosevelt wrote, "I can assure you that we in the United States rejoice with you and the world at large, that the outbreak of war was averted." The New York Daily News declared, "Hitler has made a significant gesture toward peace." That "significant gesture toward peace" ended up with World War II and fifty million dead, including six million Jews.

Echoing the herd of delusional optimists, President Barack Obama proclaimed after signing the Geneva Agreement with Iran that the U.S. and allied diplomacy "opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure." The documents recently released by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have proven the president's political blindness and lack of historical perspective.

The Geneva Agreement had all the underpinnings of the Munich Agreement. The comparison is apt. Just as Munich gave Hitler more time to build up his Panzers, the Geneva Agreement gave the mullahs ten years to build the bomb.

Just as in 1930s the world failed to stop Hitler, while the viper was still in its crib, and tolerated Germany's violations of the Treaties of Versailles to allow her to rearm, the world de facto allowed Iran to ignore United Nations Security Council resolutions and continue the development of a nuclear weapon. Just as Britain sold Czechoslovakia out in 1938 to appease Hitler, the United States sold Israel out in 2013 to appease Iran. Fortunately, there were two subtle differences; Israel did not surrender the way Czechoslovakia did, and America elected Donald Trump.

Trump, guided by historical precedents and political prudence, would not allow history to repeat itself. He declared: "The Iran deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen."

Although, no one has any doubts about Iranian aspirations, most Democrats fell prey to the illusion that no decision needs to be made. Their leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, unembarrassed by the reversal of his previous position that he was against the deal before Donald Trump abandoned it, sharply criticized the President for canceling the agreement.

The President also became the target for relentless and continuous attacks by the press and the criticism of the Western allies.

Western democracies that failed to prevent two world wars suffer historical amnesia and appear to be unconcerned with the replay of Munich. Feeling safe under the American military umbrella, the leaders of the UK, France, and Germany have been imploring Trump to salvage the accord with Iran. Just as in the 1930s, the slippery slope of greed and appeasement is driving Europe toward more disasters. Paraphrasing Lenin, they are vying with each other for the rope contract.

Against this backdrop, President Trump is facing a daunting task. Strategically, the facts are self-explanatory. Given the recent revelations of Iran developing nuclear weapons despite its pledge not to, Iran continues to emerge as a potential threat to the USA and its allies, and indeed to the future of the Middle East.

There is also a legacy play. Significant events of history are always associated with human beings, but sometimes in peculiar ways. History has already forgotten ill decisions made by Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and forgiven Obama's fraudulent idealism.

Ironically, posterity would never forgive Donald Trump if he allowed Iran to threaten the U.S. and its allies with the nuclear annihilation. From the perspective of his place in history; Iran producing a nuclear bomb on his watch would be catastrophic. Hence, verbal assurances would not suffice.

Therefore, the only question for the President is whether a diplomatic solution can be found or if military measures would be necessary. In the end, one way or another, Trump must prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapon.

Alex Markovsky is a senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research and author of Anatomy of a Bolshevik and Liberal Bolshevism: America Did Not Defeat Communism, She Adopted It.
Raising money is nobody's favorite part of campaigns, but everyone knows it has to be done. In order for voters to have a choice on Election Day, candidates need to organize  and fund  competitive campaigns. The costs pile up quickly when you're paying for transportation, lodging, meals, advertising, and perhaps even staff and office space.

If candidates don't raise the money, someone else will take advantage. After all, no state can prevent a wealthy person from spending as much as he likes promoting candidates through super-PACs and media outlets, or self-funding as a candidate. Yet, while wealthy interests have a free hand, candidates and political parties are heavily restricted in most states.

A new report by the Institute for Free Speech grades the states on political giving freedom and offers the clearest picture to date of how states limit contributions to candidates, political parties, and political action committees. These limits make life difficult for upstart challengers and others who lack a pre-existing base of financial support. But exactly how cumbersome they are varies tremendously from state to state.

Consider a candidate for the Colorado General Assembly. Despite the fact that many of these candidates will have to campaign in the expensive Denver media market, they can accept no more than $200 per election from individuals. In addition, corporations and labor unions are prohibited from giving any money to candidates. Cross the border in neighboring Nebraska, and it's a totally different story. The Cornhusker State has no contribution limits at all, allowing individuals, groups, businesses, and unions to donate as they please.

The pattern repeats across the country. One state will impose low limits across the board, while a neighboring state has no limits whatsoever, and yet another has a mix of moderate limits on some kinds of giving. So it is that a candidate in Virginia faces no limits on contributions from individuals, while a candidate in West Virginia is limited to $1,000 per donor. A candidate for the South Dakota House of Representatives can also accept no more than $1,000 per individual, while a candidate in North Dakota can accept unlimited amounts, just like in Virginia.

In total, eleven states allow individuals to give unlimited amounts to candidates, parties, and political committees. Several others, however, limit contributions to such low amounts that residents can give no more than a few hundred dollars to candidates for state legislature.

Even states with similar grades often achieve them in very different ways. For example, both Illinois and Nevada receive a C- grade, but Nevada allows unlimited giving from individuals to parties while Illinois limits these contributions. Meanwhile, Illinois allows parties to provide unlimited support to their candidates, while Nevada places low limits on party giving.

In some respects, it is common for states to have no limits at all. Most states allow unlimited giving from individuals to political parties, and nearly half allow parties to provide unlimited support to candidates.

What is the effect of contribution limits? The rhetoric surrounding "money in politics" leads us to expect these restrictions to reduce corruption, promote better government, and generally limit the influence of the wealthy. Yet attempts to link campaign finance laws to measures of corruption and good government find no correlation. So why don't limits work as intended?

One problem is that when a state shuts down one avenue for "Big Money," another soon takes its place. Limits don't stop wealthy people from amplifying their voices by spending money. Instead, they simply redirect that cash elsewhere  to super-PACs, advocacy groups, lobbying firms, media companies, think-tanks, and more. Efforts to limit these groups run into a wall of First Amendment issues.

Another problem with contribution limits is that they cut off relationships we should encourage. A good example is the limits many states impose on parties' ability to support their candidates. Americans expect candidates and parties to work closely together, yet 28 states limit this type of giving. These limits do not prevent politicians and money from mingling. Rather, they allow well funded independent groups to play a larger role in selecting candidates.

Why restrict interactions between candidates and parties while wealthy individuals and super-PACs from out of state spend freely? It's a question that drove a wave of contribution limit increases several years ago. Yet the Institute for Free Speech's Free Speech Index reveals that most states still have a long way to go.

The First Amendment protects your right to support the candidates, parties, and political committees of your choice. Unfortunately, where you live plays a major role in determining how much of that freedom you can exercise.

Luke Wachob is a senior policy analyst at the Institute for Free Speech in Alexandria, Virginia. The Institute is the nation's largest organization dedicated to defending First Amendment political speech rights.
Larry Kudlow, who took over as director of the National Economic Council (NEC) after Gary Cohn's departure last month, is so far demonstrating extraordinary leadership in being able to reconcile the disparate factions within the Trump administration, all the while promoting growth-centered policies that would only strengthen an economy already in its best shape in years.

Naturally, Mr. Kudlow's transition to his current role was made easier by inheriting an economy rejuvenated by one of the largest across-the-board tax cuts and reforms in modern American history. Unemployment has reached its lowest point in nearly two decades; wages are up categorically; a moribund manufacturing sector is beginning to show signs of wholesale recovery; and labor participation, though still a far cry from where it should be, is nonetheless moving in a positive direction.

These measures, coupled with the continued slashing of regulations that in large part artificially retarded the Obama economy from making a full bounce back, speak volumes to the power of free-market and pro-growth policies. To his credit, Mr. Kudlow in his short duration as NEC director has already put forth a slew of additional proposals  including a second round of tax cuts that could make permanent some of the measures of the tax reform bill, the administration's crowning legislative achievement to date, such as business investment incentives and further reductions in personal income tax. An infrastructure bill, a re-evaluation of NAFTA and the TPP, and another stab at health care are additional policies on the docket, though each is accompanied by numerous political hurdles.

Inasmuch as Mr. Kudlow hopes to continue the success of his predecessor, Gary Cohn, and engender a grand economic vision in accord with the president's overriding agenda and in service to the interests of the American public, he also must wage a political battle among the so-called nationalist and globalist factions within the administration.

Since the NEC was conceived by an executive order by President Bill Clinton in 1993, it has been principally wedded to a globalist culture, with an emphasis on multilateralism and strengthening the liberal global order. While Mr. Kudlow has been at least loosely allied to a global orientation and has been a general advocate for free trade in his long career as a commentator and journalist, he has increasingly shown recourse to a more Trumpian stroke during the 2016 campaign and especially in his present directorship. In large part responding to the populist forces that ushered Donald Trump to the White House, Mr. Kudlow has indicated solidarity with the president on a bilateral, "country-by-country" approach to free trade agreements, as opposed to the creed of multilateralism of previous presidents. To this point, Mr. Kudlow has made overtures to Peter Navarro, director of the White House Trade Council and an economic nationalist who helped spearhead the administration's recent tariffs on thousands of Chinese products to remedy the United States' massive $50-billion trade deficit. So far, these maneuvers have proven effective: in March alone, the Commerce Department reported that the trade gap dropped 15.2 percent to $49 billion, ending six straight monthly increases in the trade deficit. For China, the goods trade deficit dropped 11.6 percent to $25.9 billion, unleashing the typical humdrum hysteria from the press that it could precipitate a trade war.

For his part, it has been reported that Mr. Kudlow has had a hand in mitigating some of the administration's coarser rhetoric toward China. For example, he is said to have recommended that the president praise Xi Jinping amid elevated hostility toward China as a result of the tariffs, which eventually came in the form of a conciliatory and uncommonly amiable presidential tweet several weeks ago.

Mr. Kudlow is also said to have tried to make the president reconsider his position on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the sweeping multilateral trade deal promulgated by the Obama and Bush administrations. While the president has yet to do an about-face on the deal, of which he pulled the United States out during his first days in office, he has periodically entertained the idea of rejoining, assuming a prioritization of the interests of the United States. Whether that condition is feasible remains to be seen. But Mr. Kudlow might nonetheless try to weave some of the deal's provisions piecemeal into new, bilateral agreements with TPP member-countries. A course such as this, to which Mr. Kudlow appears at least amenable, may help geopolitically offset an additional round of tariffs on China by the administration. As such, the administration may continue with its muscular and to date effective response to our country's long ignored trade deficit, while clamping down on its commitment to free trade amid increasing skepticism across the Western world to global institutions.

Fortunately, Larry Kudlow is no novice to Washington politics. Indeed, he worked in the Reagan administration from 1981-1985 as associate director for economics and planning in the Office of Management and Budget. Previous to that, Mr. Kudlow worked on a number of campaigns and has achieved success in the political, media, and financial worlds.

In addition, Mr. Kudlow served as economics editor for National Review beginning in 2001 and appeared on Firing Line with William F. Buckley, Jr. just three years prior, where he discussed the potential for finding common ground between morality and economics, contextualized to a post-Cold War neoliberal order. In the discussion, Mr. Kudlow hit on a Tocquevillian theme in maintaining that the self-interested utility of hardworking individual actors is conducive to organically generating a morality of the common good. It remains an interesting and most prescient conversation even two decades later, and it demonstrates, if there was any doubt, that Mr. Kudlow's economic schema sits on a strident, intellectual, and conservative foundation.

President Trump pledged on the campaign trail that he would surround himself with professionals at the top of their craft. Mr. Kudlow fits that bill perfectly. Given his reservoir of experience in various media over several decades, Mr. Kudlow commands a rarefied assemblage of talents. For this reason, he is perhaps uniquely qualified at this juncture of the Trump presidency to build on the framework for economic policy set into motion by Gary Cohn and affixing it to a broader policy agenda already replete with a multitude of substantive achievements.

Paul Ingrassia is a graduate of Fordham University and a former White House intern.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr.
There's a new book out: When Harry Became Sally  Responding to the Transgender Moment, by Ryan T. Anderson, which is one of the first rational (which is to say "conservative") looks at what I call "transactional transgenderism" that I've come across. This book was reviewed  and the author interviewed  in National Review, and that interview got me thinking.

Mine is a lowercase-"l" libertarian philosophy, which is different from the uppercase-"L" Libertarian Party philosophy. That libertarian philosophy suggests that as long as people don't hurt others by acting on their beliefs  or as long as they don't try to impose their beliefs on others  those people (i.e., all of us) ought to be free to be and do  and especially to believe  what they want. That libertarian philosophy is why I don't care which sex individuals think is really theirs, just as why I don't care if two gay men or two gay women can get married. Their actions do not hurt, or even reflect negatively on, my love-based "traditional" marriage to the ever wonderful Lynn.

What people think of their sex is their business, not mine. More important, their beliefs will not become my business, unless and until they start trying to impose those transactional transgender beliefs on me, or  worse  demanding that I embrace (or at least honor) their beliefs. That's where they cross this libertarian's line.

This gets to the heart of the nature of "belief," as enshrined in the Constitution. The First Amendment gives all Americans the freedom of their beliefs, and while that freedom is specifically addressed to "religious beliefs," it extends to all aspects of our lives, including our political beliefs and our own personal takes on transactional transgender beliefs. The First Amendment promises us the unabridged freedom of religious (and other) beliefs. Going a step farther, the First Amendment also forbids the government (and by extension, the rest of us) from taking actions that deny any individuals their beliefs. Bottom line: The First Amendment prevents any one set of beliefs from being viewed (at least as a matter of public policy) as more important, or more natural, than anyone else's set of beliefs.

This brings us back to what people think of and what they expect (or demand of the rest of us) when they think of their own sex. If someone born male chooses to think of himself as "herself"  a female  that doesn't impinge on my life, my beliefs, or my actions, though it indeed does run contrary to my beliefs. But so, too, do the religious beliefs of those who are not Christ-centered Christians. Yet Muslims, Mormons, Zoroastrians, Scientologists, and Jehovah's Witnesses (among others) all have the God-given and constitutional right to their own differing beliefs. And  to borrow (and paraphrase) a phrase popular among those who affirm the First Amendment's Freedom of Speech  despite the fact that I don't share the beliefs of those groups, "I do not share your beliefs, but I would fight to the death to preserve your right to those beliefs."

Getting back to transactional transgender beliefs, I do not care that a male individual wants to believe himself to be a herself, nor would I ever act to deprive him of the right to that belief. However, his belief in himself as a woman should stop at the point immediately before where his beliefs infringe on my own.

So, for instance, that person's or group's transactional transgender belief should not entitle any individual to demand so-called sex reassignment surgery paid for by my tax dollars, which would infringe upon my own beliefs. If they can pay for that surgery on their own, it's none of my business, any more than is any other kind of plastic surgery  but if they expect me to pay for it, they are violating the essence of the constitutional protection of the majority from the will of the minority, just as that minority is protected from the harsh demands of an outraged majority.

In addition, that transactional transgender belief should not entitle any individual to use a public-access restroom that is intended  and properly marked  only for use by people of a certain specific gender. However, if the owners of those public-access facilities also want to create gender-neutral restrooms, that is fine by me. In that case, nobody's beliefs are being infringed upon  no harm, no foul. However, that creation of a third kind of public-access restroom should be a private decision  for the government to impose the cost of creating gender-neutral bathrooms would be a specialized tax based on a minority's beliefs, which is not constitutionally acceptable, as was recently shown in the Supreme Court Obamacare ruling regarding Hobby Lobby and birth control and abortion coverage in employee health insurance.

But that notion of gender-neutral public-access restrooms is not what the transactional transgender activists are demanding. They want the unfettered right for people born as males to use public-access restrooms assigned for exclusive use by women  not because they have passed some rigorous examination to prove they are actually transactionally-transgender females, but because of their unproven but claimed belief that they are actually women trapped in men's bodies. The protection of women  especially girls and teenage young women  from the very real potential to be emotionally scarred (let alone raped or sexually assaulted) by a man pretending to be a woman is far more important to a society dedicated to protecting its children than is the potential and purely hypothetical "harm" to a male who is "forced" to use a public restroom dedicated for the exclusive use of males.

I find it compelling that those active in the transactional transgender "rights" movement have not demanded gender-neutral public-access restrooms, which would address the concerns of all but the tiniest minority of bigots who would rather punish certain minorities than accommodate them. That would be a simple solution, but instead of embracing the logic of such a move, those transactional transgender activists insist on their unfettered right to impose their minority beliefs on the rest of society, regardless of the potential for harming children or adults not ready (nor should they ever have to be ready) to accept the primacy of a self-proclaimed minority.
In apartheid Gaza, where the remaining less than one percent of the Christian population lives uneasily among the 99-plus-percent Muslim inhabitants with absolutely no Jews allowed, there is a peaceful protest against Israel. How do we know it is peaceful? Because the New York Times, CNN, and the usual complicit media say so.

The

Bringing guns and babies to a conflict and arming children to a declared war to overrun another country and kill all its inhabitants is peaceful because the holy Hamas Covenant, which brutally runs Gaza, clearly states:

The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinguished Palestinian movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam. It strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine. (Article 6)

On the Destruction of Israel:

Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it. (Preamble)

The Exclusive Moslem Nature of the Area:

The land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf [Holy Possession] consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgment Day. No one can renounce it or any part, or abandon it or any part of it[.] (Article 11) ... The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them.

Obeying their holy death wish covenant, Hamas operatives posted online instructions for their duped civilian followers promising them a bonus payment of $100 a day for the peaceful privilege of killing Israelis and holy martyrdom for being killed.

But hey, as usual, Trump and the Jooos are to blame.
What's the very worst thing you can imagine happening to Alaska? If you're a liberal politician, you fear warm weather!

That's right: the liberals who run Alaska (the governor is a "former Republican" and the lt. governor is a "current Democrat") are worried that Alaska, with its subzero temperatures, may be getting warmer.

If this is really true, that the state is getting warmer, the governor should be getting down on his knees to thank Mother Nature, because on the whole, that would benefit his constituents.



Anchorage. Photo credit: Max Pixel.

But he isn't. Instead, he's doing what liberals always do: create a problem and then figure out a tax to "solve" it.

The solid permafrost that sits beneath many roads, buildings and pipelines is starting to thaw, destabilizing the infrastructure above.

There's a name for that thawing. It's called "summer." It happens every year like clockwork. Could this be a sign that climate change is getting worse?

At least 31 coastal towns and cities may need to relocate, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, as protective sea ice vanishes and fierce waves erode Alaska's shores.

On the other hand, 99.99% of Alaska's population is totally unaffected. The 0.01% who decided to live three inches above sea level felt they had a promise, in perpetuity, that the sea level would never rise. They're very shocked and disappointed.

The Arctic is already warming faster than the rest of the planet.

If it's true, residents should be grateful.

Wildfires are growing larger during the Alaskan summer, menacing homes and roads.

Wildfires are bad. So are measles and meteorites that hit the Earth. None of these things has anything to do with global warming.

Native communities that rely on walrus hunting are seeing catches decline as sea ice disappears.

Has anyone noticed that sea ice has disappeared...in Alaska?

[T]he state's climate task force released a draft in April that included a proposal for Alaska to get 50 percent of its electricity from renewable sources like solar, wind, hydropower and geothermal by 2025, up from 33 percent in 2016.

Solar power. In Alaska. That's brilliant!

So is hydropower, especially in places where rivers freeze in the winter.

The draft also proposed cutting statewide greenhouse gas emissions one-third below 2005 levels by 2025, tackling sectors like transportation and "natural resource development," which includes oil drilling operations.

Good idea. Alaska is extremely dependent on "natural resource development"; when it cuts back on that, it will free up a lot of the population to become social workers and diversity trainers.

As one possible approach, the draft proposal says that the state could consider a "carbon fee and dividend program" that would tax carbon dioxide emitters and then reinvest the revenues in local energy efficiency and clean energy programs.

Taxes can solve global warming! If it weren't for "global warming," legislators wouldn't have a reason to propose a tax. What a coincidence!

I have no idea whether Alaska really is warming, though I suspect that if the Times reports that it is, then it probably isn't. But even if it is, it's not something caused by human behavior, and even if it were, we should then be doing more of it, not less of it, if we want to help Alaskans survive brutal winters.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at Newsmachete.com.
Japan has 45 new high-energy, low-emission (HELE) coal-fired power plants on the drawing boards. These will probably burn high-quality Australian coal. And despite the tsunami that hit Japan, nuclear power still generates about 20% of Japan's electricity.

Chinese companies have plans to build 700 new coal power plants all over the world, mostly in China. In addition, China will bring five new nuclear power reactors online in 2018 and has plans for a further six to eight units.

India generates more than 65% of its electricity from thermal power plants, and about 85% of these plants are coal-fired. India's state-run power utility plans to invest $10 billion in new coal-fired power stations over the next five years, and its thermal coal imports rose by more than 15% in the first three months of 2018. India also has 22 nuclear reactors in operation at seven sites and 11 more reactors are under construction.

Taiwan is home to Taichung Power Plant, the world's largest coal-fired power plant, with an installed capacity of 5,500 MW.

Worldwide, about 1,600 new coal-fired power plants are planned or under construction in 62 countries. Many of these power plants will utilize HELE technology.

Power plants burning low-energy lignite are being closed in Australia but still being built elsewhere. There are 19 such facilities in various stages of approval, planning, or construction in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Germany, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia.

Australia is the odd man of Asia. We march to the green drum.

Despite having huge resources of coal and uranium, Australia has no nuclear powered electricity and has not built a significant coal-fired power station since Kogan Creek was opened eleven years ago. Over the last eight years, Australia has closed nine coal power stations (in acts of political vandalism, some were quickly demolished to prevent them being upgraded and reopened). AGL, a green energy company, bought the huge Liddell Coal Power station from the state government for nothing in 2014 and seems determined to close it, despite an offer of $250M to buy and operate it (closure of Liddell will increase profits for AGL's green energy business).

The close-the-gate-crowd opposes every proposal to frack for oil or gas, and elections are swung by fevered rhetoric opposing new coal mines. The P.M. of Australia thinks we can generate extra power by using electricity to pump water uphill and get some of that electricity back later by letting it run back down. Not surprisingly, Australia's national energy market is run not by an engineer, but by a lawyer and climate change activist.

The green state of Tasmania relies on hydro-power and diesel generators when its plug-in mainland power cable fails, and the green state of South Australia has closed and joyfully demolished both of its coal-fired power stations. After recent blackouts, it spent at least $100M on a huge battery that produces zero new electricity (it has to be charged when the wind blows and the sun shines, and it hopefully fills the supply gaps when they don't).

But Australia is building lots of mills and mirrors collecting low-density energy from intermittent, unpredictable, and unreliable sources such as wind and solar. While Greens on the ground do everything to stop Queensland's huge Carmichael coal mine from ever opening, their mates in the Queensland government gleefully reported 23 large-scale renewable generation projects in the pipeline, including 13 in Queensland.

Australian heavy industries like refining, processing, and manufacturing cannot rely on intermittent, unreliable, unpredictable, expensive green power, so they will keep migrating in search of cheap reliable power. The associated skilled jobs will keep disappearing with them. Australia will revert to its colonial economy, which relied on exports of raw materials from its mines, farms, and forests. But this "New Economy" will have the extra burden of a vast bureaucracy, a large and growing welfare state, and an aging population.

Tomorrow's Aussie kids will see that their future is Asia. The old people left behind will get work as bureaucrats and nurses, or as child-minders, tour guides, and educators for rich Asian tourists and immigrants.

However, as Australian Aborigines discovered over 200 years ago, the world will not allow us to monopolize forever a continent rich in valuable, undeveloped resources in land, water, minerals, hydrocarbons, radioactives, timber, and seafood. Hard heads and sharp eyes are looking us over.

Wake up Australia. Burning coal does not control climate, and carbon dioxide is the gas of life, not a pollutant. It's time to turn the lights back on.
Given historical trends on the number of seats lost by the presidents party in the first midterm, the number of GOP retirements this cycle, and redistricting in Pennsylvania ordered by the states supreme court and created by a university professor to favor Democrats, prospects for Democrats taking the House remain quite good. But not quite as good as they were the day before yesterday.

Last night, progressive candidates had a good night in the Democratic primaries in the Keystone State, as well as springing an upset in the competitive 2nd district in Nebraska. In Pennsylvania, a state where Republicans now hold 12 of the 18 House seats under the old map, Democrats had more total voters in 10 of the states 18 districts in primary races yesterday. However, 2 of those were about even. If Republicans wind up with 9 or 10 seats in Pennsylvania this year, that would be far from a worst case scenario.

The winners for the Democrats may represent the energy in the party that now veers sharply left. But in Pennsylvania and Nebraska, it may result in Democrats missing some pickup opportunities. In essence, in districts with strong ideological or partisan bends, it really does not matter which candidate wins a primary. But in competitive districts, and in culturally conservative districts such as several in Pennsylvania, and Nebraska 2, the Democrats might have done better to pick the centrist candidate in the primary. The Republicans now have the opportunity to highlight how far left the Democrats have moved which may improve their prospects for holding several seats.

In a few suburban districts around Philadelphia, the Democrats nominated women candidates, hoping to capitalize on President Trumps weakness among suburban women, in districts which resemble the Georgia district north of Atlanta, where Karen Handel barely held onto Tom Prices seat when challenged by John Ossoff.

But in other competitive districts in the state, Democrats may have hurt their chances by selecting the more progressive candidate. In Nebraska 2 (Omaha), Barack Obama won the district in 2008 and the Democrats have won the House race there in the past as well, but their former Congressman was beaten in the primary by a more progressive candidate, making a pickup more difficult.

The national media love to discuss the self destructive Republican infighting. But they are but one of two parties experiencing ideological stresses.
The Ecuadorian government spent more than $5 million since 2012 for intelligence operations designed to support WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who took refuge in the London Ecuadoran embassy to avoid being returned to Sweden to face sexual assault charges.

The extensive intelligence operation by Ecuador included spying on visitors to the embassy and intercepting communications.

Guardian:

The agency used a "special expenses" budget to pay for CCTV cameras to be installed in the embassy weeks after Assange moved in. At the same time, documents show an international security company was contracted to secretly film and monitor all activity in the embassy. The company installed a team who provided 24/7 security, with two people on shift at a time, based at a 2,800-a-month flat in an Edwardian mansion building round the corner from the Knightsbridge embassy. ... The security personnel recorded in minute detail Assange's daily activities, and his interactions with embassy staff, his legal team and other visitors. They also documented his changing moods. The team consulted Assange about each person seeking to visit him. Guests would pass through a security zone, leaving their passports with staff there, according to sources, and documents seen by the Guardian. The passports were used to create a profile that described the visit and gave background details of all his visitors. Worried that British authorities could use force to enter the embassy and seize Assange, Ecuadorian officials came up with plans to help him escape.

Why did Ecuador go to such lengths to protect and support Assange? Let's face it: Ecuador is not a country that comes immediately to mind when you think of major powers  even in South America. Assange gave Ecuador status in the international community and was a domestic political asset for the president, Correa.

Beyond that, Ecuador was protecting its sovereignty. The threat of British police storming the embassy to take Assange may not have been realistic, but Ecuador was taking no chances.

Assange's stay at the embassy grated over time:

In an extraordinary breach of diplomatic protocol, Assange managed to compromise the communications system within the embassy and had his own satellite internet access, according to documents and a source who wished to remain anonymous. By penetrating the embassy's firewall, Assange was able to access and intercept the official and personal communications of staff, the source claimed. In tweets on Tuesday WikiLeaks denied that Assange had compromised the embassy's network. "That's an anonymous libel aligned with the current UK-US government onslaught against Mr Assange," WikiLeaks wrote, adding that its editor-in-chief was not in a position to respond.

If Assange were ever kicked out by the Ecuadoran government, the sexual assault charges in Sweden would be the least of his worries. He has been under investigation by the U.S. government for the WikiLeaks publication of sensitive military documents stolen by Pvt. Bradley Manning. No doubt, the U.S. government would love to get its hands on him to ask him about the WikiLeaks exposure of Hillary Clinton's emails as well.

Assange has been lionized for publishing government secrets. His activities would be more meaningful if he published as many secrets from other nations as he has from the U.S. Whether he's a Russian stooge and Putin puppet has not been confirmed. But surely, an awful lot of his leaks make the U.S. look very bad, and there have been no corresponding national security leaks involving Russia.

At the very least, this raises suspicions about Assange's motives.
Is Jeff Bezos having second thoughts about his political ideology and that of his newspaper?

The founder of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post  and the richest man in the world at the current Amazon stock price  is being targeted by leftists because he has been so successful. Not for any alleged misbehavior, but simply because he and his company Amazon (not the WaPo) have so much money.

Yesterday, Bernie Sanders attacked him by name, noting that the three richest men in America have as much wealth as the bottom half. Apparently, he believes that if they had been less successful, that 50% would have more wealth  the zero-sum approach characteristic of leftists who do not understand wealth generation.

At 58 seconds, he attacks Bezos's increase in wealth in recent days, as Amazon's stock price soared.

Meanwhile, the day before Sanders gave his speech, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a new tax on large employers, requiring them to pay $275 per year per employee if they gross more than $20 million a year within the city. KING-TV reports:

"Tax Amazon" was the battle cry for supporters of the measure, claiming the Seattle-based behemoth that employs thousands in the city is not paying its fair share.

Amazon's vice president went almost full Grover Norquist in his response (emphasis added):

"We are disappointed by today's City Council decision to introduce a tax on jobs," Amazon Vice President Drew Herdener said in a statement. Herdener said Amazon, which had paused planning on two downtown Seattle office towers pending the outcome of the vote, would resume construction planning on one of them  Block 18. The 17-story building, which will have 1 million square feet of office space, is meant to house between 7,000 and 8,000 new employees. But he said Herdener then went on to suggest Amazon's expansion in the city may be curtailed. "While we have resumed construction planning for Block 18, we remain very apprehensive about the future created by the council's hostile approach and rhetoric toward larger businesses, which forces us to question our growth here." Herdener then turned the tables, suggesting the people holding the city's purse strings are the problem. "City of Seattle revenues have grown dramatically from $2.8B in 2010 to $4.2B in 2017, and they will be even higher in 2018. This revenue increase far outpaces the Seattle population increase over the same time period. The city does not have a revenue problem  it has a spending efficiency problem. We are highly uncertain whether the city council's anti-business positions or its spending inefficiency will change for the better," Herdener said.

I wonder if Bezos will get tired of being demonized for his success. I wonder if he will ever conclude that the indulgences that corporate leaders obtain by feigning (or genuinely believing) progressive shibboleths is revocable on short notice. After all, Harvey Weinstein was able to get away with allegedly mauling young women for years because feminists and their Dem pols liked his money and support, but now he faces ruin as political fashions change.

The same thing could happen to Bezos.

What about it, Jeff? The natural home of entrepreneurs is on the right.
The North Korean government has canceled high-level talks with South Korea that were scheduled on Wednesday.

There are other indications that put the summit next month between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in doubt. The North is apparently balking at U.S. demands that Kim agree to give up his nuclear weapons.

CNN:

A statement published by the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said North Korea would never accept economic assistance from the US in exchange for unilaterally abandoning its nuclear program. Kim Kye Gwan, North Korea's First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was quoted in the article as saying the US said "it would offer economic compensation and benefit in case we abandon (nuclear weapons)." "We have never had any expectation of US support in carrying out our economic construction and will not... make such a deal in future," he added. If the Trump administration was "genuinely committed" to improving ties with Pyongyang, "they will receive a deserving response," Kim Kye Gwan said. "But if they try to push us into a corner and force only unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in that kind of talks and will have to reconsider ... the upcoming summit." Pyongyang's rhetoric is similar to Trump's own: he said in April that even once parties are at the negotiating table, if talks aren't going the right way, "I will respectfully leave the meeting."

Is the summit really in danger? Both Trump and Kim have put their credibility on the line by agreeing to this summit, and I think it will take a lot more than some diplomatic skirmishing to cancel it.

Kim doesn't want to be backed into a corner, while Trump wants minimal assurances that the nuclear question will be of primary importance. Kim is willing to talk disarmament but only with promises of U.S. aid and trade. The U.S. is insisting on unilateral denuclearization.

Unless Kim was planning on canceling the summit all along, it appears that the North Koreans are engaging in a diplomatic gambit to give themselves some negotiating room over nukes. The summit could still be canceled, but as long as both sides are willing to approach the meeting without too much posturing, the two leaders will meet as planned in Singapore next month.
The unannounced Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 has recently been making a lot of headlines and shortly after the device was approved by Bluetooth SIG earlier this week, the tablet has now been spotted in the Geekbench database where the mention of the msm8998 motherboard has reconfirmed that the unit should make use of a Qualcomm-made Snapdragon 835 chipset. The same, familiar SM-T835 model number was associated with the device by the benchmarking tool, and unsurprisingly, the slate ran Android 8.1 Oreo at the time of being tested, though the OS was presumably based on Samsungs own implementation of Googles open-source software.

While Geekbench mentions eight CPU cores, the benchmarking tool lists only the frequency of the more energy-efficient four-core cluster which is clocked at up to 1.90GHz. However, the SoC also includes four additional high-performance Kryo 280 CPU cores clocked at up to 2.45GHz, and this cluster hasnt been detailed by Geekbench. In any case, the SoC should also feature an Adreno 540 graphics chip running at a frequency of up to 710MHz and offers support for Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad, Bluetooth 5.0, and X16 LTE modem-enabled connectivity. In terms of synthetic benchmark performance, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 scores around 1900 points in the single-core tests and roughly 6330 points in the multi-core benchmarks. In contrast, the Snapdragon 820-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 which is supposed to be replaced by the new model yields an average of around 1500 points in the single-core tests and around 4000 points in the multi-core benchmarks.

The details above corroborate all of the bits of information revealed previously by another benchmarking tool, GFXBench, which also happened to touch on the tablets display characteristics, including a 10.5-inch panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. With each new leak, benchmark result, and certificate, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 seems to be nearing its market debut, but as yet the OEM hasnt actually revealed any availability details to look forward to. Nevertheless, its been more than a year since the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 was officially introduced so its successor may be just around the corner.
Facebook has increased the annual budget for its content review initiatives for 2018 by hundreds of millions of dollars, a recent report from The Wall Street Journal reveals, citing sources privy to the matter. It is, perhaps, worth noting that Facebook spent approximately $150 million in 2016 on its community operations unit, which is responsible for monitoring its content moderators, according to WSJ. An industry source claims that the Menlo Park, California-based company raised funding for its community operations to $220 million last year, growing the budget for such endeavors by almost half. For 2018, the community operations team reportedly asked for a total budget of $770 million.

The social networking site is supposedly ramping up efforts to hire as many as 10,000 content reviewers by the end of 2018 using portions of that money as part of a broader move to eliminate contents that violate the sites community standards such as hate speech, violence, and more. The goal is to remove the sources and perpetrators of these offensive contents over the long term. As part of its policing efforts, Facebook also reportedly appointed two executives to manage its content review operations and create solutions that more effectively analyze how widespread hate speech has gone on the platform and monitor how content moderators implement the sites content standards. The community operations division is tasked with developing automated tools that help users report offensive content and send them to reviewers. The policing effort also covers Facebooks instant messaging platform, Messenger, which just received a new feature that allows users to flag offensive messages from others directly through the Android app, helping them to bring Facebooks attention to conversations that potentially break the social networking sites community standards.

Facebooks endless battle with problematic content might have stemmed from the fact that its content reviewers speak only a little over 50 languages while the sites services are available in more than 100 languages. That somehow allows offensive content to persist on the platform for a long period especially in regions where Facebook has little knowledge of the language being spoken. Facebook even reportedly acknowledged late last year that its content review methods are inconsistent, with content reviewers having failed to take down a number of posts considered to be hateful or sexist speech.
Google is now facing an investigation from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on the grounds that the search giant is secretly following every single Android device owner, as alleged by Oracle, who Google has a long-running dispute with. Oracle prompted the agency into Googles invasive tracking of Android users location despite switching the location services off, and even if no SIM card is inserted in the device.

The issue at hand, as Oracle claims, is that Google has been harvesting information about peoples searches, and internet use in general, through its Android platform, the largest mobile operating system, without the users knowing it. Quantifying the data, Oracle previously said that Android is giving Google approximately 1GB of data per user, for which is paid by consumers. It stressed that with the ten million Android users in Australia and 1GB of data can cost up to $4.5 in the country, hundreds of millions are spent by the consumers on a per annum basis just to send their data to Google. The ACCC said in a statement that it is currently looking at consumers knowledge in terms of the use of location data, adding that the Australian Information Commissioner is now making inquiries with Google. Responding to Oracles presentation, Google said this ones sleight of hand, not facts just like many of its corporate tactics. Google emphasized that any location data that is forwarded to its servers is anonymized and is not tied or traceable to a specific user. It was in November 2017 when these allegations hurled against the Mountain View, California-based technology firm first surfaced, with news reports citing an anonymous source, and it was later revealed that Oracle had been orchestrating the allegations.

Presenting the similar allegations before the ACCC, which is also scrutinizing Google and Facebooks effect on the advertising market, has proven Oracles resolute commitment to exposing Googles cloak-and-dagger activities time and time again, even if Oracle had already won a legal battle against the company over Java copyright back in March. Google had removed Oracles Java code from Android 7.0 (Nougat) which was released in 2016, but until now, Oracle is still going after Google over what it claims are unsettled licensing fees.
One of Samsungs upcoming smartphones from the Galaxy J budget series, namely the Galaxy J4, was recently exposed in a couple of leaked renders supposedly originating from a third-party case maker. The renders reveal the smartphones exterior design in great detail and they seem to reconfirm that the Samsung Galaxy J4 will retain a more conventional 16:9 image format. The device also appears to have a volume rocker, a power key, along with an additional physical side button which will likely be dedicated to Bixby.

The Samsung Galaxy J4, as envisioned by these renders, has a metal frame and rounded corners, as well as a couple of antenna stripes running across the top and lower back panel, indicating that the case may have been constructed out of metal. The back panel only contains the Samsung logo below a single camera coupled with an LED flash, which should mean that the smartphone either embeds a fingerprint sensor inside the front-facing physical home button or does away with this biometric authentication method altogether. Either way, the renders dont reveal much else regarding the hardware, but for a device from the Galaxy J series, expectations are generally set for a mid-range configuration. The Samsung Galaxy J4 which is also known by the model number SM-J400F was previously spotted in Geekbench where the device was equipped with one of Samsungs own processors, i.e. the Exynos 7570 manufactured on a 14nm LPP process, featuring four ARM Cortex-A53 CPU cores clocked at up to 1.4GHz and a Mali-T720 MP1 (single core) graphics processor. The chipset should be coupled with 2GB of RAM, and as far as the software goes the device is expected to run Samsungs proprietary Android skin based on Oreo.

Theres no official word on when Samsung might bring the Galaxy J4 onto shelves, but the device already went through the process of acquiring approvals from regulatory bodies like the Wi-Fi Alliance and Chinas NCC, and this suggests that a market release shouldnt be too far either. Moreover, the Galaxy J4 is not expected to come alone, as while it was getting the green light from the NCC earlier this month, the unannounced Samsung Galaxy J6 was doing the same.
Instagrams Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kevin Systrom, has confirmed via his Twitter account that the photo and video-sharing social networking service is working on a new feature that will let users know the length of time they spend using the app. The upcoming feature was first spotted via code hidden within Instagrams Android application package (APK), revealing a new functionality that will be called Usage Insights.

Its not immediately clear, however, when the upcoming feature is rolling out to users. Theres no word as well on whether it will be based on the total amount of spent time using the Instagram app or on shorter time frames that users invest in social networking activities such as sharing photos or commenting on other peoples posts on the platform. Systrom says that Internet companies are responsible for upholding the transparency in terms of letting people know the amount of time they spend online, noting that it is important to understand how screen time affects the overall well-being of individuals. In fact, a recent study from Temple University suggests a direct connection between the use of social media and anxiety for users over the age of 30. Researchers examined data collected from a survey conducted in 2016 and the results indicate that millennials can more effectively cope with social media as they are more exposed to it while those more likely to express symptoms of anxiety had never been exposed to social media during their childhood.

In addition to the Usage Insights tool, Instagram is also reportedly prototyping a new commenting interface with an Emoji Bar that will allow users to add emoji comments with a single click as well as an @ button that will let users tag their friends more easily. The hidden codes were first discovered by app investigator Jane Manchun Wong, who also found code that indicates Instagram could be testing an upcoming feature on the apps Android version that will allow users to like or reply to a comment without exiting the notification panel, meaning they can perform actions on Instagram even without opening the app itself. It remains to be seen in the future how Instagrams upcoming time management tool can affect the way people use the service.
Ubers long-term strategy goes far beyond self-driving cars, Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi said in a recent interview with The Verge. Shortly after taking over the company last August, the industry veteran said he concluded that the future of Uber couldnt be just about cars. Following in-depth reviews, Mr. Khosrowshahi continued supporting the firms flying taxi project thats presently targeting 2020 demos and a limited launch in 2022. The move was part of the startups new strategy meant to transform it from a ride-hailing service provider to a global A-to-B urban mobility platform, according to the CEO.

The same sentiment was behind the companys acquisition of Jump, an electric bike rental startup thats said to have cost the company in the ballpark of $100 million. Mr. Khosrowshahis vision of the future involves Uber helping people move across urban areas using a wide variety of means, from cars and bikes to buses and flying taxis. The startup isnt attaching any bold timelines to those projects, with the CEO acknowledging even organizing a carpooling service by getting two people inside a vehicle is already difficult on its own, let alone running such a service with a flying vehicle fleet.

Uber lost some $4.5 billion last year but isnt concerned about its aggressive diversification push impacting its bottom line much further, with Mr. Khosrowshahi claiming the companys flying taxi and other services will all utilize vehicles built and owned by its partners, much like its core ride-hailing business operates. We bring mass demand, which will allow the economics to come down to a level that will create a mass market for it, the former Expedia CEO said in regards to what Ubers exact role on the market is. The head of the worlds most valuable startup is also expecting the company to resume its self-driving testing program in the coming months, having hired more independent experts to consult on the initiative following a March accident in Tempe, Arizona, which saw a jaywalking pedestrian killed after one of Ubers self-driving Volvo XC90 SUVs failed to avoid a collision, having not even attempted to break.
Verizon has successfully deployed and tested the 4G LTE technology over the CBRS spectrum as part of the carriers commercial LTE network. Within the last few months, the carrier has been collaborating with a number of companies, including several telecommunications equipment suppliers, in an effort to more quickly deploy LTE over the CBRS spectrum. The availability of more spectrum will help increase the capacity of Verizons network, which, in turn, should result in an increase in the peak download speeds experienced by the carriers subscribers.

The carrier rolled out 4G LTE technology over the CBRS spectrum in the state of Florida, deploying 50MHz of the CBRS spectrum in both outdoor and indoor locations. The company utilized the Radio DOT System from Ericsson for indoor installations, while the Radio 2208 systems were used for outdoor cell sites. On the other hand, Federated Wireless provided its Spectrum Controller system and Qualcomm supplied test smartphones equipped with the Snapdragon 845 chipset and the X20 LTE Modem. The CBRS spectrum is aggregated with both AWS and 700MHz frequencies, and the carrier also utilized technologies like 44 multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antennas and 256-QAM data modulation, further increasing the maximum data speeds users can achieve. Carrier aggregation bonds spectrum together, which increases the total bandwidth that is available to consumers. On the other hand, the use of 44 MIMO antennas allows base stations to transmit and receive multiple data streams at the same time, while the 256-QAM data modulation allows a cell site to send more data in a single transmission. By utilizing these technologies and adding new spectrum, Verizon was able to achieve a maximum data speed of 790Mbps on its LTE network.

First smartphones that support the CBRS spectrum are expected to become available in late 2018. Moreover, Verizon is expected to deploy LTE over the CBRS spectrum at more locations across the United States in the near future. Other companies that are also interested in deploying the standard include Charter Communications and Comcast, with the two firms already working either with the FCC or with other network equipment providers in conducting LTE network trials over CBRS.
The OnePlus 6 launch event is set to kick off in just under two hours, with the Chinese smartphone manufacturer choosing a London venue for the introduction of its latest and greatest Android flagship. As was the case with all previous announcements from OnePlus, the OnePlus 6 product event will be live-streamed and anyone interested in watching it can do so below at no cost.

The upcoming smartphone has already been leaked in an extensive manner over the course of the last several months, with OnePlus itself confirming a wide variety of details about its next offering. Its hence certain that the OnePlus 6 will be coming with a 19:9 FHD+ display featuring a notch, with the inclusion of the cutout being described as a functional choice meant to maximize the amount of screen real estate on offer without resulting in a physical footprint larger than that of the OnePlus 5T. The most premium variant of the OnePlus 6 will boast 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space, whereas the base model is expected to retain the 6GB-64GB configuration of last years flagship. The entire lineup will be powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip, feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, and run Android 8.1 Oreo-based OxygenOS out of the box.

Rumors are pointing to another dual-camera setup being part of the package as well, with OnePlus itself recently hinting at some artificial intelligence-enhanced imaging features. The OnePlus 6 is expected to be somewhat more expensive than its predecessor and start at around $600, depending on the market. Pre-orders for the device are expected to open later today, with the OnePlus 6 being likely to go on global sale by this time next week. With every previously released OnePlus-made smartphone outselling its direct predecessor, the OnePlus 6 is predicted to continue that trend, especially as the Shenzhen-based company is now expanding its presence to more markets around the world.
The Best Little Floorhouse in Texas Your choice for flooring in Central Texas! Your flooring is more than just the surface you walk on  it's an integral part of your home. With over 35 years of flooring experience, The Best Little Floorhouse in Texas has the resources and knowled
Lishman was a long-time partner at King & Wood Mallesons before forming his own boutique, Cochrane Lishman Carson Luscombe, which was acquired by Clifford Chance in 2011. He then became the Magic Circle firms managing partner in Perth, before joining Gresham Partners.

Michael is an outstanding lawyer and his arrival reflects our commitment to Australia and the importance we place on providing service to our clients on their most complex and significant matters. He brings a breadth of experience in various industries across a number of jurisdictions, said Chris Ahern, Jones Days partner-in-charge of Australia and Japan.

Tim LEstrange, partner-in-charge of Jones Days Melbourne office, said that in a turbulent commercial and economic environment, Lishman has unique experience and perspectives.

In conjunction with our colleagues in Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth, we look forward to working with clients on their most important matters, he said.

Lishman, who has acted on many of Western Australias largest recent M&A deals, joins a full-service team across Australia. The team includes M&A partners Chris Ahern and Mark Crean in Sydney, and Brett Heading and Isaac West in Brisbane.
Taking the long route towards a driverless future, BMW has let other companies take the fall for the initial setbacks that come with every new technology. But, as advancements in this field are made on a monthly basis, the Germans decided its time to up the ante.On Wednesday, BMW announced it had become the first international car builder to get a permit to operate autonomous vehicles in China. BMW will begin testing self-driving cars in Shanghai at a yet unspecified date. To set up the test program, BMW created a team that includes 60 experts in autonomous driving. The team would gather relevant data based on actual traffic and then use it to train machine learning algorithms.Testing of the cars would be done in a facility covering 5.6 km (3.5 miles). The vehicles themselves are 7 Series models, two of which would begin operation this month. An additional seven cars are to be added by the end of the year.Now, it is a great honor to be the first international vehicle manufacturer to obtain an autonomous road test license in China, said Martin Sautter, BMW research, and development vice president.With the highest safety standards, we will rigorously promote the local development of Autonomous Driving and strive to achieve a safer, more efficient and more convenient transportation system.In recent months, the efforts made by BMW to become more visible in this new field have increased. The carmaker announced in April the opening of its new tech campus in Unterschleiheim, Germany, that will be in charge with creating new technologies in the area of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analysis.Later that same month, through the BMW I Ventures division, the carmaker announced an investment in Sweden-based company tech company Mapillary . The company owns the worlds largest street-level imagery dataset, containing 260 million images that have been shared by individuals, companies, cities, governments, and NGOs.
Enter DreamCase , a Slovenia-based company whose product is exactly what the label says it is. Available for the Model S, Model 3, and Model X, the DreamCase consists of a leather-bound case, portable folding memory foam mattress, duvet, and travel pillows. Care to guess how much it costs for the Model 3, whose mattress measures 93 by 191 centimeters (37 by 75.2 inches)? Thatd be 549, thank you!The slightly more premium DreamCase + Sheeting costs 625 and the most significant difference, as opposed to the standard DreamCase, comes in the form of 100-percent Marko Satin cotton. For the Model 3, the Ljubljana-based company argues that you can drive the Model 3 while the bed is fully set up, so the flexibility whilst traveling is great. And thats impressive considering the length and trunk opening of the baby Tesla.DreamCase was designed to make car travel spontaneous, convenient and safe by swiftly unfolding into a double mattress for the coziest of rest with multi-layer memory foam, car duvet and pillows neatly encased, were told by the description on the products web page. The front side area of the flip-down plate, on the other hand, is designed to trap cold air from the mid-console air conditioning, and on a hot day, that area is reportedly capable of keeping beverages and food fresher.Although it appears to be the perfect solution to sleep in your Tesla Model 3 as comfortable as technically possible, the DreamCase might not be worth the money. Unless youre fully committed to displacing hotel stays, those 549 are hard to justify. And by the way, make that 579 for the Model X and 779 for the Model S.On that note, is the DreamCase overpriced or does it make sense from your point of view?
One part of the bridge was officially opened to traffic on Tuesday. When it is ready, it is expected to support the passing of up to 40,000 cars a day and transport an estimated 14 million passengers and 13 million tons of cargo per year.The inauguration of the bridge section took place with all the fanfare required by the occasion, especially because it was completed several months in advance, at the Kremlins request.The mastermind behind the annexation of Crimea back in 2014, when thousands of little green men invaded the Ukrainian province, Vladimir Putin, was of course on deck for the occasion.In a symbolic gesture meant to wow the millions of his followers, the Russian president climbed aboard an orange Kamaz truck and, with other similar trucks of various colors trailing behind, started to roll down the brand new tarmac."Putin initiated this project himself. Many didn't believe these plans were possible," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Sputnik . "This is an extremely important day from this point of view and in a practical sense and symbolic terms."Geographically, the new bridge is the single land connection between the bulk of Russia and the peninsula in the Black Sea. Until now, if Russians wanted to go in Crimea, they had to either take a boat or pass through Ukraine.The idea of shortening the route through such a bridge in the region is not new. It has first been proposed by the British government in 1870, as part of a railroad connecting England to India.Nazi Albert Speer, the lead German architect during the second world war, also toyed with the idea in 1943, as a means to help German forces deliver a stunning blow to the Red Army in the North Caucasus.One year later, the advancing Red Army used materials left behind by their foes to erect a 4.5-kilometer (2.8 miles) bridge to help them chase the enemy Krauts.When they were still friends, back in 1994, Russia and Ukraine tried to work together on a bridge project, but this idea failed too.
SpaceX successfully completed the first flight of its upgraded Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, carrying the Bangladesh telecommunications satellite Bangabandhu-1 into orbit last Friday. According to SpaceX, the Block 5 is the final substantial upgrade to the Falcon 9 rocket, which the company hopes to use to transport people into space in the not-too-distant future. SpaceX has also said it is actively working with NASA to achieve that goal.

Improvements to the two-stage Block 5 rocket include an increase in thrust, greater reusability, avionics and landing leg upgrades, and a redesign of the pressure vessel implicated in the 2016 Falcon 9 pre-launch explosion. SpaceX says the rocket is designed to be used for 10 or more launches with little or no refurbishment in between, and should, according to CEO Elon Musk, have a lifespan of up to 100 launches. For the Bangabandhu Satellite-1 mission, the rocket returned as planned and landed on a droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Fridays flight took off from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Bangabandhu-1, which is Bangladeshs first geostationary communications satellite, was deployed approximately 33 minutes after launch. The satellite was manufactured by Thales Alenia Space and is expected to stay in orbit for at least 15 years.
"No, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un isnt killing his summit with President Trump. Or at least, hes highly unlikely to," AP's Kim Tong-Hyung writes from Seoul:

Why it matters: The threat "is seen as a move by Kim to gain leverage and establish that hes entering the crucial nuclear negotiations from a position of strength."

What's happening: North Korea's "Kim Kye-kwan, a vice foreign minister, rejected the administrations demand that it quickly dismantle its nuclear program as Libya did 15 years ago, singling out John Bolton, Mr. Trumps new national security adviser, for condemnation." (N.Y. Times)

NBC News Pentagon correspondent Hans Nichols calls the statement "a clear backsliding, a clear moving of the goalposts by North Korea."

The White House view ... A source close to Trump tells Axios' Jonathan Swan:
The Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday announced they back prior findings by U.S. intelligence agencies that conclude Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. election in an effort to boost Donald Trumps campaign.

Why it matters: Their findings break from Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee which announced in March they found no evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

"The Russian effort was extensive, sophisticated, and ordered by President Putin himself for the purpose of helping Donald Trump and hurting Hillary Clinton. ... And while our Committees investigation remains ongoing, one thing is already abundantly clear  we have to do a better job in the future if we want to protect our elections from foreign interference."

 Panel vice chairman, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.,) said in a joint statement with chairman Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.)

Editor's note: This article's headline previously implied that Republican members of the Senate Intelligence Committee announced the findings. That announcement was bipartisan.
Armenias new government will maintain and even deepen close military ties with Russia, Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan said on Wednesday.

The newly appointed minister met with Russias charge daffaires, Andrey Ivanov, and military attache, Major General Yevgeny Bulavintsev, in Yerevan to discuss long-running military cooperation between the two nations.

According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, they discussed ways of further developing joint interaction at the military, military-political and military-technical levels and mapped out upcoming tasks.

A ministry statement said Tonoyan stressed the significance of strategic allied relations with Russia for his countrys defense and national security. He said they will continue to be expanded using the great potential existing in a number of areas.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian gave similar assurances to Russian President Vladimir Putin when they met in Sochi on Monday. In particular, he reiterated that his government is committed to Armenias membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Pashinian told also told Putin that he was very impressed with Russian military hardware that was put on display at a May 9 military parade in Moscow.

Russia has long been the principal supplier of weapons and other military equipment to the Armenian army. Membership in the CSTO entitles the South Caucasus state to receiving them at discounted prices or even for free.

Last October, Moscow agreed to provide the Armenian government with a fresh $100 million loan that will be spent on buying more Russian weapons at internal Russian prices set well below market-based levels. It already lent Yerevan $200 million for the same purpose in 2015.

The weapons acquired with the 2015 loan reportedly include, among other things, Smerch multiple-launch rocket system, thermobaric and anti-tank rocket systems, shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, and army radios.

Armenia also hosts a Russian military base that has been reinforced with modernized warplanes, combat helicopters and new artillery systems in recent years. Successive Armenian governments have regarded the Russian troops as a crucial deterrent against neighboring Turkey, which fully supports Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

By choosing Tonoyan as defense minister, Pashinian clearly sought to underline continuity in Armenian defense policy. Tonoyan, 49, served as minister for emergency situations in the previous Armenian government and was the countrys first deputy defense minister from 2010-2017.
By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijans State Fund for Development of Information and Communication Technologies has so far financed 112 startup projects, Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Ramin Guluzade said at a ceremony of presentation of winners of the Microsoft Imagine Cup Azerbaijan contest on May 15.

Guluzade noted that about 1,000 startup projects, designed for participation in the competition, were accepted.

Roughly 20 projects turned into a real business and attracted investments, the minister said.

The minister went on to say that for this purpose it is important to work on the creation of local venture funds, adding that the strategic goal for the government is to turn Azerbaijan into an IT center and increase the number of relevant products and services.

Speaking at the event, the minister also touched upon the activities of the State Fund for the Development of Information Technologies of Azerbaijan. As Guluzade noted, until now the fund has financed 112 startup projects.

The State Fund for the Development of Information Technologies, the minister continued, is engaged in issuing grants and financial support for promising projects, including in the role of an investor.

The State Fund has held six grant competitions to date. We believe that in the construction of an innovative economy, startups can be assessed as real support to the state, Guluzade said.

In addition, the Minister added, at present the High Technology Park is building the ecosystem and managing it.

There are more than 30 structures operating in the park, possessing the status of residents, dozens of start-ups cooperate with the park. To develop the existing ecosystem, a new innovation center is being created. Also, a number of other projects are being implemented in Baku and in the regions for the development of the start-up movement.

High Technology Park was established by the Decree of President Ilham Aliyev dated on 5 November 2012. According to the Decree, 50 ha of land in the Pirallahi district of Baku was allocated to the Park.

The main purposes are to stimulate the ICT development in the economy and increase the competitiveness of national technological market and to create modern infrastructure for further pursuit of Research & Development and implementation of new technologies in the country.

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Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is

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By Trend

Azerbaijan has moved on to the next stage of assessing the country's candidacy for the World exhibition Baku Expo 2025, says the General report of the meeting of the Executive Committee of the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE), held on May 4, the Operational Secretariat of Baku Expo 2025 said May 15.

The report includes the conclusion of the assessment mission of the BIE, which was on a visit to Azerbaijan to get acquainted with the preparation work carried out by Baku as a candidate city for the World exhibition Expo 2025.

The Working group of the International Exhibitions Bureau says that Baku has moved to the next stage and is moving towards the final.

In November this year, during the 163rd session of the General Assembly of the International Exhibitions Bureau in Paris, the member countries will choose the city that will host the World exhibition Expo 2025.

"The Expo exhibition in Baku will be a logical and great support for the expansion of Azerbaijan's experience in holding international events and further strengthening of this status," the official report of the Evaluation mission of the International Exhibitions Bureau said.

The evaluation mission noted the unity of opinion associated with the exhibition at the country level, its coincidence with the national development strategy.

The evaluation mission considered the topic "We will develop human capital and build a better future" to be valuable and stated that, while it is attractive and important for many countries, it takes into account the current economic and social transformations and challenges. It was also stressed that the proposal of this topic by Azerbaijan is appropriate, and noted that the mission believes that this topic is highly consistent with the local characteristics of the exhibition and can create a strong potential to attract participants.

Samir Sharifov, minister of finance and chairman of the Working group on the nomination of Baku for the World exhibition in 2025, expressed gratitude to the Executive Committee and the Evaluation mission of the International Exhibitions Bureau for the comprehensive and positive report on the proposal and noted that Azerbaijan is looking forward to presenting plans for the nomination of Baku for the membership in the International Exhibitions Bureau during the 164th session of the General Assembly of this structure, which will be held next month in Paris.

Azerbaijan, which has been actively participating in six Expo exhibitions held by the International Exhibitions Bureau for 18 years and has won three awards for the high quality of the pavilions, demonstrates a strong commitment to Expo-movement.

If Baku is chosen, the World Expo 2025 will be held for six months from May 10 to November 10, 2025. It will be the first World exhibition of the International Exhibitions Bureau organized in the region.

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By Rashid Shirinov

Enterprises of the Altai region of Russia are interested in increasing the supply of food, agricultural machinery and special equipment to Azerbaijan, Deputy Chairman of the regions government Viktor Meshcheryakov said on May 16.

He made the remarks at a meeting with the Charge d'Affaires of Russia in Azerbaijan Oleg Murashev and the Trade Representative of Russia in Azerbaijan Eldar Tlyabichev in the Russian Embassy in Baku.

Currently, Meshcheryakov leads a delegation of the Altai region in Baku, which includes heads of 13 companies representing five types of economic activities, as well as members of the government. The delegation arrived in the Azerbaijani capital to participate in WorldFood Azerbaijan, Caspian Agro and IpackCaspian exhibitions.

At the meeting, Meshcheryakov noted that today the foreign trade turnover of the Altai region is $1.5 billion, of which Azerbaijan accounts for only $8.5 million, that is 0.21 percent.

Therefore, we came here to expand our ties and increase export supplies, he said.

The meeting noted that the Altai agricultural machine-building cluster, which includes 28 enterprises, is ready to supply modern equipment for the agricultural sector of Azerbaijan.

The delegation also held a working meeting in the Economy Ministry of Azerbaijan, where the Azerbaijani side confirmed its intention to increase the trade with the Altai region.

Azerbaijan is one of the main economic partners of Russia among the CIS countries. The trade turnover between two countries amounted to $2.14 billion in 2017. The constant cooperation plays an important role in the development of Russian-Azerbaijani trade and economic relations and in the increase of the trade turnover.

At present, enterprises of more than 70 regions of Russia cooperate directly with Azerbaijan. Fifteen regions of Russia have relevant agreements with Azerbaijan on trade and economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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By Rashid Shirinov

IT companies of Azerbaijan and Belarus have discussed prospects of cooperation in telecommunications and information technologies, a source in Azerbaijans telecommunications market told Trend on May 16.

The companies met in Minsk within the fourth Belarusian-Azerbaijani business forum in the field of high technologies and telecommunications, which was held within the 25th International Forum on Information and Communication Technologies TIBO-2018 ongoing in the Belarusian capital.

The delegation of Azerbaijan is headed by Rashad Azizov, Director of the Department of science, technology and information society development of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies.

Azerbaijans achievements in the field of ICT are presented at the TIBO-2018. The visitors of the countrys pavilion can get acquainted with such projects as the construction of a regional innovation zone, as well as with the achievements in the field of space industry, the "e-Government" project, etc. Belarusian Minister of Communications and Informatization Sergey Popkov has already visited the Azerbaijani pavilion.

The TIBO forum is annually held in Belarus. It is a platform for the exchange of new achievements and best practices in the IT field. The exhibition includes a number of thematic areas, such as "National Information Infrastructure," "Digital Economy," "Mobile Technologies," "E-government," "Robotics," etc.

Over 100 exhibitors from more than 20 countries are taking part in the exhibition, which will continue until May 18.

Information and Communication Technology is considered to be one of the crucial spheres for the further development of Azerbaijani economy and an integral part of the economic and political reforms which are currently implemented in the country. This sector has intensively developed in Azerbaijan over the past years. Creation and development of the e-Government system, expansion of the broadband internet services, launching of the telecommunication and low-orbit satellites, and many other steps are the evidence of Azerbaijans success in this sphere.

Azerbaijan, which is a regional leader in the ICT sector, intends to expand its international cooperation to further develop the sector. The income obtained in the sector in Azerbaijan is projected to hit $9 billion by 2020.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan's ancient city of Sheki is hosting the 3rd International Theatre Festival. The opening ceremony took place at Sheki State Drama Theater named after Sabit Rahman on May 12.

Prominent public and cultural figures, theatre lovers attended the event.

Before the opening ceremony, festival participants laid flowers to the monument to the National Leader Heydar Aliyev at the building of the city's Executive Power.

Then in the foyer of the theater, guests got acquainted with the exhibition reflecting the historical path of the Azerbaijani theater.

Addressing the opening ceremony, the head of Sheki Executive Power Elhan Usubov expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture for the support to the festival. He stressed that Sheki become a city of festivals. The city hosts approximately 3-4 international festivals every year.

The head of the Sheki Executive Power said that national and spiritual values are the key factor that unites people. Azerbaijan's professional theatrical art plays an invaluable role in the preservation, propaganda of national and spiritual values and the formation of aesthetic taste of the Azerbaijani people.

It was noted Sheki, which has an ancient culture, show great interest in theatrical art.

In 1879, the comedy "Haji Gara" by Mirza Fatali Akhundzade was staged for the first time in Sheki. In 1933-1950, the State Drama Theater operated intermittently in Sheki. People's Theater also worked in the city in 1959-1975. Along with the works of national playwrights, plays of world classics are staged at the Sheki State Drama Theater, which has been operating since 1975.

"I think that the third Sheki International Theater Festival will be an important event in the cultural life of our city," said Elhan Usubov.

The Deputy Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, Adalyat Veliyev, spoke about the 145-year history of the Azerbaijani theater, achievements of the country's theaters in recent years.

Speaking about the festival, which is held for the third time and has become traditional, the Deputy Minister stressed that the organizing committee received over 60 applications for participation in the festival.

Then, festival participants enjoyed the play "Maqbet-Zar" staged by the Iranian theater "Titovak". The play is based on William Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth".

After performance, theater's troupe received gifts on behalf of the Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and the Sheki Executive Power.

The 3rd Sheki International Theatre Festival features well-known troupes from Iran, Georgia, Colombia and Russia.

The main purpose of the festival is to provide conditions to demonstrate and promote the best examples of contemporary theatre art, new innovations and techniques, and to support development of regional and international cultural relations.

The event is held within the framework of the State Program "Azerbaijan Theater in 2009-2019" with the joint organization of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Sheki Executive Power and Azerbaijan Union of Theater Workers.

The festival marks the 95th anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev, centenary of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and 145th anniversary of the founding of the Azerbaijani national professional theatre.

In connection with a large number of people wishing to take part in the festival, it was decided to hold it in two stages - national and international.

During the national stage on May 12-19, Azerbaijan's theater troupes will perform in various regions.

The national stage includes visits of the republican theaters to Sumgayit, Khirdalan, Lankaran, Mingachevir, Khachmaz, Yevlakh, Agdam, Bardu, Agstafa, Zagatala, Ismayilli, and Goygol.

As part of the international stage, foreign theaters, including Colombian Acto Teatro, Mexican theater La Kvinta, the theater from the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, the Georgian Movement Theater, the North Ossetian State Academic Theater named after V.V. Thapsaev and others present their plays in Sheki, Lankaran and Baku.

The 3rd Sheki International Theatre Festival will run until May 19.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani classical music includes a range of musical styles rooted in the traditions.

One of the most brilliant pages in the history of national music undoubtedly belongs to legendary national composer, Gara Garayev.

February 5, 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of one of the most outstanding figures in the national culture.

The 100th anniversary of the great Azerbaijani composer, People's Artist of USSR, academician Gara Garayev has been marked at the UNESCO premises in Paris.

The event was co-organized by Azerbaijan's Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the country's Permanent Mission to UNESCO.

Azerbaijan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov and Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfas Garayev, daughter of the prominent composer Zuleykha Garayeva, as well as representatives of diplomatic corps accredited in Paris, representatives of the French public, business circles and permanent missions of foreign countries at UNESCO attended the event.

Addressing the event, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to UNESCO, Ambassador Anar Karimov highlighted life and works of great composer. He said that the Azerbaijani folk music was a source of inspiration for the outstanding composer. He drew the audiences attention to the fact that there is a street, subway station named after Gara Garayev in Baku.

In order to perpetuate the memory of the prominent composer a monument to Gara Garayev was unveiled by President Ilham Aliyev in the center of Azerbaijan's capital.

In his speech, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information Sector at UNESCO Moez Chakchoukh stressed that Gara Garayev's music promotes dialogue among nations and reflects a way leading from the past to the future.

The gala evening was followed by a concert conducted by Fuad Ibrahimov, which featured performance of Farhad Badalbayli, Murad Huseynov, Vurghun Vakilov, Jamil Sadizade and Elvin Khoca Ganiyev.

The concert was greeted by the audience with a storm of applause.

Further, participants viewed a photo exhibition and documentary films devoted to the great composer Gara Garayev. Editions of a magazine and different CDs about the composers life and works were distributed among the participants.

In 1938, Garayev composed his first musical piece, a cantata "The Song of the Heart" to the poem by Rasul Rza. It was performed in Moscow's Bolshoi Theater in the same year. He was only 20 years old at the time.

In 1945, both he and Jovdat Hajiyev wrote the "Motherland" opera, for which they were awarded a prestigious Stalin Prize. At the age of 30, Garayev was again awarded this prize for his symphonic poem "Leyli and Majnun", based on the same-titled famous work of Nizami Ganjavi.

In 1952, under the direction of the choreographer P. A. Gusev, Garayev's "Seven Beauties" ballet was staged at the Azerbaijani Theater of Opera and Ballet. Based on Nizami Ganjavi's famous poem, "Seven Beauties", it became the first Azerbaijani ballet and opened a new chapter in the history of classical music of Azerbaijan.

His ballet, "Path of Thunder", staged in 1958, was dedicated to racial conflicts in South Africa. In the same year, he wrote the score for the documentary film "A Story About the Oil Workers of the Caspian Sea", directed by Roman Karmen and set at the Oil Rocks.

Through his life, Garayev wrote nearly 110 musical pieces, including ballets, operas, symphonic and chamber pieces, solos for piano, cantatas, songs and marches, and rose to prominence not only in Azerbaijan, but also worldwide.

He brilliantly juxtaposed features of Mugham with jazz, blues, African music, European counterpoint styles, and developments related to the 20th century Western music such as the 12-tone technique.

Garayev died on May 13, 1982 in Moscow at the age of 64.

The composer leaved behind a legacy of music that will be felt for generations to come. The memory of great composer will always live in the hearts of Azerbaijani people.

President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on October 17 to mark the 100th jubilee of the legendary Azerbaijani composer.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Education and the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, are tasked to prepare and execute an action plan for the jubilee in consideration of proposals of the Union of Composers.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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By Laman Ismayilova

An interesting event will take place in the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum on May 18.

Every visitor will be able to weave a carpet, contribute to the process of carpet weaving.

An interactive installation called "Weave your thread" is timed to International Museum Day. The event is supported by the National Committee of ICOM Azerbaijan.

As part of the project three frame-machines for weaving the pile-less carpet "zili" will be set in the foyer.

The coils of multi-colored threads are strengthened on the frames. Each visitor can weave one or more thread-rows into a future lint-free carpet, choosing the colors. The museum workers are always ready to assist and visually show the way in which carpets of the "zili" type are woven. Thus, this installation is not only a constantly changing art object, but also a tool for a master class designed for a very wide audience.

The museum director, the Chairman of the ICOM National Committee Azerbaijan, doctor of philosophy in art criticism Shirin Melikova said that ancient carpet weaving techniques have been reviving in the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum for several years. "Zili" - one of them, belongs to the most ancient.

"The training of visitors to carpet weaving on the example of this complex and beautiful technique of a pile-free carpet is the first interactive experience of this kind in the museum sphere of Azerbaijan." The Wave a Thread "installation helps the visitor feel him/herself not only as a spectator, but also as a participant in the carpet making process in co-authorship with many other visitors. It is interesting that unlike the work on the finished sketch, the result of the work is unpredictable - it depends on the imagination of many people," said Melikova.

Thus, taking part in this project, each visitor will gain not only unforgettable impressions, but also new skills. The projects help better understand the details of national culture.

Every year since 1977 the worldwide community of museums has celebrated the International Museum Day on May 18. Participation in International Museum Day is growing among museums all over the world. In 2017, more than 36,000 museums participated in the event in some 157 countries.

The theme chosen for 2018 is "Hyperconnected museums: New approaches, new publics".

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan is ready for intensive negotiations for an early settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, according to Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

He made the remarks on May 15 at a meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs  Igor Popov of Russia, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the U.S.  and Andrzej Kasprzyk, personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office.

The meeting stressed the importance of continuing intensive negotiations given that the electoral process in Azerbaijan and Armenia has been completed.

During the negotiations, the sides discussed the measures to be taken by the Minsk Group co-chairs to advance the negotiation process as well as the situation in the region.

In their statement following the meeting with Mammadyarov, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs noted that they expect to meet with the new leadership of Armenia in June this year to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign state with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

Until now, Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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By Trend

Armenia's delaying the negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict negatively affects the situation in the region, Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov said at a meeting with Egyptian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Adel Ibrahim in Baku on May 15, said the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

The minister stressed the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between Azerbaijan and Egypt, which are constantly developing and expanding in accordance with the interests of the two states, as well as the importance of expanding cooperation in the military sphere.

Touching upon the military-political situation in the region, Hasanov noted that Armenia's aggressive policy continues to this day, and the delay in negotiations negatively affects the situation in the region.

The ambassador, in turn, stressed that Egypt attaches special importance to expanding relations with Azerbaijan, adding that during his diplomatic career in Azerbaijan he will make every effort to contribute to the development of friendly relations and military ties between the two countries.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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By Trend

Baku is hosting a meeting of the NATO Standing Group of Partner Logistics Experts (SGPLE) for the first time, the press service of Azerbaijans Defense Ministry said in a statement May 15.

The event will last until May 18 and is attended by 24 representatives from 13 countries.

The meeting, hosted as part of Azerbaijan's cooperation with NATO, covers the following topics: movement and transportation, planning sustainability, and freedom of movement.

The main objective of the SGPLE is to determine capabilities and find ways for the fruitful use of the logistic units of the partner countries that contribute to NATO operations.

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A new print edition of the AZERNEWS online newspaper was released on May 16.

The new edition includes articles Economy Ministry: Pirallahi Industrial Park to provide population with quality medicines, Mastery of national riders delight British audience, Foreigners to be able to obtain visa at Baku airport via self-service terminals, National composer to perform in Israel.

AZERNEWS is an associate member of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
By Sara Israfilbayova

World oil prices decline on Wednesday morning after the release of data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) on the unexpected growth of stocks of this raw material in the U.S.

Brent crude oil futures were at $78.19 per barrel, down 0.31 percent, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were down 0.28 percent, at $71.11, RIA Novosti reported.

API reported that during the working week, ended on May 11, oil reserves in the U.S. increased by 4.854 million barrels. At the same time, analysts expected a drop in inventories of 763,000 barrels. In the previous week, the figure fell by 1.85 million barrels, according to the same organization.

Meanwhile, gasoline inventories declined by 3.4 million barrels (against expectations of a decrease of 1.42 million), distillates - by 768,000 barrels (expected decrease in inventories by 2.2 million barrels). Oil reserves at the countrys largest terminal in Cushing have increased by 62,000 barrels.

Official data on oil reserves in the country from the U.S. Energy Department will be published later on May 16.

There are signs that oil production will rise, especially at majors like ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, BP and Total.

Aggregate production  both actual and projected  is growing for the majors, S&P Global Ratings said in a report published on May 15. Spot crude oil cargo prices are at their steepest discounts to futures prices in years as sellers are struggling to find buyers for West African, Russian and Kazakh cargoes, while pipeline bottlenecks trap supply in west Texas and Canada.



OPEC and non-OPEC producers reached an agreement in December 2016 to curtail oil output jointly and ease a global glut after more than two years of low prices. OPEC agreed to slash the output by 1.2 million barrels per day from January 1.

Non-OPEC oil producers such as Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, Sudan, and South Sudan agreed to reduce output by 558,000 barrels per day starting from January 1, 2017.

OPEC and its partners decided to extend its production cuts till the end of 2018 in Vienna on November 30, as the oil cartel and its allies step up their attempt to end a three-year supply glut that has savaged crude prices and the global energy industry.

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Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is

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By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan exported 1.89 billion cubic meters of natural gas, worth $342.92 million, in January-April 2018.

The volume of natural gas exports grew by 11 percent, the cost - by 24 percent, compare to the same period of the last year.

The share of natural gas exports equaled to 6.07 percent of the total export of Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, oil products exports amounted to $368.93 with the total cost of $181.785 million.

Exports of oil products accounted for 3.22 percent of total exports of Azerbaijan. The volume of exported petroleum products in the annual comparison grew by 20 percent, the cost - by 53 percent.

Azerbaijan has a large number of oil and gas fields and promising structures in the Caspian Sea. One of them is the block of oil and gas fields Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG), proven oil reserves of which are estimated at 1.2 billion tons, while gas reserves-350 billion cubic meters.

Another large field is the Shah Deniz gas condensate field, reserves of which are estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas. Within the second stage of field development, the volume of gas production can be increased to 24 billion cubic meters per year, according to forecasts.

There are also such deposits as Absheron (350 billion cubic meters), Umid (200 billion cubic meters), and the promising structure of Babek (400 billion cubic meters).

Azerbaijani gas is currently exported directly by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan SOCAR to Iran and Georgia, and by the Shah-Deniz consortium via the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline to Georgia and Turkey.

The overwhelming part of oil produced in Azerbaijan falls on ACG block. Almost all oil from the block is exported by the BakuTbilisiCeyhan (BTC) pipeline.

Azerbaijan's oil is exported from the country not only in raw form, but also in the form of oil products. The countrys only oil producer is SOCAR.

Azerbaijans oil products are exported to such countries as Turkey, Georgia, Italy, Egypt, Greece, Lebanon, Singapore, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Malta, Libya, Romania, China, Spain, Bahamas and others.

A contract for development of ACG block of oil and gas fields was signed in 1994 for 30 years.

Thirteen companies from eight countries (Azerbaijan, the U.S., Great Britain, Russia, Turkey, Norway, Japan, Saudi Arabia) have participated in signing of the "Contract of the Century".

The agreement will cover the development of the field until 2050 and will add significant resource development potential. The document specifies the key commercial terms for the future development of the ACG field and enables the parties to conclude negotiations and finalize fully-termed agreements in the next few months.

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Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is

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By Trend

Israel ordered the Turkish consul to Jerusalem to temporarily leave the country, RIA Novosti reported.

Earlier, Israel's ambassador to Ankara Eitan Na'eh was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, where he was asked to leave the country.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim earlier said Turkey is calling on Muslim countries to reconsider relations with Israel. Yildirim noted that Turkey sharply condemns Israel's actions against Palestinians.

Furthermore, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an emergency meeting in Istanbul regarding Palestine on May 18.

Protest actions are underway in the Gaza Strip amid the 70th anniversary of establishment of Israel and the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Yesterday, Israeli soldiers opened fire at the protesters. According to the latest information, 55 Palestinians were killed in the clashes, more than 2,700 were injured. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas announced a three-day mourning.

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By Trend

Since the day the former Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan was overthrown, Baku has never had any illusion that subsequent Armenian leaders would stop playing tricks and show common sense in an attempt to come to terms with Azerbaijan.

However, what the newly-elected Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is calling for might cause a full-scale war.

He has come to power on the wave of the popular movement that was aimed reportedly against corruption and inefficient economic management. Well, Nikol, do a favor, go and reform the drowning national economy, feed the people living in poverty, and give them jobs.

However, instead, he visits the occupied Azerbaijani territories and starts tempting their residents  citizens of Azerbaijan and Armenians by origin  with a possible future unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.

Armenians themselves speak about the contradictory statements of Pashinyan and his ignorance of the subject.

A few days ago, at a press conference, the prime minister expressed a number of approaches that can be dangerous, former defense minister of Armenia, Vigen Sargsyan, believes.

He further said the prime ministers statements lack awareness of the details of the negotiation process [on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement]."

Maybe in future Pashinyan will manage to grow into a major and experienced political figure in Armenia, but today his actions look mostly emotional and short-sighted.

Pashinyan's statements sound like the other side of the conflict - which has enough power to disabuse him of his fanciful ideas - doesnt exist.

Therefore, it would be unjust not to warn the rookie Armenian leader against taking dangerous steps with a quote from Rambo: First Blood, which he probably watched when he was a child: Don't push it. Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe.

Azerbaijan's position is that - until the very last moment, while the opponent is still negotiable - it will avoid using military solution for returning the occupied territories.

Recent statements made by the new prime minister of Armenia are narrowing the space for a compromise.

At the time, the former President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan warned that what we reject today, we will ask for in the future, but we will not get it, as has happened many times in our history.

Ter-Petrosyan noted that there is no other way but to come to a compromise, otherwise a war will be an option: Maximalism and denial of a compromise are the shortest way to aggravate the situation in Armenia.

There are many Armenians who realize Armenia has been on the wrong track in its aggressive behavior.

Video messages from Philip Ekozyants, the Armenian blogger living in Ukraine, became a real trouble for the apologists of the Greater Armenia geopolitical project  a trap created more than 100 years ago against Turkey and Russia, into which the Armenians were lured.

His addresses to Armenians, posted on YouTube, dispel the murk that the friends of the Armenian people once plunged the entire nation into.

He asks his compatriots what ordinary Armenians (not those living in California, Paris or Moscow) could do  to live in peace with neighbors or continue to chase after the chimera called Greater Armenia and demand lands that they never owned?

The answer is up to the people of Armenia, but it seems that they do not understand what is going on, although they consider themselves the most ancient people on the Earth.

If the new Armenian authorities continue holding their radical stance, we soon will see a new revolution in that country.

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By Trend

The foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Javad Zarif has arrived in Brussels ahead of a meeting with his British, French and German counterparts. Ahead of the meeting Iran's top diplomat has spoken about the JCPOA after the US withdrawal from the deal, Sputnik reported.

"Guarantees of benefits of the JCPOA should be given to Iran. We will have to see whether [those] remaining in the JCPOA can deliver those benefits to Iran," Javad Zarif stated Tuesday.

The top official has reemphasized the country's position on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly to as the Iran nuclear deal: in particular, that country plans to receive the economic benefits from the agreement, which were initially stipulated in it.

"We have started an intensive process [and] the economic benefits inside the JCPOA should be preserved for Iran," Zarif said.

On May 8, President Donald Trump violated the terms of the JCPOA by withdrawing from the accord. Following Trump's decision, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned nine Iranian individuals and entities including those with links to Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

The move has been strongly criticized by other P5+1 members, Moscow, London, Beijing, Paris, Berlin and Brussels, who have confirmed their commitment to the deal.

The agreement was signed on July 14, 2015, and ensured that Iran's nuclear program remains peaceful in exchange for sanctions relief.

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By Trend

Iranian MP, Nader Ghazipour criticized certain cultural discrimination against the Turkic people in the country.

Ghazipour, who represents Urmia electoral district in Iran's parliament, in an open session of the parliament May 16 criticized lack of countrywide TV for 40 million Turkic people in Iran, the Iranian media outlets reported.

He made the remarks while questioning the Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi Amiri over distribution of the newspaper of the Tehran Municipality across the country, which, according to the MP, imposes serious impact on local newspapers.

We, 40 million Turkic people in Iran, do not have a nationwide newspaper, the MP said.

He further called for respecting the rights of Turkic people, who make the majority of population in the country.

In recent months, various Azerbaijani MPs have requested for implementation of the Article 15 of the Islamic republic Constitution and education in mother language.

Iranian politicians have brought the issue to agenda time-by-time, in recent years.

Last month, during a provincial visit to East Azerbaijan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for promoting Azerbaijani language.

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By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan and Turkey, the two fraternal countries, enjoy fruitful cooperation in various fields, including tourism. Hundreds of thousands of tourists travel between the countries every year, and their number is going to increase in the near future.

The number of flights between the two countries may triple, the State Civil Aviation Agency under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan informed on May 15.

The Agency noted that at the International Aviation Conference in Turkey, the delegations of the two countries exchanged proposals on this issue and drafted a protocol.

The aviation authorities of both countries are currently studying the conditions for liberalization of air services. The final decision and signing of the protocol may take place in the near future, after bilateral consultations between the civil aviation authorities of Azerbaijan and Turkey with the participation of national airlines, the Agency said.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan Tourism Association has informed that Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC and Turkish Airlines will operate flights to Antalya daily and twice a week respectively.

Moreover, the message says that given the high demand, daily charter flights to Alanya will also be organized, as well as direct flights to the resort cities of Bodrum, Izmir and Dalaman.

The Association also clarified the implementation of Buta Airways flights to Alanya, saying that since September 2017, the air carrier has been negotiating with Gazipasa Airport located in Alanya. However, due to technical problems, it was decided to temporarily carry out flights to Antalya Airport.

The reason for the transfer is related to the need to ensure the stability of flights in this direction, the Association noted.

Currently, the number of flights between Azerbaijan and Turkey is about 150 per week, and in summer it grows to 190 flights per week. As many as 301,553 Turkey citizens visited Azerbaijan last year, while the number of Azerbaijani tourists visiting Turkey was 765,514.

Majority of Azerbaijani travelers visit coastal areas of Turkey, such as Antalya, Bodrum and Kusadasi, mainly in July and August.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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Local officials in Southeast Texas and dozens of Gulf Coast jurisdictions devastated by Harvey on Wednesday asked the state to tap its Rainy Day Fund savings account to pay for billions in disaster mitigation projects, the latest political fight over state funding.

Gov. Greg Abbott immediately responded with a letter of his own, telling officials: Stop complaining. Plenty of money is available, but you haven't applied for any of it.

Abbott told the City of Houston in a letter that of the $50 million the state lent it last September to cover emergency costs, the city has spent less than $5 million.

"There is more money available to you than you have demonstrated the ability to spend to respond to Hurricane Harvey and to mitigate future damage," Abbott said in his terse response to the officials' plea. "I strongly urge you to begin taking advantage of these funds today."

The governor's office sent similar letters to the other 55 Harvey-battered counties and cities that signed the request to Abbott.

Eleven Southeast Texas officials signed the letter, including the judges of Jefferson, Orange, Hardin, Jasper and Chambers counties.

More Information Southeast Texas officials who signed a letter sent to Gov. Greg Abbott requesting Rainy Day Funds for Harvey grants:

Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel Orange County Judge Dean Crooks Chambers County Judge Jimmy Sylvia Jasper County Judge Mark Allen Lumberton Mayor Don Surratt Vidor Mayor Robert Viator Silsbee Mayor Herbert Muckleroy Kountze Mayor Fred Williams Sour Lake Mayor Bruce Robinson Rose Hill Acres Mayor Rick Thomisee See More Collapse

At issue is $1 billion recovery funding available through the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which could be used for long-term recovery by paying for projects to mitigate future disasters such as flooding.

Under the program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay for 75 percent of the costs of those projects. The local officials, in their letter to Abbott, want the state to tap into its Economic Stabilization Fund -- known as the Rainy Day Fund -- to cover the remaining 25 percent of the costs.

"These various judges and mayors have signed off to ask the governor to, if you will, loosen the purse strings to give us money to meet that match," said Fred Jackson, assistant to Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick.

Branick, who was one of the 55 officials who signed the letter to Abbott, was unavailable for comment Wednesday because he was at an emergency management conference, Jackson said.

Vidor Mayor Robert Viator said the required local match "puts a huge strain on everybody's funds," particularly for small cities like his with small budgets.

Houston's Mayor Sylvester Turner said that without a state match, many local governments will not be able to use the grants at all, adding that many other states have provided the match money for their localities.

"By covering the local share, not only would the state directly save local taxpayer dollars, but would equitably fund projects across the impacted area," the letter to Abbott states.

"The states of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Georgia and Colorado have provided for local matches in situations utilizing HMGP," the letter continues, asking Texas to pony up state funds, as well.

In his response, Abbott said more than $4.3 billion in federal funding is available for mitigation projects. Concerning the $5 billion alone that Congress allocated for Harvey recovery, the governor said lawmakers in Washington specifically allowed them to cover the local match with that money.

"There is currently $500 million available to local jurisdictions for the purpose of flood mitigation, with $600 million more becoming available in August 2018," Abbott states in his letter.

Vidor's Viator said he signed the letter hoping for support up front from the state because the federal funds that Abbott referenced are not guaranteed.

"My standpoint is, you're wanting me to depend on the possibility of another grant being able to cover stuff and nobody can guarantee that," Viator said.

"We're all facing probably the toughest budget that any of us have ever done for this coming year," he said.

Without assurance that the local match will be covered, Vidor will likely not be able to accomplish all of its mitigation projects, which include drainage and bridge improvements, according to Viator.

He said Abbott's response was not surprising. "I would have liked to see him give it more consideration," Viator said.

Abbott has previously said that he will support use of Rainy Day Funds money to cover Harvey costs, once local officials detail those projects and specify how much money is needed.

The state fund contains around $10 billion.

Abbott aides said that requests for federal mitigation money will be expedited as soon as they are received, and funds could be available within days in some cases.

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A Harris County family is suing three electric companies over the death of their son, who was electrocuted while trying to save his sisters cat during Hurricane Harvey.

Andrew Pasek, 25, died on Aug. 29 after being struck by an electric current as he waded through floodwater in Bear Creek Village in an attempt to reach his sisters 15-pound cat, his family said.

THOSE WE LOST: SE Texas teen electrocuted in Orange during Harvey

The family sued CenterPoint Energy, Antwine Electric and TE Connectivity Corporation for $1 million on Tuesday, alleging Pasek's wrongful death and "CenterPoint's failure to cut off the power to an area they knew to be flooded," according to the family's attorneys.



The Pasek family and their attorneys will hold a press conference at noon Wednesday on the lawsuit.

The family is also suing Antwine Electric and has accused the company of improperly installing electrical equipment that contributed to Paseks death. That equipment was connected to a light fixture designed by TE Connectivity Corporation, which malfunctioned leading up to Paseks death, his family said.

This danger was compounded by the faulty installation of defective electrical lighting that electrified the surrounding water in which many people were working to try and rescue individuals and pets stranded by the flood, the attorneys said in a news release.

READ ALSO: These are the areas where Harvey-damaged homes are being turned over by investors

Pasek was wading through the water in an attempt to get his sisters cat that was left at home. The subdivision in Bear Creek Village was under a voluntary evacuation, and Paseks sisters home was already flooded. After seeing Pasek get shocked by a current, a friend who came with him called 911 and Paseks mother.

First responders had to wait for CenterPoint Energy to shut off the electricity so they could safely get to Pasek. By the time they got to him, he was dead.

The family is also suing the property owners, identified in the lawsuit as Dennis and Melanie Dossey.

The family claimed the pair had a duty to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances by ensuring the safe upkeep and maintenance of the property and didnt ensure that the property was free from any dangerous conditions."
HHS Secretary Alex Azar discussed President Donald Trump's vision of healthcare in a prepared statement for the Federation of American Hospitals, mentioning the president's interest in limiting regulation, promoting transparency and shifting care to the most appropriate setting.

"Imagine a day when healthcare delivery in the United States functions the way other parts of our economy do," he said. "We as patients would pick providers with the level of information we have when using Amazon or Yelp. Consumers would drive quality and cost-effectiveness with information, competition and genuine choice."

He also took on regulations as they relate to value-based care and criticized anti-competitive policies in healthcare.

"Some argue healthcare is simply different and is and should be immune from market forces. I simply disagree," he said. "Real competition  in the economic sense  has never really been fully tried in our bizarre third-party payer system."

He said President Trump is ready to disrupt the "existing arrangements" in healthcare and isn't interested in incremental steps. The administration also aims to support efforts to give patients control over their records and healthcare information and promote price transparency.

He relayed a personal experience from a hospital in Indiana; Mr. Azar was referred to a local hospital in the state for an echocardio stress test. He was in the process of being admitted when he asked about the price of the procedure and was quoted $3,500. However, he found online the test could be done for $550 in a physician's office outside the hospital.

"Now there I was, the former deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, and that is the kind of effort it took to find out how much I would owe for a procedure," he said. "What if I had been a grandmother? Or a 20-something with a high-deductible plan? This is simply wrong. It cannot continue if, as most people in America agree, we want some degree of a consumer market when it comes to healthcare."

Finally, Mr. Azar touched on new regulations and potential for innovation. "In all of this work, we've been informed by your responses to CMS's request for information; they have been immensely valuable and we will act on them," he said. "We will also bear in mind whether new burdens created by models or scale that are required for viability may be driving consolidation in the healthcare market. As a matter of principle, we want to move to a system where we can be agnostic about ownership structures, a system that will allow independent providers to group together to drive innovation, quality and competition."
The Medical Group Management Association analyzed physician pay data in its 2018 MGMA DataDive Provider Compensation report.

MGMA based its report on a survey of more than 136,000 physicians at more than 5,800 organizations.

Here's what you should know.

1. Over the last five years, primary care physician compensation rose by more than 10 percent, while specialty physician compensation rose around 3.33 percent.

2. MGMA attributes the increasing pay to a "worsening" shortage of primary care physicians in America.

3. When further analyzed, family medicine physicians had the highest pay increase at 12 percent. Although compensation is rising, primary care workload remains consistent.

4. To combat the shortage, practices are generously handing out bonuses to attract and retain primary care physicians.

5. The physician shortage claims are supported when looking at nurse practitioner and primary care physician assistant compensation. Nurse practitioners had the highest pay increase at nearly 30 percent, while primary care physician assistants trailed close behind at a 25 percent increase.

6. Median primary care physician compensation varied greatly by state and territory. Washington, D.C., paid them the lowest at $205,776, while Nevada paid the most at $309,431.

For more statistics, click here.
MedicalDesign & Outsourcing took a deep dive into the Minnesota medical device development scene to examine what some consider the next hotbed of medical device development.

Here's what you should know.

1. The times are changing for Minnesota medical device developers and manufacturers. Gone are the days where production centered on traditional medical devices like pacemakers and heart valves. In their place are startups focused on filling niche markets.

2. However, as healthcare transitions towards value-based care, even device makers will have to innovate. California medical device startups dwarfed Minnesota startups, raking in $1.5 billion in 2017 funding to Minnesota's $220 million.

3. Still investment in Minnesota is growing. The growth is evident when looking at the first three months of 2018, during which time Minnesota companies closed 26 deals raising $112 million.

4. Though cash flow is lagging behind the level of innovation, Minnesota's Medical Alley was among the most innovative when it was first established in the 1950s and 1960s. Investors eventually went to California, but Minnesota's burgeoning medical industry will continue to evolve over time.

5. One way the evolution will take place is through the replacement of traditional investors. Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic and large medical device companies are funneling money to the startups and offering them resources and support.

6. Restoring Minnesota to its ground-breaking past will take time. The innovation and infrastructure are still there, and the money is arriving. As Randy Nelson, CEO of Evergreen Medical Technologies, said to MedicalDesign & Outsourcing, "Minnesota feels like a medical device neighborhood."
A suspicious explosion at a medical office building in Aliso Viejo, Calif., killed one person and seriously injured three others around 1 p.m. May 15, CBS News reports.

Authorities are investigating what caused the explosion, and some media outlets have quoted sources who said authorities believe the act may have been intentional and caused by a package bomb. Although they are not searching for any specific suspects just yet, officials initially believed a car crashed into the building. Orange County Sheriff's Cmdr. Dave Sawyer cautioned it is too early to jump to any conclusions.

"We cannot say exclusively this explosion was intentional," Mr. Sawyer told NPR. "We have not found any type of specific device inside of the building right now that would tell us or lead us to exactly what the device was  if there was a device."

The siding on the two-story building's walls and the entire bottom floor were blown out, and windows had been shattered.

The investigation is ongoing. The sheriff's department is partnering with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to conduct the investigation, CNN reports.

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Cordova (Alaska) Community Medical Center, a 23-bed critical access hospital, may close due to cuts to a federal program that subsidizes the hospital's telecommunications costs, according to KTVA.

The federal Rural Health Care Program provides up to $400 million annually to medical providers in rural areas for telecommunications and broadband services necessary for the provision of healthcare. In March, Universal Service Administrative Company, the program's independent administrator, announced it will reduce RHC Program funding for fiscal year 2017 by 15 percent for individual participants and 25 percent for consortia participants.

"Unfortunately, these deep reductions were announced eight months into the funding year, and were far greater than anticipated," the American Hospital Association wrote in an April 24 letter to Federal Communications Commission Secretary Marlene H. Dortch. "These cuts not only affect the ability of these rural healthcare providers to maintain strong broadband connections but also could force tough decisions affecting funding for essential healthcare services."

The AHA said the cuts are "especially disheartening" to rural hospitals with slim operating margins that have already set their budgets for 2018. Cordova Community Medical Center is one of those hospitals, and it received a letter May 2 from its data services provider seeking $964,370 in back costs.

"We are now 10 months into the current funding year and your funding request is still being put through an 'enhanced review' by USAC," states the letter from Alaska Communications to Cordova Community Medical Center. Alaska Communications said it has used its own cash to pay third parties to maintain the hospital's data service, but it is unable to keep providing those funds.

Alaska Communications requested the hospital pay the full amount due by June 30 or face disconnection of services on July 1.

The hospital's monthly telecom bill is $80,000, but it only pays $1,000 out of pocket after federal funding kicks in. Cordova Community Medical Center CEO Scot Mitchell told KTVA the facility keeps about $400,000 cash on hand and is unable to pay the full bill from Alaska Communications.

Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association President Becky Hultberg told KTVA Cordova Community Medical Center "essentially cannot function" without internet-based reporting and record keeping systems and may be forced to close.

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In the past three years, Chicago-based Cook County Health and Hospitals System lost at least $165 million in potential revenue due to widespread errors, including employee mistakes and billing lapses, according to an inspector general report cited by the Chicago Tribune.

In a 10-page report, the Office of the Independent Inspector General-Cook County attributed the revenue losses to staff errors during patient scheduling, registration and coding, as well as billing mistakes that resulted from a lack of accountability.

Some of the problems for the hospital system resulted from poor coding practices that led to wrong or incomplete coding, which results in insurance denials. In addition, the inability to properly schedule patient appointments was a "central operational inefficiency resulting in a significant number of claim denials," Cook County Inspector General Patrick Blanchard's report reads.

Further, the OIIG interviewed hospital staffers who said there are "a significant number of registration clerks, coders and billers who do not possess adequate self-motivation or the required skill sets and knowledge base" to do their jobs, according to The Tribune.

While hospital officials agree with the inspector general that the hospital system lost out on millions of dollars in revenue, they dispute the exact amount. Cook County hospital leaders estimate they lost between $79.5 million and $132.5 million, because what is typically charged is not necessarily what gets reimbursed.

The hospital system, which receives a portion of funding from the county, Illinois and the federal government, lost the money during a challenging financial period for both the hospital and Cook County.
Jeffrey Kepple, MD, CEO of Plumas District Hospital in Quincy, Calif., is departing at the end of 2018, according to a Plumas County News report.

Here are three things to know:

1. Dr. Kepple, a dermatologist, plans to return to patient care and spend more time with his family.

2. He served as CEO of the critical access hospital for four years.

3. During his tenure, Dr. Kepple recruited new providers, brought in new equipment and helped improve billing services.
Last week, Donald Trump unveiled his blueprint to combat rising drug prices, called the "American Patients First" plan.

The plan includes persuading other countries to pay more for prescription drugs, trying to lower drug prices for Medicare, more regulation around drug ads, banning the "gag clauses" for pharmacists, reining in patients and fixing the rebate system.

Here, five healthcare industry executives examine the winners and losers of the proposal, and where they expect drug prices to head in the future. Contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com to add your thoughts to this article.

Christopher Lee. Healthcare Consultant and Clinical Solutions Marketing Manager at Family Health Centers of San Diego: "Part of Trump and HHS Sec. Alex Azar's plan purports to change the way Medicare pays for certain drugs, namely high-cost specialty medications. According to NPR, one method may be to shift coverage of certain drugs from the Part B buy-and-bill approach to Part D drug coverage.

If this happens, I predict the losers will include:

1. Physicians: Currently, they get paid to administer these drugs. In fact, the reimbursement structure encourages them to prescribe more expensive alternatives. Shifting coverage to Part D will eliminate this income stream, at least for certain drugs.

2. Hospitals: Likewise, hospitals will lose out on a lucrative income stream. Over the past several years, they have bought up oncology physician practices to bring in patients. Coupled with their deep discounts from the 340B program, hospitals have made a fortune when physicians prescribed these expensive medications to patients.

Winners, on the other hand, may include:

1. Specialty pharmacies: They will gain additional market share lost by physicians.

2. Pharmacy benefit managers: Despite the rhetoric against these 'middle men,' they may actually benefit in some regards. PBMs own some of the largest specialty pharmacies and in cases where they don't, they will negotiate and capture more rebate dollars.

3. Medicare Part D plans: Likewise, insurers will capture additional rebates from manufacturers. They will also receive more funding from CMS due to their expanded book of business.

4. Community pharmacies (maybe): Certain specialty drugs are not subject to a limited network of distributors, which are usually a handful of specialty pharmacies. If a few Part B drugs are moved to open network Part D coverage, some community pharmacies may earn additional revenue selling these drugs, especially in jurisdictions with 'any willing pharmacy' laws.

As for pharmaceutical manufacturers, it really depends on the specifics of the policy change. Some may be winners, while others would be counted as losers."

Dave Fitzhenry. Managing Partner of Trinity Partners: "The short-term winners in Trump's plan to lower drug prices are pharmaceutical companies, PBMs and biosimilar manufacturers. However, when looking at long-term winners, it's important to acknowledge that the industry needs to make changes in terms of the cost and quality of healthcare in the U.S. There has been a shift in the balance of power from the life sciences industry to payers and PBMs, and this has an effect on moderating net price increases. Ultimately, the industry is still challenged with translating savings for consumers, and until that is accomplished, consumers will not feel like they're winning.



During the speech, President Trump referenced policies already enacted that will save seniors millions. He was likely referring to a ruling enacted as of January that made dramatic payment cuts to 340B hospitals by CMS. And while this decision is still being fought through the legal system, it is a clear blow to hospitals that depended on that reimbursement to fund operations."

Michael Rea. CEO and Founder of Rx Savings Solutions: "The elimination of rebates would reshape the industry. The market would move from pharmaceutical companies buying patient access where inferior drugs can dominate from a sales standpoint to one where cost effectiveness  common sense  would take over.

We need a 'market' where information flows freely and transparently. Everyone who currently makes money when higher priced drugs go out the door should be worried  pharma, wholesalers and PBMs.

Consumers need to be 'empowered' to be consumers. We do it in every other facet of our life with every product we buy. Why we don't do it for medications in lunacy. Consumers need to be able to obtain information about not only price, but also therapy options. Drugs that work best and are at prices patients can afford would be the new leaders. This shouldn't be surprising; that is what happens in a free market."

Cheryl Larson. President and CEO of Midwest Business Group on Health: "Since public and private employers pay for the majority of healthcare, 56 percent, in the U.S. today, we are disappointed to see that the blueprint did not place a priority on the use of pharmacy benefit management drug rebates, putting it in the 'Further Consideration' category of the recommendations. It's alarming that restricting or removing rebates is not seen as an immediate priority and this will continue to negatively affect employers as pharmacy spend is one of their key cost drivers. Employers shoulder the burden of the rising costs by all stakeholders in the supply chain, especially PBMs. Without placing a high priority on rebates and taking immediate action to address other chronic, egregious behaviors that directly impact healthcare purchasers, PBMs and players in the middle will continue to take advantage of the marketplace as they have for far too long. Employers need to work together and serve as catalysts in the way drugs are paid for and delivered to get rid of waste and misuse in the system."

Thomas Parry, PhD. President of the Integrated Benefits Institute: "The remarkable thing about the conversation about drugs in particular, and health generally, is that no one is discussing the real underlying issue  declining health in the U.S. It matters little how we change drug prices, adjust deductibles for health plans or adopt consumerism strategies unless we directly address how to improve health and more fully understand all the outcomes that flow from that improvement."
Felix Ehrat, the top lawyer at Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, has decided to step down from his role over the drugmaker's $1.2 million payment to President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen for healthcare policy lobbying services.

Mr. Ehrat, who has been Novartis' group general counsel since 2011, made the decision to retire "in the context of discussions" surrounding the payment to President Trump's personal lawyer.

"Although the contract was legally in order, it was an error. As a co-signatory with our former CEO, I take personal responsibility to bring the public debate on this matter to an end," Mr. Ehrat said in a statement.

Novartis has faced public outrage in recent weeks over its payment to Essential Consultants, a company founded by Mr. Cohen in 2016. According to earlier reports, Essential Consultants reached out to Novartis in February 2017, promising senior officials access to President Trump if they contracted with their company. Novartis agreed to a $100,000 per month contract for one-year with Essentials Consultants.

Shannon Thyme Klinger, currently the chief ethics, risk and compliance officer at Novartis, will be appointed group general council, effective June 1.
Bugs in Pennsylvania's new electronic physician licensing system have officials at some of the state's biggest hospitals worried about potential staffing shortages come July 1, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In the eight weeks the electronic system has been up and running, 17 percent of the state's 9,600 physician trainees have been credentialed, according to the report. Medical residents, who typically begin their work year July 1 and make up roughly 20 percent of the state's physicians, cannot practice and study medicine without a license. The process was previously done using U.S. mail.

"No question, patient care would be compromised if any more than a small number are not licensed," said Jeffrey S. Berns, MD, associate dean for graduate medical education and professor of pediatrics at Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine. "It would be chaotic."

The Pennsylvania Department of State, which provides administrative support to the State Board of Medicine, which is responsible for licensing physicians, told the publication the electronic system went through a rocky rollout. However, glitches in the system have been fixed and the state department is now processing 1,400 licensing applications per week.

A State Department official told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the department is sensitive to the fact residents' careers and livelihoods may be affected by the licensing delays, but said the department has "been responsive" to the ordeal.

A total of 1,600 physician trainee licenses had been issued as of May 10. Of the applications received by the State Department, 530 were sent back to residents because of "discrepancies," such as name changes or insufficient proof of mandated opioid education completion, according to the State Department.

Some residency program coordinators acknowledged to the publication that delays existed in the old licensing process. However, they claimed the digital system's rollout in mid-March came with little warning and eliminated coordinators' ability to review residents' license paperwork before submitting it to the state, the report states.

To access the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report, click here.
Heritage Valley Health System, a two-hospital system in Beaver, Pa., announced its intent to affiliate with Kennedy Township, Pa.-based Ohio Valley Hospital May 14.

Here are four things to know about the affiliation.

1. The boards of both organizations signed a letter of intent to affiliate and have entered a period of due diligence to work toward signing a definitive agreement.

2. Officials expect to finalize the definitive agreement in fall 2018.

3. Ohio Valley Hospital's board of directors has been searching for a potential affiliate or partner for the past eight months.

4. Through the proposed affiliation, Ohio Valley Hospital will have the opportunity to enhance its medical staff and expand its clinical services.
Becker's Hospital Review reported on the following hospital-union events  including protests, legal issues and elections  since April 27.

1. Pennsylvania hospital nurses allege unsafe staffing levels,

Pottstown (Pa.) Hospital nurses picketed May 8, alleging there are safety issues at the facility.

2. University of California hospital workers begin strike May 7: 8 things to know

Unionized University of California service workers at hospitals and college campuses began a three-day strike May 7 amid contract negotiations. The workers are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299.

3. More unions join UC workers' strike: 5 things to know

A University of California workers' strike widened May 8 as members of the University Professional and Technical Employees and California Nurses Association walked off their jobs in solidarity.

4. Shasta Regional Medical Center workers vote to unionize

Healthcare workers at Shasta Regional Medical Center in Redding, Calif., voted in favor of unionization May 1.

5. California hospital's dress code violates NLRB rules

The National Labor Relations Board determined policies requiring that direct patient care providers wear hospital-approved pins and hospital-branded badge reels at Long Beach (Calif.) Medical Center violate the National Labor Relations Act.

6. Kaiser workers to protest at hospitals across California: 10 things to know

Healthcare workers plan to protest sporadically from May 1-18 at 33 hospitals owned by Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente.
A Texas physician was charged in a recently unsealed indictment for his role in a $240 million healthcare fraud scheme that involved falsely diagnosing patients with various degenerative diseases and then administering chemotherapy and other toxic drugs to patients based on the false diagnoses, according to the Department of Justice.

In addition to falsely diagnosing patients, Jorge Zamora-Quezada, MD, and his co-conspirators allegedly conducted a battery of fraudulent and excessive medical procedures on patients to increase revenue and support Dr. Zamora-Quezada's "lavish and opulent lifestyle," according to the DOJ. They allegedly concealed the fraud by creating fictitious patient records and hiding thousands of medical records from Medicare by stashing them in a dilapidated barn.

According to the DOJ, Dr. Zamora-Quezada and his co-conspirators used the proceeds from the fraud scheme to purchase private jets, luxury vehicles, clothing from high-end retailers and real estate, including two penthouses in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; a condominium in Aspen, Colo., a condominium in Punta Mita, Mexico; and multiple homes and commercial properties in Texas.

Dr. Zamora-Quezada is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, five counts of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The indictment seeks the forfeiture of Dr. Zamora-Quezada's personal jet, Maserati, and multiple residential and commercial properties in the U.S., according to the DOJ.

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A federal jury convicted a Texas man for his role in a multimillion dollar scheme to defraud Cerner, the EHR vendor, by conspiring to impersonate the company in business and legal activities, the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Western District of Missouri said in a May 15 news release.

Suresh Mitta claimed to be the chief technology officer for several organizations owned by Albert Davis, who led the scheme and pleaded guilty to his role in a separate but related case. Mr. Mitta, Mr. Davis and four other conspirators exploited Cerner's reputation in the healthcare industry to manipulate business transactions and court proceedings for the conspirators' benefit. Between Aug. 25, 2008, and Feb. 19, 2015, several victims lost millions of dollars. .

The conspirators created a fake Cerner business, dubbed Cerner LLC, which they used to open a fake Cerner bank account, register a fake Cerner internet domain and lease virtual office space for a fake Cerner address in Kansas City, Mo. They fabricated documents, price quotes, agreements and invoices that appeared to be legitimate Cerner documents. They also developed fake Cerner employees, as well as fake physicians and respected leaders to support the counterfeit business and its products.

As part of the scheme, the fake Cerner attempted to sell a purported newly developed MRI system to Dallas Medical Center. To get the medical center to move more quickly on the deal, the conspirators created fake email accounts for prominent Dallas cardiologists to drum up demand for the MRI system. Believing the company was the real Cerner, the medical center paid the conspirators more than $1 million for a device it never received.

Court documents show the DMC scheme was just a small part of the fraud Mr. Davis, Mr. Mitta and their co-conspirators committed. The conspirators also solicited millions of dollars in investments from physicians and other investors by using made-up communications and documents from entities they created, including false financial documents, altered MRI images and false claims. They also brought a lawsuit against Korean company ISOL Technology, acting as Cerner, in 2014 and a jury awarded the the conspirators $24 million.

In addition to the scheme, the conspirators provided false and misleading information and testimony during the litigation of several lawsuits.

Mr. Mitta faces up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, and Mr. Davis was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $19 million in restitution. The other four co-conspirators have pleaded guilty and been sentenced in separate but related cases.

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Whistle-blower litigation against Insys Therapeutics alleging kickbacks for fentanyl prescriptions has reached the national level, according to a Reuters report.

Here are five things to know.

1. The U.S. Justice Department has joined the civil litigation, as have the states of California, Colorado, Indiana, New York, North Carolina and Virginia, according to the report, which cites a filing in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

2. At issue in the litigation is an alleged scheme in which Insys induced physicians to prescribe Subsys  its fentanyl-based spray. The federal government contends the alleged scheme involved speaker program fees as well as meals in exchange for the prescribing of the spray. It also alleges physicians prescribed Subsys when it was not medically necessary and that patients' diagnoses were misrepresented, all of which resulted in reimbursement from Medicare and other federal healthcare programs, reports Reuters.

3. Insys did not have any immediate comment when contacted by Reuters.

4. The civil litigation is not the only legal issue involving Insys. There are also related criminal cases against medical practitioners and former executives and sales representatives employed by the company, according to the report.

5. The Justice Department has sought to delay the civil litigation until there is resolution in the criminal cases.

Read the full Reuters report here.

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A patient's family is suing Geneva, Ill.-based Delnor Hospital and the patient's physician for allegedly failing to follow protocols that aim to recognize patients at risk of becoming addicted to pain medications, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Linda Svanstrom died in February 2017 due to a toxic mix of prescription painkillers, according to an autopsy cited by the Tribune. After her mother's death, Ms. Svanstrom's daughter, Nina Koehler, sued the hospital and her mother's physician, Zbigniew Ciechanowski, MD.

The lawsuit, which was filed the week of May 6, alleges Dr. Ciechanowski and other Delnor Hospital physicians did not identify the signs of Ms. Svanstrom's drug addiction that were evident in hospital records. It also alleges Dr. Ciechanowski repeatedly prescribed drugs to Ms. Svanstrom without recording the prescriptions in a state-mandated database. The database allows physicians to determine how frequently and how much medication has been given to a specific patient.

Additionally, the suit claims Dr. Ciechanowski should have recognized Ms. Svanstrom was abusing the medications he prescribed. Ms. Svanstrom called Dr. Ciechanowski for medication about 100 times in the seven months he treated her before her death, the suit claims.

Ms. Koehler told the Tribune she did not learn about Dr. Ciechanowski until after her mother died, when she saw his name on her mother's numerous prescriptions. Ms. Koehler said she thinks her mother's death could have been avoided if the physicians and hospital staff monitored how often she was receiving the drugs and had entered them into the database to alert other healthcare providers of the amount of painkillers she received.

"I don't want this to happen to other people," Ms. Koehler said. "My mother isn't what anyone would picture as an addict. I feel like it could happen to anyone."

A spokesperson for Chicago-based Northwestern Medicine, which includes Delnor Hospital, told the Tribune the medical group does not comment on pending litigation. Dr. Ciechanowski could not be reached for comment.
Springfield, Ga.-based Effingham Health System has agreed to pay $4.1 million to resolve allegations that it failed to provide procedures to protect against theft and loss of controlled substances, leading to opioid diversion, according to a statement released from the health system May 16.

The health system also allegedly failed to report the suspected diversion to the Drug Enforcement Administration in a timely manner. It is the country's largest penalty settlement of its kind, according to WTOC-TV.

The DEA began investigating Effingham Health System in 2017 after receiving reports of diversion.

"DEA determined that tens of thousands of oxycodone 30mg tablets were unaccounted for and were believed to have been diverted over more than a four-year period, in violation of the hospital's responsibilities under the Controlled Substances Act," a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office obtained by WTOC-TV stated.

"DEA also determined that Effingham Health System failed to notify DEA of the suspected diversion within the time required by federal law," the statement reads.

Effingham's statement said the health system "cooperated with the DEA's investigation and, prior to this investigation, overhauled its pharmacy operations to help ensure that it will avoid diversions in the future."

The statement said Effingham cooperated with DEA and the U.S. Attorney's Office to develop a plan to address the deficiencies in how the health system handled controlled substances.

The components of the plan include quarterly internal accountability audits and requirements to keep detailed records that track all controlled substances within the hospital, according to the statement.

"We appreciate the cooperative nature of the United States Attorney's Office and Drug Enforcement Agency, for recognizing the efforts put forth since 2016 to improve pharmacy operations," said Fran Baker-Witt, RN, CEO of Effingham Health System. "We were dismayed to find, through this investigation, vulnerabilities in our prior record- keeping and reporting systems."

"This settlement is not an admission of liability, but in the spirit of cooperation, it has allowed us to avoid extensive legal expenses and costs related to an ongoing investigation," the statement reads. "It assures that an ongoing investigation will not interrupt, or compromise, the care we provide our patients."

Over the last two years, the health system has been transforming protocols, including hiring new pharmacy leadership and implementing electronic inventory systems that protect order integrity, track inventory and dispense medications.
An independent federal study found President Donald Trump's planned expansion of short-term health plans will see higher enrollment and cost more than previously predicted, according to The New York Times.

Here are four things to know from the report.

1. The short-term policies have skimpier protections than employer-based and ACA marketplace insurance, as they aren't required to provide benefits like maternity care, prescription drug coverage and preventive care. In February, President Trump's administration projected a few hundred thousand Americans would sign up for the short-term plans.

2. However, a recent study from CMS' Chief Actuary Paul Spitalnic pegs enrollment at 1.4 million people in the first year of the policy, and 1.9 million by 2022, according to the NYT.



3. President Trump's administration also predicted the short-term plans would cost the government between $96 million and $168 million annually. But Mr. Spitalnic's report estimates that cost will be much higher, at $1.2 billion in 2019 and $38.7 billion over the next decade. The costs would rise as healthier individuals exit the ACA marketplace for less expensive short-term plans, leaving a costlier risk pool in their wake that would increase premiums and subsidies for remaining individual policyholders.



4. Mr. Spitalnic did acknowledge on average the short-term policies would cost, at $340 a month, much less than a $600 unsubsidized monthly premium for an ACA marketplace plan, according to the NYT.



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Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., broke Florida law by failing to inform regulators about two serious medical errors, according to the Tampa Bay Times, which cited a report from the Agency for Health Care Administration.

AHCA inspectors visited All Children's Hospital in April after a Tampa Bay Times article detailed problems in the hospital's heart surgery unit, including two cases in which surgical needles had been left in children.

In addition to failing to report the medical errors to regulators, the AHCA cited the hospital for failing to tell the parents of one patient about an object left in their child after surgery, according to the report.

Although the copy of the AHCA report released to the Tampa Bay Times was redacted to remove identifying information, details in the report match the medical records of a baby who was discharged from All Children's Hospital with a needle in her heart in 2016. The needle was later removed during an unrelated procedure at another hospital, and the baby's parents settled with All Children's Hospital out of court for $50,000.

In a statement issued May 15 to the Tampa Bay Times, All Children's Hospital said it would comply with the AHCA's findings.

"We may also seek clarification so that we are absolute in our compliance for appropriate reporting," the statement said. "We want to stress to our community that we have been modifying, updating and improving our processes during the two years since these events and we feel confident that these measures will ensure better care and better communications for our patients and families."

In April, All Children's Hospital CEO Jonathan Ellen, MD, told the Tampa Bay Times the hospital's Heart Institute had experienced "challenges." In response to these issues, Dr. Ellen said the institute cut its number of operations and stopped performing some complicated surgeries.

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Physicians and patient advocates allege a significant decline in medical care occurred at Tulare (Calif.) Regional Medical Center  which closed in October 2017  while under Healthcare Conglomerate Associates' control. Critics believe this care decline resulted in the endangerment and deaths of patients, according to The Business Journal.

Here are five things to know.

1. HCCA took control of TRMC in 2014, according to the Visalia Times-Delta. Under the group's oversight, the hospital allegedly relied on insufficient equipment that needed repairs. However, physicians claim TRMC was unable to install new equipment due to the hospital's poor credit for failing to pay vendors.

2. Lonnie Smith, MD, who was a physician at TRMC from 1994 to 2016 and served on the Tulare Local Healthcare District Board of Directors from 2006 to 2012, said the hospital's oral suction machine would sometimes malfunction during a case. In some instances, Dr. Smith said he had to cancel or reschedule cases with patients due to equipment issues. Several other reports claim the hospital's equipment was taped together, according to Citizens for Hospital Accountability in Tulare, an advocacy group dedicated to uncovering potential patient safety issues and looking into hospital boards.

3. Equipment issues and the hospital's ongoing issues with staffing shortages may have contributed to two TRMC patients' deaths, according to an investigation by the California Department of Public Health. The department alleged patients were wheeled out during their surgeries so staff could work on other cases due to a lack of operating room personnel.

4. TRMC's practices eventually came under the scrutiny of the hospital's medical executive committee, which was reportedly fired in January 2016, according to Citizens for Hospital Accountability and Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith alleged HCCA replaced the MEC with leaders who had problems with the old committee. The new MEC put in charge resulted in provisional status for the hospital's physicians.

5. Now, Tulare hospital administrators are taking out a $500,000 loan following approval by the board, which is the closed hospital's fourth money-borrowing move over the last two months, according to the Visalia Times-Delta.
It took only a few hours for a Dallas County jury to convict neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, MD, of first-degree felony for endangering an elderly woman in the operating room, the Sarasota Legal Examiner reports.

Back in 2013, the Texas Medical Board stripped Dr. Duntsch of his medical licenses after a series of botched surgeries that left two patients dead, four unable to walk and many others with surgical waste left inside them. The Dallas police then began investigating Dr. Duntsch, and in 2015 the neurosurgeon was arrested. Dr. Duntsch was indicted on five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a single count of harming an elderly woman. Prosecutors only sough a single charge of endangering a patient.

Prosecutors laid out a case describing Dr. Duntsch as an egotistical neurosurgeon who not only was neglectful to patients but also intentionally harmed them. The patient who led to his conviction underwent a fusion on two vertebrae. However, the patient was left with chronic pain and immobile after the procedure.

The patient went to another orthopedic surgeon for a correction surgery. The surgeon found misplaced fusion hardware in the patient's soft muscle as well as severed nerve roots and misplaced screw holes on the opposite side of the patient's body.

Along with Dr. Duntsch's wrongdoings, the jury also learned of faults at Regional Medical Center at Plano (Texas). The center failed to alert the National Practitioners Databank after one of Dr. Duntsch's patients bled to death.

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis also allowed Dr. Duntsch to practice after completing his residency and medical school despite concerns over the surgeon's skills. Additionally, the Texas Medical Board let Dr. Duntsch keep his medical license for a year after it was notified of the problematic surgeries.

Three years after he was charged, Dr. Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison.
Northern Ireland's biggest dairy cooperative has said it will be reporting another strong year for members as the Balmoral Show begins.

Dale Farm spoke on the opening day of the agricultural event outside Lisburn - confirming that it's still in talks over a tie-in with cross-border co-op LacPatrick.

Chief executive Nick Whelan said: "We look forward to one of the key events in the agricultural calendar, Balmoral Show, against the backdrop of a strong financial year, which we will report in the coming weeks.

"Over the past 12 months, we have focused on an ambitious growth strategy to grow our presence across the UK and ultimately deliver the best possible milk price to our farmers at all times."

"In doing so, we have significantly strengthened our partnerships with major retail customers, bringing our products into the hands of more consumers than ever before.

"On a production level, we have invested into facilities and technology at our factories in Northern Ireland and Great Britain, resulting in increased operating efficiencies.

"Most importantly, this is good news for the backbone of Dale Farm - our farmer members, who continue to drive the cooperative's success by supplying us with the highest quality milk."

And he said Dale Farm will have a major presence at the show.

Last month Dale Farm confirmed it was in the running for a partnership with LacPatrick, which has around 700 farmer suppliers of milk in the border counties of Northern Ireland.

But a spokeswoman for Dale Farm said that there was no further update after its chief executive "commented that Dale Farm has formally entered into a process, with a view to a potential strategic collaboration".

Dale Farm is owned by more than 1,300 dairy farmers across the UK. It has 10 sites across the UK and brands including Dale Farm Milk, Dale Farm Ice Cream, Dromona, Spelga, Fivemiletown, Mullins Ice Cream, Rowan Glen and Loseley.

A LacPatrick spokesman said there was no further update on the process of entering a partnership with another dairy business.

"As a commercially sensitive process has commenced, it would be inappropriate to comment on any third party."

It's understood that as well as Dale Farm, LacPatrick is also in talks with Irish dairy giant Glanbia, as well as cross-border, Cavan-based co-op Lakeland, and Aurivo in the west of Ireland.

Last month LacPatrick announced that its board had "agreed on pursing a number of strategic options with a view to identifying the best way forward that is in the interest of its suppliers, shareholders, staff and customers. This may or may not include partnerships, joint ventures, mergers and other opportunities to consolidate the dairy industry."

LacPatrick also confirmed that it will have a presence at the show. A spokesman said it would be present to address the concerns of suppliers. "We are looking forward to engaging with suppliers at the show.

"It's the main calendar event for the vast majority of farmers and a great opportunity to meet them and listen to their concerns and put forward as to why we're in that process of a strategic partnership."

This year's Balmoral Show is tipped to attract around 115,000 visitors over four days. And it will be the first year for the show to take place with new chief executive Alan Crowe at the helm of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society.
Fast-food delivery service Deliveroo is expanding into three new locations in Northern Ireland, it's been claimed.

East Antrim DUP MP Sammy Wilson said he has met the company in London to hear about its plans.

He said it will expand into Bangor, Lisburn and Londonderry. Its fleet of self-employed cyclists already operate in Belfast.

Mr Wilson said: "I am pleased that NI has been targeted for expansion and hope that the new jobs, opportunities for restaurants and service to customers will be a boost to our economy."

A spokesman for Deliveroo said: "We're currently assessing various towns across NI, but have nothing fully confirmed."
From left: James Eyre, commercial director at Titanic Quarter, Karl McCrum, sales and marketing manager at Neill's Flour, and Andrew Gawley, associate director at Lisney Belfast

Local company Neill's Flour is expanding its operations to include a large 16,000 sq ft unit at the Titanic Quarter's Channel Commercial Park.

The firm, which has been part of the Primark parent company Associated British Foods ABF since the 1960s, celebrated its 150th year at College Place North last year.

Two other businesses occupied premises at Titanic Quarter recently. Noblett's of North Street, a family-run painting and decorating business, occupied a 7,500 sq ft premises as part of an expansion of its city centre operations.

Actavo, an international engineering solutions company, occupied an additional 4,900 sq ft premises.

The move by Neill's Flour comes as the demand for its products increases because of a rise in the popularity of home baking.

Last year the business said it was planning new products including home-baking kits for gluten-free Madeira-style cakes, sponge cakes and other products.

The company is now looking ahead and the new warehouse is just one of several major plans for the future.

The unit, which will allow the business to store finished flour products, has a portal frame warehouse and on-site car parking.

ABF Grain Products Limited trades as Neill's Flour and is a well-known producer of flours and mixes for baking.

Karl McCrum, sales and marketing manager at Neill's Flour, ABF Grain Products Limited, said: "When we started looking for extra storage space, our priority was to make sure that we were as close to our city centre operations as we could be.

"Belfast city centre has been home to us since 1867 and we continue to produce many of our products here. Having a new warehouse nearby was essential.

"Titanic Quarter's Channel Commercial Park offered us the size and scale of storage space we need as we grow."

The Titanic Quarter attracts a diverse range of businesses keen to base and expand their operations.

James Eyre, commercial director at the Titanic Quarter, said: "Neill's Flour is a fantastic addition to Channel Commercial Park and we are delighted to support the company's expansion.

"Having one of the leading local food production companies secure space with us demonstrates the versatility of the offering we have.

"The high quality of the units and the strategic location, which is so close to Neill's Flour's long-established mill in the city centre, has proven to be of great appeal as the business grows."

Commercial property agents Lisney and CBRE have been jointly appointed by Titanic Quarter to market Channel Commercial Park. Andrew Gawley, associate director at Lisney Belfast, said: "We're excited to add Neill's Flour to the roster at the park.

"We're not surprised at the growing number of high-profile occupiers making Channel Commercial Park their home.

"The scale and convenience of the park makes it very attractive to a wide range of potential occupiers and the units have a huge appeal to a host of different industries, from warehousing to manufacturing and from logistics to film and TV production.

"Presently we've a limited number of units available, so we would urge those interested to make enquires as soon as possible to avoid disappointment."

Belfast's Titanic Quarter is one of Europe's largest urban-waterfront regeneration projects.
'Businesses will have the chance to network and trade with each other, connect with the airport's supply chain and meet with Invest NI to explore exporting opportunities' (stock photo)

Companies in Northern Ireland are preparing to pitch their business to major suppliers at Heathrow Airport.

Firms will get a chance to meet the airport's biggest suppliers at the first ever Heathrow Business Summit to be held in Northern Ireland on June 20.

In collaboration with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Belfast summit will help businesses take advantage of the work being spread across the UK both now and during construction of a new runway at Heathrow, and its associated infrastructure.

Businesses will have the chance to network and trade with each other, connect with the airport's supply chain and meet with Invest NI to explore exporting opportunities.

They will also be able to meet with local colleges to discuss skills and recruitment needs.

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Ann McGregor said: "Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry is delighted to be working with Heathrow to deliver the airport's first ever Business Summit for Northern Ireland.

"The event will offer local SMEs the opportunity to connect and trade face-to-face with Heathrow's supply chain, forging links with some of the UK's largest organisations and obtaining insight into their procurement processes.

"We encourage businesses to express their interest as soon as possible so we can match them to the requirements outlined by the supply chain companies."

"Attendees will also have an opportunity to meet with a range of exhibitor partners focused on supporting businesses to connect and build trading relationships, including NI Chamber, Invest NI and local councils," she added.

The Belfast City route is Heathrow's busiest for domestic cargo, with over 270,000kg of high-value Northern Irish exports travelling through the London airport on their way to clients around the world every year.

In addition, Londonderry, for example, is named on Flybe's indicative route map, showing new routes the airline would look to operate from an expanded Heathrow.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said: "Businesses in Northern Ireland will have the opportunity to seek a host of opportunities as a result of this summit being held in Belfast.

"Northern Ireland is on the map as a great place to do business."
Assumed you'd need to travel to a far-flung destination for a taste of the exotic? Think again. For BBC Two's newest travelogue, Wild Escapes, is doing its bit to encourage holidaymakers to shun eye-watering price tags and extensive journey times in favour of three-day exploits closer to home.

The rules: the flight time must be less than three hours from the UK and flights must cost under 100 per person, per leg.

And if the pilot episode is anything to go by, its bid is looking promising.

Putting Anita Rani and JJ Chalmers in the driving seat, the feel-good show follows the presenting duo on their first adventure to Italy's stunning Dolomite Mountains.

Judging by their madcap itinerary - from dangling off the side of a 2,300m peak to a 'farmer's spa' experience (think hay bath!) and riotous festivals - it's one trip they're unlikely to forget.

"The Dolomites are just so surprising, beautiful and unexpected," recalls Rani (40) excitedly.

"Whilst I was there filming the programme, I just kept thinking, 'I must come back here with friends and family and my husband', because it's so easy to get to and so doable."

She follows: "I'm loving it, especially because I do go to places miles away to try and find that isolation, but it's difficult now in the age of Instagram. (And) people don't always have the luxury of taking two or three weeks out."

"The fact of the matter is we're all restricted by time or money these days," concurs Chalmers (30).

"So the opportunity to cram something in and just say, 'I'm going to go off and do this for a weekend', is pretty much how life works."

How did the Scottish father-of-one fare on this occasion?

"I'm the kind of guy that likes to burn the candle at both ends and blowtorch the middle if I can," he quips, admitting it's not an entirely relaxing break.

"Although there were lovely moments, nice dinners and feet up here and there, you probably won't come back feeling physically refreshed, but it's good for the soul.

"You come back feeling rejuvenated," he adds. "Especially if you've had a hay bath!"

"The 'Alpine spa'?" Bradford-born Rani jokes. "The (producers) did say, 'Pack a cozzie just in case. Do you like spas?' So in my head I'm thinking, 'If they're going to take us to a spa, that's brilliant'.

"I was not expecting to be in Sweeney Todd's back room!" she says giggling. "Spa or abattoir?"

Unusual therapies aside, a highlight for Chalmers in particular was tackling the Dolomites' famous climbing route, the via ferrata.

"I'm that history geek, so whenever I go to a part of the world, particularly in Europe, I like to find out the history of the warfare that's been there etc," maintains the former Royal Marine-turned-TV presenter, who was left fighting for his life after a bomb blast in Afghanistan in 2011.

Of witnessing the untouched trenches, he adds: "I have a deep-rooted appreciation for it because whilst their experiences were far more extreme than what I endured, the experience is very similar.

"Outside of that, I loved the food and I loved the people. I loved all of it."

The company wasn't bad either. Both self-confessed explorers, Rani ("I find it very hard to sit still") and Chalmers ("I'm a fan of adventure, whether that's long or short") were the perfect companions for the job.

"It was just a great break to go away, get to know Anita and have a blast with her," Chalmers says.

"She was really good fun and ultimately she was up for absolutely anything, so the two of us just got stuck into every opportunity.

"I guess that's why me and JJ work well together," agrees Countryfile host, Rani. "JJ is very easy to get on with and we're both very open-minded, so it works."

Could either of them leave the rat race behind, go off-grid, for good?

"Not yet, I'm having too much fun," Rani says candidly. "East London is great and actually it feels like a nice little village, even though London is the big smoke full of millions of people.

"At some point maybe in the future, but right now I am happy to base myself in London and travel to remote, isolated places for holidays and Countryfile!"

"I'm lucky, I live in Edinburgh, but I am in and out of London every two to three days," Chalmers adds. "I love my life at the moment; I'm making this up as I go along and holding on for dear life."

He follows: "But clearly with my background in the Marines, my heart belongs outdoors, whatever climate that is in.

"So to go to the mountains, particularly, which are just so beautiful, rugged and slightly dangerous...," he finishes. "It's hard to drag yourself away at the end of it."

Wild Escapes, BBC Two, Friday May 25, 7pm
The Royal Wedding date is set and all eyes are on Prince Harry and his Mrs To Be, Meghan Markle.

For weeks there has been speculation on the menu, the dress, the honeymoon, the guests and the not-guests but one thing is for certain, most will have to enjoy the excitement of the day from afar.

However, that doesnt mean we cant make the celebration a memorable experience, it is the weekend after all.

Bangor-based Longbridge Drinks Company has just recently revitalised ginger ale, introducing an artisan blend of the classic mineral.

Interestingly, ginger ale is known to have had its roots in Belfast with chemists, Grattan & Co. awarded credit for introducing the first carbonated ginger ale in the 1800s.

Now however, Longbridge has brought back the forgotten original Belfast recipe handcrafting the special blend in small batches.

Whats more, it has created Royal Wedding-inspired cocktails allowing us to incorporate a dash of Belfast charm to our toast to the happy couple.

Founder of Longbridge Drinks, Wayne Adair said: The Royal Wedding, whilst not for everyone still serves as an excuse to get friends and family round this weekend and enjoy the excitement of the day.

The Royal Wedding, and more particularly the Royal Couple offered us the perfect opportunity to experiment with the first offering in our range, Belfast Ginger Ale.

"Weve used American classics to symbolise Meghans heritage and used our ginger ale as a nod to not just Harrys recognisable red locks but his refreshing, unique and once fiery personality.

To enjoy a Longbridge Drinks Royal Wedding inspired tipple, simply follow the steps below.

Expand Close The Flaming Red / Facebook

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The Flaming Red

The Flaming Red is a fiery but refreshing mix of Americas favourite spirit, bourbon and ginger ale celebrating not just Harrys enviable hair but the marriage of two classic flavours.

Ingredients

Longbridge Belfast Ginger Ale

35ml Bulleit Bourbon Whiskey (or your favourite bourbon)

Fresh lime to garnish

Method

Pour the bourbon into an ice-filled high ball glass. Top up with ginger ale and garnish with a squeeze and a wedge of fresh lime.

For more information on Longbridge Drinks visit www.longbridgedrinks.com. Please enjoy responsibly, for more information, visit www.drinkaware.co.uk.
The site of the new Family Centre on Alliance Avenue. Credit: Google.

North Belfast is set to get a new family and womens centre, after a 2m community project was given the green light at Belfast City Council last night.

The project is the work of Grace Womens Development, a charitable, non-profit organisation, established as the Ardoyne Womens Group in 1984.

Named the Grace Family Centre, the new site will provide training and educational opportunities for women and families in the area and construction will begin in September.

Situated in Alliance Avenue in the Ardoyne area of the city, the site is currently vacant and was previously owned by the Housing Executive.

According to plans filed with BCC, the two-storey centre will also feature indoor and outdoor play areas, in addition to creche facilities.

The proposal is for a two-storey building which will comprise the community facilities which are sub-divided into three main areas to ensure secure/good management of the child welfare element along with the ability to maximise the use of the community facilities and social enterprise facilities (cafe), the plans read.

The layout is designed to maximise the flexibility of the building to operate in a secure manner outside of core hours, without having to open the complete building.

Internally the systems to manage heating, electricity, lighting, etc. will also have in-built design flexibility to accommodate a multi-use approach to the building.

Sally Smyth, project coordinator with Grace Womens Development, said everyone working behind the scenes is over the moon to see the development go ahead.

This project has been more than eight years in the making, so honestly, we just couldnt be happier to see it finally happen, she added.

Expand Close Plans for the first floor of the new Family Centre in north Belfast. / Facebook

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The centre will really make a difference to all the women and families in the area and we cant wait to get started.

Sinn Fein Councillor Ryan Murphy has welcomed the decision by Belfast City Council to grant planning approval to the Grace Women's Development Centre

The Oldpark Cllr said: I am delighted to hear that the Grace Women's Development Centre has been granted planning approval last night in council.

This 2m investment will take them out of the community centre and give them a home of their own. It will also create much-needed jobs and deliver services in the local area.

The Grace Women's Development Centre provides support for local women of all ages and their families and this development will give the centre greater capacity to deliver more training with a computer suite going in to the new building. ENDS/CRIOCH
A man accused of murdering a pensioner in his own home may have used a plastic bag as a mask, a court has heard.

Michael Owens (34) appeared at Antrim Magistrates Court via videolink from Maghaberry prison. A prosecuting lawyer said an update on preliminary forensic results from a plastic bag gave "extremely strong support" to the case and related to the "mouth and handle of the bag".

"There is no return date at present for the outstanding forensic reports," she told the court, adding that these included "fingernail scrapings".

Owens, from the Lisburn Road in Glenavy, is in custody charged with the murder of popular retired Antrim Grammar School teacher,, on January 28 this year.

He is further accused with the burglary of Mr Flowerday's home on December 6 last year.

The body of the 64 year-old was found at his home on the Mill Road in Crumlin on January 28 after police called to his house because a member of the public raised concerns.

Previous court sittings have heard claims that former teacher Mr Flowerday (inset) sustained injuries "of the most horrific nature" and that there was a preliminary finding of a "positive DNA" result which allegedly connects Owens "to the murder scene".

In court yesterday, defence solicitor Tony Caher highlighted that on a previous court date, a Detective Sergeant Walsh mentioned a preliminary DNA report on "an item"which allegedly connected Owens to the scene.

"Now we are all told that it's a bag," he said, revealing that there were also "28 other items".

Mr Caher told District Judge Nigel Broderick he had "real concerns" over a plastic bag which "appears to have been utilised to act as a mask" and pointed out that this bag was "referred to by another witness late in the day".

Remanding Owens back into custody, Judge Broderick adjourned the case to May 29.
The Northern Ireland Civil Service has announced it will appeal a High Court ruling that civil servants acted above their station in granting approval for a major incinerator on the outskirts of Belfast.

A high court judge ruled on Monday that the decision to approve the incinerator in a disused quarry at Hightown in Mallusk was "unlawful".

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Mrs Justice Keegan backed claims a senior civil servant did not have legal power to approve the 240m waste disposal facility, ruling the collapse of Stormont was not "adequate justification".

The judgement had wider ramifications for government in Northern Ireland with TUV leader Jim Allister warning Secretary of State Karen Bradley that any major decisions made by senior civil servants could face legal challenge.

However, the head of Civil Service in Northern Ireland, David Sterling, said it is important the law on what decisions Departments can and cannot take in the absence of Ministers is clarified.

Over the past 16 months, in the absence of Ministers, civil servants have been taking Departmental decisions on a number of issues so that public services can continue to be delivered as effectively as possible," he said.

We have been very clear that significant decisions about policy and the allocation of resources should be taken by democratically-accountable Ministers.

"But, in the absence of an Executive, civil servants have had to take the unusual step of taking decisions on some issues which would normally have been brought to Ministers for decision.

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We have been doing this reluctantly and only after taking legal advice. And we never expected, or wanted, to have to do this other than for a very short period of time.

Each decision has been taken on its own merits and senior officials have acted where they believed it was lawful to do so  where it was consistent with the direction of the previous Minister or necessary in the public interest that a decision be taken at the time.

The arc21 judgment has potentially wide-ranging implications for decision-making in the ongoing absence of Ministers.

"That is why it is important we obtain greater clarity on the legal position and why it is right for the Department For Infrastructure to seek to appeal.

A group of local residents, called NoARC21, had crowd funded their judicial review of the decision.

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Robin Swann MLA, commenting on the appeal, said: We agree with David Sterling that decisions should be taken by democratically-accountable Ministers.

"It is now time for Secretary of State Karen Bradley to step in and take a grip of this. It is totally farcical that civil servants are having to challenge a legal decision in order to provide clarity on what decisions they can make as they have been left adrift and without leadership.

If the Secretary of State cannot provide a clear pathway that sees the devolved institutions restored with local parties at the helm, then she must move to appoint UK Government Ministers.
Sinn Fein, the SDLP and Alliance wanted to open a book of condolence at Belfast City Hall.

Requests for Belfast City Council to open a book of condolence for those killed on the Gaza Strip on Monday are unlikely to be granted as the move does not garner all-party support, it has emerged.

Palestinian health officials say more than 100 Palestinians have been killed and 10,000 injured by Israeli troops over the past six weeks in protests along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

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Sixty protestors died on Monday alone, when almost 50,000 took part in demonstrations coinciding with the controversial relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Both the SDLP and Sinn Fein have submitted formal requests for a book of condolence to be opened, however per council procedure, for this to go ahead it would require the agreement of all political parties.

It is understood both the main unionist parties do not support the move.

Protests condemning the actions of the Israeli forces have taken place across the island of Ireland, and around the world, in recent days.

In a statement released on Tuesday night, Sinn Fein group leader at BCC, Deirdre Hargey, called on the councils chief executive, Suzanne Wylie, to contact other parties immediately with regards to their request.

I have requested that a book of condolence be opened in Belfast City Hall for the victims of the massacre carried out by Israeli forces on innocent Palestinians in Gaza, she said.

I hope that the other parties on Belfast City Council will support this request that will allow Belfast Citizens to show their solidarity with the people of Palestine.

The SDLP had already filed a similar request earlier on Tuesday, which council group leader Tim Attwood said was to mark the killings and injuries inflicted on the people of Gaza and to show sympathy for the loss of life.

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"I believe the people of Belfast are horrified at the appalling scenes in Gaza from which has cost too many lives, he added.

People in Belfast want to express their condolences and sympathies to all those who have been killed or maimed."

Alliances Michael Long said his party would support opening a book of condolence after Mondays tragic scenes on the Gaza Strip.

Regardless of your political persuasion, the loss of lives in such circumstances needs to be recognised, he added.

Both the Ulster Unionist party and the DUP did not respond to a request for comment.

It is understood an email outlining the requests for a book of condolence to be opened has been sent to all parties by council officials.
Arlene Foster said she wanted Brexit completed 'sooner rather than later'

Arlene Foster has said her party is not calling for a hard Brexit and is against any physical infrastructure on the border.

Speaking in London yesterday, the DUP leader said she wanted Northern Ireland to have a strong and positive relationship with both the Republic of Ireland and the EU.

She also stressed she had no problem with the Irish language and did not see it as threat to the Union or her unionism.

British values of "diversity and tolerance" meant there was a place for Irish culture in Northern Ireland, she said.

Mrs Foster was addressing what the DUP described as a business event.

She said she wanted Brexit completed "sooner rather than later" and in a common sense way.

"Some have asked if a sensible Brexit means we want a hard Brexit or if we prefer a soft Brexit," Mrs Foster said.

"When we say we want a sensible Brexit, we want to see the referendum result respected.

"We want all of the UK leaving the EU, thus giving us control of our laws, our money and our borders, but doing so in a way that achieves the best possible outcome for us.

"In Northern Ireland, we want to see no physical infrastructure on our border with our Republic of Ireland neighbours.

Mrs Foster said the DUP continued to work with the Government "to make sure the border issue is not used as an excuse to stop or water down" Brexit.

She re-stated her party's opposition to a border in the Irish Sea.

The DUP leader told her audience of her policeman father being shot by "the cowards of the IRA" because "he was proud to put that uniform on and defend democracy against terror".

Bullets and bombs could not "dampen our unionism and our Britishness," she said.

"I am hugely proud to be British, but our Britishness is about much more than the passport we hold. It cannot and should not be reduced down to a name or a badge," Mrs Foster stressed.

"It is about a shared history going back generations. Pride in a UK which ended the slave trade, was the home of the industrial revolution and which founded the welfare state.

"What knits us together isn't a common political creed, one religion or the same skin colour.

"We are bound together by a set of common values, like democracy, freedom, respect for the rule of law and tolerance for others."

Mrs Foster said while she would never permit "a situation where Irish is forced on anyone or becomes equivalent to English", she didn't see the language as "a threat to my unionism or the maintenance of the Union".

She continued: "I would be being utterly selective in my Britishness if I were to argue, as I do, that our diversity and tolerance of it is what makes the UK a success but at the same time say that there is no place for Irish culture."

Referring to the approaching centenary of the creation of the Northern Ireland state, Mrs Foster said it was "an anniversary many on all sides" may have thought would never happen.

"The bulk of our first 100 years has seen us either in actual conflict or arguing over our constitutional status. The next 100 years need not be the same," she added.

While Northern Ireland had benefited financially from the Union, the DUP leader's support for it didn't depend on economic arguments. The relationship of Northern Ireland people to the UK could not be judged just in terms of "pounds and pence", she said. "It is measured in the blood sacrifice at the Somme and Messines and across Flanders fields during the Great War," she said.

"It is measured in the enrichment of our cultural life made by writers like C. S. Lewis and Seamus Heaney."
The first unionist elected to the Irish Senate has revealed he was never tempted to join the Orange Order, and has voiced his support for same-sex marriage and a woman's right to choose on abortion.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Belfast Telegraph, Ian Marshall challenged both the DUP and Sinn Fein to stretch themselves politically in order to restore power-sharing.

He hit out at the DUP's criticism of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and urged Sinn Fein to think again about taking its seats in the House of Commons.

The former Ulster Farmers' Union president said he had no personal objection to an Irish Language Act.

Despite criticising some in her party, Mr Marshall named DUP leader Arlene Foster - along with Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle O'Neill - as the two local politicians who impressed him most. He said he found both women "straight-talking" and believed they could do business if hardline elements in their parties let them.

Mr Marshall said the media portrayal of Mrs Foster did not reflect the woman he knew. He also said he understood why Sinn Fein politicians attended IRA commemorations but warned there was a difference between "honouring the dead and glorifying terrorism".

The new senator was elected a fortnight ago after being nominated by Mr Varadkar. Sinn Fein was among the parties supporting him.

Mr Marshall said he had met no hostility from within the unionist community over his decision to sit in the Oireachtas.

The 49-year-old farmer from Markethill said he had grown up in a "traditional, rural Ulster Unionist family". His father was a farmer and his mother was a school-teacher.

He said: "When I was 17, I was approached about joining the Orange Order. I told my mum I was coming under a bit of pressure and asked her for advice. "She said neither my dad nor my granddad had been members and she didn't see the logic of me joining. After that, I was never tempted to join.

"Even at the height of the Troubles our house in south Armagh didn't have a Union Jack flying outside when many others did.

"The feeling at home was that we didn't have to put out a flag to prove we were good unionists. We were strong enough in our unionism not to do that."

Mr Marshall recalled as a schoolboy watching from the playground as an IRA car bomb devastated Markethill.

"We had family and friends serving in the security forces, although thankfully, none were killed," he added.

The unionist senator said he wouldn't criticise Sinn Fein politicians like Ms O'Neill or new West Tyrone MP Orfhlaith Begley for attending IRA commemorations.

"They are perfectly entitled to do so. Both communities must be given the space to remember their dead," he said.

"As a unionist, I attend Remembrance Sunday events to commemorate those killed in both World Wars and security force members who died in the Troubles.

"Republicans have the right to do exactly the same but I'd stress that it should be about commemorating the dead and not about glorifying terrorism. Republicans must be mindful of other people's opinions on this."

Although deeply interested in politics, Mr Marshall said he never wanted to join any particular political party as he was better placed to promote the agri-food industry as an independent voice.

He refused to rule out entering Northern Ireland politics when his term in the Senate expires, although he regretted that politics here was "too divided along orange and green lines".

But voicing his admiration for Mrs Foster, he said: "I worked with Arlene when she was Enterprise Minister and found her to be a warm, sincere person who wants to do the right thing.

"The media caricature of her does not resemble the woman I know. She got a rough deal from sensational press headlines. The coverage has been brutal and personalised.

"Arlene hasn't always got it right as I think she'd admit, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and who among us couldn't do better in future?

"I believe she can work with Michelle O'Neill and that she would be a fine First Minister for both unionists and nationalists in Northern Ireland."

Mr Marshall said he had worked with Ms O'Neill when she was Agriculture Minister.

"I found her trustworthy and pragmatic," he said. "Despite being diametrically opposed to each other politically, we had a frank, open and honest working relationship."

The senator, a staunch Remainer, was critical of DUP MP Sammy Wilson for branding the Taoiseach "a nutcase" and accusing Tanaiste Simon Coveney of "belligerent Brit-bashing" over Brexit.

"Such language is very disappointing and unhelpful," Mr Marshall said. "The Irish government has no hidden republican agenda. It doesn't want the UK to leave the EU and believes if it goes solutions which work in London, Dublin and Belfast must be found. It's an entirely reasonable position."

Mr Marshall backed same-sex marriage which he said would come "sooner rather than later" to Northern Ireland.

He also voiced support for repealing the eighth amendment in the Republic's constitution and changing abortion laws here.

"I have always been pro-choice," he said. "And as a husband and a father of two daughter, women's health and welfare is very important to me."

Mr Marshall said he was "blown away" by the warm welcome he had received in the Senate. "No-one is interested in religion. It's all politics with a capital 'P'," he said.

"I also find Dublin a vibrant, progressive, happening, cosmopolitan city and I want the same for Belfast."
An alleged IRA sympathiser has appeared in court accused of possessing terrorist documents including one called the Poor Man's James Bond.

Christopher Partington, 33, is accused of collecting information about making explosives as well as an IRA manual on his mobile phone.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday charged with seven counts of possessing documents useful for the purposes of terrorism between February 19 and May 1 this year, under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Partington, from Little Hulton, in Manchester, spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and that he is British before indicating that he intends to enter not guilty pleas to all of the charges.

He is alleged to have had electronic documents, including "the IRA Green Book", which contains instructions on how to wage guerrilla warfare.

Titles of other documents, which are contained in court charges, include How To Make Black Powder And Other Explosives, Improvised Munitions Handbook, FM5-31 Boobytrap, and Amateur Pyrotechnics By Dan Williams.

The alleged collection also included two volumes of the Poor Man's James Bond, which contain information about explosives, weapons, unarmed combat, poisons, and boobytraps.

Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot remanded Partington, who has previously worked as a labourer and a builder, in custody.

He will next appear at the Old Bailey on June 8.
A 62-year-old man has been told that if he accesses images on the internet of children being sexually abused again he will be sent to prison.

John Flynn, from University Street in Belfast, who appeared before Belfast Crown Court with 78 previous convictions, admitted two counts of breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (Sopo) and 14 counts of possessing an indecent image of a child.

He was handed a two-year prison sentence that was suspended for three years by Judge Geoffrey Miller.

Urging Flynn to continue engaging with agencies and attending courses designed to address his offending, Judge Miller told him: "You are an intelligent man who knows what your issues are and you know how to address them.

"This is your final opportunity to address these issues."

A Crown prosecutor explained the Sopo was initially imposed in November 2011, banning Flynn from deleting his internet usage history and from owning or using a mobile phone that had internet access without the approval of a designated risk manager (DRM).

In January 2016, police discovered a laptop at Flynn's address but were unable to find an internet access history. They later uncovered a total of 15 indecent images of children on the device and searches which were "indicative of an interest in children or images of child abuse".

In June last year, officers seized a mobile phone and tablet during another random check at Flynn's home.

When he was arrested, Flynn admitted he should have informed his DRM about the devices. He initially denied accessing child porn and instead claimed the images had popped up when he was searching for adult porn.

A defence lawyer said Flynn's offending has "greatly dissipated", especially since he is "well monitored and regulated".

He told the court Flynn has experienced the loss of his family due to the nature of his offending, but pointed out he is currently engaged with agencies and "has sought help from church groups".

Passing sentence, Judge Miller said Flynn appeared in court with "no excuse for not appreciating the consequences of his actions" and appeared to display a "sexual entitlement attitude".

The judge also noted the "serious abuse" of the children in the images, adding the "pain, discomfort and fear suffered by the children" was for the "perverted pleasure" of those looking at the material.

Handing Flynn the two-year sentence suspended for three years, Judge Miller warned him that if he offends within that time, he would be sent to prison.
The erection of UVF flags near a shared housing development in south Belfast has been condemned.

The paramilitary flags were put up overnight in the Ravenhill Avenue area of the city.

Loyalist paramilitaries were blamed for intimidating Catholic residents out of their homes in the nearby mixed housing development in Cantrell Close last September.

It is understood the flags are now being taken down.

Belfast 2018 - paramilitary flags erected outside a shared housing development in South Belfast. Retrograde and wrong. Families have been intimidated from their homes here previously. These paramilitary thugs offer Belfast nothing but misery. All parties, surely, condemn this? pic.twitter.com/jjHME5oTUC  Emmet McDonough-Brown (@EmmetMcDB) May 16, 2018

SDLP MLA Claire Hanna said: Paramilitary flags are a throwback to the type of society we are trying to leave behind.

"South Belfast is a diverse community and an example of what a reconciled society across the Northern Ireland can look like.

Paramilitary flags are not a display of culture, they are an attempt at a show of strength and are put up to incite and divide.

The SDLP unequivocally condemn the erection of paramilitary flags, it is high time we got off this hamster wheel of having to deal with this issue year in year out.

"These flags, much like the proscribed organisations they illustrate, belong in the past.

"Political representatives cannot equivocate or mince their words on this, and those linked to paramilitary groups who last month told us they wanted to 'fully support the rule of law have a perfect opportunity to show leadership and that they really mean it."

Loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson, a spokesman for the East Belfast Community Initiative, said the flags "were not the work of the UVF" and were being removed."

He added: "East Belfast Community Initiative has been engaged in positive discussions around potential flag protocol & announcements will come in due course."

South Belfast DUP MP Emma Little Pengelly said: Last year when flags were erected in the Cantrell Close area I stated my commitment to working with everyone to find solutions.

"Three flags were erected on Ravenhill Avenue, close to Cantrell Close. I welcome that these have been removed this morning. I will continue to work with all to seek resolution to these issues.
Colin Worton, whose brother was one of those murdered

The brother of a man murdered in the Kingsmill massacre has described plans to hold a memorial event for one of the suspects as a "further insult" to his family.

Dissident group Saoradh intends to mark the 37th anniversary of the death of Raymond McCreesh on Sunday.

It hopes to hold the memorial at the Newry play park controversially named after the IRA hunger striker.

However, the group has not received permission from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, which owns the site and which said it was "not aware" of the event.

McCreesh was caught in possession of a gun used in the 1976 massacre, in which 10 Protestant workmen were murdered by the IRA.

Saroadh's Stephen Murney said the organisation planned to remember him in a "dignified and fitting fashion".

But Colin Worton, whose brother, Kenneth, was among the victims, said it "beggared belief" that anyone could look up to McCreesh as a hero.

"It's more added insults - they are treating him as a hero, but he was anything but a hero," he added. "How can you take a mass murderer as a hero?

"We even still have some republicans who don't believe the IRA carried out the Kingsmill massacre.

"It's been proven that they did, but many republicans still don't want to acknowledge that it was the IRA because it was such a heinous crime carried out in the name of republicanism."

Mr Worton also accused republicans of double standards, referring to recent complaints from two Sinn Fein MPs about SAS flags flying in Loughgall on the anniversary of the 1987 ambush, in which British special forces killed eight IRA men as they bombed the local RUC station.

"The nationalist community gave out about that, but do they not see they have egg on their face? They say one thing shouldn't go up, but they can't seem to understand where we are coming from," he said.

"It's double standards. They couldn't care less about the Kingsmill families."

DUP MLA William Irwin and victims campaigner William Frazer urged the council to intervene and stop the memorial event.

"Hosting such a rally on council property in a children's play area really is unacceptable and indeed offensive, and this should be prevented by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council," Mr Irwin said.

"The council as a corporate body has a huge responsibility in this regard, and they must act decisively to prevent this space being used for anything other than kids' enjoyment."

Mr Frazer said he was considering a counter-protest.

"This is publicly funded ground, and to allow such an event would add deep insult to the families, furthering their hurt and discomfort," he added.

"The Kingsmill families have been in touch with our office and are devastated. If organisers have not received permission, this event needs stopped."

Ulster Unionist councillor David Taylor said the council had confirmed to him that permission for the event had not been sought.

"It is completely unacceptable for such an event to be held on publicly owned property, and it serves as a further attempt by republicans to cause maximum insult and heartache to the innocent victims of IRA violence. It is wrong on so many levels," he said.

McCreesh, from Camlough in south Armagh, was caught attempting to murder soldiers in 1977 with a gun found to have been used at Kingsmill. He died in the 1981 hunger strike in the Maze Prison.

Earlier this year, Sinn Fein MP Barry McElduff resigned for appearing to mock the victims of the massacre by posing in a video with a loaf of Kingsmill bread on his head.

At the time of the scandal, a Sinn Fein spokesman said: "Regardless of who carried out the Kingsmill attack, whether it was the IRA or not, it was wrong, unjustifiable and sectarian in nature. We condemn it."

While the IRA previously denied responsibility, a 2011 report by the Historical Enquiries Team concluded IRA members were responsible.

The naming of the play park after McCreesh sparked a lengthy row after Sinn Fein and SDLP councillors backed the move.

In 2008 the Equality Commission called for the council to undertake an equality impact assessment, but the council stuck by its decision. In 2013, the Commission announced it would investigate the decision.

Last month a motion brought by unionists calling for the council to rename the park failed.
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds has said Sinn Fein must get back to power-sharing at Stormont or accept the introduction of direct rule from Westminster.

During Prime Ministers Questions in the House of Commons, Mr Dodds pressed Prime Minister Theresa May on the need for Ministerial decision making for Northern Ireland.

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Following the outcome of Monday's ruling in Belfast High Court, when a judge blocked a decision by a senior civil servant to approve a huge waste incinerator plant, the civil service said their ability to make decisions for Northern Ireland could be affected.

It emerged on Wednesday that the Northern Ireland Civil Service will appeal the decision, but have said they will use the court ruling as a guideline in the meantime.

Senior civil servants have been taking the majority of decisions within departments since Stormont collapsed 16 months.

While the UK government has stepped in on occasion to make significant cross-governmental decisions, such as setting a budget and enabling the collecting of rates, the civil service has effectively been in charge, as Stormont exists in a limbo between devolution and direct rule.

Numerous attempts by the DUP and Sinn Fein to restore power-sharing have failed with the most recent attempt at an agreement collapsing on Valentine's Day over the Irish language, hours after it looked like a deal had been secured.

Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday the Prime Minister told Mr Dodds that she wanted to see Ministers in Northern Ireland making decisions, but that it depending on an agreement among the political parties.

Having no functioning Ministers continues to cause havoc for people living here. Civil servants are trying to run Northern Ireland but in many cases big decisions and reforms are being left in limbo," Mr Dodds said.

"Whilst the Prime Minister reiterated her desire to see a functioning Executive, Sinn Fein continues to block progress. Four out of the five main parties would fully restore the Executive today. Sinn Fein have no interest and have checked out of decision-making.

"It is welcome that the Government will continue to work with all parties to see Stormont up and running but the ball is firmly in Sinn Feins court."

Mr Dodds said that the recent court ruling hastened the need for a solution to be found.

"We have been reminded again this week that Northern Ireland cannot continue to be run by civil servants. Its time Sinn Fein for to face up to the reality. They stand alone. They cant play games with peoples lives. Northern Ireland needs proper governance," the North Belfast MP said.

"Sinn Fein may not like Ministerial decisions being made in London but if they continue to block devolution then there are very few alternatives.

Rejecting Mr Dodd's claims a Sinn Fein spokesperson said that the DUP's denial of rights to citizens was stopping power-sharing from resuming.

The reason the power-sharing institutions are not in place is because the DUP reneged on the draft agreement in February," the spokesperson said.

If Nigel Dodds and the DUP are now prepared to end their blockage on genuine power-sharing and rights for all citizens then Sinn Fein would welcome that.

If they are not, then the onus is on the two governments to pave the way for a return to the institutions by convening the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference to resolve the issues at the heart of the DUPs denial of rights to citizens.
Julie Flaherty has said she has received assurances from the Department for Communities

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council (ABC) has become the first Council in Northern Ireland to waive burial fees for children.

Portadown Ulster Unionist Councillor Julie Flaherty welcomed the announcement.

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She brought the motion to her local council following the death of her two-year-old son Jake.

A similar scheme waiving fees for children is already in effect in England and Wales.

Under the proposals parents will no longer have to meet the costs of burials and cremations, with these fees being met by government funding.

A Children's Funeral Fund will only be considered in Northern Ireland when power-sharing is restored.

This is a very bittersweet week for me. This week, our son Jake would have been turning seven years of age. It is also five years since we lost him from our family," Councillor Flaherty said.

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It is very heartening to have received such widespread support from Council, and from people across the Borough, and indeed across Northern Ireland since I first raised this matter in April. I am over the moon that it has been able to move through the process so smoothly, but as you can imagine, it has been quite difficult too.

The announcement from the Council this week marks the beginning of movement here in Northern Ireland to begin the conversation about Funeral Poverty and the challenges families face at a difficult time in their lives. 1 in 6 people in Northern Ireland will struggle with funeral costs, causing additional stress on top of existing grief and this can have a lasting negative impact on health and wellbeing for years to come.

Councillor Flaherty said she was confident the fee would eventually be waived across all of Northern Ireland.

This of course, is only the first step. I have been assured by the Permanent Secretary, Leo OReilly that this will be brought to the attention of any incoming Minister in a future Executive. I shall wait patiently until the day comes that I can knock his or her door. I want to see the Childrens Funeral Fund in place here, as it is in England and Wales," she said.

I am also so proud of the support I have received from my Ulster Unionist Council colleagues. This motion has been raised in every Council in Northern Ireland already. There has been an amazing wave of support and hopefully we will see this coming into effect across the other ten councils.

The marker has been put firmly down by ABC Council. Now its time for the others to follow suit - and of course its time to press those in positions of power and influence to get their act together for the good of everyone. There are bigger decisions to be made than this of course, but if they wont or can`t do it - its time for Councillors to show them what we are made of!

When Jake was here, we had to be his eyes and ears and voice - I hope I still am.
A coroner abdicated his responsibility to reach a verdict on the central issues in the police killing of an IRA man, the Court of Appeal heard today.

Counsel for the mother of Pearse Jordan claimed the evidence should have led to a conclusion that his shooting in west Belfast nearly 26 years ago was unjustified.

Teresa Jordan wants senior judges to quash an inquest finding that it was impossible to determine what happened on the day her son died.

She is appealing after the High Court rejected her bid for a judicial review.

Pearse Jordan's death was one of several high-profile cases in Northern Ireland involving allegations the RUC were involved in shoot-to-kill incidents.

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The 22-year-old had been driving a hijacked car stopped by police in an anti-terrorist operation in November 1992.

He was shot after getting out on the Falls Road and trying to run away, unarmed.

In November 2016 the coroner overseeing a fresh inquest into the death said he was not convinced either by family claims that Jordan was gunned down in cold blood, or by police assertions that the RUC sergeant who opened fire acted in self-defence.

He held that the State had failed to prove the use of lethal force was lawful, but concluded that the precise circumstances of how the IRA man met his death remains unknown.

Expand Close Pearse Jordan: IRA man who was shot dead by the RUC on the Falls Road, West Belfast, after his car was rammed by an unmarked police car. 26/11/1992. Pacemaker / Facebook

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But Mrs Jordan's lawyers contend the disputed issues of fact should have been resolved in the evidence.

Ballistic evidence was disregarded without evaluation or explanation, along with an alleged failure to apply the identified standard of proof to issues in the case, they contend.

Mrs Jordan is seeking a declaration that the inquest was unfair, unlawful and in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

A High Court judge dismissed her case after counsel for the coroner insisted he had been best placed to reach conclusions about the facts and assess the credibility of witnesses during 16 days of evidence.

Appealing that outcome, Barry Macdonald QC argued: "First and foremost the coroner abdicated his responsibility to arrive at a verdict in relation to the central issues to be determined in the inquest."

He told senior judges there had been a legal obligation to make every effort to arrive at a conclusion.

"The reasons given by the coroner for his failure to reach a conclusion are neither exceptional nor sufficient to justify his findings," Mr Macdonald continued.

The barrister argued that "on the evidence the coroner ought to have concluded that the shooting of Pearse Jordan by Sergeant A was not justified".

The appeal continues.
Newry, Down and Mourne Council had wanted to buy the closed down PSNI station. Credit: Google.

The sale of a PSNI station based on the Irish border has been scrapped due to concerns surrounding Brexit.

In a statement to the Newry Reporter the PSNI confirmed that the station, based in Warrenpoint Co Down, had been withdrawn from the market "due to the uncertainty surrounding the implications of Brexit."

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They said that any sale was "pending clarity around future arrangements."

Warrenpoint PSNI station went on the market in 2016 after closing its doors.

Local SDLP Councillor Declan McAteer told the Belfast Telegraph that Newry, Down and Mourne Council had wanted to buy the station with a view to turning it into a community centre for the Warrenpoint area.

The close proximity of the station to Warrenpoint Harbour, formerly used for customs duties, and the Irish border has led to speculation that the station could be used in a customs or border security role.

It remains unclear what the Irish border arrangements will be after Brexit, with Prime Minister Theresa May and Secretary of State Karen Bradley saying the British government are committed to no border infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

However, European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said that current proposals from the Government are unrealistic.

Councillor McAteer said that the area would be a natural location for customs infrastructure in the result of a hard Brexit.

"It would serve a much better purpose being a community centre than any kind of customs station to serve a Brexit that nobody wants," he said.

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"I presume that somebody inside Government must have said, don't dispose of that because it may be needed for some kind of customs storage.

"I know that there was talk that if customs were to go back into Warrenpoint Docks, across the street from the station, there would be severe pressures in the docks area.

"There used to be an old customs house there, but Brexit has put alot of pressure on their development plans."

He said that the local community would be disappointed that Brexit was getting in the way of local development.

"Somebody within the civil service or property section is looking to see what the options are and this is one of them and we would certainly be resisting this

"There's no support for it at all and the community will be aghast to hear that this is what we're being served up instead of a potential community centre

"It's totally unacceptable and disappointing and we will certainly be pursuing it."

Newry, Down and Mourne Council are expected to discuss the station at a meeting later this week.
Gaza Palestinian support protest in west Belfast at the International Wall on the Falls Road. Photo by Alan Lewis.

Sinn Feins leader on Belfast City Council, Deirdre Hargey, has formally requested that a book of condolence be opened in Belfast City Hall for victims of recent violence in Gaza.

Councillor Hargey called on Belfast City Council Chief Executive Suzanne Wylie to contact other parties immediately with regard to the equest.

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The request comes after a number of Palestinian solidarity protests were held across Northern Ireland on Tuesday following increased violence in the area in recent weeks.

Protests were held in west Belfast, Londonderry, Omagh, Dungiven and other areas.

On Monday over 50 Palestinians were killed during protests at the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem.

A further two Palestinians were killed near the border on Tuesday.

Sinn Fein have called on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to expel the Israeli ambassador to Ireland but he rejected the proposal in The Dail on Tuesday.

I hope that the other parties on Belfast City Council will support this request that will allow Belfast citizens to show their solidarity with the people of Palestine," Councillor Hargey said.

This was an atrocity and the brutal nature of the Israeli Army has been laid bare for all to see.

Sinn Fein is calling on the Irish government to expel the Israeli Ambassador from Ireland and move immediately to formally recognise the state of Palestine as voted for in the Dail."

Sinn Fein has also submitted a motion for discussion at the next full Belfast council meeting at the beginning of June.

The motion submitted by Sinn Fein reads:

This council condemns the recent murder and attack by Israeli forces on innocent protestors, including men, women and children in Gaza.

We call on the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza and defend their human rights.

We call on the Irish Government to recognise the state of Palestine as voted for in the Dail, and further call upon the Irish Government to expel the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland.

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A Co Antrim council was found to have been pouring tens of thousands of pounds of ratepayers' money down the drain - until a work placement student checked the water meter at a public toilet.

Thanks to Jordan Lurring, Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council is saving up to 10,000 a month after the engineering student discovered the cisterns in Randalstown's public loos were faulty.

Jordan also saved red-faced council chiefs nearly another 50,000 after finding out that Mossley Pavilion was using two water supplies when one was enough.

The council has employed students over the last two years in the role of a 'Technical Energy Officer' to aid energy management.

A council report revealed: "A positive outcome of this was when the student noted high readings for the public toilets at Randalstown.

"The student worked alongside Property Services Officers, Northern Ireland Water (NIW) and contractors to identify likely faults which in this case were faulty semi-automatic cisterns.

"These cisterns were then replaced, potentially saving the council over 10,000 per month."

The council document revealed more savings were made at Mossley in Newtownabbey.

"The student discovered that at some stage there were two NIW supplies for Mossley Pavilion.

"Subsequently the meter was removed by NIW as council no longer required the second supply, but NIW continued to bill the council based on estimated readings.

"This was verified by NIW, we entered negotiations and a refund of 47,745.76 was agreed which has been received by the council."

Student Jordan, who was reading the meters at the council facilities as part of a routine exercise, said he had felt the readings in Randalstown's public conveniences were too big compared to previous ones.

Working with his manager and the rest of the Property Services team, the problem was identified as faults in the semi-automatic cisterns.

Said Jordan: "I was carrying out the routine water readings when it became apparent that the meter reading was very high, so I highlighted my concerns with my manager.

"I am delighted that along with my colleagues in the Property Services team, we were able to identify the problem as a leaking cistern and resolve it really quickly. I have had a great year of experience, and spotting and rectifying this problem is one of my highlights, particularly as it had direct monetary benefits."

Jordan is finishing his placement year of a BEng Mechanical Engineering degree with Ulster University and is returning in the autumn to complete his final year.

A council spokeswoman said: "We welcome the opportunity to provide valuable work experience for placement students to assist then in their future careers."

The council said the 10,000 figure for the Randalstown toilets was the "potential" saving and as it most likely developed over a period of time they were unable to say when it started.

The placement costs 13,000 a year and councillors have agreed to recruit another placement energy student from August 2018 to September 2019.
In Londonderry's Fountain Estate, preparations are underway for a lively and colourful street party to mark the occasion of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Saturday.

Bunting is being placed around the community centre, ladies are feverishly fashioning wedding hats and a mountain of sandwiches with the crusts cut off are being prepared.

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Just 16 miles down the road, across the border in the sleepy Donegal seaside town of Buncrana, the royal wedding is as much a talking point - but for different reasons.

One of the local hotels found itself in a right royal storm at the weekend after it cancelled a Royal Wedding Afternoon Tea event - that would have allowed guests to watch the nuptials while being plied with tea, scones, cakes and sandwiches - following intense social media pressure from republicans in Northern Ireland.

The plush Inishowen Gateway Hotel on the shores of Lough Swilly, one of Donegal's top wedding destinations, called off Saturday's celebration and apologised for any offence caused.

But people in Buncrana, many of them unfamiliar with the political weight events such as the royal wedding might carry just up the road in Northern Ireland, have been left bewildered that their home town is in the spotlight.

And they are angry that they will now have to watch proceedings in their own homes and make their own neatly cut cucumber sandwiches.

Liam Smith runs a barber shop on Main Street. He said many local women were looking forward to the day.

"As far as I can see, people didn't really care about the royal wedding," he said.

"But I think a lot of women were looking forward to going to have afternoon tea in the hotel and now their day is ruined.

"It should not have been cancelled. Are we to be threatened? They were intimidated into cancelling it.

"The people who put pressure on the hotel are very narrow minded and have been living their lives like that for a long time. They had no permission to do that to the hotel."

Traffic warden Jackie McCrudden said the hotel shouldn't have cancelled the event.

"I hope Meghan and Harry are really happy," she said.

"I have nothing against them at all. I don't think that the Inishowen Gateway should have cancelled their event. It was only a bit of fun at the end of the day. Each to their own. It's not the same down here as it would be in the north.

"I have no issues one way or the other. It's two people getting married and that's it."

And Anna Porter thought the cancellation of the 'celebration of love' was sad.

"I think Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are the most lovely of couples," she said.

"It's a celebration of love, like any wedding. I think it's sad that the hotel cancelled the event. I really do."

Billy Porter said he will now have to sit at home and make his own tea. "It's ridiculous that I can't go and just enjoy watching the wedding and having a bit of craic," he added. "Why should they not enjoy the royal wedding? I'm a Donegal man and I'll be sitting watching it to see the style, irrespective of politics.

"I don't think they should deprive people like myself from going. I'll just watch it in my own home and will have to make my own tea."

Melanie Connolly said that people are free to spend their money however they like and that the event should not have been cancelled.

"I know there are a lot of Irish people who don't like the British monarchy," she said.

"But it's people's choice if they want to attend these things. I think that it's ridiculous that the event has been cancelled. If people support the royal family, why shouldn't they go?

"People are talking about it online. Some are saying that it was wrong to cancel, others are saying why should we celebrate the royal family.

"But I think if people want to spend their money and go to the event, let them go." British holidaymaker Pauline Seymour said she was saddened to hear of the local event being called off. "I think the royal wedding will be wonderful," she said.

"I think Harry and Meghan have brought a lot to the royal family and we are very proud to have a royal family.

"I think it's sad that the hotel were intimidated into cancelling their event. I'm not sure why they did it, but it's sad to think that they're influenced when there is such a good thing happening.

"We will be watching it back home in Birmingham on TV."

But not everyone was a fan. Leo Gallagher said he definitely won't be anywhere near a TV on Saturday. "I don't care about the royal wedding," he said. "You'd think she was the only woman in the world who was getting married.

"I am not a republican, I am a nationalist. I think the royal family are spongers and I dislike them intently.

"I will definitely not be watching it on Saturday and I think the hotel did right to cancel their event. I wouldn't have the royal family near me."

But local businesses had a very different view and were gearing up to keep an eye on proceedings for other reasons.

Brendan Callaghan, owner of Callaghan's Jewellers in Main Street, said he would be paying particular attention to the ring on Meghan's finger. "From a professional point of view I'll be interested to see what wedding band she chose to go with her wedding ring," he said.

"My eye will be on that more than anything else. I deal with couples every week who are getting married. Generally, there is no stress. If I had any advice for Harry and Meghan it would be to enjoy themselves. It's their big day, nobody else's."

And Charlie McDaid from Topline Fashions said he would be taking in the style on show on the day. "We are in the wedding style business," he said.

"Saturday will be an ordinary day for us here in the shop. But it will be a lovely occasion, all weddings are.

"I deal with people going to weddings every day of the week. It's such a big occasion for the whole family.

"You do see people get a bit uptight. Everyone's the same. As far as Meghan Markle's father goes, I think he should forget about everyone and just go to the wedding."

And even in the world of politics, there were wedding fans. Rena Donaghey, Fianna Fail councillor for Inishowen, said the hotel's royal event was "nothing but a storm in a tea cup".

"Nobody in Buncrana is talking about the cancelled event, absolutely nobody," she said.

"This is just a storm in a teacup. This is really, really petty.

"This is one of the best hotels in the country. They are not in any way politically minded. All they want to do is provide the best service they can.

"They've another wedding that day and they did not want for this to detract in any way from that bride and groom, because they want them to have the best day of their life."

Editor of the Donegal News Columba Gill said that the royal wedding was not a huge talking point among the public until the controversy broke on the cancellation. "There has been no great talk about it one way or the other, until this issue arose," he said. "And even then people were bemused by the opposition to the hotel having an event like that. We know from experience that a lot of people will be watching the royal wedding in the privacy of their own homes.

"I'm not sure there would be a lot of royalists in Donegal. There are lots of people who have an interest in the royal family and the goings on, in the same way that they would have an interest in Coronation Street and the goings on there.

"We had Prince Charles and Camilla here last year and there was terrific interest in that visit and they were given a very warm welcome, although there was some opposition to it.

"We have had incidents in the past where a Union Flag was flown up in Dunfanaghy last year, and that generated some opposition.

"But it tends to come from the same sources and they are really in a minority."
Sinn Fein councillors voted against former Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon being granted the Freedom of Drogheda because they thought it was "wrong to elevate only one person involved in the peace process".

Drogheda Sinn Fein councillor Joanna Byrne spoke out after she and party colleagues Kenneth Flood and David Saurin opposed the motion.

Mr Mallon (81, right) was involved in the civil rights movement during the Sixties and served as the deputy leader of the SDLP from 1979 to 2001. He was also Stormont's Deputy First Minister from 1998 to 2001.

Mr Mallon is one of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement, having helped broker the 1998 accord, and will be awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Drogheda on June 8.

At Monday's meeting of Louth County Council, Deputy Mayor Richie Culhane read out a statement in the absence of Mayor Pio Smith.

It reportedly said: "I am happy to offer the Freedom of Drogheda to Seamus Mallon as I believe that he is a patriot in the true sense of the word and has worked to unite Protestant, Catholic and dissenter like a true republican.

"Mallon was a straight talker and his goal in politics and life was to progress society in a manner that benefited all.

"Having a go at other political parties or communities for the sake of it was not his style. Instead, he tackled issues like inequality, Irish unity, lack of housing and unemployment, and he did this for both Catholic and Protestant.

"All people who live on the island of Ireland owe Seamus Mallon a deep debt of gratitude for the significant role he played in engendering hope in a time of despair and in helping to create new and better inter communal relationships on this island."

However, Ms Byrne told the Belfast Telegraph that she and her party colleagues "didn't feel it was right" to honour Mr Mallon in this way.

"From a Sinn Fein perspective, we thought it was wrong to elevate only one person involved n the peace process," she said. "If you are going to acknowledge one, acknowledge them all. "We didn't feel it was right.

"Plenty of people played their part in civil rights and ensuring peace on this island.

"We didn't sound our opinion, and we didn't say anything negative.

"I understand that the Freedom of the Borough is usually given to one person."

SDLP Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty welcomed the honour for Mr Mallon.

"I welcome the move by Mayor Pio Smith, offering Seamus Mallon freedom of Drogheda," Mr McNulty said. "It is however disappointing to see Sinn Fein vote this motion down.

"Seamus Mallon was a key player in bringing peace to the North.

"It is only right that he be honoured in this way.

"As the former MLA for my own constituency of Newry and Armagh, it fills me with much pride but, more importantly, hope that the politics of the SDLP is recognised and the sacrifice of our leaders remembered."

Other dignitaries to receive the freedom of Drogheda include Nobel Peace Prize winner John Hume and Pope John Paul II.
Irish playwright Tom Murphy has left a deep and enduring legacy, his former theatre company said after the award-winning writer died at the age of 83.

President Michael D Higgins was among those paying tribute to a man who portrayed the essence of Irishness  immigration, famine and loss  which was at the same time universal.

Murphys plays were performed around the world.

The Druid Theatre Company said: Druid is deeply saddened by the loss of playwright Tom Murphy.

A native of Tuam, Co Galway, Tom Murphy, already an established Irish writer, became Druids Writer in Residence in 1983.

His relationship with Druid marked an important step for the young company and led to a decades-long relationship culminating in the productions of DruidMurphy in 2013 and Brigit/Bailegangaire in 2014.

For four decades his work resonated with Irish audiences, creating a deep and enduring legacy.

Druid is deeply saddened by the loss of Tom Murphy. Today we have lost a friend, a colleague, a great Irish writer and man of the theatre. Our thoughts tonight are with his wife Jane, with Mary, Bennan, Johnny, Nell & the extended Murphy family. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam. pic.twitter.com/1av6RCKwK3  Druid Theatre (@DruidTheatre) May 15, 2018

Druid first produced plays by Murphy in 1984  Famine and On The Outside  before premiering Conversations On A Homecoming in April 1985 and Bailegangaire, featuring Siobhan McKenna, in December 1985.

Druid toured the work widely during the 1980s, taking these Irish stories to new audiences in the US and UK.

Dominic Dromgoole, then artistic director of the Globe Theatre, remembered these productions as one of the finest examples in the world of a company of actors and director giving particular life to a writer.

The theatres statement said: Today we have lost a friend, a colleague, a great Irish writer and man of the theatre.

 I will miss him deeply."



Statement by President Higgins on the death of Tom Murphy: https://t.co/ANSqyTL0zy pic.twitter.com/HeDmNbIuCL  President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) May 16, 2018

Mr Higgins said Murphy made an outstanding contribution to Irish theatre.

We have had no greater use of language for the stage than in the body of work produced by Tom Murphy since his earliest work in the 1960s.

His themes were not only those which had influenced the very essence of Irishness  immigration, famine and loss  they were universal in their reach.

From the early beginnings of his writings in Tuam, Tom Murphy produced a unique and often provocative body of work.

He was above all the great playwright of the emigrant, more than anyone capturing, in a poignant, creative way, the transience that is at the heart of the emigrant experience.
Boris Johnson has held talks with his French and German counterparts as they work to save the Iran nuclear deal after the US decided to withdraw from the agreement.

The Foreign Secretary had said Britain continues to believe that the Iran nuclear deal has value as he arrived in Brussels for EU-hosted talks.

The talks were followed by a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in an intensive diplomatic effort to shore up agreement over the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Speaking on behalf of all parties after the meeting, the EUs foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told reporters it and the E3  the UK, Germany and France, had agreed to deepen our dialogue at all levels.

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She told reporters there had been some good exchanges, adding; I would say all-in-all it was a positive meeting.

It allowed us to agree on a common set of lines of actions and measures to put in place on which we will start working tomorrow.

Mr Johnson left Brussels without speaking to reporters.

Arriving earlier on Tuesday in the Belgian capital, he said: We think it (the JCPOA) has value, we continue to believe in it even though America has decided to walk away.

So we will be looking at a package of measures that we may be able to devise as Europeans to encourage the Iranians to stay in the deal.

We are under no illusions about the stuff Iran gets up to in the region, in the Middle East.

We have no illusions about Irans disruptive behaviour, but we think we can tackle those in other ways outside the JCPOA.

Deeply regret US decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. UK remains strongly committed to the JCPoA, and will work with E3 partners and the other parties to the deal to maintain it. Await more detail on US plan.  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) May 8, 2018

The meeting was held amid fears that European companies may face reprisals from the US for breaching American sanctions by continuing to operate in Iran.

Mr Johnson said before the meeting: We will be looking at all the ways we can come up with to protect legitimate UK and European businesses who may want to trade with Iran, who do want to trade and have great plans to do that.

But we have to accept, we have to be realistic, about the electrified rail, the live wire of American extra-territoriality and how that can serve as a deterrent to business  that doesnt mean there arent some things we can do.

Mr Johnson held talks with French foreign minister Jean-Yves le Drian in London on Monday and said Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Paris on the need to preserve the JCPOA, which removed sanctions on Iran in return for Tehran giving up its military nuclear programme.

The pair were joined by German foreign minister Heiko Maas in Brussels.

Mr Zarif told reporters as he left that the meetings had been a good start, adding: I believe we are on the right track, now a lot depends on what we can do within the next two weeks.
Britains cutting-edge F-35 Lightning stealth fighter jets are expected to touch down in the UK early next month, the Defence Secretary has announced.

Gavin Williamson confirmed the imminent arrival of the multimillion-pound supersonic warplanes during an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the daring Dambusters raid.

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The Lancasters flown by 617 Squadron used Barnes Walliss revolutionary bouncing bombs to target and disable Hitlers industrial heartland during their night-time mission on May 16/17 1943.

More than seven decades later, the squadron was recently stood back up for the supersonic jets, which will be based at RAF Marham in Norfolk.

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Announcing the arrival of the jets on Wednesday while at RAF Coningsby, the Defence Secretary said: Seventy-five years ago the Dambusters pushed the boundaries of what was possible.

That same spirit of innovation continues today as the Dambusters of today prepare to fly the worlds most advanced fighter jet in the skies over the UK.

Just like those Lancasters which played such a vital role in the Second World War, the F-35B Lightning is based on great British design, operating with futuristic technology to adapt to an increasingly dangerous world.

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Four of the aircraft are due to fly across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States next month and will do so with between 12 and 15 air-to-air refuelling serials per jet.

They are due to arrive two months ahead of schedule, which the Ministry of Defence said allows for extra training time for 617 Squadron before declaring initial operational service from land later this year.

The commanding officer of 617 Squadron, Wing Commander John Butcher, said: I have the great privilege of leading a jointly manned squadron made up of the best engineers, mission support personnel and pilots from the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.

The original Dambuster squadron did not know what their mission was going to be until the last moment, yet they had to make sure they were ready, and that is as true for us today.

The spectrum of missions we can undertake in the F-35 will be huge and we have to make sure we are ready to do whatever is asked of us.

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Lightning Force Commander Air Commodore David Bradshaw said the Dambusters were pure inspiration in the darkest periods of the Second World War, when a small band of men and women came together to create a novel technological solution to a problem that was vexing Great Britain.

The spirit that they showed then is replicated in the spirits of today. From Lancasters to Lightning, that extraordinary spirit really does live on, he said.

When asked what he thought the Dambusters 617 aircrew would have made of the jets, he said they would look at it with a degree of awe, as does he.

I think what it manages to achieve is absolutely incredible. Within a fighter-sized aircraft you have got all the fuel, all the weapons that you need to penetrate deep into enemy territory at supersonic speeds.

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And then, at the end of that, to come back and land vertically on land or indeed on one of the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers  that is just extraordinary.

In 1943 the Lancaster, with its bouncing bomb, was again a marvel of technological innovation. They would certainly see parallels, but I think there would be a degree of awe there as well.

The UK is embarked on a 9.1 billion programme to buy 48 by 2025 of the F-35, the worlds most advanced fighter jet, from American aviation giant Lockheed Martin, but has pledged to purchase 138.

Britain currently has 15 of the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the jets in the United States being tested and used for training.

Later this year F-35 flight trials will take place off the 3.1 billion behemoth aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Gregory Boyle was jailed for six years and four months (Metropolitan Police/PA)

A man who impersonated a doctor to sexually assault a pregnant woman has been jailed, police have announced.

Gregory Boyle, 58, was imprisoned for six years and four months on Wednesday for the attack at Princess Royal University Hospital, Scotland Yard said.

Police said the victims partner had worked at Boyles home and had confided in him about a medical condition she was suffering while pregnant.

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Boyle offered to give a second opinion and when the victim, a woman in her 20s, was admitted to hospital they took him up on the offer, the force added.

Officers said a nurse at the hospital in Farnborough, Kent, walked in and challenged the man, who had performed a sensitive examination, before calling the General Medical Council to learn he was not a doctor.

Boyle was arrested at the scene in September 2016 before admitting assault by penetration and sexual assault in a case at Croydon Crown Court, a force spokesman said.

The Metropolitan Polices Detective Constable Paul Hill said: Boyle targeted a vulnerable, heavily-pregnant woman who was concerned for her health.
Sajid Javid has been told the UKs plans for a settled status scheme for European Union nationals do not yet meet the concerns of MEPs.

The Home Secretary travelled to Brussels for talks with senior MEP Guy Verhofstadt, who is leading the European Parliaments work on Brexit.

After the meeting, former Belgian prime minister Mr Verhofstadt said we do not believe our anxieties have yet been sufficiently addressed by the UK Government.

Good to be out in Brussels today, meeting with @guyverhofstadt & several EU counterparts. Discussing the UK's commitment to European security and our ongoing work on EU citizens rights pic.twitter.com/NVyKP9NK4V  Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) May 16, 2018

Mr Javid is due to publish details of the settled status scheme for EU nationals seeking to remain in Britain after Brexit before the Commons goes into summer recess at the end of July.

Mr Verhofstadt said MEPs remained concerned about the technological shortcomings of the planned app which will allow people to register for settled status  but reportedly does not work on iPhones or other Apple devices.

It was a pleasure to meet with Mr @sajidjavid today and I look forward to working with him closely in order to provide more certainty for both EU and UK citizens after Brexit. We agreed to work closely together to get this right. pic.twitter.com/Xqf3FpyPPt  Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) May 16, 2018

He said: I welcome Mr Javids response to the European Parliaments concerns about the Home Offices proposed registration procedure for EU citizens in the UK and related matters, but at this time we do not believe our anxieties have yet been sufficiently addressed.

We reiterate our belief that the registration process should, as a matter of principle, be cost-free.

It is unacceptable that citizens who were never consulted on Brexit should have to pay to retain their existing rights.

MEPs remain concerned about the technological shortcomings of the proposed registration app and the fact that any alternative is limited to sending passports by post only, the lack of clarity for vulnerable groups, the length of the process, the consequence of criminality checks and that families may not be able to register using one form.

Mr Verhofstadt said he and Mr Javid had agreed to work closely together to get this right and added that as a parliament, we are united in the belief that neither EU citizens in the UK or UK citizens in the EU should be punished because of Brexit.
Theresa May has reaffirmed Britains commitment to Europes security post-Brexit as she prepares to become the first Prime Minister to visit Macedonia in almost 20 years.

Mrs May will tell the 27 other national leaders that Britain is unconditionally committed to maintaining Europes security when they meet at the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia.

Next year the UK is leaving the European Union, but we are not leaving Europe.Theresa May

Following Thursdays summit in the Bulgarian capital she will travel to Skopje for talks with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, the first visit to the country by a serving British premier since Tony Blair in 1999.

Mrs May said: This year, as we mark the 25th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Macedonia and the UK, the ties between our countries are stronger than ever.

Next year the UK is leaving the European Union, but we are not leaving Europe  and we will continue to work with our allies to protect our collective security and champion the European values that so many in Macedonia and the wider Western Balkans share.

The last wars on European soil took place in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo in the Balkans in the 1990s, following the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.

Downing Street said Mrs Mays talks in Macedonia would cover strengthening democracy in the former Communist country.

They will also discuss the dispute with neighbouring Greece over the name Macedonia that has been running since 1991.

An area of northern Greece is also called Macedonia and Athens has asked Mr Zaevs country to change its name.

Mrs May will also use her visit on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia to meet LGBT activists about their experiences in the country, Downing St said.
German chancellor Angela Merkel said it would be wrong to cancel the nuclear agreement with Iran, highlighting it as one of her main differences of opinion between Berlin and Washington.

US president Donald Trump announced last week that the US would pull out of the 2015 accord, which is designed to keep Tehrans nuclear ambitions in check and took over a decade to negotiate.

France and the UK have also pledged to uphold the deal provided Iran keeps up its side of the bargain.

Mrs Merkel used her annual budget speech to parliament to affirm Berlins position on the issue, listing the US pullout among several pieces of troubling news  along with recent chemical attacks in Syria, violence in Gaza and daily ceasefire breaches in Ukraine.

This agreement is anything but ideal, she told MPs, but noted that the UN nuclear watchdog has confirmed Iran is abiding by its terms.

Thats why we, Britain, France, Germany but also the members of the European Union, believe its not right to cancel this agreement in this situation now, said Mrs Merkel.

Expand Close Alice Weidel, right, co-faction leader of the Alternative for Germany party, was reprimanded for her comments (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Alice Weidel, right, co-faction leader of the Alternative for Germany party, was reprimanded for her comments (AP)

She added that concerns about Irans ballistic missile program and its destabilising influence in the region could best be discussed with Tehran by preserving the deal.

Despite all the problems we have these days, she added, trans-Atlantic relations are and remain of paramount importance.

Mrs Merkel told MPs that Germanys economy is on a good path and the government plans to increase its spending on defence and scientific research to ensure the country can meet the security challenges of the future and remain a leading industrial power.

During the debate, the co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany, Alice Weidel, was reprimanded by speaker Wolfgang Schaeuble for describing Muslim girls who wear headscarves as useless people.

Her party came third in last years elections on an anti-immigrant program and is now the largest opposition party in parliament.
The June 12 meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un is at risk of being cancelled (Lee Jin-man/AP)

North Korea has no interest in a summit with the United States if it is going to be a one-sided affair where it is pressured to give up its nuclear weapons, the countrys first vice foreign minister said.

Earlier North Korea cancelled a high-level meeting with South Korea and threatened to scrap the historic summit next month between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over military exercises between Seoul and Washington.

The surprise declaration, which came in a pre-dawn dispatch in North Koreas state media, appears to cool what had been an unusual flurry of outreach from a country that last year conducted a provocative series of weapons tests that had many fearing the region was on the edge of war.

It is still unclear, however, whether the North intends to scuttle all diplomacy or merely wants to gain leverage ahead of the planned June 12 talks between Mr Kim and Mr Trump.

The statement by North Koreas Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) was released hours before the two Koreas were to meet at a border village to discuss how to implement their leaders recent agreements to reduce military tensions along their heavily fortified border and improve their overall ties.

It called the two-week Max Thunder drills, which began Monday and reportedly include about 100 aircraft, an intended military provocation and an apparent challenge to an April summit between Mr Kim and South Korean president Moon Jae-in, when the leaders met on their border in their countries third summit talks since their formal division in 1948.

Expand Close A US stealth fighter jet lands as South Korea and the US conduct the Max Thunder joint military exercise (Park Chul-hog/Yonhap/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp A US stealth fighter jet lands as South Korea and the US conduct the Max Thunder joint military exercise (Park Chul-hog/Yonhap/AP)

KCNA said the US aircraft mobilised for the drills include nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and stealth F-22 fighter jets, two of the US military assets it has previously said are aimed at launching nuclear strikes on the North.

South Koreas Defense Ministry said the drills will go on as planned.

The United States must carefully contemplate the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit amid the provocative military ruckus that its causing with South Korean authorities, the North said on Wednesday.

Well keenly monitor how the United States and South Korean authorities will react.

North Koreas first vice foreign minister, Kim Kye Gwan, later released a separate statement saying Pyongyang has no interest in a one-sided summit.

He criticised recent comments by Mr Trumps top security adviser John Bolton and other US officials who have been talking about how the North should follow the Libyan model of nuclear disarmament and provide a complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement.

He also took issue with US views that the North should also fully relinquish its biological and chemical weapons.

We will appropriately respond to the Trump administration if it approaches the North Korea-US summit meeting with a truthful intent to improve relations, he said.

But we are no longer interested in a negotiation that will be all about driving us into a corner and making a one-sided demand for us to give up our nukes and this would force us to reconsider whether we would accept the North Korea-US summit meeting.

Expand Close North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in cross the border line at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarised Zone (Korea Summit Press Pool/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in cross the border line at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarised Zone (Korea Summit Press Pool/AP)

Some analysts say bringing up Libya, which dismantled its rudimentary nuclear program in the 2000s in exchange for sanctions relief, would risk derailing any progress in negotiations with the North.

Kim Jong Un took power weeks after former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafis gruesome death at the hands of rebel forces amid a popular uprising in October 2011. The North has frequently used Gadhafis death to justify its own nuclear development in the face of perceived US threats.

Annual military drills between Washington and Seoul have long been a major source of contention between the Koreas, and analysts have wondered whether their continuation would hurt the detente that, since an outreach by Mr Kim in January, has replaced the insults and threats of war.

Earlier  and much larger  springtime drills, which Washington and Seoul toned down, went off without the Norths typically fiery condemnation or accompanying weapons tests.

South Korean called North Koreas move regrettable and demanded a quick return to talks.

Seouls Unification Ministry spokesman Baek Tae-hyun said the Norths decision goes against the spirit of last months inter-Korean summit, where the Koreas leaders issued a vague vow on the complete denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula and pledged permanent peace between the rivals.

In Washington, the US State Department emphasised that Mr Kim had previously indicated he understood the need and purpose of the US continuing its long-planned exercises with South Korea.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US had not heard anything directly from Pyongyang or Seoul that would change that.

We will continue to go ahead and plan the meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un, Ms Nauert said.

Army Colonel Rob Manning said this current exercise is part of tS and South Koreas routine, annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness.

Col Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said the purpose of Max Thunder and exercise Foal Eagle  another training event  is to enhance the two nations abilities to operate together to defend South Korea.

The defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed, said Col Manning.
Major European powers and Tehran have committed to keep working together to save the Iran nuclear deal despite US president Donald Trumps determination to kill it off.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany said after talks with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that salvage efforts focused on economic, business and banking issues could produce practical solutions in the next few weeks.

There was awareness of the urgency, Ms Mogherini said after the meeting in Brussels.

If I can use the metaphor that some raised around the table, we all have a relative in intensive care and we all want to get him or her out of intensive care as soon as possible, she said.

Germany, France and Britain all are signatories of the 2015 deal, which was meant to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

The US pulled out of the pact last week and promised to impose tough economic sanctions on Iran.

Constructive meeting with EU High Rep & E3 ministers in Brussels, following successful Beijing & Moscow visits. Positive start with solid political commitments. All agreed that much remains to be done in coming weeks to practically guarantee economic benefits for Iranian people. pic.twitter.com/SFJx3bnjIb  Javad Zarif (@JZarif) May 15, 2018

Ms Mogherini said expert talks on relevant financial and economic issues such as banking transactions and oil would begin soon and the deputy foreign ministers from the three European nations and Iran would meet in Vienna next week.

We reaffirmed together our resolve to continue to implement the nuclear deal in all its parts, in good faith, and in a constructive atmosphere, she said.

Mr Zarif: We are on the right track. A lot depends on what we can do within the next few weeks.

The steps forward underscored the EUs hopes that diplomacy and the promise of economic benefits might keep Iran in the fold of a nuclear deal that Europe sees as essential to security.

It wont be easy, thats clear to all of us. But if we want to stay in this agreement and ensure that Iran stays in this agreement and abides to the terms of the agreement, then we need to talk about this, German foreign minister Heiko Maas said.

Expand Close Major European powers sought to keep Iran committed to the nuclear deal (Olivier Matthys/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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At the same time, the European diplomats wanted to show they were not gullible and would not drop other divisive issues with Tehran, including its role in the Syria conflict.

I want to stress we are under no illusion about the stuff Iran gets up to in the region, in the Middle East. We have no illusions about Irans disruptive behaviour, but we think we can tackle those in other ways, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said.

Ms Mogherini agreed at the end of a long day of diplomatic meetings.

As you know very well, we have many other disagreements, she said. But, she added, with the nuclear deal in place we have better chances to address any other issues we have to address with Iran.

Mr Trumps withdrawal from the deal has imperilled not only the accord, but the threat of sanctions could trickle down to European companies doing business with Iran.

We have to accept, be realistic about the electrified rail, the live wire of American extraterritoriality and how that can serve as a deterrent to businesses, Mr Johnson said.

The European Commission has been examining measures to counter the introduction of any US sanctions that could harm European businesses. The commission is expected to unveil them to EU leaders at a summit in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Wednesday.

Among them is the possible use of an EU blocking regulation which would, in essence, ban European companies from respecting American sanctions when the sanctions might damage EU interests, notably trade and the movement of capital.

The regulation, which has been brandished as a threat in the past but never used, was drawn up more than 20 years ago and would have to be revised.

It is unclear how well the measure could be enforced, given that big multinationals are likely to be doing more business in the US than they are in Iran and may be unwilling to compromise that market access.

The EUs energy commissioner is also traveling this week to Iran to discuss strengthening European energy support to Iran.
Boris Johnson was among the foreign ministers battling to save the deal (AP)

A meeting of the foreign ministers of the UK, France, Germany and Iran has produced a blueprint for further talks to salvage the Iran nuclear deal after the United States pulled out, the EUs foreign policy chief said.

Federica Mogherini said the ministers shared a willingness to arrive at practical solutions for keeping the 2015 deal going, despite the decision of US president Donald Trump to abandon the agreement.

Ms Mogherini said there was awareness of the urgency, and the four ministers agreed to find some solutions within weeks.
Broken bond: the DUP's David Simpson and his wife Elaine at an election count

Another week, another DUP sex scandal. Why is it that the local party most aligned to Bible-bashing and finger-pointing seems to provide us with more stories of bedroom origin than just about all the other parties put together?

Down the years the DUP seem to have delivered more scandal exclusives than you can shake a tabloid at.

Or maybe it just seems that way because, well, it's the DUP.

The party of high-horse morality that makes a virtue (some members, anyway) out of decrying what they see as the lack of virtue or morality in others.

The latest party scandal involves DUP MP David Simpson who has left his wife following an affair - as members of his own family have revealed to our sister paper Sunday Life.

These things happen.

People are human. There will be heartache for all concerned, not least Mr Simpson himself, who now will be dealing with the pain he has caused to his wife, his children and his extended family.

But these things do happen.

Had this story concerned an MP from any other party there may not have been quite the same public interest.

It makes such headlines in this instance because ... David Simpson is David Simpson.

And the same man has not been behind the door in the past, about telling others how they should lead their lives.

In particular he has been extremely vocal in speaking out against gay marriage. All those glib, horribly patronising lines about how in the Bible, it's Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve. Love the sinner, hate the sin etc.

Depends, of course, on who you're calling sinner ...

Back at the time of l'affaire Iris (the one that made global headlines) I remember noting that while God seemed to have been so opposed to adultery in the Old Testament that he actually dedicated a commandment specifically to it, he didn't seem to have been quite so bothered by homosexuality.

The only line therein which could be interpreted as a condemnation of male homosexuality is a convoluted passing mention in Leviticus in a section which is similarly censorious of eating prawns.

As a non-religious person, I stand to be corrected. But as far as I'm aware, that's it.

Even in the New Testament - and, again I stand to be corrected - Jesus felt the whole issue was so important, he never actually mentioned it.

What I do remember from my Sunday School days is stuff about motes in eyes and judging not lest you be judged.

I absolutely believe in the right to gay marriage and think legislation that would allow it here is long, long overdue in Northern Ireland.

But I also accept that there are people who don't share that view.

So, no, I'm not arguing that just because one of the main cheerleaders of the opposition - a man who has consistently cited tenuous biblical backing for his stance - is now revealed to have erred himself against biblical commandment, those people don't have the right to continue to hold that view.

But I do think that the DUP as a whole might need to take a long, hard look at itself.

Within its ranks, and within the wider electorate it aims to appeal to for votes, there are real people living real lives.

Marriage break-ups are not uncommon. Neither is being gay. Even within the DUP.

To coin a phrase, "You can't help who you fall in love with".

Theresa May famously once described her own party, the Tories, as "the nasty party".

Whether you'd want to go the whole hog and call the DUP that too, I do think there's no doubt that they've become the judgmental party.

Checking out the motes in the eyes of others.

But seemingly blinded (perhaps by all that RHI ash) to their own harsh, holier-than-thou reputation.

And honestly. It's doing them no favours.
In 1939, Winston Churchill colourfully described Russia as being "like a riddle wrapped up in an enigma". And, when one looks at the performance of President Donald Trump, that same description springs to mind. Does anyone really understand this American president and his actions? Does he even understand what he is doing?

His latest decision - to end the American side of the Iran nuclear deal - is a prime example of a bizarre and irrational foreign policy decision by Trump, fuelled, in part, by a loathing of former President Barack Obama.

The Iran deal was a multilateral agreement by Iran with the UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and the US to curb the Iranian nuclear development programme and end the undoubted danger of Iran developing nuclear weapons.

The Iranians agreed to the deal after many months of painstaking negotiations in exchange for extensive economic sanctions being lifted by the West, including the United States of America.

The sanctions were extensive and were crippling Iran's economy and its capacity to trade freely in the international market. The lifting of the sanctions has now given Iran the capacity to rebuild its trading links with the rest of the world.

While there was much opposition in the US to President Obama's support for the deal in 2015, there was equally fierce opposition to the deal within Iran itself.

Hardline elements within Iran's political establishment were strongly opposed to any such deal, especially with the US, which they hated and described as "the Great Satan". But the moderate Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, persuaded the Iranians to accept it and signed up to the deal.

The unilateral ending of the deal by the US President, though not unexpected, has nonetheless sent shockwaves throughout the world. Many thought that Trump was simply engaging in electoral rhetoric, which would be abandoned soon after his election.

But this was not to be and Trump, sadly true to his word, has withdrawn America from an agreement which he has described as the "worst deal ever".

The medium-term consequences of his decision remain to be seen, but many fear that they will be profoundly negative.

The decision has immediately infuriated Iran and threatens to further destabilise an already unsettled political and military situation in the Middle East.

It has also undermined the authority of moderate President Rouhani, who persuaded the Iranians to accept the deal in the first place.

His critics have mocked his misplaced trust in the Americans. They have also called for a revocation of the deal by Iran as well.

Trump's decision was made despite the fact that the International Atomic Energy Authority had certified, this February, that the Iranian government was fully compliant with the terms of the deal. Mike Pompeo, the new US Secretary of State, also agreed that the Iranians were compliant.

Even allowing for Trump's apparent hatred for former Democrat President Obama, the decision does not make any political, military, or economic sense. The reality is that the nuclear agreement was working well and it had reduced the risk of an arms race in the Middle East.

Trump's decision achieves nothing tangible for America, or the world. It simply demonstrates to those hostile to the US and its interests that the Americans are not to be trusted and that they do not honour agreements.

This will surely sow seeds of distrust for any future deal that the Americans might hope to make with other countries - not least North Korea.

It unfortunately strengthens the perception - particularly among Arabs - that the US is in the pocket of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. For it was he, above all, who campaigned against the Iranian deal before it was signed and consistently afterwards.

The bitter irony of all this is that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that actually has nuclear weapons, even though it still denies that it has them.

Netanyahu's government is a coalition of hawkish nationalist parties, who have adopted a hardline stance on most issues.

We tragically witnessed that approach on Monday in Gaza, where there was a mass shooting of 57 Palestinian demonstrators by the Israeli army, gravely escalating an already very dangerous situation.

So, alongside the ending of the Iran deal, the provocative decision by Trump to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has destroyed relations between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

This unilateral decision is at odds with the international diplomatic consensus that sees Jerusalem's future as yet to be determined; as a "final status" issue within the context of a comprehensive peace.

While fulfilling an election promise may be one explanation for the irrational ending of a productive agreement with Iran, it is puzzling as to why Trump is so keen to end an agreement which all of the Western countries agree was a good deal and was being complied with by Iran over the past two years.
As I start to write this column about the forthcoming royal wedding, I am looking at a little ceramic plaque made for me at a local playgroup by two talented children of friends in May 2006. It's got loads of colours - white, green, orange, blue and red. Its inscription, hand-painted with balloons, simply says: "Congratulations Tom OBE - Dervila xo and John ox." It's been in the same place in my home since it was given to me. Which is more than can be said for the actual OBE, which I seem to have temporarily misplaced.

Certainly, I remember giving away my miniature medal as a gift to a former colleague, who now works for one of the major political parties in the Republic. Back in 2006, taking an OBE was big news for someone from my background. Naturally, it attracted criticism from the usual suspects. I wasn't unduly fazed by it. As I said at the time, I had not murdered anyone, but I did want to show, particularly to the unionist community, that I was comfortable in my own identity.

As Seamus Heaney said: "My passport was green. No glass of ours was ever raised to toast the Queen". Well, it wouldn't have been. I grew up in Newry. Unlike Heaney, who confessed to holding a British passport before an Irish one, I only ever held an Irish passport until recently (but it's doubtful, with Brexit, that I will be renewing my British one).

John Hewitt got it right: "I am an Ulsterman, Irishman, British and European". Like Heaney, despite the public rhetoric, I had also met the Queen twice before. Both times connected to when Newry received city status in 2002.

The decision taken to seek city status meant that those of us in civic society, albeit in a mainly nationalist district, had to make a conscious effort to be truly inclusive with unionist residents, many of whom felt alienated by the local majority community.

We were successful in our outreach and it may surprise some readers to know that we hosted a Queen's Jubilee Exhibition in Newry as part of that outreach. My first drink to celebrate city status was taken with Mrs Nummy, a publican and prominent member of the local unionist community, in what was then the Crown Bar.

Much has changed since 2006. Nowadays, Sinn Fein leaders are as comfortable in Windsor Castle as at an ard fheis, especially since the Queen managed a "cupla focail as gaeilge" and Prince Philip handled a "caman agus sliotar" while in Dublin.

Reciprocal state visits followed by run-of-the-mill trips by Prince Charles, Camilla and second-tier royals have become commonplace. Even the late, lamented Seamus Heaney admitted that he had been toasting the Queen quite a few times over the years.

So, too, the late Martin McGuinness, even with the camera on him, never seemed uncomfortable as he chatted away merrily to the Queen.

One suspects Her Majesty found him a lot more interesting than most of the people she has to meet.

So, it's difficult to understand why anyone would get exercised enough to intimidate a Donegal hotelier to cancel a planned royal afternoon tea experience on the wedding day of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

These buck eejits represent no one. They certainly are not republicans; true republicans believe in freedom of expression and association.

A poll suggests over a third of people living in the Republic will tune in to the royal wedding. I suspect the number will be higher. Royal is the new celebrity and an American actress will attract more than the usual cabal of royal fans.

Those living in nationalist communities in Northern Ireland are unlikely to be putting the bunting up, or rushing to buy Mr Kipling cakes with the happy couple's image, but they are no less immune to what seems like an actual true romance.

After all, we Irish cherish an auld romance, whether it be from our Celtic culture, theatre, or politics.

Love has been at the heart of many an Irish fable or event - whether its legends of Grainne and Diarmuid, or Tristan and Iseult, Parnell and Kitty O'Shea, or Oscar Wilde and Lord Douglas, or WB Yeats and Maud Gonne, or Michael Collins and Kitty Kiernan and, last but not least, Joseph Mary Plunkett and Grace Gifford, who was immortalised in the song Grace.

So, it's highly unlikely that some biblical-like green mist will descend on the homes of nationalists who opt to catch a glimpse of Britain's most famous soap stars - the royals.

Notwithstanding the Mexican stand-off between unionist and republican leaders, it's hard to believe that the most ardent of republican supporters wouldn't offer a young couple every happiness at the start of their married life.

Irishness is not diluted by taking an interest in the affairs of our nearest neighbours; it certainly isn't diminished by showing generosity, or respect, for a tradition, even if it's not perceived as being a shared tradition.

Only a few weeks ago, Prince Harry and his fiancee, Meghan Markle, met with literally thousands of our young people at a shared-space event organised by Co-operation Ireland.

The welcome they got was phenomenal.

Co-operation Ireland is chaired by an Englishman of Irish descent, Christopher Moran, and it has board members as diverse as Peter Robinson and John Bruton, along with other unionists and republicans.

Last month, the Irish embassy in London worked closely with Co-operation Ireland, the DUP members of parliament and South Armagh-born, now British Labour MP Conor McGinn to mark the centenary of the death of Irish nationalist and parliamentarian John Redmond at Westminster.

Nationalists won't be agitated about the royal wedding.

It's an occasion that's more about celebrity than identity.

Northern Ireland is a changed place.

There's an Irish proverb: "An lamb a bheir 's i a gheibh!", which seems appropriate for a wedding, which, when translated, means, "The hand that gives is the hand that gets".

I suspect Martin McGuinness understood that when he went to meet with the Queen and it's that type of generosity which has transformed some aspects of our society for the better and for ever.
Investors stand in front of the Dhaka Stock Exchange after officials halted trading for two days in Dhaka, Jan. 25, 2011.

A Chinese consortium will own a quarter of Bangladeshs main stock market, officials said Tuesday, a day after the signing of a strategic partnership that formally rejected a rival bid from India.

The consortium, composed of the Shanghai and the Shenzhen stock exchanges, agreed to acquire 25 percent of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) during the signing of the agreement on Monday evening, officials said.

The Chinese offer underscored an expanding investment rivalry between China and India in Bangladesh during the past few years, according to analysts.

Both countries have more influence in Bangladesh, and theres an intense competition among them, Bangladeshi economist Anu Muhammad told BenarNews. There will be a political dimension in their economic competition.

The signing took place months after a widely publicized rift between Bangladeshs state regulatory agency and DSE officials over which bid to accept.

On Feb. 19, DSE officials announced that they had voted unanimously to accept the Chinese consortiums offer to pay 22 taka (U.S. 26 cents) per share, which was sweetened with an additional offer of about $37 million in technical assistance.

The price of the entire 25 percent stake is $53 million which was sold at $125 million with premium, DSE Managing Director K.A.M. Majedur Rahman told Reuters on Tuesday.

As part of the offer to acquire 450 million shares, the Chinese consortium also requested just one seat on the DSE board, while Indias National Stock Exchange (NSE) had offered 15 taka (about 18 cents) per share and also asked for two board seats, bourse officials told BenarNews.

The signing of the agreement was repeatedly delayed, according to local media reports, after issues were raised by a national regulatory agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Bangladeshi newspapers had reported that the Mumbai-based NSE tried to exert pressure on Dhaka officials into accepting its bid.

DSE, a public limited company, is one of the twin financial hubs of Bangladesh, alongside the Chittagong Stock Exchange. In 2018, the combined market capitalization of listed companies on the Dhaka bourse stood at more than U.S. $51.42 billion.

On the other hand, Shanghai and Shenzhen are among the worlds top stock exchanges with about $3.5 trillion and $2.2 trillion market capitalization, respectively.

DSEs courting of foreign investment forms part of its demutualization process, which was approved by Bangladeshi authorities in 2013, local reports said. When a stock exchange is demutualized, it becomes a for-profit entity.

The demutualization plan included selling one-fourth of DSEs stakes to mostly foreign entities in order to receive technological upgrades that would modernize the exchange, according to reports.

Millions of investors went bankrupt in November 2010 when Dhakas market crashed, with the exchange losing 1,800 points between December 2010 and January 2011. A three-member panel found heavy manipulation in the stock market and blamed the market regulator for failing to control the crisis, reports said.

China is the new friend

A.B. Mirza Azizul Islam, a local economist, said the economic competition in his country between Beijing and New Delhi was good for Bangladesh, which has maintained a steady growth rate of 6 percent annually for about a decade based on its strong garments industry.

We have the opportunity to invest here by both of these influential countries, he told BenarNews. There is nothing to worry about an ongoing global or regional rivalry between China and India.

However, the Chinese attempt to invest in the Dhaka stock market is in line with Beijings Belt and Road Initiative, a geopolitical strategy by Beijing to build a vast network of ports, railways and roads that would connect China to the region, Muhammad, the other economist said.

Chinas massive infrastructure initiative involves a long-term strategy for economic expansion that would also lead to a quiet encirclement of India, Chinas main rival in South Asia, according to political analysts.

India is scared of it. They think that if Chinas influence increases here, their economic-political dominance can become weak. That is why Indias reaction is so overt, Muhammad told Benar.



After NSEs failed bid for the Dhaka bourse, its CEO, Vikram Limaye, flew to Dhaka to lobby for the SEC to reject the Chinese consortiums offer, according to local reports.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during an interview with Indian journalists in February this year, sought to dampen what local newspapers had described as diplomatic instability created by the Sino-Indian competition.

The bilateral relationship between Dhaka and Beijing has been on the upswing after Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Bangladesh in 2016, during which deals worth almost $15 billion were sealed.

India has no reason to worry about Chinas investment in Bangladesh, Hasina said. Indian friendship has passed the test of time and China is the new friend.
The family of a boy killed in one of three church bombings carried out by IS-linked militants prepares for his funeral in Surabaya, Indonesia, May 15, 2018.

Indonesian police said they were intensifying their search for a pair of men believed to be the ideological teachers of three families involved in suicide bombings in East Java province, while officers fatally shot two suspected militants in separate incidents on Tuesday.

One family set off bombs at three churches on Sunday morning in Surabaya, Indonesias second largest city, while another family blew themselves up at a checkpoint outside police headquarters there the next day. A third familys bomb exploded prematurely in their apartment Sunday night, according to police.

We are still in pursuit. There are two I hope to arrest soon, East Java Police Chief Machfud Arifin said without naming the suspects.

Surviving children from a couple of the families told police about the men and meetings that their families attended, authorities said.

As many as 34 people, including 21 suspects, were killed in the spate of Islamic State-linked attacks and counter-terrorist operations that unfolded over the past three days, according to figures compiled by BenarNews.

On Tuesday night, members of the nations elite police wing Densus 88 killed a suspect during a shootout in East Java when officers tried to arrest him over his alleged role in the suicide attacks, officials said. Officers said they shot another suspect in the leg and arrested three others.

Provincial police spokesman Frans Barung Mangera said the dead suspect was about 40 years old. His body was sent to the Police Bhayangkara Hospital for identification.

Meanwhile, National Police Chief Tito Karnavian confirmed that a second suspected militant was killed in a shootout in another part of the country.

Most recently, Densus 88 arrested five suspected terrorists in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra, he told a television audience Tuesday night, referring to the dead suspect and the four others.

In East Java, police said they had arrested 13 suspected militants in Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Pasuruan and Malang since the suicide attacks began.

Officers transport the body of an alleged terrorist to the Police Bhayangkara Hospital in Surabaya, May 14, 2018. (Yovinus Guntur/BenarNews)

Frans said the suspects were linked to Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a local group inspired by the so-called Islamic State (IS). The international extremist group claimed responsibility for the suicide attacks through its Amaq news agency.

Children link suicide families

On Sunday morning, Dita Apriyanto, 47, his wife, Puji Kuswati, 43, and their four children were killed while carrying out bomb attacks at three Surabaya churches.

A bomb exploded prematurely Sunday night in an apartment occupied by a family headed by a man identified as Anton Febrianto, police said. Anton, his wife Puspita Sari, and a child were killed. Three children survived.

A day later, Tri Murtiono, 50, his wife, Tri Ernawati, 43, and their children blew themselves up outside Surabaya city police headquarters, authorities said.

The familys youngest child, an 8-year-old girl, survived the blast while her two older brothers died with their parents.

Machfud said the surviving children told investigators about the three families attending meetings together.

Every Sunday there was a routine meeting spent with the families, Machfud said about the revelations, adding that the meetings focused on preparing for a jihad and sometimes included the viewing of jihadist videos.

Regular Quran recitation every Sunday, often at Ditas house, he added.

Dita has been identified as a JAD cell leader in East Java.

Priest calls for forgiveness

The suicide bombings shocked Indonesians because these marked the first time in the country that radicalized people had involved their children, including girls as young as 8 and 9, in committing terrorist attacks, police said.

Even though Sundays bombings targeted members of the Christian minority, a priest at Santa Maria Tak Bercela Catholic Church, which was attacked that day in Surabaya, said Catholics should not be afraid. Terrorists, he said, were the victims of their own misunderstanding and people should learn to coexist.

By practicing coexistence, mutual help, and standing shoulder to shoulder, terrorist acts will be replaced by peace, Father Aloysius Widyawan said, advising Christians and others to forgive the terrorists.

Fear is a human thing, but if we are afraid without doing acts of kindness, ultimately it will not make things better, he said.

Meanwhile in Indonesias capital, interfaith leaders and others gathered Tuesday to support government efforts to combat terrorism.

These incidents [in Surabaya] have gone beyond human boundaries by killing many people, even small children involved in the terror movement, said a joint statement issued by participants in the Movement of Citizens against Terrorism, which rallied in Jakarta.

Sinta Nuriyah Wahid, the widow of former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), who was known to his admirers as the father of pluralism, said such attacks could destroy a nation.

But I am sure that, with this incident, the brotherhood of the nation will become stronger based on Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, she said, referring to Indonesias five-pillared state philosophy that emphasizes national unity and pluralism.

Abdul Moqsith Ghazali, who represented the board of the Indonesian Ulema Council, the nations leading body of scholars of Islam and the religions jurisprudence, spoke out against the terror acts carried out by Muslim families.

Terrorism is not based on religion because it is wrong. Involving women and children is clearly wrong. In Islam, suicide is forbidden, he said.

Indefensible

In other related developments on Tuesday, the Philippine government said its embassy in Jakarta had been in touch with more than 250 Filipinos in Surabaya, following the bombings.

The government has advised the Filipinos to remain vigilant and to limit their movements until the situation normalizes, Manila said.

Elsewhere, Human Rights Watch issued a statement condemning the terrorist attacks and calling on the Indonesian government should reach to the victims of the church attacks as well as surviving children who were used in carrying out the acts.

The bombings of Christian churches show the grave risks Indonesias religious minorities face every day, said Andreas Harsono, senior Indonesia researcher for the New York-based international rights watchdog. The horror of these attacks was magnified by the attackers using their own children as suicide bombers.

Deploying children in such a way is indefensible and deplorable, he added.
Malaysia's reformist icon Anwar Ibrahim waves to his supporters and photographers after leaving a hospital in Kuala Lumpur, May 16, 2018.

Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim received a royal full-pardon Wednesday, his lawyer and a Royal Household statement said, as he walked freely out of a Kuala Lumpur hospital where he had undergone treatment while in police custody.

Anwar, a twice-jailed 70-year-old former deputy prime minister, was freed after spending three years in prison and days after the opposition alliance that he jointly led pulled off a surprise election triumph and ushered the political downfall of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

His Majesty the King, Sultan Muhammad V, under the advice of the Pardon Board  has declared that the appeal for full pardon and immediate release of Anwar Ibrahim is approved, Wan Ahman Dahlan Abdul Aziz, comptroller of the Royal Household, said in a statement.

Anwars lawyer, Sivarasa Rasiah, told reporters that the kings full pardon would mean that all of the former opposition leaders past convictions have been expunged.

He is not only physically free, but also free to participate in the countrys politics as though the past conviction did not exist, Sivarasa said.

Wearing a custom-tailored black suit, Anwar smiled, gave thumbs up and waved while dozens of cameramen snapped his photographs as he emerged from the hospital where he had undergone surgery for a shoulder injury.

He immediately boarded a car without issuing any statement.

Anwar has spent eight of the past 20 years in prison on what his supporters claimed were politically-motivated sodomy charges, including one that was orchestrated by Najib.

But prospects that Anwar will immediately take over as the countrys prime minister appeared bleak on Wednesday, a day after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad issued a statement saying he intends to remain the nations leader for one or two years.

The opposition bloc devastated the countrys dominant coalition during the May 9 general election. Anwars party, PKR, won 48 of the 113 parliamentary seats captured by the four-party opposition alliance Pakatan Harapan (PH) and he is widely expected to succeed Mahathir once the 92-year-old premier steps down from office.

Mahathir had pledged during the electoral campaign that he would hand over power to Anwar. He stunned the nation in February 2016 when he left the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the anchor party in a ruling bloc that has dominated Malaysian politics since independence from Britain in 1957. Mahathir then joined forces with Anwar, his former arch nemesis, whom he once sent to jail on a sodomy charge.

Sodomy carries a jail term of up to 20 years in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Without the absolute pardon from the king, Anwar would have been disqualified for five years from running for office after his release. The kings pardon would pave the way for his return to national politics, lawyers said.

Anwar was kicked out as Mahathirs deputy prime minister on Sept. 2, 1998, amid reports he was under police investigation. He was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption in April 1999 and nine years in prison for sodomy in August 2000. He was freed four years later after the countrys top court dismissed his sodomy conviction, but his corruption conviction stood.

The most recent roadblocks for Anwar assuming power began with his second sodomy conviction. He was acquitted on the charge in 2012, but the Court of Appeal reversed the decision two years later and ordered the five-year sentence.

Anwar solidified his image as a stalwart opposition figure when he suffered a black eye while under police custody in September 1988, shortly after he was detained for allegedly leading an anti-government rally. His photo with a black eye and one hand raised became a symbol of the political opposition in many posters.

As this weeks historic vote unfolded, Anwar was confined as a prisoner at Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital in the countrys capital, after suffering a shoulder injury while being transported in a prison van.

Anwars wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, stayed with him at the hospital. She has been named as the countrys new deputy prime minister after being elected to the 222-seat parliament while representing the PKR party.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, in a statement emailed to BenarNews, reminded Malaysians not to forget the injustice that Anwar faced while serving "a long sentence for a crime that should never have been considered a crime."

"It's not surprising that there has now been this political solution, in the form of a new government granting his freedom, to his case which former Prime Minister Najib shamelessly politicized from the very start to sideline a formidable political opponent," Robertson said.

On Tuesday, Anwars daughter, Nurul Izzah, told reporters that she grappled with the possibility that her father could observe Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims, together with his family.

"This is one of the sweetest gifts we can have as a family, she said.
Philippine soldiers arrive at a military camp after a gun battle with members of militant group Abu Sayyaf at the village of Bongkaong in the southern Philippine town of Patikul, Aug. 26, 2016.

Pro-Islamic State (IS) Abu Sayyaf extremists have freed two policewomen after intensified manhunt operations, more than two weeks after they were held captive on the southern Philippine island of Jolo, authorities said Wednesday.

National police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said junior officers Benierose Alvarez and Dina Gumahad were released separately in the town of Patikul with the help of local officials who volunteered to negotiate on their behalf.

It was not clear whether ransom has been paid to secure their freedom, which came shortly before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is to be celebrated in the predominantly Catholic nation.

Yes, as we speak now this afternoon, the report from our police is that they were released and now in the hands of the governor of Sulu, Albayalde told reporters, referring to Gov. Sakur Tan.

The intervention of local officials helped and I think they were released because Ramadan is approaching, he said.

Alvarez and Gumahad, along with two other civilians, were taken at gunpoint while they were travelling onboard a motorbike on April 29. The two civilians were released unharmed and officials would not say whether money changed hands.

The Philippines has a strict no-ransom policy, but the victims families have often gone around this by saying that they had forked over board and lodging expenses to the Abu Sayyaf captors.

Chief Superintendent Billy Beltran, the regional police head, said Alvarez was left by his kidnappers before noon Wednesday near the village of Samak in Talipao town, a stronghold of the gunmen. Gumahad was freed on Tuesday.

Beltran said they were checking if the families of the captives paid ransom money in exchange for their freedom. The Abu Sayyaf had demanded a ransom equivalent to about U.S. $96,000 for the two but the government had rejected this and instead launched attacks.

At least 15 Abu Sayyaf militants and two soldiers have been killed during firefights in the past two weeks, officials said.

The Abu Sayyaf is the smallest, but the most brutal of militant groups operating in the southern Philippines. It has been engaged in banditry, kidnapping and bombings.

The group beheaded a German hostage last year, while two Canadians suffered the same fate the previous year. They are still holding captive 12 hostages in the south, including three Indonesians, one Vietnamese, one Dutch and seven Filipinos, the military has said.

One of the senior leaders of Abu Sayyaf, Isnilon Hapilon, had pledged allegiance to the IS and led a siege of the southern city of Marawi last year, leaving 1,200 people dead, most of them militants.

The five-month siege ended in October with the death of Hapilon, although the government said dozens of militants had escaped.
Researchers have identified certain peptides which could be further tested as potential vaccine candidates that can elicit a strong immune response. These peptides are part of an outer membrane protein of the bacterium. This protein is conserved in 46 types of disease causing Leptospira, and if confirmed and further developed into a vaccine, it could provide immunity against all 46 types.

Leptospirosis -caused by pathogenic bacteria, Leptospira-led to over one million infections globally in 2015. Availability of an appropriate vaccine could have prevented most of them.

Scientists at the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) have used sophisticated tools to identify important regions on the bacteria that could play an important role in developing a vaccine for Leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, meaning it spreads through animals. Farmers or veterinarians frequently exposed to animal urine or swimmers exposed to contaminated water are at high risk. People may get exposed to the bacteria during flooding as well. Vaccinating such high risk groups can protect them from Leptospirosis.

The team at GBRC used high throughput computational tools to identify regions on pathogenic Leptospira, which could be criticalin designing an effective vaccine. Using, bioinformatics tools, researchers studied the whole set of proteins of bacteria cell (proteome) and its genome.

As a protection mechanism from a pathogen, human body fights back by making antibodies or activating cells that kill other infected cells which scientists refer to as immune response. Vaccines prepare our bodies by eliciting such response even before one is infected bya pathogen. This way vaccine equip us to fight a pathogen or disease as soon as we are exposed to it.

Researchers have identified certain peptides which could be further tested as potential vaccine candidates that can elicit a strong immune response. These peptides are part of an outer membrane protein of the bacterium. This protein is conserved in 46 types of disease causing Leptospira, and if confirmed and further developed into a vaccine, it could provide immunity against all 46 types.

Identification of target sites is a key step in vaccine design. With the help of modern genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics tools we have analyzed the pathogenic proteome (3654 proteins) to predict the antigenicity (ability to elicit an immune response) and narrowed down to a single protein of high affinity with ability to bind to the antibody present on B-cells for inducing immune response, explained Jayashankar Das, lead scientist, while speaking to India Science Wire.

Since many different strains or types of Leptospiraare present in tropical regions, the team is carrying out more studies on different strains and also testing identified proteins in cells, added Das. Since this disease is a major concern to farmers as well as livestock breeders, we are also involved in developing an onsite diagnostic kit for leptospirosis with support from the Department of Science and Technology,he added.

These peptides represent a novel outcome of the study. They need to be studied further in for their effectiveness in animals and humans. If successful, it could become an important tool in fighting this disease worldwide, commented Hardeep Vora, R&D Manager at Dia Sys Diagnostics India, while speaking to India Science Wire.

The research results have been published in journal, Scientific Reports. The team included Kumari Snehkant Lata, Swapnil Kumar, Vibhisha Vaghasia, Priyanka Sharma, Shivarudrappa B. Bhairappanvar, Subhash Soni and Jayashankar Das. The research work was supported by the Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission.
Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) is a rare precancerous condition accounting for 1-3 per cent of colorectal cancers.

Researchers at the Bengaluru-based genomic diagnostics and research firm MedGenome Labs have discovered a never-before-seen genetic mutation responsible for six members of a Gujarati family suffering from Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP), a rare precancerous inherited condition accounting for 1-3 per cent of cases of colorectal cancer. The mutation was also found in four other members of the family, leaving them highly susceptible to developing FAP later in life.

The first-of-its-kind genetic study, conducted in collaboration with Kailash Cancer Hospital & Research Centre (KCHRC) in Goraj, Gujarat, involved a 52-year-old patient, Paresh (name changed), and his immediate and extended family of 25 people.

When the patient approached KCHRC with health issues including weight loss and changes in bowel movement, doctors conducted a colonoscopy which confirmed the presence of multiple polyps (an abnormal growth that could become cancerous) in his colon, an indication of FAP. On further investigation, it was found that five of Pareshs family members, aged 35-60 years, were afflicted with FAP. The presence of benign polyps, between 100 to 1,000 in number, appear in the colon and rectum of patients in their teenage years. If left untreated, the polyps gradually turn malignant giving rise to aggressive and often fatal colorectal cancer by the age of 40-50 years.

Since FAP is an inherited condition, MedGenome Labs together with KCHRC collected clinical data and blood samples from twenty five members of Pareshs immediate and extended family ranging in ages 6-60 years. Genetic analysis of their blood samples revealed a never-before-reported mutation in the Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene, not only in all six FAP-diagnosed family members, but also in four young individuals (ages 6-23 years) who have not yet been diagnosed with FAP.

This observation has important clinical repercussions, as the four young individuals have a strong predisposition to developing polyps in later years and must therefore be kept under observation. They have thus far been counselled by MedGenome genetic counsellors and regular colonoscopies for early detection of polyps have been recommended.

Dr. Arati Khanna Gupta, VP  R&D with MedGenome Labs, Bengaluru said, Once family members had consented to share their clinical histories and blood samples, we at MedGenome used high throughput Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) methods to look for the FAP causative mutant gene. Our analyses revealed the presence of a never-before-identified mutation in the APC gene in ten of the twenty five family members, six of whom had FAP. Mutations in the APC gene are commonly found in cases of FAP, causing the APC gene product to malfunction. Under normal conditions, APC is a tumour-suppressor gene which prevents uncontrolled growth of cells; a hallmark of cancerous tumours. This is the first-ever genetic study on FAP conducted in India on a large family. It underscores the power of genetic analysis in identifying individuals in the affected family at the risk of developing colorectal cancer, and saving lives through early detection and timely treatment.

Added Dr. Rakshit Shah, Surgical Oncologist, Kailash Cancer Hospital & Research Centre (KCHRC), Vadodara, who attended to Paresh and his family: This genetic study is a breakthrough. Detection of this genetic mutation in a patient will enable us to identify individuals most vulnerable to FAP and colorectal cancer, and take preventive measures beforehand, helping bring down its incidence. Screening is the most effect way to prevent colorectal cancer. Every individual in a family or community affected by colorectal cancer should undergo genetic analysis  if they have APC gene mutation, it is likely they will develop the disease once they reach their 40s.

This approach involving genetic analysis, is vital not only in the early diagnosis and subsequent treatment of FAP, but could also be leveraged to play a role in cancer prevention.
Cannes 2018: So, Really Who Wore The Pants Better? Bollywood Wardrobe Devika

Glamour oozed at Cannes 2018 as our stunning stylistas conquered the film festival with their sartorial fashion statements. While the regulars, Deepika Padukone and Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan pulled off their attires like a piece of cake, Huma and Mahira were also not far behind in showing us their stylish side.

All the four ladies donned individualistic western outfits, which made heads turn and hearts pound. However, there was one attire, common among the divas. And that outfit was a simple and unassuming 'pantsuit'. Yes, Deepika, Huma, Aishwarya, and Mahira-all popularised pantsuits and sported this androgynous outfit in their characteristic ways.

Each of them stood out and looked absolutely stunning. If Deepika went for a chic pantsuit, Huma went for a metallic pantsuit.

So, for us it became very difficult to rank the fashionistas in terms of who-wore-it-better. We have for you the four gorgeous actresses in their phenomenal pantsuits.

1. Huma Qureshi's Futuristic Pantsuit

Huma Qureshi pulled up a surprise act, when she donned a pantsuit on her first red carpet appearance of Cannes 2018. We were expecting her to wear a gown or a traditional attire but the 'Gangs of Wasseypur' actress took a U-turn. Her brown-coloured Nikhil Thampi pantsuit was accentuated by platinum chips. She rounded off her look with Piaget jewellery and middle-parted hairstyle.

2. Deepika Padukone's Glam Pantsuit

Deepika's Victoria Hayes pantsuit took our breath away as she posed for the L'Oreal photoshoot, against the sublime backdrop of French Riviera. Her very crisp outfit with a plunging V-neckline came from the designer's Fall Winter 18 collection. And Dippy carried the pantsuit with such an aplomb that we couldn't stop ourselves from wowing. The 'Padmaavat' actress enhanced her look with YSL jewellery.

3. Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan's Elegant Pantsuit

Aishwarya's Giorgio Armani black pantsuit was classy and perfect for the L'Oreal after-party, where she was honoured for completing more than 15 years at Cannes. Ash looked elegant and class apart in her very structural attire. She accessorised her look with a Jimmy Choo clutch and glitzy pencil heels by Racine Carree. Her ponytail and bold red lip shade were spot on. Well, after all she is our ultimate boss lady.

4. Mahira Khan's Summery Pantsuit

The Pakistani debutante, Mahira Khan announced summer in her pastel-hued pantsuit, which came from the Italian brand, Ermanno Scervino. She looked very swanky yet comfortable, and her fashion game was on point as she attended the L'Oreal event. Mahira complemented her look by keeping the make-up subtle and leaving her tresses loose.

So whose pantsuits left a lasting impression on you? Feel free to share your views in the comments section.
Directors at collapsed British engineering giant Carillion were too busy "stuffing their mouths with gold" to worry about the workers and should face the possibility of disqualification, according to a scathing report by British MPs.

In the final report of an inquiry into the spectacular failure of the company, two select committees also attacked the British Government for "lacking" decisiveness and bravery to tackle failures in corporate regulation.

Carillion became a "giant and unsustainable corporate time bomb", said the Work and Pensions and Business Select Committees.

The MPs said that following a series of hearings into Carillion's liquidation, it was clear that the board presided over "rotten corporate culture".

They said the Insolvency Service should carefully consider whether former directors breached their duties under the Companies Act and should be recommended for disqualification.

Frank Field, chairman of the UK's Work and Pensions Committee, said: "A board of directors too busy stuffing their mouths with gold to show any concern for the welfare of their workforce or their pensioners.

"They rightly face investigation of their fitness to run a company again.

"This is a disgraceful example of how much of our capitalism is allowed to operate, waved through by a cosy club of auditors, conflicted at every turn.

"Government urgently needs to come to Parliament with radical reforms to our creaking system of corporate accountability.

"British industry is too important to be left in the hands of the likes of the shysters at the top of Carillion."

Rachel Reeves, who chairs the Business Committee, said: "Carillion's collapse was a disaster for all those who lost their jobs and the small businesses, contractors and suppliers left fighting for survival.

"The company's delusional directors drove Carillion off a cliff and then tried to blame everyone but themselves.

"Their colossal failure as managers meant they effectively pressed the self-destruct button on the company.

"However, the auditors should also be in the dock for this catastrophic crash.

"They are guilty of failing to tackle the crisis at Carillion, failing to insist the company paint a true picture of its crippling financial problems.

"The sorry saga of Carillion is further evidence that the Big Four accountancy firms are prioritising their own profits ahead of good governance at the companies they are supposed to be putting under the microscope."

Ms Reeves said the Competition and Markets Authority should look to break up the so-called Big Four accountancy firms - KMPG, PwC, Deloitte and EY -which she added had pocketed millions of pounds for their lucrative audit work.

"It is a parasitical relationship which sees the auditors prosper, regardless of what happens to the companies, employees and investors who rely on their scrutiny."

The committee said Ernst & Young was paid 10.8 million for "six months of failed turnaround advice", while Deloitte received 10 million to be Carillion's internal auditor, but were either "unable or unwilling" to identify failings in financial controls, or "too readily ignored them".

Thousands of jobs have been lost as a result of Carillion's collapse in January.

Former finance director Richard Adam, who was named in the MPs' report as the "architect of Carillion's aggressive accounting policies" and was previously accused of "dumping" shares worth hundreds of thousands of pounds at the first possible moment, said in a statement: "'Despite retiring over a year before Carillion went into insolvency, I am deeply saddened by the events that have since overtaken the company.

"The reasons for the collapse are clearly complex; however, I reject the unwarranted conclusions the committees have reached concerning my role at the company

"I have objected to the committees about quotes that they have misattributed to me. I look forward to contributing to the due process and conclusion of the various investigations that are still ongoing."

Unite union assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail, picking up the report's summary that Carillion could happen again, and soon, said: "The fall of Carillion was the inevitable outcome of a business model that embodies a 'race to the bottom' on bidding for contracts.

"The public sector can change that. National and local government have the power to transform outsourcing disasters by bringing services in house where profit is no longer the ideological master and for service contracts that are let to apply standards on quality and workforce concerns."

Roger Barker, of the Institute of Directors, said: "The report confirms that, far from being a natural market failure, the demise of Carillion came about as a result of individual failings by the company's board and other actors in the governance chain.

"What makes this all the more painful is that many of those who bore the brunt of its collapse - its employees, suppliers and other stakeholders - were among those who helped keep company on its feet for as long as it did.

"Carillion's collapse undermined the already low level of public trust in business. The majority of UK businesses and business leaders bear little relation to the companies we have seen fail due to poor corporate governance in recent years, yet unfortunately they are tarnished by the same brush."

A Government spokesman said: "Our priority has been the continued, safe running of public services and to minimise the impact of Carillion's insolvency. The plans we put in place have ensured this.

"The Government wants to see a strong and varied supplier base where companies of all sizes benefit from long term and stable Government contracts.

"That's why we have recently announced a number of measures to support Government suppliers - strengthening our commitment to prompt payment; protecting staff, businesses and small suppliers from irresponsible directors.

"We welcome the report from the joint select committee and will respond fully in due course."

Rebecca Long Bailey, shadow secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, commenting on the joint select committee report on Carillion, said: "This report shows that the big four need to be broken up.

"It highlighted what has been long known to industry insiders - that a cabal of four big auditors have too cosy a relationship with the companies they work for.

"There are a multitude of problems with the big four in the insolvency process such as the dependence of the insolvency practitioner on secured creditors for appointments, therefore, making them primarily responsive to secured creditors' wishes and the incentive for big firms to extend the insolvency process and rake in large fees.

"Millions racked up in debt, thousands of workers losing their jobs and pensions, and supply chain business at risk of collapse, because not only did the corporate auditors fail to hold Carillion's misbehaving managers to account, but because the Government looked on in ignorance at the same time, proceeding to award contract after contract to a firm which had issued numerous profit warnings."
Low-cost airline easyJet expects profits to rise more than 30% this year as it benefits from strong travel demand and the collapse of some smaller short-haul rivals but its new chief executive said it has no plan to muscle in the bidding battle for long-haul carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle.

Johan Lundgren said he has no plans to enter the long-haul low-cost market even as Norwegian rejected two approaches from IAG--the Aer Lingus and British Airways owner.

We are not interested in buying Norwegian. Were going to focus on our core, Mr Lundgren, who is Swedish, said on a conference call with journalists. We have a lot of plans and initiatives, he said.

Neither will the Luton-based airline become part of a wider bid group with other carriers, he said.

Looking to build on that momentum, new CEO Johan Lundgren also said he would expand the companys holiday business, loyalty scheme, and business offering.

EasyJet, Europes second-biggest low-cost airline behind Ryanair, swung to a profit for the six months ended March 31, helped by the timing of Easter and the collapse of British rival Monarch last year and Italys Alitalia going into administration, pushing more customers to easyJet.

The company said that would help to drive annual profits up to 530m to 580m (658m), at least 30% higher than last years headline result and around 5% to 15% above analysts current forecasts.

The forecast includes losses that easyJet expects to incur from its costly expansion into Berlins Tegel airport last year, when it bought part of failed airline Air Berlins operations.

These should be seen as a very positive set of results, with encouraging trends for yields which should also bode well for Ryanair, Investec analysts said in a note

Shares in easyJet, which have gained 40% over the last six months, rose over 2%.

EasyJet said it wants to expand its holiday-tour unit and attract more business travellers.

Mr Lundgren named five top managers, led by the appointment of Garry Wilson from TUI to head the holiday arm, which will become a focus for investment.

EasyJet is targeting a broader range of markets as the discount sector becomes an increasingly tough battleground, with network carriers setting up their own cut-price units and Ryanair expanding operations.

EasyJet will attempt to increase the number of corporate passengers by modifying its schedule to add a business-bias on certain routes and introducing a new online portal to allow small- and medium-sized companies to book more easily.

Mr Lundgren, who ruled out further aircraft purchases in the near term, named other top managers to help see through the initiatives. He recruited Luca Zuccoli from personal-credit checker Experian as chief data officer and appointed Flic Howard-Allen, formerly of Associated British Foods and Marks & Spencer, as communications head. Thomas Haagensen, managing director of easyJets Austrian arm, becomes group markets director, and Lis Blair steps up to chief marketing officer.

The airline market has seen significant consolidation over the last year.

Lufthansa and easyJet both bought parts of failed Air Berlin last year, and more recently British Airways-owner IAG (ICAG.L) said it was interested in buying low-cost, long- and short-haul carrier Norwegian (NWC.OL).

EasyJet still intends to be on the right side of a consolidation trend in European aviation and remains interested in bidding for the short-haul operations of failed Alitalia, according to Mr Lundgren. That approach was initiated by his predecessor Carolyn McCall, now chief executive of broadcaster ITV.

Mr Lundgrens focus on leisure harks back to his own career at TUI, the worlds biggest tour operator, where he ran the UK business.

EasyJet entered the vacation sector a few years ago but has so far failed to fully exploit its low-cost base and network of holiday routes from major airports, according to the CEO, who says hes targeting a significant share of the market.

Meanwhile, Air France-KLM shares fell by over 2% as it named finance chief Frederic Gagey as interim CEO to replace Jean-Marc Janaillac, who quit after failing to end a series of strikes that have roiled the airlines French arm since February.

The change at the top comes in the midst of a dispute that French Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne termed preoccupying, saying Air France is less competitive than both the KLM arm of the carrier and rival Lufthansa. The company has said the strikes have cost more than 400m.

The carrier, created in 2004 by the merger of French and Dutch national airlines, was thrown into turmoil this month when Mr Janaillac said he would resign after employees rejected a wage offer. Since then, French ministers including Ms Borne have warned that Air France-KLMs future is in jeopardy and urged local unions to end the conflict.

Reuters and Bloomberg
By James Paton

A week after Novartis had to explain its entanglement in US Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation, CEO Vas Narasimhan dialled into a conference call of epic proportions. On the receiving end: 5,000 of his top managers.

Mr Narasimhans urgent message was that Novartis needs to regain public trust and rethink the way it does business with consulting firms, lobbyists, and other business groups.

That is after the surprise disclosure that the Swiss pharmaceutical company paid $1.2m (1m) to a consulting firm led by Donald Trumps personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, an arrangement the CEO later called a mistake.

In Ireland, the drugmaker operates three bases in Cork and Dublin.

Novartis is completing a review to determine its next steps after an internal investigation  conducted with outside advisers and completed in November  found the company did opt do anything illegal, said a source.

The controversy poses a challenge for Mr Narasimhan, a 13-year company veteran who replaced Joe Jimenez atop the Swiss drugmaker in February.

An American, Harvard-trained physician, Mr Narasimhan is seeking to reshape Novartiss culture after a series of allegations of improper sales practices, while accelerating efforts to find breakthrough products to replace aging blockbusters. Novartis declined to comment.

Mr Narasimhan is grappling with questions about a one-year, $100,000-a-month agreement with Mr Cohens Essential Consultants that was aimed at gaining insight into health-care policies under the new US administration.

Novartis said it hired the company in 2017, while Mr Jimenez was still CEO. The drugmaker said that even though it determined after a single meeting that the firm would be unable to provide the services it anticipated and decided not to engage further, it was contractually bound to keep making monthly payments.

Mr Narasimhan had no involvement in the arrangement with Mr Cohens firm, Novartis said.

Mr Jimenez, who couldnt be reached for comment, was chosen in January 2017 as chairman-elect of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the US lobbying group.

Bloomberg
A charity which supports homeless people has warned that there will be less hotels and B&Bs to accommodate homeless people as Dublin starts to stage large summer concerts.

Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) said that 95% of hotel rooms in the city are booked out this week as a result of the Ed Sheeran concerts.
Gardai believe most of the Irish jihadis who left to fight wars are now dead or missing.

It is estimated that around 30 terror sympathisers from here went to fight wars in Iraq or Syria.

The garda in charge of Ireland's national security says they are now either deceased, missing or fighting elsewhere.

Assistant Commissioner Michael OSullivan says they are monitoring a small number of Isis sympathisers here.

He said: "We have a small number and I just want to elaborate on what the small number of Isis sympathisers here who we are monitoring and who are of interest to us.

"In 2017 we set up a terrorist financing investigation unit to look at terrorist financing and that includes not just the domestic, but also the international."

Mr O'Sullivan said there are around 2,000 foreign fighters left in the theatre of war, which was getting smaller.

He also said Gardai are working with the Defence Forces and overseas agencies in setting up systems to prevent terror attacks here.

He said: "There is concern internationally in relation to where they may go next.

At the moment there isnt real evidence that they are returning to Europe including Ireland.

"We have a small number that we believe are still alive in Syria and Iraq. They may go to other theatres of war in the Philippines, in the horn of Africa, North Africa.

"Also of concern to us certainly would be families returning and that is a concern for a lot of jurisdictions and these may have been families not involved directly in the war but whose children, particularly young males may have witnessed some of the most appalling crimes known to man", the assistant commissioner added.

"They will return and they will become a challenge for a multi-agency effort".
Opposition parties united today to defeat the Government's proposal to set the digital age of consent at 13.

This afternoon, TDs voted in favour of a Fianna Fail and Labour amendment to the Data Protection Bill to set it at 16.

The vote was carried by 55 to 51.

Speaking in the Dail during a deabte on the Data Protection Bill 2018, Labour's Sean Sherlock said the digital age of consent only applied when personal data was being processed.

But he said children under the digital age of consent should be provided with platforms that do not exploit their personal data.

Our approach on the age of 16 is to facilitate parents to give them the opportunity to parent and not create a situation where the law gives a 13 year-old the right to consent to profiling and the use of their personal information for all sorts of services, be it exploitative or not.

I do not believe we should legislate on the basis that we know children will lie about the age they give in respect of the age verification process. We have to legislate on the basis of what we believe to be the correct course of action.

"If we are talking about the rights of contract law, the age of consent at 16 errs on the better side in terms of the expression of clear judgment in ensuring that parents have the right to parent, he added.

Explaining his opposition to the Government's proposal, Sinn Fein's Donnchadh O Laoghaire said 16 was more appropriate.

However, he acknowledged that this was not a silver bullet for protecting children online.

Fianna Fail's Education spokesman Thomas Byrne said children would not be limited from participating online.

"If someone is profiled without their consent, the penalty is not on the child.. or the parent.. the penalty is on the tech company," he said.

There is no doubt that we can properly choose to protect children by having the digital age of consent at 16, as it is in the regulation the Europeans have set for us.

"The Minister has helpfully listed countries that are going for 13. We have also listed large and important countries that are going for 16. I urge the Minister to let us know who has advised him for 16, he said.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said the proposal to set the age at 13 was the result of careful consideration and wide consultation.

"Ireland will be firmly in line with many other EU states such as Denmark Finland and Sweden..countries that, more than most, we look to for examples of good support in the areas of child support and child protection," he said.

Indepent4Change TD Clare Daly backed the Government's proposal to have 13 as the digital age of consent.

She said setting the age at 16 was the modern equivalent of the "just say no" approach, adding that it could deny children access to important services.

Roisin Shortall, of the Social Democrats, too expressed concern at setting the age at 16.

She said: The predominant point is that raising the age of consent to 16 - or whatever age- does give a false sense of security that it solves the problem, when we know that simply is not the case.

This is a once-off action a parent takes in handing over consent. If they say no, it means the child is denied access to that platform. If they say yes, which an awful lot of parents will do because they do not know what they are handing over, that is a problem also.
By Tom Tuite

A restaurateur has been spared jail but was fined 10,000 for obstructing an inspection of his employment records.

Dublin District Court heard that an inspector from the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) feared he was going to be punched or would get a headbutt.

Tropica M & J Limited, trading as the Tropica restaurant, with an address at 3C Castle Street, Dalkey, Co Dublin faced charges of obstructing WRC inspectors and failing to comply with their requirements.

Its director Mr Xiao Jin Xu, with an address at Southpoint, Main Street, Bray, Co Wicklow, was accused of related charges of conniving to obstruct the inspection but had no prior conviction and was spared a possible 12-month sentence.

Mr Xu and the company were each fined 10,000 and ordered to pay a total of 600 in legal costs.

He was not present for the hearing at Dublin District Court, however, Judge John Brennan held the director and his company were aware of the proceedings, and he allowed the case proceed in their absence.

WRC inspector Sergei Bakirov told the court he was carrying out unnanounced compliance checks in relation to workers who may have been non-EU nationals with no employment permits.

He said he also intended to inspect other documents in relation to rates of pay, annual leave and holiday payments.

On June 15 last year, he called to the Tropica restaurant at 3C Castle Street, Dalkey, and introduced himself to Xu and told him he wanted to interview his employees.

Revenue officials and gardai were also present for the inspection at the Asian food restaurant. The revenue officials were permitted entry but the WRC officials were not allowed go into the kitchen to interview staff, the court heard.

He told Judge Brennan he wanted to go into the kitchen but was not allowed and Xu blocked their way. Mr Bakirov said Xu started pushing him and put his hands on him.

A garda explained to him that the inspector was doing his job but Xu said he did not he not care, Mr Bakirov told the court.

He said he was pushed to the exit. The WRC inspector said he cautioned Xu that for compliance with employment legislation he needed to see the restaurants records and interview the staff.

He alleged Xu was verbally aggressive to him and his WRC colleague Leonard Carrigan.

He alleged that despite gardai being present he was pushed several times and was let speak to Xus employees.

He said he cautioned him formally but Xu responded, I dont care.

Mr Bakirov said he felt unsafe because Xu was aggressive. He claimed the accused was yelling at him and he was afraid the restaurateur was going to throw a punch at him or headbutt him.

After 30 minutes a female came out to him and produced some paperwork of staff allegedly on the premises but he was not allowed talk to them.

WRC inspector Leonard Carrigan had been outside at a side door in the event any employees tried to leave. He told the hearing that after a while he decided to enter the restaurant and he witnessed Xu shouting at his colleague to get out.

Prosecuting solicitor Edel Muldowney told the court it was a serious matter and the defendants failed to comply with the requests. She submitted that it went beyond that; there was a level of physical abuse, Xu acted agressively and the WRC offical feared for his safety.

The solicitor said that clearly this was not a once off and she asked the court to note evidence given that during another spot check in 2016 Xu was also aggressive but no prosecution was brought over that incident.
By Sarah-Jane Murphy

A burglar, identified after CCTV captured him having a hair cut in a barbers next door to the house he broke into, has been jailed for 17 months.

Judge Karen O'Connor said she considered it very serious that a family home, where a mother and her twins were taking an afternoon nap, was violated.

Matthew Ahern (53), of St Brigid's Court, Raheny, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to burglary at Collins Avenue East, Killester on February 17, 2016.

He has 48 previous convictions including seven for burglary, dating back as far as 1982.

At an earlier hearing, Garda Laura Nulty told Grainne O'Neill BL, prosecuting, that the homeowner was asleep in a bedroom after putting her children down for a nap at 2:30pm.

She heard rustling noises and thought her husband was in the room, but then saw Ahern taking her iPad and laptop from a bedroom dresser, the court heard.

The woman grabbed them back and Ahern then took two mobile phones before leaving the house.

CCTV recovered from a barbers next door showed Ahern having a hair cut immediately prior to the break in and he was arrested, Garda Nulty said.

She agreed with Seoirse O'Dunlaing BL, defending, that although it was traumatic for the woman to find an unknown male in her home, he had no implements on him and it had been a smash and grab.

Mr O'Dunlaing said his client wasn't asking the court to listen to a cock and bull story, and said Ahern hadn't come to garda attention since this offence.

In sentencing, Judge O'Connor noted that Ahern had made a huge effort regarding his methadone maintenance programme. She gave him credit for his guilty plea, and for changing his chaotic lifestyle.

However, she said a mother's home and her sense of safety were violated and property was stolen, and sentenced Ahern to three years imprisonment with the final 19 months suspended.

She said prison may be difficult for Ahern as he had been ill in the past and was older than most of the prison population.

Judge O'Connor advised Ahern to use the suspended portion of his sentence as a focus, to keep him out of trouble while in custody.
By Natasha Reid

Judges at the Special Criminal Court have described as bordering on the absurd claims that Frederick Freddie Thompson had a constitutional right to privacy when captured on CCTV cameras around the city that day.

They were delivering their ruling on a defence application to exclude private CCTV footage.

The 37-year-old, with an address at Loreto Road, Maryland in Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of David Douglas on July 1st, 2016 on Bridgefoot Street in the city.

The non-jury court has heard that the 55-year-old was shot six times shortly after 4pm, as he took a meal break at the counter in his partners shop, Shoestown. A semi-automatic pistol with its serial number removed was found next to his head.

Michael OHiggins SC argued that this and other footage of his client in a restaurant breached his right to privacy, as it was obtained unlawfully by property owners, who had not registered their systems with the Data protection Commissioner.

Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, said that he and his colleagues did not accept that the nature of the activities that the State sought to associate with the accused could give rise to any expectation of privacy on his part.

Such claims border on the absurd, he said.

He said the cameras had done no more than eye witnesses.

He said that the facts of this case, even taken at their highest, fell far short of engaging the constitutional right to privacy, never mind excluding evidence.

If it should turn out that the CCTV implicates Mr Thompson, he is not entitled to call in aid the provisions he invokes to cover his tracks, he said.

He added that, if acquitted, he could pursue any alleged breaches of his privacy rights through other channels.

We reject the notion that any or all of the CCTV evidence should be ruled inadmissible, he concluded.

The court later heard that Frederick Freddie Thompson made no comment to gardai when asked to account for his being in two alleged spotter cars on the day hes accused of the murder of a Dublin shoe shop manager.

Mr Thompson had been warned that the court could draw inferences from his failure to give an account, and that this could be used as corroboration of other evidence.

The prosecution does not argue that Mr Thompson carried out the actual shooting. However, the three judges have heard that his DNA was found in two alleged spotter cars used in the shooting, and detectives also identified him in CCTV footage as the driver of one of the cars.

Detective Sergeant Sean O'Brien of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation testified today that he interviewed the accused following his arrest in November that year.

The court had heard that nothing of evidential value had arisen in Mr Thompsons first few interviews and that he had then been told that inference provisions would be invoked.

D Sgt O'Brien said he explained to him that inferences could now be drawn from his failure or refusal to explain matters under Sections 18 and 19 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, as amended by Section 28 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007.

The sergeant agreed with Tony McGillicuddy SC, prosecuting, that hed explained that he could not be convicted solely on such inferences being drawn, but that this could be used as corroboration of other evidence.

He was then told that the gardai believed that his possession of a silver Ford Fiesta on the morning of the killing in the immediate vicinity of the Mercedes later used in the shooting might be attributable to his participation in the murder.

He was asked to account for this and replied: No comment at this time.

He gave the same answer when asked to account for his possession of the same car on Meath Street immediately prior to the murder.

He was then asked to account for his possession of the key to the Fiesta at that time. It was put to him that CCTV footage showed him giving it to a named female on Meath Street. He again replied: No comment at this time.

He gave the same reply when asked to account for his possession of a mobile phone, which was broken up and disassembled by him on the same occasion.

He was also asked to account for his DNA being found on an air freshener and hand sanitiser in this car and again replied: No comment.

He was questioned about being in a blue Mitsubishi Mirage at the entrance to a car park near St Stephens Green that evening and about his DNA being on an inhaler found in that car. He again replied: No comment.

He gave the same reply when asked about his fingerprint being found on the rearview mirror of each car and on a birthday card found in the Mitsubishi.

The trial continues before Justice Hunt, presiding, with Judge Flannan Brennan and Judge Gerard Griffin.
By Aoife Nic Ardghail

A Dublin plumber has been jailed for 16 months for possessing over 4,000 images of child pornography at his home.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Cathal Forde (52), distributed some of these files to online contacts and produced two fictional text documents containing child pornography.

He told gardai in interview that this written fiction was based on a real child who was younger than nine years, saying: I suppose it was a fantasy acting out in my head.

He added: I would never touch a child and I never have.

Forde, of Buttercup Park, Darndale, pleaded guilty to possession of4,168 images, including 34 movie files, depicting child porn at his home on January 11, 2013.

He also pleaded guilty to distributing child porn at his address on dates between May 19, 2011 and January 11, 2013. He further pleaded guilty to producing child pornography on December 20, 2012.

He has no previous convictions.

Garda Brian Healy revealed that he traced Forde to two email addresses that were involved in buying DVDs depicting naked children from a Canadian company.

He told Antonia Boyle BL, prosecuting, that one of the email addresses included cathalp66 and the invoice order showed the buyer was a Cathal Forde. He said further inquiries led to gardai obtaining a search warrant for Forde's address.

Gda Healy said during the search, Forde admitted he had child porn and handed over a computer hard drive, CDs, DVDs and all his passwords. Gardai also seized two laptops at the premises.

Garda forensics examined the material and uncovered over 1,000 explicit images depicting children with adult males and other children. The court heard some of these children were as young as six months old.

There were almost 3,000 images showing children exposing their private parts. Gardai also discovered two text documents that were created by Forde and sent to people with whom he was in contact.

When gardai interviewed him in 2016, he admitted he had written the text documents labelled Where you live you read this at your own discretion.

Garda Healy agreed with Patrick Gageby SC, defending, that it took three years for the case to come to court due to a backlog in the relevant Garda unit.

He further agreed that Forde was very co-operative, his parents had both died and that he was a quiet man involved in local youth groups.

The garda confirmed that he and colleagues had called to Forde's house the previous day but he wasn't in.

Mr Gageby handed in testimonials and submitted to Judge Martin Nolan that his client could have attempted to destroy the material when he heard gardai had called to his house.

Counsel said instead Forde acted as best he could when authorities came knocking and that he deeply regretted this. He asked the judge to impose the smallest sentence possible.

Judge Nolan said he thought the production and distribution elements were on the modest side but that the offending was very serious.

He noted that there was every possibility that the very young children in these images were damaged as a result.

The judge accepted that Forde had fully co-operated and that he made no attempt to destroy evidence even though he knew gardai were lurking.

Judge Nolan said this demonstrated Forde had shame and has led quite an introverted, lonely and pretty sad life from the death of his parents.
The Irish playwright Tom Murphy has died at the age of 83.

The Galway man was associated with the Druid Theatre and is known for works including A Whistle in the Dark and Bailegangaire.

President Michael D. Higgins has been paying tribute, saying that Tom Murphy's contribution to Irish theatre is immeasurable and outstanding.

Murphys plays were performed around the world.

In a statement, President Higgins said: "It was with great sadness that Sabina and I have learned of the death of Tom Murphy.

"The importance of Tom Murphy's contribution to Irish theatre is immeasurable and outstanding. We have had no greater use of language for the stage than in the body of work produced by Tom Murphy since his earliest work in the 1960s.

 I will miss him deeply."



Statement by President Higgins on the death of Tom Murphy: https://t.co/ANSqyTL0zy pic.twitter.com/HeDmNbIuCL  President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) May 16, 2018

"His themes were not only those which had influenced the very essence of Irishness, immigration, famine and loss - they were universal in their reach.

"From the early beginnings of his writings in Tuam, Tom Murphy produced a unique and often provocative body of work.

He was above all the great playwright of the emigrant, more than anyone capturing, in a poignant, creative way, the transience that is at the heart of the emigrant experience.

"It was such a joy to meet Tom so many times over the years, and a particular pleasure for any of us who have been privileged to call him our friend.

"I had the pleasure of presenting Tom with the Aosdana torc in his home in 2017, a great acknowledgement by his contemporaries of his outstanding abilities as a writer.

"Sabina and I wish to express our condolences to his wife Jane and to Mary, Bennan, Johnny, Nell and their extended family and his wide circle of friends. I will miss him deeply, but he will be fondly missed by all of us who had the privilege of knowing him."

The Druid Theatre Company said: Druid is deeply saddened by the loss of playwright Tom Murphy.

A native of Tuam, Co Galway, Tom Murphy, already an established Irish writer, became Druids Writer in Residence in 1983.

His relationship with Druid marked an important step for the young company and led to a decades-long relationship culminating in the productions of DruidMurphy in 2013 and Brigit/Bailegangaire in 2014.

For four decades his work resonated with Irish audiences, creating a deep and enduring legacy.

Druid first produced plays by Murphy in 1984  Famine and On The Outside  before premiering Conversations On A Homecoming in April 1985 and Bailegangaire, featuring Siobhan McKenna, in December 1985.

Druid is deeply saddened by the loss of Tom Murphy. Today we have lost a friend, a colleague, a great Irish writer and man of the theatre. Our thoughts tonight are with his wife Jane, with Mary, Bennan, Johnny, Nell & the extended Murphy family. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam. pic.twitter.com/1av6RCKwK3  Druid Theatre (@DruidTheatre) May 15, 2018

Druid toured the work widely during the 1980s, taking these Irish stories to new audiences in the US and UK.

Dominic Dromgoole, then artistic director of the Globe Theatre, remembered these productions as one of the finest examples in the world of a company of actors and director giving particular life to a writer.

The theatres statement said: Today we have lost a friend, a colleague, a great Irish writer and man of the theatre.

- Digital Desk
The Pope is to visit a homeless centre in Dublin during his visit this August.

The Capuchin Day Centre has been providing meals and support for people in need for over 40 years.

Brother Kevin Crowley from the centre made the announcement.

During his visit, he will attend the World Meeting of Families which takes place in Croke Park, Dublin, from August 21-26.

Brother Kevin Crowley, founder and CEO of the Capuchin Day Centre, spoke to Newstalk Breakfast about the visit.

He said: "I'm so delighted, and I think it's absolutely fantastic, that none other than Pope Francis himself is arriving to Capuchin Day Centre.

"I think that's a huge, huge honour for the people in need, and for the homeless people."

He added: "Archbishop [Diarmuid Martin] is really responsible for that, and I'm so thankful to Diarmuid Martin to arrange for the Pope to be coming... I think it's fabulous that he's giving such precious time to the homeless people.

"I'm not surprised by that, because everywhere he went because he made a special effort to be involved with the poor. He's a man of great concern for the underprivileged."

He added that they have already had officials from Rome visiting the centre to make preparations for the visit, which is scheduled for the afternoon of August 25.

The pontiff's visit to Ireland will mark the first papal visit to Ireland since 1979.

- Digital Desk
Prince Charles looks set to visit Cork and Kerry next month.

The Prince of Wales, along with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will fly into Cork Airport on June 14 for a three day visit.

The

Irish Times are reporting that senior gardai have already travelled to Cork and Kerry to put in place security measures.

The Prince of Wales and his wife previously flew into Cork Airport in 2004 and were last in Ireland in May 2017.

The exact details of the visit have yet to be finalised but it is expected the Prince will follow in the footsteps of Queen Victoria with a visit to Killarney.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip also visited Cork in 2011 on the final day of a four day visit.

- Digital Desk
By Gerard Cunningham

Former garda press officer Supt David Taylor has said he did not become fixated on former garda commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan and her husband when he was investigated for media leaks and did not make a protected disclosure in order to undermine her.

The Charleton tribunal is examining allegations by Supt Taylor that he was directed by former garda commissioner Martin Callinan to brief the media negatively on whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe, and that his then deputy commissioner Ms O'Sullivan was aware of the campaign. Both Mr Callinan and Ms O'Sullivan deny this.

In his third day of evidence, Supt Taylor was cross examined by Micheal P O'Higgins SC, who represents an Garda Siochana, Mr Callinan, and Ms O'Sullivan.

Mr O'Higgins put it to Supt Taylor that he was fixated on Ms O'Sullivan and her husband, and was bitter towards Ms O'Sullivan and intent on undermining her.

Mr O'Higgins said the protected disclosure made by Supt Taylor in 2016 was part of a political campaign to undermine commissioner O'Sullivan. Supt Taylor had to also involve Commissioner Callinan in the alleged smear campaign against Sgt McCabe, as at the time Ms O'Sullivan was the deputy commissioner.

Mr O'Higgins said that nobody would believe she was involved in a smear campaign without Mr Callinan. "I reject that," Supt Taylor said.

Asked by the tribunal chairman if the protected disclosure he made in September 2016 was part of a political campaign to bring down Ms O'Sullivan as garda commissioner, Supt Taylor replied "Absolutely not."

"I was suspended from duty I did not have to ability to do any such thing," Supt Taylor said.

Supt Taylor said that when he was suspended from duty following an inquiry into garda media leaks, he felt for his family.

"I was very concerned for my wife and my two children. My income had been cut," Supt Taylor said. "I was deeply upset and concerned for my family at the loss of our income."

exam260314NoirinOSullivan_large.jpg

Supt Taylor said when he met with journalist Michael Clifford in the Summer of 2016, it was to discuss his own situation, as by then he had been out of work for 17 or 18 months.

Supt Taylor said that when he met with TDs Mick Wallace and Clare Daly in October 2016, he did not tell Mr Wallace that Ms O'Sullivan was a liar, or "when she moves, she's lying".

"That's his words," Supt Taylor said. The superintendent said he thought it was "very unusual that a garda commissioner would appoint her own husband to investigate another officer

Supt Taylor was asked about a statement by Mick Wallace, who told the tribunal that Supt Taylor said "they were out to shaft him now in a way that was not dissimilar to what had been done to Maurice" (McCabe).

Supt Taylor said he did not say this, and he would never compare his situation to that of Maurice McCabe.

Asked by the tribunal chairman, Mr Justice Peter Charleton if he believed that Ms O'Sullivan's husband Supt Jim McGowan was appointed to an investigation team as part of "some kind of deliberate vendetta", Supt Taylor said he could not say as a certainly that it was, but said he felt it was a probability.

Earlier today the former Garda Press Officer also denied telling journalists that there was "no smoke without fire" in an historical allegation of sexual assault against garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe.

Supt Taylor has told the tribunal that he was directed to mention to journalists an allegation of sexual assault made in 2006 against Sgt McCabe. The DPP directed no prosecution in the case following a garda investigation.

In a statement to the tribunal made last year Supt Taylor said the narrative for journalists he was briefing was there was no smoke without fire in relation to the allegation.

"I would say that I did always clarify to the journalists that a file had gone to the DPP and that there was no prosecution, however this was the narrative.

"It was put in such a way that there was no smoke without fire. I would drop that in when talking to the journalists."

In his evidence today, Supt Taylor denied that he was directed to brief journalists in this way.

"I merely imparted information as directed by the commissioner that Sgt McCabe was driven by revenge emanating from the investigation.

"I was to say that Maurice McCabe was driven by agenda, he is motivated by revenge, and that motivation is driven by the allegation," Supt Taylor testified.

Giving evidence for a third day, Supt Taylor said that former Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan and civilian Communications Director Andrew McLindon were the only other people within An Garda Siochana aware of Mr Callinan's direction. Both Ms O'Sullivan and Mr McLindon deny this.

Questioned by Micheal P O'Higgins, counsel for the Garda Commissioner, Supt Taylor said that before meeting with Sgt McCabe in September 2016 he had spoken about the smear campaign with his wife and with a priest.

Supt Taylor said he contacted journalist Michael Clifford in 2016 to thank him for an article, and that Sgt McCabe rang him "out of the blue" some weeks later.

"I said I'd ring him aback. I wasn't going to ring him, and my wife decided to ring him," Supt Taylor said.

Counsel asked Supt Taylor how his wife reacted when he had told her about the campaign against Sgt McCabe. "You're asking me to give an opinion of somebody's reaction, I can't do that," the witness said.

Supt Taylor said that the campaign came to an end with the departure of Commissioner Martin Callinan from office. The superintendent said there were no discussions with Acting Commissioner O'Sullivan or Mr McLindon about continuing the campaign.

"When Commissioner Callinan left it stopped, I can say no more than that," Supt Taylor said.

Supt Taylor said the press office was not used to smear Sgt McCabe, as it would not have been appropriate. The office dealt with "run of the mill queries from journalists".

Maurice McCabe.

"It was a direction given by the commissioner at that level, and that's the level it was kept at," Supt Taylor said.

Supt Taylor said none of the eleven journalists he has named in statements who got negative briefings showed any reaction when they were briefed, and "it was just part of the conversation."

Mr O'Higgins said it was a peculiarity that none of the journalists came back asking for more information or documents about Sgt McCabe or the investigation after they were briefed negatively.

Supt Taylor said that he realised the campaign was wrong by the time he made his protected disclosure in September 2016.

"It was an evolution in my thought process. What I had been asked to do was wrong and I wanted to right it," Supt Taylor said.

Supt Taylor said he was "disappointed" when he was moved from the press office to the traffic division. "I''d given a lot of work to the Press Office. I felt I'd done a good job I was in the middle of my Masters studies at that point in relation to media," Supt Taylor said.

Mr O'Higgins said that in the traffic office, Supt Taylor "conducted a class of private press office from Dublin Castle. Supt Taylor said this was not true.

Supt Taylor said he had no recollection of sending a text to a colleague stating "I'm currently in the dungeon at Dublin Castle awaiting parole."

"You took this very hard indeed. You took it personally. You regarded it as a significant and dramatic fall from grace," Mr O'Higgins said. Supt Taylor said he had not asked for the transfer to new duties.

Supt Taylor said that Ms O'Sullivan wouldn't be his "number one choice" for Garda Commissioner. He said he did not recall telling a colleague he was "gutted" by Ms O'Sullivan's appointment.

Supt Taylor said he was embarrassed when he had to present himself for arrest following an inquiry into garda leaks, but said he was not impugning the officers who questioned him or calling them heavy-handed.

Supt Taylor said he showed up at Balbriggan garda station by appointment, and wasn't a flight risk, and should not have been placed in a police cell.

"It was very robust, I was stripped of my belt, my shoes, my epaulettes, and I was placed in my cell. I've been a custody officer. It's not always necessary to place people in cells, Supt Taylor said.

Supt Taylor said that he had never been able to find out how a phone in garda custody had "come alive" and sent a message about joining a "Viber" group when it was no longer in his possession.

"I can only just say what happened to the phone and I don't know what happened to it. Maybe there's a legitimate reason why it came alive," Supt Taylor said.

Supt Taylor said he did not "forensically read" a chapter of a book sent to him by journalist Michael Clifford which recounted his involvement with Sgt McCabe.

Michelle Taylor

Mrs Michelle Taylor's evidence was interposed in the afternoon, and her husband, Supt Taylor will continue his own evidence tomorrow.

"I knew that there was negative feelings towards Sgt McCabe because of the penalty points, " Mrs Taylor said.

Mrs Taylor said her husband told her that he was to brief journalists on Sgt McCabe that "there was a backstory, there was a reason for this, there was more to this than just penalty points.

Mrs Taylor said she was "a bit shocked" that there was a campaign against Sgt McCabe, but did not "tease it out" any further.

"I believed him, I believed what he was doing. I think he believed what he was doing was the right thing," Mrs McCabe said.

"I didn't really think about it at that stage to be honest I didn't give it an awful lot of thought."

Mrs Taylor said she met with Sgt McCabe for coffee in the Skylon Hotel in Dublin in 2016, and some time later Sgt McCabe visited the Taylor family home.

Mrs Taylor said that Supt Taylor was "very emotional" at the meeting.

She said that her husband told Sgt McCabe "I have to be honest with you, there was a campaign against you and I was part of it." Mrs Taylor said her husband never called Ms O'Sullivan the "pusher" behind the smear campaign.

She said her husband told Sgt McCabe, he was to brief any media he met that there was a backstory and that Sgt McCabe was motivated by revenge because of the Miss D investigation.

The DPP directed no prosecution against Sgt McCabe following a 2006 garda investigation into an abuse allegation from Miss D against Sgt McCabe.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to give evidence to the European Parliament about the use of personal data, the Parliaments president has announced.

Antonio Tajani said Mr Zuckerberg would meet leaders of political groupings and the chairman of the parliaments civil liberties committee in Brussels as soon as possible  maybe as early as next week.

The billionaire social media tycoon has resisted repeated requests from the UK Parliament to answer MPs questions in person, despite a warning from the chairman of the Commons Culture Committee Damian Collins that he could issue a summons requiring Zuckerbergs attendance next time he is in the UK.

Both parliaments want to question Mr Zuckerberg about the alleged use of Facebook users personal information to target political adverts in campaigns including the Brexit referendum.

In a tweet, Mr Tajani said: Our citizens deserve a full and detailed explanation.

I welcome Mark Zuckerbergs decision to appear in person before the representatives of 500 million Europeans. It is a step in the right direction towards restoring confidence.

- Press Association
France's lower house of parliament has voted to toughen laws on the rape of minors, but stopped short of setting a legal age of sexual consent.

During a heated debate which ended early on Wednesday, MPs decided against creating what would have been France's first law on a legal age below which a minor cannot agree to a sexual relationship with an adult. The proposal was the age of 15.
An exploding vape pen hurled fragments into a man's head, killing him and starting a fire that burned most of his body, a post mortem report in the US has found.

The Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner's post mortem report released on Tuesday confirms the vape pen was responsible for the May 5 death of Tallmadge D'Elia, 38, in St Petersburg, Florida.
A man who impersonated a doctor to sexually assault a pregnant woman has been jailed, British police have announced.

Gregory Boyle, 58, was imprisoned for six years and four months on Wednesday for the attack at Princess Royal University Hospital, Scotland Yard said.

Police said the victims partner had worked at Boyles home and had confided in him about a medical condition she was suffering while pregnant.

Boyle passed himself off as a doctor (Lynne Cameron/PA)

Officers said a nurse at the hospital in Farnborough, Kent, walked in and challenged the man, who had performed a sensitive examination, before calling the General Medical Council to learn he was not a doctor.

Boyle was arrested at the scene in September 2016 before admitting assault by penetration and sexual assault in a case at Croydon Crown Court, a force spokesman said.

The Metropolitan Polices Detective Constable Paul Hill said: Boyle targeted a vulnerable, heavily-pregnant woman who was concerned for her health.

- Press Association
Scandal-torn wealth giant AMP's former chairman Catherine Brenner is retreating further from corporate life, announcing she will leave the board of Coca-Cola Amatil next year.

CCA's chairman Ilana Atlas said that after being a director at the company for 10 years, Ms Brenner would not seek re-election at next year's annual general meeting.

Catherine Brenner arriving at Coca-Cola Amatil's shareholder meeting. She will leave the board next year. Credit:Janie Barrett

Ms Brenner quit as AMP chairman after revelations at the banking royal commission that the company stole from customers by charging them for services they did not receive, and then misled the corporate regulator about its misbehaviour.

Ms Atlas said in remarks prepared for CCA's annual general meeting on Wednesday that the board had considered Ms Brenner's position at CCA in light of the AMP scandal and decided that it was best for shareholders that she stay on for another 12 months.
Online sports-betting company Neds, owned by Gold Coast-based former pornographer Dean Shannon, has been convicted over illegal advertising offering inducements for people to gamble.

The operators of Neds.com.au, pleading guilty this week in the Downing Centre Local Court to five charges over advertisements offering NSW residents inducements to gamble or open betting accounts, were convicted on all counts and fined $18,000.

The CEO of betting company Neds, Paul Cherry. Credit:Paul Harris

The case was launched by the state's gambling watchdog, Liquor & Gaming NSW.

Neds' illegal advertisements included offers of matching first deposits of up to $505, and so-called "bet boosts" on websites including Neds.com.au, 9news.com.au and racenet.com.au, the regulator said.
Google Australia boss Jason Pellegrino has warned Facebook could face long-term impacts after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, despite early signs there hasn't been a rush by users to delete their accounts.

After revelations that data of millions of Facebook's users had been harvested by a political firm hired by the Trump campaign, founder Mark Zuckerberg said the scandal was yet to have any meaningful impact on the company, with no major surge in account deletions.

Google Australia managing director Jason Pellegrino described Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal as a "leaky bucket".

Despite this, the scandal might still hit Facebook in the future as there is more "nuance" to its fallout than how many people delete their accounts, Mr Pellegrino explained at a panel discussion at business technology conference CeBIT.

He likened the Cambridge Analytica scandal to a "leaky bucket", with users pouring in their information expecting it to be secure.
Australian companies are on notice that penalties for cartel breaches will be significantly higher than in the past, the competition watchdog has warned, in the wake of a landmark $46 million fine against a Japanese car parts giant.

The Full Federal Court on Wednesday dramatically upgraded the fine for Japanese company Yazaki Corporation from $9.5 million to a record $46 million following an appeal from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission against the initial penalty.

The penalty is the biggest ever under Australian competition and consumer law and came after it was found the company had struck illegal arrangements with a competitor, Sumitomo Electric Industries, to co-ordinate quotes to Toyota for the supply of wire harnesses used in Toyota Camrys.

The illegal conduct affected the price of the wire harnesses in Toyota Camry 2006-11 models.

The ACCC argued Yazaki should have to pay between $42 million and $55 million "to reflect both the size of Yazaki's operations and the very seriousness nature of its collusive conduct".
The economy is the loser. Helping Australian small business become 1 per cent more innovative would create far more jobs and wealth than encouraging a larger start-up community. High-growth start-ups are important, but the big prize is small business.

When did you last invest in yourself?

Too many small business owners have not spent a cent on their professional development since leaving school or uni. Others do a few days of token continuing professional development (CPD) training each year to maintain membership of a professional body.

When did you last invest in yourself? That is, spent your own money on a pricey part-time university, TAFE or executive-education course, to develop new skills.

Imagine we could help tens of thousands of small businesses that oscillate between survival and growth get to the take-off phase. It begins with small business owners developing skills, through professional development programs, to seize opportunity.

Never discount small business potential to develop entrepreneurs. Yes, small business and entrepreneurship are different things: the former is usually about lifestyle businesses that provide a job; the latter is about high-growth ventures that want to scale opportunity.

Still, many successful entrepreneurs come via small business. They launch a business, realise they have a good concept, launch another and become an accidental entrepreneur. Not every budding entrepreneur is a twenty-something, inner-city tech innovator.

We need the right incentives and education programs to encourage small business owners to invest in their training. We need better linkages between universities, which have traditionally focused on big-business training needs, and small business.

Collaboration must extend to government and industry. More academic research on Australian small business is needed. Local government can play a bigger role because the future of smart cities will be based on communities of high-growth ventures in the suburbs.
The tax office's alleged inappropriate use of debt recovery tactics will be the subject of a new investigation by watchdog Inspector-General of Taxation Ali Noroozi.

The investigation follows the joint Fairfax Media-Four Corners investigation into the Australian Taxation Office which uncovered allegations by ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle that staff in the Adelaide office were "quite clearly and categorically to start issuing standard garnishees on every case" - which was not in sync with reasonable use of the debt collection tool.

A garnishee notice allows the tax office to take control of a taxpayer's bank account to recover debts without consulting the taxpayer.

A standard garnishee notice requires the bank to keep sending money to the tax office whenever money is deposited in the account.
When giving a birthday gift to a child, we usually deem it a success if it gets a seemingly genuine wow from the receiver. But whoever chose Julia Mitchells tenth birthday present hit the jackpot.

I received an A3 poster with stickers of planets. Thats the moment I realised that I wanted to work in space, she says.

Today, Mitchell leads large space-related projects for the Australia and New Zealand CRC for Spatial Information.

In laymans terms, she spends her days problem solving so that the rest of us can access the power of satellites for everyday tasks.
Anna McGahan (right) with Lucy Wigmore in Underbelly Razor. Credit:Nine McGahan, who lives not too far away from this old-school Italian eatery with her husband Jonathan Weir, doesn't invoke the name of a protector or the notion of divine intervention in discussing all this. But she might well have, for she is that rarest of breeds, in this country at least: an actor who is openly, proudly, Christian. That said, she is no dogmatist. McGahan, fourth from left, with fellow ANZAC Girls Laura Brent, Caroline Craig, Georgia Flood and Antonia Prebble. Credit:Matt Nettheim "I'm a Jesus believer, and it's exclusively that, but I don't feel I'm religious at all," she says. "I use 'spiritual' rather than religious. I go to a tiny creative Anglican church sometimes, but I don't find myself believing in denominations either."

McGahan was raised very slightly Catholic in Brisbane, but rejected it all in her teens. By the time she had set out upon the life of a thespian, the notion of faith was so far from her mind as to be utterly laughable. Anna McGahan as Rose Anderson in The Doctor Blake Mysteries. Credit:ABC "I'd gone to acting school, I was in a community that vehemently despised that stuff, and my understanding of Christianity was that it was bigoted. I was exposed to homophobia, I was exposed to people being really weird and fundamentalist about stuff, and to align myself with anything like that felt deeply uncomfortable." McGahan  who came to prominence with her portrayal of jazz-era prostitute Nellie Cameron in Underbelly: Razor in 2011  was in her own assessment a hedonist at the time, sexually adventurous, not averse to drugs, in and out of relationships with both men and women. Anna McGahan in the Cairnes brothers' horror comedy 100 Bloody Acres.

But while she appeared to be the embodiment of the free-spirited emancipated modern woman, she was in fact wracked with self-loathing. "I had a really, really aggressive eating disorder from the age of 14." She doesn't particularly want to talk about it now, but she has written about it on her blog, A Forbidden Room. "It's not something I prefer to overly explain," she tells me. "It's easier when I write to go there." This is how she put it in a post written three years ago: "I hated how I looked and how I felt. I hated my vessel, and no matter where life took me  from my psychology degree to acting school to the sets of exciting acting jobs  I felt the burden of my body continue to weigh heavy on the earth." In May of 2012, everything changed. That's when she had her first clear encounter with God (just as with The Beatles' Rocky Raccoon, it involved a Gideon's Bible in a hotel room; thankfully, the ending was far less bloody). Was it an epiphany?

"Yeah, I'd have to call it that," she says. "The other word I use is 'metanoia', a Greek word that means complete transformation, change of mind. Because I hated it. I rejected it so completely." Her first instinct was to pretend it hadn't happened. Alternatively, she thought, "I decide I'm crazy, I've had a psychotic episode and I should be admitted." Or there was a third way. "I could open to it and go, 'OK, what if there was God', which I'd never previously considered." That was the path she chose, though not without serious reservations. "To sit down and read the Bible I thought was wrong," she says. "Then when I did it I thought, 'Actually this is really beautiful, this is a text I can engage with, I don't have to eliminate my mind and put on this false stupidity in order to engage with it.' "I didn't want to be brainwashed or to be wrong, and once I realised I could do it at my own pace and on my terms, and it could be much more spiritual than I'd given it credit for, it didn't have to be religious, that was a point of real freedom for me, where the discomfort gave way to liberation."

She has since said that the healing of her body came soon after. A few years later, and to some fanfare, McGahan announced she would no longer do any scenes featuring nudity. But that doesn't mean she's ashamed of Underbelly. "I'm really proud of that job, I'm proud of that character, I don't regret it," she says. "[But] what I didn't understand was that I played into a system of objectification  and I had more power than I thought." She has spoken about the way images from Underbelly were appropriated by pornographic sites, and she tells me that while she felt in control at the time  and never felt anything but protected by the show's producers  "I realised too late that I didn't feel comfortable, it was injurious". She has tended towards more wholesome fare in recent years  ANZAC Girls, House Husbands and The Doctor Blake Mysteries  though Picnic's Miss McGraw doesn't quite fit that mould. "The character is just laced with so much mystery," she says. "She is really the most curious of the four who go missing. She's holding out for a relationship with a student, she's clearly deeply repressed her sexuality and it's bursting out in these really inappropriate ways."

Though there's a sapphic undercurrent to this take on Joan Lindsay's novel, "I'm really proud of the fact it's not used for titillation. It's like it would have been back then  it's held back, just beneath the surface." In spite of her clear preference for modesty, McGahan says she wouldn't completely rule out on-screen nudity for the right role (though she adds she finds it hard to imagine such a role). "My job is to present humanity honestly, I believe, so if I were to censor that part of it I would be doing it a disservice," she says. "I get frustrated with fundamentalist perspectives on it, because if you censor sensuality or sexuality it's not human any more." And this is the thing that's so interesting about Anna McGahan: while her leap of faith is hard for a confirmed atheist, or even an agnostic, to comprehend, there's enough intellectual curiosity and room for questioning in her version of it that it seems anything but blind. Here's a for instance, again from her blog, which is full of long, thoughtful explorations of faith and personal morality as they relate to notions of loneliness, love, art and community.

Writing about the same-sex marriage plebiscite, she described herself as "both a queer woman and a deeply devoted Christian". Over dessert  a classic tiramisu for me, panna cotta for her  I bring this post up, and ask if she really does think of herself as "queer", now she's married to a man to whom she presumably plans to stay married for life. "Yes, because I don't think it's helpful, especially in the current climate, to be a person of faith who previously had relationships with women to be suddenly like, 'That's not me any more'," she says. "What we noticed in the plebiscite was this profound divide, this polarisation, which I personally believe is not representative of our shared humanity, and I just don't think it's the answer. I think it's really grey." Her self-granted label won't satisfy fundamentalist Christians, she knows, and it might ruffle some feathers in the queer community too, but so be it. "I guess it's my own small protest," she says.
Rogue religious leaders and health practitioners who claim that homosexuality can be fixed could end up being prosecuted as the Andrews government orders an unprecedented inquiry into gay conversion therapy.

Health Minister Jill Hennessy has asked Victorias Health Complaints Commissioner to conduct a broad-ranging investigation, and has not ruled out tougher laws to crack down on those attempting to change or suppress a persons sexuality or gender identity.

The Andrews government has ordered a broad ranging inquiry into gay conversion therapy. Credit:AP

The inquiry will capture registered or unregistered counsellors, clinicians who treat homosexuality as a disorder, and anyone purporting to convert LGBTI people through therapeutic means.

But significantly, it will also seek information on a more insidious trend: faith-based ministries and church figures who disguise their work as spiritual guidance.
"I wept".

In 1988, Marilyn Waring published her seminal feminist text, Counting For Nothing: What Men Value and What Women Are Worth. It was Warings response to the fact womens unpaid work, from domestic labour to child-rearing, to care of the elderly and sick, had historically been excluded from the United Nations System of National Accounts.

Her research led her to this infuriating little tidbit (from 1953), that womens unpaid labour was of little or no importance, and this was the reason for its exclusion from the System of National Accounts.

When author Anne Manne asked Waring how shed felt on reading those words for the first time. Oh terrible, she replied. I wept.

Even today, the System of National Accounts doesnt include the cost of unpaid labour alongside its measure of Gross Domestic Product. Instead, theres a provision for satellite accounts that allow it to be measured alongside it  an improvement, sure, but still a reflection on how the work of women is made peripheral to global economic outlooks.
The National Disability Insurance Agency has been slammed in an ombudsman's report about its review processes. Credit:Shutterstock

It's not getting any warmer across the territory, with the temperature falling as low as one degree today amid some grey skies. But don't worry, it should get to 16 degrees at lunchtime.

A new report by the Commonwealth Ombudsman's office has revealed they recieved 400 complaints over two years up to January 2018. The report found it can take up to nine months to complete a review of an NDIS case, outlining concerns held by participants and the risks associated with delays. Sally Whyte has the details.

Former candidate opens up about mental illness

Former Australian Sex Party ACT leader Steven Bailey with his female dog Bruce, opens up about his struggles with mental illness. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Steven Bailey was struck by how many disaffected and depressed young men he encountered while door-knocking during the 2016 ACT election campaign.

Not long afterwards, he was diagnosed with depression. The former Sex Party candidate has opened up about his experience with mental illness in this story by Sally Pryor.
Anderson said: "The examples [in the report] are an exciting and positive glimpse of what Indigenous women are achieving already, and there is so much more to do, so much more country to manage, so much need to sustain our cultural connections and local communities.

"Now more than ever, we need to recognise the value of strong women on country and expand our vision to match their commitment, resilience and optimism to deliver a stronger and

healthier Australia for us all."

The report states a recent national survey "found 55 per cent of Indigenous women cited no jobs in local area or line of work" or "no jobs at all" as a barrier to finding employment. In remote areas, this figure was 66 per cent. Indigenous ranger jobs address this barrier with real jobs that

people are proud to do.

Professor Pat Dudgeon is a Bardi woman of the Kimberly area who co-chairs the ministerial Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Advisory Group. She says being active on country and in connection with culture can be part of a positive approach to strengthening peoples sense of wellbeing.

"Women working in caring-for-country roles as rangers, or in Indigenous Protected Areas, are finding meaning in that work that has positive effects for individuals, families and community," she said. "Expanding these opportunities would be a really positive step for many women and girls.
He counts NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian as a friend and political ally, but that has not stopped Trent Zimmerman, the federal Liberal member for North Sydney, from criticising her government.

Speaking at the opening of Sub Base Platypus, Mr Zimmerman compared the state governments management of land around Sydney Harbour unfavourably with the federal government through its Sydney Harbour Federation Trust.

Trent Zimmerman, the federal Liberal member for North Sydney, did not speak highly of the state government's management of land around Sydney Harbour. Credit:Nick Moir

Without wanting to pick a fight with the state government, historically if you went to the border of the trust land and went into the Sydney Harbour National Park, I think the weed count would probably increase dramatically," he said.

A waterfront park and pedestrian bridge linking it to Kesterton Park and the North Sydney ferry stop was unveiled by Mr Zimmerman on Tuesday as part of the redevelopment of the former HMAS Platypus submarine base and torpedo factory on Neutral Bay that has been renamed Sub Base Platypus.
If the price of real estate was the Sydney dinner party discussion du jour in 2017, this years hot topic over the main course is population growth. The announcement by the NSW government to hold off on assessing any new housing proposals in the City of Ryde demonstrates that the government is hyper-aware of the conversations happening in the community.

Sydneysiders are anxious about crowding and congestion - and they expect politicians to fix it. And while its no surprise to see Tony Abbott and Dick Smith declare as a solution that our city is "full", the chorus of concern has spread to more mainstream organisations like the Grattan Institute, leading both sides of NSW politics to call for the states to have more of a role in deciding immigration policy. While this new enthusiasm for limiting growth is understandable, its misguided.

The evolution of Gladesville. Credit:Google Maps

Sydney is growing at 2 per cent a year  higher than Australias overall rate of 1.6 per cent. We have crowded trains, unaffordable housing and many parts of the community are expressing a general discomfort with the rate of change and development happening around them. On the face of it, slowing growth through reducing immigration looks like a sensible solution  after all, many other cities around the world have much lower rates of growth and they seem OK.

Heres the problem: it wont work. Reducing immigration will have an impact on the population of Australia, but its highly unlikely to take pressure off Sydney or Melbourne.
The Brisbane Metros underground station at the Cultural Centre, which will cost about a third of the metro's $944 million budget, has taken virtual shape, with an animation released on Tuesday.

Brisbane lord mayor Graham Quirk was joined by federal Urban Infrastructure and Cities Minister Paul Fletcher to release the artist's vision of the $315 million underground station at South Brisbane.

The project received a $300 million funding boost in the 2018-19 federal budget.

The council released the fly-through vision of the station despite still being in discussions with the state government about purchasing parcels of the required land.
Ipswich mayor Andrew Antoniolli, charged with seven counts of fraud, did not appear in a Brisbane court to answer the charges on Wednesday.

Cr Antoniolli's lawyer, Dan Rogers, appeared on his behalf at the Brisbane Arrests Court on Wednesday, where the matter was adjourned until June 13.

Cr Antoniolli is on bail under conditions he have no contact with Ipswich City Council chief executives James Lindsay and Carl Wulff as well as Troy Dobinson and Lindsey Denman.

He is also not to attend or speak to staff at Trek Cycles at Ipswich or have contact with any Ipswich council employees or councillors in relation to matters before the courts.
Three prison guards were allegedly assaulted by prisoners at Lotus Glen Correctional Centre in far north Queensland this week, with the union representing corrective services calling for action to better protect officers.

Together union secretary Alex Scott said at least 18 correctional staff had been assaulted in the state in the past month, at a rate of one every two days.

Lotus Glen Correctional Centre, south-west of Cairns.

Mr Scott said the union understood two guards were on a walk-through of a unit at Lotus Glen Correctional Centre, south-west of Cairns, when prisoners allegedly assaulted them.

That resulted in an escalation where other officers were called in, he said.
An autopsy on the body of Karen Ristevski was inconclusive, a court has been told.

In a Melbourne Magistrates Court hearing on Wednesday into the high-profile alleged murder, the court was told the pathologist who conducted the autopsy will be among 29 witnesses to be cross-examined.

Borce Ristevski. Credit:Penny Stephens

Ms Ristevski's husband, Borce Ristevski, has been charged with her murder.

Their daughter Sarah Ristevski, along with Ms Ristevskis step-son Anthony Rickard, will also be cross-examined.
People who visited gyms, swimming pools and restaurants in Melbourne last week have been urged to be on the look out for signs of measles.

A man in his 20s became infected after returning from Thailand earlier this month, before spending hours in the Noble Park Aquatic Centre and a number of Goodlife Health Clubs.

The infected man flew in to Melbourne from Bangkok this month.

The young man returned to Australia from Bangkok on May 4, but Victorias deputy chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton said he did not become infectious until later.

He may have been spreading the disease when he spent the day at the Noble Park Aquatic Centre, from 7am to 4pm, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week.
A forensic pathologist will be questioned about the inconclusive results of an autopsy on the body of Karen Ristevski, a court has been told.

It comes as a Melbourne Magistrates Court preliminary hearing was told Borce Ristevski's son and daughter will be called to give evidence in the prosecution case against their father.

Ms Ristevski, 47, went missing from the Avondale Heights home she shared with her husband Borce Ristevski and then 21-year-old daughter Sarah on June 29, 2016.

Karen Ristevski with husband Borce and daughter Sarah.

Her remains were found in the Mount Macedon Regional Park eight months later. Borce Ristevski was charged with his wife's murder in December.
Aldi has claimed a victory for shoppers' wallets after a supermarket sector report revealed a 5.1 per cent drop in the cost of the average Perth shopping basket over the past three years.

But the news isn't welcomed by everyone in the sector, with independent grocers feeling the pinch of the big players' price wars.

Aldi is claiming its expansion into the WA market has helped consumers' wallets.

The Bankwest supermarket report showed fruit and vegetable prices dropped 6.9 per cent in the year to September 2017.

Overall food and non-alcoholic beverage prices declined by 1 per cent over the 12 month period, 0.3 per cent higher than the nationwide average decline of 0.7 per cent.
WA Police are searching for the last puppy still missing from a litter that was snatched from a North Fremantle home late last week during a brazen burglary.

The break-in is believed to have happened between midday and 6.45pm on Sunday evening, with an unknown person forcing entry into the house on Stirling Highway.

The offender stole five French bulldog puppies.

Resident Zemina Pasic said she and her sister had been looking after the puppies for a breeder when they returned home to find the litter missing.
The federal government is appealing a ruling that found an Immigration Department worker was unlawfully sacked for tweets critical of asylum seeker policies.

Federal workplace insurer Comcare lodged the appeal on Monday, setting the scene for a fight in the Federal Court over the appeals tribunal's decision for Michaela Banerji to receive compensation.

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal decision redirected scrutiny to the Immigration Department's dismissal of Ms Banerji for tweeting criticisms of detention policies, and challenged Australian Public Service rules stopping public servants from expressing their political views on social media.

Ms Banerji took the government to the tribunal after federal workplace insurer Comcare refused to compensate her for the psychological condition that developed after she was sacked in 2013 over tweets from a pseudonymous Twitter account.
Defence Housing Australia will move its head office, and its 290 Canberra-based staff, to Gungahlin.

A new office will be built to house the agency, with a move in date and cost of the project still to be determined.

Defence Housing Australia board directors Jan Mason and Sandy Macdonald (obscured) with Liberal MLA James Milligan, ACT Liberal Senator Zed Seselja and Gungahlin Community Council vice president Henley Samuel at the announcement of Defence Housing Australia's new head office in Gungahlin. Credit:Fairfax media

The agency's head office is currently in Barton, with some staff also located in Dickson. Liberal ACT senator Zed Seselja said he was pleased to make the announcement after the government had promised to move an agency to Gungahlin in the lead up to the 2016 election.

"I have been fighting for the town centres in Canberra. I fought for the Department of Social Services to remain in Tuggeranong with a new building, for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to remain in Belconnen and now, we have the first major move of Commonwealth agency to Gungahlin, Senator Seselja said.
Melbourne's major universities are languishing at the bottom of the pile for student satisfaction, with smaller private universities maintaining a healthy lead over their larger public rivals.

The University of Melbourne, Monash University, La Trobe and Victoria University all ranked below the national average in the annual "student experience survey", released today.

For the first time, the federal education department will publish the full league tables showing how students felt about teaching, support and resources at their tertiary institutions.

Students at the University of Melbourne, which ranked below average on student satisfaction. Credit:Simon Schluter

It is part of a push by Education Minister Simon Birmingham for "greater transparency" about student sentiment - although the survey has been condemned as flawed and useless by critics.
Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has accused members of the opposition of deliberately misleading Parliament over complaints received about corruption in the Ipswich council.

But she avoided directly criticising Labor backbencher Jo-Ann Miller who launched an attack on her own government's handling of corruption allegations in Ipswich, asking whether it could be tantamount to official misconduct.

Jackie Trad said she had sought advice from the Local Government Department and the claims made by the opposition were "incorrect and misleading". Credit:AAP Image/ Dave Hunt

On Tuesday, LNP leader Deb Frecklington referred to an opposition Right to Information request into complaints received by Ms Trad while she was local government minister about corruption at the Ipswich council as uncovering "326 complaints".

However, the RTI charges estimates notice states there were 326 pages.
Jail sentences of between 1.5 to 10 years have been imposed on offenders convicted of manslaughter of a child in Queensland.

The majority of manslaughter sentences for deaths of children fell in the seven- to nine-year range, while the median time before they could apply for parole was 3.9 years, according to an analysis of penalties over the past 12 years.

The Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council has released a consultation paper, as part of its review of child homicide offences. Credit:John Donegan

In comparison, manslaughter of an adult attracted jail sentences of between three and 18 years.

There were also three adults convicted of manslaughter of a child who received wholly suspended sentences - no time served in jail - and five who received partially suspended sentences.
A south-east Queensland council has offered to buy almost 80 hectares of land the federal government wants to sell for housing, but the community hopes to preserve it for a future university.

Deep within last weeks federal budget papers were the plans to sell 80 hectares of federal government-owned land at Birkdale for housing by 2019.

Federal government-owned land on Old Cleveland Road East is earmarked to be sold to developers and not kept as a potential future university site. Credit:Google Maps

That may mean Redland City Council applies for a multimillion-dollar loan from the Queensland Treasury Corporation, a move used widely by local councils.

Redlands mayor Karen Williams met with Michael Sukkar, the federal assistant minister to Treasurer Scott Morrison, in Cleveland this week.
Voters in Darling Range will soon learn who the major parties will run in the byelection caused by the resignation of former Labor MP Barry Urban.

Mr Urban quit the seat after a damning privileges committee report found he lied to parliament.

Darling Range MP Barry Urban quit parliament last week after a damning privileges committee report.

The Liberals will close nominations for a Darling Range candidate at 2pm, Wednesday, May 16, ending days of speculation on who will seek preselection for the party.

Meetings for local party members to choose a candidate were scheduled for Saturday morning if more than one nominee emerged.
The Greens candidate for the federal seat of Perth has made a pitch to traditional Liberal voters who will be left without a candidate in the upcoming byelection.

Caroline Perks, an expert in climate change policy, said she would be reaching out to disenfranchised Liberal supporters after their party decided to not contest the vote.

Greens Perth candidate Caroline Perks is reaching out to disenfranchised Liberal voters in the hope her party can upset Labor at the upcoming byelection. Credit:Nathan Hondros

The Liberal party vacated the contest after deciding they could not win the safe Labor seat in a byelection caused by the resignation of sitting Labor MP Tim Hammond.

A federal government has not won a seat off an opposition party in a byelection for almost a century.
Beijing: One of North Korea's top diplomats has warned the June 12 summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump may be called off if the United States pushes for a one-sided deal.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Credit:KCNA/AP

The statement by North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye-kwan on Wednesday was more serious than an earlier report by the official North Korean news agency KCNA that a meeting between South Korea and North Korea had been cancelled earlier in the day.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are due to meet in Singapore on June 12. Credit:AP

"If we are pushed to the corner and are forced on one-sided-only nuclear abandonment, we will not be interested in such dialogue. We will have to reconsider whether to respond to the DPRK-US summit," the vice minister said.
In some much-needed royal wedding good news, Kensington Palace has confirmed that Prince George and Princess Charlotte will be page boy and bridesmaid at Saturdays big event.

They are two of ten children chosen for the roles. Others include god-daughters of the bride and groom.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte will be page boy and bridesmaid at Saturdays royal wedding. Credit:AP

Unlike in the US and Australia, royal wedding attendants in Britain are typically children  young relatives or children of the bride and grooms inner circle.

And they often provide some of royal weddings most memorable moments  little Grace van Cutsem stole the show when she scowled and covered her ears during William and Kates kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Meghan Markles mother Doria Ragland has arrived in London to help her daughter prepare for her wedding  and to meet the Queen for the first time.

She arrives amid mounting speculation that she will walk her daughter down the aisle on Saturday, after Meghans father Thomas Markle announced he had to have heart surgery on Wednesday that would probably preclude travel to the UK in time for the wedding.

Meghan Markle, right, watches the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games with her mother Doria Ragland in Toronto, Canada, last year. Credit:Canadian Press/AP

And she will likely provide welcome support for Harrys bride-to-be who has had to deal with her fathers medical woes as well as a paparazzi scandal, and attacks from relatives including her half-sister Samanatha who were not invited to the wedding.

British tabloids reported that Ragland arrived at Heathrow from Los Angeles, was picked up by a royal Jaguar at the steps of the aircraft and driven to the airports VIP Windsor suite, the private lounge used by popes, presidents, ambassadors, A-list celebrities and royalty.
Donald Trump jnr told the Senate Judiciary Committee last year he couldn't remember whether he had discussed the Russia investigation with his father and said he didn't think there was anything wrong with meeting a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower ahead of the 2016 presidential election, according to transcripts released on Wednesday of his interview with the panel.

Trump jnr deflected multiple questions during the interview, saying he couldn't recall whether he discussed the Russia probe with his father and whether he spoke with his dad on the day the meeting was arranged.

"I did not collude with any foreign government and do not know of anyone who did," the President's son said in the interview with the committee's staff on September 7, 2017. He said he was sceptical about the value of such a meeting and "as it later turned out, my scepticism was justified".

Trump jnr said Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya told him only "very generally about individuals connected to Russia supporting or funding Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton or the Democratic National Committee".
"At the beginning [it was] not so much leaking as using the media to 'shiv' each other," she said in astonishingly candid remarks. "If you work at the pleasure of the President, as we all do here... then you ought to be loyal." But it begs the question: why does this White House leak like a sieve? And who are the real beneficiaries? Several journalists and former government officials say that Trump's White House leaks more than any other. Veteran political journalist Mike Allen said there are more leaks in one week than in four years of the George W. Bush administration. Loading "Whats extraordinary about the leaks this time... is not so much how many there are - although there are a lot - it's the nature of the leaks," Hugo Gurdon, editorial director of the right-leaning Washington Examiner said, adding that they're done to damage rivals.

Prolific leakers inside the White House told Axios they do it for several reasons: to damage a rival (as the Sadler leak has been characterised), to make sure there's an accurate record of what's really going on in an opaque and untruthful White House, to protest a policy decision or to vent frustrations with poor leadership. One leaker even said they use other staffers' idioms in their leaks to cover their tracks. With a President who, according to multiple accounts, is obsessed with TV and often swayed by the last person who had his ear, leaks are often the only way to get a point across, Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank said. Ironically though, as Michael Wolff wrote in his insider tome Fire & Fury, many leaks come from Trump himself, who picks up the phone most evenings to vent to friends who invariably share the remarks with others. As a brash real estate mogul and reality TV star, he thrived off massaging his image and undercutting rivals by leaking.

Donald Trump vowed to hunt down leakers, who described as 'traitors', but he has fostered a culture of leaking, observers say. Credit:AP "This comes from the top," Stephanie Cutter, who worked for the Clinton and Obama administrations, told MSNBC. "Donald Trump sets the tone and everyone in that White House is reacting to him." In a chaotic administration riddled with rival factions and a high staff turnover, there is a lack of cohesion or loyalty among staff. "More dysfunction inside creates more disgruntlement," said Thomas E. Patterson, professor of government and the press at Harvard University's Shorenstein Centre on Media, Politics and Public Policy. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders raged about the leak of a comment about John McCain. Credit:AP

But the incessant leaks also say something about the state of reporting in the US, he told Fairfax Media. By constantly attacking the press, Trump has pushed journalists to walk a fine line between reportage and opposition. They're often working hyper-actively to find, and report, leaks. "It's dangerous territory to get into," he said. "It's not the role of the press to be the opposition, they're a check on power. My sense is that quite a few have tipped into a mindset where they pick up almost anything damaging to him." Leaks serve the public interest, he said. Loading

But, increasingly, they may be serving Trump too. Reporters are often receiving erroneous leaks, possibly planted by the administration so it can later decry "fake news". Indeed, the McCain leak is thought to have been a personal hit on Sadler but, in a roundabout way, it offered a five-day reprieve from cable coverage of Stormy Daniels and Robert Mueller. Chief of staff John Kelly was hired in July to bring some discipline to the White House following a tumultuous period that saw communications director Anthony Scaramucci fired after 10 days (for leaking details about former chief of staff Reince Priebus leaking). He introduced a ban on personal phones in the White House. But it didn't stop the flow of damaging leaks including that secretary of state Rex Tillerson called Trump a "moron" and Trump referred to some third world nations as "shithole" countries. Even Kelly became a target; staff leaked his lies about when he learned of domestic violence allegations against staffer Rob Porter.
Washington: President Donald Trump has acknowledged for the first time that he repaid his attorney Michael Cohen for a payment of at least $US100,001 ($133,000) made to a "third party" in 2016, according to ethics disclosures signed by the President that were released by the US Office of Government Ethics.

Cohen made a $US130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, shortly before the November 8, 2016, presidential election in exchange for her staying silent about an alleged affair she had with Trump.

Trump's new disclosure statement, released on Thursday, did not describe the purpose or the recipient of the 2016 payment made by Cohen.

But the acting director of the ethics office, David Apol, in a letter to Deputy Attorney-General Rod Rosenstein said it should have been disclosed in ethics documents that Trump filed in June 2017. Apol's letter was released with the Trump disclosures.
Latest News Two in three SMEs are seeking new funding methods to cope with pandemic CEO reminds SMEs that retained profits and personal credit cards arent sustainable funding

Pepper and Aussie unite to make play for mortgage brokers to shift over to SME Linkup between lending and mortgage giants shows why brokers should be diversifying their business

Millennials have given some insight to their experiences of using brokers and how they find the home loan process too confusing.

New research has suggested that despite popular belief, millennials are keen to purchase property but do not understand how to go about it.

The research conducted by Pollinate on behalf of ING sheds light on the role mortgage brokers should be playing in helping millennials buy homes.

The Millennial Homeownership Report shows that 64% of young Australians aged between 22-37 years old prefer to plan ahead rather than live life off the cuff. More than a third, 38%, are currently saving for a house to buy in the next three years.

However, 61% said they weren't sure how much they should save for a deposit. Forty percent said this was the case even while they were saving.

Speaking at an event yesterday, four millennials joined a panel to discuss their different experiences on purchasing property and using brokers.

Dan is looking to purchase a property near where he lives in Newcastle. He commutes to work in the Sydney CBD every day but says he is looking to provide a certain lifestyle for his family and that is what is driving him to buy a home.

He said the entire process was "daunting" and added, "My first point of call is speaking to family and friends. Also, online. I think for me the first point of call is researching online, having a look at whats available. My last Google search is what to do to buy a property. I hadnt thought about using a broker, but who knows? In terms of knowing what to save, I spoke to a specialist."

Twenty-nine-year-old Jess is a nurse and is looking for a property to move into with her partner. Unlike Dan, she did speak to a mortgage broker but is still facing confusion.

She said, "I went to my mums mortgage broker that she used a while ago. We got advice on how much deposit wed need, if she could go guarantor and how much we could borrow altogether depending on our take home salary and repayments. I dont think Ill necessarily go with that broker. I just wanted to keep my options open.

"When I first saw the mortgage broker he answered all the right questions but to be honest I still dont have a lot of knowledge to go the best way around getting a home loan.

"A lot of my friends are the same, we spend a lot of our money on luxuries. So just advice on budgeting would really help millennials."

The millennials on the panel who have already purchased property said that brokers had helped them.

Lauren, 32, is a property manager from Brisbane and bought her first property at the age of 22 and another at 24. Last year she bought her first commercial property, which she now bases her business out of.

She has used brokers in the past and said, "They give you a really good understanding of how much you can actually borrow. That was my first step when I was first looking. I really needed to know how much I needed to save and what was going to be the cheapest, no frills mortgage options for me. I felt like a broker was really able to help me."

Eddie, 27, already owns 13 investment properties. He said there have been times he has used brokers and other times he has found it too difficult.

He said, "When I first started I did touch base with a fair few different brokers. One of those things I didnt understand was the nitty gritty stuff. In terms of what can brokers do: explaining the terms and conditions of the actual loan, simplifying what words are out there. I didnt know when I first started what LVR was.

"I touched base with brokers and I ended up going with one of the four major banks because I was tired of calling up and I just walked in and it was convenient. I did decide to go with a broker once or twice but I found it difficult and I have found most of my success with finance going to the major banks."

Related stories:

Digital tool helps track borrowers' expenses

Brokers urged to answer online questions

Startup 'bank' aims to be lending alternative
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A corrections officer at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park was found guilty on 23 counts of sexual abuse in Brooklyn federal court on Monday.

Eugenio Perez forced five female inmates  through physical force and intimidation  to engage in sexual acts with him over a three-year period between January 2013 and September 2016, while he was a lieutenant at the jail.

The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York said Perez took advantage of his professional power.

Perez was a calculating predator who brazenly abused the authority of his position and betrayed his oath as a correctional officer when he sexually abused women under his control and entrusted to his care, said Richard Donoghue.

Donoghue said that he and the other prosecutors hoped the verdict would help the victims move forward.

We hope that todays verdict brings some measure of closure and justice to the victims of Perezs crimes.

The five victims who testified during the two-week trial said that Perez arranged for them to clean his office at night so he could be alone with them, and that he subsequently forced them to keep quiet about the abuse.

Perez faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The conviction of Perez is the latest indication of a pattern and culture of sexual abuse against female inmates in the jail.

One of his former fellow lieutenants, Carlos Richard Martinez, was convicted in January of raping a female inmate there, and a guard, Armando Moronta, pled guilty to sexually abusing three female Metropolitan Detention Center inmates last November.
Is it finally curtains down on one of the country's biggest bankruptcies to go under the hammer? The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) yesterday approved Tata Steel's Rs 35,200 crore bid for the beleaguered Bhushan Steel Ltd (BSL) with debt of over Rs 56,000 crore. This is reportedly Tata Steel's second-biggest acquisition after the Corus Group acquisition in 2007.



Tata Steel will implement the resolution plan through its wholly-owned subsidiary Bamnipal Steel Limited (BNPL). In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, Tata Steel said that as per the terms of approved resolution plan, BNPL will initially subscribe to 72.65 per cent equity share capital of BSL at face value - Rs 2 per share - for an aggregate amount of Rs 158.89 crore. "The financial creditors shall receive a total consideration of Rs 35,200 crores for the settlement of the existing financial debt of BSL. The above settlement includes consideration for novation of a portion of the debt to BNPL," said the BSE filing, adding that "the financial creditors shall be allotted equity shares by virtue of conversion of loan amount of Rs 14.5 crores at a face value of Rs 2 each. The Resolution Plan also requires financial creditors to invoke pledge on existing equity shares of BSL."

The transaction will be funded through a combination of equity subscription and inter-corporate loans, of which up to Rs 9,000 crore loans has an option of conversion into equity shares of BSL. Furthermore, Tata Steel said that additional funds would be infused by BNPL to repay the admitted cost of the corporate insolvency resolution process and outstanding employee dues. However, reportedly, the resolution plan excludes operational creditors settlement amount of Rs 1,200 crore.

"The outstanding redeemable preference shares of the Company would be purchased by BNPL, and to the extent not transferred to BNPL, would be redeemed by the Company on the Closing Date, in terms of the Resolution Plan, in either case for an aggregate consideration of Rs100," added the filing.

This announcement will bring much relief to fraud-ravaged Punjab National Bank, as it was the term loan consortium leader for BhushanSteel. In fact, PNB reportedly had an exposure of close to Rs 5,000 crore, a sizeable chunk of which will now come back to coffers and help it to partly offset the damage wrought by Nirav Modi over the past seven years.

Significantly, the tribunal also dismissed a plea filed by the employees of Bhushan Steel opposing Tata Steel's bid and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh. The employees had contended that Tata Steel was not eligible under section 29 (A) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). An identical fine was slapped on Larsen and Toubro, an operational creditor of Bhushan Steel, which had sought a higher priority in loan recovery, at par with the financial creditors. Perhaps, this step will help reduce litigation drama for bankruptcy cases going forward. So far, almost all companies referred to the NCLT have been embroiled in pleas and counter pleas, with little heed paid to the 270-day deadline specified for insolvency resolution under the IBC.

Bhushan Energy's plea to continue its power purchase agreement with Bhushan Steel was also rejected. Tata Steel's approved resolution plan has reportedly proposed terminating the PPA with the energy company.

So, barring further challenges to this decision, Tata Steel has just added quite a feather in its cap. This acquisition will not only help it to tighten its grip on the country's eastern region but perhaps also help it to snatch the title of 'India's largest steel maker' from JSW Steel.

Tata Steel is also due to announce its Q4 FY18 results today, which according to a Reuters poll will mark the company's return to green. The company had posted a loss of over Rs 1,100 crore in the year ago period, but the poll predicts a consolidated net profit of over Rs 2,500 crore this time round.

With PTI inputs
16 May 2018, 12:51 PM

Manipal-TPG combine revise bid: Why Fortis Healthcare remains such an attractive asset

India's second largest hospital chain Fortis Healthcare is now well and truly in the midst of a bidding war with the original suitor-Manipal-TPG combine-making its third offer for the healthcare chain after the Fortis board recommended that shareholders accept the Munjal-Burman offer. On Monday, Manipal-TPG revised their offer to Rs 180 per share from its earlier offer of Rs 160 apiece, which is 8 per cent higher than the current winner Munjal-Burman combine. This entails investing Rs 2,100 crore into Fortis as against Munjal-Burman's proposal of Rs 1,800 crore. The bidding war has raised the value of each Fortis share nearly 50 per cent

WOW air to enter India, offers Rs 13,499 fare for 15 North American cities

After disrupting the aviation market in Iceland, Mogensen is bringing his low-cost carrier to India - New Delhi to begin with - and offering one-way fares as low as Rs 13,499. The introductory fares would connect passengers from New Delhi to any of the 15 North American cities - New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Toronto - and London that are part of $484-million WOW's current network. There will be a stopover in Reykjavik (Iceland). The services will start in December this year subject to getting slots at the Delhi airport. Serial entrepreneur Skuli Mogensen founded WOW air in 2012, four years after selling his last venture - Oz Communications - in the mobile software space to Nokia. Mogensen says that he was almost in the retirement mode when he decided to start an airline in his native country Iceland

PNB posts record Rs13,417 crore loss

State-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) has reported a Rs 13,417-crore loss for the January-March period. It is the largest quarterly loss posted by an Indian lender, reeling under a $2-billion fraud, tighter loan classification norms and losses in its bond portfolio. The bank had reported a profit of Rs 262 crore in the same quarter a year ago. In February the bank had reported a massive fraud where companies linked to jewellers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi fraudulently secured letters of undertaking (LoUs) from its Brady House branch in Mumbai to borrow from banks abroad. Punjab National Bank has now estimated its total exposure to group firms of Modi and Choksi, including LoUs and other credit exposure, at Rs14,356 crore.

Jet Airways begins UDAN flights, offers fares starting Rs 967

Jet Airways that announced the commencement of its UDAN flights from June 14 yesterday, is now offering budget fares starting as low as Rs 967. The airlines announced yesterday that the first of its UDAN flights, the government's regional connectivity scheme, would be operated between Lucknow-Allahabad-Patna. Jet Airways had bagged four routes in the second round of bidding in January where a total of 325 routes were awarded to various operators. Besides, Lucknow-Allahabad-Patna, Jet Airways will operate its UDAN flights on New Delhi-Nashik, Nagpur-Allahabad-Indore and Lucknow-Bareilly-Delhi routes. At least half of the seats in the UDAN flights are offered at subsidised rates. The participating carriers get a certain amount of viability gap funding (VGF) that is shared between the Centre and the particular state. To fund the scheme, the civil aviation ministry is collecting a levy of Rs 5,000 per departure from airlines operating in major routes, including Mumbai and Delhi.



Facebook Disabled 583 Million Fake Accounts

Facebook has revealed that it removed more than half a billion fake accounts and millions of pieces of violent or obscene content during the first three months of 2018, pledging more transparency while shielding its chief executive from new public questioning about the company's business practices. The findings, its first public look at internal moderation figures, illustrate the huge task Facebook faces in cleaning up the world's largest social network, where artificial-intelligence systems and thousands of human moderators are fighting back a wave of offensive content and abuse.Along with fake accounts, Facebook said in its transparency report that it had removed 21 million pieces of objectionable content, 2.5 million pieces of hate speech and almost 2 million items related to terrorism by Al Qaida and ISIS in the first quarter of 2018.



Focus on renewables can create 1.5 million jobs in India: ILO report



Going green has its advantages. Employment projections suggest that the net effect on job numbers created in the sustainability sector will be positive. In India, the transition to a green economy will inevitably cause job losses in certain sectors as carbon- and resource-intensive industries are scaled down. But these will be more than offset by new job opportunities, according to the ILO report World Employment and Social Outlook 2018: Greening with jobs.
Serial entrepreneur Skuli Mogensen founded WOW air in 2012, four years after selling his last venture - Oz Communications - in the mobile software space to Nokia. Mogensen says that he was almost in the retirement mode when he decided to start an airline in his native country Iceland. In a span of six years, WOW air has reached a scale where it's almost neck-and-neck with legacy carrier Icelandair, an airline started in 1937. "We will overtake them by next year in market share," he says.

After disrupting the aviation market in Iceland, Mogensen is bringing his low-cost carrier to India - New Delhi to begin with - and offering one-way fares as low as Rs 13,499. The introductory fares would connect passengers from New Delhi to any of the 15 North American cities - New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Toronto - and London that are part of $484-million WOW's current network. There will be a stopover in Reykjavik (Iceland).

The services will start in December this year subject to getting slots at the Delhi airport. WOW is already negotiating with GMR to get five slots per week, preferably departure slots at around 6am, for its wide-body Airbus A330neos. "We are going ahead with the sales with the assumption that we will get the slots that we have requested."

About 20,000 people fly between India and North America every day. "We will be the first long-haul low-cost airline to fly into India. It's a huge market with a huge potential. I think India is underserved when you look at flights between India and North America. We are exploring possibilities to open stations in more Indian cities. Our target customers are smart travellers - people who are value conscious," says Mogensen.

WOW would offer four products; the basic product doesn't include check-in baggage and meals.

It flies to 35 European and North American destinations, and it would be competing with aggressive Middle-eastern hubs like Dubai and Abu Dhabi which are catering to a large international traffic originating from India. "We will offer a shorter total trip time than if you go to Dubai. Shorter flight time means less engine usage, less costs that translates into less ticket price. In our case, it takes 18 hours to reach East Coast (in the US) from India, including a two-hour layover in Iceland," he says.

With crude oil prices rising, Mogensen says that he's not that worried unless the prices go beyond $100 a barrel. "Oil is last century's commodity. We will be operating A330neos which are 15 per cent fuel efficient [than the old engine] and will help in keeping costs under control. The other reason we can offer low fares is that we offer more services beyond selling seats. When someone comes to Iceland, we can offer best prices on hotels, car rentals, and restaurants. We will extract revenues from other sources," he adds.
Twelve Google employees have quit after expressing their concerns over Google carrying out a project with the United States Department of Defence. The unhappy employees who quit said the company's involvement in military programs were against Google's ethics.

The controversial Project Maven will analyse hours of drone surveillance footage collected by the US military with the help of machine-learning and image-recognition. As a part of this pact, an Artificial Intelligence engine is being designed by Google that uses "Wide Area Motion Imagery" data collected by US drones to detect vehicles and other objects. Employees at Google are concerned about this technology being used to carry out and operate drone strikes.

Earlier in April, the employees had sent a letter with 3100+ signatures to Google CEO Sundar Pichai. The letter expressed the employees' concern and urged Google to opt out of the project. The employees believe that Google should not indulge in development of warfare technology. They say it is absolutely unethical and would taint Google's image.

The open letter sent to Google's top executives said that Google was supplying deep-learning technology and engineering expertise to the Department of Defence.

Researchers at the company said that Google is weaponizing its technology. The open letter went to Larry Page, CEO of Alphabet, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, Diane Greene, CEO of Google Cloud and Fei-Fei Li, Chief Scientist of AI/ML and Vice President, Google Cloud.

Researchers at the company said that Google's involvement in Project Maven would jeopardize the lives of innocent people.

In support of the opposition to the project, International Committee for Robotics Arms Control also wrote an open letter expressing their solidarity with the Google employees. It was signed by 200 researchers and academics in artificial intelligence.

Employees of the search-engine giant said that there was no reason why Google should indulge in military projects. The letter said Google employees were not convinced about the company's assurance that the technology would not be used for warfare.

According to the employees, Google is no small time machine-learning startup trying to attract clients. It is a search engine giant and the best thing is to stay out of such programs. The employees who resigned said they felt responsible for everything they worked for and that they could not be a part of such a project.
They were supposed to be the toughest sanctions the United States had ever imposed on a Russian oligarch. Seventeen days later, Washington watered them down.

On April 23, the U.S. Treasury eased restrictions on billionaire Oleg Deripaska's aluminum company Rusal. Instead of barring Rusal from international markets, which is what the United States originally intended to do, the Treasury suggested it might lift the sanctions altogether.

Washington's change of course says a lot about the leverage held by the supply chain of a widely-used commodity such as aluminum. It also suggests the Trump administration is hard-pressed as it juggles international economic battles it has opened on various fronts, including with China and Iran.

Several European governments including Ireland, Germany and France lobbied Washington to back down, according to more than a dozen U.S. and EU officials and industry sources who spoke to Reuters.

Multinationals Rio Tinto and Boeing also appealed to the U.S. Treasury, seeking a softening of the terms on Rusal.

All made the same argument, the sources said: a squeeze on the largest producer of aluminum outside China would hit businesses around the world, disrupting production of myriad goods from car and planes to cans and foil, and putting jobs at risk.

Unlike previous cases of sanctions on Russia, European countries did not have a chance to consult with Washington on punitive moves that would have ripple effects in the European economy, the sources said. One reason for the lack of dialog: the U.S. State Department no longer has a Sanctions Policy Coordinator to liaise with other governments, according to three U.S. sources familiar with the matter and one European source.

The former coordinator, Daniel Fried, retired last year and has not been replaced because of a hiring freeze ordered by the Trump administration at the department.

Rusal, Rio Tinto and Boeing declined to comment.

The U.S. Treasury, whose Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed the measures, said it worked to mitigate the sanctions' impact on allies and industries that faced "undesired collateral consequences." It did not comment on lobbying efforts.

When asked if the lack of a sanctions coordinator had hindered international consultation, the State Department said it had held several discussions with European countries over the past year about sanctions and maintained a dialog with them. It did not specify if it had discussed Russian sanctions.

The sanctions were the toughest the United States has imposed on a listed Russian company since Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea. The notice on April 6 gave buyers a deadline of 30 days to receive supplies from Rusal before dealings in dollars were prohibited.

Any individual or company that failed to comply would themselves face being shut out of the financial system, while the Treasury could seize any dollars paid to Rusal.

The effect was immediate. Prices for aluminum surged 15% as Rusal stopped supplying customers. As well as producing aluminum, the company produces alumina, a raw material needed to make aluminum.

"They (the Treasury) destabilized the global aluminum industry. This is unprecedented and a massive over-reach," said Anders Aslund, senior fellow at U.S. think-tank Atlantic Council.

Rusal told metals and mining conglomerate Rio Tinto that it was suspending deliveries of alumina from its Irish plant in Aughinish to Rio's Dunkirk aluminum smelter in France, Europe's biggest aluminum production facility, according to the industry sources. The Russian company feared any payment it received would be seized by U.S. authorities, the sources said.

Rusal also informed Trimet Aluminium it was halting alumina deliveries to the German firm's smelter in the French Alps and three factories in Germany, in Essen, Hamburg and Voerde.

Trimet declined to comment.

The suspension of alumina deliveries risked halting Rio Tinto and Trimet's aluminum smelting operations and hitting businesses throughout the metal's supply chain.

The market ructions set off a different kind of activity.

In the days following the sanctions notice, French, German, Irish and Italian officials lobbied against the restrictions, according to the EU sources.

Many were worried the measures could lead to the closure of those plants and businesses in their countries that relied on Rusal supplies, and the potential loss of thousands of jobs.

Ireland's foreign ministry complained to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin after Dublin officials met Aughinish management on April 13 and were told the plant could shut down, threatening hundreds of jobs, an Irish government spokesman told Reuters.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire discussed the issue by phone with Mnuchin in the days following the sanctions notice and then in person in the week of April 16, during International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington, according to a French finance ministry official.

"We got in touch with the Americans as soon as it became clear there was an impact on some companies operating in France," the official said. He added that hundreds of jobs were at risk in France. "The Americans were constructive from the start."

An Italian government source said Rome also lobbied Washington to soften the sanctions.

Companies lobbied too.

Rio Tinto contacted the French government and Trimet went to the German government, asking them to intervene with Washington, according to the industry sources. Rio Tinto also complained directly to OFAC, said two U.S. officials familiar with the developments. Trimet makes aluminum products for the auto, construction and packaging industries.

While most of the lobbying came from Europe, according to U.S. officials, there were also concerns in the United States about the sanctions.

After the April 6 notice, planemaker Boeing expressed concern to the U.S. government about rising aluminum prices, according to two industry sources familiar with the matter. Carmakers also complained about the possible impact of the sanctions on their businesses, said the sources, who declined to name the companies.

One of the sources said that, in addition to aluminum, carmakers were worried about a possible disruption to supplies of palladium, used in catalytic converters. Rusal doesn't produce palladium but it supplies soda to Norilsk Nickel, the world's biggest palladium producer.

American trade body the Aluminum Association told Reuters that, shortly after April 6, it shared market data with the Trump administration showing that last year the U.S. industry imported 680,000 metric tons of Russian primary aluminum, or 12% of U.S. demand.

The association raised concerns about the Rusal sanctions at meetings with the White House's National Economic Council and the U.S. Trade Representative. It said the measures could constrain supplies for aluminum processors.

On April 23, little more than two weeks after imposing sanctions, OFAC softened the measures. It gave businesses six months instead of 30 days to wind down dealings with Rusal and said it might lift the sanctions altogether if Deripaska ceded control of the company.

The announcement had an immediate market reaction, with aluminum prices falling as much as 10%. Aluminum prices now stand at $2,300 per tonne, down from the $2,700 level they rose to following the April 6 sanctions notice, but still above the $2,000 seen before the measures were imposed.

David Mortlock, who designed earlier sanctions against Russia when he was Director for International Economic Affairs at the White House National Security Council in 2013-15, said such measures were not a precise science.

"Don't forget, sanctions can be adjusted if the impact is larger than OFAC wants," added Mortlock, now a partner at legal firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher.

"Every time you do it, you learn from your experience." (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Its nearly summertime here in China, but the living isnt necessarily so easy for the legions of students who will be heading to companies over the next month to start summer holiday internships. Such internships in China have a brief but colorful history over the last two decades, not all of it flattering. In many ways the internships of contemporary China look something like apprenticeships of yesteryear in the West, where young people eager to obtain job skills can get valuable training  but not much else  from a system that uses them as a convenient form of cheap labor.

That said, my polling on the topic of interns this week made me realize just how much this resource is underutilized by foreigners in China, especially the young startups that could most use such labor and have lots to offer in exchange. At the end of the day, the intern scene in China is very much one of mutual exploitation, with companies providing little or no pay and sometimes long hours to young students eager for a chance to learn some valuable skills and obtain future jobs.

As someone who has worked on both sides of the intern aisle, I do feel like I have some relatively unique insight as to how the current landscape has evolved here in China. While teaching at a top journalism program in Shanghai, I got to see firsthand how obsessed todays Chinese students are with finding jobs after graduation, and how they see interning as a key part of that equation. At the same time, many companies in China rely heavily on interns to do very real work, in contrast with the West where such interns are viewed as largely unskilled, temporary workers that are nice to have, but easy to do without.

The topic of interns as important contributors to Chinas economy became a hot topic around 2010 and 2011, when some exposes uncovered how critical such workers were at factories in the Pearl River Delta manufacturing hub near Hong Kong. At that time, labor groups showed how many of the areas manufacturers, from small shops all the way up to iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, kept costs down partly by relying on underpaid long-term interns as an important part of their workforce.

Following a public outcry, China overhauled its intern system and put limits on how long people could work under intern status, leading to what we see today. But the fact of the matter is that interns are still paid very little, some might argue justifiably, since they have relatively little to offer in terms of experience and are gaining valuable skills during their apprenticeships.

At the same time, vocational schools and universities are also quite complicit in the interning game, requiring their students to intern at least one semester during undergraduate years and often up to a year or more during graduate programs. Thats quite different from the U.S., where such interning is usually voluntary and generally done over holiday periods, most notably summer break.

Paltry pay

My polling of several organizations revealed that most companies, including foreign ones, arent very generous in what they pay to interns. The highest rate I could find was 120 yuan ($18.93) per day, or roughly $2.40 per hour if we assume an eight-hour day. More common was an 80 yuan-per-day fee, which is what Caixin pays and is the standard rate from another major multinational I polled. In exchange for such fees, theres an unspoken compact that companies will at least consider such interns for full-time employment after graduation.

Here I do feel a need to inject a bit of my own experience from my teaching days, which sheds some light on one of the key elements that greases the intern system we see in todays China. During my six years of teaching, I was quite surprised to discover the huge obsession that Chinese students have with finding employment after they graduate. The impulse is so ingrained into the system that students arent expected to take many classes during their final year of college or graduate school, with the expectation they will spend most of their time job hunting instead.

Of course Western students are also concerned about finding jobs for after graduation, though the sense of urgency is far less than it seems here in China. I have my own theories about why the job-hunting urgency is so strong here. One of the most important factors lies in the youth of Chinas market economy, which has created an uneven job landscape with very different expectations and requirements from the young private and older state-run sectors. The other big factor, in my view, is the former one-child policy, which puts huge pressure on todays only-offspring to not only become the next Albert Einstein or Steve Jobs, but to do so by the age of 30.

All that said, the China interning system of today does seem to have evolved into a very useful tool for all parties involved, providing companies with a chance to sample the future talent they will need while satisfying the job-hunting need of imminent graduates. The major companies I polled, both foreign and Chinese, seemed pretty well plugged into the system and probably dont need any advice from me on how to find their own interns.

But these eager young apprentices can also be a valuable resource for smaller foreign entrepreneurs, and I would strongly recommend that these smaller companies seek out such students. They can do so through a number of channels that are relatively easy to tap, including reaching out to local universities and posting opportunities on mainstream recruitment sites like zhaopin.com, 51job.com and interning specialists like shixiseng.com.

Doug Young has lived in Greater China for two decades, including a 10-year stint at Reuters, where he led China corporate news coverage. Send your questions or comments to DougYoung@caixin.com
Yifan has been seeking to enhance its research and production capacity of insulin products. Photo: VCG

Chinese drug maker Yifan Pharmaceutical Co. agreed to acquire a controlling stake in the Singapore biopharmaceutical company SciGen Ltd. in a deal worth as much as $28 million, the Zhenjiang-based company said in an exchange filing Wednesday.

Yifan offered $0.05 a share to acquire at least 90% of Australian Stock Exchange-listed SciGen in an effort to take the company private. A full takeover would value SciGen at $28 million, according to Yifan.

SciGens shares rose more than 33% Wednesday to A$0.032 ($0.024).

The deal will be handled by Yifans unit Yifan International Pharmaceutical. Yifan said the unit signed an agreement on a binding offer with SciGens controlling shareholder Bioton SA, which holds 93.57% of SciGen.

The purchase is expected to grant Yifan access to SciGens portfolio of biosimilar products and its well-established sales network covering more than 20 countries and regions, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.

Established in 1988, SciGen focuses on endocrinology, gastroenterology and immunology. It produces human insulin for treatment of different types of diabetes. KPMG estimated that SciGens intangible assets such as insulin development patents and technology could worth as much as $29.9 million.

In 2017, SciGen posted $40.4 million in revenue with net profit of $1.76 million. But the company is under mounting debt pressures. As of the end of 2017, SciGen had total assets of $26.1 million with liabilities of $80 million.

Under the agreement, Bioton will waive some of SciGens debt repayments if the deal with Yifan goes through. But the deal will need approval from SciGens creditor banks.

Shenzhen-listed Yifan has been seeking to enhance its research and production capacity for insulin products. In April, the company acquired Hong Kong-based insulin developer Summitbiotech Co. for 250 million yuan ($39 million).

Diabetes is emerging as a national health crisis in China. Half of the countrys population has either prediabetes or diabetes, according to a study by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Yifan in the first quarter posted 315 million yuan of net profit, up 40% from the same period last year. Sales revenue rose 60% to 1.3 billion yuan.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com)
May 14, 2018 - Mexico City, Mexico - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, today announced humanitarian assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean, including to people affected by the crisis in Venezuela.

Due to the deepening economic, political and humanitarian crisis being fuelled by the Maduro regime, growing numbers of Venezuelans are fleeing to neighbouring countries, such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the Southern Caribbean. As a result, there is urgent need for access to shelter, health care and other essential services.

Today, Canada is contributing $1.3 million to the World Food Programme and Action Against Hunger in Colombia for food security, access to clean water and sanitation. Additionally, Canada is providing $4 million in funding for regional humanitarian assistance channelled through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
news, latest-news

No need to call your mum next time you stumble out of Mooseheads in the early hours of the morning - all-female rideshare service Shebah has officially launched in Canberra and it's the next best thing. Founded in Melbourne last year by former ABC breakfast host, comedian and mother of four, Georgina McEncroe, Shebah employs female drivers and only accepts women and primary school-aged children as passengers. Boys up to 18 can ride with Shebah if accompanied by a female guardian. According to Ms McEncroe, the rideshare service was founded purely in the name of safety. "Catching a Shebah means sitting in the front seat of the car without feeling vulnerable, not feeling limited to travel at a certain time of day or knowing that your little one is in safe hands when you cant drop them off," she said. Canberra joins a long list of cities now offering the Shebah service including Melbourne, Geelong, Hobart, Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Adelaide and Perth. Canberra mum Emma Edmeades was looking for a bit of extra income for her family of four when a Facebook ad searching for Shebah drivers in the ACT popped up in her newsfeed. It was the ability to "dip in and out of driving" and choose her own hours that appealed most to Mrs Edmeades. "I was looking for something that I could fit in around the kids," she said. "My current work was fantastic but I really needed that flexibility to go, you know what? I'm not going to work for this hour, I'm going to do what I need to do, then I'll go back to driving after that. "The thing I love about Shebah is that it's all about empowering women and mums, saying we can get out there and we can work, and we can do it with our kids if we need to." So far Mrs Edmeades' Shebah fares have included driving a 10-year-old to dance class on a Saturday morning - "I then texted her mum and let her know her package had been delivered safely" - and driving lots of female public servants to Canberra Airport for business trips. "I had my kids in the car for one of our trips to the airport and it was so good to know I could have them with me while I worked," she said. "The girls that I've driven home late at night are just ecstatic about Shebah and the fact they no longer have to dread the end of the night and figuring out how to get home safely. "I know a lot of young women coming home from Civic, who maybe have had a bit to drink, feel a bit awkward about getting into a taxi or with another rideshare company. "Shebah is really just like your mum driving you home." For further information head to shebah.com.au or download the Shebah app from the App and Google Play stores.

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news, act-politics

Questions linger after one of Canberras largest child protection providers was stripped of a major contract across the border in New South Wales. Premier Youthworks is a for-profit venture that provides out-of-home care to troubled children across 15 properties in the ACT. On Tuesday it was revealed that Premier had lost its contract to provide out of home therapeutic care to children in NSW. The move came as part of a broader shake-up of out-of-home care by the NSW government. A spokeswoman for ACT Childrens Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said it was not appropriate for the minister to comment on Premier Youthworks loss of funding. Minister Stephen-Smith has known that Family and Community Services NSW were undertaking a comprehensive tender process for intensive therapeutic care services, she said. Barnardos, the lead agency for the consortium providing out-of-home care in the territory, also declined to comment on the funding situation. Barnardos Australiais unable to comment on the [tender] due to NSW Government Procurement Probity rules, a spokeswoman said. Premier is understood to have about 300 staff in total, the bulk working at residential care homes in NSW. It is not clear how the anticipated loss of staff will affect Premiers business as a whole, what will happen to the children housed by Premier in Queanbeyan, or what impact the reforms will have on the companys ACT operations. Premier Youthworks has been under scrutiny since late 2016 after a Four Corners investigation of child protection and further reporting by the Newcastle Herald and Canberra Times. Premier declined to comment on its loss on Monday, but an internal memo told staff that the company was unsuccessful in its tender for Intensive Therapeutic (Residential) Care in NSW. We do not have detailed feedback as yet in relation to the decision making by FaCS nor do we have a definitive timeframe for next steps, the memo read.

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news, latest-news

Defence Housing Australia will move its head office, and its 290 Canberra-based staff, to Gungahlin. A new office will be built to house the agency, with a move in date and cost of the project still to be determined. The agency's head office is currently in Barton, with some staff also located in Dickson. Liberal ACT senator Zed Seselja said he was pleased to make the announcement after the government had promised to move an agency to Gungahlin in the lead up to the 2016 election. "I have been fighting for the town centres in Canberra. I fought for the Department of Social Services to remain in Tuggeranong with a new building, for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to remain in Belconnen and now, we have the first major move of Commonwealth agency to Gungahlin, Senator Seselja said. The agency was chosen because of its size, the expiry date of its current leases and the number of its clients already in the Gungahlin area. The Department of Finance will coordinate the process of finding an appropriate site and starting construction, Senator Seselja said. Senator Seselja said that he hoped that the number of Commonwealth agencies based in Gungahlin would grow to a size similar to departments in Tuggeranong and Belconnen, where thousands of staff are based. "Obviously we want to see this grow over time and I hope that it wont be the last Commonwealth agency to come here," he said. Asked if Defence Housing staff had been consulted about the move, Senator Seselja said the Department of Finance had been driving the move. "There's obviously discussions that go on, I haven't been in the detail of all those discussions." The 2016 census found that Gungahlin was the second-fastest growing area in the country, and vice president of the Gungahlin Community Council Henley Samuel said there are 26,000 households. The Community Council had been discussing the possibility of moving an agency to Gungahlin for three years, and hoped to continue to stay involved, Mr Samuel said. "We will keep looking and see when it will be done," he said. The announcement comes after last week's federal budget included plans for just six government agencies to be moved out of the national capital. Despite a campaign from the former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce to move more government jobs to regional areas, three of the agencies will be moving to other state capital cities. The ACT government has welcomed the announcement and labelled it a vote of confidence in the light rail network. "Local businesses will benefit from the moving of 290 staff from Barton to Gungahlin, with staff able to access the new office via Canberras light rail network," Chief Minister Andrew Barr said in a statement.

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Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

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You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
The Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) has released an employment notification calling out for aspirants to apply for the post of District Library and Information Officer. Those interested can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government job here. Selected candidates can earn up to level 7 pay matrix. The last date to apply for the government job is June 14, 2018.

UPSC Recruitment 2018 For Various Posts: Apply Before May 31, 2018

APPSC Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Post District Library and Information Officer Organisation Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) Educational Qualification Bachelor's degree in library science from a recognised university Maximum Age Limit 30 years Salary Scale Level 7 pay matrix Job Location Arunachal Pradesh Industry Civil services Experience Freshers can apply Selection Process Written test and interview Application Start Date May 10, 2018 Application End Date June 14, 2018

Also Read: GPSC Recruitment 2018: Earn Up To INR 77000!

How To Apply For APPSC Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for APPSC Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log on to the APPSC official website.

Step 2: Scroll down to the bottom of the home page

Step 3: Under APPLICATION FORM, click on the link that reads, District Library & Information Officer.

Step 4: The application form will be displayed on the screen. Take a printout of it.

Step 5: Enter your details in the fields provided.

Step 6: Send your applications to Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC).

APPSC Recruitment 2018 Application Format And Mailing Address

Superscribe on the envelope, "Application for the post of

District Librarv & Information Officer" and send it to Secretary,

APPSC Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.

Click here to read the detailed official notification.
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has released an employment notification calling out for aspirants to apply for the post of Engineering Graduate Apprentices. Those interested can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government job here. Selected candidates will be given a stipend of INR 6000. The selection process is through a walk-in interview that will be held on May 21, 2018.

Indian Railways Internship 2018 For Engineering And MBA Students

BHEL Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Post Graduate Apprentice (Engineering) Organisation Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) Educational Qualification ECE, EEE, mechanical and computer science graduates Age Limit 18 to 27 years Skills Required Engineering skills Salary Scale Stipend of INR 6000 Job Location Bangalore Industry Engineering Experience Freshers can apply Walk-in Date May 21, 2018 Venue Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Electronics Division, Mysore Road, Bengaluru - 560026

Also Read: ISRO Recruitment 2018 For Scientist/Engineer: Apply Before May 21!

How To Apply For BHEL Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for BHEL Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Visit the BHEL official website.

Step 2: Under Career, click on the link that reads, Engagement of Graduate Apprentices(Engineering)- 1 year.

Step 3: The detailed advertisement will be displayed on the screen. Read the details mentioned carefully.

Step 4: Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the application form.

Step 5: Take a printout of it and enter your details in the fields provided.

Step 6: Carry the application form along with the supporting documents to the venue.

Click here to read the detailed official notification.
South Indian Bank has released an employment notification calling out for aspirants to apply for the post of Probationary Officer. Those interested can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government job here. Selected candidates can earn up to INR 42020. The last date to apply for the government job is May 25, 2018.

SBI Recruitment 2018 For 13 Specialist Cadre Officers

South Indian Bank Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Post Probationary Officer Organisation South Indian Bank Number Of Vacancies 150

Educational Qualification Graduation with 60% minimum marks Maximum Age Limit 25 years Skills Required Banking skills Salary Scale INR 23700 to INR 42020 Job Responsibilities Branch banking, credit, business development, forex, marketing and treasury Job Location India Industry Banking Experience Not required Selection Process Online test, group discussion and

personal interview Application Start Date May 16, 2018 Application End Date May 25, 2018

Also Read: Sarva UP Gramin Bank Recruitment 2018 For Chartered Accountants

How To Apply For South Indian Bank Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for South Indian Bank Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log on to the South Indian Bank official website.

Step 2: Click on the Careers tab on the home page.

Step 3: The list of recruitments will be displayed on the screen. Click on the link that reads, Recruitment of Probationary Officers.

Step 4: You will be directed to a new page. Click on the link that reads, Apply Online.

Step 5: You will again be directed to the IBPS website. Click on the link that reads, Click here for New Registration.

Step 6: The important instructions will be displayed on the screen. Read them carefully and click Continue.

Step 8: The application form will be displayed on the screen. Enter your details in the fields provided.

Step 9: Enter the captcha code.

Step 10: Click Save & Next and follow the subsequent pages to complete the application process.

Click here to read the detailed official advertisement.
The Tamil Nadu Higher Secondary (HSC) Exam Result 2018 was declared by the Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education on May 16, 2018 at 9.30 am. The board conducted the examination from Mar 1, 2018 to Apr 6, 2018 at various test centres across the nation. Every year, 8 to 9 lakh students appear for the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations. This year, 8,93,262 of them wrote the exam. The total pass percentage is 91.1%. Girls have outnumbered boys this time. The pass percentage of girls is 94.5% while that of the boys is 89.3%.

Click here for TN HSC result 2019

Re-exam for the unsuccessful candidates was held in June. The results of the Tamil Nadu HSC re-exam 2018 has been released last night (July 24, 2018). Last year the results were out on July 31.

How To Check The Tamil Nadu Class 12 Result 2018

In order to check the Tamil Nadu Higher Secondary (HSC) Exam Results 2018, follow the steps given here:

Step 1: Log on to the TN Results official website.

Step 2: The link to check the result will be displayed on the home page. Click on it.

Step 3: A login screen will appear. Enter your credentials.

Step 4: Click View Result.

Step 5: The results will be displayed on the screen.

Step 6: Check your results and save them to your computer.

Step 7: Take a printout of it for future reference. This can be used as a provisional mark sheet.

Tamil Nadu Class 12 Result 2018: Subject-wise Pass Percentage

1. Physics - 96.2

2. Chemistry - 95.0

3. Biology - 96.3

4. Maths - 96.4

5. Botany - 93.9

6. Zoology - 91.3

7. Commerce - 90.3

8. Computer science - 96.1

TASMAC Opens Vacancies For 500 Junior Assistants

Tamil Nadu Class 12 Exam 2018 Re-evaluation Procedure

The lines for re-evaluation will open soon and candidates must pay the stipulated fees and submit their applications before the deadline, which will mostly be a few days within the date of announcement of the results.

As per the 2017 regulation by the Tamil Nadu government, the toppers list or student ranks will not be disclosed in a move to reduce the stress amongst students. This is claimed to reduce the pressure on schools and students to rank amidst their peers.

Periyar University Exam Time Table 2018 Released

Tamil Nadu Class 12 Re-exam 2018

The supplementary exam for those who have not cleared the TN 12th exams 2018 was held in June 2018. Those who have failed the regular exams can reach out to the DGE, Tamil Nadu's helpline number 14417 to apply for the re-exam, said the education minister.

About Tamil Nadu Board:

Established in the year 1910, Tamil Nadu Board is one of the biggest boards of the country. Also, the board is affiliated with the government of Tamil Nadu, India and conducts both secondary and senior secondary examinations. TNBSE was formed by merging the two existing separate boards, Board of Secondary Education and Board of Higher Secondary Examination.

Meanwhile, the TNPSC Group II Results 2017-2018 and the Combined Engineering Services Exam Results 2018 have been released. And on the other hand, the TNPSC Combined Civil Services Exam II Application Process 2018 Open.
The stage is set for the final battle. In order to gain a seat in India's prestigious engineering institutes, such as IITs and NITs, you have to get an exceptionally good Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) score. More than 10 lakh candidates appeared for the sixth edition of JEE Main and only 2.24 lakh candidates have been shortlisted for the next stage of the selection process, i.e., JEE Advanced.

Hardly, three days left for the JEE Advanced examination. It's high time for aspirants to start their revisions and one should not commit any mistake, especially during the last days of their preparations. During the last one week, students should also take mock tests. Here are some of the common mistakes you need to avoid while preparing for JEE Advanced during the last days.

JEE Advanced: Important Topics And Last-minute Tips To Crack The Exam

1. Keeping Chemistry Aside

Most of the students feel that chemistry is boring, especially inorganic and some parts of organic. Never let this attitude lower your score. This is a scoring section and one can solve this entire section in less than forty minutes, this will give you more time for the other sections. So never ignore this subject while revising for JEE Advanced.

2. Not Using The NCERTs

You might be familiar with the guidance books, but never neglect the NCERT textbooks. This will give all the information in simple terms. Be it the day before the exam, never hesitate to open and refer to the NCERT textbooks. To be honest, usually CBSE will never crosses the boundaries of the syllabus.

What You Need To Do After Taking JEE Main

3. Working More On Prepared Topics

You might be happy to learn a few topics thoroughly, but remember that the exam will not be conducted on those alone. One should also focus on the other topics along with the important topics. This is same for all the subjects.

4. Keeping The Doubts Alive

If you have doubts during this phase of your preparations, it will only build your tension. Try to solve any doubt you may have as early as possible. Never hesitate to clear your doubts during the last days. Believe the quotation, "Better late than never".

How Do I Prepare For BITSAT If I Fail JEE Main?

5. Ignoring Revision

The success of the entrance examination depends mostly on your preparations during the last days. And these days should be dominated by your revisions and mock tests. It is good to practise solving many questions during the last days, but not at the cost of your revisions. Never keep the revision part at bay.

6. Referring New Study Material

After clearing JEE Main, it is obvious many students will prepare more for JEE Advanced. It is good if you have started referring to new study materials and books at an early stage, but not during the last days. Reading new study material will just increase your anxiety on the D-day.

7 Myths You Should Ignore To Crack The JEE Exam

7. Building Exam Stress

Adding to your nervousness will only lead to you marking the wrong answers. So, always be calm and focus on your preparations; give less importance to the result.

8. Not Attempting Mock Tests

Undeniably, sitting for more than three hours for a single paper is a big task for students. One can cope up with this by taking full-length mock tests during the last days of their preparations. The mock test will also help you understand where you stand in the competition. At least two mock tests are required before you take the exam.

JEE 2018: One-stop Guide For Your Last-week Preparation

9. Least Importance To Practise

Earlier, we have said that practise is required but not at the cost of revision. The success of JEE Advanced depends on both theory and practise. One should practise problems along with preparing for the theory section during the last days of JEE Advanced.

10. Not Motivating Yourself

You might be extremely happy with the success of JEE Main besides other entrance examinations. Keeping all these results in mind, you start ignoring the most important phase in JEE. Always stay motivated by telling yourself that JEE Main alone will not help you land at the doors of IITs and/or NITs. You'll have to give JEE Advanced your best, too. Good luck!

How To Crack JEE Advanced In One Month
Lloyds of London remains on schedule to have its post-Brexit outpost ready for business beginning in January 2019, CEO Inga Beale confirmed at the recent NAIC International Insurance Forum in Washington, D.C.

Were just working through the final regulatory aspects of getting approved, Beale said, in response to a question during a panel discussion on May 14 at the event.

Beale, asked by moderator and NAIC President Julie McPeak to update how Lloyds is preparing for Brexit, also offered a window into its Brexit planning and why Brussels was the insurance marketplaces choice for an EU outpost. Lloyds first announced its decision in March 2017.

Theres a good talent base available in Belgium, Beale said. Their regulators have a good reputation globally, and for Lloyds reputation, we thought it important to go somewhere where there is a robust regulatory regime and no question marks above the regulators.

Lloyds, along with carriers and reinsurers whose European headquarters have traditionally been London, zeroed in on creating an European Union subsidiary before Great Britain leaves the European Union. To do so helps maintain uninterrupted customer care, and Beale said it was important that Lloyds readied its EU base earlier than most.

We have 80 individual syndicates writing in Lloyds and need to move quicker to give them security, Beale explained. We have to plan. All the regulators [are] asking them individually for a contingency plan in a post-Brexit world, and we have to be their contingency plan for them.

Beale said that a lot of Lloyds EU activity will still be outsourced or delegated to London, but a lot of syndicates will have a presence in European Union countries to be closer to customers.

Other insurers have looked to Luxembourg for their post-Brexit subsidiaries, including AIG, CNA, FM Global and recently, Tokio Marine.
Photo: BC Wildfire Service Logan Lake fire from the sky on May 16, 2018.

Crews continue to battle a fire near Logan Lake that has swelled to 140 hectares.

At 9 p.m. Tuesday, the fire was estimated to be 25 hectares.

Marla Catherall, communications assistant with the Kamloops Fire Centre, said there are 60 firefighters on site along with several pieces of heavy equipment.

Air tankers and helicopters are also actioning the blaze from above.

Their main goal is to keep the fire from moving north and to focus on containment, said Catherall, adding the fire is seven kilometres north of Logan Lake near Tunkwa Lake Road.

There are no structures being threatened, she said.

The cause and origin of the fire is under investigation, but it is suspected to be human caused.
Photo: CTV

The City of Grand Forks has requested military help during its flooding crisis.

Residents bracing for a second round of destructive flooding met Tuesday night at Grand Forks Secondary School to get an update from local officials.

The crowd let out a loud cheer when officials revealed they have requested the Canadian Armed Forces step in.

It's not known whether the request will be fulfilled, however.

Mayor Frank Konrad offered some reassurance as emotions ran high.

"Can these people that now have contaminated land and lost their house, are they going to get zero value for that? Absolutely not," Konrad said. "They have to be compensated. They cannot walk away with nothing. And (B.C. Premier John Horgan) gave me that assurance."

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Oh Uber Announced new options for using the app at airports, accepting flight information Booking tool, Makes it possible to...
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TCL and Arawak Cement seek redress over reduced import tariffs

16 May 2018

Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL) and its Barbados-based subsidiary Arawak Cement Ltd are reported to have filed legal action against the Government of Barbados, accusing it of breaking the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) single market and economy, according to Barbados Today.



Barbados Labour Party (BLP) leader, Mia Mottley, explained that the lawsuit was lodged last Friday with the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).



"These people are going in the original jurisdiction against the Government of Barbados and they are saying that we breached rules under the Treaty of Chaguaramas by unilaterally reducing the import duties on cement, the Common External Tariff, from 60 per cent to five per cent," the BLP leader explained.



Since the entry of Rock Hard Cement into the market in November 2015 the price of cement in Barbados has dropped by 30 per cent.

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Experts finally think they know what happened to Malaysia Airlines flight 370, or MH370, about four years after it went down over the Indian Ocean. The plane disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 passengers on board. And in the years since, everybody from aviation experts to conspiracy theorists have tried to figure out what happened to the flight and everybody on it.

Like many of the other theories about what caused the plane crash, the one that experts are currently standing behind will chill you to the bone. Read on to learn about the scariest theories about happened to the flight and get all the details on what experts think happened (page 9).

9. It was shot down

The Week reports that one of the most sensational claims about Malaysia Airlines flight 370 is that it was shot down. Amateur crash investigator Peter McMahon claimed to have found the wreckage of the plane in Google Earth images. He characterized the plane as riddled with bullet holes.

And he said that U.S. officials didnt want to search the location where he spotted the wreckage because finding it would only open another inquiry.

Next: This theory holds that something went wrong in the cockpit.

8. There was a fire in the cockpit

Wired reported on the first anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight 370 that plenty of conspiracy theories had already emerged. One of the most plausible? A theory about a cockpit fire by pilot Chris Goodfellow. Goodfellow suggested that a fire in the cockpit prompted the captain to turn the plane to the west. Perhaps toward Palau Langkawi, a nearby airstrip.

Goodfellow said that the loss of communication with the cockpit seems consistent with an electrical fire. (And with a need for the crew to focus on flying instead of making a distress call.) Goodfellow thinks the pilots could have passed out or succumbed to smoke inhalation. Then, the plane could have flown for hours until it ran out of fuel and crashed.

Next: Some people think that the plane had cracks in it.

7. There were cracks in the plane

The Week characterizes a theory about cracks in the plane as perhaps the most prosaic, yet also most believable, theory as to why the plane went down. Just months before the plane disappeared, the Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines about a problem with cracks in Boeing 777s. If left without repairs, those cracks could lead to a mid-air breakup. Or, they could cause a catastrophic drop in pressure.

The FAA issued its final warning just two days before the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370. But Boeing reportedly said that the FAA alert didnt apply to the missing plane because it didnt have the same antenna as many other Boeing 777s. That just led to more conspiracy theories.

Next: This theory claims that someone hijacked the plane in a surprising way.

6. Someone cyber-hijacked it

Another scary theory about MH370? That somebody remotely hacked the plane. As The Week reports, the plane was equipped with Boeings Honeywell Un-interruptible Autopilot onboard computer. Historian Norman Davies claimed that someone could have hacked that computer to hijack the plane.

He thought that the plane was carrying material or people that somebody didnt want to get to China. Davies claimed that the U.S. government wanted to stop the plane from getting to Beijing and planned to divert it to Diego Garcia, a U.S. naval base in the Indian Ocean. Then, according to Davies, somebody hacked it to stop it from getting there.

Next: This theory blames the U.S. military.

5. The U.S. military brought the plane down

Another theory involving the U.S. base at Diego Garcia posits that the U.S. military actually shot down Malaysia Airlines flight 370. As Wired notes, one theory suggests that the plane was headed there on some sort of kamikaze mission and it was secretly shot down by the US military before it could reach its target.

Supposedly, the military then faked the satellite data. And it also cleaned up all the debris from the crash to keep the fate of the plane  and its passengers  a secret.

Next: Of course some theories involve Vladimir Putin.

4. Vladimir Putin knows where it is

The Week reports that, according to volunteer investigator Andre Milne, MH370 landed in the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean  where Russian president Vladimir Putin saw it thanks to spy satellites. Milne claimed, The reason President Putin did not raise his hand and march in and say we found it is because technically he would have been admitting committing espionage, Milne said.

Another theory involving Russia? As Wired reports, one New York magazine article hypothesized that Russian special ops hijacked the plane. Then, they faked the satellite data and took the plane to Kazakhstan, where they hid the Boeing 777.

Next: Some people blame Kim Jong Un instead of Vladimir Putin.

3. North Korea took it

The Week reports that it didnt take long for the MH370 rumor mill to drag North Korea into the conspiracy theories. Shortly after the plane disappeared, conspiracy theorists blamed North Korea. They pointed to South Koreas claim that North Korea nearly took out a Chinese plane on March 5, 2014, just three days before MH370 disappeared.

Some thought that Pyongyang shot the plane down. Others thought that officials hijacked the plane and diverted it to North Korea. The reason why? North Korea wanted the Boeing 777s technology. Or Kim Jong Un just wanted a huge plane.

Next: This theory involves a nuclear weapon.

2. It delivered weapons  or a nuclear weapon  to Pakistan

According to Wired, some conspiracy theorists think that Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappeared delivering weapons to Pakistan. Rupert Murdoch hypothesized that the planes disappearance was part of a jihadist plot to make trouble for China. Murdoch thought that the flight landed in northern Pakistan.

From there, other people theorized that the plane carried explosives. Some even thought that it delivered a nuclear weapon to Pakistan.

Next: This is the theory that experts are currently talking about.

1. The current theory: The pilot crashed on purpose

The Washington Post reports that a team of analysts assembled by Australias 60 Minutes concluded that the pilot crashed MH370 on purpose. They posit that pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah turned the transponder off, then depressurized the cabin to render all the passengers unconscious. He took a detour near his hometown of Penang, Malaysia, tipping the plane to the left to take a final look.

Then, he crashed the plane to commit suicide and a premeditated act of mass murder. Aircraft investigator Larry Vance said on 60 Minutes, He was killing himself. Unfortunately, he was killing everyone else onboard. And he did it deliberately.

Next: What happens next in the investigation?

What happens next?

As The Washington Post explains, the theory of the 60 Minutes team hasnt been backed up by official investigation findings. (At least not yet.) The wreckage of the plane remains missing. And authorities have spent hundreds of millions of dollars so far on the four-year search for MH370.

As the Post notes, The wreckage, of course, might corroborate or dispel theories about what caused the crash, and crews were still looking for it as recently as this year. But as the publication adds, investigators have still found no trace of Malaysia Airlines flight 370.

Read more: You Wont Believe How Many Fatal Plane Crashes 2018 Has Already Seen

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The bell rings blue: Central tops Centennial in 121st Bell Game

The Central High School football team dominated the Bell Game 42-0 over Centennial at Dutch Clark Stadium in the 121st meeting between the programs
Sex Abuse in Humanitarian Groups, Christian Ministries: Who Is Left to Trust? Christian Post Contributor | 16 May, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov

In the wake of reports that Christian humanitarian ministries have been caught up in a wide net of sexual abuse allegations, many questions have emerged over who can be trusted.

While abuse of any kind is denounced, it hits a particular nerve when the people who have pledged to protect and help those in the most vulnerable situations are the abusers themselves.

Boz Tchividjian, the grandson of the late evangelist Billy Graham and who has devoted his career to exposing and confronting sexual abuse in the Christian environment, said human nature "is a sinful nature."

"It doesn't matter what ministry you're in," he told The Christian Post.

Tchividjian has served as a former child abuse chief prosecutor and is the founder and executive director of GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment). GRACE has built its credentials as a leading nonprofit hired to independently investigate several cases of sexual abuse in Christian ministries.

Sex abuse in the humanitarian sector is far from a new phenomenon, but a Sunday Times report in February exposed the depth and magnitude of the ongoing problem concerning various secular and Christian aid groups.

Some of the most notable revelations concerned British charity Oxfam, which was hit by allegations that its staff members offered aid or money for sex with prostitutes in earthquake-ravaged Haiti in 2011.

The charity later admitted that it was dealing with 87 incidents of sexual harassment or abuse in the past year, with its deputy chief executive, Penny Lawrence, resigning in the wake of the scandal.

Other big groups, such as Save the Children, admitted to dealing with 31 cases of sex abuse in total. The International Committee of the Red Cross said that more than 20 of its employees have left the organization over sexual misconduct since 2015. Plan International U.K. owned up to six cases of sexual abuse and exploitation of children, dating back to July 2016.

The United Nations has also been condemned by aid workers who say that men delivering humanitarian aid on behalf of the organization in Syria have routinely demanded sexual acts from women and girls. And the abuse has been ignored for years.

Read more about Sex Abuse in Humanitarian Groups and Christian Ministries on

The Christian Post.
Too Few Women: The Real China Story The Washington Post Missed Christian Post Contributor | 16 May, 2018 by Eric Metaxas And Anne Morse

The gender imbalance in China and Asia is wreaking social chaos. And the Washington Post's worldview won't let it admit the real cause of the problem.

Twenty-one-year-old Li Defu is hard at work, building a house in rural China. While American men his age spend their free time gaming with friends, Li knows he has no time to waste. Without this house, he may never find a wife.

As Li told the Washington Post in a story titled "Too Many Men," "At the moment there aren't any girls my age around. I am building this new house in preparation, in case I find someone."

But even with a nice house to attract a bride, there's no guarantee that Li will ever find one. The reason: There are 34 million fewer Chinese women than men. Indian men share this demographic nightmare: There are 37 million fewer women than men in India.

What's the cause of this huge gender imbalance?

Well, reading the Post, you could be forgiven not coming to the obvious conclusion: Seventy million unborn baby girls were aborted  killed in the womb simply because they were female. Instead, the Washington Post refers disingenuously to "cultural preferences, government decree and modern medical technology." In a 5,300-word story, the word "abortion" is used exactly once. The social damage caused by sex-selection abortion is mind-boggling  and yet, the Post can barely bring itself to mention the word!

Now, it's a safe bet that most of the editors and writers for the Post consider abortion not merely a woman's right, but also a cultural good. So why are they so reluctant to use the word in this front-page story?

I suspect it's because nobody likes to be faced with the fact that their worldview is flawed  in this case, tragically so.

For decades, western family planning groups, such as International Planned Parenthood Fund and the United Nations Population Fund, have promoted abortion on a massive scale as the solution to many of the world's problems. They've worked with leaders in both China and India, urging them to bring down their population levels through abortion and sterilization.

The result? Seventy million men, who expected to marry and rear children, are desperately lonely. "Brides" are kidnapped from other countries. Forced prostitution and assaults on women are on the rise.

Ironically, many of the parents who aborted their baby daughters in favor of sons will never have grandchildren: There are no women for their sons to marry.

Abortion proponents portray abortion as a social good that allows women control over their own bodies. But in India and China  and sometimes in the West, as well  abortion has given women LESS control. They are forced, by their government or their husband's relatives, to kill their unborn daughters.

The story of those 70 million missing women reminds us that our worldview, how we see reality, how we define what is good or bad, will affect how we live  as individuals and as a society. As Chuck Colson often urged us, we should test the validity of any worldview by following it to its logical conclusions.

The Christian worldview considers children of both sexes a great blessing. In Psalm 127, we read, "Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." But secular abortion advocates think we should solve the problems of the world through the slaughter of the innocents.

Read more about Too Few Women, the Real China Story on The Christian Post.
The Rev. Donald Anderson, 70, executive minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, will take a three-month leave beginning June 1 to complete the transition to becoming a woman.

Right now, at this point, this is still a very personal thing, Anderson told Religion News Service by phone Tuesday (May 15). Were working this through as a family. When the fall comes, Ill be happy to talk to people in depth.

Anderson has been executive minister, the day-to-day head of the state council, for 11 years. She has been noted for her political positions, including opposing numerous actions of the Trump administration.

During the sabbatical, Anderson will also change her name from Don to Donnie, according to a statement by RISCC governing board president Chontell Washington, a United Church of Christ pastor.

While a membership roster for the council wasnt available, a listing of the groups board shows a majority of its seats are held by clergy from groups noted for a progressive stance on many issues, including the Unitarian-Universalist Association, the American Baptist Church and the Episcopal Church. Anderson is an American Baptist.

The council is appreciative of Dr. Andersons ministry and totally supportive of her transition, Washington wrote. We look forward to welcoming the Rev. Dr. Donnie Anderson back from her sabbatical in September.

Speaking with RNS, Anderson affirmed that the response of council members has been positive. The response has been overwhelmingly supportive, Anderson said. Thats not to say some people have (not) had some negative response, but (its been) over 98 percent supportive.

The issue of transgender clergy has divided some communities, most notably evangelical Christianity. The Rev. Paula Stone Williams, a board member of the Q Christian Fellowship, said she had lost several positions, including a pastorate in an evangelical megachurch and an editorial position, when she transitioned five years ago.

Theres a massive difference between evangelicalism and mainline Protestantism on the issue of transgenderism, said Williams, who now pastors Left Hand Church in Longmont, Colo. I dont know of any evangelical person who did not lose their (ministry) position for transitioning.

Williams said it was important for clergy and church leaders to be honest in their self-expression.

I think its marvelous that were seeing more and more religious leaders come out and be true to who they are, Williams said. When youre fighting against your basic identity, its hard to bring your whole self to the table. When you can, its better for everyone.

Courtesy: Religion News Service

Photo courtesy: Thinkstock/RedlineVector

Publication date: May 16, 2018
On Monday (May 14), the Trump administration unveiled its new Jerusalem embassy. Many American evangelicals cheered because they understood the United States recognition of Jerusalem as the once and eternal capital of Israel as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

Trump chose two evangelical ministers to offer prayers at the dedication of the embassy. Robert Jeffress, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, delivered the invocation. John Hagee, pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, gave the benediction.

Both clergymen adhere to dispensationalism, a theology informed by a literal reading of biblical prophecy. Most Americans have never heard the term dispensationalism, but they might have been exposed to this view of history through the popular Left Behind novels published in the 1990s and 2000s by Christian authors Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye.

Dispensationalists believe Israel will play an important role in end-times prophecy. They teach that the return of the Jews to their homeland will be a sign that the end of the world is near. In most dispensationalist schemes, Jesus Christ will one day descend from heaven to the Mount Olives in Jerusalem, lead an army that will defeat the forces of the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon and establish a 1,000-year reign on the earth.

Robert Jeffress studied at Dallas Theological Seminary, the most important bastion of 20th-century dispensationalist thought. In 1970, author Hal Lindsey, a graduate of the seminary, brought dispensationalism into the American mainstream with the publication of his best-selling The Late Great Planet Earth. Jeffress has written his own books on biblical prophecy informed by this view of the Bible.

In 2006, Hagee formed Christians United for Israel, an organization of evangelicals committed to defending dispensationalist views of Israels place in biblical prophecy.

Both Jeffress and Hagee are also supporters of the idea that America was founded as, and continues to be, a Christian nation. They believe that the United States plays a special role in Gods plan for the ages.

The fact that the most powerful nation in the world has used its influence to restore Jerusalem to its rightful place in history provides dispensationalists like Jeffress and Hagee with clear evidence that America is on the side of the angels. Jeffress likes to quote Gods call of Abraham in Genesis 12: Go from your country, your people and your fathers household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.

For some of these dispensationalist evangelicals, Donald Trump, as the leader of a nation who has blessed Israel, is Gods man for such a time as this. Trump not only has the right policies on abortion and religious liberty, but he may even be a new King Cyrus.

In the Old Testament, Cyrus was the Persian king who released the Israelites from captivity and allowed them to return to Israel, the promised land where they rebuilt the walls of the city and the Jewish temple. Several evangelical leaders who have compared Trump to King Cyrus see the president as the politician who released American Christians from the captivity of what they perceive to be the anti-evangelical Obama administration. In a sermon on the morning of the 2017 presidential inauguration, Jeffress even praised Trump as a great builder of walls.

But other have applied the King Cyrus metaphor to Trumps Israel policy. For example, Mike Evans, the founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem and a staunch Trump supporter, was ecstatic last December when he learned about Trumps decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem. Evans told the Christian Broadcasting Network that when he next saw Trump in the Oval Office he would say to him: Cyrus, youre Cyrus. Because you have done something historic and prophetic.

Because of Trumps actions, dispensationalists believe the blessing of God will come upon America. The Jerusalem decision reinforces the idea that America is a Christian nation. This decision makes America great in the eyes of God. It also makes Trump great in the eyes of those American evangelicals who visit the White House regularly to consult with the president, the flatterers and sycophants whom I have called the court evangelicals.

Jeffress, Evans and other court evangelicals claim that they were influential in Trumps decision to move the Israel embassy. If this is true, we can say with certainty that United States policy in the Middle East is now heavily influenced by dispensational theology.

John Fea teaches American history at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pa. He is the author of the forthcoming Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.

Courtesy: Religion News Service

Photo: Invited guests and workers are seen before the ceremony for the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem on May 14, 2018 in Jerusalem, Israel. US President Donald J. Trump's administration will officially transfer the ambassador's offices to the consulate building and temporarily use it as the new US Embassy in Jerusalem as of 14 May 2018. Trump in December last year recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and announced an embassy move from Tel Aviv, prompting protests in the occupied Palestinian territories and several Muslim-majority countries.

Photo courtesy: Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images

Publication date: May 16, 2018
Iowas Democratic attorney general said Tuesday he would not defend in court a new law that bans abortions if a heartbeat is present.

Attorney General Tom Millers office sent a letter to the state legislature saying Miller was disqualifying himself due to the determination that he could not zealously assert the state's position because of his core belief that the statute, if upheld, would undermine rights and protections for women.

Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Tuesday sued to overturn the new law, which requires abortion providers to conduct a test to determine if a heartbeat is present. If one is found, then abortion would be prohibited unless the pregnancy was the result of rape, incest or there is a fetal abnormality that in the physicians reasonable medical judgment is incompatible with life.

We commend Attorney General Tom Miller for standing up for a womans right to control her own body, and decide for herself whether and when to become a parent. Not only is this ban blatantly unconstitutional, its also extremely harmful to women," Dawn Laguens, Planned Parenthood's executive vice president, said in a statement.

Millers office recommended that the Thomas More Society, a pro-life legal firm, defend the law in court. The organization had agreed to do so.

To survive a Supreme Court challenge, at least five of the courts nine judges would have to uphold the law. However, five of the judges  including swing vote Anthony Kennedy  are on record as supporting the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Supporters of the law are hoping that Kennedy would uphold the law or that a retirement would place a new justice on the court who is friendlier to the pro-life cause.

Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Publication date: May 16, 2018
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Andy Stanley is back in the religion headlines. This time for suggesting Christians "unhitch" the Old Testament from their faith, as reported by the Christian Post's Michael Gryboski.

Stanley's provocative comments came during an April sermon series titled "Aftermath," which is mostly a plea to people who've rejected the faith to reconsider. The sermon videos are posted online along with the following summary:

If you were raised on a version of Christianity that relied on the Bible as the foundation of faith, a version that was eventually dismantled by academia or the realities of life, maybe it's time for you to change your mind about Jesus. Maybe it's time for you to consider the version of Christianity that relies on the event of the resurrection of Jesus as its foundation. If you gave up your faith because of something about or in the Bible, maybe you gave up unnecessarily.

During the third installment in the series, Stanley told his North Point Community Church congregants that "the Bible did not create Christianity. The resurrection of Jesus created and launched Christianity." He is correct, of course. But for some reason, Stanley goes on to assert, "Your whole house of Old Testament cards can come tumbling down. The question is did Jesus rise from the dead, and the eyewitnesses said he did."

Here's the broader context of Stanley's "unhitch" comments:

It's disturbing perhaps for people like me, like you who received our first Bible with no instructions. But I'll tell you who it's liberating for. It's liberating for men and women who are drawn to the simple message that God loves you so much he sent his Son to pave the way to a relationship with you. It's appealing and liberating for people who need and understand grace. Who need and understand forgiveness. And its liberating for people who find it virtually impossible to embrace the dynamic, the worldview, and the value system depicted in the story of ancient Israel.

And:

Peter, James, and Paul elected to unhitch the Christian faith from their Jewish Scriptures. And my friends we must as well. Because we must not make it difficult for those Gentiles who are turning to God. They didn't. We shouldn't either.

Stanley makes some valid points. He wants to emphasize Christ's crucifixion and resurrection as the crux of Christianity. He's right. These events redeemed us back to God as the perfect, necessary sacrifice. I simply can't understand why Stanley went on to belittle the Old Testament in the process.

It seems that in Stanley's attempt to repackage and simplify Christianity for non-believers, he's only created more confusion. Or as well-known Messianic Jewish apologist and professor Michael Brown aptly wrote, "In [Stanley's] zeal to reach the lost, he has dangerously overstated his case."

How many times did Jesus quote and affirm the Old Testament? In Matthew 5:17, Jesus bluntly said he came to fulfill the law of the prophets, not to abolish the law.

How does God relate to and speak to His people? Through His divinely-inspired Scriptures, both Old Testament and New Testament. How do we understand the prophesied significance of Jesus Christ's birth, death, and resurrection? By reading the Old Testament. It makes it hard to understand and follow Jesus if you throw out the totality of Scripture or pick and choose between Scriptures. You cannot take Jesus out of God's big-picture plan relayed to us in the Old and New Testaments and comprising of the Creation, the Fall, Resurrection, and ultimately Redemption.

The Old Testament message points towards the significance of the Messiah. If lost people are hostile to the Old Testament's message, then that is a spiritual battle they are entangled. It's not a license to downplay the role of the Old Testament.

If I asked him, I believe Stanley would agree and accept all this to be true. Stanley even states he believes the Scriptures are "divinely inspired." As I've watched the full sermon series, it appears the motivation behind Stanley's controversial message is an effort to confront the hostility from our post-Christian culture with an acceptable softened version of Christianity. However, we at the Institute on Religion & Democracy have seen what happens when Christian leaders refashion Christianity to appease broader culture. Local churches merely win society's applause without adding many congregants.

I will say that Stanley is right in noting young Christians are often handed a Bible with no instruction. This prompts them to draw their own conclusions. Plus, secular society tries hard to convince younger Christians to denounce the Bible's authority. As I've previously emphasized, an hour of Sunday school each week does not prepare young Christians to defend their faith against hostility to the Gospel. So perhaps it is not so much a problem with the nature of the Old Testament, but a lack of discipleship from our local churches and parents. On this, I think Stanley and I would agree.

Stanley is a popular megachurch pastor. A Baylor University study lists Stanley as one of the most effective pastors in the English-speaking world. He is often quoted as making provocative statements in an effort to freshen his ministry approach to reach the lost. It's one thing to refashion our Christian teaching style. However, it's a whole other thing to refashion Christian teaching.

What do you think? Is Andy Stanley only refashioning his teaching style or does he cross the line of refashioning Christian teaching?

Chelsen Vicari serves as the Evangelical Program Director for the Institute on Religion and Democracy. She earned her Masters of Arts in Government from Regent University and frequently contributes to conservative outlets. Follow her on twitter @ChelsenVicari.
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History was made Monday when Israel observed its seventieth anniversary as a nation and the United States officially moved its embassy to Jerusalem. However, the day was historic from a very different perspective as well.

Palestinians mark May 15 each year as "Nakba Day" ("Nakba" means "catastrophe"). This designation refers to the fact that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled their homes or were displaced in the 1948 War of Independence.

In the weeks leading to yesterday's anniversary, Hamas called for massive demonstrations against Israel and the US. According to Israeli officials, some forty thousand Palestinians took part in "violent riots" yesterday at thirteen locations along the Gaza Strip security fence.

As protesters approached the border fence hurling stones and incendiary devices, Israeli soldiers responded with live ammunition and tear gas dispersed from drones.

The resulting death toll has risen this morning to sixty-one. More than 2,700 were injured in the deadliest violence since the 2014 Gaza war. A senior Hamas official said last night that protests would continue: "This blood will keep boiling until the occupation leaves forever."

What my Palestinian tour guide experienced

Since I wrote yesterday from Israel's point of view, today I will overview the conflict from a Palestinian perspective. (For a larger introduction to the region, its history, and its significance, I invite you to read my Israel and the Two-State Solution on our website.)

On one of my travels to Israel, I became friends with our Palestinian Christian tour guide. He and his family lost their home in Jerusalem when Israelis took the city in 1967. He still had shrapnel in his neck from that conflict and sometimes drove past his family's home with a mixture of bitterness and nostalgia.

In his view, the Palestinians owned the land for twenty centuries, after the Romans expelled the Jews following the Bar Kochba revolt of AD 135. He was largely right.

According to Daniel Gordis's Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn, there were roughly seven hundred thousand Arabs living in Palestine when Jews began their migrations back to their Holy Land in the latter part of the nineteenth century, a movement known as the "First Aliyah" ("Aliyah" means "ascent"). By contrast, there were twenty-seven thousand Jews living in Palestine, concentrated primarily in Jerusalem, where they constituted a majority.

In the following decades, Jews migrated back to Palestine by purchasing land from the Arabs and/or the Ottoman Empire. By 1946, the Jewish population had grown to more than five hundred thousand, while the Arab population exceeded 1.2 million.

The plight of the refugees

However, during the War of Independence, some seven hundred thousand Arabs fled their homes. They sought refuge in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Gaza. In 1948, the Jewish population grew to exceed seven hundred thousand, while the Arab population fell to just 156,000.

The Israelis refused to discuss the refugees' status until the Arab nations recognized Israel's right to exist. The Arab nations refused to discuss Israel's status until the refugee crisis was addressed. As Gordis notes, "This meant that the refugee problem would forever remain unaddressed."

In 1993, Israel signed the Oslo Peace Accords, granting Gaza and the West Bank limited autonomy in exchange for Palestinian recognition of Israel. However, in 2006, Hamas won control of Gaza.

They have been designated a terrorist organization by the European Court of Justice and are pledged to the destruction of Israel. Fatah (a more moderate Palestinian political organization) retains control over the West Bank. Hamas used yesterday's anniversary and the US embassy move to inflame passions in Gaza, leading to the revolts we are now seeing.

We should remember that the United Nations proposed a "Partition Plan" in 1947 that would have created an independent Palestinian nationa proposal Israeli leaders accepted but Arab nations rejected. And we should remember that Israel supplies water and electricity to the Palestinian territories.

Nonetheless, it is a fact of history that most of the Palestinian people lost their homeland in 1948. Many live in very difficult circumstances today.

"Live peaceably with all"

I have led study tours to Israel more than twenty times over the last three decades. Each time, I am amazed by the miracle that is the modern State of Israel. But I also grieve for the suffering of the Palestinian people and pray for resolution to this conflict and peace in this holy land.

I believe that both the Israelis and the Palestinians deserve a homeland. And I believe that both deserve to hear the gospel of God's love in Jesus Christ.

Sincere Christians disagree on the role of Israel and the Palestinians in prophecy. However, we can agree that the Bible clearly teaches these principles, each of which applies to the Palestinian people:

 God loves all people of all races and nations (John 3:16).

 He calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39).

 We are to "seek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 34:14), choosing to "live peaceably with all" (Romans 12:18).

 We are to "defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31:9).

Max Lucado: "I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me."

If you have experienced the kindness of God, with whom will you share it today?

Originally posted at Denison Forum.
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Are Israel and Iran on the brink of war? It's a hugely important question from a confusing part of the world. I'll try to bring a bit of clarity.

The Middle East is a complicated place  okay, that's what's known as an understatement. Not only is there civil war in Yemen, with Saudi Arabia duking it out with Iranian-backed forces, protests are flaring up in Gaza, and the terrorist group Hezbollah is gaining political ascendancy in Lebanon. The U.S. may be followed by other nations in moving embassies to Jerusalem, and the Trump Administration just announced it is pulling out of the Iranian nuclear deal.

But the most significant and confusing events right now may be in Syria. Syria's civil war has cost an estimated half-million lives, and has displaced a wave of refugees the likes of which we haven't seen since World War II.

As I speak, within Syria's borders are the following cast of characters: Kurds rebelling against Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad; Turks seeking to crush any Kurdish idea of forming a state; remnants of ISIS are there, as are Russians, American troops, and Sunni fighters, including Al-Qaeda.

And if that weren't enough, the Shiite terrorist organization Hezbollah is in Syria as well, fighting for Assad. And of course, there's the Syrian military, with a proven propensity for using chemical weapons on its own people.

But perhaps most ominous of all, forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran  Israel's sworn enemy  have used the Syrian civil war to attempt to establish a permanent military presence on Israel's doorstep, complete with Revolutionary Guards, drones, naval bases, and offensive missiles.

Given the consistent threats of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei to turn Tel Aviv into dust, a permanent Iranian military presence in Syria is clearly a red line for the Israelis.

According to all the analysis I've read, neither Israel nor Iran want an all-out war. OkayI have my doubts about Iran. And the kindling is piling up. A spark of any kind could ignite a major conflagration in the Middle East.

We all should pray that doesn't happen.

So far, the signs aren't good. Last week, the Israeli Defense Forces shot down what they claimed was an armed Iranian drone over Israel. In response, the IDF then destroyed the base where the drone was launched, killing Iranian military in the process. To retaliate, Iran's so-called "elite" Quds Force launched 20 missiles at Israeli military posts in the Golan Heights. Israel responded with a massive wave of air and missile strikes against Iranian military targets around Syria.

The Trump Administration has made clear that the United States will stand firmly on the side of Israel, as we should. Not only is Israel our only true ally in the Middle East, it's the sole stable democracy, surrounded by Islamist dictatorships, secular dictatorships, terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas, as well as the chaos in Syria.

American Christians have long stood with the Jewish state. In fact, years ago on this program, here's what Chuck Colson had to say:

We must recall the words of Genesis 12, verses 1 and 2, regarding the ancient Israelites. God says, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse." Of course, we mustn't confuse the modern nation-state of Israel with the people of the Old Covenant. But it's clear in Romans 10 and 11 that Paul understands God's special concern for the Jews. Certainly America's own sense of decency demands that we help protect Israelthe Jewish homeland and the only true democracy in the Middle East.

If ever there were a time to take seriously the injunction of the psalmist, this would be such a time: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels" (Psalm 122). Amen.

Originally posted at Breakpoint.


Christian believers now allowed to wear crosses, religious symbols at work in new government guidelines

The U.K. government, through its Equalities minister Victoria Atkins, has issued new guidelines protecting the rights of religious believers when it comes to wearing religious symbols to work. Christians, in particular, can now wear crosses and other faith symbols at the office, without any consequences.

The guideline have been set to curb down religious intolerance. Companies that do not follow the government's directive could be fined or told to compensate its workers.

"Discrimination in the workplace is not only completely unacceptable but also against the law," Atkins said. "We live in an integrated and cohesive society with a proud tradition of religious tolerance and I want to see that reflected in workplaces across the country."

Atkins also said that as long as the preference of religious workers do not affect what they do, they should be allowed to carry on as usual. Employers must also allow the workers to have their say in any proposed dress codes at work based on the guidelines that the Government Equalities Office set.

The Church of England commended the decision as sensible. "Freedom of expression continues to be an important British value," a spokesperson for the Church told reporters.

The guideline comes five years after Nadia Eweida, a British Airways staff member, won a lawsuit against the airline after being asked to hide her crufifix necklace at work.

Eweida, a Coptic Christian, lodged her complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which stated that British Airways violated Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. She received $2179 (1,600) and $34,000 (25,000) in compensation for costs and damages.
'Darkness can always be broken by the light of Christ': Coptic bishop hails return of bodies of 20 Christian martyrs beheaded by ISIS

The lead coptic bishop in the UK has hailed the 'bittersweet' return of the bodies of 20 Egyptian Christians beheaded in Libya by ISIS in 2015.

Bishop Angaelos, the coptic orthodox archbishop of London, said the men, whose execution on a beach was filmed with them wearing orange jump suits and sent around the world, was designed to intimidate and humiliate Christians but actually became a mark of resilience and forgiveness.

'They will, for the remainder of my life, be an inspiration and an example of true, simple and faithful witness in the midst of what can sometimes be an unaccepting, cruel and brutal world,' Bishop Angaelos said in a statement on Tuesday night. 'Their witness has shown that darkness can always be broken by the light of Christ that can indeed shine through each and every one of us.'

The bodies of the 21 men, including one Ghanaian and 20 Egyptian Copts, were discovered last October after the area where they were buried was recaptured from the militant Islamist group.

Islamic State took control of Sirte in 2015 and lost the city late last year to local forces backed by US air strikes.

The head of the Coptic Church in Egypt, Pope Tawadros II, was at the airport to receive the remains, which were brought in coffins from Misrata, Libya.

'This is indeed a bittersweet occasion for the families of these brave men, their communities, the broader Coptic Orthodox Church, and Egypt as a whole, who saw them brutally and publicly executed before the eyes of the whole world for their Christian Faith,' said Angaelos, paying tribute to the martyrs.

'Not only were their actions courageous, but their families subsequently presented a gracious message of Christian love and forgiveness, amidst their personal grieving and loss, that moved the world,' he said.

'This historic event also provided an opportunity for a deep and genuine unity among the Christian Church worldwide, and amongst all people of Faith and none, who rejected the inhumanity of this very public crime that violated every understanding of the dignity and sanctity of life as we know it,' he added.

'We pray protection for all those around the world who continue to be persecuted for their Christian Faith, religious affiliation, or for any other reason, for those who remain abducted and their families as they anxiously await news, and for a change of the hearts and minds of those who continue to perpetrate these and similar crimes around the world. We also pray for those receiving their fathers, sons and brothers today, and for the repose of our brothers, the Libya martyrs.'

A church dedicated to their memory has been built in al-Our, near Samalut in Egypt's Minya province, the home of 13 of the Libyan martyrs.

Coptic Christians represent about 10 per cent of Egypt's majority Muslim population. The community has been subject to intense attacks in recent years, particularly from Islamist fundamentalist groups.
Families behind suicide bombings in Indonesia all attended same Islamic study group, police say

Indonesian authorities have revealed that the three families that carried out the suicide bombings that killed at least 26 people were all part of the same religious study group which radicalized them.

One family of six carried out separate attacks on three churches on Sunday morning just before the services began.

Dita Oepriarto, the father, detonated a car bomb outside a church, while his wife, Puji, conducted an attack at another church with his two daughters, aged 9 and 12. Two of his sons, aged 16 and 18, rode a motorcycle into the courtyard of another church before detonating their bombs.

Multiple explosions were heard in an apartment in Sidoarjo later that evening. Three members of a second family were reportedly killed in the blast, which police believe to be the result of bombs detonating prematurely.

Another family had conducted a separate attack at the Surabaya police headquarters on Monday morning, leaving an eight-year-old girl as the only surviving family member.

According to Ch. Insp. Machfud Arifin, all three families attended weekly study sessions, where they learned about Islam and watched jihadist films every Sunday evening.

The police chief asserted that the films were aimed at encouraging participants of the study group to carry out terrorist attacks.

"The Surabaya cell and the Sidoarjo cell are the same network because they met regularly on Sunday evening," Arifin said, according to The Guardian.

The families are believed to be part of the ISIS-inspired group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD). Authorities believe that the families behind the suicide bombings wanted to be easily identified as they carried their national ID cards with them.

The study sessions were thought to be held at the Surabaya home of Dita Oepriarto, who is believed to be the head of the Surabaya extremist group.

Arifin noted that the children of the three families were radicalized through homeschooling. "What happened is their parents indoctrinated the children. So when the mother asked them to wear the waist bombs they did it," the police chief said.

Neighbors have said that the Oepriarto family belonged to the upper-middle class and had shown no signs that they planned to commit terror attacks.

Raith Yunanto, a Christian who lives two houses from the Oepriarto family, had said that she had been on good terms with them, and even went shopping with the wife at the local market on one occasion.

"It's difficult for us to accept how they can commit such a barbaric act against Christians. The couple visited me when I gave birth and when my children were sick," Yunanto said.
Michele Bachman asks forgiveness for 'ignorant' remarks about Jews

Former Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachman has asked for forgiveness for "ignorant" remarks she made about Jews in the past.

During the Knesset interfaith Bible study on Sunday, Bachman issued an apology for her past statements, although she did not specifically mention the remarks she was referring to.

"Personally, I know that in ignorance... myself, I have stated things that I should not have said and I profoundly apologize and repent and ask forgiveness from Almighty God for my statements that, though said in ignorance, have brought pain," Bachman said, according to Times of Israel.

The former congresswoman went on to express remorse for the "horrible and, yes, I would say, the arrogant way that Christians  I would include myself among them  have treated and regarded the Jewish people" in the past.

There has been speculation that Bachman was pertaining to her interview in 2015, when she suggested that Christians should convert as many Jews as they can before the return of Christ.

Bachman, who ran for president in 2012, told Washington Watch in 2015 that "the Holy Spirit is speaking to each one of us, to be faithful in the Kingdom and to help bring in as many as we can  even among the Jew."

When asked by reporters if her apology was related to the 2015 interview, Bachman replied, "My statement stands for itself".

The Knesset interfaith Bible study, organized by Likud lawmaker Yehudah Glick, came a day before the official opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

Glick, who led the Bible study, told reporters that he was not aware of the statements that Bachman was apologizing for. "I don't know exactly what she was referring to. I try to forget the bad. I try to remember only the good," he said.

The Bible study also coincided with Jerusalem Day, which marks the 51st anniversary of Israel's success in recapturing the Old City.

The Bible study session drew about 120 participants, most of whom were Americans.

Among the attendees was Pastor Jim Garlow, who was one of U.S. President Donald Trump's faith advisers during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The pastor, who preaches at Skyline Church in California, also asked forgiveness from Jews for the way they were treated by Christians in the past. He stressed during the Bible study that he was there to learn and not to teach.

Garlow's Schindler Society was one of the sponsors of the event, along with Israel 365, an organization that focuses on bringing Christians and Jews together.
5 minutes with... The Temptation of St. Anthony by Dorothea Tanning

Impressionist and Modern Art specialist Vanessa Fusco on a work with an unlikely Hollywood connection by the American Surrealist painter  who is currently having a moment

While American Surrealist Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012) is less well-known than her Surrealist counterparts, Impressionist and Modern Art specialist Vanessa Fusco points out there has been an increase in prices for her work at auction in the past few years. There arent many pieces by her on the market, and its particularly rare to have a painting like this come to auction  one from the 1940s that is so accomplished and in impeccable condition, Fusco says of The Temptation of St. Anthony, which was painted in 1945-46. Considering the relative rarity of her work, and the growing interest in Surrealism and female artists, I think this will be a transformative moment for her market. In 1945, Tanning was invited to submit a painting representing the Temptation of Saint Anthony to the Bel Ami International Competition. The winner of the contest would see their work included in an MGM Studio film, The Private Affairs of Bel Ami, based upon Guy de Maupassants novel and starring George Sanders and Angela Lansbury. In de Maupassants tale, journalist George Duroy uses his charm and good looks to climb from poverty to the top of Parisian society by bedding and manipulating wealthy women. The Temptation of Saint Anthony  the series of trials that the 4th-century monk was said to have suffered during his pilgrimage in Egypt  was thus a fitting subject. From the medieval to modern era, the subject of St. Anthony has a long tradition in art history of representing the struggle between good and evil, explains Vanessa Fusco, specialist at Christies in New York.

In all, 11 European and American artists submitted work to the Bel Ami competition, including fellow Surrealists (and Tannings future husband) Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, Paul Delvaux and Leonora Carrington. The jury included such art-world luminaries as Alfred Barr, Jr., collector and gallerist Sidney Janis and Marcel Duchamp. The submissions were eclectic in their interpretations: Ernst produced a monstrous, torturous hell; Dali an apocalyptic fantastical heaven; and Carrington a quiet, serene universe. In her own phantasmagoric fantasy, Tanning depicts a bearded Saint Anthony cowering from his sins. Voluptuous women surround the tormented saint, whose robes swirl in the air above him and give way to nude female bodies, symbolic of the sexual visions he experienced while crossing the Egyptian desert. Trapped by the rocky outcropping of the desert, the saint is forced to confront the temptations that surround him.

St. Anthony, alone in the desert, struggles against his visions, half-formed, moving in indolent suggestions  Dorothea Tanning
$86 million Malevich leads the way in New York

The Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale, the first auction of Christies 20th Century season, achieves an exceptional $415,852,500



Christies 20th Century season got off to a strong start on 15 May, as the Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale in New York achieved $415,852,500/ 307,355,876. The sale, which was 99 per cent sold by value and 89 per cent sold by lot, attracted registered bidders from 35 countries across five continents. Overall, 35 per cent of all lots sold above their high estimate; four lots sold for more than $20 million. You can watch the auction in full via our Facebook Live stream

Leading the sale was Kazimir Malevichs Suprematist Composition, which achieved $85,812,500/ 63,423,873, a world record for the artist. Painted in 1916, it is considered one of the finest and most complex of the artists early geometric canvases, epitomising his vision of the world as he believed it would be experienced in a state of higher-dimensional, or supreme, consciousness.



Property from an Important Collection. Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935), Suprematist Composition, 1916. Oil on canvas. 34 x 28 in (88.7 x 71.1 cm). Sold for $85,812,500 in the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on 15 May at Christies in New York

The second-highest price was achieved by Constantin Brancusis La jeune fille sophistiquee (Portrait de Nancy Cunard), which achieved $71,000,000 / 52,475,979, also a world record for the artist. Conceived in Paris in 1928 and cast in 1932, it is the only existing example in brass of Brancusis stylised portrait of the Anglo-American heiress and writer Nancy Cunard.

Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957), La jeune fille sophistiquee (Portrait de Nancy Cunard), conceived in 1928 and cast in 1932. Sold for $71,000,000 in the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on 15 May at Christies in New York  Succession Brancusi  All rights reserved.  2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

The extraordinarily rare piece came to Christies from The Collection of Elizabeth Stafford, who, with her husband Frederick, acquired the work directly from Brancusi during a visit to his studio in 1955. The work remained in the couples collection, and this was the first time it has been offered for auction. Malevich and Brancusi were just two of the heralded names in a star-studded evening. Also headlining the auction was Vincent van Goghs 1889 masterwork, Vue de lasile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Remy, which sold for $39,687,500 / 29,332,964. For decades a centrepiece of Elizabeth Taylors collection, this late work from the artists time at the asylum of Saint Paul de Mausole is the only one not painted from within the confines of the private hospital.

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Vue de lasile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Remy, 1889. Oil on canvas. 17 x 23 in (45.1 x 60.4 cm). Sold for $39,687,500 in the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on 15 May at Christies in New York

Further standouts included an exceptional group of works offered from the Collection of Joan and Preston Robert Tisch, two of New Yorks most prominent civic leaders. As passionate about the arts as they were about philanthropy, the Tisches contributed leadership and financial support to institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, home of the Tisch Galleries, and the Museum of Modern Art.



Joan Miro (1893-1983), Femme entendant de la musique, 1945. Oil on canvas. 51 x 63 in (129.5 x 161.6 cm). Sold for $21,687,500 in the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on 15 May at Christies in New York  Successio Miro / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris 2018

A highlight of this collection, Joan Miros Femme entendant de la musique, painted just three days after Victory in Europe Day, on 11 May 1945, sold for $21,687,500/ 16,029,194. Others included Alberto Giacomettis La Clariere, cast between 1950 and 1952, which sold for $15,781,250 / 11,663,895, and Fernand Legers Les trois femmes au bouquet (1922), a stellar example of the artists turn to neoclassicism, which achieved $12,968,750 / 9,585,181. The running total for the collection stands at $83,122,500, well over its low estimate of $55.2 million for the evening, with additional works to be offered in the Impressionist and Modern Art Day and Works on Paper sales, and in the Post-War and Contemporary Art auctions.



Fernand Leger (1881-1955), Les trois femmes au bouquet, 1922. 25 x 36 in (65.6 x 92.2 cm). Sold for $12,968,750 in the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale on 15 May at Christies in New York  2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Claude Monet (1840-1926), Le Pommier, 1879. 21 x 25 in (54.2 x 65.5 cm). Sold for $7,062,500 on 15 May 2018 at Christies in New York
Vahid Salemi/Associated Press

French energy major Total said it is halting its $2 billion Iranian gas project for fear of facing U.S. sanctions after President Donald Trump opted to abandon the Iran nuclear deal.

Contending that it cannot afford to face penalties, Total said it will unwind all operations on the South Pars gas project in Iran by early November unless it can obtain a special project waiver from the U.S. allowing the project to proceed. Total said it is working with the U.S. and French authorities to discuss the possibility of such a waiver.
There may not be cake, but there will be plenty of celebration as Ars Lyrica Houston transports its audience to a day in the life of Marie Antoinette, in a sense.

The Austrian-born royal of the late 18th century is part of the ensembles Saturday concert at the Hobby Center honoring the enduring impact of women like Antoinette as patrons of the arts, performers and philanthropists.

Despite her extravagant lifestyle, Antoinette had a reputation for being compassionate and charitable. In her public role, she amassed commissioned pieces of art, particularly by portrait painter Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun and composer Christoph Willibald Gluck, one of her former music teachers and the composer of Orphee et Eurydice.

A ballet suite from said opera, which is based on classical Greek mythology, will be performed in Saturdays concert alongside a Mozart flute quartet. The program, which will feature leading baroque violinist Cynthia Roberts as guest concertmaster, will also include a violin concerto by Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges  who was another one of Antoinettes former music teachers  and one of Joseph Haydns Paris symphonies, which was identified as her favorite and henceforth subtitled La Reine de France.

Although the Mozart piece is on a more intimate scale, showcasing only four instruments  flute, violin, viola and cello  the Haydn symphony presents a full complement of strings and winds by a large orchestra. Despite these differences, the majority of the concert is representative of the gallant, melodic style and the popular dance rhythms that typify the time period, said harpsichordist, conductor and artistic director Matthew Dirst, who founded the period instrument ensemble in 1998.

Since the beginning, Ars Lyrica has specialized in what I would call offbeat Baroque music, he said. That is to say, stuff that you dont necessarily hear in the dentists office or in an office hallway.

Rather, the core group of nearly 30 musicians presents an array of innovative programming that is historically informed and unveils the rich history of early music as it pertains to a particular time, person or place.

This weekend, the organization also honors nine philanthropically inclined, successful mothers in Houston  Sonja Bruzauskas, Cecilia Duarte, Rachel Ellsworth, Connie Kwan-Wong, Sara Loperena, Dominique McCormick, Yvonnamor Palix, Ishwaria M. Subbiah and Stephanie von Stein.

The honorees, who largely support the arts as Marie Antoinette once did, also are dedicated to instilling passion into the next generation of artists. So, to these artful women, an expression that has long been attributed to Antoinette: Let them eat cake!

More Information "A Day With Marie Antoinette" When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Zilkha Hall Tickets: $39-$65, students $22; 713-315-2525 or arslyricahouston.org See More Collapse

Lawrence Elizabeth Knox is a writer in Houston.
Want to get your "Royal Wedding" watch-party on? There's no shortage of big screens capitalizing on the big day.

For an authentic viewing experience, try the British American Foundation of Texas' Royal Wedding Party at the Royal Oaks Country Club. Or, sleep 'til 10 a.m. and catch Fathom Events' coverage at Houston Marq*E Stadium 23, Cinemark 18 Webster and The Woodlands. Over-the-top Anglophiles should consider Hotel ZaZa Memorial City's luxe package, complete with a poolside brunch, $50 spa credit, special turn-down service and tiaras for every royal-wedding-watcher.
Its hard not to catch royal wedding fever.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys love story, equal parts rom-com (an American actress swept off her feet by a real-life prince) and dramedy (file her father and half-siblings antics under #cantmakethisstuffup), is certifiably contagious. The Kardashians only wish their reality television show was this well-scripted.

Speaking of television, the live broadcast of the royal couple-to-bes walk down the aisle, at Windsor Castles St. George Chapel no less, is worth waking up early for  like, really early.

Here in Houston, the most riveting I dos since Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge nee Middleton, and Prince William, will air at 6 a.m.

Want to get your watch party on? Theres no shortage of big screens capitalizing on the big day.

For an authentic viewing experience, try the British American Foundation of Texas Royal Wedding Party at the Royal Oaks Country Club. Or, sleep til 10 a.m. and catch Fathom Events coverage at Houston Marq*E Stadium 23, Cinemark 18 Webster and The Woodlands. Over-the-top Anglophiles should consider Hotel ZaZa Memorial Citys luxe package, complete with a poolside brunch, $50 spa credit, special turn-down service and tiaras for every royal-wedding-watcher.

Of course, the regal thing to do is bring your own crowned jewels. Donae Chramosta of the Vintage Contessa sells vintage rhinestone tiaras and Contessa or Princessa custom headpieces in her Houston-area showroom.

Its the only known cure.

More Information Royal Wedding Party When: 8 a.m. Saturday Where: British American Foundation of Texas, 2910 Royal Oaks Club Drive Details: baftx.org/events Harry & Meghan - The Royal Wedding When: 10 a.m. Saturday Where: Houston Marq*E Stadium 23, Cinemark 18 Webster and The Woodlands Details: Tickets from $10.83, fathomevents.com/events/harry-and-meghan-the-royal-wedding Hotel ZaZa Memorial City When: Friday and Saturday Where: 9787 Interstate 10 W. Details: Royal Wedding Watch Party packages start from $249, hotelzaza.com/specials/royal-wedding-2018 See More Collapse

amber.elliott@chron.com
It's no secret that Democrats have a lot of hope vested in millennials, the youngest and now largest group voters in the country, to carry out a blue wave in upcoming elections.

But Democrat footing among millennials may be less solid than previously thought, a recent Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll suggests.

In the past two years, support for Democrats over Republicans for Congress slipped by about 9 percent among the 18-34 age group, the poll shows.

SLIM MARGIN: Texas town elects first Muslim councilman, defeating Tea Party candidate

The loss in support for Democrats represents a plunge from 55 percent in 2016 to 46 percent in 2018, according to the nationwide survey of more than 16,000 registered voters.

That doesn't mean America's youngest voters are crossing party lines in droves, however. The same poll shows millennial support for Republicans ticked upward by just 1 percentage point within the same period, from 27 percent to 28 percent.

In fact, the biggest change in the two-year period were millennials who answered "don't know/other," which jumped eight points.

Two University of Texas/Texas Tribune polls between February 2016 and February 2018 show that 18-29 millennials in Texas saw a slight decrease in Democratic Party favorability. The data show that millennials who viewed the Democrats as either very favorable or somewhat favorable dropped from 41 percent to 37 percent in 2018.

Fernando Ramirez is a reporter for Chron.com and the Houston Chronicle. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93.
Houston police have called off a search at Lake Houston, where authorities were responding to a report that a glider plane went down.

The department's Marine and Northeast Patrol units ended their search about 11:30 a.m. after finding nothing at the scene, near the McKay Bridge, Houston police said.
Justin Trudeau's government is prepared to take the extraordinary step of reimbursing Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd. for any financial losses if it proceeds with the expansion of an oil pipeline to the Pacific.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau said Wednesday he's prepared to "indemnify" the $5.6 billionTrans Mountain project against political delays as it faces opposition from British Columbia's provincial government. The minister added that Canada is prepared to backstop any other company willing to take on the project if Kinder drops out.

"If Kinder Morgan is not interested in building the project, we think plenty of investors would be interested in taking on this project, especially knowing that the federal government believes it is in the best interest of Canadians and is willing to provide indemnity to make sure it gets built," Morneau said at a hastily arranged press conference in Ottawa.

Kinder's Canadian unit holds its annual general meeting in Calgary later Wednesday. Its shares surged Wednesday, up 3.2 percent to C$17.28 at 9:43 a.m. in Toronto. They had been down 1.5 percent this year, trailing the 3.6 percent gain in the S&P/TSX Energy Index.

The federal government is racing against a May 31 deadline the company imposed for Canada to resolve the legal uncertainty around the project. Morneau said discussions with Kinder are ongoing and that he still thinks the project is commercially viable without government support.

Asked whether the government could take an equity stake in the project, Morneau said he hasn't come to any conclusions as he considers the federal government's options.

The project would expand an existing pipeline from Alberta's oil sands to the Vancouver area, where crude would be loaded onto tankers. The federal government has claimed jurisdiction over the inter-provincial project, which it has already been approved, and has said it will consider legal and financial options to see it built.

"I'm very very confident this pipeline will get built," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repeated at a news conference in Calgary Tuesday.
Crude oil and gasoline stockpiles fell again last week, adding more support to oil prices already rising on geopolitical concerns.

Crude inventories decline by 1.4 million barrels last week, the Energy Department reported Wednesday, while gasoline stocks fell by 3.8 million barrel.s
Margaritas, music and hula dancing are coming to Humble in a first-time event for adults 21 years old and up.

The Summer Showdown Music and Margarita Festival will take place Saturday, June 16 from noon to 8 p.m. at the Humble Civic Center.

This event features a lot of firsts for the event planning company, Showcase Kingwood, explained the companys director, Allyson Mansfield.

This is our first Margarita Festival, Mansfield said. This is the first event where we will introduce alcohol. Were excited about that. This is our first event outside of Kingwood. Its exciting to be bringing an event to the Humble, Atascocita and the entire Lake Houston area. Were growing and trying to do new things.

There will be a variety of Margarita flavors available for purchase.

Well bring in some cool flavors  different things you may not see all the time, Mansfield said.

There will be live music throughout the day with performances by latin music band Calle Swing, Caribbean reggae band Irie Time, and Bon Jovi tribute band Let it Rock.

We will also have Honoura Tahiti  a Hawaiian group thatll do a traditional fire show and hula dancing, Mansfield said.

Mansfield also said there will be a small vendor section as well as food trucks.

We wanted to bring a unique event to the community as a way for people to get out, have fun, do something different and not have to leave the community, Mansfield said. Also, I love the Community Center and I think its important to utilize and support the resources we have here.

This may be the first time Showcase Kingwood offered an event like this, but it will not be the last. Mansfield said the community can look forward to a Beer Festival this fall.

The Margarita Festival will be a ticketed event. Tickets cost $15 in advance, or $25 at the door. Mansfield said there will be periodic limited time discounts where tickets are sold at lower prices. More information can be found at www.showcasekingwood.com, the Showcase Kingwood Facebook page, www.humblecc.com/events.html, or the Humble Civic Center Facebook page.

mfeuk@hcnonline.com
A Katy man was in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital after Harris County sheriffs deputies accused him of killing his wife May 14 before fleeing and eventually shooting himself.

Detectives from Harris County and Fort Bend County are investigating the slaying of 34-year-old Rebecca Zeyni, allegedly at the hands of her estranged husband, Renny Nunez, 47. Zeynis death occurred in the parking lot outside her home at the Sync and Kingsland Road Apartments, 21101 Kingsland Blvd near Westgreen in a section of Katy in Harris County while Nunez was eventually found inside his home at the Willow Lakes Apartments, 2425 Katy Flewellen near Gaston, in Fort Bend County.

Zeyni was leaving for work about 4:30 a.m. when Nunez confronted her at the apartment complex. She was with her boyfriend, Harris County sheriffs deputies said.

A struggle ensued between (Nunez) and her current boyfriend, said Deputy Thomas Gilliland. I think he was trying to confront her about being separated.

Nunez pulled out a pistol and opened fire in the parking lot, striking Zeyni two or three times. She was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

The victims boyfriend, who has not been identified, was not injured. Deputies said he was being questioned about the fatal shooting.

Nunez fled the scene in a Honda Accord, making his way to his apartment about nine miles from the scene of the fatal shooting. Authorities said he called his sister who then reported the incident to authorities.

He stated to her that he shot his wife and then he was going to kill himself, said Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls.

Sheriffs deputies alerted Katy ISD police about the unfolding incident at the apartment complex. Wood Creek Junior High is located less than a mile away.

Its a busy time in the morning with a large apartment complex with children and school buses, said Nehls.

Heavily armed Fort Bend County SWAT deputies arrived at the apartment complex and moved other residents out of the way. For several hours they tried to make contact with Nunez without success.

We made the decision to deploy gas canisters inside the apartment to see if we could make contact with Nunez, Nehls said.

The SWAT deputies rammed open the front door shortly after 9:30 a.m. They found a man, now identified as Nunez, near the front part of the apartment. Nehls said he appeared to have a gunshot wound to the head.

He was still breathing at the time, Nehls said. There was a lot of blood around his head.

Nunez was flown by air ambulance to the Texas Medical Center.

Deputies said they never near gunfire coming from the apartment while they were on the scene so assume Nunez shot himself before they arrived.

Sheriffs deputies said the estranged couple has a 2-year-old child and children from other relationships. They were apparently with other relatives at the time.

The children are okay, Nehls said.

Sheriffs officials at the scene didnt know the exact nature of the couples estrangement but said there had been ongoing domestic problems. Nehls said each of them had recently been at the Sheriffs Department annex office in Katy but didnt know the exact nature of the visit.

Harris County Sheriffs detectives said prosecutors will be filing a murder charge against Nunez assuming he survives his self-inflicted gunshot wound.

mike.glenn@chron.com
While a deluge of floodwaters Hurricane Harvey forced many businesses in Kings Harbor to close for several months, it also gave local owners a chance to expand and reinvent themselves.

Eight of 13 restaurants and businesses at Kings Harbor  a mixed-use development on Lake Houston  have reopened, said Jonathan Brinsden, CEO of Midway Properties, the owners of Kings Harbor.

The businesses include Edward Jones Investments, Orion, Comfort & Care Medical Supplies, Joseph Chris Partners and BRW Architects. In April, the Berry Bar, Pretty Little Things and Dapper Darlings celebrated their grand re-opening.

Several popular waterfront restaurants, such as Sharkys, Raffas and Zammittis have plans to reopen this summer or fall.

Businesses at Kings Harbor had never flooded before Harvey, so we are thankful to resume activities that make this community so special, Brinsden said. We also understand the importance of being prepared and protected for hurricane season.

Berry Bar Owner Joseph Nguyen said his business took on almost 5 feet of water and lost most of his equipment during Harvey.

Nguyen said he was thankful for Midway Properties to hire professionals to take down the dry wall and take care of other property damages to his and all other businesses in Kings Harbor.

As soon as waters receded, Midway contracted a remediation company to come in and begin cleaning spaces and removing sheet rock and non-recoverable items, Brinsden said.

During those eight months of forced closure, Nguyen and his family were unemployed but that didnt stop them from coming back to Kings Harbor with a new look and a new menu with plenty of healthy options.

Some recently added items to the Berry Bar menu include their acai bowl, the berry bar waffle, fruit smoothies, mangonadas, flavored snow ice and fresh fruit juices.

We see all the customers that came out and supported us, they know we struggled for the last 8 months so a lot of people came out and said hi to us and congratulated us for coming back to business, Ngyuen said.

Behind the Berry Bar is Dapper Darlings, a clothing store for infants and toddlers that was only open for 13 days before Hurricane Harvey hit.

Dapper Darlings Owner Felicia Cumby said while the store was closed for repairs they created a website to continue the business and sell at local events. Dapper Darlings took in more than 5 feet of water as well.

All of the clothing and equipment at Dapper Darlings was damaged.

Initially I didnt think (the flooding) was going to be a problem because this area hasnt taken on that much water since Kings Harbor has been built, Cumby said. I wasnt worried at the time. I thought there was no way that it was going to get up here to the store much less 5 and a half feet into the store.

Since launching their website, Dapper Darlings clientele has expanded and Cumby said.

The notoriety that Hurricane Harvey brought to the Houston area  it was all over the news, because it was so devastating  people just wanted to support the businesses and the people that were affected, Cumby said.

During those eight months of being closed, Cumby took the time to increase her product offering in Dapper Darlings. Now the business is a one-stop-shop for events such as baby showers and birthdays for children.

When one enters Dapper Darlings there will be a painting next to the entry of a wave that has a bible verse on it. The wave represents how much water was in the store.

It just meant something to us. Honestly, that was a really hard time for my family as you could imagine. We poured a lot of our savings into this and anybody opening a business is taking a risk but the risk that we didnt think we were taking was a hurricane coming to destroy things a couple days later, Cumby said.

One thing both Nguyen and Cumby did after the hurricane was get flood insurance to secure themselves in case another hurricane or natural disaster hits.

You may never know the caliber of the people working shoulder-to-shoulder with you until they are put to the test. I have always appreciated the Midway team, and as a Kingwood resident almost all my life, I knew this is a wonderful community. But I have never been more impressed with the character of people who came together and supported each other as we recovered from Harvey, Brinsden said.

kaila.contreras@chron.com
Texas schools are out for summer, and adults and children are now dreaming of all the days they're going to waste away on a sandy shoreline.

Lucky for us, the perfect beach vacation is not far away. The Lone Star State is full of seaside towns with amenities to meet each traveler's needs.
A Latin Women's Initiative Luncheon that falls on Cinco de Mayo (ala last year's event) is a tough act to follow. And yet the 2018 chairs, Gloria Luna Bounds and Daisy Mendoza, succeeded in spades, hosting a wildly convivial fiesta at the Hilton Americas-Houston that raised $300,000 benefiting seven local non-profits.

L.I.F.E. Houston, Undies for Everyone, Small Steps Nurturing Center, University of Houston Center for Mexican American Studies, Academic Achiever Program, Memorial Assistance Ministries and SpringSpirit each received recognition and sizable donations for their respective community work.

How did LWI Board of Directors and 700 luncheon-goers arrive at the commendable figure? Apparently, a Bad Hombres Lounge helps grease the wallet and purse-strings.

That's where attendees got a head start on the weekend with margaritas, mimosas and cervezas.

"We had to make it a cash bar," one board member whispered post-reception. "We're Latin women... it would get so rowdy!"

And did it ever. LWI president Michele Leal Farah quieted the ballroom just long enough to introduce honorary chair Jessica Rossman.

"I know I'm standing in between what you guys really want - that tequila shot," quipped the director and managing counsel-international for United Airlines. "But you should know, since it's inception, LWI has raised $3 million. And, it's the hottest fashion show in town."

Sultry outfits and shirtless male models wearing the latest designs from Cooperativa Shop and Colombian guest designer Andres Otalora fired up the stage, indeed.

For the runway finale, the catwalk kings and queens emerged for a toast courtesy of Titanium Tequila. Guests raised their glasses in union before returning to the lobby for marketplace retail therapy, one of three photo-booths or the coolest spot around, the Bad Hombres Lounge.

Ole.
Stifled sobs and soft cries were heard through the 359th District Court Tuesday as the jury read the sentencing for a 34-year-old New Caney man found guilty of his girlfriends murder - life in prison and a $10,000 fine assessment.

The jury deliberated the punishment for John Dee Weter Jr. for approximately an hour before returning with their decision for punishment. Weter has already filed an appeal to the jurys decision.

PASADENA: Four accused in fatal shooting after robbery

Weter was found guilty Monday for using a machete to kill his girlfriend, Michelle Becker, 33, outside of their home in a New Caney RV Park on Aug. 6, 2015.

During closing statements, the state asked for the jury to consider a life sentence in prison to which Weter, who served as his own defense counsel, also asked the jury to sentence him to life.

I agree with John Weter; he wants everyone to think he is the victim but hes not the victim - she is; youre a murderer, prosecutor Andrew James stated during his closing statements. Everything Weter has done his whole life minimizes the details of cases even though hes been found guilty for dozens of crimes. There was a rage building in Weter that day - he was thinking shes leaving me, shes cheating and Im the only one who takes care of her. Its always been all about John Weter.

Throughout the week-long trial, Weter has stated numerous times that Beckers death and his previous arrests are related to a government conspiracy put in place by his previous work with the Drug Enforcement Agency as a confidential informant.

Dont give me less than life; I want justice for Michelle. I can tell you, it will come out that the government was behind this the whole thing; its all a conspiracy by the government to kill two American citizens, Weter said during his closing argument Tuesday.

James along with the fellow prosecutor, Mike Shirley, were pleased with the outcome of the trial, especially if, in any way, this brings peace to Beckers family and her three children, two of which were present when Weter brutally attacked Becker.

The jury had to make a tough decision because it was tough to deal with this kind of evidence and it is sad what occurred in this crime, Shirley said. Life in prison is the appropriate sentence because hopefully, it ensures the children, in this case, has peace as long as they can and protects the society as a whole. Justice was served.

Weter is eligible for parole which means he must serve half of his sentence or 30 years, but ultimately that decision as to when he is eligible is up to the parole board.

This case is a first for Shirley where the defendant represented themselves in a felony case this severe.

Even when talking to the father of Beckers two youngest children on Monday, he cant even say sorry for what he did, Shirley said during his closing statements. There is a word (Weter) doesnt know and thats accountability. A word he does know is life. Thats what were asking for in this case.

According to documents filed by the state to introduce evidence, Becker told a friend she tried to leave earlier in the day with her daughters, but Weter said he had to go somewhere and took the only vehicle she had access to and she was unable to leave.

Deputies were called to the home later that night and found the woman with multiple injuries related to a machete attack. Becker was rushed to Kingwood Hospital where she later died. After the attack, Weter drove away from the scene in a white Kia Rio before he was spotted by an officer with the Roman Forest Police Department and arrested, police said.

According to prosecutors, Weter was detained and transported to the same hospital as Becker for a mandatory blood draw where it was reported in court that his Blood Alcohol Level was .112.

After the jurys punishment was read aloud, a couple of Beckers family members had the chance to tell their victim impact statements, sharing with the jury how this case has affected their family.

You took away my daughter and sister; you ruined my life and my whole familys lives, Michelles sister, Brittany Becker, said during the victim impact statement,speaking on her and her mothers behalf. You blame everyone else for Michelles death; you have no remorse. Michelle will never see her children graduate, get married and even see her grandchildren. We hope you close your eyes at night and still hear her screams for help and hope that haunts you until the day you die.

We will never forgive you for what you have done.

jennifer.summer@hcnonline.com
Search teams rescued a woman early Wednesday who spent 15 hours in the Sam Houston National Forest, according to the Montgomery County Police Reporter.

The woman went to the forest around noon Tuesday with her dog, and around 8 p.m., she texted her father to tell him she was lost, said Lt. Scott Altemus of the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office.

I was just too far out there, Sherry Sivley, 55, said. One thing led to another and we just kept going.

Several fire departments joined with the sheriffs office, Texas Department of Criminal Justice search dogs and the Department of Public Safety to find Shivley.

Using drones and helicopters, authorities found her unharmed and in good condition around 3 a.m., according to the Police Reporter.

Eventually, a helicopter got out to her and used a spotlight to guide her out of the forest.

That was amazing, because he had circled me around the first time, and I had moved when he went away, Sivley told the Reporter. That big old light was great.

Sivley appeared to be in good spirits after the rescue, joking with a Montgomery County Search and Rescue team member about how many wild hogs were out in the forest.

You know what the best thing is? he said. Youre alive. Youre well.

Sivley said shell be well-equipped next time she goes to the forest.

It was a lesson learned, she said.
New Caney ISD is considered one of the fastest-growing school districts in the State of Texas and its 2018 bond election was the focus of the April 4 Greater East Montgomery County Chamber luncheon.

Superintendent Kenn Franklin explained how the district has grown significantly over the course of nearly two decades.

In 1999, the school district had just over 6,000 students. That number has nearly tripled as of the 2017-2018 school year across 18 campuses.

"We're a little over 15,000 students," said Franklin.

The school district includes 30 percent of students who are English language learners and 61 percent that are economically disadvantaged. New Caney ISD's growth is also noticeable in comparison to other school districts.

"We're the fastest-growing school district in the Houston area since 2011," said Franklin.

According to Franklin, New Caney ISD is also the fourth fastest-growing school district in the state. In 2025 the school district is projected to have a total number of students of 35,000 to 40,000.

"The growth is coming," said Franklin.

The district has a bond election coming up soon for a total amount of $200 million. The bond is intended to address the growth that is coming to the district.

Some of the key areas the bond will address, if passed, include building a third comprehensive high school campus along with a fifth middle school campus and a 12th elementary campus, providing additions to Woodridge Forest Middle School, finding land for future facilities and replacing three of the campuses.

Franklin explained that replacing the three campuses, which are Keefer Crossing Middle School, Porter Elementary and New Caney Elementary can increase student capacity and improve the school district's budget.

"These three campuses represent 67 percent of the budget it would take to bring all of our schools up to standards," he said.

Franklin says the campus replacements will provide additional seats with an estimate of 450 additional seats from Keefer Crossing Middle School, 180 from Porter Elementary and 360 from the addition planned for Woodridge Forest Middle School.

The bond is also expected to add 2,340 seats to the school district with 1,350 of them set to be placed in the third comprehensive high school campus.

According to Franklin, the comprehensive high school is starting with 1,350 seats and expanding over time to 2,250 seats.

"We're going to grow it a grade at a time," he said.

Franklin explained that some data indicates that transitioning from eighth grade into ninth grade without having ever been on a high school campus prior to that point is beneficial for students.

Bond elections often affect property tax rates. However, the tax rate for New Caney sits at a total of $1.17 for Maintenance and Operations and $0.50 for Interest and Sinking per $100 valuation. This is the legal maximum rate for the taxation, which means the rate cannot be increased. This does not mean the tax bill will be the same.

Early voting begins on April 23 and runs until May 1 for the bond election. All early voting will be held at the East Montgomery County courthouse annex located in New Caney at 21130 US 59 South. Election day is scheduled for May 5. All election day locations and times can be found on the New Caney ISD website.
Stifled sobs and soft cries were heard through the 359th District Court Tuesday as the jury read the sentencing for a 34-year-old New Caney man found guilty of his girlfriends murder - life in prison and a $10,000 fine assessment.

The jury deliberated the punishment for John Dee Weter Jr. for approximately an hour before returning with their decision for punishment. Weter has already filed an appeal to the jurys decision.

Weter was found guilty Monday for using a machete to kill his girlfriend, Michelle Becker, 33, outside of their home in a New Caney RV Park on Aug. 6, 2015.

During closing statements, the state asked for the jury to consider a life sentence in prison to which Weter, who served as his own defense counsel, also asked the jury to sentence him to life.

I agree with John Weter; he wants everyone to think he is the victim but hes not the victim - she is; youre a murderer, prosecutor Andrew James stated during his closing statements. Everything Weter has done his whole life minimizes the details of cases even though hes been found guilty for dozens of crimes. There was a rage building in Weter that day - he was thinking shes leaving me, shes cheating and Im the only one who takes care of her. Its always been all about John Weter.

Throughout the week-long trial, Weter has stated numerous times that Beckers death and his previous arrests are related to a government conspiracy put in place by his previous work with the Drug Enforcement Agency as a confidential informant.

Dont give me less than life; I want justice for Michelle. I can tell you, it will come out that the government was behind this the whole thing; its all a conspiracy by the government to kill two American citizens, Weter said during his closing argument Tuesday.

James along with the fellow prosecutor, Mike Shirley, were pleased with the outcome of the trial, especially if, in any way, this brings peace to Beckers family and her three children, two of which were present when Weter brutally attacked Becker.

The jury had to make a tough decision because it was tough to deal with this kind of evidence and it is sad what occurred in this crime, Shirley said. Life in prison is the appropriate sentence because hopefully, it ensures the children, in this case, has peace as long as they can and protects the society as a whole. Justice was served.

Weter is eligible for parole which means he must serve half of his sentence or 30 years, but ultimately that decision as to when he is eligible is up to the parole board.

This case is a first for Shirley where the defendant represented themselves in a felony case this severe.

Even when talking to the father of Beckers two youngest children on Monday, he cant even say sorry for what he did, Shirley said during his closing statements. There is a word (Weter) doesnt know and thats accountability. A word he does know is life. Thats what were asking for in this case.

According to documents filed by the state to introduce evidence, Becker told a friend she tried to leave earlier in the day with her daughters, but Weter said he had to go somewhere and took the only vehicle she had access to and she was unable to leave.

Deputies were called to the home later that night and found the woman with multiple injuries related to a machete attack. Becker was rushed to Kingwood Hospital where she later died. After the attack, Weter drove away from the scene in a white Kia Rio before he was spotted by an officer with the Roman Forest Police Department and arrested, police said.

According to prosecutors, Weter was detained and transported to the same hospital as Becker for a mandatory blood draw where it was reported in court that his Blood Alcohol Level was .112.

After the jurys punishment was read aloud, a couple of Beckers family members had the chance to tell their victim impact statements, sharing with the jury how this case has affected their family.

You took away my daughter and sister; you ruined my life and my whole familys lives, Michelles sister, Brittany Becker, said during the victim impact statement,speaking on her and her mothers behalf. You blame everyone else for Michelles death; you have no remorse. Michelle will never see her children graduate, get married and even see her grandchildren. We hope you close your eyes at night and still hear her screams for help and hope that haunts you until the day you die.

We will never forgive you for what you have done.

jennifer.summer@hcnonline.com
It took less than a minute of waterboarding for Chris Sampson, a Houston journalist, and researcher, to admit the absurd.

In 2015, Sampson volunteered to be waterboarded as part of a demonstration in a BBC documentary.

Blindfolded and restrained, Sampson lay surrounded by a group of military men who taunted him while a masked man poured over his face.

Their first question: "Were you born a bunny rabbit?"

Video of Sampson's stint as a guinea pig shows him yelling "yes" to the strange question in between gasps.

"I didn't even know the question I was being asked," Sampson told Chron.com."Your brain's first reaction is 'go negotiate somewhere else, you're not winning this battle today'."

With his experience, Sampson recently found himself picking apart another waterboarding demonstration.

DETAILS: TX UFC fighter gets 'waterboarded' to prove it isn't torture

Last weekend, a UFC fighter and Green Beret Tim Kennedy waterboarded himself to prove that the disturbing interrogation method isn't a form of torture.

"We did this yesterday for almost 45 minutes," tweeted Tim Kennedy, sharing a video of him being sprayed with a hose while laying on a table with a towel over his face.

"This wasn't an attempt to demonstrate bravado," he clarified in another tweet. "Just trying to show people what this is. It really is nothing. Strap me down, do it in a basement, it's still just questioning."

Posting the video on Facebook, Kennedy described the experience as a "baptism in freedom."

Sampson, a cyber analyst and terror media expert, said Kennedy's demonstration is far from the real deal.

"We're all in safe hands," Sampson said. "That's a huge night and day difference, it's at least willing participation. I knew I was in good hands. There's no consent when you're a captive."

DISTURBING PAST: Texas police receive training from anti-Islam ex-FBI agent

Sampson also pointed out that Kennedy was not restrained and had a towel over his face, causing some of the water to disperse.



"[Kennedy's] waterboarding is more of a frat game, it's more of a show," he said.

Sampson also weighed in on Donald Trump's pick for CIA Director, Gina Haspel, who has been criticized for her involvement in Bush-era torture.

A 2013 Washington Post report detailed that Haspel had an "extensive role" in post-9/11 torture programs and ran a "secret prison in Thailand where two detainees were subjected to waterboarding and other harsh techniques," and also "helped order the destruction of videotapes of those interrogation sessions."

"I watched her hearing," Sampson said. "I could argue she's a patriot, I do believe that, but she has some troubling background in the black sites, she didn't answer for any of that."

"I would like someone who has her resume, but without that activity," Sampson said. "I don't accept the argument, that 'these things were okay back then' no they're not okay."

"You can't tell me that you won't do something you did 10 years ago," he said.

NEW POLL: Democrats losing support among millennial voters

Fernando Ramirez is a reporter for Chron.com and the Houston Chronicle. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93.
A 3-year-old boy watching TV with his mother and grandmother became one of Houston's latest gunshot victims Tuesday night after being struck by a stray bullet from a gunfight just outside his Sunnyside apartment.

The boy, Sir Romeo Milam, is "fighting for his life" at Texas Children's Hospital, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday at a news conference at King's Row Apartments, where gunfire rang out shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Turner, noting the ease of accessing the complex in the 4100 block of Barberry Drive, called on property managers and owners to install security gates. He also said the city plans to increase security at the complex and that's he's already authorized $1 million in Houston Police Department overtime for the area.

But he also asked residents at the complex to help police solve the constant crime there by providing information.

The boy, initially identified by a relative as 4-year-old Lil Romeo, was with his grandmother, Loriann Milam, and his mother when the gunfire erupted. The three had to jump on the ground as bullets whizzed past their apartment, Milam said.

SEE ALSO: Man stabbed several times outside liquor store

But even as the three took cover amid the gunfire, a bullet struck the boy in his abdomen, eventually traveling out the boy's back, Milan said.

Houston Assistant Police Chief James Jones told reporters late Tuesday the child was in the courtyard, possibly drawn outside by the fight, but police initially said there was some confusion about where the child was when he was struck.

Houston police officers, already at the apartment during a routine patrol, initially reported the gunfire and asked for assistance from other officers, police said. Around the same time, someone at the complex called 911 to report the shooting.

By the time officers made it to the boy's apartment, he had been struck, police said. He was screaming for his mother, Milam said, as paramedics rushed him to an area hospital.

HEARTBREAKING: Apartment blaze displaces 10 families, fire ruled accidental

Police initially detained one person, but it is unclear if that person is a suspect.

Milam was pacing Barberry Drive with her grandson's blood on her shirt as officers swarmed the complex. She was barefoot since officers would not let her back into the apartment until detectives had a chance to take a look.

"How many more little kids are going to be shot? Do we have to blow their head completely off their body before anybody pays attention? This is not right," Milam said. "Kids should be able to be in their own home and be comfortable and not worry about jumping on the ground like they're in Beirut."

Milam made a direct plea to Turner after the shooting.

"Mayor Turner, do something before another child ends up shot," she said.

Another young boy was shot in the head in the Third Ward on March 1. He died on March 28, prompting a call from city leaders to curb the violence against children.

A neighbor, who identified herself only as "Fifi," said she heard gunshots and hit the ground just before a bullet came through her apartment.

"Its not safe over here at all," she said. "I never seen nothing like this. This is horrible. Innocent little child, its horrible."

Samantha Ketterer and Tulsi Kamath contributed to this story.

Jay R. Jordan is a breaking news reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan.
As Israeli snipers fired upon Palestinian protesters over the weekend, Senator Ted Cruz praised the nation's border security in an interview with Breitbart News.

"Undoubtedly," said Cruz when asked if Israel is a model that the U.S. should look to when it comes to border security.

"When you are surrounded by enemies who would drive you into the sea, you don't have the luxury of indulging in nonsense when it comes to national security," Cruz told Breitbart ahead of the U.S. embassy opening in Jerusalem. "You don't have the luxury of indulging in political correctness and ignoring the harsh realities of the world we live in."

At least 58 Palestinian protestors, including children, have been killed by gunfire and more than 2,700 injured while gathering and attempting to cross the Gaza-Israeli border, reports the New York Times.

CONTROVERSIAL PAST: TX pastor who thinks Jews will go to hell gives opening prayer at Jerusalem embassy

"For Israel, borders are life or death," Cruz said. "Borders are ensuring that innocent men, women, and children are not murdered by terrorists seeking to destroy them. And so, there is a great deal we can learn on border security from Israel in terms of how to effectively secure a border."

The killing of the Palestinian protesters has sparked outrage throughout the world. South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel and the United Nations human rights office said Israel's actions violated international law and the country ought to have arrested protesters who reached the border fence instead of using lethal force, according to CBS News.

Cruz visited Israel to commemorate the 70th anniversary of its creation and celebrate the U.S.'s new embassy in Jerusalem. Washington Correspondent Kevin Diaz wrote about Ted Cruz' visit to Israel for the Houston Chronicle.

Fernando Ramirez is a reporter for Chron.com and the Houston Chronicle. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93.
An animal rights group has sued U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue over roadside zoo licensing across the country, including one near Alvin.

In a statement Tuesday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals alleged that the Department of Agriculture was automatically renewing federal licenses for applicants that the group says are violating the Animal Welfare Act. The statement said one such applicant was the Bayou Wildlife Park, a roadside zoo.

AN INSIDE LOOK: The story behind the Houston-area man who built his own zoo with rhinos, kangaroos, camels and more

PETA cited five other zoos in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., including The Camel Farm in Yuma, Ariz.; Deer Haven Mini Zoo in Keymar, Md.; Laughing Valley Ranch in Idaho Springs, Colo.; and Henry Hampton's Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, N.C., and The Farm at Walnut Creek in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

"PETA is calling on Secretary Perdue to stop violating the law by letting the USDA sign off on license renewals when the agency knows that applicants are mistreating animals and consistently out of compliance with federal law," the group's Delcianna Winders said in a written statement. "The government shouldn't hand out licenses to facilities that leave animals to suffer and even drop dead in their filthy enclosures."

David Perle of PETA released a "fact sheet" detailing the Alvin park's alleged failures to meet minimum standards in the care of animals, which can be viewed here. The group claims the facility was cited for 42 violations of the Animal Welfare Act, "including failing to provide animals with clean drinking water, safe and sanitary enclosures, and adequate veterinary care."

According to PETA, Perdue and state agriculture officials aren't doing enough to crack down on zoos with multiple violations, which should have their licenses revoked.

"The facilities whose licenses PETA is challenging in the lawsuit have especially egregious records of violating the AWA," Perle told Chron.com on Tuesday. "The USDA's own inspections documenting the exact same violations both before and after license renewal (leave) no doubt that their renewals were unlawful."

Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle

Bayou Wildlife Zoo has been a fixture in the Alvin area since it opened in 1985. Owned and operated by Clint Wolston, it is currently for sale for $6 million.

Wolston declined to comment Wednesday regarding the lawsuit filed against the Department of Agriculture that mentions his establishment in Galveston County.

During a 2017 visit to the park by Chron.com, Wolston said there were more than 500 or so animals on site, including more than 60 species of birds that come and go as they please.

HOUSTON LANDMARK: See how the Houston Zoo has evolved over the past 100 years

Animals at the zoo include zebras, a zonkey (the offspring of a donkey and zebra relationship), various ostriches and emus (who can be quite testy), a family of giraffes, camels, four alligators, small kangaroos, ring-tailed lemurs, rare breeds of cattle, and exotic variations on the common deer.

Wolston previously told Chron.com that he gets regular inspections by the USDA, along with visits from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Galveston County Health Department for licensing.

USDA spokeswoman Amanda D. Heitkamp declined to comment on the lawsuit.

"The department does not comment on pending litigation, we do not have anything further to share at this time," she said.

Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com.
A massive apartment fire in north Harris County displaced several families and damaged a dozen units Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

The blaze appears to have been sparked by smoking materials that were thrown over a second-floor balcony, according to the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office.

DEADLY CRASH: Fatal wreck shuts Katy Freeway near Texas 6

The fire was reported at the Pecan Square Village on Cranbrook apartments near Ella Boulevard and Kuykendahl Road, the office tweeted. Firefighters were met with heavy smoke and flames as they tried to tackle the blaze.

The Red Cross was called out to the scene to assist families who are now homeless, officials said.

At least one firefighter received minor injuries while fighting the fire, officials said.

Jay R. Jordan is a breaking news reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan.
Tomball is taking a step back in time by showcasing antique cars, vintage memorabilia and playing old-school tunes at its Oiltown USA Jamboree.

Its to kind of bring back the feel of the atmosphere of what Tomball would have been like back in 1933, said Mike Baxter, director of marketing for Tomball.

The celebration on May 27 will commemorate the discovery of oil by the Humble Oil & Refining Co. in 1933, which led to the company offering free water and natural gas to residents for 90 years.

Before the discovery of oil, Tomball was mainly an agricultural town with less than a 1,000 residents, according to the Texas State Historical Association.

Although the agreement officially ended in 1988 before reaching nine decades, more than 100 million barrels of oil and 316 billion cubic feet of natural gas from 1933 until 1976.

The festival was first hosted during its 80th anniversary in 2013 to celebrate the historical milestone, Baxter said.

The event will also honor the oil patch kids who lived in the work camps near the southwest Tomball.

More Information Oiltown USA Jamboree Tomball will be celebrating the 85th anniversary of the discovery of oil back in 1933. The gates will open at noon. Admission and parking are free. Date: Sunday, May 27 Time: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Address: 201 S. Elm, Tomball, TX 77375 See More Collapse

(They were) the children who grew up in the oil camps around Tomball of the 30s and 40s, Baxter said.

The work camps were once located on the east side of Texas 249, north of Holdierreth Roadsaid organizer Becky Clepper

There were 600 homes in the camp, she said.

While about 150 of the oil patch kids are still living, about 50 of them will be honored this year, Clepper said.

Beginning at 1 p.m., the free festival will be hosted at the Tomball Depot and will feature musical performances by Cool Freddie & the Crew and Double Infinity.

For more information, visit tomballtx.gov.

mayra.cruz@chron.com
Her April 16 death was announced Sunday.

Foxhall, who was among early supporters of the Houston Ballet, grew up on the periphery of Europe's heady post-World War I art community.

Although depicted in several of her mother's paintings, Foxhall spent relatively little of her childhood in the artist's company, being reared instead by her Polish grandmother.

In a 1987 interview, Foxhall recalled that she hated sitting for her mother's paintings, which included Girl on the Balcony and Young Girl Reading.

"My grandmother used to say, `Kizette, you sit for your mother because some day she will be very famous and you will be in a museum,' " Foxhall said in the interview. "And she was right."

De Lempicka's career declined with the waning popularity of art deco stylings, but revived in the 1970s with a retrospective in Paris. In 1994, her painting Adam and Eve, formerly owned by Barbara Streisand, sold at auction for $2 million.

Foxhall was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on the eve of the Bolshevik revolution, accompanying her mother to Paris as she fled the turmoil of war. Much of her youth was spent at exclusive schools. She studied in Lausanne, Paris and London, and obtained a degree in modern languages from Oxford University.

During World War II, Foxhall emigrated to the United States, settling in California, where her mother and stepfather had lived since 1938. Foxhall enrolled at Stanford University to study political science, and it was there that she met her future husband, Harold "Foxy" Foxhall, a geologist. He died in 1979.

The Foxhalls moved to Houston in 1952 when the geologist accepted a job with Dow Chemical.

In Houston, the Foxhalls were at the center of the city's "international set." In 1955, her play, Portrait of Tatiana, debuted at a University of Houston theater.

"The legacy of my mother that was so extraordinary," said her daughter Victoria Lempicka, "was the freedom to be unconventional, the freedom to be different, the lack of pressure to conform. ... She taught us not to be afraid to be different. To accept that gift and its responsibility.

"Other's people's mothers were involved in Brownies. Ours was writing a musical play."

Foxhall's longtime friend, Ann Holmes, the Houston Chronicle's former fine arts editor, recalled the play as "very exotic to us."

"We were not so Europeanized as we are today," Holmes said. " We thought it was unusually interesting, and that was the beginning of a small foreign group in the city ... Kizette was a brave woman, a European woman, and was very good in so many things."

In 1987, Foxhall co-authored a biography of her mother, which went into three printings just weeks after it was issued. It later was translated into French, Italian and German.

She was preparing to write an account of her childhood and of her years spent in wartime Europe at the time of her death.

Suvivors include her daughters, Victoria Doporto Lempicka and Christie Foxhall Mabry, both of Houston; and two grandchildren. A private memorial service was held Saturday at St. Basil's Chapel at the University of St. Thomas.

Deaths elsewhere

Cecil Price, former deputy sheriff convicted of conspiracy in the 1964 slayings of three civil rights workers, May 6, at a Jackson, Miss., hospital of injuries he received in a fall. He was 63.

The case was the focus of the 1988 film Mississippi Burning. Price's death is a blow to prosecutors hoping to bring the first murder charges in the case.

Laity Kama, Senegalese judge and the first president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, of a heart condition, in Nairobi, Kenya. He was 62.

Arne Sucksdorff, first Swede to win an Oscar with a documentary about his hometown of Stockholm, of pneumonia, May 4, in Stockholm. He was 84.
HUNTSVILLE - After three canceled death dates in one year, lovers' lane killer Juan Castillo was executed Wednesday night after years of protesting his innocence. He was the sixth man this year to meet his end in the Huntsville death chamber.

No one from his family was there to watch as he mumbled his final words.

"To everyone that has been there for me you know who you are," he said. "Love ya'll. See y'all on the other side. That's it."



As the drugs took hold, he struggled to lift his head and look down at his feet.



"I can taste this s---," he added. "S--- does burn."

Courtesy of Garcia family

He began breathing heavily, then stopped a minute later. He was pronounced dead at 6:44 p.m., 23 minutes after the execution began.

He did not apologize to the family of his victim, who came to observe.



"Fifteen years we've been waiting for this day," said Mark Garcia, the victim's brother. "Juan decided to take my brother's life and today was the day that he had to face the consequences."

Flanked by his tearful family, Garcia said justice was finally served - even though he felt Castillo had gotten off too easy.

"My brother didn't get a second chance," he said. "My brother didn't get to file any appeals or ask for forgiveness."

Castillo was sent to death row in 2005 for the slaying of Tommy Garcia, Jr, an aspiring local rapper gunned down in a robbery that turned fatal.

It all happened in early December 2003, when Castillo and his girlfriend teamed up with another couple to target the 19-year-old musician, prosecutors said. With the promise of sex and drugs, Debra Espinosa - Castillo's then-girlfriend and Garcia's past lover - lured the unwitting victim to a secluded make-out spot.

There, two men in ski masks - later identified as Castillo and his friend Francisco Gonzales - attacked the couple as they sat in the car. They tore Garcia from the Camaro and shot him seven times, according to court records.

Espinosa and Gonzales both testified that it was Castillo who fired the fatal shots - but Castillo has long maintained that he didn't do it. In fact, he said, he wasn't even there.

There was never any physical evidence placing him at the scene, but prosecutors used a slew of sources to tie him to the crime. Aside from the eyewitness testimony, three others said they'd heard Castillo confess, and a fourth person said she'd seen him wearing the victim's distinctive jewelry in the days after the slaying.

But in the 13 years since his conviction, some pieces of the case have become less certain. Five years ago, one of the key witnesses against him  an informant who met Castillo in Bexar County jail  recanted his testimony.

"I described what Juan Castillo supposedly told me about the capital murder," ex-inmate Gerardo Gutierrez wrote in 2013. "Juan Castillo never told me this information about this capital murder case. This testimony was untrue about Juan Castillo. I made up this testimony to try to help myself."

That recantation eventually won Castillo a stay of execution. But when the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals sent the case back to a lower court, the judge deemed that change of heart unreliable and rejected the legal claim within a day - before the defense had a chance to weigh in.

"It's really unusual and strange," said Amanda Marzullo, executive director of Texas Defender Services, said at the time. "It's a clear due process violation."

But Bexar County prosecutor Matthew Howard said the federal courts had already reviewed that claim and rejected it, well before it ever went back into state courts.

"That affidavit had already floated through the justice system for a while," he said. "So it wasn't exactly new evidence by the time it was presented to the CCA."

Then last week, defense attorneys entered a filing poking holes in two other state witnesses and accusing prosecutors of withholding evidence.

But on Monday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals turned down that claim, hours after the Supreme Court rejected an appeal centered on the recanted testimony.

"There are serious issues with his case, which no court has given meaningful review," Marzullo said.

The Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously voted to reject a clemency recommendation, despite a 173-page petition detailing Castillo's rough childhood and raising questions about his case.

Wednesday's execution date is Castillo's fourth in a year. Last May's date was rescheduled after prosecutors failed to give 90-day notice to the defense. Then, a September execution was pushed back in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and a December death date was called off in light of the recanted testimony.

Even as witnesses left the execution chamber late Wednesday, TDCJ got word of another execution date set for a Tarrant County killer. There are now eight more prisoners scheduled to die this year.
Protesters rallied Tuesday outside the Consulate of Israel in Houston against the killing of at least 60 Palestinians in Gaza, while the United States was observing the opening of its Israeli embassy in Jerusalem.

About 50 people, many of them members of the University of Houstons Students for Justice in Palestine, gathered outside the Greenway Plaza on Weslayan Street and the Southwest Freeway, where the Israeli Consulate is located.

Free, free, Palestine, they chanted for about four hours accompanied by drums over the din of heavy traffic.

The demonstration was one of many reported around the world after Israeli forces killed nearly 60 Palestinians and wounded 2,700 during a Palestinian protest in the Gaza Strip called the Great March of Return. Monday was the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 war between Israel and Gazas Hamas rulers.

Israel blames Hamas, the organization of Islamic Resistance Movement that governs the Palestinian area of Gaza, for instigating violent protests and calling Palestinians to cross the border and take back territories.

Hamas is a terror organization that has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, with the declared goal of the destruction of the State of Israel, the Consulate of Israel in Houston said in an email.

They seek to murder Israelis by terror attacks, firing rockets, placing IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devises) and building terror tunnels into Israeli territory, the email added.

These Palestinians were massacred while peacefully protesting against being oppressed by Israel, countered Mohammed Abdul, one of the protesters holding signs at the rally in Houston.

The protests were directed at a crippling blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt after the Islamic militant group seized power in Gaza in 2007.

Israel says it is defending its border and accuses Hamas of trying to carry out attacks under the cover of the protests.

Media reports indicated that Palestinians also were protesting the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, the 70th anniversary of the creation of Israel. Jerusalem is considered a holy city by Jews and Muslims, and both Israel and Palestine claim the right to have their capital in the city.

No president of the United States has ever considered giving Jerusalem to Israel as their capital, said Abdul. But then it comes (President Donald) Trump, doing it as if it was a street in Manhattan that he is giving away without regard for the history of the land or the right of the people, he added.

Abdul said his family is among the hundreds of thousands of people that were exiled from Palestine after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

Activists at the protest in Houston said they were also marking what some of them called the Israeli colonization of Palestine.

Brant Roberts, the leader of the student group who just graduated with a degree in history from the University of Houston, said they consider the Israeli occupation of Palestine to be a form of settlers colonialism.

Roberts compared the Israeli expansion in the Palestinian territory to an occupation and ethnic cleansing of the native Palestinians, similar to what happened to Native Americans.

The consulate statement offered a contrasting view, saying: Israels actions are in accordance with international law. Israel ensures compliance with international law and accountability through a system that includes fact-finding mechanisms, investigations, judicial procedure and civilian oversight.

At the protest in Houston, participants had a radically different view.

"For us, as American citizens, it's imperative that we stand against the Israel apartheid regime that is brutalizing native Palestinians," said Ayat Muhammad, another student of the University of Houston.

"What happened (at the protest in Gaza on Monday) cannot go without a response," said Bridget Jensen, who was at the rally and asked to be introduced just as an American citizen. "Killing and wounding people who are protesting for their rights, something that we take for granted here in America, is unacceptable."

Another student, Sarah Falasteen, said she was at the demonstration because "My grandparents were kicked out of Palestine and as an American, I feel very privileged to be here." She added that "I know that I have privileges here that my cousins (in Palestine) don't have, I have the freedom to speak out against the killing of Palestinians."

Many people driving by the protest signaled approval with thumbs-up gestures and honking, while others showed the opposite reaction.

olivia.tallet@chron.com

Twitter: @oliviaptallet
Lenwood Johnson, who relentlessly lobbied, badgered and annoyed government officials in an unsuccessful crusade to prevent the demolition of Houstons largest public housing development, has died at 75.

Johnson, who had struggled for years with respiratory illness, experienced trouble breathing Friday evening and was taken by ambulance to St. Joseph Hospital, where he died, said Perata Bradley, a friend with whom Johnson had lived since last September.

In the 1980s and 90s, Johnson served as a tenant leader at Allen Parkway Village, a sprawling, 1,000-unit public housing development just west of downtown. He filed lawsuits, rallied his fellow tenants, spoke at countless public meetings and met with a Cabinet secretary in Washington in a struggle to preserve the development, which was razed in 1996.

Johnson later participated in campaigns to protect the historic character of Freedmens Town in the Fourth Ward, just south of Allen Parkway Village, and to prevent the destruction of streets paved with bricks laid by by freed slaves.

Read more: Historic Freedmens Town restoration paused after bricks replaced with new

For a long time, he kept the movement alive as far as Allen Parkway Village and Freedmens Town, said Deloyd Parker, the longtime leader of the SHAPE community center in the Third Ward southeast of downtown, who worked with Johnson on projects in historically African-American neighborhoods.

Im looking at his picture on the wall right now, said Parker, explaining that he has a wall of fame at the SHAPE Center with photographs of people he admires.

Johnsons style could be abrasive. He was critical of U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, even as she tried unsuccessfully to persuade the Houston Housing Authority not to evict him in 2002.

And even though Johnson was unable to prevent the demolition of Allen Parkway Village, he got the attention of powerful leaders. In 1994, he met in Washington with Henry Cisneros, then the U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development, who promised to give tenants a $300,000 grant to participate in planning the redevelopment of the project.

His efforts also exposed questionable conduct on the part of the housing authority. In response to a lawsuit brought by Johnson and other tenants, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt ruled in 1989 that the agency had intentionally allowed Allen Parkway Village to fall into disrepair to clear the way for its demolition and redevelopment.

Local and federal housing officials, pursuing new policies that emphasized mixed-income developments intended to lift tenants out of poverty, pressed forward with a plan to replace Allen Parkway Village with a smaller development with a more modern design.

Johnson, with the backing of the developments tenants council and some elected officials, fought this plan, arguing that it would reduce the supply of housing available to the citys poorest residents.

You always knew where Lenwood Johnson stood, and that was on the side of the people, fighting for fair housing and the rights of low-income communities to have their voices heard, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis said.

He fought hard to preserve the history of Houstons African-American communities for future generations and earned his rightful place in the history books as one of the most dedicated housing activists Houston has known.

Allen Parkway Village was replaced by a project half its size known as the Historic Oaks of Allen Parkway. Additional subsidized apartments and single-family homes were developed at other sites.

Bradley said Johnson was born in Brenham and moved to Houston in the 1970s. He moved into Allen Parkway Village in 1980, she said.

After the demolition and redevelopment of the property, Johnson moved to Irvington Village, another public housing development on Houstons north side, and later into private rental housing.

Bradley said Johnsons family had not completed arrangements for his funeral, likely to take place in Brenham. She said she hopes to organize a memorial service for Johnson in Houston.

mike.snyder@chron.com

twitter.com/chronsnyder

john.harden@chron.com

twitter.com/jdharden
The state of Texas on Tuesday filed a consumer protection suit against the maker of prescription opioids, including OxyContin, alleging deceptive marketing practices, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced.

The Texas action was filed in Travis County District Court against Purdue Pharma for violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Similar unfair and deceptive trade practices lawsuit were filed against Purdue Pharma in Florida, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee and Nevada.

Paxton stated his office is holding Purdue Pharma accountable for fueling the nations epidemic by deceptively marketing prescription painkillers including OxyContin when it knew their drugs were potentially dangerous and that its use had a high likelihood of leading to addiction.

As Purdue got rich from sales of its opioids, Texans and others across the nation were swept up in a public health crisis that led to tens of thousands of deaths each year due to opioid deaths, Paxton added.

In Tennessee, Attorney General Herbert Slatery alleged that Purdue violated a 2007 settlement with his state and knew patients were dying from overdoses and that its drugs were being illegally sold to non-patients.

Paxton also alleged the company misrepresented that there is no ceiling dose of their opioid drugs, and that doctors and patients could increase dosages indefinitely without risk.

Purdue, based in Stamford, Conn., denied the claims and said it will defend itself.

Company spokesman Bob Josephson said in an email statement that the lawsuits followed months of negotiations with state officials to address the opioid crisis. He said the lawsuits signaled costly and protracted litigation, the Associated Press reported.

Slatery, who has led a 40-state probe of opioid manufacturers and distributors, said his states complaint was submitted in Knoxville under temporary seal to protect the confidentiality of information that Purdue provided to investigators.

The probe and talks with the company are continuing, said Leigh Ann Apple Jones, spokeswoman for Slatery.

Opioids are a family of drugs that include prescription painkillers such as OxyContin as well as illegal drugs like heroin. In a press release, Paxtons office said 115 Americans die of opioid overdoses every day. Nationwide, there were 42,249 opioid overdoses in 2016, including 1,375 opioid-related deaths in Texas, the press release stated.

Purdue Pharma did not admit wrongdoing when it paid $19.5 million in 2007 to settle lawsuits with 26 states and the District of Columbia after being accused of aggressively marketing OxyContin to doctors while downplaying the risk of addiction. Nevada, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas were part of that agreement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A lawyer for the popular Buc-ees roadside emporium told a federal jury Tuesday that a competing chain, based in San Antonio, intentionally used a cartoon animal in its logo to confuse drivers into pulling off the highway and provided similar items and services inside the travel center to further muddy the waters.

Even a 4-year-old knows the difference between an alligator an a beaverthats not what were talking about, said attorney Tracy Richardson in his opening statement for the chain headquartered in Lake Jackson.

Richardson said the trademark dispute between rival road stops would center instead on Choke Canyons intentional choice to use an upright aquatic cartoon character with doe eyes, a white accented front and a round yellow backdrop for its logo. Then, it would further trick customers once theyve entered the premises by offering similar merchandise and promoting their restrooms as especially clean.

Choke Canyon's lawyer, Charles Hanor agreed, telling jurors any kid knows the difference between a beaver and an alligator. He said any confusion between the logos was unintentional , but he noted that the two trademarks are quite different.

Hanor said that for several years Buc-ees paid no attention to his clients growing road stop business that specializes in barbecue, he said. That changed when Choke Canyon sought to open a chain in New Braunfels, where Buc-ee's also had commercial interests. Hanor said his client, a hardworking immigrant who started with nothing, never acted in bad faith. Instead, he suggested the Buc-ees trademark complaint stemmed from a concern over competition for the mega-chains business.

Trademark law doesnt give either company a hold on any one attribute of their logo. Instead, the jury of three women and nine men will be asked to decide about the strength of Buc-ees logo, the similarity between the two logos and the stores product lines and whether Choke Canyon set out to or actually did confuse customers with the overlap.

With colorful T-shirts and pickle jars ready to go on counsel table, Richardson, the lawyer for Buc-ees, began his flashy digital presentation to the jury about his clients intent, promising, Were here to tell you a story, a story of a business and how it began.

Richardson said Buc-ees has made its name by offering plentiful, clean restrooms, friendly service and ample merchandise at its 25 sites. The chain logged an average of 25 million transactions per year, he said, noting that it gets more business than the 17.1 million visitors to Disneys Magic Kingdom. That means there had been a purchase for nearly every Texan, he said.

As many a long-distance driver may have noticed, billboards are the chains main format for advertising. He said they have 50 billboards in total along I-35 and I-10 with catchy slogans that are often submitted by employees at the store.

Richardson said that Choke Canyon took products like his clients much lauded beaver nuggets, and marketed a similar snack, golden caramel corn nuggets.

He showed the jury various iterations of Choke Canyons logo, obtained through pretrial discovery, as it evolved to become more cartoonish.

They put a human hat on the alligator, they opened his mouth. Then they made him stand, which Ive never seen an alligator standThen they added a yellow background, he said. Theyre both cartoon characters. Theyre both aquatic, they have human characteristics, theyre both standing, theyre both in round circles, they have big round eyes facing same direction and they have teeth showing and a red tongue.

Richardson ended by saying the stores branding was intentionally similar with one simple goal: They wanted to ride the coattails of Buc-ees.

Youre driving down the road at 80 miles per hour and you see a sign, he said. Did you really see what the logo was?

Similarly, Hanor told the story of the San Antonio solo road stops rise to prominence under the direction of Amjad John Panjwani, who arrived in the U.S. from Bangladesh with just $25 in his pocket. Panjwani, who he said is now living the American dream, ran his convenience stores at Exxon stations, initially using the Exxon tiger as his symbol.

The road stops changed their branding to match a local attraction, the alligators at Choke Canyon. At this point, the chain added a sit-down restaurant area, which Hanor said was nothing like Buc-ees that sells fried alligator and other dishes. Any overlap in products the store has is because all convenience stores choose among popular items from the same suppliers.

He said the See ya later alligator billboards were unique and had no overlap with beaver branding at Buc-ees. He explained how a designer from New Zealand who had never heard of or seen Buc-ees was responsible for developing the yellow-backed alligator logo.

He admitted that Choke Canyon boasts ultra clean restrooms in its signage.

We have large, clean bathrooms, Hanor said. The last time I looked thats not illegal.

gabrielle.banks@chron.com

twitter.com/gabmobanks
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has filed a lawsuit alleging Texas A&M violated the First Amendment by filtering out negative comments on the university's Facebook page.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court, deals with how to define "free speech" in social media on digital platforms  an issue that is still a new frontier in First Amendment law.

LOOKING BACK: See vintage photos of Texas A&M and College Station

PETA says the university has deleted and filtered out comments from its members about Texas A&M's Canine Research Lab, which uses dogs in the study of muscular dystrophy.

The activist group has been campaigning since 2016 against this lab's work, which PETA considers to be cruelty. PETA members have written letters, staged protests and circulated petitions against A&M's lab, the lawsuit says. In December, activists even disrupted a graduation ceremony to protest the canine lab.

That same month, PETA members began to notice that content they posted to the university's Facebook page wasn't appearing as it had in the past. So they ran a test: One page visitor wrote "TAMU rules! Go Aggies." and her comments successfully posted on the page. But when she wrote, "Shut the cruel Muscular Dystrophy dog lab down NOW! This is torture!" the comment never appeared.

After more testing, PETA staffers now allege that Texas A&M has set up an electronic filter designed to automatically weed out comments and visitor posts about animal cruelty. They believe A&M's page administrator has set up a filter to weed out content that includes words such as cruel, abuse, torture, testing, and stop.

If such a filter exists, PETA calls it "a purposeful and targeted act to prevent opponents of animal testing form expressing their critical viewpoints in the forum," and it "demonstrates an intent to silence PETA's and other similar opposing viewpoints."

PETA is asking the court to declare the Facebook filtering unconstitutional and require the university to re-post the activists' old comments and stop blocking comments in the future.

PETA is being represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit digital rights organization. The suit was filed against Michael K. Young, the university's president, because he has authority over campus policies.

"Our First Amendment rights are infringed when agencies and officials block the posts they don't like or agree with," David Greene, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's civil liberties director, in a statement. "And the rights of all readers are affected when the government manipulates it social media pages to make it appear that its policies and practices are embraced, rather than condemned."

Texas A&M officials would not comment on the lawsuit, although spokesman Keith Randall said the university may release a statement on Wednesday. In the past, Texas A&M has said its lab is a state-of-the-art facility and that the animals are "treated with great care and tenderness."

The Texas A&M Facebook page is a public page that publishes news about everything from new research to student life. It's followed by more than 580,000 users. A&M is a state university, and the research lab PETA is protesting is federally funded.

ZOO SUIT: PETA sues USDA over roadside zoo licensing

PETA says the university has exhibited a longtime "pattern" of "viewpoint-based discrimination" against PETA's speech. Previously, the university has rejected ads PETA wanted to place in the campus newspaper and on the campus shuttle system that opposed A&M's dog lab. Furthermore, the suit says, A&M mascot Reveille, the beloved collie, has blocked PETA on Twitter.

"These cases are being litigated more frequently," said Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law-Houston who follows First Amendment law.

The decision, he predicted, will turn on how the court defines the Texas A&M Facebook page.

"If the page is opened up as a 'public forum,' then the government cannot discriminate on the basis of viewpoint," Blackman said, and deleting comments that oppose animal cruelty could well constitute "viewpoint discrimination." But if the page is determined to be something less than a public forum, he said, then the removal of comments may be allowed  but only if the policy to remove them is applied to all commenters, not just those from PETA.
UTHealth

A clinic owned by the physician organization of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston improperly sent out mass emails containing the email addresses of many of its patients.

UT Physicians' Davis Clinic last week sent batches of such emails, notification of a doctor leaving the clinic, the group said in a statement. There were 19 such emails, each of which made visible the email addresses of anywhere from 100 to 300 other people.
They may serve with state Rep. Kevin Roberts in the Texas Legislature, but that isn't stopping four notable Republicans from the Texas House from publicly supporting Republican Dan Crenshaw instead of their own colleague in a Houston congressional race.

Over the last two days, four Republicans with the conservative and sometimes controversial Freedom Caucus in the Texas House publicly endorsed Crenshaw in the Republican runoff for the 2nd Congressional District. Early voting is underway and runs through Friday. Election Day is on Tuesday.

Crenshaw, a retired Navy SEAL, has never held public office. Roberts, who runs the business side of the Lanier Law Firm, has been in the Texas House since 2016.

RELATED: Battle lines drawn in battle to replace Ted Poe in Congress

Reps. Tony Tinderholdt, R-Arlington; Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredricksburg; Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, and Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving, all say they are backing Crenshaw in the race.

"Over the past 48 hours, I've received some great endorsements from members of the Texas House of Representatives," Crenshaw said.

Though the race is 200 miles from his Tarrant County district, Stickland said he got involved in the race because he felt Roberts "constantly disappointed" him by not voting conservatively enough while in the House.

Roberts has campaigned as a "proven conservative leader" who has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, has an A rating from Texas Right to Life and has the backing of dozens of current and former Republican state legislators.

Some of Roberts House endorsements include state Reps Larry Gonzalez, R-Round Rock; Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress; Hugh Shine, R-Temple; Robert Zerwas, R-Richmond; Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin; Four Price, R-Amarillo and Gary Elkins, R-Houston.

Roberts has also picked up backing from the House Conservatives Fund based in Washington, D.C. that is run by U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-Bryan.

Stickland is no stranger to trying to influence Republican voters in Houston. Earlier this year, he and his paid campaign staff tried to take out state Rep. Sarah Davis, who was being challenged by fellow Republican Susanna Dokupil.

They failed. Davis won the primary by 12 percentage points.

Stickland had become a controversial figure. While campaigning for Dokupil, Davis reminded voters that Stickland had once said in a 2008 tweet: "Rape is non existent in marriage, take what you want my friend!" It's a comment Stickland has repeatedly apologized for, but has become ammunition for his critics.

Rinaldi, too, has sparked controversy. During a debate over immigration issues in 2017, Rinaldi is reported of have threatened to "put a bullet" in the head of a House colleague. Rinaldi never confirmed that he said that, but clarified that during a scuffle on the House floor he was saying he would shoot the colleague in self defense if he threatened his life.

Crenshaw and Roberts are battling to replace U.S. Rep. Ted Poe in Congress. Poe, a Republican from Atascocita, announced last year he is not seeking another 2-year term in the House.

The winner of the May 22 primary advances to take on Democrat Todd Litton in November.

Jeremy Wallace writes about state politics and government for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter at @JeremySWallace.
Audio Transcript

Seth Barron: Welcome back to 10 Blocks. This is Seth Barron, associate editor of City Journal. This spring marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark Fair Housing Act of 1968 which aimed to eliminate segregation of Americans by place. I am joined now by Howard Husock, vice president of research and publications at the Manhattan Institute. Howard is a contributing editor to City Journal and he wrote The Trillion-Dollar Housing Mistake: The Failure of American Housing Policy. He is published widely, and his work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and virtually every journal or periodical of note. Howard, welcome to 10 Blocks.

Howard Husock: Thank you very much, Seth. Good to be with you.

Seth Barron: So, Howard, take us back to 1968. What was the state of housing in America, of race relations, and of racial segregation in terms of housing?

Howard Husock: The Fair Housing Act was passed in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King. So, we were at a high point of the civil rights revolution, there was a sense that we were of two nations, black and white, to quote the Kerner Commission report, and that we needed to do something immediately to break down racial segregation by neighborhood. And that thing was going to be the Fair Housing Act, which was going to, and did, outlaw discrimination on the basis of race. So, anybody who goes to a bank any day of the week today will see fair housing, equal opportunity lender. That language is the result of the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

Seth Barron: So, what exactly did the Fair Housing Act  well, what did it set out to do and what did it do in terms of the actual mechanics of integrating American neighborhoods?

Howard Husock: The Fair Housing Act, what it did not do was to assign some sort of quota by race that every neighborhood had to accept and judge neighborhoods on that basis in some kind of methodical way. What it did was to outlaw segregation, racial discrimination, on the basis of ability to pay. So, anybody who could afford to rent somewhere, afford to buy a home, who had the credit and the means to do it was to be permitted to do that. And if they were turned away, not because somebody else was a better credit risk or somebody else was judged to be a superior buyer in some nondiscriminatory way, if they were turned away because of the color of their skin, or their religious background, or any of the things that are mentioned in the Fair Housing Act, that was now illegal. And as to your question whether  did it work, I think there is something in the air today, 2018, that tells us that tells us, well of course it didnt work. Of course race is as big a problem today as it has ever been in the United States. And we are suffused with the concerns raised by Black Lives Matter and other groups. There is an assumption that things have not gotten better. When it comes to residential patterns and race, that is simply not the case and it really has to be understood. So, here at The Manhattan Institute we had two economists, Ed Glaeser from Harvard and Jacob Vigdor who is now at the University of Washington, publish a paper for us and in 2010  I just talked to them the other week, they tell me they stand by the findings  that racial discrimination has been steadily declining for fifty years, that twenty years ago  fifty years ago, rather  twenty percent of urban neighborhoods had zero black residents. Today all-white neighborhoods, they write, are effectively extinct anywhere in the United States. Today African-American residents can be found in 1,999 out of every 2,000 neighborhoods, that is census tracts, nationwide, and even in cities like Chicago, where housing patterns are still relatively racially distinct, they have nonetheless declined. So, things have really gotten a lot better as defined by people having the right to live where they want to live based on what they can afford to do. And that should be our definition of a non-discriminatory environment.

Seth Barron: Okay, now, yeah, I mean certainly I guess in the 60s you could say well I wont rent to blacks and then that was, you know, you had no choice, you had to go away if you were a black person. But, under the Obama administration wasnt there a pretty extensive effort to desegregate a lot of communities, like in Westchester for instance? I believe you have written about this. So clearly segregation must still be a problem if the federal government is still having to go into these communities and you know, change their housing polices.

Howard Husock: Well, two things about that. One, I think one would have to be quite naive to think that it is not more complicated and probably difficult for African-Americans to rent or buy in the United States. They think about their choices in different ways. And I think one has to understand that and be sympathetic to it. At the same time, what the Obama administration called Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, was based on the idea that wealthy neighborhoods, even if they had relatively significant percentages of African-American residents based on what income would predict, so your Scarsdale might have about 3% black residents, well about 3% of the residents in that area who are black can afford the prices in Scarsdale. So, it is not segregated by that measure. What Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing wanted to do was to say, and it did say, no childs fate should be decided by his or her zip code. Well thats a very different idea then breaking down barriers to racial integration. The whole zip code idea means that we have to do something to advance the chances of disadvantaged children of color. And the way to do that is to build subsidized housing in wealthy neighborhoods and move the children of poorer families and their households into those neighborhoods. Now thats being called fair housing, but it is really an effort to improve the life prospects of a certain group of disadvantaged children who would be able to move to places they otherwise couldnt move to.

Seth Barron: So, I guess that is kind of a geography is destiny, you know, philosophy, or zip code is destiny. Does that bear out sociologically? Like, I know in Chicago after they tore down the Robert Taylor homes and Cabrini housing projects, many of those people wound up living in the outskirts of Chicago, or even further afield, sometimes in white neighborhoods or white communities. Do you know anything about how this has fared? Have outcomes, educational outcomes, you know, social outcomes improved for people?

Howard Husock: Well, there is a very significant and prominent study that was done by the Stanford economics Raj Chetty that was released last year that tracked a program in Chicago called Moving to Opportunity. And Moving to Opportunity was a federally supported program in the early 2000s that gave housing project residents, like those in the Robert Taylor homes and other rather infamous Chicago public housing projects, a housing voucher that gave them a choice. They could stay in neighborhoods that they were familiar with, or they could move to higher-income neighborhoods. And there had been several studies of this Moving to Opportunity program prior to Raj Chettys study, and they had found no big changes. Chetty found that children of a certain age, under 12 I believe it was, did turn out to be doing better than would have been expected had they stayed in place. That finding really fueled this Obama-era Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing study and is continuing to stir up enthusiasm for it. Now, I have several concerns about Chettys study and the takeaways from it. Im about to publish an essay in a book being published by MIT Press about Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing just on this subject. And I have basically two big things to say. One is: Where was it written that low-income neighborhoods always have to be bad neighborhoods? Where was it written that we couldnt have good schools for poor children, safe streets for poor households, clean streets and good parks and recreation? Thats what all children need to succeed. The idea that we are going to  and this is my second point  the practicality of acting on Chettys findings maybe a few thousand children and their parents could be moved, but is that going to advantage the tens, hundreds, millions of those who are still going to be living in poor neighborhoods who wont have that opportunity because building massive amounts of subsidized housing in wealthy neighborhoods, first of all it is very expensive  the land is expensive  my point is that the practical solution here is not to move the disadvantaged to more affluent zip codes, but to improve what the economists call the quality of public goods in poor neighborhoods. Schools, policing, parks and recreation, all those public services. That was why the Department of Housing and Urban Development, by the way, was originally chartered. So, to me it is ironic that HUD under the Obama regime sought to remove people from their neighborhoods because in effect it was giving up. We cant do anything about this.

Seth Barron: But if you just allow old patterns of racial segregation to persist arent you just reinforcing Americas sad history of racial discrimination and, you know, I guess black underachievement that has been perpetuated by Jim Crow laws?

Howard Husock: Well, lets distinguish between educational underachievement and the situation of African-Americans and the idea that somehow by adjusting geographic patterns with subsidized housing we can change all that. We need to be cautious about involving the government in affecting residential patterns. Lets keep in mind that one of the reasons we had so much racial segregation in the 50s and up to the time of the King assassination and the Fair Housing Act was because the federal government itself, not the Jim Crow South  the Jim Crow south had its own problems  but the federal government, in addition the Federal Housing Administration, would only guarantee loans to whites in areas where there were no blacks, and the opposite. It acted to separate the races. I really am concerned about inviting the government in to fix the problem that the government helped to create in the first place. I think we have to look at what creates a sustainably racially balanced, racially integrated, neighborhood. And the way to do that  I love to quote, and I have quoted for City Journal many times  the dean of American sociologists, Herbert Gans of Columbia, who by the way is not a political Conservative at all, who has written in his wonderful book The Levittowners, experience with racial integration in many communities indicates that it can be achieved without problems when the two races are similar in socioeconomic level and the visible cultural aspects of class. Let people buy or rent where they can afford, and in areas where others are like them in education and socioeconomic status. This thing will work out. Trying to mix through government fiat the very poorest with the very richest is a guarantee of relative social isolation for the poor and maximum resistance on the part of the rich. I think that a regulated market which bans discrimination is the best friend of racial integration.

Seth Barron: So, lets look at New York City, which many people say is one of the most racially segregated cities in the country in certain respects. Recently Alicia Glen, the deputy mayor for housing and preservation, was asked if the city had any plans for how to address racial segregation and she said no, not really. I mean maybe that kind of laissez-faire attitude comports with your philosophy. But, if it is a problem, how could the city address the problem? What should New York City do? I mean there is not that much available new housing anyway, so how can we move people, encourage people to integrate, whats the solution?

Howard Husock: Well, one thing that is important to keep in mind that some of the most segregated parts of New York are public housing projects which are owned and operated by the government. And they are, for the most part, identifiably white, black or Hispanic. So, apparently it was contemplated when the largest concentration of public housing in the United States was built in East Harlem and Central Harlem that these developments would be African-American forever. They were named after all these famous African-Americans, the James Weldon Johnson Houses. Did that mean that black people should live there forever? I find that a little bit inconsistent with our values today. And so, to the extent that in its public housing projects, the city would take people from waiting lists and assign them to available housing, no matter where it was, not on the basis of race, that might be an interesting step.

Seth Barron: Well, as it is, public housing  I mean the NYCHA system currently is very disproportionately black and Latino, no?

Howard Husock: Its black and Puerto Rican is what it is. Most of the new Latino immigrants are not in public housing. We have a lot, identifiably black and Puerto Rican, and some mixtures of black and Puerto Ricans.

Seth Barron: So do you think that residential segregation in New York City currently is a problem?

Howard Husock: Well its interesting. One of the things that Professors Glaeser and Vigdor found is breaking down segregated housing patterns is gentrification. And so, one of the forces acting, certainly in Brooklyn, you know, twenty years ago in Brooklyn, Fort Green was an identifiably African-American neighborhood. Bedford Stuyvesant was an identifiably African-American neighborhood. Crown Heights was an identifiably African-American neighborhood. This is not true anymore. Not because there was a policy to move black people out, but because white people willingly moved in. So thats interesting isnt it?

Seth Barron: I suppose so. Although, you know, gentrification has its discontents as well. You have written about Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing. Could you explain what that is and how it might impact this conversation?

Howard Husock: Yeah. I have a great acronym for that. I call it NOAH, Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing. And in a paper I did for us here at The Manhattan Institute, I was just curious as to whether there are apartments for rent that are as inexpensive, priced similarly to the subsidized apartments that housers, as they are called, like Mayor de Blasio here in New York, want to build, at considerable expense, $200, $300 thousand dollars per unit. And so we asked StreetEasy, which is a real estate website, to help us out and we said we want to know every apartment in every neighborhood of two bedrooms that is $1,500 or less, or $1,200 or less. Well, it turns out there are a lot of such apartments, but a lot of people wouldnt think of moving to the Bronx, or to Staten Island, or to places they are not familiar with because they are not familiar with them. The City could do something to help the market here at very little cost, which would be to post a bulletin board, the Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing bulletin board and it could offer potential renters or buyers a window into what is available that is within their means, and that might start to mix things up even more. And the other thing youve got to do is: Many, many years ago as a young television reporter, I covered the naturally occurring racial integration in working class Boston neighborhoods, and it wasnt pretty. There were black people moving into what I called then racial frontiers, and young white youth gangs throwing rocks at their houses. I saw those youth gangs. I interviewed the youth gangs. They boasted about rocking the N-words houses. The Boston police, to their great credit, established something called the community disorders unit, and they posted officers in front of those peoples houses and they protected them. And so, anytime somebody is moving into a neighborhood where they have reason to think they could be in danger, that becomes a law enforcement matter too, and The Fair Housing Act should certainly be our guide.

Seth Barron: So, it sort of sounds like necessity may be the mother of integration. Dont forget to check out Howard Husocks work on our website, www.city-journal.org. We would love to hear your comments about todays episode on Twitter, @CityJournal with the hashtag #10Blocks. Lastly, if you like our show and want to hear more, please leave ratings and reviews on iTunes. Thanks for listening and thanks, Howard, for joining us.

Howard Husock: Thank you Seth.
Fifty years ago in Paris, the weather was beautiful: everyone who participated in what has since been called the events has this memory, at least, in common. Evenings were particularly mild and seemingly endless at the terrace cafes. I was then completing my studies, which could not have been more dull, at the ENA (National School of Administration, one of the Grandes Ecoles), in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres neighborhood. This part of the city, which has since become a kind of tourists shopping mall for clothes and junk food, was then the heart of student life, with inexpensive bistros and nearby smoky cinemas. The ennui was oppressive. The spirit of the times had been grasped with prophetic insight by an editorialist from Le Monde, which was then our Bible. The title was: France is bored.

What was the cause of this boredom? We felt that real life, the life of tomorrows, was happening far from France. From two distant ends of the earth, the United States and China, we heard echoes of what were to be called cultural revolutions. In America, young people in blue jeans and unisex t-shirts had rejected social norms in clothing, and in many other areas. Seen from afar, these young Americans bore a strong resemblance to Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. In Paris, we still kept our hair short and wore neckties to class. What is more, these young Americans were fighting for good causes beyond their selfish interests: peace in Vietnam and civil rights for African-Americans. As I myself witnessed the abominable segregation that still ruled in the American South, during my first trip there in 1962, I could not help sympathizing with the civil rights cause. And as for Vietnam, we French had good feelings toward the country; we were not very well informed on the nature of the conflict, but if the French army had left in 1954, what in the world were American GIs doing there?

Other images, no less colorful, uplifting, and unlabeled, reached us from China: for us, the Chinese Cultural Revolution was a show of sound and light. We knew nothing of the abuses perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party, the execution of intellectuals, the mass starvation, or the destruction of historical treasures. Meantime, back home, nothing was happening. According to Le Monde, our country had been anesthetized by the interminable regime of General de Gaulle, who seemed to us extremely old at the age of 78. He had established a sense of comfort based on economic prosperity, peaceful borders, and a conformist sensibility. Television and radio were public property, and subject to government control; the press was mostly monotone. Order reigned in the streets, in the mind, at school, and in churches and businesses. There was no one to contest the principle of authority that was the framework of French society. The opposition followed the same pattern: it consisted essentially of the Communist Party, which was as hierarchical as the Catholic Church, and subject to Moscow, and tight with de Gaulle as long as he remained anti-American.

Suddenly, the too-tightly covered pot exploded on an unexpected issue: sexual freedom. It all started with a conflict between a young Jewish student, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, and the Minister of Youth, Francois Missoffe, who was visiting Nanterre University to inaugurate a new swimming pool. Cohn-Bendit demanded that the government permit access by boys to the girls dormitories; the minister invited the activist to cool off in the new pool. The students chose instead to go on strike, which in less than a week had spread to all Paris universities. The provinces joined in the movement, too, but slowly and with less enthusiasm; the events were mainly Parisian.

Three weeks of tumult followed, with vigorous confrontations between students and police. But the violence was not excessive, and there were no deaths. I came through it, for my part, with a kick in the butt administered by a helmeted member of the State Security police whose face I could not see. The student movement went nowhere; it was festive but had no purpose other than to enjoy life and a beautiful springtime. Lacking imagination, the student leaders, including myself, passed the baton to the Communist Party and the unions, which had organized troops at their disposal. Wildcat strikes spread until 11 million workers had walked off their jobs. Eventually, the institutional Left made a deal with de Gaullea return to order in exchange for a 7 percent wage increase. On May 30, bolstered by support from the Left and the army, de Gaulle whistled an end to the fun. The Revolution was also up against the long Pentecost weekend, when Parisians priority was to take off for the sea and the countryside. The capital emptied out in a massive exodus. With nothing to do, I took the first train for the Riviera. So ended les evenements de mai 68.

Had something happened, or nothing? Sociologists still disagree after 50 years. By all appearances, there was indeed nothing, but at a deeper level, there had been an upheaval. In politics, the historical decline of the French Communist Party began with these events, since it became obvious that the Party always took the side of the powerful, whether in Paris, Prague, or Moscow; as for the Maoists, they were crushed by ridicule when it was finally discovered that the Cultural Revolution was a slaughter. But the real upheaval was social: the principle of authority did not survive. The activists who had found their voice never gave it up, putting in question the authority of the head of state (de Gaulle abdicated in 1969), of the boss in the workplace, of the bishop in his Church, and of men over women. May 1968 was, finally, a movement of inward liberation, a moral metamorphosis such as France had not known since the Romantic era. May 1968 confirmed Alexis de Tocquevilles saying that his countrymen were poor at reform but excellent at revolution.

For those unfamiliar with these times, I would invite them to visit Saint-Germain-des-Pres. They should note two significant changes that could not have appeared before May 1968: first, men no longer wear ties, while women now wear pants, and second, the cobblestones of Boulevard Saint-Germain have been covered by asphalt, which should forever prevent Parisians from erecting barricades. We still go on strike, though, remaining faithful to our national tradition of permanent protest.

Translated from French by Alexis Cornel

Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
It took a jury in Manhattan federal court a scant eight hours last week to convict former New York assembly speaker Sheldon Silver on a range of corruption charges. Whether the verdict stands on appeal remains to be seena 2015 conviction was tossed on technicalitiesbut even if it does, its clear that the corrupt culture Silver so masterfully exploited has survived him.

There likely never will be another Shelly Silver. For two decades one of the most powerful politicians in the Empire State and arguably the most consequential elected official since Nelson Rockefeller, Silver extended his influence far beyond the legislative chamber that he adroitly commanded. Through a combination of wit, guile, opportunity, and circumstance, he placed personal friends and political allies atop both New Yorks expansive court system and its principal education policy panel, the state Board of Regents. Brazenly exploiting lawmakings officially part-time status in New York, he made millions in the employ of a top trial-law firmwhile, not coincidentally, looking out for the interests of the states robust litigation industry. (Its no accident that medical-malpractice insurance in New York is among the most expensive in America.)

It was Silvers rainmaking work for Weitz & Luxenberg, one of the nations leading asbestos litigators, that ultimately led him to legal griefand to the attention of then-U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and on to criminal court, where he is scheduled to return for sentencing July 13. His original conviction produced a 12-year prison sentence, so the 74-year-old former lawmaker could well spend the rest of his life in federal custody. That may seem like harsh punishment, but it would hardly be unwarranted given Silvers self-serving exercise of the virtually unique powers of his office. It is a fair measure of the cynicism that defines government in New York that since Silvers fall there has not been a serious proposal advanced to reform the institutions that he exploited so baldly.

By law and custom, an assembly speaker controls everything in that bodylegislation, of course, but also committee assignments and the so-called leadership stipends that go with them, down to the allocation of member parking spaces and office supplies. Incur the leaders displeasure, and a rank-and-file member risks losing everything from pork-barrel projects for constituents to the office postage meter. None of that has changed. Incumbent Speaker Carl Heastie of the Bronx is still feeling his wayit takes time to learn how to play the system like a concert pianobut he adroitly installed a teachers union ally as chancellor of the state Board of Regents when no one was looking, effectively killing any hope of meaningful public school teacher accountability in New York. So he already knows the ropes pretty well.

And because the speaker also functionally controls appointments to empty constitutional offices, Heastie became the man of the moment when Eric Schneiderman resigned as attorney general last week, reportedly cutting a quick deal with New York City Democratic bosses to name Public Advocate Tish James to the post. The quid quo pro? Institutional support for Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz Jr.s presumed mayoral campaign in 2021. That deal appears to have fallen apartthis time, people were lookingbut it could well come back in a different form. Meanwhile, other AG aspirants continue to troop to Heastie, heads bowed and CVs firmly in hand.

But the larger point remains: Silvers disgrace has had no discernible effect on the way Albany conducts the publics business. And no one should have expected it to, given the record.

Since 2006, more than 30 New York lawmakers have been forced from office for one malefaction or another, and several remain in prison. Silvers state senate counterpart, former majority leader Dean Skelos, is awaiting retrial on corruption charges of his own. Joseph Percoco, until his own fall Governor Andrew Cuomos closest aide, was convicted on bribery charges last year, along with several others. A second round of Cuomo-related corruption prosecutions are expected to begin shortly. And now comes word that federal prosecutors in Manhattan have opened an investigation into some $400,000 worth of highly suspect contributions to Cuomos reelection accounts in 2013.

All this structural corruption goes on without one serious reform proposal put forward in Albany. Talk, yes; action, no. In fact, Cuomo four years ago went out of his way to impede the work of an anti-corruption commission that he himself had established.

This behavior is no surprise. Neither is the bedrock reason for it. Shortly after Silvers 2015 conviction, an upstate college polled New Yorkers for their views on the situation. As might be expected, almost 90 percent of respondents expressed concern about corruption, but a scant 18 percent thought that fighting it should be a high priority.

Shelly Silver understood this dichotomy, and he dined out on it for decades. If the people dont really care about rapacious politicians, why should the politicians themselves?

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Tom Wolfe not only chronicled the social changes that transformed America and his adopted hometown of New York in the second half of the twentieth century but also in many ways helped shape them. While hell always be remembered for his inimitable prose style, he was also a man of ideas. The Bonfire of the Vanitieshis debut novel, published at the tender age of 56captured the inequities, divisions, danger, and decay of 1980s New York better than anyone ever did and opened New Yorkers eyes to the need for change, much as another social reformer, Jacob Riis, had done a century earlier. Characteristically contrarian, Wolfe wryly noted about that era that the conventional wisdom among those second-hand idea salesmen, the intellectuals, was that Americas large cities have become ungovernable.

A student of history, Wolfe didnt believe that, and he began to champion ideas like proactive Broken Windows policing, which he believed could improve life for all New Yorkers. (Wolfe became friends with William J. Bratton and with Brattons Number Two in his first stint as police commissioner in New York, the late, great, John Timoney, whom Wolfe once described thusly: Even someone in the grandstand, like me, could read the lines incised in that face, punctuated by a blunt nose, and immediately make out the words tough Irish cop. Timoney was the platonic ideal-typical incarnation of the breed. He was the real real thing.)

After Rudy Giuliani was elected mayor, he and Wolfe participated in a Manhattan Institute forum in which ideas ranging from crime to education to welfare reform were discussed. Years later, the Manhattan Institute presented Wolfe and Giuliani with our Hamilton Award on the same evening. It was an honor to fete the author of Bonfire alongside the mayor who had done so much to put out the flames. In his remarks, Giuliani called Wolfe the Dickens of our modern age and noted how he described the social forces that affect us. . . . in ways that explain what the impetus for reform is and the things that maybe were doing wrong that we can correct.

From The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968), his nonfiction novel about the counterculture, to The Right Stuff, his 1979 treatment of the first American astronauts, to his later worksincluding the Atlanta-set novel A Man in Full (1998) and Back to Blood (2012), an exploration of twenty-first century MiamiWolfe described our social situation with unmatched flair and insight.

He was one of New Yorks last true literary stars. It always caused a stir when he would arrive at a function in his trademark white suit and matching custom Cadillac, with his cane and fedora. He was an icon, a literary lion, but would always take time to encourage young writers. Keep scribbling, he would advise them.

A son of the South, he loved his adopted home of New York, as was evident in much of his writing, including this passage from Bonfire:

[H]e could see the island of Manhattan off to the left. The towers were jammed together so tightly, he could feel the mass and stupendous weight. Just think of the millions, from all over the globe, who yearned to be on that island, in those towers, in those narrow streets! There it was, the Rome, the Paris, the London of the twentieth century, the city of ambition, the dense magnetic rock, the irresistible destination of all those who insist on being where things are happening and he was among the victors!

New York has always been a magnet for those ambitious to make a livingand make a differencethrough the printed word. Tom Wolfe did both.

He will be missed.

Photo: Evan Agostini/Getty Images
When Lamia El Amri joined the board of Islamic Relief Worldwide at the end of 2013, she became the charitys first and only woman trustee. The following year she was made vice chair, and in 2015 she took over the reins when the incumbent chair fell ill and had to take a leave of absence. However, she is still the sole female on a board of six and this is not a state of affairs she is content with.

We have had a female director at senior management level but I am the only board member, she says. I dont think thats enough, Im not proud of this, or satisfied with it. I am passionate about gender equality and diversity so I want to see a board that reflects the incredible diversity of the communities we serve and our supporter base around the world, so we are working on that.
For several years, the charity Arthritis Research UK leased space in two Victorian terraced buildings in Portland Place, near Londons Oxford Circus. The two premises were owned by separate landlords, and one was on the fourth floor while the other was on a ground floor and in a basement. Although the postcode was prestigious, neither office was ideal for the charitys needs and the arrangement did not lend itself to a collaborative working approach.

As the leases were approaching renewal, in January 2016 the charity decided to consult staff about what they wanted from their workspace, including using external support to facilitate staff surveys and focus groups. The upshot was that employees wanted an environment that had four key attributes: it needed to be flexible, collaborative, inclusive and it must support employee health and wellbeing, particularly musculoskeletal (MSK) health. The existing offices could not tick these boxes, so new premises had to be found. This decision heralded the start of the Flex programme, which went beyond the property development function to design new ways of working that would promote employee health and wellbeing.
So we have some more depressing research showing how un-diverse our charity boards and senior leadership teams are. This new study, by Inclusive Boards, of the top 500 charities found that 66 per cent of boards are all white, as are 79 per cent of executive leadership teams.

Whats worse is the response from the charity leaders assembled at the report launch event. The report recommended that the Charity Commission ought to make it mandatory for charities to report on their diversity, and their efforts to improve diversity, in their annual reports. Speaking at the launch, the Commissions policy chief Sarah Atkinson responded that this was something the regulator might look at in future for the very largest charities, but was conscious that when you make something a regulatory requirement, you can kill all the benefit out of it. It stops being something boards do because they value it, because they want to do it, and becomes something they do with a grudge, or something their auditor may do for them.

The reaction to this from the crowd gathered before her was rather dispiriting, Atkinson said later. They basically said No, you have to make it mandatory, it will never happen if you dont. I find it sad that many charity leaders would say that. But its true; the research shows there has been no movement on inclusiveness of black, Asian and minority ethnic trustees on those boards in the last two years.

Yet, many of the senior charity figures attending the launch had taken to Twitter to lament the findings, so its not as if theres no recognition of the problem. What then are the barriers to tackling it? One oft-quoted issue is that potential BAME trustees arent that easy to find, and dont put themselves forward. Sir Ken Olisa, chair of Shaw Trust, spoke to this at Civil Society Medias Trustee Exchange conference last month. He said that if your open recruitment processes fail to throw up sufficiently diverse candidates, there is nothing wrong with identifying suitable people and tapping them up to apply. This word-ofmouth technique that has helped to keep boards so pale and male for so long and is now frowned upon, could be put to good use as a way of improving diversity.

Much has been written about the business case for more diverse boards, but surely the recent safeguarding scandals provide another impetus. A board that boasts a number of trustees who are more representative of the charitys service users, or staff, is much more likely to set strategy and policies that protect those people from harm, and much less likely to sweep complaints and problems under the carpet. Another session at Trustee Exchange featured two service-user trustees from the Advocacy Project, discussing the unique perspective they bring to their trustee board. Yet less than a third of the audience raised their hands when asked whether their board had any service-user trustees. Its a good place to start.

For more ideas, come to our Charity People & Culture conference on 18 September. This years event has a whole stream on diversity and inclusion, as well as an opening keynote called Diversity is beautiful from comedian Francesca Martinez and a closing keynote panel debate on how to tackle racial bias in the sector. Improving diversity in charity leadership is not a nice-to-have. Its essential if we are to have a sector we can all be proud of.

Civil Society Media is hosting its Charity People & Culture Conference on 18 September 2018. For more information, and to book, click here.
Mark Goldring has announced that he will leave at the end of this year saying that the charity needs fresh vision and energy to see through its recovery from the fallout of the safeguarding scandal.

Oxfam has faced intense media scrutiny in recent months and is being investigated by the Charity Commission over safeguarding incidents, including those taking place in Haiti in 2011.

Goldring joined Oxfam in 2013, having previously worked for the charity in the 1990s. He joined Oxfam from Mencap, where he was chief executive. Before that he was chief executive of VSO.

He said he had been privileged to have been its chief executive but that time is coming for a new leader.

Goldring said: "Following the very public exposure of Oxfam's past failings, we have redoubled our efforts to ensure that Oxfam is a safe and respectful place for all who have contact with us. We are now laying strong foundations for recovery. I am personally totally committed to seeing this phase through.

"However, what is important in 2019 and beyond is that Oxfam rebuilds and renews in a way that is most relevant for the future and so continues to help as many people as possible around the world build better lives. I think that this journey will best be led by someone bringing fresh vision and energy and making a long-term commitment to see it through."

In 2016 Goldring was given the Daniel Phelan Award for Outstanding Achievement at the Charity Awards, organised by Civil Society Media, in recognition of his 30-year career in the voluntary sector as well as involvement as a trustee and volunteer.

At the time, Andrew Hind, chair of the Charity Awards judges, said: "Mark personifies the qualities that we all want to see in an outstanding charity leader."

In an interview with Civil Society Media to mark the award, Goldring said: "You are always trying to strike a balance between making the world a better place for people today and changing the things that are keeping people poor or excluded in the long term. What Ive loved about this sector, and tried to bring to each of the leadership roles Ive had, is the combination of these two things."

Great sadness

Caroline Thomson, chair of Oxfam, said: It is with great sadness and with thanks for his dedication and leadership that I accepted Mark's decision to stand down.

"Having led Oxfam successfully for five years, working with millions of people to help them escape poverty, building the international Oxfam confederation, and raising record levels of income, Mark faced the test of a lifetime managing the crisis which hit us in February and related to events before he joined. He rose to the immense challenge and his leadership has been invaluable through it. It is testament to his integrity and humility that Mark will see through the next few difficult months.

"When I took over as chair, Oxfam had just celebrated its 75th birthday. It is a great institution, representing the best of British values and with a great history behind it. Mark's decision today is in keeping with his work over the last five years. His top priority has always been to ensure that Oxfam has a great future, focused on the people we are here to serve, helping them to escape the dirty water, hunger and other daily realities of life in poverty now and for good."

Goldring will continue to lead Oxfam GB until a successor is recruited and in post.

Charity leaders offer support

Goldring announced that he was leaving on Twitter and a number of charity leaders said they were sad to hear the news and thanked him for his contribution to the sector.

It's with a heavy heart that I have decided to stand down as Chief Executive at the end of this year. Oxfam is overwhelmingly a force for good. I have witnessed and, I hope, contributed to the positive difference we make for & with people living in poverty https://t.co/pHHSjAKXJZ  Mark Goldring (@Mark_Goldring1) May 16, 2018

Winnie Byanyima, executive of director of Oxfam International, was among those who responded to him, saying that she felt a "deep sense of loss" and that he has her "her highest respect and admiration".

Dear Mark, I want to share my sadness and deep sense of loss.

Oxfam thanks you for your years of dedication & passion leading @oxfamgb. Your commitment to challenge suffering & poverty has been unwavering.

You have my highest respect and admiration.

We will miss you terribly!  Winnie Byanyima (@Winnie_Byanyima) May 16, 2018

Philip Goodwin, chief executive of VSO, said Goldring had "brought passion, commitment and integrity".

Im really sorry to hear this @Mark_Goldring1 You have brought passion, commitment & integrity to your work. Above all you care deeply about those that @oxfamgb is set up to serve.  Philip Goodwin (@PhilipVSO) May 16, 2018

Peter Lewis, chief executive of the Institute of Fundraising, said he had led with "amazing calmness and fortitude".

Very sorry to hear that Mark. You have led a great organisation during difficult times with amazing calmness & fortitude. Thank you.  Peter Lewis (@piterk68) May 16, 2018

Loretta Minghella, first church estates commissioner at the Church of England and formerly chief executive of Christian Aid, said that his work would be remembered.

Tough news, Mark. Your friends in the sector and beyond know and will always remember the tremendous work you have done with such courage, wisdom, tenacity and openness.  Loretta Minghella (@LMinghella) May 16, 2018

Rohan Hewavisenti, interim chief operating officer at WWF-UK, blamed the media for way it "relentlessly targeted you".

Sad to see you go.



While understandable, there's something wrong when the media relentlessly targeted you even though you became chief executive of Oxfam two years after the crimes were committed.  Rohan Hewavisenti (@rohan1965) May 16, 2018

Editor's note

This article was first published at 17.45 on 16 May and updated at 10.45 on 17 May to include reaction from the sector.


It seems that we are now genuinely living through an era where disruptive change is happening faster than ever, and in which public confidence in charities is at a fairly low ebb.

The safeguarding scandal which began with Oxfam is the latest in a line of reputation-shredding stories to have hit the headlines over the last few years.

I was fortunate to be able to talk to Simon Hopkins, chief executive of Turn2Us, on his views of leadership and governance in these challenging times.

Why have charities got into difficulties?

The public is more sceptical and theres a thirst for more scrutiny and transparency and a desire to understand how charities work and if things have gone wrong, why have they gone wrong. That is because theres been a series of high profile, very problematic, very negative stories that have been played out in public over the last few years. Collectively as a sector, we need to respond to that.

What do you see as having been the biggest problems for the sector?

Obviously there are the current concerns over safeguarding. I think there are a number of instances where a charitys business model didnt work so well, so financial sustainability suddenly becomes a thing. The data of those who are vulnerable is a massive issue. Youve got GDPR on 25 May this year. Thats a very important framework and a very important checkpoint date, not just for the charity sector. I think were now operating in a different environment.

Is the charity sector just playing catch-up perhaps with the rest of the world to some extent?

There might be an element of that. The sector will always have challenges. The whole digital world is transforming the way we live our lives at breakneck speed, where there is very strong recognition that we have a lot of work to do. Digital is a big challenge for the sector but its also a big opportunity and really you have to add that to the fact that the public require much more transparency  they want to know much more about how charities are managed and what the money is being spent on and how the money transforms lives.

This is part of a wider social change; people want more access, not just to information but to insight and understanding. I think charities are actually very well placed to pioneer some really interesting and ground breaking stuff there.

And just picking up that point on transparency, do you see that as being a challenge of leadership or a challenge of governance  or perhaps both?

I think its both plus general capability. If you look at the some of the perceived failings that have happened in the sector in the last few years, the first question that gets asked is: where was the trustee, where was the oversight? And its the right question; you know the buck must stop with the trustees. Large parts of the sector are starting to invest and continuing to invest in really good governance.

One of the ways in which the sector needs to continue to respond to this changed public environment is to really keep investing in great governance and have good broad skills and audits, have diverse trustee boards, really capable and inquisitive sub-committees asking searching questions.

Do you see this as being a revolutionary or more evolutionary?

My sense is that this is evolutionary. There have been a number of things that have been really positive: the improvement in investment policies, the greater prominence of finance professionals in senior strategic positions in charities and a very strong and growing emphasis on governance. There is a new Charity Governance Code, written by really well-informed people.

Turn2Us decided to be a very deliberate early adopter of that code and were doing a comprehensive audit against the new governance code. Were going through our whole governance framework as we speak to make sure it aligns in full with the code. Organisations that are more resourced and that are further on, need to share liberally with other organisations.

I think one of the strengths of this sector is actually that we do share when its appropriate. Collective wisdom, drawn from the very eclectic range of backgrounds we have in the sector, is going to be more effective in raising standards than if we all go off in isolation.

Yes, the charity sector has always been very good at sharing amongst themselves, unlike in some ways the corporate sector, for obvious reasons. One final question for you, Simon. Can you recall a time when things have been as challenging for the sector as they are now?

Not in my time in the sector. It feels like things have changed. Our relationship with the public, with the media and with the government has evolved over the last eight years but its not necessarily all negative. I think its about maturing. More and more information is available and transparency is the norm in all walks of life. That has to be a part of who we are as a sector, its got to run through the way that we work.

We cant just not do anything. There are people who need us today and people who will need us tomorrow. Last year Turn2Us helped five million people get information and access when they were struggling. Weve got to keep going. We have to collectively ask, are there improvements, are there learnings from this?

The ongoing moral conviction and the humility to learn is going to be critical to us moving forward in the third sector.

Andy Pitt is head of charities - London at Rathbone Investment Management.

Civil Society Media would like to thank Rathbones for their support with this article.
Ever since the news broke that a Russian troll factory used Facebook to spread misinformation during the 2016 US election, the social network has been a lightning rod for widespread concern about the problem of fake news, hoaxes, and conspiracy theories. But in many countries outside the US, the big problem isnt whats spreading on Facebook, but whats being distributed via WhatsAppthe messaging software Facebook acquired in 2014 for $19 billion, which for many people in non-US countries provides a free alternative to text messaging. As The New York Times points out in a recent story:

More than any other social media or messaging app, WhatsApp was used in recent months by Indias political parties, religious activists, and others to send messages and distribute news to Karnatakas 49 million voters. While many messages were ordinary campaign missives, some were intended to inflame sectarian tensions and others were downright false, with no way to trace where they originated.

ICYMI: Editor fired after self-publishing article he claims was blocked by publisher

The Times quotes a youth leader for one Indian political party who says he used WhatsApp to keep in touch with 60 voters he was assigned to track, sending them critiques of the government. But he also claims 23 activists were killed by jihadistsa report that has been proven falseand that a fake poll allegedly commissioned by the BBC predicted a win for his party. In the days before the recent election, the two leading parties said they had set up at least 50,000 WhatsApp groups to spread messages, including videos and fake news articles aimed at exploiting anti-Muslim sentiment.

According to a report from the Indian news site Financial Express, fabricated reports on WhatsApp of child abductions by immigrants have led to at least two attacks that resulted in innocent people being beaten by mobs and hanged. India is estimated to have more WhatsApp users than any other country, with about 200 million people using it at least once a month, out of a total of 1.5 billion monthly active global users, and the rate of adoption is still climbing, driven by the declining cost of smartphones and cellular data plans. The same phenomenon has been seen in Indonesia and Latin America.

Fact-checking groups working to debunk hoaxes and conspiracy theories in India say the spread of misinformation is increasingly happening on WhatsApp rather than Facebook or Twitter, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. More than 90 percent of the stuff we are debunking is on WhatsApp, said Govindraj Ethiraj, a journalist and founder of a fact-checking group called Boom. And because WhatsApp allows for anonymous accounts and uses end-to-end encryption, it can be almost impossible to determine where a rumor or hoax originated or how it spread so widely.

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Heres more on the problem of fake news outside the US and WhatsApps role in it:

A recent Washington Post article says many political activists in India are concerned the spread of fake news and hate speech on WhatsApp is affecting not just recent elections, but could impair the very functioning of democratic society. It is getting out of hand, and WhatsApp doesnt know what to do about it, said Nikhil Pahwa, a digital rights activist. The difficulty with WhatsApp is that its impossible to know how this information is spreading.

The New York Times describes how the app has been used to spread rumors about alleged Muslim mob violence, including one report in which a video of a purported attack on a Hindu woman turned out to be video of an unrelated lynching in Guatemala. Messages spread by political parties have said the Indian elections represent a war of faith.

According to Indian news outlet NDTV, riots erupted in December after the body of a boy was found floating in a pond in the Karnataka region and reports spread on WhatsApp and Twitter that his body had been mutilated. The local police eventually released a forensic report noting that the reports were false, but the rumors continued.

On an Indian opinion site, an author and academic called for the government to consider regulating WhatsApp to prevent the spread of fake news and hate speech. The app has been blocked for short periods in both India and Brazil, where it has been criticized for not handing over data on users when ordered to do so. Facebook says it cant provide data because the app is encrypted.

Other notable stories:

Tom Wolfe, the father of New Journalism, died on Monday at 88. His New York Times obituary called Wolfe an innovative journalist and novelist whose technicolor, wildly punctuated prose brought to life the worlds of California surfers, car customizers, astronauts and Manhattan moneyed status-seekers. In 2006 for CJR, Jack Shafer examined the legacy of Wolfes The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test .

As Europe prepares for the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation on May 25, the Reuters Institute looked at the use of third-party content (i.e., ads) and tracking cookies on European news sites. The report found that news sites in the UK have an average of 90 third-party tracking cookies on every page, and content that comes from as many as 17 different domains.

Google says it is working on a bug that resulted in the BBC website coming up for the vast majority of searches of the term news in the UK, according to BuzzFeed , which said it notified the search engine company of the problem. At one point, the BBC appeared in every single result in the top 50 results returned for that term, and in 97 of the top 100 results.

Facebook reported in a quarterly overview of its moderation efforts that it took some kind of action against about 1.5 billion accounts or pieces of posted content in the first three months of this year. The company said it took action on 837 million pieces of spam; shut down 583 million fake accounts; and removed 2.5 million pieces of hate speech and 1.9 million pieces of terrorist propaganda, as well as 3.4 million pieces of graphic violence and 21 million examples of nudity and sexual activity.

The Pew Research Center for Journalism and Media looked at attitudes toward the media and trust in European countries, and found that in general , residents of countries in southern Europe tend to be much more skeptical of the media than people who live in northern countries such as Sweden and Germany. In France, only 28 percent of those surveyed said the media was very important.

CJR contributor Nicholas Diakopoulos writes about how machine-learning algorithms can be used to create compelling but totally fictional images, audio clips, and even video that appear to be of real events and individuals. These so-called deepfakes are becoming much more feasible, Diakopoulos says, and journalists should be aware of the technology so they can work to debunk them.

TRENDING: The unavoidable Brian Stelter: CNNs media wonk doesnt want to waste a moment

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Mathew Ingram is CJRs chief digital writer. Previously, he was a senior writer with Fortune magazine. He has written about the intersection between media and technology since the earliest days of the commercial internet. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and the Financial Times as well as by Reuters and Bloomberg.
AKRON, Ohio - Ocius Technologies and the University of Akron's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have received a $1.5 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II award, in partnership with Case Western Reserve University.

The award will fund research that examines how computationally intensive engineering and physics problems can be solved more quickly using new types of analog computers for electromagnetic, magnetohydrodynamic and fluid mechanic applications. The award will fund three years of research, which began last year.

The award follows a successful, 16-month Phase I research effort, which used resources from Ocius Technologies and the University of Akron. During Phase I the team researched analog co-processors with a focus on simulation and design.

Dr. Arjuna Madanayake

Ocius Technologies and the University of Akron Research Foundation provided entrepreneurial support for the research, which was led by the University of Akron faculty Dr. Arjuna Madanayake and Dr. S.I. Hariharan. Ph.D. student Nilan Udayanga supported Phase I research efforts, and will assist with Phase II efforts, along with Dr. Soumyajit Mandal of Case Western Reserve University.

Dr. S.I. Hariharan

"Ocius Technologies is pleased to be partnered with leading researchers in the field of analog circuit design," said Dr. Dale H. Mugler, chief technology officer of Ocius Technologies in a news release. "This research has the ability to drive revolutionary processes into how simulations and complex models are calculated today, leading to better, faster and safer systems and products."

"As noted on its website, 'DARPA explicitly reaches for transformational change instead of incremental advances' by funding projects that have the potential for disruptive advancements," said Steve Nichols, CEO of Ocius Technologies in a news release. "This team is driving new approaches to tackle hard physics simulations not easily achievable using current technologies. In addition to helping the government adopt these new methods, Ocius is looking for commercial partners that need increased speed in their complex product development."

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AKRON, Ohio - Pressure from local honey bee advocates has caused the city to withdraw legislation amending Akron's animal code.

The legislation would have hiked the registration fee for Akron beekeepers from $5 to $50 per location, which sparked strong objections from Akron bee enthusiasts.

The rate increase was positioned with other amendments to the animal code, raising fees for the first time in more than a decade for Summit County Dog Warden services for which the city pays the county.

While those fees will eventually be increased to meet current charges from the county, Akron City Council won't see the ordinance again until the city hears from residents and confers with experts, said city spokeswoman Ellen Lander-Nischt

In a memo to council members, the city wrote:

Mayor Horrigan and the City understand and appreciate the concerns expressed by residents who are deeply invested in urban agriculture and beekeeping. Our goal is always to develop policies and regulations that best serve the entire community. We will be listening to the input of stakeholders to develop legislation that meet the needs of our neighborhoods while allowing for the effective management of the City's animal control code. If you have thoughts or feedback to share on this subject, please email Mayor@akronohio.gov.

At its basis, the mayor pulled the legislation because it became obvious the city needed to take a step back and engage the community, she said.

"Having an attractive community where those kinds of creative things are possible, that's what he's done since he got into office," she said of Horrigan.

Among those who spoke out against the increase is Brent Wesley, owner of the Akron Honey Co., which has a presence at the Northside Marketplace, the eBay Retail Revival Akron program and other Akron locales. Wesley offered an open invitation to city council members and the mayor to don bee suits and safely tour his hives if they want a first-hand look at the operations.

Wesley started his first hives in an empty Akron lot he bought a few years ago near his Highland Square home.

"I was sick and tired of people going up to Cleveland and saying it's the coolest ever," he said. "I thought what's wrong with our city?"

Wesley keeps about 15 hives, with many on properties he purchased and beautified himself.

Emily Mueller of Mueller Honey Bee Co. removes a bee colony from a building on Summa Health System's Akron campus last year.

Most Millennials see beekeeping as something positive, he said, and he knows of at least one home purchased on his street as a result of his bee hives.

"They perceived Akron as progressive," he said. What's more with the mayor's drive to increase Akron's population from 198,00 to 250,00 by 2050, supporting urban agriculture is a smart move, he said.

Ward 1 Councilman Rich Swirsky agrees.

"The city says we're supporting small business," he said. "We've all got to get used to the idea that urban agriculture is a great vehicle for small business development."

Swirsky, who questioned the validity of some of the requirements about bee hive location in the legislation, said the city needs to include constituents more often.

"Thank goodness we have leadership that listens to the people," he said. "The principal of consulting with stakeholders before major legislation is brought into council needs to be observed in this case and for future legislation. I'm glad they're doing that and look forward to doing that in the future."

Ward 7 Councilman Donnie Kammer said council's lack of beekeeping knowledge prohibited them from casting an informed vote.

"We, as a city overall, were working too fast, increasing too many fees at once," he said. "We need to do more of our homework and take time to discuss it."

At-large Councilwoman Veronica Sims invited several bee advocates to share their thoughts during the public safety committee meeting Monday.

"I personally don't know what best practice is and I would venture to say probably a lot of us around this horseshoe doesn't," she said.

Emily Mueller of Mueller Honey Bee Co., which sells honey and removes bee colonies from local homes and business for free, spoke to council Monday and, like other residents there, said the city needed to consult with bee experts before making changes to the law.

"I think that's a very wise decision," she said of the decision to withdraw the ordinance. "I'm glad they're' revisiting it before they slap people with a $50 fee."

Mueller served as the Summit County's apiary inspector in 2016 and 2017, in Medina County in 2015. She said city inspections are a duplication of efforts because the state already inspects the hives.

She said she's hoping once the city has expert input it will address where hives would be moved if beekeepers aren't in compliance with the law. If bees aren't properly housed, she said, they can cross contaminate other colonies and spread disease.

Summit Food Coalition Director Beth Knorr urged the city to support urban agriculture. In 2012, City Council approved a food initiative that supported Akronites who provide for themselves with food they grow or raise in their backyards, she said.

"Here we have an opportunity to actually follow up on and say 'yes' we support those initiatives by actually supporting those initiatives and breaking down barriers enabling people to provide food for their families," Knorr said.

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AKRON, Ohio - Akron Public Schools East Community Learning Center will get a new hands-on learning center focused on finance, thanks to a $500,000 grant from the KeyBank Foundation to the United Way of Summit County.

The gift has two parts: it supports United Way's progress in expanding educational opportunities for Akron students as part of its four Bold Goals, and it serves as a gift in commemoration of United Way's 100th year in Summit County.

"The future of Greater Akron depends on having a skilled, competitive workforce that can innovate and drive our economy forward'," Jim Mullen, president and CEO of United Way of Summit County said in a news release. "By helping to break down barriers to education with wraparound services and by giving students career-relevant experience, KeyBank is making sure that local students will leave school with the skills they need to build successful careers and support healthy families.

The lab will be designed to offer experiential learning through real-life financial technology, which is central to the school district's migration from high schools to College and Career Academies. The grant will also underwrite wrap-around services that support students' families in an effort to relieve nonacademic barriers to learning, officials stated in the release.

"KeyBank is investing in our students, educators and schools in ways that are both supportive and inspirational," Superintendent David W. James said in the release. "Early supports will help prepare kids so they can be here to be part of the exciting possibilities of our College & Career Academies. We and our families are grateful for their partnership."

The grant is also is a "a launching point for KeyBank's further engagement with Akron Public Schools," according to the release. United Way has been working since last year to create partnerships between the school district and local businesses to support the academies.

"We are thrilled to partner with the United Way and Akron Public Schools on the College & Career Academies and wrap around services," Timothy Burke, KeyBank Akron Market President stated in the release. "Through this program, children will receive the individual support, the tools and training they need to adequately prepare them for the workforce."

East CLC is located at 80 Brittain Road in Akron. To learn more about United Way's anniversary and its Bold Goals, visit the website.

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Q: From your column last week on the new procedures when we renew our driver's license, I find it difficult to believe the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles plans to send out new driver's licenses through the mail!

They're beefing up security on the information on your license and then sending UNSECURED through the mail? Most mailboxes are easy to get into. At least send it registered, or send a letter to pick up at either the BMV or Post Office with proof that it is your license by matching the picture.

J.C., North Royalton

A: I don't disagree with you, but I don't make the rules; I just write about them. The BMV's idea of security is sending our renewed driver's licenses in an unmarked envelope. (How many people will accidentally throw it away, thinking it's junk mail?)

Your suggestions are good ones: Send it certified (I'd be willing to pay a couple of extra dollars for that). Or send it to the BMV where you renewed your license. Yeah, it'd be a pain to go back and pick it up. But I think many people would make that sacrifice for the peace of mind.

By the way, my husband and I have had a locking mailbox for 13 years. I cannot imagine having a mailbox that any old body could reach in and snatch things. Yes, I get most of our personal correspondence electronically (bank statements, credit card bills, health insurance EOBs, utility bills, etc.) Still, I don't know whether I could sleep at night if we didn't have a locking mailbox. I know few people with a locking mailbox. It stuns me.

Who out there also has a locking mailbox? When did you get it and why?

Q: I am an avid reader of your column. I received this email today and I was immediately suspicious. Besides the bad grammar catching my eye, I have not used an unusual device nor changed my password. I've included the email below:

From: Apple Support <noreply-applesupport.ff1tsgauxz0fjlqspptyu38ngmugmla20bvsrgxo@baju-lebarann.space>

Date: May 13, 2018 at 11:19:57 AM EDT

Subject: [Authentication] Your AppIe ID has been temporariIy Iocked

You recently changed your Apple ID information using unusual device and different location. We have to make sure that it's you. If you access your Apple ID now, may be you'll see notification that your Apple ID is temporarily locked for protected your Apple ID safety.

Don't worry, because it's only temporary if we can verify your identity. Please click the link below to verify and open your temporarily locked Apple ID.

IMPORTANT: If you do not verify your identity within 24 hours, your Apple ID will be permanently locked. Thanks for taking the time to verify your identity.

Sincerely,

Apple Support

What should I do with this?

L.S., Cleveland

A: You should do nothing, except perhaps be a bit on guard for any other odd emails, phone calls or text messages.

Most likely, this is one of a ton of phishing emails the thieves sent out that day to email addresses they scraped from somewhere. They probably don't know your name or phone number or anything else about you. But you can't be too careful these days.

You were smart to realize the odd phrasing and bad grammar meant that the email definitely didn't come from Apple. It probably came from someone who didn't speak good English and, if you'd clicked on the link, it would have infected your computer with a virus or stolen personal information.

That's the way these fraudulent emails, phone calls and text messages work: They make it sound urgent and bad to cause you to suspend your normal common sense. They're hoping you panic a bit and click on a link or return a phone message or reply to an email or text message that you wouldn't normally bite on.

Anytime you get an email, phone call or text message that pushes you to act immediately or else something bad will happen, you need to take a breath. In this case, contact Apple Support through a means you obtain independently, not from an unexpected email.

If the unexpected email or phone call or text message appears to come from a bank, call the number on the back of your ATM card or from your bank statement or by calling your local branch. If the communication claims to be from Amazon or Walmart or wherever, don't take the bait by clicking on a link or replying to an email or voicemail.

These kinds of attempts to defraud us will only increase in the months and years ahead. And increasingly, thanks to data breaches like Equifax and others, the bad guys will have more and more information on us - name, date of birth, Social Security number, etc. - to make it more believable.
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Although additional interviews may be scheduled, the Charter Review Commission will hold its last official "information gathering" session Thursday.

From there, the panel will move into the "consideration" phase of deliberations for possible charter amendments that would be forwarded to City Council for possible placement on the ballot.

It remains unlikely at this point that any proposed amendments will be forwarded to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in time to appear on the November ballot.

Five interviews are scheduled for May 17, beginning at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers:

-- Former Mentor Councilman George Maier, who also chaired that city's Charter Review Commission. Mentor has a council-manager form of government similar to Cleveland Heights, although the council there has four ward representatives and three at-large members, who also appoint their own president and vice president every two years

-- Brenda May, one of the leaders of Noble Neighbors, a group formed four years ago in the most politically under-represented section of the city

-- Cleveland Heights City Manager Tanisha Briley, hired in mid-2013, and City Planner Karen Knittel, whose tandem appearance will include a question-and-answer session on the city's Master Plan

-- Councilman Kahlil Seren, who recently completed the survey already filled out by four of his colleagues, Mayor Carol Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow and fellow council members Mary Dunbar and Mike Ungar, who have already appeared before the commission, with Jason Stein and Cheryl Stephens yet to respond as of earlier this month.

At its May 3 meeting, the Charter Review Commission also reviewed the previous month's community forum on "Forms of Government," officially attended by 87 people, divided into 18 discussion tables.

The tables appeared to be split, 7-7, between keeping the current council manager system and switching to a strong or popularly-elected mayor along with a city manager or "chief administrative officer" in a "hybrid" form of government.

There were four tables listed as "evenly divided," although the individual tallies came back with 52 people favoring a strong mayor and "CAO" hybrid, 31 wanting to stick with the current council-manager form, one respondent going with a strong mayor only and three people with no preference.

Facilitator Larry Keller, who was in the process of compiling the results of an online survey offered to residents, noted that there was support from "almost all" of the tables on April 19 for mixed representation on City Council, with wards and at-large members, rather than all of the latter as is currently done.

There was also one person who filled out the online survey 80 times, an anomaly that was duly noted by Keller and Charter Review Commission Chairman Jack Newman.

Support has also been shown for open meetings with minutes kept, and at least one request to "add the Sunshine Law to the charter."

Interviewed at the May 3 meeting were two development representatives -- Coral Company founder Peter Rubin and architect, urban designer and planner Paul Volpe -- as well as former Cleveland Heights Finance Director Tom Malone, who served from 1998 to his semi-retirement in 2012.

Rubin pointed out that his house in the Courtyards of Severance was developed and built by his own company, but designed by Volpe and his team.

Both spoke about difficulties in the past doing business in Cleveland Heights, with Volpe favoring a strong mayor with a CAO -- "akin to a city manager" -- providing a form of government that is "the best of both worlds."

While he is not an expert in forms of government and has no opinion on it, Rubin said what an inner-ring suburb needs is a "vision that goes beyond managing decline," citing Lakewood as an example of a community that's on a "positive trajectory."

Having been involved in all forms of government, and being a lifelong resident of Cleveland Heights, Malone said that he believes that the current city manager system works, although the setup can prove to be just as political at times.

Malone also advised against any clamor for elected finance and law directors, who need to be "on the same page" with the administration.

In terms of politics and Malone's earlier reference to "the dark arts" being practiced in any form of government, CRC member Carla Rautenberg asked him about transparency in government.

Malone noted that union contracts, land deals and economic development cannot be negotiated in public, although details should be released when the "timing is right."

During the public comment portion of the meeting, resident Garry Kanter volunteered his "expert testimony" on transparency, urging the commission to "move on" from the form of government discussion that has bogged them down.

"As a resident who lost his lawsuit against the city asking that minutes be kept in all committee meetings and council's four 'free-form' executive sessions be eliminated because they are expressly prohibited by the Sunshine Law," Kanter said, "I don't understand why transparency is not being discussed."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A federal judge ruled that Ohio prisons staff may not force a murderer who practices Rastafarianism to cut his dreadlocks.

Deon Glenn, a Trumbull Correctional Institution inmate, said he wore his hair in dreadlocks without incident until September 2016. That's when prison staff told him that he would have to cut his hair to comply with Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Protection policies that banned hairstyle and did not allow for a religious exemption.

Glenn, who has practiced Rastafarianism since 2012, refused based on his religious views.

Guards disciplined him and placed him in solitary confinement where he could not sleep for several days. He finally acquiesced and had his dreadlocks cut to avoid more discipline. He filed suit in February, arguing that the policy violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Chief U.S. District Patricia Gaughan agreed in a ruling Monday and barred the prisons system from enforcing its grooming policies against Glenn. Her ruling does not apply to other inmates who did not sue. Gaughan said judges must evaluate each case on a case-by-case basis.

(You can read the full ruling here or at the bottom of this story.)

Gaughan's ruling relied largely on a U.S. Supreme Court case that involved a Muslim prison inmate who was not allowed to grow his beard. The case made clear that prison systems must make religious accommodations for inmates and, if they need to intrude, must find the least restrictive way to do so.

Since Ohio's policy includes a blanket ban on dreadlocks and no way to apply for a religious exemption, the policy violates the law, Gaughan wrote. She wrote that other state prison systems and the Federal Bureau of Prisons either allow inmates to have dreadlocks or provide a way to apply for a religious accommodation.

The Ohio prisons system did not prove that Glenn's hair was not able to be searched for contraband or posed a safety risk, according to Gaughan.

"The Court is mindful of the difficulties faced by prison staff and is aware that prisons are unique institutions with serious safety concerns," Gaughan wrote. "Nor does the Court mean to suggest that defendants cannot ban unsearchable hair. The problem defendants now face, however, is that the policies before the Court are not so drafted."

Glenn, 29, is serving a sentence of up to life for firing at a group of teenagers, killing one and hitting another in the leg in 2007.

He is represented by three interns at the Milton A. Kramer Law Clinic Center at Case Western Reserve University's law school.

Avidan Cover, a law professor who supervises students at the clinic, said a problematic part of the Ohio prison system's policy is that inmates can't apply for a religious accommodation. He said the prisons system could easily fix the policy to address security concerns in a way that would be allowed by the law.

"As far as I can tell, they've dug in their heels and won't change the policy," Cover said.

Prisons department spokeswoman JoEllen Smith declined to comment.

The law school is also representing Cecil Koger, another killer who filed suit in November with similar claims. His lawsuit is pending in front of U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson in Youngstown.

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A legally blind man is accused of groping a passenger assistant at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport after he asked the 24-year-old woman for help, police said.

The man, who has not been formally charged, is well-known at the airport for groping other ABM passenger assistants that help customers, according to a police report.

The incident happened about 11 a.m. Monday inside the airport near the Delta ticketing gate.

The man asked for help getting from the ticketing area to the gate for his out-going flight, according to police.

The 24-year-old woman told police she walked with the man over to the gate and the man groped her chest, according to police.

The woman told him to stop and he apologized, saying it was a mistake, according to police reports. A co-worker pulled out her phone and recorded the incident. Police told her to keep the video in order to give it to prosecutors.

The co-worker told police the man flies out of the airport frequently and has groped several other passenger assistants in the past, police reports say.

The employee reported the incident to her supervisor, who told her to make a report with Cleveland police's airport unit.

The man was not arrested at the time and no formal charges have been filed.

To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Commerce on Tuesday issued a 25th provisional license to grow medical marijuana to a company that was incorrectly booted from the top-scoring companies because of a department scoring error.

Illinois-based PharmaCann Ohio LLC received a provisional license to grow up to 25,000 square feet at a site in Buckeye Lake. PharmaCann policy director Jeremy Unruh said the company is looking forward to beginning construction on its Ohio grow facility.

"It's an opportunity for us to deliver what we promised not just to the Department of Commerce or the patients or the state but the people of Buckeye Lake," Unruh said.

In February, commerce officials discovered an employee had inadvertently downloaded one set of scores twice, resulting in 10 companies receiving incorrect scores. PharmaCann was the only company whose score prevented it from obtaining a license, according to the department.

The department can issue up to 24 cultivation licenses before Sept. 8 -- 12 large-scale growers and 12 small-scale growers -- per the department's rules. A department spokeswoman said the rules also allow the agency to to "exercise any other power or duty" authorized by statute or rule when it is "necessary for the program's administration, implementation and enforcement."

"Taking an administrative action -- such as awarding an additional license -- to remedy an error made in the licensing process falls under the authority granted in this rule," spokeswoman Stephanie Gostomski said in an email.

PharmaCann scored 12th highest of all non-disqualified applicants for large-scale grow licenses. PharmaCann did not initially receive a license in November because the department awarded licenses to two lower-scoring minority-owned businesses to comply with the minority set-aside in state law.

PharmaCann sued the state over what it called the "racial quota" in December. Unruh said the provisional license achieves the company's goal with the complaint against the department. But the lawsuit might continue if Greenleaf Gardens, another company passed over for a minority-owned business is allowed to intervene.

If the correct scores had been recorded, PharmaCann would have ranked 8th and been awarded a provisional license.

State officials are trying to get Ohio's new medical marijuana program up and running by Sept. 8, when state law says the program must be "fully operational."

Provisional cultivator licenses were issued in November, and licensees have nine months to build their facilities and comply with all regulations before they can begin growing marijuana. Some cultivators expect to receive operating licenses this month.

Licenses for marijuana product processors and dispensaries are expected to be awarded in the coming weeks.

But the program could be put on hold by a Franklin County judge. Ohio Releaf LLC sued the state, arguing the Department of Commerce cannot issue certificates of operation without first ruling on its appeal and those from 66 other unsuccessful applicants. Judge Richard Frye plans to make a decision in that case this week.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Central Intelligence Agency on Tuesday attained the necessary support for Senate confirmation after she renounced the spy agency's past use of brutal interrogation tactics.

The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee - Virginia's Mark Warner - announced he'd back Gina Haspel's nomination after she sent him a letter that acknowledged the "enhanced interrogation" program that her agency launched after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 "should not have been undertaken."

"I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the President if ordered to do something illegal or immoral - like a return to torture," said a statement released by Warner. His committee is expected to sign off on the nomination Wednesday, and a full Senate vote will follow.

Haspel, who currently serves as the agency's deputy director, also has support from Democrats Bill Nelson of Florida and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, both of whom are up for re-election this year. That effectively ensures she has enough votes for confirmation.

A number of public officials have put country above party to support Gina Haspels nomination for CIA Director. More than 50 national security expertsincluding two former Secretaries of Statewrote a letter to the Senate calling for her confirmation. https://t.co/xkLopBH5Aw  The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 15, 2018

Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown is not among those who will back her nomination, his office said. Last week, Brown told reporters he had concerns about her background. During her confirmation hearing last week, Haspel had said the CIA interrogation program generated useful leads from suspected terrorists.

"Torturing prisoners is not where we want to be as a country," Brown told reporters. "I am sure there are plenty of qualified candidates who have a less controversial record on torture. I am not sure why the president nominated her."

Ohio GOP Sen. Rob Portman spoke on the Senate floor in favor of her nomination, calling Haspel "extremely qualified," applauding her long career at the agency and accomplishments including helping to apprehend two senior al Qaeda associates linked to the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.

"I think it would be terrific for that agency to have someone of her capability," said Portman. "She would be only the second director in the history of the agency that came up through the ranks. "
CLEVELAND, Ohio - RTA officials said this afternoon that former President George Dixon III owes the agency more than $1.1 million for unpaid healthcare premiums, undeserved health benefits, personal cell calls on an RTA phone and interest.

They said that Dixon, a trustee for 26 years and president for 24, persuaded some "lower echelon" staff members to keep him insured despite overdue premiums and official warnings. The leaders said a new finance director reported the problem to higher-ups.

The RTA board voted today, May 15, 2018, to pass the findings of its recent investigation to the Cuyahoga County prosecutor, Ohio auditor and Ohio Ethics Commission. They also voted to bar trustees from using RTA health insurance from now on. Dixon had been the only covered member.

A 4 p.m. press conference featured outside counsel Ralph Cascarilla, managing partner of Walter | Haverfeld; internal auditor Anthony Garofoli, and trustee Georgine Welo, mayor of South Euclid.

The officials said they have rejected an offer from Dixon to gradually repay the overdue premiums, worth about $141,000. They hope also to collect an estimated $970,000 in medical, dental and vision benefits.

"We will do whatever it takes," said Welo. "Mr. Dixon abused the public trust for personal benefit."

Dixon's problems surfaced at a tough time for RTA. The authority's revenue and state funding have fallen in recent years, and officials have talked about seeking their first hike in local taxes since RTA's founding in the 1970s.

Officials at the press conference said they could trace Dixon's insurance records back only to 2003. From that year until this, Dixon made occasional payments toward his premiums but never enough to be eligible for benefits. They said some of his recent checks were rejected by his bank for insufficient funds.

Dixon did not return a call today for comment or other calls in recent weeks since March, when board members say he resigned at their request. He also resigned last month from the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission after 17 years there.

Officials leading the investigation said Dixon had an RTA cell phone for the past 10 years and failed to reimburse the authority for personal calls as required. They said he used up slightly more than half of RTA's contracted minutes in several years, forcing the agency to pay for more. They said they had not yet determined the resulting cost.

Dixon is a former grocer and restaurateur. He owned the historic Lancer steakhouse on Carnegie Avenue.

The board gained a new member today in Kelley Britt, appointed by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson to fill Dixon's seat. Britt is a transit planner at the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and the daughter of Patricia Britt, clerk of City Council.

The board today postponed its yearly election of officers. Vice President Dennis Clough, Westlake's mayor, is seeking the presidency, and so is Valarie McCall, Cleveland's chief of government and international affairs.

Welo said the board is looking into rotating its officers and committee chairpeople more often than during Dixon's long reign. The staff has also installed new safeguards against abuse.

Said Welo, "Never again will anybody have 24 years of power to abuse the system and take away the trust of the residents of Cuyahoga County."
(Credit: Gryphon Auction Group)

Selling off ECOT

CLEVELAND, Ohio  Nows your time to buy a piece of the trouble-ridden charter school, the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow.

ECOT closed this year after the state determined the online school received $80 million more taxpayer dollars than it should have. The school is fighting paying the money back in the Ohio Supreme Court.

The school's office building, furnishings, equipment and tools are now being auctioned off, according to Gryphon Auction Group. The sale runs through June 12. You can purchase a memento of the now infamous Ohio school at ecotauction.com. Or you could buy the entire ECOT office space at ecotcre.com.

Much of what ECOT is auctioning off makes sense: school supplies like crayons, pencils, binders and school books. The inventory also includes desks, chairs and other office essentials. And then there are some unusual items, including a foosball table, Barbie dolls and even bone fragments.

Scroll through to see photos of the ECOT building as it was when the school occupied the space. You can also see a selection of the items the school is auctioning off.

By Mary Kilpatrick, cleveland.com

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(Credit: Gryphon Auction Group)

The ECOT office

ECOT's office sits on 26 acres in Columbus, according to an auction description. It's 138,457 square feet and furnished with swanky decor. The space features modern furniture, fancy light fixtures, posh rugs and art, high-end bathroom finishes and stainless steel appliances in the kitchen. The space was built in 1977 as the Southland Mall. It later served as a Bob Evans test kitchen before ECOT acquired the property. Under ECOT, the property underwent "an extensive renovation," according to the auction description. The building served as the school's office, and offered space for classrooms, training and production.

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Lobby

ECOT featured what appears to be an impressive, open concept lobby.

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Lobby seating

If you have a use for this strange bench from ECOT's lobby, it could be yours. The highest bid is currently $42.50.

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Lobby chair

This lobby chair is silver and oddly shaped. The highest bid so far is $20.

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ECOT sign

Want to always remember ECOT? You can with this banner. It's currently going for $29.50.

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ECOT pens

Looking to remember ECOT with sometime small? You can buy a box of pens with the school's logo.

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Coat rack

Do you have a use for a small tree-shaped coat rack from ECOT's lobby? It could be yours. The highest bid is currently $10.50.

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Big Mouth Billy Bass

Remember this annoying singing fish plaque? You can buy it from ECOT.

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Conference room

This meeting space in ECOT features a modern rug, art on the walls and a tufted sofa in the corner.

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Conference room

This appears to be a closer look at the tufted sofa and chair, art and iridescent accent wall from the previous photo.

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Sofa

This gray sofa is currently going for $70.50

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Decorative knicknacks

If you need some decorative vases and a bowl to liven up your living room, you can buy some at the ECOT auction.

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Conference room

A fairly boring looking conference room appears to lead into the more high-end meeting space. Notice the trendy barn doors leading into the space.

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Bathroom

This bathroom in ECOT feature a stone accent wall, hexagon tiles and rustic vanity.

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Bathroom

Another bathroom at ECOT features modern flooring and tile.

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Outdoor space

An outdoor space appears to feature raised beds for planting.

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Desk space

Rows of empty cubicles at ECOT's offices feature more run of the mill office decor.

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Meeting rooms

Trendy glass barn doors open to meeting rooms with a flat screen television and high top tables.

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Poster

A framed poster shows a golf course captioned with the word : "Risk," and a quote from Winston Churchill: "Great success always comes at the risk of enormous failure." The poster is currently going for $1.

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Crayons

Need to buy some colors? You can buy some from ECOT.

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Photo studio

ECOT featured what appears to be a photo studio.

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Camera

A high-end camera is currently going for $470.

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Auditorium

ECOT also featured a large auditorium, with a big projector.

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Board room

A board room features a long wooden table, and white chairs.

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Sitting area

A sitting area features lantern light fixtures.

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Office space

Another more run of the mill work space.

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Wet floor signs

Many lawmakers say ECOT slipped up. You could own five "caution wet floor" signs from the troubled charter school. Highest bid is currently $3.50.

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Flat screen television

A flat screen television is currently going for $305.

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Bone fragments and artifacts

This box may look like it contains rain ponchos. But it's full of bone fragments and artifacts. In other words, the skeletons in ECOT's closet are for sale, and the highest bid so far is $20.50.

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Barbie dolls

If you're looking for some new toys for your kids, ECOT has some Barbie dolls for sale.

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Foosball table

A foosball table for sale at ECOT. The highest bid is currently $56.

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3-D printer

A 3-D printer is currently going for $50.50.

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Live plant

ECOT is selling off its office plants. This one is going for $8 currently.

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Soapbox derby car

Looking to enter a soapbox derby? ECOT is auctioning off this car, and it's currently going for $38.50.

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Grill

Need a grill? You can buy one from ECOT.

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Games

Need some new board games? You can buy some from ECOT.

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Basketballs

You can shoot some hoops with basketballs from ECOT.

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Microscope

If you want to give ECOT a closer look, you could buy this microscope at their auction.

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Vending machine

If you're looking to expand your snacking, you can buy a vending machine from ECOT.

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Welding enclosure

If you're looking to take up welding, you can buy this welding enclosure from ECOT.

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Truck

If you're in the market for a new truck, you can buy one from ECOT.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, who abruptly resigned last month amid an FBI inquiry into his international travel habits, on Tuesday disclosed being reimbursed for more than $43,000 in travel expenses last year while he was in the state legislature.

More than half of the travel Rosenberger disclosed came from two campaign accounts -- Rosenberger's campaign committee paid for just less than $13,700 for his travel, while the Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee, the campaign arm for Ohio House Republicans, paid for another $10,900 in travel.

Another $18,400 came from a variety of other groups. Columbus 2020, a Central Ohio economic development nonprofit, paid for $10,900 in travel, which a spokeswoman said went to charter a private plane to fly Rosenberger from Boston to Columbus, and then back again, to take Rosenberger to a Columbus meeting in August between state officials and a manufacturing company considering building a factory there. GOPAC, a conservative advocacy organization that sponsored an August trip Rosenberger took to London, paid for another $3,600. Two lobbyists for auto title loan company Select Management Resources traveled with Rosenberger on that trip, which sources have said caught the interest of the FBI. The FBI does not confirm or deny investigations.

David Axelrod, a Columbus attorney whom Rosenberger hired in April after learning of the FBI inquiry, said Tuesday: "The trips were all perfectly lawful. They were properly reported. And he remains confident in his ultimate vindication."

Axelrod added the FBI still has not confirmed to him the existence of the investigation, much less reached out to Rosenberger to seek additional information.

The routine disclosures were filed Tuesday with the Joint Legislative Ethics Commission, a state legislative watchdog agency. They were made against the backdrop of an ongoing process to find Rosenberger's successor. Republican lawmakers were meeting Tuesday to pick a short-term replacement, while a pitched political battle for a more long-term hold on the job is ongoing. Besides apparently causing potential legal problems, Rosenberger's travel also has been a source of private frustration for some House Republicans.

(Scroll down to view the full disclosure, of click here for a PDF.)

The $10,900 Columbus 2020 paid was to fly Rosenberger in July 2017 to a meeting between Ohio officials and representatives of Foxconn, the Chinese electronics manufacturer, according to Columbus 2020 spokeswoman Irene Alvarez.

The Foxconn officials, who were searching for a location to build a new factory, visited Central Ohio on short notice as part of their site-selection process. Rosenberger was in Boston. So Columbus 2020, the Central Ohio affiliate for JobsOhio, the state's economic development nonprofit, paid to charter a private plane to fly him to a potentially pivotal meeting, which included Foxconn's chairman and other state and federal elected officials.

"The speaker was already engaged in a commitment out of state, but understanding the impact of the project, he was willing to return," Alvarez said in an email. "We facilitated ground transportation and a private aircraft to ensure we'd have the speaker present in Columbus for the required meeting, while also allowing for his immediate return to previous commitments out of state."

Foxconn ended up selecting Wisconsin as the site for its factory.

Rosenberger also disclosed on Tuesday that the National Conference of State Legislatures, a nonpartisan professional association, paid for $2,500 in travel -- the group held a conference in Boston in August 2017 which Rosenberger attended -- while Rosenberger reported receiving $423 in travel expenses from Clinton County businessman Bret Dixon, and another $56 from Cleveland Film Commission President Ivan Schwarz. Both Dixon and Schwarz accompanied Rosenberger and a top staffer on an August 2017 trip to California. The trek was hastily organized after Rosenberger received information, which turned out to be false, that Disney was considering building a studio outside Cincinnati.

The $43,000 in travel was a considerable amount of money compared to Rosenberger's overall income. His only reported income was his state salary, which paid him $100,800, plus less than $1,000 in interest from his savings account. He did not report owning any real estate, although he continued to list as a creditor an LLC associated with Ginni Ragan, a major Republican donor who reportedly rented to him a luxury condo in downtown Columbus.

Rosenberger resigned in April, about seven months before he was to leave office due to term limits, following reports that he had hired Axelrod, a Columbus criminal defense attorney, after he said he learned the FBI was "asking questions about things [he] may have been involved in." He has not responded to media inquiries since his resignation, and he didn't respond to a message seeking comment on Tuesday.

Rosenberger also disclosed receiving $708 in gifts from five different organizations which lobby the state legislature, including a $420 commemorative axe from the Ohio Association of Professional Fire Fighters. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame gave him an award valued at $116. He disclosed receiving gifts from another 25 individuals or organizations, including Ragan and State Rep. Nathan Manning, who traveled with Rosenberger during the August 2017 trip to London.
Dr. Christopher Meyer is a pediatrician in northwest Ohio.

WAUSEON, Ohio -- Vaccination is one area of care that impacts every patient in my practice. It prompts important conversations with parents and caregivers. Our goal is to ensure that children in our care have access to the highest quality, specialized care and counseling on preventative care. This includes education, availability and administration of vaccines.

Sometimes, we have families who opt out of vaccines. This could be for a variety of reasons, starting with unique medical needs, such as allergies or kids with immuno-compromised conditions. Other families may opt out because of religious or philosophical reasons.

With or without vaccines, I want all families in my practice to be fully educated on immunization and the choices they have to keep their children safe and healthy.

For this reason, I support Ohio House Bill 559, the Immunization Process Improvement Plan.

Because some children cannot be vaccinated, it is critical that our population's immunization rates achieve herd immunity. Herd immunity occurs when more than 90 percent of the population is vaccinated, and it means there is far less potential for those who are not vaccinated to contract a preventable infectious disease.

In Ohio, every new student is required to provide documentation of being fully vaccinated in accordance with Ohio law, unless they have an exemption. HB 559 would improve this requirement by establishing a universal, standardized form that every school district would use to capture data on vaccination rates.

The current school vaccine reporting process is inconsistent from district to district. Why is that a problem? Public health officials who may have to deal with an infectious disease outbreak, such as measles, have no reliable data for a school population's vaccine rates. In addition, parents who may have unvaccinated children may not have accurate data regarding vaccination rates in their child's school.

Another provision of HB 559 streamlines how data regarding immunizations is handled and reported so public health officials, parents of unvaccinated children, and other stakeholders will know the opt-out rate at each school building. This helps parents make informed decisions about the potential risks to their child, if the data shows that herd immunity is not achieved in a particular building or district.

HB 559 also contains a provision that requires that a physician or other licensed health care provider sign the form for all required immunizations for kindergarten, school entry, and grades 7 and 12. This signature would be accompanied by immunization education. This concept is nothing new to my practice because I make it a top priority to ensure all families in my care understand the importance of vaccines.

I have a unique perspective on why vaccines are so important. As a former Army physician with the 101st Airborne Division, as well as at Brooke Army Medical Center, I have worked all over the world, from South America to the Middle East to the Pacific region. In many of these places, I saw firsthand the devastating effects of measles, rotavirus, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, meningitis and more, because children were not vaccinated.

In America, we take for granted that we do not see these illnesses. They are forgotten remnants of the past. Or are they? In recent years in Ohio, we have witnessed multiple communities facing outbreaks of measles and whooping cough. In addition, meningitis and pediatric flu have been the cause of deaths of several children and individuals. For some people, all of these illnesses can bring long-term complications.

In my pediatric practice, not a day goes by without a parent asking questions about a course of treatment best for their child. Engaged parents want to be sure they are making the right decisions, and I welcome the discussion.

HB 559 does not change the ability of parents to choose to vaccinate, or not vaccinate, their children. It does not mandate vaccines or permit a student's vaccine status or any personally identifiable information to be made public.

What HB 559 does do is ensure better public education about immunization, which will improve our vaccination rates, resulting in better health. The legislation also would give all parents, especially those with medically compromised children, access to information on opt-out rates so they can make informed decisions that will help their children stay healthy and safe.

Dr. Christopher Meyer is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Ohio Chapter, and is in practice with West Ohio Pediatrics in the Fulton County Health Care System in northwest Ohio.

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Corey Roscoe is Ohio state director for the Humane Society of the United States.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- By the Ohio Division of Wildlife's own admission in their bobcat research project summary report from last fall, little is known about the state's bobcat population. In that report, the agency felt more data were needed to avoid "unpredictable outcomes." Yet, the division has now proposed allowing recreational trapping of bobcats for the first time in decades -- without this data.

The bobcat is the Buckeye State's only native wild cat and has been making a slow recovery after being virtually wiped out by 1850. The bobcat population gradually grew enough to warrant removal from the state endangered species list in 2014.

Still, allowing recreational trapping of this species -- especially without comprehensive population data -- threatens all of the progress that has been made. And for what? Bobcats are recreationally trapped simply to make a quick buck off of their pelts in overseas markets or for a stuffed trophy mount.

Shamefully, the national trapping lobby is pushing to open up bobcat seasons across the country. The Division of Wildlife's Ohio Bobcat Management Plan notes that, of the states surrounding Ohio and in the upper Midwest, trapping is allowed in all except Ohio and Indiana. Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has also proposed opening a bobcat season, with equally little population data and after considerable pressure from the trapping industry.

In both states, residents opposed to the proposed seasons vastly outnumber those in favor, but wildlife management agencies continue to cave to the interests of a tiny minority that wants to kill these cats. This is wildlife management at its worst.

Perhaps most ironic in Ohio's case is that the Division of Wildlife justifies the proposed trapping season by arguing that the killing of bobcats will somehow boost scientific research. Interesting, then, that the four-year research project the agency proposed in October did not include trapping as one of the proposed activities. That proposal rightfully focused on research methods that don't also threaten the survival of the species they are intended to study.

The agency's plea for science and rigor falls flat on another front, too; incredibly, it terminated its only biologist dedicated to tracking the bobcat population, who recently posted on social media that the proposed trapping season is "ill-advised," and "not scientifically sound."

Ohio's Division of Wildlife's decision-making process is inherently flawed and its justification suspect. To make matters worse, the practices that would be allowed during this proposed season are deeply troubling. Bobcats are primarily trapped for their fur, using inhumane devices like steel-jawed leghold traps and snares, which cause excruciating pain and are indiscriminate, posing a threat to family pets and non-target animals.

The Ohio Wildlife Council will vote on whether to open a bobcat season at its Thursday, May 17 meeting - barely giving the public enough time to voice their opposition. Despite this rushed timeline, the council has received more than 1,400 comments against the proposal - and a mere 19 in favor, clearly demonstrating where Ohioans stand on this issue.

Bobcats are an important part of our native habitat and we are fortunate to have a recovering population here in Ohio. The Ohio Wildlife Council should heed the Division of Wildlife's own warning about the dangers of trapping bobcats without adequate population data, and shut down this proposal before it gets off the ground. Please attend the final vote on May 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Wildlife District One Office, 1500 Dublin Road, in Columbus.

Corey Roscoe is Ohio state director for the Humane Society of the United States.

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PARMA, Ohio - A Parma man accused of killing his 1-year-old son reached a custody agreement with the boy's mother just five days before the child died, according to court records.

The agreement granted Nicholas J. Shorter's mother custody of the boy in exchange for allowing his father, Jason. J. Shorter, to visit with him one day each week, according to Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court records.

The parents reached the agreement May 7 - just five days before Shorter went to the Parma Police Department and said he wanted to "turn himself in for a crime," police said. Officers found Nicholas in the trunk of his father's car with an apparent stab wound to the boy's chest, police said.

Nicholas died after paramedics took him to University Hospitals Parma Medical Center.

Short, 41, is charged with aggravated murder in his son's death. He is scheduled to appear Wednesday afternoon in Parma Municipal Court.

Shorter petitioned for custody of his son months after Nicholas was born in 2016. The case dragged on for 19 months before he reached the agreement with Nicholas' mother, records say.

Shorter was supposed to pick up Nicholas at the mother's home in Euclid at 6 p.m. each Friday night and return the boy by 7:30 p.m. every Saturday night, the agreement says.

The agreement also offers instructions for holidays, and stipulated that the parents should communicate with each other through an online system. The parents were allowed to contact each other via phone in emergency situations, the agreement says.

The mother could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

The agreement does not indicate any safety concerns related to Shorter, who had self-inflicted cuts on his arms and a stab wound on his chest when he went to the police department late Saturday, police said.

Shorter was also taken to the hospital for treatment. He remained there under armed guard until he was released Tuesday night and taken to the Parma jail, police said.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office called Nicholas' death a suspected homicide, but has not released details of what killed the child. Investigators have not released any additional details.

Jason Shorter's criminal history includes three misdemeanor convictions for disorderly conduct, as well as several traffic violations, according to court records.

To comment on this story, visit Wednesday's crime and courts comments page.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - While the weekend in Northeast Ohio will kick off Friday on a cooler note, by Sunday temperatures will jump back near 80 degrees. On-and-off storms are likely throughout.

Temperatures Friday will remain in the 50s and 60s for most in Northeast Ohio. Most models predict a low-pressure system and heavy moisture to move in Friday, and probably start sparking up scattered storms Friday night. But over the next few days the exact timing will shift. With gusty winds, it may be best to grab that rain coat rather than an umbrella.

This low will stick around Saturday, continuing the storm chance, while the next storm system will follow quickly behind Saturday night. So plan for a wet day. Highs will reach the 70s.

Storms will lighten up in coverage and intensity Sunday, but chances are still pretty decent for much of the area. As winds shift from the southwest, temperatures will jump to the upper 70s. With dew points in the 60s, the air could feel pretty humid and uncomfortable.

We'll get a better idea of chances of the storms becoming severe for Friday's weekend weather update.

Weekend high temperatures for Northeast Ohio. The National Weather Service in Cleveland predicts things to stay slightly cooler. (NWS Cleveland)

Check out the forecast:

Temperatures

Temperature forecast.

Precipitation chances

Precipitation forecast.

Winds

Wind speed and direction forecast.

Pollen

Pollen forecast.

Keep checking cleveland.com/weather for daily weather updates for Northeast Ohio, and don't forget to submit any weather questions you have!

Kelly Reardon is cleveland.com's meteorologist. Please follow me on Facebook, Twitter @KellyRWeather and Instagram.
Manuel Noriega speaks in 1988 during the presentation of colors to the San Miguel Arcangel de San Miguelito volunteer battalion in Panama City, Panama.

Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who spied for the CIA before his drug trafficking and brutal regime sparked a U.S. invasion in 1989, has died aged 83.

President Juan Carlos Varela announced Noriega's death on Twitter late on Monday, and said his passing marked the closing of a chapter in Panama's history.

Noriega, who ruled Panama from 1983 to 1989, spied for the Central Intelligence Agency until the United States invaded and toppled his corrupt government, ending a criminal career that saw him working with drug traffickers like Pablo Escobar.

Noriega was initially sentenced in the United States in 1992 but was serving a sentence for murder in Panama when he died.

The wily military ruler of the Central American nation made world headlines as his relationship with Washington soured, culminating in the United States sending nearly 28,000 troops to seize Panama City and capture him in a house-to-house hunt.

Noriega spent the rest of his life in custody between the United States, France and Panama for crimes ranging from murder to racketeering and drug-running.

The former dictator had undergone an operation in March to remove a brain tumor but suffered a hemorrhage and had been in a coma since a second surgical intervention.

A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Noriega died at around 11 p.m. local time after his condition suddenly worsened.

With the knowledge of U.S. officials, Noriega formed "the hemisphere's first narcokleptocracy," a U.S. Senate subcommittee report said, calling him, "the best example in recent U.S. foreign policy of how a foreign leader is able to manipulate the United States to the detriment of our own interests."

After his capture, Noriega tried to turn the tables on the United States, saying it had worked hand in glove with him.






Market contradictions can be interesting, but irrelevant, or interesting and significant. The behavior of the Australian dollar is one of those contradictions.

On the one hand the Australian market is making new 10 year highs. This is generally taken as a sign of economic strength. Its particularly important for Australia where the market has been trapped in a prolonged sideways movement for more than a year while the rest of the world in the US and Asia have been streaking ahead.

On the other hand, the Australian dollar has broken a long term uptrend and is rapidly moving towards 12-month, and potentially, two-year lows. The Australian Reserve bank is celebrating because they have been aiming for a lower dollar as a matter of principle.

The last time the Australian market was trading near the current highs, the Aussie was trading at $0.81 rather than heading for a low of $0.715. The last time the AUD traded around $0.715 the Australian index was at a low near 4750.

This is the contradiction  the falling Australian dollar and the Australian market making new 10-year highs. Interesting, but irrelevant, or significant?

The answer lies in the speed of both moves. Once the AUD uptrend line was broken near $0.765 it has taken less than 3 weeks to touch $0.74. The AUD chart is defined by trading bands. The lower edge of the trading band is near $0.74. The upper edge near $0.775. The breakout above $0.775 had a target near $0.81. This was achieved.

A fall below $0.74 has a downside target near $0.715. This is calculated by taking the width of the trading band and projecting it downwards.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim greets supporters after his release from the Cheras Hospital Rehabilitation in Kuala Lumpur on May 16, 2018. MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images

The man widely expected to be governing Malaysia in roughly two years' time walked out of a Kuala Lumpur hospital and to freedom on Wednesday. Opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim, who heads the People's Justice Party (PKR), is considered a hero in Malaysia, where he has been jailed twice. He received a full pardon on Wednesday in a milestone development that's been dubbed  rightly or wrongly  Malaysia's "Nelson Mandela moment." The former political prisoner was in the hospital recovering from shoulder surgery.

In a plot twist typical of espionage thrillers, the individual responsible for Anwar's freedom is the same man who imprisoned him in 1998: newly-minted Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The 92-year-old stunned observers of last week's general election, defeating incumbent Najib Razak and the Barisan National party that's ruled Malaysia since independence. Mahathir, who first ruled the nation from 1981 to 2003, was once the face of Barisan National, with Najib as his protege. But following allegations of Najib's role in a multi-billion-dollar graft scandal, Mahathir has since joined the opposition and worked with Anwar's PKR faction to form a four-party coalition known as Pakatan Harapan. PKR is the largest entity within the coalition. That alliance of once bitter rivals was cemented by Mahathir's campaign promise to release Anwar and eventually pass him the premiership.

So, who is Anwar Ibrahim?

Alongside Najib, 70-year-old Anwar was also one of Mahathir's proteges. From 1993, he served as Mahathir's deputy prime minister under the Barisan National coalition but was sacked and jailed in 1998 on charges that his supporters dismissed as false.

Dr. Mahathir in the past has been pretty ruthless, you really couldn't make up a story that he and Anwar Ibrahim would be together again. Gerald Ambrose Aberdeen Islamic Asset Management

Anwar was eventually released in 2004 and went on to lead the opposition to strong performances in the 2008 and 2013 general elections. Under Najib's government, he was sentenced again in 2015. Anwar "enjoys deep and warm ties in Washington, where he has received support during his travails over the past two decades," analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a recent note.

But Anwar still has to work to do before he can take over the premiership. He first needs to become a member of parliament, which requires that a seat be vacated. Speculation is that his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, currently deputy prime minister, will give up her seat so a by-election can be held. Anwar, who enjoys immense popularity at home, is likely to win under that scenario.

Will Mahathir hand over the reins?
subsidize Cuba@ (Updates with opposition leader reaction in paragraph 12)

HOUSTON, May 15 (Reuters) - Venezuela's state-run oil firm PDVSA has bought nearly $440 million worth of foreign crude and shipped it directly to Cuba on friendly credit terms - and often at a loss, according to internal company documents reviewed by Reuters.

The shipments are the first documented instances of the OPEC nation buying crude to supply regional allies instead of selling them oil from its own vast reserves.

Venezuela made the discounted deliveries, which have not been previously reported, despite its dire need for foreign currency to bolster its collapsing economy and to import food and medicine amid widespread shortages.

The open-market oil purchases to subsidize one of Venezuela's few remaining allies underscores its increasing global isolation and the disintegration of its energy sector under socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

The purchases came as Venezuela's crude production hit a 33-year low in the first quarter - down 28 percent in 12 months. Its refineries are operating at a third of capacity, and its workers are resigning by the thousands.

(For a graphic on Venezuela's rising oil imports and falling exports, see: https://tmsnrt.rs/2wHCTUF )

PDVSA bought the crude for up to $12 per barrel more than it priced the same oil when it shipped to Cuba, according to prices on internal documents reviewed by Reuters. But Cuba may never pay cash for the cargoes because Venezuela has long accepted goods and services from Cuba in return for oil under a pact signed in 2000 by late presidents Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro.

PDVSA, the Venezuela government and the Cuba government did not respond to requests for comment.

Venezuelas government has previously said it only imports oil to blend with its own tar-like crude to improve quality and create an exportable product, or to feed its refinery in Curacao. But hundreds of PDSVA documents examined by Reuters detailing imports and exports, dated from January 2017 to May of this year, show the company is now buying crude at market prices to deliver to allies - in shipments that never pass through Venezuela.

The subsidized deliveries are aimed at maintaining political support from Cuba, one of a dwindling group of Venezuela allies, according to diplomats, politicians and PDVSA executives.

"Maduro is giving away everything he can because these countries' backing, especially from Cuba, is all the political support he has left," said a former top Venezuelan government official who declined to be identified.

Late Tuesday, a leader of the political opposition to Maduro, Henrique Capriles, reacted to Reuters' disclosure of the oil shipments to Cuba by tweeting: "Venezuelans are suffering the worst crisis without food or medicine, our oil is about to be seized due to PDVSA's debts, and they continue irresponsibly buying oil to give it away to other countries. They don't care!"

Caracas has come under increasing international pressure as the United States, the European Union and Canada have sanctioned Venezuela for what they see as Maduro's attempts to cement a dictatorship.

As Venezuela spends on oil imports, it has imported less of everything else its citizens desperately need. Venezuela's spending on non-oil imports plunged from nearly $46 billion in 2011 to $6 billion in 2017, according Venezuela Central Bank data and Ecoanalitica, a Caracas-based economic research organization.

The oil PDVSA procured for Cuba was Russian Urals crude, the documents show, a variety well-suited for Cuban refineries constructed from Soviet-era equipment.

PDVSA bought the crude from Chinese, Russian and Swiss firms not for cash, but a pledge that PDVSA would deliver other oil shipments later, the documents show.

That adds to Venezuela's already towering debts of oil to state-owned firms in Russia and China, which together have extended Venezuela's government more than $60 billion in oil-for-loan deals that have propped up its budget amid declining exports and lower oil prices.

"It's nonsense to import oil to keep subsidized exports flowing," said Ecoanalitica President Asdrubal Oliveros.

PETRO-DIPLOMACY

Venezuela's socialist government has long used oil for domestic and international political ends, subsidizing goods and services at home and currying favor across the region with oil deliveries on generous terms.

Venezuela's oil supply arrangements have helped soften international political censure of Maduro's government. The Organization of American States (OAS), which includes most Western Hemisphere nations, last year took up a motion seeking to pressure Venezuela to hold free elections, liberate political prisoners and declare a humanitarian crisis.

The effort was defeated when 12 countries that have received regular oil shipments from Venezuela in recent years - about a third of the OAS membership - opposed it or refused to vote. Eventually, the OAS passed a watered-down motion urging free and fair elections.

Venezuela has avoided formal OAS condemnation "thanks to the support of the bloc of Caribbean nations that have benefited from its subsidized oil and development programs for years," said Michael Fitzpatrick, deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, said on April 30 during a talk at the Atlantic Council, a foreign policy think tank in Washington.

Most of those countries are members of Venezuela's Petrocaribe trade pact, launched in 2005, which has granted up to 16 Caribbean and Central American states with oil supplies on favorable terms.

OAS President Luis Almagro declined to comment through press office representative Monica Reyes.

El Salvador's Economy Minister, Luz Estrella Rodriguez, said Petrocaribe and other pacts promoted by Venezuela had played an important role in her country's development.

"Our country is very grateful," she said. "The government of El Salvador, of course, is a friend and an ally of the Venezuelan government."

El Salvador refused to vote last year on the OAS motion to condemn Venezuela.

Venezuela also supplied fuel last year to Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Dominica, the documents show.

In total, members of oil trade pacts with Venezuela last year received at least 103,000 bpd of crude and refined products from PDVSA, the documents show, or about 6 percent of Venezuelas exports.

FALLING OUTPUT, SHRINKING IMPORTS

The falling output of Venezuela's refineries has also left the country increasingly dependent on fuel imports to meet domestic consumption.

The internal PDVSA data reviewed by Reuters shows Venezuela last year purchased some 180,000 barrels per day of foreign crude and refined products from PetroChina, Rosneft , Lukoil, Reliance Industries and other suppliers, 17 percent more than in 2016.

Those companies did not respond to requests for comment.

The purchases totaled more $4 billion, according to PDVSA records.

Last year, total oil-industry purchases, including equipment and services, consumed 45 percent of Venezuela's total import spending, up from 13 percent in 2011, Ecoanalitica data shows. Energy imports totaled $5.4 billion out of $11.9 billion.

The resulting scarcity of food, medicine and employment has caused thousands of citizens to flee Venezuela. The pay of PDVSA workers now can't cover the barest essentials because of the collapse of its currency, the bolivar.

"A worker's salary is not even enough for a box of eggs," said Hector Bertis, a PDVSA worker and union leader. "We go to the bank, and they give us 10,000 bolivars - less than what a transportation fare costs." (Reporting by Marianna Parraga in Houston and Jeanne Liendo in Calgary; additional reporting by Alexandra Ulmer in Washington, Paula Rosales in San Salvador, Gary McWilliams in Houston and Mircely Guanipa in Punto Fijo; Editing by Gary McWilliams, Simon Webb and Brian Thevenot)
Walmart and Hudson's Bay's Lord & Taylor are preparing to roll out a new shopping experience on Walmart.com.

Set to launch in phases in the coming weeks, the "store within a store" on Walmart's website will feature more than 125 brands sold at Lord & Taylor, including Tommy Bahama, Vince Camuto and Lucky Brand. The two retailers formally announced the partnership last November.

Both companies hope to see a boost in sales from the unique tie-up for different reasons.

Walmart is competing with Amazon, which is poised to become the No. 1 apparel retailer in the U.S. later this year. Walmart has also said it aims to grow its selection of clothing beyond everyday, low-priced items, to include more high-end pieces from well-known, designer labels.

Shoppers are actively browsing Walmart.com today for premium fashion brands, according to Denise Incandela, head of fashion for Walmart's U.S. e-commerce business. But there hasn't been much for them on the platform, up until now.

Lord & Taylor, in turn, faces many of the obstacles that U.S. department stores are grappling with today. It needs to cut costs and find ways to win sales from those shoppers who are increasingly ringing up purchases online. The hope is that a new customer base  i.e. Walmart shoppers  will become more familiar with Lord & Taylor over time and shop their stores, too.

Most recently, it's been reported that Hudson's Bay is looking for ways to revive Lord & Taylor and "reform the business." The department store chain recently revealed it would be selling its flagship Hudson's Bay department store in downtown Vancouver, as it reshapes other parts of the company.

"This relationship is a major milestone for us. ... This is an example of how we are thinking differently and innovating," RJ Cilley, senior vice president of Lord & Taylor's digital division, said about Walmart, speaking on a call with members of the media.

Lord & Taylor and Walmart both declined to comment on the revenue structure of their partnership. Incandela told the media that Lord & Taylor's brands won't be available in Walmart stores, only online and on the company's mobile app.

A redesigned Walmart.com will soon have two shops  one for everyday brands (including Walmart's newer private labels) and one for premium brands, where Lord & Taylor will be housed. Walmart said this week it will "regularly" be adding new brands and products to the two shops in the coming months.
Your plan may give you a range of options. Know your expenses and risk.

A quarter of workers plan to keep it in the 401(k).

About 30 percent of employees don't know what they'll do with their retirement savings once they stop working, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Caiaimage/Robert Daly | Getty Images

It's the day before you retire, and you've built a small fortune in your 401(k) plan. What will you do with your savings? "I don't know" is the answer for more than 3 in 10 workers. Those were the findings from a recent survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a research group that focuses on health, savings and retirement. EBRI conducted an online poll of 2,042 adults in January. "In most cases, you would expect people to do a couple of things: You wouldn't use all of it to buy lifetime income and you'd want to keep some of it for emergencies," said Craig Copeland, a senior research associate at EBRI. "It's troubling that they can't recognize what they think they'd be doing," he said. Here's why it makes sense to develop an end-game for your 401(k) savings.

Stay or go?

Three in 10 workers said they would roll their 401(k) savings into an IRA, according to EBRI. About a quarter said they would keep their money at work. And about 5 percent made the ultimate risky decision: opting to "cash it out and spend it." (Click on graphics to enlarge.)

EBRI also found that 1 in 3 retirees moved money out of their retirement plan because a financial professional told them to do so. Most employees expect their retirement savings to be a major component of their income once they've left the workplace. Moving that money could be risky and expensive.

Money held in a 401(k) plan is protected by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. This federal ERISA law requires individuals who manage the plan to act as fiduciaries and operate in the best interest of the participants. Further, ERISA protects your 401(k) plan savings from seizure by creditors. You don't have these same protections in IRAs. Though the Labor Department had released a rule that would require financial advisors to operate in your best interest when handling your retirement savings, the agency has backed off on enforcing the regulation.

That means the advisors who roll over your assets may or may not be working in your best interest. They might recommend investments that are inappropriate for your circumstances or products that are too costly. Further, once you roll your money out of your 401(k), the extent to which your IRA is protected from creditors will vary based on the state in which you reside.

Understand fees

When it comes to investments, you likely have access to a broader array of investments in an IRA. In a 401(k), you're limited to what your employer selects for the plan. The average large 401(k) plan in 2015 offered 29 investment options, according to data from the Investment Company Institute. Finally, expenses are worth considering when you decide what to do with your savings. Moving your money could save you money, or cost you big. Overall, retirement plan costs are falling.

While advisors can charge approximately 1 percent to manage your rollover assets, some small retirement plans have fees that exceed that amount. For instance, a study from America's Best 401k, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based firm that works with retirement plans, reviewed fee disclosures for 11 insurers and payroll companies that specialize in plans with less than $10 million in assets. Fees for those plans were as high as 1.19 percent to 1.95 percent, according to the analysis.

Have a plan

Image Source | Getty Images
When Jim Freeman, the Alexa VP in charge of messaging products, told Amazon he's leaving for the German e-commerce company Zalando earlier this year, the higher-ups asked him to stay, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Freeman didn't budge, and in April he ended up joining the Berlin-based company.

Freeman, who first joined Amazon 9 years ago and previously spent a short time at Zalando, had a lot of support internally, as he oversaw the development of all Alexa messaging features, like audio and video calling. Previously, he also ran Amazon's entire video team, including Prime Video and Amazon Studios.

Freeman's departure is part of a recent wave of executive departures at Amazon. Even as Amazon enjoys unprecedented success and record-level stock prices, some of its senior executives are opting to leave. Smaller companies offer fresh opportunities and a relief from its high-intensity work culture, hiring experts say.

More than a dozen executives and senior managers have left Amazon over the past 10 months. Among them, Susan Harker, a VP responsible for global recruiting, took a leave of absence because of a family member's health issue, according to people familiar.

Other recent departures that have been previously reported include top executives like Prime boss Greg Greeley and marketplace chief Sebastian Gunningham, as well as lower-level execs like Gene Farrell, a VP at Amazon Web Services, and Tim Stone, a finance VP who joined Snap as CFO earlier in May. Mike George, former VP of Echo, Alexa, and the app store, retired last June after a 20 year-run at Amazon, but has rejoined the company, according to a person familiar.

In Freeman's case, this is his second run at Zalando. He had previously joined the company in 2016, only to return to Amazon six months later for personal reasons. The personal issue has been resolved in recent months, and so he insisted on returning to the German company, people familiar with the matter said.

In a statement, Amazon said, "It's simply incorrect to suggest that we have an executive retention issue. Amazon is the most attractive place to work in the US, according to LinkedIn, and we have nearly 95% retention among our Vice Presidents. For 20 years it's been the case that a handful of executives have come and gone  for personal or professional reasons  and that's true at any company. What's unique about Amazon is that many come back  we call them 'boomerangs'."
Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett and Jamie Dimon. CNBC

Almost four months ago, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and J.P. Morgan Chase announced a bold new partnership aimed at bringing down the costs of health care. But ABC, as the group is known, has encountered a surprising challenge filling the CEO spot. The search for a person to lead ABC began around the time of the announcement in late January, with potential candidates meeting by phone as well as in Berkshire's hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, and in New York, where J.P. Morgan is based, according to people with knowledge of the process. Health policy and insurance experts were among the initial targets, with ex-Aetna executive Gary Loveman and former Medicare chief Andy Slavitt on the list, along with Todd Park, who was previously President Barack Obama's technology chief. More recently, ABC has started looking for a candidate with an entrepreneurial background in technology and health who is far removed from drug supply companies and health plans, which are viewed as part of the problem, said the people, who asked not to be named because the talks are confidential. One of the top names to emerge in recent weeks was Owen Tripp, CEO of Grand Rounds Health, a start-up that sells a second medical opinion service as a benefit to large employers like Walmart and Target, the people said. Before Grand Rounds, Tripp co-founded Reputation.com, a developer of online reputation software, and he also has a background in health-care consulting.

Owen Tripp, CEO of Grand Rounds Health. Source: YouTube

But Tripp told CNBC in a statement that he's committed to staying on as CEO of Grand Rounds. "To the extent we can be part of their solution as their mission sharpens, we'd be glad to pitch in  just as we would assist any organization that wants to improve clinical outcomes," Tripp said. Berkshire CEO Warren Buffett said at the company's investor meeting earlier this month that the consortium hoped to have a chief executive "within a couple of months." Todd Combs, an investment manager at Berkshire and the lead recruiter for ABC, has the challenge of finding a leader who can work across three companies with a combined 1.2 million employees and simultaneously help develop innovative solutions in a multitrillion-dollar industry. The group hasn't said much about how it plans to leverage its size and scale to bring down costs or how it will use technology to simplify the health-care system for consumers. As if that weren't demanding enough, ABC is structured as an entity "free from profit-making incentives and constraints," according to the initial announcement, although it will not necessarily be a nonprofit. That means Combs needs to find someone who can handle the requisite long hours, extensive travel and public scrutiny of running a high-profile start-up, but probably without the allure of a big stock incentive plan, which is typically an attractive incentive in tech recruiting. "Senior talent with an entrepreneurial background might not be inclined to a structure like that," said Annie Lamont, a co-founder and managing partner at Oak HC/FT who invests in health and financial start-ups. "They could find a professional manager, but true entrepreneurs might well be harder." Longtime technology venture capitalist John Doerr has been tapped to help put forward names from his network. The other executives involved, according to the January announcement, are J.P. Morgan's Marvelle Sullivan Berchtold and Beth Galetti, a senior vice president at Amazon.

'Transcend the challenges'

Whoever ultimately takes the top job has to align with Combs, who's been kicking around the idea for the consortium for more than five years, according to people familiar with his thinking. After getting his own company on board, Combs enlisted J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, before bringing on Amazon as the tech partner, said one of the people. The three executives are also known to be friends. "What's intriguing about this group is the possibility of innovation, tech and a consumer focus coming together to transcend the challenges with the health-care ecosystem," said Brian Marcotte, CEO of the National Business Group on Health, which represents large employers.
North Carolina lawmakers are preparing a bid for a new Apple campus, according to a report in the Triangle Business Journal.

Separately, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has also floated areas near Washington D.C., like Crystal City and Tysons, as locales for Apple.

Citing unnamed sources in real estate, law and the North Carolina government, the Triangle Business Journal said the Research Triangle Park "tops Apple's short list," although the process is far from finalized  Apple is still looking at sites across the country.

Gov. Roy Cooper is negotiating an incentive package for Apple, which has yet to be presented to the state's General Assembly, the Triangle Business Journal report said. Cooper has touted North Carolina's prospects for big tech bids in the past. Discussions took place over the weekend when Apple CEO Tim Cook visited Duke University to give a commencement address, according to the Journal. (Apple declined to comment.)

The sources told the Triangle Business Journal that Apple was "zeroing in" and that the North Carolina area was a "top contender," citing "a lot more market activity" in the area.

Amazon, which has led a much more high-profile campus search, also has named Raleigh, North Carolina, as a finalist. The area around the nation's capital is also a contender for Amazon's new offices. But, unlike Amazon, Apple has said it "will not hold a bidding process" for the location of its new offices.

There's a long history between Apple and the area of North Carolina which surrounds Duke University, North Carolina State University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cook attended Duke as did Apple software chief Eddy Cue. Apple also has a data center in Maiden, North Carolina, and has invested in clean energy projects there.

Apple announced at the beginning of the year that it planned to invest in a new campus, which "will initially house technical support for customers." The company would certainly have its pick of entry-level talent in the Research Triangle, where more than 50 percent of the population has a bachelor's degree, and there's an annual pool of 8,500 graduates, according to its website. About 250 companies have campuses in the area, including Lenovo, Cisco and IBM (a company where Cook worked before Apple).

The Washington Post describes Apple's exploration of Virginia as "quiet," and cites officials and real estate executives familiar with the discussions. One official told the Post that Apple is more of a "suburban company." Cook has twice been spotted in the D.C. area so far this year, and has met with the president regarding trade and immigration.
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is worried about America's image when it comes to establishing credibility in its upcoming talks with North Korea.

President Donald Trump's recent decision to withdraw from the Iranian Nuclear Deal does not set a good precedent for reliability and that will matter to North Korea President Kim Jong Un during upcoming nuclear talks, the South Korean diplomat told CNBC's Nancy Hungerford on Wednesday.

"I personally believe that it has given a very problematic message in terms of credibility, and trust and confidence in (the) U.S. What kind of message North Korea will get from this?" Ban asked.

"Can I trust the U.S. president? This may be the first question by North Korea's leader."

Trump on May 8 announced America's withdrawal from the Iran deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in 2015 with China, France, Russia, the U.K. and Germany. The landmark agreement lifted economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program, and the International Atomic Energy Agency regularly reported that Iran was in compliance with its rules.

Trump, however, vocally derided it, calling it the "worst deal ever" and pledging to do away with it as he has done with a number of policy actions by the Barack Obama administration.

With the stated aim of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, the Trump administration has scheduled talks with North Korea's Kim. Planned to take place in Singapore on June 12, the meeting would be the first ever between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean head of state.
Bank of England Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent apologized on Wednesday for saying Britain's economy was going through a "menopausal" phase in a comment that attracted criticism and could revive concern about gender diversity at the bank.

"I'm sorry for my poor choice of language in an interview with the Telegraph yesterday and regret the offence caused," Broadbent said in a statement.

Broadbent, 53, had told the newspaper that years of poor productivity and weak wage growth meant Britain was going through a "menopausal" moment. The Telegraph did not publish the quote in full.

The ex-Goldman Sachs economist, among those tipped as a successor to BoE Governor Mark Carney who stands down next year, said in the interview that experts used the phrase to describe economies that were "past their peak and no longer so potent".

His comments attracted derision on social media.

"As reported I found them pretty offensive," economist Kate Barker, one of Broadbent's predecessors on the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee, said on Twitter.

Sarah Wollaston, a lawmaker of Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative Party, described Broadbent's comments as "pejorative tosh".

"#Menopause only a problem if others try to sideline you because of ignorant prejudice," she tweeted.

Broadbent's comments are likely to put the relative lack of gender diversity in senior management back in the spotlight.

Last year lawmakers said they were disappointed by finance minister Philip Hammond's slow progress at encouraging greater diversity at the highest levels of the Bank.

There are only three women out of more than 20 officials who serve on the BoE's three major policy committees, appointed by the finance ministry.

In his apology, Broadbent said he had been trying to explain the word "climacteric", a term used by economic historians to describe a period of low productivity growth during the nineteenth century.

"Economic productivity is something which affects every one of us, of all ages and genders," he said.
Burger King has released a new chicken burger in honor of the royal couple's wedding.

Burger King has launched its own royal wedding-themed snack to tie in with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials on Saturday.

The fast-food chain has released a limited-edition sandwich that includes a piece of bread-crumbed chicken and iceberg lettuce.

The chicken burger comes with barbeque sauce and two onion rings  in order to "signify the royal matrimony."



The edible royal wedding-themed treat is available for 1.99 ($2.68) and will be served in stores across the U.K. until Sunday.

Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth's grandson and the sixth in line to the British throne, is due to marry American actress Meghan Markle on Saturday at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing has announced new safety measures for one of its carpooling services following the murder of a passenger.

The company said on Wednesday that it would hide the personal data and profile pictures of passengers and drivers on "Didi Hitch," a ride-sharing facility that let passengers traveling in the same direction share the cost of the trip. Didi Hitch is one of 13 services offered by the firm.

The murder of a 21-year-old female flight attendant earlier this month in Zhengzhou, the capital of China's Henan province, has forced the start-up to shake up its service as worries mount over safety.

According to Didi, the man driving the vehicle was not detected by the app's night mode facial recognition as its night safety mechanism was defective. On Wednesday, the company said it will enforce compulsory driver facial recognition for each Didi Hitch trip to prevent unapproved use of the app.

Didi apologized following the death of the woman, who has been identified only as "Ms. Li," and said it had a responsibility to address the incident. The company's ride-hitching service has been temporarily suspended across China since May 12.

Didi said its broader offering would also be revamped, with a facial recognition test for drivers every day and a redesigned emergency help button that shares trip information with users' emergency contacts. Those measures will be implemented by May 31, the company said.

Didi is the largest ride-hailing start-up in China, with 450 million users. The company bought Uber's Chinese business in 2016, and this year made its first direct expansion abroad, into Mexico.
Embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt told a Senate hearing on Wednesday he did not recall ever asking his security detail to use lights and sirens in government vehicles. However, seconds later, a U.S. senator submitted evidence that the Trump deputy had in fact made the request.

Claims that Pruitt had asked security personnel to flash lights and blare sirens to speed up trips to the airport or dinner surfaced earlier this year in a New York Times report on alleged workplace retaliation at the EPA. The allegations were leveled by the former head of Pruitt's security detail, Eric Weese, who was reportedly moved to another position after refusing to sign off on first-class travel for Pruitt.

Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico asked Pruitt whether he had personally asked his security detail to use sirens and lights, which is usually reserved for the president.

"I don't recall that happening, Ranking Member Udall," Pruitt said. "There are policies that the agency follows, the agents follow, and to my knowledge they followed it in all instances."

Udall once again claimed Pruitt personally requested sirens and lights on a number of trips. Pruitt responded, "No, I don't recall that."

Udall then submitted an internal EPA email contradicting that claim to the Senate subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. In the email titled "Lights and Sirens," the former head of Pruitt's security detail, Pasquale Perrotta, told several EPA staffers, "Btw - Administrator encourages the use ..."

The email was attached to a letter sent to EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins, who is conducting several investigations into Pruitt's conduct. The letter, sent by two Senate Democrats on Wednesday, asked Elkins to investigate Perrotta's tenure as head of Pruitt's security detail.

"Mr. Perrotta appears to have been the individual that Administrator Pruitt transmitted most or all of his security demands to, and appears to have obliged the Administrator's demands to spend exorbitantly on unjustified security measures," Sens. Thomas Carper (D.-Del.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) wrote.

Perrotta is one of several EPA staffers who recently resigned amid a flurry of allegations of impropriety leveled against Pruitt.

The cost of Pruitt's security is just one of about a dozen issues being probed by Congress, the White House and other government officials. Pruitt's rental of a Washington apartment linked to an energy lobbyist, his frequent first-class travel, and several other issues are also under investigation.
It's been an uncharacteristically busy week for Eric Jackson, a public information officer at the Lee County Mosquito Control District in southwestern Florida.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao on Wednesday afternoon named Lee County's mosquito control outfit one of only 10 state, local and tribal government entities to be selected for the Federal Aviation Administration's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program.

That means Lee County's mosquito control operations will be able to incorporate drone technology under more relaxed standards than they would otherwise be required to adhere to under current law.

It also means an unlikely spotlight has been shined on the county's pest control efforts.

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"I'm hoping after today it'll quiet down. We're getting a lot of media requests, but it's also I'm getting inundated with drone operators that want jobs," Jackson says. "I'm thinking, 'Man, this really made it around the country.'"

The FAA in a statement this week indicated it had received 149 formal proposals from across the U.S. The pilot program is expected to run over the next two and a half years, and feedback from those selected will likely help the federal government decide whether to loosen restrictions on commercial and governmental drone use in the future.

Among the other finalists, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has been granted broader drone approval to monitor crops and livestock herds. Alaskan pipeline inspection efforts are likely to see greater unmanned aircraft use in the months and years ahead. But Lee County was the only finalist recognized that intends to use broader drone approval for pest control.

"We've been doing this for 60 years with aircraft dealing with mosquito issues, so I'm thinking that might have played a part (in our selection)," Jackson says, describing the county's mosquito populations as a potential public health problem. "Our district relies heavily on aerial operations."

Lee County's mosquito control efforts  which span an area that Jackson says includes "a lot of mangrove habitat"  already involve helicopters and small aircraft that monitor and in some cases treat areas with particularly high pest activity.

Jackson says his department has also partnered with the Lee County Hyacinth Control District in the past, making limited use of unmanned drones to "take images of aquatic bodies to see where there's a lot of vegetation."

"Because where you have vegetation crowding out water, sometimes mosquitoes can grow in those," he says.

But with its new recognition from the FAA, the department hopes to make use of a much larger 1,500-pound drone in its monitoring and pest treatment operations. Its status in the program will allow drone operators to fly at night, beyond a visible line of sight and directly over people, potentially at lower altitudes. All three of those stipulations would not be permitted under current law.

"We potentially could be using it more for surveillance and in more isolated areas for treatment missions," Jackson says. "We're trying to be as innovative as we can and as efficient as we can. And if this can be used safely, we're open to anything."

But details of how and when an unmanned drone weighing more than an adult grizzly bear will be flying over Lee County are still up in the air. Jackson notes the control district's location in the Sunshine State subjects it to particularly stringent public records laws. He says mosquito control officials will hold a special commissioners meeting later this month to discuss how and when they will take their next steps with the program.

But he says he and his colleagues are honored and excited to have been selected for such a competitive program  even if that means his phone continues to ring off the hook for the time being.

"Really, the whole point of this program is to be able to expand beyond the current regulations to see how this can be used," he says. "We have pilots in the air, and as the airspace becomes more crowded and people start flying above 400 feet and out of line of sight, [we asked ourselves] how can we make sure we have a seat at the table to where we can help draft these regulations to keep our pilots safe."
The Senate Judiciary Committee's Republican chairman on Wednesday released thousands of pages of documents about a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between high-level Trump campaign staff and Russians.

Among the documents released is a transcript of the testimony before the committee by the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., who attended the meeting.

In his testimony, Trump Jr. said he couldn't remember whether or not his father was involved in drafting an initial statement in response to the meeting. "I don't know. I never spoke to my father about it," Trump Jr. said.

The meeting, which was first reported after the 2016 presidential election, was scheduled under the pretext that a Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, would share incriminating information about Hillary Clinton with the Trump campaign.

Asked what Veselnitskaya was talking about regarding the damaging opposition research, Trump Jr. said, "It generally started out as people with, you know, perhaps general interest in Russia. I'm not sure if they were U.S. or Russia based, but business people who were supporters of the DNC and perhaps Hillary Clinton were in some sort of tax scheme to avoid paying taxes in both the United States and Russia."

Trump Jr. said he couldn't remember if Veselnitskaya provided any names related to her allegations. "I don't recall, but she may have," Trump Jr. told the committee.

You can find the materials on the Senate Judiciary Committee's website.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who leads the Senate committee, released a heaving 2,556-page report comprising interview transcripts, evidence and notes from nine witnesses at the center of the meeting.

Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who declined to be interviewed by the committee, said in an 11-page statement that he had "hardly any" contacts with Russians during the campaign and that he "did not remember" the Trump Tower meeting.

Trump Jr., who had initially claimed that the meeting was solely about Russian adoption, later released copies of his emails with an intermediary who promised details about Clinton that "would be very useful to your father."

"If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer," Trump Jr. responded.

At the meeting, Veselnitskaya, who has close ties to the Kremlin, said she discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the punitive Magnitsky Act sanctions  which lock certain wealthy Russians out of their overseas funds  since their passage in 2012. Putin responded by banning American adoptions of Russian children.

The document dump follows the conclusion of another congressional committee into Russian interference in the 2016 election. That probe, from the highly partisan House Intelligence Committee, found no evidence of collusion between President Donald Trump, his campaign and the Kremlin.

The documents released Wednesday by the committee majority include interviews with Trump campaign attendees including Trump Jr., former campaign chief Paul Manafort and Kushner.

Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson's testimony and related documents are also included. The bombshell interview transcript from Simpson, whose intelligence-gathering firm produced the salacious and largely unverified Trump-Russia dossier, was released without the majority's approval by the committee's ranking Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Saudi Arabia is transforming economically as the kingdom moves from its traditional heavy reliance on oil, but investors have few avenues to invest in the booming market.

"There aren't many channels of investments towards the capital market in Saudi Arabia...so international investors are really asking for exposure to Saudi Arabia  no stock picking, just some ETFs or an index to go in passively and through a systematic strategy," said Ryan Lemand, senior executive officer at ADS Investment Solutions.

To meet this gap, the United Arab Emirates financial firm launched an exchange-traded fund (ETF) Wednesday which will be listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. The FTSE Ads Custom Saudi Minimum Variance Index was developed in collaboration with FTSE Russell.

"Saudi Arabia today is reforming, it is changing and generally investors who look at emerging markets, they look at emerging markets that are reforming, not the static emerging markets," Lemand told CNBC's "Capital Connection." "Today, Saudi Arabia is not only changing, it is literally transforming."

In 2016, Saudi Arabia's government unveiled a long-term economic blueprint for life in a low-oil-price world.

Titled "Saudi Vision 2030," the plan includes regulatory, budget and policy changes that will be implemented in the hope of making the kingdom less reliant on crude. It aims to build a "prosperous and sustainable economic future" for the kingdom.

In March, index compiler FTSE Russell decided to add Saudi Arabia to its emerging market index starting in March 2019, and index giant MSCI will decide whether to take the same action in June.

CNBC's Matt Clinch and Reuters contributed to this story.
A support vessel flying an Iranian national flag sails alongside the oil tanker 'Devon' as it prepares to transport crude oil to export markets in Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Friday, March 23, 2018. Ali Mohammadi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Potential oil supply disruptions in Iran and Venezuela have prompted oil traders to focus on geopolitics rather than fundamentals, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its latest monthly report Wednesday, warning that any supply cuts could prompt prices to rocket. "The potential double supply shortfall represented by Iran and Venezuela could present a major challenge for producers to fend off sharp price rises and fill the gap, not just in terms of the number of barrels but also in terms of oil quality," the Paris-based organization said. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal just over a week ago  and the expected re-imposition of sanctions on the country  coupled with political and economic disorder in recession-hit Venezuela has cast the supply of Iran and the Latin American country into doubt. Neil Atkinson, head of the oil industry and markets division at the IEA, told CNBC's "Street Signs" that "the stability of the market" could be at stake. "If there is a large shortfall in Iranian exports then clearly that will have an impact on a market that is already quite tight," he said. "And it's not beyond the realms of possibility that by the end of 2018, production in Venezuela could be several hundred thousand barrels lower than in its today. If that shortfall there coincides with a large shortfall in Iranian exports as the sanctions are implemented that potentially poses a challenge."

Iran doubt and Venezuela 'freefall'

It's yet uncertain how much of Iran's supply could be affected under new U.S. sanctions which have yet to be detailed. The IEA noted that the last time sanctions were imposed in 2012 until 2015, production from the world's fifth-largest producer fell by about 1.2 million barrels a day (mb/d) "but only time will tell the extent of the disruption this time round." "In these early days, there is understandable uncertainty about its potential impact on Iran's oil exports, which are currently about 2.4 mb/d," the IEA noted. The IEA's Atkinson emphasized that customers for Iranian oil have 180 days to adjust their purchasing strategies and make other arrangements "if that's what they decide to do." "We can't be sure how much lower Iranian exports will be ... We just don't know, we'll just have to see how the U.S. implementation of the decision plays out over the next few months," he said. In its May report, OPEC (of which Iran is a member) put Iran's daily production at 3.82 million barrels a day, according to both first and secondary sources, making it the third largest OPEC producer and potentially making any supply loss a challenge. In Venezuela, meanwhile, the IEA noted that "the pace of decline of oil production is accelerating and by the end of this year output could have fallen by several hundred thousand barrels a day." In April, Venezuela's crude oil output sunk to 1.42 mb/d, the lowest level since the early 1950s. Describing Venezuela as being in "freefall," the IEA said its production collapse was significant. "The freefall in Venezuela has already pushed compliance with the Vienna Agreement off the charts and, together with losses in Mexico, accounts for almost 40 percent of the 2.5 mb/d that was removed from the market in April. That is before the re-imposition of sanctions by the U.S. on Iran," it said. "Continued declines could cut capacity by several hundred thousand barrels a day by the end of this year  just as the market feels the full impact of US sanctions on Iran," the IEA warned.

Plugging the gap

A potential loss of Iran output, declining Venezuelan output, and the "double supply shortfall" it presents could prompt other producers to step in to fill the gap  although this comes at a time of production restraint among major oil producers in an attempt to boost prices. Twenty-four OPEC and non-OPEC producers, most notably Russia, are expected to continue a deal (called the 'Vienna Agreement') to cut production by 1.2 mb/d until at least the end of 2018 and the strategy has been working with benchmark Brent crude currently trading around $78 a barrel and WTI almost touching $71. Markets are treading carefully around uncertainty over Iran's supply, however, and signs of ample supply kept a lid on price rises Wednesday. Examining whether other producers "could step in to ensure an orderly flow of oil to the market and offset a disruption to Iranian exports," the IEA said that neither Venezuela nor Mexico can raise output in the short term, "but some of the 1.5 mb/d that have been cut by other producers under the Vienna Agreement might be available to keep markets well supplied." For one, OPEC's largest oil producer Saudi Arabia has signaled that it could step into the breach, although it and other Gulf producers have yet to ramp up output to compensate for Venezuela's losses. The next OPEC meeting on June 22 could prove decisive, however, with producers potentially removing cuts. "Should a decision be taken to remove the cuts, only Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Russia are likely to be capable of a quick ramp up of substantial volumes. The four producers pumped at record rates ahead of the supply cuts and could, in theory, increase output by a combined 1.3 mb/d in short order," the IEA said. Saudi Arabia made up the lion's share of spare production capacity, the IEA said. "As of April, OPEC's spare production capacity was 3.47 mb/d  defined as the level that can be reached within 90 days and sustained for an extended period  with Saudi Arabia accounting for roughly 60 percent of the total."

WATCH: Here's what drives the price of oil
Trade in -denominated crude oil futures has surged since President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal. Launched on March 26, crude oil futures on the Shanghai International Energy Exchange (INE) were met with fanfare  and skepticism about how much a state-managed marketplace could displace the well-established crude trade in the New York Mercantile Exchange's West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and the Intercontinental Exchange's Brent futures. But Trump's move to reimpose sanctions on Iran may have spurred interest in the Chinese oil futures. Last Wednesday, daily trade volumes in INE oil futures hit a record of over 240,000 lots, double what they were on Tuesday in Asia, before news of the renewed sanctions broke.

Beijing 's attempts to 'internationalize' the contract appear to have paid off. BMI Research

By way of comparison, some 1.4 million lots of WTI crude changed hands each day in April this year, while fewer than a million lots of Brent crude were traded daily in the same period. One lot is the equivalent of 1,000 barrels on all three exchanges. "There has been speculation that restrictions on Iranian oil sales and the lack of access to dollar financing will boost demand for yuan-denominated Shanghai futures," said BMI Research in a note on Monday. "With China deepening its energy ties with Iran and given Beijing's desire both to support the contact and  relatedly  to further internationalize the use of its currency, payment in yuan and benchmarking against Shanghai futures would seem logical." Oil market veteran John Driscoll told CNBC last week that Iranian traders have the option of trading in Chinese yuan-denominated crude oil futures on the Shanghai International Energy Exchange  circumventing any restrictions on dollar-denominated trade and U.S. banks.

Doubts about how long it will last

Some industry watchers remain skeptical over the long-term impact Iran will have on the Chinese futures, as Iranian crude is not deliverable into the Shanghai oil contract. Even so, interest in the Shanghai oil futures have surpassed expectations, with Chinese state-owned companies and foreign interests taking part in the trade. At least one oil sales agreement has been signed with state-owned major Sinopec, Reuters reported. "Concerns over heavy state dominance in the oil sector does not appear to be dampening participation in the contract, neither does its denomination in yuan and the added FX risks this brings," said BMI, adding that the futures are gaining tracing. "Beijing 's attempts to 'internationalize' the contract appear to have paid off," it added.

WATCH: Here's what drives the price of oil
The Italian right-wing Lega party denied reports that it's seeking a 250 billion euro ($ 296.16 billion) debt write-off if it becomes part of a power-sharing deal with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S).

Lega and the left-wing M5S have been locked in negotiations for more than two months, trying to find a political deal that would allow them to jointly govern Italy. This comes after a stalemate at national elections back in March where no party gained enough votes to go it alone.

According to the Huffington Post Italy, which cited a draft of their negotiations dated May 14, the two parties were seeking to ask the European Central Bank (ECB) for a debt haircut of 250 billion euros. It also included a request for a mechanism that would allow member states to exit the euro zone. However, an economics spokesman for Lega denied Wednesday that the request was ever in the draft program.

The report drove Italian borrowing costs higher earlier on Wednesday morning, meaning investors grew concerned about lending to the country's government. The yield on the 10-year paper hit a two-month high at 2.003 percent and the also rose to 0.007 percent. Investors have been monitoring the political developments in Italy on concerns that a populist government will bring further fiscal slippage. Italy is the euro zone country with the second-highest level of public debt at about 130 percent of its GDP (gross domestic product).
When Meg Conrad shops for baby products for her 3-month-old daughter, Elin, she always checks the label.

"I try to avoid products that have sulfates, parabens, phthalates and artificial fragrances," the 30-year-old Conrad said. "Everything you put on your skin gets absorbed into your bloodstream, so I want to protect my daughter from any harmful chemicals and toxins that could potentially be in products."

What won't you find in Conrad's bathroom? Johnson's Baby products. The 124-year-old iconic brand has contributed to a sales decline of 20 percent since 2011 in Johnson & Johnson's Baby Care unit, which includes Aveeno and other lines, to $1.9 billion last year. Sales in the first quarter of 2018 declined 14 percent in the U.S.

J&J says it's still the global leader in the category, but acknowledges it needs to make a change. So the company has redesigned the line to appeal more to moms like Conrad, with a plan to introduce it to stores in August.

"Perhaps because of our success, we became a bit complacent and did not want to mess with success, for lack of a better expression," Jorge Mesquita, worldwide chairman and executive vice president for J&J's $13 billion global consumer unit, said in an interview with CNBC. "Frankly, we failed to see evolving needs from millennial consumers, millennial moms, and we failed to evolve our model."

Conrad said she and other new parents care a lot about what's in their baby products.

"All of my friends who are having children are very focused on this, so I've actually gotten a lot of ideas from what my friends have used on their children and what's working for them," Conrad said.

Her brand of choice is Erbaviva, an organic line reportedly used by the Kardashians. Brands like Jessica Alba's Honest Co. are also gaining steam, according to market research provider Euromonitor International, with pledges that they're free from ingredients like phthalates and parabens.

J&J removed parabens, which are used as preservatives, from its baby line in 2015, and phthalates, often used to control a product's structure, in 2009, said Trisha Bonner, associate director of research & development at J&J Consumer.

But when J&J started the research for the line relaunch three years ago, it talked with thousands of moms, and discovered the brand needed to go further, she said.
Trudeau explained to the students that in order to ease some of the political divisions we face today, they will have to step outside of their own "ideological bubble" and work together.

"Here's the challenge I'm offering you today," he told graduates at New York's Yankee Stadium. "Our celebration of difference needs to extend to differences of values and beliefs, too. Diversity includes political and cultural diversity. It includes diversity of perspectives and approaches to solving problems."

Today, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a commencement speech to New York University's graduating class that encouraged students to be leaders who are accepting of diverse view points.

"As you go forward from this place, I would like you to make a point of reaching out to people whose beliefs and values differ from your own," he said. "Listen, truly listen, and try to understand them, and find that common ground."

He advised students to ask themselves one simple question when thinking about how they will impact the future: "Do you want to win an argument, or do you want to change the world?"

"There is no shortage of cynicism and selfishness in the world," he added. "Be their answer, their antidote. I am abundantly optimistic about the future because of you. It is yours to make and mold and shape."

In addition to addressing the class of 2018 students, 46-year-old Trudeau was also awarded with an honorary doctor of law degree from NYU.

The university praised him for being a prime minister who is focused on embracing "Canada's rich diversity, fighting climate change and achieving reconciliation with indigenous peoples." The institution also recognized him as a "proud feminist" and applauded him for appointing Canada's first gender-balanced cabinet.

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Don't miss: Oprah to the Class of 2018: 'Your job is not who you are'
If New York legalizes marijuana use, it could create a $3.1 billion market, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer told CNBC.

New York state would gain $435.7 million annually in tax revenue for legalized weed: New York City would get about $336 million, he said.

"This is a new revenue stream," Stringer said Wednesday on "Power Lunch." "This is going to impact the kinds of resources we'll have to invest in education, to invest in health care."

In April, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a plan to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. Currently, legislation to legalize marijuana use throughout New York is pending in Albany.

In a recent report, authored by Stringer, the comptroller broke down the revenue stream.

Calculating the number of adult pot users in both New York state and New York City proved difficult, since marijuana is currently illegal in the state. Instead, Stringer referenced Washington state and Colorado, two states where recreational marijuana use is currently legal, and adjusted for population size.

Stringer's report said that with 15.1 million adults living in New York state  6.5 million of them residing in the city  he estimated that between 8 and 10 percent are marijuana users. That's about 1.5 million users throughout the state, or 548,000 people in the Big Apple, the report said. And, based on those numbers, each marijuana user would spend about $2,080 annually on pot  money Stringer said would be filtered back into the economy.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a joint Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees hearing regarding the companys use and protection of user data, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 10, 2018.

Mark Zuckerberg declined an invitation to testify before U.K. officials, but he's agreed to meet with the EU Parliament as soon as next week.

"The Conference of Presidents has agreed that Mark Zuckerberg should come to clarify issues related to the use of personal data in a meeting with representatives of the European Parliament," Antonio Tajani, president of the European Parliament, said in a statement. "The founder and CEO of Facebook has accepted our invitation and will be in Brussels as soon as possible, hopefully already next week."

EU officials have issued some of the strictest regulation on Silicon Valley in recent months, most notably the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, that is requiring major tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google to significantly adjust privacy policies.

"Our citizens deserve a full and detailed explanation," Tajani said. "Web giants must be responsible for the content they publish."

Facebook is facing governmental probes from regulators around the world in the wake of reports that research firm Cambridge Analytica improperly gained access to the sensitive information of as many as 87 million Facebook users.

A spokesperson for Facebook confirmed Zuckerberg accepted the invitation to meet.

"[We] appreciate the opportunity for dialogue, to listen to their views and show the steps we are taking to better protect people's privacy," the spokesperson said.

Here's Tajani's full statement:

tweet with statement
Turkey's President Recep Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went at each other's necks via Twitter, accusing each other of brutality and human rights abuses.

The spat on Tuesday went down in the wake of violence on the Israeli-Gaza border on Monday during which Israeli forces killed at least 60 Palestinian protesters, coinciding with the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

Turkey's government loudly condemned the killings.

"Israel is wreaking state terror. Israel is a terror state," Erdogan said in a speech for state television Monday. "What Israel has done is a genocide. I condemn this humanitarian drama, the genocide, from whichever side it comes, Israel or America."

Tweet1

In response, Netanyahu shared some choice words for the Turkish president on Twitter, saying, "Erdogan is among Hamas's biggest supporters and there is no doubt that he well understands terrorism and slaughter. I suggest that he not preach morality to us."

Hamas is a militant Islamist group with a political arm that governs the Gaza Strip, and which the U.S. designates a terrorist organization. Israel has defended its actions, citing the need to defend its borders and protect its citizens from violence it said was directed by Hamas, which has killed hundreds of Israelis since the 1990s. Palestine says the protests were peaceful and the demonstrators unarmed.

Erdogan shot back at the tweet, writing, "Netanyahu is the PM of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenseless people's lands for 60+ yrs in violation of UN resolutions. He has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and can't cover up crimes by attacking Turkey."



Tweet2

"Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments," the president finished.

World leaders condemned and expressed concern over the deaths, while the U.S. squarely blamed Hamas and reiterated Israel's claim to self-defense.

Outside of Twitter, the leaders put their anger into actions: Turkey expelled Israel's ambassador and consul there, while Israel expelled the Turkish consul in Jerusalem. The officials were reportedly humiliated on their way out, forced to undergo strict security screening and invasive inspections.

Hamas officials have vocally encouraged the Gaza protests, though civil society groups and other unaffiliated Palestinians also played leading roles in the uprising. Protests have gone on for several weeks to mark the 70th anniversary of the "Nakbah," when residents of the occupied territories lost their land during the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948. Some 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes, and were not granted the right to return.

The UN classifies Israel as an occupier state over the Palestinian territories, whose occupations following the 1967 Six-Day War are still considered in violation of international law. More than 1.5 million Palestinians live in refugee camps across the Middle East today.

Both leaders have been roundly criticized by rights groups for human rights violations  Erdogan for state-sponsored violence against Kurdish communities as well as crackdowns on democratic freedoms, and Netanyahu for his policies toward the Palestinians.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Wednesday confirmed it had launched an investigation of a Tesla crash in South Jordan, Utah.

"Consistent with NHTSA's oversight and authority over the safety of all motor vehicles and equipment, the agency has launched its special crash investigations team to gather information on the South Jordan, Utah, crash. NHTSA will take appropriate action based on its review," the NHTSA wrote in an email.

Local police confirmed NHTSA representatives were already at the scene of the accident.

On Tuesday, the South Jordan Police Department received a report of a traffic crash involving a Tesla Model S and a fire mechanic truck. The driver of the Tesla, a 28-year-old woman, told police she had autopilot engaged and was staring at her phone before her car hit the truck at about 60 mph, police said.
North Korea may never end its nuclear weapons program, an expert on the Koreas told CNBC.

"Unless we come to a crisis point, North Korea will not change, it will not disarm," Sung-Yoon Lee, assistant professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, said Wednesday on "Power Lunch."

North Korea, Lee said, "will call for mutual disarmament talks and drag this process out so that it can gain more goodies from the U.S., from South Korea, from Japan and certainly from China and Russia, as it has in the past."

Early morning Wednesday, North Korean First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Kye Gwan said his country may reconsider the summit between North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, if the U.S. insists Pyongyang ceases its nuclear weapons program. North Korea had already canceled talks with South Korea.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said, "We'll have to see" if the historic meeting will still take place. The meeting, if it does occur, would be the first time a sitting U.S. president meets with a North Korean leader.

But Lee said the summit is not likely  at least not anytime soon.

"It's always tease, tease, tease," Lee said of North Korea's strategy.

"This is how North Korea tames its adversaries," Lee said. "North Korea is merely trying to increase, enhance its leverage in bargaining with the United States by doing this."

"What North Korea seeks is a drawn-out, open-ended, never-ending negotiating process, not an actual resolution to negotiations," he said.

Lee said Kim Jong Un is seeking a "negotiation process which will compel the Trump administration to make various concessions, like prematurely lifting sanctions."

Still, Lee said both Trump and Kim would benefit politically in the short term from the meeting.

"I think the meeting will eventually take place," Lee said. "We can see which party is more desperate for a meeting. Kim has far more to gain by playing this game once again and engaging the U.S. in a never-ending negotiation than Trump."
A South Korean soldier walks past a television screen showing pictures of US President Donald Trump (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a railway station in Seoul on March 9, 2018.

"They do this from time to time to create leverage going into negotiations," Collins said, noting that the North reacted similarly ahead of the 1994 Agreed Framework and the Six-Party Talks, which both addressed the rogue regime's nuclear program.

"I don't think this is a surprise. I actually think this is part of North Korea's playbook on negotiations," said Lisa Collins, a fellow with the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Despite throwing the widely anticipated June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump into doubt Wednesday, experts say North Korea will most likely still attend talks in Singapore to discuss the possibility of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea abruptly canceled talks with Seoul scheduled for Wednesday and threatened to walk away from the June summit with Washington, blaming the joint U.S. and South Korean military exercises in the region.

The North's state-run news agency described the ongoing military drills as a "provocation" and a test run for a future invasion.

Collins described Pyongyang's reaction to the planned military exercises as a "cover to express their dissatisfaction with a bunch of different issues."

"North Korea does normally take issue with military exercises, but these were announced several weeks ago and even the South Koreans said that Kim Jong Un was willing to overlook the U.S. and South Korean exercises happening in the region," Collins said.

The Pentagon said the U.S. training with the South Koreans is part of an "annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness."

"While we will not discuss specifics, the defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed," Defense Department spokesman U.S. Army Col. Rob Manning said in a statement Tuesday.

North Korea's withdrawal from talks with the United States would deal a major blow to what Trump has already described as his "proudest achievement"  denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

Joel Wit, a senior fellow at Columbia University's Weatherhead East Asian Institute and founder of 38 North, said the move from the North could be a way "to heighten tension around the upcoming summit."

"Just as how President Trump said he'd be willing to walk out of the meeting if it wasn't a good deal, I think they are sort of doing the same thing," Wit said. "I think it's part posturing but also a reflection of some serious substantive difficulties and differences that we need to have worked out before the summit. I mean, leaders don't just come to a meeting and negotiate with each other; everything is worked out beforehand."

Wit, who spent six years working on the Clinton-era Agreed Framework and another 15 years at the State Department engaged in arms control and non-proliferation issues, noted North Korea's aversion to national security advisor John Bolton.

Bolton, a former United Nations ambassador, penned an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal titled "The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First" weeks before becoming Trump's third national security advisor.
A stone's throw from London's busiest shopping district lies the Great Britain (GB) headquarters of one of the world's most recognized brands: Coca-Cola. Situated above a disused underground railway station on Wimpole Street near Oxford Circus, more than 200 Coca-Cola employees gather inside the renovated 1920s building each weekday.

Welcome to Coca-Cola's reception at its London offices. Fun fact, the light sculpture by Stuart Haygarth, features over 80,000 acrylic ice chunks and are suspended on ultra fine wires and illuminated by LEDs. Courtesy of Coca-Cola GB (Credit: Gilbert McCarragher)

Spanning four floors, the London bureau of one of the world's largest beverage makers is teeming with cultural references to the Coca-Cola brand, from the Coke bottle light bulbs and tabletop figurines made from aluminum cans, to a heritage wall that has memorabilia stretched over three storys. And that's exactly what designers MoreySmith wanted to achieve when designing the office. "It reflects our culture and brand, while celebrating our heritage as well as our future  so it shows where we've been over the past 130 years and where we're going to be," Sean Kellett, online content editor at Coca-Cola Great Britain, told CNBC Make It. He added that it was a "vibrant, modern office" that reflected the essence of London.

The three-storey Heritage Wall at Coca-Cola's GB HQ in London contains memorabilia from many decades  both old and new. Credit: Nikhilesh Haval (Courtesy of MoreySmith)

The drinks conglomerate dates back to 1886  the GB headquarters' heritage wall includes advertisements from the 1940s and beverage-themed album covers, alongside recently-commissioned art installations. A dose of daily inspiration for workers, if you will. Coca-Cola London has 21 meeting rooms, each kitted out with the latest technology for employees to get in touch with colleagues based around the globe. The office also features quiet rooms to large collaborative spaces. "The open plan makes it more collaborative. So, I think the idea is actually that you can go up and speak to your colleagues rather than just sending loads of emails. It's brought different teams together as well," Charlotte Davies, communications manager at Coca-Cola Great Britain, said.

An open-office plan layout at Coca-Cola's GB HQ in London Courtesy of Coca-Cola GB

"We are now in the West End, which means that you feel that there's a real buzz, so staff feel like they're in the thick of it. It's where a lot of big brands are, a lot of major agencies," she added, saying that after moving offices in 2014 from Hammersmith in west London, Wimpole Street feels like "the right place for a brand like Coca-Cola." With the London team responsible for more than 80 drinks across 20 brands, it's useful to receive input from colleagues before products go onto supermarket shelves. The London marketing team displays digital adverts in the office to get feedback from other members of staff. And there's even a fridge tucked away that contains yet-to-be-released, secret beverages.

An open-office plan layout at Coca-Cola's GB HQ in London Credit: Brown Brogue (Courtesy of MoreySmith)

Staff have access to an array of facilities that help promote a healthy lifestyle. The Wimpole Street office has changing rooms so those who cycle to work, or use one of the subsidized gym memberships nearby, can freshen up on-site. Also, its Contour Theater space has stepped-seating that can be used for exercises classes, presentations, watching movies or just having a conversation. The cafeteria offers a range of foods, from salads and sandwiches, to hot dishes  all at an affordable price. In fact, being a major consumer group, coffee, tea, fresh fruit and Coca-Cola's beverage brands are on every floor  a fingertip away for employees, and all of which are free.

At Coca-Cola's GB HQ, there's always time to sit down and chat with colleagues at lunchtime. Courtesy of Coca-Cola GB

Coca-Cola is one of many companies doing its bit to promote conservation, with sustainability a paramount responsibility for its London team. At Wimpole Street, the beverage giant has a number of features demonstrating its commitment to the environment, including floors made of reclaimed timber, electricity generated from solar panels and rainwater that's harvested. The office also has a rooftop terrace, that all employees can walk around and which features a living wall and bee-friendly plants dotted around, along with seating areas that have chairs made from recycled bottles.

At Coca-Cola's GB HQ, staff can relax out in the open on the roof terrace Courtesy of Coca-Cola GB
Oil prices may continue to rally past 3-year highs and all the way to $85 a barrel as soon as July, according to Pulitzer Prize-winning author and closely followed energy analyst Dan Yergin.

Prices in the oil market have been steadily rising since last year, fueled by strong demand and output caps imposed by major producers aimed at draining a global crude glut. More recently, oil futures have rallied faster than expected as geopolitical tensions rattle the market.

, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose toward $80 a barrel on Tuesday after hitting its highest level since November 2014.

Yergin said the cost could continue to climb due to the combined impact of falling output in crisis-stricken Venezuela, renewed U.S. sanctions on Iranian crude exports, and wars in Yemen and Syria that involve major oil-producing nations.

"We could see oil prices in July when demand is high ... several dollars higher than it is. We could see it as high as $85 at least for a short period of time," Yergin, vice chairman of IHS Markit, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday.

Yergin's remarks add an influential voice to a chorus of analysts warning about prices spikes. Goldman Sachs last week said Brent crude could spike above its $82.50 summer forecast, while Bank of America Merrill Lynch warned Brent could hit $100 a barrel by next year.

Yergin said he is particularly concerned about Venezuela, where the fundamentals of the oil market and geopolitics are both at play. Venezuelan output has fallen from almost 2.5 million barrels a day a couple of years ago to roughly 1.4 million barrels a day today, and could drop to 800,000 barrels a day by next year, he said.

"The screws are really tightening on Venezuela," said Yergin, who notes that ConocoPhillips is seeking to seize assets owned by state oil giant PDVSA and warns Sunday's presidential election threatens to draw fresh U.S. sanctions.

To be sure, the higher prices are a "big stimulus" for U.S. drillers, who could start pumping more, and Saudi Arabia can tap its spare capacity to meet demand, said Yergin. However, drillers in western Texas are facing bottlenecks and it's not yet clear whether the Saudis are willing to wind down their deal to limit production with their fellow OPEC members, Russia and other producers.

On Tuesday, Again Capital founder John Kilduff told CNBC he believes the Saudis could let U.S. crude prices, currently about $71 a barrel, run up to $80-$85 a barrel.
Demand for diesel and jet fuel will help push oil prices to $90 a barrel in 2020, according to Morgan Stanley.

The investment bank previously forecast Brent would average about $65 in each of the four quarters of 2020. Brent hit a three-and-a-half-year high at $79.47 a barrel on Tuesday. It hasn't risen above $90 a barrel since October 2014.

But Morgan Stanley warns that stockpiles of middle distillates, which include diesel and jet fuel, are nearing five-year lows as demand for the fuel grows. Refineries around the world are now struggling to keep pace with consumption, it says.

"Over the next few years, we expect tightness in one particular product  middle distillate  to lead to strength in one particular liquid, crude oil, and especially those crudes that look like Brent," Martijn Rats, Morgan Stanley's global oil strategist, said in a research note on Tuesday.
"It would be very hard to go out to Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest  look for fashion in our demographic and not find something from Lulus," said Winter, the CEO.

A large part of the brand's success has rested on its social media prowess, fostering a loyal shopper base frequently reminded of the brand's prevalence.

More than 85 percent of the website is Lulus-branded clothes, though it sells other brands like Free People. Lulus has also begun to sell its clothes in Nordstrom stores.

Founded in 1996 by Debra Cannon and daughter Colleen Winter, Lulus is an online website and fashion brand that caters to shoppers in their 20s. It calls its clothes fashionable and affordable  shoppers can buy a $96 champagne-colored maxi dress for a prom or a $52 wrap dress for graduation.

The fundraising demonstrates the continued bets that investors are willing to take on start-ups looking to take on the rapidly changing retail industry.

Fashion e-retailer Lulus said Wednesday it has raised $120 million from venture capital firm IVP and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

With its new funds, Lulus plans to support growth initiatives like building out its East Coast fulfillment center, going into new categories like shoes, and increasing its headcount.

It has no short-term plans for brick-and-mortar stores, but the company isn't ruling that out.

"We do think it might make sense at one point to have a couple of core outlets," Winter said.

Lulus has "been built on a foundation of profitability," said Winter. It has "a couple hundred" million in sales and has been profitable since its first year. It has been growing a rate of roughly 50 percent yearly and has "very meaningful" EBITDA margins.

Part of its focus on profitability is a culture born out of its Chico, California, headquarters, a town isolated from the piles of venture money in San Francisco and New York.

"Where funding is plentiful, you don't always operate discipline," said Eric Liaw, a general partner at IVP.

That culture includes a heavy reliance on data to help it more efficiently order clothes, sidestepping the burdensome costs of unused merchandise.

Still, many digitally native retailers, like Stitch Fix, have watched their profitability drop as the initial buzz from social media and word of mouth, forcing them to put in more marketing dollars to compete with easily distracted internet shoppers.

Lulus' focus on more methodically growing its shopping base, rather than explosive growth, should help it avoid unexpected profitability cliffs, said Winter. It has a passionate following among those who know the brand but remains under the radar among a broader set.

"We don't feel there's anything to yell from the rooftop," said Winter. "We know who we are  and our customers love us."

Longer term, an IPO is on the table, though not likely to occur in the next six months.

"Companies at [Lulus] scale and that are growing and are as profitable as they have historically been are attractive IPO candidates. That's something we will consider collectively, but we are certainly are in no hurry," said Liaw.

Should the company take the public route, Liaw pointed to U.K.-based online retailers Asos and Boohoo.com as public market reference points.

Other investors in Lulus include H.I.G. Growth Partners.
Congressman Lou Barletta (R - Pa.) waves to supporters after his victory in the 2018 Pennsylvania Primary Election. Getty Images

President Donald Trump backed two successful U.S. Senate nominees in Pennsylvania and Nebraska, which were among four states holding primaries Tuesday. The primaries began to settle swing state Pennsylvania's chaotic congressional landscape after a court fight ended with redrawn districts just three months ago. Among the more unusual results of Tuesday's primaries was the loss by Pennsylvania's Democratic lieutenant governor, Mike Stack, who was ousted by mayor John Fetterman.

Oregon and Idaho also held primary elections. Here's a look at some of the other interesting races:

Trump's picks prevail

Two of the president's favored candidates, Lou Barletta in Pennsylvania and Deb Fischer in Nebraska, won their U.S. Senate primaries.

Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., arrives in the Capitol for a vote on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. Bill Clark | CQ Roll Call | Getty Images

Barletta, currently a congressman, was heavily favored over state Rep. Jim Christiana to become the Republican challenger for Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is seeking a third term in November. Fischer, the incumbent, defeated four GOP challengers and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska. Her Democratic opponent is Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould. Barletta was a Trump supporter before the 2016 presidential nomination was settled. The loyalty won him Trump's early support in the Senate race, as well as recorded telephone calls last weekend featuring the president backing Barletta "fully, strongly and proudly." Early Tuesday afternoon, Trump tweeted: "Nebraska - make sure you get out to the polls and VOTE for Deb Fischer today!" Last week, Trump urged GOP Senate primary voters to support Rep. Jim Renacci in the Ohio Senate and oppose former coal company executive Don Blankenship in West Virginia. Renacci won and Blankenship lost.

Congressional district likely to flip

Mary Gay Scanlon won a 10-way Democratic primary in southeastern Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District, which is likely to flip to Democrats following a court-ordered redrawing of the state's congressional district boundaries. Scanlon is a longtime public interest lawyer and chair of the pro-bono committee at a Philadelphia-based law firm. She will face Republican Pearl Kim, a former state and county prosecutor, in November's general election in the now-Democratic-leaning district. The seat is open following the resignation of Republican Rep. Pat Meehan amid allegations he used taxpayer money to settle sexual harassment allegations by a former aide. Meehan had represented the Delaware County-based seat since 2010. It was widely viewed as among the nation's most gerrymandered until the court redrew it in February.

Incumbent lieutenant governor falls

Mike Stack became the first holder of the Pennsylvania lieutenant's office to lose in a primary election. John Fetterman, the Braddock mayor, won the five-way Democratic Party primary race for lieutenant governor Tuesday, meaning he will run on a ticket with Gov. Tom Wolf in the fall. Pennsylvania first started allowing lieutenant governors to serve a second term in the 1970s.

Fetterman had made a failed bid in 2016 for the U.S. Senate. Stack, a former Philadelphia state senator, has had a chilly relationship with Wolf in their first term together. Wolf last year ordered an investigation into the treatment of state employees by Stack and his wife and stripped Stack of state police protection.

Oregon chooses GOP candidate
SOFIA/BRUSSELS, May 16 (Reuters) - European leaders will seek to agree a common stance on Wednesday towards threatened U.S. import tariffs on steel and aluminium, balancing the views of those most fearful of a trade war and those determined not to be bullied into concessions.

U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed import duties of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminium on grounds of national security, but granted EU producers a temporary exemption until June 1 pending the outcome of talks.

French President Emmanuel Macron and other EU leaders, who meet for a summit in Bulgaria from Wednesday, have said the bloc will not negotiate with a gun held to its head.

Donald Tusk, who chairs the summits, said on Wednesday EU unity was key.

"Here again, unity is our greatest strength and my objective is simple - we stick to our guns," Tusk told a news conference before the dinner discussion. "This means a permanent exemption from U.S. tariffs on aluminium and steel if we are to discuss possible trade liberalisation with the US."

"The EU and US are friends and partners. Therefore US tariffs cannot be justified on the basis of national security. It is absurd to even think that the EU could be a threat to the United States."

In bitter comments, Tusk said Trump has rid Europe of "all illusions" with the trade dispute and by pulling out of an international agreement on Iran's nuclear programme.

He said on Twitter: "Looking at latest decisions of zrealDonaldTrump someone could even think: with friends like that who needs enemies. But frankly, EU should be grateful. Thanks to him we got rid of all illusions. We realise that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm."

EU diplomats say the need to find a unified stance goes beyond just tariffs. The United States has withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal, posing a threat to European companies doing business there, and has blocked appointments to the World Trade Organization, undermining its ability to settle trade disputes.

The debate will continue among trade ministers on Tuesday.

However, in the run-up to the June 1 deadline, Germany, mindful that its cars could be hit if the trade conflict deepens, has urged its EU partners to show more flexibility.

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, a former head of Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet, has acknowledged that finding a common stance with France and formulating an offer to the United States were "equally difficult".

The European Commission, which oversees trade policy for the 28 EU members, has insisted that the European Union be granted a permanent exemption without conditions.

It has also said it would respond to tariffs with its own duties on U.S. products, including motor bikes and whisky. It is expected to notify the WTO of its potential plans this week.

DON'T CALL IT TTIP

A steel industry source said there were signs in written correspondence it had seen that the mood had changed and that the Commission was more inclined to find a compromise.

The Commission has mooted the idea of negotiating an agreement with the United States to lower import duties, but only once the permanent exemption is granted.

The idea would be to dust off bits of the planned Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), on which negotiations were frozen after Trump came into office.

Such an agreement would be far simpler, limited largely to tariff reduction, and would not be known as "TTIP", a red rag to anti-globalisation protesters.

The EU view is that the first step would be an assessment of what both parties wish to negotiate, and then it would need EU members to approve a mandate. Negotiations proper could be years away.

Altmaier said the Europeans should discuss this regardless of any exemption.

One EU diplomat said Germany, and Altmaier in particular, risked undermining the Commission and that division would delight Washington.

"He's rubbing a lot of people the wrong way," the diplomat said. "What we think is important is that the ranks are closed... We're not going to pay with a free trade treaty with something that is illegal in the first place."

A further issue is that the United States has agreed permanent exemptions with countries such as Brazil and South Korea, but only by imposing import quotas instead of tariffs.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who talked with EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom again on Tuesday, has been on the phone to EU capitals telling them to accept export restraints, according to EU diplomats.

However, a number of trade specialists in Brussels say that quotas on industrial goods are not allowed under WTO rules and that, in any case, the EU demand is that no measures be imposed. ($1 = 0.8444 euros) (Additional reporting by Maytaal Angel in London, Writing by Philip Blenkinsop, Editing by Hugh Lawson)
May 16 (Reuters) - French energy company Total said on Wednesday it may pull out of the Iran South Pars 11 (SP11) energy project in light of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from an international nuclear deal and reinstate sanctions on Tehran.

Following is a list of deals and memoranda of understanding (MoU) that Iran has signed with foreign companies, which could be under threat amid speculation Washington may impose secondary sanctions on firms that continue to work with Tehran.

OIL AND GAS

* Total said on Wednesday it would pull out of the South Pars project and unwind all related operations by Nov. 4 "unless Total is granted a specific project waiver by U.S. authorities with the support of the French and European authorities."

The company had signed the South Pars deal in November 2016, becoming the first oil major to agree a big transaction with Tehran in the wake of the 2015 international nuclear agreement.

Industry sources said in October 2017 that China's top oil and gas company CNPC would consider taking over Total's stake in the project if the French company left.

* Norwegian oil and gas company DNO said in November 2016 it was the second Western energy company after Total to sign a deal with Iran under which it agreed to study the development of the Changuleh oilfield in western Iran.

* Shell signed a provisional deal in December 2016 to develop Iranian oil and gas fields South Azadegan, Yadavaran and Kish. But its annual report published in 2017 showed it had bought only three cargoes of Iranian oil since the easing of sanctions, in a sign of the legal difficulties hampering trade.

* South Korea's Daewoo Engineering and Construction (Daewoo E&C) signed a MoU in 2015 to carry out construction of an oil refinery in Bandar Jask on the southern coast of Iran.

* Norway's Aker Solutions signed a MoU in May 2016 to modernise the Iranian oil industry.

* Austria's OMV signed a MoU in May 2016 for projects in the Zagros area of western Iran and the Fars field in the south. In June 2017, OMV and Russia's Gazprom Neft announced a MoU to work in Iran's oil sector.

* Italy's Saipem signed MoUs in 2016 to cooperate on Iranian pipeline projects, upgrading of refineries and development of the Tous gas field in the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi.

* BASF's Wintershall oil and gas exploration arm signed a MoU with the National Iranian Oil Company in April 2016. In February 2017, it said it was in talks about a possible investment in Iran, but no decision was on the cards because of uncertainty over the status of economic sanctions.

* In January 2017, Iran named 29 companies from more than a dozen countries as being allowed to bid for oil and gas projects using a new, less restrictive contract model. The firms included Shell, Total, Italy's Eni, Malaysia's Petronas and Russia's Gazprom and Lukoil, as well as companies from China, Austria, Japan and elsewhere.

* Italy's Eni signed an agreement with Iran in June 2017 for feasibility studies to develop an oil field and a gas field.

* India's Oil and Natural Gas Corp Ltd in late February signed an initial non-binding agreement with an Iranian company to develop the Susangerd oilfield in the south of Iran, a company source said.

* The National Iranian Oil Company signed a deal in March with Russias Zarubezhneft to develop two oilfields in Iran fields, according to SHANA, the news site of the Iranian oil ministry.

RENEWABLES

* Norway's Saga Energy signed a 2.5 billion euro ($3 billion) deal in October 2017 to build solar power plants in Iran.

AVIATION

* U.S. planemaker Boeing agreed in December 2016 to sell 80 aircraft, including 15 Boeing 777-300ER long-range jets, to IranAir. Last month, Boeing said it had found new homes for jets it hoped to deliver to Iran this year, adding it had no Iranian deliveries scheduled or part of production this year.

* European planemaker Airbus said in December 2016 it had sealed a deal to sell 100 jets to IranAir. Only three have so far been delivered.

* Iran completed a deal in April 2017 to buy 20 aircraft from European turboprop maker ATR, half-owned by Airbus and Leonardo.

* Germany's Lufthansa said in April 2017 it was in talks with IranAir to provide catering, maintenance and pilot training.

* Iran's Aseman Airlines agreed in April 2017 to buy 30 Boeing 737 MAX jets.

* Iran's Zagros Airlines signed a MoU in June 2017 to buy 20 Airbus A320neo and eight A330neo aircraft.

* Iran Airtour signed a MoU in June 2017 for 45 Airbus A320neos.

RAILWAYS

* Germany's Siemens signed a contract in October 2016 to upgrade Iran's railway network. It was also to supply components for 50 diesel-electric locomotives to Iran.

* China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation, signed a 2.2 billion-euro deal in May 2017 with Iran's MAPNA for electrification of a high-speed rail line between Tehran and Mashhad, according to Iran's Financial Tribune newspaper.

* Iran's state rail company and its Italian counterpart, Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) signed a final agreement worth 1.2 billion euros in July 2017 to build a high-speed railway between the Iranian cities of Qom and Arak.

* French train maker and manufacturing group Alstom signed a deal in July 2017 for a joint venture to build metro and suburban rail carriages in Iran.

AUTOMOTIVE

* French carmaker PSA had signed Iranian production deals worth 700 million euros ($768 million) by May 2017. PSA said in January it sold 444,600 vehicles in Iran last year.

* Germany's Volkswagen said in July 2017 it would start exporting cars to Iran, returning to the market after more than 17 years. But the company said in October 2017 its Spanish arm Seat was no longer looking at the possibility of entering the Iranian car market.

* France's Renault said in August 2017 it had signed a joint venture deal in Iran following an initial partnership agreement a year earlier. The new venture included an engineering and purchasing centre to support the development of local suppliers as well as a plant with an initial production capacity of 150,000 vehicles a year, supplementing Renault's existing capacity of 200,000 vehicles a year in the country.

* Germany's Mercedes-Benz Trucks signed a contract with Iran Khodro in September 2017, laying the foundation for resuming distribution of its trucks in Iran.

* Autoneum, a Swiss maker of sound and heat shields for automobiles, in December 2017 announced a licensing deal for Iranian vehicle supplier Ayegh Khodro Toos to produce carpets, inner dashes and floor insulators for carmakers Iran Khodro and PSA, with production due to start in 2019.

BANKING

* Oberbank signed a deal with Iran in September 2017, enabling it to finance new ventures there and making it one of the first European banks to do so since sanctions were eased.

But major global banks have shied away from handling Iran-related business. Among them is HSBC, which has said it has no intention of doing any new business involving Iran.

HEALTHCARE

Danish insulin supplier Novo Nordisk decided in September 2015 to invest 70 million euros in a factory in Iran, adding 160 staff to the 130 it maintained in the country throughout the sanctions. Medicines were excepted from the sanctions but shipping drugs into the country was troublesome, due to tight curbs on financial transactions and restrictions on technology.

($1 = 0.8445 euros) (Compiled by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Arathy S Nair; Editing by Mark Potter)
May 16 (Reuters) - U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton has called for North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal in a deal that mirrors Libya's abandonment of its weapons of mass destruction in 2003.

An obvious difference between the two cases is that North Korea has developed nuclear weapons, which it has tested six times, while Libya never did.

North Korean officials have criticised his comments for similar reasons, casting doubt on next month's summit between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed after Libyans joined the 2011 Arab Spring protests, aided by NATO allies who had encouraged him to give up his banned weapons. It was an outcome that analysts have suggested will have been noted in Pyongyang.

Following are details of what happened in Libya:

BANNED WEAPONS ABANDONED

In December 2003, Libya agreed to give up nuclear, chemical, biological and missile programmes as a result of secret negotiations that included visits to Libyan weapons production sites where U.S.-British teams said they found a nuclear programme far more advanced than they had believed.

Tripoli had never managed to build a weapon or even enrich uranium, though the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found Libya did develop the know-how to make a small amount of plutonium, the ingredient used in the atom bomb the United States dropped on Nagasaki in 1945.

The surprise decision was part of efforts by Libya under Gaddafi to shed its reputation as an international pariah state, though Britain said it may have been prompted by the fate of Saddam Hussein, toppled by a U.S.-led invasion earlier in 2003.

Libya agreed to sign the IAEA's Additional Protocol authorising snap nuclear inspections and adhere to conventions governing chemical and biological weapons. It agreed to allow inspections of all weapons sites.

At the time, U.S. President George W. Bush appeared to have the nuclear programmes of North Korea, and Iran, in mind when he said: "I hope that other leaders will find an example in Libya's announcement today."

Libya sent equipment from its nuclear weapons programme, along with its longer-range missiles and launchers, to the United States for disposal.

WEAPONS PROGRAMMES

Libya had secretly produced weapons-grade nuclear material in a programme to make an atomic bomb that was more extensive than previously believed, according to the IAEA.

It said Libya relied on illicit atomic suppliers who skirted international sanctions to sell sensitive technology to states like Libya, Iran and North Korea.

The IAEA said Libya's nuclear programme began in the early 1980s.

British officials said Libya had "dual-use" sites - civilian facilities with the potential to support work on biological weapons. Libya denied this.

A senior U.S. official said Libya had acknowledged a chemical weapons programme and had "a significant quantity of mustard chemical agent".

Libya acknowledged materials, equipment and programmes, including centrifuges and containers for chemical material.

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS

The Libyan announcement was the second dramatic step it took in 2003 to restore its standing with the international community.

Tripoli earlier agreed to take responsibility for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and paid $2.7 billion to compensate the 270 people who died.

Bush formally ended the broad U.S. trade embargo on Libya to reward it for giving up weapons of mass destruction but left in place some sanctions related to terrorism. The European Union agreed to lift sanctions on Libya.

In March 2004, British Prime Minister Tony Blair sealed Libya's return to the world community with a historic handshake with Gaddafi in a ceremonial tent outside Tripoli.

Blair said Libya's rejection of banned weapons and rapprochement with the West could act as a template for other Arab nations to turn their back on Islamic extremism.

But later that year, Gaddafi said his country had been poorly recompensed for pledging to renounce banned weapons and this offered little incentive to other countries to follow suit. He returned to the theme in the years that followed.

"This should be a model to be followed. But Libya is disappointed because the promises given by America and Britain so that we could give up our capabilities were not fulfilled and therefore those countries are not going to follow Libyas example," he told the BBC in 2007, referring to Iran and North Korea.

In 2011, Gaddafi was chased out of Tripoli and later killed in Libya's Arab Spring revolution. NATO warplanes provided crucial support for the insurgents.

(Reporting by Giles Elgood, Editing by William Maclean)
SEATTLE, May 15 (Reuters) - Mexican state-run oil company Pemex expects to begin testing light crudes as soon as July for possible import, looking to boost margins at its domestic refineries, its chief executive said on Tuesday.

Pemex has for decades exported crude oil but has hardly ever imported the commodity, preferring to process domestic crudes at its six refineries in Mexico.

Pemex Chief Executive Officer Carlos Trevino said the company would likely seek imports resembling its proprietary Isthmus grade of light crude, the production of which has been declining in Mexico.

"We are going to start testing maybe in the third quarter," Trevino told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in Seattle.

"We are going to be looking for the cheaper mix ... We may be using the (West Texas Intermediate), something from the U.S., he said.

"What I personally expect is that we can find something very similar (to Isthmus)."

The company, one of the largest in Latin America, has said it was looking for lighter crude grades for its refining network, which is currently operating at around 48 percent of its 1.54 million barrel-per-day capacity.

Trevino reiterated that importing could be a temporary strategy, partly because of the oil it has been producing at its new Ixachi field in Veracruz.

"It's a lot of gas and very, very light crude so we expect to get more oil from that field, so maybe that will help us on the mix we are using for our refineries," he said.

Trevino also said Pemex's annual crude oil hedging program is set to cover about a third of annual production at a price of $51 per barrel, but he declined to elaborate.

The company was processing between 813,000-820,000 bpd as of Sunday, but expects to process an average 850,000 bpd for the rest of the year.

Pemex has increased processing levels at its Madero refinery and expects to "finish the starting up" of its Minatitlan facility this month, Trevino said. It may begin maintenance at its Cadereyta and Tula refineries later this year.

"We are going to be (processing) around 800,000 bpd at the end of the year," he added.

Trevino also said he expects Pemex's rate of replacement for its proven oil reserves in 2018 to be "pretty much the same or a little above" the 17.5-percent rate it achieved in 2017.

(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle Editing by Joseph Radford)
LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Iran said on Wednesday that new sanctions imposed on it by Washington were an attempt to derail efforts to save the 2015 nuclear deal by its remaining signatories following the U.S. withdrawal from the accord.

The U.S. Treasury on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Iran's central bank governor, three other individuals and an Iraq-based bank, a week after U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the deal Iran signed with world powers to curb its nuclear programme.

Iran has described the sanctions as illegal and has warned that if talks to rescue the accord fail, it would ramp up its nuclear programme to a level more advanced than before.

"With such destructive measures, the American government is trying to influence the will and decision of the remaining signatories of the JCPOA (nuclear agreement)," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying by Fars news agency.

British, French and German foreign ministers met in Brussels on Tuesday to see how they can save the nuclear deal without the United States, but appeared hard-pressed over how their companies could continue doing business with Iran once Washington begins to reimpose sanctions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the meeting had been a good start, but he wanted to see guarantees materialise.

The Europeans and Iranians have now tasked experts to come up with measures quickly and will meet again in Vienna next week. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
* Brent crude seen averaging $71.22/bbl in 2018; $71.26/bbl in 2019

* Expectations for 2018 represent a 6 pct increase from April poll

* U.S. crude seen averaging $66.62/bbl in 2018; $67.09/bbl in 2019

May 16 (Reuters) - Brent crude prices will sustain levels above $70 a barrel for longer, as U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran is likely to tighten supply, a Reuters poll of analysts showed on Wednesday. A survey of 11 analysts showed Brent crude prices were likely to average $71.22 a barrel this year and $71.26 in 2019, a sharp increase from the $67.40 and $66.39-per-barrel levels forecast in the April poll. Brent has averaged about $69 a barrel this year thus far and nearly touched $80 a barrel this week. "Oil markets should become tighter due to a lower output from Iran, coupled with an ongoing contraction in Venezuelan output and OPEC cuts," said Daniela Corsini, commodity market economist at Intesa Sanpaolo in Milan. U.S. light crude was seen averaging $66.62 a barrel this year and $67.09 a barrel in 2019. This compares with an outlook for $63.23 per barrel in 2018 and $62.16 in 2019 in our April poll. Last week, Trump pulled the United States out of a 2015 international nuclear pact with Iran, and plans to reimpose U.S. economic sanctions on the country. That has cast uncertainty over global oil supplies, and investors lately have been betting on prices exceeding $80 or $90 a barrel, though European nations are not likely to follow suit as they did during the Obama administration. Five of the 11 analysts polled expected a supply reduction from Iran of between 300,000 to 500,000 barrels per day (bpd), while exports from the country were expected to drop by a maximum of 700,000 bpd by the first half of 2019. The nation currently produces 3.8 million bpd. Oil prices are hovering near 3-1/2-year highs, having jumped over 70 percent over the last year, boosted by rising demand and a deal to curb output by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led by Saudi Arabia and other producers, including Russia. The International Energy Agency on Wednesday warned that demand could be sapped "Global oil inventories are already either below or at the five-year average. This means that the market will have little cushion against any other unexpected production outage at a time when geopolitical risks abound. These risks can come from Libya, Nigeria and Venezuela," said Shakil Begg, head of Thomson Reuters Oil Research and Forecasts. A global oil glut has been virtually eliminated, figures published by OPEC showed on Monday, with Venezuela, whose output has plunged due to an economic crisis, reporting production fell to 1.5 million bpd in April, lowest in decades.

A majority of analysts said OPEC was unlikely to prematurely end its output curbs, while some analysts said the imposition of trade restrictions could affect compliance levels and provide countries like Saudi Arabia and Russia an opportunity to regain market share. Commerzbank and Emirates NBD had the lowest 2018 Brent price forecast at $69 a barrel, while Nomisma Energia had the highest forecast for the year at $75.41.

Brent ($/barrel) WTI ($/barrel) Brent ($/barrel) WTI

($/barrel)

2018 2019 2018 2019 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q12018 2018 2018 2019 2018 2018 2018 2019Mean 71.22 71.26 66.62 67.09 72.53 72.39 72.1270.31 67.68 68.37 67.85 66.27Median 70.50 71.00 66.65 68.00 73.00 71.00 73.1071.00 68.00 68.00 67.70 65.00Highest 75.41 83.81 69.21 77.81 75.48 78.87 80.5375.00 69.00 73.37 75.53 72.00Lowest 69.00 61.00 64.00 58.00 69.90 70.00 65.0063.00 65.10 65.00 61.00 60.00Spread 6.41 22.81 5.21 19.81 5.58 8.87 15.5312.00 3.90 8.37 14.53 12.00No. of Forecasts 11 9 10 9 11 11 11 8 10 10 10 7

(Reporting by Vijaykumar Vedala in Bengaluru; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
(Adds comments by ex-CEO, background)

ZURICH, May 16 (Reuters) - Ex-Novartis Chief Executive Joe Jimenez regrets rushing into a $100,000-per-month consulting contract with U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer but said post-election uncertainty over the administration's healthcare ideas put pressure on the Swiss drugmaker to sign a deal quickly. "There should have been more due diligence," Jimenez said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.

"There was scarcity of asset, right? I mean, there were very few people who knew the people that were being placed in a lot of jobs."

Novartis was looking for help understanding the Trump administration's thinking and was referred to Cohen by a third party, Jimenez said, declining to name this person.

Jimenez said he also made a mistake in not seeking to end payments to Michael Cohen immediately after Novartis quickly determined that he would be of little help.

Cohen was eventually paid $1.2 million by Novartis for the one-year deal that prompted the drugmaker's top lawyer to resign on Wednesday.

Novartis General Counsel Felix Ehrat quit, saying the contract with Cohen was legal but ill-advised.

Jimenez, whose pay topped $11.3 million in 2017, remains on the Swiss company's payroll after stepping down as CEO on Feb. 1 to make way for successor Vas Narasimhan. He said his formal ties to Novartis would end soon when a notice period expires.

Novartis and AT&T, which also made a payment to Cohen's firm Essential Consultants, were both contacted by the office of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller about the situation in late 2017, part of his investigation into alleged Russian meddling into the presidential election a year earlier.

Jimenez said he was personally interviewed by Mueller's team over Novartis's payments.

He said the Cohen episode had nothing to do with his departure from the company.

"Absolutely not," Jimenez told Reuters, adding he had informed the Novartis board in early 2017 that he was likely to leave. "We had no idea this was going to turn into this kind of a situation."

At an investor event at Novartis headquarters in Basel on Wednesday, Narasimhan apologised again over what he said was the drugmaker's latest ethical blunder and pledged the company would do better.

Since 2015, Novartis has paid hundreds of millions in settlements and fines as a result of kickback allegations in South Korea, the United States and China and faces an investigation of alleged bribery in Greece.

A trial for another U.S. kickbacks case is scheduled for 2019. Novartis disputes the allegations.

Jimenez, who said he spoke with Cohen on the phone but never met him, said his real mistake was to continue payments after Novartis concluded Trump's attorney could not deliver useful insights that he had promised.

OVERSOLD

"After my team spent some time with him, it was then clear he had oversold his abilities," he said. "We wanted to terminate the contract at that point, but in the end we decided there would be almost-certain litigation."

"This was the mistake," Jimenez said. "We should have just ended our relationship at that point, regardless of what it was going to cost us."

After the one meeting in New York with Novartis staff, Cohen occasionally contacted Novartis, at one stage suggesting it build a new U.S. factory. "We didn't act on any of his recommendations," Jimenez said.

The Novartis payments were first mentioned last week by Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for pornographic actress Stormy Daniels, who says she had a one-time sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 and was paid $130,000 by Cohen in October 2016. Trump denies having sex with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. (Editing by Michael Shields)
Southwest Airlines carries more passengers within the United States than any other airline. Now it's looking to fly outside the U.S., including to destinations in South America.

Southwest's CEO Gary Kelly told shareholders on Wednesday that 96 percent of the carrier's flying is domestic and that it only serves 14 international destinations currently. But there are as many as 50 other destinations in North America and parts of South America that it could serve, he said.

"Not all next year," Kelly said. "It may take us 25 years."

While such an expansion could be many years a way, a move to northern South America could include destinations in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, where tourism has grown in recent years. Southwest's core market is leisure travelers. An expansion to South America could follow similar network growth to the region by competitors like Spirit and JetBlue, and possibly put it in competition with large U.S. airlines like Delta, United and American.

Southwest is focused this year on growing its domestic network. Last year it announced its plans to offer service to Hawaii. Kelly said the goal is to sell flights to the islands by the year's end. The airline is in the process of revamping its fleet with new Boeing 737 MAX, a more fuel-efficient model of Boeing's best-selling plane.

Southwest last month announced it would not only fly to Hawaii from California but that it would fly between the islands, sending shares of Hawaiian Airlines tumbling.
ADNOC Distribution, the largest fuel and convenience retailer in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), can play a role in the region's economic transformation, its deputy chief executive told CNBC Wednesday.

"We gain and we succeed through the investment, not just of ADNOC, but across the UAE region and I think it's very good for the region and the volume and margin growth opportunities for the future," John Carey told CNBC's Hadley Gamble.

"Our job within ADNOC is very clear, to deliver on the promises we made to our investors, we have brought foreign investment into the region, building that credibility, building that position, and delivering the results like we've done in the first quarter, that clearly is our role," he said.

Carey's comments come after ADNOC Distribution reported Wednesday a 12.1 percent rise in net profit for its first quarter, from the same period a year ago.

Net profit came in at 542.2 million UAE dirhams ($147.6 million) for the first quarter, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 24.9 percent year-on-year to 702.8 million UAE dirhams.
The question was once again brought into sharp focus Wednesday by the release of Trump's annual financial filing with the Office of Government Ethics, which requires top officials to disclose their assets, income and liabilities.

At issue is whether the payment to Daniels was a personal legal expense or a loan from Cohen that would benefit the Trump campaign in the final weeks of the race against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Following initial denials from Trump that he knew of the payment, the president's recently hired attorney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, told Fox News host Sean Hannity earlier this month that Trump had reimbursed Cohen and that the payment was "perfectly legal" and did not violate campaign finance law.

"It's not campaign money. No campaign finance violation. They funneled through a law firm and the president repaid it," Giuliani said.

In a separate interview the next day on the Fox News program "Fox & Friends," Giuliani insisted the hush money was paid "for personal reasons."

"The president had been hurt personally, not politically, personally so much  and the first lady  by some of the false allegations," he said. "That one more false allegation 6 years old, I think [Cohen] was trying to help the family."

But later in the same interview, Giuliani conceded that the payment clearly had a political component.

"Imagine if that came out of Oct. 15, 2016, in the middle of the last debate with Hillary Clinton?" he said. "Cohen made it go away. He did his job."

Trump's annual financial filing, released Wednesday, includes conflicting characterizations of the Cohen payments.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that "we'll have to see" if a planned summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un will still take place, as Pyongyang threatens to pull out of the meeting.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, the president stressed he would still insist on the isolated regime dismantling its nuclear program. Asked if Kim is bluffing by suggesting he could pull out of the summit, Trump responded, "we'll see what happens."

"We haven't been notified at all," the president said.

In an earlier statement delivered by a state news agency, North Korean First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Kye Gwan said Pyongyang would reconsider the meeting if the U.S. insists on denuclearization. The summit is set for June 12 in Singapore.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday his reversal on Chinese company ZTE only relates to a "larger trade deal" his administration seeks with Beijing.

Top Trump administration officials such as Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had tried to separate the president's push to boost the telecommunications company from trade talks with China. Ross this week called it an "enforcement" issue, not a trade dispute.

Trump's public statements have muddled that message.

In a series of tweets Wednesday morning, the president said "there has been no folding" on his pledges to crack down on Chinese trade practices. He said high-level meetings on the U.S.-China trade relationship "haven't even started yet."

Trump also argued that the U.S. "has very little to give" in talks "because it has given so much over the years." He added: "China has much to give!"

Trump tweet: The Washington Post and CNN have typically written false stories about our trade negotiations with China. Nothing has happened with ZTE except as it pertains to the larger trade deal. Our country has been losing hundreds of billions of dollars a year with China...

Trump tweet: ...We have not seen China's demands yet, which should be few in that previous U.S. Administrations have done so poorly in negotiating. China has seen our demands. There has been no folding as the media would love people to believe, the meetings...

Trump tweet: ...haven't even started yet! The U.S. has very little to give, because it has given so much over the years. China has much to give!

Last month, the Trump administration barred U.S. companies from selling to ZTE for seven years. The ban came in response to the company's shipping of American goods to Iran and North Korea in violation of sanctions. It effectively crippled ZTE.

On Sunday, the president said he instructed his Commerce Department to find a way to help the telecommunications equipment maker "get back into business, fast." "Too many jobs" were lost in China, the president added.
Amid all the scrutiny this week of Trump confidantes cashing in on their relationships with President Trump, just about everyone in Washington has weighed in: Yes, it's corruption! No, it's just Washington being Washington! Yes, Trump is drowning in the swamp! White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders argues that payments by AT&T to President Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen really represent "the definition of draining the swamp" because the Trump Administration didn't let the payments stop the Department of Justice from taking steps against the AT&T/Time Warner merger. But one aspect of all this remains relatively unexplored: How does President Trump himself feel about his former employees cashing in under his name? According to people who know the president well, Trump has a number of unwritten rules for his associates who are looking to profit from their long association with him  or even their short spin through the White House security gates.

You must be successful

This is a president who views life through a lens of financial success. So he doesn't have a problem with former associates profiting from his persona. Where previous presidents might have seen distasteful selling out, Trump sees lots of his guys  and they're overwhelmingly guys  building art-of-the-deal style fortunes for themselves. "As long as you can say you're kicking ass and being successful under Trump's name, he's fine with it," says one former Trump campaign aide. Remember, political consulting is not lobbying. As a political consultant, you deal with your clients and give advice about how to frame messages, who to call, and how the president thinks about an issue privately. As a lobbyist, you are the one making the calls  to the White House, to Congress and to the executive branch agencies. You are expected to move the policy decisions in the direction of your client, and therefore your client has some way to measure whether you're successful or not. As a political consultant, there really is no way to measure success. And what appear to be powerful insights to a company grasping for information about a president can actually be pretty light work.

"Sometimes you don't even need to call over to the White House - if you've spent a year on the campaign trail with these people, you know them pretty well," says one person who knows the business. "You know who's handling what. And you know how your client can approach them in a way that will resonate." The former Trump campaign aide sees Cohen's interaction with AT&T - which the company has since said was a mistake - as actually "somewhat brilliant." "It was like paying for a jury consultant," the aide says. "What the f--- do you think happens every day in this town? All these other people are giving money to actually go do something  pay them off, throw them a fundraiser." The key is not to build in too much overhead, insiders say. A number of political consultants work from home, or from their cars and restaurants around town. One veteran of the space gives this advice: "What you want is a monthly retainer, not an hourly deal, because it's a pain in the ass to keep track of the hours." The traditional going rate for this kind of work is anywhere between $15,000 and $50,000 per month. But some former Trump aides have been able to charge as much as $100,000 per month, because clients were starved for information on the new president.

Never create a bad story

But all that success comes with a caveat: If the work draws any negative attention  a "bad story" in Trump parlance  the president could cut off access, publicly distance himself, or spread the word that you are out of favor. This is something of a gray area, because it's never entirely clear to former aides and staffers what the president will have a problem with. In one recent case, a prominent Trump supporter was barred from a presidential fundraiser because Trump's aides decided he had become a political liability. There's one giant exception that proves this rule: Michael Cohen himself. Disclosures about the president's former lawyer's payouts from companies including AT&T and Novartis have been front and center for a week, creating a quintessential "bad story" for Trump. The president seems to have little respect for Cohen, routinely mocking him in private. That's why White House aides are flummoxed by the president's ongoing relationship with his New York fixer, who has broken this key rule and yet the president will not break with him. One way to keep from embarrassing the president is to stay well within the norms of Washington DC's already pliable consulting and lobbying regulations. Cohen didn't do that, even with his big-name corporate clients. "If Novartis entered into a contract for $1.2 million sight unseen, that is unbelievable to me. I have never heard of anything like that," says one long-time Republican operative.

Never say you influence Trump
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note hit a new multiyear high Wednesday, topping 3.1 percent for the first time since July 8, 2011. The two-year Treasury note yield also notched a new multiyear high of 2.593 percent, its highest since August 11, 2008. The 10-year Treasury yield ticked higher in late afternoon trading, adding to its sizable climb over the past two days; the rate remains up roughly 10 basis points since Monday morning. The 10-year Treasury rate is especially important given its role in helping set rates for a whole range of business and consumer loans, including home mortgages. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was also higher at 3.22 percent. Bond yields move inversely to their prices.

Treasurys

The recent climb in yields comes amid a flood of economic data this week. On Wednesday, the Commerce Department said that U.S. homebuilding and permits stumbled in April, reversing March's rise and hinting at a persistent shortage in both land and skilled labor. Housing starts dropped 3.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.287 million units in April, the department said on Wednesday. However, data for March was revised upward to show starts rising to a 1.336 million-unit rate instead of the previously reported 1.319 million-unit rate. Building permits fell 1.8 percent to a rate of 1.352 million units, just better than the 1.35 million economists polled by Reuters predicted. Reports on retail sales and factory data Tuesday helped lift the U.S. 10-year yield on Tuesday, in turn weighing on U.S. stock markets amid fears it could undercut stock valuations. The Commerce Department report said retail sales increased 0.3 percent in April, while March's figure was revised up to a 0.8 percent gain. The spending gains were spread broadly across the retail industry, with big gains at furniture and clothing stores. "The fact that retail sales were solid certainly provided a tipping point for 10-year yields, something we expected could happen," wrote Ian Lyngen, head of U.S. rate strategy at BMO Capital Markets. "However, we'll argue that it's the broader expectations of stimulus and growth that have pulled yields this close to key levels."
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Third Tuesday of the month and its time for bug fixes and Monthly Rollup Previews, right?

Well, no. Mays Third Tuesday brought a big bag of .Net Framework Previews, microcode patches for Win10 1803 and Server 2016, and a Win10 1803 upgrade nag, but no respite at all for the major problems introduced by this months earlier patches.

The .Net Framework Previews

Unless youre testing your own .Net-based software to make sure it wont explode next month, you dont need to think about these. Theres the usual assortment of Previews for .Net Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7 and 4.7.1 for all the usual versions of Windows and Server.

The Win10 1803 upgrade privacy warnings

There are two patches  KB 4134660 for Win10 1703 and KB 4134661 for Win10 1709  whose purpose eludes me. The KB articles say:

This Windows update provides a notification of an improved privacy experience on upgrade to the Windows 10 April 2018 release This update will be downloaded and installed automatically.

 and thats it. Microsofts improved privacy experience in 1803 isnt much. Martin Brinkmann, who literally wrote the book about Win10 privacy, puts it this way:

Microsoft's description is vague and it is not clear right now what these updates do when they are installed. The most likely explanation is that they inform users about the improved privacy options during setup which Microsoft added to Windows 10 version 1803. Microsoft added two new switches to the privacy options during Windows 10 Setup: Find my device and improve inking & typing. Find my device uses the device's location data to inform you where it is in case you misplaced it or in cases where it has been stolen. Improve inking & typing on the other hand defines whether inking and typing data is submitted to Microsoft. The description suggests that the update is not essential when it comes to the upgrade experience to Windows 10 version 1803 as it appears to add no fixes for existing issues.

Which leads me to believe that KB 4134660 and KB 4134661 are two more upgrade-begging patches that you neither need nor want. After the Get Windows 10 debacle, and the "oops" forced upgrades from 1703 to 1709, I want no part of it.

Spectre v2 microcode updates

As I noted on May 4, when Microsoft hurriedly released Win10 version 1803 at the end of last month, it forgot to include the Meltdown/Spectre fixes that are in Win10 1703 and 1709. With KB 4100347, it appears as if Microsoft has finally released the Spectre V2 microcode patches for Win10 1803 and Server 1803  but only for Intel Kaby Lake, Coffee Lake, Broadwell, SkyLake, Haswell, Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge processors.

Of course, there are no known Spectre V2 attacks in the wild.

The strange Surface  HIDClass 4/26/2018 12:00:00 AM  3.3.206.0 driver

Ive seen reports from many people who say theyre getting this bizarre Surface driver update, even though they dont run, or have, or even want a Surface. Gunter Born has tracked it down on his Borncity blog:

Currently strange things are happening on Windows systems again. Windows Update suddenly offers users a Surface  HIDClass 4/26/2018 12:00:00 AM  3.3.206.0 driver update. Surface device owners will accepting this update. But owners of normal Windows desktop devices are amazed at least, because what is this driver update for? If you search the Internet for this device ID, you will find many websites that offer the driver for download. But that doesnt get you anywhere. The best source is this GitHub address, which contains an extract from an .inf file. ; itpcdless.inf ; Driver for plug and play installations of USB Input Devices ; Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Ends up that the Surface  HIDClass driver is for Microsoft USB keyboards. It has nothing to do with Surface.

Where are the Monthly Rollup Previews?

On the third Tuesday of the month, were traditionally treated to previews of the next months Win7 and 8.1 Monthly Rollups. Not so this month. Nobody seems to know why.

What about the big bugs introduced this month?

Nothing. Zilch.

I was hoping for a fix for the truly embarrassing Win10 1803 solid-state drive bugs, where Win10 1803 crashes and burns on Intel SSD 600p, SSD Pro 6000p, Toshiba XG4, XG5 and BG3 solid-state drives.

Redeeming social value: Microsoft now acknowledges the problems.

Theres no mention of the Win7/Server 2008R2 bug that clobbers network drivers. Worth noting: The 0patch organization has already released a fix for the VBScript 0day fixed in this months Win7 patch. You have to wonder why Microsoft hasnt done something similar, if only as a stopgap.

Im also seeing reports of a nasty Desktop Windows Manager crash after installing the May Monthly Rollup, a perpetual reboot loop, and lots of miscellaneous problems.

The hunt for bugs  and solutions  continues on the AskWoody Lounge.
Charley Jarrett: Why all council wards should be multi-member  and how to end one-party councils

Charley Jarrett has been a member of the Lambeth Conservatives for fourteen years, where he was a candidate in 2014 and 2018. He is also the policy and public affairs officer of the Electoral Reform Society.

Most the problems Harry Phibbs identified last week, in calling for multi-member wards to be abolished, would be resolved  and often better resolved  with a shift to the voting system used in Scottish and Northern Irish local elections.

STV is a candidate-centred preferential voting system, with a strong constituency link, where multi-member districts elect several representatives. As Phibbs identifies, Labour has won every single seat in Newham three elections in a row  often on 60 per cent of the vote.

While this makes them worthy of a majority, it does not make them worthy of having no opposition whatsoever.

Under STV, in a three-member ward where a Conservative candidate could get over a quarter of the votes, they would be elected, providing our voters with the representation they deserve  representation so often locked out under the current system.

The Electoral Reform Society has long argued that the expense and bureaucracy of running elections three years in every four, for three-upone-down councils, should end  not least as they also result in lower turnout, as voters get election fatigue. STV would end this.

And it would also reduce the practice of free-riding councillors. As Conservatives, we know the value of competition in driving up standards. STV nurtures this competition. With single-member wards, there would still be uncompetitive seats where an incumbent councillor is all but guaranteed re-election, simply because of their party label. They are a closed list of one.

Yet with STV, incumbents and newcomers alike would need to compete  in picking up casework, championing local issues and ensuring excellent service provision  not just against candidates from other parties, but from their own too, to ensure their election.

The stitch-up of uncompetitive wards (whether elected by voters using one x or three) in the single-member ward proposal would not help many London Conservatives who want to represent their neighbourhood, no matter how much they might want to do so, if they live in one of our citys many areas dominated by Labour even during years when the swing is in our favour. A proportional distribution of seats within multi-member wards would achieve this more effectively.

The strongest argument against multi-member constituencies Phibbs highlights is on alphabetical bias  or donkey voting. But there are less drastic solutions to this than moving to single-member wards  such as randomising the order candidates appear on the ballot paper, as happens in Australia.

Proportional voting in Scotland, including STV for locals, sustained our party in Holyrood and in town halls, even during our Westminster-level wipe-out  laying the ground for last Junes spectacular comeback.

Phibbs muses that half-sized single-member districting might have produced Conservative winners on Thursday, in wards where we lost by a few hundred votes.

Perhaps he has more intimate knowledge of their activists polling district tallies than I do, but I would much prefer STVs guarantee that if a hardworking Conservative candidate can get more than a quarter of the votes in a three-member ward, those voters would get a Conservative councillor. Indeed, Rahima Khan, our Mayoral candidate in Newham, has joined Conservative Action for Electoral Reforms calls for local PR.

Ending one-party states is good for people not just as voters, but as taxpayers too. As I have mentioned previously on Conservative Home, research shows that one-party state councils are missing out on 2.6 billion a year in savings  research I was pleased to see local Tories using in our election literature this year, in Lambeth and in Camden.

We have identified the problem: now lets embrace the solution, and introduce a truly competitive system for council elections.
Nick Boles in a former Planning Minister and Education Minister, and is MP for Grantham and Stamford.

A Brexit that works: its not much of a rallying cry, I admit. But its what the British people need and what the overwhelming majority of Conservative MPs want to achieve. Although there are a few zealots on both sides of the debate, most people in the parliamentary party are pragmatists. We want to deliver the referendum result without damaging business confidence, the unity of the United Kingdom or peace on the island of Ireland. Because we are not seduced by dreams of a Brave New World, we are cautious about giving up current advantages for the untried and untested. But we also know that just because something hasnt been done before doesnt mean it cant be done in future, and are optimistic that time, imagination and a spirit of constructive collaboration with our European partners should enable us to develop and implement modern systems that work.

It is right that we aim to replace our membership of a customs union with the EU with a new arrangement that gives us the freedom to run our own independent trade policy. But we should not rush this tricky fence. As Conservatives, we prize our reputation for prudent economic management above all else. The only thing that would guarantee a Corbyn victory in 2022 would be if we sacrificed the economic wellbeing of the British people on the altar of some half-baked fantasy of borderless free trade. We must not put the success of our car, aerospace or pharmaceutical manufacturers in jeopardy to meet an artificial political deadline.

That is why I am proposing an extension of the transitional customs union that we will join when we leave the EU in March of next year. I believe it should last for a maximum of three years until the end of March 2022 (though we could bring it to an earlier close if the new arrangements are ready sooner.) That way we can still deliver Brexit in full by the time of the next election, while giving British business the benefit of a gradual transition to a robust new system.

On Monday, Conservative MPs were told that the technologies and systems to deliver maximum facilitation at the UK border are novel, and will not be fully operational by the end of the transition in December 2020. I am happy to support the Prime Ministers decision about our future customs arrangement  so long as she adjusts the political timetable to reflect the reality on the ground. But if the Government insists on driving through an unrealistic policy simply to satisfy the demands of a few of my more ideological colleagues, I will find myself in the division lobbies voting against my government for the first time in my parliamentary career.

Last year, I left hospital in a wheelchair after an especially nasty bout of chemotherapy to vote for the bill that triggered Article 50 and the start of Brexit negotiations. I did so because I believe that it is my solemn duty to respect the result of the referendum and deliver Britains exit from the European Union. I am still determined to discharge that duty. But I will not vote for speculative measures that will harm British businesses and cause chaos at our borders. I will vote for a Brexit that works.
One of the most important features of the process of devolution is how it draws supposedly unionist parties into trying to one-up the actual separatists in their belligerent attitude towards British institutions.

Most recently, this more powers! reflex has manifested itself in two important ways. It has induced the Scottish Conservatives to indulge the SNPs nonsense about a Westminster power-grab against the devolution settlement; and it has just led Labour and Liberal Democrat MSPs to row in behind Nicola Sturgeons veto of the Withdrawal Bill.

That the First Minister has managed to hold onto them is, in some ways, quite remarkable. The idea that the Government was secretly plotting against devolution was useful nonsense which allowed Edinburgh and Cardiff to squeeze a great many very damaging concessions out of Westminster.

But having won those concessions, the Welsh Assembly has given consent to the Bill. Wales, which has a Labour/Liberal Democrat government. Yet their party comrades in Scotland have decided instead to support the SNPs version of events  events engineered by the Nationalists with the sole intention of trying to rouse the ire of the Scottish public against the British state.

Sturgeon gambled heavily on the popular idea that Scottish voters would not abide being dragged out of the EU in the immediate aftermath of the referendum, and their stubborn quiescence has cost her dearly. It makes sense for the SNP to try and pain this conflict in the most dramatic possible terms. It is more difficult to see how supposedly unionists parties can justify supporting her, now that the Welsh have scotched threat to devolution fiction.

Despite some excitable headlines, this is not a constitutional crisis. The British constitution is actually pretty well-engineered to avoid those, despite Tony Blairs various initiatives. The sovereignty of Parliament is an elegant mechanism which allows for the resolution of any dispute, and the unblocking of any jam in the system, if the will is there.

Theresa May is right to push on with the Withdrawal Bill. As she said in a speech shortly after becoming leader, it is important for the Government to defend the role and prerogatives of UK institutions. To bow before the SNPs conjured veto would be to send yet another signal that government by our united Parliament were somehow illegitimate.

But the Government should tread carefully nonetheless. With Labour and the Liberal Democrats providing them with the appearance of a popular front, the Nationalists may be better able to stir up anti-Westminster feeling than they could when pitching for independence, which remains unpopular.

Finally, these events should prompt some re-thinking amongst the Scottish Tories. For whilst Ruth Davidsons troops have rightly chosen to fight the Scottish Government over the Withdrawal Bill, they were playing the same game as their Labour and Lib Dem counterparts when they colluded with, and thus bolstered the credibility of, the SNPs line about a threat to devolution.
CORNWALL, Ontario  The Ontario Law Enforcement Torch Run is the largest grass-roots fundraiser supporting the Special Olympics.

For 31 years, the Cornwall Community Police Service (CCPS) have done their part to support the cause, and this year was no different. On Wednesday, May 16, 2018, the CCPS helped escort a parade of supporters as they carried a Special Olympics torch through Cornwall in support of the Special Olympics.

Along the way, walkers were encouraged to collect money in cans from local passersby and businesses.

The run started at the CCPS East End Station on Montreal Rd., then traveled down to CCVS via Sydney St. before ending at Baxtroms Your Independent Grocer.

Walking with the police this year were students from CCVS, St. Lawrence Secondary School and Beyond 21, who have been a part of the Torch Run for the past three years.

Last year, the Torch Run raised $1.5 million across Ontario for Canadian Special Olympic athletes.
A growing number of IT security professionals are concerned about Internet of Things-related cyberattacks, but far fewer are doing anything to ensure their corporate networks are protected from such threats, according to a new survey.

The Internet of Evil Things survey, released by cybersecurity vendor Pwnie Express on Wednesday, highlights how IT professionals are still figuring out how to handle security matters for the legions of new, non-traditional devices coming online in corporate networks. The survey is based on responses from 582 IT security professionals at companies of all sizes.

Some 64 percent of respondents said they are more concerned about device threats than they were last year, with IoT devices being the chief concern. At the same time, one-third of respondents said their organizations were not ready to detect connected device threats.

Concern and preparation for different kinds of connected devices also varied by large margins. For instance, 80 percent of respondents put employee-owned devices as a concern while only 47 percent said they had monitoring capabilities for such devices. Meanwhile, 49 percent said consumer IoT devices, like smart watches, are a concern while only 23 percent could monitor them. For malicious or purpose-built rogue devices, 51 percent said they were concerned but only 24 percent could monitor the devices.

"With this new phenomena of Internet of Things, I think that's very different than what's been handled by traditional IT security. I think things are complicated, I think the stakes are higher in general, and there's a limited amount of security expertise," Pwnie Express CEO Todd DeSisto told CRN. With those elements combined, it makes the issue more difficult to attack, he added, which is why IT capability doesn't match the current level of concern.

The survey also found that IT security professionals weren't checking wireless devices for malicious infections as much as they were last year. In 2017, 46 percent of respondents said they most recently checked their wireless devices last week while only 43 percent said they did so this year. Meanwhile, the detection and mitigation of connected device threats remain a high priority for 63 percent of respondents, about the same as last year.

Brian Salisbury, vice president of product management at Melville, N.Y.-based solution provider Comtech Telecommunications, told CRN that some of the deficiencies that companies have in IoT security relate to legacy systems in corporate environments, which weren't designed with modern security concerns in mind.

"Security is hard to add after the fact," he said. "It really needs to be architected in from the beginning."

When it comes to which kind of organization is better equipped to deal with IoT threats, the survey found that small- to medium-sized businesses have better practices than enterprises despite having fewer resources, similar to the results from last year. For instance, 62 percent of SMBs had knowledge of how many devices are connected to their network while only 47 percent of enterprises did. There was a similar ratio for how many organizations made monthly checks of wireless devices for infections. Meanwhile, 71 percent of SMBs had a complete inventory of connected devices on their network while only 49 percent of enterprises did.

"Because they are smaller, things are more manageable and therefore they can add some resources to it and get control it," DeSisto said.

Another pressing issue is the lack of input IT security professionals have in purchasing decisions. Only 32 percent of respondents said all device purchases must be cleared by IT professionals while 61 percent said that wasn't the case. For consumer IoT, industrial IoT and operational technologies, less than 50 percent said they had a role in approving the technology.

DeSisto said many IT security professionals have been excluded from these kinds of purchasing decisions because non-IT staff have been bringing new devices into the network for productivity purposes while ignoring security concerns.

"Not everything is being funneled through them like in the past," he said.

There was also a widespread lack of specific security policies surrounding connected devices among the survey's respondents. While 75 percent said they have security policies for traditional IT devices, less than half had policies for operational technology, industrial IoT, consumer IoT and employee-owned devices. Only 35 percent of respondents said IT professionals check to ensure that devices are compliant with security policies.

As for who should be responsible for connected device security, 61 percent said IT security, 19 percent the device's buyer, 13 percent the device's manufacturer and 7 percent the systems integrator or value-added reseller. Nearly 40 percent of respondents said they believe the government should regulate security standards for IoT.

DeSisto said that while awareness of connected device security has been growing, he doesn't expect it to become a more important issue until a major attack happens. There have already been significant security events, including the 2016 Mirai botnet that infected consumer IoT devices and took down large parts of the Internet.

"Unfortunately, it's going to be when something really bad happens where you're finally going to get everyone's attention," he said. "To a certain degree, that's human nature. Inertia is a powerful force."

Underlying that statement was perhaps one of the survey's most troubling finding: 85 percent of respondents said they believe their country of origin will suffer a major cyberattack on critical infrastructure in the next five years.

"Whether you're in the industry or not, that should get your attention," DeSisto said.
Princess Cruises has announced a 60-day voyage from Los Angeles to Shanghai and return to Los Angeles that includes calls at 22 destinations.

The cruise on Coral Princess will depart on Sept. 18, 2018, and is the first time that Princess Cruises is operating a direct cruise from Los Angeles to Shanghai and return trip, the company said.

Princess is also offering two shorter segments of the voyage as standalone cruises.

The first leg of the voyage on the 1,970-guest Coral Princess will start from Los Angeles and visits 11 ports over 28 days. The sailing includes a four-day cruise through Alaska before crossing the International Date Line to various destinations in North Asia before arriving in Shanghai. Returning from Shanghai to Los Angeles on 18 October, 2018, Coral Princess will visit 10 ports in North Asia, Southeast Asia and Hawaii on a 32-day cruise before ending her journey in Los Angeles.

In addition to the inaugural Shanghai-Los Angeles voyage, Princess has launched other maiden voyages from Asia this year and these were sold out due to the increasing demand among Asian travelers, the company said.

Princess Cruises launched our new line-up of maiden voyages from Asia to meet the growing demand from guests in this region. Fly-Cruise programmes are gaining popularity among travellers from Asia who are now more open to flying to another destination to embark on a cruise. We see this trend growing among Asians who love the sense of adventure and the glamour of cruising, said Farriek Tawfik, Director Southeast Asia, Princess Cruises.

In March this year, the Sapphire Princess sailed the maiden Singapore to Southampton cruise after the ships drydock in Singapore. The Sapphire Princess is now homeporting for the first time in Southampton for sailings in northern European and the Mediterranean from May to October 2018. The Sapphire will then sail on the maiden Southampton to Singapore voyage in October and commence her fifth homeporting season in Singapore in November.
Following the announcement that China Cruise Shipping will be held Nov. 1 to Nov. 3 in Shenzhen, a number of key cruise industry associations in China and abroad have signed on to support the event, according to a statement from the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association.

As of May 12 key supports include: Cruise, Yacht, Port and Harbour Branch of CPHA; China Maritime Pilots Association; International Cruise Council Taiwan; Hong Kong Cruise and Yacht Association; Busan Institute of Cruise Research from South Korea; Japanese Integrated Research Consortium of Cruise; Malaysian International Cruise Association and more.

These organizations have confirmed their attendance and said they will send delegations to the event in Shenzhen.

According to Zheng Weihang, secretary general of the event and executive vice president of CCYIA, the event will focus on the ongoing development of the Chinese cruise market.
For the fifth year in a row, the cruise season in Baie-Comeau will begin with the Pearl Mist, which is scheduled to call on May 27.

It's part of a record season for the Canadian port, with 21 calls scheduled from 11 ships, highlighted by the Disney Magic.

The small Baie-Comeau Cruises team, led by executive director Renee Dumas, has chalked up an incredible achievement with the upcoming visit of the Disney Magic, which will be like a childhood dream come true for many. The team continues to grow as it works tirelessly to overcome the obstacles in its path. Team members spread their passion and promote their vision through our community, taking the time to work closely with our local merchants and partners while spreading their joie de vivre around the world. Baie-Comeau is clearly benefiting from the arrival of international cruises and we will continue to grow, said Baie-Comeau mayor Yves Montigny.

Other cruise lines calling into local operator CMTA Cruises, Cruise and Maritime Voyages and Silversea.

Starting in June, a new bicycle rental service will be available directly at the cruise terminal, the port said. The new service, financed in part by the regional tourism association, will offer hybrid, electric and tandem bicycles, as well as childrens bicycles and scooters to tourists and cruise passengers as well as to local residents. Significant investments will also be made in the coming months to enhance the rest areas along the Pioneer Promenade, from the cruise terminal to Pioneer Park.

There is also a new gangway system set to be ready in time for the Disney Magic.

The port also said it moving forward with a feasibility study for a new pier.

Our organizing committee was overwhelmed by the success of the Tall Ships Races weekend and the enthusiastic response from local residents. Its simple reallyevents like this put people back in touch with a lifestyle that they had back in the days. Being close to the St. Lawrence, enjoying the view and the fresh airthis is what defines us. Thats why I will continue to do everything I can to give the community a pier they can enjoy first-hand with their families. said Renee Dumas, executive director of Baie-Comeau Cruises.
The European Unions far-reaching General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes into effect May 25, Facebook has had to answer to Congress for its ties with Cambridge Analytica, and privacy issues and reports of massive data breaches are in the news on an almost daily basis.

For cybersecurity professionals, this focus on protecting privacy means that their concerns, and budget requests, are now getting attention from senior executives and corporate boards. Data security is now moving to the top of the agenda, with companies paying more attention to getting a handle on what data they have, how to encrypt it, rolling out more granular access controls, and upgrading monitoring and auditing capabilities.

Privacy and security go hand-in-hand, says Shahryar Shaghaghi, national leader of the cybersecurity and privacy practice at CohnReznick LLP. "There is no security implementation without a privacy consideration, and vice-versa," he says. "If you're talking about access controls, you're talking about both topics. If you're talking about encrypting and protecting data, you're talking about both topics. If you're talking about monitoring data, you're talking about both topics."

With GDPR, it's not just for companies doing business in Europe. "Even if their primary market isn't Europe, many companies are realizing that they'll have to make some changes," says Lorrie Cranor, computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University and director of the CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory. "Given the potential penalties, that's where there is awareness. It's waking them up."

According to the 2018 Data Threat Report from Thales and 451 Research, only 13 percent of organizations say that they will not be impacted by privacy regulations  a steep drop from 28 percent last year. Even when companies don't do any business in Europe, they still need to be paying attention to the issue, as other regulators are dealing with the same issues. "I think we will see pieces of GDPR in the United States," Cranor says.

Meanwhile, GDPR is already having an effect on improving privacy controls for users around the world, since it's easier for some companies to simply comply with GDPR across the board. "We just did it across the board," says Michael Fauscette, chief research officer at G2 Crowd, an online software review site. "We have about half a million users, and there are too many pitfalls to the idea that you'd always know that this is a European user, this is a user from China, or whatever."

According to a survey released by ISACA, security and privacy are at the top of the agenda for companies of all sizes. Executives say that they expect to see several positive outcomes as a result of their preparation for GDPR. The top three were better data security, with 60 percent of respondents, followed by improved business reputations at 49 percent, and marrying data security practices with corporate culture at 43 percent.

In 2016, 30 percent of executives says that the lack of privacy controls was a top issue that kept them up at night, according to a survey released last month by Scale Venture Partners. That went up to 46 percent last year, nearly catching up to hackers at 49 percent.

The survey was conducted before the Cambridge Analytica news broke, says Ariel Tseitlin, partner at Scale Venture Partners. "There's been a steady stream of breaches over the past few years," he says. "CISOs have heard the message loud and clear, and boards have been discussing this. But the big changes now are coming from regulations, including GDPR. It's been the big warning bell ringing, and organizations have been waking up."
With a style featuring influences that the company describes as Hollywood Regency and art deco, Ethan Allen Interiors launched a new home furnishings line called Uptown.

Uptown includes a broad array of items, such as beds, chandeliers, floor and table lamps, accents, dining tables, side tables and tealight holders. In a release, the company said the Uptown line reinterprets time-honored forms.

Uptown is a timeless look reimagined for the 21st century, said Farooq Kathwari, chairman, president and CEO of Ethan Allen. Its built on the details that set Ethan Allen apart: hand-tailored upholstery, hand-applied decorative veneers and finishes, and artisan-crafted decorative accents. And of course, its created with superior craftsmanship and environmental sustainability in mind.

Ethan Allen is based in Danbury and has a sawmill and factory in northern Vermont. About 70 percent of its products are made in the U.S.

The company describes the line as good taste with just a hint of glitz, that is also livable and accessible. Indonesian mahogany wood furnishings with sapele veneers make for a unique look. The line features textiles in neutral and blush tones, complemented by bold colors. Accents include faux fur, metallic threads and beads.

The Octavia coffee table, for instance, features a gleaming finish, touches of champagne brass, and plenty of open storage and surface space, the company said in a release.

Uptown is featured in the latest Ethan Allen national ad campaign, called Details. The campaign highlights the company from manufacturing to logistics to the design center floor. Every detail matters in the art of making home, the company said as part of the ad campaign.

The launch of Uptown follows the fall 2017 launch of the Passport line, which draws inspiration from all over the world as well as a variety of time periods.

Last month, Ethan Allen announced at an investors meeting that the companys retail division saw a 2.6 percent year-over-year increase in written orders in the third quarter, which ended March 31.

(Our) initiatives include our focus as a premier interior design destination, expanding our fashionable and relevant offerings, leveraging our vertically integrated manufacturing and logistics and, most importantly, increasing our marketing, Kathwari told investors.
Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

Tim Herbst, who came in second during last weeks Republican nominations for governor, on Wednesday won the endorsement of the conservative, anti-abortion Family Institute of Connecticut.

Herbst will do more to defend faith, family and freedom in Connecticut than any other candidate running for our states highest office, the organization announced. That means Herbst will oppose assisted suicide, support parental notification for minors seeking abortions, and defend religious liberty.
If youre an entrepreneur in the world of tech, the last year should have made one thing very clear -- the giants of Silicon Valley are vulnerable to disruption.

Google and Facebook, whose position of dominance seemed secure just 18 months ago, have had their defenses weakened by a series of high-profile missteps that have eroded public trust and goodwill. For savvy entrepreneurs, this represents an opportunity to position their companies as trustworthy alternatives to status-quo brands.

Related: You Trusted Facebook: Own Up to It

Its not all that unusual for big, dominant companies to fall from favor. This sometimes happens because a company cant keep up with the pace of innovation and is slowly overtaken by younger companies with better products. Blockbusters swift and decisive fall is a prime example.

Its also relatively unsurprising to hear about a company falling from grace because of internal corruption or misbehavior on the part of its leadership. Enron is the classic example, but Ubers current battle against a diminishing user base gives us a contemporary case study as well.

But the scandals that have plagued Silicon Valleys leading companies over the past 18 months or so are of a deeper and more complex sort. Issues like unethical behavior and lack of innovation seem mundane next to the accusation that a companys flagship product is undermining democratic social norms on a national scale.

Even before the Cambridge Analytica story broke, Facebook was in the hot seat for allowing foreign agents to influence the election through the use of fake profiles and the spread of fake news. Google has borne similar criticisms around fake news, but has also attracted negative attention in recent years for issues like algorithm bias, filter bubbles and allegedly giving preferential treatment to websites with certain ideological leanings.

The significance of these failures has resulted in an unprecedented wave of popular distrust towards two of the internets biggest companies. A recent Reuters poll found that 51 percent of adults dont trust Facebook at all or trust it very little -- an unsurprising finding in the midst of the #DeleteFacebook movement. A HuffPost/YouGov poll around the same time put the percentage of people who distrust Facebook at 63 percent, even among Facebooks own users. Another poll indicated that 53 percent of respondents dont trust Google.

As distrust of the Silicon Valley elite grows, internet users around the world are looking for alternatives that provide a more secure and socially responsible online experience. Here are three key things to keep in mind for entrepreneurs who are ready to seize this opportunity.

1. Know what sets you apart from the status quo.

In our environment of heightened suspicion towards tech companies, users arent likely to start using a new product or platform unless they can be confident that their new choice is safer and more secure than the one theyre leaving behind. For example, if someone wants to stop using Google Search because they dont trust Google with their data, theyll look for a search engine with different data security practices that they find more compelling.

Related: This Big Tech Company Is the Most Trusted, According to New Survey

Its no longer enough to just have a better product or a flashy new innovation. To really compete against the Silicon Valley establishment, you must stand apart in your commitment to privacy, security, socially-responsible design and other issues that users care about. Thats why we focused our recent ad campaign around how Million Short mitigates problems like fake news and filter bubbles. We didnt simply highlight our products features. We showed people how those features addressed issues that they care about -- and issues that our competition has proven unable to resolve.

2. Prepare for the unique challenges youll face.

No entrepreneur has an easy job. But competing in a space that is already dominated by a Silicon Valley giant presents a unique set of challenges. Large internet companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon protect their market dominance in part by interweaving themselves into countless facets of the average persons online experience. Think about how many times youve used your Facebook account to login to a new website. This type of integration makes it difficult for smaller competitors to gain traction.

Large tech companies can also protect their market share by manipulating the rules of the internet. Facebook and Google in particular serve as gatekeepers to many peoples online experience, and know how to leverage that position to stifle competition. Google provides perhaps the most brazen example, as reported in a recent New York Times article exposing how Google manipulates its search algorithms to disadvantage upstart competitors.

Fortunately, people are increasingly realizing that it doesnt make sense to trust a few elite corporations to be the gatekeepers of the internet. This is another reason why many users are seeking out startup alternatives and why entrepreneurs are rising to meet the demand for greater choice online.

Related: 4 CRM Hacks Every Entrepreneur Should Be Using

3. Have a game plan for the silicon valley exodus.

Users arent the only ones who are looking for options outside of the Silicon Valley establishment. Investors, too, are increasingly realizing that some of tomorrows most promising companies are being started beyond the Bay Areas borders. Peter Thiels departure for Los Angeles made headlines earlier this year, and many of techs most prolific investors are turning their gaze even further east towards areas like Detroit, Boston and Durham.

In a recent New York Times article, Patrick McKenna, founder of High Ridge Venture Partners, captured the sentiment of many investors when he said, Every single person in San Francisco is talking about the same things, whether its I hate Trump or Im going to do blockchain and Bitcoin.' Investors like McKenna and Thiel understand the problems with the insular cultural bubble that is Silicon Valley, and theyre looking elsewhere for new ideas.

Investors arent the only ones packing their bags; the Bay Area experienced more outward migration last year than any other region in the US. This means that a surge of tech talent is heading for cities throughout the country. Tech entrepreneurs outside of the Silicon Valley establishment should have a plan in place for attracting the talent and investor money that is increasingly heading their way.

The convergence of these trends with the increasing distrust of Silicon Valley mega-corporations presents an enormous opportunity for startups to put forward secure, socially-responsible alternatives to status-quo platforms. Silicon Valley is ripe for disruption, and entrepreneurs are up for the challenge.

Related:

5 Surprising Elements That Boost Your Productivity (One of Them Is Color)

What to Do When Your Gut and Your Trusted Circle's Advice Don't Match

5 Entrepreneurial Truths You Must Experience to Understand



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
The prospect of working from anywhere, at any time, is becoming more and more attractive. Being able to work flexibly and still be on track for promotion was listed as the number one most important characteristic of a new potential job across sectors in a study from EY (Ernst & Young). And its particularly attractive for younger workers. In a survey from Bentley University, for example, 77 percent of millenials polled said that working remotely would make them more productive.

Related: How Can You Better Engage Your Remote Workers? 6 Ways.

Companies, for the most part, have been willing to oblige people's wish for remote work because it does, in some settings, at least, make us more productive, according to this journal article from Stanford University.

In 2015, 80 percent of companies in one survey were offering work that was -- in some respect -- flexible. While some bigger tech companies out there, like Google, have built offices you never want to leave, smaller tech companies have relied more and more on software tools to better enable remote working.

Take Basecamp, for example. Though this project management software company rents a small office in Chicagos West Loop, it encourages its employees to work remotely 100 percent of the time. And if its Instagram accounts are any indicator, employees are embracing this model.

The downside(s) of remote work

So, yes, remote work sounds good. But just as with everything else we think makes us our lives better nowadays, theres a catch. A closer look at this phenomenon reveals that employees actually may have more to worry about than initially expected, because, it turns out, remote work can wear you down in several important ways:

Longer hours

Remote workers often find it more difficult to create boundaries between their personal and work spaces. The 89 percent of millennials surveyed in the Bentley University study said that they regularly checked work emails outside of work hours.

Related: 17 Things You Need to Know About Remote Work

This tendency will likely get worse before it gets better, considering that more and more cloud-based software companies are sprouting up, making remote work, especially work from home, easier. The result is that many businesses are seeing these employees invest more hours into their work day, as they struggle to balance work and free time.

Fuel for the loneliness epidemic

Human beings are social creatures by nature, which is inherently in conflict with a remote work culture. And for every study that demonstrates the efficiency of remote work, there are medical and social scientists revealing the enormous consequences of social isolation, as this resident physician did in an article in the New York Times.

Limits on spontaneous interaction

Remote work may also remove some of the spontaneous interactions that are more heavily involved in creativity and that impact company culture. With studies showing that these sorts of interactions are crucial to our long-term happiness, remote work may not only suck up our creative energy, but make it more difficult for remote workers to be mindful too.

Collaboration software tools, like Slack, might help to alleviate these issues, but other times an old-fashioned brainstorming session needs a face-to-face discussion.

The solution? Your company needs a remote work policy.

Concerns about remote work are why a country like France has passed a right to disconnect provision to keep work at work. And while a similar provision was recently introduced in New York, it may be a long time before other cities -- let alone the nation -- embrace this kind of thinking.

So, where does this leave employers in the United States? Companies cant just tell their employees We know whats best for you, and revoke remote work policies. That could upset employees by removing flexibility, while also decreasing productivity.

The best compromise may be to add flexible policies, rather than remove them. To avoid the issues of isolation, companies can require employees to work in-office two or three times per month or per quarter.

Likewise, to keep employees from working around the clock, employers can build guidelines around how many hours are expected per week -- and educate employees on the benefits of practicing mindfulness in and outside of the office. The CEO of Basecamp, the company with a 100 percent remote work policy, has rejected the 40-hour workweek and written a shorter one into company policy. Setting up an employee's or contractor's enforced right to disconnect may let companies reap the rewards of flexible work, while keeping those workers actually ... happy.

With 40 percent of hiring managers expecting to be in charge of fully remote workforces within the next decade, its imperative that companies take a hard look at their own practices and hiring strategies to ensure that the model theyre implementing isnt as problematic as the one theyre replacing.

Related: The Secret to Retaining Productive Remote Workers Is Remembering They Are People

Finally, if you think that your own remote work setup may be negatively affecting your team members' working habits, have them complete this free assessment on the Five Dysfunctions of a Team. It should help give both you and them a better idea as to whether there are any immediate areas for concern -- and improvement. Good luck, and happy remote working.

Related:

Is Remote Work Taking a Psychological Toll on Your External Workers? Researchers Say Yes.

Your Team Wants to Work From Home. All You Have to Do Is Keep Them Connected.

The Future Is Freelance: How to Optimize Independent Worker Output



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Editors Note: In Up Your Game we scope out the best products, apps and services to help make it easier to take your game to the next level

When you are on the go, you need a work bag that can do it all. It has to be durable. It needs to fit ALL your belongings and allow you to quickly access them. You basically need the modern-day Mary Poppins magic bag. And oh, you also want to love how it looks.

Do these even exist!? Absolutely. We scoured the web to find the perfect work bag that can work for all day, every day. We looked for the standout features that make the bag exceptional, saw what customers were saying and checked out the media coverage to help you find the work bag you cant live without.

1. The Senreve bag by Maestra

Image credit: Maestra | Entrepreneur



What we love about it: Senreve means sense and dream in French and according to the founders, stands for women not having to make tradeoffs between beauty/luxury with functionality/practicality.

Made out of 100 percent Italian leather, the exterior is water-resistant, making it perfect to wear year-round. The Maestra is super versatile and can be worn as a shoulder bag, crossbody, backpack and top handle. In terms of what you can expect on the inside, think lots of space. The Senreve was designed for the busy woman and can carry a number of tech essentials, including a laptop (full sized!), phone and tablets, along with your notebook, wallet and more (and no, it doesnt weigh 5 pounds empty). There are a bunch of pockets  both on the inside and outside  making staying organized a cinch. As for colors, have your pick. Not only does Maestra come in the basics  black, beige and white  but also fun colors like mimosa, lilac and merlot.

What customers love about it: "I have been using my [Maestra] bag for two days for work, and I looooove it. I can put my lunch and water bottle in it and carry [it] as backpack to save my arms from pain, and I look so stylish. I can also get to things easily! This bag does exactly what it says [it] can do! Every day, random people are giving me good comments. I am so happy."

Shout outs: Forbes ("New world technology meets old world craftsmanship"), Fast Company ("Work bags that are beautiful and functional"), Elle ("The perfect first impression") and many more.

What to consider: It is on the pricier side.

Where to buy: On Senreve.com, other online retailers, like Nordstrom, or at local boutiques.

Price: $895

2. The O.G./O.M.G. by Lo & Sons

Image credit: Lo & Sons | Entrepreneur



What we love about it: If your workday includes traveling, look no further then Lo & Sons O.G.  and its tinier version, the O.M.G.

The bag seriously screams travel with me, and rightfully so. The founders are sister-and-brother duo Jan and Derek Lo, New York City natives who spent hours watching travelers struggle with their bags at JFK International Airport. Women were seen attempting to stack their purse on top of luggage as they checked in, went through security and walked to their gate. They wanted to change this experience. So, they created the luggage sleeve, a staple of the bag. And weve got to say, a genius feature. (The two styles also fit perfectly under any airplane seat.)

But you dont need to cross state lines for this bag to fit into your wardrobe; it is also perfect for your day-to-day trek to work. The lightweight bags are super functional, having pockets for everything, including your laptop, phone and even a place for shoes. (Every city dweller who does the quick heel-to-flat switch is screaming, Hallelujah.) There is also leash to clip your keys to, so you dont struggle finding them (which always happens at the worst times). Customers love the minimalist aesthetic and functional design and are known to scoop up the same bag in multiple colors.

What customers love about it: I recently received the O.M.G bag and I am already SOO in love! I was struggling to find a professional bag that can hold both laptop and iPad safely -- this bag is a miracle!! I use it as my everyday bag. I have gotten so many compliments on it, and it works PERFECTLY as my daily school and travel bag! LOVE LOVE.

Shout outs: Fast Company (Found: The Perfect Work-Life Bags For Women), Bloomberg (Business Travelers Name Their Pet Peeves. We Name the Cures), Self (13 Cute Bags That Are Actually Big Enough to Hold All Your Stuff) and others.

What to consider: This company only sells direct to consumer, so don't expect to pick up at your local retailer.

Where to buy: On Loandsons.com

Price: $275-$295

3. Work Satchel by Cuyana

Image credit: Cuyana | Entrepreneur



What we love about it: Cuyanas philosophy is that people should have fewer, better things that they love and will last for years, rather than months. And that is exactly why we love its Work Satchel, a classic must-have bag that can part of any wardrobe.

Made of 100 percent premium Italian leather, the company pays painstaking attention to ensure this multi-functioning bag is built to last. Designed by artisans in the U.S., South America and Europe, each Work Satchel has a place to put your laptop, a large outside pocket, an inner slide pocket and center zip compartment to make sure all your belongings stay organized, without compromising style. There are two options for straps, and you can up your game by adding a tonal tassel to the bag. Its a timeless staple that will be part of your life for a long time. Another great thing we love? The company has a program called Lean Closet, which encourages women to donate excess or unworn pieces in their wardrobe to those who could really use them.

What customers love about it: "I purchased the Work Satchel and the double zip pouch. I can't say enough about it. They have really made my life easier and increased my efficiency, exactly what a work bag should do.... The quality is impeccable, the structure and smooth leather is beautiful. Best of all... there's no label anywhere, except a simple tasteful name on the zipper. I love it."



Shout outs: The Cut (11 Sleek Leather Work Bags Under $400) Business Insider (14 work bags that have all the convenience and space of a briefcase  without the limitations), Fashion Files (FFInterviews: Cuyana is the Brand You Need to Know) and others.

What to consider: Another brand that sells direct to consumer, you have to order from the website.

Where to buy: On Cuyana.com

Price: $475

4. Dassel bag by Armadio

Image credit: Armadio | Entrepreneur



What we love about it: Armadio is a super unique brand in how it sells its bag. Using the direct-to-consumer business model, the founders travel to Tuscany, a well-known spot where many Italian luxury artisans live and design for high-luxury brands (which as we know, can costs thousands of dollars). These artisans often create their own private labels and sell to Italian locals. This is where Armadio steps in. The company features a very curated list of these artisans whose products are made to order  and dont come with the exorbitant markups. So, if there is a limited edition product, it isnt just a marketing ploy.

Fortunately, the company knows when it has something good -- and that includes its Dassel bag. To create the bag, the company partnered with Nicolo, an award-winning artisan with more than 40 years of experience, including designing products for Prada and Furla. Using high-quality Italian leather, the Dassel bag is functional, robust and high-end, without the super expensive price tag. The straps are made from adjustable leather with comfort as a foremost concern There are internal pockets, along with three separate compartments to keep everything organized.

What customers love about it: It is new to the collection, so no reviews yet.

Shout outs: While Dassel is yet to get media love (just introduced to the collection), Armadios other bags have been featured in The Cut (Meet Your Next Minimalist Bag Obsession), Refinery29 (Where To Find Designer-Quality Bags and Shoes At A Steep Discount) and StyleCaster (This New Italian E-Commerce Site Is Taking On The Luxury Fashion Industry)

Where to buy: Armadio.com

This bag is new to market, so you can't depend on peer reviews.

Price: $520

5. The Audrey Brera Briefcase by Lodis

Image credit: Lodis | Entrepreneur



What we love about it: The people behind Lodis want to specifically target one demographic: women on the move. And with the number of exceptional and functional bags the designer offers, they hit their sweet spot. We are loving the Audrey Brera Briefcase And while it has the word briefcase, in its name, the bag is neither clunky nor awkward. The functional bag is durable, yet sleek. Its simple lines make for a sophisticated, yet refined bag that is perfect for the office.

The exterior has Under Lock and Key RFID protection, ensuring your private information stored on your phone, laptop, tablet or other tech device in the purse stays safe from thieves trying to steal your valuable information. (Known as RFID skimming, data can be stolen from chip-enabled cards by activating an RFID reader and transmitting the information.) The Brera holds everything you need. There are padded pocket for a laptops or tablet, slots for business cards, phone or glass pockets and a place to hold your pen. Its basically like a mobile office for when you are on the run. Plus, the bag will last a long time, just like the company which has been around since 1965.

What customers love about it: This briefcase is beautiful. It is simple and functional. Well-constructed, high quality and high value. I am thrilled with this purchase.

Shout outs: PurseBlog (25 Pale, Pretty New Bags to Lighten Up Your Early Spring Wardrobe), Travel Goods Magazine (Business Cases Put Travelers in Charge) and more

What to consider: This bag is the biggest on the list, so if you are looking for compact, it may be too large for you.

Where to buy: On Lodis.com or other online retailers, like Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor and Zappos. Also, check the site to find a local store in your area.

Price: $328

Related:

The 5 Must-Have Work Bags That Will Hold All Your Essentials and Still Look Absolutely Amazing

5 Goal-Setting Journals to Take You From Intention to the Finish Line

The 5 Best Workplace Water Bottles for Hydration Motivation



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Hearst Connecticut Media recently criticized the legislature for not taking action to implement tolls, appearing to argue that tolls are the only solution to the states infrastructure problems [Collegial Ending 5/11/18].

The newspapers failed to recognize that there is an alternative to properly fund our roads and bridges that doesnt involve tax increases or tolls.

Over three years ago, Republican lawmakers in Connecticut first proposed a plan to make transportation a priority using current state resources. Our proposal, Prioritize Progress, would create a dedicated stream of long-term infrastructure funding totaling an estimated $64 billion over 30 years without tolls or new taxes.

It works by reducing bonding for pet projects and political handouts and requires Connecticut to prioritize funding for transportation within the states new bond cap, leverage federal dollars and upholding our commitment to fix transit needs without adding new burdens onto future generations.

In the bipartisan budget that passed last week, lawmakers were able to finally implement a small piece of this proposal. The budget also stabilizes the Special Transportation Fund (STF) by dedicating car-related revenue to the fund resulting in STF surpluses over the next five years.

This is a major step forward, and it did not require tolls or a gas tax increase.

Budgeting is about priorities. We can improve our roads, bridges and transit without burdening residents even more, but we have to be willing to make it a priority. In budget negotiations, Republicans successfully fought for a plan that finally begins to start moving us in the right direction, without tolls stopping us along the way.

Len Fasano

The writer serves as Senate Republican President Pro Tempore. He serves the 34th Senate District including Durham, East Haven, North Haven and Wallingford.
SHELTON  A firefighter accused of driving down Route 8 with burning boxes flying off his truck now faces child pornography charges.

Police arrested William Tortora, 57, of Coram Road, Wednesday on charges of third-degree possession of child pornography and promoting a minor in an obscene performance.

Images of children involved in sex acts were among 18,000 photos and videos discovered on Tortoras cell phone, which police seized during their investigation into a Feb. 3 fire behind Echo Hose.

Just how many images on the phone contained child pornography and details of the obscene performance charge were not immediately known.

However state law dictates third-degree possession of child pornography covers up to 20 images. It also carries a mandatory one-year prison sentence with a five-year maximum.

Promoting a minor in an obscene performance carries a maximum 20-year sentence. However that charge could involve sharing child pornography.

Tortora, wearing a white T-shirt and khaki pants, appeared before Derby Superior Court Judge Karen Sequino Wednesday afternoon on the new charges. She transferred the case to Milford Superior Court for May 22 and set a $75,000 bond.

Tortora is being held on a $250,000 bond he has been unable to post in the arson case and has been detained in the Bridgeport Community Correctional Center since March 1.

March 1 was when police arrested him and later Gregory Bomba, of Newtown, a 45-year-old former Shelton volunteer fire captain, for their roles in setting cardboard ablaze in Tortoras truck Feb. 3. The truck was parked behind Echo Hose during a fire captains dinner.

Surveillance video shows Tortora apparently videotaping the incident as well as throwing burning cardboard around the parking lot. The back of Echo Hose abuts the Pierpont building and a parking lot filled with cars.

One of the boxes landed under a Chevrolet Impala owned by the city of Shelton. It left burn marks on the front end.

More burn marks were found on the firehouses overhead door causing an estimated $450 damage.

Police said Tortora then drove his truck with the burning cardboard flying off onto Route 8.

Tortora and Bomba are each charged with second-degree arson, second-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree criminal mischief as well as conspiracy on each of the charges.

Bomba is free on $100,000 bond and due in Milford Superior Court May 23.

While cell phones were seized from both men as part of the arson investigation, only Tortora faces child pornography charges.

Tortora is the brother of Fire Marshal James Chic Tortora.
Testifying before the Senate Banking Committee Tuesday, Federal Reserve Board of Governor nominees Richard Clarida and Michelle Bowman offered their support of reducing the regulatory burden facing community-based financial institutions by better tailoring regulations. NAFCU is actively engaged on Capitol Hill, advocating for numerous legislative items that would provide much-needed regulatory relief to the financial services industry.

Clarida, a Columbia University economist, has been nominated to serve as vice chairman of the board. Bowman, bank commissioner for the state of Kansas, has been nominated to fill the boards seat designated for a community banker or regulator of community banks.

During her testimony, Bowman discussed her time working for her familys 135-year-old community bank in Kansas and noted that the regulatory environment created in aftermath of crisis has disadvantaged community banks. She said if confirmed to serve on the board, she will work to ensure rules are appropriately tailored to size, complexity and risk of institution.

Responding to a question from Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, about the importance of improving financial regulations while still ensuring safety and soundness of the financial system, Clarida said that if confirmed, he will seek out efficiencies and tailoring to specifics as much as possible, but not putting system at risk in unnecessary way.
Limited menu, cash only! This was a phrase heard by millions of Americans who, prior to the 2017 hurricane season, may have harbored illusions about the unfairness of disaster. Likewise, it is a phrase that encapsulates an overarching message to credit unions: your members need you, so you must be prepared.

Whether it is increased demand for cold, hard cash or the distribution of supportive messaging, it is imperative your credit union has a well-practiced plan for weathering future storms. One of the most important observations following recent hurricanes is how close to the margins many businesses are operating on a daily basis, and credit unions are no exception. We now conduct business in an era of standardized disaster, with credit unions sprawling across what are now effectively floodplains. And while there is certainly no sport in natural calamity, there are some game strategies that can help reduce distress at both the credit union and member level.

Whos on First?

One of the best first steps a credit union can take in planning for an emergency is identifying staff members that may have experience in natural disaster preparation and letting them develop a system for storm-day operations. Who among your employees is evacuating? Is the contact information of all employees readily available to key officials? Who is assigned the role of business continuity planning? These are all key items for those staff members to address ahead of the thunder and lightning.

It is also important, however, not to forget about the human factor of employee wellness in the midst of contingency planning. Credit union members are not the only ones who require reminders about their value in times of disaster; employees do as well. The best way to show employees you care is to communicate expectations clearly and support them in their personal decisions to put their safety, and that of their families, first. Flexible scheduling, extra time off and even a few company-paid supplies go a long way in fostering employee loyalty.

Go the Distance on Cash

Restaurants are not the only ones to enact cash-only policies during major storm outages. Consider that many individuals return to old-fashioned bartering with neighbors and friends for supplies such as plywood, and many stores, as well as lodging facilities, may too suffer a loss of card processing abilities. As a widespread dash for cash is expected in the days leading up to and after a storm, it is crucial that your credit union have a plan for replenishing ATMs at a more frequent interval than usual and have ample currency on hand at your locations to meet member demand and expectations.

Touch Base on Social Media

The majority of members are looking for bare-bones basics on operational status, availability of services and impact to resources during a storm disaster. Not sure where to start with your social media updates when bad weather approaches? As a general rule of thumb, it is best to begin by acknowledging it is no longer business as usual. Provide information about which branches are open, what the expected hours are and how to reach someone with questions. Once the basics are made readily available and published in easy-to-find locations, you can then use social media to become part of the story and mobilize goodwill for your members and the community.

Any Given Storm Day

The weaker team can still beat a stronger opponent with the right tools and preparation. This idea should be a reminder to credit unions of the positive, post-storm realities that are possible when proper, proactive planning takes place. A little forethought and a few practice storm drills can ensure you are in a position to come out shining when the sun goes down on normalcy.
Penn State vs. Iowa: How to watch, what to look for
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, has been called off by US President Donald Trump unilaterally. This has opened a Pandora's Box as the nuclear deal which put checks on the Iranian nuclear programme no longer exits. Iran is free again to proliferate and develop nuclear weapons. The landmark nuclear deal was serving its purposes well since its inception.

Not only did it bring US and Iran a bit closer but also changed the equations between Iran and US allies such as Saudi Arabia and Israel in West Asia. Both these countries have been sworn enemies of the Iranian state.

After the deal in 2015, both the Israelis and Saudis wanted US to exit from the deal as it was preventing them from taking direct action against Iran, which they accused of harming their interests in countries like Syria and Yemen.

Iran has found itself in opposition against Saudis and Israelis in most regional conflicts due to their traditional ideological rivalries. While the US used to support its allies - which allied with groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and states like Syria and powers like Russia - openly against Iran, of late it was observed that the US had become more accommodative of Iranian positions in these regional conflicts.

The deal riled the Saudis and Israelis, who wanted a firm stand and proactive support from the US against Iran. This was not possible for America under the terms of the deal.

Soon after the deal fell apart, Iran and Israel came face-to-face with each other with both parties targeting each other's military positions. While Iranian rockets targeted Israeli positions in the Golan Heights, Israel reciprocated by conducting extensive strikes against Iranian targets across Syria. The situation has escalated to dangerous levels. Israel has been miffed since long due to a large Iranian presence on the Syrian territory from where it can aim for targets in Israel easily.

Iran has slammed the US decision to walk away from the deal. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in his speech said, "US is a country that has never adhered to its commitments." He warned US that with the deal off now, Iran could restart enriching uranium "without any limitations" within few weeks.

For now, Iran's official position is to stay in the nuclear deal as it is waiting to assess the positions taken by the five countries remaining in the deal namely, Russia, China, France, Germany and UK.

On the other hand, Donald Trump has warned Iran against restarting its nuclear programme. The situation in West Asia is so fragile that one wrong decision by Iran or any of the US allies in the region can lead to a full-scale war.

The shadow war which Iran and Israel have been fighting in Syria over the years has now burst out into the open. The jolt to the deal, meanwhile, is a win for the extremists and the hardliners across all sides of the divide, while the losers have been the liberals who voted for the deal and wanted it to remain intact.

With all this happening, India's position on this issue would be interesting to watch out for. Though, New Delhi is not a party to the Iran nuclear deal, the recent events and the events which would be unfolding soon, would have larger implications for India.

In the last few years, India has invested heavily in projects like Chabahar Port and INSTC (International North-South Trade Corridor) which pass through Iranian territory. If the situation worsens and the conflict escalates between Iran and US or any of its allies, the future of these projects would be jeopardised.

Second, with Iran and US on opposing sides, India would not want to be in a situation where it has to choose between one of the two. Till now, India had successfully balanced its relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel as well as the US. Iran is currently India's third-biggest supplier of oil (after Iraq and Saudi Arabia) and any tussle with Iran will impact the already inflated oil prices.

When asked about India's position on this matter, Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs, said, "We are assessing the implications which this might have on our interests. At this stage, I can share with you that the government will take all necessary measures which are required to safeguard our interests. We have emphasized that all parties should engage constructively to address and resolve the issues that have arisen out of JCPOA and we have always supported a peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy."

Tehran's envoy to New Delhi, Masoud Rezvanian Rahagh, has cleared the Iranian position by saying that if European partners and others stick to promises and commitments under JCPOA then Iran too will fulfil its commitments, and oil trade with India will not be affected.

The next couple of weeks will be crucial for all parties and stakeholders of the deal. India on its part would be looking forward to engage in "deft diplomacy" so that it does not come in the line of fire and its own interests in the region are not harmed.

Also read: 10 reasons why BJP crushed Congress and won Karnataka decisively
Nothing exemplifies the sheer vacuity on Kashmir that exists among the policy-makers in New Delhi than the remarkably fatuous decision to declare a unilateral ceasefire in Kashmir.

Not only do the ground realities in the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir militate against such an ill-thought out move, but also the assumptions underlying this step are, to say the least, utterly stupid.

Far from this move preparing the ground for a return to normalcy, it will prepare the ground for an escalation in violence. Worse, instead of sending a message that the Indian state cares for the public in Jammu and Kashmir, the message that will filter among separatist and terrorist sympathisers is that the Indian state has reached the end of imagination, run out of steam, lost the will to stay the course and dismantle both the physical and psychological infrastructure of militancy as well as the ecosystem that sustains it.

Photo: Indiatoday.in

At the very least, the ceasefire will fritter away the gains of the last few months against the terrorists.

At a time when the pressure was becoming unbearable and the terrorists were finding their space constricting by the day, the government in its foolishness has decided to give another lease of life to the terrorists. The attitude of the Indian state is akin to that of a Bollywood hero, who, after felling the villain doesnt finish him off while he is lying on the floor; on the contrary, the hero picks up the villain and allows him to take another shot at him before he socks him back to the ground again, and repeat.

This Prithviraj Chauhan syndrome of chivalry seems to smother all good sense, not just among Bollywood fight-masters but among Indian policy makers as well.

Not only will the ceasefire now give space to terrorists to regroup, re-equip, re-train and restore their networks and supply chains, it will undermine the confidence of the pro-India elements in the Valley. Just a few days back, a source in the Valley had very worriedly inquired if the Government was once again fall into the ceasefire trap - he was very clear that if such a ceasefire was declared, it would deal a body blow to the fight against the terrorists and separatists. He complained that the momentum generated by the NIA raids on the terror finance networks had already ground to a halt. The initial action against the terror financiers hadnt been followed up. His own analysis was that this was because further action would probably lead to serving ministers and officials of the government.

The ceasefire means that not only will the terror finance networks not be touched - even the armed militants will remain unmolested.

An even more disturbing input has come from a colleague who revealed that a backchannel was opened with the separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani a few weeks back - and the ceasefire proposal was reportedly discussed with him. Anyone who thinks that a rabid Islamist and a declared Pakistan supporter like Geelani can be won over and made a partner in peace is dangerously delusional. Instead of helping bring peace, Geelani would use such an outreach to increase his leverage, not just with the government, but also inside Kashmir with the rest of the separatist politicians and the militant cadre, as well as his Pakistani overlords.

But explaining this to the impervious  and imperious  mandarins in the Home Ministry is tougher than teaching rocket science to a primary school student.

A ceasefire would make sense if, after having established ascendancy over the adversaries, a sort of face saving was being offered to open negotiations. Although the security forces are on the ascendant, the enemy isn't suing for peace. More importantly, there is no one to negotiate with, unless of course, some genius thinks that the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) will be amenable to entering into a dialogue because of this "goodwill" gesture. Aside the fact that the JRL controls neither the street nor the gun, the idea of catapulting this bunch to political centre-stage is mind-boggling. If anything, the aim of the Indian state should be to marginalise and eliminate these people - not give them pride of place, much less a veto, over what happens in Kashmir.

Already, the guys with guns have rubbished the ceasefire. The Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET) has asserted that cease-fire is no option and no thought can be given on such compromise. We deem it as sin and disgrace to the sacrifices put up in the struggle. We are the heirs of the martyrs. Opting for such choice is treachery to blood of martyrs and there is no disgrace as such.

It is equally unlikely that the Jihad-infused and ISIS/ISI inspired Kashmiri fighters will have any use for this ceasefire. With the enemy combatants having no obligation to reciprocate a unilateral ceasefire, asking the security forces not to launch operations is tantamount to switching them from an offensive mode to a defensive mode.

Photo: Indiatoday.in

In other words, instead of the security forces pro-actively hunting down terrorists, the patriotic government of India has forced them to become the hunted and retaliate only if attacked. The initiative will henceforth be with the terrorists rather than the security forces - a classic recipe for disaster in any anti-insurgency and counter-terrorism operation.

But the security of the forces, who are already fighting with one hand tied behind their back, doesnt apparently bother North Block, especially its babus who havent heard a shot fired in all their lives. Worse, the formulation by the babus of the Home Ministry who have declared that the decision [has been] taken to help the peace-loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment suggests that the hostilities in Kashmir were the result of the actions of security forces - not that of the attacks by terrorists.

Even the Pakistanis would have found it difficult to come up with such drivel.

For the government to say that it expects cooperation to help Muslim brothers and sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties is akin to saying that the operations of security forces (which, for all intents and purposes, were against belligerents and their supporters) were actually against peace loving Muslims. What were those who drafted the Home Ministry statement thinking?

Equally galling is the fact that the entire statement talks of "Muslims" and not Kashmiris. Strange, that a secular country is now deciding its security policy on the basis of religion, instead of national security imperatives.

The heroic assumption, or the snake oil that has been bought by the Centre - that this will help to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam  betrays the total lack of comprehension of the dynamics of what is happening in Kashmir. For a country that has been confronted with the Islamist-driven insurgency for nearly three decades to take a gamble on the basis of such inanities is a confirmation of how nothing has been learnt in all these years.

Also read: Dear men in Bollywood, do you need Sherlock to ask for equal pay?
On the afternoon of March 17, 1978, the weather took an odd turn in Delhi, writes Amitav Ghosh in The Great Derangement.

I had just passed a busy intersection called Maurice Nagar when I heard a rumbling sound somewhere above. Glancing over my shoulder I saw a grey, tube-like extrusion forming on the underside of a dark cloud: it grew rapidly as I watched, and then all of a sudden it turned and came whiplashing down to earth, heading in my direction... [later] I was confronted by a scene of devastation such as I had never before beheld. Buses lay overturned; scooters sat perched on treetops; walls had been ripped out of buildings, exposing interiors on which ceiling fans had twisted into tulip-like spirals. This is Ghoshs description of a cyclone which hit North Delhi in the 1970s, leaving 30 dead and 700 wounded.

The feeling of devastation may sound familiar to those who faced and survived the recent surge of dust storms in North and Western India. Dust storms usually are not synonymous with death  that understanding is reserved for floods and earthquakes. But consider the figures: 125 people died in a dust storm on May 3. In a fresh round of dust storms on Sunday, May 13, more than 60 people died in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Yet another dust storm came today, in the wee hours of May 16. Damage was caused by a slew of frequently occurring and common factors  collapsed buildings, collapsed poles, lightning, falling trees.

A palm tree trunk came crashing down on cars during Sunday's dust storm in New Delhi. [Credit: PTI photo]

Through the dust storms, 189 trees fell in Delhi, though the actual numbers must be higher. The Metro also had to halt functioning because a tree fell on it, and cars and property was damaged. It doesnt take much to comprehend that falling trees can damage property and injure people. What can we do about it? The short-sighted answer would be to declare trees as dangerous and further confine ourself to a hellish, short-on-oxygen city. The more intelligent answer to explore is: how do we prevent trees from falling?

The question is even more important as we are in a lived state of climate change, where baselines of what are normal is shifting: what Ghosh calls the "great derangement". Dust storms for instance, are often caused by heat waves, which are caused by a changing climate. So, expect more storms. Also, expect an unchanging storm of denial on the change we are in the middle of.

A Bada Peelu tree at the Qutub complex. A slow growing tree, this one must be centuries old. [Credit: Neha Sinha]

In Delhi, studies say trees are stressed. In fact, the NDMC even runs a tree ambulance. The Delhi High Court has said soil should be left free around tree roots, at least to an extent of six feet by six feet, and all trees concretised around roots should be dechoked. But this is not followed, particularly in colonies and newly made footpaths. Orders often turn to farce  so while some colonies have made complaints and asked municipalities to come and break concrete around trees, in other parts of Delhi, newly made roads and pavements continue to cover tree roots. Pouring concrete right up to tree roots is a classic clash of the urban ethic encountering the wild  it yields a few more inches of neatness, land grab, and parking space. What it may also lead to though, is a fallen tree, destroyed property and a destroyed arboreal inheritance.

A major part of Delhis character is its trees. You have feathery-leaved, stately Tamarind trees flanking Tilak Marg, gold-blossomed Amaltas on Amrita Shergil marg, quirky Sausage trees on Copernicus Marg, Semal trees in Humayuns tomb, gnarly and ancient Bada Peelu trees in the Qutub complex, young Banyans on some central verges, old Neems in the NDMC avenues.

A Semal tree, concretised up to its roots in South Delhi, still throws up some blossoms. [Credit: Neha Sinha]

We urgently need to decongest the area around trees. We need to desist careless lopping of canopies in monsoon or winter, because that disbalances the tree. You too have the power to create change  in places where the tree is choked by concrete, you can call your local divisional forest officer or Delhis Tree helpline and place a complaint.

Indeed, such complaints have led to action. Delhis Preservation of Tree Act, 1994, restricts the cutting of any tree without requisite permissions. And if permission is granted to cut trees, the Tree Act also says more trees need to be planted: Every person, who is granted permission under this Act to fell or dispose of any tree, shall be bound to plant such number and kind of trees in the area from which the tree is felled or disposed of by him under such permission as may be directed by the tree officer.

With rising, apocalyptic air pollution, trees are a natural buffer we will literally choke without. And with heat wave conditions, we need the shade of trees to create temperature gradients. In Delhis temperature extremes, it is not even possible to stand at a red light if you dont have a trees shade giving asylum from the maddening heat. People always say that the fury of nature are acts of God  at least now we know much of it is human-induced climate change.

Even interpreting weather is not fully in our control. The government declared May 8 as an evening school holiday based on predictions by the Met department, which said that there was possibility of thunderstorm, squall or hail, with winds to the tune of 50km per hour. That day, no major storm came to most of Delhi. The WhatsApp joke doing the round was that children were running around in the house at a speed faster than the predicted wind speed. We dont know when the storms will come  but we certainly know they will.

And as time progresses, we will all become familiar with words like squall and dust storm. Trees of Delhi will become storm survivors. The time to protect and dechoke trees is now, now, now.

And while de-choking trees doesnt mean trees will never fall, allowing them to remain choked, in the face of hail, squall and storm, means they certainly will.

Also read: How trees age and what we can learn from them
When Narendra Modi visited Nepal in 2014 it was the first state visit of an Indian prime minister in almost 17 years. New Delhi, it seemed then, had suddenly remembered a long-lost friend.

Mesmerised by his speech, delivered at Nepals constituent assembly, the Nepali people and their leaders saw hope for a renewed India-Nepal relationship, but it remained just that, a hope. Things turned ugly when India chose to allow the unofficial blockade of Nepal which paralysed the Himalayan country.

This time it was Prime Minister Modis third visit to Nepal after assuming office in 2014. This visit came just a month after Nepali Prime Minister KP Olis visit to New Delhi. The two leaders and the two nations seem to be in a love-hate relationship further exacerbated by Indias helicopter parenting approach towards its next door neighbour. Both countries share a feeling of cant live with you, cant live without you clearly resonating in the words of the former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he said, You can change your friend but not your neighbours.

Though PM Modi received a warm official welcome this time too, the anger and disappointment that still lingers in the minds of the Nepali people manifested itself over the internet. People couldnt stop themselves from expressing their fury and social media was flooded with hashtags like #BlockadeWasCrimeMrModi and #ModiNotWelcomedInNepal.

PM Modis speech in 2018 was mainly targeted at cementing fractured ties and emphasising the similarities between the two nations on the ground of religion and culture as well as articulately linking the two nations with mythology. He even read out a verse from the Ramcharitmanas, which says one cannot remain isolated from the suffering of a friend and a true friend always helps his friend in the time of suffering.

But then action speaks louder than words and one cannot forget that New Delhi chose to remain quiet and indifferent to the sufferings of its friend next door. In fact, this visit was a desperate attempt to keep at least one of its neighbours happy. Or perhaps, PM Modi realised that a renewed and successful neighbourhood policy would act as a face-saver for the upcoming 2019 general elections. Whatever the reason, the visit, or the so-called surprise gifts for Nepal, will definitely not act as a balm for the pain Nepali people had to go through in 2015.

In 2015, when the country was still reeling from the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that took more than 9,000 lives, months of transport blockade at the Indian border effectively cut off vital supplies, including petroleum products, to Nepal and crippled the nation.

With shortage of fuel, medicines and essential supplies, the country faced a humanitarian crisis. Prices of food and supplies skyrocketed and people had to pay up to 3,000 Nepali rupees (NPR) for a cylinder of cooking gas and NPR 100 for a packet of salt. The rift between New Delhi and Kathmandu widened as businesses suffered, lives were lost and the economy tanked.

The blockade was seen as the fallout of India's unhappiness with Nepals new constitution which was passed with a 90 per cent approval by its Constituent Assembly. India wanted some changes to be made to the Constitution which Nepal naturally brushed aside as interference in domestic affairs. It was clear to everyone that India wanted to intervene in Nepals internal affairs to show solidarity with the Madhesis of Nepal. India officially denied any such allegation terming the blockade an unofficial one imposed by private transporters and was a result of internal unrest in Nepal.

When New Delhi did nothing to overtly end the blockade many in Nepal firmly believed that India covertly imposed it to teach Kathmandu a lesson, to never ignore what the big brother was saying. This distrust on the part of the Nepali and muscle-flexing by India strained the relationship to its breaking.

The 1,751km porous border that India and Nepal have traditionally shared should not become a line that divides. It is a line that despite its existence on a map has not mattered on the ground as ties matured and millions of dreams took shape as populations moved freely across it from both sides.

In New Delhi, the current leadership should realise that the kindred bonds that bind India and Nepal together should not be sacrificed for the sake of politics.

The unfolding of the neighbourhood first policy or Narendra Modi visiting Nepal as a Santa with a bag full of goodies will not rebuild the trust and friendship that has been severely dented. Neither will a call from PM Modi nor a warm welcome from PM Oli strengthen the already strained bilateral relationship between the two countries.

What can help, however, is action on the ground from Modi  the Nepali people at the moment are a little short on belief when it comes to mere promises  they want delivery.

It is high time India walks that extra mile to prove its loyalty in friendship.

Also read: Modi is in Nepal, but Nepalis are unhappy with the visit
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation engages in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of oil and gas properties. It operates through three segments: Exploration and Production, WES Midstream, and Other Midstream. The company explores for and produces oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). It is also involved in gathering, processing, treating, and transporting oil, natural-gas, and NGLs production, as well as the gathering and disposal of produced water. The company's oil and natural gas properties are located in the United States onshore and deepwater Gulf of Mexico; and Algeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Colombia, Peru, and other countries. As of December 31, 2018, it had approximately 1.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent of proved reserves. The company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.

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10 hours ago

UK eyes 'walk me home' phone-tracker to protect lone women

LONDON (AP)  A top British government official is backing a phone company's proposal for a new tracking service to help protect women walking alone, an idea pitched amid ongoing outrage over the slayings of two young women who were targeted near their homes in London. The chief executive of Britains biggest phone company, BT, proposed the walk me home service in a letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel.

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SunTrust Banks, Inc. operates as the holding company for SunTrust Bank that provides various financial services for consumers, businesses, corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit entities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Wholesale. The Consumer segment provides deposits and payments; home equity and personal credit lines; auto, student, and other lending products; credit cards; discount/online and full-service brokerage products; professional investment advisory products and services; and trust services, as well as family office solutions. This segment also offers residential mortgage products in the secondary market. The Wholesale segment provides capital markets solutions, including advisory, capital raising, and financial risk management; asset-based financing solutions, such as securitizations, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and structured real estate arrangements; cash management services and auto dealer financing solutions; investment banking solutions; and credit and deposit, fee-based product offering, multi-family agency lending, advisory, commercial mortgage brokerage, and tailored financing and equity investment solutions. This segment also offers treasury and payment solutions, such as operating various electronic and paper payment types, which comprise card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, check, and cash; and provides services clients to manage their accounts online. The company offers its products and services through a network of traditional and in-store branches, automated teller machines, Internet, mobile, and telephone banking channels. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 1,218 full-service banking offices located in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. SunTrust Banks, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Wall Street analysts have given OCI Partners a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but OCI Partners wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

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Sasol Ltd. is a holding company. The firm engages in the provision of liquid fuels, chemicals, and low-carbon electricity. It operates through following segments: Mining, Exploration and Production International, Energy, Base Chemicals, Performance Chemicals, and Group Functions. The Mining segment secures coal feedstock for the Southern African value chain, mainly for gasification, but also to generate electricity and steam. The Exploration and Production International segment develops and manages oil and gas exploration and production in Mozambique, South Africa, Canada, and Gabon. The Base Chemicals segment involves the marketing of commodity chemicals based on the group's upstream Fischer-Tropsch, ethylene, propylene and ammonia value chains. The Performance Chemicals segment markets commodity and differentiated performance chemicals. The Energy segment sells and markets liquid fuels, pipeline gas, and electricity. The Group Functions segment includes the head office and centralised treasury operations. The company was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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The Williams Cos., Inc. operates as an energy infrastructure company, which explores, produces, transports, sells and processes natural gas and petroleum products. It operates through the following segments: Transmission and Gulf of Mexico; Northeast G&P; and West. The Transmission and Gulf of Mexico segment comprises of interstate natural gas pipelines, Transco and Northwest Pipeline, as well as natural gas gathering and processing and crude oil production handling and transportation assets in the Gulf Coast region. The Northeast G&P segment includes midstream gathering, processing, and fractionation businesses in the Marcellus Shale region primarily in Pennsylvania and New York, and the Utica Shale region of eastern Ohio. The West segment consists of gas gathering, processing, and treating operations in the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado and Wyoming, the Barnett Shale region of north-central Texas, the Eagle Ford Shale region of south Texas, the Haynesville Shale region of northwest Louisiana, and the Mid-Continent region which includes the Anadarko, Arkoma, and Permian basins. The company was founded by David Williams and Miller Williams in 1908 and is headquartered in Tulsa,

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The following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan.
Tableau Software, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides business analytics software products. It offers Tableau Desktop, a self-service, powerful analytics product with data; Tableau Server, a business intelligence platform for organizations; Tableau Online, a hosted software-as-a-service version of Tableau Server; Tableau Prep, a data preparation product for combining, shaping, and cleaning data; and Tableau Public, a cloud-based platform for analyzing and sharing public data. In addition, it offers Visual Query Language (VizQL) for databases, which is a computer language for describing pictures of data, including graphs, charts, maps, time series, and tables of visualizations; Live Query Engine that interprets abstract queries generated by VizQL into syntax understandable by database systems; and Hyper, an in-memory data engine technology that helps customers to analyze a range of data sets by evaluating analytical queries directly in the transactional database. Further, the company provides support, maintenance, training, and professional services. It serves organizations in various industries, including business services, energy and telecommunications, financial services, life sciences and healthcare, manufacturing and technology, media and entertainment, public sector, and education, as well as retail, consumer, and distribution industries. The company sells its products directly, as well as through indirect sales channels, such as technology vendors, resellers, original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendor, and distributors in the United States, Canada, and internationally. Tableau Software, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Colgate-Palmolive: 887357 Ontario Inc., COLGALIVE S.A., CP GABA GmbH, CP International Holding C.V., CP West East Investment Limited, Cleaning Dimensions Inc., Colgate (BVI) Limited, Colgate (Guangzhou) Company Limited, Colgate (U.K.) Limited, Colgate Business Services of the Americas S.C., Colgate Flavors and Fragrances Inc., Colgate Global Business Services Private Limited, Colgate Holdings, Colgate Inc., Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals Inc., Colgate Palmolive Ghana Limited, Colgate Palmolive Holding S.Com.P.A., Colgate Palmolive Nouvelle Caledonie Sarl, Colgate Palmolive Tanzania Limited, Colgate Sanxiao Company Limited, Colgate Venture Company Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (America) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Asia) Pte Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive (Blantyre) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Brunei) Sdn Bhn, Colgate-Palmolive (Central America) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Central America) Inc. y Compania Limitada, Colgate-Palmolive (Centro America) S.A., Colgate-Palmolive (China) Co. Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive (Costa Rica) S.A., Colgate-Palmolive (Dominica) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Dominican Republic) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (East Africa) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Eastern) Pte. Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (Egypt) S.A.E., Colgate-Palmolive (Far East) Sdn Bhd, Colgate-Palmolive (Fiji) Pte Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Gabon) S.A., Colgate-Palmolive (Guyana) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (H.K.) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Hellas) S.A. I.C., Colgate-Palmolive (Hong Kong) Holding Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Kazakhstan) L.L.P., Colgate-Palmolive (Latvia) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Colgate-Palmolive (Middle East Exports) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (Myanmar) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (New York) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Poland) Sp. z o.o., Colgate-Palmolive (Proprietary) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Research & Development) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Romania) SRL, Colgate-Palmolive (Thailand) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (UK) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Uganda) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Vietnam) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (Zambia) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Zimbabwe) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive A.B., Colgate-Palmolive A/S, Colgate-Palmolive Adria Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive Argentina S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Asia Pacific Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Asia Pacific Treasury Services Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Belgium S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Bolivia Ltda., Colgate-Palmolive Canada Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Caricom Service Co. Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Central European Management Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Chile S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Cia., Colgate-Palmolive Comercial Ltda., Colgate-Palmolive Commercial (Hellas) SP LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Commerciale S.A.S., Colgate-Palmolive Commericale S.r.l., Colgate-Palmolive Compania Anonima, Colgate-Palmolive Company Distr. LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Company GmbH, Colgate-Palmolive Cote dIvoire S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Cyprus Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Development Corp., Colgate-Palmolive East West Africa Region (Pty) Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive Enterprises Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Espana S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Europe (Holdings) Sarl, Colgate-Palmolive Europe Sarl, Colgate-Palmolive Finance (UK) plc, Colgate-Palmolive Global Trading Company, Colgate-Palmolive Holding Argentina S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Holding Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Hungary Kft Limited Liability Company, Colgate-Palmolive IHQ Services (Thailand) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Inc. S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Industrial Ltda., Colgate-Palmolive Industriel S.A.S., Colgate-Palmolive International Holding LLC, Colgate-Palmolive International LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Investment Co. Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Investments (BVI) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive Investments (PNG) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive Investments (UK) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Investments Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Israel Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive Italia S.r.l., Colgate-Palmolive JSC, Colgate-Palmolive Lanka (Private) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Latin America Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Manufacturing (Poland) Sp. z o.o., Colgate-Palmolive Marketing Sdn Bhd, Colgate-Palmolive Maroc S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Mocambique Limitada, Colgate-Palmolive NJ Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Nederland B.V., Colgate-Palmolive Norge A/S, Colgate-Palmolive Participacoes e Investimentos Imobiliarios Lda., Colgate-Palmolive Peru S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Philippines Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Pty Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive Retirement Trustee Limited, Colgate-Palmolive S.A. de C.V., Colgate-Palmolive S.p.A., Colgate-Palmolive Senegal S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Services (Hellas) LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Services (Poland) Sp. z o.o., Colgate-Palmolive Services CEW GmbH, Colgate-Palmolive Services S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Slovensko s.r.o., Colgate-Palmolive Support Services, Colgate-Palmolive Temizlik Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticart S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Transnational Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Ukraine LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Unipessoal Lda, Colgate-Palmolive de Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Colgate-Palmolive de Puerto Rico Inc., Colgate-Palmolive del Ecuador S.A.I.C., Colgate-Palmolive del Peru (Delaware) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Eeska republika spol. s r.o., Colpal CBS S de R. L. de C. V., Consumer Viewpoint Center Inc., Cotelle S.A., Dimac Development Corp., Dominica Coconut Products Limited, EKIB Inc., ELM Company Limited, Elta MD Holdings Inc., Elta MD Inc., EltaMD, Filorga Americas Inc., Filorga Asia Limited, Filorga Benelux SA, Filorga Cosmetiques Polska, Filorga Middle East DMCC, Filorga Portugal Unipessoal Lda., Filorga RU Limited Liability Company, GABA Europe Holding GmbH, GABA International, GABA International Holding LLC, GABA Schweiz AG, GABA Therwil GmbH, Gamma Development Co. Ltd., Global Trading and Supply LLC, Hamol Ltd., Hello Products, Hello Products LLC, Hills Funding Company, Hills Pet Nutrition (NZ) Limited, Hills Pet Nutrition (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Hills Pet Nutrition Asia Limited, Hills Pet Nutrition B.V., Hills Pet Nutrition Canada Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition Denmark ApS, Hills Pet Nutrition Espana S.L., Hills Pet Nutrition GmbH, Hills Pet Nutrition Holding B.V., Hills Pet Nutrition Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition Indiana Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition Italia S.r.l., Hills Pet Nutrition Korea Ltd., Hills Pet Nutrition Ltd., Hills Pet Nutrition Manufacturing B.V., Hills Pet Nutrition Manufacturing s.r.o, Hills Pet Nutrition Norway AS, Hills Pet Nutrition OOO, Hills Pet Nutrition Pty. Limited, Hills Pet Nutrition S.p.A., Hills Pet Nutrition SNC, Hills Pet Nutrition Sales Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition South Africa Proprietary Limited, Hills Pet Nutrition Sweden AB, Hills Pet Nutrition Switzerland GmbH, Hills Pet Nutrition Taiwan Ltd, Hills Pet Nutrition Trading (GZ) Co. Ltd, Hills Pet Nutrition de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Hills Pet Nutrition de Puerto Rico Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition s.r.o., Hills Pet Products (Benelux) S.A., Hills Pet Products Inc., Hills Veterinary Companies of America Inc., Hills-Colgate (Japan) Ltd., Hopro Liquidating Corp., Hygiene Systemes et Services SA, IES Enterprises Inc., Inmobiliaria Colpal S. de R.L. de C.V., Inmobiliaria Hills S.A. de C.V., Innovacion Creativa S.A. de C.V., Kolynos Corporation, Laboratoires Filorga Cosmetiques Espana S.L.U., Laboratoires Filorga Cosmetiques Italia S.R.L., Laboratoires Filorga Cosmetiques S.A., Laser Brand Toothpaste, Lournay Sales Inc., Mennen Company, Mennen Interamerica Ltd., Mennen Limited, Mennen South Africa Ltd., Mennen de Chile Ltd., Mennen de Nicargua S.A., Mission Hills Property Corporation, Mission Hills S.A. de C.V., Norwood International Incorporated, Olive Music Publishing Corporation, PCA SKIN, Paramount Research Inc., Penny LLC, Pet Chemicals Inc., Physicians Care Alliance LLC, Productos Halogenados Copalven C.A., Purity Holding Company, Purity Music Publishing Corporation, Refresh Company Limited, Samuel Taylor Holdings B.V., Sanex, Sanxiao Company Limited, Services Development Co. Ltd., Societe Generale de Negoce et de Services (GENESE) S.A., The GDN - The Global Distributive Network SAS, The Lournay Company Inc., The MPDP - The Medical and Pharmaceutic Distributive Platform SAS, The Murphy-Phoenix Company, Tom's of Maine, Toms of Maine Holdings Inc., Toms of Maine Inc., Veterinary Companies of America Inc., Vipont Pharmaceutical Inc., and XEB Inc..
Domtar Corporation designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes communication papers, specialty and packaging papers, and absorbent hygiene products in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Pulp and Paper, and Personal Care. The company provides business papers, including copy and electronic imaging papers used in inkjet and laser printers, photocopiers, and plain-paper fax machines, as well as computer papers, preprinted forms, and digital papers for office and home use. It also offers commercial printing and publishing papers, such as offset papers and opaques used in sheet and roll fed offset presses; publishing papers, which include tradebook and lightweight uncoated papers for publishing textbooks, dictionaries, catalogs, magazines, hard cover novels, and financial documents; and converting papers for envelopes, tablets, business forms, and data processing/computer forms. In addition, the company provides papers for thermal printing, flexible packaging, food packaging, medical packaging, medical gowns and drapes, sandpaper backing, carbonless printing, labels and other coating, and laminating applications; and papers for industrial and specialty applications, such as carrier papers, treated papers, security papers, and specialized printing and converting applications. Further, it offers absorbent hygiene products, including absorbent briefs, protective underwear, underpads, pads, washcloths, and body patches under the Attends, Indasec, IndasSlip, and Reassure brands; and baby diapers, training and youth pants, and bed mats under the Comfees, Chelino, Nene, and Bambino brand names. The company serves merchants, retail outlets, stationers, printers, publishers, converters, and end-users. Domtar Corporation was founded in 1848 and is based in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen Coding GmbH, Allen France SAS, Alpine Automation Limited, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Holdings Inc., Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, Arylux Hungary Elektromechanikus Alkatreszgyarto Kft, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix (Suzhou) Weighing Technology Co. Ltd., Avery Weigh-Tronix Finance Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Holdings Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix International Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC, Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Properties Limited, Azon Limited, B.C. Immo, Beijing Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Berkel (Ireland) Limited, Berrington UK, Brapenta Eletronica Ltda., Brooks Instrument (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Brooks Instrument B.V., Brooks Instrument GmbH, Brooks Instrument KFT, Brooks Instrument Korea Ltd., Brooks Instrument LLC, Buell Industries Inc., CAPMAX Logistica S.A. de C.V., CCI Realty Company, CFC Europe GmbH, CS (Australia) Pty Limited, CS (Finance) Europe S.a.r.l., CS Mexico Holding Company S DE RL DE CV, CSMTS LLC, Calvia Spolka z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnosci, Capital Ventures (Australasia) S.a r.l, Capmax Logistica S.A. de C.V., Celeste Industries Corporation, Coeur, Coeur (Shanghai) Medical Appliance Trading Co. Ltd, Coeur Asia Limited, Coeur Holding Company, Coeur Inc., Compagnie Hobart, Compagnie de Materiel et d'Equipements Techniques-Comet, Constructions Isothermiques Bontami C.I.B., Crane Carrier Company, Despatch Industries, Diagraph Corporation Sdn. Bhd, Diagraph ITW Mexico S. de R.L. De C.V., Diagraph Mexico S.A. DE C.V., Dongguan Ark-Les Electric Components Co. Ltd., Dongguan CK Branding Co. Ltd., Dorbyl U.K. (Holdings) Limited, Duo Fast de Espana S.A.U., Duo-Fast Korea Co. Ltd., Duo-Fast LLC, E.C.S. d.o.o., ECS Cable Protection Sp. Zoo, ELRO (Holding) AG, ELRO Grosskuchen GmbH, ELRO-WERKE AG, Elga Skandinavian AS, Elro Group, Eltex-Elektrostatik-Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Envases Multipac S.A. de C.V., Eurotec Srl, FEG Investments L.L.C., Fasver, Filtertek, Filtertek De Mexico Holding Inc., Filtertek De Mexico S.A. de C.V., GC Financement SA, Gamko B.V., Gun Hwa Platech (Taicang) Co. Ltd., HOBART Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Hartness International, Hobart (Japan) K.K., Hobart Andina S.A.S., Hobart Brothers International Chile Limitada, Hobart Brothers LLC, Hobart Dayton Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Hobart Food Equipment Co. Ltd., Hobart Foster Belgium, Hobart International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Hobart Korea LLC, Hobart LLC, Hobart Nederland B.V., Hobart Sales & Service Inc., Hobart Scandinavia ApS, Hobart Techniek B.V., Horis, ILC Investments Holdings Inc., ITW (China) Investment Company Limited, ITW (Deutschland) GmbH, ITW (EU) Holdings Ltd., ITW (European) Finance Co. Ltd., ITW (European) Finance II Co. Ltd., ITW (European) Finance III Co. Ltd., ITW (Ningbo) Components & Fastenings Systems Co. Ltd., ITW AEP LLC, ITW AOC LLC, ITW Aircraft Investments Inc., ITW Alpha Sarl, ITW Ampang Industries Philippines Inc., ITW Appliance Components EOOD, ITW Appliance Components S.A. de C.V., ITW Appliance Components S.r.l.a, ITW Appliance Components d.o.o., ITW Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, ITW Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd., ITW Australia Pty Ltd, ITW Automotive Components (Chongqing) Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Components (Langfang) Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Japan K.K., ITW Automotive Korea LLC, ITW Automotive Parts (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, ITW Automotive Products GmbH, ITW Automotive Products Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Bailly Comte, ITW Befestigungssysteme GmbH, ITW Belgium, ITW Brazilian Nominee L.L.C., ITW Building Components Group Inc., ITW CER, ITW CP Distribution Center Holland BV, ITW CS (UK) Ltd., ITW Canada Inc., ITW Celeste Inc., ITW Chemical Products Ltda, ITW Chemical Products Scandinavia ApS, ITW Colombia S.A.S., ITW Construction Products (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW Construction Products (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., ITW Construction Products AB, ITW Construction Products AS, ITW Construction Products ApS, ITW Construction Products CZ s.r.o., ITW Construction Products Italy Srl, ITW Construction Products OU, ITW Construction Products OY, ITW Contamination Control (Wujiang) Co. Ltd., ITW Contamination Control B.V., ITW Covid Security Group Inc., ITW DS Investments Inc., ITW DelFast do Brasil Ltda., ITW Delta Sarl, ITW Denmark ApS, ITW Dynatec, ITW Dynatec Adhesive Equipment (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., ITW Dynatec GmbH, ITW Dynatec Kabushiki Kaisha, ITW EAE B.V., ITW EAE Mexico S de RL de CV, ITW EF&C France SAS, ITW EF&C Selb GmbH, ITW Electronic Business Asia Co. Limited, ITW Electronic Components/Products (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW Electronics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., ITW Epsilon Sarl, ITW Espana S.A., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Finance Designated Activity Company, ITW Finance Europe S.A., ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW France Finance Alpha S.A.S., ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments II Inc., ITW Global Investments Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics (Thailand) Ltd., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Italy S.R.L. in liquidazione, ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France (Luxembourg) S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings UK, ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Holdings X Limited, ITW Holdings XI Limited, ITW Hungary Finance Beta Kft, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Finance Srl, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lombard Holdings Inc., ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW M FILMS II LLC, ITW MH LLC, ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Administration BV, ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Packaging Technology (China) Co. Ltd., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Plastic (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers (Wujiang) Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Philippines Holdings LLC, ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., ITW Spraytec, ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK Finance Zeta Ltd., ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Servicios Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Ideal Molding Technologies LLC, Illinois Tool Works (Chile) Limitada, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Norway AS, Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron (Shanghai) Ltd., Instron (Thailand) Limited, Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Holdings Limited, Instron International Limited, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, International Leasing Company LLC, International Truss Systems Proprietary Limited, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kester Components (M) Sdn. Bhd., Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems (Canada) Inc., Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MOA Enterprises Inc, Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, Norden Olje AB, North Star Imaging Europe, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited (Enping), Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Penta Dnepr LLC, Penta Sever OOO, Penta Volga OOO, Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., Ramset Fasteners (Hong Kong) Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco (Nederland) B.V., Simco Japan Inc., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques  SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Taiwan) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes BVBA, Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek (China) Limited, Teknek (Japan) Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V.B.A., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta (Guangzhou) Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Vesta Global Limited, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, ZF TRW (Engineered Fasteners and Components), and Zip-Pak International B.V..
The Bank of New York Mellon pays an annual dividend of $1.36 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 2.49%. The Bank of New York Mellon does not yet have a strong track record of dividend growth. The dividend payout ratio of The Bank of New York Mellon is 33.92%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%. Based on earnings estimates, The Bank of New York Mellon will have a dividend payout ratio of 29.44% next year. This indicates that The Bank of New York Mellon will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

View The Bank of New York Mellon's dividend history.
Nabors Industries Ltd. engages in the provision of platform work over and drilling rigs. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. The U.S. Drilling segment includes land drilling activities in the lower 48 states and Alaska, as well as offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The Canada segment consists of land-based drilling rigs in Canada. The International segment focuses in maintaining a footprint in the oil and gas market, most notably in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Argentina, Colombia, Kazakhstan, and Venezuela. The Drilling Solutions segment offers drilling technologies, such as patented steering systems and rig instrumentation software systems that enhance drilling performance and wellbore placement. The Rig Technologies segment comprises Canrig, which manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks, and drilling related equipment, such as robotic systems and downhole tools. The company was founded by Clair Nabors in 1952 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Cummins: Anvl, Apollo FC Holdings Ltd., Atlantis Acquisitionco Canada Corporation, Atlantis Holdco UK Limited, Brammo, CIFC Worldwide Partner C.V., CMI Africa Holdings BV, CMI CGT Holdings LLC, CMI Canada Financing Ltd., CMI Canada LP, CMI Foreign Holdings B.V., CMI Global Equity Holdings B.V., CMI Global Equity Holdings C.V., CMI Global Holdings B.V., CMI Global Partner 2 C.V., CMI Global Partners B.V., CMI Group Holdings B.V., CMI Group Holdings Cooperatief U.A., CMI International Finance Partner 1 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 2 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 3 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 4 LLC, CMI International Finance Partner 5 LLC, CMI Mexico LLC, CMI Netherlands Holdings B.V., CMI PGI Holdings LLC, CMI PGI International Holdings LLC, CMI Turkish Holdings B.V., CMI UK Finance LP, CMI UK Financing LP, Cherry Island Renewable Energy LLC, Consolidated Diesel Company, Consolidated Diesel Inc., Consolidated Diesel of North Carolina Inc., Cummins (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Cummins (Xiangyang) Machining Co. Ltd., Cummins Africa Middle East (Pty) Ltd., Cummins Afrique de l'Ouest, Cummins Americas Inc., Cummins Angola Lda., Cummins Argentina-Servicios Mineros S.A., Cummins Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Cummins Aust Technologies Pty. Ltd., Cummins BLR LLC, Cummins Battery Systems North America LLC, Cummins Belgium N.V., Cummins Botswana (Pty.) Ltd., Cummins Brasil Ltda., Cummins Burkina Faso SARL, Cummins CDC Holding Inc., Cummins CV Member LLC, Cummins Canada ULC, Cummins Caribbean LLC, Cummins Center of Excellence Singapore Pte. Ltd., Cummins Centroamerica Holding S.de R.L., Cummins Child Development Center Inc., Cummins Colombia S.A.S., Cummins Comercializadora S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Corporation, Cummins Cote d'Ivoire SARL, Cummins Czech Republic s.r.o., Cummins Deutschland GmbH, Cummins Diesel International Ltd., Cummins Distribution Holdco Inc., Cummins EMEA Holdings Limited, Cummins East Asia Research & Development Co. Ltd., Cummins Eastern Marine Inc., Cummins Electrified Power Europe Ltd., Cummins Electrified Power NA Inc., Cummins Emission Solutions (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Emission Solutions Inc., Cummins Empresas Filantropicas, Cummins Energetica Ltda., Cummins Engine (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine (Shanghai) Trading & Services Co. Ltd., Cummins Engine Holding Company Inc., Cummins Engine IP Inc., Cummins Engine Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Cummins Engine Venture Corporation, Cummins Enterprise LLC, Cummins Filtration (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Filtration GmbH, Cummins Filtration IP Inc., Cummins Filtration Inc., Cummins Filtration International Corp., Cummins Filtration Ltd., Cummins Filtration SARL, Cummins Filtration Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cummins Filtros Ltda., Cummins Franchise Holdco LLC, Cummins Fuel Systems (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies Americas Inc., Cummins Generator Technologies Germany GmbH, Cummins Generator Technologies India Private Ltd., Cummins Generator Technologies Italy SRL, Cummins Generator Technologies Limited, Cummins Generator Technologies Romania S.A., Cummins Generator Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd., Cummins Ghana Limited, Cummins Ghana Mining Limited, Cummins Global Financing LP, Cummins Global Technologies LLP, Cummins Grupo Comercial Y. de Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Grupo Industrial S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Holland B.V., Cummins Hong Kong Ltd., Cummins India Ltd., Cummins Intellectual Property Inc., Cummins International Finance LLC, Cummins International Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Cummins International Holdings LLC, Cummins Italia S.P.A., Cummins Japan Ltd., Cummins Korea Co. Ltd., Cummins LLC Member Inc., Cummins Ltd., Cummins Maroc SARL, Cummins Middle East FZE, Cummins Mining Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Mobility Services Inc., Cummins Mongolia Investment LLC, Cummins Mozambique Ltda., Cummins NV, Cummins Namibia Engine Sales and Service PTY LTD, Cummins Natural Gas Engines Inc., Cummins New Zealand Limited, Cummins Nigeria Ltd., Cummins Norte de Colombia S.A.S., Cummins North Africa Regional Office SARL, Cummins Norway AS, Cummins PGI Holdings Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (China) Co. Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (S) Pte. Ltd., Cummins Power Generation (U.K.) Limited, Cummins Power Generation Deutschland GmbH, Cummins Power Generation Inc., Cummins Power Generation Limited, Cummins PowerGen IP Inc., Cummins Research and Technology India Private Ltd., Cummins Romania Srl, Cummins S. de R.L. de C.V., Cummins Sales and Service Korea Co. Ltd., Cummins Sales and Service Philippines Inc., Cummins Sales and Service Private Limited, Cummins Sales and Service Sdn. Bhd., Cummins Sales and Service Singapore Pte. Ltd., Cummins Sinai ve Otomotiv Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Cummins South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Cummins South Pacific Pty. Limited, Cummins Southern Plains LLC, Cummins Spain S.L., Cummins Sweden AB, Cummins Technologies India, Cummins Trade Receivables LLC, Cummins Turbo Technologies Limited, Cummins Turkey Motor Guc Sistemleri Sats Servis Limited Sirketi, Cummins U.K. Holdings Ltd., Cummins U.K. Pension Plan Trustee Ltd., Cummins UK Global Holdings Ltd., Cummins UK Holdings LLC, Cummins Vendas e Servicos de Motores e Geradores Ltda., Cummins Venture Corporation, Cummins West Africa Limited, Cummins West Balkans d.o.o. Nova Pasova, Cummins XBorder Operations (Pty) Ltd, Cummins Zambia Ltd., Cummins Zimbabwe Pvt. Ltd., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Costa Rica S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica El Salvador S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Guatemala Ltda., Distribuidora Cummins Centroamerica Honduras S.de R.L., Distribuidora Cummins S.A., Distribuidora Cummins Sucursal Paraguay SRL, Distribuidora Cummins de Panama S. de R.L., Dynamo Insurance Company Inc., Efficient Drivetrains, Efficient Drivetrains (Beijing) New Power Technology Co. Ltd., Efficient Drivetrains (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Hilite International, Hydrogenics, Hydrogenics Corporation, Hydrogenics Europe N.V., Hydrogenics GmbH, Hydrogenics Holding GmbH, Hydrogenics USA Inc., Markon Engineering Company Ltd., Nelson Burgess Ltd., Nelson Industries, Newage Engineers GmbH, Newage Ltd. (U.K.), Newage Machine Tools Ltd., OOO Cummins, Petbow Limited, Power Group International (Overseas Holdings) B.V., Power Group International (Overseas Holdings) Ltd., Power Group International Ltd., Quickstart Energy Projects SpA, Shanghai Cummins Trade Co. Ltd., TOO Cummins, Taiwan Cummins Sales & Services Co. Ltd., Worldwide Partner CV Member LLC, Wuxi Cummins Turbo Technologies Co. Ltd., Wuxi New Energy Automotive Technologies Co. Ltd., and ZED Connect Inc..
Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. is an international offshore energy company. It focuses on subsea construction, maintenance and salvage services to the offshore natural gas and oil industry. The firm also provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry, with a focus on well intervention and robotics operations. The company operates through three segments: Well Intervention, Robotics and Production Facilities. The Well Intervention segment offers vessels and related equipment that are used to perform well intervention services primarily in the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea regions. The Robotics segment involves four chartered vessels and also includes ROVs, trenchers and ROVDrills designed to complement offshore construction and well intervention services. The Production Facilities segment includes its investment in the Helix Producer I and Kommandor LLC. Helix Energy Solutions Group was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.

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14 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for John Wood Group in the last twelve months. There are currently 1 sell rating, 9 hold ratings and 4 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" John Wood Group stock. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in WDGJF, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.

View analyst ratings for John Wood Group or view top-rated stocks.
The following companies are subsidiares of Mohawk Industries: A&S Energie NV, A&U Energie NV, Aladdin Manufacturing Corporation, Aladdin Manufacturing Of New York LLC, Aladdin Manufacturing of Alabama LLC, Alsace Logistique S.A., Avelgem Green Power CVBA, Avon Pacific Holdings Ltd, B&M NV, BGE Mexico S. de R. L. de C.V., Berghoef GmbH, Berghoef-Hout B.V., Bienes Raices y Materiales del Centro S. de R.L. de C.V., C.F. Marazzi S.A., Canterbury Spinners Ltd, Carpet Foundation Ltd, Cevotrans BV, Ceramus Bahia S/A  Produtos Ceramicos, DT Mex Holdings LLC, DTM/CM Holdings LLC, Dal Italia LLC, Dal-Elit LLC, Dal-Tile Chile Comercial Limitada, Dal-Tile Colombia S.A.S., Dal-Tile Distribution Inc., Dal-Tile Group Inc., Dal-Tile I LLC, Dal-Tile Industrias S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile International Inc., Dal-Tile Mexico Comercial S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Operaciones Mexico S. De R.L. De C.V., Dal-Tile Peru SRL, Dal-Tile Puerto Rico Inc., Dal-Tile Services Inc., Dal-Tile Shared Services Inc., Dal-Tile Tennessee LLC, Dal-Tile of Canada ULC, Daltile, Daltile, Dekaply NV, Durkan, Dynea NV, Eliane Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Eliane S/A - Revestimentos Ceramicos, Emilceramica India Pvt Ltd., Emilceramica S.r.l, Emilgermany GmbH, Emilgroup Asia Ltd, Explorer S.r.l., F.I.L.S. Investments Unlimited Company, Feltex Carpets Ltd, Feltex Carpets Pty Ltd, Feltex New Zealand Ltd, Fibremakers Australia Pty Ltd, Flooring Foundation Ltd, Flooring Industries Limited S.a r.l., Flooring XL B.V., Floorscape Limited, Godfrey Hirst & Co Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Australia Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Group, Godfrey Hirst NZ Ltd, Hytherm (Ireland) Limited, IVC BVBA, IVC Far-East Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., IVC France S.a r.l., IVC GROUP LIMITED, IVC Green Power NV, IVC Group, IVC Group GmbH, IVC Luxembourg S.a r.l., IVC Rus OOO, IVC US Inc., International Flooring Systems S.a r.l., International Vinyl Company - Vostok OOO, KAI Group, KAI Keramica Ltd, KAI Mining EOOD, KERAMA CENTER OOO, Kerama Baltics OOO, Kerama Export OOO, Kerama Marazzi OOO, Kerampromservis (LLC), Khan Asparuh - Transport EOOD, Khan Asparuh AD, Khan Omurtag AD, Koninklijke Peitsman B.V., Kraj Kerama OOO, MG China Trading Ltd., MI Finance SRL, MUD (Holding) Brazil Ltda., Management Co EAD, Marazzi Acquisition S.r.l., Marazzi Deutschland G.m.b.H., Marazzi France Trading S.A.S., Marazzi Group, Marazzi Group F.Z.E., Marazzi Group S.r.l., Marazzi Group Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Marazzi Iberia S.L.U., Marazzi Japan Co. Ltd., Marazzi Middle East FZ LLC, Marazzi Schweiz S.A.G.L., Marazzi UK Ltd., Mohawk Assurance Services Inc., Mohawk Australia Pty Ltd, Mohawk Canada Corporation, Mohawk Capital Finance S.A., Mohawk Capital Luxembourg SA, Mohawk Carpet Distribution Inc., Mohawk Carpet Foundation Inc., Mohawk Carpet LLC, Mohawk Carpet Transportation Of Georgia LLC, Mohawk Commercial Inc., Mohawk ESV Inc., Mohawk Europe BVBA, Mohawk Factoring II Inc., Mohawk Factoring LLC, Mohawk Finance S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Acquisitions S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Funding S.a.r.l, Mohawk Foreign Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Investments Inc., Mohawk Global Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Holdings International B.V., Mohawk Industries Inc., Mohawk International (Europe) S.a r.l., Mohawk International (Hong Kong) Limited, Mohawk International Capital N.V., Mohawk International Financing S.a.r.l, Mohawk International Holdings (DE) LLC, Mohawk International Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk International Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk International Netherlands B.V., Mohawk International Services BVBA, Mohawk KAI Luxembourg Holding S.a r.l., Mohawk KAI Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Capital S.A., Mohawk Luxembourg Financing S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Pacific S.a r.l., Mohawk Marazzi International BV, Mohawk Marazzi Russia BV, Mohawk New Zealand Limited, Mohawk Operaciones Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Mohawk Operations Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Pacific Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Resources LLC, Mohawk Servicing LLC, Mohawk Singapore Private Limited, Mohawk Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mohawk Unilin Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk United Finance B.V., Mohawk United International B.V., Mohawk Vinyl Financing S.a r.l., Molber Beheer B.V., Monarch Ceramic Tile Inc., P.F. Onroerend Goed B.V., PF Beheer B.V., Pergo, Pergo (Europe) AB, Pergo Holding BV, Pergo India Pvt Ltd, Polcolorit S.A., Premium Floors Australia Pty Limited, RR Apex LLC, Rata International Pty Ltd, Recubrimientos Interceramica S. de R.L. de C.V., Riverside Textiles Pty Ltd, S.C. KAI Ceramics SRL, Sibir Kerama OOO, SimpleSolutions USA LLC, Soft Step (Australia) Pty Ltd, Spano Group, Spano Invest BVBA, Spano NV, Stroyagromekhzapchast ChaO, Stroytrans OAO Orelstroy, Summit Wool Spinners Ltd, The Flooring Federation Ltd, Tiles Co OOD, Unilin (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Unilin ApS, Unilin Arauco Pisos Ltda., Unilin BVBA, Unilin Beheer BV, Unilin Distribution Ltd., Unilin Distribution Ukraine LLC, Unilin Finland OY, Unilin Flooring India Private Limited, Unilin Flooring SAS, Unilin GmbH, Unilin Holding BVBA, Unilin Insulation BV, Unilin Insulation SAS, Unilin Insulation Sury SAS, Unilin Italia S.R.L., Unilin North America LLC, Unilin Norway AS, Unilin OOO, Unilin Panels SAS, Unilin Poland Sp.Z.o.o., Unilin SAS, Unilin Spain SL, Unilin Swiss GmbH, Unilin s.r.o., World International Inc., Xtratherm, Xtratherm Limited, Xtratherm S.A., and Xtratherm UK Limited.
Buckeye Partners, L.P. owns and operates liquid petroleum products pipelines in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Domestic Pipelines & Terminals, Global Marine Terminals, and Merchant Services. The Domestic Pipelines & Terminals segment transports liquid petroleum products, including gasoline, jet fuel, and various distillates. This segment also provides crude oil services, including train loading/unloading, storage, and throughput; and turn-key operations and maintenance, asset development, and construction services for third-party pipeline, terminal, and energy assets, as well as operates and/or maintains third-party pipelines. It owns and operates approximately 6,000 miles of pipeline located primarily in the northeastern and upper midwestern portions of the United States, and services 100 delivery locations; 110 active terminals that provide bulk storage and throughput services with aggregate storage capacity of 55 million barrels; and 2 underground propane storage caverns. The Global Marine Terminals segment provides marine accessible bulk storage and blending, rail and truck rack loading/unloading, and petroleum processing services located primarily in the East Coast and Gulf Coast regions of the United States, as well as in the Caribbean. This segment owns and operates seven liquid petroleum products and crude oil terminals. The Merchant Services segment is involved in the wholesale distribution of refined petroleum products, including gasoline, natural gas liquids, propane, ethanol, and biodiesel, as well as petroleum distillates, such as heating oil, diesel fuel, kerosene, and fuel oil. This segment also provides fuel oil supply, butane, and distribution services. Buckeye GP LLC serves as the general partner of the company. Buckeye Partners, L.P. was founded in 1886 and is based in Houston, Texas.

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The Hershey Co. engages in the manufacture and market of chocolate and sugar confectionery products. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: North America; and International and Other. The North America segment is responsible for the traditional chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery market position of the company, as well as its grocery and snacks market positions, in the United States and Canada. The International and Other segment is the combination of all other operating segments which are not individually material, including those geographic regions where the company operates outside of North America. Its brands include Hershey's, Reese's, and Kisses. The company was founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894 and is headquartered in Hershey, PA.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Roper Technologies: 3089554 Nova Scotia ULC, AC Analytical Controls B.V., AC Analytical Controls Holding B.V., AC Analytical Controls Services B.V., Acumen PM LLC, Aderant Canada Company, Aderant Company, Aderant Holdings Inc., Aderant International Holdings Inc., Aderant Legal (UK) Limited, Aderant Legal Holdings (AUS) Pty Ltd, Aderant Legal Holdings (NZ) ULC, Aderant Legal Holdings Inc., Aderant North America Inc., Aderant Parent Holdings Inc., Advanced Sensors Limited, Alpha Holdings of Delaware I LLC, Alpha Holdings of Delaware II LLC, Alpha Technologies B.V., Alpha Technologies GmbH, Alpha Technologies Japan LLC, Alpha Technologies Services LLC, Alpha Technologies U.K., Alpha Technologies s.r.o., Alpha Trust Corporation, Alpha UK Holdings LLC, Amot Controls Corporation, Amot Controls GmbH, Amot/Metrix Investment Company Inc., Amphire Solutions Inc., Amtech Systems (Hong Kong) Limited, Amtech Systems LLC, Amtech World Corporation, Aplifi Inc., Ascension Technology Corporation, Assureweb Limited, Atlantic Health Partners Inc., Avitru LLC, Axium Holdco Inc., C/S Solutions Inc., CBORD Holdings Corp., CIVCO Medical Solutions B.V., Centurion Research Solutions LLC, Civco Holding Inc., Civco Medical Instruments Co. Inc., CliniSys Group, CliniSys Group Limited, Clinisys Scotland Limited, Clinisys Solutions Limited, Cointec Ingenieros y Consultores S.L., Compressor Controls (Beijing) Corporation Ltd., Compressor Controls Corporation B.V., Compressor Controls Corporation Middle East, Compressor Controls Corporation S.r.l., Compressor Controls LLC, Compressor Controls Mauritius Ltd., Compressor Controls Pty Ltd., Compressor Controls Saudi Arabia LLC, ConstructConnect, ConstructConnect Canada Inc., ConstructConnect Inc., Cornell Pump Company, DAT Solutions LLC, DATSolutions Private Limited, DCMH Group Holdings Inc., DCMH Group Holdings LLC, DCMH Holdings Inc., DI Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., DI Dutch Holdings LLC, DI Hong Kong Limited, Dash I Inc., Data Innovations, Data Innovations Canada Ltd., Data Innovations Cooperatief U.A., Data Innovations Europe S.A., Data Innovations LLC, Data Innovations Latin America Ltda, Dawning Technologies LLC, Deltek, Deltek Ajera Inc., Deltek Asia Pacific (HK) Limited, Deltek Australia Pty Ltd., Deltek Danmark A/S, Deltek France SAS, Deltek GB Limited, Deltek GmbH, Deltek Inc., Deltek Nederland B.V., Deltek Netherlands B.V., Deltek Norge AS, Deltek Sverige AB, Deltek Systems (Canada) Inc., Deltek Systems (Colorado) Inc., Deltek Systems (Philippines) Ltd., Deltek WST LLC, Dominion I Inc., Dynamic Instruments Inc., Dynisco Enterprises GmbH, Dynisco Enterprises LLC, Dynisco Europe GmbH, Dynisco Holding GmbH, Dynisco Hong Kong Holdings Limited, Dynisco Instruments LLC, Dynisco Instruments S.a.r.l., Dynisco LLC, Dynisco Parent Inc., Dynisco S.r.l., Dynisco Viatran LLC, Dynisco Viatran (M) Sdn Bhd, Dynisco-Viatran Instrument Sdn Bhd, FMS Purchasing & Services Inc., FSI Holdings Inc., FTI Flow Technology Inc., Fluid Metering Inc., Foodlink Holdings Inc., Foodlink IT India Private Limited, Foundry, Foundry Visionmongers (Ireland) Limited, GeneInsight Inc., Getloaded Corporation, HRsmart Canada Inc., HRsmart Czech Republic, HRsmart France SAS, HRsmart Germany GmbH, HRsmart Inc., HRsmart International, HRsmart International Holdings LLC, HRsmart Mexico, HRsmart SA (Pty) Ltd., HRsmart Talent Management Solutions Europe Limited, HRsmart Ventures LLC, Handshake Software Inc., Hansco Automatisering B.V., Hansen Technologies Corporation, Harbour Holding Corp., Hardy Process Solutions, Horizon Software International LLC, INPUT Inc., IPA Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., ISL Finance SAS, ISL Holding SAS, ISL Scientifique de Laboratorie - ISL S.A.S., IT Canada Holdings LLC, Innovative Product Achievements LLC, Inovonics Corporation, Instill Corporation, IntelliTrans Limited, Intellitrans Canada Ltd., Intellitrans LLC, Intellitrans Sweden AB, Job Access LTDA, K/S Roper Holding, K/S Roper Investments, Laser App Inc., Link Logistics Holding LLC, Loadlink Technologies Corporation, Logitech Limited, MED Professional Services LLC, MEDTEC Inc., MHA Long Term Care Network Inc., MHA Long Term Care Services Inc., MIPS Austria GesmbH, MIPS CZ s.r.o, MIPS Deutschland GmbH, MIPS France Sarl, MIPS Nederland B.V., MIPS Schweiz AG, MIPS Software Iberica SL, MPR Readers Inc., Managed Health Care Associates Inc., Marumoto Struers K.K., Medical Information Professional Systems NV, Medina Acquisition LLC, Metrix Instrument Co. L.P., NDI Europe GmbH, Navigator Group Purchasing Inc., Neptune Technology Group (Canada) Co., Neptune Technology Group Inc., Neptune Technology Group Mexico S.de R.L. de C.V., Neptune Technology Group Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Neptune Technology Group Services Inc., Nippon Roper K.K., Northern Digital Inc., Off-Campus Advantage LLC, Omega Legal Systems Inc., PAC (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PAC Denmark ApS, PAC GmbH, PAC Instruments (Thailand) Company Limited, PAC Instruments Asia PTE. Ltd., PB Bidco Limited, PB Holdco Limited, PB Midco Limited, PB Topco Limited, PGP UK Limited, Petroleum Analyzer Company L.P., Phase Analyzer Company Ltd., PowerPlan, PowerPlan Canada ULC, PowerPlan Holdings Inc., PowerPlan Inc., PowerPlan Intermediate Holdings Inc., PowerPlan Operations ANZ Pty Ltd, PowerPlan Operations Ltd., Project Diamond Intermediate Holdings Corporation, Project Torque Intermediate Holdings Inc., Project Viking Holdings Inc., Project Viking Intermediate LLC, QSC 1208 Limited, QSC 1209 Limited, RF IDeas, RF IDeas Inc., RI Marketing India Private Limited, RIL Holding Limited, RMT Inc., RT Merger Sub Inc., Rebate Tracking Group LLC, Resonant Software Inc., Roda Deaco Valve Inc., Roper Acquisitions Holdings Inc., Roper Brasil Comercio E Promocao De Productos E Servicos LTDA, Roper Canada Holdings LP, Roper Canada UK Limited, Roper Denmark UK Limited, Roper EUR Pte. Ltd., Roper Engineering s.r.o., Roper Europe GmbH, Roper GM Denmark Holdings ApS, Roper Germany GmbH, Roper Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Roper Holdings LLC, Roper Holdings Limited, Roper IH LLC, Roper Industrial Products Investment Company, Roper Industries Denmark ApS, Roper Industries Deutschland GmbH, Roper Industries Inc., Roper Industries Limited, Roper Industries Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Roper Industries Mauritius Ltd., Roper Industries UK Limited, Roper International Holding Inc., Roper International Holding Limited, Roper International Holding SCS, Roper LLC, Roper Luxembourg Finance S.a.r.l., Roper Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Roper Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Roper Middle East Ltd., Roper NL1 UK Limited, Roper NL2 UK Limited, Roper Pte. Ltd., Roper Pump Company, Roper Scientific B.V., Roper Scientific SAS, Roper Scot LP, Roper Southeast Asia LLC, Roper Swiss Finance GmbH, Roper UK Investments Limited, Roper UK Ltd., Roper US Finance I LLC, Roper US Finance II LLC, Roper-Mex L.P., Ropintassco 1 LLC, Ropintassco 2 LLC, Ropintassco 3 LLC, Ropintassco 4 LLC, Ropintassco 5 LLC, Ropintassco 6 LLC, Ropintassco 7 LLC, Ropintassco Holdings L.P., SHP Group Holdings Inc., SIRA LLC, Shanghai Roper Industries Trading Co. Ltd., Sinmed Holding International B.V., Societe de Distribution de Logiciels Medicaux, SoftWriters Inc., Softwriters Holdings, Softwriters Holdings Inc., Sohnar Pty Ltd, Star Purchasing Services LLC, Strata Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., Strata Decision Technology LLC, Strata Parallel II Inc., Strategic Healthcare Programs Blocker 2 Inc., Strategic Healthcare Programs Blocker LLC, Strategic Healthcare Programs Holdings LLC, Strategic Healthcare Programs L.L.C., Struers (Shanghai) International Trading Ltd., Struers A/S, Struers GmbH, Struers Inc., Struers Limited, Struers SAS, Student Advantage LLC, Sunquest Europe Limited, Sunquest Holdings Inc., Sunquest Information Systems (Europe) Limited, Sunquest Information Systems (India) Private Limited, Sunquest Information Systems (International) Limited, Sunquest Information Systems Inc., Sunquest Information Systems Pty Ltd, TLP Holdings LLC, Technolog Group Limited, Technolog Holdings Ltd., Technolog Limited, Technolog SARL, The CBORD Group Inc., The Foundry Bidco Limited, The Foundry Bidco No.2 Limited, The Foundry Holdco Limited, The Foundry Holdings Limited, The Foundry Intermediate Holdings Limited, The Foundry Midco 3 Limited, The Foundry Midco No 1 Limited, The Foundry Midco No 2 Limited, The Foundry Topco Limited, The Foundry Topco No.2 Limited, The Foundry USCo Inc., The Foundry Visionmongers Ltd., The Tidewater Healthcare Shared Services Group Inc., The Washington Management Group Inc., Torque Acquisition Holdco Inc., Transcore Atlantic Inc., Transcore CNUS Inc., Transcore Holdings Inc., Transcore ITS LLC, Transcore LP, Transcore Nova Scotia Corporation, Transcore Partners LLC, Trinity Integrated Systems Limited, UHF Purchasing Services LLC, Union Square Software (International) Limited, Union Square Software Inc., Union Square Software Limited, Union Square Software Pty, Uson L.P., Uson Limited, Utilitec Limited, Utilitec Services Limited, Utility Data Services Limited, Verathon Holdings (Delaware) Inc., Verathon Inc., Verathon Medical (Australia) Pty Limited, Verathon Medical (Canada) ULC, Verathon Medical (Europe) B.V., Verathon Medical (France) SARL, Verathon Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Verathon Medical (Japan) K.K., Verathon Medical (UK) Ltd., Vertafore, Vertafore Canada Inc., Vertafore Inc., Vertafore India Private Limited, Viastar Services LP, Viatran Corporation, Walter Herzog GmbH, WorkBook APAC Ltd., Workbook Software A/S, Zetec (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zetec France, Zetec Inc., Zetec Korea Inc., Zetec Rental LLC, Zetec Services Inc., iPipeline, iPipeline (TCP) Limited, iPipeline Canada Inc, iPipeline Co. Ltd., iPipeline Holdings Inc, iPipeline Inc, iPipeline Limited, iSqFt Holdings Inc., iSqFt Parent Corporation, iSqFt Sub Inc., iTradeNetwork Inc., and mySBX Corporation.
RTL Group SA operates television (TV) channels and radio stations worldwide. It operates in six segments: Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, Groupe M6, Fremantle, RTL Nederland, RTL Belgium, and Others. The company's TV channels include RTL Television in Germany, M6 in France, RTL 4 in the Netherlands, and RTL-TVI in Belgium. It also has broadcasting operations, such as RTL Klub, RTL II, and six cable channels in Hungary; and RTL Televizija, RTL 2, and RTL Kockica in Croatia and Luxembourg, as well as interests in Atresmedia in Spain. In addition, the company operates eight video on-demand (VOD) platforms; and VOD platforms comprising the advertising financed services that include 6play in France, RTL Play in Belgium and Croatia, RTL Most in Hungary, RTL XL in the Netherlands, and Atresplayer in Spain. Further, it operates its flagship radio station is RTL Radio in France, as well as owns or has interests in stations, which comprise 104.6 RTL and Antenne Bayern in Germany; Bel RTL and Radio Contact in Belgium; Onda Cero, Europa FM, and Melodia FM in Spain; and RTL Radio Letzebuerg and Eldoradio in Luxembourg, as well as creates, produces, and distributes television content that range from talent and game shows to drama, daily soaps, and telenovelas. Additionally, the company invests in multi-channel networks, including BroadbandTV, StyleHaul, Divimove, and United Screens; and operates SpotX, which offers ad-tech investment services, as well as Clypd and Videoamp. It has interests in 60 television channels and 30 radio stations. The company was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. RTL Group SA is a subsidiary of Bertelsmann Capital Holding GmbH.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Valero Energy: AIR BP-PBF DEL PERU SAC, BELFAST STORAGE LTD, CANADIAN ULTRAMAR COMPANY, COLONNADE TEXAS INSURANCE COMPANY LLC, COLONNADE VERMONT INSURANCE COMPANY, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY LLC, DIAMOND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OF CANADA INC., DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL HOLDINGS LLC, DIAMOND GREEN DIESEL LLC, DIAMOND K RANCH LLC, DIAMOND OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., DIAMOND SHAMROCK REFINING COMPANY L.P., DIAMOND UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., DSRM NATIONAL BANK, ENTERPRISE CLAIMS MANAGEMENT INC., GCP LOGISTICS COMPANY LLC, GOLDEN EAGLE ASSURANCE LIMITED, HAMMOND MAINLINE PIPELINE LLC, HUNTWAY REFINING COMPANY, MAINLINE PIPELINES LIMITED, MAPLE ETHANOL LTD., MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT GP LLC, MICHIGAN REDEVELOPMENT L.P., MRP PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, NECHES RIVER HOLDING CORP., NORCO METHANOL LLC, OCEANIC TANKERS AGENCY LIMITED, PARKWAY PIPELINE LLC, PENTA TANKS TERMINALS S.A., PI DOCK FACILITIES LLC, PICKARD PLACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, PORT ARTHUR COKER COMPANY L.P., PREMCOR USA INC., PROPERTY RESTORATION L.P., PURE BIOFUELS DEL PERU S.A.C., PURE BIOFUELS HOLDINGS L.P., Parkway Pipeline, Premcor, Pure Biofuels Del Peru, SABINE RIVER HOLDING CORP., SABINE RIVER LLC, SAINT BERNARD PROPERTIES COMPANY LLC, SUNBELT REFINING COMPANY L.P., THE PREMCOR PIPELINE CO., THE PREMCOR REFINING GROUP INC., THE SHAMROCK PIPE LINE CORPORATION, TRANSPORT MARITIME ST. LAURENT INC., ULTRAMAR ACCEPTANCE INC., ULTRAMAR ENERGY INC., ULTRAMAR INC., Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, V-TEX LOGISTICS LLC, VALERO (BARBADOS) SRL, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS GP LLC, VALERO (PERU) HOLDINGS LIMITED, VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO ARUBA ACQUISITION COMPANY I LTD., VALERO ARUBA FINANCE INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA HOLDING COMPANY N.V., VALERO ARUBA HOLDINGS INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO ARUBA MAINTENANCE/OPERATIONS COMPANY N.V., VALERO BROWNSVILLE TERMINAL LLC, VALERO CANADA FINANCE INC., VALERO CANADA L.P., VALERO CAPITAL CORPORATION, VALERO CARIBBEAN SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO COKER CORPORATION ARUBA N.V., VALERO CUSTOMS & TRADE SERVICES INC., VALERO EAST BAY LLC, VALERO ENERGY (IRELAND) LIMITED, VALERO ENERGY ARUBA II COMPANY, VALERO ENERGY INC., VALERO ENERGY LTD, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS GP LLC, VALERO ENERGY PARTNERS LP, VALERO ENERGY UK LTD, VALERO ENTERPRISES INC., VALERO EQUITY SERVICES LTD, VALERO FINANCE L.P. I, VALERO FINANCE L.P. II, VALERO FINANCE L.P. III, VALERO FOREST CONTRIBUTION LLC, VALERO GRAIN MARKETING LLC, VALERO H2 PIPELINE COMPANY LLC, VALERO HOLDCO UK LTD, VALERO HOLDINGS INC., VALERO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC., VALERO LIVE OAK LLC, VALERO LOGISTICS UK LTD, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY (PANAMA) LLC, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY COMPANY, VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPLY DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO MARKETING AND SUPPY INTERNATIONAL LTD., VALERO MARKETING IRELAND LIMITED, VALERO MKS LOGISTICS L.L.C., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEDERLAND COOPERATIEF U.A., VALERO NEW AMSTERDAM B.V., VALERO OMEGA COMPANY L.L.C., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONAL SERVICES DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO OPERATIONS SUPPORT LTD, VALERO PARTNERS CCTS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS EAST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS CORPUS WEST LLC, VALERO PARTNERS EP LLC, VALERO PARTNERS HOUSTON LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LOUISIANA LLC, VALERO PARTNERS LUCAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MCKEE LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS MERAUX LLC, VALERO PARTNERS NORTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS OPERATING CO. LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PAPS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS PORT ARTHUR LLC, VALERO PARTNERS SOUTH TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS TEXAS CITY LLC, VALERO PARTNERS THREE RIVERS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST MEMPHIS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WEST TEXAS LLC, VALERO PARTNERS WYNNEWOOD LLC, VALERO PAYMENT SERVICES COMPANY, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE LLC, VALERO PEMBROKESHIRE OIL TERMINAL LTD, VALERO PLAINS COMPANY LLC, VALERO POWER MARKETING LLC, VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL OPERATIONS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO RAIL PARTNERS LLC, VALERO REFINING AND MARKETING COMPANY, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-ARUBA N.V., VALERO REFINING COMPANY-CALIFORNIA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-OKLAHOMA, VALERO REFINING COMPANY-TENNESSEE L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-MERAUX LLC, VALERO REFINING-NEW ORLEANS L.L.C., VALERO REFINING-TEXAS L.P., VALERO RENEWABLE FUELS COMPANY LLC, VALERO SECURITY SYSTEMS INC., VALERO SERVICES INC., VALERO SKELLYTOWN PIPELINE LLC, VALERO TEJAS COMPANY LLC, VALERO TERMINAL HOLDCO LTD, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, VALERO TERMINALING AND DISTRIBUTION DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., VALERO TEXAS POWER MARKETING INC., VALERO ULTRAMAR HOLDINGS INC., VALERO UNIT INVESTMENTS L.L.C., VALERO WEST WALES LLC, VRG PROPERTIES COMPANY, VTD PROPERTIES COMPANY, WARSHALL COMPANY LLC, and ZELIG COMMERCIAL INC..
Travel + Leisure Co. is a membership and leisure travel company, with a portfolio of nearly 20 resort, travel club, and lifestyle travel brands. The company provides outstanding vacation experiences and travel inspiration to millions of owners, members, and subscribers every year through its products and services: Wyndham Destinations, the vacation ownership company with 230 vacation club resort locations across the globe; Panorama, the membership travel business that includes the vacation exchange company, industry travel technology, and subscription travel brands; and Travel + Leisure Group, featuring online and print travel content, online booking platforms and travel clubs, and branded consumer products. Travel + Leisure Co. is a membership and leisure travel company, with a portfolio of nearly 20 resort, travel club, and lifestyle travel brands. Travel + Leisure was founded on July 31, 2006 and is headquartered in Orlando, FL.

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Company on Wednesday launched the all new version of its compact sedan Amaze, priced between Rs 5.6 lakh and Rs 9 lakh.

New Delhi: Honda Cars India will launch six new products over the next three years as part of its strategy to claw back to a dominant position in the passenger vehicles segment, a top company official said today.

The company, which on Wednesday launched the all new version of its compact sedan Amaze, priced between Rs 5.6 lakh and Rs 9 lakh, also said it is in the process of formulating a strategy for electric vehicles specifically for the domestic market.

"Starting with new Amaze we will be launching three new products this fiscal. In the next three years we will bring another three new models in India," Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) President and CEO Gaku Nakanishi told PTI in an interview here.

In the second half of this fiscal, the company will drive in the new CR-V and Civic sedan, he added. When asked about the other three models, Nakanishi did not disclose details but said these could fill new segments, including the popular compact SUV vertical.

"We are studying all the possibilities and we would like to fulfil whatever the customer demands," he added.

Bullish on the Indian market, he said the passenger vehicles market is growing rapidly and would cross even 5 million units annually going forward.

"We want to expand Honda's base here. We don't want to degrow this year. Our sales this year should be more than last year," Nakanishi said.

In 2017-18, the company sold 1,70,026 units as against 1,57,313 units in the previous fiscal, up 8 per cent. The company has, however, slipped out of the top three passenger vehicle manufacturers in India.

Nakanishi said HCIL currently contributed 23 per cent to the overall sales in Honda's Asia Pacific region and with the launch of new models the share is expected to further go up.

When asked about company's plans for electric vehicles, he said: "Currently we are preparing a strategy for India".

He, however, did not disclose any timelines. Nakanishi said the main challenges for electric vehicles right now is the lack of charging infrastructure, range anxiety due to battery technology and affordability of such vehicles.

"Of course we would love government incentives for such vehicles," he said when asked if the company was looking for government support for such new technology vehicles.

Till the time electric vehicles technology matures and becomes affordable, Nakanishi said the hybrid vehicles would be the bridge in the transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles.

Honda would like to bring more hybrid models to the country, he added. Commenting on Amaze's launch, Nakanishi said the second generation of the compact sedan is built on an all new platform.

"This is a big move from Honda. We expect new Amaze to replicate the success of our Honda City in the country," he added.

The petrol variants of the new Amaze are priced between Rs 5.59 lakh and Rs 7.99 lakh while the diesel variants are tagged between Rs 6.69 lakh and Rs 8.99 lakh (ex-showroom).

The petrol versions come with 1.2 litre engine mated to manual and automatic transmissions. The diesel options are powered by 1.5 litre engine and are also available in both manual and automatic transmissions.
Binani Industries, which holds 98.4 per cent share in debt ridden Binani Cement, on Wednesday offered to clear the 100 per cent claims of creditors at the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal.

New Delhi: Binani Industries, which holds 98.4 per cent share in debt ridden Binani Cement, on Wednesday offered to clear the 100 per cent claims of creditors at the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal.

In a fresh petition filed before the NCLAT, it submitted that the offer will clear the dues of financial creditors, operational creditors and others within two weeks.

The counsel appearing for Binani Industries said the settling of the creditors' claims will bring the company out of insolvency proceedings.

The NCLAT bench headed by Chairman Justice S J Mulhopadhaya has asked the Comittee of Creditors (CoC), Resolution Professional to file their reply within five days.

It has also asked Rajputana Properties Private Ltd, a subsidiary of Dalmia Bharat Group, whose bids has been approved by CoC earlier, to file an intervention application to be heard in the matter.

The bench also said that it would see as to whether "the NCLT can refuse the offer of the shareholders of the corporate debtor if he intends to pay 100 per cent of credit amount of creditors within 2 to 4 week".

The tribunal has directed to list the matter on May 22 for next hearing. NCLAT had yesterday directed RP of Binani Cement not to decide on the eligibility of the bidders, but just to pass on the revised resolution plans in sealed covers to the CoC.

NCLAT had also asked the RP to submit his view on questions pertaining to the bidders' eligibility in conformity with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) to the CoC, that too in a sealed cover, without consulting any of the parties interested in taking over the bankrupt cement-maker.
RIL's rating is supported by its strong business profile, which is driven by its robust refining and petrochemical operations.

Mumbai: Global rating agency Fitch on Wednesday affirmed Reliance Industries' long-term foreign-currency rating at BBB-, with a stable outlook. RIL's rating is supported by its strong business profile, which is driven by its robust refining and petrochemical operations, the agency said in a note.

Its primary analyst and a director Muralidharan R cited the robust and improved refining operations that consistently outperform regional refining benchmarks as one of the reasons for retaining the rating with stable outlook.

The company runs the world's largest single-location refinery at Jamnagar with a daily capacity of around 1.24 million barrels.

Reliance Industries (RIL) also benefits from its dominant market position in the petrochemical business, driven by its integrated business model with minimal presence in upstream.

RIL recently completed a massive capex that upped the downstream integration, improving its business profile. RIL's GRM (gross refining margin) improved to USD 11.6 a barrel in FY18, from USD 11 a barrel in FY17, in line with strong industry-wide margins, Muralidharan said in the note.

"While we expect industry-wide refining margins to moderate, we expect RIL's GRMs to remain strong, supported by benefits of its capex. It completed the first phase of a gasification project in H2 of FY18, with the balance scheduled for completion in the H1 of FY19," he said.

But the rating agency noted that its digital services business, Jio, is still small and evolving, and faces intense competition from incumbents.

RIL has pumped in around Rs 2.2 trillion till March 2018 into Jio, and "we expect it to make further investments based on the actual growth and performance," it added.

Since Jio has turned profitable in the first year of operations to the year to march 2018, "we expect it to continue to register strong growth and its business to evolve over the medium-term.

"We expect RIL's financial profile to improve, supported by its strong operating cash flows from its expanded petrochemical and refining business. Cash flows will also benefit from lower capex in its energy businesses over the medium-term," the agency said.

Its operating and expected financial profile places its unconstrained credit profile at the BBB level, which is reflected in its rupee loan rating, but its foreign currency rating at BBB- is constrained by the sovereign rating.

Other reasons for the rating stance is the expanded petrochemical operations with expanded capacities, commissioning of a refinery off-gas cracker and stronger ethane sourcing which strengthened its downstream integration and its dominant position in the petrochemical business.

RIL's petrochemical operating profit rose to Rs 2,120 billion in FY18, from Rs 1,300 crore in FY17, reflecting the benefits of its expanded capacity, feedstock flexibility and improved integration, the agency said. Fitch expects the telecom business to continue robust growth over the medium term.

"We expect the subscriber addition to remain strong, driven by attractive high-speed 4G data and feature phone offerings," it said.

Jio's subscriber base reached 186.6 million by March 2018 after its first year of commercial operations, with a net addition of 26.5 million in the last quarter boosting revenue.

"While the Jio feature phones may result in lower average realisations in the near-term, we believe it also has the potential to support strong data consumption growth over the medium-term," said the report.

Declining capex is another reason for better financial profile, the report said, adding,

"We expect RIL's capex to come down from FY20 following completion of most of its refining and petrochemical expansion in FY18. But we also expect RIL to continue to invest in its mobile business and expand its fibre business, which will drive capex over the medium-term."

The agency expects RIL's free cash flows to turn positive by FY20, driven by strong internal cash flows from its expanded refining and petrochemical operations, which will be primarily driven by declining capex.

"Consequently, we expect RIL's net debt to fall and its credit metrics to improve over the medium term, helping its net leverage to fall to below 2.5 times by FY20 and further to around 2 times by FY21," it said.
Some panel members objected. But finally, the board members agreed to let the language remain intact and gave the film an A certificate.

Director Shashanka Ghosh and producers Ekta and Rhea Kapoors Veere Di Wedding is being pitched as the chick flick of the year. But on Tuesday it was the two female producers fathers, Anil Kapoor and Jeetendra, who attended the screening for censor certification of the film featuring the newly-married Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Swara Bhasker and Shikha Talsania.

All the cusswords, abuses and profanities that had shocked the prudes in the films trailer have now been allowed to stay. Thats right. Audiences will hear Sonam use the Hindi cussword ch***** and Kareena repeatedly using f***. There are also scenes where girls are discussing orgasm and a particularly jolting sequence showing one of the protagonists with a vibrator.

Apparently, several members of the CBFC were dead against letting the four heroines use such language, like what one CBFC member described as drunk fisherwomen.

However, the two proud, protective star-dads thought otherwise. Says a source in the know, Both Jeetendra and Anil argued heatedly in favour of the colourful language spoken in the film. They are convinced that todays youngsters speak that foul lurid leery language. Some panel members objected. But finally, the board members agreed to let the language remain intact and gave the film an A certificate.
While most of us awoke to the happy thought of a new day, one among us woke up to a not-so-flattering YouTube video. TV serial queen, Ekta Kapoor, had the unhappy experience of seeing her once-popular soap opera Kasamh Se, being mocked in a YouTube video that has now gone viral. The video, which is titled You India You Lose, made by popular Swedish YouTuber PewDiePie pokes fun at the over-the-top special effects and melodramatic acting in the serial.

However, this didnt seem to go down well with the producer and she slammed the YouTuber in a series of angry tweets. Bhai tu kaun hai! Luks like d firang junior artists we hire from colaba when we Create Paris in arey:) he will find his dopplegangers in kasam se only;) (sic), the actress wrote. Ekta further went on to accuse the YouTuber of being irreverent about everything in Indias popular culture and urged people to remember that his video which we pass as sarcastic n humourous was titled India u lose. But in the end the producer received flak for her tweets with many calling her response racist and immature.

While this outburst has become the talk of the town, this isnt the first instance where a celebrity has gotten embroiled in an ugly Twitter spat. One remembers quite distinctly a heated, but hilarious Twipartee shared between Abhishek Bachchan and comedian Karan Talwar, who goes by the moniker Bollywood Gandu, as well as the war of tweets between Twinkle Khanna and Chetan Bhagat.

While celebrities continue to claim that the best way to deal with trolls is with silence and that trolling doesnt affect them, their actions often prove otherwise. As social thinker Anil Dharker says, For any celebrity to get into a Twitter argument is futile. It is a waste of energy and time, unless they choose to find something positive in the criticism and learn from it. Otherwise, whats the point of bickering on social media?

While this question doesnt have a single answer, the desire to grab attention seems like a plausible one. Maybe a lot of celebrities also get into these arguments on social media because it gets a lot of eyeballs, adds Anil.

However, comedian Karan Talwar feels one cant plan these things, because the negativity is too much to handle. Ektas reaction is natural, as it is human nature to react to something negative being said about you. If youre having a bad morning and you see something that irks you, you will surely react to it in that moment, he says.

With celebrities succumbing to the urge to fight back on social media, motivational speaker Nisha Jamvwal feels that the impulse to do so can be avoided if one learns to take online banter with a pinch of salt. You cant have thousands of followers applauding you, and not be willing to take the downside of social media. Life is not all about praises and accolades. Everything in life comes with fine print. Social media is no different. I pe-rsonally am not too sympathetic with people who take social media comments personally.

Comedian Anuvab Pal points out, It is your sense of humour that impacts the way you deal with social media trolls. Very often, its your sense of humour that impacts your response.

So, if one does not have the stomach for social media, rather than staying put and getting caught up in unhealthy online arguments, stepping away from the platform seems like the better way to go.
A new study has found that when it comes to a clean bed, a chimpanzee's is cleaner than a teenager's, The Sun reported.

Swabs from 41 nests in Tanzania were collected for analysis.

While the team did expect to find a range of bugs given that they live in the African jungles, they found far less bacteria from the apes in their nests, when compared to humans.

"We found almost none of those microbes in the chimpanzee nests, which was a little surprising," lead author of the study Megan Thoemmes, a PhD student at North Carolina State University, is quoted as saying by The Sun.

Adding, "We wanted to know how this compares with some of our closest evolutionary relatives, the chimpanzees, which make their own beds daily."

This is because they build their tree nests from fresh leaves and branches every single night. They also contain less "dirty" bacteria than shed by humans, the report revealed. A human bed contains 35% of bacteria from our own bodies.

Thoemmes believes the find sheds light on the impact man-made structures have in shaping the ecosystems of our immediate surroundings.

"In some ways, our attempts to create a clean environment for ourselves may actually make our surroundings less ideal," Thoemmes said.
The maker of KitKat chocolate bars and Maggi soups is responding with healthier products and is also moving into higher growth categories, such as coffee, pet care, bottled water and infant nutrition. (Photo: Pixabay)

Vevey (Switzerland): Nestle will make further cuts to the amount of sugar, salt and saturated fats in its products as it tries to improve the image of packaged foods in the eyes of health-conscious consumers, the Swiss group said on Tuesday.

Nestle and its rivals are under pressure from a shift in consumer preferences towards healthier food and away from processed products such as instant noodles and frozen pizza.

The maker of KitKat chocolate bars and Maggi soups is responding with healthier products and is also moving into higher growth categories, such as coffee, pet care, bottled water and infant nutrition.

The company said it wanted to cut sugar by another 5 per cent, on top of the more than 34 per cent reduction achieved since 2000, and salt by another 10 per cent in addition to the more than 20 per cent saved since 2005.

It also confirmed its commitment made in 2014 to reduce saturated fats by 10 per cent in all relevant products that do not meet World Health Organisation recommendations.

The trend towards healthier foods is to be observed worldwide, Chief Executive Mark Schneider told journalists at a briefing in Vevey on Lake Geneva, where the company has its headquarters.

We are putting a lot of resources into this, Schneider said. Nestle spent 1.72 billion Swiss francs ($1.71 billion) on R&D last year.

Food and drinks for children were a particular area of focus, Schneider said as he presented a Nestle for Healthier Kids campaign that also includes programmes and online services to educate parents and carers on what children should eat. Nestle said it had launched more than 1,000 new products last year to meet the nutritional needs of children and would further enhance products for kids with fruits, vegetables, fibre-rich grains and micronutrients.

Reformulating recipes to make its products healthier is part of Nestles effort to keep its products attractive for consumers.

This year it launched a new Milkybar white chocolate bar that has 30 per cent less sugar.

Combining the convenience of packaged foods with healthy good nutrition, that is where our sweet spot is, said Schneider, who took the top job at Nestle last year with the declared goal of reigniting sales growth.

To achieve this, Nestle has also been shedding underperforming businesses such as US confectionery and expanded Nestles footprint in health foods, with vitamin maker Atrium, and coffee thanks to a deal with Starbucks announced just last week.
A paramedic said the man blamed the videos for getting him too excited but added that the man would not divulge any more details.

In a shocking incident a man was rescued after he cut his own penis with a knife while watching porn.

The 30-year-old was in his apartment viewing hardcore movies on his smartphone in Bangkok, Thailand when, according to reports, the footage sent him into a frenzy and he began slicing the skin from his penis in an outrageous act of sadomasochism.

The bizarre sex act back-fired when his penis started bleeding uncontrollably with blood and he was unable to stem the flow.

The man made an emergency call and police and paramedics arrived to find him naked and holding his genitals in the fourth floor apartment in Khet Nong Chok district of the Thai capital.

He told workers that he was ''watching porn'' and blamed the videos for making him cut his penis.

According to the paramedic from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation who took the pictures, the man was unwilling to co-operate fully and kept on saying 'I was watching porn, I was watching porn'.

The paramedic went on to add that the man blamed the videos for getting him too excited but added that the man would not divulge any more details.

The man is recovering at Hospital Navamin 9 and is expected to be released without any long-term damage other than a nasty scar.
Two surgeons in China believe they may have found a technique to perform the world's first human head transplant, the Daily Mail reported.

The technique is being developed by Chinese surgeon Xiaoping Ren and Italian scientist Sergio Canavero.

Their plan - shock the body with a jolt of electricity with bold attaching the head to its neck.

They are hoping their invention could one day help patients suffering with paralysis and spinal cord injuries to be able to walk again.

"These patients don't currently have good strategies, their mortality is very very high. So I try to translate this technique to benefit these patients," Professor Ren said told CNBC. "That is my main strategy in the future."

During a procedure that lasted 18 hours, Chinese surgeons showed it is possible to reconnect the spine and nerves to a head.

However, many in the scientific community question the project's ethics. The surgeons received a lot of heat after performing trial surgeries on two corpses.

One Oxford University neuroscientist said attempting such a surgery could be "nothing short of criminal", according to the report.
Bengaluru: Karnatakas Congress chief Siddaramaiah has vehemently denied reports today that three Congress MLAs were missing from a morning meeting of newly-elected lawmakers.

The Congress has offered unconditional support to the JD(S) and together they have staked claim to form government in Karnataka, having won more than the required 112 for simple majority.

The BJP too wants to form government as it has emerged as the single largest party, but is eight MLAs short of the magic figure.

In such a scenario, the phrase MLAs missing can freeze even the bravest, most seasoned politician.

But Siddaramaiah has rubbished such reports, stating: All Congress MLAs are here. Nobody is missing. We are confident of forming government.

Reports on Wednesday morning said three Karnataka lawmakers went "incommunicado" and that an orange alert was sent out across the Congress-Janata Dal Secular (JDS) combine, which has the brightest chance to form the government after Tuesdays hung verdict.

The meeting of newly-elected Congress legislators was delayed on Wednesday morning as the party couldn't communicate with the three -- Rajshekhar Patil, Narendra and Anand Singh, NDTV reported.

Another Congress lawmaker claimed he had been approached by the BJP.

I got a call from the BJP leaders. They said come to us and we'll give a ministry to you. We'll make you a minister. But I'm going to stay here. H D Kumaraswamy is our chief minister, Congress Amaregouda Linganagouda Patil Bayyapur told news agency ANI.

At 11:05 am, ANI reported JD(S)' lawmakers Raja Venkatappa Nayaka and Venkata Rao Nadagouda are also missing from the JD(S) legislative party meeting which was on in a Bengaluru hotel.

They (BJP) are poaching our MLAs we know that. There is a lot of pressure every day. It is not easy to break us as we have the necessary numbers. People are watching this, Congress D K Shivakumar said.

Unofficially, Congress leaders say there are plans to move their legislators to a resort.

Yes, there is a plan. We have to safeguard our MLAs. We will let you know about the plan in time, Shivakumar told the media today.

According to reports, BJP leader K S Eshwarappa admitted his party was in touch with some Congress and JD(S) legislators.

The verdict of Karnataka election that was announced on Tuesday had left scope for negotiations as the BJP is eager for numbers, alleged Congress and JD(S) leaders.

The BJP emerged as the single largest party in results announced on Tuesday but fell short of 112. The Congress has won 78 seats and the JD(S) 38.

The fear of "MLA shopping" was raised on Tuesday evening by JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, who is looking to become chief minister with the support of the Congress.

Also Read: Taking care to ensure our MLAs are not poached, says HD Kumaraswamy
A tweet by Kerala tourism, which has now been deleted, invited Karnataka's newly-elected lawmakers to the 'safe and beautiful' resorts of God's Own Country. (Photo: Kerala Tourism logo)

New Delhi: The tug of war of who will form the government in Karnataka continues for the second consecutive day on Wednesday. The state has witnessed a tough contest between the BJP and the Congress. The next few days are going to be busy and chaotic with none of the parties reaching the magical mark of 112.

Kerala Twitter Screengrab

A light-hearted dig from neighbouring Kerala referring to the "rough and tumble" of the Karnataka verdict amused many. A tweet by Kerala tourism, which has now been deleted, invited Karnataka's newly-elected lawmakers to the "safe and beautiful" resorts of God's Own Country.

"After the rough and tumble of the #KarnatakaVerdict, we invite all the MLAs to unwind at the safe & beautiful resorts of God's Own Country," Kerala Tourism tweeted on Tuesday.

Also Read: Kerala tourism tweet woos victor MLAs with safe resorts

The tweet may have been a jibe at the politically chaotic times in Tamil Nadu, when 120 AIADMK MLAs were isolated for days at a resort outside Chennai by VK Sasikala, who wanted to prevent anyone joining "rebel" O Panneerselvam.

At the time of writing, the tweet had over 10,000 'likes' and over 6,000 retweets. The tweet has since then been deleted.

Both the BJP and the Congress-Janata Dal Secular have staked claim to form the government in Karnataka. When it was clear that the BJP was struggling to reach the half-way mark, the Congress reached out to JD(S) leader and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and agreed that his son Kumaraswamy would be the Chief Minister of a coalition government.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted a screenshot of Arun Jaitley's old tweets, saying governors appointed by the BJP 'didn't invite the single largest party' in Goa, Manipur or Meghalaya. (Photo: File)

Bengaluru: As the BJP and its chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa raced to Karnataka governor's office to claim the invite to form the government in the state, the Congress underlined that Governor Vajubhai Vala could only invite the Congress-JD(S) combine which had a "clear majority" to form the government.

The Congress backed up its claim, pointing to the governor's invite to the BJP in Goa, Meghalaya and Manipur in 2017.

To justify its point, the Congress also pulled out Union Minister Arun Jaitley's tweet from 2017 where he had argued that the combination with majority support should get the first shot at power, not the largest single party.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted a screenshot of Arun Jaitley's old tweets, saying governors appointed by the BJP "didn't invite the single largest party" in Goa, Manipur or Meghalaya. "Union ministers gave arguments supporting them. The precedent is there to follow, right?" he tweeted.

BJP govt appointed Governors didnt invite Single Largest Party in either Goa, 2017 (INC, 17 out of 40 seats), Manipur 2017 (INC 28 of 60) or Meghalaya 2018 (INC 21 out of 60). Union ministers gave arguments supporting them. The precedent is there to follow, right? #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/F4fXKxAhix  Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) May 15, 2018

Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi put out a news item on the blog that Jaitley had written after Goa, saying what was "constitutionally the right thing to do" in Goa should apply in Karnataka too.

Arun Jaitley ji, on what is constitutionally the right thing to do for the governor.



Same applies for Karnataka too, dear BJP. https://t.co/usVty6V6Rf  Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) May 15, 2018

But the Congress or the opposition parties weren't the only ones digging out old tweets to push forward their point. BJPs Amit Malviya put out Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweets from 2017 that cited Supreme Court judgments to argue that the largest single party should get the invite.

9 Judges S.R.Bommai's case clearly decided that 'single largest party has to be called to form the Govt'. Why is Modiji trampling democracy? pic.twitter.com/Vd5LDIAuNW  Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) March 14, 2017

In the Supreme Court and outside, the Congress had then argued that the Goa governor should handover the invite to form the government to the single largest party and not a post-poll alliance led by the BJP.

BJP president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have not spoken on the BJP's claim to form the government but only congratulated party workers in Karnataka for working hard for the unprecedented victory.

The BJP had emerged as the single largest party but at last count, was still short of majority by eight seats. The Congress, with 78 seats in its bag, moved quickly and gave HD Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) its "unconditional" support to block the BJP from coming to power.

Talking to the media after their meeting with Governor Vajubhai Vala on Tuesday, the BJP delegation led by Yeddyurappa said his party should be given the opportunity to form the government because it was the single largest party. He also ran down the Congress tying up with the JDS, calling it "backdoor politics" when the mandate was clearly for the BJP.

The claim is at variance with the stand that the BJP and senior minister Arun Jaitley had taken in 2017.

In a Facebook post last year debunking the Congress claim that the BJP had stolen the mandate, Jaitley had blamed the Congress of complaining "a bit too much", arguing that it was obvious that post-poll alliances would be formed if the election threw up an "inconclusive verdict".
The Congress-JDS combine counters this claim, staking claim because on grounds that the alliance has cornered 117 seats, much more than the majority mark of 112. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: While campaigning for the state assembly elections, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had spoken confidently about coming back to power, but after the voting and the exit polls, the Congress appears to have had second thoughts about its performance and reached out to HD Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal Secular ((JD(S)), for a possible alliance.

According to NDTV report, the phone call was made to JS(S) spokesperson Danish Ali who had gone public with his party's preference to ally with the Congress rather than the BJP.

"This was three days ago," Ali told NDTV, speaking about the backdoor discussions that led to the Congress and JD(S) to join hands. On the other end of the line was the Congress Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The two leaders quietly met in Delhi, discussed the possibilities and their response. "We did our homework," Ali said, adding he updated HD Kumaraswamy about the talks late on Monday night.

The crux was that if a situation arises where the two parties would have work together, they would have to act swiftly.

Soon after the counting of votes on Tuesday showed that the wind is moving towards BJPs stride, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Siddaramaiah alerted Danish Ali that they may need to activate their Plan B.

UPA chairperson and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi called JD(S) HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday afternoon and they sealed the terms of their potential partnership.

Danish Ali said the Congress had not put any conditions during their talks.

But the BJP is determined to make sure that the Congress-JD(S) alliance doesn't snatch its chance to come back to power in Karnataka after what Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as his party's "unprecedented" victory.

BJP chief minister candidate BS Yeddyurappa insists he should be given first chance to form the next government in Karnataka by virtue of leading the single largest party that has 104 of the 222 seats on which elections were held on Saturday.

The Congress-JD(S) combine counters BJP, staking claim because on grounds that the alliance has cornered 117 seats, much more than the majority mark of 112.

But Governor Vajubhai Vala is seen to relatively have a free hand to decide who to invite because there are arguments or conventions to support either course of action.

During the NDA government's tenure, governors had sent the invite to the coalition with the majority in Manipur, Meghalaya and Goa where the Congress was the single largest party.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said if the governor invites the BJP, it would mean that "you are openly inviting horse trading, inviting defection in the parties and under the Constitution, as the head of the state of Karnataka, you should not...."
The BJP saved its face with the victory of Uday Garudachar from Chickpet, but the party lost Dasarahalli to the JD(S) as S. Muniraju was defeated.

BENGALURU: The Congress came on the top in the city, winning 13 out of the 28 assembly constituencies while elections are yet to be held in Jayanagar, where BJP candidate B.N. Vijaykumar passed away, and Rajarajeshwarinagar, where elections have been deferred to May 28 because of the voter ID card scam.

However, the party suffered a major embarrassment in the defeat of Priya Krishna, who lost to senior BJP leader V. Somanna from Govindarajnagar. The other upset for the party was the loss of R.V. Devaraj loss from Chickpet. But it managed to snatch Hebbal from the BJP.

Though the city had five ministers and a party working president, the Congress could not improve its tally this time. The Congress that had 15 seats in the 2013 polls now has 13, with two constituencies yet to go to the polls. The JD(S) tally has gone down from three to two.

The BJP saved its face with the victory of Uday Garudachar from Chickpet, but the party lost Dasarahalli to the JD(S) as S. Muniraju was defeated.

The JD(S), which has extended support to the Congress at the BBMP by retaining crucial deputy mayors post and a few standings committees, has managed to win two seats Mahalakshmi Layout and Dasarahalli, as it focused mostly on the outskirts. The party lost Chamarajpet and Pulakeshinagar, from where Zameer Ahmed Khan and Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy won from the Congress. Both had been expelled from the JD(S) earlier.

Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, who secured 97,574 votes, registered the biggest victory in the city, winning by a margin of 81,626 votes. His nearest rival was B. Prasanna Kumar from the JD(S).

The other Congress leader who has won with a big margin is former Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George, who had a gap of 53,304 votes from his nearest rival M.N. Reddy from the BJP, who got 56,651 votes.

Seasoned politicians trounce rookie mayor, ex-mayor

The current and incumbent mayors of Bengaluru, who contested on Congress tickets, were shown the door by seasoned politicians from the BJP.

However, incumbent mayor Sampath Raj and former mayor Padmavathi did give a tough fight to their opponents. As the counting began on Tuesday, it seemed like both were in a comfortable position. But after three to four rounds, the tide turned against them. In the Rajajinagar constituency, Padmvathi gave a fright initially to Suresh Kumar, who is a former law minister, but he managed to sail through.

Sampath Raj managed to secure 46,660 votes, while his opponent, S. Raghu from the BJP, who has already won twice from C.V. Raman Nagar, got 58,887 votes defeating Raj, the closest behind him. Sampath Raj told Deccan Chronicle, It was a close call and around 20,000 votes garnered by JD(S) candidate Ramesh split the votes and made a difference. But it was first time for me and a good learning experience. I am grateful to the people of the constituency who supported me and have promised to support me in the future.

On continuing with his term as mayor, he said, Now, I should focus on my mayors term and work on gaining more trust from the public. This is not the end for me. I have to work harder now, as people have set their expectations higher.

Padmvathi and Sampath Raj had told Deccan Chronicle earlier that their tenure as mayors helped them know the city well and understand the grassroots problems, which would help them address the problems of the public and gain an edge over their opponents. But in the end, it was seasoned politicians Suresh Kumar and Raghu who breasted the victory tape.

After her loss, Padmvathi told Deccan Chronicle that it was bad luck and she would work harder in the future. Padmvathi got 46,818 votes, while Suresh managed over 10,000 votes more.
The rallies organised by noted Lingayat maths in many parts of Mumbai-Karnataka demanding a separate religion tag in the course of the last one year which drew massive response from the community

Belagavi: The Congress party's over-enthusiasm in dealing with the issue of separate religion tag for Lingayats miserably backfired in the Lingayat-heartland of Mumbai Karnataka as it has been reduced to 17 seats against 34, which it was able to win during the last election. Despite Lingayat maths rallying behind the government in support of a separate religion for Lingayats ahead of the elections, several prominent Congress party leaders hailing from this community have bitten the dust.

Lingayat voters spread across the length and breadth of Mumbai-Karnataka's Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkot, Haveri, Gadag and Vijayapura district have voted for the BJP while ignoring some of the noted Congress leaders including many of those who were actively involved in the Lingayat movement. Some prominent Lingayat Congress leaders who paid the price include Mines and Geology Minister Vinay Kulkarni, five-time MLAs D.B. Inamdar and C.S. Nadagouda, Vijayanand Kashapnavar and J.T. Patil. At the end of counting of votes, BJP secured 35 seats against 17 of the Congress in Mumbai-Karnataka.

The rallies organised by noted Lingayat maths in many parts of Mumbai-Karnataka demanding a separate religion tag in the course of the last one year which drew massive response from the community, did give Congress the hope of securing its support in the election but it eventually backfired.

Congress efforts to take all important maths into confidence with the help of Ministers M.B. Patil and Vinay Kulkarni and gain from the Lingayat movement did not work.

A majority of Lingayats did support the movement but realised later the Congress party's actual motive with elections round the corner. Most Lingayat candidates of the Congress party in this Lingayat heartland were rejected by voters of the community, who have been traditionally BJP voters.

Siddaramaiah government supported the movement with an intention to divide BJP's Lingayat vote bank and managed to get a huge response to many of its Lingayat rallies. A number of seers and noted mutts appreciated the efforts made by the Congress government for Lingayats but the government failed to convert the support which it got from the Lingayats at the rallies into votes,'' says a Lingayat leader Shivangouda Patil.

On the other side, realising that the Lingayat issue would backfire on the Congress, BJP's national leadership bolstered its election campaign in Mumbai-Karnataka to reap the benefits. Most BJP leaders headed by PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah held a series of rallies in the region taking all Lingayats into confidence and accusing the Congress of trying to divide Lingayats for political gain. The BJP kept pressure on the Congress until election day and succeeded in hitting the Congress hard for politicising the Lingayat issue.

In Belagavi district, the BJP has won 10 of the 18 seats, five seats each in Dharwad, Bagalkot and Uttara Kannada, four in Haveri and three in Vijayapura district.

Basangouda Patil Yatnal, former union minister and a powerful leader of Lingayats in Vijayapura-Bagalkot region had opposed the movement strongly urging people of north-Karnataka to reject the Congress in the election. A sitting MLC, Yatnal joined BJP against the wishes of several top BJP leaders of Mumbai-Karnataka and won the election from Vijayapura constituency. The Congress which had seven of the eight seats in its kitty in Vijayapura, retained only three this time with three going to BJP and two to JD(S).

Fearing a backlash from Lingayats in Mumbai-Karntaka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had asserted repeatedly prior to the election that his government was not involved in the Lingayat movement but Lingayats themselves were demanding a separate religion. Merely two days before May 12, seers from all important Lingayat maths of Mumbai-Karnataka came in support of Siddaramaiah and his Lingayat cabinet ministers stating that the latter did not indulge in dividing Lingayat religion, and called upon devotees not to get carried away by the statements of a section of seers.
Outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and JD(S) President HD Kumaraswamy address the media after a meeting with Governor Rudabhai Vala in relation with in Bengaluru on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: With a fractured mandate in Karnataka and both the BJP and the JD(S)-Congress together staking claim to form the government in the state, the fear of horse trading is back.

JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, who met Karnataka governor on Tuesday evening after the Congress pledged unconditional support to a government under his leadership, seems aware of such a possibility.

"We are taking care to make sure our MLAs (lawmakers) are not poached," he told reporters after staking claim.

Outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who accompanied Kumaraswamy was more direct and said, "BJP may try to poach MLAs (lawmakers)".

BJP's chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa who met the governor has said he should be given the first chance on the grounds of the BJP being the single largest party. BJP, which is still short of eight lawmakers to form the government in Karnataka, has already sent some of its top ministers to Bengaluru.

The only way the BJP can increase its numbers is if some lawmakers from the Congress or JD(S) switch sides. The latter two are aware of the need to closely guard their lawmakers.

"The mandate is not for the Congress or the JD(S). There is an assumption that everything is hunky dory but there are news reports that things are not hunky dory. Either way, the strategic part of what is going to happen will never be out," NDTV quoted BJP leader Nalin Kohli as saying.

There have been instances before when parties have kept their MLAs at resorts to pre-empt attempts of horse trading by their political rivals.

During Rajya Sabha elections in 2017, the Congress sent its 44 MLAs from Gujarat to a resort near Bengaluru to prevent what it called "poaching" attempts by the BJP.

After a late evening meeting of Congress and JD(S) leaders at a five-star hotel in Bengaluru, outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah gave no definite answer when asked about "resort politics".

Meanwhile, a tweet by Kerala tourism invited Karnataka MLAs to unwind at resorts in the neighbouring state. "After the rough and tumble of the #KarnatakaVerdict, we invite all the MLAs to unwind at the safe & beautiful resorts of God's Own Country," the tweet read.
The ministry also said that the Government expects everyone to cooperate in the initiative to observe Ramzan in a peaceful manner. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday asked the security forces not to launch operations in Jammu and Kashmir during the month of Ramzan.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has informed about about Centre's decision to J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, in its tweet, said: Decision taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment.

The Centre asks Security Forces not to launch operations in Jammu & Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan. Decision taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment.

HM Shri @rajnathsingh has informed the Chief Minister, J&K of Centres decision.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

However, the security forces reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people, the ministry further said.

The ministry also said that the Government expects everyone to cooperate in the initiative to observe Ramzan in a peaceful manner.

Security Forces to reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

Government expects everyone to cooperate in this initiative and help the Muslim brothers & sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

In another tweet, the ministry said that it is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror.

It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti welcomed the order and took to Twitter to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for their personal intervention in this regard.

I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire & would like to thank @narendramodi ji & @rajnathsingh ji for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders & parties who participated in the All Party Meeting & helped build consensus towards this announcement. 1/2  Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 16, 2018

Mehbooba further said that such decision will in future create a peaceful environment for a sustained dialogue.

The month of Ramadan is a harbinger of peace & such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful & amicable environment for a sustained dialogue. 2/2  Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 16, 2018

The holy moth of Ramzan is likely to start tomorrow or Friday depending on the sighting of moon.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Karnataka's plea that finalisation of the draft Cauvery management scheme should be put on hold as the process of formation of a new government in the state is underway.

The apex court also asked the Centre to modify a provision in the draft Cauvery management scheme that authorises the Union government to issue directions "from time to time" on Cauvery water distribution between four southern riparian states, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra asked Attorney General KK Venugopal to modify the scheme and submit it for approval on Thursday.

The bench, also comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, did not accept the vehement submission of senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing Karnataka, that the finalisation of the draft Cauvery scheme be put on hold till the first week of July as the process of government formation was on in the state.

"All the states concerned are making submissions to the draft scheme. I am requesting for adjournment till first week of July as I do not have the assistance and instruction from the council of ministers of Karnataka," Divan said.

"It was the Centre which has to set up the draft scheme," the court said while rejecting Karnataka's plea.

The bench has now fixed the matter for May 17 to consider the modified draft scheme, which will ensure compliance of the February 16 apex court judgment relating to Cauvery water distribution among four states.
Chennai: Ruling AIADMK on Tuesday greeted the BJP for its good showing in the Karnataka Assembly elections. Chief Minister K. Palaniswami greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for BJP's win in the Karnataka Assembly elections, an official release here said.

He sent a letter to Modi, it added. Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam termed the situation as cheerful occasion for the BJP, crediting Modi for his dilligent and conscientious efforts for the good showing.

I would like to share my joy on this momentous occasion and convey my congratulations on the victory of BJP in Karnataka elections. Your diligent and conscientious efforts not only yielded fruits in 15th state but also added another feather in your cap of glory, he told Modi in a communication. Panneerselvam also wrote to BJP president Amit Shah.

On this cheerful occasion, I wish to express my warm greetings and felicitations for the significant victory of BJP in Karnataka Assembly Elections, bellwethering a grand entry to South India, he said in the letter to Shah.

DMK working president M.K. Stalin was quick in reaching out to BJPs chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa in congratulating him and for his partys victory in the Karnataka Assembly election.

Stalin also urged the new government in Karnataka to release the Cauvery water due for Tamil Nadu without defying the Supreme Court verdict on the river row.

The DMK leader, who greeted the BJP and Yeddyurappa on behalf of his party, expressed the hope that the new government would ensure cordial ties with Tamil Nadu. In a Facebook post and a tweet, the leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly urged the new dispensation to release soon Tamil Nadu's share of water from Cauvery river.

He had tweeted ''on behalf of DMK, I extend my congratulations to Mr Yeddyurappa for winning the Karnataka Assembly election and is set to form the next government.''

"I believe the BJP, which is going to take charge, will not violate Tamil Nadu's rights on Cauvery as per the Supreme Court order and strive for cordial ties with the neighbouring state," he said.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are involved in a decades-old wrangle over sharing Cauvery water.

The Centre's submission of the draft Cauvery management scheme before the Supreme Court, in line with its directive, has raised the hopes of many in Tamil Nadu in obtaining the Cauvery water.
Chennai: Veteran and celebrated Tamil novelist Balakumaran died on Tuesday following brief illness, family sources said. The 71 year-old writer died at a private hospital here.

Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan condoled the death of the writer, Balakumaran, who had penned a number of novels and short stories.

Balakumaran forayed into Tamil literature by starting off with poetry but focused on prose later, only to become one of the prominent writers in the language. The late author was famous for his novels like Mercury Pookal and Irumbu Kuthiraigal which earned him a good fan following. He also published a number of short stories and later entered Tamil cinema through script and dialogue writing. He had worked with top two stars Rajinkanth (film Baasha) and Kamal Haasan (Nayagan and Guna). Balakumaran was a recipient of a number of awards, including the state governments Kalaimamani honour.

In his condolence message, CM Palaniswami hailed the writers rich contribution to Tamil literature by way of hundreds of short stories, over 200 novels and many poems.

In a statement, the CM recalled that he had presented a state government award to the writer in January this year. The passing away of the affable Balakumaran is a big loss for the Tamil literary world, he said, extending his condolences to the family of the deceased. Radhakrishnan and many other artistes condoled the demise of Balakumaran.
People injured in poll violence sit by the side of a road as a vehicle is set on fire by locals during Panchayat polls, in Nadia district of West Bengal on Monday. (Photo: PTI)

Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday touched heavily upon the violence created by the ruling Trinamool Congress during the West Bengal panchayat polls, saying democracy was "murdered" for narrow political interests.

"People weren't allowed to file nominations. It isn't only BJP people who suffered. People from all the leading parties except the one that rules Bengal suffered. This is serious. A land as great as West Bengal has to see such sights, it is unfortunate," the Prime Minister said, adding that such malpractices are worrying in a democracy.

However, the Trinamool Congress hit back and dismissed the Prime Minister's comments. TMCs secretary general Partha Chatterjee told NDTV, "The Prime Minister has reacted to his disappointment at not getting a majority in Karnataka. That's why he wanted to switch attention to Bengal ."

He also added, "In this panchayat poll, Trinamool lost the highest number of workers compared to any other party and has the highest number of injured workers. Everyone knows BJP workers created disturbance during the polls, threatened everyone."
Chennai: While explaining Brexit, British Deputy High Commissioner Bharat Joshi said the United Kingdoms relationship with India will grow after it leaves the European Union.

The United Kingdoms prospective withdrawal from European Union is called as Brexit. India is fundamentally important to us and we see our relationship with India growing after Brexit, not just in trade and prosperity but also tackling in some of the global challenges such as terrorism, he told reporters here on Tuesday.

Mr Joshi, who is completing five years in September 2018 as Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, will be replaced by Jeremy Pilmore-Bedford, currently serving as Consul General in Atlanta in the US.

I think still more work to be done around explaining to India what Brexit means to the United Kingdom. It isnt about the UK becoming more in isolation or withdrawing from the rest of world. It is very much like us becoming a global Britain, he said.

There is obviously uncertainty for companies either investing in the UK or looking to invest because our future trading relationship with the rest of Europe is yet to be determined. That will become clear over the next few months, he said adding that the UK will retain same trading arrangements until March 2020.

On trade and investment, he said, We have seen 15 per cent growth in trade in both directions and the trade between two countries worth `1.6 lakh crore.

The UK has issued 5.5 lakh visas to Indian citizens last year. There is an increase of 11 per cent in the tourist visas and 27 per cent increase in student visas. We welcome Indians who want visit the UK for holidays or visiting family members or on business purpose, he said.

Due to tough regulations, the student visas decreased in the last few years. But in 2016-17 it was increased by 27 per cent to 14,500. We have streamlined student visas and now getting quality students, Mr Joshi said.

The UK is issuing around 60 per cent skilled labour visas to the Indian citizens which are more than what we give to the rest of the world combined, he noted.

On extraditing fugitive businessmen like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi he said, We are absolutely committed to implementing money laundering rules. Like in India, we have the legal process for extradition. The enforcement authorities work very closely with the governments, but the final decision rests with the courts. When asked about protests against Sterlite Industries in Thoothukudi, owned by UKs Vedanta Resources, he said the issue is currently under arbitration.
The MEA said V K Singh reiterated India's support to the joint peace initiative by leadership of both North Korea and South Korea. (Photo: KCNA)

New Delhi: In first high-level visit to North Korea from India in two decades, Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh was in Pyongyang on Wednesday where he held talks with several leaders including Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on key issues and raised New Delhi's concerns over nuclear proliferation .

The two-day visit came less than a month before the proposed summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and is seen as an effort to reach out to Pyongyang.

In the meetings, the Ministry of External Affairs said, the North Korean side provided an "overview" of some of the recent developments in the Korean Peninsula while Singh conveyed India's concerns over proliferation linkages of North Korea with India's neighbourhood, seen as a clear reference to Pakistan.

The North Korean leaders emphasized that as a friendly country, Pyongyang will never allow any action that would create concerns for India's security, said the MEA. India has been consistently raising the issue of North Korea's possible proliferation linkages with Pakistan and had even demanded a probe into it.

The MEA said Singh reiterated India's support to the joint peace initiative by leadership of both North Korea and South Korea, saying it was encouraging both sides in their efforts towards establishment of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

This is the first ministerial level visit from India to North Korea after a gap of almost 20 years.

India and North Korea established formal diplomatic relations in 1973.

The current year marks the 45th year of establishment of diplomatic relations.

In April 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in signed a joint statement following a historic summit aimed at improving ties between the two countries.

After the summit, Kim became the first North Korean leader to step into South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

India had welcomed the peace initiatives.

The MEA said Singh's visit to Pyongyang, which began on Tuesday, was at the invitation of North Korean government.

During the visit, Singh held discussions with Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong Dae, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Minister of Culture Pak Chun Nam and Vice Foreign Minister Choe Hui Chol.

The MEA said a range of bilateral issues covering political, regional, economic, educational and cultural cooperation figured in the talks.

Singh's visit came amidst a threat by Pyongyang to cancel the June 12 summit between Kim and Trump if Washington insists on pushing it "into a corner" on nuclear disarmament.

The US, however, said it is proceeding with the preparations for the summit.
The TMC leadership expressed satisfaction over 'free and fair' polls conducted by state poll panel. (Photo: ANI/Twitter)

Kolkata: Around 68 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the repolls held in 572 booths across West Bengal districts on Wednesday and the polling has been more or less peaceful amidst tight security arrangements, a State Election Commission official said.

The repolls in these booths were held following reports of widespread violence during the panchayat polls on Monday which had claimed at least 12 lives.

"Around 68 per cent polling was recorded. There are people still standing in the queue. The repoll has been more or less peaceful," a senior State Election Commission official said.

"Initially, we had earmarked 568 booths but later on increased it to 572 booths," the official said.

The counting of votes will take place on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the body of a booth presiding officer who went missing on the polling day on May 14 has been found beside the railway tracks in North Dinajpur district, police said.

They said the body of Raj Kumar Ray, 33, was found from Sonadangi area near here beside the railway tracks Tuesday night.

The cause of the death would be known after the postmortem, they added.

The State Election Commission, however, feels the death may not be related to poll violence.

Several polling officials on Wednesday blocked the Raiganj-Kaliaganj Road for around two-hours demanding a thorough probe into the death. Reports from Malda district said a voter died at Baishnabnagar area after he fell ill while standing in the queue.

At Bhangar in South 24 Parganas, the police arrested several bike-borne miscreants for allegedly intimidating voters. The area had witnessed the killing of a person and arrest of a TMC leader on the direction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ahead of the poll.

The opposition protested against the selection of booths for the repolling.

"The SEC did not order repoll in those booths where we saw the TMC letting loose a reign of terror. Repolling has been ordered in those booths where TMC candidates might lose the polls," CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said.

The BJP said they had demanded repolling at 2,300 booths across the state.

"In today's repoll too there were incidents of violence and in few places police acted swiftly. We had demanded repolling in 2,300 booths, but the SEC conducted repolling only in 572 booths," state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said.

The TMC leadership expressed satisfaction over "free and fair" polls conducted by the SEC.

"The people have voted freely and fairly. The opposition does not have any base. They just wanted to create trouble to score some political brownie points," TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee said.
Nizamabad MP Kavitha having lunch with farmers after the distribution of Rythu Bandhu cheques and pattadar passbooks at Gannaram village in Adilabad district on Thursday. (Photo:DC)

NIZAMABAD: TRS MP K. Kavitha on Wednesday said that the Maharashtra farmers are interested to merge their villages with Telangana to avail welfare schemes launched in the state.

According to her, Dharmabad Taluka Sarpanch Association president and Babli sarpanch Babu Rao Ganpath Rao Kadam and other sarpanches met Nizamabad rural MLA Bajireddy Govardhan on Tuesday and expressed their willingness to merge their villages with Telangana.

Speaking at Rythu Bandhu cheque distribution programme in Jakranpally mandal on Wednesday, Ms Kavitha said that Babli sarpanch Babu Rao Ganapath Rao Kadam had written a letter to the Telangana government urging Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to initiate the required process to merge their villages, which come under Maharashtra, into Telangana.

She said the Maharashtra farmers are showing interest in farmer-friendly initiatives in TS. Prior to the reorganisation of states in 1956, she said Babli and other villages were under Hyderabad State and later undivided Andhra Pradesh and they want join us once again for 24x7 free power, Rythu Bandhu scheme and other farmer initiatives and welfare schemes.
Hyderabad: There are no takers for electoral bonds of lower denomination issued by State Bank of India under the central governments Electoral Bond Scheme launched on January 2 this year.

The scheme was intended to bring transparency in funding to political parties and check the flow of black money. Individuals/ entities can purchase these bonds and donate to political parties of their choice. The bonds were issued in denominations of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore.

SBI data reveals that 99.9 per cent of the bonds sold were in higher denominations of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore, indicating that common people were not contributing funds to political parties and funds are flowing from business entities or elite groups.

The sale of bonds of denominations of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 1 lakh accounted for a mere 3.5 per cent of all the bonds sold while the remaining 96.5 per cent were of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore respectively.

The scheme has a provision not to disclose the identity of the donor and also the political party, which has received it. Obviously bonds of higher denomination were brought by corporates or business entities or big investors as common people cannot afford to buy such bonds and donate them to parties. In terms of amount, 99.97 per cent of the bonds sold were of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore.

Only 17 bonds of Rs 1000 denomination and 10 bonds of Rs 1 lakh denomination were sold. Not a single bond of Rs 10,000 denomination was sold. SBI issued bonds in two phases. In the first phase, the scheme was open for nine days in March and April. The bonds were for sale only in four branches in the metro cities of Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.

In April, the scheme was extended to seven more branches  Bengaluru, Gandhinagar, Chandi-garh, Bhopal, Jaipur, Lucknow and Jaipur. But the buyers were in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. Not a single bond was bought in the remaining six branches in other cities. Of the total bonds sold, Mumbai and Kolkata together accounted for the highest sales at 72 per cent.

As many as 520 bonds worth Rs 222 crore were sold in March. In April the demand was even poorer as only 256 bonds of Rs 114.9 crore were sold. Overall, 776 bonds of Rs 336.9 crore were sold in March-April. Kolkata topped with 344 bonds sold, followed by Mumbai at 237, New Delhi 76 and Chennai 62.

Mumbai topped in terms of value of bonds sold at Rs 173 crore, followed by Kolkata (Rs 70 crore), New Delhi (Rs 63 crore) and Chennai (Rs 18 crore). An SBI branch in Bengaluru witnessed sales of Rs 12.90 crore.
2,157 women from the weaker sector were employed, who reached out to 13 lakh households to educate citizens on waste segregation.

Hyderabad: Hyderabad was ranked Indias best capital city for solid waste management by the Swachh Survekshan 2018 survey. Siddipet, the Assembly constituency of TS irrigation minister T. Harish Rao, was rated the cleanest town in the south.

Under the category of cities with more than 10 lakh population, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh stood as Indias cleanest big city and Tirupati was rated the best city in solid waste management among those with population between 1 lakh and 3 lakh.

Asked what went into making Hyderabad the best in terms of solid waste management, GHMC chief Dr B. Janardhan Reddy said it was because of the removal of 1,116 vulnerable garbage points, introduction of Swachh Dhoot volunteers.

The know your workers; scheme, the anti-mosquito mobile app and SHE toilets built under corporate social responsibility had helped the city secure the top rank in the category.

He said, 2,157 women from the weaker sector were employed, who reached out to 13 lakh households to educate citizens on waste segregation. With the help of 5 lakh students, resident welfare associations, schools and markets were briefed on a monthly reward if they maintained sanitation. Schemes like the Rs1 lakh reward for waste segregation through a lucky draw proved beneficial, Dr Janardhan Reddy said.

The results for Swachh Survekshan 2018, a pan-India survey aimed to estimate the cleanliness of urban local bodies, was announced on Wednesday by the Union minister of state housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri. The 4,203 cities were ranked on a scale of 4,000 marks.

There were assessed on progress in open defecation free (ODF) programme, collection, transportation and processing of solid waste. The results also involved data submitted by civic bodies on cleanliness and sanitation, as well as feedback from the citizens.

The ministry said, While deciding the awards, it has been kept in mind that one city gets only one award i.e the category in which it has performed the best. In case a city has already been awarded in some category, next best is awarded in the other category.
Nellore: The Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanam Board on Wednesday hit back at Tirumala temple chief priest Dr A.V. Ramana Deekshithulu by ordering his retirement through a new rule restricting the employment of the archakas at the shrine to those less than 65 years of age.

Dr Deekshithulu is said to be in his late 60s. On Tuesday he had called for the takeover of the TTD by an expert panel to be constituted by the Centre.

The chief priest had alleged that ancient jewels donated by kings and other devotees several decades ago had disappeared and the state-appointed administrators were violating the Agama Sastra by interfering with the worship rituals.



He had also sought a CBI probe into the jewels disappearance and other administrative issues. Three other hereditary priests will also lose their jobs at the shrine due to the resolution passed at the first meeting of the newly constituted TTD Trust Board.

The TTD promised employment to the sons of the priests as per the rules and regulations. TTD chairman Putta Sudhakar Yadav briefed the media about the Boards resolutions, When reporters sought the TTD response to the serious charges made by Dr Deekshitulu at his press conference at Chennai on Tuesday, executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal said the board had decided to serve him with a show cause notice seeking his explanation.
Chennai: The first budget session of CM Edappadi Palaniswami-led government is to convene by the end of this month. A communique from assembly secretary K. Srinivasan said that speaker P. Dhanapal has convened the legislative Assembly to meet at 10 am on May 29.

The session is likely to last for a month during which demand for grants for various departments would be taken up.

The session is expected to generate much heat as the opposition parties have planned a series of issues including the Cauvery row and Neet related deaths.

The Assembly was adjourned after brief session on in March during which Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam tabled the state budget.

The ruling party also a got a shot in its arm with the Madras High Court chief justice Indira Baneerjee recently passing an order making it clear that the judiciary does not want to intervene in to the duties of the assembly speaker whether it is dismissing MLAs who voted against the government or placing the portrait of AIADMK leader J. Jayalalithaa, who is a convict in a disproportionate asset case.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court tonight agreed to hear at 1:45 am the petition filed by the Congress challenging Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision to invite the BJP to form the government in the southern state.

The Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra has constituted a bench comprising Justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan to hear the matter in court number six.

The petition has sought a stay on the oath-taking ceremony, as communicated by the governor to the BJP's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa. In a midnight legal push, the Congress had approached the Supreme Court seeking an immediate intervention by the chief justice to stay the move, which it termed as an "encounter of the Constitution".

The Congress urged Chief Justice Dipak Misra to hold an urgent hearing tonight itself since Yeddyurappa is slated to take oath as chief minister at 9 am tomorrow. Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said the party sought hearing on its petition challenging the governor's decision tonight itself.

The Congress termed the governor's decision as "murder of democracy and trampling of Constitution". Earlier in the evening, Vala invited Yeddyurappa to form the government and take oath as chief minister tomorrow. He also asked Yeddyurappa to seek a vote of confidence within 15 days of assuming office.

Singhvi, who has been assigned the task to lead Congress' legal challenge against Vala's decision, had met the Supreme Court registrar to take forward the process to hear the "urgent petition". The Congress has termed the move to form a BJP government in Karnataka as "illegal and against the law and constitution."

The petition prepared by advocate Dev Dutt Kamath contended that despite presenting the list of 116 MLAs, governor Vajubhai Vala has invited the BJP which has 104 MLAs to form the government and has given relatively longer time of 15 days to prove the majority on the floor of the House.

The petition, it is learnt, has also stated that an order should be passed for inviting the Congress to form the government. Kamath and other advocates earlier met the registrar for putting the petition before CJI Misra for constituting the bench. Sources said the BJP has also kept a team of senior advocates, including C S Vaidyanathan, ready to represent the party.

The Congress has also said that granting 15 days' time to Yeddyurappa to prove majority on the floor of the House will promote horse trading, alleging that BJP will resort to poaching of MLAs of Congress and JD(S). The BJP has emerged as the single largest party in the southern state winning 104 seats, but is short of a simple majority.

On the other hand, the Congress and JD(S), which have already announced post-poll tie-up, have won 78 and 37 seats respectively and claimed before Vala to have numbers to form government in the state.
Facebook does not fully know why people are posting more graphic violence but believes continued fighting in Syria may have been one reason, said Alex Schultz, Facebooks vice president of data analytics. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

The number of posts on Facebook showing graphic violence rose in the first three months of the year from a quarter earlier, possibly driven by the war in Syria, the social network said on Tuesday, in its first public release of such data.

Facebook said in a written report that of every 10,000 pieces of content viewed in the first quarter, an estimated 22 to 27 pieces contained graphic violence, up from an estimate of 16 to 19 late last year.

The company removed or put a warning screen for graphic violence in front of 3.4 million pieces of content in the first quarter, nearly triple the 1.2 million a quarter earlier, according to the report.

Facebook does not fully know why people are posting more graphic violence but believes continued fighting in Syria may have been one reason, said Alex Schultz, Facebooks vice president of data analytics.

Whenever a war starts, theres a big spike in graphic violence, Schultz told reporters at Facebooks headquarters.

Syrias civil war erupted in 2011. It continued this year with fighting between rebels and Syrian President Bashar al-Assads army. This month, Israel attacked Irans military infrastructure in Syria.

Facebook, the worlds largest social media firm, has never previously released detailed data about the kinds of posts it takes down for violating its rules. Facebook only recently developed the metrics as a way to measure its progress, and would probably change them over time, said Guy Rosen, its vice president of product management.

These kinds of metrics can help our teams understand whats actually happening to 2-plus billion people, he said.

The company has a policy of removing content that glorifies the suffering of others. In general, it leaves up graphic violence with a warning screen if it was posted for another purpose.

Facebook also prohibits hate speech and said it took action against 2.5 million pieces of content in the first quarter, up 56 percent a quarter earlier. It said the rise was due to improvements in detection.

The company said in the first quarter it took action on 837 million pieces of content for spam, 21 million pieces of content for adult nudity or sexual activity and 1.9 million for promoting terrorism. It said it disabled 583 million fake accounts.

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Nearly 4,000 Google employees, in an internal petition, have expressed their opposition to Project Maven and urged the higher-ups to immediately cancel the contract and form a policy banning the company from taking up military work in future.

When you have a job with 762 billion dollar worth company, which is among the most valuable ones in the world, it is not easy to quit it; but some employees are doing exactly so over moral reasons.

Three months ago, the search giant entered into a contract with United States Defense Department to provide artificial intelligence to them for a controversial drone programme - Project Maven - through which the unmanned flying machine can automatically differentiate between the objects and people by analysing its own footage.

Some of the employees are not at ease with this project. Having ethical concerns over giving so much power to a machine, about dozen of them are resigning in protest, according to Gizmodo.

In addition to this reason, they are also not happy with the search giant's involvement in military work and lack of transparency in the firm regarding such decisions, which, according to them, could lead to erosion of trust at the user's end.

Apart from these resignations, nearly 4,000 Google employees, in an internal petition, have expressed their opposition to Project Maven and urged the higher-ups to immediately cancel the contract and form a policy banning the company from taking up military work in future. However, all this seems to have no effect on the top executives, as they have defended their work on the project. This is not all, the company may also bid for another Pentagon's project  the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, a cloud computing contract.

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You wouldnt put money in a bank that didnt lock its safe. Or leave the doors of your home unlocked at night. So, why would you not secure the data on your phone?

In this digitally disrupted world, most of us are connected, at all times, predominately through mobile phones or smartphones. A mobile phone has completely revolutionised the way we communicate, or more importantly, live our lives or work; it has become an inseparable part of our lives. Look at your phone, doesnt it have your important contacts, your pictures, your bank details, your personal and professional data? But how much attention have we been paying for the security and privacy of the data that is residing on our phones?

Hardip Singh, Executive Director, Optiemus Infracom believes that a smartphone with inadequate security features is like a bank with all its doors  even the one to the vault  wide open. A recent research spanning over two years by a German security firm found that many devices have what is called a patch gap. In other words, a phones software claims to be up-to-date with the latest security updates, while it actually misses out on a number of patches. This is shocking, especially to some of us, who religiously update their smartphone software in the hope of securing it with the most updated security patch. Therefore, do remember, not all smartphones are equally secure.

So what really is a security patch and why is it so important? A patch is a small piece of software that a company issues whenever a security flaw is uncovered. Just as the name implies, the patch covers the discovered vulnerability or hole, keeping hackers from exploiting the flaw. A number of security holes have been exploited, and that lead to severe consequences before their developers could create a patch. None of us would have forgotten how Ransomware and WannaCry plagued us in the recent past.

Should you care about your data?

That is not even a question, is it? You wouldnt put money in a bank that didnt lock its safe. Or leave the doors of your home unlocked at night. So, why would you not secure the data on your phone? Think about all the data that is on your smartphone. For most of us, our phones are key to basically our entire online life, and of course offline too. Imagine, what would happen, if your data gets compromised and reaches the wrong hands. Is spending that half an hour to download and install a security update too inconvenient? The choice is yours to make- if saving that half an hour worth compromising your data, your life. Now, while those instances are few and far between, it can still happen. So, it is better to be safe than sorry! Security can seem complicated, but apps like Blackberrys DTEK makes it simple. It automatically monitors your OS and apps and let you know when your privacy is at risk and how you can take action to improve it. Not all smartphones are equally secure or care enough about your security or privacy.

Once again- Not all smartphones are equally secure:

Each year, Google issues an annual report on Android security, which includes manufacturers who are quick in sending security updates to its users. As per the report, smartphones by BlackBerry and Essentials are few manufacturers that deliver Android security updates to flagship devices fast, thereby providing customers with the most up-to-date security available. When it comes to security, BlackBerry has always stood the test of time. BlackBerry focuses primarily on security and has taken extra steps to help protect the user from malware, data breaches and any attempts to hack and tamper with the OS. Though you cant see it, do know that extra precautions are taken at both the hardware and software level to protect your phone from malicious tampering.

Conclusion:

Many popular smartphones put the users private information at risk of being hacked due to slow security updates. BlackBerry is one of the few companies thats quickest to deliver security patches to its users. Other smartphones can take weeks, months or even years to deliver security patches, leaving users vulnerable and at risk. Users should take control of their privacy and security, and ask for each monthly update to cover all relevant patches. We need to start verifying vendors claims about the security of our devices and ensure our personal data is being kept private.

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The new Honor 10, launched in China last month, is being introduced in Western Europes five largest national markets, with 21 additional international markets from Asia to Africa to follow.

Chinas Huawei is targeting Europe with a new smartphone that costs half of what premium phones from Samsung and Apple do as it stakes out market share gains in its biggest region outside its home base.

Europe is key for Huawei beyond China because it has been excluded from the lucrative US market based on unspecified national security concerns the government has levelled against Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE.

The new Honor 10, launched in China last month, is being introduced in Western Europes five largest national markets on Tuesday, with 21 additional international markets from Asia to Africa to follow.

The new phone, part of the mid-priced Honor line, will retail for 400 pounds (449 euros), it said.

Huawei smartphones have been gaining market share in Europe from regional market leader Samsung of South Korea, even while being forced to fend off rising competition from Chinese rivals like Xiaomi and OnePlus and a revived Nokia phone brand.

Huawei has had an open goal in Europe, said Peter Richardson, an analyst with smartphone market research firm Counterpoint Research.

Now with Xiaomi coming into the region, Huawei has a big thorn in its side, he said. The two smartphone vendors are arch-rivals in China as well as fast-growing India.

Until now it enjoyed a relatively benign competitive environment in Europe, while market leader Samsung has not been very dynamic in the mid-range segment, he said. Huawei moved into Europe with its Honor line of phones three years ago.

The appeal of Honor, a sub-brand in Huaweis broader smartphone portfolio aimed at the youth market, is that it packs many of the advanced features of the companys premium line of Huawei-brand phones at significantly lower cost.

For example, the Honor 10 boasts a dual-lens camera with smart photo-taking features based on artificial intelligence technology it sells in high-end models.

Huawei and Xiaomi have been grabbing share from Samsung in the regions market for mid-range smartphones as well as from smaller brands such as TCLs Alcatel, Sony and LG, according to first-quarter data published by market research firm Canalys.

Samsung, which accounts for roughly one-third of Europes smartphone shipments, saw its growth decline by 15 per cent during the first quarter. Apple, with 22 per cent of smartphone shipments, saw growth decline by 5 per cent by the same measure.

Huawei captured 16.1 per cent of the market as its shipments jumped 39 per cent, Canalys said. Newer entrant Xiaomi snatched 5.3 per cent of the regional market, while and HMD Globals revived Nokia phones grabbed 3.5 per cent.

Huawei is the worlds No.3 smartphone vendor, with 11 per cent of the global market in the first quarter, according to Strategy Analytics. More than one-third of Huawei phone shipments are under its Honor brand, the research firm said.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) speaks with Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales ahead of the inauguration ceremony of Guatemala's embassy in Jerusalem. (Photo: AFP)

Jerusalem: Guatemala inaugurated its Israel embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming the first country to follow in the footsteps of the United States' deeply controversial move.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales were among officials attending an inauguration ceremony at the new embassy at an office park in the disputed city at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The US and Guatemalan moves break with decades of international consensus. Netanyahu profusely praised the Central American nation for making the move and noted it came only two days after the United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem. The Israeli premier said he would visit Guatemala on his next visit to Latin America.

The US embassy move on Monday was accompanied by mass protests and clashes along the Gaza border that saw Israeli forces kill 60 Palestinians.

Israel has faced international criticism over its use of live fire, but says its actions are necessary to defend the border and stop mass infiltrations from the Palestinian enclave, which is run by Islamist movement Hamas.
Islamabad: Clarifying his predecessor Nawaz Sharif 's recent statement about the Mumbai attacks, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday appealed the opposition members not to put the country's national security in jeopardy for earning brownie points politically.

"I can say with assurance that no one in Parliament has read the newspaper interview of the former premier of which a furore is being created," Geo News quoted Abbasi as saying while speaking in Parliament.

Last week, during an interview with the Dawn, Sharif had stated that "Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can't we complete the trial?"

"We have isolated ourselves. Despite giving sacrifices, our narrative is not being accepted. Afghanistan's narrative is being accepted, but ours is not. We must look into it," he added.

His remarks were immediately picked up by Indian media, which termed the former prime minister's statement as a confession of Pakistan's role in the Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead.

It is unacceptable that Nawaz is being branded as a traitor, Abbasi highlighted.

"Party leaders should make statements based on facts," he noted, mentioning nobody needs a certificate of patriotism from anyone.

Pakistan's premier even expressed that Nawaz did not say or imply that the Mumbai attackers were sent from Pakistan deliberately. "However, India created that impression by misreporting the interview."
The kin of the people, who were killed in Tuesday's flyover collapse at Varanasi, had to pay a bribe to take the bodies from the postmortem house at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in the town.

According to sources, the kins were charged Rs 300 for each body and those who refused to pay were not allowed to take their dead for conducting their last rites.

The matter came to light when a video showing an employee at the postmortem house charging money for handing over the bodies to the kin went viral.

It also showed the employee haggling with the kin over the payment of money.

Taking a serious view of the matter, Varanasi District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra suspended the employee.

An FIR was also lodged against him, sources said.

Earlier, the state government suspended four senior engineers of the Uttar Pradesh Bridge Corporation, the state-owned company which had been given the contract for constructing the flyover.

A case under different sections of the IPC was also lodged against them.

Nineteen people were killed and over 50 others injured, when a portion of an under-construction flyover had collapsed near the Cantonment Railway station in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, about 300 km from here, on Tuesday.
Amid reports that security forces may stop anti-insurgency operations in Kashmir during the month of Ramzan, militants attacked an army patrol party in the Tral area of southern Pulwama district on Wednesday.

Reports said that the militants fired upon a patrol party of the army's 42-Rashtriya Rifles in Shikargah forest area of Tral before escaping. Soon after the incident, the area was cordoned off by security forces to nab the attackers, a police officer said.

The attack came barely a day after a policeman was killed in a militant attack at Bijbehara town in neighbouring Anantnag district.

A local newspaper on Wednesday reported that security forces would stop random cordon and search operations in Kashmir during Ramzan, and undertake such anti-militancy activity only when sure about the presence of militants in a specific area.

"Operation All Out", launched following a spike in militancy after Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Burhan Wanis death in July 2016, will be suspended during Ramzan in respect of the sanctity of the holy month, the report quoting an unnamed officer privy to the developments stated.

According to official figures, 275 militants, including top commanders, have been killed in "Operation All Out", aimed at wiping out militancy in Kashmir. In 2018, 65 militants have been killed so far.

The decision to suspend the operations by the state security establishment, according to the report, was taken after Chief Minister Mehbooba Muftis idea of a unilateral ceasefire found no takers in New Delhi.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last week said the army has to firmly handle terrorist activities that threaten peace and harmony in Kashmir, indicating that a unilateral ceasefire as demanded by Mehbooba was not a feasible option.
RJD president Lalu Prasad was released from a Ranchi jail on Wednesday, after the trial courts granted him permission in accordance with the six-week interim bail granted to him by the Jharkhand High Court in three fodder scam cases on medical grounds, following which the former Bihar chief minister flew down to Patna.

After completing the formalities at the Birsa Munda Prison, the RJD chief came out of the jail and headed to the Ranchi airport straightaway, jail sources as well Prasad's close aide Bhola Yadav, who was accompanying him, said.

The RJD chief arrived at the Patna airport at 6.40 pm.

No family member was present at the Jayprakash Narayan airport in Patna to receive him.

Only a handful of supporters were there to greet the RJD chief, who was seen coming out of the exit gate on a wheelchair, assisted by Bhola Yadav, who is an RJD MLA in Darbhanga district of Bihar.

From the airport, Lalu left for the 10, Circular Road residence of his wife Rabri Devi with a posse of security personnel.

Earlier in the day, the trial courts in Ranchi granted the release order to Lalu, in accordance with the Jharkhand High Court's verdict, providing him provisional bail in three fodder scam cases on medical grounds.

The release order was granted in the three cases, in which Lalu has been convicted, said his lawyer Prabhat Kumar.

While special CBI court judge Shivpal Singh granted the release order to the RJD chief in two cases  RC 64A/96 (Chaibasa treasury) and RC 38A/96 (Dumka)  CBI court judge S S Prasad granted the release order in case number RC 68A/96 (Chaibasa), Kumar added.

The lawyer said they completed the formalities of signing bonds and submitting sureties of Rs 50,000 each in the three cases to get the release order.

He added that the period of bail would be effective from the day Lalu was released from the jail.

A special CBI court had convicted Lalu on January 24 in the RC-68A/96 case, related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.62 crore from the Chaibasa treasury, and sentenced him to five years of imprisonment.

The RJD chief was convicted in the RC64A/96 case, in connection with the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury in the 1990s, and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail on December 23 last year.

The CBI court had held Lalu guilty in the RC 38A/96 case, pertaining to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from the Dumka treasury in the early 1990s, and sentenced him to 14 years of imprisonment.

The authorities at the Birsa Munda jail had separately granted the RJD chief a three-day parole on May 10 to attend his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav's wedding in Patna on May 12.

The time taken to travel was not included in the duration of the parole and Lalu had returned to the prison on May 14, a day after his parole expired.

The 69-year-old former Bihar chief minister is suffering from diabetes, blood pressure, kidney problems and other ailments.

Bhola Yadav said Lalu would go to Delhi, Mumbai and other places for specialised treatment during the bail period.

The RJD supremo has been in jail since December 23 last year, after being sentenced in the Deoghar treasury case.

The over Rs 900-crore fodder scam cases are related to the illegal withdrawal of money from government treasury by the animal husbandry department in undivided Bihar in the 1990s when Prasad was the chief minister.
Training guns at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress on Wednesday said that "demolition" of Vinayaka temples and "pressure" on the engineers to complete the project before the next Lok Sabha polls might have caused Tuesday flyover collapse in Varanasi.

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Raj Babbar, who visited the victims of the flyover tragedy at a hospital in Varanasi, also attacked Modi for not "caring to visit" his Lok Sabha constituency.

"Modi is busy in government formation in Karnataka," Babbar said.

He said that he had been told that three Vinayaka (Lord Ganesha) temples had been demolished to make way for the flyover.

"People believe that it might also have been one of the reasons," he remarked.

Babbar also said that the engineers working on the project were under pressure to expedite the work in view of the next year's Lok Sabha polls.

Congress' Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, who accompanied Babbar, said that Modi's ministers were busy "buying" MLAs in Karnataka.

"People are buying a shroud for the dead and Modi's ministers are buying MLAs in Karnataka," Singh charged.
Rahul Gandhi: A big thank you to all those who voted for the Congress in these elections. We appreciate your support and will fight for you. Thank you also to our workers and leaders for their dedication & untiring hard work in support of the party.

Narendra Modi: I thank my sisters and brothers of Karnataka for steadfastly supporting the BJPs development agenda and making BJP the single largest party in the state. I salute the stupendous work of @BJP4Karnataka Karyakartas who toiled round the clock and worked for the party.

Amit Shah: I thank people of Karnataka for voting BJP as the single largest party. This mandate clearly reflects that Karnataka has rejected Congress's corruption, dynastic politics and divisive casteism.

I congratulate each & every Karyakarta of @BJP4Karnataka unit and Shri B S Yeddyurappa ji for their relentless efforts. Like rest of the nation, the great land of Karnataka has shown their unwavering trust in PM @narendramodis clean, transparent and pro-development governance.

Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur: By choosing the BJP, the people of the southern state have reposed faith in the policies of the Modi government.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat: The BJP's impressive poll performance is an indication of what is going to happen in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury: BJP govt-appointed governors didnt invite the single largest party in Bihar, Goa, Manipur or Meghalaya. Union ministers gave arguments supporting them. Sauce for the goose must be sauce for the gander!

CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy: All dirty manipulations and horse trading can be expected from the BJP as usual. Had this wisdom of unity prevailed before the elections, the result would have been different. The Congress should learn a lesson about flexibility on unity with other secular forces in the country.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala: We expect Karnataka governor to invite JD (S)-Cong coalition which has a clear majority to form government in the state. As per constitutional and legal provisions, the governor has no option but to invite the coalition.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee: Congratulations to the winners of the Karnataka elections. For those who lost, fight back. If Congress had gone into an alliance with the JD(S), the result would have been different. Very different.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath: Karnataka has played an important role in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of a Congress-free India... We are moving in this direction... We believe that the two remaining states too will soon be free of Congress.

J&K Deputy CM Kavinder Gupta: It's a trailer of 2019. The BJP will retain power and form government on its own strength.

Lok Janshakti Party Ram Vilas Paswan: What could be the future of a person if he has no present. Unless the opposition or its alliance partners accept him (Gandhi), there is no future (for him) and now everyone is holding him responsible for the defeat in Karnataka and accusing him of not taking them onboard.
Congress decision to support a JD(S)-led government in Karnataka has brought cheers to the Opposition camp but they still feel Congress' solo show and targeting of the H D Deve Gowda-led party cost the Opposition a victory in the Karnataka Assembly elections.

As initial trends poured in showing a BJP surge, non-Congress Opposition leaders minced no words in criticising the ruling party in Karnataka, accusing it of stifling regional secular parties to further its own cause. However, the mood changed in the afternoon as Congress dramatically announced support to JD(S) to keep the BJP away from power.

The results are obviously a dampener for the Congress, which lost over 40 seats from the previous figure, as it weakens its leadership role in the Opposition ranks. The Opposition leaders feel that Congress move re-ignited the belief that the Grand Old Party could do adjust itself and take pragmatic steps to keep the BJP away from assuming power in Karnataka.

While its individual score in the Assembly may not inspire confidence in other parties, Congress could still work with other parties to try to wean away some of the disgruntled allies in the Narendra Modi-led NDA.

It also gives the regional satraps like Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and her TRS counterpart K Chandrashekhar Rao flex their muscles for a hard bargain with Rahul Gandhi-led party. Banerjee and Rao are in the forefront of building a federal front in which Congress is not the major player.

Congress was on the line of fire from Trinamool Congress to Samajwadi Party to AAP, as they felt Congress' attack on the JD(S) calling it "B-Team of BJP" during election campaigning -- even from Congress president Rahul Gandhi -- unwarranted and pushing regional parties to a corner.

Banerjee minced no words in a tweet, "congratulations to the winners of the Karnataka elections. For those who lost, fight back. If Congress had gone into an alliance with the JD(S), the result would have been different. Very different." She is advocating "one-on-one" fight in states where the strongest party becoming the leader of the opposition and wants Congress to accept such a formula.

Samajwadi Party's National Executive member and Rajya Sabha MP Javed Ali Khan told DH, "The point for Congress is that it should not try to cut the regional secular parties. It has to change its behaviour towards the regional forces."

AAP Political Affairs Committee member and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said more than the BJP, it is Congress that is trying to decimate secular forces.

"After the Lingayat card failed, Congress should learn that it should not try to become BJP. Congress is immersed in arrogance. It is trying to decimate secular forces more than BJP. While trying to decimate JD(S), Cong has decimated itself," he said.

Most of the Opposition parties complain that Congress played one-upmanship and did not involve them in the campaigning. "Around 17-20 parties are together. They did not seek the help of anyone. No one was asking for seats. The impact could have been different if a Mamata Banerjee or Sharad Yadav or Sharad Pawar campaigned against BJP, it could have been a different ball game," a senior Opposition leader said.

Another leader said Rahul Gandhi did make the right noises but he is yet to match Modi on his own. "That is why we need all to come together," he said.
A day after the Congress party went unconditional in its support for the JD(S) in an all-out effort to keep the BJP out of power in Karnataka, the son of a senior Congress leader in neighbouring Kerala is in the middle of a controversy over his open backing of the BJP. Amal Unnithan  Bengaluru-based son of Congress leader Rajmohan Unnithan  is being targeted by trolls on social media after he posted on Facebook that his vote was for the BJP.

My vote for the BJP, my fathers vote for the Congress, he posted on Tuesday and attached the image of a BJP flag with the post. Another post on his page, attached with the image of a glum-faced Congress President Rahul Gandhi  see, he doesnt have any airs even after making BJP win across Karnataka, said the cheeky message  was also shared widely on social media.

Amal has removed both the posts from his page but the backlash has not stopped. He, however, has found some respite in the form of BJP supporters and those who feel that he should not be criticised for merely stating his political affiliation. The online attack has spilt over to the official Facebook page of Unnithan senior as well. Message trails on his posts have people go all sneery and sarcastic  Forget the MLAs in Karnataka, the party leaders cant even prevent their own sons from joining the BJP, said one of the commenters.

The posts set off comments from Congress workers who regretted campaigning for Unnithan in Kundara where he contested, and lost, in the 2016 Assembly election. Supporters of Keralas ruling CPM have also joined in, telling Unnithan that he has lost his position to criticise the Left.

Rajmohan Unnithan, a leader also known for outspoken style, is a regular face of his party in Keralas prime-time television debates. Amal made his debut as an actor in the 2016 film Paulettante Veedu.
"THE ENDLESS"  2 stars  Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Callie Hernandez; not rated; Tower

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorheads The Endless explores a unique and disturbing premise: What if one of those survivalist cults was right?

The film follows the story of two brothers who return to the strange commune where they spent their childhood. Justin and Aaron Smith (played by Benson and Moorhead, respectively) were taken in at Camp Arcadia as children after a tragic car crash took their mothers life, but as the brothers reached adulthood, Justin persuaded Aaron to leave in search of a more mainstream existence.

We meet the brothers 10 years later, and life in the real world hasnt been all that great. Money is tight, jobs are tedious and suddenly the security and camaraderie of Camp Arcadia doesnt seem so bad, especially for Aaron. After a mysterious videotape greeting from the group shows up in the mail one day, Aaron persuades Justin to go back for a quick visit.

Justin is understandably hesitant, since aside from the obvious risks, he went out of the way to paint the group in as negative a light as possible with the local media. But when Justin and Aaron arrive at Camp Arcadia, which apparently survives off the profits of a homegrown brewery, they find open-armed forgiveness and a lifestyle that feels more like a summer camp, with archery stations, games and smiles.

Naturally, thats when strange things start to happen. Flocks of birds fly in bizarre circles, and one character always seems to be stalking through camp in a bad mood. Even more strange, Justin notices that no one at the camp seems to have aged since they left 10 years earlier, which makes it especially unsettling when Aaron starts to develop a relationship with a camp member (Callie Hernandez) 20 years his senior. Nothing here ends, the brothers are told cryptically.

The brothers notice other strange phenomena as well, and, for everything that seems down to earth, the folks at Camp Arcadia still worship a mysterious entity that lives in the forest  an entity they claim communicates through photographs and magically appearing videotapes.

Bit by bit, The Endless transitions from low-key drama into science fiction territory as the brothers gradually learn what is really going on at the camp, and the story unfolds in an intriguing way that will keep you guessing as to what is going on.

The interesting premise and the measured storytelling style help The Endless overcome the limitations of its modest budget, and even if the final outcome isnt hugely satisfying, the film should be a nice option for genre fans.

Speaking of which, The Endless isnt quite a horror film, resting more in the sci-fi thriller realm. Its violence and gore come in at PG-13 levels, and the film would only qualify for an R rating thanks to some intermittent profanity, which seems pretty unnecessary.

Overall, The Endless does a good job with what it has and nods toward promising future work from Benson and Moorhead.

"The Endless" is not rated, but would likely draw a PG-13 for violence and gore; running time: 111 minutes.
SALT LAKE CITY  Experts told MarketWatch you should have a certain amount of money saved up before you hit your 30th birthday.

Investment firm Fidelity Investments told MarketWatch that Americans should have a years salary saved up by age 30.

By 35, you should have twice your salary saved, the firm said.

Currently, the median retirement savings for a 30-year-old worker stood around $45,000.

MarketWatch acknowledged the expert advice doesnt align with reality.

The problem? Not everyone is saving  or can save  that much toward retirement, according to the MarketWatch article. Either theyre living paycheck to paycheck, dont know about the accounts available to them or simply arent thinking about the amount of money theyll need in their futures. Only a third of Americans are saving money in an employer-sponsored or tax-deferred retirement account, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Such problems as student debt, rising housing prices and wedding costs have derailed todays millennial generation from saving for the future.

Alexander Rupert, assistant portfolio manager at Laurel Tree Advisors, told MarketWatch the balance between spending and saving is important.

Its important to be saving for retirement while doing all these things at the same time, he said.

This advice comes as Northwestern Mutuals 2018 Planning & Progress Study shared that 78 percent of Americans feel extremely or somewhat concerned about not saving enough money.

In fact, 66 percent of respondents believe theyll outlive their savings.

The study found 21 percent of Americans have no savings for the future, while 10 percent have less than $5,000 tucked away.

On average, Americans have $84,821 in retirement savings, which CNBC called far from enough.

Rebekah Barsch, vice president of planning for Northwestern Mutual, told CNBC its never too late to start saving.

"The good news is that it's rarely too late to start," she said. "In fact, we often compare financial and physical fitness because the hardest part is taking the first step. However, once people commit to a strategy and start seeing positive results, they're motivated to meet and even exceed their goals."
SALT LAKE CITY  A new WalletHub report ranked Salt Lake City as the best city to start a career.

Salt Lake City topped the list ahead of Orlando; Atlanta; Charleston, South Carolina; and Tempe, Arizona.

West Valley City ranked No. 31 on the list.

Santa Clarita, California, was ranked as the worst of 182 cities surveyed to begin a career. Shreveport, Louisiana; Oxnard, California; Hialeah, Florida; and Newark, New Jersey, also ranked among the bottom five.

Salt Lake City had the fourth most entry-level jobs per 100,000 working age population, according to the study.

The report compared 182 U.S. cities on 27 factors related to career growth, including such factors as entry-level jobs, monthly average starting salary and housing affordability.

The Beehive State also ranked No. 1 under the quality of life ranking, which included ranking categories for median annual income, commute time, family friendliness and average length of the workweek.

Salt Lake City ranked third under the professional opportunities rank, which measured cities' economic mobility, workforce diversity, unemployment rate and availability of entry-level jobs.

WalletHub used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Sharecare, Indeed.com, Glassdoor and many others.

Salt Lake City topped the same list last year, according to the Deseret News. Orlando similarly ranked as the second-best city. Austin, Texas, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, also made the top five last year.

In 2017, the Beehive State capital ranked No. 1 in both quality of life and professional opportunities.

In April 2017, Salt Lake ranked as the sixth-best city for college graduates in a report from ZipRecruiter, a nationwide job recruitment website. The Beehive States capital city ranked ahead of both Boston and San Francisco in that report.
SALT LAKE CITY  Significant safety issues exist at the downtown Salt Lake and Midvale homeless shelters operated by the Road Home, "largely due to a lax enforcement of the rules and procedures designed to prevent drug use and to provide a secure environment," according to the findings of a state audit released Tuesday.

"We have serious concerns about the health and safety of the residents at both emergency shelters," the Office of the Legislative Auditor General concluded in its report.

The audit also cited some of the same concerns for residents of the Palmer Court housing complex in Salt Lake City that is operated by the Road Home, which provides inexpensive living accommodations for the chronically homeless and disabled.

The audit, which began in January, recorded "troubling allegations regarding drug use, safety concerns, poor health conditions and mismanagement at the downtown shelter."

Those allegations "were repeated during our interviews with several dozen homeless individuals who have stayed at the shelter," the report said.

Auditors said they were concerned about the ease with which illicit drugs could infiltrate the Road Home shelter in downtown Salt Lake City.

"While we recognize that security staff usually remove individuals from the shelter when they are found using drugs or have been banned from the facility, we are still troubled by how easily residents are able to enter the facility with drugs and drug paraphernalia," the report said.

The report cited information from state law enforcement about a man who had recently been arrested inside the shelter and was found to be in possession of a loaded gun, drugs and drug paraphernalia.

"Not only did the individual enter the facility undetected with a gun and drug paraphernalia, but he had already been banned from the shelter for theft and drugs," the report said.

Despite some homeless interviewees' complaints about cleanliness, "the shelters appeared to meet county health standards," the audit report said. But the audit also found health concerns at Palmer Court, thanks to a loophole in the rules about pets there and some residents' "difficulty cleaning up after (their) animals."

Responding to the audit Tuesday, Matt Minkevitch, executive director of The Road Home, assured "we will revisit our rules." He said that process would happen "in collaboration ... with our service providers."

Minkevitch, speaking at a Tuesday hearing before the Legislative Audit Subcommittee, pushed back against the idea that the staff at the Road Home shelters are turning a blind eye to drug problems at the facilities.

"If there is any suggestion our team tolerates drug dealing, I assure you we are not," Minkevitch said.

The Road Home said in a release Friday that it would be "updating the standards of conduct" at its facilities, as well as the "processes to enforce them." The organization also promised to "further standardize policies that address" public safety and drug abuse at its facilities, among other factors.

'Evidence of drug use'

Auditors reported Tuesday that "during nearly every visit, we found some evidence of drug use" at the downtown shelter.

Other visits also yielded the discovery of a "used syringe under a bunk" and "Spice joints in the urinal."

Auditors also reported they had interviewed 21 homeless people living on the streets of Salt Lake City, and that "nearly a third" reported they avoided the shelter in order to avoid the "drug use, stealing and poor health conditions"there.

Auditors did not personally see drugs or paraphernalia on their visits to the family shelter operated by the Road Home in Midvale, but police reports indicate drugs have been a problem there as well, the audit said.

Auditors said police have reported a candy laced with THC  marijuana's psychoactive ingredient  was also found in a "public area" of the Midvale shelter.

"We are concerned that candy containing THC could be found at a community shelter where children are present," the report said.

Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, said even one incident like the examples cited in the audit should be a sufficient wakeup call to the Road Home to re-examine its practices.

"The day we know weapons are in there, the day we find out there was a candy (laced with THC), is the day we step up our game," Hughes said.

At Palmer Court, "outside social workers, the Road Home staff, and residents have all indicated that they know who uses drugs and that they have observed drug use at the facility," according to the report.

The audit cited "lax enforcement of shelter rules" as a significant factor in the issue of drug use in the downtown shelter.

"Staff are inconsistent in enforcing the rules and procedures designed to prevent drugs from entering the facility," the report said. "For example, upon entering the downtown shelter, residents are supposed to have their bags and coats inspected for drugs, and a magnetic wand should be used to screen each person for weapons.

"In actual practice, we observed the screening often consists of little more than waving the magnetic wand over the coat pockets. Sometimes even that step is not done."

Sanitation, rent concerns

In examining the sanitation of each location operated by the Road Home, auditors found that "while the shelters appeared to meet county health standards, health inspectors found numerous health and safety violations at Palmer Court."

The report also said that "the payment of rent at Palmer Court appears to be optional."

"We found that 69 percent of the residents are behind in their rent payments. In fact, the total unpaid debt obligation by all residents is currently $438,000," the report said. "Some residents are years behind in their rent and owe many thousands of dollars."

The Road Home said in its official response that it has successfully worked with 19 Palmer Court tenants on a personalized rent plan in recent months.

"When we accept a person into Palmer Court, we invest significant resources and commitment to help them end their homelessness," the response stated. "It makes sense to work with them when they encounter crises that result in unpaid rent rather than move to immediate eviction."

Legislators' responses

Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, cautioned legislators not to get ahead of themselves in response to the audit, arguing that it's not altogether unexpected that a homeless shelter would struggle with the presence of drugs.

"Let's not engage in pearl clutching," King said.

King added he could sympathize with Road Home staff, who are not trained in law enforcement, falling short of the letter of the law in screening for weapons.

"It may have to do with safety of staff members, the safety of other people," he said.

King raised the idea of installing "a method of involving law enforcement or armed private security in the screening process." Minkevitch said he was open to exploring the idea, but also cautioned it is possible that a significant portion of those who are homeless could feel intimidated by such a presence and forgo shelter altogether.

In a part of The Road Home's response published with the audit, the non-profit outlines its philosophy of being a "low barrier shelter."

"We attempt to eliminate all barriers that would prevent someone from entering shelter," the organization wrote, calling the principle "one of the key elements of an effective emergency shelter."

Both Hughes and Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, said that in light of the findings of the audit, they were not enamored with talk of low-barrier entry.

"I worry we confused low barrier with (telling shelter residents) we're not going to care, we're not going to ... stop you," Hughes said.

Added Niederhauser, "Low barriers is, to me, no accountability."

"You deal with folks that have some mental illness, have some drug addiction, but people generally respond to accountability," Niederhauser said.

Road Home's future

Niederhauser also asked, "Are we looking at different models of folks who would (come) in with a different idea of how things would be run? Maybe a better idea?"

Niederhauser posed the question to Preston Cochrane, executive director of Shelter the Homeless, which manages the properties of the Salt Lake and Midvale shelters and is responsible for contracting with providers such as the Road Home.

"Sometimes we have to make a change," Niederhauser mused.

Three homeless resource centers are currently in the works to collectively displace the downtown Road Home. Cochrane told the Deseret News that five different organizations have applied to become the chief service provider at one or more of those locations.

Cochrane said in an interview that Shelter the Homeless would "be fair to the Road Home as one of five applicants."

"It's hard to compare," Cochrane conceded. "You have providers (who applied) who have never operated a homeless shelter."

Last week, the State Homeless Coordinating Committee opted to approve only 1/6 of the Road Home's appropriation, saying the committee wanted a chance to review the results of the audit before deciding how much of its total allocation it should dispense. The funding is expected to last until August, when the committee will meet again.

Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, a member of that committee, who once went undercover and spent a night at the Road Home to experience it firsthand, said Tuesday that "what we see in the audit is disturbing."

McAdams said if the Road Home doesn't take "immediate steps" to address the issues raised, "it certainly raises questions about their ability to be a provider long-term." "It's not compassionate to (place) ... some of our most vulnerable people in a situation where they're surrounded by crime and drugs," McAdams told the Deseret News.

King told Minkevitch on Tuesday it is important for the Road Home to show it is "acting competently and vigorously" in response to the audit, or else the organization "is not going to get the resources it needs."
SALT LAKE CITY  When the state of Utah moved its main prison from Salt Lake City to Draper in 1951, it built Sugarhouse Park in its place.

Well, it actually sold the land to the city and county, and they set up a park authority to plan and fund the park, but you get the idea. All that green space, the hills and the trees were a gift, of sorts, to the city. Try to imagine Sugar House today without it.

Likewise, try to imagine Salt Lake City without Liberty Park, cut in the middle of residential and commercial land so close to downtown it would fetch impressive sums for developers today. The city bought that land in the 1880s, no doubt influenced by the success of Central Park in New York and Lincoln Park in Chicago.

Now, try to imagine a regional park taking up a chunk of the land left behind when the prison in Draper is removed. Give it a bland name if youd like, something like South Valley Park. Fill it with lots of trees and things like a swimming pool, or even an extension of the aviary that sits in Liberty Park. Put statues in it from local artists. Add something like a large water feature  a colorful fountain, for instance. Maybe throw in an amphitheater for outdoor concerts. Then watch what the park does to everything around it.

A new board, the Point of the Mountain State Land Authority, is about to take over the planning process for the prison site, which of course is still a prison until construction is complete on the new one near the airport. The 11-member board, eight of whom will be appointed by the Legislature and governor, has strict membership rules that are commendable.

Anyone who owns property within 5 miles of the site, other than a residence, or who has a relative with property within a half-mile of it, will be banned from holding a board position.

A consistent complaint since the beginning of the prison relocation process has been that it would be an opportunity for developers in the Legislature to enrich themselves. At least, thats the worry many readers have expressed to me.

Its a matter of perception more than anything else. Keeping people with nearby property interests away is a small requirement with a huge payoff in public relations.

So why not keep the good vibes going? The authority has 700 acres to work with. Make a 100-acre park a centerpiece.

Another group, the Point of the Mountain Development Commission, has studied what to do with the land for the last 18 months. And, to be fair, its preferred plan does include parks and open space.

The open space consists of a network of trails, which is nice. The website talks about parks to meet both regional and local needs, with amenities for a wide variety of users.

Thats a good start, but Im not seeing anything on the grand scale of a central gathering point that might attract people from far away for events or an afternoon of gentle recreation.

Twenty-first century planners seem to have lost the vision of people such as Frederick Law Olmsted, who created Central Park. He saw large parks as social arguments  testing grounds for American democracy in action. They were places where rich and poor could mingle. In his words, they could supply the hundreds of thousands of tired workers with a specimen of Gods handiwork.

Today, he might add that they could take us away from the sedentary confines of computers, lift our heads from the hypnotic void of smartphones and fill our lungs with air.

Besides, the nation could use a dose of democracy in action these days, especially if it lures us into face-to-face contact with people who might look or think differently than we do but who smile and say hello, anyway.

Not only would such a park leave plenty of room for the type of development the governors office is touting, with a research/educational facility as its anchor, it would add to the value of those things.

The National Recreation and Parks Association estimates local parks and recreation agencies added $81 billion to nearby properties in 2015.

That doesnt include the health benefits or the emotional boost a well-planned, large park could provide locals on a daily basis.

State leaders understood this the last time they moved a prison. Sixty-seven years shouldnt have dulled that vision.
LAYTON  Utah is among the states with the lowest unemployment rates in the nation at 3.1 percent compared to a national jobless rate of 4.1 percent, according to the state Department of Workforce Services. Those conditions have helped make the Beehive State a good place to look for work for nearly anyone, particularly military veterans.

Nearly 60 employers participated in the Hiring Utahs Heroes Career Fair Tuesday at the Davis Conference Center in Layton. The fair was one of a series of events intended to assist veterans, active-duty military, members of the National Guard and Reserve, along with military spouses in finding information on veteran benefits, prospective job opportunities or to upgrade their current employment circumstances.

The event was organized by a coalition of state agencies, including the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs and the state Department of Workforce Services, explained Mark Harrison, employer support program specialist for the Utah National Guard.

"We formulated this coalition to help (them) find employment resources," he said. "We do three to four of these large employment and career events a year mostly along the Wasatch Front."

He noted some smaller job fairs are held in small and rural communities across the state. More than 60 employers with more than 1,500 combined job openings were available to job seekers for Tuesday's event, he said.

"We have a very large veteran-friendly community of employers," Harrison said. "A lot of these companies have some great career opportunities they can get into."

Launched in 2011, the veterans hiring events have been a positive way to help veterans reintegrate after their military service is completed, he said. The unemployment rate for veterans in Utah is 2.9 percent, he noted, making the state one of the best for former military and their families.

Other agencies that support the Hiring Utahs Heroes events include the Utah Veterans and Military Employment Coalition, the Utah Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, the National Guard Employment Support Program, the Salt Lake Chamber, the Davis County Chamber of Commerce and Ogden-Weber Chambers of Commerce, the Department of Labors Veterans Employment and Training Service, among other local partners, he said.

For more information, contact Mark Harrison at 801-432-4536 or visit the Utah Department of Workforce Services website.
SALT LAKE CITY  The LDS Church and a former Missionary Training Center president asked a federal judge in separate court filings Tuesday to dismiss a Colorado woman's lawsuit alleging the church leader raped her while she was a missionary there in early 1984.

Both the church and Joseph L. Bishop say the statute of limitations on McKenna Denson's claims ran out years before she brought her allegations forward.

"The purpose of statutes of limitations is clear  they are legislative expressions of public policy that encourage potential plaintiffs to bring their actions promptly, before the causes get stale from lost evidence or faulty memories," Bishop's lawyer Andrew Deiss wrote.

"Here, Ms. Denson waited decades to bring the causes of action in the complaint, and they are time barred as a result."

LDS Church attorney David Jordan contends Denson's assault claim expired in early 1985, one year after the alleged rape, and her emotional distress claims expired in early 1988.

"Thus, any claim Ms. Denson may have had expired over 30 years ago and should be dismissed," he wrote.

Denson, 55, of Pueblo, Colorado, sued Bishop, 85, of Chandler, Arizona, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints last month in U.S. District Court for sexual assault and battery, negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, fraudulent nondisclosure and fraudulent concealment.

Bishop has denied the allegations.

The suit asks for a jury trial seeking damages for loss of earnings and to pay for medical and legal expenses. It also asks that a jury direct the church to change its policies.

Denson claims Bishop is a lifelong sexual predator and that he confessed as much to his ecclesiastical leader in the late 1970s.

In 1984, the statute of limitations for rape in Utah was four years. The suit, however, claims the statute of limitations for fraud has not run out because Denson first learned the church had taken no action against Bishop in December 2017.

The lawsuit claims Denson made 10 reports about Bishop to various LDS leaders over the years without learning if any action had been taken against him.

Jordan wrote that Denson appears to contend in her lawsuit that although she discovered that Bishop was not a safe, honorable, and trustworthy person in 1984, she did not "discover" until December 2017 that the church knew he was a "sexual predator" at the time he was placed in a leadership position at the MTC.

"In short, even assuming Ms. Densons allegations are true, she knew by at least early 1984 that, contrary to any alleged representation by (the church), Mr. Bishop was not 'safe, honorable, and trustworthy,'" he wrote. "Accordingly, the three-year statute of limitations for her fraud claim began to run at that time. Thus, Ms. Densons fraud claims expired in early 1987  over 30 years ago."

Denson posed as a reporter last December to confront Bishop, who served as MTC president from 1983-86 and as president of Weber State College in the 1970s. Her allegations became public when a website released their taped conversation and its 76-page transcript.
Heres a look at the news for May 16.

MUST-READ NEWS THIS MORNING:

Safety concerns exist for Road Home shelters

A new state audit released Tuesday identified significant safety issues for the downtown Salt Lake and Midvale Road Home homeless shelters, according to the Deseret News.

The audit said the concerns are "largely due to a lax enforcement of the rules and procedures designed to prevent drug use and to provide a secure environment.

Beginning in January, the audit took note of "troubling allegations regarding drug use, safety concerns, poor health conditions and mismanagement at the downtown shelter."

"We have serious concerns about the health and safety of the residents at both emergency shelters," the report concluded.

Read more.

Utes to play Kentucky over next two seasons

The University of Utah will reportedly face the powerful University of Kentucky over the next two seasons, the Deseret News reported.

The Utes and the Wildcats will meet at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, next season. Then, two seasons from now, they will meet at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

More schedule announcements came Tuesday, including an in-state matchup between Utah and BYU on Dec. 8 at Vivint Arena.

The Utes will also face Missouri and join an eight-team field in the Wooden Legacy Tournament in November.

Read more.

Utah teen dies in heartbreaking crash

A Utah teen girl was killed early Tuesday in a heartbreaking head-on collision, according to the Deseret News.

Three others were injured in the accident. An 18-year-old man was arrested after a night of joyriding led to the crash.

"We're trying to put it all together. But from what it sounds like, it may have been some teenagers joyriding. Alcohol may be a factor in this. That's under investigation," said Unified Police detective Chuck Malm. "This is just kids, teens, making some really poor choices."

Malm said the crash was heartbreaking and preventable.

"This is senseless. This is one of those things that is completely, 100 percent preventable," he said.

Read more.

Utah lawmakers likely to delay UTA name change

Utah lawmakers will likely announce Wednesday a plan to delay the Utah Transit Authoritys controversial name change, according to the Deseret News.

Sponsors of the legislation that approved the name change will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

"Clearly there's not the will to go forward with the name change based on the current information that we have and the current board," the House sponsor of SB136, Rep. Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said.

UTA Board Chairman Greg Bell told the Deseret News he has heard lawmakers "would like to study the name change in the (Legislature's transportation) task force in the coming year."

Read more.

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TIME: Some people are hearing the word 'Yanny' and others 'Laurel' in this audio clip. It's stoking a fierce debate
TAYLORSVILLE  Tributes filled social media Wednesday as friends and family continued to mourn the death of a 14-year-old girl killed in a rollover crash early Tuesday.

Nevaeh Padilla, of Taylorsville, was in the passenger seat of a Chevy Trailblazer being driven by Casey Cook Ziemelis, 18, when the car went into oncoming traffic near 4500 South and Atherton Drive (1100 West), and hit another vehicle head-on.

The impact from the crash caused the Trailblazer to roll. Nevaeh was killed. Three others were taken to local hospitals in serious condition. Another juvenile girl in the SUV was not injured.

Ziemelis was arrested for investigation of DUI/automobile homicide and two counts of aggravated assault.

Amazingly, a couple in the other vehicle walked away with only bumps and bruises, according to police.

A GoFundMe account was set up on Tuesday by a family friend to help cover funeral costs.

"I can't imagine the pain my friend feels and I am willing to do anything to help and if you can find it in your heart to help with whatever you can we will be forever grateful. I remember when (Nevaeh's mother) was pregnant with Nevaeh and picked out her name. She told me it was Heaven spelled backwards. Fly high in heaven baby girl, I know your grandma Julie was waiting for you with open arms," the account says.

Police had twice come in contact with the same SUV earlier in evening prior to the crash. The first time was about 10:30 p.m. Monday when officers received a call of a reckless driver near 3900 South and 500 East. Nearby officers spotted the vehicle near 3900 South and Main. But when they tried to pull it over, the Trailblazer sped off. The officers did not pursue it at that time.

About 12:45 a.m. Tuesday, police were called to an apartment complex in Millcreek to check on suspicious activity. As officers approached the vehicle, a group of young people jumped in and sped off, according to police. The crash was reported just after 1:10 a.m.
SALT LAKE CITY  We have a new version of The Dress.

On Tuesday, the internet, offices across America and even researchers spent their time debating whether a sound clip uttered the word Yanny or Laurel.

Listen to the original clip in the tweet below.

What do you hear?! Yanny or Laurel pic.twitter.com/jvHhCbMc8I  Cloe Feldman (@CloeCouture) May 15, 2018

The clip originally surfaced on Reddit before it found its way to Twitter, according to Time.

No matter what you heard, theres been a fierce debate about whether the voice says Yanny or Laurel. This reporter heard Yanny on first listen but then heard Laurel later Tuesday night.

Social media went crazy debating the news.

Literally everything at my show just stopped to see if people hear Laurel or Yanny. I hear Laurel. https://t.co/efWRw1Gj0L  Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) May 15, 2018

If you wanted to know whether I hear Yanny or Laurel here's your answer.  pic.twitter.com/xnrIby2kmd  Kyle MacLachlan (@Kyle_MacLachlan) May 15, 2018

I AM LOSING MY MIND ON THIS #YANNY LAUREL THING



ITS YANNY NO QUESTION pic.twitter.com/66gU3tgGhN  MATT and KIM (@mattandkim) May 16, 2018

our entire newsroom right now divided by this #Yanny vs #Laurel debate pic.twitter.com/mt3w8C9yi5  Alex Stockwell (@alexrstockwell) May 15, 2018

You either die a Yanny or live long enough to see yourself become a Laurel.  Madison Malone Kircher (@4evrmalone) May 15, 2018

Future child: Mom how was the country divided?



Future me: Well child it all started with a debate of whether it was Yanny or Laurel. The rest is just darkness.  Taylor Stern (@TayStern) May 16, 2018

me playing the laurel/yanny video to people at work to ruin their day pic.twitter.com/g6omDWl5AE  Adam Moussa (@adamjmoussa) May 15, 2018

Experts have begun to weigh in on what causes people to hear two different words.

Professor David Alais from the University of Sydneys school of psychology told The Guardian it's a case of "perceptually ambiguous stimulus," which happens when the brain cant make up its mind about what it hears.

They can be seen in two ways, and often the mind flips back and forth between the two interpretations, he said. If there is little ambiguity, the brain locks on to a single perceptual interpretation. Here, the Yanny/Laurel sound is meant to be ambiguous because each sound has a similar timing and energy content  so in principle its confusable.

Meanwhile, another suggestion proposes that the audios frequency may influence your decision about what you hear, according to The Verge.

Age may also play a role. People who can hear at higher frequencies were more likely to hear Yanny, while those who hear lower frequencies heard Laurel. Older people tend to lose their hearing earlier than young people, meaning they are more likely to hear Laurel.

Its even possible some can hear both, according to The Verge.

So if your sound card  or your ears  emphasize both the higher and the lower frequencies, you can toggle between the two sounds, according to The Verge. And changing the sound mix to emphasize higher or lower frequencies might tip you toward Laurel or Yanny.

Raul Veiga, CEO of production company Radial Producoes, told BuzzFeed News this could also be a case of the McGurk Effect, where visual cues impact your hearing.

"So  its actually a very poor-quality recording and the brain gets influenced by what you read first, before you actually hear it. What gets people confused is that its not Yanny or Laurel, its more of a 'Yarel' thing," he said.

Experiences also play a role. If people around you keep hearing Yanny, then it might influence your brains choice to hear that word.

Its similar to singing along to a radio song when the signal is bad, said Alex Holcombe, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Sydney.

"When you hear a song you know on the radio but you get farther and farther from the station, so it dissolves into static, even when it is practically all static, you may notice you can still 'hear' the song because the brain fills a lot of it in for your experience, Holcombe told BuzzFeed.
SALT LAKE CITY  Lawmakers confirmed Wednesday they're pulling the plug on changing the name of the Utah Transit Authority, just hours after Gov. Gary Herbert said he was willing to call a special session if necessary to stop the name change.

"It's clear that the public doesn't feel that the name change is needed and appropriate," said Rep. Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, the House sponsor of the sweeping transportation legislation that renamed UTA the Transit District of Utah.

The sponsor of SB136, Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, said he would run legislation repealing the new name during the 2019 Legislature and asked that UTA not go forward with plans to bring in a rebranding consultant.

"The name change is a distraction. It's getting in the way of the core mission of the bill," Harper said at a news conference called to announce the decision. "We're taking that off the table. UTA stays as it is."

UTA spokesman Carl Arky said the transit agency will comply with whatever lawmakers want.

"All we can do is go by what they tell us, which is what we've been trying to do anyway," Arky said, adding he feels UTA has been working with lawmakers "in good faith.  They've told us to cease, so we will cease."

He declined to comment on the impact of keeping the UTA name.

"We were ready to follow the letter of the law," Arky said. "Its really not an issue of whether we think it is good or it is bad. We are really not at liberty to have that kind of opinion as an organization."

Both Schultz and Harper said they do not believe a special session is needed because the legislation spelled out that the change could be made over time, as resources allow.

No money was appropriated by the Legislature for renaming UTA, even though the transit agency warned lawmakers the price tag added up to at least $50 million, including expensive paint jobs on buses and additional personnel.

That estimate, Schultz said, was intended to be a distraction to other actions by UTA, including the recent firing of former President and CEO Jerry Benson without cause so he could leave with a sizable severance package.

Schultz highlighted that deal, which allows Benson to collect nine months of salary and benefits, and said the Utah Attorney General's Office has taken issue with whether the action was taken in compliance with the state's open meetings act.

He said he wants UTA to take another look at the severance package.

UTA Interim Executive Director Steve Meyer said in a statement that while a letter from the attorney general's office "does not conclude that there was an actual violation, UTA takes this matter very seriously."

Meyer said the issue surrounding the severance vote is being reviewed internally and UTA is conferring with the attorney general's office "to determine if additional action is required by the board."

The friction between lawmakers and UTA may be eased later this year, after a new, three-member management team created by the legislation takes over from the current UTA board and top bosses.

The governor will appoint the three new trustees and have the ability to fire them.

Herbert told the Deseret News earlier Wednesday that he was happy the name won't be changed and was glad to see lawmakers coming around "to what I think is mainly just common sense."

Even before the legislative session ended, he had asked lawmakers to "push the pause button" on the name change, something he said then that the legislation he ultimately signed permitted.

The governor said no matter what the cost, there is no reason to rename UTA.

"I know the number came out  $50 million  that some have scoffed at. It may be too high," he said. "But I've said even if it was just a million dollars, why would we spend any money on a name change?"

Herbert said there's in effect a loophole in the law, spelling out that the name change "doesn't have to go forward unless there's an appropriation of money." And, he said, UTA could always file paperwork to do business under its current name.

Still, the governor said if there needs to be more clarity about what name should be on the transit agency's buses, light rail cars and commuter trains, he's willing to call lawmakers back for a special session before the 2019 Legislature.

"I'd work with the Legislature to take that out," he said.

Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, said he believes the repeal of the name change can wait, but there would be no reason not to handle it sooner if the governor calls a special session for other issues.

The repeal was discussed among House and Senate Republicans during closed-door midday caucus meetings and apparently has widespread support among the Legislature's supermajority.

The name change seemed like a good idea at the time, both Schultz and Harper said.

"As you look at businesses that have had tainted pasts, a lot of times, in order to send a strong message that there's new governance or new leadership in place, they'll go through and re-name the company," Schultz said.

He said there was concern the public wouldn't understand how dramatic the changes made to UTA were unless the name was dropped to give the transit agency a fresh start.

"It seemed to be the prudent thing to do," Harper said. "It was part of a whole package to create the new vision, the new energy, the new accountability within all levels of transportation in the state."

Besides overhauling how UTA is run, the bill that took effect May 8 also allows state transportation dollars to be used for transit for the first time and offers local governments the opportunity to raise sales taxes for transportation needs.

The governor said the majority of Utahns like the service they're getting from UTA and continuing to improve that is what will turn around how the public sees the transit agency, not a new name.

"It's a monopoly. People act like, you know, well if we just change the name, all of a sudden the problems that arose and the negative perception of UTA will go away. People aren't going to be fooled," he said. "It's just silly."

What the public doesn't like, the governor said, "is the infighting, the lack of transparency, some of the issues that have happened with some of the governance, some of the insider dealings that have appeared to have happened in the past."

The problems identified by legislative auditors over the years have largely been cleared up, he said. UTA signed a nonprosecution agreement last year in the ongoing federal investigation into transit deals and is under federal monitoring.

The governor said he has confidence in how his appointee, UTA Board Chairman Greg Bell, will handle the issue of Benson's severance. He said the argument for the package is that Benson's position with UTA was eliminated under the new law.

"That's probably going to be an ongoing discussion," the governor said. "We'll have to wait and see what happens with that."
SALT LAKE CITY  Amid frustration among state lawmakers that Utah is moving too slowly on opioid litigation, the attorney general's office told a legislative committee Wednesday it would sue Big Pharma by the end of the month.

Members of the Judiciary Interim Committee also questioned whether Attorney General Sean Reyes has taken an aggressive enough public stance against the proliferation of addictive painkillers that claim the lives of more than two dozen Utahns a month.

"Convince me that it's a priority for the attorney general's office," Rep. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, told two assistant attorneys general who appeared before the committee.

Spencer Austin, chief criminal deputy attorney general, assured lawmakers Reyes and his office have been on the case from the beginning, though "we're probably not telling our own story as well as we could."

"He is very actively involved and very concerned about the problem," Austin said. "He's pushing me hard to get it done."

Austin said Utah is filing a 10-day notice Wednesday of its intent to sue and would file a lawsuit in state court by the end of May.

"The question is do we file it in Salt Lake County or file it in another county," he said. "The situation changes from county to county. Some counties have a terrible problem, some counties don't."

Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties have already filed lawsuits, while Utah and Weber counties have declared they intend to do the same.

Filing a lawsuit, though, won't lead to an "instantaneous conclusion," Austin told lawmakers, adding the pharmaceutical industry has vast resources to fight in court for a long time.

McKell noted that Utah is consistently in the top 5 percent of opioid-related deaths per capita.

"If we're losing individuals in the top 5 percent, I hope our effort is reflective of that," he said.

Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, noted Reyes did not attend two hearings during the legislative session on a resolution lawmakers overwhelmingly passed urging him to "proceed with haste" to file a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors. Reyes did not attend Wednesday's committee meeting. Weiler said he was in China, adding Reyes seems to travel more than his predecessors.

"I'm one of those frustrated people that doesnt understand why this isnt moving faster," Rep. Kim Coleman, R-West Jordan, said. "It looks like we're watching others then jumping on board. Why aren't we leading?"

Utah is part of a 41-state effort the past 18 months to negotiate a settlement with pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors. Six more states Tuesday joined the more than dozen states, including some involved in the negotiations, that have sued Big Pharma. Austin said the state has a leadership role in the discussions with distributors.

The Utah Attorney General's Office is seeking information from private law firms about handling the litigation, with inquiries due June 8. More than 75 firms have expressed interest, Austin said.

House Minority Leader Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, noted that lawmakers' will to sue Big Pharma is clear.

"I don't know that there's a lot of confidence among many members of the Legislature that that's been heard by our attorney general," he said.

King told the members of the attorney general's office at the committee meeting that legislators want Reyes to take a high public profile on the issue.

"We want you to say to the citizens of the state of Utah, 'We're aggressively going after these folks,'" he said. "I think our attorney general could do a better job of sending that message himself."
SALT LAKE CITY  Students at two Utah middle schools and an elementary school will have the chance to hit the gym a more frequently thanks to the National Foundation for Governors Fitness Councils program.

The schools  Clayton Middle School in Salt Lake City, Eagle View Elementary in Roosevelt and Bear River Middle School in Garland, Box Elder County  have been selected to each receive a $100,000 Dont Quit! fitness center.

Each fitness center, equipped by TuffStuff Fitness International, will be financed through public/private partnerships with companies like the Coca-Cola Co., Amerigroup Foundation, Wheels Up and Nike. The centers will not rely on taxpayer dollars or state funding.

In announcing the winning schools Tuesday, Gov. Gary Herbert and foundation chairman Jake Steinfeld praised the schools for demonstrating leadership in getting and keeping their students fit.

The Dont Quit! program  now featured in Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah  will make its way into all 50 states in the coming years in an effort to build a nation of the fittest, healthiest kids in the world.

These state-of-the-art fitness centers will be unveiled during ribbon-cutting ceremonies this fall.

For more information about the foundation, visit natgovfit.org.
SALT LAKE CITY  Surplus water contracts, water supply transparency, controlling land use through water rights and a possibility of amending the Utah Constitution are being studied this summer at the direction of the Utah Legislature.

Lawmakers in the 2018 session decided the hefty topics merited further investigation and directed the formation of a task force with subcommittees to determine what, if any, changes should be made to state law.

At an interim meeting Wednesday, members of the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Interim Committee heard from Rep. Kim Coleman, R-West Jordan, about why the collection of water issues are so critical.

"In summary what brings us here, of course, is water is the most valuable resource in our arid state," she said. "We have some things that are really bubbling up."

Coleman ran HB124 last session  Water Holdings and Transparency Amendments  that sought to require Salt Lake City to disclose the amount of water rights it holds as well as service boundaries.

The city has steadily acquired water rights over the years in the canyons and elsewhere, leading some to accuse it of being a monopoly that merits regulation by the Public Service Commission.

Other critics worry big developments  like planned for Salt Lake's northwest quadrant  will compromise existing supply agreements Salt Lake City has inked with canyon communities and others.

Coleman said those surplus water contracts should be a concern for legislators, echoing a fear voiced by State Engineer Kent Jones that permanent structures should not be supplied by temporary water.

The contracts are revocable by the city with 30 days notice.

"While cities pinky swear they would never revoke the water, we have elections every two years and the constitution clearly provides that cities look after their own," she said.

Laura Briefer, director of the Salt Lake City Division of Public Utilities, told lawmakers that in the past, the city has never canceled a surplus water contract and has no intention of doing so.

Lawmakers also took aim last session at the city's ability to exercise "extraterritorial jurisdiction" to protect its water supply.

"A city of the First Class has a nearly unlimited ability to protect its water, which results in control of land as well," Coleman said.

Salt Lake City's watershed protection ordinance is designed to protect the water supply for 400,000 people in the valley.

The city points to other municipalities across the country that have watershed protections in place, including Denver, Phoenix, New York City and others.

Some groups like the Utah Farm Bureau worry that those protections could extend to places far from the ridgelines of the Wasatch Canyons if Salt Lake City is diverting water in another hydrologic basin. The city has maintained that would not happen.

Mike Styler, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, said the subcommittees probing the issues are organizing and a meeting schedule will be set.

He added there is "broad buy-in" for the committees and interest in serving from people with a spectrum of viewpoints.
SALT LAKE CITY  The U.S. House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved $15 million in construction funding for the Central Utah Project, the states largest water resource development program, at the behest of Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah.

If that funding level, which represents a $5 million increase over last year, is approved by Congress and maintained in future years, officials say the 62-year-old project could be completed within five years.

Many Utahns dont realize that the water coming out of their tap has traveled hundreds of miles to get there as part of the Central Utah Project, Gene Shawcroft, general manager for the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, said in a statement. Its crucial that we finish what we started to ensure adequate water supply for our booming population.

The Central Utah Project, which started in partnership with the federal government in 1956 to meet Utahs long-term water needs, captures a large portion of the Beehive States share of Colorado River water from the Uinta Basin and moves it through several reservoirs to eight counties along the Wasatch Front and Central Utah.

Each year, the system delivers more than 350,000 acre feet of water (equivalent to filling the state Capitol with water 167 times) that is critical for the growth Utah has seen and will continue to see over the next several decades.

While the federal government is contractually obligated to fund a portion of the construction that will all be repaid by water users, cuts in federal funding forced the Central Utah Water Conservancy District to tap its own resources to keep the project moving. With one last pipeline left to build to finish the project, construction funding was cut to zero during the Obama administration. Since 2012, Utahs congressional delegation has united to fight to restore construction funding incrementally.

As Utahs only member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Stewart has been an important leader and advocate of the project, Shawcroft said. We thank him for his hard work to restore these funds that are so vital to Utahs future. This increase represents a significant comeback for a project that was facing real uncertainty and delay due to federal funding cuts.
Mohanlal-Ranjiths Next Movie To Shoot The Royal Wedding?

Malayalam film director Ranjith Balakrishnan made his directorial debut with Ravanaprabhu, a sequel to Devaasuram in 2001. The filmmaker has since then not looked back and is now one of the ace directors of the Mollywood industry. If reports are to be believed, the directors next will be with superstar Mohanlal.





The duo is all prepped up to work together on their next. Mohanlal even announced this on his social media that the team is currently shooting in the UK. The actor will be shooting for a time period of 30 days for the flick. If reports are to be believed, the team will be shooting during the week of the royal wedding between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.





Lets hope that the film will shoot some of the scenes of the royal wedding too. Reportedly, Ranjith was earlier about to make a film with Niranj Suresh and Anu Sithara in the lead and Mohanlal doing a cameo. Now, the director dropped that idea and is making the film fully with Mohanlal.





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Source: pbs.twimg.com
Veon has reported good operational performance across its operations in Pakistan, Russia and Ukraine despite seeing losses due to currency devaluation in certain markets.

The operators total revenue fell by 1.4% to $2.25 billion, although its organic revenue (not factoring in foreign exchange or M&A) actually increased by 3.2%. Its loss attributable to shareholders for Q1 2018 was $109 million, compared to $5 million for the same period in the previous year.

Costs related to the integration of Euroset  the retail business recently acquired by Veon  have affected its earnings, but the operator also observed that there had been a significant devaluation in the currencies of two of its markets, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

Veon also noted that its activity in Algeria and Bangladesh remains under pressure, although it noted there is an indication that our turnaround plans for these markets are on track and are likely to show operational improvements towards the back-end of the financial year.

In its largest market of Russia, Veon saw its revenue jump 2.9% to RUB66.35 billion ($1.1 billion), with mobile revenue up by 3.7% to RUB54.28 billion. Fixed-line revenue in Russia however fell by 8.2% to RUB8.87 billion.

The operator has faced a shake-up over the past few months. Its CEO of three years, Jean-Yves Charlier, left his role and no replacement has yet been appointed, while Veon also scrapped a tender offer for a full takeover of Global Telecom Holding after the Egyptian authorities refused to grant approvals. In addition, it has sold its operations in Laos to the countrys government and is on track to exit Tajikistan.

Veons units in Bangladesh and Ukraine both launched 4G services in Q1, having acquired the necessary spectrum. Veon now offers LTE in all of its operating markets, with Bangladesh, Pakistan and Ukraine in particular driving growth.
Months of leaks, rumours and teasers later, the OnePlus 6 has finally arrived. By the time the event ended in London, everything about the phone was already out in the public domain. The grand launch event ended up merely validating the previous information, but nevertheless, the excitement always hits a tizzy every time a new OnePlus device comes out. And for good reason. Ever since the OnePlus One, the Chinese brand (which now operates at a global scale) has pushed the boundaries of what an affordable phone can bring to the table. Time and again, OnePlus has proven to users that you dont need to sell a kidney to get a high-end flagship. The OnePlus 6 once again reiterates that fact. In fact, it happens to be the first phone in India to be powered by the new Snapdragon 845 chipset. Does that make the OnePlus 6 the flagship killer before the new flagships even arrived? It certainly seems so.

We didnt have much to complain about last years OnePlus 5T (review), and the company has managed to make a phone even better than that. The OnePlus 6 takes everything good about the OnePlus 5T and wraps it in an exquisite glass design. The finish alone can take on the best smartphones out there right now, and then comes the flagship-grade hardware underneath. The phone is housed inside a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 body. Like last time, the body curves gently to meet the edges, but the phone is much thicker this time. It doesnt take away from the ergonomics though.

The OnePlus 6 is a little thicker than its predecessor, but it doesn't take away from the ergonomics

OnePlus has worked on the glass panel at the back to give it a smooth texture. Its a little more slippery than last time, but it also feels much more premium. Especially the Silk White variant. It gives off a subtle shimmering effect which has been achieved by the sprinkling of pearl powder in the body.

The OnePlus 6 Silk White variant has a smooth texture finish thanks to a sprinkling of pearl powder

Thanks to the generous use of glass, OnePlus has also managed to make the phone splash-proof. Its not all-out water resistant, but will allow you to use the phone when its raining or in the shower.

Now, the glass design is premium all right, but was it really necessary? The OnePlus 6 does not come with wireless charging which actually requires a glass body to allow the electromagnetic induction. So the only reason I can fathom for slapping a glass back on the phone is to build up the premium feel of the phone. Im certainly not complaining about the hand-feel here, but at the same time, Im also a tad more afraid of dropping this phone and shattering the meticulously designed panel. OnePlus does bundle a TPU case to keep the glass protected from smudges and scratches. Yes, this one is also more likely to get scratched a lot. A case is definitely recommended.

The OnePlus 6 rocks dual cameras aligned vertically in the center

Theres some change in positioning the elements. The dual camera unit, for one, is now vertically aligned and placed right above the fingerprint sensor, which ditches the old circular design for a rounded rectangle. The alert slider has moved from the left edge to the right, much to my detriment as my left-handed self now finds it quite difficult to use it promptly. Right-handed users will find it to be a delight though.

Apart from the glass design, another big change is the notch on top of the display. The 6.28-inch panel on top is the biggest panel seen on a OnePlus device and the company has managed to accomplish it without tampering with the size of the body. Because of the notch, the display stretches almost to the top. It can be argued that the OnePlus 6 becomes another me-too phone when it comes to using the display cutout. The notch is ugly. It's a stopgap solution to making a fully immersive display, and apart from being something new, it's doesn't really serve a purpose.but the notch doesn't come in the way of the content either. The bezels on the sides and the lower chin are even thinner than last time, and everything combined, you get a screen-to-body ratio of 84%. That makes the panel look a lot more immersive. But more than that, for the limited time I used the phone, the display felt much brighter than last years. It still relies on the AMOLED panel of full HD+ resolution, but the notch allows for a 19:9 aspect ratio.

The OnePlus 6 display notch in all its glory

The new aspect ratio doesnt mess with the content though. The extra space is actually used to make sure the status bar does not come in the way. When a video is playing, the notch is subtly disguised by blacking out that part of the screen. The notch does not seem to come in the way of things at all. But the asymmetry might be bothersome for some.

Once you get past the new design, the OnePlus 6 will feel a lot familiar. It continues to feel super smooth and slick when operating. Its too early to say whether there has been a sizeable improvement in performance because of the new chipset, but it does feel just as smooth and fast as its predecessor.

We also havent tested the camera out intensively to pass a judgement. The dual camera implementation is still the same, but the hardware has been upgraded. The phone now relies on a 16-megapixel IMX 519 sensor with a pixel pitch of 1.22um and f/1.7 aperture, and a 20-megapixel IMX 376K sensor with a pixel pitch of 1.0um and f/1.7 aperture. OnePlus claimed theres OIS in the camera. It still uses the 16-megapixel + 20-megapixel camera setup. The 20-megapixel sensor is only used when the light is dim. And thanks to OIS, it should perform even better in low-light. Theres a 16-megapixel camera up front which OnePlus announced with receive the ability to take portrait selfies after an update. Its certainly feature rich and going by the past records of OnePlus devices, Im looking forward to taking the camera out for a spin.

All said and done, its still difficult to say whether this indeed is the flagship killer. Yes, it packs all the latest top-of-the-line hardware, comes in a stunning new design with meticulous attention to detail, all at a price that will put premium flagships to shame. There will be some compromises for sure (a lack of IP rating, less richer display), but all that is expected to keep the price from soaring. One things for sure  Everyone who dreams of owning a reliable flagship but doesnt have the budget for it will surely keep the OnePlus 6 in their mind. Unless, the flagship-killer segment gets another incumbent soon.
 Xperia Z1 Price in India updated on 28th May 2019

 Xperia Z1 Price In India Starts From Rs.56699 The best price of  Xperia Z1 is Rs.56699 on Amazon.This Mobile Phones is expected to be available in 16GB variant(s).
In a first, Google employees quitting in protest against defence involvement

If you are lucky enough to work for Google  the $762-billion company that has long been known for its employee-friendly environment  you dont just up and quit. Right? Not quite. About a dozen Google employees are resigning in protest over the companys continued involvement with a military programme.

Three months ago, many Google employees - and the public - learned about the companys decision to provide artificial intelligence to a controversial military pilot programme known as Project Maven, Gizmodo reports. Three months ago, many Google employees - and the public - learned about the companys decision to provide artificial intelligence to a controversial military pilot programme known as Project Maven, Gizmodo reports.

The search giant entered into a contract with United States Defence Department to provide artificial intelligence to them for the controversial drone programme through which the unmanned flying machine can automatically differentiate between objects and people by analysing its own footage.

Some employees are not at ease with this project. Having ethical concerns over giving so much power to a machine, they are resigning in protest.

The resigning employees frustrations range from particular ethical concerns over the use of artificial intelligence in drone warfare to broader worries about Googles political decisions  and the erosion of user trust that could result from these actions. Many of them have written accounts of their decisions to leave the company, and their stories have been gathered and shared in an internal document, the contents of which multiple sources have described to Gizmodo.

In addition to this, they are also not happy with Googles lack of transparency regarding such decisions. Apart from the resignations, nearly 4,000 Google employees, in an internal petition, have expressed their opposition to Project Maven and urged the bosses to immediately cancel the contract and form a policy banning the company from taking up military work in future.

The employees who are resigning in protest, several of whom discussed their decision to leave with Gizmodo, say that executives have become less transparent with their workforce about controversial business decisions and seem less interested in listening to workers objections than they once did.

Some employees believe humans, not algorithms, should be responsible for this sensitive and potentially lethal work  and that Google shouldnt be involved in military work at all.

Historically, Google has promoted an open culture that encourages employees to challenge and debate product decisions. But some employees feel that their leadership no longer as attentive to their concerns, leaving them to face the fallout.

Over the last couple of months, Ive been less and less impressed with the response and the way peoples concerns are being treated and listened to, one employee who resigned said.

I realized if I cant recommend people join here, then why am I still here?

These are the first known mass resignations at Google in protest against one of the companys business decisions, and they speak of the strongly felt ethical concerns of the employees who are departing.

However, the mounting pressure from employees seems to have done little to sway Googles decision  the company has defended its work on Maven and is thought to be one of the lead contenders for another major Pentagon cloud computing contract, the Joint Enterprise Defence Infrastructure, better known as JEDI, which is currently up for bids.

Employees demands that Google end its Pentagon contract are also complicated by the fact that Google claims it is only providing open-source software to Project Maven, which means the military would be able to still use the technology even if Google didnt accept payment or offer technical assistance.

Still, the resigning employees believe that Googles work on Maven is fundamentally at odds with the companys do-gooder principles. Its not like Google, this little machine-learning startup thats trying to find clients in different industries, a resigning employee said. It just seems like it makes sense for Google and Googles reputation to stay out of that.

Google has emphasised that its AI is not being used to kill, but the use of artificial intelligence in the Pentagons drone programme still raises complex ethical and moral issues for tech workers and for academics who study the field of machine learning.

In addition to the petition circulating inside Google, the Tech Workers Coalition launched a petition in April demanding that Google abandon its work on Maven and that other major tech companies, including IBM and Amazon, refuse to work with the US Defence Department.

We can no longer ignore our industrys and our technologies harmful biases, large-scale breaches of trust, and lack of ethical safeguards, the petition reads. These are life and death stakes.

More than 90 academics in artificial intelligence, ethics, and computer science released an open letter this week that calls on Google to end its work on Project Maven and to support an international treaty prohibiting autonomous weapons systems. Peter Asaro and Lucy Suchman, two of the authors of the letter, have testified before the United Nations about autonomous weapons; a third author, Lilly Irani, is a professor of science and a former Google employee.

Googles contributions to Project Maven could accelerate the development of fully autonomous weapons, Suchman told Gizmodo. Although Google is based in the US, it has an obligation to protect its global user base that outweighs its alignment with any single nations military, she said.

Executives at Google have made efforts to defend Project Maven to employees. At a meeting shortly after the project became public, Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene spoke in support of Project Maven, multiple sources told Gizmodo. More recently, Greene and other employees have hosted several sessions to debate and discuss the project. These sessions featured speakers who supported and opposed Maven and stressed the difficulty of drafting policy about the ethical use of machine learning, an attendee explained.

There are other reputational concerns factoring into employees decisions to leave Google. The companys recent political fumbles, like its sponsorship of the Conservative Political Action Conference and its struggle to address internal diversity concerns, have also played a role.
These fares are simply WOW! Rs13,500 for Delhi-US via Iceland

For Indians flying Western countries, theres a new airline  and it is offering the cheapest fares available. Icelands trans-Atlantic carrier WOW Air Ehf, which offers low-cost flights via its hub in Reykjavik, is entering India with tickets to the US at $199 starting 7 December.

This translates to a one-way fare of Rs13,499 between Delhi and any of 15 North American cities including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Toronto, as well as London, that are part of WOWs current network. There will be a stopover in Reykjavik, capital of Iceland. This would be the first no-frills option for passengers traveling between India and North Americas eastern seaboard. This translates to a one-way fare of Rs13,499 between Delhi and any of 15 North American cities including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Toronto, as well as London, that are part of WOWs current network. There will be a stopover in Reykjavik, capital of Iceland. This would be the first no-frills option for passengers traveling between India and North Americas eastern seaboard.

WOW Airs tickets on Airbus SE A330neo aircraft will be priced at half of what full-service carriers like Emirates Airline offer, chief executive officer Skuli Mogensen said in media interviews in New Delhi on Tuesday. The fares arent just introductory, he said.

If you look at flights from India to North America, they actually go directly above Iceland, Mogensen said. So Iceland is the perfect hub for India-to-North America traffic. It has a superior connecting time than what people currently use  London, Dubai, Frankfurt or Amsterdam.

Serial entrepreneur Mogensen founded Wow Air in 2012, four years after selling his last venture  Oz Communications in the mobile software space  to Nokia. Mogensen says that he was almost in retirement mode when he decided to start an airline in his native country. In a span of six years, WOW air has reached a scale where it's almost neck-and-neck with legacy carrier Icelandair, an airline started in 1937. "We will overtake them by next year in market share," he said.

After disrupting the aviation market in Iceland, Mogensen is bringing his low-cost carrier to India - New Delhi to begin with.

Wow Air is elbowing its way into a market long dominated by Middle Eastern carriers like Emirates and Etihad Airways PJSC, which have used their nearby hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to lure Indians flying west. Wow Air could also get an early-mover advantage in the worlds fastest growing major aviation market, where local budget carriers like IndiGo, operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, and SpiceJet Ltd. are firming up plans to start low-cost long haul operations.

The services will start in December this year subject to getting slots at the Delhi airport. WOW is already negotiating with GMR to get five slots per week, preferably departure slots at around 6am, for its wide-body Airbus A330neos. "We are going ahead with the sales with the assumption that we will get the slots that we have requested," Morgensen said.

About 20,000 people fly between India and North America every day. "We will be the first long-haul low-cost airline to fly into India. It's a huge market with a huge potential. I think India is underserved when you look at flights between India and North America. We are exploring possibilities to open stations in more Indian cities. Our target customers are smart travellers - people who are value conscious," said Mogensen.

WOW would offer four products; the basic product doesn't include check-in baggage and meals.

It flies to 35 European and North American destinations, and it would be competing with aggressive Middle-eastern hubs like Dubai and Abu Dhabi which are catering for a large international traffic originating from India. "We will offer a shorter total trip time than if you go to Dubai. Shorter flight time means less engine usage, less costs that translates into less ticket price. In our case, it takes 18 hours to reach East Coast (in the US) from India, including a two-hour layover in Iceland," he says.Emirates, United

Middle-eastern carriers typically offer among the cheapest fares from India to the US. For a flight to New York from New Delhi on 15 June, Turkish Airlines was offering the cheapest fare at $420 with a stop in Istanbul, while Emirates was for $510. Air India had the cheapest non-stop flight at $660. United Airlines sold tickets at $940, according to online travel agent MakeMyTrip.com.

India will overtake UK to become the third-largest aviation market with 278 million passengers by 2025, according to International Air Transport Association. The market will contribute $172 billion to the nations economy, more than doubling from the current $72 billion, according to IATA.

With crude oil prices rising, Mogensen says that he's not worried unless the prices go beyond $100 a barrel. "Oil is last century's commodity. We will be operating A330neos which are 15 per cent more fuel efficient. The other reason we can offer low fares is that we offer more services beyond selling seats. When someone comes to Iceland, we can offer best prices on hotels, car rentals, and restaurants. We will extract revenues from other sources," he adds.
Tyson Foods to buy American Proteins' poultry assets for $850 mn

Tyson Foods Inc, the largest US meat processor, yesterday struck a deal to buy the poultry rendering and blending assets of American Proteins Inc for about $850 million, in order to expand its presence in the growing animal feed ingredient business.

The acquisition includes four rendering plants located in Georgia and Alabama and 13 blending facilities located throughout Southeastern and Midwestern states. The acquisition includes four rendering plants located in Georgia and Alabama and 13 blending facilities located throughout Southeastern and Midwestern states.

The facilities are expected to provide additional capacity to Tysons current animal by-products business.

Most of the 700 people working for American Proteins are expected to be transferred to Tyson Foods.

Rendering is a process of using animal by-products for the production of tallow, grease and feed for animals and aquaculture.

Tyson said it expects its new business to generate adjusted net sales of more than $550 million over the next year.

Rendering plays a key role in growing our business and helping us deliver on our sustainability goals, says Tom Hayes, president and CEO of Tyson Foods. Through this important business, no part of the animal goes to waste, and we can recycle valuable ingredients into feed for pets and aquaculture.

Rendering is an environmentally friendlier way to keep animal products out of landfills and potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the National Renderers Association, renderings contribution to carbon emission reduction in the US and Canada is equivalent to removing more than 12 million cars from the road annually.

This acquisition is a great complement to our existing business, gives us the ability to render raw materials in a region we dont currently serve, and better positions us to meet the competitive, fast-growing national and global demand for animal protein, said Doug Ramsey, group president of poultry for Tyson Foods.

Mark Ham, president and CEO of American Proteins said, We value and appreciate our 700 plus employees as well as the relationships we have with our suppliers and customers, and are confident that after the transaction closes the Tyson team will offer them the same commitment to service and quality as provided by American Proteins.

Founded in 1935 by John Tyson, Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods is one of the worlds largest food companies.

The company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, Wright, Aidells, ibp and State Fair.

It supplies retail and food service customers throughout the US and around 115 countries, and has annual sales of $38 billion.
French agri-food giant Avril acquires majority stake in Italian olive oil maker Costa d'Oro

French agri-food giant Avril yesterday acquired a majority stake in family-owned Italian olive oil maker Costa dOro, making it the third-largest producer in the fast-developing market.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by the companies, but Avril said that Costa dOro has annual sales of 143.5 million ($171 million). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by the companies, but Avril said that Costa dOro has annual sales of 143.5 million ($171 million).

Avril, which produces olive oil itself, said it is joining forces with the company's founding Sabatini and Santirosi families "to create the third most important branded olive oil worldwide".

The Paris-based group said it wants to accelerate the brand's growth in both the Italian market and internationally, where it currently achieves half of its sales.

The global olive oil market was worth 12 billion in 2017 and is expected to grow by 4 per cent to 5 per cent a year to reach 17 billion by 2025, driven by a rise in demand notably in China and North America, Avril said in a statement

This alliance will enable the assembly of exceptional teams, know-how and products. All are advantages that will make Costa dOro a major Italian brand in olive oil with global reach, said Olivier Delamea, general manager at Avril Groups Oils & Condiments business.

Together, we will be pursuing the initial goals of Costa dOro in Spoleto, Umbria, by providing it with the resources it needs to conquer new markets that are not only geographical but also concern innovation that will enable the best gustatory and nutritional quality, said Ivano Mocetti, director general of Costa dOro.

Our project will also eventually develop a vertical integration of the agricultural supply chain and industrial production in Italy and the Mediterranean basin, he added.

Founded in 1968 in Spoleto, Umbria (central Italy) by the Sabatini and Santirosi families, Costa dOro is an Italian leader in the production and distribution of top quality olive oil in Italy and throughout the world.

Avril was founded in 1983 by French producers of oilseeds and protein crops. Avril's main aim is to develop oilseed products  rapeseed, sunflower, soybean and protein products  peas, field beans, lupin.

In 2014, Avril processed half of the rapeseed and sunflower grains collected in France.

Avril has a presence in 22 countries and employs 7,200 people. It had 2014 turnover of 6.5 billion and net profit to 44 million.
Mercedes-Benz has added 2850 vehicles to Australia's Takata airbag recalls.

Models affected by the latest round of action include model year 2006-2012 GL-Class and ML-Class SUVs as well as SLK-Class convertibles.

The recall addresses potentially faulty airbag inflators which may rupture, sending metal fragments toward vehicle occupants.

One man has died in Australia due to a faulty airbag and a woman in the Northern Territory was seriously injured. The recall effects more than a dozen manufacturers and more than 3 million vehicles in Australia.

Owners should contact their local Mercedes-Benz dealership to arrange an appointment to replace the airbag inflator at no cost to consumers.

Many carmakers have had trouble getting customers to come in and have their vehicles repaired with a number of marques contributing to a combined fund to run a unified advertising campaign later this year to encourage owners to bring cars into dealerships.

Honda  one of the worst affected manufacturers hit by the Takata scandal - released data this weeks surrounding suburbs with the highest concentration of affected models which require outstanding repairs. Sydney's western suburbs topped the list, prompting the brand to work with community newspapers published in a variety of languages to get the message out.

To check if your Mercedes-Benz is affected, visit the Mercedes-Benz recalls website.

For more information, visit Productsafety.gov.au
What is it?

Its been two years since the 10th generation Civic arrived in Australia with this sedan. The five-door hatch arrived in 2017 and since then its overshadowed the four-door sibling, so we felt it was time to get reacquainted with it.

How much does it cost and what do you get?

We tested the range-topping VTi-LX model, which is priced from $35,590 (plus on-road costs). As it sits at the peak theres plenty of equipment for that asking price including 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, electric sunroof, keyless entry and ignition, leather-appointed trim, a premium audio system that includes digital radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Bluetooth connectivity and navigation with live traffic updates.

Importantly it also gets a range of active safety features not available on other Civic models. But more on that later.
COPENHAGEN  As a panel of Chinese textile industry representatives discuss the nations sustainability future at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, a new report from China Water Risk has also provided a greater insight into the countrys governmental and industrial policy progress.

Both the panel discussion and report have provided shoots of optimism for a national industry which has, for a long time, been regarded by many in the textile sector as a closed shop regarding sustainability efforts and transparency.

The changing face as China; moving from being viewed as a solely-producing nation through to a major consumer base was discussed as part of the shift towards a new approach and perception of the Chinese marketplace on the world stage. David Styles reports from Copenhagen.
STOCKHOLM  Swedish fashion brand, Filippa K, has partnered with biotechnology company, Colorifix and will integrate the UK firms biological dyeing process in the manufacture of its apparel later this year.

Colorifixs technology, which converts agricultural by-products such as sugar molasses into colorants suitable for textile dyeing, has been found to significantly reduce water consumption and virtually eliminates toxic chemicals from production. The companys solution is also compatible with Eurojerseys nylon stretch fabrics.
Alaska has voted for a Republican for president in every U.S. election since 1964, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Given the growing partisan divide on climate change, one would not expect the state to take action on climate change, let alone acknowledge that it is a problem.

But Alaska is also uniquely impacted by the effects of climate change. Scientists have called this year's loss of sea ice on the Bering Sea a "natural disaster" for Alaskan communities that rely on the ice pack to facilitate transportation and hunting, and to protect their homes from winter storms. The Native Alaskan village of Kivalina, located on a barrier island, even took a leading role in seeking damages for climate change when it sued fossil fuel companies in 2008 over the impacts of erosion and flooding from coastal storms due to sea-ice loss, though the suit was unsuccessful.

Now impacts are building up to the point where state politicians have no choice but to take action and are developing a plan to that end, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

"The change has been so real and so widespread that it's become impossible to ignore," Democratic Lieutenant Gov. Byron Mallott told The New York Times. "Folks are realizing that it's something we have to deal with," he said.

Mallott is in charge of a task force initiated by Independent Gov. Bill Walker in October 2017 that is due to propose policy recommendations to reduce the state's emissions and mitigate the impacts of warming by September.

The most recent draft, dated April 25, calls on Alaska to get 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one-third below 2005 emissions by the same date.

However, as The New York Times pointed out, Alaska's major contribution to global emissions comes in the form of the oil and gas exported by the state to the rest of the country.

Alaska gets 85 percent of its budget from oil production, and its leaders are averse to directly challenging the source of their funding.

The most recent draft of the climate action plan took out a line from an earlier draft saying "There is an economic and ethical imperative to pursue a transition away from a global dependence on fossil fuels," and both Walker and Mallott support drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Not all Alaskans agree with this pro-oil outlook. 16 young Alaskans, represented by Our Children's Trust, have sued the state for actions contributing to climate change, as Inside Climate News outlined in May.

"We're talking about climate change and we're seeing all these impacts, but at the same time we're continuing to pursue activities that create climate change," one of the young people named in the case, Tasha Elizarde, said. "I hope that this pushes the Walker administration and future administrations to look at this case and understand what a big problem climate change can be."
Opponents of the controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would carry fracked natural gas from West Virginia through Virginia's Highland Country and into North Carolina, won a reprieve Tuesday when a federal appeals court invalidated a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) review of the pipeline, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

The ruling was issued by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in Richmond, VA and agreed with environmental groups and their lawyers that the incidental take statement made by the FWS, which limits the number of endangered species that can be killed during construction and operation of a project, was not clear enough in the case of the pipeline.

"We conclude, for reasons to be more fully explained in a forthcoming opinion, that the limits set by the agency are so indeterminate that they undermine the incidental take statement's enforcement and monitoring function under the Endangered Species Act," the judges wrote, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The case was argued by the Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and Virginia Wilderness Committee. The pipeline opponents argued that the ruling meant the pipeline had to halt construction.

"This fracked gas project has been proven to be perilous to our health, our communities, and wildlife, and now, thanks to tonight's ruling, must be stopped," Sierra Club attorney Nathan Matthews said in a press release.

But Dominion Energy, the company leading pipeline construction, disagreed with that interpretation of the ruling. "[W]e will continue to move forward with construction as scheduled," Dominion Energy director of communications Jen Kostyniuk said in an email obtained by U.S. News and World Report.

The pipeline could harm eight threatened or endangered species, including the Roanoke logperch and Indiana and Northern long-eared bats, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

Southern Environmental Law Center attorney D.J. Gerken explained the decision in more detail. According to Gerken, the FWS had said a "small percent" of threatened or endangered species could be killed during the pipeline's construction without ever defining what that percent was.

"A small percent would never get triggered because nobody knows what it is," he told The Richmond Times-Dispatch "This is an unnecessary and destructive project. And sending them back to the drawing board is a necessary step to asking those fundamental questions about whether we need it," he said.

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is one of two pipelines in the region that has sparked opposition in the past year due to concerns about their impact on mountain streams and springs, the use of fracking to obtain the gas, the need for more fossil fuel infrastructure given the threat of climate change and the use of eminent domain to force the hand of landowners who didn't want the pipeline traversing their property.

Opponents of the other pipeline, the Mountain Valley Pipeline , resorted to tree-sitting in April to try and stop its progress.
Groups of citizens have been organizing worldwide to fight against fossil fuel industry's negative impacts on their lives. These impacts are either directthrough expropriations of land and development of infrastructure against the will of the populationor indirectthrough their role in the sharp increase of climate-altering emissions threatening health and livelihoods worldwide.

These movements are often born spontaneously in response to a present challenge or threat. Through grassroot organizing, the impact of a handful of determined citizens can grow dramatically and has, in many instances, forced fossil fuel companies to abandon projects, deal with less and less private investments or defend themselves in courts.

Here are three stories from the Philippines, Brazil and the U.S. that show how small groups of determined people have taken on large corporations and shifted the local economic and political context.

The videos have been produced by 350.org as part of the Fossil Free campaign.

Atimonan, Philippines

Since 2015, citizens of Atimonan, Quezon province, in the Philippines, have been opposing the construction of a 1,200-megawatt coal-fired power plant.

Despite the determination of government authorities at national and provincial level to move forward with the project, the citizens of Atimonan and of the whole province have organized rallies in front of one of the banks funding the project, disrupted a meeting of the provincial board and overall voiced their concern and opposition.

Father Puno, of the Our Lady of the Angels parish in Atimonan, has been one of the most vocal regarding the potentially nefarious impacts of the future power plant, organizing a prayer-vigil attended by more than 1,500 people.

While opposing coal as an energy source, local parishioners have also discovered solar power and decided to install solar panels on the roof of the church, turning their stewardship for natural resources and people's health into a message in support of a fast and just 100 percent renewable energy transition for all.

Peruibe, Brazil



The citizens of Peruibe, in the Southeast region of Brazil, have been actively resisting the development of a new thermoelectric power plant, which would have been one of the largest of its kind. Citizens have organized themselves, putting pressure on city councilors to approve an amendment to the municipal law that would prevent other large polluting projects from being built in the city.

After a complicated legislative process, which lasted months, the city council finally approved unanimously the amendment.

Peruibe has clean and sustainable energy to spare and holds unquestionable tourist potential. The region is one of the last reserves of continuous Brazilian Atlantic rain forest in the world, and more than half of the city's territory is in a preservation area.

The controversial industrial project, estimated at R$ 5 billion, was proposed by Gastrading Comercio de Energia, and it would have generated up to 1.7 gigawatts of energy.

New York, New York



In January 2018 the Mayor of New York Bill de Blasio made two important announcements. The first one was that the city would divest its assets from fossil fuel companies.

The second one was that the city had filed a lawsuit in federal courts against the five fossil fuel companies identified as the most responsible for global warming: ExxonMobil, BP, Conoco Phillips, Shell and Chevron.

These announcements came after years of grassroots organizing and it was celebrated as a victory by the many citizen groups that had been mobilizing to push the city to take this decision.

The divestment movement in New York dates back years, driven among other things by the impacts that Hurricane Sandy had on New York and its citizens: more than 100 dead in New York and surrounding areas; an estimated damage of more than $40bn; 100,000 houses damaged of which 2,000 rendered uninhabitable.

The awareness that climate change had played a major role in creating the conditions for Hurricane Sandy to develop and grow in strength convinced many New Yorkers to hit the streets asking the city not to give a penny more to dirty energy.
A new study on glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundupone of the world's most widely used weedkillersis fueling persistent concerns about the pesticide's impact on sexual development, genotoxicity and intestinal bacteria, even when exposure is limited to a level currently considered "safe" by U.S. regulators.

While the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a branch of the World Health Organization (WHO), and California have classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen, U.S. and European regulators have continued to authorize farmers to use it, and Republicans in Congress have even threatened to cut off funding to the WHO over the issue.

Researchers at the Ramazzini Institute in Italy collaborated with experts from the U.S. and Europe to conduct the new crowdfunded pilot study, which will be detailed in three peer-reviewed papers set to be published in the journal Environmental Health later this month. They exposed rats to glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) in drinking water at the "safe" level set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over a three-month period, "starting from prenatal life until 13 weeks after weaning."

"The results show that GBHseven at doses deemed safe and over a relatively short exposure time (which in human-equivalent terms correspond from embryo life to 18 years of age)are able to alter certain important biological parameters, markers chiefly relating to sexual development, genotoxicity, and alteration of the intestinal microbiome ... especially in females," according to the study's website.

Daniele Mandrioli, associate director of the institute's cancer research center, explained to the Guardian that this "shouldn't be happening," and noted that in humans, "disruption of the microbiome has been associated with a number of negative health outcomes, such as obsesity, diabetes, and immunological problems."

Philip J. Landrigan, a member of the study's research team and a professor at New York's Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, expressed worries that glyphosate may pose a long-term cancer risk "that might affect a huge number of people, given the planet-wide use of the glyphosate-based herbicides."

Acknowledging that "by its very nature and purpose, the pilot study does not resolve the uncertainties puzzling the various agencies," Landrigan concluded that "these early warnings must be further investigated in a comprehensive long-term study."

Consumer advocates in the U.S. also responded with calls for further studies, pointing out that "there have been no long-term, peer-reviewed studies of the potential health impact of glyphosate exposure at levels lower than the EPA's guidelines."

"This new pilot study confirms what many responsible scientists have been saying all along: There is no such thing as 'safe' levels when it comes to glyphosate, especially when it comes to children," remarked Ronnie Cummins, international director of the U.S.-based Organic Consumers Association (OCA), which supports the testing food productsincluding Ben & Jerry's ice creamfor levels of glyphosate.

"What your average consumer needs to know is that there's absolutely no scientific evidence backing up the EPA's claims of 'safe levels,'" OCA U.S. Director Katherine Paul told Common Dreams. "So when Ben & Jerry's says it doesn't matter that there's glyphosate in their ice creambecause the levels are beneath EPA guidelinesthat's total bunk."

Meanwhile, Monsantowhich has tried to influence scientific health reports about Roundupmaintains that "there is no link between glyphosate and cancer," and accused the Ramazzini Institute of being "an activist organization with an agenda." The institute has supported the study of cancer for more than two decades and, according to its website, its top priorities are conducting scientific research, performing early diagnosis, and spreading information about "environmental toxic and carcinogenic risks."

Reposted with permission from our media associate Common Dreams.
By Edward Carver

Lemurs in Madagascar have been under pressure from deforestation, poaching, drought and other challenges for years. Now, in the much-visited Berenty Reserve near the island's southern tip, one species faces a mysterious new threat.

In the last month and a half, at least 31 Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi) have died in the reserve. Most were found already dead; others were found gravely ill and later died from respiratory failure. Berenty staff and local scientists have reached out to veterinarians and primatologists across the world. The experts believe that a parasite or tick-borne disease is likely to blame, but the exact cause remains unknown.

This is the one of largest lemur die-offs that scientists in Madagascar can remember. "We haven't seen something like this before," Patricia Wright, a lemur expert and the founder of Centre ValBio, a research center in eastern central Madagascar, told Mongabay.

A Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) Rhett A. Butler

Verreaux's sifakas were struggling long before this outbreak. The white, fluffy lemurs were already listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The population is highly fragmented and has been declining for decades, according to the IUCN. The species is found in the dry areas and spiny forests of southwest Madagascar.



By coincidence, a large IUCN Red List Primate Specialist Group meeting took place last week in Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital, and reassessing the endangerment status of all lemur species was a top agenda item. The group decided to uplist all nine sifaka species from endangered to critically endangered, according to people in attendance. The status change is not yet official, but during the meeting the Facebook page of the specialist group's Lemur Conservation Network project mentioned it: "We are very sad to announce that all sifaka species are now under the Critically Endangered criteria."

Verreaux's sifakas travel in groups of up to 14 individuals, and at least two of these groups have been killed off in Berenty since late March. Berenty is a private reserve run by a French family that owns a local sisal business. For decades, it has been a research site and a popular ecotourism destination. Lemurs are the main attraction.

Scientists have pieced together clues about the cause of death by assessing the afflicted sifakas that were found still alive. Several of those sifakas had paralyzed hind legs; to move, they had to drag themselves by their hands on the forest floor. (Normally, Verreaux's sifakas have powerful hind legs that allow them to bounce sideways on the ground or jump as far as 3 meters, or 10 feet, from tree to tree.) Within a day, in most of the cases, the paralysis moved up the body and into the lungs, causing death from respiratory failure.

Verreaux's sifakas in a heated territorial chase Rhett A. Butler

Most of the dead sifakas were found covered in ticks, which scientists say may have caused the paralysis by transmitting a neurotoxin or some type of infectious rickettsial bacteria to the sifakas. However, in 2014, scientists found many other Verreaux's sifakas covered in ticks, and they showed no signs of disease.



Another possibility is that the recent deaths were caused by single-cell toxoplasma parasites, which affect the nervous system and which, like rickettsial bacteria, could have been brought to the area by humans. The parasites could have been in the local soil or in cat dung. Tissue and organ samples from the dead sifakas' bodies have been sent to the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, in Antananarivo, but the test results have not yet come back.

Almost all of the dead sifakas were male, and this at first led scientists to believe that perhaps the deaths were due to aggressive territorial disputes. Because outside threats have forced Verreaux's sifakas and other lemur species to crowd into small areas, this wouldn't be surprising. "When we found the first 9 [dead sifakas] we thought it might be due to an overpopulation," Claire Foulon, the reserve manager, told Mongabay. However, the dead bodies showed no signs of violence, and that theory has now been ruled out. Experts are not sure why most of the dead sifakas are male.

A Verreaux's sifaka nursing her baby Rhett A. Butler

Whatever the cause of the illness turns out to be, other types of lemurs do not appear to be as vulnerable to it as the Verreaux's sifakas. So far, none of the many ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) in the same area have been affected. However, one brown lemur (genus Eulemur) was found dead, apparently from the same illness.



No sifakas have been found sick or dead since April 30, so experts are hopeful that the worst may be over. "As most of the news has been pointing to this localized event within a timeline, I am hoping that whatever has caused the 37 deaths (which is the number that was discussed at the IUCN meeting) has ridden its course," Edward Louis, director of the NGO Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership and director of conservation genetics at the U.S.-based Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, said in an email to Mongabay. (Louis and other experts cited a death toll in the high thirties, but Foulon, the reserve manager, later told Mongabay that only 31 sifakas had died in the outbreak.)

A team of veterinarians from Germany is now on site to support the Malagasy veterinarian working on the case.

A Verreaux's sifaka dancing Rhett A. Butler

Reposted with permission from our media associate Mongabay.


A federal judge Tuesday struck down the city of Oakland's ban on coal shipments through a planned export terminal.

U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria ridiculed the city for violating its contract with the developer of the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal in its 2016 ban, writing in his opinion that there is no "substantial evidence" that coal shipments "would pose a substantial health or safety danger" to Oakland residents.

"This is a fight for environmental justice and equity," Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement. "Oakland's most vulnerable communities have unfairly suffered the burden of pollutants and foul air for too long." The terminal's developers plan to source coal from the Powder River Basin region to store in Oakland before shipping overseas, and the judge's ruling was celebrated by local officials in coal-producing towns in Wyoming and Utah.

As reported by Bloomberg:

As demand for coal in the U.S. declines, miners depend increasingly on overseas markets. Yet Wyoming and Montana's Powder River Basin, home to the nation's largest reserves, is largely cut off from the world market without West Coast ports.

Oakland is among several terminals in California and the Pacific Northwest that environmentalists have pushed to close to miners in an effort to keep U.S. coal off the international market. Reversing the ban could increase exports by as much as 19 percent, according to the Sierra Club.

For a deeper dive:



San Francisco Chronicle, Salt Lake Tribune, KQED, AP, Bloomberg, Pacific Standard

For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for daily Hot News.
Even if you try to avoid buying plastics, you might be surprised to find it lurks in many common food and beverage containers, including tin cans, disposable coffee cups and even tea bags.

On Wednesday, however, the environmental group A Plastic Planet debuted the world's first "Plastic Free Trust Mark" to help shoppers know that their products are packaged entirely without the non-biodegradable material, which harms marine life and has entered the larger food chain.

"Now we all know the damage our addiction to plastic has caused, we want to do the right thing and buy plastic-free. But it is harder than you think and a clear no-nonsense label is much needed," said A Plastic Planet co-founder Sian Sutherland in a statement.



"Our Trust Mark cuts through the confusion of symbols and labels and tells you just one thingthis packaging is plastic-free and therefore guilt-free. Finally shoppers can be part of the solution, not the problem."

According to Packaging Europe, Trust Mark-accredited packaging will include materials such as carton board, wood pulp, glass, metal and certified-compostable biomaterials.

Early adopters of the new stamp include UK supermarket chain Iceland Foods, Dutch grocer Ekoplaza and tea brand teapigs.

Iceland Foods, which pledged to eliminate plastic packaging from its own brand of products by 2023, will sell eggs, cottage pie and vegetable burgers that feature the new "plastic free" label, which the company says will remove more than 600 tonnes of plastic out of circulation annually. Many of its other products are expected to make the switch.



"With the grocery retail sector accounting for more than 40 percent of plastic packaging in the UK, it's high time that Britain's supermarkets came together to take a lead on this issue," said Iceland managing director, Richard Walker, in a statement. "I'm proud to lead a supermarket that is working with A Plastic Planet to realize a plastic-free future for food and drink retail."

Ekoplaza, which launched the world's first plastic-free supermarket aisle in Amsterdam this past February, will roll out the Trust Mark at 74 branches across the Netherlands. It aims to have each store feature the label on selected Ekoplaza brands by the end of the year.

Teapigs co-founder Louise Cheadle said the company is pleased to add the mark to its packaging.

"A lot of tea drinkers have been surprised to learn that many teabags contain plastic," Cheadle said in a statement. "Our tea 'temples' have always been plastic free and our clear inner bags (that keep the tea nice and fresh) are made from Natureflex which looks like plastic but is made from wood pulp. The trust mark will make it easy for consumers to make the right plastic-free choices."
(Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC)Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary and Rev. Andrzej Choromanski of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC

The Vatican and the World Council of Churches have revealed details of the June 21 landmark visit of Pope Francis, a visit the WCC described as "a gift to churches."

"The visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to the World Council of Churches in the year of our 70th anniversary, is an historical milestone in the search for Christian unity and for the cooperation among the churches for a world with peace and justice," said Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary, at a May 15 press conference.

Due to illness, Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, was represented by Rev. Andrzej Choromanski of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, who is also a consultant on the WCC's Faith and Order Commission.

"I think His Holiness wanted to participate in this anniversary to express his gratitude to the ecumenical movement that the WCC has made over 70 years as part of the world church movement," Choromanski.

"His Holiness is very much invested in the cause of Christian unity. He has said we should aim for an ecumenism that involves us walking together. When we walk together we pray together."

'UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY'

Tveit said, "This is a unique opportunity to share our gifts of fellowship with one another and with all our churches around the world. The relationships locally and globally will not be the same after this event".

"Therefore, we in the WCC are immensely grateful to His Holiness Pope Francis that he accepted our invitation to come to the WCC this year."

The landmark 21 June visit is only the third by a pope to the WCC, and the first time that such an occasion was dedicated to visiting the council.

"It is possible to have a wider horizon than our own church or people, it is possible to share a vision based on our Christian faith that brings us together and makes us able to do a lot together for the world," Tveit continued.

"One of the principles in the ecumenical movement, has been that we should do together what we can do together. Thus, it was easy to agree on a shared motto for this day of the pope visiting the World Council of Churches: 'Walking, praying, and working together.'"

WCC'S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

As Pope Francis begins the fifth year of his papacy, the WCC is marking its 70th anniversary, and the pope's visit will be part of the celebrations of the ecumenical legacy and renewal of its promise coinciding with a meeting of its Central Committee, a key WCC governing body.

Bishop Charles Morerod, bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg of the Roman Catholic Church said, "We have moved to a stage of mutual goodwill and the pope does not want us to rest on our laurels."

Pope Francis will arrive in Geneva at 10:30 a.m. on 21 June after which he will pray and meet with the WCC.

Pope Francis will then hold a mass at the Palexpo convention centre in Geneva at 5:30 p.m. that day and the pontiff will leave Switzerland from nearby Geneva airport at 8 p.m.

Pope Paul VI visited the WCC in 1969 and, in 1984, a visit was welcomed from Pope John Paul II.

The WCC brings together churches, denominations and church fellowships in more than 120 countries and territories throughout the world, representing over 560 million Christians, including most of the world's Orthodox churches, scores of Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed churches, as well as many united and independent churches.

While the bulk of the WCC's founding churches were European and North American, today most member churches are in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific and there are now 348 member churches in the WCC.

The Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC, but it is a member of its Faith and Order Commission and other commissions, and it and cooperates with the council in many organizations.

The WCC works with Catholics on issues of peace and migration in many parts of the world.
There is a fundamental problem in education that has been on vivid display recently: confusion about whom our schools exist to serve. Our public school system exists to give our children a foundation in literacy and numeracy and to help them become informed citizens. It is not the purpose of the public schools to use children as leverage for the gains of others.

Only that base misconception could drive mass school closures and disruptions right in the midst of a critical time in the school year. Only that misconception could lead adults to go on strike, thrusting chaos and untenable choices on the most vulnerable families least able to cope with abrupt changes in the routines of their children.

When coal miners strike they lay down their equipment. When teachers strike, they lay down their students minds."

We strongly believe in the importance and honor of great teaching and teachers. We believe policymakers should set budgets so that the best teachers are attracted and retained. Those decisions must be made at each state and district level.

We strongly disagree that adults in our public schools should use systematic disruption of students and familiesthat is, strikes or walkoutsas a tactic to secure financial outcomes. There are several basic reasons for this:

First, abrupt school closure interrupts and damages the progress of students. We either believe that school and teaching time matters, or we do not. Teaching time does matter, and we should be very reluctant to interrupt it. Strikes (and walkouts) do exactly that. When coal miners strike they lay down their equipment. When teachers strike, they lay down their students minds.

Second, teachers want us to treat them as professionals. To be treated as such, they must act as such. Certainly, individuals and groups have every right to seek changes to their compensation or pensions. But to do so in a manner that damages both students and the critical role public schools play is the antithesis of professionalism. No other professionals have a summer in which they can pursue their financial goals or other endeavors.

Lets be honest and recognize that the past weeks have not been about serving students, but rather pursuing financial ends, thus hurting the cause of professionalism. There is a time, place, and manner for these fiscal discussions. Strikes during the school year are not it.

Finally, many publicly stated demands associated with these strikes and walkouts do not withstand review. In Kentucky, teachers are angry at their states current governor when their anger should be directed at the pension-fund board that set policies rife with selfish abuse and headed to collapse over the course of decades. The current leaders are left to stabilize the situation. In Colorado, state legislators do not set teacher salariesthat is the role of the local school boards. But the walkout organizers in Colorado clearly think they can maneuver a sweeter deal through disruption, regardless of the consequences for the states children and families.

In any system of limited resources, competing demands, and employees desiring more money, friction is inevitable. People speaking out for their financial interests and what they perceive to be the interests of their group is appropriate. But, attempting to create leverage through educational and family disruption by going on strike is not honorable.

Its ironic that these same education leaders fear family choice as the major threat to public education. Perhaps they should examine how their own actions are eroding public trust in an institution so vital to our nation and our future. In doing so, they are driving people to be against public schools.
Hutchinson joins Padgetts for TT Supersport races

16-time TT winner Ian Hutchinson will join Padgetts for the two Supersport races at this year's TT.

The 38-year-old, who will compete for Honda Racing in other classes, will ride Padgetts machinery for the first time since winning all five races during TT 2010.

Half of Hutchinson's TT wins have come in the 600cc class, including both Supersport races in 2015 and 2016.

Hutchinson was unsure until recently whether he would be ready to compete at TT, having suffered a broken leg during last year's Senior Race.

Padgetts' bikes had originally been due to be ridden by Bruce Anstey, but the New Zealander is unable to race this year due to illness, although the team confirmed he gave the go-ahead for Hutchinson to compete on his bikes.
70 police officers involved in money laundering searches

Searches in relation to a money laundering investigation are ongoing in Douglas and the south of the Island.

The Isle of Man Constabulary's Economic Crime Unit executed five search warrants in various locations yesterday.

Around 70 officers, including specialists from the police and Customs and Excise, are involved in the searches, which are expected to continue until this evening at the earliest.

Officers hope members of the public should see no change to other routine day to day policing.
Johns Hopkins Medicine has pledged sponsorship for the 2019 EurekAlert! Fellowships for International Science Reporters.

"Johns Hopkins Medicine is so excited to support international science journalism and enable a journalist from China to travel to the 2019 AAAS Annual Meeting, as doing so supports our goals of increasing the public's understanding of science around the world," said Audrey Huang, the director of marketing and communications for research and education at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Established in 2004 , the fellowship program supports science reporters with less than 5 years of experience from transitional economies by funding their travel to the AAAS Annual Meeting, the largest general scientific gathering in the world. Past EurekAlert! Fellows have come from the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America, India, China, and - for the first time in 2018 - the Balkans.

"The EurekAlert! fellowship program was very important to my career development as a science reporter," says Gan Xiao, a 2014 EurekAlert! fellow from China. She is now a senior reporter with China Science Daily. "Because of this international platform, I was able to learn the latest scientific findings in a close range and establish relationships with the world's leading research institutions. The Chinese science communication community highly acknowledges the Fellowships, which also brought valuable opportunities for me to develop my career as a young reporter."

In addition to sponsoring the Fellowship program, Huang and Alsy Acevedo, senior media relations representative at Johns Hopkins Medicine International, are sharing their expertise this week with peers in China. Made possible by partnerships between EurekAlert! and the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Beijing Association of Science Journalists, the workshops aim to encourage broad communication of science globally.

"In the past four years, EurekAlert! has helped elevate the professionalism and status of public information officers in China through skill-building workshops and guest lectures by international science journalists," said Joy Ma, an editorial content manager at EurekAlert!, who has helped organize - and delivered training at - more than a dozen China events. "By supporting both reporters and PIOs, we hope to increase the quantity and quality of science news in and from China to the world."

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For consumers trying to avoid plastics and go "green," solid body wash sold without packaging seems to be a good alternative to wrapped and bottled soaps. But as an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, points out, it's complicated.

Senior Correspondent Carmen Drahl explains that governments and companies are responding to consumers who are swearing off plastics. In the U.S., plastic microbeads are banned from personal care products, and it's common to run into shopping bag fees and restrictions on plastic utensils. And some companies are eschewing packaging altogether. One of the more unusual examples is solid, package-free body wash that manufacturers solidify with a common ingredient in soap.

But determining whether solid body wash is really a more eco-friendly alternative to conventional soaps is not so easy. Because the products are relatively new, studies are still lacking. What is known is that neither conventional bottled body washes nor bar soaps are completely eco-friendly. Bottled liquid washes take about five times as much energy for formulation and about 20 times as much energy for packaging than bar soaps, according to one study. And the animal and plant fats used to make bar soaps can sometimes be traced back to resource-intensive agricultural practices. Experts suggest that consumers become more knowledgeable by visiting websites that provide information about ingredients that brands use, as well as packaging-reduction initiatives.

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The article, "Solid body wash comes without packaging. But does that make it eco-friendly?," is freely available here.

The American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news release from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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The UK and large parts of northern Europe could become windier if global temperatures reach 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, according to a new study.

This has implications for wind energy generation among other things. The results suggest that wind could be a more important source of energy generation than previously thought, with stronger winds across the UK. The research team concludes there could be a 10% increase in UK onshore wind energy generation, which would be sufficient to power the equivalent of an extra 700,000 homes every year based on current installed capacity. The results are relevant for decisions about future investment in onshore wind farms.

To evaluate potential changes in European wind power generation in a 1.5 degrees C warmer world, researchers from British Antarctic Survey, the University of Oxford and the University of Bristol combined data from 282 onshore wind turbines collected over 11 years with climate model data from the HAPPI project.

This study did not consider offshore wind energy generation potential.

Across northern Europe, the results suggest that large areas of Germany, Poland and Lithuania could become more viable for wind power in future. But the biggest increases in wind could be seen in the UK - along with marked seasonal shifts in wind.

Lead author, climate modeller Dr Scott Hosking at British Antarctic Survey, says:

"In future, nine months of the year could see UK wind turbines generating electricity at levels currently only seen in winter. Future summers could see the largest increase in wind generation. Therefore, wind could provide a greater proportion of the UK's energy mix than has been previously assumed."

Wind power is central to a low carbon economy. In Europe, wind energy currently accounts for 18% of total generating capacity and the European Commission's 2030 energy strategy set a renewables target of at least 27%.

However, wind is also a highly variable energy source. While weather forecasts can help even out short-term differences in supply and demand, governments and industry need more information on longer-term changes in wind.

Signatories of the Paris Agreement have committed to keep global average temperatures to well below 2 degrees C increase from pre-industrial times, with an ambition to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees C.

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The study European wind generation within a 1.5 degrees C warmer world by J.S. Hosking, D. MacLeod, T. Phillips, C.R. Holmes, P. Watson, E.F. Shuckburgh, D. Mitchell is published in a 'Special Collection: IPCC Special Report on Global warming of 1.5 degrees C' in the journal Environmental Research Letters this week (17 May 2018), and was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.

Issued by the British Antarctic Survey Press Office:

Athena Dinar, Senior PR & Communications Manager, British Antarctic Survey, tel: +44 (0)1223 221 441; mobile: +44 (0)7909 008516; email: amdi@bas.ac.uk Layla Batchellier, Communications Officer, British Antarctic Survey, tel: +44 (0) 1223 221506; email: laytch@bas.ac.uk

HAPPI (Half a degree Additional warming, Prognosis and Projected Impacts, http://www.happimip.org/) is an international project involving 10 climate modelling groups set up to assess the impacts associated with this level of global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is due to finalise a 'Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 degrees C' in September.

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) delivers and enables world-leading interdisciplinary research in the Polar Regions. Its skilled science and support staff based in Cambridge, Antarctica and the Arctic, work together to deliver research that uses the Polar Regions to advance our under-standing of Earth as a sustainable planet. Through its extensive logistic capability and know how BAS facilitates access for the British and international science community to the UK polar research operation. Numerous national and international collaborations, combined with an excellent infrastructure help sustain a world leading position for the UK in Antarctic affairs.

British Antarctic Survey is a component of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

NERC is part of UK Research and Innovation http://www.ukri.org

For more information visit http://www.bas.ac.uk
An international team of archaeologists has uncovered the earliest example of the use of a bridle bit with an equid (horse family) in the Near East. The discovery provides first evidence of the use of the bit (mouth piece) to control an animal long before the appearance of the horse in the Near East.

Evidence of the bridle bit was derived from the skeleton of a donkey dating to the Early Bronze Age III (approximately 2700 BCE) found at the excavations of the biblical city Gath (modern Tell es-Safi) of the Philistines, the home of Goliath, located in central Israel. The donkey was laid as a sacrificial offering before the construction of a house in a domestic neighborhood.

The international team, including archaeologists from Bar-Ilan University, the University of Manitoba (St. Paul's College), University of Saskatchewan (St. Thomas More College), Ariel University and Grand Valley State University published their findings today in the journal PLOS ONE.

"This is significant because it demonstrates how early domestic donkeys were controlled, and adds substantially to our knowledge of the history of donkey (Equus asinus) domestication and evolution of riding and equestrian technology. It is also significant that it was discovered on the remains of an early domestic donkey that was sacrificed probably as an offering to protect what we interpret to be a merchant domestic residence uncovered during our excavations," said Prof. Haskel Greenfield, of the University of Manitoba, the paper's lead author.

"The use of a bridle bit on a donkey during this period is surprising, since it was commonly assumed that donkeys were controlled with nose rings, as depicted in Mesopotamian art," said Prof. Aren Maeir, from Bar-Ilan University's Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology. Prof. Maeir has led the Tell es-Safi/Gath Archaeological Project since its inception more than 20 years ago. The excavations take place every summer in the Tel Zafit National Park, about halfway between Jerusalem and the coastal city of Ashkelon.

The authors propose that the wear on the tooth of the donkey was made with a soft bit, likely made from rope or wood. "Only later, from the Middle Bronze Age and onward (after 2000 BCE), was it thought that bits, in particular metal bits, were used - first with horses that were introduced to the Near East at the time, and subsequently with other equids, such as donkeys," added Maeir. Examples of these later bits were found in Israel at Tel Haror.

The donkey is one of four that were found buried under neighborhood houses, which indicates the importance of the donkey in this society -- most likely as a beast of burden used in trade, the researchers said.

In a previously-published study the researchers provided evidence, based on isotopic analyses, that this very donkey was born in Egypt and brought to Canaan sometime during its lifetime. This demonstrates that this animal -- and most likely others -- was transported over large distances. Using bits allowed donkey herders to control the animals more easily during their transport.

Studies of the dental isotopes from the same donkey demonstrate, as well, that it was born and raised in Egypt and brought to the site only in the last few months of its life, before it was sacrificed and buried beneath the floor of the house as it was being rebuilt. Domestic horses were not yet present in the Near East at that time. As a result, donkeys were not only used as beasts of burden, but also were used to pull and be ridden by the newly emerging elites in these early city-states.

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This research was funded by the Canadian Social Science and Humanities Research Council, as well as additional funds from Bar-Ilan University and the University of Manitoba.
In the air, beneath the ocean's surface, and on land, microbes are the minute but mighty forces regulating much of the planet's biogeochemical cycles. To better understand their roles, scientists work to identify these microbes and to determine their individual contributions. While advances in sequencing technologies have enabled researchers to access the genomes of thousands of microbes and make them publicly available, no similar shift has occurred with the task of assigning functions to the genes uncovered.

To help overcome this bottleneck, scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), including researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), have developed a workflow that enables large-scale, genome-wide assays of gene importance across many conditions. The study, "Mutant Phenotypes for Thousands of Bacterial Genes of Unknown Function," has been published in the journal Nature and is by far the largest functional genomics study of bacteria ever published.

"This is the first really large, systematic experimental effort to try to assign functions to bacterial genes of unknown function," said study senior author and biologist Adam Deutschbauer of Berkeley Lab's Biosciences Area. "We are tackling the problem that biology is up against and recognizes: It is super easy to sequence, but we cannot currently assign confident functions for the majority of genes identified by sequencing. Our experimental data provides an anchor that other researchers could use to make a more informed inference about protein function."

Tested on nearly three dozen bacteria from various genera, the workflow combined high-throughput genetics and comparative genomics to identify mutant phenotypes for thousands of genes with previously unknown functions.

Technology to understand Earth's genetic potential

The team worked with 32 bacteria, including plant-growth promoting bacteria and a cyanobacterium relevant for biofuels production, as well as bacteria involved in bioremediation. "Typically, researchers work on functional analysis of individual genomes, from a limited number of 'workhorse' bacteria," said JGI scientist Matt Blow, the study's co-corresponding author. "This is because of the limited capacity of functional analysis approaches compared with high-throughput sequencing. Here, you have data from 32 different bacteria at once, capturing more microbial diversity."

To more efficiently generate mutant libraries for each bacterium, the team refined a DNA bar-code sequencing approach known as RB-TnSeq (randomly bar-coded transposon sequencing). "The implications of this work are that it could be scaled with proper investment and coordination - in combination with other methods - to have substantial benefit for understanding the genetic potential of the Earth," said Adam Arkin, senior faculty scientist and co-corresponding author.

"The technology behind this project was developed to elucidate the genetic functions of all the organisms we are collecting in the field and to understand importance for organism fitness in diverse environments," he added, speaking as co-director of Berkeley Lab's [ENIGMA Scientific Focus Area], DOE Office of Science's largest and longest-running environmental biology program. "We believe that to understand means - given appropriate data - you should be able to predict, control, and design behavior in the system of interest."

Conserved phenotypes suggest functional associations

Deutschbauer pointed out that the resulting large data set allowed the team to glean insights from conserved phenotypes across organisms, and also look for co-fitness patterns among the genes, cases where two genes had similar patterns of phenotypes across all conditions, a correlation that suggested they might be part of the same pathway. For example, they found that genes with the uncharacterized protein domain UPF0126 were important for growth on glycine in 11 different bacteria, suggesting that this protein domain is involved in transporting glycine across the cell membrane. Studying such conserved associations, he added, demonstrates the value in identifying phenotypes for homologous genes across multiple bacterial species.

"A comparative functional genomics study of bacteria was not really possible before because large genetic data sets were available for only a few bacteria, and the ones that did exist were not typically generated with the same technology, same methodology, or the same metadata, so it's hard to do comparisons," he said. "Although we experimentally studied a relatively small number of bacteria compared to the diversity present in nature, our data is of relevance across all bacteria. For example, about 12 percent of all uncharacterized proteins across bacteria have a homologous protein with a functional phenotypic association in our data set."

The data set is publicly accessible for comparative analyses at fit.genomics.lbl.gov, a web workbench developed by Morgan Price, the study's lead author, who has also developed powerful tools such as PaperBlast to help interpret results.

Arkin also sees future benefits toward integrating this data set into systems like the JGI's [IMG/M system] and the [DOE Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase)], the first large-scale bioinformatics system that allows users to upload, analyze, and share information within a single integrated environment.

"These data sets provide a fantastic opportunity for innovations in data science to predict biological function," said Arkin, who is KBase's CEO and lead primary investigator. "At KBase, we are already working with JGI to integrate data like this together with phylogenetic, homology, and chemical similarity relationships to propagate this information across the tree of life, and to project, for example, improved metabolic models for organisms and communities so we can predict the conditions that most impact growth."

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The work was supported by the DOE Office of Science, Berkeley Lab's Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program, and the JGI's Community Science Program (CSP). JGI is a DOE Office of Science User Facility.

Researchers from the University of Missouri, UC San Diego, and UC Berkeley also contributed to the study.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel Prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov.

DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit the Office of Science website at science.energy.gov/.
An international team of astronomers used ALMA to observe a distant galaxy called MACS1149-JD1. They detected a very faint glow emitted by ionised oxygen in the galaxy. As this infrared light travelled across space, the expansion of the Universe stretched it to wavelengths more than ten times longer by the time it reached Earth and was detected by ALMA. The team inferred that the signal was emitted 13.3 billion years ago (or 500 million years after the Big Bang), making it the most distant oxygen ever detected by any telescope [1]. The presence of oxygen is a clear sign that there must have been even earlier generations of stars in this galaxy.

"I was thrilled to see the signal of the distant oxygen in the ALMA data," says Takuya Hashimoto, the lead author of the new paper and a researcher at both Osaka Sangyo University and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan . "This detection pushes back the frontiers of the observable Universe."

In addition to the glow from oxygen picked up by ALMA, a weaker signal of hydrogen emission was also detected by ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT). The distance to the galaxy determined from this observation is consistent with the distance from the oxygen observation. This makes MACS1149-JD1 the most distant galaxy with a precise distance measurement and the most distant galaxy ever observed with ALMA or the VLT.

"This galaxy is seen at a time when the Universe was only 500 million years old and yet it already has a population of mature stars," explains Nicolas Laporte, a researcher at University College London (UCL) in the UK and second author of the new paper. "We are therefore able to use this galaxy to probe into an earlier, completely uncharted period of cosmic history."

For a period after the Big Bang there was no oxygen in the Universe; it was created by the fusion processes of the first stars and then released when these stars died. The detection of oxygen in MACS1149-JD1 indicates that these earlier generations of stars had been already formed and expelled oxygen by just 500 million years after the beginning of the Universe.

But when did this earlier star formation occur? To find out, the team reconstructed the earlier history of MACS1149-JD1 using infrared data taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope. They found that the observed brightness of the galaxy is well-explained by a model where the onset of star formation corresponds to only 250 million years after the Universe began [2].

The maturity of the stars seen in MACS1149-JD1 raises the question of when the very first galaxies emerged from total darkness, an epoch astronomers romantically term "cosmic dawn". By establishing the age of MACS1149-JD1, the team has effectively demonstrated that galaxies existed earlier than those we can currently directly detect.

Richard Ellis, senior astronomer at UCL and co-author of the paper, concludes: "Determining when cosmic dawn occurred is akin to the Holy Grail of cosmology and galaxy formation. With these new observations of MACS1149-JD1 we are getting closer to directly witnessing the birth of starlight! Since we are all made of processed stellar material, this is really finding our own origins."

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Notes

[1] ALMA has set the record for detecting the most distant oxygen several times. In 2016, Akio Inoue at Osaka Sangyo University and his colleagues used ALMA to find a signal of oxygen emitted 13.1 billion years ago. Several months later, Nicolas Laporte of University College London used ALMA to detect oxygen 13.2 billion years ago. Now, the two teams combined their efforts and achieved this new record, which corresponds to a redshift of 9.1.

[2] This corresponds to a redshift of about 15.

More information

These results are published in a paper entitled: "The onset of star formation 250 million years after the Big Bang", by T. Hashimoto et al., to appear in the journal Nature on 17 May 2018.

The research team members are: Takuya Hashimoto (Osaka Sangyo University/National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Japan), Nicolas Laporte (University College London, United Kingdom), Ken Mawatari (Osaka Sangyo University, Japan), Richard S. Ellis (University College London, United Kingdom), Akio. K. Inoue (Osaka Sangyo University, Japan), Erik Zackrisson (Uppsala University, Sweden), Guido Roberts-Borsani (University College London, United Kingdom), Wei Zheng (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States), Yoichi Tamura (Nagoya University, Japan), Franz E. Bauer (Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile), Thomas Fletcher (University College London, United Kingdom), Yuichi Harikane (The University of Tokyo, Japan), Bunyo Hatsukade (The University of Tokyo, Japan), Natsuki H. Hayatsu (The University of Tokyo, Japan; ESO, Garching, Germany), Yuichi Matsuda (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan/SOKENDAI, Japan), Hiroshi Matsuo (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan/SOKENDAI, Japan, Sapporo, Japan), Takashi Okamoto (Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan), Masami Ouchi (The University of Tokyo, Japan), Roser Pello (Universite de Toulouse, France), Claes-Erik Rydberg (Universitat Heidelberg, Germany), Ikkoh Shimizu (Osaka University, Japan), Yoshiaki Taniguchi (The Open University of Japan, Chiba, Japan), Hideki Umehata (The University of Tokyo, Japan) and Naoki Yoshida (The University of Tokyo, Japan).

ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It has 15 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a strategic partner. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its world-leading Very Large Telescope Interferometer as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. ESO is also a major partner in two facilities on Chajnantor, APEX and ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".

Links

Research paper in Nature - http://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso1815/eso1815a.pdf

Photos of the VLT - http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&subject_name=Very%20Large%20Telescope

Photos of ALMA - http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/search/?adv=&subject_name=Atacama%20Large%20Millimeter/submillimeter%20Array

Contacts

Nicolas Laporte

University College London

London, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 7452 807 591

Email: n.laporte@ucl.ac.uk

Richard Ellis

University College London

London, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 7885 403 334

Email: richard.ellis@ucl.ac.uk

Richard Hook

ESO Public Information Officer

Garching bei Munchen, Germany

Tel: +49 89 3200 6655

Cell: +49 151 1537 3591

Email: rhook@eso.org
Heidelberg, 16 May 2018 - The recipients of the EMBO Gold Medal 2018 are Czech microbiologist Marek Basler and German biochemist Melina Schuh.

Young independent group leaders are a key component of a strong research environment. To recognize some of the remarkable achievements of scientists under the age of 40 in Europe, EMBO awards its Gold Medal annually. Basler and Schuh will each receive a gold medal and an award of 10,000 euros.

Marek Basler, who is based at the Biozentrum at the University of Basel, Switzerland, receives the award for his pioneering work on bacterial type VI secretion systems (T6SS).

Following his PhD research on bacterial toxins, Basler began working on T6SS. Combining cryo-electron microscopy with live-cell imaging approaches, he determined the system's structure and functional dynamics in great detail. In addition to showing how T6SS functions as a molecular speargun, Basler also demonstrated that these nanomachines are involved in interbacterial signal transduction.

EMBO Member Erich Nigg, University of Basel, says about Basler: "He has shown originality and productivity throughout his career, and has made many groundbreaking contributions. His work has revolutionized research on bacterial secretion systems and clearly established him as a leader in this field."

Melina Schuh from the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Goettingen, Germany, is awarded the medal in recognition of her ground-breaking work on meiosis in mammalian oocytes.

As a PhD student, Schuh developed a way to use live cell imaging microscopy to study meiosis in mouse oocytes. She later extended this technique to observing the processes that result in aneuploidy in human eggs. In addition to identifying molecular processes during meiosis, Schuh has also established new tools to study gene and protein function in the female germ cell.

EMBO Member Sean Munro, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK, describes Schuh as "a truly remarkable young scientist. She is utterly committed, a broad thinker, experimentally fearless, and always looking for new questions and approaches. She has pioneered methods to image mammalian meiosis and used them to identify new players in this fundamental process. In a particularly important move she also performed the first live imaging of meiosis in human oocytes."

The EMBO Gold Medal recipients have been invited to present their research at an award ceremony at the ASCB | EMBO Meeting 2018 in San Francisco, USA, in December.

More information about both recipients and their research is available in two interviews at http://embo.org/news

Interview Marek Basler

Interview Melina Schuh

Biosketches:

Marek Basler

Marek Basler carried out both his undergraduate studies and PhD under the supervision of Peter Sebo at the Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, Czech Republic. In 2007 he took up a postdoctoral fellow position in the laboratory of John Mekalanos at Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA, where he became interested in bacterial secretion. He moved to Switzerland in 2013 to take up an assistant professorship at the Biozentrum, University of Basel. His lab investigates the type VI secretion system, a nano-needle structure that bacteria use to inject toxins into other cells.

Basler is a former EMBO Long-Term Fellow and an EMBO Young Investigator. He is also the recipient of the 2018 Friedrich Miescher Award.

Melina Schuh

Melina Schuh studied Biochemistry at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. She obtained her PhD in 2008 from the University of Heidelberg and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), where she established ways to use confocal microscopy to image meiosis in mammalian oocytes in the lab of Jan Ellenberg. She started her own research group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK in 2009. Since 2016, she is a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Goettingen, Germany, where her group studies the formation of fertilizable eggs in mammals.

Schuh is a former EMBO Young Investigator, and an EMBO Member. She is also the recipient of the 2014 Lister Institute Research Prize, the 2014 Biochemical Society Early Career Award, the 2015 John Kendrew Young Scientist Award and the 2019 Colworth Medal.

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About EMBO

EMBO is an organization of more than 1800 leading researchers that promotes excellence in the life sciences. The major goals of the organization are to support talented researchers at all stages of their careers, stimulate the exchange of scientific information, and help build a European research environment where scientists can achieve their best work.

EMBO helps young scientists to advance their research, promote their international reputations and ensure their mobility. Courses, workshops, conferences and scientific journals disseminate the latest research and offer training in techniques to maintain high standards of excellence in research practice. EMBO helps to shape science and research policy by seeking input and feedback from our community and by following closely the trends in science in Europe. For more information: http://www.embo.org
Study suggests dysregulation of gene NEUROG2 could be linked to development of focal cortical dysplasia, one of the most common causes of drug-resistant epilepsy

One of the most frequent causes of drug-resistant epilepsy, considered a difficult disease to control, is a brain malformation known as focal cortical dysplasia.

Patients with this problem present with discreet disorganization in the architecture of a specific region of the cortex, which may or may not be associated with the presence of nerve cells that have structural and functional abnormalities.

A new study by the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil suggests that dysregulation in the expression of NEUROG2, a gene involved in the differentiation of neurons and glial cells (such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and microglia), plays a key role in development of the disease.

"We show that expression of the microRNA hsa-miR-34a is reduced in the brain tissue of patients with focal cortical dysplasia and that this appears to result in overexpression of NEUROG2. We believe this factor may be associated with nerve cell differentiation failure," said Iscia Lopes-Cendes, a professor in UNICAMP's Medical School and supervisor of the research project.

The research was conducted during Simoni Avansini's PhD under the aegis of the Brazilian Neuroscience & Neurotechnology Institute (BRAINN), one of the Research, Innovation & Dissemination Centers (RIDCs) supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP. Results have recently been published in the journal Annals of Neurology.

"Our findings are based on analysis of the brain tissue of 16 patients with type II focal cortical dysplasia, a malformation with cortical disorganization and aberrant nerve cells including dysmorphic neurons that are constantly in a state of excitation and hence favor epileptic seizures," Cendes explained.

In these cases, she added, surgical removal of the malformed area of the brain is the only strategy available to control the symptoms of epilepsy. However, even this is possible only when the malformation is not in a critical brain region such as the motor, somatosensory, auditory, visual, language and other functionally essential networks.

According to Cendes, some 25% of patients with refractory epilepsy requiring surgery have focal cortical dysplasia. The proportion is much higher among children, however. Indeed, cortical malformation is the main cause of intractable epilepsy in children.

Previous research associated the appearance of focal cortical dysplasia with mutations in a cell signaling pathway mediated by the protein mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin). Hyperactive mTOR signaling leads to abnormal cell proliferation. However, these somatic mutations (present in the dysplastic tissue but not in the patient's other cells) have been found in roughly a quarter of those affected by the disease and hence cannot explain all cases of cortical malformation.

In the sample analyzed by Cendes and her group, 28% of patients with cortical dysplasia had somatic mutations in the mTOR pathway.

Regulation by microRNA

The researchers decided to look for other possible causes of cortical malformation by analyzing microRNA expression in tissue taken from patients treated at UNICAMP's general and teaching hospital. MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that do not contain information for protein synthesis but are capable of binding to protein-encoding genes and modulating their expression.

The results of microarray analysis of 800 microRNAs undertaken with the aim of indirectly identifying genes involved in cortical development that might be dysregulated in dysplastic tissue were compared with control samples obtained from autopsies of individuals whose cause of death was non-neurological.

"We observed a difference in the expression of only three microRNAs: hsa-let-7f, hsa-miR-31 and hsa-miR-34. We then used bioinformatics to see which genes these molecules might be interacting with and arrived at a list of ten candidates," Cendes said.

From an analysis of the expression of these ten suspect genes in the 16 patients and control group, the group concluded that only NEUROG2 was overexpressed in the patients with focal cortical dysplasia.

"By binding to genes, microRNAs inhibit their expression, so when a microRNA is underexpressed the gene becomes more active. This is a kind of reverse regulation. Because NEUROG2 appears to be an important gene for brain development, we decided to investigate further," Cendes said.

Combining two different techniques - PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and ISH (in situ hybridization) - the UNICAMP group succeeded in showing that NEUROG2 was indeed overexpressed precisely in the aberrant nerve cells found in the dysplastic tissue - both dysmorphic neurons and balloon cells, which displayed markers of stem cells, neurons and glial cells.

The group then performed binding assays to prove that increased expression of this gene was linked to the reduction in hsa-miR-34a. The results showed that the microRNA is capable of binding to an important region of NEUROG2 and inhibiting its activity.

"We decided to investigate in more depth and showed that in the tissue of patients with dysplasia the gene RND2 - which is regulated by NEUROG2 and associated with the same signaling pathway - was also overexpressed. This was not observed in the control tissue," Cendes said.

Data from the scientific literature shows that the NEUROG2 pathway is important to regulate the nerve cell differentiation process. According to Cendes, neurogenesis (the formation of new neurons) should be followed by gliogenesis (the formation of glial cells) during development of the embryo.

"We believe that when NEUROG2 is overexpressed this transition from neurogenesis to gliogenesis doesn't take place adequately because the signal that stimulates neurogenesis remains active when it should become inactive. This dysregulation stays in dysplastic tissue from embryonic development until adulthood," she said.

The group still need to find out what causes a decrease in the expression of hsa-miR-34 in these patients. For Cendes, the explanation could lie in genetic factors (polymorphisms and mutations) or epigenetic factors (environmental variables that alter gene expression without modifying DNA).

"It's possible that dysregulation of hsa-miR-34 is linked to an environmental factor such as a viral infection during pregnancy, for example. These are hypotheses that will have to be tested in future research," she said.

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About Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. For more information: http://www.fapesp.br/en.
Australia has a bunch of kangaroo species, Madagascar has multiple species of lemurs, the Galapagos Islands have boulder-sized tortoises--islands get lots of cool animals. That's because when animals are isolated on islands, they can evolve into strange new species found nowhere else on Earth. But what's the cut-off--how small can an island be and still support the evolution of multiple new species from a single common ancestor? A team of mammalogists just discovered that four species of mice evolved from one common ancestor on Connecticut-sized Mindoro Island in the Philippines, making it the smallest known island where one kind of mammal has branched out into many more.

"The single most remarkable thing about planet Earth is there are so many species here, so much biodiversity. We take it for granted, but holy cow, there's a whole lot of stuff out there--how did it get here?" says Lawrence Heaney, Negaunee Curator of Mammals at Chicago's Field Museum and co-lead author of a recent paper in the Journal of Biogeography. "This is one of the few papers ever written to look at whether there's a limit to how small an island can be for species diversification to occur, and it's the only one looking at it in mammals. Mindoro is by far the smallest island on which we've seen this happen."

According to Heaney, this quest to find the smallest island that can support new mammals started with a thought experiment posed in 1980. Michael Soule, a conservation biologist, wondered if new animal species could diversify in an area the size of the largest of existing national parks. Diversification means that multiple species arise from one parent species. "There are many islands that have species that arrived from somewhere else and that subsequently changed into something distinctive. Many of these islands are much smaller than Mindoro," explains Heaney. "Rather, the key to this study is whether a single species that arrived from somewhere else has produced multiple species that all evolved within the given island from the single ancestral species. It is the issue of an increase in the number of species within the island, by evolution within the island."

Previously, the smallest island where scientists knew mammal species had diversified was Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. But Luzon is one of the biggest islands in the world, about the size of Virginia. Heaney and his team wanted to see if they could do one better--"We looked at a map and said, okay, where's there a smaller island where diversification may have occurred?"

The scientists didn't have to look far--they turned to Mindoro, a small island just across a channel from Luzon. Mindoro is a tenth the size of Luzon--it's about two-thirds the size of Connecticut. Heaney's colleague Danny Balete, now deceased, led the fieldwork missions on Mindoro for four field seasons, searching for the island's mammals.

This is where the worm-eating mice come in.

"The mice we looked at in this study are all members of the "earthworm mouse" group Apomys--they love earthworms, but they also eat seeds and fruits. They've got big dark eyes, great big ears, long soft fur, white feet, dark tails--they're very pretty little mice," says Heaney.

When the team analyzed the DNA of Mindoro's earthworm mice, they found that the mice belonged to four separate species, three of which were new to science. And all four of the species, Heaney says, evolved on Mindoro from a common ancestor.

"The results are unambiguous--we've got four species of forest mice on Mindoro from one colonization event from Luzon about 2.8 million years ago," says Heaney. "And three of those four mouse species are found on their own separate mountains."

Chris Kyriazis, Heaney's former undergraduate student and co-first author on the paper, led the DNA analysis from the Field Museum's Pritzker DNA Lab. "By examining genetic variation across these populations, we were able to confirm not only that these mice originated from a single colonist on Mindoro, but also that they are distinctive enough to be considered different species. The fact that variation in external measurements show the same pattern only strengthens the case," says Kyriazis, who is now pursuing his PhD in biology at UCLA.

The fact that the four mouse species evolved on this little island means that there's a new answer to the question posed by Soule in 1980: mammals can diversify in an area as small as Mindoro. And since Mindoro is the same size as Yellowstone National Park, that means that new mammal species can evolve from one ancestor in areas as small as at least some large wildlife preserves.

The implications of Heaney and Kyriazis's discovery goes far beyond a thought experiment, though: it gives scientists a valuable tool for planning conservation spaces.

"This study changes how I think about conservation," says Heaney. "When we think about how to design protected areas, we need to think about the topography of the Earth, not just a flat map. The fact that these mice evolved on their own separate mountains within a limited geographic area tells us that mountains are important."

And figuring out how to plan protected wildlife spaces is crucial for preserving biodiversity. "As human population continues to expand, what's going to happen to everything else? How will new species be able to evolve?" asks Heaney. "This project is a step forward in being able to answer that."

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This project was supported by a grant from the National Geographic Society. It was contributed to by scientists from the Field Museum, Florida State University, and the Natural History Museum of Utah.
FRANKFURT. Not everyone person who has a "cancer gene" will inevitably develop this disease in their lifetime. Thanks to a new area of research called epigenetics, we now know that many genes are only read under certain circumstances. Prof. Stefan Knapp from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Buchmann Institute of Molecular Life Sciences at the Goethe University not only researches the underlying mechanisms, he also developed small molecules that inhibit the derailment of gene expression in cancer. Now he has been elected as one of 62 new members in the European scientific organization for molecular biology, EMBO, joining a group of more than 1800 of the best researchers in Europe and around the world.

"I am delighted that I have been elected to the EMBO society and I am looking forward working with this group of outstanding scientists to advance research, exchange new ideas, and promote science in society", says Stefan Knapp.

Prof Knapp has made seminal contributions to the elucidation of structural mechanisms of the regulation of proteins that play key roles in signal transduction. This in turn led to a detailed description of protein family specific regulatory mechanisms and the elucidation of substrate recognition processes. Based on these findings, he developed a large array of new small molecule inhibitors, in particular highly specific inhibitors for epigenetic reader domains.

The first potent inhibitor developed by Prof Knapp and colleagues validated epigenetic reader domains as target for cancer therapy which led to a diverse set of highly selective inhibitors targeting these proteins. Prof Knapp's work has provided new insights into chromatin biology and paved the way for more than 25 clinical trials in this new area of drug discovery.

Prof Stefan Knapp studied Chemistry at the University of Marburg (Germany) and at the University of Illinois (USA). He did his PhD in protein crystallography at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (Sweden) (1996). In 1999, he joined the Pharmacia Corporation, where he worked for five years as a principal research scientist in structural biology and biophysics. In 2004, he set up a research group at the Structural Genomics Consortium at Oxford University (SGC). From 2008 to 2015 he was a Professor of Structural Biology at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine (NDM) at Oxford University (UK) and between 2012 and 2015 he was the Director for Chemical Biology at the Target Discovery Institute (TDI). He joined Frankfurt University (Germany) in 2015 as a Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the Buchmann Institute of Molecular Life Sciences. He has been the CSO of the newly founded SGC node at the Goethe-University Frankfurt since 2017.

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About EMBO

EMBO is an organization of more than 1800 leading researchers that promotes excellence in the life sciences. The major goals of the organization are to support talented researchers at all stages of their careers, stimulate the exchange of scientific information, and help build a European research environment where scientists can achieve their best work.

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OAKLAND, Calif. May 16, 2018 -- Among people with intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation who are not taking anti-blood-clotting medications, those whose hearts were in abnormal rhythms longer were three times more likely to have strokes or other types of blood clots than those who had abnormal heart rhythms for less time, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study.

Continuous heart monitoring may help physicians identify patients at higher risk and tailor treatments, according to the study published today in JAMA Cardiology.

"In our study, in people with the greatest burden of intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation those with the greatest burden defined as more than 11 percent of the time -- were the most likely to experience subsequent strokes or arterial blood clots, even after we controlled for all other important risk factors," said lead author Alan S. Go, MD, director of the Comprehensive Clinical Research Unit within the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.

Both types of atrial fibrillation -- intermittently recurring and that which occurs 100 percent of the time -- can produce irregular and fast heartbeats, or arrhythmias. They affect millions of adults in the United States, and are linked to a higher risk of ischemic strokes and other types of blood clots. Currently, patients with any amount of atrial fibrillation are treated the same as those with chronic atrial fibrillation when it comes to stroke prevention, but whether these groups have an equal risk of strokes and blood clots has been controversial, explained Dr. Go.

The Kaiser Permanente Real-World Heart Monitoring Strategy Evaluation, Treatment Patterns, and Health Metrics in Atrial Fibrillation (known as KP-RHYTHM) study used a non-invasive, continuous electrocardiographic device to gather data on the amount of time people spent in the arrhythmias. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the monitoring device is a lightweight patch that adheres to the upper left chest, recording and storing beat-to-beat information for up to two weeks.

The study analyzed heart rhythm data for 1, 965 adult members of Kaiser Permanente living in California with confirmed intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation and is among the largest to employ continuous, non-invasive heart monitoring. Participants wore the monitoring device continuously for up to 14 days between October 2011 and October 2016 and were not taking anti-blood clotting medications during that time.

Study participants were followed through November 2016 to identify those hospitalized for ischemic stroke or arterial blood clots (thromboembolism) while not taking anti-blood-clotting (anti-coagulation) medications such as warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants.

"This study has the potential to have a major impact on heart care," said senior author Matthew D. Solomon, MD, PhD, a cardiologist at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, and adjunct researcher at the Division of Research. "Using new continuous heart-monitoring technology, physicians can identify patients with intermittently recurring atrial fibrillation at greater risk and engage in better-informed shared decision-making around stroke prevention strategies."

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This study was supported by a research grant from iRhythm Technologies, Inc.

In addition to Drs. Go and Solomon, co-authors were: Kristi Reynolds, PhD, MPH, and Teresa N. Harrison, SM, Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California; Jingrong Yang, MA, and Sue Hee Sung, MPH, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California; Nigel Gupta, MD, Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center; Judy Lenane, RN, MHA, iRhythm Technologies; and Taylor I. Liu, MD, PhD, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center.

About the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research

The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research conducts, publishes and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and society at large. It seeks to understand the determinants of illness and well-being, and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Currently, DOR's 550-plus staff is working on more than 350 epidemiological and health services research projects. For more information, visit divisionofresearch.kaiserpermanente.org or follow us @KPDOR.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 12 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to share.kaiserpermanente.org.
Researchers have identified a compound that blocks the spread of pancreatic and other cancers in various animal models. When cancer spreads from one part of the body to another in a process called metastasis, it can eventually grow beyond the reach of effective therapies. Now, there is a new plan of attack against this deadly process, thanks to scientists at the National Institutes of Health, Northwestern University and their collaborative research partners.

The team collaborated to identify a compound, which they named metarrestin, that stopped tumor metastasis in multiple animal models. Mice treated with metarrestin also had fewer tumors and lived longer than mice that did not receive treatment. These results were published May 16, 2018 in Science Translational Medicine.

"Many drugs are aimed at stopping cancer growth and killing cancer cells," said co-author Juan Marugan, Ph.D., group leader of the NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Chemical Genomics Center. "However, there is no single approved drug specifically aimed at treating metastasis. Our results show metarrestin is a very promising agent that we should continue to investigate against metastasis."

In patients, metarrestin potentially could be effective as a therapy after cancer surgery. Because advanced cancers are difficult to completely remove with surgery, doctors typically give chemotherapy to try to kill undetected cancer cells left behind and prevent the cancer from coming back. Metarrestin could be added to such standard drug therapy.

Metarrestin breaks down an incompletely understood component of cancer cells called the perinucleolar compartment (PNC). PNCs are found only in cancer cells, and in a higher number of cells in advanced cancer, when it has spread to other sites in the body.

Co-author Sui Huang, M.D., Ph.D., and her colleagues at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, showed early on that the more cancer cells with PNCs in a tumor, the more likely it would spread. Her findings suggested that reducing PNCs might translate to less cancer progression and possibly better outcomes in patients.

To test these ideas, Huang approached Marugan to tap into NCATS' expertise in screening, chemistry, compound development and testing to evaluate more than 140,000 compounds for their potential effectiveness in eliminating PNCs in cells in advanced cancer.

While nearly 100 compounds initially showed some activity, the investigators identified one compound that could effectively break down PNCs in advanced prostate cancer cells. With the help of researchers at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, they modified the compound to make it work better as a potential drug and evaluated the effects of the molecule in different assays, or tests, in the laboratory. They found that metarrestin could block the way prostate and pancreatic cancer cells spread.

In collaboration with co-author Udo Rudloff, M.D., Ph.D., from NIH's National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Center for Cancer Research, the group evaluated the effects -- including toxicity -- of metarrestin in pancreatic cancer mouse models. The investigators found that it prevented the further spread of pancreatic cancer by disrupting the protein-making machinery of cancer cells, and mice treated with metarrestin lived longer than mice without treatment.

"Cancer cells are rapidly dividing and need to make more proteins than healthy cells to help carry out various activities, including the ability to spread," Rudloff said. "Interfering with the system stalls cancer cell metastasis."

Rudloff and his NCI group currently are working with scientists at the NCATS-led Bridging Interventional Development Gaps program to collect the pre-clinical data on metarrestin needed to further its development as a candidate drug. The scientists plan to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application in the fall with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA IND approval is necessary before a candidate drug can be tested in patients.

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The research was funded by NCATS and NCI through their intramural programs, and in addition, the National Human Genome Research Institute grant U54HG005031, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences grants R01GM078555 and R01GM115710, NCI grant 2 P30 CA060553-19, the V Foundation, a donation from the Baskes family to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, donations from 'Running for Rachel' and the Pomerenk family via the Rachel Guss and Bob Pomerenk Pancreas Cancer Research Fellowship to NCI, the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center - Translational Bridge Program Fellowship in Lymphoma Research and the Molecular Libraries Initiative funding to the University of Kansas Specialized Chemistry Center.

About the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS): NCATS conducts and supports research on the science and operation of translation -- the process by which interventions to improve health are developed and implemented -- to allow more treatments to get to more patients more quickly. For more information about how NCATS is improving health through smarter science, visit https://ncats.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
The higher the unemployment rates in Western European countries, the more likely it is that socio-political destabilization will occur. At the same time, the highest levels of unemployment in Eastern European countries are accompanied by anti-government protests of very low intensity. This is just one of the conclusions made by HSE experts in their paper 'Unemployment as a predictor of socio-political destabilization in Western and Eastern European countries'.

The scholars analyzed the World Bank's data on unemployment and on socio-political destabilization from the Cross National Time Series (CNTS) database, 1991-2014. Linear correlation was used to compare these data. Scholars from various countries have studied the correlation between unemployment and socio-political destabilization before, but this has led to contradicting conclusions. HSE experts were the first to analyze these factors dividing the countries based on the presence or lack of communist past.

The project examined data from 24 non-post-Communist (Western) European countries, and 21 post-Communist (Eastern) European countries: Western Europe: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Finland, France, Sweden, and Switzerland. Eastern Europe: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Croatia, Czech Republic, and Estonia.

The analysis used indicators such as socio-political destabilization as political assassinations, political strikes, big terrorist attacks and (or) 'guerilla actions', government crises, purges, riots, coups d'etats and coup attempts, anti-government demonstrations, and an aggregated index of socio-political destabilization. The calculations for Western European countries showed a positive correlation with all these indicators except for purges. This means that the higher the unemployment rate, the higher the rate of socio-political destabilization.

The scholars carried out decile analysis. They divided all the countries studied into 10 equal groups according to unemployment level, and then calculated the mean value for all destabilization indicators in each of the groups. This approach uses not specific countries, but groups of countries as a unit for comparison. The scientists detected that in 10% of countries with maximum levels of unemployment (over 12.1%) approximately four anti-government demonstrations happen annually.

The situation in Eastern European (post-Communist) countries is markedly different. The researchers did not identify a positive statistically significant correlation with any of the nine indicators of socio-political destabilization, which means the higher the unemployment, the less often the people protest.

The decile analysis demonstrated that more than one large-scale anti-government demonstration occurs every five years in Eastern European countries with minimal levels of unemployment. Comparatively, they found that less than one demonstration occurs every five years in countries with maximum unemployment rates (over 23.8%). Reasons for Protests

The experts looked into the motivations for participating or not participating in protests, based on a preliminary study by Sergey Tsirel, one of the co-authors. They concluded that the unemployed have the following reasons for not participating in protest actions:

Feeling like a small neglected person who is afraid to speak up against power and society;

The need to spend time looking for a job, making money and supporting the family (spouse, children, parents etc);

The fear of being blacklisted by the police and especially employers as a rebel and a undesirable candidate for a job;

The fear of losing favour among supporters (including family, clan and community leaders) who provide money, loans, and part-time jobs.

However, the unemployed have the following reasons for participating in protests:

Anger toward their former employers who fired them, as well as potential employers who denied them a job or offered a job and a salary which did not meet their qualifications and ambitions; Anger toward the government which implemented an economic policy that led to their unemployment; Anger toward the government which established unemployment benefits that are insufficient, regulations around receiving benefits that are too strict, and periods of payment that are too short; Free time allowing them to participate in politics and protests.

There are many reasons and circumstances that may direct an unemployed person or potentially unemployed person to participate or not participate in a protest. However, if the situation in a particular country is far from being revolutionary and the regime is far from collapsing, the key factor was found to be the presence or lack of the source of subsistence. According to researchers, the main reason for such contrasting reactions to growing unemployment among Western and Eastern Europeans is the difference in unemployment benefit rates. In the countries where unemployment benefits and the period of their payment are large (Western Europe), growing unemployment is accompanied by growing support for protests and participation in anti-government demonstrations. In countries with low benefits and short periods of payments (Eastern Europe), the people who lose their jobs mostly care about their personal problems and are less inclined to participate in protests if they have lost their job or are at a high risk of losing it.

An additional factor that results in differences in reactions demonstrated by Western and Eastern Europeans to losing a job is labour migration from Eastern to Western Europe. It 'dilutes' the 'fuel' for protests in the East and meanwhile contributes to protests among the Western European unemployed who support anti-immigrant laws.

'Migration waves after 2014, of course, influenced the protests, causing specific anti-immigrant protests. According to preliminary data, this may increase with growing unemployment in Western Europe', added Andrey Korotaev, one of the study authors and Head of the HSE Laboratory for Monitoring the Risks of Socio-Political Destabilization.

The danger of growing unemployment in developed economies is currently rather high. It may be caused by relocating product manufacturing to poorer countries with smaller salaries and social benefits, as well as by growing automation and robotization not only in production, but also in the service sector. At the same time, some of the Western countries are planning to introduce a 'basic income' for its citizens that doesn't depend on their employment. HSE experts conclude in their study that paradoxically, a very probable result of such policies, despite a certain decrease in income inequality, may be growing protest activities. And conversely, if there is no considerable growth of salaries and social benefits in Eastern European countries, the growing unemployment is not expected to impact protest activity, despite a certain increase in inequality.

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https://ecsoc.hse.ru/data/2018/04/01/1164751079/ecsoc_t19_n2.pdf#page=118
In a first-of-its-kind study, scientists have combined an array of NASA satellite observations of Earth with data on human activities to map locations where freshwater is changing around the globe and to determine why.

The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, finds that Earth's wet land areas are getting wetter and dry areas are getting drier due to a variety of factors, including human water management, climate change and natural cycles.

A team led by Matt Rodell of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, used 14 years of observations from the U.S./German-led Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) spacecraft mission to track global trends in freshwater in 34 regions around the world. To understand why these trends emerged, they needed to pull in satellite precipitation data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project, NASA/U.S. Geological Survey Landsat imagery, irrigation maps, and published reports of human activities related to agriculture, mining and reservoir operations. Only through analysis of the combined data sets were the scientists able to get a full understanding of the reasons for Earth's freshwater changes as well as the sizes of those trends.

"This is the first time that we've used observations from multiple satellites in a thorough assessment of how freshwater availability is changing, everywhere on Earth," said Rodell. "A key goal was to distinguish shifts in terrestrial water storage caused by natural variability - wet periods and dry periods associated with El Nino and La Nina, for example - from trends related to climate change or human impacts, like pumping groundwater out of an aquifer faster than it is replenished."

Freshwater is found in lakes, rivers, soil, snow, groundwater and ice. Freshwater loss from the ice sheets at the poles - attributed to climate change - has implications for sea level rise. On land, freshwater is one of the most essential of Earth's resources, for drinking water and agriculture. While some regions' water supplies are relatively stable, others experienced increases or decreases.

"What we are witnessing is major hydrologic change," said co-author Jay Famiglietti of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. "We see a distinctive pattern of the wet land areas of the world getting wetter - those are the high latitudes and the tropics - and the dry areas in between getting dryer. Embedded within the dry areas we see multiple hotspots resulting from groundwater depletion."

Famiglietti noted that while water loss in some regions, like the melting ice sheets and alpine glaciers, is clearly driven by warming climate, it will require more time and data to determine the driving forces behind other patterns of freshwater change.

"The pattern of wet-getting-wetter, dry-getting-drier during the rest of the 21st century is predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change models, but we'll need a much longer dataset to be able to definitively say whether climate change is responsible for the emergence of any similar pattern in the GRACE data," he said.

The twin GRACE satellites, launched in 2002 as a joint mission with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), precisely measured the distance between the two spacecraft to detect changes in Earth's gravity field caused by movements of mass on the planet below. Using this method, GRACE tracked monthly variations in terrestrial water storage until its science mission ended in October 2017.

However, the GRACE satellite observations alone couldn't tell Rodell, Famiglietti and their colleagues what was causing the apparent trends.

"We examined information on precipitation, agriculture and groundwater pumping to find a possible explanation for the trends estimated from GRACE," said co-author Hiroko Beaudoing of Goddard and the University of Maryland in College Park.

For instance, although pumping groundwater for agricultural uses is a significant contributor to freshwater depletion throughout the world, groundwater levels are also sensitive to cycles of persistent drought or rainy conditions. Famiglietti noted that such a combination was likely the cause of the significant groundwater depletion observed in California's Central Valley from 2007 to 2015, when decreased groundwater replenishment from rain and snowfall combined with increased pumping for agriculture.

Southwestern California lost 4 gigatons of freshwater per year during the same period. A gigaton of water would fill 400,000 Olympic swimming pools. A majority of California's freshwater comes in the form of rainfall and snow that collect in the Sierra Nevada snowpack and then is managed as it melts into surface waters through a series of reservoirs. When natural cycles led to less precipitation and caused diminished snowpack and surface waters, people relied on groundwater more heavily.

Downward trends in freshwater seen in Saudi Arabia also reflect agricultural pressures. From 2002 to 2016, the region lost 6.1 gigatons per year of stored groundwater. Imagery from Landsat satellites shows an explosive growth of irrigated farmland in the arid landscape from 1987 to the present, which may explain the increased drawdown.

The team's analyses also identified large, decade-long trends in terrestrial freshwater storage that do not appear to be directly related to human activities. Natural cycles of high or low rainfall can cause a trend that is unlikely to persist, Rodell said. An example is Africa's western Zambezi basin and Okavango Delta, a vital watering hole for wildlife in northern Botswana. In this region, water storage increased at an average rate of 29 gigatons per year from 2002 to 2016. This wet period during the GRACE mission followed at least two decades of dryness. Rodell believes it is a case of natural variability that occurs over decades in this region of Africa.

The researchers found that a combination of natural and human pressures can lead to complex scenarios in some regions. Xinjiang province in northwestern China, about the size of Kansas, is bordered by Kazakhstan to the west and the Taklamakan desert to the south and encompasses the central portion of the Tien Shan Mountains. During the first decades of this century, previously undocumented water declines occurred in Xinjiang.

Rodell and his colleagues pieced together multiple factors to explain the loss of 5.5 gigatons of terrestrial water storage per year in Xinjiang province. Less rainfall was not the culprit. Additions to surface water were also occurring from climate change-induced glacier melt, and the pumping of groundwater out of coal mines. But these additions were more than offset by depletions caused by an increase in water consumption by irrigated cropland and evaporation of river water from the desert floor.

The successor to GRACE, called GRACE Follow-On, a joint mission with the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), currently is at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California undergoing final preparations for launch no earlier than May 22.

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For more information on how NASA studies Earth, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/earth
New compound inhibits the spread of human prostate, breast and pancreatic cancer in mice

CHICAGO --- The death of her mother from ovarian cancer when Dr. Sui Huang was only 12 led to her lifelong scientific pursuit and a new discovery that Huang hopes may eventually prevent other children from suffering such a painful loss.

Huang, a Northwestern Medicine scientist, and colleagues, have used a new approach and discovered a new compound that halts the spread of cancer cells, which is what makes the disease so lethal.

Scientists from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the University of Kansas, the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCAT) and Dr. Chen Wang, a research associate in Huang's lab, worked closely as a team to make this discovery possible.

Huang had already discovered the complex marker that indicates cancer cells' ability to transform into metastasizing "multiple-headed monsters," as she describes them.

In the new study, co-corresponding author Huang and colleagues have found a compound that blows up the monster and significantly reduced metastasis by human prostate, pancreatic and breast cancer transplanted into mice.

Mice treated with the compound, named metarrestin, had fewer metastatic tumors in the lung and liver, and lived longer than mice that did not receive treatment.

The paper will be published May 16 in Science Translational Medicine.

Metarrestin will be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for approval as an investigational drug in the near future, with the goal of launching a clinical trial.

There currently is not a drug aimed at selectively preventing cancer metastasis.

"It's like a dirty bomb against cancer," said Huang, an associate professor of cell and molecular biology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, describing metarrestin's potency against metastasizing cells. "It could potentially result in a better outcome for patients with solid tumor cancers with high potential to spread to other organs."

Why is it important to develop a drug that doesn't just target one gene but multiple factors?

"The metastatic cancer cell is a beast that is nearly entirely different from a normal cell," said Huang, who has been working on this research for 25 years. "Targeting one thing is not sufficient to stop metastatic cancer."

Most of the time the primary cancer tumor -- which can be dealt with by surgery, radiation and chemotherapy -- doesn't cause death.

"What kills people is when cancer spreads to other organs, such as when breast cancer spreads to the brain, liver, lungs or bones," Huang said.

The cancer patient survival rate has significantly improved in the last 20 years due to earlier diagnosis and combinational treatments. But the survival of people with metastatic cancer has not changed much.

Metarrestin potentially could be effective as part of combinational therapy after cancer surgery.

"This represents a new strategy for developing anti-cancer drugs," Huang said. "It's seeking one compound that can potentially affect multiple relevant targets that are promoting metastasis."

The marker for metastasis Huang and another scientist discovered in the late 1990s is the complex marker PNC, short for perinucleolar compartment. Its presence in the primary tumor correlates to the tumor's ability to spread and the poor survival of the patients. The higher the PNC level, the worse the prognosis.

Going for total annihilation

For this new study, National Cancer Institute scientists tested 140,000 compounds against PNC, searching for one that caused total annihilation. They finally found a compound and made a large modification to make a more effective one. The new compound, which they named metarrestin, significantly inhibited metastasis in human breast cancer, prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer that had been grafted into mice.

"We wanted to find that magic compound that strikes multiple parts of the monster. It doesn't just hit its head. It hits its claws, its fangs and its tail," Huang said.

Scientists inoculated cancer cell lines originally derived from human pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer into mice organs to generate tissue grafts, called xenografts. These mice were then treated with metarrestin and controls.

With breast cancer, the lung pleural fluid was collected and metastatic cells were isolated and directly inoculated into mice without going through the culture system. This type of tissue graft, called patient derived xenograft, is considered more representative of a human cancer condition.

The doctor becomes a scientist

While Huang's mother's death inspired her to go into medicine, it was an encounter with an 18-year-old boy during her oncology rotation at a Chinese hospital that drove her to become a scientist.

"He was supposed to be the best student in his home town," Huang said. "He had just taken a college entrance exam and got the top score, but he had a high fever."

He was quickly diagnosed with acute lymphoma. There was little Huang or anyone could do. He died in less than a month.

"I felt so useless," Huang said. "After that I felt being a doctor wouldn't help someone like him. I decided to go to graduate school to become a scientist to try to solve the problem."

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Other Northwestern authors are Chen Wang, Marzena A. Lewandowska, John Norton, Yiping Wen, Charles Long, Ojus Khanolkar, Warren Chen, Jinsol Kang, Helen Huang, Eric Chow, Esthermanya Goldberg, Coral Feldman, Romi Xi, Irawati Kandela, Deqing Hu, Andrew Mazar and Ali Shilatifard.

The research was funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and NCI through their intramural programs, the National Human Genome Research Institute grant U54HG005031, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences grants R01GM078555 and R01GM0115710, NCI grant 2 P30 CA060553-19, the V Foundation, a donation from the Baskes family to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center - Translational Bridge Program Fellowship in Lymphoma Research and the Molecular Libraries Initiative funding to the University of Kansas Specialized Chemistry Center.
Dublin, 16 May 2018 - A new partnership between FutureNeuro, the SFI Research Centre for Chronic and Rare Neurological diseases based at RCSI and GreenLight Medicines, an indigenous Irish biopharmaceutical company has been formed to develop new cannabis-based treatments for drug resistant epilepsies, and in particular, childhood epilepsies.

The research will explore how cannabidiol (CBD) and other non-psychoactive molecules from the cannabis plant can reduce seizures. It will also look at optimising the effectiveness of this new approach to treat epilepsy.

"This project has strong alignment with FutureNeuro's strategic goal to bring novel treatments to patients in Ireland with difficult to control epilepsy" said Professor David Henshall, academic supervisor on the project and FutureNeuro Director.

An estimated 10,000 people in Ireland are resistant to current treatments for epilepsy, which is one of the most common neurological diseases. This means that many people with epilepsy are having numerous, uncontrolled seizures every day. Uncontrolled seizures can also result in other devastating effects, including a reduction in cognitive abilities.

Dr. Colin Doherty, National Clinical Lead for Epilepsy and a Principal Investigator at the FutureNeuro Centre said, "The use of cannabis to treat epilepsy offers a tantalising new horizon for severe disabling seizures. The mechanism by which CBD exerts its antiepileptic effects is currently unknown, and this impactful research will help to provide clinical evidence of its long-term efficacy, as well as data on any long-term side effects."

Emerging experimental and human evidence suggests that CBD and possibly other components of cannabis plant extracts reduce seizures in patients with rare genetic epilepsies and may have potential as a treatment for refractory epilepsy.

Dr. James Linden, CEO of GreenLight Medicines said "We are delighted to work with FutureNeuro to investigate if Greenlight compounds have potential as treatments for drug-resistant epilepsy. It is a great opportunity to make a difference to the lives of thousands of epilepsy patients across the globe".

The partnership will create a large research framework connecting internationally-recognised neuroscientists, research infrastructure and pre-clinical models and will enable identification and interaction with clinicians who can assist with translation to the clinic.

Director of Programmes and Investments at Science Foundation Ireland Dr. Darrin Morrissey said "FutureNeuro brings together an exceptional team of scientists, clinicians and other experts to address the urgent needs of patients with chronic and rare neurological diseases such as epilepsy and motor neurone disease. In a globally unique way, the Centre will undertake cutting-edge research on diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders that leverages the emerging electronic healthcare infrastructure in Ireland. With industry partners and hospital networks, the Centre aims to translate research into effective diagnostic supports, treatments and monitoring systems to benefit the lives of patients living with these debilitating and often devastating conditions".

FutureNeuro, which is funded by Science Foundation Ireland and based at RCSI, aims to deliver new technologies and solutions for the treatments, diagnosis and monitoring of chronic and rare neurological diseases.

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Notes to Editors

About FutureNeuro

FutureNeuro is a new SFI Research Centre dedicated to developing new technologies and solutions for the treatment, diagnosis, and monitoring of chronic and rare neurological diseases. It is supported by Science Foundation Ireland.

Initially focusing on Epilepsy and Motor Neurone Disease, FutureNeuro will build rapidly to help transform the lives of the approximately 700,000 people affected by neurological disorders in Ireland.

It connects national and multinational industry with key academics and clinicians based in our leading hospitals to provide diagnostic, therapeutic and E-Health solutions.

FutureNeuro's projects with industry partners will bring diagnostic supports to market, a pipeline of new drugs, and connected health solutions that enable patients to monitor and report their health better than ever before.

RCSI is ranked among the top 250 (top 2%) of universities worldwide in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2018) and its research is ranked first in Ireland for citations. It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide. RCSI is a signatory of the Athena SWAN Charter.
Even people who would describe themselves as liberal and open-minded might not be free of unconscious racism

Bochum-based philosopher Dr Beate Krickel has used psychoanalysis to investigate why people are often not aware of their prejudices. In her accounts, she has been elaborating how prejudices can become unconscious. As researcher at the Institute of Philosophy II at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum, she outlines her theory in the journal Philosophical Psychology from May 15, 2018.

Tolerant and yet full of bias

A hypothetical example: a white professor describes himself as having a liberal, tolerant worldview. He confirms that it is nonsense and scientifically insupportable to assume that people with different ethnic background have different levels of intelligence. However, the convictions he professes are ostensibly contradicted by his behaviour: he acts, for example, surprised, when a person of colour asks an intelligent question in his seminar. Moreover, his intuitive impression is that his white students look smarter.

Researchers refer to cases when the professed convictions deviate from intuitive behaviour as implicit bias. This kind of bias can be identified using certain psychological tests.

Unconscious or not?

"There's a fierce debate going on in the fields of social psychology and philosophy on whether the prejudices measured with such tests are unconscious or not," says the researcher. The fact that people voice liberal and tolerant convictions in spite of their implicit bias points to "unconscious". However, empirical studies in the past had shown that test participants have the ability to notice their implicit bias under specific conditions. "Interestingly enough, the participants are generally surprised or even shocked once they realise their own implicit bias," says Krickel.

In order to explain these data, the researcher used psychoanalysis. More specifically: she argues that a philosophically informed notion of Freudian repression constitutes a feasible explanation of the apparently contradictory data.

Does not fit the self-image

According to Krickel's analysis, the professor in the hypothetical example represses the emotions that are triggered by his negative associations, because they do not match his self-image. Consequently, he is not aware of his implicit bias. He does, however, have the ability to detect these emotions if the circumstances are right. "The function of philosophy is, first and foremost, to provide an in-depth analysis of what repression actually is," says Krickel. "Based on philosophical theories of consciousness, a feasible model emerges when repression is understood to be an attentional shift that becomes habituated over the years."

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Climate change will force hundreds of ocean fish and invertebrate species, including some of the most economically important to the United States, to move northward, disrupting fisheries in the United States and Canada, a Rutgers University-led study reports.

The study, published today in the journal PLOS ONE, covers the North American continental shelfs on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Previous studies have been global or regional, thus being too large or too small to get a clear picture of the future for North America's fisheries. The species surveyed include finfish, sharks and rays, crustaceans, and squid. Among those most affected are Pacific rockfishes, Atlantic cod and black sea bass.

Fish are sensitive to the temperatures of the water where they live, and as it becomes too warm, populations often shift to where the water temperature is right for them. This process has already begun, though at different rates in different places. As climate change continues and the oceans warm up, the study shows, more species of fish will move north to where the temperature range is habitable for them.

"We've already seen that shifts of a couple of hundred miles in a species' range can disrupt fisheries," said lead author James Morley, a former postdoctoral researcher at Rutgers-New Brunswick. "This study shows that such dislocations will happen all over the continent and on both coasts throughout the 21st century."

"For commercial fishers, this often means longer trips and higher fuel costs," said co-author Malin Pinsky, a professor of ecology, evolution and natural resources at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. "Some species along the U.S. and Canadian Pacific coasts will move as much as 900 miles north from their current habitats."

The researchers used 16 different climate models, each with both a low level of greenhouse gas emissions and a high level, to develop projections for future ocean temperatures around North America. The lower-level emissions scenario is in line with goals set by the Paris Accords, from which President Trump withdrew the United States earlier this year. These climate projections were combined with statistical models of species temperature preference, which were based on bottom-trawl survey data from around the continent. While both high and low emission scenarios project some northward shift, the shifts in species habitat will be two to three times greater under a high emissions future.

Among the northward moving species is the Alaskan king crab. "People in that fishery already travel a long way to catch crabs - many from as far away as Seattle - so this may not make a big difference to them in the short term," Pinsky said. "But if you're based in North Carolina, fishing for black sea bass, and you have to travel 300 or 400 extra miles to do it, that's a real problem."

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The National Marine Fisheries Service and the Pew Charitable Trusts funded the study.
HOUSTON -- (May 16, 2018) -- Clues from some unusual Arizona rocks pointed Rice University scientists toward a discovery -- a subtle chemical signature in rocks the world over -- that could answer a long-standing mystery: What stole the iron from Earth's continents?

The find has weighty implications. If the iron content of continental rocks was a bit greater, as it is in the rocks beneath Earth's oceans, for example, our atmosphere might look more like that of Mars, a planet so littered with rusty, oxidized rocks that it appears red even from Earth.

In a new paper available online in Science Advances, Rice petrologists Cin-Ty Lee, Ming Tang, Monica Erdman and Graham Eldridge make a case that garnet steals the most iron from continents. The hypothesis flies in the face of 40-plus years of geophysical thinking, and Tang, a postdoctoral fellow, and Lee, professor and chair of the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Rice, said they expect a healthy dose of skepticism from peers.

"The standard view, which even we agreed with and wrote papers agreeing with, is that iron is removed from continental crust by another mineral called magnetite," Lee said. "I think people haven't thought much about garnet, possibly because it doesn't show up very much and magnetite shows up in a lot of samples."

Building a case for or against either mineral isn't easy because the iron they're accused of stealing disappears many miles below active volcanoes. The prime example today is the arc of volcanoes that span the Andes Mountains in South America. Similar continental arcs are believed to have formed much of Earth's major landmasses, but scientists have no instruments capable of directly observing what happens beneath continental volcanic arcs. Instead, the missing iron mystery must be solved with deductive reasoning about Earth's inner workings and rare rocks that hold clues from the scene of the crime.

"The accepted wisdom is that magnetite pulls iron from the melt before the melt rises and gets erupted out at continental arcs," Tang said. "Iron depletion is most pronounced at continental arcs, where the crust is thick, and much less so in island arcs, where the crust is thin. However, there is no obvious explanation for why the extent of magnetite involvement would correlate with thickness of the crust."

But garnet does correlate. Almandine, an iron-laden type of garnet, is more easily made under high pressure and high temperature -- the kind of conditions that exist in the subduction zone beneath the Andes, where continental crust can be as much as 50 miles thick, Lee said.

Tang might never have suspected garnet were it not for a field trip by Lee and students to central Arizona in 2009 to look for xenoliths.

"'Xeno' meaning foreign and 'lith' meaning rock," Lee said. "They are much older than the volcanoes they came from. These volcanoes ripped up the rocks from 60 to 80 kilometers deep, and the xenoliths came up as little fragments. It's difficult to find rocks like this, but when you do, they give you a window, a direct window, into the deep parts of the continental arc, the root."

Erdman, then a doctoral student in Lee's lab, conducted an initial analysis of the xenoliths, and established that they were formed in a continental arc setting and were rich in garnet. Two years later, Rice undergraduate Graham Eldridge spent a summer characterizing rare earth elements in the xenoliths and found hints that they contained unusual Europium ratios.

Europium typically forms minerals that allow each of its atoms to share three electrons with nearby atoms, an "oxidation state" that chemists notate as Eu+3. Europium also forms minerals in which it shares two electrons, and the notation for this less-oxidized state is Eu+2. In an oxygen-plentiful environment, Europium occurs in its highest oxidation state (Eu+3), but at more intermediate levels of oxygen in the mantle it can occur in both Eu+2 and Eu+3 states.

The oxidation states of the Europium that Eldridge found in the Arizona xenoliths suggested they formed in less-oxidized conditions than would be expected in the magnetite scenario, but there was not enough data to confirm this hunch.

"Continental arcs happen at subduction zones, where an oceanic tectonic plate slides below a continental plate," Lee said. "When the oceanic plate is recycled back into the mantle, it is widely thought to introduce a lot of oxygen into the mantle. The magnetite scenario for iron depletion relies heavily on the idea that these subduction zones are highly oxidized at depth."

Tang joined Lee's group in 2016 and was intrigued by the Europium ratios in the xenoliths. Tang had extensive experience characterizing Europium as part of his doctoral studies at the University of Maryland, and he began conducting hundreds of painstaking measurements to more precisely characterize the Europium ratios in the Arizona xenoliths.

The quality of Tang's data not only confirmed the low-oxidation Europium ratios but allowed him to develop a new hypothesis that tied everything together: the garnet, the Europium ratios and the fact that thicker continental crusts are more iron-depleted than thinner island arc crusts.

"As the crustal column gets thicker and thicker, as it is at continental arcs, the temperature and pressure are great enough to produce these iron-rich garnets, which are heavy and sink out," Tang said. "The iron they pull out is ferrous iron (Fe+2) and not highly oxidized. It goes back into the mantle, and the iron that remains in the melt and erupts to become part of the continental crust becomes even more oxidized on its way to the surface."

To test the hypothesis on a global scale, Tang spent several months examining records in the Max Planck Institute's GEOROC database, a comprehensive global collection of published analyses of volcanic rocks and mantle xenoliths collected all over the world.

"There is a relationship between iron depletion and the garnet fractionation signatures, which means magmas that fractionate more garnet are more depleted in iron," Tang said. "This is born out in the global record, but the evidence is something that wouldn't be obvious from looking at just one or two cases. It's the kind of thing that requires a global database, and those have only recently become available."

Lee said the find has important implications for Earth's ability to sustain an oxygen-rich atmosphere.

"Photosynthesis produces oxygen, but the primary thing that takes oxygen out of circulation for a long time is oxidation with the crust," Lee said. "If what comes out of volcanoes to form the continents is effectively already rusted, then it won't immediately react with and deplete the oxygen in the atmosphere."

After submitting their results for peer-reviewed publication, Tang and Lee found that renowned Australian petrologist Ted Ringwood and colleagues had implicated garnet rather than magnetite in a few papers published 50 years ago.

"Many of the people in our field have a scientific lineage that goes back to Ringwood," Lee said. "I'm sure many of them may take one look and think this is a crazy idea, but considering that their great-great-grandfather, academically speaking, had speculated on this, perhaps we're in good company."

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The research was supported by a Frontiers of Earth Systems and Dynamics grant from the National Science Foundation.

High-resolution IMAGES are available for download at:

https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/SearchPhotos/photo.pl?mission=ISS017&roll=E&frame=7322

CAPTION: The Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes as seen from the International Space Station in May 2008. (Image courtesy of ISS Expedition 17/NASA)

http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/05/0516_GARNET-grp6-lg-1grbscr.jpg

CAPTION: From left, Rice University's Cin-Ty Lee, Ming Tang and Graham Eldridge with one of the Arizona xenoliths that prompted their find. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

http://news.rice.edu/files/2018/05/0516_GARNET-pyroxenite-lg-1e6yvg4.jpg

CAPTION: A garnet pyroxenite xenolith from Sierra Nevada, Calif. (Image courtesy of C. Lee/Rice University)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Active_Margin.svg

CAPTION: A schematic illustration of plate subduction beneath a continental arc. (Image courtesy of Booyabazooka/Wikimedia Commons)

The DOI of the Science Advances paper is: 10.1126/sciadv.aar4444

A copy of the paper is available at: http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/5/eaar4444

Related research from Rice:

Ash from dinosaur-era volcanoes linked with shale oil, gas -- March 12, 2018

Data mining finds more than expected beneath Andean Plateau -- Aug. 23, 2017

Rice's Cin-Ty Lee wins Guggenheim Fellowship -- April 7, 2017

Oxygen atmosphere recipe = tectonics + continents + life -- May 16, 2016

Going deep to study long-term climate evolution -- Oct. 31, 2013

Volcano location could be greenhouse-icehouse key -- Feb. 6, 2013

Copper chains: Study reveals Earth's deep-seated hold on copper -- April 5, 2012

Rice researchers track zinc, iron in magma to see how oxygen travels inside planet -- Dec. 2, 2010

This release can be found online at news.rice.edu.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,970 undergraduates and 2,934 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for quality of life and for lots of race/class interaction and No. 2 for happiest students by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://tinyurl.com/RiceUniversityoverview.
Ever have a "senior moment" and worry about what other people think? We might laugh, but when older people worry that their memory is failing -- or worry that someone else thinks it is -- they can perform poorly on cognitive tests. Such tests are often included during annual wellness exams of older people, and poor performance can lead to false diagnoses of dementia, according to San Francisco State University Professor of Psychology Sarah Barber.

Until recently, all of the testing on the ways stereotype threat can affect memory in older people had been done on adults in Western cultures. (Stereotype threat is the fear that you will confirm to yourself or others that a negative stereotype about a group you belong to is true.) But Barber and graduate student Shyuan Ching Tan have just published the first such study of older Chinese immigrants from East Asia in the Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. They found that stereotype threat affects memory performance in older Chinese people, too -- but that culturally appropriate interventions can lessen the threat.

As part of her work toward her master's degree in gerontology last year, Shyuan Ching Tan recruited 114 Chinese immigrants ranging in age from 55 to 84 to assess how well they performed on a memory test with and without a stereotype threat.

"I have always been curious about the aging process of older East Asian immigrants," said Tan, now a Ph.D. student at Pennsylvania State University. "I have often heard Chinese elders complain that the behavior of their children and other younger adults is at odds with the Confucian values of obedience, loyalty and propriety. I was interested in understanding how these Chinese elders cope with ageism, and whether affirmation of their cultural values could help buffer them from stereotype threat."

In the study, which was funded by the National Institute on Aging, participants completed a memory test under one of three conditions. In the first condition, the researchers removed any negative stereotype about older people by telling participants that people of all ages would perform equally well. The second and the third conditions contained a stereotype threat: Participants were told they would be taking a test to see how aging affects memory -- and that their performance would be compared to that of younger adults. But the third condition also included an "intervention" -- a reminder that Chinese traditions honor the aged and wise and that these beliefs had been instilled in younger generations.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, participants performed better when no stereotype was present or when the stereotype threat was alleviated with the intervention language. The findings are important, said Barber and Tan, not only because this is the first study to show that stereotype threats affect older Asian people, too, but also because they show that tests done without stereotype threats offer a more accurate assessment of cognitive skills.

"When older adults are in situations where others expect them not to do well, they can feel concerned and anxious," said Tan. "Stereotype threats can result in them forgetting more than they would have otherwise."

Barber and Tan say the study's findings are particularly timely because age-based stereotype threat could be considered a public health problem in Asia where the population is aging rapidly. If cognitive tests are better designed to eliminate stereotype threats, said Barber, health care professionals can ensure that older adults are performing to the best of their abilities.

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TORONTO, May 16, 2018 -- Nearly a quarter (23.9 per cent) of initial opioid prescriptions in Ontario had a daily dose of more than 50 milligram morphine equivalents (MME), exceeding the suggested dose threshold for opioid prescriptions outlined in North American clinical guidelines, according to a new study from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and St. Michael's Hospital.

"The U.S. and Canadian clinical guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic non-cancer pain suggest that doctors should avoid initiating opioids at daily doses above 50 MME. Our study found that nearly one-quarter of Ontarians taking an opioid for the first time received a daily dose exceeding this threshold, and for certain indications such as knee, hip and shoulder surgeries and Caesarean sections, the dose was even higher," says Dr. Tara Gomes, lead author of the study and a scientist at ICES.

The study, published today in the journal Pain, examined initial opioid prescriptions for more than 650,000 Ontarians from April 2015 to March 2016 and linked each to health administrative data from Ontario's publicly funded health care system.

"Due to concerns about the overprescription of opioids, there is an ongoing need to determine how to resource alternative non-pharmaceutical pain management strategies . In order to do this, we wanted to get a clear picture of the clinical indications associated with opioid initiation and the characteristics of those initial prescriptions," adds Gomes, who is also a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital.

Prescriptions for opioids have increased sharply in the last decade, making Canada the second highest per-capita user of opioids in the world. Furthermore, 1 in 8 Ontarians was dispensed an opioid in 2016, and Ontario has seen a four-fold increase in overdose deaths in the last 25 years, according to earlier research by Gomes.

The researchers grouped the reasons for starting opioids into six clusters: dental pain (23.2 per cent of prescriptions), postsurgical pain (17.4 per cent), musculoskeletal pain (12.0 per cent), trauma-related pain (11.2 per cent), cancer or palliative care (6.5 per cent), and other types of pain (17.7 per cent). Overall, 78,481 (12.0 per cent) of individuals could not be linked to any of the six indications).

The study showed that the dose and duration of initial opioid prescriptions varied considerably by indication. Dental pain accounted for nearly one in four new opioid prescriptions, but these were generally of short duration and low dose. In contrast, one in six new opioid prescriptions were for postsurgical pain, and these patients generally started on higher daily doses (over 40 per cent of them were prescribed more than 50 MME, and for hip and knee surgery at least 25 per cent were prescribed 90 MME or more).

"We know that patients' first opioid prescriptions are critically important. Across all clinical indications, a high percentage of people received daily doses of more than 50MME and prescription lengths exceeding seven days, a combination which has been associated with opioid-related adverse events and long-term opioid use. Given this, we need to think about alternative pain management options. This data can help us understand the types of services - like physiotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy - that might be appropriate to help avoid our reliance on opioids for some indications," says Gomes.

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Note: To clarify, the results in this paper represent a time just prior to the release of the U.S. (2016) and Canadian (2017) guidelines for opioids for chronic non-cancer pain. Therefore, these findings provide important information regarding opioid initiation practices just prior to the release of new dose recommendations. Given the degree to which opioid initiation at doses above 50MME occurred at this time, it is hoped that these new guidelines will promote more appropriate prescribing. Future research will attempt to understand how these patterns shift as the guidelines are disseminated.

"Clinical indications associated with opioid initiation for pain management in Ontario, Canada: A population-based cohort study," was published in the current issue of PAIN.

Author block: Sachin V. Pasricha, Mina Tadrous, Wayne Khuu, David N. Juurlink, Muhammad M. Mamdani, J. Michael Paterson and Tara Gomes.

The Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) is an independent, non-profit organization that uses population-based health information to produce knowledge on a broad range of health care issues. Our unbiased evidence provides measures of health system performance, a clearer understanding of the shifting health care needs of Ontarians, and a stimulus for discussion of practical solutions to optimize scarce resources. ICES knowledge is highly regarded in Canada and abroad, and is widely used by government, hospitals, planners, and practitioners to make decisions about care delivery and to develop policy.

About St. Michael's Hospital

St. Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 29 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, care of the homeless and global health are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, which make up the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research and education at St. Michael's Hospital are recognized and make an impact around the world. Founded in 1892, the hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

Media contacts:

Deborah Creatura

Media Advisor, ICES

deborah.creatura@ices.on.ca

(o) 416-480-4780 or (c) 647-406-5996

Ana Gajic

Senior Communications Advisor | Communications and Public Affairs

GajicA@smh.ca

416-864-5960
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) ; Nagoya Institute of Technology; National Institute of Technology, Niihama College; Neutron Science and Technology Center, The Comprehensive Research Organization for Science and Society (CROSS); and Japan Atomic Energy Agency have shown the overbonding of channel oxygens in La-rich apatite-type lanthanum silicates, rather than the presence of the interstitial oxygens, to be responsible for the high oxide-ion conductivity. This concept of "high oxide-ion conductivity by overbonding" opens the door for designing better ion conductors, which could be useful in energy conversion and environmental protection.

Solid oxide electrolytes have been extensively studied due to their wide range of applications in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), oxygen membranes, catalysts, and gas sensors. Electrolytes with high oxide-ion conductivity at temperatures below 600 C are required to decrease the operation temperature of SOFCs. Professor Susumu Nakayama at National Institute of Technology, Niihama College has discovered in 1995 the extremely high oxide-ion conductivity in the intermediate temperature range below 600C, which has encouraged many researchers to study the structural origin of this phenomenon.

It was believed that the high oxide-ion conductivity of apatite-type materials is due to interstitial oxygens. However, in this novel study, Professor Masatomo Yashima, Dr. Kotaro Fujii at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), and their colleagues have shown that apatite-type materials contain Si vacancies, but not oxygen interstitials. The Si vacancies in the materials have originally been proposed by Professor Koichiro Fukuda at Nagoya Institute of Technology.

Through single-crystal neutron diffraction studies using the SENJU diffractometer installed at MLF, J-PARC facility (Figure 1), they were able to accurately determine the crystal structures of the apatite materials La9.333Si6O26 and La-rich La9.565(Si5.8260.174)O26 ( denotes Si vacancy) including occupancy factors, atomic displacement parameters, and spatial distributions of oxygen atoms. They also measured the density and oxide-ion conductivity of the two materials. In this work, La9.565(Si5.8260.174)O26 was selected because of its high oxide-ion conductivity.

By structure analyses using the diffraction data, the researchers found Si vacancies, no interstitial oxygens, and larger positional disorder of the oxide ion at the O4 site in the apatite channel as compared to the basic material La9.333Si6O26 (Figure 2). The lower activation energy for the oxide-ion conduction along the c axis was found to be the main reason for the higher oxide-ion conductivity of La9.565(Si5.8260.174)O26 as compared to La9.333Si6O26. The excess La yielded the overbonding of the O4 oxide ion in La9.565(Si5.8260.174)O26 as compared with La9.333Si6O26, which led to higher oxide-ion mobility and conductivity of La9.565(Si5.8260.174)O26 with Si vacancies (Figure 2). Density measurements by the Archimedes method supported the presence of Si vacancies in La9.565(Si5.8260.174)O26.

Thus, the researchers proposed that excess La cations are responsible for overbonded channel oxygens along the c axis, which leads to highly anisotropic atomic displacement and high oxygen mobility. Hence this novel concept of "high oxide-ion conductivity by overbonding" may be useful for designing better ion conductors.

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Largest study to date shows that disrupted body clock rhythms are associated with increased susceptibility to depression, bipolar disorder, and adverse wellbeing

Disruption to normal daily circadian rhythms is associated with a greater susceptibility to mood disorders such as severe depression and bipolar disorder over the life course, according to the largest observational study of its kind involving over 91,000 people, published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

These disturbances to the body's internal clock, characterised by increased activity during rest periods and/or inactivity during the day, are also associated with mood instability, more subjective loneliness, lower happiness and health satisfaction, and worse cognitive function.

The results held true even after adjusting for a wide range of influential factors including age, sex, lifestyle, education, body mass index, and childhood trauma.

This study is the first to objectively measure patterns of rest and activity (using accelerometers), and to have sufficient sample size to assess the effect of circadian disruption on various mental health disorders.

"Our findings indicate an association between altered daily circadian rhythms and mood disorders and wellbeing", says author Dr Laura Lyall from the University of Glasgow, UK. "However, these are observational associations and cannot tell us whether mood disorders and reduced wellbeing cause disturbed rest-activity patterns, or whether disturbed circadian rhythmicity makes people vulnerable to mood disorders and poorer wellbeing."[1]

"To look at this in more detail, it will be useful for future studies to track participants' rest-activity patterns over time to see whether disturbed rhythms can predict whether someone is more likely to go on to develop a mood disorder"[1]

Daily circadian rhythms govern fundamental physiological and behavioural functions from body temperature to eating habits in almost all organisms. The brain's internal time-keeping system anticipates environmental changes and adapts itself to the appropriate time of day. Disruption of these rhythms has been shown to profoundly affect human health. Greater disease risks arising from circadian disruption have been identified in the brain, pancreas, and stress systems.

Previous research has identified associations between circadian disruption and poor mental health, but these were typically based on self reports of activity and sleeping patterns, had small sample sizes, or adjusted for few potential confounders.

To address these methodological issues, the researchers analysed activity data in 91,105 participants (aged 37-73) from the UK Biobank general population cohort to obtain an objective measure of patterns of rest and activity rhythms, known as relative amplitude. [2] All participants wore accelerometers for 7 days between 2013 and 2015 to record their activity. This information was linked to mental health questionnaires to assess symptoms of mental disorders and subjective wellbeing and cognitive function.

Mathematical modelling was used to investigate associations between low relative amplitude (reflecting greater activity during rest periods and/or daytime inactivity) and lifetime risk of mood disorder as well as wellbeing and cognitive function.

The researchers found that lower relative amplitude was associated with a greater odds of reporting lifetime history of major depression or bipolar disorder (adjusted odds ratio 1.06 and 1.11; table 2). Lower relative amplitude was also found to be reliably associated with greater mood instability, higher neuroticism scores, more subjective loneliness, lower happiness and health satisfaction, and slower reaction time (an indirect measure of cognitive function).

"While our findings can't tell us about the direction of causality, they reinforce the idea that mood disorders are associated with disturbed circadian rhythms, and we provide evidence that altered rest-activity rhythms are also linked to worse subjective wellbeing and cognitive ability", says Dr Lyall."[1]

The authors acknowledge that their findings show observational associations rather than cause and effect. This limitation is compounded by the time difference between the recording of demographic and lifestyle data (2006-10), accelerometry data (2013-14) and information from the mental health questionnaire (2016-17). The authors also note that rest-activity rhythms differ between younger and older adults, so the associations between circadian rhythmicity and mental health and wellbeing may differ in younger age groups.

The authors conclude: "Relative amplitude is relatively cheaply and easily measured and could be used to identify people at greater risk of major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder, or those who might benefit from treatments that directly target the circadian clock. Given that most mental health disorders begin during adolescence, more longitudinal studies in younger populations might improve our understanding of causal mechanisms, and help find new ways to predict mood disorders and fine-tune treatments."[1]

Writing in a linked Comment, Dr Aiden Doherty from the University of Oxford in the UK agrees: "Although the UK Biobank is one of the most important medical resources worldwide, the study population (median age at baseline of 62 years, IQR 54-68 years) is not ideal to examine the causes of mental health, given that 75% of disorders start before the age of 24 years. As the authors note, the circadian system undergoes developmental changes during adolescence, which is also a common time for the onset of mood disorders. It might be that the UK Biobank provides the template and impetus for a resource of a similar scale in adolescents and younger adults to help transform our understanding of the causes and consequences, prevention, and treatment of mental health disorders."

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NOTES TO EDITORS

This study was funded by the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine.

[1] Quotes direct from authors and cannot be found in text of Article.

[2] Relative amplitude is the distinction, in terms of activity levels, between the active and rest periods over 24 hours. Changes in circadian patterns are often the first symptom in mental illnesses. Lower circadian amplitude results from reduced daytime activity (which is often seen in depressive episodes) and increased night-time activity (linked to sleep disturbances which are common in mood disorders), or both.

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Stars in a galaxy 13.28 billion light years away formed only 250 million years after the Big Bang, finds a team of international astronomers led by groups at UCL and Osaka Sangyo University in Japan.

The discovery shows that stars in the galaxy - called MACS1149-JD1 - formed at an unexpectedly early stage in the age of the Universe and the new observations break the team's own record for detecting the most distant known source of oxygen.

The team confirmed the distance of the galaxy through observations undertaken with the Atacama Large Millimetre/Submillimetre Array (ALMA) and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT); the distance corresponds to looking back to a time when the Universe was only 500 million years old, which is 3.5% of its present age.

Although the presence of galaxies at this epoch is not necessarily surprising, the detection of oxygen in MACS1149-JD1 indicates a more remarkable conclusion. Oxygen is only created in stars and then released into the gas clouds in galaxies when those stars die. The presence of oxygen in MACS1149-JD1 therefore indicates that a previous generation of stars had already formed and died at an even earlier time.

"This is an exciting discovery as this galaxy is seen at a time when the Universe was only 500 million years old and yet it already has a population of mature stars. We are therefore able to use this galaxy to probe into an earlier, completely uncharted, period of cosmic history!" explained Dr Nicolas Laporte, second author and a postdoctoral researcher at UCL who led the VLT observing campaign."

The study, published today in the journal Nature, was an international and collaborative effort. The Japanese team, led by Dr Takuya Hashimoto and Professor Akio Inoue of the Osaka Sangyo University, used ALMA to observe the distant galaxy called MACS1149-JD1. They detected a signal from ionised oxygen whose infrared light was stretched ten-fold to microwave wavelengths by the expansion of the Universe.

Dr Laporte independently confirmed the inferred distance of 13.28 billion light years by detecting emissions of hydrogen using the VLT [1]. These signals also stretched to near-infrared wavelengths, making MACS1149-JD1 the most distant known galaxy with a precise distance measurement [2].

ALMA has set the record for the most distant known source several times. In 2016, Professor Inoue and his colleagues detected oxygen emission at 13.1 billion light-years. Several months later, Dr Laporte used ALMA to detect oxygen at 13.2 billion light-years away. Both teams merged efforts to achieve this new record.

"ALMA is now clearly the most powerful instrument for securing distances to galaxies in the early Universe ahead of the expected launch of the James Webb Space Telescope," commented Professor Richard Ellis, a co-author also at UCL.

The team reconstructed the earlier history of MACS1149-JD1 using infrared data taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and NASA Spitzer Space Telescope. The observed brightness of the galaxy is well explained by a model where the onset of star formation corresponds to a time only 250 million years after the Universe began.

The maturity of the stars seen in MACS1149-JD1 raises the question of when the very first galaxies emerged from total darkness, an epoch astronomers call `cosmic dawn'.

By establishing the age of MACS1149-JD1, the team has effectively demonstrated the existence of early galaxies to times earlier than those where we can currently directly detect them.

Professor Ellis said: "Determining when cosmic dawn occurred is akin to the `Holy Grail' of cosmology and galaxy formation. With MACS1149-JD1, we have managed to probe history beyond the limits of when we can actually detect galaxies with current facilities. There is renewed optimism we are getting closer and closer to witnessing directly the birth of starlight. Since we are all made of processed stellar material, this is really finding our own origins."

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[1] The measured redshift of galaxy MACS1149-JD1 is z=9.11. A calculation based on the latest cosmological parameters measured with Planck (H0=67.3 km/s/Mpc, m=0.315, =0.685: Planck 2013 Results) yields the distance of 13.28 billion light-years. Please refer to "Expressing the distance to remote objects" for details.

[2] The galaxy GN-z11 is thought to be located 13.4 billion light-years away based on observations with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). But the precision of that distance measurement with is significantly lower than that of MACS1149-JD1 which is based on the use of two independent emission lines from atoms of hydrogen and oxygen.
Emissions of one of the chemicals most responsible for the Antarctic ozone hole are on the rise, despite an international treaty that required an end to its production in 2010, a new NOAA study shows.

Trichlorofluoromethane, or CFC-11, is the second-most abundant ozone-depleting gas in the atmosphere and a member of the family of chemicals most responsible for the giant hole in the ozone layer that forms over Antarctica each September. Once widely used as a foaming agent, production of CFC-11 was phased out by the Montreal Protocol in 2010.

The new study, published today in Nature, documents an unexpected increase in emissions of this gas, likely from new, unreported production.

"We're raising a flag to the global community to say, 'This is what's going on, and it is taking us away from timely recovery from ozone depletion,'" said NOAA scientist Stephen Montzka, lead author of the paper, which has co-authors from CIRES, the UK, and the Netherlands. "Further work is needed to figure out exactly why emissions of CFC-11 are increasing and if something can be done about it soon."

CFCs were once widely used in the manufacture of aerosol sprays, as blowing agents for foams and packing materials, as solvents, and as refrigerants. Though production of CFCs was phased out by the Montreal Protocol, a large reservoir of CFC-11 exists today primarily contained in foam insulation in buildings, and appliances manufactured before the mid-1990s. A smaller amount of CFC-11 also exists today in chillers.

Because CFC-11 still accounts for one-quarter of all chlorine present in today's stratosphere, expectations for the ozone hole to heal by mid-century depend on an accelerating decline of CFC-11 in the atmosphere as its emissions diminish-- which should happen with no new CFC-11 production.

Despite the increase in CFC-11 emissions, its concentration in the atmosphere continues to decrease, but only about half as fast as the decline observed a few years ago, and at a substantially slower rate than expected. This means that the total concentration of ozone-depleting chemicals, overall, is still decreasing in the atmosphere. However, that decrease is significantly slower than it would be without the new CFC emissions.

Precise measurements of global atmospheric concentrations of CFC-11 made by NOAA and CIRES scientists at 12 remote sites around the globe show that CFC-11 concentrations declined at an accelerating rate prior to 2002 as expected. Then, surprisingly, the rate of decline hardly changed over the decade that followed. Even more unexpected was that the rate of decline slowed by 50 percent after 2012. After considering a number of possible causes, Montzka and his colleagues concluded that CFC emissions must have increased after 2012. This conclusion was confirmed by other changes recorded in NOAA's measurements during the same period, such as a widening difference between CFC-11 concentrations in the northern and southern hemispheres - evidence that the new source was somewhere north of the equator.

Measurements from Hawaii indicate the sources of the increasing emissions are likely in eastern Asia. More work will be needed to narrow down the locations of these new emissions, Montzka said.

The Montreal Protocol has been effective in reducing ozone-depleting gases in the atmosphere because all countries in the world agreed to legally binding controls on the production of most human-produced gases known to destroy ozone. Under the treaty's requirements, nations have reported less than 500 tons of new CFC-11 production per year since 2010. CFC-11 concentrations have declined by 15 percent from peak levels measured in 1993 as a result.

That has led scientists to predict that by mid- to late-century, the abundance of ozone-depleting gases would to fall to levels last seen before the Antarctic ozone hole began to appear in the early 1980s.

However, results from the new analysis of NOAA atmospheric measurements show that from 2014 to 2016, emissions of CFC-11 increased by more than 14,000 tons per year to about 65,000 tons per year, or 25 percent above average emissions during 2002 to 2012.

To put that in perspective, production of CFC-11, marketed under the trade name Freon, peaked at about 430,000 tons per year in the 1980s. Emissions of this CFC to the atmosphere reached about 386,000 tons per year at their peak later in the decade.

These findings represent the first time emissions of one of the three most abundant, long-lived CFCs have increased for a sustained period since production controls took effect in the late 1980s.

If the source of these emissions can be identified and mitigated soon, the damage to the ozone layer should be minor. If not remedied soon, however, substantial delays in ozone layer recovery could be expected, Montzka said.

David Fahey, director of NOAA"s Chemical Science Division and co-chair of the United Nations Environment Programme's Ozone Secretariat 's Science Advisory Panel, said ongoing monitoring of the atmosphere will be key to ensuring that the goal of restoring the ozone layer is achieved.

"The analysis of these extremely precise and accurate atmospheric measurements is an excellent example of the vigilance needed to ensure continued compliance with provisions of the Montreal Protocol and protection of the Earth's ozone layer," Fahey said.

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Patients who need frequent hospitalization account for a disproportionate amount of health care spending in the United States. In 2012, the University of Chicago Medicine -- funded by a Health Care Innovation Award from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation -- began enrolling patients in a clinical trial designed to test an imaginative way to reduce such hospital stays.

The study, featured in the May 20, 2018, New York Times Sunday Magazine, was designed to determine whether doctors who focus their practices on the care of patients in and out of the hospital, known as comprehensive care physicians (CCPs), could improve care while reducing hospitalization for a highly vulnerable set of patients at high risk for being hospitalized.

The core element of the CCP model is that the same physician provides care for patients in the clinic as well as in the hospital. A few CCPs even make house calls. The CCPs also lead a team of nurse practitioners, social workers, care coordinators and other specialists selected for their ability to address the needs of high-risk patients. Each physician carries a panel of approximately 200 patients at a time, serving as their primary care physician during clinic visits and supervising their care whenever they are hospitalized.

From November 2012 to June 2016, 2,000 patients with chronic health problems enrolled in the study. Most came from the South Side of Chicago. Most of them had at least one hospital stay in the previous year. All of these patients were covered by Medicare.

The model is built upon 15 years of research by study director David Meltzer, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and chief of hospital medicine, and colleagues, on the changing medical work force in the United States. The model was designed to provide better care at lower cost. In this pilot study, it was able to improve the continuity of patient care, especially during and after a hospital stay, as well as strengthen the bond between doctor and patient.

Half of the patients in the study were assigned to "standard care." They connected with a hospital-based primary care physician who saw patients as needed in the clinic, but did not directly take care of them if they were admitted to the hospital. The other half were assigned to one of five CCPs, who saw them during clinic visits and also cared for them in the hospital.

When the study was completed, it was evident that the CCP model was both preferred by patients and economically beneficial in terms of reducing health care utilization.

"Hospitalization rates for CCP patients were 15 to 22 percent lower than for standard care patients," said Meltzer. CCP patients also reported "a better experience," he added. They gave their physicians higher ratings on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, a patient satisfaction survey required for all hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The University's standard care physicians scored quite well, in the 80th percentile nationally, but the CCP doctors were in the 95th percentile. They also were ranked higher by patients dealing with mental health issues.

"There's a huge literature suggesting that elements of the doctor-patient relationship, including trust, interpersonal relations, communication and knowledge of the patient, are all associated with lower costs and better outcomes," Meltzer said.

The trial, still underway, enrolls patients who are predicted to spend an average of 10 days a year in the hospital. Many of these patients have chronic diseases. Others are geriatric patients living in residence homes or patients with renal disease requiring regular dialysis treatment.

This program "may improve patient experience and health status while substantially reducing utilization for patients at increased risk for hospitalization," the study authors conclude. "The CCP model warrants further exploration through efforts to implement it in additional settings and rigorously evaluate its effects on outcomes and costs."

"Our goal is to understand patients' needs so that we can give them the most appropriate care," said Meltzer. "That should be better for them, produce better outcomes and ultimately be less costly for the health care system."

The next step is an expanded program, the Comprehensive Care, Community & Culture Program (C4P), designed to reduce the unmet social needs of economically and socially disadvantaged patients. About 400 people have already enrolled.

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Additional authors of the study are John F. Cursio, Andrea Flores, Robert Gibbons, James Zhang, Tom Best, Greg Ruhnke and the Comprehensive Care Research Group.
The unique, cosmopolitan sexual character of London's Soho should be preserved in the face of gentrification, a new study argues.

The research, by academics at the universities of Kent and Middlesex, highlights that Soho has long been recognised for its support of a diverse range of sexual citizens - including LGBTQ and the kink communities - but that this is threatened by a London-wide process of 'sanitization'.

They argue that, although the area continues to be associated with 'non-conformity and deviance', the geography of sex shops in Soho has been altered by licensing strategies and more recently by gentrification and corporatisation.

Using the example of two sex shops that cater for a diverse clientele, the researchers illustrate how Soho is important in the way it continues to 'create a space' for 'sexual others' that might normally be 'marginalized or pushed to the periphery'.

The study points out that, following the Miscellaneous Provisions Act of 1982, the number of sex shops in the area declined from more than 50 to a total of 12 licenced shops now.

But it notes that there is still a high concentration of sexual retailing, with most of the sexual commerce located in the north and eastern quarters of the area; this means that almost all of the sex shops, erotic boutiques and strip clubs are located within half a mile of one another.

This dense concentration sits in contrast to other parts of the UK, the researchers point out, where much of the licencing legislation and moral concerns about respectability has relegated sex shops to peripheral locations far away from main shopping areas.

Researcher Dr Erin Sanders-McDonagh, of Kent's School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, argues that it is the 'transgressive nature' of Soho that has allowed sex shops to thrive in ways that are 'unique to the area'.

'As with other Red-Light districts in Western Europe, Soho is being sanitized as part of larger gentrification processes and the worry is this diverse space will be stripped of its unique, cosmopolitan character,' she said.

The research, entitled Immoral geographies and Soho's sex shops: exploring spaces of sexual diversity in London (Erin Sanders-McDonagh, University of Kent; Magali Peyrefitte, Middlesex University) is published in the journal Gender, Place and Culture. See: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0966369X.2018.1453487

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For more information or interview requests contact Martin Herrema at the University of Kent Press Office.

Tel: 01227 816768

Email: M.J.Herrema@kent.ac.uk

News releases can also be found at http://www.kent.ac.uk/news

University of Kent on Twitter: http://twitter.com/UniKent

Notes to editors

Established in 1965, the University of Kent - the UK's European university - now has almost 20,000 students across campuses or study centres at Canterbury, Medway, Tonbridge, Brussels, Paris, Athens and Rome.

It has been ranked 22nd in the Guardian University Guide 2018 and 25th in the Complete University Guide 2018, and in June 2017 was awarded a gold rating, the highest, in the UK Government's Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2015-16, it is in the top 10% of the world's leading universities for international outlook and 66th in its table of the most international universities in the world. The THE also ranked the University as 20th in its 'Table of Tables' 2016.

Kent is ranked 17th in the UK for research intensity (REF 2014). It has world-leading research in all subjects and 97% of its research is deemed by the REF to be of international quality.

In the National Student Survey 2016, Kent achieved the fourth highest score for overall student satisfaction, out of all publicly funded, multi-faculty universities. Along with the universities of East Anglia and Essex, Kent is a member of the Eastern Arc Research Consortium.

The University is worth 0.7 billion to the economy of the south east and supports more than 7,800 jobs in the region. Student off-campus spend contributes 293.3m and 2,532 full-time-equivalent jobs to those totals.

Kent has received two Queen's Anniversary prizes for Higher and Further Education.
The plants which produce one of the most popular drinks in the world, coffee, are targeted by a microscopic worm, but scientists are fighting back.

An underestimated problem in coffee farming, the parasite has been found in soil samples across the coffee growing world thanks to a new and quick detection method.

Details of the method are published in the journal Phytopathology and the researchers hope it will be used to further understand which species live where, so growers can take mitigating actions and protect our morning brew.

Around two billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide every day. This supply of coffee beans is challenged by two major nematode species which live in the soil and damage the roots of the coffee plant with no specific symptoms.

The nematodes feed on the plant roots, weakening the plant and ultimately cause yield loss. The nematodes also enjoy banana and black pepper plants, which are often grown alongside coffee providing a rich environment for them to thrive.

A team led by the University of Leeds, working with Nestle agronomists and researchers, as well as international academic colleagues, took soil samples from plantations in Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia. They analysed these samples to identify DNA from the worms and found them at damaging levels wherever they looked.

The problem of nematode worms targeting coffee crops has been previously reported. However this is the first molecular-based study to assess plant-parasitic nematodes in coffee fields by sampling multiple crop plants in three major coffee producing countries.

Peter Urwin, Professor of Plant Nematology at the University of Leeds Faculty of Biological Sciences said: "We found widespread evidence of these parasites. The exact species vary by country and looking at soil samples, I can tell the difference between Vietnam and Brazil or Indonesia. The sad fact is that wherever we take samples, we find plant-parasitic nematodes, which are hugely damaging to coffee crops."

The average coffee plant has a 20 year lifespan and is a significant investment for a farmer. They are sometimes grown alongside banana and black pepper which gives a broader income stream, but may compound the problem. The researchers say one mitigation method could be to separate the crops so if one gets infected the others are not threatened.

Professor Urwin added: "In vineyards, growers often plant pest-resistant but less desirable grapes and then "graft" preferable grape varieties onto the vines to protect against root parasites. Once we have a better picture of which parasites attack which coffee crops and which coffee plants are resistant, this approach could be an option for growers."

The work was carried out by PhD researcher, Christopher Bell. He said: "We were alarmed by the number of parasites we found in our samples and hope our method will be taken up by others so we better understand what we are facing. Ultimately, farmers and growers should benefit from this work and take appropriate mitigating actions."

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Further information

This research is supported by a KTN CASE studentship and by Nestle.

For facts about coffee, visit the British Coffee Association.

Journalists with questions or interview requests should contact Peter Le Riche in the University of Leeds press office on +44 113 343 2049 or email p.leriche@leeds.ac.uk
First-of-its-kind study combines NASA satellite observations of Earth with data on human activities to map where--and why--freshwater is changing around the globe

A new global, satellite-based study of Earth's freshwater distribution found that Earth's wet areas are getting wetter, while dry areas are getting drier. The data suggest that this pattern is due to a variety of factors, including human water management practices, human-caused climate change and natural climate cycles.

The NASA-led research team, which included Hiroko Beaudoing, a faculty specialist at the University of Maryland's Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC), used 14 years of observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission to track global trends in freshwater in 34 regions around the world.

The study, published in the May 17, 2018 issue of the journal Nature, also incorporated satellite precipitation data from the ESSIC-led Global Precipitation Climatology Project; Landsat imagery from NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey; irrigation maps; and published reports of human activities related to agriculture, mining and reservoir operations. The study period spans from 2002 to 2016.

"This is the first time we've assessed how freshwater availability is changing, everywhere on Earth, using satellite observations," said Matt Rodell, lead author of the paper and chief of the Hydrological Sciences Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "A key goal was to distinguish shifts in terrestrial water storage caused by natural variability--wet periods and dry periods associated with El Nino and La Nina, for example--from trends related to climate change or human impacts, like pumping groundwater out of an aquifer faster than it is replenished."

Freshwater is present in lakes, rivers, soil, snow, groundwater and glacial ice. Its loss in the ice sheets at the poles--attributed to climate change--has implications for sea level rise. On land, it is one of Earth's most essential resources for drinking water and irrigation. While some regions' water supplies are relatively stable, others normally experience increases or decreases. But the current study revealed a new and distressing pattern.

"What we are witnessing is major hydrologic change," said co-author James Famiglietti of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "We see, for the first time, a very distinctive pattern of the wet land areas of the world getting wetter--those are the high latitudes and the tropics--and the dry areas in between getting dryer. Embedded within the dry areas we see multiple hotspots resulting from groundwater depletion."

Famiglietti noted that while water loss in some regions is clearly driven by warming climate, such as the melting ice sheets and alpine glaciers, it will take more time before other patterns can be unequivocally attributed to climate change.

"The pattern of wet-getting-wetter, dry-getting-drier is predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change models for the end of the 21st century, but we'll need a much longer dataset to be able to definitively say that climate change is responsible for the emergence of a similar pattern in the GRACE data," Famiglietti said. "However, the current trajectory is certainly cause for concern."

The twin GRACE satellites, launched in 2002 as a joint mission with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), precisely measured the distance between the two satellites to detect changes in Earth's gravity field caused by movements of mass on the planet below. Using this method, GRACE tracked variations in terrestrial water storage on monthly to yearly timescales until its science mission ended in October 2017.

However, the GRACE satellite observations alone couldn't tell Beaudoing, Rodell, Famiglietti and their colleagues what was causing an apparent trend.

"We examined information on precipitation, agriculture and groundwater pumping to find a possible explanation for the trends estimated from GRACE," said Beaudoing, who also has a joint appointment at NASA Goddard.

One of the big causes of groundwater depletion across the board was agriculture, which can be complicated by natural cycles as seen in California, Famiglietti said. Decreases in freshwater caused by the severe drought from 2007 to 2015 were compounded by groundwater withdrawals to support the farms in the state's Central Valley.

Southwestern California lost 4 gigatons of freshwater per year during the same period. A gigaton of water is the equivalent of the mass of water in 400,000 Olympic swimming pools. A majority of California's freshwater comes in the form of rainfall and snow that collects in the Sierra Nevada as snowpack and then is managed through a series of reservoirs as it melts. When natural cycles led to dry years, causing diminished snowpack and surface waters, people relied on groundwater more heavily.

Downward trends in freshwater seen in Saudi Arabia also reflect agricultural pressures. From 2002 to 2016, the region lost 6.1 gigatons per year of stored groundwater. Imagery from the Landsat series of satellites shows the growth of irrigated farmland in the arid landscape from 1987 to the present, which explains the increased drawdown.

Natural cycles of rainy and dry years can also cause a trend in the 14-year data record that is unlikely to persist, Rodell said. An example is the western Zambezi basin and Okavango Delta, a vital watering hole for wildlife in northern Botswana. In this region, terrestrial water storage increased at an average rate of 29 gigatons per year from 2002 to 2016. This wet period during the GRACE mission followed at least two decades of dryness. Rodell believes this is a case of natural variability that occurs over decades in this region of Africa.

The researchers found that a combination of natural and human pressures can lead to complex scenarios in some regions. Previously undocumented water declines occurred in northwestern China in Xin Jiang province. This region, about the size of Kansas, is bordered by Kazakhstan to the west and the Taklamakan desert to the south and encompasses the central portion of the Tien Shan Mountains.

Rodell and his colleagues had to piece together multiple factors to explain the disappearance of 5.5 gigatons of terrestrial water storage per year in Xin Jiang Province. Less rainfall was not the culprit. Additions to surface water were also occurring from climate change-induced glacier melt and the pumping of groundwater out of coal mines. But these additions were more than offset by depletions caused by an increase in water consumption for the irrigation of cropland and evaporation of river water from the desert floor.

The successor to GRACE, called GRACE Follow-On, a joint mission with the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), is at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California undergoing final preparations for launch.

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This release was adapted from text provided by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

The research paper, "Emerging Trends in Global Freshwater Availability," Matthew Rodell, James Famiglietti, David Wiese, J.T. Reager, Hiroko Beaudoing, Felix Landerer and Min-Hui Lo, was published in the journal Nature on May 17, 2018.

This work was supported by NASA, the University of California Office of the President and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views of these organizations.

Media Relations Contact: Matthew Wright, 301-405-9267, mewright@umd.edu

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About the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 9,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college's 10 departments and more than a dozen interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $175 million.
(Minneapolis, MN) - Existing state and local programs focused on good nutrition and physical activities for children have led to measurable improvement in practices by the state's child care programs between 2010 and 2016, says a new University of Minnesota Medical School study.

"What's important to note is that these improvements are based on existing programs in place and required no new regulations," said study lead author Dr. Susie Nanney of the Medical School's Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. "This change happened by informing and engaging child care providers rather than implementing costly regulations that can reduce access to quality programs for those families who need it most."

Programs cited as having a positive impact included the Minnesota State Health Improvement Program (SHIP), Let's Move! Child Care, Farm to Childcare (National Farm to School Network), Minnesota Food Charter, and Minnesota's Born to Thrive initiative.

The study, published in the June edition of Preventive Medicine Reports, shows that both childcare centers and family/home early childhood programs had increased good practices for ensuring children in their care had access to healthy and nutritious foods, as well as appropriate physical activity opportunities.

"It's promising to note that we're doing better at serving healthier food and limiting screen times," said Nanney. "We just need to sustain our investments and implement what we know works to improve nutrition and activity for the state's children."

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This study was funded by Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.

About the University of Minnesota Medical School: The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. Visit med.umn.edu to learn how the University of Minnesota is innovating all aspects of medicine.
In a landmark study, researchers found that patients treated with paramedic oxygen delivery using a newer, more flexible laryngeal breathing tube may have a greater survival rate after sudden cardiac arrest than the traditional intubation breathing tube.

Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the study is the largest of its kind to test oxygen delivery methods used by firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics. The study was presented at the 2018 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana by lead author Henry E. Wang, M.D., M.S., professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

"For over three decades, emergency medical services personnel in the U.S. have performed intubation to deliver oxygen into the lungs of cardiac arrest victims. While identical to techniques used by doctors in the hospital, intubation in the prehospital setting is very difficult and fraught with errors," Wang said. "Our trial showed that cardiac arrest patients treated using the newer and easier laryngeal tube device may have a higher survival rate."

Sudden cardiac arrest, or loss of mechanical activity of the heart, is usually caused by a heart attack. More than 400,000 individuals are treated for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year, with the vast majority occurring at home, according to the American Heart Association. Studies show that only about 10 percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive. Delivery of oxygen to the lungs is a critical part of reviving a patient from cardiac arrest.

The multicenter research study - Pragmatic Airway Resuscitation Trial - compared survival rates among 3,000 adults with cardiac arrest treated by paramedic crews from 27 emergency medical services (EMS) agencies from December 2015 to November 2016. Approximately half received the newer laryngeal tube (LT) airway, while the other half received traditional endotracheal intubation. The study (NHLBI grant UH2/UH3-HL125163) was conducted by the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium research network and included the Birmingham, Dallas-Fort Worth, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Portland communities.

Overall, survival was higher in the LT than the standard intubation group. In the LT group, 18.3 percent survived three days in the hospital, while in the intubation group, 15.4 percent survived three days. A total of 10.8 percent in the LT group survived to reach hospital survival, while 8.1 percent in the intubation group reached hospital survival. The proportion of patients surviving with good brain function was also higher for LT than standard intubation.

"This is the first randomized trial to show that a paramedic airway intervention can improve cardiac arrest survival," Wang said. "Based upon these results, use of the newer LT devices could result in more than 10,000 additional lives saved each year."

While additional research is needed to support the study's findings, the researchers believe that the benefits of the newer LT airway are due to its easier technique, leading to better blood flow and oxygen delivery. They are continuing to analyze the data to gain additional insight into the study results.

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The first European-wide genomic survey of gonorrhoea has mapped antibiotic resistance in this sexually transmitted disease throughout the continent. Researchers at The Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance (CGPS), the Wellcome Sanger Institute, European Centre for Disease Control, and their collaborators also showed that using DNA sequencing data they could accurately determine antibiotic resistance and identify incorrect laboratory test results. This genomic approach could one day help doctors prescribe the most effective antibiotics for each region.

Reported in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the study has also established an open genomic database of gonorrhoea. The new resource will support real-time ongoing surveillance of gonorrhoea worldwide, which public health officials could use to monitor which strains of gonorrhoea are present globally and where new antibiotic resistance is emerging.

Gonorrhoea is the second most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) globally and is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The WHO estimates that gonorrhoea infects 88 million people globally each year. Amongst other complications, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility if left untreated, and in some cases leads to life-threatening complications such as meningitis. Transmitted during unprotected sex, many strains of gonorrhoea are now difficult to treat due to the rise in antibiotic resistance.

To understand the extent of multidrug resistant strains and determine the best method for surveillance, the researchers studied 1054 samples of N. gonorrhoeae collected from 20 countries across Europe in 2013*. Each sample was tested locally for type and antibiotic sensitivity, and was sent to a central laboratory for DNA extraction. The DNA was then sequenced and the data analysed at the Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance and made accessible via their online platform, creating the first European-wide database of gonorrhoea.

The scientists discovered that using genomic data allowed them to identify clinically important, antibiotic resistant strains much more accurately than existing typing techniques, and to identify incorrect laboratory antibiotic resistance results.

Prof David Aanensen, a corresponding author on the paper and Director of The Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: "Ours is the most comprehensive, structured genomic study of gonorrhoea to date, and data are available to healthcare workers worldwide to compare and view emerging strains of gonorrhoea. This combination of a new method with an accessible database and interpretation tools provides a genomic baseline of gonorrhoea strains and antibiotic resistance across Europe, which will strengthen real-time, surveillance of gonorrhoea.

Dr Simon Harris, first author on the paper from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: "Our study shows that current methods for typing strains of gonorrhoea are not very effective for surveillance. We show that whole genome sequencing gives a true picture of where sensitive and resistant strains are circulating, which will allow doctors to quickly spot the emergence of new, antibiotic resistant gonorrhoea strains. A follow up study starting this year will show how the picture changes with time."

The web application is openly available online, and healthcare officials from around the world can use it and add their own genomic data. This will enable them to monitor the strains and antibiotic resistance emerging in each geographic area. Ongoing surveillance would allow clinics to offer the most appropriate antibiotics and help to delay the onset of further antibiotic resistance.

Dr Gianfranco Spiteri, an author on the paper from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control which co-ordinates the European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP), said: "Drug-resistant bacteria are becoming a huge public health threat. To control them, we badly need new tools to identify and track new infections and antibiotic resistant strains. This new approach will allow European-wide genomic surveillance of gonorrhoea which directly influences infection control on a national level and helps to prevent gonorrhoea. This approach can also be expanded to other infections."

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Notes to Editors:

*The European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP) monitors antimicrobial resistance in the European Union and European economic area.

Selected websites:

The Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance (CGPS)

The Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance is an initiative based at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Big Data Institute at the University of Oxford, focussed on genomic epidemiology, laboratory and software engineering for global surveillance of microbial pathogens. The Centre seeks to provide genomic and epidemiological big data and tools to allow researchers, doctors and governments worldwide to track and analyse the spread of pathogens and antimicrobial resistance through strategic partnerships. The Centre also houses the NIHR Global Health Research Unit of Genomic Surveillance of AMR. http://pathogensurveillance.net

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an EU agency tasked with identifying, assessing and communicating threats to human health posed by infectious diseases. It supports the work of public health authorities in the EU and EEA Member States. https://ecdc.europa.eu/en/home

The European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP)

The European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP), co-ordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, annually monitors emerging resistance trends by testing susceptibility of the recommended antimicrobial agents for gonorrhoea treatment - which is vital to guide clinical services to ensure that patients are successfully treated and the risk of complications are avoided. https://ecdc.europa.eu/en/about-us/partnerships-and-networks/disease-and-laboratory-networks/euro-gasp

Wellcome Sanger Institute

The Wellcome Sanger Institute is one of the world's leading genome centres. Through its ability to conduct research at scale, it is able to engage in bold and long-term exploratory projects that are designed to influence and empower medical science globally. Institute research findings, generated through its own research programmes and through its leading role in international consortia, are being used to develop new diagnostics and treatments for human disease. To celebrate its 25th year in 2018, the Institute is sequencing 25 new genomes of species in the UK. Find out more at http://www.sanger.ac.uk or follow @sangerinstitute

Wellcome

Wellcome exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive. We're a global charitable foundation, both politically and financially independent. We support scientists and researchers, take on big problems, fuel imaginations and spark debate. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk
The Swiss government has approved a CHF5 million ($5 million) financial contribution to a national programme aimed at preventing radicalisation and violent extremism.

The funds, to be spent over five years, are to help kickstart projects to raise awareness, provide counselling and launch information campaigns. This will be done in collaboration with cantonal and municipal authorities as well as civil society, according to the Federal Police Office.

The principles of the programme were agreed on and announced last December.

The programme is part of a three-pronged action plan to combat the spread of violent extremism.

Moves are also underway to toughen the laws and penalties against such acts.

Canton Zurich last year launched a strategy including police coordinating its efforts with local authorities, schools, youth organisations and social services.

Switzerland has so far escaped major acts of violent extremism as witnessed elsewhere in Europe, but there are several known hotspots of Islamist radicalisation.

The intelligence service regularly publishes figures about the number of people leaving Switzerland to engage in jihad, mainly in Syria and Iraq.

In total, 93 known cases are on record since 2001, but there has been no change since February according to the defence ministry.
The speaker of Israel's parliament told French lawmakers on Wednesday that Hamas was to blame for the deaths of dozens of Palestinians along its border with Gaza this week.

Weve been warned for years that Hamas has been planning this kind of attack on the border in order to execute terror activities under the convenient surroundings of manifestations or demonstrations, Yuli Edelstein said during a two-day visit to France.

Many were armed; landmines and explosives were planted along the border, he told the French parliaments foreign affairs committee.

Right now Israeli soldiers are working on dismantling bombs right on the border, he said.

Israel has come under intense international pressure over the deaths in Gaza, after tens of thousands of Palestinians had gathered near the border while smaller numbers of people approached the fence and sought to break through.

Edelstein said the protests were not at all linked to anger over the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, in wide defiance of its European allies.

Hamas is not just telling people to go out and demonstrate, Edelstein said. They are openly saying, You have to march to Tel Aviv, and Haifa and Jerusalem.

We want quiet on the border, and the last thing Hamas wants there is quiet, he claimed.
North Korea must "demonstrate its sincerity to negotiate on its denuclearisation", French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday after Pyongyang threatened to cancel its summit with US President Donald Trump.

Highs and lows can come along as the recent news from the peninsula shows, but we must not lose sight of the goal, Le Drian said during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

Referring to the complete and verifiable denuclearisation of the peninsula, Le Drian added that France therefore expects from North Korea the implementation of all its international obligations as well as specific commitments to demonstrate its sincerity to negotiate a gradual abandonment of its nuclear and ballistic programmes.

After weeks of warm words and diplomatic backslapping, Pyongyang on Tuesday abruptly threatened to pull out of the summit  scheduled for mid-June in Singapore  over US demands for unilateral nuclear abandonment.

The North Korean charm offensive has seen leader Kim Jong Un hold a historic summit with the Souths president and meet twice with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Pyongyang also raised denuclearisation hopes ahead of the US summit by announcing it would destroy its nuclear testing site next week.

Analysts said Pyongyang appeared to be trying to redefine the terms of the debate.
Iran's foreign minister on Tuesday hailed talks with the EU to try to find a way to rescue the Iran nuclear deal after the US pulled out as a "good start".

I believe its a good start. Were not there, were beginning the process, Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters after meeting his French, British and German counterparts in Brussels.

The three European signatories to the landmark 2015 deal are leading international efforts to preserve it after US President Donald Trump withdrew and reimposed sanctions lifted under the accord.

Tehran has said it wants guarantees that the economic benefits the deal brought will continue if it is to stick with it and Zarif warned he expected to see progress within the next few weeks.

The EU has said it will stick to the deal as long as Iran does, but the Islamic republic has warned it is ready to resume industrial-scale uranium enrichment if it is not satisfied.

The deal, painstakingly negotiated over more than a decade, lifted punishing economic sanctions on Iran in return for it abandoning its nuclear ambitions.

Trump cast the agreement into jeopardy a week ago when he abruptly pulled the US out.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called for an end to the violence on the Gaza border during a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said.

The leaders discussed the mass protest actions on Palestinian territories and expressed serious concern over the deaths of a large number of participants, the Kremlin said in a statement.

During the conversation, the Russian side stressed the importance of renouncing violence (and) the need to establish a productive talks process with the aim of seeking mutually acceptable outcomes based on the relevant UN resolutions, the Kremlin added.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow that it was blasphemous to call dozens of peaceful protesters killed on the Gaza border by Israeli forces terrorists.

I cannot agree with the fact that dozens of peaceful civilians, including children and infants, who were killed in these incidents were terrorists. This is a blasphemous statement, Lavrov said.

Protests that took place on Monday after the United States moved its embassy in Jerusalem saw dozens of Palestinian killed by Israeli fire. Gazas rulers Hamas said that most were its members.

Those killed included a baby who died from tear gas inhalation along with eight children under the age of 16.

Lavrov stressed the need for dialogue on the status of Jerusalem, saying that this topic cannot be a matter for unilateral decisions and requires direct dialogue between the leadership of Israel and Palestine.

The US government has placed the blame for the bloodshed with Hamas, which does not recognize Israels right to exist.

Speaking at the United Nations on Tuesday, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said Hamas would have been pleased with the results from yesterday.
Moscow called Wednesday for a Russian journalist detained in Ukraine for treason to be freed, condemning Kiev authorities for what it said was a repressive policy against the media.

Russia will do everything to ensure its citizen is freed, and to prevent other journalists finding themselves in similar situations, whether they are Russian citizens or work for Russian media foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a press briefing.

Kyrylo Vyshynsky, a dual Ukrainian-Russian national who works for Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti, was detained in Kiev on Tuesday where officials said he would be charged with treason for his subversive reporting to justify Moscows 2014 annexation of Crimea.

They also said Vyshynsky later collaborated with separatist groups in eastern Ukraine, where a conflict that broke out following Crimeas seizure has cost some 10,000 lives.

The court in the southern city of Kherson, where Vyshynsky was expected to be transferred, said it had not yet received his case and a hearing may not take place until Thursday.

Zakharova accused Ukrainian authorities of a repressive policy against the media and expressed Russias indignation at the brutal violations of the freedom of the press in Ukraine.

Vyshynskys arrest came just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin opened a bridge providing the first direct road connection from southern Russia to the Crimean peninsula.

The Kremlin, which had immediately condemned the journalists arrest as outrageous and scandalous, reiterated on Wednesday that Russia would respond.

However Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated Ukrainian journalists working in Russia had nothing to fear.

During all these difficult years Russia has never constrained your professional activities Unfortunately our journalists working in Ukraine cant claim such treatment, Peskov told a press briefing.

Vyshynsky, 51, worked for several Ukrainian media outlets before becoming a correspondent for Russias state television channel Rossiya for several years. He later joined RIA Novosti and received Russian nationality in 2015.
Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, poisoned in Britain in March, met other European intelligence services to give information about Russian spies operating on their territories, a Czech intelligence source said Wednesday.

Skripal, recruited by Britains MI6 in 1995, had crucial information on how the Russian system works, how they work abroad, a well-informed Czech intelligence source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in England in March in a nerve agent attack that Britain and its Western allies have blamed on Russia.

Moscow has vehemently denied any involvement.

The former Russian spy visited Prague in 2012, according to the website of Czech weekly Respekt.

Yes, something like that did happen. The participants in the meeting considered it most beneficial, the intelligence source told AFP.

When an intelligence agency, whether British or American, recruits someone like this, they use him for this purpose. They offered him to allies, not only to the Czech Republic, the source added.

Czech intelligence officials also met Skripal in Britain at least once, according to Respekt.

The New York Times reported this week that in 2016 Skripal also met agents from Estonia, a formerly Soviet-ruled Baltic state that is now an EU and NATO member.

Harrys Puusepp, spokesman for Estonias Internal Security Service, declined to confirm or deny the report on Wednesday, telling AFP that the agency cannot comment on our international cooperation.

frj/mas/dcr
The UN special envoy to Syria warned Wednesday that a regime assault on the northern rebel-held area of Idlib would be "six times" more destructive than the battle to recapture Ghouta, which fell last month after years of siege.

If we see a Ghouta scenario in Idlib, this could be six times worse, affecting 2.3 million people, Staffan de Mistura told the UN Security Councils monthly meeting on the Syria conflict.

De Mistura described what he called the classic Syrian regime tactic of a bombardment of a rebel territory followed by negotiations and then mass evacuations from the defeated area.

But the special envoy noted that half of the people in the northern rebel province of Idlib had already fled from other parts of Syria, and will have nowhere else to go because there is no other place to go.

Regime forces recaptured Ghouta from rebels last month after a ferocious offensive that displaced tens of thousands, both to government-controlled zones around Damascus and to opposition-held parts of northern Syria.

Nevertheless de Mistura said he was encouraged by talks earlier this week in the Kazakh capital Astana on how to avoid worst-case scenario in Idlib.

The latest round of peace talks, which wrapped up on Tuesday, did not however make any concrete progress towards ending the seven-year conflict that has cost 350,000 lives.

 Astana talks 

The high-level talks ended merely with a declaration by the three main guarantor nations of Russia and Iran  both of which are allies of the Damascus regime  and Turkey, which backs rebel groups, that negotiations would resume in July in the Russian city of Sochi, but rebel groups said they would not attend.

Since the Astana negotiations opened at the beginning of last year, they have mostly focused on attempts to keep Syrian regime forces and their rebel opponents at arms length.

Russias deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanski, said that the solution to the Syria conflict was simple: restore the sovereignty of Damascus over its territories.

If you cannot or will not help solve the problem, at least do not stand in our way! he said in a statement directed at the United States, which did not send a delegation to the latest Astana talks.

Shortly before the UN meeting, the Dutch ambassador Karel Van Oosterom told reporters that the main obstacle to resolving the conflict was that the Syrian government is not engaging.

He said that was the message that De Mistura himself had made during a recent meeting of the council.

To that end, Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the UN, called on Moscow and Tehran to use their sway to push Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a political rather than military solution to the conflict.

We really need all those with influence on Syria, and that includes Russia and Iran, to encourage them to set aside a military strategy to resolve this conflict and to engage with the United Nations across the board so that we can get back to Geneva and we can get back to a political settlement, she said.

I would urge those Astana progenitors to do what they can to ensure that on the ground the people in Idlib are safe and that we avert a humanitarian catastrophe there, she said.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018

In KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die,." Gail Rubin presents creative ways to downsize and how to organize for end-of-life issues well BEFORE someone dies. This talk will take place on Thursday, May 31, 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. at the Meadowlark Senior Center, 4330 Meadowlark Lane, Rio Rancho.

Do you plan to live forever? Good for you! Do you ever plan to move? Depending on where youre going, you cant take it with you.

KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die is your guide to a clean house and a clear mind. Death educator Gail Rubin brings a light touch to cleaning out those dark recesses of your drawers and closets. In these pages, youll learn how to:

Tackle downsizing without being overwhelmed by the job

Evaluate what to keep, toss, donate and recycle

Creatively remove excess goods from your home

Manage your finances for today and tomorrow

Organize your funeral and create your legacy

The 128-page book, in paperback and eBook formats, is a quick, easy read, with colorful photographs and bonus online information. Each of the 100 Bucket List items include links to helpful internet articles that expand on each point.

Theres also a handy 50-item Executors Checklist, guidance for the person who will take care of your after-death details, available as a free downloadable PDF here.

ORDER the paperback version of KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things To Do Before You Die today for $15.95 and get your copy signed by the author at this event! Add to Cart

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The oil and gas industrys love affair with President Donald Trump is in trouble.

After more than a year of fawning praise for everything from tax cuts to the opening up of offshore drilling, oil and gas lobbyists are in open combat with the White House over the administrations push to recast the North American Free Trade Agreement and commerce at-large from the globalist, free-trade model that has long benefited oil companies in Texas and around the globe.

Theres a growing sense of frustration that the administration is not being more reasonable, said Josh Zive, an attorney with the Washington law firm Bracewell, whose clients include oil and gas companies. Its old school populist talking points, and in doing so (Trump) lost the business community and virtually everybody else with them.

While the White House has signaled it plans to keep the United States in NAFTA, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is looking to remove from NAFTA a protection that allows companies that have lost business or assets at the hands of a foreign government to challenge those decisions with independent arbitrators. The Trump administration argues that provision usurps U.S. authority and acts as free insurance against political change abroad, encouraging multinational companies to move manufacturing plants outside the United States.

At a time when U.S. companies are investing heavily in Mexican oil and gas fields and building pipelines there, executives fear without those protections they could see their contracts rewritten or even their assets seized as populist, anti-American wave sweeps Mexico , led by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the frontrunner to win Mexicos presidential election in July.

The potential for governments to seize the assets of foreign oil companies operating in their fields is a constant threat, as happened in Venezuela in the mid-2000s. In that case, oil companies including Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips sued the government through an international arbitration court run by the World Bank, but that court has no means to enforce its decisions leaving companies a long and trying road to recover their losses. ConocoPhillips, after recently winning a $2 billion arbitration award, has moved to take control of Caribbean assets of Venezuelas national oil company.

Last week, the American Petroleum Institute, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers wrote a joint letter to Trump and his Cabinet, arguing that doing away with what is known as the Investor-State Dispute Settlement would threaten our economy and endanger the prospects for NAFTA 2.0 to be approved in Congress. Republicans, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Woodlands, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Senate majority whip, have lined up in protest.

It seems like Lighthizer doesnt understand the vote count here in Congress, said Rep. Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, whose district includes vast oil and gas fields. Hes doing things that are not increasing the number of votes but decreasing them.

New Mexican president

But time is running out. The administration hopes to have a new NAFTA signed before the Mexican election in July to avoid negotiating with Obrador. And so far Trump appears unconvinced by the industrys arguments , rebuffing oil executives, including Exxon CEO Darren Woods and Anadarko Petroleum CEO Al Walker at a White House meeting in March.

From the administrations point of view, they are fixing a system that has done little to protect American workers against the outsourcing that has run rampant. Even as experts attribute the majority of job losses in U.S manufacturing to advances in technology and automation, Trump is making the case to workers that its through bad trade deals theyve been hurt.

NAFTAs arbitration provision is probably the biggest item that everybody agrees is a problem, whether its the Tea Party or the unions, said Bob Cash, director of the Texas Fair Trade Coalition, a nonprofit representing labor interests. A company can challenge environmental laws and worker protections passed by a nation and upheld by their supreme courts. It essentially gives multinational corporations veto rights over democratically decided laws.

As NAFTA negotiations move toward their climax, the stakes are high for the U.S. oil and gas industry, which in February exported 126 billion cubic feet of natural gas to Mexico - more than three times what they moved a decade ago. And refineries along the Gulf Coast are designed to handle Mexicos heavy crude oil, which make up 7 percent of U.S. oil imports.

That relationship was expected to only grow in the years ahead, following Mexican President Enrique Pena Nietos move to open up the nations oil and gas field to foreign investment after a decades long monopoly by Mexicos national oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. Politicians talked about North America becoming the worlds new Middle East, with shale and oil sands reserves underlying Mexico, Canada and the United States ready to be tapped by new drilling technology.

The dispute mechanism

But between Trumps protectionism and Obradors criticism that Mexico is giving away too much to the United States, foreign policy specialists are increasingly concerned that relations between the two countries could break down. If Trump does remove the dispute mechanism from NAFTA, some experts fear U.S. companies would be put at a disadvantage in trying to win work in Mexico, forced to raise their bids to cover political risk.

That is something the Chinese-state owned companies they are competing against would not have to worry about, because they enjoy far greater protection by their government

If our companies become hesitant, the Chinese arent going to be so hesitant, said Earl Anthony Wayne, the former U.S. ambassador to Mexico and Argentina, now a fellow at the Wilson Center, a Washington think tank. Its the Americans and other who have to count all their dollars and have to make a profit and the Chinese who are just trying to get access to the resources and dont have to make the same calculations. With Trump seemingly dead set on remaking NAFTA in his world view, lobbyists are working to increase opposition in Congress.

Whether they have the votes to send a NAFTA without the arbitration provision, known by its acronym ISDS, back to the White House remains to be seen, but in March, more than 100 Republican House members and senators signed a letter stating concerns.

Its our responsibility here in the House to influence them to make the right decision, said Hurd, the West Texas congressman, and let them know they might not have the votes if things like ISDS are not included.
The lone finalist for superintendent of Alamo Heights Independent School District is no stranger to its campuses. Dana Bashara started her career in 1996 teaching fifth graders in room 503 of Woodridge Elementary School.

On Tuesday, the districts board of trustees voted unanimously to name Bashara, now an assistant superintendent for elementary education, as their choice for the top post.

(Bashara) has excelled in every role she has taken on  including teacher, assistant princiapl, principal and assistant superintendent - and has been instrumental in helping the district develop and implement its strategic plans, said John Tippit, the boards president, in a prepared statement. We are delighted to name her as our next superintendent and have full confidence that she will lead this district to even greater heights for many years to come.

By law, trustees must wait 21 days after naming a finalist before making the hire.

Trustees picked Bashara without interviewing any other candidate after launching a search in February. If confirmed, she will replace Kevin Brown, who is leaving to become the executive director of the Texas Association of School Administrators in Austin. His last day with Alamo Heights ISD is June 30.

Bashara was not available for comment following the announcement. In a prepared statement, Bashara said she is invested personally and professionally in the district.

Im honored to ensure that we stay focused on the collaborative vision already established.  We have the most talented teachers and leaders in AHISD  staff who Ive worked alongside for years and I know that we will not miss a beat in this transition time together, Bashara wrote. It is a privilege to get to serve our community in this capacity.

She told the Express-News in 2003 in response to a promotion to principal of Cambridge Elementary School: I feel so tied to the district and its families.

Since then, Bashara, 44, has held numerous leadership titles. She advocated for developing a wellness coordinator position in 2009 to confront social and emotional issues facing students. The position was created after an Alamo Heights High School student died in an alcohol-related crash.

Bashara also has been a leader in formulating the districts strategic plan.

She has a masters degree in educational leadership from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a doctorate in educational administration from Texas A&M University.

A Pennsylvania native, Bashara is married to Collier Bashara and they have three daughters and a son who attend Alamo Heights ISD schools.

krista.torralva@express-news.net
Paul Perez hunched forward over his bicycle Tuesdy and concentrated on threading a thin wire through a chain to an assembly in the back of the bike that will allow him to change gears when he rides.

Youre doing great. Good job, said San Antonio Police Officer Ian Garcia as he watched, guiding Perez during a class at Edgewood Independent School Districts Burleson Center for Innovation and Education.

Perez, a special needs student at Edgewood, found the tiny hole through which he could pull the cable.

There you go, Garcia said.

Perez, 20, relaxed his shoulders and tightened a screw to finish that part of the job.

He is one of three men in a new course offered to students with disabilities, ages 18-21, to get training on bicycle mechanics with officers from the SAPD bike patrol unit. The top goal is to help students get a job after they complete it, program coordinator Olga Moucoulis said.

Realistically, not all students will have the mechanical skills or physical dexterity to become a bike mechanic, said Officer Steven Bazany of the bike patrol unit. But officers strive to give those students independence, so they wont have to rely on others.

More Information How to help To donate bikes to the program, call Edgewood ISD's Burleson Center for Innovation and Education at 210-444-7596. See More Collapse

Were hoping that it brings some meaning to their life, Bazany said.

It also pairs students with officers like Garcia, who wore his service weapon, taser and cuffs along with an apron to keep the grease off. The officers gain better understanding of people with intellectual disabilities, while the students come to see police as more than just authority figures who make arrests, Bazany said.

The students look forward to Tuesday afternoons when the officers are there, Moucoulis said. They joke with the police and each other.

Bazany asked Justin Avila to show him a flat-head screwdriver. Avila, who is mute, pointed to classmate Robert Garcia  who responded by jokingly placing Avila in a chokehold. The two hugged it out seconds later.

Youre the funniest person I know who doesnt speak, Bazany told Avila, who beamed.

The program is the brainchild of Moucoulis, whose father retired from the police department. She reached out to SAPD officials in early March and the officers jumped at the chance to help, a department spokesman, Officer Carlos Ortiz, said.

Now, the officers and centers administrators want to grow the program, at least within Edgewood ISD, whose special needs student population is about 8.8 percent of total enrollment, district spokeswoman Keyhla Calderon-Lugo said.

If this is the one and only class and I just got three new friends, then thats worth it too, Bazany said.

krista.torralva@express-news.net
Special "pro tem" prosecutors tapped to handle capital murder cases can make tens of thousands of dollars in extra money by choosing to seek the death penalty over life in prison, a financial incentive that defense attorneys are challenging in a high-profile Houston case.

Lawyers for Ali Mahwood-Awad Irsan  a Muslim patriarch accused in a pair of brazen "honor killings"  say the life-or-death decisions made by appointed prosecutors raise the specter they could be influenced by the potential for bigger paychecks under the pay system set up for court appointments.

Now, pointing to possible conflicts, defense attorneys are asking a judge to boot the pro tems from the case before Irsan's trial, slated to start later this month. Other defense attorneys agree the system could raise questions about fairness.

"This is clearly unconstitutional and violates the defendant's right to a disinterested prosecutor," said Amanda Marzullo, executive director of the nonprofit defense group Texas Defender Services.

Anna Louise Emmons, one of the three pro tem prosecutors assigned to the Irsan's case, pushed back against claims of a conflict.

"We made our decision on what to seek based on the case itself," she said, "We would have absolutely no scruples, no ethics, if we based it on a financial situation."

'Honor killings'

The Jordanian-American patriarch was charged with capital murder in 2015, three years after the slaying of 30-year-old Iranian activist Gelareh Bagherzadeh.

At first, the killing sparked conspiracy theories of an assassination ordered by Tehran. But police quickly zeroed in on Irsan, his wife and then-21-year-old son. Together, police alleged, the family had planned and carried out the killing of Bagherzadeh as she pulled into her parents' Galleria townhome in January 2012.

Then, less than a year later, Irsan's son-in-law, 28-year-old Coty Beavers, was gunned down inside the couple's apartment. He'd told friends beforehand that if he was ever found dead, Irsan was to blame.

Both slayings, authorities said, were driven by Irsan's ire over his daughter Nesreen's decision to marry Beavers, a Christian. Bagherzadeh, a fervent Christian convert and Nesreen's best friend, encouraged the marriage.

But when Irsan was finally arrested in a Montgomery County SWAT raid in 2014, it was not for the slayings but for a Social Security scam. That same day, the Harris County District Attorney's Office filed murder charges, only to drop them later.

In 2015  the same year Irsan, his wife and another daughter were sentenced to federal prison for the Social Security scam  prosecutors charged Irsan with capital murder. Two years later, they hit his son with the same charge.

Pro Tems Appointed

Initially, the cases were handled by prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorney's Office. But in 2017, Kim Ogg took over the office, ousted some of the old guard and brought in a new crop of attorneys, including First Assistant District Attorney Tom Berg.

In February 2017, the district attorney's office asked to be recused from the case because another attorney at Berg's firm represented one of the state's witnesses.

Sometimes  as when Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon handled the case of cop killer Shannon Miles  judges hand the case to salaried lawyers with the state attorney general or other district attorney offices when the prosecutors ask to be recused.

In the Irsan case, however, the judge appointed three former county prosecutors as the pro tems: Jonathan Stephenson, Marie Ann Primm and Emmons.

The previous prosecutors had already planned to seek a death sentence. But when the new attorneys took over, Emmons said, they reevaluated the case and, again, decided to seek death. The case has forced them to step back from their normal legal practices.

"We take our job extremely seriously," Emmons said.

Stephenson and Primm did not return requests for comment.

Irsan's legal team, Allen Tanner and Rudy Duarte, filed a motion in April asking a judge remove the prosecutors from the case over possible conflicts.

Trying a non-death capital case involves roughly 800 hours of preparation and 10 days of trial, the legal team said. A death case requires around 1,600 hours of preparation and 30 days in trial. Based on the hourly pro tem pay  which is the same $150 an hour appointed defense lawyers get  prosecutors can net about $124,500 more in a death case than in a non-death capital case, they said.

"The financial interest of the pro tem prosecutors, at a minimum, created opportunities for conflicts to arise and created at least the appearance of impropriety," attorneys wrote. "This is the threshold required by the Supreme Court to reverse a conviction."

Moving forward, prosecutors may have an incentive not to change their minds and offer life in prison, according to defense attorneys.

"The decision to seek death is an ongoing process on the part of a prosecutor," Marzullo said. "Defense attorneys often continue to present prosecutors with new arguments for mercy as they are discovered until the eve of trial."

Anthony Osso, one of the attorneys representing Irsan's son, Nasim Irsan, is making similar arguments in his case, as prosecutors decide whether or not to seek death against him.

"It's just the appearance of impropriety that's a problem," said Osso, who previously served as a pro tem and chose not to pursue a death sentence. "You can't have an appearance of impropriety seeking death."

Capital defense lawyer David Dow worried that the impact could be more than just appearances.

"It's hard to imagine that the prospect of a larger payday would not matter in the decision-making process," he said.

Long-time defense lawyer Patrick McCann highlighted other potential concerns with the appointments, including the lack of racial diversity and the pro tems' prosecutorial background.

"These are life-time prosecutors who are now given carte blanche after learning their trade in one of the biggest 'win at all costs' cultures in the country," he said.

'Pretty ridiculous'

Some in the legal community panned the concerns raised in court filings.

"It's insulting to suggest that they would seek death just to bill some extra hours," said Murray Newman, a former prosecutor now doing defense work. "I mean, lawyers are unscrupulous but, damn, that's pretty ridiculous."

Toby Shook, a Dallas lawyer who's served as a pro tem in the past, didn't see the appearance of conflict as inherently problematic.

"As long as the fact situation fits the situation where you've seen DAs seek death in the past, then it's not a problem," he said.

Shannon Edmonds, a staff attorney with the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, pointed out that death cases get two defense attorneys appointed.

"So it benefits the defense, too," he said. "If it's a conspiracy for them to make money as prosecutors, it would also be a conspiracy to line their opponents' pockets."
2 1 of 2 Bob Owen, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Billy Calzada, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less



A federal jury continues deliberating Wednesday whether the top two former leaders of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club directed the clubs alleged racketeering conspiracy that involved drug dealing, extortion, robbery, assaults and murder.

Jurors began deliberating Tuesday morning in the nearly three-month trial of former Bandidos national president Jeffrey Fay Pike, 62, of Conroe, and ex-vice president John Xavier Portillo, 58, of San Antonio.
About 10 minutes into Joseph Kopsers stump speech at a Fredericksburg winery, 72-year-old local resident Barry Eisenberg chimed in with an observation about the lack of young and Latino people at the meet and greet.

Kopser, a Democrat running for Texas 21st Congressional District, had just finished describing how his background as an Army veteran and tech entrepreneur would help him reach independents and orphaned Republicans in a district drawn to elect a conservative congressman.

It's not just talking to Republicans, but it's getting the people who agree with you and reaching them and educating them. And I don't know how you're going to go about doing that, Eisenberg said, noting that less than 700 Democrats from Gillespie County voted in the March 6 primary.

Kopser responded enthusiastically to the question, which hes been asked myriad times since entering the race on May 23 last year  364 days before Tuesdays runoff.

I'll tell you how we're going to go about doing it. It hasn't been done in this district in 40 years, Kopser said. Here's the neat thing: It takes a new generation and it takes a new kind of candidate. I am a brand new candidate who has learned how to build a campaign in the same way I learned how to build a company and the same way how I learned how to lead soldiers in the military.

It means going out and researching it. Some of the standard conventions of political races I follow; some of the stuff, I'm inventing as we go.

One of Kopsers unconventional tactics is that he stops in places like Gillespie County more than the average Democrat. The county in 2016 voted 81 percent for Rep. Lamar Smith, the incumbent Republican who is not seeking re-election after 16 terms in office.

Early on, Kopser and his team established that appealing strictly to the Democratic base would not be enough to win the district, which covers parts of San Antonio, Austin and the Hill Country. Their polling, and recent voting history, showed that simply not enough Democrats lived in the district, even with rapid growth in its most liberal urban pockets.

Kopser, 47, will have to beat Mary Wilson in the May 22 runoff for a chance to see if hes right. During the first couple stops of a swing through the district on May 5, he told voters that his background in military and business gives him a better shot to connect with moderate voters than Wilson. He also urged people not to discount the machinery he has built up to get his message out, alluding to the nearly $1.2 million he has raised this campaign  more than Republican runoff candidates Chip Roy and Matt McCall combined  compared to Wilsons roughly $99,000 haul. She reported about $10,000 cash on hand through May 2, to Kopsers $232,000.

Democrats have debated in the 21st Congressional District and elsewhere whether to go all-in on turning out the base or focus on pulling in crossover votes. Kopsers ability to outraise Republican candidates is part of the reason he doesnt see the two strategies as mutually exclusive. He also thinks he can find common ground on certain topics with conservatives.

I don't know how to separate the two labels in my brain, but I know how it clearly looks to outsiders. Outsiders see, you're either a Republican or you're a Democrat, Kopser said. But I have always believed in treating people with dignity and with respect. I have always sought to take care of those around us. And I have always tried to leave the world a better place than I found it.

Military background

Kopser grew up a Republican in Lexington, Kentucky, to conservative parents who supported Ronald Reagan. Because of his party switch, opponents have voiced doubts about how progressive Kopser would be in Congress, despite the mostly liberal stances he has staked out on health care, gun control and other areas.

The label of Republican came from identity, Kopser said. Aha, Reagan's the president, I like Reagan, I'm 10 years old, therefore I must be a Republican.

Kopser received a degree in aerospace engineering from West Point. During his time there, he heard a talk by the president of the American Civil Liberties Union that informed his political views.

She made a brilliant argument about the challenge and the distinction between civil liberties and our security, that you can't have 100 percent of either, Kopser said. Because if you're 100 percent secure, we have no civil liberties. And if we have 100 percent of civil liberties, we have no security. There's always a blend of the two. And that idea, in my mind, is neither Republican nor Democratic.

After West Point, Kopser served for 20 years in the Army, completing the grueling Ranger School soon after graduating. He met his wife, Amy, during his first assignment to Fort Bliss in El Paso, then went on to serve two stints in Iraq, including a demanding assignment in Mosul.

Midway through his Army tenure, Kopser received a masters degree from Harvards Kennedy School of Government. He later spent two years in the Pentagon and worked in divisions focused on clean energy and modernization. He also learned the R.E.S.T. mantra (read, exercise, sleep and think) from his boss, Gen. George Casey, that he said has helped him through a long campaign cycle.

If youre not giving yourself time to do all those, then you get into trouble, Kopser said.

Entrepreneurship and the campaign

Before he retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel in 2013, Kopser thought up the idea for RideScout, a transportation app that aggregates rideshare options to find efficient transit routes. (It has since merged with another app and operates under a new name.)

Kopser thought up the idea while contemplating how to make the most efficient commute to the Pentagon, and later co-founded it with a friend who heard Kopser talk about the idea at his Pentagon going-away party.

Shortly after RideScouts official launch in 2013, Kopser also co-founded Bunker Labs, which supports entrepreneur military veterans. The organization hosted an event in February in which Kopser appeared with Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat. A former Marine, Moulton has endorsed Kopser and supported him through his political action committee that funds Democratic military veterans.

He's someone who I think can come to Washington and be willing to work across the aisle, to tackle the tough issues of the day like, just to pick the issue of the week, gun reform, Moulton said, speaking less than a week after the February school shooting in Parkland, Florida. That's a tough issue, especially in a place like Texas.

Citing his science background, Kopser entered the race in part because of Smiths history of questioning the link between human activity and the Earths changing climate. Kopser views fracking as a necessary bridge to relying entirely on renewable energy, and wants to ramp up investment in solar energy in the district.

Kopsers critics, including perhaps his most outspoken primary opponent Derrick Crowe, claim he has evolved on gun control at politically opportune moments, referencing an April 2017 Express-News column in which Kopser said he would not come after anybodys guns. I think we have much bigger issues to be worried about.

Kopser supports an assault weapons ban and wants to establish universal background checks. He ties gun reform to his military background, believing he can lead on the issue in Congress. He also firmly denies that his ties to conservative organizations, such as serving on the board of the Texas Association of Business, are a statement on his political views.

What they are doing, my peers, are taking traits of Republicans  business, military and whatnot  throwing them on me, and then trying to say that makes me a Republican, Kopser said after the Bunker Labs event. Which I think actually runs counter to ... the message of the Democratic Party today.

During the runoff, Wilson has not focused much on Kopsers Republican history. But she has mentioned his personal wealth at multiple candidate forums and called on him to resign from the board of the conservative Texas Association of Business, which Kopser labeled a political stunt.

Kopser said he enjoys talking to people who would ordinarily disagree with him, and during an interview enthusiastically recommended one of his favorite podcasts, Intelligence Squared, which features debates about prominent issues in the news.

We as a nation have created tribes that are so intense and entrenched that the only way to get people out of those tribes and to start talking again is to focus on those things that we have more in common, Kopser said at a recent forum.

Whatever the issue is, I will be able to point out and highlight those things we share in common rather than those things that divide us.

Jasper Scherer is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | jscherer@express-news.net | @jaspscherer
Re: Nominee defends CIA actions; But Haspel says the spy agency should never resume torture, front page, Friday:

How dare Democrats such as Sen. Kamala Harris ask if enhanced interrogation methods are moral!

This line of questioning from the same people that approve of dismemberment abortion  where a babys limbs are literally ripped from its body during the procedure.

I ask all of you abortion-backing Democrats  is that moral?

David Gay

Who are these guys?

Don Blankenship, two-bit thug and minor individual, has proven that even he can pull off 20 percent of the Republican vote in West Virginia. Even after calling the Senate Majority leader a cocaine person and his wife a China person. You may be gone, Don, but you will never be a forgotten person. At least not by this remembering person. Who the devil are those 20 percent persons?

Mark A. Hall

Trump gets it done

Former President Obama traded five high-ranking Taliban detainees at Guantanamo for an American soldier who walked off his post in Afghanistan. President Trump (and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo) brought three innocent American hostages home from North Korea without surrendering anything. What a difference competence makes!

Jerry Garber
TRUMBULL  How many signatures out of New Haven? Mayor Joe Ganim yelled across Prime One Eleven restaurant on Tuesday evening to a campaign supporter.

Some 3,500 Democrats in that city have signed petitions to put Bridgeports mayor on the gubernatorial primary ballot, his aide yelled back.

Thats pretty good, Ganim said.

Hours earlier, Ganims route to become Connecticuts chief executive got much harder with Susan Bysiewiczs decision to end her campaign. She is joining Ned Lamonts ticket as lieutenant governor as the Greenwich businessman seeks to consolidate support ahead of this weekends Democratic nominating convention.

Gone were Ganims hopes for a divided convention and a crowded summer primary where he could eke out a win appealing to urban voters.

Now some allies  all of whom wished to remain anonymous  were instead saying it was time to drop out and strike a pre-convention deal with Lamont for party unity, for Bridgeport, and to save face.

Lamont, after all, is a millionaire who can self-fund his campaign. Ganim cannot even receive a campaign grant from the states clean elections program after being disqualified last year because of his criminal past.

But as he hosted a $250 to $3,500-per-head fundraiser at the restaurant Tuesday, Ganim was not acting like he was preparing to end his gubernatorial bid anytime soon, stating in an interview: Thats nowhere near anything were talking about.

Instead, he bragged about how close he was to collecting the 15,548 signatures needed to force a primary should he fail to receive 15 percent of the Democratic delegate votes this weekend.

His campaign announced Monday it was almost halfway there. Then after Lamont and Bysiewicz teamed up Tuesday, that 7,000 figure overnight increased to almost 8,500 in a Ganim campaign statement dismissing his opponents alliance.

I think were close to 9,000 signatures, Ganim said Tuesday evening as around a dozen supporters  many mayoral appointees in Bridgeport City Hall who have already been generous to the boss campaign  ate and drank.

Earlier Tuesday, one Ganim ally said they would like to see the mayor strike a deal with Lamont  maybe get the latter to commit to supporting a Bridgeport casino if elected  in time for the convention, rather than engage in a bitter primary fight that could cost him goodwill.

This same person noted that with outgoing Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy so unpopular, it will be a challenge for the party to hold that office. Ganim has the best acumen for the job, the source said, but a criminal record Republicans will weaponize.

Ganim was convicted of running a pay-to-play operation out of City Hall in 2003 after serving as Bridgeports mayor for 12 years. He waged a successful comeback in 2015 appealing to inner-city voters  the same constituency he would rely on to win a gubernatorial primary and general election.

I think the only way we have a shot (at beating a Republican) is if everybody gets on the same page, the Ganim ally said.

Its a disadvantage for the Democrats not to have a primary, especially if Republicans have one, Ganim said, adding, We wont have $10 million, but well still raise money. We have signatures  grass-roots support.

And, Ganim noted, he has already heard some talk about lack of diversity on top of the ticket now that Bysiewicz has joined Lamont.

Ganim, who is of Lebanese descent, looks as white as Lamont and Bysiewicz and, though not a millionnaire, comes from a wealthy Easton family that has sunk cash into his gubernatorial ambitions. Yet Bridgeports comeback mayor has a widely acknowledged ability to walk through underprivileged neighborhoods and position himself as the voice of the cities and of those looking for a second chance.

Id much rather be knocking on doors talking to people than probably doing anything else, Ganim said.

Another Ganim supporter on Tuesday admitted Bysiewiczs decision to drop her own bid for governor is a problem, but added, Joe is a much better campaigner and would probably bury Ned Lamont in any debate. Hes (Lamont) not good on his feet.

Lamont, following his appearance with Bysiewicz on Tuesday, said, Susan and I are going to be champions of the cities. We know that Connecticut will never be great unless our cities are great.

And Bridgeport will obviously be a big part of that, Lamont said. And I will lean on Joes advice any time I can get it.

But, at least for now, Ganim is keeping that advice to himself.

Lamont may drop out before the convention, he joked.

Staff writer Ken Dixon contributed to this story.
Summer Bee People. Thats how Tom McCormack describes those who have jumped into bees as a hobby: Summer Bee People or I had bees people.

He doesnt like to see the industry infiltrated by hobbyists who buy bees each spring and let them die in the winter, or let the mites take over in the summer.

He puts flow hives in the category of a gimmick as well. Flow hives allow one to instantly tap honey, but usually end up lacking management.

Its more money for a corporation  less likely the owner will sustain the bees all year, he said.

Summer bee people are good for business, but not for bees, McCormack said. There are a lot of people getting into bees for a hobby. Oftentimes, they lose the bees, kill them and buy more the next spring, he said.

Poor bee management is a commercial bee gain.

McCormack and his wife, Linda, sell bee nucs, or nucleus colonies, which include a queen. The name is derived from the fact that a nuc hive is centered on a queen, the nucleus of the honey bee colony.

This year, he has orders for 35 and will sell them for $150 each. In addition to the bees, the McCormacks sell honey and wax products.

Getting started

The McCormacks started beekeeping in 1977 when the Beaver County man bought two packages of bees. He grew to 300 colonies and is now down to 120.

Bees are like rabbits, they expand. They swarm out and divide, he said about how he expanded so quickly.

Honey bee facts Honey bees are important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables. Bees transfer pollen between the male and female parts, allowing plants to grow seeds and fruit. Bees produce honey as food stores for the hive during winter. They produce 2 to 3 times more honey than they need, so we enjoy the rest. If the queen bee dies, workers will create a new queen by selecting a young larva, the newly hatched baby insects, and feeding it a special food called royal jelly. This enables the larva to develop into a fertile queen. Bees fly at a speed of around 15.5 miles per hour and beat their wings 200 times per second! Each bee has 170 odorant receptors. They use these to communicate within the hive and to recognize different types of flowers when looking for food. The average worker bee lives for five to six weeks. During this time, shell produce around a twelfth of a teaspoon of honey. The queen can live up to five years. She is busiest in the summer months, when she can lay up to 2,500 eggs a day. Source: National Geographic Kids, www.natgeokids.com

McCormack uses a technique called following the bloom to feed his bees. He places his bee hives on a flat bed trailer and moves them from one private property to another  wherever flowers are blooming.

He stays close to state game lands and away from orchards. He doesnt want his bees in contact with any pesticides.

As a society, we try to get rid of every dandelion and spray for bugs while apple flowers are in full bloom. Sevin is harmful to bees, he said about the disregard for the pollinators.

Packaging

As producer-packers, the McCormacks care about the entire process. They raise bees, package honey and buy honey from other producers to package and sell.

The honey comes in a tractor-trailer load and they use their commercial sized equipment to separate and package it.

They bottled 31,000 pounds in 1999, at their peak.

Linda is the primary bottler, spending time every day bottling the honey.

In their garage, they have a commercial-sized honey centrifuge extractor, a honey separator  which separates the honey from the wax  and other items hes built over the years to ease the process.

McCormack is an innovator, always looking for ways to be more efficient and help others. An engineer by trade, he has created a pulley system to lift the 5-gallon buckets of honey, and dump them, saving their backs.

Bee school

They host three free bee schools each April, teaching 10 people at a time. Linda provides breakfast and lunch and Tom teaches the class the ins and outs of beekeeping.

A school like this is $120 other places; we do it for free. We want people to know how to do it right, said McCormack, an Eastern Apiculture Society Master Bee Keeper.

He is also involved in the Beaver Valley Area Beekeeping Association, where he works to educate association members and the public about bees.

Sales

Hes not worried about helping others put him out of business, he just wants people to be educated.

Much of his honey sales is through two farmers markets. Hes sold at the Beaver County and Ambridge markets for 35 years.

He now goes to the markets to sell honey, but also to make connections to get medical supplies donated for his foundation, which focus on the health of Panamanian people. (See more about his foundation)

They also sell from their home, websites, and have some regular customers, who purchase it by the gallon. One such customer is a local bakery that uses only honey as a sweetener, buying honey from the McCormacks each week.

Tom credits Linda for documenting the weekly sales and doing all of the paper work.

I couldnt do it without her. With our small business, you wouldnt believe the paperwork, he said.

They are inspected by the FDA and USDA with a license to sell food, nucs and queens.

Bee killers

In addition to the paperwork, McCormacks biggest challenge is mites.

Mites are killing the bees, but McCormack says its the beekeepers who are at fault.

Its the beekeeper that doesnt know what is going on, he said. If you dont know your mite count, youre not managing your bees.

His advice is to check for mites once a month. His pro tip: To check for mites, take a half a cup of bees, roughly 300, and cover them in alcohol, place a sieve over the opening, cover the cup with another cup and shake vigorously until all the mites have been dislodged.

Then, count the number of mites.

If you have three or four, you need to treat them, Tom said. If there are 50 or more, you are on your way to killing all your bees.

These varroa mites can be treated by mite bait that can be placed inside the hive.

A queen bee can lay 1,500 to 2,000 bees a day. So to sacrifice 300 to check for mites once a month is a small price to pay, compared to losing your whole hive, McCormack said, who has done bee consulting in Panama, Kenya and Uganda.

Pretty much everywhere they harvest honey has these pesky, imported mites, so now its about management, he said.

He traveled to Panama for bees but returned with prosthetics

Tom McCormack is not only an expert in bees but also in prosthetics.

Its all about using this, he said pointing to his head.

As a retired plane mechanic, McCormack uses his engineering skills and common sense to fit prosthetics. To date, he has fitted 610 people for prosthetic limbs.

It all started in 1994 when McCormack participated in a Farmer to Farmer program. He was sent to Panama to help Panamanian beekeepers become more productive.

While working there, he visited the less-fortunate areas of western Panama and saw the need for items that are discarded in the United States.

Back home, McCormack began collecting used childrens clothing and was able to send and distribute over 3,000 pounds of clothing to people in need.

But while visiting with the locals, he also noticed one women never moved her arm from across her chest. He inquired about it and found out she had a mastectomy and was too embarrassed to put her arm down.

He learned many Panamanians had to travel nearly seven hours to get a prosthesis and many simply couldnt afford it.

He returned to Panama with a breast prosthetic for the woman and has since returned many times, building and fitting limbs.

Since 2000, when he retired, he has spent six months each year in Panama.

The project continues to grow  with McCormack collecting wheelchairs, crutches, hospital beds, disposable medical supplies, bicycles and basic household items.

To facilitate the importing of the donations into Panama, he formed the Thomas L. & Linda J. McCormack Foundation. Through their networking in the U.S., they collect items and fill containers to ship to Panama to be distributed.

It all started with the Farmer to Farmer program, opening my eyes to the needs, Tom said.

To donate or find learn more about the foundation visit www.panamamccormackfoundation.com or email tlmccormack@hotmail.com.
Post-Brexit agricultural policy should steer a "change in mindset for farmers", according to Farming Minister George Eustice.

George Eustice, the Defra Minister of State for Agriculture described his vision for post-Brexit agricultural policy at a recent event in Cornwall.

The event attracted more than 70 people to Healey's Cyder Farm, near Truro on Friday 11 May.

Mr Eustice stated that he saw new policy as "rewarding and incentivising farmers for what they do, and not subsidising them for income lost."

He told the audience: "The end state we seek is support, not based on the amount of land that they own, but to reward them for helping the environment, water quality and to changes in husbandry to deliver for the environment and research and development into more productive working practices."

He laid out the timetable for actions going forward and re-iterated the importance of getting the Agricultural Bill through parliament this autumn.

He expressed his fear that this would be a "dangerous time to let things slip", and by "October 2018, we would need to have a clear idea for arrangements in the future".

The consultation document The future for food, farming and the environment' which will form the basis of the Bill, has been out to consultation since February and closed on 8 May.

It has received over 44,000 responses, with 20,000 of these in the last week alone, and the Minister commented that he is "looking forward" to reviewing them.

'Early adopters'

The Camborne, Redruth and Hayle MP spoke of the need for "early adopters" of any new scheme and that the reduction in single farm payment to the very largest farmers, as suggested in the consultation document, should be seen as a gradual migration, rather than penalising those larger farmers.

Mr Eustice also pointed out the importance of stress testing the scheme to ensure that the mechanisms put in place work effectively and efficiently.

He said this would be much easier to achieve with a smaller cohort moving through the system first, whilst also giving those smaller, family farms enough time to make the changes necessary.

He also said that government does not want to "dictate people's businesses" and therefore will not be telling farmers how to run their businesses - it will be up to them to decide at what level, if any, they would like to engage.

The Minister reminded the audience that post-Brexit the UK will be a "free country that is able to make our own laws and draft our own law", and farmers and others should maintain a dialogue with government who will be "open to innovative and creative ideas for the future".
A joint Veterinary School will be created by Keele and Harper Adams universities following nearly a year of planning.

Keele University Council and Harper Adams University Board has confirmed plans to establish the new joint Veterinary School, due to take its first cohort of students in 2020.

The new Vet School will provide a five-year programme leading to a degree in Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, with training to be delivered on both university campuses in partnership with local clinical providers and industry.

Accreditation will be sought from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, enabling graduates to register and practice as vets upon the award of their degree.

The new school will aim to widen access in the subject area, and is hoped will further support the UKs agricultural sector as it faces a period of major change when the UK leaves the European Union.

As well as being a new provider in the region, the school will reach out to those who may not have traditionally considered a career as a vet.

The institutions joint commitment to social mobility and the schools dual location within the rural communities of Staffordshire and Shropshire, and on the edge of the urban Stoke-on-Trent conurbation, makes it ideally placed to offer opportunities not currently available in the area.

Vice-Chancellor of Keele University, Professor Trevor McMillan said the news is a major step forward.

Our two universities share a common philosophy of providing an outstanding learning and teaching experience, reflected in both having recently received a gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework, as well as ranking consistently highly in UK student satisfaction surveys, showing the natural affinity between us, Prof McMillan said.

Vice-Chancellor of Harper Adams University, Dr David Llewellyn, added: After nearly a year of joint planning, both University governing bodies have strongly endorsed the proposal to create a joint Veterinary School.
The Scottish government has committed to publish proposals on ensuring a smooth transition in farming support as the UK leaves the EU.

In a list of measures outlined to support and invest in the rural economy once the UK leaves the EU, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a commitment to publish details on post-Brexit farming support.

It follows news of the Welsh government's commitment to a "gradual and multi-year transition" from existing farm support to new schemes post-Brexit.

Ms Sturgon, who spoke to an audience at the 20th National Economic Forum in Dumfries earlier this week, said the government will also establish a Scottish Rural Parliament for 2018.

Every two years, the Scottish Rural Parliament brings together around 400 people from across rural communities for a three-day event.

Other steps announced by Ms Sturgeon include appointing a Council of Rural Advisers and implementing the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband scheme.

The First Minister told the Forum that 97% of Scotland's land mass is classed as rural, and rural communities make a "massive contribution" to the economy.

Scotland  including rural Scotland  has huge economic strengths and potential. Brexit makes it more important than ever that we build on those, which is why we must ensure the specific consequences of Brexit for rural communities are identified and addressed," Ms Sturgeon said.

By investing in innovation and infrastructure and providing the right support for business we can help rural Scotland to build on its strengths, overcome challenges such as Brexit and seize new opportunities.

All of these steps will support the rural economy, and in turn drive Scotland forward.
Farming unions have appealed to the government to adopt a customs arrangement with the EU that allows beef and lamb to be exported to established markets.

Without an arrangement there will likely be an economic impact that will damage livestock producers in the UK, they warned.

Livestock representatives from the UK farming unions attended a meeting in Edinburgh last week, hosted by NFU Scotland.

Top of the agenda was the on-going uncertainty over the UK governments policy for post-Brexit trade.

Farmer representatives from NFU, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) were clear that the UK government must adopt a trade policy which prioritises tariff free, frictionless access to the European marketplace.

At the meeting, the four organisations agreed that there were concerning media reports over the possibility of the UK market being opened up to low standard imports from outside of Europe, should the government not recognise the sensitive nature of beef and lamb.

Indeed, a report released last year warns of the potential increase in cheaper, lower standard food imports to the UK which could put British farmers at a competitive disadvantage.

And a sector by sector post-Brexit analysis by the NFU has identified the risk of low standard imports as the greatest trade threat to certain sectors.

Following the meeting, NFU Livestock Board Chairman, Richard Findlay explained that if a customs arrangement isn't prioritised then there's likely to be an economic impact, damaging livestock producers in the UK.

Its vital at this stage in the Brexit process that the UK government adopts a form of customs arrangement that allows our beef and lamb to be exported to established markets in continental Europe, Mr Findlay said.

'Sensitive nature'

NFU Scotland Livestock Committee Chairman, Charlie Adam appealed to the government to ensure future trade deals with countries outside of the EU meet high standards.

He said any future trade deals must be negotiated on the basis that all imported produce meet UK and EU standards of production, traceability and environmental protection.

He said: It is therefore essential that the UK government recognise the sensitive nature of beef and lamb.

Additionally, for our future trade with the EU, the UK government must adopt an approach which avoids any barriers to trade in to the European market.

The unions said the government must recognise and take action to protect lamb and beef production in developing its post-Brexit trade policy.

NFU Cymru Livestock Board Chairman, Wyn Evans, said stability is key, and the trading agreement agreed with Europe is fundamental to achieving livestock prices that will result in profitable businesses that can invest and face the future with confidence.

A customs agreement would achieve that certainty, particularly important for our lamb sector which is so dependent on the European market, Mr Evans said.

The farming unions highlighted the need to secure new markets outside of Europe, which can help to address carcase balance in the livestock sector.

UFU Deputy President, David Brown, said there are global opportunities to market high quality red meat produced from farms in the UK.

It is important that these are fully capitalised upon to boost returns to farmers and add value to the industry, Mr Brown added.
A new study has highlighted major concerns surrounding a potential UK and US free trade deal, saying it could "destroy large parts of British farming".

The study, published today (16 May) by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, says the UK wont benefit from a US free trade deal.

It highlights that the UK would have to make so many concessions it could become politically unacceptable.

The report explains the UK will have little to gain, and will have to concede more on tariff reductions than the EU offered in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)

The US will expect the UK to concede more on tariffs than the EU given the smaller scale of opportunity the UK market offers.

For the US, removing or sharply reducing tariffs on agricultural products will be a key objective.

Cheaper food

However, while consumers would certainly see lower prices, the report explains that the UK will have to open its market to much cheaper US food.

This will be produced under what are perceived to be lower health and environmental standards.

The report says this could destroy large parts of British farming and face intense consumer resistance.

A Senior Board Member at the Food Standards Agency told the study: Those of us in agriculture feel vulnerable that we will be sacrificed in exchange for a better deal in services.

Defra is filled with rabid free traders who will sell us aspects of a better deal that will hurt agriculture.

Swati Dhingra, Lecturer at the London School of Economics, adds that the UK might be more likely to lower agricultural tariffs than the EU was during TTIP. Historically Europe has been more concerned with protecting farming than the UK, he told the report.

Sacrificed

The study explains that UK farmers are concerned that their interest will be sacrificed to secure a deal on services.

An International Trade Committee report released earlier this month has also highlighted these concerns, and concludes that it would be a "catastrophic error" to rush any US-UK FTA.

A Senior Board Member of the Crop Protection Association told the Harvard study: Agriculture is not a political priority at the moment and for the government if you lose a thousand pork farmers to get services thats a no-brainer.

The report concludes that any future US-UK FTA is only going to happen if the UK makes concessions that are unlikely to be politically acceptable and in any case, promises relatively limited upside for UK business.

"However, the importance of such a deal to the overall Brexit narrative means that the Government is likely to continue to behave as if negotiating an attractive deal with the US remains a realistic possibility," it adds.
GB pig prices fall sharply, latest figures show

Nearly 10p below where it was a year ago
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan believes society needs to get rid of the prejudice that women, who like dressing up, lack substance. The actor said that one must also not assume that a woman who does not prefer applying makeup lacks in colour.

"We as women need to stop judging each other. If you apply makeup that doesn't mean you don't have brains. It doesn't mean you lack in substance. It does not meant that you are not sensitive or compassionate," she said in a media interaction over video from Cannes.

The actor walked the red carpet at Cannes for cosmetic giant L'Oreal Paris for the 15th year. "At the same time, if you choose not to use make up, it doesn't mean you are a disinterested person or a person lacking in colour. Or that you are brainy just because you don't put make up. Or that you are too serious and not a fun-loving person," the actor added.

Aishwarya said that when it came to grooming, society needed to break free from these "pre-conceived notions". At the French Riviera, 82 women had protested against the gender inequity in the film industry, led by the Competition jury chairperson Cate Blanchett and Agnes Varda.

Eighty-two, incidentally, is the number of films by female directors which have premiered in competition at Cannes this year, as compared to 1,645 made by male directors.

"We witnessed such an incredible moment with 82 women from the cinema together on the red carpet, representing all of us.

"I wish I was called but that's the number they wanted in order to represent the comparison between the number of female directors and 1600 male directors whose films are being shown at Cannes. We, as women want, that number to change," Aishwarya said.

Credits - PTI
Jennifer Winget Is Having Her Own Little Cannes Moment!

Sharing this picture, Jennifer wrote, "Not walking the red carpet in Cannes doesn't stop me from having my own little Cannes moment in cann-jurmarg !." - (sic)

Jennifers Pun

For those who didn't get what Jennnifer meant - with cann-jurmarg', the actress meant Kanjurmarg', which is a place in Mumbai, where the actress is shooting for her show, Bepannaah!

The Actress Friends Praised For Her Sense Of Humour!

Soon, her industry friends and fans started commenting on her caption. Her co-actress, Mallika Nayak, who plays the role of Sakshi (Pooja's mother) on the show wrote, "Arre waah!!!!! Diva! "Cann-jurarg" ;) ;) ;) just realised I work in France!" - (sic)

Vaishnavi, Vividha & Sumonas Comments

Vaishnavi Dhanraj, who plays Mahi Arora (Yash's younger sister) on the show wrote, " @jenniferwinget  r the most gorgeous." - (sic). Vividha Kirti wrote, "You are exceptional " - (sic), while Sumona Chakravarti commented, "." - (sic)

Fans' Comments

Many of her fans praised Jennifer for her sense of humour. They also wished that she too, soon walks the Cannes red carpet. One of her fans (Mughalprincessayan) wrote, "Maam u worth it to walk cannes... N definitely vry soon u will walk it... ." - (sic)

Stuart_Prajapati & Ymunjal1

Stuart_Prajapati: Soon uh will red carpet is very tinny thing 4uh babe uh r made for walk upper sky @jenniferwinget1. - (sic)

Ymunjal1: You'll surely walk on the red carpet sooonnn :) - (sic)

Jenniferwinget.latin & Tehreenpatel_49

Jenniferwinget.latin: Your sense of humor is the best thing in this world  Impossible not to love you, baby  You're very beautiful in red!!  - (sic)

Tehreenpatel_49: That is so funny of u cann-jurmarg . - (sic)
Former Vice President and Head of SAP Korea Maintenance Go-To-Market to Drive Next Stage of Regional Expansion

SEOUL, South Korea, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Spinnaker Support, a leading and trusted provider of Oracle and SAP third-party support, today announced the appointment of Jae Sam (JS) Lee as Vice President of Asia-Pacific Support Operations. Based in Seoul, Mr. Lee will assume responsibility for regional expansion, service delivery, and customer satisfaction. Spinnaker Support currently supports 141 clients with headquarters or operations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Mr. Lee most recently served as Vice President and Head of Maintenance Go-to-Market for SAP Korea, leading strategies designed to support customer operational excellence while driving their digital transformation and innovations. JS was responsible to protect and grow SAP support revenue.

Mr. Lee was the first employee of SAP Korea, where he established the legal entity in 1995. He took over the business in 2008 and since has contributed in establishing and growing Maintenance Go-to-Market businesses in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Prior to joining SAP, Mr. Lee served in senior level Finance and HR positions with Monsanto and Motorola.

"Digital transformation is inevitable and there's no need for organizations to continue to overpay for on-premise support, whether they run SAP or Oracle," said JS Lee. "I chose Spinnaker Support over other options because I believe they are best positioned to address current and future support demand in emerging Asia-Pacific markets."

"We've enjoyed tremendous success in Korea over the past year. JS is the ideal choice to lead our Asia-Pacific operations through the next growth stage and to effectively communicate our unique value proposition to the progressive CIOs in the region," stated Matt Stava, CEO at Spinnaker Support.

About Spinnaker Support

Spinnaker Support is a leading and trusted global provider of Oracle and SAP third-party support. Spinnaker Support customers get more comprehensive and responsive service, save an average of 62% on their annual maintenance fees, and can remain on their current software releases indefinitely. A rising number of our third-party support customers are utilizing incremental services we provide. We remain the only third-party support vendor to deliver application managed services, technology managed services, and consulting when customers prefer to consolidate with a single vendor. They trust Spinnaker Support to keep their enterprise applications running at peak performance, while helping them navigate from on-premise to hybrid to cloud.

Spinnaker Support's award-winning blend of services span SAP, BusinessObjects, Oracle E-Business Suite, JD Edwards, Siebel, Oracle Database, Oracle Technology and Middleware products, Hyperion, Demantra, Agile PLM, ATG/Endeca, and more. To learn more about Spinnaker Support, visit http://www.spinnakersupport.com/. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.

CONTACT: Michelle Wilkinson, 720-457-5442

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/691969/Lee.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/538443/Spinnaker_Support.jpg
Mitsubishi Corporation Telephone:+81-3-3210-2171 Facsimile:+81-3-5252-7705

TOKYO, May 16, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is pleased to announce its agreement with Century Properties Group, Inc. (Century), a prominent real estate enterprise in the Philippines, to establish a new joint venture, PHirst Park Homes (New Company). The New Company will develop affordable housing communities in the Philippines at suburban locations with convenient access to existing employment hubs.The New Company will be formed following the success of an initial joint project, through which MC and Century were able to find synergies for leveraging their respective strengths in real estate development. Through its 40% ownership, MC will contribute management and project development expertise as well as introduce Japanese materials and technology to the project while Century, with 60% ownership, will bring to the partnership its vast experience and successful marketing strategies in the Philippine real estate industry.With a target to supply 10 thousand units annually by launching 3 to 5 projects every year at key locations in the Philippines, The New Company aims to satisfy the growing needs of predominantly first-time homeowners for affordable housing by supplying high-quality but reasonably priced homes mainly ranging from 3 to 5 million yen.The high economic growth rate of the country these past years has led to a rapid increase in the flow of population into urban areas. This led to housing shortages accompanied by a steep rise in prices and so, providing housing solutions became a major priority for the Philippine government.MC has previously participated in some nine projects across ASEAN and supplies approximately 15,000 housing units in the region. Through such real estate and urban development initiatives, MC consistently fulfills its goal to simultaneously generate economic, environmental and societal values.About Mitsubishi CorporationMitsubishi Corporation (MC; TSE: 8058) is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates businesses across virtually every industry, including industrial finance, energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, and daily living essentials. MC's current activities have expanded far beyond its traditional trading operations to include investments and business management in diverse fields including natural resources development, manufacturing of industrial goods, retail, new energy, infrastructure, finance and new technology-related businesses.With over 200 offices and subsidiaries in 90 countries and regions worldwide and a network of approximately 1,300 group companies, MC employs a multinational workforce of over 70,000 people.For more information, visit https://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/en/Source: Mitsubishi CorporationContact:Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 15, 2018 / The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of PPG Industries, Inc. ("PPG" or the "Company") (NYSE: PPG) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. After market close on May 10, 2018, PPG informed the marketplace that its Audit Committee had uncovered improper accounting entries that were undertaken by employees based on the direction of the Company's former Vice President and Controller. The Controller was terminated as of May 10, 2018. PPG also stated that its 2017 financial statements should not be relied upon and that the Company would be unable to file its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, in a timely manner. Based on this news, shares of PPG fell considerably during intraday trading on May 11, 2018.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall, or Sherin Mahdavian, of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 424-303-1964, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at brian@schallfirm.com.

The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm

Brian Schall, Esq.

Sherin Mahdavian, Esq.

Schallfirm.com

SOURCE: The Schall Law Firm
First Quarter Revenue increased by 36% to CAD $47.3M compared to Q1 2017; First quarter EBITDA increased by 45% to CAD $9.8M; First Quarter NOI from income-producing assets is CAD $11.1M, an increase of 48% over last year

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 15, 2018) - Skyline Investments (TV: SKLN), is a Canadian company that specializes in hospitality real estate investments in the United States and Canada, published its first quarter 2018 results.

Skyline CEO Blake Lyon said: "We are concluding the first quarter of the year with impressive growth in revenue, NOI, and EBITDA. We successfully integrated the 13 Courtyard by Marriott hotels purchased in the end of the last year and this is the first time the results are fully reflected in the financial statements. These new Select Service hotels will help Skyline reduce the Company's dependence on weather conditions and build a stable year-round income producing asset portfolio. As part of our strategy of reducing the land component of our balance sheet and showing profits from our select development projects, over this year we will be completing the construction and delivery of condos for the Lakeside Lodge at Deerhurst and Slopeside Lodge at Horseshoe Resort. We continue to upgrade our existing assets with a focus on improving cash-flow. Since the beginning of this year, we strengthened our senior management team bringing in a new Chief Operating Officer, Bruce Riggins, and a new Chief Financial Officer, Robert Waxman. They both bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience that will help the company execute its strategic plan over the coming years."

Total revenue for Q1 2018 was CAD $47.3M, an increase of 36.2% over last year's first quarter total revenue of CAD 34.7M. Most of this increase was due to the addition of 13 Courtyard by Marriott hotels, which contributed CAD $15.6M this quarter. In addition, the results from the Hyatt Regency improved by CAD $400K as a result of room renovations in 2017. This improvement was offset by the strengthening of the CAD/USD exchange rate which negatively affected revenue by CAD $0.7M, the impact of weather conditions at Bear Valley Ski Resort which negatively affected revenue by CAD $1.3M, and a decrease of CAD $1.1M due to a decrease in the number of events at the Renaissance Hotel compared to the same period last year.

Q1/2018 Q1/2017 in CAD 000's NOI 11,099 7,516 NOI Margin 23.6% 22.3% Same Property NOI 6,047 7,516 Same Property NOI Margin 19.4% 22.3% EBITDA 9,800 6,751 EBITDA Margin 20.7% 19.4% FFO 5,377 5,056

NOI from income-producing assets in Q1 2018 amounted to CAD $11.1M, an increase of 47.7% compared to CAD $7.5M in the same period last year. This improvement resulted primarily from the addition of the 13 Courtyard by Marriott hotels.

amounted to CAD $11.1M, an increase of 47.7% compared to CAD $7.5M in the same period last year. This improvement resulted primarily from the addition of the 13 Courtyard by Marriott hotels. Same property income-producing asset NOI in Q1 2018 amounted to CAD $6M compared to CAD $7.5M in the corresponding period last year. The decrease in NOI was due mainly to external events such as changes in the USD/CAD exchange rate and lower snowfall at the Bear Valley ski area. Additionally, the decline in the results for the Renaissance Hotel is specifically from a decrease in the number of events compared to the same period last year. Skyline has started upgrading the Renaissance hotel which it believes will improve its performance. After completing room renovations at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade, revenue increased by about CAD $400K. In addition, despite the Province of Ontario's minimum wage increase, the Canadian resorts have shown a 2% growth in results due to recent improvement and management efforts to improve efficiency.

amounted to CAD $6M compared to CAD $7.5M in the corresponding period last year. The decrease in NOI was due mainly to external events such as changes in the USD/CAD exchange rate and lower snowfall at the Bear Valley ski area. Additionally, the decline in the results for the Renaissance Hotel is specifically from a decrease in the number of events compared to the same period last year. Skyline has started upgrading the Renaissance hotel which it believes will improve its performance. After completing room renovations at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade, revenue increased by about CAD $400K. In addition, despite the Province of Ontario's minimum wage increase, the Canadian resorts have shown a 2% growth in results due to recent improvement and management efforts to improve efficiency. Operating EBITDA in Q1 2018 increased by 45.2% to CAD $9.8M compared to CAD $6.8M in the same period last year. Most of this increase can be attributed to the integration of the 13 Courtyard by Marriott hotels and the completion of room renovations at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade.

increased by 45.2% to CAD $9.8M compared to CAD $6.8M in the same period last year. Most of this increase can be attributed to the integration of the 13 Courtyard by Marriott hotels and the completion of room renovations at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade. F inancing expense in Q1 2018 totaled CAD $4.9M compared to CAD $1.9M in the corresponding period last year. Most of this increase derived from the Series B bonds issued in the third quarter of 2017, the expansion of Series A bonds, and the expenses associated with the 13 Courtyard by Marriott hotels acquisition loan.

totaled CAD $4.9M compared to CAD $1.9M in the corresponding period last year. Most of this increase derived from the Series B bonds issued in the third quarter of 2017, the expansion of Series A bonds, and the expenses associated with the 13 Courtyard by Marriott hotels acquisition loan. Net income for Q1 2018 amounted to CAD $126K compared with CAD $1.7M in the same period last year.

amounted to CAD $126K compared with CAD $1.7M in the same period last year. Total assets as of March 31, 2018 increased to CAD $728M from CAD $714M at the end of 2017.

increased to CAD $728M from CAD $714M at the end of 2017. The Company's shareholders' equity at the end of March 31, 2018 was CAD $299M (approx. CAD $258M attributable to the shareholders), representing 41% of the balance sheet. At March 31, 2018 the equity per share attributed to shareholders was NIS $41.74 (CAD $15.40) and the share price was NIS $31.17 (CAD $11.44).

was CAD $299M (approx. CAD $258M attributable to the shareholders), representing 41% of the balance sheet. At March 31, 2018 the equity per share attributed to shareholders was NIS $41.74 (CAD $15.40) and the share price was NIS $31.17 (CAD $11.44). Cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2018 amounted to CAD $23.1M compared with CAD $25.9M at the end of the corresponding period last year. Furthermore, Skyline has an undrawn credit facility of CAD $16.5M and unencumbered assets of CAD $95M.

amounted to CAD $23.1M compared with CAD $25.9M at the end of the corresponding period last year. Furthermore, Skyline has an undrawn credit facility of CAD $16.5M and unencumbered assets of CAD $95M. Net financial debt as of March 31, 2018 totaled CAD $306M, constituting 43.4% of Assets (excluding cash).

About Skyline

Skyline Investments is a Canadian company that specializes in hospitality real estate investments in Canada and the US. The Company owns 19 assets in Canada and the US with 3,180 hotel rooms under management spread over 18 cities, and development lands with rights for almost 3,000 residential units in three main areas north of Toronto, Canada.

The company is traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (ticker: SKLN) under the SME60 index.

For more information:

Ben Novo-Shalem, Head of M&A and Investor Relations

416-368-2565 / 2222 | benn@skylineinvestments.com

This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks detailed in our public filings with the Canadian Securities Administrators. Except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking or other statements herein whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.



*All numbers based on March 31, 2018 CAD to NIS exchange rate of 2.7099




SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) announced plans to build 600 net new stores annually over the next five years in Mainland China - a goal that will double the market's store count from the end of fiscal year 2017 to 6,000 across 230 cities. The company also announced plans to more than triple revenue and more than double operating income in China by the end of fiscal year 2022, relative to fiscal year 2017 levels.



Today, Starbucks operates about 3,300 stores in 141 cities in China and employs 45,000 partners (employees).



In 2014, Starbucks built its first Starbucks Reserve Bar to deepen customer coffee engagement and provide immersive experiences. With more than 150 locations currently, the company plans to reach 200 Reserve Bar stores by the end of fiscal year 2018.



Next month, the company will open its newest multi-level flagship format - the Beijing Fun flagship store. Located inside the high-traffic Beijing Fun shopping area, this will be the largest store globally, aside from the Roasteries. It will deliver the immersive experience found at the Roasteries through three distinct craft bar experiences: Starbucks Reserve coffees, Teavana teas, and mixology, Starbucks said.



Over the next five years, the Starbucks Ready-to-Drink (RTD) business in China is expected to expand to more than 400 major Chinese cities across more than 125,000 premium points of distribution in partnership with Tingyi, a leader in China's RTD beverage category.



On June 12, the company will introduce the Starbucks chilled cup platform with four flavors, introducing a new Starbucks category to the Chinese consumer. This beverage platform is expected to quickly become a preferred on-the-go format for coffee and tea in China.



In addition, Starbucks will look to leverage the recently announced global coffee alliance with Nestle to provide even more at-home options to the Chinese consumer in the future. The alliance will enable Starbucks Channel Development to grow its reach and scale in the single-serve and foodservice businesses, leveraging Nestle's reach to expand Starbucks Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) presence from 28 countries to nearly 190 countries around the world.



Starbucks China and The Starbucks Foundation reaffirm $20 million five-year commitment to social impact programs.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
BARCELONA, Spain, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Alimentaria Barcelona one of the main food, drink and foodservice trade shows worldwide closed successfully its biggest edition in years to offer the food industry a major platform for internationalization and business and a high level of innovation, making gastronomy its differentiating factor. The event, that took place from 16 to 19 April 2018 at Fira de Barcelona (Spain) attractedmore than 200 exhibiting companies from Asian countries.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/659718/Fira_Barcelona_Logo.jpg )

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/691251/Alimentaria_Logo.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/691243/Alimentaria.jpg )

With a net exhibition space of over 100,000 sq. m, the joint organization of the show with Hostelco, the International Exhibition of Equipment for Restaurants, Hotels and Mass Catering, offers both the retail and HoReCa sectors the most comprehensive offering to date. Some 4,500 exhibiting firms - some 200 coming from Asia, mainly Chinese- and more than 150,000 professional visitors attended the trade show, (30% international).

In this edition, Chinese companies achieved the second position in the list of countries with more occupied exhibiting space by non-Spanish brands, with more than 1,100 sqm.

Performing a strong growth, China is the most dynamic external market for Spanish products, with 1,1 billion in 2016, with an increase of 49% of the purchases, according to the Spanish Federation of Food and Drink Industries (FIAB). Pork meat, wine and live oil are the most exported goods. On the other hand, Thailand -with 72 million spent in Spanish food products- is becoming an attractive market as it experienced a growth of 36% in its purchases from Spain, especially frozen fish, fish flours and olive oil. In Alimentaria 2018, over 200 companies invited to visit the show through the program Hosted Buyers came from Asian key markets, especially from China+Hong Kong+Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Singapore and India. These countries were also on top of the visitor's ranking of Alimentaria 2018.



Gastronomic and innovative Excellence

Close to 20,000 professionals participated in more than 200 activities that took place in Alimentaria 2018, with exceptional protagonists: a selected group of chefs that own close to 45 Michelin stars (Carme Ruscalleda, Paco Perez or Angel Leon among others), while top international wine experts such as Jancis Robinson and Nick Lander participated in the Vinorum Think event. The area The Alimentaria Hub became a knowledge, trends, innovation and business centre, in which some 12,500 meetings between international buyers and exhibiting companies took place.
CUPERTINO (dpa-AFX) - Apple Inc. (AAPL) is seeking about $1 billion from Samsung Electronics Co. (SMSN.L, SSNNF.OB, SSNLF.OB) in another go-round stemming from a long-running smart-phone patent-infringement dispute, according to reports. Jurors at the retrial before before U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, learned at the outset that the South Korean company infringed three of Apple's design patents and two utility patents. Their sole job, Apple lawyer Bill Lee said, is to determine what damages Apple can collect. Samsung was found guilty of violating the patents back in 2012, but the two companies have been fighting over the amount of money Samsung should pay as a result for the last six years. The core issue between the two companies is whether the damages should be based on the total value of the device, or whether Samsung should pay a fee based just on the elements of the phone that it copied. Apple is of the opinion that its payment should be based on the full value of the iPhone, while Samsung is arguing that it should pay a lesser amount based only on a portion of the iPhone's value, the reports said. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
SAN ANTONIO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2018 / - Currently the most sought after and exciting area of upstream activity in North America is West Texas' Permian Basin. Since 2013, production from the basin has increased from roughly 1.35 million barrels per day to over 2.4 million barrels per day in July 2017, amounting to about 45 percent of the total oil production for all onshore wells in the lower 48 states. Brian Alfaro, the President and CEO of Texas-based energy and petroleum company Silver Star Resources, recently discussed the massive impact the Permian Basin has on the Texas economy.

From a global perspective, the Permian's output of 2.4 million barrels per day is greater than that of many historical oil powerhouses, including Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar and Venazuela. On a national scale, Brian Alfaro said that the Permian Basin generated over $25.6 billion in deals last year, accounting for roughly 41 percent of all upstream value. The bulk of those deals were in the region's Delaware Basin, which research firm PLS reports attracted $18 billion in investment, while the Midland Basin generated over $9 billion. To put those numbers into perspective, Alfaro explained that with the amount spent on acquisitions in the Permian, 22 of the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium - which cost $1.2 billion to build - could be constructed. Compared to other shale plays in the United States, the Permian saw the most investment by far -- $25 billion in merger and acquisition activity, compared to $5.1 billion in the SCOOP/STACK of Oklahoma; $1.9 billion in the Niobrara of Colorado and Wyoming; and $2.1 billion in the Bakken of North Dakota and Montana.

In terms of capital expenditure or capex -- the funds a company uses to acquire or upgrade physical assets such as equipment, property or facilities -- the money flowing into the region is substantial. According to an IHS Markit report, capex in the Permian reached $8 billion. This figure includes over $900 million in investment from Apache, and over $1.2 billion from producer Occidental - an investment so large it accounted for about 60 percent of the company's total capital expenditure. More impressive still, according to Alfaro, is that capex in the Permian is expected to increase to over $40 billion in 2021. Looking forward, the hyperactivity shows no signs of slowing. Chevron has already announced that it plans to spend $2.5 billion to develop its shale assets in the Permian, and Apache plans to allocate about 63 percent of its oil and natural gas capital to the region, approximately $1.9 billion.

Brian Alfaro is a multifaceted entrepreneur and dedicated philanthropist with nearly 20 years of experience developing businesses in the oil industry. As the President and CEO of Silver Star Resources, Alfaro's proficiency in the field has led to the production of over 5 billion cubic feet of gas. He is the proud recipient of the inaugural Eagle Ford Excellence Award, presented by the South Texas Energy & Economic Roundtable for his successful initiatives to create a safe environment both workers and members of the community.

Brian Alfaro - Oil and Gas Industry Mogul and Dedicated Philanthropist: http://brianalfaronews.com

Brian Alfaro Explores the Benefits of New Technologies for Permian Basin Players: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/brian-alfaro-explores-benefits-technologies-204000406.html

Brian Alfaro - On the Positive Investment Outlook for Permian Basin: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/brian-alfaro-positive-investment-outlook-025200987.html

Contact Information:

BrianAlfaroNews.om

www.brianalfaronews.com

contact@brianalfaronews.com

SOURCE: Brian Alfaro
Public Affairs Division Global Communications Department Toyota Motor Corporation Tel: +81-3-3817-9926

Toyota City, Japan, May 16, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Akio Toyoda, the President of Toyota Motor Corporation, has been presented with the Issigonis Trophy, the highest personal honour awarded by Autocar, the world's oldest automotive magazine.The award, named after the internationally celebrated car designer Sir Alec Issigonis, creator of the Mini, was announced at the annual Autocar Awards, hosted at the Silverstone race circuit in the UK on Tuesday (15 May).Mark Tisshaw, Autocar Editor said: "This is our highest accolade and our most prestigious and most personal award. It goes to Mr Toyoda in recognition of the quite incredible job he has done at the helm of Toyota and Lexus. He has been proved right on so many issues and it is inspiring to see him do such diverse things as lead the agenda on future powertrain technologies and bring back cars that appeal to the enthusiast, all while selling a vast amount of ever-more desirable cars."Mr Toyoda was unable to attend the presentation, but expressed his gratitude in a video message. Celebrating the inspirational work of Issigonis, he was filmed arriving in Toyota City at the wheel of a classic Mini.He said: "I am very honoured to receive the Issigonis Trophy because I feel it represents a link between our industry's great past and its future."He paid tribute to his grandfather, Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder of Toyota, and said he was in fact accepting the award on his behalf, rather than for himself.He continued: "Today, in the midst of the greatest transformation the auto industry has experienced in the past hundred years, I feel that Kiichiro is behind me, saying 'you should face it with challenging spirits'. In this greatest transformation, what we do not forget is that our core business, cars, are much more than pieces of metal. They represent the freedom to move. And when you are free to move, anything is possible."In conclusion, he paid a personal tribute to the Mini, a car he drove himself during his time living and workuing in London in the 1980s, acknowledging how it remains an inspiration to him. He said: "For me it is the kind of car we should all dream of making. Affordable, simple and as fun to drive as a go-cart. Even if the future people will go to work in autonomous pods, as industry leaders it is also our job to keep making cars like this."Mr. Toyoda received his trophy in Toyota City from Steve Cropley, Autocar Editor-in-Chief.Mr Toyoda took up the position of Toyota President in 2009 and has led the company in a programme of innovation and development that looks beyond vehicle manufacturing to find ways of providing everyone in society with the freedom of mobility. Under his leadership, the company pursues a mission of making ever-better cars, recognising the importance of the pure enjoyment of driving and drawing inspiration and excitement from involvement in international motorsport.At the same time, Toyota's Environmental Challenge 2050 has set high targets for significant reductions in the environmental impact of every aspect of the company's global operations and its products. Toyota seeks both to protect and enhance the environment and is a world leader in the development of electrified powertrains. It has continuously evolved its hybrid technology from the launch of the original Prius in 1997 to the delivery of Mirai, the world's first hydrogen fuel cell electric saloon, a car that signals the potential great environmental benefits of a future hydrogen society.About ToyotaToyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is the global mobility company that introduced the Prius hybrid-electric car in 1997 and the first mass-produced fuel cell sedan, Mirai, in 2014. Headquartered in Toyota City, Japan, Toyota has been making cars since 1937. Today, Toyota proudly employs 370,000 employees in communities around the world. Together, they build around 10 million vehicles per year in 29 countries, from mainstream cars and premium vehicles to mini-vehicles and commercial trucks, and sell them in more than 170 countries under the brands Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino. For more information, please visit www.toyota-global.com.Source: ToyotaContact:Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - House prices in majority of the Chinese cities increased in April, figures from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Wednesday. On a monthly basis, house prices climbed 58 cities out of 70 surveyed by the government. It fell in 10 cities and remained flat in 2 cities. The highest rise in house prices were noted in Haikou and Sanya, by 1.9 percent and the steepest decline was seen in Anqing, by 0.3 percent. Compared with the same month of 2017, house prices grew in 59 cities out of the 70 cities in April, while it decreased in 10 cities. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Burberry Group plc (BRBY.L) reported Wednesday that its fiscal year 2018 profit before taxation increased 5 percent to 413 million pounds from prior year's 395 million pounds. Attributable profit grew to 294 million pounds from 287 million pounds last year. Earnings per share improved to 68.4 pence from 64.9 pence a year ago. Adjusted profit before taxation was 471 million pounds, compared to 462 million pounds a year ago. Adjusted earnings per share were 82.1 pence, compared to 77.4 pence last year. Revenue, meanwhile, dropped 1 percent to 2.73 billion pounds from 2.77 billion pounds last year. Revenue excluding Beauty wholesale grew 2 percent to 2.66 billion pounds. Retail comparable store sales increased 3 percent, compared to a 1 percent rise last year. Further, the company announced that full year dividend per share increased 6% to 41.3 pence, in line with progressive dividend policy. Looking ahead, the company continues to expect broadly stable revenue and operating profit margin at CER in FY 2019 and FY 2020. The company said its trading is in line with guidance, and its on track to deliver cumulative cost savings of 100 million pounds. Burberry further announced new share buyback of 150 million pounds. Marco Gobbetti, Chief Executive Officer, said, 'In a year of transition, we are pleased with our performance as we began to execute our strategy. While the task of transforming Burberry is still before us, the first steps we implemented to re-energise our brand are showing promising early signs.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Ready for Guidewire accelerator streamlines fraud and risk management processes, improves customer experience, and reduces costs for insurers

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE: GWRE), a provider of software products to P&C insurers, today announced that FRISS, the global provider of fraud and risk solutions for the P&C insurance industry, has joined Guidewire PartnerConnect as a Solution partner. In addition, the FRISS Fraud Detection at Claims accelerator, which speeds the integration between FRISS and Guidewire ClaimCenter, has successfully completed the Ready for Guidewire accelerator validation process. This designates that it has been through a rigorous review process that supports readiness for integration with Guidewire products. The accelerator is for use in personal lines of business, motor and property, and is available for download at no cost by Guidewire customers globally via Guidewire Marketplace.

"Fraud is a serious issue for the insurance industry, with significant negative impact on insurance premiums," said Jeroen Morrenhof, CEO and co-founder of FRISS. "Fraud management is vital. The investigation of 'false positives' often consumes time and money, and can impact on customer satisfaction, as well as resulting in competitive disadvantage. FRISS's Fraud Detection at Claims accelerator helps insurers resolve these challenges, and the result is that claims adjusters are guided through a time-saving and systematic fraud and risk detection process."

"Carriers are looking to improve their ability to find value in the new world of analytics by gaining insights at the point of need," commented Karlyn Carnahan, Head, The Americas, for analyst Celent's property casualty insurance practice. "Instead of running reports after the fact, the deep integration of fraud analytics into the claims process allows carriers to deliver actionable intelligence to adjusters as the claim is processed real time. Not only will this deliver processing efficiencies, but the biggest potential gain is in the value that real time information can offer when settling a claim."

FRISS's Ready for Guidewire accelerator, through its integration with ClaimCenter, supports insurers by providing streamlined processing for fraud and risk management that comprises:

A real-time and AI powered risk indicator for each claim;

A risk score for use in defining next steps: settlement, investigation or risk management action;

Automated claims checking at defined stages; and

User-friendly follow-up research and data capture.

"FRISS's Fraud Detection at Claims accelerator for Guidewire ClaimCenter provides claims teams with better insight into potential fraud and risk, as well as supporting those teams in effective cost and time management," said Becky Mattick, director, Global Solution Alliances, Guidewire Software. "Fraud management claims solutions are very important. We welcome FRISS as a PartnerConnect Solution partner."

About FRISS

FRISS has a 100% focus on automated fraud and risk detection for P&C insurance companies worldwide. The AI powered detection solutions for underwriting, claims and SIU helped 150+ insurers to grow their business. FRISS detects fraud, mitigates risks and supports digital transformation. Insurers go live within 6 months, with fixed price projects, and realize an ROI within 12 months. The solutions help to lower the loss ratio, enable profitable portfolio growth, and improve the customer experience.

About Guidewire PartnerConnect and Ready for Guidewire

Guidewire PartnerConnect is a global network of select companies that provide consulting services and solutions to enhance, extend, and complement the capabilities of Guidewire products. Our worldwide community helps contribute to the success of our mutual customers in the general insurance industry by delivering Guidewire software implementations, value-add solution and technology offerings, and guidance on insurance industry best practices.

Ready for Guidewire accelerators developed by PartnerConnect Solution members have been rigorously reviewed by Guidewire, adhere to Guidewire software design principles, and meet established criteria.

The accelerators are published on Guidewire Marketplace and are available for download by Guidewire customers at no charge.

Guidewire PartnerConnect is an invitation-only program. For more information about Guidewire PartnerConnect please visit www.guidewire.com/partners/.

About Guidewire Software

Guidewire delivers the software that property and casualty (P&C) insurers need to adapt and succeed in a time of rapid industry change. We combine three elements core operations, data and analytics, and digital engagement into a technology platform that enhances insurers' ability to engage and empower their customers and employees. More than 300 general insurers around the world have selected Guidewire. For more information, please visit www.guidewire.com. Follow us on twitter: @Guidewire_PandC.

NOTE: For all information about Guidewire's trademarks, visit https://www.guidewire.com/legal-notices.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005262/en/

Contacts:

for FRISS

Ruud van Gerwen, +31 30 767 0352

Product Partner Marketer

Ruud.van.gerwen@friss.eu

or

onechocolate Communications

Daniel Couzens, +44(0)20 7437 0227

guidewire@onechocolatecomms.co.uk

or

Guidewire Software (UK) Ltd

Louise Bradley, +44 (0)7474 837 860

PR Communications EMEA

lbradley@guidewire.com
Vendors selected for the "Cool Vendors" report are innovative, impactful and intriguing

Cyberwrite today announced it has been included in the list of "Cool Vendors" in the "Cool Vendors in Insurance"1 by Gartner, Inc. The InsurTech innovator has been recognized for its cyberrisk profiling technology for cyber insurance.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005214/en/

In the report Gartner writes, "Gartner's Cool Vendors in insurance apply a broad range of emerging technologies to provide innovative products and services and support new business models. Life and P&C insurance CIOs can use this research to keep themselves and their business peers ahead of the competition."

Cyberwrite'scloud-based SaaS solution gives insurers and brokers unique insights that enable them to tailor cyber insurance policies to meet the specific needs and budget of individual small and midsized businesses (SMBs). The solution is based on machine learning technology for translating raw cyber risk data into cyber coverage risk scores and financial impact estimations.

Cyberwrite enables coverage to be tailored to the specific risks of SMB's, rather than the "one size fits all" approach currently offered. The solution is already being used by some of the world's largest insurers, with reports run so far for over 50,000 companies globally.

Because Cyberwrite profiles and analyzes the cyber insurance risk of businesses in real time and on demand, it helps both insurers and their customers to understand the probability and financial impact of a cyber event for that specific business. This is presented in a one-page, simple to understand report, which serves insurers and brokers when they sell and underwrite cyber policies as well as business owners so they can purchase the right coverage. It is especially useful and clear for those who arenot cyber experts.

In addition, insurance companies integrate Cyberwrite's data into their system using Cyberwrite's APIs for underwriting and catastrophe modelling purposes.

"Cyber insurance policies offered to small and midsize businesses are typically very broad and untailored, resulting in businesses paying extra for unneeded coverage while not being covered for the actual risks they face, and we are out to change this," said Nir Perry, CEO, Cyberwrite. "We are very proud to be included in the prestigious Gartner report. We believe that Cyberwrite is set to shake things up in the coming years for the insurance industry."

According to the US National Cyber Security Alliance 60 percent of small companies are unable to sustain their businesses six months after a cyber attack.

"Cyber insurance is becoming essential to businesses as the only product that compensates them after an attack, when technology cannot provide total protection. We expect high demand for this type of insurance among small and mid-size businesses because of the high and growing number of damaging cyber attacks," added Perry. Allianz projects the cyber insurance market is set to grow to $20B in annual premiums in the next 7 years.

Cyberwrite is one of only four insurtech companies globally to be recognized by Gartner, as a Cool Vendor, whose insurtech database covers more than 1,000 startups.

Gartner clients can access the Gartner report here.

Gartner, Cool Vendors in Insurance, Sham Gill, Kimberly Harris-Ferrante, Jeff Haner, Laurie Shotton, Richard Thomas Natale, Juergen Weiss, 26 April 2018

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Cyberwrite

Cyberwrite was founded in 2016 by a team of cyber risk experts and insurance veterans to address the $20B market of cyber insurance.

The company has customers in the United States and Europe and is backed by Austrian venture capital fund SpeedInvest, as well as senior insurance executives and angel investors from the United States and Israel. Among the company's advisors are Shmulik Regev, one of the founders of Trusteer and Inbar Raz, a thought leader and speaker in cyber intelligence research. Visit Cyberwrite at www.cyberwrite.com or on LinkedIn and Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005214/en/

Contacts:

Kesselring Communications for Cyberwrite

Leslie Kesselring

+1 503-358-1012

leslie@kesscomm.com
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
NICE, France, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of telecoms executives are gathering at Digital Transformation World (DTW) taking place on May 14-16, 2018 at the Acropolis in Nice, France.

At this year's DTW, over 250 industry speakers come together and share ideas, solutions and experiences on five conference tracks which focus on the top challenge service providers identified. ZTEsoft business leaders and experts have participated in three conference tracks including AI and data analytics, 2020 digital operator and serving the digital customer, sharing cases and expertise on how ZSmart empowers intelligent transformation.

Data analytics adds a spark to artificial intelligence (AI)

Speaking at the AI and data analytics conference track, Zhijun Wang, Deputy General Manager, Information Department of China Unicom and George Zhao, Business Development Director of ZTEsoft shared insights and scenarios on how to design and deploy a platform to open data and AI capabilities. "The convergence of data analytics with AI holds great promise for industry players to out-innovate the competition. ZTEsoft is working with our customers to unlock the value of AI and drive improvements in digital marketing, agile operation and customer experiences," said George.

Serving digital customers with intelligent services

During the serving digital customers conference track, Taimoor Khizer Abbasi, Market Research Director of ZTEsoft introduced ZSmart uTalk, an intelligent customer service solutions based on cloud architecture and AI technology for diverse industries to enable cost efficiency with an intelligent engine and dramatically improve the customer experience.

Building an inclusive IoT ecosystem with partners

Developing an inclusive IoT ecosystem is conducive to accelerate the implementation of IoT technologies. Fu Jianjun, Marketing Director of ZTEsoft explored the importance of building and managing the IoT value chain. "Today's Internet of things are converging to intelligence of things as the main focus has shifted from connection to intelligence," he mentioned. "We've witnessed the progress whereas the fragmentation and lack of broad standards continue to threaten IoT market growth. ZTEsoft aims to realize the convergence of people, things and cloud in a digital world, by focusing on the infrastructure and partner ecosystem, ultimately creating an open and inclusive IoT eco-system with partners."

ZTEsoft powers digital transformation journeys for our customers with enhanced product and services infused with cutting-edge technologies. We will also break through the boundaries of cooperation, and work together with partners to leap forward in the digital era.
ALBANY, New York, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The global catheters market is projected to rise at a promising CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025. The opportunities in the global catheters market is expected to reach a worth of US$55.98 billion by the end of this period.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/664869/Transparency_Market_Research_Logo.jpg )

Extensive Demand for Catheterization in Urological, Cardiovascular, and Neurological Treatments propel Growth

The widespread usage of vascular access and intravenous medical devices for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases and symptoms in worldwide populations is a key factor accentuating the catheters market. The notably rising demand for catheters in the area of urology, cardiology, and neurology, is propelling the growth of the market. The copious demand is also driven by the substantial application of urinary catheters by clinicians in delivering or removing medications and fluids to or from the patient body in order to manage bladder problems. The market is also benefiting from the rising demand for catheterization in managing urinary tract infections.

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The rapid rise in elderly population in developing and developed countries has led to a burgeoning patient population suffering with chronic diseases and urinary retention and incontinence. This is fortifying the demand for various types of catheters.

Advancements in Design and Functionality make room for Product Innovations

Over the years, catheters have seen wide advancements both in the design and functionality. This is underpinning the rapid expansion of the global market. The growing affordability of catheters that help in non-invasive catheterization is a crucial trend providing a robust fillip to the growth of the market. The demand for catheters is also benefitting from the rising popularity of non-invasive treatments for cardiovascular and urinary diseases.

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The bold stride being taken by the healthcare infrastructure and services sector in developing economies is boosting the catheters market. The vast rise in disposal incomes in developing regions, coupled with rising awareness of catheterization, in various parts of the world is catalyzing the growth of the global market. A favorable healthcare reimbursement policies in several developing and developed countries is also helping the market to expand substantially over the forecast period.

Broadly, the various product types are cardiovascular, intravenous, neurovascular, specialty, and urology catheters. Of these, cardiovascular catheters is the leading segment expected to collect large revenue over the assessment period. The growth is fueled by the rising prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, along with their growing mortality, affecting worldwide populations.

Regionally, North America presently holds the sway by contributing the major share of the global revenue and is expected to retain its lead through 2025. This is attributed to the extensive uptake of various catheterization procedures in patients across the region.

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The global catheters market features a largely consolidated landscape characterized by the dominance of large conglomerate companies and global players, leaving little scope for small- and medium-sized players to secure a firm foothold in the market, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR). Notwithstanding the prominent forces of consolidation, the global market is, unarguably, intensely competition. Top players are required to focus on innovative product launches and are opting cutting-edge strategies to retain their prominence. TMR observes that a number of multinational medical device manufacturers are also harping on entering into collaborations and tapping lucrative avenues in various regional markets, in order to consolidate their positions.

Key players holding a sizeable stake in the global market are Cook Group Incorporated, Teleflex Incorporated, Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific Corporation, C. R. Bard, Inc., Medtronic plc., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Becton, Dickinson and Company, and Abbott Laboratories.

Popular Research Reports by TMR:

Micro Guide Catheters Market: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/micro-guide-catheters-market.html

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/micro-guide-catheters-market.html EP Catheter Ablation Market:https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ep-catheter-ablation-market.html

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Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.

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Growing roster of European brands choose Talkdesk to expand profitability and improve customer experience

SAN FRANCISCO, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Talkdesk, the enterprise contact center platform and fastest growing Contact Center as a Service provider, today announced its participation as a Gold Sponsor at Salesforce World Tour London. Talkdesk, which has grown revenue year-over-year in Europe and doubled the number of European customers in the past year, continues to expand its global footprint to meet increasing enterprise customer demand for dynamic, cloud-based contact center solutions.

At Salesforce World Tour London on May 18, Talkdesk experts are available to answer questions at their expo hall booth and in the Talkdesk Lounge located in the center of Content Hall. Both are open throughout the day to all 10,000 attendees.

"We are excited to interact with our growing roster of European customers and engage 10,000 attendees with Talkdesk's innovative contact center technologies," said Tiago Paiva, CEO of Talkdesk. "As demands on customer experience teams intensify, companies are turning away from legacy systems towards the flexibility of cloud-based solutions. Global customers choose Talkdesk to improve customer experience and satisfaction, which have a direct impact on growth and profitability in today's customer experience economy."

Talkdesk's Gold Sponsorship at Salesforce World Tour London builds upon significant momentum in the European contact center solutions market. In less than 18 months, Talkdesk increased its European footprint by adding major enterprise brands including Aedas Homes, Bambora, DEKRA, Edenred, and Glintt. Their development center in Portugal, which employs over 200 people, and data centers in Ireland and Frankfurt, solidifies Talkdesk's commitment to the European market.

Additional Information

Learn about the Talkdesk Enterprise Contact Center Platform

Follow @Talkdesk on Twitter

Connect with Talkdesk on LinkedIn

About Talkdesk

Talkdesk Enterprise Contact Center Platform empowers companies to continuously improve customer experience. With enterprise class performance and consumer-like ease of use, Talkdesk easily adapts to the evolving needs of sales and support teams and their end-customers, resulting in increased customer satisfaction, productivity and cost savings. Over 1,400 innovative enterprises around the world with thousands of seats, including IBM, Acxiom and Zumiez rely on Talkdesk to power their customer interactions. Learn more and request a demo at www.talkdesk.com.

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COLOGNE (dpa-AFX) - The General Court of the European Union ordered that the European Commission must re-examine a request made by Lufthansa and Swiss airline concerning the waiver of their pricing commitments for the Zurich-Stockholm route.



However, the General Court dismissed Lufthansa's action so far as the Zurich-Warsaw route is concerned.



In 2005 the Commission cleared, subject to conditions, the planned acquisition of Swiss airline by Lufthansa, a founding member of Star Alliance.



Those conditions included compliance with commitments on pricing given by Lufthansa and Swiss airline in respect of the Zurich-Stockholm and Zurich-Warsaw routes. Those commitments provided that the merged entity would apply, each time it reduced a published fare on a comparable reference route, an equivalent reduction to the corresponding fares on those two routes. It was stipulated that that obligation would cease once a new air service provider began operations on the routes concerned.



By those commitments Lufthansa and Swiss airline addressed the Commission's concerns regarding competition on those two routes. First, those routes were operated only by Swiss and by Star Alliance partners and, secondly, Zurich and Stockholm airports were congested.



In 2013, Lufthansa and Swiss airline submitted a request to the Commission seeking a waiver of the fare commitments in question. They argued that a joint venture agreement entered into between Lufthansa and Swiss in 1995 had been terminated, that there had in the meantime been a change in the Commission's policy with respect to the treatment of alliance partners in the context of merger review and that there was competition between, on the one hand, Swiss and, on the other, SAS/LOT.



In 2016, the Commission rejected that request by a decision. It took the view that the conditions for a waiver of the commitments, which had been stipulated in the review clauses included in the 2005 clearance decision, were not met.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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FELTON, California, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Global protective clothing market is segmented on the basis of type, application, end-use industry, user type, and geography. Protective clothing involves garments or textile materials which are worn to safeguard personnel from coming in contact with hostile element or environment. It reduces the risk of the person wearing protective clothing from injury, damage or death. The degree of danger or exposure to risk varies according to the end user industries. Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to protective clothing and accessories like helmets, goggles, gloves, air purifying respirators, etc. These are helpful for the responders to avoid injury and threat.

Hazmat suits or Hazardous materials suits are the part of PPPE which consists of full body garments and worn for the protection against hazardous materials by fire brigades, military, special forces, first responders, emergency responders, etc. The rising concerns regarding the safety of workers coupled with the increasing stringency of government regulations are by far the leading factor driving for protective clothing market. The booming demand for multifunctional protective clothing from end-user industries is also propelling the market.

Furthermore, the rapid industrialization along with improving economic conditions in emerging countries is providing a significant boost to the growth of the market. On the other side, the research and development of protective fabrics require hefty funds, which add to the overall price of protective clothing. High cost is another factor that hampers the growth of the protective clothing market.

Browse 114 page research report with TOC on "Global Protective Clothing Market" at: https://www.millioninsights.com/industry-reports/protective-clothing-market

The end users of the protective clothing market are protective clothing manufacturers, protective clothing manufacturers, raw material suppliers, service providers, and end users such as oil & gas, healthcare, construction & manufacturing and government bodies. On the basis of material type, the protective clothing market is segmented into polyolefins& blends, aramid & blends, polyolefins& blends, PBI, UHMW polyethylene, laminated polyesters, cotton fibres, various rubber, leather types and so on.PBI is expected to register the highest CAGR for protective clothing in the coming years. PBI registered highest CAGR owing to its high thermal and chemical stability, which unlike aramid fibers burns in air.

On the basis of application, the protective clothing market is segmented into thermal, chemical, mechanical, biological/ radiation, visibility and so on. On the basis of end-use industry, the protective clothing market is segmented into oil & gas, healthcare/ medical, construction & manufacturing, firefighting & law enforcement, military, mining and so on. The growing awareness about the precautions to be taken during a medical treatment increases demand for protective coating in the healthcare industry. Medical professionals face various types of hazards from chemicals, steel instruments, body fluid contaminations, and other infected particles. To prevent infection of bacteria from an affected body, protective clothing is necessary in the healthcare industry.

On the basis of user type, the protective clothing market is segmented into personal and industrial. On the basis of geography, the protective clothing market is segmented into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. Latin America market is known for protective clothing and is expected to grow at a high rate, owing to investments in various industries such as construction & manufacturing, oil & gas, healthcare, firefighting, health care, mining, and military. Emerging industries in developing countries of Latin America create favorable opportunities in regional and national market. Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina and Chile are major markets for protective clothing.

The key players of protective clothing industry are DUPONT, Honeywell, Lakeland, MSA, Uvex, Kimberly Clark, Bergeron, Delta Plus, Excalor, TEMPEX, SanCheong, STS, Firetex, Bar-Ray Products, Lite Tech Inc., Medical Index GmbH, Hoshina, ProTech, Infab Corporation, Wolf X-Ray Corporation, AADCO Medical Inc., Wiroma AG, Konston, Qingdao Chengyang Medical Equipment Factory, Shandong Longkou Modern Medical Packing and Equipment Factory, Qingdao Meikang Fireproof Materials Co.,Ltd., 3M Company, Ansell Limited and Sioen Industries.

Browse reports of similar category available with Million Insights:

Smart Fabrics Market

Nursing & Maternity Bras Market

Shapewear Market

Swimsuits & Cover UpsMarket

Global Protective Clothing Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Billion, 2012 - 2022)

 United States

 China

 Europe

 Japan

 Southeast Asia

 India

Global Protective Clothing Key Players Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Billion, 2012 - 2022)

 DuPont

 Honeywell

 Lakeland

 Uvex

 Kappler

 Bergeron

 Delta Plus

Global Protective Clothing Product Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Billion, 2012 - 2022)

 Protective Clothing Based on Aramid Yarns

 Protective Clothing Based on Modacrylic Yarns

Global Protective Clothing Application Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Billion, 2012 - 2022)

 Oil & Gas Industry

 Construction & Manufacturing Industry

 Health Care & Medical Industry

 Mining Industry

 Military Industry

 Firefighting & Law Enforcement Industry

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- Under this agreement both companies will deliver solutions aimed at reducing fraud in digital channels and enhancing user experience

- The collaboration will facilitate financial institutions adapting to PSD2's security requirements

MADRID, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The multinational business consultancy everis and InAuth, a leading mobile digital device intelligence company, have signed a global agreement to strengthen security across its digital solutions and speed up the identification and authentication process of clients' digital transactions.

Although the technological solutions deployed through this relationship will be applicable across multiple industries, they will be targeted to the financial sector. The implementation of the Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) regulation in Europe will require companies to execute exhaustive security protocols in the authentication process of their clients to reduce risks. Furthermore, this directive requires companies to implement malware detection mechanisms in electronic devices in order to avoid security breaches.

The introduction of additional security measures can affect the user experience between companies and their customers. Companies now have a duty to deliver compliant and secure solutions; however, in this case, they can do so by providing a simple capability for both the aspects of PSD2 pertaining to consent and Strong Customer Authentication (SCA). The complexity of providing a compliant and secure solution can be hidden by providing a rich, easy-to-use interface on a mobile device, capable of receiving and sending encrypted contextual messages.

Under this agreement, everis and InAuth will work together to deploy solutions based on the most advanced risk analysis and detection technology. In the current context, where digital identity and personal data are key assets, the everis and InAuth relationship will focus on reducing fraud in digital channels and enhancing user experience.

"With this agreement, we want to provide frictionless transactions, ensuring security and improving user experience," explains Antonio Garcia Zamarra, digital banking partner at everis. "Currently, mobile commerce is increasingly growing and InAuth's technology will allow us to identify mobile phones as trusted devices in order to limit risk and reduce fraud in digital channels."

According to Lisa Stanton, President of InAuth, "Mobile has become the de facto channel of choice for consumers. As a result, companies are required to deploy advanced methods of device authentication to better understand if the devices their customers are using are safe to transact with, if they are dealing with the true customer and if the customer's information on the device is protected. The resulting benefit is that the mobile device, when properly secured, can create a frictionless experience for the consumer."

About everis an NTT DATA Company

everis is an NTT DATA group company that offers business and strategy solutions, development and maintenance of technological applications, and outsourcing services. The company, which carries out its activity in the banking, insurance, industry, utilities, telecommunications, public administration, and health sectors, reached a turnover of 1.03 bn Euro in the last fiscal year. It currently has over 19,000 professionals distributed in its offices and high performance centers in 16 countries.

About NTT DATA Company

NTT DATA is a leading IT services provider and global innovation partner headquartered in Tokyo, with business operations in over 50 countries. Our emphasis is on long-term commitment, combining global reach with local intimacy to provide premier professional services varying from consulting and systems development to outsourcing. For more information, visit www.nttdata.com.

About InAuth

InAuth is a leading digital device intelligence company for a mobile-first world, deployed in many of the largest financial institutions around the globe. InAuth delivers the most advanced device identification, risk detection, and analysis capabilities possible to help organizations limit risk, remove friction, and reduce fraud within their digital channels. With safer digital transactions, banks, payment networks, merchants, healthcare providers, governments, and other organizations are better positioned to capture new revenue opportunities and compete more effectively in an "always-on" world. For more information, visit www.InAuth.com.

Contact:

Neal Stein

Technology PR Solutions

321.473.7407

nealjstein@techprsolutions.com
Infiniti Research, a world-renowned market intelligence solutions provider, has announced the completion of their latest list blog on the top four anticipated trends in the manufacturing industry

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005724/en/

Digital Trends in the Manufacturing Industry to Buckle up For. (Graphic: Business Wire)

At present, numerous tech and digital trends, which comprise the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), robotics, and 3D printing, are bring about efficiencies and new opportunities in the way companies in the manufacturing industry approach evolving products, managing new operations, and serving customers. Also, manufacturers are facing challenges that include finding and keeping viable workforce talent, managing legacy systems, and handling large volumes of data suitably and effectively. Infiniti has listed the top four anticipated trends in the manufacturing industry in this blog.

"The manufacturing industry in the US continues to be strong by incorporating new methods and technologies while navigating through the related challenges," says an industry expert from Infiniti

To know more about the scope of our research, speak to an expert

Top anticipated trends in the manufacturing industry:

IoT in B2B manufacturing: IoT has helped reach new productivities in the finance and retail industry. However, industrial manufacturers have faced challenges when it comes to understanding how this technology will make new business models and increase customer satisfaction. This year, it is projected that organizations in the manufacturing industry will save more time and money due to their IoT-enabled equipment undertaking self-maintenance and signaling developments to managers. Along with extensive material cost savings, IoT will decrease overall maintenance costs, equipment downtime, and maintenance planning time.

IoT has helped reach new productivities in the finance and retail industry. However, industrial manufacturers have faced challenges when it comes to understanding how this technology will make new business models and increase customer satisfaction. This year, it is projected that organizations in the manufacturing industry will save more time and money due to their IoT-enabled equipment undertaking self-maintenance and signaling developments to managers. Along with extensive material cost savings, IoT will decrease overall maintenance costs, equipment downtime, and maintenance planning time. Collaborative robots: In 2018, less costly, smarter and much safer industrial robots called collaborative robots or 'cobots' are predicted to replace bulkier, possibly more dangerous traditional industrial robots. With the United States and China taking the lead in adoption rates, cobot shipments are expected to grow suggestively in the upcoming years.

In 2018, less costly, smarter and much safer industrial robots called collaborative robots or 'cobots' are predicted to replace bulkier, possibly more dangerous traditional industrial robots. With the United States and China taking the lead in adoption rates, cobot shipments are expected to grow suggestively in the upcoming years. Blockchain in manufacturing: The blockchain technology is mostly related with cryptocurrencies the technology makes way for digital information to be recorded, stored, and distributed but not replicated or copied. Industry experts believe that it will play a progressively larger role in other industries, including manufacturing. It can be observed as a more trustworthy way of building digital relationships.

The blockchain technology is mostly related with cryptocurrencies the technology makes way for digital information to be recorded, stored, and distributed but not replicated or copied. Industry experts believe that it will play a progressively larger role in other industries, including manufacturing. It can be observed as a more trustworthy way of building digital relationships. Request a proposal, to know more about the top four anticipated trends in the manufacturing industry

Infiniti Research is a global market intelligence company offering strategic insights to help look beyond market disruptions, study competitive activity, and develop intelligent business strategies. Listed below are the top four anticipated trends in the manufacturing industry.

View the complete list of the top four anticipated trends in the manufacturing industry:

https://www.infinitiresearch.com/thoughts/5-digital-trends-manufacturing-industry

About Infiniti Research

Established in 2003, Infiniti Research is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies.

With 15+ years of experience and offices across three continents, Infiniti Research has been instrumental in providing a complete range of competitive intelligence, strategy, and research services for over 550 companies across the globe.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005724/en/

Contacts:

Infiniti Research

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Consultant

US: +1 844 778 0600

UK: +44 203 893 3400

hello@infinitiresearch.com

https://www.infinitiresearch.com/contact-us
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2018) - Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: PEX) ("Pacific Ridge" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that six of its projects will see active exploration programs during the 2018 field season.

Spius Cu-Mo-Au Porphyry, BC: The Spius property was explored for its porphyry copper potential in the 1960's and early 1970's. Exploration focused on a gossan area where work included an IP survey, trenching and 27 percussion and core drill holes located around the periphery of the current area of interest. The drilling was shallow, with none of the drill holes exceeding 100 m. Most of the records from this early exploration work have been lost, including the drill logs. Soil sampling has defined an anomalous zone, approximately 500 m by 1,000 m, with copper values ranging from 500 to 5,320 ppm, open to the south. Two recently collected float samples of porphyry style mineralization with disseminated chalcopyrite and bornite assayed 2.53% Cu and 1.43% Cu. A 1969 assessment report noted that a drill hole on the edge of this anomaly ended in 8 feet (191 to 199 ft.) of 0.4% Cu. Plans for the 2018 field season include an IP survey to update and expand the earlier survey, additional soil sampling and geological mapping. The results of this work will be used to define targets for a drill program.

RC Gold, Yukon: The target at RC Gold is an Intrusion Related Gold deposit similar to Dublin Gulch, Brewery Creek and Red Mountain in Yukon and Fort Knox, True North, Pogo and Donlin Creek in Alaska. The property is road accessible, at the headwaters of Clear Creek, in the heart of the Tintina Gold Belt. The 2017 program at RC Gold defined four priority targets. The planned 2018 program will focus in these areas with detailed mapping, sampling and an IP geophysical survey.

Gold Cap, Yukon: Gold Cap covers a geologic setting for White Gold style mineralization, similar to White Gold's Golden Saddle deposit, 6 km to the southwest (Indicated Mineral Resource of 961,000 gold ounces within 12,324,000 tonnes at 2.43 g/t gold and Inferred Mineral Resource of 282,500 gold ounces within 5,157,000 tonnes at 1.70 g/t gold - White Gold news release from March 5, 2018). The main target at Gold Cap is a gold soil anomaly. The Company's 2018 program will include detailed mapping and prospecting and a deep penetrating GT Probe soil sampling program.

Eureka Dome, Yukon: Eureka Dome is a road accessible gold project within the Yukon's White Gold District. The property was recently optioned to Trifecta Gold Ltd. and they will be carrying out a sampling, prospecting and mapping program in 2018, possibly followed by drilling.

Mariposa, Yukon: The geological setting at Mariposa is similar to the White Gold and Coffee properties in terms of the host lithologies, structural controls, brittle style of deformation and the nature of the gold mineralization. Prior exploration identified an open-ended seven km long horizon of altered, pyrite-bearing quartz mica schist in the Skookum Zone area of the property. The property is under option to Four Nines Gold Inc., who will be continuing their program of trenching and sampling, with a focus on the Hackly Gold target.

Fyre Lake, Yukon: Fyre Lake hosts a "Besshi-type" copper-cobalt-gold volcanogenic massive sulphide mineralization. Exploration to date has partially drill defined the Kona massive sulphide deposit and outlined two satellite targets with potential for additional VMS deposits. BMC Metals can exercise their option to purchase a 100% interest in Fyre Lake by paying $2,420,000 in January 2019. BMC will be continuing their evaluation of Fyre Lake in 2018, including re-logging all the historical drill core.

Gerry Carlson, President and CEO commented: "I am pleased to see an active 2018 field program on our Yukon and BC projects that I am confident will lead to the definition of quality drill targets. The Company has been approved for two Yukon Mineral Exploration Program grants of up to $40,000 each to be applied to its programs on the Gold Cap and RC Gold projects."

About Pacific Ridge

Pacific Ridge has assembled a portfolio of highly-prospective gold and base metal projects located in the Yukon and British Columbia, where its board and management team have a track record of success. Its holdings include the Mariposa, Eureka Dome and Gold Cap gold exploration projects in the Klondike-White Gold District, RC Gold in the Tintina Gold Belt, Fyre Lake in the Finlayson District and Spius Cu-Mo-Au porphyry TL Zinc in southern British Columbia.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Gerald G. Carlson"

Gerald G. Carlson

President & CEO

Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd.

For further information, contact:

Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd.

Gerald G. Carlson

President & CEO

Tel: (604) 687-4951

www.pacificridgeexploration.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 release.

The technical information contained within this News Release has been reviewed and approved by Gerald G. Carlson, Ph.D., P.Eng., President and CEO of Pacific Ridge and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 policy.

Forward-Looking Information: This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address exploration drilling and other activities and events or developments that Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. ("Pacific Ridge") expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the exercise of the options and future exploration plans and expenditures. Although Pacific Ridge 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 forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, that one of the options will be exercised, the ability of Pacific Ridge and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Pacific Ridge's proposed programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Pacific Ridge does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
In April, the number of Trustpilot reviews about Daekonline.dk exceeded 10,000, highlighting the reliability of the online shop.

Daekonline.dk, the Danish online shop from Europe's largest online tyre retailer Delticom, set a new milestone in April when it reached 10,000 reviews from the online review community Trustpilot. Together with the Daekonline shops in other European countries, the number of customer reviews now totals more than 190,000. Trustpilot collects real user experiences and publishes them immediately and without restrictions, thus creating a reliable overall image of the provider's trustworthiness. 89 of all reviews of Daekonline.dk rate it as "excellent" or "very good", thereby offering a true testament to the online shop's good reputation.

Thierry Delesalle from Daekonline.dk explains: "Pure online providers such as Daekonline.dk are particularly dependent on having a good reputation. Especially when shopping over the internet, consumers need reliable information to help them make their purchasing decisions. That's why we're delighted that so many customers have given us good reviews and shared their recommendations with other users."

Daekonline.dk offers a comprehensive range of summer, winter and all-season tyres, from low-priced quality tyres to premium brands. Customers can search for their perfect tyres simply by specifying the car model, tyre dimensions, speed index, brand, or other options. In addition to all the relevant information about the tyres' characteristics, the product descriptions also include tyre test results and customer reviews from the online platform Daektest.com. If car drivers don't fancy getting their toolbox out after buying new tyres, they can also have them sent to one of the over 1,000 service partners free of charge, where specialists will fit them to their car for them.

About Daekonline.dk

There are over 100 tyre brands and more than 25,000 models of tyres to be found at Daekonline.dk - also including the latest best-rated tyres from official comparison tests. The product portfolio not only includes tyres for cars, motorbikes, lorries, commercial vehicles and buses, but also wheel-tyre sets, rims and car replacement parts and accessories. Particularly practical: new tyres can be delivered quickly and free of charge* to any address provided. When purchasing tyres, buyers can also choose from more than 1,000 professional car workshop partners across Denmark and have the tyres sent to them directly for professional fitting. Many of our partner workshops offer also additional services, such as tyre storage.

*2 tyres and more

Buy tyres online:

www.reifendirekt.de, www.reifendirekt.at, www.reifendirekt.ch, www.123pneus.ch, www.autobandenmarkt.nl, www.123pneus.fr, www.mytyres.co.uk, www.gommadiretto.it, www.neumaticos-online.es and in many other Delticom online shops

Tyre tests: www.daektest.com

Information about the company: www.delti.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516005786/en/

Contacts:

insignis Agentur fur

Kommunikation GmbH (GPRA)

Henning Jahns

Tel.: +49-511-132214-14

Fax: +49-511-132214-99

delticom@insignis.de

or

Delticom AG

Anne Lena Peters

Tel.: +49-511-93634-8909

Fax: +49-511-93634-8301

anne.lena.peters@delti.com
Stonegate Digital Capital Group Offers a Blockchain-Focus Multi-Strategy Fund Platform

NEW YORK, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Stonegate Digital Capital Group is attending Consensus 2018, during Blockchain Week in New York City. Stonegate Digital Capital Group, leads the way with expertise and performance as two of the firm's hedge fund strategies since inception, have generated gross performance of over 439% and 1144% as of the end of April 2018. These funds have operated since October and November 2017 with partner capital.*

Consensus 2018 will feature 250+ speakers and 4,000+ attendees from the leading industry startups, investors, financial institutions, enterprise tech leaders, and academic and policy groups who are building the foundations of the blockchain and digital currency economy.

Stonegate Digital Capital Group's family of funds were recently made available to accredited and institutional investors. The platform provides diversification into the numerous strategies including top performing quantitative and algorithmic strategies, long term fundamental and technical trading, ICO's, and Blockchain venture deals. The platform provides a multiple industry leading blockchain related funds for diversification and alpha generation.

Stonegate Digital Capital Group has launched and is debuting the Stonegate Octic All-Weather Blockchain Master Fund trading strategy. The Stonegate Octic fund employs a multi-strategy approach utilizing systematic, data-driven cryptocurrency investment strategies based on quantitative and fundamental inputs. The Fund's multi-strategy approach is based on the view that superior opportunities exist in three distinct crypto asset investment approaches.

Stonegate Digital Capital Group will be giving Virtual Reality Tours of some of their quant/algo strategies at the Consensus conference. Please contact the Investor Relations team through our website if you will be attending the conference and would like to see the Virtual Reality demo or discuss further. Consensus will be held on May 14 - 16, 2018 at the New York Hilton Midtown.

AboutStonegate Digital Capital Group

Stonegate Digital Capital Group offers a blockchain-focused multi-strategy fund platform which invests primarily in blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies and digital assets, but also diversifies its investments into other asset to reduce risk and volatility while aiming to drive absolute returns. Although the firm is primarily focused on investing in blockchain technology and digital assets, the Stonegate Digital team has significant expertise in traditional Wall Street investments and finance as well as comprehensive expertise in all aspects of alternative investment products. www.StonegateDigital.com/

*THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS NOT AN OFFERING OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO PURCHASE AN INTEREST IN ANY INVESTMENT FUNDS. ANY SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION WILL ONLY BE MADE TO QUALIFIED PURCHASERS BY MEANS OF A CONFIDENTIAL PRIVATE PLACEMENT MEMORANDUM FOR ACCREDITED AND INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS ONLY, AND ONLY IN THOSE JURISDICTIONS WHERE PERMITTED BY LAW. AN INVESTMENT IN THE PRIVATE FUNDS IS SPECULATIVE AND INVOLVES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK. OPPORTUNITIES FOR WITHDRAWAL, REDEMPTION AND TRANSFERABILITY OF INTERESTS ARE RESTRICTED, SO INVESTORS MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO CAPITAL WHEN IT IS NEEDED. THERE IS NO SECONDARY MARKET FOR THE INTERESTS AND NONE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP. THE FEES AND EXPENSES CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH PRIVATE INVESTMENT FUNDS MAY BE HIGHER THAN THE FEES AND EXPENSES OF OTHER INVESTMENT ALTERNATIVES AND MAY OFFSET PROFITS. NO ASSURANCE CAN BE GIVEN THAT THE INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE WILL BE ACHIEVED OR THAT AN INVESTOR WILL RECEIVE A RETURN OF ALL OR PART OF HIS OR HER INVESTMENT. INVESTMENT RESULTS MAY VARY SUBSTANTIALLY OVER ANY GIVEN TIME PERIOD. PAST PERFORMANCE IS NO GUARANTEE OF FUTURE RESULTS. PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS.

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2018) - Maritime Resources Corp. (TSXV: MAE) ("Maritime" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has concluded an Option to Purchase Agreement with Inomin Mines Inc. to earn a 100% interest in the King's Point property. The claims cover geological extensions to the Company's Hammerdown Gold deposit that host a number of high grade gold veins and base metal occurrences.

The King's Point property ("King's Point Property") is made up of two separate claim blocks consisting of a total of 129 claim units covering over 3,225 hectares. (see map below)

The northern claim block is located within only 2 km of the Hammerdown Gold Deposit. This property covers known extensions of the gold bearing deformation zone that host the Hammerdown and Orion deposits including several narrow gold vein intercepts within the Golden Anchor prospect. These veins are similar to the Hammerdown veins with historic samples assaying up to 3 gm/t gold and have never been followed up.

Additionally, the zinc-silver rich VMS horizon hosting Maritimes Lochinvar base-precious metal deposit that continues to the northeast over the property boundary onto our new King's Point Property. Assay values in some historic drilling have intersected up to 1 metre widths with grades over 10oz/T silver with 2-3% zinc. Further to the northeast, the King's Point property covers the old Rendell Jackman mine which was mined 1906-1909 and has excellent potential for further copper-gold mineralization.

As well, on the northeast claim block, previous explorers discovered the Beetle Pond Prospect where diamond drilling reported zinc rich semi-massive to massive stringer style mineralization hosted in highly altered felsic volcanics of the Catchers Pond Group. The Catchers Pond Group is host to several "Buchan's Style" VMS exploration targets, as well as, the Lochinvar zinc rich deposit located on Maritime Resources Mining Lease to the west.

The southern claim block is also underlain by the Catchers Pond Group which is host to several Lochinvar style zinc and copper rich (+/-Ag and Au) prospects. Previous limited drilling had encountered numerous intersections of narrow massive sulphides and broad base metal rich, stringer style mineralization in large hydrothermal alteration haloes. These have not been tested in detail.

Doug Fulcher, President and CEO of Maritime commented:

"We are extremely pleased to have acquired this package of claims through our agreement with Inomin Mines Inc. With the known historical mineral occurrences on the King's Point ground it adds to the overall potential of expanding our Hammerdown gold asset beyond the 4000 metre deformation zone that extends to the east onto the Golden Anchor prospect. It will be our intention to continue exploration at the King's Point Property while the development of Hammerdown is underway.

Terms of the Agreement

Under the terms of the agreement Maritime will earn 100% interest in the Inomin property over a 3-year period by spending $600,000 in exploration ($75,000 in year one), make cash payments totaling $300,000 and issue 2.0 million shares of Maritime in accordance with the following schedule:

Upon signing pay $25,000 and 500,000 shares;

Year one anniversary -- $50,000 and 500,000 shares and $75,000 work commitment;

Year two anniversary -- $100,000 and 500,000 shares and $150,000 work commitment;

Year three anniversary -- $125,000 and 500,000 shares and $375,000 work commitment;

1.0 % NSR of which 100% can be purchased for $500,000

The project also has an underlying NSR of 2.5% of which 1.5% can be purchased for $1,000,000





Image 1



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4548/34668_a1526419300402_38.jpg

ABOUT MARITIME RESOURCES CORP:

Maritime Resources holds 100% of the Green Bay Property, located near Springdale, Newfoundland and Labrador. The property hosts the past producing Hammerdown gold mine and the Orion gold deposit separated by a 1.5 km distance, as well as the Lochinvar base metals/precious metals deposit. Maritime announced a Prefeasibility Study (March 2nd, 2017) that evaluated the Measured & Indicated NI43-101 mineral resource estimate for the past producing Hammerdown gold deposit. The study was completed by WSP Canada Inc. ("WSP"), an independent third-party engineering firm, with the mandate to evaluate the potential of bringing the past producing gold mine back into commercial production.

Pre - Feasibility highlights

Project Pre-tax net present value ('NPV 8% ') of $71.2 million with an IRR of 46.8% per cent.

') of $71.2 million with an IRR of 46.8% per cent. Project after-tax net present value ('NPV 8% ') of $44.2 million with an internal rate of return ('IRR') of 34.8%

') of $44.2 million with an internal rate of return ('IRR') of 34.8% Net pre-tax cash flow of $104 million, undiscounted. Net after-tax cash flow of $69 million, undiscounted.

Mine life for the current plan at Hammerdown is five years, producing approximately 174,000 ounces at an average of approximately 35,000 ounces per year. Basic assumptions used for the compilation of the PFS: Gold Price of US$ 1,250 per ounce Exchange Rate of 0.8 US$: 1 CA$ (or 1 US$: 1.25 CA$) Project discount rate of 8% Mill recovery of 97% based on the historic treatment of the ore at the nearby Nugget Pond Gold Mill from 2000 to 2004.

Per-tax operating cash cost to produce an ounce of gold is $558 CDN with an all in pre-tax-cost (including capital, sustaining capital and operating cost) of $955 CDN per ounce of gold.

(All currency is expressed in Canadian dollars ($CA) unless otherwise noted.)

The Hammerdown gold deposit was successfully mined by Richmont Mines between 2000 and 2004 while gold prices averaged $325/oz. During its operation, a total of 291,400 tonnes of ore were mined and milled, at an average grade of 15.83 g/t Au, recovering a total of 143,000 ounces of gold at an 8 g/t cut-off. All of the ore was processed at the Nugget Pond mill, now owned and operated by Rambler Metals and Mining Canada Limited, with an average gold recovery of 97.1%. Mining terminated in 2004 due to low gold prices with extensive gold mineralization remaining, although uneconomic at that time.

The Orion gold deposit consists of two main vein systems, both of which are open along strike, and down plunge to the northeast.

Bernard H. Kahlert, P.Eng. is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Doug Fulcher

President, CEO

Website: www.maritimeresourcescorp.com

For further information, please call:

Doug Fulcher

Telephone: (604) 336-7322

info@maritimeresourcescorp.com

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Statements in this press release, other than purely historical information, including statements relating to the Company's future plans and objectives or expected results, may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in resource exploration and development. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements:

Certain information included in this press release, including information relating to future financial or operating performance and other statements that express the expectations of management or estimates of future performance constitute "forward-looking statements". Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding copper, gold and silver forecasts, the financial strength of the Company, estimates regarding timing of future development and production and statements concerning possible expansion opportunities for the Company. Where the Company expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief are based on assumptions made in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. Such assumptions include, without limitation, the price of and anticipated costs of recovery of, copper concentrate, gold and silver, the presence of and continuity of such minerals at modeled grades and values, the capacities of various machinery and equipment, the availability of personnel, machinery and equipment at estimated prices, mineral recovery rates, and others. However, forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to, interpretation and implications of drilling and geophysical results; estimates regarding timing of future capital expenditures and costs towards profitable commercial operations. Other factors that could cause actual results, developments or events to differ materially from those anticipated include, among others, increases/decreases in production; volatility in metals prices and demand; currency fluctuations; cash operating margins; cash operating cost per pound sold; costs per ton of ore; variances in ore grade or recovery rates from those assumed in mining plans; reserves and/or resources; the ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; operational risks inherent in mining or development activities and legislative factors relating to prices, taxes, royalties, land use, title and permits, importing and exporting of minerals and environmental protection. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements and the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as at the date hereof and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any such forward-looking statements or any forward-looking statements contained in any other documents whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable security law.
MCLEAN, Virginia, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The UK air traffic management service provider, NATS, has announced it has invested in Aireon, the company pioneering a space-based air traffic surveillance service set to revolutionise the aviation industry.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/692173/Aireon_Logo.jpg

Through a network of 66 low earth orbiting Iridium NEXT satellites, AireonSM will monitor the location of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipped aircraft flying anywhere in the world, transforming the way air traffic control services are provided.

The service will offer global air traffic surveillance of aircraft. This means that oceans and remote regions like the poles, deserts and mountainous areas will have real-time aircraft surveillance for the first time.

The forecasted safety and airspace capacity benefits, together with the savings in fuel and carbon emissions, are being hailed as the greatest revolution in air traffic management since the introduction of radar 70 years ago.

News of the $69 million USD investment, worth around 10% equity, was announced at a press conference in Washington DC, near Aireon's headquarters, at which NATS also confirmed it is currently consulting with its customers about introducing the satellite technology for use over the North Atlantic starting with operational trials from 2019 to deliver the capacity and safety benefits that the airspace requires to keep pace with demand.

Martin Rolfe, NATS Chief Executive Officer, said: "This is a transformational technology that will deliver the world's first truly global air traffic control infrastructure, making flying even safer and more efficient.

"Investing in Aireon is the best way for us to shape the future of the service in a way that benefits our customers in the UK and elsewhere, and to demonstrate NATS' commitment to playing a leading role in the development of the next generation of global air traffic technology.

"We're currently consulting with our airline customers about how to best deploy this technology. The North Atlantic is the busiest area of oceanic airspace in the world and the gateway to Europe, but its routes have now reached their limit of capacity with existing technology, so we are delighted to now have a way to safely fulfil the ever growing demand from our customers. What is additionally exciting is that this same technology will also deliver fuel savings and CO 2 reductions that will directly benefit airlines and their customers."

Don Thoma, Aireon Chief Executive Officer, added: "We are ecstatic to welcome NATS to the Aireon investor family. NATS was among the first air navigation service providers to see the benefits of space-based ADS-B, and now it only makes sense that they would become a more formal part of Aireon. The enhancements Aireon's space-based ADS-B service will allow in the North Atlantic are a game changer for the aviation industry and will connect North America and Europe unlike ever before."

Marc Courtois, Chair of the Board of Directors for both Aireon and NAV CANADA stated: "Adding NATS to our ownership group further confirms what the industry has largely already realised, that Aireon is on track to fundamentally improve flight safety worldwide. The technology is real, the system is already performing beyond expectations, there are just a few more launches to go, and we are eager to start seeing the improved benefits to the aviation industry and the flying public."

Baroness Sugg, the UK's Aviation Minister said: "We welcome the agreement between NATS and Aireon which will see UK skills and expertise play a leading role in developing the next generation of global air traffic management technology. Our world class aviation industry has a proud and accomplished history, from the invention of the jet engine to pioneering air traffic control. This agreement will help ensure that we remain at the forefront of this vibrant sector.

In addition, it will further enhance safety by enabling the monitoring of aircraft anywhere in the world, as well as improving the sustainability of our aviation sector. These are all central to the Government as we develop our Aviation Strategy."



In order to ensure a safe operation today without the technology to automatically monitor flights in real time, aircraft over the Atlantic follow very prescriptive speed and separation restrictions along a rigid track structure that both limits the capacity of the airspace and forces the airlines to fly trajectories that burn more fuel and generate more CO 2 . Air traffic controllers can only track a flight's progress by receiving around five position reports from the pilot every hour.

Fulfilling future traffic demand and delivering service improvements whilst maintaining a safe operation isn't possible using today's technology without operational constraints being applied to our customers. The analysis jointly undertaken by NATS and NAV CANADA, endorsed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), projects an approximate 76% reduction in safety risk from using the Aireon service. This would allow NATS to meet ICAO's safety targets while also meeting the growth needs of the North Atlantic as well as giving customers more flexibility in how they fly across the ocean.

Last year, NATS Controllers handled 500,000 flights through North Atlantic airspace -that's 80% of all transatlantic traffic - and by 2030 industry estimates expect that to grow to almost 800,000 flights. Being able to control this volume of flights as well as offer airlines the routes they want at a speed that suits them would generate a net saving of more than $300 in fuel and 2 tonnes of CO 2 per flight, according to analysis by NATS and ICAO. That equates to more than a million tonnes of CO 2 saved every year.

Monitoring aircraft in real-time will also support the reduction of separation distances from around 40 nautical miles (nm) to just 15nm, in turn making the airspace more flexible and with predictable fuel and environmental benefits.

The investment in Aireon has been made by NATS (Services) Limited (NSL). It also comes one year after NSL became joint shareholders in the Canadian digital tower company, Searidge Technologies alongside NAV CANADA.

About NATS

NATS is a leading air traffic management and solutions company, established in the UK in 1962 and now operating in countries around the world.

NATS handled 2.6 million flights in 2017, covering the UK and eastern North Atlantic from its centres at Swanwick, Hampshire and Prestwick, Ayrshire. NATS also provides air traffic services at 13 UK airports; at Gibraltar Airport and, in a joint venture with Ferrovial, at a number of airport towers in Spain.

Building on its reputation for operational excellence and innovation, NATS offers aerodrome, data, engineering, capacity, efficiency and environmental performance solutions to customers worldwide, including airports, airlines air traffic service providers and Governments.

For more information visit the NATS website at www.nats.aero

About Aireon LLC

Aireon is deploying a space-based air traffic surveillance system for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipped aircraft throughout the globe. Aireon will harness next-generation aviation surveillance technologies that are currently ground-based and, for the first time ever, extend their reach globally to significantly improve efficiency, enhance safety, reduce emissions and provide cost savings benefits to all stakeholders. Real-time ADS-B surveillance will cover oceanic, polar and remote regions, as well as augment existing ground-based systems that are limited to terrestrial airspace. In partnership with leading Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) from around the world, like NAV CANADA, Enav, NATS, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), and Naviair, as well as Iridium Communications, Aireon will have an operational, global, space-based air traffic surveillance system by 2018. For more information, please visit www.aireon.com

Jessie Hillenbrand

Aireon

+1 (703) 287-7452

Jessie.Hillenbrand@Aireon.com
MILAN, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Chairman Fabio Zoffi urges industry leaders to fight tech dystopia

President and Executive Chairman of ORS GROUP Fabio Zoffi recently gave a presentation at the Blockchain in Action summit at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), urging participants to work together to create a better future through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain technology.

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ORS GROUP is a leading global supplier of cross-industry AI-based software solutions for optimising and automating business processes, now connected to Blockchain.

During the presentation, the serial entrepreneur noted advancements in AI and robotics have the power to create either a dystopian or utopian future in the next two to three decades. In the former scenario, technologies replace human jobs to the extent that a handful of very wealthy people control 90% of all assets, including fully automated plants and businesses.

In the latter outcome, the productivity gains of technology are shared among the population, as envisioned by renowned economist J.M. Keynes almost 100 years ago. "So we have a choice," said the visionaire. "The current generation will decide which future will prevail," Zoffi added.

To contribute constructing a better society through technologies, Zoffi advocated a return to a decentralised world by delivering to billions of small entrepreneurs a new digital alphabet consisting of AI, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency ("ABC"). To make this vision a reality, the ORS GROUP Chairman introduced the concept of Hypersmart Contracts earlier this year, which intelligently connect Blockchain and AI. With the product, entrepreneurs can reach maximum efficiency within any value chain by optimizing the flows of goods and services, the flow of information and the one of payments, enabling them to successfully compete against major players in return.

"By empowering billions of people to become successful entrepreneurs thanks to the new digital alphabet, we will automatically create a better future and a more balanced society. Then a planetary network of decentralized (small) entrepreneurs - working together within a given value chain and coordinated through technologies - means billions of financially independent human beings, free in their mind and in their spirit," he added.

In concluding the presentation, Fabio said it is not enough to simply attend conferences to ensure technology is used to improve society. Rather, he called on his peers to act as Fighters in combating a dystopian future or Builders in developing a better one.

Zoffi encouraged his fellow speakers by saying, "Join us! I'd be very happy to talk to you about how we can help your business model become very competitive and create and empower 1 billion entrepreneurs by 2040 together."

About ORS GROUP

Founded in Italy, now with global operations, the ORS GROUP is a leading software company delivering sophisticated AI-based optimization solutions. Their large international client base includes Fortune 2000 enterprises and spans industries like retail, energy, finance, telecom and manufacturing. For over 20 years the company has delivered proprietary software using AI, Machine Learning and Big Data Analytics algorithms, saving their clients over US$1 billion yearly.

Their new product, the Hypersmart Contracts ("HSC"), aims to provide access to more than 1,000 unique algorithms and hundreds of software solutions to the Crypto Community and to established businesses. At ORS, we envision a planetary network of entrepreneurs and independent companies empowered by the new digital alphabet: ABC - Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency.
Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2018) - Grizzly Discoveries Inc. (TSXV: GZD) (FSE: G6H) ("Grizzly" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has acquired, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval, five mineral claims in Southeastern BC pursuant to a Letter of Agreement announced on March 27, 2018.

The acquired claims, covering 9,891 acres and known as the Robocop Property, are located in southeastern British Columbia, approximately 45 kilometres (km) south of Fernie and 70 km southeast of Cranbrook, and immediately north of the Canada-USA border. The property is located east of Grizzly's Greenwood Property in southeastern British Columbia.

The arm's length vendors and the Company have signed a Purchase Agreement ("Agreement") dated May 11, 2018 whereby Grizzly acquires a 100% interest in the Robocop Property subject to a 3% net smelter royalty ("NSR") by issuing to the Vendors 2,000,004 units, with each unit consisting of one common share of Grizzly and one transferrable share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one further common share of GZD at an exercise price of $0.14 for a period of 3 years from the date of issuance.

The Robocop Property carries a 3% NSR in favour of certain of the vendors, and, under the terms of the Agreement, Grizzly has the right to purchase up to 2% of the NSR (down to 1% NSR) within two years after the delivery of a positive Feasibility Study for the Property, for the amount of $1,500,000.

The Agreement has been approved by the Company's Board of Directors and has been submitted to the TSX Venture Exchange for approval. Upon receipt of TSX Venture Exchange approval, the Company intends to close the purchase agreement by issuing the units.

ABOUT THE ROBOCOP PROPERTY

Areas with significant historic cobalt-copper-silver (Co-Cu-Ag) in soil anomalies have been identified on the Robocop Property. Additionally, historic drilling during the 1990's (Teck Explorations Ltd.) and early 2000's (Ruby Red Resources) has yielded near surface grades of up to:

0.18% Co, 0.28% Cu, 4.1 grams per tonne (g/t) Ag over 1 m core length (Pighin, 2009), and

0.134% Co, 1.19% Cu and 33.8 g/t Ag over 1.23 m core length (Thomson, 1990)

for individual core samples. The Co-Cu-Ag mineralization is hosted in Sheppard Formation and is classified as Proterozoic sediment hosted mineralization. Grizzly believes that significant potential exists to expand the known extent of the known Co-Cu-Ag mineralization on the Property and further exploration is warranted. Grizzly is currently evaluating proposals for flying a helicopter airborne magnetic and conductivity survey, a first for the Robocop Property, to assist in identifying future drill targets, subject to financing.

ABOUT GRIZZLY DISCOVERIES INC.

Grizzly is a diversified Canadian mineral exploration company with its primary listing on the TSX Venture Exchange with 59.2 million shares issued, focused on developing its precious metals properties in southeastern British Columbia, and significant Potash and Diamond assets in Alberta. The Company holds or has an interest in: over 180,000 acres of precious-base metal and cobalt properties in British Columbia; metallic and industrial mineral permits for potash totalling more than 60,000 acres along the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, and more than 161,000 acres of properties which host diamondiferous kimberlites in the Buffalo Head Hills region of Alberta.

The technical content of this news release and the Company's technical disclosure has been reviewed and approved by Michael B. Dufresne, M. Sc., P. Geol., P.Geo., who is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

On behalf of the Board,

Grizzly Discoveries Inc.

Brian Testo

President

(780) 693-2242

For further information, please visit our website at www.grizzlydiscoveries.com or contact Investor Relations:

Nancy Massicotte

IR PRO COMMUNICATIONS INC.

Tel: 604-507-3377

Toll Free: 1-866-503-3377

Email: ir@grizzlydiscoveries.com

www.irprocommunications.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 release.



Caution concerning forward-looking information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. This information and statements address future activities, events, plans, developments and projections. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information and statements are frequently identified by words such as "may," "will," "should," "anticipate," "plan," "expect," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and similar terminology, and reflect assumptions, estimates, opinions and analysis made by management of Grizzly in light of its experience, current conditions, expectations of future developments and other factors which it believes to be reasonable and relevant. Forward-looking information and statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Grizzly's actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information and statements and accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed thereon.

Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to vary include but are not limited to the availability of financing; fluctuations in commodity prices; changes to and compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including environmental laws and obtaining requisite permits; political, economic and other risks; as well as other risks and uncertainties which are more fully described in our annual and quarterly Management's Discussion and Analysis and in other filings made by us with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available at www.sedar.com. Grizzly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements except as may be required by law.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leesa Sleep, the leading direct-to-consumer online luxury mattress retailer, today announced that it has sold more than 300,000 mattresses since its launch just three years ago. As a result, as part of Leesa's One-Ten program, Leesa has committed to donating more than 30,000 mattresses to nonprofits serving people seeking refuge from homelessness, domestic risk and human trafficking by September of this year. As part of this commitment, the company will donate 4,000 mattresses in the next 4 months, adding to the 26,000 mattresses donated to-date.

In the past year, Leesa raised $23 million in Series B funding, added former Seventh Generation CEO John Replogle and former President and COO of Rent the Runway Beth Kaplan to its Board, and was named one of Forbes' Next Billion Dollar Startups. And Leesa is continuing its momentum and global growth through prestigious partners like West Elm. The original Leesa mattress is available at more than 90 West Elm locations and Leesa's hybrid mattress, the Sapira, which combines both foam and pocket-spring coils, is now available to try and buy in 55 West Elm locations and online.

"Leesa's business success over the last year is a source of great pride, of course, but nothing compares to the pride we feel about the lives we have been able to help through our One-Ten Program," said David Wolfe, co-founder and CEO of Leesa. "We are excited to further disrupt the industry with our products, partnerships and high bar for excellence in all areas of our business."

Leesa's dedication to quality and unique craftsmanship has not wavered over the years as it has grown and launched new products, and this is reflected in the sheer volume of positive reviews on the Leesa website. Leesa pillows, sheets, blankets and foundations have all been incredibly well-received, with 80-90 percent of reviews rating them as 4- or 5-stars. With the continued positive response to the rollout of new products - including that of the Hybrid Pillow from this past February - co-founder and Chief Product Officer Jamie Diamonstein says that Leesa plans to continue on that path with many new and futuristic products in the pipeline for introduction over the next several months and further into the future.

For more information on Leesa, visit www.leesa.com.

About Leesa Sleep, LLC

Based in Virginia Beach, Va., Leesa is a direct-to-consumer online luxury mattress company that offers American-made mattresses delivered directly to consumers' doors. From its start, Leesa has measured its own success not just by the bottom line, but by the company's overall social impact. To date, Leesa's One-Ten program has provided more than 26,000 mattresses to those in need (with 4,000 more committed by September of this year). Leesa offers a 100-night risk-free trial, free shipping and no-hassle returns. In 2016, Leesa was recognized as a certified B Corp, joining forces with more than 2,100 companies using business as a force for good. The company currently offers free shipping to the U.S., U.K., Canada and Germany. For more information, visit www.leesa.com.

Media Contact:

Dina Binney

dbinney@kwittken.com
BENGALURU, India, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

InitiativewinstheCelentModelBankAward2018forTradeFinanceandSupplyChain

Infosys Finacle, part of EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infosys (NYSE: INFY), announced the successful formation of India Trade Connect, a Blockchain-based trade network in India, in partnership with Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, IndusInd Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, RBL Bank, South Indian Bank and Yes Bank. The network is being used by the banks to run a successful pilot of Finacle Trade Connect, a Blockchain technology-based solution developed specifically to address the trade finance process requirements of banks. Finacle Trade Connect will enable increased automation and transparency, while helping efficiently manage risks in trade and supply chain financing operations. India Trade Connect has also been adjudged as the winner of the prestigious Celent Model Bank 2018 award for Trade Finance and Supply Chain, affirming the potential of this network.

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Highlights

The network is designed to digitize trade finance business processes, including validation of ownership, certification of documents and making payments, while working on a distributed, trusted and shared network

The range of functions include Bill Collection, Letters of Credit, Open Account for Trade, Customer to Customer, Transactions for Trade, Business to Customer transactions for Trade, PO financing and Invoice financing

The network will create new business opportunities for participating banks, while eliminating the inefficiencies in the existing trade processes and enabling everyone involved in a transaction to have a single source of the truth

Financing decisions are more informed since the banks involved in a transaction are aware of the exact position of a bill as well as the exposure of the corporate with its respective partner bank

Further, the network allows for instant transfer of messages and documents between the parties involved in a completely secure manner reducing lifecycle turnaround time

The network enables reduction of cost through digitization of information exchange. Additionally, per transaction cost associated with intermediary messaging systems is eliminated

The network, built on Finacle Trade Connect, is agnostic to underlying Blockchain infrastructure such as Hyperledger, Corda, Ethereum, and Bitcoin, thereby future-proofing the network against technology evolution risks

Quotes

SanatRao,ChiefBusinessOfficer,InfosysFinacle,said, "Blockchain technology offers unprecedented opportunities to transform banking. Like any innovative technology, the usage of Blockchain-based applications will gradually increase from early adopters to others who will join based on proven and tangible benefits. At Infosys Finacle, we are committed to reimagining banking and providing a continuous thrust on collaboration with our clients. In pursuit of this, digitization of Trade Finance processes using distributed ledger technology offers immense potential to eliminate the friction, cut costs and increase revenue through new business products that are now viable using the modern technologies. We are committed to helping our clients realize the path breaking benefits of Blockchain technology and we look forward to many more collaborations to strengthen this consortium and building other networks across the world."

AnilAgarwal,EVP&Head-TransactionBanking,AxisBank, said, "Axis Bank believes in enhancing its customer experience by continuously innovating and leveraging new technologies. While there have been significant innovations in payments, Trade Finance is now starting to pick up. We are excited about the potential of India Trade Connect initiative to digitize end-to-end trade finance operations and bring about a speedy, transparent and secure experience for our corporate clients."

AjayGupta,SeniorGeneralManager,ICICIBank, said, "ICICI Bank has a rich legacy of leveraging the latest technology to bring in new paradigms in banking. We were the first in the country and among few globally to pioneer cross-border open account trade finance and remittance transactions on the Blockchain platform. We continue to scale up the solution for facilitating trade transactions. We are delighted to partner with Infosys Finacle to successfully set up 'India Trade Connect' - a Blockchain based trade network that will enable end-to-end digitised trade transactions across the country. We believe, this will enable automation, increase transparency as well as enhance efficiency across trade and supply chain operations. With more organisations adopting the Blockchain technology, it holds immense potential to offer a seamless network for all stakeholders on a single platform. Going forward, we intend to collaborate with peer banks and other partners and create a comprehensive Blockchain ecosystem, thereby contributing towards greater adoption of this technology."

RameshGanesan,SeniorExecutiveVicePresident, TransactionBanking,IndusIndBank, said, "IndusInd Bank has taken multiple initiatives in Blockchain and our alliance with Infosys Finacle is another step in that journey. We believe that this platform will help us take a quantum leap in digitisation and also improve the processing efficiency of trade transactions. We are keen to leverage the platform to build a differentiated product, deliver a better experience for our clients and are confident that this collaboration will help redesign the way trade and supply chain finance transactions are processed in the country."

ShekharBhandari,BusinessHead-GlobalTransactionServices&PreciousMetals,KotakMahindraBankLimited, said, "We are excited with our experience in creating a closed loop Blockchain architecture for extending trade based transactions, as part of the consortium. Blockchain will unleash the true potential of Trade Finance. It will help provide our clients with hassle free and profitable Trade Finance solutions on almost real-time basis. Trade network transactions will be secure, transparent, resistant to outages, auditable and efficient as never before."

VarunBakshi,Head -TradeProducts,RBLBank, said, "A wide range of industries in India, including banking and financial services, are customising Blockchain technology for multiple business uses and to make processes more efficient, secure and transparent. This emerging and transformative technology makes it possible for banks to operate on a single source of truth, and eliminate potential risks and frauds. The collaboration with the Blockchain-based trade network will enable RBL Bank to automate processes and improve domestic and cross-border services in the areas of payments and remittances, global trade finance, clearing and settlement, digital identity, assets and contracts, all on a real-time basis. Going forward, we look forward to developing Blockchain solutions for all our stakeholders across the financial services space."

V.G.MathewManagingDirector&CEO, SouthIndianBank said, "We are glad to be an active member of the India Trade Connect comprising select banks and Infosys Finacle. It is indeed a pleasure to note that we have been jointly awarded the Celent Model Bank Award for our collaborative efforts on Blockchain. By being part of the India Trade Connect, our quest for innovation continues. We are confident that we can jointly develop a robust Trade Finance Platform powered by Blockchain, which could revolutionize the current business models in this important area."

AsitOberoi,GroupPresidentandGlobalHead,TransactionBankingGroup,YESBANK, said, "YES BANK embarked on the journey of Digital Transformation with the philosophy of A.R.T- Alliances, Relationships and Technology. It has been our endeavour to form strong relationships and be an active enabler of technology ecosystems. In fact, we use technology and innovation, as mission critical pillars, to offer a superior banking experience to our customers. Blockchain is the biggest ever collaborative technology available till date and I believe, we are on the threshold of a paradigm shift in the "Trade Finance Digitization" landscape in India. Having come together along with other players in the Banking industry and a dependable technology partner, we have commenced on the next phase of transformation that promises to redefine Trade Finance practices in India. We are looking forward to witnessing intensive usage of this Asset domestically and also connecting with global networks in due course."

AboutInfosysFinacle

Finacle is the industry-leading digital banking solution suite from EdgeVerve Systems, a wholly owned product subsidiary of Infosys. Finacle helps traditional and emerging financial institutions drive truly digital transformation to achieve frictionless customer experiences, larger ecosystem play, insights-driven interactions and ubiquitous automation. Today, banks in over 100 countries rely on Finacle to service more than a billion consumers and 1.3 billion accounts.

Finacle solutions address the core banking, omnichannel banking, payments, treasury, origination, liquidity management, Islamic banking, wealth management, analytics, artificial intelligence, and blockchain requirements of financial institutions to drive business excellence. An assessment of the top 1250 banks in the world reveals that institutions powered by the Finacle Core Banking solution, on average, enjoy 7.2% points lower costs-to-income ratio than others.

To know more, visit http://www.finacle.com.

SafeHarbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, and unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. These filings are available at http://www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. In addition, please note that the date of this press release is mentioned at the beginning of the release, and any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the company unless it is required by law.
The Angolan government has invited representatives of the World Bank, which runs the program, to discuss ways of increasing the share of solar energy in the African country in the period up to 2022. Several sites for the construction of solar parks have already been identified.The Angolan Ministry of Energy and Water (MINEA) has invited representatives of the World Bank in Angola to discuss the possible entry of the African country in the Scaling Solar program, a scheme run by the same financial institution which is aimed at unlocking private investment in emerging solar markets in Africa. According ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PUNE, India, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Synthetic Gypsum Market by Type (FGD gypsum, Citrogypsum, Fluorogypsum, Phoshogypsum), Application (Cement, Drywall, Soil amendment, Dental), and Region (Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2023" published by MarketsandMarkets, the market size is projected to grow from USD 1.42 Billion in 2018 to USD 1.80 Billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 4.82%.

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Browse 79 market data Tables and 28 Figures spread through 119 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Synthetic Gypsum Market"



https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/synthetic-gypsum-market-55459398.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

The market is projected to witness significant growth over the next few years with the increasing demand for new constructions due to rapid urbanization and industrialization with large-scale investment in the commercial and infrastructural sectors. The rising demand for synthetic gypsum in emerging economies and the increasing inclination toward sustainable construction methods are increasing the reliance on modern construction materials, thus creating growth opportunities for the Synthetic Gypsum Market.

Drywall segment to gain maximum traction during the forecast period

The drywall segment is estimated to dominate the market in 2018 and is projected to be the fastest-growing application in the next five years. As a result of rapid urbanization and industrialization, this market is mostly driven by the surge in demand for new constructions across the world. The increasing public and private investments in construction applications of emerging economies in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and South America drive the growth of this market.

Get PDF Brochure @https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=55459398

The FGD gypsum segment, by type, is estimated to account for a large market share in 2018

FGD synthetic gypsum finds application in several sectors, which drives its demand. This segment dominates the Synthetic Gypsum Market and is projected to grow at a higher rate during the forecast period. FGD gypsum is used in the agriculture sector as a fertilizer to improve crop yield; it is added as a sulfur or calcium fertilizer in the soil. In the construction sector, it is used as a filler material in cement and plasters to enhance strengthening and reduce the setting time of concrete. It also finds application in the building & construction industry to make decorative panels and PoP structures. Hence, the FGD synthetic gypsum type accounted for a relatively larger share in Synthetic Gypsum Market among all other types.

The Asia Pacific region accounted for the largest share of the Synthetic Gypsum Market in 2018

Asia Pacific contributes a major share in the global Synthetic Gypsum Market. Due to the increasing industrialization as well as the large population in China, Japan, and India, these countries are experiencing high demand for building & construction. The rapid urbanization in these countries demands faster and cheaper construction of buildings and facilities without compromising on quality. Additionally, the increasing government investments in infrastructural constructions provide the potential for growth of the Synthetic Gypsum Market in these countries.

The major players in the Synthetic Gypsum Market include USG Corporation (US), Lafarge Holcim (Switzerland), FEECO international (US), Delta Gypsum (US), National Gypsum (US), Synthetic Materials LLC (US), Constantia Building Products (US), and KNAUF GIPS (Germany). Other players include American Gypsum (US), PABCO Gypsum (US), British Gypsum (Europe), Georgia-Pacific (US), and Gyptec Iberica (Portugal).

Know more about Synthetic Gypsum MarketResearch Report:

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Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

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GE Announces Three New AGP Orders Globally with Saudi Cement, Dubai Electricity Water Authority and Ohgishma Power Co. Ltd.

Project with Saudi Cement Marks First Installation on a GE 6B Gas Turbine and the First in the Cement Industry

Project with Ohgishma Power Marks First Win for 9F AGP Technology in Japan

GE's AGP Technology Spans Its 6F, 7F, 9F, 9E and 6B Gas Turbine Fleets

GE's Power Services business (NYSE: GE) today announced another significant series of milestones with its innovative Advanced Gas Path (AGP) solution-a win with Saudi Cement in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that expands this technology to the fifth GE gas turbine fleet, the 6B, and marks the first AGP installation in the cement industry. In addition, its win with Ohgishma Power marks the first win for GE's 9F AGP technology in Japan.

"Since 2010, our revolutionary AGP technology has been installed on 435 units across four GE gas turbine fleets in 39 countries on five continents," said Scott Strazik, president and CEO of GE's Power Services business. "Now, we are expanding our AGP solution to GE 6B gas turbines to increase output and availability on our fifth gas turbine type. In certain industrial applications, the need for more megawatts, efficiency and flexibility is paramount, and our AGP technology can help cement companies like Saudi Cement increase their power capacity."

In a deal that represents the first time GE's AGP solution will be implemented to strengthen power generation productivity for the cement industry globally, GE will upgrade Saudi Cement's three GE 6B gas turbines at its Hofuf plant in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The upgrade will help Saudi Cement increase power output and efficiency while reducing the need to draw power from the national grid in support of the Kingdom's drive towards greater economic diversification. The AGP upgrade will help scale up the combined output by a total of up to 16.9 percent across the three turbines.

Mohammed AlGarni, CEO of Saudi Cement, said, "Power supply is both a key input and one of the major costs in our manufacturing process. Reliable, efficient electricity supply is thus essential to the continuous operations of our facility as well as our competitiveness. GE's Advanced Gas Path upgrade solution will allow us to improve efficiencies and become more self-sufficient in power production."

GE also announced two other milestones with its AGP technology:

GE signed a $52 million agreement with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) to install its AGP technology on three GE 9E gas turbines at the Jebel Ali Power Desalination Station. The upgrade will be installed next year. The agreement aims to increase energy production, improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions in the future. It supports efforts to achieve the Dubai Carbon Abatement Strategy, as well as improving DEWA's production efficiency, which increased by 28.86 percent between 2006 and 2017. The necessary improvements will be made to extend the life cycle of the gas turbines for an additional 12 years, increase production, improve efficiency and reduce emissions from these turbines.

In its first 9F AGP installation in Japan, GE signed a service agreement with Ohgishma Power Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Tokyo Gas Co. Ltd. and Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K, to upgrade three GE 9F gas turbines with AGP, DLN2.6+ and OpFlex* technologies at the Ohgishima Power Station in Kanagawa. The upgrades will help Ogishima to improve efficiency by 2.5 percent and reduce its emissions level to 15 ppm nitrous oxide to help Tokyo Gas remain competitive and profitable in very dynamic power industry.

GE's AGP solution offers customers a range of performance advancements that can be tailored based on their operational, business and energy market needs. It has delivered significant market-based benefits around the globe, including saving customers $775 million a year and providing about 7 gigawatts of additional power capacity. AGP technology is helping to generate nearly 19.4 million additional megawatt-hours of power a year, which is enough to power equivalent of approximately 2 million homes.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world's Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com

About GE Power

GE Power is a world leader in power generation with deep domain expertise to help customers deliver electricity from a wide spectrum of fuel sources. We are transforming the electricity industry with the digital power plant, the world's largest and most efficient gas turbine, full balance of plant, upgrade and service solutions as well as our data-leveraging software. Our innovative technologies and digital offerings help make power more affordable, reliable, accessible and sustainable. For more information, visit the company's website at www.gepower.com.

About GE's Power Services

GE's Power Services, headquartered in Baden, Switzerland, delivers world-class service solutions for our customers across total plant assets and their operational lifetimes. This organization supports 2,800+ customers worldwide with an installed base of 28,000+ power generation assets across 90+ brands of power generation equipment and taps into the Industrial Internet to improve the performance of our solutions over the entire life cycle through the power of software and big data analytics.

Trademark of GE; may be registered in one or more countries.

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gina.derossi@soteryx.com
Marijuana News Today: Georgia Poll Shows Support for Legal PotThe marijuana news today is that a poll in Georgia shows that the majority of the state's residents are in favor of recreational marijuana legalization. This potentially angles the state as the next domino to fall in U.S. marijuana legalization.With the majority of U.S. states having legalized marijuana in one form or another, and the large majority of Americans consistently responding "Yes" to legalization in polls, it's safe to say that U.S. marijuana legalization is closer than ever.In many states, from Massachusetts to California, adults are currently-or are soon going to be-able to purchase legal.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PUNE, India, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Helideck Monitoring System Market by Vertical (Oil & Gas (Fixed and Mobile Offshore Rigs) and Marine (On-Board & On-Shore)), System (Hardware (Motion, Wind, Meteorology, GPS Sensors) and Software), End Use, Application, and Region - Global Forecast to 2023", published by MarketsandMarkets, the market is estimated to be USD 192.8 Million in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 240.1 Million by 2023, at a CAGR of 4.49% from 2018 to 2023.

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Browse 93 market data Tables and 32 Figures spread through 119 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Helideck Monitoring System Market"



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Factors such as increase in vessel traffic and rise in ship deliveries are expected to drive the helideck monitoring system market during the forecast period.

The marine segment is projected to witness a higher CAGR during the forecast period.

Based on vertical, the marine segment of the helideck monitoring system market is projected to witness a higher growth rate as compared to the oil & gas segment during the forecast period. This higher growth can be attributed to the increasing maritime trade and vessel traffic globally.

The hardware segment is projected to witness a higher growth rate during the forecast period.

Based on system, the hardware segment of the helideck monitoring system market is projected to witness a higher growth rate than the software segment during the forecast period, as every helideck monitoring system needs various sensors, which require replacement at regular intervals.

The aftermarket segment is projected to witness a higher growth rate during the forecast period.

Based on end use, the aftermarket segment of the helideck monitoring system market is projected to witness a higher growth rate than the OEM segment during the forecast period, as every helideck monitoring system needs various sensors which need to be replaced at regular intervals. The replacement of system components and upgradation of software increase the demand for helideck monitoring systems.

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The commercial segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period.

Based on application, the commercial segment of the helideck monitoring system market is projected to grow at a higher CAGR than the defense segment during the forecast period. The year-on-year increase in commercial vessel traffic and increasing deliveries, especially in regions such as North America and Europe, are expected to contribute to the growth of the commercial segment.

The Asia Pacific helideck monitoring system market is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period.

Asia Pacific is one of the fastest growing market for helideck monitoring systems due to an increase in the number of ships and seismic vessels in the region. Countries such as Japan and China have witnessed tremendous increase in vessels and ships, as the economy of these countries continuously increases, which subsequently lead to a rise in demand for helideck monitoring systems. The increase in vessel traffic and delivery of new ships & vessels are expected to drive the demand for helideck monitoring systems in the Asia Pacific region during the forecast period.

Major players in the helideck monitoring system market include ABB (Switzerland), Kongsberg Gruppen (Norway), Fugro (Netherlands), Vaisala (Finland), and Dynamax (US).

Know more about the Helideck Monitoring System Market

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2018) - Mojo Games, a division of Sterling Group Ventures, Inc (OTCQB: SGGV) is pleased to provide the following corporate update.

The Company has completed its 10K filing for 2016 and continues to work on completing all necessary filings for the Exchange.

The Company is preparing to launch the social poker app as planned with Factory Games by end of June 2018. Soon after the initial soft launch, Mojo and Factory will begin marketing the app which is expected to compete with the top social poker apps available today on Android and iOS devices globally.

The Company is preparing to launch the cryptocurrency payment processing solution as planned with BlocPal International by end of July 2018. In addition to providing a custom enterprise back-office solution for BlocPal, the company is assisting BlocPal in launching a unique blockchain enabling instant authorization of transactions and ensuring payments to Merchants.

The Company is making progress with its Direct-to-Consumer online gaming sites for Fiat and cryptocurrencies and associated blockchain loyalty programs. However, the Company has prioritized launching the solutions for Factory and BlocPal ahead of these services.

After significant investment in the India gaming network with Baadshah Gaming, the Company has not seen the expected results in revenue and is now considering alternative business opportunities with partners in India and Asia.

On April 20th 2018, the Board of Directors of Sterling Group Ventures Inc. ("the Company") approved the adjustment of exercise price of $0.15 to $0.10 of the 5,866,600 Series "G" Share Purchase Warrants (the "G" Warrants )and the extension of said warrants to the earlier of November 30th 2019 or the close of business on the 30th day after a takeover bid for the Company's issued and outstanding share capital has been made by a third party and approved by the shareholders of the Company.

The restructuring of Sterling and Mojo has taken more time than we expected and as such the financials have been delayed. We are continuing to proceed forward on our necessary filings and will notify shareholders when completed.

About Mojo Games, a division of Sterling Group Ventures

Mojo Games provides a B2B multi-gaming platform with a full suite of social play money and real money gaming products, including online poker. Mojo offers B2B partners both API integrated and turnkey white label licensing options with advanced and customizable iGaming back-office features, player rewards and marketing, affiliate, and ecommerce solutions.

ON BEHALF of the BOARD

/s/ Nicolaos Mellios

Mr. Nicolaos Mellios

Chairman & CEO

For further information, please check the Company's SEC 8-K filing or contact:

Chris MacPherson, Director

Phone: (604) 564-0765

info@mojo.game

www.mojo.game

We seek Safe Harbour

Certain statements and other information included in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including the "safe harbour" provisions of provincial securities legislation and the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "outlook," "focus," "potential," "will," "should," "would," "could," and other similar expressions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as it is subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, there is no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events, except as required by law.

This press release does not constitute any investment advice or any solicitation or offer to buy or sell any securities. No representation is made on the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this press release, and the Company does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this press release that arise as a result of transmission. The Company may not update the information in this press release. The Company does not waive any rights, privileges or other protections that the Company may have with respect to the information in this press release.

Copyright  2018 OTC Markets. All Rights Reserved

The above news release has been provided by the above company via the OTC Disclosure and News Service. Issuers of news releases and not OTC Markets Group Inc. are solely responsible for the accuracy of such news releases.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Wednesday released thousands of pages of documents related to the panel's inquiry into a meeting between senior members of President Donald Trump's campaign and Russians.



Grassley noted in a statement that the committee has been working to get to the bottom of what actually happened since the June 2016 meeting was revealed.



'Americans rightly have many questions about this meeting, and today, we are releasing the transcripts and exhibits from interviews we've conducted to allow the public to know what we know,' Grassley said.



'These materials, taken in their entirety, provide the most complete public picture of the events surrounding the meeting to date,' he added. 'Americans can now review this unfiltered information and arrive at their own conclusions.'



The materials purportedly do not contain any groundbreaking new information but do provide additional details about the controversial meeting.



Meanwhile, Democrats on the committee argued that the full story about the meeting is still unknown, as the transcripts are of interviews with just five of the eight participants.



Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., noted that the interviews did reveal that top Trump campaign officials were frustrated and angry that the meeting did not produce enough damaging information on Hillary Clinton.



Feinstein said committee Democrats have sought to conduct a robust and independent investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, but claimed there are more questions than answers given the lack of cooperation by many of the individuals involved.



'The investigation has yet to be completed and dozens of witnesses' testimony as well as critical documents have yet to be obtained,' Feinstein said.



She added, 'In addition, without the cooperation of Republicans and the ability to subpoena witnesses, much of the truth remains hidden.'



(Photo: Gage Skidmore)



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2018) - Altamira Gold Corp. (TSXV: ALTA) (FSE: T6UP) (OTC Pink: EQTRF) ("Altamira" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its early stage geological mapping and rock sampling program at the Santa Helena project located within the eastern part of the Juruena belt in Mato Grosso, Brazil. Highlights are as follows;

Results have been returned on 49 grab samples from four areas within the Santa Helena concession block. Assays values range from 0 to - 171.6g/t gold and 0 to - 0.81% copper

Four target areas were the subject of the surface rock sampling within the Santa Helena project: Flecha Dorada, Gabriel, Dorival and Tucura (see below for map of grab samples taken)

Average values from each zone were: 31.2 g/t gold + 0.13% Cu from Flecha Dora da target (17 samples of which 10 returned values above 10g/t gold) 19.0 g/t gold + 0.11% Cu from Gabriel target (20 samples of which 7 returned gold values above 10g/t gold) 24.6 g/t gold from Dorival target (6 samples)

7.2 g/t gold from Tucura target. (6 samples)

The Santa Helena project which comprises a total of 58,594 ha is the Company's closest project to the newly discovered copper porphyry by Anglo American at Jaca. The project is characterized by gold mineralization on surface and has a history of small-scale gold and copper production. The area has never been the subject of any previous drilling by Altamira. The current sampling program suggest the presence of a mineralized system with copper and gold values along a distance of 6km E-W.

The most easterly target is the Gabriel area which is located 1.2 km north of a small historic open pit mine which produced gold from a series of high-grade veins. A total of 20 grab samples were collected on surface from this area and returned gold values ranging from 0 to 171.6 g/t gold and 0 - 0.96% Cu and averaged 19.0 g/t gold and 0.11% Cu. Seven samples returned values above 10g/t gold.

The Flecha Dorada target is located 3km WSW of Gabriel. Grab samples from this prospect ranged from 0.3 - 153.8g/t gold and 0 - 0.81% Cu and averaged 31.2g/t gold + 0.13% Cu with 11 samples returning above 10g/t gold.

The Dorival target is located 500m west of Flecha Dorada. Six grab samples were collected from this prospect which ranged from 7.4 to 73.3g/t gold and 0 to 0.27% Cu and averaged 24.6g/t gold.

Six grab samples were collected from the Tucura area and returned gold values of 0.2 to 22.6 g/t gold and averaged 7.2g/t gold. Tucura is located 2km NW of the Dorival target.

In addition to the rock sample results outlined above, Altamira has completed a program of soil sampling with results expected during May 2018. This work will assist with the identification of drill targets.

Michael Bennett, President and CEO of Altamira stated, "Santa Helena is clearly a much larger mineralized system then we had previously recognized. The presence of extensive hydrothermal alteration in the area accompanied by the numerous high-grade gold bearing structures and elevated copper values bodes well for the possibility that a significant Au-Cu mineralized body exists at Santa Helena. We are looking forward to the receipt of the soil sampling data which should assist us with the definition of trenching and drill targets."





To view an enhanced version of the map, please visit:

http://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4500/34687_a1526490543844_0.jpg

Altamira's First Phase of geological Mapping Reveals Copper and Gold

Mineralization at Santa Helena Project, Brazil

About Altamira Gold Corp.

The Company is focused on the exploration and development of gold deposits within western central Brazil. The Company holds 12 projects comprising approximately 200,000 hectares, within the prolific Juruena gold belt which historically produced an estimated 7 to 10Moz of placer gold. The Company's advanced Cajueiro project has an NI 43-101 resources of 8.64Mt @ 0.78 g/t Au (for 214,000oz) in the Indicated Resource category and 9.53Mt @ 0.66 g/t Au (for 204,000oz) in the Inferred Resource category and an additional 1.37Mt @ 1.61 g/t Au in oxides (for 79,000oz in saprolite) in the Inferred Resource category (Gustavson Associates, 2016).

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

ALTAMIRA GOLD CORP.

"Michael Bennett"

Michael Bennett

President & CEO

Tel: 604.676.5660

info@altamiragold.com

For more information contact:

Sean Kingsley VP, Corporate Development

Phone: +1 604 440 8474

Toll-Free: +1 833 606 6271

Email: skingsley@altamiragold.com

Guillermo Hughes, P. Geo., a consultant to the Company as well as a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised the preparation of the technical information in this news release.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor it Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this document which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we do not undertake to update these forward-looking statements.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - After an early move to the upside, treasuries moved modestly lower over the course of the trading session on Wednesday.



Bond prices pulled back off their early highs in morning trading and moved roughly sideways before dipping going into the close. Subsequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, inched up by 1.5 basis points to 3.095 percent.



With the modest uptick on the day, the ten-year yield extended the strong upward move seen on Tuesday, reaching its highest closing level since July of 2011.



Treasuries initially benefited from geopolitical concerns after North Korea threatened to cancel an historic meeting between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump.



In a statement published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korean First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Kye Gwan suggested that Trump must accept the reclusive communist country as a nuclear power.



'If the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit,' Kim said.



Kim pointed to 'unbridled remarks' by U.S. officials such as National Security Adviser John Bolton calling on North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons first and be compensated afterward.



The statement from Kim came after North Korea canceled high-level talks with South Korea planned for Wednesday over U.S.-South Korean military drills.



Despite the threats, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the administrations remains hopeful the meeting will take place.



Treasuries pulled back as traders digested a report from the Federal Reserve showing a slightly bigger than expected increase in industrial production in the month of April.



The Fed said industrial production climbed by 0.7 percent in April, matching the upwardly revised increase in March. Economists had expected industrial production to rise by 0.6 percent.



Meanwhile, a separate report from the Commerce Department showed a sharp pullback in new residential construction in the month of April.



The report said housing starts plunged by 3.7 percent to an annual rate of 1.287 million in April after jumping by 3.6 percent to an upwardly revised 1.336 million in March.



Economists had expected housing starts to drop to an annual rate of 1.310 million from the 1.319 million originally reported for the previous month.



The Commerce Department said building permits also tumbled by 1.8 percent to an annual rate of 1.352 million in April after surging up by 4.1 percent to an upwardly revised 1.377 million in March.



Building permits, an indicator of future housing demand, had been expected to edge down to 1.350 million from the 1.354 million originally reported for the previous month.



Trading on Thursday may be impacted by reaction to reports on weekly jobless claims, leading economic indicators, and Philadelphia-area manufacturing activity.



The Treasury Department is also due to announce the details of next week's auctions of two-year, five-year, and seven-year notes.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A financial disclosure form released on Wednesday confirms President Donald Trump fully reimbursed his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen for expenses incurred during the presidential campaign in 2016. The financial disclosure report released by the Office of Government Ethics revealed Trump repaid Cohen more than $100,000. Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said earlier this month that the president reimbursed Cohen for the $130,000 in hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels. 'In 2016, expenses were incurred by one of Donald J. Trump's attorneys, Michael Cohen,' read a footnote on the president's disclosure report. 'Mr. Cohen sought reimbursement of those expenses and Mr. Trump fully reimbursed Mr. Cohen in 2017,' the report added. 'The category of value would be $100,001-$250,000.' In a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, OGE Acting Director David Apol indicated that the payment made by Cohen should have been reported as a liability in Trump's financial disclosure report for 2016. Apol said he was providing Rosenstein with both reports because he may find the disclosure relevant to any inquiry he may be pursuing regarding Trump's prior report. In a post on Twitter, former OGE Director Walter Shaub said Apol's letter to Rosenstein is 'tantamount to a criminal referral.' 'OGE has effectively reported the president to DOJ for potentially committing a crime,' Shaub tweeted. 'Dave Apol comes through in the end!!' The confirmation of the reimbursement comes amid lingering questions about whether Cohen's payment to Daniels represented an illegal contribution to Trump's presidential campaign. (Photo: Gage Skidmore) Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
PRYSMEX, finalist of CEMEX Ventures 2017 Startup Competition, is the company's fourth investment.

The PRYSMEX solution was successfully tested and currently works in all of CEMEX Mexico's cement plants.

CEMEX Ventures announced today that it invested in PRYSMEX, a Mexico-based startup that offers a solution capable of detecting and helping to prevent workplace accidents through the Internet of Things and real-time data collection.

PRYSMEX's innovative solution features a web platform with a collaborative management app that monitors the environmental and geolocation variables of unsafe acts and conditions on customized 3D maps, enabling real-time decision-making and increased industry safety and productivity.

The solution marks a fundamental advance in health and safety for the construction sector. Through the Internet of Things, PRYSMEX enables a comprehensive analysis of data such as impacts, light and noise levels, locations, temperatures, and the presence of toxic gases, among others. Placed on the workers' helmets, PRYSMEX devices monitor and communicate in real time users' conditions, alerting them to potential situations and high-risk areas. In addition, its web application provides an analytical report of workers' and plant conditions, enabling better workplace decision-making and accident prevention at all times.

CEMEX evaluated the solution, and after its successful trial period, installed PRYSMEX technological solution at all its cement plants in Mexico. In addition to CEMEX Ventures' investment in the application, PRYSMEX will enjoy access to a wide-ranging portfolio of strategic industry contacts, fostering the execution of new projects in international markets. This solution offers CEMEX another important tool to promote its employees' health and safety -its top priority.

Founded by chemical engineer Susana Ruiz and civil engineer Patricio de Villa in Monterrey, Mexico, PRYSMEX was the finalist of CEMEX Ventures Startup Competition 2017 and is now part of the company's portfolio.

Launched in 2017, CEMEX Ventures focuses on helping overcome the main challenges and opportunity areas in the construction ecosystem through sustainable solutions. CEMEX Ventures has developed an open collaborative platform to lead the revolution of the construction industry, engaging startups, entrepreneurs, universities, and other stakeholders to tackle the challenges in the construction environment and shape the industry's future. For more information, please visit: www.cemexventures.com

CEMEX Ventures assumes no obligation to update or correct the information contained in this press release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516006389/en/

Contacts:

CEMEX Ventures

Media Relations

Cristina Aparicio, +34 91 377 9248

aparicio.cristina@cemexventures.com

or

CEMEX

Media Relations

Jorge Perez, +52(81) 8888-4334

mr@cemex.com
Regulatory News:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (NA:PSH) today released its regular weekly Net Asset Value (NAV) on its website, https://www.pershingsquareholdings.com/company-reports/weekly-navs/. The NAV was computed as of the close of business on Tuesday, 15 May 2018.

PSH NAV per share as of close of business on 15 May 2018 was 17.42 USD 12.90 GBP. This NAV was calculated giving effect to the cancellation of 22,271,714 shares acquired in the Tender Offer (as announced on 11 May 2018).

Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft).

About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180516006484/en/

Contacts:

MEDIA CONTACT

Maitland

Seda Ambartsumian/Sam Turvey, +44 20 7379 5151

Media-pershingsquareholdings@maitland.co.uk
Medical cannabis company Creso Pharmahas announced its entered into the Israeli cannabis market.The company has formed a joint venture with Cohen Propagation Nurseries to grow and manufacture high-grade medical cannabis.Cohen Propagation Nurseries is one of the most experienced agriculture companies in Israel, the companies will work together to create a medical cannabis growing facility.Creso Pharma says the deal will provide it with exposure to Israels world leading medical cannabis research and development and innovation.Shares in Creso Pharmaare trading 2.07 per cent lower to 71 cents.
NCLAT had on Tuesday directed RP of Binani Cement not to decide on the eligibility of the bidders, but just to pass on the revised resolution plans in sealed covers to the CoC.

New Delhi: Binani Industries, which holds 98.4 percent share in debt-ridden Binani Cement, today offered to clear the 100 percent claims of creditors at the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal.

In a fresh petition filed before the NCLAT, it submitted that the offer will clear the dues of financial creditors, operational creditors and others within two weeks.

The counsel appearing for Binani Industries said the settling of the creditors' claims will bring the company out of insolvency proceedings.

The NCLAT bench headed by Chairman Justice S J Mulhopadhaya has asked the Committee of Creditors (CoC), Resolution Professional to file their reply within five days.

It has also asked Rajputana Properties Private Ltd, a subsidiary of Dalmia Bharat Group, whose bids has been approved by CoC earlier, to file an intervention application to be heard in the matter.

The bench also said that it would see as to whether "the NCLT can refuse the offer of the shareholders of the corporate debtor if he intends to pay 100 per cent of credit amount of creditors within 2 to 4 week".

The tribunal has directed to list the matter on May 22 for next hearing.

NCLAT had yesterday directed RP of Binani Cement not to decide on the eligibility of the bidders, but just to pass on the revised resolution plans in sealed covers to the CoC.

NCLAT had also asked the RP to submit his view on questions pertaining to the bidders' eligibility in conformity with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) to the CoC, that too in a sealed cover, without consulting any of the parties interested in taking over the bankrupt cement-maker.
The Little Rock office is a new US business centre for TCS, adding to its existing office in Bentonville, Arkansas, which hosts more than 150 employees.

Mumbai/Little Rock (United States): Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Tuesday said it has added more than 200 new employees in the US state of Arkansas, as part of its deal with insurer Transamerica.

The IT giant will occupy several floors of the 1400 Centerview building in downtown Little Rock, as part of the agreement with Transamerica to rapidly enhance its digital capabilities, simplify the service of more than 10 million policies into an integrated modern platform and drive growth opportunities.

"TCS is thrilled to welcome more than 200 additional Arkansans to our workforce as we continue to invest in local talent and U.S. facilities, helping American companies like Transamerica digitally transform and adapt to rapidly evolving customer demands," said its President and Global Head - Banking, Financial Services and Insurance Platforms, Suresh Muthuswami.

The Little Rock office is a new US business centre for the global IT major, adding to its existing office in Bentonville, Arkansas, which hosts more than 150 employees.

"We look forward to partnering with city, state and local organizations to deepen our business and community impact across Arkansas," he said.

The company has invested nearly US $3 billion in the US over the past three years and claimed that it has been among the top two IT services job creators in the US.
A US court has called for an investigation into the role of PNB employees in the alleged fraud involving diamantaire Nirav Modi and his companies.

A US court has reportedly called for an investigation into the role of Punjab National Bank (PNB) staffers in the Rs 14,356 crore PNB fraud, allegedly perpetrated by billionaire diamantaire Nirav Modi and his companies, a media report said.

The Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, according to The Economic Times, in an order, has said that an investigation must be carried out before deciding on bankruptcy proceedings against athe three US-based companies of Modi, including Firestar Diamond Inc.

Conduct a forensic financial analysis of the books and records of the debtors, bank records, vendor records, and any and all relevant information of other entities consistent with the investigation, and trace the movement of monies obtained under the alleged fraud circumstances against PNB to the debtors, and related entities and individuals, the court was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The court in March passed an interim order that prevented creditors from collecting debt from Modi-owned Firestar Diamond Inc. after it filed for bankruptcy.

Modi, who is being investigated for the illegal transfer of nearly $2 billion from the Punjab National Bank, has a majority stake in Firestar Diamond and its sister companies through other companies.

Entering an order for relief, the US bankruptcy court in the Southern District of New York said that the filing of a case imposed an automatic stay against most collection activities.

"This means that creditors generally may not take action to collect debts from the debtor or the debtor's property," the bankruptcy court said in its two-page order in March.

"For example, while the stay is in effect, creditors cannot sue, assert a deficiency, repossess the property, or otherwise try to collect from the debtor. Creditors cannot demand repayment from the debtor by mail, phone, or otherwise," it said.

Firestar filed the Chapter 11 voluntary petition in the New York Southern Bankruptcy Court in late February.

With inputs from PTI
The principal bench of NCLT on Tuesday approved Rs 32,500-crore deal along with 12.27 per cent equity in Bhushan Steel offered by Tata Steel.

New Delhi: Tata Steel, whose bid for debt-ridden Bhushan Steel was approved by NCLT, would implement the resolution plan through its step-down subsidiary Bamnipal Steel Ltd.

Bamnipal Steel would invest in the debt-ridden company and acquire control on closing date, Bhushan Steel Ltd said in a regulatory filing.

"As per the terms of approved Resolution Plan, Bamnipal Steel Limited (BNPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Steel, will initially subscribe to 72.65 per cent equity share capital of BSL at face value i.e. at Rs 2 per share, for an aggregate amount of Rs 158.89 crore," Tata Steel said in a filing to the BSE.

In an identical filing, Bhushan Steel confirmed the development saying Tata Steel shall implement the resolution plan through Bamnipal Steel Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Steel.

It further added: "Pursuant to the resolution plan, Bamnipal Steel would invest in, and acquire control of, the company on closing date."

The principal bench of NCLT on Tuesday approved Rs 32,500-crore deal along with 12.27 per cent equity in Bhushan Steel offered by Tata Steel.

Bamnipal Steel will subscribe to the equity share capital of Bhushan Steel on a preferential basis at a price of Rs 2 per share, and provide additional funds in the form of inter-corporate loans of which up to Rs 9,000 crore loans have an option of conversion into equity shares of BSL.

"The aggregate funds received from this investment will be to the tune of Rs 35,132.58 crore, which will be used to settle the existing debts of the Company," it added.

This would also include the cost of corporate insolvency resolution process and all outstanding employee dues, but exclude operational creditors settlement Amount of Rs 1,200 crore as per the resolution plan.

"Upon implementation of the resolution plan, Bamnipal Steel will initially subscribe to approximately 72.6 per cent of the fully paid up equity share capital of the company," the filing said.

It further added: "The outstanding redeemable preference shares of the company would be purchased by Bamnipal Steel, and to the extent not transferred to Bamnipal Steel, would be redeemed by the company on the closing date, in terms of the resolution plan."
By Doina Chiacu and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is pushing for a deal in negotiations on a revised North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the White House said on Wednesday, but Canadian and Mexican officials were not due in Washington for talks before a Thursday deadline. President Donald Trump is committed to getting a better agreement with Canada and Mexico, press secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News. 'We still want to see something happen and we're going to continue in those conversations.

By Doina Chiacu and David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is pushing for a deal in negotiations on a revised North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the White House said on Wednesday, but Canadian and Mexican officials were not due in Washington for talks before a Thursday deadline.

President Donald Trump is committed to getting a better agreement with Canada and Mexico, press secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News.

"We still want to see something happen and we're going to continue in those conversations. They're ongoing now and we're pushing forward and hopeful that we can get something done soon," Sanders said.

On Tuesday, Mexico Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said he saw diminishing chances for a new NAFTA agreement before a Thursday deadline to present a deal that could be signed by the current U.S. Congress.

Neither Guajardo nor Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland had plans to travel to Washington on Wednesday, their representatives said.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan has said that the Republican-controlled Congress would need to be notified of a new deal by Thursday to give lawmakers a chance to approve it before a newly elected Congress takes over in January.

Sanders did not address the timeline.

"We've got to get a deal that works for everybody, but most importantly this president is going to make sure that we get a deal that works for America," she said. "He's not going to stop until he gets it."

Ryan said Congress cannot begin working on the negotiating law known as "fast track" without a trade deal in hand.

"The point is, we can't work a bill unless we have an agreement that's in writing that we can work on, and that hasn't occurred yet," Ryan told reporters at the U.S. Capitol.

Mexico's chief NAFTA trade negotiator, Kenneth Smith, told Mexican radio MVS Noticias that negotiations would continue.

"What Congressman Ryan is talking about is not a final deadline for negotiations between the three nations," he said.

Smith said the administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto had a responsibility to continue negotiating until Mexico's new president, who will be elected on July 1, takes office on Dec. 1.

If a NAFTA deal is not reached before the election, Mexico's negotiators will work closely with the incoming government's transition team, Smith said.

U.S. Representative Kevin Brady, the chairman of the tax and trade-focused House Ways and Means Committee, said there was probably little room to go past the Thursday deadline for a deal and still get a new NAFTA approved by year end.

Asked if talks could go beyond May 17, he said: "That timetable's right in the area there. That's a pretty accurate timetable."

Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is leading polls to win the Mexican presidential race. His pick for economy minister, Graciela Marquez, has said his administration would be willing to accept a deal struck before the election.

(Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa, Frank Jack Daniel and Anthony Esposito in Mexico City; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Cynthia Osterman)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
After consecutive statements by the management of the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai and its current batch students; regarding sexual harassment charges against professor Sadanand Menon; a group of artists has also now issued a statement to defend the ''liberal' artistic performing space called Spaces.

After consecutive statements by the management of the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai and students from its current batch; regarding alleged sexual harassment charges against Sadanand Menon; a group of artists has also now issued a statement to defend the '"liberal" artistic performing space called Spaces.

Spaces, which is presently headed by Menon, was founded by Chandralekha and has long been used for artistic performances and intellectual discussions in Chennai. In light of its this contribution to the city's cultural and liberal arts space, the artists have demanded a "more balanced social media discussion" over its sanctity and safety.

The discussion around the charges against Menon had resurfaced after a journalist named Karthik Shankar put out a Medium post demanding the shifting of venue of a sexual harassment forum meeting from Spaces. Karthik wrote that "there have been several allegations of sexual harassment and predatory behaviour by Menon, the co-founder of Spaces. A friend of mine was among that list too. I was incensed".

Menon's name had earlier cropped up in the Raya Sarkar's 'List of Sexual Harassers in Academia' (LoSHA)- (the list is not available anymore on Sarkar's Facebook profile, where it was initially put).

Here is the full text of the artists' statement:

It is with some dismay that we've been reading about the charge of alleged sexual harassment brought against Sadanand Menon.

What's most troubling is that while the original charge has not yet been examined, there's been an incendiary attempt to conflate various vague rumours and hearsay and formulate and spread new allegations as though they were proven facts.

This amounts to malice and defamation.

We want sexual harassment charges to be taken seriously and addressed. We believe this can be done without taking recourse to kangaroo courts.

The statement below is signed and released to state that as much as we are part of the attempt to seek justice, we deplore the means being adopted here.

Sexual harassment is unacceptable. For a sustained and effective opposition to sexual harassment, it is important that general and vague allegations be viewed with deeper scrutiny than what appears to have been done by a bewildering array of persons to the sudden spurt of allegations against well-known cultural critic, Sadanand Menon.

Our main concern here is about the inevitable banalising of such a serious matter as sexual harassment, unless campaigns are tempered with responsibility. A long delay in complaining is understandable in sexual harassment cases, given the unsupportive societal ethos. But it does introduce additional complexity and a greater need for caution in arriving at conclusions.

It is no disservice to feminism to say that human memory, motivations, and interpretations are infinitely more varied and complicated than are attributable to gender alone. The complaint against Sadanand Menon to ACJ by a former student met with an initial institutional response.

To further queries and demands, ACJ has responded on its website. There can be different views on the institutions stand, but there is no doubt that both sides of the complaint are entitled to fair process and justice. Given the context of the complaint, and the jurisdictional and time-barred issues for the institution, it might be necessary to look at other ways of resolving this. It is our hope that the parties involved and those engaged with the issue would work towards a fair and just resolution.

A particular reported incident must be investigated but we are dismayed by the way rumour and hearsay are being freely used to give unsubstantiated allegations the status of proven fact.

SPACES, a trust started by Chandralekha and now headed by Sadanand, is an oxygen tank in Chennai for rehearsals and performance of non-traditional, experimental, low budget artistic and cultural works. The vibrancy and integrity of that space have been brought into question with innuendo and character assassination.

We request that discussion in the social media be more balanced. We request that the outstanding work done by SPACES as a liberal, accessible and inclusive space in the cause of artistic and cultural expressions and exchanges not be undermined.

One must not forget that the community that had enjoyed, made use of and supported SPACES, rallied around two years ago after cyclone Vardah to help resurrect a space that many continue to see as a generous, nurturing place.

The statement has been signed by 48 people including artists and journalists from all across the country.
Terming as very serious the attempts by Pakistani forces to push armed terrorists across the border ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) KK Sharma said, on Tuesday, efforts were on to locate the infiltrators.

Jammu: Terming as very serious the attempts by Pakistani forces to push armed terrorists across the border ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu and Kashmir, Director General of Border Security Force (BSF) KK Sharma said, on Tuesday, efforts were on to locate the infiltrators.

Five infiltrators sneaked into Hiranagar sector probably through a tunnel on Sunday night and efforts are on to detect and neutralise them, Sharma said.

Referring to the killing of a BSF jawan in firing from across the border, Sharma said the sacrifice would not go in vain and assured appropriate action against Pakistan.

Pakistan is our hostile neighbour and tries to push terrorists and violates ceasefire regularly. BSF does not initiate (ceasefire violations) from this side, but whenever Pakistan initiates, we give them a befitting response, Sharma told reporters at the BSF headquarters in Jammu.

Referring to the latest incidents along the international border, Sharma said a group of five infiltrators may have sneaked in, while another attempt was scuttled.

There is a possibility that a group of five (terrorists) managed to sneak into this side through a tunnel on Sunday night. We have not so far detected any tunnel but are looking for it. The anti-tunneling exercise is going on, he said.

He said the presence of a group, comprising five members, was confirmed through HSTI imagining. "I am sure they will be detected and neutralised," the BSF chief added.

He said this (infiltration attempts and Pakistani firing) was a "very serious incident" because it had happened ahead of the scheduled visit of prime minister to the state on 19 May.

"The BSF always gives a befitting reply to Pakistan. This time it is not going to be any exception. The martyrdom of our jawan will not go in vain and we will take appropriate action, he said.

Asked about intelligence reports suggesting presence of terrorists at launching pads across the border, he said there is no second thought that a lot of terrorists were present at the launching pads and Pakistan is attempting to push them into this side.

On a smart fencing project, he said it was nearing completion. I am hopeful that it will be in place either by this month end or in the first or second week of next month and it will be inaugurated by the Union home minister, Sharma said.

We have planned to roll out the project to make the Pakistan border safer and secure and completely covered by the technology, he said.

Technology is a big advantage as humans cannot see beyond 100 meters or listen beyond 50 meters, he said.

After the induction of smart fencing, we can pick up enemy movement three kilometers away, he said.

After the completion of cultivation (season), sniping and cross border firing is a usual thing and the latest incidents are the part of this phenomenon," the BSF chief said.
The Centre on Wednesday accepted the Jammu and Kashmir's Mehbooba Mufti government's proposal of halting security operations in the Valley during Ramadan

The Centre on Wednesday accepted the Mehbooba Mufti government's proposal of halting security operations in the Kashmir Valley during Ramzan.

The Centre asks Security Forces not to launch operations in Jammu & Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan. Decision taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment.

HM Shri @rajnathsingh has informed the Chief Minister, J&K of Centres decision.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

Security Forces to reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people. Government expects everyone to cooperate in this initiative and help the Muslim brothers & sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

Last week, Mehbooba Mufti had requested that security force operations be halted during Amarnath Yatra and Ramzan. She had said that an all-party delegation from the state would request the prime minister to consider the announcement of a unilateral ceasefire as was done in 2002 during the prime ministership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Mufti welcomed the Centre's decision, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajnath Singh for their personal intervention.

"The month of Ramzan is a harbinger of peace & such a decision will go a long way in creating a peaceful and amicable environment for a sustained dialogue", she said.

Mufti's appeal earlier faced opposition from the BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit, which had called the step against 'national interest.' The party's state unit said militants were demoralised due to Army action and a unilateral ceasefire would ease pressure and allow them to re-energise.

With inputs from PTI
Home minister Rajnath Singh's announcement of non-initiation of combat against militants in Kashmir was welcomed by leaders from the PDP and the Congress.

Srinagar: Amidst a spurt in militant activities in the Kashmir valley, New Delhi on Wednesday rolled out a major Confidence Building Measure (CBM) as it announced a decision of non-initiation of combat operations against militants. This announcement has been made after government forces killed more than 65 militants in the first four months of this year.

This decision by home minister Rajnath Singh has surprised political pundits. Through this, he has repeated former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees unilateral ceasefire in 2000.

In a series of tweets, Singh said he has informed chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti about the Centres decision. The BJP-PDP are ruling the state in a coalition government for the first time in the history of the state. Since the coalition assumed power, Kashmir has been moving from one crisis to another.

The home ministry announced in a tweet 

The Centre asks Security Forces not to launch operations in Jammu & Kashmir during the holy month of Ramzan. Decision taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment.

HM Shri @rajnathsingh has informed the Chief Minister, J&K of Centres decision.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

However, there will not be a complete ceasefire. The home ministry has said forces have been given the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people.

Security Forces to reserve the right to retaliate if attacked or if essential to protect the lives of innocent people. Government expects everyone to cooperate in this initiative and help the Muslim brothers & sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) May 16, 2018

The announcement comes just a week after Mehbooba Mufti, who is also the president of the PDP, convened an all-party meeting in Srinagar which called for a ceasefire during the holy month of Ramzan. The BJPs state leaders, however, had said they were not supportive of any ceasefire call given from the Valley.

These leaders were taken aback on Wednesday afternoon after the Centres decision was made public by the home ministry.

It is a decision by the government. They must have taken it while keeping certain things in mind, and we must all welcome it, Ravindra Raina, the newly elected president of state BJP, told Firstpost.

Omar Abdullah, the working president of the National Conference, said in a tweet 

On the demand of all political parties (except the BJP, which had opposed it) the Centre has announced a unilateral ceasefire. Now if the militants dont respond in kind they will stand exposed as the true enemies of the people.  Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 16, 2018

In a rare display of unity, Mufti had got the National Conference and the Congress to agree to an unequivocal call for a ceasefire with militants. But the PDP's alliance partner, BJP, seems reluctant to agree on anything Mufti's party sees fit for the Valley.

I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramzan ceasefire and would like to thank @narendramodi ji & @rajnathsingh ji for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders and parties who participated in the All Party Meeting and helped build consensus towards this announcement, said Mehbooba Mufti after the Centre's announcement.

The PDP leaders said that the halt in operations should become a foundation for extending dialogue with all the stakeholders for bringing peace in the Valley. Jammu and Kashmir has suffered immensely due to militancy-related violence, the party said in a statement. It further stated that the holy month of Ramzan offers an opportunity to the state to make an appropriate assessment for an effective strategy that provides relief to the masses.

The holy month of Ramzan has given New Delhi a chance to focus on the promises made and deal with the situation in Kashmir through confidence-building, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vice-president Mohammad Sartaj Madn said.

He said that now is the time for strengthening reconciliatory measures so that the state establishes its credentials as a benevolent power committed to protect the honour , lives and property of the masses.

The timing is great as it is at the beginning of Ramzan. It should become a base for initiating a dialogue between the Kashmiri people and New Delhi. We have been pushing for this for a long time, Rafi Mir, the chief spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, told Firstpost.

At least 30 youngsters in Kashmir have joined militant groups in the first three months of 2018. Last year, around 124 youths had joined insurgent groups. In 2017, as many as 213 militants were killed in massive counter-insurgency operations. The exercise was termed 'Operation All Out' by security forces. According to sources, there are at least 250 militants currently active in the Valley, which include both foreign and local ones.

It would be interesting to see the response of the militants, who operate mainly from south Kashmir. Encounters and gunfights have been taking place mostly in south Kashmir, where security forces carried out two cordon and search operations even on Wednesday morning.

The Congress chief in Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, told Firstpost that the Centre's decision was a good move as "innocent children" were dying in the Valley. He further pointed to the killings of young Kashmiri militants and political workers in south Kashmir.

What is important to understand is that violence will get us nowhere. We hope that this initiative by the present government will somehow bring peace to the Valley. The militants should respond to this positively, he said.
As the Delhi Police charged Congress leader Shashi Tharoor of abetment to suicide in his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death case, many of his party members have come out in support terming it as a 'political move'.

As the Delhi Police charged Congress leader Shashi Tharoor of abetment to suicide in his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death case, many of his party members have come out in support terming it as a "political move".

While Tharoor himself took to Twitter to term the chargesheet as "preposterous" and claim that this move after four years of the incident "does not speak well of the methods or motivations of the Delhi Police"

He also put out another tweet to highlight the "epicaricacy" of those levelling charges against him.

Staying off @Twitter for a while -- one encounters too much epicaricacy! pic.twitter.com/znaj8vUl0R  Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 14, 2018

Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram also tweeted in support of Tharoor terming the charges against him as "manufactured".

Charge against @ShashiTharoor is absurd. Investigating agency has manufactured a case out of an unfortunate tragedy.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 15, 2018

Meanwhile, Kerala Congress leaders too have openly voiced their support for Tharoor. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president MM Hassan said, "There has been political interference in the case as Tharoor had severally criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Sangh Parivar on various occasions". "It is only the fascists who act in this manner to take on their political rivals. The move is only to cut short the political career of the MP, who represents Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha," Hassan said, as per a The Times of India report.

Another Congress leader, Milind Deora also rallied behind Tharoor. "Delhi Police has discredited itself by engaging in Shashi Tharoors character assassination. If only theyd focus on protecting women instead. Such brazen political vendetta is a sad commentary on todays politics", Deora said in a tweet.

Former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy was also quick to jump to Tharoor's defence as he tweeted: "This is a politically targeted and articulated charge sheet against Tharoor who is a man of ethics who upholds his values throughout his professional and personal life! This agenda is not going to withstand and serve their intention to tarnish him".

Even the All India Mahila Congress remarked in a tweet on its official handle that this such a "maligning and malicous propaganda" is "nothing new country's current political environment" and that the whole party is standing behind Tharoor as he faces a "baseless charge for political purposes".

Apart from the support from his party members, Tharoor also got supported by senior lawyer and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member Prashant Bhushan. Bhushan also too to social media to extend his support to Tharoor. "For the Delhi Police to spend four years on the Sunanda Pushkar investigation and then come up with a chargesheet accusing Tharoor of abetment to suicide is pathetic and malafide. Police with top BJP leaders led by Subramanian Swamy and the lapdog media tried their best to make it a case of murder", Bhushan tweeted.
Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala should convene the Assembly quickly to settle the issue of majority as any delay would give elbow room for political parties to indulge in horse-trading, retired Supreme Court judge N Santosh Hegde.

Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala should convene the Assembly quickly to settle the issue of majority as any delay would give elbow room for political parties to indulge in horse-trading, retired Supreme Court judge N Santosh Hegde said on Wednesday.

"No party has got any majority and the happenings thereafter I am not very happy because many unconstitutional methods are being tried to cobble up majority," the former Solicitor General of India told PTI. "So, sooner the Governor calls the House and call upon the people to prove the majority, better it is," the former Karnataka Lokayukta said.

"Calling (B S) Yeddyurappa, you have an example of... find basis from S R Bommai case where the Supreme Court has held the vote of confidence should be held only on the floor of Legislative Assembly and not outside, and single largest party should be called upon to prove majority," he said.

But there are examples like in Goa and Manipur, where "it's been the other way round"  the party which was supposed to have majority (not the single largest party) was called upon to prove majority," Hegde added. "So, the Governor has a lot of elbow room to manage it. But the consequences are very very sad that they (political parties) may stoop to any level to cobble up majority. And you (parties) speak about political morality and other things? It's sad for the State, I can say that much," he said.

"The Governor should not keep this (on the issue of proving who has majority) pending so that there will not be elbow room for parties to (indulge in) horse-trading or call it by another name; it's not proper thing to happen," added Hegde, a former Advocate General of Karnataka.

With the Karnataka assembly polls throwing up a hung verdict, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 104 seats has fallen short of the half-way mark of 112.

The Congress-JD(S) combine moved quickly even as the counting of votes was underway yesterday and requested the governor to allow the formation of a JD(S)-led government. The two parties together have a clear majority in the 224-member Assembly. Elections were held for 222 seats on 12 May while polling for the remaining two will be held later.
The Haryana government told the Supreme Court it would maintain status quo on the supply of Yamuna river water to Delhi till 21 May

New Delhi: The Haryana government told the Supreme Court it would maintain status quo on the supply of Yamuna river water to Delhi till 21 May. The apex court asked the Delhi government and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to request Haryana for the maintenance of status quo on water supply and directed Haryana to take an independent decision on the matter.

A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Navin Sinha said the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) should deal with the issue and it would be appropriate if the Delhi government approached the Board. The Delhi government withdrew a plea filed by the DJB in the apex court and said it would approach the Board immediately for release and continuation of drinking water supply from Haryana.

The court was hearing the DJB's plea alleging that Haryana had reduced by one-third the supply of Yamuna water to the national capital, leading to a grave water crisis. "We expect the Board to meet and sort out the matter amicably between Delhi and Haryana," the bench observed.

One of the functions of the UYRB, set up by the Centre in 1995, was to regulate and supply water from all storage sites and barrages up to the Okhla barrage in Delhi, in accordance with the agreements between the governments of the six basin states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.

On May 11, the apex court had slammed the UYRB for not doing their job pertaining to distribution of river water among the beneficiary states and asked it why should the courts do its work. Haryana government had earlier told the top court that it was facing a "huge distress" for water as it was receiving only half the supply from Hathni Kund barrage located in the Yamuna Nagar district. Haryana had, however, said it would continue supplying 150 cusecs of water to Delhi till 15 May.

Delhi earlier said there was a shortfall of 120 cusecs of water of Yamuna river daily for the national capital. The DJB had contended that Haryana was supplying Delhi only 330 cusecs of water daily as against 450 cusecs a day, which was agreed upon between the state and the Union Territory. It had claimed that due to curtailment in water supply to Wazirabad reservoir, the plant was running at reduced capacity leading to a "grave water crisis" in the city.

The DJB had sought directions from the apex court to Haryana to supply the entire 450 cusec of water per day continuously and daily to the Wazirabad reservoir.
After a dust storm hit the national capital on Wednesday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for next 72 hours anticipating similar weather conditions across large parts of north India including Delhi.

New Delhi: After a dust storm hit the national capital on Wednesday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for next 72 hours anticipating similar weather conditions across large parts of north India including Delhi. According to the warning bulletin issued in the morning, "Thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds (with speed 50-70 kilometres) very likely at isolated places over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh."

The same predictions have been made for Thursday at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Police said that an 18-year-old man was killed and 13 people injured in the dust storm that hit the city in the early hours on Wednesday. The Police Control Room (PCR) received 78 calls during the storm that started around 3 am.

As many as 59 calls about fallen trees, five calls about fallen electricity poles and 11 calls about hoardings/wall collapse were received by the PCR, police said. Also, four calls received were about damages to cars in the dust storm. Fourteen vehicles  1 3 cars and a motorcycle  were damaged in it, the police said.

As many as 80 people were killed in five states due to thunderstorms and lightning strikes since 13 May, with the northern state of Uttar Pradesh alone recording 51 deaths, the Home Ministry said on Monday. Meanwhile, the temperature in the morning was recorded at 25 degrees Celsius and generally cloudy sky with light rain or drizzle is expected, a MeT official said.
Three BJP MPs on Wednesday wrote to Home Minister Rajnath Singh alleging phone tapping of party leaders by the Karnataka government and urged him to instruct the state authority to 'end this pernicious practice'

New Delhi: Three BJP MPs on Wednesday wrote to Home Minister Rajnath Singh alleging phone tapping of party leaders by the Karnataka government and urged him to instruct the state authority to "end this pernicious practice".

The three Karnataka MPs  Shoba Karandlaje, GM Siddeshwara and PC Mohan  in their letter stated that the Congress government in Karnataka was taking the advantage of the political situation which was "fluid following a fractured mandate".

"The Congress government has resorted to cheap tactics of tapping the telephones of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders," said the letter addressed to Singh.

"We have every reason to believe that the Karnataka government is misusing its position and tapping our mobile phones. This, according to us, is a clear violation of our fundamental right to privacy," it added.

Karnataka underwent assembly polls on 12 May and results were announced on 15 May.
The Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) on Wednesday rejected the offer of home minister Rajnath Singh's offer of ceasefire in Kashmir, terming it as a compromise.

Hours after Union home minister Rajnath Singh issued a directive to halt security operations in Kashmir during Ramzan, the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) rejected the offer of a ceasefire, terming it as a compromise. However, mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, including Opposition parties National Conference and Congress, have said that peace needs to be given a chance.

LeT chief Mahmood Shah said in a statement to the media that the ceasefire is no option and no thought can be given to such a compromise. We deem it as a sin and disgrace to the sacrifices put up in the freedom struggle. We are the heirs of the martyrs. Opting for such a choice is treachery to the blood of martyrs...The statement of India's interior minister is nothing but a drama. It may be a wish of India and its few sympathisers and nothing else.

The LeT referred to army chief Bipin Rawat, stating that he believes that he can threaten the Kashmiris by imposing atrocities on unarmed students.

It has neither happened before nor will it happen now. We were active in the resistance before and so we will be in future (sic), it said in a statement. The outfit further said that it was in favour of negotiations, but talks of negotiations in the presence of armed occupational forces in the region are lies.

Our mothers are supporting us by picking up the guns and we can never betray their trust. This indigenous freedom struggle is supported by the pure blood of martyrs and we can never let anyone betray it. We vow to the people that we will never betray their trust and the immense sacrifices they have gone through in the freedom struggle. We will fight to the last of our blood in our struggle against illegal occupation. India shall soon witness the wrath of the people. We will continue the armed struggle until and unless Jammu and Kashmir has won its freedom, he added.

However, mainstream parties have welcomed the central government's move to extend the offer for ceasefire to militants. The ruling PDP said that it will try and pursue a dialogue with the separatists. PDP chief spokesperson, Rafi Ahmad Mir, said that the ceasefire was a welcome development, adding that steps will be taken to convince the central government on the need for dialogue with Pakistan.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, while welcoming the announcement, said that the decision would go a long way in healing the wounds of people of the state who have been suffering the tragedies and pain of violence and uncertainty for the past three decades or so.

The Congress and National Conference also welcomed the ceasefire offer. A Congress state spokesperson said that efforts should be made to restore peace beyond the month of Ramzan also in the Valley. Earlier, former chief minister Omar Abdullah also welcomed the offer, which he said was made after an all party meeting which was convened by Mehbooba Mufti recently.

Awami Ittehad party leader and MLA from Langate, Er Rashid, said that the ceasefire announcement proves that militants enjoy public support and eliminating them makes them stronger. The unilateral ceasefire is a victory of the Kashmiris. At the same time, it should not be seen as a defeat of the other side. New Delhi must now move beyond the ceasefire and offer unconditional talks to United Jihad Council and the Hurriyat leadership, and then start tripartite talks between all the three stakeholders.

However, the Government of India (GoI) interlocutor, Dineshwar Sharma, said that after the ceasefire, he may try and approach the separatists again for talks.

Former Kashmir interlocutor, MM Ansari, told Firstpost that the central government's announcement is a welcome step which  augurs well for restoring peace and containing human rights violations.

He said that this was a step towards preparing a congenial atmosphere for the prime ministers visit to the state. He added that it was in line with the policy of former prime minister AB Vajpayee on Kashmir. This is the first measure taken by the prime minister in pursuance of Vajpayee's policy on Kashmir, he said.
A massive dust storm hit Delhi in the early hours on Wednesday, 16 May.

A massive dust storm hit Delhi in the early hours on Wednesday, 16 May, as per a DNA report. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) strong winds and lighting are likely to hit Delhi and its adjacent areas in the next two hours. IMD has also issued a fresh warning for the next three days.

Trees fell down on cars in Lodhi colony due to strong winds and dust storm in the national capital. #Delhi pic.twitter.com/eJyTaWS84E  ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2018

Strong winds, accompanied by dust, lashed the city while bringing a sudden decline in the temperature. This comes after the deadly storm on 13-14 May that claimed over 80 lives across five states in the country.

Previously on 2 May, at least 100 people had died in north India owing to thunderstorms. Subsequently, on 9 May, several parts of Uttar Pradesh were struck by a severe storm that left 18 dead and 27 others injured, stated the report.

Thunderstorms, dust storms, rainfall during summers have been a normal phenomenon in northern India."But not of this severity. The frequency of western disturbance is unusually high," said Mahesh Pahlawat, vice-president (Meteorology and Climate Change) at Skymet, reported The Indian Express.

The India Meteorological Department has also predicted that Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh would witness thunderstorm accompanied by a squall in the next few days. "Thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds are also very likely at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, west Uttar Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Telangana, north coastal Andhra Pradesh, south interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Kerala," the IMD advisory for 15 May read.
An 18-year-old man was killed and 13 people injured in the dust storm that hit the national capital in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.

An 18-year-old man was killed and 13 people injured in the dust storm that hit the national capital in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.

The Police Control Room (PCR) received 78 calls during the storm that started around 3 am.

One person was injured in Dwarka while two persons sustained minor injuries in West Delhi during the storm. The deceased was identified as Sohail, a resident of North East Delhi's Gokalpuri area. He was grievously injured after a wall collapsed on him while he was sleeping in his house. Four members of his family have also sustained minor injuries, police said.

Four people were injured in east Delhi while two persons sustained minor injuries in south Delhi, the police added.

As many as 59 calls about fallen trees, five calls about fallen electricity poles and 11 calls about hoardings/wall collapse were received by the PCR, police said. Also, four calls received were about damages to cars in the dust storm. Fourteen vehicles - 13 cars and a motorcycle - were damaged in it, the police said.

As per the traffic control room, as many 53 calls related to falling of trees and six calls about fallen poles were received during dust storm the previous night. Thirty-seven fallen trees have been removed and remaining are being removed, officials said.
Indias counter-terrorism efforts have witnessed a mix of achievements and failures. But overall, it could be convincingly argued that Indias counter-terrorism strategy has continued to be largely ill-defined, reactionary, and lacking in coherence.

Terrorism remains a highly subjective and multifaceted phenomenon that defies a universally accepted definition. If highly politicised nature of terrorism leads to different interpretations, the multiplicity of its nature and manifestations is another important reason for the lack of consensus on the definition of terrorism. Moreover, the threat of terrorism differs from country to country, occurring in many guises with the acts justified by different ideologies and grievances. This makes countering terrorism as difficult as defining it. However, there can be no doubt that the acts of terrorism constitute a challenge to a countrys constitutional authority.

Indias counter-terrorism efforts have witnessed a mix of achievements and failures. But overall, it could be convincingly argued that Indias counter-terrorism strategy has continued to be largely ill-defined, reactionary, and lacking in coherence. Some of the responses have instead created unanticipated negative consequences, and this is troublesome considering that a huge amount is spent on the fight against terrorism.

It is very strange that when all the countries are deeply affected by terrorism, India is yet to devise an institutionalised mechanism to counter it. As India does not have a single unified authority that could coordinate the operations of various intelligence and counter-terror agencies for ensuring a quick response in times of crisis like the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has recently recommended that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) should immediately revive the idea of the NCTC as a single, unified counter-terrorism agency and re-issue the notification laying down the power, functions and duties of NCTC.

The 2008 Mumbai terror attacks had jolted the Indian state in the same way the Americans were shaken to the core by 9/11 attacks. The intelligence failure coupled with the poor response forced the central government to effect a thorough transformation of Indias internal security architecture. Besides creating the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), the government had also announced an ambitious plan to create a single overarching body  the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC)  for counter-terrorism purposes. The Multi-Agency Centre (MAC), an intelligence-sharing fusion centre functioning under the Intelligence Bureau (IB), was to be subsumed under it. The NCTC was supposed to come into being in 2012. But its non-establishment has been the single biggest disappointment of the post-26/11 internal security reform process.

In India, the issue of response, funding and information sharing that deals with terrorism are all connected with that of federalism. Indian Constitution largely distinguishes the Indian model of federalism from the one followed in the United States. Indian federalism is related more to the distribution of power between the central and the states governments than about limiting the power of the government. As per Indias Constitution, public order and police are in the state list, which is the sole preserve of a state government.

However, the Constitution has also vested the central government with some emergency powers and the power to encroach upon many issues listed in the state list. Hence, the central government has raised some Central Paramilitary Forces  the Central Research Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Assam Rifles, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) and the National Security Guard (NSG)  which perform a wide range of duties including management of law and order, counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency across India.

At the same time, it would be incorrect to assert the preponderance of centralisation in Indias federal system since the practice of politics in India vastly differs from the constitutional prescriptions. The states, if governed by the Opposition party, vociferously defend their autonomy. Moreover, the very nature of Indias administrative architecture makes it imperative on the central government to depend heavily on the state governments for the implementation of its several policies and agendas. The NCTC also became an unavoidable victim of the politics of federalism during the previous UPA regime.

Many non-Congress ruling states at the time did not approve of the proposal to establish the NCTC. Their major Opposition stemmed from the potential violation of the principle of federalism as they expressed deep apprehensions of the investigative and operational powers of the NCTC, which was authorised to arrest any suspect and to carry out operations without prior approval from and knowledge of the respective states. Narendra Modi, as the then chief minister of Gujarat, was also opposed to the NCTC alleging that such a structure would interfere with the functioning of state security agencies.

As clearly seen, the state governments in India enjoy far greater powers than those possessed by similar constituent units in other democratic countries. A huge discretion of local police in handling security issues is not entirely unreasonable, as states have to be policed on the basis of local norms. But terrorist groups often take advantage of this fragmented system. Thus, inter-agency coordination is a serious challenge both at the centre and in the states. The MAC and state MACs are required to ensure this coordination but there is an urgent need to do much better, particularly on follow-up action on the shared intelligence.

Indias NCTC was modelled on the American institution of the same name. Created after the reorganisation and restructuring of the intelligence community following the 9/11 attacks, the American NCTC describes itself as a center of gravity and leading voice that unifies counterterrorism intelligence for the homeland and abroad and integrate the national counterterrorism (CT) effort by fusing foreign and domestic CT information, providing terrorism analysis, sharing information with partners across the CT enterprise, and driving whole-of-government action to secure our national CT objectives.

The MHAs desire to emulate the American NCTC was understandable. But an important detail was ignored in the rush to create the NCTC. The American NCTC is an integral part of its Directorate of National Intelligence (DNI), which is manned by officials from the Pentagon, FBI, CIA and other agencies who can also access its databases. By analysing and collating terrorism-related information to support counterterrorism operations of various intelligence agencies that have ground-level source networks, it actually duplicates their analysis and assessment functions. But it is neither authorised to conduct intelligence operations on its own nor does it have the powers to investigate or arrest. It cannot even order other intelligence agencies to follow-up on its assessments since its primary role is supportive in nature, confined to advice and agenda-setting.

In Indias context, the move to keep the NCTC under the control of Intelligence Bureau created another huge controversy. The Intelligence Bureau is the nodal agency for counterterrorism, and it makes sense to house the NCTC under it in the similar fashion the MAC was placed under the Intelligence Bureau. But it is also an accepted principle in all liberal democratic countries that an intelligence agency should not possess police powers of arrest. The Opposition parties were quick to express fears that if the NCTC was made part of the Intelligence Bureau, the powers given to it under the anti-terror law  the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act  could be misused. At present, the Intelligence Bureau is almost immune from any parliamentary oversight. It is often alleged that the politicisation of Indias intelligence agencies has allowed the ruling parties to use these agencies for political purposes.

In the face of acrimonious political debates and opposition from various states, plans for the NCTC were steadily watered-down. The 2012 executive order had mandated the NCTC to function as an integral part of the Intelligence Bureau besides giving it the powers of arrest, search and seizure without seeking the permission of the states. The NCTC would provide real-time intelligence sharing using multiple databases such as those maintained by the NATGRID, which is in the pipeline, and the Crimes and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS). But the revised draft attempted to bring the tempers down and kill all controversies. NCTC was to work directly under the MHA and not under the control of the Intelligence Bureau. It was also clarified that upon identification of a terrorist or a terror group, operations would be carried out in conjunction with state police. Although, there was no clarification as to how the remodelled NCTC was an improvement over the MAC.

Since 2013, the operationalisation of NCTC has been kept in abeyance. However, the lapses before and during the counter-terror operation in Pathankot in 2016 had underlined the need for NCTC kind of institution which could have helped preempt a terrorist attack as well as better coordinate post-attack operations.

Media reports regularly speculate upon the likely structure, mandate and legal framework of yet-to-be-established NCTC. The recent unconfirmed reports put NCTC as an umbrella body encompassing all intelligence agencies  such as the Intelligence Bureau, NIA, RAW, NTRO etc. whose respective heads will report to the director of NCTC. Again, a brief discussion of American NCTC is in order. The analysts and planners of NCTC are drawn from the various components of Americas intelligence community. Its director reports to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) on intelligence management pertaining to counter-terrorism, and serves as the DNIs principal adviser on intelligence operations relating to counter-terrorism.

Moreover, NCTC director also reports directly to the US President for counter-terrorism strategic operational planning activities, which ensures unity of effort across the US government. Thus, even if we assume that the position of Indias National Security Advisor (NSA) encompasses the functions being performed by the American DNI, the same could not be held about the director of Indias Intelligence Bureau vis-a-vis the director of Americas NCTC.

India faces constant threats from terrorism, cross-border as well as from locally radicalised jihadists, and the need to develop a strong counter-terrorism mechanism has been felt for a long time. Although India has not yet witnessed lone-wolf attacks, any complacency on this front can prove to be self-defeating. India needs to remain prepared to deal with all tactics adopted by terrorists and terror outfits.

Legally speaking, all terrorist acts involve kidnapping, torture, murder, shooting and bombing, which, because of being criminals acts, generally fall under the state jurisdiction. But terrorist acts are not merely criminal acts as they also involve vital issues of national security and foreign policy which is the exclusive jurisdiction of the central government. However, neither Indias political class nor the policymakers seem to grasp the complexities involved in fighting terrorism in the fast-changing global environment, which means that Indias counter-terror response continues to remain tardy and incoherent. And single-minded focus on winning elections has only added to the difficulties. As parliamentary elections are approaching next year, it is least likely that any institution similar to NCTC will come into being.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Karnataka's plea that finalisation of the draft Cauvery management scheme should be put on hold as the process of formation of a new government in the state is underway.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Karnataka's plea that finalisation of the draft Cauvery management scheme should be put on hold as the process of formation of a new government in the state is underway.

The apex court also asked the Centre to modify a provision in the draft Cauvery management scheme that authorises the Union government to issue directions "from time to time" on Cauvery water distribution between four southern riparian states, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra asked Attorney General KK Venugopal to modify the scheme and submit it for approval on Thursday.

The bench, also comprising Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud, did not accept the vehement submission of senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing Karnataka, that the finalisation of the draft Cauvery scheme be put on hold till the first week of July as the process of government formation was underway in the state.

"All the states concerned are making submissions to the draft scheme. I am requesting for adjournment till first week of July as I do not have the assistance and instruction from the council of ministers of Karnataka," Divan said.

"It was the Centre which has to set up the draft scheme," the court said, while rejecting Karnataka's plea.

The bench has now fixed the matter for Thursday to consider the modified draft scheme, which will ensure compliance of the 16 February apex court judgment related to Cauvery water distribution among four states.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the bail plea of former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati in an alleged gangrape case in which he is one of the accused

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the bail plea of former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati in an alleged gangrape case in which he is one of the accused.

A bench of Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan dismissed the bail plea of Prajapati.

The apex court had earlier sought response from Uttar Pradesh police on Prajapati's petition challenging the Allahabad High Court's December last year's order dismissing his plea seeking bail in the case.

Prajapati was sacked as a minister by then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav from his cabinet in 2016 during a family feud with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and uncle Shivpal Yadav. He was later reinstated in the council of ministers in Uttar Pradesh.

An FIR was lodged in the matter at Gautampalli police station in Lucknow after the Supreme Court last year rebuked the state police during the then Samajwadi Party regime for not registering the case.

A Chitrakoot-based woman had accused the former minister and his accomplices of rape. She had also alleged that he had attempted to rape her minor daughter too.

In his plea filed before the apex court, Prajapati had claimed that allegations levelled against him in the case were false and baseless and he should be granted bail since charge sheet has already been filed.

The apex court had in February last year directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to lodge an FIR against Prajapati and others in connection with the case of alleged gangrape.

The order had come on a plea of the woman, who had alleged repeated gangrape by Prajapati and others and sought the court's direction for lodging of an FIR.

She had claimed that the alleged incident had first taken place in October 2014 and continued till July 2016 and when the accused tried to molest her minor daughter, she decided to lodge a complaint.
The Tamil Nadu Directorate of Government Examinations (TNDGE) has announced the Tamil Nadu HSC +2 Examination Results or Tamil Nadu Class 12th examination results.

The Tamil Nadu Directorate of Government Examinations (TNDGE) has announced the Tamil Nadu HSC +2 Examination Results or Tamil Nadu Class 12th examination results. The DGE has released The TNDGE HSC +2 result in 2018 on the official website tnresults.nic.in. The TNDGE Class 12 examination results will also be available on dge1.tn.nic.in.

The TN Class 12th examinations were conducted from 1 March to 6 April. And the evaluation process for the Class 10 board exams had begun on 12 April.

Steps to check the results

- Go to the official website tnresults.nic.in

- Click on the link TNDGE Class 12th Results 2018 or TNDGE HSC +2 Examination Results

- Enter registration number.

- Download and print the result for future reference.

According to NDTV, the TNDGE will not be releasing the toppers' list this year in order to reduce the stress that students usually go through. "CBSE is already following this, and why because other students who get even one mark less (than the rank holders) face severe stress. The practice of announcing the first three rank holders at the state and district level is being done away with," School Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan was quoted as saying.

In 2017, the Tamil Nadu Class 12th results were declared on 12 May. In 2017, the overall pass percentage recorded a marginal increase to 92.1 percent, as compared to 91.4 percent in 2016.
Eighteen persons were killed and more than 50 feared trapped as an under-construction flyover collapsed on Tuesday in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official said.

Varanasi: Eighteen persons were killed as an under-construction flyover collapsed on Tuesday in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official said. The incident took place in front of the Varanasi Cantt Railway Station.

"Many cars are buried under the heap of rubble and over two dozen persons have been injured in the incident. The death toll may go up," a police official told IANS.

Three persons were pulled out alive of the crashed structure. Two persons admitted at a medical facility were said to be in a critical condition, an official spokesman told IANS.

Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh said that additional police teams had been sent to Varanasi from neighbouring places to expedite the rescue operation.

According to Varanasi District Magistrate Rameshwar Mishra, the rescue operations were on in full swing.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has also been dispatched to help the authorities in clearing the debris and pulling out the injured from the debris.

Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said that seven NDRF teams comprising 325 rescuers have been deployed at the spot to carry out rescue operations.

"Sixteen bodies have been recovered so far. Three persons have been pulled out alive from under the debris," he told IANS earlier, adding that three-four people could still be trapped.

The flyover was being constructed by the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation between Chauka Ghat bus stand and Lahartara.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident. The committee has been asked to submit its findings within 48 hours, said a statement from the Chief Minister's Office.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya left for the site of the accident soon after the mishap occurred.

Mourning the loss of lives, Yogi Adityanath said: "My condolence to the affected families. I have sent Dy CM & minister Neelkanth Tiwari to the spot. Formed committee to look into the incident, report to come in 48 hours." The chief minister also said, "5 teams of NDRF (250 jawans) with full equipment rushed to the spot of the accident in Varanasi. Compensation of Rs 5 lakh for kin of those dead and Rs 2 lakh for seriously injured in the incident."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his tweet mourned the deaths, saying: "Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi. I pray that the injured recover soon. Spoke to officials and asked them to ensure all possible support to those affected."

"I spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Ji regarding the situation due to the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi. The Uttar Pradesh Government is monitoring the situation very closely and is working on the ground to assist the affected," he said.

A compensation of Rs 5 lakh each has been announced for the families of the dead and Rs 2 lakh for critically injured.
Several officials of the UP Bridge Corporation and UP government have been booked for the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi on Tuesday,

Several officials of the UP Bridge Corporation have been booked and four suspended for the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi on Tuesday, that killed 15 people and injured 11. This comes amid allegations of bodies being handed over to relatives after charging Rs 300 at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) hospital mortuary.

According to NDTV, a First Investigation Report (FIR) filed on Wednesday does not name anyone but lists officials in supervisory positions and contractors to whom jobs were outsourced. The cases have been filed under sections of negligence and culpable homicide not amounting to murder, the report said.

An investigation ordered by the Yogi Adityanath government into the flyover collapse is underway. Sources in the state government told NDTV that initial probe findings point at huge negligence.

DNA reported that Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who is also the PWD minister, suspended the chief project manager of the bridge HC Tiwari, project manager KR Sudan, assistant engineer Rajendra Singh and junior engineer Lal Chand. All the four suspended officers were looking after the construction of the flyover

Eighteen persons were killed on Tuesday when the under-construction flyover collapsed. The incident took place in front of the Varanasi Cantt Railway Station.

"Many cars are buried under the heap of rubble and over two dozen persons were injured in the incident. The death toll may go up," a police official had told IANS.

The flyover was being constructed by the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation between Chauka Ghat bus stand and Lahartara.

Adityanath had formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident. The committee has been asked to submit its findings within 48 hours of the incident, said a statement from the chief minister's office.

Mourning the loss of lives, Adityanath said: "My condolence to the affected families. I have sent Dy CM & minister Neelkanth Tiwari to the spot. Formed committee to look into the incident, report to come in 48 hours." The chief minister also said, "five teams of NDRF (250 jawans) with full equipment rushed to the spot of the accident in Varanasi. Compensation of Rs five lakh for kin of those dead and Rs two lakh for seriously injured in the incident."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his tweet mourned the deaths, saying: "Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of an under-construction flyover in Varanasi. I pray that the injured recover soon. Spoke to officials and asked them to ensure all possible support to those affected."

With inputs from IANS
Dr Rahi Masoom Raza's Scene 75 is peppered with dark humour and vividly portrays the unsavoury side of the Hindi film industry

What is common between the TV-epic Mahabharat, the classic comedy Gol Maal (the Hrishikesh Mukherjee original), Mili, Lamhe, and a whole lot of strange-sounding films from the 1980s, such as Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki? They all featured Dr Rahi Masoom Raza as the writer in some capacity.

Besides his work in films, Dr Raza was also one of the most celebrated Urdu writers of our times. Mirroring the lives of many serious writers from the 50s and the 60s, he too maintained a fine balance while juggling film projects and pursuing literary brilliance. In this context, Dr Razas Scene 75 is a wonderful book that is both a fine read and a treatise in how writers managed to perform such jugglery, as well as the price they often had to pay. For millennials, access to Raza sahabs seminal works has been limited. For those who cant read the Devnagri or Urdu script, Poonam Saxenas luminous translation of Scene 75 is a great place to discover the other Rahi Masoom Raza.

Often referred to as the scholar who strayed into Bollywood, Raza sahabs Scene 75 is peppered with dark humour and vividly portrays the unsavoury side of the Hindi or Bombay film industry. It narrates the story of Amjad Ali, who hails from Benares, and his struggles and frustrations when he tries to make it big as a scriptwriter in Bombay. Interestingly enough, like one of the films that Raza is best remembered for  Gol Maal  the book, too, is not about what ostensibly meets the eye.

Amjad is grappling with a scene  the eponymous Scene 75 in a film that is called Chaurahe Ka Dada  and although its a small, largely insignificant scene, the kinds that he would have otherwise belted out of the park in the blink of an eye, it debilitates his senses. He simply cant get around Scene 75. Razas narrative then dives into a space where myriads of little kaleidoscopic mirrors show the people who populate the film business and the rest of Amjads world, and deconstruct the writers universe. In writing Scene 75, Raza could very well be describing a scenario that he himself may have endured countless times. Could this be the reason why some of what he describes seems to be straight out of some film that he may have written the screenplay or dialogues for? The realism of the prose is organic, but one cant help wonder how much of the inspiration behind Scene 75 is really stirred from Raza sahabs own life; after all, not all the people in the Hindi industry in that era were debauched. Or were they?

Irrespective of how one eventually interprets Razas prose, Scene 75 is both enthralling and at the same a bit disconcerting too. Its a world that is ugly, and the harder it tries to hide that reality, the dirtier the image gets. Today, much of Scene 75 could also sound the words that were printed in film magazines of the 70s. Perhaps Raza sahab would have been more than aware of the manner in which readers in the past consumed periodicals that bared it all when it came to the maya nagri. This facet is retained through the course of the book, but the other facet  the idea of identity, the one that is real and the ones that Amjad the writer is forced to assume while writing or dealing with the world  loses its lustre at places.

Although the English translation never denatures the original text, there is a sense of historians fallacy that props up at certain places. Could it the nature of our living today  in a hyper-connected world, the relentless flurry of information gives a different contour to what we perceive as reality with each passing moment  that makes us see the past (or in other words, the essence of Raza sahabs writing) differently? This notwithstanding, Scene 75 is a treat to read as Saxenas translation is never burdened by what many translators call the 'trail of the foreign'. In fact, this writer was reminded of a passage from VS Naipauls Among the Believers where, while traveling in Tehran, Naipaul notes that he would have been like a half-blind man without access to the language but thanks to Behzad, his translator, the walls spoke and many other things took on meaning".
Poonkuzhali Balasubramanian is a clinical pharmacologist who studies why people react differently to the same drug

Editor's note: Starting National Science Day 2018, The Life of Science and Firstpost bring you a series profiling Indian women in Science. The challenges in Indian scientific life are many  more so for women taking up this path. This series honours those who beat the odds and serve as inspirations for the next generation of Indian science  a generation that is slowly and surely on its way to becoming gender equal.

***

By Sindhu S

Poonkuzhali Balasubramanian | Clinical pharmacologist | Christian Medical College, Vellore

My morning train to Vellore from Bangalore was a race against time. Caught in a heavy, untimely downpour, I ran like crazy towards platform number six. With exactly a minute left on the giant railway clock, I had made it! Despite being drenched to the bone, it was only my first win of the day. I was on my way to interview Poonkuzhali Balasubramanian, a clinical pharmacologist whose contributions towards treating blood-related diseases is saving many lives.

At Christian Medical College (CMC), I saw crowds of patients and their families, housekeeping staff and medical professionals. It was disheartening to see so many people presumably ill, but at the same time hope filled me at the realisation that a large number of people were receiving health care at this institute, which has been at the apex of medical research in India for many years.

Drugs, dosage and genetics 101

Diseases can be treated in a multitude of ways, such as surgery, radiation and physiotherapy, but treatment with pharmaceutical drugs is almost always the first line. This is called Pharmacotherapy. Whenever I pop a painkiller, I wonder how this small bitter tablet knows which part of my body is aching and how to stop it. As a computer science student, I sometimes imagine my body to be huge data center with hundreds of crisscrossing nerves for cable lines. How does a tablet know which nerve signal to block the pain in my tooth? Can we be sure it wont block my other bodily abilities, such as the sense of touch or smell?

Thankfully, there are specialised fields and a range of experts under the umbrella of pharmacology who can answer these questions. Poonkuzhali is one of them, and she took me through the different terminologies that exist. The branch of pharmacology that determines the effect of a drug on an organism is Pharmacodynamics. Conversely, the study of the fate of drugs themselves making their way through a living organism is Pharmacokinetics. And then there is Pharmacogenetics, since each of us is genetically unique. The drugs that work on one patient may not be effective for the next.

"This is the case with almost all the medication we take. In fact, not just medication but any chemical we interact with in our daily lives  cosmetics, household items, industrial products  nothing is guaranteed safe. Sure, they are all probably approved by authorities after passing extensive tests, but none of these tests were performed on you, or even anyone like you. Most likely they were performed on animals and perhaps, following that, a small group of humans who shared neither your age group, nor your ethnicity, nor your family history, nor your gender, nor a thousand other things that make you different from everyone else. No wonder then, that we all react differently to many drugs, said Prajakta Dandekar, a pharmaceutical biotechnologist at Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, in an interview to The Life of Science.

A PhD is just the beginning

Poonkuzhali joined CMCs haematology department in 1994 as a junior research fellow (JRF). During her time here, she has set up high-tech labs like the one I was guided through. Among the labs she got started in was the molecular diagnosis of hematological diseases where she worked on setting up services for leukemias including acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Her clinical colleagues wanted to test arsenic therapy for APL using these services. She said, Arsenic is actually a poison, which in low doses, helps in curing a particular form of leukemia. My interest in leukemia started when I helped establish molecular testing (for the same).

For her doctoral research, she studied the drugs Busulfan and Cyclophosphamide used in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation  the only successful cure for blood diseases like Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), Thalassemia. By the end of her PhD in 1999, she was an expert in the methods to measure Busulfan levels. She says, "The bottom line in cancer treatment and research is that whatever we do on the bench (in the lab) should reach the bedside."

Busulfan and Cyclophosphamide are important drugs used in the conditioning stage prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), when the patients body is readied to accept donor stem cells. A few years ago, little was known about the dose required for an ideal response at this stage, as well as the genes responsible for therapy variation in individuals. Even if people receive the same drugs, they react differently," Poonkuzhali explains. It was at this point that she began her journey into research.

For her postdoctoral work, Poonkuzhali delved deeper into pharmacogenetics by investigating why some patients react better than others to these drugs. She found that a specific protein family in these patients with Beta Thalassemia Major was affecting the success of stem cells transplantations. More recently, she found that when an enzyme called CytochromeP450 expressed itself along with a specific gene, it led to an increased chance of liver injury upon exposure to the Busulfan drug.

HSCT offered today at CMC to patients suffering from CML incorporates the advances that have been made as a result of her scientific work. At CMC hospital, the idea is to work hand-in-hand with scientists," she says. Furthermore, Poonkuzhalis discoveries have led to the development of a better pharmacokinetic model for Busulfan and Cyclophosphamide usage, for clinicians everywhere.

Where is the money?

Upon returning from her postdoctoral stint in the US, Poonkuzhali was slightly confused. She recalls, I was wondering why I came back. During the first year after I returned, there were all these questions about why I was here when I had the opportunity to stay back." Something unknown had brought her back, and there was work to do. But first, she needed resources.

Deeper investigations required physical space for a lab, specialised hardware, technicians to operate the machines and staff to maintain the operations. More often than not, funds for such projects come from grants from premier government bodies, such as Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and University Grants Commission (UGC). Applying for grants is a real test of ones patience and commitment to research. "Writing for funding grants is a journey in itself," Poonkuzhali says.

When ones work is highly technical, it takes a certain amount of cognitive effort to condense years of research into high-level summaries. Five minutes is the time given to present five years of research! she says, as she explains how she had to go through several rounds of convincing grant officials about how important her work is, in the field of haematology.

Currently, thanks to grants from the Wellcome Trust and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) India, Poonkuzhali is able to investigate the effectiveness of the above mentioned drugs based on clinical data from the labs at CMC. As proud as she is that she can carry on her research for the next five years with financial support, she wonders about the state of biosciences funding in India. It is hard to run a lab with paid staff without the timely release of funding," she says. At the time of this interview, she was still waiting on funds for a project that was approved by the ICMR three years ago.

Pharmacologists, biotechnologists, and doctors  tributaries of the same river

The CMC's haematology department comprises both clinical pharmacologists like Poonkuzhali who have a biochemistry background, as well as clinicians like her former guide Mammen Chandy and Alok Srivastava, who entered into haematology after their formal medical degrees. Working with clinicians is crucial, because without clinical data from real cases of treatment and relapse in blood-related diseases, scientists don't have reliable data.

Research and application are two sides of the same coin, and more so within the premises of a hospital. This setup, unique to CMC, closes the feedback loop with hospital data fueling research. Because this data is so readily accessible, researchers like Poonkuzhali dont have to worry about procuring data from elsewhere.

Doctors treating patients with Beta Thalassemia Major now have an idea of the most effective dosage range of these drugs, without causing detrimental side effects, such as liver damage. They can also get a better estimate of the quantity of these drugs which lead to failure of the HSCT treatment. Detailed studies such as those being conducted by Poonkuzhali add to better drug dosage management. Every improved prescription for blood disease patients is a win for researchers like her.

I asked her naively, Are you the person who decides which tests a patient must take? She smiled and said, Clinicians decide the test, we just make it available to them.

On mentoring and the question of gender

Poonkuzhali seemed amused when I asked her about gender representation in her field. In fact, of the six PhD students, only two are boys, and at one point, I only had girls! she says. What disappoints her is that many of her postgraduate researchers drop out due to family obligations. She recalled the sad story of one of her students dropping out right before submitting her doctoral thesis.

Apart from mentoring doctoral students, Poonkuzhali coordinates the teaching programme offered by her department. She also shoulders administrative duties such as reviewing the staff performance for recommending them for promotions or training.

As a researcher, one has to navigate through vast amounts of data and literature  a skill she acquired because of her love for reading. She has always been a voracious reader. I always wanted to know the why of things around me, right from the start," she says, beaming.

Read more from the Women in Science series here.

THELIFEOFSCIENCE.COM is a feminist science media project on a mission to make Indian women scientists more visible and investigate the gender gap in Indian academia
The recent elections in Karnataka have thrown up a situation that has become common now in Indian Politics. One party is the single largest party, but a coalition of the opposition parties end up having enough seats to form a Government

The recent elections in Karnataka have thrown up a situation that has become common in Indian politics. One party is the single largest, but a coalition of Opposition parties end up having enough seats to form a government. When it comes to state elections, the decision finally boils down to the governor who is the constitutional head of State.

The decision for the governor is a complicated one. How does the governor make a choice? Well, the Constitution doesn't explicitly speak of coalitions nor does it speak of a single largest party. The Constitution requires that the chief minister selected by the governor be one that is able to prove a majority in the House.

Under Article 164 of the Constitution, when the chief minister is called to form a government, they need not be a member of the legislature. They get six months to get elected to a legislature.

While reading Article 164 and discussing the discretion of the governor, it may be wise to consider the Lascelles Principles (British principles on which the Queen can refuse dissolve British Parliament). These principles are conventions which have, by the course of history, passed to other Westminster systems of government such as India.

In the Indian states, the governor essentially has the same role as the Queen. A key element of the Lascelles Principles are that the Queen may refuse to dissolve parliament if she is of the opinion it is possible for a party or a person to maintain a working majority in the House.

The decision as to who to call as chief minister lies with the governor, but the governor is required to exercise this discretion in order to invite the person who he is satisfied is most likely to form a government that can win a vote of confidence in the House. Which is why the governor invites the single largest party  as Vajubhai Vala did in the case of BJP in Karnataka  and in case of a coalition the leader of the coalition.

In Karnataka, the BJP lost the majority by a razor-thin margin. Even though the Congress and JD(S) combine won the popular vote (more than 50 percent) the BJP ended up with most seats. The governor may have viewed coalition as an unstable one and thus asked the BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa to form the government. This may not have been the case in other states where the BJP formed a government even though it was not the single largest party.

That the single largest party must be called to form the government is not a hard and fast rule. The Constitution allows for flexibility, purely with the reason that the purpose of elections in India is not to return legislators but in essence to return a government. One that has enough votes to pass a budget or as they say maintain supply.

If the governor is satisfied the BJP can hold the confidence of the House, that settles the question right there. The only way out for the Opposition coalition is to hold a vote of confidence. Even if the BJP loses the vote of confidence, if the governor is still not satisfied that the coalition can form a stable government, the governor may dissolve the House and call for fresh elections. In cases like these, the governor is truly the kingmaker.
Karnataka Assembly election results have been of little relief to the Congress. It has neither provided it the opportunity to create a new narrative nor given a victory to its president, Rahul Gandhi, that he could cite it as a shining example of his leadership qualities.

It has to be seen whether the Congress and the Janata Dal(S) will manage to ultimately deny the Bharatiya Janata Party yet another chance to rule Karnataka. Beyond this fact, the Karnataka Assembly election results have been of little relief to the Congress. It has neither provided it the opportunity to create a new narrative nor given a victory to its president, Rahul Gandhi, that he could cite it as a shining example of his leadership qualities.

Battled hard Rahul certainly did, hotfooting around the state for over two months, unmindful that a poor performance in the last big Congress redoubt could boomerang on him. Either he badly misread Karnataka or believed his spearheading the campaign could galvanise Congress workers. It testifies he has a stout heart. But this cannot erase a glaring fact  the Congress under Rahul's command has yet to win a big state, obviously, not counting Punjab, which sends just 13 MPs to the Lok Sabha.

Karnataka has also shown that Rahul is no match to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is credited to have turned around the BJPs fortune through the 21 rallies he addressed in the last 10 days before the state went to polls. Modi has no reason to fear Rahul, as the latter claimed in Karnataka. A leader on a losing spree can hardly stake claim to being the alternative to Modi in 2019. Karnataka has eroded Rahul's prestige in the Congress and outside it.

Rahul will now have to wait until December to burnish his record. In that month, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan will have their Assembly elections. The BJP faces anti-incumbency in the three states. Their conquest, on paper, should be easy for the Congress. Yet Karnataka must have shattered the self-belief of Congress workers and dispirited them. If the Congress fails to win two of the three states in December, Rahul will find hard to invent a narrative that can win his party a substantial number of seats in 2019.

Rahul will have to do a reality-check  his party may have features of a national party, but its capacity to win elections has been diminished. The Congress needs to redefine a target that is reasonable to achieve. To do so, Rahul will need to keep three things in mind  it will have to improve its tally at the BJPs expense in those states where the two national parties are in direct competition; it has to hope that regional parties beat back the BJP in states where the Congress is mostly a has been; its toughest task is to think of a strategy it should pursue in states where its principal challenger is a regional outfit, which may, to survive, turn to the BJP for help.

This means the Congress will have to concentrate its energy on lowering the BJPs tally in states where there is bipolarity. In 2014, the BJP won all of 25 seats in Rajasthan, all of 26 seats in Gujarat, 27 out of 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 10 out of 11 seats in Chhattisgarh, all four in Himachal Pradesh, and all five in Uttarakhand. In all these states, the BJP can slide, not improve any further. This strategy he should also pursue wherever his party is a senior partner in an alliance  for instance, Kerala (20 seats) and Maharashtra (48).

In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and its allies won 73 seats. Rahul will have to accept that the Congress has been reduced to irrelevance in the state. He must not succumb to the pressure from Congress workers and field candidates in each of the states 80 seats. This is because there is an emerging alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, which will be powerful enough to substantially reduce the BJPs tally of 2014. If the Congress is accepted in the alliance, it should take whatever it gets without making much fuss.

This behaviour is also required of the Congress in Bihar, where the BJP and its allies won 31 seats in 2014. It may prick Rahul's pride that he has to accept the terms set by Lalu Prasad Yadav, of whom he was not particularly enamoured till 2014. Indeed, Rahul must also think of inviting Jaganmohan Reddy to merge his YSR Congress Party with the Congress. On the death of Andhra Pradesh chief minister, YSR Reddy, his son Jaganmohan believed he had the right to succeed him. Dynastic succession is considered normal in the Congress. However, the party high command (read the Gandhis) asserted its right to choose the chief minister.

Jaganmohan's exit from the Congress cost it dearly in Andhra Pradesh. In 2004, Andhra Pradesh had sent 32 MPs to the Lok Sabha; in 2009, it sent 33, a significant factor why the Congress was able to lead a coalition government at the Centre for two terms in succession. It was reduced to just two in 2014 in undivided Andhra Pradesh. It makes electoral sense for Rahul to set aside his prestige to serenade Jaganmohan. If the BJP can take back BS Yeddyurappa, what prevents the Congress from wooing Jaganmohan? Is it because of the hubris born out dynasticism?

Hubris is what will Rahul will have to overcome in tricky states such as Odisha (21 seats), West Bengal (42) and Delhi (7). In all these three states, regional parties are in power and the Congress occupies the third slot. Does it make sense for Rahul to target Mamata Banerjee, Naveen Patnaik and Arvind Kejriwal in the hope of marginally increasing the tally of the Congress, in the process letting the BJP to gain seats?

These tactics imply that Rahul will have to accept that his party does not have a national footprint any longer, and that its support base is perhaps less durable than that of regional outfits. Another five-year term for Modi and the BJP and it might even become tougher for Rahul to resuscitate the Congress. That is why Rahul's principal goal should not be to win the 2019 elections, but to ensure that the BJP is pushed as far away from the majority-mark of 272 as possible.

Karnataka has also vividly demonstrated that visiting temples and mutts, and snide remarks against Modi do not necessarily get much purchase. It is understandable for Rahul to harp on his Hindu identity for countering the BJPs charge that the Congress is a pro-Muslim party. But he has yet to engage with the Hindus as to why sections of them are paranoid about their identity being threatened, or why they feel Muslims are appeased even though they lag behind most social groups. Perhaps Rahul presumes that his Hindu audience will misunderstand him.

Rahul's own version of Hinduism is largely Brahminical. For instance, how many temples belonging to lower castes has Rahul visited over the last one year? The battle within Hinduism is a battle for cultural and political supremacy between the upper castes and lower castes. From this perspective, Rahul has not provided a Hindu agenda remarkably different from the BJPs.

Rahul will have to search deep inside him to figure out where he believes in and what his partys position should be. He is reactive; he has to have his own persona; his own style. He has taken to imitating Modis belligerence. Rahul's aggression appears artificial and unconvincing. He should remember that the tortoise won the race against the hare because it ran like tortoise, not hare.
If the Congress-JD(S) alliance manages to form a government in Karnataka, the two will start bickering within months and may not see eye-to-eye, which will benefit the BJP ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls

With the Karnataka Assembly election results giving no political party an absolute majority, the focus is now on post-poll alliances and the ability of the three parties to prove their numbers.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the single largest party in the Assembly with 104 seats, but that's eight short of the magic figure of 112 needed to claim absolute majority in a 224-member House. On the other hand, Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) claimed 78 and 38 seats respectively, meaning that while neither is able to stake claim to government by themselves, they could cobble up a majority by adding their tallies.

Constitutionally, the governor is duty-bound to first invite the single largest party (SLP) in the Assembly, which happens to be the BJP. The BJP would like to abide by the law in Karnataka because the law benefits it this time. Unlike in Goa and Manipur, where it went on to form government although it was the Congress that finished as the SLP, the saffron party will ask Governor Vajubhai Vala to adhere to constitutional proprieties and the law.

And though so-called legal minds may say otherwise, the law is clear on this: The governor has to call the SLP first. BJP wants that, so Vala, unlike his counterparts in the other states, will not have to go against any legal grain.

If that happens, the first hurdle for Yeddyurappa is election of the Speaker. What if the BJP's candidate is defeated by the joint Opposition candidate? The Opposition will use that to claim that the BJP govt is as good as defeated on the floor of the House. Once this is over, it is up to Yeddyurappa to prove his majority on the floor of the House. And that he can do only by "persuading" JD(S) or Congress MLAs to either abstain or resign.

This will be where the ability of the two parties to protect their flock is tested. And thus, the strength of the House could be lowered to allow BJP to have a majority vote even with 104 MLAs.

This may necessitate 15-20 by-elections, but that will be a separate issue. The Congress-JD(S) combine would be defying logic and political maturity if they move court to insist that a post-poll alliance be given precedence over the SLP.

As for the BJP, unless it can manage to win most of the by-elections that take place, it will be a minority government and will never be able to get anything passed in the House, not even the Finance Bill.

Then comes the issue of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Being in the Opposition gives the antithetical Congress and JD(S) enough reason to fight the polls with an alliance, and that will harm the BJP's Lok Sabha prospects.

Meanwhile, if the Congress-JD(S) alliance manages to form a government, the two parties will start bickering within months and may not see eye-to-eye, which will benefit the BJP. So, the ball is entirely in BJP's court. Does it go for a pyrrhic victory by making Yeddyurappa chief minister now, or does it try to play the long game by targeting more Lok Sabha seats in 2019?

And secondly, there is a second school of thought: That Yeddyurappa is just a sacrificial lamb put forth by the BJP. The party's leadership hasn't much use for him any longer. He did his best, and it still fell short. He is also fuming silently about his son being denied a ticket. He is unhappy at being bandied about like a junior by Amit Shah. He can't deliver any more in 2019. He is getting old as well. So how to best get sideline him? The best way would be by making him chief minister.

Then comes the role of the two Independent candidates. If they join BJP, the party would need six more MLAs. Or, in order to necessitate a trust vote, they would need the strength of the House to be down to 211. Which means 11 MLAs from Congress and JD(S) have to abstain. Following which they have to quit. But they can't quit unless they take oath. And to take oath, an Assembly has to be convened. The pro-term Speaker will administer them oath.

So the Speaker's election has to happen before the trust vote. With 116 MLAs even if the remaining two join BJP, Congress and JD(S) can elect their own Speaker. The moment that happens, BJP will lose even the trust vote. To issue a whip, MLAs have to be sworn in first. It sounds complicated, though the governor may swear Yeddyurappa as chief minister first.

Follow all the Karnataka Assembly results LIVE updates here
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Ram Madhav launched a scathing attack on the Congress on Wednesday in a Facebook post titled 'Karma comes to haunt Congress in Karnataka after 22 years', as the focus shifts to Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala over whom he will invite to form the next government.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Ram Madhav launched a scathing attack on the Congress on Wednesday in a Facebook post titled 'Karma comes to haunt Congress in Karnataka after 22 years', as the focus shifts to Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala over whom he will invite to form the next government.

Madhav quoted a WhatsApp message he received, saying,"Those quoting verses of morality, constitutional ethics and conventions were perpetrators of murdering democracy and numerous elected governments, right from Nehru."

The BJP general secretary begins the post with a mention of the period in 1996 when the Gujarat state BJP government had just fallen "thanks to Congress' governor Krishnapal Singh". He alleges that rebel leader Shankersinh Vaghela, along with his deputy Dilip Parikh were the masterminds who had orchestrated the fall of the government. He further claims that the duo had received open support from the Congress to split the BJP and bring down the state government in Gujarat.

The Facebook post goes on to add that Vaghela and Parikh, along with the Congress "resorted to violence inside the state Assembly where a no-confidence motion was to be voted and which in all probability was certain to be defeated". He noted that the motion was tabled and the "government proved its numbers".

The "Congress governor", however, decided that the law and order machinery in the state had collapsed and said there was a constitutional crisis based on the "pandemonium by Congress and Vaghela faction," the note continues.

"Vaghela later became chief minister for just a year and was succeeded by Parikh who remained chief minister for 2.5 months. Congress pulled out support from both. Fresh elections were held. Vaghela's strength reduced from 47 to 4, Congress was kicked out and Keshubhai was voted back as chief minister," he noted, referring to former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel.

At the end, Madhav said that the incident was relevant today, after 22 years, in Karnataka "because those quoting verses of morality, constitutional ethics and conventions were perpetrators of murdering democracy and numerous elected governments, right from Nehru".

Both Yeddyurappa and Kumaraswamy (Congress-JDS combine) met the governor on Tuesday evening, claiming their stakes to form the new government in Karnataka.

All eyes are now on governor Vajubhai Vala who will have to decide whether to call BJP, the single largest winner of seats, to form the government or go with the Congress-JD(S) combine, which together have a clear majority in the 224-member Assembly.

You can read the full text of Madhav's Facebook post here:
Recent developments in Karnataka lay credence to a growing trend of party leaders carting their MLAs off to 'guarded' resorts in the face of a floor test.

Just as JD(S) state chief HD Kumaraswamy, outgoing Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah and possible deputy chief minister G Parameshwar met late on Tuesday night, after the Karnataka election results threw up a hung House, conflicting reports of poaching of MLAs and horse-trading started doing the rounds.

With the Congress-JD(S) combine rounding up their numbers to 116 out of the 222 (a clear majority), they were faced with the grisly task of protecting their MLAs from 'poaching'. Reports late on Tuesday suggested that they may be moved to the Eagleton resort in Bengaluru to prevent them from defecting, thus laying credence to a growing trend of party leaders carting their MLAs off to 'guarded' vacation homes in the face of a floor test.

"Yes, definitely there is a plan. We have to safeguard our MLAs. We will let you know what the plan is," Congress' DK Shivakumar told ANI, on being asked if Congress MLAs in Karnataka will be shifted somewhere.

102 rooms booked at Eagleton resort outside Bangalore (of Ahmed Patel Rajya Sabah election fame). Call to be taken whether Congress MLAs will be herded there after meetings, reports @nagarjund. #KarnatakaVerdict pic.twitter.com/lcR10aUTVH  Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) May 16, 2018

Resort politics not new to Indian polity

Pioneered in Karnataka by the Ramakrishna Hegde-led Janata Party government in Karnataka and followed swiftly in Andhra Pradesh by showman-politician NT Ramarao in the 1980s, "resort-politics" is the most open and vulgar evidence of horse trading in Indian politics.

And this trend is 'shamelessly' repeated time and again, as this Firstpost report points out: "When MLAs, who count as votes in the Assembly in a crunch situation, are kept in de facto house-arrest so that they are not lured by the Opposition, by cash or kind, is a virtual admission of horse-trading, or buying off, of legislators. But the parties involved, and their central leadership, are absolutely shameless. They do it again and again."

And, unless proved otherwise, for every episode of resort-politics, the MLAs concerned get substantial benefits.

This trend of moving MLAs to keep them from being poached by others has never been more pronounced than it is at the moment. The latest instance comes hot on the heels of AIADMK doing it twice last year.

This brand of politics, dubbed as "resort politics", has existed in India for quite some time. According to a MoneyControl report, "the first instance of such a move was way back in 1983 when Karnataka CM Ramakrishna Hegde decided to 'protect' his MLAs from 'Congress Vultures'.

Karnataka itself is seen as one of the favourite destinations for resort politics. Last year, the Congress had moved its Gujarat MLAs to a private resort in Bengaluru ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.

In 1984, when actor-turned-politician and then Andhra Pradesh chief minister NT Rama Rao had gone to the US for heart surgery, the governor appointed by the Congress-led Union government had made N Bhaskar Rao the chief minister.

After NTR returned, as per this report by The New Indian Express, the governor asked him to prove his majority. As a precaution, NTR brought all Telugu Desam Party MLAs, including Chandra Babu Naidu to Karnataka. "They stayed close to a month in Dasaprakash Paradise. Hegde wholeheartedly supported NTR," the report quoted senior Congress MLC VS Ugrappa as saying. During their stay, the MLAs stayed in several star hotels in Bengaluru, he added.

A look at other instances of resort politics in India:

- In 1995, NT Rama Rao was faced with the possibility of his MLAs defecting from the party following an internal rift  from his son-in-law N Chandrababu Naidu. Naidu had back then moved 'loyal' MLAs to the Viceroy Hotel in Hyderabad. This had helped him to fend off 'poachers' and to successfully displace Rama Rao.

- In June 2002, Vilasrao Deshmukh sent his MLAs to Mysore amidst a political crisis in Maharashtra. Around 71 Congress MLAs, Nationalist Congress Party MLAs and a few Independents scuttled to a resort in Mysore.

- In late 2011, when Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa had to quit for his alleged involvement in illegal land deals and mining, he took 60 legislators under his custody at a super swanky resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru to ensure that his nominee Sadananda Gowda became his successor. Then less than six months later, Yeddyurappa shepherded them again to a resort to ensure that Gowda was booted out and he reinstated.

- Then recently, in February 2017, VK Sasikala had held 'loyal' MLAs in a resort days after O Panneerselvam resigned as the chief minister. After he accused J Jayalalithaa's close aide Sasikala of forcing him to resign, the latter claimed stake to form the government. Fearing defection to the rebel Panneerselvam-led faction, Sasikala moved 'loyal' MLAs to the Golden Bay Resort near Chennai.

However, before she could take over as the chief minister, a Supreme Court verdict sent her packing to jail in relation to the disproportionate assets case. Sasikala then selected Edappadi Palaniswami to become the chief minister.

- In August 2017, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's close aide Ahmed Patel was seeking re-election to Rajya Sabha. However, after a number of Congress MLAs defected to BJP, the party shepherded 44 of its MLAs to the Eagleton resort in Bangalore. Ahmed Patel narrowly got re-elected after two Congress MLAs who flashed their ballot papers were disqualified by the Election Commission.

With inputs from agencies

Follow all the LIVE updates here
All eyes on the movement of regional leaders as clamour for a pre-poll third front grows, post the Karnataka verdict & ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

While high political drama continues after the Karnataka Assembly election result, all eyes are on regional party heads. This verdict and subsequent reactions play a crucial role in determining the political discourse leading up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

It is almost firmly established now that without a formidable pre-poll third-front, it will be very difficult to stop the Narendra Modi-led NDA government to come into power for a second term. And in the light of the growing clamour for such a 'federal front', the coming together of all regional party heads is imperative.

While West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been at the forefront of taking charge to propel talks with various non-NDA state leaders, in the present scenario of a hung Assembly in Karnataka, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has played the role of 'kingmaker'.

BSP sources told The Times of India, that Mayawati took the initiative to break the ice between UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Janata Dal (Secular) chief HD Deve Gowda, goading them to come together and stake claim to form the government before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

It is interesting to note here that the BSP had entered into a pre-poll alliance with JD (S) and contested 20 seats in Karnataka. Mayawati, in fact, addressed four rallies jointly with JD(S) leaders during the campaign. Though BSP vote share dipped from 1.16 percent in 2013 to 0.3 percent, it still managed to win one seat, its first in the state.

BSP insiders further told TOI, that Mayawati asked her close aide and party Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Siddharth, who is also Karnataka BSP in-charge, to meet Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad as soon as projections showed a hung Assembly with no party in a position to form a government on its own.

So, while Azad then spoke to Sonia about the prospective alliance, Mayawati called up Gowda and convinced him. Mayawati, sources added, subsequently spoke to Sonia and suggested that the Congress extend support to JD(S) to which she agreed.

Earlier too, Mayawati had bailed out Congress government in Uttarakhand in 2016 when its two MLAs voted for the Congress in the floor test following the disqualification of its nine MLAs who defected to the BJP camp.

Apart from the on-ground support from the BSP supremo, Congress received a similar advice from Trinamool Congress leader Mamata who, however, criticised it for not getting into a pre-poll alliance with the JD (S). "If Congress had gone into an alliance with the JD(S), the result would have been different. Very different"; she was quick to tweet as the trends started consolidating.

However, the most amusing reaction came from the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O Panneerselvam. The veteran AIADMK leader sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as soon as BJP looked like it would cross the halfway mark while counting was still on.

"I would like to share my joy on this momentous occasion and convey my heartiest congratulations on the resounding victory of BJP in Karnataka elections. Your diligent and conscientious efforts not only yielded the desired fruits in the 15th state but also added another feather in your cap of glory," Panneerselvam said in a letter to Modi, which he later posted in his official twitter handle.

He also wrote one to BJP chief Amit Shah stating "On this cheerful occasion, I wish to express my warm greetings and felicitations for the significant victory of BJP in Karnataka Assembly Elections, bellwethering a grand entry to South India".

An official statement of the chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami congratulating Modi was also released to the media, as per a report in The Times of India.

But, according to a report in the Deccan Chronicle, another prominent Tamil Nadu leader and president of the Opposition party, DMK, MK Stalin was also not behind in extending his wishes to BJP's chief ministerial candidate, BS Yeddyurappa. He had tweeted, ''On behalf of DMK, I extend my congratulations to Mr Yeddyurappa for winning the Karnataka Assembly election and is set to form the next government. I believe the BJP, which is going to take charge, will not violate Tamil Nadu's rights on Cauvery as per the Supreme Court order and strive for cordial ties with the neighbouring state".

This development comes at a time when the uneasiness in the DMK-Congress relationship is something that the BJP is keenly watching. As per a report in The Times of India, a senior BJP leader said that given the situation, the party would stand to gain indirectly if the Congress was forced to leave the DMK alliance.

There are no permanent friends or enemies in politics. If the pre-poll alliances dont work, we can work on post-poll tie-ups. The DMK may not be inimical to the BJP at the Centre if they win a majority of seats in the Lok Sabha elections", he remarked.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram called-out this move of Panneerselvam asking, if this was a part his attempt to unseat Palaniswami as chief minister and stake his claim to the post by warming up more to the BJP". Why did Panneerselvam term BJP's performance in Karnataka as a grand entry into South India? Is he supporting (Centre's) action of protracting implementation of the Cauvery verdict? Or else, is he trying to nudge the BJP to unseat EPS and make him the Chief Minister?" Chidambaram tweeted, as per the Deccan Herald.

Chidambaram has been a vociferous critic of the AIADMK government and its alleged links with the BJP after the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, the report further stated.

Regional leaders from the southern states of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh also reacted to the Karnataka verdict. While Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was one of the first political voices to openly point out the possibility of a post-poll alliance between the Congress and the JD (S) even as the counting was on, Andhra Pradesh finance minister Yanamala Ramakrish-nudu said that "more than 60 percent of people in Telangana have opposed the BJP in Karnataka even though it has won more seats even though the Telugu Desam Party did not campaign in the Karnataka elections", reported the Deccan Chronicle.

As per the report, the BJP is now blaming the TDP for its loss of Telugu votes and thus subsequent failure to reach the magic figure.

On the other hand, eyeing a national role, Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has also been making efforts to gather the support of different regional parties to form a non-BJP and non-Congress federal front ahead of the 2019 elections.

Speaking to CNN-News18, senior Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader Keshav Rao said, There is no alternative as of now. Rahul (Gandhi) cannot challenge Modi. In 2019, it will be Modi vs regional parties. To challenge the party in power, a coalition of regional parties is needed. Regional parties should unite under one agenda and go forward with a national outlook".

KCR had earlier visited Bengaluru to meet the JD(S) chief Gowda and extended his support to the party. He had also appealed to the people in Karnataka to vote for the JD(S). The JD(S) won more seats because of TRS party support. KCR had made an open appeal and that helped in party winning more seats, Rao said.

Though, despite such appeals, the BJP managed to more improve its tally in the Telugu-dominated Hyderabad-Karnataka region immensely. In Karnataka, TDP and Chandrababu have used all tactics to dissuade Telugu voters from supporting BJP. But in Hyderabad-Karnataka region where most Telugus live, BJP has increased its tally from six to 20 plus. People have rejected his politics. Our southward march has begun, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav tweeted.

However, according to News18, both TDP & TRS claim that they dont see BJP as a challenge in their respective states. Taking a dig at BJP's claim, Rao said, TRS should be credited for BJPs victory because their manifesto was copied from TRS manifesto. They copied the development schemes that are in Telangana and touch people directly. Modi is a strong campaigner and there was nobody in Karnataka that can match up to him. In Telangana TRS is strong, we have leadership and I dont see BJP as a challenge at all.

With inputs from agencies.
A number of political leaders who switched sides ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections had to taste defeat, proving that in politics - loyalty pays.

Bengaluru: When it comes to politics, loyalty pays. The results of the Karnataka Assembly elections certainly suggest so. A number of political leaders who switched sides ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections had to taste defeat, with businessman-turned-MLA Ashok Kheny and prominent Janata Dal (Secular) rebel N Chaluvarayaswamy among nearly a dozen netas who failed to bag the popular vote.

At least 50 political leaders crossed over to other parties in the run-up to the elections. Some prominent leaders left the BJP and Congress to join the JD(S) even as seven MLAs from the JD (S) defected to Congress.

Former MLA from Basavakalyana Assembly constituency, Mallikarjuna Khuba, who left JD (S) to fight on a BJP ticket lost to Congress candidate B Narayana Rao. His defection is being seen as the primary reason for his defeat.

Another prominent JD(S) rebel N Chaluvarayaswamy, who contested on a Congress ticket in Nagamangala constituency in Mandya district, was defeated by JD (S) candidate Suresh Gowda by a comfortable margin of 47,667 votes.

It was sweet revenge for JD (S) in Magadi seat in Ramanagaram district as well where former MLA HC Balakrishna lost to JD (S) candidate A Manjunath by 51,425 votes.

Grass greener on the other side? Not quite

Meanwhile, three out of seven rebel JD (S) MLAs, who had joined Congress, secured their seats in the elections. Among them R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy won from reserved constituency of Pulakeshinagar in Bengaluru district while Bheema Naik registered a stunning victory in the Hagaribommanahalli (SC) seat where he bagged 78,337 votes as opposed to 5,100 votes secured by S Krushna Naik from the JD (S) and 17,058 votes secured by independent candidate Paramesh Wara L.

BZ Zameer Ahmed was re-elected from Chamrajpet in Bengaluru banking on his minority vote base. Khan had famously said that he would cut off his head if a JD(S) candidate managed to win from Chamrajpet.

Changed fortunes

Among those for whom the wheel of fortune turned  for the worse  are Bidar South MLA and businessman Ashok Kheny who was pushed to the third position in this election. Kheny, considered arch-rival of former Prime Minister Deve Gowda, fought on a Congress ticket but lost to Bandeppa Kashappanavar of JD(S).

Kheny's popularity was likely dented as he is the managing director of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Limited (NICE), the implementing agency of the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, which is mired in allegations of irregularities. Kheny polled 35,131 votes in the recent elections against 47,763 votes in 2013.

Another prominent leader to bite the dust was six-time MLA Malikayya Guttedar who shifted to the BJP from Congress and lost the Afzalpur constituency in Kalaburagi district. Guttedar's rivalry with Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge led him to switch sides.

Guttedar had quit Congress after blaming Kharge for sidelining him during cabinet expansion to favour his son and minister Priyank Kharge, a first-time MLA from Chittapur. Guttedar lost to Congress candidate MY Patil by over 10,000 votes.

Among the 'serial party hoppers', sitting MLA and BJP candidate CP Yogeshwar was defeated from Channapatna seat by the former chief minister and JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy. Yogeshwar, a popular Vokkaliga leader, had contested on a Samajwadi Party ticket and won in 2013. He joined the Congress later and then moved to the BJP ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections.

But another 'serial hopper' rebel Congress MLA AS Patil Nadahalli fared better and won from Muddebihal in Bijapur district. He joined JD (S) a few months before the announcement of Assembly elections and pledged loyalty to the BJP a few days before the state went to polls. He had cited JD (S) leadership's refusal to give a ticket to his wife to contest in the Assembly elections as the reason for his defection.

Anand Singh, a former BJP legislator and one of the richest politicians in India who had refused to toe the party line and supported the state governments decision to celebrate Tipu Jayanti and later joined Congress, won from Vijayanagara by polling 83,214 votes against BJP nominee HR Gaviyappa who received 74,986 votes. Gaviyappa, a former Congress MLA, had joined the BJP in protest against induction of Singh into the party fold.

Meanwhile, B Nagendra, an Independent MLA from Kudligi (ST), contested on Congress ticket from Bellary and clinched a victory.

Among those who lost are Varthur Prakash, who formed the Namma Congress after being denied entry into Congress. He was defeated in Kolar seat by JD(S) candidate K Srinivas Gowda. P Ramesh, who moved to JD(S) from Congress after he was denied a ticket from CV Raman Nagar constituency, was also defeated. Ramesh received 20,478 votes against 46,660 votes clinched by Congress candidate R Sampath Raj and 58,887 votes polled by BJP candidate S Raghu.

Actor-cum-politician and former MP Shashi Kumar who recently rejoined JD(S) suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of BJP candidate in Hosadurga constituency. He received only 1,575 votes against 64,570 votes polled by BG Govindappa of Congress and 90,562 votes bagged by Gulihatti D Shekhar of the BJP.

The author is a Bengaluru-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.
Despite the defeat, Congress has to keep the cadre motivated ahead of elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Like the BJP, which is always in election mode, Rahul too needs to ensure that Congress workers don't get too relaxed

The Congress headquarters at 24 Akbar Road in Delhi wore a dejected look on Tuesday due to the sparse gathering of party workers, as results from Karnataka trickled in.

The workers had expected the party to do much better with Congress president Rahul Gandhi leading a spirited campaign. But 38 rallies, numerous temple visits and an impressive social media campaign did not prove good enough in the end.

Losing power in Karnataka is not just another loss for the Congress party. Even if it gets to be a part of the government  there is every possibility of a Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress alliance  it would be hard for it to digest the fact that it was ousted from power in the biggest state it had in its kitty. And the defeat is made worse by the fact that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has trounced it in the numbers game.

The importance of Karnataka for Congress, that is now in power only in a handful of states, cannot be underscored. Moreover, Karnataka is a huge state, not just in terms of size but is also very vital for the Indian economy.

When asked about Rahul, the workers wore a confused look. There was visible sadness on their faces. The voices of some choked while speaking. Most of them gave evasive replies. They couldn't fathom what went wrong after such a well-planned campaign by the party and its president.

"We were 100 percent sure that Congress would win Karnataka with a thumping majority. Our president Rahulji led the party from the front. We are still unable to understand what went wrong. One defeat after another is lowering the morale of Congress workers. I don't know how we're going to pull it off in the forthcoming Assembly polls and the 2019 election," a Congress worker, with a lump in his throat, told Firstpost.

Even on Monday, Congress leaders in New Delhi were confident that the party would bag 127 seats. However, the party ended up second with 78 seats, while the BJP got 104 seats. JD(S) came third with 38.

So where does the problem lie? Was it Rahul's leadership, or were there other factors at work?

Anti-incumbency

Anti-incumbency against the Siddaramaiah government emerged as one of the major factors. The Karnataka Congress likely failed to gauge the undercurrent of anti-incumbency. "It's definitely disappointing, because the result is way off the Congress' expectations. No doubt the party and its workers worked very hard. However, they failed to gauge the anti-incumbency factor. There was definitely a very strong anti-incumbency undercurrent," Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergil told Firstpost.

A direct fight with Modi

Rahul Gandhi tried to make it a direct fight with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But like in Gujarat in the past, it again didn't result in a victory. The result of a direct fight with the prime minister in an Assembly election meant the campaign got side-tracked. Even a delayed entry in Karnataka by Modi was enough to provide a boost to the BJP's election campaigning, while his strong presence eventually turned the election in the party's favour.

Grassroots connectivity

A leader is nothing without a robust grassroots organisation. The Congress president ought to revive the Seva Dal and other frontal organisations of the party to take on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). It's the grassroots network that ensures the BJP under Modi can win election after election. Unlike the Congress of today, the BJP has a strong and committed cadre at the grassroots  who act as the party's foot soldiers and ensure victory. The RSS and its affiliated bodies work silently at the ground level for years, not just before an election.

"RSS and its other affiliated bodies work at the grassroots like committed citizens of this country. We don't ask voters to vote for any particular party, but ask them to exercise their democratic right," a senior RSS functionary told Firstpost.

Lingayat issue backfired

The Congress hoped that providing the Lingayat community with status of a separate religion would help it win the Assembly elections. But it didn't. In fact, it angered a large number of Hindus in Karnataka who didn't take the decision in good stead.

"This is nothing but divisive politics by the Congress party. There's no bigger crime than politicising religion to create fissures in our social fabric. This move will open a Pandora's Box. It's the Congress party that has for the first time indulged in such a crime by attempting to create a new religion to win election by dividing the voters," senior RSS functionary and convener of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, Indresh Kumar, had told Firstpost in an interview in April.

Positive messaging

Rahul's messaging has to be more positive. Criticising Modi is not enough. He has to inspire a generation of voters on how Congress under his new leadership could bring about a positive change through the policies of the party. A continued effort is required, even when there are no elections taking place.

Visiting temples won't help

Since the Gujarat Assembly election late last year, the Congress adopted a soft Hinduvtva line. After Gujarat, Rahul visited temples during his election campaigning in Karnataka. It attracted criticism from various quarters. "Even in the past, Rahul had visited temples, like during Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. It's nothing new," the party said.

But the party's agenda to use the temple visits as a tool before the elections was viewed by many as a propaganda tool rather than a ritual.

Farmers' distress

According to statistics from the State Agriculture Department, as many as 3,515 farmers in Karnataka committed suicide between April 2013 and November 2017, out of which 2,525 were due to drought and farm failure. The initiatives promised in the Congress' manifesto to help the farm sector failed to cut much ice.

What's next?

Despite the defeat, however, the Congress president has to keep his party cadre motivated ahead of the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Like the BJP, which is always in election mode, Rahul too needs to ensure that Congress workers don't get too relaxed. "Every election victory or defeat impacts the morale of party workers. But Congress will strap its boots and not let this result affect our dedication and commitment to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Rahul Gandhi has already started his work in Chhattisgarh, and we hope to keep the momentum going," Shergill added.

Follow all the Karnataka Assembly results LIVE updates here
Siddaramaiah almost failed to do what everybody expected of him: convince the voters of the two constituencies he contested, Chamundeshwari and Badami.

Badami, Karnataka: Congress leader Siddaramaiah travelled the length and breadth of Karnataka campaigning to return his government to power. But he almost failed to do what everybody expected of him: convince the voters of the two constituencies he contested, Chamundeshwari and Badami, to vote for him. As a result, Siddaramaiah won Badami by a mere 1,696 votes and lost Chamundeshwari by a stunning margin of 36,042 to his one-time friend GT Deve Gowda of the JD(S).

For starters, Siddaramaiah sacrificed his seat Varuna for his son Dr Yathindra, who beat his closest rival Thotadappa Basavaraju from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by over 45,000 votes. But, right from the start, Siddaramaiah was not confident of winning Chamundeshwari.

It was an open secret that the BJP fielded a weak candidate SR Gopal Rao so that GT Deve Gowda's support in the constituency wouldn't get divided. The plan worked. "Siddaramaiah lost because of his attitude," GT Gowda told media persons after winning the seat. "He attacked everyone with his loose talk."

Vijayendra Gowda, a 25-year-old voter said that Siddaramaiah had deserted them while he was chief minister, but GT Gowda always extended a helping hand. "We know there are some corruption charges against him. But, he works for us, he is available," Vijayendra said when asked about the housing board scam where GT Gowda's name surfaced.

'Didn't care for constituency'

In Chamundeshwari, JD (S) could register an easy win as it managed to consolidate the Vokkaliga and Lingayat-Veerashaiva votes. The Congress was dependent on the other backward classes (OBCs) and the Dalits. Interestingly, in a bid to win, local Congress leaders also tried to mobilise support from Lambanis, Ganigas and other small groups. The caste equation in this constituency was not in Siddaramaiah's favour: he swore by AHINDA (Alpasankhyataru or minorities, Hindulidavaru or backward classes, and Dalitaru or Dalits) politics.

"Siddaramaiah had clearly taken the voters for granted, says PS Jayaramu, retired professor of political science, Bangalore University. "He started his career here. But, he didn't take care of the constituency properly. Even as a chief minister he never cared to know whether they were benefited or not. He didn't even campaign much, thinking that people will vote. But, the main factor is that he didn't treat his old friends from JD (S) well. He resented the fact that GT Gowda, whom he had mentored, could stand against him."

"For some, the fact that he was contesting from Badami, made them vote for other candidates. It worked against him here," he added.

In Badami, Siddaramaiah received 67,599 votes and BJP's heavyweight leader B Sriramulu received 65,903 votes. Both the contenders were 'outsiders' for Badami's residents. If the 2007 votes cast for 'none of the above' (NOTA) had been added to Sriramulu's tally, he could have won against the Congress leader in this neck-and-neck fight.

"The JD (S) candidate got 24,484 votes. Those were from our share," local BJP leaders in Bagalkot lament. Badami is one of the seven constituencies in Bagalkot. "He (JD (S) candidate) didn't even imagine getting these many votes," the local leaders said.

Siddaramaiah chose Badami as his insurance policy, fearing defeat in Chamundeshwari. It was indeed a safe seat because there were around 45,000 Kurubas (Siddaramaiah's community) among the 2,12,187 voters in the constituency. The minority and scheduled caste (SC) votes also went to the Congress' kitty.

"When the chief minister came here to file his nomination, we thought he would win by a huge margin," said Shankar, the Badami-based reporter for Kannada Prabha newspaper. "But everything changed in the last few days. BJP stepped up their campaign and on the last day, Amit Shah had a rally here which pulled many votes towards them."

Although Narendra Modi did not campaign in the constituency, the news of the prime minister's rallies across the state motivated the youth in the constituency to vote for the saffron party en masse. "The Muslim votes, SC votes and Kurubas saved the chief minister here. Otherwise, he would have faced a shameful defeat," Shankar added.

In case BJP would have fielded a local candidate instead of an outsider, the picture would have been different, suggest political analysts.

Retirement not on cards?

"Siddaramaiah himself said it is his last election," political analyst A Jayaram said laughing. "But, no politician retires. He is a professional. He will have other plans. In future, he might stake his claim to become the chief minister again, you never know what would transpire from the deals with JD (S)."

While campaigning in Chamundeshwari, Siddaramaiah appealed to voters saying that this was his last election. Political pundits believe that Siddaramaiah, despite being voted out of office, will find a way to remain in active politics. "It was Ramakrishna Hegde who mentored Siddaramaiah. Hedge had won a second consecutive term in the state last in 1985. After that, no ruling party has been able to retain the power. As a chief minister Siddaramaiah was good, but retaining power was difficult. He (Siddaramaiah) had enjoyed a good innings and no charges of corruption were levelled against him," Jayaramu said.

Speaking on Siddaramaiah's priorities, Jayaram said, "He is widely seen as (positioned) against upper-caste Hindus. He only backs the lower castes. This worked against him. But, his political innings is far from over."

Analysts suggest that the Congress party high command might even consider Siddaramaiah for some role at the national level, though the fact that he isn't fluent in Hindi might be a hurdle. He might be considered arrogant, but a politician with Siddaramaiah's experience and skills will remain a huge asset to the Congress party in the years ahead.

The author is a Bijapur-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.
The Congress has decided to support the JD(S) to form government in Karnataka to keep the BJP out of power, senior party leader M Veerappa Moily said

Hyderabad: The Congress has decided to support the JD(S) to form government in Karnataka to keep the BJP out of power, senior party leader M Veerappa Moily said on Wednesday.

Asked if it was a good move to back the HD Deve Gowda-led outfit, the former Union minister told PTI: "It's good or not...we are interested to keep the BJP away from power."

On whether he was confident that Governor Vajubhai Vala would invite the JD(S) to form the government, Moily said he was bound to do it.

"He (the governor) has to work as the constitutional head (of the state) and not as an agent of the BJP," the former Karnataka chief minister said.

He added that according to the Supreme Court verdict on last year's Goa Assembly polls, the governor was bound to call the group with the required numbers to form government and not the single-largest party.

With the Karnataka Assembly polls throwing up a hung verdict, the BJP, with 104 seats, has fallen short of the half-way mark of 112.

The Congress-JD(S) combine had moved quickly even as the counting of votes was underway yesterday and requested the governor to allow the formation of a JD(S)-led government in the southern state.

The two parties together have a clear majority in the 224-member Assembly.

Elections were held for 222 Assembly seats in Karnataka on 12 May, while polling for the remaining two seats will be held later.
Janata Dal(Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday accused the BJP of offering Rs 100 crore and Cabinet posts to its newly-elected legislators in a 'desperate' attempt to form a government in Karnataka.

Bengaluru: Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday accused the BJP of offering Rs 100 crore and Cabinet posts to its newly-elected legislators in a "desperate" attempt to form a government in Karnataka.

"Our legislators have been offered Rs 100 crore and Cabinet seats by the BJP in exchange for support," the former chief minister alleged at a press conference.

The JD(S) leader named Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for making the offer as the BJP, he said, was desperate to form a government and deny the JD(S) a chance to form a government with Congress backing.

"This attempt by the BJP to poach our legislators will backfire as there are people who are willing to leave the BJP to support us," he alleged.

The JD(S) and Congress together have the required majority to form the government, he said.

"We will be meeting the governor again on Wednesday evening to urge him to give us a chance to form the government as we have the majority of MLAs."

Accusing the BJP of using the central government machinery to target Opposition leaders, Kumaraswamy denied meeting any BJP leader, but admitted that many newly-elected legislators from the BJP and Congress were in touch with him on government formation.

Saturday's election threw up a hung Assembly, with the BJP finishing with the largest number of seats but short of a majority. The Congress and the JD(S) came at the second and third spot.

Click here for LIVE updates on Karnataka election results 2018
The BJP, which has accused the Congress of trying to defy the mandate of the people of Karnataka, however, seem to have forgotten they set the precedent for this in Goa and Manipur.

As the BJP and Congress-JD(S) continue to battle to form the Karnataka government, media reports say that the latter is likely to move the Supreme Court if Governor Vajubhai Vala does not invite them to stake their claim. The Congress-JD(S) charge is likely to be spearheaded by senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

The BJP, which has accused the Congress of trying to defy the mandate of the people of Karnataka, however, seems to have forgotten that it set the precedent for this in Goa and Manipur.

Indeed, on 13 March, 2017, Union minister Arun Jaitley took to social media and argued that in a hung Assembly, if a majority of elected MLAs formed a coalition, the governor would be constitutionally right to invite the leader of the majority coalition to form the government and prove their majority within a short period.

Jaitley tweeted:





Jaitley went even further in a lengthy Facebook post just four days later, explaining why a combination with majority support should win out over the single largest party in the event of a hung Assembly.

Jaitley wrote, "The Congress Party complains a bit too much. It accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of stealing the mandate in Goa." Jaitley argued that the BJP managed to form an alliance and presented to the governor 21 out of 40 MLAs, who appeared in person and submitted a letter of support. The Congress did not even submit a claim to the governor and it had only the support of 17 MLAs, he argued.

"The Congress Party protested the governors decision to invite Manohar Parrikar to form the government with support of 21 out of 40 MLAs and described it as a murder of democracy. In the face of the claim of these 21 MLAs led by Mr Manohar Parrikar, the governor could not have invited the minority of 17 MLAs to form the government. There are several precedents which support this decision of the governor".

Jaitley then presented several precedents for the governor's decision:

1.The BJP winning 30 out of 81 seats in Jharkhand and JMM leader Shri Shibu Soren with a support of 17 MLAs of his party plus others was invited to form the government.

2. In 2002 in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference had 28 MLAs but the governor invited the PDP and Congress combination of 15 + 21 MLAs to form the government.

3 In 2013, the BJP won 31 seats in Delhi, but the AAP with 28 MLAs with support of Congress was invited to form the government.

Jaitley also added that similar precedents had been set in 1952 in Madras, 1967 in Rajasthan and 1982 in Haryana.

Jaitley added that the question of single largest party versus a combine with majority support had been settled by former president Shri KR Narayanan in his communique in March 1998 when he invited Atal Bihari Vajpayee to form the government.

"The president had said when no party or pre-election alliance of parties is in a clear majority, the Head of State has in India or elsewhere, given the first opportunity to the leader of the party or combination of parties that has won largest number of seats subject to the prime minister so appointed obtaining majority support on the floor of the House within a stipulated time. This procedure is not, however, all time formula because situations can arise where MPs not belonging to the single largest party or combination can, as a collective entity, out-number the single largest claimant. The presidents choice of prime minister is pivoted on the would be prime ministers claim of commanding majority support.

"The governor in Goa had only one claim of 21 MLAs out of 40 elected MLAs with Manohar Parrikar as their leader. The 17 MLAs of Congress did not even make a claim nor elected their leader. How could the Congress ever be invited to form the government?" Jaitley wrote.

Congress, BJP slug it out

On Wednesday, BS Yeddyurappa submitted the papers of his election as BJP Legislature Party leader to Governor Vajubhai Vala. Addressing the media while leaving the Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru, Yeddyurappa said the Governor has promised to take appropriate decision. Yeddyurappa claimed that Vala said he will consult legal experts and will take a decision soon on the ongoing power tussle.

The Congress and JD(S) are also holding meetings with their respective MLAs and have readied plans to secure the newly elected lawmakers at resorts and have alleged attempts by the BJP to poach at least five MLAs. All eyes are on who the Karnataka governor will invite to form the government in the southern state.

With inputs from agencies
When Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) crossed the half-way mark during in counting of votes in Karnataka in the morning on 15 May, ripples of the looming victory were felt more in Kerala.

When Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) crossed the half-way mark during in counting of votes in Karnataka in the morning on 15 May, ripples of the looming victory were felt more in Kerala. The state leaders had viewed it as a sign-board for the southern state.

They hoped to begin the saffron march to power from Chengannur in central Kerala. Former party state president PS Sreedharan Pillai was ready to accept the challenge by winning the Assembly by-election on 28 May. But, a last-minute swing in the trends in Karnataka saw Pillai beating a hasty retreat.

Pillai, who had lost the seat in the 2016 polls by a little over 10,000 votes, had hoped that the victory in Karnataka could change the untouchability sentiment for BJP prevailing among a big section of Hindus and minorities in the state and help him bridge the gap in Chengannur.

Afer the party failed to cross the magic number and Congress sprung a surprise by extending support to the Janata Dal (S) to form a government in the neighbouring state, the BJP camp plunged into gloom. Political observers feel that the new alliance would boost the morale of anti-BJP forces.

The alliance will have its immediate repercussion in Chengannur where the Congress is fighting the election highlighting the anti-people policies of both the central and state governments. If the political uncertainty in Karnataka continues, the central leaders of the BJP may not be available to defend the party.

Earlier, there were talks of BJP chief Amit Shah camping in Kerala and monitoring the by-election to make sure that the party wins the seat. If Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala gives the party the first opportunity to form a government as the single largest party in the Assembly, Shah and senior leaders of the party are likely to remain tied to Karnataka leaving the state leaders to fend for themselves.

Pillai was initially reluctant to enter the fray at Chengannur. He changed his mind after the party recorded a resounding victory in the Tripura Assembly election. The Tripura result had charged up the workers so much that an overenthusiastic party worker had even called up Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directly on his phone and challenged him.

The BJP workers celebrated the Communist Party of India (Marxist) rout in Tripura by trolling the party heavily on the social media. They taunted the party by calling it as the Communist Party of Kerala and predicted its doom in the southern state too in the next Assembly election.

If the party had mustered the required majority to form a government on its own in the neighbouring state, it would have put the Congress on the defensive. Now even if BJP forms a government with the help of disenchanted MLAs in the Congress and JD(S) camps, it may not help the saffron party.

On the contrary, the horse-trading charge it will throw up may mar whatever little chance the party has in Chengannur with both LDF and UDF mounting a combined attack on BJP. Horse-trading may drown all other issues in Chengannur if the party opts for the short-cut to power in Karnataka.

The BJP may find it difficult to counter the combined assault. The party is already on a slippery ground over the support of its second largest ally the Bharatiya Dharama Jana Sena (BDJS) which is keeping off the campaign in protest against the denial of the spoils of administration.

Though the BDJS leadership has appealed to the party supporters to vote for the BJP candidate, party chief Thushar Vellappally himself has expressed doubt about how many will heed the leadership call without redressing the partys grievances. The BDJS claims to have 41,000 votes in Chengannur.

The appeal was issued after he got assurances that Amit Shah will take the initiative to sort out the issues with the BDJS after the Karnataka election. However, he is doubtful about a solution before the by-election as the BJP chief will be busy in Karnataka till the issues there are solved.

Thushars father and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam chief Vellapplly Natesan has termed the wait futile and urged the BDJS to explore other options if the party wants to remain politically relevant in the state.

He claimed that the BJP will not be able to win the Chengannur seat without the support of the BDJS. He said that the BJP could increase its votes in Chengannur from a mere 6,062 votes in the 2011 Assembly election to 42,682 votes in 2016 after the BDJS had joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Sreedharan Pillai has exuded confidence that he will get the full support of the BDJS. He told Firstpost that the party had discussed all issues with the BDJS leadership and they were convinced that BJP will fulfil all the promises it has given to the BDJS.

He said that he was hopeful that he can win the election in Chengannur. He said that he had got 16 percent votes in the last election because of the support from all sections of the people. Even Christians voted for me in 2016, in spite of the Opposition labelling the BJP as an anti-minority party, he added.

The bypoll, necessitated following the death of sitting CPM MLA KK Ramachandran Nair, in January this year is crucial for the BJP. A win here will give a much-needed boost to Shahs plan of conquering Kerala.

Nair had wrested the seat, which was held by Congress for close to three decades, by beating young Congress leader and the then sitting PC Vishnunath by 7,893 votes. While the CPM candidate got 52,880 votes and Vishnunath bagged 44,987 votes. The BJP candidate came third with 42,682 votes.

Though the saffron party has been in electoral politics in Kerala ever since the formation of the party, it could win a seat in the Legislature only during the 2016 elections. Senior leader O Rajagopal had won the Nemom seat in Thiruvananthapuram district in a fierce triangular contest.

Barring once, the party has never come in the second position in the Lok Sabha elections so far. The party ended runner-up in Thiruvananthapuram in the 2014 elections with a vote share of 32.32 percent. Amit Shah has set a tall target of winning 12 LS seats in the coming election in the state.

BJP has not been able to make a headway in Kerala as it was fighting the elections without major allies till 2016. It was after long efforts, the party managed to convince the SNDP to float a party. The partys vote share shot up from 6.03 percent in 2011 to 10.58 percent in 2016 after the BDJS joined the NDA.

With cracks in the NDA and no sign of any other party joining the NDA, the BJP may have to struggle hard to accomplish Shahs ambitious plans in Kerala.
Congress's biggest takeaway is the nimbleness and hunger that it has shown post results in forming a government which is a welcome change from the laissez faire politics

As the focus in Karnataka shifts to Raj Bhavan, it is worth taking a look at the takeaways from one of the most fiercely fought state elections in recent times. A defeat for the incumbent Congress, it was said, would put the party straight into the ICCU while a BJP loss would expose the vulnerabilities of the Narendra Modi juggernaut. Now that Karnataka has bared its hands, the result is inconclusive yet interesting.

It is neither a validation of Congress's demise, nor a sniff at Modi's Achilles heel. Yet it also shows us the reasons why Congress is all but dead as a pan-Indian party and why the BJP has replaced it as the centrifugal force in national politics. BJP, Congress and JD(S) would do well to take some lessons from the Karnataka verdict. Each of the three parties  who also represent three distinct political forces  emerge with some gains and losses, though Congress has more to be worried about than the other two.

BJP: Gains and losses

The BJP is a clear winner and has much to be happy about. Though it failed to gain simple majority (for reasons that we shall presently explore), the importance cannot be overstated of its emergence as the single-largest party with 104 seats in an election where it was painted as a "north Indian party" and reviled as representative of a regressive culture that feeds on the affluence of a "more progressive south". A huge part of Congress' campaign, led by outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiah, was focused on coloring BJP as a hegemonic force of "outsiders" who must not be allowed to "breach" the "sacred" Kannadiga land at any cost.

The Congress campaign was also underwritten by a divisive strategy that sought to capitalise on the fault lines of religion (announcing separate religion status for Lingayats to split BJP's core voter base), identity (clamoring for a state flag), language (campaigning against so-called imposition of Hindi), community (celebration of Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary, move to withdraw cases against law-breakers from the minority community or an ostensible 'deal' with the controversial PFI which has been accused of harboring terror links.

In this context, BJP's win is a validation of two important points. One, its ideological calling card of 'nationalism' had greater acceptability among voters in Karnataka than the divisive issues that Congress had raised. Two, it can no longer be painted as a 'north Indian party'. A win in Karnataka (even if it fails to form the government) provides BJP the chance to expand and consolidate its base in south.

Much has been made of BJP's vote share, which at 36.2 percent, is nearly two percentage points less than Congress. To extrapolate this data into building a narrative against BJP is misleading. First, we should note that BJP's vote share in 2018 is a quantum leap from its performance in 2013 where it cornered 19.9 percent of polled votes. Even if we add the share that BS Yeddyurappa (9.8 percent) and Sriramulu (2.7 percent) had taken away in 2013, the tally still shows a four percentage jump this year. Therefore, while BJP's vote share has risen by over four percentage points (in real terms), Congress has been able to push it up by less than two percentage points (it had polled 36.5 percent in 2013).

While its overall vote share went up, the BJP also made important inroads into the Old Mysuru region among the Vokkaliga community where it has traditionally been weak. BJP's better showing in this region, coupled with a strong performance from JD(S), pushed down Congress's tally to a historic low.

As Valerian Rodrigues writes in The Hindu, "the BJP has made significant advances in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, except Ballari. Moreover, it has emerged as the rival to the JD(S) in the southern belt dominated by Vokkaliga".

BJP's other significant gain has been busting the Opposition narrative that it is an "anti-Dalit" party. This is a clear indication that Narendra Modi's investment of political capital and different outreach initiatives are blunting the edge of Opposition's shrill campaign. The Congress had betted heavily on a consolidation of AHINDA (Kannada for Dalits), minority and OBC votes but results prove that voters have been attracted more towards Modi's campaign for development than fall for Congress's fear-mongering.

As The Times of India reported, "of the seats reserved for scheduled castes (SCs), BJP won 16, Congress 12 and JD(S) five. In the Scheduled Tribe (ST) seats, BJP had a tally of eight, Congress six and JD(S) one. There were a total of 36 seats reserved for SCs and 15 for STs." Not just seats, BJP's vote share, too, was greater than the Congress. BJP's win also indicates a greater acceptance for Modi's leadership among the youth and female voters who exercised their franchise in large numbers this election.

Where the BJP should worry is its inability to inspire urban residents to cast their votes (many of whom the party counts among its backers) which seems to have cost it a simple majority. In metropolitan Bengaluru, Congress won 15 seats, BJP 11 while 5 went to the JD(S).

Thread - Data on all assembly constituencies under the four Bangalore seats (North, Central, South, Rural). Of the 31 seats (2 yet to poll), Congress won 15, BJP 11, JD (S) 5. pic.twitter.com/ow11Vui2gC  Aashish Chandorkar (@c_aashish) May 15, 2018

Interestingly, as columnist Aashish Chandorkar points out on Twitter, while the BJP won many of its Bengaluru seats comfortably, of the 15 where it lost, at least in six the party was defeated by a margin of less than eight per cent votes. This wouldn't have happened had voting percentage been higher.

A swing of 6 seats would have completely altered the outcome today. ~43.5K Bangalore votes is all it took to win these 6 seats. Failure to get the vote out? Core voter apathy? Something for the party to think about. /End pic.twitter.com/FVwQdWpduJ  Aashish Chandorkar (@c_aashish) May 15, 2018

The IT city had a measly voting percentage at 51, down from 57.33 in 2013, but Bangalore Rural witnessed 78.25 percent voting, according to a report in Hindustan Times, indicating that the apathy is restricted to mainly urban voters. As the report states, "Dakshina Kannada, where there is an intense battle between the BJP and the Congress, the polling percentage was 72 percent, down from the 74.48 percent in 2013. The fear here could be that the traditional BJP supporters might not have come out to vote."

This seems to be a chronic problem for BJP which failed to get its voters out by large numbers to the booths resulting in its loss in the recent Phulpur and Gorakhpur by-elections in UP (see here and here).

Congress: Gains and losses

Congress's biggest takeaway is the nimbleness and hunger that it has shown post results in forming a government which is a welcome change from the laissez faire politics that also marked the nature of its leadership. Reports indicate that the Gandhis directed the party to "leave no stone unturned" to woo the JD(S) and somehow keep the BJP away from power.

While seizing the narrative reflects a much-needed change in Congress's behavior, certain things have not changed. In giving a carte blanche to the JD(S)  including the chief minister's post  the Congress may have been able to rope in the JD(S) in a post-poll alliance but had this alliance been in place when the parties went to polls, Congress would have been in a much stronger position.

If the argument is that in such a case the party would have had to sacrifice Siddaramaiah because of the bad blood between him and JD(S) chief HD Deve Gowda, it turns out that that is exactly the treatment that Congress meted out to Karnataka's former chief minister who was its 'poster boy' during the campaign stage. The way Congress unceremoniously dumped a strong regional satrap just because he didn't fit into the altered scheme of things speaks volumes of Congress's myopic politics.

It is also interesting to note that Congress president Rahul Gandhi dispatched senior leaders to Deve Gowda's residence to coax and cajole the senior JD(S) leader into forming an alliance but did not fly down personally to the state to launch negotiations, though he may have placed a call or two. At a time when Rahul needed Deve Gowda more than the JD(S) leader needed him, the Congress president was conspicuous by his absence at the scene of action. This would be unthinkable in Amit Shah's case.

This isn't incompetence, but a barely disguised arrogance which the Gandhis cannot shed even though they have been thoroughly disempowered by the electorate. The Congress might show a greater willingness to cede ground to other Opposition forces in stopping the BJP but this "deference" is skin deep. A slightly better showing in upcoming elections would see a return of the Gandhi arrogance. For that matter, Rahul may have already damaged his chances of leading an Opposition coalition by airing his prime ministerial ambitions.

The loss also ought to raise question marks against Rahul's leadership strategy since he seems completely bereft of ideas to tackle BJP except lapse into frequent vituperative monologues against the prime minister. During a recent rally at Delhi's Talkatora stadium, for instance, the Gandhi scion quoted the prime minister 17 times during a 30-minute speech. Voters don't want to hear about his obsessions. They are more interested in knowing whether he has a better idea than Modi.

JD(S): Gains and losses

As a representative of the third front, the JD(S) has shown how smaller political forces can maximise their gains by playing off the bigger ones against each other. If Congress-JD(S) alliance manages to form a government in Karnataka and Kumaraswamy becomes the chief minister, this would present a model for Opposition unity that holds far-reaching portends for the future.

JD(S) went into the election with support from Mayawati's BSP and Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM and it seems to have benefitted from this alliance. Notably, Mamata Banerjee had been hard at work to make the Congess-JD(S) alliance work on the ground because she is convinced that this could be the only way to arrest the Modi juggernaut.

While this represents a workable solution, there are some problems inbuilt in such an arrangement. As we have seen during the Indira Gandhi years, when members of the Opposition (who come from different ideological and socio-cultural milieu) have nothing else but hatred towards one dominant leader as the glue, such a coalition tends to implode under the weight of its inherent contradictions. Will such a grand coalition work against Modi? Will it trigger a counter-consolidation? While providing some answers, Karnataka has also thrown up some questions.
In sharp contrast to Tuesday, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters at 24 Akbar Road in New Delhi was visibly abuzz on Wednesday. Lots of Congress workers were on the premises a day after the fast-paced developments of counting day in Karnataka

In sharp contrast to Tuesday, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters at 24 Akbar Road in New Delhi was visibly abuzz on Wednesday. Lots of Congress workers were on the premises a day after the fast-paced developments of counting day in Karnataka. Unlike yesterday, the mood was upbeat, especially after they learnt about the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress alliance. Many spoke to media on the lawns. They were hopeful and looking forward to the alliance which would allow them to form the government in Karnataka.

On Tuesday, Congress headquarters wore a desolate look. Few workers were around as the results trickled in. Those that were present looked visibly sad. Their voices choked up while speaking. But on Wednesday, many were found chatting in groups around various corners of the headquarters and discussing the possible outcomes. Some were on mobile phones, checking the latest news.

Weve come from Haryana to be at AICC HQ, as its a very crucial moment for Congress. The party might have failed to win this election, but the best part is that the alliance with JD(S) will prevent BJP from forming the government, a Congress party worker, who'd come with a group of eight co-workers told Firstpost. The BJP will try to prevent the alliance to form government. If that happens, we will move the Supreme Court. Our senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi has been asked to draft a petition. Were hopeful that the alliance will ultimately win, he added.

Though Congress workers were visibly tense and keeping their fingers crossed, they had left the sulking of Tuesday behind. Everyone was eager to learn all about the goings-on. Many workers from Delhi-NCR and elsewhere gathered at the party office to be a part of the collective enthusiasm.

The party canteen was the most vibrant. There was hardly any space to sit as a large number of workers had meals together. Congress may have ended up in second place with 77 seats while the BJP got 104 seats, and JD (S) bagged 38, but party workers consoled themselves with the knowledge that Congress increased its vote share by 2 percent: From 36 percent in the last election to 38 percent on Tuesday.

There are ups and downs in politics. We shouldnt get perturbed by it, said Maj (retd) Ved Prakash, a senior member of the Congress. "We didn't win Karnataka, but that doesnt mean the party performed badly. The vote share of Congress increased by 2 percent, which is good. Congress has entered an alliance with JD(S) and now the ball is in the governors court. The governor will abide by the Constitution and we expect him to do no wrong. Congress party workers are back in action and will work towards forthcoming elections.

Prakash was part of the Congress leadership team from Delhi which visited Karnataka during the 2013 Assembly election. In order to avoid any interaction with media and party workers, the AICC's core communication team worked from elsewhere. Every member was following the rapid developments taking place on the ground.

Many Congress workers cited what Union minister Arun Jaitley earlier said regarding a hung Assembly after Goa polls: If majority of the elected MLAs support a coalition, the Governor would be constitutionally bound in inviting the leader of the majority coalition to form the government.

Constitutionally, the alliance that has the maximum number of MLAs at its side should be called by the governor. Well definitely form government in alliance with JD(S), remarked AICC national media coordinator Sanjeev Singh, who camped in Karnataka for a month prior to the election. Yesterday, after we entered an alliance, this news brought cheer among our party workers across the country. Initially, no doubt the Congress workers were upset with the unexpected result, but now they are elated by the fact that this alliance will be able to prevent the BJP from forming the government in Karnataka.

Another worker added, Congress wont give up. It will fight to the last breath. If the alliance forms a government in Karnataka, itll be our victory.
The Centre on Wednesday termed as 'sketchy' details on the panchayat polls violence and asked the West Bengal government to send another report, an official said.

New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday termed as "sketchy" details on the panchayat polls violence and asked the West Bengal government to send another report, an official said. The second communication was sent two days after a similar one following large-scale violence during the elections to the local bodies in the state on Monday. Over a dozen lives were lost in the violence.

The Union home ministry has asked the West Bengal government to provide a detailed report on the violence during the polls as the report the state government had sent was "sketchy", the official said.

The state government has been told to provide details on the circumstances leading to the violence and the steps taken to restore peace and punish those involved, the official said. Despite massive security arrangements, widespread violence marred the panchayat polls.

Clashes between the supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition parties occurred in many parts of the state including North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad and South Dinajpur districts. More than 60,000 security personnel from West Bengal and neighbouring states were deployed for the panchayat polls.

Click here for LIVE updates on the panchayat election

West Bengal Panchayat Election RESULTS
15:51 (ist)

BJP reinforces status as principal Opposition force but remains distant second due to a cocktail of reasons

It is always risky to read into results that are as skewed as those in West Bengal panchayat polls where the discourse has revolved around not whether there was free and fair elections but whether the number of political murders are less this time compared to earlier instances. Yet, the pattern that emerges even from such a subverted democratic exercise is the clear emergence of BJP as the principal Opposition force in Bengal. However, the fact remains that it is a distant second. Despite its upward curve, the party remains organisationally disjointed, structurally weak and severely lacking in leadership.

It is a far cry from its presence elsewhere in India where BJP expands its base and organisational strength gradually and methodically. Its stunted growth in Bengal owes to two reasons. One, infighting within own ranks and two, inability to match up to TMC's vastly superior ground game. The difference between BJP's rise in Bengal and elsewhere in India is that while in other parts of the country it can grow relatively unhindered, in Bengal and Kerala it is facing organised and violent resistance from respective political rivals. In Kerala it is the Left, while in Bengal it is the TMC.

It isn't a coincidence that in both places Left is and was the dominant political force. While it continues to remain in power in the southern state, in Bengal it has been replaced by a party that has adopted many traits of Leftist ideological traits and has completely replaced the Left Front as a political and ideological force. Therefore, it can be said that TMC is a neo-Left (a tougher version under 'strong' leader who has an autocratic style of functioning). It is evident that BJP is finding it tough to expand in both places.

However, it would be unwise to attribute Opposition's dismal performance to lack of strength alone. Even on counting day, incidents of violence are being reported from different parts of the state. Amid such a situation, BJP has done well in Purulia, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Malda and even in Jhargram. However, the pie chart of Bengal is overwhelmingly green, though the path to it has been paved through red.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attacked the Mamata Banerjee government over violence in the panchayat polls in West Bengal, the state's ruling Trinamool Congress called it 'outbursts of frustration'

New Delhi/Kolkata: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attacked the Mamata Banerjee government over violence in the panchayat polls in West Bengal, the state's ruling Trinamool Congress called it "outbursts of frustration".

"People weren't allowed to file nominations. People from all parties except one ruling the state have suffered. Workers of these parties were killed. This is serious. A land as great as West Bengal had to see such things. It is unfortunate," Modi said.

He was addressing workers at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s central office in the national capital after the party emerged as the single-largest party in the Karnataka Assembly polls.

"Where is the spirit of democracy?" Modi asked.

"It is not just about winning elections. All political parties, including civil society and judiciary, must play an active role to strengthen the democratic spirit," he added.

"I don't want to blame anyone. I am only worried about democracy," the prime minister said.

Responding to Modi's remarks, Trinamool Congress on Tuesday said the prime minister's comments were "outbursts of frustration".

"He should know that BJP goons killed ten Trinamool workers in the panchayat polls. No BJP worker was killed. On Wednesday, re-polling in 568 booths (will take place). So, why is this fake news being spread? Very unfortunate," said the party's website, attributing the remarks to Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee.

"They were dismayed because of not being able to win in Karnataka. Without knowing the details, it does not reflect well for the PM to make such comments," he added.

"Most of the murders and violence have been carried out by the PM's own party. Let BJP control their own party first!" he said.

At least 10 people were killed and more than 50 injured on Monday in violence during the West Bengal panchayat polls.

Click here for LIVE updates

West Bengal Panchayat Election RESULTS
tech2 News Staff

After the launch of their Moto G6 and Moto E5 lineup at an event held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the devices will now launch in India soon according to their new teaser.

According to their teaser tweet the two devices Moto G6 and Moto G6 Play are 'coming soon' to India. They welcome gaming pros, techies, movie buffs, artists, photographers, explorers, fashionistas, with hashtags #helloyou, #helloMotoG6 and #helloMotoG6play.

Though there is no information about the launch date, but the tweet prompts users to register on to a specific website; there you can get notifications regarding the launch of the devices.

Coming to the specifications of Moto G6, the phone will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset along with an Adreno 506 GPU and will be available in 3 GB RAM + 32 GB internal storage, 4 GB RAM + 64 GB internal storage variants. The memory can be expanded upto 256 GB.

The display is a 5.7-inch IPS LCD with 2,160 x 1,080 resolution.

The primary camera comprises of a dual camera setup with a 12 MP with f/1.8 aperture + 5 MP units. This dual setup has phase detection autofocus and Dual-LED. The front-facing camera features a 8 MP sensor. The phone shoots video at 1080p.

In terms of connectivity, the phone has a nano-SIM slot, a micro-SD card slot, and supports micro USB 2.0 Type C. Apart from that, the phone features Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, dual band and a fingerprint sensor mounted on the front, along with an accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity and compass sensors. Powering the device is a 3,000 mAh battery and the phone runs on Android 8.0 Oreo.

The Moto G6 is available in IndiGo, Silver, Rose, Gold and Black colors.

#helloyou, gaming pros, techies, movie buffs, artists, photographers, explorers, fashionistas! Gear up for the #motog6 and #motog6play, designed with you in mind. Register now to be the first one to get all updates. https://t.co/7DwB9QAEkZ pic.twitter.com/n1RYPSy45Q  Motorola India (@motorolaindia) May 15, 2018

Moving on to the specifications of the Moto G6 Play, the phone will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset along with an Adreno 505 GPU and will be available only in 3 GB RAM + 32 GB internal storage. The memory can be expanded upto 256 GB.

The display is a 5.7-inch IPS LCD with 1,440 x 720 resolution.

The primary camera comprises of a 13 MP with f/2.0 aperture unit. It has phase detection autofocus and an LED flash. The front-facing camera features a 8 MP sensor. The phone shoots video at 1080p.

In terms of connectivity, the phone has a nano-SIM slot, a micro-SD card slot, and supports micro USB 2.0. Apart from that, the phone features Wi-Fi a/b/g/n and a fingerprint sensor mounted on the rear, along with an accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensors. Powering the device is a 4,000 mAh battery and the phone runs on Android 8.0 Oreo.

The Moto G6 Play is available in Indigo and Gold colors.

While the above mentioned specifications come from the international announcement of the Moto G6 and Moto G6 Play, there is a possibility that Motorola could tweak the same and the smartphones could be launched in India with different variants altogether.
PTI

In a setback to Google India, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) has upheld a tax demand on the search engine's remittances of advertisement revenue to Google Ireland Ltd.

The Bangalore bench of ITAT, in a 331-page order, upheld the tax department's contention that such payments are royalty and therefore subject to withholding tax.

Google India said it will challenge the ruling in the High Court.

The company had filed an appeal in the ITAT against "characterization of the payment made by it to Google Ireland Ltd in respect of the purchase of advertisement space for resale to the advertisers in India under the Google AdWords programme distribution agreements".

For the assessment year 2012-13, the tax department had found Rs 1,114.91 crore to have been credited to Google Ireland Ltd (GIL) without deduction of tax at source. And so, it issued a tax demand of Rs 258.84 crore.

In its submissions, Google India Ltd said it was a mere non-exclusive distributor/reseller of AdWords programme to the advertisers in the country. Distribution fee payable to GIL on the distribution of AdWords in India was not in relation to any 'transfer of any right' or 'right to use' any patent/invention and so cannot be taxed as royalty.

ITAT, however, said Google India had "access to patent, technical know-how, IPRs, trademark, the process, derivative works, brand features, etc., of the GIL".

"Therefore the payments of advertisement fees made by the assessee (Google India) after retaining a particular part of it to GIL is not the payment simpliciter towards the purchase of AdWord space which may be treated as business profit in the hands of the recipient but it is a payment of royalty," it ruled.

It went on to rule that the payment made by Google India to GIL is a payment of royalty and is an income deemed to accrue or arise in India.

A Google spokesperson said: "We comply with all tax laws in India and pay all applicable taxes. We will file an appeal in the High Court as this ruling is an inaccurate representation of our business operations in India. The order is also a clear departure from previous judgments on the issues and is not in line with India's double taxation avoidance agreement."

The ITAT held that payments aggregating to Rs 1,457 crore made by Google India to Google Ireland between 2007-08 and 2012-13 are taxable as royalty.
Reuters

Google is under investigation in Australia following claims that it collects data from millions of Android smartphone users, who unwittingly pay their telecom service providers for gigabytes consumed by the activity, regulators said on 15 May.

Responding to the latest privacy concerns surrounding Google, a spokesman for the US based search engine operator said the company has users permission to collect data.

Any charges for transmission of data over a cellular connection, including any location-related data, would be governed by a users mobile carrier plan, Google said in a statement. The types and quantity of such data that a users device transmits would depend on the products or services they use, and in some cases a users settings, it added.

The Australian investigations are set to focus on allegations made by Oracle Corp in a report provided as part of an Australian review into the impact that Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, and Facebook have on the advertising market.

Both the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the countrys Privacy Commissioner said they were reviewing the reports findings.

The ACCC met with Oracle and is considering information it has provided about Google services, said Geesche Jacobsen, a spokeswoman for the competition regulator.

We are exploring how much consumers know about the use of location data and are working closely with the Privacy Commissioner.

Oracle, according to The Australian newspaper, said Alphabet receives detailed information about peoples internet searches and user locations if they have a phone that carries Android  the mobile operating system developed by Google.

Transferring that information to Google means using up gigabytes of data that consumers have paid for under data packages purchased from local telecom service providers, according to the Oracle report.

Reuters was unable to immediately verify the content of the Oracle report.

Data privacy advocates said many consumers are unlikely to understand what they agreed to when signing up to use a smartphone. Industry analysts estimate there are more than 10 million Android users in Australia.

Some mobile plans may only include a few gigabytes of data so if Google is harvesting a gigabyte of data, it is a very real cost to consumers, said David Vaile, chairman of the industry group, the Australian Privacy Foundation.

Australian telecommunications companies said they were seeking confirmation from Google on the allegations.

We are aware of the reports in the media and we have asked Google to advise whether they are accurate, a spokesman for Australias biggest telecom company Telsta said.

Earlier this year, social media giant Facebook Inc apologised after web marketing firm Cambridge Analytica was accused of obtaining users data without permission for the 2016 election campaign of United States President Donald Trump.

Oracle has its own long-running dispute with Google. The US based software company is seeking royalties for Googles use of some of the Java language, while Google argues it should be able to use Java without paying a fee.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.

OnePlus is launching the OnePlus 6 today at 9.30 pm (IST) in London. After countelss leaks over the last six months, Chinese phone maker OnePlus is all set to officially unveil the phone in front of global media and partners at an event in London. There's news of a special limited edition OnePlus 6 that'll don an Avengers badge, a result of a key partnership with Marvel to promote the latest Infinity War film from Marvel's Cinematic Universe.

According to reports, the phone is expected to come with a notch at the top (tsk tsk where have we seen that before?). By the looks of the leak, the display of the phone might be close to bezel-less, but there seems to be a narrow strip at its chin.

At the back, the smartphone may have a rear dual camera setup, as is the case with most flagships in 2018. The expected resolution is 16 MP+ 20 MP.

Speaking of the leaked specifications, the phone might come packed with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 SoC and will sport a 3,300 mAh battery.

The expected variants based on past leaks are an 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage variant and they might come in two coloursMirror Black and Midnight Black.

While there are umpteen options to catch the live event such as YouTube, you can also keep a track of our LIVE blog to get the latest updates on the new flagship from OnePlus.
Sheldon Pinto

Editor's note: This article was originally published on 16 May. It is being updated and republished in light of the fact that the OnePlus 6 goes on sale in India on Monday. Keep watching this space for tech2's review of the OnePlus 6 that will go online later today.

Its been several months after the first leaks of the OnePlus 6 began to appear and today, after all the hype and marketing (that the company is known for) OnePlus' first flagship of 2018 goes on sale for the Indian market.

I say first, because it clearly wont be the only one. Being a reviewer its easy to say that OnePlus will launch a 6T model in a few months from now just like it did last year (OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T) and the year before that (OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T).

The OnePlus 6

The OnePlus 6 features a brand new design as compared to previous iterations and uses a curved glass back and new finishes that actually look and feel different. There's a total of three finishes now. A Mirror Black finish, a Matte Black finish with an alternative Silk White finish that comes with a matter finished glass back; and finally, the Avengers edition of the smartphone with a glossy carbon fibre finish.

OnePlus at the India launch mentioned that the Mirror Black, Matte Black and Silk White models will be available in 6 GB RAM + 64 GB and 8 GB RAM + 128 GB options at Rs 34,999 and Rs 39,999 when the devices go on sale on 21 May at 12 PM.

The 8 GB + 256 GB internal storage model will only be available as the Avengers: Infinity Wars edition in the carbon fibre finish and goes on sale on 29 May.

In terms of specifications, OnePlus packs in some exceptional hardware into the device. You get a 6.28-inch FHD+ AMOLED display in a 19:9 aspect ratio. Powering the device is, of course, Qualcomms flagship chip, the Snapdragon 845. The 8 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of storage, which should ensure that the OnePlus 6 will be amongst the most powerful devices available in the market. OnePlus points out that theyve also opted to go for UFS 2.1 storage, which means faster app loading.

One slight niggle is the USB-C port, which is USB-C but is only rated for USB 2.0. The 3.5 mm headphone jack remains.

And that brings us to the OnePlus 6T, which is the smartphone OnePlus is expected to launch (as per tradition) about four months later.

The OnePlus 6T

If you open Twitter and type in the hashtag #OnePlus6 you will also find another suggestion called the #OnePlus6T. So its clear that users on Twitter want to know (as much as they can) about the OnePlus 6T before taking the leap and settling for a OnePlus 6.

... I'm not sure if I should buy the #OnePlus6, I'm quite happy with my #OnePlus5 already and I'm also curious what the #OnePlus6T would improve then @getpeid  EpicLPer (Stefan Kern) (@EpicLPer) May 14, 2018

I'm gonna wait until #OnePlus6t mate twice being first for #OnePlus3 and #OnePlus5 and outsmart by T versions. Not this time though  #OnePlus6  Vasim Khan (@iamvkhan12) May 6, 2018

Some believe that what co-founder Pete Lau is holding in the picture below is the OnePlus 6T.

In short, after some beta testing (OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 5) in the past two years, OnePlus did launch the OnePlus 3T with an improved chipset, a larger battery and a bumped up selfie camera and a OnePlus 5T with a drastically improved display and slightly better camera. And thats a lesson learnt for some unfortunate buyers who stood in a queue to purchase the 3 and the 5 when it was launched because both the 3T and the 5T were much better (and polished) products.

With that said, this years OnePlus 6 seems to pack it all.

There a display with a notch (for those of you who are into that or think its a style statement), a brand-new design with a body made of premium-looking glass and a 256 GB internal storage option.

But its 2018, so here are couple of things I believe OnePlus can still add, wireless charging, possibly a bigger camera for selfies, more RAM (12 GB???) and possibly even an under-display fingerprint reader (borrowed from its sibling Vivo). Still then, this years OnePlus 6 going by the rumours and leaks seems to be quite prepared even if the above mentioned features are missing. But lets wait for the launch to happen, which is set for a few hours from now.

Tech2 will be publishing a review of the OnePlus 6 later today. Keep watching this space.
tech2 News Staff

Samsung has brought new colour variants of the Galaxy S9. The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus were launched in February this year. The new finishes are available both for Galaxy S9 and the bigger S9 Plus. The company is also expected to launch a Lite version of Galaxy S8, the previous version of Galaxy S9, on 21 May in China.

Two new colours introduced in the smartphones includes Sunrise Gold and Burgundy Red. Samsung launched the Galaxy S9 variants in Midnight Black, Titanium Gray, Coral Blue, and Lilac Purple colour variants. Samsung says that Sunrise Gold edition of the device is the company's first device to feature a satin gloss finish.

Burgundy Red edition will be available in Korea and China starting May whereas the Sunrise Gold will be available in selected markets starting June.

Younghee Lee, CMO and Executive Vice President of Samsung Electronics said "People want to be able to express their style and personality through their technology and colour is a big part of that personalisation." He added "The new editions extend the colour offerings of Galaxy S9 and S9+ with vibrant styles that embrace a modern and classic feel.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus comes with 6.2-inch Quad HD+ sAMOLED display, 6 GB of RAM, 64 GB internal storage and 3,500 mAh battery. It features dual-camera setup with 12 MP sensors, the front camera comes with an 8 MP sensor. The device runs Android 8.0 Oreo and is priced around Rs 64,000 in India.
tech2 News Staff

Remember back in 2015 when the internet was mind blown by this dress which was black blue for some and white gold for the others? A similar confusion is back, but this time people are trying to decide whether this viral audio file says Laurel or Yanny.

When you read the two words they do sound very far from each other, and make it hard to believe that one could sound like the other. And thats exactly whats freaking people out.

This audio file first picked up steam when a debate broke on Reddit, and the same has now made its way to social media.

What do you hear?! Yanny or Laurel pic.twitter.com/jvHhCbMc8I  Cloe Feldman (@CloeCouture) May 15, 2018

Now I hear Yanny here, and for me it is impossible to imagine how it could sound like Laurel to anyone else. Let us know in comments below what you hear.

Yanny....I listened 10 times and cant figure out how anyone hears laurel  Kay (@hazzasxinfinity) May 15, 2018

How are yall hearing yanny it clear as day says laurel  Divonte Wilson (@Wilson1Divonte) May 15, 2018

how are yall hearing laurel? it clear as day says yanny  lexy rose (@imlexyrose) May 15, 2018

Interestingly, there are some users on the internet who claim that they heard one word for a while, and then eventually started to hear the other one.

On the other hand, a Twitter user found that you can actually hear both the words if you adjust the bass level of the clip.

you can hear both when you adjust the bass levels: pic.twitter.com/22boppUJS1  Earth Vessel Quotes (@earthvessquotes) May 15, 2018

Personally, I am hearing Laurel in the above tweet. Good god this is mind wrecking!

I listened to this over and over again on headphones, and at first I could only hear Yanny, and then I could only hear Laurel.  Ashley (@polyaletheia) May 15, 2018

If I listen to music for 5 minutes I hear Yanny. If I don't listen to anything for a while I hear Laurel. I think it's your brain adjusting to frequencies.  P r k n s c r t (@parkinscroat) May 16, 2018

And the wonder that the Internet is, someone found that by pitch shifting the audio clip you can hear a bunch of different sounds.

But then

Playing with the pitches means I am still only hearing "Yammy" at the 40% end progressing all the way down to "Gary" at the lower end... Never once heard #Laurel or even a clear #Yanny on any of them...   Shelly M (@teckiemom) May 15, 2018

Fortunately there are voice investigation scientists, and we have a little perspective as to why this confusion is happening in the first place. The New York Times quotes Dr Jody Kreiman, a principal investigator at the voice perception laboratory at the University of California, saying that the acoustic patterns for the utterance are midway between those for the two words. The energy concentrations for Ya are similar to those for La, she said. N is similar to r; I is close to l. Hence, the muddle.
Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that he had a 'good and constructive' meeting with the European Union (EU) Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini over the survival of 2015 nuclear deal.

Tehran: Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that he had a "good and constructive" meeting with the European Union (EU) Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini over the survival of 2015 nuclear deal.

"We have started working to reach the guarantees," Xinhua cited Tasnim news agency quoting Zarif as saying who referred to Iran's demand that the remaining parties to Iran's nuclear deal or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) should ensure Tehran's interests will be protected.

"It was a good and constructive meeting," he said, adding that "we are on the right track ... to make sure that the interests of the remaining signatories of the JCPOA, especially Iran, will be guaranteed."

Zarif is in Brussels on the final leg of a diplomatic tour to save the 2015 nuclear deal after the recent US withdrawal from the pact. The tour has already taken him to Beijing and Moscow.

Last week, United States President Donald Trump said that the US would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, a landmark agreement signed in 2015. Trump added that he will not sign the waiver of nuke-related sanctions against Iran.

Accordingly, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran would remain in the international nuclear deal in case the country's interests are secured by other parties to the agreement. "If the remaining five countries in the deal live up to their commitments and guarantee Iran's interests, the agreement will survive," he said on Sunday during a meeting with visiting Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron agreed on Tuesday that the two countries will continue to honour the Iran nuclear deal despite the United States' exit.

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron agreed on Tuesday that the two countries will continue to honour the Iran nuclear deal despite the United States' exit.

During a telephonic conversation, the two leaders talked among others about recent developments concerning the Iran nuclear deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), after Washington's unilateral pullout from the deal, Xinhua quoted the Kremlin as saying. "They confirmed the readiness of Russia and France to continue to comply with this agreement," it said.

During the conversation, Putin also offered his condolences over the terrorist attack in Paris on Saturday, the Kremlin said.

What's more, the two presidents discussed preparations for Macron's visit to Russia on 24-25 May and coordinated the range of international and bilateral issues for their talks on the occasion, according to the statement. They also exchanged views on the Syrian settlement, the statement said.

United States President Donald Trump said last week that the US would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and impose "the highest level" of economic sanctions on Tehran, triggering a global outcry.

Iranian and Russian foreign ministers on Monday agreed that their countries will uphold the deal and called on other signatories to the deal to "defend their legitimate interest stipulated by this agreement."

The landmark agreement was signed in 2015 by Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council  Russia, the US, Britain, China and France  plus the European Union and Germany.
Gina Haspel, US President Donald Trump's nominee to head the CIA, won the backing of the Senate intelligence committee on Wednesday, paving the way for her expected confirmation to lead the spy agency.

Washington: Gina Haspel, US President Donald Trump's nominee to head the CIA, won the backing of the Senate intelligence committee on Wednesday, paving the way for her expected confirmation to lead the spy agency.

The panel voted 10-5 to advise the full Senate to confirm Haspel, whose nomination has renewed debate over the harsh interrogation program the CIA conducted on terror suspects after 9/11. She has told Congress that the agency shouldn't have used those harsh tactics and has vowed not to restart them.

The committee released the result of the vote that was conducted in closed session without giving further details. However, all eight Republicans and two of the seven Democrats on the panel earlier expressed support for Haspel. The remaining five Democrats had announced their opposition.

The confirmation vote by the full Senate could occur before the end of the week.

The interrogation program became one of the darkest chapters of the CIA's history and tainted America's image worldwide after the Sept. 11 attacks. Critics opposed Haspel's nomination in part because of her role supervising a secret CIA detention site in Thailand for several months in 2002.

Haspel has not disclosed any details of what she did in connection with the interrogation program or say whether she thought it had been immoral.

But during her confirmation hearing last week, she said she doesn't believe torture works as an interrogation technique and that her "strong moral compass" would prevent her from carrying out any presidential order she found objectionable.

"With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken," according to Haspel's written answers to some 60 additional questions from lawmakers.

Bolstering the comments she made during her hearing, Haspel wrote, "I do not support use of enhanced interrogation techniques for any purpose."

Attention now turns to the vote by the full Senate, which has not yet been scheduled. Haspel has already won the backing of several Democrats. They include Mark Warner of Virginia, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelley of Indiana, Bill Nelson of Florida and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. The only Senate Republicans who are not expected to vote for her are Kentucky's Rand Paul and Arizona's John McCain, who is battling cancer and is not expected to be present for the ballot.

Haspel's opponents, however, continue to weigh into the debate.

"Ms. Haspel is cynically trying to offer mere words in an attempt to win votes to support her confirmation," said Gen. Charles Krulak, former commandant of the Marine Corps.

"The definition of moral courage is doing the right thing at the right time for the right reasons when no one's looking. Gina Haspel failed that test," said Krulak, who organized a letter signed by more than 100 retired generals and admirals expressing concern over her nomination.

Daphne Eviatar with Amnesty International on Tuesday called Haspel's nomination an "affront to human rights."

"This country has not held any officials accountable for the use of torture, so it's even more outrageous that the government is considering someone to the chief intelligence position in spite of her alleged participation in that clearly illegal and immoral activity," she said.
A plane carrying 128 people made an emergency landing in southwest China on Monday after a cockpit window broke at 32,000 feet, sucking the co-pilot partly out of the aircraft, authorities and the pilot said

Beijing: A plane carrying 128 people made an emergency landing in southwest China on Monday after a cockpit window broke at 32,000 feet, sucking the co-pilot partly out of the aircraft, authorities and the pilot said.

The Airbus A319 of Sichuan Airlines was bound for Lhasa in Tibet from the southwestern city of Chongqing when the drama began. The flight was diverted to Chengdu in Sichuan province.

"The windshield burst suddenly and a loud noise was heard, and when I looked to the side, I saw that the co-pilot was already halfway out of the window. Luckily his seatbelt was tied," pilot Liu Chuanjian told the Chengdu Business Daily.

"Everything was flying about in the cockpit, a lot of equipment was working badly and the noise was so loud that you could not hear the radio anymore."

The plane was vibrating strongly and it was impossible to read the instruments, said Liu, who was hailed as a hero on social media.

Despite these difficulties and the intense cold, the pilot managed to slow the aircraft from its original speed of about 800-900 kph and land in about 20 minutes.

It was unclear how badly the co-pilot, who suffered facial and waist injuries, had been hurt. A female flight attendant was slightly injured during the landing.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement that part of the cockpit window broke as the plane was flying over Chengdu.

The cause of the incident was under investigation, it said.

Images posted on the official People's Daily newspaper online appear to show a cockpit window completely missing.

A video shows oxygen masks deployed, and flight attendants walking up and down the aisle to give passengers instructions on how to disembark.

It was the second emergency landing in China in less than a month.

On 15 April, an Air China flight was diverted after a man briefly took hostage a crew member he was threatening with a fountain pen.
A top European Union official branded President Donald Trump selfish and capricious Wednesday as EU leaders gathered to count the likely economic damage U.S. policies might inflict on the bloc and to try to rescue the Iran nuclear deal.

Bulgaria: A top European Union official branded President Donald Trump selfish and capricious Wednesday as EU leaders gathered to count the likely economic damage U.S. policies might inflict on the bloc and to try to rescue the Iran nuclear deal.

In a striking rhetorical assault on the leader of Europe's biggest ally, EU Council President Donald Tusk said, given Trump's recent decisions, "someone could even think 'with friends like that, who needs enemies?'"

Trump has bewildered the Europeans by threatening to slap tariffs on EU steel and aluminum exports and reneging on an agreement to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, which the EU believes is vital to world security. Trump has also broken with a key international principle of Middle East peace efforts by moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

Tusk's remarks, just hours before he was to chair a meeting in Bulgaria of the 28 leaders of the world's biggest trading bloc, underscored the widening gulf in EU-U.S. relations.

Listing Europe's traditional challenges, ranging from the expanding power of China to the belligerence of Russia, Tusk said: "We are witnessing today a new phenomenon, the capricious assertiveness of the American administration."

"Frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful to President Trump because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realize that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm," Tusk said.

In dinner talks in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, EU leaders will be briefed on possible incentives to keep Tehran in the nuclear agreement, even after a key player like the U.S. pulled out. The U.S. move has paved the way for U.S. sanctions that are likely to hit European companies doing business with Iran.

The options being discussed include new credit lines for Iran, increased energy cooperation and the use of EU laws to block European companies from caving in to U.S. sanctions.

"I want leaders to reconfirm that the EU sticks to the deal as long as Iran does. The deal is good for European and global security," said Tusk.

The leaders will also discuss Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs, which could be slapped on the EU after June 1. Trump says the tariffs are needed for national security reasons. The Europeans, most of them U.S. allies in NATO, say they pose no security threat and that it is simply an excuse to break with the rules-based order of the World Trade Organization.

"It is absurd to even think that the EU could be a threat to the U.S. We need to bring back reality in this discussion," Tusk said.

Trump's decision to relocate the U.S. embassy to the contested city of Jerusalem will also be raised. Some EU leaders have made a direct link between the move and the killing of almost 60 Palestinians during protests on the Gaza border.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel is calling for an international investigation.

"It's a moment that sends a shiver down your spine. Because there is a striking contrast between, on the one hand, an inauguration in great splendor, with smiles, and on the other hand, the drama, and families today that are in mourning with innocent children who are the victims of this situation," Michel told state broadcaster RTBF.

"We knew that there was a great risk, that this decision to move moving the embassy would bring less security, bring tragedies, and sadly we were right," he said.

But the EU is anything but united and finding consensus will not be easy.

Some countries sent representatives to the U.S. Jerusalem embassy opening on Monday and the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania blocked an EU effort to publish a statement critical of the U.S. move.
North Korea threatened on Wednesday to cancel the forthcoming summit between leader Kim Jong Un and president Donald Trump if Washington seeks to push Pyongyang into giving up its nuclear arsenal.

Seoul: North Korea threatened on Wednesday to cancel the forthcoming summit between leader Kim Jong Un and president Donald Trump if Washington seeks to push Pyongyang into giving up its nuclear arsenal.

If the Trump administration "corners us and unilaterally demands we give up nuclear weapons we will no longer have an interest in talks and will have to reconsider whether we will accept the upcoming DPRK-US summit", first vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.

Washington is pressing for Pyongyang's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation. But so far the North has not given any public indication of what concessions it is offering.

At a summit with the South's president Moon Jae-in last month, Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his commitment to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. But the phrase is a diplomatic euphemism open to interpretation on both sides.

"We already expressed our willingness for a denuclearised Korean peninsula and repeatedly declared that the United States must end its hostile DPRK policy and nuclear threats as preconditions," the minister Kim said.

In the past, Pyongyang has demanded the withdrawal of the US troops stationed in the South to protect it from its neighbour, and an end to Washington's nuclear umbrella over its security ally. Kim Kye Gwan also blasted US National Security Advisor John Bolton, who has spoken of a "Libyan model" for North Korean denuclearisation. It was a "highly sinister attempt to enforce the fate of Libya and Iraq upon the DPRK," Kim said.

"I cannot suppress anger over this US move and it is doubtful whether the US really wants to improve ties with the DPRK through dialogue and negotiation." The North has long said it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself against a US invasion. After giving up his atomic programme, Libyan leader Moamer Khadafi was killed in an uprising backed by NATO bombing.
The US government hopes to bring new charges within weeks against former CIA employee Joshua Shulte who is jailed on child pornography charges, but is also a target of a probe of a massive leak of cyber hacking tools

Washington: A prosecutor says the government hopes to bring new charges within weeks against a former CIA employee who is jailed on child pornography charges, but is also a target of a probe of a massive leak of cyber hacking tools, according to court documents reviewed on Tuesday by AP.

Assistant US attorney Matthew Laroche alluded to a "broader investigation" and a grand jury probe unrelated to child pornography charges as he informed a Manhattan judge last Friday that the government was hopeful it would bring new charges against 29-year-old Joshua Adam Schulte in about a month and a half.

"Because of the nature of the underlying investigation, that requires consultation with people outside of our office, which we are doing as quickly as we can. We're trying to get that done," Laroche told US district judge Paul A Crotty. "We're consulting with a lot of folks that are not within our office."

The cryptic description led assistant federal defender Sabrina Shroff, who entered the case in March, to demand more. "Are they secret charges that I'm not allowed to know about? What are these charges?" Shroff asked, adding that she wanted to know of possible charges, whether they will be sedition or anything else. "Are they charging him with espionage?"

Laroche said it involved an ongoing grand jury investigation and added, "I don't think we have an obligation to disclose it at this time, but we certainly have had discussions with Shroff about the nature of the underlying investigation."

At a January hearing, Laroche said Schulte was a target of an ongoing investigation into the theft of tools that were used by the CIA to spy overseas. No charges have been filed against Schulte in that investigation, and his defence lawyers have insisted he was not involved. Schulte's name was first reported on Tuesday by The Washington Post.

The CIA declined to comment.

Asked for comment, Shroff said, "Schulte has spent years working to ensure the safety of his country and is deeply saddened to hear that he could face charges of espionage."

WikiLeaks began releasing some of the CIA's hacking tools in March 2017. The US government has all but publicly acknowledged the embarrassing leak from the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence. President Donald Trump had told a television host then, "I just want people to know the CIA was hacked, and a lot of things taken."

At January's pre-trial hearing for Schulte, Laroche said the material was taken from the CIA during the over six years that Schulte worked for the agency in various positions, including technical development officer. "The government immediately had enough evidence to establish that he was a target of that investigation," Laroche said. "They conducted a number of search warrants on the defendant's residence."

Laroche said he disagreed with Schulte's lawyer at the time, who claimed the search warrants had not yielded anything consistent with the material released by WikiLeaks. "In fact, our investigation is ongoing," Laroche said. "He remains a target of that investigation."

Schultz, of New York, currently is detained at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. Jacob Kaplan, Schulte's attorney at the January hearing, told the court that "the government had full access to his computers and his phone, and they found the child pornography in this case, but what they didn't find was any connection to the WikiLeaks investigation".
North Korea on Wednesday threw into question an unprecedented summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump scheduled for next month, denouncing military exercises between South Korea and the United States as a provocation and calling off high-level talks with Seoul.

Seoul: North Korea on Wednesday threw into question an unprecedented summit between its leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump scheduled for next month, denouncing military exercises between South Korea and the United States as a provocation and calling off high-level talks with Seoul.

A report on North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency angrily attacked the "Max Thunder" air combat drills, which it said involved US stealth fighters and B-52 bombers, and appeared to mark a break in months of warming ties between North and South Korea and between Pyongyang and Washington.

Any cancellation of the 12 June summit in Singapore, the first meeting between a serving US president and a North Korean leader, would deal a major blow to Trumps efforts to score the biggest diplomatic achievement of his presidency.

Trump has raised expectations for a successful meeting even as many analysts have been skeptical of the chances of bridging the gap due to questions about North Koreas willingness to give up a nuclear arsenal that now threatens the United States.

The KCNA report called the air drills a "provocation" that goes against the trend of warming ties.

"This exercise, targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula," the South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted KCNA as saying.

"The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities."

A Trump-Kim summit until recently had looked impossible given the insults and threats the two leaders exchanged last year over North Korea's development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.

Heather Nauert, spokeswoman for the US State Department said it had no information from North Korea about threat to cancel the summit and that it continued to plan for that meeting.

"Kim Jong Un had said previously that he understands the need and the utility of the United States and the Republic of Korea continuing in its joint exercises," Nauert told a briefing.

"We have not heard anything from that government or the government of South Korea to indicate that we would not continue conducting these exercises or that we would not continue planning for our meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un next month," she said.

There was no immediate comment from the White House.

South Korea's National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong said in early March, after meeting Kim, that the North Korean leader understood that "routine" joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States would continue in spite of a warming of ties.

This was widely considered to be a major North Korea concession, though Pyongyang never publicly withdrew its long-standing demand for an end to the drills.

Kims latest move could be aimed at testing Trumps willingness to make concessions ahead of the summit.

A US government expert on North Korea said Kim may also be trying to gauge whether Trump is willing to walk away from the meeting, which has prompted the presidents supporters to suggest he deserves to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

Any acquiescence by Trump to a North Korean demand for a halt to joint drills would likely undermine South Korean and Japanese trust in his commitment to their security. Kim has also shown a desire to win international approval for his diplomatic outreach, and any sign that he is sabotaging the talks could damage this effort.

Suspended North-South meeting

North Korea also suspended Wednesday's ministerial level North-South meeting which had been due to focus on plans to implement a declaration that emerged from an 27 April inter-Korea summit in the border village of Panmunjom. The summit included promises to formally end the Korean War and pursue "complete denuclearisation," the South's unification ministry, which handles ties with the North, said on Tuesday.

The Pentagon said the 14-25 May "Max Thunder" exercises were routine and defensive in nature. A Pentagon spokesman said the exercises would take place at Gwangju air base and would be "at a scale similar to that of the previous years."

Last year, Max Thunder involved about 1,500 US and South Korean personnel flying aircraft including F-16 fighter jets, according to a US Air Force website.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States would agree to lift sanctions on North Korea if it agreed to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons programme, a move that would create economic prosperity that "will rival" that of South Korea.

Last month, Pompeo became the first serving US official to meet North Korean leader Kim, when he visited Pyongyang to lay the groundwork for the meeting with Trump. He returned again to North Korea this month for a second meeting, after which Kim agreed to the release of three American prisoners.

A South Korean presidential adviser warned on Tuesday that an incremental North Korean approach to denuclearization at the 12 June summit would not be acceptable to Trump or the South Korean public.

North Korea said on Saturday it would dismantle its nuclear bomb test site some time between 23 May and 25 May to uphold its pledge to cease tests.
LONDON (Reuters) - Oxfam Great Britain chief executive Mark Goldring, who was criticised for his handling of a scandal over the use of prostitutes in Haiti by Oxfam staff, will stand down at the end of the year, the organisation said on Wednesday. 'Following the very public exposure of Oxfams past failings, we have redoubled our efforts to ensure that Oxfam is a safe and respectful place for all who have contact with us,' Goldring said in a statement. 'We are now laying strong foundations for recovery

LONDON (Reuters) - Oxfam Great Britain chief executive Mark Goldring, who was criticised for his handling of a scandal over the use of prostitutes in Haiti by Oxfam staff, will stand down at the end of the year, the organisation said on Wednesday.

"Following the very public exposure of Oxfams past failings, we have redoubled our efforts to ensure that Oxfam is a safe and respectful place for all who have contact with us," Goldring said in a statement.

"We are now laying strong foundations for recovery. I am personally totally committed to seeing this phase through."

Oxfam launched investigations into nearly 30 cases of misconduct reported after the Haiti scandal broke in February.

But Goldring was forced to apologise for saying that the wave of condemnation of the organisation was disproportionate because it had not "murdered babies in their cots."

In its statement on Wednesday, Oxfam said Goldring, who has been CEO since 2013, oversaw the biggest annual humanitarian response in its history in 2016, covering the refugee crisis as well as conflicts from Yemen and Syria to South Sudan.

He also ensured Oxfam improved its safeguarding practices after the sexual abuse case by staff in Haiti in 2011, shortly after a devastating earthquake in the country, Oxfam said.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Writing by William Schomberg; editing by Stephen Addison)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Malaysia's reformist icon Anwar Ibrahim was freed from custody on Wednesday after receiving a royal pardon, transforming a political prisoner into a prime minister-in-waiting following his alliance's stunning election victory.

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia's reformist icon Anwar Ibrahim was freed from custody on Wednesday after receiving a royal pardon, transforming a political prisoner into a prime minister-in-waiting following his alliance's stunning election victory.

Anwar, 70, was convicted of sodomy in 2015 in a case he said was aimed at crushing his alliance, which was making gains against Malaysia's long-ruling coalition government. His sentence was set to end 8 June, but last week's unexpected election win, which ended the National Front's 60-year rule, led to his swift release.

Dressed in a suit, Anwar waved to reporters as he was whisked from a hospital, where he was recovering from shoulder surgery, to an audience with Malaysia's king. The royal palace said in a statement that the monarch had given Anwar a full pardon following advice from the Pardons Board.

Anwar is prime minister-in-waiting but unlikely to take over quickly from Mahathir Mohamad, who after leading Anwar's alliance in the election campaign has become the world's oldest leader at 92.

Mahathir, premier for 22 years until 2003, said on Tuesday that he will run the country for "one to two years" to fix Malaysia's financial problems, creating uncertainty about how the two will work together in the interim.

It was Anwar's second spell in prison. Once a high flyer in the ruling party, Anwar was convicted of homosexual sodomy and corruption after a power struggle with Mahathir in 1998.

Anwar and his supporters have long denied the sodomy allegations, saying they were concocted to destroy his political career. Yet rather than give up, Anwar worked from his prison cell to forge a new opposition alliance by ending the two-decade feud with Mahathir  a gamble that paid off when the alliance won the 9 May polls.

His daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar has said the pardon was sought on the grounds of miscarriage of justice. Anwar needs to contest a by-election to become a member of Parliament before he can replace Mahathir.

Analysts say his release could cause tensions in the new government due to the dominance of the two leaders. Mahathir is the chairman of the alliance and Anwar is its de-facto leader.

"The hope is that Anwar and Mahathir will find a way to work together especially during this period of transition," said Rashaad Ali, research analyst with the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

"This is an opportunity for both of them to move forward for the sake of the country. There may be clashes between these two big personalities, but (officials in their) coalition as well as the expectations of Malaysians will provide a check and balance," he said.

Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is the new deputy premier, has said there was no rush for Anwar to take over.

She said time is needed for the country's "healing process" after the first transition of power in six decades, and that Anwar should recover fully from recent surgery before jumping back to politics.

Anwar is expected to thank supporters at a rally later on Wednesday.
The Scottish parliament on Tuesday refused to give its consent to Britain's key Brexit legislation  European Union (EU) Withdrawal Bill.

London: The Scottish parliament on Tuesday refused to give its consent to Britain's key Brexit legislation  European Union (EU) Withdrawal Bill. Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) rejected the British government's bill by 93 votes to 30, reports Xinhua.

The governing party at Holyrood, the Scottish Nationalists Party (SNP), won backing from Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens MSPs to inflict the blow to British Prime Minister Theresa May's government.

The vote meant SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon's move to oppose proposals on post-Brexit power-sharing was passed by the Scottish parliament, which fears May's current proposals would restrict its powers.

Political commentators said although the vote is not binding on May's government, it presents the British prime minister with the dilemma of either imposing a power-sharing plan on Holyrood or attempting to avert a crisis by putting forward concessions.

The Guardian said Conservative Party sources suggested May is likely to push the legislation through the House of Commons without Scottish parliament's consent.

The Scottish Parliament and Westminster have been at loggerheads for months over how to manage EU powers that will return to Britain after Brexit, including over state aid for industry, genetically modified crops policy, fishing quotas and farm subsidies, after ministers in London made a series of concessions brokered by the Scottish Conservatives.

Both sides agree those policies should operate uniformally across Britain.

May's government says it will consult the Scottish parliament on all changes to those policies, trying to seek agreement, while Sturgeon has decided that consultation is not enough and insists that her government should be given the legal power to block any changes it disagrees with.
LONDON (Reuters) - The Scottish parliament refused consent for Britain's flagship Brexit legislation on Tuesday, pushing Britain into constitutionally uncharted territory as London presses ahead with the bill regardless. The devolved Edinburgh legislature voted by 93 votes to 30 to deny consent for the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, currently going through the national parliament in London, which will cut political, financial and legal ties with the EU. Although the Scottish parliament has no veto over the bill, the refusal to give consent sets up an unprecedented constitutional clash between Edinburgh and London, complicating British Prime Minister Theresa May's plans for Brexit

LONDON (Reuters) - The Scottish parliament refused consent for Britain's flagship Brexit legislation on Tuesday, pushing Britain into constitutionally uncharted territory as London presses ahead with the bill regardless.

The devolved Edinburgh legislature voted by 93 votes to 30 to deny consent for the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, currently going through the national parliament in London, which will cut political, financial and legal ties with the EU.

Although the Scottish parliament has no veto over the bill, the refusal to give consent sets up an unprecedented constitutional clash between Edinburgh and London, complicating British Prime Minister Theresa May's plans for Brexit.

Britain's Scottish Secretary David Mundell said the UK intended to push through the withdrawal bill, but that the door was open for further talks.

"There will be an opportunity for further debate and discussion," Mundell told BBC News. "I still think we can resolve this issue."

The independence-minded Scottish National Party (SNP), which runs the minority government in Holyrood, Edinburgh, said it would be "outrageous" if the British government imposed the bill on Scotland.

"The Scottish Parliament has spoken loudly and clearly  it's now up to the UK government to respect that vote and ditch their power-grab," SNP Scottish lawmaker Ash Denham said in a statement.

The dispute revolves around a clause in the Withdrawal bill that the SNP says limits the Holyrood parliament's lawmaking ability, as well as the powers of its devolved executive.

Scotland's parliament has lawmaking competence over a range of domestic issues like farming and fishing, though in practice they have been controlled by Brussels up to now.

An initial proposal last year by Britain that devolved powers returning from the European Union after Brexit should initially pass to Westminster was roundly rejected by Welsh and Scottish politicians.

The Westminster government has offered concessions to devolved administrations and May's Conservative party points out that these have been enough for the Welsh government to drop their reservations about the bill.

But the SNP argues that in its current state, the bill could mean that the powers of the Scottish parliament could be changed by the British government without the consent of the parliament for the first time ever.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout, editing by Stephen Addison)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and a group of fellow governors are backing president Donald Trump's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing what they called Trump's 'transformative efforts to bring peace to the Korean peninsula.'

Columbia: South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and a group of fellow governors are backing president Donald Trump's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing what they called Trump's "transformative efforts to bring peace to the Korean peninsula."

In a letter this week to Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman Berit Reiss-Andersen, McMaster and six fellow governors wrote that Trump's "firm stance against nuclearization, coupled with his willingness to engage one-on-one with Pyongyang, has succeeded in opening new avenues of cooperation, friendship and unity between the two Koreas - and the rest of the world."

The letter follows one from 18 US House Republicans, who earlier this month formally nominated Trump for the award amid preparations for a historic summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee has also promoted the idea, sending an email encouraging supporters to "Nominate President Trump to Win the Nobel Peace Prize" by adding their name to a list. Governors are not listed among those who can officially make Nobel nominations, according to the organization's website.

McMaster was an early Trump supporter in the 2016 presidential campaign, formally backing him ahead of South Carolina's first-in-the-South primary. Then the state's lieutenant governor, the longtime South Carolina politician became governor when Trump picked then-governor Nikki Haley as his United Nations ambassador.

Trump is backing McMaster in next month's five-way South Carolina GOP primary. The president appeared at an October fundraiser, and McMaster has featured footage from that event prominently in his television ads.

Other signatories to the governors' letter include Guam Governor Eddie Baza Calvo; Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant; Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer; Alabama Governor Kay Ivey; West Virginia Governor Jim Justice; and Maine Governor Paul LePage.

The governors' letter came amid reports from South Korea's Yonhap news agency that North Korea was cancelling a high-level meeting planned between the two countries due to the ongoing military exercises between the United States and South Korea. The meeting planned for Wednesday at a border truce village to discuss setting up military and Red Cross talks aimed at reducing border tension and restarting reunions between families separated by the Korean War.

Yonhap also said North Korea's Korean Central news agency reported that Pyongyang was questioning whether next month's summit between Kim and Trump could also take place as planned.
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee said on Tuesday he would support President Donald Trump's nominee to be CIA director, Gina Haspel, all but ensuring her confirmation as the first woman to lead the spy agency

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee said on Tuesday he would support President Donald Trump's nominee to be CIA director, Gina Haspel, all but ensuring her confirmation as the first woman to lead the spy agency.

Senator Mark Warner said it had been a "difficult decision," but cited Haspel's 33-year career and support from the CIA workforce and intelligence veterans.

"Most importantly, I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the President if ordered to do something illegal or immoral  like a return to torture," Warner said in a statement.

In a letter to Warner dated Monday, Haspel said the CIA should not have undertaken a past harsh interrogation program, which has been a focus of debate over her confirmation.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is due to vote on Wednesday on whether to approve Haspel. With Warner's support, she is expected to have the backing of all eight committee Republicans and at least two of the seven Democrats.

Despite criticism - including from Republican Senators Rand Paul and John McCain - because of past ties to the CIA's former rendition, detention and interrogation activities, Haspel is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate next week.

At least four other Democrats, all up for re-election in states Trump won in 2016, also support Haspel. Democratic Senators Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Bill Nelson of Florida announced their backing on Tuesday.

Haspel pledged at her confirmation hearing that she would never restart the program, put in place after the Sept. 11 attacks, but did not go as far as saying it should not have been started.

Haspel in 2002 served as station chief in Thailand, where the CIA conducted interrogations at a secret prison using methods including waterboarding, widely viewed as torture.

Three years later, she drafted a cable ordering the destruction of videotapes of those interrogations.

"While I won't condemn those that made those hard calls, and I have noted the valuable intelligence collected, the program ultimately did damage to our officers and our standing in the world," Haspel said in the letter, which did not address the videotapes.

"With the benefit of hindsight and my experience as a senior Agency leader, the enhanced interrogation program is not one the CIA should have undertaken. The United States must be an example to the rest of the world, and I support that," Haspel said.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Peter Cooney)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Tulay Karadeniz and Tuvan Gumrukcu ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey and Israel expelled each other's senior diplomats on Tuesday in a dispute over the killing by Israeli forces of 60 Palestinians a day earlier during protests on the Gaza border.

By Tulay Karadeniz and Tuvan Gumrukcu

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey and Israel expelled each other's senior diplomats on Tuesday in a dispute over the killing by Israeli forces of 60 Palestinians a day earlier during protests on the Gaza border.

Turkey told Israel's ambassador to leave the country on Tuesday after Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians during protests on the Gaza border against the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

Turkey has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel's response to the Gaza protests and of the U.S. Embassy move, recalling its ambassadors from Tel Aviv and Washington and calling for an emergency meeting of Islamic nations on Friday.

President Tayyip Erdogan described Monday's bloodshed, the deadliest for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict, as genocide and called Israel a terrorist state. The government declared three days of mourning.

"The Israeli ambassador was told that our envoy to Israel was called back for consultations, and was informed that it would be appropriate for him to go back to his country for some time," a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said.

Hours later Israel's Foreign Ministry said the Turkish Consul-General in Jerusalem had been summoned and told to return to Turkey "for consultations for a period of time."

The dispute appears to mark the worst diplomatic crisis between the two regional powers since Israeli marines stormed an aid ship to enforce a naval blockade of Gaza in 2010, killing 10 Turkish activists and prompting a downgrade in diplomatic ties that lasted until 2016.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Twitter Erdogan was in no position to "preach morality to us" because he supported the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas which rules Gaza. "There is no doubt he well understands terrorism and slaughter," Netanyahu tweeted.

Erdogan tweeted back that Netanyahu was the leader of "an apartheid state that has occupied a defenseless people's lands for 60+ years in violation of U.N. resolutions", adding that he was criticising Turkey to deflect attention.

"Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments".

PROTESTS IN TURKEY

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also said that Muslim countries should review their ties with Israel after Monday's violence.

There have been demonstrations against Israel in Istanbul and in the capital Ankara. Erdogan, who is campaigning for presidential and parliamentary elections next month, said a rally will be held on Friday to protest the killings.

Turkish government spokesman Bekir Bozdag told parliament the rally "will once again show that the Turkish people will not remain silent in the face of injustice and cruelty, that they defend the victims in the face of the cruel".

The plight of Palestinians resonates with many Turks, including with the nationalist and religious voters who form the base of Erdogan's support.

Bozdag said that Turkey held the United States equally accountable for Monday's violence.

"The blood of innocent Palestinians is on the hands of the United States," he said. "The United States is part of the problem, not the solution".

Relations between Ankara and Washington, two NATO allies, have been deeply strained over the embassy move, disagreements over military deployment in north Syria, and court cases against Turkish and U.S. nationals in each country.

(Additional reporting by Ece Toksabay in Ankara and Ori Lewis in Jerusalem; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Ece Toksabay)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge refused on Tuesday to dismiss criminal charges brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller against President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort, after Manafort claimed that Mueller had exceeded his prosecutorial powers.

By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge refused on Tuesday to dismiss criminal charges brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller against President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort, after Manafort claimed that Mueller had exceeded his prosecutorial powers.

In a sharp rebuke of those claims, Judge Amy Berman Jackson, of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had followed all the Justice Department's rules when he hired Mueller and Mueller's case against Manafort is not overly broad or improper.

Rosenstein "expressly approved the Special Counsels investigation of the facts alleged in the indictment, so there has been no violation of the regulations, and the Special Counsel did not act without authority," she wrote.

A spokesman for Manafort did not have any immediate comment on the ruling.

Manafort, who performed lobbying work for a pro-Russian former Ukrainian president before serving as Trumps campaign chairman in 2016, is facing two indictments brought by Mueller in federal courts in Washington and Alexandria, Virginia.

The charges against him in the Washington case include conspiring to launder money, conspiring to defraud the United States and failing to register as a foreign agent. In Virginia, he faces charges that include bank fraud and filing false tax returns.

He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, none of which are directly related to work he performed for Trump's campaign.

In both criminal cases, Manafort has asked the courts to dismiss the charges on the grounds that Rosenstein's May 17 appointment order hiring Mueller runs afoul of Justice Department rules on special counsels.

He has also argued that Mueller's case against him has nothing to do with Russian interference in 2016 election, and that the probe by the FBI into his Ukraine dealings predates the Russia probe.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; editing by Leslie Adler and Tom Brown)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Gulf partners imposed additional sanctions on Lebanon's Hezbollah leadership on Wednesday, targeting its top two officials, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Naim Qassem. The U.S. Treasury Department said four other individuals were also sanctioned, as was the group ISIS in the Greater Sahara, which was designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Gulf partners imposed additional sanctions on Lebanon's Hezbollah leadership on Wednesday, targeting its top two officials, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Naim Qassem.

The U.S. Treasury Department said four other individuals were also sanctioned, as was the group ISIS in the Greater Sahara, which was designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

It was the third round of sanctions announced by Washington since the United States pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal last week.

Wednesday's sanctions targeted members of the primary decision-making body of Hezbollah, Treasury said in a statement.

"By targeting Hezbollah's Shura Council, our nations collectively rejected the false distinction between a so-called Political Wing and Hezbollah's global terrorist plotting," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

The move expands U.S. sanctions against Nasrallah, who was sanctioned by Washington in 1995 for threatening to disrupt the Middle East peace process and again in 2012 over Syria. It is, however, the first time that the U.S. Treasury has acted against Qassem, who is being listed for his ties to Hezbollah.

The measures were imposed jointly by Washington and its partners in the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center (TFTC), which includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, it said.

The Gulf states targeted four of the movement's committees and ordered individuals' assets and bank accounts frozen.

A number of those targeted by the TFTC had been previously blacklisted by the United States.

Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Ali Thani, discussed Qatar's efforts to counter terrorism financing, the State Department said.

Nasrallah last year dismissed the prospect of tougher U.S. sanctions against his group.

"The American administration, with all available and possible means, will not be able to damage the strength of the resistance," Nasrallah said on Aug.13 in a televised address to mark the anniversary of the end of Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel.

Shi'ite Hezbollah was formed to combat Israel's 1982-2000 occupation of Lebanon. It and its political allies made significant gains in Lebanon's parliamentary election earlier this month, boosting an Iranian-backed movement fiercely opposed to Israel and underlining Tehran's growing regional clout.

The Trump administration has sought in recent days to choke off funding for Iran's overseas operations, including its backing for Hezbollah, in what Washington says are its malign activities in the Middle East.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Iran's central bank governor and an Iraq-based bank for funneling millions of dollars on behalf of Iran's elite revolutionary guards.

Last week, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions against six individuals and three companies it said were funneling millions of dollars to the Revolutionary Guard's external arm, Quds Force.

(Reporting by Tim Ahmann, Doina Chiacu and Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Peter Cooney and Susan Thomas)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The United States said on Tuesday that it was moving ahead with preparations for a much-anticipated summit next month between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, after Pyongyang appeared to cast doubt over the event

Washington: The United States said on Tuesday that it was moving ahead with preparations for a much-anticipated summit next month between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, after Pyongyang appeared to cast doubt over the event.

"We will continue to plan the meeting," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters, adding that Washington had received "no notification" of a position change by North Korea.

"We have not heard anything from that government or the government of South Korea to indicate we would not continue conducting these exercises or would not continue planning for our meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un next month," she added.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that Pyongyang had called the 12 June summit into question over the "Max Thunder" joint military exercises between the US and the South.

The US will "have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit in light of this provocative military ruckus," Yonhap quoted the North's official news agency KCNA as saying.

Nauert denied that the exercises were provocative, saying: "Kim Jong-un has said he understands the importance to the United States that we conduct these joint exercises. They continue to go on."

The annual Max Thunder air exercises are running from 14 to 25 May.

The Pentagon said the drills enhance the US-Korean alliance's ability to defend South Korea and boost interoperability and readiness between the two militaries.

"While we will not discuss specifics, the defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed," the Pentagon said in a statement.
If there's a company that's recently been an example of misguided acquisition, it would be Newell Brands (NASDAQ:NWL). The company paid approximately $13.2 billion for Jarden Brands in late 2015, with the expectation that the combination would afford synergies and the scale needed to lower costs and more effectively compete against other consumer-focused brands.

Instead, what's happened is a textbook case of merger underperformance, with the disparate brands -- Rubbermaid, Sharpie, Crock Pot, and Rawlings, among others -- unable to form a cohesive and focused business. Reports chronicle dozens of managers quitting or getting fired amid cultural clashes. The combined company's market capitalization of $13.5 billion is 40% lower than the two companies were worth together as separate entities.

Nobody is getting along at Newell

At the root of the issues are Martin Franklin, Jarden's founder, and Newell CEO Michael Polk. The Wall Street Journal reports internal friction among the two executives and their approach to value creation. A specific case is Yankee Candle: To reinvigorate sales, which were dropping thanks to lower foot traffic at malls, where Yankee Candle stores are mostly located, Polk ramped up sales to retailers like Walmart with lower price points than company stores -- which Franklin accused of lowering the perceived product value and leading to lower margins.

Deepening the rift were issues with the board. In March, Icahn Enterprises CEO Carl Icahn won four board seats after taking a large position. Icahn's guiding principles are nothing unique: He mostly advocates selling off lower-performing assets and distributing funds to shareholders. Icahn's ideas were broadly accepted by current management, as they'd already planned to sell off approximately 35% of the company under its Accelerated Transformation Plan, including the recently announced Waddington Group brand divestiture.

However, activist hedge fund Starboard Value took a stake and wanted to slow the planned divestitures and focus on operational improvement, mostly in line with Franklin's earlier proposals. Last month the two activist funds ended their proxy fight by adding three independent directors, one proposed by Starboard, and having Icahn lose two of his board seats.

Reason to be encouraged

Despite companywide turmoil, there's reason for Newell Brands' shareholders to be encouraged. The company beat bottom-line results by posting adjusted or "normalized" EPS of $0.34, higher than the consensus estimate of $0.26. Newell essentially matched on the top line, reporting revenue of $3.02 billion versus $3.04 billion expectations.

However, the company's normalized EPS forecast of $2.75 at the midpoint topped the $2.66 expectations, which helped the stock rally. At this point, it's clear Newell's post-announcement performance is more indicative of poor expectations than an improvement in the underlying business. Revenue fell nearly 8% from last year's corresponding quarter, although this figure includes divestitures.

One thing Newell has going for it is valuations. Currently, shares trade hands at 11.6 times forward earnings, versus the greater S&P 500's multiple of 16.8. And with a dividend yield of 3.4%, the company currently offers nearly twice the dividend yield of the S&P 500. It's likely with both Icahn and Starboard on the board the company will quickly pivot to a shareholder-friendly focus. While I'd caution against the company for long-term, buy-and-hold investors at this point, turnaround-oriented contrarian investors may want to put the name on their wish list and follow management's moves closely.
When you buy an ear of corn or a bag of wheat flour at a supermarket, you probably don't pay much attention to where they were grown or milled. That's because both corn and flour are commodities.

Commodity goods are raw materials. They're interchangeable and can be bought and sold in bulk. Often these raw materials are the building blocks of manufactured products.

Types of commodities

Investors break down commodities into two categories: hard and soft. Hard commodities require mining or drilling to find. Soft commodities are grown or ranched. There are four main types of commodities.

1. Agricultural products: Soft commodities. They include crops like coffee, corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, and lumber.

2. Livestock and meat: Soft commodities. They include live cattle, beef, pork bellies, and milk.

3. Energy products: Hard commodities. They include crude oil, natural gas unleaded gasoline, propane, ethanol, and coal.

4. Metals: Hard commodities. They include precious metals, like gold and silver, and industrial metals, like copper, aluminum, and palladium.

What is commodities trading?

Commodities trading is the buying and selling of these raw materials. Sometimes it involves the physical trading of goods. But more often it happens through futures contracts, where you agree to buy or sell a commodity for a certain price at a specified date.

With futures contracts, commodities traders bet on how the commodity's price will move. When you think the price will go up, you'd buy futures, or go long. When you think the price will drop, you'd sell futures, or go short. While futures contracts can be used to speculate about price changes, often they're used by producers or major industrial consumers as a hedge against price increases or decreases, as we'll discuss shortly.

Futures contracts are typically traded on commodity exchanges. The two largest exchanges in the U.S. are the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Commodities vs. the stock market

Commodity prices often fluctuate wildly because of changes in supply and demand. For example, when there's a big harvest of a certain crop, the price usually goes down. When there's a drought, prices often rise because of fears that the supply will drop. Similarly, during cold weather, demand for natural gas for heating purposes rises, causing prices to spike, too. But a warm spell during winter can depress prices.

Still, some commodities are relatively stable, such as gold, which also serves as a reserve asset for central banks. But in general, commodities are significantly more volatile than stocks or bonds.

Some investors seek out commodities for diversification. Commodities usually have a negative correlation (their prices move in different directions) or a low correlation (their prices don't move in tandem with each other) with equities. For example, oil and stocks tend to have a negative correlation. That means rising oil prices have traditionally been linked to a weaker stock market, and the stock market is often stronger when oil prices are low.

For that reason, commodities are a popular stock market hedge. Many investors flock to gold during a bear market, for example. Commodities are also a common inflation hedge. High inflation often causes commodity prices to soar, whereas stocks and bonds perform better when inflation is lower.

How to invest in commodities

Commodity trading isn't the only means of investing in commodities. You can also invest in stocks of companies that produce commodities. Or you could invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that track the commodity. Here are four basic ways to invest in commodities.

1. Invest directly in the commodity

If you want to invest by physically buying a commodity, one advantage is that you don't have to go through a third party. Typically you can do a simple internet search to find a dealer to sell you a particular good, and when you no longer want it, that dealer will often buy it back. But you have to figure out delivery and storage logistics.

If you're buying gold, this may be relatively simple. You can easily find a coin dealer online who can sell you a bar or coin. You can safely store it and later sell it as you wish.

But it gets a lot harder when you're trying to figure out delivery and storage of cattle, crude oil, or bushels of corn. For that reason, investing in most physical commodities typically takes too much effort for individual investors.

2. Invest in futures contracts

You can trade futures contracts as long as you have a brokerage account that allows for it. But futures contracts are largely designed for major companies involved in commodities, rather than individuals.

For instance, say you're a corn farmer. You want to be sure that you'll be able to get at least the prevailing market price for your crop. So you sell a futures contract, agreeing to sell 5,000 bushels of corn at $4 each in 90 days. You win if prices drop because you've locked in $4 a bushel, but you miss out on profits if prices rise to $5.

On the other side, say you're a food processing company that needs corn to produce cornmeal for food retailers. You don't want to risk higher prices if there's a smaller crop. So you buy that futures contract for 5,000 bushels of corn at $4 each. If prices fall, you lose because you pay more than the prevailing market price. But if they skyrocket, you're still paying only $4 a bushel.

As an investor, you can also speculate on corn prices. For example, let's say you buy that same futures contract. You have no intention of actually buying 5,000 bushels of corn in 90 days, but you're betting that corn prices will rise and you'll be able to sell it for more money. Or you can take a short position if you believe prices will fall.

One big risk of trading commodities is that the margin requirements are significantly lower than for stocks. When you trade on margin, you're trading borrowed money, which can amplify your losses. Given how volatile commodity prices can be, it's essential to have enough resources on hand to cover any margin call, which is when your broker requires you to deposit more money.

3. Invest in commodity stocks

Another way to invest in commodities is to buy shares of the companies that produce them. For example, you could buy mining stocks, oil stocks, or agriculture stocks.

A commodity-producing company won't necessarily rise or fall in line with the commodity it produces. Sure, an oil production company will benefit when crude oil prices rise and suffer when they fall. But far more important is how much oil it has in its reserves and whether it has lucrative supply contracts with high-demand purchasers.

4. Invest in commodity ETFs and mutual funds

Commodity ETFs and mutual funds offer commodity exposure for those who don't want to buy the commodity directly. Commodity funds may invest in physical materials, commodity stocks, futures contracts, or a combination. However, commodity funds may not move in sync with the price of the underlying good, which can come as a surprise to new investors.

Should you trade commodities?

Commodity trading is a high-risk, high-reward endeavor. It can be an effective way to hedge your portfolio against a bear market or inflation. But you should consider it only if you have a strong understanding of the supply-and-demand dynamics of the commodity market. That includes knowledge of historical price trends and what's happening in real time. If you're getting started, you can reduce your risk by limiting your use of margin.

Much of commodity trading amounts to speculation, not investing. Unpredictable factors like the weather, disease, and natural disasters can have huge impacts on commodity prices in the short term. If you're looking to invest in a commodity for the long term, commodity stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs are a better option for most individuals.
Nokia to develop 500 digitally integrated smart villages News oi-Vishal Kawadkar Nokia has big plans for the rural areas in India.

Nokia today announced its Smartpur project that aims to develop 500 digitally integrated and sustainable villages across India. This aligns with government's vision of Digital India. In phase 1 of the project, a pilot has been rolled out in Haryana and Tamil Nadu with Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) as the implementation partner to develop 10 such villages in each state. The pilot in Tain village, Nuh district, Haryana was inaugurated today by Ambassador of Finland, Ms. Nina Vaskunlahti.

According to the International Telecom Union ICT Facts and Figures, 20% of households in developed countries and as many as 66% of households in developing countries do not have internet access, leaving almost 4 billion people from developing countries offline. Nearly a billion of these unconnected people live in India, and mostly in rural India. As a telecommunications technology leader, Nokia is committed to improving people's lives through connectivity.

With the Smartpur project, Nokia aims to create a sustainable ecosystem in villages where community members can leverage digital tools to bring efficiency in daily lives, transparency in governance, economic prosperity for households and ease of access to various government services and information. The project will work under the five key areas of development - health, education, livelihood, governance and finance - to build a holistic, digitally integrated village.

In phase 1 of the project, 20 villages will be digitally integrated in Haryana and Tamil Nadu in a hub and spoke model. Tain village in Nuh district Haryana and Asoor in Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu will serve as hub which will host a digital center with telecom connectivity to provide ICT-enabled, primary services across each of the 5 pillars to rural community. The spoke centers will further extend these services to 9 other villages from each hub. In phase 2, the project will be scaled-up to up to another 80 villages across various states. Subsequently, it will be extended to another 400 villages over a period of 5 years.

Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 6 First Impressions

Sanjay Malik, head of India for Nokia, said, "At Nokia, we believe connecting the unconnected opens up opportunities in many areas and has tremendous potential to enable socio-economic empowerment of individual as well as communities. Globally, Nokia works with governments, NGOs, our customers and vendors to drive access for all. The Smartpur initiative is our contribution to delivering the benefits of broadband infrastructure and services to the 'telecom-dark' areas and support the government's vision of Digital India for a more inclusive growth."

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Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+ are now available in Burgundy Red and Sunrise Gold colours News oi-Vivek Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+ are now available in Sunrise Gold and burgundy red colours on selected markets at a similar price as of a standard Galaxy S9 and the S9+.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and the S9+ were launched on the MWC 2018, with the top of the line specifications. The Galaxy S9/S9+ were the first set of smartphones to offer a camera with variable aperture. These smartphones were made available in two different chipsets, one with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 or the Exynos 9810 Octa-core chipset (depending on the market). And now Samsung is all set to launch two new colours options for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the S9+ in selected markets.

The company is all set to launch the Sunrise Gold coloured Galaxy S9/S9+ will be available in Australia, Chile, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam from June. Similarly, the Burgundy Red colour will be available in Korea and China by the end of the May 2018. As of now, there is no information about the availability of these new colours in India. Considering the Samsung's way of doing these, these newer models will be made available in India in a month are two. As these have identical specifications as of a standard S9/S9+, the prices of these phones are likely to remain the same.

Samsung Galaxy S9

The Galaxy S9 comes with a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED Infinity Display with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. The bezels around the display are even narrower than last year's Galaxy S8. Samsung says they have increased the brightness of the display and there is a new Landscape Mode. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by the in-house Exynos 9810 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. There are two storage variants of the Galaxy S9; the basic one comes with 64GB of internal storage, whereas the higher model comes with 256GB of internal storage. The latest flagship is backed by a 3,000mAh battery unit and it runs on Android Oreo with Samsung's new Grace UX. On the optics front, the Galaxy S9 is equipped with a 12MP primary camera which is capable of switching between the aperture size of f/1.5 and f/2.4 depending on the lighting conditions. The rear sensor can also record slow-mo videos in high quality. What's more, the camera comes with AR emojis.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ First Impressions

Samsung Galaxy S9+

The Samsung Galaxy S9+ is fitted with a larger 6.2-inch Super AMOLED Infinity Display with 18.5.9 aspect ratio. It is driven by the Exynos 9810 processor as well, but it packs 6GB of RAM. The smartphone is available in two storage variants; 64GB and 256GB. The Galaxy S9+ makes use of a 3,500mAh battery unit and it runs on Android Oreo with Samsung's new Grace UX. In terms of optics, the smartphone flaunts a rear dual camera setup with two 12MP sensors. The primary sensor is equipped with a wide-angle lens and dual-aperture technology which can range between the aperture sizes of f/1.5 and f/2.4. The secondary sensor is a 2x Telephoto sensor with f/2.4 aperture.

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Motorola partners with Sangeetha Mobiles to increase its retail presence News oi-Priyanka The company has been aggressively increasing its retail presence across India.

With an aim to strengthen its offline presence Motorola today announced its partnership with Sangeetha Mobiles, the multi-brand retail chain.

"With this partnership, we aim to provide access to Motorola's premium product experience to our customers across Sangeetha mobiles stores, B.V Mallikarjuna Rao, Regional General Manager, Motorola Mobility India said.

"Our aim is to bring the brand closer to the customers in an environment they are familiar with and we are confident that Sangeetha Mobiles' in-depth understanding of the market and its substantial reach will be instrumental in consolidating Motorola's retail presence," B.V Mallikarjuna Rao further said.

The company has been aggressively increasing its retail presence across India. As part of the strategy to consolidate its offline presence, Motorola plans to open Moto Hubs in over 475 Sangeetha mobiles stores across 7 states including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Motorola inaugurated the first "Moto Hub" at a Sangeetha store in Bengaluru.

"We share Motorola's vision of providing premium customer experiences and are excited to start off this relationship," said Subhash Chandra, Managing Director, Sangeetha Mobiles.

The company has announced 600+ Moto Hub stores across the states of Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal & North East. Motorola plans to open 1000+ Moto Hubs by the end of the year.

Moto Hub is a key destination that provides easy access and availability of all Motorola products to customers; where they will be able to experience the entire portfolio of Motorola devices at convenient locations including the online exclusive devices like the popular moto e4 plus and moto g5s plus, apart from the recently launched moto x4 and moto z2 force.

Meanwhile, there is a report which says that Motorola, is also planning to launch the 6th generation Moto G series of smartphones in the country.

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Nokia to take wraps off its X6 smartphone today News oi-Karan Most awaited Nokia X6 is all set to launch in China by HMD Global. The company was reportedly teasing the launch of a new smartphone on may 16 and so far, it has only disclosed the front of the phone.

Most awaited Nokia X6 is all set to launch in China by HMD Global. The company was reportedly teasing the launch of a new smartphone on may 16 and so far, it has only disclosed the front of the smartphone in the teasers. The most highlighted feature of the phone is its iPhone X-style notch on the display.

The name of the phone which is going to be launch is not disclosed yet. However, the rumors have indicated that the company is going to launch its Nokia X-Series smartphone. The company can name the unit either with Nokia X or with Nokia X6. A recent leak has claimed that the Nokia X6 name is final now.

So far, the HMD Global has only teased the front panel of the new Nokia X smartphone. But a major retailer e-commerce website Suning.com has revealed that the design of the back panel also, which includes a dual rear camera setup placed vertically on the back. Along with the camera module, the back also houses a fingerprint scanner.

The leaked image clearly matches the design of the alleged Nokia X which is listed on the TENAA certification website. The alleged Nokia X6 launch is set to start at 2:40 pm CST (12:10 pm IST). The launch event will take place at Beijing Minsheng Museum Modern Art, and the launch will be live streamed on JD.com, Suning.com, and Tmall.com, apart from numerous other live stream partners.

There were numerous rumors and leaks for Nokia X and Nokia X6 in the past, with the aforementioned alleged TENAA listing and Geekbench listing, but some of the more credible ones. According to rumors and leaks, the Nokia X or Nokia X6 is said to run Android 8.1.0 Oreo out-of-the-box.

The smartphone is expected to sport a 5.8-inch full-HD+ TFT display with a resolution of 1080x2280 pixels and 19:9 aspect ratio. The phone is said to be powered by an octa-core SoC clocked at 1.8GHz, speculated to either be the Snapdragon 636 or MediaTek Helio P60 SoC, coupled with 3GB/ 4GB/ 6GB of RAM. There is expected to be 32GB/ 64GB onboard storage, expandable up to 128GB (via microSD).

The Nokia powered flagship will sport dual 16-megapixel sensors in its vertical dual rear camera setup, while front camera sensors have still remained a mystery. the smartphone is expected to cost CNY 1,499 (roughly Rs. 15,900) for its 4GB RAM, 64GB storage variant.

Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 6 First Impressions

Source

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Nokia X6 announced: Price, specifications, features and more News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Nokia X6 is finally official.

HMD Global has just taken the wraps off the much-awaited Nokia X6 smartphone. This is the first Android smartphone to announced in the Nokia X series in China as assured. The smartphone has been announced in three color options - Blue, Black and Silver. For now, there is no word regarding the global availability of the Nokia phone.

Display

The latest smartphone from HMD Global boasts of a 5.8-inch FHD+ display with a resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. There is a notch on top of the display housing the selfie camera and earpiece. It is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Notably, the device renders a screen-to-body ratio of 80.3%.

Processor and storage

The Nokia X6 makes use of an octa-core 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC based on the 14nm process. This processor is teamed up with Adreno 509 GPU. There are multiple variants of the smartphone. The base variant has 4GB RAM and 32GB storage space while the mid variant has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage space. The high-end variant has 6GB RAM and 64GB storage space. All these variants support expandable storage space up to 256GB.

Camera

The smartphone has a dual-camera module at its rear. The primary camera is a 16MP RGB sensor with f/2.0 aperture and dual-tone LED flash. The secondary camera is a 5MP monochrome sensor with f/2.2 aperture. This camera has AI portrait mode and scene recognition. The selfie camera is a 16MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture. The selfie camera has features such as Face Unlock and AI aspects like background blur and stickers. Unlike the flagship models, this dual-camera module is not from Zeiss optics.

Connectivity and software

There is a hybrid SIM slot supporting two nano SIM cards or a nano SIM card and a microSD card. The device has Dual VoLTE support, which lets you use VoLTE on both SIM cards. Other aspects include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, GPS, USB Type-C, FM Radio and a 3.5mm audio jack. The smartphone runs Android 8.1 Oreo and will receive the Android P update in future.

Battery

This new Nokia smartphone employs a 3060mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging technology. It is touted that the device can be charged from 0% to 50% in just 30 minutes.

Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 6 First Impressions

Nokia X6 price

The base variant with 4GB RAM and 32GB storage space is priced at 1299 yuan (approx. Rs. 14,000). The mid variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage space is priced at 1499 yuan (approx. Rs. 16,000). The high-end variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage space carries a price tag of 1699 yuan (approx. Rs. 18,000).

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Boat tragedy: Pawan agrees with Jagan

Actor-turned-Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday endorsed the opinion expressed by YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy that the death of 22 persons in the Tuesdays boat tragedy in Godavari river at Devipatnam in East Godavari district was nothing but an institutional murders by the Chandrababu Naidu government.

The fact that the boat had sunk 60 feet deep into the river waters itself shows the magnitude of the tragedy. It is definitely a mistake of the government and its administrative failure. It is a tragic situation that even after several years, the tribals do not have road access to their hamlets and they are forced to travel by launches to reach the urban areas for their daily needs, Pawan lamented.

He alleged that the Naidu government had not yet provided the assistance under rehabilitation and resettlement package to the tribal villages falling under Polavaram project.

They are still travelling by boats to reach the officials to get the compensation amount, the Jana Sena chief said.

Describing the deaths as nothing but government killings, Pawan said it was unfortunate that the government was least bothered about lack of permissions and checking fitness of the boats to operate in the river.

It is time the government woke up from slumber and provide road access to tribal hamlets at least now, he said.

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After identifying a South Norwalk site for a new brewery in Norwalk  of the fizzy rather than the sudsy variety  a pair of entrepreneurs has decided not to move ahead with the location.

East Coast Kombucha is the creation of Steve Gaskin, a Weston resident who runs the TV production firm Chopper Films and who has produced or directed programs for FOX; and Howard Duvall IV, a New York City financial advisor with Merrill Lynch who lives in Wilton.

Gaskin and Duvall had approached the city of Norwalk about establishing a kombucha brewery at 314 Wilson Ave., an old brick building next to SoNo Ice House that years earlier hosted the SoNo Marketplace for crafts and food vendors. The facility is owned by a limited liability company created by the Grasso family of Grasso Cos., and houses operations of the classic car restoration company Black Bridge Motors and The Care of Trees professional tree services company.

Gaskin told Hearst Connecticut Media the pair are no longer looking to brew kombucha in Norwalk, without providing additional details on any future plans. Norwalk zoning chief Steve Kleppin indicated that the Wilson Avenue site would have required the submission of a coastal area management plan, adding that would not represent a significant hurdle.

At Chopper Films and other production companies, Gaskin has directed or produced programs for networks like the Discovery Channel, HGTV and the History Channel; as well as ads for Starbucks, LOreal and the New York Lottery among others.

Kombucha is created by adding yeast and cultured bacteria to tea and sugar to ferment a carbonated drink, which adherents prize for both a sweet-tart flavor and antioxidants and vitamins it contains.

If successful in finding a new site and establishing operations, East Coast Kombucha would become the second such brewery to do so locally after Cross Culture Kombucha, created by Ian Ceppos, a commercial real estate broker in the Stamford office of Colliers International; and Elizabeth Ceppos who worked three years for Argyle Project Management in Norwalk.

Elizabeth Ceppos said it will have taken the couple nine months to open the kombucha brewery and taproom they are planning in Danbury, targeting a July opening. They have been using a commercial kitchen to date to supply a rapidly expanding retail base that includes Cask Republic in Stamford and Harbor Harvest in Norwalk.

Cross Culture and East Coast Kombucha are the lone two Connecticut members of Kombucha Brewers International, a trade group that has seen its ranks soar 40 percent in the past year as the drink becomes more widely available on store shelves and cafes.

Two years ago, a Westport teen named Aishah Avdiu established Bar Bucha Elixirs in the towns Saugatuck district, but Avdiu closed it last fall as she matriculated into college. Another producer called Kaleidoscope Kombucha was founded earlier this year in Cheshire.

Chris Bosak and Robert Koch contributed to this report.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
For Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the release of 1,800 pages of interviews with Donald Trump Jr. and others who attended an epic 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians is more about questions unanswered than those answered.

The number of I dont knows and I dont recalls is striking, said Blumenthal, a former Connecticut attorney general who sat in on the interview with Donald Jr. as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. But even more so was the body language of shrugs, head-shakes, raised eyebrows, looking at counsel. Clearly he was on a mission to duck as many questions as possible  and he did.

But overall, he said, the transcripts raise deeply troubling questions about Russian interference in our elections and Trump campaign complicity.

With Republicans in control of the committee, some Democrats said they were concerned that its chairman, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, was releasing the transcripts as a prelude to shutting down the committees investigation of possible campaign collusion with Russians in order to help now-President Donald Trump win the 2016 election  a charge the president vehemently denies.

Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans are rushing to declare their investigation complete when they have barely scratched the surface, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-NY, said Wednesday. To call the Senate Judiciary Committees Trump-Russia investigation half-hearted is too generous.

Blumenthal said he was hopeful the Republicans would continue the investigation to completion.

I would be dismayed and astonished if the investigation were simply shut down, he said.

Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., chairman of the House intelligence committee, shut down its comparable investigation with a finding consistent with President Trumps declaration that no collusion had taken place.

But on Wednesday, bipartisan leaders of the Senate intelligence committee said they agreed with the U.S. intelligence communitys assessment that the Russian effort was aimed at undercutting Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton and thereby aiding Trump. Nunes and House Republicans, by contrast, said evidence of Russian preference was inconclusive.

Among those Trump Tower meeting attendees interviewed by Senate Judiciary were Trump acolyte Rob Goldstone and Rinat Akhmetshin, a prominent Russian-American lobbyist. Among those not interviewed were President Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, a New Britain native.

The Trump Tower meeting on June 9, 2016, had been billed as a chance to meet with a Russian government attorney who would purvey negative information on Clinton. The effort was part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump, said Goldstone, the meeting arranger.

The transcripts showed an unapologetic Trump Jr. insisting dozens of times he could not recall key details such as talking to his father the day of the meeting.

Asked whether in hindsight it was unwise to meet with Russians in order to get dirt on Clinton, Trump Jr. responded: I didn't think that listening to someone with information relevant to the fitness and character of a presidential candidate would be an issue, no."

Trump Jr. expressed disappointment only that the primary Russian visitor at the meeting, lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, was more intent on talking about an adoption issue that had arisen between the U.S. and Russia than anything else.
In this series, The Way We Work, Entrepreneur Associate Editor Lydia Belanger examines how people foster productivity, focus, collaboration, creativity and culture in the workplace.

Picture the archetypal gig worker, freelancer, contractor -- or anyone who works remotely from a computer -- and youll probably imagine someone sitting in a crowded coffee shop, typing away on their laptop, taking calls through their earbuds and asking the person at the next table to watch their stuff while theyre in the bathroom (speed-washing their hands while praying that the stranger is trustworthy).

It might have been the third coffee shop they tried that day, after they arrived at the first couple of spots to find every seat, or every seat near an outlet, full.

Related: Here's How WeWork Pinpoints the Perfect Locations for Its Co-Working Spaces in Neighborhoods

If the worker is lucky, financially speaking, they might be able to graduate to a coworking space. But for those who dont want to shell out several hundred to upwards of $1,000 per month, theres a middle ground: restaurants that double as coworking spaces during the day.

KettleSpace co-founder Daniel Rosenzweig used to work on WeWorks real-estate team, where he saw firsthand the high investment costs the coworking giant incurred in securing space, which it then passed on to its member base. Meanwhile, coffee shops were still full of squatting workers.

One weekday morning in 2015, Rosenzweig had not yet arrived at the office but needed to make a phone call. To escape the noise on the streets of Manhattans Chelsea neighborhood, he ducked into a restaurant. There were no other patrons in the place, and Rosenzweig stayed there for four hours after his call ended.

I had this eureka moment, Rosenzweig says. The freelance community, individuals who are starting their businesses out of coffee shops or working from home, deserve better.

He started using his lunch breaks at WeWork to do some research. Hed walk the streets, peeking into coffee shops and restaurants during the peak lunch hours and take a headcount. At coffee shops, he found, an average of 75 percent of people inside were working on a laptop. Meanwhile, he says, most restaurant dining rooms were half full, max.

Then he started having conversations. Id start with the bartender and work my way up to the GM, Rosenzweig says.

It was a family friend who eventually introduced him to Nick Iovacchini, the co-owner at Distilled, a bar and restaurant in Manhattans Tribeca neighborhood. Iovacchini became a co-founder, and Distilled became the first location for KettleSpace in spring 2016. Twitter veteran Andrew Levy joined the team in early 2017, and the team expanded to additional spaces later that year. Today, there are six Manhattan locations and one Brooklyn location, with plans to expand beyond New York soon. Members can pick any location for the day with availability information online, and no restrictions on restaurant-hopping.

Image Credit: Kettlespace

As Levy notes, KettleSpace can generate the equivalent of $1 to $2 million in incremental food and beverage spend, with little to no operational effort, on membership revenue alone.

KettleSpace isnt the only company seizing this opportunity. For example, WorkEatPlay offers daily and monthy memberships, allows reservations for parties of varying sizes and also partners with hotels, museums and art galleries. Spacious expanded from New York to San Francisco late last year, and its Flagship location provides coworking in a previously vacant Manhattan retail space.

Like its competitors, some KettleSpace locations are open for lunch, while others are restaurants that dont open until dinner time. At the former, members can (but arent obligated to) buy food (at a discount) and work in a designated area of the restaurant. At the latter, either, members are often eligible for drink vouchers at happy hour. Plus, every KettleSpace location and membership plan offers unlimited coffee, tea and snacks.

Were pretty good at finding ways to co-exist, Iovacchini says. People are generally a lot more gentle on your business during these hours. They havent had 10 drinks and ripped out all of the stuff in your bathroom, for example.

Related: Tour This Upscale Coworking Space That Strives to Energize and Inspire Its Members

The KettleSpace team learned that members didnt want to stop working at 4 or 4:30 and clear out, so they worked with their partners to find a solution to make the transition period smooth. (Besides, restaurants dont usually fill up right at 5 p.m.) At some locations, co-workers have to work in a designated area from, say, 4 to 6.

We tell our members, At this time, youre going to be a customer in a restaurant, Rosenzweig says. So, act as one would in a restaurant. Buy a drink, say hello to your server.

Image Credit: Kettlespace

At KettleSpace locations that are only open to the public in the evenings, a sandwich-board sign out front reads open for coworking during the day. Its part advertising for KettleSpace and part clarification for confused passersby who wonder whether the restaurant is serving lunch.

Even if waiters arent serving KettleSpace members during the workday, KettleSpace has staff at each location. On the typical day, youll find the co-founders there, because the KettleSpace locations are the companys headquarters. As Rosenzweig puts it, Were building this product for ourselves, because we are the end user.

Each location also has a community manager -- a person with a hospitality background whom KettleSpace hires to help members with business needs. For example, if a member needs help with Adobe Photoshop, a community manager could try and put them in touch with a fellow member who would be willing to provide a brief tutorial. Within each space, a representative from the Small Business Administrations SCORE association is available for complimentary mentoring.

Theres also the reality that not everyone is looking to connect with others, Levy says. Some people are just looking for a space to put their headphones on and grind and focus, and we provide space for them, too.

However, if they desire the community element, members can join an evening intramural kickball league, attend a breakfast gathering, a lunch-and-learn, panel discussion or another event (such as headshots at happy hour) at KettleSpace locations. There is also a weekly newsletter to help people feel connected. In it, a column titled Community Wins highlights members professional triumphs.

Image Credit: Kettlespace

If you work at a corporation and you make a big sale or you launch a new product, there are a million people there to pat you on your back, Rosenzweig says. But in the freelance world, its more isolating. My wins might not be celebrated.

The ability to move across KettleSpace locations allows people to book client meetings in different locations around town, wherever is most convenient. KettleSpace makes sure each location is equipped with speedy Wi-Fi (Distilled installed a special router for this purpose), and for locations with minimal power outlets, the company brings in power strips.

Theres even special music during the day -- music thats conducive to productivity, Levy says. We keep it at a decibel level thats been scientifically demonstrated to increase concentration.

KettleSpace looks for comfortable seating, natural lighting and proximity to public transportation. The company has also prioritized spreading its locations across the city, rather than concentrated in one spot, so theyre accessible from more neighborhoods. While KettleSpace doesnt share its member count, the co-founders report that thousands of members have co-worked out of its spaces in the past several months.

lf this sounds like your cup of tea, or coffee, KettleSpace charges $99 a month for unlimited access, $49 for 40 hours a month or $25 for 10 hours a month.



Related video: What's the Biggest Challenge of Starting a Restaurant?

Related:

Meet This Company That Turns Restaurants Into Coworking Spaces

Tour This Upscale Coworking Space That Strives to Energize and Inspire Its Members

How to Add Plants to an Office to Make Employees More Focused and Productive



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PORTLAND  The Portland Library and Library Board will host the dedication of the Glasson Angel statues on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., which were donated to the Library by Cathleen Glasson.

The angels are the work of her husband Lloyd Glasson, who was Professor Emeritus of sculpture and drawing at the Art School of the University of Hartford where he taught for 45 years. In 1986 he was commissioned to create the Archangels to stand atop the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch in Bushnell Park in Hartford.

The Arch was dedicated on September 17, 1886 to honor the men of Hartford who served in the Civil War. The original angels, made of terra cotta, were deteriorating and eventually destroyed by fire in 1985.

The Gothic style Arch is made of brownstone from Portland. The miniature trumpets on the replicas at the library were manufactured by Precision Plastic Products also of Portland. The public is invited to attend and light refreshments will be served.

Bank, News Channel 8 team up with Save-A-Suit

MIDDLETOWN  Liberty Bank is teaming up with Save-A-Suit and WTNH News Channel 8 to collect suits, blazers, ties, shirts, women's items, dresses, and shoes for veterans returning home from active duty. This initiative supports local military men and women as they get reacquainted with the job interview process and look for long-term employment.

"We are thrilled to partner with Liberty Bank to support veterans in need. Corporate support is vital to making an impact. It means a lot to the veterans who have served our country, said Jessica F. Ewud, Save-A-Suit Founding Partner and Executive Director, in a written statement.

Anyone can support Connecticut's veterans by dropping off new or gently used business attire at any of Liberty Banks 55 branches throughout the state. Our partnership with Save-A-Suit is driven by our employees passion for ensuring that our veterans succeed in the next stages of their lives, stated Chandler J. Howard, Liberty Bank, President and CEO. Liberty Bank also makes it a top priority to hire veterans and provide support when they are ready to reenter the workforce.

This is the first time that Libertys branches will also serve as drop-off locations for Save-A-Suit. Donations will be delivered to the non-profit just in time for Memorial Day. Last year, Liberty Bank partnered with Save-A-Suit, led by Madison Branch Manager, Troy Bree, to host an internal donation drive with employees, collecting 110 suits and 657 items. "Our veterans have given us a lot over the years and this is a great opportunity for us to give back to them. Every little bit helps, stated Troy Bree, Liberty Bank. Save-A-Suit and its partners help veterans experience smoother transitions from service to civilian life. Since inception in 2010, the nonprofit has distributed over 4,000 suits to veterans and students. Learn more at: www.saveasuit.org.

East Hampton paramedic deploys to Washington, DC

EAST HAMPTON  Paramedic Stephen Van Dyke, of East Hampton has deployed to Washington, D.C., to provide medical support during the National Peace Officers Memorial Service on Tuesday, May 15. Mr. Van Dyke serves as a member of the National Disaster Medical Systems (NDMS) Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT).

During the memorial service, NDMS personnel along with U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHS) officers stand ready to provide advanced life support and basic medical care to the thousands of people from around the nation attending the event.

NDMS is a federally administered program that can support communities with medical care and mortuary assistance during disasters or public health emergencies. They also work behind the scenes at some of our nations biggest events, often at the request of the Office of the Attending Physician and the U.S. Capitol Police. NDMS is among the resources made available by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

Typically at events like this we see people who are dehydrated, have minor cuts or sprains, or other non-life threatening injuries/illness, said Ron Miller, acting director of ASPRs NDMS. However, we also can provide the initial life-saving care for more serious injuries or illnesses and stabilize a patient for transportation by DC Fire/EMS to a local hospital.

NDMS teams consist of physicians, nurses, paramedics, fatality management professionals, and experienced command and control staff. There are more than 6,000 team members organized in to 70 response teams. Providing medical care during emergencies and special events, such as the Peace Officers Memorial, can overwhelm local and state resources. ASPR looks to the expertise within NDMS and USPHS from across the country to assist in the response.

The Peace Officers Memorial Day is held annually on May 15, in honor of federal, state, and local officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. Each year, the Fraternal Order of Police and its auxiliary organizes the national memorial service in conjunction with Police Week. The service is followed by the placement of a memorial wreath at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

For more information about opportunities available with NDMS and to apply, visit USAjobs.gov. For more information about federal medical response and NDMS, visit www.phe.gov.

Library to host painting class

DEEP RIVER  Create an acrylic masterpiece at the Deep River Library on Saturday, May 19 from 12-2 p.m. Under the guidance of local artist, Carlos Ayala, participants will learn to paint a still life. Ayala will provide all materials and instruction; participants must pay a materials fee of $20 per person at the door.

Register is required for this program and will be done through Sign-Up Genius, which can be accessed on the librarys website or Facebook Events page. Seating is limited to 20 participants. Children over 12 are welcome. For more information call the library at 860-526-6039. Register at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044fabaf29a6fa7-like1
HMD is holding a product launch event later this month. The company has started sending out press invites for the event which is scheduled for May 29 in Moscow (Russia).

While the invite doesn't reveal anything about the product(s) the company will announce, given that all top HMD executives will be in presence, it's reasonable to expect one or more new smartphones will be unveiled at the event.

Adding weight to the theory is the fact that three new Nokia-branded phones - carrying model numbers TA-1075, TA-1105, and TA-1116 - recently received regulatory approval in Russia.

An HMD executive confirmed at this year's MWC that the next gen Nokia 2, 3, and 5 are in the pipeline, but an Nokia X6 launch is more likely given the torrent of leaks lately.

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Samsung's upcoming tablet, the Galaxy Tab S4, has been leaking extensively lately, which typically suggests a nearing launch. The latest bit of unofficial info was delivered by a Geekbench scorecard, which confirms some of the internals.

After receiving certification by Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Russian authorities, the tablet's specs were revealed by its GFX profile. Today those were confirmed by a Geekbench scorecard.

The Galaxy Tab S4 will sport a Snapdragon 835 chipset with 4GB of RAM, powering up a 10.5-inch display of 1600 x 2560px resolution (16:10 aspect ratio). The previous leaks also add 64GB of internal storage, 12MP rear-mounted camera, 7MP front-facing one and LTE support for the SM-T830 model.

Source
The semiconductor business is a driving force of Samsungs profits, but its Exynos mobile chipsets are rarely seen in other manufacturers devices, with the only external client being Meizu with the latest 15 Plus phone. Reuters reported the Korean chaebol is talking with ZTE and other OEMs to start supplying them with mobile processors in order to up its rivalry with Qualcomm.

Inyup Kang, a former Qualcomm executive and now head of Samsungs logic chip developer System LSI, said the company is talking to all OEMs. He confirmed that new clients can be unveiled as early as the first half of 2019.

The search for new clients comes right after ZTE got banned from purchasing Qualcomm products for violating trade embargos and importing Snapdragon-powered devices in Iran and North Korea. Samsung also clarified that no deal is reached and all OEMs are treated equally.

Meizu 15 Plus - the only non-Samsung Exynos-powered device on the market

Samsung is far behind Qualcomm and Apple in mobile SoC production, but the solution to use in-house chips helped the company grow its smartphone business, including a 27% rise in shipments for System LSI. Since the smartphone market is slowing down, Samsung is also hoping to start delivering 5G chips to the automotive industry, with Reuters reporting Audi is going to become its first client.

Source
Published on 2018/05/16 | Source

Added episode 15 captures for the Korean drama "A Poem a Day" (2018)

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Directed by Han Sang-jae

Written by Baek Seon-woo, Choi Bo-rim, Myeong Soo-hyeon

Network : tvN

With Lee Yoo-bi, Lee Joon-hyuk, Jang Dong-yoon, Seo Hyun-chul, Lee Chae-young, Kim Jae-bum,...

16 episodes - Mon, Tue 21:30

Synopsis

Formerly known as "You Who Forgot Poetry"

This drama doesn't center around a "Doctor" as a main character, but instead focuses on the others who work in a hospital.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2018/03/26

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Published on 2018/05/16 | Source

Added episodes 5 and 6 captures for the Korean drama "Wok of Love" (2018)

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Directed by Park Seon-ho-I

Written by Seo Sook-hyang

Network : SBS

With Lee Junho, Jang Hyuk, Jung Ryeo-won, Lee Mi-sook, Park Ji-young, Cha Joo-young,...

40 episodes - Mon, Tue 22:00 (2x35min episodes per day)

Synopsis

"Greasy Romance" tells a story of love, survival with a focus on a star chef who fell from the top chef in the best Chinese restaurant in Korea to a tiny kitchen of a local diner down on its luck.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2018/05/07

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The Great Northern Fair Board Tuesday evening talked about repairs at the fairgrounds, heard committee reports, welcomed new member Bobbie Dolphay and discussed different ways to generate revenue for the board.

Board member Ray Kallenberger said the Financial Planning Committee met last week and went over some costs from hail damage last year that he thought could be covered by insurance money. The cost to repair the damage was about $6,900, he said, and the county agreed to put the money in the fairs account.

He added that this money will help the fair get through the rest of the fiscal year.

There is about $13,000 left in the cash reserve, he said, and they are hoping to make some revenue for the fair by getting the campsite open soon as well as with the new fair parking fee approved at the April meeting. The board approved a fee of $5 per vehicle per day or $20 per vehicle for the week.

We just hope that everyone understands that the money we are charging is going back into the fair, Kallenberger added. We are going to have to do it with a lot of volunteer help.

Fair Board Chair Tyler Smith said another way they plan to generate revenue is through a day-sponsorship board and readerboard.

They would like to put a large sponsorship board that would allow for five one-day sponsors for each day of the fair, he said.

The sign would be on 19th Avenue and U.S. Highway 2 at the stoplight and will have different prices for different days, Smith said.

For example, he said, Saturday and Sunday of the fair, a sponsorship board that faces the highway would be around $3,000, while a sign Wednesday-Friday that faces 19th Avenue would run around $2,000.

Smith said that any organization or company that would be interested in a sponsorship sign should contact him.

A reader board will also be included on the sign, Smith said, and a message can be purchased on this for around $100.

Smith said the poles for the sign have been donated and Montana Sign Co. gave a bid of $1,300 to put the sign up.

Smith said he believes the revenue for the first year, from this sign, could bring in around $7,000.

The board also discussed permanent signage at the fair, which runs $15 per square foot per year.

The other plan to generate revenue is the new parking fee. When it comes to the parking fee presale tickets, Smith said that he has identified 10 possible businesses that could sell tickets and he has contacted about half of those so far.

Smith said he is very thankful to Florens Hill County Printing for donating the printing of all the parking fee tickets.

Along with this, the board also discussed who would be collecting the fees and how they would be doing it. They agreed that if any group wants to help collect fees, it would be greatly appreciated and they should let a board member know.

Board member Scott Doney said that he thinks that maybe each group or organization can take eight hour shifts for manning the parking.

Smith said he also talked to staff at Holiday Village Mall about possibly encouraging people to support the fair and not park at the mall and walk over to the fair.

Smith said the roof of the Bigger Better Barn is being worked on and the tin from the old roof is being saved. He said he feels it is best if they put the tin inside the horse pavilion and they can decide what to do with it at a later time.

Smith said they contacted four electricians about updating the lights in the Bigger Better Barn and Jason Loch of Loch Electric was the only electrician to put forth a bid.

He said to put in switches, motion sensors and high efficiency lights, Loch offered to put forth $8,500 in donated labor costs, which leaves the cost at about $10,000. He added that NorthWestern Energy will provide a $5,000 rebate because of the high efficiency lights, which leaves the cost at about $5,000.

We want to sincerely thank Jason, Smith said. It is a stellar price.

Loch is also helping with the underground power lines that need to be repaired, said board member Jack Solomon. He said that they are progressing with these repairs to the electric power in the south side of the campground. The power to the campsite is not turned on now because of the old and damaged power lines.

Solomon said they are looking to put another meter base in so they wont need quite as big of wire and they can split it off. He said he told Loch to go ahead and order the boxes they need.

Smith said he noticed that outside the 4-H building, one of the hydrants was damaged during construction. He said he thought he first saw the damage within the last two weeks and he is looking into what happened.

Another issue that was brought up, he said, was a problem with a water meter and double billing.

A water main that goes through a meter to a fairground hydrant, Smith said, was also feeding to the County Shop Complex. This caused the double billing scenario for the county and the fairgrounds.

Smith said he talked to County Commissioner Mark Peterson about the billing and Peterson told him he would handle the matter.

Board member Chelby Gooch said that some of the future events include a comedy show Saturday, May 26, and an antique show during the first weekend in June, and the following weekend is the Hi-Line Cruzn Annual Rod Run.

She added that they have not decided on a final date for the demolition derby because they are waiting to see about other events before setting a date.

Smith asked that the final date be decided in two weeks.

Doney, who, along with Smith, met with Riley Cooke of Dreamland Carnival Co. said Cooke was worried that the fair was not going on this year.

Smith said he assured Cooke the fair was going to be held and then they discussed possibly moving the fair dates for next year.

Cooke said Dreamland would not be interested in contracting with the fair, Doney said, if the dates were pushed back to August because it wouldnt work with Dreamlands schedule.

Doney and Smith both said the future dates and possible contracting needs to be further discussed, but they will wait for later discussion until after the 2018 Fair.
Havre Police Department

The police department had technical difficulties over the weekend that delayed its dispatch log report for Friday morning through Monday morning. The report for those days is included with todays For the Record.

A protection order violation was reported at the police station Friday at 10:54 a.m.



A caller reported Friday at 11:14 a.m. from Ninth Avenue that a woman beat her up and drove off with her phone.



A noninjury vehicle crash was reported Friday at 3:08 p.m. on First Street West.



An Adult Protective Services representative dropped off information for an officer Friday at 5 p.m.



A caller on Smithville Road reported vandalism Friday at 8:21 p.m.



A Third Avenue caller reported a hit and run Friday at 10:05 p.m.



After Sixth Street callers reported a party in progress Friday at 10:08 p.m., James Oliver Kirby, 19, and Wyatt Arthur Johnstone, 18, both of Havre, were each arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of children and minor in possession; Dawson Kinsella of Havre, 19, was arrested on a minor in possession charge; a 17-year-old and two 16-year-olds were each issued a summons on a charge of MIP; JayR Caplette and Brock Donald Smith, both of Havre and 18, were each issued a summons on charges of MIP and endangering the welfare of children; Walter William White of Havre, 18, was issued a summons on charges of social host violation, MIP and endangering the welfare of children; and Stephen James David of Havre, 18, was issued a summons on a charge of endangering the welfare of children.



Caleb Jasper Young of Havre, 28, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and careless driving, during a vehicle stop on Main Street Saturday at 1:58 a.m.



A caller at a First Street West business requested assistance Saturday at 3:09 a.m. with a possible drug offense.



Myron Scott Michel of Havre, 49, was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and violation of conditions of release, Saturday at 6:32 p.m. after a 10th Avenue caller reported a man lying in the middle of the road.



A noninjury vehicle crash was reported on Seventh Avenue Saturday at 6:40 p.m.



Robert Henry Stump III of Box Elder, 31, was arrested on a Justice or City court and a charge of probation violation after an officer initiated contact at a First Street West establishment at 7:36 p.m.



Ryan Mathew Tanner Foursouls of Rocky Boy, 28. was arrested on a Justice or City court warrant and charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of dangerous drugs during a Fifth Avenue vehicle stop at 9:02 p.m. Saturday.



An arrest was made during a vehicle stop on Wilson Avenue Sunday at 12:17 a.m., but no arrest details were provided.



Winston Curley Stewart of Havre, 33, was issued a summons Sunday at 11:49 a.m. at the police station on a criminal contempt charge related to a 24/7 Sobriety Program SCRAM violation.



Kyle Jay Rummel of Missoula, 29, was issued a summons at the police station Sunday at 11:50 a.m. on a criminal contempt charge related to a 24/7 Sobriety Program SCRAM violation.



Kory Christopher Ross of Ulm, 32, was issued a summons at the police station Sunday at 11:51 a.m. on a criminal contempt charge related to a 24/7 Sobriety Program SCRAM violation.



An Xbox theft was reported Sunday at 12:01 p.m. at the police station.



A vehicle crash between a fork lift and a van was reported Sunday at 4:45 p.m. at a U.S. Highway 2 Northeast business.



A First Street vehicle crash was reported Sunday at 7:05 p.m.



A 16-year-old was issued a summons on an assault charge after a caller at a First Street business reported Sunday at 9:36 a.m. that her ex-boyfriends sister hit her.



Craig Tremayn Belcourt Jr. of Havre, 19, was arrested on charges of possession of dangerous drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia and Dante Shea Valenzuela of Havre, 21, was arrested on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of dangerous drugs, DUI and wrong-way driving, after a vehicle stop on 11th Avenue Monday at 1:21 a.m.



A set of keys was reported found at Patterson Park Tuesday at 7:48 a.m. Tuesday.



Matthew Joseph Saddler of Havre, 34, was arrested on a probation violation charge related to a 24/7 Sobriety Program violation.



Anthonio Uriah Valdez of Box Elder, 21, was arrested on a charge of shoplifting after a First Street business caller reported Tuesday at 8:53 a.m. a man had stolen beer.



A vehicle crash at Lincoln Avenue and 13th Street West was reported Tuesday at 1:08 p.m.



A 17th Street West caller reported Tuesday at 4:36 p.m. that a Playstation 4 had been stolen.



An arrest was made on a warrant after a woman with a warrant turned herself in at the police station Tuesday at 5:15 p.m.



A Tuesday 5:40 p.m. caller reported a hit and run on Third Street West.



A caller on First Street reported a noninjury vehicle crash at 5:54 p.m. Tuesday.



Elizabeth Helene Schmautz of Havre, 45, was arrested on a charge of driving with a suspended or revoked drivers license and on a Justice or City court warrant and Anthony James Corcoran of Box Elder, 36, was issued a summons on an open container violation charge, during a vehicle stop on Second Street Wednesday at 1:12 a.m.

Hill County Sheriffs Office

A caller on Seventh Avenue North in Box Elder called in a complaint Tuesday at 11:39 a.m.



Brooke Ann Blacktongue of Havre, 30, was arrested on a state District Court warrant Tuesday at 3:23 p.m. at Hill County Detention Center.



A caller at a U.S. Highway 2 West business reported Tuesday at 4:09 p.m. that an ex-employee had stolen some items.



Deputies were asked Tuesday at 9:59 p.m. for a civil standby on U.S. Highway 2 East.

Havre Fire Department

Havre Fire Department received no calls Tuesday.

Havre Animal Shelter

This morning the shelter held two medium-hair cats with sex listed as unknown, two medium-hair female cats, three medium-hair male cats, two female short-hair cats and one female long-hair cat.



The shelter also held this morning a 21-week-old male American Staffordshire Terrier, a 4-year-1-month-old female German shepherd-Labrador retriever cross, a 4-year-old female border terrier-terrier cross, a 1-year-3-month-old male Labrador retriever-Boston terrier cross, a 6-year-2-month-old male cocker spaniel and a 16-week-old male Australian shepherd.

Births

A boy was born Friday, May 11, 2018, to Seraya Standing Rock and Timothy Koop Jr. of Box Elder.
Editor's note: Finance reports on other local raises will be listed in stories printed later this week

Democrat Paul Tuss has so far outraised both his potential Republican opponents, state Sen. Russ Temple, R-Chester, and Brad Lotton, in the race for Senate District 14

The information is from the Montana Commmissioner of Political Practices' website from reports through May 1.

In the race for Senate District 14, which extends from Liberty County and western Hill County, including Havre down through Chouteau County into Cascade County just outside Great Falls, Tuss raised $25,125. He spent $978.39 and ended the period with $24,236.61 in cash on-hand, the website reports.

Tempel and Lotton, who are competing in the June 5 Republican primary for the chance to take on Tuss in November, raised $8,361 and $7,380 respectively, their campaign reports say.

Tempel has spent $6,447.68 and has $1,913.32 and Lotton spent $5,526.01 and has $1,853.99 left on-hand with an additional $170 on-hand in a separate account designated for the general election.

Hill County Republican Central Committee Chair Andrew Brekke said at a meeting of the Pachyderm Club Friday that Tuss has received more than 60 percent of his campaign contributions from outside the district.

In an email Tuesday, Tuss said that more than 87 percent of donations he has received come from people in Montana including family and friends, as well as from colleagues from his work in economic development and higher education and volunteer activities.

"These are people who know my commitment to this state and have encouraged me to take this exciting step of representing northern Montana in the Legislature," Tuss said in the email.

The report from Tuss's campaign says his donors include $50 from state Rep. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Havre; $180 from former Hill County Commissioner Kathleen Bessette; $50 from former Montana Commissioner of Labor and Industry Pam Bucy of Helena; $150 from MEA-MFT President Eric Feaver of Helena; $150 from Independence Bank President Miles Hamilton of Havre, and $180 from Democratic U.S. House primary candidate John Heenan of Billings.

The report says other Tuss contributions include three donations of $25 from Jennifer Hesley, a government relations professional from Pacificsource Health Plans; $170 from former senator and Montana Public Service Commission Chair Greg Jergeson of Chinook; $180 from Jim Messina, a former deputy White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama; $180 from Havre Mayor Tim Solomon, and $180 from Sharla Tester, wife of U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.

Some of Lotton's donors include $180 each from Abundant Life Ministries pastors Brian and Vicky Barrows; $180 from Brekke; $40 from candidate for clerk of the Montana Supreme Court Bowen Greenwood; $180 from former state Sen. Kris Hansen, R-Havre; $180 from Big Equipment owner Ron Harmon; $170 from Helena resident and former state Rep. Stephanie Hess, R-Havre; and $180 from Blaine County Republican Central Committee Chair Don Richman of Harlem.

Brad Lotton

Others who have donated to Lotton include $170 from Havre School Trustee Ed Hill; $180 from former state Rep. Roy Hollandsworth, R-Brady; $25 from Havre City Council member Ed Matter; $100 from former Montana Republican Party Chair Ken Miller; $50 from Great Northern Fair Board Chair Tyler Smith; $180 from former state Rep. Wendy Warburton, R-Havre, who now lives in Chinook, and $180 from former Havre City Council candidate Dr. Marc Whitacre.

The report from Tempel's campaign says their donors include:$170 from Northern Ag Network owner and former state Sen. Taylor Brown, R-Sand Springs; $100 from state Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls; $100 from Liberty County Commissioner Larry Hendrickson; and $180 from state Sen. Lew Jones, R-Conrad.

Tempel also received $80 from the Health Care Service Corp. Employees Political Action Committee; $180 from MT Med PAC, and $180 from Montana Dental PAC.
A basic discovery of how the cellular functions are connected to control aging is presented in the journal Cell Metabolism. The study shows that an increasingly deteriorating communication between the cells organelles is an important cause of aging. The discovery is the result of a collaboration between five research groups at the University of Stockholm and Gothenburg.

The whole project aims at finding new ways to address the problems of aging and, in the long term, to slow down or treat the onset of age-related diseases such as neurological diseases and dementia, explains Martin Ott, professor at Stockholm University.

In times when the general life expectancy increases, society is facing a growing challenge to provide an aging population with welfare and healthcare. It is therefore an urgent task to unravel the basic principles of biological aging, whose details are found at the cellular level.

Organelles are the cells equivalent to the bodys organs, each fulfilling a specific function. Previous research has shown that in aging cells, the various organelles stop functioning one after the other, but it is unclear what causes this observation. Because the organelles are coordinated to counteract damage to proteins that occur in cells, their interdependencies are of great importance for aging and health.

Communication problems

One of the cells organelles is the mitochondrium and it acts as the cells power plant. The new study lead by Martin Ott shows that it is production of mitochondrial proteins that controls the well-being of the whole cell via previously unknown communication links. When mitochondria are exposed to stress, a protection program is activated to keep all the functions of the cell in check, a mechanism that also operates when cells age. Importantly, the study shows that in aging cells, this communication between the organelles collapses, which causes vital cellular functions to deteriorate or fail.

It has been a very rewarding and inspiring collaboration where each research group has contributed with key expertise. What we now want to investigate is when, how and why communication between cellular organelles ceases to function during aging. says Claes Andreasson, a lecturer at Stockholm University and a senior author of the study.

The discovery is based on studies of yeast cells. Although yeast may seem to have few similarities with humans, the mechanisms that control aging at the cellular age are essentially the same. Therefore, it is highly likely that the aging mechanisms identified at the cellular level in this study are also active in human cells.

About the article:

Mitochondrial Translation Efficiency Controls Cytoplasmic Protein Homeostasis was published in Cell Metabolism (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2018.04.011

Background:

The study is part of the collaborative project Interconnected quality (IQ) control  role in organizational structure function, aging and longevity assurance, which in 2017 was awarded a project grant of SEK 44.7 million by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

Five research groups at the University of Stockholm and Gothenburg are involved in the project led by Professor Thomas Nystrom at the University of Gothenburg. The researchers in Gothenburg focus on investigating the shape of aging yeast cells, which is examined by high-resolution electron microscopy, and on the identification of genes that modulate aging. The colleagues in Stockholm study the proteins that these genes code for in order to figure out exactly what these proteins do in the cell.
A man who robbed a petrol station while armed with a meat thermometer has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. (stock photo)

A man who robbed a petrol station while armed with a meat thermometer has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Stephen Doherty (50) was high on heroin when he stole 200 in cash from an Applegreen service station at Baldoyle, Dublin, before accosting a woman outside and trying to rob her too, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard yesterday.

He later told gardai he carried out the robbery to help pay for his mother's funeral.

Doherty, of Blakestown Road, Mulhuddart, Dublin, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one of attempted robbery at the station last October 31.

Gda Marie Geraghty told John Fitzgerald, prosecuting, that a worker was behind the till at around 4pm on the day in question when Doherty approached him and calmly said: "I know the camera is on me and I know about the button at your leg, so don't be pressing anything."

Stupid

The worker saw Doherty was holding what he initially thought was an ice pick, but which was later discovered to be a meat thermometer.

Doherty brandished the thermometer and ordered the man to open the till, telling him: "Don't do anything stupid or I'll kill you."

The worker then handed over the cash.

Outside the petrol station, Doherty encountered a woman and accosted her in an apparent attempt to rob her too. She managed to get away from him.

Gardai were called and Doherty was arrested shortly afterwards. He had 62 previous convictions, including theft, burglary and misuse of drugs.

Defence barrister Eoin Hardiman said his client had struggled with a heroin addiction since he was a young man. He said he managed to detox in 2010 but had occasionally relapsed since then.

Mr Hardiman said his client's mother died before the offence and he was the only member of his family unable to contribute to the funeral costs, so the robbery was an attempt to pay for it.
US President Donald Trump has said his wife Melania will leave hospital in a few days, after receiving medical treatment for a kidney condition the White House said is non-cancerous.

"Our great First Lady is doing really well. Will be leaving hospital in two or three days. Thank you for so much love and support!" Mr Trump tweeted.

The first lady (48) underwent an "embolisation" procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre outside Washington on Monday morning, her office announced.

The president visited her on Monday evening and tweeted that the procedure was "successful" and that his wife was in "good spirits".

Ms Trump's spokeswoman had said on Monday that the first lady was likely to remain in hospital for "the duration of the week".

The White House has not offered any additional information about her condition, citing her privacy.

Tumour

Vice President Mike Pence, however, described the procedure as "long-planned" as he opened a speech in Washington on Monday night.

She was last seen in public last Wednesday at a White House event, where she and the president honoured military mothers and spouses for Mother's Day in the US.

She later accompanied the president to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to welcome home three Americans who had been detained in North Korea.

Two urologists who have no personal knowledge of Ms Trump's condition said that the most likely explanation for the embolisation procedure is a kind of non-cancerous kidney tumour called an angiomyolipoma.

They are not common but tend to occur in middle-aged women and can cause problematic bleeding if they become large enough, said Dr Keith Kowalczyk of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
A model who claimed she was left trapped in Kieran 'The Wolf' Ducie's upturned jeep has settled a 60,000 personal injuries claim against the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland (MIBI), the Circuit Civil Court has heard.

However, Emily Doyle Stewart (22) may not receive the undisclosed settlement.

Judge Jacqueline Linnane refused to verify what was described as a practice adopted by the MIBI that could allow identified uninsured drivers to get away with paying nothing.

Judge Linnane refused to strike out Ms Doyle Stewart's "settled" claim, which would have allowed an automatic payout and her legal costs.

The MIBI's payouts to uninsured drivers are funded by motorists who legally pay their insurance premiums.

Properly

Instead, the judge struck out the notice of yesterday's trial and told the MIBI to "do things properly", including insisting on steps to obtain judgment against Ducie (48) that could lead to him paying liability.

Adrianne Fields, for Ms Doyle Stewart, of Belcamp Avenue, Priorswood, Dublin 17, told the court that the case against the MIBI had been settled and could be struck out.

She said her client had been unable to serve legal proceedings on Ducie, of Lamberstown Manor, Kilmessan, Co Meath.

She said she had negotiated with the MIBI the best settlement possible.

That meant, in accordance with MIBI instructions, that the plaintiff would take "reasonable steps" to obtain a judgment against Ducie. "Normal procedure has not been followed," said the judge. "I am going to strike out the notice of trial."

Ms Doyle Stewart was in Ducie's uninsured jeep when it overturned in January 2016. He was jailed in January for five months for having no insurance but is out on bail, pending appeal.
The mother of a young woman who was killed while travelling to visit her sick baby in a Dublin hospital has said the suspended sentence handed down to the truck driver responsible will never bring her back.

Ciaran McBride (33) pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death between Junctions 10 and 9 of the M8 on September 5, 2016, after he veered off the motorway and struck a car stopped on the hard shoulder.

Tipperary Circuit Criminal Court heard that back-seat passenger Nicola Kenny (26) died instantly from multiple injuries, only seconds after she heard from Temple Street Children's Hospital that her day-old baby, Lily Rose, was fine and she did not need to make the trip.

Judge Tom Teehan, in imposing a suspended 18-month prison sentence, said the evidence indicated it was most likely that McBride momentarily fell asleep at the wheel rather than being distracted by a fit of sneezing as he had claimed.

Satisfied

Speaking to the Herald last night, and asked if she was satisfied with the sentence imposed, Nicola's mother, Ann, said it did not change anything.

"I'm just happy that the truth came out. That's all I ever wanted, but at the end of the day it doesn't change anything. Nicola isn't here any more," she said.

She added that Lily Rose was well looked after. "She's flying through the place. She's doing great," she added.

The 2001 Volvo truck driven by McBride, of Carna, Keady, Co Armagh, ploughed into the back of the Ford Focus, which contained Ms Kenny in the back; her mother in the front passenger seat; and her aunt, Irene Whelan Slattery, driving.

Ms Kenny had given birth to Lily Rose in Clonmel Hospital on September 4. However, the infant became ill and had to be rushed to Temple Street.

Ms Kenny had just been collected by her Thurles-based mother and aunt and was on her way to see Lily Rose in Dublin.

The Ford Focus had pulled on to the hard shoulder to allow Ms Kenny to take an urgent phone call from Temple Street to tell her Lily Rose was fine.

Devastating

Ms Whelan Slattery suffered a traumatic brain injury in the collision and had to be airlifted to University Hospital Limerick.

In victim statements, Nicola's parents, Ann and Paddy, said they had been left devastated by the tragedy.

"The death of Nicola as a young mother was devastating, both for myself and my entire family," her mother said."

Nicola's dad said they were now raising Lily Rose.

"It has left a huge hole in our lives," he added.

Judge Teehan was told that McBride indicated to gardai he would plead at a very early stage and had co-operated fully.

He had contacted the Kenny family, through a priest, and offered to attend Nicola's funeral. However, he agreed not to do so when he learned of the family's wishes.

Defence counsel Philip Sheahan said his client was deeply remorseful and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Judge Teehan disqualified McBride from driving for five years. He also imposed a compensation order, in favour of Paddy and Ann Kenny, whereby McBride must pay them 2,000 a year for five years.
Dan Peterson School gets needed facelift, honors former principal

A much-needed facelift is being brought to the Dan Peterson School this week in the form of new art murals. They are also there to honor the schools former principal. Dan Peterson is a unique school within the Alpine School District that services students who have disabilities and need an individualized education program, according to Principal Ryan Hemming. Thanks to a special project from the Ken Garff Ford and Chevy dealership in American Fork, bright murals are taking the place of dark brick hallways and sprucing them up  in part as a thank you to the schools former ...
Gunfire in Hagerstown leads to I-70 chase, arrest

A Washington, D.C., man was arrested early Friday after police say he fired a handgun in a Hagerstown residence, then led police on a chase on I-70.
In the absence of an overarching narrative in the Karnataka assembly elections , the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) employed a multi-pronged strategy with region-specific issues.

The strategy that it adopted in coastal Karnataka was obviously communal polarisation. This region, comprising 19 constituencies spread across three districts, has for long been considered a laboratory for Hindutva politics. Although it tried to use the communal card in other regions of the state as well, it was in this most economically advanced region that the BJP relied entirely on a nationalistic-communal plank.

The region witnessed a series of murders of both Hindus and Muslims over the past five years. The BJP raised these murders, alleging that 24 Hindu activists had been murdered by the Muslim fanatics and the state government was trying to protect the killers. In spite of state governments repeated clarifications that most of these murders had no communal angle and that the accused in all these cases had been arrested, the BJP did not relent. It continued to push the state-sponsored Hindu massacre narrative. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at his election rallies, described this as ease of doing murder.

The narrative, which was initially confined to the coastal district, was echoed in other parts of the state with two other developments. First, when the Siddaramaiah government decided to commemorate the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan, the 18th ruler of the kingdom of Mysore, the BJP launched a statewide agitation against the celebration of a religious bigot.

The Congress governments defence that Tipu was a great patriot and the first Indian ruler to offer stiff resistance to the British was drowned in the high-decibel BJP campaign. This also figured frequently in Modis speeches during the electioneering. He would reel out names of a dozen Hindu freedom fighters whose birth anniversaries are not celebrated by the state. He would then ask a charged audience to take note of how the Congress government appeased Muslims by celebrating a bigot and neglecting genuine Hindu freedom fighters. In rallies after rallies, large parts of Modis Hindi speeches flew above the head of the audience, but these references struck a chord.

The second and the most important factor that helped the BJP use strategy beyond coastal Karnataka was the state governments support to the demand for recognition of the states powerful Lingayat community as a separate religion. The Congress thought that it would get it the support of the Lingayats, who were known to have been solidly behind the BJP after the disintegration of the undivided Janata Dal. However, the BJP cleverly used this in its communal narrative.

The BJPs argument that the Congress was driving a wedge between the Hindus by backing the Lingayat demand was easier for the people to understand when compared to nuanced historical and philosophical justifications for separation of the Lingayats from the Hindu fold.

Finally, a slew of welfare measures that the Siddaramaiah government launched for the Muslim community also helped the BJP in its religion-centred campaign.

The governments defence that these programmes in no way amounted to special favours for the Muslims and that they were funded by the money allocated in the budget for the department of minority development paled, before the powerful appeasement argument advanced by the BJP.

The strategy has obviously worked. Of the 19 seats in the coastal region, the BJP won all but three seats.

In 2013, the BJP won just three seats in the region. The strategy also seems to have worked in the Lingayat-dominant Bombay Karnataka and Hyderabad Karnataka regions, where the Congress lost heavily.

Two subtle elements of the polarisation strategy in Karnataka are to be noted. First, the narrative used by the BJP was no longer confined to arguments of minority appeasement and pseudo-secular tendencies .

Here, the BJP painted Siddaramaiah and the Congress as enemies of the Hindus. The message was simple and straight: the chief minister not only protected Muslim fanatics to preserve his vote banks, the Congress was breaking Hindu unity by supporting the demand for recognition of the Lingayats as a separate religious community.

Second, while the communal argument was used selectively and subtly in the open campaign, the campaign carried out through innumerable digital platforms and social media groups centered on only one message -- a clarion call to reject the enemies of the Hindus.

(The author teaches in Azim Premji University)
Voters of Karnataka have neither decisively rejected the incumbent Congress party nor have they given a definitive mandate to its rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress polled 13.82 million, 38%, of the votes cast, but won only 78 seats. The BJP polled less, 36.2%, but a better strike helped it win 104 seats. It has emerged as the single largest party, but fallen short of a majority in the 224-member state assembly.

Both national parties have won and lost in Karnataka, creating an opportunity for a regional party to cash in on the situation. Such is the irony that HD Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) that finished third, winning only 37 seats with a vote share of 18.4%, is now a frontrunner to head the next government.

We are suddenly reminded of a Panchatantra story about a monkey making hay while two cats fought (Do ki ladai mein teesre ka labh). But there is more to be read from the verdict, and read differently, from the popular spins doing the rounds.

The verdict, per se, wasnt shaped by anti-incumbency. If that was the case, the Congress wouldnt have polled 6.4 lakh votes more than the BJP and improved its vote share to 38% from 36.6% in 2013 and 35.13% in 2008. Several ministers and sitting MLAs lost, but their defeat had more to do with consolidation of opposition votes, which had split in 2013. Nor was it a vote for the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as many political pundits would have us believe. The BJP had won 110 seats in 2008, its best ever, much before Modi arrived on the national scene. And the partys vote share in this election is way below the 43.4% mark it touched in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when the Modi wave swept the nation.

Also, Karnataka wasnt a Modi vs Rahul fight. Had it been so, we would have had a clear mandate, either for the BJP or the Congress. In a state that hasnt allowed any incumbent to retain power in the past 33 years, this election was more about who could take Siddaramaiahs place. BS Yeddyurappa scored there, stitching up such local-level caste and community coalitions that would eventually help his party win the highest number of seats.

Lastly, Karnataka was no semi-final to 2019. If it were, then there are more worries than cheers for the ruling BJP. Here is why.

With Tuesdays verdict, BJP has lost a potential regional ally  a formidable one  for 2019. No matter who the governor invites to form the next government, a new anti-BJP alliance has taken shape in Karnataka. By quickly offering the crown to kingmaker Kumaraswamy, the Congress has demonstrated its willingness to get off its high horse and facilitate any coalition that can challenge the BJP. Such a stance also sends a positive message for similar coalition-building in other parts of the country  especially in the Hindi heartland.

In Karnataka, the combined vote share of the Congress and JD-S now stands at 56.4%. If they come to an understanding for 2019, together they can win 20 or more of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state. That will be a big loss for the BJP, which currently has 16 MPs from this state.

That said, Karnataka is an important chapter in the coming together of regional parties, which have become wise to what the BJP really means for them. The implications will unfold in the days to come.

The next stop will be Kairana in western Uttar Pradesh, where Lok Sabha by-elections will be held in a fortnight. The BJP is defending the Lok Sabha seat against a formidable coalition of smaller/regional parties  the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal  supported by the Congress.

Kairana is the next litmus test for the new template, which, to resonate louder, needs a powerful narrative against the nations most powerful communicator. This is one challenge where the regional parties will be more than eager to be led by the Congress. It is time the latter recognised the imperative.

(The author tweets @rajeshmahapatra)
A mob angered by the alleged molestation of a minor girl by a 20-year-old man attacked a police station in Andhra Pradeshs Guntur town early on Wednesday, triggering protests that left four policemen injured.

The angry mob, including relatives and family of the girl, demanded that the accused be handed over to him, pelted stones at policemen and set fire to as many as 22 vehicles in Old Guntur police station.

Guntur superintendent of police (urban) Ch Vijaya Rao, who rushed to the spot to pacify the agitators, said the preliminary investigation revealed that it was not a rape but a molestation attempt.

We have booked a case. The situation is now under control, Rao said.

According to police, K Raghu allegedly attempted to rape the girl who was alone at her house adjacent to his residence in Balajinagar of Old Guntur area on Tuesday morning.

The Class 2 student managed to escape and hid behind a water tank before returning home in the afternoon. She complained to her parents about the sexual assault on her.

The parents immediately alerted relatives and locals who raided Raghus house but could not find him. He surrendered before Old Guntur police station later in the evening fearing an attack from the girls relatives.

Locals came to the police station at around 10pm and demanded that the accused be handed over to him. Police told them that a case had been filed against Raghu and investigation was on.

A large number of people then stormed the police station and squatted in front of the police station demanding the accused be punished immediately. The protests continued till 1am.

As the policemen tried to disperse the crowd, they started attacking them with stones. Police first lathicharged them and then fired rubber bullets at the agitators as the situation went out of hand.

Additional forces were pressed into service along with senior police officials from other police stations to control the situation. Police clamped prohibitory orders in Old Guntur town under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Osho Rajneeshs story, which was the subject of Netflixs documentary Wild Wild Country, is getting another screen birth with Bollywood filmmaker Subhash Ghai slated to co-produce a biopic on the controversial spiritual guru with an Italian production house.

The project, titled Osho: The Other Side of the Ocean was announced at the ongoing Cannes International Film Festival. I am proud to announce an international film Osho: The Other Side of the Ocean as a producer under Indo-Italian co-production to be directed by Italian director Lakshen Sucameli in English language for global market on interesting and dramatic chapters of Oshos life from childhood till his death in 1990, said Ghai.

Sucameli has co-written the story with Rang De Basanti fame Kamlesh Pandey. A follower of Osho, Sucameli, has been developing the project for a while and had even set up a crowdfunding website. In an interview to Osho News in 2010, the director had revealed the premise of the story. The film tells the story of a female journalist who follows Oshos life in America, then onto the world tour until his death in Pune in 1990, he had said.

The main character is at first very sceptical towards Osho and his commune but changes her mind through time... In this way I hope to catch the attention of those who still see Osho with a negative attitude, which includes a large part of movie goers, especially in the States, Sucameli had said.

Rajneeshs move to America was the subject of Wild Wild Country where the directors explored the rise of the cult in Oregon, America, the internal politics of the commune and the distrust of the locals towards the guru and followers.

The commune did not survive for long and Rajneesh was arrested while trying to flee Oregon. He left the US and returned to his ashram in Pune.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)
Amruta Khanvilkar had fun working with Alia Bhatt in Raazi, and says the fact that she is grounded reflects her upbringing. Apart from the story line, Meghna Gulzar was one of the key reasons for me to do the film. I have never played the role of a Pakistani Muslim before, and that too playing a real-life character was very intriguing, said Amruta.

Every day was an enriching learning experience - be it speaking language (Urdu dialect) or being around Meghna maam or shooting scenes with Alia. The entire experience was enthralling.

Based on Harinder Sikkas book Calling Sehmat, the story of the film Raazi revolves around a young Kashmiri girl who gets married to a Pakistani Army officer and becomes a spy to give inside information about the neighbouring country to protect her own. On working with Alia, she said, I believe she is an extremely secure actor and an extremely receiving and giving actor. Her performance in Raazi speaks volumes of her talent. This girl who in just 25 years of age has achieved so much in such less time and has seen stardom like no one else her age - but despite all this, she is so grounded, which truly reflects her upbringing.

Amruta finds Alia a friendly and jolly person. There are totally no airs about this girl. She makes all her co-stars feel extremely comfortable - I too shared a good bond with her throughout the shoot, added the actress, who has featured in projects like Golmaal, Nach Baliye 7, season two of 24.

Amruta says working with Meghna was on her bucket list. Meghna maam was one of the main reasons for me to be a part of this film. She was literally my bucket-list director. Working with Meghna maam was a learning each and every day, right from getting my character right, to the Urdu lessons, to the body language of Munira, everything was well discussed and decided by maam. There was so much of a detailed work going on in every department, that as an actor, it made our jobs very easy. One thing I absolutely love about her is that she is the most composed and calm director I have ever worked with.
The 71st edition of Cannes Film Festival witnessed Bollywood fashion diva Sonam Kapoors dazzle and Pakistani actor Mahira Khans charm and grace on the eighth day of the festival.

Sonam, who recently tied the knot with long-time boyfriend Anand Ahuja, made her second red carpet appearance in a Vera Wang nude gown on Tuesday. As Sonam walked along, the long train of her dress - in beige and yellow - followed gracefully. She matched the off-shoulder gown with a gold eye shadow and Chopard jewels.

Sonam Kapoor and Liu Wen pose at Cannes red carpet. (REUTERS)

Earlier in the day, Sonam sparkled in a white shirt and blue denims. She was also seen dressed in crisp white and red:

Mahira Khan, who walked the red carpet on Monday, continued to enjoy her time in French Riviera, shared several pictures. She wore her favourite Nicolas Jebran during a night shoot on the Croisette.

Bollywood stars Aishwarya Ri Bachchaan, Kangana Ranaut and Huma Qureshi walked the Cannes red carpet over the past few days. While Aishwarya represented Loreal at the film festival, Kangana and Huma were in attendance on behalf of a liquor brand.

 A post shared by AishwaryaRaiBachchan (@aishwaryaraibachchan_arb) on May 13, 2018 at 9:49am PDT

Actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj Bajpayee, Divya Dutta, Rasika Duggal and filmmaker Nandita Das are also attending the festial. Nawazuddin, Rasika and Nandita attended the world premiere of their film Manto, which is competing in the UnCertain Regard section, and also unveiled the first trailer of the movie based on rebel writer Sadat Hasan Manto.

Manoj, on the other hand, revealed the first look of his upcoming film, Bhonsle. The story unfolds during Maharashtras most important festival, Ganpathi Puja  in a span of 10 days. There is festivity all around, people are in a joyous mood, but Ganpath Bhonsle pushed into retirement, is angry and unhappy. He does not want to hang up his uniform and go back to his lonely life in a slum that is his home. But into this dreariness walks a young girl (Ipsita Charavarthy). Bhosle is all about this undefined, unlikely relationship between the two, Bajpayee told HT.

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The upcoming film Veere Di Wedding is all about the celebration of female bonding, women being uninhibited, confiding in each other, supporting each other, and so on. Does that make it very similar to the 2015 film Angry Indian Goddesses?

Asked if he feels Veere Di Wedding takes inspiration from his film, Angry Indian Goddesses director Pan Nalin says, Theres a whole lobby going on thats like this film is that ones copy, or Oh, Aaamir Khan copied the poster of that film. I am on the side of the creator. I have an opposite reaction when somebody copies my work. I feel happy that somebody somewhere is, may be, inspired... or, [they] might have not seen my work, maybe its pure coincidence. It gives me strength that somebody has to go out of their way to copy my work. Ill be freaking out or slip into depression if people stop copying my work.

The mainstream Bollywood film, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar, and Shikha Talsania, doesnt appear to have the edge of Pan Nalins acclaimed drama, starring Sarah-Jane Dias, Sandhya Mridul, Anushka Manchanda, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Amrit Maghera, Pavleen Gujral, and Rajshri Deshpande. But there is a much starker difference. The film with bigger names is generating a lot of buzz and will get a widespread release, whereas the film with more grit but not so well-known names struggled to find screens.

Shikha Talsania, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, and Swara Bhaskar in Veere Di Wedding.

The film Angry Indian Goddesses has Sarah-Jane Dias, Sandhya Mridul, Anushka Manchanda, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Amrit Maghera, Pavleen Gujral, and Rajshri Deshpande.

Without big, powerful stars, its very tough to release a film, believes Nalin. He was recently asked by a Twitter user why movies like Angry Indian Goddesses arent exposed or given their due. To which he replied: Its because India is a star struck country which fails to see amazing talents like @sandymridul @IAmAnushka @Amrit_Maghera @pavleen_gujral @rajshriartist -theyre probably better off with Veere di Wedding (sic).

Once it released, Angry Indian Goddesses got rave reviews, but Nalin says that a lot goes into the dynamics of a films release and just making a good movie is not enough these days. A film like ours, [which is] an independent film... when we released it, we realised that theres a tremendous amount of bullying by certain powerful distributors, theatre owners, and exhibitors. We werent able to get the shows we wanted. We even paid for the trailers, but they werent running in the cinemas. Even [to get] a simple thing like a standee in a cinema hall, its like a mafia-like network. The bigger realisation was that we needed triple the amount of money and sources to release the film in India, where a lot is based on relationships.

Nalin recalls a case of clear discrimination: Like in one of the cinema halls, they told us, Your film is performing really well all over the metros, [with] 62-65% occupancy, compared to a big Bollywood movie that was released, but we still have to pull out your film because that [Bollywood] star is our brand ambassador. Though he laughs about it now, Nalin says that it was disheartening in many ways  his film could pull audiences, but despite that, just couldnt get enough shows.

The filmmaker adds, We werent backed by any big stars, production houses, or studios. In the end, whether we like it or not, we still need a big star to either act in the film or to produce and release the film in India to make an impact. Even those films that were good wouldnt have worked had they not been carried on the shoulders of Aamir Khan (Secret Superstar, 2017) and Karan Johar (The Lunchbox, 2013).

The lack of a male hero was a hindrance, too, feels Nalin. Even when they watched the film, [exhibitors] were like Ladkiyan hi hain (We see only girls). People in some of the places, like Udaipur and Jaipur, told us Arey sir, aap ladka daalte na, toh chal jaati aapki (If you had cast some boys, it would have worked better), says the director, who divides his time between Los Angeles and Mumbai. But those whove watched Angry Indian Goddesses still write to him, and that gives Nalin some happiness.

Interact with the author at Twitter/@Nainaarora8
Bollywood actor John Abraham is likely to play DCP Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, the senior policeman who led the 2008 Batla House encounter case, in director Nikkhil Advanis upcoming film. The film is set to go on floors in September this year and will be shot in Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Nepal and Mumbai.

A Pune Mirror report claimed Nikkhil has roped in John Abraham for the film based on the encounter case . The tabloid quoted the director as saying, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav wanted a physically and mentally strong actor and John fits the bill. With a little light on him and a flash of those dimples, John stands out in a crowd. The biggest challenge will be to make him blend in. Saif Ali Khan was earlier rumoured to be playing the role.

Yadav has won eight President Gallantry Awards, including one for this operation.

John, too, confirmed the news and told the tabloid, We are yet to meet, but Ive been devouring all the material on him, and from what Ive read, he seems like a humble man with an interesting back story.

Elaborating on his perspective in the upcoming project Nikhil had earlier said, I am doing a film on Batla House next, its a very controversial subject. Were the five boys inside the building really terrorists or were they students? Was the encounter real or fake? We are hoping to answer these questions in the movie. We want to make films that are very relevant and topical.

He also told the tabloid, The encounter will be seen from three perspectives  that of the police, those present near the location, many of whom believed that the bullets flying were for the TV serial Swabhimaan, which was being shot in the vicinity just two days ago, and the real picture.

Batla House encounter, officially known as Operation Batla House, took place on September 19, 2008, against Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorists in Batla House locality in Jamia Nagar, Delhi, in which two suspected terrorists were killed while two other suspects were arrested. Encounter specialist and Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, who led the police action, was also martyred during the incident.

John, meanwhile, is awaiting the release of Parmanu The Story of Pokhran.

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Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan, who rose to fame with his latest, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, will have his dream fulfilled as Karan Johar has signed him for a film that also features Kareena Kapoor Khan. Reports say that either Janhvi Kapoor or Kriti Sanon may be signed as the second leading lady in the film.

Earlier talking about his desire to work with Kareena, Kartik had said, Of course... Why not? Our show became a big hit, which is good thing to have. I was really glad that I was walking the ramp for Manish Malhotra for the first time, so it was great experience for me and walking with the stunning Kareena Kapoor has been a memorable experience for me. Lets see hopefully in future, we will work together.

Aaryan walked the ramp with Kareena Kapoor Khan at designer Manish Malhotras show in Singapore.

Kareena and Kartik will share screen space in a film that will be directed by newbie Raj Mehta who earlier worked with KJo and Shashank Khaitan on a couple of Dharma ventures. The upcoming movie which will be produced by Dharma will go on floors soon after rest of the cast is decided. Kareena is yet to sign on the dotted line but has given her consent in principle, according to a press statement.

Kareena is currently awaiting the release of Veere Di Wedding that also stars Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania.

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Bollywood actor Sonam Kapoor wowed fans late Tuesday as she made her second red carpet appearance at the ongoing 71st Cannes Film Festival in a Vera Wang gown.She arrived at the red carpet for the screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Sonam matched the off-shoulder gown with Chopard jewels and a gold eye shadow. As Sonam walked along, the long train of her dress - in beige and yellow - followed gracefully.

Sonam Kapoor and Liu Wen pose as they arrive for the screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story at Cannes. (REUTERS)

Tuesday also saw Pakistani actor Mahira Khan display her charm and fashion sense at the festival. Both Sonam and Mahira are representing LOreal at Cannes red carpet this year.

During the day, Sonam was spotted dressed in the classic white shirt/blue denims combination. She shared pictures from her days outing:

She was also seen dressed in crisp white and red:

Earlier, Sonam made her first Cannes red carpet appearance this year in a cream-coloured Ralph and Russo lehenga.

Sonam Kapoor poses as she arrives for the screening of BlacKkKlansman at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. (AFP)

Sonam Kapoor headed to Cannes after a grand, private wedding with long-time boyfriend Anand Ahuja on May 8. The couple hosted a reception in Mumbai the same day and Sonam later headed to France for her red carpet appearances at the festival this year.

On the work front, Sonam is awaiting the release of Veere Di Wedding that also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania in lead roles.

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Concerned over 52 tremors reported in Uttarakhand since 2015, governor KK Paul has suggested the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) to conduct a study to understand the implications of the small periodic earthquakes.

Speaking at the three-day national conference on Earth System Science with special reference to Himalaya: Advancement and Challenges beginning Friday in Dehradun, he recalled the massive earthquake in Nepal in 2015, following which the hill state has reported regular tremors.

52 tremors reported since 2015 may not have visible impact, but we dont know whether it has impacted the mountains or hills, Paul said. Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Pithoragarh have been the most-affected districts, he said, adding that the impact analysis is necessary to understand the problem in depth.

The governor also asked geologists to conduct another study to find out whether the state has more spots of mineral resources. Pithorgarh is a resource spot, which has minerals like copper, silver and even gold. But the government cannot excavate it because of strict conditions imposed. In fact, a company based at Vancouver, Canada had also come to study the spot, he said. He said the gazetteer of India has mention of a similar resource pool in Joshimath, which experts can study and try finding out more such resources.

Talking about global warming, he said that carbon particles that emerge from forest fires sit on glaciers exchanging heat, thus resulting in melting of the glaciers. He pressed on the need to protect Ganga river, the lifeline of Uttarakhand, and asked to utilise water wisely. He also discussed the receding water level in Naini Lake and suggested a study to rejuvenate the water sources surrounding it.

Speaking on the side lines of the event, Rajendra Singh, known as the Waterman, criticised Pancheshwar and other dams. He said the dams are being constructed against the flow causing natural disturbance. He also criticised the Kedarnath reconstruction work. The redevelopment works (at Kedarnath) are unscientific. The valley is vulnerable and the government is pushing pilgrims there. The situation could be disastrous, as no one is paying heed to tremendous pressure faced by the terrain due to movement of vehicles and people, he said.

More than 150 research papers will be presented during the conference, which has experts from various parts of the country. The event will conclude on Friday.
Delhi Police has issued a notice to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, asking him to join investigation in connection with the alleged assault on chief secretary Anshu Prakash in February.

In the notice issued by the investigating officer of this case on Wednesday, Kejriwal has been asked to make himself available at his office or residence at 11 am on Friday. The development was confirmed by Harendra Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police (north).

In the weeks following the alleged assault an FIR in this case, the police investigators had interacted with Kejriwals former advisor VK Jain and private secretary Vibhav Kumar. The police had in the past questioned some of the 11 MLAs who were present at the meeting in which the alleged crime took place.

The notice to Kejriwal was issued under 160 CrPC that gives a police officer the power to require the attendance of a witness of a crime. It is undersigned by inspector Karan Singh Rana, the station house officer of Civil Lines police station where the case was registered.

Justifying the summons, the notice letter said the FIR reflected that Kejriwal was acquainted with the facts and circumstances of the case. The CM has been given an option of suggesting another timing in case he found it inconvenient to make himself available at 11 am on Friday.

Aam Aadmi Partys chief spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said it was the first time in Indias democratic history that a chief minister is to be questioned by police in a false case.

Arvind Kejriwal has been harassed by futile raids by the police and CBI. Ministers like Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain have been defamed by false cases. MLAs were troubled with fabricated cases. The courts have been dismissing such false cases one by one. The agenda of narrow-minded politics by Modi Ji is visible more than ever, alleged Bhardwaj.
An 18-year-old man was killed and 13 injured in the dust storm that hit the national Capital in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.

The Police Control Room (PCR) received 78 calls during the storm that started around 3 am.

The deceased was identified as Sohail, a resident of northeast Delhis Gokal Puri area. He got injured after a wall collapsed on him while he was sleeping in his house. Four members of his family have also sustained minor injuries, police said.

Four persons were injured in east Delhi while two persons sustained minor injuries in south Delhi, they added.

As many as 59 calls about fallen trees, five calls about fallen electricity poles and 11 calls about hoardings/wall collapse were received by the PCR, police said.

Also, four calls received were about damages to cars in the dust storm. Fourteen vehicles  13 cars and a motorcycle  were damaged in it, police said.

A felled tree due to Tuesday nights storm blocks road at Jamia Nagar in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Burhaan Kinu / HT Photo)

As per the traffic control room, as many 53 calls related to falling of trees and six calls about fallen poles were received during dust storm the previous night.

Thirty-seven fallen trees have been removed and remaining are being removed, officials said.

As many as 80 people died in five states due to thunderstorms and lightning strikes since Sunday, with Uttar Pradesh alone recording 51 deaths.

The Indian Meteorological Department had on Tuesday predicted thunderstorms and gusty winds on Tuesday in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and east Uttar Pradesh.

It also had said parts of Rajasthan could experience dust storms and isolated areas of West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and most of north east India can also expect thunderstorms and strong winds.

The weather turbulence will subside by Wednesday, however, a fresh round of scattered thundershowers may hit the Western Himalayan region, east India and south peninsular India early next week, the Met office forecast said.

On May 2, more than 100 people died in north India and some other states, owing to thunderstorms.
A confrontation over playing of loud music by a disc jockey at a private function past midnight on Tuesday led to two groups pelting stones and bottles at each other in north Delhis Sadar Bazar, police said.

Police said the clash left only one person with a minor injury, but local residents claimed at least five youngsters from the two groups were hurt. The rioters also torched two motorcycles.

The police registered a case of causing hurt and rioting and deployed a large number of its personnel in the neighbourhood marked by narrow lanes. No one was arrested until Wednesday.

We are maintaining a vigil and have called a meeting of the local peace committee to ensure peace, said Jatin Narwal, deputy commissioner of police (north). On Wednesday, the local markets were abuzz with activity.

The clash occurred around 1 am in Jatan Gali in Sadar Bazar. This neighbourhood has been witnessing communal tension for three decades, said Shehzad Khan, a local businessman. A police check post has been in place for years, barely metres from the latest clash spot.

The DCP said the clash was triggered by loud music being played by a local DJ at a home. This claim was contested by one of the groups that alleged that a drunken revelry led to the clash.

The house where the music was being played belonged to Vaibhav Verma, a 22-year-old builder who was married last month. Verma had a court marriage with a woman who had eloped from her home, said Vermas grandfather, Sansar Singh.

We decided to throw a reception on Wednesday. The sangeet ceremony was on Tuesday night and the men were celebrating elsewhere. We hired a DJ to entertain the women at home, said Singh.

He alleged that the problem began when a group of young men visited his home around 12.30 am on Wednesday and asked the music to be stopped as it was past midnight. When we objected, around half-a-dozen of them tried to storm the house, saying they would dance with our women, alleged Vermas grandmother, Shyamvati.

The confrontation that ensued soon turned into a free-for-all. Verma too was injured in the stone-pelting, but he is out of danger and his reception would happen as scheduled, said his grandfather.

The other group narrated a different tale. Over a dozen youngsters from the family indulging in celebrations were openly drinking and creating a ruckus. They were making loud noises with their Bullet motorcycles. When asked to get back to their homes, they responded by hurling bottles and stones, alleged Zia Qureshi, a local resident.

They raised slogans against us. Some of our youngsters too pelted stones in return, but we controlled them and called the police who stopped the situation from escalating, said an elderly resident, Shafiuddin Qureshi.
Nineteen days and at least 250 anti-encroachment drives later, civic agencies in the Capital have failed to cancel the licence of even a single commercial establishment for intruding on public spaces to carry out its business, municipal officials said.

The officials,who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the Supreme Court-monitored anti-encroachment effort, claim they are helpless. A lack of legal provisions and shortage of sufficient staff have prevented them from preventing the return of squatters . And even where a legal provision is available -- for instance, to take action against illegal permanent structures -- the civic agencies efforts to deal with the problem have been marked by laxity.

The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act contains provisions to take stringent action against the owners of shops that are caught for having built illegal extensions, blocking public passage, and causing pollution.

But the enforcement teams have only seized goods and demolished portions of some of the shops instead of cancelling licenses. Even now, shops are found to have laid out extensions such as display items, mannequins, and eating zones outside their prescribed boundaries. When the enforcement teams revisit, these shop owners pull back their items.

Forty eateries and food trucks have been sealed by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation after they were caught again in the last five days for such violations. No such action has been taken for repeat offenders in other parts of the city. On stretches such as Sri Aurobindo Marg, Vikas Marg, RK Puram, New and Old Delhi Railway stations, the civic agencies have carried out repeated drives only to seen encroachers return.

For illegally parked vehicles, the Delhi Municipal Act prescribes higher fines than the Motor Vehicle Act. But it does not have provisions to levy higher fines to deter repeat violations. Though the high fine amount is a deterrent, it would yield better results with higher fines for repeat offences, said Garima Bhatnagar, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

The Delhi HC has ordered that till the vending zones are assigned by municipalities and Town Vending Committees (TVCs) are not formed, these vendors cannot be evicted. The anti-encroachment squads can at best confiscate their goods.

The law legalises vendors rights till they operate from designated vending zones. This will happen once the TVCs are formed. At present in our drives, we have seized their items and have pulled down portions of their shops, but there is no provision of stopping them from returning, an NDMC official said on condition of anonymity
The Centre has extended an olive branch to the Kashmiris by announcing a ceasefire, albeit a conditional one, ahead of the holy month of Ramzan. Security forces have been asked not to launch any operations for the next thirty days, although they have been told they can retaliate if attacked. The decision, announced by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, should be welcomed and reciprocated. It is an important political outreach that comes at a time when the Valley has been caught in an endless cycle of killings leading to more locals joining militant organisations, and more killings.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, whose Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shares power with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), recently held an all-party meeting, out of which, the idea of a ceasefire was born. She asked the Narendra Modi government to take a leaf out of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees book. Vajpayee, who too headed an NDA government, in December 2000, announced a similar ceasefire. He was forced to call it off after a few months. This time around, the army was opposed to a ceasefire, as was the defence ministry.

The Centre, though, seems to have been convinced by the ground realities in the state. Young Kashmiris have been leaving the comfort of their classrooms to disappear into the mountains and resurface with guns. April alone saw 28 locals joining militancy. The number is the highest in any given month, since the killing of militant poster boy Burhan Wani in 2016. In other worrying signals, locals, women included, have been rushing to encounter sites to disrupt security operations. The turnouts at the funerals of militants too have been inordinately high.

The ceasefire will provide just the balm the wounded Valley needs. It will help change a narrative that has been dominated by the security forces and the army in particular. Army chief, General Bipin Rawat recently re-endorsed the hard line, indicating that security forces dont enjoy killing but that if anyone wants to fight us then we will fight you with all our force.

The Centre has clearly taken a political decision and announced a cessation of armed hostilities. The announcement may not immediately silence the militants weapons but the government must push ahead and walk the extra mile, in the pursuit of peace that has eluded the state for decades. The ceasefire provides a chance for the atmosphere of death and despair to give way to some hope and optimism. The announcement also sets the context for Prime Minister Modi, who is expected to visit the state later this week, to follow up and reach out to the people.
The part of the Varanasi flyover which came crashing down killing 17 people had been constructed only in February. This suggests shoddy execution and possibly poor quality material, something that plagues many construction projects in India. Projects are undertaken in haste, often before elections, are executed with little planning and with scant regard to engineering norms. Most infrastructure projects suffer from huge delays that push costs up and encourage contractors to cut corners. This causes lethal structural failures as seen in the Varanasi case and other projects. In 2016, a flyover collapsed in Kolkata, killing 27 people. Corruption is usually at the root of it which is why the National Democratic Alliance government had promised to improve Indias crumbling infrastructure through foreign direct investment. Since the primary culprit here is the construction industry, it would be useful and necessary to have greater transparency in bidding and awarding of contracts. In many cases, contracts are given out to people without adequate qualifications who either execute the project in a faulty manner or compromise on quality to make profits. Once an accident such as the Varanasi flyover collapse takes place, it is vital that accountability be fixed starting from the source of the contract.

India has a huge infrastructure deficit. While the construction of high rises, bridges, underpasses and metro lines is in overdrive, attention must also be paid to their durability and life cycle. The very fact that every monsoon, many urban roads and buildings cave in suggests that contractors do not build infrastructure to last. All major infrastructure projects should have periodic checks for defects. The New York subway, the lifeline for commuters in the city, was shut for months for upgradation a few years ago. Upgrading of infrastructure should be an ongoing process, but this is rarely done here.

The politician-bureaucrat-builder nexus is no secret. But the regularity with which poor infrastructure costs people their lives suggests that nothing has been done to break this. Contracts should have a clear timeline and strict fines should be imposed if the contractor fails to execute the project on time. Periodic reviews should also factor in the number of people who use the infrastructure and adjustments made to accommodate changes. The stampede in Elphinstone station in Mumbai was because the footbridge had not been widened to keep pace with the number of commuters using it. There is no point talking of smart cities if we cannot get the basics right. After the Kolkata flyover collapse, we saw an ugly political blame game. Politicians, city planners and contractors must take ownership of infrastructure projects. It is the only way to prevent similar disasters.
The CLAT 2018 answer key was released on Tuesday by the National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi. The entrance test was held on May 13.

CLAT 2018 answer key: How to check

1) Visit the official website of CLAT 2018 at clat.ac.in 2) Click on the link for answer key 3) Login with your roll number, date of birth, exam date and captcha code 4) Check the answer key

Candidates can raise objections against the answer keys until May 18.

The exam is held to select candidates for admissions to 19 national law universities (NLUs) undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes.

CLAT is an all India common entrance examination conducted on rotational basis by 19 National Law Universities (NLUs) for admissions to their UG and PG degree programmes. This year, NUALS Kochi is the organising university.

CLAT 2018 results will be declared on May 31 at clat.ac.in

Note: Please visit CLAT 2018 website regularly for latest news and updates.
The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved a plan to set up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Jharkhands Deoghar with an outlay of Rs 1103 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna.

The AIIMS at Deoghar will consist of a hospital with a capacity of 750 beds, trauma centre facilities and a medical college with an intake of 100 MBBS students per year.

It will also have a nursing college with an intake of 60 BSc (nursing) students per year, residential complexes and allied facilities and services, broadly on the pattern of AIIMS, New Delhi.

Twenty speciality/super speciality departments including 15 operation theatres and an AYUSH department with 30 beds for providing treatment facilities in the traditional system of medicine will also be made available at the new AIIMS.

The setting up of new AIIMS will serve the dual purpose of providing super speciality healthcare while also helping to create a large pool of doctors and other health workers in the region to be available for primary and secondary-level institutions/facilities being created under the National Health Mission (NHM).

AIIMS has been established in Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Raipur, Jodhpur, Rishikesh and Patna under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna.

The construction of AIIMS in Uttar Pradeshs Rae Bareli, Maharashtras Nagpur, West Bengals Kalyani and Mangalagiri in Guntur is underway. The construction work has also been awarded for AIIMS in Uttar Pradeshs Gorakhpur.
A Delhi University official on Tuesday said that the varsity will try to wrap up the admission process for undergraduate programmes as early as possible and will refrain from issuing the cut-off lists beyond a certain number.

The registration for admission for undergraduate programmes began from May 15, Tuesday, (5pm).

The official, a member of the admission committee, said the university will reach out to the colleges asking them to keep the cut-offs realistic this time and take a cue from the previous years cut-offs.

In its official communication, the university wrote that it will issue at least five cut-offs.

Five cut-offs are standard. We always try to keep it within this and try to end the admissions as soon as possible. However, it all depends on how the colleges respond to this plan. We may have to issue more cut-offs if seats remain vacant, the official said.

We can only request the colleges to keep the cut-offs realistic. Our role is only that of an advisor. Moreover, the CBSE also has said that it will not be spiking or moderating marks this year which will also result in more sensible cut-offs, he added.

Several colleges in the last few years have been raising the percentage bar up to as high as 99%.

Last year, Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College, which demanded 99.66% for the Electronics course, came down to 92% by the time the sixth cut-off list was out.
Movie critics welcomed a new Han Solo into the Star Wars galaxy, giving generally positive marks to Walt Disney Cos origin story for one of the sci-fi franchises most popular characters.

Solo: A Star Wars Story received a 73% positive score on film website Rotten Tomatoes on Tuesday, the day the first reviews were released. The movie starts rolling out in international theatres on May 23.

The film endured a rocky path to the screen. Original co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired midway through production, and Disney asked Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind director Ron Howard to come in to oversee extensive reshoots.

Director Ron Howard poses with cast members Joonas Suotamo, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Paul Bettany, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and producer Kathleen Kennedy after the Cannes screening. (REUTERS)

Critics who liked the movie said Howard had succeeded in making a fun film that should satisfy the franchises fervent fans.

While Solo hasnt completely overcome the long odds, those harbouring a love of the franchise should come away, ultimately, with a good feeling about this, wrote Brian Lowry of CNN.com.

Alden Ehrenreich, 28, stepped into the role of Solo, made famous by Harrison Ford in the original Star Wars trilogy that began in 1977. Ehrenreich plays a younger Solo at the start of his pilot training when he becomes involved in a dangerous mission.

Ehrenreich won praise from many critics for making the role his own without imitating Ford.

British actor Emilia Clarke (L) and US actor Alden Ehrenreich pose on May 15, 2018 during a photocall for the film Solo : A Star Wars Story at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival. (AFP)

Things do feel shaky at first, but theres spunk to Ehrenreichs delivery and, once he settles in, a twinkle in his eye, said Bob Mondello of National Public Radio.

Brian Truitt of USA Today said Ehrenreich does the character justice, mainly because hes a different Han than previously seen.

This guys all wide-eyed gumption and smirking confidence - not the cynic who gets a crash course in the Force later in life, Truitt said.

Other critics felt Ehrenreich did not meet the high expectations for the part.

In a role that demands greatness, he is, in a word, okay, wrote Nick Schager of The Daily Beast, adding that the movie sacrifices Han Solos swagger for a bland origin story.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Provocative Danish director Lars Von Triers latest film, the serial killer film The House That Jack Built, premiered at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival earlier this week. The reactions to the film have been quite extreme, even for Von Trier, who returned to Cannes after a six-year ban following controversial comments in which he appeared to sympathise with Adolf Hitler.

Over a hundred audience members chose to flee the screening of the film, starring Matt Dillon and Uma Thurman, and some later took to social media to condemn the famously controversial filmmakers decisions. Gross. Pretentious. Vomitive. Torturous. Pathetic, one person wrote on Twitter. The film was described by Varietys Ramin Setoodeh as unlike anything hed ever seen at the festival. He tweeted a picture of the empty seats at the auditorium, but also reported that those who stayed back gave the film an enthusiastic standing ovation.

This is how quickly the audience clearly out after Lars von Triers The House That Jack Built. #Cannes2018 pic.twitter.com/yxZJJww71w  Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) May 14, 2018

Ive never seen anything like this at a film festival. More than 100 people have walked out of Lars von Triers The House That Jack Built, which depicts the mutilation of women and children. "Its disgusting," one woman said on her way out. #Cannes2018 pic.twitter.com/GsBGCoyHEG  Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) May 14, 2018

Nevertheless, #Cannes2018 still gives Lars von Trier a standing ovation after The House That Jack Built. As someone sitting near me put it: "Theyll clap for anything." pic.twitter.com/xa6Hi0t23r  Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) May 14, 2018

The scene that caused most of the controversy reportedly showed Matt Dillons serial killer character shooting children with a rifle, and later mutilating a woman.

Von Trier was declared persona non grata at the festival following his 2011 press conference for his film, Melancholia. The director appeared to sympathise with Adolf Hitler on a human level in his answer to a question, even as star Kirsten Dunst visibly tried to get him to stop talking.

The House That Jack Built will be released in Von Triers native Denmark in November. Here are some more reactions.

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT: Lars Von Trier is trolling us, complete with a section of clips from his own movies. He uses excessive violence (which is more ridiculous than shocking) & misogyny as a form of self-examination... Id be offended if it didnt feel so empty #Cannes2018 pic.twitter.com/m4YRFjuiz1  Alicia Malone (@aliciamalone) May 15, 2018

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT: where NYMPHOMANIAC posited getting fucked as futile existential soul-searching, this one pins its central metaphor on murder. A sick film from a sick man, and of course it's amazing.  Charles Bramesco (@intothecrevasse) May 15, 2018

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT: I decided I'd had enough after about 100 minutes, which is when I left. I'm a critic but I'm also a human being, and I don't have to play a part in somebody's elaborate system of torture. #Cannes2018  Caspar Salmon (@CasparSalmon) May 15, 2018

so so soooooo many walkouts during THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT but jeez louise the people that stayed launch into massive applause at the end. I smoked my first ever cigarette after lol  Aaron Michael (@subsahaaron) May 14, 2018

The House That Jack Built feels like a suicide note. #Cannes2018  Robbie Collin (@robbiereviews) May 14, 2018

Talked to someone who walked out of the Lars von Trier film at Cannes: "He mutilates Riley Keough, he mutilates children... and we are all there in formal dress expected to watch it?"  Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) May 14, 2018

Sadistic murder porn that inspired more than a few walkouts. But such is usually Von Triers MO #cannes2018 #TheHouseThatJackBuilt  Andrea Mandell (@AndreaMandell) May 14, 2018

Just left Lars Von Trier's The House that Jack Built.

Gross. Pretentious. Vomitive. Torturous. Pathetic. #Cannes2018  The Oscar Predictor (@OscarPredictor) May 14, 2018

Walked out on LarsvonTrier . Vile movie. Should not have been made. Actors culpable  Showbiz 411 (@showbiz411) May 14, 2018

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Business in booming for at least two resorts in Karnataka. With Karnataka election results revealing a hung assembly, political parties are turning to resorts within the state to keep their newly-elected legislators safe from poaching.

The Congress with 77 seats in the new assembly has once again picked Eagleton resort at Bidadi near Bengaluru for this. Kanakapura MLA-elect DK Shivakumar led the MLAs in a luxury bus to the Eagleton Resort on Wednesday.

To keep the Bharatiya Janata Party with 104 seats, nine short of a majority, at bay, the Congress has lent its support to the Janata Dal Secular. Bidadi is in Ramanagara district, a JD(S) bastion.

But the JD(S) , whose leader HD Kumaraswamy accused the BJP of offering his MLAs Rs 100 crore to switch sides, is using Hotel Shangri-La. The JD(S) has 37 seats and ally Bahujan Samaj Party one.

The Karnataka governor on Wednesday night invited BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa to form the government and gave him 15 days to prove his majority. It isnt clear where the BJP MLAs are.

It is highly unlikely the MLAs are leaving the resorts anytime soon. And leaders are taking every precaution to ensure that they dont defect.

Eagelton resort was in the spotlight last year when Gujarat Congress MLAs camped there as party feared the defection of MLAs ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections.

During the Mysuru Zila panchayat election, BJP and JD(S) members had camped at the same resort, fearing poaching.

The prospects of newly MLAs being corralled at a resort was subject of a tweet that literally became a meme on Wednesday after lection results were announced.

A screenshot of Kerala Tourism Departments official twitter handle went viral on the social media. The message read, After the rough and tumble of the #KarnatakaVerdict, we invite all the MLAs to unwind all the safe and beautiful resorts of Gods Own Country. #ComeOutAndPlay.

The tweet was later deleted.

For now, it seems, the newly-elected MLAs are staying put in their own state.
BSF troops thwarted an infiltration bid today along the International Border (IB) in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, where a high alert has been sounded ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit, officials said.

Modi will be visiting the state on May 19.

There was an (infiltration) attempt today and it was foiled, inspector general of BSF, Jammu Frontier, Ram Awtar, told PTI.

A group of infiltrators tried to cross over to the Indian territory in Bobiyan area earlier on Wednesday, taking advantage of the heavy foliage in the region.

A few rounds of fire were exchanged between the two sides before the infiltrators fled, Awtar said.

This is the fourth infiltration bid to be foiled by the BSF along the IB in the past four days.

Jammu region was put on high alert after movement of suspected militants was detected along the IB in Kathua district on Monday.

A 28-year-old BSF jawan was killed as Pakistani troops opened fire at forward posts in Manguchak area on Tuesday to help infiltrators cross over.
The Congress has decided to escalate its demand for restoration of ballot paper-based voting in future elections in the wake of allegations of tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The Congress alleged that in Karnataka, too, the electoral process was rigged.

Every survey showed Siddaramaiah as Karnatakas first choice but that did not get reflected in the results. People voted for one party but the votes went to another. Every political party should contemplate where the country is headed, Congress general secretary Mohan Prakash said.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray also challenged the BJP to hold elections through ballot papers to clear doubts over the use of EVMs. If you (BJP) trust yourself, hold elections through ballot papers once, he said in Mumbai after the Karnataka results. When so many people are asking for it, it will clear apprehensions once and for all.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray agreed with his cousin. This is a victory for the EVM, he tweeted.

A Congress strategist, who refused to be identified, said the party would try to bring all the opposition parties on board and make the move to return to ballot papers a national campaign.

We have been raising this issue but will take it forward vociferously now, he said.

Also read: Mapping the Karnataka election results, constituency after constituency

In the political resolution adopted at its 84th plenary session in Delhi in March, the Congress urged the election commission to revert to ballot papers from EVMs, which have come under scrutiny following tampering allegations.

There are apprehensions among political parties and the people over the misuse of EVMs to manipulate the outcome contrary to the popular verdict. To ensure the credibility of the electoral process, the EC should revert to the old practice of paper ballot, as most major democracies have done, it said.

The Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and other opposition parties have already knocked at the doors of the President and the election commission, alleging rigging of voting machines after the BJPs unexpectedly massive victory in Uttar Pradesh elections in 2017. At that time, the election commission had rejected the charge.

After the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) emerged victorious for the second time in a row, BJP veteran LK Advani too had raised doubts about the possibility of EVMs malfunctioning.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) termed the BJPs performance in Karnataka as unbelievable and claimed that the results were not in sync with the situation on the ground.

Demanding that all elections in future be held through ballot papers, Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil said there was a difference between what was in peoples minds and the actual results.

Reacting to the allegations, BJPs media department chief and Rajya Sabha MP, Anil Baluni, said:Why is it that whenever BJP wins, these forces suddenly remember the EVM theory? They never seem to think it is malfunctioning when we lose. This itself exposes them and their hypocrisy.
The Congress and the JD(S), which plan to form a coalition government in Karnataka, alleged on Wednesday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to poach their lawmakers but separately claimed later that the attempts so far had failed.

In the state where both camps said they were confident about forming a government, murmurs of poaching gained ground on an action-packed day, when JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy accused the BJP of doling out a bribe of Rs 100 crore and triggered a backlash.

A day after both camps met the governor to stake claim, media reports suggested three Congress lawmakers --- Rajshekhar Patil, Nagendra and Anand Singh --- were untraceable even as their party leaders went into a huddle in state capital Bengaluru.

Soon after, former prime minister Deve Gowdas Janata Dal (Secular) held its legislative party meeting in the state capital. News agency ANI reported lawmakers Raja Venkatappa Nayaka and Venkata Rao Nadagouda did not attend the event.

We are all together. All this is false news. In fact, there are six BJP people who are in touch with us, said Congress leader MB Patil amid suspense over government formation in Karnataka.

BJPs Basavaraj Bommai, a former minister and the son of ex-chief minister SR Bommai, said his party was not approaching any individual but stressed that politics is an art of possibility, according to ANI.

Also read: Interactive map of the Karnataka election results

In a fractured mandate, Prime Minister Narendra Modis BJP made inroads into Karnataka by winning 104 seats but fell short of majority. The Congress (78 seats) and the JD(S), which won 37 seats, said they had the numbers to run the 224-member House. The bloc also claimed the support of two independents and an MLA belonging to JD(S) ally BSP.

The BJP elected chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa its party leader in a legislative party meeting on Wednesday. The 75-year-old Lingayat leader came calling to the Raj Bhavan for the second time since Tuesdays verdict and said the governor had promised to take an appropriate decision.

Earlier in the day, Congress leaders met at their headquarters in Bengaluru, where senior leaders are camping to oversee the political overtures in the state that is crucial to the party in national politics.

Following a string of election losses, the Congress now holds power in Punjab, Mizoram and the Union Territory of Puducherry. It has ruled Karnataka for the past five years.

Congress leader DK Shivakumar said he was aware of what he termed the BJPs attempts at poaching MLAs, and said his party had taken preventive steps.

Yes, definitely there is a plan. We have to safeguard our MLAs, We will let you know what the plan is, ANI quoted him as saying.

JD(S) leader Sarvana said: I dont know what they (BJP) are offering but they are trying to call our people, but they are not responding. We are all together, no one can touch our party. Our party MLAs are loyal to the party.

Kumaraswamy, a former CM and the son of Deve Gowda, said: We have already decided to go with the Congress...There is no question of taking any other decision.

At a press conference after the JD(S) meeting, the 58-year-old leader who has been elected the legislative party leader said: This attempt by the BJP to poach our legislators will backfire as there are people who are willing to leave the BJP to support us (JD-S).

Reacting to the charges, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said the rival camp was levelling baseless charges against the BJP

Rs 100 crore figure (mentioned by Kumaraswamy) is not only imaginary but it is what Congress-JD(S) do politics through. We are going by rules. We have submitted our claim to the governor. We are confident of forming the government, ANI quoted him as saying.

(With agency inputs)
Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir will halt counter-insurgency operations during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan in the first ceasefire in the troubled state in more than 17 years, the Centre said on Wednesday, accepting a demand made by chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.

Decision taken to help the peace loving Muslims observe Ramzan in a peaceful environment, Union home minister Rajnath Singh tweeted on Wednesday, clarifying that security forces reserve the right to retaliate if they are attacked or if it is essential to protect the lives of civilians.

Singh said the decision had been communicated to Mehbooba who, in a Twitter post, said she wholeheartedly welcomed the ceasefire and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singh.

I wholeheartedly welcome the Ramadan ceasefire & would like to thank @narendramodi ji & @rajnathsingh ji for their personal intervention. My gratitude also to the leaders & parties who participated in the All Party Meeting & helped build consensus towards this announcement. 1/2  Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 16, 2018

Soon after the announcement, an encounter broke out between security forces and militants in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, the Press Trust of India reported, quoting the police.

The militants opened firing on an Army patrol at Jamnagri in Shopian district, the police said, adding that Army personnel returned fire. No casualties were reported.

The announcement follows an increase in unrest in Kashmir this year. Since the start of the year until April-end, according to government data, around 60 terrorists had been killed in the Valley and 27 among them were locals. Some 29 security force personnel and several civilians have also died.

Forty-eight infiltration attempts by terrorists based in Pakistan had been recorded till the end of last month and half among them were successful.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group rejected the centres announcement. In a statement, LeT spokesperson Abdullah Ghazanwi quoted the groups chief Mehmooad Shah as saying the statement of Indias interior minister is nothing but a drama. It may be a wish of India and its few sympathizers and nothing else.

  (The) cease-fire is no option and no thought can be given on such compromise, he said adding we are in favor of negotiations but the talks of negotiations in presence of armed occupational forces in the region are lies.

Calls to the separatist leaders (or their spokespersons), including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik and Syed Ali Geelani did not yield any reaction. Malik said he was driving and dropped the call. Mirwaiz did not pick his phone. Geelanis spokesperson refused to comment. The trio issued a joint statement later urging people to organise peaceful protests on Friday in solidarity to our Palestinian brethren.

Mehbooba convened the all-party meeting earlier this month to discuss the recent unrest in the Kashmir valley. She said after the meeting that the participants had agreed to appeal to the Centre to announce a ceasefire within the state. The month of Ramzan is due to begin on Thursday.

The last time around, it was the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government that had declared non-initiation of combat operations (NICO) in the state which remained in force between November 2000 and May 2001. During that ceasefire, the Srinagar airport came under a militant attack in January 2001.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Singh said: (The) government expects everyone to cooperate in this initiative and help the Muslim brothers & sisters to observe Ramzan peacefully and without any difficulties. Singh said it was important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror.

The centres Kashmir interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma termed the ceasefire a great initiative by the government ,which must be supported by everyone.

I urge upon every individual in J&K particularly youth to respond positively by playing an active role in ending violence there. Violence will take us nowhere. Peace must be given a chance. All issues can be resolved through dialogue, Sharma told HT.

Officials familiar with government discussions on the issue before the announcement said Sharma had been a votary of putting operations against militants on hold during Ramzan but it was always a political call and the government decided to take the gambit.

The army had flagged its concerns last week over the move, saying it could allow terrorists an opportunity to regroup at a time when the security forces have an upper hand in the Valley, but home ministry officials said the armys concerns had been taken into account before the halt was announced.

Following the announcement, army officials, monitoring the Kashmir situation, said the government had made it clear that the security forces had the right to retaliate if attacked and also to protect civilians. They added that the army would carry out fewer cordon and search operations (CASO) and search and destroy operations (CADO) for the one-month period.

Road opening parties and area sanitisation operations will continue as convoys have to move, said a senior officer who did not wish to be named.

The union home ministry , in a detailed statement, said unity in diversity was Indias unique strength and all religions and communities have always received full respect in India.

The holy month of Ramzan is commencing from tomorrow, which is observed by Muslims all over the world. It is a matter of regret that over the last few years, terrorists have indulged in large scale bloodshed not only in India but also in other parts of the World, even during this holy month. This has caused immense suffering to peace loving Muslims adhering to the true tenets of Islam. People belonging to other communities have also suffered, said the ministry.

The statement said the government had been trying to create an environment free of terror and violence to enable Muslims to observe Ramzan peacefully.

Motivated by this consideration, (the) Government has issued instructions to the security forces and army not to undertake offensive operations during the period of Ramzan in Jammu & Kashmir. However, if it is essential for protecting the life of the common people, the security forces will be compelled to take appropriate action. It is expected that all Muslim brothers and sisters following the true tenets of Islam will cooperate in ensuring the success of this initiative during the holy month of Ramzan, added the statement.

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A central declaration of a halt on operations against militants in Jammu and Kashmir will provide a respite to chief Mehbooba Mufti and give her space to mount an effort to win back constituents who have turned hostile because of her alliance with Bharatiyaa Janata Party (BJP) , experts say.

It would help if Pakistan too dissuades militant groups based on its soil from launching strikes against targets in Kashmir, they added.

The cadre and leaders of Mehboobas Peoples Democratic Party seem to be under tremendous pressure from their electorate in the Valley due to the alliance with BJP. Any concession from the Centre will provide space to Mehbooba to show that the Centre listens to her as she had made a demand in this regard, said former Sashastra Seema Bal chief Arun Chaudhary, who dealt with Kashmir for over a decade while serving in the Intelligence Bureau. The halt on operations during Ramzan will not change anything on the ground as security forces, if attacked, will continue to retaliate and therefore it should be seen more in terms of optics.

Chaudhary added that even in 2000, when a ceasefire was announced by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, it was a political call taken in consultation with the Farooq Abdullah, who was Jammu and Kashmirs chief minister at the time. And it didnt turn out well, he added.

The earlier ceasefire allowed militants to move freely without any fear from the security forces and they managed to carry out an attack on the Srinagar airport. The government will have to ensure that during the present halt on operations, there should be an added emphasis on keeping a tight watch on movement of militants, said Chaudhary.

AS Dulat, former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and PM Vajpayees pointsman on Kashmir, said the governments decision was welcome.

I consider it a much needed positive step and I sincerely hope that Pakistan too endorses the announcement on halt on operation, said Dulat.

Former northern army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd) said anything that contributed to a reduction in violence was welcome.

I hope the rules of engagement for the security forces are clearly laid down so that they do not find themselves disadvantaged, he said.

Hooda added that the suspension of operations couldnt be an end in itself but part of a larger process of confidence building. Only then will we see the real dividends, he said.
A rags-to-riches millionaires fetish for the digit 1 has led him splurge lakhs of rupees on fancy number plates for his luxury cars over the years.

All his cars have 0001 in the registration plates. But it is not only cars where 37-year-old Rrahul Tanejaas fetish manifests itself. Even his mobile phone number has five 1s.

On Tuesday, Tanejaa who runs an event management company, spent Rs 16 lakh for a winning bid for a fancy number for his new luxury car: RJ 45 CG 0001. Transport department officials said this was the highest anyone ever bid for a premium number.

He bought the Jaguar for Rs 1.5 crore on March 25 and waited for a month and a half to get the special number ending with 0001.

Tanejaa bought his first luxury car - a BMW 5 series in 2011 - and paid Rs 10.31 lakh for a premium number plate of RJ 14 CP 0001. His next car was a second-hand Skoda Laura which he bought just because it had the number 1 (RJ 20 CB 0001) on the registration plate. Later, he sold the BMW 5 series car but retained the registration number for another BMW 7 series car.

His fetish for number 1 is not a new development.

Even in 1996 when I bought a second hand scooter, I made sure its number added up to 1, says Tanejaa. The scooters number was RJ 14 23M 2323. 2+3+2+3 is 10, which in single digit comes to 1, he explains.

My life has been full of struggle  now when I have money, I want to enjoy it, says the man who left home when he was 11.

His father ran a tyre repair shop in a village in Madhya Pradesh and shifted to Jaipur in 1984. For seven years, Tanejaa did odd jobs for a living and to fund his studies. As a student at Adarsh Vidya Mandir, Adarsh Nagar, he was topper of the class.

Until he was 18, he claims he sold different things at different times: kites during Makar Sankranti, rakhis during Raksha Bandhan, colours during Holi and crackers during Diwali. He even sold leather jackets from footpaths. He also claims that he drove an auto-rickshaw at night  from 9pm to midnight  because there was less chance of getting caught by police as he didnt have a driving license.

At 18, on a neighbours suggestions, he tried his hand at modelling. He won title after title and began earning big money. I was Mr Jaipur, Mr Rajasthan and Male of the Year, he says.

Tanejaas event management company organizes premium weddings. He now has money and loves to flaunt it.

I believe in being number one in whatever I do. I want my event management company to be number one in the country, he said, explaining his fascination for the digit 1.
Shimoga MP BS Yeddyurappa turned 75 on February 27, crossing the undeclared age-bar in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its leader to hold a ministerial position.

But, BSY, as the Lingayat strongman is known in Karnataka, was too big a heavyweight for the party to invoke such a rule and edge him out of the race for the top post.

On Tuesday, as the BJP emerged as the single largest party just short of a majority, BSY appeared within a striking distance of the chief ministers post. This hasnt come easy to him. He had won the Lok Sabha election from Karnataka and was expecting to get a ministerial position in the Narendra Modi government.

He missed the bus, and took months to recover from the setback. He was convinced through a set of loyalists that it was not the end of the road for him.

Denied a job in Delhi, he turned his focus to Karnataka, only to deal with factionalism in the state BJP and chief ministerial ambitions of about half a dozen colleagues. The struggle continued and BSY kept convincing party leaderships that he needed to be in control of the situation in Karnataka to win the state.

The first milestone was crossed in April 2016 when the BJP decided to appoint him the president of Karnataka BJP.

A few months later, in October, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court cleared him in a corruption case.

It was a huge relief for BSY and the BJP, which had by then started contemplating appointing him the CM candidate. A formal announcement was made in May 2017. Born in a modest family from the Vokkaliga-dominated Mandya district, the former rice-mill worker in Shimoga is credited with shaping the Bharatiya Janata Party into what it is today in Karnataka. Yeddyurappa has risen from the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)  the BJPs ideological mentor  and has been a seven-term member of the Karnataka assembly between 1983 and 2013.

He had a meteoric rise in the Karnataka BJP before having a run in with party veteran LK Advani in 2011 in the wake of a land scam that cost him the chief ministers job. He walked out of the BJP in 2012 to float his outfit, the Karnataka Janta Paksha (KJP), which dealt a severe blow to his former party in the 2013 assembly elections. The KJP polled about 10% votes and caused the BJPs defeat in over 30 seats. He was back in the BJP ahead of elections in 2014.
The Janata Dal (Secular) emerged as the biggest winner on Tuesday in the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru area, where it won 29 of the 59 seats and where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also managed to make inroads at the cost of the ruling Congress because of an acute farm crisis in the region.

During assembly elections in the past, there had been a straight fight in the region between the Congress and the JD(S). But Tuesdays poll results showed that the gains made by the BJP were largely at the expense of the Congress, while the JD(S) managed to not only consolidate but also increase its tally.

The rally behind the JD(S) was nowhere more starkly in view than in the Chamundeshwari seat in Mysuru district, where chief minister Siddramaiah raised the stakes after shifting from Varuna, a constituency he left for his son Yathindra, who went on to win.

Siddaramaiah was up against a former aide GT Deve Gowda, whom he had defeated by just 250 votes in 2006, when Siddaramaiah switched to the Congress from the JD(S). On Tuesday, Siddaramaiah lost by a margin of around 36,000 votes.

The JD(S) had banked on the consolidation of Vokkaliga votes and it was for this reason that the partys chief ministerial aspirant HD Kumaraswamy contested from two seats in the region  his traditional stronghold Ramanagara and the neighbouring Channapatna, where his wife Anita had been defeated in 2013 by the BJPs Vokkaliga leader CP Yogeshwar, a serial party hopper.

The Congress partys jibe that the JD(S) was actually the Janata Dal (Sangh Parivar)  referring to it as the BJPs B team  and outgoing chief minister Siddaramaiahs comments against his former mentor and JD(S) patriarch HD Deve Gowda did not go down well by the electorate. Added to this was anger among JD(S) workers at the Congress poaching its MLAs, seven of whom had switched in April after voting against the party whip in the Rajya Sabha elections.

The JD(S) swept Mandya, winning all seven seats in a district where the rebel Congress leader MH Ambareesh refused to contest. Ambareesh, who met Kumaraswamy last week, was angry with Siddaramaiah for having dropped him from the state Cabinet in a reshuffle in 2016.

In Holenarsipura, where Deve Gowdas elder son HD Revanna went head-to-head with the Congress candidate B Manjegowda, perceptible Dalit anger against Vokkaliga dominance did not matter as much as Siddaramaiah had hoped it would. Manjegowda, a Dasa Vokkaligam expected to split the communitys votes, also lost by around 42,000 votes.

What played a part in the reversal was alleged leaked phone conversation between Siddaramaiah and Manjegowda, where the former was purportedly heard telling Manjegowda to bring Deve Gowdas hold over the region to an end.

The Congress decision to bet on Darshan, the son of senior farmer leader KS Puttanaiah, who died of a heart attack earlier this year, in the Melukote seat, came a cropper as well.

Darshan, who was contesting on a Swaraj India ticket, lost to CS Puttaraju of the JD(S) by 23,000 votes.

In the 12 seats in the area reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Congress could win only three, while it won back the one seat reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs).

In contrast, the JD(S) decision to ally with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) paid off. Mayawatis party managed to wrest the Kollegal seat from the Congress, while the JD(S) won eight of the reserved seats, ensuring in the process the defeat of public works minister HC Mahadevappa, and making a dent in Siddaramaiahs plans of an AHINDA (a Kannada acronym for minority communities, backward classes and Dalits) coalition against the dominant Vokkaligas.

The BJPs victory in Nanjangud, a seat the Congress had won in a by-election last year after it fielded a former JD(S) leader against V Srinivasa Prasad, who moved to the BJP, further eroded the partys claim over Dalit support.

The Congress, however, did manage to ensure a victory for its state president G Parameshwara, who had lost in 2013 to the JD(S) candidate.
Terming governor Vajubhai Valas decision to invite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form the government as immoral, illegal and unconstitutional, the Congress moved the Supreme Court late on Wednesday night to challenge his decision and cited both constitutional and judicial precedents.The BJP, however, defended the governors decision, citing another set of constitutional conventions and court judgments.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi confirmed that he had filed a petition and asked for an urgent hearing at night, before the scheduled swearing-in of BS Yeddyurappa at 9am, Thursday.

The SC registrar, however, did not confirm receiving the petition till the time of going to print. The Chief Justice can constitute an urgent bench to hear such petitions if he deems fit. The Karnataka governor knows now the size of the declared and asserted coalition of Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) who has written to him. The single-largest party logic doesnt apply in this fractured mandate, Singhvi said. He added the petition mentions the Goa assembly judgment as the basis to challenge Valas move. After the Goa polls, the BJP formed a post-poll coalition and staked claim to power. Governor Mridula Sinha allowed it to form the government, ignoring Congresss claim that the largest party should be given precedence. A SC bench comprising then Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justices RK Agrawal and Ranjan Gogoi also rejected the Congress argument. When no political party is in majority, then it is the bounden duty of the Governor to see who can form the government. If nothing happens, then the Governor is duty-bound to call the leader of the single largest party, but if someone goes to the Governor with a list of supporters, then it is a different issue altogether, the bench said.

Denial by govnor 2cong JDS after assertion of joint numbers wld b illegal,unctal & contrary to(1) kavlekar judgement of Goa by SC(2) Sarkaria Comm (3) rule that single party rule inapplicable where anr combination has more numbers(4) against KR Narayanan, Goa, manipur precedents  Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) May 16, 2018

The SC judgment delivered its verdict on the Goa case on March 14, 2017. Thats the norm now. That law binds us, the governor and B S Yeddyurappa, said senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal in an earlier press conference, which was also addressed by former finance minister P Chidambaram. The SC created judicial precedence, Governor creating political precedence. In Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya, we were the largest party but governor called the alliance to form the government. When majority is there before Karnataka governor, still we are not invited. There is an opportunity for horse trading, he said. Singhvi also pointed out the Goa judgment had asked an immediate floor test, and inst-ructed the BJPs CM Manohar Parikkar to prove he enjoyed the confidence of the house in two days. But launching a scathing attack on the Congress, senior BJP leader and Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that the Karnataka Governors decision was constitutionally sound and unassailable.

Quoting para 396 of the SR Bommai verdict, the BJP leader said the judgment dealt with a situation where an elected government had lost its majority. It is not relevant to a situation arising after a general election where a governor has to invite a house, he said. He said the founders of the Constitution allowed for discretion on the part of the Governor and recognised his right to apply his conscience.

Quoting the Sarkaria Commission and the MM Punchi Commission, Prasad described the order of preference in which the Governor had to act in choosing who to invite. The Governor, according to Sarkaria Commission recommendations, had to first look for a party or an alliance of parties formed prior to election. Then he ought to consider the single-largest party. After exhausting these options, he could then turn to post-poll alliances. This position was reiterated in the 2016 Nabam Rebia judgement of the Supreme Court.

He said Rahul Gandhi should recall and follow standards set by his father Rajiv Gandhi in 1989, when he refused to form the government despite being the single largest party because he did not have the mandate.
As far as the role of the governor in government formation in Karnataka is concerned, I believe, the governors sole job is to decide who is likely to command confidence of the house and invite that lot to form the government. The governor does not have unguided discretion in this regard.

In Karnataka, we have a case where 116 MLAs, who support one side  and that is the figure above the majority mark  staked claim to form the government in the state.

The governor must have had very strong reasons to discard that and prefer the single-largest party that claims support of 105 MLAs, which is well short of the majority.

Now that he has invited the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the single-largest party, the new chief minister, after swearing in, should have been given a very short time to prove majority in the house.

In no event, should the governor give the impression that his office and his discretion have been used to facilitate horse trading.

There are a few Constitutional precedents that come to mind when we talk about this issue  take the case of Sanjeeva Reddy. He was severely criticised for not inviting Jagjivan Ram to form a government after the Charan Singh government fell in 1980.

The Congress lost the 1989 election, but emerging as single-largest party, refused to stake claim to form the government. President Shankar Dayal Sharma invited Atal Bihari Vajypee, leader of single-largest party to form a government in 1996, and that government fell on the floor of the house in 13 days. Thereafter a combination of the United Front was called.

Then there was Buta Singh, who in 2005 ever called any one in a hung assembly in Bihar to form the government and earned the censure from the Supreme Court.

Therefore it is clear that the head of state, while he has discretion, cannot use the discretion in an arbitrary manner or in a manner favouring one side.

The author is a senior advocate in the Supreme Court

(As told to Ashok bagriya)
The Indian Meteorological Department on Wednesday forecast more thunderstorms and squalls for the north and northwest regions of the country till Friday, overturning its earlier prediction, as a dust storm and thundershowers hit Delhi and the National Capital Region in the morning.

A fresh western disturbance, a low-pressure system that brings moisture from the Eurasian water bodies, will continue to affect the weather in this region, the weather office said.

An 18-year-old man was killed and 13 people injured in the dust storm that hit the national capital in the early hours today, police said. Sohail of northeast Delhis Gokal Puri area, was killed after a wall collapsed on him while he was sleeping in his house.

Wednesday is likely to see more thunderstorms along with gusty winds in north India including the hilly regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and in the plains in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

East India will also continue to see scattered thunderstorm activity on Wednesday. In peninsular Indian states, especially the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, thunderstorms are expected along with Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.

Thunderstorm activity has been reported in the past 24 hours from isolated areas over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, east Rajasthan in northwest India, interior parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry in the south, and also from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, subHimalayan West Bengal and the northeastern states.

Rains in Delhi

Strong winds, accompanied by dust and light rains, hit Delhi early on Wednesday, bringing a sudden decline in the temperature.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 26.4 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature was likely to hover around 38 degrees Celsius, the official added. The humidity recorded at 63% at 8.30am.

The sky will be generally cloudy with the possibility of light rains or drizzle, an IMD official said.

New agency ANI reported that trees fell on cars in Lodhi Colony area due to the winds.

More than 80 people died in six states, with Uttar Pradesh alone recording 54 deaths, due to thunderstorms and lightning strikes since Sunday.

The met department had on Tuesday predicted thunderstorms and gusty winds for the day in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and east Uttar Pradesh.

It also said parts of Rajasthan could experience dust storms and isolated areas of West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and most of northeast India can also expect thunderstorms and strong winds.

Storms hit Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab, killing 134 people and injuring over 400 on May 2. Uttar Pradesh was the worst affected accounting for 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district in the western part of the state.
Security forces on Wednesday launched a search operation in a forest area of Tral in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir following a brief exchange of firing with militants.

A brief exchange of firing took place between security forces and militants in Tral forests on Wednesday morning, a police official said.

He said security forces launched a search operation as the ultras fled in thick vegetation of the forest. Further details of the operation are awaited, the official said.
For the third time in two weeks, the Supreme Court collegium deferred the decision to recommend the elevation of Uttarakhand chief justice KM Joseph and other high court judges to the top court.

According to sources who were aware of developments, the five top judges of the court met on Wednesday evening but could not teach a decision on names to be sent to the government for elevation.

Justice Josephs file had been sent back by the government last month, triggering a face-off between the executive and the judiciary. The five are united in reiterating Josephs name, but the plan has been to recommend along with a clutch of other names.

The previous collegium meetings were held on May 2 and May 11.

The source quoted above confirmed that the collegium is likely to meet again either on Friday or the next week to take a call on the names.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Karnatakas plea to adjourn hearings in the Cauvery water sharing case to July on the grounds that there was no government in the state following Tuesdays assembly election results.

The court also directed the Centre to file a modified scheme before it on Thursday. The Karnataka government said during Wednesdays hearing it would like to file objections on the Centres draft scheme on distributing the waters of the Cauvery river.

The Kerala government, also which is a beneficiary in the scheme, also objected to the Centres draft, contending it got only 4% of the water but was expected to shell out 15% of the cost towards the Cauvery Management Board (CMB). It said control of dams and reservoirs should lie with states and not the CMB.

The Tamil Nadu government, meanwhile, objected to Centres proposal to have the headquarters of the CMB in Bengaluru. The government filed the draft scheme before on Monday outlining its proposal to follow the courts February judgment allocating the share of the waters of the Cauvery river, weeks after being pulled up for failing to implement the courts order.

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have fought over the river for more than a century now. On February 16, the SC reduced the quantity of water Karnataka was asked to supply to TN by 14.75 tmc (thousand million cubic litres).
Chief priest of Lord Venkateshwara temple atop Tirumala AV Ramana Deekshitulu was on Wednesday forced to retire within a day of him making allegations of corruption in the temple administration.

The maiden meeting of the newly constituted trust board of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the countrys richest temple, in its meeting held on Tirumala unanimously resolved to make all the Archakas (priests) who had crossed 65 years of age retire from the temple services.

Following this decision, chief priest Ramana Deekshitulu and three other priests Narasimha Deekshitulu, Srinivasa Murthy Deekshitulu and Narayana Deekshitulu, would have to retire from service, TTD trust board chairman Putta Sudhakar Yadav told media.

In the wake of the retirement of these priests who had been serving the temple for several years, the TTD trust board appointed four other Archakas from the families of Mirasidars (hereditary priests).

On Tuesday, Ramana Deekshitulu spoke to media in Chennai, alleging that the administrators of the temple were siphoning off the temple money and destroying the sanctity of the temple, which attracts lakhs of devotees every day. He demanded an open audit into the donations being received by the temple and expenditure being incurred by the TTD.

The chief priest demanded that the authorities should maintain transparency with regard to donations and jewellery and also to bring the TTD under the purview of of the Right to Information Act.

He also alleged that the TTD authorities were damaging the ancient structure in the name of beautification and for building special lines for VVIPs and demanded that the Archaeological Survey of India should assess the damage to the structure.

Reacting to Deekshitulus allegations, TTD executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal said the trust board had decided to serve a show cause notice on the chief priest seeking his explanation for his alleged derogatory remarks on the temple administration.

The trust board, among other things, also decided to constitute a local advisory committee for Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in New Delhi and a sub-committee to look into depositing of temple revenue in various banks.
The year was 1996. A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Gujarat had won a floor test in the assembly on September 18. But within 24 hours, a United Front prime minister had recommended to the President to dismiss the state government based on a report by the governor of the state. The then Gujarat BJP president had cried foul, calling it a murder of democracy.

The prime minister who recommended dismissal of the BJP state government: HD Deve Gowda.

The Gujarat state BJP president who decried the then PMs decision: Vajubhai Rudhabhai Vala.

The wheel has turned full circle. Today, Vajubhai Vala is the governor of Karnataka and Deve Gowdas party Janata Dal (Secular), led by his son HD Kumaraswamy, is seeking to form a government in the state with the help of Congress. But the single-largest party, the BJP with 104 seats in the 224-member assembly, has been invited by the governor to form the government, and given 15 days to prove its majority on the floor of the assembly.

Vala started as a pracharak in the Rashtriya Swamyasevak Sangh (RSS) before joining the BJP. He was elected as an MLA from Rajkot for seven terms and has held crucial portfolios of finance and revenue in the state, apart from being speaker of the Gujarat assembly.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi first contested an assembly seat in Gujarat, it was Vala who vacated his Rajkot seat for him. Once Modi shifted to Maninagar, Vala resumed contesting and winning from his old seat. Known in Gujarat as the pani wala (water) minister for his efforts in securing water for his parched constituency, the 80-year-old Vala has presented a record 18 budgets in his home state. He was also the state BJP president credited with ensuring that the saffron party dug roots and expanded to every nook and corner of the state.

He was in the running to succeed Modi as the CM of Gujarat, but when Anandiben Patel was chosen instead, Modi handed a gubernatorial post to him. Vala became the governor of Karnataka in September 2014, months after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime took charge. His name was again mentioned as a possible contender for Gujarat CM when Anandiben stepped down in 2016, but Vijay Rupani was sworn in.

Vala has kept a low profile in Karnataka when the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government was in charge. The Raj Bhavan did run into controversies in the early part of his tenure ; critics questioned the reported R4 crore spent on renovating his residence and the hiring of chartered jets to fly to Gujarat. There were also a few run-ins with the state government over the appointment of some vice-chancellors of universities, but by and large, Vala has had a cordial relationship with the Siddaramaiah government.
While 27-year-old serial offender Priya Seth often scouted for her next target through Tinder, she probably found something more.

During interrogation of a case involving the murder of a local businessman Dushyant Sharma, Seth and her boyfriend Dikshant Kamra (20) have revealed that they had plans of getting married to each other, police said.

Seths younger sister, however, did not approve of Kamra.

Seth and Kamra, along with Lakshya Walia (21), were arrested by the Jhotwara police on May 4 for the murder of 29-year-old Sharma.

The trio was produced before a local court on Tuesday, which sent them to 14 days judicial custody.

During interrogation police found number of interesting things about the trio.

Seth had met Kamra through Tinder early in April and both had taken a strong liking to each other. Within a span of a few days, they decided to live together and took a flat on rent in Bajaj Nagar, said a police official, who was part of the interrogation team.

They also got each-others name tattooed on their arms. Seth realized that Kamra was smart and fearless, unlike her previous boyfriends and they got serious about each other, the official said.

Kamra had told his mother about Seth, police said.

Seths younger sister met Kamra at the duos flat and she confided in her that she was thinking of settling down with Kamra. Her sister, however, did not approve of him, police said.

Seth, like always, did things her own way and it didnt matter to her about what her family said, the official said.

Seths father, a professor of political science at a government college in Pali, had disowned her from his property in 2010 after she took to crime in order to make easy money.

Kamra was also not on good terms with his father, who is a school teacher. Four years back, Kamra, a resident of Padampur in Sri Ganganagar, had left for Delhi after completing his school education to try his hand at a modeling career.

He had later shifted to Mumbai. Kamra came to Jaipur in March end and stayed for a few days with Walia.

The two had studied in the same school in Ganganagar.

Walia, the only child to his parents, had lost his father a few years back. He was also trying to make a career in the showbiz industry.

While he stayed at a rented flat in Malviya Nagar, his mother has been living at her parents house in Ganganagar since her husband expired.

Seth and Kamra never displayed any remorse for their actions though they blamed each others needs as the reason behind their plan to rob Sharma. They, however, never denied committing the crime or any aspect of it, the police official said.

Seth seemed convinced that she would get bail, just like she had got it in her previous crimes.
Sporadic violence was reported from West Bengal on Wednesday as the state went for re-election in 572 booths for panchayat polls. Repoll took place in 19 districts out of the 20 where elections were held on May 14.

The booths, where repolling is taking place include 63 in Murshidabad, 52 in Coochbehar, 28 in West Midnapore and 10 in Hooghly among others. The poll panel had asked the state government and police to make elaborate security arrangements so that polling can be held in a free and fair manner.

But despite these measures, violence took place in some areas.

In Jyangra of North 24 Parganas, hundreds of policemen formed a ring around a polling station to keep toughs out. On May 14, some youths brought ballot boxes out of the booths, prised them open with crowbars and consigned some of the ballot papers to a nearby pond and burnt the rest.

Firearms and pellets were seized by police in Basanti of South 24 Parganas. Police also seized an improvised jacket made of tin presumably to offer protection from pellets.

At Farakka in Murshidabad district, two persons were injured when bombs were hurled targeting the voters at a booth in Maheshpur gram panchayat area. BJP alleged that their polling agents could not enter a single booth of the total 63 where re-election was held.

Rapid Action Force (RAF) and police baton-charged voters in North Dinajpur districts Goalpokhor when they agitated due to delay in voting process. The incident occurred outside booth number 36/37.

In Bankra primary school (booth number 76) in Ratua I block of Malda district, goons stormed inside the centre at 8 am and took the ballot box away while brandishing guns.

West Bengal: Unidentified miscreants escape with a ballot box from polling booth no. 76 in Malda's Ratua, also brandish a gun. #PanchayatElections pic.twitter.com/kPlE2MqWfN  ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

Bengal has landed in an incredible situation. We have witnessed electoral violence in Bengal, but the degree and extent have multiplied manifold. I am in politics for more than four decades. I can tell you with authority that such a situation has never befallen the state, said Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Berhampore since 1999.

On Tuesday state BJP president Dilip Ghosh had expressed apprehensions that there may be violence during repoll too.

The spokesperson of Bhangar land agitators, Mirza Hassan, alleged that though supporters of arrested former TMC MLA Arabul Islam took control of five polling stations and rigged the polls, repoll was not ordered in Bhangar at all. What were the parameters of choosing booths for repoll? Our candidate Entaj Ali could not cast his vote as he was driven out of the polling station and thrashed. We would suspect some of the booths were selected because the ruling party anticipated setbacks in those, he asked.

In several booths policemen were seen chasing away outsiders from near the booths.

At Amdanga in North 24-Parganas, where a CPI(M) supporter was killed on May 14, police chased down a group of miscreants and even recovered firearms but failed to nab the toughs. In another incident in the same district, a sub-divisional police officer was beaten up by a mob allegedly for inadequate security arrangements for counting centre.

At Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur, poll officials put up a road blockade and demanded impartial probe into the death of Rajkumar Roy, a presiding officer who went missing on the polling day. His body was recovered on Tuesday. Police claimed it was case of suicide.

Counting in scheduled on Thursday and opposition parties have said they anticipate violence on the day of counting as well.

In many places, people braved the rains to stand in queues to cast their vote. Security has been tightened to avoid a repeat of Mondays violence during the panchayat elections.

Initial reports said at least 15 people were killed in political violence, scores injured, vehicles, houses and shops attacked, election officials and police beaten up, ballot boxes burnt and damaged during Mondays electoral process that the Opposition termed as farce. Reports of massive rigging and booth capture by ruling Trinamool Congress supporters also poured in from across the state.

SEC officials, however, claimed on Tuesday that six people died due to poll-related violence.

The Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and other parties of the Left Front also staged a protest outside SEC office in Kolkata against the violence.

Taking note of the incident, the Ministry of Home Affairs also sought a report from the state government.
Amidst high alert and extensive combing by district administration and forest officials to trap feral dogs, an-eight-year-old girl, Sahreen, was severely injured in an attack by a pack of feral dogs in Bihariganj village bordering Khairabad and Talgaon areas of Sitapur.

Dog attacks in Sitapur district have claimed lives of at least 13 children since November last year and seven of these killings have been reported since May 1.

The incident occurred when the girl, her father Yakub Ali and some villagers had gone to irrigate a field around 7pm. The victim was standing at some distance from the others when she was attacked by a pack of feral dogs, said Awadesh Kumar, senior sub-inspector, Sitapur kotwali.

The girl was rescued as villagers came running after hearing her screams. She was rushed her to the Sitapur district hospital, he said.

The pack of feral dogs fled towards Kamlapur when chased by a group of villagers. A combined team of forest, district administration and police started combing in the area to track the attacker dogs, he added.

Earlier, a pack of feral dogs was also spotted near the house of one Gajraj Rajvanshi in Peerpur village of Talgaon area when a group of villagers were working in their farming field around 12.30 am on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

The dogs fled towards the jungle area when a group of villagers chased them. We chased them for around one kilometre but were unable to catch them, said Sita Ram Rajvanshi, a local.

Meanwhile, feral dogs killed three goats in Mishrapur village of Khairabad on Monday evening. Sachin Kumar Singh, inspector of Khairabad police station, said a police team rushed to the spot after getting information about the presence of feral dogs but failed to trap them.

Canine menace continues in Sitapur district despite the deployment of government officials (from lekhpal to sub divisional magistrates) to check such incidents.

Apart from the 22 villages most affected by dog attacks, district officials marked 26 other villages for their operation where sightings of feral dogs were reported.

LEOPARD SCARE ALSO?

Villagers had another reason to worry after they got information about the presence of a leopard in Mahmoodabad area of Sitapur district.

The leopard allegedly attacked two villagers near Beni Madhavpur village of Mahmoodabad on Monday, but divisional forest officer Aniruddh Pandey said the presence of leopard was yet not confirmed.

He said a team of forest department was sent to examine pugmarks and interact with villagers.
The Sitapur district administrations awareness campaign against feral dog attacks continued on Tuesday as officials visited villagers and gathered information about dog sightings.

During tehsil diwas, the district magistrate asked officials to inform locals about the attacks.

All efforts are being made to make people aware about the situation. We are using all channels to reach out to the villagers in the affected areas, said Sitapur district magistrate Sheetal Verma.

The DM also ordered distribution of pamphlets in the affected areas in the Khairabad block.

The pamphlets bear information about the attacks and ways to prevent them. They also have phone numbers of administrative officials who are handling the operation, said the DM.

We have also released a helpline number to register incidents of feral dog sightings and attacks. This number is mentioned on the pamphlet, the officer added.

The district administration also employed drummers and announcers to visit each of the 22 affected villages and urge people to not leave their children un-attended.

Teachers and private schools in the affected areas were also asked to inform the children about the attacks.

The extensive measures were being taken after chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited the district on Friday to take stock of the situation. He announced monetary relief to the affected families. The distribution of relief money had begun.

The forest department continued combing operation in search of feral dogs in Khairabad. The dogs were being caught and sent for sterilisation.
The Allahabad high court on Tuesday granted bail to Dr Sateesh Kumar, former anaesthesia department head of the BRD Medical College at Gorakhpur, in a case pertaining to the death of over 30 children due to an alleged disruption in oxygen supply last August.

Justice Yashwant Varma allowed the bail application of Dr Kumar, one of the nine accused in the incident, after he told the court that he had been languishing in jail for the last seven months. He contends that as he was in charge of the maintenance  not supply  of oxygen to the hospital, he had not played any role in the tragedy.

Dr Kumar has also rejected charges that he had gone on leave before the incident without informing the authorities concerned. The states counsel, however, said the petitioner did not deserve bail as he was among those responsible for the institutions functioning.

The court had denied bail to Dr Purnima Shukla, the wife of another accused, and former principal of BRD Medical College Dr Rajiv Mishra on April 30. However, it had granted bail to Dr Kafeel Khan, former head of the encephalitis ward and an assistant professor at the paediatric department, on April 25. Manish Bhandari, the oxygen supplier to the BRD Medical College and Hospital, was accorded relief on April 9.

An FIR was registered against nine people in connection with the incident on August 23, 2017.
A 26-year-old Dalit woman was allegedly gang-raped by three men after being held hostage near Naimisharanya Dham temple, popularly known as Neemsar, in Uttar Pradeshs Sitapur district late on Monday night, police have said.

Police have arrested the three men and charged them with gang rape, voluntarily causing hurt and insulting the woman at Mishrikh police station on Tuesday. They have also been charged under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Inspector of Mishrikh police station Ashok Kumar Singh said those arrested have been identified as Ramu, 32, Rameshur Kashyap, 42, and Patru Kashyap, 23.

Singh said the incident took place around 11pm on Monday when the woman came to the temple for a special prayer on the occasion of Amavasya or no moon night with her 19-year-old nephew.

The men held her hostage when she went to relieve herself and beat up her nephew when he tried to rescue her, he said.

Police rushed to the spot after the womans nephew called UP 100, the police emergency response number, and arrested the three men from near the crime scene as they were trying to escape.

Singh said the woman has been sent for medical examination and the accused have been sent to jail after being produced in court on Tuesday. He added the police have collected forensic evidence and further investigation is on.
Nasiruddin believes it was providence that saved him when part of a semi-constructed flyover near the Varanasi Cantonment station came crashing on Tuesday, snuffing out at least 18 lives.

Lying in a hospital bed at the Sri Shiv Prasad Gupt divisional hospital, the 28-year-old from Deoria district recalls how two concrete beams fell off a 40-foot-tall pillar attached to the structure  missing him by inches. However, iron rods jutting out of the beam tore through his lower mandible, severely injuring his jawline.

A team of doctors operated on Nasiruddin that night, leaving him with a stitched-up jaw that now serves as a painful reminder of the tragedy that nearly took his life.

Lying next to Nasiruddin is his cousin Shakil Ahmad, also 28. He suffered internal injuries in the incident.

Nasiruddin had come down to Varanasi three days ago to meet the family members of an aunt residing in Sakkartala. On that fateful day, he and Ahmad decided to go to the famous Lauhrabir market on a motorcycle. The two were passing through a narrow stretch of the road between the Cantonment railway station and the semi-constructed Lahartara overbridge around 5.30 pm when two beams came crashing onto the road.

Iron rods protruding from a beam tore through Nasiruddins lower jaw, severely injuring it. He is recovering well after the surgery, says Dr Prashant, a staffer at the hospital.

Mohammad Shami, a relative, claims that the two were saved through divine intervention. God was kind enough to keep my brothers safe! he exclaims, adding that Nasiruddins concerned mother had come down from Deoria on Wednesday morning.

Lying next to them is Praddum Lal, a 40-year-old resident of Pipraya village in adjoining Mirzapur district. Attending to him is his wife, Rani.

Lal had come to Varanasi on Tuesday afternoon to buy household goods. He was travelling in an auto rickshaw with other passengers when a portion of the flyover crumbled. Heavy metal beams tumbled off the structure, nearly crushing them underneath.

Although Lal only suffered minor wounds because he was sitting on the far end of the auto rickshaw, the others werent as lucky. They had to be rushed to the Sir Sunderlal Hospital at the Banaras Hindu University in a critical condition.

My husband was saved by the grace of God, says Rani, who had rushed to the hospital immediately after being alerted by hospital staffers.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya visited the divisional hospital in the wee hours of Wednesday to check on the three patients admitted there.
The collapse of a portion of an under-construction flyover in Uttar Pradeshs Varanasi that left at least 18 people dead was not the only accident involving the states premier bridge construction agency.

The UP State Bridge Corporation Limited, which has earlier won praise for doing good work and constructed bridges and flyovers in Indian cities as well as in as well as Iraq, Yemen and Nepal, had come under investigation twice earlier.

A public works department engineer, who did not wish to be named, said the 1086.62 metre Chillgahat bridge, built at a cost of Rs 650 crore, cracked within 13 days of the inauguration in 2010. The bridge connected Fatehpur with the Bundelkhand region.

The state government had ordered an inquiry but didnt take any action against top engineers and officers for poor quality of construction work, he said.

Also in 2016, a cavity developed on the Lohia bridge constructed by the corporation in Lucknow. The state government constituted a four-member probe committee that indicted engineers for poor quality work, but the report was put in cold storage, said a senior engineer in the corporation.

Tuesdays accident occurred when a pillar of the under-construction flyover gave way suddenly, burying passersby and vehicles.

The toll is expected to rise as a bus and at least six other vehicles were still buried under huge cement blocks that came crashing down near the Cantonment railway station.

Five teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were leading the rescue effort in the city, which is also the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

UP Engineers Association general secretary Surjit Singh Niranjan blamed the district administration and the construction agency for not following safety norms.

According to norms, traffic should not be allowed to move under an under-construction bridge and a proper safety net should be put in place at the construction site, he said.

A state government officer said 56% of the 2261-metre Varanasi flyover, being built at a cost of Rs 129 crore, was completed.

The span that collapsed on Tuesday was laid in February to extend the flyover up to Lahartara locality.

The state government has constituted a three-member committee to probe the technical reasons for the incident. The committees report is expected to shed light on whether poor quality work or negligence by engineers led to the tragedy.
BLUE PLANET II: THE OCEAN AND THE DEEP (Documentary) Presented by David Attenborough Rating: 4 / 5

A giant trevally fish leaps gracefully out of the water; droplets spread and sparkle like diamonds, the music soars to a crescendo. The fish with the perpetual frown catches a bird in mid-air. The hunter becomes the prey and you are reminded that there is more drama occurring in our oceans than in all of Hollywood.

The BBC documentary Blue Planet II, is 90 delicious moments of David Attenborough untangling some of the mysteries of the ocean to the accompaniment of spellbinding visuals.

What does it take to survive in some of the most adverse conditions on the planet; what does change look like when you combine heedless human activity with one of the most delicate ecosystems on Earth.

Meet creatures you didnt know existed, on the edges of a toxic lake on the ocean floor.

As the camera delves deeper, you will enter the Twilight and Midnight ocean zones where creatures roam the edges of toxic lakes and hungry sharks feast on whale carcasses. The cinematography is superb. You can feel the buoyancy of the water, the frenzy of giant fish, the savagery of giant, cannibalistic Humboldt squid feasting on each other.

You will also feel the jolt of crashing icebergs in the Arctic Ocean, forcing mother walruses fight each other to keep their babies safe. And you will feel like cheering when false killer whales and bottlenose dolphins, natural enemies, form a close bond of friendship off the coast of New Zealand. As with Part I, the Hans Zimmer score accounts for a good part of the impact.

This documentary is majestic in scale and approach, and you will leave the theatre at bit wobbly at the thought of this giant, seething, living, thriving other planet now menacing our shores.

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The 21-year-old leader of a fatka gang arrested by the Bandra Government Railway Police (GRP) in December was sentenced to three years in jail on Monday.

The Bandra GRP officers said that after the arrest of Faizal Jahid Hussein Shaikh (21), his gang members have also disappeared and fatka gang crimes have come down to an extent. According to Bandra GRP officers, Shaikh had more than 13 cases against him in different police stations across the Mumbai Suburban railway line. Shaikh was arrested by Bandra GRP on December 7, 2017 for robbing a mobile phone worth Rs43,000.

Aimed to rob passengers of their mobile phones, fatka refers to a rap on passengers standing on the footboard.

The officers said that on December 4,2017, Nikhilesh Ravinarayan Nishad, a resident of Santacruz, was standing on the footboard of a Churchgate-bound train at 4.35pm when Shaikh, who hiding behind an electric pole between Khar and Bandra stations, hit Nishads hand. Nishad, who was holding his mobile phone in his hand, dropped it due to the sudden jolt. Shaikhs henchman, who was standing on the tracks in position, then picked up the mobile phone and fled into the mangroves. Nishad approached the Bandra GRP and registered a complaint.After investigations we arrested Shaikh from his house in Bandra (East) and also recovered the robbed mobile phone that belonged to Nishad, said Sunilkumar Jadhav, senior police inspector of Bandra GRP.

Jadhav said that after the arrest of Shaikh they had begun a drive against fatka gang members in their jurisdiction and arrested some members of Shaikhs gang, who turned out to be minors. Shaikh has told us that he had been doing this since he was 17 years old and then over the years made his own gang, which included four other members of 16 to 17 years of age, said Jadhav.

Shaikh also told the police that he committed these crimes as he wanted money for drugs. He used to rob around four to five mobiles phones in a day and sell them for Rs 500 to 1,000 to whoever was ready to buy the phone on the spot and give him cash, said Jadhav.
Anguished over traffic congestion and toxic air in Mumbai and its satellite cities? Your commute will get even bumpier and air more polluted, as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has witnessed more than a four-fold rise in its vehicular population since 2001, hinting at peoples disenchantment with the rickety public transport (buses and trains).

The number of vehicles grew to 79.71 lakh in March this year from 18.42 lakh in 2001, showed the data from the state motor vehicle department.

Spread over 4,355 sqkm, MMR comprises nine municipal corporations  including Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane  and eight municipal councils. According to the 2011 census report, it has a population of 1.83 crore. Most of the people rely on suburban trains, public buses, taxis and autorickshaws for their commute.

The Thane region  which comprises Thane, Kalyan, Vashi, and Vasai  accounted for the highest number of vehicles at 38.31 lakh till the end of March. It is followed by the Mumbai region (Tardeo, Andehri, Wadala and Borivli) at 33.52 lakh (see box). The rest were registered at the Panvel region, which includes Panvel and Pen RTOs.In the past three years, the MMR has registered almost 20 lakh new vehicles.

Among the total vehicles registered in MMR till March, almost 47.85 lakh were two-wheelers and 16.69 lakh cars. The number of autorickshaws, which is one of the popular modes of public transport in MMR barring island city, was 4.18 lakh. The number of black-and-yellow taxis was pegged at 66,694, and tourist taxis at 1.47 lakh. Most tourist taxis ply as app-based cabs.

Experts and RTO officials attribute the rise in number of private vehicles to mostly poor public transport facilities. Other reasons, they say, are easily available vehicle loans and rising per capita incomes.

One of the major reasons of growing vehicular population is peoples aspiration of having their own vehicle, which considered as a status symbol. The slum in prices has also contributed to it, said AV Shenoy, transport expert.

The nationwide data of vehicular population suggests that only Delhi-National Capital Region had more vehicles (more than 1 crore) till March than MMR. Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Pune are the other metros that have high vehicular population.

Several reports have suggested that vehicular pollution majorly contributes to air pollution in MMR. Congestion on roads is another concern. Despite bumper-to-bumper traffic, several people are buying new vehicles, which has experts and RTO officials worried.

Interestingly, Thane had about five lakh more registered vehicles as compared to Mumbai. An RTO official said that before the Goods and Services Tax (GST) came into force, Mumbai regional transport offices (RTOs) levied a 7% octroi duty on new vehicles, while other neighbouring cities did not have such a provision.
If Mumbai floods this year, the state government will be answerable and not the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar said on Wednesday while visiting various spots in the western suburbs where the civic body has been doing its annual pre-monsoon drain-cleaning work.

Mahadeshwars comment comes in the backdrop of the Metro construction work that has blocked several arterial roads across the city. If Mumbai floods because of Metro work, the BMC should not be held responsible, he said.

However, with just 15 days left to complete the desilting work, Mahadeshwar also admitted that only 50% of the work has been completed so far. If work is not completed in time, action will be taken against contractors, he said.

Currently, construction work for three Metro lines  Metro2A (between Dahisar and DN Nagar), Metro 3 (Colaba- Bandra- Seepz) and Metro 7 (Dahisar east to Andheri east)  is underway in the city.

This year, the BMC has identified 17 spots across the city, where flooding is likely because of ongoing civil, railway and metro works.

At a meeting, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) are said to have assured the BMC that they will do their best to minimise traffic and flooding issues this monsoon.

Mahadeshwar visited the sites on Wednesday along with standing committee chairman Yashwant Jadhav and Shiv Sena group leader Vishakha Raut. The Opposition in the BMC has been criticising the administration for the slow pace of the desilting work.
A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party in Karnataka elections, winning 104 seats in the 224-member state Assembly, the Shiv Sena, its ally, said the win was not because of a Modi wave.

In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena on Wednesday claimed that the BJP may have won more seats, but its percentage of votes has not gone up. On the other hand, the Congress percentage of votes has risen, the editorial added. These are not signs of a Modi wave.

The partys statement comes a day after its leaders confirmed that the Karnataka poll results would not change the Senas plan to contest the 2019 elections solo.

With the win in Karnataka, the BJP is again attributing it to the Modi wave. But it is not a Modi wave. Looking at the current political uncertainty, it would be premature to say that the BJP is set to form a government in the 16th state in the country, the editorial said. We are not ready to believe that the Congress lost in Karnataka due to the Modi wave.

The Congress has won 78 seats and Deve Gowdas Janata Dal (S) has bagged 37 seats, so there remains a possibility of the two parties forming an alliance to form the next government, if the BJP cannot prove its majority.

The editorial said the Congress lost despite a conducive environment to win back in power in the state owing to former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiahs overconfidence. The Congress made statements about giving religious minority status to the Lingayat community during campaigning... but that did not work. The constituencies that are dominated by the community voted in large numbers for the BJP, it pointed out.

In January, the Sena announced that it will not enter into an alliance with the BJP for the 2019 Maharashtra and general elections. It contested the Karnataka elections solo and fielded 40 candidates.
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) on Wednesday said they have arrested a relative and conduit of suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Faisal Hasan Mirza, in Gujarat.

The suspect identified as 30-year-old Allahrakha Abubakar Mansuri was helping Mirza procure explosives and weapons from abroad to carry out terror strikes in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, according to the police.

A driver by profession, Mansuri was in constant touch with his Dubai-based handler, Farooque Devadiwala  a lieutenant of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Police said Mansuri was arrested from the town of Gandhidham in the Kutch district of Gujarat and produced before a special court on Wednesday. Chief public prosecutor Lata Chheda contended that Mansuri is a relative of Mirza and was tasked with renting space in Mumbai to store explosives and weapons.

The special court remanded Mansuri to police custody till May 25.
A 37-year-old man was killed and four others, including three minors, were injured after the car they were travelling in rammed into a divider of the Mumbai-Pune expressway on Wednesday. The impact of the crash resulted in the engine being pushed from the front to the rear end of the car.

According to the police, Pavan Chawla, a Pune resident, and his family had arrived in Mumbai on Monday for work. The incident took place when they were on their way back on Wednesday morning. Around 10.30 am, when they were crossing Kombivli village near Khalapur in Raigad district, Chawla who was driving lost control of the vehicle.

Chawla suffered severe injuries on his head and other parts of his body. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but succumbed to his injuries, said a police officer from Khalapur police station. Chawlas wife Isha, 32; daughters Harsha, 10 and Netal, 8; and nephew Dheeraj, 13, also suffered injuries and were admitted to a hospital in Mumbai. They are still under observation, the police officer said.

Police are yet to determine what caused the accident. Prima facie, it appears that Chawla was speeding while crossing the stretch and thus, lost control of the vehicle and rammed it into the divider.

We will take his wifes statements once she is stable, said another police officer.
The Juhu police on Wednesday arrested Aniket Patil, 25, for putting out allegedly derogatory tweets against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and his wife Amruta Fadnavis. The police have also booked writer and director Ram Subramanian for tweeting against Modi, Fadnavis and his wife on May 14.

Patil was arrested from Goregaon. He works with a travel company. He said he tweeted abuses as he was angry with the leadership. He told us he hails from Konkan, said a police officer.

The police filed a common first information report (FIR) against Patil and Subramanian on May 14. Subramanian was not arrested at the time of going to press.

In a series of tweets, Subramanian commented on the PMs foreign policy with China and flawed policies of the Shiv Sena and the CM.

Speaking to HT, Subramanian, who made a video appealing for Indo-Pak peace for Delhi student Gurmehar Kaur, said, I used abusive language as our PM and his ministers have set this culture. I had to do this. When I didnt use such language, the BJPs IT cell abused me. I will not seek any legal help for now. I have not done anything wrong. The police have not contacted me yet. I am in Mumbai.

Although it is not impossible, it is difficult to establish abuses as electronic evidence in the court of law. The way the language is used would play an important role in establishing the case of prosecution, said lawyer Wahab Khan.

The FIR has been registered under sections 153(a), 500,501,503, 505(2), 506(2), 509 of Indian Penal Code and 67 of Information and Technology act. Patil has been remanded in judicial custody.

WRITER-DIRECTOR BOOKED TOO

The police have also booked writer and director Ram Subramanian for tweeting against Modi, Fadnavis and his wife on May 14

Subramanian was not arrested at the time of going to press

In a series of tweets, Subramanian commented on the PMs foreign policy with China and flawed policies of the Shiv Sena and the CM

I used abusive language as our PM and his ministers have set this culture. I had to do this. When I didnt use such language, the BJPs IT cell abused me. I will not seek any legal help for now. I have not done anything wrong, he said.
Khar police have arrested three persons on who were involved in a series of house break-ins, phone snatching and robbery cases in the western suburbs.

The arrests happened on May 4.

Khar police persons earlier received a tip-off about the movements of two men carrying weapons. Deploying a team, the police laid a trap near Dr BR Ambedkar Road in Khar (West). They arrested 28-year-old Ashraf Shaikh, who was found carrying a 7.65 mm pistol with six live cartridges, and 23-year-old Asif Shaikh, who had on him a steel chopper.

We ran a background check on the two accused and found that Ashraf had 10 cases of robbery, house break-ins, theft and cases under the Arms Act registered against him, while Asif was involved in six similar cases, said a police officer, requesting anonymity.

Khar police also recovered seven mobile phones and a Rolex watch after interrogating the suspects. Most of the criminal cases against them are registered at police stations close to the Western Express Highway. Areas in that vicinity are the ones they targeted, the officer said. The arrest had solved 18 offences registered at Khar, Bandra, Santacruz and Vakola police stations.

Further interrogation revealed the two accused sold the stolen phones to a shopkeeper at Manish Market. Ashraf was not divulging details of their modus operandi after they committed the crime. But Asif informed us that they used to sell the mobile phones to a shopkeeper in Manish Market who then would change the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number of the phones, he added.

A team was then sent to raid the shop run by two brothers Tauheer and Tauqeer Khan. We arrested Tauheer but his brother is still absconding, the officer said. It was found that the Khan brothers used software and some hardware to change the IMEI numbers before reselling phones in the market.

Khar police also said other police stations in the region will now seek custody of Ashraf and Asif Shaikh for investigating other possible crimes they may have committed. Since their arrest there has been a noticeable dip in snatching and house-breaking theft cases in the region. We have recovered phones, bikes, arms and ammunition, a Rolex watch and other properties so far from the accused, he said.
A worker was killed in a fire that broke out in a leather unit in Vasai early on Wednesday.

The fire started inside Choudhary International Pvt Ltds leather unit, an old factory that has been around in Satoli, Vasai (east) for the past two decades, around 4.30am. The unit manufactures and exports pure leather footwear and other allied products. The firms head office is located in Andheri (east).

We received a call around 4.30am.Fire personnel rushed to the spot, and it took them two hours to bring the blaze under control, said Dilip Palav, chief fire officer, Vasai civic body. Five fire tenders and two 12,000-litre jumbo water tankers were used.

During cooling operations, fire officials found a body, which has been identified tentatively as that of a worker, Javed, 40. The body was charred beyond recognition, so now we are sending it for DNA testing. He was sleeping inside the unit when the fire started, Palav said. Only the night security guard and the victim were present in the unit when the fire broke out, but as the guard was at his post outside the factory building, he did not get hurt.

The factory operates only during the day, so there were no more casualties, Palav said.

The cause of the fire has not been established, Palav said, adding that the Vasai police are now investigating the incident.
The internecine war between the Shiv Sena and the BJP is beginning to have tragic consequences. In the mid-1980s Bal Thackeray, who was too extreme for even the BJP, had successfully polarised Aurangabad between its two main communities and, after long years of peace, the city is burning once again. Strangely, such a sensitive city has no full-time police commissioner. Nor does it have a municipal commissioner. The absence of these two crucial officers is causing tremendous problems not just to the citizens but also increasingly adding to the tension between the Sena and the BJP who now seem to be deliberately working at cross purposes with each other.

For months now Aurangabad has been facing a severe garbage issue  tonnes and tonnes of rubbish has been piling up in and around the city which so far has no plan to convert the waste into energy or even suitably dispose it of. In March, villagers from nearby settlements protested about the dumping of the garbage in their backyards and the resultant police lathi charge on them scalped its police commissioner who was made to go on compulsory leave by the government. The police force has been headless ever since as has the civic body and the Sena has accused chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of deliberately ignoring the appointment because he is in search of a pro-BJP officer to fill the vacancy.

While that may or may not be true, the piling garbage all across the city posing danger of epidemics is a challenge to the Shiv Sena which has been controlling the city since 1988. Its detractors, including the BJP, accuse it of engineering the recent riots in Aurangabad as a diversionary tactic to draw attention away from its alleged incompetence. At the same time, riots in the city on the issue of a pre-Ramzan bazaar that has been set up on the streets for nearly five decades without much trouble to both citizens and the administration are being seen as an issue of the chief ministers incompetence (he holds the home department), and the Sena is only too happy to give credence to that suggestion, even as the NCP has openly accused the BJP of facilitating the riots to create extreme polarisation between the communities in the build-up to the 2019 elections to the Lok Sabha.

While two innocent persons have died in the clashes and more than 40 others injured, the situation has been complicated by the discovery of petrol bombs, stones and chilly powder from the conflicted area. As also the surfacing of a video showing the police looking the other way even as rioters go on rampage. That points to pre-meditation, not spontaneity, and brings a sense of deja vu from the 1980s and early 1990s when such acts were routine, and the Sena-BJP combine was accused of vitiating the atmosphere. Now, at loggerheads with each other, they are pointing fingers at each other even as Ramzan approaches and the city remains tense and without a police commissioner, an unprecedented situation anywhere in the country.

The feeling of mismanagement by Fadnavis and the state BJP only grows when one looks at how the party let the Sena hijack the Palghar Lok Sabha seat from under its nose. It was almost funny the manner in which the Sena awarded its ticket to the son of the deceased MP belonging to the BJP which in turn poached a Congressman to contest a seat that never belonged to the Congress in the first place. Add to it the fact that a BJP minister appealed to the Congress to support its own rebel fighting on a BJP ticket to defeat the Shiv Sena in Palghar; one wondered if the party had lost all its marbles or was taking itself seriously at all. It would be comic if the situation was not so tragic.

Perhaps the BJP was expecting a quid pro quo for facilitating the election of Vishwajit Kadam, the son of the late Patangrao Kadam, on a Congress ticket in his fathers constituency in Sangli. The region is a Congress-NCP stronghold so the Sena had no qualms in supporting the Congress openly. But the BJP has been trying to make a dent in this Congress bastion and in the past has even pinched candidates from the party to facilitate its victory. So I do not know if it was tragic or comic that the BJP candidate withdrew his nomination and gave up the fight even before it had begun. What is the state BJP really up to? Such mess- ups are so uncharacteristic of the party in recent years.
Thane district has more than nine lakh voters whose photographs have not been submitted to the election commission. The election commission has claimed that the figure is the highest among all districts in Maharashtra.

It said the reason was the floating or migratory population in Thane. The commission has asked residents to submit their photograph before June 20 or the names would be deleted from the voters list.

The commission has also appealed to those who will turn 18 years by January 2019 to get themselves registered as voters. On the directives of the election commission of India, the district election commission has undertaken the programme of revision in the voters list from May 15. The booth-level officers will go to every home in the district to verify the voters list.

Farogh Mukadam, deputy collector and district election officer, said, The verification will be carried out in four parameters. The booth-level officers will update the data of all voters in the family, check if there is a new registration, transfer or death. The verification will go on till June 20. Thane district has the highest number of voters, 9.27 lakhs, without photographs.

The number is much higher than Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. Pune has around 4 lakh such voters while Mumbai and Nagpur have around 2.5 lakh. Thane has the highest as we have not begun the process to delete names. The floating or migrating population in the district is also huge because of powerlooms and mill workers, Mukadam said.

He said the district authorities will begin the deletion process and voters have to submit their photograph before June 20.

We have collected photographs of around 28,000 people  77,000 are transferred, around 5,000 are duplicate registrations while more than 9,000 voters are dead. We have reports on all these 92000 voters and we will soon give notices in newspapers and ward offices for objections. The voters will soon be deleted taking the count to around 8 lakh voters. These voters will be reduced after we finish verification, Mukadam said.

The highest number of voters without photo is in Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporations jurisdiction.

Voters whose photographs are missing will have to fill up Form number 8 and submit their photograph to avoid their name being deleted from the voters list.

Young voters

As per the census of 2011, the projected population of youngsters who will turn 18 years or more by January 2019 is 3.5 lakh.

The Thane election commission has said that around 2 lakh new voters might register in the voters registration drive to be carried out in September and October.

Third gender

The highest number of voters registration for third gender is from Thane district, claimed Mukadam.

The third gender has taken good initiative to get themselves registered. There are 330 voters from the third gender category in Thane district, which is the highest in Maharashtra. The highest registration is from Kalyan east which has 78 voters followed by Bhiwandi (West), with around 70 voters. Kalyan Rural, Airoli and Bhiwandi (East) also have many third gender voters, Mukadam said.

Helpdesk

There are 5,681 polling centres across Thane district. A fresh survey of the centres will be undertaken as most of them in Kalyan and Thane were demolished during the road-widening project.

A ward-wise helpdesk will be set up in all the cities in the district to help voters submit their forms.
A Bandra metropolitan court has ordered a priest from Santacruz to pay a monthly maintenance of Rs 6,000 to his wife and minor son, after she moved court alleging domestic violence. The priest, in his defence, told the court that she would make fun of his dark complexion, bodyshame him and liken him to rape convict Asaram Bapu.

The 37-year-old woman got married to the man in 1997, and moved to Mumbai in 2004 to stay with him. According to her plea, the man started to harass her soon after, and used to abuse and physically assault her for not paying dowry. He would spit on the floor and make me clean it. Around 2009, he beat me and chopped off my hair. In 2011, he dragged me by the hair and threw me out of the house, she told the court.

The woman alleged that he beat her with a stick owing to which she could not see from one eye for more than a month. In her complaint, she said that on May 1, 2014, he had unnatural sex with her in front of their minor son. The woman approached the police in May 2014 after which a non-cognisable complaint was registered.

Denying the allegations levelled against him, the priest said the woman criticised his choice of clothes, made fun of his dark complexion and pot-belly, likening him to Asaram Bapu.

The woman sought Rs 10,000 a month towards maintenance, along with Rs 8 lakh compensation. Metropolitan magistrate Vishwas Mane rejected the demand for compensation on the grounds that the amount of loss of earnings, medical expenses and loss for physical and mental injury cannot be ascertained only on the basis of oral evidence.
The much-delayed jetty work at Karanja in Uran, located around 47km from Mumbai city, is finally set to begin by October this year, state finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar has said.

Karanja jetty has been planned as an alternative to the Sassoon Docks in Mumbai for the fishing community.

Mungantiwar gave the assurance to BJP leader and JNPT trustee Mahesh Baldi, who led a delegation to the minister last week. The delegation included Shivdas Nakhva, president of Karanja Machchimar Society, and Karanja and More fishing community leaders.

The project has not taken off for the past seven as neither the state nor the central governments have allocated the Rs 150 crore required for the project; the cost is to be shared equally.

Taking into account the increasing number of boats and the resulting burden on Mumbais Sassoon Docks, the then government had decided to construct a new jetty at Karanja, Baldi said. In 2011, work on the project had even begun but it got stuck due to lack of funds.

The Karanja Machchimar Society had recently approached Union shipping minister Nitin Gadkari, requesting him to release funds for the jetty at which point he assured them that the Centre and the state governments would share the cost under the Sagarmala Yojana. Mungantiwar said: Under Sagarmala Yojana, the state government has agreed to give its share of Rs 75 crore for the project. Once the entire process is completed, work on the jetty will begin in October.

To ensure that work begins in October, the minister ordered officials to initiate the tendering process at the earliest, Nakhva said. The jetty will be of immense help to the fishing community in Raigad coastal area.
The economic offences wing (EOW) of Pune police investigating the multi-crore cheating case involving prominent city developer DS Kulkarni, popularly known as DSK, has arrested three more persons, including two relatives, associated with the company on charges of siphoning off depositors money. DSK and his wife Hemanti are currently lodged in Yerwada central prison.

The three arrested have been identified as Kedar Vanjpe, DSKs elder brothers son-in-law; his wife Sai and Dhananjay Pachpor, DSK Group's former chief operating officer. Vanjpe, an independent realtor, had posted videos on social media vowing to expose the tainted developer.

Nilesh More, assistant commissioner of police, EOW, who is the investigating officer in the case, said the probe nailed the involvement of Vanjpe couple and Pachpor in the fraud. We have collected evidence of their involvement in the case and have put them under police arrest. The case against them is already lodged with the Shivajinagar police station. We will produce them before the court on Thursday, said More.

DSK in a media briefing on November 21 last year had alleged that Vanjpe was behind all ills happening to him and described him the main reason for his debacle. Following the allegations, Vanjpe slapped a 100-crore defamation suit against DSK and demanded a public apology. Vanjpe, who worked with DSK till 2009, parted ways owing to differences. Pachpor was a coordinator at DSK school before becoming public relations officer of DSK Group in July 2006 and was the chief operating officer of the company since April 2011 till he quit the post in 2017.

The Maharashtra government on May 12 had issued an official notification announcing the seizure of immovable and movable properties of DS Kulkarni, their family members and firms. The attached assets include land, bank accounts and vehicles registered in the name of Kulkarnis , their son Shirish Kulkarni, their companies and people working with them. The asset seizure comes as a measure to protect the interests of the depositors who have been cheated by the couple.
Shubham Jadhav, the 20-year-old engineering student who was killed in a road accident in Chinchwad area on early Sunday morning, was live on Instagram seconds before the accident took place, police officials said.

Jadhav's cousin, Hrishikesh Pawar who was in the passengers seat, was broadcasting the drive when the accident happened. .

The video shows a smiling Jadhav and the cars speedometer displaying the vehicle speeding at above 120km per hour. The young driver is seen not wearing a seat belt.

In a flash, the car hit a light post and then crashed into a supporting concrete pole built on the divider inside the grade separator located in Morwadi area of Chinchwad. The front portion of the car was completely damaged, killing the driver instantly and critically injuring Pawar.

The fire department officials from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation(PCMC) rushed to the spot and retrieved the two from the wreckage by cutting the front portion of the car.

"No one should dare to drive like that (at high speed). I have lost my son," said Jadhavs mother while speaking to a local news channel.

Pawar, 18, a first-year student of BCom was staying over at Jadhavs home for the night.

The deceased and the injured are maternal cousins. Jadhav had stayed over at Pawars house located in Empire Estate and they had gone out for early morning tea. Pawars uncle had left the key of the car at his house, so they decided to drive the car. We are yet to verify whether Jadhav had a licence, said assistant police inspector DP Suryavanshi of Pimpri police station, who is investigating the case.
The regional transport office (RTO), Pune, has started taking action against private buses operators, who have been overcharging passengers and also for other violations. The RTO has issued notices to eight operators and seized 43 buses under the ongoing drive that started earlier this month and collected a fine up to Rs 12 lakh.

Pune RTO received complaints about private bus operators charging more than the prescribed limit. Hence, the RTO issued notices to operators asking them for clarification.

The state government had issued a resolution on April 28, 2018, on the basis of a Mumbai high court directive that private buses cannot charge more than 150 per cent of the fare charged by the Maharashtra state road transport corporation (MSRTC) buses per km. However, private bus operators continued to tax passengers because of the absence of enforcement and accountability of the government agencies.

Sanjay Raut, deputy RTO, said, Since the vacation season is going on, many private bus operators started charging more than double the fare as compared to MSRTCs fare, which is illegal and we have received many complaints regarding the issue. Hence, we have started taken action under contempt of court and seized 40 buses in two days.

Some of the names of bus operators whose buses were seized are Dakshayani travels, Anmol travels, Pooja travels, Sai Shraddha travels, Onkar travels, Royal travels, Aditya travels, Heena travels, Krishna travels, Vanshri travels, Lucky travels and Kaveri travels.

Between May 2 and May 15, RTO Pune inspected 571 buses belonging to private operators, out of which 153 were found guilty of inflating the fare. The RTO seized 43 buses which were plying without fulfilling RTO norms, like fitness certificates, pending vehicle tax and permits.

The passengers commuting to destinations like Nagpur, Amravati, Aurangabad and Nanded from Pune by private buses during summer season have been paying exorbitant prices for their travel. Many believe that the huge demand for tickets to certain destinations and limited availability of buses has led to the scenario of overcharging and exploiting passengers.

Earlier, Hindustan Times had reported how Diwakar Raote, the state transport minister, has promised action against private bus operators by cancelling their permits if they continue to fleece passengers by overcharging them.
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday struck down the institutional quota of Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, for postgraduate courses in medicine and science (MD/MS).

The college has already admitted 48 students against 62 seats in contention. The remaining 63 seats out of total 125 at the institute are filled from central quota.

The UT health officials said the counselling has been put on hold and they have decided to approach the Supreme Court. Detailed judgment is awaited.

GMCH director-principal BS Chavan said the UT has decided to approach the apex court.

The date of counselling depends on by when we get some order from apex court, he said.

The institutional quota was challenged by Dr Chahat Bhatia on April 16. She had done her MBBS from Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital, Banur, and applied for the MD/MS course under state quota at GMCH for the academic session 2018-19. However, her application was rejected, stating she was not a student of GMCH-32.

Legal standpoint

According to lawyers, the HC has held that the UT cant admit MBBS students who graduate from GMCH-32 on all 62 seats under the state quota. Half the seats (31) are to go to students from other medical colleges, but with a domicile of Chandigarh.

This effectively means that those who have studied in UT schools, whose parents resided here and those students whose parents had immovable property in the city are also eligible to participate in the examination.

The admissions to the MD/MS courses are conducted on the basis of the merit in National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The NEET exam was conducted on January 7, 2018, and result was declared on January 23. In March, GMCH-32 had invited applications.

Chahats counsel, senior advocate Girish Agnihotri, said she was termed ineligible on the ground that she did not graduate from the college, which amounted to 100% reservation to students from the college. She has a domicile of Chandigarh and could not have been denied admission on this ground, it was argued before court.

The UTs argument was that 50% seats are reserved under state quota, which means these are for students who pass out of any medical college in that state. As Chandigarh has only one medical college, these seats were being filled from its graduates.
With the latest 20-day closure, the Chandigarh international airport will move a step closer to landing wide-bodied aircraft essential for global connectivity besides getting equipped for seamless flight operations during the foggy season.

More immediately, the operation hours will increase by an hour and half to 6pm from the next month, and the airport will remain operational on Sundays from July 1 onwards. Also, there will be no further closure of the airport.

The airport has been closed to extend the runway from the present 9,000 feet to 10, 400 feet. Besides this, technicians will also install ground lights and other navigation aides to ensure comfortable landing during the foggy season. Manpower training is also underway for 247 operation hours against only daytime working at present.

The airport has been working only during the daylight hours since October last year as much of the runway repair has been happening at night.

Many wonder whether continuous disruption of flights will for runway repair will have any positive impact on passenger growth and wider domestic and global connectivity in near future.

Airport CEO Suneel Dutt says once the runway length is increased and airport gets unrestricted operation hours, more airlines will be tempted to start new flights from here and connect the city with overseas destinations.

The extended runway, he says, will be able to land wide-bodied aircraft for long-haul destinations to Europe or the US, which was not feasible on the existing runway.

The next big leap

The question on the minds of most travelers is that when will they get to board a flight to London, Frankfurt, Sydney, Singapore or Washington from the Mohali airport.

At present, the airport is connected only to Dubai and Sharjah in the Middle East, and to Thailand in Southeast Asia. People also want domestic connectivity to Goa, Kolkata, Chennai, Raipur etc.

Indian Air forces Chandigarh station, which is undertaking the runway enhancement work and manpower buildup for round-the-clock operations, has said in a statement that its runway resurfacing work is divided into three main phases. The completion of Phase II, which will take place by the end of this year, will lead to regular day operations on the extended runway.

Phase III involves fitment of runway lights and other navigational aids. End of Phase III will permit unrestricted day and night operations at the airport airfields. Completion of Phase III is envisaged in the first half of 2019, it adds.

IAF will also install a CAT II ILS system, which will permit landing even when the visibility is down to 350 metres before the onset of 2019 winter. It adds that AAI is also exploring the advanced Cat III (ILS) system that permits operations even when the visibility is as low as 100 metres. At present, the airport does not permit any landing if the runway visibility drops below 1200 metres.

But airport CEO Dutt says that aviation industry does not work on vague deadlines. We want official release of these assurances through IAFs NOTAM so that we can convince airlines to operate from here, he said.

A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) is a notice filed with an aviation authority that contains information concerning the establishment, conditions or change in any aeronautical facility, service, procedure or hazard, the timely knowledge of which is essential to personnel and systems concerned with flight operations. Dutt says several other factors like bilateral aviation treaties between countries will also play a vital role in the expansion of the airport. But once these facilities are officially notified, our traffic will surely increase, he adds

Stakeholders in no mood to relent

Sanjeev Vashisht, former president, Mohali Industrial Association, whose PIL led the Punjab and Haryana High court to monitor airport expansion, says he will not rest till the airport is fully functional.

Regardless of the official stand, we want the airport to at least get connected to one destination in Europe, be it London, Germany or France, by next year so that access to US gets easy. On the Eastern front, flight to Singapore and Malaysia will open the doorways to New Zealand and Australia.

No government or airline can deny the potential of this airport, says Vashisht. He adds, 35% of traffic at the Delhi airport comes from Punjab and most of the flyers will be happy to fly from Chandigarh if given the option. Vashisht said he will keep knocking at the HC doors if the authorities try to scuttle operations here.

It was the 2015 petition by the Mohali Industrial Association that led to start of the first international flight from Chandigarh.

Meanwhile, the runway expansion has taken its toll on the footfall at the airport, which saw a mere 13.7% rise in domestic passenger traffic in the 2017-18 fiscal year, its lowest ever growth in the last five years. International traffic has picked up but the count of flyers remains low in absolute numbers.

This demonstrates that the airport growth story has been hit severely. Neither the flyers nor the airlines are happy with the present uncertainty. MR Jindal, Air Indias Chandigarh station head, sums up sentiments of most airlines, when he says if they get a conducive environment for expansion, nothing can stop this airport from getting more domestic and international flights.

5 steps to understand issues of the airport

How did it come up?

The airport traces its origins to setting up of an Indian Air Force base in Chandigarh in 1961 as a major air logistics node of the Indian troops deployed in Jammu and Kashmir. The civil enclave was opened in the mid-1960s adjacent to the air force base. State carrier Indian Airlines was the first to begin the Delhi flight in 1967. Jet Airways was the first private airline to start operations in 1999. Later, more private airlines followed suit.

Who does what here?

While the Airport Authority of India controls the functioning of the new civil terminal in partnership with Punjab and Haryana, the runway operation and air traffic control is under the Chandigarh Air Force station. They also control the operation hours of the commercial passenger flights.

Which destinations does the airport service at present?

It is connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Leh, Srinagar, Jaipur, Pune and Kullu. The international circuit includes Dubai, Sharjah and Bangkok.

What is the main hindrance in expansion?

The airport is like an old engine in a brand new luxury car. The airport boasts a 1400-crore terminal, but the existing runway and ancillary ground facilities like winter landing are primitive. That is the reason the airport hasnt been able to spread its wings. Many blame both the AAI and IAF, which did not ensure runway repair when the new terminal was being constructed. Another major problem that affects the airport is of limited operation hours as the IAF does not have enough manpower for night operations.

By when are smooth operations expected?

IAF has already undertaken construction of runway and accrual of manpower. It has promised to complete its work by the first half of 2019. Now it is up to the airport authorities to push passenger growth and live up to the aspiration of the regions flyers.
The newly set up Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College and Hospital (KCGMCH) in Karnal is already reeling under the acute shortage of doctors.

The footfall at the out-patient department (OPD) has increased up to around 2,200 per day and long queues of patients could be witnessed outside the doctors rooms in the lack of required number of doctors.

Despite repeated advertisements for the vacant posts in the past six months, the doctors are reluctant to join, citing lack of special incentives.

As per information procured by the Hindustan Times, there are around 100 sanctioned posts of doctors, including senior professors and residents, but only 72 doctors have assumed charge so far against the minimum requirement of 85 doctors or teachers.

Officials in the hospital said the Haryana health department had already given approval for the appointment of around 12 teachers, including two posts of associate professors, general medicine, and one post of assistant professor each at pharmacology, radiodiagnosis and psychiatry departments besides a statistician-cum-assistant professor at community medicine and a casualty medical officer.

Why are doctors not ready to join

When contacted, a senior doctor of Haryana health department said the MBBS doctors did not wish to join government services in the state due to poor incentives and salary. Also in KCGMCH, no special incentives were announced for the doctors.

The government provides only 50,000-60,000 to an MBBS doctor, while he or she could easily earn anything between 1.5 lakh and 2 lakh per month by working in a private hospital, the doctor, who was not authorised to speak to media, added.

Moreover, the government provides only 3,000 extra as an incentive to specialists, whereas salaries of specialist doctors are far better in nearby states of Delhi and Punjab, he said.

Official say

When contacted, KCGMCH director Dr Surender Kashyap said, We are in process of making appointments but the problem is the reluctancy of doctors to join.

He, however, said the issues will soon be resolved.

Meanwhile, despite repeated calls and text messages to health minister Anil Vij, ACS (health) RR Jowel and DG (health) Satish Kumar Aggarwal, none of them responded to HT.

No overcoming

The hospital was made operational in April last year and opened admission for 100 MBBS seats, but has not overcome the shortage of doctors till now.

Despite four ultrasound rooms with latest equipment at the hospital, due to scarcity of enough radiologists, only one ultrasound room is functional and patients have to wait for hours to undergo the scan.

We are waiting here for the past four hours as there is only one ultrasound room operational and they give preference to the patients coming from emergency, said a patient, Gurpartap Singh, who was waiting for his turn.

Though the CT scan facility was recently started in the hospital, the MRI, cath lab and blood bank could not be made operational inside the new building of this 300-bedded hospital spread over 50 acres of land.

The hospital sees a rush of patients daily as it is the only medical college catering to several districts of the region and witnesses a large number of patients coming from neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

However, patients admitted to the emergency ward were seen satisfied with the services.
The immigration bureau has arrested three Kashmiri youths who were travelling to Pakistan via the integrated check post (ICP) at Attari and handed them over to the Jammu and Kashmir police, an intelligence official said.

The J&K police had issued lookout circular (LOC) against Sikand, Avesh and Irfan of Pulwama district. The three are in their twenties.

They were detained in a local police station for a day. During their interrogation, the youths said they were going to Pakistan for study purpose. This is not the first case of Kashmiris being arrested at Attari, the official said.

Border Security Force (BSF) deputy inspector general (DIG) JS Oberoi confirmed the arrest. Security agencies suspect that many of Kashmiri youngsters travel to Pakistan on the pretext of studying there for taking arms training.

On February 3, two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were arrested in J&Ks Baramulla district by a joint team of the police, Army and CRPF. The accused were identified as Abdul Majeed Bhat and Mohammad Ashraf Mir, who had gone to Pakistan on a valid Pakistani visa and received arms training before returning to India via the Attari-Wagah border, the police in a press release had said.

On being questioned, the duo had revealed that they had undergone terror training in Pakistan along with a large number of Pakistani boys, many of them from Balochistan.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP rural) Parampal Singh said the immigration department has been arresting many Kashmiris from Attari border because they lack formalities to cross the border.

Many of them are involved in disputes over land and defacement of public properties and the police issuing LOCs against them in some cases, he said.
The first look poster of Mohanlal-starrer Neerali was unveiled on Tuesday. Featuring a bearded Mohanlal -- we see him with his back to the camera as he turns to look at the viewer -- in the poster. It also features Parvati Nair and Nadhiya (born Zareena Moidu) prominently.

The drama thriller is being directed by Ajay Verma, who is making his debut in Malayalam films. Neerali, which translates to Octopus in Malayalam, will feature Mohanlal and Nadhiya as husband and wife and will be shot extensively in Mumbai, Pune and Sri Lanka.

Read: Mohanlal will appear in a pivotal role in Suriyas next with director KV Anand

According to a report inTimes of India, the film will see the coming together of the much-loved pair, Mohanlal and Nadhiya, after almost a decade.

Earlier in May, a short one-minute teaser of the film was released. It featured Mohanlal and Nadhiya sharing a light moment together before we encounter a tense moment when Mohahlal travelling in a car meets with an accident.

Produced by Santhosh T Kuruvilla, Neerali has been written by Saju Thomas and will have music by Stephen Devassy.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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Emilia Clarke has teased the fans of Game of Thrones, saying the finale of the fantasy series last season will be what none of us think it will be.

Clarke flew to Cannes in the midst of shooting the final season of HBOs Game of Thrones -- the fantasy series that features her playing Daenerys Targaryen. The actress attended the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday with the cast of her forthcoming project Solo: A Star Wars Story, reports variety.com.

(FromL) British actress Emilia Clarke, Chewbacca and US actor Alden Ehrenreich pose on May 15, 2018 during a photocall for the film Solo : A Star Wars Story at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival. (AFP)

She said she was not certain how all the clashes for the Iron Throne will end. It will be what none of us think it will be, Clarke said.

Game of Thrones started with the first season back in 2011 and the final season is set to open in 2019.

Based on George R.R. Martins novels, the show is about the thrilling quest to claim the Iron Throne. It is the intricate and surprising tale that keeps one hooked to the show.

Actor Woody Harrelson, from left, director Ron Howard, actors Emilia Clarke, Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, a person dressed as the character Chewbacca, Paul Bettany, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and producer Kathleen Kennedy pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' at the 71st international film festival, Cannes. (Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)

Clarke gets emotional with the thought of the show coming to end.

It really feels like preparing to leave home... Thats exciting, but its sad and scary all at the same time, she said.

Game of Thrones also stars Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Iain Glen.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Bangladeshs former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was on Wednesday granted bail by the countrys Supreme Court in a graft case, according to a media report.

The Bangladeshs apex court has upheld the high courts March bail order for the 72-year-old Zia, also the chief of the main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), bbdnews24 reported.

The high court will now resolve by July 31 Zias appeal that sought to overturn her conviction and a five-year jail term in the Zia Orphanage Trust case, it said.

The BNP chief was jailed for five years on February 8 over the embezzlement of 21 million taka (about $2,50,000) in foreign donations meant for the Zia Orphanage Trust, named after her husband late Ziaur Rahman, a military ruler-turned-politician.

The high court had on March 12 granted an interim bail to Zia. Later, the anti-corruption commission and the government challenged the high court order, taking their appeals to the appellate division.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday launched a bitter attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he led an apartheid state and had Palestinian blood on his hands.

Netanyahu is the PM of an apartheid state that has occupied a defenceless peoples lands for 60+ yrs in violation of UN resolutions, Erdogan wrote on Twitter, after Netanyahu lashed out at his criticism of the killing by Israeli forces of dozens of Palestinians on the Gaza border on Monday.

He has the blood of Palestinians on his hands and cant cover up crimes by attacking Turkey, Erdogan added.
North Korea said it may reconsider holding a summit with the United States if Washington continues to unilaterally insist on North Korea giving up its nuclear programme, the Norths state media said on Wednesday.

Citing first vice minister of foreign affairs Kim Kye Gwan, North Koreas central news agency also said the fate of the US-North Korea summit as well as bilateral relations would be clear if Washington speaks of a Libya-style denuclearisation for the North.

The statement added US President Donald Trump would remain as a failed president if he follows in the steps of his predecessors.
North Korea has cast serious doubts on the fate of the upcoming June summit between Chairman Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump, saying it will not engage in the dialogue if it was forced into unilateral nuclear abandonment  a likely reference to denuclearisation as a key US goal.

This blunt warning came on Tuesday as the United States was still grappling with the implications of an earlier report in North Koreas official news agency that called the ongoing US-South Korean air force exercises in the region a provocation that could have consequences for the talks.

The new warning came in a statement from First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, who is also North Koreas main disarmament negotiator. If the Trump administration is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-US summit, he said. The statement was carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

There was no response from the US to the late statement.

Earlier in the day, KCNA had criticised the Max Thunder exercise. This exercise targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula, it said.

The reference was to a joint statement from a North-South summit last month.

The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities, the news agency added.

President Trump is scheduled to meet Chairman Kim in Singapore on June 12 in a first-ever summit between the leaders of the two countries.

Seemingly surprised by the statement, the United States reacted with caution. We are aware of the South Korean media report, said Sarah Sanders, the presidents press secretary. The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently, and continue to coordinate closely with our allies.

Spokesperson Heather Nauert at the state department was barely able to conceal her surprise, given that the North Korean leader had previously said he understands the need and utility of the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) continuing in their joint exercises. She went on to say that there had been no formal or even informal notification of anything from North Korea, and the United States will continue preparing for next months summit.

There was no word yet from President Trump, who has tweeted and remarked frequently about the upcoming talks at every major development  he broke the date and location of the talks in a Twitter post, for instance.

While excited about the prospect of making history through the talks, and probably landing a Nobel peace prize, the president has also tried to temper expectations through warnings that he would either call off the talks or walk away respectfully if doubtful of the outcome.

The US has termed denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula as the goal of the talks. If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearise, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on a par with our South Korean friends, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said recently. If Chairman Kim chooses the right path, there is a future brimming with peace and prosperity for the North Korean people.

Although there is a general expectation that Kim is willing to discuss denuclearisation, Pompeo  who has met the North Korean leader twice  has indicated that it is still a work in progress.

Meanwhile, experts have warned that the term denuclearisation is understood differently in North Korea. While the United States understands it as North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons and dismantling the support structure, Pyongyang is likely to demand that the US in return take down the security structure (including the nuclear umbrella) erected by it in the region in partnership with South Korea and Japan.
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court hearing the Mumbai attacks case on Wednesday summoned the last two Pakistani prosecution witnesses and asked the government to clarify on the availability of 27 Indian witnesses so that the trial could be expeditiously concluded.

The case, being heard since 2009, has assumed significance since ousted premier Nawaz Sharif questioned last week why the trial wasnt being completed.

Pakistani authorities arrested seven people, including Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and put them on trial for planning, financing and helping execute the attacks that killed 166 people.

During a hearing held behind closed doors at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, judge Shahrukh Arjumand recorded the statement of Dera Ghazi Khan district police chief Sohail Habib Tajik.

The court directed Federal Investigation Agency official Wajid Zia and another official, Zahid Akhter, to present evidence during the next hearing on May 23. A total of 68 Pakistani prosecution witnesses have recorded their statements.

Referring to the issue of Indian witnesses, the judge expressed concern that there had been no serious and final response from the government even after the court had repeatedly directed officials since January 2016 for producing 27 Indian nationals so as to give evidence.

The court added, Now the case is in the final stages and only statements of two Pakistani officials have to be recorded, therefore, notice be served upon the director general, FIA, secretary of interior and secretary for foreign affairs for submitting their final and concrete response in the court (about) the availability of 27 Indian nationals so as to conclude the trial expeditiously.

Last year, the Pakistan government had contacted India to send the 27 witnesses to testify against the suspects.

Besides Lakhvi, the other suspects arrested in 2009 are Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younus Anjum. Last August, the FIA also arrested Sufyan Zafar, an alleged financier of the attacks.

The Lahore high court released Lakhvi on bail in 2015.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, driving a truck, unveiled the auto section of a new road-and-rail bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula on Tuesday, defying Ukraine which said the move showed cynical disregard for international law.

Putin, at the wheel of an orange heavy Kamaz dump-truck, drove 19 km across the bridge from the Kerch Strait. Some Russians are calling it Putins bridge, designed to link Crimea into Russias transport network.

At a ceremony broadcast live on state TV, Putin, dressed in blue jeans, was met by cheering workers on the Crimean side after driving the truck in a convoy of vehicles. At last, thanks to your talent, this project, this miracle, has happened, Putin told the workers.

In Kiev, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said: The illegal construction of the Kerch bridge is the latest evidence of the Kremlins disregard for international law. It is particularly cynical that its opening is happening on the eve of the latest anniversary of the deportation of Crimean-Tatar people by the Stalin regime.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, drawing sanctions and prompting a deterioration in ties with the West. Many in Russia saw the move as restoring Moscows rule over a historically Russian region.

Built at a cost of 223 billion roubles ($3.60 billion), the bridge will be the longest dual-purpose span in Europe. The Kremlin said it would be opened to cars on Wednesday and the rail section was due to be completed at the end of 2019.

Putin initiated this project himself. Many didnt believe these plans were possible, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday ahead of the ceremony. This is an extremely important day from this point of view and in a practical sense and in symbolic terms.

The road stretch of the bridge was due to be completed by the end of 2018, but the opening was brought forward at Putins request.

Putin inspected the bridge in March ahead of the presidential election he won by a landslide, saying it was important to have the link to the Black Sea peninsula open for the summer tourist season.

The opening ceremony drew criticism from the West.

France condemns the construction by Russia of the Kerch Bridge, which deprives Ukraine of full access and the use of its internationally recognised territorial waters, a French foreign ministry spokeswoman said.

US state department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert in a statement on Tuesday said the bridge serves as a reminder of Russias ongoing willingness to flout international law and said it was an attempt by Russia to solidify its unlawful seizure and its occupation of Crimea and impede navigation of the Kerch Strait.

The spokesperson of the European External Action Service said in a statement on Tuesday the bridge was another violation of Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The European Union continues to condemn the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia and will not recognise this violation of international law, the spokesperson said.
Eight people were killed and about 30 others wounded Wednesday when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a tent filled with mourners in Baghdad, police and medical sources said.

The attack hit the Taji district in the north of the Iraqi capital at around 1030 GMT, a police source said.

Medical sources at a local hospital had given an earlier toll of four dead.

Security forces central command said the attack had killed and wounded civilians without providing figures.

The police source said some members of the Hashed al-Shaabi militia that was influential in the fightback against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in the past three years were among those killed.

IS has lost most of the territory it seized in Iraq in 2014 but still carries out regular individual attacks.
The US on Wednesday said it was not surprised by North Koreas new conditions for talks but reiterated that President Donald Trump is ready to meet Kim Jong Un for their scheduled summit on June 12.

The president is ready if the meeting takes place. And if it doesnt, we will continue the maximum pressure campaign thats been ongoing, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said, referring to the sanctions that the US believes forced North Korea to call for talks.

The White House also sought to address a concern raised by the North Koreans with regards to the Libyan model of denuclearisation as has been indicated by national security adviser John Bolton. When asked about the Libyan model, she said: I havent seen that as part of any discussions so Im not aware that thats a model that were using.

In 2003, Libyas Muammar Gaddafi had agreed to discard his countrys nuclear weapons programme to gain relief from sanctions. Eight years later, in 201, his government was toppled during the Arab Spring movement, which was supported by Nato bombing.

North Korea, in an angrily-worded statement, had warned that it may back out of the high-level summit if the US pressures it to give up its nuclear arsenal, specifically targeting Bolton. An earlier report by the countrys official news agency had criticised ongoing US-South Korea military exercises as provocative.

But the White House said the Trump administration fully expected these demands from North Korea.

However, the timing of the salvo from Pyongyang seemed to catch the US offguard. State department spokesperson Heather Nauert was barely able to conceal her surprise, given that Kim had previously said he understands the need and the utility of the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) continuing in its joint exercises.

Experts said the demands were standard operating procedure for Pyongyang. The recent demands by North Korea in advance of the summit with the United States are unsurprising, said Anish Goel, an Asia expert with think tank New America.

Kim Jong Un will want significant concessions in exchange for anything nuclear-related. And it looks like the North Koreans have started expressing those demands ahead of time. In addition, this fits a pattern for North Korea. They have historically made unreasonable demands ahead of summit talks and then threatened to walk away if they dont get what they want, he said.
Supplier News

16 May 2018

Technology is powering a massive growth in partnerships across the travel industry as brands race to enhance their offering to customers and also their bottom lines. Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), AI-powered personalization and streamlined booking processes are helping travel brands to cross-sell a growing amount of inventory and make the customer's journey easier.

Ancillary sales are expanding to cover more and more inventory. From trains, ridesharing and buses, to dining, to an exploding tours and activities sector that has drawn the attention of all the largest online travel players. In TripAdvisor's latest set of results from Q1 2018, its non-hotel revenues soared 36% and it is banking on tours and activities to push up results further this year. Clearly their strategy of focusing on the area after acquiring Viator, who are speaking at Eyefortravel's Europe Summit in London this June, is beginning to pay off and indicates the growing importance of new revenue streams.

Elsewhere, rail travel is becoming one of the biggest focuses in travel, with digital giants like Expedia jumping in with their acquisition of SilverRail Technologies, Skyscanner launching a train booking feature for mobiles (both brands are speaking at EyeforTravel Europe), and major existing players stepping up their online presence.

As Cameron Jones, chief commercial officer at SilverRail, who will be speaking in London, puts it: "Rail's time is now. Expedia, Rail Europe, Rome2Rio, Trainline, GoEuro and more are raising the profile and relevance of rail as a key product line in a comprehensive retailing strategy. Rail gives travellers greater choice and flexibility when trip planning and, being a high frequency product, drives traffic and loyalty enabling retailers to lower their customer acquisition costs. And Skyscanner/Ctrip's recent move into rail in Europe highlights the momentum."

The growing realm of potential partnerships means that travel brands can cater to more aspects of the customer's journey, even if they are only a small player  both generating more revenues and greater customer satisfaction.

If you would like to find out more about the expanding role of partnerships across the industry, there's only one place to go  the EyeforTravel Europe Summit 2018.

The Summit features a host of speakers from across the spectrum who can help to transform the ancillaries you sell from a variety of diverse sectors, such as tours and activities, ride sharing, transportation. These include

Viator

The Trainline

Blablacar

Eatwith

Withlocals

SilverRail Technologies

Hertz

Amadeus

com

routeRank

Eurail

Rail Europe

Insight Guides

Urban Adventures

TripCreator

Livn

Join four cutting edge travel conference under one roof and change how travel is sold. Get your ticket to the EyeforTravel Europe Summit 2018 today!
Supplier News

15 May 2018

Technology has made us more dependent on its abilities to plan better vacations and business trips. In recent times hotel websites have come a long way from simply being online static e-brochures to becoming more experiential. Online hotel website experiences sell rooms and create loyal guests. Yet, for the majority of hotel websites, the experience remains mediocre and "ok" at best. Think about it, when you visit a hotel website you are basically on your own without any human connections or the ability to engage and ask questions that you are sure to have when you consider booking a hotel online. Why is that? It's 2018 after all, so it can't be a technology issue or is it?

Personal technologies over the last 10 years have changed our lives and the world we live in. When you consider how far we have come and how comfortable we have become in being interconnected through mobile devices, it's no wonder that we crave immediate responses to our hotel questions. And mobile technology is the enabler as nearly every human on the planet carries computing power that can fit in one hand what once took large data centers, and millions of dollars, to equal the same power. Do you realize that Apple's iPad was introduced to the world only 8 years ago? That Uber launched in 2009 and Snapchat was launched in 2011?

There is no turning back, we are all online and we are all connected. As a result, we have the ability and, many times, we demand immediate gratification. This is where I believe most hoteliers are missing tremendous opportunities to book more business and build loyalty. By leveraging the power of website live chat and guest messaging, hoteliers can really gain market share. We constantly read about hoteliers wanting to drive more direct business to their websites with the intent of lowering their OTA and third party booking costs.

Website live chat has been around for many years and, as consumers, we have become comfortable when a live chat window pops up while we're shopping for a pair of shoes online. After all we can decide to engage, or not, and we control the conversation. Live chat agents are not applying hard sales tactics, they are supporting us as we navigate through the online purchasing process.

Let's not forget that the hospitality industry is all about being hospitable and providing service to guests when they are in-house but in my experience, hospitality and service needs to start on the hotel's website before a potential guest books a room. This is where live chat engagement can make a huge difference. Live chat leverages the same technologies we have all become so dependent upon and it provides that immediate guest gratification we want while supporting the online sales process.

The smart hoteliers understand that the overall hotel guest experience begins at the website level when the guest first experiences the hotel. This is evidenced by the abundance of personalization technologies promising to deliver a "unique experience" for every website visitor. Yet most hotel websites are cold and impersonal. They provide the potential guest with a self-service browsing environment and the only option is to figure it out for themselves. Why? It doesn't have to be this way when the technology is here today and with zero learning curve from the consumer's perspective. Clearly every hotelier I speak to about online customer service agrees that having a live chat channel available on their website makes perfect sense. I have yet to come across any hotelier who disagrees.

The clear recurring comment I receive from hoteliers is that budgets and appropriate staffing is the issue preventing their website from becoming more useful to visitors and more effective at driving direct business: Two things they most desperately want by the way. While I agree that on-property staffing specifically for website live chat doesn't make sense for the majority of properties, all properties can benefit from partnering with a company that provides fully managed live chat services for hotels. Our agency provides USA based fully managed live chat services to hotels, 7 days a week year-round. And while other agencies provide similar services, hoteliers should keep in mind that quality really matters with live chat. The worst possible situation that can happen is for a hotel to partner with a live chat service overseas who has live chat agents that don't have a good understanding of "American" English and its nuances.

I'm a firm believer that just as hotels post telephone numbers on their websites, so too will live chat widgets become as ubiquitous as booking engines have become. Staffing issues aside, there is no downside when you're trying to help your potential customers do business with you.

Messaging services are also becoming increasingly widespread within the hospitality industry. Much of this has to do with the amount of venture capital chasing new technology platforms in an attempt to disrupt the hospitality market. Live chat has not experienced the same level of fervor due to live chat technologies not being the shiny new technology du jour. After all live chat has been in existence for over a decade in other industries.

I believe messaging platforms work well at the property. It makes perfect sense to provide streamlined communications for in-house guests. While it is easy for a guest to pick up the phone in their room to request more towels be sent up to their room, it is not always the case where the hotel answers the phone fast enough. We've all be there I'm sure, calling the front desk or operator during check in and check out time only to have the phone ring 15 to 20 times before we hang up in frustration. On site guest messaging certainly helps with this, but only if the hotel staffyes a human is on the other end ready, willing and able to respond in a timely manner. Perhaps when it all plays out with on-property messaging, the same "staffing" issue will become evident. Only time will tell on this one.

While I'm on the topic of having "humans" on the other end of live chat and messaging technology platforms, lets discuss the chatbot and its relevance for the hospitality industry. Going back to the beginning of this article, we're in the hospitality business and in a business where customer service always wins. All the technology in the world won't help your hotel if you are not able to meet or exceed customer service expectations.

Having engaged with (uhm, tested) many chatbots I can say that I'm not very impressed with the level of understanding they have or the engagement opportunities they offer. Going beyond asking a chatbot "what time is check in" or "does your hotel have onsite parking", chatbots are useless other than to aggravate customers and potentially hurt business opportunities for a property. I believe chatbots for the hospitality industry is simply not ready for prime time. Why would any hotelier risk his property's reputation and customer service to a chatbot who can't complete the conversation with a human? Smart hoteliers will want to wait until the artificial intelligence technology improves, which experts say is 10 years away. Customer service and building guest loyalty is so important and still requires humans after all.

Oh, one more thing. The genie is out of the bottle and there is no turning back for hotels when it comes to providing website visitors with live chat engagement services. Research confirms this.

Live chat is the natural way we, as consumers, have been conditioned to interact online. The successful hotelier is the one who understands this and uses live chat as a true differentiator for his or her property. Our own research indicates that less than 5% of hotel websites in North America offer live chat and real time human engagement services. This presents a huge business opportunity for the smart hotelier.
Press Release

16 May 2018

AccorHotels and Chilean group Algeciras announce that they signed an agreement with the shareholders of Atton Hoteles in order to acquire the company. As per the agreement, AccorHotels will acquire 100% of the management Company that operates 11 Atton hotels (2,259 rooms) across Chile, Peru, Colombia and Florida, USA. Besides, AccorHotels will acquire 20% of the Property Company that owns these assets, the remaining 80% being bought by Algeciras. Atton Hoteles was founded in Chile in 2000. The hotels cater to the business travelers on the midscale and upscale segment. It has 3 hotels under development. In order to capitalize on Atton's existing brand equity, most of these properties will be co-branded with AccorHotels brands, before being fully rebranded to Pullman, Novotel, MGallery & Mercure in the midterm.

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Total cash consideration for AccorHotels will be US$105m or c. 89m at current exchange rate, including 67m for the operating Company, and 22m for the 20% stake in the real estate arm, reflecting post-synergies & pipeline 2020e EV/EBITDA of respectively 10X and 9X. The transaction will have an accretive impact on Group earnings from the first year. AccorHotels will have a put option to sell its 20% in the PropCo to Algeciras after five years.

This acquisition further consolidates the current footprint of AccorHotels in Latin America, where the Group has built leadership for many years, with 335 hotels operating, and 166 under development, while strengthening its presence in fast growth markets such as Chile & Peru.

Patrick Mendes, CEO of AccorHotels for South America stated: "We are delighted to have come to this strategic agreement with Algeciras. With Atton's portfolio, AccorHotels will strengthen its leadership position in Latin America and complement its offer to its customers and loyalty members with attractive key destinations".

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals. It should be completed during the second half of 2018.

ABOUT ALGECIRAS

Algeciras is an investment and management holding, founded and led by Eduardo Elberg. The holding has a diversified business portfolio, participating in the real estate, hotel, banking, automotive and agribusiness. In addition to Chile, the holding's international presence includes the development of projects in Peru, Colombia and the United States of America.
Supplier News

16 May 2018

Atlanta, US -- ReviewPro, the world leader in Guest Intelligence solutions for the hospitality industry, looks to expand its already strong presence in North America by hiring Michelle Marquis as VP of Sales, North America. Michelle brings a wealth of experience accrued from a successful career in sales and digital marketing in the hospitality industry. She is a well-respected sales professional, sought-after speaker and presenter, and an industry influencer in the field of hotel marketing.

"For hoteliers across all segments, managing and improving the guest experience is mission critical. ReviewPro's Guest Experience Improvement Suite empowers hotel clients to identify and improve operational and service issues impacting the guest experience, leading to improved online reputation and rankings on OTAs as well as higher revenue", says Michelle Marquis "ReviewPro is the global leader in Guest Intelligence and I am excited to lead the company's expansion efforts in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean".

"Michelle is intelligent, energetic and a natural born sales leader", commented RJ Friedlander, CEO of ReviewPro. "Her vast experience in hotel technology combined with her passion for delivering results will have a big impact on our business in this key market. I could not be more pleased to have her on our team and I look forward to working with her."

In the last couple of years, ReviewPro has expanded its base of hotel clients in North America and the Caribbean, including the recently announced partnership with Radisson Hotel Group on a global level. The incorporation of Marquis is the latest addition to a fast-growing, US-based sales and account management team that has been put in place to support continued growth in the region. ###
Press Release

16 May 2018

Atlanta, GA -- Atlanta-based Hotel Equities [HE] announces the addition of four new-build hotels in Texas; a Tru by Hilton in Cypress, the extended-stay Home2 Suites by Hilton in Richmond, the Holiday Inn Express in Katy and the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Spring. The hotels are owned and being developed by Noble Merchant Properties based in Sugarland, Texas.

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The addition of this diverse group of hotel brands is a complement to Hotel Equities' growing Texas portfolio. Joe Reardon, Sr. Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for Hotel Equities said, "We are pleased to partner with this ownership group for the success of the hotels." Three of the hotels are currently under construction and the Holiday Inn Express will break ground in the summer of 2019. "We are thankful to be in a position to be selective with our stakeholders to ensure we are aligned in our core values. We identified this owner as a partner with whom we can build a long-lasting relationship. We see the opportunity to add value in all facets with these hotels. With 26 hotels in Texas and a regional team in Houston, we are able to provide optimum value to predevelopment, construction and quick ramp to market. From buildout and design, to pre-sale, to open and operating, our team's expertise and oversight ensures success."

Approaching a milestone anniversary of 30 years in the business, Hotel Equities has the track record, accolades, industry respect and case studies to reinforce their results. More than ever, owners are experiencing significant gain by partnering with a reputable firm like HE who can deliver value and ROI early.

"In addition to considering performance results when exploring management companies, it was important to understand their beginnings and reputation," said Chris Merchant, President of Noble Merchant Properties. "After visiting Hotel Equites' corporate headquarters in Atlanta, it was clear that they have the CULTURE we were seeking in a partner."
Astoria Hotels By Sparsa is located in Madurai and is close to Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal. Those staying at the property can also enjoy free Wi-Fi during their stay.
After all the shenanigans, controversy, and debauchery, could this really be what ends up taking 6ix9ine down? Earlier this year, Tekashi 6ix9ine aka Somewhere Over The Rainbow found himself embroiled in a mild legal snafu. During an Ugly God assisted shopping spree, the rapper was apparently accosted by a fan (who some say was on the hunt for clout) who went on to call him such inflammatory terms as "gay ice cream truck" and "walking lolipop." The disrespect seemed to trigger a rage in the young rapper, who reportedly choked out the fan in front of his parents no less.

At the time, the recipient of the choke posted a raging message on Twitter, writing "I JUST GOT CHOCKED BY TEKASHI 69 AT THE GALLERIA (Houston, TX) IN FRONT OF MY PARENTS," wrote Santiii, via Twitter. "MY MOM, BROTHER AND DAD LITERALLY HAD TO PULL ME AWAY FROM HIM AND HIS GOONS. I WAS RECORDING HIM WHEN HE DECIDED TO CHOKE ME HARD AS HELL. If you have any vids of this please send them."

Months later, it would appear that 6ix9ine's violent reaction may very well come back to bite him in the ass. It would appear the kid has pressed charges against Tekashi, prompting Houston police to officially issue an arrest warrant. The situation is muddied by Tekashi's counterclaims, which allege that the kid was calling him a "rapist pedophile" in order to deliberately provoke him.

We'll see what becomes of this.
When Childish Gambino gave the world "This Is America," he had a specific goal in mind. The chaos in the music video carries layers of symbolism, in both subtle and suggestive manners. The video has been hailed as a masterpiece, and relevant issues such as gun violence, racism, the ghost of Jim Crow, police brutality, and religion are all addressed within just a few minutes. Gambino focuses on Black culture in the video, but one Youtuber decided to put a twist on the video, crowing it the "women's edit."

The video has since gained the name "white women's edit." Creator Nicole Arbour is facing a mountain of backlash for her parody video that takes the subtle and genius aspects of "This Is America" and corrupts them with in your face satire this is hilarious in the worst way. Unlike Gambino's video, which starts with a man playing guitar getting shot in the head, Arbour's video features a woman breastfeeding in public that gets pulled away. After receiving endless backlash online, Arbour turned off the comment section for the video on Youtube.

Prior to the video's release, Arbour (a Kanye West fan) took to Twitter to opine about the controversial "slavery was a choice" conversation that lit the internet on fire two weeks ago. "'I'm so sick of people mad at slavery. It's the past, we weren't there. We didn't do it. But what we CAN do is fix economic slavery. Focus on the now," she wrote. Arbour deleted the tweet just as her video became controversial on the internet, but one keen user spotted the missing tweet before it was removed. After being called out on the deleted tweet, Arbour defended her stance, stating, "Oh I mean this. It's misdirected energy. I can't fix the past, but issues now, we all have a chance at so let's refocus. I wanna see more movies with black women CEOs and normalizing excellence for the next generation to see, less black ppl in prison, and police retraining."

Since then, Arbour has defended her video against a wave of critics. She believes her remake address important issues that females face, but feminists disagree and labeled the video as a poorly created parody. Some are even calling Arbour out for racial appropriation. "This is America / don't get you climbing up. This is America / got rape in my area / you got a drink / the roofies got into ya," raps the Youtuber. Arbour posted a lengthy explanation (not an apology) for the video, in which she claims that, "The purpose of my rendition was to honour the spirit of the video which absolutely moved me, by adding my and many womens life experiences and truths to the brave and brutal truths expressed in the original." She continued on to state, "I firmly believe the best thing that can happen in America and North America right now is for everyone to create their own version of this video and show what life is like from their side."

Check out the video below and let us know what you think about Arbour's parody.
Even though Kevin Gates is a free man right now, he hasn't been able to leave the state of Illinois yet due to a strict travel ban that was put on him. So as a result, he hasn't been able to see his family and its messing with his paper as hes been forced to cancel a ton of his shows as well. Trying to move on from it though, Gates has been teasing new music on his Instagram page over the past few days, alluding to a new project possibly being on the way, and it turns out the assumption was right. With the clock striking midnight on Wednesday, Gates decided to surprise fans with a new EP called Chained to The City.

Laced with only 3 songs, the follow up to last years By Any Means 2 contains tracks like Change Lanes, Vouch, & Let It Sing, which all address his recent incarceration & current no-travel ban despite being a "free man. It serves as first official release since getting out of jail back in January.

Available now on iTunes, fans can stream the project for free thanks to the good folks at Spotify. Take a listen and let us know what you think.
According to a report obtained by WSB-TV Atlanta, rapper T.I. was arrested early this morning as he attempted to reenter his gated community in Henry County, Georgia after a night on the town. The Henry Country Police Department estimate the time of his arrest at 4 A.M. and apparently it all boils down to T.I. not having the keys to his own kingdom.



The security guard positioned at the front gate would not let him past his checkpoint. It's unknown whether the guard was simply following protocol or was unable to identify the person he was sworn to protect. Never the less, the incident escalated to a point where cops were called to the scene. With the Police in attendance, T.I. reportedly asked the guard once again: "Dont you know who I am?" The guard feigned indifference.



At some point during the argumentation, T.I. called upon a friend who showed up to the scene. The altercation seems to have escalated at this very point, as both T.I. and his friend were taken into custody shortly thereafter. According to local police, T.I.'s friend already had a warrant made out for his arrest from a prior conviction, his booking completely unrelated to the argument itself. T.I on the other hand, was charged with disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. You can preview his cheeky mugshot here.
Journalists poring over annual reports are finding that CEO pay is outrageously high, fails to reflect corporate performance and drains shareholder value.

In other words, the status quo remains because boards of directors dont seem to care.

Topping this years highest-paid list is Hock Tran, CEO of semiconductor company Broadcom. He took home $103.7 million in 2017, which includes $98.3 million in stock awards, according to Fortune magazine.

That assumes that Broadcoms stock remains stable through 2021. If Broadcom shares perform worse than 75 percent of S&P 500 companies, he gets nothing. If the shares outperform 90 percent of the index, he gets shares worth $179.2 million.

CEO pay has little relationship to performance

Tans pay package is equal to the take-home pay of 2,039 average American workers, who earned $50,620 last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Note that his pay is not tied to Broadcoms debt ratio, overall production, new patents or free cash flow. He only needs to worry about how the companys stock price compares to other companies in the S&P 500. Share value is paramount, and he delivered a 58 percent return last year.

In many cases, though, CEO pay bears no resemblance to performance. The 10 percent of CEOs who received the highest raises last year delivered only middling results, according to the Wall Street Journal.

CEOs with below-average pay often outperformed celebrity executives. Mauricio Gutierrez, CEO of NRG, generated the second-highest return for shareholders in the S&P 500 but was paid only $9 million for turning around the struggling power company.

Stars are often underpaid, while average performers are often overpaid, Herman Aguinis, a professor of management at George Washington University School of Business, told the Journal.

In a study published in the journal Management Research, Aguinis and his colleagues analyzed the earnings history of 4,000 CEOs over their tenures and found no overlap between the top 1 percent in pay and the top 1 percent in corporate earnings.

CEOs earn 271 times the average worker

Leslie Moonves, CEO at CBS television, was the second-highest paid CEO in 2017 with a $69.3 million payout, while his companys stock dropped 6.2 percent. According to securities filings, the board awarded Moonves $12 million for renewing his contract after the company lost money.

Most disturbingly, none of this is new. CEO pay has risen 997 percent between 1987 and 2014, outpacing the 10.9 percent increase the average American has seen, according to the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. CEO pay has risen 70 percent faster than the stock market over the same period.

Last year boards of directors awarded most CEOs annual pay raises of 9.7 percent or better, according to the Journals analysis. The average American received a wage hike of 2.9 percent.

Researchers can find no economic justification for CEO salaries accelerating faster than the average workers.

Higher-paid CEOs simply do not outperform lower paid CEOs. Studies routinely show no correlation between pay and performance, while companies led by younger, hungrier and lower-paid CEOs routinely outperform market indexes.

There is also no shortage of CEO candidates and little competition for them. Few companies need CEOs with unique skills, and boards tend to buy charisma rather than skills anyway. The general economy and market forces within an industrial sector are far more accurate predictors of a companys performance, regardless of how much the CEO earns.

Part of the problem comes from executive recruitment teams, hired by boards to find new CEOs. Recruiters examine comparable salaries and recommend that the board outbid the average, and then the top candidate always demands more. And since many board members are CEOs or prospective CEOs themselves, they are more than happy to run up executive salaries.

CEO pay doesn't reflect shareholder value

The old tax code also made it easier to pay more because corporations could deduct an executives performance pay. But not under the new tax code, which removes the deduction as part of balancing out the lowering of the corporate tax rate.

This change has companies dropping performance pay and moving back to paying a basic salary instead of bonuses in 2018 and beyond. The question for corporate boards, and shareholders, is whether they will still consider a $103.7 million annual salary fair and just compensation if its not tied to performance.

I bet that as long as corporate boards are made up of the CEOs cronies, who have every incentive to see executive compensation rise, they will find ways to justify obscene salaries for their peers.

Sadly, for all of the talk about protecting shareholder value, the foxes are in charge of the henhouse, and they are shamelessly feasting, no matter how much the public complains.
An 8-year-old girl was flown by helicopter to the Texas Medical Center Wednesday morning after being injured during a head-on car crash in north Harris County.

Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman said the collision occurred around 8:30 a.m. in the 7800 block of Rayford Road, near Imperial Oaks Boulevard, after one vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic and struck another vehicle head on.
San Antonio's food scene has grown up considerably since the chili queens dominated the culinary discourse from the 1860s to the 1930s. Today, there are trendy food halls, farmers markets, craft-cocktail bars and acclaimed restaurants, including James Beard Award finalist Steve McHugh's Cured.

Andres Rizo is familiar with the Alamo City's foodie riches. As the culinary concierge for the Hotel Emma, he has to be. The 146-room boutique hotel, which opened to fanfare in 2015, is the heart of the bustling Pearl campus just north of downtown. Rizo aims to connect with every guest before they arrive to ensure their appetites are indulged in the best San Antonio has to offer (including terrific Tex-Mex).
Last summer, I met with both Sen. Ted Cruz and Congressman Beto O'Rourke on the same day.

You'd think that we'd had our fill of campaigns and elections after the 2016 political carousel, but my teacher friends and I wrapped up our school year ready to work. We contacted candidates and representatives thirsty to meet with decision-makers about issues which impact us, like school vouchers and funding.

Tired of the spin and soundbites, we knew face-to-face interaction would be key; so, we emailed, we called, we visited offices.

It was early July, and one of my friends and I drove to the Sheraton on the North Loop. The nonprofit Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) had invited Cruz for a closed town hall, and I found tickets by happenstance, hidden within a group discussion on his campaign Facebook page.

There was a sign-in table and a place to write questions. Near the door was a small group trying to get in. The patient Cruz staffers explained that a ticket was required. "But where was this publicized?" asked a sassy lady, white curls neatly tucked under her sunhat. She kept poking her cane with emphasis toward the open door.

My friend and I walked in, and I counted: 64 seats. Cameras were set up in the back, and the meeting began with introductions by the host and director of CVA, Dan Caldwell. He led the Pledge of Allegiance. Someone in the audience insisted we do the Texas Pledge, too.

One by one, each branch of our proud veterans was called, and they stood. We all clapped. Caldwell introduced Cruz and established the rules: They'll take as many questions as they can, but no protests. "If you interrupt or disrupt the event in any way, you will be asked to leave," he said.

Sure enough, two people who attempted to disrupt were removed. Good! Those of us who showed up wanted to hear the senator.

Cruz and Caldwell continued a back-and-forth for about 20 minutes, after which the senator answered five prescreened questions. Toward the end, though, Caldwell made a huge mistake. He said that while some representatives had been out hiding during recess, "Senator Cruz is not one of them."

The crowd of protesters who had maintained civility lost it, and everyone erupted, many in laughter. Cruz was trying to calm down the crowd and yelled, "I was about to thank folks for being civil and respectful," and I took this chaotic moment as a chance. I walked to the stage, right up to him.

I found some jumble of words to communicate that I had learned a lot from the town hall  I had no idea the Pentagon wasn't audited, and I agreed that it should be. "As a teacher, I'm audited every single year with exams," I remember blubbering.

But I had one thing to ask. I begged Cruz to return for an open town hall. I explained that there were people standing outside who hadn't been able to get in, who didn't know to get tickets. Then I shook his hand, and he closed the meeting thanking me and everyone who came, and I took him at his word: He'd be back.

My friend and I then walked out of the Sheraton and into the blinding Texas light, where we were both shocked at the contrast Cruz's closed town hall had with our meeting with O'Rourke that morning.

GRAY MATTERS: Running with Beto O'Rourke

Seven other friends and I had been waiting on the side of the road under U.S. 59. A car pulled up and parked, and O'Rourke's long, Jimmy Stewart-like frame unfolded. He enthusiastically shook our hands and introduced his staff.

But there was a problem  the coffee shop we picked didn't open for another hour.

"No worries," he said. After a quick Google search, he looked up at Nicki Zachary, then a second-year teacher and my former student.

"I'll ride with Nicki!," he said. Eyes wide, she jumped into her little sedan with the candidate for the U.S. Senate.

We pulled into the nearest place with coffee and spent two hours with him. Tables were pushed together, mugs of coffee steamed. I asked: "Do you meet with your constituents for town halls?"

"Yes," he said. "Once a month. I meet my constituents once a month for a town hall  anyone can come  and I meet specifically with veterans once a quarter."

We talked informally about high-stakes testing and the Betsy DeVos confirmation. He asked question after question. By the end of the meeting, he might have asked more question than we had.

And while his charm and genuine engagement were indeed magnetic, it was his comment about monthly town halls that left me impressed.

Gaby Diaz

O'ROURKE ISN'T the only one meeting monthly with constituents. Utah's Republican Senator, Mike Lee, held live town halls once a month for four years, switching over to telephone town halls only last year. This system is similar to Texas Senator John Cornyn's call-out system, though the last time he randomly called Houston constituents was last summer. My Congressman, Ted Poe, also uses it.

Cruz's team explains that he has done events "with Q&As" 22 times in 2017. Maria Jeffrey from Cruz's office gave the same figure of 19 town halls that W. Gardner Selby from Politifact partially debunked last year: Three of those "town halls" included the meetings hosted by CVA, which were not announced by his office. And 11 were private meetings. A good friend and fellow "woke" mom contacted me excitedly about Senator Cruz coming to meet exclusively with her company  Lockheed and Martin.

"What should I ask?" she had messaged me on Facebook.

I suggested she ask the most important question a constituent can ask a representative. "When are you planning to host a town hall?"

He evaded her question at the private event.

GRAY MATTERS: Under the cover of night, Houstonians seek 'missing' senator

The truth is that Cruz might have attended "seven events" this year where a few people got to ask him some questions, but his office has organized and hosted no town halls, open, closed or over a telephone system. In fact, his federal Senate office has no call-out system.

His campaign, however, does. His Senate and campaign offices said that he does do call outs  but only to his campaign supporters. Catherine Frazier from Cruz's campaign office confirmed that he's been doing them since he started running for office. She emphasized, "He's done two in the last few weeks."

But schedules or instructions for opting in for these telephone town halls are not displayed on Cruz's Senate page or Senate Facebook page. For a man who mocked "coastal elites" for their "safe spaces" in his piece on President Trump in Time, Cruz seems to hide in safe spaces filled exclusively with an echo chamber of his campaign supporters. Why not call out to all Texas constituents?

Eric Gay, STF / Associated Press

In contrast  again  O'Rourke's office has hosted 95 open town halls, not counting the quarterly veterans town halls, since he began his first term in the House of Representatives in 2013  the same year Cruz began his first term.

These monthly town halls are organized by O'Rourke's congressional office. Links to the dates and times of the events are clearly posted on his congressional website and congressional Facebook page. His office explains they call out to constituents before the town halls take place to get the word out.

Besides the meeting at the coffee shop, I attended an open town hall hosted by his campaign when he returned to Houston. Back in February at Greenhouse International Church, well over 150 Houstonians showed up to ask questions. He began taking open questions when a young woman identified herself in two ways: She was a current student at Harvard University, and she was a Dreamer.

"Why did you vote 'yes' on the budget deal when we asked you not to?" she demanded, voice cracking.

His own voice dropped an octave, and he slowly responded, "If I thought voting 'no' would've secured a DACA deal, I would've done it. But I don't believe that was going to happen that way."

She persisted. "But why didn't you trust us? We needed your 'no' vote" and continued expressing that she was angry and felt betrayed.

"I'm glad that you're here telling me how you feel. Even if we disagree, I think it's important that I hear you."

That's exactly what he been up to: Besides hosting monthly town halls for his El Paso constituents, through his campaign he has hosted an additional 235 open town halls as he's traveled through 251 of the 254 counties in Texas.

THESE MEN are both great guys. Great dads. Passionate speakers. Both bleed Texas.

Every time O'Rourke is in El Paso, he walks his children to the same elementary school he attended. "We can't plan anything before school on days he is home, so he can walk them," said Chris Evans, his communications director. "They love it, but he definitely loves it more."

Cruz recently tweeted a selfie with his daughter Caroline at "Hamilton" in Houston with the grin of a man in heaven. "Singing, dancing and the Federalist Papers ... a perfect daddy-daughter evening!"

In a political universe filled with not-so-great-men, we should consider ourselves lucky to have to choose this November between two amazing fathers and Texans  but, then again, we're voting for a senator. And they aren't simply running for the seat; they are competing to define what it means to be a senator.

Jake King/Associated Press

Once, at a Humanities Texas teacher conference, Charles Flanagan from the National Archives made me break down the Constitution by word count. We made graphs with bright colors. And guess what? Article I, which outlines the powers of Congress, takes up just over half the entire document. It exposes our exultation for representative government. The people should always be in contact with their representatives. Representatives should always be connected with the people.

The reality is that if Texans want to bypass the noise and spin of the media  right- or left-leaning  we have to work to connect with candidates directly. Go to town halls if candidates swing through your city. Bring your list of questions. Call your representatives while waiting at the doctor's office. Email them during your lunch break.

If we want to move beyond tired party soundbites, we have to show up and ask the tough questions ourselves. By doing so, we uphold the dream of democracy our founding fathers and mothers worked so hard to preserve.

Gaby Diaz is an English teacher in Houston.

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SEOUL - North Korea is rapidly moving the goalposts for next month's summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, saying the United States must stop insisting it "unilaterally" abandon its nuclear program and stop talking about a Libya-style solution to the standoff.

The latest warning, delivered by former North Korean nuclear negotiator Kim Kye Gwan on Wednesday, fits Pyongyang's well-established pattern of raising the stakes in negotiations by threatening to walk out if it doesn't get its way.

This comes just hours after the North Korean regime cast doubt on the planned summit by protesting against joint air force drills taking place in South Korea, saying they were ruining the diplomatic mood.

If the Trump administration approaches the summit "with sincerity" for improved relations, "it will receive a deserved response from us," Kim Kye Gwan, now vice foreign minister, said in a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday.

"However, if the U.S. is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the DPRK-U.S. summit," he said, using the abbreviation for North Korea's official name. He also questioned the sequencing of denuclearization first, compensation second.

Analysts said they were not surprised by these latest developments in what has been a year of diplomatic whiplash.

"The U.S. and South Korea hold an exercise, which contains some strategic strike elements to it. U.S. officials can't seem to get on the same page regarding denuclearization and what is required of North Korea," said Ken Gause, a North Korea leadership expert at CNA, a Virginia-based consulting firm. "At some point, North Korea was going to cry foul."

Trump and Kim Jong Un are due to meet in Singapore on June 12, which would be the first time a North Korean leader had met with a sitting U.S. president.

Trump and his top aides, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, have repeatedly said that the United States wants the "complete verifiable irreversible denuclearization of North Korea" - a high standard that Pyongyang has previously balked at.

Bolton, known for his sharply hawkish views, has said that North Korea must commit to a "Libya 2004" style disarmament. He was under secretary of state for arms control in 2004, when Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi agreed to give up its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

But this is not a tempting model for North Korea. Seven years after surrendering his nuclear program, Gadhafi was overthrown, and then brutally killed by opponents of his regime.

North Korea hit out at Bolton, whom the regime derided as "human scum" while he worked in the George W. Bush administration, and at the suggestions that North Korea should be dealt with in the same way that the Bush administration dealt with Libya and Iraq.

"This is not an expression of intention to address the issue through dialogue. It is essentially a manifestation of awfully sinister move[s] to impose on our dignified state the destiny of Libya or Iraq, which had been collapsed due to the yielding of their countries to big powers," Kim Kye Gwan said.

"[The] world knows too well that our country is neither Libya nor Iraq, which have met a miserable fate," he said, harking back to its previous criticism of Bolton. "We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past and we do not hide a feeling of repugnance towards him," the vice minister said.

In negotiations over the years, North Korea has repeatedly threatened to walk out, and has on occasion actually walked out, over disagreements. In that respect, Wednesday's announcement is not surprising and underscores analysts' warnings that North Korea will not give up its nuclear weapons easily.

During the April 27 inter-Korean summit, Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to work toward the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" - phrasing that was seen as code for mutual arms reduction.

Earlier on Wednesday, KCNA had protested against the joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises currently taking place in the southern half of the peninsula, threatening to pull out of the summit over this "provocation."

North Korea said barely a word about the drills during the computer simulation exercises that took place through April, and the South Korean and U.S. militaries had scaled back and played down the exercises to avoid antagonizing the North.

But the two-week-long Max Thunder drills between the two countries' air forces, an annual event that began Friday and involve about 100 warplanes including B-52 bombers and F-15K jets, have clearly struck a nerve.

"The United States will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-U.S. summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities," the KCNA report said.

Max Thunder has been held annually in the spring for about 10 years. It features the United States and South Korea flying strike aircraft together from air bases in South Korea and Japan to practice air-to-air combat. About 1,000 U.S. troops and 500 South Koreans were involved last year, according to a U.S. military statement published at the time.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said that the Max Thunder drills would carry on as planned, and there is no disagreement on this between South Korea and the United States.

"The Max Thunder drill is training for pilot skill enhancement, not an attack drill or implementation of an operation plan," said Defense Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo.

A Pentagon spokesman, Army Col. Robert Manning III, said Tuesday that the exercises are part of the U.S.-South Korean alliance's "routine, annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness."

Manning said the purpose of the exercises is to enhance the alliance's ability to defend South Korea. "While we will not discuss specifics, the defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed," he said.

North Korea, as it has in the past, disagreed. "This exercise targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula," KCNA said.

By mentioning the Panmunjom Declaration, North Korea was referring to the agreement signed last month by Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in following their historic summit.

They agreed to work to turn the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War in 1953 into a peace treaty that would officially bring the war to a close, and also to pursue the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula.

Trump administration officials said they were continuing to work toward the June 12 summit between Trump and Kim.

"The United States will look at what North Korea has said independently and continue to coordinate closely with our allies," said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States had not received notice of any change or cancellation. She said the government is continuing to plan for the summit and is confident that Kim understands the need for the exercises.

At the same time as threatening to scuttle the summit with Trump, North Korea canceled talks with South Korean officials that had been scheduled for Wednesday, less than 24 hours after agreeing to them.

North Korea had said it would send five senior officials to the border village of Panmunjom for meetings with South Korean officials, the first such talks since the April 27 inter-Korean summit.

They were due to discuss some of the infrastructure aid that South Korea would provide to North Korea as part of their broader detente. The North was going to send Ri Son Kwon, who leads the North Korean agency in charge of inter-Korean exchanges and was present at the summit, while the South was going to send senior officials from the Transport Ministry and forest service.

North Korea's decision to unilaterally postpone high-level talks between the two Koreas "is not in line with the spirit of the Panmunjom Declaration and is regrettable," unification ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun told reporters on Wednesday.

"Such action of the North is inconsistent with the fundamental spirit and purpose of the Panmunjom Declaration agreed by the South and North leaders on April 27," Baik said.

- - -

The Washington Post's Min Joo Kim, Dan Lamothe and Anne Gearan contributed to this report.
A convicted felon, a former police union official and a criminal defense lawyer who writes a blog about the Harris County criminal courthouse have in recent days accused me of virtually the same thing: doubling down in defense of Alfred Dewayne Brown in order to protect an award I won for writing about his wrongful conviction.

After a decade of writing this column, Ive learned to give some outlandish criticisms the attention they deserve - which is to say, none.

In this case, though, my critics, be they ever so well-intentioned, seemed to have missed a few important points. And that means other readers may have missed them as well. Given the explosive developments in the Brown case, and the constant attacks on media integrity these days, I think its a good idea to set the record straight.

For starters, Im a journalist guided by facts. Yes, as a columnist, my job is to develop opinions and, at times, even advocate for outcomes I believe are just and fair in light of those facts.

I choose my battles and positions carefully, but my ultimate loyalty is to the truth. If compelling evidence comes along that says Im wrong, I will correct the record, as Ive done a few times through the years.

That hasnt happened in the case of Brown.

Read more: Federal judge pauses former death row inmates quest for compensation

My focus in a 2014 series on Browns case wasnt on whether he was guilty or innocent of killing veteran Houston police officer Charles R. Clark during a three-man robbery in 2003. Frankly, Ive tried to avoid making a declaration on that issue. Hopefully, a recently appointed special prosecutor will reach a conclusion soon.

Nor was the focus on a phone record prosecutors failed to disclose at trial that seemed to support Browns alibi. By the time I started writing about the case, the record had already been found in a homicide detectives garage. The Harris County district attorneys office had already acknowledged that it erred in not turning over the document, which showed a landline call was made at the time Brown said he made it. They claimed the error was inadvertent, although recent evidence suggests otherwise.

Prosecutors at the time readily agreed to a new trial for Brown. My plan was to write one column telling appellate judges to hurry up and grant it.

Then I discovered the issue that led to many more columns, and the focus of the series: Texas biased pick-a-pal system of selecting grand jurors, which contributed to Browns wrongful conviction. Under that system, a grand jury led by a Houston police officer was selected to investigate the murder of the Houston police officer Brown was accused of killing. The panel, a transcript shows, bullied Browns strongest alibi witness, threatening to lock her up away from her children, if she didnt change her story.

She did change her story and eventually testified against Brown.

The conclusions I reached about pick a pal led the Texas Legislature to ban the system in 2015. Now Texas selects grand jurors similar to the way we do trial jurors, semi-randomly.

As I wrote the series, I learned about witnesses who claimed they were intimidated and even jailed, and several who recanted their testimony, saying it was coerced in the first place. Even without the phone record, the case seemed to be crumbling.

Read more: Its Harris County attorneys, not Alfred Dewayne Brown, bluffing in federal court

Ultimately, Browns conviction was overturned and he was freed in 2015 after Texas highest criminal court determined his constitutional rights were violated when prosecutors withheld the phone record that could have helped his defense. After a lengthy review of the case, former Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson declined to retry Brown, citing lack of evidence.

Today, Im not aware of a single shred of compelling evidence that points to Browns guilt. And that includes the three-way call theory that county attorneys argued recently in a motion to dismiss Browns civil lawsuit against the county.

Sure, the theory, a version of which has been floated previously by police union officials, complicates things for Brown, but it doesnt disprove his alibi. The phone record still supports his defense. Theres no question it should have been turned over at all. Its ridiculous for county attorneys to claim otherwise.

The afternoon when Brown walked out of the Harris County Jail, free after nearly 12 years behind bars, was momentous not just for him, but for justice in a state where so many have been wrongfully convicted.

It did present an awkward dilemma for me as a journalist. When Brown emerged from the jail, he began hugging family and others who greeted him. Then he recognized me there in the crowd with my notepad. As a journalist, I pondered the ethics of hugging a man I was covering. But when he moved in for the embrace, I returned it. Some have criticized that act, captured by a Chronicle photographer.

But my rationale was simple: Its not my job to judge a man who has already been judged by the highest criminal court in Texas. It is not unethical to celebrate a moment of justice for a man denied it for so long.

Read more: Rizzos defense in Alfred Dewayne Brown case questionable then, chilling now

In this country, we say that people are innocent until proven guilty, and Browns release was proof of a district attorney upholding that principle.

That same principle is why I believe Brown should receive state compensation for his wrongful conviction. Of course, the state doesnt have to offer compensation, and so they can set the standard wherever they want for actual innocence. But as Ive written previously, the Texas Supreme Court has intentionally set that standard lower for people whose claims of innocence arent backed up by iron-clad DNA evidence.

Notably, the high court seemed to understand that conceivably, that lower standard could mean compensating someone later found to be guilty. As such, the court provided for that possibility, noting state law terminates compensation payments for anyone later convicted of a felony.

The Texas Supreme Court found that an acceptable risk, writing, "The imperfection of humanity means that the state may make mistakes, but that possibility does not vitiate the government's interest in avoiding injustice.

Others dont agree. Some of my critics say Brown shouldnt be paid, in part because the police union and others believe theres evidence to suggest he is guilty. But if that evidence wasnt enough to charge him, why is it enough to block his compensation? How long does he have to remain under the cloud of suspicion? When does he get to enjoy the same principle afforded to the rest of us  innocent until proven guilty?

The answer, I hope, will come when special prosecutor John Raley completes his investigation of the case. If the evidence points to Browns actual innocence, he should be paid his $2 million in compensation.

If it doesnt, District Attorney Kim Ogg is right to say shell consider charging Brown again.

Tunnel vision doesnt serve anyone well in criminal justice, or in journalism. Indeed, we share at least one common goal: the truth. Thats the only thing that can lead to Officer Clarks killer, and a conviction that wont crumble in the courts or wither in the light.

lisa.falkenberg@chron.com
For most of a decade, until its closure two weeks ago, HopeBridge Hospital in southwest Houston had served as a destination of last resort for poor and homeless patients in need of psychiatric care.

It treated mentally ill people picked up by police and warehoused disturbed children under the care of child protective services. And although its patients often were of little means, the majority were insured through Medicare or Medicaid, ensuring a steady flow of public dollars.

Then last month, after years of problems at the 137-bed facility once known as Westbury Community Hospital, federal and state officials delivered the death blow: The government notified the hospital it would be cut off from future Medicare payments.

"That was the end of it," said Anthony Brown, who had served as HopeBridge's chief financial officer since 2012, when he was hired to manage the facility through bankruptcy, and who later purchased a stake in the hospital. "There was no way we could continue operating at that point."

The closure forced a handful of remaining patients to be transferred to other facilities and left more than 160 hospital employees without payment for their final weeks of work. And it raises questions about the quality of psychiatric care available to vulnerable patients in Houston.

More for you Bankrupt Westbury psychiatric hospital to stay open

An April citation report from the Texas Department of State Health Services painted a picture of a run-down hospital filled with unmitigated safety hazards. Several patients interviewed by investigators over the course of multiple visits reported being abused at the hospital, but staff had not investigated or reported the incidents to the state. A dozen others on suicide watch were being kept in rooms furnished with doorknobs, faucets and other fixtures they could have used to hang themselves, according to the report obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

Final word came April 20, in a letter from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: The agency, which agreed with the state's findings, would not grant the hospital additional time to bring the facility up to code. Separately, the state announced its intention to fine the hospital $455,000 and strip it of its operating license.

On Monday, as workers filled blue trash bins with papers and stacked twin mattresses in empty halls, Brown sat behind his desk and tried to make sense of "how we even got here." He told a story of a psychiatric hospital whose previous owners had taken advantage of mentally ill patients in order to bilk the federal government. They had hospitalized people who did not require psychiatric treatment while pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a kickback scheme that ended earlier this year with two of the former operators pleading guilty in federal court.

Brown said he and his business partners inherited an operation in much worse shape than they first realized. For five years, he said, they worked to right the ship. They purchased the hospital in 2015 and began working with state and federal regulators to bring it up to code. But a new name and brightly colored logo failed to change the hospital's reputation.

Several former employees interviewed by the Chronicle described a difficult work environment and ghastly living conditions for patients, even after the change of management.

"For months at a time, the place had no hot water," said Charlene Freeman, a mental health technician who worked at HopeBridge for a year until its closure. "Every day it was a war zone. It was like these people didn't have money, so they don't deserve better than this."

Tried to upgrade building

After several inspections between August and March, state regulators cited the hospital for failing to monitor suicidal patients and for improperly allowing several to leave the facility. One who walked out later reported being sexually assaulted while away from the hospital, but staff did not report the incident to the state as required.

Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle

Despite those concerns, it was the poor condition of the 40-year-old building and lack of modern safety features that factored most prominently in the decision to cut off government insurance payments, according to the federal citation. The facility likely needed millions of dollars worth of additional renovations, Brown said.

His team had been rushing to make upgrades but not fast enough to appease regulators, he said while walking a reporter through the hospital's dank and darkened halls last week. Brown pulled out a pillow case and tied it around one of the doorknobs recently installed in patient rooms, demonstrating that a patient would be unable to hang himself from it.

"We've made these upgrades throughout all the rooms on the first and second floors," Brown said.

On the third floor, which had not yet undergone repairs, disturbing messages had been carved on windows. Floor tiles were chipped and cracking. In one room in the section of the hospital that once housed children, a toilet had been ripped from the floor and holes punched through walls.

The building, Brown conceded, needed more work, but he emphasized that he and his business partners do not own the physical structure, just the business that had been operating inside it.

Feroze "Fred" Bhandara, the landlord, had leased the building to the owners of Westbury Community Hospital before Brown's team took control. Bhandara did not return a call requesting an interview.

Tim Simmons, the hospital's chief executive officer, agreed the facility needed work, but he argued that federal regulators did not allow enough time to make upgrades after initially citing the hospital in early March. He pointed out that some of the fixtures flagged as unsafe by federal regulators had been approved a year earlier by the state. And he defended the hospital's safety record: Over the past five years, he said, thanks to staff efforts to mitigate environmental hazards, no patients had killed or seriously hurt themselves.

"We totally understand they want to have a safe environment for patients," Simmons said. "We totally agree with that and have been striving for that."

Asked to respond to criticisms of the government's handling of the situation, Bob Moos, a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services spokesman in Dallas responded in an email: "We'd prefer to let the most recent inspection report and enforcement letter speak for themselves."

In a last-ditch effort to appease regulators and keep the operation afloat, Brown said the hospital owners poured $250,000 over the past month into safety upgrades. The renovations halted abruptly three weeks ago when federal regulators declined to grant the hospital more time.

Hospital workers, aware of the looming sanctions as early as April, continued showing up for work in the intervening weeks, holding out hope that management would fix the problems and save their jobs. Word reached them in early May that the effort had failed, though some continued reporting to work to help wind down the operation.

After the final patient had been discharged last week, several employees showed up at the hospital to ask when they would get their final paychecks. They received an additional shock when Brown came outside and said there was no money left to pay them.

Exploring legal options

Andrea Roberson, a mental health technician, spent six years at the hospital, working first under the cloud of the FBI investigation and then through the 2012 bankruptcy and change of ownership. She lived in constant fear, she said, that the hospital would go under and she would be left without a job. She never imagined she would be denied payment for her final month of work.

"We were all counting on that money to pay rent, to pay bills," Roberson said. "They just pulled our lifeline from us."

Brown said he regrets that employees have not been paid on time, but he said he is confident they will be eventually. He put the blame on Cenpatico, an Austin company that processes Medicaid payments, which he says owes HopeBridge at least $1.6 million - money he says was owed to the hospital long before the facility got into trouble with regulators, but that had been tied up in a processing glitch.

The hospital is exploring legal options to force the company to pay up, Brown said. A spokeswoman for Cenpatico did not return phone calls or emails seeking comment.

"As soon as we receive that money," Brown said, "the employees will receive the money that's owed to them."
Residents in southwest Houston's District K again have a voice on City Council after Martha Castex-Tatum was sworn in and seated at the council horseshoe at Wednesdays meeting.

Castex-Tatum won a nine-candidate race May 5 to succeed the late councilman Larry Green, who died of a drug overdose in March.

She called it somewhat "appropriate" that she took her seat Wednesday, noting it would have been Green's 53rd birthday, prompting some in the audience, which was packed with civic leaders from southwest Houston, to mutter "amen."

"This has been an emotional special election. The circumstances make this victory bittersweet," Castex-Tatum said. "However, I cannot do anything without thanking the people who took the time to be engaged, who took the time to go out and vote on May 5. And I want to just give a roaring round of applause to the people of District K to let them know how honored I am to represent them. I'm honored and I'm ready."

After being sworn in, Castex-Tatum addressed the crowd and her new colleagues flanked by her parents, Roland and Earline Castex.

"Throughout the entire campaign when we were talking to people, I always stated that there is a special level of accountability when you can potentially be the council person for your mom and dad," she said, to applause. Of the district more broadly, she said, "This my village. These are the people who raised me."

After words of welcome and praise from the other 16 council members, she again addressed the audience.

"I vow that everyday when I come to City Hall, this entire staff will work hard to represent you, to fight for you and make sure your quality of life is exemplary in District K," she said.

Castex-Tatum, 48, had served as a staff member in Green's office. A Houston native, she grew up in the Keswick/Ramblewood neighborhood and attended Grissom Elementary, Parker Elementary and Welch Middle School in what is now District K.

As a San Marcos resident who earned a master's of public administration from then-Southwest Texas State University, she unseated a 12-year City Council incumbent to become the first African-American woman elected there.

She returned to Houston in 2004 as a residential Realtor with Keller Williams Realty, where she worked for 10 years. She currently works at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.

Castex-Tatum will serve the remainder of Green's term, which ends in late 2019.

She becomes only the second person to hold the seat added after the 2010 Census for the district that covers a slice of southwest Houston between Almeda Road in the east and Beltway 8 in the west, Brays Bayou in the North and Beltway 8 in the south, with a portion in Fort Bend County.

In her only comments from the dais during Wednesdays meeting, Castex-Tatum followed in Greens footsteps by reading a lengthy and relatively dry list of the district offices activities over the past week  visits to civic clubs, upcoming neighborhood events  during the pop-off period following the meeting, when each member gets 5 minutes to discuss any topic.

mike.morris@chron.com

twitter.com/mmorris011
A Houston police officer has been suspended for using unnecessary force while arresting a man who prompted concerns about a possible Las Vegas-type shooting plot on New Years Eve after police found several firearms in his downtown highrise hotel room.

Disciplinary records released by the city this week in response to an open records request show Chief Art Acevedo suspended Ken Nealy  a widely respected robbery detective who is also one of the vice presidents of the Houston Police Officers Union  for 45 days without pay.

Acevedo was not available for comment. Nealys union attorney, Bob Armbruster, declined to discuss the matter.

This case is over and completed with and we have no further comment, said HPD officer Joe Gamaldi, who is president of the police union.

Since taking command of the Houston Police Department in December 2016, Acevedo has handed down at least 188 suspensions, according to disciplinary files reviewed by the Chronicle. Two of those  including Nealys suspension  were for incidents where Houston officers were found to have improperly used force in off-duty incidents.

Nealy and other HPD officers arrested 49-year-old Russell Lawrence Ziemba for refusing to leave the Regency Hyatt Hotel on New Years Eve, after being called to the hotel over Ziembas allegedly drunken behavior.

IN DEPTH: Houston's top cop sets whirlwind pace during first six months

In the lobby, authorities later said, Ziemba refused to put his hands behind his back and struggled with police, who claimed he kicked one of the officers before finally being subdued. The altercation was captured on surveillance cameras. Nealy was working a department-approved extra job at the hotel.

When officers escorted Ziemba back to his room, they found his .12 gauge shotgun, a semi-automatic Glock .380 pistol and his AR-15 rifle, raising concerns about a possible mass shooting like the one in Las Vegas last year.

According to the May 1 suspension notice, Acevedo disciplined Nealy for using unnecessary physical contact, failing to thoroughly document the use of force against Ziemba in his original incident report and for failing to search an intoxicated subject for weapons. City records show Acevedo previously disciplined one other officer for failing to search a prisoner who had a gun in his possession.

RELATED: Accused gunman cleared in downtown Houston hotel arrest, will get guns back

The four-page disciplinary letter does not describe Nealys actions in detail, but notes that officers shall avoid all unnecessary physical contact with all prisoners, suspects, and other citizens, and that unnecessary contact may include pushing, shoving, dragging, punching, or kicking.

Ziemba was initially charged with assaulting a public servant  a felony  and a misdemeanor trespassing charge. In April, a Harris County grand jury cleared Ziemba of felony charges after watching surveillance video of the incident. He still faces a misdemeanor trespassing charge and a misdemeanor charge from a previous incident for carrying guns in plain sight in his vehicle.

The Civil Rights Division of the Harris County District Attorneys Office reviewed the use of force incident and presented the evidence to a grand jury, which determined criminal charges against Nealy were not warranted, said DA spokesman Dane Schiller.

BACKGROUND: 'Cryptic notes' found along with guns in downtown Hyatt, causing suspicion among investigators

The Chronicle requested a copy of the surveillance video of Ziembas arrest from the DAs office, which has asked the state attorney general's office for permission to deny the request, citing an exemption to open records law that allows prosecutors to withhold information pertaining to the detection, investigation or prosecution of a crime.

Danny Easterling, Ziembas defense attorney, said his client had been upset but compliant at the time of the altercation  and disputed whether hed assaulted the officer.

Nealy lost patience with my client when he was trying to leave, Easterling said. It puts his credibility about the entire trespassing case in question  particularly the element of him refusing to leave the hotel.

In mid-April a judge ordered Ziembas firearms returned to his attorneys care. Easterling said he would attempt to convince the DAs office to dismiss the trespassing charge due to insufficient evidence. Ziembas next court date  for the trespassing charge and previous misdemeanor weapons charge  is Friday.

Easterling said that Ziemba, a Tomball resident and Gulf War veteran, had been depressed and suffering from post-traumatic stress, which led him to abuse alcohol. Ziemba is now in drug and alcohol treatment and has a job, he said.

Hes doing much better now, Easterling said.

st.john.smith@chron.com

twitter.com/stjbs
Companies seeking tax breaks from the city of Houston must give construction workers safety training, advertise jobs to ex-offenders in the city's re-entry program, provide affordable housing if the project is a residential development, and try to hire workers from poor neighborhoods and the area around a project.

The city council passed the new guidelines 13-2 on Wednesday, with council members Mike Knox and Greg Travis opposed.

The proposed guidelines also require firms to choose one of eight community benefits from a list, several of which overlap with the ordinance's other requirements. Those other requirements include paid internships for low-income students, site designs that aim to reduce crime by, for instance, adding extra lighting, and site improvements that benefit more than the business itself.

READ MORE: Houston weighs asking more of developers to get tax breaks

Progressive advocacy groups long have pushed Mayor Sylvester Turner to embrace "community benefit" reforms for the city's business incentive programs. Advocates continued to lean on the mayor this week, hoping the guidelines also would mandate companies receiving subsidies to give higher wages, carry workers compensation coverage, and give independent groups access to work sites to confirm compliance with the new rules.

Still, advocates praised the vote as a historic shift, as Michelle Tremillo, executive director of the Texas Organizing Project, put it.

The city of Houston today took an important step in bringing balance, fairness and equity to our economy, she said. We all want our economy to thrive, but not at the expense of working families who fuel that growth. We look forward to continue working with Mayor Turner to ensure that the city maximizes its return on our tax dollars in a way that benefits all Houstonians.

Workers Defense Project Executive Director Jose P. Garza said he was disappointed the additional items his group had sought were not included, he said he looked forward to continued talks with city leaders to ensure the men and women who build Houston can go home safely each night with enough money to live in the city they help build.

Knox had offered an amendment in response to criticisms contractors had raised Tuesday about a provision that requires firms getting tax breaks to try to hire 30 percent of their construction workforce from U.S. Department of Labor-certified training programs. The contractors said federal rules are too rigid and prefer their own, similar training programs.

Knox said requiring DOL registration could limit the citys ability to get the best bang for the buck.

Turner noted that he has placed only one tax abatement on the agenda in his two-and-a-half-year tenure and said the guidelines, per state law, must be renewed every two years.

What were voting on today does not rule out any other apprenticeship programs in any other area, Turner said. This is just dealing with tax abatements.

READ MORE: Council OK's $6.5M tax abatement on oil storage project

Councilman Michael Kubosh referenced a handful of speakers who had addressed the group this week, asking Turner whether he thought a good bill is one nobodys happy with.

I dont think its perfect from different points of view, but what weve tried to do is strike a pretty healthy balance, the mayor said.

mike.morris@chron.com

twitter.com/mmorris011
Houston police are investigating a shooting in northeast Houston on Tuesday night.

Officers were called out to an apartment complex in the 2800 block of Laura Kopper Road around 7:30 p.m. When they arrived, they learned a man had been shot in the leg and also had a head injury.

The man was rushed to the hospital in an unknown condition.

HEARTBREAKING: Apartment blaze displaces 10 families, fire ruled accidental

Now Playing: Texas News & Crime Video: Houston Chronicle

No suspects were in custody as of 8:20 p.m.

No other information was available. Check back for updates on this developing story as they come in.

Jay R. Jordan is a breaking news reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan.
A former member of an MD Anderson Cancer Center research team misrepresented her blood as that of nearly 100 study participants, according to the federal agency that investigates suspected ethical violations in science.

The U.S. Office of Research Integrity reported Monday that Maria Cristina Miron Elqutub intentionally and knowingly engaged in misconduct in MD Anderson cancer genetics research by substituting her blood and falsely labeling the samples so they appeared to come from 98 human subjects. Elqutub served as a research assistant on the project.

MD Anderson supports the findings of the Office of Research Integrity and has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reach a settlement, the cancer center said in a statement Monday. As soon as we were made aware of concerns related to the samples, we immediately took action to review and address the situation.

The statement said the misconduct did not affect patients.

It did impact two academic papers. One, in the journal Cancer in 2015, has been retracted. The other, in the scientific journal PLOS One in 2015, is being evaluated, a spokesman said Tuesday. Elqutub has agreed to correct or retract it, according to the ORI report.

The ORI report said Elqutub admitted the misconduct.

Reached by the Chronicle Tuesday, Elqutub declined comment. Currently a middle school nurse in the Alief Independent School District, she worked as an MD Anderson research interviewer, a support position that typically doesnt require an advanced degree, from August 2010 to November 2012.

MD Anderson officials would not say if Elqutub was fired, quit or the position was eliminated when the grant ended. Nor would they make available the two leaders of the work  Dr. Adel El-Naggar, a pathologist and the principal investigator of the $1.3 million grant; and Dr. Erich Sturgis, a professor of head and neck surgery in whose lab Elqutub worked.

The research, approved by an institutional review board, is considered clinical research. The one in the journal Cancer involved 309 cancer patients and 535 non-cancer patients and the one in PLOS ONE, a scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science, involved 352 cancer patients and 598 non-cancer patients.

Problems with the Cancer paper made news earlier this year. The online publication Retraction Watch in February reported that MD Anderson researchers retracted the paper after discovering that unbeknownst to them, the sampling had been compromised, resulting in duplicate samples involving 93 controls and four cases.

The paper reported that at least three gene variants were associated with rare salivary gland cancers. In the paper, the authors cautioned that they still needed to confirm the findings and determine the mechanism by which the genes might increase the risk of cancer.

Neither paper has made a major impact. According to Clarivate Analytics Web of Science, a citation service, the paper in Cancer has been cited just eight times and the one in PLOS ONE just twice.

A spokesman for PLOS ONE said the journal hopes to identify a way forward soon on the matter.

We were only just made aware of this issue and are evaluating it, said David Knutson, senior communications manager. We will follow up per our editorial processes to establish appropriate steps to correct the record.

As part of the ORI finding, Elqutub agreed to have her research supervised for three years and for any institution employing her that seeks federal funding to submit certification that any data she provides is legitimate.

The MD Anderson research was funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Instiutes of Health.

todd.ackerman@chron.com

twitter.com/chronmed
He knew something was wrong as soon as he saw his 13-year-old daughter.

Even as she struggled with depression at Kingwood Pines psychiatric hospital, she always gave him a hug when he visited.

But that October day in 2015, she sat quietly, withdrawn, and fled to her room only minutes after he arrived.

He flagged down a nurse. What was wrong? Had they changed her medications?

The nurse pulled him aside and lowered her voice: His daughter said she'd been raped by two other patients the night before.

"I wanted the boys and I wanted my daughter out of there," he said, recalling his fury. "That's not a day you want to relive."

The girl was one of two teens assaulted at the hospital that night by two other patients, according to a lawsuit filed recently in Harris County court.

But the allegations were not the only concerns raised in recent years about patient safety at the 116-bed psychiatric hospital in Kingwood and its parent company, the for-profit nationwide chain, Universal Health Services Inc.

MISTAKES AT HOSPITALS: Family looks for answers after son's suicide at The Menninger Clinic

A Houston Chronicle review of medical records, court filings, hospital accreditation reports and records from state and federal regulators, and interviews with parents, portray an understaffed facility that has failed to watch over patients, leaving the most vulnerable among them open to further victimization.

The parents of the two girls agreed to talk to the Chronicle on the condition they be identified by first names only, to protect the privacy of their daughters. The Chronicle does not typically identify the victims of alleged sexual assault.

Hospital Chief Executive Officer Shanti Carter said Kingwood Pines denies the allegations and will fight the case.

"Due to the pendency of litigation and patient confidentiality requirements, we cannot comment further at this time but look forward to defending this case in court," Carter said in an statement emailed to the Chronicle.

"Over the course of many years, Kingwood's dedicated and compassionate clinicians have successfully provided care to tens of thousands of patients, enabling them to live happier, healthier and more productive lives," she wrote. "Our most sacred responsibility is and always will be the wellbeing of our patients. We are committed to our mission of providing high quality treatment programs and services to patients with serious and complex mental health needs who often come to Kingwood during some of the most difficult periods of their lives."

She said Kingwood cooperated fully with state and federal regulators and independent accreditors to comply with all requirements. UHS did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The lawsuit, filed Jan. 8, argues that hospital administrators acted negligently, "failing to provide a safe and secure environment" for the two patients. It seeks up to $1 million in damages.

"I don't want them operating," said Joe Mathew, the attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the two families. "These are kids."

Scrutiny from regulators

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has cited the facility for nine separate violations of state rules governing patient care since 2011, including a 2016 incident in which three high-risk adolescent patients escaped from the facility. Investigators concluded the hospital did not have enough staff that weekend to adequately monitor the 23 adolescent patients in its care.

In a separate 2015 incident, the hospital was cited for placing two adolescent patients in the same room, even though one had a documented history of perpetrating sexual abuse and the other had previously been a victim of sexual violence. After an evening alone in their room, the boy who had previously been a victim reported to hospital staff that he and the other boy had engaged in sexual activity.

The hospital failed to impose any disciplinary action against a nurse who falsely claimed hospital staff had been monitoring the boys that evening as required, according to the reports.

Three years earlier, in 2012, the hospital was cited for failing to accurately log how often patients were being observed after two adults were found having sex in a patient room.

Information from The Joint Commission, which accredits and certifies health care organizations and programs in the United States, shows performance issues at Kingwood Pines surfaced during hospitalwide inspections in 2011 and 2014. The hospital corrected the deficiencies and has been in compliance ever since, said Elizabeth Zhani, a Joint Commission spokeswoman.

RELATED: Psychiatric hospital loses Medicaid/Medicare contract

The Joint Commission's Office of Quality and Patient Safety assesses reports of public safety and quality. The commission was not aware of the alleged assault on Oct. 26, 2015, Zhani wrote in an email response to the Chronicle.

The lawsuit is the latest allegation of unsafe conditions in recent years at facilities owned by UHS. Congressional leaders first called for an investigation into UHS in 2015, after reports of unsafe facilities in Massachusetts and Illinois.

Federal regulators have repeatedly faulted UHS hospitals for patient safety lapses and other issues, according to government records. The company operates more than two dozen hospitals in Texas, including four in the Houston area.

Officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in September 2015 wrote they had found 50 serious deficiencies in quality of care or safety since 2012 and eight findings of "immediate jeopardy" non-compliance in 44 UHS hospitals certified to accept Medicare, according to a letter sent to U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts.

Thirty-seven of the 44 facilities subsequently took "appropriate, remedial" action to come into "substantial compliance" with federal requirements, the letter noted.

In October, a 13-year-old girl at Timberlawn Hospital in Dallas reported being raped by another patient, the Dallas Morning News reported. A federal CMS "statement of deficiencies" report concluded the hospital "failed to ensure a safe setting" for the patient, had inadequate training for staff and did not follow national standards for nursing supervision.

The report came after the hospital had faced previous scrutiny  and possible closure  over unsafe conditions in 2015.

Timberlawn recently notified the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that it plans to voluntarily shut down.

"James Miller, the CEO of Timberlawn, has informed CMS that it intends to close on Feb. 1 or as soon after that as possible," said Bob Moos, spokesman for the CMS Dallas office. "The facility will be expected to safely relocate patients before that occurs."

State regulators, meanwhile, have investigated 50 complaints related to patient care against Kingwood Pines Hospital from 2010 to last fall, substantiating 12 of them, according to Texas health officials.

At UHS's three other Houston-area psychiatric hospitals, regulators have investigated over 100 complaints, substantiating more than 30, the spokesman said. The agency is barred by state law from providing additional information about complaints and investigations against Texas hospitals.

'A devastating impact'

Clint, the father of the 13-year-old, said his daughter was admitted to Kingwood Pines in northeast Harris County in October. She was briefly discharged then readmitted when she continued expressing suicidal thoughts.

Tina, the mother of a 16-year-old who also reported being assaulted that night, said her daughter arrived at the hospital after escalating drug use.

She was assigned to a room with the 13-year-old on a co-ed floor, she said.

"I'm thinking, 'If you have adolescents, with hormones ... why would they even have a co-ed floor?" she asked.

The girls were assaulted on the night of Oct. 26, 2015, according to the lawsuit. Medical records provided to the Chronicle by Mathew show the 13-year-old was taken to Texas Children's Hospital and given a rape kit.

No criminal charges were filed, according to the parents and their lawyer.

The suit accuses the hospital of medical negligence in failing to: provide a safe environment for minors with sufficient staff and supervision; separate male and female patients; and hire, train and supervise competent and experienced employees and contractors.

The hospital owed the teenagers "a duty of care to provide a safe and secure environment where they were protected from others causing harm or threat of harm to them," the suit said.

In 2010, the mother of a 13-year-old patient who said she'd been assaulted in 2008 by her roommate sued Kingwood Pines, when the hospital was owned by Psychiatric Solutions Inc. UHS bought the chain, including Kingwood Pines, in 2010.

According to the lawsuit, the patient, who was at the hospital to receive a psychiatric evaluation, had been a victim of past sexual assault and abuse.

Her mother warned staff to keep her isolated from other patients, but hospital employees placed her in a room with a patient who later sexually assaulted her, according to the suit.

An expert witness for the patient's family said the hospital had failed to ensure the teen's safety and well-being and that the hospital had failed to properly staff or supervise the facility.

"There is no indication that adequate or competent staffing was provided by Kingwood Pines at the time the sexual molestation occurred," wrote Mark Blotcky, a Dallas psychiatrist in a sworn statement filed among the court documents. "Had there been appropriate and competent staffing, there would have been a staff member observing the halls or in the hall, and these girls would not have been allowed together unsupervised, and they certainly would not have been assigned to the same room. ... Certainly the monitoring provided was inadequate because [she] was allowed to be sexually assaulted by a known sexual predator."

Court filings show Kingwood Pines disputed the claim that the hospital or its employees acted negligently.

"All of Defendants and their agents, representatives and employees['] treatment were appropriate and rendered within the applicable standards of care," the hospital lawyers wrote in court documents.

Kingwood Pines ultimately settled the suit, said Norman Straub, the family's attorney. The terms of the settlement prevent him from divulging more details, he said.

"It had a devastating impact on a young girl's life," Straub said. "She continues to suffer from issues related to that incident."

Psychiatric experts said a sexual assault at a psychiatric hospital  or any sexual contact between patients  raises questions about staff supervision.

"A parent has reasonable expectation a hospital supposedly full of trained staff ... knows what they're doing, and knows what they're watching for, and makes diligent efforts to keep everybody safe," said George Santos, a clinical psychiatrist who has managed psychiatric inpatient hospitals in Harris County. "That's extremely egregious ... It suggests a potential failure of the hospital monitoring systems."

Questions remain

Mathew said the girls' stay at Kingwood Pines affected them and their families long after their stay ended.

"Something like this should never have happened," he said. "Unfortunately, nothing will ever ease the pain and the suffering these young girls and their families have endured."

Clint said his daughter is making progress and seems less withdrawn than she did after her parents pulled her out of the hospital.

Tina said her daughter continued to struggle and later moved to Austin, to her father's house.

"It seemed like she just kept spiraling out of control," she said.

A year after she left Kingwood Pines, the girl died in a late-night car crash in the Austin area. She was a passenger in a vehicle driven by a man police charged with intoxication manslaughter.

"I feel like I let my daughter down," Tina said, tearfully. "Being at a place where I thought she was going to get help."

Mike Hixenbaugh contributed to this report.

St. John Barned-Smith covers public safety and major breaking news for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send tips to st.john.smith@chron.com.
By Ivan Ssenabulya.

The Government of Norway has donated 2 million US dollars to the new UN Resident Coordinators Office in Uganda.

The announcement was made by the Ambassador of Norway to Uganda, Her Excellency Susan Eckey in Kampala.

Ambassador Susan Eckey says this is to strengthen ties between her country and the UN, who are doing commendable work in Uganda.

The donation to the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Uganda, Rosa Malango is aimed at supporting policy developments, joint programming processes and humanitarian work among other projects.
View our special online presentation at HoustonChronicle.com/AliveInside to read the series in full, explore more photos and videos and watch how other patients with severe brain injuries are coping.

***

Danielle McNicoll wheeled her fiance into his hospital room after physical therapy, then turned his power chair to face a mirror and ran her fingers through his hair. He never would have let it get this long, she thought.

"Are you ready for a trim, Nick?" Danielle said as she pulled out a set of electric clippers.

Nick Tullier stared back at his reflection, expressionless.

He still looked like the man she'd met four years earlier, when he was a regular at her salon in Baton Rouge, La. Nick, a sheriff's deputy, would show up after his shift every other Friday, still in his uniform, and ask for Danielle by name. She started dressing up on days she knew he'd be there.

They flirted, dated, then fell in love. "I feel like there's a big magnet between us," she'd told him early on, "just drawing us together."

Then, last summer, she thought she'd lost him. He and five others were gunned down by a former Marine and black separatist who had come from Missouri to Louisiana to kill cops. Nick was one of three who survived, but just barely. The doctors who saved his life told his family he would never regain consciousness. One suggested removing his feeding tube, to help speed the inevitable.

Now, nearly a year later, Danielle flicked on the clippers and moved them gently across Nick's scalp, taking extra care as she trimmed the left side of his head, where a bullet had exploded through his skull.

"Nick is very particular about his hair," she said a minute later, snipping a quarter-inch off the top with scissors.

She talks about him like that, in the present tense, but it's impossible to know how Nick's former thoughts and desires square with the man he is today. The Nick who survived.

When he arrived at this Houston rehabilitation hospital a few months after the shooting, a neuropsychologist quickly determined he wasn't in a coma or a vegetative state, as previously thought, but was drifting in the netherworld between consciousness and brain death. He knew who he was and where he was but could do little to show it.

GRAY MATTERS: Why I spent a year reporting on severe brain injuries

The revelation amazed Danielle and Nick's parents, even if they weren't sure what it meant. Doctors here, at TIRR Memorial Hermann, are among the best in the country at treating patients with so-called disorders of consciousness. But even they couldn't say how much Nick, 41, would recover.

Consciousness and controversy Medical advances in the 1950s and '60s gave rise to the debate over when to withdraw life-sustaining care. Despite breakthroughs in scientific knowledge over the past 20 years, medical care and end-of-life decisions are still shaped, in large part, by a primitive understanding of brain injuries and consciousness. 1972 Bryan Jennett, a British neurosurgeon, and Fred Plum, an American neurologist, coin the term "persistent vegetative state" in a landmark paper published in Lancet, describing such patients as "incapable of communication and without hope of recovery as social human beings." 1976 In a landmark case, the New Jersey Supreme Court orders a hospital to honor the request of Karen Ann Quinlan's parents to remove her ventilator. Doctors had determined the woman was in a vegetative state. The court rules that keeping her alive would be "cruel and unusual." 1990 In the first right-to-die case to reach the U.S. Supreme Court, justices rule 5-4 that the parents of Nancy Cruzan of Missouri needed to present "clear and convincing evidence," such as a living will, that their daughter wouldn't want to live in a vegetative state before they could direct the hospital to remove her feeding tube. The case established that the right to die was not guaranteed by the Constitution, and it set out guidelines for what was required for a third party to refuse treatment on behalf of a loved one. 1994 Research finds that, of those in a vegetative state one month after a traumatic brain injury, more than 50 percent regain consciousness after one year. The finding prompts the American Neurological Association to issue guidelines eliminating the use of the term "permanent" in assessing patients believed to be unconscious following brain injury. 2001 In one of the first legal cases involving an end-of-life decision for a "minimally conscious" patient - a year before that term was officially established - the California Supreme Court rules that the wife of Robert Wendland does not have the authority to remove his feeding tube. Though the court holds that a family member can withhold artificial nutrition and hydration from a patient in a vegetative state, the justices view that as quite different from when a patient is conscious but incompetent because such a patient might perceive the effects of starvation and dehydration. 2002 A task force of leading neurologists and rehab physicians releases a report defining, for the first time, the state of heightened awareness that many vegetative patients seem to emerge into, dubbing it "the minimally conscious state." 2005 A federal court orders a hospital to remove Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, ending a decadelong legal battle and one of the nation's most famous end-of-life controversies involving a vegetative patient. The case swung public sentiment in support of "death with dignity" and led to a surge in the number of people signing living wills to direct physicians and loved ones when to withdraw medical care after an accident. 2009 A study of patients in nursing homes finds that 41 percent of those with vegetative state diagnoses are, in fact, minimally conscious, confirming previous reports of high misdiagnosis rates and raising concerns that thousands of conscious patients had been denied an opportunity for rehabiltation. See More Collapse

Would he ever talk again? Or walk?

He was fortunate to have made it this far. Thousands of people are discharged to nursing homes or acute care hospitals each year, assumed to be unconscious after suffering a severe brain injury. Experts now believe a staggering number of these patients - more than 40 percent, according to some estimates - are covertly aware, in what scientists have dubbed the "minimally conscious state."

They are trapped inside themselves, mislabeled by physicians untrained in identifying subtle signs of consciousness and cut off from therapy by insurance companies unwilling to cover people seemingly damaged beyond repair. Some never even make it out of the intensive care unit, where doctors and nurses too often prod families to withdraw life support, apparently unaware of the brain's ability to heal and rewire itself over the course of months and even years.

Dr. Joseph Fins, a medical ethicist who has spent decades working with severely brain-injured patients, calls their treatment "the civil rights issue you never heard of." No one knows for sure how many people are mislabeled as vegetative, and therefore cut off from rehab, because no effort has ever been made in the U.S. to identify or count minimally conscious patients. One study pegs their number at as many as 280,000.

"Try to imagine it," said Fins, a professor at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. "Lying in bed, aware of your surroundings but unable to communicate, and nobody is talking to you. Nobody is working with you. It's a horror story."

With the right treatment, Danielle believes Nick will keep improving, little by little. That someday, she'll hear his voice again and his playful laugh. She already feels like her best friend has returned to her, even if he can't say so. Even if she's doing all the talking, carrying on a perpetually one-sided conversation, determined to maintain their magnetic bond.

"He's in there," she says when people ask, refusing to acknowledge even the possibility of the alternative.

Danielle set the scissors aside and brushed clippings off his neck. She rubbed gel in her hands and slicked his hair into a spike - the way he likes it. As she backed away, Nick's gaze suddenly locked on himself in the mirror, and for a moment, his mouth formed into a smirk.

It was subtle, not the wide grin he'd flashed the day they met, but for now, it was enough.

"See," Danielle said, wrapping her arms around Nick's broad shoulders, "we're still cute together."

By then, though, his smile had faded.

***



Ten months earlier. July 17, 2016.

Nick had told Danielle he didn't want to go to work that morning. It was a Sunday, when they normally slept in and ate breakfast together. He was exhausted after days of responding to protests, part of the unrest that swept the country after a string of high-profile shootings of black men by police.

Danielle gave him a kiss as he headed out the door and told him to be safe, though, for once, she wasn't worried. He was supposed to be patroling a sleepy section of town. A couple of hours later, she texted him: "I'm bored. Is it time for you to come home yet?"

By then, Nick was speeding toward a distress call: "Shots fired, officer down! Shots fired, officer down!"

He pulled into a parking lot near the scene of the violence and stepped out to inspect an empty Chevy Malibu. Then gunfire exploded from nearby woods.

The first bullet ripped through his stomach, shredding his intestines. As Nick toppled into his car, two more bullets hit him, one in the left shoulder, the other through his head, rattling his skull and filling his brain stem with shrapnel.

Another officer drove up as bullets whizzed by. He grabbed Nick, tossed him into his cruiser, then sped toward paramedics. Blood poured from Nick's body as an ambulance raced him to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.

On an operating table, his heart gave out. Doctors managed to revive him all four times he went into cardiac arrest, but in those critical minutes, his brain was starved of blood and oxygen, setting off a microscopic cascade.

At first, panicked cells in his brain would have released glucose reserves, providing energy to keep fragile neurons alive. After about a minute, those reserves would have been depleted, and brain cells responsible for regulating chemistry would begin to fail. When that happens, chemicals that normally facilitate brain function - potassium, sodium and calcium - are unleashed in toxic proportions.

As medics pressed on Nick's chest that day, nerve fibers that carry electrical currents between regions of his brain - the pathways of consciousness - were collapsing in rapid succession.

By the time doctors stabilized his body, they believed, based on experience and training, that they had not done it fast enough to save his mind.

***

Danielle waited in a private room with Nick's parents. At first, they knew only two things: Nick was alive, and at least a few other officers were not. The screams of their loved ones had echoed through the hospital.

Finally, after several hours, they were led into a recovery room. Nick's head was wrapped in bandages, and his face was swollen. A ventilator pumped air in and out of his lungs. His eyes were closed.

The surgeons explained how they had stopped the bleeding from his abdomen and worked to ease the swelling in his brain. Despite their efforts, the doctors weren't confident Nick would survive the night. "I'm sorry," one of them said, before leaving them to cry and pray.

Nick was still alive the next morning, but that same doctor warned he probably wouldn't live much longer.

After a week, when Nick had started breathing on his own, a neurosurgeon sat the family down and showed them scans of his damaged brain. Only a small number of people recover after a traumatic brain injury, such as a gunshot to the head, he told them. Even fewer get better after their brain has been starved of oxygen for more than a few minutes, what doctors call an anoxic brain injury, because that type of injury causes more widespread damage, affecting virtually every brain cell.

It was highly unlikely, the doctor said, Nick could overcome both.

Danielle and Nick's family spent hours talking to him in the weeks that followed, checking his pupils, squeezing his hand, praying they would feel him squeeze back. Once, Nick seemed to move his arm. That's just posturing, the doctors said. Later, Nick's toes curled. A reflex of a damaged nervous system, they explained.

Danielle would sit at his bedside, quietly singing love songs, hoping for a flicker:

"So I'm gonna love you

Like I'm gonna lose you

I'm gonna hold you

Like I'm saying goodbye."

One afternoon, Nick appeared to wiggle his toes in response to her voice. She asked him to do it again: "Nick, move your toes. If you can hear me, move your toes."

He eventually did as she asked, or seemed to, at least. The doctors still weren't convinced. Nick's father, James, recalled that one, in particular, was especially pessimistic.

I know your family needs to get together to discuss  the doctor had said, after suggesting a life bound to a hospital bed and a feeding tube might not be one worth living.

James cut him off.

"Let me tell you something," he said, raising his voice. "We don't unplug."

Danielle held Nick's hand and shuddered: Had he heard that exchange?

***

A half century ago, there wouldn't have been a plug to pull.

Dramatic improvements in intensive care in the 1960s led to a new class of patients: those whose bodies had been saved - kept alive with breathing machines and feeding tubes - but whose brains were believed damaged beyond repair.

Doctors discovered that an injured brain generally would shake off a coma - a totally unresponsive, eyes-closed state - within a month. Most patients then graduated into a state of "wakeful unresponsiveness" that neurologist Fred Plum, in 1972, named the "persistent vegetative state." Those patients, Plum wrote, appear to be awake but are unaware of their surroundings.

The new classification forced people to begin contemplating questions without easy answers: What is a life worth living? And who gets to decide?

Three years later, a 21-year-old New Jersey woman downed too many gin and tonics - and maybe some Valium - at a friend's birthday party. She passed out at her apartment, and by the time paramedics revived her, her brain had been starved of oxygen for at least 15 minutes.

After weeks of watching her stare blankly from a hospital bed, Karen Ann Quinlan's parents made a gut-wrenching decision, one now repeated hundreds of times each day across the country: They asked to have her ventilator removed.

Hospital officials balked at the request, fearing repercussions from a county prosecutor who had threatened to bring homicide charges if they complied. The legal battle that followed went all the way to the New Jersey Supreme Court, which, in 1976, sided with the family. In its opinion, the court wrote that the state had no interest in forcing Quinlan to "endure the unendurable, only to vegetate a few measurable months with no realistic possibility of returning to any semblance of cognitive or sapient life."

The case made national headlines, ushering in the rise of the right-to-die movement in the United States. It also cemented a view that has persisted for four decades: Severely brain-injured patients are, in many cases, better off dead. Consciousness became the legal and moral dividing line.

That outlook led physicians to rethink their longstanding philosophy of saving lives at any cost, and helped make palliative and hospice care mainstream in America, two movements that prioritize a patient's comfort over medical intervention. It also caused clinicians and insurers to begin viewing many brain-injured people - patients such as Nick Tullier - as a class beyond hope.

"We assume they are not conscious, when often they are," said Fins, the medical ethics professor. "We assume there's no value in rehabbing them, even as there's growing evidence to the contrary."

Fins has given lectures to medical groups, testified before Congress and penned dozens of essays calling for a radical change in how brain injuries are diagnosed and treated in America. The problems begin in the trauma center, he said, where well-meaning doctors are in a hurry to help families discern hope from hopelessness.

In a recent study of trauma-center outcomes in Washington state, researchers found that a third of patients who'd suffered an anoxic brain injury as a result of cardiac arrest had life-sustaining medical care withdrawn less than 72 hours after arriving at the hospital, long before anyone can accurately predict their likelihood of recovery.

Among those who died after having care prematurely withdrawn, the researchers estimated one in seven might have gone on to recover some level of functional independence. Nationally, the researchers concluded, as many as 2,300 cardiac arrest patients could be saved each year by waiting at least three days before removing life support. Thousands more could be saved by applying the same rule after someone suffers a stroke, or a traumatic brain injury.

"Without a doubt," Fins said, "we are letting people die in the hospital who might otherwise recover."

Among those who survive severe brain injuries, the majority are deemed vegetative and steered toward hospice, rather than rehab, said L. Syd Johnson, a neuroethicist at Michigan Technological University. The failure to correctly assess and diagnose such patients, she said, has led to "an acceptance that their right to die is their only remaining right."

If consciousness defines who is and who isn't a person, Johnson said, "then we have to acknowledge that we are wrong 40 percent of the time."

Back in 1976, the hospital in New Jersey complied with the court's order to turn off Quinlan's breathing machine. But she didn't die as the court had expected. Instead, she began breathing on her own. Her parents, devout Catholics, couldn't bring themselves to remove her feeding tube after that.

They, like many who've followed, drew a distinction between withholding medical care and withholding food or water. Quinlan lived another decade, mostly tethered to a bed, before dying of pneumonia.

What might have been happening inside her brain all those years?

Scientists are only now beginning to understand.

***

Five weeks after the shooting.

Nick wasn't showing meaningful signs of progress, at least not according to doctors in Baton Rouge. His family knew they needed to get him to a hospital more specialized in treating chronic brain injuries, but like most people in their situation, they had no idea where to turn.

On Aug. 23, 2016, President Barack Obama stopped in Baton Rouge to get a look at the city following historic floods there. James Tullier managed to arrange a meeting. His son's story had become national news.

At the airport, James handed the president a note listing his family's concerns and needs. Obama skimmed it, then called over his shoulder for his personal physician, Dr. Ronnie Jackson, a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy. Jackson, Obama told James, would make sure Nick got the care he needed.

By then, Danielle and Nick's parents were convinced a miracle was unfolding. Nick had been moving his feet and toes more consistently. He'd squeezed their hands once or twice. He'd even blinked his right eye one time when they asked.

A couple of weeks later, the Tulliers had a decision to make. Jackson had recommended rehab facilities that specialize in treating patients like Nick. One was in Chicago, another in Houston.

They read everything they could about both hospitals and arranged calls with liaisons at each. They consulted again with Jackson, as well as Vice President Joe Biden's personal doctor, before settling on TIRR Memorial Hermann, and a soft-spoken rehab physician named Dr. Sunil Kothari.

As they were finalizing arrangements to transfer Nick, James and his wife, Mary, pulled Danielle aside. For months, she'd barely left their son's bedside. But she was only 23 years old. Not yet his wife.

"Danielle, Nick's got a long road ahead of him," James told her. "There ain't nobody gonna be mad at you if you decide to stay in Baton Rouge."

A few days later, Nick was strapped into a small jet bound for Houston.

Danielle wasn't far behind. She drove west along Interstate 10 toward Texas, unaware of the struggle ahead.

___

ALIVE INSIDE:

After deputy Nick Tullier was shot in the head, one doctor suggested removing life support. But he wasn't in a vegetative state, as physicians believed. Like thousands with similar injuries, Tullier was conscious, just unable to show it. Read how a Houston hospital restores patients with severe brain injuries here.

Part 1: How a Houston hospital restores patients with severe brain injuries

Part 2: Consciousness reborn: Doctors often miss the signs

Part 3: Rehab. Tests. Will. Endurance. Doctors realize 'the brain is not hardwired'

Part 4: Can patients find new meaning in life?

VIDEO STORIES:

At TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston, people once thought as good as get find a shot at recovery. Read how patients with severe brain injuries share a common struggle here.

ALIVE INSIDE:

Have you or a loved one suffered a severe brain injury? Tell us your story.

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___

Mike Hixenbaugh writes about health care and medicine for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send him tips at mike.hixenbaugh@chron.com.




This article was produced in collaboration with ProPublica.

Help us investigate Are you an employee, patient or a family member of a patient at the Texas Medical Center? We'd like to hear from you about your experience. Please fill out this confidential questionnaire.

A hidden legacy Over decades, Bud Frazier has played a leading role in the development of mechanical heart pumps and an artificial heart. Out of public view, he's been accused of putting his quest to make medical history ahead of the needs of some patients. Click here to read the story.

A medical mishap The call from St. Luke's came on the first day of 2018. Lee Lewis was finally getting a new heart. Three months and more than a dozen surgeries later, Lewis was dead. His widow documented his slow decline on Facebook. Click here to read the story.

Trouble at St. Luke's The hospital and its legendary surgeon Denton Cooley performed some of the world's first heart transplants back in the 1960s. In recent years, though, it has had some of the worst heart transplant outcomes in the country. Click here to read the story .

This story is the result of a collaboration between the Chronicle and ProPublica , an independent nonprofit newsroom based in New York. Mike Hixenbaugh is an investigative reporter for the Chronicle. Charles Ornstein is a senior editor at ProPublica.

In early 2014, when Travis Hogan's malformed heart was failing, his longtime doctors at Texas Children's Hospital referred him to Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, long recognized as one of the best in the country for complicated heart transplants.

Hogan, then 29 and living at his family's home in Pasadena, Texas, didn't know it, but the iconic program was undergoing a series of dramatic changes.

Two years earlier, the transplant program slipped into turmoil when several top physicians left for a competitor. In the years that followed, patients at St. Luke's waited significantly longer than the regional or national average for new hearts.

HEART FAILURE: At St. Luke's in Houston, patients suffer as a renowned heart transplant program loses its luster

In 2015, as Hogan's health declined after more than a year on the list, he was dealt two additional blows. First, hospital staff took him off the active transplant waiting list in November 2015, citing his worsening liver as cause for concern, which his mother, Georgeann Hogan, said she did not know until told by a reporter.

Then, around that same time, hospital staff explained that Dr. O.H. "Bud" Frazier, the 75-year-old surgeon who initially agreed to treat her son, was no longer operating. Frazier had been planning to implant a ventricular assist device to aid Hogan's failing heart and allow his liver to recover until he could receive a transplant, Georgeann Hogan said.

She said nobody told her family why Frazier had stopped operating; Frazier told reporters in an interview in April that he was getting old and was ready to stop.

The change stunned Hogan's family.

They did not realize that earlier in the year, several patients died shortly after receiving transplants at St. Luke's, leading the hospital to scrutinize the heart program and adopt a more conservative approach.

It also hired a new lead surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Morgan, who arrived in early 2016. Hospital staff told the Hogans that Morgan would pick up where Frazier left off with his plans for a ventricular assist device, Georgeann Hogan said.

FULL STORY: How did a renowned heart transplant program fall to near the bottom of national patient-death statistics?

But after Travis Hogan was admitted to the hospital in February 2016, St. Luke's Heart Transplant Medical Review Board decided he "would not likely survive a combined heart and liver transplant," the hospital said in a statement. Morgan sent word via Hogan's cardiologist that he would not be operating, Hogan's family said, not even to implant the heart assist device.

"That was devastating," said Hogan's sister, Regina Tran.

In past decades, patients born with a heart defect such as Hogan's came from around the country to be treated at St. Luke's, which was known for its willingness to take the most difficult cases. But in 2016, according to publicly available data, the hospital did not add a single patient with a congenital heart defect to its transplant waiting list; meanwhile, other high-risk patients, such as Hogan, were removed from the list.

Dr. Andrew Civitello, the transplant program's top cardiologist, remembered a handful of difficult conversations with critically ill patients that year, though he did not refer specifically to Hogan: " 'We wanted and still want to transplant you,' " he said, recalling how the conversations played out, "'but given the current environment, we unfortunately can't take the risks.'"

Hogan's family scrambled to find an alternative. Another St. Luke's physician urged the family to transfer to nearby Houston Methodist hospital, his mother said.

The process took weeks as the family fought to get the insurance company to approve the transfer. At Methodist, doctors implanted a balloon pump to help Hogan's heart pump blood while he awaited a transplant.

One did not come in time. Hogan died a few weeks later, on May 26, 2016, at the age of 31.

HELP US INVESTIGATE: Are you an employee, patient or a family member of a patient at the Texas Medical Center? We'd like to hear from you about your experience

In a written statement, St. Luke's said Hogan spent 486 days on the active heart transplant list before he was made inactive and later removed, and that the median wait time for a heart transplant in its region for a patient with Hogan's blood type was 537 days. "Mr. Hogan's choice to be treated at [St. Luke's] did not adversely influence his likelihood of obtaining a heart transplant," the hospital said.

Tran acknowledges that her brother was very sick. But she sometimes wonders whether he might still be alive if he hadn't spent two years waiting for a heart at St. Luke's.

"We went there because we were told St. Luke's was the place to go for help with the most difficult heart conditions," Tran said. "But when it finally came time for my brother to receive a new heart, they turned us away."

***

Mike Hixenbaugh is an investigative reporter at the Houston Chronicle. Email him at mike.hixenbaugh@chron.com and follow him on Twitter at @Mike_Hixenbaugh.





***
Published on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at 5 a.m.

The anonymous letter reached Judy Kveton in March 2017. Nearly two months earlier, her husband's failed heart transplant at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center had led to a week of follow-up surgeries, a pair of devastating strokes and then, his death. The donor heart that doctors had implanted in David Kveton was "just not acting right," Judy remembers the surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Morgan, telling her hours before she decided to remove her husband from life support.

The letter mailed to her home in nearby Fort Bend County  one page, single-spaced and folded into an envelope with no return address  told a different story.

About the series This story is the result of a collaboration between the Chronicle and ProPublica, an independent nonprofit newsroom based in New York. Mike Hixenbaugh is an investigative reporter for the Chronicle. Charles Ornstein is a senior editor at ProPublica. Trouble at St. Luke's

The hospital and its legendary surgeon Denton Cooley performed some of the world's first heart transplants back in the 1960s. In recent years, though, it has had some of the worst heart transplant outcomes in the country. Click here to read the story. A medical mishap

The call from St. Luke's came on the first day of 2018. Lee Lewis was finally getting a new heart. Three months and more than a dozen surgeries later, Lewis was dead. His widow documented his slow decline on Facebook. Click here to read the story. A hidden legacy

Over decades, Bud Frazier has played a leading role in the development of mechanical heart pumps and an artificial heart. Out of public view, he's been accused of putting his quest to make medical history ahead of the needs of some patients. Click here to read the story. Help us investigate

Are you an employee, patient or a family member of a patient at the Texas Medical Center? We'd like to hear from you about your experience. Please fill out this confidential questionnaire.

It said St. Luke's has had some of the worst heart transplant outcomes in the country. It said other physicians had specifically voiced concerns about Morgan, the program's lead surgeon. And it said, despite "numerous complications, deaths, and poor outcomes," administrators had not done enough to correct the problems.

"I feel that David was not given the opportunity he deserved after struggling with his disease for so long."

Signed, "Concerned."

The note left Judy in tears. Although it didn't specify what went wrong with her husband's transplant, it made her doubt the reasons she and her husband chose St. Luke's more than a decade earlier, when his heart began to fail. The Houston hospital, which is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Heart Institute, has long held itself out as one of the best in the world for heart surgery.

But in recent years, the famed program has performed an outsized number of transplants resulting in deaths or unusual complications, has lost several top physicians and has scaled back its ambition for treating high-risk patients, all the while marketing itself based on its storied past, an investigation by the Houston Chronicle and ProPublica reveals.

About two months after David Kveton's death, his wife Judy Kveton received an anonymous letter stating that there were problems with David's heart transplant. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle)

St. Luke's heart transplant survival rate, the most important measure of a program's quality, now ranks near the bottom nationally, according to the most recently published data. Among St. Luke's patients who received a new heart between the summer of 2014 and the end of 2016, just 85 percent survived at least one year, compared to 91.4 percent nationally.

Put another way, twice as many St. Luke's patients died within a year as would have been expected, taking into account patient characteristics and illnesses.

In January, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cited the heart transplant program for its significantly worse-than-expected outcomes and threatened to cut off Medicare funds in August if the problems were not fixed, according to a letter obtained by ProPublica and the Chronicle. The program has since submitted a plan of correction and avoided the loss of federal funds.

Many of the program's troubles are spelled out in data published by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to track and analyze transplant outcomes. SRTR reports, released twice a year, serve as a scorecard for transplant programs, capturing and presenting data on patient survival that spans a rolling 30-month period.

The hospital says it made changes when outcomes began to decline. After a string of transplant patient deaths in 2015, the program hired Morgan as its surgical director and became more conservative, removing some higher-risk patients from its waiting list. It is also more selective than its peers in its acceptance of donor hearts. Since then, program leaders said, the survival rate has improved.

But the program has struggled in other ways.

In one of Morgan's first transplant surgeries at St. Luke's, in early 2016, he sewed shut one of two major veins that carry blood back to the heart, and the patient died a few weeks later, according to six medical professionals familiar with the case.

In another patient's transplant a year later, Morgan stitched through the other major vein, according to the patient's cardiologist, though Morgan said the man's previous cancer treatments complicated the case. After the initial surgery, the blocked vein caused blood to pool in the patient's head, leading to an emergency repair, weeks of follow-up operations, a three-month hospital stay and ongoing health struggles, including kidney failure.

Then, in January of this year, a heart defibrillator malfunctioned in the operating room during a critical stage of a patient's transplant. Although the hospital said "a backup defibrillator was nearby and readily available," the surgeon in that case, Dr. Masahiro Ono, described it differently. He said in an interview that the backup was not easily accessible, forcing him to pump the man's new heart by hand for nearly 10 minutes.

"I cannot control that part as the surgeon," Ono said of the device failure, which he said led to an internal investigation. "I tried my best to preserve the function of the heart, but it couldn't make it."

The 52-year-old patient died in March after undergoing more than a dozen operations and suffering numerous complications, including strokes, serious infections and organ failure.

Meanwhile, more St. Luke's patients have lingered in the hospital for weeks or months following their transplants, a sign of slow recovery or possible complications, experts say. Between mid-2016 and mid-2017, half of the program's heart recipients stayed in the hospital for 27 days or longer after transplant, compared to 16 days nationally. That ranked third longest of 125 programs in the country.

HEART FAILURE: As wait for new heart got longer, patient grew sicker

As the problems at St. Luke's deepened, some doctors at the hospital raised concerns with administrators but said they were ignored. Some even began referring transplant patients to other programs.

Several top doctors have left in recent years, and later in May, Ono plans to leave for a leadership post at a smaller program in San Antonio. The losses have further diminished care, longtime staffers say.

Despite these problems, the hospital continued to market itself as a standout, boasting above-average survival rates and high transplant volume.

A few months after David Kveton's death, the hospital posted a video online of Morgan touting the center's excellence: "I truly believe that patients here get first-rate care that's unmatched by any other institution locally, regionally, nationally or internationally," he said, before asserting that the program had performed the most heart transplants in the country, which is not true, and that it had above-average outcomes. The hospital's website also featured charts that provided a misleading picture of the program's recent performance.

The video and charts were removed a day after reporters questioned hospital administrators about them in January.

In an interview that month and in response to subsequent written questions, transplant program leaders acknowledged the poor outcomes but said the spike in patient deaths was confined to 2015, during a time of transition.

Transplant program leaders provided data showing that the one-year survival rate for patients who underwent transplants since Morgan's arrival in 2016 was about 94 percent, though the numbers do not capture the plight of patients who survived after having serious complications.

"We only have had one year with below-expected outcomes in the recent past, 2015, and that's been corrected," Morgan said.

Hospital officials said if St. Luke's has lagged behind its peers in measures of quality  including survival rates  it is primarily because the program treats older, sicker patients compared to many other programs. They also said more of their patients lack insurance coverage or the means to pay for rehabilitation, leading to longer hospital stays, though publicly available data shows that their patients have similar coverage compared to other hospitals.

"Heart transplant patients often are very sick individuals who have undergone years of prior heart procedures, and sometimes even previous transplants or device implants to keep their heart beating, and often battle other illnesses and diseases  all of which can complicate a heart transplant," the hospital said in a statement.

Officials said the same was true of each of the patients who suffered poor outcomes and whose families spoke to reporters for this story.

Other programs have found ways to post better results while performing transplants for critically ill patients.

Houston Methodist hospital, a short walk from St. Luke's at the Texas Medical Center, performs transplants on heart failure patients who, overall, are older and in more dire condition than patients at St. Luke's, according to SRTR data. Yet Methodist patients who received transplants from mid-2014 to the end of 2016 were significantly more likely to survive a year afterward.

"St. Luke's and Texas Heart Institute really paved the way for complex heart surgery, particularly heart transplants, to become a routine lifesaving procedure," said Dr. Tom MacGillivray, who took over as the lead heart transplant surgeon at Houston Methodist in 2016 after nearly two decades at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital.

"To see them having trouble, that should be a concern for all of us."

Fabled past, poor results

Judy Kveton (pronounced KWEET-on) remembers feeling awestruck by the history of St. Luke's each time she entered the conjoined buildings it shares with the Texas Heart Institute. A museumnear the entrance is filled with medical artifacts from past achievements.

It was here that famed surgeon Denton Cooley performed some of the world's first heart transplants back in the 1960s, and where his protege, Dr. O.H. "Bud" Frazier, has pursued a lifelong quest to develop a complete mechanical replacement for the human heart.

Decades later, the hospital has continued to promote itself based on those triumphs.

That's why, when David Kveton, a construction worker from Pleak in Fort Bend County, had an opportunity to transfer to another hospital in 2012, he and his wife decided to stick with St. Luke's. His cardiologist, Dr. Biswajit Kar, was part of a team of physicians  including two other cardiologists and a surgeon  hired away from St. Luke's that year to start a heart transplant unit down the street at Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute.

"He tried to get us to come with him," Judy said. "But we thought, 'This is the best heart hospital in the world. Why risk transferring to someplace just getting started?' "

Many St. Luke's patients made the opposite choice. In 2013, the year after the doctors left, St. Luke's transplant cases dropped by more than half, to 25, as dozens of heart failure patients shifted to the new program.

Judy said she observed declines in her husband's care at St. Luke's in the years that followed, a period that coincided with other major changes at the hospital. A year after the team left for Memorial Hermann, St. Luke's longtime owner, the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, sold the hospital to Catholic Health Initiatives, a Colorado-based nonprofit hospital chain.

In 2014, CHI entered into an ambitious agreement with Baylor College of Medicine to build a new medical campus, including a $916.8 million, 650-bed hospital to replace its aging facility in the Texas Medical Center.

CHI's rapid expansion was too much, too fast, and the chain amassed deep debt, according to the nation's two largest credit-rating services. Last year, they downgraded CHI's debt, with one specifically citing the organization's "weak (financial) performance" in Houston as a cause for concern. A series of layoffs, staffing changes and other cost-cutting decisions since then hurt patient care at the chain's flagship Texas hospital, according to several current and former St. Luke's physicians. More changes could be afoot: CHI is in the midst of merging with another chain to become one of the nation's largest nonprofit hospital operators.

HEART FAILURE: At St. Luke's in Houston: A heart transplant, a medical mishap and a drawn-out death

Gay Nord, the hospital's president, denied that staff cuts affected care in the heart transplant unit, but in 2015, two years after the CHI purchase, the program took a dramatic fall. Among 14 patients who received a heart transplant in the first six months, five died in less than a year, far more than would be expected. The program slowed after that, performing just six transplants in the second half of the year; one recipient died. (Doctors performed another that year as part of a multiorgan transplant, which doesn't count toward outcome figures.)

Muta Melton was among the deaths. She got a call on her 48th birthday, May 31, to let her know St. Luke's was receiving a heart for her. After initial complications, the outlook seemed bright. Melton was moved out of intensive care and even started walking and putting on her own clothes. "She was so excited to come home," said her mother, Sheila Cram. "She looked good."

Melton never left the hospital. She died six weeks after her transplant of a raging infection. "Things went downhill very, very quickly," said Melton's daughter, Roseanna McLaren. "I was not expecting her to pass at all. It happened, I don't know, in maybe 36 hours."

Both McLaren and Cram said they were unaware of the program's recent struggles until they spoke to a reporter. "I thought that was supposed to be the best hospital," Cram said. "That's what I was told. That's what everybody says. But evidently not."

Behind the scenes, the program was reeling. Dr. Hari Mallidi, one of its leading surgeons, left that summer for a position at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, a teaching hospital affiliated with Harvard Medical School.

Mallidi had come to St. Luke's three years earlier, just before the team of doctors left for Memorial Hermann. When he started, he said, outcomes were "trending in the wrong direction," but he instituted "some basic changes, and things got a lot better." A review of SRTR data confirms that the program's one-year survival rate improved during Mallidi's tenure leading up to 2015.

The CHI acquisition in 2013 and the resulting transition, he said, caused "a lot of bumps in the road," which he declined to specify. Mallidi said he concluded, even before the string of patient deaths in 2015, that "leaving was better for my own academic development."

Dr. Hari Mallidi

Around that same time, Frazier, the surgeon who started the transplant program in 1982 and had reportedly performed more transplants than anyone in the world, also stopped operating regularly.

At the start of 2016, a 42-year-old surgeon arrived from Detroit to take over.

An unconventional choice

Morgan was an unconventional pick to lead a heart and lung transplant program as prominent as St. Luke's. Top programs typically seek surgical leaders who have elite skills in the operating room while also conducting groundbreaking research.

But Morgan was relatively early in his career, having been the lead surgeon on just 18 heart transplants in the previous five years at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, according to numbers provided by St. Luke's. The program is smaller and less prestigious and had somewhat worse-than-expected outcomes toward the end of Morgan's time there.

Before leaving, Morgan was assistant director for heart transplants and the primary surgeon for mechanical heart pumps.

The team at St. Luke's saw potential. Dr. Billy Cohn, a longtime heart surgeon at St. Luke's who now runs a medical device innovation lab for Johnson & Johnson at the Texas Medical Center, led the hiring committee that selected Morgan.

They chose him, he said, despite his relative lack of surgical experience, because he was "an academic superstar," having published numerous studies about advanced heart failure and having served as a reviewer and editor for medical journals.

Cohn stopped operating full time by late 2016 but remains on staff at Texas Heart Institute and Baylor, and he is still called upon sometimes to assist with complex surgeries.

"It was a bold move for him to come in and take this job," Cohn said of Morgan. "It was a bold move for us to offer it to him."

Some of Morgan's work in Detroit has been called into question. Since moving to Houston, he has been named in two malpractice lawsuits in Michigan's 3rd Circuit Court.

In one, filed in March 2017, a widow alleged that Morgan made a fatal error during a December 2014 operation to implant a pair of mechanical heart pumps in her husband, leading to an embolism in his brain. The hospital agreed to settle the case for an undisclosed amount of money a month after it was filed. An attorney for the patient's widow declined to comment.

In another, a patient accused Morgan of failing to properly perform his quadruple heart bypass in July 2015. Later, another physician determined the original bypass surgery by Morgan "was performed incorrectly" and needed to be redone, according to the complaint filed this January. Morgan has been dropped as a named party in the lawsuit, although the case centers on his actions and continues against the hospital. The hospital denied the allegations in a March 1 court filing. The patient's lawyer declined to comment, as did the hospital.

"To the best of my knowledge, the medical care that I provided in these cases met or exceeded applicable standards," Morgan wrote in response to written questions.

Cohn acknowledged Morgan has made surgical "errors" since coming to St. Luke's, including in his first weeks on the job, when he stitched through a major vein while implanting a new heart in a patient, blocking the flow of blood. Cohn remembered how physicians tried to figure out what had gone wrong when the patient's condition began to decline after the transplant.

The patient died a few weeks later.

"Was it because he was cavalier, or he didn't care, or he wasn't skilled?" Cohn said. "It was none of those things. He just cut in the wrong place."

Morgan said federal patient-privacy requirements prevented him from discussing the case without the family's approval.

Cohn and three other medical professionals also confirmed that Morgan stopped performing lung transplants not long after his arrival after some of his initial patients experienced complications. Dr. Steve Singh, another cardiac surgeon who has since left, and then Ono took over until a new lung transplant surgeon was hired a year later.

"Was it hubris for Jeff to say, 'I'm going to do lungs?' " Cohn said. "We put him in that position and said, 'You're the chief, man. Go for it.' We handed him the reins. Was that our error? Yeah, maybe we should have said, 'Dude, you don't have the [experience] to be a lung transplant guy. We're going to shut the program down until we find somebody.' "

Although Baylor's hiring announcement noted Morgan's expertise in treating patients with lung failure, Morgan said in response to written questions that "it is rare for a surgeon to focus on both heart and lung transplants."

Former St. Luke's cardiologist Dr. Roberta Bogaev said she asked administrators to commission an external review toward the end of Morgan's first year at the program, in late 2016, and she began referring some of her most challenging heart failure cases elsewhere.

Dr. Roberta Bogaev

"It becomes very ethically challenging to recommend transplant if you don't have that confidence level in your surgeon," Bogaev said.

Surgical leadership was not her only concern. She said the loss of many experienced nurses and specialists following CHI's acquisition  including in infectious disease, critical care and pathology  likely led to poorer transplant outcomes. And the policies of new hospital leadership restricted physicians' ability to pursue innovative research, she said.

Bogaev left the hospital in early 2017 after taking a job in Virginia, primarily to be closer to family.

"I can tell you I have patients who would not be alive today if not for the program at Texas Heart Institute, and I'm a better physician because of the time I spent there," Bogaev said. "But there was a clear change in direction of the whole program and the spirit of the program. And certainly the staff felt it, the patients felt it, and I am confident it caused a lot of the physicians as well as patients" to leave.

Dr. Deborah Meyers, the medical director of the heart failure program at St. Luke's until early 2017, also raised concerns both before and after Morgan arrived.

"I had multiple conversations with multiple medical administrators during my tenure who were unwilling to get an external review to address the problems and unwilling to make substantial changes," she said. Meyers, who now practices cardiology in Salinas, California, said she also referred some of her patients in 2016 to other hospitals because of her concerns.

"I told a couple of the patients [whom] I just loved that, 'I want you to go to other institutions. I don't feel good about our program.' That's true. And that's a terrible thing."

She likened those conversations to "a mother saying somebody else is going to take better care of you than I can. It's a heartbreaking situation."

Dr. Todd Rosengart, the chair of surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, played a leading role in hiring Morgan and said he considers him among "a number of luminaries" of surgery he has recruited to Houston in recent years. Morgan, like most physicians who practice at St. Luke's, is an employee of Baylor, where he is a professor and chief of cardiothoracic transplantation.

Dr. Todd Rosengart

Dr. Paul Klotman, the medical school's president and chief executive, said in a statement that Morgan "has proven to be a talented transplant surgeon with excellent outcomes."

The hospital also agreed to put reporters in touch with heart transplant patients who were pleased with the care they received, including Karim Rashid, a 52-year-old investment banker. He received a transplant last Thanksgiving after suffering from a rare inflammatory condition that caused heart failure several years earlier.

"I have nothing but excellent things to say," said Rashid, who credits Morgan and his other St. Luke's physicians with saving his life.

Morgan said referrals to his program were up significantly in 2017 from a year earlier and are up again this year.

Despite the early problems, Cohn said he does not regret recruiting Morgan. He said Morgan's "surgical skills have come a long way" over the past two years, and he believes hiring him will work out in the long run, even if he never becomes one of the best in his field.

"Is it possible that someday Jeff is one of the most distinguished and experienced heart surgeons in the country?" Cohn said. "I don't think so. I don't think he's that guy. ... Mainly because he is so focused on academia, and that takes a lot of time.

"Is it possible that he will be highly respected and run a big program and do a great job? I expect so."

Judy Kveton knew nothing about Morgan's background or the concerns raised by his colleagues when Morgan walked into a waiting room in the early-morning hours of Jan. 26, 2017, following her husband's transplant.

"The surgery went well," she remembers Morgan saying. "Everything is fine."

Morgan recalls that conversation differently than Judy and three other family members who were in the room. "After the surgery, I thoroughly explained to Mrs. Kveton that her husband was critically ill and was on a lot of medication to keep his blood pressure up," he wrote in response to questions.

A day later, David Kveton was taken back into surgery. Doctors connected him to a life-support machine that circulates oxygenated blood through the body, doing the work of both the heart and lungs, in an attempt to give the new heart time to strengthen.

It was the first of several follow-up procedures that week.

"Nobody really told us anything," Judy said. "But at some point, after a few days of this, we realized something wasn't right."

The downward spiral is detailed in David's medical records: On Jan. 28, doctors inserted a balloon pump into the donor heart, an attempt to increase its pumping strength, but improvement was marginal. Three days later, a CT scan revealed he had likely suffered a stroke, though family members say they were not told of bleeding in his brain.

Six days after the transplant, Morgan surgically removed David from the bypass machine, hoping the heart had grown strong enough. Soon after, he developed an irregular heart rhythm and had to be taken back to an operating room, where Morgan reconnected him.

Afterward, Morgan called Judy, who had gone home for the night to rest: "Everything went fine," she remembers him saying. "But we're going to have to take out this heart, and we're going to have to put in an artificial heart until we get him another transplant."

She was stunned. After all her husband had been through, would they really start over?

It was the last time she spoke to the surgeon. Early the next morning, a nurse called to tell her something had gone wrong and that she and her children should make their way to the hospital. Once they arrived, the nurse quietly told Judy her husband had suffered another stroke. Hours later, a neurologist confirmed David might never recover normal brain function. That's when his family decided to withdraw life support.

"Turn him off," Judy remembers saying. "My husband wouldn't have wanted to live like this."

He died on Feb. 2, 2017, at the age of 64.

That afternoon, back at home, Judy said she got a call from Frazier, the world-renowned transplant surgeon who remains active in research at Texas Heart Institute and whose image is prominent throughout St. Luke's online marketing materials. He asked for permission for the hospital to perform an autopsy on her husband:

"Miss Kveton, we haven't lost a patient this soon after a transplant like this since the '80s," she remembers Frazier telling her. "This shouldn't have happened. I would like your permission to go in, I want to take that heart out. I want to find out, did we twist something putting it in? Or was it not screened properly?"

In a written response to questions, Frazier said he recalls calling Judy but not the details of the conversation. He said it's common to perform autopsies when patients die after receiving transplants to "learn as much as possible from our surgeries, no matter the outcome."

Judy gave permission, then never heard back. Instead, she received a bill for more than $1 million for the transplant and her husband's final week in the hospital.

For reasons unknown to her, Medicare was refusing to pay, and now St. Luke's billing department was writing to collect.

A quest for answers

Two days after David Kveton's funeral, Morgan was at the helm of another transplant that went poorly.

Lazerick Eskridge had been on the heart waiting list at St. Luke's since 2015, a little more than two years, when he and his wife, Lisa, received word the hospital had a heart for him on the night of Feb. 8, 2017.

Lazerick, a Navy veteran, also had been given an opportunity to transfer to Memorial Hermann years earlier when his cardiologist, Kar, left to start the transplant program there. Like the Kvetons, the Eskridges couldn't imagine leaving a hospital as renowned as St. Luke's.

Finally, it seemed, their patience was about to pay off.

The morning of the surgery, they were greeted by Ono, the surgeon who soon plans to leave St. Luke's. He told them he would be performing the transplant. But later that night, after hours of surgery, it was Morgan  a doctor the Eskridges had never met  who emerged from the operating room. Ono, Lisa was told later, had been tapped for a lung transplant.

Morgan told her "everything was fine," Lisa said. "I was so relieved and so thankful."

Less than an hour later, a nurse arrived in the waiting room with a much different message: Something was wrong; her husband was back in surgery and in critical condition.

LISTEN: The Houston Chronicle's Mike Hixenbaugh and ProPublica's Charles Ornstein discuss their investigation on Houston Matters.

Although Morgan said he thoroughly explained the situation to the family, Lisa said she doesn't remember anyone telling her specifically what had gone wrong that night. All she knew was that her husband's new heart wasn't pumping enough blood, and something had caused his head to swell grotesquely. Later, when she visited him in the intensive care unit, she said his eyes were bulging from his face.

"It didn't even look like him," Lisa said.

Over the next several days, Lazerick underwent a series of follow-up surgeries and procedures to remove excess fluid. Like David Kveton, he was put on the heart-lung bypass machine for several days while doctors worked  doing what, Lisa was not sure.

Finally, after a week, Lazerick emerged with a marginally functioning heart  but also suffering from kidney failure, multiple infections and an injured right diaphragm that now prevents his lung from inflating completely. He remained in the hospital for three months and lost more than 70 pounds.

The year since then has been a struggle, he said.

Lazerick, now 47, had long suffered from congestive heart failure  a side effect of chemotherapy treatments two decades ago  but his kidneys and lungs had always been fairly strong. Since his heart transplant, he has been in and out of the hospital with breathing difficulties, including in December, when he spent weeks connected to a ventilator. When he's not in the hospital, his days are consumed with medical appointments.

He must undergo dialysis three times a week, a treatment that flushes toxins from his body  doing the work of his failed kidneys. The exhausting cycle leaves him bedridden half the week; the other days are spent at physical therapy sessions.

The Eskridges were surprised to learn from a reporter that the federal government had cited St. Luke's for poor heart transplant outcomes. That prompted them last month, more than a year after the transplant, to ask Lazerick's cardiologist, Dr. Joggy George, if he could tell them more about what had gone wrong.

A Chronicle reporter sat in on the appointment at George's office in St. Luke's medical tower, a short walk from the hospital. What the doctor said left Lisa in tears.

George, a private practice transplant cardiologist, had stopped by the operating room to check on Lazerick shortly after his transplant. The medical team, he said, was preparing to move him back onto the operating table and reopen his chest.

George said he was later told by others in the room that a major vein connected to the heart must have been stitched through during the transplant, effectively pinching the vessel shut and causing blood to back up in Lazerick's head.

George explained that many of Lazerick's problems since then  his kidney failure, his breathing struggles, his inability to keep food down  may trace back to the blocked vein and the string of emergency operations and complications that followed.

"I realize this is very difficult for you to talk about and think about," George told the Eskridges, before handing Lisa a box of tissues. "This was probably the darkest hour of your lives."

After it became clear that blood wasn't flowing into Lazerick's new heart, Morgan performed an emergency procedure, connecting a smaller vein directly to the donor organ and permanently bypassing his superior vena cava. Because the bypass vein is smaller, George said Lazerick is at a higher risk of developing clots and must take blood thinners daily.

"I personally have not seen that happen before," George said, explaining that it's unusual for a major vein to be sutured closed during a transplant.

Medical records that the hospital released to the family, more than 6,800 pages in total, corroborate much of what George said, though nowhere do they explain how the vein became blocked.

HELP US INVESTIGATE: Are you an employee, patient or a family member of a patient at the Texas Medical Center? We'd like to hear from you about your experience

"It's kind of a shock," Lazerick said, "to learn something like this could happen to you and nobody tells you about it."

In a statement, Morgan said the vein tissue was "severely abnormal" because of Lazerick's past cancer treatments and also was distorted by wires attached to the cardiac devices in his chest. Morgan said he used sutures to reinforce the vein's connection to the heart, but due to "concern for narrowing," he performed the bypass, which continues to work.

In defending its continued promotion of the heart transplant program as a national leader, St. Luke's officials provided data showing that patient survival rates rebounded after Morgan's arrival.

In February, Lazerick marked the first anniversary of his transplant. Statistically, that made him one of the success stories.

'Mad as hell'

For Judy Kveton, the past year has been a frustrating search for answers.

She has spent hours sifting through stacks of her husband's medical records, more than 2,000 pages, searching for passages that might tell her why he died. It's hard to make sense of any of it, she said, but there are clues.

On the night of the initial surgery, an anesthesiologist, Dr. Manu Sethi, wrote a report noting that he observed complications after the transplant: "Multiple attempts to come off pump," Sethi wrote, then indicated David Kveton was receiving drugs to strengthen heart contractions and increase his blood pressure.

Two days later, a cardiologist, Dr. Ajith Nair, wrote a note in David's electronic medical record that included a hypothesis about what was causing the transplant to fail: "Suspect primary graft dysfunction, possibly due to ischemic time," Nair wrote, suggesting there may have been too much time between when the transplanted heart was removed from the donor and when it was implanted in David.

Nobody at St. Luke's ever expressed that concern to Judy, she said, and the medical records released to her didn't include any other information about the donor heart. She needed the help of a lawyer to get the hospital to release the autopsy Frazier had ordered. When she finally received a copy in October, it only seemed to raise more questions.

The St. Luke's physician who conducted the autopsy reported signs of a heart attack in the donor heart at the tip of the left ventricle. But the report didn't draw any conclusions about what factors may have led to David's death.

Judy wondered: Was there something wrong with the organ before it went into her husband?

In the fall, after talking with a reporter, she asked the United Network for Organ Sharing for details about the donor heart. She wanted to know what condition it was in, how much time passed before it was stitched into her husband's chest, how many, if any, other hospitals had rejected the organ before it reached David. The organ-sharing agency initially gave her guidance on how to request some of that information, then abruptly reversed itself, declining to provide records without a subpoena.

"I feel like the entire system is stacked against me," Judy said in January, throwing her hands up in frustration.

At least she's no longer burdened by the prospect of owing St. Luke's more than $1 million. Medicare eventually, without explanation, agreed to pay a small fraction of that amount, relieving her of any obligation.

Still, when she re-reads the anonymous letter  the one that suggests her husband wasn't given a fair shot  she grows angry that someone at St. Luke's might know what went wrong but won't tell her:

"It just makes me as mad as hell."

***

Houston Chronicle data editor Matt Dempsey and ProPublica data reporters Hannah Fresques and Olga Pierce contributed to this report.

Mike Hixenbaugh is a Chronicle investigative reporter focused on health care. He recently was awarded the Associated Press Media Editors storytelling award, is a four-time Livingston Awards finalist, and in 2018 was named Star Reporter of the Year for the state of Texas. Before joining the Chronicle in 2016, he was a reporter at The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., where his work on the military and veterans affairs was co-published with ProPublica, NBC News and the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley. He graduated from the University of Akron in 2007, before going to work for newspapers in Ohio and North Carolina. Follow him on Twitter at @Mike_Hixenbaugh. Contact him at mike.hixenbaugh@chron.com.

Charles Ornstein is a senior editor at ProPublica, overseeing its Local Reporting Network. From 2008 to 2017, he was a senior reporter covering health care and the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining ProPublica, he was a member of the metro investigative projects team at the Los Angeles Times. In 2004, he was a lead author on a series on Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, a troubled hospital in South Los Angeles. The articles won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. He previously worked at the Dallas Morning News, where he covered health care on the business desk and worked in the Washington bureau. Ornstein is a past president of the Association of Health Care Journalists and an adjunct journalism professor at Columbia University. Follow him on Twitter at @CharlesOrnstein.

Elizabeth Conley is an award-winning photojournalist who moved to Houston from Michigan in September 2016. A professional photojournalist for over 20 years, she still feels she has the best job in the world every time people let her share their stories. Not only was she part of the Chronicle staff covering Super Bowl, Harvey and the World Series, but she also received a three-week fellowship through the International Women's Media Foundation to cover the Great Lakes Region in Africa. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram, or reach out to her by email at elizabeth.conley@chron.com.

Katie Campbell is a video journalist at ProPublica. Campbell is an Emmy Award and Edward R. Murrow award-winning filmmaker and journalist. Campbell began her career as a reporter at newspapers in Minnesota and Florida. She holds a master's degree in narrative journalism from the University of Oregon and worked as a multimedia journalism professor at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. Follow her on Instagram at @k80camp.

Jon Shapley is a staff videographer for the Houston Chronicle, and he's interested in meeting people and telling stories. A native Houstonian, he joined the Chronicle in 2015. He previously worked at the NPR affiliate in Austin, as well as monthly magazines in Austin and San Antonio. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter, or reach him by email at jon.shapley@chron.com.

Interactives by Jordan Rubio/Houston Chronicle

Design and audience engagement by Rachael Gleason/ Houston Chronicle

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WASHINGTON  With hurricane season right around the corner, Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Wednesday he is introducing legislation to expedite a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study on a coastal barrier to mitigate storm damage along the Texas coast.

The measure, the Coastal Texas Protection Act, is directed at advancing the construction of a long-awaited "Ike Dike" or Coastal Spine  proposed after Hurricane Ike in 2008  to better protect the Gulf Coast from storm damage.

"We've been working with local stakeholders as well as state officials to try to encourage this process to move along quickly," Cornyn said. "The Corps of Engineers is an instrumental part of this, and we want them to finish these studies and come up with a plan that the stakeholders and the state can agree upon, and then we will work hard to make sure that coastal protection plan is funded."

The proposed system of flood gates, dikes and sea walls has an estimated price tag of around $11 billion for the six-county coastal region surrounding Galveston and Houston. The project has taken on greater urgency since Hurricane Harvey hit the region with severe flooding last August.

Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, indicated that the measure would be included in a pending water resources bill. The state's junior senator, Republican Ted Cruz, is a cosponsor of the coastal protection bill.

It is at least the second move by Cornyn and other Texas lawmakers to move the project along. In 2016, Cornyn advanced legislation signed by then President Barack Obama to streamline the Army Corps engineering studies.

According to a Cornyn aide, the 2016 bill prevented the Corps from duplicating efforts by requiring them to take into account studies that had already been conducted by the Gulf Coast Community Protection and Recovery District (GCCPRD).

The new bill would direct the Corps to expedite the completion of the Coastal Texas Study. It also provides a necessary exception for the project under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA). Currently, the CBRA restricts the expenditure of federal funds associated with coastal barriers to avoid encouraging development of such barriers.

"My hope is that the Texas Coastal Protection Act will soon be part of the law and help expedite the process," Cornyn said.
This slick politician can work a campaign crowd into a frenzy with tough-talk and populist promises. Hes a champion of farmers and factory workers. In a crowded presidential race, he stands out for his extreme ability to hurl hyperbole. And hes sure his country is being hurt by that screwed-up North American Free Trade Agreement.

No, it isnt Donald Trump.

Were talking about Mexicos dark-haired dark-horse front-runner for president: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a charismatic leftist leader best known as AMLO.

EDITORIAL: New U.S. Ambassador to Mexico will face severe challenges

Thanks in part to gaffes and corruption that dogged Mexicos term-limited president Enrique Pena Nieto, outspoken outsider Lopez Obrador, the former Mexico City Mayor, now holds a commanding lead in a five-person race.

Some blame AMLOs sizable lead on our own president. Forbes suggested Trump served as AMLOs campaign manager given the strong reaction among Mexican voters to Trumps pro-wall and anti-Mexican rhetoric that pushed many there into the we-dont-think-Americas-so-great camp.

This Mexican/U.S. political odd couples mutual popularity should have Texans concerned about the future of the 24-year-old NAFTA treaty that has so benefited the Lone Star State.

OPINION: Despite modernization, old Mexican corruption and violence remains

In April, Gov. Greg Abbott was worried enough about ongoing NAFTA talks between Mexico, the United States and Canada that he wrote a two-page letter to the U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer emphasizing how the Texas economy has boomed, thanks in part to the trade deal.

Our state gets $6 billion in auto parts from Mexico to be assembled at U.S. factories. Much of the Juarez maquiladora money is deposited in El Paso banks. Texas brings in more than $11.5 billion in petroleum products from Canada and Mexico  including Mexican crude thats refined in Houston.

And we sell more chemical products and liquid natural gas to Mexico than just about anywhere else. In fact, in 2016, U.S. energy exports, including gasoline, diesel and natural gas, totaled $20.2 billion  more than twice the value of energy imports from Mexico of $8.7 billion, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Abbotts letter emphasized how important it is to Texas to win an accord that includes no sunset clause, helps maintain the flow of trade goods and retains a mechanism to resolve disputes outside cumbersome national courts.

Some of those provisions could be nixed by AMLO if the talks drag out too long. But talks already have been ongoing for months. Last week, House Speaker Paul Ryan urged Lighthizer to notify Congress by Thursday, May 17  tomorrow  of the administrations intent to sign a renegotiated treaty with Mexico and Canada. With Mexicos elections only six weeks away, real progress seems doubtful.

RELATED: Trump's trip to Mexico paid off (for him)

That means all current and potential trade under NAFTA that so benefits Texas could become chips in a poker game between two populist pols.

Hopefully nothing is signed until after the election ... so there is no mistake in signing something that hurts us, that affects national producers, that doesnt include the issue of migration, or the acceptance of ignominies like the construction of a wall, Lopez Obrador has said in an online video.

Theres only one point on which Trump and AMLO seem sure to agree: The Trump administration is demanding that Mexico improve salaries  and helping workers is part of AMLOs credo.

The two couldnt be more different in other demands: AMLO wants to help farmers who have been hurt by the cheap American corn imported under NAFTA, just as Trump complains that Americans are harmed by importing too much from Mexico, including tomatoes and avocados from its farmers.

But theres much more to NAFTA than a food fight. Texas does billions in energy business with Mexico and the ongoing fracking and drilling boom is predicted to spread eventually to Mexicos shale plays and coastal waters. Current and future energy deals are likely to involve American companies  a reason why many Lone Star State leaders would like to see NAFTA both re-approved and modernized.

All Texas politicos, Democrats and Republians alike, need to unite behind Abbotts call to preserve NAFTA.

If instead these crucial trade talks succumb to cross-border bluster, Texas could suffer a huge economic hit. Everyone in the Lone Star State should be hoping for a treaty that keeps Texas and Mexico great.
The teacher uprisings that spread across the nation this spring all shared a common thread: Educators are fed up with decades of school-funding levels that are wholly inadequate for the needs of their students.

They are frustrated with the poor physical condition of their schools. They are incensed that their voice on issues directly affecting their students is being ignored or disrespected. They are insulted by offers that pair a pay raise with steep health insurance hikes and angry that so many have to take second or third jobs to be able to afford basic living expenses, not to mention pay back their student loans.

These same concerns are prevalent in Houston and across Texas.

EDITORIAL: Paxton's rotten apple for Texas teachers

Many of our schools are expected to do more with less money. Academic standards and requirements rise but funding drops. The average cost to educate a student set by the state Legislature is far too low, especially for urban districts with high numbers of students with greater needs.

Public education is a fundamental value of our democracy and should be treated as such by those who are responsible for funding education. But public education in largely red states has been given short shrift, treated as much less important than providing tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. This political judgment will become an economic nightmare when todays students do not graduate college- or career-ready.

Adequately preparing students requires providing classrooms with basic supplies as well as modern and operational technology. Class sizes should be small enough for individualized instruction. Schools must have enough and current textbooks for every student. Schools must be safe and large enough to accommodate all students. Teachers salaries must reflect the challenges of the teaching profession and the dedication it requires.

KEY QUOTES: TEA head Mike Morath discusses the future of HISD

Over the past several years, teachers have tried conventional responses to difficult teaching and learning conditions. Theyve described the problems and recommended solutions. Theyve pleaded with lawmakers who slash education funding to visit their schools to see the problems, but their invitations have been declined.

Teachers are realizing that collective voice speaks louder than a few lone wolves trying to effect change. The sustained, massive rallies in state capitals in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona and Kentucky showed legislators that educators stand as one, and parents and students, and even school boards and superintendents, stand with them. All agreed that closing schools for several days meant that educators werent walking out on their students; they were walking out for their students.

There was a reckoning by lawmakers in these red states after so many years of harmful disinvestment of education, though in most cases, educators consider the final packages as down payments for what is needed to close the gaps. West Virginia lawmakers approved a 5 percent pay hike for all public employees, not just teachers. Oklahoma lawmakers imposed the first new taxes in 28 years to fund educator pay raises and some school investment. Arizona legislators passed a budget that included a pay raise and some school funding.

EDITORIAL: Houston ISD needs a Harvey reset, and time is running out

What does this mean for Houston?

Will we have massive marches on Austin?

Texans should hope we can secure strong and appropriate teaching and learning conditions before resorting to that. To that end, educators and our supporters will rally at Discovery Green on May 19 at noon to speak out for public education.

Educators will fight for what kids need, and the public will have their backs because they believe in investing in our public schools and valuing their educators. The public is demanding an end to the failed policies that have drained school budgets and diminished students future opportunities.

Capo is president of the Houston Federation of Teachers and vice president of the American Federation of Teachers.
After completing my medical education in 2006, I was eager to put my knowledge into action serving families living in poverty in Tyler at St. Paul Childrens Clinic. My pediatric training prepared me to diagnose the health issues I would encounter, from asthma to infectious diseases, developmental delays to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. I knew what medications, procedures or therapies my patients needed. But medical school didnt prepare me to address the obstacles my patients faced that prevented them from reaching their full health and often stood in the way of successful medical treatment.

What good did it do if I identified a childs speech delay if their family had no transportation to speech therapy?

Prescribing preventive medication for asthma management did little to keep a child out of the emergency room if the medication was unaffordable.

OPINION: VA health care is a cautionary tale against Medicare-for-all

How were parents supposed to follow the nutritional recommendations I provided for their obese child when fresh fruits and vegetables werent available in their neighborhood stores?

Not only were socioeconomic factors barriers to treatment for many of the families I cared for, but in many instances, they were actually the cause of the childs health problems. The child with a speech delay was growing up in a home where the mother couldnt read. The young patients asthma attacks were triggered by an insect infestation in her familys rental home, but her parents feared eviction if they complained to the landlord. The family of the child with obesity relied on food they received from the local pantry that often included high-calorie snacks and baked goods but little fresh produce.

These examples drove home the impact of social determinants of health  a concept covered in public health and sociology curricula, but rarely addressed in traditional medical education. Social determinants of health can generally be thought of as non-medical factors influencing health. While research underscoring the importance of social determinants on health has grown tremendously in recent years, the amount of spending focused on addressing these determinants in the United States has not increased correspondingly.

For decades, community health centers across the United States have worked to provide quality health care to those in need, but health care alone has not been able to close gaps in health equity due to social determinants of health.

RELATED: The reality of health care is all around us, if lawmakers would bother to really look

To address this situation, in 2011, Prevention Institute proposed a new model for community health centers to merge efficient, accessible, and culturally appropriate care with comprehensive efforts to prevent illness and injury  by improving community conditions.

The Community-Centered Health Home (CCHH) model challenges clinics to not only acknowledge that factors outside the health care system affect patient health outcomes, but also actively participate in improving them. The model calls for community health clinics to expand prevention beyond individual patient education and screening to change social norms and promote community-level policies that support health.

Medical providers are asked to consider two steps to prevention when evaluating patients health problems. Rather than simply assessing which patient behaviors and choices are contributing to health problems, the physician examines the social norms, community conditions, health inequities and policies that influence those behaviors.

Clinics adopting the CCHH model use a three-part process to broaden their focus from individual patient care to community conditions: inquiry, analysis, and action.

ALSO: America's health care system not as perfect as we think

Inquiry includes collecting data on social, economic and community conditions either through patient data collection or reviewing available community-level data. Analysis examines the connection between the data and health problems prevalent in the community. Finally, the clinic coordinates with community partners to take action by mobilizing patients, advocating for community health, and adopting model organizational practices.

Since the CCHH model was introduced, it has been piloted in health clinics in Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas to help community health centers in those states transform into agents for community change.

Today, 12 years after beginning my work as a pediatrician, I find myself part of a cohort of physicians and health care professionals across Texas who recognize that it is unreasonable to expect people to change their behaviors when so many forces in the social, cultural, and physical environment conspire against such change.

We are examining our communities for strategic points of action to improve social determinants of health with the ultimate goal of preventing disease and improving the health of the community.

At St. Paul, we are focusing on food insecurity  mapping our emergency food systems, local agricultural assets and local policies  and forming a food security council to take actions to ensure that no one in our community suffers from hunger and poor nutrition. By focusing upstream on policies and practices, we hope to improve conditions not just for our patients but for the entire community.

This work is by far the most challenging and rewarding undertaking of my career  transforming myself, the organization I work for, and  hopefully  the community in the process.

Smith, MD FAAP, is a pediatrician at St. Paul Childrens Clinic in Tyler, Texas. This op-ed is adapted from a chapter in the upcoming book Sociology as Everyday Life: Voices from the Field, to be published in 2019 by Cognella Academic Publishing.
By Emmanuel Ainebyoona.

The Uganda Revenue Authority has shifted from its earlier position on taxation of religious books, indicating that a proposal has been made in the VAT amendment Bill 2018 to exempt religious and other educational materials effective July 1st 2018.

The decision was contained in a letter by URA Assistant Commissioner Public and Corporate Affairs Vincent Seruma, in response to a Daily Monitor story, where religious leaders were protesting VAT on Bibles, Korans, prayer and Hymn books.

Seruma says the religious books serve a duo purpose of spiritual nourishment as well as educational reference materials in schools during CRE lessons or Islamic studies.

Seruma explains that Bibles, Prayer and Hymn books still attract VAT at the Standard rate of 18% because the law does not exempt them from VAT, saying that not collecting the tax earlier had been an anomaly.

The tax authority recently asked Church of Uganda to pay Shs 8.9m VAT on a consignment of over 9,000 prayer and hymn books imported from Nairobi.
Imperial Valley News Center

Chinese Government's Harassment of Early Rain Covenant Church

Washington, DC - We are deeply concerned by the Chinese governments reported harassment of the Early Rain Covenant Church, in Chengdu, Sichuan Province after they planned to hold a memorial service on May 12, for the victims of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

The United States government joins the people of China in mourning the loss of tens of thousands of lives in the tragedy, and notes the value of memorializing their lives and calling for full accountability to prevent or mitigate future disasters. Regarding reports that Chinese authorities confiscated bibles, we call on China to uphold its international commitments to promote respect for religious freedom for all persons.
The Opening of the Kerch Bridge in Crimea

Washington, DC - The United States condemns Russias construction and partial opening of the Kerch Strait Bridge between Russia and occupied Crimea, which was done without the permission of the government of Ukraine. Crimea is part of Ukraine. Russias construction of the bridge serves as a reminder of Russias ongoing willingness to flout international law.

The bridge represents not only an attempt by Russia to solidify its unlawful seizure and its occupation of Crimea, but also impedes navigation by limiting the size of ships that can transit the Kerch Strait, the only path to reach Ukraines territorial waters in the Sea of Azov. We call on Russia not to impede this shipping.

The United States has sanctioned numerous individuals and entities involved in this project. These and our other Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control of the peninsula to Ukraine.

We once again reaffirm our commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and recall the international communitys expression of that commitment in UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262.
By Kim Yoo-chul



The government plans to soften its cryptocurrency policy, after financial policymakers from the world's top 20 economies agreed to acknowledge cryptocurrencies as "financial assets" and opened the door to regulating the booming industry at a later stage.



A "tentative" agreement would be a major headache for Korea's top financial regulators and tax agency because they've classified cryptocurrencies as non-financial products or assets due to their speculative nature. It seems apparent Korea will take on the issue by focusing more on its positive aspects.



Financial policymakers of G-20 nations have set a July deadline for the first step toward "unified regulations" of cryptocurrencies. One reason for the move by the G-20 is that they see cryptocurrencies as "too small to jeopardize" financial markets. The combined market value of cryptocurrencies is less than 1 percent of the global GDP.



Korea also agreed to apply to cryptocurrencies the standards of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental body formed to fight money laundering and terrorist financing.






Clicking on the pink-to-orange ombre Space Nation Navigator app icon opens up a slate of missions. A "Mind Mission" entails a mobile game where "You've lost all contact with ground control. Your mission is to safely bring the spacecraft to Earth inside the landing zone." Using your phone as a controller, with help from the device's gyroscope, you navigate toward bases and hover over them to amass points.

Another challenge is a "Body Mission," where a meteor is heading for your neighborhood. "Head outdoors and run as far as you can," the app commands, and then tracks your progress using your phone's GPS. Doing it will earn you 50 points, and maybe a spot on the leaderboard, where there are more than 1,000 players ranked.

This leaderboard is important. You could make it repeatedly during Space Nation's weeklong training "sessions" and prove to be one of the 100 best, most dedicated players. Those 100 will be narrowed down to 12 through additional training and texting, and the company will sent a dozen players to an intensive, 12-week in-person training program--to become an actual astronaut.

A portion of the in-person training will take place in Iceland, which has a long history of spaceflight training. The first group of Apollo astronauts traveled to Iceland in July 1965. It also has terrain that some former astronauts have deemed the most similar on earth to the surface of the moon.

But first, Space Nation is hosting a group of online influencers in Iceland beginning on May 14 to test out aspects of its future astronaut training--and lay the groundwork, of course, for online promotion of the app. There are also real-world sponsorship opportunities to be considered, as the 2018 competition may be televised--or may become a documentary of sorts. (The company is negotiating distribution.)

Of the 12 individuals selected for rigorous in-person training, which will likely take place next spring, one individual will come out on top--and, essentially, be given a ticket to space. Space Nation's first-year winner will probably be sent only on a parabolic flight--but, for subsequent years of the program, the company hopes to send individuals for stays on the International Space Station.

The goal: Democratize space travel

Space Nation is in its early days, and many of the company's future plans--including how it will actually get someone into outer space--are roughly sketched. Its technology is a work in progress as well: The newly released iOS app itself is still buggy at times. So the business's ambitions sound a little fantastical, and cinematic, certainly. It's a little Ready Player One, and calls to mind Willy Wonka. But it's all in earnest.

The company now called Space Nation began as a far-fetched idea by Mazdak Nassir, an Iranian refugee who'd settled in Finland to become a filmmaker. His friend, Kalle Vaha-Jaakkola, had grown up in rural Finland, looking up at the vast night sky, dreaming of outer space.

Nassir had proposed hosting an online contest, lottery, or competition that would culminate in sending one lucky winner to space. Vaha-Jaakkola didn't think the idea was crazy: He saw a private-industry space race in the works, with companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic working on rocket launches, and questioned why average citizens were being left out of the wonder of such new projects. "How can everyday people, like you and me, be part of it, and get the benefits of more space travel?" he pondered. To answer the question, in 2013 he created a company called Cohu Experience--and before long began developing its Space Nation Navigator app. (The whole company later rebranded to Space Nation.)

But when Vaha-Jaakkola sought connections to aerospace companies and participants around the world, he was met with unmeasured skepticism. He remembers being told it was crazy--and at times he felt ridiculed. But his sense of optimism won, and years later he tells people: "For me, that's a sign you are doing the right stuff. If no one is laughing at you, you are doing something too boring."

Vaha-Jaakkola and Nassir persisted in their attempt to "democratize space travel"--and over the years they forged relationships with NASA and Axiom Space, a Houston-based company that owns and operates an International Commercial Space Station, and trains would-be astronauts. Axiom will help Space Nation develop missions within its app, create training sessions on the ground, and provide the space travel to the annual winners.

Although qualifying for a trip to space will certainly be the draw for the many people around the world already participating in challenges and earning badges on the Navigator app, Vaha-Jaakkola sees a broader educational mission as paramount for Space Nation. (The company declined to disclose user numbers, but a new user was ranked roughly 1,000th place, indicating the Apple app has more than 1,000 downloads.)

"There's a self-improvement and self-development core of everything we do," he says. "We can't send everyone to space--but these life skills taught in the app are beneficial for everyone." NASA astronaut trainers contributed some of the app's content, which includes missions in three areas--body, mind, and social--meant to stimulate different types of learning. The quizzes encompass aerospace history, physics, and social science, with a dash of business or personnel management--a wide range of topics meant to emulate the range of knowledge and social skills useful aboard the ISS.

Space Nation is funded by 3.4 million (about $4 million), which the founders raised through Finnish equity-crowdfunding platform Around in January 2017. It is aiming to make money through its freemium-model app, which includes in-app micro-payments, and through future licensing, sponsorship, and merchandising opportunities for its astronaut boot camps.
The Australian has an extremely rare blood type, packed with disease-fighting antibodies, used to create an injection known as "anti-D." When administered to a pregnant woman, the injection helps fight rhesus disease (in which the woman's blood attacks the unborn baby's blood and can result in brain damage or death).

James discovered his blood was a magic elixir when he was a young boy and started donating it, once a week, which he did for 60 years in a row. He just gave his last donation at the age of 81. (Australian law says a person's blood donations must stop at 81 years old.)

Incredibly, every dose of anti-D ever made in Australia has come from James's blood. Given the fact that more than 17 percent of Australian women are at risk for rhesus disease, the Australian Red Cross Blood Service calculates that Harrison has saved the lives of 2.4 million babies.

And that, my friends, is using your gifts.

Harrison jokes that his only unique talent is giving blood, so he has gifted it for all it's worth (literally).

This amazing story got me thinking about the profound importance of using your gifts in the business world (and in life). It's hard enough to succeed in business or as an entrepreneur -- why wouldn't we embrace the efficiency inherent in leveraging our strengths to increase the likelihood of success?

But it's easy to lose sight of this. It's so easy for us to focus on what we need to improve -- it's human nature. We get 360-degree feedback at work to help us determine how we can get better, and that's what we obsess about. In so doing, we bypass the opportunity to efficiently (and joyously) ride our strengths to increase our odds of success.

I remember when I was in the corporate world and my organization got a new executive. He came in stating that for the first year he didn't want to engage in talent reviews with people about their "improvement-needed" areas. All he wanted to focus on were the strengths of each person in his shop, and how those strengths might be better leveraged. What might be common sense to others felt like a revelation in a system where intense focus was placed on improving your weaknesses.

It's worth sharing that, by far, the most successful people I've met in my career are those who balance a healthy focus on improving weaknesses with an enlightened and energetic effort to fully leverage their gifts. The well-roundedness shows up in their leadership approach.

So I offer a three-step process to help you fully leverage your gifts.

1. Confirm what your strengths are.

And no matter what you think, even on the most downtrodden days, you have unique gifts to share with the world.

There are plenty of assessments you can take to crystallize your knowledge of your talents, such as the classic CliftonStrengths test. It helps you determine your gifts in four domains: strategic thinking, execution, influencing, and relationship building.

You can also just ask for feedback from peers, friends, and family to help pinpoint what your unique talents are. The key is to be open to what surfaces and to keep it top of mind rather than just lasering in on what you need to improve.

2. Pause to appreciate those talents.

Not everyone is good at what you're good at. Even the way you're good at it is unique. And you had better believe that the world needs you to share that gift--there's a reason you have it to begin with.

So stop to appreciate your strengths. Seriously. I mean it. Don't downplay what you're good at or underplay its importance.

Then remember that nobody on earth can use your ability but you. So get ready to use it. Which brings us to the final step.

3. For every one hour you work on your weaknesses, spend two hours sharing your gifts.

Yes, you should work on your opportunity areas. But take the opportunity to balance the scale by distributing the full weight of your talents, too.
Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980), the Polish artist whose bold Art Deco style so perfectly captured the spirit of the Jazz Age, was born 120 years ago today.

She is the subject of Google's latest Doodle, which foregrounds the high-fashion flappers, shiny new automobiles and orchids that became instantly recognisable motifs in her own work.

"I live life in the margins of society, and the rules of normal society dont apply to those who live on the fringe," she said of herself.

Born Maria Gorksa in Warsaw, the future "Baroness of the Brush" was the daughter of Russian Jewish attorney Boris Gurwik-Gorski and socialite Malvina Decler.

She painted her first portrait in pastels aged just 10, a younger sister posing for her, before attending boarding school in Laussane, Switzerland, an experience she detested.

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Leaving to tour Italy with her grandmother, it was here that Tamara first developed a fascination with Renaissance painting.

Completing her formal education, however reluctantly, she swiftly met and fell for Polish lawyer Tadeusz Lempicki, the pair marrying in St Petersburg, Russia, in 1916.

A year later Lempicki was arrested by the Cheka following the Russian Revolution and the couple were forced to leave for Copenhagen, ultimately taking refuge in Paris.

Selling family jewelry to make ends meet, Lempicka gave birth to a daughter, Kizette, then turned to painting professionally to make ends meet, practising with portraits of the infant and a neighbour.

After studying under Maurice Denis and Andre Lhote at the Academie de la Grand Chaumiere, her breakthrough came when her work was exhibited at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, where she was spotted by American fashion journalists from Harper's Bazaar.

Exhibiting in Milan, Italy, she met the Italian poet and soldier Gabriele d'Annunzio, whose portrait she hoped to paint, though he was rather more intent on seducing her than sitting still.

In 1928, as her reputation continued to grow, she divorced Tadeusz and became the mistress of Baron Raoul Kuffner, an art collector who had commissioned her to paint his then-girlfriend Nana de Herrera, a Spanish dancer. Tamara undertook the project with malice and produced an unflattering result, taking Herrera's place and eventually marrying Baron Kuffner in Zurich in 1934.

Her self-portrait, Tamara in a Green Bugatti, was instantly iconic when it appeared on the cover of German fashion magazine Die Dame in 1929.

Her first American show at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh was a hit but the proceeds were immediately wiped out by the Wall Street Crash. By now her international reputation was assured anyway and she spent the 1930s painting such celebrities as King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Queen Elizabeth of Greece, her idiosyncratic post-Cubist/neoclassical style much in demand.

Settling permanently in Los Angeles with the outbreak of the Second World War having sold off Baron Kuffner's properties in Hungary for fear of the Nazis, Tamara and her husband remained popular socialites but changing times saw her work fall out of fashion, overtaken by abstract expressionism.

Baron Kuffner died of a heart attack aboard an ocean liner in 1961 and De Lempicka retired to Houston, Texas, with Kizette and her husband, a geologist.

Tamara de Lempicka lived out her final years in Cuernavaca, Mexico, the final destination in an extraordinarily well-travelled life, passing away in her sleep on 18 March 1980. She remains forever associated with the glamour and opulence of the Roaring Twenties, her work conveying the excitement of the age on canvas as distinctively as F Scott Fitzgerald had in prose.
Michael Chabon opens his new essay collection, Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces, with the recollection that just before he published his first novel, an older male writer offered him a piece of advice: Dont have children.

Chabon didnt listen to this counsel  he went on to have four  but neither did his career suffer: hes also the proud author of 14 books. Should there be eighteen? he wonders, a reference to the Richard Yatess assertion that one loses a book for every child.

Even if thats the case, Chabon doesnt mourn his lost books, or begrudge his children those vanished hours. Its Chabon as loving, slightly sentimental father  not critically acclaimed writer  who describes how his kids continue to hold wonder for him long after his books do, and how its them who love him back, not the words on the page.

Women writers are turning their attention to motherhood right now in their droves: the second volume of Deborah Levys memoir, The Cost of Living, touches on it; it lies at the heart of Lara Feigels bibliomemoir, Free Woman; Jacqueline Roses new book Mothers: An Essay on Love and Cruelty examines how we makes mothers into scapegoats for a multitude of sins. Theres Meaghan OConnells straight-talking And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready; Anna Prushinskayas essay collection A Woman is Only a Woman Until She is a Mother, and not forgetting Sheila Hetis new novel, Motherhood, an exercise in auto-fiction in which Heti grapples with the decision of whether or not to have a child.

Recommended Emerging authors to look out for in 2018

These women are wrestling with parenthood  both its physical demands and its cultural meaning  in a way we rarely see in the work of male writers who are also fathers. On first glance, Pops suggests that it might be a first step towards redressing this balance, but on closer look, its actually a very different beast to those described above.

For one, Chabon isnt writing about the heady days of new parenthood. Hes writing about his kids as teenagers, the emphasis being on his responsibility to ready them for making their way in the world. He writes about having to teach his older son, along with everything else  the rules of consent, the imperatives of sexual reciprocity, the fundamental principle of equality  not to be a d*** to girls, and about encouraging his children to embrace their own individual sense of identity, much of which hinges on what they wear. Luckily for them, he explains, their hometown of Berkley, California, is decidedly more open that most to all kinds of sartorial weirdness.

Fashion also takes centre stage in the essay Little Man, in which Chabon describes taking his clothes-obsessed 13-year-old son Abe to Mens Fashion Week in Paris. Its both a fascinating take on its subject and brilliantly written, but whats more, the care Chabon takes with his subject  that where Abes heart lies, not Chabons own  ensures its steeped in parental love without ever being gushing.

Read the book for this gem of a piece alone. Its that good.

'Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces' is published by Fourth Estate
Mention Audrey Hepburn to her admirers and most will enthuse about her elfin charm and her gamine-like quality. Hepburn, who died in 1993, was one of the most loved screen actresses of her generation.

There are some, though, who simply cant abide her. Emma Thompson called her fantastically twee and claimed Hepburn couldnt sing and couldnt really act either. Why do I hate her so? was the headline to an article in a British newspaper when the BFI gave her a retrospective in 2004.

Such vituperation proves, at least, that Hepburn still has the ability to get under peoples skins. A quarter of a century after her death, her reputation hasnt withered in the slightest. She was dubbed the worlds darling by Life magazine at the very start of her career and that is what she remains.

Her best known films  Sabrina, Roman Holiday and My Fair Lady among them  are continually revived. All the obituaries of French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy earlier this spring enthused about the dresses he designed for her, most famously the little black number she wore as Holly Golightly in Breakfast At Tiffanys.

Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffanys (Rex) (Howell Conant/Paramount/REX/Shutterstock)

It is telling that Hepburn is talked about as much for what she wore as for her acting. Audrey Hepburn in gorgeous Givenchy reads the blurb for the special screening of comedy-thriller Charade this month at the Barbican.

She was a dancer and she knew perfectly how to walk and move. I remember how beautiful I thought her smile was, Givenchy said of his first encounter with her in 1953. He had only agreed to meet her because he had mixed her up with Katharine Hepburn, but was immediately smitten.

In Ealing Studios The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), in which she appears fleetingly, she is already dressed very extravagantly in a white dress and long black gloves. She is in a tiny part and yet, if you didnt know better, you might think she was the star of the film.

Alec Guinness summed up perfectly her appeal: She only had half a line to say and I dont think she said it in any particular or interesting way, but her fawn-like beauty and presence were remarkable.

Cary Grant and Hepburn in Charade, which has a special screening at the Barbican this month (Rex) (Rex Features)

Hepburn had a quality that filmmakers immediately cherished. British and American producers fought over her. The ageing French writer Colette spotted her by chance when Hepburn was in Monaco, filming one of her first movies, Monte Carlo Baby, and immediately decided she would be ideal as the lead in the stage version of her novel, Gigi. Colette pointed to her calmness and to a poise. Others spoke of her radiance.

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Emma Thompsons verdict that Hepburn wasnt a great actress was accurate enough, however. Her range was limited. That, though, didnt lessen her impact on screen in the slightest. She was always precise in her gestures. Her voice had a slightly husky quality which added to its charm. She was often flirtatious, but in a playful way.

Fittingly for someone who would later play Eliza Doolittle, she delivered her lines in her early films in a deliberate, slightly mechanical fashion, as if she had just had come from elocution lessons. Her real-life Henry Higgins was the very arch and well-spoken British character actor Felix Aylmer (dear, dear Felix as she called him in the letters she continued to write to him throughout the 1950s).

Hepburn had trained as a ballet dancer but, at 5ft 7in had been too small to make the grade as a prima ballerina. One reason she remained so rake-thin was because of her experiences growing up in Nazi-occupied Belgium, when she suffered from extreme malnourishment.

Fine-boned and petite, she wasnt an obvious sex symbol. She had crooked teeth. Early in her career, Hepburn had done some modelling and worked as a chorus girl and as an extra. But even then, she had an uncanny knack of captivating everyone who came into her orbit.

Ravishing in red in Funny Face

Those who worked with her in the late 1940s and early 1950s had no doubt that Hepburn would become a star. She was striving and resilient. In austerity-era Britain, the young Belgian also had an exoticism and glamour that most British actors of the period conspicuously lacked.

Even when she had bit parts in a film, she would always make an impression. She would flutter her eyelashes, dance in a satirical manner and look coquettishly at camera. Critics talked of her saucy schoolgirl brand of beauty and of her rich personality. She had a flair for comedy. She was also far tougher than her demure image suggested.

Producer-director Mario Zampi was obsessed with her. After seeing her 14 times in stage revue Sauce Piquante, he persuaded leading British production company Associated British to put her under contract and gave her a part in his film, Laughter In Paradise.

The stern Ealing boss Michael Balcon was equally enthused. This girl shows tremendous promise for stardom, he pronounced after she appeared in Thorold Dickinsons 1952 drama, The Secret People. Balcon warned the British to fight to hold onto her.

Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle and Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, the musical adaptation of Pygmalion (Rex) (Rex Features)

This daughter of a British banker and a Dutch aristocrat was as cosmopolitan as her background suggested. It was difficult to pinpoint precisely where she came from, and her accent was hard to place too. This was one of her greatest strengths. It meant that she was never typecast.

She may have been limited as an actress but she played an extraordinary range of roles. She was a princess in William Wylers Roman Holiday (1953) and a chauffeurs daughter in Billy Wilders Sabrina (1954). She was cast as nuns, ingenues, flower girls, beautiful widows and femme fatales.

In truth, she was the same chic and petite figure in all of them. You couldnt imagine her as tragic heroines or depressive alcoholics. She wouldnt have worked as Lady Macbeth or Anna Christie. Everything about her was high spirited and good natured, but she could bend the most unlikely roles to fit her star persona. In theory, she should have been completely wrong to play Holly Golightly, the promiscuous cafe society girl, in Breakfast At Tiffanys.

Holly Golightly was not precisely a callgirl. She had no job, but accompanied expense-account men to the best restaurants and night clubs, with the understanding that her escort was obligated to give her some sort of gift, perhaps jewellery or a cheque ... if she felt like it, she might take her escort home for the night, Truman Capote told an interviewer about his most famous fictional creation.

You couldnt imagine Audrey Hepburn taking her escorts home for the night. She was far too classy for that. Nonetheless, everyone accepted her in the role. Even when her Holly is drunk or misbehaving or nibbling away on a Danish pastry, she never loses her poise or class.

The first time Hepburn wore one of Hubert de Givenchys designs in public was at the 1953 Oscars, where she was awarded best actress for her role in Roman Holiday (Rex) (Rex Features)

The nymph is not for export, the British press complained when Hollywood began trying to prise her away from London. One of her attractions was that she was so different to voluptuous stars of the period like Marilyn Monroe. In a 1953 profile, Time magazine quoted Billy Wilder as saying that this girl, single-handedly, may make bosoms a things of the past. Humphrey Bogart called her bird-like  and meant it as a compliment.

But Hepburns career didnt happen by accident. She was intensely driven and ready to go wherever the work would take her. At the start of her career, she had lived in a cold water flat in London. The Hollywood studio bosses didnt just warm to her charm  they noticed her ambition as well. She had a big enough personality to appear alongside major stars like Bogart, Cary Grant, William Holden and Gregory Peck and not only to hold her own but also often to steal scenes from under their noses.

Hepburn won an Oscar for Roman Holiday right at the start of her career in Hollywood. She wasnt the most prolific actress but her hit rate was extraordinary. Sabrina, Funny Face, The Nuns Story, Breakfast At Tiffanys, Charade, My Fair Lady and Two For The Road are all films that remain in circulation today.

And if you dont like her performances, you can still admire the way she showed off all those Givenchy dresses.

Charade, introduced by Adrian Wootton, is at the Barbican on 22 May (barbican.org.uk)
The year is 2036. Earth has been ravaged by nuclear apocalypse. All civilisation has been destroyed and humanitys few survivors live a strangled, desolate existence. We see her, in a muddied tunic, dragging her meagre possessions behind her. Shotgun in tow. Her face bruised and bloodied. She pauses for a moment. Lifts her arm to brush her hair away from her face, revealing a perfectly shaved armpit.

Its far from Hollywoods most insidious trope when it comes to representing women on screen, but its still a little ludicrous: that the requirement for womens bodies to be as hairless as naked mole rats surpasses all global chaos.

The Huffington Posts Olivia Cole, for example, noted how The Walking Deads male cast can essentially track the passage of time through the growth of their facial hair  yet the women here have all conveniently found the opportunity to keep their armpits bald, somewhere in between all the zombie culling.

Truly, Hollywood would rather disregard all logic than inflict on the world the sight of a womans unshaven armpit. Its a unicorn of American filmmaking: so rarely seen that entire generations of men treat it with an almost mythical sense of disbelief.

When it does emerge, its almost always the signifier of a woman who deliberately disregards societal norms  see Penelope Cruz in Captain Corellis Mandolin or Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan  while off screen, the sight usually causes a minor scandal, as it did with Julia Roberts on the Notting Hill red carpet, or on Miley Cyruss Instagram page.



Enter a surprising kick in the balls to that brand of restrictive beauty standards: Deadpool 2, a follow-up to the surprise superpowered hit, here to deliver even more visceral action and anarchic cultural references. A sequel which also introduces the X-Force, the X-Mens edgier compatriots.

Amongst them, Zazie Beetzs Domino: a mercenary blessed with all the powers of blind luck. And a woman who just so happens to sport unshaven armpits, a detail never mentioned; not a target of one of Deadpools quips and only briefly glimpsed during the multiple instances of her kicking ass.

Domino, as a character, is certainly confident and self-assured, but the fact her armpits arent shaved isnt painted as some kind of rebellious character trait. Shes simply a woman living in 2018, and sometimes women dont feel like shaving their armpits. Its not intended as a statement.

Yet the funny thing is, that in itself makes it a pretty big statement. The armpit isnt exactly the frontline in the battle for gender equality, but its still a stigma that adds to the whole lineup of ways women can be made to feel ashamed of their own bodies. And to see that rejected is, honestly, refreshing.

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A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Show all 17 1 /17 A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Avengers: Infinity War (4 May, 2018) A decade of the MCU comes to a climax with the first of a two-part "finale" to everything that's come so far. Uniting all of the MCU's heroes to fight Josh Brolin's Thanos, the film is expected to say farewell to some old favourites - expect tears. Disney/Marvel A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Deadpool 2 (18 May, 2018) Josh Brolin pops up again in Fox's own superhero sequel. This time as Cable, the time-traveller and sometimes ally of Deadpool; though it seems here he's initially (at least) being set up as an antagonist. The film will also see the introduction of the X-Force. 20th Century Fox A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Ant-Man and the Wasp (6 July, 2018) Taking place between the events of Civil War and Infinity War, the Peyton Reed-directed sequel will see Evangeline Lily's Hope suit up as Wasp, becoming the MCU's first female hero to get her name in the title. Disney/Marvel A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Venom (5 October, 2018) With Sony teaming up with Disney for Spider-Man: Homecoming, the character won't be able to exist outside of the MCU. However, Sony is still keen for their own superhero cinematic universe, looking to the wider Spiderverse for their options. Enter Tom Hardy's Venom, an antihero infected with an alien parasite. Sony Pictures A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (14 December, 2018) Sony also has Miles Morales at their disposal: the current Spider-Man in the comics. It may be difficult to transition him into live-action, but the studio is at least releasing an animated rendition of the character, developed by The LEGO Movie directors Phil Lord and Chis Miller. Sony Pictures A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Silver and Black (8 February, 2019) As a follow-up to Venom, Sony has hired Love & Basketball's Gina Prince-Bythewood for a film centred around Silver Sable and Black Cat. Getty Images A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Dark Phoenix (14 February, 2019) Fox's X-Men franchise continues with another decade-jumping installment, this time re-telling the Dark Phoenix storyline (as seen in X-Men: The Last Stand) during the 1990s. Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, and James McAvoy will all return, with Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner taking the spotlight as Jean Grey. 20th Century Fox A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Captain Marvel (8 March, 2019) Brie Larson will step into Captain Marvel's shoes for another '90s set adventure, with Samuel L. Jackson's Nicky Fury also along for the ride. Getty Images for Disney A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Avengers 4 (3 May, 2019) With directors the Russo brothers hinting at a spoilerific title, we won't know much about what the last film of Marvel's Phase Three entails for a while. But all suggestions point to something huge for the future of the MCU. Disney/Marvel A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Gambit (7 June, 2019) Lambasted with delays and two different directors dropping out, Gambit still seems to be clinging onto the production line. Let's hope we'll finally get to see Channing Tatum as the X-Men's resident thief soon. Getty Images A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 (5 July, 2019) Tom Holland's Spider-Man will likely be a prominent figure in the MCU's future, so no wonder the character already has a sequel confirmed. A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out The New Mutants (2 August, 2019) With the current crop of X-Men coming to their inevitable end, Fox is likely hoping to launch the new generation with the help of this horror-infused take. A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2020) James Gunn, who directed the previous two Guardians films, has already teased a third. How it might be impacted by the events of Infinity War is yet to be seen. A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Doctor Strange 2 (TBD) Another film yet to be confirmed, but it seems inevitable the character will be getting another outing as part of the MCU's future. Indeed, director Scott Derrickson and screenwriter C. Robert Cargill revealed there's already a concept and villain for the second film: with Benedict Cumberbatch's hero fighting Nightmare, ruler of the Dream Dimension. A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Black Panther 2 (TBD) After Black Panther's monumental success at the box office, it was only a matter of time before Marvel confirmed a sequel. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige also said he's hoping Ryan Coogler will once more direct. A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out X-23 (TBD) Fox is also looking to develop the future of X-23, first introduced as Dafne Keen's Laura in Logan. A script is currently in the works. A complete list of every Marvel movie coming out Black Widow (TBD) It's been rumoured (and wished for) for years, but Marvel finally made their first concrete move towards a Black Widow solo film in January, hiring Jac Schaeffer to pen a script. The film, however, doesn't yet have the greenlight.



Beetzs decision to keep her armpits unshaven is accompanied by a nicely low-key story, as she remarks: Before we started shooting I actually hadnt shaved in a bit, just out of not even having gotten to it. And my boyfriend, if I remember correctly, he was like, Maybe you should keep it. And I was like, You know what? Thats kind of a good idea. So I just kept it. And then I sort of tentatively brought it up. Well, not really tentatively, I brought it up.

She did inevitably face some initial hesitation over the decision, largely in fear of the internet reaction hovering over every creative move with the character. Its interesting how strongly people really do feel about armpit hair on women, she adds. They have very, very strong opinions about that. But I felt, you know, like thats not about me, right?

Thats about social conditioning and about peoples perception of what women should look like. And, you know, I felt if people got offended by that, thats not something I really have to worry about.

However, Beetzs portrayal of Domino now stands amongst a growing movement of younger women making strides to embrace (and learn to love) their own body hair: celebrity proponents include Jemima and Lola Kirke, Paris Jackson and Lourdes Leon.

In 2015, Miley Cyrus famously snapped a photo of herself not only with unshaven armpits, but with them dyed hot pink to boot; she was just one many women dyeing their armpit hair bright colours as a vibrant form of personal statement.



Its these kinds of shifts in perspective that Beetz wanted to embrace for Deadpool 2, motivated partially by a simple desire to reflect the world around her. It was something I really wanted to do, also because I just have a lot of friends now who are feeling sexy in their body hair and I wanted to embody that, she says. And its not something that is gross or shameful.

Shes also keenly aware of how much we internalise societal expectations: that personal choices over body hair are never straightforward, but are always wrapped up in the complex layers of how we see ourselves. It depends on how I am, but I feel very sexy when my legs are shaven, right? Where does that comes from? she questions. So I, sometimes intentionally, will let my body hair grow out so I dont feel beholden to that.

She strikes an analogy here with her own relationship with makeup: I will also intentionally go weeks without wearing it, in my personal life, if Im not on set or something like that. Because I never want to get used to seeing my face with things blotted out. I want to always feel comfortable with me just being naked in front of a mirror.

But that takes also intention for myself and I have to practice that, she adds. And so, it comes from the outside, and then because it came so strongly from the outside, it starts coming from the inside. And I think its something you also have to be aware of. Indeed, Beetz nails the heart of the dilemma: that the things that can make us feel confident might also be the things the world made us ashamed of for no good reason.

But whats far more important, at the end of the day, is choice. Not to passively consume messages that restrict how we see ourselves, but to have control over our own identities. And thats true across many spectrums. Which is why it matters when Domino flashes her unshaven armpits in a film which will be so widely consumed as Deadpool 2. Its taking control of those messages. Taking down those walls of expectation, brick by brick.

Deadpool 2 is out now.
Ron Howard, 135 mins, starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, Jon Favreau (voice)

This review may contain spoilers

In normal circumstances, we would have to wait until Christmas for a new Star Wars movie but this one is arriving in early summer, barely five months after The Last Jedi.

Its a prequel, one of Hollywoods so-called origin stories in which we meet familiar characters at an earlier stage of their lives. The movie (which premiered on Tuesday evening in the unlikely setting of the Cannes Film Festival) is the usual rip-roaring fare.

Were still in a galaxy far, far away. The familiar music blasts away on the soundtrack. The youthful Han Solo (whose early life is chronicled in exhilarating fashion here) is like a galactic version of the Artful Dodger crossed with a young cowboy.

He has been stealing and scamming on the mean streets of Corellia since he was a 10-year-old kid. He dreams of becoming the best pilot in the universe. He may be a bit of a reckless rascal but at least he shows some defiance.

We are in a lawless time with crime syndicates running amok in some parts of the galaxy while the fascistic Empire keeps everybody under its yoke in others.

The film begins in tremendous fashion with action and romance shoe-horned into the very first minute. We see Han have his first kiss with Qira (Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones) moments after the movie has started. We get a thermal detonation and a frantic chase as the young lovers plot their escape. Only one of them makes it.

This was a famously troubled production. Its original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (the spoofmeisters behind the Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street) were replaced, presumably because they were in danger of crossing the line between affectionate homage and straight-out parody. Ron Howard, Hollywoods ultimate safe pair of hands, replaced them. He has done a commendable job. The new film plays like a galactic western. It interweaves the action, humour, romance and nostalgia in very deft fashion.

We are shown the moment that Han first encounters his hairy sidekick, Chewbacca. They meet in a muddy dungeon and immediately strike up a rapport. It helps that Han knows a few words of Wookie. We also learn just how Han got his surname and discover Chewbaccas age.

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 SOLO: A Star Wars Story: Han meets Lando

The ubiquitous Woody Harrelson is the outlaw, Tobias Beckett, Three years after Hans escape, Tobias and his sidekick Val (Thandie Newton) reluctantly recruit the young hero in their posse of space outlaws. Hans plan is to stay with them for one mission, earn enough money to buy himself a spaceship, and then return to Corellia to rescue Qira, if she is still there.

Solo is played by Alden Ehrenreich, the immensely likeable young actor who starred as the fresh-faced Audie Murphy-like movie cowboy in the Coen brothers Hollywood satire, Hail, Caesar. In truth, Ehrenreich is quite different from Harrison Ford in the same role. Hes smaller and less intense.

Thankfully, he shares Fords deadpan humour and folksy, all-American quality. He never gets flustered and always has a wisecrack, even at the most precarious moments. Hell grin cheerfully after the space ship he is piloting is very nearly blown to smithereens and pretend he was in control all along. Its an engaging performance that strikes just the right balance of humour and heroism.

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Tobias and his motley crew of outlaws are in a ship piloted by Rio Durant (voiced by Jon Favreau), a creature with several arms and an impish sense of humour. Together, they try to steal a consignment of coaxium from a fast-moving train that is speeding across an icy mountain range. This is radioactive material which is unstable but immensely powerful. Whoever has it can control the universe.

After a pulsating first half hour, the film loses its momentum slightly. We meet card sharp and mercenary Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), who has a spaceship that Han wants to use. We are also introduced to the main villain of the piece, Dryden Vos (Paul Betanny), a sleek, cocktail-quaffing sophisticate who has red streaks running down his face. Whenever he loses his temper, these streaks begin to pulse and he becomes demonic and very violent.

Dryden may seem immensely powerful but he himself is in thrall to the Crimson Dawn, one of the universes most lethal crime syndicates. In other words, the plotting is the familiar hokum. We get spaghetti western-style stand-offs, yet more sub-plots about the coaxium and the mandatory scene in which Han pilots a ship through what appears to be a black hole with a giant octopus in it. (This is the maelstrom.')

Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Show all 21 1 /21 Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Home Sweet Home We open on Han's home planet of Corellia, a place with a reputation for producing crack pilots and impressive starships. However, the ships in the sky are somewhat of a giveaway that the planet is deep in the clutches of the Imperial reign. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Bad to the Bone A slick introduction to Enfys Nest. She's the pirate leader of the Cloud-Riders, bearing somewhat of an infamous reputation. It seems Han gets into a good old-fashioned shootout with the gang. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown A Game of Chance This shot of Lando Calrissian appears to take place in a gambling den, which could be the set up for the famous incident in which Lando lost the Millennium Falcon to Han in a game of sabacc. Also, on the right, you can see Therm Scissorpunch. There's not really anything known about him outside of that glorious name. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown The Start of a Beautiful Friendship Whether or not the sabacc game features, it's clear the film will feature Han's first introduction to the legendary ship Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown A Little Rough Around the Edges Emilia Clarke has warned us not to be fooled by Qi'ra's glamorous facade. In fact, she and Han both grew up together as cast-offs on the streets of Corellia Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Heard About a Job Tobias Beckett appears to be the man who introduces Han to the scoundrel lifestyle. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Putting Together a Crew Here's our first look at Dryden Vos, which saw Paul Bettany step in to replace Michael K. Williams, after he had to leave the film during its reshoots due to schedule conflicts. All we know so far is that he's a shady crime lord. Is the mission he gives Tobias straight forward, or are there hidden motivations? Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown A Shot Like This Here's Thandie Newton's Val. Clearly part of the crew, but the rest of her character is a mystery. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown A Classic This trailer reveals where Han got his iconic DL-44 model heavy blaster pistol: a gift from Tobias, apparently. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown A Chilly Greeting Here's a shot of Vandor, one of the planets featured in the film and the location of the heist involving the Conveyex train. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown I Know a Guy "Everything you've heard about me is true." A legend. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Let Go of the Mean Man's Face Here's Lando's droid associate L3-37; she's one of a kind, assembled from the scraps of other droids. And with a bit of a temper, so it seems. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Shiny and Fresh The Falcon's looking in much better condition than the "hunk of junk" we're so familiar with. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown A New Life "If you come with us, you're in this life for good." With the initial teaser suggesting Han might try out as an Imperial recruit, it seems Tobias is the one who firmly turns our hero towards a life of crime. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown The Big Heist A better shot of the Conveyex, a train carrying some valuable cargo Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Smooth Talker "You might want to buckle up, baby." Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Wookiee Love A love interest for Chewie? Could it even be Malla, his wife from the infamous Holiday Special? Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Kessel Run All signs seem to point to Solo featuring the Kessel Run, though the inclusion of a giant space octopus isn't something Han seems to have name-dropped in later life. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown You Look Great Chewie is 190 years old. You learn something new every day. Though, to put that into context, Wookiees are known to live to about 400. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Double Trouble Knuckle duster-meets-double-edged blade: here's a shot of what Dryden Vos is fighting with. Solo: A Star Wars Story shot-for-shot breakdown Cliffhanger Going to take a wild guess that Chewie gets out of this situation alive...

We can tell that the film is bound eventually to turn into a tale of plucky rebels taking on oppressive overlords. Han is warned early on by Woody Harrelsons Tobias to assume everyone will betray you then you wont be disappointed". Its not advice that Han can follow. His real secret is that despite his outlaw posturing, hes the good guy who will always put justice above self-interest.

There is nothing much here that will surprise Star Wars fans but there is nothing that should disappoint them either. No light sabres are on display and nor is there any sign of Darth Vader but Solo: A Star Wars Story delivers exactly what you want and expect from a movie about the young Han Solo.

'Solo: A Star Wars Story' is in UK cinemas from 25 May

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Arctic Monkeys will play their first London show in four years - in just three weeks time.

It was announced this morning (16 May) that the Sheffield quartet - led by Alex Turner - will bring new album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino to the Royal Albert Hall for a surprise charity concert in aid of War Child on Thursday 7 June.

To obtain tickets, fans must enter a ballot which is open from now until 8pm on Sunday 20 May.

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Successful applicants will be notified on Monday (21 May) where they will then be instructed to buy tickets with all proceeds going to charity.

The group, who released their sixth record last week, recently completed a run of US dates before a string of European shows including Primavera Sound in Barcelona. They previously announced their return to the London stage would occur in September at the 02 Arena.

Earlier this week, they dropped a video for new song "Four Out Of Five" which was inspired by the works of directors Stanley Kubrick and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Show all 16 1 /16 Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Arctic Monkeys formed in Sheffield in 2002, releasing their debut album in 2006. Since then they have six studio albums to their name. Getty/Orion Music + More Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - 2006 Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not was Arctic Monkeys debut album. It became the fastest selling debut album in British music. It won the Mercury Prize for best album in 2006. The group picked up two BRIT awards also, one for best album and the other best group. Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Mercury Prize - 2006 The Arctic Monkeys on stage after winning the Mercury Prize in 2006 PA Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Arctic Monkeys perform - 2006 The Arctic Monkeys performed at the Reading Festival in 2006 Getty Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Favourite Worst Nightmare - 2007 Favourite Worst Nightmare was Arctic Monkeys second album release. It went straight to number one in the UK album charts. It was nominated for the 2007 mercury prize, however lost out to the Klaxons, Myths of the Near Future. They picked up the best album at the BRIT awards for a second year in 2008. Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Brit Awards - 2007 Arctic Monkeys make a video acceptance speech after receiving the Award for Best British Group during the Brit Awards in 2007 PA Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Arctic Monkeys perform - 2007 The Arctic Monkeys performed on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury in 2007 PA Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Humbug - 2009 Arctic Monkeys third album was titled Humbug and was different to their previous albums as they introduced several different instruments that had not featured in the others. The guitar effects were particularly different, alongside multiple keyboards. The album went triple platinum in the UK. Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Arctic Monkeys perform - 2009 Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys performs during the 2009 Lollapalooza music festival at Grant Park in Chicago. Getty Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Suck It and See - 2011 The fourth album, Suck it and see, was released in 2011. It reached number one in the UK charts in it's first week and won Mojo award for the best album of 2011. Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Arctic Monkeys perform - 2011 Arctic Monkeys performing in 2011 PA Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures London 2012 Olympic Games - 2012 The Arctic Monkeys performed during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games Getty Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures AM - 2013 AM was Arctic Monkeys fifth album release. Once again, the band were nominated for the mercury prize best album. It was once of their most successful selling albums outside of the UK, with the single Do I wanna know? entering the Billboard Hot 100. Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures GQ Men of the Year Awards - 2013 The Arctic Monkeys also picked up the Band award at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2013 PA Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino - 2018 The Arctic Monkeys headlined Glastonbury Festival in 2013 Getty Arctic Monkeys: career in pictures Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino - 2018 Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino is Arctic Monkeys sixth album release, five years after their last. It's the longest they have gone, during their career, taking to release another album.

You can find a ranking of all Tranquility Base's album tracks here.

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Chinas $8 trillion plan to create a new Silk Road with sea and land links across Asia is the riskiest environmental project in history, a global expert on major infrastructure projects has said.

The Belt and Road initiative is already underway. It aims to boost trade and economic growth across a vast area of the globe through the building of massive new transport infrastructure and energy projects.

But Professor William Laurance of James Cook University in Australia has warned it could be the riskiest environmental venture ever undertaken.

China has enormous ambitions, but with that comes enormous responsibilities, he wrote in the Nature Sustainability journal.

If all goes to plan, the Belt and Road initiative will ultimately span at least 64 nations across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Pacific region.

By 2050 the project could involve 7,000 infrastructure projects seeing $8 trillion (5.9 trillion) in investment, Prof Laurance and his team of researchers wrote.

Last year, a report by the Fitch credit rating agency said $900bn (660bn) worth of projects were planned or already underway.

The initiative is made up of two main components: the Silk Road Economic Belt, and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

The belt is to be an overland corridor linking China to the Middle East, central Asia and continuing on to Europe. Oil pipelines, bridges, tunnels and rail and road links will be built to sustain it.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

The road will be made up of sea links between China, east Africa and countries around the Mediterranean.

The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) has warned that the planned corridors overlap with the range of 265 threatened species including saiga antelopes, tigers and giant pandas.

They have also identified that routes overlap with 1,739 designated important bird areas or key biodiversity areas as well as 46 biodiversity hotspots.

China claims its Belt and Road will be a blueprint for responsible development, but thats going to require it to fundamentally change the way it does business internationally, said Professor Laurance. Too many Chinese firms and financiers operating overseas are poorly controlled by their government  in large part because they are so profitable.

He added: In the last two decades Ive seen countless examples of aggressive and even predatory exploitation by Chinese firms, especially in developing nations with weak environmental controls.

But the authors add that the project puts China in a position to change how their developers approach projects outside China which could potentially make them world leaders in sustainability.

China is doing a much better job of improving environmental safeguards inside China than internationally, said Professor Laurance. It has produced a mountain of green documents and promises about the Belt and Road, but a leopard doesnt just change its spots overnight.

China has a unique opportunity, but if its business as usual then the costs for the environment and economic risks for investors could be flat-out scary.

The report comes as climate scientists warn unfettered economic growth could spur rapid global warming.

Models may have to be recalibrated for projections of what a worst case climate change scenario is, as new studies take into account greater global economic growth than previously forecast.

The Centre for International Climate Research in Norway recently said the rise in carbon emissions in Europe over the past four years has come as economic growth has sped up. In 2017, EU emissions rose by 1.8 per cent.
Emissions of some ozone-depleting Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have shot up in the past six years, despite a decades-old treaty banning them altogether.

Atmospheric detective work has pinpointed a mysterious new source in East Asia that might be responsible for this surge in destructive chemicals.

The ozone layer protects the Earth from the sun's harmful UV radiation. Its decline sparked a wave of concern in the 1980s about rising rates of skin cancer.

Recommended Satellite observations give first direct proof of ozone hole recovery

When scientists first discovered the ozone layer hole in 1985, they quickly attributed its appearance to the presence of CFCs in the atmosphere.

They had been widely used as refrigerants, propellants and aerosol applications and solvents.

Having established the threat, the world rapidly mobilised to bring the Montreal Protocol into effect just two years later, an act that saw CFCs being phased out.

Widely regarded as one of the most successful environmental actions ever, the protocol has been credited with the ozone hole shrinkage observed in the decades that followed.

However, in a new paper published in the journal Nature, an international team of scientists report an unexpected finding of CFC-11, one of the major ozone-depleting chemicals.

The rate of this substances decline in the atmosphere has slowed by approximately 50 per cent since 2012.

This suggests new CFC sources have emerged in recent years, hampering the international effort to completely rid the atmosphere of these chemicals.

If their results are accurate, then they indicate foul play. There has been no additional CFC production reported to the United Nations Environment Programmes Ozone Secretariat in the past six years.

If there had been it would be breaking the terms of the Montreal Protocol.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

This is atmospheric detective work at its finest, said Professor Piers Forster, a climate scientist at the University of Leeds who was not involved in the work.

Looking at detailed observations of north-south gradients in gases and combining this with careful atmospheric chemistry modelling, the authors have pinpointed a new source of CFC-11 to East Asia, breaking Montreal Protocol rules. Such detailed forensic analysis really shows how far our science has come. Im hopeful we can quickly find the source and close it down.

Led by Dr Stephen Montzka from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the researchers used data from remote monitoring sites around the world to determine the rate of decline in atmospheric CFC-11 concentrations.

To their surprise, they found that while the decline was constant from 2002 to 2012, it slowed significantly after 2012.

Rather than having anything to do with historical trends, the scientists simulations suggested this decline was due to an increase in CFC-11 production since 2012.

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By taking into account air flow into the regions where their monitoring stations were located, the scientists concluded East Asia was the most likely source of this fresh wave of emissions, although the exact cause is unclear.

Though inadvertent production or the release of CFCs from the demolition of buildings are possibilities, the scientists concluded these were unlikely to produce the substances on the scale suggested by their work.

It comes after Nasa satellites provided the first direct evidence the ozone hole had shrunk in January, a finding welcomed by Dr Jon Shanklin  one of the meteorologists who first discovered the ozone hole  as a definite good news story.

However, scientists are concerned that this good news may be shortlived if efforts are not taken to curb any persistant sources of CFCs.

This is a worrying result, said Professor Joanna Haigh an atmospheric physicist at Imperial College London. "CFCs were responsible for the development of the springtime Antarctic ozone hole and a very slow reduction in its area has been cautiously ascribed to the Montreal Protocol beginning to take effect.

 Iceberg four times the size of London breaks from Antarctica

However, at other locations, observations have suggested an unexplained continuing decline and these now need to be reassessed in the light of this new evidence.

Other researchers were optimistic about the future of the ozone layer, despite the unexpected results reported by Dr Montzka and his colleagues.

Professor Martyn Chipperfield, an atmospheric chemist at the University of Leeds, said: The observations are puzzling rather than alarming. Atmospheric chlorine levels are still decreasing but more slowly than expected. This will cause some delay in the recovery of the ozone layer from past depletion, but that recovery will still happen.

Nevertheless, scientists and policy makes will want to understand the cause of these unexpected CFC-11 emissions.

Researchers have highlighted the importance of monitoring systems both for scientific purposes and to ensure that environmental treaties and laws are complied with on a global scale

It is reassuring that the observations are able to detect these small, unexpected changes in CFC decay rates and alert us to this issue in good time, said Professor Chipperfield.
The session was attended by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, head of state of the Kyrgyz Republic Sooronbay Jeenbekov, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of the Republic of Moldova Igor Dodon, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Tigran Sargsyan, the press service of the Akorda reports.





During the session the sides discussed strengthening economic interaction within the economic union.





In his speech, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev focused on results and perspectives of further economic integration of the EEU member states.





The head of state noted that integration makes a vital contribution to EEU member states economic growth rates.





This was facilitated by the positive dynamics in the strategic sectors: agriculture and industry. A significant breakthrough occurred both in foreign and mutual trade. For the past year, external and mutual trade within the EEU increased by 24.4% and 26.1% %, respectively. The positive dynamics continues this year," says the President of Kazakhstan.





Nursultan Nazarbayev stressed the growth of the international authority of the economic union and pointed out a keen interest of the foreign countries in developing trade-economic relations with the organization.





The Kazakh President dwelt on the results of the session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in narrow format, during which issues of amending the constitutive treaty, the aspects of international activities of the EEU, as well as issues of ensuring the further development of the economic union were discussed.





The President of Kazakhstan proposed to form a special intergovernmental working group to work out a set of measures to analyze the implementation of decisions taken and promote the economies of the EEU, taking into account modern geo-economic conditions.





In addition, it is necessary to work out the possibility to implement large-scale infrastructure "mega-projects." It is important to increase the role of the Eurasian Development Bank and Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development in the activities of our union. They should actively participate in the implementation of large-scale projects," Nursultan Nazarbayev said.





In addition, the head of state suggested using the capabilities of the three international centres created on the basis of the complex of EXPO-2017 in the work of the EEU.





I invite financial institutions of the EEU countries to use the capabilities of the Astana International Financial Centre. In addition, activities of the EEU financial bloc, including sessions of subsidiary and consultative-advisory bodies, should be held on the territory of the EXPO. In addition, as part of the implementation of a digital agenda, I offer to organize the work of the Digital Projects and Initiatives Management Office based on the International Park of IT start-ups within the EEU," said the President of Kazakhstan.





In conclusion, the head of state expressed confidence that the implementation of the agreements reached at the SEEC session will allow to increase cooperation of all member states of the economic union to a higher level.





Following the session, a number of decisions and documents were adopted.








Attracting some of the sparkliest names from Hollywood and beyond, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Cannes was just an annual sartorial Saturnalia.

In fact, for those who subscribe to the aforementioned understanding, it's the world's most prestigious film festival, previewing films of all genres and awarding those which a carefully-selected jury deems most noteworthy.

However, much like its ceremonial counterparts, Cannes is as much of a celebration for film as it is for fashion, with celebrities taking every opportunity to showcase their finest glad rags for the various screenings and premiers that make up the glitzy 11-day-long affair.

Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Show all 26 1 /26 Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Cate Blanchett Jury president Blanchett cut a dynamic silhouette at the 'Capharnaum' screening in this majestic jumpsuit. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Kristen Stewart If anyone can pull off the ultimate punk-rock androgyny on the Cannes red carpet, it's Stewart, who subverted sartorial norms in the French Riviera just days ago by taking her heels on the red carpet - she wore loafers this time. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Vanessa Paradis The French actress glittered in this floor-length metallic gown at the screening of 'Knife + Heart'. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Adriana Lima The 36-year-old Victoria's Secret Angel glided down the red carpet ahead of the 'Burning' screening wearing a strapless satin gown by Alberta Ferretti. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Amber Heard The American actress wore a Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown to the screening of 'Girls Of The Sun (Les Filles Du Soleil)'. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Mila Jovovich The Kiev-born actress opted for a custom lilac gown by Prada for the 'Burning' screening. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Elsa Hosk Looking like the ultimate Disney princess, the Victoria's Secret angel wore a blush silk gown by Alberta Ferretti to the screening of 'Girls of the Sun'. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Barbara Palvin The Hungarian model struck an androgynous chord at the 'Burning' screening in this Alberta Ferretti suit-style gown, complete with majestic Messika jewellery. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Ming Xi The Chinese model opted for a blush spaghetti strap sequin gown by Russian label Rasario. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Cate Blanchett The Australian actress cut a slick silhouette at the screening of 'Girls of the Sun' in this flattering black gown. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Kendall Jenner The 22-year-old reality TV star donned a sheer gown by Schiaparelli for the screening of 'Girls of the Sun'. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Sara Sampaio The Victoria's Secret model opted for an off-the-shoulder nude gown by Zuhair Murad complete with rows of sparkling studs. Pictured at the screening of 'Girls of the Sun'. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Clemence Poesy At the 'Blackkklansman' screening, the French actress channeled a demure aesthetic in this satin black gown. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Izabel Goulart The Victoria's Secret model attended the screening of 'Sink or Swim' wearing Zuhair Murad. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Helen Mirren The 72-year-old actress radiated in this medieval inspired velvet gown made by Elie Saab. Pictured at the screening of 'Girls of the Sun'. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Hailey Baldwin The 21-year-old model donned an embellished gown by Roberto Cavalli, complete with decadent Chopard jewels. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Jasmine Tookes The model wore a scarlet strapless gown by Zac Posen to the screening of 'Girls of the Sun'. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Lea Seydoux The French actress wore a plunging Louis Vuitton mini dress to the premiere of 'Cold War' with Boucheron jewellery. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Donald Glover and Thandie Newton The US actor and musician posed alongside the 'Westworld' star, who wore Vivienne Westwood, at the 'Solo : A Star Wars Story' screening. AFP/Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Toni Garrn The German model radiated in a sparkling Roberto Cavalli gown at the screening of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story'. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Emilia Clarke The Game of Thrones actress attended the 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' screening in this deep violet ensemble by Dior. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Winnie Harlow The Canadian model cast a billowing train on the red carpet for the screening of 'Solo : A Star Wars Story' wearing Jean-Louis Sabaji Couture and Messika jewellery. AFP/Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Liu Wen The Chinese model brought a splash of sunshine to the red carpet in this canary yellow velvet gown by Bottega Veneta. Getty Images Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Jane Fonda The iconic actress opted for a shimmering silver gown by Valentino for the 'Blackkklansman' screening. Getty Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Kristen Stewart Prior to taking her high heels off, the Twilight actress posed for photographers wearing a space odyssey-inspired mini dress by Chanel at the 'Blackkklansman' screening. Getty Images for Kering Cannes 2018: Best-dressed on the red carpet Naomi Campbell The British supermodel turned heads at the screening of 'Blackkklansman' in a custom gown by Poiret. Getty Images

This year's proceedings have already made headlines that transcend the event's cinematic parameters, with Kristen Stewart removing her high heels on the red carpet in protest of the event's strict dress code, which supposedly dictates that all female guests wear heels.

Meanwhile, in less subversive spheres, models, actors and icons have sashayed their way down the infamous Cannes red carpets in an array of designs as glamourous as their surroundings.

From Kendall Jenner ruffling feathers in a sheer, and ironically rather feathery-looking, Schiaparelli gown to the inimitable Helen Mirren's medieval velvet ensemble, see why the French Riviera is alive with the snappings of sartorial splendour by ogling over the best-dressed celebrities at Cannes so far in the gallery above.
Its no secret that using your phone at before bed isn't really conducive to a good nights sleep.

However, now a study of more than 91,000 people has found that scrolling through your Instagram and Twitter feeds from the comfort of your pillow in the wee hours could increase the likelihood of developing a number of psychological problems such as depression, bipolar disorder and neuroticism.

Late night phone-usage is just one of the disruptive behaviours pointed out by the researchers, who attributed the links to the aforementioned symptoms to body clock disturbance.

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Previous research has shown the detrimental effects of interruptions to the bodys natural 24-hour cycle of the body - known as the circadian rhythm - as the result of shift work that requires employees to work through the night.

However, this study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry by professors at The University of Glasgow, is the first to monitor body clock disruption on such a large scale.

Participants aged 37 to 73 had their activity levels monitored by wrist-work accelerometers, which they wore for a seven day period, enabling researchers to measure the extent at which their circadian rhythmicity was disturbed during this time.

However, there were caveats to the findings, given that participants were only monitored for a week and were exclusively middle-aged and above.

The researchers also conducted cross-sectional examinations to measure participants psychological wellbeing and found that roughly one in 25 had unusual activity habits whereby they werent that much more active during the day than the night.

These people were 11 per cent more likely to have bipolar disorder and six per cent more likely to be battling depression, they found.

Plus, they also reported lower happiness levels and greater rates of loneliness.

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Such people suffer from very poor sleep hygiene, said lead author Daniel Smith of the University of Glasgow and would engage in late night activities such as playing on their mobile phones or making cups of tea.

The figures may seem small, however, Smith added they are no less significant:

This is important because it seems to be across the board, he said, so it is a very consistent finding for these negative mental health and cognitive outcomes.

While Smith advocated imposing a 10pm limit to phone usage to help combat this, he added that daytime activities have a part to play too, explaining that a healthy sleep pattern is often the result of being active during the day and inactive at night.

I think this is important as a population health issue because so many of us are living with disrupted circadian rhythms, he said.

Its unlikely that the way society is currently set up is good for your health. So many people are living in city environments flooded with light 24/7.
A five-year-old boy returned to school with a surprise police escort after his dad died in the line of duty.

Dakota Pitts, from Indiana, was nervous to return to school after hed lost his father, Terre Haute police officer Rob Pitts, a week earlier - so he asked his mum if one of his dads friends could accompany him.

Responding to his plea, not one but 70 Indiana police officers showed up to comfort Dakota on his first day back.

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And the police officers werent just from the Terre Haute police department - officers from surrounding departments also showed up to show their support for Dakota.

Les Hamm, a detective with Terre Haute police department told WTHI: "Dakota asked his mum if one of his dad's friends could take him to school so she reached out to Rob's friends and families.

In the moving video, Dakota walks through the line of officers to Sullivan Primary School while proudly wearing his fathers police badge.

Welcome back to school, bud, one officer greeted him.

And to make the day a little easier, SWAT officers brought gifts for Dakota, including his very own SWAT shirt and badge.

SWAT officers presented Dakota with his very own SWAT shirt (WTHI-TV)

Of the emotional display of support, Dakotas aunt, Kelly Jones, told WTHI: He will definitely know his dad was a hero. Blood doesnt always make family. And I think the blue family went above and beyond.

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The sweet gesture also moved people on social media, where the video has been viewed over 261,000 times.

Absolutely beautiful of them, one person wrote.
BHP Billiton faces legal action from shareholders who say the mining giant misled them over safety measures at a dam in Brazil which broke, killing 19 people and causing Brazils worst ever environmental disaster.

When the Fundao dam broke in 2015, waste from an iron ore mine operated by Samarco, a joint venture between BHP and its partner Vale, devastated the local area in Minas Gerais state.

A red wave of clay, sand and water polluted miles of river, killing aquatic life, leaving hundreds of people homeless, and flowing out to sea.

Australian law firm Phi Finney McDonald now plans to sue the multinational, which is listed on stock markets in London, Sydney and Johannesburg, on behalf of investors.

It alleges that the company - one of the largest mining firms in the world with revenues of $38bn (28bn) - knew that the dam was at imminent risk of breaking but did not tell markets, in breach of regulations.

BHPs share price collapsed more than 20 per cent in the days after the disaster.

The mining giant has said publicly that it was not responsible for the dams collapse, that it complied with Brazilian law and that safety has always been a key concern.

Brett Spiegel, Principal Lawyer at Phi Finney McDonald said: There are strong grounds to allege that from at least 21 October 2013, BHP failed to ensure that appropriate safety measures were in place at the Fundao dam, including a proper system to warn people living downstream of the dam in the event of a dam failure.

Despite this, BHP repeatedly assured the market that it put it safety first and held itself to the highest standards of environmental safety in its projects across the globe.

BHP did not live up to its promise to prioritise the safety of the people and environment of Brazil, with tragic consequences, Mr Spiegel alleges.

Conditions at the Fundao dam deteriorated to the point that BHP knew of the imminent risk that the dam would collapse.

We allege that the company was also aware of the serious human, environmental, and financial consequences that would result. In our opinion, BHP breached its disclosure obligations by failing to disclose that risk to the market.

The claim seeks to hold BHP accountable and to recover the substantial loss and damage suffered by investors as a result of BHPs alleged conduct, he said.

In the period that followed the dam collapse, BHPs stock price plunged across all markets, falling 22 per cent in Sydney and 23 per cent in both London and Johannesburg between 5 November 2015 and 30 November 2015. The falls wiped $25bn off the companys value.

The law firm said it has investigated the construction of the dam, the causes of its collapse for more than six months.

It will bring the claim on behalf of investors that bought BHP shares between 21 October 2013 and 9 November 2015.

This includes shares in BHP Billiton Limited traded on the Australian Securities Exchange and in BHP Billiton Plc traded on the London and Johannesburg Stock Exchanges. The class action will claim losses suffered by shareholders up to and including 30 November 2015.

BHP Billiton could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
An 800-year-old "made in China" label has helped archaeologists pinpoint when an ancient merchant ship sunk.

After a fisherman discovered a lost treasure-trove of ancient ceramics off the coast of Indonesia in the 1980s, archaeologists have struggled to piece together where the ship was from and when it sunk, as the wooden ship disintegrated long before its contents were discovered.

They initially dated the ship to the 13th century, however new evidence suggests it is "probably a century older than that", according to Lisa Niziolek, an archaeologist at the Field Museum in Chicago and lead author of the study in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

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Among the thousands of ceramics found in the shipwreck, some were marked with an inscription that suggests they were made in Jianning Fu, a government district in China near modern-day Jian'ou.

This is a significant find as the district was reclassified as Jianning Lu after the Mongols invaded around 1278.

From this find Ms Niziolek and her colleagues were able to deduce that the shipwreck might have occurred earlier than 1200, possibly as early as 1162.

There were probably about 100,000 pieces of ceramics on board. It seems unlikely a merchant would have paid to store those for long prior to shipment  they were probably made not long before the ship sank, said Ms Niziolek.

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Elephant tusks and incense resins found in the cargo have also helped date the shipwreck. Carbon dating on the items carried out when they were found in the 1990s revealed them to be about 700-750 years old.

However the scientific techniques used to date carbon atoms found in once-living specimens have since improved, allowing scientists to reveal that the tusks and resins are closer to 800 years old.

Ms Niziolek said: "When we got the results back and learned that the resin and tusk samples were older than previously thought, we were excited.

"We had suspected that based on inscriptions on the ceramics and conversations with colleagues in China and Japan, and it was great to have all these different types of data coming together to support it."

The fact that the shipwreck is 800 rather than 700 years old is significant as it occurred during a time of "important transition".

Ms Niziolek explained: "This was a time when Chinese merchants became more active in maritime trade, more reliant upon over-sea routes than on the overland Silk Road."

It also enables archaeologists to more accurately understand the ceramic techniques of the area at the time.
Longer legs make men more attractive to women because they are perceived to make fitter potential mates, researchers have found.

But they must not be too long, just a little longer than average, because being lanky offers males no advantage in dating, the study said.

The scientists from Cambridge University tested the attractiveness of different limb proportions by asking 341 American women to give computer-generated male figures marks out of seven.

Leg length was measured from the hip to the top of the ankle.

The findings showed that the men rated the most attractive had legs that were slightly longer than average.

The researchers said that longer legs suggested a good balance between greater size and "averageness" - which is associated with good health.

By contrast, legs that deviated significantly from average in either direction - short or long - were associated with poor health.

Very long legs were linked with "often indicated deleterious genetic conditions" and short ones were linked to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and dementia.

The worst jobs for your health Show all 10 1 /10 The worst jobs for your health The worst jobs for your health 10. Surgical and medical assistants, technologists, and technicians Overall unhealthiness score: 57.3 What they do: Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel and perform medical laboratory tests. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to disease and infections: 88 2. Exposure to contaminants: 80 3. Exposure to hazardous conditions: 69 The worst jobs for your health 9. Stationary engineers and boiler operators Overall unhealthiness score: 57.7 What they do: Operate or maintain stationary engines, boilers, or other mechanical equipment to provide utilities for buildings or industrial processes. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to contaminants: 99 2. Exposure to hazardous conditions: 89 3. Exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings: 84 The worst jobs for your health 8. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators Overall unhealthiness score: 58.2 What they do: Operate or control an entire process or system of machines, often through the use of control boards, to transfer or treat water or wastewater. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to contaminants: 97 2. Exposure to hazardous conditions: 80 3. Exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings: 74 The worst jobs for your health 7. Histotechnologists and histologic technicians Overall unhealthiness score: 59.0 What they do: Prepare histologic slides from tissue sections for microscopic examination and diagnosis by pathologists. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to hazardous conditions: 88 2. Exposure to contaminants: 76 3. Exposure to disease and infections: 75 The worst jobs for your health 6. Immigration and customs inspectors Overall unhealthiness score: 59.3 What they do: Investigate and inspect people, common carriers, goods, and merchandise, arriving in or departing from the US or between states to detect violations of immigration and customs laws and regulations. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to contaminants: 78 2. Exposure to disease and infections: 63 3. Exposure to radiation: 62 The worst jobs for your health 5. Podiatrists Overall unhealthiness score: 60.2 What they do: Diagnose and treat diseases and deformities of the human foot. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to disease and infections: 87 2. Exposure to radiation: 69 3. Exposure to contaminants: 67 The worst jobs for your health 4. Veterinarians, veterinary assistants, and laboratory animal caretakers and veterinary technologists and technicians What they do: Diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals and perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to disease and infections: 81 2. Exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings: 75 3. Exposure to contaminants: 74 The worst jobs for your health 3. Anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, and anesthesiologist assistants Overall unhealthiness score: 62.3 What they do: Administer anesthetics or sedatives during medical procedures, and help patients in recovering from anesthesia. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to disease and infections: 94 2. Exposure to contaminants: 80 3. Exposure to radiation: 74 The worst jobs for your health 2. Flight attendants What they do: Provide personal services to ensure the safety, security, and comfort of airline passengers during flight. Greet passengers, verify tickets, explain use of safety equipment, and serve food or beverages. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to contaminants: 88 2. Exposure to disease and infections: 77 3. Exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings: 69 The worst jobs for your health 1. Dentists, dental surgeons, and dental assistants Overall unhealthiness score: 65.4 What they do: Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting oral hygiene and retention of teeth. May fit dental appliances or provide preventive care. Top three health risks: 1. Exposure to contaminants: 84 2. Exposure to disease and infections: 75 3. Time spent sitting: 67

Writing in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the researchers, led by Dr William Skylark, said: "LBRs [leg-body ratios] that are slightly above the mean are associated with high socioeconomic status, good nutrition and developmental stability, as well as biomechanical efficiency during locomotion.

"The observed preference for LBRs that are at or slightly above the population mean accords with the idea that these LBRs signal the fitness of the prospective mate."
A paedophile who drove 130 miles to have sex with a 10-year-old girl with a cheerleading outfit in his car has been jailed for eight years.

Michael Bickerton, 49, was tracked by police after officers saw his online chatroom profile, which stated he liked children from the age of eight years.

Bickerton exchanged messages and swapped phone numbers with someone on the site and made plans to travel to meet the girl.

He was instead met by police officers after travelling from his home in Stoke-on-Trent to St Neots in Cambridgeshire last August.

Bickerton denied arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence but was found guilty after a trial at Cambridge Crown Court in February. He was jailed earlier this week.

From the moment he was arrested Bickerton denied he had any intention of meeting a girl, that he believed the girl to be fictitious and was instead planning on meeting another man for sex," said Detective Sergeant Kath McCready, of Cambridgeshire Police.

In his interview he stated that numerous messages where he had spoken about the meeting and other conversations about sexually abusing children were merely fantasy.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP UK news in pictures 27 September 2021 Police officers detain a protester from Insulate Britain occupying a roundabout leading from the M25 motorway to Heathrow Airport in London PA UK news in pictures 26 September 2021 Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer watches the Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur match at The Font pub in Brighton PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2021 Scottish pro-independence supporters hold a march and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK news in pictures 24 September 2021 Police officers remove two protesters from the top of a tanker, as Insulate Britain block the A20 in Kent, which provides access to the Port of Dover in Kent. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2021 Gabriella, the seven year old daughter of imprisoned British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, joins in a game on a giant snakes and ladders board in Parliament Square, to show the ups and downs of her mothers case to mark the 2,000 days she has been detained in Iran AP UK news in pictures 22 September 2021 A new sign hangs on the Millicent Fawcett statue after it was altered by CrackTheCrises coalition activists to highlight the climate crisis as a feminist struggle in Parliament Square in London EPA UK news in pictures 21 September 2021 Gabriella Diment prepares a monumental bronze patinated fibreglass wall sculpture depicting household cavalry soldiers on horseback which is expected to be sold for 12,000-18,000 when it goes up for auction at Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA

But judge Sean Enright said Bickerton had an entrenched sexual interest in children, which was reflected in his lengthy sentence.

Bickerton was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

We are dedicated to keeping young people safe and the sentence passed reflects how seriously this kind of offence is taken, said Ms McCready.
Ramadan has begun and Muslims around the world will abstain from eating and drinking during daylight for a month  and a certain British soft drink will play a major role.

While most of the food and drink traditionally consumed by Muslims when they break the fast is homemade or natural  such as spicy vegetables, paneer fritters and dates  Vimto is the slightly less conventional refreshment that is often brought to the table during Iftar.

The lurid purple drink, first manufactured in Manchester in 1908 and made from grape, blackcurrant and raspberry flavouring (and a lot of sugar), sees its sales go through the roof in Gulf states during Ramadan, with 31 million bottles sold in 2011 alone.

It is thought the large quantity of sugar and the strong flavour is key to its popularity.

Manchester imam, Asad Zaman, told Kevin Bocquet on Radio 4s Sunday programme: One of the reasons it is so popular in the Middle East is because they have quite a sweet tooth.

After a day of fasting your stomach has collapsed and your body is really low on energy. Anything sweet is a quick fix in terms of energising your body. Of course there are other things like dates which are recommended.

Mr Zaman said Vimto is a good alternative to caffeine drinks but added that water is the best liquid for Muslims observing Ramadan to consume when they break their fast.

It is important to avoid anything caffeine based as it will dehydrate your body more quickly because you will go to the loo more frequently and you need to maintain that water for as long as possible. Water is perhaps the best thing to drink, he said.

The Vimto sold in the Gulf states is thought to be even higher in sugar levels than that sold in Western countries.

In pictures: Ramadan around the world Show all 27 1 /27 In pictures: Ramadan around the world In pictures: Ramadan around the world In pictures: Ramadan around the world In pictures: Ramadan around the world Russia Russian Muslims pray outside the central mosque in Moscow, during celebrations of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ramadan around the world Turkey Turkish Muslims offer Eid al Fitr prayers as they mark the first day of the Eid al-Fitr at Fatih Sultan Mosque in Istanbul Getty Images In pictures: Ramadan around the world Syria A Syrian Dervish dances as part of a traditional event organised by the Syrian Ministry of Tourism under the title 'Music and Dervishes' in the old city of Damascus EPA In pictures: Ramadan around the world Bosnia and Herzegovina A Bosnian Muslim man, wearing a traditional Bosnian outfit, fires a canon from a vantage point overlooking Sarajevo to mark the end of daily fasting on the final day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ramadan around the world Pakistan A general view of an illuminated Mosque as Muslims pray during the 27th night of Ramadan, in Peshawar EPA In pictures: Ramadan around the world Pakistan Muslim women offer prayer of the Jumat-ul-wida, the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at a mosque in Lahore AP In pictures: Ramadan around the world India Muslims offer prayers on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Dargah Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Rex Features In pictures: Ramadan around the world Saudi Arabia The Prophet Mohammed Mosque in the holy city of Medina, during Ramadan EPA In pictures: Ramadan around the world Malaysia A Malaysian swings around fireworks to celebrate the last day of the Muslims' Holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur In pictures: Ramadan around the world Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyz Muslims pray during the Eid al-Fitr Muslim celebration marking the end of Ramadan in Bishkek EPA In pictures: Ramadan around the world Ivory Coast People pray during the Laylat Al Qadr prayers on the 27th day of the Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan in the front of the Aghin mosque in Abidjan AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ramadan around the world Syria Syrians shop for traditional sweets in Kafr Batna in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area, on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, ahead of Eid al-Fitr which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ramadan around the world Israel A Palestinian woman prays on the third Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City REUTERS In pictures: Ramadan around the world Iran Iranian Shiite Muslims pray at the graves of soldiers who were killed during 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, at the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery, during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, just outside Tehran, Iran AP In pictures: Ramadan around the world Israel A Palestinian man pours water on Muslim worshippers' heads to cool off in the heat, as others pray outside the Dome of the Rock at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during the last Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan EPA In pictures: Ramadan around the world Afghanistan Afghan women wait to receive food ration during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Herat EPA In pictures: Ramadan around the world Pakistan A Pakistani Muslim reads the holy Koran as he observes Itikaf at a Mosque, in Peshawar EPA In pictures: Ramadan around the world India Kashmiri Muslim women offer prayers as the head priest (not pictured) displays a holy relic believed to be hair from the beard of the Prophet Mohammed, during special prayers to observe the Martyr Day of Hazrat Ali, cousin of Prophet Mohammed, on the 21st day of Ramadan, at the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir EPA In pictures: Ramadan around the world India Indian Muslims sit with bowls of porridge(Nombu kanji)as they prepare to break the fast with the Iftar meal during the Islamic month of Ramadan at The Wallajah Big Mosque in Chennai AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ramadan around the world Lebanon Spectators watch fireworks as a giant Fanous, or Ramadan lantern, is switched on four days before the start of Ramadan month in front of Mohamed al-Amine Mosque in downtown Beirut EPA In pictures: Ramadan around the world Lebanon Lebanese children perform during activities celebrating the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in downtown Beirut AP In pictures: Ramadan around the world Palestine Palestinian men drink tea on the promenade of Gaza beach Getty In pictures: Ramadan around the world Indonesia Members of Nahdlatul Ulama, the biggest Muslim organisation in Indonesia, hold a mass prayer session to welcome in Ramadan in Jakarta AFP/Getty In pictures: Ramadan around the world Iraq Iraqis shop for food in a preparation for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Baghdad AP In pictures: Ramadan around the world Indonesia Foods is seen during 'Unggah-unggahan' ceremony to welcome in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Pekuncen village Getty

Salman Farsi, Media & Communications Officer at East London Mosque, told the BBC: The recipe is probably made a bit stronger and sweeter for the Arab markets.

They do particularly like their drinks to be bursting with sugar and flavour.

For the worlds more than 1.6 billion Muslims, Ramadan marks a period of fasting from sunrise until sunet (including abstaining from both water and food), prayer and alms giving.

Fasting, alms giving and prayers are all part of the five pillars of the Islamic faith.

This article has been updated. It was originally published in June 2016.
Perhaps there really was a time, long ago, when if one wanted to be informed of the activities of the royal family, one consulted the court circular.

Now, of course, you go on US celebrity gossip website TMZ. And there in glaring headlines you find a story, not of family joy at a forthcoming wedding, but of pain and suffering  much of it heaped on Meghan Markles 73-year-old father Thomas.

You could, as one newspaper has, call it a rollercoaster of speculation surrounding whether Mr Markle would attend Saturdays royal wedding at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.

But you might also wonder whether this is a soap opera of cruelty, one in which Wednesdays cliffhanger features the vulnerable father of the bride saying he cant go to the wedding because hes in hospital having heart surgery.

 Royal wedding countdown: The plan so far for Harry and Meghan

Nearly every story about the former award-winning TV lighting director Thomas Markle makes sure to include a reference to him living as a recluse in Mexico.

It might, therefore, have been reasonably assumed that this shy man never sought the limelight thrust upon him when his actress daughter fell in love with Prince Harry, now the sixth in line to the British throne.

That assumption, though, was thrown into doubt on Sunday.

Recommended Thomas Markle risks breaking trust between the royals and the press

In what was effectively the first episode of the drama, the Mail on Sunday reported that Mr Markle had in fact worked with British-born, Porsche driving paparazzo Jeff Rayner to set up a series of supposedly candid photographs that were then sold for up to 100,000.

Mr Markle was accused, amongst other things, of staging a photo showing him reading a book about Britain, and of going to a party accessories shop with his own tape measure and getting the 17-year-old assistant to pretend to be a tailor measuring him for a wedding suit.

As Mr Markle himself later acknowledged  to TMZ  the whole thing made him look stupid and hammy. Some of those commenting online went further and called him a sleaze.

But read closely, even the Mail on Sunday story itself seemed to suggest the possibility that this was more complicated than just a chancer trying to make a quick buck out of his royal connections.

For one thing, there was an acknowledgement that it was not known whether Mr Markle was paid anything for his part in the stunted-up photos.

The newspaper also included what could be read as strong hints that Mr Markle was a shy man who was trying to give the paparazzi what they wanted in the hope they would finally go away.

Mr Markle was described as a man so reclusive that even his neighbours rarely saw him.

There was a reference to a statement from representatives of Prince Harry  a man whose mother died while being chased by photographers  about his future father-in-laws anxiety at being harassed on a daily basis by paparazzi.

Then the Mail on Sunday quoted a friend as saying: Dont underestimate how stressful and, at times, distressing the attention on him has been. Remember, this is a man who has intentionally tried to live on his own away from anyone he knows.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures Show all 55 1 /55 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2017 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in Toronto, Canada. The Invictus Games is an international sport event for wounded, injured and sick (WIS) servicemen and women, both serving and veteran. It was created by the Duke of Sussex and aims to use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding of all those who serve their country Invictus Games Foundation/Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures November 2017 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for a photograph in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace following the announcement of their engagement AFP/Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures November 2017 Meghan Markle shows off her engagement ring AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures December 2017 Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene in King's Lynn Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures January 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan during a visit to Reprezent 107.3FM in Pop Brixton. The Reprezent training programme was established in Peckham in 2008, in response to the alarming rise in knife crime, to help young people develop and socialise through radio Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures January 2018 Meghan Markle greets well-wishers on arrival at Cardiff Castle for a day showcasing the rich culture and heritage of Wales AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures January 2018 The couple watching a dance performance by Jukebox Collective during their to Cardiff Castle AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures February 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle walk through the corridors of the Palace of Holyroodhouse on their way to a reception for young people in Edinburgh. The reception celebrated youth achievements, marking Scotlands Year of Young People 2018, an initiative that aims to inspire Scotland through its young people: celebrating their achievements, strengthening their voice on social issues and creating new opportunities for them to shine AFP Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures February 2018 Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William at the first annual Royal Foundation Forum in London. Under the theme 'Making a Difference Together', the event showcased the programmes run or initiated by The Royal Foundation Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures March 2018 Prince William, Kate, Meghan and Prince Harry attend a Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures March 2018 Meghan Markle greets well-wishers after a visit to one of Belfast's most historic buildings, The Crown Liquor Saloon, a former Victorian gin palace, now run by the National Trust. It was the Royal couple's first joint visit to Northern Ireland AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures April 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle meet participants as they attend the UK team trials for the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 at the University of Bath AFP via Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2018 Meghan Markle and her mother, Doria Ragland arriving at Cliveden House Hotel the night before her wedding to Prince Harry Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2018 Royal fans sing for the television in Windsor the day before the Royal wedding AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2018 Meghan Markle walks down the aisle in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, during her wedding AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stand facing each other hand-in-hand before Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby during their wedding ceremony AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2018 Prince Harry kisses the Duchess of Sussex, as they pass through the Cambridge Gate into the grounds of Windsor Castle at the end of their carriage procession AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2018 The newly married royals leave Windsor Castle after their wedding to attend an evening reception at Frogmore House AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures June 2018 Queen Elizabeth II sitts and laughs with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge in the town of Widnes in Halton, Cheshire Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures June 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan return in a horse-drawn carriage after attending the Queen's Birthday Parade, 'Trooping the Colour' on Horseguards parade AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures July 2018 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF Chris Jackson/Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures July 2018 Meghan and Prince Harry kiss after the Sentebale Polo event that was held at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures August 2018 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meet the cast and crew of "Hamilton" backstage after the gala performance in support of Sentebale at Victoria Palace Theatre Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2018 Meghan meets 7-year-old Matilda Booth during the annual WellChild awards at Royal Lancaster Hotel in London Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan meet 98-year-old Daphne Dunne during a meet and greet at the Sydney Opera House during an official 16-day Autumn tour visiting cities in Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan meet a koala named Ruby and its koala joey named Meghan after the Duchess of Sussex during a visit to Taronga Zoo in Sydney AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry looks on as his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is hugged by student Luke Vincent of Buninyong Public School following the couple's arrival at Dubbo Regional Airport in Dubbo AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Harry and his wife Meghan watch aboriginal dances at Victoria Park in Dubbo AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meet with lifeguards at South Melbourne Beach. BeachPatrol is a network of volunteers who are passionate about keeping Melbourne's beaches and foreshores clear of litter to reduce the negative impact of litter on the marine environment and food chain, and provide a safe environment for the public to enjoy their local beach Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan join a circle during a "Fluro Friday" session run by OneWave, a local surfing community group who raise awareness for mental health and wellbeing, at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach AFP Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 The British royals kicked off their shoes and donned tropical garlands on Bondi Beach AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan visit an exhibition of Tongan handicrafts, mats and tapa cloths at the Fa'onelua Convention Centre in Nuku'alofa, Tonga Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in Wellington, New Zealand Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2018 Prince Harry and his wife Meghan visit Redwoods Tree Walk in Rotorua AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures November 2018 Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at a service marking the centenary of WW1 armistice at Westminster Abbey Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures February 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, visit the Kasbah of the Udayas near the Moroccan capital Rabat AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures March 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan speak on stage during WE Day UK 2019 at The SSE Arena in London Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures March 2019 Meghan and Prince Harry react as they are presented with baby gifts by Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Janice Charette, at Canada House, during an event to mark Commonwealth Day, in central London AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2019 A congratulatory banner message circling the BT Tower reading "Congratulations Harry and Meghan It's a Baby Boy!" AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2019 Footmen Stephen Kelly and Sarah Thompson set up an official notice on an easel at the gates of Buckingham Palace on May 6, announcing the birth of a son to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2019 Pround parents pose with their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle. The Duchess of Sussex gave birth at 5:26 on 6 May Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures May 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan walk away after posing for photographs with their newborn son AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures June 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan join the New York Yankees in their clubhouse and receive gifts for Archie ahead of their match against the Boston Red Sox at the London Stadium. The historic two-game series marked the sport's first games ever played in Europe and The Invictus Games Foundation was selected as the official charity of Mitel and MLB London Series 2019 Invictus Games Foundation/Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures July 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan meet cast and crew, including US singer-songwriter Beyonce and her husband, US rapper Jay-Z as they attend the European premiere of the film The Lion King in London AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2019 The Duke and Duchess of Sussex dance as they arrive for a visit to the "Justice desk", an NGO in the township of Nyanga in Cape Town, as they begin their tour of the region. Their first official family visit in the coastal city AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan pose with members of "Waves For Change" NGO at Monwabisi Beach outside of Cape Town. "Waves For Change" NGO fuses surfing with child-friendly mind and body therapy to provide mental health services to vulnerable young people living in challenging communities AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2019 The royals arrive to visit the oldest mosque of Cape Town in Dorp Street in Bo Kaap district AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2019 The Duchess of Sussex visits Auwal Mosque on Heritage Day with the Duke of Sussex during their royal tour of South Africa. Auwal Mosque is the first and oldest mosque in South Africa and for the Muslim community, this mosque symbolises the freedom of former slaves to worship Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan hold their baby son Archie as they meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah at the Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures September 2019 The British royal couple were on a 10-day tour of southern Africa -- their first official visit as a family since their son Archie was born AFP via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2019 Prince Harry and Meghan meet Graca Machel, widow of the late Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Duke last met with Mrs Machel during his visit to South Africa in 2015 Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures October 2019 Meghan and Prince Harry attend a roundtable discussion on gender equality with The Queens Commonwealth Trust (QCT) and One Young World at Windsor Castle Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures December 2019 Prince Harry holding his son Archie. The photo was used on Instagram to wish their followers a happy new year SussexRoyal/PA Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures January 2020 Duke and Duchess of Sussex depart Canada House in London after visiting to show thanks for the warm hospitality and support they received during their recent stay in Canada Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  in pictures January 2020 Front page headlines, from UK daily papers, reporting on the news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, plan to step back as "senior" members of the Royal Family AFP via Getty

Further details were added in Mondays episode, the one where Mr Markle dropped the bombshell that he wouldnt be attending the wedding or walking his daughter down the aisle because he didnt want to embarrass Meghan or the royal family.

Mr Markle told TMZ that he only received a relatively modest sum for the deal with the paparazzo and it was less about money and much more about his assertion that over the last year hes been ambushed by paparazzi who have photographed him in the most unflattering circumstances ... buying beer, looking disheveled and reclusive.

Hes especially upset that they made him look like a lush. Thomas says he doesnt even drink beer ... he was buying it for the guards at the place where he lives.

He figured there was no harm in it [the deal with the paparazzo] and it would help recast his image.

One commentator, Jane Merrick, the former political editor of The Independent on Sunday, has described this process as attempting to tame the media, and noted how it is often done in vain.

As well as explaining himself to TMZ, Mr Markle revealed that he was in physical, as well as emotional pain. He said he had suffered a heart attack six days earlier, but had checked himself out of the hospital because, before the Mail on Sunday reported, he had been hoping to go to the wedding.

The next episode was delivered later the same day.

Mr Markle told TMZ he was going back to hospital because he was suffering serious chest pains. And he knew who to blame.

He says the pains have been triggered by emotional upset, TMZ reported. He specifically mentioned his oldest daughter, Samantha Grant, who has been shading Meghan in the weeks leading up to the wedding.

Thomas tells us, Ive been popping Valium for the pain, especially when I hear about my oldest daughter.

Enter, then, Samantha Grant, mother-of-three, 53-year-old former actress and model rendered wheelchair-bound by multiple sclerosis, the half-sister of Meghan Markle.

Exactly how well Samantha knows Meghan is a matter of some debate. Samantha says she helped raise Meghan for 12 years when they were growing up in California; other reports have claimed that however close they were in childhood, Meghan has not seen Samantha or any of her half-siblings for more than a decade.

Meghan Markle's half-sister Samantha Grant (Channel 4)

Be that as it may, Samantha felt qualified enough to announce in April 2017 that she would be writing a memoir sensitively entitled: The Diary of Princess Pushys Sister.

Although it would, of course, be nothing like some sort of slamming tell-all.

Instead, Samantha promised, she would go through and recount some of the beautiful nuances of our lives, our family home.

These beautiful nuances were presumably nothing to with what happened in January when Samantha was quoted as responding to Meghan being photographed in a 56,000 designer dress by saying: If you can spend $75,000 on a dress, you can spend $75,000 on your dad.

Other apparent shading that may have upset Meghan and Samanthas father came when the older half-sister realised she was not getting an invitation to the wedding.

Last month Samantha reportedly tweeted: Smoke and mirrors cannot hide the elephant in the room.

Out of respect and humanitarianism, the Markles should be invited if 2,000 complete strangers are.

Our uncle, brother, me, best friend of 30 years, nephews. Our issue is not a matter of closeness. Family is family.

Nor, if the gossip site TMZ can be believed, was Samantha the only one of Thomas Markles children to have upset him with comments about Meghan.

As slowly became clear over the course of Tuesday.

The morning episode had Mr Markle telling TMZ of a change of mind bought on by Meghan texting him to say she loved him and was concerned for his health.

This, Mr Markle said, persuaded him that he should go to the wedding after all: Of course Id walk her down the aisle. This is a historic moment. Id like to be a part of history.

But then came the Tuesday afternoon instalment: Mr Markle wouldnt be going to the wedding, he would be having heart surgery at 3.30pm UK time on Wednesday.

TMZ reported that the doctors had discovered that the heart attack had done significant damage.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend the Invictus Games Reception (Getty)

And then the website added a killer line: BTW, Thomas also says he believes the open letter his son, Thomas Jr, wrote to Prince Harry discouraging him from marrying Meghan is what triggered his heart attack.

This was a reference to the letter written by Meghans half-brother Thomas Markle Jr, a 51-year-old glass fitter who last year hit the headlines for being arrested after an alleged drunken argument with his girlfriend.

In a letter sprinkled with spelling mistakes and published by celebrity gossip magazine In Touch on May 2, Thomas Markle Jr appeared to tell Prince Harry it was not too late to cancel the wedding.

Meghan, the half-brother seemingly told Harry, was a jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage.

Somewhat improbably, Markle Jr seems to have followed up with a second letter, published by In Touch on May 11, which quoted him as suggesting to Meghan: Its not too late to send me an invite.

Slightly different in tone to the first message, this letter reminisced about some great holidays together, even though we all didnt share the same house.

As this suggests, mixing with what seemed perilously close to being the personal tragedy of Mr Markle senior, there was a strong element of farce.

By Tuesday afternoon the sense of a circus had been completed by reports of bookmakers offering odds on who would walk Meghan down the aisle and by a cameo appearance from former tabloid editor Piers Morgan telling Samantha Grant she was a media vulture.

And then more of Meghans extended family turned up.

Tracy Dooley, the ex-wife of Thomas Markle Jr, arrived at Heathrow airport from Oregon accompanied by her sons Tyler, 25, and Thomas, 26.

Meghan hadnt invited her. Ms Dooley, a florist who divorced Thomas Markle Jr in 2001, has previously admitted she has not seen the bride-to-be for 20 years.

But it was reported that the Dooleys had been recruited by ITVs Good Morning Britain as special correspondents to report on the wedding from Windsor.

ITV has yet to respond to The Independents request for comment on whether this is true, but the newspapers have reported that the Dooleys are thought be staying at a 70-a-night hotel in Waterloo, while Tyler has posted images on social media with the comment: Just touched down in London!!! Man what a journey so far.

The Daily Mail informed its readers that Tyler works as a cannabis farmer in Oregon, where marijuana is legal, and is planning to bring out a new blend called Markles Sparkle.

Meghan Markles extended family have been attracting headlines for all the wrong reasons (Getty) (Getty Images)

The royals may have defects of their own, but one is tempted to ask whether, with a family like hers, Meghan needs enemies.

The sadness and farce alike are perhaps only intensified by the suspicion that despite all the column inches devoted to it  with this article as guilty as any other  this may be a soap opera served up for the amusement of a public that is only half-interested.

A YouGov poll published as Tuesdays stories unfolded suggested that 66 per cent of the British public were not interested in the royal wedding.

Prince Harrys precise thoughts as he prepares for what should be the unalloyed joy of his wedding can only be guessed at. His anger at the paparazzi who hounded his mother, however, is well known.

After Dianas death, of course, there were solemn promises all round that nothing similar would ever be allowed to happen again.

As he prepares for heart surgery, Thomas Markle may be entitled to wonder whether those promises have been kept.
There was fresh confusion over Labours Brexit position after Jeremy Corbyns spokesman ruled out staying in the single market, just hours after two of his frontbenchers suggested the party may back it.

The spokesman reiterated Mr Corbyns concerns over keeping the UK within the European Economic Area after Brexit and said it would not deliver his priorities.

But moments earlier one of his closest allies, Diane Abbott, said the party had not ruled out backing a plan brought forward in the House of Lords to keep the UK in the EEA, meaning the country would stay in the single market.

Ms Abbotts words followed those of another Labour frontbencher who also said nothing is off the table.

It follows a meeting of the parliamentary party on Monday in which MPs who both back and oppose staying in the single market spoke out, ahead of a pending vote on the issue.

Conservative MPs have indicated they have enough rebels to force the government to accept an EEA amendment, as long as Labour also votes for it.

Asked about the comments made by the two Labour frontbenchers, Mr Corbyns spokesman said: We wont talk about whipping arrangements until the votes are held.

 EU minister says little progress has been made on Brexit since March

But we have made clear what our priorities are in relation to the kind of agreement we want to see over Brexit.

He said the party wanted a new customs relationship and new relationship with the single market, highlighting problems Mr Corbyn has with EEA membership as it exists.

Pressed for a response on Ms Abbott and Paul Blomfield both apparently signalling that EEA membership is still a possibility, he added: They were talking about the whipping arrangements.

In an interview earlier in the day Ms Abbott, shadow home secretary, said of the EEA approach: We havent ruled out supporting it... we havent taken anything off the table.

Appearing on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, Mr Blomfield, shadow Brexit minister, said: We are absolutely clear. We have said we want a new and comprehensive customs union we want the closest possible relationship with the single market. We want to remain members of the partnerships and agencies we have built together over 45 years. I dont think we could be clearer.

We think there are different ways of achieving that close relationship. The EEA has problems associated with it. We are ruling nothing off the table.

Brexit so far: in pictures Show all 53 1 /53 Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson led the VoteLeave campaign PA Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson MP, Labour MP Gisela Stuart and UKIP MP Douglas Carswell address the people of Stafford in Market Square during the Vote Leave Brexit Battle Bus tour on 17 May 2016. Their lead line on the tour was: We send the EU 350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead. Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Voting day A man shelters from the rain as he arrives at a polling station in London on 23 June 2016. Millions of Britons voted in the referendum on whether to stay in or leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Referendum results Leader of Ukip, Nigel Farage, reacts at the Leave EU referendum party at Millbank Tower in central London as results indicated that it was likely the UK would leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Protesting the result A young couple painted as EU flags and a man with a sign reading Im not leaving protest outside Downing Street against the voters decision to leave the EU on 24 June 2016 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures David Cameron resigns British Prime Minister David Cameron resigns on the steps of 10 Downing Street on 24 June 2016 after the results of the EU referendum were declared and the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Theresa May Becomes the new Conservative Party leader Theresa May receives a kiss from her husband Philip, after becoming the new Conservative Party leader on 11 July 2016. May became Prime Minister two days later and although she voted to remain in the referendum was keen to lead Britains Brexit talks after her only rival in the race to succeed David Cameron pulled out unexpectedly. May was left as the only contender standing after the withdrawal from the leadership race of Andrea Leadsom, who faced criticism for suggesting she was more qualified to be prime minister because she had children AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Lancaster House keynote speech on Brexit British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers her keynote speech on Brexit at Lancaster House in London on 17 January 2017. Where she spoke about her offer to introduce a transition period after the UK formally leaves the European Union in March 2019. Despite repeating the pro-Brexit mantra of no deal is better than a bad deal, the Prime Minister claimed she wanted a tone of trust between the negotiators and said Britain was leaving the EU but not Europe. She said there should be a clear double lock needed for the transitional period to make sure businesses had time to prepare for changes to their trading relationships with the EU Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Triggering of Article 50 British Prime Minister Theresa May in the cabinet, sitting below a painting of Britain's first Prime Minister Robert Walpole, signs the official letter to European Council President Donald Tusk invoking Article 50 and the United Kingdom's intention to leave the EU on 29 March 2017 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Gibraltar nonsense Tensions have risen over Brexit negotiations for the Rock of Gibraltar. The European Council has said Gibraltar would be included in a trade deal between London and Brussels only with the agreement of Spain. While former Conservative leader Michael Howard claimed that Theresa May would be prepared to go to war to protect the territory. Spain's foreign minister stepped in only to assert that there was no need for the dispute Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Shock snap election Soon after triggering Article 50, Theresa May called on 18 April 2017 for a snap general election. The election would be on 8 June and it came as a shock move to many, with her reasoning to try to bolster her position before tough talks on leaving the EU AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Dissolution of Parliament for General Election Campaign Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing Street after returning from Buckingham Palace on 3 May 2017. The Prime Minister visited the Queen to ask for the dissolution of Parliament signalling the official start to the general election campaign Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Conservatives lose parliamentary majority An arrangement of British daily newspapers showing front page stories about the exit poll results of the snap general election. British Prime Minister Theresa May faced pressure to resign on 9 June 2017 after losing her parliamentary majority, plunging the country into uncertainty as Brexit talks loomed. The pound fell sharply amid fears the Conservative leader would be unable to form a government AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Labour gains Britains opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gives a tumbs up as he arrives at Labour headquarters in central London on 9 June 2017 after the snap general election results showed a hung parliament with Labour gains and the Conservatives losing their majority AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit negotiations begin Brexit Minister David Davis and European Commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations Michel Barnier address a press conference at the end of the first day of Brexit negotiations in Brussels on 19 June 2017 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May speaks in Florence British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks on 22 September 2017, in Florence. May sought to unlock Brexit talks after Brussels demanded more clarity on the crunch issues of budget payments and EU citizens' rights AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit  insufficient progress German Chancellor Angela Merkel joins other EU leaders for a breakfast meeting during an EU summit in Brussels on 20 October 2017. The EU spoke about Brexit and announced that insufficient progress had been made AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures DUP derails settlement on the withdrawal part of Brexit DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds walks off after speaking to members of the media as a protester holding flags shouts after him outside the Houses of Parliament on 5 December 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to pull out of a deal with Brussels after the DUP said it would not accept terms which see Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May suffers defeat over EU (Withdrawal) Bill Theresa May suffers defeat in parliament over EU (Withdrawal) Bill on 13 December 2017. The Government was defeated by Conservative rebels and Labour MPs in a vote on its key piece of Brexit legislation. MPs amended the EU (Withdrawal) Bill against Theresa May's will, guaranteeing Parliament a meaningful vote on any Brexit deal she agrees with Brussels. Ms May's whips applied pressure on Conservative rebels who remained defiant in the Commons throughout the day and in the end the Government was defeated by 309 votes to 305 Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit  sufficient progress Britain's Prime minister Theresa May arrives to attend the first day of a European union summit in Brussels on 14 December 2017. European leaders discussed Brexit and announced there was finally sufficient progress at the end of the two days AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures The game moves to transition Brexit Secretary David Davis gives evidence on developments in European Union divorce talks to the Commons Exiting the EU Committee in Portcullis House, London, on 24 January 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures Trade deal is what May wants French President Emmanuel Macron gestures to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May after they hold a press conference at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, on 18 January 2018. May and Macron agreed a new border security deal, through which the UK will pay more to France to stop migrants trying to reach British shores on 18 January 2018 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Transition period agreed The UK and EU agree terms for Brexit transition period on 19 March, 2018 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures No agreement on Irish border The EU and UK however failed to reach an agreement on the Irish border during the successful talks on other Brexit issues AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU attacks Mays fantasy strategy For months after the March deal is struck there is little significant progress in talks. One senior EU official tears into Britains fantasy negotiating strategy and accuses Theresa May of not even having a position on a variety of important issue Getty Brexit so far: in pictures UK releases Ireland plan Britain releases a new customs plan to solve the Northern Ireland border but Michel Barnier says it leaves unanswered questions and would not prevent a hard border EbS Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan agreed The cabinet agrees on a plan known as the "Chequers deal" on July 6 2018. The plan seeks regulatory alignment on goods and food, divergence on services, freedom from the European Courts of Justice and an end to free movement. Many were surprised that the hard Brexiteers of the cabinet would agree to this plan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan sparks resignations Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and numerous ministers resign in the days following the Chequers agreement Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Davis out, Raab in On 9 July, Dominic Raab replaces David Davis as Brexit Secretary. Raab is a keen Brexiteer and was a housing minister before taking over from Davis Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Barnier's "deal like no other" EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier claims on August 29 2018 that they are prepared to offer Britain a trade deal like no other, though he stressed that they will not divide or change the single market to accommodate Britain AP Brexit so far: in pictures "My deal or no deal" In an interview on Panorama on September 17, the Prime Minister insists that any Brexit deal will be offered to the EU on her terms. She asserts this amongst continued attacks on her approach to Brexit by Boris Johnson and the European Research Group, headed by Jacob Rees Mogg BBC/Jeff Overs Brexit so far: in pictures EU leaders reject Chequers Quite the blow was dealt to the Prime Minister at a EU leaders summit in Salzburg on September 20. European Council President Donald Tusk stated that the Chequers deal "will not work" Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures May demands respect Following the rejection of her Chequers plan the day before, the Prime Minister voiced her anger that the EU had dismissed it without offering an alternative. She stated that throughout this process, I have treated the EU with nothing but respect. The UK expects the same. A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it." Getty Brexit so far: in pictures People's Vote march As the People's Vote campaign and The Independent's Final Say campaign gain traction, 700,000 people turn out in London to demand a final say on the UK's Brexit deal on October 20 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures More resignations As the Prime Minister settles on a Brexit deal, Brexit secretary Dominic Raab resigns along with Work and Pensions secretary Esther McVey and many other ministers Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Final Say petitions delivered to Downing Street People's Vote supporting MPs Chukka Umunna, Justine Greening and Caroline Lucas and The Independent editor Christian Broughton deliver over a million signatures in favour of a People's Vote to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street on December 3 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures May delays vote On December 10, the Prime Minister delayed the vote on her Brexit deal as it was near certain not to pass through the Commons due to Tory rebels and lack of DUP support AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures No confidence motion Tory MPs triggered a confidence vote in the Prime Minister on December 12. She won by 200 votes to 117 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Commons rejects the deal Following the delay, the Prime Minister's deal was rejected in the Commons by a historic 230 votes AFP Brexit so far: in pictures Corbyn tables a no confidence motion Following the rejection of the Prime Minister's deal, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a motion of no confidence in the government, which the government won by a margin of 19 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Plan B The Prime Minister won the support of the commons to return to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop on January 29. In the same sitting, MPs also voted against a no-deal Brexit in a non-legally binding motion PA Brexit so far: in pictures EU council president savages Brexit campaigners who failed to plan for departure: Special place in hell There is a special place in hell for pro-Brexit campaigners who demanded Britain leave the EU without explaining how it should happen, Donald Tusk has said. The European Council president launched the scathing attack as he accused anti-EU campaigners of pushing for Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Mr Tusk also dismissed suggestions that the EU could reopen negotiations over the controversial Northern Ireland backstop, dealing a blow to Theresa Mays hopes of securing fresh concessions as she tries to get her exit deal through parliament. Speaking in Brussels alongside Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Mr Tusk said: Ive been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. He also tweeted the accusation moments later Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU and UK announce talks to restart after Theresa May visits Brussels Both have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find a way through the deadlock in Westminster, following a visit by Theresa May to Brussels. In a joint statement the British government and European Commission said Ms May had had a robust but constructive meeting with president Jean-Claude Juncker, and that the pair would meet again before the end of the month. But the EU again refused to reopen the withdrawal agreement and its controversial backstop  with any negotiations expected to focus on the future relationship between the UK and EU instead Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit strategy lost MPs voted down May's Brext plans, with a majority of 45. The prime minister did not appear in parliament to see another defeat PA Brexit so far: in pictures Labour and Conservative MPs resign and create the Independent Group Back row of Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Chuka Umunna and Mike Gapes, middle row of Angela Smith, Luciana Berger and Ann Coffey and front row of Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Joan Ryan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Non-biding votes on amendments to Brexit motion On February 27 he house held a series of votes, unanimously calling for the UK and EU to guarantee citizens rights in a no-deal scenario AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Attorney General publishes legal advice A hammer blow for May as Geoffrey Cox said her renegotiated deal can still leave UK in backstop against its will. Mr Cox did say the prime ministers efforts had reduced the risk of the UK being trapped in the backstop indefinitely. MPs went on to vote against her deal by 391 to 242 UK Parliament/PA Brexit so far: in pictures No-deal off the table MPs rejected a no-deal Brexit by 43 votes on March 13, with cabinet ministers rebelling in another humiliating defeat for Theresa May. A day later they voted in favour of the prime minister seeking an extension to Article 50 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures House speaker bans May from third Commons vote on same Brexit deal John Bercow sensationally told Theresa May he would stop her making another attempt to pass her Brexit deal unless she has secured changes. The Speaker said a further meaningful vote would be ruled out of order if the motion was the same or substantially the same  under an ancient convention to stop the government bullying parliament on issues MPs have rejected Parliament Live Brexit so far: in pictures May writes to Tusk The prime minister wrote to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, to ask for a three-month extension to give her more time to try to get her deal through parliament. However the European Commission advises the EU27 should offer a short extension to May 23 or a longer one meaning the UK would participate in European elections 10 Downing Street/AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures European Council summit Theresa Mays request to extend triggering Article 50 until the end of June was rejected by the EU, and instead offered a shorter time frame. She accepted the offer of a delay until May 22 if her withdrawal deal is approved by Parliament. If MPs rejected it for a third time, the EU said Britain must propose a new plan by April 12. Ms May said she will not support a long delay because it would mean Britain participating in elections for the European Parliament Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brussels confirms preparations for a no-deal Brexit are completed They warned that it is increasingly likely the UK will crash out. In a statement the European Commission (EC) said preparedness and contingency work, which the EC has been conducting since December 2017, was now finished. The announcement came days after EU leaders agreed to a request by Theresa May to extend the UKs Brexit date AFP Brexit so far: in pictures May resigns Reuters

Mr Corbyn was hit by a major rebellion in the Lords when 83 Labour peers defied the party whip to support being in the EEA.

MPs will now vote on the same amendment when the governments EU Withdrawal Bill returns to the House of Commons.

There has been a drive from Labour MPs who backed Remain to ensure the party supports the amendment, but Mr Corbyn has failed to up to now.

His refusal has led to criticism from former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and ex-foreign secretary David Miliband, while more of his MPs have begun calling for a new referendum on the final Brexit deal.
Lawyers are examining whether Theresa Mays plan for trading with the EU after Brexit is legal under international law, her deputy has admitted.

David Lidington, the cabinet office minister, also acknowledged that senior ministers had made serious criticisms about the technical detail behind the so-called customs partnership.

It would be a week or so before the inner cabinet was ready to fully examine both the partnership plan and the rival max fac model based on smart technology, he said.

However, Mr Lidington denied the involvement of lawyers presented a further hurdle, saying: We test the legal risks involved. This is just a normal routine part of policy

This is what always happens when you talk about a treaty. You check is this compatible with other treaties to which you are party, or the countries you are negotiating with are party.

This is not something that is special here - this is a normal part of everyday government business.

It is believed that David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, has told Theresa May that the customs partnership  under which the UK would collect tariffs for the EU - could be illegal.

A letter, setting out his opposition to the proposal, warns that, if the government backs the partnership plan now, it would be too late to reverse the policy if legal obstacles then emerged, it has been reported.

Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An abandoned shop is seen in Mullan, Co Monaghan. The building was home to four families who left during the Troubles. The town was largely abandoned after the hard border was put in place during the conflict. Mullan has seen some regeneration in recent years, but faces an uncertain future with Brexit on the horizon Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A defaced Welcome to Northern Ireland sign stands on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Mervyn Johnson owns a garage in the border town of Pettigo, which straddles the counties of Donegal and Fermanagh. Ive been here since 1956, it was a bit of a problem for a few years. My premises has been blown up about six or seven times, we just kept building and starting again, Johnson said laughing. We just got used to it [the hard border] really but now that its gone, we wouldn't like it back again Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Farmer Gordon Crocketts Coshquin farm straddles both Derry/Londonderry in the North and Donegal in the Republic. At the minute there is no real problem, you can cross the border as free as you want. We could cross it six or eight times a day, said Crockett. If there was any sort of obstruction it would slow down our work every day Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures John Murphy flies the European flag outside his home near the border village of Forkhill, Co Armagh Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Potter Brenda McGinn stands outside her Mullan, Co Monaghan, studio  the former Jas Boylan shoe factory which was the main employer in the area until it shut down due to the Troubles. When I came back, this would have been somewhere you would have driven through and have been quite sad. It was a decrepit looking village, said McGinn, whose Busy Bee Ceramics is one of a handful of enterprises restoring life to the community. Now this is a revitalised, old hidden village Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Union Flag colours painted on kerbstones and bus-stops along the border village of Newbuildings, Co Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Grass reflected in Lattone Lough, which is split by the border between Cavan and Fermanagh, seen from near Ballinacor, Northern Ireland Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Donegalman David McClintock sits in the Border Cafe in the village of Muff, which straddles Donegal and Derry/Londonderry Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures An old Irish phone box stands alongside a bus stop in the border town of Glaslough, Co Monaghan Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Billboards are viewed from inside a disused customs hut in Carrickcarnon, Co Down, on the border with Co Louth in the Republic Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Seamus McQuaid takes packages that locals on the Irish side of the border have delivered to his business, McQuaid Auto-Parts, to save money on postal fees, near the Co Fermanagh village of Newtownbutler. I live in the south but the business is in the North, said McQaid. "I wholesale into the Republic of Ireland so if theres duty, Ill have to set up a company 200 yards up the road to sell to my customers. Ill have to bring the same product in through Dublin instead of Belfast Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A disused Great Northern Railway line and station that was for customs and excise on the border town of Glenfarne, Co Leitrim Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures Alice Mullen, from Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland, does her shopping at a former customs post on the border in Middletown, Co Armagh. Id be very worried if it was a hard border, I remember when people were divided. I would be very afraid of the threat to the peace process, it was a dreadful time to live through. Even to go to mass on a Sunday, youd have to go through checkpoints. It is terribly stressful, said Mullen. All those barricades and boundaries were pulled down. I see it as a huge big exercise of trust and I do believe everyone breathed a sigh of relief Reuters Brexit threatens life on the Irish border: in pictures A bus stop and red post box stand in the border town of Jonesborough, Co Armagh Reuters

The attorney-general will also consider the legality of the maximum facilitation model, to establish if it could also be challenged at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, Mr Lidington also ruled out seeking to extend the post-Brexit transition period beyond the end of 2020, if the customs impasse continues.

He spoke after Mr Davis announced a white paper on Brexit strategy would be published next month, to rebut allegations that Britain has failed to state what kind of future relationship it wants.

But there is no guarantee the document will settle the row over future customs, as two small ministerial working groups continue to examine the flaws in both models.

Meanwhile, Labours shadow Brexit minister cast further doubt on the partys stance on the looming Commons vote on whether to stay in the EU single market.

This week, Jeremy Corbyns spokesman insisted he would not bow to pressure to back membership  but Paul Blomfield said Labour was ruling nothing off the table.

Mr Blomfield repeatedly sidestepped questions over whether Labour would back making membership of the European Economic Area (EEA) - and therefore the single market - a priority, when the issue comes before MPs.

We are going to make our decision on the amendments that come back from the Lords when the Government brings the legislation back from the Lords. We are ruling nothing off the table, he said.
MPs have blocked attempts to force confidential cabinet papers on Brexit to be released to Parliament.

Cabinet Office minister David Lidington claimed it would be extremely damaging for the quality of Government decisions if Labour's motion requiring publication of papers on the UK's two future customs models, including any economic analysis, was approved.

Pro-EU Conservative MP Anna Soubry also hit out at the opposition's "Mickey Mouse motion", adding Labour should have "done its job" by putting before the Commons a proposal about the customs union or customs arrangement.

But shadow Treasury minister Peter Dowd joked that Mickey Mouse was a popular icon respected by generations and millions of people, adding: "If this is a Mickey Mouse humble address, well, I'd have them every single day."

Labour's motion was the latest in a string of proposals using an arcane parliamentary procedure to make the vote binding on the government by issuing a "humble address" to the Queen asking her to require ministers to comply.

It was defeated by 301 votes to 269, majority 32, with Conservative MPs whipped to vote against it.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Lidington said: "I believe that the implications of the Opposition's motion today would indeed be extremely damaging for the quality of Government decisions, under government of any party."

Ministers and officials should be free to have frank discussions in private, he said, and their candour "would be affected if they thought the content of their discussions would be disclosed prematurely".

Mr Lidington went on: "It would not be in the national interest to release information that would form part of our negotiating position, and in order to ensure good governance, it is in all our interests, including the interests of those who might have the ambition at some very distant date to serve in a Labour government, to preserve the system of Cabinet government that allows for good and well thought through decisions."

Tory former minister Sir Patrick McLoughlin claimed publication of all the documents required by Labour would help the EU.

However, shadow Brexit minister Paul Blomfield said this argument was bogus, adding that both customs options under consideration should be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.

"The Cabinet is unable to agree. Parliament has a deep responsibility to stand up for the people that we represent, and we need access to the information to do that," he added.

Labour former minister Stephen Timms said Mr Lidington's argument was fatally undermined given cabinet ministers were already discussing the matter in public.

Labour's Chuka Umunna drew comparisons with the Second World War in terms of the demands to back a prime minister, noting his party did the "unimaginable" in 1940 by helping to drive Neville Chamberlain from office.

He said Labour was criticised at the time for being opportunistic and undermining the then prime minister, adding: "A lot in tone very similar to the criticisms levelled at us now for scrutinising what this government is doing on Brexit."

Mr Umunna said Brexit was a very different situation but urged MPs against acting as a rubber stamp for the prime minister as he argued for the papers to be released.

PA
The House of Lords has defied the government by passing proposals to maintain EU eco-standards after Brexit, inflicting yet another defeat on Theresa Mays withdrawal plans.

Peers accused ministers of using Brexit to water down environmental protections currently in place due to Britains EU membership, and of proposing they be replaced with a toothless imitation.

But the government denied the accusations and insisted their own proposals would strengthen protections, while supportive peers accused those behind the defeat of trying to derail Ms Mays Brexit legislation.

Lords voted by 294 to 244, a majority of 50, to amend Ms Mays EU Withdrawal Bill to ensure existing standards are maintained, constituting the 15th defeat in the upper chamber on the legislation.

As the third reading began today, independent crossbencher Lord Krebs said the governments post-Brexit plans to protect the environment were simply too weak.

He said: Were talking about the protection of our air quality, our water quality, rivers, oceans, habitats and biodiversity.

Although the rules protecting our environment will be translated into UK legislation, crucially the environmental principles underpinning those rules will not and the current mechanisms for enforcing the rules will disappear and not be replaced.

 The House of Lords defeats the government voting to remove the Brexit date from the bill

Lord Krebs said the amendment to the bill would plug this gap by ensuring the maintenance of EU environmental principles and standards.

Labours Baroness Jones of Whitchurch said the governments consultation document on environmental protection was a pale imitation of what we had been led to believe the document would say.

She said the promises had been watered down in a document which gave the environment less protection and provided for a watchdog with less power.

She added that the proposed environmental watchdog was a toothless imitation of the powers currently exercised by the European Commission to intervene and compel.

Warning of a governance gap, she said the amendment was the only way to maintain the spirit and substance of continuity with EU rights and the only way to protect the environment for future generations.

Responding, Brexit minister Lord Callanan said it was disappointing the amendment had been proposed.

 House of Lords votes out prospect of UK leaving EU with 'no deal'

He said: We have debated the important topic of environmental protection on numerous occasions and the government has taken clear action in response to many of the points raised.

He added: We have endeavoured to provide as much transparency as possible to our plan for ensuring environmental protections are enhanced and indeed strengthened, not weakened, as we leave the EU.

Conservative Lord Framlingham said the time spent debating all of the amendments had been dark days for the upper chamber.

He argued that people who should know better had put down amendments which had nothing to do with the legislation, but had caused irreparable damage to the reputation of the Lords.

Brexit so far: in pictures Show all 53 1 /53 Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson led the VoteLeave campaign PA Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson MP, Labour MP Gisela Stuart and UKIP MP Douglas Carswell address the people of Stafford in Market Square during the Vote Leave Brexit Battle Bus tour on 17 May 2016. Their lead line on the tour was: We send the EU 350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead. Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Voting day A man shelters from the rain as he arrives at a polling station in London on 23 June 2016. Millions of Britons voted in the referendum on whether to stay in or leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Referendum results Leader of Ukip, Nigel Farage, reacts at the Leave EU referendum party at Millbank Tower in central London as results indicated that it was likely the UK would leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Protesting the result A young couple painted as EU flags and a man with a sign reading Im not leaving protest outside Downing Street against the voters decision to leave the EU on 24 June 2016 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures David Cameron resigns British Prime Minister David Cameron resigns on the steps of 10 Downing Street on 24 June 2016 after the results of the EU referendum were declared and the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Theresa May Becomes the new Conservative Party leader Theresa May receives a kiss from her husband Philip, after becoming the new Conservative Party leader on 11 July 2016. May became Prime Minister two days later and although she voted to remain in the referendum was keen to lead Britains Brexit talks after her only rival in the race to succeed David Cameron pulled out unexpectedly. May was left as the only contender standing after the withdrawal from the leadership race of Andrea Leadsom, who faced criticism for suggesting she was more qualified to be prime minister because she had children AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Lancaster House keynote speech on Brexit British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers her keynote speech on Brexit at Lancaster House in London on 17 January 2017. Where she spoke about her offer to introduce a transition period after the UK formally leaves the European Union in March 2019. Despite repeating the pro-Brexit mantra of no deal is better than a bad deal, the Prime Minister claimed she wanted a tone of trust between the negotiators and said Britain was leaving the EU but not Europe. She said there should be a clear double lock needed for the transitional period to make sure businesses had time to prepare for changes to their trading relationships with the EU Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Triggering of Article 50 British Prime Minister Theresa May in the cabinet, sitting below a painting of Britain's first Prime Minister Robert Walpole, signs the official letter to European Council President Donald Tusk invoking Article 50 and the United Kingdom's intention to leave the EU on 29 March 2017 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Gibraltar nonsense Tensions have risen over Brexit negotiations for the Rock of Gibraltar. The European Council has said Gibraltar would be included in a trade deal between London and Brussels only with the agreement of Spain. While former Conservative leader Michael Howard claimed that Theresa May would be prepared to go to war to protect the territory. Spain's foreign minister stepped in only to assert that there was no need for the dispute Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Shock snap election Soon after triggering Article 50, Theresa May called on 18 April 2017 for a snap general election. The election would be on 8 June and it came as a shock move to many, with her reasoning to try to bolster her position before tough talks on leaving the EU AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Dissolution of Parliament for General Election Campaign Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing Street after returning from Buckingham Palace on 3 May 2017. The Prime Minister visited the Queen to ask for the dissolution of Parliament signalling the official start to the general election campaign Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Conservatives lose parliamentary majority An arrangement of British daily newspapers showing front page stories about the exit poll results of the snap general election. British Prime Minister Theresa May faced pressure to resign on 9 June 2017 after losing her parliamentary majority, plunging the country into uncertainty as Brexit talks loomed. The pound fell sharply amid fears the Conservative leader would be unable to form a government AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Labour gains Britains opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gives a tumbs up as he arrives at Labour headquarters in central London on 9 June 2017 after the snap general election results showed a hung parliament with Labour gains and the Conservatives losing their majority AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit negotiations begin Brexit Minister David Davis and European Commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations Michel Barnier address a press conference at the end of the first day of Brexit negotiations in Brussels on 19 June 2017 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May speaks in Florence British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks on 22 September 2017, in Florence. May sought to unlock Brexit talks after Brussels demanded more clarity on the crunch issues of budget payments and EU citizens' rights AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit  insufficient progress German Chancellor Angela Merkel joins other EU leaders for a breakfast meeting during an EU summit in Brussels on 20 October 2017. The EU spoke about Brexit and announced that insufficient progress had been made AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures DUP derails settlement on the withdrawal part of Brexit DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds walks off after speaking to members of the media as a protester holding flags shouts after him outside the Houses of Parliament on 5 December 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to pull out of a deal with Brussels after the DUP said it would not accept terms which see Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May suffers defeat over EU (Withdrawal) Bill Theresa May suffers defeat in parliament over EU (Withdrawal) Bill on 13 December 2017. The Government was defeated by Conservative rebels and Labour MPs in a vote on its key piece of Brexit legislation. MPs amended the EU (Withdrawal) Bill against Theresa May's will, guaranteeing Parliament a meaningful vote on any Brexit deal she agrees with Brussels. Ms May's whips applied pressure on Conservative rebels who remained defiant in the Commons throughout the day and in the end the Government was defeated by 309 votes to 305 Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit  sufficient progress Britain's Prime minister Theresa May arrives to attend the first day of a European union summit in Brussels on 14 December 2017. European leaders discussed Brexit and announced there was finally sufficient progress at the end of the two days AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures The game moves to transition Brexit Secretary David Davis gives evidence on developments in European Union divorce talks to the Commons Exiting the EU Committee in Portcullis House, London, on 24 January 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures Trade deal is what May wants French President Emmanuel Macron gestures to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May after they hold a press conference at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, on 18 January 2018. May and Macron agreed a new border security deal, through which the UK will pay more to France to stop migrants trying to reach British shores on 18 January 2018 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Transition period agreed The UK and EU agree terms for Brexit transition period on 19 March, 2018 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures No agreement on Irish border The EU and UK however failed to reach an agreement on the Irish border during the successful talks on other Brexit issues AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU attacks Mays fantasy strategy For months after the March deal is struck there is little significant progress in talks. One senior EU official tears into Britains fantasy negotiating strategy and accuses Theresa May of not even having a position on a variety of important issue Getty Brexit so far: in pictures UK releases Ireland plan Britain releases a new customs plan to solve the Northern Ireland border but Michel Barnier says it leaves unanswered questions and would not prevent a hard border EbS Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan agreed The cabinet agrees on a plan known as the "Chequers deal" on July 6 2018. The plan seeks regulatory alignment on goods and food, divergence on services, freedom from the European Courts of Justice and an end to free movement. Many were surprised that the hard Brexiteers of the cabinet would agree to this plan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan sparks resignations Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and numerous ministers resign in the days following the Chequers agreement Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Davis out, Raab in On 9 July, Dominic Raab replaces David Davis as Brexit Secretary. Raab is a keen Brexiteer and was a housing minister before taking over from Davis Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Barnier's "deal like no other" EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier claims on August 29 2018 that they are prepared to offer Britain a trade deal like no other, though he stressed that they will not divide or change the single market to accommodate Britain AP Brexit so far: in pictures "My deal or no deal" In an interview on Panorama on September 17, the Prime Minister insists that any Brexit deal will be offered to the EU on her terms. She asserts this amongst continued attacks on her approach to Brexit by Boris Johnson and the European Research Group, headed by Jacob Rees Mogg BBC/Jeff Overs Brexit so far: in pictures EU leaders reject Chequers Quite the blow was dealt to the Prime Minister at a EU leaders summit in Salzburg on September 20. European Council President Donald Tusk stated that the Chequers deal "will not work" Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures May demands respect Following the rejection of her Chequers plan the day before, the Prime Minister voiced her anger that the EU had dismissed it without offering an alternative. She stated that throughout this process, I have treated the EU with nothing but respect. The UK expects the same. A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it." Getty Brexit so far: in pictures People's Vote march As the People's Vote campaign and The Independent's Final Say campaign gain traction, 700,000 people turn out in London to demand a final say on the UK's Brexit deal on October 20 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures More resignations As the Prime Minister settles on a Brexit deal, Brexit secretary Dominic Raab resigns along with Work and Pensions secretary Esther McVey and many other ministers Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Final Say petitions delivered to Downing Street People's Vote supporting MPs Chukka Umunna, Justine Greening and Caroline Lucas and The Independent editor Christian Broughton deliver over a million signatures in favour of a People's Vote to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street on December 3 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures May delays vote On December 10, the Prime Minister delayed the vote on her Brexit deal as it was near certain not to pass through the Commons due to Tory rebels and lack of DUP support AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures No confidence motion Tory MPs triggered a confidence vote in the Prime Minister on December 12. She won by 200 votes to 117 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Commons rejects the deal Following the delay, the Prime Minister's deal was rejected in the Commons by a historic 230 votes AFP Brexit so far: in pictures Corbyn tables a no confidence motion Following the rejection of the Prime Minister's deal, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a motion of no confidence in the government, which the government won by a margin of 19 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Plan B The Prime Minister won the support of the commons to return to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop on January 29. In the same sitting, MPs also voted against a no-deal Brexit in a non-legally binding motion PA Brexit so far: in pictures EU council president savages Brexit campaigners who failed to plan for departure: Special place in hell There is a special place in hell for pro-Brexit campaigners who demanded Britain leave the EU without explaining how it should happen, Donald Tusk has said. The European Council president launched the scathing attack as he accused anti-EU campaigners of pushing for Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Mr Tusk also dismissed suggestions that the EU could reopen negotiations over the controversial Northern Ireland backstop, dealing a blow to Theresa Mays hopes of securing fresh concessions as she tries to get her exit deal through parliament. Speaking in Brussels alongside Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Mr Tusk said: Ive been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. He also tweeted the accusation moments later Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU and UK announce talks to restart after Theresa May visits Brussels Both have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find a way through the deadlock in Westminster, following a visit by Theresa May to Brussels. In a joint statement the British government and European Commission said Ms May had had a robust but constructive meeting with president Jean-Claude Juncker, and that the pair would meet again before the end of the month. But the EU again refused to reopen the withdrawal agreement and its controversial backstop  with any negotiations expected to focus on the future relationship between the UK and EU instead Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit strategy lost MPs voted down May's Brext plans, with a majority of 45. The prime minister did not appear in parliament to see another defeat PA Brexit so far: in pictures Labour and Conservative MPs resign and create the Independent Group Back row of Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Chuka Umunna and Mike Gapes, middle row of Angela Smith, Luciana Berger and Ann Coffey and front row of Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Joan Ryan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Non-biding votes on amendments to Brexit motion On February 27 he house held a series of votes, unanimously calling for the UK and EU to guarantee citizens rights in a no-deal scenario AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Attorney General publishes legal advice A hammer blow for May as Geoffrey Cox said her renegotiated deal can still leave UK in backstop against its will. Mr Cox did say the prime ministers efforts had reduced the risk of the UK being trapped in the backstop indefinitely. MPs went on to vote against her deal by 391 to 242 UK Parliament/PA Brexit so far: in pictures No-deal off the table MPs rejected a no-deal Brexit by 43 votes on March 13, with cabinet ministers rebelling in another humiliating defeat for Theresa May. A day later they voted in favour of the prime minister seeking an extension to Article 50 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures House speaker bans May from third Commons vote on same Brexit deal John Bercow sensationally told Theresa May he would stop her making another attempt to pass her Brexit deal unless she has secured changes. The Speaker said a further meaningful vote would be ruled out of order if the motion was the same or substantially the same  under an ancient convention to stop the government bullying parliament on issues MPs have rejected Parliament Live Brexit so far: in pictures May writes to Tusk The prime minister wrote to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, to ask for a three-month extension to give her more time to try to get her deal through parliament. However the European Commission advises the EU27 should offer a short extension to May 23 or a longer one meaning the UK would participate in European elections 10 Downing Street/AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures European Council summit Theresa Mays request to extend triggering Article 50 until the end of June was rejected by the EU, and instead offered a shorter time frame. She accepted the offer of a delay until May 22 if her withdrawal deal is approved by Parliament. If MPs rejected it for a third time, the EU said Britain must propose a new plan by April 12. Ms May said she will not support a long delay because it would mean Britain participating in elections for the European Parliament Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brussels confirms preparations for a no-deal Brexit are completed They warned that it is increasingly likely the UK will crash out. In a statement the European Commission (EC) said preparedness and contingency work, which the EC has been conducting since December 2017, was now finished. The announcement came days after EU leaders agreed to a request by Theresa May to extend the UKs Brexit date AFP Brexit so far: in pictures May resigns Reuters

But Tory colleague Lord Cormack told him: If anybody is doing damage to the reputation of this house it is you.

Former environment secretary Lord Deben also later rubbished Lord Framlinghams comments, telling the peer that the Lords was running entirely with public opinion.

The Tory peer, who served in John Majors government, said: I want us to strengthen the hand of the future, I want us to strengthen the hand of the commonality of Britain, my noble friend Lord Framlingham suggests that somehow or other were running against public opinion.

I have to say were running entirely with public opinion on this, the public wants proper protection, the public wants to make sure that their children and their grandchildren live in an enhanced and better world.

The government has indicated that it will overturn as many of the amendments passed by the Lords as possible when the legislation returns to the Commons.
Problems with the British governments plans to register EU citizens for settled status after Brexit have not been sufficiently addressed, the European Parliaments Brexit chief has warned.

On Wednesday Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, travelled to Brussels to meet with Guy Verhofstadt, the parliaments Brexit coordinator in a bid to placate his and other MEPs concerns with British plans.

The Windrush scandal, which claimed the job of Mr Javids predecessor Amber Rudd at the end of last month, has spooked EU citizens groups and some MEPs  who worry that lives could be ruined by a similar Home Office disaster.

EU citizens have already faced a number of immigration system mishaps following Brexit; some were wrongly sent deportation letters by the Home Office last year  an incident that caused some to spend thousands of legal fees, and which Theresa May described as an unfortunate error.

Mr Javids meeting with Mr Verhofstadt also came just a day after Mr Javid admitted more than 60 people with a right to live in the UK may have been wrongly deported, according to his departments latest analysis.

The European Parliament has sought a number of assurances on how easy and simple the system would be. The registration scheme was ridiculed last month after it emerge that iPhone users would not be able to use a scanning feature in the registration app, which would only be available for Android phones.

It was a pleasure to meet with Mr Javid today and I look forward to working with him closely in order to provide more certainty for both EU and UK citizens after Brexit. We agreed to work closely together to get this right, Mr Verhofstadt said after the one-on-one meeting at the Parliaments Brussels base.

European Parliament Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt (PA)

I welcome Mr Javid's response to the European Parliament's concerns about the Home Office's proposed registration procedure for EU citizens in the UK and related matters, but at this time we do not believe our anxieties have yet been sufficiently addressed. We reiterate our belief that the registration process should, as a matter of principle, be cost-free. It is unacceptable that citizens who were never consulted on Brexit should have to pay to retain their existing rights.

He added: MEPs remain concerned about the technological shortcomings of the proposed registration app and the fact that any alternative is limited to sending passports by post only, the lack of clarity for vulnerable groups, the length of the process, the consequence of criminality checks and that families may not be able to register using one form.

The European Parliament has been resolute in pressing to further the rights of UK citizens in the EU, including in particular the right to free movement for UK citizens resident in the EU after Brexit. As a Parliament, we are united in the belief that neither EU citizens in the UK or UK citizens in the EU should be punished because of Brexit."

Brexit so far: in pictures Show all 53 1 /53 Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson led the VoteLeave campaign PA Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit campaign Boris Johnson MP, Labour MP Gisela Stuart and UKIP MP Douglas Carswell address the people of Stafford in Market Square during the Vote Leave Brexit Battle Bus tour on 17 May 2016. Their lead line on the tour was: We send the EU 350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead. Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Voting day A man shelters from the rain as he arrives at a polling station in London on 23 June 2016. Millions of Britons voted in the referendum on whether to stay in or leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Referendum results Leader of Ukip, Nigel Farage, reacts at the Leave EU referendum party at Millbank Tower in central London as results indicated that it was likely the UK would leave the European Union AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Protesting the result A young couple painted as EU flags and a man with a sign reading Im not leaving protest outside Downing Street against the voters decision to leave the EU on 24 June 2016 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures David Cameron resigns British Prime Minister David Cameron resigns on the steps of 10 Downing Street on 24 June 2016 after the results of the EU referendum were declared and the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Theresa May Becomes the new Conservative Party leader Theresa May receives a kiss from her husband Philip, after becoming the new Conservative Party leader on 11 July 2016. May became Prime Minister two days later and although she voted to remain in the referendum was keen to lead Britains Brexit talks after her only rival in the race to succeed David Cameron pulled out unexpectedly. May was left as the only contender standing after the withdrawal from the leadership race of Andrea Leadsom, who faced criticism for suggesting she was more qualified to be prime minister because she had children AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Lancaster House keynote speech on Brexit British Prime Minister Theresa May delivers her keynote speech on Brexit at Lancaster House in London on 17 January 2017. Where she spoke about her offer to introduce a transition period after the UK formally leaves the European Union in March 2019. Despite repeating the pro-Brexit mantra of no deal is better than a bad deal, the Prime Minister claimed she wanted a tone of trust between the negotiators and said Britain was leaving the EU but not Europe. She said there should be a clear double lock needed for the transitional period to make sure businesses had time to prepare for changes to their trading relationships with the EU Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Triggering of Article 50 British Prime Minister Theresa May in the cabinet, sitting below a painting of Britain's first Prime Minister Robert Walpole, signs the official letter to European Council President Donald Tusk invoking Article 50 and the United Kingdom's intention to leave the EU on 29 March 2017 Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Gibraltar nonsense Tensions have risen over Brexit negotiations for the Rock of Gibraltar. The European Council has said Gibraltar would be included in a trade deal between London and Brussels only with the agreement of Spain. While former Conservative leader Michael Howard claimed that Theresa May would be prepared to go to war to protect the territory. Spain's foreign minister stepped in only to assert that there was no need for the dispute Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Shock snap election Soon after triggering Article 50, Theresa May called on 18 April 2017 for a snap general election. The election would be on 8 June and it came as a shock move to many, with her reasoning to try to bolster her position before tough talks on leaving the EU AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Dissolution of Parliament for General Election Campaign Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing Street after returning from Buckingham Palace on 3 May 2017. The Prime Minister visited the Queen to ask for the dissolution of Parliament signalling the official start to the general election campaign Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Conservatives lose parliamentary majority An arrangement of British daily newspapers showing front page stories about the exit poll results of the snap general election. British Prime Minister Theresa May faced pressure to resign on 9 June 2017 after losing her parliamentary majority, plunging the country into uncertainty as Brexit talks loomed. The pound fell sharply amid fears the Conservative leader would be unable to form a government AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Labour gains Britains opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gives a tumbs up as he arrives at Labour headquarters in central London on 9 June 2017 after the snap general election results showed a hung parliament with Labour gains and the Conservatives losing their majority AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit negotiations begin Brexit Minister David Davis and European Commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations Michel Barnier address a press conference at the end of the first day of Brexit negotiations in Brussels on 19 June 2017 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May speaks in Florence British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks on 22 September 2017, in Florence. May sought to unlock Brexit talks after Brussels demanded more clarity on the crunch issues of budget payments and EU citizens' rights AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit  insufficient progress German Chancellor Angela Merkel joins other EU leaders for a breakfast meeting during an EU summit in Brussels on 20 October 2017. The EU spoke about Brexit and announced that insufficient progress had been made AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures DUP derails settlement on the withdrawal part of Brexit DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds walks off after speaking to members of the media as a protester holding flags shouts after him outside the Houses of Parliament on 5 December 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to pull out of a deal with Brussels after the DUP said it would not accept terms which see Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK Getty Brexit so far: in pictures May suffers defeat over EU (Withdrawal) Bill Theresa May suffers defeat in parliament over EU (Withdrawal) Bill on 13 December 2017. The Government was defeated by Conservative rebels and Labour MPs in a vote on its key piece of Brexit legislation. MPs amended the EU (Withdrawal) Bill against Theresa May's will, guaranteeing Parliament a meaningful vote on any Brexit deal she agrees with Brussels. Ms May's whips applied pressure on Conservative rebels who remained defiant in the Commons throughout the day and in the end the Government was defeated by 309 votes to 305 Brexit so far: in pictures EU council summit  sufficient progress Britain's Prime minister Theresa May arrives to attend the first day of a European union summit in Brussels on 14 December 2017. European leaders discussed Brexit and announced there was finally sufficient progress at the end of the two days AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures The game moves to transition Brexit Secretary David Davis gives evidence on developments in European Union divorce talks to the Commons Exiting the EU Committee in Portcullis House, London, on 24 January 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures Trade deal is what May wants French President Emmanuel Macron gestures to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May after they hold a press conference at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, on 18 January 2018. May and Macron agreed a new border security deal, through which the UK will pay more to France to stop migrants trying to reach British shores on 18 January 2018 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Transition period agreed The UK and EU agree terms for Brexit transition period on 19 March, 2018 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures No agreement on Irish border The EU and UK however failed to reach an agreement on the Irish border during the successful talks on other Brexit issues AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU attacks Mays fantasy strategy For months after the March deal is struck there is little significant progress in talks. One senior EU official tears into Britains fantasy negotiating strategy and accuses Theresa May of not even having a position on a variety of important issue Getty Brexit so far: in pictures UK releases Ireland plan Britain releases a new customs plan to solve the Northern Ireland border but Michel Barnier says it leaves unanswered questions and would not prevent a hard border EbS Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan agreed The cabinet agrees on a plan known as the "Chequers deal" on July 6 2018. The plan seeks regulatory alignment on goods and food, divergence on services, freedom from the European Courts of Justice and an end to free movement. Many were surprised that the hard Brexiteers of the cabinet would agree to this plan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Chequers plan sparks resignations Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and numerous ministers resign in the days following the Chequers agreement Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Davis out, Raab in On 9 July, Dominic Raab replaces David Davis as Brexit Secretary. Raab is a keen Brexiteer and was a housing minister before taking over from Davis Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Barnier's "deal like no other" EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier claims on August 29 2018 that they are prepared to offer Britain a trade deal like no other, though he stressed that they will not divide or change the single market to accommodate Britain AP Brexit so far: in pictures "My deal or no deal" In an interview on Panorama on September 17, the Prime Minister insists that any Brexit deal will be offered to the EU on her terms. She asserts this amongst continued attacks on her approach to Brexit by Boris Johnson and the European Research Group, headed by Jacob Rees Mogg BBC/Jeff Overs Brexit so far: in pictures EU leaders reject Chequers Quite the blow was dealt to the Prime Minister at a EU leaders summit in Salzburg on September 20. European Council President Donald Tusk stated that the Chequers deal "will not work" Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures May demands respect Following the rejection of her Chequers plan the day before, the Prime Minister voiced her anger that the EU had dismissed it without offering an alternative. She stated that throughout this process, I have treated the EU with nothing but respect. The UK expects the same. A good relationship at the end of this process depends on it." Getty Brexit so far: in pictures People's Vote march As the People's Vote campaign and The Independent's Final Say campaign gain traction, 700,000 people turn out in London to demand a final say on the UK's Brexit deal on October 20 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures More resignations As the Prime Minister settles on a Brexit deal, Brexit secretary Dominic Raab resigns along with Work and Pensions secretary Esther McVey and many other ministers Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Final Say petitions delivered to Downing Street People's Vote supporting MPs Chukka Umunna, Justine Greening and Caroline Lucas and The Independent editor Christian Broughton deliver over a million signatures in favour of a People's Vote to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street on December 3 2018 PA Brexit so far: in pictures May delays vote On December 10, the Prime Minister delayed the vote on her Brexit deal as it was near certain not to pass through the Commons due to Tory rebels and lack of DUP support AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures No confidence motion Tory MPs triggered a confidence vote in the Prime Minister on December 12. She won by 200 votes to 117 Reuters Brexit so far: in pictures Commons rejects the deal Following the delay, the Prime Minister's deal was rejected in the Commons by a historic 230 votes AFP Brexit so far: in pictures Corbyn tables a no confidence motion Following the rejection of the Prime Minister's deal, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a motion of no confidence in the government, which the government won by a margin of 19 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Plan B The Prime Minister won the support of the commons to return to Brussels to renegotiate the backstop on January 29. In the same sitting, MPs also voted against a no-deal Brexit in a non-legally binding motion PA Brexit so far: in pictures EU council president savages Brexit campaigners who failed to plan for departure: Special place in hell There is a special place in hell for pro-Brexit campaigners who demanded Britain leave the EU without explaining how it should happen, Donald Tusk has said. The European Council president launched the scathing attack as he accused anti-EU campaigners of pushing for Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. Mr Tusk also dismissed suggestions that the EU could reopen negotiations over the controversial Northern Ireland backstop, dealing a blow to Theresa Mays hopes of securing fresh concessions as she tries to get her exit deal through parliament. Speaking in Brussels alongside Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Mr Tusk said: Ive been wondering what a special place in hell looks like for people who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely. He also tweeted the accusation moments later Getty Brexit so far: in pictures EU and UK announce talks to restart after Theresa May visits Brussels Both have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find a way through the deadlock in Westminster, following a visit by Theresa May to Brussels. In a joint statement the British government and European Commission said Ms May had had a robust but constructive meeting with president Jean-Claude Juncker, and that the pair would meet again before the end of the month. But the EU again refused to reopen the withdrawal agreement and its controversial backstop  with any negotiations expected to focus on the future relationship between the UK and EU instead Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brexit strategy lost MPs voted down May's Brext plans, with a majority of 45. The prime minister did not appear in parliament to see another defeat PA Brexit so far: in pictures Labour and Conservative MPs resign and create the Independent Group Back row of Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Chuka Umunna and Mike Gapes, middle row of Angela Smith, Luciana Berger and Ann Coffey and front row of Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Joan Ryan PA Brexit so far: in pictures Non-biding votes on amendments to Brexit motion On February 27 he house held a series of votes, unanimously calling for the UK and EU to guarantee citizens rights in a no-deal scenario AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Attorney General publishes legal advice A hammer blow for May as Geoffrey Cox said her renegotiated deal can still leave UK in backstop against its will. Mr Cox did say the prime ministers efforts had reduced the risk of the UK being trapped in the backstop indefinitely. MPs went on to vote against her deal by 391 to 242 UK Parliament/PA Brexit so far: in pictures No-deal off the table MPs rejected a no-deal Brexit by 43 votes on March 13, with cabinet ministers rebelling in another humiliating defeat for Theresa May. A day later they voted in favour of the prime minister seeking an extension to Article 50 AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures House speaker bans May from third Commons vote on same Brexit deal John Bercow sensationally told Theresa May he would stop her making another attempt to pass her Brexit deal unless she has secured changes. The Speaker said a further meaningful vote would be ruled out of order if the motion was the same or substantially the same  under an ancient convention to stop the government bullying parliament on issues MPs have rejected Parliament Live Brexit so far: in pictures May writes to Tusk The prime minister wrote to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, to ask for a three-month extension to give her more time to try to get her deal through parliament. However the European Commission advises the EU27 should offer a short extension to May 23 or a longer one meaning the UK would participate in European elections 10 Downing Street/AFP/Getty Brexit so far: in pictures European Council summit Theresa Mays request to extend triggering Article 50 until the end of June was rejected by the EU, and instead offered a shorter time frame. She accepted the offer of a delay until May 22 if her withdrawal deal is approved by Parliament. If MPs rejected it for a third time, the EU said Britain must propose a new plan by April 12. Ms May said she will not support a long delay because it would mean Britain participating in elections for the European Parliament Getty Brexit so far: in pictures Brussels confirms preparations for a no-deal Brexit are completed They warned that it is increasingly likely the UK will crash out. In a statement the European Commission (EC) said preparedness and contingency work, which the EC has been conducting since December 2017, was now finished. The announcement came days after EU leaders agreed to a request by Theresa May to extend the UKs Brexit date AFP Brexit so far: in pictures May resigns Reuters

Mr Javid left the meeting without making any comment to waiting reporters, and was hurried away from the press back into an elevator by a group of his aides. There were comedic scenes after an official pressed the wrong button in the lift, causing the doors to re-open and delay the ministers escape.

The Independent has contacted the Home Office to see if the secretary of states department would provide comment for him. He later tweeted: Good to be out in Brussels today, meeting with Guy Verhofstadt and several EU counterparts. Discussing the UK's commitment to European security and our ongoing work on EU citizens rights.

EU citizens living in Britain at the end of the Brexit transition period will have to have applied for settled status under the Government's plans. An application is likely to cost around 70 and under current proposals individual applications will have to be submitted for each family member.
The president of the European Council has torn into Donald Trump, warning that the US president is a bad friend who acts with capricious assertiveness.

Speaking on Wednesday Donald Tusk said he was grateful for Mr Trump because he had made us realise that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm.

The EU leader told reporters at a summit in the Bulgarian capital Sofia that Europe had to be prepared to go it alone in some circumstances because the new shift in American politics made the US an unreliable ally.

European heads of state and government are gathering at the Western Balkans summit to discuss the regions future, but they will also hold talks about how to respond to renewed US aggression on trade and foreign affairs.

The warning comes after the US pulled out of a key deal on Irans nuclear programme, unilaterally moved its Israel embassy to the disputed city of Jerusalem, and threatened new tariffs against European steel and aluminium producers.

Mr Tusk said he wanted Europe to stick to our guns against Mr Trumps new policies, and called for a permanent exemption from the metals tariffs. He branded a US move to use national security grounds to justify the protectionism as absurd and not based in reality.

Besides traditional political challenges, such as the rise of China or the aggressive stance of Russia, we are witnessing today a new phenomenon: the capricious assertiveness of the American administration, Mr Tusk said at the start of the summit.

Frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful for President Trump because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions Donald Tusk, European Council president

Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think: with friends like that, who needs enemies? But frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful for President Trump because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realise that if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm.

He continued: Europe must do everything in its power to protect, in spite of todays mood, the transatlantic bond, but at the same time we must be prepared for those scenarios where we have to act on our own. We have enough potential to rise to the challenge, but what we need is more political unity and determination.

Donald Trump has moved to impose protectionist measures against US allies (AFP)

The EU has taken a tough rhetorical line against the US in response to Mr Trump; earlier this year Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs on US goods such as Levis jeans, Harley-Davidson motorbikes, and Bourbon whiskey if Europe was hit by protectionist measures.

The US president has for his part said that trade wars are good, and easy to win, and has characterised EU trade policies as very unfair on the US.

Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience after taking the oath of office as his wife Melania (L) and daughter Tiffany watch during inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West Front of the US capital in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jim Bourg: "This photo was shot with one of two remote cameras. The cameras were monitored and triggered remotely and the pictures were transmitted to clients worldwide within minutes of being taken." Reuters/Jim Bourg Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Obama farewell address - 10 January 2017 US President Barack Obama wipes away tears as he delivers his farewell address in Chicago on 10 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "In his final days in office, Obama made a visit home to Chicago. As he spoke from the stage to his wife and daughter in the audience, he became emotional when he talked about what they had sacrificed during his time in office. I turned from photographing the Obama women embracing to find him onstage wiping away tears." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 A combination of photos shows the crowds attending the inauguration ceremonies to swear in U.S. President Donald Trump at 12:01pm (left) on January 20, 2017 and President Barack Obama sometime between 12:07pm and 12:26pm on January 20, 2009. Reuters/ Lucas Jackson/Stelios Varias Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Liberty Ball - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the Liberty Ball in honour of his inauguration in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "What I see when I look at this picture is the end of a very long day, not to mention weeks and months of preparation by many photographers, editors and network experts and the beginning of everything since." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception - 22 January 2017 US President Donald Trump greets Director of the FBI James Comey as Director of the Secret Service Joseph Clancy (L), watches during the Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on 22 January, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "I have covered the White House for 16 years and normally either the President or the pool is in position when an event starts. In this case the President was not where anyone expected him to be. In fact, he was almost blocking the door when the pool came in. We had to scramble to find a position without bumping him or the furniture as he greeted and thanked members of law enforcement for their security efforts during the inauguration. Luckily, he greeted FBI Director James Comey a few seconds after the pool had made its way into the room." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Private phone calls to world leaders - 28 January 2017 US President Donald Trump, is joined by his staff, as he speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office on 28 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Very early in the Trump administration, weekends were as busy as weekdays. On Trump's second Saturday the official schedule said he would be making private phone calls to a number of world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin. I arrived early and, before sitting down at my desk walked up to Press Secretary Sean Spicer's office. He, too, was just taking his coat off. I gingerly made the suggestion that previous administrations had sometimes allowed photos of such phone calls through the Oval Office windows on the colonnade. To my mild shock, he didn't even think about it twice. "We'll do it!" he said. In truth, I really only expected the Putin call, but we were outside the windows multiple times throughout the day as the calls went on." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway - 27 February 2017 Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway (L) attends as US President Donald Trump welcomes the leaders of dozens of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the Oval Office on 27 February, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "We're often asked how much access we have to the Trump administration, and the answer is we have an awful lot. President Trump himself is very comfortable in the spotlight, and his aides are similarly unfazed by cameras. In this instance, senior advisor Kellyanne Conway was so comfortable in our presence she seemed not to consider the optics of kneeling on a Oval Office sofa to take pictures with her phone." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Angela Merkel heads to Washington - 17 March 2017 Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on 17 March, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Chancellor Merkel made one of the earliest important visits of any US allies to meet Trump in his first months in office. When world leaders give joint news conferences they don't always tend to give each other their full attention - but Merkel watched Trump intently at several key moments, and here seemed particularly rapt." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump welcomes truckers to the White House - 23 March 2017 President Trump reacts as he sits on a truck while he welcomes truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting regarding healthcare at the White House on 23 March, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "The White House organised a listening session with truckers and CEO's of major American companies, regarding healthcare reform. An 18-wheeler tow truck was parked on the South Lawn of the White House and as Trump welcomed the truckers someone invited the him to come and sit in the driver's seat. Trump jumped into the cab and started yelling and pretending to drive - creating one of the most memorable pictures of the year. A lesson learned, always be prepared for the unexpected." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 6 April 2017 US President Donald Trump talks to journalists members of the travel pool on board the Air Force One during his trip to Palm Beach, Florida on 6 April, 2017. Carlos Barria: "During the many trips to President Trump's residence in Florida it is usual to see the president coming to the back of the plane to chat with journalists. During one of the trips to the so called 'Winter White House', Trump had a long talk with reporters while the Air Force One entertainment system was playing one of the latest Star Wars movies. As I was listening to Trump talk I was also looking at the movie waiting for a part of the movie to frame the mood of the day. Of the many scenes, I choose the one with Darth Vader." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office of the White House on 27 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "A day before President Trump's hundred days in office I was part of the team that interviewed the commander-in-chief in the Oval Office. I was only allowed to photograph Trump during the last five minutes of the interview. The time was very tight so I had to move fast as I had pictures in mind that I wanted to shoot. I walked into the Oval Office and saw that the President had printed maps of the country showing areas in red where he won. I raised my hands holding my camera as high as possible to get the best view of the scene using a 16mm wide angle lens." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump reacts as he arrives at Harrisburg international airport, before attending a rally marking his first 100 days in office in Pennsylvania on 29 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to celebrate his hundred days in office with a victory rally. He was in friendly territory as he won with a big difference over his opponent Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, during the November elections. As usual when the commander-in-chief arrives local residents gather to greet him. This time a small group of military personnel attended the arrival. Surrounded by secret service agents Trump walked from the Air Force One and raised his hand in a sign of victory as the crowd cheered him on." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 2 May 2017 White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (L) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus watch as US President Donald Trump presents the U.S. Air Force Academy football team with the Commander-in-Chief trophy in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on 2 May, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "Covering the White House does not just mean covering the President. White House staffers are an important part of the story and their relationship with the President and each other is an indicator of how things are going in the West Wing. The tendency is to focus exclusively on the President once an event starts but I always try to look around to see how people are reacting as things unfold." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Secret Service - 4 May 2017 Secret Service agents use a presidential limousine as cover from spraying water as US President Donald Trump lands via Marine One helicopter in New York on 4 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "The best part of any trip to New York City with the sitting US President is the helicopter ride into Manhattan. The ride out at night can be stunning. Here, Secret Service agents protect themselves from the spray from the East River as Trump lands on the helipad." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures NATO Summit - 25 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wait the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron (unseen) before a lunch ahead of a NATO Summit in Brussels on 25 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "One of the best parts of travelling overseas for White House coverage is the chance to see the U.S. president in different environments and (literally) a different light. Here, Trump and his wife came out of the shadows to greet France's President Macron." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump meets Putin at G20 summit - 7 July 2017 US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on 7 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "On July 7, I witnessed one of the most important meetings of President Trump's first year in office. Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Germany. The world's eyes were on these two leaders after speculation about Russian interference during the 2016 US elections. We entered the room for less than two minutes, where I took dozens of pictures. But there was this very interesting moment when Trump extended his hand to Putin for a handshake. Putin paused for a second and looked at Trump's hand. That was the picture that I was looking for, a little moment that seemed to say a lot." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures First lady - 8 July 2017 First lady Melania Trump chats with US President Donald Trump during their return from Germany at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 8 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "After President Trump's trip to Germany he arrived back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. First Lady Melania Trump said goodbye to Trump as she was heading off in a different direction that day. While chatting a breeze blew Melania's hair up in the air." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Made in America product showcase - 17 July 2017 Vice President Mike Pence laughs as President Donald Trump holds a baseball bat as they attend a Made in America product showcase event at the White House on 17 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "This summer the White House organized an event to showcase 'Made in America' products. All kinds of exhibitors brought their products as the President and Vice President toured the event. One of the companies was Marucci Sport, a manufacturer of baseball bats based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As Trump approached a table full of baseball bats, photographers at the event, including me, rushed to get a good angle hoping that he would pick up a bat. As we predicted, he did. He took one and joked around as though he was hitting something hard. The only thing closer to him right there, was the media." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 25 July 2017 Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says hello to reporters as he and White House advisors including Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci accompany President Trump for an event celebrating veterans at AMVETS Post 44 in Ohio, July 25, 2017. Jonathan Ernst: "The most visible person in any White House is naturally the President, followed by the press secretary. But there are also the staff who support them. For those of us covering the Trump administration, there seem to be more compelling figures in the West Wing than ever before. It's crucial to know who's who and why they're important. When I raised my camera and back-pedalled ahead of the group to take this image Lewandowski gave me a hello. I liked the photo, but had no idea it would go a little bit viral, especially since Scaramucci, who was the biggest mover and shaker that week, was hidden back in the pack. But I guess the image catches a glimpse of what it's like to be a West Wing staffer on the road." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Campaign rally - 3 August 2017 US President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in West Virginia on 3 August, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Huntington for one of his usual campaign rallies. While members of his family spoke to the crowd he was waiting under a black curtain to be introduced. Suddenly he walked onto the stage, one of the first frames that I took was of his hand. I set my exposure for the light on the stage hoping to create this dark background and it worked." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Staring into the solar eclipse - 21 August 2017 Without his protective glasses on, US President Donald Trump looks up towards the solar eclipse while viewing with his wife Melania and son Barron at the White House on 21 August, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "On a day when everyone, and I mean everyone, was told not to look at the eclipse without protective glasses, Trump, President of the United States, couldn't help himself." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Harvey - 2 September 2017 US President Donald Trump poses for a photo as he and first lady Melania Trump help volunteers hand out meals during a visit with flood survivors of Hurricane Harvey at a relief centre in Houston, Texas on 2 September, 2017. Photohrapher Kevin Lamarque: "Trump, eager to deliver the image of a hands-on response to Hurricane Harvey, made this visit to a relief centre and obliged this woman with a selfie as Melania continued to work." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House - 15 September 2017 Donald Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio as he cuts the Rose Garden grass at the White House on 15 September. Frank, who wrote a letter to Trump offering to mow the lawn, was invited to work for a day at the White House along the National Park Service staff. Frank was so focused on his task that he did not notice the President arrive to surprise him. He took his father jumping in to grab his attention and point Trump out. Photographer Carlos Barria said: The image of Trump shouting at a kid who is mowing his lawn might have many interpretations in today's politically polarized United States. But for me it was just a kid who loved what he was doing, to the point he almost appeared to ignore the President." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Take a knee - 27 September 2017 A man kneels with a folded U.S. flag as the motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump passes him after an event at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., September 27, 2017. In September, soon after Trump had made comments condemning NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, he made a day trip to a rally in Indianapolis. Jonathan Ernst managed to capture a man on one knee with a tri-folded flag and was able to use a portion of the sign on the building he was kneeling in front of to track the man down and tell his story in full. US Army veteran Marvin Boatright wanted to send a message against social injustice. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Maria - 3 October 2017 President Donald Trump throws rolls of paper towels into a crowd of local residents affected by Hurricane Maria as he visits Calgary Chapel in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 3 October, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "During an afternoon visit to Puerto Rico for President Trump to survey damage from Hurricane Maria and greet some of its victims, Trump made a stop at a church where food and supplies were being distributed. Among the items were paper towels and Trump, apparently caught up in the moment, decided to distribute some of the rolls." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Jared Kushner - 1 November 2017 White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner sits behind President Trump during a cabinet meeting in Washington on 1 November, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "The role of Jared Kushner has gone through a series of changes. He began front and centre as a high profile adviser, but as time has passed and issues surrounding him have surfaced, he has become more of a background figure." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump in China - 9 November 2017 Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands after making joint statements at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 9 November, 2017. Photographer Damir Sagolj: "It's one of those "how to make a better or at least different shot when two presidents shake hands several times a day, several days in row". If I'm not mistaken in calculation, presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump shook their hands at least six times in events I covered during Trump's recent visit to China. I would imagine there were some more handshakes I haven't seen but other photographers did. And they all look similar - two big men, smiling and heartily greeting each other until everyone gets their shot. But then there is always something that can make it special - in this case the background made of US and Chinese flags. The first time it didn't work for me. The second time I positioned myself lower and centrally, and used the longest lens I have to capture only hands reaching for a handshake." Reuters/Damir Sagolj Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 10 November 2017 US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China, November 10, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "There is a Reuters photographer in the tight pool covering the US president for every appearance he makes 365 days a year. This was just one of 32 images of mine that were transmitted on the Reuters wire of President Trump visiting China and Vietnam that day. You never know when a sudden interaction, a gust of wind or a unique facial expression will lead to a striking image that grabs peoples' attention." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures ASEAN handshake - 13 November 2017 Donald Trump registers his surprise as he realises other leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are crossing their arms for the traditional "ASEAN handshake" as he participates in the opening ceremony of the summit in Manila on 13 November, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Having covered a few ASEAN summits, I knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. Not everyone in the room knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. A lot was written about this unscripted moment, and what deeper meaning it might have. The simple truth is that sometimes in life there are unscripted moments." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

On Monday evening Boris Johnson met with his French and German foreign minister counterparts, as well as the EUs foreign policy chief, in Brussels to work out a way to preserve the Iran nuclear deal, which Mr Trump has said he is embarrassed about as a citizen. The EU says it will try to preserve the deal despite the US breaking the agreement.

The bloc has won a temporary exemption from US steel tariffs but European leaders want to make the deal permanent.
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to travel to Brussels to meet with senior European Parliament politicians behind closed doors to address their concerns about his companys handling of personal data.

MEPs have long wanted to question the Silicon Valley CEO about Facebooks data practices, with a particular interest in how the social networks advert targeting might be affecting elections.

Mr Zuckerberg is expected to visit the EU capital as early as next week, though no specific date for his trip has yet been announced. He will meet with the leaders of the Parliaments political groups, the so-called conference of presidents.

Recommended UK parliament could issue Mark Zuckerberg with formal summons

Some MEPs however pledged to boycott the meeting because of its private nature, arguing that the tech boss should appear and answer questions in public.

Sources familiar with the organisation of the meeting told The Independent that the centre-right European Peoples Party, the biggest group in Parliament, managed to get agreement for the private appearance despite a rebellion by other political groups calling for a public one.

Representatives from Ukip and the Conservatives groups, the EFFD and ECR, are said to have relented and agreed to the private discussion despite initial objections.

Liberal group leader Guy Verhofstadt said: I will not attend the meeting with Mr Zuckerberg if its held behind closed doors. It must be a public hearing  why not a Facebook Live? I strongly regret that the EPP has colluded with extreme right to keep everything behind closed doors.

Udo Bullmann, the leader of the socialists group said: Mark Zuckerberg must appear before the Parliaments Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, not in a closed door meeting, so we can have an open and transparent debate on how Facebook is using our data.

 Zuckerberg on countering Russian election interference efforts: 'This is an arms race'

The Parliaments presidency said that as well as Mr Zuckerbergs private visit, Facebook management would organise a separate visit without the CEO to attend the committee for a public hearing.

The tech boss has also been invited to appear before the British Parliament but has so far declined. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which asked him to attend, has said it will issue a formal summons for [Mr Zuckerberg] to appear when he is next in the UK. Contempt of Parliament is an offence in the UK, though it has been untested in the courts in recent times.

Mr Zuckerberg has previously testified before the US Congress.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Antonio Tajani, the president of the European Parliament, said: The Conference of Presidents has agreed that Mark Zuckerberg should come to clarify issues related to the use of personal data in a meeting with representatives of the European Parliament.

The founder and CEO of Facebook has accepted our invitation and will be in Brussels as soon as possible, hopefully already next week, to meet with the leaders of the political groups and the chair and rapporteur of the committee for civil liberties, justice, and home affairs.

Our citizens deserve a full and detail explanation. I welcome Mark Zuckerbergs decision to appear in person before the representatives of 500 million Europeans. It is a step in the right direction towards restoring confidence.

Mr Tajani added that there would be an in-depth analysis of aspects related to persona data protection with particular emphasis placed on the potential impact on electoral processes in Europe.
Thousands of skilled foreign workers with job offers in the UK were denied entry due to Theresa Mays arbitrary visa scheme, it has been revealed.

More than 6,000 visa applications from professionals including scientists, IT specialists and doctors were refused over a period of just four months between December and March.

The refusals were the result of an annual limit of 20,700 so-called Tier 2 visas introduced in 2011 while Ms May was home secretary.

It is understood the limit had been breached only once before, in 2015, when 66 engineering roles were turned down.

The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), which obtained the figures from a Freedom of Information request to the Home Office, said the arbitrary cap was leaving thousands of vital roles unfilled and damaging productivity, public services, business confidence and the UKs international reputation.

The figures emerged as the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee announced plans to develop its own proposals for new immigration rules for scientists after Brexit.

Among the 6,080 refusals over the four-month period, 1,518 related to doctor posts and 361 to other healthcare professional roles, 1,226 to jobs in IT and technology, 392 engineering roles, 197 teachers, 1,814 professional services and 572 to other professions.

 Sajid Javid opposes 'hostile environment' approach to UK immigration opting instead for a 'compliant environment'

It is possible that some of the refusals related to the same individuals, as employers are able to resubmit applications each month.

CaSE executive director Sarah Main said: These figures show the scale of the problem and the urgency to find a solution.

Across the country, businesses and public services are being blocked at the last hurdle from recruiting the people they need, including in health, engineering and tech, due to the visa cap. This leaves employers frustrated and the public poorly served.

CaSE has called on the government to exempt PhD-level roles and jobs on the shortage occupation list from the cap on Tier 2 visas.

Dr Main said: The cap is beginning to cause damage and it needs to be addressed quickly. In the immediate term, shortage and PhD level roles should be made exempt from the cap. This would be in line with the priority already afforded to these roles and would create the headroom for other vital roles.

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that Brexit means Brexit and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UKs economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Partys coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a specific solution would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty

In the long term, an immigration system for a global Britain that supports research and innovation should not feature a cap on the international specialists we want to attract.

Commons Science and Technology Committee chair Norman Lamb said the figures send the message that the UK is not interested in welcoming science talent at the moment.

He warned: The government needs to work quickly to correct that impression.

The Liberal Democrat former minister said it was disappointing the government appeared to assume scientists were happy to wait for next years immigration bill to find out what visa rules they would face after Brexit.

Were going to roll up our sleeves now and set out our proposals for an immigration system that works for the science and innovation sector, he said.

The CaSE call for exemptions from the Tier 2 cap was backed by a number of professional bodies.

Institution of Chemical Engineers director Andy Furlong said: The uncertainty brought about by arbitrary caps creates blockages in the talent pipeline, which stifle innovation, collaboration and productivity.

Chief executive of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine, Rosemary Cook, added: Tier 2 visas are essential to fill roles in the medical physics workforce, where up to 10 per cent of posts are regularly vacant, and are hard to fill from the UK where training commissions do not match demand.

Peter Finegold, head of education at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: While political debate surrounding Brexit focuses on speculation around international trade agreements, our doctrinaire immigration policy appears to ignore the fact that our national economy will suffer most if we cannot recruit enough technically skilled workers to meet demand.

British Medical Association council chair Chaand Nagpaul said: At a time when the NHS is under enormous strain and struggling to fill positions, the current visa restrictions and arbitrary caps for non-EU workers entering the UK are inexplicable and threatening patient care and safety.

A Home Office spokesperson said: The government fully recognises the contribution that international professionals make to the UK. However, it is important that our immigration system works in the national interest, ensuring that employers look first to the UK resident labour market before recruiting from overseas.

When demand exceeds the monthly available allocation of Tier 2 (general) places, priority is given to applicants filling a shortage of PhD-level occupations. No occupation on the Shortage Occupation List has been refused a place.

Additional reporting by PA
 Close Theresa May says goverment will fund cladding takedown in wake of Grenfell Tower tragedy

A Labour motion to force the government into publishing private Cabinet papers on post-Brexit customs proposals has been defeated.

The partys motion would have required the government to release to parliament all papers prepared for the Brexit sub-committee on the two customs models, including any economic analysis.

It was defeated by 301 votes to 269, a majority of 32.

The vote was the latest in a string of Labour motions using an arcane parliamentary procedure to make the vote binding on the government by issuing a humble address to the Queen asking her to require ministers to comply.

The debate came after Theresa May was under over Brexit during Prime Ministers Questions, as Jeremy Corbyn sought to capitalise on deep divisions among senior Tories over future customs arrangements.

The Labour leader drew laughs when he mocked Ms May's call for "as little friction as possible", adding: "Was she talking about EU trade or the next cabinet meeting?"

Mr Corbyn called on the prime minister to "step aside and let Labour" carry out the negotiations as he tore into her record on zero hours contracts and workers rights.

See below for the developments as they happened
The Labour Party will end the governments hostile environment policy and close the Yarls Wood and Brook House immigration detention centres if it gets into power, according to the shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott.

It would then commit more than 20m a year saved from their closure to pay for extra services to support the survivors of modern slavery, trafficking and domestic violence, she said in the second of a series of speeches on immigration.

Ministers should end the scandalous practice of children born in Britain being made to pay large fees for citizenship, she added, before pledging to ban private contractors such as G4S from taking on future contracts to run immigration detention services.

Her comments came the day after the home secretary, Sajid Javid, admitted that more than 60 people may have been wrongfully deported or removed from the UK amid the deepening Windrush scandal.

Speaking to the Home Affairs Committee, Mr Javid revealed the Home Office was investigating 63 cases of Caribbean nationals who may have been removed from the country, despite living in the UK legally for decades.

Of the 63 cases, Mr Javid said 32 were foreign national offenders and 31 were administrative removals  of which he said all but one were voluntary removals, meaning they left because they received letters saying they must leave.

 Windrush: Sajid Javid admits more than 60 citizens could have been wrongly deported

The home secretarys admission came a week after immigration minister Caroline Nokes told the same committee she was not aware of any wrongful deportations of Windrush immigrants. Moments later, Home Office official Hugh Ind told MPs the figure was up to five.

Ms Abbott said: The Windrush scandal goes to the very heart of Theresa Mays hostile environment policy  it was not accidental  it is a direct consequence of government policy.

Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Show all 15 1 /15 Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' arriving at Tilbury Docks from Jamaica, with 482 Jamaicans on board, emigrating to Britain. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaican immigrants being welcomed by RAF officials from the Colonial Office after the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' landed them at Tilbury. PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner who arrived in Britain in 1948 on the first Windrush ship to dock in Tilbury, Essex, speaking at his home in Leeds PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner in Leeds shortly after he arrived in Britain in 1948 on the first Windrush ship to dock in Tilbury, Essex PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Gardner was 22 years old when he boarded the ship in Kingston, Jamaica, with his brother Gladstone before they and hundreds of Caribbean migrants called on to rebuild post-war Britain disembarked the ship in Tilbury Docks PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Alford Gardner (right), during his RAF service in 1947 PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The son of Ruth Williams, a Windrush-generation immigrant, wants to the leave the country after threats of deportation. According to his mother, Mr Haynes applied for British citizenship in 2016 but was rejected, despite Ms Williams having lived in the UK almost permanently since arriving from St Vincent and the Grenadines in 1959. Ruth Williams, 75, said she felt "betrayed" by Britain after the Home Office twice turned down applications for her 35-year-old son, Mozi Haynes, to remain in the country. Ms Williams is understood to have cancer and said she relies heavily on her son for support. PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK The British liner 'Empire Windrush' at port in 1954. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Ruth Williams, 75, with her British passport. "I feel betrayed and a second class citizen in my own country," she said. "This makes me so sad and the Home Office must show some compassion. "I am unwell and almost 75, I live on my own and I need my son to stay here. I need my family around me and I cant face being alone. He has applied to the Home Office and been refused twice." PA Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK From the top, hopeful Jamaican boxers Charles Smith, Ten Ansel, Essi Reid, John Hazel, Boy Solas and manager Mortimer Martin arrive at Tilbury on the Empire Windrush in the hope of finding work in Britain. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaicans reading a newspaper whilst on board the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush' bound for Tilbury docks in Essex. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK After half a century in Britain, Anthony Bryan decided it was time to go abroad. But the decision set off a nightmare that saw him lose his job, detained twice and almost deported to Jamaica. AFP/Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Jamaica-born Anthony Bryan poses outside his home in Edmonton, north London. Now 60 and a grandfather, Bryan thought the issue could be resolved swiftly, as he legally moved to Britain with his family as part of the Windrush generation of Caribbean migrants after World War II. In 1948, the ship Windrush brought the first group of migrants from the West Indies to help rebuild post-war Britain, and many others followed from around the Commonwealth. A 1971 law gave them indefinite leave to remain, but many never formalised their status, often because they were children who came over on their parents' passports and then never applied for their own. AFP/Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Three Jamaican immigrants (left to right) John Hazel, a 21-year-old boxer, Harold Wilmot, 32, and John Richards, a 22-year-old carpenter, arriving at Tilbury on board the ex-troopship 'Empire Windrush', smartly dressed in zoot suits and trilby hats. Getty Windrush generation: threat of deportation from UK Newly arrived Jamaican immigrants on board the 'Empire Windrush' at Tilbury in 1948. Getty

The next Labour government will repeal all those parts of the immigration legislation that were introduced to support it. We will rescind all Home Office instructions to carry it out, and we will remove all obligations on landlords, employers and others to enact it.

She added that Mr Javid made a promise to make things right for the people who have been treated so appallingly by his government.

She said: He should start by restoring full rights of citizenship for all Commonwealth citizens, which his party removed and which has contributed to the tragedies that have fallen on the Windrush generation.
Hamstrung by troubles with lethal injection  gruesomely botched attempts, legal battles and growing difficulty obtaining the drugs  states in America are looking for alternative ways to carry out the death penalty. High on the list for some is a method that has never been used before: inhaling nitrogen gas.

Oklahoma, Alabama and Mississippi have authorised nitrogen for executions and are developing protocols to use it, which represents a leap into the unknown. There is no scientific data on executing people with nitrogen, leading some experts to question whether states, in trying to solve old problems, may create new ones.

If and when states begin carrying out executions with nitrogen, it will amount to the same type of experimentation we see in the different variations of lethal injection, said Jen Moreno, a lawyer who is an expert on lethal injection at the Berkeley Law Death Penalty Clinic.

With some 2,750 inmates on death row in 31 states and in federal and military prisons, any jurisdiction that tries something new will be scrutinised as a test lab.

The push for change comes because lethal injection, introduced 40 years ago as more efficient and humane than the electric chair or gas chamber, has not met that promise. Indeed, it has sometimes resulted in spectacles that rival the ones it was meant to avert.

One pitfall is that execution teams must find a vein to infuse, a process that can be excruciating. In February, an Alabama execution team gave up after trying for more than two hours on an inmate whose blood vessels had been damaged by chemotherapy and drug abuse. His lawyer accused the team of opening an artery and puncturing the prisoners bladder. The state later said it would not try again to execute him.

Randy Gardner wearing his executed brother's prison jumpsuit during an anti death penalty protest in Washington, 2017 (Getty)

Lethal injection also involves drugs that, if given incorrectly, can result in suffering. One is a paralysing agent, and the other stops the heart. The paralysing drug was included in the original plan for lethal injection partly to make the process look peaceful and less disturbing to witnesses, by preventing the prisoner from thrashing around.

Both it and the heart-stopping drug are supposed to be given after a powerful sedative has rendered the person unconscious, but if the sedative does not work properly, the other two drugs can cause significant pain.

Barbiturates were originally used for sedation, but manufacturers began refusing to sell them for executions. So states tried substituting other drugs. Some were ineffective and left prisoners moaning in what appeared to be prolonged agony.

Nebraska and Nevada hope to soon start using the opioid fentanyl as a sedative. Illegal use has made it a scourge of national death statistics, but medically it is an important painkiller and anaesthetic.

Defence lawyers in Nebraska have argued that fentanyl comes under a federal law that limits its distribution to lifesaving purposes, and that it is therefore against the law for a prison clinic to distribute it for an execution. A trial seeking information about the source of the fentanyl is scheduled for 14 May.

In March, Oklahomas attorney general, Mike Hunter, said that using nitrogen was the safest, the best and the most effective method available.

There is scant scientific data to back up that statement. What little is known about human death by nitrogen comes from industrial and medical accidents and its use in suicide. In accidents, when people have been exposed to high levels of nitrogen and little air in an enclosed space, they have died quickly. In some cases co-workers who rushed in to rescue them also collapsed and died.

Nitrogen is not used in states where medically assisted dying is legal (Alamy)

Nitrogen itself is not poisonous, but someone who inhales it, with no air, will pass out quickly, probably in less than a minute, and die soon after  from lack of oxygen. The same is true of other physiologically inert gases, including helium and argon, which kill only by replacing oxygen.

A report from the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board said that breathing an oxygen-deficient atmosphere can knock a person unconscious after just one or two breaths, and that the exposed person has no warning and cannot sense that the oxygen level is too low.

(Although nitrogen itself would be novel, gas chambers have existed as a US execution method since the 1920s. The last case was in 1999, when Arizona used clouds of hydrogen cyanide to execute an inmate. Coughing and hacking, he took 18 minutes to die.)

Death from nitrogen is thought to be painless. It should prevent the condition that causes feelings of suffocation: the buildup of carbon dioxide from not being able to exhale. Humans are highly sensitive to carbon dioxide  too much brings on the panicky feeling of not being able to breathe.

Somewhat surprisingly, the lack of oxygen does not trigger that same reflex. Someone breathing pure nitrogen can still exhale carbon dioxide and therefore should not have the sensation of smothering.

Before passing out, a person may feel lightheaded, dizzy or maybe even a bit euphoric, and vision may dim.

Dr Charles D Blanke, who has studied data on physician-assisted dying, said it was not at all clear that nitrogen inhalation would bring a peaceful death. Blanke, a medical oncologist and professor at Oregon Health and Science University, said he had consulted colleagues in pulmonary medicine and anaesthesiology, and they had concerns that carbon dioxide actually could build up and cause feelings of suffocation.

A prison guard tower at the entrance of the Death Row wing at The Louisiana State Penitentiary (Getty)

Nitrogen is not used in states where medically assisted dying is legal; those patients, who are terminally ill, usually drink a huge dose of barbiturates.

Veterinary experts generally do not recommend nitrogen or other inert gases for euthanising mammals. Responses to the gas vary according to species, and in its 2013 guidelines, the American Veterinary Medical Association said: Current evidence indicates this method is unacceptable because animals may experience distressing side effects before loss of consciousness.

Unlike lethal injection, the use of nitrogen would not require that the execution team dig around for a vein. An anaesthesiologist, who requested anonymity because medical societies bar members from participating in executions or providing information to encourage them, said that nitrogen inhalation was less cruel than lethal injection. And since it presumably would involve no paralytic agent, witnesses would be able to see whether the person seemed to be suffering, he said.

Seizures might occur from inhaling nitrogen, he said. But if the technique appears to go smoothly, he predicted that other states would quickly adopt it.

In fact, according to state documents, in May 2016 an Arizona company sent a sales-pitch letter for nitrogen gas executions to Nebraska officials. Among the standout features of its Euthypoxia Chamber: it produces calm and sedation followed by inebriation and euphoria; it requires no medical expertise; and it guarantees the demise of any mammalian life in four minutes.

In passing along the letter to another official, a state corrections department executive hand-wrote: Im not intending to respond  just thought it was an odd correspondence.

Moreno, of the Berkeley Law Death Penalty Clinic, said that implementing nitrogen gas is not as simple as states suggest. There are different grades of nitrogen, including medical and industrial with commensurate purities and regulations.

Observers of the execution would need protection. Officials would have to figure out how to safely clear nitrogen from the room before a physician could declare death and the staff could remove the body.

Death from nitrogen is thought to be painless, preventing the feelings of suffocation (Getty)

The Final Exit Network, a volunteer organisation that supports the rights of people with terminal illness or intractable suffering to end their lives, considers nitrogen inhalation a reasonable method, and directs people to information about it. The technique involves putting a plastic bag over ones head and pumping in nitrogen.

Janis Landis, president of the network, said: The science behind inert gases is quite well settled. Any inert gas one can breathe in, in place of oxygen. You dont have air hunger. You can keep breathing. You pass out and you die.

She said that in the past, many people had used helium to end their lives, from tanks they purchased at party-supply stores that stock them to inflate balloons.

But some suppliers, realising their product was being used for suicide, began mixing in air, making the helium less effective, so nitrogen became the preferred choice.



Landis said: People opposed to the death penalty, scratching their heads about how this could work, I think theyre mixing up their views about whether this should be done versus whether it can be done.

Experts on state-sanctioned execution methods suggest that the search for a palatable means of carrying out death sentences is itself uniquely American. Aside from the United States, the relatively few countries who execute prisoners typically do so by hanging, beheading or firing squad  methods that most Americans find repugnant.

Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Centre, said that such a reaction exemplifies the collision between two contradictory traits that streak through the national identity.

One is a tradition of tenderness, with us being the safeguard of human dignity and decency, he said. The other is a culture of violence. And when youre concerned about human rights and dignity, that carries an aversion to gruesome killings by the state. But the death penalty is inherently violent  so those traditions now are really at loggerheads.

 The New York Times
Kathleen "Amina" Deady stood in front of a pastry counter in Riverside, California, holding a key fob and wearing a veil across her face.

Only her eyes peeked through the veil. In Islam, it is called a niqab, though the man standing in front of Deady at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on Friday had other words for it.

"Is this Halloween or something?" he asked Deady, leaning in toward her and scowling as she began to record on her phone.

Behind the counter, two baristas looked up with concern.

"Why did you say that?" Deady asked the man, still quiet and cheerful in her tone.

"Why wouldn't I?" the man replied, and looked back toward the register.

Deady asked him again: "Why would you say that?"

"Because I want to."

"Why? What's wrong with me?"

"You tell me what's wrong with you."

"Do you know I'm a Muslim?" she asked.

The man looked back at her. "Yeah, I do."

It was around this point that other customers scattered around the coffee shop took notice. Barry Landau, a self-described regular, would later tell KTLA that he had often noticed Deady in the shop  usually reading.

"Books about cardiology and such," Landau said. He figured Deady was studying to be a doctor, but on Friday, he told the station, he paid more attention to the man in a T-shirt yelling at her.

"It upset me," Landau recalled. "Any time you see people explicitly hating people, it's shocking."

Deady, however, stood her ground and continued to record.

"What's your problem with me?" she asked the man, who has not been publicly identified.

"I don't like it, how's that?" the man replied, snapping his head close to the camera and gritting his teeth. "I don't like your religion. It says to kill me, and I don't want to be killed by you. How's that?"

"Have you read the Koran?" Deady asked.

"I've read enough of it to know," the man replied. He was holding a $10 bill out to baristas behind the counter, but no one took it.

Now the conversation was flowing along the lines of many others that have taken place in the United States, in an age of rising anti-Muslim rhetoric.

The man's comment partially echoed the words of President Donald Trump, who as a candidate once said without evidence, "Islam hates us."

When Deady asked the man why he thought she wanted to kill him, he didn't reply. He might have been referring to a Koran verse that is often distorted by those who insist Islam wants a war on unbelievers.

The man was ignoring (or unaware of) verses that explicitly forbid murder - such as "if any one killed a person, it would be as if he killed the whole mankind," as a Muslim language arts teacher once explained in The Washington Post.

Deady, whom The Post was not able to interview before publication, then asked the man: "Are you a Christian?"

He was silent for a moment.

Still, no one behind the counter would take his money.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

"Absolutely," he finally said.

"Let's talk about your Bible," Deady said. "Do you know in your Bible, Jesus says to bring the people who don't believe, to kill them?"

She may have been referring to a parable in the Book of Luke, in which case it is was a nobleman  not Jesus  who said, "Those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them, bring them here and kill them in front of me."

In any case, the vast majority of Christians, like the vast majority of Muslims, do not cite their faith to justify murder.

But it was far too late for reconciliation at the Coffee Bean by now.

The man shoved a hand in Deady's camera lens. He didn't want to talk. She began to yell, "You are committing hate speech!"

A barista reached across the pastry counter and tried to physically separate the two, to not much effect.

Across the room, Landau recalled to KTLA, a "radical Christian" woman with whom he was acquainted began to scream at Deady. So Landau chose a side, and was heard in the video screaming and cursing at the man: "Get out of here! Get out of here! . . . Racist!"

The man began to swear, too, and two workers behind the counter appeared to be consulting with each other before Deady's camera briefly cut off. A sort of interlude.

"The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is fully committed to ensuring the wellness and safety of its customers, team members and business," the chain later wrote to Newsweek, after Deady's video had gone viral.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to discrimination of any kind, and have the right to refuse service to any person who makes customers or team members feel endangered in any way."

This statement went some way toward explaining the final scene in Deady's video.

She turned her camera back after several minutes had apparently passed  as the man once again stood before the cash register, now holding a small takeout container in his hand.

"Who's the manager here?" he asked.

"I'm the supervisor on duty," said a woman behind the counter.

She gave the man her name, and smiled uncertainly as Deady asked from behind the camera:

"Why are you not serving him?"

The supervisor tugged distractedly at a plastic glove on her hand.

"Because he's disrupting a public space," she replied, and glanced up to watch the man storm out the front door.

"And being really racist," the supervisor added, when he was gone.

There was no more yelling now. In her video, which would be viewed by 2 million people on Twitter and make news across the United States in coming days, Deady nodded at the supervisor.

"Thank you," she said, and panned the camera once more around the Coffee Bean, where everyone seemed to have returned to their own business.
Police and federal officials are investigating after a woman was killed and three other people injured in an explosion at a medical office in California.

The blast happened at about 1pm local time on Tuesday in Aliso Viejo, some 50 miles south of Los Angeles.

The whole bottom floor is pretty much blown out, fire brigade captain Tony Bommarito said.

The size of the explosion was suspicious, officials said, with one federal agent suggesting it may have been caused by a parcel bomb.

However, authorities said they had not yet found any explosive devices.

Bomb technicians and agents from the Orange County Sheriffs Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the scene Tuesday night.

We have not found any type of specific device inside of the building right now that would tell us or lead us to exactly what the device was, if there was a device, sheriffs department commander Dave Sawyer said.

The woman who was killed inside the building was in close proximity to the explosion, Mr Sawyer said. The three people who were injured were nearby and were being questioned by investigators late Tuesday night, he said.

Anytime you see an explosion of this magnitude, it would definitely be suspicious to us, Mr Sawyer added.

Authorities were not searching for any specific suspects on Tuesday night, but the investigation was continuing, he said.

Mary McWilliams told The Orange County Register she arrived for an appointment to find smoke surrounding the area and car alarms going off.

McWilliams said she saw two burned women staggering out of the building, covered in ash and soot.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

One woman, who had skin peeling on her arm from burns, said, Take care of my mother, Ms McWilliams said. The other woman was bleeding from her head.

Fire officials said a third person suffered smoke inhalation.

A daycare centre and pre-school on the other side of the road was evacuated. Some children held hands as they were led out by firefighters while sheriffs deputies rolled out babies in cribs.

No children were hurt.

Additional reporting by AP
Canada will soon add a third gender option besides male and female to its census in order to capture a more accurate picture of the country.

The 2021 official government survey will officially ask what respondents identify as in the hopes of making the census more inclusive.

We want to make sure all Canadians can identify themselves within the census, Laurent Martel, director of demography at Statistics Canada, told The Guardian. After the 2016 census, the agency had received feedback from citizens from LGBT+ advocacy groups about the binary gender options.

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Statisticians then worked with community groups to understand at Statistics Canada the concepts of sex, sex at birth, gender and gender identity, Marc Lachance, director of the agency's social and aboriginal statistics division told the Globe and Mail.

The agency first tested the non-binary gender option in a recent opioid awareness survey, according to the newspaper. In that study, respondents were asked what their sex was at birth and then followed up with a question about what their gender is at the time of taking the survey: male, female, or please specify.

Terminology changes over time  its a work in progress, Mr Lachance said.

 Author Juno Roche debunks common misconception about transgender people

The new non-binary gender category is defined by the agency as persons whose current gender was not reported exclusively as male or female  persons who were reported as being unsure of their gender, persons who were reported as both male and female, or neither male nor female.

In the last census, participants were allowed to leave the gender question blank and while Mr Lachance said the agency is still in the testing phase regarding the specifics of how the question will be worded, many Canadians have said the change is welcome.

Transgender in Pakistan Show all 16 1 /16 Transgender in Pakistan Transgender in Pakistan Dancing at Shakeela's party, an event to celebrate a transgender life in middle-age Reuters Transgender in Pakistan Venue staff members watch people dance at Shakeela's party in Peshawar, Pakistan Reuters Transgender in Pakistan Security searches guests as people arrive at Shakeela's party in Peshawar, Pakistan Reuters Transgender in Pakistan Members of the transgender community dance at Shakeela's party in Peshawar, Pakistan Reuters Transgender in Pakistan Shakeela, a member of the transgender community, works in the kitchen at home in Peshawar, Pakistan Reuters Transgender in Pakistan 'It's the first time a transgender party has been held openly,' says activist Farzana Jan Transgender in Pakistan Farzana Jan, a member of the transgender community, poses for a photographer ahead of Shakeela's party in Peshawar, Pakistan Reuters Transgender in Pakistan Guests at Shakeela's party Reuters Transgender in Pakistan Money thrown by the guests is used by people to help them start a new business or project Transgender in Pakistan Rani smiles from behind her make-up as she prepares for the party Reuters Transgender in Pakistan Shakeela resting at her home in Peshawar Reuters Transgender in Pakistan A photo hangs on the wall in the home of members of the transgender community in Peshawar, Pakistan Reuters Transgender in Pakistan Make up lies on the floor as members of the transgender community prepare for Shakeela's party in Peshawar, Pakistan Reuters Transgender in Pakistan A guest counts money she plans to throw at Shakeela's party Reuters Transgender in Pakistan Bubbly helps Shakeela with her dress as members of her own family watch on Reuters Transgender in Pakistan Chahat, a member of the transgender community, prepares for Shakeela's party in Peshawar, Pakistan Reuters

The federal government also set aside $6.7m (4.97m) over five years to establish a Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics at the agency aimed at identifying data gaps in order to make the census - and therefore government funding for certain programmes - better serve the populations needs.

Canada is not the first or only country to be more inclusive in terms of government recognition of nonbinary gender identities. Nepal, Pakistan, and India all allow respondents to identify a gender besides male and female as well as issuing various state identification cards and even passports indicating as such.
A 38-year-old man was killed when a vape he was smoking at his home exploded, an autopsy report has revealed.

The explosion sent two pieces of the e-cigarette into Tallmadge D'Elia's skull.

The report lists the cause of death as "projectile wound to the head."

Mr D'Elia also suffered burns on about 80 per cent of his body.

 E-cigarettes becoming long-term lifestyle choice due to edgy marketing

The report confirmed the vape was responsible for his death on 5 May in St Petersburg, Florida.

The death was ruled an accident.

Firefighters found Mr D'Elia inside his burning home, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The vape was manufactured by Smok-E Mountain.

The Food and Drug Administration says it was not clear what caused some vapes to explode, but it could stem from battery-related issues.
The sheriffs deputy condemned by President Donald Trump for failing to confront the shooter who killed 17 people at a high school in Florida is receiving an almost $9,000 monthly pension, even though he resigned following the massacre.

Scot Peterson, who was a school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland at the time of the shooting in February, was the first person to respond to the incident. Security coverage later showed him arriving at the building where the shooting was occurring, and then not going inside for several minutes.

Mr Peterson is receiving $8,702.35 a month from his pension, with the first payment having been received in April, according to the Florida Department of Management Services. That makes up $104,428.20 a year  slightly more than the $101,879.04 he received in salary last year, the Florida Sun Sentinel reported.

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The thing he was supposed to do  protect these children  he didnt do, Michael Udine, the Broward County Commissioner, told the Miami Herald. Now hes going to be paid by taxpayers for the rest of his life? It seems disgraceful.

Mr Peterson gained notoriety following the shooting when the security footage was released to the public. Froward Sheriff Scott Israel was highly critical of the 55-year-old Mr Petersons actions roughly a week after the shooting while announcing the deputy's immediate resignation and retirement.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

I am devastated, Mr Israel said then. Sick to my stomach. He never went in. President Trump later called Mr Peterson a "coward" for his actions.

 Sheriff's Deputy Scot Peterson resigns after Florida shooting failings, reveals Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel

Mr Peterson later said that he did not enter the building because he was not sure where the gunfire was coming from. His lawyer, responding to the attacks from Mr Israel, also said that Mr Peterson acted consistently with his training, and was initially reacting to reports of firecrackers and then to an active shooter that he believed was outside.

Broward County Sheriffs Office trains its officers that in the event of outdoor gunfire one is to seek cover and assess the situation in order to communicate what one observes to other law enforcement, the lawyer said. Consistent with his training, Mr. Peterson took up a tactical position between the... buildings corridor/corner.
The Trump administration is making preparations to warehouse migrant children on military bases, according to Defense Department communications, the latest sign the government is moving forward with plans to split up families who cross the border illegally.

According to an email notification sent to Pentagon staffers, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will make site visits at four military installations in Texas and Arkansas during the next two weeks to evaluate their suitability for child shelters.

The bases would be used to hold minors under age 18 who arrive at the border without an adult relative or after the government has separated them from their parents. HHS is the government agency responsible for providing minors with foster care until another adult relative can assume custody.

The email characterised the site visits as a preliminary assessment. "No decisions have been made at this time," it states.

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An official at HHS confirmed the military site visits, speaking on condition of anonymity because the plans are not yet public. The official said HHS currently has the bed space to hold 10,571 children.

In a statement, the agency's Administration for Children and Families said its programmes required "routinely evaluating the needs and capacity of an existing network of approximately 100 shelters in 14 states".

"Additional properties with existing infrastructure are routinely being identified and evaluated by federal agencies as potential locations for temporary sheltering," the statement said.

Those facilities are at 91 percent capacity, an HHS official said, and the Trump administration's crackdown plans could push thousands more children into government care.The official said DHS has not provided projections for how many additional children to expect.

Trump officials say they are moving forcefully to halt a sharp increase in the number of families crossing the border illegally this spring, many of whom are Central Americans seeking asylum. US border agents arrested more than 100,000 illegal border-crossers in March and April, the highest monthly totals since Donald Trump took office.

Trump has seethed at the increase, singling out Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen for blame. He has ordered her to "close" the border and cut off the migration flows, which typically increase in spring with seasonal demand for rural labour.

Ms Nielsen and Attorney General Jeff Sessions say the government will take the extraordinary measure of filing criminal charges against anyone who crosses the border illegally, including parents travelling with their children. In most cases, that means adults will be held at immigration jails awaiting court dates while their children are sent to foster care.

"If you're smuggling a child, then we're going to prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you, probably, as required by law," Mr Sessions said in a speech last week.

"If you don't want your child separated, then don't bring them across the border illegally" he added. "It's not our fault that somebody does that."

Children held in HHS custody spend an average of 45 days in the government's care, the HHS official said, and they are provided with educational and recreational opportunities. The agency conducts background checks on potential sponsors for the minors, and in 85 percent of cases the children are released to a parent or other adult relative already present in the United States, the official said.

Homeland Security officials have struggled for years to manage the demographic shift in the population of migrants arrested at the border, where single men from Mexico were once the overwhelming majority of those taken into custody.

Families with children and unaccompanied minors were 10 percent of illegal border crossers five years ago, Ms Nielsen told senators in testimony Tuesday. Today they account for 40 percent of those detained by US border agents, she said.

The use of military bases to hold migrant children is not without precedent. At the peak of the 2014 child migration crisis, the Obama administration used bases in Oklahoma, Texas and California to house more than 7,000 children over a period of several months.

Critics of family separation denounce the practice as heartless, saying it inflicts additional trauma on families fleeing for their lives from Central America's bloody gang wars.

Mr Trump last month ordered the Pentagon to help Homeland Security officials cope with the surge in illegal crossings, including the mobilisation of up to 4,000 National Guard troops. Military personnel have been deployed in a supporting role, and are not allowed to arrest migrants.

It's not clear whether the troops could be assigned to the bases where children will be held. Three of the bases are in Texas - the Army's Fort Bliss, Goodfellow Air Force Base and Dyess Air Force Base. Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas also will be evaluated, according to the Pentagon communications and HHS.

A Pentagon spokesman, Lt Col Jamie Davis, said the Defense Department had not yet received a formal request from HHS. When the military has loaned space at its facilities in the past, HHS has reimbursed the Defense Department and the military has had little to do with the operation.

Washington Post
Federal investigators are reportedly investigating Cambridge Analytica, the political firm implicated in a data privacy scandal.

The Justice Department and the FBI have opened an inquiry into the now-defunct company, according to the New York Times, speaking to former employees and banks that worked with the company.

Cambridge Analytica obtained Facebook profile information encompassing as many as 87 million users, a transfer that was not revealed until after the company had gone on to work for the Trump presidential campaign.

An ensuing uproar has since led the company to cease operations amid an exodus of customers. But the data transfers aftermath is continuing to unfold.

How the company came into possession of and then used personal information is of particular interest investigators, who were said to have reached out to Facebook.

A survey app developed by Aleksandr Kogan harvested the data of both users and their friends, Facebook has said, which was then passed to Cambridge Analytica. The company failed to delete the data despite certifying it had, Facebook said (Cambridge Analytica disputes this).

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

While Cambridge Analytica has said the information gathered by Mr Kogan was not used in service of the Trump campaign, the consulting firms potential role in both Donald Trumps election and the Brexit vote has attracted intense interest.

In the runup to the presidential election, Cambridge Analytica touted its ability to appeal to distinct segments of the electorate with what it called psychographic profiling - an approach that dovetailed with the Trump campaigns embrace of Facebooks tools to precisely target advertisements to certain groups.

 Mark Zuckerberg admits my mistake as 87m Facebook users could have seen data accessed by Cambridge Analytica

A prominent backer of the company, Robert Mercer, and his daughter have used their wealth to gain substantial clout in Republican politics - including by supporting the far-right news website Breitbart, whose chairman Steve Breitbart who initially was one of Mr Trumps closest counselors.

In the UK, members of Parliament have uncovered evidence of what they call linkages between Cambridge Analytica and the Brexit campaign.

The UKs information commissioner earlier this month ordered the company to turn over all the data it had collected on an American professor.
Donald Trumps pick to lead the CIA has passed a crucial Senate committee vote, all but guaranteeing she will be confirmed as the first female director of the agency.

Gina Haspel, a 33-year CIA veteran and current acting director of the agency, passed her Senate Intelligence Committee vote easily, with 10 senators in favour and five opposing. Thanks to five Democratic senators whove said theyll support her nomination, she is widely expected to pass a forthcoming full Senate vote.

Ms Haspel was a controversial choice for CIA director given her involvement in the agencys post-9/11 interrogation programme. In her Senate confirmation hearing, Ms Haspel refused to disavow techniques previously used by the CIA  such as waterboarding  or to deem them immoral.

But in letters to Democratic senators ahead of the committee vote, Ms Haspel said the CIA should never have undertaken the interrogation programme and would not return to it under her leadership.

The letter convinced Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the vice chair of the intelligence committee, to pledge his support for the nominee. In a statement following the committee vote, he praised Ms Haspel as an independent voice and strong advocate for the agencys workforce.

Most importantly, I believe she is someone who can and will stand up to the president if ordered to do something illegal or immoral  like a return to torture, he said.

 Gina Haspel confirmation hearing: Haspel promises not to restart CIA programme

Another Democrat on the committee, California Senator Kamala Harris, voted against Ms Haspel, citing concerns about her "commitment to transparency". Much of Ms Haspel's three-decade CIA career is classified, and several senators have questioned whether the agency purposefully withheld damaging information about the nominee.

Four more Democratic Senators  Heidi Heitkamp, Bill Nelson, Joe Manchin, and Joe Donnelly  have pledged to support Ms Haspel, all but guaranteeing her the Senate majority she needs to be confirmed.

Two Republicans  John McCain and Rand Paul  have said they will oppose her nomination. Mr McCain, a US navy veteran who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said confirming Ms Haspel would send the wrong message about Americas position on torture.

Ms. Haspels role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing, he said in a statement. Her refusal to acknowledge tortures immorality is disqualifying. I believe the Senate should exercise its duty of advice and consent and reject this nomination.

Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience after taking the oath of office as his wife Melania (L) and daughter Tiffany watch during inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West Front of the US capital in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jim Bourg: "This photo was shot with one of two remote cameras. The cameras were monitored and triggered remotely and the pictures were transmitted to clients worldwide within minutes of being taken." Reuters/Jim Bourg Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Obama farewell address - 10 January 2017 US President Barack Obama wipes away tears as he delivers his farewell address in Chicago on 10 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "In his final days in office, Obama made a visit home to Chicago. As he spoke from the stage to his wife and daughter in the audience, he became emotional when he talked about what they had sacrificed during his time in office. I turned from photographing the Obama women embracing to find him onstage wiping away tears." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 A combination of photos shows the crowds attending the inauguration ceremonies to swear in U.S. President Donald Trump at 12:01pm (left) on January 20, 2017 and President Barack Obama sometime between 12:07pm and 12:26pm on January 20, 2009. Reuters/ Lucas Jackson/Stelios Varias Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Liberty Ball - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the Liberty Ball in honour of his inauguration in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "What I see when I look at this picture is the end of a very long day, not to mention weeks and months of preparation by many photographers, editors and network experts and the beginning of everything since." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception - 22 January 2017 US President Donald Trump greets Director of the FBI James Comey as Director of the Secret Service Joseph Clancy (L), watches during the Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on 22 January, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "I have covered the White House for 16 years and normally either the President or the pool is in position when an event starts. In this case the President was not where anyone expected him to be. In fact, he was almost blocking the door when the pool came in. We had to scramble to find a position without bumping him or the furniture as he greeted and thanked members of law enforcement for their security efforts during the inauguration. Luckily, he greeted FBI Director James Comey a few seconds after the pool had made its way into the room." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Private phone calls to world leaders - 28 January 2017 US President Donald Trump, is joined by his staff, as he speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office on 28 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Very early in the Trump administration, weekends were as busy as weekdays. On Trump's second Saturday the official schedule said he would be making private phone calls to a number of world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin. I arrived early and, before sitting down at my desk walked up to Press Secretary Sean Spicer's office. He, too, was just taking his coat off. I gingerly made the suggestion that previous administrations had sometimes allowed photos of such phone calls through the Oval Office windows on the colonnade. To my mild shock, he didn't even think about it twice. "We'll do it!" he said. In truth, I really only expected the Putin call, but we were outside the windows multiple times throughout the day as the calls went on." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway - 27 February 2017 Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway (L) attends as US President Donald Trump welcomes the leaders of dozens of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the Oval Office on 27 February, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "We're often asked how much access we have to the Trump administration, and the answer is we have an awful lot. President Trump himself is very comfortable in the spotlight, and his aides are similarly unfazed by cameras. In this instance, senior advisor Kellyanne Conway was so comfortable in our presence she seemed not to consider the optics of kneeling on a Oval Office sofa to take pictures with her phone." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Angela Merkel heads to Washington - 17 March 2017 Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on 17 March, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Chancellor Merkel made one of the earliest important visits of any US allies to meet Trump in his first months in office. When world leaders give joint news conferences they don't always tend to give each other their full attention - but Merkel watched Trump intently at several key moments, and here seemed particularly rapt." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump welcomes truckers to the White House - 23 March 2017 President Trump reacts as he sits on a truck while he welcomes truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting regarding healthcare at the White House on 23 March, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "The White House organised a listening session with truckers and CEO's of major American companies, regarding healthcare reform. An 18-wheeler tow truck was parked on the South Lawn of the White House and as Trump welcomed the truckers someone invited the him to come and sit in the driver's seat. Trump jumped into the cab and started yelling and pretending to drive - creating one of the most memorable pictures of the year. A lesson learned, always be prepared for the unexpected." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 6 April 2017 US President Donald Trump talks to journalists members of the travel pool on board the Air Force One during his trip to Palm Beach, Florida on 6 April, 2017. Carlos Barria: "During the many trips to President Trump's residence in Florida it is usual to see the president coming to the back of the plane to chat with journalists. During one of the trips to the so called 'Winter White House', Trump had a long talk with reporters while the Air Force One entertainment system was playing one of the latest Star Wars movies. As I was listening to Trump talk I was also looking at the movie waiting for a part of the movie to frame the mood of the day. Of the many scenes, I choose the one with Darth Vader." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office of the White House on 27 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "A day before President Trump's hundred days in office I was part of the team that interviewed the commander-in-chief in the Oval Office. I was only allowed to photograph Trump during the last five minutes of the interview. The time was very tight so I had to move fast as I had pictures in mind that I wanted to shoot. I walked into the Oval Office and saw that the President had printed maps of the country showing areas in red where he won. I raised my hands holding my camera as high as possible to get the best view of the scene using a 16mm wide angle lens." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump reacts as he arrives at Harrisburg international airport, before attending a rally marking his first 100 days in office in Pennsylvania on 29 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to celebrate his hundred days in office with a victory rally. He was in friendly territory as he won with a big difference over his opponent Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, during the November elections. As usual when the commander-in-chief arrives local residents gather to greet him. This time a small group of military personnel attended the arrival. Surrounded by secret service agents Trump walked from the Air Force One and raised his hand in a sign of victory as the crowd cheered him on." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 2 May 2017 White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (L) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus watch as US President Donald Trump presents the U.S. Air Force Academy football team with the Commander-in-Chief trophy in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on 2 May, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "Covering the White House does not just mean covering the President. White House staffers are an important part of the story and their relationship with the President and each other is an indicator of how things are going in the West Wing. The tendency is to focus exclusively on the President once an event starts but I always try to look around to see how people are reacting as things unfold." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Secret Service - 4 May 2017 Secret Service agents use a presidential limousine as cover from spraying water as US President Donald Trump lands via Marine One helicopter in New York on 4 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "The best part of any trip to New York City with the sitting US President is the helicopter ride into Manhattan. The ride out at night can be stunning. Here, Secret Service agents protect themselves from the spray from the East River as Trump lands on the helipad." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures NATO Summit - 25 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wait the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron (unseen) before a lunch ahead of a NATO Summit in Brussels on 25 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "One of the best parts of travelling overseas for White House coverage is the chance to see the U.S. president in different environments and (literally) a different light. Here, Trump and his wife came out of the shadows to greet France's President Macron." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump meets Putin at G20 summit - 7 July 2017 US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on 7 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "On July 7, I witnessed one of the most important meetings of President Trump's first year in office. Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Germany. The world's eyes were on these two leaders after speculation about Russian interference during the 2016 US elections. We entered the room for less than two minutes, where I took dozens of pictures. But there was this very interesting moment when Trump extended his hand to Putin for a handshake. Putin paused for a second and looked at Trump's hand. That was the picture that I was looking for, a little moment that seemed to say a lot." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures First lady - 8 July 2017 First lady Melania Trump chats with US President Donald Trump during their return from Germany at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 8 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "After President Trump's trip to Germany he arrived back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. First Lady Melania Trump said goodbye to Trump as she was heading off in a different direction that day. While chatting a breeze blew Melania's hair up in the air." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Made in America product showcase - 17 July 2017 Vice President Mike Pence laughs as President Donald Trump holds a baseball bat as they attend a Made in America product showcase event at the White House on 17 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "This summer the White House organized an event to showcase 'Made in America' products. All kinds of exhibitors brought their products as the President and Vice President toured the event. One of the companies was Marucci Sport, a manufacturer of baseball bats based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As Trump approached a table full of baseball bats, photographers at the event, including me, rushed to get a good angle hoping that he would pick up a bat. As we predicted, he did. He took one and joked around as though he was hitting something hard. The only thing closer to him right there, was the media." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 25 July 2017 Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says hello to reporters as he and White House advisors including Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci accompany President Trump for an event celebrating veterans at AMVETS Post 44 in Ohio, July 25, 2017. Jonathan Ernst: "The most visible person in any White House is naturally the President, followed by the press secretary. But there are also the staff who support them. For those of us covering the Trump administration, there seem to be more compelling figures in the West Wing than ever before. It's crucial to know who's who and why they're important. When I raised my camera and back-pedalled ahead of the group to take this image Lewandowski gave me a hello. I liked the photo, but had no idea it would go a little bit viral, especially since Scaramucci, who was the biggest mover and shaker that week, was hidden back in the pack. But I guess the image catches a glimpse of what it's like to be a West Wing staffer on the road." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Campaign rally - 3 August 2017 US President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in West Virginia on 3 August, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Huntington for one of his usual campaign rallies. While members of his family spoke to the crowd he was waiting under a black curtain to be introduced. Suddenly he walked onto the stage, one of the first frames that I took was of his hand. I set my exposure for the light on the stage hoping to create this dark background and it worked." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Staring into the solar eclipse - 21 August 2017 Without his protective glasses on, US President Donald Trump looks up towards the solar eclipse while viewing with his wife Melania and son Barron at the White House on 21 August, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "On a day when everyone, and I mean everyone, was told not to look at the eclipse without protective glasses, Trump, President of the United States, couldn't help himself." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Harvey - 2 September 2017 US President Donald Trump poses for a photo as he and first lady Melania Trump help volunteers hand out meals during a visit with flood survivors of Hurricane Harvey at a relief centre in Houston, Texas on 2 September, 2017. Photohrapher Kevin Lamarque: "Trump, eager to deliver the image of a hands-on response to Hurricane Harvey, made this visit to a relief centre and obliged this woman with a selfie as Melania continued to work." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House - 15 September 2017 Donald Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio as he cuts the Rose Garden grass at the White House on 15 September. Frank, who wrote a letter to Trump offering to mow the lawn, was invited to work for a day at the White House along the National Park Service staff. Frank was so focused on his task that he did not notice the President arrive to surprise him. He took his father jumping in to grab his attention and point Trump out. Photographer Carlos Barria said: The image of Trump shouting at a kid who is mowing his lawn might have many interpretations in today's politically polarized United States. But for me it was just a kid who loved what he was doing, to the point he almost appeared to ignore the President." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Take a knee - 27 September 2017 A man kneels with a folded U.S. flag as the motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump passes him after an event at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., September 27, 2017. In September, soon after Trump had made comments condemning NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, he made a day trip to a rally in Indianapolis. Jonathan Ernst managed to capture a man on one knee with a tri-folded flag and was able to use a portion of the sign on the building he was kneeling in front of to track the man down and tell his story in full. US Army veteran Marvin Boatright wanted to send a message against social injustice. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Maria - 3 October 2017 President Donald Trump throws rolls of paper towels into a crowd of local residents affected by Hurricane Maria as he visits Calgary Chapel in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 3 October, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "During an afternoon visit to Puerto Rico for President Trump to survey damage from Hurricane Maria and greet some of its victims, Trump made a stop at a church where food and supplies were being distributed. Among the items were paper towels and Trump, apparently caught up in the moment, decided to distribute some of the rolls." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Jared Kushner - 1 November 2017 White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner sits behind President Trump during a cabinet meeting in Washington on 1 November, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "The role of Jared Kushner has gone through a series of changes. He began front and centre as a high profile adviser, but as time has passed and issues surrounding him have surfaced, he has become more of a background figure." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump in China - 9 November 2017 Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands after making joint statements at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 9 November, 2017. Photographer Damir Sagolj: "It's one of those "how to make a better or at least different shot when two presidents shake hands several times a day, several days in row". If I'm not mistaken in calculation, presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump shook their hands at least six times in events I covered during Trump's recent visit to China. I would imagine there were some more handshakes I haven't seen but other photographers did. And they all look similar - two big men, smiling and heartily greeting each other until everyone gets their shot. But then there is always something that can make it special - in this case the background made of US and Chinese flags. The first time it didn't work for me. The second time I positioned myself lower and centrally, and used the longest lens I have to capture only hands reaching for a handshake." Reuters/Damir Sagolj Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 10 November 2017 US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China, November 10, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "There is a Reuters photographer in the tight pool covering the US president for every appearance he makes 365 days a year. This was just one of 32 images of mine that were transmitted on the Reuters wire of President Trump visiting China and Vietnam that day. You never know when a sudden interaction, a gust of wind or a unique facial expression will lead to a striking image that grabs peoples' attention." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures ASEAN handshake - 13 November 2017 Donald Trump registers his surprise as he realises other leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are crossing their arms for the traditional "ASEAN handshake" as he participates in the opening ceremony of the summit in Manila on 13 November, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Having covered a few ASEAN summits, I knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. Not everyone in the room knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. A lot was written about this unscripted moment, and what deeper meaning it might have. The simple truth is that sometimes in life there are unscripted moments." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Civil rights groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have also expressed concern with Ms Haspels nomination. In a statement following the committee vote, the ACLU criticised Mr Warner and committee chair Richard Burr for proceeding to a vote without releasing classified information about Ms Haspels role in the interrogation programme.

The intelligence committee, the ACLU said, let Gina Haspel get away with hiding the entirety of her torture record.

Ms Haspel briefly oversaw an American black site prison in Thailand where at least one detainee was waterboarded. In her confirmation hearing, she refused to say whether she had overseen the waterboarding, or had pushed for the expansion of the enhanced interrogation programme.

As chief of staff for the clandestine service director in 2005, Ms Haspel also drafted a cable ordering the destruction of nearly 100 videotapes of CIA waterboarding sessions. Ms Haspel and the CIA maintain that her boss at the time, Jose Rodriguez, independently chose to sign and send the cable. A 2011 internal review absolved Ms Haspel of any wrongdoing.

The CIAs interrogation programme has been denounced as torture by multiple foreign governments, United Nations officials, and even former US President Barack Obama. A 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee report found the programme was flawed, and that officials portrayed it as more effective than it was.

In her confirmation hearing, Ms Haspel said she would never, ever take the CIA back to an interrogation programme.

My moral compass is strong, I would not allow CIA to undertake activity that I thought was immoral, even if it was technically legal, she said.
A federal judge has refused to dismiss charges special counsel Robert Mueller brought against former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort, saying Mr Mueller was acting within his authority.

In endorsing Mr Muellers broad legal purview, Judge Amy Berman Jackson offered a counterpoint to critics - among them Donald Trump himself - who argue that Mr Muellers investigation has grown too large and overstepped its original intent.

The indictment will not be dismissed, judge Jackson wrote, and the matter will proceed to trial.

The directive empowering Mr Mueller to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election encompasses both any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign go President Donald Trump and any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.

As part of that investigation, Mr Mueller has charged Mr Manafort in connection with his alleged efforts to conceal the proceeds from political consulting and lobbying work for Ukrainian clients.

In addition to pleading not guilty and denying any wrongdoing, Mr Manafort filed a civil lawsuit against Mr Mueller and deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein - who appointed Mr Mueller to lead the Russia probe - arguing the investigation had unjustifiably expanded beyond looking at Russian interference in the election.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

None of the charges relate to Mr. Manaforts activities during his brief stint in 2016 as the campaign manager for the Trump presidential campaign, the lawsuit says, arguing the inquiry had extended far beyond potential links between Russia and the campaign and grown to focus on Mr. Manaforts offshore business dealings that far precede the Trump campaign.

But Judge Jackson repudiated that argument, noting that Mr Manafort was nor merely associated with the Trump campaign but its one-time manager.

His work on behalf of the Russia-backed Ukrainian political party and connections to other Russian figures are matters of public record, she wrote, so it was logical and appropriate for investigators to focus on him.

She also noted that the rules covering the appointment of special counsels allow for prosecutors to explore paths that branch out naturally from the original investigation, as well as entirely new and disconnected allegations.

 Donald Trump suggests he would override his legal team submit to interview with Robert Mueller

The president has raged against Mr Muellers probe, deriding it as an unfounded witch hunt advanced by partisan holdovers at the Department of Justice.

He has been adamant that his campaign did not collude with the Russian government and has cautioned against Mr Mueller widening his focus beyond the question of coordination with Russia, warning Mr Mueller would cross a red line if he began delving into the Trump familys finances.
A woman has won the Idaho Democratic primary, setting her up to potentially become the first Native American governor in United States history.

Paulette Jordan won the Democratic primary for governor in Idaho with roughly 58 per cent of the vote in a race that attracted more than double the turnout compared to the previous cycle.

Ms Jordan, a former state representative, would also be the first woman governor of Idaho if she is elected in the deep red state this November.

We are all one. Like all of you, I am a Westerner. I was raised by Idaho, Ms Jordan told a crowd of supporters Monday night at a Boise bar for her victory party.

I come here on the vision and the prayer of our ancestors. They suffered and sacrificed for far too long for us to not see this win tonight. We have a better Idaho and weve seen that tonight.

Ms Jordans victory in the primary comes amid rapid growth in the state, which is the fastest in the entire country. That growth is leading to a shift in demographics, even as the state has remained roughly 90 per cent white.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

While Ms Jordan actually winning the governorship is a long shot  a Democrat hasnt won in the state since 1990  but she was joined by women in other states Tuesday in primary wins in male-dominated states.

In Pennsylvania, at least seven women won Democratic primaries after a record number of women ran for House seats amid intense political enthusiasm. At least three of the women won in districts in the Philadelphia suburbs and in districts where Democrats are heavily favoured to win in any election, according to the New York Times.

Those primary wins make it increasingly likely that they will be able to disrupt what has been, to this point, an all male congressional delegation.
Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has warned of a growing crisis of ethics and integrity in the US, in an apparent rebuke of President Donald Trump.

While Mr Tillerson did not mention Mr Trump by name in his first public remarks since leaving his administration, he told graduates at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington: If our leaders seek to conceal the truth, or we as people become accepting of alternative realities that are no longer grounded in facts, then we as American citizens are on a pathway to relinquishing our freedom.

He also warned that if Americans fail to address the ethics crisis now, it could mean American democracy as we know it is entering its twilight years.

Recommended Rex Tillerson fails to thank Trump in speech after being fired

The former Exxon executive was critical of leaders who encouraged a society based on wishful thinking ... [and] hoped-for outcomes made in shallow promises.

One other line stuck out for Washington insiders as a thinly-veiled critique of Mr Trump: We do not have to look far to find examples of the cost to individuals and to society when integrity is sacrificed for immediate gain or personal achievement, the former top diplomat said.

While cautioning the graduates about the US alienating its longtime allies, he also noted that globalisation and trade  issues Mr Trump has railed against as part of his America First foreign policy  are not inherently bad for the future of the American workforce.

 Rex Tillerson gives statement after being fired as Secretary of State

He acknowledged that trade has led to anxiety and fear jobs leaving the country but said that every nation has the right to aspire to a better quality of life, and that free trade and economic growth are the means by which economic opportunity is created for all people.

Mr Trump has used the word unfair to describe nearly every multilateral or bilateral deal the US is party to, particularly the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) with Canada and Mexico.

 Donald Trump sacks Rex Tillerson

Mr Tillerson also said that the damage done by a lack of public trust in certain institutions and individuals at the top strikes at the very heart of a free society.

The president and Mr Tillersons relationship appeared to sour after rumours surfaced that the Texan had called Mr Trump a moron during a meeting at the Pentagon in July 2017, a report the State Department denied at the time. Mr Tillerson himself never formally denied the remark but said he would not deal with such "petty nonsense"

Mr Tillerson's departure from the State Department was announced by Mr Trump in a tweet back in March.

Mr Trump told reporters in the wake of that tweet announcing his nomination of former CIA Director Mike Pompeo for the top diplomatic post, that he and Mr Pompeo shared similar thinking and he had disagreed with Mr Tillerson. Mr Trump added that the former oil and gas CEO would be much happier out of office.

The pair had reportedly butted heads on matters involving Russia and North Korea in particular. In October 2017, the president had tweeted that Mr Tillerson was wasting his time trying to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un through State Department diplomatic backchannels. At the time Mr Trump had warned of raining down fire and fury on Pyongyang in light of its development of nuclear weapons.

The historic first meeting between the two leaders was announced the same week as Mr Tillersons firing and is set for 12 June in Singapore.
Donald Trump Jr testified before senators that he could not remember if he told his father about the controversial meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer.

The presidents eldest son told members of congress he did not think there was anything wrong with meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who he had been told had damaging material about Hillary Clinton.

I didnt think that listening to someone with information relevant to the fitness and character of a presidential candidate would be an issue, no, he said.

 Trump implies he had dirt on Clinton same day as Trump Jr's Russia meeting

Reuters reported that, according to 2,500 pages of testimony released by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr Trump Jr frequently deflected questions during the interview last year, saying he also could not recall whether he spoke with his father on the day the June 2016 meeting took place.

The meeting, in the building that is both a business and residential base for Donald Trump in New York, is currently being scrutinised by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is probing Russias alleged interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

When details of the meeting first emerged last summer, many legal observers suggested the incident amounted to collusion, given that Mr Trump Jr admitted he agreed to the meeting because he was told Ms Veselnitskaya possessed material that could help his father. His father also said he himself would have agreed to the meeting, and claimed any candidate would have.

In addition to Mr Trump Jr, the meeting was attended by Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, and Paul Manafort, his then campaign manager. In addition to Ms Veselnitskaya, also present were Rinat Akhmetshin, a prominent Russian-American lobbyist, Ike Kaveladze, a business associate of a Moscow-based developer known to the Trump family, and a translator, Anatoli Samochornov.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The British man who organised the meeting and who was also present, Rob Goldstone, told senators he had been told Ms Veselnitskaya was well connected and had promised damaging material.

Mr Goldstone, a tabloid journalist turned music promoter, said he pushed for the meeting between the Trump campaign members and Ms Veselnitskaya, at the behest of his client, Russian pop star and developer Emin Agalarov, who had previously met with Donald Trump.

Mr Goldstone said Mr Agalarov pressed for him to do so, even though he advised him it might be a bad idea. Mr Kaveladze was a US-based employee of Mr Agalarov and his father.

He said, It doesnt matter. You just have to get the meeting, Mr Goldstone told senators.

Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya speaks during an interview in Moscow (YURY MARTYANOV/AFP/Getty) (YURY MARTYANOV/AFP/Getty Images)

The committee did not interview Ms Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer at the centre of the meeting. But the panel released her written responses to a letter that Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, sent her last year. It also was unable to interview Mr Kushner or Mr Manafort.

Following the release of the documents, Mr Trump Jr said the transcripts show he answered every question asked.

I appreciate the opportunity to have assisted the Judiciary Committee in its inquiry, he said a statement.

The public can now see that for over five hours I answered every question asked and was candid and forthright with the committee. I once again thank Chairman Grassley and ranking member Feinstein, as well as other members of the committee and their staff for their courtesy and professionalism.

Mr Mueller has already brought several unrelated charges against Mr Manafort, including money-laundering conspiracy, false statements and acting as an unregistered foreign agent related to Ukrainian political work. Mr Manafort has pleaded not guilty.

In addition to the meeting itself, Mr Muellers probe is also examining the way the White House responded once details were revealed by the New York Times.

The White House has said the president was involved in drafting an initial statement. The statement said the meeting primarily concerned a Russian adoption programme, though Mr Trump Jr later released the emails showing he agreed to the sit-down after he was promised information on Ms Clinton. The emails also show he accepted the meeting despite it being described as part of a Russian government effort to aid his fathers campaign.

Asked in the interview if his father was involved in drafting the statement, Mr Trump Jr said: I dont know. I never spoke to my father about it.
A powerful Senate committee has concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Donald Trump, breaking with the conclusion of a similar House probe.

There is no doubt that Russia undertook an unprecedented effort to interfere with our 2016 elections, said Senator Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, in a statement issued with Mark Warner, its most senior Democrat.

The Russian effort was extensive, sophisticated, and ordered by President Putin himself for the purpose of helping Donald Trump and hurting Hillary Clinton.

The findings of the committee, one of several probes into alleged interference in the election, which has been denied by Russia, were in line with the general conclusion of the US intelligence community.

However, they differed from those of the House Intelligence Committee, which released its own findings last month and the suggestion Mr Putin had acted to benefit Mr Trump.

Mr Trump quickly seized on the House committees findings, tweeting at the time: House Intelligence Committee rules that there was NO COLLUSION between the Trump Campaign and Russia.

As I have been saying all along, it is all a big hoax by the Democrats based on payments and lies. There should never have been a Special Counsel appointed. Witch Hunt!

 Donald Trump Jr defends meeting with Russian lawyer

In contrast, the Senate committees findings suggested it had few doubts about Moscows alleged intentions.

After a thorough review, our staff concluded that the [Intelligence Community Assessment] conclusions were accurate and on point, Mr Warner said.

The Russian effort was extensive, sophisticated, and ordered by President Putin himself for the purpose of helping Donald Trump and hurting Hillary Clinton.

The Senate committee has been investigating Russias alleged interference plot for more than a year. It released its findings as Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues his own probe into the issue, along with alleged collusion by the Trump campaign.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

Earlier on Wednesday, the committee had released up to 2,500 documents from its investigation, among them details of testimony of Mr Trumps eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, who told senators he could not remember if he told his father about a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya.

Mr Trump Jr has said he attended the meeting because he was told the Kremlin-linked lawyer had damaging material about Hillary Clinton.

The senators met with former NSA director Mike Rogers, former CIA director John Brennan, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper earlier on Wednesday, The Hill reported.

The committee had also invited former FBI director James Comey to attend, though he ultimately declined.
Four samurai sword wielding men who attacked a police headquarters in Indonesia have been shot dead.

One person died and three others were injured when the men drove their car into a yard and launched their assault in the central city of Pekanbaru.

The men are thought to have been members of Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a group affiliated with Isis, as it took place days after the country faced a wave of suicide bombings from the militant group.

Two officers were wounded while another was killed when he was hit by the car, as one of the men tried to escape. A journalist was also injured by the vehicle.

The driver was later arrested said Setyo Wasisto, national police spokesman.

One of the men reportedly had a bomb strapped to his body, although this is not be confirmed. TV footage showed one man lying on the ground with a long sword next to his body.

Indonesia has been hit with a series of attacks in recent months, many of which have been attributed JAD.

Members of a single family carried out a suicide bombing at the police headquarters in Surabaya days after another family, with whom they were friends, launched coordinated suicide blasts on churches in the same city.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Police suspect they were a cell of the Isis-inspired group, which is on the US State Department terrorist list. It is thought to have drawn hundreds of Indonesian Isis sympathisers.

After some major successes tackling Islamist militancy since 2001, Indonesia has seen a resurgence in recent years.

In January 2016 when four suicide bombers and gunmen attacked a shopping area in the capital, Jakarta.

Agencies contributed to this report
North Korea might not go through with a planned summit with Donald Trump after all, an official has warned, if it is pushed to abandon its nuclear programme.

The country, which previously agreed to discuss denuclearisation at the talks, has no interest in one-sided demands for North Korea to give up its weapons, a statement carried by state media said.

If America corners us and unilaterally demands we give up nuclear weapons we will no longer have an interest in talks and will have to reconsider whether we will accept the upcoming DPRK-US summit, state media quoted vice-foreign minister Kim Kye-gwan saying.

The statement specifically repudiated calls for a complete, verifiable and irreversible end to Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme, invoking the language the White House and Seoul have used to describe their goal.

It also assailed by name John Bolton, Mr Trump's hawkish new national security adviser who has advocated a preemptive military strike on North Korea.

With the expected summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Mr Trump looming, Pyongyang has pivoted from what had been a more conciliatory stance by laying out more concrete demands and pushing back against the US.

A day earlier, North Korea announced it would cancel a planned meeting with South Korea in response to its neighbour holding joint military exercises with American troops.

While Pyongyang has long condemned such exercises as rehearsals for an invasion, the regime had appeared to soften that stance earlier this year by conveying that it would not demand the exit of US troops from the Korean Peninsula as a precondition for a nuclear deal.

Escape from North Korea Show all 16 1 /16 Escape from North Korea Escape from North Korea Jeong Min-woo A hat belonging to Jeong Min-woo in Seoul. Min-woo is from Hyesan, on the border with China. He was a commissioned officer in the Korean People's Army, and left in his uniform. South Korean intelligence confiscated it, but he persuaded his North Korean military contacts to send him a new one. Reuters Escape from North Korea Jeong Min-woo Jeong Min-woo, 29, poses for a photograph in Seoul Reuters Escape from North Korea Kang Kang, 28, who wanted to be identified only by her surname, poses for a photograph in Seoul. The parents of Kang sent out a coat across the Chinese border after she reached the South in 2010. "I didn't ask my mother to send me this coat," said Kang. "But she knew I feel the cold easily and sent it to me. She sent some honey too, but it went missing on the way. The coat is made of dog fur. I don't know what kind of dog. In 2010, it cost about 700,000 North Korean won ($88 at the unofficial rate). It was really expensive. A North Korean friend went to China to pick it up for me. I liked this coat when I got it. I thought my mother must've spent quite a lot of money on it. Reuters Escape from North Korea Kang The dog fur coat belonging to Kang, "My father was a party officer. Our family had a car and we lived in a special apartment. Ordinary people couldn't afford to wear this kind of coat, not even soldiers. Commissioned officers could afford them. Border guards would wear them. It wasn't easy to buy this kind of coat, but as time went on, fake ones began to appear. The state often clamped down on this item. It's technically military supplies so the state monitored people who altered the design of the coat. I know just from looking at this coat that it's a counterfeit one, not the official version. The counterfeit ones look quite different from the original ones. Military officials preferred the fakes to the original because the design looked much better. The children of rich families would wear them. I look too chubby in this, so don't wear it here. I thought I could probably wear it if I altered it." Reuters Escape from North Korea Lee Oui-ryuk Lee Oui-ryuk is from Onsong, near the border with China. He defected in 2010, and brought his ID card with him. "I brought my ID with me when I left North Korea. Juche 95.11.7 (the date in the North Korean calendar, which equates to Nov. 7, 2006) is the date I was issued with my ID. It says here my blood type is "A", but I'm actually an "O." For the 23 years I lived in North Korea, I thought my blood type was "A." They wrote down my blood type without even doing a test. They just wrote whatever they wanted to. I was caught trying to defect to South Korea around Kim Jong Il's birthday. They strengthen border security just before and after that date." Reuters Escape from North Korea Lee Oui-ryuk "The bottom of the lamp is dark," as the saying goes, and I thought I'd be able to cross right under their noses. The soldiers shot at me as I tried to run away from the Tumen River. I managed to get away and hid, but someone reported me and I was caught. That's when I was taken to the bowibu (North Korean secret police) for three months of interrogation. The state ruled that I had tried to defect to South Korea, and I was sent to a camp for political prisoners. I escaped when they were transferring me to the camp. I hid and managed to make it to my big sister's house - that's when I grabbed these photos. I couldn't go home easily, so decided I had to hide in the mountains or somewhere remote. I needed my ID to move around without getting caught. and I took these 12 photos with me in case I wanted to look back and reminisce. I wrote on the back of them so as not to forget." Reuters Escape from North Korea Ji Sung-ho Ji Sung-ho, 35, from Hoeryong, near the border with China. He left North Korea in 2006 with a pair of wooden crutches. "I lived as a child beggar in North Korea. I was stealing coals from a train when I fell off and lost my leg and my hand. I had to bring the crutches with me. If I didn't have them, I wouldn't have made it here. The state doesn't help you in North Korea, and people who need crutches make their own. Mine are therefore not factory-made, so they're not perfect and break easily. I had several pairs of crutches but they all broke, and this was the last pair. I used these crutches for 10 years, until I was 25, when I arrived in South Korea. I would steal coal from moving trains and fall off, destroying my crutches. Or I would get beaten up by the police and they'd take and then break my crutches. When they broke, I would make new ones. When I had new ones, I could go back outside." Reuters Escape from North Korea Ji Sung-ho "When I first arrived in South Korea I thought about throwing them out. South Korea's intelligence agency gave me a prosthetic leg. My friends said I should throw the crutches out and not think about North Korea. They said I should show Kim Jong Il I was living a new life in South Korea and throw out everything I had from the North. Some asked if I got upset when I saw my crutches. But I couldn't just throw them out. To make my crutches, my friends had given me some wood that they had bought, and someone I knew in North Korea who had carpentry skills had made them. It was my father who added the final touches. There is a lot of love from my North Korean friends and family in these crutches. So I didn't throw them out. The South Korean government gave me some new crutches because the wood from my North Korean ones is hard and painful. But I still keep them, so as not to forget those memories." REUTERS Escape from North Korea Kim Ryen Hui Kim Ryen Hui, 48, is from Pyongyang. She says she never wanted to defect. In 2011, she says, a broker helped her go to China for treatment on her liver. But the broker tricked her, she said, and she ended up in South Korea. She is campaigning to return, which Seoul says would be against the law. "I miss my parents even more than I miss my daughter. They're everything to me. For the first few years, I couldn't even breathe properly when I thought of them. My little brother lives with them in Pyongyang now. My mother can't see out of one eye. The thing I fear the most is finding out they've passed away before I have the chance to go back. Reuters Escape from North Korea Kim Ryen Hui "My daughter and I have been writing letters and sending photos to each other. My cousin lives in China, so she's been sending them on. My daughter's name is Ri Ryon Gum. She was born on February 15, 1993. I don't want her to live out her life with me here. When she was young, she did taekwondo. She wanted to get involved in espionage operations against South Korea. She was so fearless. That's why she was doing taekwondo - to get involved in anti-South espionage. So I was really surprised to hear she became a chef. In a video of her I received, she explained why. She said that after I had left, she moved in with her father in Pyongyang and had been cooking for him. She said she decided to become a chef so she could fulfill my role at home. I was sad when I heard that." Reuters Escape from North Korea Lee Min-bok Lee Min-bok, 60, was a researcher at North Korea's Academy of Agricultural Science. He first tried to defect, unsuccessfully, in 1990. He eventually left North Korea in June 1991 and came to South Korea in 1995. His family sent him these diaries. "I have a bit of an academic side. According to Kim Il Sung's teachings, people are supposed to keep diaries. Everyone in North Korea should strictly follow Kim Il Sung's teachings, so I did as I was supposed to and kept a diary. Even though Kim Il Sung is a villain here, in North Korea he's above everything. We learned that he studied well and gave our lives purpose. I lived according to those teachings. I wrote these out of loyalty to the Leader. That was our ideology, and I lived my life in strict adherence to it. No one could think differently." Reuters Escape from North Korea Lee Min-bok "I got hold of these diaries 10 years after I arrived in South Korea. I had been sending money to my family in the North and they sent them to me. I didn't write any complaints in diaries. I would've been in big trouble if I did. My diaries are a record of my history in North Korea. I am thinking about turning these diaries into a book. I'd like to publish a book about how to change North Koreans' thinking when unification happens. These diaries show how North Koreans think and how their minds are constructed. People need to make these into a textbook, because they need proof. Talking is not as effective." Reuters Escape from North Korea Song Byeok Song Byeok was a propaganda artist. His father drowned trying to cross the Tumen river, in 2000. When the artist finally left North Korea in 2001, he brought photos of his family with him. "We left that August to find food," Byeok recalled, describing the first attempt. "We were from a town further inland, and we weren't sure where the river was high and where it was low. I didn't know at the time but the river was swollen because of the rainy season. I thought we had to cross it anyway. All I could think about was getting to China to buy food. I took off my clothes and tied them into a rope to strap us together. I told my father not to let go. As we approached the middle of the river, the strap felt lighter. I looked back and saw my father drifting away. I was devastated." Reuters Escape from North Korea Song Byeok "He was going under the water and couldn't get out. I rushed up to the (North Korean) border guards and asked them to save him but they just said why did I come out, why didn't I die too. They handcuffed me and took me away. It was Aug. 28. I was tortured by the "bowibu" (North Korean secret police) in Hoeryong, then jailed for four months in Chongjin prison camp. But after I was released from the camp I felt like I needed to survive and carry on living. Right before I tried to defect again, I went back home and grabbed my family photos. Even if I died trying, I thought, at least I would have this picture with me. I never found my father. After I came to South Korea, I went back to China in 2004 and held a memorial service for him by the river. My heart still aches." Reuters Escape from North Korea Baek Hwa-sung Baek Hwa-sung, 33, left Sinuiju, on the border with China, in 2003 and resettled in South Korea in 2008. He kept a diary as he defected. "In 2004, I started to write down all my thoughts in a diary. I didn't know if I'd get caught. I just wanted to let it be known where I was from, and where I wanted to go. After I left the North, I became very depressed, hiding in the mountains alone for a while. The people who were watching over me told me not to come down to the village and left me by myself in a mountain shelter. Alone, with no one to engage with or talk to, I felt like I would go insane. So I wanted to leave something behind in case I died there or got caught - that's why I started to write. Reuters Escape from North Korea Baek Hwa-sung "Alone in the mountains, I desperately sought something to talk to. That was my diary. My diaries are proof of my life's journey. I read them when I want to remember home. I can't return home, and I already have no memories of my hometown. But when I go through my diaries, there are notes which detail the vivid memories of that time. Sometimes I might forget my father's birthday, but when I go back to my diary, his birthday and my mother's birthday are there. My diaries are a record of my life. They prove I'm alive." Reuters

The latest statement from North Korea similarly signalled a return to more hardline tactics after Mr Kim had committed to seeking denuclearisation and moved to shut down a nuclear testing site.

Even as it has tentatively embraced the diplomatic opening posed by talks with Mr Kim, the Trump administration has hewn to a maximum pressure campaign of stringent sanctions, and Mr Trump has said he would walk away from a deal that falls short of disarmament.

Before inviting Mr Trump to an unprecedented meeting with Mr Kim, Pyongyang spent the first part of the Trump presidency rattling the world with a series of ballistic missile tests.

Both sides traded insults and threats of annihilation, fuelling fears of a nuclear conflict.
For many of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have been forced to flee Myanmar in the past year, Thursday will mark the first time in their lives that they will be able to observe the holy month of Ramadan without fear of retribution.

More than 600,000 of the refugees live in cramped conditions and makeshift shelters in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, where a network of settlements now ranks as by far the biggest refugee camp in the world.

They have fled persecution in Myanmar, which the UN has said appears to amount to ethnic cleansing. But even before the latest wave of violence that began last August, minority Muslims in Rakhine state had been denied the right to practice their religion freely.

Ramadan in the camps of Coxs Bazar will come with significant challenges. The vast majority of both refugees and aid workers are expected to observe a daily fast  with nowhere to hide from the hot and humid weather conditions of this time of year.

Recommended What I saw in Bangladesh should make Aung San Suu Kyi ashamed

To accommodate the influx of people in Coxs Bazar, vast swathes of the landscape have been stripped of vegetation and simple bamboo structures with tarpaulin roofs have been erected in their place.

Speaking to the AFP news agency inside the Coxs Bazar district, one 12-year-old Rohingya said he used to look forward to fasting because it meant resting with friends between chores, sharing in the act of devotion in the shade of trees.

We cannot fast here like we did back in Burma [Myanmar], because its too hot. There are no trees, said Hashim. The tarpaulin is hot, and it gets hotter when the sun is beating down. It will be very difficult.

Caroline Gluck, a senior official based in Coxs Bazar for the UNs refugee agency, said Ramadan was poised to be a very difficult time for the Rohingya, living in such a congested settlement where they must rely on NGOs and their Bangladeshi hosts for everything.

Access to clean water to rehydrate either side of the fast could be a particular problem, she told The Independent, while many refugees have complained of being unable to afford the special foods and gifts usually associated with the iftar feast, breaking the fast in the evening.

It will be extremely challenging, not least because we are entering the monsoon season, when the heavy rains will hit exactly at the time when iftar starts Caroline Gluck, UNHCR official

It will be extremely challenging, she said, not least because we are entering the monsoon season, when the heavy rains will hit exactly at the time when iftar starts.

Ms Gluck said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and other agencies have been trying to prepare the Coxs Bazar camps for the rains, but with the land denuded of its trees and other vegetation, landslides and other devastating events could prove inevitable.

Some rains have already hit the region, and the weather has been bad enough to destroy shelters and blow away their makeshift rooftops. With potentially several devastating cyclones expected to pass over the camp in the weeks to come, aid workers are fearing the worst.

But besides the practical implications of the month ahead, Ms Gluck said Ramadan will also be a difficult time for those, like Hashim, who remember a better time at home in Myanmar  even with its evening curfews and limitations on prayer.

Rohingya men prepare to make an offering for afternoon prayers at a refugee camp in Ukhia, Coxs Bazar (AFP)

The Rohingya here have been welcomed by their fellow Muslims, but for many it will be a bittersweet Ramadan, said Ms Gluck.

People will feel melancholy, because it is also a time when they should be with family, with their community. So many have lost loved ones, even in the last few months.

The UN has said the number of Rohingya killed in Myanmars military operations may be extremely high, while at the end of 2017 the charity Doctors Without Borders suggested the death toll was likely to be above 10,000.

Myanmars military has denied any wrongdoing, saying it responded proportionately to the threat of Muslim insurgents, and that allegations against its soldiers are investigated internally. The government has consistently denied access for independent journalists and international inspectors to visit the Rakhine region.

Ramadan is also a time for giving in the Muslim calendar, and private donors in Bangladesh have already started handing out alms to those in need, with host families near the border expected to hold dinners to feed those in the camps.

The UN is highlighting the plight of the Rohingya specifically as part of its international #HandInHand fundraising appeal, and calling on donor countries and organisations to give what they can.

https://giving.unhcr.org/en/ramadan-rohingya/
Donald Trump has said we will have to see what happens after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatened to walk away from a historic summit with the US president.

Mr Kim said that he has no interest in attending the meeting if it is a one-sided affair aimed at forcing the unilateral abandonment of Pyongyangs nuclear weapons  marking a return to an often used strategy of making sudden shifts in tactics when dealing with other nations.

If the US is trying to drive us into a corner to force our unilateral nuclear abandonment, we will no longer be interested in such dialogue and cannot but reconsider our proceeding to the summit, said Kim Kye Gwan, North Koreas first vice minister of foreign affairs.

Recommended North Korea suspends talks with South over US military drills

The historic first meeting between the leaders is set to take place on 12 June in Singapore, with the White House saying it is hopeful it will still take place. When asked if the move was a bluff after weeks of seemingly warm statements from North Korea, Mr Trump remained non-committal.

We havent been notified at all, well have to see. We havent seen anything, we havent heard anything. We will see what happens, Mr Trump said from the White House.

In his remarks, Kim Kye Gwan specifically criticised the US national security adviser John Bolton, who has called for North Korea to quickly give up its nuclear arsenal. North Korea clashed with Mr Bolton when he worked under the Bush administration, calling him human scum and a bloodsucker.

We shed light on the quality of Bolton already in the past, and we do not hide our feeling of repugnance towards him, Kim Kye Gwan said.

 Mike Pompeo confident US and North Korea have 'shared understanding of ultimate objectives from summit'

Hours before throwing doubt on the summit with the US, North Korea announced it was suspending high-level talks with the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, scheduled for Wednesday. Pyongyang said that the annual US-South Korea military exercises that the two nations are currently engaged in  and which the North has long opposed  were a provocation, according to the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

In a pre-dawn dispatch, KCNA called the two-week Max Thunder drills, which began Monday and reportedly include about 100 aircraft, a rehearsal for an invasion of the North and a provocation amid warming inter-Korean ties.

They also linked it to last months summit between Mr Kim and Mr Moon, when the leaders met at the border in their countries third summit talks since their formal division in 1948.

This exercise targeting us, which is being carried out across South Korea, is a flagrant challenge to the Panmunjom Declaration and an intentional military provocation running counter to the positive political development on the Korean Peninsula, KCNA said.

The US will also have to undertake careful deliberations about the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit in light of this provocative military ruckus jointly conducted with the South Korean authorities.

North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Show all 21 1 /21 North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Pukguksong-2 missile - 2 May 2017 A solid-fuel "Pukguksong-2" missile lifts off during its launch test in North Korea on May 22, 2017. They said that it was examining operational plans for attacking Guam, an angry reaction to UN punishment for previous North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile tests and a US suggestion about preparations for possible preventive attacks to stop the North's nuclear weapons program. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Hwasong-12 -16 September 2017 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting a launching drill of the medium-and-long range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 at an undisclosed location. Kim vowed to complete North Korea's nuclear force despite sanctions, saying the final goal of his country's weapons development is "equilibrium of real force" with the United States, state media reported on September 16, 2017. AFP/Getty Images North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Donald Trump address South Korean assembly - 7 November 2017 President Donald Trump talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-In during their joint press conference at the presidential Blue House on November 7, 2017 in Seoul.Trump was the first US President to address the South Korean National Assembly since President Clinton in 1993. He addressed Kim Jong Un warning him to not underestimate the US and that for talks to materialize then Pyongyang would need to take steps into denuclearization. Getty North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Demilitarized Zone Haean-Myeon, is a small military town near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and border between North and South Korea, in Gangwon province. The zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula and was created after the 'Korean Armistice Agreement'. Any negotiations between the two countries tend to take place in this zone. AFP/Getty Images North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Declared state sponsor of terrorism by Trump - 20 November 2017 President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a cabinet meeting at the White House on November 20, 2017, where he officially designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. North Korea had previously been on the list, however was removed in 2008. Getty North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile - 29 November 2017 The North Korean government launches it's Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea on November 29, 2017. It is supposedly capable of reaching all parts of the US. Korean Central News Agency via AP North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile - 29 November 2017 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un celebrating the launch of the Hwasong-15 missile on November 29, 2017. AFP/Getty North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Kim Jong-Un New Year's speech - 1 January 2018 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un delivering his New Year's speech. He vowed North Korea would mass-produce nuclear warheads and missiles in a defiant New Year message on January 1 suggesting he would continue to accelerate a rogue weapons programme that has stoked international tensions. Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Intercontinental ballistic missile ice sculpture - 1 January 2018 Fireworks are seen above the Taedong River during New Year celebrations as visitors pose for a photo in front of an ice sculpture of an intercontinental ballistic missile at the Pyongyang Ice Sculpture Festival in Kim Il Sung Square in North Korea on 1 January, 2018. REUTERS North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures US-South Korean military drills postponed - 4 January 2018 South Korean President Moon Jae-in talks with US President Donald Trump on January 4, 2018 in Seoul. South Korea and US agreed to delay the annual "Foal Eagle" military drills until after the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in an effort to "de-conflict" the Games and "focus on ensuring the security" of the event. South Korean Presidential Blue House via Getty North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures North and South Korea have first official talks in over two years - 9 January 2018 Vehicles transporting the South Korean delegation, led by South Korean Unification Ministrer Cho Myoung-Gyon, drive past a checkpoint on the road connecting South and North Korea at the Unification Bridge, near the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating them both on January 9, 2018 in Paju. They began their first official face-to-face talks in two years. Getty North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures North and South Korea have first official talks in over two years - 9 January 2018 Members of the South Korea delegation (R) shake hands with members of the North Korean delegation (L) during their meeting at the border truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas on January 9, 2018. They focused on the forthcoming Winter Olympics after months of tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme. AFP/Getty North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Foreign Ministers Meeting on Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula - 16 January 2018 Foreign Ministers from twenty countries from North and South America, Asia, and Europe pose for a photo at the Vancouver Foreign Ministers Meeting on Security and Stability on the Korean Peninsula, in Vancouver on January 16, 2018. The US urged an escalation in pressure on North Korea over its nuclear missile program, despite a more cautious tone from key US ally South Korea. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, co-hosted the event with Canada's foreign minister Chrystia Freeland, and called for North Korean ships to be intercepted and for new punitive measures to be implemented every time Pyongyang tests new weapons. AFP/Getty North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures North Korea and South Korea to march together at Winter Olympics - 20 January 2018 PyeongChang 2018 Olympics President Lee Hee-beom, North Korea's Sports Minister and Olympic Committee president Kim Il Guk, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Do Jong-hwan and South Korea's National Olympic Committee President Lee Kee-heung join their hands as they pose during a signing ceremony at the Olympic Museum on January 20, 2018 in Lausanne. North Korea will send 22 athletes to the Winter Games in the South. The two nations will also march together at the opening ceremony. AFP/Getty North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Anti-North Korea activists protest delegation arrival - 22 January 2018 Anti-North Korea activists burn a portrait of leader Kim Jong-Un during a rally Seoul Station as a North Korean delegation arrived to check out performance venues for the Winter Olympics on January 22, 2018. Protesters led by the Korean Patriots Party gathered and complained that the talks to encourage North Korea's participation is stealing the spotlight from their country to the benefit of the regime. Donga Daily via Getty North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Panmunjom - 7 February 2018 South Korean soldiers stand guard at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between South and North Korea on February 7, 2018. In a sign of thawing bilateral ties, North Korea today announced that Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, will attend the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. Getty Images North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures North Korean ferry arrives in South Korea - 6 February 2018 North Korean ferry Mangyongbong-92 carrying a 140-strong orchestra approaches a port in Donghae, South Korea, February 6, 2018. REUTERS North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Anti-North Korea protest - 6 February 2018 A member of a conservative civic group tears a portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during an anti-North Korea protest as the North Korean ferry Mangyongbong-92 carrying a 140-strong orchestra approached. REUTERS North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures North Korea at the athletes village - 8 February 2018 A North Korean flag is seen hanging on a building at the Winter Olympics athletes village in Gangneung, South Korea. REUTERS North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Olympic Welcome ceremony - 8 February 2018 Democratic People's Republic of Korea Vice Sports Minister Won Gil-woo receives a gift from mayor of the Olympic Village Kim Ki-hoon during the welcome ceremony ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Games at the Olympic Village on 8 February, 2018 in South Korea. Getty Images North Korea  South Korea relations: in pictures Mike Pence meets Moon Jae-in - 8 February 2018 US Vice President Mike Pence shakes hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in before their meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea on 8 February, 2018. REUTERS

The US military said in a statement that this years drills are routine and defensive in nature.

Speaking on Wednesday morning, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that the move from North Korea was not unexpected and that Mr Trump was prepared for tough negotiations.

The president is ready if the meeting takes place. If it doesnt, well continue the maximum pressure campaign thats been ongoing, Ms Sanders told Fox News in the wake of North Koreas comments.

Were still hopeful that the meeting will take place and well continue down that path but at the same time weve been prepared that these could be tough negotiations.

She added that North Koreas actions were not something that is out of the ordinary in these types of operations, adding that the president is fully prepared and fully ready for the meeting.

China has urged North Korea not to cancel the summit, with President Xi Jinping telling state broadcaster CCTV: We support the improvement of North-South (Korean) relations, the promotion of dialogue between North Korea and the US, denuclearisation on the peninsula, and North Koreas development of its economy.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said China hopes the summit produces substantial outcomes Only in this way can we consolidate the alleviation of the situation and maintain peace and stability in the region. Mr Trump plans to discuss North Korea halting its nuclear weapons programme.

Mr Xi, who was meeting with a delegation from North Koreas ruling party at the time of his comments, has met with Mr Kim twice in the last month in what experts have said is a way of ensuring Chinese interests are on the agenda during the summit with Mr Trump. Recently, Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE was penalised by the US Commerce Department for violating sanctions by selling goods made with US components to North Korea.

However, Mr Trump stepped in and said he would work with Mr Xi to ensure jobs that were lost as a result of losing access to the American market are brought back to ZTE.

China has deep connections with North Korea  Pyongyang has long relied on it and Russia for basic economic needs along with a small number of other allies. However, Chinas recent enforcement of strict United Nations sanctions on seafood, textiles, foreign exchange services and fuel are believed to have hurt Pyongyang.
An Australian man who has given blood a record-breaking 1,173 times, helping to save more than two million babies, has made his final donation.

James Harrison, 81, carries a precious antibody that is used to make a medication which combats rhesus disease  a condition which makes the blood of pregnant women attack their unborn children.

He became known as the Man with the Golden Arm for his unprecedented volume of donations, which have also earned him a Guinness World Record and a Medal of Order in Australia.

Recommended Gay man abstains from sex for a year so he can donate blood

Ive saved a lot of lives and got a lot of new kids into the world, so, that makes me feel good, said Mr Harrison, who has now reached the maximum age at which he can give blood. I increased the population by so many million I think.

He told broadcaster 9 News he would have continued to make donations if doctors had let him.

Mr Harrison, from Umina Beach, on the central coast of New South Wales, first gave blood in in 1957. Six years earlier, when he was 14, he needed a lung to be removed and required someone elses blood to save his life during the operation.

In the 61 years since his first donation, he has visited a Red Cross blood bank every fortnight.

Among those in attendance for his last donation at the weekend were Michelle Dibbs, her husband Edwin, and young daughter Eloise, whose life was saved by Mr Harrisons blood.

Eloise has a negative blood type and her mother has a positive blood type, meaning Ms Dibbs needed two injections of the immunoglobin Anti-D before her daughter was born.

I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you to James, hes a wonderful person, Ms Dibbs said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. 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Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Anti-D is made up of rare plasmas from donors such as Mr Harrison, who is one of fewer than 50 people in Australia known to carry the antibodies.

In Australia, up until about 1967, there were literally thousands of babies dying each year, doctors didnt know why, and it was awful, Jemma Falkenmire, of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, told CNN in 2015. Women were having numerous miscarriages and babies were being born with brain damage. Australia was one of the first countries to discover a blood donor with this antibody, so it was quite revolutionary at the time.

Doctors are unsure why Mr Harrison has this rare blood type, but suspect it may have been caused by the transfusions he received after his lung operation.

Every bag of blood is precious, but James blood is particularly extraordinary, said Ms Falkenmire. Every batch of the life-saving Anti-D that has ever been made in Australia has come from James blood. And more than 17 per cent of women in Australia are at risk so James has helped save a lot of lives.
A male MP who called the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, a stupid little girl in New Zealands parliament, has still not been identified.

The comment was made in the chamber and was heard by speaker Trevor Mallard who stopped proceedings and called for the person who made the sexist remark to apologise.

One week later, no one has come forward and an apology has not been issued.

Due to the Speakers demand, if an MP were to own up they would be required to stand in parliament, withdraw the remark and then apologise, according to Newshub.

Mr Mallard said the comment had come from behind the leader of the opposition, Simon Bridges, who said he would review the footage to help identify who was responsible.

"Parliament's a place of cut and thrust. People say things in the heat of moment, on all sides of the House, including, let's be honest, the speaker," Mr Bridges said.

The minister for women, Julie Anne Genter, described the incident as unacceptable.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

People should get with the times, especially the National party backbenches. Grow up, Ms Genter said.
A devastated mother whose tattooist misspelt her sons name came up with an ingenious, and painless, solution  she renamed her child.

Johanna Giselhall Sandstrom asked a local tattoo artist in Kyrkhult, Sweden, to have the names of her two offspring inked onto her arm.

It was only when Ms Sandstrom returned home that she noticed her son Kevin had become Kelvin, despite the fact she was given the chance to review the design beforehand.

I said I wanted the names of my children tattooed on me and I gave the artist their names, she told local newspaper Blekinge Lans Tidning. The artist drew the design and didnt ask anything about the spelling so I didnt give it any more thought.

But she broke down in tears once she realised the mistake.

My heart stopped and I thought I was going to faint, she said.

After returning to the tattoo parlour, the tattooist laughed and said there was nothing he could do beyond giving her a refund.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

After discovering it would take multiple treatments to remove the tattoo, Ms Sandstrom and her husband opted to change their sons name instead.

I had never heard the name Kelvin before, she said. There isnt anyone who names their kid Kelvin. So when I thought more about it, I realised that no one else has this name. It became unique. Now we think it is better than Kevin.

Ms Sandstrom said Kelvin didnt think about the name change as he was only a two-year-old at the time, but promised to check 10,000 times before she gets her next tattoo in honour of Freja, her third child.
On Wednesday morning, at 5.30am local time, Russias only direct road link to Crimea was opened to traffic. The project, a major technical and geopolitical challenge, had been pushed right to the top of the states agenda. It was completed several months ahead of schedule, and at an eye-watering cost of 2.7bn.

President Vladimir Putin made the maiden trip across the bridge on Tuesday, leading a convoy of lorries from Russia to Crimea in under 17 minutes. Today, it was left to the Russian foreign ministrys spokesperson Maria Zakharova to open the route to the public.

The excitable official was flanked by several dozen bikers as she did so.

Unforgettable! Its a real celebration, she said. The numbers wanting to travel on the bridge today are simply huge  young and old, people connected with Russia and with Crimea.

At twelve miles long, the Crimean bridge is now the longest in Europe, and one of its most advanced.

Trying building conditions and seismic activity have previously conspired to get in the way of construction.

The first plans to build the bridge appeared during the time of Nicholas II  and were scuppered by the First World War.

The Nazis then attempted to build a permanent structure during the Second World War  that was scuppered by the Red Army.

The German plans were adopted by Stalin and construction was completed in six months. But Stalins bridge collapsed just a few weeks after its engineers were awarded medals.

This time, the historical mission of providing a material link between the annexed peninsula and the mainland has given the project unstoppable momentum.

Up until now, the link between Russia and its annexed peninsula had been provided by a ferry crossing. With movement at the land border with Ukraine restricted following the military campaign in the Donbass, the ferry became a critical and high-demand link. There were often long tailbacks of cars and lorries, especially in high season or in times of poor seafaring weather.

Vladimir Putin takes part in the opening ceremony of the road and rail Crimean Bridge over the Kerch Strait (AFP)

Ukraine has described the construction of the bridge as a violation of international law.

On Twitter, Ukraines foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin said Russia had built a bridge to nowhere: This is a bridge between occupied Crimea, where people are scared and disappear, and Russia, where 1,600 can be arrested in one day for a peaceful protest. Both directions are roads to nowhere.

The British Foreign Office has also condemned the opening of the bridge. In a statement, minister for Europe Alan Duncan said the bridge was a violation of Ukraines sovereignty, and a further example of Russias reckless behaviour.

It is unlikely the ministers words will receive anything other than short shrift. Post-Skripal, relations between Russia and Britain hover at historical lows. Viktoria Skripal, the niece of the former spy, Sergei, was on Tuesday again refused a visa to visit the UK. Mr Skripal continues to be treated for exposure to a nerve agent, which the UK has blamed on Moscow. Russia denies any involvement.

On Wednesday, Valentina Matviyenko, head of Russias upper parliamentary chamber, warned things were unlikely to get better this side of a general election.

You cant count on things changing while those in power are intent on pushing Russophobia and while the British government is so imbued with an anti-Russian policy, she said.
Turkish Airlines says it has fired 211 employees over their links to the Islamic transnational Gulen movement after the recent failed coup.

The state-run company sacked the workers, including management and cabin crew, as part of a purge of state institutions.

Dismissals occurred late on Sunday after it was decided the employees were linked to a religious movement President Tayyip Erdogan has said attempted to overthrow the government.

An official at Turkish Airlines, Europe's fourth-biggest carrier, declined to comment.

Other reports said the dismissals were due to "inefficiency."

Thelira.com, a financial-news website, said about 250 cabin crew were dismissed, along with 100 management and administrative staff.

Aviation news site Airporthaber.com said among those let go was a deputy chief executive responsible for the airline's financial affairs.

Authorities have sacked, suspended or detained some 60,000 people, mainly public-sector employees, after a failed coup by a small faction in the military. They are accused of sympathizing or belonging to a religious group led by Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic preacher in self-imposed exile in the United States.

Separately, landline operator Turk Telekom, which is 30 per cent state-owned, sacked 198 people on Friday in "cooperation with the security forces" and said some managers had been summoned by prosecutors for testimony in connection with the coup investigation, according to e-mailed statements.

In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters

More than 240 people were killed and 2,000 injured in violence surrounding the July 15 coup attempt.

Turkish Airlines shares were up 2.83 per cent at 5.08 lira on Monday, in line with the main index. Turk Telekom outpaced the index, rising 3.59 per cent to 6.06 lira.
Israel and Turkey have become embroiled in a diplomatic tit for tat exchange as the spat between the former allies continues to escalate over the situation on the Gaza border.

Israels ambassador to Turkey, Eitan Naeh, was ordered to leave the country temporarily and underwent a strict security screening at Istanbuls airport.

Members of the Turkish press were invited to film the incident, prompting outrage by Israel.

The diplomatic falling out began on Monday, after Israeli troops killed at least 60 Palestinians on the Gaza border, labelled by Turkish President Recep Erdogan as a genocide.

It was a real hazing, an Israeli source was quoted as saying to local media, according to the Times of Israel.

It is a deliberate humiliation of an Israeli ambassador in front of the cameras  invited specially by the Turkish government.

In turn Israel summoned a top Turkish diplomat in Tel Aviv to be reprimanded and invited members of the press to film his entrance.

The meeting in Jerusalem with the Turkish deputy ambassador, Umut Deniz, lasted about 20 minutes. He was asked to present his documents upon entering and made no comment to a crowd of reporters as he left the building.

Mr Deniz then walked to a waiting van, slammed the door shut and it drove away.

Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said Israel expressed our concern and our dismay at a gross violation of the diplomatic ethics.

The images of our ambassador being subjected to an unnecessary security check are spread all over Turkey, he said.

This is something we cannot accept, this is something that is totally contrary to diplomatic relations between countries and a public humiliation of an ambassador is something that Israel will not accept under any circumstances.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The exchanges comes less than two years after the countries reconciled after six years of animosity.

Once close allies in an Arab-dominated neighbourhood, Israel and Turkeys ties began to decline after President Erdogan, whose party has roots in Turkeys Islamist movement, first came to power as prime minister in 2003.

Relations imploded in 2010 after a confrontation between Israeli commandos and a Turkish flotilla trying to breach the blockade of Gaza left 10 Turkish activists dead.

Agencies contributed to this report
A group of Chinese tourists wearing T-shirts depicting the disputed South China Sea were stopped by Vietnamese police upon arrival at Cam Ranh airport on Sunday evening and asked to remove them.

The tourists had travelled from Shaanxi Province to Nha Trang, a city on the southern central coast of Vietnam, for a five-day stay according to Vietnamese newspaper Labor Daily.

Airport officials stopped the group, who removed their coats as they passed through security, revealing the controversial T-shirts featuring the nine-dash line. The tourists were then instructed to remove the shirts before they could leave the airport.

The nine-dash line is central to the South China Sea dispute. It runs for 2,000 km from the Chinese mainland to within a few hundred kilometres of Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. Beijing has long insisted on its dominance in this sensitive stretch of water, where artificial islands have been built and airstrips installed.

The group allegedly maintained their innocence, saying that they had bought the garments at a market at home and that they were unaware of its political message.

Recommended China demands Delta apology for listing Tibet and Taiwan as countries

The long-contested territory is a particularly delicate issue in Vietnam, which has a history of conflict with its Chinese neighbour.

This uneasy relationship is amplified by Vietnams reliance on Chinese tourists visiting the country. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, more than four million Chinese people visited the country last year, accounting for 31 per cent of all tourists.

Tran Viet Trung, director of Khanh Hoas tourism department, was reported to say that the case will be investigated and further action taken if necessary.

The pictures fuelled anger online, where some Vietnamese commentators suggested that the visitors should be deported and banned from returning to the country.
Ryanairs online check-in window will be open from just 48 hours to two hours before departure from 13 June.

Passengers who arrive at the airport without having checked in online are required to pay a fee of 55 in the UK or 55 (48) elsewhere.

The new rule applies to existing and new bookings, although Ryanair has said that passengers booked to travel from 13 June onwards who have not paid for reserved seating are entitled to cancel their flights and request a full refund. This offer is only available until 19 May, however, after which the change will be regarded as implicitly accepted, says the airline.

The reduction means that those on anything from week-long holidays to three-day minibreaks will not be able to check-in for their return journeys before they leave. As Ryanair requires a paper boarding pass printed at home, or a virtual boarding pass downloaded onto passengers phones, necessitating wifi, the change could prove problematic while abroad.

A spokesperson from Ryanair said: Online check-in (for those customers who dont choose reserved seats) will be available from 48 hours to two hours pre-departure for all flights from Wednesday, 13 June. This is double the 24 hour check-in period operated by Aer Lingus, British Airways, Lufthansa, Norwegian and Iberia. This will give reserve seat customers more time to select their preferred seats prior to departure.

Here are some of the ways to avoid incurring further costs at check-in when you travel with Ryanair:

Download the Ryanair app

Its entirely possible that the reduction of the check-in window has been designed to encourage more passengers to download the app, but doing so will enable you to check-in with greater ease when youre away. Make sure that you can download the app before your trip while you still have reliable wifi. Once the check-in window opens, youll still need internet access to check-in via the app and download your boarding pass; ensure your accommodation has wifi beforehand or find a local cafe or bar that has it. Alternatively, check whether you get free data in the country youre travelling to  and, if not, consider signing up to pay a bit more per day to use your UK data allowance abroad.

For those with limited space on their phones, its worth deleting an existing app to create space for the Ryanair one  then deleting it again upon your return home.

Ask your hotel to print off your boarding pass

Many hotels, particularly larger ones, have the facilities for you to access your Ryanair account, check-in and print off your boarding pass. If youre concerned that this might be your only option, its worth contacting your hotel ahead of time to see if this can be arranged.

Go old school and seek out an internet cafe

Tracking down an internet cafe to log on and check-in online might seem like a drag while youre on holiday, but if youre staying in a city or popular tourist resort, its highly likely that there will be at least one of these where you can check-in and print off your boarding pass for a small fee.

Bite the bullet and reserve a seat

If all this seems too much like hard work, passengers can pay a fee  typically 4 per person, per flight  for assigned seating and check-in up to two months ahead of departure.
A dictator gives up his nuclear weapons programme voluntarily, assured that in return his country will be allowed to come in from the international cold. A few years later, however, he is overthrown thanks to Nato and American bombing, hunted down and lynched.

Another country also gives up its nuclear weapons programme. It keeps its side of the agreement, and the six states that have signed it, as well as the UN, acknowledge that it is working. Then one of the countries, the US, gets a new president who arbitrarily tears up the deal, ignoring entreaties not to do so from allies.

That is what happened, respectively, with Muammar Gaddafis Libya and Iran. It is hardly surprising that North Korea is having doubts about holding talks over its own nuclear programme with a US administration which has just shown that it cannot be trusted to keep to an international agreement.

Pyongyang has focused on what happened to Libya, and specifically on what was said by Donald Trumps new national security adviser, John Bolton, who has declared that the Libyan disarmament would be the template the US wants for North Korea. Pyongyangs vice foreign minister, Kim Kye-gwan, was personal in condemnation about Bolton: We do not hide our feelings of repugnance towards him, he stated.

North Korea has maintained in the past that Libya would not have faced a Western attack if it had kept its nuclear weapons. Those of us who saw the body of Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim lying on the floor of a meat warehouse in Misrata could well understand why Kim Jong-un would not want the same fate to befall him.

Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Show all 25 1 /25 Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raise their hands after signing on a joint statement Korea Summit Press Pool via AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Kim Jong-un heads towards Moon Jae-in to shake his hand between the military demarcation line, at the Joint Security Area on the Demilitarized Zone in the border village of Panmunjom in Paju EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un hold hands as they cross the military demarcation line EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Koreans react while watching a screen reporting the Inter Korean Summit Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un chat as they arrive at the Peace House Reuters Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un was escorted by bodyguards from the North to the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas to meet with his South Korean counterpart at the truce village AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un crosses the military demarcation line to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in shake hands Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands after Kim crossing the military demarcation line Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Joint Security Area EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un speak with two South Korean children who presented Kim Jong-un with a bouquet of flowers EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting Moon Jae-in Kim Jong-un pose for photographers at the Joint Security Area (JSA) EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signs the guest book as South Korean President Moon Jae-in looks on Getty Images Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-uns entry in the guestbook. The writing reads A new history starts now. An age of peace, from the starting point of history Korea Summit Press Pool/Pool via Reuters Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-In and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talk during their summit meeting at the Peace House EPA Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un smiles AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un poses with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a photo inside the Peace House AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un talks with South Koreas President Moon Jae-in AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in prepare to plant a pine tree near the military demarcation line AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un applaud after planting a tree at the truce village Korea Summit Press Pool/Pool via Reuters Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un and South Koreas President Moon Jae-in take a walk after they planted a tree AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un talks with South Koreas President Moon Jae-in at a bench on a bridge next to the military demarcation line at the truce village of Panmunjom AFP/Getty Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in sign on a joint statement Korea Broadcasting System via AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in embrace each other after signing on a joint statement Korea Summit Press Pool via AP Korea Summit: Kim Jong-un crosses border for historic meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands after their joint announcement AP

Kim Kye-gwans statement is not just rhetoric  he is a senior figure in the North Korean hierarchy who has negotiated with the US before, and what he said would not have come without the backing of the full leadership. Pyongyang has cancelled the scheduled next round of talks with Seoul and warned it will abandon the planned summit with Trump in Singapore on 12 June.

If the US corners us and unilaterally demands we give up nuclear weapons, we will no longer have an interest in talks and will reconsider whether we would accept the North Korea-US summit meeting, said Kim Kye-gwan. North Korea had high hopes but it was very unfortunate that the US is provoking us ahead of the summit by spitting out ludicrous statements.

Pyongyang feels that it has been making all the gestures of concession so far. It has held talks with the South; suspended missile tests and will be dismantling a nuclear test site with the international media present. But it also knows that it is the nuclear arsenal that gives it bargaining power at the talks, and they are not going to acquiesce to American demands to start getting rid of it immediately.

The US administration is said to have been caught by surprise by the North Korean move and is planning to continue with preparations for the summit. But the spotlight, inevitably, is now on John Bolton.

Trumps national security adviser replaced lieutenant general HR McMaster, who Trump had come to view as not being aggressive enough. Bolton is not personally a man of action, unlike McMaster. Like Trump, Bolton was a Vietnam draft dodger, but he has been steadfastly keen on other people going to wars. Bolton remains a firm believer in the Iraq invasion  based on falsehood about supposed weapons of mass destruction  and has publicly advocated bombing Iran and North Korea.

 Mike Pompeo meets Kim Jong-un in North Korea

Shaul Mofaz, the former Israeli defence minister and chief of staff, revealed recently that Bolton, while US ambassador to the UN, pressurised Israel to bomb Iran. Mofaz declined, saying: I dont think it is a smart move.

In the final days before Trump abandoned the Iran deal, Mike Pompeo, another hardliner brought in as secretary of state to replace Rex Tillerson (someone else Trump thought was too moderate), was hopeful that it could be saved in form. The European signatories to the agreement had got Tehran to agree to further concessions and Pompeo is said to have told Western diplomats that he may be able to work on Trump, if he had a few more days, to get a possible stay of execution.

It was, instead, Bolton who had Trumps ear. The national security adviser has, according to reports, been quick to ensure that there are frequent closed door meetings between himself and the president. Other senior members of the administration, like defence secretary James Mattis, also deemed too moderate by Trump and his right-wing advisers, are being distanced.

Bolton is far brighter than Trump and may feel that he will be the Svengali able to mould the presidency to his own American world view and be, in effect, the new Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, who wanted to be known as the shadow president.

But this is unlikely to be a smooth process. Let us remember what happened to Bannon, who was supposed to have such a hold on Trump, and basically wrote his inauguration speech. One may argue that Bolton is in tune with Trumps desire for international confrontation. But Bannon, with whom the president was so enamoured, was an isolationist, quite the opposite of Bolton the interventionist. There is no knowing what Trumps views may change to in the future.

The Singapore summit would be seen as an achievement for Pompeo, who has been personally liaising with Kim Jong-un, and the secretary of state would not want to see it fall apart now. Pompeo has already had disagreements with Bolton over the future course of action with North Korea. The US, he held, would help with large-scale investment in infrastructure and agriculture to help the impoverished country, only for Bolton to slap it down with I wouldnt look to economic aid from us. Pompeo is likely to fight his corner, knowing his reputation as a hardliner gives him more strength in this administration than someone like Mattis.

Trump is said to feel more and more confident in his presidential abilities without having to depend on advisers. He apparently made the final decision on Iran without final consultations with cabinet members and senior officials about ramifications, and then, as he does, tweeted it. Bolton only found out from a European official who had seen the tweet.

Trump genuinely seems to believe that a North Korea deal would get him the Nobel Peace Prize. This is something that Pyongyang seems to have realised, pointedly stating that if the Bolton approach scuppers the deal then Trump will be recorded as a more tragic and unsuccessful president than his predecessors, far from his initial ambition to make an unprecedented success.

Overplaying his hand, Bolton may find, could mean that he suffers the same fate as Bannon, sinking back into the shadows rather than becoming the shadow president of the US, wielding real power behind the scenes.
The notion that the Syrian civil war is ebbing is dangerously misplaced. More people fled violence inside the country than anywhere else on the planet in 2017. Close to 8,000 Syrians were forcefully displaced every day last year. Thats more than from Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistans war zones combined, according to our global report on displacement.

Syrias seventh year of war saw president Bashar al-Assads government, its allied forces and the anti-Isis coalition reclaim large swaths of the country. This followed prolonged battles at enormous human cost, from Aleppo to Homs and rural Damascus. Ferocious air campaigns from Raqqa to Deir ez-Zor saw hundreds of thousands of civilians flee for their lives. Countless others were killed in the chaos. These military campaigns were each fought in the name of combatting terrorism.

As those battles ended, I predicted 2018 would offer hope for Syrians. This proved painfully wrong. Over 700,000 people have been forced to flee since January. Families tell my organisation, the Norwegian Refugee Council, that they are totally exasperated, worn out and displaced for the second, third or even fourth time. Yet they remain trapped by unimaginable, unrelenting violence.

It is critical we learn from this collapse of protection for Syrian civilians.

From its first year, the war was fought in heavily populated urban areas. Syrias conflict has been played out on a chessboard of apartment blocks, hospitals and displacement camps. About one-third of all homes and schools have been damaged or destroyed. Over half of all medical facilities have suffered the same fate. These grotesque war tactics still kill and injure scores of mothers, fathers and children every single day.

When I protest these atrocities to those holding the power strings of Syrias war, I am told terrorist elements hiding in civilian neighbourhoods justify their actions. While armed men do shamefully operate within civilian populations, the number of innocent women and children at risk far outnumber any bad elements.

There is no moral justification for levelling apartment blocks, hospitals or schools to the ground in the name of combatting terror. There must be accountability for disproportionate civilian casualties, even in the age of international terrorism.

My greatest fear now is that the province of Idlib will soon become ground zero for death and destruction. It is one of the last strongholds held by opposition groups  some of them listed terrorists. The province is crammed full, sheltering over two and a half million civilians. Half of the population has already fled violence, making Idlib a gigantic cluster of displacement camps.

Our message to the Syrian parties and to influential countries like Russia, Iran, Turkey, the gulf nations and the United States is clear; you cannot allow war to engulf Idlib. It would result in the horrific carnage witnessed in eastern Ghouta  but six times over. The powers players in Syria are bound by international law to protect civilians from violence, not use them as checkboard pawns.

The war on terror has focused too much on terrorists; it has forgotten the toll on their victims. We cannot accept that the only way to save a city is to destroy it. The only way to liberate a people cannot be to watch them flee for their lives.

 Theresa May denies UK bombed Syria 'beacuse Trump asked us to'

For generations, humanitarian organisations have sought protection from attack under international humanitarian law, by informing armed actors of the whereabouts of their hospitals, camps, convoys and warehouses. Historically, this information sharing or deconfliction has protected civilians, medical staff and humanitarians in full-scale wars.

But Syrias war has until now largely ignored this lifesaving practice. Hospitals, schools and humanitarian warehouses have been routinely attacked. The toxic cocktail of indiscriminate war on terror, mutual distrust among ground actors and impunity for war crimes has made the Syrian civil war the worst collapse of humanitarian law since the genocides of the 1990s.

Now in 2018, Syrian refugees are feeling the pressure of years of destitution and a lack of integration in neighbouring countries, while internal displacement reaches a new peak. There is nothing Syrians want more than to return and rebuild their ancestral land. But there will be no safe or meaningful return if civilians are not protected from war, terror and political repression.

Jan Egeland is secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council
A 50m three-year deal between the Larry Goodman-owned ABP group and Asian restaurant chain Wowprime Corporation, to supply beef to its restaurants across China, will secure the Irish meat company from Brexit.

Speaking at the signing of the deal with WowPrime today, Managaing Director of ABP International Mark Goodman said that in light of uncertainty around the issues of Brexit and a possible Mercosur deal, the contract with Wowprime will help risk proof' ABP.

I think to be honest the main thing about the Chinese deal is that its an excellent hedge against the downside risk of Brexit and were looking at possible Mercosur which could increase imports from south America, so its a hedge against risk, he said.

Mr Goodman said that the deal with Wowprime has been seven years in the making and hopes that it only the beginning of similar beef deals with the Chinese.

Weve been working on this deal for seven years now. In 2011 we opened an office in Shanghai and put our person on the ground to begin the research process and find the right customer for Irish beef.

Were segmenting the market in to food service, online and retail, were going to try and get in the market in that order. Today is our first foray in to food service and then we are in talks to launch a range of products on JD.com. After that we will target retail, he said.

The company has over 40 processing sites in eight countries, with around 10,000 employees.

He added that the main challenge in making deals with Chinese companies is getting them to understand Ireland and to come to Ireland to see the high quality, grass-fed product we have to offer, as well as targeting the product to the correct customer.

The key challenges would be finding the right type of customer who is willing to switch from south American to Irish beef and developing relationships there and getting them to learn about our product and in a lot of cases as with Wowprime they came to Ireland and visited Irish farms and saw the cattle and grass and came to the factories.

"The challenge is to get them to understand and say yes we want to buy that," he said.
Agriculture Minister Michael Creed has urged the Irish meat industry "not to drop the ball" if it wants to maintain a good trade relationship with China.

Speaking at the Doing Business in China seminar in Shanghai yesterday as part of his Departments week-long trade mission to China, Minister Creed said while Ireland has gained beef access to China on merit, its important that all of the industry meets the strict Chinese regulations on quality and food safety if Ireland wants to maintain access.

I am very confident about Irelands agri-food exports to China. In a few short years, the Chinese market has already proven its extraordinary potential.

"Irelands agri-food exports to China have increased roughly five-fold from around 200 million in 2010 to approximately 1 billion last year. This achievement is truly remarkable and in many ways is a minor economic miracle.

However, with every offering, were selling the reputation of our country, and if anyone of us drops the ball, it will impact on us all, he said.

He also added that he met with Chinese officials yesterday to discuss the prospect of widening the Irish beef access beef deal as at present beef exported into China from Ireland will have to be boneless, frozen and under 30 months of age.

Bord Bia Trade Marketing Manager based in Shanghai Conor O Sullivan told those at the seminar that China is Irelands biggest market for pork and that beef could very well follow suit if the Chinese continue to increase their consumption.

Officially, China imported 700,000 tonnes of beef in 2017. That was 20pc more than the year before, and this is only the start, he said.

Look at how little beef the Chinese eat compared to even the Koreans and Japanese. As incomes rise over the next couple of decades, its very likely this figure will rise by 3 three to four kilos and each kilo it goes up by means China will have to source another 1.4 million tonnes, he said.

However, at present the premium market for beef in China is grain-fed beef from the US and Canada and Mr O Sullivan warned that it would be an initial challenge for Ireland to get a premium for its grass-fed product.

There is very little recognition for grass-fed beef, most of which is imported from South America, so it tends to be cheaper and goes unbranded into processing or mass-market foodservice, he said.

You cant build a brand, or a premium, if no one knows that theyre eating your beef. The number one challenge for Ireland is ensuring that consumers know when theyre eating our beef. 

He added that in order to build a respected beef brand in the most digitally connected country in the world Irish beef companies will have to be visible online to the foodservice sector they aim to target.
The forgotten sector in Irish agriculture is part-time farming. Over 50pc of the 140,000 farmers in this country farm on a part-time basis: ie, either the farmer or spouse work off-farm to supplement household income.

The recent release of a draft reform of CAP 2020-24 raises concerns for part-time farmers due to the text around the definition of an active or genuine farmer.

No income support is proposed for "those whose agricultural activity is an insignificant part of their overall economic activities or whose principal business activity is non-agricultural".

Tests on income and labour activity are suggested criteria for evaluation of "the genuine farmer" which would ultimately decide what subsidies, premia and grants are drawn by individual part-time farmers.

This could have a seismic effect on Irish Agriculture.

In this country we conduct world-renowned research into systems of production for dairying, beef, sheep, arable and horticulture.

This research is driven by environmental sustainability, good animal welfare, technical efficiency and of course achieving financial gain.

Ultimately, the aim is to make Irish agricultural food and drink produce competitive on the world market.

Of course, this is a most important goal for Ireland as a nation, but it may not always coincide with the views and plans of individual farmers on the ground.

Take for example research into dairying: the low-cost grass-based system of production developed by Teagasc Moorepark has certainly made Irish dairy farmers competitive on the world stage.

The success of the system revolves around good grassland management. Teagasc strongly recommends dairy farmers to measure grass on a weekly basis during the growing season as a management tool which will significantly boost profitability.

To date the vast majority of dairy farmers have refused to adopt the technology, to the surprise of many in the industry.

The lesson from this example is that farmers know their own minds and are unpredictable when it comes to adopting new technology or introducing change into work practices.

If full-time farmers are unpredictable, part-time farmers are even more so, mainly due to the myriad of reasons why they farm in the first place.

As over 50pc of our farmers are part-time, it is vitally important that our industry understands what motivates part-time farmers to farm so that we can make plans for any potential changes in the upcoming CAP reform.

The following are reasons as to why part-time farmers farm and what action they might consider with reduced or no subsidies:

1. Longing to be a full-time farmer

This farmer has most likely inherited a farm too small to provide a good family income. The farmer is motivated to work off-farm, to grow the farm business to a size which will enable the nirvana of farming full-time.

Reduced or no subsidies would put a huge dent in this farmer's plans and ambitions.

In my opinion it would completely demotivate this type of part-time farmer. These part-time farmers are very valuable to our industry and must be protected.

2. Maintaining the family tradition

This farmer again most likely has inherited a farm, but is really only coasting along farming against his-her will because he/she is not brave enough to exit farming by leasing out or selling the farm.

Reduced or no subsidies would affect these types of part-time farmer, but would it affect them enough to exit the industry? I am not convinced they would exit the industry; these part-time farmers are a burden on the industry.

3. Hobby or lifestyle

This category may have inherited or purchased the land, but they genuinely enjoy part-time farming.

Income or profitability is never the top priority, it's a means of getting away from the day job, a good environment to raise children or simply just a status symbol.

They are good custodians of the land and are very often open to receiving knowledge and new technology.

These farmers are often the best proponents of agri-environmental schemes. They will always exist even if there were no direct payments, they must be included in any future agricultural policy.

4. Off-farm career

This is a relatively new type of part-time farmer. A successful farm business profitable enough to be run with full-time labour as the farm business owner works off-farm.

Some large established farm businesses where there are no farming successors fall into this category. Reduced or no subsidies would affect this type of farm business, but for most it would not cause the business to cease. A sign of a great business is one that can run without the owner's involvement. This is the part-time farming of the future.

Overall, the recently improved income tax benefits from long-term leasing of agricultural land has caused many to question continuing the vocation of part-time farming.

It is a clear signal from government to part-time farmers to exit the industry.

Yes, we have small farm size and fragmented holdings in Ireland; this measure is good for improving this aspect of the industry.

However, we must also recognise all the part-time farmers who choose to continue to farm and find a way to include them in the future of our industry.

The CAP reform proposal that individual member states will be able to decide what is best for each country is the perfect opportunity for Ireland to acknowledge and plan the future role for part-time farmers in our industry - they are genuine and have lots to contribute.

Mike Brady is managing director at Brady Group agricultural consultants & land agents, email: mike@bradygroup.ie.
Mark Goodman with Stanley Lin, Managing Director of Wowprime China and the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed

Larry Goodman's ABP has secured an exclusive three-year agreement valued at 50 million, with Asian restaurant chain Wowprime Corporation, to supply beef to its restaurants across China.

ABP announced the deal earlier this year, but the forma announcement was made today at an event hosted by the company in Shanghai, attended by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed; Mr Stanley Lin, General Manager of Wowprime China and Mark Goodman, Managing Director of ABPs International Division.

Wowprime is a publically listed company and has 151 restaurants in China. It offers customers a mix of traditional Asian and Western cuisine across 18 restaurant brands. ABP beef will be available in two of Wowprimes premium restaurant brands: Wang Steak and Tasty.

Mark Goodman, Managing Director of ABPs International Division said it is a tangible endorsement of the quality beef that Ireland and ABP has to offer.

"It is another significant step in developing new market opportunities for our products against the uncertain backdrop of Brexit. We look forward to working with Wowprime, who are crucial in helping us bring Irish beef to the plates of Chinese consumers.

Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said he was "genuinely delighted to be present today to mark the announcement of this ground-breaking deal between ABP Food Group and Wowprime.

"I hope it will be the first of many such transactions for Irish companies. Partnering with large Chinese restaurant companies such as Wowprime is the ideal manner to bring quality Irish beef to Chinese consumers."

Mr Stanley Lin, Managing Director of Wowprime China said it was delighted to partner with ABP who have made strongest case for the merits of Irish beef, which is sustainable, fully traceable to the farm of origin and hormone free.

"Combined with its high quality and great taste, we have no doubt these qualities will be a winner with our customers throughout China. We look forward to building our relationship with ABP Food Group in the years ahead.

Earlier this year, ABP Food Group extended its range of premium Irish Nature Organic striploin, ribeye and T-bone steaks with YATA, a Hong Kong based supermarket chain. The high quality beef products are now available in all of the retailers 10 stores in the prefecture. The company also exports Irish beef to the Philippines and Japan.

Wowprime has also agreed to extend the arrangement to include ABPs UK operations, in the event of the UK gaining market access to China.
Not being fully included in a will can be a matter of losing your life's work

One swallow never makes a summer and unfortunately neither did the beautiful four days we got in late April make a spring.

However, the four fine days did mark the start of grass growth even if it was short lived and the subsequent night frosts meant I still had a long way to go before I was out of the woods.

The warm spell over the Bank Holiday weekend was again a great help and perhaps now after months of hardship I can look forward to a return to some semblance of normality on my farm.

I'm very lucky to have a dry farm and I shudder to think of what farmers on heavy soil still have to cope with.

While the cattle who have been out since April 9 on little more than half-stocked paddocks appear to be doing okay, they are still well behind where they should be in a normal year.

I have been letting stock out in dribs and drabs over the last few weeks and with the improved temperatures I should have them all out soon.

My silage fields have responded well to the improved weather.

However, I feel that it may still not be good enough for cutting before the end of the month, but in farming you never know.

Looking at how well my silage fields are doing, you could argue that I was foolish not to have also spread some fertiliser on my grazing fields.

The reason I didn't is that I am determined to stick to my low-input system. There is a long grazing season ahead of us so hopefully the weather will improve sufficiently to compensate for the poor spring growth.

We often hear about Irish farmers' 'love of the land'. This is a unique romance which most people outside farming will never understand.

This winter's harsh weather and late spring are a very good example of some of the extreme challenges which farmers face because of this 'love'.

And while we all like to keep the 'best side out', farm income research clearly shows that for many of us - especially in the cattle sector - this love for the land is certainly not inspired by monetary gain.

In recent years, the love of the land has been accompanied by expansionary exuberance and I would argue that this potent combination has been somewhat cynically used by our policy makers to further the growth targets set out in the Food Wise 2025 plan.

Many young farmers involved in low margin enterprises such as cattle farming have been actively encouraged into making large investments in high risk expansion plans.

The policy-makers don't seem to have given much thought to the dire consequences for these farmers if things go wrong

This spring proved that the best laid plans can go terribly wrong.

Farming in New Zealand has long been held-up to us as the model which we should follow.

However, research there has discovered huge issues of depression among the farming community and highlighted the devastating effect depression can have on family relationships

Empirical evidence suggests that Irish farmers are now being affected in a similar manner.

All this reminds me of a line from a play by Marie Jones called Stones in His Pockets.

One character speaking of a farming friend declares (and I paraphrase) 'he put his trust in the land but the land let him down'

I find this line to be particularly poignant and upsetting as the character involved blames himself for events which were totally beyond his control.

Unfortunately, many Irish farmers also tend to blame themselves when things which are well outside their control go wrong.

The real tragedy would be if we don't learn from the many problems farmers have endured this spring.

As well as ensuring a sufficient supply of silage for next winter, we must also identify and recognise the underlying structural and policy problems.

These issues must be faced up to and mechanisms put in place to cope with the many stresses and difficulties which arise in modern farming.

If it can be done in New Zealand, surely it can also be done here.

Farm walks

On a more cheerful note, anyone driving around the countryside over the past few weeks could not but notice the many roadside signs directing farmers and interested parties to various farm walks and demonstrations.

The sign which attracted my attention was for the annual 'Beef Open Day' in Grange, Co Meath, 'Beef 2018'.

I have always enjoyed attending this annual event and I am certainly looking forward to attending there again on June 26.

I have no plans to radically change the way I manage my farm, but listening to new ideas is never a waste of time.

There's always room for improvement.

John Heney farms in Kilfeackle, Co Tipperary
The majority of gorse fires are caused by farmers, Coillte risk manager Mick Power has claimed.

Mr Power told the Farming Independent that the primary cause of gorse fires at this time of year is hill farmers burning dead vegetation illegally.

"We don't get natural wildfires like they do in other countries, 99pc are lit by farmers. Any opportunities farmers get to burn they do so regardless of regulations. This has to be taken more seriously," he said.

However, INHFA's Vincent Roddy said that these gorse fires are either lit accidentally or by a recreational user of the hills and that it's not accurate to blame farmers.

"It's very unfair to blame farmers for fires. Farmers are very nervous even to carry out prescribed burning, so to blame them is totally unfair," he said.

Compensation

Mr Power accepted that farmers don't deliberately try to start forest fires, but he lighting of gorse at this time of year can lead to such events and can result in farmers being hit in the pocket.

"Coillte are not the only owners of forestry in the country any more. If you burn gorse and that spreads in to your neighbour's forest they will seek compensation from you. There has been cases going through the court where farmers have had to put their hands in their pockets," he said.

Mr Power's comments follow a series of forest fires in Wicklow, Roscommon, Clare, and on the Galtee Mountains during the dry weather conditions of the May bank holiday weekend.

Last year gorse fires in Co Galway cost 4.5m in control measures and crop losses.
One of the signs erected by farmers at Crossboy crossroads.

Farmers have withdrawn access to several walkways on rural mountains in South East Sligo in protest at what they see as unfair penalties for last year's gorse fires.

The Sligo Champion reports that farmers erected signs recently saying "access to all mountain pathways will be withdrawn due to illegal burning".

They say they're being forced to take action as they are being held responsible for the illegal burning of mountains in which they had "absolutely no part and which is beyond their control."

"As anyone can appreciate, it is impossible to police hundreds of hectares," said one farmer.

The action has been taken on the Killery, Dromore, Crossboy and Castleore mountains.

"They are incurring very severe penalties and a huge financial loss and just simply cannot continue footing the bill," they added.

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Whatsapp Sligo County Council is counting the cost of a spate of gorse fires last year

It's just over a year since three gorse fires ravaged Killery Mountain, Geevagh and Lough Easkey/Ox Mountains at a cost to Sligo County Council of approximately 125,000.

Hundreds of acres of land were destroyed and a section of the Sligo Way boardwalk was damaged.

The Department of Rural and Community Development funded repairs to the boardwalk last summer.

However 33 farmers were notified by the Department of Agriculture that their Basic Payment would be reduced. They are awaiting the outcome of an appeal against this.

Sligo/Leitrim Deputy Eamon Scanlon said he "wouldn't blame" the farmers for erecting the signs.

"These farmers are not going to put up with this any longer," he said.

Killery farmer Mike Gaffney said he had seen hikers leaving the Sligo Way boardwalk, set up camp and light fires.

"They're penalising the farmers but it could have been anyone.

"It's like, God forbid, somebody burned your property and you're being fined for it.

"It's a double whammy. I had fencing burned and I had to replace that. I was out of pocket then.

"It's over a year since the Mountain caught fire. I think they sent up a fire officer (to investigate) and it just came back inconclusive," said Mike."They can't really point the finger at anyone," he added.

Hundreds of acres of land on Killery mountain were destroyed in forest fires last May, and a section of the Sligo Way was damaged.

Despite the fact that money was allocated by the Department of Rural and Community Development to carry out repair work to the boardwalk on the Sligo Way, the Department of Agriculture is continuing to penalise farmers, even though they did not set the fires themselves.

The situation on Killery mountain is extremely unfair. There are 33 farmers who are being unfairly penalised by the Department of Agriculture, which has itself recognised the fact that these farmers did not set these fires. I raised this issue with Department officials at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture this week and was extremely disappointed at the approach taken by them, explained Deputy Scanlon.

The Sligo Way has been an extremely successful tourism initiative, bringing hundreds of people to the area, especially during the Sligo Camino, which took place during May last year. Hotels and B&Bs were booked out over the duration of the walking festival, resulting in a much needed economic boost for Sligo and Leitrim. However, farmers are now paying the price.

It was unseasonably warm for the time of year and it has been widely acknowledged that the fires were more than likely started accidentally. In fact, there were forest fires burning in Cork, Kerry and Galway during the same period. Despite this, the farmers in Killery are being penalised. 

The treatment of these farmers is appalling. Theyre facing fines or penalties for something outside of their control. This is unbelievably unfair. I am calling on Minister Michael Creed to let common sense prevail and to reverse the decision to penalise these farmers.

Farmers are already under pressure, the fact that they are facing a reduction in their Basic Payment is inexcusable. The Minister needs to intervene.
Publicans have called for tax breaks to help boost rural transport services.

Last week Transport Minister Shane Ross announced details of a pilot rural transport service which will operate across 19 counties in Ireland from 6pm-11pm during the weekends in the summer months.

However, the plan, which has been labelled 'Drink-Link' has failed to take in any counties in Connacht.

Alan Gielty, owner of Gielty's Pub in Dooagh in Achill Island, Co Mayo and county chair of the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), bought a Volkswagen transporter a number of years ago to carry his rural customers to and from the pub.

He claimed the failure of Minister Ross' plan to incorporate counties in the west is the same "hell or to Connacht attitude" the government has always had to the region, but doesn't think the plan would've been viable in the rural area anyway.

"We are disappointed that we are left out but I don't know how viable it would be in areas as isolated as north Mayo because it's a very scattered, catchment area. I'm sure a lot of buses wouldn't go down the narrow roads where some lads live because they wouldn't be able to get up there.

"It's the same hell or to Connacht attitude the government always has. If you look at the 2040 Plan there's no plans in there that include north Mayo," he said.

Instead of the 'drink-link' bus, Mr Gielty thinks pub owners should be offered a tax incentive to transport their rural customers to and from the pub.

Collect

"I paid 26,000 for the nine-seater Volkswagen and it's only second hand. I think if a tax incentive was offered pub owners would be more than happy to drop and collect their customers," he said.

Mr Gielty said he "can be sent in any direction of an evening" but is happy that his customers are getting out.

"The rural pub is like a community centre for many bachelors or for those who are retired. It's a real community hub. You can have three or four people in a car and they're all going different directions.

"The pub is the community centre of rural areas and if you're at home all day on your own farming, it can be very isolating if you can't get out," he said.

Mr Gielty will discuss this topic at the VFI's annual conference in Letterkenny today.

Rural Link Policy and Communications Officer Louise Lennon said while the organisation welcomes the plans by Minister Ross, it hopes that the "drink-link" label will be quashed.

"This is an insult to the service that Local Link provides in rural areas.

"It's an extension of day services and will transport people who are working late in different sectors and will save them getting a taxi," she said.

She added that it would like to see an extension of services to western counties and for it to be flexible to the different needs of different regions.

ICMSA's Denis Drennan said: "These trial bus services at least demonstrates that the Government sees the problem of rural transport and isolation and is an acknowledgement that official policies have contributed massively to these challenges", said Mr Drennan.
ICSA members took their campaign on the EID and the clean sheep policy to the Department of Agriculture offices in Kildare Street, Dublin

Farming organisations were battling this week for some formula to delay the imposition of electronic (EID) tagging of sheep and to shift the cost of the measure off farmers.

Little progress was made in discussions when Agriculture Minister, Michael Creed, and senior officials from his department met with farmer representatives last week to discuss the matter.

However, farmer sources conceded that Minister Creed was unlikely to row back on his decision and future discussions are expected to centre on the proposed start date for EID, and some means of offsetting the costs.

Sheep farmer anger over the imposition of EID spilled on to the streets of Dublin yesterday when the ICSA held a protest outside the Department of Agriculture's headquarters in Kildare Street.

ICSA sheep chairman, John Brooks, blamed the protest on what he described as Minister Creed's "unilateral decision" to impose mandatory EID for all sheep from October 1.

Mr Brooks said the move to introduce EID could not be justified either from a quality assurance or market access standpoint, and that farmers will have to carry the additional cost of the measure.

"There is neither rhyme nor reason to the minister's decision to impose mandatory electronic tagging on lambs going direct to the factory. The traceability requirement is that they are tagged before they leave the farm. A few hours later, the lamb is processed with the ear disposed of and the costly electronic ear tag is in the skip," Mr Brooks claimed.

The ICSA pointed out that the measure will cost farmers 1 per animal slaughtered annually or 2.5m across the sector each year.

Mr Brooks claimed that this equated to 7pc of sheep farmers' profits, given that the margin on each lamb is around 14.

'Sharp exchanges'

Meanwhile, the IFA has agreed to make a submission to Minister Creed on EID over the next fortnight.

Following what were described as sharp exchanges between IFA and Department officials at a meeting last week, IFA president Joe Healy and sheep chairman Sean Dennehy insisted that the cost of any new EID programme could not be carried by sheep producers.

Mr Healy said the implementation of electronic tagging had to be pushed back, and that central reading points for EID tags would have to be installed in the marts and the factories before the system became operational.

The INHFA has warned that a start date of October 1 this year for EID would cause major disruption to the store lamb trade and would have to be reviewed.
Shares in Britain's CYBG fell as much as 6pc on Tuesday, as the lender reported a disappointing first-half loss of 76m (87m) and gave no update on its bid for Virgin Money.

The slide in CYBG's stock will depress the value of its share-based bid for Virgin Money announced last week, which it said would create one of Britain's biggest lenders.

CYBG owns Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank. It is headed by former AIB chief executive David Duffy, who led a stock market listing in 2016 after it was spun off by National Australia Bank.

Shares in Virgin Money stood 3.8pc lower by late morning yesterday, as investors assessed the impact of the reduced buying power of the stock on the likelihood of the 1.6bn deal closing.

CYBG's disappointing set of first half results highlighted the importance of the deal to its long-term fortunes, with analysts seeing the stronger Virgin Money brand as a key attraction for CYBG.

"This shows the strategic imperative for CYBG to deliver on a Virgin deal, because the problem they've got is revenue and what's clear is that a Clydesdale or a Yorkshire bank brand doesn't cut the mustard," said Edward Firth, managing director for UK banks and Brokerage Keefe, Bruyette & Woods.

"Clearly a Virgin brand across the whole group could revolutionise the outlook, but they're not paying enough."

Its bid for Virgin Money comes as Britain's mid-sized banks fight the competitive squeeze from bigger rivals with more to spend on tech, and from nimbler digital-only banks with lower costs. (Reuters)
New financial incentives are being introduced to encourage mytaxi drivers to make their vehicle wheelchair accessible for passengers.

The taxi company is offering a 1,000 commission for drivers who avail of the National Transport Authoritys (NTA) Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) Grant Scheme.

The 2018 WAV scheme itself provides up to 7,500 per vehicle for existing wheelchair accessible vehicle licence holders who wish to upgrade and applicants - including taxis - who wish to apply for that WAV licence.

Stephen Cluskey, Mobility Mojo CEO, said that taxis are a very important door-to-door public transport service for many people in Ireland, that need to be inclusive of all members of our society.

"It is vital we move towards a taxi industry which supports the diverse and varied needs of our modern, contemporary population."

Since last July, the firm has reported a 54pc increase in the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles across its fleet.

Furthermore, the taxi company, is also offering 1,000 rebate to drivers who sign up to the electric vehicle incentive scheme, which offers a 7,000 grant.

"mytaxi drivers are now in a position where they can avail of over 15,000 in grants and incentives in this respect, and we urge them to get in touch with us now to find out how they can do this," General Manager for Ireland at mytaxi, Alan Fox, said.
Former financial regulator Patrick Neary yesterday described the corporate governance record at the now defunct Irish Nationwide Building Society (INBS) as "poor". He'll face questioning today from former INBS boss Michael Fingleton.

The cross-examination sets up a potential showdown between two of the key players of the crash. It also comes after a revelation yesterday by Mr Neary that INBS escaped harsh regulatory measures in early 2008 because of concerns a public clampdown might affect a long-planned sale of the lender.

Mr Neary made the disclosure at the Central Bank's ongoing inquiry into INBS.

Speaking as a witness to the inquiry, the country's former regulator conceded the financial watchdog failed to act upon numerous signs of lax governance at INBS, which collapsed into State ownership in 2010, leaving taxpayers with a 5.4bn clean-up bill.

Under lengthy interrogation by Senior Counsel, Brian O'Moore, a member of the Central Bank's legal team, Mr Neary, claimed he was warned against "engaging in ... high-profile" measures to rein in INBS's poor governance regime by his own organisation's board, the now-disbanded Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority (Ifsra).

He said the board, which he describes as the Authority, "cautioned me about any actions that would cause any concerns to arise about the standing of the society and its perception in the market".

He added he was "very worried about that".

Mr Neary said regulators instead sought to increase the number of directors on the INBS board and also requested an assessment from Goldman Sachs, the then advisers to INBS, on "all the options" if a desired buyout failed to materialise.

Mr Neary noted that the Wall Street bankers were asked to consider a partial sale of the loan book and said "interestingly ... Goldman Sachs never suggested there was any major issue with the loans or the valuation of the loans".

He claimed KPMG, the lender's external auditors, also conducted due diligence on INBS's books to prepare the lender for sale and "nothing arose from that process".

In what started out as a rather testy exchange, with Mr O'Moore tersely instructing Mr Neary to answer the questions, the former regulator concluded his evidence by describing the governance at INBS as "very, very poor".

He also acknowledged consistent concerns about the credit review function in the building society.

He said the "control environment in the society was less than it should be" and acknowledged there were fears about the "over-reliance" on the CEO, Mr Fingleton, who led the society for 38 years.

He claimed that as "a counter-measure to those weaknesses" the capital requirements for INBS were increased in 2008 to 11pc.

While INBS had already started to curb its commercial lending by then, he said the more onerous capital requirements could be viewed as a "form of a penalty..[being] imposed".

Mr Fingleton has repeatedly blamed the authorities for the society's collapse. He previously told the inquiry the regulator did not protect the financial system until "it was too late".
Permanent TSB is to row back on plans to sell thousands of mortgages where homeowners are meeting revised payment arrangements.

The bank is set to confirm today that it is removing some 4,000 so-called residential split mortgages from a 3.7bn sale of distressed loans.

The plan to include the split mortgages as part of the sale of what was 18,000 residential and buy-to-let mortgages has generated huge controversy, with Permanent TSB criticised at an Oireachtas committee meeting over it.

Concern has been expressed that the portfolio of non-performing loans is likely to be bought by a vulture fund.

With a split mortgage what is owed is divided in two. Repayments on a portion of the loan are put on ice until a future date, with agreement with the homeowner to make payments on a portion of the loan.

The deals are offered to those who are unable to meet full payments, with the arrangement reviewed at set periods.

However, the Permanent TSB version of split mortgages are classified as non-performing loans under European regulatory guidance.

Debt advocate David Hall had offered to buy the split mortgages by raising money on behalf of a "friendly vulture fund".

The 4,000 residential split mortgages are understood to be worth around 900m.

Permanent TSB is selling loans because it is under pressure from regulators to lower its bad-debt ratio from 26pc to the European Union average of about 5pc over the medium term.

Following lengthy discussions with European Central Bank's single supervisory mechanism (SSM) banking supervisory arm, a decision has been taken by Permanent boss Jeremy Masding to pull residential split mortgages from the sale of the distressed mortgages.

However, the bank still faces the prospect of the single supervisory mechanism regarding the split mortgages as non-performing and the bank will continue to come under pressure to radically reduce its level of non-performing loans.

The bank holds its annual general meeting today, at which investors will be told the sale of the non-performing loan book is going ahead without the split mortgages being included.

A spokesman for the bank had no comment.

AIB has put 3.8bn of distressed debts on the market. Ulster Bank put 1.6bn of impaired mortgages on the market last week. Lloyds Banking Group is seeking to sell its remaining 5bn of mainly performing Irish home loans, which were issued by the then Bank of Scotland (Ireland).
Massive variations in the cost of common dental treatments across the country have been uncovered in a new survey.

The price of getting a tooth out is costly in Dublin, but cheapest in Donegal.

The survey shows the price of the perfect smile varies greatly, and if you do not mind travelling it may be worth it financially.

The average cost of an extraction is 85 across the State, but it is possible to have the procedure carried out for 59 in Donegal, according to a survey carried out by dental research and marketing company DentalBooster.com.

Some 1,225 dental surgeries around the country were contacted manually to get their prices.

Dental Booster is a Cork-based company that offers marketing services to dentists. Founded by marketeer Adrian Duffy, it has been in existence for 10 years.

The survey found that getting a tooth out costs on average 83 across Co Carlow, but the same procedure costs an average of 65 in Co Cavan.

Dubliners can expect to pay an average of 96 to have a decayed tooth taken out.

Cork people pay less, with an average price across the county of 84, according to the survey.

It found that the cheapest average price for dental consultation in the country is Co Louth at 33.

Co Roscommon is the most expensive, at 60. The average cost of consulting a dentist in the 26 counties is 46.

Despite the large variation in prices for a range of dental procedures, consumers are reluctant to move away from a dentist they know.

For complicated treatments such as crowns, costs also vary hugely. Kerry is more than twice as expensive, at 825, as Monaghan, at 350, according to the survey.

When it comes to tooth replacement options, full upper and lower dentures cost 933 on average in Wicklow, while Offaly seems a more affordable option at 525.

Teeth whitening in Wexford costs an average of 475 for in-clinic tooth whitening, more than double that of Laois, at 212.

Consumers are reluctant to change their dental clinic even when prices increase.

The survey found that 36pc of patients are less likely to leave a particular dentist who they attend.

The treatment costs fluctuate from town to town, we have seen differences of up to 52pc in similar treatments from clinics within 10km of each other, Mr Duffy said.

Fintan Hourihan, of the Irish Dental Association (IDA), said the survey shows a significant variation in price around the country and that indicates there is healthy price competition among dentists.

The survey notes that people are slow to change their dentist.

Many people have long-standing relationships with their dentist built on trust, he added.

He said an IDA survey a number of years ago found that on average people remain with their dentist for just under 11 years.

In our experience the personal reputation of the dentist is the most important factor for people choosing a dentist and fees are usually ranked below quality of care by the dentist and his staff, convenience, and opening hours, he said.

Mr Hourihan said that unlike other health professionals, dentists are required to display their prices.

He said customers should discuss payment options, and shop around for quotes.
Dublin and London-listed venture capital investor Draper Esprit has announced a 10m (11.4m) investment in Aircall, a cloud-based call centre software business.

The funding is part of a $29m Series B funding round, which will bring the total funds raised by French company Aircall to $40.5m to-date.

Other investors in the round include Balderton Capital, NextWorld Capital and Newfund.

This investment will be used by Aircall to accelerate the buildout of its cloud-based phone system. It will also enable the business to invest in further senior hires in both the US and Europe.

"We look forward to partnering with the Aircall team to help the company grow and develop its transformative technology further, Simon Cook, CEO at Draper Esprit, said.

With over 3000 business customers worldwide, they have quickly established themselves as one of the fastest growing cloud-based phone systems in the market and we are very excited to be supporting Aircall on the next stage of its growth journey.

Founded in 2014 Aircall now offers instant phone numbers in over 40 countries, provides a collaborative phone app to let teams share and follow-up on calls, and connects to any customer relationship management or customer support tool.

"Our investment in Aircall adds to Draper Esprit's significant momentum this year, with recent investments in Ledger and Revolut, along with new commitments to European seed funds Join Capital and Icebreaker," Mr Cook said.
EU companies face secondary sanctions from the White House over trade deals with Iran. Secondary sanctions cut off foreign businesses from the US financial system, making them unattractive business partners.

European oil and gas, aviation, automotive, railways, banking and healthcare industries all jumped to sign deals in Iran as trade liberalised.

The most significant agreements Iran signed with foreign companies included commercial aircraft to modernise its ageing fleet.

Boeing planned to sell 80 jets to Iran Air. The first aircraft was due to be delivered this year. Boeing had also agreed to sell 30 737 MAX aeroplanes to Aseman Airlines, another Iranian carrier.

European rival Airbus, which has a plant in Alabama, had agreed to sell 100 aircraft, worth $19bn, to Iran.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin yesterday told reporters that he would revoke licences for Boeing and Airbus to export commercial planes, related parts and services to Iran after a 90-day period.

French oil giant Total signed a $5bn contract with the National Iranian Oil Company in July 2017 for the development and production of phase 11 of South Pars, the world's largest gas field.

Now its stake in the project will probably be taken over by its Chinese partner, CNPC - Beijing, unlike Paris, is willing to challenge president Trump.

Germany has acknowledged it could be hard to protect companies doing business with Iran as the US tightens the screws.

European powers want to keep the Iran deal alive without the United States, Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said before a meeting with his French, British and Iranian counterparts.

"We will search this evening for ways to keep the Iran deal alive without the United States," Maas said.

"We want to hear what expectations there are in Iran, how the impact of the sanctions that the United States has imposed, and will impose, can be counterbalanced," he said.

Over the weekend, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said his country viewed President Donald Trump's unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear pact with Iran as wrong, adding that Berlin hopes Washington can still be persuaded not to punish foreign firms doing business there.

Mr Maas said, however, that it could be difficult to protect European firms from any fallout from the US decision.

"I do not see a simple solution to shield companies from all risks of American sanctions," Maas told the 'Bild am Sonntag' newspaper.

Altmaier said there was a deadline of up to 90 days for foreign firms to comply with US sanctions or face penalties.

"In this time, we'll use all possibilities to persuade the US government to change its behaviour," he told ZDF television.

Trump's decision a week ago to renege on the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran and reimpose sanctions against Tehran came with the threat of penalties against any foreign firms involved in business there.

Meanwhile, the US imposed sanctions on Iran's central bank governor, Valiollah Seif, and Iraq-based Al-Bilad Islamic Bank for "moving millions of dollars" for Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps, as Washington seeks to cut off funding for what it says is Iran's malign activities in the Middle East. (Graphic News/Reuters)
Dalata owns or leases 35 hotels in Ireland and the UK

Dalata, Ireland's biggest hotel group, has announced that it has signed agreements to lease two new hotels due to be built in the UK, as it continues its expansion.

The two hotels  located in Bristol and Birmingham  will deliver an estimated 580 new bedrooms to the group's hotel portfolio.

In Bristol the group will open a new Clayton Hotel to be developed by Artisan Real Estate Investors, while in Birmingham it will develop a new Maldron Hotel, to be developed by design and construction company McAleer & Rushe.

Commenting on the announcement, Dermot Crowley, deputy CEO - business development and finance at the group, said that both cities possess "very strong" hotel markets.

"These two projects demonstrate our ability to grow a very attractive development pipeline of hotels in the UK," Mr Crowley said.

The hotel group will commence operations in both hotels through 35 year operating leases, subject to five year rent reviews.

It is expected the Bristol hotel will open in the latter half of 2020, while the Birmingham hotel is due to open in the first quarter of 2021.

Dalata now has just over 1,700 rooms in its UK development pipeline, on top of the 1,968 rooms that it already owns or leases.

In Ireland, where the group expects to add around 300 jobs this year, the group operates 12 Clayton and 12 Maldron hotels.

The group, with a 1.2bn market capitalisation, follows a sale and leaseback model. Its backers include the likes of German investment fund Deka, and M&G Real Estate, which is part of Prudential's M&G Investments unit that it's spinning out of the main insurance group.
An investor walks past a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

European shares inched up yesterday after a choppy session as higher Brent crude prices lifted oil stocks to their highest level since September 2014, offsetting a drop in telecoms.

The STOXX 600 index rose 0.1pc, reversing weakness seen in morning trade after weak data from China and Germany added to a spate of less encouraging news on the global economy.

Shares in oil majors BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Total and Eni rose between 0.4pc and 1.3pc as oil prices hit multiyear highs on concerns about US sanctions on Iran, which are likely to restrict crude oil exports.

The oil and gas index is by far the best sectoral performer in Europe so far this year, up nearly 13pc. Although crude oil prices retreated, the index rose 0.9pc.

"We continue to like the sector - particularly given the strength of support for cash distributions - but the stocks' upsides to our target prices have become much more muted after the sector's outperformance," said HSBC in a note.

Financials supported European equities with Raiffeisen and Commerzbank rising 4.6pc and 3.9pc respectively following strong earning updates.

The earnings season was nearing its close with more than three-quarters of MSCI Europe companies having reported first-quarter results.

Telecoms were the biggest sectoral weigh to the STOXX, falling 2pc.

Vodafone fell 4.3pc after the world's second largest mobile operator said its boss was leaving.

French satellite firm Eutelsat tumbled 12pc after warning it could fall short of its full-year revenue target and Iliad shares sank 19pc after a management reshuffle and weak first-quarter results.
Conor ODowd, and Cora Sherlock of Love Both, launch his No campaign video. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

The mother of a young man with Down syndrome has hit out at the Health Minister for criticising the No campaign for drawing the issue of her son's condition into the abortion referendum debate.

The Irish Independent previously reported that around half of women who are told their babies will be born with Down syndrome opted to have a termination, according to figures from the country's three main maternity hospitals.

Those women availed of tests after the 12th or 13th week of pregnancy when a more definitive test is available.

Referring to a screening test which can be carried out at between nine and 12 weeks gestation, Master of Holles Street Rhona Mahony said the test is 99pc predictive.

She said around 1,000 women who attend the hospital each year opt for the test.

"It looks like 50pc continue and not continue [with their pregnancies]," she said.

Dr Mahony said Down syndrome was not just one condition. She pointed out some of these babies will not survive, or will suffer complications such as heart defects, while others will be born healthy.

Health Minister Simon Harris said it was "upsetting for people with Down syndrome in Ireland to say that they're only born because the Eighth Amendment is here".

"The facts don't bear that out, and it's really actually quite disgusting to say to these parents," he added.

However, Audrey O'Dowd, whose son Conor (23) has launched a video calling for a No vote, said the minister's comments do not represent them.

"Shame on the minister for saying that. My son has every right to speak out, no less than the minister has the right to speak out.

Concerned

"It doesn't represent my son and it doesn't represent me," she said.

Parents are "extremely concerned" behind the scenes, she said, adding: "Minister Harris should be putting in the supports we need, not eliminating us."

As he canvassed for a Yes vote yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the use of people with Down syndrome in referendum posters was wrong.

"I think it's wrong because we've made it very clear in the proposed legislation that disability will not be grounds for ending a pregnancy," he said.

Love Both campaign spokeswoman Cora Sherlock said the proposed legislation would lead to pregnancies being ended due to a screening test indicating Down syndrome.

When asked to point to the wording which opened the door to termination for Down syndrome, she said: "It's not really up to us to pinpoint where it opens the door to [terminations due to] Down syndrome, the reality is it's the minister's proposal and it's up to him to point to where the restriction is, and the reality is he can't do that."

She also criticised Mr Harris for not engaging in debates on the referendum: "I keep asking and other people keep asking where is the minister and why has he not debated this proposal so far?"

It is understood Mr Harris will take part in at least one high-profile, televised debate before May 25.
Dr. Meabh Ni Bhuinneain, Mayo University Hospital and Dr. Peter Boylan, Chair Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists during a Joint Committee meeting on the Eighth Amendment at Leinster House, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney, Collins

The pro-life campaign is targeting prominent Together for Yes campaigner Dr Peter Boylan, the Taoiseach has said.

Speaking yesterday in the Dail, Leo Varadkar hit out at what he described was an attempt "to personalise" the referendum campaign around Dr Boylan, who is the chairperson of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

His comments came after Dr Boylan appeared on a heated debate on RTE's 'Claire Byrne Live' on Monday, where both sides of the campaign repeatedly shouted down each other.

"(Dr Boylan) has the right to his view, just as doctors or former judges on the No side have the right to their view," Mr Varadkar said.

The Taoiseach was responding to Independent TD Mattie McGrath's suggestion to the Dail that the Government had given Dr Boylan "free rein" to paint "the worst possible picture of the Irish maternity system and services".

"Nobody should be individually targeted because they hold a particular opinion on this issue and I regret that in the final days of this campaign people have started going for the man or woman rather than talking about the issue," the Taoiseach said.

Expand Close Former attorneys general John Rogers and Michael McDowell with former Supreme Court judge Ms Justice Catherine McGuinness at a Yes briefing yesterday / Facebook

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Whatsapp Former attorneys general John Rogers and Michael McDowell with former Supreme Court judge Ms Justice Catherine McGuinness at a Yes briefing yesterday

"Whether that is done by the Yes side or the No side, it is very wrong."

Read more: Seventeen doctors call on Boylan to step down from group

Dr Boylan has been a prominent campaigner, appearing on the 'Late Late Show' and his picture has featured in Together for Yes adverts.

He was booed and heckled during his appearance on 'Claire Byrne Live'. The Yes panel also featured Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, who was also booed.

Some 650,000 people tuned in, with the average audience increasing by up to 53pc as the broadcast continued.

However the show has come in for criticism, with audience members clapping, cheering and booing during what was billed as a robust debate.

At one point, consultant obstetrician Dr John Monaghan told Dr Boylan he should "go back to school" after Dr Boylan suggested a foetus was not fully developed after 12 weeks.

'Circus'

Senator Catherine Noone (FG) was among those to criticise the show.

"I have great respect for Claire Byrne but her team let her down - the show was poorly planned disorganised and quite frankly like a circus," she said.

"This kind of TV does not serve the public who wish to be informed of the facts and the evidence."

Speaking on the 'Pat Kenny Show' on Newstalk yesterday morning, Dr Boylan said host Claire Byrne "did her best," but the debate went downhill.

"It degenerated, it started reasonably well but the Trumpian playbook was opened and abuse started to be hurled," he said.

RTE has received a number of complaints about the show - but has staunchly defended it.

It declined to release the exact figures because the campaign is ongoing but will release figures after polling day.

The broadcaster said the show gave "an equal opportunity" for both sides to air their arguments "which both sides did passionately and trenchantly".

"Impartial analysis of 'Claire Byrne Live Referendum Special' will show that when the number of speakers on each side of the referendum question and the airtime afforded to them are both taken into account, the programme gave an equitable and fair opportunity to both sides to express their views," a spokesperson said.

"While the programme did its best to include as many voices as it could, it was not possible to speak to everyone and it was made clear to every audience member in advance that there was no guarantee they would get to speak on the programme."
The Disclosures Tribunal has heard allegations made by a former Garda press officer were "inherently implausible" and "demonstrably false".

The claim was made by Rossa Fanning SC, counsel for journalist Paul Williams and Independent News and Media, after phone records appeared to contradict evidence given by Superintendent Dave Taylor.

The tribunal is investigating allegations by Supt Taylor that he was ordered by then Garda commissioner Martin Callinan, and with the knowledge of then deputy commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan, to negatively brief journalists about penalty points whistleblower Maurice McCabe.

The alleged smear campaign involved telling journalists Sgt McCabe had been at the centre of a child sexual assault investigation, allegations he was cleared of in 2007.

Mr Williams is one of 11 journalists Supt Taylor claims to have negatively briefed about Sgt McCabe between mid-2013 and March 2014.

Four have denied being briefed, while the remainder have not corroborated Supt Taylor's account and cited journalistic privilege.

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The tribunal has heard Mr Williams published four articles in the Irish Independent in April and May 2014 after interviewing Ms D, the now adult complainant in the sexual assault case. The journalist gave evidence last year he interviewed Ms D after her father reached out to him.

Mr Williams testified that a few days after the interview he contacted Supt Taylor with a list of questions about the Garda investigation. He has also said he was never negatively briefed by Supt Taylor about Sgt McCabe.

But this week Supt Taylor claimed that while he had no role in setting up the Ms D interview, he did negatively brief Mr Williams about Sgt McCabe at some point. He also claims Mr Williams phoned him on Saturday, March 8 that year saying: "Guess where I am?"

Supt Taylor claims Mr Williams said he was at Ms D's house, had interviewed the family, and was going to write a negative article. However, under questioning from Mr Fanning, Supt Taylor was unable to say when or where he had negatively briefed Mr Williams.

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The barrister said Mr Williams' phone records showed the journalist did not call Supt Taylor when the former press officer says he did. The records, he said, were consistent with Mr Williams's evidence and inconsistent with Supt Taylor's.

"I must suggest to you that we have an unhappy situation in that your testimony to this tribunal is almost devoid of detail or specifics in relation to the nature of your contact with journalists, specifically with Mr Williams," said Mr Fanning.

"But once you attempt to commit to specifics your testimony is seen to be demonstrably false."

Supt Taylor replied he was at the tribunal to give his evidence and it was up to chairman Mr Justice Peter Charleton to deliver a determination.

Mr Fanning said other journalists also disputed they were negatively briefed. He suggested the only rational explanation was that Supt Taylor's evidence was untrue. Supt Taylor replied: "I don't accept that."

Earlier, Supt Taylor denied seeking media and political support for a view that he was being unfairly targeted by a Garda investigation.

TDs Mick Wallace and Clare Daly met Supt Taylor at his house after he made a protected disclosure in September 2016 about the alleged smear campaign. At the time, Supt Taylor was suspended and under investigation for the alleged unauthorised disclosure of information to journalists.

Investigating gardai recommended a prosecution, but this was not sanctioned by the DPP.

After the meeting, Ms Daly aired issues in his protected disclosure in the Dail and called for Ms O'Sullivan to resign.

Asked by tribunal counsel Diarmaid McGuinness SC if he told the TDs he was unfairly targeted, Supt Taylor said there had been a robust investigation. He also did not deny the right of any commissioner to investigate a garda.

The tribunal was also shown a note made by Mr Wallace of the meeting and an alleged comment made by Supt Taylor about Ms O'Sullivan.

"He tells us that when she is sitting and she moves her seated position, she is telling a lie. He was referring to her appearance before the Justice Committee," the note said.

Supt Taylor denied saying this.
FREDDIE Thompson has failed in his attempt to have the CCTV footage thrown out in his trial for the murder of David Douglas.

Mr Thompsons claim that the CCTV breached his right to privacy bordered on the absurd, the three judge Special Criminal Court ruled.

Mr Thompson's lawyer, Michael OHiggins SC, had also sought to have the identification of the accused from two clips of CCTV footage excluded from evidence, arguing "not even his own mother" would recognise him from the "grey blur".

Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge Flann Brennan, agreed that a clip of CCTV taken on at 3.53pm at Donore Avenue was inadmissible as identification evidence because the image was too fleeting and indistinct to allow proper identification.

In that clip, both Detective Sergeant Adrian Whitelaw and Detective Garda Seamus ODonovan had positively identified Mr Thompson as the driver of a silver Ford Fiesta,

However, Judge Hunt said a second clip, taken at 10.48am at Merton Avenue, was of sufficient quality to be admissible. In this clip, the detectives again identified the driver of the silver Ford Fiesta as Mr Thompson.

The 37-year-old, of Loreto Road, Maryland, Dublin 8, has denied the murder of David Douglas (55), who was shot six times in his partners shop at Bridgefoot Street, Dublin 8 on July 1, 2016.

It is the States case that Mr Thompson provided logistical support in the planning and execution of a murder and was the driver of one of two spotter vehicles.

In the voir dire, the defence was seeking to have the CCTV evidence ruled as inadmissible.

Mr OHiggins had said the Data Protection Act provided for a process of registering CCTV systems, and failure to do so was a criminal offence, He said the operators of CCTV must also alert people to the fact that recording is in place, and indicate the uses to which recording can be put.

The court has already heard from nearly 30 operators of the CCTV footage, and nearly all were unaware they should be registered with the Data Protection Commissioner.

As a result, Mr OHiggins added, gardai were harvesting material unlawfully obtained. He argued that the evidence had been illegally created, and the CCTV was in breach of a citizen's, and his clients, constitutional right to privacy.

Mr OHiggins also argued that any individuals movements, particularly in an urban area, can be readily tracked by linking CCTV cameras.

This gives rise to an issue that its an invasion into ones privacy. By walking from A to B, and subsequently looking at cameras, you can find out what a person did, where they were, who they spoke to, and it is all recorded, said Mr OHiggins.

In their judgement this morning, the three judge Special Criminal Court said the right to privacy was not absolute and must be balanced against other rights.

Judge Hunt said that in the particular circumstances of this case, when the allegation is of an execution type killing, common sense must weigh heavily on the mind of the court, and it cannot be said that Mr Thompson can have any reasonable expectation of privacy.

In light of the nature of the activities which the prosecution seeks to associate with the accused, Judge Hunt said the privacy claims of Mr Thompson in our view, borders on the absurd.

No reasonable person could expect not to be recorded on CCTV in such circumstances where they are on the street, driving or in a restaurant, the judges said.

The court ruled that, in this case, the CCTV had performed the role of eye-witness.

The CCTV, no more or no less, has performed the role of eye-witness to Mr Thompsons public conduct, if he has behaved in such a way, the court heard

Delivering the decision, Judge Hunt said that these days it appears both police action and inaction is equally criticised and as a result gardai are damned if they do and damned if they dont.

Judge Hunt said the task of gardai was to gather evidence within the legal boundaries which apply to them, and not to trouble themselves as to whether others have breached their duty in gathering that evidence.

Judge Hunt said the court had found found no illegality or breach in An Garda Siochanas statutory duty in gathering the CCTV evidence in this case.

Furthermore, any suggestion that the CCTV owners had committed an offence was offensive, and like everyone else, they were entitled to the presumption of innocence and to their good name, the court ruled.

The trial continues.
A HURLER who stole an estimated 70,000 from his former employers has been given 240 hours of community service in lieu of seven concurrent two-year prison sentences.

Galway star David Glennon (27) pleaded guilty to the theft of various amounts of cash from his employers to fund a gambling addiction.

Glennon, from Gurtymadden, Loughrea, pleaded guilty this time last year to seven sample charges involving the theft of various amounts of cash, totalling 40,460, from J&C Kenny Wine Distributors, Galway, on various dates between November 1, 2014 and July 8, 2015 .

The facts in a further 16 similar charges were admitted, bringing the total amount involved to an estimated 70,000.

Prosecuting barrister, Geri Silke told the court today that a mystery donor had repaid 65,000 on Glennons behalf to the family-run Galway company and a further 5,000 had also been repaid to the victims on his behalf.

Reading the probation report which was handed into court today, Judge Rory McCabe remarked Glennon had an arrangement between himself and the donor to deal with debt.

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Ms Silke reminded Judge McCabe he had placed the offences in the midrange on the scale of gravity and had indicated a headline sentence in January of four years. She said he had also said the appropriate sentence was two-years after taking mitigating factors into account.

Judge McCabe noted today that Glennon had apologised for his actions and had repaid the money. He said the report indicated Glennon posed a low risk of reoffending and was remorseful.

The judge then sentenced Glennon to two years in prison on each of the seven theft charges, the sentences to run concurrently, and in lieu of each sentence he directed Glennon carry out the maximum of 240 hours community service, also to run concurrently, which must be served within the next 12 months.

"Part of my thinking is that the injured party has been repaid but Im also bearing in mind that if I send him to jail, I doubt the debt he has to the person who gave him the money, would be repaid.

"So this sentence meets the interests of justice in a balanced way, the judge said.

Ms Silke then entered a nolle for the remaining 16 charges.

The initial sentence hearing in January was told Glennon had gone public, using the media to talk about his gambling addictions and was now an active campaigner, giving public talks about his experiences as a gambler and his road to recovery.

Det. Sgt. John McElroy told the court in January Glennon had started as a store man with the wine distribution company in 2010 and had

worked his way up to become a salesman. The thefts came to light when he went on holiday and a colleague took over his role.

It soon became apparent that thousands of euro, which Glennon had received from customers on behalf of the company, had been transferred

into his own bank account and gambled away.

The directors of the company made a complaint to gardai and Glennon admitted his guilt straight away.

He told gardai he had spent the money in bookie shops, on online gambling and on virtual racing.

Hes well-known in GAA circles nationally, Det. McElroy said at the time.

Mr Bernard Madden SC, defending, said Glennon went to Cuain Mhuire for treatment in July 2015 and he now had insight into his offending

behaviour.

Ms Aoife Kenny, a director of J&C Kenny Wine Distributors, read a brief impact statement into evidence in January.

In it, she stated, the amount of money stolen by Glennon almost caused her family business to close. She said his actions had a serious

impact on her life and on the lives of her family and the families of the other 32 people employed by the company.

She said his actions were a huge betrayal to a group of people who had believed in him and had supported him through his previous struggles

with addiction and who had offered him a second chance.

She said the company would be struggling for many years to come, to repair the damage he had caused, both personally and professionally.

Glennon issued a statement to the media following his sentence, thanking everyone who had helped him in his recovery.
Declan McCann, of Sean McDermott Street, Dublin, pictured leaving the Four Courts today after his Circuit Civil Court action was dismissed. Pic:Collins Courts

A 29-year-old motorbike courier, who claimed he had been injured when a postman did an illegal U turn on a busy Dublin street, has lost a 60,000 personal injuries claim against An Post.

Barrister Shane English, counsel for the national mail carrier, told Judge Terence OSullivan in the Circuit Civil Court Wednesday that numerous mail vans are owned and driven by independent contractors despite their vehicles carrying the official An Post livery.

Everything possible has been done to track down any An Post van in the Dublin fleet that was damaged, even slightly, on the day Declan McCann says he was knocked off his moped by one, and none can be found, Mr English told the court.

Mr English, who appeared with Gleeson McGrath Baldwin solicitors for An Post and Allianz Insurance, its national van insurer, had been informed that no independent contractor had been involved in any city centre accident on that day.

He said An Post was not liable for independent contractors who could hold insurance cover on their van with any company.

Declan McCann, of Sean McDermott Street, Dublin, told Judge OSullivan that on 11th April, 2016, he had been riding his moped in Leeson Street, Dublin, behind a green An Post van when it did a sudden U turn in front of him.

He said he had been unable to avoid a collision and had been knocked off his bike, injuring his left arm and leg.

McCann said he had spoken with the driver of the van but had not noted his name or details and had not taken down the registration number of the vehicle. He had also not contacted an independent witness or brought him to court to give evidence on his behalf.

Cathal Hennebry, An Posts motor claims manager, told the court that the national mail delivery company had changed its green livery in 2013 to a distinctive white and multi-colour design. He had been unable to trace any evidence or report of such an accident as described.

Mr English said there was a very strict protocol to be followed by any driver involved in an accident, including a report to the gardai and the completion of an accident report form to his or her manager. It was incumbent on a driver involved in an accident to exchange insurance details with a third party.

Dismissing McCanns claim, Judge OSullivan said he was satisfied there was no damage to any An Post vehicle operating in the city area at the time and accepted it was unlikely any An Post van had been involved in the accident sited by Mr McCann.

I am not 100 per cent sure this accident took place at all, the judge said but made no order for costs against McCann.

If I thought this was a deliberate try-on I would definitely award An Post its legal costs but I have some doubt, he told Mr English.
The scene of the fatal accident near Cashel, Co Tipperary, in which Nicola Kenny died. Photo: Dylan Vaughan

A truck driver has avoided a prison sentence for veering off the M8 Dublin-Cork motorway and killing a young mother in a car on her way to see her sick newborn baby in hospital.

Tipperary Circuit Criminal Court heard Nicola Kenny (26) died instantly from multiple injuries in the incident between the truck and the car in which she was a back seat passenger.

The crash happened just seconds after she heard from Temple Street Children's Hospital that her 24-hour-old baby Lily Rose was fine and she didn't need to make the trip to Dublin to see her.

Truck driver Ciaran McBride (33) pleaded guilty before Tipperary Circuit Criminal Court to careless driving causing death between Junctions 10 and nine on the M8 Dublin-Cork motorway on September 5, 2016.

Judge Tom Teehan, in imposing a suspended 18-month prison sentence, said the evidence indicated it was most likely the truck driver momentarily fell asleep at the wheel rather than being distracted by a fit of sneezing as claimed.

"(It was) much more consistent with falling asleep at the wheel," he said.

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"The greater the size of the vehicle, the greater the onus on the person driving it.

"He is somebody who is going to have to live for the rest of his days with the knowledge that he has caused the death of another human being and caused life-changing effects to an entire family."

The court was told the 2001 Volvo truck, driven by McBride of Carna, Keady, Co Armagh, ploughed into the rear of the Ford Focus stopped on the hard shoulder.

It contained Ms Kenny, her mother Ann who was in the front passenger seat, and her aunt Irene Whelan Slattery.

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Ms Kenny had given birth to Lily Rose in Clonmel Hospital on September 4.

However, the little girl became ill and was rushed to Temple Street in Dublin.

Ms Kenny had just been collected by her Thurles-based mother and aunt and was on her way to see the infant in Dublin.

Ms Whelan Slattery suffered a traumatic brain injury in the collision and had to be airlifted to University Hospital Limerick.

Sergeant Declan Corrigan told the court the Ford Focus had pulled onto the hard shoulder around 12.25pm that day to allow Ms Kenny take an urgent hospital call.

"The call was to tell Nicola the baby was fine and there was no need to travel to Dublin," he said.

Seconds after the call finished, the Ford was struck from the rear by the truck driven by the defendant.

The court was told McBride insisted at the scene and to gardai that the accident was caused when he suddenly suffered a bout of sneezing.

"He sneezed - it was on account of that it would appear his vehicle slightly veered onto the hard shoulder," defence counsel Philip Sheahan SC said.

Ms Whelan Slattery now suffers from severe memory problems.

In hard-hitting victim impact statements, Ms Kenny's parents Ann and Padd said their lives had been left devastated by the tragedy.

"The death of Nicola as a young mother was devastating both for myself and my entire family," her mother said.

"Life will never be the same again."

Nicola's father, Paddy, said they are now raising Lily Rose instead of her mother - their daughter.

Loss

"It has left a huge hole in our lives - Nicola's death is a big loss to our family and Lily Rose will have to grow up without her mother," said Paddy.

Family members did not attend the sentencing hearing.

Speaking after the sentence, Ms Kenny's mother Ann told the Irish Independent that nothing will bring her daughter back.

"I'm just happy that the truth came out. That's all I ever wanted - the truth," she said.

"But at the end of the day it doesn't change anything. Nicola isn't here any more," she added.

Ann said that Lily Rose was growing up and was well looked after by members of the family.

"She's flying through the place. She's doing great," she said.
The Department of Education breached the law by not appropriately considering Irish language requirements in choosing a patron for a new school, a watchdog investigation has found.

An Coimisineir Teanga, the Irish Language Commissioner, probed the patronage of a planned school in north Dublin after the decision was taken not to award patronage for a Gaelscoil.

A number of complaints on the matter were made to his office in 2016 and a summary of the ensuing investigation is included in the agency's 2017 annual report, which is to be published today.

The Commissioner, Ronan O Domhnaill, says his probe has led to the department considering a new system for patronage that will place a far greater emphasis on the demand for Irish language schools when new schools are being established.

The investigation concluded that the failure by the Department of Education to take the Irish language into account when choosing a patron for a new school for the Drumcondra/Marino/Dublin 1 area breached their statutory duties under the Education Act.

Under the current regime for the establishment of new schools, the patron with the highest number of expressions of interest is the one chosen to establish the new school.

The Irish Language Commissioner has said this is recognised as a major obstacle to the development of Irish-medium education.

Mr O Domhnaill said that as a result of the investigation, the Department of Education has made a recommendation that it will place a far greater emphasis on the demand for Irish language schools when new schools are being established.
A NEW primary school serving parts of north Dublin including Drumcondra and Marino is set to be a Gaelscoil.

The Department of Education will recommend that the new school - set to open in September 2019 and also serving the Dublin 1 school planning area - will be a Gaelscoil, and it will be under the patronage of An Foras Patrunachta.

A bid for a new school through the medium of Irish was originally turned down in 2016, even though the parents of 361 students from the area had voiced their preference that Irish-medium education be available for their children.

Following a series of complaints to the Irish language Ombudsman, An Coimisineir Teanga, after the bid was rejected, an investigation was opened.

Results of the investigation revealed that the language provisions of the Education Act that dealt with cultural needs of students and parental preference were not being met by the department during the patronal appointment.

In the past, students have had to travel longer distances to attend Irish-medium schools due to high numbers of applications whenever the option is available. When the option of attending such schools is unavailable, others are forced to attend English-medium schools.

The new school will be under the patronage of An Foras Patrunachta. The patronage body originally submitted 733 children hoping to attend the Gaelscoil in the first application, the largest number of applicants in the Gaelscoil movement.

Those who lobbied for the creation of the Gaelscoil said the rejection of the Marion application was a representation of how the school selection process is unfair to those who want their children to attend an Irish-medium school.

Minister for Education Richard Bruton announced this April the establishment of 42 new schools from 2019-2022 to feed the high level of demand for Gaelscoils.

An Coimisineir Teanga Ronan O Domhnaill welcomed the recommendation from the Department of Education to place greater emphasis on the rising demand for Irish-medium schools when new schools are being created.

I hope that it will facilitate the efforts of parents in obtaining Irish-medium education for their children, if they so wish, Mr O Domhnaill said in a statement.

The Irish language Ombudsman said he backs the proposal to allow new Gaelscoils, even when the application for Irish-medium education does not obtain the highest number of expressed interest.

The percentage decided upon needs to make a significant difference in respect of the building of new Irish-medium schools, and it should be agreed as soon as possible.
MOST of the Irish jihadi terror sympathisers, who left here to join foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq, have not come home.

The senior garda officer in charge of national security and intelligence said today that many of the estimated 30 Irish fighters were now believed to be dead.

Others are missing and some may have headed to other "theatres of war".

But Garda assistant commissioner Michael O'Sullivan said few had returned to this country.

He said the families of foreign fighters, who had witnessed atrocities in Syria and Iraq, posed a bigger challenge for the authorities here on their return.

This was more a social welfare and educational problem than security challenge as efforts were being made to integrate them back into the community.

Mr O'Sullivan confirmed that a "small number" of jihadi suspects continued to be monitored by gardai as persons of interest and he said his force worked closely with the Defence Forces and with overseas agencies, such as MI5, and took their advice in setting up measures and infrastructures to prevent terror attacks here.

He was speaking at the opening of the 46th Interpol European regional conference in Santry, Dublin.

Mr O' Sullivan said it was estimated there were currently 2,000 foreign fighters left in the theatre of war, which was diminishing and decreasing in size.

"There is concern internationally in relation to where they may go next. At the moment there isnt real evidence that they are returning to Europe including Ireland.

"We have a small number that we believe are still alive in Syria and Iraq. They may go to other theatres of war in the Philippines, in the horn of Africa, North Africa.

"Also of concern to us certainly would be families returning and that is a concern for a lot of jurisdictions and these may have been families not involved directly in the war but whose children, particularly young males may have witnessed some of the most appalling crimes known to man", the assistant commissioner added.

"They will return and they will become a challenge for a multi agency effort".

He pointed out that there had been a "blurring of lines" between terrorism and organised crime, both at home and internationally.

He said there was evidence that some of the terror attacks in Belgium, Paris and at London Bridge, had been facilitated by people with criminal records.

Mr O'Sullivan reckoned that a lone wolf attack was probably the greatest area of concern for police throughout Europe.

He said gardai were also conscious of that although the 60,000-strong Muslim community here was very genuine and law abiding and ethnic liaison officers in the force worked closely with that community.

Mr O'Sullivan also estimated that the gardai were now much better positioned to respond to a terror attack than they were four years ago.

An exercise carried out a week after the London Bridge attack, using Temple Bar as the target area, showed they could have armed units at the scene within three minutes of an attack using the GPS locations of such units in the capital at the time.

Gardai had also responded within four minutes to a real-life knife attack in O'Connell Street and within five minutes to an incident involving what was thought at the time to be a firearm on a Dart in a train station in south Dublin.
Schools have implemented a ban on students running in the yard because they are so fearful of accidents happening, according to teaching unions.

David Duffy, an education and research officer with the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) said that many schools are concerned about a litigious culture in Irish society.

Logical but regrettable responses to that litigious culture include schools being so concerned about accidents in the school yard that some have instigated limitations on students physical activities such as running in the school yard, he said.

Mr Duffy was one of the experts who appeared at the joint committee on children and youth affairs yesterday, which is examining the issue of childhood obesity.

He pointed out that fear also creates a societal climate that hinders physical activity for children. Many parents are concerned about allowing their children to play unsupervised in the street, he said.

In addition, he said that regrettably, far too many schools do not have access to adequate PE facilities.

He said that: a recent radio broadcast in Ireland suggested that a response to childhood obesity would be for schools to regularly weigh children and that teachers may be better-placed than doctors to tell parents that their child is obese.

The TUI would like to state that it finds that suggestion extraordinary and bizarre and that evidence shows that schools regularly weighing children leads to further self-esteem issues for those children said Mr Duffy.

Meanwhile, Maeve McCafferty, an education and research official with the Irish National Teachers Organisation told the committee said recreational spaces are becoming more and more limited. Its not a widespread practice, but we have heard anecdotal evidence of the no-running policy in the yard but unfortunately, again, we are operating in a culture of litigation. A board of management are very exposed as a consequence, she told the committee.

Moira Leydon, the Assistant General Secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) said that physical inactivity is strongly correlated to obesity. She said research has shown that almost all primary schoolchildren engage in regular sporting activity. However, many children drop out of regular activity during the second-level years, especially girls.

She pointed out that the inadequacy of facilities has been cited by many schools as the reason for not applying to introduce the new Leaving Cert PE subject.

Capital expenditure for schools must include provision for these facilities, said Ms Leydon. She said while new school building specifications include such provision, there is not enough data on the situation in other schools, and she said an audit should be conducted of schools to obtain an accurate picture.

In its submission to the joint committee, the National Parents Council Post Primary (NPCpp) urged that a ban on vending machines selling junk food in schools and public places where children congregate be given serious consideration.

Geoffrey Browne, the president of the council, said that at the very least in these areas, problem snacks in vending machines should be replaced with healthy offerings.

A better alternative would be for healthy snacks to be sold in the school canteen or tuck shop where stock and purchases can be monitored with information, guidance and benefits indicated to children when purchasing them, he said.
One of the victims has been named locally as Kacper Kacprzak, a pupil at Sacred Heart of Jesus NS in Blanchardstown, Dublin.

A GoFundMe campaign has been started for the families of the pilot and the young boy killed in the plane that crashed in Offaly on Sunday.

The campaign, which has raised nearly 22,000 in 19 hours, will be split between the families of the deceased, seven-year-old Kacper Kacprzak and UK pilot Niall Bowditch.

Allaiouti Hassan, who started the online campaign, said he originally started the page just for Kacpers family, but knew the funds and support should be shared with both families after the overwhelming response from the public.

Mr Hassan told Independent.ie that the Irish Parachute Club has felt the loss of both individuals deeply: Kacper basically grew up in the club, he was part of the family here. And Billy (Niall) was just such a gentleman and a one in a million pilot.

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Everybody is on the same page during such a difficult time. Its going to be really hard for the families for a while and we cant fix everything, but if we can offer support at least to help cover funeral costs and the costs of living for the next few months, its one less thing for the families to worry about.

The plane nose-dived into a forest near Clonbillogue at about 2.30pm on Sunday.

Kris Kacprzak, Kacpers father, is a regular instructor and parachutist with the Irish Parachute Club and jumped from the plane shortly before it fell to the ground.

Kris is such a great guy and my heart breaks for him and his family, said Mr Hassan. He and Kacper loved to visit the club together and its just devastating that this could happen to their family.

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The bodies of Kacper and Mr Bowditch were recovered from the crash site in an isolated bogland just before nightfall at about 10pm on Sunday.

It is understood that the family of Mr Bowditch was due to travel from the UK to formally identify the body.

The aircraft was scheduled to land at Clonbullogue airfield, but lost contact at around 2pm. There is currently no suggestion that the pilot attempted to contact control or send out a distress signal when the aircraft ran into difficulty.

Investigators from the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) were continuing to examine the plane wreckage, which will be brought to the units facility in Gormanstown for a thorough technical examination, but it may take up to several weeks to determine the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.

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You can donate to the GoFundMe page here
If you ever wondered just how good the latest commercial flight simulators are I can confirm they are terrifyingly real.

As a celebration of ten years since winning the National Enterprise Award from the Local Enterprise Offices, Simtech Aviation Ireland were allowing people to try out their simulated flight training pods.

The devices are Level D aviation simulators which means they exactly replicate commercial aircrafts while allowing training in a much safer environment. The first thing that struck me was the vast number of buttons, dials and gauges on the artificial cockpit - a mockpit if you will. Pilots spend months solely learning these controls before even stepping into a simulator so you couldnt be blamed for being overwhelmed.

My captain, Dave Sheppard who has over 11,000 hours of flight experience, guided me throughout, however I couldnt help but feeling uneasy at the speed at which the extremely detailed graphics, on the monitors replacing windows, sped by me.

Having only ever experienced planes from the uncomfortable seats of the cabin, what I found most surprising about a pilots job is how simple it is to fly one. Granted the conditions were perfect on my simulation, but I could count on one hand the number of controls that were actually required.

Take-off was exhilarating with the 10 degree tilted plane soaring into the pixelated sky, but landing was terrifying. As we approached the runway it was clear how sensitive the steering is on a plane. Almost like a go-kart, the slightest hand movement sent the aircraft left and right above the runway.

The captain told me that no matter how you perform throughout the entire flight, all that matters to people is a smooth landing and for me that was the most difficult part. It might surprise, and also scare you to know, when the pilot deploys the landing gear and approaches the runway the aircraft is travelling at 120mph.

It is no surprise that Simtech Aviation are European leaders in aviation training because, while Ive never been in a real cockpit before, if it resembled the real thing as closely as the graphics on the monitors, being in their training pod is as good as flying an actual aircraft.

Reassuringly for those with aerophobia, if the aircraft is even slightly off course or speed, a warning will tell the pilot to alter their controls.

If you are ever sat next to me on a plane, take solace in the knowledge that in the worst case scenario, I can now shakily take you home safely.
Image of the rescue operation provided by Kerry Mountain Rescue team

A tourist has died following a tragic accident on Ireland's second highest mountain in the Macgillycuddy's Reeks.

The Canadian man (32) was on holiday in Co Kerry and was walking in the Reeks at around 3pm on Monday with a female companion where he fell and fatally injured himself.

Crews from Valentia Coastguard and Kerry Mountain Rescue took part in the search for his remains and they recovered him at around 9pm last night.

Kerry Mountain Rescue Team have confirmed they found the man and his partner on Hags Tooth Ridge on Beenkeragh mountain, Ireland's second highest peak.

According to KMRT the man had fallen approximately 100m from the ridge.

A Garda spokesman told Independent.ie that an investigation has been launched into his death.

They said in a statement: "Gardai are investigating the death of a 32 year old Canadian man on Carrantuohill in Co. Kerry on Monday 15 May 2017.

"The man was climbing with a female companion when he fell. The incident happened at about 3pm in poor weather conditions.

"The body was later recovered by a mountain rescue team and the man was pronounced dead at the scene. "

The man's body have been taken to Tralee General Hospital for a post mortem examination."

KMRT say conditions on the hills were calm and cold yesterday but visibility was poor, which hampered efforts by by the coastguard to carry out a rescue by helicopter.

More to follow...
Fianna Fail has claimed the Government hasn't delivered any affordable homes since 2011, branding the situation an "absolute disgrace".

Housing spokesman Darragh O'Brien made the remarks ahead of a Dail debate tonight on a Fianna Fail motion on the issue, setting the stage for a clash with Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy.

The Fine Gael minister is expected to hit back with a robust response criticising Fianna Fail over the economic crash and defending the Government's record on the delivery of affordable homes.

Fianna Fail is calling for funding for a State-led affordable housing scheme to be announced in the Budget. It wants "clear targets" in each county for the provision of such housing.

Mr O'Brien said house prices in urban areas, particularly in the capital, have seen double-digit growth in recent years.

"Many working people have no chance of owning a home at the moment," he said.

"Since 2011 not one affordable house has been built and I personally believe that's an absolute disgrace."

He said Fianna Fail is seeking cross-party support and if the Dail speaks with one voice "it may wake the Government up out of their slumber on affordable and social housing".

The party wants funding earmarked in 2019 for an affordable housing scheme and proposes that initial State investment would be complemented by off-balance sheet funding mechanisms.

Mr O'Brien said his party isn't specifying the sum it's seeking at this time as this will be a matter for upcoming Budget negotiations. The motion includes a reminder that the setting up of an affordable housing scheme is included in the confidence and supply deal Fianna Fail agreed with Fine Gael.

Mr O'Brien denied the motion was part of a strategy to build a case against the Government ahead of an election. He said party leader Micheal Martin has said the next Budget must be a "housing Budget" and the motion is reiterating that point.

Last night, a Government spokesman said Mr Murphy sought Cabinet approval for a counter-motion in response to Fianna Fail. It's understood that Mr Murphy will attack Fianna Fail for bringing about the circumstances that saw the collapse of the construction industry and the building of very few homes of any type in the years immediately after Fine Gael took office in 2011.

Mr Murphy is expected to insist affordable homes are being built; the building of social housing has been ramped up; and the provision of such housing is a priority for the Government.
THE Taoiseach has blamed the US decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem for the deaths of nearly 60 Palestinians in Gaza.

Speaking at an EU summit in Bulgaria, Mr Varadkar told Independent.ie: "A few months ago we discussed the decision by the US to relocate its embassy in Jerusalem; we decided as Europe that that was a bad policy decision.

"At the time I said it would cost lives. It has.

"This was an erroneous decision by the US government," he added.

Mr Varadkar also said the Irish position is that Israel acted in breach of international law when it fired on protesters - even if some of them were armed.

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"It is very much the view of the Irish government that Israel has used disproportionate force, he said.

"Even if the protests werent 100pc peaceful - and they werent 100pc peaceful, the use of force has to be proportionate.

"It has lead to the deaths of dozens of people, some of them unarmed; some of them children, said Mr Varadkar.

The US administration has denied its embassy celebrations which took place on the anniversary of the creation of Israel were to blame for the violence.

Instead, US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley laid the blame at Iran and Hamas  the militant organisation that is charged with administering Gaza.

Meanwhile the Taoiseach said Ireland is echoing the calls by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for an independent investigation in to the force used by the Israeli soldiers.

EU leaders are discussing the deaths in Gaza tonight, but there is not likely to be unity among all member states as to whether Israel should be sanctioned.

There are several differing views among EU governments as to how to deal with the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the EU rarely has consensus on the issue.

There are a number of EU states that are much closer to Israel than we would be.

I think they may block any sanctions or moves, the Taoiseach told Independent.ie

However, certainly the perspective that Ill be bringing to the table is that of the Irish government and that of the Irish people which is that we find the use of violence and the use of violence against people in Gaza absolutely unacceptable, he added.
Pope Francis is planning to pay a special visit to Dublin's Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless people when he comes to Ireland in August, it has been revealed this morning.

Brother Kevin Crowley the Capuchin friar who has fed Dublin's poor and homeless for over 40 years revealed the surprise news this morning on Newstalk Breakfast.

Planning for the visit to the centre has been going on for months but it had been kept a closely guarded secret until now.

"We have a very, very special guest coming to see us ... I am so delighted and I think its absolutely fantastic, non other than Pope Francis himself," the 82 year old announced.

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"I think that this is a huge, huge honour for the people in need and for the homeless people.

"It is going to be really exciting for them and that is why I am so delighted that these people are being recognised by the Pope."

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Pope Francis' visit to the Capuchin Centre on Bow Street in the inner-city is scheduled to take place on the afternoon of Saturday, August 25, shortly after he arrives in Ireland for the first of a two day visit, the first since 1979.

Security preparations for the Pontiff's visit to the centre have been ongoing for several weeks with specialist officers carrying out a security audit of the building and the area.

It is understood that the Garda International Protection and Liaison Office are working closely with the Pontiff's security staff who have also visited the centre.

Brother Kevin revealed that members of the Pope's security detail visited the centre on Monday.

"We had a number of people from Rome here making preparations already," he said.

In a podcast for Independent.ie last year, the founder of the Centre first revealed that he would invite the Pontiff to visit the homeless in the event that a papal tour was confirmed.

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Brother Kevin thanked Archbishop Diarmuid Martin for organising the visit with the Pope.

"Archbishop Martin is really responsible for that [the visit] and I'm so thankful to him to organise the Pope to come to the Day Centre.

"It is fabulous that he (Pope) is giving such precious time to the homeless people and, of course, I am not surprised by that because everywhere he went he made a special effort to be involved with the poor.

"He is the man for the poor and a man of great concern for the under-privileged," he said.

Every day the Capuchin Centre provides on average of 1,000 hot meals and each weeks distributed between 1400 and 2000 food parcels.

It costs over 3 million annually to run the centre which also provides clothing and a wide range of medical and social services from professionals who give their time for free.

While Brother Kevin said that Pope Francis would be too late for breakfast, lunch would be kept if he was feeling peckish.

The purpose of the 81-year-old pontiff's visit Ireland is to attend the three-yearly World Meeting of Families.

Initially the official itinerary flagged just two events during the visit - the Festival of Families in Croke Park on Saturday 25 August and a mass that he will celebrate in Dublins Phoenix Park the following day.
Two Irish teachers have been released after spending more than a week in a Bejing prison due to alleged issues with their visas.

Both women, one from Co Kildare and the other from Co Offaly, were on working visas and teaching in Beijing schools.

It is understood the two women each took a second job teaching in an unlicensed private school. They took the job with honest intentions and were unaware it was not licensed.

The pair, along with nine others, were arrested on Saturday, May 5 for working illegally.

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Independent.ie that they are aware of the case and "is providing ongoing consular assistance".

Speaking last week, Fianna Fail TD for Kildare South Fiona OLoughlin described the case as "incredibly upsetting" and said that the Irish embassy was "doing their absolute best to get the girls out".
I was a primary school teacher and when I went to Australia and New Zealand on a career break, I met the man I would marry. I was 25 at the time and Vaughan and I were married two and a half years before our first child, Christopher (now 26), came along.

I went back teaching after the birth and my mother used to mind Christopher. I remember she would sit doing nursery rhymes with him and he was absorbing everything like a sponge. I began to look for information on home education but there was none. I rang the Irish National Teachers' Organisation and the National Parents Council.

I heard an interview on the radio with a lady who was home educating her children so I rang the radio station and they passed on my number to her. She called me back and told me about an organisation called Sa Bhaile and when my third child was three weeks old, we went to our first home education camp. We met people from all walks of life there.

That lit the spark and we knew we wanted to do something different. I wanted my children to learn organically and I also wanted to be involved. We were lucky we had that choice. Vaughan is a nurse and I stayed at home.

There's different types of home education. It's not homeschooling as that gives you the image of a school in a house, although some people will set up a room with a blackboard. But in our house, it was always at the kitchen table because I would be ironing or baking. It was like a home-based industry.

Our eldest son, Christopher, always wanted to play the violin. When he was five I remember Vaughan saying he used to play the violin. I never knew it. Christopher is now doing his masters in violin in London and he plays piano and flute as well. You wait until the child is asking you for something and you follow the child's talent.

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With home education, you start off with the basics - things like colours and play dough. We did baking and you'd be measuring things and doing sand play. I was always experimenting with Montessori methods and trying to make it real for them.

They'd help me in the kitchen. I'd tell them magic happens in the kitchen when you have a pan and eggs. You can teach your child so much. Some of mine were early readers. Christopher was always telling stories. I'd write it down for him and he learned to read in a very 'look and say' way. My next son Timothy (25) would hear a word and sound it out. I just kept reading to them all and showing them words.

The eldest four Christopher, Timothy, Aisling (23) and Eimear (22) formed a musical quartet. They'd play at family events doing gigs and weddings. It was great pocket money for them.

They've all followed their dreams. Timothy is in South Africa travelling at the minute. He went into the Army band for three years and he wants to go into physiotherapy.

Aisling is teaching in Wicklow and she did music education at Trinity College. Eimear is doing business and German at Trinity and Aoibheann (20) is doing language and translation at DCU. They're all doing the things they love.

Erin started secondary school in Gorey last September. She's doing her Leaving Cert next year. Enya is 15 and Liadhain is 13 and they're both still at home. When they look back, they all say they had so much free time. They loved that they could do what they wanted and they could spend all day doing a project if that's what they wanted.

I feel when you follow the children's interests and when they follow what they love, they just spark. They had the freedom to say "this is not for me". Twenty four years ago, when we decided to do this, people questioned it. They wondered if they'd have any friends and said things like "it will do more harm than good".

Things have changed dramatically today. I'm the Home Education Network contact officer and anyone who wants information can contact me. I get three to five emails and calls a day from people. Parents are much more open to it now and they want to research it to give the child a choice.

I say listen to your child. There are so many options now with education. It's very positive for people as not everyone is equipped to sit in a class room or to put up with the pressure of school. What I loved about home education was that I was involved all the time and I really know my children. They will ring me and talk to me and ask me about decisions. I love that they want me to be involved in their lives. I've always listened to them. If they wanted to try something, I let them try it.

My life is so full - I learned with the children. We were learning Spanish together and I'm still improving every day. It can be hard to break the rules of society. I thought long and hard about it. But my neighbours' opinions didn't matter.

I've always said to the children "follow your heart". I never had to push them. They had the space to know what they wanted to do and they were able to find themselves and not be influenced by peers. There is another way but it has to suit your family. Ideally with home education there should always be one parent at home - I found that better. Some people can't home educate because they have to work. It's great for some and it doesn't suit others.

Then you just start by listening to your child and start engaging with them. By going for walks you'll spark their interest in the world. Listen to them - they are intelligent little beings. I would say to people don't be afraid to do something different.

The Home Education Network is a great support. We have our annual gathering in June in Meath and five of the children are going.

For more information see henireland.org. In conversation with Kathy Donaghy
WE just don't get it on driving while tired.

It is a major factor in accidents, we know that. But it seems we don't pay enough heed to warnings.

A new survey underlines just how reckless we can be.

It found that a substantial number of motorists admitted to having driven while they felt drowsy and were in danger of nodding off.

As many as one in six have fallen asleep at the wheel, according to the new SmartWitness survey. That's a huge number.

Some 47pc revealed they had been a danger to themselves or others.

And men appeared to be bigger offenders (24pc) than women (10pc).

The frightening thing is that 89pc admitted they drove knowing full well they were tired - and blamed intense pressure from work or home life.

Sorry, but you can only blame yourself in such circumstances.

A mere 48pc said they "always stop and take a break" when tired.

Nearly half the drivers stayed at the wheel but opened the car window.

The next most widespread tactic to beat drowsiness was having a coffee (37pc), while 24pc chewed gum (!) and 16pc turned up the radio (16pc).

One in eight turned the car heater to cold.

Meanwhile, I hate coming back to potholes again, but there is no escaping the fact that some roads - and some parts of the country - are absolutely riddled with them.

Yes, we have good motorways and some excellent primary routes. But as soon as you move out of those and onto the roads most people use in rural Ireland, then you're into some really poor-quality surfaces.

I know there are far more pressing matters for the Government right now, but I believe in some cases the deterioration of many roads has become a major safety issue. Maybe I'm wrong.

What do you think? Tell me at ecunningham@independent.ie.

Meanwhile, in other motoring news:

* KIA is to reveal its first 48-volt diesel mild-hybrid later in the year. The new 'EcoDynamics+' powertrain is claimed to cut CO2 emissions by boosting acceleration from a 48-volt battery. It will come first in the brand's Sportage SUV and later in the new Ceed small family car.

* Rolls-Royce's Cullinan will become the world's most expensive production SUV when it goes on sale at the end of the year. The brand's first SUV will cost around 300,000, but anticipated demand for personal options will inflate that sum significantly.

The car is built on the same aluminium platform that underpins the Phantom and all future new cars from the company.

It is driven by the same 570hp, 6.75-litre, twin-turbo V12 petrol engine as the Phantom. Different world.

* Volvo are showing the first new V60 estate here. The hand-built demonstration model is on show at the brand's pop-up shop on Merrion Row in Dublin from May 11 to June 8.

* Just for the record, approximately 1,268 SEAT cars are affected by the latest seatbelt recall, including 821 Ibizas and 447 Aronas. The Spanish company is advising customers not to use the middle seat of the Ibiza or Arona until the cars have been equipped with a redesigned belt lock fixture.
Philip K Dick, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Robert Heinlein. For me, these are the gods of science fiction writing. I devoured their books in my late teens and stayed up until stupid o'clock in college reading them. I enjoyed their books not only because they opened up a view to another, often dystopian, universe, but because they opened up a world of future possibilities.

The greatest of those possibilities was the creation of artificial intelligence (AI), but as anyone who has read their books knows, these authors were not using the proposition of AI as a simple plotline in their stories.

They really did attempt to bring to life the real-world impact the introduction of AI would have on a society. They hypothesised the socio-economic impact it would have. They looked hard at the ethical issues that would be thrown up by AI. The concept, and these questions, fascinated me.

About two weeks ago, the pages of those books came to life when I sat behind the wheel of a Volvo self-driving vehicle in the courtyard of Dublin Castle. With its autonomous capabilities, I could drive from Dublin to Cork on the motorway and let the car do the driving for me. What was once the realm of science fiction is now a reality, but still a novelty for most. In the coming years, it's going to become an everyday certainty.

I was in Dublin castle, by the way, because the RSA was hosting its annual International Conference, which this year focused on connected and autonomous Vehicles (CAVs), or self-driving vehicles, as they are known.

We had a panel of experts from around the world talking about developments and the revolution in CAVs. One thing all agreed on was that, from a technology point of view, fully self-driving cars are probably just four or five years away.

It's clear that the technology is developing at high speed, but what's not moving at the same pace is the development of the regulatory framework to allow their introduction to public roads, particularly at EU level.

Another barrier is the public's willingness to embrace the reality of self-driving cars. Alvin Toffler wrote in his book 'Future Shock' that when the pace of change in society is so big, and so fast, it simply overwhelms people. He believed that the rate of technological and resulting social change left people disconnected and disorientated - future shocked.

RSA-commissioned research, conducted by Behaviour and Attitudes and presented at the conference, confirms that Irish road users are not ready for self-driving cars.

Awareness is high (73pc), but the research showed that only two in five believe self-driving cars are a good idea. There is still some way to go before Irish people have confidence in self-driving cars, with 39pc admitting they wouldn't trust one to take them safely to their destinations.

Despite these misgivings, the public say the main benefits of self-driving cars are easier and safer driving.

The survey also found that more than a quarter have a strong interest in owning a self-driving car - something that declines with age.

Of course the RSA's interest in self-driving technology is that it could drastically reduce or maybe even eliminate the main cause of road deaths, human error, which is the main contributory factor in almost 90pc of fatal crashes.

And almost half of those polled agreed that owning a self-driving car would lead to fewer deaths and injuries.
From June 13, just as the summer holiday season begins, the airlines check-in window is about to narrow sharply. Photo: Getty Images

Millions of passengers booked on Ryanair flights this summer are being warned that they can check in only 48 hours before departure.

The airline is making life tougher for travellers who choose not to pay extra for assigned seating.

Until two years ago, passengers could check in online up to a week before departure, which worked well for many people on seven-day holidays.

In 2016, Ryanair reduced the window for check in to just four days, saying the move was in response to "extensive customer feedback".

However, from June 13, just as the summer holiday season begins, the airline's check-in window is about to narrow sharply.

At present a passenger with a late flight at, say, 8pm on a Friday can check in from Monday morning onwards. But the new policy means free check-in will not open until 8pm on Wednesday.

Alternatively, passengers can pay a fee - typically 4 per person, per flight - for assigned seating, and will then be able to check in up to two months ahead of departure.

The change applies to existing reservations as well as new bookings.
Shawn with some of the women (@Brooke54702720/Twitter)

A police officer from West Virginia has been pulling over women and handing them bunches of roses.

Shawn Johnson, who has worked for Putnam County PD for 20 years, handed out 10 dozen roses to women in the area in honour of his mother  who passed away two years ago.

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Shawn was handing out the roses on Mothers Day, which is celebrated in May in the US.

The women said when they saw they were being pulled over they were trying to figure out what they did wrong, Shawns daughter Brooke told the Press Association.

When my dad approached the car he had the flowers behind his back.

He assured them they did nothing wrong and to not worry, he then explained he lost his mother (Carol Kelly) two years ago to cancer and had no-one to give flowers to.

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Brooke, who starts college in autumn, added: I hope this message shows that every cop is not bad, you have bad and good everywhere you go and a lot of the time we only see the bad in the generation we live in now.

I am beyond proud of my dad and the way he copes with the loss of his mother.

Brooke posted photos of Shawn handing out flowers to Twitter, where they have been shared thousands of times.

Not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not crying not c  Scott Williams (@SmokeyMcScott) May 15, 2018

Being pulled over by the police has never been so surprisingly heart-warming.
This is the moment a squirrel was rescued from a toilet by gripping on to a mop handle.

The rodent had somehow become stuck in the loo at a student houseshare in London.

The students called the RSPCA to rescue the animal.

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Animal collection officer Kirstie Gillard used a mop handle to give the animal something to grab on to and was then able to lift him to safety.

He was dried and cleaned and released back into the wild.

Fortunately the squirrel wasnt injured at all and I could release him back into the wild where he belongs, Gillard said.

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As for how the squirrel had ended up trapped in a student loo in Southwark?

I think he must have come into this house through the roof and slipped into the toilet, Gillard suggested.

It was certainly one of the most unusual rescues Ive ever carried out  I did rescue a bat stuck in the plughole of a sink last year but I think this one takes the crown.
Workers inspect a Sichuan Airlines aircraft that made an emergency landing after a windshield on the cockpit broke off, at an airport in Chengdu, Sichuan province. Photo: Reuters

A Chinese passenger jet was forced to make an emergency landing after the co-pilot was 'sucked halfway out' of the cockpit after the windshield shattered in mid-air.

Speaking to the 'Chengdu Economic Daily', Captain Liu Chuanjian said the aircraft had just reached an altitude of 32,000ft when the windshield smashed.

"There was no warning sign. Suddenly the windshield just cracked and made a loud bang. The next thing I know, my co-pilot had been sucked halfway out of the window," he said.

"Everything in the cockpit was floating in the air. Most of the equipment malfunctioned and I couldn't hear the radio. The plane was shaking so hard I could not read the gauges."

Because he was wearing a seatbelt, the co-pilot was pulled back into the cockpit, sustaining only scratches to his face and a sprained wrist. One other member of cabin crew was injured in the descent, but none of the 119 passengers were hurt.

The temperature of the cockpit is reported to have dropped to -40C, forcing the plane to descend rapidly for five to six seconds before the pilot grabbed an oxygen mask and managed to manually regain control.

The Sichuan Airlines flight left the central Chinese municipality of Chongqing on Monday, bound for Lhasa, Tibet.

It made the emergency landing at Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, 400km west of Chongqing.

Sichuan Airlines is a regional airline based in Chengdu.

It mainly operates domestic flights, but has international routes to Canada, Japan and the Czech Republic.

The incident comes just weeks after a woman died on a Southwest Airlines flight from New York to Dallas when part of the engine broke off, shattered a window and nearly sucked her out. Jennifer Riordan, a banking executive, was pulled back into the aircraft by other passengers, who attempted to resuscitate her, but she later died of her injuries.

Cockpit windshields are typically comprised of several layers, designed to deal with air pressure of up to 400 knots and to avoid shattering when striking a bird.

A common cause of windshields shattering is severe hailstorms. In August 2015, a Delta Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Colorado after its windscreen and nose cone were badly damaged by hail.

Despite the damage, the pilots were able to land the airline safely. A similar incident occurred on an Atlasglobal flight from Istanbul to north Cyprus last year.

Another cause could be a malfunctioning component within the cockpit. In June 2010, pilots in an American Airlines Boeing 757 were showered with glass after a loose screw in the cockpit window heater caused the inside ply of the windscreen to shatter.

The windshield may also break if it has not been heated correctly.

Many aircraft have electronically heated windshields to soften the acrylic layer in case of a bird-strike.

However, if the windshield is heated unevenly or short- circuits, it may crack or shatter due to the difference of pressure inside and outside the cabin. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Burberry said its overhaul is starting to bear fruit as it posted higher annual profits despite falling UK sales as the pound's bounce-back dented tourist demand (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Luxury fashion firm Burberry has said its overhaul is starting to bear fruit as it posted higher annual profits despite falling UK sales as the pounds bounce-back dented tourist demand.

The group reported a 5% rise in bottom-line pre-tax profits to 413 million for the year to March 31.

Group comparable store sales rose 3%, although it revealed that growth halved in the second half of its financial year, from 4% to 2%.

Recent trading was dragged lower by falling UK sales in the final six months as the group failed to match the previous years impressive performance, when sales surged thanks to a spending spree by overseas shoppers taking advantage of the weak pound.

Overall the UK saw a low single-digit percentage rise in sales over the year, Burberry said.

Results for the wider group showed a bounce-back after a tough previous year, when profits tumbled by 21% after being hit by weak wholesale trading in the US.

While the task of transforming Burberry is still before us, the first steps we implemented to re-energise our brand are showing promising early signsBurberry chief executive Marco Gobbetti

Burberry chief executive Marco Gobbetti said: In a year of transition, we are pleased with our performance as we began to execute our strategy.

While the task of transforming Burberry is still before us, the first steps we implemented to re-energise our brand are showing promising early signs.

Results showed underlying pre-tax profits lifted 2% to 471 million, or 5% higher with currency effects stripped out.

Mr Gobbetti is slashing costs  targeting 120 million a year in cuts by 2019-20  and is axing under-performing stores as part of his overhaul.

The store closures are set to see retail sales fall by 1% in the new financial year, although Burberry is expecting broadly stable revenues and profit margins.

It cautioned in its latest results that the pounds recent recovery was set to have a higher-than-expected impact of around 40 million on underlying earnings in the new financial year.

The group had previously benefited from the pounds slump following the Brexit vote.

Burberry shares rose more than 2% after the full-year results.

Ken Odeluga, a market analyst at City Index, said: Burberry has given investors further reasons to stay patient, though a 2% rise in full-year profit provides little evidence that chief executive Marco Gobbettis suitably expensive strategy is gaining traction.

In its results, Burberry said it saw mid-single digit percentage sales growth across Asia Pacific thanks to stronger tourist spend in the final six months.

But as in the UK, Continental Europe suffered a sales fall as tourist spend eased back.

Its Americas business benefited from a second half return to growth in the US, leaving overall sales for the region rising by a low single digit percentage.

The firm closed 20 stores on a net basis over the year, with seven in the last week alone.

Mr Gobbetti unveiled his strategic overhaul last November, with a revamp that will see it focus more on high-end luxury shoppers, shut some wholesale and retail sites and refurbish stores.

Mr Gobbetti took over at the helm last year amid a changeover at the top, with the group having replaced its chairman, chief executive and chief creative officer within the past year.
Mr Trump and Mr Kim are scheduled to meet on June 12 (AP)

China has urged its ally North Korea to proceed with a historic summit between its leader, Kim Jong Un, and US president Donald Trump amid threats from Pyongyang to scrap the meeting.

Foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the sides should ensure the meeting runs as planned and yields substantial outcomes.

Mr Kim and Mr Trump are due to meet in Singapore on June 12, but Pyongyang has threatened to withdraw, saying it has no interest in a one-sided affair meant to pressure it into abandoning its nuclear weapons.

Mr Lu said the meeting was crucial to reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and maintaining regional peace and stability.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the Trump administration is still hopeful that a planned summit with North Korea will take place.

Ms Sanders said threats from the North to scrap the meeting were something that we fully expected.

She said Mr Trump is ready for very tough negotiations, adding that if they want to meet, well be ready and if they dont, thats OK. She said if there is no meeting, the US would continue with the campaign of maximum pressure against the North.

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The Chinese call came as President Xi Jinping met with a delegation from North Koreas ruling Workers Party, at which he expressed support for the Norths avowed new emphasis on economic development along with improving relations with South Korea.

Mr Xi said: We support the improvement of North-South (Korean) relations, the promotion of dialogue between North Korea and the US, denuclearisation on the peninsula and North Koreas development of its economy and improvement of its peoples livelihood.

The Norths warning came hours after it abruptly cancelled a high-level meeting with South Korea, in protest over US-South Korean military exercises.

A senior Japanese official said Tokyo considers the US-South Korean joint exercise, along with those between the three allies, as key pillars of deterrence in the region.

Deputy chief cabinet secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura said Japan is moving ahead with the preparation for planned talks between the Norths leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump in the hopes they would provide a momentum toward comprehensively resolving North Koreas problems.

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Mr Nishimura said Japan will continue to cooperate with the US and South Korea and they agree on the need to maintain sanctions until the North changes its current policy.

He said: We believe that steady implementation of the US-South Korea joint military exercise is important to maintain the regional peace and safety.

South Koreas defence ministry said the exercises will go on.

Spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo said the Max Thunder drills are chiefly about improving the skills of pilots, and are not attack exercises.

The drills, which began on Monday and reportedly include some 100 aircraft, will continue until May 25.
Metropolitan Police undated handout photo of Gregory Boyle who has been jailed for six years and four months at Croydon Crown Court after he impersonated a doctor to sexually assault a pregnant woman at Princess Royal University Hospital. Photo: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire

A man who impersonated a doctor to sexually assault a pregnant woman has been jailed, police have announced.

Gregory Boyle, 58, was imprisoned for six years and four months on Wednesday for the attack at Princess Royal University Hospital, Scotland Yard said.

Police said the victim's partner had worked at Boyle's home and had confided in him about a medical condition she was suffering while pregnant.

Boyle offered to give a second opinion and when the victim, a woman in her 20s, was admitted to hospital they took him up on the offer, the force added.

Officers said a nurse at the hospital in Farnborough, Kent, walked in and challenged the man, who had performed a sensitive examination, before calling the General Medical Council to learn he was not a doctor.

Boyle was arrested at the scene in September 2016 before admitting assault by penetration and sexual assault in a case at Croydon Crown Court, a force spokesman said.

The Metropolitan Police's Detective Constable Paul Hill said: "Boyle targeted a vulnerable, heavily-pregnant woman who was concerned for her health."
The bar of the Alimuri hotel in Sorrento, pictured on the hotel's website, where a barman allegedly served the drug-spiked drinks (Photo: Alimuri hotel)

Five staff at an Italian hotel popular with tourists have been arrested over the alleged drugging and gang rape of a British woman.

Police are questioning the workers from a hotel in the resort of Meta di Sorrento, near Naples, who were seized in dawn raids.

The 50-year-old woman and her daughter were on the last night of their stay when a barman at the four-star Mar Hotel Alimuri served them drinks laced with date rape drugs, investigators said.

The man then sexually abused the mother near a swimming pool before handing her to another employee, who took her to a staff bedroom where at least 10 men were waiting and took turns to rape her.

The attack was filmed and photographed by members of the gang with mobile phones. Police said they were able to reconstruct the attacks thanks to the the footage.

The gang had posted photos and videos in a social media chat group labelled "bad habits". One picture allegedly showed a crown-shaped tattoo on the neck of one of the attackers, like one described afterwards by the woman, who was left covered in bruises.

DNA testing ordered by police when she returned home to Kent also helped investigators identify the suspects.

The attack happened in October 2016, and Italian police said they have been working since then with colleagues in Kent to identify the men, all of whom are current or former hotel staff.

Prosecutors say the use of a date-rape drug, benzodiazepine, as well as other drugs, was an aggravating factor.

DNA samples taken when she was back in the UK were allegedly matched with the five suspects. Analysis of her urine and hair showed which drugs she had been given.

The postcard-pretty town of Meta di Sorrento, popular with British holidaymakers, offers views of the Bay of Naples and is a popular spot for exploring the Amalfi coast and the island of Capri.

Photographs on the hotels website show plush, luxury rooms overlooking the sea. A one-night stay there in a double room is advertised on Expedia for 448.

The five suspects are Antonino Miniero, Davide Gennaro Gargiulo, Fabio De Virgilio, Raffaele Regio and Ciro Francesco D'Antonio.

Earlier this month police launched an investigation after a British tourist on holiday in Sardinia was raped.
Reformist leader Anwar Ibrahim is celebrating a new dawn for Malaysia after he was given a royal pardon and freed from custody.

The move transformed a political prisoner into a prime minister-in-waiting after his alliances stunning election victory last week.

Mr Anwar, 70, was convicted of sodomy in 2015 in a case he said was aimed at crushing his alliance, which was making gains against Malaysias long-ruling coalition government.

His sentence was set to end on June 8 but the unexpected election win, which ended the National Fronts 60-year rule, led to his swift release.

Kepulangan DSAI ke kediaman beliau pic.twitter.com/9QY0OpmWNc  Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) May 16, 2018

Now there is a new dawn for Malaysia, he told a news conference at his house.

Mr Anwar said he was grateful to Malaysians regardless of race and religion, who stood by the principles of democracy and freedom.

The election result was a demand for change and it is the new governments responsibility to ensure that mandate is honoured, he said.

Earlier, he was thronged by scores of supporters and reporters after he walked free from a hospital, where he was recovering from shoulder surgery, and whisked away to an audience with Malaysias king.

Expand Close Anwar Ibrahim waves to supporters after leaving hospital in Kuala Lumpur / Facebook

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The royal palace said in a statement that the monarch had given Mr Anwar a full pardon after advice from the Pardons Board.

Analysts say his release could cause tensions in the new government led by Mahathir Mohamad, who after leading the four-party alliance in the election campaign has become the worlds oldest leader at 92.

Mr Mahathir is the chairman of the alliance and Mr Anwar is its de facto leader.

Mr Anwar sought to allay those concerns, saying he was not in a hurry to take over from Mr Mahathir. Mr Anwars wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, is the deputy premier.

Mr Anwar, who needs to contest a by-election to become a member of parliament, said he does not want any cabinet posts yet as he plans to spend time with his family and travel abroad for speaking engagements.

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He reiterated his full support for Mr Mahathirs leadership and said their political feud has long been buried.

I have forgiven him. He has proven his mettle. He made his sacrifices and was maligned in the media. I tell you, it is like deja vu, Mr Anwar said.

He has struggled and worked indefatigably hard. He has now supported the reform agenda. He facilitated my release. Why should I harbour any malice towards him?

His party has disputed Mr Mahathirs appointment of three senior cabinet posts, but Mr Anwar said it was only a difference over the consultation process, adding it was Mr Mahathirs prerogative as premier to form the cabinet.

Mr Mahathir, premier for 22 years until 2003, on Tuesday said he will run the country for one to two years to fix Malaysias financial problems.

It was Mr Anwars second spell in prison. Once a high flyer in the ruling party, he was first convicted of homosexual sodomy and corruption after a power struggle with Mr Mahathir in 1998.

He and his supporters have long denied the sodomy allegations, saying they were concocted to destroy his political career. Mr Anwar worked from his prison cell to forge a new opposition alliance by ending the two-decade feud with Mr Mahathir.

Amnesty International said his release was a landmark moment for human rights in Malaysia and called for repressive laws muzzling freedom of expression and assembly to be repealed.
Ministers have discussed the possibility of recognising the state of Palestine within weeks, but the proposal was ultimately rejected by Tanaiste Simon Coveney.

Independent Minister Finian McGrath wanted the Government to put a plan in place that would see the region formally acknowledged by Ireland.

Sources described the debate as "lively" as ministers expressed outrage over the killing of dozens of people along the Gaza border.

Mr McGrath is understood to have called on the Government to honour a commitment in the Programme for Government to recognise the state of Palestine.

But he was told the promise was made in the context of Palestine being "part of a lasting settlement of the conflict", which has not yet been achieved.

Mr Coveney met with Israeli ambassador Ze'ev Boker in advance of the Cabinet meeting to express "Ireland's shock and dismay at the level of death and injury on the Gaza Strip".

He also called for restraint from Israel in the hours and days ahead.

However, the Tanaiste stopped short of taking any direct diplomatic action.

The Dail heard several calls for Mr Boker to be expelled from the country, but Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said this would be counter-productive.

"Our view as a Government is that we solve conflict through dialogue. In this country, just over 20 years ago, it was necessary to engage in dialogue with terrorists in order to bring about peace on this island. That had to be done and it was the right thing to do," the Taoiseach said. "For these reasons we will not be recalling the Irish ambassador or expelling the Israeli ambassador.

"We will continue to engage with Israel and Palestine and try to be part of a future peace process. We will also act through the United Nations."

He noted that the violence in Gaza is likely to feature highly on the agenda of an EU Council meeting in Sofia today and tomorrow.

Sinn Fein said it was "not enough to simply symbolically call in the Israeli ambassador".

Pearse Doherty told the Dail that the Government was quick to expel a Russian diplomat based on information from UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

"We need an even more robust response in this scenario," he said. "The Palestinian people need our solidarity now more than ever. This could be one of the bloodiest episodes we have ever witnessed if we continue to stand idly by.

"The Government must take action. It must also recognise the state of Palestine."

Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin said the Government should seek to influence the EU approach to the situation.

He said Palestinian people had been "cut down by snipers" for protesting and it is a "shocking reality for the whole world to address".

"For most right-thinking people, it made our blood run cold," he said. "I think it's time for Ireland to make a stand."

Mr Howlin said the Government should be seeking to act alongside the EU but if that isn't possible then we "have to consider what we do independently".

Fianna Fail's Niall Collins said the EU and United Nations "cannot stand back and let this further escalate".

"All the hand-wringing in the world will not solve this issue. Those of us in the European Union who desperately want a peaceful Middle East must be willing to step up to the mark to act as a counter-balancing force to the one-sided approach of the current US administration," Mr Collins said.

"The Trump administration is now part of the problem. It has a blinkered view of the Middle East that must be counteracted by a balanced EU response."

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett described the international response as "shameful" while Israel is perpetrating a "cold-blooded massacre".
Tear gas shot by Israeli forces is seen as smoke rises from burning tires during a protest marking the 70th anniversary of Nakba, on the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

Palestinian protesters carry a wounded man shot by Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian protesters run for cover from teargas fired by Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, chants slogans during his visit to the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, eastern Gaza City, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian medics help a woman who fainted from teargas fired by Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinians watch a burning Israeli field caused by a kite Palestinian activists use with burning rags dangling from its tail, during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian protesters carry a wounded woman during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian medics raise their hands up while walking towards the Israeli side of the border with Gaza in a try to evacuate a injured protesters during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A drone used by Israeli troops fires teargas at Palestinians during a demonstration near the Gaza Strip border with Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A Palestinian protester asks for help while standing next to a wounded man was shot by Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Israeli soldiers arrest Palestinian protesters during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Israel faced a growing backlash Tuesday and new charges of using excessive force, a day after Israeli troops firing from across a border fence killed dozens of Palestinians and wounded more than 2,700 at a mass protest in Gaza. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A Palestinian vendor stands next to his cart selling iced juice during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Israel faced a growing backlash Tuesday and new charges of using excessive force, a day after Israeli troops firing from across a border fence killed dozens of Palestinians and wounded more than 2,700 at a mass protest in Gaza. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian protesters run for cover from teargas fired by Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

British Ambassador to the United Nations Karen Pierce, center, is joined by ambassadors from other European Union countries as she speaks to reporters after a Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza, Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Left wing Israelis hold signs during a demonstration against the situation in Gaza in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Israel faced a growing backlash Tuesday and new charges of using excessive force, a day after Israeli troops firing from across a border fence killed 59 Palestinians and wounded more than 2,700 at a mass protest in Gaza. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

The sun sets over the Gaza Strip, as seen from the Israeli side of the border May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Cohen TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Palestinians living in Greece shout slogans and wave Palestinian flags during a demonstration outside the Israeli embassy against the killing of Palestinian protesters by Israeli forces on the Gaza border, in Athens, Greece, May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

Protesters attend a rally called by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) on O'Connell Street in Dublin after more than 60 Palestinians were killed and about 2,000 injured by Israeli forces during protests on Monday. Niall Carson/PA Wire

Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) chair Fatin Al Tamimi speaks at a rally called by the group on O'Connell Street in Dublin after more than 60 Palestinians were killed and about 2,000 injured by Israeli forces during protests on Monday. Niall Carson/PA Wire

A Palestinian protester reacts to teargas fired by Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, east of Khan Younis, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Palestinian protesters burn tires during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, east of Khan Younis, Tuesday, May 15, 2018.. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

An Israeli man chants during a protest in Jerusalem outside Prime Ministers Benjamin Netanyahu residence calling to stop the Gaza siege, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Eyal Warshavsky)

Palestinian demonstrators are seen as smoke rises from burning tires during a protest marking the 70th anniversary of Nakba, at the Israel-Gaza border in the southern Gaza Strip May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

A Palestinian demonstrator reacts as others run from tear gas fired by Israeli forces during a protest marking the 70th anniversary of Nakba, at the Israel-Gaza border in the southern Gaza Strip May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Guatemala has opened its new embassy in Jerusalem, becoming the second country to do so after the United States, as international condemnation continued over the killing of dozens of Palestinian protesters by Israeli forces.

Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales dedicated the embassy just two days after a high-powered American delegation also marked the transfer of its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said it was fitting since Guatemala also followed the US to be the second country to recognise Israel 70 years ago.

"You were always among the first," he said at the ceremony. "We remember our friends and Guatemala is our friend, then and now."

Expand Close A Palestinian protester asks for help while standing next to a wounded man was shot by Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Tuesday, May 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) / Facebook

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US president Donald Trump announced his decision in December to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the American embassy there, triggering a joyous reaction from Mr Netanyahu's government.

Israel has always claimed Jerusalem as its capital yet most countries opted to place their embassies in coastal Tel Aviv because of the holy city's contested status.

Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed it in a move not recognised internationally.

The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, and view the relocation of the embassy as a one-sided move that invalidates the US as a peace broker in the region.

Expand Close Protesters attend a rally called by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) on O'Connell Street in Dublin after more than 60 Palestinians were killed and about 2,000 injured by Israeli forces during protests on Monday. Niall Carson/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Protesters attend a rally called by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) on O'Connell Street in Dublin after more than 60 Palestinians were killed and about 2,000 injured by Israeli forces during protests on Monday. Niall Carson/PA Wire

The embassy move added fuel to the weekly Palestinian protests in Gaza demanding the right of return to Israel and the lifting of a decade-old naval blockade.

They culminated in the killing of nearly 60 Palestinians by Israeli forces in clashes along the border.

Expand Close A Palestinian demonstrator reacts as others run from tear gas fired by Israeli forces during a protest marking the 70th anniversary of Nakba, at the Israel-Gaza border in the southern Gaza Strip May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa / Facebook

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Whatsapp A Palestinian demonstrator reacts as others run from tear gas fired by Israeli forces during a protest marking the 70th anniversary of Nakba, at the Israel-Gaza border in the southern Gaza Strip May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel did everything it could to prevent civilian casualties, but that Gaza's Hamas rulers were to blame for using them as human shields.

"The Hamas leadership is a group of cannibals who treat their children as armament," he said during a visit to a military base in southern Israel. "They have rocket armament, personal armament and another kind of armament - their children and women."

Since the Hamas-led protests began on March 30, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed and some 2,500 have been wounded by live fire, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Palestinian officials say the vast majority of the casualties have been unarmed protesters.

The heavy death toll on Monday, along with hundreds of wounded, made it by far the bloodiest day of cross-border violence since a devastating 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. It also triggered a diplomatic backlash against Israel.

The UN Security Council held a special session that began with a moment of silence for the Palestinians who were killed. In Geneva, the UN human rights office said Israel has repeatedly violated international norms by using deadly live fire to repel protesters.

Turkey expelled Israel's ambassador and consul general and several European countries summoned the Israeli ambassadors to their foreign ministries for questioning and called for an international investigation.

The diplomatic spat with Turkey intensified after what Israel called the humiliating treatment of its ambassador, who was subjected to a severe security screening upon his departure from the airport in Istanbul.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan dramatically ratcheted up his rhetoric this week over Gaza and the US embassy move. Mr Netanyahu retorted that a "man whose hands are drenched in the blood of countless Kurdish civilians in Turkey and Syria is the last one who can preach to us about military ethics".
This week's carnage in Gaza seems like another imbalanced confrontation between the Israeli state and Palestinians, but these recent deaths must be examined from the perspective of rising tensions between Iran and Israel.

The driving force for the Palestinian protests at the border was about 'Nakba', or the 'Catastrophe', when in 1948, during the battle for Israeli independence from British mandate, countless Palestinians were driven from their homes into exile.

Monday was supposed to herald a series of protests dubbed by Hamas as 'The Great March of Return', in which scores of ordinary Palestinians were encouraged by Hamas to march to the border fence. Many Palestinians still have the keys of properties in Israel their families were forced to flee in 1948.

However, this was never going to be a peaceful protest. Tensions have also been running high over the re-location of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Apart from the stunning lack of grasp of how such an event could ignite the tinderbox of Israeli-Palestinian relations, the additional over-the-top reaction of the Israeli Defence Forces in firing live ammunition at the protesters has started to polarise international public opinion about Israel.

Neither US President Donald Trump's administration nor the Israeli authorities seem to realise this brutal level of confrontation is more likely to undermine US/Israeli policy and security than shore it up.

Previously, Israel's short-sighted and brutal responses were somewhat restrained by US administrations. Now it looks like both are obsessing about triumphalism at a time they should both be trying to build an international consensus about the growing Iranian/Hezbollah threat.

At a time when Israel appeared to being trying to pursue a more enlightened diplomatic approach in the region and avoiding unnecessary confrontation, it has blown its chance of a common show of support from the West, especially the EU, in confronting the growing Hezbollah threat.

Despite the Palestinians, especially Hamas, being virulently Sunni in their espousal of Islam, the current confrontation will be greatly welcomed in the Shia heartland of Iran and their Hezbollah foot soldiers, now making their presence felt in south Lebanon, close to the Israeli border.

Not that long ago, Israel cajoled the UN for troops from countries such as our own to hold the line against them being drawn into the Syrian conflict or suffering attack from Hezbollah in Lebanon. Everyone agreed this consensus approach benefited all. Israel showed no interest in involvement in the Syrian war and even supplied humanitarian medical aid to civilian casualties, bringing them across the border into Israel for treatment. Now the international community, including our own state, will have no choice but to censure Israel for its bloody approach to what it terms ' defending our borders'.

With his grandstanding about shoving his embassy into an uber-sensitive and long-contested location, Mr Trump has probably done the most damage to US prestige and policy in the Middle East since he took office. It is ironic and sad that the Sunni-led Hamas has given a gift to their erstwhile enemies within Shia Islam - and also to Vladimir Putin, its newest sponsor.

However, there are some within the international security community who believe Hamas is cynically applying the concept of 'my enemy's enemy is my friend'. While Shia and Sunni are mostly mortal enemies, the mutual hatred of Israel is the one thing they can often agree on.

While we must rightfully condemn Israel for its callous disregard for unarmed civilians, we should not lose sight of the cynical Hamas leaders who, even since the killing of 60 of their people are still urging Palestinians to come out and confront the Israeli Defence Forces.

Israel has protested its troops were under attack from armed elements in the crowd and the people they shot were mostly armed assailants. Even if this were to be completely true, it beggars belief that Israel did not prepare more strategically for this confrontation. They knew such a confrontation was coming and had they used an approach of deploying troops with less lethal weapons - designed to disable rather than kill - they could have still maintained the border's integrity.

Footage of water cannon and riot platoons with shields and batons are not pretty, as we know from Northern Ireland, but some 60-odd people would most likely still be in existence - and so would Israel's international reputation.

Declan Power is an independent security and defence analyst who has served with the UN in the Middle East.
The mother of Leila Anwar al-Ghandour looks at her daughter as she is prepared for burial in Gaza City. Photo: Getty Images

In Gaza City, hundreds marched at the funeral of eight-month-old Leila al-Ghandour, whose body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag.

"Let her stay with me. It is too early for her to go," her mother cried, pressing the baby's body to her chest.

Speaking at a hospital earlier, her grandmother said the child was at one of the tented protest camps and had inhaled tear gas.

"When we got back home, the baby stopped crying and I thought she was asleep. I took her to the children's hospital and the doctor told me she was martyred (dead)," Heyam Omar said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered a general strike across the Palestinian territories yesterday and three days of national mourning. Many shops in East Jerusalem were shut throughout the day and a 70-second siren was sounded in the West Bank in commemoration of the Nakba. Most protesters stay around tent camps, but groups have ventured closer to the no-go zone along the fence, rolling burning tyres and throwing stones. Some have flown kites carrying containers of petrol that spread fires on the Israeli side.

Monday's protests were fuelled by the opening ceremony for the new US embassy in Jerusalem after its relocation from Tel Aviv.
On Monday afternoon, a US delegation that included President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and other White House officials celebrated the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a "glorious day" that had "made history".

Mr Trump himself appeared via video link and asked God to bless the embassy. "May there be peace," he said.

There was not. At the same time, along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, a humanitarian nightmare was unfolding. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were protesting not only the opening of the embassy but also the desperate decline in living standards in Gaza.

Near Gaza City, protesters were urged by organisers to breach the fence to enter Israel. Israeli soldiers responded not only with tear gas and rubber-coated bullets but also live ammunition.

At least 61 Palestinians were dead, according to local health officials, making Monday the bloodiest day in the enclave since the 2014 war with Israel.

The two simultaneous events created a jarring juxtaposition. On social media and cable news, footage of Trump administration officials laughing and celebrating with Israeli leaders appeared next to footage of largely unarmed protesters in Gaza wounded or dying as the result of Israeli gunfire.

The images threatened to spark chaos in the region, and perhaps further afield. South Africa and Turkey have so far recalled their ambassadors to Israel, according to reports. Ankara also withdrew its ambassador to Washington. The US military has sent additional Marines to guard a number of embassies in the region.

There is plenty of Palestinian anger at Mr Trump's decision to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He did so while recognising the ancient city as Israel's capital, causing outrage among Palestinians who believe he is ignoring their claim to East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

But the main reason for the current protest movement is the dire living conditions inside Gaza. Both Israel and Egypt have blockaded the territory since 2007, and border-crossing points between Gaza and its neighbours are virtually sealed. As a result, the Gaza Strip's economy has all but crumbled.

People's lives are coming to a standstill as they lose jobs, educational opportunities and any semblance of hope for the future. For weeks, people have been taking out their anger by attending protests that frequently turned violent.

No matter why they are protesting, though, the sight of Palestinians being shot dead on Mr Trump's big day in Jerusalem will be a problem for the US - and his reaction probably won't help.

Mr Trump, ever alert to news coverage, implored Twitter followers to watch Fox News's live airing of the embassy opening.

But as cable news coverage began shifting to the violence in Gaza, the administration had little response. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "turned his back and walked away" when asked about the scenes, according to CNN.

White House deputy communications director Raj Shah called the bloodshed a "gruesome and unfortunate propaganda attempt" by Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza.

Even before Monday's violence, the Trump administration's handling of the Israel-Palestinian conflict was causing regional problems. Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Centre for American Progress, a liberal Washington think-tank, said he had travelled in the region and believes Mr Trump's actions have undercut attempts to build closer ties with US allies such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan.

"Because the move doesn't yet seem to be linked to any clear strategy aimed at resolving the conflict, it exposes these partners to criticisms from their own publics as well as their regional adversaries like Iran," said Mr Katulis.

Even among those who support Mr Trump's embassy move, there was discomfort at the way the administration has handled the issue.

Dan Shapiro, who served as US ambassador to Israel during the Obama administration, has spoken out in favour of the decision to move the US embassy. On Monday, however, he said the Trump administration had missed an opportunity to announce the move as part of a broader two-state peace plan that would have made clear Jerusalem would be the Palestinian capital, too.

Yousef Munayyer, the executive director of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, sounded a pessimistic note. The Trump administration, he argued, is now "unapologetically supportive of Israel's denial of Palestinian rights, dropping all pretences of peace-making".

But is there anything the Trump administration could do to regain the trust of Palestinians?

"No," Mr Munayyer said, "you can't expect the arsonists to put out the fire". ( The Washington Post)
Turkey and Israel expelled each other's senior diplomats yesterday.

Turkey has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel's response to the Gaza protests and of the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, recalling its ambassadors from Tel Aviv and Washington and calling for an emergency meeting of Islamic nations on Friday.

President Tayyip Erdogan described Monday's bloodshed as genocide and called Israel a terrorist state. The government declared three days of mourning.

"The Israeli ambassador was told that our envoy to Israel was called back for consultations, and was informed that it would be appropriate for him to go back to his country for some time," a Turkish foreign ministry source said.

Hours later, Israel's foreign ministry said the Turkish consul-general in Jerusalem had been summoned and told to return to Turkey "for consultations for a period of time".

The dispute appears to mark the worst diplomatic crisis between the two regional powers since Israeli marines stormed an aid ship to enforce a naval blockade of Gaza in 2010, killing 10 Turkish activists and prompting a downgrade in diplomatic ties that lasted until 2016.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted that Mr Erdogan was in no position to "preach morality to us" because he supported the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas that rules Gaza. "There is no doubt he well understands terrorism and slaughter," he said.

Mr Erdogan tweeted back that Mr Netanyahu was the leader of "an apartheid state that has occupied a defenceless people's lands for 60+ years in violation of UN resolutions", adding that he was criticising Turkey to deflect attention.

"Want a lesson in humanity? Read the 10 commandments," he said.
A Palestinian was shot dead near the Gaza-Israel border yesterday after thousands of mourners turned out for the funerals of dozens of protesters killed by Israeli troops the day before, local health officials said.

The number of protesters that gathered at the frontier yesterday was significantly lower than on Monday. Many had gone to mourning tents rather than back to the scene of the bloodiest day for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza war.

Sixty Palestinians were killed on Monday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, including an eight-month-old baby who died from tear gas her family said she inhaled at a protest camp near the border.

More than 2,200 Palestinians were also injured by gunfire or tear gas, local medics said.

Thousands of Gaza residents attended the funerals of Palestinians killed by Israeli troops, who in turn prepared to face the expected final day of the Palestinian protest campaign.

In Gaza City, hundreds marched in the funeral of eight-month-old Leila al-Ghandour, whose body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag.

Details

An Israeli military spokesman disputed that Leila's death was caused by Israeli tear gas, saying "we have several accounts that question the validity of this statement". They did not give more details.

Dr Mahmoud Rantisi, a 60-year-old professor, waved his hand dismissively when asked about the death of his son Ahmed, who was shot in the chest on Monday as he tried to tear down the Israeli border fence.

"I am not sad, I'm very happy. We consider this event to be like a wedding for us. We even serve juice instead of coffee because it's like a wedding," he said. "We think our son didn't just die. He moved on to another life. It's mentioned in the Koran."

Many shops in East Jerusalem were shut throughout the day following a call by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for a general strike across the Palestinian territories.

Palestinian leaders have called Monday's events a massacre, and the Israeli tactic of using live fire against the protesters has drawn worldwide concern and condemnation.

The United Nations Security Council was due to meet to discuss the situation.

Israel has said it is acting in self-defence to defend its borders and communities. The United States has backed that stance with both saying that Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the coastal enclave, instigated the violence.

Mourners marched through Gaza, waving Palestinian flags and calling for revenge. "With souls and blood we redeem you martyrs," they shouted.

May 15 is traditionally the day Palestinians mark the "Nakba", or Catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands fled or were driven from their homes as war broke out between the newly created Jewish state and its Arab neighbours in 1948.

The protests, dubbed 'The Great March of Return' began on March 30 and revived calls for refugees to have the right of return to their former lands which now lie inside Israel.

Israel rejects any right of return, fearing it would end its Jewish majority.

Palestinian medical officials claimed 105 Gazans have been killed since the start of the protests and nearly 11,000 people wounded, about 3,500 of them hit by live fire. Israeli officials dispute those figures. No Israeli casualties have been reported.

More than two million people are crammed into the narrow Gaza Strip, more than two-thirds of them refugees.

Citing security, Israel and Egypt maintain tight restrictions on the enclave, deepening economic hardship and raising humanitarian concerns.

On the Israeli side, sharpshooters took up positions to stop any attempted breach of the fence should demonstrations break out again. Tanks were also deployed.

A senior Israeli commander said that of the 60 people killed on Monday, 14 were carrying out attacks and 14 others were militants.

He also said Palestinian protesters were using hundreds of pipe bombs, grenades and fire-bombs. Militants had opened fire on Israeli troops and tried to set off bombs by the fence.

Many casualties were caused by Palestinians carrying out devices that went off prematurely, he said.

"We approve every round fired before it is fired. Every target is spotted in advance. We know where the bullet lands and where it is aimed," said the commander, on condition he wasn't named according to army regulations.

"However, reality on the ground is such that unintended damage is caused."

In Geneva, the UN human rights office condemned what it called the "appalling deadly violence" by Israeli forces.

Force

UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said Israel had a right to defend its borders according to international law, but lethal force must only be used as a last resort, and was not justified by Palestinians approaching the Gaza fence.

Monday's protests were fuelled by the opening ceremony for the new US Embassy in Jerusalem following its relocation from Tel Aviv. The move fulfilled a pledge by US President Donald Trump, who, in December, recognised the city as the Israeli capital.

Palestinians envision East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they hope to establish in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Israel regards all of Jerusalem, including the eastern sector it captured in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed, as its "eternal and indivisible capital".

Most countries say the status of Jerusalem - a sacred city to Jews, Muslims and Christians - should be determined in a final peace settlement and that moving their embassies now would prejudge any such deal.
Palestinian demonstrators run for cover from Israeli fire and tear gas during a protest against the US embassy move. Photo: Reuters

The United States has blocked the adoption of a UN Security Council statement that called for an "independent and transparent investigation" into Israel's killing of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border.

The statement, drafted by Kuwait ahead of a meeting yesterday, expressed "outrage and sorrow" at the deaths of at least 60 people during demonstrations over the opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem.

It also demanded all countries comply with a decades-old Security Council resolution calling on them not to station diplomatic missions in the contested holy city.

A US delegation, including President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, attended the embassy's inauguration ceremony on Monday, pledging commitment to "lasting peace" as dozens of Palestinians were shot dead 80km away in the region's bloodiest day since the 2014 Gaza war.

Israel said its troops were defending its border and accused Hamas militants of using the protests as a cover for attacks.

It said 40,000 Palestinians had taken part in "violent riots" along the border and that some had tried to breach security fences.

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Two UN diplomats, speaking anonymously, said members failed to reach a unanimous agreement on the proposed statement.

"The Security Council expresses its outrage and sorrow at the killing of Palestinian civilians exercising their right to peaceful protest," the draft text reads. "The Security Council calls for an independent and transparent investigation into these actions to ensure accountability."

The statement also called on "all sides to exercise restraint with a view to averting further escalation and establishing calm". It stressed actions "which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the holy city of Jerusalem have no legal effect".

Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they hope to establish in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Most countries say the status of Jerusalem - a sacred city to Jews, Muslims and Christians - should be determined in a final peace settlement and the relocation of the US embassy prejudices any such deal.

It was not clear if Security Council members other than the US rejected the statement drafted by Kuwait.

France, one of the council's five permanent members, has condemned "the violence of Israeli armed forces against demonstrators" and said that President Emmanuel Macron would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday.

Alistair Burt, the UK's minister for the Middle East, described the Palestinian death toll as "extremely worrying" and called on Israel to "show greater restraint". But he said Britain would "not waver from our support for Israel's right to defend its borders".

On Monday, 10 of the council's 15 members wrote to the UN secretary general to express "profound concern" that a 2016 resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building on land Palestinians want for an independent state was not being implemented.

"The Security Council must stand behind its resolutions and ensure they have meaning; otherwise, we risk undermining the credibility of the international system," wrote Bolivia, China, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, France, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Peru and Sweden in a joint letter.

A month before Mr Trump took office in January 2017, the Security Council adopted a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, with 14 votes in favour and one abstention by Barack Obama's administration. ( Independent News Service)
The June 12 meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un is at risk of being cancelled (Lee Jin-man/AP)

North Korea has no interest in a summit with the United States if it is going to be a one-sided affair where it is pressured to give up its nuclear weapons, the countrys first vice foreign minister said.

Earlier North Korea cancelled a high-level meeting with South Korea and threatened to scrap the historic summit next month between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over military exercises between Seoul and Washington.

The surprise declaration, which came in a pre-dawn dispatch in North Koreas state media, appears to cool what had been an unusual flurry of outreach from a country that last year conducted a provocative series of weapons tests that had many fearing the region was on the edge of war.

It is still unclear, however, whether the North intends to scuttle all diplomacy or merely wants to gain leverage ahead of the planned June 12 talks between Mr Kim and Mr Trump.

The statement by North Koreas Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) was released hours before the two Koreas were to meet at a border village to discuss how to implement their leaders recent agreements to reduce military tensions along their heavily fortified border and improve their overall ties.

It called the two-week Max Thunder drills, which began Monday and reportedly include about 100 aircraft, an intended military provocation and an apparent challenge to an April summit between Mr Kim and South Korean president Moon Jae-in, when the leaders met on their border in their countries third summit talks since their formal division in 1948.

Expand Close A US stealth fighter jet lands as South Korea and the US conduct the Max Thunder joint military exercise (Park Chul-hog/Yonhap/AP) / Facebook

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KCNA said the US aircraft mobilised for the drills include nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and stealth F-22 fighter jets, two of the US military assets it has previously said are aimed at launching nuclear strikes on the North.

South Koreas Defense Ministry said the drills will go on as planned.

The United States must carefully contemplate the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit amid the provocative military ruckus that its causing with South Korean authorities, the North said on Wednesday.

Well keenly monitor how the United States and South Korean authorities will react.

North Koreas first vice foreign minister, Kim Kye Gwan, later released a separate statement saying Pyongyang has no interest in a one-sided summit.

He criticised recent comments by Mr Trumps top security adviser John Bolton and other US officials who have been talking about how the North should follow the Libyan model of nuclear disarmament and provide a complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement.

He also took issue with US views that the North should also fully relinquish its biological and chemical weapons.

We will appropriately respond to the Trump administration if it approaches the North Korea-US summit meeting with a truthful intent to improve relations, he said.

But we are no longer interested in a negotiation that will be all about driving us into a corner and making a one-sided demand for us to give up our nukes and this would force us to reconsider whether we would accept the North Korea-US summit meeting.

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Some analysts say bringing up Libya, which dismantled its rudimentary nuclear program in the 2000s in exchange for sanctions relief, would risk derailing any progress in negotiations with the North.

Kim Jong Un took power weeks after former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafis gruesome death at the hands of rebel forces amid a popular uprising in October 2011. The North has frequently used Gadhafis death to justify its own nuclear development in the face of perceived US threats.

Annual military drills between Washington and Seoul have long been a major source of contention between the Koreas, and analysts have wondered whether their continuation would hurt the detente that, since an outreach by Mr Kim in January, has replaced the insults and threats of war.

Earlier  and much larger  springtime drills, which Washington and Seoul toned down, went off without the Norths typically fiery condemnation or accompanying weapons tests.

South Korean called North Koreas move regrettable and demanded a quick return to talks.

Seouls Unification Ministry spokesman Baek Tae-hyun said the Norths decision goes against the spirit of last months inter-Korean summit, where the Koreas leaders issued a vague vow on the complete denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula and pledged permanent peace between the rivals.

In Washington, the US State Department emphasised that Mr Kim had previously indicated he understood the need and purpose of the US continuing its long-planned exercises with South Korea.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US had not heard anything directly from Pyongyang or Seoul that would change that.

We will continue to go ahead and plan the meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un, Ms Nauert said.

Army Colonel Rob Manning said this current exercise is part of tS and South Koreas routine, annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness.

Col Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said the purpose of Max Thunder and exercise Foal Eagle  another training event  is to enhance the two nations abilities to operate together to defend South Korea.

The defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed, said Col Manning.
Pyongyang has also cancelled a high-level meeting with South Korea designed to reduce border tensions (Ahn Young-joon/AP)

North Korea has threatened to scrap a historic summit next month between US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over military exercises between Seoul and Washington.

The surprise declaration, which came in a pre-dawn dispatch in North Koreas state media, appears to cool what had been an unusual flurry of outreach from a country that last year conducted a provocative series of weapons tests that had many fearing the region was on the edge of war.

It is still unclear, however, whether the North intends to scuttle all diplomacy or merely wants to gain leverage ahead of the planned June 12 talks between Mr Kim and Mr Trump.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang cancelled a high-level meeting with South Korea. The two Koreas were due to meet at a border village to discuss how to implement their leaders recent agreements to reduce military tensions along their heavily fortified border and improve their overall ties.

The Norths Korean Central News Agency called the two-week Max Thunder drills, which began on Monday and reportedly include about 100 aircraft, an intended military provocation and an apparent challenge to an April summit between Mr Kim and South Korean president Moon Jae-in, when the leaders met on their border in their countries third-ever summit talks since their 1948 division.

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The United States must carefully contemplate the fate of the planned North Korea-US summit amid the provocative military ruckus that it is causing with South Korean authorities, the North said on Wednesday.

Well keenly monitor how the United States and South Korean authorities will react.

Annual military drills between Washington and Seoul have long been a major source of contention between the Koreas, and analysts have wondered whether their continuation would hurt the detente that, since an outreach by Mr Kim in January, has replaced the insults and threats of war.

Earlier  and much larger  springtime drills, which Washington and Seoul toned down, went off without the Norths typically fiery condemnation or accompanying weapons tests.

In Washington, the US State Department emphasised that Mr Kim had previously indicated he understood the need and purpose of the US continuing its long-planned exercises with South Korea.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US had not heard anything directly from Pyongyang or Seoul that would change that.

We will continue to go ahead and plan the meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un, Ms Nauert said.

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Whatsapp North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in cross the border line at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarised Zone (Korea Summit Press Pool/AP)

Army Colonel Rob Manning said this current exercise is part of the US and South Koreas routine, annual training program to maintain a foundation of military readiness.

Col Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, said the purpose of Max Thunder and exercise Foal Eagle  another training event  is to enhance the two nations abilities to operate together to defend South Korea.

The defensive nature of these combined exercises has been clear for many decades and has not changed, said Col Manning.

Washington and Seoul delayed an earlier round of drills in the spring because of the North-South diplomacy surrounding Februarys Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the South, which saw Mr Kim send his sister to the opening ceremonies.

Mr Kim told visiting South Korean officials in March that he understands the drills would take place and expressed hope that they will be modified once the situation on the peninsula stabilises, according to the South Korean government.

South Korea did not immediately make any official response to the Norths announcement.

The Norths statement on Wednesday comes amid a slew of surprising moves from the North in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, South Koreas military said North Korea was moving ahead with plans to close its nuclear test site next week, an assessment backed by US researchers who say satellite images show the North has begun dismantling facilities at the site.

The sites closure was set to come before the Kim-Trump summit, which had been shaping up as a crucial moment in the decades-long push to resolve the nuclear standoff with the North, which is closing in on the ability to viably target the mainland United States with its long-range nuclear-armed missiles.

Despite the Norths moves, some experts were sceptical about whether Mr Kim would completely give up a nuclear programme that he had pushed so hard to build.

Mr Kim has expressed his intention to negotiate over his weapons, but he still uses a long-contentious term, the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

The North previously has used this phrase when demanding that the United States pull its 28,500 troops out of South Korea and withdraw its so-called nuclear umbrella security guarantee to South Korea and Japan as a condition for its nuclear disarmament.

Wednesdays threat could also be targeted at showing a domestic audience that Mr Kim is willing to stand up to Washington.

Mr Kim has repeatedly told his people that his nukes are a powerful treasured sword that can smash US hostility.

North Korea also has a long history of launching provocations or scrapping deals with Seoul and Washington at the last minute.

In 2013, North Korea abruptly cancelled reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War just days before they were held to protest what it called rising animosities ahead of joint drills between Seoul and Washington.

A year earlier in 2012, the North conducted a prohibited long-range rocket launch weeks after it agreed to suspend weapons tests in return for food assistance.
Donald Trump Jr said he saw no problem with the Trump Tower meeting (AP)

Donald Trump Jr has told the US senate judiciary committee he could not remember whether he had discussed the Russian collusion investigation with his father.

The US presidents son also said he did not think there was anything wrong with meeting a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower ahead of the 2016 presidential election, according to transcripts of his interview with the panel from last year.

The committee released more than 1,800 pages of transcripts of interviews with Mr Trumps son and others who attended a June 9 2016 meeting at which they expected to receive dirt about Mr Trumps opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Mr Trump Jr deflected multiple questions during the interview, saying he could not recall whether he discussed the Russia probe with his father and whether he spoke with Mr Trump on the day the meeting was arranged.

Asked if he thought it would be a problem to take a meeting billed to him as part of a Russian government effort to aid his father, Mr Trump Jr said no.

I didnt think that listening to someone with information relevant to the fitness and character of a presidential candidate would be an issue, no.

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Whatsapp Donald Trump, with his daughter Ivanka and son Donald Trump Jr (Jane Barlow/PA)

The meeting is under scrutiny in special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation, and at least one of the participants has provided testimony to a grand jury in Washington.

In addition to Mr Trump Jr, the committee interviewed four other people who attended the Trump Tower meeting in New York  publicist Rob Goldstone, who set up the meeting with the promise of dirt on Mrs Clinton; Rinat Akhmetshin, a prominent Russian-American lobbyist; Ike Kaveladze, a business associate of a Moscow-based developer, and a translator.

The committee did not interview Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer at the centre of the meeting. But the panel released her written responses to a letter that Senate judiciary chairman Chuck Grassley sent her last year.

The panel was also not able to interview Jared Kushner, Mr Trumps son-in-law, or Paul Manafort, Mr Trumps former campaign manager, even though both attended.

The committee also released one page of notes that Mr Manafort took during the meeting.

His notes mention Russian adoption by American families and Bill Browder, a British citizen who has spearheaded a US sanctions law  known as the Magnitsky Act  that targets Russian officials over human rights abuses. The relatively cryptic notes also contain a reference to active sponsors of RNC, tied into Cheney and appear to make reference to offshore companies in Cyprus.

Mr Mueller has brought several unrelated charges against Mr Manafort, including money-laundering conspiracy, false statements and acting as an unregistered foreign agent related to Ukrainian political work.

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The special counsel is investigating the Russian meddling, whether Mr Trumps campaign was involved and possible obstruction of justice. The meeting, and the administrations initial response to reports of it, have been one focus of the probe.

The White House has said the president was involved in drafting an initial statement after news of the meeting broke last year. The statement said the meeting primarily concerned a Russian adoption programme, though Mr Trump Jr later released the emails showing he agreed to the sit-down after he was promised information on Mrs Clinton. The emails also show he accepted the meeting despite it being described as part of a Russian government effort to aid his fathers campaign.

Asked in the interview if his father was involved in drafting the statement, Mr Trump said: I dont know. I never spoke to my father about it.

Mr Trump Jr also said he received direct messages via Twitter from WikiLeaks asking if he would leak his fathers tax return.

The presidents son said he never communicated with Julian Assange, the head of WikiLeaks. He described the person who contacted him via Twitter as a lady that appeared to work at a law firm, if I recall correctly.

He said the organisation would reach out on a few occasions, sort of passing along news and suggesting that he tweet it. Mr Trump Jr said he thinks the only time he responded was to say: Hey, when (am I) going to receive the next leak?

He said he was not aware whether anyone else on the campaign had contact with WikiLeaks.
Donald Trump Jr told the US senate judiciary committee that he could not remember whether he had discussed the Russian collusion investigation with his father.

That is according to transcripts of his interview with the panel last year.

The committee has released more than 1,800 pages of transcripts of interviews with US president Donald Trumps son and others who met with a Russian attorney at Trump Tower ahead of the 2016 election.

Mr Trump Jr deflected multiple questions during the interview, including whether he discussed the Russia probe with his father.

According to the transcripts, Mr Trump Jr also said he did not think there was anything wrong with attending the Trump Tower meeting in which he was promised dirt on his fathers then presidential rival, Hillary Clinton.

The meeting is under scrutiny in special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation.
Kolkata, May 16 (IBNS): Jute produced in West Bengal can find a taker in Ghana for its packaging material for the cocoa industry, according industrialists in Bengal.

The idea was mooted in an interactive session organised by the Bengal Chamber here at an interactive session on business opportunities with Ghana on Tuesday.

Gold Coast, as Ghana was known formerly is the leading producer of gold and cocoa in the world.

Michael A.N. N. Oquaye Jnr (High Commissioner of the Republic of Ghana) said: Ghana and Ivory Coast produce 70% of the worlds cocoa with Ghanaian cocoa rated as the best in the world.

Consul General of Ghana in Kolkata Dwarika Prasad Tantia identified this as a potential sector of collaboration and stated: Our Jute can be a great packaging material for the cocoa industry in Ghana.



Michael A.N. N. Oquaye Jnr (High Commissioner of the Republic of Ghana), Aaron Nuamah Sintim (First Secretary, Consular & Welfare), Michael Harry Ansah (Special Aide of the High Commissioner of Ghana) along with Dwarika Prasad Tantia (Honorary Consul, Consulate of Ghana) represented Ghana in this regard.

Ghana, a West-African country share a lot of commonality with India and the friendship between the two nations dates back to the 1950s when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah joined hands to initiate the Non-Aligned Movement.

Ghana generates surplus electricity that it supplies to neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso and Togo and it is one of the first nations to sign the International solar Alliance.

At present, Ghana exports to India cashews, scrap metal, timber products, cocoa beans and spices and looks to initiate business in sector like agriculture, health, energy, infrastructure railways, water irrigation, textile and housing in West Bengal.

The two countries have already collaborated in some of the sectors and recently an agreement has been signed between Ghana and Marwah studio in Noida where a few Bollywood productions that are to be executed by Marwah studio will be partly shot in Ghana.

When asked about the possibility of investment is West Bengal with regards to the Cocoa and manganese Industry of Ghana Michael A.N. N. Oquaye Jnr told, We have to sit and discuss about the opportunities and I would request anyone coming up with ideas to get in touch with Aaron (First Secretary, Consular & Welfare).

Other than this some of the potential fields that came up in the course of discussion were medical, ICT, mining and start-ups firms.

Indrajit Sen (President Designate, the Bengal Chamber) said, Our aim is to forge better ties by upholding amicability.

(Reporting by Sourajit Choudhury)
New Delhi, May 16 (IBNS): The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the establishment of National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) at Bhopal as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 under the aegis of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

The estimated cumulative cost of the project is Rs. 179.54 crore in first three years.

This includes non-recurring expenditure of Rs. 128.54 crore and recurring expenditure of Rs. 51 crore.

The Union Cabinet has also approved the proposal to create three Joint Secretary level posts, which include one post of Director of the Institute and two posts of Professors.

The main objectives of the NIMHR are to provide rehabilitation services to the persons with mental illness, capacity development in the area of mental health rehabilitation, policy framing and advanced research in mental health rehabilitation.

The Institute will have nine Departments/Centres and will conduct 12 courses to offer diploma, certificate, graduate, post graduate, M.Phil degrees in the area of mental health rehabilitation.

Within a span of 5 years, the student intake of the institute in various courses is expected to be over 400.

Government of Madhya Pradesh has allocated 5 acres of land in Bhopal for setting up of this Institute.

The Institute will be established in three years in two phases.

Within two years, the civil and electrical work of the institute will be completed. Simultaneously, during the construction of building, the Institute will run in a suitable rented building in Bhopal to conduct certificate/diploma courses and also OPD services.

Subsequently, the Institute will provide complete set of rehabilitation services for persons with mental illness and conduct courses upto Master's degree and M.Phil.
New Delhi, May 16 (IBNS): The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its in-principle approval for establishing a Central University by the name of Central University of Andhra Pradesh in Janthaluru Village of Ananthapur District, Andhra Pradesh.

A provision of funds worth Rs. 450 crore has been approved for meeting the first phase expenditure towards establishment of the said University.

The Cabinet also approved the proposal for operationalization of the Central University in the transit campus, initially by forming a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 in order to give a legal status to it till the amendment to the Central Universities Act, 2009 is enacted and to enable commencement of academic activities from the Academic Year 2018-19.

The Central University would be mentored by an existing Central University till its governing structure is in place.

The approval would increase access and quality of higher education and help in minimizing the regional imbalances in education facilities, and give effect to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014.
Kolkata, May 16 (IBNS): After witnessing a violence-marred panchayat poll in West Bengal couple of days ago, repolling in 573 booths across the state are underway on Wednesday, media reports said.

No violence has been reported yet on Wednesday.

Killings, bombing and booth capturing by firearms wielding political goons turned West Bengal's three-tier panchayat polls into a bloodied affair on Monday as violence claimed 18 lives, according to a local television channel.

After the conclusion of the poll, the death toll had risen to 25.

From torching to death a couple of an opposition political party to killing of innocent voters, West Bengal turned into a combat zone, leaving a trail of bodies and injured people.

The deceased workers and supporters are from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the CPI-M and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

A CPI-M worker and his wife were charred to death after their house was set on fire in South 24 Parganas, reports said.

CPI-M workers were also killed in Nandigram in East Midnapore district.

In North 24 Parganas, a CPI-M worker was killed during clashes while two others were injured.

A Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporter and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker died in South 24 Parganas and Murshidabad respectively.

While the voter turnout was reportedly 75 percent, widespread violence, including bombing and efforts of booth capturing by political goons, were reported across the state since morning.

In Cooch Behar district, 20 people were injured in a low intensity blast at a polling booth.

Violence was reported from Howrah and Bhangar in South 24 Parganas as well.

Earlier on Friday, a supporter of an independent candidate was shot dead in Bhangar area.

There were reports of violence from several other disctricts like Jalpaiguri, Malda, Nadia and West Midnapore, where at Bikalchak of Keshpur a teenaged girl was hit by an arrow.

An independent candiate supporter was shot dead in Murshidabad's Nawda.

He has been identified as Shahi Shekh, according to a TV report.

However in many places, the police acted swiftly and brought the situation under control, reports said.

The key battle in the state is expected to take place between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Results of the poll will be declared on Thursday.
Images: PIB

New Delhi, May 16 (IBNS): India must be mindful of the human side of mining as many of the mineral resources are found in regions that have been the home of tribal communities for generations, said President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday at the National Geoscience Awards 2017 ceremony.

On Wednesday, President Ram Nath Kovind presented the National Geoscience Awards 2017, which also attended by the Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Mines, Narendra Singh Tomar, among others.

Addressing the gathering, President Kovind said that local communities must benefit from the discovery, extraction and development of mineral resources.

He also called for sustainable and meaningful investment in technological innovation in the mining sector.

"India must mine more  but India must also mine better. And in a sustainable manner," he said.

The President also reminded the gathering that the mining process itself must incorporate the best available safety and health mechanisms for mining workers as well as for their families.

Images: PIB

Said President Kovind, "We must be mindful of the human side of mining. Many of our mineral resources are found in regions that have been the home of tribal communities for generations. It is important that these communities are part of the prosperity that the mining economy creates."

India will host the 36th International Geological Congress in March 2020.

"This is the biggest geological conference in the world. Please use it as a stage to showcase Indias appreciable progress in geoscience," said President Ram Nath Kovind.








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Bengaluru, May 16 (IBNS) : As the political slugfest over formation of Government goes on in Karnataka with Bharatiya Janata Party's B S Yeddyurappa apparently taking lead in the race, Janata Dal(Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy has accused the BJP of going for horse-trading by, making an offer of Rs 100 crore and cabinet posts to some of his party MLAs, bringing in a murky tinge to the high drama being enacted in Bengaluru, the state capital, reports said.

Addressing a press conference, the former Chief Minister also condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for saying the BJP will rule Karnataka even without the requisite numbers.

Earlier in the day, Yeddyurappa submitted the papers of his election as BJP Legislature Party leader to Governor Vajubhai Vala and staked his claim to form a Government, despite his party that emerged as the single largest one falling short of majority.

JD(S) MLAs are being offered Rs 100 crore each. Where is this black money coming from? They are supposedly the servers of poor people and they are offering money today. Where are the income tax officials? Kumaraswamy said at the press conference after the JD(S) party meeting.

Slamming the BJP, Kumaraswamy said : BJPs Ashwamedha Yatra started in the north, the horses have been stopped in Karnataka. This verdict is to stop the Ashwamedha Yatra.

Out of the total 223 Assembly seats, the BJP has won 104, nine short of majority, while the Congress has bagged 78 and JD(S) 38. To keep the BJP out of power, the Congress has extended support to the JD(S) to muster a combined strength of 116. The Congress has also left the Chief Minister's post to JD(S), which has elected Kumaraswamy as the Legislative Party leader.

After making the sensational allegation, Kumaraswamy warned the BJP against aspiring to rule Karnataka and keep its juggernaut rolling to southern India, saying he is ready for counter poaching in response to any such attempt by the saffron party : Forget Operation Kamal being successful, there are people who were ready to leave BJP and come with us. If you try to poach one from ours, well do the same and take double from you."

" Im also telling the Governor to not take any decision which encourages horse-trading, Kumaraswamy said.

On being asked if he had met BJP Karnataka in-charge Prakash Javadekar, Kumaraswamy says, Who is Javadekar? Who is that gentleman?

Kumaraswamy, who is the son of JD (S) chief and former Prime Minister H D Devegowda, asserted that his party will be with the Congress, and not with the BJP anyway. "Theres a black spot on my fathers career because of my decision to go with the BJP in 2004 and 2005. God has given me opportunity to remove this black spot. So I am going with Congress, he said.

Kumaraswamy said he will meet the Governor again along with Karnataka Congress president. Congress has given us unconditional support, we have good understanding."

According to reports, the Congress is also holding a meeting with its MLAs and has readied plans to secure the newly elected lawmakers at resorts.
Imphal, May 16 (IBNS): Manipur police seized huge quantity of drugs and associated kits and arrested a lady drug paddler at Manipurs Moreh town along Indo-Myanmar border on Wednesday.

According to the reports, Moreh police raided at a house in the bordering town and seized varieties of drugs and associated kits.

Police also arrested a lady drug paddler identified as Ngashepam Premila Devi.

An official of Manipur police said that, police had arrested the lady for paddling drugs at her house.

Police seized 44 WY tablets, six gram brown sugar, six numbers of unidentified drug tablets, 92 disposable syringes and other items.



(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)






Guwahati, May 16 (IBNS): While the updation process of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is going on in Assam to detect illegal foreigners, a BJP leader of the Assam unit said that there are few MLAs in the Assam Legislative Assembly who are of Bangladesh origin.

BJP Minority Morcha Assam State President Mominul Awal said that there are few Bangladesh origin MLAs in Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).

When the NRC updation process is going on in the state under the Supreme Court monitoring, the Assam leaders remarks on Congress and AIUDF has created a new controversy.

At present 15 minority Congress MLAs in the Assam assembly and out of these 14 are from Bangladesh origin, Awal said.

The Assam BJP leader also said that, Congress should be renamed as AIUDF (U).

He also alleged that, AIUDF is a Bangladeshi party and maximum MLAs of the party are Bangladesh origin.



(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)




New Delhi, May 16 (IBNS): Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that Media should enrich thought process of people and promote a positive mindset.

He was addressing the gathering after presenting degrees to students at the 3rd Convocation of Kushabhau Thakre Patrikarita Avam Jansanchar Vishwavidyalaya, in Raipur, Chhattisgarh on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Dr. Raman Singh and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

The Vice President recollected his association with late Kushabhau Thakre and called him an ideal Public Leader.

He has asked students passing out of the University to learn from Mr Thakre and lead a disciplined life with dedication.

The Vice President said that Media should be critical of the ills in society and heighten awareness of the social maladies afflicting contemporary society like casteism, communalism, corruption and atrocities against women.

He further said that Media should be a Means of Empowerment for Development through Informed Actions.

Those who obstruct Parliament and not allow it function should not get prominence in Media, he added.

The Vice President said that Media should dedicate itself to a new TRP philosophy: The Promotion of Truth in a Responsible and Professional Manner.

He further said that harmonization of rights and responsibilities are must for a free media to flourish.

Information with confirmation can become the most powerful ammunition to fight against injustice, social evils and the negative forces in the world, he added.
New Delhi, May 16(IBNS): The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to some proposal of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.

The proposals are given below:-

i. Development of Freight Village, an Integrated Multi Modal Logistics Hub (IMLH), Nangal Chaudhary, Haryana on 886.78 acres of land to be implemented by the project Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in two phases.

ii. Financial sanction of Rs. 1029.49 crore for development of Phase I and in principle approval for development of Phase II of the project. Expenditure on Phase I comprises cost of entire land at Rs. 266 crore including cost of the land to be used for development of Phase II.

iii. Investment of Rs. 763.49 crore by National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) which includes of Rs. 266 crore as equity and Rs. 497.49 crore as debt in the SPV; and

iv. Bidding for trunk infrastructure development by SPV on EPC basis;
New York, May 16 (IBNS): With defenceless children increasingly targeted in conflicts , the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has called on all warring parties around the globe to comply with international law and keep them safe from harm.

In the first four months of 2018 alone, hundreds of children lost their lives and many more wounded in countries ranging from the Central African Republic to South Sudan, and from Syria to Afghanistan.

With little remorse and even less accountability, parties to conflict continue to blatantly disregard one of the most basic rules in war: the protection of children, said Henrietta H. Fore, the Executive Director of UNICEF in a statement on Tuesday.

The rules of war prohibit the unlawful targeting of civilians, attacks on schools or hospitals, the use, recruitment and unlawful detention of children, and the denial of humanitarian assistance. When conflicts break out, these rules need to be respected and those who break them need to be held to account, she stressed.

In Yemen, for instance, almost 4.3 million children are severely food insecure. In Syria, over 5.3 million children are internally displaced or refugees outside its borders, and nearly 850,000 children continue to live in besieged or hard-to-reach areas.In addition to the children caught in fighting, millions moreare at the risk of starvation, abduction, child recruitment, abuse and displacement. Many are also losing their lives to deadly diseases that could have been prevented.

The situation is equally worrying in South Sudan, where in addition to displaced and acutely malnourished children, some 19,000 young people continue to be used as fighters, messengers, porters, cooks and even sex slaves by warring parties.

In the statement, Fore said that in these crises and many more, UNICEF and partners are doing all they can to alleviate the suffering of children and their families.

Despite funding shortfalls we are resolutely committed to serving the most vulnerable. We are vaccinating children, treating them for malnutrition, sending them to school, providing them with protection services, and trying to meet their basic needs, she said.

Only 16 per cent of UNICEFs funding needs for 2018 have been met.

Brutal attack claims 11 children in Burundi

In a separate statement, UNICEF denounced an attack in north-west Burundi, which according to several reports, deliberately targeted children.

The attack that took place in the Cibitoke province on 11 May, claimed the lives of 25 people, including 11 children and came ahead of polls this week in a referendum.

Leila Pakkala, the Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa at UNICEF, reiterated the need to protect the young.

Children need peace and protection, always" she said, adding "UNICEF calls on all parties to immediately ensure full respect of childrens right to safety, and their protection from violence," she said.

UNICEF/Nybo
New York, May 16 (IBNS): Medical teams inside Gaza are running out of supplies to cope with the wounded, following the deadliest day of protests against occupation along the border with Israel so far this year, UN aid agencies warned on Tuesday.

Speaking after 58 Palestinians lost their lives and more than 1,300 were injured by Israeli security forces on Monday, the World Health Organizations Tarik Jasarevic said that life-saving drugs were urgently needed.

These include antibiotics and adrenaline, according to the WHO spokesperson, who explained that more than 10 years of blockade had already undermined Gazas healthcare capacity.

Two in every five essential drugs were completely depleted already this month, Mr Jasarevic explained, adding that essential life-saving medicines for chronic illnesses such as cancer were also critically low.

Jens Laerke from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reiterated the difficulties faced by health teams in the enclave: Medical facilities in Gaza are struggling to deal with the number of casualties and the humanitarian coordinator there, Jamie McGoldrick, has expressed his deep concern by the tragedy unfolding in Gaza after visiting the Shifa Hospital, he said.

He added that McGoldrick  who is also UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process  had reported that medical teams at Shifa, in Gaza City, are overwhelmed, dealing with hundreds of cases of injured, including women and children.

They are stretched to the limit and running out of essential medical supplies. He stressed that public hospitals in Gaza have less than a week of fuel reserves to continue their operations, Laerke told journalists in Geneva.

The situation has not been helped by the stop-start delivery of humanitarian supplies.

It has been closed indefinitely following extensive damage to the Gaza side of this crossing by Palestinians on 11 May. However, Israeli authorities have indicated that this crossing will be opened for, select humanitarian needs on a case-by-case basis and the day before yesterday they allowed seven trucks to enter Gaza and I understand that six of those trucks were carrying medical supplies.These usually arrive via Gazas main supply point, Kerem Shalom, but it was closed after being damaged, although an aid convoy had been allowed in by Israelis in recent days, Mr Laerke said.

Following Mondays developments in Gaza, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, called for Israel to mount an independent investigation into the deaths and injuries sustained along the border.

OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville told journalists in Geneva on Tuesday that six children and a health worker were among the dead and that more than 150 people were in a critical condition.

The rules on the use of force under international law appear to have been ignored again and again, Colville said, adding that it seems anyone is liable to be shot dead or injured: women, children, press personnel, first-responders, bystanders - and at almost any point, up to 700 metres from the fence.

Ten journalists had also suffered gunshot injuries by the end of the day, Colville said.

A reported 35,000 people took part in Mondays demonstrations, according to OCHA.

During the protests some Palestinian demonstrators threw stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli soldiers, according to OHCHRs Mr Colville, who added that others had flown kites laden with petrol-soaked material over the fence that separates the two communities.

The response from the Israeli side  with tear gas, plastic bullets and live ammunition - had caused horrific wounds and lifelong disability, Colville said, before calling for credible investigations by Israel.

Latterly we only seem to be seeing investigations carried out when theres a very clear bit of video evidence becoming public through witnesses and bystanders, he said. And the official statements simply say this is all Hamass fault andjust ignore the fact that the children are being killed, women are being killed, unarmed protesters are being killed in large numbers.

So I think with the State of Israel its very important for credible investigations into these very serious, very serious events and very possibly, very serious crimes as well.

Confirming that Israel had a right to defend its borders, the OHCHR spokesperson said that its soldiers should do so in accordance with international norms on the use of lethal force.

You just have to look at the casualty figures on both sides to see that its not being used as a last resort, he said, adding that Israel was obliged under international law, to handle these demonstrations in a way that preserves life, unless they own lives are very clearly directly threatened, which has not been the case.

UN human rights experts also condemned the killings and Israels use of live ammunition against mostly-unarmed protesters.

Despite Israels commitment to investigate the events of the past few weeks, security forces continue to use live ammunition and rubber bullets against the protesters, killing and wounding dozens of mostly unarmed protesters, women, men and children alike, said a group of six Special Rapporteurs, in a joint statement.

We express our outrage over these shootings that may have resulted in unlawful killings and the incomprehensibly high number of injuries sustained, the statement added.



Save the Children/Mohamed N Ali




UN Photo/ Rick Bajornas

New York, May 16 (IBNS): The United Nations Security Council, in an emergency meeting on Tuesday, called for calm along the border of the Gaza Strip following Mondays deadly clashes, in which dozens of Palestinians were killed, protesting United States recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital and the official opening of its embassy there.

For the people of Gaza, yesterday was a day of tragedy, said the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, briefing the Council.

According to reports, he said, at least 60 people - including six children - were killed and more than 1,300 were injured on Monday in the Palestinian enclave occupied by Israel, whose troops fired live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters assembling along the perimeter fence.

Israel has a responsibility to calibrate its use of force, to not use lethal force, except as a last resort, under imminent threat of death or serious injury, Mladenov said. It must protect its borders from infiltration and terrorism, but it must do so proportionally.

He also called on Hamas, the militant group which controls Gaza, not to use the protests as a diversion for carrying out violent attacks at the border, and provoke Israeli forces. Its operatives must not hide among the demonstrators and risk the lives of civilians, he said.

Demonstrations which organizers have called the Great March of Return started on 30 March, building up to Tuesdays marking of al-Nakba or the Catastrophe, by which Palestinians remember their mass displacement during the 1948-1949 war, surrounding the creation of Israel.

The UN official also said that Hamas and other militants had engaged in violent and provocative acts, including the placing of improvised explosive devices at the perimeter fence, which detonated by an Israeli vehicle. Mladenov said that, as part of the march, and to protest the relocation of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, an estimated 35,000 demonstrated along the fence in Gaza and hundreds joined protests in the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Nablus, and East Jerusalem. No fatalities were reported there.

Israeli security forces, Mladenov said, carried out 18 airstrikes and fired shells in the direction of 26 Hamas targets in response to attacks.

This cycle of violence in Gaza needs to end, the UN official said, for if it does not, it will explode and drag everyone in the region into another deadly confrontation.

The international community must step in and prevent war, he stressed.

During the ensuing debate, Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN, said that violence was widespread not just in Gaza but across the Middle East, and in defence of Israel said that the double standard is all too common in this chamber, and working overtime today.



She said that the Council should examine Irans role in recent attacks on Israeli positions in the Golan Heights, and missile launches by what she called Iranian proxy forces in Yemen into Saudi Arabia. Hamas terrorists, backed by Iran, have incited attacks against Israeli security forces and infrastructure, she added.

Haley argued that the US embassy move to Jerusalem reflected the reality that it has served as Israels capital since the founding of the State and it is the ancient capital of the Jewish people.

There is no plausible peace agreement under which Jerusalem would no longer remain the capital of Israel. Recognizing this reality makes peace more achievable, not less, she said, adding that her country is prepared to support negotiations and a peace agreement in every way  a peace in which people of all faiths are free to worship in Jerusalem.

European members in the Council, however, unanimously called for a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians on the status of Jerusalem.

The United Kingdoms position is clear and long-standing, said its UN Ambassador, Karen Pierce. Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states.

She also stressed the need for an independent, transparent investigation to establish facts involving Mondays casualties, and hold those responsible to account, including the determination of whether Israels use of force was in line with the international law.

Also addressing the Council, Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, described Mondays events as an odious massacre, and Israels occupation of Palestinian land as the main source of tension.

The provocative transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem violated Council resolutions, he said, emphasizing that no country has the right to imperil Palestinian territory under occupation, especially since the status of Jerusalem should be determined through negotiations.

How many more Palestinians have to die before you take action?, he asked, wondering how Council members would react if unarmed demonstrators had been killed in similar circumstances in their own countries.

Our people have waited for a long time. We can no longer wait for an end to this injustice, he said.

Danny Danon, Israels Ambassador to the UN, said that Israel had disengaged from Gaza in 2005, but the enclave has never reached its potential because Hamas has taken it over following elections in 2006. Rather than invest in education, infrastructure and the economy, the group has spent its resources on terrorizing Israel, he said.

The international community, with a few brave exceptions, has done nothing to stop Palestinians from terrorizing Israel, he added.

Amid the celebrations around this weeks 70th anniversary of the State of Israel, those claiming that the decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem lay behind Palestinian violence should re-examine history, he said.

Ambassador Danon said that Palestinian claims that the embassy move had provoked demonstrations, was just another excuse for violence against Israel. He said the Council was obliged to call out lies, condemn Hamas violence and place itself on the right side of history.
Islamabad, May 16 (IBNS): Human rights defenders in Pakistan are under threat from a targeted campaign of digital attacks, which has seen social media accounts hacked and computers and mobile phones infected with spyware, a four-month investigation by Amnesty International reveals.

In a new report released on Tuesday, Human Rights Under Surveillance: Digital Threats against Human Rights Defenders in Pakistan, Amnesty International reveals how attackers are using fake online identities and social media profiles to ensnare Pakistani human rights defenders online and mark them out for surveillance and cybercrime.

We uncovered an elaborate network of attackers who are using sophisticated and sinister methods to target human rights activists. Attackers use cleverly designed fake profiles to lure activists and then attack their electronic devices with spyware, exposing them to surveillance and fraud and even compromising their physical safety," said Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Director of Global Issues at Amnesty International.

Our investigation shows how attackers have used fake Facebook and Google login pages to trick their victims into revealing their passwords. It is already extremely dangerous to be a human rights defender in Pakistan and it is alarming to see how attacks on their work are moving online."

The report highlights the case of Diep Saeeda, a prominent Pakistani civil society activist from Lahore. On 2 December 2017, one of Dieps friends, Raza Mehmood Khan, a peace activist who tried to bring people from India and Pakistan together through activities like letter-writing, was subject to an enforced disappearance.

Diep began publicly calling for Razas release, including petitioning the Lahore High Court. Soon after, she began to receive suspicious messages from people claiming to be concerned about Razas well-being.

One Facebook user who claimed to be an Afghan woman named Sana Halimi, living in Dubai and working for the UN, repeatedly contacted Diep Saeeda via Facebook Messenger saying that she had information about Raza Mehmood. The operator of the profile sent Diep links to files containing malware called StealthAgent which, if opened, would have infected her mobile devices.

The profile, which Amnesty International believes was fake, was also used to trick Diep into divulging her email address, to which she started receiving emails infected with a Windows spyware commonly known as Crimson.

Amnesty International found that several human rights activists in Pakistan have been targeted in this way, sometimes by people claiming to be human rights activists themselves.

Diep Saeeda also received emails claiming to be from staff of the Chief Minister of Punjab province. The emails included false details of a supposed upcoming meeting between the provincial Ministry of Education and Dieps organization, the Institute for Peace and Secular Studies. In other cases, the attackers pretended to be students looking for guidance and tuition from Diep.

Every time I open an email I am now scared. Its getting so bad I am actually not able to carry out my work  my social work is suffering, said Diep Saeeda.

Over the course of several months, Amnesty International used digital forensic techniques and malware analysis to identify the infrastructure and web pages connected to online attacks on human rights activists in Pakistan. Amnesty Internationals Technology and Human Rights team has been able to trace these attacks to a group of individuals based in Pakistan.

The report reveals a network of individuals and companies based in Pakistan that are behind the creation of some of the tools seen in surveillance operations used to target individuals in Pakistan.

These online attacks are taking place against the backdrop of a broader assault on Pakistani civil society. Over the past few months, Amnesty International has noted with alarm that activists are being subjected to threats, intimidation, violent attacks and enforced disappearances. They include journalists, bloggers, peaceful protesters and other mainstays of civil society.

As an elected member of the UN Human Rights Council, Pakistan has a responsibility to uphold the highest international standards. It has repeatedly vowed to protect human rights activists and criminalize enforced disappearances, but what we are seeing shows they have they done nothing on this front while the situation is getting worse," said Sherif Elsayed-Ali.

The Pakistani authorities must immediately order an independent and effective investigation into these attacks, and ensure that human rights defenders are protected both online and off."
Kabul, May 16 (IBNS): Over 300 people, including militants, security forces and civilians, have been killed in clashes in Afghanistan's Farah province.

According to reports, at least 2000 Taliban militants attacked Farah province on Tuesday morning, in order to claim it.

However, they have been pushed back, officials said on Wednesday morning.

Provincial governor Abdul Basir Salangi was quoted by local Tolo News as saying, "15 army soldiers, 10 policemen and five civilians were killed in the clashes.

He added, First 1,000 Taliban insurgents attacked Farah districts on Tuesday and after the first attack over 1,000 other insurgents also joined the attack.

Officials have said that at least 300 militants have been gunned down, though the Taliban is yet to confirm the reports.

Image: Wallpaper
British Columbia/Ottawa, May 16 (IBNS): With volunteers and emergency workers suffering from exhaustion after almost a week of fighting the floods, especially in Grand Forks, Christina Lake, Rock Creek and surrounding rural areas, politicians and officials are asking for help from the army, media reports said.

"People have been working really long hours and it's boiling here  32 C. They're thirsty, they're tired and they're worn out," said Jessica Mace of the Kettle River Water Authority.

The prospect of flooding is also expected to worsen over the next few days in the hard-hit southern Interior of British Columbia (B.C.) due to the melting of the heavy snowpack and a surge of water down from the mountains caused by high temperatures.

"We are in conversation with our partners at Emergency Management BC to see what resources might be available for us," said Roly Russell, chair of the Kootenay Boundary Regional District. "We feel we could use those resources effectively on the ground."

Residents had been updated with the latest flood information during two meetings on Tuesday.

The public is being asked by emergency personnel from the Kootenay Boundary Regional District to remain vigilant and to stay out of evacuated areas to allow emergency officials to focus their efforts.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
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Sometimes I am shocked beyond my wits when I read about what's happening in countries around the world. The things that make me gasp in shock aren't necessarily about crime, but traditions, customs and the way of life of different people.

Any Indian would know that travelling with Indian Railways is easily one of the best simple joys of our lives, but it also comes packed with its predicaments. Never being on time, running late etc are just a few of mentions.

But in what looks strange, especially to us, Indians, is that a Japanese company recently apologised after its service left ahead of schedule - by 25 seconds.

The West Japan Railways issued an apology for all its passengers for causing great inconvenience after one of their trains left the Notogawa Station, in Shiga 25 seconds earlier than it was supposed to.

The train pushed away at 7.11.35 am on Friday, as opposed to its scheduled departure at 7.12 am.

Japanese train leaves 25 seconds early, apologizes for #inexcusable incovenience to riders again, like last fall

'We will be thoroughly evaluating our conduct and striving to keep such an incident from occurring again': JR Westhttps://t.co/TcdfhjsmbX  Stan Yee (@stanyee) May 14, 2018

The driver of the train did realize his mistake, but after finding the platform empty, he decided to leave early anyway. Yet, there was a passenger on the platform who was left because of this situation.

The concerned passenger then reported the situation to the station attendant who informed the JR West headquarters, following which they issued an apology.

"The great inconvenience we placed upon our customers was truly inexcusable. We will be thoroughly evaluating our conduct and striving to keep such an incident from occurring again," JR West said.

Let that sink in.
When it comes to validating a film, movie critics and audience reviews are not the only two things. Sometimes, this validation reaches another level when one of India's favorite consumer brands decides to give a film a nod in their own special way.

Junglee Pictures

Helmed by Meghna Gulzar, Raazi is not just proving to be a steady hit at the box-office but the audience and industry's word of mouth is in favor of the film. Amul has released its latest advert with the comic girl and recreating Alia Bhatt's movie poster, the brand has given an apt and adorable tribute to the film that is being talked about.

Just to jog your memory a little, one of the posters of Raazi has Alia Bhatt pointing a gun and Amul has recreated the exact screen, giving their take on the film which says, "Sab raazi hai."

The whole team of Raazi is elated with the response and everyone took to their social media accounts to thank them.

 A post shared by Alia  (@aliaabhatt) on May 15, 2018 at 7:48am PDT

Screengrab

No matter how many stars critics give, the Amul tribute always feels special.
Cannes Film Festival is the talk of the town. Every year in May, all the creative people from different parts of the world come together to celebrate cinema. Now, back on home turf, Aishwarya Rai, Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor have made their grand (or maybe not-so-grand) appearances, Cannes is pretty much over for us. However, heres a little something thatll make your day.

Im pretty sure most of you, didnt notice that another celeb who managed to own the Cannes Film Festival 2018 is our very own Khaleesi!

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Far far away from Dragonstone, Daenerys Targaryen of house Targaryen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons etc conquered yet another world - the world of cinema being showcased at the French Riviera. Well, it wasnt for a fashion brand promotion or to catch a screening of some brilliant movie. Danny, was there for the screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story in which she is playing the role of Qira.

Thats not all, before going to France, the Me Before You actress went on a date with Brad Pitt. Before you run the horses of your imagination wild, these two arent an 'item'. No, sir. This date had one helluva twist. Well get into that later, but for now heres a dekko at all the interesting things happening in her life at the moment:

1. Emilia recently had a fun reunion with the Moon of her life, her Khal Drogo Jason Momoa

For most of the Game Of Thrones fans, Season 1 made us realise that never and i mean never, get too attached to any character. For he/she, can randomly leave us for their heavenly abode. As if Ned Stark's death wasn't enough, DB Weiss and David Benioff snatched away one of our most favorite characters, Khal Drogo aka Jason Momoa in the first season itself.

Interestingly, the remaining cast took a break from shooting the show's finale and had an epic reunion with Momoa in Ireland recently. No points for guessing, that the speculations of his comeback have already started doing the rounds. However, it was a sight for sore eyes to see the lovely onscreen couple acting like their goofy self to get some amazing pictures clicked.

2. Clarke made a smashing appearance at the red carpet for the screening of her upcoming film Solo: A Star Wars Story

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Get ready for she is all set to hit the silver screen with an epic movie. She plays supporting character Qira in the Star Wars origin story for popular character Han Solo! Exciting, right? The movie was screened at the Cannes film festival this year. Emilia attended the big event with her co-stars, Alden Ehrenreich as the young Solo, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Thandie Newton. Needless to say she stole the limelight from everyone, courtesy her goofiness! Thats not all, she even stunned the fashion police with her jaw-dropping sartorial choices. Go, Queen D!

3. Brad Pitt lost the bid to watch an episode of Game Of Thrones with Emilia Clarke but saw it anyway!

Variety

No, we are not kidding! In a charity gala held for the benefit of Haiti, one of the items for the bid was watching an episode of Game Of Thrones With Khaleesi aka Emilia Clarke. Now, guess who was one of the many bidders? None other than Brad Pitt! Interestingly, an anonymous buyer outbid Pitts 120K Dollars by a large margin. Still, Brad managed to watch an episode with our lady. Emilia called it a surreal evening! She was so excited that she thought her head was going to explode. After all it was Brad Pitt, celebrity or not, he definitely makes every woman go weak in the knees.

4. She insisted that she experienced pay parity and there was no pay gap problem on Game Of Thrones

HBO

"On Game of Thrones, I have always been paid the same amount as my male co-stars," she said last night at a screening of Solo: A Star Wars Story in Cannes.

"It was my first job and I was not discriminated against because I was a woman, in my paycheck, she further added.

5. Emilia Clarke announced that #MeToo and Times Up Movements are here to stay

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During her Cannes outing, she said, "It's really difficult because this is a problem that has been around forever so changing it overnight is impossible." She then went on to give a solution to this problem, she said that by "continuing to apply gentle pressure" women can prevent the movement losing momentum and we couldnt have agreed more with her on this.

6. She is all set to dabble with screenwriting and also wants to open her own production company!

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Apart from her movie projects, the talented British actor is planning to open her production company soon. Why you ask? Well, to tell really good stories.

Its going to be something that I found, that Ill choose how to shape and put all my creative juices behind, she said at a chat show. She then highlighted the importance of female creatives in the industry that is undergoing a transformation.

7. She owned the Met Gala and proved that GoT or not, she is a queen whatsoever!

agencies

Well, this years Met Gala had a super-interesting theme - Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination and the world saw many celebs acing the theme with their glamourous and pristine outfits, and Emilia stood out here as well. Donning a black and gold Dolce & Gabbana number, the portraits of painterly cherubs around her full skirt perfectly represented the theme aptly. Before you ask, she did wear a crown and teamed that up with stellar makeup, a bubblegum blush, in particular.

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The details of her look didnt go unnoticed at all!

8. The Dragon Queen suggested the name of her new on-screen love interest Jon Snow for the role of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movie

HBO

Believe it or not, the dragon queen and King in the North are quite close off-screen as well. So much so, that Emilia referred the name of her GoT co-star for her upcoming movie Solo: A Star Wars Story. Well, she did suggest his name for an iconic role even though the director did not take up on her offer.

9. She expressed her distaste for the term strong women

agencies

During one of her many interview at Cannes Film Festival, she said, If its not strong, what is it? Are you telling me theres another option, that theres a weak option? You think a lead in a movie is going to be a weak woman? It just doesnt even bear having the conversation, so enough already with the strong women, please.





10. Last but not the least, she shared her piece of mind on what we all should expect from Game of Thrones finale

disney

Clarke took a break from shooting the finale of the show to fly to Cannes. When asked about the finale, she said, "It will be what none of us think it will be. It clearly means that all our predictions and speculations will bite the dust.
The expected dust storm hit several parts of the country, including the national capital last night. The meteorological department has issued a fresh warning that a similar storm, perhaps of a lesser intensity may strike again later today.

Last night, the high-velocity dust storm with a wind speed of up to 70 kilometres, hit Delhi at around 11.15 PM and continued till morning.

ANI

Delhi's adjoining states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan also experienced gusty winds and squalls resulting in low visibility, power disruption and damage to property.

Trees and electricity poles were uprooted in several areas with reports of power outages.

ANI

As the more extreme weather is predicted on Tuesday, the Delhi government has decided to close all evening schools for the day. Schools in Haryana has already been shut for two days, keeping in mind the situation.

MeT Department said that a storm warning was sent out due to an active western disturbance over the western Himalayan region and the plains of north-west India which will be at its peak activity on Tuesday.

#DustStorm in delhi, just went home 15 minutes ago pic.twitter.com/0kHeGCSRQ8  Jay Makkar (@JayMakkar) May 7, 2018
If you love cruising down the road with the wind in your hair, theres a strong possibility that youve been fined for speeding at one time or another.

However, its probably safe to say youve never been caught for going 14 times over the speed limit.

Thats exactly what happened to one driver in Belgium, who was fined when a roadside speeding camera in a small town caught him blowing past the speed limit. The thing is, he was fined the equivalent of a whopping $8,000 (Rs 5,42,440). Why? Apparently because the camera caught him doing a staggering 696 kph in a 50 kph zone.

Sure, it might be possible for some cars to achieve that sort of speed, but certainly not this one in particular. After all, it was a regular Opel Astra, which tops out at a moderate 260 kph. Not wanting to fork over the giant amount of money for a minor traffic violation, the driver contacted local authorities.

Speeding cameras usually use radar to detect the speed of vehicles. The devices transmitter broadcasts a radio signal in direction, while a receiver, measures radio signals in the area. This can be used to measure how far away an object is depending on how long it takes the reflected signal to return. To measure speed however, it uses a phenomenon called Doppler shift.

When the radar gun and the car are both standing still, the signal being echoed back will have the same wave frequency as the original signal, it mirrors it. But when the car is moving, each part of the signal is reflected at a different point in space, which changes the wave pattern. In addition, when the car is moving away from the radar gun, the second segment of the signal has to travel a greater distance to reach the car than the first segment of the signal.

As it turns out, the radar bit of the camera was still working fine, but it seems a coding glitch in its software was what generated the blitzingly fast speed measurement. The driver, for his trouble, had the $8,000 fine wiped out for a more reasonable $60 ticket (at the accurate speed measurement of 60 kph he was still over the speed limit). Still, a 99.2 percent discount on your speeding ticket sounds like a pretty great deal.
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Morin joined the company in 2011, and brings to the new role nearly three decades of experience in the insurance industry. Prior to joining the company, he served various roles for Towers Watson & Co. and its predecessor firm Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, including its actuarial division, Tillinghast, where he led the firms engagement with ACGL.

Morin's extensive experience leading Archs actuarial and enterprise risk management practices gives him valuable perspective into all financial and capital aspects of our company, Grandisson said.

Of the outgoing chief financial officer, Grandisson said: Mark and I have worked together since the early days of Arch in 2002. In addition to the significant contributions he has made to our performance over the years, he has been a great colleague and friend. We wish him all the best.

Morins promotion is subject to applicable local regulatory approvals.

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The new service connects customers with a mental health nurse, who is their point of contact throughout the whole process. It allows them to video consult with a clinical psychologist and psychiatrist, if required, within 10 days of their medical records being collected. Customers are then sent a report with a review of their diagnosis and a recommended treatment plan to help manage their condition. Their mental health nurse assists them to put it into action over a six-month period.

The evidence shows that problems in detection and accurate diagnosis can lead to delayed or incorrect treatment, thereby worsening the condition in the long term, said Melissa Heyhoe, chief customer officer for retail advised insurance at MLC Life Insurance. While were here to protect our customers financially, we also have an opportunity to support their health and wellbeing and give them confidence they are on the right path to improve their mental health.

The service is offered at no cost and can be accessed even without lodging an insurance claim.

Bernhard Baune, chair of psychiatry at the University of Adelaide and advisory board member for Mental Health Navigator, said the new service will be a valuable support to both patients and their treating clinicians.

The service adds a supportive layer to the current Australian healthcare system, in addition to a customers general practitioner or treating doctor, Baune said. It brings together a multi-disciplinary team of specialists that is tailored to the individuals situation.

The new study, meanwhile, revealed that a third of Australians with a mental health condition felt frustrated when trying to navigate the mental healthcare system. Findings also showed that seven in 10 Australians who have sought help for a condition said it was a negative experience, while 36% believed finding the right treatment was hard.

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Find out at the Women in Insurance Summit this August.

MLC Life Insurance chief people, marketing and corporate affairs officer Susan Karson; Elders Insurance Agency development manager Linda Johnson; Austbrokers ABS general manager Rebecca Wilson and Liberty International Underwriters vice president claims  Asia Pacific, Angus Kench, will discuss the controversial issue of gender quotas on a panel at the summit.

They will cover the pros and cons of gender targets vs quotas, moving the needle on gender equality and how male champions of change can make a difference.

The Women in Insurance Summit Australia will be held on Tuesday, August 07, at the InterContinental. Click here to find out more and book. Early Bird and team discounts are now available.
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